Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

by Invinsible

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Human, Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, Sunset Shimmer, Main 6, Discord
Length: 430676

A mirror universe, where Nightmare Moon and her friends fight to protect the Everfree Kingdom. A powerful foe plots her revenge. Will Nightmare and her friends be able to defend their home?

(The Human tag only comes up in later chapters with only one villain and a few minor characters.)

Nightmare Moon, the personal student to the good King Sombra, learns about the return of the dreaded Eternal Twilight. When she tries to warn him, he sends the young alicorn and her dragon assistant Smog, to a small town where she is to supervise the preparations for the Crystal Heart Celebration.

There she befriends five individuals: Sunset Shimmer, Gilda, Trixie, Chrysalis, and Discord. Together they redeem Eternal Twilight and turn her back into the kind Princess Sparkle. And it looks like things will be fine from then on...

But no prophecy could prepare Nightmare for what challenges await. Powerful foes will seek to break apart her new friendship. And an enemy that Nightmare knows nothing about seeks to obtain the revenge she has been plotting for years.

Will the magic of forgiveness and the power of friendship triumph?

*Featured on June 23, September 12, November 9, November 23, December 26 2014, February 7, and July 15 2015!*

Published 2014-05-11 00:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-05-10 18:09:40 UTC

The Elements of Redemption

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Elements of Redemption

Even though Nightmare was intimidated by Eternal Twilight’s power, she wasn’t going to give up without a fight. “Guards! Get into formation! Only she knows where the king is!”

Nightmare and the pegasus guards all flapped their wings and soared towards Eternal Twilight. The taller alicorn glared at them, her eyes glowing white as her horn crackled with energy. “Foals,” she growled as bolts of lightning shot from her horn towards them. Nightmare conjured up a magical shield and swerved her body so that the shield covering her would protect the guards. The guards were spared but one lucky bolt zapped Nightmare’s right wing. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground, landing on top of her other wing.

Others in the crowd rushed to help her while Trixie got in front of them. Her horn flared with magic as she prepared to fight Eternal Twilight, even though she knew she didn’t stand a chance. “Enough monster! Cease your hostilities on these people and return the sun to the sky or else face the wrath of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Eternal Twilight smirked. “You want the sun back? Don’t worry it won’t be nighttime for long. Once I find the Elements and retake the Crystal Empire I’ll return the Sun to her rightful position. So stay out of my way!” With that, the wicked alicorn turned into a violet cloud of magical energy and flew out the building.

Gilda had finally gotten the stars to stop spinning around her head and flew off in pursuit of Eternal Twilight. Nightmare winced as she failed to flap her wings. Instead she used a spell to turn herself into an indigo cloud of energy similar to Eternal Twilight’s cloud and tried to follow. But Eternal Twilight was long gone.

Nightmare’s cloud carried her back to the library where the cloud dispersed and dropped her at the front door. She struggled as she walked into the library and started looking through the books.

Smog came running into the library. “Nightmare! We’ve got to stop Eternal Twilight!”

Nightmare didn’t look up from her book search. “Way ahead of you Smog. We need to find that reference guide yesterday. Ow!” She winced as pain shot through her wings.

Smog noticed. “Hold on, you should be resting. Your wings are completely scorched!”

“My wings will be fine. I’m an alicorn, fast-healer and all that."

"I know that," Smog sighed. "Doesn't mean I can't be concerned."

"Really, it's fine. I should be back to flying in a few days…a week at most.” She gave a weak smile.

“But how are we going to beat Eternal Twilight if you’re not at full strength?”

Nightmare tossed Smog a book. “Now is not the time for idle chit-chat! Find me something about the Elements of Redemption.”

At that moment, an angry Gilda burst into the library and poked a sharp talon at Nightmare. “And what are the Elements of Redemption? And how did you know about Eternal Twilight? Are you a spy? You look a lot like her, ya know! Your hair is even doing that wavy thing that hers was! Maybe you’re her younger sister and when she becomes evil queen she’ll give you Peaceville to rule as evil princess! Is that it?”

Trixie charged into the library too. “Trixie agrees with the griffon! One alicorn trying to hog the spotlight when I am to entertain the king is suspicious, even if she is friendly. But two alicorns trying to steal Trixie’s show is another thing entirely!”

Gilda and Trixie were both pulled back by Sunset Shimmer’s magic. Nightmare noticed that Discord and Chrysalis had also joined them in the library.

“Stop being stupid you two,” Sunset said. “Nightmare Moon wouldn’t attack Eternal Twilight, or get hurt defending those guards if they were working together. Unless it was to try and trick us, but what would be the point?” Sunset advanced on Nightmare. “Now when I was the king’s student I read a little about the Elements but you might know more about them.”

Nightmare sighed and said, “Not much. I read about Eternal Twilight’s return and that the Elements of Redemption are the only things that could stop her, but I don’t know what they look like or where they are.”

Discord popped up beside her, wearing reading glasses. “So you were looking for a reference guide on them? This might be yours then.” He stuck his arm down his throat and pulled out a soggy, thick book.

The others stared at him. “You ate the reference guide?” Smog asked. “Why?”

Discord summoned a hairdryer and used it to dry the book. “My doctor said to eat more leafy greens. The book had page leaves and some pictures had green in them. I honestly don’t know why you’re so surprised.” He passed the book to Smog who immediately tossed it to Nightmare. The book still covered in Discord’s spit and all.

Nightmare grimaced and held the book in her magic. As she searched through the book, Smog spoke. “How much did you guys catch of Eternal Twilight’s speech?”

“She said she’d return the sun back so um…” Chrysalis trailed off awkwardly.

“Yeah, but the phrasing was odd,” Smog said. “And did you notice how she said anypony and nopony, instead of anybody and nobody?”

“I noticed,” Discord huffed. “And on behalf of all the more interesting creatures in the universe, I’m rather offended!” He brought Smog, Gilda, and Chrysalis into a hug. “You shouldn’t exclude other species from a conversation, it’s rude!”

“Well, being over hundreds of years old, she’s likely to be old fashioned,” Nightmare said. “Oh, here it is.”

She read aloud, “‘The Elements are known by many names including the Elements of Forgiveness, Redemption, and/or Harmony. There are six Elements but only five are know: The Elements of Love, Freedom, Nobility, Knowledge, and Zeal. The last one is a mystery. The last known location of the Elements was the ancient castle of the Royal family.’ Which means they would now be located in what is now called the Equestria forest. Okay then. Smog, you stay here and guard Peaceville and the library. Protect the citizens and make sure Eternal Twilight doesn’t find out about this.”

“What? No way, I’m going with you!” Smog said.

“Smog you stay here and guard this town or so help me, no gems for a month!”

Smog gulped and hurried to push the others out of the library. “Well don’t let me keep you! Best of luck everyone!”

As the rest of the group made their way to the forest, a violet cloud of magic stalked them. It had heard everything it needed to and flew ahead of the group.

Once the group was facing the entrance of the spooky forest Discord clapped his hands. “Alright chums, let’s do this! Discord!” he roared, charging into the forest.

Sunset slapped her face in annoyance of Discord’s antics. “Good grief, he just ran inside.”

Nightmare groaned. “Look, I appreciate your offer for help but I’d rather do this on my own.”

Gilda gave her a look. “Why’d you let us follow you this far then?” Nightmare didn’t have an answer to that.

Sunset said, “Listen Nightmare. We’re not leaving the best shot Peaceville has of beating Eternal Twilight alone in the forest, especially not our friend. Besides, someone has to make sure Discord doesn’t set the forest on fire. Again.”

And so the five of them went into the Equestria forest. As they walked, Nightmare tried to learn what she could about the forest. “So, have any of you been here before?”

“Trixie once toyed with the idea of adventuring into the forest to find and capture a dangerous creature in hopes of bringing it back to fight as part of her show. But then I realized how stupid that plan was.” Trixie looked over to the others and they all shook their heads. It sounded like only Discord was crazy enough to charge into the Equestria forest.

“We should be very careful,” Chrysalis warned. “Lots of changelings have come here before. Not everyling makes it back. The ones that do tell me about strange weather and bloodthirsty monsters.”

Gilda looked at Chrysalis. “Funny, I didn’t think changelings were brave enough to risk this place. You guys are tougher than I thought!” She smiled and gave Chrysalis a clap on the shoulder with her wing.

Following the group, the violet cloud of magic swirled angrily. A horn briefly materialized within the magical mist. The horn flashed once as a teleportation spell conjured up a large bag filled with orange, sparkling crystals. The crystals rained down on the path ahead of the adventurers. The purple cloud then flew away.

Nightmare frowned as they turned around a corner and saw that a huge pile of crystals blocked the path. “Oh, brilliant. Okay anyone with a horn, help me clear these away.” She charged her horn, ready to blast her way through.

“Stop!” Sunset commanded. “Don’t use any magic! Those are Overcharge crystals! Too much unicorn or alicorn magic could set off a chain reaction and cause the crystals to blow up. Gilda, you and Chrysalis will have to fly us over.”

“Oh please! That’ll take forever! Allow Trixie.” Trixie charged her horn and blasted the first crystal off to the side. The rest of the crystals immediately began to glow dangerously.

“Trixie, you idiot!" Sunset screamed. The group ran away from the crystals, back the way they came. They had covered a little ground before a tremendous explosion almost took their faces off. Nightmare, Sunset, Chrysalis, and Trixie each quickly threw up a shield spell. The combined shields were successful in protecting the group from harm.

Nightmare gave a sigh of relief before glaring at Trixie. “You fool! Think before you act!”

Trixie sheepishly smiled. She quickly ran back to where the Overcharge crystals had been before reporting back to the group. “Path is clear now.”

“Oh whoop-dee-doo!” Sunset snarled. “You want a medal? Seriously, you almost blew us all up to the Crystal Castle and back!”

“Trixie regrets nothing!” The clearly insane Trixie shouted with pride.

Gilda shrugged. “Eh, I’ve dodged worse messes than that. Well are we just gonna sit here preening our feathers or do we have a bad guy to stop?”

As the group continued their journey, Nightmare gave Sunset a smile. “Thanks for warning us, at least. You were right Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset basked in the praise. “I usually am.”

The purple cloud hissed angrily at the group’s survival and shot towards a creature in the forest, casting another spell as it flew by. The creature was a manticore, with the body of a huge lion, bat wings, and a scorpion’s tail. As the group continued into the Equestria forest, the manticore roared and ran towards them.

“Yes!” Trixie squealed. “A worthy opponent for the Great and Powerful Trixie to fight. Yet sadly, my audience is rather small. No matter!”

But instead of attacking, the manticore completely ignored Trixie, Gilda, Sunset, and Chrysalis and jumped straight at Nightmare. He hugged Nightmare tightly and started licking her.

“Eww! Unhand me! Why are you licking me?” The disgusted Nightmare tried to push the manticore away.

Gilda got ready to shove the manticore off Nightmare, but Chrysalis spoke up.

“Wait! I think I know what’s going on,” Chrysalis said. A green flash transformed the changeling into a rather cute female manticore. The manticore glanced at her before returning his attention to Nightmare. Chrysalis nodded, as if expecting this. This time she transformed into Nightmare Moon’s perfect clone.

This time the manticore’s eyes flicked from the real Nightmare Moon to the fake one. Chrysalis guided the manticore’s face towards her and opened her mouth. Green energy poured out of the manticore’s face and into the changeling’s mouth as she fed off the love inside him. The energy continued to pour out of the manticore for some time until Chrysalis closed her mouth.

She turned into a female manticore once again and the two hugged and licked each other’s faces. Eventually she drained most of the manticore’s energy, putting him into a happy sleep. She turned back into a changeling and rejoined with the group.

“How did you know that would work?” Nightmare asked.

Chrysalis smiled. “All creatures, no matter how scary or cruel, have a little love in their hearts. But when he paid more attention to you instead of a female of his species, I knew something was up. It tastes like he was hit by a variant of the Want It Need It spell. It caused him to fall desperately in love with the first thing he saw, which was you. I’ve only tasted that love off of two other victims of that spell. Not as tasty as real love but very filling.”

Nightmare looked back at the snoring manticore. “The Want It Need It spell? That’s rather dangerous magic.”

“I’m just glad I ate that spell before he got himself hurt,” Chrysalis sighed happily. “He’s not that scary. You’d be surprised what love can make another creature do.”

The five of them continued their journey. Along the way, something popped into existence right in the middle of the five. “GUESS WHO? I’M BACK, BABY!” Discord sang.

The other five jumped in surprise before glaring at him. “Where were you back when we were fighting the manticore? Or escaping that explosion!” Nightmare demanded.

“Well, we’ve all had some exciting adventures, haven’t we?” Discord grinned. “Speaking of adventures, my quest to set fire to the forest has hit an unexpected problem.”

“Why were you trying to set fire to the Equestria forest?” Gilda asked.

“Well if I don’t who will?” Discord asked. “Sadly, the trees don’t seem as eager to please this time.”

Discord pointed to a large group of huge oddly shaped trees. The trees were all shaped like large wolves. The logs, branches, and leaves forming legs, fur, and snarling faces.

Nightmare tilted her head. “Odd. Those trees look like timberwolves. Though, the few timberwolves I’ve seen were a lot friendlier-looking than those.”

As she spoke, they noticed that the trees were getting closer. The trees were alive and were stalking towards them like pack of wolves.

“What did you do?” Sunset screamed at Discord as she put up a shield spell, as a timberwolf spat an exploding acorn at them.

Discord shrugged. “Wasn’t me!”

“If it wasn’t you then it has to be Eternal Twilight, ” Nightmare said. “She’s probably behind the Overcharge crystals and the Want It Need It spell that hit that manticore.”

The group gasped as the timberwolves took a deep breath and all spat out a stream of green fire at the group. The magic-users winced as the fire burned and weakened their shields.

“They want revenge,” Discord cried. “I always feared this day would come! In the Everfree forest, you burn trees. But in the Equestria forest, trees burn you!”

“Cease your prattle!” Trixie commanded. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will not be defeated by something as silly as an enchanted fire-breathing tree army!”

Discord grinned. “Right you are my dear! This situation is very silly. Time to act accordingly! The way to live life best is with a song in your heart! Now which song can we use?” He conjured up some sheet music but frowned at the lyrics. “Giggle at the ghostly? What am I, five?”

“You sure act like it,” Gilda muttered.

“That’s the spirit Gilda!” Discord tossed the sheet music aside. “You know what? I’ll improvise!” And then he sang:

“When I was a little drake and school was bringing me down...”

“He’s kidding. He’s kidding, right?” Nightmare asked the others.

“The homework and the teachers, they’d always make me frown...”

“Sadly, he's not, ” Sunset muttered.

“I'd hide under my chocolate cloud
Or play some Discord Ball
But Granny Babel said that wasn't the way
To deal with fears at all”

“Should I hit him? I feel like that would help," Gilda asked the others.

“She said, ‘Discord, you gotta stand up tall
Learn to face your fear
You'll see that they can't hurt you
Snap your fingers to make them disappear.’
Ha! Ha! Ha!”

With each ‘ha!’ Discord snapped his fingers and three timberwolves turned into harmless flower poodles. He then zapped the rest of the timberwolves, continuing his song.

“So, laugh out loud at logic
‘Cause I love all that’s illogic
Rip apart all puny reason
For chaos is in season
With order, I take offense
So snortle at making sense!”

“And if all else fails…” Discord stopped singing, yanked Trixie’s hat off her head and waved his hand over it. Dozens of fireworks blasted out of the hat, flying towards the terrified timberwolves. “Burn it all! Burn it ALL! Aha ha hah!”

The fireworks rained down on the timberwolves, resulting in a colourful explosion. Once the timberwolves were no longer a threat Discord placed Trixie’s hat back on her head. “Well that was fun. Right guys?”

Gilda chuckled, “Gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting that firework finale.”

“My dear, what fun is there in doing the expected?” Discord winked at the group.

“Um…don’t you think that was a little harsh?” The cautious Chrysalis asked as she stared at the burnt tree bark.

“Oh, those were just normal trees brought to life by Eternal Pain-in-my-neck. It’s not like they were real timberwolves,” Discord defended. “I once met the friendliest timberwolf puppy one could encounter and he was nothing like that.”

Chrysalis frowned. “Fine, but you didn’t have to burn the trees.” Discord sighed and snapped his fingers. New trees shot out from the ground and grew to respectable sizes. “Better. Thank you,” she said with a smile.

Sunset shivered. “I think I just had a flashback to my childhood.”

“Aw, come on,” Gilda grinned. “That was funny. Who doesn’t love a few good harmless explosions?”

Trixie chuckled and tipped her hat to Discord. “Trixie approves your performance!”

Even Nightmare giggled a little. “Well that was fun but we need to keep moving.”

The group continued through the forest until they reached a river blocking their path. The river was overflowing with water, making it difficult to cross. “Huh. Discord can you teleport us all across?”

Discord groaned. “I already busted a tree army, what more do you want?”

Just then, the group heard someone sobbing. A huge river serpent, with a long purple body, and orange hair was crying so much it was adding a fair amount of water to the river.

Nightmare winced. “Poor guy. Excuse me sir, why are you crying?”

The river serpent looked down at the group. “I…I was just sitting here, playing with my friend, when this horrible cloud of purple smoke just zipped past me and stole my best friend! My Mister Smarty Pants!”

“Mister Smarty Pants?” Gilda said.

“That dumb toy that’s so popular with kids for some reason? That’s what all the drama is for?” Sunset rolled her eyes.

“How dare you?” Trixie snapped at the two of them. “Trixie herself had to rely on friends who were not flesh and blood when she was younger. And I’ll bet that amateur Eternal Twilight just stole this magnificent creature’s best friend!”

Trixie walked towards him. “Trixie would be happy to help you, mighty river beast. Behold!” Trixie took off her hat and waved her hoof over it. “The Great and Powerful Trixie summons this gift for you!” She reached in and pulled out a grey doll with button eyes, a brown mane and blue shorts.

The river serpent examined the doll. “This isn’t my Mister Smarty Pants. That’s a Miss Smarty Pants.”

Gilda whispered to Sunset, “What’s the difference?”

“I know that,” Trixie said to him. “This was Trixie’s very own Miss Smarty Pants that she played with when she was small. Trixie wants you to protect her until we can find your friend.”

Everybody else gasped. “Are you certain, miss unicorn?” the river serpent asked. “You would give me your childhood friend to take care of just because I was upset? I couldn’t possibly take her from you!”

“Trixie insists. She knows you will take good care of Miss Smarty Pants. When we find and return your friend to you, you may then return Trixie’s friend to her. How does that sound?”

The river serpent took the doll and set it down gently on the ground. “I will keep her safe for you!” He saluted. “You can count on me! Now please, allow me!” He then folded up his body to make a bridge for the group to cross.

As the group crossed and said farewell to the river serpent, they finally spotted the ruins that held the Elements. As luck would have it, the rope bridge to the ruins was broken off at one point and barely holding on to the other.

“I got this one guys!” Gilda declared. She flapped her wings and flew down into the thick fog to recover the broken bridge. She caught the bridge in her beak and pulled the bridge up to the side opposite of her friends. As she flew up, a purple patch of fog twisted around Gilda’s vision and snaked around her ears and eyes. Breaking free from the fog, Gilda landed on the other side and was about to tie the rope bridge back together, when she heard something ghostly call her name. Gilda frowned and stepped on the rope to keep it from slipping away.

“Okay knock it off with the lame ghost whispers, whoever you are! Get out here and face me like a griffon!” she ordered.

“We’ve been awaiting your arrival. For you are the best flier in all of Everfree, aren’t you?” the voice whispered.

Gilda smiled a little. “Who, me? Thanks, I am pretty awesome. Hey, could you tell the Shadowbolts that? I’ve been thinking about joining them.”

“No, Gilda. We want you to join our team.” A yellow pegasus mare with an orange mane, wearing a blue flight suit and purple goggles appeared through the fog. “I’m Spitfire.”

A light blue pegasus stallion with a dark blue mane, wearing the same uniform appeared next to her. “I’m Soarin.”

“And you know who I am.” Another pegasus mare flew down next to them. She was cyan blue, with a mane made up of every colour of the rainbow. She wore the same blue uniform as the others but her goggles had a gold tint to them.

Gilda grinned in shocked delight. “No way. Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash gave her a cocky grin. “You know it.”

“Holy smoke!” Gilda gave Rainbow a claw-to-hoof bump. “Look at you! Awesome flight-suit Dash! What are you doing out here?”

“I got into the Shadowbolts, Gilda. And I impressed Nightingale enough that she let me form my own branch. We’re the Wonderbolts! The most awesome aerial team in the Equestria forest!” Rainbow grinned as she circled her friend. “And soon we’ll be the coolest team in all of Everfree! But I couldn’t have gotten this far without you being my friend back in flight school. That’s why I want you to be captain. Just think how cool it would be for a griffon to lead the best pegasus team ever! The coolest, fastest, bravest griffon I’ve ever known.”

“Now you’re talking!” Gilda fist-pumped the sky. “Rainbow Dash, you are awesome! Sign me up!” She picked the rope back up. “Just let me tie this real quick and we’ll ditch this dump.”

Rainbow pushed her away from the rope. “No! It’s them or us. You wouldn’t leave your best friend for those losers, would you?”

Gilda hesitated, looking from the Wonderbolts to her new friends. “Wait a minute,” she said, glaring at Rainbow. “The Rainbow Dash I knew may have been impatient. But she would have waited for me to finish up here and she definitely wouldn’t make me choose between my friends! You’re not fooling me Eternal Twilight! We’re gonna find those Elements and you’re going down!”

‘Rainbow’ scowled at her. “Not if I find them first!” The Wonderbolts flew towards the castle as Gilda rejoined her friends.

As they flew, ‘Soarin’ looked at ‘Rainbow’. “What were you expecting?”

‘Rainbow’ glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

‘Soarin’ continued. “I’m just saying, what were you expecting using the same tricks as before?”

‘Spitfire’ nodded in agreement to ‘Soarin’. “He’s got a point. Sure you put your own spin of things but it didn’t work the first time either.”

“What first time? What are you talking about?” ‘Rainbow’ asked. She rubbed her head. Why were her own illusions arguing with her?

‘Spitfire’ sighed. “You’ve read enough books to see how this will work out. I’m sad to say, you don’t appear to be filling the role of protagonist either.”

“Silence!” Eternal Twilight commanded as the Wonderbolts burst into violet clouds and reformed into her main body. She landed on the ground and scowled. “Now is not the time for me to be arguing with myself, so keep it together! Keep. It. Together!" Her eyes glowed dangerously.

She was about to flap her wings and fly to the ruins when she noticed that her hooves were stuck under some roots. Eternal Twilight growled as she used her horn to slice through the thorn-covered roots that had ensnared her hooves. Once her hooves were free, she looked up to see that one Wonderbolt remained.

‘Rainbow Dash’ stood in front of her. “Come on Sparkle, you’re better than this.”

Eternal Twilight’s eyes widened, then flashed angrily. “…What did you say?”

The pegasus didn’t answer. ‘Rainbow Dash’ turned back into a violet cloud and rejoined Eternal Twilight’s body. Shaking her head to clear her disorganized thoughts, Eternal Twilight flew to the heart of the ruins.

Meanwhile, Nightmare and her friends had reached the main chamber. Five sphere shaped rocks sat on top of a large pedestal in the center. Gilda and Chrysalis flew up and brought the five rocks down to the rest of the group.

“The book said when the five are present a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed,” Nightmare said.

“Outstanding,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. “Could it maybe have been a little more specific? A spark could mean anything.”

Nightmare’s horn glowed with power. “I’m going to try a few things. Step back.”

As the others stepped away from her, Discord looked over his shoulder. “Uh, guys? Purple cloud of doom incoming!”

Eternal Twilight’s cloud of magic burst into the room and swirled around Nightmare and the five rocks, spinning into a tornado. With a flash of light, the Elements and the two alicorns vanished.

“Oh, we do not need this. Fan out and find her!” Sunset ordered the others. As Trixie, Gilda, and Chrysalis started searching, the orange unicorn glared at Discord. “Why didn’t you stop them?”

“What was I supposed to do? My powers don’t work on that meanie Eternal Twilight,” Discord said, his eyes filling up with fake tears. “What kind of horrors lurk in her mind, do you suppose? It’s probably filled with stuffy organization and Order!” He spat out the last word and shivered. “She’s like every mean teacher I’ve ever had rolled into one.”

“Hey guys, check out the light show,” Gilda shouted, her wing pointed at the flashing windows on the opposite side of the ruins.

Meanwhile, Nightmare woke up saw Eternal Twilight standing over the five rocks. Seeing this, Nightmare’s horn glowed as she tried to transfer magic to the rocks and set off the ‘spark’. The five rocks glowed around Eternal Twilight’s hooves, but the glow died down as fast as it had started.

“But…where’s the sixth element?” Nightmare said.

Eternal Twilight sneered at her. “You’re looking at her.” At the younger alicorn’s confusion, she continued. “Did you really believe you were going to be the first to use the Elements? I am the original owner of the sixth element. And now that the other five are with me, I can add their power to my own.”

The furious Nightmare scowled. “Do you truly think I need the Elements to beat you?”

She fired off a beam of darkness at Eternal Twilight, who countered with her own beam of magic. The two hexes clashed with each other, before Eternal Twilight’s hex overpowered her own and blasted Nightmare off her hooves and against the wall.

“No…” Nightmare winced as her body ached all over. “I won’t let you win.” She struggled and got back on her hooves. But she knew she didn’t stand a chance alone.

Eternal Twilight walked towards Nightmare who backed away. “I don’t want to fight you little one. What is your name?”

Nightmare hesitated in midstep. “I’m Nightmare Moon.”

Eternal Twilight smiled. “Well met, young Nightmare. You know, we don’t have to fight each other. You and I are both alicorns, and you have every bit of potential that I had when I was your age. I offer you to become my student, Nightmare Moon. I can teach you all the magic I know and you can teach me all that this world has to offer. I have been absent for a long time and I would appreciate your help in understanding this new world so that I may better rule it. I’m not the monster you think I am, I only want there to be order in this world. When I become queen of this world I would be happy to make you a princess. You’re more than deserving of it. What do you say?” Eternal Twilight leaned down to look Nightmare in the eye.

Nightmare blinked as she processed Eternal Twilight’s words. She snorted once and frowned up at the twilight mare. “You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right?”

Eternal Twilight frowned. “Why would I be kidding? Two alicorns ruling over this kingdom, it’s the smart thing to do.”

“Except a kingdom traditionally has a king in it! What did you do to King Sombra?”

“That old fool is none of your concern. Our world survived without him before and it will again!”

“Fine. But what about the others?” Nightmare charged her horn, too stubborn to give up. “What about the Crystal Empire? What about Peaceville, and my friends? Friends, who you tried to hurt!”

“They were never in any real danger.” Eternal Twilight’s eyes and horn glowed dangerously.

“My friends-”

“FRIENDS!” Eternal Twilight screamed. “What do you know about friends? Whenever I wasn’t studying magic or serving my kingdom I was trying to make friends! But nopony wanted to be my friend!” Nightmare was shocked to see water gathering in Eternal Twilight’s eyes. “I went to parties, I tried to find common interests, and I was nice to everypony! And they wanted nothing do with me!

“They dismissed me as a nerd obsessed with books! They said I should focus on being a princess and to stop daydreaming about friends! If I spent years trying and failing to learn the magic of friendship what makes you think you know any better?!” she screamed.

There was a flash as Discord teleported himself and her other friends into the room. And just like that, Nightmare knew what the ‘spark’ meant.

She did think of these people as friends, friends who had risked their lives to help her. She had come to trust them completely, even if she barely knew them. Talking to Eternal Twilight helped her realize that. And there was something else the other alicorn was right about.

The younger unicorn became resentful, she had read. The bitterness and loneliness in her heart, the book said. “Nopony wanted to be my friend!” Time to fix that.

“You really want to know about friendship?” Nightmare asked Eternal Twilight. “Very well. Sunset Shimmer, whose crystal expertise saved us, represents knowledge!”

As she spoke the five rocks shattered into dozens of pieces. The pieces swirled about in the air and floated over to the six friends. As they swirled around Sunset, they transformed into an orange necklace.

Nightmare continued. “Chrysalis, who fed off the false love from the manticore and refilled its heart with compassion, represents love!”

More shards swirled around Chrysalis and formed into a yellow and green necklace.

“Discord, who banished fear by laughing at danger and at the laws of physics, represents freedom!”

Keeping his eyes closed so that bits of magic rock wouldn’t fly in his eyes, Discord was still excited as another necklace formed around his neck…until he took a good look at. “Pink? Well, I suppose I can always paint it.”

Nightmare ignored him and kept talking. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, who calmed a lonely serpent by giving him her own childhood treasure, represents nobility!”

Trixie beamed as her friend referred to her using her full title. Trixie’s necklace was bright blue.

“And Gilda, who would never abandon her true friends either past or present, represents zeal!”

As a blood red necklace formed around Gilda, Eternal Twilight stood her ground. “That’s only five! You need the sixth element or the rest won’t work!”

“That’s the thing!” Nightmare turned to her friends. “I used to think friends would only slow me down but you five proved me wrong. By talking with you, Eternal Twilight, I realized how powerful my friends and I are when we stand together! These five traits create the spark of friendship. A friendship strong enough to create the Element of Power!"

A sixth rock appeared above them and floated towards Nightmare Moon. The rock turned into a crown with gems in the shape of a crescent moon, a shining sun, and a spark of magical power. The crown lowered itself onto her head.

Eternal Twilight had made plans. When facing the Elements she could have blasted them with magic, or shielded herself, or simply dodged the attack. How stupid would it be if she just stood there like a sitting duck? But as she saw the last element, her greed overpowered her logic.

“The Element of Magic and Power…my element! Give me back MY ELEMENT!” she hungrily charged towards the group as the elements glowed. Light and darkness mixed together and sent magical energy exploding outwards, completely engulfing Eternal Twilight in the Elements’ power.

When the blinding light died down the six friends groaned and stood up. Discord looked around the room and clapped his hands. “Magnificent! Let’s do it again!”

Sunset sighed. “Maybe when the room stops spinning. Well Nightmare Moon, you were right. Looks like we’re the new bearers of the Elements of Forgiveness.”

“That’s just it,” Nightmare sadly starred at the thick purple cloud covering the room. “I didn’t want to hurt her. I wanted to show her how sorry I was that she couldn’t make any friends. I wanted to forgive her and show her that she could be better.”

“And you have. You have made me proud, Nightmare Moon.” The six friends turned to an open window as a huge black shadow poured into the room. The shadow transformed into a living creature. The unicorn that appeared before them had a black coat and mane. The stallion wore silver armor, a red cape, and a small crown. His horn was curved and red, his mouth had two fangs, and his eyes were green and red with dark magic pouring out of them. But King Sombra was much like Nightmare Moon. Both powerful and scary looking people who were actually nice ponies once you got to know them.

The bearers of the elements bowed to their king. Except for Discord, who was trying to bite his Element and asking, “Why aren’t you made of candy?”

Nightmare looked up at her king. “But you said it was just an old story.”

King Sombra smiled. “I said no such thing. I knew Eternal Twilight would return and I knew you would defeat her, but only if you allowed the power of friendship and forgiveness into your heart.”

“Forgiveness?” Sunset whispered.

“Indeed,” the king regally nodded. “Your friendship defeated Eternal Twilight, but it is my student’s willingness to forgive that saved her.”

The purple cloud cleared away and the seven looked at the pony lying there. Eternal Twilight’s armor no longer fit here as she had shrunk down to Trixie’s size. Her coat was now lavender instead of purplish-black. Her mane and tail wasn’t waving like Nightmare Moon’s and had shifted to a plain purple with a single pink stripe. Even her eyes were a normal purple instead of draconic slits. She shakily stood up. Then she cringed and shivered with fear as she looked at them.

King Sombra sat down beside the smaller pony. “Princess Sparkle. You appear to me almost as you once did when we first met so long ago. And yet the wings you gained through your dark transformation have remained with you.” The former unicorn was indeed still an alicorn. “You know, anger once clouded my mind too. But with the power of redemption, I mastered my darkness, as I know you can. We were meant to rule together my friend. Can we be friends again, Princess Sparkle?”

Princess Sparkle’s eyes were filled with tears. “After everything I’ve done?” She spoke softly. “You would forgive me so easily? You’re not m-mad at me? You won’t banish me, or lock me in the dungeon or send me to…magic kindergarten?” she whispered fearfully.

King Sombra chuckled. “Magic kindergarten? Only you would think of such a punishment. Which you shall not receive.”

Princess Sparkle was silent for a full minute. Eventually she moved, but surprisingly she turned not to King Sombra but to the other alicorn in the room. She approached Nightmare and hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Nightmare was shocked at the sudden hug but still returned it. “Um…there, there. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Yes I do!” Princess Sparkle cried. “I tried to conquer the kingdom, I almost zapped those guards, and I tried to hurt your friends! I succeeded in hurting your wings! Your poor wings! I’m a horrible pony! I’m so sorry!”

Nightmare winced as she held the sobbing Princess Sparkle. “Hey, you’re not that bad. My wings will heal in time and you haven’t really hurt anybody besides me.”

“Why are you forgiving me so easily?” Princess Sparkle whispered as she continued to cry on Nightmare.

“Um, we’re the new Elements of Forgiveness,” Gilda suggested. “Kinda part of the job.”

Princess Sparkle dried her eyes and released Nightmare. “In that case, I have to make sure I’ve earned your forgiveness. Please, there must be something I can do to make it up to everypony. Anything.”

King Sombra pointed to the moon. “Well for starters Princess…”

“Oh! Right, of course!” Princess Sparkle’s horn flared with light purple magic. She flapped her wings and raised her front hooves above her head as the moon went down and the sun came up.

King Sombra sighed happily at seeing the sun. “Finally. I never have to waste power moving those celestial bodies by myself, ever again.”

“Yay!” Discord cheered. “Oh, I do love happy endings!” He grinned at King Sombra and waved his hands in the air. “Hello!” he randomly sang.

King Sombra saw the Element of Freedom around Discord’s neck and grumbled. “Oh, great. Him.” He looked at the ceiling. “Why me?”

“Well I do believe this calls for celebration!” Discord snapped his fingers and in a flash of light they were back in Peaceville. Another finger snap, and all the Crystal Heart Celebration decorations and snacks were back in place. “It’s party time!”

And party they did. Ponies and all other creatures in Peaceville celebrated the return of Princess Sparkle and the Elements of Redemption. Smog welcomed Nightmare back and everybody was happy. The celebration lasted well past dinner. But as the party slowed, Nightmare felt her good mood dying down.

“Why so somber, little Nightmare?” King Sombra said to his student. “You’ve won. You can now return to the Crystal Empire. You can continue your studies and you’ll be welcomed back a hero.”

Nightmare looked to her friends. “Must I return home and leave behind the friends who helped me in my quest? I used to think friends were a waste of time but now…I can’t imagine my life without them.”

“Wow. And you’ve only known us for a few days” Discord said as he watched Trixie juggle a pie, a unicycle, a frog, and a plate of spaghetti with magic. He suggested the trick.

“Heh, yeah.” Gilda chuckled nervously. “Stick around with these guys too long and you’ll be begging to go back.” Even though she tried to sound neutral, anyone could tell she didn’t want Nightmare Moon to leave.

“Um, I…if I could?” Princess Sparkle hesitantly asked. At the king’s nod, she cleared her throat and declared, “I, Princess Sparkle, herby decree the alicorn known as Nightmare Moon to take on a new mission for the safety of Everfree. She will remain in Peaceville and send letters to me reporting about her adventures and her friends.” She paused and looked up at the slightly taller alicorn. “By teaching me, I hope that I can become the ruler that Everfree needs me to be. I hope that I will never be corrupted by evil ever again and…I hope that we can be friends…since I have none. Please…can we be friends?” she pleaded.

Nightmare smiled and said, “I would be honoured your majesty.”

And so the party continued.

Rainbow and Dash Off

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Rainbow and Dash Off

“Right here? Okay, you’re the expert.” Nightmare Moon turned around and gave a good kick to the cavern walls, knocking down a few crystals. She caught them in her magic and levitated them over to one of the baskets.

“Okay, that’s enough for today,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Thanks again for helping me out Nightmare.”

“Happy to help Sunny, even if I had to wake up early. If you don’t mind me asking though, why did you need help today?”

“Well, you know my friend Big Mac? His farm is getting ready for harvest season or something. I dunno, since I farm crystals I never have to worry about seasons. Anyway, it’s a big job for just one stallion so I’m planning to help him out now that you’ve helped me get most of my work done faster.”

“Well, that’s nice of you,” Smog said as he sat on Nightmare’s back, chewing on a gem.

Nightmare frowned. “But I thought you were business rivals? It’s nice, but is it wise to help him?”

Sunset smirked. “Just between us, I’m mostly helping him out so that he can owe me one. The Apple family is one of the friendliest and richest families in Peaceville, so they know how to pull some strings if I need something. Um, that and because it’s what friendly neighbours do, of course,” she sheepishly added as Nightmare gave her a look.

“Okay then,” Nightmare said. “Well now that we’re done, I was hoping to ask about the crystals you farm, for my studies.” She smiled eagerly as Smog took out a pen and paper to begin taking notes for her.

Sunset shrugged. “Sure, but most stuff you could read in any guidebook. I mostly farm basic gemstones and common crystals.” She levitated a blue crystal out from basket. “For example, this crystal can enhance pegasus magic.” She levitated a purple one. “This one can enhance unicorn magic.” She levitated more crystals out. “Yellow is for earth ponies, green is for changelings, that one is for zebras. Red is for dragons, I think. Although it’s possible to absorb energy from crystals that are less attuned to you. Just by kicking a yellow crystal or two every morning, I’ve got decent earth pony strength, for a unicorn at least. You wanna try?”

Nightmare happily accepted a few crystals. She stomped on three at once, and each of the crystals released a burst of magic into her. “Oh wow! It feels kinda tingly.” She flexed her wings and her muscles. “I feel a lot stronger! What happens if I use more?” She eyed one of the other baskets.

“Careful there,” Sunset warned as she pulled the basket away from her. “Too much power all at once can overwhelm you if you’re not careful. The magic boosts can be unstable and crystal addiction isn’t unheard of.”

Nightmare frowned. “What? But you live in a crystal farm and you seem fine!”

“You need to actually touch the crystals to absorb their energy. If I did go around kicking crystals all day, my whole body would be twitching like mad and my mind would be a jumbled mess."

“Oh.” Nightmare reluctantly backed away from the crystals.

“Maybe some other time Nightie,” Smog said to her. “Red for dragons, huh?” He chewed on a red crystal and magic flowed into him. “Wow, I can feel what you mean. It’s really-”

He cut off his sentence as his mouth bulged and he spat out a letter. “A letter from King Sombra? Wait, I got it.” He unfurled the scroll and read through it. “Oh, it’s actually from Princess Twilight Sparkle…looks like it’s basically an invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“The Grand Galloping Gala?” Sunset’s eyes widened. “I’ve never been to the gala before.”

“We have,” Smog snorted. “Trust me, you’re not missing much. The gala is one of the worst events ever!”

“Don’t be rude Smog. I had fun at the last gala,” Nightmare said.

“You got to hang out with your mom all night. She could make watching paint dry fun! I was stuck helping King Sombra and even he hates the gala. Only reason he does it is ‘cause of tradition.”

“Ignore him, Nightmare. The gala is really more for us girls,” Sunset said as she smiled and winked at her. “I’d be happy to go with you.”

“Um…there are only two tickets. Nightmare Moon plus one guest.”

“What?” The two mares took the letter and the tickets. “That can’t be right,” Nightmare muttered.

“I don’t mean to brag,” Sunset said. “But we’re the bearers of the Elements, aren’t we? Add to that we helped the princess and I’d say that makes all six of us ideal gala guests!”

“Six? What about me?” Smog complained.

Nightmare frowned. “You don’t want to go, remember? Anyway, I’m sure the princess just made a mistake.”

Sunset snorted. “She’d better. Smog, write her back and remind her that she owes us! Um, but be polite,” Sunset added.

Smog nodded and sent another letter to Princess Twilight via dragon fire. It wasn’t long before a reply came back, this time containing seven tickets.

“Well there we go. Problem solved!” Smog smiled. He paused and glanced back at the letter. “That’s odd. Listen to this: ‘I am pleasantly surprised that you were able to understand this lesson in friendship so quickly. I look forward to seeing you and the other Elements at the gala, my faithful student. Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle.'"

Nightmare frowned. “A friendship lesson? What lesson is she talking about?”

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Sunset wrapped a hoof around Nightmare’s wing. “I know the rest of the girls would hate to miss out on this. As for Discord, well…”

“Oh ho! Is someone talking about me?” Discord called to them and he floated down on a parachute.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “How’d you guess? Or get here that fast?"

“My ears were burning,” Discord proudly announced as his ears caught fire. He grabbed the parachute, stuck it in his mouth until it was soaked in spit, then used it to wipe his ears clean of flame.

“At any rate, don’t worry about that gala nonsense!” Discord waved it off. “The purple princess is most likely still a little crazy from the whole Eternal Twilight shtick. But now that you’re here, this presents the perfect opportunity to tell you a story, Nightie!” He wrapped an arm around a nervous Nightmare as Smog and Sunset shared a panicked look and escaped while they still could. “Now this tale begins with this changeling I found sleeping in a-”

Meanwhile, in another town not too far away from Peaceville, a blue-green pegasus with a yellow-orange mane sat behind a desk. She wore a purple Shadowbolts badge. “Hey Hoops, anyone else I’m seeing today?” she asked the only other pony in the office.

A light brown pegasus stallion with a darker brown mane nodded. “I think so Miss Dust. Rainbow Crash should be arriving any second now.”

“It’s Rainbow Dash, Hoops,” she sighed. “Okay Dash, you can come in!” She called out a little louder.

A cyan blue pegasus with a rainbow mane blew through the open window with incredible speed. She accidently crashed into the wall but quickly recovered and smiled wide. “Hey Lightning! You’re looking great!”

Hoops chuckled. “How’s it going Rainbow Crash?”

Rainbow Dash frowned at him but chuckled good-naturedly. “Heh, Hoops. You haven’t changed. At all.” She took off her saddlebags and set them aside. She then cleared her throat and said, “Could you excuse us Hoops? This is kinda between Lightning and me.

As Hoops walked out the office, Rainbow eagerly took a seat while Lightning Dust pulled out her file and read through it. “Well Rainbow, I can tell you’re a big fan of the Shadowbolts.”

“I sure am ma’am!” Rainbow boasted. “You don’t have to check my records, I already know I’m perfect Shadowbolt material!”

“I wouldn’t say perfect,” Lightning said. “Listen closely Rainbow. As the pony in charge of deciding if a pegasus is accepted into Shadowbolt Academy or not, my job is tougher than you might think. Now you’ve been a good friend to me lately but part of me thinks you’re just using that friendship so that I’ll get you into the academy.”

“What? No way, our friendship is the real deal. You’re the nicest and most awesome pegasus (besides me) that I know! I’d never leave you hanging!” Rainbow smiled wide.

Lightning looked back at Rainbow’s file. “I’ve been going over your file and I’ve got to say, you remind me of well, me when I first started training to join the Shadowbolts.” She frowned. “But I was a bit of a brat when I was younger.

“True, your flying speed, skills, and midair maneuverability are all perfect. And that sonic rainboom trick of yours is incredible. Rainbow light isn’t exactly the Shadowbolt style, but I’d be willing to overlook that. No, what concerns me is your attitude.

“The Shadowbolts are a team, while you are more of a solo act. Shadowbolts are brave and strong-willed, but you are just reckless, careless, and stubborn. All you care about is winning and I’m worried that-”

“Now stop right there, ma’am!” Rainbow interrupted. “Yeah, I wanna push myself to my limits but I’m trying to push myself in the right direction. And I care about lots of ponies! I’ve been talking with the others and-”

“I’m sorry Rainbow,” Lightning interrupted. “But my answer is still no.” She smiled lightly. “But it won’t always be no. Train a little more, work on improving your attitude and come see me again.” She clapped a wing on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I want to see you in that uniform just as much as you do. Ya just need to earn it.”

Rainbow was silent for a few seconds before she sighed deeply and smiled. “Thanks LD. I won’t let you down.” She picked up her saddlebags, put them back on, and flew out the window.

After that meeting, Rainbow flew down to the marketplace. She lived in Clouds-Edge; a town built more for unicorn, zebra, and earth pony relatives to the pegasi of Cloudsdale. Since Cloudsdale was a city made of clouds and only pegasi could walk on clouds, it made sense to build such a village close by.

She flew to a stall with a sign that read ‘Golden Harvest’s Garden’. “Hey Golden," she said to the pony running the store. "New look?”

A yellow earth pony mare with a green mane and tail, smiled at Rainbow’s comment. “Yep. I dyed my hair green. Like it?”

Rainbow smiled and stated with brutal honesty, “It looks awful. Seriously, the orange hair was much better. Anyway, got anything on sale?” She looked through the various vegetables in the stall.

Golden frowned. “No. Honestly, with that kind of attitude I can see why you’re having trouble getting into that academy of yours," she muttered. She cleared her throat and said a little louder, "Anyway, Fancy Pants is looking for you.”

Rainbow groaned. “Oh not that guy! He sucks! He’s such a jerk! I…oh, hey Fancy!” She pasted a smile on her face as she saw another pony walk up from behind the stall.

A white unicorn stallion with a blue mane and mustache, frowned at Rainbow. “Good afternoon Miss Dash. Might I have a word with you?”

Rainbow weakly smiled and followed Fancy Pants until they were a little farther away from the market place. “So uh, what’s up Fancy?”

“I’ll tell you what’s not up,” he said to her. “Your income. Seeing as how you are not triumphantly shouting your own name to the heavens I can tell you did not get accepted into the Shadowbolt Academy. Which means you are not going to be a Shadowbolt anytime soon.”

Rainbow frowned and jabbed a hoof at Fancy. “I will too be a Shadowbolt!”

Fancy ignored her and continued, “And if you’re not a Shadowbolt that means you still do not have employment.”

Rainbow shrugged. “I don’t see how that’s my problem or yours.”

Fancy frowned at her continued lack of respect. “Let me remind you, since you have clearly forgotten, that your father asked me to keep an eye on you after you left home. And I say, the amount of trouble you have gotten yourself mixed with in the past is quite worrisome.”

“Ah, relax,” Rainbow waved off his complaints. “I’ll just become a weather pegasus until I get accepted into the academy.”

Fancy raised an eyebrow. “After what happened last week? It was my belief that you were no longer allowed to work with weather in Clouds-Edge after that accident of yours.”

Rainbow winced. “I was just practicing!”

“Quite. You know, I hear Miss Harvest’s farm is hiring. Perhaps you could-”

“What? No! I can’t be a farmer!”

“Miss Dash, I can understand the reluctance to work in such an environment, but you simply have no other choice. You need a job.”

“No, I need a fun job, doing something I’d actually be good at! I need to fly, I can’t be stuck grounded!”

Fancy shook his head. “I simply don’t know what to do with you Miss Dash. Perhaps I shall speak with you another time, when you have removed your head from the clouds.”

As Fancy walked away, Rainbow flew off in the opposite direction. She fumed, muttering angrily to herself. First LD, then Golden, and now Fancy was trying to push her away from her dream. What else could go wrong?”

That’s when Hoops came by, flying next to her. “Hey Rainbow Crash! You up for another race? I’m leaving you in the dust this time!”

Rainbow stopped in midair. “Oh it’s on now,” she growled as she touched back down on the ground. Hoops stopped flying and touched down too to see what she was doing.

Rainbow opened up one of her saddlebags and pulled out a blue crystal with her teeth. She tossed it on the ground and stomped on it, absorbing the energy inside. Then she got a purple crystal for her bag and stomped on that one too. Then she pulled out another blue crystal, followed by another...and another...

“Um Rainbow, maybe you should stop,” Hoops said as Rainbow stomped on crystal after crystal. He cautiously watched her wings and back hooves start shaking. Her whole body was twitching violently and her eyes had a wild look to them.

After absorbing the energy from one last crystal, Rainbow blasted off into the air, flying much faster than before. So great was her takeoff, it left a crater in the ground. It wasn’t too long before she came back, but not without bringing something with her.

The ponies of Clouds-Edge gasped as a massive shadow fell over their town. The wind howled as Hoops finally saw what Rainbow had flown off to retrieve. It was the biggest, darkest, nastiest, and most terrifying storm cloud he had ever seen.

It seemed as if he was the only one to notice Rainbow’s departure, which meant that if anyone was gonna climb on top of the cloud and convince Rainbow to stop it would be him. But he never got the chance. On top of the cloud, Rainbow aimed and kicked the cloud, sending a lightning bolt flying towards the ground next to Hoops. He jumped back and quickly flew away before the next bolt could strike him.

The furious Rainbow fired off several lightning bolts. None of the bolts struck any of the citizens, but many of the bolts took huge chunks out of houses and completely obliterated several market stalls.

“NO!” Golden screamed as her stall was destroyed. “My vegetables! My carrots! MY CABBAGES!”

Once Rainbow’s frustration was properly vented, she calmed down. Her body stopped twitching from the extra crystal energy. She took a few deep breaths and looked down at the destruction she had caused.

“Oh no,” Rainbow gulped and shook her head. “I went too far. I…I need to get outta here.” She frantically flew to her house, packed up her few belongings and flew far away from Clouds-Edge.

“Ah dang, I messed up big time! How could I let myself do that? Argh!” Rainbow growled at herself as she flew. She was so angry with herself that she didn’t swerve to avoid a newspaper as it flew right in her face. She braked and ripped it off.

She hovered in midair and looked at the newspaper in her hooves. “‘Elements of Redemption Save Princess Sparkle’? What’s that about?” She looked at the front page’s picture and then did a double take. “Gilda? Well…I haven’t seen her in a while. Maybe...yeah that could work."

Her mind made up, Rainbow Dash flew to the location the newspaper’s main story mentioned…Peaceville.

“And that’s the story of how I saved Hearth’s Warming!”

Nightmare Moon looked up from her book as Discord kept talking. “What did any of that have to do with the previous story you were telling me? How did you get from changelings to parasprites?”

“Oh, did I switch stories? My apologies, my mind tends to wander. Oh, now that reminds me of the time I took a cart full of apple pies, a trumpet, a pair of needles, and…hey look, there’s Gilda!” Discord flew after the speeding griffon, leaving Nightmare alone.

“Thank the night. I thought he’d never shut up,” she muttered as she kept reading.

“Hey Gilda!” Discord called as teleported next to Gilda.

“Ugh, not now Discord. I’m busy,” Gilda grumbled. She put on a burst of speed and zoomed away, soaring higher into the sky.

“But Gilda!” Discord said as he saw Gilda flying towards a mountain, not paying attention to where she was going as she grumbled her annoyance at him.

Shrugging his shoulders, he snapped his fingers and covered the mountainside in a thick layer of marshmallows, which Gilda slammed into. Discord then got to work removing the marshmallow goo from his friend, and then eating it.

Once she was no longer covered in sugary fluff, Gilda took off like a rocket but braked in midair as Discord teleported in front of her.

“Now I enjoy a good chase scene as much as the next guy, but why don’t I save you a headache and stop you from flying off by saying I only need a teeny tiny favor. I guarantee you’ll enjoy what I propose,” Discord said with a sneaky grin.

“Fine,” she growled. “What do you want?” A minute later, Gilda was pushing a cloud to the right spot as Discord directed her. “Why do you need my help with this? Can’t you just snap your claws and poof the cloud where you want it?”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Discord smiled at her. “Besides, this way you can join in on the mayhem. Ooh, he’s coming outside! Fire away!”

The two were waiting outside the library when Smog came out carrying a dozen scrolls in his claws. On Discord’s signal, Gilda kicked the cloud and a lightning bolt struck the ground near the dragon’s feet. The sudden noise and flash of light startled Smog into belching a burst of flame, which sent a scroll to King Sombra via magic smoke.

“Ha, ha!” Discord laughed. “A fine start! Do it again!” Another stomp from Gilda created a larger lightning bolt and startled Smog further into belching fire on all the scrolls.

Discord laughed again. “Priceless! Smog’s got the hiccups and our dear king is being buried under a pile of paperwork! Two stones with one bird!” He then summoned a small bird statue and threw it at some rocks on the ground. The rocks then sprouted wings and flew off, meowing like cats.

“Heh, good one - hic! - Discord –hic!” Smog said.

“A prank? That’s what you wanted?” Gilda asked.

“Oh, come now dear Gilda,” Discord said as he slithered up into the air with her, placing a paw on her wing. “You’re not mad, are you? Look at what we accomplished!” He snapped his fingers and a window appeared, showing King Sombra getting rained on by scrolls and smoke.

Gilda chuckled a little. “That’s kinda funny. Eh, you know what, I’m down with a prank or two.”

“Are you now?” Discord grinned mischievously. “Want to go terrorize the town with some even cooler pranks?”

Gilda grinned back at him. “What did ya have in mind?” As the two began to whisper and chuckle maliciously, Smog hurried back inside to hide from the incoming prank storm about to be unleashed.

A few minutes later, Gilda and Discord had gathered everything they needed. The first stop was Trixie’s magic shop that Trixie ran whenever she wasn’t performing. They placed a basket filled with blue flowers at the front door and rang the bell, before ducking around the corner. A few seconds later, Trixie opened the door and picked up the fake fan letter they had wrote her. She picked up a flower in her magic and sniffed it happily. A tingling sensation ran through Trixie’s body as every part of her, except her head turned invisible.

Trixie turned around to see (or not see) the effects of the plant. “WHAT SORCERCY IS THIS? GAH!” She gasped, as her voice was unexpectedly much louder than normal.

Gilda and Discord laughed at the result of their prank. “Poison joke!” Discord chuckled. “It never gets old!”

Trixie glared at the two and shouted “You two! How dare…why am I whispering?”

“Well, what you see here is my personal home-grown poison joke,” Discord explained. “I could sit here and explain how this version is different from the regular kind…but I don’t want to! Arrivederci!” Discord sang as he and Gilda flew off.

"Oh well." Trixie shrugged her shoulders as her head turned invisible too. "Trixie needed to use up a sick day anyway."

The two continued pranking the people of Peaceville. Nightmare Moon got a taste of poison joke that turned her coat white and her mane and tail pink. Discord took a photo of that to go with the first photo he took of her the day she arrived in Peaceville.

After Nightmare sent a few magical blasts at the two, she calmed down and admitted it was a little funny, and it wasn’t like she was going anywhere important that day. At Clear Crystal Caverns, Discord snapped his fingers and all the crystals that Sunset Shimmer had gathered that day turned into candy canes. After they had a good laugh at that, he changed them back. Sadly, they couldn’t find Chrysalis that day. Most likely Angle or one of the other changelings had told her what was happening and she had disguised herself.

They were about to call it a day when Discord spotted a familiar mint green unicorn. “Why hello, Lyra!” he waved.

“Hi Discord! Hi Gilda!” Lyra grinned. “Want to see what I’m working on?”

“Gladly!” Discord flew down next to her. “Write a new song?”

“No, my next performance isn’t for a while and I’ve already practiced lots. I’m doing research on a hobby of mine.” She showed him the notebook she was writing a spell in.

“Hmm. I see. Have you tried any of this?” Discord asked as he summoned a pen into his paw and added a few lines to the spell.

“Hey! Don’t mess with…” Lyra trailed off as she looked at the revised spell. “This…oh my gosh! This…this could be it! I-I gotta show this to someone. Nightmare Moon! I bet she’d love this. Thanks Discord! Thank you thank you thank you!” Lyra squealed as she grabbed the notebook in her magic and ran towards the library.

Discord chuckled. “Wonder what’ll happen we she sees our new white and pink librarian.” Gilda and Discord flew off to see the reaction. But Nightmare and Lyra weren’t bothered and the two of them talked about Lyra’s discovery for over half an hour. Afterwards Discord grew bored and went home, with Gilda calling it a night too.

As she flew back home, Gilda’s tail suddenly twitched. Gilda knew enough about her instincts to know what it meant when a griffon’s tail twitched. She quickly dodged to the side as a rainbow trail almost ran into her. A very familiar rainbow trail. “Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow did a U-turn and flew back to her. “Gilda! I finally found you! Oh man, I haven’t seen you since flight camp!” She eagerly hugged Gilda.

“Whoa, personal space Dash,” Gilda shrugged her off. “It’s great to see you Dash…if that is who you really are.”

Rainbow blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Listen. Not too long ago, someone disguised herself as you and tried to trick me into abandoning my friends. How do I know that you’re the real Rainbow Dash?” Gilda eyed her suspiciously.

“Ha! As if any second rate faker could hope to capture my awesomeness!” Rainbow gave a shout and flew around the air, doing a few stunts around the clouds before racing back to her.

“You sure do act like the Dash I know but there’s only one way to be certain,” Gilda sighed. “As much as I hate to do this…remember the chant?”

Rainbow grinned widely and cheered, “Junior Speedsters are our lives! Sky-bound soars and daring dives! Junior Speedsters, it's our quest, to some day be the very best!”

Gilda smiled. “Yeah, only you would be happy to recite that lame thing. Heh, I knew it was you all along!” The two old friends grinned and gave each other a claw-to-hoof high-five.

“So G, been up to anything cool lately?”

Gilda grinned and settled down on a cloud, prepared to spend the whole night catching up with her friend. “Well…”

The next morning, Discord happily hummed a song as he calmly walked to Gilda’s home. He had a pack of various…things…needed for some more extreme pranks he was thinking about. He stopped as he heard snoring coming from a cloud. “Oh Gilda! Guess who?” he sang as he popped his head through the cloud.

But it wasn’t Gilda that he had woken up. Not unless she had turned into a blue pegasus recently. Maybe she accidently touched the poison joke from yesterday?

“What the heck are you supposed to be?” The pegasus asked as she eyed Discord suspiciously.

“Hey, don’t worry Dash, he’s cool,” Gilda said as she sat up on the other side of the cloud the two girls had been resting on. “Rainbow Dash met Discord. He’s…I dunno what he is but he’s cool. Discord, this is Rainbow Dash. She’s my best friend from Junior Speedsters flight camp. She’s just like me. All awesome!”

“You know it! Hey, wanna do the chant for him?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Ugh, do we have to Dash? I still can’t get that lame thing out of my head from last night!” Gilda groaned.

“Oh come on G!” Rainbow grinned. Gilda rolled her eyes and gave in to the request. The two recited an overly enthusiastic cheer.

Discord politely clapped his hands as they finished. “Oh bravo! Such a cheerful little number. Now then, my dear little Dashie, how would you like to join us on our ongoing prank war on Peaceville?”

Rainbow still eyed Discord suspiciously. “Well I love pranks, but Gilda promised me a flying session, so we’ll catch you later. Race ya!” She eagerly leapt into the sky, a rainbow trail flowing behind her as she flew.

“Oh no way you’re beating me Dash!” Gilda declared. “Prank with ya some other day Discord!” She launched herself into the sky and raced after Rainbow, leaving Discord in the dust.

The two fliers raced over Peaceville. Eventually the two rolled onto another cloud.

“So G,” Rainbow said. “You never finished telling me that story. How'd you beat that fake me again?”

Gilda chuckled. "Before we totally sent Eternal Twilight crashing and saved the princess, she made herself look like you. Said she wanted me to join the Wonderbolts or something.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “The Wonderbolts? Never heard of them. And no way would I abandon my team like that! Shadowbolts rule!”

“Shadowbolts rule!” Gilda roared with her friend.

Rainbow lowered her hoof and said, “Still, Wonderbolts does sound like a cool name. Maybe when you and I get into Shadowbolt Academy we can ask about making a separate branch or whatever. And don’t worry, no way am I gonna ask ya to abandon your friends like that.”

“Thanks Dash,” Gilda laid her wing on Rainbow’s wing. “Real you is ten times cooler than fake you.”

“Hey, when they made me they broke the mold!” Rainbow grinned. “You and me G. The best pegasus and griffon team in all of Everfree!”

“GUESS WHO?” Discord sang as he appeared next to them on the cloud. Rainbow jumped a few feet in the air in surprise before glaring at him.

“Uh, excuse me Discord,” Rainbow said. “Me and G are still catching up. You can go home and do whatever it is you do. Hey G, race ya to that cloud!” In a burst of speed, both girls had flown off to another cloud.

“Ha! Totally beat ya!” Rainbow said.

“No way Dash! I won that race!” Gilda shot back.

“It looked like a tie to me,” Discord said as he floated next to them. Discord had turned himself into a balloon with a grinning face that Rainbow found really creepy.

“Heh...okay then G. Last one to that cloud buys the winner ice cream!” Rainbow Dash declared. Gilda launched herself higher into the air once again, but Rainbow stayed behind.

“I think your head is a little overinflated!” She growled at Discord as she took a bite out of the balloon. A rip formed on Discord and some kind of gas poured out of him as he drifted away. With a burst of speed Rainbow raced after Gilda and managed to catch up to her, ending the race in a tie again.

Discord teleported next to the two again, in his default form now but with a hole in his chest. “Gilda, Dashie poked me! I need care!” he whined.

Gilda rolled her eyes as Rainbow stared at Discord. “You’re fine Discord, you probably just got too close to Dash as she kicked off. Don’t worry about him Dash. He can be a bit dramatic at times, but he’s cool. The only time he’s ever been hurt is by old Eternal Twilight.”

“So he’s made of tougher stuff, huh?” Rainbow gave Discord a look. “Hey G, wanna see this totally awesome move I’ve been perfecting?”

“New move? Bring it on!”

“Cool, you move over to that cloud over there, best seat in the house for what I’m about to do.” Rainbow pointed to a cloud, far away from where they were. As Gilda flew to the cloud, she glared at Discord. “Okay listen weirdo. Normally, I’m a nice gal but I’ve had a few rotten days lately. Gilda’s helping me out and you’re not.”

Discord put a finger to his chin in thought. “So what you’re saying is…?”

Rainbow growled, “Can’t you take a hint? Get lost! G doesn’t need to hang with a dweeb like you now that I’m here! This is your last warning before I show you why they call me Rainbow Crash!”

“Rainbow Crash?” Discord lifted an eyebrow. “How did you earn an embarrassing nickname like that?”

“You asked,” Rainbow said as she launched herself high into the air. She poured on the speed as she flew back down, faster and faster. A Mach cone formed around Rainbow as she began to fly much faster than normal. She zoomed straight at Discord with incredible speed.

Just as Rainbow was getting close to Discord she zipped past him as an explosion of sound and rainbow colours formed behind her. The explosion was tremendous from where Discord was floating and it caught him in its blast. But what was most surprising was that it actually hurt Discord, even if the damage was small. He ended up falling out of the sky and crashing onto the ground below.

Rainbow flew back to where Gilda could see and landed on the cloud next to her. “Beat that!”

Gilda’s beak had dropped. “Hey that was a sonic rainboom, wasn’t it?”

“Yep! It took a full week of training but now I can do a sonic rain boom whenever I want!” Rainbow declared. “And you should see the damage it can do! I’ve never hurt anypony with it, but now I can smash right through boulders, trees, anything!”

“Awesome! But uh…I think ya knocked Discord out of the sky.”

“Oops. Sorry, it’s a little hard to steer when I’m doing that. I wasn’t trying to hit him,” Rainbow easily lied. “But hey, you said he was made of tougher stuff. I’m sure he’s fine. Hey wanna see the mountains I trained in?”

“Alright!” Gilda grinned but stopped herself from taking off as she noticed something. “Hey Dash, you alright? You’re kinda twitching a little.”

Rainbow fidgeted but then pasted a smile on her face. “That? That’s nothing. Last one to the mountains buys lunch!”

Meanwhile Discord picked himself off the ground and glared at the sky. He almost snapped his fingers and teleported to where they were going when he realized where that was.

“And so I couldn’t follow them as I’m not legally allowed in that area due to a misunderstanding involving a tank full of hot fudge. But that Rainbow Dash is so obviously a bad guy! Just like Eternal Twilight was but worse!” Discord complained to Nightmare Moon and Smog. He had teleported into the library and had just told them his story. “Now where are those Elements? It’s time for us to give Dashie a taste of her own rainbow medicine! Or rather our particular brand of the same medicine! I only crashed that tank into one house!”

Nightmare sighed. “Discord, this Rainbow Dash isn’t a threat to us. She probably got mad that you were interrupting her reunion with Gilda. Maybe she was a little rude about it but it’s sort of logical.”

“I hate logic!” Discord snapped. “And she was the one who wouldn’t let the three of us have fun! Three heads are better than two! Have you ever seen a hydra with less than three heads? I have, and they’re no fun unless you chop them off and let them regrow new heads until they’re more fun!”

“…It must be Tartarus inside your head, ” Smog said in response to that.

“…Well that’s…well understand that while we appreciate your friendship, other people might find you a little, um…” Nightmare stopped and turned back to her book.

“Are you calling me annoying?” Discord crossed his arms. “I don’t need to hear this! Instead allow me to show you this audiotape on some of the most annoying sounds in the history of Everfree!”

Nightmare knew where this was going and grabbed Smog before teleporting out of the library.

“That was rude,” Discord grumbled. “Well now, she can have this back after I get an apology.” He grabbed the book she had been reading and swallowed it whole. “Ick, dry...I’m thirsty now.”

Later that day, Discord was sitting at an outdoor café and drinking a milkshake. The milkshake contained chocolate milk, strawberries, carrots, pickles, peanuts, grape jelly, seven bananas, and something that was blue and glowing. He stopped drinking and turned himself into an umbrella as Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew overhead him and landed down.

“That was awesome Dash! Listen, I got to finish off some weather jobs. Shouldn’t take long. Just hang around town and I’ll catch up to ya.”

“You sure G? I’d be more happy to help you out,” Rainbow offered.

“Aw, thanks Dash. But you’re a guest, you shouldn’t have to worry about something lame like weather management.”

“G, it’s cool. I did weather management too before I got fired. Nothing major!” Rainbow Dash added as she saw Gilda wince. “Just a sonic rainboom that knocked over a house, nobody got hurt. I was on break and wanted to practice and…yeah.”

“Thanks Dash, but it’s cool, I can finish up the weather like that.” Gilda snapped her talons.

“If you say so G. I’m just gonna look around, maybe catch a nap. Hey, you mentioned one of your friends runs a crystal farm, right?”

“Sure.” Gilda pointed a wing in the general direction of Clear Crystal Caverns. “Just go down that way and you should find Sunset’s farm.”

“Cool. Catch you later.”

As Gilda flew off, Discord secretly watched Rainbow walk through the marketplace. Rainbow bought some apples from Big McIntosh and began munching. One of Discord’s eyeballs popped out of its socket and floating over to where Rainbow had left the money. Counting it, the eyeball returned to its socket. “Well at least she paid the right amount. Not a coin out of place.” He sighed. “Maybe she only acts crabby to me.”

Discord looked around and saw a blue earth pony leading a trail of ducks down the road. Judging by the formation and the green eyes, he could tell that it was really Chrysalis and a few changelings. Not watching where she was going, Rainbow bumped into them and the earth pony disguise fell apart.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was g-GAH! What the heck are you supposed to be?” Rainbow Dash backed away from Chrysalis.

Chrysalis, who hadn’t been watching where she was walking either, tried to look away from Rainbow. The changelings behind her still had their duck disguises so they backed up a little and glared at Rainbow.

“Oh, I’m sorry I um…” Chrysalis glanced around nervously.

“Ugh, first the weird dragon thing and now a weird bug pony,” Rainbow grumbled. “I’m outta here!” As she flew off and the changelings went to comfort the nervous Chrysalis, Discord made plans.

“Looks like someone could use an attitude adjustment. I can’t use the Elements. And I can’t cause any large-scale chaos without Princess-neat-freak-Sparkle chasing after me. This shall require a more subtle approach.” Discord chuckled as he thought of a perfect way to deal with Rainbow Dash…a party!

The party was hosted at the Chaos Corner that afternoon. The store was originally known as Sugarcube Corner before Discord bought it. Chaos Corner was his place of business, where he lived, worked, and was free to…express himself. The store contained many items that Discord had used his powers on. As ponies walked into the store they had to be careful not to step on anything that looked even slightly alive. The party was set up in the main hall and many people were already there.

“So who is this Rainbow Dash?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“No idea,” Trixie said as they set up on stage. “But Discord has asked Trixie to perform here and so the Great and Powerful Trixie shall dazzle the crowd! After she gets some cupcakes.” A plate of desserts with wings floated over to them and both unicorns grabbed a treat. “Mm. This pleases Trixie,” she said, chewing the oddly coloured cupcake. “Another!”

As more treats flew to other guests, Nightmare asked Chrysalis, “You’ve met Rainbow Dash, right? What’s she like?”

“From what everyling who saw her told me she’s an arrogant showoff,” Chrysalis muttered.

“Trixie heard that!”

“We weren’t taking about you Trixie!” Nightmare turned back to Chrysalis. “So what’s Rainbow like again?”

“Well she’s a great flier but Angle thinks she’s a little rude.”

“You’re not talking about me, are ya?” Gilda asked as she walked through the door. Literally, she stopped to take a bite of green jelly, as that was what the door was made of.

“No, you’re not rude Gilda,” Nightmare assured her. “A little grumpy when you wake up from a nap but-”

Gilda shrugged. “Hey don’t feel bad, I’ve been called worse. Hey, Dash you ready to party?” she said as Rainbow struggled to get through the jelly door.

“Sure I am G! Just as soon as I get through this.” She was soon pulled through the door by Discord.

“Welcome my dear Dashie! I hope you find the party to your liking.” But Rainbow didn’t answer him as she was being electrocuted. “I’m sure you’ll have a shocking good time!” He suddenly let go of her and slapped himself. “Shocking good time? Come on Discord, you’re better than that!”

Rainbow growled at Discord’s magic joy buzzer trick but smiled once she saw Gilda walking up to them. “Hey, save some of the fun for the rest of the party, man! Come on Dash, I’ll introduce you to some of my other friends.”

“Right behind ya G!” Rainbow replied. As Gilda went searching for the other Element bearers, Rainbow glared at Discord. “I know what you’re planning.”

“Oh goodie!” Discord clapped his hands. “I hoped somebody would. Could you tell me? ‘Cause I don’t know.”

Rainbow stared at the lunatic before growling, “I mean, I’ve got my eye on you.”

Discord blinked. “And I appear to have my eye on you.” Rainbow blinked as she noticed that one of Discord’s yellow-red eyes had turned a more normal white and pink. She jumped back in horror as Discord popped out the normal eye and switched it with her own right eye, which had somehow turned yellow-red. When all their eyeballs were in the right place, Discord smiled. “So sorry for the mix up.”

Rainbow shuddered as she ran after Gilda and away from the freak of nature. Gilda introduced Rainbow to some of her saner friends. They were talking to Trixie when Rainbow decided to sample some of the snacks. Seconds later, she was trying to spit the flames out of her mouth; somebody had stuffed hot peppers into the food. Even after a glass of water, she was still seeing red.

“Uh, you okay Dash?” Gilda watched her friend with concern. “You’re twitching a little bit.”

Rainbow gave her a rather strained smile. “Heh, just peachy G.”

The party continued that way, as Rainbow seemed to crash into one bad prank after another. But when the final prank sent her crashing into a wall she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Oh that is IT!” Rainbow screamed. “I have HAD it! With all these weird dragons, and bug things, and everything else trying to WRECK my day! Everybody trying to get between Gilda and me! IT WON’T WORK!” She wrapped a wing around the startled griffon. “Gilda and I have got ten times as much awesome as you jerks! No, a hundred times! Come on G, we’re outta here!”

Rainbow was prepared to storm out of the Chaos Corner and maybe even drop a storm cloud on top the store. But she stopped when she saw Gilda glaring at her. "G?"

“Ya know Dash, it was just bad luck that you set off all those pranks. And maybe Discord is a little annoying but how does that justify this?”

“I simply planned this party to improve your attitude Miss Dash. I am an innocent victim here,” Discord said as he held Smog by the ankle and hung him over an electric shark tank. Nightmare snatched Smog out of Discord’s grip with her magic. She and Smog glared at Discord’s smile and angel halo.

Gilda was still angry at Rainbow. “This wasn’t how I expected my old friend to treat my new friends. I think maybe…you should leave. ‘Cause I can’t be friends with you right now.”

Rainbow flinched. “Come on Gilda, you don’t mean that.”

“Yeah I do,” Gilda growled. “Face it Rainbow Dash. The only jerk here is you.”

“Yeah, well I…I…I don’t need this!” Rainbow snapped. “I’m the only pony who can do a sonic rainboom! I deserve to be treated better! When you change your mind, give me a call!” She angrily smashed through one of the windows, which was made of bubble wrap.

Gilda sighed and slumped down. Chrysalis noticed this and nudged her with a hoof. “Are you okay?”

Gilda shook her head. “My old best friend hates my new friends. How do you think I feel?” She turned to watch Rainbow leave, waiting for the sonic rainboom that would mean never seeing her again.

As the partygoers stood there waiting for Rainbow Dash to fly away…she didn’t. She just stood on the grass ready to launch herself in the air, but she didn’t. Curious, Gilda stepped through the broken window to see what was happening. She stumbled a little as something poked her in the legs. Discord really needed to do some gardening; there were vine-like roots poking out of the ground and into the front yard.

She got through the plants and walked in front of Rainbow. As she looked into her old friend’s eyes she was shocked to see tears falling down Rainbow’s face.

Once she saw Gilda, Rainbow desperately tried to fly away but Gilda’s beak snapped and caught Rainbow’s tail, stopping her from flying off. Gilda looked back at the party and told Rainbow to follow her. They flew to a cloud far away from the Chaos Corner and sat down for a talk.

“Okay Dash,” Gilda looked her right in the eye. “Start talking.”

And boy, did Rainbow have a lot to say. She told Gilda about her failed attempt to get into the academy, about Fancy bugging her to get a job, how she lost control at Clouds-Edge and had flown to Peaceville so that Gilda could cheer her up. She talked about how Discord irritated her and how Chrysalis creeped her out and how the pranks and bad luck seemed to pile on her. By the end of it, Rainbow was trying to wipe away angry tears yet again.

Gilda sighed and cleared her throat. “Look, I’m not good with speaking, neither of us are. Sorry if this ends up coming out lame but…I like you Dash. And it sounds like you just had a couple of bad days and I get that. I really do. Dash, you’re my oldest friend. When we were little, you were my only friend. We said we’d be there for each other back in flight camp. And you said that you’d never leave your friends hanging. Did you mean that?”

Rainbow seemed shocked that Gilda would even ask that. “Of course I do G.”

“I think we’ve both changed a little,” Gilda said. “You mastered the sonic rainboom and I got crowned an Element of Forgiveness.” One of the many reasons that Gilda felt what she was doing now was right. “If I was there instead of you, I’d have probably lost my cool too. But you can’t blow up at my friends, because let’s face it; they’re not the real problem here. Dash...don’t be like that fake that Eternal Twilight made. I can’t...”

“I...I could never hurt you like that Gilda,” Rainbow said as her eyes watered again.

“Look, I get why you’d be upset with Discord,” Gilda said. “I’d be upset too if I thought anything tried to get between us. So…sorry about that, I guess.”

It was too much for Rainbow. “Gilda I’m…I’m so sorry.”

Gilda breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s all I needed to hear right now. I forgive you.” The two friends hugged each other and tried to hide their tears.

They flew back to the party. Discord opened the door for them to see that Rainbow was in a much better mood. “Are we all friends now?” he asked hopefully. Rainbow nodded and humbly apologized to the partygoers and to Gilda’s friends. She even managed to say sorry to Discord, even if she looked like she’d rather smash her own head into a mountain.

After she had finished saying sorry, she asked Gilda, “Um G, about that sonic rainboom that got me fired and the storm I made before…as you can imagine, I can’t really go back to Clouds-Edge for a while. And I’m running short on cash. Do ya know if anyone is hiring for the weather team around here?”

Gilda wrapped a wing around Rainbow. “You know I bet I could ask my manager if we need anybody else for weather team. And I bet you and I could make an awesome cloud house for you. In the meantime, you can crash with me, as long as you don’t trash the place. And we can work on each others attitude problems, or whatever.”

“And in exchange for being nicer to us…” Discord clapped Nightmare on the back. She raised an eyebrow at him.

“You don’t know? Ugh, must I do everything around here?” Discord rolled his eyes. “Nightie here is pals with King crystal-obsessed and Princess purple. If she pulls a few strings, she could get you two tickets to see the Shadowbolts, if you’re nice. I’m simply suggesting.”

As Nightmare tried to explain that she didn’t know if that would work, Rainbow smiled at everybody around her. “Thanks guys. Thanks for…everything. Um, I’m just gonna grab my stuff and maybe meet you at your place. That okay G?”

Gilda smiled. “For now, it’s our place Dash.” Rainbow smiled and flew away from the party.

Yeah, Rainbow Dash had some pretty cool friends. And she wasn’t gonna let them down ever again.

An Uncommon Arrogance

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

An Uncommon Arrogance

“Come on Nightie! You can do it!” Smog cheered.

“Okay, here goes.” Nightmare Moon charged her horn with power and cast the spell.

Lyra opened her eyes once the rather bright flash of light faded away. “Did it work?”

Smog looked down. “Huh, not bad. How do they fell?”

Nightmare lifted her front hooves, which had been turned into midnight black claws, similar in shape to Smog’s claws. “It feels really weird. Not bad weird, but not quite good weird either.”

“Ha! Trixie laughs in the face of weirdness!” Trixie eagerly took Lyra’s notebook in her magic. “Allow me to try it.” There was another flash of light, and Trixie had blue claws in the place of her hooves.

Lyra observed the change in both of her friends. “Looks like the spell changed your back hooves too. Ooh, ooh, see if you can stand like Smog does! That would be amazing!”

Nightmare frowned. “Our hooves are the only things that changed. I think we'd need to change more than that to be able to stand like Smog.” She watched Trixie struggle to walk like a biped only to fall flat on her face. “See?”

“Bah, where's your sense of adventure!” Lyra grinned as she tried the spell for herself. “Wow, they’re really flexible!” she said as she wiggled her new mint green claws. “A little rough and scaly though. Maybe if these were a little smoother?”

Smog raised an eyebrow. “But what would you call claws if you took out the claw part of them?”

“Ooh! Puppet show! Trixie has just had the most wonderful idea!” Trixie ran out of the library and back to her house. Considering she still had claws that she wasn’t used to while running, it was pretty impressive.

Nightmare rolled her eyes at Trixie's antics. “Right, I think that’s enough for today,” she said as she undid the spell with her magic, turning her claws back into hooves. Lyra sighed and did the same.

“Aw, but I wanted to thumb wrestle you,” Smog whined.

Nightmare blinked at him. “I don’t know what that is but we can try it some other time. It’s still a great spell.”

“Yep, and we can check that off the list too.” Smog made a tally mark on the list they had. “That’s 25 different types of tricks now.”

“And only tricks,” Nightmare grumbled. “If we are to defend Everfree from any possible future threats I shall need greater magic than mere tricks.”

Lyra picked her notebook back up and tossed it into her saddlebag. “At any rate, thanks for trying the spell out with me. I’ve always been interested in things like that!”

“What, transformation magic?” Smog asked.

Lyra’s gaze darted around the library before she answered him. “…Sure let’s go with that.”

“Have you considered talking with Chrysalis about it?” Nightmare suggested.

“Ooh, no I haven’t! That sounds like fun though! Thanks Nightie, thanks Smog! Bye!”

Nightmare grumbled as they watched Lyra happily skip out the library. “I envy the energy she has in the mornings.”

Smog rolled his eyes. “Ah, don’t worry about it.”

“Right. Well, let’s get back to hitting the books.”

Smog groaned. “Do we have to? I wouldn’t worry about any future threats either. We beat Eternal Twilight and the only ‘threat’ we’ve faced since then is Rainbow.”

Nightmare frowned as she glanced out one of the library windows. “Speaking of whom,” Nightmare said as she ran out of the library with Smog following behind. “Dash! What are you doing with my cloud?”

Rainbow Dash glared at Nightmare. “Your cloud? I don’t see your name on it.”

Nightmare's hoof stomped the ground. “Well it is!”

“Huh?” Rainbow looked at the cloud in her hooves and read the small message that had been magically written onto the cloud. “What, you’re renting this cloud? Uh, okay then.” She pushed the cloud back to the library and parked it outside the second story window. “Sorry.”

Nightmare sighed. “It’s okay. My bed’s been feeling a bit off so I wanted to try a cloud bed.”

Rainbow smiled. “Cool. How’s it feel then?”

“Well, I don’t know, I only got it today. Anyway, what have you and Gilda been up to?” Nightmare looked around the sky for Gilda but didn’t see her. “Where is she, for that matter?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I heard she wanted to meet some new arrival to Peaceville. Whoever it is, they’re setting up some kinda show in the middle of Town Square.” She said a quick goodbye and then flew off.

“Ooh! Snack time and a show!” Smog grinned as he quickly gathered up a small bag for gemstones. “Come on Nightie, let’s go check it out!” Nightmare shrugged, deciding it might be worth seeing, and followed to the show.

Halfway to the Town Square, they heard a voice. “Incoming!” somebody shouted before two ponies came zooming down the street. The filly that had shouted was an orange pegasus with a short purple mane and tail. Her buzzing wings were acting as a propeller for the scooter she was driving. The other filly was a white unicorn with a curly purple-to-pink mane and tail. She was sitting on the back of the scooter and keeping her eyes tightly shut in fear as she held onto the scooter with all her might.

The two ran right into Smog and carried him along on their scooter ride of doom. He shouted over the driver’s buzzing wings, “Scootaloo! Hit the brakes! Sweetie Belle, get her to stop! Seriously where’s the fire?”

The scooter braked hard, sending the dragon flying off the handle. “Didn’t you hear?” Sweetie Belle asked. “My sister’s back in town! She’s setting up in Town Square right now!”

Scootaloo smiled. “Sweetie has been telling me all about these amazing things that her sister can do!”

Sweetie’s horn sparked with magic. “Here take a look at this!” There was a crash and then a magazine zipped towards them, held in Sweetie’s telekinesis.

The magazine exchanged magical holds as Nightmare brought the item under her levitation. “Um, there’s a bit of glass on it.”

Sweetie winced. “Yeah, that might’ve been my bedroom window.” She smiled again and said, “Page 6, Article 2. Anyway, keep going Scoots! But slower this time!” She cheered as Scootaloo buzzed her wings again and the scooter went blasting off.

“Here, I got it,” Smog held his claws out. Nightmare gave him the magazine and he skimmed the article concerning Sweetie’s sister. “Let’s see here…talented young mare, unique skills...magician, fashion designer, seamstress…runs traveling fashion show and magic show, yadda, yadda.” He tossed the magazine aside and shrugged. “I dunno, she sounds okay. I'm not sure how she plans to mix fashion and magic and still keep it interesting, but who knows? What do you want to do?”

“I’d say it’s worth checking out,” Nightmare said as she picked up Smog, placed him on her back, spread her wings, and flew to see the show.

Nightmare and her friends arrived in Town Square to see what appeared to be a larger version of a mechanical horse from a carousel. The horse was marching around the square, drawing attention. Once the crowd reached a respectable size, the horse stopped and began flashing. With a few pops of magic, the horse magically transformed itself into a large stage.

From behind a purple curtain, a voice called out, “Come one and come all! Witness the most elegant and graceful magic you have ever seen! Look upon me Everfree! For I...am...RARITY!”

A white unicorn with a styled purple mane teleported onto the stage in burst of magic. The mare was wearing a blue dress with a purple cape draped over top as well as a small purple tiara.

The crowd gathered closer around the stage. “Wow, I like her crown,” Diamond Tiara said as she sat down to watch the show. Nightmare counted the rest of her friends there too, except for Chrysalis.

Rarity’s horn flashed and a yellow privacy screen with an image of her face appeared on one side of the stage. “I’ll need a volunteer for this first act please. Who would like to volunteer? Oh, thank you Miss!”

Nightmare turned around to see Lyra, who had used the spell to turn her front right hoof into a claw again. She had been holding it in the air and examining it, when Rarity called her. Presumably mistaking Lyra's fascination with her claw for permission to volunteer.

“Huh? What?” Lyra asked in confusion as Rarity levitated her on stage. She brought Lyra behind the privacy screen. There was a short struggle and then the screen was pulled away to reveal Lyra in a pretty yellow dress. Rarity eagerly shoved Lyra to the front of the stage where the other ponies could see it.

Discord titled his head to the side. “Am I the only one who heard power tools? I would understand how difficult it is to put clothes on a quadruped…okay, no I wouldn’t but…would power tools really be necessary?”

“Forget that!” Trixie glared at Rarity. “Trixie is wondering if she should challenge this Rarity to a magic duel. Nobody wants to see a fashion display when they came to see a magic show! This mare is not taking her act seriously!”

Gilda grinned. “Want me to grab Dash so we can trash the stage?”

“No that wouldn’t be fair,” Trixie sighed. “While Trixie is the greatest and most powerful unicorn in Peaceville, she won’t be selfish or deny a fellow magician’s time in the spotlight. For now, Trixie will sit and watch the show.”

“That’s very nice of you Trixie,” an orange earth pony with a blue mane said.

“Trixie thanks you, um…sorry who are you?” The colt’s eyes flashed green. “Chrysalis? Forgive Trixie for asking but why are you disguised as a colt?”

With a flash of magic, Chrysalis turned back into herself and shrugged. “Practice shape shifting.”

“Thank you Miss Lyra, that will be all,” Rarity said as she allowed Lyra to hop off the stage. “May I ask the audience to be quiet please?” she asked. “Thank you. Now ladies and gentle-creatures, watch in awe as the Fabulous and Magical Rarity performs the most spectacular feats of magic you have ever witnessed!” Magical flashes burst here and there from the stage.

Trixie was not impressed. “First the dress up game, now this. Trixie could preform such magic in her sleep! Such boasting should be reserved for only those who deserve it!”

Discord chuckled. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"True, the Great and Powerful Trixie boasts on occasion, but that is because she is a professional! This mare is an amateur!"

Rarity dropped the gems she had summoned with her magic. “Okay that is quite enough from you lot,” she said glaring at Trixie and the rest of Nightmare's friends. “Insulting me and ignoring my presentation is the pinnacle of rudeness.”

“Can you blame us?” Gilda flew over to Rarity and glared at her in midair. “Honestly, I was expecting awesome magical explosions and I ain't getting my money’s worth! So what makes you so awesome?”

“Quite simple darling,” Rarity said and raised her head high. “For it was I who vanquished a horrible herd of Windigos!” A blast of blue magic from Rarity’s horn flew above their heads and turned into fireworks. An image of tall, and ghostly white horses appeared. “For you see my friends, not long ago a herd of Windigos attacked a changeling hive not terribly far from this very town; and it was thanks to my splendid magic that I was able to defeat those brutes and send them back into the darkest corners of the Equestria forest!” An image of Rarity appeared in the air and zapped the image of the Windigo herd. First one then the other image disappeared from the air.

“A Windigo herd?” Sunset Shimmer frowned. “There’s no way you could have beaten an entire herd all by yourself, you liar!” She looked over to where Chrysalis was cowering behind her legs. “Relax bug queen, there's no Windigos about, and I wouldn’t let them get you even if there were.” Chrysalis gave her a shaky smile.

“Well thank goodness,” Discord said. “We wouldn’t want one of those freaky things freezing up my lava pool.” Other ponies in the crowd stared at him. “What?”

“You’re just jealous!” Sweetie shouted at the crowd. She smiled and pointed up to Rarity. “She beat a Windigo herd! My big sis is the most talented, and magical, and prettiest pony in all of Everfree!”

Smog glared at the unicorn filly. “How do you know she beat a Windigo herd, ya little brat?”

Nightmare’s magic caused a zipper to seal the dragon’s mouth shut. “Smog, don’t make a scene!” she hissed.

Trixie’s horn glowed with power. “If he won’t I will,” she whispered darkly as she got ready to show Rarity how great and powerful a true magician could be.

But the mare on stage was no longer paying attention to them. Rarity looked down at Sweetie and smiled. “Sweetie Belle! Oh how I have missed you my dear sister! Traveling the world for my work just isn’t as fun as spending time with you.”

Sweetie blushed. “Aw, I’m not that special compared to you.”

Rarity smiled and levitated her sister onto the stage. “Nonsense, I’d say you’re very special. Everyone, please give a round of applause for this brave filly who has volunteered for my next act!”

Trixie stopped in her tracks and quietly backed away from the stage, cancelling the spell.

“Next act? Sis I can’t, ” Sweetie gulped as she looked at the crowd.

“That’s quite alright Sweetie Belle. Stage fright is not unheard of. Another time then.” And Rarity was back to boasting. “Well then does anybody here think that they can hope to match my beautiful and elegant magical might? Citizens of Peaceville, I challenge you! Anything you can do, Rarity can do better!”

Discord and Chrysalis had both decided that they had seen enough and left, but other people in the crowd remained to challenge Rarity. Nightmare watched as Rarity conjured up far more crystals and gems than Sunset could hope to find during her challenge. She watched as Rainbow was caught in Rarity’s magic and trapped within her own rainbow tornado. Gilda managed to last the longest but even she was blown away once Rarity conjured up a strong wind to knock her out of the sky during her race challenge. But there was one member of Nightmare’s circle of friends left unaccounted for.

Curious, Nightmare teleported herself and Smog to the front yard of Trixie’s home and magic shop. They found her levitating a rope, making it twirl around. “Hey Trixie. Are you okay? You left kinda early.”

Trixie looked away from the rope and at Nightmare. “Trixie is fine. Trixie is simply practising her Rope Charmer trick.”

Smog cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind me asking, why’d you let Rarity off the hook like that? You’re the best unicorn at magic in all of Peaceville. The only one better than you at magic is Nightmare. You could have crushed that snob!”

Trixie shook her head. “Oh Smog, so young and innocent. It is as Trixie said at the start of Rarity’s show. She is a fellow magician and boasting is part of the act, Trixie knows this. True, the mare wasn’t very nice to our friends, but we weren’t very nice to her either. Trixie was prepared to best Rarity in a magical duel, but Trixie saw the love she had for her sister,” she sighed. “Trixie often wishes she had a brother or sister too.”

Trixie shrugged. “Besides after defeating Eternal Twilight, the greatest symbol of magical might and terror on every Twilight Night…all other opponents don’t seem worthy of the effort for the Great and Powerful Trixie to beat.”

Nightmare nodded. “I’m proud of you Trixie. You’ve shown more patience and restraint than I thought you were capable of.”

Trixie smirked. “Oh, does the alicorn think she’s being clever? Perhaps now would be an ideal time to test your abilities to sense magic? Tell Trixie, what did you notice about Rarity’s act?”

Nightmare highlighted the points of the act that she had noticed. “Rarity’s magic appears to be only slightly more advanced than the average unicorn’s magic, while your magic is stronger and more flashy. Yet I could see the methods Rarity used to beat Sunset, Gilda, and Rainbow Dash in their challenges. Rarity uses precision and range to manipulate multiple objects and spells all at once. What she lacks in strength she makes up for in concentration and strategy.”

Trixie nodded. “Indeed. Plus, Rarity was honest in all her acts. For magicians such as I, there are two kinds of magic: unicorn magic and stage magic. Stage magic is the kind of magic that anyone can use with practice; the art of deception, yet it is deception meant to entertain and delight the audience. Trixie knew that, and that is the true reason she called Rarity an amateur. Simple flashy magic won't impress anyone as there are unicorns in almost every town. If Rarity was to use stage tricks on top of real magic, her act might someday hope to be half as impressive as the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Nightmare smiled at their shared logical reasoning. Smog just yawned and asked, “Do you ever get tired of talking like that?”

The rope Trixie was manipulating wrapped itself around Smog mouth, closing it tight again. “Never!” Trixie said with a giggle.

Later that day, Rarity was packing up her stage and the merchandise she had been selling after the show. Scootaloo and Sweetie ran up to her. “Hi Rarity! It was so cool to see you here today!”

“Why thank you Sweetie! As if I could pass up the chance to see you after my tour. Oh, just look at you Sweetie Belle, you’re even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. Why, you even lost your cutie mark! Oh, you’ve grown up so fast.” Rarity wiped away a happy tear her eyes made just for the sake of being dramatic.

“Yeah, yeah,” Scootaloo impatiently spoke up. “Anyway it’s great to meet you Miss Rarity! I’m Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle told me lots of stories about you but I never knew you beat off a couple of Windigos!”

“Why thank you darling.” With a tug of magic, Rarity stored away the rest of her dresses and unsold merchandise. “I’m quite happy to hear that someone other than my sister enjoyed my performance.” She stopped smiling and scowled. “Unlike those brutes from earlier. Oh, I suppose creatures like an alicorn and a draconequus might not be as impressed with my level of magic but I know that my magic is superior to any other unicorn’s magic in this dreary town. They had no right to interrupt my show!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo agreed. “So what if they weren’t there when you beat those Windigos? I bet if more of those things showed up here, you’d beat them too. Oh, and if you had trouble – not saying you would but – you could get Rainbow Dash to help! She’s so cool, I heard she smacked that dragon thing in the face with a sonic rainboom!”

“Ooh! That’s a great idea!” Sweetie said as she ran off.

“Sweetie Belle? What idea? Where are you going?” Rarity called. “I had thought you would wish to see the presents I brought you? I even found time to craft you this beautiful dress! Though, it might be a size too small.”

“That’s okay, I’ll see you tomorrow first thing in the morning. Oh, show Scootaloo!” Sweetie shouted back to them before she ran out of sight.

“Wonderful.” Rarity smiled at Scootaloo. “Now darling, did you know that on top of being the kingdom’s most graceful showmare I am also a designer of dresses and accessories? I craft and sell the most exquisite dresses adorned with the finest gems. And I believe I have something back here that might be in your size. As my dearest sister’s friend, I shall even give you a discount.”

Scootaloo cringed. She was a proud tomboy and she hated most dresses and anything that was too girly. “Um, what’s that Sweetie Belle? Oh drat, I better catch up with her! Thanks anyway, see you later Miss Rarity!” Scootaloo buzzed her wings as fast as she could and chased after Sweetie. Eventually she caught up to her and carried Sweetie on her scooter until they reached their destination. The edge of the Equestria forest.

“You know, I’m surprised you ran in here before me,” Scootaloo said as she and Sweetie continued through the Equestria forest. They had been searching the forest for so long, Princess Twilight had already raised the moon. “Usually I’m running into danger and you’re telling me to be careful.”

“Yeah but I’m doing this for Rarity.” Sweetie said as she swatted away some branches. “She’s so much better at magic than anyone else around here and people need to know how cool she is.”

Personally, Scootaloo disagreed as she thought that Discord, Nightmare Moon, and Trixie were the more well known magic users in the area. And of course, no griffin was cooler than Gilda and nopony was more awesome than Rainbow Dash. Then again, none of them had ever beaten a Windigo herd.

“Okay, if you say so." She and Sweetie climbed off the scooter as they got close to a cave and went inside. "Now, you’ve told me the plan and I think I get it.” Scootaloo shivered as they walked through the entrance of the dark and icy cave. “Feels like we’re getting close too. But how are we gonna find a Windigo when I can’t even see my own hoof in front of my face?”

“Hold on.” Sweetie’s horn immediately lit up with magic, bathing the cave in light. And illuminating the previously invisible Windigos. The winter spirits shimmered into existence and glared at the two friends who would dare disturb their slumber. The Windigo herd gave an otherworldly howl, sounding like fearsome ghosts and howling wind at the same time. The two fillies screamed in terror and escaped the cave, trying to run faster than the wind. They climbed back on Scootaloo's scooter once more and hurried back to Peaceville, the Windigos chasing after them.

Outside of the Equestria forest, Smog was kicking a pebble across the road. “I don’t get it. Nightmare and Trixie could easily have beaten Rarity! But if they don't send her away, who knows how long that fake will be in town for?” As he thought about what to do next, he saw Sweetie and Scootaloo fly past him on that scooter of theirs. “Uh, hey guys. Where are ya going in such a rush?”

“Snow time to talk now!” Scootaloo called back to him.

“Snow time?” Smog asked. Then he heard the otherworldly howl and turned around to see the herd of spirits approaching Peaceville, covering the trees with ice as they flew.

Smog paled at the sight. “Mother of night,” he whimpered. He than ran back to the library screaming for Nightmare, Discord, ANYONE!

As Smog was running to Nightmare, Sweetie and Scootaloo reached the stage that was still set up in Town Square. Rarity had discarded her dress from the show and had previously decided to sleep under the stars in a large canopy bed. Sweetie and Scootaloo desperately began jumping on the bed and screaming in their attempt to wake Rarity up. Rarity woke up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Sweetie? Goodness Sweetie, what are you doing?”

At that moment, Rarity heard the howling Windigos as they flew straight at them. She screamed and fled from her stage, taking Scootaloo and Sweetie in her magic as she ran. Just in time too, as the bed and stage were both frozen by the Windigos icy magic.

“Big sis, you have to vanquish these Windigos!” Sweetie pleaded.

Scootaloo frantically nodded. “Yeah, like you said in your story. Sorry, I think they’re a little cranky that Sweetie woke them.”

Rarity gasped. “You two did what? Sweetie Belle! How could you be so irresponsible and foolish! Out of all the things that could happen this is the! Worst! Possible! Thing!”

As the two friends begged Rarity to defeat the Windigos, she charged her horn and wrapped multiple objects in her telekinesis, flinging them at the Windigos. But every object and every spell she cast passed right through the spirits. The Windigos began to fly over Peaceville in a circle as more buildings became covered in snow.

Meanwhile, Smog ran into the library shouting for Nightmare. The alicorn looked up at him and away from the changelings she had been talking to.

“Nightmare! There’s-”

“Windigo herd. Chrysalis just told me,” Nightmare said as she flew out of the library.

Smog paused and turned to look at Chrysalis and the other changelings that were in the library. “What? How did you know there were Windigos coming that quick?”

Chrysalis tried to comfort the changelings that were hiding under or behind the furniture. “Changelings feed of love. Windigos feed off hate. I’m not sure if it’s instincts or not but…Windigos are really scary for a changeling,” she whispered as she hugged Angle. “Angle here told me he sensed something horrible coming this way.”

Smog knelt next to Chrysalis. “Hey it’s okay. As long as I’m here, no Windigo is gonna get you.”

As the changelings and dragon huddled together, Nightmare and the rest of her friends arrived in Town Square, ready to fight off the Windigos. As soon as she saw Rarity and Sweetie, Nightmare knew who was responsible for this mess.

“Stand back, you fools!” Nightmare ordered them. “Alright guys, any idea on how to beat these things?” she asked as Sunset, Gilda, Rainbow, Trixie, and Discord formed a line beside her.

Discord watched the Windigos flying over the town and smiled. “I must say, at times like this, only one thing comes to mind!”

Gilda frowned at him. "You're not about to sing, are you?"

Discord cleared his throat and sang:

The Windigos glow white, they freeze everything in sight.
Can't see a hoof-print, or anything.
A village in desperation
And what help is the crystal king?
These spirits are howling like
Rainbow’s frozen heart inside.
She couldn’t fight it off
But my dear, you tried.

Rainbow glared at Discord as he sang. “Why are ya blaming me for this? I thought this was Rarity’s fault!”

“Hey!” Rarity protested.

“Quite simple Dashie,” Discord smiled. “I’m still a little cross with how you treated me when you arrived in town.”

Rainbow shivered as the wind picked up. “Like I already said, I’m sorry I was rude before. But how does that mean the Windigos are my fault?”

Discord shrugged. “Well when you put it like that my dear, I suppose you’re right. Back to singing!”

Let love flow! Let love grow!
We can’t hold these freaks back anymore!
Let the love inside you grow!
Let's send these things out the door!
If you’ve heard this parody before
Well, I don’t care!
Let their blizzard rage on!
At least they’re cooler than a giant blue bear!

“Stop singing Discord!” Sunset screamed at him. By now, the Windigo blizzard was becoming unbearable. Her hooves were already frozen to the ground and the ice was advancing up her body. “Now’s not the time!”

“Actually, it might be!” Nightmare smacked herself in the face for not realizing earlier. “Guys, remember how Hearth’s Warming Eve started? Windigos are beaten when a Fire of Friendship is present. Quick, everybody sing about how much you love each other!”

Discord grinned. “Does this mean that Hearth’s Warming comes twice this year?”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just quit acting goofy and help us!”

“Hooray!” Discord cheered. He snapped his fingers and suddenly Chrysalis and Smog were there too. “To arms my friends! Tonight we sing for GLORY!”

Everybody else wisely ignored Discord and began to sing:

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
As long as it burns we can’t drift apart
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through
We all are, a circle of friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end

As they sang the Heart Carol, magic poured out of the horns of Nightmare, Sunset, Trixie, and Chrysalis. The magic formed a gigantic heart-shaped flame. Upon seeing the fire, the Windigos panicked and fled from Peaceville, retreating back into their cave.

“Wow, two songs in a row!" Discord cheered. "And just like that, everything turned out alright in the end!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yeah, everything turned out just fine. Except that Peaceville is still covered in ice and I don’t know if we can use this Friendship Fire to thaw everything without also burning everything.”

“Um, guys. There’s one more thing,” Chrysalis said as she pointed a shaky hoof at one of the frozen trees, were something had become trapped in the branches.

Discord flew up to it. “Aw, poor guy.” A lone Windigo, much smaller than the other winter spirits was desperately trying to follow its herd, but it was barely flying at all. The spirit of chaos hugged the younger winter spirit. “Aw, did those nasty friends of yours leave you all alone? Why, you’re just a little spirit, you didn’t know any better, did you? Aw, who’s a cute little hate spirit?” He tickled the Windigo under the chin.

Nightmare’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Discord, step away from the Windigo. Even if it’s young, it’s dangerous.”

“I agree with Nightmare,” Chrysalis said as she smiled. “Now let’s hurry up and set that abomination on fire.”

“Um, I know you don’t like Windigos but isn’t that a little harsh?” a concerned Rainbow asked.

“Too late! I’m taking him home with me!” Discord blew a raspberry at the group and flew off with the Windigo before anyone could stop him.

“Eh, let Discord be weird. We won!” Gilda said as she and Rainbow high-fived.

“Yeah, I guess that was pretty fun,” Sunset said as her horn glowed. “Anyway, we’d better get to work thawing this snow.” Her magic began to slowly melt the ice.

“Hold on Sunset,” Nightmare said. “Thawing the snow can wait now that the Windigos are gone. Before we can clean up the town we need to deal with…where’d Rarity go?” The seven of them looked around to see that Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had all vanished.

Gilda growled. “Those little cowards! Don’t worry, me and Dash can drag them back here, no sweat!”

Trixie’s magic stopped Gilda before she could fly off. “Let them go. Perhaps some day Rarity will learn her lesson.” Trixie’s ears drooped. “Trixie remembers a time when she boasted far more than Rarity ever did. If I was in her shoes instead, the Great and Powerful Trixie might have caused an even bigger mess if she thought somebody had doubted her ability.”

"Hey, don't feel sad. Everything worked out okay, right?" Smog smiled and gave Trixie a quick hug. He then turned to face Nightmare. “Rarity can wait. Nightmare, we should probably inform King Sombra and Princess Twilight about what happened.” Nightmare nodded and waited for Smog to get the pen and paper to begin the message.

Just outside of Peaceville, Scootaloo waited patiently as Sweetie Belle said goodbye to her sister.

“It’s not fair!” Sweetie cried. “You just came back home, and now you’re being kicked out! For something that was my fault! I’m so sorry Rarity!”

Rarity dried the younger unicorn’s tears. “Don’t cry my dear sister. It’s for the best. While I’m not really getting kicked out, I cannot remain in this town. Ponies will forget about my skills with magic and only remember me as the girl who unleashed a Windigo herd on them. I can't live with such hatred directed at me. But Sweetie, promise me you won't be angry with yourself. And I promise you, I will return home.” She looked back at Peaceville and glared. “And I will have my revenge,” she muttered darkly.

Sweetie and Scootaloo spent another hour talking to Rarity, before Scootaloo walked the unhappy Sweetie back home. Rarity took everything that she had packed for her trip to the next town and left. Her old portable magical stage had been frozen and smashed during the Windigo attack, leaving her with few personal belongings.

As she walked and planned her revenge, Rarity was surprised to see her horn glow. The magic it was casting was similar to a gem-locating spell she had developed when she was younger. But this magic felt different. Nonetheless, her skill with finding gems had never steered her wrong before so she let her horn guide her to what would clearly be the next step in her destiny.

The spell brought her to a large boulder covered in vines and thorny roots. Rarity focused and blasted the rock apart to reveal numerous valuable gems and tiny crystals within the rock. If she sold some of the more uncommon crystals she found within the rock, it would provide her with enough money to last the rest of her trip. But on top of that, the boulder had been covering a hole in the ground. Curious, Rarity cautiously extended her magic as it felt around the inside of it. A book came floating out of the hole and towards her.

Rarity gathered up the gems and read the notes within the book. “The Research of Prince Sombra, hmm? Goodness, this tome must be ancient if it contains the research King Sombra conducted when he was still a young colt.” She sat down and began reading. Once she finished reading everything in the book, her lips formed into a sneaky smile.

“It seems as if the next step of my journey is clear to me now,” Rarity said to the sky. “The notes this book has provided me could only lead to a most generous gift. And though I leave Peaceville for now, I shall return dear Sweetie Belle. And I will make those fools pay for daring to come between us!”

"Be prepared Everfree! For Rarity's destiny is not over yet!"

Author's Note

First song is based on 'Let it Go' from Frozen.

Too Much of a Ditz

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Too Much of a Ditz

An earth pony mare walked across the small office as she put a few papers away. She had a tan coat and a short pink mane and tail. The mare walked back to her desk and put her glasses back on to see what other papers were left.

On one side of the office there was a large desk with a nameplate that read Mayor Derpy ‘Ditzy’ Doo. Beside the plate was a picture frame containing a photo of two smiling unicorn fillies, one purple and one pink.

Her own desk was smaller and had a nameplate that read Mary ‘Ivory’ Mare. She checked the clock on her desk and, seeing that her work was finished, she patiently waited for her new boss to come in.

There was a small crash outside followed by a few bumps here and there before a pegasus opened the door and slowly flew inside. The pegasus had a gray coat and a blonde mane and tail. “Oh dear, where did I put them?” The pegasus began to search through the office for something, occasionally bumping into a wall.

The earth pony spoke up. “Excuse me Miss Mayor, what are you looking for?”

The mayor turned to look at her. “Oh, hi there!” she smiled. “Sorry, who are you?”

“Mary Mare. You hired me as your secretary, remember?”

The pegasus smiled. “Miss Mare! Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you. Just, I thought you had gray hair?”

Mary smiled. “No, it’s pink. I just usually dye my mane gray, but I didn’t have time this morning. I wanted to be early first day on the job Miss Mayor.”

“You should leave it pink, it looks nice,” the mayor said. “Oh, and you can call me Derpy if you want.”

“Oh um…” Mary fidgeted a little. “I’m uh, not sure if I should do that Miss Doo. It wouldn’t be professional.”

Derpy’s smile faded a little. “It’s okay. You can call me Ditzy if you want. Some people prefer my middle name.”

“Okay, so…what are you looking for Miss Ditzy?” Mary asked.

“My glasses.” Derpy said as she started digging around the basket she kept her paperwork in. Mary’s new boss was cross-eyed and she had trouble telling how far away an object was. While her condition wasn’t discovered early enough for glasses to make a big difference, they still improved her vision a little bit.

“Um, do you mean those glasses?” Mary pointed to a pair of glasses that were hanging on a strap around Derpy’s neck.

Derpy looked down and smiled. “There they are! Thank you Miss Mare. Now if I just…” She tried to pick up her glasses with her teeth but the movement of her head caused her teeth to accidently cut the strap, and somehow send the glasses flying across the room.

“I got it!” Derpy said as she flapped her wings and managed to catch her glasses in midair before she crashed onto the floor.

“Miss Mayor!” Mary hurried over to help Derpy back up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just don’t know what went wrong,” Derpy said as she put her glasses back on. She sighed, “I bump into stuff and can’t even remember where my glasses are when they’re right in front of me. You probably think I'm stupid.”

“No! Of course not Miss Mayor! You probably just had a busy morning and forgot. The same way I forgot about my hair, right?” Mary gently smiled at her boss. “And everyone bumps into stuff sometimes. I wouldn’t be working for you if you weren’t intelligent, Miss Mayor.”

“Thank you Mary,” Derpy smiled. “You know what, you deserve a promotion. I’m making you deputy mayor.”

Mary gasped. “D-d-deputy mayor? Miss Doo, I’m not sure if-”

“Nope! New deputy mayor!”

“But Miss Doo, you’ve only known me for-”

“I already know all that I need to,” Derpy grinned. “You’re smart and you’re nice. You’ll do great!” She walked over to her desk and picked up her schedule. “So what are we doing today?”

“I believe you were going to make a speech to the town today. To address the issue of all the ice from the Windigo attack the other night,” Mary reminded her.

“That’s right! Oh dear, I have to give my speech in ten minutes! Come on, we gotta go! Come on, come on!”

Mary grabbed the notes she needed and quickly followed her boss, who had already flown ahead of her. She arrived outside Town Hall to see that a large crowd had gathered outside as Mayor Derpy prepared to give her speech.

“I’m confused,” Smog said, rubbing his eyes. “Why are we out here so early in the morning?”

“Whatever it is had better be important,” Nightmare Moon grumbled.

Rainbow Dash flew in and touched down on the ground beside her. “Are you okay? You sound a little cranky.”

“I’m not a morning person! Okay?!” Nightmare growled at her.

“Okay, okay! No need to bite my head off,” Rainbow said as she edged away.

Derpy smiled as she saw that most of Peaceville was present, including the Elements of Redemption, minus Discord. Once Mary had set up everything beside her, she began her speech.

“Thank you everybody for being here bright and early!”

“Don’t remind me,” Nightmare muttered.

“Now I know a lot of you were inconvenienced by last night’s attack from the Windigo herd.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ducked behind another pony, trying to hide from the crowd.

“But I see this as an opportunity! With everyone’s help I know we can clean up all this snow. We can treat this as an early Winter Wrap-Up! For those of you who don’t know, Winter-Wrap Up is when we all group together to clean up all the winter snow to make way for spring!”

“Wait, hold on!” Smog said as he raised his hand to draw attention. “You want us to clean up winter? I’m sorry, what? Can’t we just use magic like they do in the Crystal Empire? I know we’re not technically changing seasons but-”

“No! No magic!” Derpy said. “Winter Wrap-Up is meant to be a special time of the year! Everyone cleans up winter the earth pony way, without magic. It’s traditional!”

Sunset Shimmer raised her hoof. “Um, did I miss something? I’m pretty sure earth ponies have magic too, just not the same as unicorns and such.”

“You want us to shovel snow because it’s tradition?” Gilda snorted. “If it was tradition to cut off all the leaves on every tree before fall, would ya want us to do that too?”

“Yep!” Derpy cheerfully said.

Gilda slapped her forehead in exasperation. “I’m pretty sure the leaves can fall just fine by themselves, mayor!”

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Derpy pointed over to Mary. “Now my new deputy mayor, Miss Mare, has vests for each team! Blue for weather, green for-”

“GUESS WHO!” Discord shouted as he appeared within the crowd in a flash. “Hello guys, what’s everyone doing around here for?”

“Mayor Ditzy expects Trixie and her friends to drop everything we’re doing just to shovel snow!” Trixie frowned. “Trixie was planning to do something actually important before she was called to clean up the leftover mess from those Windigos.”

“Oh dear, are we still on about that?” Discord held his hand out. “Sunset, if you would be so kind?”

Sunset’s horn glowed as she created a small spark of fire, and sent it over to him. Discord cupped the little flame in his hands, waved them over the fire, and set the flame down onto the snow. He snapped his fingers and the fire raced over the town, melting the ice and snow but leaving everything else just the way it was.

People in the crowd sighed happily. “Thank you Discord,” Nightmare smiled. “If anyone needs us, Smog and I will be in the library catching up on our sleep.”

“What? Guys, don’t leave!” Derpy cried as everyone in the crowd left. “Winter Wrap-Up is supposed to be a no magic, day-long tradition. You’ll have fun, really! Please…please don’t leave.”

Mary went to Derpy’s side as she sat down. “Are you alright Miss Doo?”

“Yeah,” Derpy sighed. “I know that ever since we’ve had people with strong magic like Trixie or Discord in town, we’ve changed the seasons like they do in the Crystal Empire. But I was hoping we could be traditional this year! I was hoping my amazingly inspirational speech would win them over. I just don’t know what went wrong.”

“I thought it was a great speech!” Mary reassured her. “But at least now we have more time to get started with all of your other duties.”

Derpy smiled. “You’re right! Come on, let’s go see if anyone needs help!”

“What?” Mary looked back at the schedule. “Um, Mayor Doo, I’m not sure if it’s our job to-”

“Come on, let’s go!” Derpy said as she flew off…and accidentally smacked into a wall. “Oops.”

They worked through the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Aside from offering to help out any ponies, they also got ready for the ceremony they planned to hold next week. It would be a small award ceremony to show appreciation for the best farms in Peaceville, including Clear Crystal Caverns and Sweet Apple Acres.

After they had set up everything, Derpy and Mary went over to Clear Crystal Caverns. “Hi Sunset Shimmer! Anything I can do to help?”

Sunset placed a crystal in a basket and turned to look at her. “Um, no thanks Mayor Derpy. I’m doing fine by myself. But uh, would you like to buy anything?”

“Okay! What do you have?” Derpy poked her head into a basket full of blue crystals.

“Careful there, Derpy." Sunset pulled her head out and directed her to another basket. "Now, I have something here for you that you might be interested in.” Sunset placed a pair of glasses in front of Derpy. The glasses had thin crystals within the lens instead of normal lens. “I got the design from a cousin of mine, you just take some magic quartz crystals and put them in. They should improve your sight.”

Derpy frowned and tried to focus her eyes on Sunset. “Are you saying there’s something wrong with my eyes?”

Sunset’s eyes widened and she hurried to correct herself. “No! Sorry Derpy, that came out wrong. There’s nothing wrong with your eyes, I just thought maybe you would like them.”

“Oh, okie dokie then!” Derpy happily switched her normal glasses with the magical quartz glasses. “Oh wow! Everything looks all sparkly!”

“I’m glad you like them Derpy.” Sunset held out her hoof. “Now those glasses cost about-”

“Hold on, I wanna try them.” Derpy focused her sight on everything around the crystal farm. “They work really well.” She started backing up to get a better view of everything. But as a great as the quartz glasses were, they didn’t give Derpy extra eyes in the back of her head.

“Miss Doo, behind you!” Mary cried.

Derpy turned around to see what her deputy mayor was talking about, only for her face to smack into the cavern wall. While her face wasn’t harmed, the quartz had been scratched in just the wrong way. The magical quartz glasses glowed bright red before lasers fired rapidly from the glasses. Sunset and Mary both ducked behind cover as the quartz lasers fired this way and that.

“AH! I can’t stop it!” Derpy cried as she tried to point the glasses away from anything breakable.

Sunset’s horn glowed and the malfunctioning glasses immediately flew off Derpy’s face and toward Sunset’s hooves. She smashed the quartz crystal and kept smashing them until the lasers stopped firing. Sunset sighed, “Perhaps you’d be better with your old pair.”

Derpy’s ears folded down in shame. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what went wrong.”

“Yeah. It’s a mystery.” Sunset rolled her eyes and began to clean up the damage. “Now I don’t mean to be rude Derpy, but the phrase ‘you break it, you bought it’ comes to mind.”

Derpy tilted her head to the side. “But you broke the glasses.” She shrank back as Sunset glared at her and quickly paid for the glasses. “Okay, that should cover the glasses and some of the damage. Again, I’m so sorry. Anything I can do to help you clean this up?” Derpy asked with a hopeful smile. She walked over to pick up a crystal, only for the crystal to slip out of her grasp and crash against another pile of crystals.

Sunset frantically jumped in front of her to block her off from the rest of the farm. “No! Uh, I mean, no thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me Miss Mayor, I think we both have work to do.”

As they walked out of the cavern and back to Town Hall, Mary asked Derpy, “So uh, what else do we need to do today?”

Derpy sighed. “Nothing. You’ve done great work Mary. Take the rest of the day off. I’ll…I’ll see you tomorrow.” She flew the rest of the way home.

Three days later, Derpy put on her glasses first thing in the morning so that she wouldn’t forget them. She got out of bed and went through her morning routine, occasionally bumping into something, but she wasn’t about to let it slow her down. She was almost out the door when she heard someone cry, “Mom!”

“Yes Sparkler?” Derpy asked as she turned around to see her two daughters.

The purple unicorn, Sparkler, pointed at her younger sister in frustration. “Dinky ate the last muffin and there’s, like nothing else to eat in the house!”

Dinky, the grayish-pink filly with blonde hair, smiled happily at Sparkler. Dinky was very young and still had a cutie mark, depicting five stars. She licked the crumbs off her lips and said, “I love you.”

“Mom!” Sparkler whined.

Derpy nuzzled Dinky and looked back up at Sparkler. “Aw, it’s okay sweetie. If you look through the kitchen I think there’s a cupcake somewhere.”

“But mom, you always told us that muffins are for breakfast and cupcakes are for dessert.”

Derpy smiled. “But today’s a special day, so you can have a special breakfast. Today, King Sombra is coming to Peaceville for a visit. I’m organizing the greeting party for his arrival. And they’re using the banner we made last night,” she said proudly.

“Oh, cool. Good luck with that mom!” Sparkler waved as Derpy flew out to Town Hall for work. She walked back into the kitchen, searching for the cupcake. “Now I think she said the cupcake is around…Dinky!”

Dinky licked the cupcake crumbs off her lips and smiled, “I love you.”

“Stop being adorable!”

As Sparkler got Dinky ready for school, Derpy flew around Main Street. Mary watched her as Derpy hung up the banner welcoming King Sombra to their town.

Nightmare flew over to join them. “Hi there Ditzy, Mary,” she nodded to both of them. “Ooh, nice banner.”

“Thanks Nightmare Moon!” Derpy smiled. “Me and my little muffins put it together.”

“Hold on!” Nightmare frowned and flew up to the banner, pointing at the end. “‘Welcome King Zombra’? What happened to his name?”

“I’m sorry.” Derpy smile faded. “I wrote the S on backwards. But the rest of his name is spelt right!”

“I’m sorry Mayor, but we can’t hang a banner with a misspelt name. But…maybe if we draw an S on top of the Z it would work.”

At that moment, a shadow flew down towards them and touched down on the ground, turning into King Sombra. “Ah, Nightmare Moon. It’s good to see you.”

Nightmare gasped, then forced her mouth into a grin. “King Sombra! It’s an honour to have you here.”

The king tilted his head to the side. “Are you okay? You seem a bit flustered.”

“No! No, it’s just that you’re here early!” She looked back at the banner and Derpy with a frown. “Really early.”

“I know and I apologize,” King Sombra sighed. “But I’m afraid my casual visit to Peaceville will have to wait for another time. As much as I’d rather not ask this, do you know where Discord is?”

There was a flash of light and Discord was there, sitting in an armchair and reading a book. “You rang?” he asked as he held up a toy telephone.

“Hello Discord. I’m sorry to bother you about this but there is a Breezie infestation not too far away from here.”

Discord eye’s widened and he tossed away the book and toy phone. “Breezies, you say? Not to worry, Your Royal Heiney. I’ll bring the wind chimes, the accordion, and the giant fan!”

King Sombra rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. Let’s get going now, shall we?”

“Wait, what’s a Breezie?” Nightmare asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Discord shook his head.

“Wait!” Derpy flew down and bowed before the king. “King Sombra, as Peaceville’s mayor it is my great honour to welcome you to our town.”

Sombra blinked and smiled. “Ah, yes. Good afternoon Miss Mayor.”

“Anything I can do to help you with that Breezie infestation?”

“No thank you. Come along now Discord.” And with a flash of light, the king and the chaos spirit were gone.

“Well there goes my day,” Nightmare grumbled. Curious, she picked up the book that Discord had been reading and frowned. “This again? I keep telling him he can’t have a Windigo as a pet!”

“Did you see that Mary?” Derpy said with a smile as Nightmare flew off. “The king is my friend now!”

Mary wasn’t convinced. “Miss Doo um, I think he was just being polite. I’m not sure if he even knows your name.”

“Sure he does! He’s probably just confused on if he should call me Derpy or Ditzy or Mayor. Everyone gets confused sometimes,” Derpy said as she attempted to pull the banner down.

“If you say so Ditzy,” Mary said. She looked back at her clipboard and the schedule taped to the back of it. “Now tomorrow it looks like-”

“Ooh, ooh, I know!” Derpy grinned. “Since we have more time, we can do the award ceremony for all the farms tomorrow! It’ll be fun!” She finally succeeded in pulling the banner down, only for one of the poles to smash into a nearby window. “Oops.”

“What?” Mary’s eyes widened. “But Miss Doo, tomorrow is when Discord scheduled his appointment to sign all the papers needed to adopt that Windigo. And goodness knows that’s going to take all day,” she muttered.

“That’s okay. I’ll just fly back and forth between them and-”

“Miss Doo, I don’t think that will work. Even if you were as fast as Gilda, you can’t be in two places at once.”

Derpy touched down on the ground and frowned, deep in thought. She smiled once more and said, “Or can I? You know what, you’ve done great work again Mary. You deserve the rest of the day off. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow!”

The next morning, Derpy got up even earlier than usual. After she finished her morning routine she was ready to leave when she noticed something.

“Sparkler? Dinky?” The two sisters froze and turned around to face their mom. “What are you two doing up so early?”

“Um, yeah. That’s a good question,” Sparkler said as quickly hid something in one of the kitchen drawers and sheepishly smiled. “Um, Dinky?”

Dinky’s grin grew wider (and a little more forced). “I love you.”

“Aw, I love you too,” Derpy smiled. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Um…what are you doing up so early?” Sparkler shot back at her.

“Hmm, I guess you have a point. Just be in bed early tonight girls. I’ll see you after school.”

Sparkler and Dinky watched her fly off for work. “That was close. Come on Dinky, if we hurry we’ll have everything ready by tomorrow morning.” She heard a knock at the front door and quickly but quietly went to open it.

A short yellow colt with a green mane and a snail cutie mark poked his head in. “Is she asleep?”

“Not exactly, Snails. She actually got up before us and went to work. I don’t think she saw it.”

A shorter green colt with an orange mane and a pair of scissors as his mark nudged Snails over to talk to Sparkler. “Did she say why? Eh, never mind. Anyway, I talked with Discord and he said he’s happy to help.”

“Great job Snips,” Sparkler smiled. “Okay, you two know what you need to do today so let’s meet up the same time tomorrow.”

Later that day, a crowd of Peaceville citizens had gathered outside. Three ponies stood up on the stage, waiting for the mayor to arrive. The one on the right was Sunset Shimmer, smiling and waving to her friends.

The bigger pony in the middle was a red earth stallion with orange hair. Nightmare recognized him as Big Macintosh, Sunset’s friend and business rival.

Though, she didn’t know the last one’s name. The one on the left was an earth pony with a brown coat and a black mane and tail. He adjusted his red business tie and smiled at the crowd.

At that moment, Derpy flew onto the stage and smiled to the crowd. “Hi everybody! Today we are here to honour three of the greatest farmers and food providers in our town! Sunset Shimmer, Big Macintosh and Filthy Rich!”

One mare in the crowd rolled her eyes. The unicorn had a pink coat and styled silver hair. “Oh please,” she said. “Miss Shimmer and Mister Macintosh, I could understand. But when has dear Richie ever been a farmer?”

Diamond Tiara hissed back, “Excuse me Aunt Silver, but that’s my dad you’re talking about. So please shut up.”

“It’s Silver Tiara, darling,” the mare smirked at her niece. “I would think you would remember sharing half of such a pretty name with one as glorious as I.”

“To start with,” Derpy continued her speech as aunt and niece argued. “I would like to award Big Macintosh and his family for all those delicious apples that go great with warm muffins in the morning like a…sorry, lost focus for a second.”

“That’s nothing new,” Silver Tiara muttered.

“Aunt Silver, stop it!” Diamond pleaded.

“So here, Big Macintosh. From us to you.”

Big Macintosh stepped forward and accepting the blue ribbon from the mayor. “Thank ya kindly, Miss Doo.” He looked at the crowd and nervously chuckled. “Now Ah ain’t exactly one to go making speeches. Not that great with words and all. Still, Ah thank y’all for yer support. If y’all will excuse me, Ah need to get back home.”

“So soon?” Derpy asked in confusion.

“Yep,” he said as he walked off stage. “Sweet Apple Acres hasn’t been too lucky with the rain and sunshine lately. Gonna have ta water all the apple trees by my lonesome.”

Derpy grinned. “Ooh, ooh! I can help!” The crowd watched as she flew off toward Sweet Apple Acres.

Meanwhile back in Town Hall, Derpy waited patiently at her desk.

“GUESS WHO!” Discord sang as he burst through the door.

“Hi there Discord! Are you here for your appointment?”

Discord looked at the mayor in confusion. “Now that’s quite peculiar,” he said. “I thought I just saw you near Sunny’s farm?” His mouth stretched into a sneaky grin. “You used a mirror pool, didn’t you?”

“Yep!” Derpy smiled. “My mirror duplicate should be giving out all those awards right now, so my schedule is open. How can I help you?”

Discord snapped his fingers and a chair popped into existence. He sat down and got right to business. “I’m looking to see what I can do to adopt that cute little Windigo of mine, without getting arrested. Now I’m quite sure we’ll have to word that differently on paper but that’s the gist of it.”

“I’d be happy to help you with that. Ooh, have you picked out a name yet?”

Discord clapped his hands with joy as a book appeared next to him. “Oh, I’m so glad you asked!” He opened the book and listed off some names. “I’m thinking Jackie, Frosty, Polaris, Chilly, Sad-eyes, or Wendy!”

Derpy tilted her head to the side. “Wendy? Isn’t it a boy Windigo?”

Before Discord could answer her, Mary walked into the office and froze in her tracks when she saw them. “Miss Mayor? I thought you were presenting awards to the farmers today.”

“I probably still am,” Derpy said as she got out some papers for Discord to sign.

“Um…okay. Well, if you’re not busy, you should know that a Mister Star and Mister Turner…or is that Doctor Turner?” Mary looked back at her notes.

“Oh dear, they’re here a day early? Good thing I planned ahead!” Derpy poked her head under her desk and said, “Could you go meet with them?”

Another Derpy popped her head from under the desk. “I can help!” She flew out of the office in a burst of speed. As the Derpy clone flew, something made her stop and hover in midair. “Wait, she said a Star and a Turner? Oh dear, I can’t see both of them at once! Unless…” The Derpy clone immediately changed course and flew somewhere else.

Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, Big Macintosh dodged another lightning bolt and shouted, “Miss Doo, that there’s the wrong cloud! Yer making a mess outta my farm!”

The Derpy clone continued bouncing on the storm cloud, sending more lightning bolts crashing down onto the apple trees. Sadly, the clone didn’t seem to notice she wasn’t making it rain or that Big Macintosh was begging her to stop.

Three more Derpy clones flew up to the clone bouncing on the cloud. “Anything we can do to help?” they chorused.

“Big Macintosh!” Sunset yelled as she came running into the apple orchards. “I just saw Mayor Derpy by the farm and she’s…” she froze as she saw the four Derpy clones zipping back and forth as they attempted to help Big Mac, not realizing that they were doing more harm than good. “Well…this all looks horrible.”

Up in the sky, Gilda and Rainbow Dash flew over and hovered in midair as they looked down at the scene below them. “Well, I guess we found that missing cloud…and a whole other mess,” Rainbow said in shock.

Behind them, more Derpy clones carrying more clouds flew over the farm to help water the trees as well. Most of the clouds actually had rain in them, but there was still the odd storm cloud in the mix. “This is just nuts!” Gilda growled as she tried to grab the clouds away from the cluelessly destructive clones, her back paws and tail pushing them away as three more duplicates grabbed onto her. “No more Ditzy’s! There’s too many of them!”

Back at the mayor’s office, Derpy smiled as Discord finished the last bit of paperwork. “There we go. Now as long as the little guy doesn’t cause too much trouble, um…then there won’t be any trouble!”

There was a frantic pounding at the door before a burst of smoke filled the room. The smoke faded away to reveal an irritated Trixie. “Another one?” she cried as she saw Derpy. “Begone foul mirror clone! Or face the might of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“What? Wait! I’m not a clone!” Derpy cried as she backed away from Trixie as the magician’s horn glowed with power.

“Ha! A likely story, if Trixie had not already heard the same from numerous Ditzy clones!”

“Numerous?” Derpy asked in fearful confusion. “There should only be about two clones.”

“Have you not looked out your window?! The skies are swarming with your clumsy clones! Trixie can’t even practice for her show without a Ditzy interrupting her!” Trixie pulled off her hat and reached into it, pulling out another Derpy. “See?”

“Wait, I’m not a clone!” The pegasus in Trixie’s hat cried. A flash of green consumed the Derpy clone, changing her back into Chrysalis. “Sorry, I just noticed that the clones didn’t seem to be bothering each other as much so I um, figured I’d blend in.”

“…That was rather crafty. Trixie wonders if-”

“Um, excuse me,” Mary interrupted them. “Mirror clones? I read the reports from last time and clones can be very dangerous if left to their own devices.”

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” Discord said as he folded his arms back in happy reminiscence. “I still remember when I used that mirror pool. Trixie, you remember what I’m talking about, right?” Trixie glared at him. “I guess you do. Well then, I suppose you also recall how to handle the situation?”

“Indeed,” Trixie grinned. “Trixie remembers the spell to banish the duplicates back into the pool. The trouble will be in determining which one is the real mayor so that we don’t send her back by mistake.”

“I’m the real mayor!” Derpy cried.

“Really?” Trixie glared at her. “What can you do to prove it? What makes you different from these destructive idiots?” Derpy tried to come up with an answer, but she found that there wasn't anything she could say to convince Trixie. She looked out her window and finally noticed all dozens of her duplicates bouncing around the town. Realizing the trouble she had accidentally unleashed on her town, Derpy lowered her head to the floor in shame.

Trixie snorted at the poor mare. “Trixie did not think so. You, assistant!” she pointed at Mary. “What is something that only the real mayor would do?”

“I’m…I’m not sure,” Mary stuttered. “I thought she was the real mayor, but I guess I was wrong. I mean, I guess the real mayor is a little clumsy,” Derpy winced. “A little forgetful,” Derpy winced again. “A bit of a muffin fanatic and a very…well ditzy.”

Derpy cringed and shrank further onto the floor.

“But I also know that Miss Doo loves this town and she genuinely wants to help everyone in it.”

Derpy was too depressed to even smile at that.

Discord nodded and smiled. “I think I know what to do with that. Give me a few minutes and we should have this wrapped up faster than you can wrap up winter.”

About ten minutes later, they were all gathered in a room within the Chaos Corner. Mary, Rainbow Dash, Smog, and all the Elements of Redemption were gathered on a raised platform, while Derpy plus all her clones were gathered on the floor below.

“Okay, here’s how this is going to work out,” Nightmare announced over the chattering clones. “Whoever is the real mayor gets to stay. Which one of you is the real Ditzy will be determined by a simple test. Discord?”

Discord snapped his fingers and a complex maze surrounded the duplicates, separating them from each other. The walls of the maze were made of cardboard. Another snap of his fingers made plates of muffins appear at the various exits of the labyrinth.

“Whoever can navigate this maze and retrieve a muffin, without knocking down the walls, is the real mayor. And just so you know, you might want to avoid flying for this challenge.”

All of the clones grinned with excitement at the thought of muffins. The real mayor was still crying her eyes out at the thought of failing the challenge and being separated from everyone she cared about. Peaceville, Mary…Dinky, Sparkler…

Discord spread his arms wide. “Alright then, let the games begin! We begin…NOW!”

“Oh boy, this is so exciting!” Smog said as he sat down with a bag of popcorn to watch the game. A minute later, he wasn’t as excited. “Okay, this is hard to watch.”

The Derpy clones were all incredibly clumsy and kept flying and crashing into the walls. Gilda pointed out the clones and Trixie zapped them with the spell to return them to the pool, while Discord kept snapping his fingers and rearranging the maze.

“How is all this supposed to help us find the real mayor?” Mary asked.

Trixie zapped another clone. “Excuse Trixie but she is busy at the moment. Nightmare?”

“From what Discord has told me about the mirror pool, mirror clones are very simple minded at first,” Nightmare explained. “They get smarter if someone is there to teach them, but from the moment they exit the pool their personalities are like an over-exaggerated version of whoever is being duplicated. The real mayor will be smarter than the clones; smart enough to know that not going through the maze is the best way to survive it.”

Mary frowned and said, “From the way you describe it…these clones sound like they’re almost newborns. It’s just…what’s going to happen to them?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Discord said with a grin. He vanished with a snap of his fingers. A few seconds later there was a flash of light, and there were two Discords.

“…Oh dear, I’m in Tartarus,” Nightmare muttered as she stared at them with dread.

“Oh don’t be so melodramatic all the time. Now then dear me, you’ve met most of my friends but here’s some new faces,” the Discord on the right said. “The dragon is Smog and the alicorn is Nightmare Moon. Oh, and the rainbow one is, appropriately named, Rainbow Dash.”

“Hello!” The Discord on the left grinned. “Do you wanna set something on fire?”

“…No thanks. Can I have an explanation instead, please?” Rainbow stared at who she hoped was the real Discord.

“Sure! Basically, this is the same clone I made the last time I used the mirror pool. Goodness, how long has it been since you saw me?”

Discord’s clone shrugged. “I dunno, a minute? How long for you?”

“Oh, a little over a month. In any case, do you think you could go back home now that I’ve made my point?”

“Of course! See you in a few minutes, or however long it is for you!”

As Trixie blasted the Discord clone away, the real one explained. “We’re not killing these clones, we’re just sending them back for a little nap. I might not pull him back out for another year, but within that pool it will only seem like a day to him. But enough of that drama! How’s it going Gilda?”

Gilda focused back on the maze. Her eagle eyes allowed her to see everything that was going on within the large maze. “I can see one Ditzy who hasn’t moved at all since this started.”

“In that case, let’s wrap this up now, shall we?” Sunset suggested.

Several zaps and a few finger snaps later, the copies were returned to the mirror pool and the cardboard maze was gone.

Mary walked over to the real Derpy with a muffin in her mouth and placed it next to the mayor. Derpy was lying on the floor, still looking very depressed. “Miss Ditzy, the game is over now. You won!”

Derpy sighed, “Thank you Mary.” She glanced at the muffin but then got up and walked toward the exit. “But I’m not in the mood for muffins.”

They all left the Chaos Corner to see an angry crowd of ponies glaring at Derpy. “There she is! Grab that clone before she escapes!”

“Wait everyone! This is the real mayor! All the other clones are gone now,” Mary shouted over the crowd.

“Perfect!” Silver Tiara glared at Derpy. “In that case Miss Mayor, what were you thinking? Your clones almost destroyed the entire town! Those brutes nearly destroyed my beautiful mane in their attempt to 'help' me!”

“You went and rained one mighty storm onto my apple trees!” Big Macintosh frowned at her. “Now how am Ah gonna get all them apples ready for when folk ‘round here want apple pie?”

“A whole bunch of those Ditzy duplicates trashed my muffin cart!” A stallion from the crowd shouted.

“They stomped all over my picnic, trying to ‘help’ me!” A changeling growled at the frightened Derpy.

“Those clones almost ate all my inventory! How am I going to get more cabbages now?” Golden Harvest shouted at them.

“Oh no, what is she doing here?” Rainbow fearfully whispered. She quickly ducked back inside the Chaos Corner. Outside, the crowd continued to shout accusations at Derpy.

Gilda sighed, “Well it looks like they all want answers.” She glared at Derpy and said, “So what do you have to say for yourself?”

By this point, Derpy was trying to be as quiet as possible, even though tears were spilling out of her eyes. Looking at the crowd expecting a response, she cleared her throat and tried her best to give them an answer that would make them happy. “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to h-hurt anyone. I didn’t mean...I didn't mean to do anything w-wrong. I don’t know what I did wrong. I just…I’m just…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…I…I...”

But the crowd wasn’t satisfied and just grew angrier. “Speak louder!” “Would you actually look at us! Your eyes keep doing that cross-eyed thing. Stop it!” “Is she crying? She's crying! She can’t even take this seriously!” “I’m never voting for her again!”

It was too much for her. Derpy flew away from the crowd as fast as she could, tears pouring out of her eyes.

The ponies in the crowd looked like they planned to chase after her. But before they could get very far, Chrysalis flew in front of them and blasted the ground below with a warning bolt of magic. She glared at the stunned crowd and hissed, “That’s enough! She already feels terrible about what happened and you do NOT need to rub it in!”

“She needs to learn her lesson!” Silver Tiara angrily demanded. “How can we trust a mayor as clumsy, ditzy, and just plain stupid as her?”

“HEY!”

Everyone turned around to look at a furious yellow colt. “It’s not nice to call people names just because they’re different,” Snails shouted at Silver Tiara. He turned around to show them his snail cutie mark. “See this? Ponies keep making fun of me just ‘cause I don’t always understand something! But just ‘cause I think a little slower than everyone else, doesn’t mean I’m stupid!

“And I don’t let people bother me when they call me slow. But I’m not gonna let you call her that! It ain’t her fault her eyes are funny, eh? She's not stupid, she's smart and she's really nice too. She gave me pudding once when I was feeling sad.” He smiled at the memory. “I like pudding.”

The crowd was silent as they contemplated what Snails said. Most of the ponies and changelings shuffled their feet guiltily. “Maybe…maybe we were a little harsh,” Gilda said. She looked back at the fleeing mayor with regret. “She was just trying to help everyone.”

“If one tries to please everyone, one usually fails to please anyone,” Trixie sadly stated. “Even the Great and Powerful Trixie has been where that poor girl is now.”

“That was really cool of you, Snails old buddy,” Snips smiled at his friend. “But you know what would really help her right now?

Snails frowned in thought for a moment, before he remembered what they were doing earlier. “Oh yeah. We’d better get going if we want to help Sparkler and Dinky with the party, eh?” He and Snips ran away from the crowd in happy excitement.

“Party?” Discord perked up at the word. “I didn’t know there was a party. Perhaps I misread my planner.” He snapped his fingers and a calendar popped up next to him and he read off it. His smile faded as he read it. “…Oh…ooh. Ouch.”

The next morning, Derpy climbed out of bed. She had gone to sleep early the other night, but she still had to get up early to go to the office. She was still the mayor after all.

“Though who knows how long that will last?” she whispered to herself.

After the usual morning routine, she stayed behind to make breakfast for her kids. Sparkler had been making breakfast for herself and Dinky on the days Derpy was too busy, but she wasn’t in a hurry to leave the house.

“Good morning sweeties,” she smiled softly as they came downstairs. “I made you two your favourites.” They thanked their mom and ate breakfast quietly.

The silence was a little unnerving to her so she asked, “Um, Sparkler sweetie…did you or Dinky see anything…strange yesterday?”

“Nope,” Sparkler smiled gently. “Nothing unusual. Dinky?”

Dinky blinked at the two of them, then shook her head no and scarfed down some more food.

“Right…well…I guess I can’t put it off any longer,” Derpy sighed. “Have a good day you two.”

“Um, mom?” Sparkler asked as Derpy got ready to leave. “School lets out early today, so maybe you can leave work early and meet us at the Chaos Corner this afternoon? There’s something you really need to see there.”

“Okay sweetie,” Derpy sighed and walked back, hugging Sparkler and Dinky. “Mommy loves you. No matter what, I’ll always love you.”

Sparkler and Dinky hugged her back. “We love you too. Have a great day mom.”

As their mom left out the door, Sparkler said to Dinky, "Thanks for not saying anything about mom's clones."

"Is mommy sad?" Dinky asked her quietly.

"It's okay Dinky." Sparkler hugged her. "Mom just had a rough day. Come on, we need to hurry if we want to cheer her up."

Derpy walked to work that day, too sad to fly there. As she walked she noticed that most of the streets were very quiet. She passed by the town library and saw Mary talking to Nightmare Moon.

“Hi Mary,” Derpy said as she tried to smile. “On your way to work?”

Mary jumped at the voice and turned around to see her boss. “Oh, Miss Doo. Sorry, didn’t see you there. Um…I’ve love to work but I can’t, today…because I’m uh…”

“She’s feeling rather sick,” Nightmare said quickly. “And she came to me because I know um, healing spells and…such.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. I really hope you feel better,” Derpy said to Mary.

“Of course Miss Mayor. Oh um, maybe you could meet with Miss Moon and I this afternoon at the Chaos Corner. To um…”

“Help me look over plans for the library!” Nightmare pasted an uneasy grin on her face. “Well, see you later Miss Doo!” Nightmare grabbed Mary with her magic and pulled her inside the library, shutting the door behind her. Derpy tilted her head in confusion at their strange behavior, but then sighed and left for work.

Before Derpy went to her office, she decided to stop by Sweet Apple Acres to apologize for all the damage her copies had done to Big Macintosh’s apple trees. She found him working in one of the orchards.

“Howdy there Miss Mayor,” Big Macintosh said as he kicked another apple tree, shaking the fruit off it. “What can Ah do ya for?”

“Hi Mister Macintosh,” Derpy smiled gently. “I just wanted to say sorry for everything. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Well sure,” he smiled and pointed at another field. “There’s some weird weeds poking outta the ground. Ain’t any weeds Ah've ever seen before. Not too many of them though.”

And so Derpy got to work pulling the strange thorny weeds out of the ground with her teeth. As she pulled the last bit of the prickly weeds, she noticed Sunset Shimmer and Chrysalis talking to Big Macintosh. When they noticed her watching them, they waved at her with nervous grins on their faces. Big Macintosh came over and thanked her before saying he had to leave somewhere rather important.

After she was done at Sweet Apple Acres, Derpy walked back into town. On her way, she accidentally bumped into Trixie.

“Hey, watch it! You almost knocked over Trixie’s…oh, Miss Ditzy! Forgive Trixie for she uh…”

“Hi Miss Trixie. I’m going around town to see if there’s anyone I can help to make up for what I did.” Derpy stared hopefully at her. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Um, no thank you Miss Mayor…I, uh that is to say…” Trixie glanced around frantically as she thought of what to say. “…Trixie has been hired to be the entertainment at a party this afternoon at the Chaos Corner and she invites you to attend it at your earliest convenience!” She smiled nervously and brought out one of her smoke bombs. “And for her next trick, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall disappear!”

Smoke enveloped the area as Trixie dropped her prop. Once the smoke cleared she was gone. Derpy felt a little more confused and sad at Trixie’s sudden departure. But surely Trixie wasn’t avoiding her…was she?

Derpy continued walking to work, hoping that there was someone she could help. But the roads were still strangely quiet. She was almost at her office, when she saw Rainbow Dash and Gilda sneaking out her door…with Sparkler right behind them.

“Sparkler?” Her daughter jumped in surprise and turned around to see her mom frowning at her. “What are you doing here sweetie? Miss Dash, Miss Gilda, why are you here?”

“I um…mom! Great to see you! Rainbow and Gilda were just uh…” Sparkler looked at the two fliers, wordlessly asking for help.

“Um…Trixie dropped something here the other day, and Sparkler just let us in to grab it!” Gilda said with an unconvincing grin.

Rainbow quickly matched her grin. “Yeah, but we got it now! So we’ll just be out of your mane and um…if you could stop by Discord’s house that would be great because he’s uh…still got some paperwork for you sign about his weird pet. So um…see ya!”

Rainbow and Gilda flew away from the office, with Sparkler following after them on hoof.

First Mary, then several of Peaceville’s citizens, and now her own daughter. “Why…why is everyone running away from me?” Derpy asked herself, as tears started to form in her eyes.

Discord came strolling down the street but he stopped once he saw her. “Oh, hello there Miss Derpy! Thank you ever so much for your help with my little bundle of ice-cold joy! Here, I know they’re your favourite!” He snapped his fingers and a plate of muffins appeared in front of her. Unfortunately, she was facing away from Discord and therefore he couldn’t see her watery eyes. “Be sure to stop by my place this afternoon!” he said as he continued down the street.

Derpy looked at the plate of muffins and sighed.

“Thank you all so much for coming!” A straight-eyed Derpy said with a big grin. She was speaking to four muffins arranged around a big table in Town Hall. “Miss Mare couldn’t be here today, so I needed all the help I could get!”

Derpy grabbed a pink muffin and waved it around. “Of course Derpy! We’re always here to help you!”

“Aw, thank you Miss Annie!” Derpy said as one of her wings twitched.

“I say Derpy! What happened to your tongue?” An orange muffin with tiny gem sprinkles on it asked.

“Oh, I was pulling weeds out earlier and some of the prickly bits scratched my mouth. Don’t worry Mister Zappy, I’m fine now!” Derpy said as she hugged the muffin. Her ears twitched.

“Good heavens!” A blue muffin said. “You injured yourself to help that slow-witted stallion? I bet he didn’t even properly thank you for it!”

“Well, he was probably just busy,” Derpy chuckled. “Lots of people around here have so many things to do. You know how it is, Commander Holly.” She giggled a little more as she passed out snacks for her muffin friends.

“Oh please!” A dark green muffin shouted. “They aren’t busy, they’re just avoiding you! All the ponies in this town are too angry and stupid to see that you were just trying to help them. And did they ever thank you for your hard work? No, they spat in your face!”

Derpy shuffled her twitchy feet. “I...well...it wasn’t very nice of them, was it?”

‘Annie’ spoke, “Nice? They were horrible to you! But who cares about them? You can just move to another town and be the mayor there! I’m sure if you persuade them, they’ll know that you’ll be a much better leader than any idiot they’ve got!”

Derpy sneered. “You know what, you’re right. I don’t need any of them! I can be the mayor anywhere I want! I’ll just take Sparkler and Dinky and-”

“Why would you bring them?” the green muffin asked. “They betrayed you! They sided with the rest of those small-minded losers! Just drop them off on someone’s doorstep and be done with those ungrateful brats!”

For the first time since she organized this ‘meeting’, Derpy felt that maybe these talking muffins couldn’t be trusted. “But…I love my kids. T-they didn’t do anything wrong. Sparkler and Dinky have always been there for me. I know that they don’t think I’m very s-smart…and that really h-hurts…but I can’t leave them. I can’t!”

The muffins started to gang up on her, demanding that she leave the town and forget about the people who hurt her. Derpy’s twitches increased and she felt sweat starting to slide down her face as she mumbled frantically. But before her mind completely snapped, someone came to the rescue.

“Hey, Miss Mayor,” a voice called out to her. The door opened and Rainbow Dash walked into the room. “Sorry we were in such a rush before. We just-”

Rainbow stopped talking and froze as she realized what she was looking at. Her eyes widened as she saw the muffins and the crazed mayor.

“Hey Dash, why’d ya stop?” Gilda said as she walked in behind Rainbow. “Hey there Ditzy! We’re supposed to bring ya to the Chaos Corner. You’re really gonna like what we have set up.”

Derpy’s gaze drifted away from them. As she continued mumbling to herself, Rainbow poked Gilda and whispered, “Gilda, run.”

“Run? What for?” Gilda asked in confusion.

“You ever get the feeling like you’ve done something before?”

Gilda frowned in thought before answering, “I think Nightmare calls that déjà vu.”

“I don’t know if that’s it but I’m getting a bad feeling now. I feel like something really creepy is going on her head right now.”

“Come on Dash, that’s crazy.”

"No, I think right now, she's crazy."

The terror that Rainbow was feeling would not fade. Deciding not to take any chances, she flew as fast as she could to the Chaos Corner and stopped once she found Discord. “Hey, can you teleport Ditzy and Gilda back here? And make it fast, I think something has made Ditzy's mind snap.”

Discord tilted his head, but then nodded and disappeared in a flash. He reappeared with Gilda and Derpy next to him.

“Surprise!” Derpy looked around the room to see the Elements of Redemption, Mary, her two daughters, and many of Peaceville’s residents. She could even see Doctor Hooves in the back. Aside from them, she saw that the room had been decorated for a party.

Derpy glared furiously at them. She knew what was happening, they were throwing a farewell party for her. They wanted her gone! She was ready to yell, scream, and let them know exactly how she felt. It would be interesting to see how much damage she could do when she was actually trying to break something. But the sight of Sparkler and Dinky’s smiling faces stopped her.

The first rule of Derpy’s guide to being a good parent: NEVER make your kids cry.

So instead of blowing up like she wanted to do, she turned away from them and walked away.

The partygoers stopped smiling as they saw her reaction. “I thought she’d be happy,” Sunset said quietly to Smog.

“Happy?” Derpy glared at Sunset with perfectly straight eyes. “How could I be happy at an anti-Derpy party?”

Many of the partygoers looked confused and scared. “What?”

“You all want me to go away forever!” The anger and sadness within her was beginning to drown out all other thoughts. “For the last time, I’m sorry about those stupid clones! But you all just hate me, for things I can’t control! It’s not my fault I’m like this! I just…”

“Okay, this has all gotten way out of hand,” Discord said as he pushed away from the group and brought something over to Derpy. “We’re not angry at you, my dear. And we could never want you to go away forever. This party was set up to say we’re sorry about the way we treated you yesterday. You were just trying to help. And aside from that, well…truly, time works in mysterious ways. I know it’s rare to forget one’s own birthday, but then you’ve been rather stressed out lately. Birthday muffin?”

Derpy looked at the plate in his hand. It was a bunch of muffins clustered together with a generous helping of cake frosting on top of them. In small frosty writing that she needed her glasses to see, were the words We’re Sorry and Happy Birthday Derpy Doo.

Dinky pushed a wrapped present over to her mom with her nose, looked up, and smiled. “I love you.”

A huge weight seemed to lift itself off her shoulders as the doubt in her mind faded away. Derpy’s face slowly worked itself into a smile as her eyes went cross-eyed again. She hugged Dinky tightly and said, “I love you too. I love you all so much.”

The partygoers sighed in relief. And so the party began.

Halfway through the party, Rainbow flew over to Discord. “Hey Discord, great party!”

“Why, thank you Dashie. You’re too kind,” he chuckled as he swung a golf club at a piñata that looked suspiciously like a caricature of Silver Tiara.

“Hey um, I wanted to ask you something. Now, I say this in the nicest way possible, but...you’re the craziest creature I’ve ever known.”

“Oh ho, stop it! You’re making me blush!”

“Yeah see…before I asked you to bring Gilda and Ditzy over here, Ditzy was acting…really creepy. She-”

“Say no more, I can fill in the blanks,” he sighed and removed the blindfold to look her in the eyes. “You see my friend, sometimes a person has a bad day. Sometimes that’s all it takes to reduce the nicest person alive to lunacy. And our poor mayor has had a few bad days all strung together.”

“Just a bad day, huh? That’s all it took?” Rainbow shuddered. “Scary.”

“Well there’s more to it than that,” Discord smiled. “Just as a bad day can drive someone crazy, a good day can build up a person’s confidence and put an honest smile back on their face.” He snapped his fingers and drank the glass of chocolate milk that appeared. “Funny, how the world works, eh? Nightmare should be taking notes, this friendship report is practically writing itself.”

Nightmare stopped dancing once she heard that. She looked over at Smog, who got out a pen and paper right away.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

Today I’m not the only one who learned something. While many of us learn not to judge a book by its cover, sometimes you need to read a few chapters to truly understand a person.

I admit that because I’ve been an alicorn all my life, I’m used to having an advantage that others don't. But just because someone has a disadvantage, it does not make them weak.

Some people may seem clumsy and may get in your way, but you should never be angry at someone who is just trying to help you. Instead, kindly encourage and help them as they help you. You may find that your new friend is stronger and smarter than he or she looks.

Your faithful student friends, the Elements of Forgiveness.

A few days after that party, Derpy followed Discord into the Equestria forest, during the day so that they wouldn’t have to worry about any monsters. They cautiously flew down into an underground cavern, where the magic mirror pool resided.

Derpy cleared her throat and spoke, “And into her own reflection-”

“That won't be necessary,” Discord told her as he reached into the pool and pulled out a Discord clone by the horn. “Pardon us my good me, may we speak to the eldest Derpy clone?”

The mirror clone grinned and dove back into the pond. A second later, a Derpy clone flew out of the pond and said to them, “Hi there! Anything I can do to help you?”

Derpy smiled at her clone, no longer afraid of it. “Yes. Yes, you can help.”

Curse of the Cutie

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Curse of the Cutie

It was rather cloudy that day, as the kids of the Peaceville Schoolhouse sat down for the morning lesson.

In the classroom, several colts, fillies, and changeling nymphs were coming inside to begin their lesson. In the teacher’s office, the only two adults in the schoolhouse were having a conversation.

One of them was a magenta earth pony with a simple pink mane and tail. The other adult was a zebra, someone who wasn’t a pony but still relate to the pony species. She had a white and black-stripped coat and a mohawk.

“Miss Zecora, are you sure you’ll be okay?” the magenta mare asked with concern. “I know that you’re used to the Equestria forest, but what if your cold slows you down and a monster is chasing you?”

The zebra chuckled. “Do not worry Miss Cheerilee. I’ll survive the forest. Just wait and see!”

“Okay then,” Cheerilee smiled. “Just hurry back soon. Don’t get me wrong; I’m absolutely thrilled that you’re giving me this opportunity! It’s just, I had hoped that you would be here for my first day teaching.”

Zecora continued to pack empty jars and other items needed for her trip into the Equestria forest. “I wish I could remain here too. But my cold remedy needs fresh ingredients for the brew. Never again should Discord host a party, in surprise. Around the corner, something unpleasant always lies.”

Cheerilee shrugged. “Mayor Derpy’s party was nice. Sure, she seemed upset before but she calmed down and had a good time.”

“Perhaps she would have enjoyed the party to its fullest, if ponies around here had been more honest.”

“Maybe you’re right. I know I freaked out during my first surprise party too.”

“In any case, our most recent party would have been fun, had Discord kept his Windigo-”

Zecora stopped talking as her nose twitched. She sneezed with tremendous force into the tissue Cheerilee quickly handed her. “Thank you. Blasted spirit and its freezing breath,” Zecora muttered as she wiped her nose and shivered.

Cheerilee chuckled. “Like I said, I hope you feel better soon. Um…” she fidgeted for a bit before asking, “Any tips I can use for the class? Would it maybe help if rhymed like you?

Zecora raised an eyebrow at her. “The reason I rhyme is by conscious choice. When I’m teaching it draws the focus to my voice. But while I’ve had years to speak my rhymes faster, it can be tricky for a newcomer to master. Simply teach the way that best suits your style. You’ll find a method that sticks, if you keep at it a while.”

Zecora smiled as she packed away the last jar she needed for her trip. “Simply treat them kindly and with respect and your teaching skills, you will perfect.”

Cheerilee smiled. “Thank you very much for the tips Miss Zecora. Good luck on your trip. I promise I won’t let you down!”

Zecora opened her mouth to say something but stopped as she sneezed again. Instead she smiled and waved back to her as she set off for the Equestria forest. Cheerilee then took a few deep breaths and went into the classroom to greet the students with a smile.

“Okay class, settle down please. Now I’m afraid that Miss Zecora isn’t feeling well today, so instead of just being your assistant teacher like usual, I will be teaching this class. I hope that you will be patient with me and I promise that we’ll have a fun lesson!” She smiled as she received a few cheers and smiles, a more lively response than she was expecting.

After checking attendance, she grabbed the chart paper with her mouth and flipped in over. “Today we’ll be discussing cutie marks.”

“Ooh! Ah have something to say ‘bout cutie marks!” said a yellow earth pony with a red mane and hair bow. Diamond Tiara watched the filly bounce in her seat

“Apple Bloom, please hold all questions until I’m done,” Cheerilee said. She cleared her throat and pointed at the images on the chart. “Now, all ponies are born with cutie marks. They appear as an image on both sides of a pony’s flank. This image is prophetic in that it tells a pony what his or her special talent will be when they grow up. At first, ponies thought this was a good sign. However, we eventually learned that cutie marks mocked ponies more often than helping them. Some talents proved useful but other talents they represented meant something embarrassing or worse something dangerous.”

“Yep!” Apple Bloom piped up. “An’ what’s more, them cutie marks usually mean a pony is only good at one thing an’ only one thing.”

“Apple Bloom, please raise your hoof next time.” Cheerilee continued, “But if a pony tries out different things as they get older, they will find that they are skilled in more areas than just one and the cutie mark disappears. This means that a pony is free to choose his or her own destiny. To have a blank flank means that a pony is full of potential and could be good at all sorts of things.”

She showed off her own blank flank to the class. “When I was your age, I had a cutie mark that resembled a trio of flowers. For a long time, I thought my only talent was in gardening. However, I eventually discovered my love of teaching and helping others. I went to teacher’s college after that, asked Miss Zecora if I could teach here too, and here I am today.”

Cheerilee noticed that Apple Bloom was waving her hoof frantically. “Oh, very well. Apple Bloom, you have something to say to the class?”

“Sure do!” Apple Bloom beamed. “Speaking of cutie marks, Ah finally got rid of that no good mark o’ mine!” She got out of her seat and waved her blank flank in the air proudly.

“Ugh, please stop that.” Diamond rolled her eyes. “Like, nobody wants to see you wave your butt in the air.”

Apple Bloom glared at her. Then she smirked. “Well Ah can rightly see why you’d be complaining. Ah mean, yer own flank ain’t blank, now is it?”

Diamond winced. “You heard the teacher. It just takes time for ponies to lose their cutie marks.”

“So? Ah lost my mark yesterday, an’ my family has a history o’ taking fir-EVER…” She waved her hoof in emphasis “in losing our marks. So how come Ah lost my mark an’ you didn’t?”

She pointed at the tiara mark on the other filly’s flank. “An’ she was right ‘bout it being embarrassing. Ah mean Diamond Tiara…” she pointed at Diamond Tiara’s name plate. “A diamond tiara…” she pointed at her headgear. “An’ another diamond tiara.” She pointed at the cutie mark in question. “Now ain’t that the most redundant mark ya ever lay eyes on?”

“I’m not dumb!” Diamond protested.

“She wasn’t calling you dumb,” Scootaloo said from her seat. “She’s saying that it’s like unnecessary repetition.”

“Okay that’s enough!” Cheerilee frowned at her. “Apple Bloom that is no way to talk to another student. You will apologize to Miss Tiara and then I will see you after school.”

Apple Bloom glared at the smug Diamond but mumbled an apology. After the other classes that day, she stayed behind.

“I don’t know why you would act like that,” Cheerilee scolded her. “Zecora told me you’re usually so well behaved. What did Miss Tiara ever do to you?”

“Nothing really,” Apple Bloom admitted. “But Ah finally lost my cutie mark and she told me it weren’t nothing ta brag ‘bout even though she still had one!”

Cheerilee sighed. “Bragging in general is not a great idea, however I can understand what you’re trying to say. But that doesn’t give you a reason to bully somebody.”

“Ah ain’t a bully!” Apple Bloom protested.

“Well you were acting like one.” Cheerilee glanced at the calendar on the wall, and her frown faded a little. “But Diamond Tiara not being interested in your cutie mark removal can’t be the only reason you were upset.” She looked Apple Bloom in the eye. “Zecora told me that this time of year isn’t pleasant for you.” Apple Bloom looked down at the floor. “Zecora wouldn’t tell me what happened but…if you need to tell someone, I’m here for you.”

Apple Bloom winced. “Ah…it ain’t something Ah like to talk ‘bout…but…well, when Ah was real little, my sister left the farm. We haven’t heard anything back from her in ages. If she went and…ya know, ‘gone to a happier place’ we would’ve at least heard ‘bout that. But no, she went somewhere an’ Ah don’t know where…”

Apple Bloom wiped her eyes before they could form proper tears. Cheerilee placed her hoof on the filly’s shoulder. “And this is the anniversary of when she left?” Apple Bloom nodded.

“I understand. You have every right to be upset about that, but no right to take it out on fellow students. My advice for you is to hang in there. I’m confident your sister will come home soon. In the meantime, maybe you can try and be friends with Diamond Tiara. You’re having a party soon in honour of losing your cutie mark, right?” Apple Bloom nodded again. “Why don’t you invite Diamond Tiara to the party and see if you can be friends.”

“Ah can try Miss Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom promised. She didn’t think anything would come of it, but she’d try.

“Maybe you could invite Sweetie Belle too. I heard her sister left Peaceville about a week ago. She might be going through what you’re going through, and it would be good to help each other through it. Just a suggestion.” And with that, Cheerilee dismissed her.

Outside, Diamond was walking back home. A pale earth pony with a red mane and purple glasses bounced next to her. She had a cutie mark too; two candy canes in the shape of a heart.

“Hey Diamond!” The filly spoke with a lisp. “Want thome thweets? I’ve got thome peppermint thticks. I made them mythelf!”

Diamond sighed. “As much as I love the candy you make Twist, don’t you want to try something new? How are you going to get rid of that mark if all you ever do is make sweets?”

Twist shrugged. “I don’t mind it.”

“Well at least you’re actually good at what your mark says you are. All my mark does is say how amazing I look with a tiara and like, everybody else already knows that.”

Twist titled her head. “Can’t you juth take it off?” She pointed at the tiara.

Diamond gasped and held her hoof above her head to protect the tiara. “I couldn’t! Daddy bought it just for me!” She lowered her hoof and sighed. “But I need to do something. I don’t want the others to think I’m just a cutie cursed loser!”

“Aw, don’t thay that. You’re cool.” Twist patted her hoof reassuringly.

Diamond smiled. “Why, thank you Twist. At least I can rely on like, somebody. In fact, I’ve changed my mind. Twist, I’ll have some of your finest peppermint sticks please.”

While Twist was clapping in excitement, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo came walking down the road, talking to Sweetie Belle. “That really sucks about what happened to your sister,” Scootaloo said. “I wish Rainbow Dash could convince Gilda and her pals that Rarity didn’t do anything wrong. But I bet Apple Bloom’s party will help ya forget all about that.”

Apple Bloom approached Twist and Diamond. “Ah, hang on fir a spell, girls. No hard feelings ‘bout what happened Diamond Tiara. You and yer friend are still invited to my party this weekend.”

Another voice spoke up, “It’s going to be amazing, I’ll bet!”

Diamond glanced behind Apple Bloom and her friends to see another filly walking towards them. The filly had a dark gray coat and a light gray mane and tail. She also wore blue glasses and a string of pearls around her neck.

“Hey there, Silver Spoon!” Diamond waved to the filly.

“Whatever,” Silver Spoon said as she wrapped a hoof around Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “Hey Apple Bloom! I heard about your totally amazing party! Of course, you’ll invite me, right?” Diamond winced a little at Silver’s cold dismissal of her.

“Uh…sure Silver, you can come.” Apple Bloom gave her an uneasy smile as she slowly edged away from Silver’s hoof. “So anyway, you coming?” she asked Diamond.

Diamond considered her options. Now Diamond Tiara didn’t like Apple Bloom much, but she did like the rest of the Apple family. Which was ironic, because the Apple family’s wealth was one of the reasons she didn’t like Apple Bloom. Diamond would never admit it, but she was jealous that Apple Bloom’s family was richer than her own.

But maybe this could be her chance to bury the old grudge she had with Apple Bloom and grab herself a little more popularity. And at least Sweetie Belle would be there, she was a little friendlier.

“Well, since you asked nicely, we shall attend your party." She smiled, "By the way, Sweetie Belle, Twist and I came up with this totally awesome chant yesterday! Want to see it?” Before Sweetie could answer her, she took Sweetie’s hooves and clapped them together. “Bump, bump…” she then bumped her flank to Sweetie’s flank “sugar lump rump!”

Scootaloo burst out laughing. “What the heck was that? Ha, ha, do it again! That was hilarious! Sugar lump…pff ha, ha!”

Diamond winced and backed away from Sweetie who also awkwardly backed away. “Well…the chant is still in its early stages!”

“Yeah, where it should stay.” Scootaloo snorted.

Silver smirked at Diamond. “Yeah like, what a totally lame chant.”

“Aw, hush you two. See y’all at the party then!” Apple Bloom said as she and her friends left.

“Whath wrong with thugar?” Twist asked. But Diamond had already run off in embarrassment.

“Ooh! Did someone say sugar?” Twist turned around to see Snips and Snails walking up to her.

“Oh, I did! Did you two want to try thome peppermint thticks?”

“Ooh yeah!” Snails said with a big grin. “You always make the best sweets!” He leaned a little closer to her and whispered, “Just between you and me, I always add a bit of maple syrup to my dessert. You should try it, eh?”

Twist smiled. “Maple thyrup? I’ve never tried that with my thweets. Leth go try it out!”

“Woo! Sugar rush!” Snips cheered. “We’re gonna be sick for weeks!”

And so Snips and Snails followed Twist back to her family’s candy store to make peppermint sticks and then gorge themselves on said sweets.

Meanwhile, Diamond had retreated to Sunset Shimmer’s farm and told her what happened. “It’s like, totally unfair! And even if Apple Bloom is actually trying to be nice, I can’t show my face to that party if I’m still cutie cursed! They’ll totally think I’m a loser!”

Sunset rolled her eyes as she gathered crystals. “Why are you telling me all this?

"Because we're friends! Friends help each other!"

"Can’t your dad help you?”

Diamond frowned. “Dad is busy getting our pool thawed out after Discord’s Windigo froze it!”

Sunset chuckled. “Boy, that was some party.”

“Um, let’s get back to my problem, please!” Diamond whined. “Besides, it’s not like daddy’s money can help me become a blank flank.”

Sunset sighed, “Just be patient. Everyone loses his or her cutie mark eventually. I remember when I lost my fireball cutie mark. When I was younger, I was a little too great with my magic. I can’t tell you how many times I burned something down when I didn’t get my way, or even by accident. But I had some friends help me to control my anger and my magic. And that mark vanished like that.”

Diamond rolled her eyes. “Great story, but it doesn’t help my problem. I want my cutie mark gone right now!” But Sunset was no longer paying attention to her and was focused on collecting crystals once more.

“Fine!” Diamond Tiara declared. “If I want something done right, I’ll do it myself! I’ll do whatever job will earn me a blank flank!”

Sunset looked back at her and smirked. “Really? No matter how dirty you might get your hooves, you’ll do whatever job it takes?” Diamond shuddered at the thought of getting covered in mud, or something equally disgusting. But raised her head high. “Okay then. If you want to get rid of the diamonds are your flank, maybe you should try something with crystals instead. Help me with this pile, would ya?”

Sunset grinned as the rich kid helped with farm work. She just got a loyal minion and it didn’t cost a thing! Maybe it was selfish of her to think like that but really, what’s the worst thing that Diamond Tiara could do?

“I said I was sorry!”

“What were you thinking?!”

“How was I supposed to know what that crystal did?”

“I told you not touch it!”

“Come on, it’s not that bad, is it?”

“Do you know how long it’s gonna take to get rid of all that tree sap?”

“But-”

“No buts!” Sunset sighed. “I’m sorry Diamond, but I don’t think you’re cut out for crystal farming. Honestly, I should have done this sooner.” She reached into one of the baskets and pushed a few crystals away with her magic until she brought a clear crystal.

“There you go,” she said as she handed the crystal over to Sunset. “It’s a popular item for colts and fillies in your position. Just rub that crystal on your cutie mark and it will temporarily fade away.”

“Really?” Diamond asked with a big smile as she grabbed the crystal.

“Temporarily,” Sunset warned her. “It will come back in a few hours, so I suggest you wait until before the party starts. In the meantime, why not try a few other things so that you won’t need it?”

“You got it! Thanks Sunset!” Diamond said as she ran off, tossing a bit of money back to her to pay for the crystal.

“Psst!”

“She’s gone Silver. You can come out now.”

Sunset watched as Silver Spoon crawled out from under an overturned basket. “Why didn’t you tell me my cousin was going to be here?”

Sunset’s magic extended to another part of Clear Crystal Caverns, searching for another cutie-mark-removing crystal. “Maybe because I wasn’t expecting her to. Just be glad she was too busy making a mess out of my farm to notice you when you came by. So after hearing her story, do you mind telling me why you don’t want to hang out with your cousin?”

Silver rolled her eyes. “You know my mom doesn’t like her. Besides, Diamond is still cutie cursed!”

Sunset frowned at her. “So are you,” she said, pointing at the silver spoon cutie mark on the filly.

“Shush! I don’t want Apple Bloom finding out about that!”

“Stop being such a drama queen, we’re the only ones here. Here’s your silly crystal,” she said, levitating the crystal over to Silver. Silver greedily grabbed the crystal and rubbed it against her flank, causing the cutie mark to vanish. The filly paid for the crystal and left without another word.

Diamond was in a much better mood now. If she wasn’t cutie cursed she could actually show her face at the party! And the best part was that she could probably share this with Twist, and they could both go to the party without worrying about Apple Bloom mocking them!

She ran to Twist’s home and knocked on the door. Twist’s front door was one of those weird half doors, and the top half opened when Twist answered it. “Oh hey Diamond. Whath up?”

Diamond gave her a regal smile. “Twist, you are so lucky to have such a great friend like me. I picked up this crystal from Miss Sunset, and now we don’t have to worry about being cutie cursed anymore!”

“Heh. Well…” Twist smiled sheepishly as she opened the bottom part of the door too. Diamond gasped as she saw that the candy cane heart that Twist used to have was gone!

“Cool, right? Thee, I invited Thnipth and Thnailth to my houth and I actually loth my mark when I added maple and chocolate thyrup to theth cookieth we were making! Pretty thweet, huh?”

Diamond sighed and placed the crystal on the ground. “Yeah…good for you Twist.”

“Hey,” Twist said as she tilted Diamond’s head up to look at her. “Juth because I lost my mark…well, we can thill go to the party together, right?”

“But Ah want it now!” Diamond turned her head away from Twist to see Apple Bloom and her big brother walking down the street.

Big Macintosh sighed, “Nope means nope Apple Bloom! Ah'll buy it for you later!”

“But Ah want it NOW!”

“Alright! If it means that much to ya, Ah'll buy that ribbon for you.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Thanks Big Macintosh!” She saw Twist and Diamond and waved to them. “Hey Twist! Diamond! You’re still coming to the party, right?”

Diamond grabbed the crystal and quickly rubbed it against her cutie mark. She was happy to see it vanish within seconds. She turned back to face Apple Bloom and said, “Of course we will.”

“Oh. ‘Kay then! Looking forward to seeing y’all there!”

Diamond sat on the ground, poking the earth with her hoof. She had planned to use it right before the party began but now she had already used the crystal and who knew how long it would be before her blasted cutie mark reappeared. What if it showed up right in the middle of the party?

These thoughts of hers were put on hold though, as something else captured her attention. The entire day had been unusually cloudy and hot, but suddenly she felt very cold. Almost freezing, to be honest. The cold air was coming out in short puffs…and landing on her neck. Something with really cold breath was literally breathing down her neck.

Diamond slowly turned her head around to see a small Windigo blowing its icy breath in her face and staring at her with those blank soulless white eyes. She would have screamed in horror if she were not frozen in shock.

Discord came strolling towards her, humming a little tune, with Gilda and Rainbow Dash not far behind. “Hello there, Miss Tiara!” he said, waving cheerfully at her. “Thanks for finding my friend!” He grabbed the Windigo away from her scolded it. “Now Wendy, I thought I told you: give other people their personal space. Sure, breathing icy death down their necks is fun, but you don’t want that prank to become boring, now do you?” The Windigo whinnied in response.

“Wendy? I thought you named him Frosty,” Rainbow asked him.

“I’m sorry, did your dad only give you one name? Miss Rainbow Dash? No?” He frowned at Rainbow.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Fine. It’s your pet, so whatever.”

Gilda spotted Diamond and smiled. “Hey there. You’re Diamond Tiara, right? Sunset’s been telling me that you had some problems with a cutie mark?”

Diamond’s eyes darted back and forth between the three of them. She forced her mouth into a smile and said, “Problem? What problem? I’m not some cutie cursed loser!”

“Kid, it’s okay. I never said you were,” Gilda said. She gave Rainbow a look and tilted her head towards Diamond. “Now griffons like me never have to worry about cutie marks, but apparently they’re a big deal to ponies. So I brought Rainbow here to help you. Any friend of Sunset’s is a friend of mine.”

“Hey squirt!” Rainbow flew closer to Diamond. “Well, looks like you don’t need my help if you’re already a blank flank.”

“Heh, of course.” Diamond fidgeted a little before asking, “Um, but let’s say I still had a cutie mark. I’m not saying that I do! But what if, you know…how would I get rid of it?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I guess you just gotta try new things. But it has to be a new thing that you actually like doing. I mean, if you have some kind of athletic cutie mark and you hate math, it’s not like you’ll lose it by reading a text book. Of course, I never really tried losing my cutie mark, it just happened.”

“What?” Diamond’s eyes widened. “But why wouldn’t you want to get rid of that mark?”

“Well, not to brag or anything,” Rainbow chuckled. “But my mark was awesome! A sweet rainbow-coloured lightning bolt! I never had any lame marks like a heart, or jewelry, or anything like that.”

“Heh, of course.” Diamond absentmindedly touched her tiara.

“Anyway, don’t worry about it kid. Your mark is gone, so why worry about what ifs?” She turned around to face Discord. “Okay, we found your pet. But seriously, all that cold air he brings with him is starting to upset people.”

Discord sighed, “Oh very well. I suppose the town needs a little space before they get used to Frosty.” He snapped his fingers and a small meteorite from space smashed into the ground not far from them. He smiled and snapped his fingers again, creating a light bulb over his head.

“Ooh, here’s an idea! I’ll take him on a fishing trip! Just me and him, and a whole lake filled with future frozen fish sticks!” He grabbed the light bulb and took a bite out of it. “Yes, that sounds delightful. Would anyone care to join us?”

“Maybe some other time buddy,” Gilda said. “Me and Dash are still practicing. The Best Young Flyer competition isn’t too far away, you know!”

“Well, I won’t keep you waiting,” Discord smiled and waved as Gilda and Rainbow took off into the sky. He turned to Diamond and said, “And you shouldn’t keep Apple Bloom waiting either!”

Diamond’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Apple Bloom’s party should be starting soon, should it not? Don’t worry, I’ll get you there on time.” Before she could stop him, Discord snapped his fingers and Diamond disappeared in a flash.

She opened her eyes to see that she was inside the main barn of Sweet Apple Acres. Tons of ponies and other creatures were already there for Apple Bloom’s party, blocking the exit and her chances of escape.

“Diamond Tiara! You made it!”

Diamond turned around and gulped as she saw Apple Bloom walk towards her. Apple Bloom was wearing a sparkly red dress that seemed to represent her unusual nature as both a rich kid and a farm filly. She was even wearing a fancy new hair bow studded with diamonds and sparkly red gems.

She noticed Silver Spoon walking up to her too. She wore a yellow and purple dress, as well as a sneaky smirk. “Wow, Diamond Tiara! You lost your cutie mark today? That must have happened pretty fast. So what, super special thing did you do to lose it?” She sneered at Diamond.

Diamond let out a forced giggle and said, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to embarrass Apple Bloom at her own party with my amazing cutie mark removal story! I’m just here to offer my congratulations to AB. And of course, she’s invited to my own party. Which I shall be hosting next week…a month tops.”

“Hey, get her off back Silver,” Apple Bloom frowned at Silver before smiling at Diamond. “Anyway, hope ya enjoy the party!”

Diamond sighed in relief as Apple Bloom and Silver went off to mingle. Fortunately, the crystal’s magic hadn’t worn off yet. But...best to be safe rather than sorry.

As she made her way to the exit, she noticed several colts and fillies from her class, including Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Twist, Snips, and Snails. There were a few adults in the barn too. There was Big Macintosh...and a mare she really did NOT want to see.

She had almost reached the exit when the mare's voice stopped her.

“Well, well, well,” her aunt Silver Tiara smirked at her. “Diamond Tiara. What a pleasant surprise. I take it you and my daughter have been behaving yourselves at Miss Apple Bloom’s party?”

Diamond gulped, “Uh, yes Aunt Silver. I mean Aunt Silver Tiara!”

“Silver Spoon, told me that you lost your cutie mark. Is that so?” Silver Tiara leaned in closer to inspect Diamond’s flank. Diamond gave her a quick nod. “Are you sure? Because it looks as if you have something on your flank.”

Diamond looked back at her flank to see that her cutie mark was slowly fading back into existence. Her mind started to panic and create plans on how to escape and avoid ruining her reputation, each plan sounding worse than the last.

“Excuse me, Miss Silver Tiara,” Apple Bloom said as she hurried to Diamond’s side. “Do you mind if Ah borrow Diamond fir a spell? Thanks.”

She grabbed Diamond’s hoof and quickly led her outside the barn. The two fillies didn’t stop running until they had gotten to a safe distance away from the barn, right at the border between Sweet Apple Acres and the Equestria forest.

Apple Bloom took a few deep breaths and said, “Yer welcome.”

Diamond looked at her and cautiously asked, “For what?”

“For getting you outta there before yer mark came back.” Apple Bloom pointed at her flank where her diamond tiara had completely reappeared.

“Oh no!” Diamond cried.

“Now hold on there!” Apple Bloom got right in front of her face and said, “Look, Ah'm not mad at you fir lying about losing your mark.”

“What? You’re not?” Diamond asked her in shock.

Before Apple Bloom could answer her, they heard Silver Spoon’s voice calling to them. “Hey AB! Why did you and Diamond run off? I thought mom was-”

She stopped as she caught sight of them. She sneered triumphantly as she saw Diamond’s diamond tiara cutie mark.

“Wow! That is an amazing blank flank you have, Diamond,” Silver said sarcastically. “Nice try, cutie cursed loser!” She giggled as Diamond’s ears folded down in shame.

“Alright that’s enough!” Apple Bloom glared at Silver Spoon. “Why do ya gotta pick on Diamond like that?”

“Because she lied about losing her cutie mark, duh!” Silver rolled her eyes. “And why are you standing up for her? You were making fun of her before I was.”

“Ah know!” Apple Bloom ear’s folded down in shame. "Ah know." Her ears went back up as she glared at Silver defiantly. “But what Ah did was wrong. Ah was mad at Diamond for…something…but it was still wrong. Ah don’t wanna be a bully anymore!”

"Besides," she smirked at Silver. "Ya didn't really believe you could keep your own cutie mark secret from me, could ya?"

"What?" Silver's eyes widened in fear. "But-"

"Trust me, Ah know when someone is lying to me. But it doesn't bother me as much." She looked at both Diamond and Silver. “Now Ah honestly never ever thought Ah would ever say anything like this…but what does it matter if a pony has a cutie mark or not?”

She took Diamond’s hoof and Silver’s hoof and brought them together. “You two are family. That right there should be more important than what ya got on yer flank or how much money ya got in yer vault. It ain’t right to be fighting with yer kin like that.”

Diamond and Silver gave each other a look. Diamond sighed and hugged her cousin. After a moment, Silver returned the hug.

Apple Bloom smiled. “Ah'm glad we could work past this. Come on, Ah still have some cake left if you two want some.”

They began to follow Apple Bloom back to the barn, not wanting to disappoint the richest filly in Peaceville. The two cousins threw glares at each other, but that was all they were willing to risk.

Diamond coughed and looked up at the sky. “So uh…the weather has been warming up. What’s up with that?”

Silver rolled her eyes. Talking about the weather was the weakest kind of small talk. Although, the day had gotten warmer than before. Black clouds hovered in the air above them. Silver idly wondered how the pegasus ponies and other flying creatures could stand this, and why they hadn’t cleared it up.

Apple Bloom suddenly stopped and looked at the sky. “Now what in tarnation is that?” The other two fillies stared at the sky to try and make out what it was that Apple Bloom had seen.

A huge dark shape flew over them. In a flash, Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, and Silver Spoon were all gone without a trace.

Dragon Spike

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Dragon Spike

“Good morning everyling!” Chrysalis looked down from the second floor of the changeling hive that she and the rest of her changeling friends in Peaceville called home. The hive’s architecture was bizarre. It could at best be described as a mix of a large house and a giant beehive, if the entire thing was made up of dark green goo. Chrysalis smiled at the dozen or so changelings who had woken up before her. “What are you all doing up so early?”

“Um, they’re up because of us.” Chrysalis looked up at the three ponies at her front door. There was a yellow earth colt with a blue mane, a blue earth mare with a pinkish-red mane, and a purple pegasus stallion.

“Oh. Hello.” Chrysalis gently glided down to the bottom floor to greet the ponies. “I’m sorry, we usually offer our services around the evening.”

“Right, sorry,” The purple pegasus said. “It’s just that some friends of mine got a little too excited for Miss Apple Bloom’s party last night and, I guess in the confusion I forgot about my appointment.”

“Same here, dearie,” The mare said.

“That’s okay,” Chrysalis said with a smile. “I have other stuff to do today but I think we have time for a short session this morning if there’s only three of you.” She cleared her throat and announced, “Welcome to our Hive’s Café of Love. We help you with all your romantic problems in a safe and friendly environment. Let’s start with the youngest, shall we? Flash Freeze?”

The yellow earth colt stepped up. On the changeling queen’s signal, a changeling around Flash Freeze’s age stepped forward too.

“Just tell Mimic here who you’d like her to turn into,” Chrysalis encouraged him.

“Actually I have a picture, if that would help,” Flash said as he brought out a photo of a pegasus filly with a yellowish gray coat and an amber mane. The filly also wore glasses and a small tiara. “I call her Zippy for short. We became friends not that long ago, and I’ve got a…bit of a crush on her,” he whispered the last part and blushed.

Mimic nodded. “I think I’ve talked to her before.” A flash of green consumed Mimic and turned her into Zippy. “So what do you want to do?”

Flash blushed a little more at seeing Zippy, even if he knew it was a changeling disguise. “I’d like to ask her out on a date but I’m nervous. I just…need to find the right words I guess.”

“I understand,” Zippy smiled patiently. “You can start whenever you’re ready.”

As Flash practiced what he would say to the real Zippy with Mimic, Chrysalis pointed to the mare next. “How can we help you Mrs. Cake?”

“Hello Queen Chrysalis,” Mrs. Cake said with a small bow. “Now normally I wouldn’t come here. You know I’m happily married to Mr. Cake. It’s just…I know he’s only been gone a week and that he will be back soon, but…I miss him.”

“I understand. If it’s okay with you, I will be the one to turn into him.” Mrs. Cake nodded and a green flash consumed Chrysalis. When the flash faded, she had been transformed into an orange earth stallion with a darker orange mane and tail. He wore a small red-white hat and bowtie.

‘Mr. Cake’ smiled and nuzzled Mrs. Cake. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Mrs. Cake sniffled as her eyes watered a little. She returned the nuzzle and then brought it into a hug. After a minute, she released ‘him’. “Thank you, dearie. That's all I needed. I’m feeling much better. Okay, go ahead.”

‘Mr. Cake’ opened his mouth and green energy poured out of Mrs. Cake and into the changeling’s mouth. Once ‘he’ had a decent fill of love, Chrysalis changed back into her normal form.

“Thank you again, dearie,” Mrs. Cake said with a slightly weak smile as she paid the other half of her fee in money instead of love energy.

“It’s no problem at all Mrs. Cake,” Chrysalis reassured her. “It’s natural to miss the ones we love, even if they’re only gone for a little while. If you don’t mind me asking, where is Mr. Cake?”

“He’s gone to the Big Apple to talk about some expansions we’ve been thinking about. Nothing too big, maybe just a small store in the city. Of course, we’ll have to find new employees to run it, but we’ll get there when we get there.”

“The big city?” Chrysalis asked with wide eyes. “Is…is he planning to talk to…her?”

Mrs. Cake’s eyes widened as she realized whom Chrysalis was talking about. “Oh, I don’t know dearie. She is a very big step indeed.”

“Well…whether he meets her or not, I hope he gets back home to be with you soon. Have a good day Mrs. Cake.”

“You have a good day too, dearie.” Mrs. Cake said as she left the hive.

Chrysalis turned around to see Flash and Zippy sharing a small kiss. He pulled away and smiled. “Thanks for helping me figure out what I’m going to do.”

“No problem. Oh, excuse me!” Zippy spoke up before Flash could leave. “You still have to pay.”

“Oh! Right.” He handed Zippy a few coins. But when it got to the other half of the fee, he asked, “What do I do for this part?”

“Just close your eyes and think of Zippy, or anyone else you love. Doesn’t matter what kind of love either.” The young changeling leaned forward and inhaled the green energy that poured out of Flash’s mouth. Once she was fed, Mimic transformed back into herself. “Thank you! Come again anytime!”

Chrysalis smiled. “Young love. Aw, it’s so cute,” she giggled a little before she turned around to face the other changelings. “You probably want a bit of Mrs. Cake’s love, right?”

The changelings eagerly nodded. As a changeling queen, Chrysalis could take the love she drained and make it grow stronger once it was in her body. She could then redistribute that love to other changelings while still keeping enough for herself. All the changelings opened their mouths and absorbed the love energy that flowed out of Chrysalis and towards them.

Once that was done, Chrysalis turned to the purple pegasus, their third customer. “Sorry about the wait. It’s Dusk, right? What can we do for you?”

But before Dusk could voice his request, they heard another voice shout. “Aha! There you are! Thought you could outrun me? NONE can escape the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Another voice yelled, “Hey watch it! Gah! Leave me alone, you namby pamby pony!”

A dragon came crashing into the room. The dragon had a red scaly body with a yellow underbelly like Smog. But this dragon had orange spines, wings, and was a lot taller than Smog. He was obviously a teenage dragon.

Just as the dragon was about to flap his wings and fly off, green magic surrounded the dragon and brought him towards a mildly irritated Chrysalis.

“Garble,” she softly hissed

The dragon’s eyes widened. “Chrysalis? Oh hey! Long time no see!” Garble smiled. “So, how are the grubs?”

“Just fine,” Chrysalis said, as one of the changelings muttered something about not liking the term grub. With some disappointment she noticed that Dusk had left the hive in a hurry. Darn it, who knew how long it would be before Dusk came back, she thought. “What are you doing here?”

Garble blinked. “Me? Oh, you know. Happened to be in the neighbourhood, flying around, thought I’d check up on Smog.”

Before Garble could say anything else, a lasso surrounded by blue magic snaked its way onto him and tied him up in knots. Trixie burst into the hive with a triumphant grin.

“Ha! I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, have captured this ferocious dragon! All hail Dragon Slayer Trixie!”

“You didn’t catch me!” Garble roared at Trixie.

As Garble and Trixie argued, an indigo cloud of mist flew into the hive and transformed into Nightmare Moon. “Excellent, you caught him. He’s in here!” she shouted over her shoulder.

Sunset Shimmer hurried into the hive, carrying Smog on her back. Garble smiled as he saw the younger dragon. “Hey Smog! How’s my favourite brother doing?”

Smog raised an eyebrow at him. “We’re not brothers. I’m adopted, remember?”

Garble waved the response off. “Eh, I know, but that doesn’t mean you’re not family. Seriously buddy, how ya doing? I hardly see you anymore, and when I do there’s always a bunch of ponies around. Nothing against you Nightmare, but a dragon Smog’s age should really be spending more time with another dragon.”

“We’ve been over that Garble and you know my answer,” Nightmare frowned at him. “That’s not why we’re here.”

Chrysalis frowned in confusion. A little irritation was added as Big Macintosh and Filthy Rich ran into her hive too. “Did you catch him?” Filthy Rich asked.

“Um, I hate to interrupt,” Chrysalis said over the other voices in the room. “But what in love’s name is going on here?” She relinquished her telekinetic hold on Garble as Trixie brought him into her own magical grip.

Nightmare turned to her friend and explained, “Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, and Silver Spoon have all gone missing. In fact, nobody has seen them since after Apple Bloom’s party, last night.” She frowned at Garble. “Meanwhile, Garble here has been seen flying around town and Big Macintosh here says he saw Garble flying not too far away from his farm.”

“A little too coincidental, if you ask me.” An angry Mr. Rich jabbed an accusing hoof at Garble. “You kidnapped my daughter, my niece, and their friend!”

“What? You’re kidding!” Garble gasped. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Yup,” Big Macintosh snarled.

“What? Hold on,” Chrysalis said as she tried to make sense of what was going on. “I doubt Garble took those fillies. Even if he did, how did no one notice that those girls were missing until this morning?”

“You can ask her that!” Gilda growled as she flew into the hive. She tossed the screaming pony she had been carrying in her claws onto the floor.

“This is an outrage!” Silver Tiara glared at Gilda. “How dare you attack me in such a brutish manner! I’ll have you arrested for this, griffon!” She stood back up and wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of the changeling hive’s interior.

“You!” Mr. Rich jabbed a hoof at his sister. “You told me that they were having a sleepover! And I fell for it!”

Silver Tiara frowned at him. “Richie darling, whatever are you blabbering on about?”

“Diamond Tiara! Apple Bloom! Silver Spoon!” Gilda poked Silver Tiara in the chest with each name. “They’re missing! Doesn’t that bother you? Heck, you’re related to two of them! Don’t you care?”

Silver Tiara swatted Gilda’s claw away, then wrinkled her nose in disgust as she looked at her hoof, as if Gilda might have infected it. “You mean they’re not having a sleepover?”

Nightmare stared at her. “You don’t know? You’re kidding, right?”

Silver Tiara rolled her eyes. “I only said they were having a sleepover because that’s what I assumed they were doing. If they're not having a sleepover, I don't know where they would be. And I don’t know why you’re all so concerned. If they haven’t come back home yet, it is probably because they are playing some childish game.”

Everyone in the room glared at Silver Tiara. “Chrysalis, if Trixie can make a suggestion…”

“Don’t worry Trixie, I know what to do,” Chrysalis said as she levitated Silver Tiara over to the other changelings and ordered them, “Seal her inside a cocoon and don’t let her out until I say so.”

“What?” Silver Tiara’s eyes widened in fear as the changelings surrounding her all gave her nasty grins. “You can’t! That slimy changeling goo will ruin my beautiful coat and mane!”

“That will be the least of your problems,” Chrysalis hissed as the other changelings took Silver Tiara down into the basement. “Make sure she has enough food and water!” she ordered them. “She needs to be alive if we are to feed off her,” she smirked at the terrified Silver Tiara.

“You’re not really gonna drain her love, are you?” Sunset asked.

Chrysalis shook her head, once Silver Tiara was out of their sight. “No. I doubt her love would taste that good anyway.”

“That’s all well and good Queen Chrysalis,” Mr. Rich said. “But we have more important matters to discuss.”

Big Macintosh glared at Garble. “Apple Bloom. Where is she? Talk now, before Ah give ya a taste of Kicks McGee.”

Garble’s eyes widened in fear at the thought a huge stallion kicking him in the face. “Okay! I admit it! I took those ponies and hid them somewhere. But I would never hurt any of them! I’m sorry! I'm really sorry!”

“Garble, I’m disappointed in you,” Chrysalis glared at him. “If this is meant to be one of your pranks, it’s not funny.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “A prank?”

Chrysalis nodded. “Garble here is very mischievous. The first time I met him, King Sombra brought him to me and explained that a changeling had drained him completely dry of all his love. King Sombra said I was the closest changeling queen he could find and he asked me if there was anything I could do to help him.

She glared at Garble. “But he wasn’t drained at all! He was faking it!” she hissed.

“I already said I’m sorry about that,” Garble cried. “Come on, I was a good prank. Nobody got hurt.” Chrysalis just bared her fangs and hissed at him some more.

“Let’s get back on track here,” Nightmare said as she yanked Garble out of Trixie’s hold and brought him into her magical grip. “Where are they?”

Garble sighed. “Fine. They’re with my master.”

Nightmare arched an eyebrow at him. “Last time I checked, King Sombra was your only ‘master’...Garble is his assistant, just like Smog is to me,” she explained to her friends. She glared at Garble. “And why would you bring them to him?”

“Not King Sombra. My other master. The one who taught me about being a dragon,” Garble said.

“Being a dragon?” Gilda said. Her eyes widened as she quickly flew outside the hive before zooming back in. “Darn it! I knew there was something odd about the weather lately! The wind has been hot all day and Dash and I keep flying into black clouds.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Those aren’t clouds at all, are they?” She led her friends outside and stared at the black smoke that was pouring down from the mountains and over Peaceville. “That’s dragon smoke. A fully-grown, adult dragon is probably napping in a nearby cave and breathing smoke all over the place.”

She glared at Garble as her eyes began to glow. “And you thought it was a good idea to hand three fillies over to it?!”

“Let me explain!” Garble cried. “Sometimes he needs me to gather gems for him. So I go find gems and stuff, just to help him out. Yesterday I was flying around and a saw these gems glinting in the sunlight. So I grabbed them and brought them to him.

“At first I didn’t even notice the ponies wearing the gems and I just scooped them up. I mean, a pearl necklace, a diamond tiara, and a diamond studded hair bow? Why would fillies be wearing those? But I was flying so fast, I couldn’t just yank the jewelry off them and cast them aside. I’m pretty sure pony bodies are softer than mine, so they would’ve been hurt if I tossed them away. I figured, maybe the big guy will just ignore the ponies and let them leave.”

“Really? You really think three fillies will be safe with a full-grown dragon? What if he eats them?” Nightmare growled at him.

“Hey, come on Nightmare,” Garble gave her a sheepish smile. “Smog has lived with you his whole life. Do ya think he’s gonna eat a pony anytime soon?”

Nightmare sighed and released Garble from her telekinetic grip. With her magic, she also untied the ropes that were binding him. “No. Well, if you think they’re still alive then we’d better go rescue them.”

Gilda grinned. “So we’re gonna go fight a dragon? Awesome!”

“It shouldn’t come to that,” Nightmare told her. “If we just ask him nicely, I’m sure the dragon will let Diamond, Apple Bloom, and Silver go.” She turned to Garble, who was happily scratching an itch on his back that had been bugging him. She asked, “Does this dragon have a name?”

Garble stopped his scratching and froze. He fidgeted a little before he said, “Spike. His full name is a little long, but most of us dragons call him Spike.”

Smog’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “S-Spike? As in…Spike: the Chiefest and Greatest of Dragons? The mighty Spykoranuvellitar? The horrible Heathspike? That Spike?”

Gilda smirked. “I take it you’re a fan?” she teased.

“Any dragon who knows anything about our kind knows about Spike,” Smog said.

Nightmare sighed, “If we’re really dealing with a dragon like Spike, it would help if we had King Sombra and Princess Twilight’s help.” She glared at Garble. “But I can’t send them a message through Smog, since Garble is the one who receives all my correspondence for them.”

Garble threw his hands up in exasperation. “I said I was sorry! What more do you want?”

“What I want is for you to fly to the Crystal Empire and tell both the princess and the king what happened.”

“What? That’s it?” Garble smiled. “No problem.” He flapped his wings and flew out of the hive, soaring towards the Crystal Empire.

“I kinda doubt he’s as fast as me,” Gilda said. “So, it’s probably gonna take a while before King Sombra and Princess Twilight can get here to help us.’

Nightmare smiled confidently. “I only wanted them informed of the situation in case we need backup. Even if we’re fighting a dragon as infamous as Spike I think we can handle him. Heh, Discord alone could beat him.”

“Where is Discord anyway?” Trixie asked.

“Dash is out looking for him. Oh hey, here she comes now,” Gilda smiled as Rainbow Dash flew into the hive.

“So this is what the inside of the hive looks like, huh?” Rainbow looked around the hive and shuddered. “Yeah, this place isn’t creepy at all.” She turned to face Gilda and her friends and said, “Bad news. I went looking for Discord like you asked and this is all I could find.”

She held up a note that read Gone fishing with WendyPolaris Frosty. We’ll bring you back some frozen fish sticks.

“WHAT? Are you kidding me?” Nightmare growled as her eyes glowed a little.

“Nightie, chill. You know how Discord is. When he has an idea, he jumps into it right away. And he came up with that stupid fishing trip like, yesterday," Gilda said, trying to calm her down.

“Fine, let’s just bring him back.” Nightmare ran outside the hive, took a deep breath, and howled, “DISCORD!”

They waited for a response…but nothing happened. “Huh, that usually works.”

“He is probably too far away to hear it. Bah, we don’t need him for this journey!” Trixie grinned. “Dragon Slayer Trixie alone could best this beast!”

“I guess we can plan our revenge on Discord later,” Nightmare sighed. “Right now we need to follow that smoke trail and find that dragon. Everyone grab anything you think could help on our journey and meet me back at the library in 20 minutes. Don’t worry guys,” she said to Big Macintosh and Filthy Rich. “We’ll save them. We beat Eternal Twilight, so Spike shouldn’t be any trouble. I mean really, how big can one dragon be?”

Just outside the Crystal Empire, there was a large lake that ponies and other creatures used for swimming near the shallow edge of the lake, and fishing out in the middle of the lake. Relaxing in a colourfully decorated boat was Discord and his pet Windigo.

Discord’s ears perked up as they heard something. “Huh. Sounds like someone is calling me.” He rubbed his chin as he thought about investigating but shrugged his shoulders and sat back down. A minute later, his ears perked up again. “Ooh, that time it sounded like someone dared Fate. Aw, and just when we were about to start our trip.”

Polaris looked up from where he was resting on the boat and whinnied softly.

“Well…we don’t have to leave right now." Discord smiled at the Windigo. "We haven’t even started fishing yet!” Discord snapped his fingers and a fishing rod appeared in his hands. He cast the line out and waited.

“Now listen closely Frosty. We want to be as quiet as possible. Any loud noise or sudden movement is gonna alert the fish.”

They heard a splash in the water.

“What was that?! Was that a fish?!” Discord snapped his fingers and a high-tech cupcake launcher appeared in his hands. He began firing cupcakes rapidly at the water. “Come here you fish! Come here! Get in my boat! Get in my boat, you fish!”

Polaris whinnied excitedly as Discord fired into the water. Growling, Discord snapped his fingers and a glass of chocolate milk appeared in his claw.

“Fight me like a dragon, you flipping fish!” He roared as he launched the milk into the water. The milk exploded in a tremendous ball of fire. Discord quickly grabbed Polaris and aimed him at the flying fish. The Windigo happily froze all the aquatic life it could see.

“Woo! Would you look at that? We’re eating fish tonight!” Discord laughed as Polaris decided to freeze the rest of the lake, while all the swimming ponies quickly fled the water before they froze.

An hour later Nightmare, Gilda, Rainbow, Sunset, Trixie, Big Macintosh, and Chrysalis had arrived at the top of the mountain. A little further, and they reached the mouth of a cave where the smoke was coming from. Filthy Rich had been asked to stay behind, as he had little combat experience.

“Okay listen up everyone,” Nightmare said. “Blindly charging in isn’t going to save the kidnapped ponies or stop the dragon from spreading smoke all over Everfree.” She gave Gilda, Rainbow, and Big Macintosh a look. “We need to try and solve this situation diplomatically and talk to the dragon.”

“Aw come on! Just let me Sonic Rainboom him in the face and that dragon will fall down in less than a second,” Rainbow boasted.

“And what about the ponies trapped inside the cave?” Sunset asked her. Rainbow sighed and sat back down on the ground.

“Gilda, you use your wings to clear the smoke,” Nightmare ordered. Gilda saluted her and did just that.

“Trixie, Sunset, you two be ready to create a diversion if the dragon goes on the offensive.”

Sunset grinned and levitated over two purple crystals for herself and Trixie. They stomped on the crystals and absorbed the magic within them.

Nightmare looked at Chrysalis next. “You’re the shape shifter here, so you disguise yourself as something and scope out the situation. Chrysalis nodded and cautiously flew into the cave, a green fire signaling that she had found an appropriate disguise.

Chrysalis had changed her coat to match the cave walls as closely as possible, hoping that the old chameleon trick would work. She slowly flew deeper into the cave. She stopped once she saw that she had reached the main room of the dragon’s lair. The cave was flooded with treasure, from coins and gems to even more valuable trinkets.

She saw Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, and Silver Spoon all lying next to each other. It looked like all the excitement the fillies had been through had tired them all out. They were all sleeping, but they didn’t look comfortable. It looked like they were having a little difficulty breathing with all the smoke in the cave, even if there was an adequate supply of air too

But the biggest thing she noticed was the beast in front of her. The mighty dragon with arms so huge, one of them was squishing the fillies together. The only way the three girls could escape was if the dragon moved. He had a scaly purple body, bulging with muscles. He had a green underbelly and green spines that ran along his head to his tail. His claws were the sharpest things she had ever seen and his purple wings were more magnificent than Nightmare Moon’s. His huge fangs looked like they could slice through her chitinous shell easily.

The dragon’s snoring stopped. His nostrils flared as he breathed in the scent of the room around him. His huge fangs arranged into a grin as his green draconic eyes opened and stared at Chrysalis. He spoke with a deep, booming voice,

“Well…a thief has entered my lair. And now she plans to steal from me.”

The dragon brought his head close to her.

“Your little trick does not fool me. I smell you. I hear your breath. Come little thief, don’t be shy. Let me see you.”

Chrysalis wisely decided to flee the cave as fast as her wings could carry her. She didn’t stop until she had reached her friends. “Well?” Nightmare asked.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before speaking, “Good news is I saw Diamond, Apple Bloom, and Silver in there. They’re all alive. Bad news is, Mister Spike could probably eat Eternal Twilight.”

Gilda winced. “That scary, huh?” The mountain shook around them as the dragon yawned and stretched.

“Okay, I’m going in.” Nightmare said.

“And Dragon Slayer Trixie will accompany you!” Trixie declared as she struck a heroic pose.

“…Sure. Why not?” Nightmare cautiously went into the cave with Trixie following her. Within moments they saw the kidnapped ponies, the dragon’s hoard, and the dragon that could easily swallow them whole. “Oh…you’re awake.”

“Indeed I am. Did you think I could not hear you outside? Did you think I could not smell your little friends? I know why you are here, thieves. And I will not part with a single piece of my hoard.”

Nightmare swallowed as she got a good look at the dragon. Honestly, he did look like he could eat Eternal Twilight. “We do not wish to steal from you, oh mighty and merciful Spykoranuvellitar.”

“You may call me Spike.”

“We are honoured great Dragon Spike.” Trixie dramatically bowed to the dragon.

Spike raised his body off the treasure bed. Gems and pieces of gold fell off his body as he rose. All the noise woke up Diamond, Apple Bloom, and Silver. The three fillies smiled as they saw Nightmare and Trixie.

“Princess Nightmare! You’ve come to save us!” Diamond cheered.

“Silence.”

The fillies instantly shut their mouths. Spike lowered his head to look at Nightmare and Trixie.

“You seem to be familiar with me, but I don’t remember hearing about ponies such as yourselves. Who are you, and where do you come from, if I may ask?”

“I am Nightmare Moon, librarian of Peaceville, personal student of King Sombra, and Element of Redemption,” Nightmare nervously said.

“And I am the Great and Powerful Trixie. Element of Redemption and greatest magician in all of Everfree,” Trixie said, for once saying her stage name rather quietly.

“Impressive titles.”

“Thank you. But even the Great and Powerful Trixie looks small compared to you, oh Spike the Stupendously Scary.” Trixie nervously smiled.

“Do you think flattery will keep you two alive?”

“…Yes?” Trixie whispered.

"How cute."

Nightmare leapt into her prepared speech before Spike grew angry. “Great Dragon Spike we didn’t come here to steal from you. It’s just that while you’re sleeping here, the smoke coming from your nose is clouding our sky. We respectfully request that you take your nap in another location where the smoke won’t bother anyone, and you won’t be bothered by us. You can take your treasure with you. We’d even help you move it and we won't take any of it from you,” she offered. Spike shrugged.

“I am comfortable here.”

“…We’ll give you more treasure?” Trixie offered.

“Heh. Very well. I see no problem with moving my hoard to another cave, if you can find one for me.”

The ponies sighed in relief. “We thank you,” Trixie said. “Now, if you’ll allow us to take these fillies back home we’ll…” She stopped as Spike growled.

“I said I would not part with a single piece of my hoard! The little ones are part of my hoard, and my dragon honour demands that I protect my hoard at all costs!”

Nightmare tried to regain control of the situation. “But-”

“The little ones do not leave unless I say so!”

“You don’t own us!” Silver shouted.

“Well, show’s over!” Trixie declared as Spike growled. “Nightmare, plan T!” Nightmare’s and Trixie’s horns both glowed and then flashed. All the ponies that were inside the cave teleported outside to meet the rest of the group. Apple Bloom ran to Big Macintosh, while Diamond ran to Sunset.

“Sunset, you came to save me!” Diamond hugged her friend happily. She broke off the hug and looked around. “Is daddy here with you?”

Before Sunset could answer her, Gilda caught their attention. “Uh, guys. Hate to break up the reunion but…” Gilda pointed to the mouth of the cave, where the great and incredibly furious Spike emerged, the mountain shaking under his stomping feet.

Chrysalis instantly fell to the ground and changed her coat to match the mountain rocks. Rainbow and Gilda debated on whether to fly like the wind or fight like maniacs and pray for a miracle. The rest of the group backed away.

Smog, thinking he could reason with a fellow dragon, spoke up. “Please Spike, greatest of the Everfree legends, the rest of the treasure is all yours. We just-”

“SILENCE!”

Spike roared and blasted fire into the air. He glared at Nightmare.

“You wish to challenge me? My claws can make earthquakes!”

Spike slammed his fists down on Nightmare and her friends. Before the attack could hit them, Nightmare, Sunset, Trixie, and Chrysalis all combined their magic into a protective shield surrounding their group. It barely withstood the force of his blow.

Nightmare created a small hole in the shield for Gilda and Rainbow to fly out of. Rainbow soared away to prepare a Sonic Rainboom, while Gilda charged at Spike and snapped her beak on his tail to distract him. The furious Spike whipped his tail back, sending Gilda crashing into a wall.

“My tail is a whip that strikes like lightning!”

Rainbow came zooming towards Spike and unleashed a Sonic Rainboom right into his chest. The magic shield saved the other ponies from the rainbow explosion. But it only knocked Spike back.

“My scales can withstand any attack!”

Spike roared and tried to snap at Rainbow with his jaws, but she dodged out of the way.

“My wings can create storms!”

Spike gave his wings a mighty flap, which created a strong enough wind to blow Rainbow away from him. It gave Rainbow a little more room to maneuver and she took advantage of it to help Gilda off the mountain wall and back into the air.

Nightmare briefly lowered the shield and fired blasts of magic at Spike. Sunset, Trixie, and Chrysalis fired hexes of their own while Big Macintosh grabbed a couple of rocks and kicked them towards Spike. Their attacks bounced off him too.

“And my very breath, will spell your DOOM!”

Spike blew a heavy stream of fire at them. Luckily, the magic users brought up the shield again, while the flyers dodged out of the way.

They were at an impasse. Spike was too powerful to be hurt but their numbers and abilities kept him from hurting them. Sensing that neither side was going to win anytime soon, Spike stopped his attack and glared at Nightmare.

“You wish for me to leave your pathetic town of Peaceville? Very well, Nightmare Moon, student of the Crystal King. If he sends little ones to do his work for him, I say it is time I paid dear Sombra a visit.”

With a heavy flap of his wings that almost knocked the ponies off their hooves, Spike flew towards the Crystal Empire with astonishing speed. The group didn’t say anything for a bit as they all struggled to get their heartbeats under control.

“…What have we done?” A horrified Chrysalis said out loud.

“I can fix this!” Nightmare exclaimed. “Gilda, you and Dash are the fastest fliers. Gilda, you tell King Sombra that a dragon is about to attack the Crystal Empire. Dash, fire as many Sonic Rainbooms as it takes to slow Spike down.”

Rainbow gulped. “You saw what happened. I don’t think that’ll work!”

“Come on Dash, we can’t give up!” Gilda argued. “We’re not gonna lose to that overgrown lizard, are we?”

Rainbow frowned in renewed determination. “No way! I don't quit that easy!” Gilda and Rainbow took off to battle the dragon.

“W-well…what do we do now?” Diamond asked.

“Now, we get you three home safe an’ sound,” Big Macintosh said as he hugged Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, I…I think I’m going to go home and lie down for a while,” Chrysalis whispered.

Big Macintosh brought Apple Bloom onto his back, while Diamond was brought onto Sunset’s back and Silver was carried on Trixie’s back. They walked back to Peaceville, with Trixie occasionally boasting that they could have beaten Spike if he hadn’t fled.

“Do you think King Sombra and Princess Sparkle will be okay?” Diamond asked.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Nightmare assured her. “Princess Twilight Sparkle and King Sombra have faced worse things than an angry dragon.”

“Bah, Trixie was just about to launch an awesome spell that would have vanquished that mighty beast before it fled like a chicken!”

As Trixie continued to boast, Silver turned her head to look at Diamond. “I’m sorry for calling you cutie cursed. And being mean to you.”

Diamond stared at her cousin. “You mean it?”

Silver sighed, “Diamond, we were kidnapped by a dragon, and then we almost got crushed by a bigger dragon. After all that, insulting you just isn't fun anymore.”

Apple Bloom gave a weak chuckle. “Ah reckon, there are things in life you can’t share without liking each other.” She smiled and tried to look at Diamond’s flank. “Maybe getting nabbed by a dragon got you two to lose yer marks?”

Diamond and Silver both turned around to see if they still had their cutie marks. “Well that’s depressing,” Diamond sighed. “If we can’t lose our marks like that, how can we?”

Apple Bloom grinned. “Why don’t ya found out? Ah mean, if y'all are friends now, what if ya formed yer own secret society? Y'all could create a club to help you lose yer marks!”

Silver blinked. “Well, if you think that would be a good idea Apple Bloom,” she smiled. “I think it sounds good too.”

Diamond grinned. “That sounds like a great idea! And why limit the club to just ourselves? We could expand it! Offer membership to any filly or colt that’s still cutie cursed! We could be heroes!”

Silver frowned. “Any filly? And colts too? Are you sure?”

“Come on Silver,” Diamond’s grin grew wider. “We’ll be heroes to every kid in town! We’ll be the most popular fillies in school!”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Hey, and as someone who lost her mark already, Ah'd be happy to help y’all find what else yer good at.”

Silver smiled as she began to warm up to the idea. “Okay. But our club needs a name. How about…the Army of Cutie Mark Destroyers!”

Apple Bloom gulped. “Um…the name could use some work. How ‘bout something that sounds a bit less…evil?”

“Yes! All cutie marks will fall at the hooves of our Army! Kneel before Diamond’s Destroyers!” Diamond cheered.

Meanwhile within the Crystal Castle, the capital of the Empire, Princess Twilight Sparkle was sitting in the library.

A shadow floated into the library before turning into King Sombra. “This really should have been the first place I looked for you.”

Princess Twilight smiled. “It really should have.” She closed her book and faced him. “Is there something I can help you with?”

King Sombra smiled. “No, just curious as to what my old friend and co-ruler is up to. What’s that one on?” He pointed to the book.

“Dragon Biology, An Expert's Guide,” she said as she levitated a book. “I was impressed with the aging magic you used on Garble.”

“Oh, I only made him a tiny bit younger. It only took a little magic. He was already young to begin with, for a dragon.” King Sombra looked out the window in thought. “Speaking of Garble, when he returned he spoke of Nightmare Moon getting into some sort of trouble with an adult dragon. It was probably one of his pranks though. As loyal as Garble is, he is one of the most mischievous creatures I know.”

“But not the most?” Princess Twilight asked.

“No, that honour belongs to another. Do you remember-” King Sombra stopped talking as his horn glowed with magic.

Princess Twilight noticed. “What is it?”

“The magic Crystal Spires outside the Empire. They just went off,” he frowned. “Something very big is moving towards our city very fast.”

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened and in a burst of speed, she flapped her wings and soared out the window.

She flew past the city walls and saw a huge purple and green dragon flying towards her. She charged her horn and fired off a spell at the dragon’s soft underbelly. It had the desired effect and the dragon stopped flying towards them and simply hovered in midair. The wind from his wings was strong, the smoke spilling from his snout was scary, and his eyes glared dangerously at her. But Princess Twilight remained hovering in the sky.

“Who dares?”

“I dare," she announced. "Dragon, I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of the Crystal Empire. I wish for you to cease your attack on my kingdom and to cooperate with me. I don’t want to fight you but I will if you continue to threaten my home.” Her horn glowed with magic.

The dragon hovered and stared at her. Slowly, he descended to the ground and lowered his wings. Honestly, she had expected him to cook her, eat her, or just swat her away like a fly. But this was turning out better than she had hoped. She descended so that she was hovering at his eye level.

“You are very brave to face one such as I alone. I could destroy you with any method I choose. The only reason you still draw breath is because your appearance is similar to a unicorn I once knew. I know that voice. And I know that smell better than I know my own tail. But to be certain I ask: Who are you?”

She blinked. “I…I am Twilight Sparkle. But I was once known as just Sparkle. The alicorn and dragon stared at each other. She stared at his purple skin and green spines. She looked into his familiar green eyes that were just starting to water. “…Spike?”

Spike smiled, with no trace of greed or arrogance for the first time in years. “By my hoard…I have missed you Sparky.”

Spike reached out and gently held Princess Sparkle in his claw. Suddenly, he didn't seem so scary anymore. It might have been her imagination, but he looked slightly smaller too. He kissed her on the head and brought her to his cheek, gently hugging her as if she was the most precious gem in the world.

The next day, a letter was sent to Princess Twilight.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle

I am very happy to hear that you stopped that dragon before anyone else was hurt. During my studies in friendship I have learned the importance of teamwork and how facing our fears isn’t a problem when you have friends that will look out for you.

I will try to write to you more often.

Your friend, Nightmare Moon.

Not long after that, another letter was sent to Peaceville.

Dear Nightmare Moon

I am more than willing to forget any tardiness on your part for the good things you have done for me. You saved me from my own nightmare and returned me to the world. And now, you have saved Peaceville from living in a dark haze, and returned three young fillies to their families. On top of that, the dragon you and your friends confronted is in fact a long lost friend of mine named Spike. The last time I saw him was before I turned into Eternal Twilight over a hundred years ago, when he was still a baby dragon. The years have passed and he has changed in my absence. Sadly, he succumbed to a dragon’s instinctual greedy nature and has become very arrogant.

But I have faith that with the power of forgiveness, I can teach him to be the generous and kind friend that I know he can be again. He has already agreed to move his hoard to a room close to my bedroom in the Crystal Empire and he promised he won’t kidnap anyone else. And thank you for informing me of Garble’s roll in these events. Don’t worry, King Sombra and I will both sort out our dragons.

Once again, thank you for giving me back some happiness I thought had been long lost.

Your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Smog put the letter down. “So Spike is going to be hanging around the Crystal Empire, huh?”

“Looks like,” Nightmare muttered.

“Bah, that dragon got off easy. Dragon Slayer Trixie was just about to-”

“Let it go Trixie,” Sunset said with a shake of her head.

“Seriously, though. Did you guys see how freaking huge Spike was?” Gilda grinned. “Man, what are you going to do when Smog grows that big, Nightmare?”

Trixie chuckled. “She will most likely have to transform her tree library into a building large enough to house him. Perhaps a mansion. Or a castle!”

“A tree turning into a castle?” Smog snorted. “That’s silly.”

“I don’t know,” Nightmare trailed off. “Doesn't sound that silly. I kinda miss living in a castle…”

“Nightie?”

“Princess Nightmare…Queen Nightmare…” Nightmare stared at the ceiling in thought.

“Nightie, don’t go down that road,” Smog warned her. “You know what lies down that road.”

“Okay, here she is,” Chrysalis said came back upstairs, as she levitated Silver Tiara out of the hive’s basement.

“Finally! You bugs are in a lot of trouble for what you did to me! Do you hear me?” Silver Tiara whined. She spotted her daughter sitting next to Diamond. “Silver Spoon! Come! We are leaving this disgusting changeling hive!”

“Bye Diamond. See you tomorrow.” Silver Spoon said as she left with her mom.

"Bye Silver Spoon," Diamond waved back to her. She looked back at the paper she was doodling names on. "Hmm, Diamond and Silver's Army of Friends? No, that's not it..."

Nightmare leaned toward Chrysalis and whispered, “We’ll be keeping an eye on her, right?”

Chrysalis smirked. “Don’t worry. Compared to Spike, Silver Tiara is no challenge. We’ll make sure she doesn’t stir up trouble.”

A flash of light filled the changeling hive. Discord and his Windigo appeared with arms full of frozen fish. “GUESS WHO? We’re back! And we have brought back a frozen fish feast worthy of our friends! So, did we miss anything?” Discord asked the room full of irritated glares.

“Get him!”

And so Discord fled the hive with a carefree grin on his face as his friends chased him.

Destiny Duel

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Destiny Duel

It wasn’t enough. It had gained back strength, but it wasn’t enough. There was so little that it could use. But it could still find conflict. There was always conflict.

The last decent sized piece of conflict it had encountered was from a donkey couple. The male was in a bad mood, or perhaps sleepwalking. It didn’t care for the details. The point was that the cranky male had gotten into an argument with the female. But the two donkeys cared deeply for each other, and the argument did not last very long. Not long at all.

Still, it took what energy it could gather. It still hurt from that night. That night. When it had been ripped away from its position of power and forced into the shadows. If it were to ever be a threat again, it would need more conflict. So it lurked through shadows, searching for what it needed.

There. There, in that store. There was an artifact, filled with power. Power but also anger, revenge, and much more.

It slithered into the store and merged with the artifact. It could already feel its strength growing immensely. But it wasn’t enough. Not yet.

It was raining heavily that night when she arrived in town. At least she had a black cloak to keep herself dry from the weather. While the cloak may not have been her favourite article of clothing it did fit in right for being mysterious, which is what she was going for. Seeing her destination within sight, she ran into the shop and quickly started looking for the item she had been searching for. Her horn glowed as her spell informed her that the object was close. Very close.

A creature that resembled a large, bipedal dog wearing a vest embroidered with gems came walking in from the back of the store. “Hello customer! I am Rover, the Diamond Dog. How can I help you?”

“Good evening to you, good sir, ” she said. “I am looking for a specific artifact that I have been told you possess. Ah, and there it is.” She pointed at the item on the shelf behind him. Within a glass container sat an amulet shaped like a red-eyed black alicorn, with a ruby at the center of the amulet.

Rover looked over his shoulder. “The Alicorn Amulet? This precious, shiny amulet is said to be very mysterious and powerful, and is far too shiny – I mean valuable – to be for sale.”

“Oh I do believe I can cover the cost.” She held up a bag stuffed full of various gems and placed it onto the counter.

Rover stared at the shiny precious gems and smiled politely. “Would the pony like the amulet gift-wrapped?”

“Please do not refer to me as a pony, darling. I am a lady.” Rarity said as she took off her hood to look closer at the amulet. “And yes, I would like it gift-wrapped thank you very much.”

It was a sunny morning in Peaceville, with small clouds here and there to provide shade for anyone. Nightmare Moon, Smog, Trixie, and Lyra were outside the changeling hive with Chrysalis.

“Are you sure about this?” Chrysalis mumbled hesitantly.

“Well that’s why we’re testing it here,” Lyra smiled. “There’s no need to worry about if the transformation spell doesn’t work the first time, since you can just change yourself back to normal.”

“I understand why I have to be the lab rat. Doesn’t mean I like it,” Chrysalis whispered, trying to avoid eye contact.

“If you ask Trixie, lab rats and stage mice are generally much more agreeable,” Trixie said as she tried to straighten her cape with her magic, making sure it billowed in the wind just right.

While Chrysalis muttered an apology, Angle stepped up from behind her and stopped in front of Lyra. His smirk alone told Lyra to hit him with their best shot.

“Angle! Oh no, I can’t ask you to do this. I-” Chrysalis paused as Angle frowned at her. “Well I know they’re great with magic but I don’t…” He continued frowning at her.

Chrysalis sighed, “Okay Angle. If you want to volunteer, you can.” She turned to Lyra and growled, “If your spell hurts him in any way, so help me...” Her horn glowed dangerously.

“There’s no need to fear my friend!” Trixie boasted while the sheepish Lyra backed up a bit. “With the combined might of the Magnificent Nightmare Moon AND the Great and Powerful Trixie, our triumph is guaranteed!”

“What about me?” Lyra asked. “It’s my spell.”

“Think up your own stage name. Trixie can’t be expected to do everything. And stop biting your hoof Chrysalis! You don’t want to get anymore holes than you already have.”

Nightmare’s, Lyra’s, and Trixie’s horns all glowed with magic. Angle’s body lifted into the air through their combined power, while Chrysalis continued to nervously bite her hooves. There was a flash of light and Angle opened his eyes to see that his form had been altered.

He was much taller now. His arms and legs seemed much ganglier and his wings and horn stretched a little further, yet his eyes were a little smaller.

Trixie tilted her head to one side as she examined him. “Huh. It’s like if Iron Will turned into a changeling.”

Lyra bounced in excitement. “I know! It does like a little minotaur-ish. But I actually based the form off of this!”

She levitated a book over to them and flipped it to a page with a picture of a strange creature. The creature was bipedal and wrapped in a dark red cloak.

Trixie examined the picture. “What manner of creature is that?”

“It’s called a human,” Lyra stated. “Nightmare let me borrow this book on mythological and mysterious creatures. The book describes humans as being similar to but also very different from ponies.”

“Ooh,” Chrysalis eyes widened as she took the book into her magic. “My great-grandparents told me about these things. The Harvester and the Human was one of my favourite bedtime stories.”

“Yep!” Lyra grinned. “There are many different legends described in this book. For example, one legend describes a human with absolutely no magic! To make up for it, the human had this small black rectangle that was like a movie theatre and an arcade game you could carry in your hoof!”

Smog’s eyes widened. “Really? That sounds awesome!”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “So, was it like a box that contained a theatre seat and giant screen? Would such a machine distribute popcorn too?”

Lyra shrugged. “I dunno.”

“What of the cloaked human in the picture?” Trixie asked.

“I don't know. There's so little information on humans, even in this book. But that's what makes them so interesting," Lyra smiled.

She put the book down and gave a small chuckle. “Anyway, thanks for volunteering for this Mister Angle. You can change back now.” With a flash of green fire Angle regained his original form. “Thanks again for your help guys! Have a good day!”

Trixie watched Lyra happily skip back home, before turning to face Nightmare. “Well her spell was interesting, but Trixie has faith that an alicorn of your ability has a spell to outshine them all! Come and dazzle Trixie!”

Nightmare shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry Trixie, but you’ve already seen most of the spells I can do. I can’t really offer you any new spell for you to try.”

“You could always show her your fusion spell,” Smog suggested. Within seconds, he was wrapped in Nightmare’s magic and pulled towards her furious scowl.

“Shut. Up. Smog,” she hissed.

“Fusion spell?” Trixie asked.

“Heh, heh. Don’t mind him,” Nightmare chuckled sheepishly. “It’s just something stupid I made when I was younger.”

Trixie was about to keep pressing her for that spell when a white and brown blur slammed right into Nightmare.

“Nightmare! We got an emergency on our hands!” Gilda screeched. “You-know-who is back for round two!”

They arrived in the main plaza of Peaceville to find the place in chaos (and not the fun kind). There were several craters in the ground and scorch marks along some of the buildings. Strangely, leaves within many tree branches were arranged into topiaries of a unicorn. The streets were completely deserted as many of the Peaceville citizens had locked themselves indoors.

Nightmare saw a furious Rainbow Dash rocket towards a cloaked pony. As Rainbow flew in closer to knock the pony out with an uppercut, a flash of blood red magic engulfed her.

Rainbow hesitantly opened her eyes to see what happened. Her wings struggled to keep her in midair, but her balance was thrown off by the huge pink and yellow dress that had been forced onto her.

“Ah! What the heck is this? How am I supposed to fly with this freaking skirt trying to eat my wings?”

Rainbow wobbled and crashed into the ground. She immediately began tearing at the dress with her teeth, but found that the overly frilly dress had too much cloth getting in her way.

While Rainbow struggled to break free, Sunset Shimmer dueled with the cloaked pony. She danced across the battlefield, dodging hexes and firing off her own spells at the cloaked pony. Unfortunately many of Sunset’s spells just bounced off a magical shield that surrounded her attacker. A bolt of red magic finally caught Sunset.

Sunset risked a glance, fearing the worst. She was surprised to see a black dress on her, with a red bolt and a yellow bolt of fabric overtop. “…What? That’s it?”

Sunset smirked. “Nice try. But unlike Rainbow’s, this dress fits just fine. It’s rather pretty too. Whatever game you’re trying to play here, I think you’ll have to-”

Before she could finish, another blast of magic engulfed her. The red smoke cleared away to reveal that Sunset’s body had been turned into solid orange crystal. She was completely frozen as nothing more than a pretty statue.

“Sunset!” Nightmare cried. She rushed over to her friend and immediately cast a spell. But as much as she tried, her magic couldn’t free Sunset from her prison. Desperately Nightmare screamed out, “Discord!”

A flash of light appeared and suddenly Discord was smiling at her. “You rang? Oh, good morning Nightie! What’s all the fuss about?”

Discord stopped talking as soon as he saw Sunset. “Oh now, that won’t do at all.” He snapped his fingers and the crystal statue turned back into a flesh-and-blood pony once more. While Sunset wiggled her hooves to regain the feel of movement, Discord turned and frowned at the cloaked pony.

“I may stir up a bit of trouble now and then, but at least I don’t turn ponies into statues,” he growled. “I believe we’ve had enough of this cloak-and-dagger nonsense.” Discord waved his hand and the cloak sprouted wings and flew off the pony, finally revealing her identity.

“It's Rarity!” Nightmare gasped.

"Wearing a tacky necklace!" Discord added.

Rarity smirked at them. “Yes darlings. Rarity has indeed returned. Surprised to see me?”

“Not really,” Discord shrugged. “Who else do we know that uses fashion as a weapon?”

“Trixie can think of one or two,” Trixie said, chuckling at a distant memory. “Quite eccentric, that one.”

“Whelp, great to see ya again,” Gilda growled. “But you’ve been dorking up our town for too long already! Time for you to hit the road and I mean hit it!”

Gilda dashed forward and grabbed Rarity in a tackle. But before she could fly out of Peaceville and toss her out of town, Rarity teleported out of Gilda’s grasp and onto the ground. A red bolt from Rarity’s horn made Gilda’s left wing grow until it was twice as big as the rest of her body. Gilda struggled but couldn’t keep flying with her balance throw off, and she crashed into the ground right next to Rainbow.

“Oh dear. Miss Rarity doesn’t seem to get it, does she?” Discord smirked.

But before he could snap his fingers to restore Gilda’s wings to normal, Rarity sneered and fired another spell that covered all of Peaceville in a red magical dome.

Discord snapped his fingers, but found to his surprise that nothing happened. He frantically snapped his fingers again and again. When no change occurred, Discord gulped. “That’s a failsafe spell, isn’t it?”

“You are correct darling,” Rarity smiled. “A wonderful spell, is it not? Her Majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle created that spell, hundreds of years ago. From what I read, it was to keep law-breaking draconequui from using their chaotic powers, so long as they were in the same area as the spell. What do you say to that?”

“Right then,” Discord clapped his hands together. “I’m going to leave, summon an army of tank-driving dinosaurs and then get back to you on that.”

“Leaving so soon darling? But I have another present for you,” Rarity grinned evilly as she charged her horn with a summoning spell.

A small, twisted monster with the head of a chicken and the body of a dragon appeared. The creature’s long, snake-like tail swished in the air as its eyes glowed red. The monster flew right into Discord’s face and hissed, staring into his eyes.

“Ah! Freaking cockatrice! Back demon bird, back!” Discord desperately waved his arms at the cockatrice and averted his gaze. But his attempts to shoo away the monster proved ineffective. The cockatrice flew right into his face again and glared at him.

Within seconds, Discord was turned to stone by the cockatrice’s foul curse.

“I believe that’s that taken care of.” Rarity banished the cockatrice away with another blast of magic. She grimaced, “Ick. Ghastly little beasts, aren’t they? Oh, don’t think I forgot about you.” Her horn flashed and Sunset was once more turned into crystal. She levitated Sunset’s statue to stand next to Discord’s.

“ENOUGH!” Nightmare roared. “Rarity! Stop attacking my friends right now, or else I promise you a world of pain!” she growled and charged her horn with power.

Rarity smirked. “Forgive me Miss Moon, for acting in such a brutish manner. I simply had to deal with your bodyguards before I could challenge you to a proper magical duel.”

“A magic duel?” Trixie snorted. “What for?”

“What for? You humiliated me!” Rarity screamed. “All I sought to accomplish when I came to this dreary town was to be reunited with my darling little sister and prove that there was no true artiste greater than I! But you six fiends upstaged me! Banished me! Forced me away from my Sweetie Belle!”

“No we didn’t!” Nightmare protested. “You ran off during that Windigo attack before we could talk to you!”

“And what is this I see?” Rarity growled as Polaris flew over their heads and landed next to Discord’s statue. The young Windigo whinnied sadly and snuggled next to Discord’s stone prison. Tiny ice cubes poured from his ghostly eyes as he sobbed.

“You actually kept one of those beasts as a testament to my failure! I will see it burn!” Rarity snarled as her eyes glowed an even darker red.

But before Rarity could hurt Polaris, a buzzing filled the air. Scootaloo came racing down towards them, riding a scooter attached to a large wagon. In that wagon sat Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, Snips, Snails, and Sweetie Belle.

Trixie idly wondered how they all fit into the wagon, before she spotted a picture of Discord’s grinning face on the back of the wagon. No other answer was needed.

“Sis stop!” Sweetie cried out. She jumped off the wagon and ran to shield Polaris from her crazed sister.

Rarity smiled, “Sweetie Belle, my dearest sister. You have come to witness my triumph over the ruffians who banished me.”

“Rarity, please stop!” Sweetie begged. “You’re hurting people! I know you’re mad about what happened but you have to stop this! This is too much!”

“Oh my darling sister, you don’t understand.” Rarity leaned forward and tapped her horn to Sweetie’s horn, as red light spread into her. “Perhaps now things are a bit clearer, yes?”

Sweetie blinked, her eyes turning red. “Yes Rarity,” she mumbled like a zombie. “I understand.”

Although Sweetie failed to stop her sister, her sacrifice wasn’t in vain. While Sweetie distracted Rarity, Chrysalis moved toward Polaris and whispered to him, “You need to go back home Polaris.”

The Windigo whinnied at her. Chrysalis shivered at the sight of those unnatural eyes, but felt her fear fading away as she saw the despair in them. “I know you're upset, but you can’t help Discord right now. Go home and I promise you, we will save him.

Polaris gave another sad whinny before flying back to the Chaos Corner.

“Hey! Leave her alone!” Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Diamond, Snips, and Snails all charged at Rarity. But another blast of mind-controlling magic engulfed the five of them. The fillies and colts wobbled as they felt their minds fall under a haze.

“STOP!” Nightmare screamed. “You want your duel, you can have it! If I win, you undo every spell you’ve cast and let my friends go!”

Rarity smirked. “A mighty alicorn such as yourself against a mere unicorn such as I? That hardly seems fair darling.”

“Fair?!” Trixie shouted. “You have ignored the rules of honourable dueling and you cowardly disabled our friends with the cruelest methods imaginable!” Her horn flared and her cape billowed in the wind. “If you truly want fairness then I, the Great and Powerful Trixie will see you defeated fair and square!”

“That won’t be necessary Trixie,” Nightmare said, glaring at Rarity as she charged her horn. She smirked as she saw Smog and Chrysalis line up beside her, ready for battle. “She caught us by surprise before, but between all of us she doesn’t stand a chance.”

“I would prefer my duel to be one-against-one. If you brutes intend to gang up on me, I’ll have no choice but to use more extreme measures to defend myself,” Rarity snarled as she charged her horn for her worst curse yet.

She unleashed a bolt of black lightning at Nightmare Moon. Nightmare screamed in pain as the lightning scorched every part of her body.

“This spell is supposed to make you writhe in agony,” Rarity calmly explained as she continued to zap Nightmare. “Your body is unharmed while your mind experiences the worst pain you can imagine. I don’t envy you at all, my friend.”

“Stop it!” Chrysalis cried in horror. “Stop hurting her! Please!” she begged.

Rarity smiled calmly and canceled the spell. “Will you agree to my terms then? I’m afraid a one-on-one duel is your only choice if we are to settle this like civilized ponies.”

“Nightmare!” Smog cried as he hurried to her side and desperately grabbed onto her. “Come on Nightmare, you gotta get up!”

“S-Smog…you have to…escape…” Nightmare whispered.

“We’re not leaving you! Listen to me Nightmare, you have to use the fusion spell!” Smog pleaded.

“I can’t…” Nightmare whispered as her eyes watered.

“Chrysalis. You take Nightmare and Smog to your hive,” Trixie ordered. “Keep them safe. I will deal with Rarity.”

“I think not darling,” Rarity smirked. “I would like to keep you all where I can see you. But I promise I won’t hurt them if you agree to duel me.”

“Very well. You have dared to challenge Trixie, and now you shall suffer the consequences! For no unicorn can possess the amazing, show-stopping dueling prowess of the Great and Powerful Trixie! ” Trixie declared.

Nightmare Moon winced through the pain. “Trixie…don’t do this…you can’t…”

“Save your strength Nightmare,” Trixie said, before turning to face Rarity. “Now…draw!”

Fireworks shot out from Trixie’s horn and raced to blast her opponent, but Rarity summoned a strong shield to counter them. Rarity levitated several crystals and gems out of the earth and sent them crashing towards Trixie and her friends, but Trixie quickly caught them and tossed them back at Rarity.

Rarity froze the gems in midair. She then conjured a wintery chill and blasted Trixie with snow. Trixie then used a spell that Sunset had taught her and increased her body’s temperature to melt the snow off her. She then created small fireballs and flung them at her opponent but Rarity simply extinguished the fireballs in midair with her magic.

“Darling, please. Anyone can just hurl spell after spell. I thought a fellow magician like yourself would put up a better show. After all, a unicorn should aspire to be more than muscle.”

With a flash of magic, various cloths appeared and swirled around Rarity. “A unicorn needs to have style!”

“Trixie has plenty of style!” Trixie countered. “Do you know how much work it takes to make sure her cape billows just right in the wind?”

“Please. A cheap hat and cape is nothing compared to the grace and beauty that Rarity exudes.” The swirling cloth settled to reveal Rarity, wearing a fancy blue dress with an expertly styled mane.

“Cheap hat and cape?!” Trixie screamed in anger. A blast of magic shot from her horn, turning Rarity’s mane and tail dark green.

Rarity frantically summoned a small mirror and gasped at the sight of her hair. She reflected a spell off the mirror that returned her mane and tail to normal, and then tossed the mirror aside. “Oh…it. Is. On! Time to finish this! Once and for all!”

Rarity’s horn glowed and engulfed both Trixie and Smog in magic. The area was lit up with a bright flash as her spell took affect.

Trixie swatted the smoke away with her hoof to see what had happened. The first thing she noticed was that she didn’t even have a hoof. Her blue, scaly claw shot up to feel her forehead. Not sensing a horn lead Trixie to a startling conclusion: she had been turned into a baby dragon.

Trixie looked over at Smog to see a red unicorn, looking down at his new hooves in shock. “…That’s not right.”

“A species-switching spell?” The flabbergasted Trixie asked. “But…only the highest level unicorns can accomplish those!”

“Well I do believe that makes Rarity the highest level unicorn, does it not?” Rarity smirked at her.

“But that’s cheating!” Trixie protested. “Trixie cannot continue the duel if Trixie doesn’t have a horn to cast magic with!”

“Well then, I do believe that makes me the winner,” Rarity grinned and spread her arms wide. “Look upon me Peaceville! For Rarity is the most magical and elegant unicorn of all!” She sneered at Trixie. “Don’t worry, Rarity is merciful in victory. I shall return you to your proper form now that our duel has concluded.” A flash of light turned Trixie back into a unicorn and Smog back into a young dragon.

“And now, following the traditional rules of magical duels, I believe this the part where you leave Peaceville and never return!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow yelled as she finally ripped apart her suffocating dress and freed herself. She helped Gilda into the air and flew towards Trixie and Nightmare. Chrysalis and Smog joined the two fliers in shielding Trixie from Rarity.

“If you want Trixie to leave, you’ll have to go through us!” Gilda growled.

“A baby dragon, A pegasus, a griffon, and a changeling?” Rarity smirked. “An interesting group you lot may be, but compared to your friends you four are no match for the power Rarity now wields.”

A blast of red magic hit Rainbow, switching her body around so that her wings took the place of her front hooves while extra legs took the place of her wings. Rainbow cried in horror as she stumbled around in midair, completely disoriented.

As Gilda and Chrysalis tried to help Rainbow, Rarity’s eyes and horn glowed a darker red. “Well, I do believe that’s enough excitement for one day darlings.” Another black bolt of the agony curse struck Nightmare again.

Before her friends could protest, Nightmare and Trixie were both trapped in Rarity’s magic as she threw them out of Peaceville. She then conjured a gigantic barrier that resembled a large transparent diamond cut in half, and lowered it around Peaceville. With the barrier in place nobody could get in or out.

Gilda and Chrysalis grabbed ahold of Rainbow and Smog and quickly flew to the barrier’s wall as Trixie struggled to lift the weakened Nightmare. Gilda immediately began pounding at the barrier with all her strength while Chrysalis fired off the strongest spells she knew. But the barrier wouldn’t budge.

Smog glared at the barrier. Picking up a rock, he experimentally breathed fire on it. Sadly, instead of being transported right to King Sombra, the magical smoke just bounced off the barrier before dropping the rock. “Darn! As long as the barrier is up I can’t send a letter to King Sombra for help.”

Chrysalis shook her head sadly. “My changelings might be able to burrow under the ground, but they wouldn’t be able to fly all the way to the Crystal Empire.”

Rainbow jumped out of Gilda’s arms but struggled to keep herself flying. “I can barely fly at all!”

“Do not fear my friends!” Trixie roared as she pounded on the barrier. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will not rest until Nightmare Moon is healed and Rarity is destroyed! Trixie shall avenge you!”

“Oh for goodness sake! Nightmare, use the fusion spell!” Smog cried.

As Nightmare struggled to move her limbs, Trixie frowned. “That’s the third time Trixie has heard you mention that spell. Trixie demands an explanation!”

Smog looked her in the eye. “If that agony curse is as painful as it looks, Nightmare won’t be able to recover as fast as she usually can. But the fusion spell can help her get back up and fight.”

“Smog…no…” Nightmare whispered.

“If this spell can help you then cast it already!” Trixie cried as she tried to help Nightmare stand back up.

“Trixie, Nightmare needs your permission to cast the spell if we want the best results,” Smog informed her.

“Of course she has Trixie’s permission! Cast the spell already!”

“Fine,” Nightmare sighed. Her entire body swirled and turned into starry black mist. The magical cloud floated towards Trixie and poured itself into her mouth. Once the mist was inside her, Trixie shuddered violently as she felt something take ahold of every part of her body and mind. Her blue skin darkened as her mane and tail started blowing in a nonexistent wind. Once the fusion was complete the unicorn stood up and opened her draconic eyes.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped as she stared at them. “What…what just happened?”

The dark unicorn sighed. “Forgive Nightmare Trixie but…um, sorry I meant forgive me but I…ugh! This going to take some getting used to.”

“Nightmare Trixie? Oh, so that’s what you meant by fusion. Cool!” Gilda smiled. “How come we’ve never seen you use that before?”

Nightmare Trixie frowned. “For one thing, as much as I’d like us both to have equal freedom, it’s more like possession than fusion. I’m using Trixie’s body but I’m also combining and therefore increasing our magic. As soon as we can find a solution to bring down Rarity, I’m giving Trixie her body back.”

Gilda titled her head as she examined her fused friend. “You know, I wouldn’t mind getting possessed by you if it meant I got awesome alicorn powers.”

“It’s a very tricky spell,” Smog explained. “It works best if Nightmare fuses with another pony, and they usually need to give her permission for it to work. Any other way and…well…the very first time she used that spell, she tried to possess me by force. It didn't end well.”

“He’s right,” Nightmare Trixie nodded. “I have very little experience with this spell, and I only learned how to pilot a dragon’s body because Smog insisted I keep practicing so I don’t forget it.”

She sighed and looked off into the distance, in the direction of the Crystal Empire. “Plus, mom made me promise never to use this spell unless it was an emergency and I had no other options.”

“I’d say this qualifies,” Smog stated bluntly. Nightmare Trixie gave him a weak nod.

“Um, excuse me,” Chrysalis spoke up. “But if you're out there and we can't reach the king...do you think maybe Zecora could help us?”

“That’s just what I was thinking. See what you can do inside, we’ll come back for you guys.” With that, Nightmare Trixie ran into the Equestria forest where Zecora’s hut was located.

Even though Zecora was a beloved and hard-working citizen of Peaceville, she liked her privacy sometimes, which is why she lived in a hut just on the edge of the Equestria forest.

Her hut was filled with various items from her hometown or picked up along her travels. At that moment, she was listening to Nightmare Trixie’s finish their tale with a frown on her face.

“Your tale of woe saddens me so. Indeed, this Rarity must swiftly be stopped, but I fear what may happen if your spell isn’t dropped.” At Nightmare Trixie’s confused look, Zecora explained. “The reason my mood is sour is because of your own abuse of power!” She indicated Nightmare Trixie’s altered form.

She sighed. “Zecora, I didn’t want to do this but I had no other choice! Even Trixie agrees that this method will help us overpower Rarity. I’ll end the possession and let her go once we save Peaceville.

Zecora looked out the window. “You said Rarity disabled all your friends, even Discord. In this time of crisis, should the king not be informed?”

“Discord and informed? Do those two really rhyme?” Zecora glared at her in mild annoyance. “Sorry. Even though Trixie is cooperating, her thoughts are making me a little dizzy. Anyway, without Smog here I can’t send any letters fast enough.”

Zecora smiled and walked up to a shelf in her hut. She brought down a candle lit with tiny green fire. “In times of emergency, the king I can reach. This gift, Sombra gives to all those who teach. This candle burns with enchanted dragon flame. It can send your letter if you speak the receiver’s name.”

Nightmare Trixie smiled as she quickly wrote a letter requesting help. “Thank you so much Zecora. I guess since I’ve always had Smog, I completely forgot that other ponies used these candles.”

Zecora simply smiled as she drank her tea and watched as the letter was burned and magically sent to the king.

It wasn’t long before King Sombra and Princess Twilight Sparkle arrived with a dozen royal guards. Once the story was explained to them, they all marched up to the barrier surrounding Peaceville.

As Nightmare Trixie led them toward the barrier, she scanned the group of guards before turning to ask King Sombra, “Is my mom here?”

“I’m sorry, my faithful student,” King Sombra sighed. “Luna is stuck back at the Crystal Empire dealing with Princess Sparkle’s pet dragon. Apparently somebody ate a sheep.”

“Spike did NOT eat a sheep! He would never do anything like that!” Princess Twilight protested.

“Sparky, I trust you, but I’m not taking any chances,” King Sombra informed her.

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes. Not bothering to argue with him she instead focused on the center of the town where a dark storm cloud was hovering over Peaceville. She walked forward and tapped the barrier with her horn. She smiled, “It’s strong. But they don’t call me the Princess of Magic for no good reason.” With that, Princess Twilight, King Sombra, and Nightmare Trixie combined their magic into a tremendous blast of power. The barrier finally shattered into a thousand pieces of magic that shimmered and vanished into the air.

“Perfect,” King Sombra turned to address the others. “Guards, you know what to do in situations such as this. Nightmare Moon will try to confront Rarity directly and hopefully finish this with a honourable magic duel. If Rarity creates too much trouble, see that the citizens are taken out of harms way. Princess Twilight…” he paused as he watched Princess Twilight walk away.

Turning to see that King Sombra, Nightmare Trixie, Zecora, and the guards had noticed her leaving, Princess Twilight lowered her head to the ground in shame. “…I’m afraid you’ll have to do the rest without me. It’s just…I can’t…”

Nightmare Trixie stepped forward. “Princess Twilight, please. The people of Everfree have already forgiven you for what you did as Eternal Twilight. You don’t have to be afraid.”

Princess Twilight sighed but smiled once more. “You’re right. As co-ruler of Everfree, I need to put my subjects before myself.” She glared at the center of Peaceville with determination burning in her eye. “Let’s do this.”

Before they could get any further, the sound of several sirens filled the air. They turned around to see Sweetie Belle charging toward them, wearing a pretty blue dress and with her horn flashing with blue and red magic.

“Halt! Who goes there?” Sweetie screamed at them.

“By the night, what has she done to you Sweetie?” Nightmare Trixie gasped.

Sweetie ignored her and jabbed a hoof at Princess Twilight. “Improperly dressed pony! By order of Princess Rarity, all princesses need to be pretty at all times!” A flash of magic from Sweetie’s horn hit Princess Twilight, forcing a pink and yellow dress onto her.

“Hey!” Princess Twilight protested. A flash of her own magic made the huge dress disappear. She glared at Sweetie and demanded, “What makes you think you throw magic about like that, especially against royalty? You’re in big trouble young lady!”

“Just doing my job ma’am!” Sweetie barked.

“What job?!” Nightmare Trixie exclaimed.

“Chief of the Fashion Police, ma’am!”

Before anyone could dignify that with a proper face palm, they were interrupted by a dramatic gasp. Nightmare Trixie turned around to see Rarity, being carried around in a golden chariot studded with gems. An exhausted Big Macintosh and Sunset Shimmer were pulling the chariot and they didn’t look happy about it.

“The king has come to visit me?” Rarity smiled. “What an honour! Please step right this way, Your Majesty. I can give you a little tour of my village. I’ve been doing such a splendid job keeping order within this town, why I daresay I make a spectacular princess!”

Rarity teleported next to King Sombra, her eyes glowing red and black as she giggled madly. “Well come now, out with it! Rarity knows why you are here! You have heard tales of Rarity’s beauty and stylistic flair with magic, and so you seek to marry her! I accept your proposal, King Sombra! Ooh, soon I will be the greatest Queen that Everfree has ever seen! Come! Let us travel to the Crystal Empire upon my finest chariot! Or, as everyone will soon be calling them, ‘Rariot’!”

King Sombra took several steps back from the grinning maniac and rolled his eyes. “That amulet has filled your head with such delusions of grandeur you can’t even see what is in front of you, Miss Rarity.”

Rarity gasped a second time and hissed at Nightmare Trixie. “You! What’s the matter darling? Exile too much for you? I see that you even dared to bother the king with your sob story. And what have you done to yourself darling?”

“We’ve come to challenge you to another duel Rarity!” Nightmare Trixie declared.

“And why would I agree to that?” Rarity sneered.

“If she wins you give us the Alicorn Amulet and free the citizens of Peaceville. If you win I’ll make you the Empress of the Crystal Empire,” King Sombra said.

Rarity’s eyes lit up at the thought of being royalty. “Deal! Come right this way darlings.” She quickly led them to the center of town.

Nightmare Trixie whispered to King Sombra, “Alicorn Amulet? What’s that?”

He explained, “The Alicorn Amulet is a magical artifact that increases the user’s magic greatly but at the risk of corrupting the user. And only the user could remove it,” he sighed. “I went searching for many artifacts just like it many years ago, when I was still a prince.”

“Corrupts the user, eh?” Nightmare Trixie frowned. “I knew something weird was going on! When she first came her, all she did was boast about her abilities. But now, it’s like she’s gone from high and mighty straight to pure evil!” Her eyes followed Rarity as she led them all to the Town Square. “You’re not really gonna make Rarity a queen, are you?” she whispered

“Of course not. I have faith that you will defeat her.” King Sombra whispered back as his eyes followed Rarity. “Forgive me for asking but, have I ever met this mare before? She looks familiar.”

“I don’t think she’s been to the Crystal Empire before. Anyway, wish me luck.” Nightmare Trixie took her place to begin the duel.

King Sombra and Princess Twilight looked around to see the damage that Rarity had done. Several terrified Peaceville citizens were in the Town Square, stuck inside of overly frilly dresses and suits. They were all glued to the ground with heaping amounts of sparkly glitter glue.

As soon as Sunset and Big Macintosh had finished dragged Rarity to the duel on her ‘Rariot’, she blasted Sunset with another bolt of magic, turning her back into a crystal statue.

Another flash teleported Sunset’s statue inside a large birdcage, where many of Nightmare and Trixie’s friends were trapped inside. Smiles slowly formed on their faces as they saw Nightmare Trixie.

“Yeah, Nightmare! Woohoo!” Mayor Derpy cheered from within the cage.

Nightmare Trixie waved to them, before taking a battle stance. Her eyes narrowed and her horn glowed with power as she faced Rarity.

“Stop right there!” Rarity ordered. “Do you really think my eye for detail could have missed your little fusion spell? I told you before, Rarity will only partake in one-on-one duels.”

Nightmare Trixie sighed and whispered, “Fine. I’m sorry about this Trixie.” The magical cloud that was Nightmare Moon poured out of Trixie’s body, slowly restoring her body to the way it was before the possession.

“Never let it be said that Rarity is not generous,” Rarity smirked and blasted the magical mist, giving Nightmare enough strength to regain her corporeal form.

Nightmare quickly inspected her own body. Rarity’s strength spell had indeed removed any trace of the agony curse she had been under. “Well…thanks Rarity, I guess.” She turned to face Trixie. “How are you feeling Trixie?”

Trixie wobbled and gave her a dizzy smile. “The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks her fans for being a wonderful audience. She will now retire to her trailer,” Trixie yawned collapsed onto the ground. “Trixie has faith in you Nightie…ooh nightie-night that sounds like…” Trixie closed her eyes and slowly drifted off into dreamland.

Princess Twilight levitated Trixie over to her and King Sombra. They joined the guards and Zecora with the rest of the crowd to watch the duel. Nightmare Moon charged her horn and got ready to fight.

“Let’s start with a simple species-switch spell, shall we?” Rarity smirked.

“Let’s. You went first last time. My turn now.” Nightmare looked into the crowd, searching for something to use to her advantage. She spotted two colts with glowing green eyes and smiled.

She levitated the two colts over and announced, “I will now turn these two ponies into dragons!” Nightmare cast her spell and engulfed the two colts in a cloud of magic. The smoke dispersed to reveal two young dragons.

Nightmare turned around, smirking triumphantly at Rarity. But her crazed opponent simply frowned at her.

“I am quite insulted by how much you underestimate me, Miss Moon,” Rarity scoffed. A red aura engulfed the two dragons and a flash of light changed the two of them into young changelings.

Nightmare gasped. “But…how? How did you figure out they were changelings so fast?”

Rarity sneered at her. “Please, darling. Your friend Trixie isn’t the only magician here. Rarity has always had an eye for finding elusive details and Rarity is an expert artiste! I know all about making my magic look more impressive than it actually is.”

She scowled at Nightmare as her eyes glowed red again. “But I assure you, my current level of magic is no deception!”

“Oh yes it is!” Nightmare shot back. “King Sombra told me about your Alicorn Amulet. You’re cheating!”

“Cheating? Moi? I’m offended by your accusation,” Rarity mocked her.

“Then prove I’m wrong. Take the amulet off,” Nightmare suggested slyly.

“Oh I think not, darling. I admit that this amulet is the gaudiest piece of jewelry I have ever seen. But in this case, function is better than form,” Rarity sneered at her.

“Well…if she’s going to cheat, then why should I hold back either?” Nightmare muttered to herself. “Still...this is gonna be really uncomfortable."

Even though Nightmare cringed at the thought of what she was about to do, her eyes burned with determination. Nightmare turned herself into a cloud of magic and forced herself into Rarity’s mouth this time.

Rarity coughed and sputtered, as her white coat slowly started to turn black. But quite suddenly, she spat the magical mist out and forced Nightmare Moon to change back into her corporeal form.

Smog’s jaw dropped. “What? I-I know that forcing the spell to work makes it tougher...b-but that should have worked!” he exclaimed.

“No. Oh no, this is bad,” Nightmare’s eyes widened in fear as she backed away from Rarity. “Stand back!” she ordered everyone in the crowd. “The amulet isn’t the only thing possessing her!”

Rarity chuckled. And laughed. Her laugh twisted and mutated until she was cackling evilly. “Hee, hee he. Ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha ha! Well now, I believe it's time we place ALL our cards on the table!”

Rarity's body lifted off the ground and hovered in midair as her white coat turned black, while her purple mane grew wavy, white streaks. Her mouth grew fangs while her eyes snapped open to reveal that they had become dark purple and draconic. “Well, well, well. It's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it?” the creature grinned hungrily.

“What is that?” A stunned Chrysalis asked.

“It can’t be!” Princess Twilight Sparkle shuddered. “That’s the same magic that possessed me! That’s Eternal Twilight!”

“Correct.” The creature floated over to Princess Twilight and brushed her face with a hoof. The princess flinched and shrunk away from her touch. “Did you miss me Princess Sparkle? I know I’ve missed you.”

Princess Twilight backed away, her eyes filling up with tears as she shivered in fear. “Rarity, please! You have to fight it! This isn’t you!”

“Rarity? You are right, Princess Sparkle. I’m not Rarity. I have evolved past the point of being simply rare, for I am truly a Wonder of the world now! No other is as unique as I! You may refer to me as…

“Eternity!”

Eternity turned toward Nightmare Moon and grinned hungrily. “Now to deal with you. I would offer you two to join me, had you not already refused to serve me. It doesn’t matter though. With Rarity’s magic and the power of the Alicorn Amulet fueling me, I have become UNSTOPPABLE!”

Eternity’s horn spat a huge beam of magic straight at Nightmare, who quickly flew out of the way.

“Come now, young Nightmare!” Eternity called out energetically. “I gave your friend a proper unicorn duel! It’s only fair I offer you a proper alicorn one!

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Nightmare grinned. In that moment, she looked like a five-year-old filly whose birthday had come early. “I have to admit…I’ve been dreaming of a moment like this my whole life!”

Nightmare flapped her wings and climbed higher into the air. Eternity’s form shimmered, as phantom-like black butterfly wings appeared on her back. She flew up to face Nightmare. The two charged their horns and sent colossal beams of magic blasting toward each other.

Eternity’s blast overpowered her own and sent Nightmare Moon flying across town. She crashed into the library and shook her head to recover from the dizziness. She gasped and teleported out of the way as a massive blast of magic soared toward her previous location and completely obliterated her home.

“My library!” Nightmare cried. She growled and took to the air once more, blasting at Eternity again.

As the two dark alicorns fought each other, King Sombra and Princess Twilight were taking advantage of the situation. With Eternity distracted, they began using their own magic to undo all the curses that Rarity had cast.

King Sombra got to work freeing the mayor and Nightmare’s friends from the birdcage. He was able to shrink Gilda's wing back to normal and free Sunset Shimmer from her crystal prison, but he was unable to reverse Rainbow’s transformation. Zecora and the guards got to work freeing the citizens glued to the ground. And Princess Twilight used her magic to free the colts and fillies from the mind-control curse.

Sweetie Belle rubbed her aching head as the fog faded from her mind. “What happened?”

“Quiet now Sweetie. It’s going to be okay,” Princess Twilight promised her. She pointed at a royal guard. “You there. Now that the other citizens are free, explain to these kids what’s going on.” She turned to King Sombra and spoke. “Sombra. If we’re going to beat Eternity, we need the Elements.”

“Well what do you need my permission for? Go!” he cried. She nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. A minute later, she returned with the chest that contained the Elements of Forgiveness.

“Um, hate to interrupt ya Princess,” Gilda started. “But how are we gonna use the Elements without Discord?”

She was right. While their combined magic had freed all the other Peaceville citizens, Discord was still trapped in stone. Princess Twilight’s horn glowed with magic as she tried to release him, but her horn’s aura sputtered and faded. “The spell is too strong!”

“It’s okay. If we can use the Elements, it should release him too,” King Sombra informed them. “Listen. I used the Elements all by myself when I fought Eternal Twilight. But the result wasn't perfect and I can’t live with the thought of the Elements failing me as they did before. We need to find somebody who can temporarily take Discord’s place as the Element of Freedom.”

“I can do it!” Rainbow shouted.

“No Rainbow, you’re still injured. I’ll take the Element,” Princess Twilight declared.

“No! I’ll do it!” They turned around to see Sweetie Belle, her eyes blazing with determination. “She’s my sister! I have to help her!”

King Sombra smiled. “Perfect. Someone who knows this Rarity. Someone who wants to set her free. To forgive her. To offer her a chance at redemption. You’ll do just fine.” His horn glowed red as he levitated the Element of Freedom onto Sweetie’s neck.

With most of the Elements accounted for Gilda turned to the snoozing Trixie. “Hey! Wake up!” Gilda screeched into Trixie’s ear.

Trixie woke up immediately and screamed, “Daddy, I don’t wanna stay on the rock farm!”

Gilda blinked at Trixie, who blushed at the non sequitur. “…Whatever. Here’s your Element. Now hurry up!” She said as she tossed Trixie the Element of Nobility.

As her friends grabbed the other Elements, Nightmare continued to battle Eternity.

To start with, Nightmare emitted a beam of blue light from her horn.

“Ooh! A light sword spell? I haven’t seen one of those in ages!” Eternity gleefully emitted a beam of purple light from her own horn and charged at Nightmare.

The two sword spells clashed and clanged against each other. Getting fed up with close combat, Nightmare flew away and charged her horn for a different spell.

Eternity launched a blast of purple energy at Nightmare. “Beam of Darkness!”

“Night Blast!” Nightmare roared as teleported away fired a huge blast of blue energy at Eternity.

“Jeweled Spin!” Eternity screamed as she summoned a miniature tornado around herself and slammed into Nightmare.

Nightmare recovered in midair and screamed, “Shadow Lance!” A spear of pure night formed and hurled itself at Eternity.

“Kiss of Oblivion!” Eternity roared as she summoned dark purple flames and surrounded Nightmare in a ring of fire. The fire closed in and almost crashed into Nightmare, but she dodged out of the way.

The alicorns continued to teleport and fly through the air, trading their most powerful spells. Meanwhile the Elements of Redemption, plus Sweetie, Smog, Rainbow, King Sombra, and Princess Twilight had finally caught up to the duelers on foot.

“Ah man!” Smog cried as he saw the library. “We just finished painting upstairs too!”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Discord can fix it up once we’re done here. Now gimme that thing!” She grabbed the Element of Power from him and flew up into the battle. She dodged one of Eternity’s curses and shouted, “Nightmare! We got the Elements!”

Nightmare quickly flew toward Gilda and grabbed the Element of Power, placing it on her head.

“No!” Eternity snarled. “I will NOT be defeated again!” she hungrily charged towards them as the elements glowed.

“I’ll save you Rarity!” Sweetie cried as the Element of Freedom sputtered, but slowly began to glow along with the other elements.

Eternity tried to shield herself, but was once more engulfed in the Elements’ power.

When the blinding light faded away, the Element bearers all groaned and slowly got to their feet. Sweetie quickly ran to her sister’s side and was relieved to see that she was back to normal. “Rarity!”

“...Sweetie?” Rarity whispered as the Alicorn Amulet unlatched and fell off her neck. Gilda quickly flew over and tossed the amulet to Zecora who locked it into a box that she had brought just for this occasion.

The very second Rarity was in control of herself she hugged Sweetie tightly. “Sweetie Belle…oh, Sweetie Belle I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay Rarity,” Sweetie sniffled, smiling happily even as her eyes watered.

“No it’s not. Sweetie I’m sorry. Big sister did something very bad. But she’s sorry. I won’t hurt you. I promise I’ll never hurt you. I’ll never allow myself to act like that again. I’m sorry Sweetie Belle. I’m so sorry…my dearest sister.”

Rarity and Sweetie both continued to embrace and apologize to each other. They sat there hugging each other for as long as the world would allow it.

Nightmare’s friends huddled up together. “Does anyone know what to do with her? We can’t send her to jail, that wouldn’t be fair to Sweetie,” Smog said.

“I say we seal her in one of those changeling cocoons!” Rainbow snarled. “Then drop her off at the Chaos Corner! Let Discord have a little fun with her!”

“You rang?” Discord said as he appeared next to them in a flash of light.

“Hey, you’re alright!” Gilda smiled.

“Oh ho, my little griffon! It takes more than that to keep the King of Chaos down! So, what was that about me having fun?” Discord gleefully asked.

Nightmare spoke up. “No guys. I know Rarity has been a huge pain in the neck, but she was being controlled by both the amulet and Eternity. We’re the Elements. If Rarity is ready to earn redemption then we have to give her a chance at forgiveness.”

King Sombra smiled, “Well said, Nightmare Moon.” He looked at Rarity and frowned in contemplation. “I swear I’ve seen her before. There are some differences but I swear, she looks almost exactly like Platinum…” His eyes widened.

“King Sombra?” He turned to his student and sighed. “Sorry, I’m fine Nightmare. It’s just…I need some time to think. Whatever you do to Platinum – I mean Rarity…I know you’ll help her.” With that King Sombra turned into a dark cloud and flew back to the Crystal Empire. The guards took that as a sign to return home.

Princess Twilight hesitantly looked at the town around her. She flinched as some of the ponies and changelings stared at her. In a flash of magic she teleported back home.

The Elements of Redemption surrounded Rarity. Rarity gave Sweetie another nuzzle and turned to face them. “There’s no easy way to say this. I treated you and your friends horribly when I was wearing that tacky amulet. Even though it corrupted me I’m the one who put it on in the first place. Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking. On top of being dangerous it was also the most hideous jewel I had ever…at any rate I’m afraid I must take some of the blame.

“My behavior towards the people of Peaceville was utterly deplorable. I humbly ask you for forgiveness and I will do whatever it takes to earn it.” Rarity sighed and sank to the ground in a deep bow.

One by one, Nightmare and all her friends smiled. Discord walked toward Rarity and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

He then summoned an apple pie and flung it right at her face.

“…I suppose I deserved that,” Rarity sighed as bits of apple dripped off her face.

“Not to worry Miss Rarity, I believe I can find it within my heart to forgive you…in a week or so,” Discord grinned mischievously. “But before that, you and I are going to have a fun time indeed.” Rarity shuddered as Discord chuckled with sinister glee.

“The road ahead of you isn’t an easy one Rarity,” Nightmare started.

Trixie offered Rarity her hoof. “But speaking on behalf of the Elements, Trixie can honestly say that we forgive you.”

Rarity sighed happily as the Peaceville citizens who had witnessed the whole event cheered.

“What are you going to do now sis?” Sweetie asked.

“Well Sweetie, I intend to live here from now on. I can look after you and work to repay my debt to society. Once I've cleaned up the town and I have apologized to everyone, perhaps I can do my magic shows here like Miss Trixie. Why, I could even work more with fashion! If I could just find an empty store to set up shop…display some of my dresses there and…”

As Rarity discussed her plans with her friends, Nightmare felt a chill run down her spine. She looked up to see dark purple mist floating over her head.

“Congratulations are in order for you, young Nightmare. You have defeated me a second time.”

“How are you still alive?” Nightmare whispered. Her friends didn’t seem to notice the mist.

“You may have weakened me, but I am no mere mortal. I am energy and conflict incarnate. I was merely dispelled and shredded into pieces by your Elements, just as before. But I cannot be defeated, and so I shall be victorious when the time comes.”

Nightmare smirked. “I see where this is going. Go ahead. Crawl back into the shadows you came from, creature. Even if you return, we’ll stop you again.”

“We’ll see. For just as friendship and forgiveness are magic…

“Conflict is Eternal.”

Nightmare calmly watched the mist vanish into thin air. She then walked over to join her friends in celebration.

And so, Rarity was reunited with Sweetie Belle and worked to become friends with the people of Peaceville. As another former enemy to the Elements of Forgiveness, Rainbow Dash volunteered to help Rarity overcome her inner demons.

Of course, the tomboyish pegasus and ladylike unicorn didn’t become the best of friends right away, but the tale of their growing friendship is a story for another time.

A Successful Sleepover

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

A Successful Sleepover

The tale of the growing friendship between the tomboyish pegasus and ladylike unicorn began with an invitation. Several weeks had passed since Eternity was defeated and since Rarity had decided to live in Peaceville from then on.

Smog yawned as he brought Nightmare Moon’s breakfast up into her study. “Morning Nightie. You missed breakfast again.”

“Sorry Smog,” Nightmare said, keeping her eyes on the ancient book in front of her. “Just put it to the side please.”

“What-cha reading there?” he asked as he put the plate down and crawled on top of her desk.

“The Research of Prince Sombra,” she said, flipping another page with her magic. “Rarity returned it to King Sombra and then he gave it to me. His notes describe some of the most powerful artifacts in Everfree history. Now that this book and the Alicorn Amulet have been recovered, he’s decided to continue the search for any other dangerous artifacts so that they won’t be misused. And he asked me to help!” she finished with a smile.

“Cool. So what have you found so far?”

“I already found the section on the Alicorn Amulet,” she said pointing to a picture of the amulet in the book. She flipped to a different page. “There’s also this bit here,” she pointed at a picture of four gold rings. “It describes four magical rings, starting with the Ring of Scorcherro which gives the user power over heat and fire. Then there’s the Ring of Absolute Zero, which gives someone power over ice and snow . Sadly, the print is kinda faded for the other two rings.”

“Probably something to do with earth and wind,” Smog said.

“Maybe,” Nightmare mused as she flipped to another page. “Ooh, this sounds interesting! A powerful stone spell book that instantly brings ideas to life! Hmm, the print’s faded a lot at the top.” She squinted at the top of the page where the artifact’s name should have been.

The both jumped as they heard a sudden explosion coming from outside.

“Bet you that’s Discord,” Smog said.

“Hey I was going to say that’s Discord!” Nightmare frowned.

“Too bad, I already guessed it,” Smog smirked at her before running down the stairs.

Nightmare grumbled, “Oh fine! In that case, I bet that’s Diamond’s Cutie Mark Destroyers!” She turned her body into mist and floated down the stairs.

“Bet you I’m right!” Smog called as he ran out of the library.

The mist turned back into Nightmare Moon’s corporeal body. “Bet you you’re not!” she shouted at him.

The two of them hurried across town until they came to a stop outside a large, odd-looking store that hadn't been there yesterday The building was pink and light blue and the whole thing looked like a cross between a clothing store and a merry-go-round.

“It's perfect!” They heard Rarity exclaim as she stared at the building with stars in her eyes. “It’s even more beautiful than I had imagined!”

“And here’s the best part!” They looked over to see Discord standing next to Rarity with a big grin. He summoned a small remote control and pressed a button on it.

Instantly, several mechanical horses similar to the one Rarity had previously used in her show appeared. The horses began to circle around the building in a counter-clockwise motion, adding to its carousel theme.

“It’s wonderful! Absolutely fabulous in every way!” Rarity squeed. “Oh, how can I ever repay you Discord?”

Discord grinned at her. “I believe you know the answer to that.” A blueberry pie appeared in his hand.

“I…oh.” Rarity gulped. “Oh, very well. You may fire when ready Mister Discord.” She cringed just before the pie smashed right into her face.

Discord burst out laughing. “Oh ho, that never gets old!” He snapped his fingers and a towel appeared over Rarity’s head. “Forgive me for acting so childishly, my dear.”

“N-no problem,” Rarity said with a very weak smile as she used the towel to wipe her face clean. “Setting up the Carousel of Wonders is worth getting a little m-messy.”

“Well, I’m afraid the pie was just part of the pleasantries. But you shouldn’t have any problem taking care of that other favour I asked of you, hmm?” Discord smiled hopefully.

Rarity sighed, “I admit that I’m not particularly looking forward to designing clothes for a ghastly Windigo, even if your pet is cuter than most. But at the same time, I’m a little excited to be designing the first ever ensemble for such a rare creature.” She smiled. "As soon as you can get me the measurements for little Polaris, I'll have your order ready in no time.”

“Oh there’s no rush my dear! Take your time. Enjoy your new establishment!” Discord snapped his fingers and summoned a bucket of tree sap. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find Diamond Tiara and her merry band.”

As Discord flew off, Rarity turned to face Nightmare and Smog.

“Oh Miss Moon, Mister Smog! Would you care to join me inside?” They followed Rarity inside and took in the interior of the store. Very fancy and colourful, for what used to be an old abandoned clothing store.

“Welcome to Carousel of Wonders! Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!” Rarity said.

Smog tilted his head to one side as he examined the place. “Pretty good for a slogan I’m guessing you just made up,” he muttered.

Nightmare smiled. “The place looks great. It’s nice to see that you and Discord have buried the hatchet.”

“Indeed,” Rarity nodded. “Though Discord may act rather childishly, he’s a rather polite and charming sort of fellow once one gets to know him. Now then, how can I help you today Miss Moon?”

“Oh, you can call me Nightmare if you want. I’m just checking up on you. Are you and Sweetie getting along?”

“We are doing wonderful thank you for asking. Why, just yesterday I crafted this gorgeous dress for Sweetie Belle. Did you know she is an aspiring actress?” Rarity smiled. “Oh, to think that my sister has dreams of becoming an artiste like moi! Well, perhaps not exactly like me. Sweetie Belle is her own person after all,” she amended. "And the best news is, I can finally spend more time with her!"

“You see darlings, the Carousel of Wonders is more than just a humble store. I had Discord set up some wonderful living accommodations on the second and third floors, so Sweetie Belle should be able to visit me whenever she feels like. On top of that, I should have clients coming in any day now with my boutique ready for business!

“So in conclusion, I am feeling positively fabulous!” Rarity smiled at them. “Oh, but enough about me. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yeah, can I use your bathroom real quick? Thanks, I can find it myself,” Smog said as he ran upstairs after Rarity gave him permission.

“Well…there is one thing. I’ll be right back,” Nightmare said as she flapped her wings and flew out of the store. A minute later, she carefully flew back into the store and levitated a wrinkled old dress out of the bag she brought. “My friends and I were invited to the Gala. With formal occasions such as the Gala, I usually wear my armor and a dress that goes with it. But this one has a little rip, so maybe you could fix it?”

Rarity gasped. “You’ve been invited to the Grand Galloping Gala? Oh, I’ve always wanted to attend! The society, the culture, the sophistication! The place where I could meet the stallion of my dreams!” Stars filled her eyes.

“Um, yes. Now about my dress?” Nightmare interrupted.

Rarity gasped again. “You’re going to the most high-class event in that old thing? I can't allow it! Oh please Nightmare Moon!” Rarity flung herself at Nightmare’s hooves. “Be my first customer! It will be a tremendous boost to my business, and I shall design the most glamorous and fabulous dress you have ever worn!”

The uneasy Nightmare slowly backed away from Rarity. “Er…thank you for the offer Rarity, but fixing my old dress will be enough.”

“Miss Moon I beg of you! I could create the most dazzling thing for you and I would be happy to give you a tremendous discount! Why, I could even create a new dress for Miss Gilda, Miss Sunset, Queen Chrysalis, and Miss Trixie. And suits for Mister Smog and Mister Discord too!”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Rarity, that’s very nice of you to offer but that’s far too much work! Besides, Gilda has a different body shape than a pony. Smog already has formal armor, and Discord could probably create a suit with a snap of his fingers…if he bothered to take the Gala seriously.”

“Please, Miss Moon!” Rarity begged. “Consider this part of me repaying you for my despicable behavior to you earlier. I know it’s horrible of me to ask that I be paid at all for my work after all I’ve done but-”

“Rarity calm down!” Nightmare interrupted. “You don’t need to keep beating yourself up about that. And I’ll be happy to pay full price for a new dress.” Nightmare smiled. “Friends help friends, right?”

Rarity beamed. “Oh, thank you so much dear Nightmare! You won't be disappointed! Now, if you could ask your friends to stop by sometime, just so that I can acquire their measurements that would be delightful.”

Nightmare’s ears twitched. “Hold that thought. Do you hear that?”

“Look out below!” Something called as it crashed right through the ceiling and into a heap of clothes.

Gilda sat up from the clothing pile she landed in, Rainbow Dash slipping off her back as she sat up. “Sorry about the mess.”

“Gilda!” Nightmare scolded her friend. “That was completely irresponsible! Someone could’ve been hurt!”

“Oh chillax Nightie,” Gilda said, sitting up. “I’ve had worse.”

“Plus we’ve been careful not to hit anyone,” Rainbow added. “Anyway, Gilda and I were trying to see if I could transfer my Sonic Rainboom to someone else when I'm flying. No progress yet but we’re getting there!”

“I would have to agree with Miss Moon, Miss Dash.” Rarity glared at Rainbow. “Do you know how long it’s going to take to get all that repaired? You’ve made a complete mess of my shop! I’ll have to reorganize all those fabrics!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I said sorry already. I don’t see how it’s my problem if I wrecked your frilly store. Actually I think a little mess could keep this place from being snores-ville.”

“Snore? Miss Dash, there is nothing boring about caring for one’s beauty. Why, you might actually look presentable if you put any care into your appearance.” Rarity sneered at her.

“What, you mean like when you forced that dress on me?”

“That was Eternity’s doing, not mine! But you can hardly blame her, or him, or whatever it was! Maybe it wouldn’t have attacked you if you bothered to put any effort into your looks!”

“Are you calling me ugly?”

“You said it, not I.” Rarity and Rainbow punctuated their argument with heated glares.

Nightmare got up to separate the two, but Gilda put a wing on her shoulder. “Hold on. I wanna see this. I bet ya Dash pounds Rarity into the floor," Gilda said with a sneaky grin.

But the fight never occurred. Smog walked back downstairs and brought their attention to him. “Oh good, Dash is here too. I just got an invitation from the princess for you and Rarity. And before you ask Nightie, yes I washed my claws.”

Nightmare nodded. “I know you did Smog. So what does the invitation say?” Smog unfurled the letter he had been holding and read out loud.

“Hear ye, hear ye. Her Majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle cordially invites the newly redeemed ponies Rainbow Dash and Rarity to attend a private slumber party to be hosted tonight within Her Majesty’s bedchambers at 5:00 o clock. Dinner will be provided. Her Majesty looks forward to seeing you.” He raised an eyebrow. “Private slumber party…eh, I’m sure she didn’t mean for that to sound odd.”

Rarity smiled wide. “The princess wishes to see me? I’ve performed my magic show in the Crystal Empire, of course. But I have never received the privilege to see the Crystal Castle on the inside! What a fabulous opportunity!”

“Eh, it might be cool to see the Crystal Castle.” Rainbow frowned at Rarity. “But there’s no way I’m going there with drama queen.”

“There’s one more thing,” Smog added. “According to this P.S, if you two go see Princess Twilight Sparkle, she will invite you two to the Gala.”

“Me, invited to the Grand Galloping Gala!” Rarity squealed with glee. “I’ve always wanted-”

“I heard you the first time,” Nightmare interrupted, frowning a little.

“The Gala?” Rainbow exclaimed. “The Shadowbolts always perform at the Gala every year!”

“Hey, yeah!” Gilda grinned. “Things will be twice as awesome if you and I can see the Shadowbolts together Dash! I can see it now…we grab their attention with the Super Sky Drop…”

“You follow up with the Brave Bird’s Blitz!” Rainbow continued.

“And we finish them off with the remastered Sonic Rainboom!”

“Awesome! I get to be buds with the princess! And if it means getting to see the Shadowbolts I’ll even put up with Miss Whiney here!” Rainbow smirked at the irritated Rarity.

“A private slumber party?” Nightmare asked. “Seems a little unusual for royalty to have a slumber party. Then again, maybe this will help Princess Twilight.” Her eyes widened as an idea popped into her head. “Hey, maybe while you’re having a sleepover, I can host my own sleepover! Smog, can you send out invitations?”

“Don’t worry about a thing Nightie. Your number one assistant has it covered! I’ll go talk to the rest of our friends on my way home.” Smog promised as he made his way to the door. He paused and glanced back at the letter. “Oh, one more thing. Dash, Rarity, a carriage will be outside the library to pick you two up in about an hour, so get ready.” Smog waved goodbye and went to go invite the other Elements.

Rarity turned to Nightmare Moon. “Oh, I hope you won’t mind terribly if I wait until tomorrow to work on your dresses? But perhaps after I see Her Majesty, I can browse through some of my favourite stores within the Crystal Empire. I should be able to find the perfect materials needed for your orders!”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Nightmare said. “And don’t worry, you’ve got plenty of time before the Gala. Just remember that my dress needs to match my armor. Something that carries the peace and coolness of night.” Nightmare sighed happily at the memories of some of her favourite starry nights.

“Dresses? What are you two talking about?” Gilda asked. Nightmare explained Rarity’s offer to them. “Oh. I’m not a big fan of dresses, but if you can get an idea of griffon formal wear, then yeah give me your best shot.”

“Ooh, what about mine?” Rainbow bounced a little in place. “As long as it’s not too frilly or lacy. Just make mine really cool. Make the whole thing as cool as me! Maybe even twenty percent-”

“And why would I make a dress for you?” Rarity interrupted her. “I’m repaying my debt to the Elements of Redemption, who saved me and my sister. Why should I help you?”

“I helped them take you down and you made me grow extra legs and wings with your freaky magic. It was quite traumatic.” Rainbow said with a smug grin.

“Fine, you get one too,” Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes. “At the very least, it should be an exciting challenge for me.”

Eventually they both got on the carriage waiting for them and flew to the Crystal Empire. They remained stoic and silent during the entire ride, frowning at each other. But when they saw the Crystal City they both smiled and marveled at how majestic everything looked. Crystal spires spread out everywhere through the beautiful city. The carriage sped on before they could get a better look and in no time at all, they had arrived at the Crystal Castle.

“Whoa, look at the size of this place!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened as she took in the interior of the castle. “Oh my gosh, this is awesome!”

Rarity squeed happily, “Not even my wildest of dreams could do this castle justice! Oh, can’t you just feel the sophistication? The power radiating out of every crystal around you?”

“Ah, you’ve arrived!” A member of the royal guard stepped forward to greet them in the entrance hall. Strangely, she wore much darker armor than the other guards.

The dark blue alicorn smiled at them. “Miss Dash, Miss Rarity. Welcome to the Crystal Empire. I’m Captain Luna, Captain of the Royal Guard.”

“Whoa!” Rainbow exclaimed, staring at Luna. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!”

“Um, are you okay Miss Dash?” Luna asked with some concern as Rainbow bounced in place, her wings flapping in excitement.

“You’re Luna! The alicorn Shadowbolt! The greatest Shadowbolt in history!” Rainbow squealed happily.

Luna blushed and chuckled. “Always nice to meet a fan. But I’m afraid I’m only a reserve member of the Shadowbolts these days. The Shadowbolts have had many great members over the years and they all deserve a chance to shine. If I participated in every show they had, I’d unintentionally take up all the spotlight just for being an alicorn.”

“Oh my gosh! You’re awesome and humble!” Rainbow grinned. “Ooh, ooh! Wait right here! I’ve got all sorts of stuff I’d like you to autograph!” She made to dash out of the palace and straight back to Peaceville.

“Perhaps another time Miss Dash,” Luna said as she gently pulled Rainbow back with her magic. Luna glanced at Rarity, who was buzzing with energy and trying desperately to restrain her own inner fan girl. “One excited fan at a time please. We don’t want to keep Princess Twilight waiting.”

Luna took their luggage in her magic and led them to the tower where Princess Twilight’s bedroom was located. But as they climbed the stairs to the upper levels of the castle tower, they stumbled across something on their way.

“Oh not again,” Luna grumbled. Lying in front of them was a sleeping King Sombra, curled up in the middle of the spiral staircase. Luna frowned and nudged the king with a hoof.

King Sombra grumbled and tried to swat her hoof away. They could just barely hear him whispering in his sleep. “What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs and makes a slinkity sound? A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Everyone knows its Slinky!”

“WAKE UP!” Luna shouted, her voice blasting out in all directions.

King Sombra immediately jumped awake. “What? What I…oh, it’s just you Luna,” he yawned. “Forgive me, I wasn’t feeling well and my sleeping chambers were just too far away.”

“That quite alright, Your Majesty.” She bowed and then pointed to Rainbow and Rarity. “These two citizens are the Ladies Rarity and Rainbow Dash. They are here for Princess Twilight’s slumber party.”

They both bowed to King Sombra. “Y-your Majesty, it is such an honour,” Rarity reverently whispered.

“That’s nice,” King Sombra yawned. His nose twitched and suddenly sneezed.

“Bless you,” the three mares chorused politely.

The king sniffed. “Thanks. I think I might’ve caught a cold. Pardon me, but my bedchamber summons me.”

Before he could leave, Luna levitated a slinky off the stairs and towards him. “Don’t forget your ‘teddy bear’, Your Majesty.”

King Sombra glared at Luna’s teasing, smug smirk. He grabbed the slinky in his own magic. A faint flash was seen as something was summoned into the area, and an abacus was floated towards Luna.

“Thank you Captain Luna. And I hope you do not forget your own ‘teddy bear’,” he said with a smug grin.

Luna’s eyes widened. “Abby?” She grabbed the abacus in her magic and gave King Sombra a scowl, before reluctantly muttering, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

As King Sombra went to his bedroom, Luna spotted another item that had been on the stairs. She shrugged and picked up the spike-covered, stone book with her telekinesis.

At long last, Luna had brought them to Princess Twilight’s chambers. They knocked on the door and it opened to reveal the princess.

She was wearing a simple gold crown and small gold shoes over her hooves. Other than that, she looked the same as the Elements of Redemption had described her. Princess Twilight looked up from the book she was still reading and smiled.

“Perfect! You have arrived here, to this place! Your journey was safe! I am very happy that Miss Rarity and Miss Dash got here on time, and that makes me happy!”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Princess Twilight’s complete failure at talking like a normal person. Rarity looked a little uneasy at the awkward speech, but still smiled.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle! It is a honour and privilege to finally meet you, Your Majesty.” Rarity bowed low and Rainbow quickly followed suit.

“Yes!” Princess Twilight looked at a clock and nodded. “You two are the perfect slumber party guests! You arrived right on time and…um, you are very punctual and I like that.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Are you feeling alright, Your Majesty? I only ask because…well nobody talks like that. If you could just speak normally, I’m sure you would make others feel more comfortable.”

Princess Twilight blinked in shock. She frowned at Luna, who was trying hide a mischievous smile. “Luna! You tricked me again!”

Luna giggled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Majesty.” Her giggles faded a little, and she brought up the stone book still held in her magic. “Before I forget, I believe that King Sombra intended to give you this book Princess Twilight, but he must have forgotten to.”

Princess Twilight took the book and thanked Luna. Rainbow glanced at Rarity and noticed that she was frowning at the book for some reason. Rarity shook her head, and the fear and anger in her eyes faded. After that, Luna carried their suitcases into the room with her magic before Princess Twilight dismissed her.

Rainbow and Rarity followed Princess Twilight into her room. The bedroom walls and floors were decorated in light purple, with most of the walls covered up by bookcases with hundreds of books. There was a grand fireplace, a desk filled with royal documents and more books, and a queen sized purple bed on the far wall. Smaller blue beds were placed next to the purple bed, most likely for the purposes of the sleepover.

“Ooh, I love the theme! It matches your coat, Your Majesty!” Rarity gushed as she took in everything around her. “Oh, thank you for much for inviting us Princess Twilight Sparkle! We are most grateful for your invitation to a…slumber party was it?”

“Um, yes that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Princess Twilight said as she sat up on her bed and looked at her two guests. “As you must have seen, I’m not great when it comes to social interactions and making friends. This slumber party is meant to be an experiment to see if I can be a more welcoming and friendly ruler to the people of Everfree, and well…I could really use some friends.”

“Hey, no problem!” Rainbow smiled. “We’re happy to help ya princess. Um…not that I’m not happy you called us, because I am glad you called us…just why did you ask me and her to this slumber party? I figured you might ask Nightmare Moon, since she’s your pen pal or something.”

Princess Twilight sighed. “I invited you two because all three of us have shared experience, even if it that experience involves attacking the Element of Redemption and deeply regretting some of our actions.” Rainbow and Rarity both winced but sighed and nodded. “I think...this will be good for all of us…uh, not that I’m trying to offend you or anything, I’m not!”

“We understand perfectly, Your Majesty,” Rarity said.

“What she said,” Rainbow added. “Besides, it’s only natural that an awesome princess like you would want to be friends with the most awesome pegasus in Everfree. Of course, if you want to be friends you need an awesome nickname. Like me and Gilda!”

“Oh, yes that would wonderful!” Princess Twilight smiled. “And if we’re gonna be friends you don’t have to call me princess every time. Twilight Sparkle is fine!”

“Awesome! I’ll be RD and you can be TS!” Rainbow Dash held up her front hoof for a high-five. Twilight Sparkle smiled, turned around and gave an awkward high-five with her back hoof.

“Um, I believe I shall refrain from the use of nicknames, Your Majesty,” Rarity said. At Twilight Sparkle’s hurt look she added “However, if it will make you more comfortable I shall refer to you as Twilight.”

“Thank you both so much!” Twilight pulled all of them into an awkward hug before releasing them and pulling a book away from her desk with her magic. “Now we can get started! This is Slumber 101, for ponies…sorry, people who don’t have a proper guide for slumber parties. It’s a fantastic reference guide! You two should see the table of contents! Oh, but you two haven’t even eaten dinner yet! Don’t worry; some of the castle servants should have it ready in the dining hall at any moment.

Rarity and Rainbow both gave uneasy smiles. “Yikes, never knew TS was such an egghead,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. “No wonder she and Nightmare Moon get along.” As a castle servant opened the door to inform them that dinner was served, Rainbow wondered what Gilda was doing.

Meanwhile back in Nightmare Moon’s library, Gilda and her friends were sitting inside listening to Nightmare explain how she was inspired by Princess Twilight to have a slumber party too. “Just think! It’ll be the first sleepover I have with you guys!”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea!” Trixie grinned. “Just you wait! The Great and Powerful Trixie will tell the most Ghastly and Horrifying Ghost stories you have ever heard!”

“Oh, I do believe I can tell some ghost stories that will definitely top yours,” Discord smirked at Trixie.

“Okay, allow me to address the dragons in the room,” A mildly irritated Sunset Shimmer said. “Slumber parties are more of one-gender only kind of thing. Since the girls and I outnumber you guys five-to-two, I’m gonna have to kick you out.”

Nightmare wrapped a hoof around Smog and frowned at Sunset. “That doesn’t sound fair. Why can’t the boys join us?”

Sunset’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right? I just said slumber parties are-”

“I believe that’s Nightie’s catchphrase,” Discord interrupted.

Chrysalis, who spent most of her life sleeping in the same hive as numerous changelings, was also confused. “What’s the problem?"

"Is it the sleeping arrangements?" Smog asked. "I'm pretty sure there's enough sleeping bags for all of us."

"Oh. Okay then." Sunset weakly chuckled. "I was worried for a second that some of us would have to share a bed or something."

Chrysalis smiled. "I’m sure they'll be enough space for all of us. And I'm sure that Discord and Smog would like to join us for ghost stories, s’mores, makeovers, pillow fights, and…”

“Makeovers? No way, I’m out!” Gilda said as she got up to fly out of the library.

“Right behind you!” Smog said as he hurried out too.

“Wait! We don’t have to do makeovers!” Nightmare cried. “Come on guys, we all have to be here for this. This is more than just a sleepover!”

Seeing that they weren’t coming back, Discord helpfully snapped his fingers and Gilda and Smog were both teleported back into the library. Reluctantly, they sat back down and focused their attention of Nightmare.

Nightmare looked around at all her friends and smiled. “Guys, tonight is the anniversary of the day I met all of you! We’ve been friends for exactly three months!”

“Exactly three months? Goodness, how time flies when you’re having fun!” Discord said. “However, I should point out that you’re a little behind schedule Nightie.” He snapped his fingers and a calendar appeared in the grip of his tail. His tail stretched out and dropped the calendar onto the table and pointed at the date.

“Thank you Discord,” Nightmare growled as she batted his tail away from the table with her magic. “For pointing that out. So, maybe we’re a day or two late. To be fair, I’ve been a little behind with my studies because of all the insanity that happens in this town.”

Gilda shrugged. “Eh, what’s a few extra days between pals? So, we’re just here to celebrate our anniversary or whatever?”

“It’s more than that,” Nightmare explained. “What I hope to accomplish is that once a week we all get together and talk about what’s new in our lives.”

“We just hang out?” Gilda raised an eyebrow. “Nightie, we already hang out plenty.”

“Not exactly.” Nightmare sighed and took a sip of her drink. “Since Smog and I have arrived here, we have faced Eternal Twilight, a Windigo herd, a greedy dragon, and Eternity’s revenge.”

“Don’t forget Attack of the Derpy clones!” Discord added.

“That too. My point is, if we are to be friends and not just allies in battle, we need to find time for ourselves whenever we’re not fighting evil.”

“Oh. I think I get it now!” Gilda smiled. “So once a week, doesn’t matter what day, we all meet up and just hang out whenever we’re not out kicking evil butt?”

“Yes,” Nightmare smiled. “None of us have any big plans today and Peaceville is safe. So if there is anything new going on in your personal life, please share with us!” She leaned forward with an excited grin, waiting for someone to begin sharing.

Nobody said anything for a while before Trixie cleared her throat and spoke up, “Prepare to have your minds blown away! For the Great and Powerful Trixie ventured deep into the Equestria forest just yesterday and faced a mighty hydra!”

“Oh yeah, Angle told me he saw you there,” Chrysalis smiled. “Good thing that hydra was asleep.”

Trixie frowned at her. “Chrysalis, why must you destroy Trixie’s joy?”

“But…but I all I said was-”

“One would expect a changeling to go along with a deception meant to entertain, but nooooo!” Trixie huffed. “Well there goes Trixie’s story. What of you, feathered friends?”

Gilda smirked. “Well me and Dash have been practicing whenever we can to win the Best Young Fliers competition. They won’t know what hit them! Especially with all the extra time we got!”

“Extra time?” Sunset asked as she sipped her drink.

“Yeah.” Gilda’s smile faded. “Bad news is, we only got that extra time because the competition had to be moved to another day while Cloudsdale is being repaired.”

“Repaired? Did something happen to Cloudsdale?” Nightmare gasped.

"You didn't hear about that?" Gilda growled, “Spike. On his way to the Crystal Empire, apparently he flew right through Cloudsdale and didn’t even notice his wings ripping apart the city! Nobody was hurt but it’s gonna take them weeks to put all the cloud houses back the way they’re supposed to be!”

Discord laid a paw on Gilda’s wing. “I am truly sorry to hear that. Cotton candy?” He snapped his fingers and a rainbow coloured cloud appeared over their heads.

“Thanks.” Gilda gave him a weak, but appreciative smile and flew up to take a bite out of the conjured snack.

Sunset cleared her throat and spoke next. “Well, Apple Bloom is staying at my farm now. You see, Big Macintosh is delivering a tree to some middle-of-nowhere town called Apple-something, so he asked me to babysit. And Diamond and her new friends have been stopping by to visit her. Well, that and to try and lose their marks.” She took a sip of her drink and sighed. "Honestly, I didn’t expect Silver Spoon and Snips to get into the green crystals,” she muttered.

Discord chuckled. “My dear Sunny, with a name like the Cutie Mark Destroyers, what were you expecting?”

Sunset sighed, “Yeah, yeah.” She took another sip of her drink and looked down at it. “Is it me, or does this lemonade taste funny?”

“That would be the ice,” Chrysalis said. “Discord’s pet Windigo made the ice cubes. That’s why I haven’t touched mine.”

“Aw. I thought you two were getting along,” Discord said, looking at her sadly.

“Oh no, we are getting along,” Chrysalis assured him. “It’s nothing personal it’s just that…he still creeps me out a little.”

“…Is that it? Anything else to add?” Nightmare asked hopefully.

Sunset shrugged. “That’s all I got.”

Nightmare sighed when nobody else spoke up. “That’s okay,” she smiled again. “Maybe we don’t have to share everything about our lives just now. Let’s just enjoy each others company.”

She was about to take another sip of the lemonade when she perked up. “Oh wait a second! There is one thing I forgot to tell the rest of you! I got a commission from Rarity earlier. She's gonna be making us dresses and suits for the Gala! We just need to give her our measurements at some point.”

“Really now?” Sunset smiled. “Cool. That dress she made me before looked pretty good.”

“I thought that was Eternity who made it?” Smog said.

Sunset shrugged. “Eh, details.”

“Rarity’s making us outfits for the Gala? Oh my, that’s very noble of her,” Chrysalis smiled.

“HOLD IT!” Trixie yelled. “What do you mean we’re letting Rarity design our attire? And after everything she did?” she scowled. “I thought we all agreed that Trixie would be the chooser of our Gala outfits?”

Nightmare frowned. “Trixie, Rarity’s a nicer person now, you know that. And she’s also the best seamstress we know.”

Trixie’s winced, tiny bits of fear leaking into her eyes. “The b…the b-best?” she stuttered. Her frown suddenly returned in full force. “No! You are all Trixie’s friends and Trixie promised that she would make your Gala outfits! After all, there is no greater magician, no greater artist than the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“Are you sure?” Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow. “Dressmaking isn’t really your thing.”

“Bah! It is a form of art and therefore Trixie knows how to do it!” Trixie boasted. “You will all see!”

Throughout the night, the conversation spiraled out into other topics. But although Trixie still cheerfully talked with her friends, every twenty minutes or so her thoughts would drift back to Rarity. “They will see,” she’d mutter. “Trixie will prove she’s the best. Trixie…Trixie won’t be forgotten.”

A thorny root snaked its way through one of the library windows and poked Trixie in the back. She swatted the pesky thorn away, and began to design the dresses she would make in her head.

Back in the Crystal Castle, dinner was finished. Rarity followed Princess Twilight but Rainbow had to excuse herself to use the royal restroom. Unfortunately, after she was finished Rainbow was having difficulty locating Princess Twilight’s bedroom again.

“Hello! Princess Twilight? TS?” Rainbow called out. “You guys in here?” she said as she opened a door.

The room she looked into was most definitely not Princess Twilight’s bedroom. The huge room was filled up with gold pieces, crystals, books, and dozens of gems. And lying on top of the treasure bed was a familiar face.

“What do you think you are doing here?”

Rainbow gulped at the sight of the great dragon Spike. “Hey! You’re the dragon who kidnapped all those kids!” She stomped the ground and prepared to attack him.

“As I recall, the youngling Garble was the one who brought those children to me. And yet you appear to place all the blame on me.”

“Y-yeah? W-well, you knocked over all those cloud building in Cloudsdale!” she shot back.

“An honest mistake. I had no quarrel with that pegasus city. Just as you should have no quarrel with the insects that smash into your face as you fly over the mountains.”

“Hey! We’re not bugs!” Rainbow cried.

“I never said you were, pegasus. For the matter, why do you seek to quarrel with me?”

As Spike slowly sat up from his treasure bed, Rainbow took a step back. “I-I’m not scared of you!” The dragon moved closer to her, stalking his prey.

“Do not lie to me. I can smell your fear, pegasus. I bested your Elements of Redemption. I instilled terror in the hearts of creatures everywhere.

“I am King of the Dragons.”

“Spike that’s enough!” Princess Sparkle ordered, as she barged into the room “I’m so sorry RD. Spike, apologize to Miss Rainbow Dash.”

“But Sparky, that rainbow one kicked me.”

“No I didn’t!” Rainbow cried. “Princess Twilight, what’s he doing here? I mean he kidnapped those kids, fought me and my friends, and knocked over Cloudsdale!”

Princess Twilight sighed. “Two of those events you listed were accidents. As for the rest…I understand that Spike has made a few mistakes. But then again, so have we. I’ve allowed Spike to live here in the castle with me as my number one assistant.”

Rainbow was about to scream out her frustration at that idea, when something distracted her. “Um…TS? Why do you have mud on your face?”

At that moment, Rarity walked into the room too, her own face covered in mud. “Miss Dash, this is a mud mask,” Rarity explained. “It’s to-”

“To refresh and rejuvenate one's complexion.”

Rarity took a step back at the sight of Spike. Her eyes sparkled as she eyed the jewels and treasures that made up his nest. She smiled and said, “Oh, forgive us great dragon Spike. Princess Twilight was just telling me about you and I couldn’t possibly head home without mentioning what handsome scales you have!”

“You flatter me, unicorn.”

“Oh, it is such a privilege to meet a legend such as yourself Sir Spike,” Rarity cooed as she edged closer to the treasure, her eyes locked onto a big diamond. “And you understand the purpose of a mud mask too! It really is refreshing to meet a stallion…pardon me, I mean dragon…who appreciates the difficulties a lady must endure to make herself dazzle!”

“Oh, I believe you dazzle already. That mud mask is nothing more than an unnecessary blemish on your beauty. As for you Sparky, forgive me but there are no other words for it. You look very foolish.”

Rarity blushed at Spike’s compliment. Princess Twilight let out a sheepish chuckle and made the mud masks vanish with a quick spell. She cleared her throat and levitated a glowing purple amulet toward the dragon. “Spike, if you could make yourself a little smaller for our guests?”

“I despise that charm you made Sparky.”

But at her pleading look, Spike grumbled and allowed the amulet to lower onto his head. The magical amulet activated and the humongous Spike shrank down until he was closer to Garble’s height. Still taller than ponies, but not as terrifying as before.

“Ha! Not so tough now, are ya?” Rainbow Dash sneered at Spike.

Spike sneered right back. “All I need do is remove this amulet and the magic suppressing my growth will be gone. But I wouldn’t do that, seeing as how regaining my size alone would squash you all against the walls.”

Rainbow seemed to understand that fact perfectly, and edged away from Spike as he lazily fingered the amulet. He glanced over to Rarity and Princess Twilight. She was grabbing a necklace away from the sheepish Rarity with her magic and sticking it back into his hoard where it belonged. “…Sparky a moment please,” he said.

Spike led Princess Twilight across the hall, where her bedroom was. Seeing how close her original goal was, Rainbow flew into the bedroom too, followed by Rarity. Spike continued into Princess Twilight’s private bathroom connected to her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

“Yes Spike?” the princess asked.

“I desire the unicorn for my hoard.”

“What? Spike no! We talked about this. You can’t kidnap anybody, they’re not possessions!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Very well. How about, I desire the unicorn to be my friend?”

“Oh. Well that’s different. Of course you can be Rarity’s friend,” Princess Twilight smiled. “But uh…be careful that you don’t say anything that might offend her. Uh, not that you would but…”

Spike smirked and rubbed his knuckles against his chest. “She seemed quite polite. I believe the situation shall only require a bit of dragon charm.” At Princess Twilight’s unamused glare, he chuckled. “Very well. How do you propose I befriend her then?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out myself. I don’t have the best experience when it comes to making friends. Just be nice to her and it should work out.”

The two of them walked back out of the bathroom. They both sat down on some cushions in Princess Twilight’s bedroom.

“Sorry girls, I hope you don’t mind if Spike joins us.” Not wanting to upset the princess and lose their chances of attending the Gala, the other two ponies remained silent.

Princess Twilight picked up the sleepover book in her magic and flipped to a different page. “Makeovers, check. Ooh, it’s time for ghost stories! This will be fun!” she clapped her hooves together in excitement.

Rainbow’s mischievous grin would have made Discord proud. “I’ve got a story for you. The legend of the Headless Horse…”

Not too far away from Princess Twilight’s room, King Sombra was gently pushed into bed. “Hey…hey Garble…where’s the tissue?” The king’s eyes were puffy and unfocused and his face was a little green. Garble handed him a tissue and then tossed it away after King Sombra had finished blowing his nose. “Thanks Garble. You’re a great friend, you know why you’re great? It’s ‘cause…‘cause you’re great.”

“Yikes, that cold is really doing a number on you. Why don’t you just rest a little, and I’ll be back with some crystals. Okay?” Garble said as he drew the blanket over the delirious king.

“Wait no I gotta…give Nightmare Moon that book…it’s a spikey, stone book with a very powerful spell! It…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find this stone book and send it to her,” Garble promised him.

Two high-pitched screams came from down the hall. King Sombra blinked sleepily, and then decided it wasn’t worth his time. “Tell Sparky to keep her slumber party down…and don’t touch my crystals,” he hissed as sleep overpowered him.

Back in Princess Twilight’s room, Rarity and the princess were both shivering with fear at the conclusion of Rainbow Dash’s ghost story. Rainbow was chuckling at their expressions. So was Spike, but he was trying to be discreet about it.

“Ha! The Headless Horse story always manages to freak someone out!” Rainbow smirked at Rarity.

“Wait. How could a headless horse eat anyone?” The now calm Princess Twilight asked. Rainbow shrugged in response. “Well, I guess it’s just a silly ghost story. Anyway, now that we’re done with that, it’s time for s’mores! Spike, do you remember where I put the necessary snacks?”

“It appears as if the servants forgot to bring food,” Spike said as he quickly licked his crumb-stained lips and discreetly kicked an empty bag under the bed.

The clueless princess sighed. “Aw, I was looking forward to those. I guess the next item on the list is Truth or Dare.”

“Excellent. I presume we all know the rules. I’ll go first,” Spike said as he brought out an empty bottle, spun it, and pressed his claw down to make the bottle stop on Rarity. “Truth or Dare, Miss Rarity? Do you find dragons attractive?”

“Spike that’s not how it works,” Princess Twilight scolded him.

“It’s quite all right Twilight,” Rarity said, still trying to be the best of friends with royalty. “Truthfully, in my travels across Everfree promoting both my magic show and my fashion line, I have come across a few teenage dragons who could be charming, whenever they weren’t greedy. So yes, I do find dragons attractive, though I find stallions to be more to my liking. However, if I met a dragon generous enough to allow me to look after his jewels for him, well…” Rarity hinted and sheepishly giggled a little.

Rarity caught Rainbow rolling her eyes at her and quickly grabbed the bottle. “My turn.” She spun the bottle around and forced it to stop on Rainbow. “Truth or Dare?”

“Dare!” Rainbow exclaimed, ready for action. “Come on! I can do any dare you can dish out!”

Rarity grinned. “I dare you to play dress-up in a frilly, glittery, lacy dress.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened in fear. “Truth!”

“I’m afraid that’s against the rules RD.” Princess Twilight smiled apologetically.

“Twilight is quite correct. If you can’t play by the rules, you lose the game.” Rarity smirked evilly at Rainbow.

“Fine,” Rainbow growled. “But where am I supposed to-”

Rarity’s horn sparked and a dress flew out of the luggage she had brought for the slumber party. “A magician is always prepared darling.”

Rainbow gulped. The dress was one of the pink-est, frilliest things she had ever seen, even worse than the one she was forced to wear before. Even Twilight winced at the sight of it and she was a princess. But there was no way Rainbow Dash was about to lose anything. She summoned up her courage and (with difficulty) put on the dress.

“Ugh. Whenever you get around to making my dress for the Gala, it had better be a lot cooler than this. I can barely move!” Rainbow struggled with the dress’s huge skirt.

“Wow! Rarity, you’re planning on making RD a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala?” Princess Twilight asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah. Me and Gilda and all her friends too,” Rainbow answered.

“That’s wonderful! I’m definitely giving you two your tickets the first thing in the morning!” Princess Twilight beamed, levitating two golden tickets in her magic and setting them on her desk.

“Thanks TS! You’re so awesome!” Rainbow said, eyeing the tickets. She then gave a nasty grin to Rarity and pointed the bottle at her, not even bothering to fake a spin. “I think it’s only fair that you do a dare as well.”

“What? But we’re supposed to choose-”

Unfortunately for Rarity, Rainbow wouldn’t be interrupted. “I dare you to play dress up too…”

Rarity smiled. “Oh well that’s no problem at all. I accept your dare.”

“…With both Captain Luna’s clothes and King Sombra’s clothes,” Rainbow finished with a sneaky grin.

Both Rarity and Princess Twilight stared at Rainbow in shocked confusion. “What?”

“Simple. Sneak into Captain Luna’s bedroom and try on her clothes. It can be her boots, her guard uniform, a dress or whatever. Then, sneak into the king’s bedroom and wear his crown or his cape. Then come back here and show us what you look like. Then when the game is over, put all the stuff back. That way you haven’t stolen from royalty, just borrowed from it. And try to bring back as much as you can,” Rainbow finished, a triumphant grin on her face.

Rarity stuttered, “What? Princess Twilight you can’t expect me to-”

“You have to do it,” Princess Twilight said. “It’s the rule.”

Rarity paled. “I…if that’s what you t-two want.” Princess Twilight gave her directions to Luna’s room and Rarity stood up and ran at a mad dash, hoping to get the dare over with as soon as possible.

She poked her head into the room. Despite the light flooding in, the room was unnaturally dark. But she could still make out most of the details. Surprisingly, the bedroom was well furnished. It actually resembled Princess Twilight’s room more than any royal guard’s room. Then again, Captain Luna was no ordinary guard.

Rarity spotted the closet and quietly crept towards. But before she could reach it, she felt herself engulfed in dark blue magic and slammed into the wall, then the floor. A heavy hoof stomped onto her chest, pinning her down.

“HALT! Who dares to…Miss Rarity?” A confused Captain Luna stared down at her.

“F-forgive me Captain Luna,” Rarity fearfully squeaked. She quickly explained about the Truth or Dare game, and about Twilight’s insistence that she complete the dare.

“Oh, is that all?” Luna smiled. “Sure, help yourself.” She let go of Rarity and went to open her closet.

“W-what?”

“Here!” A dark blue dress was thrown towards her. “This looks like it’s in your size. Oh, and you just have to try it with these shoes!” Luna giggled and levitated over four shiny silver boots.

At Luna’s encouragement, Rarity slipped on the dress and boots. “Aw, you look so cute!” Luna giggled and bounced in place. “It reminds me of when Moony was a filly!”

Rarity wondered if anyone else could see her white coat turn beet red.

“Come on! Dare’s not done yet!” Luna pulled the furiously blushing Rarity with her magic and began bouncing to King Sombra’s room, giggling like a lunatic.

“T-this really isn’t necessary Captain Luna!” Rarity cried. “I can walk there by myself!”

“You’re not getting off the hook that easy!” Luna sang.

“P-please Captain Luna! This behavior it’s…it’s uncouth! Uh, it’s unladylike! It-It’s unbefitting of a royal guard! W-what would King Sombra think?”

“Oh, we won’t get in trouble!” Luna grinned. “We’re just following Princess Twilight’s orders! Besides, everyone knows that I’m a little crazy, off my rocker…LOOOONY!” she laughed.

“Now get in there, you lucky girl!” And with that, Luna tossed Rarity inside King Sombra’s room and closed the door behind her.

Rarity gulped and slowly inched into the room, ignoring the hysterical laughter outside. More than anything, she just wanted to get the embarrassing dare over with. As luck would have it, there was a small silver crown resting on an end table not too far away from her.

Rarity crept towards the crown. It would be simple to grab the crown, place it on her head, and return to Twilight and Rainbow. Yes it would have been simple…any other night. That night, King Sombra was in bed early with a terrible cold

Her hoofsteps creaked against the floor and King Sombra instantly bolted up awake. “What? Where? Who goes there?!”

Rarity had no time to react or explain the situation before the frantic and confused king blasted her with magic. She gasped as her eyes turned green and red.

She opened her eyes to find that she was suddenly in a very different part of the castle. She found herself garbed in rich violet robes with a platinum crown on her head.

“Platinum! Platinum, please wait!” She turned around to see a much younger Sombra run towards her, wearing a blue cape instead of a red one and with a much smaller crown. Rarity was startled to see that the young Sombra was…crying?

She wanted to ask what was wrong, but for some reason the question wasn’t coming. Her mouth twisted into a scowl. “What are you doing here?”

Sombra stopped, his ears folding down. “Platinum…please, just tell me what’s wrong!”

“What’s wrong?” Rarity…or Platinum snorted. “What’s wrong is that you’re a complete failure! Everything you’ve ever done is just one mistake after the last!”

“P-please Platinum, I beg of you!” Sombra cried. “I know I’ve made some mistakes but just give me another chance!”

“You don’t deserve a chance! You don’t deserve this kingdom! You don’t even deserve your magic!” Platinum snarled and blasted Sombra with a curse. His horn vanished out of existence.

“No! Platinum, don’t do this!”

Platinum laughed at him. It was a haughty and cruel laugh. It twisted and morphed into a different sort of laughter. Platinum’s white body darkened as wings sprouted from her back, her eyes turning dark and draconic.

"No..." Sombra cried.

“Sombra…” Eternal Twilight hissed. “You have lost…everything!”

The ceiling exploded and light shined brightly down at them. Too brightly, as the sun’s blinding light burned their eyes and the room was set ablaze. Fire scorched everything in sight as Eternal Twilight kept laughing.

“Rarity…RARITY!”

Rarity snapped awake as she heard her name being called. That’s right, she was Rarity. Not Platinum, not Eternal Twilight, but Rarity.

She groaned and slowly sat up to see the concerned faces of King Sombra, Princess Twilight, Captain Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Garble all looking down at her. “Are you okay?” Rainbow asked.

“Forgive me, Miss Rarity.” King Sombra’s ears folded down in shame. “In my confusion, I accidentally hit you with a curse. A curse designed to show you your worst fears.”

Rarity shivered. “It certainty was frightening. But I’m afraid it didn’t make much sense either. I…I wasn’t myself in that…vision. I was wearing a rather beautiful robe with a fabulous crown. I saw a young version of you, Your Majesty.” She bowed to King Sombra. “You kept calling me Platinum…I couldn’t control my body and I kept saying horrible things…then I was Eternal Twilight and the room was on fire and…”

Rarity’s rambling faded away as she looked at them with confusion. King Sombra was staring at her with wide eyes.

“Interesting. It seems you didn’t see your own worst fear in that illusion…you became mine.”

“King Sombra…if I may ask…what was that all about? Who is Platinum to you?”

King Sombra growled at her. “That is a very personal question, Miss Rarity.” She flinched back. He sighed, “But I suppose you deserve an answer. Not tonight though. Captain Luna, return the princess and her guests to her room. Do not interrupt my slumber again unless the castle is on fire.”

He grumbled and was about to go back to bed, before he turned around. “Oh, Luna?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I understand that you know about Rarity using an agony curse on Nightmare Moon while she was possessed by both Eternity and the Alicorn Amulet.”

Luna frowned and glanced at Rarity. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“However, I believe Miss Rarity has been punished enough, especially after tonight.”

“I understand, Your Majesty.” Luna saluted.

“Great. Now go to bed,” he grumbled as he climbed into bed. He sat up and said, “Oh one more thing.” The small crown she had been aiming for floated over and perched itself on Rarity’s head. “I believe your dare has been completed Miss Rarity.”

Much later, as Rarity tucked herself into bed that night, she heard Rainbow say something. “You know Rarity…maybe you’re a little cooler than I thought you were…sorry about what I put you through…goodnight.”

She smiled and feel asleep.

Three days had passed since that night. The night when two sleepovers took place; when two artistic unicorns promised they would make stunning Gala outfits.

After her sleepover with Princess Twilight and Rainbow Dash, Rarity had a little time left to browse through her favourite shops within the Crystal Empire. And she had indeed picked up all the materials she needed to make the dresses and suits.

While she was busy creating in her store, Trixie was busy with her own work.

“Okay, we’re here. Now why are we hanging outside Trixie’s place?” Gilda grumbled.

“See for yourself.” Discord pointed at one of the windows.

Gilda frowned. “I’m not gonna spy on one of my friends! What’s wrong with you?!”

“Oh hush, she’s not doing anything that requires privacy right now! She invited me earlier, we chatted, and it was just as I was leaving that she started. Come on, you have to hear this!”

Gilda grumbled, but hovered over to the window and listened in. They could see Trixie, clumsily working with a needle and thread over some clothe. And she was singing:

Spell by spell, stitching it together.
Nightmare’s dress, enchanting the pattern bolt by bolt
Making the fabric sparkle like midnight
It’ll catch the eye of every colt!
Gotta keep ahead of Rarity
Make sure she won’t replace Trixie
Trixie’s friends deserve the best!

They watched Trixie zap fabric after fabric with various spells. She started singing faster

Charm by charm, perfecting every detail
These suits will shine, they say a stitch in time saves nine
Make him something perfect to inspire
Even though he hates formal attire
Gotta be careful if the patterns crisscross
Even though he’s more concerned with chaos
Discord’s vest will be the best!

Dressmaking is a breeze!
Trixie can do anything with ease
Sunset’s dress will shimmer
Oh dear, do you think she’ll act like a tease?

“What does she mean by that?” Discord asked as Trixie paused in her singing.

“Um…I guess she thinks Sunset might be a little…wild at the Gala? I dunno,” Gilda shrugged.

“Hm. I don’t know either. Sunset is a very calm, down-to-earth sort of mare. Ooh, she’s at again!” Discord pressed his ear against the window.

Something green, perhaps quite fetching
Horn and wing, it’ll be the perfect thing
Seeing if it fits forelock and crest
Putting magic in every dress
Make sure it’s as sweet as love’s first kiss
Only the best for Chrysalis
And Trixie will ace the test!

Spell by spell, hex by hex
Charm by charm, double check
Nightmare’s gown, as a cool as night
Gilda’s dress, showing a griffin’s might
Even if Trixie is jealous
She is not overzealous
Thread by thread, always stressed
Perfecting every suit and dress
Trixie will prove that SHE’S THE BEST!

Finally finished with her song, the Great and Powerful Trixie smiled triumphantly. She glanced at the clock and left the room, away from the window’s view

“…Is it me or is our dear friend acting a little crazy?” Discord made a circling motion with his index finger as a cuckoo flew out his ear.

Gilda snorted. “Of course she is. Didn’t ya listen to her song? She thinks we’re gonna replace her with Rarity just ‘cause she’s making us some snazzy duds.”

“Oh!” Discord’s eyes widened. “I thought she was just singing for the fun of it. It’s what I would do.”

“Listen.” Gilda poked a talon at him. “Rarity said she’s gonna show us the finished outfits tomorrow. No matter what they look like, you gotta reject them and pick Trixie’s suits instead.”

Discord tapped a finger to his chin. “Hm. Are you sure we have to hurt Rarity’s feelings to make sure that Trixie isn’t hurt? It's just that…Rarity lets me throw pies at her!”

“Well, just be nice about it when you reject them!” Gilda grumbled. “Do I have ta spell it out for ya?”

“No, no. I got it.” Discord waved her anger off, as he started to fly away. “The plan is in place. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find Scootaloo.” He snapped his fingers and a rubber chicken appeared in his grip.

Nightmare Moon and her friends were all gathered inside of Rarity’s Carousel of Wonders. Smog had decided to stay behind and look after the library.

Gilda had told them about what happened, and they could see Trixie carrying hide a large bag with her. Obviously, she was going to pull out the dresses in a dramatic reveal in the event that they didn’t like Rarity’s work. Of course, Trixie didn’t know that they knew about her plan. Trixie was worried about being replaced and they were going to make sure her fear would never come to pass.

“Okay, just a little bit farther,” Rarity said. She was leading them to the corner of the shop were their outfits were on display. “Close your eyes…keep them closed…okay, now you can look!”

Nightmare and all friends gasped at the sight. There were no words for it. The dresses looked beautiful and the suits looked amazing. Even Discord was impressed with Rarity’s work. But there was Trixie to consider…

"Um, well...they're nice but...I don't think its us. Sorry." Nightmare smiled apologetically.

They all made a big show of humming and hawing, before very politely rejecting Rarity’s work. It looked nice, it just wasn’t them.

“Oh.” Rarity’s face fell. “I…of course. The customer is always right.”

They winced as Rarity slumped in dejection. Surprisingly, Rainbow Dash looked like she was feeling the most guilt out of all of them.

“Have no fear my friends!” Trixie perked up. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has the perfect thing to restore your hope!” She levitated the large bag over, stuck her hoof in it and…

“So do I!” Rarity sat up and smiled. “I understand how important it is that the Elements look their best at the Gala so I took precautions! I have about three more sets available for you!”

Trixie’s jaw dropped. Rarity put all her time into making not just one set, but several sets of outfits? For all of them? Trixie had trouble just making one set for the six of them!

Rarity showed them the other sets, and they were just as nice as the others even with different styles.

“It wasn’t easy finding all the materials I needed. Goodness knows I was still tired after that sleepover with Princess Twilight, even though it was…wonderful.” Rainbow winced as Rarity talked. “And of course, if none of these satisfy you…” Rarity gulped and pasted a smile on her face. “I-I’m sure you could tell me what you want.”

Trixie sighed and spoke up. “May Trixie have your attention please?” Once they were all focused on her, she continued. “Rarity…Trixie asks for your forgiveness. When Trixie heard that you were setting up your Carousel of Wonders, a place to display both your skills in the fashion and magical arts, Trixie was nervous. For the longest time, Trixie owned the only magic shop in Peaceville. Trixie was fine with you performing before when you were a traveling showmare, but she didn’t know another magician would decide to take up permanent residence here.

“And when Trixie heard you would be designing outfits for her friends, Trixie was…scared. Perhaps even…jealous.” She cringed as she admitted it. “Trixie feared that her friends would replace her with you. A very silly fear, Trixie now realizes. Trixie had planned to upstage you with her own dresses that Trixie had crafted.

“But although Trixie is a Greater and more Powerful magician…you are the better seamstress. And it wouldn’t be very noble of Trixie or her friends to reject your generous gift. Trixie is sorry.”

Trixie smiled and said, “Also, Diamond Tiara informed Trixie that you two were spying on her.” She smirked at the sheepish Gilda and Discord.

Rarity smiled as her friends nodded and agreed that her work was great. “Thank you for telling me the truth Trixie. And I promise you, I could never replace you. After all, you are the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Everyone all smiled at each other, before Gilda cleared her throat. “Alright, so we’re all friends again. Enough with the sappy stuff. My dress may look cool, but let’s make sure it fits. Just to make sure ya didn’t make it too big or anything.

As Nightmare and her friends all tried on their outfits, Nightmare smiled. “I think this is the perfect opportunity for a letter to Princess Twilight. Smog? Smog? …Oh right, he’s still at the library."

Back at the library, Smog was sorting out books when he suddenly burped out a message from King Sombra. He picked up the letter and the large book that came with it.

“Well…I can’t really open the letter without Nightmare here.” He left the letter on top of Nightmare’s desk, already piled with notes, books, and scrolls.

He turned to the book and picked it up. “Inspiration Manifestation, huh?” he said reading the title. “Must be new.”

He shrugged and sorted the book under I, right between Incantations and International Recipes. Always nice to have a new book for the public, Smog thought as he happily grabbed a broom and began sweeping.

The Night that Lasted Forever

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Night that Lasted Forever

“Can’t…this…wait?!” Discord asked impatiently. The earth beneath him had turned into a wobbly, jelly-like substance. While he was talking, he bounced on the transformed earth like it was a trampoline.

Sunset Shimmer frowned as she pulled out a thorny root from the ground with her teeth. She spat it out and said, “It probably could, but if I don’t deal with this soon it’s just gonna bug me all night.”

Discord sighed and snapped his fingers. The earth beneath him solidified back into normal grass and he stopped bouncing. “Oh very well. If it gets us to the Gala sooner.” He snapped his fingers again and dozens of the mysterious weeds vanished.

Nightmare Moon smiled as she walked out of the library, carrying Smog on her back and a book in her magic. “Oh, thanks Discord. I was just thinking about dealing with those weeds myself.”

Discord huffed. “You can thank me by speeding this up. I’m growing very impatient and very bored.”

Sunset frowned at the ground in thought. “Did you guys notice anything odd about these weeds? Or is it just me?”

Discord groaned. “Oh, who cares? They’re gone now, right?”

“Rejoice my friends, for the wait is over! The Great and Powerful Trixie has returned from her journey and brought back a feast worthy of kings!” they heard Trixie announce. They turned around to see Trixie, Gilda, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Chrysalis joining them outside the library.

Smog blinked. “What?”

“Trixie brought us snacks for our ride to the Gala,” Gilda translated.

“Great. Did you guys also bring what I asked for?” Nightmare asked hopefully.

“Sure,” Gilda said as she tossed an apple to her friend. “But what do we need that apple for?”

“Watch this!” Nightmare said as she took a stance. She fired a beam of magic at the apple, causing it to transform and grow. Within the seconds, the apple had been turned into a pure black carriage.

Discord stared at the carriage and groaned. “Oh dear. I’m all for being fashionably late, but I would like to go to the Gala BEFORE it closes, thank you.”

“Oh my!” Chrysalis exclaimed as she admired the beautifully detailed carriage. “It looks perfect!”

Nightmare beamed. “Thank you.”

“Uh…I dunno,” Rainbow said as she eyed the carriage hesitantly. “It looks a little…evil.”

Both Nightmare and Chrysalis turned to look at her in confusion. “What?”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Rainbow Dash on this. It looks very lovely, wonderful spell and with such attention to detail, I assure you. But the whole carriage does look a teensy bit sinister,” Rarity said with a nervous smile. “Perhaps if you removed some of the spikes? Added a splash of colour?”

Sunset looked at the carriage in confusion. “It looks fine to me.”

“It’s fine. A little plain for my tastes but it doesn’t look awful,” Discord said. “Can we please get going now?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with it?” Smog frowned. “Nightmare put a lot of work into that spell.”

“Oh please, Trixie knows that Nightmare Moon just started to look at that book this morning,” Trixie frowned. “And I believe I agree with Rainbow Dash and Rarity. This is the spookiest carriage that Trixie has ever seen.”

“Hey, I’ve got a question. Why are we wasting time here?” Gilda frowned. “I’m sure Discord, or even Nightmare or Trixie could just teleport us all to the Gala.”

“Thank you!” Discord exclaimed.

“That’s not the point. I want us all to make a grand entrance at the Grand Galloping Gala. Tonight’s Gala has some very special guests after all!” Nightmare smiled.

“Nightmare, as a friend I love you dearly. But you are dragging this conversation on for far too long. I’m getting bored,” Discord warned.

“The Shadowbolts?” Rainbow and Gilda asked hopefully.

“Us! The Elements of Redemption!” Nightmare clarified.

“I’m getting bored!” Discord grumbled again.

Nightmare rolled her eyes. “Not now Discord. Now, we just need to find some horses to pull our carriage and we can be on our way.”

Discord stared at the ponies. “I hate to borrow your catchphrase Nightie but…you're kidding. You’re kidding, right?”

“Oh, whatever shall we do?” Rarity mockingly asked before smiling. “Worry not darlings. I’m sure I can find a few gentle-stallions and ask them to-”

“BORED NOW!” Discord declared. He snapped his fingers and teleported all of them to the Crystal Empire, along with the carriage.

“No, that’s not right. I have to follow the checklist. Everything has to be perfect!” Princess Twilight cried as she paced back and forth in her bedroom.

Someone knocked at her door. “Sparky?” She opened the door with her magic to see her brother, Prince Shining Armor. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Shiny!” she cried happily. “Thank goodness you’re here! You remember everything on the list I gave you right? Tonight is all about making a good impression. Now there are several important guests that absolutely-”

“Sweetheart, you’re panicking again.” They turned around to see their mom, Twilight Velvet, walk into the room. She wore a pearl necklace and a nice blue dress for the Gala.

“Your mom is right Sparky.” Their dad, Nightlight, walked in behind Twilight Velvet. He was wearing a fancy black suit, and carrying a red suit with his magic. “Just have fun tonight, and I’m sure everything will work out fine. And Shining, you really need to get dressed soon. The guests will be arriving in a few hours.” He tossed the red suit to his son, who caught it in his own magic.

“Thanks dad. Can’t believe I almost forgot that.” Shining turned back to his sister and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry Sparky. Things will be just fine tonight.” He gave Princess Twilight a hug and then walked out of the room with their parents.

The still worried Princess Twilight stared at her bedroom mirror. She frowned and muttered to her reflection. “Tonight will finally be my chance to make everything right! With all that I’ve imagined…every checklist, everything that I’ve planned for…the reality of this night is sure to make this a Night that Will Last Forever in our Memories. I finally have a chance to make this the Best Night Ever and I’m not going to let it slip by this time!”

“Sparky, would you please keep your frantic prattling to yourself? Some of us are trying to sleep.”

“Oops. Sorry Spike!” she called out to her friend in the next room.

“Alright! Looks like we got here early!” Smog said. They were just outside the Crystal Castle now, where the Gala would be held. He straightened out the black suit he was wearing and glanced back at his friends, taking a minute to admire all the hard work Rarity had put into creating their Gala outfits.

Nightmare Moon was wearing her boots and the chest plate off her armor, but was wearing a small black tiara instead of her helmet. She also wore a dark-to-light purple dress, with blue bolts of fabric that had images of a crescent moon stitched into them.

Sunset Shimmer wore a black dress, with bolts of red and yellow fabric over top. She also wore a black necklace with a gold heart at the front, and small gold shoes on her hooves.

Gilda wore a blue dress and dark blue talon-less gloves. She also had three fake blue feathers tucked in behind her head.

Trixie wasn’t wearing her hat and cape that night. Instead she wore a purple dress with images of stars stitched into it. Actually, her dress looked a lot like a larger version of her cape, the more she thought about it. She also wore gold shoes similar to Sunset’s.

For the first time since Smog had met her, Chrysalis was wearing her changeling queen’s crown, black with blue points. She also wore a dark-to-light green dress that had a few holes to match with the holes in her hooves and wings. A gold necklace with a blue heart adorned her neck.

Rainbow Dash wore a dress that had every colour of the rainbow running down it, with fluffy cloud-like material stitched into the hem of the skirt. She also wore gold hoof-socks and her usually messy mane was neatly brushed.

Rarity wore a sparkly pink gown, with bolts of purple and yellow fabric and glittering gems woven into the skirt. She also wore a necklace, earrings, a gold tiara, and silvery slippers. Not glass slippers, those are just silly.

And lastly, the only other guy in their group was wearing a dark brown suit. Discord was also wearing a mischievous smile, but that was normal for him.

“Whoa! You all look amazing!” Smog said with a smile.

“We’re finally here!” Trixie beamed. “Tonight shall be a Gala to remember!”

Suddenly, and for no reason, Rainbow and Rarity both started to sing.

"At the Gala! At the Gala!
I will find him, my Prince Charming
And how gallant he will be
He will treat me like a lady
Just you wait and see!" Rarity sang.

"I’ve been dreaming, I've been waiting
To fly with those great ponies.
The Shadowbolts, their daring tricks
Spinning round and having kicks!" Rainbow sang.

They would have kept singing, when they noticed that no one else was joining in. The Elements bearers and Smog were all staring at them in confusion.

“What? We’re not singing?” Rarity asked, feeling confused and a little hurt.

Discord smiled and patted both her and Rainbow reassuringly. “Of course we’re gonna sing! Just not right now. I have a much better time and place planned for our group song.” He winked at them.

Rainbow’s wings twitched a little. “But I thought we were gonna make a big entrance and everything!”

Discord chuckled. “Don’t worry. We have Nightie for that.”

Nightmare glanced around at the other Gala guests who had shown up early. She cleared her throat and announced their arrival:
“CITIZENS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! WE HAVE GRACED TONIGHT’S GALA WITH OUR PRESENCE, SO THAT YOU MAY BEHOLD THE TRUE ELEMENTS OF FORGIVENESS! TONIGHT, WE SHALL CHANGE THIS ADEQUATE EVENT INTO A NIGHT THAT WILL LAST FOREVER IN OUR MEMORIES!”

Nightmare coughed as her voice settled down to normal. Her friends and a few Gala guests applauded their arrival, though some of the nobles just stared at them in bewilderment.

“Sweet introduction Nightmare! Ah yeah, tonight is gonna be awesome!” Smog said, smiling hopefully. “You know why? ‘Cause we're all gonna spend time at the Gala together!”

“Well, yes. But uh, maybe not the whole night together.” Chrysalis gave him a sheepish smile. “I think there’s some stuff we all planned to do at the Gala, but we’ll definitely have time afterwards!”

“Stuff? Like what?” Smog asked.

Nightmare grinned with excitement. “I’m gonna look for Loony. I know she takes some time every night to visit me in my dreams, but she’s always so busy during the day that I hardly ever see her when I’m awake. But tonight we’ll be able to talk all about magic, and her adventures, and my work with Princess Twilight, and all the friends I’ve made, and it’s going to be wonderful!” She clapped her hooves with glee.

Gilda and Rainbow both cheered as they saw three high-flying shadows whoosh past them. “There they are! The Shadowbolts are finally here! Now that I’m in, I’ve finally got a chance to talk with my heroes!” Gilda grinned. “It’s gonna be wicked awesome!”

Rainbow grinned and added, “From what I’ve heard, tonight will be double-awesome! I heard that Ahuizotl is gonna be here! I’m gonna ask him to autograph my copy of the first Daring Do book!” Rainbow brought out a blue book and showed them the cover.

Gilda raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Uh, Dash? That’s the second book in the Bravely Blue series. You, uh…you do know that Doctor Do is the bad guy, right?”

Rainbow blushed. “I know. But she’s just so cool! Even when she loses, she always manages to stay one step ahead of Bravely Blue! Dashing into the shadows and saying, 'You win this round! But I’ll get you next time Bravely!'"

“Are you sure that’s an exact quote?” Nightmare asked.

Sunset smiled. “Well I’m planning to visit Big Macintosh’s stand. I heard that during every Gala, Sweet Apple Acres sets up a booth with some of their finest apple treats. The stuff at the buffet is free but every year, Big Mac manages to get hundreds of paying customers.”

Nightmare frowned in confusion. “Really? I’ve met some of the nobility within the Crystal Empire and they’re usually really snobby. I can’t imagine that they’d be interested in ordinary apples, even if they do taste good.”

Sunset gave them a wink. “Ah, but here’s the interesting part! One of Big Mac’s regular customers at these events is Miss Jewel herself!”

“Miss Jewel?” Rainbow asked. “Who’s that?”

Rarity gasped. “You don’t know? Miss Dash, Applejewel is only the most important and influential business mare in Everfree! She’s the CEO of Apple Pie Incorporated! She has her own fashion line, a chain of restaurants, everything! She took the Big Apple by storm! As a matter of fact, they renamed the city after her! How could you not know who she is?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I guess I don’t pay much attention to stuff like that?”

Nightmare blinked at Rainbow. “Really? Apple Pie Incorporated is something of a mega corporation. They control almost all business within the Big Apple. Not to mention the business ties they have to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Why’s that?” Rainbow asked.

“You mean their interest in Sweet Apple Acres?” Sunset said. “Well, some folks say that Miss Jewel used to work there as a farm girl, but that’s just a rumor. Even though everyone knows who Applejewel is, nobody really knows much about her. She never answers any personal questions or talks about her past during interviews.”

Sunset smiled. “But tonight I’m gonna talk to her.” Before anyone else could ask her the reason why she wanted to talk to Applejewel, something caught Sunset’s eye and she galloped off towards it.

Smog glanced at Trixie. “Three…two…”

“Trixie knows what she’s going to do! The Gala dances, the fancy music band, they will all PALE in comparison to the entertainment that Trixie will bring them! For nobody can put on a show better than the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Smog watched the mad magician disappear behind one of her smoke bombs. “…And one. Knew it. What about you Chrysalis?” he asked.

Chrysalis licked her fangs as she watched two other ponies kissing. “Nothing quite as special as the rest of you guys. I’m pretty much doing the same thing most changelings do at these events.”

“Oh darling, are you sure that’s wise?” Rarity asked. “Even if changelings are more welcomed nowadays, there are still those who are…uneasy around changelings.”

Chrysalis smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Besides, this is my big reason for coming here. The Grand Galloping Gala is a big event, and plenty of lucky couples use this opportunity to propose to each other.” She smacked her lips and stared as green mist swirled in the air near them. She opened her mouth and inhaled the love energy.

“I take it the appetizers have arrived?” Discord asked, chuckling at his joke.

Chrysalis giggled too. She then gave her wings a buzz and flew off in search of more excess love.

Rarity suddenly gasped as she spotted her goal for that night. Prince Shining Armor, the handsome brother to Princess Twilight was walking past them. She stared at his handsome red suit, his white coat, his sapphire blue mane, and those wonderful eyes…

She began hurrying toward him, while still trying to look as graceful as possible. “Hurry, Rarity...but not too fast! But you don't wanna lose him…have to play it cool. Oh, but don't be cold!” she whispered to herself.

Discord snapped his fingers and a clock with wings appeared before them. He scratched his chin as he checked the time on the flying clock. “The time is now 11:03 pm,” he announced with a smile. He turned to Nightmare and Smog and gave them a quick bow. “Pardon me but I’ll be…somewhere.” He paused. “Probably. You kids have fun and I might turn up later.”

As the rest of his friends flew off, Smog sighed to himself. “I guess I’ll see you guys later.”

Nightmare frantically searched through the crowd, looking for Luna. She didn’t see her mom, but she spotted the next best ponies. She flew up the stairs at the grand entrance and touched down. “King Sombra! Princess Twilight!”

King Sombra smiled. “Nightmare! It’s great to see you again. We have so much to catch up on!”

“You’re absolutely right. But um, do you know where Loony is?” Nightmare asked with a hopeful smile. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to see you both. But having Loony here too would truly make this the Best Night Ever!”

Princess Twilight smiled. “I’m afraid Captain Luna is on security duty with the other guards. Just a precaution though, you know how these things are. I asked her to join us when she finishes her rounds.”

Nightmare grinned and stepped up to stand in between the king and the princess. “In that case I’m gonna stay right by your side the entire evening!”

“A wonderful idea,” King Sombra said. “We’ll have plenty of time together, and your company should be able to make tonight tolerable at least.” He lightly groaned as a few more ponies and other creatures walked towards them. He then forced a smile and said, “Ladies! Welcome to the Gala! Have a wonderful night!”

As the mares walked away, the king’s face relaxed again. “Oh dear. The night’s barely begun and I already feel weak. Sparky, I fear I might not make it,” he bemoaned.

“Well for the first time in over a hundred years, I’m here. We’ll face this Gala together, just like old times!” Princess Twilight assured him.

Rarity hurried into the gardens where Prince Shining Armor was. She slowed her pace to a walk and cleared her throat. “Good evening. I am Rarity.”

Prince Shining looked over Rarity in confusion, before giving her a nervous smile. “Oh, um…hi there Rarity. I’m Prince Shining Armor.”

Rarity’s eyes darted to a flower in the garden bushes. “Oh my, what a lovely rose,” she said, hoping that he would take the hint and offer it to her.

Prince Shining glanced at the rose. “That one? I guess it looks kinda of nice.” His eyes lit up as he got an idea. He grabbed the rose with his magic and caught it in his teeth.

Rarity blinked in shock as her prince started walking away from her. “What? Prince Shining, where are you going?”

“Pardon me,” he said. “There’s a friend of mine I wanted to give this too. Goodnight Miss Rarity.”

Rarity blinked again, before he face twisted into a determined frown. She wasn’t about to let him go that easy! She hurried after Prince Shining.

“Welcome to the Gala. Good to see you, welcome to the Gala.” King Sombra sighed as he kept up the forced smile and continued to greet guest after guest.

Princess Twilight sighed. “This wouldn’t be so bad if we had some water,” she whispered. Nightmare heard her, and levitated over a few glasses for them. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Um, King Sombra? Do you know when Loony is stopping by?” Nightmare asked again.

The king sighed. “Patience my student. She’ll be here to save us – I mean, relieve us – soon enough.”

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened. “Huh. Speak of one alicorn and another one shows up.” At Sombra and Nightmare’s confused looks, she pointed at the next set of guests.

King Sombra smiled once he saw them. “Countess Cadenza, wonderful to see you here! Who’s your friend?”

Nightmare recognized the pink alicorn from both her own experiences and the visions her friends had shared with her. Cadance wore a simple dark pink dress with a gold necklace and gold shoes.

Cadance's friend was a little harder to remember. She was a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane. She wore a pretty green dress with matching shoes.

Cadance bowed. “Thank you King Sombra, but just Cadance is fine. We’re at a party, aren’t we?”

“It’s nice to see you again Cadance,” Nightmare said.

“Oh, it’s nice to see you too Moony! Seems like it was only yesterday that you were still a filly. You were so cute!” Cadance giggled.

“I’m surprised you remember. You only babysat me for one week, and I couldn’t have been that interesting. Not when you had just ascended.”

Cadance giggled, pointing at her horn. “Oh, like this silly thing would stop me from doing what I love.” She cleared her throat and said, “Sorry, I should introduce you.”

She pointed at the yellow pegasus by her side. “This is Fluttershy. She’s one of my dearest friends, and my assistant. Kinda like you and Smog, Nightmare.”

“Welcome to the Gala Miss Fluttershy,” Nightmare said.

Princess Twilight grinned. “It’s so nice to meet you. I haven’t seen you here before, is this your first time in the Crystal Empire?”
Fluttershy eyed Nightmare, Sombra, and Twilight cautiously. She made a few gestures with her hooves, gave her wings two flaps, and finished with another gesture.

“She says, ‘Yes, this is my first time. Thank you for inviting us.’” Cadance translated.

Princess Twilight stared at Fluttershy with confusion and a little concern. “Oh. I’m sorry, are you...mute? Deaf?”

Cadance shrugged. “Sorta. Legally mute, maybe? Is that right? She can talk but it’s incredibly difficult for her, so she uses sign language.”

“Really?” Nightmare glanced at Fluttershy. She finally recalled seeing a pink-haired, yellow pegasus in Gilda’s vision that looked a little like Fluttershy.

“Well, we hope you two have a wonderful night here at the Gala,” King Sombra said. Cadance and Fluttershy both bowed again and went to join the party.

“Upper Crust, will you marry me?” Chrysalis heard a stallion ask.

“Jet Set! I…yes! Yes I will!”

Chrysalis hurried forward and found two ponies kissing each other. She hungrily inhaled the excess love that was pouring off the couple.

“Excuse me?” the mare said. Chrysalis instantly stopped feeding off their love and backed away.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. It’s just, the love you two have for each other is so wonderful, and I couldn’t help myself!”

The stallion, Jet Set, chuckled. “That’s alright miss changeling. Or would that be Your Majesty?” He indicated her crown.

The mare, Upper Crust, gently smiled. “As long as you don’t steal too much of our love, it doesn’t bother us.”

Chrysalis thanked them for the meal and went off to find more happy couples. She saw a few other changelings lingering near pony couples too. Spotting another stallion sitting close to a rather tall and beautiful mare, Chrysalis hurried to absorb more love.

But as soon as she started inhaling that green mist, she found that this couple wasn’t as happy about it. “Excuse me! What do you think you are doing?” The mare hissed.

Chrysalis took a step back. She recognized the mare as Fleur-de-Lis, the famous supermodel. The stallion appeared to be Fancy Pants. She remembered him coming up in a conversation she had with Rainbow, but she couldn’t remember much about what Rainbow had said about Fancy.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I just wanted a bit off that excess love you have and-”

“You’re not getting a single drop of my energy parasite!” Fleur hissed, scowling at Chrysalis. Fancy and Fleur turned away from her, with obvious disgust and contempt.

Chrysalis cringed. Parasite was a really harsh insult, for everyone but especially for changelings. She tried to calm down. Just because one couple was scared of her, it didn’t mean they’d all be scared…right?

Princess Twilight raised an eyebrow as the next Gala guests stepped forward to meet them. A tiger, a cheetah, a lynx, a panther, and a white house cat walked up the steps. The tiger and house cat stepped up from the group and gave them a bow. “Um…welcome to the Gala?” She shot King Sombra a look and whispered, “Help?”

King Sombra smiled. “Princess Twilight, these cats are all friends of Ahuizotl. He’s the author of the Bravely Blue series, remember?”

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh yeah! It’s a great series! Definitely on my recent favourites list. Sorry, I didn’t know these were friends of Mister Ahuizotl.”

“Excuse me, Your Highness! But we are individuals and as much as we respect the friendship we have with Ahuizotl, it is not our SOLE defining trait!” the tiger said.

Nightmare blinked at the tiger. She looked over her shoulder and called out, “Discord! I don’t know why you’re making the cats talk but make them normal again!”

The tiger frowned. “Excuse me madam, but my companions and I have always been able to speak! Though, they do not speak as many languages as I.” His frown faded and he bowed to King Sombra and Princess Twilight. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Baron Tobias Tigerius. This is my half-sister, Tiana Tigerius,” he added, indicating the white cat.

“Charmed,” Tiana purred.

King Sombra nodded. “I am familiar with your name and your work, Baron. As well as the names of your friends. Forgive my student, she didn’t mean to offend you. She doesn’t really get out much.”

Nightmare gave the king a light frown before offering an apologetic smile to the Baron. “Heh, yeah. Sorry, I just don’t see talking cats that often.”

Baron Tobias nodded. “Apology accepted. Now, to business. I am afraid our friend Ahuizotl has been called away on urgent business and cannot make it to the Gala at this time. Shame too, he was rather looking forward to it.

“No, today we are escorting another individual. Miss Applejewel.”

King Sombra and Nightmare both blinked in surprise. They looked down the stairs to see a group of six ponies, plus the other cats that were with Baron Tobias. Within that crowd of ponies was Miss Applejewel.

She wore a large green and red dress that covered up most of her form. Nightmare Moon could see the mare’s orange front-hooves, but she couldn’t see her tail, her back-hooves or if the mare had wings or not. A fancy hat covered the mare’s head and mane while a gold mask covered her face. It was possible that the orange pony was a unicorn, but the horn would have to be very small. In conclusion, Nightmare couldn’t tell much about the pony from sight alone.

Baron Tobias cleared his throat and said, “Announcing the arrival of Miss Applejewel.”

The six ponies walked up to King Sombra and bowed. Five of them parted and Applejewel stepped forward.

“Always a pleasure to see you my friend,” King Sombra said. “The mask is new.”

“Miss Jewel was in an accident,” Baron Tobias explained. “She said that the doctors would be able to take the bandages off as soon as her face is healed. But she didn’t want to miss the Grand Galloping Gala. The mask covers her face while still being very fashionable.”

Nightmare glanced at Applejewel with uneasy skepticism. “Uh huh,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. “Sorry but um, is there a reason Miss Applejewel can’t tell us all this herself?”

“She has a sore throat," Tiana said.

Princess Twilight giggled. “Really? So would you say that she is a little hoarse?”

Just about everyone in the room raised an eyebrow at Princess Twilight’s corny joke. But surprisingly, the joke got a few giggles out of Applejewel, before she covered her mouth and coughed a few times. Applejewel leaned over and whispered something in Baron Tobias’ ear.

“Miss Jewel wishes to inform you that ‘That was a good one.’”

King Sombra gave a weak chuckle. “Well all joking aside, welcome to the Gala.” Applejewel nodded her thanks and wandered off to another part of the castle, her entourage following her.

Rainbow flew over to where Gilda was and touched down. “Hey. I just heard from a talking cat that Ahuizotl isn’t gonna show. Any good news on this end?”

Gilda grinned. “We’re in luck Dash.” She pointed over to the VIP section. “The Shadowbolts finished up their routine and they’re all showing up now!”

“Really? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh-” Gilda quickly stuffed an apple that she had bought from Big Macintosh’s stand into Rainbow’s mouth.

“Quiet! This is hard for me too, but we need to play this cool. We don’t want the Shadowbolts to think we’re a couple a’ obsessed fans.”

Rainbow removed the apple and said, “But we are obsessed fans.”

While the two friends argued over how to handle the situation, a Shadowbolt carrying an apple pie in his mouth flew down. The uniform he was wearing was dark purple with pure black on the hooves and from the head to the neck, the black separated from the purple by yellow lightning bolt patterns. The Shadowbolt logo, a skull with wings, was located on the uniform’s flank. Most of the Shadowbolts were wearing their purple and gold goggles above the eyes.

“The one with the pie! That’s Vortex!” Gilda joyfully pointed out. “Ooh, and there’s Descent!”

“That one over there! That’s Dusk!” Rainbow pointed, bouncing with fan girl glee. “They say he’s distantly related to Princess Twilight.”

“Ha! You call that trivia? Starry Sparks over there once saved someone from a tornado!”

“I’ll admit that’s awesome, obviously. But that one over there…” Rainbow trailed off as they saw another Shadowbolt touch down on the ground to chat with Vortex. The Shadowbolt had a blue mane like most of the other Shadowbolts. But she had an electric bluish-white coat, while most of the other Shadowbolts they could see had stormy black coats.

“It’s Nightingale!” Rainbow and Gilda both squeed. "EEE!"

Gilda shook her head and groaned. “Ah man, did I just squee? Lame.”

“Eh, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I mean come on, it’s Nightingale!”

They heard Nightingale chuckle. “Always hungry after a show, eh Vortex?”

“Yep!” Vortex said, accidentally letting go of the pie once he opened his mouth. Gilda’s eyes widened as she saw her chance for a great first impression. She flapped her wings and dashed forward, catching the pie before it could hit the ground.

“Whoa, nice catch! You saved it!” Vortex said. “Thanks!” Gilda handed the pie over to him. He set the pie down and started to dig into it.

Nightingale rolled her eyes. “Vortex, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full or else you’ll drop the food you’re carrying?”

“I can’t think clearly when I’m hungry!” Vortex mumbled as he chewed.

Nightingale eyed Gilda and Rainbow. “Hey, I know you two. You’re one of the Elements of Redemption,” she pointed at Gilda. She pointed at Rainbow next. “And you’re friends with Captain Luna and Princess Twilight.”

“Yes sir! I mean, ma’am!” Rainbow corrected. She smiled nervously.

Gilda’s smile wasn’t much better. “Yeah. Sorry for spazzing at ya. It’s just, we’re both really big fans!”

Nightingale chuckled. “Hey, I’m a fan of our work too. Boy, the stories I hear about your flying stunts. From the Brave Bird’s Blitz to the Sonic Rainboom, I’d say you two are impressive fliers. You guys want to hang with us?”

“Sure,” Gilda said, trying to act as cool as possible.

“Sounds awesome,” Rainbow said, following her example. As soon as Nightingale’s back was turned, they both squeed again to get it out of their systems.

Discord calmly sipped his drink. “So ladies, have you attended the Gala before?” The five girls around him giggled. Two of them were Diamond Dogs, another two were changelings, and one of them was a dragon with glittery blue scales.

“Oh no my friend,” the dragoness said. She spoke with a strange accent. Actually most of those girls spoke with an accent he wasn’t familiar with. “This is our first time coming to Gala. But the evening has been most pleasant, no?”

“Ooh! Zoe!” One of the Diamond Dog girls nudged her friend and pointed at Baron Tobias and the cat he was talking to. “Like I told you. It es ze Baron Tigerius und his half-sister!”

Discord glanced at the two. “A tiger and a house cat? Half-siblings you say?”

“Ugh. Forgive my silly Sophia,” Zoe said. “I do not know vhat she sees in cats.”

“Come now sister!” Sophia said. “Ze time for silly grudges between dogs und cats es long gone. Und zuch a handsome cat he does make.” She walked away and went to talk to the Baron.

“Hey Discord.” Discord turned around to see a gloomy Sunset Shimmer walking toward him.

“Why hello there Sunny! Why the long face?” Discord asked as he grabbed Sunset’s face and stretched it out. At Sunset’s unamused glare, he rearranged her face until it was normal again and chuckled.

“I just went to visit Big Macintosh at his booth. I actually saw Applejewel there and I went over to say hello, but she wouldn’t even give me the time of day!”

Discord sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He smiled again as he summoned up another flying clock and said, “The time is now 11:25.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “…Why do you keep checking the time?” Discord just chuckled mischievously and took another sip of his drink, giving her a wink. “Well whatever it is you’re planning, leave me out of it.”

“Oh, but it won’t be as fun without you,” he said, still chuckling. Sunset shook her head and wandered off to another part of the castle.

At last, Trixie had found the ballroom. A perfectly sized room that even had a stage. Sure, some fancy band occupied that stage but these Gala guests really probably bored by that slow music.

“Time for some real entertainment!” Trixie declared as she teleported onto the stage and telekinetically shoved the band players off. “Guests of the Grand Galloping Gala! Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic you have ever seen!”

Just as she was about to perform her first trick, an annoying voice interrupted her. “Young lady, this is not that kind of party!” A earth mare with a pink-purple coat and a curly yellow mane said. “I believe you have the wrong address. The 2-year-old’s birthday you were likely hired for is probably across town from here. I suggest you get moving, miss.”

Trixie cringed. The mare’s criticism stung pretty badly. Trixie had of course faced negative criticism before, but never to that extent. Seeing that none of the other snobby nobles were interested in her act, her eagerness to perform faded away and she got off the stage. She found an empty table and sulked.

“Hello, my king! I am Rover, the Diamond Dog!”

“Nice to meet you Rover. Welcome to the Gala,” King Sombra said, still wearing a forced smile.

“Good evening, Your Majesties! We’re the famous Flim Flam brothers!”

Nightmare titled her head. “Hey, didn’t I see you two at Sunset’s farm?”

“Oh, you know Sunny? Yeah, we stopped by her place for a little get-together.”

“Funny story actually…”

“Okay you two, move it along,” Princess Twilight said. She turned to the next guests. “Welcome to the Gala. Hi, welcome to the Gala.”

Nightmare perked up as she saw the next guest. “Zecora! It’s nice to see you here.”

Zecora smiled. She wore a blue dress with images of a spiral sun dotted along the dress. Her mane was combed back a little and she wore a gold and blue necklace. For some reason, she was also carrying Smog on her back. “It is good see you too my friend. Are you having fun at this Gala you attend?”

Nightmare sighed. “Not as much as I’d hoped. King Sombra said that my mom would stop by here soon, but she's not here yet. The rest of my friends are off trying to have fun too, but I'm not sure how that's going.”

Zecora nodded. “I was afraid of that," she sighed. "Along the way, your friend Smog I did meet. He was saddened by your absence and so stuffed with sugary sweets.”

She took Smog off her back and set him down. “But I wanted another doughnut!” he whined.

“Smog? You okay buddy?” Nightmare asked with some concern.

Smog blinked in confusion and anger. “He forgot the rainbow sprinkles! Bad things happen if you forget the rainbow sprinkles!”

Nightmare chuckled nervously. “Okay, I think somebody needs a little nap.” She picked Smog up with her magic and cast a small sleep spell before placing him on her back. “Sorry about that Zecora. Welcome to the Gala.”

Sunset found an empty table and sat down. She got out a common yellow crystal and began rolling it along the table, batting it back and forth with her magic.

“Hi Sunset. How are you feeling?” Chrysalis said as she sat on the other chair.

Sunset glanced at Chrysalis and sighed. “Meh. I already said hi to Big Mac, I still haven’t talked to Applejewel, and all our other friends are busy. I’d say I’m feeling really bored right now.”

Chrysalis sighed, “Better to feel bored instead of unloved. Nightmare was right, some ponies just aren’t comfortable having someone like me feeding off their emotions.”

“Come on, you’re not unloved. You’re adorable. If other ponies can’t see that, they’re just weird,” Sunset said reassuringly.

Chrysalis smiled and breathed in. “Thanks Sunny. Even if it’s only love for a friend that tastes really sweet.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Are you feeding off my emotions?” Chrysalis stared at her with hurt puppy-dog eyes. “Ugh. Fine, go ahead.”

They sat quietly for a minute before Trixie silently walked up to them and climbed up on the table, her legs dangling off the end. “Hey,” she greeted flatly.

“What happened?” Chrysalis asked.

“And could you please get off the table?” Sunset asked. “There’s another chair here.”

“Trixie didn’t get to perform! She was trying a different tactic to get the crowd’s attention, but as soon as they heard about the fireworks some snobby guard kicked me out the ballroom! It’s not like Trixie was planning to set them off where someone could have been hit!”

“Oh. There you are.” They turned around to see a blonde-haired, white-coated unicorn guard glaring at Trixie. “Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook. Another stunt like that and you will be kicked out of the castle too, Element or not.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yes Mister Blueblood.”

“That’s Colonel Blueblood!”

“Really? How high is that rank in the guard?” Sunset asked.

Blueblood didn’t meet her gaze. “That’s none of your concern. Remember, I’ve got my eye on you,” he warned as he walked away from them, still glaring at Trixie.

“Hey girls.” They turned around to see that Gilda had joined them this time. “That guy bothering you? Want me to rough him up a bit?”

“Trixie thanks you for your loyalty and zeal, Gilda. But she advises you not to take those actions, as enjoyable as it would be to watch. Blueblood over there is a royal guard. He might kick us out.”

Gilda snorted. “He doesn’t look that impressive. I could ask Dash or Nightmare to talk to Captain Luna about him. I know she outranks him by a lot.”

“Speaking of Dash, where is she? Why aren’t you with her?” Sunset asked.

Gilda groaned and flopped onto the table next to Trixie, ignoring the chairs. “I got to hang with the Shadowbolts. For about three minutes. Since they’re so popular, they kept getting pulled away by some snobby dweeb. Dash and I decided to take turns trying to get their attention. Pass me a drink, will ya?”

Sunset spotted a castle servant carrying drinks and levitated a glass off the tray and towards Gilda.

“Thanks,” Gilda said before gulping down the fancy water.

“Excuse me? Do either of you know this mare?” They turned around to see Prince Shining levitating a sheepish Rarity in the air behind him.

“Prince Shining, please! Surely this isn’t necessary. I understand that perhaps I seemed a little assertive or even aggressive, but I’m sure if we can just sit down and talk we can resolve the issues between us!”

Rarity’s voice faded at the glare Prince Shining shot at her. “Miss Rarity. I have tried my best to be subtle and polite, but that doesn’t seem to be working. So let me be blunt: No thanks. I’m sure you’re an nice mare, but I’m not interested. I have a crush on someone else. Please leave me alone.”

He released his telekinetic hold on Rarity and dropped her next to Sunset and Chrysalis. “Regardless of what happened, I hope you ladies have a pleasant night. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

As Prince Shining walked away, Chrysalis immediately rose from her chair to comfort the depressed Rarity. “Oh dear. I’m so sorry things didn’t work out.”

Rarity sighed. “I should have known he wasn’t interested. The entire time I spent with him, I could tell he was trying to get me to leave. He tried to be polite but I stubbornly chased after a prince who could see that I…I am no princess.”

Gilda patted her on the back with a wing. “Hey, come on. Don’t beat yourself up about. You’re the prettiest, prissiest pony I know. You’re totally princess material.”

“Why thank you Gilda, I’m quite…did you just call me prissy?” Rarity frowned.

“Doesn’t that mean prim and proper and whatnot?”

Rarity sighed again. “I suppose that’s still a compliment. At least Prince Shining was polite even as he broke my heart. That was the most mature rejection I’ve ever received.”

“Hey, who knows? Maybe he only likes stallions,” Sunset suggested.

“Do you think so?” Rarity asked hopefully.

“No, he likes mares alright,” Chrysalis said.

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “How can you tell? Can changelings sense the kind of people a guy is attracted to?”

Chrysalis pointed to where Prince Shining was. “Well yes, but I was referring to his obvious attraction to Countess Cadance over there.” Following her hoof, they saw that he was indeed talking with Cadance. And he looked a lot friendlier than he was a minute ago.

“So that’s the friend he had a crush on.” Rarity groaned. “Why must fate be so cruel?!” she cried.

“I’m sensing some definite attraction there. But it looks like the relationship is still in its early stages. You could still win this,” Chrysalis informed her.

“No thank you. I realize now that it would never work between us,” Rarity sighed. “Perhaps I’ll find another prince charming some day.”

“You could try asking King Sombra out,” Gilda suggested.

“Mm…no thanks.”

Gilda quickly sat up and crouched as if she was about to pounce on something. “What do you want?!”

They looked up to see a sheepish Prince Shining, followed by Cadance. “Look I don’t want any trouble,” he said to Gilda. “I just came back to say sorry to Miss Rarity.”

Rarity gave him a small smile. “Oh, I understand Prince Shining Armor. All you had to do was tell me that your heart belonged to another, and I would have left you alone.”

“Just Shining is fine Miss Rarity. Even so, I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

“Apology accepted…Shining.”

“Um, excuse me?” Cadance said as she shyly made her way towards them. “Are you the Elements?”

Gilda nodded, already calmed down. “Well we’re missing Nightmare and Discord, but yeah.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you all! I just wanted to say…” Cadance trailed off as she stared at Chrysalis. “…changeling.”

Gilda frowned. “Ya got a problem with that?”

Cadance blinked. She blinked again. She then smiled and said, “Nope. I’m fine. Just surprised. Nice to meet you.”

Chrysalis smiled. “Nice to meet you too. Countess Cadance, right?” Cadance nodded. “Uh, I heard that you’re great with love spells. Um, if it’s okay…could I see it?”

Cadance bit her lip. She looked like she wanted to refuse. She hesitated for a few seconds before she gave Chrysalis a small smile. “Okay.” A bluish-pinkish aura surrounded her horn before a pink, cartoony heart materialized. Chrysalis stared at the floating heart, drooling a little. Cadance took an uneasy step back but Chrysalis just leaned in closer. Cadance abruptly stopped the love spell and the heart faded away.

Chrysalis also backed away from Cadance. Her face fell, making her look like a little kid whose birthday cake had just been stolen. “I’m sorry.”

“N-no, no. It’s fine,” Cadance assured her. “Um…listen could you do something for me? My friend Fluttershy is out in the garden. Could you ask her to come back here?”

“Anything for you Miss Cadance,” Chrysalis said. “What does she look like?”

“Oh…you’ll know her when you see her.” Chrysalis nodded and left the table, heading into the palace gardens.

As Chrysalis left, another pony came up to the table. “Excuse me? Are you Rarity?” the stallion said, looking at the fashionista.

“I am,” Rarity nodded, examining the stallion’s expensive-looking suit.

“Miss Applejewel would like to speak with you,” he said. Almost every jaw at the table dropped at that message.

Rarity closed her mouth again. “I-I, well…I-I-I…” She slapped herself in the face and a huge smile appeared. “I would love to speak with her.”

As Rarity got up to follow the stallion, Sunset spoke up. “Wait! Would it be okay if I came with her?”

The stallion shook his head. “I’m sorry ma’am. Miss Applejewel wishes to speak privately with Miss Rarity.”

Sunset’s face fell. “Oh. Okay then. See you when you get back Rarity.”

“Welcome to the Gala…welcome to the Gala…”

King Sombra, Nightmare, Princess Twilight, and Smog all sighed. “This isn’t what I hoped it’d be,” Nightmare whispered to herself.

“I’m sure Captain Luna will be here soon,” Princess Twilight said, smiling reassuringly.

“Whoa!” They both turned around to see King Sombra, unexpectedly looking very surprised and a little happy. “Um, I mean…Lord Tirek! This is a surprise.”

Princess Twilight, Nightmare, and Smog all gasped as they saw the next guest. He was twice as tall as any of them, mostly because he was a centaur. He had red skin, black fur, a white beard, short white hair between two bull-like horns, gray hooves, and black and yellow eyes. He also wore a plain black vest.

The centaur smiled gently. “Just Tirek is fine, thank you. How are you doing, old friend?”

“I-I um, I’m doing great!” King Sombra said nervously. “Uh…you remember Princess Sparkle, right? Look, she got better!”

“Ah, Princess Sparkle! So nice to see you again. May I kiss your hoof as a sign of respect?”

Princess Twilight stared at him with surprise and confusion. She looked as if Eternity had appeared riding on top of Spike before politely asking her out on a date. She paused to reorganize her bewildered mind before saying, “Um, no thanks.”

“A-and t-this is Nightmare Moon, daughter of Captain Luna and our personal protégé. And her assistant Smog.

“A pleasure to meet you Nightmare Moon. May I?” Tirek asked.

Nightmare hesitantly nodded. “You may.” She raised a hoof and Tirek knelt down so that they were a little closer. He kissed her hoof lightly before standing back up. He then turned to Smog and smiled.

“Ah, another dragon assistant. Good to meet you Sir Smog,” Tirek said, shaking Smog’s claw with his own red claws. “Much like Garble and Spike. How is the little guy doing?”

“Well, Spike’s grown up quite a lot. He’s a very grumpy nowadays, but he’s also very sweet sometimes,” Princess Twilight said.

“Hmm, I still remember him when he was just a young thing. Give him my regards.”

“How’s your brother doing?” King Sombra asked.

Tirek sighed, his smile fading. “We’ve been arguing over different matters lately. I thought it best to give Scorpan some time alone, to clear his head.”

King Sombra nodded. “Right. So…what brings you here? You don’t visit our kingdom that often.”

“I’m doing a check on the seals. Have you found her yet?”

The king sighed. “I’m afraid not. Captain Luna still goes on expeditions in search of her, but no luck yet.”

Tirek nodded. He lowered his head to the king and whispered, “Is the trickster still contained?”

King Sombra growled, his face darkening. “Yes. That little demon is still trapped in stone, may she never darken our kingdom with her madness ever again.”

Princess Twilight flinched slightly. “I admit she was out-of-control, but she wasn’t too bad. Doesn’t that seem a bit harsh?”

He glared at her. “You were there. You saw what that little monster did.”

“Um, sorry?” Nightmare asked. “Trickster, demon? Who are you talking about?”

King Sombra glanced at her. “Hopefully you’ll never have to know. Let’s just say, I can’t think of a bigger threat to the safety of our kingdom than her.”

“I can think of two. Maybe three,” Tirek mumbled to himself. “Either way, I just stopped by to say hello.” With that he walked away from them, toward the palace gardens.

“What say you, Mister Discord?”

Discord summoned another flying clock and glanced at the time. “11:45. I’d say it’s almost time.”

“What? No, I meant about the palace garden’s exotic animals. Aren’t they fascinating?”

Discord glanced at the earth mare that he’d been talking to. Her name was Coco…something. Pommel? No…Puffs? Yeah, Coco Puffs, that sounded right. What was she saying again? Oh yeah, boring animals and stuff.

“Oh yes, I see a toucan and a monkey. Very fascinating.” His gaze lazily traveled across the gardens until he found something interesting. “Ooh, a platypus! I always loved those little guys.”

Coco wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Quite.” She managed a polite smile again and asked, “Are there any exotic animals that you’ve encountered before tonight?”

“Well there is one,” Discord said. He snapped his fingers and Polaris appeared. “There ya go. Here’s a Windigo!”

Coco screamed at the sight of the wintery hate spirit and ran back inside, hoping to find some courageous guards to protect her from the beast.

Discord sighed and gave his pet Windigo a hug. “Oh Polaris. Why can’t they love you?” Discord glanced over Polaris’ shoulder and spotted Chrysalis.

Letting Polaris go so that he could explore the gardens, Discord followed Chrysalis, who was unaware that she was being watched. Chrysalis buzzed her wings and calmly flew through the garden until she had reached a mare who was happily cuddling dozens of the garden’s exotic animals.

“Hmm. Now who's that pegasus? She’s rather cute,” Discord muttered to himself. “Well, for a pony.”

“Excuse me, Miss Fluttershy?” Chrysalis said. “Cadance asked me to ask you to come back inside.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Hello. I’m glad you could join us,” she spoke softly.

Chrysalis blinked. “What?”

“Oh, it’s okay. Come here, my little bunny,” Fluttershy said gently as she stared at Chrysalis. They both stared at each other for several seconds.

Growing bored by the inactivity, Discord got up to teleport next to them and maybe throw a pie at this Fluttershy as a sign of friendship. He had just conjured up a blueberry pie, when something even more interesting caught his eye.

As Tirek made his way to the center of the garden, a bright flash of light appeared in front of him.

“Tirek, I presume?” Discord asked with a big grin.

Tirek blinked in surprise before smiling. “Discord? My, you’ve grown up since I last saw you. How’s your dear grandmother doing?”

“Granny Babel is doing great, thank you for asking! The other members of my family, well…you know how we are.”

Tirek chuckled. “I do indeed. Pardon me, I was just about to check something on my way out.”

“Ooh. May I see?”

Tirek nodded and led Discord to a statue in the middle of the garden. The statue was of an earth pony with a long mane and tail. Its mane hung limply, covering part of its face.

“There she is. What a nasty piece of work that maniac was.” Tirek sighed heavily. “She used to be such a nice girl too.”

Discord eyed the statue. “…Am I missing something here?”

Tirek stared at Discord for half a minute before sighing again. “I’m surprised you don’t know about her, but perhaps that’s for the best.”

Tirek walked closer until he was right in front of the statue. His fingers reached up and touched the statue’s head. “…The seal is weakened. But…it feels like she’s still asleep. Or perhaps…”

Tirek stepped away from the statue and made his way to the exit. “Excuse me Discord. I need to speak with Sombra and then I’ll be on my way out. Until we meet again.”

Discord waved goodbye to Tirek, then turned back around to face the statue. He examined the statue a little before poking it too. He pulled his finger back as he felt something akin to an electric shock.

“Ooh. Tingly,” he said as he examined his talons and fingers. His magic felt stronger for some reason.

Discord leapt up on top of the statue and danced on its head. “Oh happy day, happy day! This’ll work wonderfully.” He stopped dancing as he heard an alarm go off. A clock submerged in a block of gravity defying, floating water appeared. “Ooh, 11:50! Better round up my friends. I bid you adieu, dear ominous statue!” And with that, Discord teleported back inside.

“Hey, Nightmare!” Nightmare Moon turned around from the Gala guest she’d been talking to and saw Rainbow hovering in the air next to her. “I heard you’ve been looking for your mom. She’s finished her rounds and she’s with our friends right now!”

“Excuse me, Your Majesties,” Nightmare said to King Sombra and Princess Twilight. Carrying Smog on her back, she flapped her wings and flew after Rainbow as she led them to the table their friends were waiting at.

Captain Luna bolted from her seat and ran to Nightmare. “Moony!” she sang

“Loony!” Nightmare cried happily.

They stopped in front of each other and sang:

Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!

They danced together as they sang, clapping their hooves together and shaking their wings at the appropriate times. The two dark alicorns giggled and hugged each other tightly.

“Mom. I’ve been so excited to spend time with you tonight, but you were so busy and I was helping King Sombra and Princess Twilight and…”

Nightmare trailed off as her mom smiled kindly at her. “Oh Moony. I’m so sorry I put you through that. But I’ve finished my guard duties for tonight. I have but one duty now: to love you.” Luna and Nightmare hugged and nuzzled each other happily. “I love you so much Moony,” Luna whispered.

“I love you too Loony. More than you can imagine,” Nightmare whispered.

“Wow. Next time I should go straight to you two. The love you have for each other is delicious,” Chrysalis said as she rejoined them at the table.

“‘Sup Chrysalis? You’ve been gone a while,” Gilda said.

“Oh, I was just talking with Countess Cadance for a minute. She’s very nice,” Chrysalis said as she inhaled some of the excess love that was pouring off of Nightmare and Luna. "Mmmmm..."

“I have returned,” Rarity said as she rejoined the group too.

Sunset shifted in her chair. “So? How’d it go with Miss Jewel?”

Rarity shivered a little. “The conversation was…intense, I’ll tell you that much. I felt as if she could see my soul.”

The dark alicorns finally let go of each other and turned to face their friends. “So, how has your Gala been going?” Nightmare asked. With that, her friends went on to explain all the trouble they’d been having all night.

“Ooh…that doesn’t really sound like a night that will last forever in our memories,” Nightmare muttered dejectedly.

“More like a night we’d rather forget,” Smog added.

“Yes, I can’t recall a night when I ever had fun at a Gala. But cheer up my friends!” Luna said. “The night is still young and this is the first time I’ve met my daughter’s friends face-to-face. Let us enjoy the night by ourselves, so that we may celebrate all that you have accomplished!”

“Yeah! Captain Luna’s right!” Gilda said, determination blazing in her eyes. “Who needs all these snobby noble ponies? So let’s hang out, just the ten of us!”

Smog looked around at the group and counted. “Rainbow, Rarity, and...,” he mumbled to himself. He spoke up a bit louder, “Make that nine. Where’s Discord?”

“GUESS WHO?” Discord sang as he teleported on top of the table.

Sunset groaned and her horn stopped glowing. “You really need to stop startling people like that. I almost blasted you!”

“Aw, I missed you guys too,” Discord said, tousling Sunset’s mane. He snapped his fingers and a black, heart-shaped mug appeared in front of Chrysalis. The mug was filled with swirling green love. “Like it? Sunset’s friends Flim and Flam came up with the mug design. I’ve been passing these out to any hungry changelings I see.”

“Thanks Discord,” Chrysalis whispered happily before inhaling the love inside the mug.

As Sunset tried to brush her mane back into its previous neatness, Gilda said what everyone else was thinking. “So where’ve you been all night?”

“Oh, here and there. I had hoped you guys would be able to have fun by yourselves, but it appears that you are all hopelessly lost without me to liven things up!” He snapped his fingers and summoned a flying clock for them to see. “Sunny, you asked me this before. The reason I keep checking the time is because I have a trick planned that will actually make this party into a paaartay! I’ve been waiting until midnight to make this trick really special!” He checked the flying clock. “Ooh! 11:57!” Discord tossed the clock away and began chuckling mischievously.

“A trick? Trixie is intrigued. Tell us more!” Trixie demanded with a growing smile.

Discord chuckled again. His eyes began to change colours, swirling hypnotically. “I should inform you that I haven’t done this part in ages.”

Luna, who had previously been just as eager to hear this plan, looked a little uneasy now. “Discord. There is a reason that draconequui like yourself stopped using that ability,” she warned him.

Discord waved her concern off. “What’s the harm, just this once? If it’s only a teeny-tiny, temporary mind control that my friends are okay with, surely that’s not so bad?” Discord asked with a hopeful, yet still very mischievous smile.

“Uh…I dunno…” Rainbow mumbled. Nightmare felt like she agreed with her, but she was having trouble concentrating.

“Aw, come on,” Discord whispered as he cupped her chin and stared into her eyes. “Trust me…”

Within less than a minute, Discord had implanted a tiny suggestion into everyone’s minds at the table. Smog blinked and looked at his friends. Their eyes had all turned yellow-red, just like Discord’s eyes. They all had sneaky grins spreading on their faces too. Much like the one spreading on his own face, Smog realized.

Chrysalis purred a little. “Ooh, what is this feeling? I feel funny,” she said, giggling a little.

Trixie giggled too. “If Trixie had to guess, Discord merely added a little mischief to our minds.”

Luna and Gilda shared a big grin. “So what’s the plan?

Nightmare chuckled mischievously. “I think I know where this is going. Rarity? Looks like we’ll get to sing after all.”

Sunset and Rainbow shared a few giggles too, while Rarity tried to remain prim and proper. Even though her eyes were just as yellow-red as the rest of them. “Ooh, I’m liking the direction this prank is taking already.”

With that the ten friends quickly finished out the details on their scheme. Tonight, would be the Night that Would Last Forever in their Memories.

“But Sombra, this speech is only a few lines long. What are we doing exactly?” Princess Twilight asked as she read the slip of paper she had been given.

King Sombra chuckled. “We’re just setting something up. Try to hurry though, it’s a minute before midnight.”

Princess Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

King Sombra winked a yellow-red eye at her. “Never better. I just had a talk with Discord and the other Elements. Trust me, you’ll like this.”

Princess Twilight shrugged before clearing her throat. All of the Gala guests had moved into the ballroom. She was onstage instead of the fancy band. She saw Nightmare and Luna waving at her from a corner of the room, cheering her on.

Princess Twilight announced, “Attention everyone! Your princess requests your attention please!” Once everyone was listening to her she read the last line. “Thanks. Okay everybody, now it’s time for a change of pace.”

Nightmare and Luna grinned as they cast a spell, enshrouding all the lights in the ballroom with magical shadows. “Lights out.”

The crowd gasped as the entire ballroom was plunged into darkness. Princess Twilight’s horn glowed as she tried to locate the source of the disturbance. “Huh?!”

A spotlight lit up the area around her. “Right you are Princess Sparky!” She turned around to see Discord standing behind her with a big grin.

“This is a party, you know. And with just the right touch…”

The king’s magic gently lifted the princess offstage, allowing everyone to focus on Discord and his friends. Discord struck a pose and began singing:

“This could be quite the place,” he sang

“Full of wholesome, happy faces,” Nightmare sang too

“Hanging out,” Trixie sang.

“Feeling fine,” Gilda sang.

“Where everyone’s a friend of mine,” Sunset sang.

“Inside this crystal castle,” Nightmare chuckled.

“We’ll take what we want, without the hassle!” Trixie declared.

“This night will live in our memories,” Nightmare, Luna and Discord all sang.

Everyone looked at the clock. Three…two…one…midnight.

“And last FOREVER in history! Ha, ha, ha!” The Elements and their friends all laughed evilly. Most of the snobbier Gala guests were feeling uneasy, but some guests began to sing with the Elements.

It’s our Gala now! It’s our Gala now!

“It’s the fact you can’t ignore,” King Sombra sang as he cast a spell at the floor, causing crystals to burst from the ground.

Gilda pushed a lightning cloud into the room and gave it a kick, sending lightning crashing into the windows.
“Storm the windows!” she sang.

“Transform the doors!” Discord added as he turned the front doors into a pile of bananas.

It’s our Gala now!

“Raise your mugs
You love-hungry bugs!” Chrysalis sang as she drank from her love-filled mug. Other changelings got heart-shaped mugs full of love too as they all drank in the energy greedily.

“Join the chaos-causing crowd
It’s our Gala now!”

“Every cat and dog fits in so purr-fectly,” Tiana sang as she rubbed her head against Rover, purring gently.

“Every dark queen gets due respect,” Luna sang.

“That we do!” Nightmare and Chrysalis sang.

“So forget your troubles,” Chrysalis sang as her eyes glowed green.

"Put your trust in me,” Discord sang as his eyes swirled hypnotically.

“It’s time for fun!” Rarity sang.

“It’s time to play!” Rainbow sang.

“For every Diamond Dog has his day!” Rover sang.

It’s our Gala now
It’s our Gala now!

“What a place for baking bread!
Things are better when
We’re with our friends,” Smog sang as he toasted a sandwich with his fire breath.

It’s our Gala now

"What a party," Sunset and Trixie sang.

So join the fun with no regrets
And party with the nicest monsters around!

“The night is ours!” Nightmare cheered.

“We’re the greatest!” Gilda roared triumphantly

“Devour all the love!” Chrysalis laughed

“Chaos is the best!” Discord sang.

It’s our castle now
Don’t bother coming back
It’s our Gala now!

All of the snobbier Gala guests had fled by the time they finished their song. But several guests were still there along with the Elements, including their friends, the Royal Family, and the Shadowbolts.

“Well, tonight turned out to be fun after all!” Discord said, clapping his mismatched hands together and casting more chaotic spells.

King Sombra nodded in approval. “Easily the best Grand Galloping Gala ever.”

“I just hope that the other members of the nobility who fled can forgive us after tonight,” Princess Twilight said.

“Don’t worry my friend. Remember, we were hypnotized into acting like that by a chaotic draconequus. We weren’t in control of our actions. What? It’s true,” King Sombra said with mock-innocence, chuckling at the half-truth.

Nightmare smiled and nuzzled Luna. “I think you're right about tonight's Gala being the best. Tonight I learned that friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great.”

“And all it required was a successful hostile takeover!” Discord added.

Nightmare rolled her eyes at him before looking at Smog. “We should have listened to you Smog. Tonight would have been a lot more fun if we just stuck together.”

“It’s cool. What matters now is that we spend the rest of the Gala having fun together!” Smog said.

“Not all-night though,” Luna reminded Nightmare gently. “You need your sleep. Still, let’s have some fun!”

“I can raise a toast to that!” Discord cheered as he raised a piece of buttered toast and drank it as if it were wine instead of toasted bread.

And so they all partied the rest of the night away before returning to their homes and going to bed. The Elements were successful in their quest. That night would be known as the Night that Lasted Forever.

But not for the reason they were thinking. It wasn’t so much the Gala itself that would be remembered, but what happened afterwards.

Something else had enjoyed the party too. Something had soaked up the energy generated from such a chaotic, friendly, fun-filled party.

Within the palace gardens, a large crack began to spread across a certain statue. Laughter could be heard coming from the statue.

Author's Note

Song is based on 'Our House Now' from Mickey's House of Villains.

The Revenge of Harmony

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Revenge of Harmony

Two royal guards walked through the palace gardens as they did their rounds. “So what happened at the Gala?” the changeling guard asked.

The unicorn guard shrugged. “I decided to keep to the day watch so I wasn’t there. You should ask some of the guys on Captain Luna’s team, whenever they wake up.”

The changeling guard smiled. “I heard Corporal Blueblood was there last night. Maybe we can ask him?” she suggested.

The other guard shrugged again. “Sure, why not?” he mumbled. They went around the corner and marched back to Blueblood’s location.

The Corporal yawned and rubbed at his eyes. Another guard was talking to him. “Sir, you should really get some rest.”

Corporal Blueblood sleepily shook his head. “No. A guard should always be vigilant. I must stay awake for whenever my king needs me. ‘Sides, the day shift is my shift.”

“Come on sir. We only need a few guards here. Nothing ever happens in these gardens anyway,” the guard said before she walked away to continue her rounds. The unicorn and changeling guards went to talk to Blueblood next. “Good morning sir,” they said, saluting. “How was last night’s Gala?”

Corporal Blueblood sighed. “A disaster. King Sombra informed me that he, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Captain Luna, and the Elements Bearers all fell under a twisted spell. It made them kick out the more esteemed guests of the Gala and made them act foolishly. Our Majesties, Our Captain, and the Elements have all returned to normal, thankfully.”

“Rough night, huh?” The changeling guard smiled sympathetically. “You wanna get some rest? We can cover for you.”

Corporal Blueblood shook his head. “I must remain vigilant.”

The unicorn whispered to his companion, “He just wants Captain Luna to promote him.” She quietly giggled before putting her ‘serious guard’ expression back on.

“Corporal Blueblood, good morning! How are you and your team doing today?” The three guards snapped to attention and bowed before Prince Shining Armor as he strolled into the gardens. “At ease soldiers,” the prince said.

Corporal Blueblood straightened up. “Good morning Prince Shining. We are doing great, thank you for asking. How was last night’s Gala for you?”

Prince Shining sighed. “Exhausting. Some crazy friend of the Element Bearers stalked me all night. She’s a very nice, beautiful mare. But she just wouldn’t leave me alone!”

“With respect sir, if this lady was as excellent as you say then why were you avoiding her? She sounds wonderful,” Corporal Blueblood said.

Prince Shining shook his head. “From what Sparky – um, I mean Princess Twilight – told me, Miss Rarity is interested in fashion and a lot of other things I couldn’t even begin to understand. With no common interests, it wouldn’t work between us.

“Well surely you must have found another girl to converse with?” Corporal Blueblood asked. He waved a hoof, dismissing the other guards and sending them out to resume their patrols.

“I did have a talk with Countess Cadance,” Prince Shining said. “She invited me for dinner too, I think. She seemed nice.”

“Well there you go sir!” Corporal Blueblood smiled. “Don’t you worry about us now, you should be getting ready for your dinner with her.”

Prince Shining chuckled. “It’s only 7:24. I haven’t even gotten breakfast yet. I wanted to check on you first, Captain Luna told me you had some unusual dreams after last night.”

“As I said sir, don’t worry about me.”

“Right. …Pardon me Corporal but…do you mind if I walk with you? So it can feel like I’m on patrol?” Prince Shining asked.

“Certainly sir. Out of curiosity though, why?” Corporal Blueblood asked as he led the prince around the garden.

“I used to be a royal guard too. I managed to climb the ranks until I became Captain. You probably didn’t know that though, it was many years before my little sister became Princess and my family became members of royalty. Well over hundreds of years by now,” Prince Shining explained.

“Really? What was the royal guard like back then?” Corporal Blueblood paused and stammered out, “Oh, f-forgive me Prince Shining, I-I didn’t mean to imply…”

Prince Shining chuckled. “It’s alright Blueblood. You can say I’m old, even if I haven’t actually aged much. The joys of crystal sleep,” he muttered sarcastically. “To answer your question, there aren’t actually too many differences.”

Corporal Blueblood nodded as they continued to patrol the palace gardens. A minute later he tried to resume the conversation. “I heard Miss Applejewel was there last night. Did you meet her?”

“Yeah, but we didn’t talk much,” Prince Shining said, shivering a little. “There’s something odd about that mare, I don’t know what though. Maybe I’m just naturally paranoid around shadowy, mystery-type people.”

“Ah. So uh…have you been to the Big Apple yet?” Blueblood asked.

“Ding, ding, ding-a-ding, a-ling.”

“Well Princess Twilight, I, and my parents were there during a diplomatic visit, ” Prince Shining said. “But by the time we’d finished meeting with the mayor and celebrities and so on, I didn’t have much time to see the sights.”

“Ding, ding, a-ling, ding, a-ling, a ding, ding, da-ding.”

“What about you Blueblood? Have you ever been there?” Prince Shining asked.

Corporal Blueblood held up a hoof to stop the prince from continuing. “Wait. What is that?”

Ding, ding, a-ling, a-ling, a ding, ding, ding, a ding, da-ling…

“…My name is Pinkie Pie…and I am here to say…”

The prince and corporal listened carefully. There was another voice in the gardens. The voice whispered, yet the sound carried throughout the garden until it reached their ears. The voice was feminine but it also sounded unbelievably raspy.

“…I’m gonna make you smile…”

*Clank*

The two unicorns froze. That noise sounded like an armored royal guard falling to the floor.

“…And I will brighten up your day-aaay…”

The next thing they heard was a whoosh, followed by the smell of burning grass.

“Sir, stick close to me,” Corporal Blueblood said. Prince Shining nodded as his horn glowed with pinkish-red magic. Blueblood’s own horn glowed as they cautiously made their way towards the disturbance. There was an intruder in the royal gardens.

They turned around a corner to see that a topiary bush made to look like a Diamond Dog was burning. The prince and corporal both cast a spell to put out the fire.

“…It doesn’t matter now…if you are sad or blue…”

“The voice went that way! Guards! If you can hear me, there’s an intruder somewhere! Find them!” Prince Shining ordered loudly.

“You heard the prince! Stand your ground!” Corporal Blueblood barked out. Nobody answered them. They quickly, yet cautiously chased after the voice.

“…‘Cause cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie's here to do…‘cause I love to make you smile…”

*Clank*

“…Smile…”

*Clank*

“…Smile…”

*Clank*

“…Yes I do…”

Both the prince and the corporal swallowed their fears and marched on. They had rushed through every inch of the gardens and they hadn’t seen anyone else. Whoever or whatever this intruder was, it was picking off the guards one by one.

“…It fills my heart with sunshine all the while…yes it does…”

A loud noise and a bright light went off somewhere in the garden, followed by a crunch. It sounded like a guard had been blasted into a tree. Shining and Blueblood turned around and ran toward the noise.

"…‘Cause all I really need’s a smile…”

*Clank*. They chased after another fallen guard.

“…Smile…”

*Clank*. That last one was much closer.

“…Smile…”

*Clank*

Prince Shining immediately screeched to a halt. That last clank came from right behind him. His eyes frantically darted all over the place, searching for the intruder. Still no sign of their attacker, but the fallen guard was still there.

“Blueblood?” He hurried over and knelt down beside the corporal. He could see Blueblood’s rising and falling chest; could hear Blueblood’s breathing. He was still alive. The other guards were probably still alive too then, just missing…probably.

"Blueblood, get up," Prince Shining ordered. He rolled over Blueblood’s body with his magic to examine the rest of him. When he saw Blueblood’s face he immediately jumped back, terrified by what he saw.

“…From these happy…”

The voice was right behind him. Prince Shining spun around to face his attacker, horn glowing with power.

The intruder calmly walked toward him. But the way she moved made it appear more like she was floating. She was a bright pink earth pony mare. A layer of dust coated her body, as if she had been trapped under layers of stone for years. Her mane and tail were both dark pink, her mane hanging limply against her face. She smiled a huge, happy grin. Her blue eyes twinkled, filled with great happiness…mixed with great anger.

“…Friends of mine.”

“Hello…friend,” the mare said to Shining with a big smile. She waved a hoof over his face and the world faded around him.

Gilda sat up on the cloud she had previously been napping on. Naptime was over so she got up and stretched her limbs out, giving her tail and wings a shake. She flapped her wings and took to the air once more. She then folded her wings and swooped toward the ground. Once she had picked up enough speed she opened her wings again to try and catch the wind.

Unfortunately, her form was a little off for the trick she’d been planning. She stumbled in the air before she flapped her wings again to steer herself back in the right direction. She grumbled and landed on another cloud to plan out another attempt.

A few minutes went by before she figured out what went wrong. Gilda took a deep breath, cracking her talons to loosen up her joints. Once her talons gave a satisfying pop, she flexed her wings again, crouched low as she got into position and then…

“Um, excuse me? Gilda?” Gilda glanced over her shoulder to see Mayor Derpy flapping her wings and hovering in the air, staring at her.

“Oh, hey mayor. ‘Sup?” Gilda said.

“What are you trying to do?” Mayor Derpy asked.

“Just trying to master an old trick of mine,” Gilda said as she focused her gaze back onto the sky. “Now that Cloudsdale is all cleaned up, The Best Young Fliers competition should be starting any day now. Gotta be ready for it. What can I help ya with?”

“Oh, have you seen Rainbow Dash?” Mayor Derpy asked. “There’s something going on with some of the clouds and I wanted to ask her opinion."

Gilda blinked. “Miss mayor, I thought I was the go-to gal when it came to weather management.”

“Well it’s just that Rainbow Dash could probably clear the clouds faster and um…” Mayor Derpy trailed off as she realized her mistake. Her eyes flickered to the irritated expression on Gilda’s face.

“You saying I ain’t fast?” Gilda growled

“No! No, no, no, I’m not saying that!” Mayor Derpy assured her. “It’s just…you’re busy with your training for the Best Fliers completion and um…” she trailed off with a nervous smile.

Gilda rolled her eyes but managed a smile. “Whatever, it’s cool. I know you didn’t mean it. I’ll find Dash for ya.”

“Okay!” Mayor Derpy said cheerfully. “Just tell Dash about the weird clouds and see what she thinks. And whatever it is, I’m sure you can handle it! Just ask her opinion and um…” the mayor’s voice faded away from her as Gilda flew off in search of Rainbow Dash.

She found her friend napping on a pink cloud. “Hey Dash! Rise and shine!” Gilda yelled in her ear.

Rainbow bolted up from the cloud, wide-awake and confused. Her eyes darted around before focusing on Gilda. “What’d you do that for?!”

“Um, sorry?” Gilda said. “You okay?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Yeah, just…weird dream. This flying mustached rabbit with an alligator’s body was chasing me.”

Gilda stared at her friend. “Did you fall asleep anywhere near the Chaos Corner? Guys around here get weird dreams whenever they’re near Discord’s house.”

Rainbow rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “That’s probably it.” She yawned, and then quickly sat up. “‘Kay I’m up now. What did you need G?”

“The mayor said there’s something weird with the weather, asked us to check it out. Speaking of which,” Gilda pointed at the pink cloud Rainbow was on. “What’s up with this?”

Rainbow stared down at the cloud. “Huh. It wasn’t like this when I started napping.” She pulled out a piece of the cloud and brought it up to her muzzle. She sniffed it and gave it a lick. “Cotton candy?”

Gilda’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.” She ripped out a piece of the cloud and licked it. “Heh, ain’t that something? Now I know what the problem is, Discord’s probably messing around with the weather.” Gilda chuckled before she hopped off the cloud and hovered in the air. “Don’t worry Dash, I got this. I’ll talk with Discord and get him to sort it out. See you later!” She waved and flew off towards the Chaos Corner.

Rainbow waved to her and stared back down at the cloud. She shrugged and decided that as long as she was awake, might as well practice for the upcoming Best Young Fliers competition. Rainbow opened her wings to take to the air…

“HI!”

Rainbow screamed and jumped away from the pegasus that had just appeared out of nowhere.

“Hello! Did I scare you? Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh, huh, huh?”

As the mare talked, Rainbow examined the mysterious pegasus. Her coat was bright white, while her incredibly puffy mane and tail were a brilliant shade of yellow. Her voice was bubbly and cheerful. The really strange part about her was that the pegasus was hovering upside-down in the air.

“Ooh! Ooh, ooh, do you like my cloud?” The upside-down mare asked with a huge grin.

“This is yours?” Rainbow asked, pointing at the cotton candy cloud.

“Yep!” The white pegasus giggled. “And you haven’t even seen the best part yet! Watch!” She flew over to its side, still flying upside-down, and kicked the cloud. The pink cloud rumbled and began pouring rain. Except it wasn’t rain at all.

The white pegasus flew under the cloud and began gulping down the chocolate milk that the cloud was spewing with great gusto. “Soooo gooood!” She gargled out between gulps of chocolate milk rain. “And it gets better!” The white pegasus gave the cloud another kick and it began spewing out whipped cream.

“Whipped cream lightning!” she cheered. “I mean, what kind of psycho makes the clouds rain chocolate milk without whipped cream lightning to go with it? That’s insanity!”

Rainbow shook her head in confusion. “If that’s your cloud, how did you get it to do this in the first place?”

“I used pegasus magic, duh! Our special talent is flying and controlling weather, isn’t it?”

“Um, well-”

“Speaking of special talents, wanna guess what mine is? I plan parties! I’m the super-duper best party planner in all of Everfree! You ain’t ever had a friend quite like me!” the upside-down pegasus sang.

Rainbow chuckled. The white mare’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Heh, you’re funny. So, are you visiting Peaceville or are you moving in?” The white pegasus nodded her head vigorously. Taking that as a yes to the second option, Rainbow continued. “I don’t think any of my friends have birthdays coming up soon but you’ll be the first one I call if I ever need a party planner.”

The upside-down pegasus twisted her body until she was hovering right-side up. She bounced on the transformed candy cloud and cheered. “Friends? I love friends! Can I meet your friends? Can I? Oh, please, please, please?”

Rainbow chuckled again. “Sure! Follow me. Name’s Rainbow Dash! The fastest, most awesome pegasus in all of Peaceville!”

The white mare’s grin widened. “Rainbow Dash,” she said as if rolling the name on her tongue, and immensely enjoying the taste of that name.

“Uh, yeah? That’s me. What’s your name?”

“Oh, you can call me Surprise!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Surprise, huh? How’d you ever get a name like that?” she asked sarcastically as she turned around and flew towards Peaceville.

As Surprise eyed Rainbow’s back, her white coat started to turn pink. “You’re about to find out,” Surprise said as she waved a hoof.

Sunset Shimmer walked over to her next customer, carrying a quartz crystal in her magic. “Okay, here it is. You know, as much as I appreciate your business Screwball, I wouldn’t mind if you went for something stronger.

Screwball was a purplish-pink earth pony with a swirly purple-white mane and tail. She wore her favourite yellow-green propeller beanie and a very thick pair of glasses.

Instead of responding to Sunset’s offer, Screwball grabbed the crystal out of Sunset’s magic. She took off her glasses, revealing her pure white eyes. Screwball took the quartz crystal and held them close to her eyes. A few seconds later, purple irises and white pupils appeared in the center of her previously blank eyes. Screwball smiled as the quartz restored her sight.

They both heard a crash coming from farther away in Clear Crystal Caverns. Sunset’s magic reached out and levitated a sheepish Diamond Tiara towards them. “Oh, hey there Sunset! Um…listen, if you come across anything glowing today, I just want you to know that it was like that when I-”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “You’re not fooling anyone Diamond.”

Diamond grumbled. “Fine.” She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out some money. “This should cover what I broke.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said. She levitated Diamond back down and released her telekinetic hold. “What do ya think?” she asked, gesturing toward Screwball’s eyes.

“Looks great!” Diamond said. Screwball smiled at the compliment before happily skipping away. Diamond glanced at Sunset, her smile fading. “Isn’t there a way to make her eyes stay normal longer?”

Sunset sighed. “Sorry Diamond. There’s only so many things that crystals can do, and she’s not comfortable using other methods.”

Diamond frowned in confusion. “Couldn’t someone like Trixie or Discord cast a spell to fix her eyes?”

“Discord could fix them easily enough, but he has trouble making his magic permanent. Any magic user could probably fix her eyes for about a month before she loses her irises again.”

“I don’t get it. What kind of condition causes you to lose your eyes like that anyway?”

“It’s not like the whole eye is lost, just the iris and pupil,” Sunset explained. “See the way it works is-”

“Sunset!” Diamond and Sunset turned around to see Gilda flying towards them, with an irritated Nightmare Moon and Smog plus an amused Discord following behind her. “Can you please talk to him?”

“Talk to him about what?” Sunset asked.

“Well ladies, it’s a rather interesting tale,” Discord said as he reached up and grabbed a cotton candy cloud and began eating it. In between slurps he said, “I woke up this morning to find that some of my ‘chores’ had started without me. The weather is magically delicious, there are ponies falling into hilarious pranks left and right, chaotic fun for the whole family! And I didn’t even have to lift a finger!”

As Discord swallowed the candy cloud he added, “Also the weeds from before have sprouted again. Sorry Sunny.”

“So you’re saying that you – Discord, the master of abnormality and random – you have nothing do with this? And you expect us to believe that?” Smog asked.

Discord smiled as apple, orange, ice cream, and banana cream pie trees sprouted all over the crystal cavern. “Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love what’s happening, but I couldn't possibly take responsibility.”

Nightmare rolled her eyes. “Well if you didn’t do this then who did?”

Discord shrugged. “Haven’t the foggiest idea.” Somewhere a foghorn sounded off. “Ooh, excellent timing! Whoever they are, I’d personally like to congratulate them on a job well done.”

“Does that mean you’re not going to fix all this?” Nightmare asked.

“…Do I have to?” he whined.

Smog patted Discord on the back. “Look, we really like all the jokes and shenanigans you create. But only when they’re confined in the Chaos Corner.”

Discord gave Smog a glare. “Jokes? Shenanigans? Confined?”

“Er, sorry. Let me rephrase that,” Smog suggested. But before he could elaborate, his mouth bulged and he spat out a letter from King Sombra.

Feeling on edge from the unexplainable randomness that was occurring, Nightmare took the scroll from Smog. “Dear Nightmare Moon. Emergency. Gather Element bearers and come to Crystal Castle throne room immediately. I will explain once you arrive. Hurry. King Sombra,” she read out loud.

“An immediate summons? This sounds serious,” Smog said nervously.

“I’m gonna run and grab my armor real quick. Sunset, take Diamond back home. The rest of you find Chrysalis, Gilda, and Trixie. Meet back outside the library once you find them,” Nightmare ordered. She then grabbed Smog in her magic and teleported back to the library.

“Hey! Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo called out as she knocked on the front door of the Carousel of Wonders. “You gotta see this!”

Apple Bloom waited patiently, if uneasily beside her. She glanced behind them and examined the strange phenomenon happening around them. Flowers were sprouting out of the ground and out of the building walls, cupcakes and pastries blossoming out of the petals.

“HI!”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both jumped at the sudden shout. They looked in the Carousel’s doorway to see a white-coated, yellow-haired pegasus. She was wearing a big grin and a purple dress with images of blue balloons sewn into the fabric.

“Hello! You can call me Surprise! What’re your names? Do you two like parties? Who am I kidding, who doesn’t love parties?!”

“Pardon me Miss Surprise,” Rarity said as she walked out the door too. “Good morning Apple Bloom, Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle will be down in a moment so…goodness! What is happening to Peaceville?” Rarity exclaimed.

Scootaloo stared at her in shock. “There’s chocolate and candy pouring outta the sky and bursting outta the ground! It’s been going on all morning, how have you not seen this?!”

Sweetie Belle walked out of the door to join her friends, then gasped at the candy wonderland was growing within Peaceville. “Whoa!”

“I know! Come on! Let’s go pig out!” Scootaloo cheered…or rather oinked. For some reason, her muzzle and been turned into a pig’s snout.

“What in tarnation?!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Oops,” Surprise whispered. There was a tiny flash of light and Scootaloo’s snout turned back into a muzzle.

Sweetie and Scootaloo both blinked in confusion, before shrugging and running off to gorge themselves on sweets. “Come on Apple Bloom! You coming?” Sweetie asked.

“Um, don’t worry. Ah’ll catch up with y’all in a bit,” Apple Bloom said. As her friends ran off, she walked inside the Carousel of Wonders to see Surprise trying on another dress.

“I really want to say thanks again. So…Rarity, thanks again!” Surprise sang, rolling the name on her tongue.

“Oh, you’re most welcome Surprise,” Rarity giggled. “I must say, your energy is infectious!”

Surprise gasped. “Oh no! I’m not making you sick, am I?”

“No, no. An expression. I’m simply saying that your happiness is making me happy.”

Surprise giggled. “Aw shucks! You’re so nice to me Rarity!”

“Um, Rarity?” Apple Bloom spoke up. “Have ya seen Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, Snails, or Twist around? Ah can’t find them anywhere.”

“Oh, they’re probably out enjoying the lovely weather. You should be out with your friends too Apple Bloom,” Rarity said as she straightened out a ribbon on Surprise’s dress.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Are ya saying yer okay with Sweetie eating chocolate and stuff that’s just falling outta the sky?”

Rarity blinked and gave her head a small shake. “I-I…well yes? Why wouldn’t I be okay with that?”

“Rarity?” Surprise spoke up. “About what we were discussing earlier, what else can you tell me about the Element bearers? I want the party I’m planning for them to be super duper awesome amazing!”

Rarity turned back to Surprise. “Hmm…there’s not much else to tell. I told you about Nightmare Moon, Smog, Sunset Shimmer, Gilda, Trixie, Chrysalis, Angle, and Discord…oh! There’s Discord’s pet Windigo too! His name’s Polaris, I believe.”

“Thank you so much Rarity!” Surprise said. “You’re so helpful and so generous. And very pretty too.”

Rarity blushed. “Oh, do stop that…or don't, whichever you prefer.

Apple Bloom stared at Surprise. “Pardon me, Surprise was it? Have we met before? Ya look an’ sound real familiar.”

Surprise giggled. “Who knows? Maybe we’ve met in a past life or something? Wouldn’t that be cool?” Surprise paused for a moment and glanced back at the clock hanging on the wall. “Gosh, have we been talking that long Rarity? Times flies when you’re having fun!” Surprise giggled as the clock sprouted wings.

Apple Bloom’s gaze traveled downward and stopped on Surprise’s front left hoof. “No way…” she whispered.

Surprise cheerfully examined her hoof as it turned pink. “Well, this has all been very fun Rarity. But if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a very BIG party to throw!”

Surprise smiled at Rarity and Apple Bloom, and waved a hoof.

“Check,” Nightmare said as she straightened her armor and helmet. She glanced at Smog, wearing his armor. “And check. Okay Discord, go for it.”

Discord snapped his fingers and teleported himself and the other Elements straight to the king’s throne room. There King Sombra and Princess Twilight waited for them.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” King Sombra muttered as he paced. “If anything, I had hoped our dear Captain’s sister would return instead. But this…”

“Don’t worry,” Princess Twilight said, smiling nervously. “I believe the Elements will be able to save the day. We can throw a party in their honour afterwards!”

“King Sombra!” Nightmare called out.

The king and princess looked up at them. “Thank you Nightmare Moon. Thank you all,” King Sombra sighed heavily.

“What is this about King Sombra?” Nightmare asked. “Does this have anything to do with the weird candy growing all over Peaceville?”

King Sombra blinked in shock, his eyes widened. “…Discord, please tell me-”

“It’s not me!” Discord protested.

“Peaceville already?” The horrified King Sombra whispered. “She’s moving fast.” He looked back at them and spoke louder. “Originally I had called you here because all of our guards just vanished a few hours ago. I was wary at first, but it seems I was right to be worried. All of you follow us please.”

King Sombra led them down a very long hallway toward a large vault door at the end. Along the walls were stained-glass windows depicting notable moments in the history of Everfree.

“Ooh, look! That one shows the origin of Heart’s Warming Eve, when the Fire of Friendship spell was first cast,” Chrysalis said as they passed a window depicting several figures and ghostly Windigos surrounding a heart-shaped flame.

“Neat. And there’s Lord Tirek’s first meeting with the people of Everfree,” Sunset pointed out as they passed a stained-glass window of the red centaur surrounded by ponies.

Princess Twilight smiled. “I know. There’s so much history in this hall alone. It’s all so cool!” she said, giggling.

“Please pay attention. This is a matter of great importance. Nightmare, do you remember when we covered the history of the draconequui?” King Sombra asked.

Nightmare nodded. “Yes. I read that most of them vanished hundreds of years ago.”

“I remember you saying that before we met Discord,” Smog added, recalling their first day in Peaceville.

“There is a reason they vanished,” King Sombra said grimly. “A long time ago, a pink earth pony stole the powers of several draconequui and used their combined powers to unleash such chaos that no draconequus has ever been able to match it.

“She went by many names. We called her Pinkamania Disaster Pie.”

Smog snorted. “Are we supposed to take a name like that seriously?”

King Sombra glared at him. “This isn’t a joke! The Pink One is a threat unlike anything Everfree has ever fought before! Only the combined might of the Elements of Redemption were able to imprison her. But since Princess Twilight and I are no longer connected to the Elements we can’t do it again. That’s why we’ve summoned you here. We need you to use the Elements once more and defeat the Trickster!”

Smog shrugged. “I dunno. None of us have seen this ‘Trickster’ yet, but all she seems to have done is create candy clouds and trees that grow cupcakes instead of fruit. I say let her stay.”

“I never thought I would ever be opposed to the idea of chaos, but I believe our dear king may be right about this,” Discord said, uncharacteristically grim. “Now correct me if I’m wrong – please correct me if I’m wrong – but did you say this pony can steal the powers of a draconequus?”

King Sombra nodded. “I’m glad that you understand how serious the situation is.” He turned to face the large golden door at the end of the hallway that he had led them down. “Princess Twilight Sparkle? If you could unlock the vault please?”

“Um, there’s a problem with that. It’s already unlocked,” the princess pointed out.

King Sombra’s eyes widened in fear. “No…” His magic extended into the vault. He levitated a jeweled box from inside and brought it out towards them. The box opened to reveal not the Elements of Redemption, but something else entirely.

“Hey, isn’t that the memory potion that Zecora showed us?” Sunset asked.

“Looks like,” Nightmare said. She levitated the glowing, bubbling white potion from the box with her magic. She set the potion down on the floor and picked at a note that was wrapped around the potion bottle.

“It says: To find the missing Elements, just make sense of this change of events,” she read aloud. She put the note down and looked at the bottle. “I think we’re supposed to watch the vision that comes out of this potion.”

Sunset frowned and raised her hoof. “Yeah um, I’m just gonna cut in and say this has trap written all over it!”

“I’m with Sunny on this one,” Gilda added. Chrysalis nodded.

Trixie eyed the potion warily. “Trixie also agrees.”

Princess Twilight groaned. “Come on guys! The note says we need this to find the missing Elements. But if the rest of you are so worried, I’ll take the potion!”

“Sparkle, don’t do this,” King Sombra warned. But the princess had already encased the potion in a pinkish-purple aura. She levitated the magical liquid out of the bottle and a bright cloud of energy filled the room as the vision began.

“Sunny! Discord! You made it!” They all turned around to see Screwball happily hovering in the midair, the propeller on her beanie hat spinning.

“Screwball? What are you doing here?” Sunset asked.

“And…is there something different about you? New haircut? New pair of eyes, perhaps?” Discord said.

Screwball’s eyes had changed. Large purple irises with white swirls for pupils circled around and around in her sclera. Screwball giggled. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she said, spinning in the air. “I can see perfectly and speak clearly! Princess Pinkie Pie fixed my eyes and my voice! May she be praised!”

King Sombra growled. "She's been brainwashed."

"Oh, don't be so grumpy mister King! Pinkie Pie's new reign comes with free chaos cupcakes. Free Chaos Cupcakes!"

"Please," Discord snorted. "I hand those out everyday."

“Even if the Trickster healed you, she will turn against you eventually! She’s just using you! Don’t do this!” King Sombra growled.

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Screwball said. “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I’m just the narrator right now.”

King Sombra growled again as his horn charged with power. But Princess Twilight held up a hoof and tried to placate him. “Wait. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

Screwball smiled as the vision shifted from a field of endless white space to an old farm. She began narrating, “The story of Pinkamena Diane Pie, or Pinkie Pie as she’s commonly known as, began over hundreds of years ago. She grew up with her parents and siblings on a rock farm. They spent their days working the fields. There was no talking. There was no smiling. There were only rocks.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “A rock farm? Do you mean like a crystal farm?”

King Sombra shook his head. “No. Back in those days I was still studying magic and I had not yet cast the spell that grew the crystals you are familiar with. I believe in those days, gems and crystals were grown inside of rocks and then aged. At least…I think that’s how it works.” Everyone else gave him a look. “What? How else would someone farm rocks?”

Princess Twilight smiled kindly as she took a step towards Discord. “I think your guess was close enough. I’ve learned a few things about rock farms.”

“Look! There she is!” Screwball cheered, pointing at a family of earth ponies. There was a grayish brown stallion walking next a greenish gray mare. There were also two gray fillies following a bouncing pink filly with puffy hair and a cutie mark in the form of three colourful balloons.

“Hurry up! You’ll love this!” the pink filly cheered.

“Now hold yer horses, Pinkamena Diane Pie!” the mare said sternly. “We’re a’ coming!”

The pink filly giggled. “You said ‘hold yer horses’! He, he!”

The stallion shook his head. “Pinkamena, what’s gotten into ya?”

“You’ll see! Oh, and could you pretty please call me Pinkie Pie? It sounds cuter when it’s shortened!” The filly Pinkie giggled and bounced again.

Pinkie’s family followed her into the farm’s silo. Upon seeing what was inside it, her family could only stare in shock. The entire silo was decorated with balloons, streamers, tables, chairs, cakes, fruit punch, and all sorts of party paraphernalia.

“Surprise!” the young Pinkie cheered. “Ya like it? It’s called a party!”

Pinkie’s mother and father stared at everything around them, their mouths twitching. The gray fillies just blinked in confusion. Pinkie smiled widely while patiently awaiting an answer, confident that her family would love the party.

“Pinkamena, what in tarnation were ya thinking?! What’s all this junk?” her mother said sternly.

Pinkie’s smiled faded. “W-what?”

“We don’t have time for this nonsense, Pinkamena.” her father said, frowning at her. “We’re meant ta be harvesting the rocks from the south field, not cleaning up after yer mess.”

“Mess?” Pinkie asked quietly, her puffy mane losing its puffiness.

“Get this cleaned up and then get yer chores done,” her mother ordered. “We won’t ask ya a second time Pinkamena!”

Her father rolled his eyes. “Really, where'd ya get such an idea?”

“I-I met this really cool pegasus named Firefly,” Pinkie said. “She did this neat trick with a rainbow and it was so wonderful and it made me smile and…”

“Yer forbidden from seeing that pegasus, ya hear? I don’t want you talking with any weirdos,” her mother said.

“I thought it looked nice,” one of the gray fillies whispered. Pinkie smiled a little at that.

“Then ya can help her cleanup Maud. We don’t got time for this,” Pinkie’s father said.

As the other three ponies left and Maud began to pull down some of the balloons, Pinkie sat down on the floor. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she whispered to herself, confused and hurt.

The vision shifted again. An older (yet still cutie marked) Pinkie bounced into an unfamiliar town and knocked on the front door of the first house she saw. An earth pony mare opened the door and looked at Pinkie. “Yes? Can I help you?” That was all Pinkie needed to hear before she burst into song and dance.

“This is your singing telegram
I hope it finds you well!
You're invited to a party
'Cause I think you're really swell!”

But before Pinkie could sing anymore, the other mare interrupted her. “A party? I don’t have time for those! Ugh, teenagers!” She scowled and slammed the door in Pinkie’s face.

Pinkie stared at the door in hurt confusion before she frowned and walked away. “Eh, who needs her? I’ll just invite other ponies to my party. One’s who aren’t fun-hating grumpy-pants!” With that, Pinkie ran up to the next house and knocked again.

The vision shifted again. This time it showed Pinkie inside a small bakery. A sign reading ‘Pies for Everypony!’ hung on the wall. Pinkie had set up another party, with more balloons, streamers, and food. But there was no one else inside. Pinkie sat all alone at a table, muttering quietly.

“I don’t understand. What am I doing wrong? Why…why don’t they like my parties?” Pinkie sniffled as a few tears fell out of her eyes and splashed onto the cupcake in front of her.

Fortunately, Pinkie’s quiet sobbing was interrupted by a knock at the door. A big grin instantly blossomed on Pinkie’s face. “Guest? Do I have a guest? Ooh, who could it be?!” She bolted toward the door and flung it open. “Welcome new friends! I welcome everypony to…you’re not a pony...”

“I’m not? What a relief to hear! Between you and me, the ponies of this town are rather boring!” the female draconequus said. There were notable similarities between her and Discord, but several differences as well. She had flowing white hair instead of a beard or bushy eyebrows. She had a white tiger’s paw instead a lion’s, with a very long alligator’s tail instead of a snake tail. Owl feathers and pink polka dots covered in chest.

The draconequus giggled. “Come now my dear, it’s rude to stare.”

“Oh! I’m sorry. I’ve just never seen a pony like you before.” Pinkie smiled sheepishly.

“I should hope not Miss Pie! I am a draconequus. A spirit of pure chaos, and quite a beautiful spirit, don’t you agree? You may call me Babel,” the draconequus said, batting her eyelashes.

“Granny?” Discord blurted out as they watched the vision.

King Sombra nodded. “Ah yes, I remember Miss Babel. Charming creature.”

“Well now, this is a party, correct? Then let’s party!” Babel declared.

The vision sped up rapidly as Pinkie and Babel partied for over 12 hours. By the time the vision slowed down again, it appeared that Babel had enjoyed the party immensely. All of the food was gone, streamers were strewn about everywhere, turnips and rocks were dancing on the tables, and bags of flours danced on the ceiling.

Pinkie had collapsed onto the floor in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. “This is so cool! I’ve never had so much fun in my life! This is the best day of my life!”

Babel smiled. “The best day of your life so far.” She slithered up and hovered in midair. “Oh, it’s so refreshing to meet a pony who understands the wonders of being wild!” She grinned at Pinkie, a mischievous fire filling her eyes. “Oh yes. I see potential in you, little one. Because of that potential, and because I want us to be the best of friends, I want to give you a present.”

“Present? Ooh, I love presents!” Pinkie beamed. “Oh, but you don’t have to. It’s enough that you’re my friend!”

“I want to though! Pinkie, lemme tell you something. Creatures like us, we don’t belong with normal people,” Babel said, spitting out the word normal like it left a bad taste. “We have a higher calling! A duty to makes things interesting, to give life purpose! We need to inject some chaos into the otherwise dull lives of ponies.”

“Chaos? I dunno,” Pinkie fidgeted uncomfortably. “Wouldn’t that hurt somepony?”

“Oh please, my dear. Never confuse chaos with disorder. Disorder is all about mindless destruction and pointless cruelty. Also, that jerk steals all my cookies at every family reunion. No. True chaos spirits are all about being random. We don’t care if we break the rules. We just wanna have fun!”

Babel raised her eagle claw and tiger paw, levitating Pinkie off the floor. “So what say you, Pinkie? Will you accept my gift?”

Pinkie paused, scratching her head as she thought. She then grinned and nodded energetically. “Okie Dokie Lokie!”

“Excellent!” Babel snapped her fingers and formed a glowing ball of pulsing, golden energy. She pulled Pinkie’s mouth open and shoved the ball inside her. Pinkie hiccupped and shivered as the chaotic energy filled her. Wings and antlers sprouted on her back and head, while tentacles and claws took the place of her limbs. Her body went through several rapid changes, before returning itself to a normal pony body.

Babel nodded. “That’s a tiny piece of my own power you have now. Use it wisely. …Or don’t, I’ve stopped caring. Toddles!” Babel snapped her fingers again and vanished.

Pinkie stared at the spot Babel had been. Her ears twitched as she heard something whispering to her. Pinkie held up her left foreleg and stuck her hoof in her mouth. She blew onto it and the hoof on her right foreleg instantly grew fingers.

“Ooh. Very nice,” Discord said.

The other ponies watching the vision cringed in horror. “That’s gonna haunt Trixie’s nightmares,” Trixie muttered.

“Ooh!” Pinkie stared at her newly grown fingers, wiggling them all over the place. She snapped her fingers and cotton candy appeared, hovering in front of her face. Pinkie cheered and stretched out her tongue to grab it, her tongue much longer than it was before.

Screwball continued her narration as the vision changed. “Pinkie put her new powers to good use, conjuring up all sorts of food and games to improve the lives of ponies everywhere.” Screwball’s smile faded. “But sadly, ponies fear what they don’t understand. They dislike anything that is alien or unnatural, even if it’s friendly. Ponies were afraid of draconequui, and they began to fear Pinkie too. One day, Pinkie threw another party than nopony showed up for. Emphasis on nopony.”

There was a knock at the front door of Pinkie’s bakery. Pinkie opened the door to reveal a male draconequus. This one had a beard that grew out and wrapped around his neck like a scarf, a tortoise shell on his back, and wings in the sides of his head.

“Good evening, madam! My name is Anarchy. I heard you were throwing a party!” he said with a dramatic bow.

Pinkie stared at him for several seconds, before grinning widely. “We’d be honoured to have you. Come on in.”

Screwball giggled as the vision sped up. “Draconequui are very intelligent, but even they can be fooled. Over many months, draconequui continued to be the only creatures interested in Pinkie’s parties. They loved her games so much, they gave Pinkie a portion of their own power. Afterwards, those draconequui would leave Everfree once they’d learned that nothing was as fun as Pinkie’s parties in the old kingdom. So they traveled to other lands.”

Screwball gave Nightmare and Sombra a look. “Pinkie never stole the powers of draconequui; she was given the power freely. Of course…she never stopped to tell anyone what was happening. Every draconequus Pinkie met; they all thought that Pinkie was just a powerless earth pony. It got to the point were Pinkie Pie became very powerful. More powerful than anypony could imagine.”

Screwball smirked as the vision showed a brief glimpse of Pinkie meeting a younger and taller Tirek. “Of course, the rumors had to come from somewhere. Lord Tirek’s brother, Scorpan, showed Pinkie how to steal magic from other creatures because he too thought Pinkie was defenseless. And there was the odd event where Pinkie was forced to steal magic from some rather dangerous monsters. It really couldn’t be avoided. As she grew older, Pinkie gained a very grand reputation.

“All these events and much more lead to the day when Pinkie traveled to early Peaceville.”

The vision shifted again to show a unicorn sitting in what looked like an older, cleaner, yet less organized version of the Peaceville library. The unicorn mare had a white coat with a pink mane and tail. She was reading a book hovering in front of her when someone knocked at the door. “It’s open!” she called out.

*BOOM*

The unicorn jumped back as the door was flung off its hinges and hurtled towards her. Before it could hit her, the door transformed into a pile of harmless confetti. At least it looked harmless until the confetti sprung to life and quickly coiled around her, tying the unicorn up.

That’s when her attacker floated into the library. Pinkie looked just as pony as ever, but the way she carried herself was different. She walked on her hind legs just like Discord, or rather she floated through the air like Discord. She wore a dark pink dress and a black cape with pink lining, plus gold bracelets around her hooves. She took a long sip from a glass of apple cider she carried with her, her fingers drumming against the glass. Her cutie mark remained, but now the balloons were a dark purple.

A rainbow-coloured, glowing ball floated in with Pinkie. The ball began to play a very haunting song.

“Well, well,” Pinkie giggled, smiling at all the books around her. She floated toward Twinkle and said, “Hi there. I’m Pinkie Pie. You’re Twinkle, right?”

Twinkle shuddered and flinched away from Pinkie. “P-please have mercy P-Pink One. W-whatever I-I’ve done to offend you I-I didn’t mean it.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes and smiled calmly. “Oh stop being such a silly filly. I don't know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m really nice once you get to know me.”

Pinkie picked at her cape before dropping it and glancing back at Twinkle. “Sorry if I spooked you. But it’s like my friends always tell me: Always make a big entrance. Now then, I'd like your help with finding something. If you’re not tied up with anything.” Pinkie snapped her fingers and the confetti that was restraining Twinkle sprung off her and turned back into a door, locking itself back in its proper place.

“W-what do you need my help with?” Twinkle whispered fearfully.

Pinkie snapped her fingers and dozens of books flew off the shelves and floated around her, forming a sphere of books. “I’m looking for some friends of mine. I need contact info, records, genealogy, and anything else we can find.” As she talked dozens of extra eyes appeared along Pinkie’s body. The eyes scanned the other books that floated around Pinkie as she softly hummed. "I know you...I'll know what you do...You'll love me at once...the way we did once upon a..."

The eyes blinked and all focused on Twinkle, who shuddered at their stare. “Oops! I’m sorry, I’m not scaring you, am I?” Pinkie asked. She snapped her fingers and the extra eyes faded away along with the music-playing orb of light, taking the music with it. “Sorry, I’m such a silly filly. Help me find what I’m looking for and then I’ll get out of your mane.”

The vision shifted again to show Twinkle nervously skimming through scroll after scroll and book after book. Pinkie was still hovering off the ground, although her dress and black cape were gone. Pinkie slammed the book she was reading shut in frustration and teleported in front of Twinkle, startling her. “Why haven’t we found anything?!” she growled. Her pink tail had turned into a long green dragon’s tail, angrily swishing about in the air.

“I-I-I’m sorry P-Pink One,” Twinkle whispered. “I’ve done my best with t-the information y-you’ve given, b-but I c-can’t find anything.”

Pinkie floated away from Twinkle and sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a meanie-pants about it. It doesn’t help that their names are...I just…!” Pinkie shut her eyes tightly in anger and concentration. “Their faces...names...they're all blurry! I remember…Midnight Twinkle? No…Midnight Sparked? Rainboom Zoom? No…Rainboom Crash?”

Pinkie floated around the room, her tail turning back into a pink puffy one as she muttered. “Orange Head? No…Apple-Hat? Gemstone? Uncommon-ity? Flitter-cry? Butterfly?”

As Pinkie grew more and more upset, Twinkle spoke up. “I know what you’ve described about them. I-I may have found something about Midnight. The closest match I can find is m-my cousin, Sparkle. I think she’s studying somewhere in the Crystal Empire with her friend Sombra. She sounds like the Midnight you described, but p-please whatever you do…”

Pinkie zipped right into Twinkle’s face, smiling hopefully. “You found one? That’s great! What about the others?”

Twinkle cringed and shrunk away. “F-forgive me Pink One. That’s all I’ve got; no other records. I don’t know any other ponies that match the descriptions you gave me. It’s p-possible that your friends…don’t exist.”

“W-what?” Pinkie whispered, her smile gone. Her mane grew bigger for a second before her mane and tail popped. A sound like a balloon deflating filled the room as Pinkie’s normally puffy hair fell limply against her face. “Oh no,” she whispered. “My friends don’t exist?”

Pinkie stared at the floor in sorrow for several long minutes. Eventually Twinkle forced a very nervous smile on her face and said, “Well if that’s all you needed then I’m afraid it’s time for me to close up the library for the night. Could you please leave…please?”

Pinkie nodded sadly and snapped her fingers, teleporting out of the library and putting all the books back in place.

The vision shifted again to show Pinkie calmly walking into a bar, her hair still flat and her expression still unhappy. The fingers on her hooves were gone. “Afternoon everypony,” she said to the room.

The ponies in the room stared in shock and fear at Pinkie, but settled down once they noticed that she didn’t seem to have much energy. Pinkie walked over to the counter, sat up on a stool, and ordered. “Apple cider or chocolate milk. Whatever,” she whispered as she stared at the table.

The stallion running the bar hurriedly got her order, while ponies at other tables whispered.

“You’ll want to hear what these say,” Screwball said. She pointed at two mares and one stallion talking at a table behind Pinkie. The stallion had a brown coat and white hair. The two mares both had blond manes and fancy dresses. The only difference between them was their coats, one bright pink and the other baby blue. “The pink one is Rose Garden, the blue one is Golden Glitter, and the stallion is Warning Voice,” Screwball informed them.

As Pinkie drank her cider, Rose Garden whispered to her friend. “By the sun. Is that who I think it is?”

Golden Glitter nodded. “Yes. She does look like the Trickster.”

Warning Voice spoke up. “Um, ladies? Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about her when she’s sitting right over there.”

“Shut your cowardly mouth Warning,” Rose hissed at him. “We're talking.” She turned back to Golden. “Have you heard about some of the things she’s done?”

Golden nodded. “Indeed. At her best that Trickster is an irritating chatterbox and at her worst she’s a menace to society!”

Pinkie whimpered as she overheard them whisper. Tears were falling out of her eyes and - due to her chaotic powers - were forming a mini-waterfall.

Rose scowled. “What is she even doing in a respectable town like ours?”

“I heard from Twinkle that she was looking for her friends. Look, can we please go now?” Warning whispered anxiously as he glanced at Pinkie.

“Friends? Who would want to be friends with a freak like Pinkamania?” Golden said.

Pinkie stopped crying immediately at that. Her head snapped up as she stared straight ahead at the wall. Drops of tears were no longer falling out of her glowing red eyes. Instead drops of fire dripped out and splashed onto the bar counter, the flames licking at the wood but not entirely consuming it yet. Lastly, her cutie mark disappeared.

King Sombra smacked his head and groaned. “Fool.” Princess Twilight nodded in agreement as she stepped closer to Discord.

“I…I better be going,” Warning said as he bolted out of the room, running for his life.

“Oh, that little…get back here you spineless stallion!” Rose yelled at his retreating form.

Pinkie smirked. She waved her hoof and a rainbow-coloured, glowing ball of light appeared. The ball began to play a different kind of music.

“Pardon me ladies!” Pinkie said as she spun around to face them. Her eyes were once again blue and her mouth was stretched into a big creepy smile.

King Sombra’s eyes widened in fear. “Oh no…”

Pinkie escaped gravity’s hold on her and floated over to the table. “I couldn’t help but overhear you two talking about me. Well, now you get to talk TO me!” She giggled.

“Um…yes…” Rose said, staring at Pinkie.

“Hey, look at what I can do with my hooves!” Pinkie sang as she regrew her fingers. “Neat, huh?”

Golden didn’t trust herself to speak, looking more like she wanted to vomit, so she just nodded.

“So what brings you girls to this wonderful town?” Pinkie asked as she snapped her fingers and refilled their glasses.

“I’m vising m-my cousin. S-she’s an apple farmer. She uh…she farms apples,” Rose said.

Pinkie giggled. “I love apples! That taste so good in pies and cakes and all sorts of appletastic treats! And you?” she asked Golden.

“My…my mother is a cloth maker,” Golden said. “I help her with designs. We travel from town to town and sell our goods.”

Pinkie nodded. “That’s all very nice.” She stared at the ceiling for a minute before looking back at the mares. “I overheard what you were saying about me. You know, I’m not the same simple farm filly I used to be. Ponies hear about me but they always focus on the negative stuff. They focus on the lies, bunch of lying Liar Mc-Pants-on-Fires. They all treat me like a monster, even though I haven’t done anything wrong...yet.”

Pinkie raised her hoof and levitated both Rose and Golden into the air. The music playing ball of light turned a darker colour as the music grew angrier, to reflect Pinkie’s mood.

“But now, I have remembered who I am and what I can do. I’m Pinkie Pie. I do whatever I want. I’ve never let the laws of physics stop me before. Now I’m not gonna let anypony stop me.”

With a flick of Pinkie’s fingers, Rose and Golden were both blasted out of the bar. Pinkie smiled calmly as every mug or glass in the bar shattered at her mental command. “I think this is the part where you all run away,” she suggested to the bar ponies. They were already well past that; they all screamed, panicked, and ran out of the bar as fast as they could.

As ponies screamed all around her, Pinkie calmly teleported herself right into the Town Square and shouted, “Come on everypony! You like parties? Oh that’s right, you guys don’t like anything fun! But what about bubbles? You gotta love bubbles!”

Pinkie inhaled a huge gulp of air and then exhaled. Huge streams of glowing bubbles blasted out of her mouth. The thousands of bubbles Pinkie created flew all over town, capturing any pony or living creature they came into contact with. Pinkie flexed her fingers and the captured ponies were all brought towards her. The terrified and helpless ponies all stared at her.

Pinkie sighed in mock-sadness. “Well, you’ve done it. You made me angry. You didn’t think, you just messed with the Pink. And now I’ve decided, I don’t care anymore. You don’t like parties? Fine. You don’t want to be my friend? Fine. I’m throwing myself a party now. I’ll have a ‘Pinkie Party of One’. And guess what? You losers aren’t invited. Now then…”

Pinkie picked a spot on the ground and started bouncing. The earth beneath her began to transform, taking on a pink checker board-like appearance. The dirt and grass wobbled like jelly. Pinkie bounced higher and higher on the trampoline-like ground. With one final bounce she leaped high into the air, before crashing back down.

“GET OUT!”

As she landed, the transformed earth sent out a tremendous shockwave at Pinkie’s command. Grass, rock, and dirt spiraled out like ripples and waves that pushed all the bubbled-trapped ponies out of its way. The earth wave didn’t stop until all other ponies were banished out of the village.

Seeing that she was completely alone, Pinkie then slammed her hooves onto the ground and unleashed the full extent of her powers. Pink fire blazed around the town, buildings sprouted legs and began to walk around, lampposts began dancing with each other, black and pink clouds formed overhead sending out bolts of lightning that turned into apple trees and giant strawberries that started yodeling, sentient rainbows with arms popped into existence and started sword-fighting with each other, fish, cows, and raccoons swam through the air, books grew arms and began hitting each other, and crystals, cakes, pies, and desserts of all kinds grew out of everything.

Pinkie flew high into the air and spread her hooves wide. A large force field formed around the village, keeping everyone else out of her newly conquered home. And lastly, Pinkie snapped her fingers to create a humongous mansion made entirely of gingerbread, chocolate and candy. As Pinkie floated towards the roof of her gingerbread mansion, a golden throne manifested on the roof with pink balloons tied around the armrests.

Pinkie sat in the throne and calmly watched the chaos unfold around her with crossed forelegs and an evil grin. And with that the music stopped playing and the vision faded away.

The Element bearers were completely speechless. After several long seconds of silence, Smog spoke up. “Well that's…ominous.”

Nightmare frowned. “Well, we know what we’re up against now. But we still don’t know where Pinkie is or where the Elements are.”

“Sombra!”

They all turned around to see Spike in his smaller form flying towards them. He folded his wings and touched down in front of them. Spike growled, “Why did you not inform me that the Pink One had returned?! You fool! Sparky has been missing all day! Before I assumed that she was off studying but it appears that she is truly…”

Spike trailed off as he glanced at the nervously smiling Princess Twilight. “Ooh, uh…hi there Spike! I didn’t mean to worry you, I’m fine. We were just…”

“TRICKSTER!” Spike roared as he ripped off the charmed amulet around his neck. The magic suppressing his strength instantly faded as Spike began to grow and transform back into his more powerful body.

But the transformation was not instantaneous. While Spike grew, ‘Princess Twilight’ took advantage of the distraction. She leapt at Discord and wrapped her hooves around his neck. As Discord choked and struggled to be released, both he and ‘Twilight’ began to glow. ‘Twilight’ opened her mouth as Discord’s mouth was forced open to. Dark purple, gold, and plaid-coloured magic spilled out of Discord’s mouth and into the false Twilight’s as she drained him of his magic.

By the time Spike had transformed back into himself, Discord was powerless. ‘Twilight’ turned around and shed her disguise, revealing a puffy haired and very happy Pinkie Pie. Her fur and hair was pink again, but she kept the horn and wings of an alicorn.

Screwball bowed. “My princess,” she whispered in awe.

“Wow Spike! Look how big you’ve grown!” Pinkie said. “I remember when you were just a tiny thing!”

“You DARE to steal the treasure I love most away from me? You DARE to steal MY Twilight Sparkle? Prepare to BURN!”

Spike roared and blew a heavy stream of fire at Pinkie. But the chaotic Pink One just smirked and waved her hoof, turning Spike’s deadly fire blast into a stream of bubbles. “Aw, poor widdle Spikey-Wikey! He thinks he can beat me,” Pinkie giggled.

Spike roared again and charged at Pinkie in an attempt to crush her with his claws. But with a wave of her hoof, Pinkie, Spike, and Screwball all vanished.

“NO! SPIKE!” Smog cried. “He...he was everything a dragon aspired to be!”

King Sombra growled. “After showing us that vision, there’s no way Pinkamania would just disappear like that. Show yourself Trickster!”

Laughter filled the room. Pinkie spoke, her voice appearing to come from every direction. “Oh, I think I showed enough during that vision. Remind me to throw a party for that zebra friend of yours, she sounds like fun!”

The king and Element bearers glanced all over the room, but they couldn’t find the Trickster's hiding spot.

“Aw, now why are you mad at me Sombra? I mean, I think I have more of a reason to be mad. You and the others turned me into stone and I was stuck like that for a reeeeeaaaaallllly long time. And I was completely awake too! Hundreds of years with nothing but my thoughts to have fun with, hundreds of years where the last bits of my sanity went bye-bye! ‘Course, I never had much sanity to begin with!” Pinkie giggled. “Still, I was trapped for a while. Ya know, if you’d done that to somebody else they might devote their existence to getting revenge! You’re lucky I’m such a nice pony!”

“Enough games Trickster!” King Sombra shouted. “What have you done with the Elements? What have you done with all those you've kidnapped?”

Pinkie’s voice giggled. “Straight to my game, huh? Okie Dokie Lokie! You read the first part of my riddle before you saw the vision. Here’s the rest: Twists and turns make up a deceptive plan. So we’ll find the Elements back where it ALL began.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sunset asked as Pinkie’s presence vanished. “Twists and turns and ending up back where we started?”

“Twists and turns?” Nightmare muttered as she paced around the room. She glanced out a window and spotted the palace garden’s labyrinth. “What about in there? Looks like the perfect place to hide the Elements!”

Sunset frowned. “Or a perfect place for a trap. That labyrinth wasn’t there last night at the Gala. Besides, twists and turns are part of a deception, remember? It’ll be the last line that tells us where the Elements are.”

“Where it all began? What about the castle of the Royal Family? Back in the Equestria forest, where it all began for us?” Trixie said.

“Trixie, that’s brilliant!” Nightmare declared.

“Uh, Moony? We have a problem,” Discord said. Ever since Pinkie stole his powers too, he’d been snapping his fingers the entire time waiting for something to happen. The depressed Discord grumbled. “Without my powers I can’t teleport us all into the woods. And if you think we’re walking to the Equestria castle, you’re crazier than I am!”

“Not a problem,” King Sombra said. “I can combine my magic with Nightmare’s, Sunset’s, Trixie’s and Chrysalis’ magic. That should teleport you all safely into the heart of the Equestria forest where the castle is.”

Nightmare nodded. “Smog, you stay here with the king.”

“Oh no you don't! I'm going with you!” Smog said.

Nightmare scowled. “Smog, do NOT argue with me on this!”

“…Fine,” Smog sighed. He knew that tone meant Nightmare wouldn't change her mind.

“Good luck, my friends. The fate of our kingdom is in your hooves and claws,” King Sombra said. He then combined his magic with that of the other magic-users and teleported them to the castle of the Royal Family.

“Well, here we are. Back where it all started. At the spooky castle in the spooky forest,” Chrysalis said as they gazed at the entrance to the ancient castle of the Royal Family.

“Aw, don’t worry about that. We know what to look for this time,” Gilda said as she flapped her wings and flew into the castle. “I’ll just do a quick fly-through and we’ll find those Elements in no time!” she bragged.

“SURPRISE!” Bright flashes of light caused Gilda’s wings to vanish, sending the poor griffon crashing onto the ground. More flashes of light caused Trixie’s and Sunset’s horns to vanish. Nightmare and Chrysalis also lost their wings and horns. The girls all screamed, understandably scared.

Another flash of light teleported Pinkie Pie right in front of them, laughing hysterically. Her pink wings and horn from earlier were gone; instead she was once again wearing her dark pink dress and black and pink cape.

Pinkie’s laughter faded into giggles as she conjured a microphone into her grasp. “Gooooood afternoon and welcome everybody to Pinkie Pie’s Maze of Mystery!” she sang as confetti rained down on them. Applause could be heard coming from nearby rainbow-coloured orbs. “We’ve got a great show for you today folks! Who are my lucky victims – I mean, contestants – today? Why, it’s the Everfree heroes themselves! Let’s talk with their leader!” She floated over to Nightmare and held up the microphone. “So Nightmare Moon, are you ready to play?”

“Give us our wings and horns back!” Nightmare demanded.

“And my chaos!” Discord added.

“Ooh, right to the game’s rules, huh? I like it!” Pinkie grinned. “Okie Dokie Lokie! The first rule of this game is no magic for any of you. I’m the Games Master, so I still keep my magic obviously. The second rule is that all of you are split up once you enter the maze. You’ll meet each other at the end. You’ll also receive your wings, horns, and magic back at the end of the game; whether you win or lose. BUT, if any of you attempt to use magic during the game, then it's game over. And I win!” Pinkie sang.

“What maze?” Sunset asked.

“The one I’m creating right now inside the Royal Family’s Castle, silly filly!” Pinkie said as she snapped her fingers. “Good luck everybody!” She snapped her fingers again and teleported the Element bearers to separate entrances of the newly formed Ancient Castle Labyrinth.

Pinkie focused on the audience. “Are you guys excited? I know I'm excited! Stay tuned, we’ll be right back after the commercial break! …Except there are no commercial breaks! On with the show!”

Gilda struggled to keep her cool as she climbed up an upside-down staircase. “Come on Gilda. You’ve hung out at the Chaos Corner plenty of times. This isn’t any different from Discord’s tricks. You can win this!”

“Yay! Woo! Go Gilda Go!” Pinkie cheered as she appeared in front of Gilda, wearing a cheerleader uniform and waving pom-poms.

“Dweeb!” Gilda roared as she launched herself at Pinkie, before remembering she’d been climbing an upside-down staircase and crashing onto the floor below.

“Ouch.” Pinkie winced. Her dress and black cape replaced her cheerleader's uniform in a flash of light. “Belly flop. That’s gotta hurt. Need some help down there?”

“Get lost Stinky Pie!” Gilda growled before walking away.

But Pinkie teleported in front of her. “Aw, no need to be mean! I’m just here to chat. Why are you being such a grump?”

“You stole our wings and horns!” Gilda said, jabbing a talon at Pinkie.

Pinkie smiled. “True. But look at it this way: Better I took your wings and horns and not your lungs and hearts.”

Gilda froze and stared at Pinkie as what she said sank in, finally realizing what she was dealing with.

“What, you actually think that? I’m not really going to do that, silly griffy!” Pinkie said with a calm smile. “You goofballs might think I’m a monster for some goofy reason; that’s your opinion. But please believe me when I say that Pinkie Pie NEVER kills anyone. And if people tell you different then they’re wrong.” Pinkie crossed her forelegs and nodded sagely.

“What do you want with us?” Gilda asked.

Pinkie smiled. “I just want to talk. Nothing wrong with that, right?”

“Who are you trying to fool?” Gilda growled.

Pinkie chuckled. “Who are you trying to fool?” she shot back. Pinkie circled around Gilda. “What do you do for the Elements? Really? All your friends have super special skills with their magic. What do you do?”

“I’m the fastest flier in Everfree!” Gilda boasted.

“Faster than Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked. Gilda paused at that. “Speaking of Dashie, you hang out with her a lot. It’s always Gilda and Dash, never just Gilda.”

Gilda's eyes twitched. “I do stuff by myself lots of times! Listen dweeb, I don’t care if Dash is faster than me.”

“Would you care if she became a Shadowbolt and you didn’t?” Pinkie asked. “Would you care if Dash was chosen to be the Element of Zeal and Loyalty and not you? Would you care if your friends didn’t need you?”

Gilda flinched. “My friends need me. I’m…I’m Gilda. T-the greatest flier in…”

Pinkie levitated the griffon up and gave her a hug. “Aw, poor gloomy Gilda. Don’t worry your pretty little head. Your auntie Pinkie Pie will take care of you. Come on now, give me a smile,” Pinkie said as she snapped her fingers.

“Ha! The story that Trixie will have once we defeat this Trickster Demon!” Trixie said as she searched through the labyrinth. “I can see it now: The Elements of Redemption with the Great and Powerful Trixie triumphant in the face of-”

“Hello!” Pinkie sang as she appeared in front of Trixie. “Talking to yourself? I love doing that! I talk with the voices in my head all the time. Between you and me, they’re quite the chatterboxes.”

Trixie jumped back and struck a heroic pose. “We meet again Pink One! Prepare to lose to the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“Hmm. Wouldn’t that be Great and Powerless Trixie? You not having your horn.” Pinkie smiled. “Does it bother you that all your friends are more powerful than you’ll ever be?”

Trixie paused in her boasting. As Trixie prepared to challenge her to a battle of wits, Pinkie got ready to snap her fingers.

“Well, first round’s over and two players are out!” Pinkie informed her audience. “Are you guys enjoying the show?” She held up her microphone to the cheering audience of magical orbs. “I thought so! Now while the other contestants wander aimlessly, let’s listen to what a member of our audience has to say.”

Pinkie snapped her fingers and Apple Bloom appeared, hovering in front of her. Pinkie held up the microphone to her. “Howdy! How are you doing? Enjoying the show?”

Apple Bloom stared into Pinkie’s eyes. “Look Surprise, Pinkie, whoever ya are…”

“It’s Pinkie Pie, Miss Apple Bloom,” Pinkie cheerfully said.

“Ah kinda figured. Please Pinkie Pie, the Elements didn’t do nothing wrong. Just let them go. Please!”

Pinkie shook her head sadly before pasting a smile back on her face. “Isn’t she adorable ladies and gentle-creatures? Well that’s enough of that. Let’s check back with our contestants!”

Sunset navigated through the labyrinth quickly. “Gotta give her credit, the Trickster’s maze is tougher than most.”

“Why, thank you Sunny!” Pinkie said as she appeared in front of Sunset.

Sunset blinked in surprise before walking around Pinkie and continuing her path through the maze. “Oh no you don’t. I know a trap when I see one.”

Pinkie floated after her. “Of course you know! Such a smart little Sunny. I can see why King Sombra picked you as his student before he taught Nightmare. What was that like? Being the student to a powerful unicorn king?”

“I’m not talking to you,” Sunset said.

“Sure you are, silly filly! Tell me, why did you go back home to be a crystal farmer?”

“So that I didn’t take advantage of King Sombra’s knowledge. So that I didn’t turn into a power-hungry maniac like you,” Sunset answered.

Pinkie giggled. “Really? That old argument? You automatically think that being powerful means always being the bad guy? That anyone who works hard to become famous is just greedy? What does that say about your friends? What does that say about anyone who ever accomplished anything?"

Sunset paused as Pinkie’s words sank in. “You seem to have given a lot of thought about this.”

Pinkie shrugged. “I was trapped in stone for hundreds of years. Nothing much to do but think.”

Sunset shook her head. “I’m not falling for your tricks.”

Pinkie shook her head and snapped her fingers. “A stormy frown doesn’t suit you. Every Sun I drew when I was a filly, I drew with a smile.”

Chrysalis slowly crept through the castle maze. “This isn’t so bad. It's like the hives back in the Badlands."

“Queen Chrysalis! You have to help me!” Chrysalis gasped and ran after the direction that voice came from. Around the corner she found a wounded changeling kneeling on the ground.

“Oh dear. What happened to you?” Chrysalis asked as she helped him up.

“Oh it was awful!” the changeling cried. “I was left behind by my friends too, just like you.”

“Hey now, cheer up,” Chrysalis said. “I'm certain they're doing their best to find you.”

“Well, I’m sure they are. But nopony’s perfect, ya know?”

Chrysalis paused. She frowned at the changeling and asked, “Why do you have pink eyes instead of blue eyes like most changelings?”

The changeling smiled sheepishly. “Because we’re shape shifters?”

Chrysalis hissed as she grabbed the ‘changeling’. “Don’t lie to me. I know a lie when I hear one.”

The changeling grinned as his black chitin turned into her pink fur. “You’re right, you would know. I’ve seen all sorts of changelings today. Some of them were meanies, but tons of them were super nice. But nice or mean, all changelings are liars,” Pinkie said.

“That’s not true!” Chrysalis argued.

Pinkie patted her on the head. “Hey, it’s okay. Sometimes a lie is easier to take, I understand. Especially the lies you tell yourself.”

“What are you talking about?” Chrysalis asked.

“Well I know I’d be upset in your case. The changeling queens in the Badlands can act however they want. But out in the city, you need to act like you’re weak and helpless so that ponies don’t call you a parasite.”

Chrysalis flinched at that word. “That’s not true.”

“Poor Chrysie. We all need to have friends and family. People who love us. But you need that love most, because you literally can’t survive without it." Pinkie snapped her fingers. “But you don't have to worry now. You’ll have so much love, it will be impossible for you to stop smiling.”

Discord ran through the maze, swatting at the buzzing pink clouds that chased him. “My apologies, but I don’t have time for this!”

The pink clouds twisted and transformed into Pinkie, causing Discord to stop running. “What’s the matter Discord? I thought you appreciated a little chaos.”

Discord growled and snapped his fingers. When nothing happened he glared at Pinkie. “See?! Do you see what you’ve done to me?! Oh, you and I could have built something wonderful. We could have been King and Queen of all things chaotic and random. I would have been proud to call you my friend.”

Pinkie blinked in surprise. “R-really?” she asked.

“Well not NOW! You stole my magic, you’ve hurt my friends, and let’s not forget you stole my magic!”

Pinkie smirked. “Funny. You and I have the same powers; I just have more of it. You’re the most powerful member in your little group and yet what has it earned you? You can just wish away all your problems...except the big ones. You couldn’t wish away Eternal Twilight, Rainbow Dash, a Windigo herd, Spike, Eternity, or any other big threat. It hurts when your friends never treat you seriously; it hurts when you’re labeled as comic relief, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t play mind games with me! And don’t change the subject!” Discord demanded. “You stole our magic!”

“Is that why you’re all frowny-faced? I can fix that.” Pinkie snapped her fingers and formed a pulsing, glowing ball of purplish-plaid magic in her hooves. “Every rule has an exception. I’ll give you your magic back if you challenge me to a goof off. A chaotic duel. If you beat me then you can continue the game with the help of your magic. Shouldn’t take too long to find the Elements after that. But if I beat you, it counts as breaking the rules and I win the game.”

Discord stared at his magic. Pinkie smiled and offered the ball of reality-warping power to him. “Come on. You know you want it.”

Discord didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his power and quickly swallowed it, grinning as he found his chaotic powers restored. He immediately began the duel by firing deadly lightning bolts at Pinkie from his fingertips, until Pinkie’s entire form disappeared behind a cloud of magic.

“HA!” Discord cheered as he snapped his fingers, suddenly wearing a red and purple superhero costume. “And again, HA! Who’s laughing now?”

The cloud of magic laughed and laughed before it reformed into Pinkie. “Ooh, ooh! I am, I am!”

Discord growled and instantly summoned a sword, pointing it at Pinkie. “Shall we begin then?”

“He, he! I must admit your party tricks are funny!” Pinkie sang. She snapped his fingers and turned Discord’s hero costume into a magician’s costume.

“I bet under that hat, you’ve got a bunny!” Discord ripped the magician’s hat off his head. A huge rabbit with fangs jumped out and kicked Discord.

As Discord banished the bunny away with a snap of his fingers, giant cards appeared over his head and flattened him against the ground. Pinkie levitated and shuffled the cards, giggling as she saw the Joker card.

“Now here’s your chance
To get the best of me.
Hope your hand is hot!”

She flipped the cards and sent a Discord spinning out of them, a jester hat placed on his head.

“Come on Discord
Let’s see what you’ve got!” Pinkie sang as she snapped her fingers.

Nightmare ran through the labyrinth like the wind, gasping for breath. “Must…find…friends. As a team…we’re unstoppable. My friends…won’t fail me.”

Nightmare jumped as she heard an explosion. The whole castle shook as hundreds of explosions went off. Then, all was quiet. “…By the night, what was that?!”

“I’ll tell you what it was!” Pinkie sang as she appeared in front of Nightmare. “Somebody broke the no magic rule! Game Over!”

“NO!” Nightmare cried. She angrily charged at Pinkie, but the Trickster just dodged out of the way.

Pinkie giggled. “There’s no need to be a sore loser. I’ll give you your magic back if you just give me a second.”

“I’m not a sore loser! You weren't playing by the rules!” Nightmare jabbed a hoof at Pinkie.

Pinkie laughed. “Well, duh! They’re MY rules."

“Give me back my friends and the Elements!” Nightmare demanded. “I know they’re in this labyrinth!”

Pinkie giggled. “Well your friends are, yes. But when did I say the Elements were in here?”

Nightmare frowned. “You said ‘we’ll find the Elements back where it all began.’ We found the Elements in this castle, back where it all began.”

Pinkie grinned. “You were close! Very good guess. But I actually meant in here.” She snapped her fingers and summoned a book. “The Elements of Forgiveness: A Reference Guide.”

Nightmare stared at the book. “What?”

“It was under ‘E’! In your library!” Pinkie sang. She opened the book to reveal the Elements tucked away in a hollowed out section. Nightmare quickly grabbed at the Elements, but Pinkie snapped her fingers and sent the Elements somewhere else.

“Well folks, our contestants lost the game. But they’re not going home with nothing! Let’s see what Nightmare’s won.” Pinkie snapped her fingers, summoning the Elements of Love and Knowledge and giving them to Nightmare. “Here, you can hold onto these until I need them.”

Nightmare looked ready to strangle Pinkie. Not that she could, though. Nightmare glared at the floor, fully aware that she was powerless in this situation. “Fine, you win. Now let my friends go.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie snapped her fingers and teleported them both to Peaceville. Nightmare gasped as she saw her friends, the Cutie Mark Destroyers, and dozens of royal guards all lying on the ground.

“What did you do to them?” Nightmare cried as she ran to Smog’s side.

Pinkie giggled. “The same thing I’ll do to you. I gave them exactly what they wanted. Don't worry, they’re all healthy and happy. Especially happy.”

Nightmare put her ear to Smog’s chest. She could hear him breathing, meaning he was still alive. But other than that Smog wasn’t moving. She rolled him over to look at his face. What she saw made her gasp.

Smog’s eyes were wide and unblinking. His mouth was forcibly stretched into a huge smile. He didn’t show any other signs of movement. Pinkie twirled her fingers and caused the other bodies to roll over, revealing that they all had the same wide eyes and forced grins.

“…What have you done?” Nightmare asked.

“It’s not as bad as it looks. They don’t need to eat, drink, or blink like this. My magic is keeping them alive and asleep. They’re all having very happy dreams, and I wanted it to show," Pinkie explained.

Nightmare glared at Pinkie. “You won’t get away with this.”

Pinkie smiled sadly. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it had to happen like this Luna.”

Nightmare blinked in confusion. “Luna?”

Pinkie smiled and whispered in her ear. "You’ve won all your tests, you escaped every trap. Now it’s time for you to take a nap. I’m happy we got to party, I’m sad to see you leave so soon. But now at last, it’s time to say Goodnight to Nightmare Moon."

“Smile.” Pinkie snapped her fingers and Nightmare felt the hex stab through her. Nightmare’s whole body stiffened as if it was being turned to stone. Her eyes bulged and her lips forced themselves to stretch into a wide smile. Nightmare’s body froze and she fell to the ground, caught in a deep dream-filled sleep.

Pinkie sighed happily as she observed the sleeping creatures all around her. “Well...if anyone needs me, I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant swizzle straw.” With that, Pinkie snapped her fingers and vanished.

To be Continued…

The Return of Redemption

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Return of Redemption

Empress Nightmare Moon rubbed at her eyes. She had been having another very vivid dream. Having woken up, she couldn’t quite remember all the details. As she heard noises coming outside her throne room, she shook off the uneasy feelings and faced forward with a cold yet regal glare. The alarms had sounded off earlier, and she was looking forward to punishing the fools who would dare steal from her.

Her loyal servant Spell-Sword Twilight Sparkle stepped into her throne room with the three troublemakers floating behind her in her magic. A light-green coated unicorn stallion without a mane or tail, an earth stallion with a white coat and dark green hair, and lastly an earth filly with a white coat and a pink mane and tail. The filly’s pigtails in her mane bounced a little as the filly kept giggling.

Twilight Sparkle bowed before her queen. “I have captured the fools who dared to think they could steal from you, Your Majesty.”

“You have done well Spell-Sword Sparkle,” Empress Nightmare Moon said. The two stallions both raised their heads to look at the High Queen, and she took silent enjoyment at seeing the fear in their eyes. For they stared up at Nightmare Moon, Mistress of Darkness and Fear, Princess of the Night, High Queen of Lunacy, and Empress of the Lunar Kingdom. Her midnight-black coat was cold as ice, her flowing magical mane twinkled like the stars in the sky, her royal regalia shined brightly, her horn glowed with incredible power, and her draconic eyes blazed with infinite wisdom. Nightmare Moon was very proud of her fearsome appearance.

Nightmare Moon smirked. “Well, well. You three have caused me quite a bit of trouble tonight. Breaking into my palace and then my Vault, all to steal such a tiny crystal.” Her gaze focused on Sparkle. “My Spell-Sword, tell me who these ponies are.”

“Of course, my Queen,” Spell-Sword Sparkle said reverently. “The unicorn is Lucky Leaves, a former student at Nightmare Moon’s School for Gifted Mages and the ‘mastermind’ of this foolish attempt to steal from you. The earth pony is Jokey Joey, a standup comedian for Discord’s Chaotic Comedy Club.”

Nightmare Moon smirked. “An unusual paring to say the absolute least. And the filly?”

Spell-Sword Sparkle frowned at the filly. “Unknown. There is no record of her. What’s interesting is that while she helped the other two, she happily surrendered without a fight even though they resisted.

The filly giggled as the Spell-Sword stopped levitating her. “Well of course I tagged along! It just wouldn’t be fair, little Lucky and Joey doing something fun without me! But truthfully I wanted the opportunity to speak with you, Your Moony-ness.”

Nightmare Moon stared down at her. “Here’s your opportunity. Speak.”

Lucky stared at the filly with unease. “Something’s wrong.”

The filly circled around Lucky, Joey, and the Spell-Sword. “I just wanted to see what you did. And you didn’t disappoint.”

“What are you talking about?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“Oh, that’s for me to know and you to find out,” the filly said, still giggling.

Spell-Sword Sparkle frowned. “Enough games. Who are you?”

The filly grinned evilly. “Let’s just say I’m part of something much bigger.”

“Explain,” Spell-Sword Sparkle demanded.

The filly giggled. “Where’s the fun in that? I’d hate to spoil anything.” The filly chuckled and walked away from them.

Nightmare Moon frowned. “Get back here.”

The filly smirked. “No thanks. I have what I came here for anyway. Farewell Nightie, it’ll be a while before you see me again.”

“I said, get back here little pony!” Nightmare Moon sternly ordered.

“Who said I was a pony?” The creature's giggling turned into mad laughter as she disappeared from the room.

Nightmare Moon’s wings flared open in shock. “Where did she go?! Spell-Sword, find here!”

Spell-Sword Sparkle bowed. “At once my Queen,” she said before she teleported out of the room to begin her search for the filly, leaving the two stallions behind.

Nightmare Moon turned to face Lucky and Joey. “As for you two, what were you hoping to accomplish by doing all this?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Lucky growled. “We will use the power of the Summer Sun crystal to take back what is rightfully ours! Everfree and our sun belong to us!”

Nightmare Moon stood up from her throne and walked down towards them. “I considered you an intelligent stallion, but perhaps I was mistaken. We cannot take back our old home. You should know that by now.”

“Why not?” Joey asked.

Nightmare Moon frowned in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? The sun can no longer be controlled with our magic. The Pink Demon destroyed our old home. We have nothing left on that dead planet. But here, on this lunar soil, we are safe.”

“I know my history fine!” Lucky snapped. “You could have defeated the Trickster but you didn’t! You gave up!”

“Tread carefully mortal,” Nightmare Moon warned. “The Demon was unlike anything your puny mind could comprehend. I fought the Pink One with everything I had but-”

“No you didn’t! If you had, the other Elements would still be here! You abandoned them, our home, Luna, the-”

But Lucky had gone too far. The Queen’s magical mane flowed out and lunged at Lucky, tangling itself around his neck. Nightmare Moon’s mane pulled the struggling stallion up to met her furious gaze.

She spoke to Lucky, her tone as cold as ice. “You foal. Your attempt to steal from me could have been forgiven. But your accusations cannot. You DARE to insult the memory of my friends and my mother? The Elements of Redemption were great heroes. And Luna, may she be forever blessed, was greater than you or I will ever be. For these insults, I imprison you.” Nightmare Moon’s horn sparked and teleported both Lucky and Joey to the deepest and darkest levels of the palace dungeons. Nightmare Moon growled and stepped back up to her throne, settling back down in it. “Nexus!”

Immediately a blue unicorn stallion with a white mane and tail hurried forward and bowed before his queen. “Yes, Your Glorious Majesty?”

“What other surprises need sorting out today?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“I believe the two thieves were the only pressing matters for today Empress. Other than that annoyance, tonight is shaping up to be a beautiful new night.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Wonderful. That stallion’s insults against my old friends have left me in a bad mood. Unless there is more important business I shall visit the Lunacy Schoolhouse. The children there have always made me happy.”

The servant smiled. “Oh, you have just reminded me, Your Majesty. The school children are actually visiting the palace today. Their instructor previously planned a field trip for them to visit the palace Garden of Shadows.”

Nightmare Moon smiled. “Good. I will take my leave then.”

Nightmare Moon flew to the entrance of her Garden of Shadows before she folded her wings and gently touched down. The teacher and students from the Lunacy Schoolhouse were already there.

“Come along everyone. Right this way,” the teacher said. She was a gamboge-coated unicorn with an orange-gamboge mane and tail.

Nightmare Moon spoke up. “Gari! Lovely to see you again.”

Gari jumped at Nightmare Moon’s voice and turned around to face her. “Your Majesty! You startled me there,” Gari said as she bowed before the High Queen.

Nightmare Moon smiled gently. “My apologies, I did not mean to scare you.” She then turned to face the students. “This must be the new moon’s class.”

“Yes, Your Glorious Majesty,” Gari said. Gari took the time to introduce each of the new students to their High Queen. While she talked, Nightmare Moon spotted another student hiding at the back of the group. She was a zebra, but what was unusual about this child was that she had blue and black stripes instead of white and black stripes. She stared at Nightmare Moon with eyes that seemed very familiar.

“And that’s everyone,” Gari said as she finished introducing the kids. Strangely, she hadn’t given the blue zebra’s name.

Nightmare Moon and Gari spent the next hour watching over the children as they played within the Garden of Shadows. Once playtime was over, Gari called them all back and led them to the center of the garden.

“Okay kids. How many of you know the history of our lunar kingdom?” Gari asked aloud. The kids exchanged glances and shrugs. The blue zebra raised her hoof and asked, “Does it explain why we’re on the moon?”

Gari smiled. “It does indeed.” She glanced at Nightmare Moon. “May I?” Nightmare Moon nodded and Gari began the story.

“I still remember it the same way my grandmother, Gari the First, told me. Our rise as a Lunar Empire began during the last days of the Crystal Empire. Our brave queen Nightmare Moon, still a mortal back then, fought against the monstrous Pink One. The Demon tried to place Nightmare Moon under the same curse that had befallen the other Elements of Forgiveness. But the Demon foolishly returned Nightmare Moon’s horn and wings. With her power restored, Nightmare Moon resisted the Demon’s curse and battled her.

“Their battle was legendary. But the dark power of the Pink One was too great for the mortal Moon. And so our Empress performed a spell to cast aside her mortality and ascend to become a true alicorn: the Goddess-Empress of All Darkness.

“With her true power unleashed, Nightmare Moon banished the Demon to the far side of the planet. But the damage had been done. Not much of our once beautiful land remained and our Queen knew that the Pink One would not rest until everything was destroyed. And so our dear Empress took on her new status as the sole ruler of our kingdom, since all other rulers had fallen under the Demon’s curse. She then took every citizen of our kingdom and moved us here on the moon so that we would form our own lunar empire.

“That was many years ago. Since then our Empress has protected our lunar kingdom. By her magic, we feel warmth from the distant stars as our crops flourish. Our Empress controls the lunar gravity, and the very air we breathe. By her power, we live and thrive on the lunar soil.”

Nightmare Moon observed the students as she heard Gari retell her story. Defeated the Pink One, became High Queen-Empress, built a new kingdom on the moon, etcetera, etcetera. After several years of her rule, the old legend was one she had heard a thousand times; though the kids’ reactions always made the story new. When Gari finished the students cheered and praised their Goddess-Empress, just as they always did.

But there was one abnormality. The blue zebra child stood apart from the group, staring at Nightmare Moon. The blue zebra nodded and walked away from them.

Curious, Nightmare Moon told the Lunacy Schoolhouse students to go off and play while she attended to other matters. She followed the blue zebra to the very edge of the garden where the child sat, staring up at the sky.

The blue zebra smiled as she glanced at the queen. “It’s nice to see you Nightmare Moon.”

Nightmare Moon tilted her head as she observed the odd girl. “Nice to see you too.”

The blue zebra looked back at the night sky. In particular, she stared at Nightmare Moon’s former home. Even from there, Nightmare Moon could still see the churning pink clouds of chaotic energy as the Demon continued to destroy their old planet.

The blue zebra spoke up. “I understand that Pinkamania conquered our old kingdom. But what happened to the sun?”

Nightmare Moon frowned lightly. “The Demon stole that from us too.”

The blue zebra nodded. “…Ever wonder about the stars?”

Nightmare Moon sighed. “Well…Luna, may she be forever praised, once told me that some stars are the suns of distant worlds, so very far away.”

The blue zebra stared at Nightmare Moon. “You really care about Luna.” It wasn’t a question.

Nightmare Moon shut her eyes tight to prevent them from watering. “More than anything. It’s funny, when I was just a filly all I ever dreamed about was ruling a kingdom of eternal night. I have all that ever wanted…and yet all I can think about is what I lost: my home, my friends, and my dear mother.”

“What happened to them?” the blue zebra asked.

Nightmare Moon sighed. “They died. Destroyed by the Pink One.”

“Nope! You’re wrong!” the blue zebra said, grinning wide. “They’re alive!”

“What?” Nightmare Moon asked, being to grow angry. If this zebra was making fun of her…

The blue zebra cleared her throat and sang:
“Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves…”

“And give your wings a little shake,” Nightmare Moon finished with wide eyes. “How do you know that song?”

The blue zebra winked at her. “Follow me.” With that the blue zebra sprouted black wings and flew out of the garden.

Nightmare Moon stared at the zebra in shock before she quickly turned her body into magical mist and flew after the blue zebra as fast as she could. She flew out of the palace grounds, out of the capital city of Lunacy, out of the borders of the Lunar Kingdom, and far beyond any populated areas on the moon.

Suddenly, the blue zebra leapt high into the sky and vanished. Nightmare Moon slowed down and stopped at the spot where the zebra had disappeared. She changed back to her corporeal form and looked up at the sky.

There was the moon. Considering the fact that she was standing on the moon that should have been impossible, but she could clearly see another moon hanging above her in the sky.

“Moony…”

Nightmare Moon stared as bluish-black clouds formed around the other moon. On that moon, the image of Luna appeared.

“Moony, you have forgotten me…”

Nightmare Moon gasped. “No! I would never forget you.”

“You have forgotten who you are, and so you have forgotten me.”

“No! I remember who I am!” Nightmare Moon cried. “I remember you, my friends, my home!”

“Moony, you have forgotten that you are a guardian of dreams. Look around you Moony. You know this isn’t your home.”

“How can I go back though?” Nightmare Moon cried. “I wasn’t strong enough to beat Pinkie. I...I failed you.”

“Remember who you are. Remember what it meant to lose your cutie curse. You don’t fear the sun. You don’t fear Pinkie. You don’t fear fate. You are who you choose to be Moony. And you chose to be a student, a friend, a loving daughter…and a hero.”

Nightmare Moon stretched out her hoof and tapped the air, watching it wobble. "...This is a dream. Time to wake up,” Nightmare said. She charged her horn and shot a blast at the moon beneath her, causing her entire lunar kingdom to explode.

Nightmare gasped as she woke up from the dream. She grimaced as her eyes blinked rapidly and her mouth relaxed out of the grin it had been forced into.

“Moony. You’re awake.” Nightmare looked up to see Luna smiling down at her.

“Loony! You’re alive!” Nightmare stood up and tackled her mom into a hug.

After several minutes, Nightmare stepped out of the hug. “Mom, what happened?”

Luna’s expression turned serious. “Pinkie. She trapped you in an elaborate dream world, you and everyone else in Everfree. You’ve been asleep for about three weeks.”

“Three weeks?!” Nightmare exclaimed.

Luna paused in thought. “Well, maybe. Pinkie controls the sun and moon now so it’s actually hard to tell how many days have gone by.”

“If the Trickster has been putting people under her curse, how did you escape?” Nightmare asked.

Luna shrugged. “I have no idea. I hid from sight and somehow, Pinkie missed me entirely. Sorry for the zebra disguise and all that, but if Pinkie doesn’t know I’m here or that you’re awake then I think it helps to be stealthy right now.”

“Right.” Nightmare nodded as she continued to assess the situation. Her wings and horn were back. The Elements of Love and Knowledge were sitting next to her, that was good. She also noticed that she felt a little lighter and a lot colder. “Where are we?”

Luna chuckled. “Believe it or not, we’re in some kind of cave on the moon. Pinkie teleported you here and once I found you, I came here too.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “How are we still alive?”

“Well on the one hoof, we’re alicorns who have mastery over the moon. It makes sense that we could survive out here. On the other hoof, Pinkie’s magic might have been keeping you alive. Like Pinkie said before, she would never kill anyone.”

“Okay. What about my friends?” Nightmare asked.

“I’ve been tracking you all down. I found the other Element bearers and I tried to wake them from their sleep, but Pinkie’s spell is too strong. You’re the last one I found and because you too guard the dreams of ponies, we were able to combine our strength and free you,” Luna explained.

Nightmare nodded. “Okay, I know what to do now. Find my friends, wake them up, retrieve our Elements, and stop Pinkie.”

Luna smiled. “Simple enough. We better get back to Everfree.”

“Yes. Um…listen, if you saw anything weird in that dream…” Nightmare fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Relax, Moony. Dreams often never make much sense. There are some dream worlds I have visited, so bizarre that they resemble the Chaos Corner a little too much for comfort. Besides, that wasn’t the worst dream I’ve caught you having. Remember that one crazy dream you had when you were a filly?” Luna said as she smiled fondly.

Nightmare froze. “Don’t you dare bring that up!”

Luna grinned. “Aw, but it was such a nice ceremony…”

Nightmare blushed furiously. “Mom!”

“Here comes the bride!” Luna sang.

“Lies! That never happened!” Nightmare cried. “Now come on, let’s hurry up and save my friends!”

Luna, still chuckling, charged her horn and teleported them back home.

Nightmare grunted as she fell against the ground. “Careful Moony,” Luna warned. “You just spent weeks under the moon’s lighter gravity. You’ll need a bit of time to adapt back to normal, even with magic.”

“Don’t worry…I’m fine,” Nightmare grunted as she tried and failed to stand up. She spotted the Elements of Love and Knowledge lying next to her.

Luna said, “Your friends are all hidden away in different locations. I found Sunset Shimmer in an underground cavern, Trixie in a mountain cave, Gilda in the Chaos Corner’s basement, Chrysalis out in the Badlands, and Discord in the basement of your own library.”

“I can see why it took you so long to find us all,” Nightmare grunted. “The Trickster did a good job of separating us.”

“Not good enough,” Luna said, smirking proudly. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Luna teleported away and then reappeared with a hypnotized Trixie. She kept disappearing and reappearing until the other Element bearers were all lying in front of them.

Nightmare stared sadly at her friends, all of them with unblinking eyes and stretched grins. She paused and asked, “Where’s Smog. And King Sombra? What about Princess Twilight, and Diamond Tiara, and-”

“Moony,” Luna said gently. “Everyone in Peaceville and the Crystal Empire are under the same spell. It would take too long to wake them all up from inside their dreams. My hope is that once we reclaim the Elements of Redemption, their magic will stop Pinkie and free everyone.”

“Are you sure that will work?” Nightmare asked.

“It did before. Let’s get started then,” Luna said, indicating Nightmare’s friends. “Follow my lead.”

Luna’s horn glowed as her body transformed into a dark blue cloud of magic. Nightmare cast her own spell and the two clouds of energy swirled together before they descended into the dreams of Nightmare's friends.

Nightmare opened her eyes in the dream and immediately shut them again. “Argh! The light! It burns!”

Luna chuckled. “Oh stop it you. A little sunlight never hurt anyone.”

“Sunburns, mom! It’s been scientifically proven that sunlight CAN hurt you,” Nightmare said. She squinted her eyes and tried to make out everything around them. They had landed in a kingdom that looked a lot like an older Crystal Empire, except for several buildings that looked like they were made of solid gold.

“Hold it right there!” A voice ordered. Nightmare turned around to see a mare with a pale gold coat and a vivid orange mane and tail. She wore a crystalized royal guard uniform. “I don’t know what you two are planning but I doubt Her Majesty is going to like it.”

Before Nightmare could ask what she was talking about, another voice spoke up. “You’re right Adagio. I don’t like it.”

Nightmare and Luna both turned around to see a creature that Nightmare had only caught a glimpse of before. The creature was demonic in appearance with red skin, pointed ears, black wings, a fiery tail, and flaming hair. The creature also wore a fire-themed dress, the Element of Knowledge, and the Element of Power.

The demonic Sunset Shimmer hovered above them and glared at Nightmare with black and green eyes. “May I ask what you think you’re doing?”

“Princess Sunset! I found the two imposters!” the gold mare reported.

Sunset smiled. “Very good Adagio. You found them in record-breaking time. Where is the rest of the Dazzling division?”

“I sent Aria and Sonata to other districts of the city. I felt that splitting up would enable us to cover more ground quickly, and it looks like I was correct,” Adagio said with a proud smile.

Sunset nodded. “Excellent. You go meet up with them. I will handle these two.” Adagio saluted Sunset before galloping off.

Sunset flapped her wings and hovered around Nightmare and Luna, circling them. “If this is your attempt at a joke changelings, I'm not amused.”

“We’re not changelings Sunset,” Nightmare insisted.

Sunset scowled. “You expect me to believe you’re really Nightmare Moon? Impossible. I saw that Pink abomination rip you to pieces.”

“That didn’t happen Sunset. Pinkamania forced you into a dream. You, me, and Luna are the only real things here. We came to rescue you!”

“Rescue me? You’re the only ones who need rescuing. I’ve tolerated the changelings and their immature pranks for long enough. It’s what Chrysalis would have wanted. But you impersonating my old friend…I find it to be extremely disrespectful. I’m afraid I can’t let this go unpunished,” Sunset said. She raised her claws into the air as flames danced around her. A fireball began to form over her head, growing bigger and bigger by the second.

“Wait!” Luna cried. “Just humor us. Pretend that we are who we say we are.”

“Please Sunset,” Nightmare begged. “What happened to you?”

Sunset paused. The giant fireball faded away as she sighed. “Oh, what the heck? It’s not like I have anything better to do today.”

Sunset crossed her long legs and sat in midair, her wings still keeping her afloat. “Where to begin? I suppose it all started with that pink psychopath. I escaped from her labyrinth and I found my Element of Knowledge at the end. But when I left that maze I discovered that the Pink One had destroyed all of my friends so that we couldn’t use the Elements against her.”

Sunset growled. “As you can imagine, I didn’t take it well. I fought the Demon with every hex and curse I knew, but that little monster just laughed it off. I knew that the only way to stop her was if I could match her power. So I decided to stop holding back. You see, I was once King Sombra’s student before Nightmare Moon. During that time, I discovered a ritual to give me more power than I could ever imagine. But by the time I had acquired an artifact powerful enough to perform the ritual, namely an Element of Redemption, I had decided to abandon my dreams of power to live a simpler life.

“But the Demon had destroyed everything I had. With nothing left to lose, I used the ritual to take on the form you see now. With this power I was able to defeat the Demon.” Sunset grinned savagely. “Whenever I feel sad, I just remember the sound of her screams as I threw her into the sun.”

Luna took a nervous step back. “Surely there must have been another way?”

Sunset growled. “I avenged the deaths of my friends. They can rest in peace knowing that I stopped the Pink One from hurting anyone else.”

“What happened next?” Nightmare asked.

Sunset shrugged. “Not much. With my friends, the king, and the princess all gone, not much was left of our home. As the most powerful creature in Everfree, I crowned myself princess and I rebuilt our kingdom. Now, the New Crystal Empire is a glorious kingdom of prosperity, an empire that outshines even the fabled Solar Kingdom of Celestia.”

Sunset glared at them again. “But enough about me. Any last words imposters?” she asked as she conjured another gigantic fireball.

Nightmare’s eyes narrowed in determination. “Yeah. Snap out of it!” She flapped her wings and flew into the air, Luna following her lead. Their horns both glowed with power and fired twin beams of energy that struck the planet’s core.

Within seconds, their combined spell took affect. The entire dream world around them began to turn to glass. The gold buildings, the shining sun, the happy citizens, all turned into glass.

Sunset watched in horror as her skin changed too. “No. No! What have you done?” She snarled and launched the fireball at Nightmare and Luna. But before the attack could hit them, the illusion shattered.

Nightmare and Luna opened their eyes to see an endless void around them. Nightmare’s ears twitched as she heard quiet sobbing. She turned around to see Sunset, in her normal unicorn form, curled up on the ground.

Nightmare reached out to her friend. “Sunset? Are you okay?”

“Go away,” Sunset whispered.

“Please Sunset. We need to get out of here. We need you to help us stop Pinkie,” Nightmare said.

“No you don’t. You’ve never needed me. I’m nobody special,” Sunset cried.

Nightmare laid her wing on Sunset’s back. “Of course you’re special, and we do need you! You’re my friend.”

“How can you be friends with me? You saw what I became. A demon. I turned into a raging she-demon. I’m just as evil as Pinkie Pie,” Sunset cried.

“You’re not evil. You’re a good person Sunset. In my dream I took over the kingdom too, but that doesn’t mean I’m bad.”

“The difference being, you could actually do it.” Sunset stared into her eyes. “Nightmare I…I’m jealous of you. I’m jealous of all of you. You guys are all so amazing…and I’m not. I’m just a crystal farmer who dreamed she could be an princess.”

“Sunset, I know you. You’re gentle, smart, practical, and kind. Those are all good qualities of any great ruler. You don’t have to be an alicorn, a griffon, or a dragon to be special. You’re a star just the way you are,” Nightmare said confidently.

A smile slowly formed on Sunset’s face. “Nightmare…really? ‘A star just the way you are’? That’s pretty cheesy coming from you.” She sighed happily. “But thank you.”

And Sunset’s dream faded around them.

Nightmare opened her eyes and stood back up. “Well…that was something. Where are we now?”

Luna frowned as she examined their surroundings. “I have a very good guess, however I’m a little concerned that this is the dream we are seeing.” Once again they had stepped into an altered version of the Crystal Empire. But instead of buildings made of gold there were structures made of green slime. The Crystal Empire looked like a cross between itself and Chrysalis’ hive. Hundreds of changelings buzzed past them. She couldn’t even see the sky with how many changelings were blocking her view.

“What is all this? I mean, I know this is Chrysalis’ dream but…she’s never wanted to conquer Everfree, has she?” Nightmare asked.

Luna shook her head. “She’s your friend, you know her better than I do. Honestly, I was surprised when I first stepped into your dream. But just like before, the only way we’ll get answers is if we go straight to the source.”

“Better not keep Chrysalis waiting then,” Nightmare said. They both flapped their wings and flew towards the altered Crystal Castle. Zooming past all the changeling guards, they soon reached the throne room.

Chrysalis looked up from the report she was reading on her throne and stared at them. She was wearing her crown again but she also wore dark green regalia similar to Nightmare’s armor. “…Yes? Can I help you?”

“We’re here to rescue you Chrysalis!” Nightmare declared.

Chrysalis frowned. “It’s Queen Chrysalis, my little changeling. And what do you mean by rescue? Nightmare, where are those charts I asked for?”

Nightmare paused at that. “Wait, are you saying I’m still alive in this reality?”

Queen Chrysalis’ eyes widened. “Of course you’re still alive. Nightmare, are you feeling well? Captain Luna, did something happen to her?”

Luna smiled. “Ooh, I’m alive too?”

The doors behind them opened. “Your Majesty, I have the charts you requested right here…”

Nightmare turned around and came face to face with a changeling version of herself. Her legs were filled with holes and her wings were insect-like but her mane and tail still looked like Nightmare’s, as did her eyes.

Queen Chrysalis frowned as her gaze switched back and forth between Nightmare and Changeling-Nightmare. “Oh, I see. Discord, Gilda, Trixie, whichever one of you it is can you please transform back? I’ll admit you fooled me, but the joke’s over.”

Nightmare was about to ask what was going on, when Luna beat her to it. “Forgive me Queen Chrysalis but we’ve been having a little trouble with our shape-shifting powers. And our memories. If it’s not too much trouble, could you remind us what happened after you fought Pinkie?” she asked as her horn glowed with a dark blue aura.

Queen Chrysalis frowned in confusion before nodding. “…Alright. If you think it will help. There’s not much to say really. When I confronted the Pink One in that labyrinth so long ago, she toyed with me. She mocked me, calling me a weak, helpless parasite.” Chrysalis hissed at the memory.

“The funny thing is, she was right. Changelings used to be at war with every other creature in this world. When my great-grandparents first signed that peace treaty, we thought we could put all that bad history behind us. But no matter how hard we tried to be liked, ponies still thought we were parasites.”

“That’s not true Chrysalis,” Nightmare said gently. “I’ve never thought of you like that. None of us did.”

Queen Chrysalis ignored her and continued. “I acted like a polite and weak little doormat so that nopony would ever think of me as a monster. But all along, I was just denying my true nature. I was acting like something I’m not. So I decided to stop fooling around and use one of my mom’s tactics instead.”

“What sort of tactic?” Luna asked.

Queen Chrysalis smirked. “Simple. When I see something I want, I take it. By force if necessary.”

Luna shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t like where this is going,” she whispered to Nightmare.

Queen Chrysalis’ horn glowed green. “Instead of falling into the Pink One’s trap I acted quickly and blasted her. Of course, I knew that there was little I could do to stop her. So before she could recover, I restrained that little monster and began the process to convert her into a changeling. It was a long and difficult process, but the result was worth it. However by the time I finished, her chaotic powers had spread throughout all of Everfree. The only thing I could do to save us was to convert everyone into changelings. I transformed you and the rest of our friends for starters and with your help we sorted things out. Two years later and here we are. I’m Queen of all changelings and everyling is happy.”

“You turned everyone into changelings?” Nightmare asked. “Huh. I wonder why I didn’t turn everyone in my dream into alicorns.”

“Probably because changeling conversion is much easier than alicorn ascension,” Luna said as she eyed Chrysalis cautiously. “Even if most dreams don’t make any sense, some dreams attempt to be a little more realistic.”

Nightmare stared at her mom, then at Chrysalis, then back again. “Wait, are you saying…conversation into a changeling is possible?”

Luna nodded. “Yes. To my knowledge, changeling kings and queens all have the ability to turn a normal pony into a changeling. But the conversion process has been outlawed ever since that peace treaty was signed.”

“Not exactly,” Queen Chrysalis said. “Forced conversion was illegal. If the creature in question wants to be converted, that’s another matter entirely.”

“Hold up,” Nightmare said, raising her hoof. “If you turned the Pink One into a changeling, where is she now?”

Queen Chrysalis smiled. “I’m glad you asked. How are you feeling?” she asked the table in front of her throne. Instantly the table was consumed in a flash of green fire, revealing an exhausted changeling with pink eyes.

“I’m…feeling…fantastic! My…Queen…” Changeling-Pinkie gasped, out of breath from carrying all of the queen’s reports and desk toys on her back.

“Good girl. Go back to being a table now,” Queen Chrysalis ordered. The changeling transformed back at once.

Nightmare allowed herself a weak chuckle at the imaginary Pinkie’s fate. She sighed and said, “I’ve heard enough. Time to wake up Chrysalis.”

Nightmare and Luna both cast the spell as quick as they could. Once everything started turning into glass, the angry changeling swarms flew into action and launched themselves at the alicorns in their attempt to stop the destruction of the dream world.

Nightmare winced as the illusion shattered all around them. She turned around and saw Chrysalis, curled up in a ball. “Oh dear. I’m going to have to do this with everyone, aren’t I?” she muttered. Nightmare sighed and shook her head. As long as her friends were freed, it would be worth it. Nightmare slowly approached Chrysalis. “Are you okay?”

Chrysalis shifted around until she could look Nightmare in the eye. “Why would you care? I’m just a weak, spineless, cowardly, par-”

“That’s not true and you know it,” Nightmare said, stopping Chrysalis from saying 'parasite'. “You’re not weak and you’re not a coward. I’ve seen your bravery when we battled Eternity and then Spike. I’ve seen your confidence every time you help a changeling or a pony get back on their hooves. And right now, we need your bravery again.”

Chrysalis shut her eyes. “You don’t understand. You don’t know what it’s like for me. I can never really fit in with anyone, unless it’s with my own kind. Even if I can disguise myself, I can’t keep acting like something I’m not. Not forever.”

“You don’t have to. I’ve come to know the real you Chrysalis. And I like you just the way you are. We all do,” Nightmare said confidently.

Chrysalis opened her eyes. “Really? I don't need to change myself? …Thank you.”

And Chrysalis’ dream faded away.

Nightmare and Luna both stepped into the next dream. Nightmare flinched a little as her hooves touched the stormy clouds. All the clouds around them were pitch black with numerous bolts of lightning zapping between them.

“It’s like if Cloudsdale consisted solely of thunderclouds,” Luna remarked as they looked at the city around them. Her description fit the altered cloud city very accurately. Nightmare recognized the Cloudsdale Coliseum perched on its own cloud from the pictures Gilda showed her. At that moment, she could also hear thousands of cheers coming from the coliseum. Having acquired a good idea of what was happening, Nightmare and Luna both flapped their wings and flew there.

The coliseum was filled from top to bottom with thousands of cheering pegasus ponies, griffons, dragons, changelings, and any other creatures that could fly. Over the thunderous cheering, an announcer’s voice could be heard speaking through a voice amplifying crystal.

“Good morning and welcome everybody to the Annual Cloudsdale Clash of Storms! I’m Serious Speaker, here with my good friend, Crazy Screamer.”

“YEAH! BRING IT ON!”

“I’m just as excited as you Crazy,” Serious said.

“LIES! NO ONE IS AS EXCITED AS ME! BRING ON THE LIGHTNING! ZAP THEM ALL! ZAP THEM ALL!”

“Right you are Crazy. We have many promising fliers hoping to challenge our champion today. But you don’t care about them, so let’s get to the main event before my friend here breaks my legs.”

“I’LL DO IT! I’LL TEAR THEM APART!”

“Right you are Crazy, let’s get started. It is with great honour that I introduce our champion, the glorious Gilda!”

With a thunderous sonic boom, Gilda came charging down from the heavens. Dressed in an altered Shadowbolt uniform, Gilda zoomed around the coliseum in a wide circle. She then flew up high above the crowds and gave her tail a whip. At her tail’s command, one of the nearby thunderclouds unleashed a tremendous lightning strike. The crowd went wild. Gilda smirked arrogantly and spread her wings and talons wide. From where Nightmare was hovering, she could barely see electricity dancing along Gilda’s talons.

“Hmm. Gilda appears to have a little more weather-manipulating magic here than she does in the real world,” Luna mused. “How do you suppose that happened?”

“Honestly, I can see where this is going. Tell me, do we need to hear how this dream world works or can we skip ahead?” Nightmare asked.

Luna shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

Nightmare nodded and fired a spell at the stormy clouds. Within seconds, the illusionary world shattered around them. The endless void filled the dream. Nightmare approached Gilda and sat down next to the sobbing griffon. “Gilda, are you okay?”

Gilda raised her head up from the floor and gave her a glance. “Oh. Hey Nightie,” she whispered. “I’m fine. Just crying over my crushed dreams, ya know the usual.”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked.

“I’ll never be a Shadowbolt. She’ll always be better than me,” Gilda whispered to herself.

“Gilda, that doesn’t sound like you at all. You love the Shadowbolts. Come on, you need to get up,” Nightmare said, pulling on Gilda's wing. “Please, Gilda. Pinkie is still out there. We need you to help us defeat her with your Element.”

Gilda sat up and glared at her. “Is that all I’m good for to you?”

Nightmare took a step back. She’d already seen a heartbroken Sunset and Chrysalis, but this anger was unexpected. “What?”

“Be honest. If someone like, I dunno Rainbow Dash was the Element of Zeal instead of me, would we still be friends? Or was I ever anything more to you than just a resource?” Gilda growled.

“Of course we’re friends! And we’d still be friends even if you weren’t a bearer,” Nightmare insisted. “Gilda, the Elements don’t define us. Besides, without you Rainbow wouldn’t have become our friend in the first place.”

“Ugh. Rainbow this, Rainbow that,” Gilda grumbled. “It always goes back to her, doesn’t it? No matter how fast I fly, I’ll never be able to beat her. Rainbow is the fastest flier in Everfree. I’m…I’m only second best.” Gilda shut her eyes tight to hide her rage and sorrow.

“Gilda, you’ve always been the best flier to me,” Nightmare said. “As for Rainbow, I don’t know why you’re mad at her all of a sudden. You two are best friends.”

Gilda's eyes snapped open. “Because I’m jealous of her! Was that not clear?!" she growled. "Of course Rainbow’s my friend. You all are and I’d never leave my friends hanging. But all the other Elements have something magical and awesome and I don’t! You guys have magic but I had speed. With Rainbow around, I don’t even have that.” Gilda glared at the floor. “I want to be awesome again.”

Nightmare laid her right wing on Gilda’s own left wing. “Gilda, you are awesome. You don’t need to fly super fast or beat up a dragon to prove that, even though you have. You’re my friend. And sometimes, that’s enough.”

Gilda looked back up at her with a small smile. “...You’re pretty awesome yourself, Nights. …Thanks.”

And Gilda’s illusion faded away.

Luna stepped carefully into the next dream, and then quickly sidestepped out of Nightmare’s way. “Moony! Where are you rushing off to?”

“The end of this madness!” Nightmare declared. “Three down and two to go before we can banish the Trickster once and for all!”

Nightmare screeched to a halt as she felt Luna’s magic gently tug at her wings. “Slow down Moony. I know we’re on a roll but we still need to be careful. We don’t even know whose dream this is.”

At that moment, a brilliant flash of light appeared before them. Hovering in front of them was an alicorn Trixie wearing a silver crown, silver shoes, and a purple dress. Princess Trixie smiled at them before she started to sing:

“Welcome to my city
Welcome to my land
Welcome to the empire
That only I command!

Trixie-opolis, my Metropolis!
My favorite place to be
Trixie-opolis, my Metropolis,
Where it's all for one and that one is me!

From Trixie Boulevard to Trixie Avenue
All landmarks, and roads, and parks,
Are named by me not you!

“You know before I came along, this world was just a plaything for Pink Demons but now it's…

"Trixie-opolis, my Metropolis!
the region that I rule
Trixie-opolis, my Metropolis!
now welcome to my school:

T-R-I-X-I-E! Trixie, Trixie! Yippee!

Trixie-opolis, My Great and Powerful Metropolis,
a wondrous place to be!
Trixie-opolis, My Glorious Metropolis!
And here is what you'll see:

Trixie movies, starring me,
Popcorn free, by my decree
Trixie books and magazines,
Trixie shirts, Trixie jeans
Trixie chocolates, Trixie mints
Trixie shampoo and the rinse
Cats and dogs all free of fleas
And life is just a Trixie-breeze!

“But that’s just the start!” Trixie declared. “Soon I shall reveal to you my newest project: Trixietopia! Yes my friends, Trixie-opolis is growing and soon it will become:

Trixie-opolis, Megalopolis!
My greatest legacy!
Trixie-opolis, there's no stopping us
Because make no mistake
…This isn’t just for me."

Trixie paused her bouncy song and sighed sadly. “My friends all tried to run and hide, but the Pink One wouldn’t let them be free.” Her horn glowed as she spoke. “So since they’re dead, I’ll bow my head…” Trixie grinned and sang:

And revive them with necromancy!

So, welcome to my city!
Welcome to my land!
Welcome to the crystal empire
That my friends and I will command

Trixie-opolis!”

Nightmare smirked. “Gee mom, you’re right. This could be anyone’s dream!”

Luna giggled. “At least the song was catchy.”

“Let’s just wake her up,” Nightmare sighed as she shattered the first stage of the illusion. Once more they found themselves in an endless void with another heartbroken friend. “Trixie? You okay?”

The blue unicorn looked up at her. Her eyes were filled with tears, but strangely she was also smiling. “Trixie will be fine. As long as Trixie has fans and friends…Trixie will always be happy.” Nightmare and Luna both blinked in surprise. Trixie sighed and said, “Trixie discovered this world was an illusion. The Great and Powerful Trixie once tried to create a spell to control the dreams of others. Advertising doesn’t get much better than that. Her spell failed, but it did give Trixie more awareness during her dreams. As for what you saw, Trixie admits that she’s rather boastful. But as long as she is a good pony that’s okay, right?”

Nightmare nodded. “Sure. Still…you wouldn’t be here if you were perfectly happy.”

Trixie sighed and closed her eyes. “…Does Smog still love me?”

“Pardon?” Nightmare asked.

“When you two first came to Peaceville, Smog developed a crush on me. Trixie didn’t see it at first, but she picks up on things quickly. And lately…Smog hasn’t shown any sign of being interested in me.”

“Are you interested in Smog?” Nightmare asked carefully.

“The dragon is cute yet young. But Trixie is not ready to date anyone just yet. No, what bothers Trixie is that…well, Smog doesn’t look up to Trixie as much as he used to because he’s gotten to know the real Trixie.” Trixie gave a very weak smile. “Trixie…I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”

Luna spoke up, “You’re not pathetic. And I think I understand what’s bothering you. You’ve always bragged about your magic acts and your adoring fans. But when Smog came into the picture you saw an opportunity to make a friend that liked you for you. Not just your performances.”

Nightmare smiled. “Trixie, if you and Smog did fall in love I would support you both. But even if it’s not the kind you were hoping for, Smog still loves you as a friend. As do I.”

Trixie smiled as her hat and cape reappeared on her. “Thank you. Well…let’s not keep Pinkie waiting.”

Nightmare grinned as she and Luna traveled to the next dream. One more to go.

“…Did I miss something here?” Nightmare asked as she watched a fish-fly buzz overhead.

Luna frowned as she watched a lion jump rope with a helicopter. “I’m confused too. It appears that we’ve returned to the real world, and these abnormalities are the work of Pinkie’s chaotic powers. But I know I was aiming for Discord’s dream.”

“Never mind,” Nightmare groaned. “I really should have seen this coming.” They walked onward in complete silence, ignoring the dancing houses, and the hydra teddy bears swimming in the spaghetti lakes. The two dream guardians were used to seeing such insanity. At the center of Discord’s dream sat the chaotic draconequus himself. Nightmare was also pleased to see herself and all of their friends sitting at Discord’s table too. There was even a dancing Pinkie Pie, wearing a jester’s costume and chained to Discord’s throne.

“Oh ho!” Discord laughed. “This is so much fun. Who else is on the list?” He snapped his fingers and conjured up a long sheet of paper before twisting it into noodles and slurping it up. “Oh, forget the list. Let the fun be doubled! Sunny! Moony!”

Nightmare examined the dream version of herself and Sunset. They looked about the same except for glowing red eyes, crazed grins, and fingers on their hooves.

“A very merry unbirthday!” Discord sang.

“To me?” Chaotic-Nightmare and Chaotic-Sunset chorused.

“To you!” Discord confirmed. “Now then…release the happy, jelly, vampire squirrels!”

“Discord!” Jester Pinkie whined. “I can’t summon them! There’s ketchup in the erasers!”

“Quiet minion, I’ll get it,” Discord announced. He snapped his fingers and vampire squirrels carrying bowls of birthday gelatin burst from the ground and floated upwards. Everyone at the table cheered.

“…AND we’re leaving!” Nightmare declared, too disturbed to watch the chaos any longer. Before she could cast the spell, Discord spotted them.

“Ooh! More friends! Let’s greet them too!” He snapped his fingers and aimed the birthday cake cannon he summoned.

“No thanks! We’ll just smash through this mad dream world and be on our way,” Luna said, smiling apologetically.

“Smash? Well that’s a smashingly good idea!” Discord said as he carved the roast Welcome-giving turkey watermelon with his frog knife. “Here you go!” He handed Nightmare a giant sledgehammer, which she grabbed with her magic and slammed it into the checkerboard earth, shattering the chaotic dream instantly.

Nightmare couldn’t help but smile as she sat down next to Discord. Even if she would be forced to see him in his darkest hour, she was almost done. Besides, since when did Discord worry about anything?

Discord looked up at her and sighed. In a fluid motion, Discord slithered up to her and curled his long body around her. Discord looked Nightmare in the eyes and sighed again. “Hey Nightie,” he said flatly.

“Hello Discord,” she said. “It’s great to see you again.”

“Oh it is, is it? Why? You wish to hear a good joke? Laugh at my little shenanigans?” Discord growled.

Nightmare flinched at the glare he gave her. “Discord, what are you talking about?”

“I’m supposed to be a creature of pure chaos. Warping reality is supposed to be easy for me. And what has it earned moi? All the dragons, and Eternities, and Pinkies, and I can’t do a thing about them!”

Nightmare sighed. “I understand.”

Discord smirked at her. “You would understand, wouldn't you? It must really burn you up being such a powerful alicorn, only to get tossed aside when Eternal Twilight came into town.”

“It does. But even before then, Loony was there to make sure all that power didn’t go to my head when I was younger. Discord, even if you’re the strongest creature in the room, you can’t solve all your problems with a finger snap. But I’ll always be here to help you with whatever you need.” Nightmare said, smiling at him.

“Why? Because we’re ‘friends’?” Discord sighed. “Friends are supposed to be there for each other. All I’ve ever done is make a fool of myself. All I’ve done is give you something to laugh at.

“Discord, we don’t laugh at you. We laugh with you. The truth is, I admire your attitude. Whenever I’m feeling stressed out, thinking of you always makes me smile. And even though you’ve stated ‘life is best if it’s not taken seriously’, you’re willing to act serious for us.” Nightmare smiled. “There’s so much more to you than you know.”

Discord slowly grinned before he leapt into the air. “Congratulations Nightie! That’s all six of us!”

Luna blinked in confusion. “You seem a lot happier all of a sudden.”

“What? The whole ‘woe is me’ thing? Completely fake. Well mostly. About half,” he whispered that last part.

“You were FAKING?!” Nightmare exclaimed in irritation.

“I was!" Discord confirmed cheerfully. "But I had a very good reason. I figured all that out by myself, but I wanted to make sure you figured it out too. And you did! I’ll admit I had my doubts that we were true friends instead of just friends but now I see that you have truly passed my friendship test!” Discord cheered. “Now let’s go punch Pinkie in her poofy pink face!”

Nightmare sighed and chuckled. “You see? You’ll always manage to make me smile. Thanks Discord.”

“Yes, well…totally an act, just so we’re clear…but…” Discord gave her a much more honest smile. “Thank you too Nightie.”

Nightmare yawned as she slowly woke up. “…Okay. That should-”

“Group hug!” Any sleepiness left in Nightmare vanished as Luna, Discord, and the other Element bearers wrapped her in a big group hug.

“Alright Nightmare!” Gilda gave her a congratulatory slap on the back. “Ya did it!”

“Hold on guys, we're not done yet,” Sunset said as she backed out of the hug. “We still need to use the Elements on Pinkie and so far we only have mine and Chrysalis’ here with us.”

Luna nodded. “You’re right. We need the other Elements to end this madness. I know where they are, but it’s going to be tricky getting them.”

“Trust us Loony,” Discord said, grinning mischievously. “Tricky is something we can do.”

“Lemme out! Lemme out!” Rainbow yelled as she struggled against her bindings. She, Rarity, and Princess Twilight were all sitting at a table, with a gold and pink throne right in between her and Twilight. They weren’t exactly sitting though. Their chairs were actually large blocks of wood that resembled the handle for marionette puppets with several strings tied around their legs and heads to prevent them from moving too much.

Before Pinkie had left to trap the Elements in her maze, she had somehow captured the three of them. She then tied them up and giggled as she controlled them like puppets. Pinkie said she would grant them freedom if they Pinkie Promised that they would be her new friends, forever and ever. Rainbow didn’t know what sort of horrifying blood pact a ‘Pinkie Promise’ was and she wasn’t planning on making one soon. Rarity and Princess Twilight had agreed.

Which was why they were all stuck at Pinkie’s table. Spike, in his smaller form, growled at the cage he was trapped in. Besides the throne, the cage, and the marionette handle chairs, there were a few normal stools. Seated at these stools were a turnip, a rock, and a bag of flour. Whenever Pinkie was around, she would animate these inanimate objects to serve as her guards. Thankfully, Rainbow didn’t have to endure that particular brand of creepiness. Pinkie and her loyal minion Screwball had left their tea party early when Screwball told her something about the Big Apple. Rainbow didn’t hear all of it.

Rarity sighed as Rainbow continued to struggle against her bindings. “Please Rainbow Dash. This situation is torturous enough as it is without watching you struggle. I beg of you, save your strength. Who knows what Pinkie will have up her sleeve once she returns.”

“We can’t give up now! The Elements will be back soon. I can feel it!” Princess Twilight said. She didn’t sound too convinced though.

Rarity sighed. “With all due respect Princess Twilight, it’s been three weeks. It’s time to consider our futures in this new Pinkie-led Peaceville. Even if Nightmare Moon and her friends had escaped by now, they can’t do much without the Elements.” She nodded at the Element of Nobility around her neck, then at the Element of Zeal on Rainbow’s neck, and lastly at the Element of Power on Twilight’s head.

“Come on, listen to TS!” Rainbow argued. “We have the Elements. Why can’t we blast Pinkie? It worked before when your sister blasted you and Eternity with the Element of Freedom.”

“In case you have forgotten Rainbow Dash, the Element of Freedom now adorns Pinkie’s neck. The other two Elements are nowhere to be found. The Elements are useless unless all six are united. And speaking of my dear Sweetie Belle…I dare not raise a hoof or horn against Pinkie while my dearest sister is within her reach!” Rarity cried.

Princess Twilight looked at the sky. Floating above them in hundreds of balloons were all the citizens of Peaceville, the Crystal Empire, and beyond. Smog, King Sombra, Zecora, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo, everyone they knew were stuck inside the balloons. All of them with unblinking eyes and forced grins as they were all trapped within their dreams.

Spike spoke up from his cage. “Worry not lady Rarity. If the Trickster ever hurts your sibling, I will not rest until the Trickster is nothing but ash."

“What he said. Come on, don’t worry about it,” Rainbow said softly. “We'll save Sweetie Belle, but we can’t give up, Rares.”

Rarity sighed. “You’re quite right.” She and Princess Twilight soon joined Rainbow in struggling to untie themselves from Pinkie’s cursed handles. Nightmare and her friends witnessed all of this from their hiding spot behind a giant house of Joker cards not too far away from the table.

“Still no sign of Pinkie or Screwball,” Chrysalis reported as she took another peek at the table. “We should free them now while we have the chance.”

“Agreed,” Discord said. He raised his glowing claw. “For all of her clever schemes, Pinkie was a fool to think we’d be out of the count forever and return our powers to us. You just say the word Nightmare and those Elements are ours.”

“We still need to be careful Discord,” Nightmare warned. “I still think Pinkie will be able to sense any use of chaos magic.”

Sunset nodded. “Right. Trixie, Nightmare and I will work on freeing the princess, her dragon, Rainbow, and Rarity. Gilda, Discord, and Chrysalis, you keep an eye out for the enemy.”

“Sounds like a super great plan! What do I do?”

The Element bearers all froze. Discord shifted his shoulders as he discovered someone was literally breathing down his neck. Very slowly, the Element bearers turned around to see Pinkie Pie clinging to Discord’s back as if he were giving her a piggyback ride.

“It’s Pinkamania!” Trixie exclaimed.

Pinkie gasped. “Pinkamania?! Where?! Oh no! Run for your lives!” she screamed as she zoomed away from them.

“…I’m not waiting for her to come back!” Discord announced. He snapped his fingers and freed Princess Twilight, Rainbow, Spike, and Rarity from their prisons. Another finger snap returned the Elements of Power, Zeal, and Nobility to Nightmare, Gilda, and Trixie.

Pinkie giggled as she teleported back behind them. “Oh Pinkie, you silly filly. I almost forgot!” She grinned as her fingered hooves began to glow. “I’m the one you’re supposed to be running from.”

The Elements all dodged out of the way as Pinkie fired lasers at them. “Quick! We need to get into formation!” Nightmare shouted.

“Don’t worry Nightmare, I got your back!” Rainbow declared before she tackled Rarity to help her avoid a laser beam.

Pinkie giggled as she started firing lightning bolts at them. “I really shouldn’t be surprised that you escaped, but I am! I really am! Good work you guys! So how’d you do it? Come on, you can tell me. I’m great at keeping secrets!”

“So am I,” Luna said as she teleported behind Pinkie and quickly yanked the Element of Freedom off her neck before tossing it to Discord. Luna then teleported beside her daughter and their friends.

Pinkie stared at Luna, the glow around her fingers fading. “Wait, what?” She did a double take. “Wait, WHAT?” Her gaze flickered to Luna, then Nightmare, then Luna, and back again. “What, I…WHAT?!”

Discord chuckled as he summoned a camera and took a picture of her flabbergasted expression. “Priceless. Absolutely priceless.”

“How are there two of you?!” Pinkie asked Luna.

Princess Twilight frowned. “What do you mean ‘two of you’?”

Nightmare smirked. “It’s a strong family resemblance, isn’t it Trickster? Mom did say you missed her somehow.”

“MOM?” Pinkie exclaimed. She pointed at Nightmare and Luna. “Y-you a-and her? Luna is your mom?” Pinkie stared at the sky in stunned silence before muttering, “Wow. A century in stone to plan everything out and…wow, I did NOT see that coming.”

“Alright guys!” Nightmare declared as their Elements glowed. “Let’s show her the power of our friendship!”

Pinkie waved her hooves, signaling them to stop. “Wait-wait-wait! You’re forgetting something!” She then snapped her fingers and disappeared. She then reappeared in a flash of light, hovering above them. “See? What’s stopping me from doing that?"

Nightmare frowned. Pinkie was right, she could just teleport to the other side of the planet and plan out her next attempt at world domination. They needed to defeat her sooner than later.

Discord smiled. “Pinkie, my dear…you like games, don’t you?”

Pinkie titled her head. “Games? Well…everyone likes games.”

Nightmare caught on quick. “Yes! Exactly. Let's play a game. If we win, you surrender and let us use the Elements on you.”

Pinkie smiled. “And if I win?”

Nightmare hesitated. “Um…”

“No, that’s okay,” Pinkie said smiling. “I’ve already picked my own prize.”

“Which is...?” Chrysalis asked.

Pinkie grinned hungrily at them. “You’ll have to wait until I win to find out. It’s a secret.” Her smile lost some of its creepiness. “What kind of game do you wanna play? Card game? Board game? Exploding game?”

“A duel. And we won't use our Elements until the duel is over,” Nightmare promised.

Pinkie giggled. “That’s it? I could beat all six of you in my sleep! Deal!”

Nightmare and Discord grinned triumphantly. “Challenge accepted! So why don’t we duel in our sleep?” Discord said.

“Huh?” Rainbow said.

“We'll fight within one big dream world, with my friends completely aware that they’re dreaming,” Nightmare explained.

Trixie grinned to herself. A giant lucid dream. They’d be able to shape the dream any way they’d want. In other words, they’d all be as powerful as Discord...or Pinkie.

Pinkie frowned a little as if this thought had occurred to her too. She then shrugged and said, “Okie Dokie Lokie. The Elements probably won’t work on me anyway.” Pinkie snapped her fingers and forced herself and the six friends to sleep.

The Elements prepared themselves as the dream world unfolded around them. They were standing on a planet-sized pink cake. Hovering before them was Pinkie Pie, transformed into a draconequus. Antlers sprouted from her head, owl feathers along her body, a long alligator’s tail, a white tiger’s paw, pegasus and bat wings, and…

Pinkie frowned. “Wait. This isn’t right.” She snapped her fingers and transformed back into her normal pony body, though still keeping her fingers. She snapped her fingers again and her dark pink dress and black and pink cape reappeared. “Much better!”

She snapped her fingers again and a glowing, music-playing, rainbow-coloured ball of light appeared.

“What is it with you and battle music?” Sunset asked.

Pinkie giggled. “Come on guys! Just listen to those violins! Go big or go home, am I right?”

“True,” Trixie and Discord admitted.

Pinkie giggled as she held out her hoof and formed a ball of pure destructive energy. Her pink dressed turned a darker colour, as her eyes glowed and her teeth gleamed. “Let’s get this party started!”

Pinkie fired off her first attack, but Chrysalis conjured up a huge shield to block it. Nightmare’s horn glowed as she fired a massive beam of darkness at Pinkie, blasting her across the sky. Gilda followed up by summoning a huge thunderstorm before kicking dozens of lightning bolts at Pinkie. When those didn’t work, she charged at Pinkie and slashed at her with her talons.

Trixie turned into an alicorn while Sunset shape-shifted into her demonic form. They both fired freeze spells and fireballs at Pinkie, while the Trickster tried to swat them away with a giant tennis racket. Chrysalis split herself into hundreds of clones. Each clone shape-shifted, turning into one of the other Elements, King Sombra, Smog, Rainbow, Rarity, Spike, and even Pinkie herself.

“Hey! You guys are cheating!” Pinkie whined as she dodged the swarm of transformed Chrysalis clones. “Ooh, I know what’ll help!” Pinkie stretched out her fingered forelegs, commanding her flesh to turn into metal. Her limbs morphed until they resembled high-tech cannons. “Big meanies, meet my party cannons!” The Elements quickly conjured up more shields as Pinkie’s metallic arm-cannons began to fire cupcakes, acid balloons, snakes, chickens, and other weird things.

“Oh you’re calling down the thunder now!” Gilda declared. She flapped her wings and began to zoom around the battlefield in a big circle. Within seconds Gilda had created a huge tornado, which she then threw at Pinkie.

“Ooh, that looks like fun! Spinny time!” Pinkie cheered as she telekinetically grabbed both Nightmare and Discord, and plunged them both into the tornado. “Having fun?” Pinkie asked them as she created a swordfish.

“Honestly, yes. It’s rather entertaining, beating the snot out of you,” Discord said as he created a razor sharp breadstick.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Nightmare said as she created a sword that glittered like the night sky.

Pinkie smiled as they began to swordfight. “Of course! What’s on your mind?”

“Using Zecora’s potion, you showed us what happened to you before you got your powers. You’re right, ponies were really narrow-minded back then," Nightmare said. "They shouldn’t have treated you like that..."

Pinkie blushed. “Awwww, thanks Nightie! Didn’t know you cared!” she said, growing another limb and conjured up another swordfish.

“...At first. But now look at you! Everything you’ve done, everything you’re doing now; you’re proving that they were right about you! You’re acting like the monster that ponies say you are!” Nightmare accused.

“…What are you saying?” Pinkie asked, completely confused.

“Allow me to translate this into something you will understand,” Discord said. “You’re being a big meanie pants.”

Pinkie frowned and snapped her fingers. Instantly, all the chaos happening around them faded away. The Elements watched Pinkie cautiously as she floated away from them and sat down in midair. She was silent for a whole ten seconds.

“Hmm…nope!” Pinkie decided, smiling again. “You're the meanies, not me.”

“Excuse me?!” Sunset exclaimed. “You kidnapped us, you brainwashed us, you-”

“Not listening. I’m right, you’re wrong,” Pinkie said, nodding sagely.

“…We’re done here,” Nightmare said. The Elements all joined together and used all of the power they had in the lucid dream to finish Pinkie Pie once and for all. They summoned a fully-grown dragon, with Smog’s head and Spike’s body, and watched the dragon eat her. The music stopped playing, and the dream world faded away.

Nightmare and her friends instantly woke themselves up as soon as the dream duel was over. On the ground was a dazed Pinkie. “Whoa…I wonder if Smog’s insides look like that in real life…” she babbled.

“She’s still breathing!” Gilda announced. “Blast her!” At once, the Elements began to glow. Magical energy gathered all around them before it joined together.

“But I don’t wanna taste the rainbow!” Pinkie cried as the magic blasted her right in the face, turning her to stone. The power of the Elements of Redemption spread out, sending a blinding light racing through all of Peaceville, and all of the Crystal Empire. When the light faded, everything was back to normal. Overhead, the balloons popped and all the Empire’s citizens floated down as they woke up from the dreams they’d been forced into. King Sombra was the fastest to recover.

“Argh…where…what happened?” he asked as his eyes blinked rapidly.

“King Sombra!” A smiling Nightmare flew toward him, picking up a freed (if confused) Smog in her magic as she flew. “We did it! We stopped Pinkie!”

King Sombra smiled proudly. “That’s wonderful! I knew you would be victorious!”

Trixie sighed happily. “We are indeed triumphant! Trixie is glad that’s over with.”

Chrysalis sighed in relief. “Me too. All’s well that ends well."

“Yay! Once again friendship saves the day! I love happy endings. You know what this calls for? A party!”

Everybody froze. “…Who said that?” Smog asked.

*Crack*

Everybody spun around to face the statue of Pinkie Pie. Cracks appeared all over her stone body until she burst free from her prison, laughing loudly. “SURPRISE!” Everyone else immediately took several steps back. Some ponies in the crowd screamed in pure terror.

“NO! How could you possibly get up from that?!” Trixie exclaimed.

“He, he, he! Aha ha, ha! Oh ho, ho…y-you…you actually thought you beat me! He, he! That’s the best joke I’ve ever heard!” Pinkie said, roaring with laughter.

Smog gulped. “We’re doomed.”

“Aw, why all the frowny faces guys? Oh, I get it. I’m sorry too.” Pinkie blew into her left hoof to regrow the fingers on her right hoof. She aimed her glowing hoof at the crowd of terrified ponies. “But I’m afraid it’s time to end this party…

“With a great…BIG…BANG!”

With that said, Pinkie unleashed her powers…and watched as a tiny firework burst out of her fingers, flew three feet, and landed on the grass with a pathetic pop.

Nobody spoke for a full minute. Pinkie frowned. “Huh…wait, hold on.” She snapped her fingers and watched as a tiny slice of cake fell from the sky. “Huh?!” Pinkie walked over to Discord and snapped her fingers. “Smile.” Discord felt his lips twitch, but that was it.

“…Ssssmmmile,” Pinkie ordered slowly as she snapped her fingers again. Nothing happened. Pinkie frowned at her hoof. “This usually works.”

Discord shrugged. “Well, technical difficulties. It’s not uncommon.” Pinkie examined her hoof. “Here, let me see if I can help. Are you left-handed or right-handed?”

“Um, I’m ambidextrous,” Pinkie answered.

Discord smiled. “Really? Me too. Now, did you put in new batteries?”

“I’ve been eating lots of snacks these past few weeks.”

Discord nodded as he examined her hoof. “Right, that’s not it. Are you on the wrong setting?”

“No, I think I’m on Reality 2.”

“Maybe that’s it. Try changing it to Reality 1.”

“No, Reality 2 is the right setting for my powers. What do you use for yours?”

As Discord and Pinkie chatted, the crowd stared in stunned silence. “…What?” Smog said, speaking for everyone.

“Discord…stop helping her, and please explain…this,” King Sombra requested.

“Oh, sure thing! Excuse me!” Discord tapped on Pinkie’s head, causing the top of it to swing off like a lid. He poked his paw in and came out with Pinkie’s brain.

Pinkie’s tongue stretched out and licked her own brain. “Mm, strawberries!”

“Myself, I have chocolate in my head,” Discord idly said as he examined Pinkie’s brain. He put it back in Pinkie's head and closed the lid. He turned around and told them, “The Elements restrained her powers. But the chaos is growing back inside her quite quickly.”

King Sombra groaned. “I was afraid of this. The Elements of Redemption and Forgiveness weren’t enough. Nightmare Moon, I'm afraid we're going to have to do this the hard way." As the Elements, the royals, and all the citizens of Peaceville got together to discuss what was happening, Pinkie watched them.

And Pinkie Smiled.

Author's Note

Trixie's song is based on 'Yzmopolis' from Emperor's New School.

Keep Partying and Rock On

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Keep Partying and Rock On

Pinkie Pie smiled at the Element bearers, completely ignoring their suspicious glares. “Hey guys! You were in that room with Twilight and Sombra and Luna and a whole bunch of people for a really long time! You guys weren’t having a party without me, were ya?”

Nightmare Moon cleared her throat. “Pinkamania Disaster Pie-”

“I like Pinkie Pie better, if that’s alright with you,” Pinkie giggled. “It sounds cuter!”

“…For your crimes against the Crystal Empire-”

“‘Crimes’ sound kinda harsh. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody, pony or otherwise. It was all in good fun!” Pinkie said.

Nightmare paused in her speech. “Didn’t mean to hurt anybody?! But what…how was…”

As Nightmare’s face twisted with rage, Pinkie whispered to Smog, “Ooh, she looks mad. Ya think her mane will catch fire?”

As Smog backed away from Pinkie, Nightmare took a deep breath and swallowed her anger. “Disregarding your past misdeeds and regardless of your attempt to separate us from our Elements and each other, we are still the Elements of Redemption and Forgiveness. And so, for the safety of Everfree, the seven of us have chosen to take on the difficult task of reforming you.”

Pinkie smiled. “Aw, that’s nice of you to offer! But I can reform myself just fine. Here, watch! Betcha can’t make a face crazier than…THIS!” The Elements jumped back at the sight of Pinkie’s transformed face. How it stretched out, how it appeared to be made from both rubber and steel at the same time, how she grew extra eyes and tongues along her muzzle, how her mane turned orange, then blue, then yellow, then pink…

“Oops. That didn’t work out right,” Pinkie said as she stretched her face back to normal. “Sorry, those magic necklaces you guys used really did a doozy on me. Oh, not that I’m angry at you or planning my revenge on you or anything!”

Sunset Shimmer raised a hoof. “See, it’s stuff like that makes people uncomfortable around you. Now from those visions you showed us before, you’ve always wanted to be friends with ponies so that you can throw them parties, right?”

“Yeppers Peppers!” Pinkie sang.

“So if we reform you, more people will want to be your friend,” Discord said.

“Ah, I get it now! Well then, I guess I know whom I’ll be staying with while I’m being ‘reformed’!” Pinkie said, giggling at the idea. “So Nightie, got any good joke books in that library of yours?”

Nightmare frowned. “You’re not staying with me and Smog tonight.”

“...Okie Dokie Lokie! Discord! You ready to party ‘til we’re both purple?”

Discord smirked. “As much as I enjoy the idea of partying with such a chaotic pony whilst she is no longer attacking my friends and I, you’re not staying with me tonight either. If you’ll please turn your attention to this chart we came up with.” Discord snapped his finger and a pie chart appeared.

“Thank you Discord,” Nightmare said as she pointed at the chart. “Pinkie, it has been decided that you will stay with each Element bearer for one day and night for each day of the week. This way, each bearer can teach you the true meaning of Love, Nobility, Zeal, Freedom, and so on.

“Question!” Pinkie shouted with a raised hoof. “There’s seven days of the week and only six Elements…at least I think there’s only seven days in a week.” Pinkie tilted her head in thought. “You ever get the feeling that you can’t really tell how much time has passed here? I mean, ya think years have gone by after a few seasons and then you look at the calendar and it’s only been a year, which reminds me of this one-”

“Hey! You think you could shut your pie hole for like, a minute while we’re talking?!” Gilda snapped at her.

“Why would I do that? Pies are awesome!” Pinkie said as she grabbed the pie chart and turned it into an apple pie, which she then swallowed whole.

“Anyway!” Nightmare said, trying to steer the conversation back under her control. “Even though Smog doesn’t have his own Element, he’s still an honorary Element bearer to us. So you will stay at our library for two days of the week.”

Trixie spoke next. “Now according to the Nightmare’s chart – that you so rudely ate – you will be staying with Chrysalis in her hive today, if Trixie’s memory is correct, which of course it is!”

“Really? I’m staying with the bug queen?” Pinkie asked.

Chrysalis frowned. “I’m not a bug queen. I know that changelings look a little insect-like, but we’re not actually bugs.”

“Oops! My bad!” Pinkie giggled.

“Speaking of those ‘magic necklaces’ of ours,” Sunset said, indicating her Element of Knowledge and the other Elements that her friends wore. “You should know that King Sombra, Princess Twilight, and Discord all placed a few spells on these things. You’re not stealing them anytime soon.”

Pinkie smiled calmly. “Duly noted. Well, let’s get this ‘reformation’ started. Ooh! And then I can throw myself a ‘Congratulations On Being Reformed Party!’”

Chrysalis smiled gently at the changelings in her hive while the other Elements stood nearby. “I know that she’s caused all of you a lot of trouble in my absence, but think of this as the first step to Pinkie doing community service and making up for all the suffering she has brought onto you.”

“Hey Chrissie! I’m calling the top bunk in Angle’s room! That cool with you?” Pinkie shouted from elsewhere in the hive.

Angle gave Chrysalis a weak smile before he buzzed his wings and flew towards his room. He came back with Pinkie, caught in his green magic. Pinkie giggled. “Hey, that tickles!” Angle growled at the Trickster. But the dreaded Pink Demon didn’t seem that concerned with his terrible rage. “So…you can turn into any pony you think of? Ooh! Ooh, ooh, do Princess Twilight!” Pinkie waved her hoof and Angle suddenly found his own magic was being used against his will. The green fire faded away from the changeling, revealing Princess Twilight.

“Ooh! Do Rainbow!” The Trickster waved her hoof again and Angle turned into Rainbow Dash. “Now Rarity! No, wait! Do me! Do me!” Angle changed himself before Pinkie could wave her hoof again. Her turned into a pink earth pony with large red horns, a forked tail, and a really ugly face.

“Hey! I don’t look like that,” Pinkie huffed and crossed her forelegs. “There’s no need to be rude mister.”

Chrysalis sighed. “Angle, please go to your room. I’ll find someplace else for Pinkie to stay.”

Gilda frowned at Pinkie, then glanced at Chrysalis. “You sure you’re going to be okay with her staying here tonight?”

Chrysalis gave her a confident smirk. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got magic and a whole changeling army in here if she causes any trouble.”

Gilda huffed. “I still think Pinkie deserves a good thrashing. Might make her a little…what are you doing?!” Gilda and Chrysalis both looked down at Pinkie as she ran a large chunk of cheese back and forth over Chrysalis’ holey right foreleg.

“Grating cheese,” Pinkie answered. “Want some? It’s cheddar-licious!”

“…My leg is not a cheese grater,” Chrysalis said.

Pinkie blushed. “Oops. Sorry, I can’t summon a cheese grater right now. Powers depleted and all that.”

“I recall seeing you use your powers just a moment ago on poor Angle,” Discord said.

“I did?” Pinkie asked cheerfully.

Sunset covered her face with a hoof. “…Yeah, um…if anyone needs me I’ll be at home. Where I don’t have to put up with this stupidity,” she muttered.

“Sunset is right. You guys go on home, we’ll be fine,” Chrysalis reassured them.

The other Elements gathered outside of the hive. “Do you really think this will work?” Smog asked.

“It’s worth a try. If it doesn’t work we can always just keep blasting her with the Elements until something sticks,” Nightmare said, smiling at the idea of the Elements doing something like sending Pinkie to the moon.

“Trixie believes that it would be advantageous to have a backup plan,” Trixie said. “Nightmare, the library still contains books on reforming spells, yes?”

“Well…yes,” Nightmare answered reluctantly. “But King Sombra always taught me that those spells are a last resort only. They’re spells that target the mind after all. And there have been cases where the reformed criminal acted…odd.”

“Odd? I have heard of one such case myself,” Discord said. “My dear, I am odd. The reform spell of which you speak can make a pony act…creepy.” He shuddered at the memory.

“Um, guys?” Smog said, pointing at something above them. They looked up to see a giant pink ear hovering over them. Discord frowned at it before removing his own left ear and sending it spinning towards Chrysalis’ hive. He then removed his right ear and held it out for his friends.

From the ear they could hear Chrysalis speaking. “Um, Pinkie? What are you doing?”

“Eavesdropping,” Pinkie’s voice answered.

“What?”

“Ear-flopping,” Pinkie quickly corrected. “My ears are flopping. Hey, did I ever tell you about my Pinkie Sense? See, the way it works is…”

The giant pink ear disappeared. Discord huffed as he summoned his left ear back and reattached his ears. “I agree with Trixie that a backup plan would be best, but we should take into account that Pinkie will most likely find a way to overhear us.”

“You’re right,” Nightmare sighed. “Well...since Pinkie is being agreeable so far, let’s just hope our current plan works out.”

“This is too easy. Way, way too easy,” Nightmare said.

The gathered ponies reflected on her words carefully. Along with the Elements of Forgiveness and Smog, several others had arrived for this meeting. King Sombra and Princess Twilight sat at one side of the table, with Captain Luna, Corporal Blueblood, and Garble standing guard near them. Mayor Derpy and Mary Mare sat on another side of the table, with Mary making notes for the meeting.

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Big Macintosh, and Lyra were also in attendance. Zecora, Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara’s Cutie Mark Destroyers, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were all present in the Town Hall too. The king and princess believed that it was important to have as many Peaceville civilians as possible present at the meeting so that an answer could finally be reached. An answer to the question: Was Pinkie Pie truly reformed or not?

“She’s right,” Smog said. “Pinkie has been polite and cheerful the entire time we’ve been watching her. Then again, she was cheerful when we first fought against her. I mean, I know she’s helped with cleaning up the Crystal Empire and she hasn’t tried to attack anybody. She just…looks at us with that creepy smile. All the time.”

“Agreed. That mare is hiding something,” Sunset said.

“Ah dunno,” Apple Bloom mumbled. “It’s been, what? A week since y’all blasted her with them Elements?”

“Week an’ a bit, more like,” Big Macintosh said. “Ah reckon that if she was planning something, she’d have done it by now.”

Snails nodded too. “Yeah! She’s been really nice to everyone lately. And she makes some really good cakes!”

Gilda shrugged. “Eh, I dunno. They were okay, I guess. What I want to know is how she set up a bakery so fast.”

Discord raised an eyebrow at her. “Magic, perhaps?” He snapped his fingers and made an orange appear behind her.

“I guess you got a point there.” Gilda grabbed the fruit with her tail and began snacking on it.

“I don’t know. It really seems like Pinkie is going to try something big, but she hasn’t really done anything lately.” Mayor Derpy sighed. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Please everyone, this is important,” Princess Twilight said. “I would love it if Pinkie could officially be declared fully reformed, but at the same time she hasn't shown any genuine guilt or remorse for her crimes. And with no obvious change in her behaviour, we need to be sure.”

“We understand your concerns, but I assure you dear princess, you have nothing to worry about,” Discord said with a confident smile. “Oh, and speaking of Miss Pie, perhaps we could wrap this meeting up a little faster? Tomorrow is my day to house Pinkie and I for one am going to make sure that nothing spoils our day together.” He paused and cupped a claw to his ear. “Does anyone else hear that?”

“Look out below!”

Discord’s eyes widened. “Well meeting’s over lovely to see you all BYE!” He snapped his fingers and everyone at the meeting except for the Elements were teleported away by his magic. “Incoming!” he yelled at his friends. The Elements cringed as something heavy smashed right through the roof and crashed onto the table before them.

“What the heck?!” Gilda exclaimed.

Pinkie raised her heavy head and weakly smiled at them. Her normally pink body had turned a whitish-gray “Hey guys.” Her nose twitched and she sneezed. “Sorry. I’m not feeling so hot right now.” Pinkie laid her head on the table, instantly covering it in a sheet of ice.

Sunset raised an eyebrow at her as Pinkie conjured up a handkerchief and blew into it. “Are you okay? You’re acting like you have a cold or something.”

Pinkie sighed. “A cold would be better. No, I’m afraid I’ve got something much worse. I’ve got…Rock Pox!”

Smog stared at her. “Rock…Pox?”

“Uh huh. I’m sure you’ve heard about ponies that have been attacked by cockatrices but then escaped, but then they caught Rock Pox later?”

“I can’t say that I have,” Gilda said, glaring at Pinkie with suspicion.

“Well it did,” Pinkie insisted. “And now I’ve caught it from those magic necklaces of yours when you tried to turn me to stone.” Her eyes widened with fear. “Oh no! What if this is a new strain? I’ve doomed us all!” she cried dramatically.

“No you haven’t!” Nightmare said. “And really the only thing this ‘Rock Pox’ as you call it has done is turn your coat a different colour.”

“I don’t know Nightie,” Discord said. “This sounds serious. Pardon me.” He created a stethoscope and used it to listen to Pinkie’s heartbeat, before moving it to her head. “Oh my. This IS serious. Why, she might become half-turned-to-stone. Half of her body paralyzed while the other half of her remains free. Absolutely dreadful!” Discord gasped dramatically.

Nightmare rubbed her chin in thought. “Hmm. We could always use the Elements again. Maybe that could cure you. Or turn you to stone completely and permanently,” she mumbled.

Discord shook his head. “Oh, we couldn’t possibly do that to a friend! Who knows what sort of trouble that might cause?”

“Well whatever we do, we better do it fast! It’d be awful if anyone else caught this!” Pinkie said as her nose twitched again. “I mean this could be super duper…” Pinkie stopped as her nose twitched violently.

“Hey!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she and Apple Bloom barged into the room. “Discord, why’d you teleport us away like – EWW!” Diamond and Apple Bloom cringed as Pinkie sneezed all over them.

“Contagious. Sorry!”

“Uh, gesundheit,” Apple Bloom said. She tried to wipe some of the mucus off, only to discover something. “What in tarnation! Diamond, yer mark!”

Diamond looked back at her own blank flank. “My mark! It’s gone! I’m not cutie-cursed any longer! I’m a blank flank!” Diamond cheered.

Apple Bloom chuckled. “Good for you Diamond. I’m glad yer-”

“Oh my gosh! Apple Bloom, I gave you my cutie curse!” Diamond cried as she pointed at Apple Bloom’s flank, which now had an image of a red, pink, and purple shield with a purple apple inside it and a pink heart inside of the apple.

“My cutie mark!” Apple said in awe, as she grinned widely.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…why in Everfree are you smiling?!” Diamond exclaimed.

Apple Bloom dropped her smile, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes. “Smiling? Uh…I weren’t smiling. No sir, not me,” she said nervously as her eyes darted around the room.

Pinkie stared at Apple Bloom for several seconds before she gasped again. “Look!” Cutie marks shaped like pears, watches, hammers, jewelry, and so on appeared on both Apple Bloom and Diamond. An image of tap-dancing shoes appeared on their muzzles and they immediately started dancing.

“Ah! I can’t stop!” Diamond screamed.

“Me neither! Aw, not again!,” Apple cried.

“Again?” Pinkie asked.

“This is a disaster! Rock Pox in Pinkie turns into Cutie Pox in other ponies! What are we going to do?!” Smog cried.

“Stop panicking,” Sunset said firmly. “Peaceville has dealt with Cutie Pox before. Zecora has a cure for it, so I’ll just take these two to get them cured.”

“An excellent idea Sunny! The sooner we get this disease cured the better,” Discord said. “You take dear Diamond and Apple to get cured, whilst I shall protect Peaceville from this plague!”

“Good idea Discord! Meanwhile, Nightie and the others can help me feel better!” Pinkie cheered.

“Wait, what?” Nightmare asked, confusion and concern growing within her.

“It’s quite simple,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers. Shimmering force fields appeared around himself and the other people in the room before turning invisible. “Magic health bubbles, to prevent the Rock Pox from spreading. I must go now and create similar health bubbles for all of Peaceville’s residents. Perhaps the rest of Everfree too, just to be on the safe side. While I’m doing that, you can nurse Pinkie back to health. Good luck!” With another snap of his fingers, Discord was gone.

“Wait, what?!” Smog asked.

“Yay! I’ll finally get to have ponies give me ‘Get-Well-Soon’ cards!” Pinkie cheered. “This’ll be so much fun! Trixie will give me cuddles, Nightmare will read me stories, Gilda can make me soup, and I can tell you all about growing up on my dad’s farm! I was born on a Tuesday...”

“Aw! I don’t get story time?” Pinkie gave Nightmare a puppy-eyed look of sadness as Nightmare levitated Pinkie into the guest bed in her library.

“We’re in a library. Just grab a book off one of the shelves,” Smog said, still eyeing Pinkie with a bit of unease.

“But this Rock Pox has made my limbs all rocky and heavy! I can barely lift anything!” Pinkie cried.

“Look, Pinkie, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Nightmare sighed. “Just go to sleep, and maybe this illness will just go away. It’s similar enough to the common cold, so maybe it will work itself out. Now please go to sleep,” she ordered.

“Aw, alright,” Pinkie sighed. She fidgeted under the covers as Nightmare and Smog began to walk away from her. “Oh, wait! Before you go, can I just ask for one teeny, tiny favor?”

Nightmare groaned. “Fine. What do you need?”

Pinkie waved a hoof and a rainbow colour ball of light appeared. “Oh no,” Nightmare said as Pinkie began to sing:

“A glass of melted chocolate please!
A scented hanky if I sneeze
Some juice and honey, from the bees
Whenever you can brew it.

And while I get a little rest
A teeny, tiny small request…

Discord sipped a glass of chocolate milk as he sat in the mayor’s office. “Thank you again for letting little Dinky play with my Polaris. My little Windigo hardly ever gets the time to socialize with others.” He glanced out the window at the little filly playing with the young spirit outside.

Mayor Derpy leaned out the window and waved at them. She leaned back in and said, “It’s no trouble. I mean, it would have been trouble if he tried to freeze Dinky, but your pet is very well behaved for a spirit of cold and hatred.

“Oh, you’re too kind!” Discord smiled as he conjured up a book into his paw.

Derpy smiled. “And thanks again for helping me with my paperwork. Mary really deserves a day off; she’s been working so hard. Are you sure you want to do this though? Paperwork can be a little boring sometimes.”

“Oh, I’ll find some way to entertain myself while I work,” Discord assured her.

Before Derpy could ask him what he meant she glanced out the window and saw a huge wave of hot chocolate, floating through the air. The flying river passed over Dinky and Polaris and zoomed towards the Equestria forest. “What was that?!”

Discord watched the chocolate fly away. “Hmm. Nope, not a clue. Who wants pizza?” he said as he snapped his fingers.

“I’m going to turn her to stone and then banish her to the moon,” Nightmare growled as she levitated a towel over her soaking wet mane.

“Calm down Nightie,” Smog said as he dried himself with a towel too.

“You’re right, the moon is too good for her. We’ll turn her to stone and banish her to the sun.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“No! Pinkie is being ridiculous!”

“Well, yeah. She’s Pinkie.”

Nightmare groaned. “Well if banishment isn’t an option, there must be some way to just cure her and be done with it!”

“How would we do that though?”

“You know, there IS one pony who could help,” Pinkie called out from the bed.

Nightmare ran back to the guest bedroom. “What? Who? Why didn’t you tell us earlier?!”

“Sorry, I would’ve told ya, but she’s really hard to reach.” Pinkie smiled as she waved a hoof. An image of a gray earth mare appeared before them. “This is my older sister, Maud Pie. You might remember her from that vision I showed you. She has a rocktorate in rock science!”

“You mean a doctorate in geology?” Smog asked.

“…Sure! Anyway, Maud is amazing! If anyone knows how to cure Rock Pox, it’ll be her.” Pinkie waved her hoof and two items appeared before them. “Here’s a map to help you find her and…here’s a tiny hammer.”

“…What’s the hammer for?” Nightmare couldn’t help asking.

Pinkie giggled. “You’ll see.”

Smog raised a claw. “But Pinkie, you and your sister were born over a hundred years ago. Unless she got turned to stone herself, she might not even be alive.”

Before Smog could finish, Pinkie interrupted him. “Oh, don’t worry about that! Now there’s one more thing I need to tell y-OOH! SHINY!”

“And then she got distracted by a balloon and ran after it,” Smog said as he finished telling their friends why they were so far away from Peaceville. “Or, crawled after it. She moves pretty fast for a pony who’s fifty percent stone.”

Trixie nodded before her gaze drifted back to the map held within her telekinesis. “Cut through the Equestria forest, through the Badlands, over the Dragon Mountains, through the Valleys of Unbearable Cold, yikes. Could you have imagined what it would have been like if we had actually walked through all that?”

Sunset laughed. “Don’t be silly.”

“Ahem!” Discord crossed his arms. “And who do you have to thank for that?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Thanks for teleporting us here Discord. Really, that should go without saying.”

“Oh I know, but it still feels nice hearing it.” Discord stopped talking as the Elements reached the heart of the cave they had been exploring.

The center of the cave was very homey. Lots of comfortable furniture, dozens of book lined along a bookshelf, everything you would expect to find in a cave that someone had been camping out in for several years. In the middle of the room was a statue of an earth pony mare. Smog brought out the hammer that Pinkie had given them. He reached up and gave the statue’s head a tiny tap with the hammer. Cracks instantly formed all around the statue. The Elements jumped back and mentally prepared themselves. After meeting her insane younger sister, who knew what kind of horrors lurked inside the mind of Maud Pie?

The stone finally crumbled away from the earth pony. At least, they thought it did. She didn’t actually look that different from when she had been a statue. Her coat, mane and tail were still the same gray colour. Maud slowly blinked her eyes several times before she turned around to stare at them.

“Um…hi there! You must be Maud,” Sunset said.

Maud blinked slowly at her. “Please come closer,” she said quietly. “I need to ask you something.”

“Um, okay. What is it?” Sunset asked as she took a step closer.

“Do I have something in my teeth?” Maud opened her mouth to show that dozens of pebbles were somehow stuck in between her teeth.

Sunset’s eyes widened. “Um, yeah. I’d say you do.”

“Oh. Okay.” Maud ran her tongue over her teeth, licking at the pebbles and picking them out one by one. As soon as she was finished, she picked up one of the larger pebbles that had fallen out. “Sedimentary.”

“…Pardon?” Trixie asked.

“These are sedimentary rocks,” Maud said with a dull monotone.

“…Fascinating. It’s as if my ears are listening to the equivalent of paint drying,” Discord muttered to himself.

Maud glanced at Chrysalis. “Are you here about that thing with the Badlands? Sorry.”

Chrysalis blinked. “What about the Badlands?”

Maud shrugged. “My sister gave me the power to move rocks with my mind. It’s pretty extreme,” she said as a few small rocks rose up from the ground and floated around her.

Sunset’s eyes widened. “Geokinesis? That’s an interesting power to have.”

Nightmare smiled. “Yeah. If we have a bit of time later, maybe we could study how strong your ability is, if that’s okay with you Miss Pie.”

“...Sure,” Maud said in that same dull tone.

“Excuse me, but what does this have to do with the Badlands?” Chrysalis asked.

Maud shrugged. “My sister asked me to move a few boulders around there. Some of the rocks got loose. And they fell. Onto stuff. Sorry.”

Chrysalis blinked. “Wait, are you saying you’re behind that? Oh dear.”

“What is it?” Gilda asked.

Chrysalis glanced at Gilda, then at Maud. “It…it’s nothing. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Um…listen, it’s very…nice to meet you, but I’m afraid this isn’t a social visit,” Nightmare said.

Maud blinked slowly. “I figured that part out. I haven’t had any visitors in a really long time. It’s just been me and Boulder up here.”

“Who’s Boulder?” Trixie asked.

“He’s my pet rock.” Maud pointed at a rock that looked exactly the same as every other rock in the cave.

“…Anyway, I’m sorry to tell you this but your sister has fallen ill and she needs your help,” Nightmare said.

Maud’s eyes widened. “Pinkie is in trouble?”

“My goodness, actual emotion! And yes! She is in trouble! Large amounts of it! We’d better not keep her waiting!” Discord said as he snapped his fingers, teleporting all of them back to the Peaceville library.

As soon as the flash of light faded away, Pinkie sat up from her bed. “Maud? Maud! You’re here! You’re here!”

Maud rushed to her younger sister’s side. “Pinkie. Are you okay? These ponies said you were sick,” she said with concern.

Pinkie nodded. “Oh, it’s horrible Maud! I have Rock Pox!”

Maud blinked slowly at Pinkie. “…Rock Pox?” she asked, her voice shifting back to a dull monotone.

“You bet! If I don’t get cured soon, I could be half-stone for the rest of my life! But that’s okay, because you’re here now! You remember how to cure Rock Pox, right?”

Maud slowly turned to look at the Elements, then back to her sister. “…Sure.” Maud slowly circled Pinkie, poking at her whitish-gray body. She tapped Pinkie on the head and the layer of white rock cracked and broke apart. Pinkie shook off the dust to reveal her coat and hair were once again pink.

“It worked! I’m cured Maud! Guys, I’m cured, I’m cured! Whee!” she sang as she flew into the air, zipping and zooming all around the library.

Nightmare sighed. “Yes Pinkie, we’re all very happy for you. Now if we can focus back on your reformation then-”

“Um, Nightie?” Pinkie had stopped flying around the room and had settled down on the floor. She fiddled around with her hooves, trying to find the right words. “T-thanks. Thank you, for brining my sister back here,” she said with a smile. Pinkie then flew to her sister and gave her a huge bear hug.

Pinkie floated through the air towards King Sombra and Princess Twilight. The Elements, the king and queen, Rainbow, and Rarity were all gathered just outside of Peaceville.

“Hi King Sombra. Hi Princess Twilight!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “Look at me, I’m forgiven!”

“So you’re ready to use your powers for good instead of evil?” King Sombra asked.

“Yeppers Peppers! And to prove it all to you, I Pinkie Promise that I won’t use my magic to hurt my home or my friends!” Pinkie twisted her body into a pretzel shape. “Cross my heart…” She untwisted her body and did a loop-de-loop in the air. “Hope to fly…” And lastly, she created a cupcake in her hoof and smashed it into her right eye. “Stick a cupcake in my eye!” Her eye then turned into a mouth, swallowed the cupcake whole, and turned back into an eye.

“…What the heck was that?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

The Trickster grinned. “A Pinkie Promise, silly!”

Rainbow shook her head. “Whatever. I’m outta here. Hey G, you coming?”

Gilda perked up. “Aw yeah! The young fliers competition is coming up soon. We gotta get in all the practice we can if we’re gonna bring our A game!”

King Sombra smiled at his student as Gilda and Rainbow chatted. “I’m very proud of you, Nightmare Moon. I’m proud of all of you. Congratulations on a job well done.”

Princess Twilight turned to face Pinkie and smiled. “Pinkie, we’ve set up a room for you in the Crystal Castle. As long as you abide by our laws and rules, you’ll always have a home with us.”

Nightmare stepped up to King Sombra and whispered, “Are you completely certain this is a good idea?”

King Sombra gave Pinkie a wary look before whispering back, “Perhaps the Elements of Redemption should be kept with you, instead of in the vault. Just in case.”

Pinkie grinned. “I get my own room? Hooray! Ooh! Ooh, ooh, what’s it look like? I gotta see this!”

Pinkie stretched out her hooves as her fingers regrew themselves. With a quick snap, she teleported herself, King Sombra, and Princess Twilight to the Crystal Castle.

Princess Twilight recovered from the sudden teleport in record time. “It’s just down that hall and to the left. We marked it with your name so you should have no trouble finding it.”

“Yay! We get to be roomies!” Pinkie cheered as she attempted to hug Princess Twilight.

The princess gave her a nervous smile. “Um, sure. You go ahead and get settled in. King Sombra and I need to get ready for Everfree’s royal summit. We’ll check in on you later.”

Pinkie grinned and zoomed into her new room. She snapped her fingers and the room was instantly flooded with all sorts of cakes, balloons, streamers, and other party supplies.

“Planning yourself another party already? Well, I suppose congratulations are in order to you too.”

Pinkie smiled as Discord appeared with a bright flash of light. “Oh, hey there Dissy! What brings you here?”

Discord smirked. “Be honest with me. You were faking that whole Rock Pox illness, weren’t you?”

Pinkie let out an overly dramatic gasp. “Why Discord! Are you accusing me of something?”

“Please, my dear. I was using the Blue Flu to get out of school before it was cool.”

Pinkie giggled. “Try saying that three times fast!”

“Oh, I have. I’m not mad at you for fooling my friends like that. A rather harmless prank, especially when compared to your past crimes. I am curious though…why?”

Pinkie smiled. “Aw, come on Discord. You should be able to figure out why I do the things I do.”

Discord tapped his chin in thought. “I can piece together a guess. You failed to make any friends in the past, so in your anger you lashed out at and turned evil. When we defeated you and discussions about possibly reforming you opened up, you were eager for the opportunity to make real friends. But you knew that we were still distrustful of you, so you created the Rock Pox both as a friendship test and a chance to see your dear sister again.”

Pinkie grinned. “Wow, you’re really good at guessing!”

“Well of course I am! And I just want to say that I am glad we have this opportunity to be friends.” Discord gave her a wink. “Friendship is magic, don’t you know? Pardon the short visit, but I have an appointment with my own sister to keep.”

Discord removed his deer antler, dialed a number, and spoke into it. “Eris? Ah there you are, lovely to hear from you again. Eris, are you…other end Eris. No, the other…” Pinkie watched as Discord turned away and vanished with a snap of his fingers.

Pinkie smiled and conjured up a group photo of the Elements of Redemption. “Oh, Discord. Friendship is so much more than magic. Friendship is everything to me. But I guess you’ll see that soon enough.”

“Of course…when did I ever say you were my friends?”

Pinkie snapped her fingers and the photo burned away in a flash of fire. She floated over to the window and admired the view. Everything had all worked out exactly the way she thought it would. It didn’t matter that she had lost the battle. She was free, her sister was free, and her true goal was still out there.

Pinkie smiled to herself. “Better get ready Nightie. Because now I get to plan for the greatest party that Everfree has ever seen! And it’s gonna be a DOOZY!”

Author's Note

Credit to Moonlight_Champion for giving me an idea on what to do with Maud.

Brave Bird's Blitz

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Brave Bird's Blitz

Rainbow Dash flew over to the group and hovered in midair. “Hey Gilda! You keeping up with me?”

Gilda smirked at her. “Keeping up? Oh, I’m gonna do a lot more than that Dash. Don’t think I’m going to go easy on ya just ‘cause you’re a pal. That day with the Shadowbolts is mine!”

Rainbow smirked back at her. “Aw, you think you can beat me. Sorry G, if anyone is winning the competition, it’s gonna be me!”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Gilda said as she glanced back at Discord and Chrysalis. “Listen Dash, there’s no doubt that you and I will be the fastest fliers there. But my cheering squad can’t match my performance and I could use a little help with them.”

Rainbow stared at Discord. “Yeah, looks like.”

Discord frowned and snapped his fingers, causing the cheerleader’s outfit he had been wearing to disappear. “Alright already! That’s a no on the outfit. Forgive me for wanting to show my enthusiasm.”

“Uh huh. Sure.” Gilda’s tail swished at Chrysalis’ general direction. “She’s not much better either,” she said to Rainbow.

Chrysalis frowned in confusion. “What’s wrong with my cheer? ‘ALL HAIL GILDA!’ is a great cheer.”

Rainbow let out a chuckle. “Sorry Gilda, but I’ve never had to deal with cheering that weird. You’re on your own.”

“Well what about your cheer team?” Gilda asked.

“Don’t need one. The crowd will do all the cheering I need,” Rainbow bragged.

“She’s too lazy to find anyone,” Discord translated.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Do you think Nightmare would be willing to cheer for me?”

Gilda shrugged. “I dunno. She said she’s not sure how comfortable she’d be with being up in Cloudsdale all day, if you know what I mean.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Is this another ‘Nightmare doesn’t like the sun’ thing? She’s flown around during the day before, right?

Chrysalis shrugged. “Maybe she uses her wings more at night. Maybe she doesn’t want to sit on a cloud, high up in the sky, during the day, and for the entire competition.”

“Who knows?” Discord said as he played around with a light bulb he had summoned, having grown bored of the conversation.

Chrysalis frowned. “In any case, I’m sorry you don’t think we’d be great supporters Gilda.”

“Hey, come on guys. I don’t mean it like that. Maybe if you just clap or something,” Gilda said.

“Hey guys!” Sunset Shimmer called out as she approached them. “Gilda, Rainbow! You two excited for the competition tomorrow?”

Rainbow grinned. “You know it!”

Sunset sighed. “I just wish I could go up there with you guys to cheer you on.”

The light bulb in Discord’s claws just lit up. “Ooh. There’s an idea.” He grinned and disappeared in a flash of light.

A sneaky smile slowly formed on Sunset’s face. “Huh. It actually worked this year. Excuse me guys, I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Wait! Sunset, I still need those crystals you promised me!” Gilda shouted.

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring them over when I’m done!” Sunset called back as she ran to Clear Crystal Caverns. Curious as to what she was doing, Rainbow and Chrysalis followed her.

Gilda watched them run off before she shrugged and leapt back into the sky. Her eyes darted back and forth as she examined the clouds she passed by as she flew. Eventually she spotted a cloud that was much darker and stormier than the others. “Perfect. No more distractions. No more fooling around with lame techniques. Time for the Brave Bird’s Blitz!”

And with that she charged at the storm cloud.

“Really?” Smog asked with a hopeful smile “We’re actually going this year?”

Nightmare Moon sighed as she sorted away a book. “Yes Smog. I want to be there to support Gilda and Rainbow. King Sombra, Princess Twilight, and the Shadowbolts will also be there. It's been a while since I talked to any of them. Put it all together and I suppose I can stomach being closer to the sun for a few hours.” She frowned at the sunlight coming in through the window. “Although I don’t see why we can’t have the competition at night.”

“Wouldn’t the competitors need the light to see?” Trixie asked as she flipped through another book.

Nightmare telekinetically yanked the book out of Trixie’s grip and sorted it away. “There’s moonlight and stars! They could see just fine!”

Smog shook his head. “Nightie, I thought you weren’t scared of the sun anymore.”

Nightmare glared at him. “I have never feared the sun.” She fidgeted a little. “I’m just…not an outdoorsy mare.”

Smog opened his mouth, but before he could add anything else to the conversation, they were interrupted by a panicked shout. Gilda came crashing through the open window and smacked into a bookshelf on the other side of the room.

“Ouch. Are you okay Gilda?” Trixie asked.

Gilda stood up and shook off the pain. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that guys.”

Nightmare smiled. “Good to hear.” She pointed at the fallen books. “Now clean up your mess please, because I’m not sorting these books a second time today.”

Gilda glanced at the books and dismissed the idea with a flick of her tail. “Eh, I’ll get to it later. Sorry, I need to get back to practicing.”

Nightmare nodded. “Ah yes. Chrysalis told me you’re perfecting your Brave Bird’s Blitz move. You’ll be happy to know that Smog and I will be attending this year’s competition, just to cheer you on. I look forward to seeing it.”

Gilda’s beak twitched between a happy grin and a nervous smile. “You are? Huh. Thanks Nightmare, Smog. I…I won’t disappoint.”

Gilda flapped her wings and flew out the open window, passing by Chrysalis as she buzzed into the library. “Oh dear. Sorry about Gilda’s mess, Nightmare. Maybe I can find a few of my changeling friends and they can help you tidy, if they’re not busy.”

Nightmare sighed. “Thanks Chrysalis, I appreciate it. So, how do you think Gilda’s doing?”

“She’s nervous. She’s hasn’t been able to do a Blitz in a long time. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash can do a Sonic Rainboom whenever she wants. I think Gilda is afraid that that she won’t be able to compete with that,” Chrysalis said.

Trixie grunted. “Trixie knows the feeling. She once faced off against a rather famous magician as part of a charity event.”

“I heard that story,” Smog said. “Didn’t you win?”

“Obviously. But Trixie’s opponent was an earth pony magician. And he was keeping up with a unicorn of my abilities! Trixie was technically victorious, as always, but…her act just wasn’t as impressive as a magician who wasn’t using real magic!” She sighed. “Trixie wishes she could be an alicorn like you, Nightmare. Aside from the obvious reasons, she could fly to Cloudsdale and cheer Gilda on.”

“Don’t you know a cloud-walking spell?” Nightmare asked.

Trixie waved a hoof. “Oh I suppose. But there’s nothing impressive about a spell that any unicorn can cast! Trixie wants to enter Cloudsdale the way only Trixie can!”

“As flashy and as egotistically as possible?” Chrysalis asked.

Trixie grinned. “Yes.”

The front door opened and Sunset came running inside with a big grin. “Then boy, do I have news for you!”

As Nightmare, Smog, Sunset, Trixie, and Chrysalis made their way to Clear Crystal Caverns, Princess Twilight touched down in front of them.

“I’m a princess!” she declared. She zoomed over to Trixie and winked. “Do you want to be a princess too?”

Princess Twilight snapped her fingers and turned into Discord with purple wings and a horn. He removed them and regrew his own before holding out the alicorn set for them to see. “Buy a pair of wings and a horn! Experience the magic!”

“The best part is, they’re not even that expensive!” A voice sounded out behind Discord. The unicorn stallion that walked up to them had a pale olive coat, with a red-and-white mane and tail. He also wore a fancy blue shirt and hat.

“They only cost a few tail hairs, drop of blood maybe. Even less than that!” Another voice sounded out. The other unicorn stallion was identical to his twin brother, except he had a small mustache and a deeper voice.

“And you two are lucky enough to receive the friends and family discount too!”

“Now, we are required to inform you that the horn and wings are a temporary transformation only! Thirty hours, so keep an eye on the clock!”

“Even so! Miss Shimmer, Great and Powerful Trixie, surely you can’t pass on a deal this sweet!”

Sunset smirked. “Nice to see you two again, Flim, Flam. What, no catchy advertising jingle this time?”

Flim chuckled. “Why would we need to? Between Mister Discord and Miss Pie, our enthusiastic sales-creatures are do all the advertising for us!”

Nightmare frowned. “Miss Pie? You’re working for Pinkie Pie?”

Flim chuckled. “Good heavens, no! She’s working for us!”

“Charming mare she is! If only we had met sooner!” Flam said.

“Ah, but we did meet her sooner, remember dear brother?” Flim said.

“Ah, yes. Awful business, that was.”

“Ruined our business proposal with Apple Pie Incorporated, she did.”

“Remember the pumpkin-”

“-with the bathtub-”

“-and the chess pieces-”

“-and the frosting?”

“Oh yes. And the alligator, don’t forget that.”

“I wish we could.”

“But other than that, Pinkie is a real joy to work with!” Flam finished.

“…Indeed. So, Trixie can be an alicorn?” Trixie asked Discord.

“Me first!” Sunset declared, a big grin on her face.

“Of course!” Discord snapped his fingers and Sunset grew orange wings while Trixie grew blue wings.

“YES!” Sunset flapped her new wings and rose into the air. “Bow before me peasants! Princess Sunset hath arrived!”

Flim chuckled. “Don’t worry Trixie, she’s just joking-”

“You call that a declaration? Behold!” Trixie yelled as she rose into the air. “Bow before the airborne and immortal Trixie!”

“HA! KNEEL BEFORE NIGHTMARE MOON, EMPRESS OF THE NIGHT AND ALL WHO DWELL IN IT!” Nightmare declared with a booming voice as she too rose into the air.

The other stared at her.

“Um…sorry,” Nightmare said as she touched back down and folded her wings. She smiled sheepishly. “I thought we were doing a thing.”

“We were. And you won it,” Sunset said.

A flash of light went off in front of them as Pinkie Pie, Maud Pie, and Rarity appeared in front of them.

“Hi guys!” Pinkie sang cheerfully.

Nightmare frowned. “Hi.”

“Well, what do you think darlings?” Rarity asked them as she flapped her new feathery white wings. “I wanted to be there to support Rainbow Dash and Gilda too. And Pinkie Pie was kind enough to provide me with my wings free of charge, in order to help make up for her many misdeeds against Peaceville. Isn’t that right?”

Pinkie didn’t seem too bothered by Rarity’s sudden glare at her. “No problem Rarity! Anything for a friend!” She floated over to her sister. “That just leaves you Maud!” She snapped her fingers and Maud instantly grew a gray horn and gray wings.

Maud calmly examined her back. “That’s new.”

“Yep! So, what do you think?” Pinkie asked with a big smile.

“I don’t like flying much Pinkie. You know that,” Maud said.

Pinkie giggled. “I know. But you won’t be doing too much flying. You’ll just be sitting on a cloud as we cheer for Rainbow Dash! And Gilda too, maybe.”

Maud’s gaze slowly drifted toward the general direction of Cloudsdale. “Do they have rocks in Cloudsdale?”

Pinkie snapped her fingers, causing the mustache on Flam’s muzzle to fly off. “Darn! No, they don’t. Oh well!” she said cheerfully. “Sorry to get your hopes up like that. Maybe this will cheer you up.” She snapped her fingers again.

Maud lowered her head and sniffed at the rock that just appeared. “Metamorphic rock.”

“Ah, I see what you did there. …And yet I still found it boring,” Discord said. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be turning the Cutie Mark Destroyers and Apple Bloom’s club into mini-alicorns.”

Nightmare, Smog, Trixie, Sunset, Flim, and Flam all stared at him in horror. “Don’t even think about it!” Nightmare shouted. But Discord had already disappeared with a mischievous chuckle.

The next day, Gilda and Rainbow both flew over to the Cloudsdale Coliseum. They touched down on the cloud as Rainbow waved to the pegasus by the entrance. “Hey, LD! Good to see you again!”

Lightning Dust turned to face them. “Rainbow Dash. Huh. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for the Best Young Fliers competition, same as my pal Gilda here,” Rainbow answered. “We’re in it to win it! Well, I am. She’s here for second place.”

Gilda snorted. “Dream on Dash.”

“I’m afraid your friend is right, Rainbow. I can’t let you enter the competition,” Lightning said.

Rainbow’s gasped. “What?! Why not?”

Lightning gave her a cold glare. “Because apparently, the last time you were anywhere near Cloudsdale you unleashed a lightning storm on the whole area.”

Gilda growled at Lightning. “What? You’re crazy, lady. Dash wouldn’t do something like that. Maybe I would, but she wouldn’t.”

At that moment, Hoops flew over to them. “Sorry, but she did. Saw it with my own eyes.”

Gilda smirked. “Which are currently covered up by your bangs, so I’m still not sure how great you are as an eyewitness.”

Hoops frowned and tried to brush his mane away from his eyes. “Whatever. I still saw her use lightning against a whole lot of innocent people.”

“Wait!” Rainbow cried. “I didn’t hurt anyone with that lightning! I just kinda, sorta broke the stuff around them. Ya know, market stalls and other stuff. All completely replaceable! Didn’t Fancy Pants pay for the damages?”

“He did. He also wanted me to tell you that it’ll be the last nice thing he does for you,” Hoops warned her.

“Aw, I wouldn’t worry about that. I said sorry. We’re cool. …Right?” Rainbow asked nervously.

Lightning sighed. “Come on Rainbow. It’s only until people calm down and forget about it. Sign up again next year and you’ll be good to go. Besides, you won last year’s competition with that Sonic Rainboom of yours, didn’t you?”

Rainbow moaned. “Yeah, and it was awesome. But all I won was a little bit of cash. This year’s prize is an entire day with the Shadowbolts! Please, can I be in it?!”

“Sorry Rainbow,” Lightning said. She offered her a small smile and said, “Maybe your friend here will win first prize and you can see the Shadowbolts with her. I wouldn’t get my hopes up though if I were you.”

Gilda watched Lightning and Hoops fly away, before her gaze darted down to see Rainbow holding her front limbs. “G! You gotta win the competition!” she begged.

“What happened to me ‘keeping up’ with you, the clear winner?” Gilda said.

“GILDA!”

Gilda chuckled. “Relax Dash. I’m just joshing you. Don’t worry, you were the only flyer I was worried about. That day with the Shadowbolts is ours! Even if I can’t do a Blitz,” she mumbled the last part out.

But Rainbow’s ears still caught it. “Can’t do a…Gilda, if you were having trouble doing a Blitz, ya should have said something. I could’ve…”

“Like I said, relax Dash. Focus on something else. Like…oh hey. Our cheer squad is finally here.”

They both looked up to see the other Elements flying down towards them, with Smog sitting on Nightmare’s back.

“Hey, nice work Discord,” Rainbow said as she saw the new wings on Sunset and Trixie.

Discord gave her a dramatic bow. “Thank you, thank you! You’re too kind!”

“Oh, but she’s right! These wings are exquisite!” They turned around to see Rarity flying towards them. Following behind her was Big Macintosh, Zecora, and Cheerilee leading a small group of school kids, including Diamond Tiara’s Cutie Mark Destroyers, and Apple Bloom and her friends. All of them with wings and horns.

“Wow,” Sunset said as she watched the school group fly into the coliseum stands. “Looks like you and Pinkie just made Flim and Flam very rich stallions.”

“That they did!” Flim sang as he zoomed by them, on his own set of wings.

“Discord, my good draconequus!” Flam said as he zipped over to them and hovered in midair. “We delivered your share of the profits to the Chaos Corner, as requested. Now, if we could speak to you about-”

Discord held up a claw. “Thank you, but I’m afraid our partnership must come to an end. This was fun, but I prefer to be a solo act.” He glanced at the other Elements. “Well…not exactly but…oh, you know what I mean.”

Flim sighed. “As you wish. Perhaps next year?”

“Perhaps,” Discord said with a sneaky grin. “If I’m lucky, Alicorn Day could become a national holiday.”

“Alicorn Day?” Nightmare asked with a raised eyebrow, as Flim and Flam flew away to get seats.

“You’re just jealous because I thought it up first,” Discord said as he crossed his arms.

“Well, let’s keep it as just a day,” Nightmare said as she watched Trixie and Rarity circle in the sky. “You’d take all the uniqueness of being an alicorn from me if they stayed like that.”

“Yes, yes, I agree. I’ll zap them back once they’re on the ground again,” Discord reassured her impatiently. “Now when can we watch Gilda blow up the sky?”

Gilda chuckled. “Not for another hour or so.”

“Very well. Ooh, perhaps you could give us a tour Gilda?”

She shrugged. “Dash knows the area better than I do. And there’s not much to look at. I mean, it’s a cool cloud city and all, but it’s not like there’s a weather factory or anything like that.”

Rainbow frowned thoughtfully. “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was though? Sure, we can control the weather but what if we could completely control it? No surprise storms or anything like that, we just tell all the clouds when to rain and when not to.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that get tedious after a while? A team of fliers controlling every cloud in the world?”

Gilda opened her beak to add her own thoughts, but something caught her attention. “Well what do we have here? Gilbert, is that you?!”

They turned around to see a younger griffon eagerly flapping towards them. “Gilda!”

“Hey squirt!” Gilda said as she grabbed him into a tight hug before giving him a light, loving noogie. “What brings you here?”

“Gilda! Don’t call me squirt in front of the other Elements!”

“So you did remember my stories.” Gilda turned to face her friends. “Guys, this is my younger cousin Gilbert. He lives up in the Crystal Empire. Gilbert, you clearly already know who’s who here.”

“Yep!” Gilbert rushed forward to shake their hooves and claws. “I saw all the news stories about how you guys beat Eternal Twilight, Spike, Eternity, and even the Pink Trickster! And Gilda told me lots about you in her letters.”

“Funny, she never mentioned you before,” Smog said.

Gilbert smiled sheepishly. “I was kinda avoiding meeting with you. I didn't want to start acting like a lame fan boy in front of you guys. Didn’t work, did it?”

“Oh come now sport! There’s nothing lame about a polite fan like yourself!” Discord said cheerfully.

“Heh, heh. Don’t call me sport either please,” Gilbert requested.

“Gilbert, it's great to see you, but seriously what are you doing here?” Gilda asked.

Gilbert held up two talons. “One, I wanted to see you create that Brave Bird’s Blitz you told me about. And two…” He stopped and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m kinda on a date with someone, and they were planning to come here anyway.”

Gilda’s eyes widened. “A date? Aren’t you a little too young to be thinking about that?”

Gilbert shrugged. “She’s only a few years older than me and it’s not like we’ve done anything beyond a few hugs.” He looked over his shoulder. “Hey, here they come now.”

They all turned around to see Countess Cadance and her assistant Fluttershy fly towards them. Fluttershy touched down beside Gilbert and smiled at him.

Cadance grinned at them. “Hey guys! I haven’t seen you all since the Gala. How is everyone doing on this fine day?”

“We’re good,” Nightmare said as she examined Cadance. For some reason, the other alicorn was twitching a bit and her normally neatly brushed mane was looking a little disheveled.

The other Elements bearers said they were fine. But Chrysalis was staring at Cadance with confusion and concern. “…Miss Cadance, are you okay? Your emotions are all over the place.”

Cadance froze before her eyes focused on the cloud they were standing on. “Um, what do you mean?”

“I mean exactly that. You look happy, angry, sad, and in love all at once!”

Cadance giggled weakly as she continued to avoid eye contact. “Oh, I’m sure you’re just seeing things.” Fluttershy frowned and poked Cadance with her hoof. “But um…maybe you can help me and Fluttershy with something?”

Chrysalis nodded. “Of course. What do you need?”

Cadance glanced at the other Elements but looked away again. “Um sorry, could we go somewhere a bit more private?”

Chrysalis nodded again. She gave her wings a little buzz in preparation for following them. “Hopefully this shouldn’t take too long. I’ll be back to see your Brave Bird’s Blitz,” she told Gilda.

“Oh! Um, one more thing before we go. Did I see Zecora here earlier?” Cadance asked.

Smog nodded. “Yeah Discord turned her and a bunch of our other friends into alicorns.”

“Good.” Cadance smiled sheepishly at Gilbert. “I need to borrow Fluttershy for a bit, but we’ll be back before the competition starts.”

Gilbert glanced at Fluttershy before getting up to stand beside Gilda. “Okay. But hurry back. It starts in less than an hour.”

“Don’t worry,” Cadance said as she tried to suppress a sudden twitch. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

As Nightmare watched them go, she spotted something in her peripheral vision. But before she could get a good look at it, the violet cloud had drifted away.

Less than an hour later, Gilda was glaring at Sunset. “Ya mind running that by me again?”

“Not so loud,” Sunset hissed. She glanced at the other competitors and whispered to Gilda, “We entered the competition to help you out.”

“Yeah, I got that part. I’m just not getting the how of it.”

“It’s simple. During my performance, I’ll only give a half-effort. Good enough so that I don’t look like a fool, but bad enough so that you’ll look much better by comparison.”

“Oh! Now I’m getting it." Gilda smirked. "Sneaky.”

Sunset’s smirk grew bigger. “It gets better. Some of the changelings here are still in disguise.”

Gilda’s eyes swept across the other fliers, including several pegasus ponies, changelings, teenage dragons, another griffon or two, and a few creatures that she was pretty sure were related to Discord, they were just that weird.

“See those three pegasus ponies? They’re actually some of Chrysalis’ changelings. They’re part of the plan too. Trust me you’re sure to win this, even if you can’t do a Blitz.” Her smile lost some of its sneakiness and grew a little more honest. “But I know you can. You really don’t need our help here, so have a little more faith in your abilities.”

Gilda smiled. “Thanks. Nice to know you guys have my back.” She frowned as she stared at one of the changing rooms. “But what’s Trixie’s deal?”

Sunset frowned. “I didn’t think anyone would lose their head about having wings anymore than me, but somehow Trixie manages to out-ham us yet again. She might be the only you have to worry about.”

“Out-ham us?” Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Something Discord said. I don’t know what he meant but I think it suits Trixie.”

Outside of the back stage that the competitors were using to get ready, hundreds of ponies, dragons, changelings, and other flying creatures were seated within the Cloud Coliseum stands. Discord was creating plenty of snacks, foam fingers, and other items for himself, Nightmare, Smog, Gilbert, Rainbow, and Rarity.

Gilbert’s tail swished impatiently. “What’s taking Fluttershy, Miss Cadance, and Miss Chrysalis so long?”

“I can’t speak for the first two, but at least Chrysalis has returned,” Rarity said as she spotted Chrysalis buzzing towards them.

“Did I miss anything?” she asked.

“I am currently eating my chair,” Discord announced as he took another bite from the ball of cotton candy that was once an ordinary cloud. “Besides that, not much really.”

“So what did the Countess need help with?” Smog asked.

“Sorry. She made me promise not to tell anyone. For that matter…I’m still a little confused about what she wanted me to.” Chrysalis frowned. She shook her head and took one of the empty seats. “It’s probably nothing. Let’s just watch the show.”

“Your anxiety confuses me. I have already told of the one simple remedy,” Zecora said.

Cadance nodded a little too energetically. “Yes, right. But what I’m asking is what if that remedy doesn’t work?”

Zecora smiled calmly to reassure the Countess. “The cure always works, no need for agitation. Perhaps you could tell me more about your friend’s situation?”

Cadance paced nervously around the room. “Look it’s…it wouldn’t…it wasn’t exactly…” She stopped pacing and took several calming breaths. “Miss Zecora, you’re right. The solution is clear to me. I am very sorry for snapping at you. Please, go back out there and enjoy the show.”

Zecora nodded. “I do have some herbs that can calm your emotional sway. If you ever need my help, seek me out on any day. Now I must return to…oh, excuse me Miss Fluttershy. For now, I must bid you both goodbye.”

Fluttershy smiled and waved at Zecora as she left to go find a seat for the show. As soon as she was sure that Zecora was out of earshot, Cadance turned to Fluttershy. “Okay, it’s just us now.”

“Are you feeling any better?” Fluttershy asked softly.

Cadance moaned and rubbed her face. “No. We might have a problem. Zecora doesn’t know of any other cures and Chrysalis wasn’t able to help either.”

Fluttershy gasped. “They couldn’t help you? But that can only mean…”

“I know. It’s getting worse. Fluttershy, what are we going to do?” Cadance cried.

Fluttershy gently patted Cadance’s wing and gave her a calm smile. “We proceed to the next step. Maybe sooner than we had hoped, but it’ll all be for the best. Won’t it?” When Cadance didn’t answer her, Fluttershy continued. “Before I met you I didn’t know what I would do with my life. You’ve been a wonderful teacher, a great boss, and a dear friend. Let me help you the same way you helped me.”

Cadance sighed. “You’re right. I can’t get worked up about this. In the meantime, I’ll just have to put on a brave face for the Best Young Fliers Competition.”

Fluttershy smiled. “There now, are you feeling better?”

“I am,” Cadance said. She smiled and brushed Fluttershy’s mane with her hoof. “Thank you Fluttershy. You know…you always know what to say to cheer me up…”

Fluttershy gently pushed her hoof away. “Cadance.”

Cadance froze before she unfurled her wings. “You’re right. Let’s just get to the show.”

“Ladies and gentle-creatures!” The announcer shouted into his microphone headset. “Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved rulers! King Sombra and Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

The crowd started cheering wildly. Above the coliseum, King Sombra hissed at Princess Twilight. “You planned this on purpose, didn’t you?”

Princess Twilight smiled. “Come on, you were the one who said you wanted to try something flashier than a cloud-walking spell and flying through the air in your shadow form.”

King Sombra grimaced at the pink butterfly wings that her spell had given him. “I appreciate the thought, but you teleported us here before I had a chance to change their appearance. That is why I am accusing you of giving me girly, fairy wings on purpose.”

“They’re not fairy wings, they're made from gossamer and morning dew.”

“With respect Sparky, those sound like fairy wings. May I ask for your help in simply changing their appearance?”

“Fine. I still think you're overreacting” Both of their horns glowed before a flash of light turned King Sombra’s pink butterfly wings into black dragon wings.

“Ah. Much better.” And with that, the king and princess flew down into their private seat to watch the competition, waving to the cheering crowd.

The announcer spoke up again. “Please welcome our celebrity judges for the Best Young Flyer Competition: the Shadowbolts!” The crowd cheered again as the Shadowbolts soared across the sky, before they suddenly pulled together into an tight formation and exploded apart with a burst of dark purple fireworks. The crowd cheered at the impressive trick as the Shadowbolts took their own seats.

“And now, let's find out who will take the prize as this year's Best Young Flyer!”

Backstage, the manager for the event spoke up. “Okay everyone, it’s show time! Contestant number one! You’re up!”

“Ooh! Ooh, ooh, that’s me! That’s me!” A white pegasus with puffy yellow hair shouted.

Sunset frowned. “Who’s that?”

Gilda shrugged. “Dash mentioned a pegasus called Surprise. She fits Dash’s description to a T.”

“Her voice sounds familiar.”

Gilda shrugged. “Maybe. Can’t say for sure if I recognize it.”

The competition sped by quickly. Twenty competitors flew out into the arena before Trixie and Gilda went out. Sunset was true to her word and purposely gave an average performance to make Gilda look better. During Trixie’s performance, Sunset flew over to join her friends in the stands. Trixie was very flashy, creating magical flaming hoops to fly through, while making flowers and fireworks rain down from the sky.

Discord chuckled. “Oh Trixie. You attention-stealing horse, you.”

Rarity huffed and crossed her front forelegs. “I understand what you were trying to do Sunset, even if it was a little dishonest. But how could Trixie just enter in at the last minute and put on a show like that when Gilda worked so hard for this competition? You’d never catch me doing something like that!”

Sunset shook her head. “I was confused at first, but I think I see what she’s doing now. One of the more recent rules in the Best Young Flier’s rulebook is that: In the rare event that a flier possess extra magic and/or abilities, the competitor must refrain from using them during his or her performance or risk disqualification. Trixie is using her magic while knowing that it’s going to get her kicked out of the show.”

Rarity blinked. “But then, why even enter the competition in the first place?”

Sunset smirked as Trixie conjured up a burst of fireworks that spelled her name out in flashy lettering. “Like Discord said. Trixie is an attention-stealing horse.”

“Hmm. In that case, perhaps I should have attempted something similar,” Rarity said to herself. “I could have used a spell or two perhaps. I did have this one dress that would have-”

“Hey! G’s up now! GO GILDA GO!” Rainbow cheered. As Gilda flew out into the arena, she felt her confidence rise as she saw her friends cheering for her.

But while Gilda was performing her routine, slowly building up to the Brave Bird’s Blitz, something else was occurring. From where she sat among the crowd, Surprise spotted a dark purple cloud fly over the stands. She felt a shiver go down her back as her senses alerted her to something sinister going on. Making sure that nobody was looking, Surprise grew fingers out of her hoof and snapped them, turning herself invisible.

Pinkie Pie flew after the purple cloud, observing it as it floated near Nightmare Moon’s head before quickly zipping over to Gilda’s position. Just as quickly, the purple cloud fled from the griffon’s head and shot itself at Countess Cadance’s seat in the stands. Pinkie watched the purple cloud coil itself around Cadance’s head. The pink alicorn appeared to be experiencing a headache that grew a lot worse as the purple cloud spun faster and faster around her. Cadance gasped as sharp pain blasted through her horn. She stood up from her seat and mumbled, “I…I need some air…”

Her assistant, who looked really familiar to Pinkie, stood up to follow Cadance as concern flashed across her face. But Cadance pushed past the yellow pegasus and pushed herself out of the cloud stand’s wall. She flapped her wings and hovered in midair for a few seconds as she took several deep breaths.

That’s when the purple cloud snaked itself around Cadance’s wings and snapped them. Cadance screamed in pain as she began to plummet from the sky.

With her enhanced senses and her position in the sky, Gilda was the first one to see and hear Cadance's screaming before anyone else. “Whoa! Hold on Cadance!” she yelled as she soared downwards. Pinkie watched Gilda dive after Cadance, just as the Shadowbolts found the source of the screaming and chased after her too.

“...Oh…only because I really wanna see what a Brave Bird's Blitz looks like,” Pinkie muttered to herself. She snapped her fingers, causing several small chaotic events to go off at once.

Balloons became untied and began floating around the audience, blocking their view of the falling Countess and making sure that no unicorn could interfere. Storm clouds appeared in the downward path of the Shadowbolts, catching them off guard with unexpected lightning strikes and knocking them unconscious. And lastly, one BIG storm cloud appeared in Gilda’s path. With that, Pinkie sat back and watched.

Gilda saw the storm cloud appear and recognized it as the opportunity she needed to both save Cadance and win the competition. As she reached the cloud, Gilda folded up her wings and fell into a dive-bomb. Her griffon magic, enhanced by the crystal energy that had absorbed the day before, allowed her to absorb the lightning from the storm cloud and channel it through her wings. Her whole body began to glow electric blue as the lightning crackled around her. As soon as her dive-bomb reached its climax, she unfolded her wings in one sharp, quick movement. At last, after all the practicing she had done before, she had timed it exactly right. The blue energy immediately turned bright red, making Gilda look like her body was bathed in fire and lightning. To top it off, a shockwave of red lightning spiraled outwards from the point the energy had shifted.

“WOO! A Brave Bird’s Blitz! Way to go G!” Rainbow cheered.

Flapping furiously fast with the speed of her Blitz, Gilda caught up to Cadance right away. Once she had reached the Countess, Gilda cut off some of the excess energy so that the red lightning wouldn’t hurt Cadance. Gilda caught her and quickly flew back upwards to grab the three falling Shadowbolts.

“She’s won’t be able to hold them all at once!” Rainbow exclaimed. She quickly shot out from her seat, a Sonic Rainboom forming behind her as she caught Nightingale and Vortex while Gilda caught Descent. Gilda and Rainbow both carried the ponies they had saved and gently set them down on the Cloud Coliseum floor. They both grinned as the cheering crowd went absolutely nuts.

“Hail the conquering heroes!” Discord sang as he teleported next to them. “Shower them with praise and chocolate milk!” He snapped his fingers and turned every cloud in the entire coliseum into his trademark cotton candy and chocolate milk clouds. And the cheering was doubled.

Cadance rested in a private room within the Cloudsdale hospital while the king and princess used their magic to fix her wings up. The Elements, Rainbow, Rarity, Gilbert, and Fluttershy waited for her to recover. “King Sombra, Princess Twilight, I’m so sorry that I disrupted the competition like that.”

Princess Twilight smiled kindly. “It’s not your fault Cadance. Still, if you were feeling under the weather you could have just told us. The people of Cloudsdale would’ve understood if you couldn’t make it.”

Cadance shifted her head to look at Gilda. “I also wanted to say thank you to you, Miss Gilda. I might have survived the fall, but I would have been in considerable pain for several days. Thank you.”

“You would have survived the fall?!” Gilbert asked out loud.

“Alicorns have ridiculously thick skulls,” Discord told him. “You could smash at their heads with a sledgehammer and they wouldn’t even notice.”

Nightmare and Princess Twilight both glared at him. “Gee, thanks,” the princess mumbled sarcastically.

“You’re welcome!” he answered cheerfully.

“Still, you have saved a member of the Royal Family. Both of you have,” King Sombra said to Rainbow and Gilda.

Princess Twilight’s horn flashed as she summoned two crowns with gold feathers in them. “That's why, for your incredible acts of bravery and your spectacular Brave Bird’s Blitz and Sonic Rainboom, we are proud to present the grand prize for best young flyer to this year's two winners, Miss Gilda, and Miss Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow gasped as the second crown rested on her head. “But…but I wasn’t even allowed in the competition! They wouldn’t let me in because of the huge storm I made a while back!”

“Um, Rainbow Dash?” They turned around to see Lightning Dust and Hoops waiting outside Cadance’s room.

“You two just saved Countess Cadance and the Shadowbolts. I’d say that everyone has forgotten about that small temper tantrum of yours.” Lightning grinned. “On top of that, the Shadowbolts are looking forward to meeting all of you. Gilda did win the grand prize: A whole day with them. King Sombra said there’s nothing in the rulebook saying that she can’t bring her friends to see them.”

King Sombra winked at Rainbow. “It’s good to be the king my dear. Now go. You don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Rainbow screamed with joy as she zoomed out of the hospital.

“Best day ever!” Gilda roared triumphantly as she flew out too. Nightmare and her friends eagerly chased after them to meet the Shadowbolts. Once they were gone, only the king, princess, countess, Fluttershy, and Gilbert remained in the room.

Gilbert glanced at Cadance, then at Fluttershy. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Thank you Gilbert, but I just need to rest. Go on, enjoy the day with your cousin. You have all day today and tomorrow to be with her, before we must return to the Crystal Empire.”

“Okay. Sorry that our date ended badly Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy smiled at him and made a few gestures with her hooves and wings. Cadance translated, “She said, ‘The date wasn’t ruined. I had a wonderful time, thank you.’”

“Okay then! See ya!” Gilbert said as he flew outside too.

As soon as he was gone, the king and princess turned on the countess. “Cadance, do you or Fluttershy have any idea what might have caused this? Wings don’t break like that for no good reason.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “We didn’t see anything unusual. I just got a splitting headache, I left the show to clear my head, and my wing suddenly felt like it had been ripped off,” Cadance said.

Princess Twilight stared at her with concern. “Cadance, there's more to it than that. You’ve been acting odd lately. Ever since Pinkie’s return, defeat, and reformation. Did something happen?”

Fluttershy and Cadance exchanged worried glances. They both made a series of gestures. It looked like they were having a silent argument. After several gestures, Cadance sighed. “Okay. I’ll tell you. For a long time now, I’ve had a…rare condition. I’ve been taking medicine for it, but ever since the chaotic battle with Pinkie, our supplier has had difficulty producing more of the medicine I need.”

Princess Twilight gasped. “You’re sick? Cadance, why didn’t you tell us sooner? What sort of illness is it?”

“With all due respect Princess Twilight, that’s private information. You should know that we as rulers of this kingdom cannot show any sort of weakness. It would cause our citizens to worry for us and our enemies to strike at us,” Cadance spoke softly.

“What enemies?!” the princess exclaimed.

Cadance blushed. “Sorry. Just something King Sombra told me when he had a nasty cold once.”

“I wouldn’t pay much attention to it Sparky. I say all kinds of crazy things when I’m sick,” King Sombra said. “However, I understand what you are saying Countess Cadance. I take it that before today only you, your assistant, and your supplier knew that you had this illness?”

“My supplier doesn’t know that I’m the one with the condition,” she answered.

“And you have sought out a cure?”

“To our knowledge, there is no cure. My medicine can fight back the symptoms, but that’s all. I have gone to several professionals, and they couldn’t help me beyond that.”

“And you don’t plan on telling us what exactly this condition of your’s is, do you?”

“I am terrible sorry Your Majesty. For the sake of the Empire, I am telling us this much. However it is best that no one finds out about this. Not until I’m ready,” Cadance whispered.

“Very well. We will respect your decision. But if you ever need our help, let us know at once. If you’ll excuse us, we must return to the Crystal Empire. Sparky, whenever you’re ready,” King Sombra said as he walked out.

Princess Twilight stayed behind, her eyes watering a little. “Please Cadance, I want to help you. Isn’t there anything I can do? If you just tell me what sort of condition it is then maybe I can find a spell or…”

She trailed off as Cadance smiled gently. “How could someone as kind-hearted as you ever be a villain? You seem so different from the stories of Eternal Twilight that my parents told me as I was growing up.”

“Cadance…”

“Thank you for your concern Twilight Sparkle,” Cadance said as she rested her head on the pillow. “But there are some things even magic can’t fix.”

It had taken a risk. Far too many risks. It had been foolish to launch an attack on the competition, especially with the Element bearers and their allies present. But there had been such doubt. Such conflict within the pink alicorn. It had gotten careless. It had thought that the return of the Pink One would have strengthened it to full power. But the Trickster knew of its existence, even as it had hidden in the shadows. And she didn’t want to share. Now, it rested within the Equestria forest, to regain its strength, to…

The purple cloud hissed as it felt magic grab it within a powerful spell, transforming it into something else. Eternity gasped as it breathed with its new set of lungs as it took on its first corporeal form ever since it had been separated from Rarity. Eternity examined its body curiously. It had taken the form of Twilight Sparkle, but without wings and with white eyes.

“Now who ever said that I didn’t like sharing?” A voice asked. Eternity turned around to see Pinkie Pie, playing with a wisp of purple smoke as she twirled her fingers.

“Pinkamania Disaster Pie. We meet at last,” Eternity said.

Pinkie giggled. “Just Pinkie, thanks. Nice to meet you too, you scary smoke of doom, you! You look tired. Want some cake?”

Eternity frowned at the summoned treat. “No thanks. I dislike sugar.”

Pinkie gasped. “You don’t like sugar?! Yeesh! And people think I’m crazy. But you have problems.”

Eternity smiled, though it wasn’t a very reassuring smile. “In all seriousness, I commend you on your escape, and on your successful takeover of the Everfree Empire. It really is such a shame that you were bested by the same fools that opposed me.”

“Oh, I didn’t lose the game. They just don’t know that we’re still playing!” Pinkie giggled.

“Ah, I had wondered about your sudden ‘reformation’. The Queen of Chaos would never fall prey to such a ridiculous trap like friendship,” Eternity spat.

“Hey! You watch your tongue Mister…Miss…whatever you are!”

“I take on whatever form suits me,” Eternity said. “Although it appears that you have forced me into this form so that we may communicate. Why?”

“I am a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped up in an igneous,” Pinkie said. She giggled. “Like it? Maud helped me come up with that.”

“How nice,” Eternity said as she rolled Twilight’s eyes. She held up one of Twilight’s hooves in examination before lowering it. “But you did not answer my question.”

Pinkie smiled. “Because you’re wrong about friendship. I see friendship as something very powerful. To me, friendship is everything. I’m asking if you want to be my friend?” Eternity opened her mouth but Pinkie kept going, “You’ve seen how strong the Elements are together. You, you’re all on your lonesome. You poor, poor…being. If you help me with my party plans, I could see if there’s something I can do for you in return. Sounds like a great deal, huh? Huh, huh, does it, does it?” She began poking Eternity.

Eternity scowled. “I am doing fine by myself.”

“Oh, you don’t need to hide your feelings from me! You’re only scary when you’re possessing some super powerful pony! I saw what you did at Cloudsdale yesterday. You couldn’t possess Cadance, you just gave her a big headache before trying to eat her wings.” Pinkie crossed her forelegs and frowned. “Which was really mean of you! What’d she ever do to you?” Eternity grumbled. “Oh, don’t be like that! Turn that frown upside-down! Smile!”

Pinkie snapped her fingers, causing Eternity’s mouth and eyes to twitch violently. “Okay, okay! I will listen to your proposal, just release me!”

As Eternity’s face relaxed, Pinkie hummed to herself. “For some reason, the Elements of Forgiveness are good friends. They care about each other, even though I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around why. But the point is, friendship is magic. You can’t win by facing them head-on.”

Pinkie smiled. “So you go after them individually.”

Eternity’s eyes widened. “I see. A team is only as strong as its weakest member.” She grinned as part of her hoof turned into purple smoke. “Well then, I would be more than happy to join with you in-”

Pinkie snapped her fingers and Eternity’s hoof turned solid again. “Oh ho nice try, you sly pile of sinister smokey! I never said anything about you possessing me.” Eternity flinched back at the crazed grin Pinkie gave her. “So no funny business, unless it’s from me. Okie Dokie Lokie?”

Eternity sighed. “Very well.”

“No, no. Like I did it!”

“…Okie Dokie Lokie.”

Pinkie laughed. “Oh boy! This is going to be so much FUN!”

Inspiration

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Inspiration

“Hear ye! Hear ye! Family Weekend is about to begin! Rise and shine, Nightie!” Discord sang as he rang a bell in the sleeping Nightmare Moon’s ears.

Nightmare grumbled and buried herself under her bed covers. “Go ‘way!”

“Come now Moony! It’s time to greet the morning!”

“I hate mornings because they hate me,” Nightmare grumbled again.

A sneaky grin formed on Discord’s face as he snapped his fingers. “Speaking of hatred…here boy! Come give Auntie Nightie a kiss!”

Polaris flew into the room and gave Nightmare a friendly lick. Any remaining sleepiness in her was chased away as she bolted out of bed and away from Polaris’ icy tongue. “Ack! What was that for?!”

“Good boy! Now get Smog!” On Discord’s command, the Windigo flew over to Smog’s bed to wake him up as well. His reaction was rather similar to Nightmare’s.

Smog grumbled as he climbed downstairs with an equally grumpy Nightmare and a cheerful Discord. “You’re evil, you know that?”

“Well! That’s rather rude, considering I was only trying to wake you two up in time for the celebration!” Discord said as he crossed his arms.

Nightmare rubbed her eyes. “No, no. We’re grateful for it, thank you Discord. But you know we’re not morning people, and having a Windigo kiss you good morning isn’t exactly pleasant.”

“Says who? I find it very pleasant myself! Well, compared to how we did things back home.”

Smog raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I never told you? Oh, just some morning rituals my family and I had,” Discord explained. “Most mornings, we woke each other up with a bucket.”

Smog blinked. “A…bucket?”

“Oh sure. Bucket of ice water, bucket of turnips, bucket of melted strawberry ice cream…my sister was fond of waking me up by dumping a bucket of chocolate worms on me.”

Smog and Nightmare both grimaced. “That’s horrible!”

“Oh no, they were quite good. A little wriggly, but the early draconequus gets the juiciest, tastiest worm!”

Nightmare shuddered. “Did you really need to share that with us?”

Discord shrugged. “Perhaps not. Still, you’d better get ready for the day before your mom gets here.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “What?! She’s coming this early?”

“I dunno. Happy Family Weekend!” Discord sang as he disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

“Okay class, there’s just one more thing I wanted to go over with you before we leave,” Cheerilee said.

“Um, excuse me Miss Cheerilee? Where did Miss Zecora go?” Silver Spoon asked as she raised her hoof.

“I’m sorry but Miss Zecora was called away for something during recess. One of the doctors at the Peaceville Hospital called her in regards to one of their patients having a unique illness that she’s had experience with before,” Cheerilee explained. “In any case, school is letting out early today in honour of the Family Weekend! Now, can anyone tell me the history behind Family Weekend? Yes, Miss Tiara?”

Diamond Tiara lowered her hoof and smiled. “My dad told me that Family Weekend was once two separate events held her in Peaceville, before they were combined into one holiday as it began to spread across Everfree.”

“Correct. Family Weekend is a long weekend holiday for our kingdom. The first part of this holiday is the Boys and Girls Fair, formerly known as the Foal and Filly Fair. And the second part of the event was once called the Sisterhooves Social, before it was renamed as the Siblings Social,” Cheerilee explained.

“What’s with all the renaming?” Diamond asked.

“Well, as the events became more popular outside of Peaceville, they became more popular with other non-pony citizens of our kingdom. So the Foal and Filly Fair was changed to the Boys and Girls Fair. Likewise, Sisterhooves Social was renamed due to the fact that not all families have two sisters, even if siblings are present in that family.”

Silver blinked. “So wait, a bunch of festivals were changed just because the boys were feeling left out?”

“Hey!” Snips shouted.

“Snips, indoor voice please. And Miss Spoon, wouldn’t you feel left out if you couldn’t compete in the event because you had a brother but not a sister?” Cheerilee asked.

“Well I can’t really compete in the event anyway, but I guess I see what you’re saying,” Silver mumbled.

“What if I became your ‘honorary sister’ for the event?” Diamond suggested.

“No, that's okay. I'll just watch the race. Hey Apple Bloom, doesn't your grandma usually set that up?”

“Oh yeah!” Apple Bloom answered Silver excitedly. “Granny Smith always hosts the event! Golly, it’ll be great ta see her again! Feels like it’s been fir-EVER since Ah got her last letter!”

“So, what do you think Trixie?” Rarity asked.

“Very impressive,” Trixie said as she examined herself in the mirror. She was wearing a hat and cape with her trademark colours, except the hat and cape both had small gemstones sewn into them. “Flashy yet subtle. Absolutely wonderful!”

Rarity smiled. “I’m so glad you like it! Oh, this will be perfect for your performance at the Boys and Girls Fair. Do you have anything special planned?”

Trixie smirked. “Sorry. A magician never reveals her secrets.”

“Come now darling, not even for a friend and fellow performer?”

“Forgive me, but Trixie thought you were no longer acting as a magician, choosing instead to focus on your fashion designing career?”

Rarity waved a hoof. “Well of course my love for fashion is strong, but I appreciate art in all its forms! It’s simply that business has been good for my Carousel of Wonders, so I haven’t a strong need to put on any shows, in terms of money.”

The door opened and Sweetie Belle walked in. “Rarity! I’m home!”

Rarity glanced in the direction of the front door. “Sweetie Belle, I’m with a client at the moment!”

“No, no, it’s alright. This new hat and cape are perfect, just send the bill to Trixie’s Magical and Wonderful Emporium. I look forward to seeing you and Miss Belle at my show. But now, Trixie must complete her preparations!” With that, Trixie disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sweetie walked into the room. “Hey Rarity, Family Weekend has officially started!” She smiled hopefully. “You remember that you promised to come with me to the Siblings Social, right?”

Rarity sighed. “Yes Sweetie Belle. For you, I am willing to get a little dirty to participate in the race and the subsequent events. Even if they aren’t very…clean.” Rarity shivered a little, but kept up a brave smile.

“Don’t worry sis, it’s not going to be that muddy. Hey, are you going to be contributing anything to the fair?” Sweetie asked.

“Perhaps next year. Trixie has stated that she wants to put in a little extra effort for her annual performance and I would hate to steal her spotlight. Besides, I missed the chance to spend Family Weekend with you last year due to my travels. This weekend is all about what you want, my dear sister.”

Sweetie Belle smiled as her big sister gave her a hug. “Thanks Rarity. Maybe we can see Trixie’s show together. I bet she has something really amazing prepared!”

“What was I thinking?! I don’t have anything amazing prepared!”

A rather nervous Trixie was in her home, flipping through her personal spell books and notes. So far her frantic searching was unsuccessful. “Oh blast! How could I have been so foolish as to put this off until the very last minute?” Trixie growled to herself. “Blast it!”

Trixie frowned as she heard the front door of her Emporium open, before she quickly teleported over to the entrance to greet her customer. “Please accept Trixie’s humble apologies, but we are closed at the moment.” She paused as she noticed that no one was there. Until…

“Happy Family Weekend!” Trixie jumped back as Pinkie Pie appeared in front of her with a huge burst of confetti.

Trixie frowned. “Pinkie Pie. To what does the Great and Powerful Trixie owe this surprise?”

Pinkie giggled and floated into the air as she flew around Trixie’s shop. “Oh, I just wanted to stop by and visit with you before I head back to the Crystal Empire. Ooh, what’s this do?!”

“Don’t touch that,” Trixie said. “So…”

“What’s this thing do?”

“Don’t touch that either. The Crystal Empire, you say?”

“You got it!” Pinkie grinned. “I entered me and Maud into the Siblings Social there. We’ll be going up against Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Shining Armor. Ooh, we’re going to have so much fun!” Pinkie leaned in closer to her. “So I heard you’re putting on a show for the fillies and colts for the fair. What a coinkydink! I’m putting on a show for the ponies in the Crystal Empire! Wanna see?” Before Trixie could answer, Pinkie snapped her fingers and conjured up a wooden puppet of herself. As Pinkie wiggled her fingers, the puppet began to sing and dance:

I've got no strings!
To hold me down
To make me fret, or make me frown.
I had strings
But now I'm free.
There are no strings on me!

Pinkie giggled as the puppet took a bow, before disappearing. “What do you think?”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Where do you find all these songs?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Places. So what about your show?”

Trixie groaned. “I’m afraid the Great and Powerful Trixie will have to settle for last years tricks. I had something incredible planned this year, but the spell I had in mind takes a lot more power than I previously thought it did.”

“Ooh. You’re not talking in third person as much. This must be serious,” Pinkie said with a smile that clearly showed she wasn’t taking the situation seriously. “What kind of trick were you planning?”

“Well I don’t want to reveal too much…but for my grand entrance I was planning on making the entire stage appear. But I just don’t enough magic to make an object of that size out of nothing but my own will.”

“Oh, I get it now! Why didn’t you just say so? I’m sure that I could snap my fingers and make a stage for you,” Pinkie offered.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Trixie appreciates the gesture, but there’s a reason she never asked for Discord’s help during her previous shows. True, illusion relies heavily on harmless deception, but they are my deceptions. Trixie does not wish to rely on the abilities of her friends when the show is about how great and powerful Trixie is.”

Pinkie nodded. “You don’t want to take credit for their magic. Wow, that’s really nice of ya!” Pinkie tapped her chin for a few seconds before her face lit up again. “So what if you boost your own magic instead?”

Trixie snorted. “Trixie has already tried Sunset Shimmer’s crystals, but even enhancing my powers in that manner wasn’t enough.”

“What about a spell? I’m sure Moony has something stored away. Let’s go look!” Before Trixie could protest, Pinkie had snapped her fingers and teleported both of them to Nightmare Moon’s library. Pinkie floated over to the I section. “So you want something to improve your illusions, right? Ooh, how about this?!” Pinkie pulled out a book and threw it at Trixie.

Trixie levitated the book off her face and examined it. “Inspiration Manifestation: Instantly brings ideas to life. Hmm…I don’t know…”

Pinkie zipped over to her with a big grin. “Oh come on! It’s looks like it would be perfect!”

Trixie frowned. “It has spikes on it.”

“So does Smog.” Pinkie looked around the library. “Speaking of, do you think he’s here right now?”

Trixie was still staring at the book. “And it screams ‘cursed book of doom’.”

Pinkie gasped. “Trixie! Are you accusing me of trying to trick you? I thought we were friends?” Pinkie sniffled as her eyes started to water. With chocolate tears. “Why are you being such a big, mean, meanie pants?”

Trixie fidgeted awkwardly. “Please stop crying. Trixie was just saying that, um…this book does not seem to belong in this library and, uh…”

Pinkie immediately perked up again. “Oh, is that all? Well let’s just ask our local librarian!” She snapped her fingers and Smog appeared in front of them. Unfortunately, he had been a little busy at the time.

“HEY!” Smog said as he sunk deeper into the water of the bathtub that he had been taking a bath in. “Doesn’t anyone knock anymore?”

“Oopsie-daisy! Sorry Smog, old buddy. We didn’t mean to interrupt bath time. Can you just tell us more about this book?” Pinkie asked.

Smog grumbled as Trixie levitated the book over to him. “Um...I think that’s the Inspiration Manifestation. Yeah, King Sombra sent Nightmare that book a while ago. I figured that it was a new addition to the library, so I just sorted it into the I section.”

Trixie blinked. “You sorted this away? And it came from King Sombra?”

“Yep. It came with a letter too, but Nightmare didn’t say what was in it.” Smog paused. “If she’s even read it yet. You know, I can’t remember where I left that note…”

“Thanks for clearing that up Smog! We’ll let you get back to your bath!” Pinkie said as she tossed a rubber duck and a rubber alligator into the bath water, before she snapped her fingers and put the tub and Smog back where they were before. “Well, there you have it! Totally safe! Go on, try it!”

Trixie stared at Pinkie’s big grin for a few seconds before she opened up the book. “Trixie supposes it's worth a try. ‘From in the head to out in the world, every thought to action.’” As she spoke, green energy floated out of the book and into her horn. “‘Hold close this book and through its spell, you'll start a chain reaction. Projecting forth whatever beauty you see. Only when true words are spoken will you finally be set free.’”

Pinkie watched as Trixie’s magic went from magenta to emerald green. “…Did it work?”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Trixie said as her eyes began to glow green.

The next morning, Nightmare, Smog, Sunset Shimmer, Discord, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom were all waiting at the train station. “You must be pretty excited to see your grandma if you’re waiting with all of us instead of playing around at the fair with your friends,” Sunset said to Apple Bloom.

“Well shoot, the fair’s going on all day. But ever since Granny Smith got that fancy-shmancy job at Apple Pie Incorporated, Ah haven’t seen her as much,” Apple Bloom said as she watched the tracks for any sign of a train.

“She was here last year,” Sunset pointed out.

“Yup. A whole year ago. Bloom’s missed her something fierce.” Big Macintosh glanced at Smog. “What about him? Ah reckon the young feller would rather be at the fair than waiting here.”

Smog shrugged. “Eh, I’m getting a little old for some of the games there. Besides, Captain Luna is going to be here soon.”

Nightmare nodded. “And mom always knows how to take something good and make it even better.” Her right wing unfolded and patted Smog on the back. “And if she doesn’t think she’s too old for the fair, than you really have no right to be making claims like that.”

Sunset looked at her. “I can’t help but ask…why doesn’t your mom just fly here? Or teleport?”

“Maybe it’s ‘cause it’s her day off an’ she don’t need to rush things?” Apple Bloom suggested.

“Okay. But what about your sister? What’s her excuse for taking something as normal as the train?” Sunset asked Discord.

Discord chuckled. “Considering it’s my dearest baby sister, you should know that the train won’t be normal by the time Eris is done with it.”

“Here they come!” Apple Bloom cheered as the train came down the tracks before stopping at the station. “Granny Smith! We’re over here!”

Smog raised an eyebrow. “The train just pulled in. Give her a minute.”

Sunset chuckled. “You and Nightmare are still new in town. You haven’t met their grandma before.”

“Is that mah granddaughter hollering? Pardon me fellas!” A voice called out as an elderly earth pony was the first one to exit the train. Her coat was lime green and her hair was a light gray. She wore an orange scarf dotted with apples and a pair of red glasses. But Nightmare spotted something else about Granny Smith that made her pause. All of Granny Smith’s legs were prosthetic.

Nightmare went over to Big Macintosh and whispered, “I don’t mean to sound rude, but…what happened to her legs?”

Big Macintosh looked a little uncomfortable with the question. “It all happened kinda quick. Granny Smith’s been working fir the Apple Pie company fir years now. When she first came to the Big Apple, she was in accident. Poor ol’ Granny’s legs weren’t as strong as they used to be an’ she lost all use of them. Thankfully some o’ Discord’s kin went an’ built her them fancy replacement legs.”

Smog looked at Discord. “Couldn’t you have just snapped her fingers and give her back her old legs?”

“Why are you looking at me? He said my ‘kin’.” Discord shrugged. “If I had to guess, I would say it was Uncle Discombobulate.”

Before anyone could ask who that was, Granny Smith walked up to them. “Howdy y’all! Big Mac, introduce yer friends for me, will ya?” Big Macintosh opened his mouth to begin introductions, before Granny Smith stopped him. “Wait a minute! Now Ah recognize y’all. Yer the Elements, ain’t ya?”

Sunset smiled. “Only half of them, actually. But yes, that’s Nightmare Moon, that’s Smog, that’s Discord, and I think we’ve met before…”

Granny Smith chuckled. “As if Ah could forget ya Sunny. Ya still running that underground farm?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Well, best o’ luck to ya. Pardon me, but as much as Ah’d like to catch up with y’all, this little one here won’t stop shaking like a rattler until Ah meet her friends.”

“Come on Granny!” Apple Bloom smiled as she tugged on one of her grandmother’s prosthetic legs. “Ya gotta come meet Sweetie Belle, an’ Scootaloo, an’ Button Mash, an’ Diamond Tiara, an-”

“Hold yer horses Apple Bloom, Ah’m a coming!” Granny Smith chuckled as she followed Apple Bloom and Big MacIntosh back to Peaceville.

“Onii-chan!” a second voice shouted from the train. Discord, Smog, Sunset, and Nightmare turned around to see a long, silvery haired draconequus with a rather strong resemblance to her brother.

“Eris! There you are.” Discord teleported over to hug his sister. “A sight for sore eyes! How have you been?”

“Totally sugoi, arigato for asking onii-chan!” Eris giggled.

Nightmare spoke up, “Hello there. It’s nice to meet you Eris. My name is-”

Eris giggled again. “Oh I know who you are!” She bowed to each of them. “It’s an honour to meet you Moon-sama-chan! Shimmer-sama-chan! Smog-sama-kun!”

Nightmare stared at her in confusion again. “Why are you talking like that?”

“Moony? Is that you? Are you here to play with me?” a third voice called from the train.

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “By the night, is that…MOVE!” she ordered as she shoved past Discord and Eris to get to the source of the voice.

Standing there was Captain Luna, only significantly altered. Luna was the size of a small filly, her coat and hair was a much lighter blue, and her mane and tail weren’t flowing magically like they normally were. Instead of her guard uniform, she wore silver shoes and a small tiara. The filly Luna looked up at her and smiled, “Hello! I am Princess Woona, and I love warm hugs!”

Nightmare squeed with joy and hugged her mom. “I love you Woona!”

Sunset blinked in confusion even as she smiled at the adorable scene. “What’s that about?”

“It’s a Family Weekend tradition,” Smog explained. “Whenever the Boys and Girls Fair starts, Luna uses magic to make herself look a lot younger. Playing with ‘Princess Woona’ was Nightmare’s favourite part of the holiday, and Luna enjoys the chance to act like a kid and forget about her guard duties for a while.”

“Kawaii!” Eris sang as she saw Luna. “Can I hug her?”

“Seriously, why is she talking like that?” Smog asked.

“Trust me, it’s better than the last quirk she picked up,” Discord whispered to him.

Nightmare growled and levitated Luna away from Eris. “NO! It’s my Princess Woona, get your own!”

Woona frowned. “Moony, don’t be a meanie.”

But Eris didn’t seem too upset about it. “Well fine then, I didn’t want to play with her anyway! Onii-chan, care to continue our grand sibling rivalry?”

Discord chuckled. “Now Eris, don’t you think we’re a little old for such childish games?”

Eris stared at him. “Who are you and what have you done to Discord?”

“Why, isn’t it obvious?” Discord asked as he snapped his fingers and donned a red and purple superhero costume. “I am Captain Goodguy, defender of freedom!”

Eris dramatically gasped. “Le gasp! I knew you would return! But now the Great Dragon Queen has also returned!” She snapped her fingers and donned a red dragon costume. “And I shall defeat you!” she cried as she pointed a giant sword-shaped candy cane at him.

“Not if I defeat you first!” Discord declared as he pointed a large baguette at her. The two siblings began firing lightning bolts at each other before flying away.

“…Well that happened. Captain Luna, Nightmare, do either of you want to go see Trixie’s show?” Sunset asked.

“Rocket ship Moony!” Woona giggled as she leapt onto Nightmare’s back. Nightmare picked up Smog in her magic, then flapped her wings and flew off as they began to sing:
“Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!”

Sunset rolled her eyes and walked back to Peaceville by herself. “I’m surrounded by lunatics.”

Rainbow Dash pushed the cloud she was carrying over to a good spot before sitting down on it. “Awesome! Perfect view for…whatever’s about to happen. Hey G over here!”

Gilda flew over and sat on the cloud too. “Good thinking, getting us a cloud so nobody’s blocking us. Can’t wait to see what Trixie’s got planned this year.”

Below them, several ponies on the ground where finding a seat on the ground to watch the show too. “Now Sweetie Belle do try to find a spot of nice clean grass, okay? Snips, Scootaloo, put that down please,” Rarity said.

The Apple family waved to the unicorn supervising the group of fillies and colts. “How ya doing Miss Rarity?” Big Macintosh said. “Here’s a spot Granny. Er, Apple Bloom, Miss Spoon, settle down now.”

Diamond’s Cutie Mark Destroyers and Apple Bloom and her friends, all sat down with the grown-ups. “Oh, I can’t wait! Trixie said she’s going to do something extra special this year!” Snails cheered

“I hope she’s alright. The last time I saw her, she was looking a little twitchy,” Diamond said.

“Diamond too? I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed,” Chrysalis said as she and a few other changelings went over to join Rarity and her group.

“Ah, Chrysalis you’re just in time. And out of disguise too, I see. I recall you being quite shy when I tried my hoof at a similar performance when we first met,” Rarity said.

Chrysalis nervously smiled. “Well that particular performance ended in a Windigo attack. And Trixie was acting a little odd when I saw her this morning, so I felt it would be best if concentrated on her act instead of a disguise.”

Rarity stared at her with slight confusion and concern. “Odd? You don’t think something unfortunate is about to happen, do you?”

Chrysalis sighed. “I honestly don’t know, maybe I’m just being paranoid. I noticed that Trixie’s magic has turned green but I don’t think she’s been replaced by a changeling. I’m not sure what to expect from today.”

“Hey look it’s starting!” Snails cheered as Trixie teleported in front of the crowd in a flash of green.

“Welcome one and all! Prepare to have your minds blown as Trixie the Incredible performs feats of such magnificent magic, no unicorn could ever hope to match them!” Trixie declared. Her horn and eyes glowed bright green as a flash of light created an entire stage right in the middle of the grassy field.

The entire crowd gasped. “Oh my, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a magician conjure up such a beautiful stage from nothing!” Rarity exclaimed.

Trixie teleported onto the stage as she conjured up flowers and fireworks. “Witness my power Peaceville! Gaze upon an even Greater and Powerfuler Trixie!”

Granny Smith squinted as she tried to watch the show. “Ah reckon yer supposed to say more powerful instead of ‘powerfuler.’ Real flashy one, ain’t she?”

Trixie’s horn continued to glow as she conjured up candy, toys, dolls, books, and all sorts of fun stuff. She telekinetically flung them all into the crowd and into the excited hooves of young colts, fillies, and changeling nymphs. Smog grabbed a comic book out of the air and stared at the cover. “Holy smoke! Limited edition!”

“Holy smoke is right,” Nightmare said as she watched the show. “I’ve never seen Trixie use magic this powerful. How is she doing all this?”

“I think if we figured out the how it wouldn’t be as much fun,” Woona said as she brushed the mane of her newly acquired toy. “By the way, I’m naming this doll after you.”

Nightmare eyed the doll. “That looks nothing like me.”

“But it’s cute and cuddly just like you!” Woona said as she hugged the doll. Nightmare rolled her eyes and continued to watch Trixie’s increasingly wonderful performance.

After the show was over, several of Trixie’s friends went to congratulate her. Nightmare, Woona, Smog, Sunset, Gilda, Rainbow, Rarity, and Chrysalis waited as Sweetie, Snips, and Snails took turns knocking on Trixie’s backstage door. “Hey Trixie, open up!” Snails said as he knocked. “You were great out there, eh Snips?”

“You bet! The greatest and most powerful we’ve ever seen you, Great and Powerful Trixie!” Snips cheered.

At that moment, the door burst open and a huge pile of magician’s props, books, dresses, and other items spilled onto the floor. Trixie came out next, her eyes glowing with mad power. “Trixie’s friends! Oh, Trixie is so glad that you’re here! Come!”

They went inside to see the backstage completely swamped by all sorts of items that were still glowing from their recent conjuring. “Wow. Where did all of this come from?” Sunset asked. Trixie was unable to answer, as he face was twisted into a twitchy smile.

“Um, are you okay?” Chrysalis asked her.

Trixie grinned at them. “Trixie has never been better!” She levitated Smog over and hugged him. “Oh thank Smog so much for letting Trixie borrow that book from Nightmare Moon’s library, it’s amazing! Why, Trixie has been up all night long perfecting every single magic trick Trixie has ever and will ever dream up!”

Woona raised a hoof. “Is that why Moony and I couldn’t see your dreams last night?”

“And who is this adorable filly? Captain Luna? Oh, Trixie is honoured that Luna has come to Trixie’s show! And Luna is right, Nightmare Moon and Luna did not see Trixie because Trixie did not sleep at all! Sleep is overrated for the Supreme Trixie!”

Trixie’s friends stared at her. “Um, are you sure you don’t want to take a quick nap? You’re speaking in third person a lot more than usual,” Nightmare said.

“Bah! Why should Trixie sleep when Trixie could be making Trixie’s friends such wondrous gifts!” Her horn glowed as she summoned or conjured up gifts for all of them. “Books for Nightmare Moon, comics and gemstones for Smog, books and crystals for Sunset Shimmer, Shadowbolt paraphernalia for Gilda and Rainbow Dash, sparkly dresses for Rarity, bottles containing pure liquid love for Chrysalis…” She finally paused as she took a deep breath.

Rarity placed a comforting hoof on her. “Trixie darling, you’re beginning to scare us.”

“But Trixie does not wish to scare Rarity! Why, Rarity just needs to say the word and Trixie will create many sparkly dresses for Rarity! The next fifteen fashion show trophies can be all Rarity’s once the word is said!”

Nightmare pulled the blue unicorn with her magic and looked her in the eye. “Trixie, snap out of it! What did this to you? What library book were you talking about?”

“The Inspiration Manifestation of course!” Trixie answered.

Nightmare gasped. “Smog! You gave Trixie that book? Didn’t you read King Sombra’s letter about what it does to you?”

“What? No! I know I got a letter from King Sombra with the book but I didn’t read it because it was meant for you! I just thought it was a new library book.”

“Smog, that book is dangerous! Trixie, you need to give us that book right now!” Nightmare ordered.

Trixie growled as her eyes glowed even more. “Trixie sees what Nightmare Moon is doing. Trixie is happy to share these gifts with Trixie’s friends but Trixie will not let them steal the…” She paused as her magic brushed against one of her saddlebags. “The book! Where did it go?”

In another part of Peaceville, Apple Bloom was buying Diamond and Silver some milkshakes from the Chaos Corner. Silver glanced at the building’s jelly-like ceiling as she saw Discord and Eris chase each other with spaghetti-lassos. “Looks like they’re having a lot of fun.”

Apple Bloom chuckled. “Yup. Ol' Eris always was just as nutty as her brother.”

“Speaking of brothers, where’d yours go?” Diamond asked as she sipped her milkshake.

“He an’ Granny went ta set up the Sibling Social race an’ all them events. Scootaloo went with them ‘cause she was curious about Granny’s pros…pro…her replacement legs,” Apple Bloom said. She was just about to start drinking her own milkshake when the front door turned into a pile of pillows as it sensed that other customers were arriving. Sweetie, Snips, and Snails all ran into the Chaos Corner with big grins.

“Hey guys! You’ll never guess what we just got from Trixie!” Sweetie said as she held a book up in her magic.

“Yeah! We saw that this was a library book and figured Trixie wouldn’t mind if we borrowed it, eh?” Snails said.

“Yep! And we read the spell in it and I-I-I-I’ve never felt better!” Snips said. His horn glowed green as he conjured up a gem-encrusted game controller. “Here Diamond! I know you’ve been looking for a prettier Joy Boy to replace your old one.”

Silver raised an eyebrow. “You play video games Diamond?”

Diamond blushed. “Um, I…I only play them casually! Like, when there’s nothing better to do!”

Snails stared at her. “Really? What about that time you, me, Sweetie, and Button all got together and-” His question was interrupted as Diamond stuffed her hoof in his mouth.

“Shush!” She retrieved her hoof and quickly wiped it on the tablecloth. “So what’s this about a book?”

“It’s really cool! I feel so alive!” Snails cheered as his horn glowed.

“Why’s his magic green? Wasn’t it yellow before?” Silver whispered to Diamond.

“I know what you mean Snails. I’ve never felt better in my entire life!” Sweetie grinned as her horn glowed a much more vivid green than it usually did. “I feel like I can do anything! Like I could be a better artist than my sister! Like I could just keep creating, and creating, and creating!” Her eyes glowed as she stared at Diamond, Silver, and Apple Bloom. “And I know the perfect gift to create for you!”

Smog smiled. “Hey, what do ya know? If the book is gone, maybe Trixie isn’t under its spell anymore. Problem solved!”

Nightmare glared at him. “Smog, this is serious! What if someone else has it?”

“Let them keep it!” Trixie said as her eye glowed even brighter. “Trixie doesn’t need that book anymore! Trixie can feel its magic flowing within Trixie now!”

Gilda raised a talon. “Um, can you stop that? Your crazy, possessed third person talk is a lot more annoying than your usual third person talk.”

“Trixie cannot stop now! Trixie will not stop until all of Peaceville is showered in gifts! Then, the Big Apple! The Badlands! The Crystal Empire! Trixie will not stop until every inch of Everfree has been utterly transformed into a glorious Trixie-opolis! And all of Trixie’s subjects will bow before such creative GENIUS!” With a blinding flash of green light, the crazed mare teleported away.

“…Goodness. Was I like that when I had the Alicorn Amulet?” Rarity asked.

Gilda shrugged. “More or less.”

“Well if no one else will admit it, I will. That was scary. We need to stop her,” Smog said.

“Agreed.” Woona sighed as her horn glowed, reversing the spell she had cast on herself and growing back into her adult body. “A shame too, I was enjoying spending the day with you Moony,” Luna said.

“Me too. Let’s snap Trixie out of it, and maybe we’ll be able to enjoy tomorrow chaos-free,” Nightmare sighed. “I’ll go put on my armor.”

“Make it quick. Now then, Trixie could have teleported anywhere in Peaceville or even beyond. We’ll have to split up in order to find her.”

“Wait! We can’t split up, haven’t you ever read a horror novel?” Smog said.

“This isn’t a horror novel Smog. And since when does Nightmare let you read those?” Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.

“And I’m leaving before this conversation gets awkward,” Gilda said. “Dash, you fly west and I’ll fly east. The rest of you take north and south or something.”

Rainbow grinned. “Aw yeah! Let’s get going!”

“Ninjas!”

“Jewelry!”

“Robot Dinosaurs!”

“Sequins!”

“Superheroes!”

“Um…yeah! More of that!”

Half an hour later, Rainbow screeched to a halt and hovered in midair at the sound of arguing kids. She looked down to see dozens of green flashes go off all over the place. She touched down on the ground to see Sweetie, Snips, and Snails all glaring at each other. “Whoa, what happened to you guys?”

“Rainbow?” She glanced over her wing to see Sunset and Chrysalis catching up with her. “We checked everywhere else. Any sign of Trixie yet?” Sunset asked.

“No. And I think the trouble has just been quadrupled,” Rainbow said as she pointed at the green glow surrounding the three younger unicorns’ horns.

“Oh no.” Chrysalis buzzed over to them and picked up Sweetie, Snips, and Snails in her magic. “Kids, listen to me! You need to snap out of it!”

“I’ll snap them if they keep getting their robots and whatever into my fashion show!” Sweetie growled.

“Why don’t you get your girly frou-frou stuff out of our new action movie!” Snips shot back.

“I don’t know why we’re angry but I’m yelling also!” Snails announced.

“Sweetie, Snips, Snails, stop fighting! Have any of you seen Trixie or a book with a weird spell in it?” Sunset asked.

“The spell book’s over there,” Rainbow pointed out. Sunset grabbed the book in her levitation and floated it over.

“Hey! Keep your hooves off my book!” Sweetie cried.

“It’s not your book. Besides you don’t even need it to maintain whatever creative spell you’re under,” Chrysalis said.

Rainbow shot her a look. “Dude!”

“Well it’s not like that knowledge will make their condition any worse,” Chrysalis replied.

“Whatever. Sunset, do you see anything that might undo the spell? …Sunny?”

They all turned around to see that Sunset had disappeared.

“Found her!” Gilda shouted as she tackled Trixie and pinned her to the ground.

“Ah! Release Trixie at once Gilda!”

Gilda just wrapped her talons even tighter around Trixie’s legs. “Stop using my name in your third-person speak and I’ll think about it!”

“Good job Gilda!” Nightmare said as she, Luna, Smog, and Rarity caught up to them.

The crazed unicorn struggled. “No! Trixie will not be forced back into mediocrity! Trixie wants to create joy for the whole world and for the world to bask in Trixie’s generous glory!”

“You’re not mediocre Trixie. But you’re not yourself right now either. Calm down so we can figure this out, or I’ll have to ‘calm you down’ myself,” Nightmare threatened.

A green bolt of magic zapped Gilda off of Trixie. “Ha! Nothing's more powerful than the Inspiration Manifestation! And Nightmare Moon is no longer more powerful than the Great and Powerful Trixie! None can defeat Trixie!”

“Oh, I bet I could.” They turned around to see Sunset walking over to them. “Just so you know you guys know, Chrysalis and Rainbow are with Sweetie, Snips, and Snails. They fell under the spell too, might want to fix that.”

“Why aren’t you with them?” Rarity asked. Sunset didn’t answer and just stared at Trixie as her horn began to glow. “Um, Sunset…your magic isn’t normally green, is it?”

Sunset let out a dark giggle. “You got me.” Her horn flashed as she summoned and levitated the Inspiration Manifestation over to them. “I recommend either Smog or Gilda read that. The temptation is just too strong for unicorns.”

Nightmare glared at her. “Sunset! How could you?”

“Like I said, too tempting. But I haven’t completely lost it yet, so I figured while I’m filled with crazy power I might as well aim at something. You guys search for the cure while me and Trixie…sort this out.”

Trixie grinned. “Ah! Finally, a worthy challenge for the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Sunset’s eyes glowed green. “Not gonna lie…this is going to be FUN!” Both unicorns immediately began blasting at each other with the full power given to them by the Inspiration Manifestation, fireworks exploded everywhere, and random weapons and junk were conjured up to get an advantage over the other.

Nightmare, Luna, and Rarity quickly raised a magic shield. “Dude, hurry up!” Gilda shouted over the battle as Smog read through the spell.

“Found it! ‘Only when true words are spoken will you finally be set free.’” Smog read out loud.

“True words? What, we just have to tell them the truth?” Gilda asked.

“‘True words’ could mean anything!” Nightmare argued.

“I think Gilda is right Moony,” Luna said. “Smog, even though you did not know what would happen, this is partly your fault for letting Trixie borrow the book.”

“I hear ya. Trixie, Sunset, stop!” Smog roared. The two crazed unicorns paused their duel to glare at him. “Guys…at first the stuff the spell helped you create was amazing, it really was. I know you don’t like the idea of being anything less than amazing, Trixie. I know you don’t like the idea of being weak, Sunset. But the spell has taken control of you two and it’s turned you both into something you’re not. It’s making you both…awful.”

At Smog’s words, the green glow flooded out of Trixie and Sunset before drifting away. Trixie rubbed her horn and groaned. “Ugh…did any of you see what ran me over?”

“Hey, she’s talking like a normal pony again,” Gilda pointed out.

Nightmare sighed. “It worked. Nice work team.”

Sunset shook her head. “Yeah, good job everyone. Now…let’s go fix the others.”

A flash of light went off as Eris and Discord appeared before them. “Guess who?!”

“Konnichiwa everyone! Did we miss anything?” Eris asked innocently.

“YES!” everyone else shouted.

The next day, the Elements, their friends, and several other Peaceville citizens were gathered outside of Sweet Apple Acres. Granny Smith tapped on the megaphone. “Is this thing on? Ah like these modern doohickeys just as much as the next gal but…oh, it’s on. Now listen up y’all! We got the Sibling Social race all ready fir ya. So y’all head on up to the start line, y’hear?”

Scootaloo grinned as she flew over to join the race. “Thank you so much for agreeing to be my honourary big sister Rainbow!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Anytime squirt. There’s no way I’d miss out on a race with you, even if we can’t use our wings.”

Rarity stood with her sister at the start line. “Now Sweetie Belle are you sure you’re up for this? You were possessed by a powerful spell yesterday and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Rarity I’m fine!” Sweetie groaned. “I promise,”

“Very well then. Let’s do our best today…and avoid getting muddy, if possible of course.”

“Good luck with getting second place,” Apple Bloom said to them as she and Big Macintosh lined up. “Me and Big Mac ain’t ever lost this race yet.”

“Aw, you’re so kawaii Bloom-chan. But I think you’ll find this year’s competition to be a bit more challenging,” Eris said as she slithered up to the start line with her brother.

Apple Bloom frowned. “Ya know y’all ain’t allowed to use magic or flight fir this race, right?”

“…Well we’re toast,” Discord said.

“I’m more of a rice and miso soup girl myself,” Eris mused.

Discord tapped his chin. “I prefer chocolate pancakes and milk, but I’m open to new ideas.”

“Do you two have to talk about food this early in the day?” Smog asked as he and Nightmare lined up at the start line.

“You signed up too?” Apple Bloom asked.

Nightmare smiled. “Of course. We might not be related by blood, but Smog is the closest thing I have to a brother. One that I am quite proud of.”

Diamond, Silver, Snips, Snails, and Chrysalis cheered on their friends as the race began. Gilda bragged to ponies and changelings in the crowd about her heroic actions the previous day. And Trixie and Sunset talked with Captain Luna as they watched the race.

“So what’s going to happen to the Inspiration Manifestation?” Sunset asked.

“We informed King Sombra of what happened and sent it back to him. He’s already working on how to alter the dark magic within it,” Luna said as she watched Nightmare and Smog.

“Alter? You mean he’s not locking a dangerous book like that up?” Trixie asked.

Luna smiled gently. “Not exactly. You see, the Inspiration Manifestation was created as a gift for struggling artists, performers, and writers. The book’s creator understood that it is difficult sometimes to create in real life what you have perfected in your head.”

“But if the spell was created as a blessing rather than a curse…what went wrong?” Sunset asked.

“For one thing, the ability to always keep creating is something a lot of creative individuals wish they could do and the spell reflects that. For another…the book was created with dark magic. Not evil magic, just…dark and occasionally unstable magic. As I said, King Sombra is working on it now.”

“Hmm. I wonder if he and the princess had a crazy Family Weekend like ours,” Trixie mused.

“Congratulations on winning the Social, Twily! You and Prince Shining deserve first place.”

Princess Twilight smiled. “Thank you Pinkie. And congratulations to you and Maud for coming in second.”

Pinkie giggled. “Aw, thank you! Well, I better get to that puppet show I planned for Rocky and his friends. Happy Family Weekend!” she sang as she snapped her fingers and teleported away.

Pinkie arrived at the far end of the Crystal Empire. Taking a brief moment for herself, she floated above the buildings and stared in the direction of Peaceville. She giggled as she snapped her fingers again, creating puppets of the Element bearers. She twirled them around in the air before focusing on the angry puppet Gilda and the fearful puppet Nightmare Moon. She smiled and softly sang to herself:

I had strings
But now, I'm free.
…There are no strings…on me…

I am Vengeance

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

I Am Vengeance

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day at the Peaceville Schoolhouse. Zecora was almost finished packing up her stuff so that she could return home. She paused and smiled as a group of ponies approached her. “Hello dear Snips, Snails, Tiara, and Spoon. What can I do for you on this fine afternoon?”

“Hi Miss Zecora. We want to join the school newspaper,” Diamond Tiara announced confidently.

Zecora nodded. “Ah, you wish to join the Peaceful Press? To lose your cutie marks, I would hazard a guess. The challenge could make you all much wiser. But I cannot hire you, for I am just the paper’s advisor. If you truly think being journalists is your fate, talk to the editor Featherweight. If there are no other questions, I must be on my way. I wish you all a very good day.”

Silver Spoon led the way to the area of the schoolhouse that held the newspaper club. “The editor is Featherweight?! How is this the first time I’m hearing about this?”

“I’m not surprised you don’t pay much attention to the school paper. The Peaceful Press is a joke!” Diamond said. “But that’s why we’re joining it. With our leadership, Diamond’s Cutie Mark Destroyers can propel the Peaceful Press to new-found glory!”

“Okay, cool. But back to the fact that Featherweight is the editor? Featherweight, the guy who just lost his cutie mark?” Silver groaned.

“Well, wouldn’t that mean we’re on the right track for losing ours?” Snails asked.

“Exactly,” Diamond said as she pushed the door open and walked inside with a confident march and her head held high. The four of them went straight to the editor’s desk. Featherweight was a pegasus colt with a yellowish-gray coat and brownish-orange mane and tail. “Featherweight, we’re here to join the Peaceful Press!”

Featherweight blinked down at them. “Oh? Um…okay. We’re a little understaffed anyway. I think we have some hats and notepads on the supply shelf. If you don’t have your own cameras we have a few on the equipment shelf over there, but please don’t break or lose them. You have to pay for them if you do, but I guess that won’t be a problem with you.”

“Oh, totally. My dad is very generous with his allowance,” Silver said with a slightly boastful smile.

“…I meant that I know you’ll be careful, but sure.”

“Wait, that’s it?” Diamond asked.

Featherweight shrugged. “Um, yeah. That’s it, until you guys can find me a story. Then I’ll have to make sure it’s good enough to run and uh…yeah.”

“We won’t let you down!” Snails said as he snapped a salute. Snips followed with his own salute and eventually Diamond and Silver gave their own.

Minutes later, Diamond and Silver were armed with pencils and notepads while Snips and Snails were armed with cameras. “Okay you two, make sure you document everything newsworthy. I want something BIG for our first story,” Diamond said.

“Ooh! We could do a story on the Chaos Corner, eh?” Snails suggested.

Diamond shook her head. “No. The Chaos Corner is exciting, but it’s not exactly news anymore.”

“I wrote a letter and got a reply back from one of the writers who works on the Mane-iac comics. We could do a story about that,” Snips said.

Silver smiled and rolled her eyes. “I guess that might be good. But a whole page on one letter? I dunno. Maybe we could do a story on Mary Mare. Can you imagine the mayor’s assistant in a mane dyeing scandal? Who wouldn't wanna read about that?”

“That’s good…but it’s not new! We need something fresh and juicy!” Diamond insisted.

“Ooh, what about that? That looks newsworthy, eh?” Snails said. The others looked to where he was pointing. Diamond recognized the brown coated, dark-brown haired earth stallion as Doctor Hooves. Or was that Time Turner? Either way, the good doctor was sneaking into the Equestria forest.

“That doesn’t look like the safe path to Zecora’s house. Why’s he going into the Equestria forest? I thought it was really dangerous in there,” Silver said.

“Oh it can’t be that dangerous. Come on guys, this is just the sort of fresh and juicy news we need!” Diamond grinned as she followed Doctor Hooves into the forest, her friends tagging along behind her. They went deeper into the forest as they followed him, making sure to keep out of sight. Soon the doctor ducked into a small cave within the forest. The four kids leaned their heads into the cave to see what was going on. It appeared that Doctor Hooves was having an argument with…a rabbit.

“Look, I’m sorry but my supply has been completely used up! I can’t make any more if there’s nothing to make it with!” Doctor Hooves cried.

The rabbit thumped his foot angrily.

“Please, I’m sorry. I’ve been sorry since this whole mess started. But it’s been years! Maybe it’s run its course now!”

The rabbit scowled.

“Look, you know what…no. No, I’m done talking with you. You should all know that I’m sorry for what I did, but I’m not going to keep getting bullied by ‘precious Angel bunny’. We’re done,” Doctor Hooves said.

The rabbit hopped over and kicked him. Doctor Hooves winced and almost aimed a kick of his own at the rabbit before he lowered his leg. “Goodbye Mister Angel. …If nothing else, tell them I wish her good luck.” As the stallion and rabbit began to leave the cave, the Cutie Mark Destroyers quickly broke into a gallop back to Peaceville.

“That was brilliant! Tell me you guys got a photo!” Diamond said as she ran.

“Yep! Made sure the flash was off so they didn’t see us, but it didn’t look too dark in that cave,” Snips said.

“Perfect! ‘Doctor Hooves involved in Secret Conspiracy with Angry Rabbit!’ Ooh, that’s just the kind of thing that will propel us into stardom!” Diamond giggled.

“Wait!” Silver shouted as she screeched to a halt. The others stopped too and looked at her. “…Are we going the right way?” The fillies and colts paused as they examined their surroundings. None of the trees looked familiar. “Oh no, are we lost?!”

“We’re not lost,” Diamond argued. “We came in through…this way,” she said as she pointed in a random direction. “Now let’s hurry back and get this story written up for the paper.”

“Um…guys? What should we do with this guy?” they heard Snails ask. They turned around to see a timberwolf puppy yipping and jumping around him in a circle.

“A timberwolf? What’s this thing doing out here? Don’t the puppies stay with their moms?” Silver asked. The four of them jumped as their heard a horrendous howl. Soon, a very large and very angry timberwolf jumped out from the bushes, snarling at them.

“Ah heh…this isn’t what it looks like…he followed us, honest!” Diamond said, trying to placate the angry timberwolf as they all backed away from the pup. But it looked like the wild tree monster wasn’t willing to listen to them. As the younger timberwolf pup ran back home to its cave, the adult timberwolf began chasing the terrified fillies and colts through the Equestria forest. The mother didn’t seem to care that her baby was no longer in any nonexistent ‘danger’ and was only looking to exact revenge. The Cutie Mark Destroyers screamed as they ran as fast as their legs could carry them, desperately hoping they were running in the direction of Peaceville.

“What are you pipsqueaks doing?!” The four of them found their path cut off by a furious griffon as Gilda flew in from the sky and landed in front of them. “Get behind me NOW!” she ordered as the timberwolf approached them. The timberwolf roared at them and Gilda charged at the beast. She punched it in the jaw, flew around and kicked it in the back, and sunk her talons into its thick bark as she clawed at it. She then launched herself high into the air, before coming down in a miniature Brave Bird’s Blitz, her body sending bolts of red lightning at the timberwolf and leaving it a scorched pile of branches and leaves.

The Cutie Mark Destroyers stared in awe at the short battle before them. Once the timberwolf was defeated, Gilda flew back over to them. “What were you four thinking, out here in the Equestria forest with no one else with you?!” She held up a talon when they tried to answer her. “Nope! I’m sure your folks will wanna hear about this once we’re outta here. It won’t be long before the ugly tree dog regenerates itself, so let’s hurry. I’ll carry you boys in my claws. You girls get on my back.” She lowered herself to the ground as Diamond and Silver climbed on her back. She picked Snips and Snails in her claws, before standing up and unfolding her wings. “Hold on tight, but for sky’s sake do NOT yank out my feathers!” She then flapped her wings and flew out of the forest.

“Diamond Dazzle Tiara, what were you thinking?!” Filthy Rich asked as he glared at his daughter. “You know you’re supposed to only take the safe path to Zecora’s house. Any other place in the forest you’re ONLY allowed to go with a responsible grown-up accompanying you. But instead, you take yourself and three of your friends out into the forest with no idea where you were going! What do you have to say for yourself young lady?”

Diamond lowered her head in shame. “…I’m sorry daddy. You’re right…there isn’t really anything I can say to make this sound better. We were going into the forest to try and find a story for the Peaceful Press. But we won’t go in there anymore, unless it’s to visit Miss Zecora. I’m sorry.”

Her dad sighed. “Alright then. Since you know what you did wrong and you’re not going to do it again, I’ll try to be fair with your punishment. You’re grounded for a week. You’ll only leave the house to go to school and then straight back here. If you want to play with your friends, you’ll do it here where I can see you all. You can’t go to the Chaos Corner, but I’ll let you play any games you want here at home. Does that sound fair?”

Diamond opened her mouth to complain…but it did sound like a much nicer punishment than she was expecting. “Yes daddy.”

Filthy Rich nodded as Diamond went up to her room. He turned around and smiled at Gilda. “As for you, thank you for saving my daughter and her friends.”

Gilda puffed her chest up with pride. “Ah, you know. A hero like me couldn’t just let the little pipsqueaks be wolf food.”

“I am curious though…what were you doing out in the Equestria forest?”

“Oh. Uh…don’t tell the kids this but I was out doing, ya know…griffon stuff.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“…I was out hunting, okay? Fruits and veggies are okay and I buy meat from the market most of the time. But I grew up hunting my own food back home. So I was out in the forest hunting.”

Filthy Rich grimaced slightly but quickly recovered. “Ah yes. Well as long as your…meal…wasn’t sentient, that seems to be in order. Now back, to rewarding you for your heroic act.”

Gilda blushed a little. “Eh, you don’t need to do that…”

“I insist.”

“Well, a reward would be nice if you’re offering…” Gilda said as she brushed her talons along her chest feathers.

“And then she blasted the timberwolf with a HUGE Brave Bird’s Blitz! KABLAM!” Snips cheered as he related the story to the kids of Peaceville Schoolhouse. It was recess and all the colts, fillies, and changeling nymphs had gathered to hear what happened the other night.

“So cool!” Scootaloo said as she listened to them.

“Yeah. But then we all got grounded when Gilda took us home,” Silver grumbled.

“Aw, that sucks,” Sweetie Belle said, offering them a sympathetic look.

“Still, Gilda saved you all from an angry timberwolf! Gilbert will wanna hear this!” Scootaloo said. As some of the other kids gave her strange looks, she explained. “Gilbert? Gilda’s cousin? He was here for the Best Young Fliers Competition before he went home. He’s president of a fan club in the Crystal Empire for the Elements, and I know he’ll wanna hear about this!”

“What were y’all doing in the forest anyway?” Apple Bloom asked.

Diamond spoke up. “We saw these a stallion and a rabbit getting into an argument in the forest. Personally, I totally think there’s a conspiracy going on. But you’ll have to read about in today’s edition of Peaceful Press!” She smiled confidently as some of the other colts, fillies, and nymphs groaned.

Apple Bloom blinked. “Um, DT? Can Ah take in private with ya fir a sec?”

Diamond smiled at the thought of spending alone time with the only filly in school more popular and richer than her. “Of course Apple Bloom!” She followed her to other side of the playground, where nobody else was at the time.

“So…y’all joined the school paper?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Totally! I see it as like, the perfect way to get un-cutie cursed. Plus, somebody can finally turn that old joke of newspaper into something people would actually want to read,” Diamond explained, smiling proudly.

“Uh huh. And yer plan fir that involves conspiracy? Ya know, most folks don’t really take conspiracy stuff seriously.”

“Sure they will! I mean, Doctor Hooves getting bullied by a fluffy little rabbit? People would love a story that juicy!”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Juicy?”

“Oh yes. And after that, I’m sure Peaceville is just FULL of stuff that could make the gossip columns.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “Gossip? Uh, slow down DT. People don’t like gossip.”

Diamond blinked in surprise. “They don’t?”

“Ah mean…yer supposed to write about the news. Like, what’s right in front of everyone. That way if someone wasn’t there to see it, then y’all were. But ya can’t go snooping into someone’s private life.”

“Why not?” Diamond asked.

“Well…folks have secrets! An’ they don’t like those secrets being, ya know not-secrets! It could hurt people feelings,” Apple Bloom insisted.

Diamond rolled her eyes. “What about celebrities? Journalists spy on them all the time and reveal their secrets.”

“Ah never heard of anything like that happening. Even if it did, it ain’t right.” Apple Bloom paused, biting her lip before she spoke again. “Ah…Ah had this…friend once. Her name was Gabby Gums. She worked for the paper too.”

Diamond raised an eyebrow. “Gabby Gums? I’ve never heard of her before.”

“Uh…exactly! Ya see, she got in real BIG trouble when she spied on ponies and wrote ‘bout their secrets in the paper. She had ta write a big apology to everyone, but it wasn’t enough! She hurt ponies too badly and then…she was never heard from again!” Apple Bloom finished dramatically.

Diamond gasped. “What happened to Gabby Gums?”

“Ah just told ya…she was never heard from again!” Apple Bloom smiled weakly. “Besides, how would ya like it if someone wrote about your secrets?”

Diamond sighed. “I wouldn’t. Okay, we won’t write any gossip. But what are we supposed to write about?”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Easy. Why, y’all were just telling folks the news just now. Y’all should write about Gilda saving y’all! People love hero stories like that!”

Diamond blinked. “But I thought journalists weren’t supposed to write about themselves.”

“Nah, ya just have to keep it professional. Y’all can say you were there, just don’t write any personal stuff in the paper.”

Diamond grinned as she saw the story coming together. “Thank you so much Apple Bloom! Guys! New plan!” she yelled as she ran back to meet with Silver, Snips and Snails.

Apple Bloom smiled and walked back to meet with Sweetie and Scootaloo. As she walked, a pink filly with a crazy mane stopped her.

“Excuse me, did I hear you mention Gabby Gums?” the filly asked.

Apple Bloom stopped, her eyes darting from left to right. “Um…nope,” she lied. She quickly ran back inside the schoolhouse as the bell rang.

The filly watched her and the other kids enter the school. Snapping her fingers, the filly changed her form back into Pinkie Pie. Pinkie rubbed her chin in thought. After a minute, she was still puzzled. Her face a mixture of thoughtfulness and frustration, Pinkie snapped her fingers and disappeared.

“And then I blasted the tree mutt with a Brave Bird’s Blitz straight to the muzzle! KABLAM!” Gilda said as she retold the event to her friends in the Chaos Corner.

“I heard. It’s in the Peaceful Press,” Sunset Shimmer said as she levitated a copy of the paper onto the table for them to see.

“I made the news? Awesome!” Gilda beamed as she picked up the paper and read through it.

“Well congratulations Gilda. You certainly deserve the praise,” Rarity said.

“Aw, if I had been out hunting I coulda helped you take that timberwolf down,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Why would you be out hunting?” Chrysalis asked.

“Well…I wouldn’t be but…oh, you know what I mean!” Rainbow said.

“I tell ya, between this and when I pinned down Trixie during the whole crazy spell thing, I’ve been pretty amazing lately!” Gilda said with a smug smile.

Sunset and Trixie winced. “Could we please not talk about the Inspiration Manifestation?” Trixie asked.

“Indeed. Instead let’s talk about Eris’ latest letter!” Discord suggested as he teleported from one side of the room to the other. He reached into his ear and pulled out a letter. “‘Dearest Onii-chan Discord. I recently spoke with dearest Uncle Discombobulate-sensei-sempai-kun. He said he just finished his latest invention, the Internet! He then said that he would begin inventing computers to use the Internet sometime next week. And then he told me something very strange. It sounded like it began with ‘troll’. Clearly, our dear uncle forgot to take his medicine. I will send him more electric eels tomorrow. I send you my love and this fruit pie.’”

Discord paused as a pie flew out of the letter and hit him in the face. His long tongue cleaned his face and ate the remains of the pie in one gulp. “‘Sincerely your loving Oneesan Super Kawaii Eris.’”

“Seriously, why does she talk like that?” Smog asked.

Nightmare Moon shrugged, having given up on figuring out the reasons behind the various quirks that Discord and his family had. She glanced at the one clock that actually told the time in the Chaos Corner. “Looks like your lunch break is up Gilda, Rainbow.”

“Oh shoot! Thanks for telling us. Come on G, there’s still a bunch of thunderclouds out there we need to bust!” Rainbow said before she flapped her wings and zoomed out of the Chaos Corner.

Gilda chuckled. “A hero’s work is never done,” she said before she flew off too.

Sunset frowned. “I wouldn’t call clearing a few tiny clouds hero’s work, but whatever.”

That afternoon, Gilda’s head poked out from behind a cloud as she heard a baby crying. A baby earth pony with a yellow coat and purple mane in a pink carriage was hurtling down the hill and towards a cliff. Gilda quickly flapped her wings and leapt off the cloud, quickly zooming over and grabbing the carriage before it could go plunging off the cliff. Ponies that were nearby cheered as Gilda carried the baby and the carriage back over to the baby’s mother, a pink earth pony mare with a blond mane and tail.

As she got close to the mother, Gilda suddenly gasped. “Oh no! There’s something wrong with her!”

The mother gasped too. “What? What is it?”

Gilda chuckled. “She’s not cheering for everyone’s favourite hero!”

The mother frowned. “Excuse me, my baby almost falling off a cliff is not a joke!”

Gilda stopped chuckling. “Okay sorry, that wasn’t nice. I was just joshing ya. My bad.”

The mother sighed and happily hugged her baby as Gilda handed her over. “That’s okay. Thank you so much for saving her.”

Gilda beamed with pride. “Eh, it’s cool. Happy to help.” As the mother and her baby walked away, Gilda heard camera flashes going off. She turned around to see Snips, Snails, and older ponies taking pictures of her. She grinned and flexed her wings as she posed for pictures.

As the other Elements caught up with the rest of the crowd to see what happened, Discord huffed. “Inconceivable! To think someone would build a road leading right off a cliff, and with nothing blocking anyone from falling off!” He snapped his fingers and created a strong fence made of super thick green jelly along the cliff.

Nightmare nodded. “Good thinking. It’d be terrible if someone actually fell off.”

“Is jelly really a good substance to use though?” Sunset asked.

Discord snapped his fingers and conjured up a battering ram. On his command it smacked right into the fence. The jelly fence jiggled a lot but the battering ram was unable to break through. “Trust me, the jelly is to soften the impact. And to snack on a little. It would take something far stronger than a speeding baby carriage to break through.” Discord huffed again. “No fence on the cliff. And people call ME irresponsible!” His eyes widened as a watch on his tail buzzed. “Oh dear, is that the time?” He snapped his fingers and donned a red wig, a purple suit, and clown makeup. He then snapped his fingers again and disappeared.

“What…I…why…clown?” a confused Nightmare asked.

“Take Trixie’s advice: don’t take it too seriously.” Trixie said.

“That was amazing Gilda! Can we get an interview? We’re with the Peaceful Press!” they heard Diamond Tiara exclaim.

Gilda grinned. “Sure. The public needs to know how awesome I am.”

“Oh there aren’t enough words to describe your awesomeness!” Snips said as he and Snails kept taking pictures.

Trixie frowned at her two biggest fans as they praised Gilda. Sunset narrowed her eyes as Gilda kept posing for pictures.

Rainbow huffed. “I can think of a few words. And modest isn’t one of them.”

Smog raised an eyebrow at them. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, well…don’t you think she’s taking this a little far?” Sunset asked.

“She’s just playing to the crowd,” Smog said.

Trixie frowned as Snips and Snails jumped around Gilda. “It seems like she’s just bragging a little.”

Discord appeared before them in a flash of light. He rubbed the remaining clown makeup off his face and snapped his fingers again. “Jealousy?”

Rainbow stared at him. “What?”

“I said jelly. Want some?” he asked as he held out a plate of green jelly.

Rainbow pushed the plate away. “No thanks. Maybe later.”

Discord shrugged and then looked at Gilda. “It’s nice to see Gilda out and about more. Before the Young Fliers competition she mostly kept to herself, aside from us. I heard Gilbert set up a fan club for her and all of us in the Crystal Empire.”

Rainbow frowned “A fan club too? Is that so?”

Rainbow grumbled. “Okay, this is kinda getting annoying. I think this hero stuff is getting to G’s head. She’s been bragging nonstop.” She, Sunset, Rarity, and Trixie were outside near the Chaos Corner, listening to Gilda talk about all of her heroic deeds to a large group of kids. Diamond and Silver were there, jotting notes down like mad.

“And then I zoomed into the well! I tell ya, it was a long way down that dark well. But little Aura was trapped down there and someone had to get her out! I thought to myself, if I can stop an angry timberwolf and a crazed unicorn-”

Trixie winced.

“-then saving that kid would be no problem! Thinking back on it, it’s been a crazy couple o’ weeks. Good thing I’m here to be my awesome and heroic self!” Gilda bragged.

“Don’t forget arrogant,” Sunset muttered. Rainbow, Rarity and Trixie nodded.

“And of course, there’s the day when Dash and I stopped that collapsing porch. Good thing we were both there, I tell ya five old ponies and a broken porch is pretty heavy.” Gilda flapped her wings and hopped off the stage, walking over to where the other Elements were sitting at the back of the group. “Hey Dash! Come get a picture with me! I might not have been able to save the old timers without ya. Might.”

Rainbow flashed a quick smile for the camera, then turned away from her friend and scowled. As Gilda went over to talk some more with the kids, Rainbow went over to her friends. “Hey girls, can I run an idea by you?”

The next morning, Gilda was signing an autograph for a young filly with a white coat and blond mane and tail. “Here ya go kid.”

“Some day, I wanna be just like you!” the filly cheered.

“Thanks kid. Though I dunno if you wanna be just like me. I may be awesome, but I crash almost as much as any stunt flier. Plus I’m an omnivore and something tells me you wouldn’t be big on eating meat.”

The filly shook her head. “My dad says to always try something before I say I don’t like it. I could eat meat!”

“Kid, I appreciate the thought but it’s cool. Aim high kid, but do it in a way so people know what makes you special.” Gilda chuckled as the filly gave her a hug. “Love ya too kid. Now go on, get outta here.”

As the filly ran home Gilda flapped her wings to take off, before a voice stopped her.

“Aim high, but do it in your own way? Inspirational Miss Gilda.” Gilda turned around to see a unicorn mare with a dark pink coat and a blonde mane and tail. “Good morning Miss Gilda. I don’t think we’ve met before.”

“Wait, hold on. Name’s on the tip of my tongue, uh…” Gilda snapped her talons as she tried to remember the name. “Sunflower? Sunset’s cousin?”

Sunflower smiled. “Yup. I might even be Big Macintosh’s cousin, if you take a close look at the family tree.”

“Uh…cool?”

Sunflower blushed. “Sorry, you mentioned me being Sunset’s cousin and…never mind. I came here to Peaceville for Family Weekend, but I couldn’t make it until afterwards because I missed the train and I had to wait for the next one and then that train was late…but you probably don’t care about that.”

“Not even a little,” Gilda said with blunt honesty.

“Right. There IS a reason I came by to talk with you though.”

Gilda shrugged. “Okay, I got nothing better to do and nobody to save at the moment.” She grinned. “Did you hear about the time I saved-”

Sunflower held up a hoof. “Yes, I have heard. That’s what I wanted to talk about. You know…getting to celebrate your accomplishments is amazing, isn’t it? I bet if feels amazing, with ponies thinking of you as this super-powerful hero?”

Gilda grinned. “Heck yeah!”

“Right. But you don’t want that power to go to your head, if you know what I’m saying?” Sunflower said. “I mean…it’s like those Mane-iac and Shadowmane comic books, you know? They wear a mask so that they can have a normal life outside of being heroes. They don’t do it for popularity, they do it because saving lives is the right thing to do. And even though they’re not trying to look awesome, they still do!”

Gilda tilted her head in thought. “Huh. Ya know, I was checking out a Bravely Blue book a while ago and Smog convinced me to try some of those comic things. The action in it is freaking awesome for a kids’ story!”

Sunflower smiled. “Right. Of course, ponies like Shadowmane don’t brag too much about their accomplishments. I mean, beating up bad guys like Eternal Twilight and saving lives is great! But when you start talking about how saving a clumsy kid from a well and making it sound like you were going down into Tartarus and back…people might stop taking you seriously.”

Gilda frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, well…do you really need to tell everyone how amazing you are when they’re doing that for you? Lots of comic book heroes just smile and hug fans when they get cheering crowds. They don’t brag about a battle that just happened.”

Gilda poked a talon at her. “Are you saying I’m bragging?”

Sunflower held her hooves up to placate her. “Only a teeny, tiny, little bit. I want you to celebrate your accomplishments Gilda. But don’t forget that your friends have done great things too.”

“Of course my friends have done great things! I needed Dash’s help when that porch collapsed! And do I really need to explain all the other times my friends and I’ve been awesome?”

Sunflower smiled. “No, you don’t. I’m only suggesting that you don’t go too far with the, ahem ‘heroic speeches.’”

Gilda sighed. “Okay, I get it. Maybe I’ve been saying ‘I’m awesome’ a little too much lately.”

Sunflower patted her on the back. “Only a little. Now I know you already scheduled an autograph session this afternoon and you don’t want to disappoint those kids. But after today, why not just relax? Give the whole hero thing a quick rest?” Sunflower reached into her bag and offered Gilda a glowing blue crystal, filled with magical energy. “Here. Even heroes need a little recharger. Do the pegasus crystals work for griffons?”

“Eh, well enough,” Gilda said as she took the crystal and crushed it in her claws, absorbing the magic within it. “Thanks Sunflower, good talking with ya. Say hi to Sunny for me.”

Sunflower smiled as she watched Gilda fly away. She smiled wider as she saw her cousin come down the road. “Hi Sunset. Feeling better?”

Sunset nodded as she levitated some dark purple cloth behind her. “Yes, just needed to get some things for Rarity. Was Gilda just here?”

Sunflower nodded. “I had a talk with her. She said she’d slow down on the bragging.”

Sunset stopped and raised an eyebrow. “You got Gilda to give up? Gilda? Just like that?”

“Yup.” Sunflower glanced at the purple cloth. “So what does Miss Rarity need that for?”

“It’s for something uh…private,” Sunset said. “Why don’t you explore town for a bit? I’ll let you know when I’ve got lunch ready at Clear Crystal Caverns.” Sunflower smiled and began walking into town. Sunset frowned in thought. “Gilda give up? Unlikely. Better proceed as planned,” she muttered to herself.

That afternoon, Gilda was outside signing autographs for another group of fillies, colts, and nymphs. And her talons were getting a little sore from all the signing. She considered using her beak, but that might snap the pencils.

At that moment, someone screamed for help. A changeling that Gilda recognized as Chrysalis' friend Iris was falling out of the sky, screaming that her wings weren’t working anymore. On closer examination, it looked like one of Iris’ natural wing-holes had acquired a large rip in them, making her left wing unusable.

“Ah darn! Save that scrap for later kid!” Gilda said as she pushed away from one filly giving her another scrap of paper to autograph. Gilda quickly flapped her wings and launched into the air. Unfortunately Iris was pretty far away from her.

Just as Gilda was catching up to Iris, someone else appeared. A pegasus pony wearing a full body dark purple suit with dark blue hoof-gloves and a cape, a dark blue mask, a dark purple and blue hat, and a bright blue M symbol was flying through the sky. The pony managed to catch Iris before Gilda could and slowly flew back down to the ground, setting the changeling down safely. A crowd formed to cheer for the mysterious pony, but the newcomer flew off.

“Holy muffins! Mary, did you see that?” Gilda looked over the crowd to see Mayor Derpy and her assistant Mary Mare joining the crowd. “I’ve never seen that brave pony before!”

Mary smiled. “Neither have I! But it looks like Peaceville has a new hero! I dub this new masked hero…The Mysterious Mare Do Well!” The crowd cheered louder than ever.

Mayor Derpy titled her head in thought. “Hey Mary? What’s the town’s law on vigilantism?”

Mary blinked in confusion before smiling in understanding. “I believe vigilantism is only when the hero fights crime. And well, it’s a little early to be thinking of that. Peaceville doesn’t even have much of a crime rate,” Mary said.

“Oh. Okay just checking!” Mayor Derpy smiled and joined in on the cheering. “Yeah, Mare Do Well, woohoo!”

“Huh. Mare Do Well?” Gilda said to herself. “…Cool. Less hero work for me to do, I guess.”

The next day, Gilda looked up from the cloud she was resting on to see a bus full of screaming ponies hurtling down the road and towards the same cliff that Gilda had rescued that baby from earlier. For a second, Gilda thought about just leaving the bus be. If Discord’s fence didn’t save them, the new Mare Do Well would. But…better to be safe than sorry, she decided. Gilda launched herself off the cloud and flew to stop the bus.

“Never fear, Gilda’s here!” she couldn’t help shouting as she griped the bus in her claws from behind and pulled in the opposite direction. But as strong as Gilda was, she was having trouble slowing down a speeding bus full of ponies. She dug her back paws into the ground to slow it down but the friction caused her paws to shoot back up. Growling in angry determination, Gilda put her paws back on the ground and tried to ignore the pain. Right before the cliff, Mare Do Well appeared in a flash of light. Her hat lifted off her head, revealing a glowing horn underneath the mask. The bus was caught in a magenta aura as it lifted off the ground and slowed to a halt.

“Whoa!” Gilda let go of the bus as the ponies got off to kiss the sweet ground. “Nice save Mare Do Well! Hey, you got a sec? I want to talk…” Gilda trailed off as Mare Do Well teleported away. “…Or just leave like a jerk,” Gilda growled under her breath. “That’s fine too.”

Gilda flapped her wings and flew away from the bus. “That’s weird. Coulda sworn I saw her with wings when she caught Iris, but now she’s showing up with magic…wait a minute.”

Nightmare laughed. “Me? Mare Do Well? That’s a good one Gilda.”

“Oh, you’re not fooling me Nightie! Who else has wings and a horn?” Gilda argued.

Nightmare shrugged. “Gee, I dunno. Discord can disguise himself as a pony.”

“Why not go with Captain Goodguy then?”

Nightmare nodded. “True. Pinkie Pie could do it, but I don’t know if she would. What about Chrysalis? What about the whole changeling hive? Changelings have wings, magic, and natural shape shifting abilities. They’re also a little closer to Mare Do Well’s size. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little bigger than most ponies.”

“Okay, whatever. But the magic aura thing was purplish, not green.”

Nightmare sighed. “I don’t know, maybe it was Princess Twilight?”

Gilda snorted. “Yeah sure. Superhero Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she laughed. “Good one Nightie.”

Nightmare snorted too. “Okay, that is a pretty silly idea.”

Gilda stopped laughing and flapped her wings. “Well Chrysalis’ hive is my best bet so far. Catch ya later!” As Gilda flew out of the library, Nightmare let out an uneasy sigh

As Gilda flew toward Chrysalis’ hive, she heard a crash down below. She touched down in the marketplace to see a changeling and a minotaur glaring at each other. She recognized the minotaur as Iron Will, one of Sunset’s friends.

“Iron Will was clearly in line before you!” Iron argued.

The changeling angrily buzzed his wings. “Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“When someone tries to block, I show them that I rock!” Iron shouted.

“…Good for you. You want to go one spot before me, go ahead. No need to yell about it,” the changeling said.

“Oh…Iron Will appreciates it. Just watch where you’re going next time. …Oh, uh pardon me. Do you know where I can find Queen Chrysalis?”

“Sure. Hive’s that way,” the changeling pointed out.

“Iron Will thanks you.” With that, the minotaur stomped away. Seeing that there was nothing else to the crash she heard, Gilda shrugged and began flying to Chrysalis’ hive too.

“What do you mean you haven’t got a picture yet?!” As she heard another person yelling, Gilda stopped to see Diamond arguing with Snips and Snails in the market.

“Sorry DT, but we can barely get a glimpse of her!” Snips said.

“Aw, what is she, shy?” Diamond scowled. “Mare Do Well is the hottest news out right now, we NEED a picture of her!”

“‘Sup squirts? Didn’t your dad ground you?” Gilda asked as she touched down by them.

“Oh hi Miss Gilda. We’re working for the Peaceful Press right now. Dad says as long as I stay where ponies can see me, we can still work for the press,” Diamond said. She pointed at Snips and Snails. “Can you believe these two haven’t gotten a picture of Mare Do Well yet?!”

“Yeah, I can. Whoever she is, she’s slippery. I tried to talk to her after she and I caught that runaway bus, and she just left that scene! If you ask me, there’s something suspicious about her,” Gilda muttered

Diamond’s eyes widened. “Suspicious?”

“Sure. Why all the mystery, am I right?”

Snails raised a hoof. “Don’t all heroes have a secret identity?”

Diamond shook her head. “Hush Snails. We’re already looking for exciting news, but NOW it can be juicy too!” She grinned. “I can see it now: Mare Do Well, Masked Hero or Mysterious Menace! Why does she wear the mask? What’s she have to hide? Is she a ‘she’ at all? We need answers! And photos!”

Snips and Snails groaned. “But she’s too fast for us to get any photos!” Snips whined.

“Then try harder! I want pictures of Mare Do Well, darn it!” Diamond yelled.

Gilda watched the kids run off and shook her head. “Mare Do Well this, Mare Do Well that. Whole town’s going nuts. Well…more than usual.”

Gilda flapped her wings and flew off to Chrysalis’ hive. She stopped as she saw what looked like Iron Will yelling at Chrysalis. “Chrysie! Leave her alone!” She landed in between the minotaur and changeling queen. “You got a problem with her, you got one with me bud!”

“Oh, this griffon wants to take on Iron Will, does she? Oh, I’d hate to be you right now! Because Iron Will’s gonna rain down a world of hurt, unless Iron Will gets what he came for!”

Gilda grinned savagely. “Bring it! I’ve been looking for a fight!”

Chrysalis wrapped both of them in a green glow and pushed them away from each other. “Both of you, stop this! Gilda, thank you for coming to my aid but I can handle this.” Chrysalis faced Iron. “Mister Will, I’m sorry but Iris was injured.”

“What? Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Iron Will demands to see her so he can make her feel better!”

“Right now all she needs is peace and quiet to rest and recover. As for your date, she asked her twin sister Ingrid to fill in for her,” Chrysalis explained.

Iron snorted angrily. “What do you take me for? You can’t just replace Iron Will’s girlfriend with her twin!”

“Ingrid knows what the form looks like.”

“Iron Will doesn’t care what Iris looks like on the outside! I love her for who she is!”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened. “You…love her?”

Iron’s eyes widened. “Er, that came out wrong. Please don’t tell Iris I said that, we haven’t been dating long enough for that. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable.”

Chrysalis smiled. “I won’t tell her. In the meantime, could you please go on your date with Ingrid? It would help Iris feel better to know that your date wasn’t wasted.”

Iron huffed. “Fine.” Chrysalis looked behind her and waved her hoof. A changeling exited the hive’s entrance and stopped before Iron. With a look of intense concentration the changeling engulfed herself in green flames, turning her into a muscular yet pretty female minotaur. Iron examined the pretend-minotaur. “It does look like Iris’ disguise. Very well, but ONE date only! And Iron Will demands to see Iris when she’s feeling better!”

“Of course. You two have fun,” Chrysalis said as she waved to Iron and Ingrid. Turning back to face Gilda she said, “See? I handled it.”

Gilda groaned. “Yeah, yeah. It just looked like the big guy was gonna punch your fangs out from where I was.”

Chrysalis smiled kindly. “Thank you for your concern. But I do have wings, magic, and a small changeling army.”

Gilda twirled her talons together as she nonchalantly asked, “So Iris is in bed, huh? How tall is she again? Anywhere near, say Mare Do Well’s height?”

Chrysalis smirked. “You think one of my changeling friends is Mare Do Well? I suppose it could be a changeling, but whoever he or she is, it’s not one of mine. We’ve been busy helping Iris recover after one of her wing-holes ripped. Mare Do Well actually saved her.”

At that moment, Discord appeared in a flash of light. “Girls! Mare Do Well just saved a bunch of construction workers! She was really something, flying in and-”

“What? Where was this?!” Gilda shouted.

“Across town from here. So back to my story: she came flying in and…”

“Flying? Not teleported?” Gilda asked.

“Yes. Now if someone could stop rudely interrupting me?” Discord said as he shot a look at her.

“You’ll have to save that story for later buddy. I gotta talk to this mare!” Gilda flapped her wings and flew off.

Discord watched her fly away before turning to Chrysalis. “So what were you talking about before I got here?”

Chrysalis stared at him. “…Makeup and cute boys,” she lied.

Discord smirked. “Sure you were. Pull my lizard leg next, why don’t you?”

Chrysalis sighed. “Would you like to come in for a visit Discord?”

“Sounds delightful!” Discord snapped his fingers, donning a bowtie, a monocle, and a crown shaped like a clock, before following her inside.

After no sign of Mare Do Well, Gilda had decided to keep searching tomorrow. The next morning she was flying around Peaceville again, trying to forget about the whole Mare Do Well craze. She screeched to a halt and hovered in midair as she heard what sounded like a huge river. She looked in the direction the sound was coming from. “What, and now the dam has broken too! Are you kidding me?!”

Gilda flew over the river of flowing water, eyeing it nervously as she tried to think of what to do. As impressive as griffon strength, flight, and weather manipulation was, there wasn’t much she could do against a flood. A Blitz wouldn’t work. Maybe she could create a tornado to slow it down? A miniature one maybe, but she’d need to round up some pegasus ponies for a tornado big enough to contain that much water. Feeling helpless, she growled and shouted, “Discord! Need some help here! Discord? …Pinkie? Anyone?!”

At Gilda’s call, Mare Do Well jumped out from behind some bushes and stood heroically by the edge of the flood. Mare Do Well lifted her hat off as her horn glowed with an aqua-coloured aura. Hundreds of rocks and pieces of the broken dam began to float toward the dam, fixing it piece by piece until the dam was repaired and the flood slowed to a crawl.

Gilda hovered in midair, watching as the flood stopped. “Wow. Good job. Listen Mare Do Well, I need to talk to you about…” she trailed off as she turned around to see the masked hero had vanished. “…Or just do THAT again! I oughta nail her hooves to the ground!” Gilda fumed. She grumbled even more as she saw Mare Do Well flying overhead, wings clearly visible under her costume.

Gilda felt her rage reach its boiling point as she heard another crowd of ponies cheering as they watched Mare Do Well fly away. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do?! And why didn’t any of you help out?” she asked as she saw a few unicorns in the group. The crowd just stared at her in uneasy confusion. “Ugh, whatever you dweebs!”

Gilda grumbled as she and her friends entered the newly reopened Sugarcube Corner that afternoon. Discord noticed her anger, but misinterpreted the reason behind it. “Oh cheer up Gilda! I know this new Sugarcube Corner that the Cakes have set up is nowhere near as good as my own store, but we are here to offer our support! Still, I know you much prefer my own chaotic batches of baked goods, so I’ll throw in some extra the next time you visit.”

Mrs. Cake smiled as the Elements, Rainbow, and Rarity came in. “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” Her husband Mr. Cake, an orange earth stallion with a red hat and bowtie, smiled too. “What can we do for you?”

“Surprise us!” Discord said, tossing some money onto the counter. As the Cakes prepared them all a plate of cupcakes, the Elements found a table. Unfortunately for the griffon a conversation about the masked mare soon began…

“Trixie must say, this new Mare Do Well can do some amazing things! Not as great or powerful as Trixie, but still amazing!” Trixie said.

“I was impressed by that spell she used to fix the dam,” Sunset added.

“It does seem like something that would require quite a bit of magic,” Nightmare said as she flipped through the menu.

“Magic shmagic. Did you see how fast she can fly? Whoosh, whoosh!” Rainbow said as she made some flying gestures with her hooves. “She’s gotta be the second fastest mare in Peaceville! Second only to me!” Gilda shifted uneasily.

“Here you are,” Mr. Cake said as he brought them their snacks.

“Thank you. Sorry about keeping the old Sugarcube Corner as my new Chaos Corner. But I take it you are enjoying the new location?” Discord asked him.

“Oh yes! Miss Applejewel was very generous when I spoke with her, it was the least I could do to agree to this new location. She even helped start the funding for this store!”

“That’s nice. Now shoo,” Discord said as he grabbed one of the cupcakes with his long tongue and began snacking.

Rarity grimaced a little as Discord ate rather messily, but she smiled again as she added her own thoughts about Mare Do Well. “Have you seen her costume? If you ask me, she’s a hero in fashion!”

“And she’s modest and humble,” Sunset said. “That’s what’s important in a hero.”

Nightmare glanced at her. “I don’t know if she’s that modest. Besides, saving lives is what’s important in a hero.”

“Sorry, were we still talking about Mare Do Well? Very well…” Discord cleared his throat. “She is vengeance! She is the night! She is Mare Do Well!

“Oh brother,” Nightmare muttered.

“She is the terror that dashes in the night! She is the jar you can never open! When there’s trouble you call MDW!”

“Jar?” Smog muttered.

“Her costume isn’t purple. It’s eggplant!” Discord said as pulled out an eggplant from his ear.

“What?” a perplexed Rarity said.

“And I’m done,” Discord finished. “Anyone else?”

“Um…she really cares about everyone,” Chrysalis offered.

Gilda couldn’t take it anymore. “What, and I don’t!”

The others stared at her, surprised at her outburst. “What’s wrong with you, Gilda?” Smog asked.

“What’s wrong is that not long ago, I was saving everybody. WE were saving everybody! Now some masked mare shows up and it’s all everyone talks about! She’s not even that great,” Gilda growled.

Rainbow smirked. “Sounds like someone’s jealous.”

“What?!” Gilda shouted, the feathers on her head ‘poofing up’ in shocked anger. Rainbow, Rarity, Sunset, and Trixie all laughed at the sight. Feeling frustrated and a little hurt, Gilda quickly smoothed her feathers back.

Nightmare, Chrysalis, and Smog looked a little uneasy as the three unicorns and pegasus laughed. Discord let out a confused chuckle. “Ah ha, ha…why are we laughing?”

Gilda growled as her claws clenched into fists. “Laugh at me, will ya?”

“Ooh, I got one more! Don’t make Gilda angry! You won’t like her when she’s angry!” Discord said cheerfully.

“Oh shut up!” Gilda snapped. She flapped her wings and flew out of Sugarcube Corner.

“Yikes. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her that angry,” Nightmare commented.

“Meh, she’s just being jealous. She was milking that whole hero thing way too much,” Rainbow said dismissively.

“I don’t follow,” Smog said. Before she could answer him, Sunflower walked into the store.

“Sunny? What was that about? I saw Miss Gilda leave just now and she looked furious,” Sunflower said with concern.

Sunset smiled. “Don’t worry about cousin. We’re taking care of it.”

Sunflower scratched the back of her head. “Sunset…you know, you’re the kindest and smartest mare I know…but even smart people make stupid mistakes.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Sunflower. We’re trying to help a friend, no mistake there,” Sunset answered confidently.

Sunflower bit her lip nervously. “I don’t know…”

The next morning, Gilda was resting out on a thundercloud, rereading the letter Gilbert had sent her about the Elements of Redemption fan club he’d set up. She heard Scootaloo’s voice shouting up to her. “Hey Gilda?”

She hopped off the cloud and flew down. “‘Sup squirt. Don’t you usually hang around Dash this time of time?”

“Today’s different. Sorry, could you open this?” Scootaloo held out a jar of peanut butter.

“Oh. Sure.” Gilda popped the lid off and handed it back.

Scootaloo smiled. “Thanks. I missed breakfast and I wanna make sure I’ve got a snack for when I go to the Mare Do Well parade! You wanna come?”

Gilda’s eyes narrowed. “A parade? How is that ‘modest and humble’? Lousy mare…” she growled.

Scootaloo glanced up. “Why were you on a thundercloud?”

Gilda glanced up. “Weird…it was normal when I sat on it.” She paused for a second before her eyes narrowed again. “So a parade, huh?” Scootaloo led Gilda back into the Town Square where Mayor Derpy and Mary had set up the stage to celebrate Mare Do Well’s recent heroics.

“Hi everybody! Hi Sparkler, hi Dinky!” Mayor Derpy said as she smiled and waved at her kids in the crowd.

“Miss mayor?” Mary whispered.

“Yes? Oh, right. Welcome everyone to our thank you parade for the Mysterious Mare Do Well!” The masked mare leapt out and tore through the banner on the mayor’s cue. The crowd cheered as Mare Do Well posed for the cameras.

The cheering stopped as Gilda flew up onstage. “Oh yes. Thank you very much, mysterious masked Mare Do Well,” she said with as much sarcasm as possible. “Hey, come here a sec. I wanna get a picture…” she grinned as her talons reached for the mask. But Mare Do Well flapped her wings and flew away from the parade. Gilda angrily chased after her into the deserted alleys of Peaceville. She then launched herself high into the air before coming crashing down onto Mare Do Well.

Gilda grinned victoriously at the mare pinned under her. “Let’s see what’s behind the mask!” She grabbed the mask with her beak and yanked it off. Staring up at her was Rainbow Dash.

Gilda jumped off, completely flabbergasted. “W-what? What...it…no…”

The other Elements and Rarity appeared with a flash of light as Discord teleported them all there. “Yup. We all played Mare Do Well at different times,” Sunset said as she walked by Gilda. “I used my magic to fix up the dam.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie assisted her during the dam repair. And Trixie saved that bus full of ponies by herself!”

“I did all the other stuff! Saving Iris, those construction workers, and so on!” Rainbow exclaimed proudly.

“I made the costume! Fabulous, don’t you think?” Rarity said with a smile.

“I actually wasn’t part of this,” Nightmare said. Chrysalis and Smog nodded in agreement.

“Sadly, I was mostly there for support. I informed them of any disasters and I was there in case Mare Do Well couldn’t get the job done,” Discord explained. “Of course, I wanted to use Captain Goodguy for the prank but that would have been predictable.”

Smog and Sunset glanced at him. “Prank?” Sunset asked. She shook her head and turned to Gilda.

The eight of them looked at Gilda to see what she had to say. She didn’t say anything for several seconds. Finally she whispered, “…Why?”

“Well, to show you how a hero is supposed to act,” Sunset smiled calmly.

“And a real hero doesn’t brag,” Trixie said with a wink. That line, coming from the 'Great and Powerful Trixie' of all ponies, was the final straw. Her friends took cautious steps back as they witnessed Gilda’s claws and face twist with more anger than they had ever seen from her. Gilda’s thought were so filled with rage, she was having a hard time thinking clearly. And then her head cleared up.

Gilda turned away from them, flapped her wings, and flew away. “…Hey!” Rainbow shouted as she flew up ahead of Gilda and stopped her in midair. “Where are you going? We…”

“Move.” That quiet command made Rainbow pause. She stared into her best friend’s eyes to see tears falling out. Without another word, Rainbow moved and Gilda flew away.

“What happened?” Sunset asked as Rainbow flew down to them.

“I dunno…I think we hurt her feelings,” Rainbow said quietly.

Nightmare sighed. “This is why I had doubts about your plan.”

Before Sunset or Trixie could voice their concerns, Mayor Derpy, Mary, Sunflower, and the Cutie Mark Destroyers arrived on the scene. “Rainbow Dash is Mare Do Well? Oh, this is gonna win us a journalists’ medal!” Diamond cheered.

“You’re Mare Do Well? Darn, I should’ve realized that. Boy, I feel stupid now,” Mayor Derpy said, her head lowering in shame.

Sunflower stared at Rainbow and her cousin. “Sunny? What’s going on?” Sunset gulped and explained what happened to them. By the time she was done, Sunflower was staring at her in horror. “Sunset, I already told you I got Gilda to stop bragging! Why would you do this?”

Sunset flinched. “I…I was trying to teach her to be modest and humble. I didn’t want the praise to go to her head…like it did to me.”

“Sunset, your time as King Sombra’s student has nothing to do with Gilda’s situation! And what about you two?” Sunflower pointed at Rainbow and Trixie.

“I…I wanted to help my friend,” Rainbow whispered.

“Trixie was doing the same thing as Sunset! Teaching Gilda to celebrate her accomplishments, not brag about them!”

“But you brag all the time,” Discord pointed out.

“It’s my job to brag!” Trixie argued. “I need to say how amazing I am. But Gilda didn’t need to brag about being a hero.”

“Yes, she didn’t. And she realized that when I talked to her. Sunset, why didn’t you listen to me?” Sunflower said.

“I-I…I didn’t believe you. I thought she was too stubborn to listen to you.”

“I know griffons are a proud and stubborn race. But Gilda’s your friend. You should know her better than that.”

Sunset closed her eyes. “You’re right.”

Diamond turned to Silver, Snips, and Snails. “Um, maybe now’s not the best time for that Mare Do Well story?” she said quietly.

“Miss Tiara is right. We need to find Gilda and cheer her up!” Mayor Derpy declared.

Meanwhile, Gilda was at the edge of the Equestria forest, totally not crying into the storm cloud she was resting on. Around her neck was the Element of Zeal. It was proof that she had helped protect Everfree, that she was a hero. It was also a symbol of the friendship she had with the other bearers. She didn’t know what to think of it.

“Gilda?” She looked up to see Princess Twilight softly landing on the storm cloud. “Are you alright?”

Gilda quickly wiped her eyes. “I’m fine! I wasn’t crying.”

“I never said you were. Are you okay?”

She stared at the alicorn. “What are you doing here, Princess Twilight?”

“No need for formalities between old friends. Call me Twilight.”

“Fine, Twilight. What are you doing?”

Twilight smiled gently. “Originally I came here today because of this Mare Do Well nonsense…but now I’m here for you. I ask again, are you okay? You look rather tense.” Gilda grumbled to herself instead of replying. “…You know, I read that a trusted friend giving you a massage can really relieve tension. I could help you relax your paws, talons, feathers, anything that feels sore.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “A princess giving me a massage?”

“A friend giving you a massage.” After a moment of hesitation, Gilda laid down on the cloud and let Twilight’s hooves massage her. “There, doesn’t that feel better? Now…why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Gilda sighed and told Twilight what happened. From her bragging, to her talk with Sunflower, to Mare Do Well, and finding out her friends created the masked hero just to humble and humiliate her. “…Which brings us back to now. And now you probably think what they did makes for some dumb friendship lesson or something.”

“Oh no Gilda. If I were in your place, I’d be furious at my former friends for stabbing me in the back.”

Gilda looked over her wing at the surprising hostility coming from Twilight. “I dunno if they ‘stabbed me in the back’. They said they were trying to teach me a lesson…”

“Gilda, Nightmare Moon agreed to be my student. She is not a teacher, I am.”

“So they made a mistake…”

“I hardly think laughing in your face was a mistake.”

Gilda scratched her head. “They didn’t laugh at me…did they?”

“They did worse than that. They lied to you, they upstaged and humiliated you. They are supposed to be your loyal friends, and they betrayed you.”

Gilda frowned. “W-what are you trying to say? You’re just making me angry.”

Twilight smiled gently. “Good. You need to use your anger. If you bottle all you frustrations, they’ll explode out of control. That’s what lead to my defeat as Eternal Twilight. You need to let the anger flow through you.”

Gilda sighed. “Okay. You want me to get angry now so I don’t explode and turn evil later.”

Twilight smiled as she watched one of Gilda’s feathers darken. “Yes. Use that anger. Think about what those ponies did you.” Gilda clenched her claws. “Think about how they made you feel. Let go of yourself. Let your mind break. Let your bones shake. Let the darkness in you overtake.”

Gilda’s eyes snapped open at the strange and sinister phrasing. She saw lightning bolts zap around the much larger thundercloud, growing in strength and numbers. She turned around to see her feathers turning dark purple. She looked at Twilight to see a wicked grin as her body turned to mist. “You again?”

The being once known as Eternal Twilight smiled. “Don’t think about me. Think about your former friends. How they lied to you. How they fear you. How they simply used you to power their Elements.”

“No…I won’t let you hurt them…” Gilda growled as her claws and eyes darkened.

“Why not?” she felt herself say against her will. “They hurt us. They lied to us, they broke your trust, they’re afraid of us! They rejected me! They're history! Those Elements…they’re all my enemies!”

Eternity raised Gilda’s claws and smashed them into the storm cloud. Lightning exploded and zapped everywhere as her new griffon body absorbed the lightning. “Hmm. This may not be an alicorn’s body…but the anger more than makes up for the power.” Eternity grinned as she flew towards Peaceville.

Back at the stage, Mayor Derpy had given everyone an abridged version of what happened, trying to make the situation sound less harsh than it was. “And now it’s really important that we find Gilda! Mary will start organizing any volunteers into a search party. Does anyone have any questions?”

“No, but I have a challenge!” The crowd looked up to see a reversed Mare Do Well, her costume a yellow and red instead of purple and blue as tiny lightning bolts zapped along her costume. “I am the Nefarious Ne'er Do Well! And I won’t leave until Mare Do Well has fallen before me!”

Rainbow frowned at the bizarre newcomer, her mood already turned sour by the day’s events. She flew up and kicked the masked pony in the chest. The pony immediately crumpled, revealing that it wasn’t a pony at all but the discarded Mare Do Well costume. Its colour returned to normal as it became inanimate again. Rainbow glared at the costume. “The hay was that?! Is this someone’s idea of a joke?”

“Like the joke you played on me?” a voice hissed. The crowd gasped as electric energy swirled above them, reforming into the corrupted Gilda. Every inch of her body was dark purple and crackling with lightning bolts. Her draconic eyes glared down at them. “Hello again, Nightmare Moon, Rarity. We really must stop meeting like this.”

Rainbow stared in horror as her eyes watered. “No…Gilda…”

“Eternity…release her at once!” Nightmare demanded as her horn and eyes glowed.

“Oh, Eternity is such an old name. I shall take a new one to fulfill my purpose. For I am the horror that haunts the darkest of nights. I am the conflict that poisons your minds.
I am Vengeance.”

“Gilda…no, not her!” Rainbow cried.

“Oh yes,” Vengeance hissed. “You set her up. You lied to her!” She chuckled darkly. “I’m going to enjoy frying you selfish fools!” Vengeance raised her claws and shot out a bolt of lightning at the crowd.

Discord reacted faster than anyone and created a shield with a snap of his fingers. “Guys, Eternity’s back! And she made Gilda go psycho!”

“Yes we got that, thank you Discord!” Sunset shouted over the lightning bolts Vengeance continued to blast at the shield. “If you could get the Elements now, that’d be great!”

Discord quickly snapped his fingers and the Elements appeared around the Element Bearers necks and head. As Nightmare straightened out her armor and the Element of Power, she spotted the obvious flaw in their plan. “Eternity…uh, I mean Vengeance has Gilda’s element! How do we get it from her?!”

“Well I could try yanking it off her neck. Although I don’t see Sweetie Belle so the question of who gets to wield it is tricky,” Discord said as Vengeance began to summon several huge thunderclouds.

“I’ll do it!” Rainbow shouted. “I was the one who came up with the Mare Do Well idea, and G got hurt because of it. Now’s my chance to prove I’m her friend. Because I never leave my friends hanging!”

Vengeance smirked evilly. “Are you sure that will solve the conflict between you? Gilda already thinks you tried to replace her as the town hero. Now you want to replace her as the Element of Zeal? She’ll NEVER forgive you.”

“I never meant to replace her!” Rainbow cried. “I wanted to help her! And...she needs me now. Discord…let me out of the shield.”

“Good luck!” Discord said cheerfully as he made a pegasus-sized hole in the shield.

Trixie glared at him. “DISCORD! Have you lost your…never mind, Trixie knows the answer.”

Rainbow flew up to Vengeance, her pegasus magic reducing the pain caused by the lightning storm. “Come on G! You have to fight it!”

“The only fight taking place shall be between you and us. You wanted to play the hero. Now you’ll fight the villain you created.”

“You’re not evil, G! You’re my friend!” Rainbow cried.

“Friend? You don’t care about her!” Vengeance hissed.

“I do, and I’ll prove it.” Rainbow held her hooves out. “I won’t let my friend suffer anymore. So let her go…and take me instead.” She let out a weak chuckle. “Heh, I bet you’re more used to possessing ponies anyway.”

Vengeance stared at Rainbow as the lightning storm weakened slightly. “Give me one good reason why I should do that.”

“Because…I didn’t think this would actually work. I expected you to blast me. I don’t really have a good reason…except that you asked me for one.” Rainbow eyes widened. “I have no idea why but…you want to possess me.”

Vengeance smirked as she sunk her left claw into Rainbow’s side, turning her cyan coat to dark purple. “You’re smarted than you look Dash.” Her other claw removed the Element of Zeal and forced around Rainbow’s neck. “But not as smart as you had hoped. No matter what body I wear, I’m not relinquishing my only weakness that easily.”

Rainbow stared at the Element around her neck in distress, before her lips curled into a smirk. Her coat turned completely dark purple as her rainbow hair began to flow magically, much like Nightmare Moon’s and Eternal Twilight’s used to. Looking back up at the uncorrupted yet completely drained Gilda, Vengeance smirked. “Look at that. Dash does care about you. A pity she can’t save you now.” Vengeance grabbed the griffon with her magic and threw her at the ground.

Nightmare quickly flapped her wings and flew up to Gilda, before she reached out with her magic and caught her falling friend. Gilda shook her head and stared back up at the possessed Rainbow. “No! Dash you gotta fight her!”

“A shame, I was looking forward to trying a Blitz. But now, with Rainbow Dash’s body and my own power enhancing our abilities, the damage I cause shall be greater. At this level, a Sonic Rainboom…could obliterate Peaceville!” Vengeance laughed. “And then Elements of Redemption, you will see MY world. A world without mercy or hope for forgiveness. My revenge shall be eternal!”

“Hi there Queen Meanie! Excuse us, is this a private party?”

“Or can WE join?”

The crowd gasped as Pinkie Pie teleported in with a flash of light…revealing that she had also brought the great dragon Spike.

Vengeance blinked in bewilderment. “Pinkie?”

“Yoink!” Pinkie sang as she zipped over to Vengeance, yanked off the Element of Zeal, and tossed it to the bearers down below. “Catch!”

Sunset grabbed the Element in midair with her magic, and levitated onto Gilda’s neck. “Come on Gilda! Peaceville needs its heroes back!”

Feeling her Element recharging her mental strength, Gilda stood up straight and grinned. “You’re darn right, it does! Hang tight Dash!”

Vengeance fired a death glare at Pinkie. “TRICKSTER! Traitor! How dare you…” Her eyes widened in horror as the power of the Elements of Redemption blasted toward her. “NO! Not again!” The tremendous power engulfed her again, ripping away the spirit of conflict from Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow shook her head as she regained her senses. “Ouch…” she moaned. “Not cool…”

The angry spirit hissed. “No. I will NOT flee again! I am indestructible! I am revenge and conflict eternal!”

“Boy, she sure loves to talk about herself!” Pinkie laughed. “In fact, all this talk is making me hungry. Spike?”

“With pleasure.”

Spike took in a deep breath before exhaling a huge stream of fire at the purple mist. The angry spirit screamed in pain as it felt its energy being burned away. Before the spirit could retreat, Spike opened his huge jaws and snapped them over the purple mist. Spike smiled in satisfaction as he swallowed the spirit whole.

Smog’s jaw dropped. “He…ate it. Spike just ate Vengeance.”

Pinkie giggled and floated up to Spike’s eyes. “You okay there, Spikey-wikey?” Spike grimaced at both the nickname and the taste in his mouth.

“Bleh. Evil does not taste good.”

Pinkie giggled and laughed. “No, I don’t think it would!” She snapped her fingers and made a giant-dragon sized can of ginger ale appear. “Here ya go! Sometimes you just need a little ginger ale to wash out the taste of evil.”

As Spike drank the ginger ale, Pinkie smiled at the Elements. “Sorry I didn’t get here sooner. I didn’t even notice you guys having a battle until that meanie Eternity possessed Dashie. Anyway, we need to get back before Princess Twily gets mad. See ya later alligators!” With another snap of her fingers, Pinkie and Spike vanished.

The entire town was quiet for several minutes. Eventually, Mayor Derpy timidly spoke up. “Um…maybe we should all go home and try to…cool our heads and uh, figure stuff out?”

Sunset sighed as she stared at Rainbow and Gilda. “I couldn’t agree with you more, mayor.”

Gilda sighed as she and the others sat in Nightmare’s library. “Why? Why did you all cook up the masked mare thing? Why did you lie to me like that?”

Sunset spoke up. “They had nothing to do with it. Trixie and I were worried that the attention would go to your head.”

“Stop Sunny. You two helped, but I was the one who came up with the idea first,” Rainbow said. “I wanted to give you an example of how a hero was supposed to act G. I didn’t want you to become so wrapped up in fan clubs that you might forget to save people.”

Gilda frowned. “Dash, you know I’d never forget something like that.”

“I know. The only other reason I can think of is maybe…I was a tiny bit jealous of you,” Rainbow admitted.

“If I was bugging you that much, why didn’t you talk to me?” Gilda asked. “Sunflower did and I listened to her.”

“We didn’t really know that at the time. I thought you wouldn’t have listened unless we used extreme measures,” Sunset said.

Gilda held up a claw. “Okay. I get it. You guys can stop apologizing. My turn,” she sighed. “I guess I should have acted with humble-ness and modesty and all that nonsense. Even when others outshine me. Like Mare Do Well. I’m sorry I got carried away. And I am really, really sorry I let myself get angry enough to let stupid Eternity or Vengeance or whatever its name is take over me.”

“Darling, take it from someone who has shared in your pain,” Rarity said. “The despair and anger you felt was simply the spark that started the fire. That vile monster is the one who fanned the flames into an inferno. We do not blame you for Eternity’s actions, just as you all did not blame me.”

“So to recap, everyone forgives everyone?” Chrysalis asked hopefully.

“Trixie hopes so,” Trixie moaned. “Trixie thinks one of those lightning bolts hit Trixie in the face. How does Trixie look?”

Chrysalis examined Trixie’s soot covered face and electrified mane, coat, and tail. “Um, you look wonderful,” she lied.

Trixie gave her a dizzy smile. “Aw, how sweet of you. Discord, can you fix Trixie’s face?”

Discord snapped his fingers, vanishing the camera he just used to photograph her face. “Of course dear Trixie!” as he snapped his fingers again. “Say Nightmare…when was the last time you wrote to Princess Twilight?”

Nightmare smiled. “Way ahead of you. Smog?”

That afternoon, a letter was sent to Princess Twilight.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle

Today, many lessons have been learned. My friends Sunset, Trixie, and Rainbow tried to help a friend learn a valuable lesson, and yet we ALL learned something today.

‘Sup Princess. Gilda here. After I saved a few ponies around town all by myself, I started to let the attention go to my head. I ended up bragging and even though nothing bad happened because of it, someone might’ve gotten hurt if I hadn’t been careful. Sunset’s cousin Sunflower talked me outta it and taught me to act with…grace and humility.

Hey TS. RD here. I tried cooking up this awesome plan to help my friend, but instead I ended up accidentally hurting her. Today I learned to stop rushing to conclusions and to slow down and talk with my friends.

Sunset Shimmer here, Your Majesty. I learned to listen more to your close friends and family. Sometimes they know something that even a smart pony like me doesn’t.

The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to write that you should always be proud of your accomplishments. Today Trixie learned that she should not have listened to Sunset and Rainbow! Show the world that you shine! Bragging solves everything!

Nightmare Moon completing this letter, Your Majesty. Please forgive Trixie, she was a little dizzy when writing this. The big lesson that we ALL learned today is this: You should always try to expect the best from your friends and never the worst. They may not always be right, but they will always care about you.

Your friends, the Elements of Forgivness

Secret of my Dragon Quest

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Secret of my Dragon Quest

“Hey. Hey, Chrysie. You awake?” Gilda said as she poked the changeling queen.

Chrysalis yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Gilda, what are you doing in my hive this early? Did someling let you in?”

“Never mind that. Come on, it’s a three-way big day!” Gilda said.

Chrysalis yawned again. “Three-way big day? What does that mean?” Her eyes widened. “Wait, now I remember!”

“There ya go!” Gilda flapped her wings and flew out of the hive. Chrysalis gave her own wings a buzz and flew after her.

Within minutes, they had arrived at the Peaceville library. Nightmare Moon answered the door and ushered them inside. “You two are the first ones here,” she whispered.

Discord teleported into the library, this time without a flash of light. Rainbow Dash appeared with him and hissed, “I told you your way was slower!”

“Be silent,” Nightmare hissed. “The key to a good surprise party is that the birthday boy is unaware until the last minute, before the trap is sprung.

Rainbow gave her an odd look. “Way to make a party sound spooky.”

A pink balloon floated into the library before it expanded into Pinkie Pie. “She’s not wrong though. Surprise parties need to have the element of surprise after all!” she giggled.

“Silence,” Nightmare hissed again.

“Oh, right. Don’t worry, I’m a black-belt in Party-Fu,” Pinkie whispered. She snapped her fingers and donned a ninja costume.

Trixie and Rarity snuck into the library next, with Sunset Shimmer hurrying after them. “Sorry we’re a bit late. I had to get a few things ready for sapphire season. Can you believe how close Smog’s birthday is to this year’s dragon migration?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “What’s sapphire season?”

Sunset smiled. “Every few years or so, the dragons of the world go on the great dragon migration. Usually at the same time they go on their journey, I get a few special crystals and gemstones that come out around this season. Super soft sapphires and other precious stones that grow in Clear Crystal Caverns, soft enough that pony teeth can bite into them without breaking. It’s kinda like eating pop rocks mixed with rock candy and a little ice cream flavour. It tastes a little different to dragons but they absolutely love it. Besides them, King Sombra himself loves sapphire season. He’s visited a few crystal farms, even my own on one occasion. But now that’s I’m the Element of Knowledge, there’s no way our king would go to any other farm.” Sunset grinned. “I’m gonna be a rich mare by the time this season’s finished.”

“Oh. I thought for a second it was like cider season.” Rainbow smiled as her mind drifted to a fond memory. “Every cider season back in Clouds-Edge we got a few new bottles of sweet, delicious apple cider in the marketplace.”

Chrysalis smiled. “We get cider season in Peaceville too. Other cities in Everfree may get their cider from Apple Pie Incorporated, but we’re lucky enough to get ours from Sweet Apple Acres. It’s a little fresher, but they also run out really fast every year.”

“Fresh apple cider? Ooh, that sounds awesome!” Rainbow beamed.

“Keep your voices down,” Nightmare whispered. “Smog hasn’t come down yet, but that could change at any moment. I’ll go upstairs and keep him distracted. Discord and Pinkie, you two get the party ready. And remember, today’s about making Smog happy so please don’t set our home on fire.”

“What if he wants a little fire?” Discord asked.

“Ooh, yeah! Dragons like fire, right?” Pinkie said.

Nightmare frowned. “Trixie, you’re in charge of making sure these two maniacs don’t burn down my library.”

“While Trixie is a great and powerful unicorn, she’s not a miracle worker. But Trixie will do her best.”

Nightmare nodded and went upstairs. She saw Smog getting out of bed and stretched his arms out. “You’re up early,” he said with a yawn.

“Yep. I wanted to get an early start on practicing a new spell,” Nightmare said.

“Did I hear voices downstairs?” Smog asked he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Nope. Now come watch me cast a spell.”

“What about breakfast?”

“Breakfast is overrated,” she said with a slight twitch. “Come watch me cast spells.”

“See, this is why we sleep in. So you’re not tired and cranky,” Smog said as he reluctantly followed Nightmare into her study. Inside a glass case was a blue parasprite with red eyes.

“Now today I want to continue working on temporary transformation spells that use other creatures as the template. So I’m going to turn both of us into parasprites for about two minutes.”

“Okay then. Ready when you are,” Smog yawned.

Nightmare’s horn glowed as she levitated the glass case away from the parasprite. She shot a beam of magic at herself and Smog, and then at the parasprite. Insect-like wings either grew out of them or replaced their normal wings as their bodies and limbs shrunk. Soon, Nightmare Moon was a black parasprite with blue-green eyes and Smog was a red parasprite with yellow eyes. They smiled and buzzed around the room, getting a feel for the temporary bodies. Smog enjoyed being able to fly for a few minutes. Soon the spell wore off and they turned back to normal.

Nightmare used her magic to teleport the parasprite back to the Equestria forest before turning back to Smog. “So, how do you feel?” she asked as she levitated over some notepads.

“About the same as the last time you used that spell, a little tingly but nothing else. Still, it was fun flying around for a bit.” Smog smiled. “Hey, remember when King Sombra taught you that spell and he turned you into a dragon?”

“It was a very enjoyable and educational experience,” Nightmare said as she remembered that day. “Although I probably should have been more careful with those gems. Brushing my fangs was a pain in the neck for weeks.”

“Wouldn’t that be pain in the teeth?” Smog asked. She was about to answer him when a winged clock appeared in the room, buzzed loudly, and disappeared.

“Ah, yes it was. Now then Smog, I’ve got a surprise for you! Can you guess what today is?” she said.

Smog gave her a glare. “If you say that you woke me up early because of ‘re-shelving day’, I will slap you.”

Nightmare gave him a smirk. “Funny.” Her face relaxed back into a normal smile. “Today’s not re-shelving day. Follow me.”

They walked downstairs where Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie, and the other Elements all sang, “Happy birthday Smog!”

Smog gasped. “Today’s my birthday? I totally forgot! Wow, this is a pleasant surprise. Thank you all for this completely unexpected party!”

Sunset frowned. “...You knew we were gonna be doing this, didn’t you?”

“Well, duh. It’s hard to forget your birthday and easy to spot the clues for a surprise birthday party,” Smog said. “But you went to all that trouble so I figured I’d humour you all.”

“Aw! But surprise parties are the best! Except when it makes you think your friends are ignoring you! Oh, that’d be awful! I know I’d want my birthday party to be super-duper fun with no sad faces!” Pinkie said. She snapped her fingers and made a calendar appear, floating in front of Discord’s face. “Hint, hint,” she said with a friendly smile.

“My dear, your own birthday isn’t for a while. Let’s concentrate our efforts on today’s party, shall we?” Discord said.

“Okie Dokie Lokie. Now then…balloons!” she sang as she snapped her fingers and made party supplies rain from the ceiling.

“Streamers!” Discord sang as he snapped his fingers and followed suit.

“Cakes and pies!”

“Chocolate and candies!”

“Drinks and alligators!”

“Presents and dancing buffalo!”

“Clean library! Please,” Nightmare interrupted with a frown.

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll clean up afterwards. Now then, party hats and games!” Pinkie cheered.

“That’s all great, but can ya get rid of the gators and buffalo?” Rainbow asked as she stared at the dancing creatures. “They’re creeping me out.”

“Aw! Okay, Dashie,” Pinkie said as she snapped her fingers and made the party a tiny bit less chaotic.

“Hey, I’m curious. Why’d we invite the ‘Trickster’ here today anyway?” Gilda whispered to Sunset.

“If we’re going to be friends with her to stop her from taking over Everfree, we need to include her in events like this. Besides, didn’t you ask for her help during that flood?” Sunset whispered back.

Gilda frowned. “Only because Discord wasn’t answering and she was my second best pick in terms of fixing the dam fast. And can we not talk about that? Still trying to get over Mare Do Well and everything.”

“Sorry,” Sunset whispered.

“I like to whisper too,” Pinkie said as she appeared behind them wrapped her forelegs around them. “But enough of that! Party time!”

Smog grinned as his friends handed him the gifts they brought. “Wow thanks guys! It’s usually just Nightmare, Luna, and King Sombra who give me birthday gifts. This is the biggest pile of presents I’ve ever gotten!” He grabbed one of the lighter presents and opened it. He gasped as a heart-shaped red gem fell out. “A fire ruby?”

Sunset smiled. “Yep. I don’t get them that often, but this has been a lucky year for crystal growths. I thought you’d enjoy it.”

“It looks delicious,” Smog said as he stared at it.

“Oh my!” Rarity stared at the fire ruby. “Why this gem is a marvel! At least twenty karats!”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow and held up a bowl of carrots. “Not that kind,” Discord whispered to her. She shrugged and swallowed the bowl whole.

“Oh, I hope it’s as tasty as it is beautiful Smog. I’ve never seen anything so stunning before,” Rarity said with longing in her eyes.

Smog stared at her, then back at the fire ruby. He sighed and handed it to her. “Here, you take it. I’ll just end up eating it, so it would mean more to me if you got some use outta it.”

Rarity shook her head even as she stared at the fire ruby. “Oh I couldn’t! This is your birthday present, and I can tell you want it more than I do!”

“It’s fine. Friends help friends, right?” Smog said.

Sunset frowned at Rarity. “I don’t think it’s fair to give away a birthday present that I gave you just ‘cause she’s making puppy-dog eyes at it.” She sighed and smiled. “But I probably have at least one more fire ruby I can let go of.” She pointed a hoof at her friends and said, “But my supply is limited so don’t get any ideas!”

“A limited supply? Oh dear, I hope you have enough for sapphire season,” Chrysalis said.

“Ah darn it,” Sunset said as she glanced at the clock. “Listen, I’d love to hang out more and party with you guys but I gotta set up for today. I’d normally never do this but this is my biggest day for business. So…?”

“It’s fine Sunset. We’ll catch up with you after my party. Save some room for me, I plan on buying the biggest sapphires you’ve got!” Smog said.

“Great, thanks, see you there!” Sunset called behind her back as she hurried out of the library.

The party soon went into full swing. Smog played games with his friends, unwrapped more presents, and laughed when Discord and Pinkie put on a small play, which involved dressing up like Starswirl the Bearded and making broomsticks dance around. Eventually Pinkie had to leave early with a bathtub full of leftover balloons and streamers as she had ‘a dozen or six more birthday parties to plan,’ in her own words.

Over at Clear Crystal Caverns, Sunset was setting up for when the dragons came to visit Peaceville. Sunset inspected her booth one more time before she went over and began talking to the Flim Flam brothers. “Okay listen up you two. I already have Sunflower and Screwball gathering all the highest quality crystals they can find. But I want to step up our game this year, especially since we’re likely to have a bigger crowd. Screwball came up with an idea to try baking a few of the crystals into sweets, instead of having them plain. Do you think we can make crystal cupcakes, peridot pies, sapphire sugar roles, and whatever else?”

“First of all, may I say that we love the names you’ve come up with so far,” Flim said

“And second, might I add that you can count on us! I’m sure if we reset the modifications of our Super Sapphire Speeder, we can-”

Sunset raised a hoof. “Hold it. Did you two work out the bugs in that thing?”

“Um…” the twins said.

“Then we’ll just have to work with our magic. I’m sorry, but until we get your invention fixed it’s a pile of junk and you know it.”

Flim rubbed the back of his head. “No need to be rude about it.”

Sunset’s ears flicked as she heard a distant roar. “Well sorry, but there’s not much time to be polite! That roar will be the first of many if we can’t keep our dragon customers happy! Now let’s move out!”

“I kinda feel like he’s showing off at this point,” Smog remarked. He and his friends watched as King Sombra and his assistant Garble arrived in Peaceville, riding on the back of the great dragon Spike.

“That was awesome!” Garble said as he hopped of Spike’s back. “I finally got to ride Spike! The mightiest and greatest of all dragons!”

“Yes, yes. I am something, aren’t I? Ah, the lovely lady Rarity. It is good to see you again, my dear.”

Rarity smiled nervously as Spike leaned his huge head down to look at her. “Oh my. You do know how to flatter a lady, great dragon Spike.” Spike’s eyes drifted to the fire ruby that Rarity was wearing around her neck with a gold band. “Oh, you’ve spotted my new necklace? Quite lovely, don’t you think?”

“Indeed. Only the finest of rubies for a most beautiful mare.”

“That’s enough from you,” King Sombra said as he climbed off Spike. “Be careful today Spike. We don’t want to accidentally smash someone’s home with that tail of yours.” The king smiled at the Element bearers and their friends. “Good morning to you all, and happy birthday to you Smog. I hope Nightmare got you something other than a new stargazing telescope this year.”

Smog snorted. “Yeah. A book.”

“Shut up Smog,” Nightmare said. Her ears folded down and she blushed as King Sombra and Spike chuckled.

“Ah yes, Smog the young dragon. Are you and your friends prepared for sapphire season?”

Smog’s eyes widened. “Who? M-me? You’re asking me?”

“Do you see any other dragon named Smog?”

“N-no I don’t, oh Spike the Stupendous. And y-yes. I’m excited for sapphire season.” Spike smiled.

“You have nice manners. That’s very important in young dragons. I invite you to come join Sombra, Garble, and I in enjoying the sapphire season. Today, we shall all feast like kings!”

Smog grinned. “I can’t wait!”

Discord floated up to Spike. “Ah, good to see you out and about again. We haven’t seen you since that whole Vengeance business, and before that not since we first met in your old cave. How are you dear Spike? Stomach’s okay?” Spike nodded.

“The hateful spirit that possessed my Sparky, as well as the lovely lady Rarity and spirited young Gilda, was restless at first. The Pink One has given me more ginger ale on the few occasions the pest tried to stir in my stomach, and the spirit has fallen quiet since.”

Trixie nodded. “Good. Trixie for one has grown tired of Eternity’s interference in Trixie’s life. Trixie hopes Gilda will be the last person that it haunts.” Spike growled at the thought of Vengeance.

“I grow tired speaking of the creature that separated my Sparky from me too. Sombra, Garble, I suggest you hurry to Sunset Shimmer’s crystal farm. Or else I shall devour ALL the crystals, leaving you with none.”

Spike smiled, flapped his wings, and flew off toward Clear Crystal Caverns. Garble walked over to Smog. “Come on little buddy! A big dragon like Spike can eat a lot of gems. We wanna make sure there’s some left over, right?”

“Right behind you!” Smog said as they ran towards Sunset’s farm.

“I’m curious, where’s Princess Twilight? Doesn’t she usually keep an eye on Spike?” Nightmare asked King Sombra.

“Spike has become a bit more manageable recently. As for Princess Twilight Sparkle, she is investigating a rather odd phenomenon. There has been strange volcanic activity lately,” the king said.

“Whoa, whoa! Back up. Volcanic activity? As in, kaboom and lava?” Rainbow asked.

The king smiled. “Don’t worry Miss Dash. There will be no volcanic eruptions any time soon. At least, it doesn’t appear so. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Countess Cadance, Captain Luna, and Corporal Blueblood have all assembled teams to investigate the strange activity. Their reports have been reassuring.”

“You need four whole teams to look into this? Three of said teams being managed by an alicorn? That doesn’t sound reassuring,” Nightmare said.

“There is no need for concern Nightmare Moon. Countess Cadance assured me that they have everything under control,” King Sombra said confidently. “Now then, can we move this along? Oh, I can already smell the crystals.”

Sunset grinned as she saw the growing line of teenage dragons, curious ponies, and even a few other creatures. “How did we make out?” she asked the Flim Flam brothers.

Flim levitated over some of the desserts they’d made. “We have a few barrels full, but not enough for this many customers. Hopefully these fine dragons and ponies don’t all ask for cake and pies to go with their gems. Are you sure we can’t raise the prices a bit?”

Sunset bit her lip nervously. “Maybe, but I’m worried that if we go any higher they’ll get upset.”

Flam came up beside his brother. “Well, let’s just do our best then.”

Sunset smiled. She turned to face the crowd of customers and announced, “Attention, everybody! Sapphire season is now officially open!”

The people in line cheered. Their cheering faded away into awed whispers as Spike flew to the front of the line, followed by King Sombra as the king flew through the air in his shadow form.

“Aren’t they cutting in line?” a green dragoness asked.

Another dragon gave her a look. “Dude, that’s the great dragon Spike and the pony king of darkness. If you wanna get in their faces, be my guest. I’ll visit you in the hospital,” he said.

She flicked her tongue at him with a hiss. “Well I wasn’t about to fight them idiot! I’m just saying…manners guys.”

Sunset bowed as King Sombra and Spike came to the front of the line. “Your Majesty. We are honoured to have you and the great dragon Spike as our first customers…even if you did kinda cut in line.”

King Sombra chuckled. “No need for formalities, my former student. As for the line cutting, well I’m sure these fine citizens will understand-”

“That we are kings and we can do whatever we want.”

King Sombra gave Spike a look. “I would have phrased that a bit kinder.”

“I guess two line-cutters are fine, as long as there won’t be anymore.” Sunset smiled. “Now then, what kind of crystals would you like? You may be interested to hear that this year we’ve also baked a few of our gems into sweets.”

King Sombra and a few other ponies looked up in interest at the cakes and pies that Flim and Flam prepared were levitated into view by Sunset. “Those do look interesting,” the king said.

Sunset fought to keep her smile up as she counted the number of intrigued ponies. More than she hoped for…or prepared for. “Of course.”

Sunset sighed in exhaustion as the last of the crystal-filled desserts were bought. “Okay to all the ponies in line, I’m sorry but we just sold our last peridot pie!” The ponies in line groaned in disappointment. Even the dragons looked a little upset. “Hey, cheer up everyone! We still have plenty of crystals left over; they just might not be as sweet. Now, can I help the next person in line?”

Sunflower walked over to her cousin. “Sunny? Bad news, our supply is getting low. We can go harvest a few more crystals but that would mean leaving these fine people alone.”

Sunset bit her lip nervously as she eyed the restless dragons. “Oh dear.”

Garble growled from where he stood in line. “They better get more gems soon.”

“I know what you mean,” Smog said as he jumped up and down behind him, trying to see past Garble and the other teenage dragons.

“Indeed. I’d like to be able to buy a few precious gems before they are all eaten,” Rarity complained as she stood behind Smog and Nightmare.

“Yeah! Save some for the rest of us!” Pinkie shouted behind her.

Rarity did a double take. “What the…when did you get here? For that matter, why are you in line?”

Pinkie grinned. “My Pinkie sense told me that a BIG surprise is coming here soon! I love surprises!”

“Hello dears. Oh my, I see that Miss Shimmer’s sapphire season is rather busy this year,” Mrs. Cake said as she and her husband walked over to them.

“Why, hello Mr. and Mrs. Cake! To what do we owe the pleasure? Come to break your teeth on a few gems too?” Discord asked as he floated past them, snacking on crystal cupcakes and peridot pies.

“You’re going back for more?” Garble said, glaring at him. “Save some for the rest of us!”

“That’s what I said!” Pinkie giggled.

“Oh no dear, we’re not here to buy gems. We were asked to ‘come see the show,’” Mrs. Cake said.

“The show?” Rainbow asked as she hovered in midair. She looked up as they all heard the sound of honks, bells, and whistles. A colourful and complicated machine drove over to the crowd, its wheels soon screeching to a halt in front of all the dragons and ponies.

Flim and Flam stared at the machine. “Brother of mine, I’m getting the strangest feeling that we are about to be made fun of,” Flim said. Flam nodded in agreement.

The machine opened at the top and two ponies jumped out. Nightmare and her friends examined the newcomers. The two ponies looked pretty young, maybe around Diamond Tiara’s age. The pegasus colt had a light yellowish-gray coat and brown hair. The unicorn filly had yellow coat and orange hair, with a small blue bow in her mane. The two ponies smiled wide and began to sing:

“Well, lookie what we got here, brother of mine, it's the same in every town,” the filly sang.
“Dragons with hungry throats, long tongues, and not a shard of crystal to be found
Maybe they're not aware that there's really no need for this teary despair”

“That the key that they need to solve this sad sapphire shortage you and I will share!” the colt sang.

“Well you've got opportunity
In this very community” they sang together.

“He's Pound!” the filly sang.

“She's Pumpkin!” the colt sang.

“We're the world famous Cake Twin Siblings!
Traveling salesponies unrivaled!” they sang together.

Pinkie Pie gawked at the singing ponies, her drop hanging open in shocked confusion. “Uh…what?”

Pumpkin kept singing, “Yes unrivaled, and that's exactly the reason why, you see
Nobody else in this whole place will give you such a chance to be where you need to be
And that's a new world, with tons of cakes!
Fresh baked and ready for snacking

“More sweets so that your dessert will never be lacking!” Pound added as he flapped his wings and hovered in midair. He floated down to join his sister and they sang together:

So take this opportunity
In this very community
He's Pound
She's Pumpkin
We're the world famous Cake Twin Siblings!
Traveling salesponies unrivaled!

Pumpkin’s horn glowed with light grayish-blue magic as she levitated herself over to the crowd of dragons and ponies. “I suppose by now you're wondering about our peculiar mode of transportation?”

“Our mode of locomotion!” Pound chuckled.

“And I suppose by now you're wondering, where are these promised crystal sweets?” Pumpkin asked.

“Any pony can make a claim and anybody can do the same!” Pound sang.

“But my brother and I have something most unique and superb
Unseen at any time in this big new world!” Pumpkin sang.

“Folks, it's the one and only, the biggest and the best
The unbelievable
Unimpeachable
Indispensable
I-can't-believe-able
Apple Pie, Cake Twin Super Duper Cupcake Maker!” the twins sang proudly.

“Yes, that feeling is not going away,” Flim mumbled. The Flim Flam brothers glanced at Pinkie who was still staring at the singing twins. They frowned as the dragons and ponies in the crowd sang along:

“We’ll take this opportunity
In this very community!
Please Twins, help this crystal acre
With your Super Duper Cupcake Maker!”

Pound flew over to Sunset and spoke normally. “Excuse me Miss Shimmer? My sister and I heard you were having a bit of trouble, so we went ahead and harvested more crystals for you! With your permission, we would like to buy your crystals and gems to use in our demonstration.”

Sunset gave them an amused smile. “Okay, let’s see where you’re going with this…opportunity, in our community.”

Pound smiled at his sister. “Ready Pumpkin?”
Pumpkin grinned as her horn glowed. “Ready Pound!
Let’s amaze, astonish and astound!” She fired a spell at the machine, causing it to power up and start working.

As the machine worked, Pumpkin explained its process. “Now here’s how the magic happens, my friends! Our Cupcake Maker will take the ingredients we throw into it and bake any kind of dessert you desire, at three times the speed it would take to bake normally! And it can work with crystals and gems too! Only the very best in quality, for all of our customers! Come on Peaceville, one more time!”

The twins came together and sang with the crowd:
“We’re saying you've got opportunity
In this very community
He's Pound
She's Pumpkin
It’s the world famous Cake Twin Siblings!
Traveling salesponies unrivaled! Yeah!”

As the song finished, Mr. and Mrs. Cake went up to the twins. “Oh, Pumpkin, Pound! It’s so good to see you back home!” Mrs. Cake cried.

Pound smiled. “It’s good to be back! Sorry mom, Miss Applejewel has been keeping us busy. But she asked us to come show off our product to Peaceville!”

Nightmare spoke up. “You work for Apple Pie Incorporated? Sorry but...you both seem a little young to be working.”

Pumpkin giggled. “My brother and I are child prodigies! We graduated from school and found our callings years ago!”

Pinkie stared at the twins in confused amazement. “Wow. Um…excuse me, I need to go home and process this…first Nightmare and Luna and…did not see that coming…” she mumbled. She disappeared with a snap of her fingers.

Pound and Pumpkin ran over to Sunset. “Excuse us Miss Shimmer! We heard that you’ve been looking to get a business tie with Apple Pie Incorporated. Miss Applejewel herself told us to tell you that we’ll go over the details and make a deal you can’t refuse!” Pumpkin said.

Pound spoke next, “To help you out, you can provide the crystals and gems and we’ll provide our Super Duper Cupcake Maker! And we love your idea for sapphire season sweets! Dragons and ponies alike can eat their super soft gems and crystals in any way they want! We’ll split today’s profits with you fifty-fifty, and figure out the rest later. What do you say?”

“A deal with Applejewel? It sounds a little too good to be true,” Sunset said.

Pumpkin’s eyes widened. “Oh, we would never take advantage your hard work here at Clear Crystal Caverns, if that’s what you’re implying!”

Pound nodded. “This deal will benefit both of us. And you can back out anytime you want if you feel like you’re being cheated. Miss Applejewel has always told us that honesty is our company’s policy. She cares deeply about the truth.”

Sunset smiled. “In that case, I will be happy to work with you.” She shook hooves with the colt and filly.

“My friends? Pardon me, but are you finished now? May I reveal myself?” a soft voice called out from inside of the Cake Twins’ machine.

“Oh, of course! Go right ahead!” Pound said.

A unicorn mare cautiously walked out of the side door from the vehicle part of the machine. Nightmare examined the newcomer. She had a white coat and a pink mane and tail. Statistically speaking, pink hair and a white coat were common among mares in Everfree. But this beautiful mare really made the look work, especially with the gold vest that she wore.

“Ladies and gentle-creatures, allow us to introduce our friend Miss Sunrise. We ask that you all please make her feel welcome,” Pumpkin said. “Now then, can I help the next customer?”

Sunrise’s gaze moved around the place, examining everything and everyone with great detail. Eventually she focused on Nightmare and let out a soft gasp. “Oh my goodness. Pardon me.” Sunrise walked over to Nightmare and smiled. “A warm welcome to you, Your Grace.”

“Your Grace?” Nightmare smiled. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever been called that before. Come on, you can relax. Aside from being an alicorn of the night, I’m not that different from you. My name is Nightmare Moon.”

Sunrise’s eyes widened. “Nightmare Moon? Oh my, that sounds like a rather fearsome name for such a well-mannered mare. Although your appearance does make me feel a little uneasy. Oh dear, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sure you’re not that fearsome.”

“Calm down. I’m not offended.” Nightmare said. “Your name is Sunrise?” The unicorn blushed a little and nodded. “Huh. I’ve got a friend with a similar name. Hey Sunset, come here for a second.” Sunset walked over to meet them. “This is my friend Sunset Shimmer.”

“A pleasure to meet you Miss Sunrise. Heh, with a name like that maybe we’re related,” Sunset remarked.

“Sadly, I do not believe we are. I have very few family members that I am aware of.” For a second, a sad and conflicted look passed over Sunrise’s face before she smiled again. “Pardon me for asking but I am quite curious…” She turned to face Nightmare. “The only alicorn I know of went by the name Luna. And yet another alicorn stands before me?”

Nightmare and Sunset blinked in surprise. “You…haven’t heard of me?” Nightmare asked.

“I’m afraid not. My home is very sheltered, and I was unaware of any current news that occurred in the outside world while I lived there. Recently I have travelled outside of my home. On the open road, I came across dear Pound and Pumpkin Cake. They were kind enough to offer me safe passage around Everfree in their spectacular cake-making contraption,” Sunrise patiently explained.

Sunset nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I guess that explains that.”

“What would you like to know about me then?” Nightmare asked.

“As much as you can tell me, if that’s not any trouble,” Sunrise softly requested.

“Alright. Where to start…” Nightmare smiled proudly. “It’s funny that you mention Luna. She’s my mom.”

Sunrise’s eyes widened. “Oh my. That…is news indeed.”

“Hey guys! How’s it going?” Nightmare looked behind Sunrise to see Smog, Garble, King Sombra, Rarity, Rainbow, and the other Element bearers walk over to meet them.

Discord teleported over to Sunrise. “Why, hello there! I am Discord, the king of all that is random and chaotic! I see that you have already met Nightie and Sunset. Shall I introduce you to our other friends?”

Sunrise looked back and forth between them all and lowered her head to the ground.

Their smiles faded as they noticed how quiet Sunrise had become. “Excuse me, my subject? Are you alright?” King Sombra asked.

Sunrise blushed and looked away. “My home is very sheltered from the outside world. It has been a long time since I have met so many new friends, especially so many who are not ponies. Forgive me, but I feel uncomfortable standing near dragons, griffons, changelings, and a draconequus. I suppose I am a shy little pony.”

“Say no more my dear. I know when I am being a pest. It’s just that I usually choose to continue being so. But since you are new in town, we shall give you some space. Although tomorrow, expect a little fun to come your way,” Discord said as he gave her a wink. He snapped his fingers, causing himself, Gilda, and Chrysalis to disappear.

King Sombra cleared his throat. “Nightmare Moon, I believe Garble and Smog have something they wish to tell you.”

“What is it?” Nightmare asked.

“I’m going on a quest of self-discovery. I need to learn what it means to be a dragon! And the only way I'm gonna do that is to join the dragon migration!” Smog announced.

Nightmare’s eyes widened “What? Smog what are you saying?”

Garble stepped forward. “My buddies and I stopped by Peaceville for Sunset’s sapphire season, but we need to get back to the dragon migration soon. And we think that Smog has been living with a bunch of namby-pamby ponies for too long. Um, no offence,” he said to Nightmare and King Sombra. “My point is, now that Smog is getting older he needs to learn more about being a dragon.”

King Sombra nodded. “I agree with Garble. Both he and Spike will make sure Smog returns home safe and sound in a few days. I believe this quest will be important for Smog. However, you are his guardian so the choice is up to you.”

Nightmare sighed. “I don’t know…”

“Come on, Smog deserves to join in. The dragon migration is awesome! Well, except maybe for the wrinkly, old bird,” Garble said.

“Old bird?” Sunrise said.

Garble grumbled. “Yeah, this really annoying old phoenix that keep crashing the party and pulling pranks. I’m down with a good prank as much as the next dragon, but that old lady never knows when she’s gone too far. Hate that thing.”

“If I may suggest something?” Sunrise said. “I do not know much about dragons, but there is much I have learned over the years. If he has lived among ponies, is it safe to assume Mister Smog has not met his real parents then?” Nightmare nodded. “Every child has questions about their parents, even if they are happy with their adoptive homes. If this quest is important to him, perhaps he should go. Just as long as he returns home to the ponies who care about him. Those are my thoughts.”

Nightmare smiled. “In that case, wait here for a moment.” Her horn flashed as she teleported away. Seconds later, she teleported back with a purple and green stuffed dragon doll held in her telekinesis. “I give you permission to go on this quest. Don’t forget Sir Dragon.”

Garble unsuccessfully tried to suppress a chuckle. “You still sleep with a doll Smog?”

“N-no! Nightmare put that away!” Smog hissed.

Nightmare frowned at Garble. “So what if he still hangs onto Sir Dragon? Smog has kept him since our childhood. Sure he doesn’t carry the doll around with him during the day, but he keeps it by his bed as part of our promise.”

Garble snorted. “What promise would that be?”

Nightmare smiled at the dragon doll. “That no matter what trouble we face growing up, we hold on to the memories we shared together.”

Smog shifted uneasily. “Look Nightmare, just get rid of it. I’m a big dragon now, I don’t need that old thing.”

Nightmare looked a little hurt, before she took a glance at Smog, Spike, and some of the other teenage dragons that had overheard them. “…Very well.” Her horn flashed and made the doll disappear. She smiled gently and said, “I wish you good luck on your quest Smog. I’ll see you when you return home in a few days.”

“Fear not young Nightmare. We will return. Smog, Garble, to me! Dragons! We have feasted well this sapphire season! Take whatever gems you can carry and fly with me! Our great dragon migration flies onward!”

The dragons cheered for Spike, their mighty leader. Garble flapped his wings, while Smog climbed onto Spike’s back. Soon the dragons had bought a dozen more bags filled with gems and crystals, before they all flapped their wings and flew away from Peaceville.

King Sombra sighed. “I suppose it is time I returned to the Crystal Empire. Farewell Nightmare Moon. I will see you and your friends another day.” The king turned into his shadow form and flew back to his empire.

Nightmare watched Sunset and the Cake Twins continue serving the leftover pony customers. “It’s going to be pretty quiet around here without Smog,” she sighed.

“Pardon me, Miss Moon? If you are concerned about feeling lonely in your home…perhaps I could stay with you?” Sunrise timidly asked. “I know it might be an inconvenience to you but I do not have any bits with me so I cannot at this time afford to rent a place. And I would like to get to know you better, if it is okay with you. I find alicorns to be fascinating creatures.”

Nightmare stared at Sunrise, before a smile found its way onto her face. “Well, I suppose you can stay with me until Smog returns. And I would be happy to answer any questions you have about alicorns and me. What would you like to know?”

Sunrise smiled warmly. “Absolutely everything.”

As Nightmare and Sunrise walked to the library, they passed by Chrysalis. Nightmare took a moment to ask her, “Chrysalis, how good are you at shape shifting into a dragon?”

Chrysalis smiled. “You don’t have to say anything else Nightie. If you can keep an eye on my hive, I’ll keep an eye on Smog for the next few days.” The two friends nodded in agreement before a green flash of fire consumed Chrysalis, turning her into a black and green dragoness. Nightmare watched her fly off before she left to invite Sunrise into her home.

Smog smiled as he saw all the adult dragons fly by overhead. He, Spike, and Garble had been flying for two whole days before they all stopped at a volcanic crater. There was a few bubbling puddles of lava here and there, but Smog wasn’t too concerned. From what he had read about dragons, he knew his scales would protect him. He saw two dragons wrestling and went over to greet them.

“Um, excuse me? Hi there. I’m Smog,” he said as he introduced himself to two dragons.

A purple dragon with a yellow underbelly sneered at him. “You sure your name is Smog and not Shrimp?”

Smog snorted. “Oh, real clever. Well I may be small but I can still scorch your sorry scales.” He belched out a burst of flames for emphasis.

A big brown dragon with red wings and blue horns sneered at him too. “Ooh, look at little peewee here. Thinks he’s such a tough guy.”

“Hey guys, leave him alone!” Garble shouted as he came to Smog’s defense.

“Garble,” the purple dragon hissed. “How’s life treating you, being the pony’s king’s pet?”

Garble smirked as he rubbed his knuckles against his underbelly. “Oh, you know. I do a few small errands and I get all the gems I can eat and pretty much whatever else I want if I ask nicely. And of course, the great dragon Spike lives in the same castle that I do so…yeah I’d say life is good.” He sneered at the other teenage dragons. “How about you Spear? Clump?” The other dragons scowled. “Yeah, thought so,” Garble said. He grinned as he saw two teenage dragonesses. “If you’ll excuse us guys. Follow me Smog, I’ve got a few friends for you to meet. Hey there ladies! Miss me?”

A dark blue dragoness looked up at them. “Garble. Haven’t seen you in a while. Who’s the hatchling?”

“Hey, Smog’s not that young. Smog, this here is Sapphire. The green dragoness is Emerald. Oh, and there’s Fizzle and Spines coming in now.

A teenage purple and green dragoness with a little resemblance to Spike flew over to them and touched down. “Hey there. So you’re the new dragon that Garble and Spike has been mentoring.”

“Well, I wouldn’t really call them my mentors…” Smog said nervously.

Spines smiled. “Relax little guy. We’re all just here to have a little fun.”

A white dragon with a pink underbelly and pink spikes flew over. “Yeah! We’re talking a whole day full of fire-breathing contests, tail wrestling, and King of the Horde!” he roared. “It’s gonna be awesome!”

“You got that right Fizzle! Let’s party dragon style!” Garble happily roared.

Spines smirked at them. “Now we’re talking! Just you wait boys! This year I’m gonna be Queen of the Horde!”

“Oh yeah? I’ve been building up my tail strength to beat that jerk Clump!” Sapphire said.

“That so? Hey Emerald! Think we can beat Spear in the fire-breathing contest? Or are you too girly for a good belching contest?” Fizzle teased.

“How about I beat both of you if you’re feeling a little cocky?!” Emerald hissed at him. But Smog could tell by the smile on her face that she was just playing along.

Meanwhile, a black and green dragoness shifted nervously as she eavesdropped on them. “What have I gotten myself into?” Chrysalis mumbled.

The dragons partied all day long. The next morning, Chrysalis was feeling exhausted and had fallen asleep. Smog was resting too but he had a relaxed grin on his face, plus a few gem fragments dotted around his mouth from all the gems he had eaten the previous day.

A flash of fire appeared in the corner of Smog’s eye. “Ooh, a new dragon. I love meeting new people. Well, are you going to get up and introduce yourself?” Smog sat up to look at the source of the voice. Standing there was a phoenix wearing a necklace with a rainbow-coloured crystal. The phoenix smiled as it made a few chirps. The crystal glowed as a musical, playful voice came out of it. “Hello there, my little dragon. I am Philomena.”

Smog stared in awe at the phoenix. He knew what they were, but he had never seen one up close before. “Uh, hi. I’m Smog. Um...how are you talking?”

“This crystal translates my chirps and squawks into words,” Philomena chirped as she pointed a wing at the crystal around her neck. “So, I haven’t seen you on one of these dragon migrations before. First time?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing here?” Garble said as he stomped over to glare at Philomena. “Smog, is this wrinkly, old bird bothering you?”

Philomena chirped, which the crystal translated as a giggle. “Ah Garble. How lovely to see you again. As you can see I’m no longer old and wrinkly. I just had a burning day not too long ago and here I am! Renewed and fresh as a daisy!” she sang. Philomena hopped over to Smog and whispered, “Try to ignore Garble. He’s still upset that I won our last little prank competition.”

Garble growled. “Watch it you. Smog, take it from me: this bird is trouble. I know King Sombra says I’m a little mischievous but believe me when I say that I’m nothing like this troublemaking old bird.”

Philomena chirped cheerfully. “I didn’t come here looking for a fight, although I know you love your little dragon games. I simply wanted to extend a wing of friendship to this cutesy-wutesy widdle dragon.”

Smog grimaced. “Please don’t call me cutesy, wutesy, or widdle.”

Philomena giggled. “I’m just teasing you. I know you want to be a big strong dragon.” Her eyes sparked with fiery mischief. “Say, do you want to see something so cool it’s hot?”

“What are you doing?” Garble growled warningly.

“Nothing terrible my dear. I want to show dear Smog my collection of shiny trinkets. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?” Philomena chirped.

“That’s it? You just wanna show him your horde?” Garble asked.

“Oh, I wouldn’t call the little collection I plan to show him a horde. But you have the right idea!” Philomena sang.

Garble frowned at the phoenix before shrugging. “I guess there’s no harm in that. Smog, it’s up to you if you wanna follow her back to her little bird cave. Just be back here in an hour.” Smog nodded and chased after Philomena as she flapped her wings and flew into the sky with a few bursts of fire. After several minutes, they had reached a large cave not too far from the volcano.

Philomena gestured with a wing. “Go on. Take a peek inside.” Smog looked into the cave and stared in awe at all of the gold and silver coins, crystals, crowns, and gems that lay inside the cave. “Very sparkly, don’t you think?”

Smog’s jaw dropped. “Yeah. Look at all of this!”

“Believe me dear, I spend far too much time doing just that. Which reminds me…a cute little dragoness told me you had a birthday recently! Why don’t you take one of my shiny treasures as a present?”

Smog’s eyes widened. “Whoa, really? Um, thank you. Which one do you want me to have?”

“Who says it needs to be one?” Philomena leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Don’t tell anyone but this isn’t the only collection I have. I’ve been hiding treasures all over Everfree for…a long time now. So go ahead!” Philomena giggled as Smog began to dig through her collection. “I’ve always believed you’re allowed to be a little greedy on your birthday.”

Sunrise delicately sipped at her teacup of chocolate milk. “It has been a long time since I tried this beverage. I’m rather impressed by the taste of this chocolate milk. A fine taste like this takes care and devotion, something that I did not expect to find in a drink created within a single second.”

Nightmare looked up from her own drink. “Care and devotion? That’s not something I would use to describe Discord. I’ve always known him as a chaotic and carefree kind of draconequus. But then again, he does love his friends. He just hides that love behind layers and layers of irritating goofiness.”

Sunrise smiled kindly. “I know. You have told me much about your adventures, far more than I had expected. I thank you deeply for trusting me with some of the lesser known secrets behind the experiences you and your friends have shared.”

Nightmare smiled. “I feel like I can tell you anything. I don’t know WHY, there’s just something about you…”

Discord appeared before them with a flash of light. “Nightie, we have a situation taking place.”

Nightmare set her drink aside. “What is it?”

Discord’s ears briefly burst into flames before he wiggled them and put the fire out. “My ears were burning a few minutes ago as I sensed Chrysalis calling for me. I rushed over to see what trouble had tangled her tail, and she explained to me what happened. Smog has a rather…big problem.”

Nightmare stood up as her horn glowed to summon her armor. “Smog? What happened? If those other dragons hurt him I’ll rip them apart!”

“Whoa, easy there Nightie. Smog isn’t in that kind of trouble, rather he IS the trouble. It’s quite a funny story actually…”

“I’ll be the judge of how 'funny' it is myself, thank you. See if you can get the other Elements while we’re going there,” Nightmare said as she put her armor on.

“Perhaps I can be of some assistance?” Sunrise said.

“You?” Nightmare looked at her. “No offense, but what can you do to help? You told me you hate violence.”

Sunrise gave her a warm smile. “I know I am not comfortable around dragons, but Smog is your friend. And I’d like to think that we are friends now too. You have already given me so much kindness during my short stay here. While friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it’s also about accepting what our friends have to offer. And I do have some skills to offer you.”

Nightmare found herself smiling a little despite the seriousness of the situation. “Alright, you can come. Discord, take us to Smog.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. He’s outside, rampaging through Peaceville,” Discord said cheerfully.

The Element bearers stared up at Smog. The normally small dragon had grown HUGE. In fact, he looked like he was around Spike’s height. Comparisons were easy to make as Spike himself was there, trying to wrestle several items away from Smog. Luckily, most of Peaceville had been evacuated as the citizens fled away from the fight.

“These trinkets do not belong to you Smog! Release them!”

“Smog WANT!” the red dragon roared. The mighty Spike growled and shoved Smog, knocking him down. The great purple and green dragon slammed his heavy foot onto Smog’s chest to try and restrain him.

“I know you want it! I know the allure and temptation of greed, no one better! Do you think I have not felt the fire that blazes through you now? But you must submit Smog!”

“NO! Smog want!”

Smog breathed fire into Spike’s face, causing the older dragon to back away and release him. Smog stood back up and made a grab at a cart full of fruits and vegetables, before Spike tried to restrain him again.

“What do you suppose they call that particular hold?” Discord said as he sat in a floating chair, eating popcorn and watching the fight.

Nightmare glared at him. “…Are you just gonna sit there and watch?!”

Garble reached for the popcorn. “A joint lock? A hammerlock maybe?”

“No that’s not it,” Discord said as he shook his bag of popcorn. “You don’t know the name, do you?”

“Do something!” Nightmare shouted at him. “Snap your fingers and make Smog normal again!”

Discord smiled at her. “My dear, how do you know my magic can do that?”

Nightmare winced as Spike and Smog continued to fight. “Well…can you?”

“I dunno. Probably,” Discord said as he continued watching the battle. “But I don’t know if I should.”

“Yeah. Who would want to miss a fight like this?” a voice said. Nightmare looked up to see an unfamiliar phoenix flying down to them. She landed on the ground and reached for the popcorn.

Discord nodded. “There is that. And might I add, you forgot to say please Miss Moon.” He blew a raspberry at her, which caused a blueberry to roll off his tongue. “So there.”

“Well if you’re not doing anything, I will!” Rainbow said. She flew up and charged at the red dragon. “Cut it out Smog!” she cried as she kicked him in the nose. Smog flinched and rubbed at this nose, before growling and slapping Rainbow away with his tail.

“Ah darn it! Hold on Dash!” Gilda cried as she flapped her wings.

“Wait!” Sunset said. Gilda growled and flapped her wings harder even as Sunset and Trixie pulled at her tail with their magic. “We can’t go charging in Gilda! We need a plan.”

“Sunset Shimmer is right,” Rarity said as she and Chrysalis helped the wounded Rainbow stand up. “Smog is not in control of his actions right now, but he is still our friend.” She stared up at the out-of-control dragon and shuddered. “What sort of horrible curse could have turned poor Smog into this monster?”

Garble spoke up. “It’s not exactly a curse. It’s…how do I explain it?”

“Allow me!” Discord said cheerfully. “You see Rarity, Smog is going through strange new changes. He has reached a point in his life where he desires gems and other shiny objects. His body is growing and with that, he finds himself asking questions that make him feel a little uncomfortable...”

Rarity looked confused. “You’re making it sound as if Smog is simply growing up.”

Garble raised an eyebrow at Discord. “Eh, more or less. Greed-growth is something all dragons have. Smog had a birthday not that long ago, so he’s reached the age where greed-growth begins. I didn’t know he was that old, or else I would have warned him about taking too much too fast.”

“Your dragon friend is quite correct. Smog’s hoarding trait has gone unchecked.” They turned around to see Zecora walk up to them.

“You know about dragons Zecora?” Trixie asked.

“Yes. A dragon's heart is prone to greed, a steady diet to make growth speed. Then, the resulting bigger size only makes their hunger rise. But most young dragons are taught to resist greed’s allure, so that they will more naturally mature,” Zecora explained.

“What does that mean?” Rainbow asked.

“It means dragons start hoarding stuff to grow up, but they only take a few things at a time so that they grow a few inches instead of all at once,” Sunset said to her.

Nightmare rubbed her chin in thought. “So Smog must have stumbled onto a huge pile of treasure that forced him to grow all at once. The sudden growth in both size and greediness has made him confused and angry.”

“Confused and angry. Just like any other kind of puberty!” Discord said to no one in particular.

“Shut up,” Nightmare absentmindedly told him. Her eyes flicked up to the phoenix still eating popcorn. “Who are you anyway?”

Garble frowned at the phoenix. “That’s Philomena. She’s a trouble-making old bird that keeps inviting herself to the dragon migration. What are you doing here Philomena?”

Philomena smiled at him. “I simply came to observe the results of my work.”

“Observe...wait a minute…you took Smog to show him your collection of treasure! You’re the one who did this!” Garble accused her. Philomena giggled and nodded.

Nightmare grabbed Philomena in her magic and pulled the phoenix toward her face. “You did this?! Why? Tell me how to change him back!”

Sunrise’s horn glowed with a golden light as she pulled Philomena away from Nightmare. “Calm yourself Nightmare Moon. Getting angry at this phoenix will not save Smog.”

Philomena giggled as she flapped her wings and settled on the ground. “To answer your question, there isn’t really a reason why. I just thought it would be funny. It’s hard to find new things to amuse yourself when you’re immortal. As for your second question, I’m sorry to say that I don’t know how to change him back. Silly me!”

Nightmare’s horn glowed as she glared at Philomena. “How dare you…”

Chrysalis got in between her friend and the phoenix. “Please Nightmare. We have to focus on saving Smog. Revenge can wait until later.”

Nightmare sighed. “You’re right. Garble, you’re a dragon who managed to grow up without turning into a monster. Do you know anything that might help?”

Garble sighed. “I only know one way to stop a berserker dragon. You can trick him into doing something generous, or get him to remember a generous thought. I wouldn’t recommend that though, as it could stop him from growing up. Then he’d be a shrimp for years.”

Nightmare sighed. “Smog has always dreamed of growing into a great and noble dragon. I don’t know if he’d be happy with staying young forever, but I don’t see any other option.”

“If greed is a natural part of all dragons, perhaps there is another option,” Sunrise said.

Nightmare frowned at her. “I can’t have my assistant and best friend become a monster obsessed with treasure.”

Sunrise smiled serenely. “Not all treasure is jewels and gold, my little pony.”

“Um, if I could have your attention for a moment…” Rarity said as she stared up at the humongous Smog as he towered over her. Smog’s claw reached down and grabbed her. “Eeeeek! Put me down!” Rarity screamed.

“Hold on Rares!” Rainbow shouted as she flew up to kick Smog in the face again. The irritated Smog simply batted her away with a flick from his other claw.

“Someone catch her!” Nightmare ordered her friends. “I’m putting a stop to this.” While she teleported away, Trixie’s horn glowed and caught Rainbow in her magic. Soon Nightmare had teleported back into the fight with an object wrapped in her telekinesis. She flapped her wings and flew up into Smog’s face.

“Smog! Snap out of it!” she cried. Smog squinted as he tried to focus on the smaller creature hovering in front of his eyes. Seeing that the flying pony didn’t have anything shiny like the fire ruby that the screaming white unicorn possessed, he ignored her. Nightmare frowned as Smog tried to rip the fire ruby away from Rarity’s neck. “So that’s how it’s going to be. Hey Smog! I have something for your hoard!” Smog’s ears perked up and he focused his attention back on her. “I propose a trade. You give me back Rarity, and I’ll give you…this!”

Smog’s eyes widened as he saw Sir Dragon floating in Nightmare’s magic. He looked at the fire ruby around Rarity’s neck, then back at his childhood toy. His eyes softened and his claws relaxed. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief as the claws trapping her uncurled and let her free. Nightmare levitated Rarity back onto the ground before giving the dragon doll to Smog.

Smog carefully held Sir Dragon in his claws and stared at it like it was the most beautiful thing he ever saw. Slowly, Smog began to shrink back. Within seconds he had shrunken down to more or less his normal size. As Nightmare landed on the ground beside him, he smiled at her.

“No matter what trouble we face growing up, we hold on to the memories we share together. Right?” Smog said. He set Sir Dragon on the grass and leapt into her embrace. Nightmare and Smog smiled as they hugged each other.

Nightmare sighed happily. “Right.”

“Hooray! The dragon has been defeated and just like that, everything turned out alright!” Discord said cheerfully. The others stared at all of the destroyed buildings in Peaceville and gave him a look. “…What? A little glue and some bandages and you can’t tell the difference!” He snapped his fingers and made a roll of bandages appear.

As Discord began to tape the town back together, Spike walked over to them. The great dragon was in his smaller form due to wearing the amulet that Princess Twilight had created. “Well done young Smog. You have learned that a dragon’s friends and family are a far greater addition to his hoard than any gemstone could ever be. Now that you have come back to your senses, I must return to the dragon migration and then the Crystal Empire. May you grow into a great and noble dragon,” Spike smiled at Nightmare and the other Elements. “And may your 'treasure' grow with you.” With that said, Spike removed the amulet. As his body began to grow again he flapped his wings and flew away.

Rarity sighed. “My goodness. The fun never ends around here, does it? Thank you Smog for saving me from…well, yourself.”

“Thanks Rarity. Hey Discord, need any help putting Peaceville back together?” Smog asked.

“Nope! Good as new!” Discord announced as he admired his handiwork. Many of the buildings in Peaceville now had bubbles floating from the walls. “Or good enough, I can never tell the difference.”

“Good. I’m beat,” Rainbow sighed.

Chrysalis sighed too. “Same here. Nightmare, your library is closer. Could we...” At Nightmare’s nod, the Element bearers and their friends walked toward the library.

The library door opened as Pound and Pumpkin exited. “Oh! Nightmare Moon! Didn’t see you there. Sorry, we were just uh…” Pound glanced at his sister.

“Hiding from the dragon fight! Really scary that!” Pumpkin said.

“That’s fine. But...why were you hiding in my library?” Nightmare asked.

“We were also browsing for a book to borrow! But we didn’t see anything yet. Maybe next time,” Pound said as he smiled nervously.

“Oh. Okay. Um…” Nightmare glanced at her friends before turning back to the twins. “You didn’t go into the...basement or anything, did you?”

“No!” Pound and Pumpkin blurted out as they shook their heads. “Well thanks anyway Miss Moon. Bye!” they said as they hurried back to their Super Duper Cupcake Maker.

“Huh. That was odd. What’s in the basement?” Discord asked.

“Um, it’s nothing. Just some boring old party dresses and costumes I had as a filly,” Nightmare hurriedly said. “Can I get anyone drinks? Sunrise, do you want anything?”

She looked behind her to get Sunrise’s opinion. But she was gone.

It was nighttime, although the morning was fast approaching. Philomena sighed as she examined her collection of treasures. The cave that housed the other collection that she had shown Smog had been completely destroyed by his rapid greed-growth. Watching the baby red dragon grow big and fight the purple and green dragon had been a lot of fun the previous day. But now, that fun was over. She had to flee Peaceville before the villagers could organize and demand an apology from her. But here in this cave, she was safe. Safe to admire her treasures and think back on memories of long ago. Safe and completely cut off from the world.

Philomena sighed. “Safe with a treasure I can never truly share with anyone,” she whispered to herself.

“I doubt that. I think many things in life can be shared,” a voice said. Philomena looked behind her to see a white and pink unicorn. She was one of the ponies watching the dragon battle that day.

Philomena flew over to the unicorn and glowed dangerously. “How did you find this place?! Who are you?!” she demanded.

“For the past few days I have gone by the name Heavenly Sunrise,” the pony answered calmly. “Quite a collection you have gathered over the years Philomena. However, that crystal that allows you to speak is what really impresses me. Wherever did you find it?”

“This is my home. You’re not welcome here,” Philomena warned her.

“You said you can never share your treasure with anyone. But there is always plenty of love for every friend to share,” the mare said.

Philomena stared at her. “Do I know you?” The pony didn’t answer and just kept smiling serenely. “Seriously, who are you?”

The pony giggled. “You haven’t changed too much Philomena. You always were a mischievous and curious young lady.”

“…Only one pony would ever call me young lady…”

The pony smiled as her horn glowed. The gold vest around her body came off to reveal the pony’s secret. She sighed happily as she unfurled her wings.

Philomena gasped. “M-mistress?”

The alicorn smiled warmly. “Hello Philomena. It has been far too long.”

Philomena leapt down and hugged the alicorn’s front legs. “I…I thought I’d never see you again…I thought you were lost forever…” she sobbed.

“My little Philomena…you and I are immortal. Forever isn’t that long for us.”

Philomena stared up into her eyes. “B-but you’ve returned…”

“More or less. This body before you is nothing but a fraction of my magic, created for the sole purpose of spying on my little ponies and discovering what has become of MY kingdom. My true body is still imprisoned. But not for long.” The alicorn stared into her eyes. “My return is approaching. Soon I will face the fools who betrayed me. Will you serve me once again?”

“Yes,” Philomena said.

The alicorn led the phoenix out of the cave. “Do you swear yourself to my side?”

“Now and forever.”

“Will you be my companion, my familiar, and my friend?”

“Always.”

The alicorn smiled. “Then come, my dear friend. We have much to do.”

The alicorn held out her hooves and the phoenix placed her wings on top of them. The two creatures burst into flames as bright as the sun, and their fire flew away into the sunrise.

Project Zero

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Project Zero

“How’s the checklist coming along Smog?” Nightmare Moon asked as she flipped through a book.

“Looks like we have everything we need here,” Smog said as he double-checked the checklist. “We just need to stop by Sugarcube Corner to pick up that cupcake order. Although, I still don’t know why we can’t ask Discord for that.”

“Two reasons. One, Discord encouraged us to support the Cakes business. And two, Princess Twilight can be very picky about her schedule. I don’t want her to get upset when it’s snack time and Discord is too busy to snap his fingers and conjure up some food,” Nightmare said as she jotted down a few notes on a spare piece of paper.

“Busy? What would Discord be busy with?” Smog asked.

With a sudden flash of light, Discord appeared in the middle of the library. He was riding on Trixie’s back and twirling a stretchy rubber chicken around like it was a lasso. “WOO! Hi-ho Lulamoon!”

“I meant no!” Trixie shouted as she tried to kick Discord off her back. “I meant no! What part of that made it sound like a yes?”

“Hey there, Moony!” Discord cheered. “Hey Smog, you ever get Nightie to give you a horsey ride? It’s such fun! Woo!”

“Discord, if you do not get off the Furious and Enraged Trixie’s back this instant, she will-” But they never heard what Trixie would do as Discord teleported the two of them away.

Nightmare blinked and turned back to Smog. “So just Sugarcube Corner is left?”

“Yep.” Smog rolled up the checklist, walked over, and climbed onto Nightmare’s back. “What are you working on there?” he asked as he tried to take a peek at her notes.

“What? Oh, uh nothing!” she said as she levitated the books and notes away. “Well we better go pick up that order.”

They left the library and began walking to Sugarcube Corner. Along the way, they spotted Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo rushing off past them. Seeing that Big Macintosh was trying to keep up with the excited fillies, Nightmare created a net-like shield and placed in front of their path.

Big Macintosh caught up to them and smiled. “Thank ya kindly Miss Moon. Now Apple Bloom, Ah need y’all to simmer down.”

“How can you expect us to be calm at a time like this? Peaceville is getting an official visit from royalty today!” Silver said. “This’ll be our chance to meet with Princess Twilight and King Sombra!”

“Not just our chance. With Babs Seed swinging by today, she’ll get a chance to see royalty too,” Apple Bloom said.

“Babs Seed? Who’s that?” Smog asked.

“She’s mah cousin!” Apple Bloom said proudly.

“And she’s from the Big Apple,” Diamond said with stars in her eyes. “As if a royal visit wasn’t amazing enough, I’ll get to meet Apple Bloom’s big city cousin! That’s why it’s so important that we get there early.”

“Obviously,” Silver said. “First impressions are incredibly important!”

“Huh. Hey, where are Snips, Snails, and Button Mash?” Smog asked. “Don’t they usually hang out with you guys?”

“The boys are back at the clubhouse trying to decide what games Babs Seed might want to play,” Silver said. “She’s only visiting for a few days so we want to get as much done as we can while she’s here.”

“Calm down you five,” Nightmare said. “It’s still early in the day. King Sombra and Princess Twilight won’t get here for another hour or so. As for this Babs Seed, I’m not sure when she’s coming.” She looked at Big Macintosh.

“‘Round lunchtime,” he said. “Which means y’all got plenty of time before they get here.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Ah guess ya got a point. But that don’t mean – OW!” she cried out suddenly. She placed her hoof over her right eye and winced.

The other ponies and dragon turned to her. “Apple Bloom?” Sweetie said. “What is it?”

“M-mah eye. It hurts,” Apple Bloom whimpered.

“What? What’s wrong with yer eye? Come here, lemme take a look…” Big Macintosh said as he gently tried to push her hoof away from her eye.

“N-no!” Apple Bloom turned away. “It’s n-nothing. Ah’m fine. Really. Probably the wind just blew something in it.”

Scootaloo bit her lip. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Ah said Ah’m fine,” Apple Bloom insisted. She smiled a little and said, “Now come on y’all. Even if Babs doesn’t come ‘til later we can still get there early!”

“Well, okay then,” Nightmare said. “Have a good day kids. You too Big Macintosh.” The red stallion nodded and led the five kids to the train station while Nightmare and Smog continued walking to Sugarcube Corner.

Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake smiled from the counter as they entered the shop. “Oh Miss Moon! We have the cupcakes you asked for right here dearie.” She pushed a blue box on the counter forward.

Nightmare smiled and opened the box with her magic before she frowned and examined the box’s contents. “This is a larger number than what I ordered.”

“Oh, I know dear. But we had extra, so I thought I’d add another cupcake or two. After all, King Sombra and Princess Twilight both work so hard. I’m sure they’ll appreciate a little extra food during your private brunch,” Mrs. Cake said.

“I see. Well that was very thoughtful of you. It’s just that some of the icing from the extra cupcakes is getting all over the ones next to them,” Nightmare said as she pointed at the cupcakes. “See?”

Smog raised an eyebrow. “So? Why do you care?”

Nightmare rolled her eyes. “I really don’t care. But Princess Twilight will. Unfortunately, our princess is a bit of a neat freak and a big by-the-book perfectionist. King Sombra told me that she can become very upset whenever something doesn’t match with her schedule for the day.”

“And you think a few messy cupcakes are going to make her flip her lid?” Smog guessed.

“Better to be safe than sorry.” Nightmare levitated the box back over to the Cakes. “If you could give us a bigger box and perhaps clean up the icing, I’m sure Her Majesty would appreciate it. You wouldn’t want her to be upset, would you?”

Mrs. Cake smiled nervously at Nightmare’s warning. “Of course not. I’ll fix these up right away.”

Nightmare nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to mention to Her Majesty how professional you and your husband are. That should put you in good favor with her.”

Smog looked around the store. “Speaking of family, where did Pound and Pumpkin go? I thought they were staying here with you now?”

Mr. Cake smiled. “Oh they are. They just had to make a short visit to Apple Pie Incorporated to let Miss Applejewel know that business in Peaceville was successful. She was the one who asked them to come here as a special request after all.”

“Special request? Why? What’s here in Peaceville that a big business mare like Applejewel would be interested in?” Nightmare asked.

“Maybe she wanted the twins to get our autographs?” Smog suggested as he flexed his muscles and struck a pose. “I mean, bearers of the Elements of Forgiveness and all that. Not to brag, but we are famous,” he said with a smug smile.

“No...the twins never asked us for an autograph,” Nightmare said. She smiled as the box was pushed back to her. “Oh, that’s much better. Thank you again Mr. and Mrs. Cake.” After examining the box of cupcakes that Mr. Cake had brought out, she paid the confectioners and carried the box back to the library.

A dark shadow and a blue mist floated in through the library window. The shadow and the mist transformed back into King Sombra and Captain Luna. “Ah, you’ve already set everything up. Well done Nightmare Moon,” the king said.

Nightmare gave him a bow. “Only the best for the ones who taught me everything I know.” She smiled as she saw Luna and ran up to her.

Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!

Luna giggled as they finished the song. “Always a pleasure to see you Moony.”

“Thanks Loony.” Nightmare smiled and cleared her throat. “Anyway, as you said King Sombra we have everything set up so we can begin whenever you’re ready.”

There was a flash of light as Princess Twilight teleported into the library. “Oh no, I’m late!” she cried as she saw the king already there. “I’m so sorry! I was testing the spell you and Luna use to shape shift into a shadowy mist form and it was working, but then I couldn’t travel as fast as you could and I was having problems with the winds and-”

King Sombra gently placed a hoof on her back. “Sparky, we talked about this. You’re only a few seconds late. It’s not a big deal. Breathe.”

The princess took a deep breath in and out. “Okay. I’m calm.”

Discord pointed a talon at her. “See that? That right there is why I believe order is so hazardous to one’s health. Chaos is so much better for keeping a carefree and open mind. You would never see me explode over something so trivial.” He smiled at his friends only to see that Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Gilda, Chrysalis, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were glaring at him. “What’s with all the angry faces?”

“You have used all of us in your little ‘horsey’ rides today. We are angry because you haven’t given any of us a moment of peace since this morning!” Rarity said.

Discord titled his head to one side. “…And your point is?”

“Being forced to give you a horsey ride was not funny!” Sunset said.

Discord dramatically gasped. “Why I never! I was merely including you in a joke like a good friend. But if that’s what you think of my friendship…” He stuck his paw in one of his eye sockets and yanked his left eye out. A lit fuse grew out of the eyeball as he rolled it toward them.

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Whoa, easy there! I’m sorry we got upset, there’s no need to blow up the library!”

Suddenly the fuse went out. The eyeball spun in place as the fuse turned into a tiny hose and began spraying water in their faces. Discord laughed as the water splashed over them before he screwed his eyeball back into place. “Ha, ha! Oh, I’m just messing with you! But not to worry, I have heard your complaints. No more horsey rides for me. Unless of course…”

“Trixie does not see herself offering you a chance to ride around on her back again.” Trixie said as she began to levitate the snacks onto the table. “But Trixie has agreed to stranger things in the past, so what does she know?”

King Sombra, Captain Luna and Princess Twilight sat down as brunch was served. Nightmare sat down next to them. “So tell me my faithful student, how have your studies been?” the king asked.

“Very well. I have finished the last spell book that you and Princess Twilight sent me. Along with all of the new spells I’ve been learning, I have also been researching obscure history, politics, economics, court manners…” Nightmare stopped as she took notice of the odd looks she was getting.

“Those sound like interesting fields to be taking a sudden interest in,” King Sombra said.

“Oh, it’s not sudden. I always do a little more research into other subjects whenever I’m not working on anything else,” Nightmare said.

“Whether your interest is sudden or not, it is nice to see you researching such subjects. I am curious though, why those specific fields? It’s not like you would ever have need of them,” Luna said as she gave Nightmare a gentle look. It was a look that her daughter had seen before.

“It’s…well, you know how it is Loony…” Nightmare said as she glanced at her friends. “Is everyone having a good time?”

“Oh, don’t mind us. We’re just playing a simple game,” Discord said.

“No left! Your other left! Over there stupid!” Gilda yelled at the table. Nightmare looked at their table to see robots running across the wood as toy ships sailed around them, firing small cannonballs at each other.

Princess Twilight stared at the table. “How are the robots walking on the wood as if it was solid, while the ships are sailing through the table as if it was a liquid?”

“It’s Discord, Your Majesty. Logic rarely applies to him. So what’s new at the Crystal Empire?” Smog asked.

“Oh, nothing too exciting has happened recently so it’s been business as usual,” Luna said.

“Oh? What about that volcanic activity? King Sombra said you and Princess Twilight were looking into some strange activity there,” Smog said.

“To be honest, I’m not sure what those were,” Princess Twilight said. “I suspect there might have been some ancient spells in place nearby but the phenomenon calmed down just as suddenly as it started. Cadance was the last one to come back from her investigation and she said she didn’t find anything odd.”

“Really? Nothing odd?” Chrysalis asked.

“The only thing that I noticed out of place was a jar of purple jelly that Miss Fluttershy was carrying.” Luna shrugged. “Maybe they stopped for groceries on the way back home. Although speaking of Cadance, have you noticed anything unusual about her?” she asked.

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened. “Now that you mention it, yes. Do you think it has anything to do with why she moved the date?”

“Date? What do you mean?” Nightmare asked.

The king, princess, and captain all stared at her before they looked at the other Elements and back. “Nightmare Moon…what we are about to tell you and your friends is not to leave this room,” King Sombra said.

“Ooh, a royal secret revealed? Let me guess,” Discord said tapped his chin in thought. “Luna is secretly Twilight’s mother!”

Princess Twilight, Captain Luna, and Nightmare all stared at him. “What?!”

“No? Very well, Luna is secretly Twilight’s daughter? Come now, join in on the fun!” Discord said to his other friends.

“Ooh, I got one!” Rainbow said as she raised her hoof. “Is King Sombra secretly a zombie?”

Gilda raised a wing. “Is Captain Luna a vampire? It’d explain why Nightmare has fangs.”

“Eternity has been turned into a sweet filly who loves magic acts and fireworks!” Trixie guessed with a hopeful smile.

“King Sombra has proposed to Luna! No, Cadance! No Princess Twilight! Oh shoot, can I have another guess?” Rarity said.

“The princess is a changeling! No, the countess is a changeling? Someone is a changeling!” Chrysalis guessed.

“Trixie has a secret cousin who is related to King Sombra?” Smog guessed.

Trixie shook her head. “No. To Trixie’s great and plentiful knowledge, her cousin Nyxie has no relations to any royal family members.”

“You still need to introduce us to her,” Nightmare said.

“Trixie already showed you the photo. Besides, the Mysterious and Mighty Nyxie Lulamoon is still out traveling and performing with her magic act,” Trixie said.

“Ooh, I have one darlings! Nightmare Moon’s father is from another universe and he is traveling to this world to marry me and make me a princess!” Rarity said. As everyone in the room gave her odd looks, Rarity giggled and burst into laughter.

Rainbow started laughing too. The Elements and their friends all chuckled as Princess Twilight, Luna, and King Sombra all glared at them. “Are you quite finished?” the king asked.

“Ooh! I have one more!” Discord announced. He opened his mouth and said his guess…

“There she is!” Apple Bloom cheered as an earth filly stepped off the train. She had a brownish-orange coat and a red-pink mane and tail. The fillies ran over to the Big Apple filly and grinned. “Babs, Babs! It’s me, yer cousin Apple Bloom!”

Babs Seed chuckled. “Yeah, I remember ya cousin.” She pointed at the unicorn and pegasus fillies. “And you’re Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, if I had ta guess from Bloom’s letter.” She glanced at Diamond and Silver and raised an eyebrow. “Can’t say I remember your names though.”

Before she could stop herself, Diamond blurted out, “What’s wrong with your voice?”

Babs’ eyes widened before she frowned. “Oh yeah? Well what’s wrong with your flanks? Still cutie cursed I see.”

“Whoa!” Apple Bloom got in-between Diamond and Babs and glared at her cousin. “Babs, that ain’t nice. This ain’t how I want mah friends to treat each other.”

Babs raised an eyebrow. “But I thought ya said-”

Apple Bloom surprised them by stuffing her hoof in Babs’ mouth. She glanced at her friends nervously before sighing. “That was before Babs. Me, and Diamond, and Silver are friends now. Understand?”

Babs stared at her like she said something weird, before she shrugged. “Yeah okay. Sorry ‘bout calling you two cutie cursed. That wasn’t cool.”

Diamond huffed and tossed her mane back. “Well you should be sorry.”

“DT…” Apple Bloom warned.

Diamond let go of her haughty attitude and sighed. “And…I’m sorry I made fun of your voice.”

“Still, that ain’t any reason for me to pick on ya for not being blank flanks. I should know, I used to get bullied for the same thing,” Babs said.

Silver raised an eyebrow. “So then why insult us for still being marked when you were picked on for the same thing?”

“I…I got nothing. …So I heard the king and princess are here today?” Babs said as she dodged the question.

“Yep! They’re having a private brunch with my sister and her friends in the library. Then the king said he was planning a fun game for all the kids in Peaceville,” Sweetie said. Her horn glowed as she carried out Babs’ luggage from the train. “Here, I’ll get your bags for you.”

“Whoa! Careful now, some of the stuff in there is pretty fragile,” Babs said as Sweetie gently set the bags down. Once she had them strapped to her back she smiled. “Sorry. So your sister is a friend of the Elements of Redemption, huh?”

“She sure is!” Sweetie beamed with pride. “In fact, we’re all friends with the Element bearers. Uh, kinda. I think we are.” She tapped her chin in thought. “Yeah, we are.”

Babs nodded. “Ya don’t say…hey, is there anything you can tell me about the library?”

“Well, Nightmare Moon is in charge of it. Other than that, it’s just like any other library,” Diamond said.

Babs stared at the library as it came into view. “Is that right…”

Everyone else in the library stared at Discord. “…What? What sort of guess was that?!” Rarity blurted out.

“…With a hammer…and a banjo…oatmeal…are you crazy?!” Rainbow shouted.

King Sombra sighed, “Discord…you have issues.”

Discord stood up and took a bow. “Thank you, thank you! You have all been a wonderful audience.”

Nightmare rolled her eyes before turning back to the king. “So what’s the real secret? I promise I won’t tell anyone.” The other Elements nodded.

“Very well. The date that Princess Twilight mentioned refers to the day they plan to hold the event,” King Sombra said.

Princess Twilight gave them an excited smile. “My brother and Countess Cadance are getting married!”

An overjoyed smile formed on Chrysalis’ face. “Really? That’s wonderful! Oh, I love weddings.”

“I imagine anyone would enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet,” Discord chuckled.

“Hey!” Trixie protested in Chrysalis’ defense.

“Oh, it’s okay Trixie. I know he didn’t mean it. And I’ll admit that most changelings do see big event weddings as free food. But for me, it’s so beautiful to see the love between two people on their wedding day,” Chrysalis said.

“It is indeed beautiful,” Rarity sighed. “Even if I must find my prince elsewhere, I’m happy that Countess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor have each other. Ooh!” Her eyes widened as a hopeful smile filled her face. “C-could I design the wedding dress? Please? Pretty please?”

“I’m sure Cadance would love to have you design her dress. But, I’m afraid you might not get the chance,” Princess Twilight said.

“Whatever do you mean?” Rarity said as she took note of the princess’ sad and confused expression.

“My brother has been dating her for a while. Ever since the Gala, I think. I know that wasn’t too long ago and it may seem like they only just started courting each other, but Shining believes that Cadance is his one true love. I heard that Cadance was so happy when he proposed to her…”

“I thought she proposed to him?” Luna said.

“The moment was kept private from what I gathered.” King Sombra shrugged. “It could have been either of them. We’ll never know for sure.”

“The point is, Cadance was happy to be getting married. But then, out of nowhere…she canceled the wedding,” Princess Twilight said. She rubbed a tear out of her eye.

“What?” Chrysalis gasped.

“I do not believe she canceled the wedding. I think she simply said that the wedding would moved to a much later date,” King Sombra.

“Oh. That’s better than simply canceling her wedding. But still, why did she move it?” Chrysalis asked.

“I don’t know,” Princess Twilight admitted. “I don’t even think Cadance wanted to do it. Every time she visits the castle, she hides in her room. Whenever I see her in the halls she looks…heartbroken. She puts on a brave face whenever I see her but...I’m worried about her.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Chrysalis asked hopefully.

“We have been asking Cadance that same question ever since she announced her desire to postpone the wedding,” Luna said. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure out what’s troubling her soon enough.”

King Sombra gave them a sad smile. “We ask that you do not tell anyone this information. Their wedding was supposed to be a pleasant surprise for our empire and now we do not want their feelings to be hurt by any curious reporters or paparazzi. I am sorry at having to burden you all with this sad news. But perhaps you would like to hear some good news now?”

“Good news?” Sunset spoke up. “Like what?”

King Sombra smiled at Luna. “Do you want to tell them?”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Tell them what?”

“You know. The good news.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Could you be a little more specific?”

King Sombra frowned a little. He looked down at the table and shook his head. He looked up and said, “Pardon me, but specific about what?”

“Um, the good news,” Sunset said.

“Oh, um…” King Sombra frowned in confusion as he tried to remember what he was going to say. He looked up at a clock in the library and smiled. “Ah yes. It appears brunch is almost over. Come Sparky, we should go visit the other citizens of Peaceville. I know we had a fun activity for the children planned.”

The whole building shook as they heard a tremendous roar. Discord looked out the window and then looked back with a carefree grin. “Isn’t that always the case? You plan something and then a giant three-headed dog rampages through town. Isn’t life random?” he laughed.

“Three-headed…Cerberus?!” King Sombra exclaimed. They all ran outside the library to see what had caused the roar. There was in fact a giant three-headed black dog, with all three heads wearing spiky collars.

“That’s Cerberus!” Princess Twilight exclaimed. “He’s supposed to be guarding the gates of Tartarus.”

Gilda stared at the giant guard dog “Whoa. Talk about an awesome pet to have.”

“Yes, well I’m sorry to say he’s not your pet,” a deep voice said. They looked up to see a gargoyle-like creature with a brown mane and fur, red bat-like wings, and a long tail.

“Ah, Prince Scorpan. A pleasure to see you again,” King Sombra smiled and gave a bow to the prince.

“A pleasure to see you too King Sombra,” the prince said as he stopped flying and touched down on the ground before them. “So sorry I couldn’t join you and Tirek during your last Gala.”

“It was rather boring to begin with, but we managed to turn the event into a truly glorious celebration! Even if the party may have awoken the Pink Trickster, you should have been there,” Luna said.

“Prince Scorpan, why is Cerberus in Peaceville? If he’s here, then all the ancient evil creatures that have been imprisoned there could escape and destroy Equestria!” Princess Twilight exclaimed.

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Wait…you mean those weren’t just myths? There are actually creatures imprisoned in Tartarus? King Sombra, I thought you taught us that everyone deserves a second chance.”

The king sighed. “My faithful student…”

Nightmare stomped her hoof. “You said that no pony is perfect, but everyone deserves a chance for forgiveness. For night’s sake, I thought that’s why we had the Elements of Redemption!”

“My subjects, you will be happy to know that Tartarus has very few prisoners. You are correct my student; we defeat our enemies by making them our allies. Almost every single creature I have met has some good in them, no matter how bad they might seem,” King Sombra said with a proud smile. “Even with all the trouble our empire goes through, we are at peace…most of the time.”

Prince Scorpan nodded. “Your king is right. But sadly, there are still a few creatures that call Tartarus home. I hope that you never have to encounter them.”

“Okay. Here’s an important question: have any of them escaped Tartarus?” Luna said, the force behind her voice a sign that this was a matter of grave seriousness.

“Not since I last checked,” the prince said, which seemed to calm Luna down.

“Well then there’s no real problem,” Nightmare said. “Discord, do you have a ball or something I could…”

She trailed off as they all noticed the giant tree that Discord had ripped out of the ground and was waving in Cerberus’ face. “Come here boy! You wanna play fetch? I’ll bet you wanna play fetch!”

Nightmare shrugged. “Well it’s not my tree so I guess that’ll work.”

“Oh, very good!” Prince Scorpan said as Discord handed him the tree. “I’ll just go and take him back home. Once he’s guarding the gates again, there shouldn’t be any permanent problems.” The prince flapped his wings and began leading Cerberus away from Peaceville and back to Tartarus.

“The guards and I will have to search Everfree just in case one of the prisoners has escaped,” Captain Luna informed the king and princess.

“Aw mom, do you have to leave right now? You just got here,” Nightmare said.

Luna smiled and nuzzled her daughter. “I’m afraid so Moony. While there are very few creatures imprisoned in Tartarus, the ones that are…they could be very dangerous.”

Nightmare sighed and returned the nuzzle. “I understand Loony. The safety of our kingdom must always come first.”

“Aw! And I was looking forward to seeing the Cutie Mark Destroyers give you guys horsey rides,” Discord said, shaking his head sadly.

The others stared at him. “Where…what could possibly make you think we’d do that?” King Sombra asked.

“Well what was that fun activity you were talking about earlier?” Discord shot back.

“A chess game. Princess Twilight would be white while I would be black. We would pick and choose from the children who wished to play the game to be our pawns, knights, rooks, bishops, queens, and kings,” King Sombra explained. “When one piece captured the other, the foals would gently tap each other with paper swords and the captured piece would move off the field to watch the rest of the game.”

“Oh! A pony-sized, fake game of chess. That does sound fun,” Discord admitted. “But you know what would be really fun? Pony-sized Chinese checkers.” He snapped his fingers to show them what a normal version of the game looked like. “I shall explain the rules for anyone who has never heard of it. Now, we’ll need to place the fillies, colts, and nymphs inside giant marble balls…”

The king and princess both glared at him. “No.”

Discord crossed his arms and smirked. “Maybe not today, but I will get my perfect game of checkers. No child can resist the temptation.” He chuckled mischievously.

Luna gave Nightmare one more hug. “Sorry I couldn’t stay longer today Moony.”

“That’s okay Loony. I’ll see you in my dreams at least,” Nightmare said.

With that, the Elements and their friends waved as King Sombra turned into his shadow form while Twilight and Luna flapped their wings and they flew off.

Sunset covered her mouth as she yawned. “So a giant three-headed dog wandered into Peaceville for no reason and it’s barely past noon. I don’t know about you guys but I’m already tired.”

“Not as tired as Trixie is going to be. With the Royal Family’s early departure, it will fall to me to entertain the disappointed kids,” Trixie groaned.

Discord waved his paw in the air. “I can help!”

“Trixie is not letting you put them into giant glass marbles!”

“Oh please, just try and stop me. In fact, once I tell them the idea just try and stop them. Race ya!” Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared.

“Oh a race is it?” Trixie’s horn glowed as she teleported away.

“Hey I wanna race!” Rainbow said as she flapped her wings and zoomed off.

Gilda shrugged. “Eh, it ain’t like I got anything better to do today.”

As her friends left to return home or to pursue other activities that day, Nightmare shrugged. “I guess you have the day off Smog. I’ll be catching up on my reading if you need me.”

Smog nodded as Nightmare turned into mist and flew away before he decided to take a walk around Peaceville.

That night, Nightmare talked with her mom in her dreams. “So? Did you capture any escaping monsters?”

Luna shook her head. “We haven’t encountered anything malicious so far. Perhaps Cerberus wandered too far away from his post and that was it.”

“Probably. It might not hurt to keep searching just in case though. Better safe than sorry,” Nightmare said.

Luna chuckled. “No need to be so paranoid Moony.”

“I’m not paranoid Loony, I’m worried. About you and about our kingdom. You have to admit that…”

Nightmare trailed off as Luna held up a hoof and gave her a reassuring smile. “Relax Moony.” She stood up. “If you’re that concerned with the wellbeing of the empire, perhaps it is time we focus our efforts on guarding the dreams of its citizens.”

Nightmare smiled and readied her conscious mind in preparation for dream walking. But just as she began to enter the Dream World, she heard an alarm go off. Her eyes widened. “Oh no!”

Nightmare jolted herself awake as Smog jumped out of bed too. “What is that? Where’s that noise coming from?!”

“Smog, someone is trying to steal from me!” Nightmare shouted.

Smog’s eyes widened. “What? Who’d be crazy enough to steal from you?”

“I plan to find out!” Nightmare growled as her horn and eyes glowed with furious power. She transformed into an angry cloud of magic and zipped outside of the library. She quickly spotted a cloaked pony running away from Peaceville.

“HALT!” Nightmare ordered as her horn glowed with telekinetic power. A dark blue aura surrounded the cloaked pony before a small glow appeared on the pony’s left side. Her levitation spell slipped away.

“No. NO!” Nightmare teleported in front of the pony and fired a blast of magic. The small glow appeared again and absorbed Nightmare’s spell. The dark alicorn growled and aimed a powerful kick at the pony, but the thief was incredibly nimble and leapt away from her attacks before retreating again. Desperately, Nightmare screamed out, “DISCORD!”

After a few seconds that felt way too long to her, the chaos spirit appeared in a flash of light. He yawned and removed the pillow crown from his head. “Moony, I realize that you are a bit of a night owl, but some of us need sleep. I mean I don’t, but it’s nice-”

“Discord this is extremely important! A cloaked pony has just stolen something very dangerous from me! Whoever it is, they have something that’s blocking my power. I can’t hit them with a spell or grab them with my magic. You need to stop them!”

Discord yawned. “Moony, you live in a library. Who cares if someone didn’t want to wait until morning to check out a book?”

“This is serious!” Nightmare cried.

“My dear, what could anyone possibly steal from you that could be considered dangerous?”

Nightmare frowned at him. “Something that could turn all of us into stone or worse.”

Discord’s eyes widened. “Well gee, you should have led with that! You chase after them, I’ll grab the others and see if we can block their path.”

“Wait! Don’t…” she stopped talking as Discord disappeared again. “Oh, blast it all!” She flapped her wings and raced toward the cloaked thief. The pony had managed to travel further away while she had been distracted with Discord, but Nightmare was quickly catching up. Her eyes widened as she saw the other Elements plus Rainbow and Rarity appear in a flash of chaos magic, blocking off the path that the cloaked pony had been running towards.

“FIRE!” Nightmare ordered as she fired a blast of magic at the cloaked pony. Sunset, Trixie, Rarity, Chrysalis, and Discord all fired powerful stun spells at the cloaked pony while Smog spat a burst of fire and Gilda and Rainbow used nearby storm clouds to fire lightning bolts at the thief. The strange glow at the pony's side was able to absorb or block off almost every attack. Almost.

Discord growled as he snapped his fingers. Long vines burst from the ground and ensnared the pony’s legs and hooves, tripping them up and causing them to fall to the ground with a grunt. “Woohoo! Praise chaos everyone!” Discord cheered.

As the pony fell down the motion caused the cloak to flap, revealing the bags they had been carrying. A small clear crystal fell out, as well as a library book, and a black folder with an image of the moon on it containing several dozen pages of notes and photos.

Nightmare’s eyes widened as she grabbed the loose sheets of paper and stuffed them back into the folder before levitating it towards her.

Smog went up to the cloaked pony and stomped on their front hoof. “Alright whoever you are! Why’d you steal from us?! Talk!”

King Sombra, Princess Twilight, and Captain Luna all appeared before them with a huge flash of magic. “What’s going on here?” the king demanded to know.

“This pony tried to steal from us!” Smog said.

King Sombra glared at the cloaked thief. “Oh did they now? And who is this pony?” he asked as his horn glowed with dark magic. He telekinetically pulled away the hood of the cloak to reveal…a completely faceless white pony. The Elements gasped at the faceless creature.

Chrysalis frowned as she examined the thief. Her horn lit up with green magic as she pulled out another crystal from the thief’s bags. “This crystal is filled with changeling magic, and a lot of it.”

“And this crystal can absorb combative magic and cancel out harmful spells,” Sunset said as she examined the clear crystal. “You can’t get these crystals anywhere. They’re very rare and expensive!” She glared at the faceless thief. “But I do know that your disguise crystal isn’t permanent. You’re not going anywhere until we get answers so there’s no use hiding your identity from us anymore.”

The faceless pony grunted. “That freaking hurts dragon,” he or she said in a distorted whisper. The crystal disguised even the thief’s voice.

“It’s going to hurt more if you don’t give us answers,” King Sombra growled.

The pony turned its faceless gaze towards Nightmare. “The folder! Give that back!”

Nightmare growled and pinned the folder to the ground with her hoof. “I will never let this folder fall into the wrong hooves or claws! Who sent you?!”

The faceless pony growled before it noticed the library book by her hooves. “Someone who doesn’t need that information. I figured those kinds of secrets could give me a bonus, but I really only came here for one thing.” The pony reached out and grabbed the library book, before the thief pulled out a third crystal and smashed it into the ground. The crystal shards glowed brightly before they swallowed up the thief and the library book in a flash of magic.

Sunset blinked. “A long distance teleportation crystal? Those are pretty expensive too. And it’s not something that a magic user would need to use.”

“Nightmare! They got away with that book!” Smog shouted.

“Not important. I saw the cover of the book they stole, I can order a new copy easily,” Nightmare said as she began walking away. “I got back what was important.” She levitated the black folder and held it in front of her as she walked.

“What? You don’t care that a book has been stolen? It hasn’t been checked out properly!” Princess Twilight cried. Nightmare glanced at her before she flapped her wings and began to fly back to the library. “Hey!” the princess shouted as she teleported in front of Nightmare and hovered in midair. “Nightmare Moon, I’m talking to you!” Princess Twilight frowned at the folder. “What’s so important about that folder anyway?”

Nightmare looked away. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I can’t tell you.”

King Sombra’s eyes widened. “Nightmare Moon, what is in that folder?”

“I can’t tell you either, Your Majesty.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Moony, this isn’t like you. What’s going on?”

Nightmare closed her eyes. “I…I’m sorry mom…”

“Yoink!” Discord said as he snapped his fingers and made the folder appear in his claws. He flipped a talon through the folder as he began to inspect its contents. “Now what do we have here?”

Nightmare’s eyes widened in fear as she flew toward him. “Discord give me that back!” But the draconequus snapped his fingers and trapped Nightmare in a giant marble ball. He chuckled and continued to read. But Discord’s playful smile soon faded. Without a word he levitated the folder over to King Sombra.

The king looked through the folders contents before he set it down and frowned at Nightmare. His eyes began to leak dark magic as he calmly asked, “What is the meaning of this?”

Nightmare gulped. “I…I can explain…”

They all sat in the library as they looked over Nightmare’s notes. Nightmare Moon sat away from them, her head and ears lowered.

“Cockatrice…stone prison…Windigos…magic suppressors?!” Princess Twilight looked up from the folder’s contents in shock. “What is all this?!”

Trixie glared at Nightmare. “That’s what I’d like to know too.”

“You and me both,” Gilda growled.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say you owe us an explanation Nightmare,” Sunset said sternly.

Nightmare sighed. “I think I first started to consider the project’s creation some time after Pinkie Pie’s defeat, but I only recently started put more thought into it.” She looked them all in the eye. “I call it Project Zero Hope, or Project Zero for short.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Zero Hope? Well that sounds cheerful,” she said sarcastically.

“I felt it would best describe my feelings if the event occurred. A feeling of hopelessness. I had to be prepared for the worst.” Nightmare said. “I know that you’re not comfortable with this and you have every right to be, but hear me out. The Elements of Redemption are the Crystal Empire’s best line of defense but we need all the Elements to make them work. And the wielders of the Elements – by which I mean we – are some of the most powerful and potentially dangerous creatures in Everfree.”

She pointed at each of her friends. “We have three powerful unicorns, a griffon and a pegasus who are both incredibly fast and can pull off extremely destructive aerial attacks, a dragon who can grow into a monster, a king of darkness, a princess with incredible magic, a changeling queen who can shape shift and command the respect of an army of changelings, and of course a draconequus who can change reality with a snap of his talons.”

Nightmare pointed at the plans next. “I created this Project in the event that one of you or more ever turned evil, as way to contain you until you could be turned back.” She looked back up. “Notice I said contain. I would never want to hurt any of you.”

Gilda slammed her claws on the table. “So you created this stupid project just in case one of us turned evil? I thought I could trust you! This is just Mare Do Well all over again.”

Nightmare looked at her. “I don’t actually see you turning evil by your own choice, but sadly mind control exists in this world. And speaking of Mare Do Well, I remember you and Rainbow getting possessed by Vengeance and being forced to attack us.” She turned to face her other friends. “Trixie and Sunset were under the influence of the Inspiration Manifestation. Smog was being controlled by his own greed-growth. Princess Twilight was once controlled by Eternity and Rarity was being corrupted by the Alicorn Amulet. Not to mention that we were ALL put under Pinkie Pie’s spell when she broke free. What if instead of making us fall asleep, she had tried to force us to attack Everfree with her?”

Sunset frowned. “Okay, I think I’m starting to understand. You make some good points. But these plans were all about finding a way to imprison us! Even turning us into stone. How are we supposed to trust you if you can’t even trust us?”

“I trust all of you completely. But as I said, mind control exists and it could take any one of us next!” Nightmare argued.

Rainbow flew into Nightmare’s face. “So why not just make a plan to stop the mind control or whatever? In case you haven’t noticed these plans of yours could be used against us anytime! And someone just tried to steal them tonight! What happens if this stuff falls into the wrong hooves?”

Nightmare sighed. “Project Zero was still incomplete. I was still preparing for any possible situation when I wrote all of this.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone you were doing this?” Chrysalis asked.

“Because if I told you the details of the plans, your mind-controlled selves might figure a way around them and keep hurting people,” Nightmare said.

Sunset spread her hooves out. “Who said you have to tell us the details?! Just tell us you were making the plans in the first place and why you were doing it.”

Nightmare bit her lip and looked away. “Okay. You might have a point there.” She shook her head. “Gilda’s right, this is like Mare Do Well. I didn’t think this all the way through. I’m sorry.”

Gilda looked a lot less angry, even if she was still frowning at Nightmare. “And just like Mare Do Well, this could have been solved if you just talked to us. I thought we were friends.”

“We are friends. But our kingdom needs us to be more than that. The safety of the Crystal Empire must always come first.”

King Sombra titled his head in thought. “Why do you say that?”

Nightmare’s eyes widened before she looked away. “Because I have to think about the safety of the kingdom of course.”

“Hold on…why do you have to think about that?” Princess Twilight asked. “Sombra and I are the rulers of Everfree. It’s our responsibility.”

Nightmare sighed. “You don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to us Nightmare,” Luna said.

Nightmare closed her eyes, took a few breaths, and opened them again. “Because it’s my responsibility.”

“You’re not making any sense Nightmare,” Princess Twilight said.

“King Sombra…Princess Twilight…I respect both of you very much. You have ruled Everfree peacefully and you have both taught me much. But the truth is, you were not supposed to be the rightful rulers of Everfree.”

King Sombra frowned. “Excuse me?”

“My mom never told me all the details but she told me enough,” Nightmare said as she looked at Luna. “Before you two came into power, Captain Luna was known as Princess Luna. She ruled Everfree with her older sister and my aunt, Princess Celestia. But my aunt became corrupted and turned into a monster. Sombra imprisoned her to protect the kingdom. Even though my mom knew that it was the right thing to do, she was still heartbroken over losing her sister. So she passed the crown’s responsibilities to Sombra and Sparkle.”

Luna looked at the floor, her ears folded down in sadness.

Nightmare stood up, her wings unfurled and her horn glowing. “I am Nightmare Moon. The second alicorn of the night and the true heir to the throne. I was born to become the next princess. This was to be MY kingdom to rule over.” Her wings folded back up and her horn stopped glowing. “But since I cannot rule this kingdom, I have to do the next best thing. It is my royal duty to protect Peaceville, the empire, and all of Everfree. Even if I’m no longer royalty.”

Her friends and family all stared at her with wide eyes. “All of this…you did all of this to protect a kingdom you can’t even rule over?” Sunset asked.

Nightmare stared them all down. “As an alicorn and the bearer of the Element of Power, the role of leader has always suited me. I enjoy having the power to lead others and I gladly accept the responsibilities that come with it.”

Luna sighed. “Moony, we’re not princesses anymore.”

“I know mom. But that’s not going to stop me,” Nightmare said.

Rainbow sighed. “Okay fine. I think I understand your reasons even though I also don’t understand.”

Trixie sighed. “That about sums this confusing thing up.”

Gilda pointed a talon at Nightmare. “Okay, even if you were trying to protect people in your own weird way, you still hurt us with these plans.”

Nightmare lowered her head. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt any of you, just contain you if you ever went crazy.”

Sunset sighed. “Well we are the Elements of Forgiveness. I’m willing to forgive you, but you need to answer me something first. Where’s your plan?”

Nightmare looked back up. “Excuse me?”

Sunset frowned. “Don’t tell me that for all that talk about power, you never thought of a plan to stop yourself.”

Nightmare smiled. “Actually, I did come up with a plan. I’m looking at them right now.” Everyone else blinked in surprise. “Like I said, I trust all of you completely. Even with protecting the world from me.”

Smog scratched the back of his head. “Well uh, that doesn’t seem fair. You already know how to stop all of us so…”

Nightmare laughed. “Stop all of you at once? HA! Then I’d really have zero hope!”

One by one, the rest of her friends smiled a little. “Well, heh…I would still feel better if you gave us a plan…” Rarity said.

Nightmare pointed at Luna. “Just ask her for some embarrassing stories about me. Loony’s the only one I didn’t create a plan for because I knew I’d never stand a chance against her.”

Rainbow held up a hoof. “Okay, okay. I forgive you.” The others agreed.

“I dunno…you promise to trust us more?” Gilda asked.

Nightmare nodded. “I do. In fact…I’m going to trust you all with a secret.” She glanced at Discord. “Even against my better judgment. Can you promise me you won’t tell this to anyone?” They all nodded. “Okay. When I was still a filly, my mom and I were guests at a wedding.”

Luna’s eyes lit up. “Oh my…are you telling them about that? By the night, am I dreaming?”

Nightmare sighed and continued. “I was very young at the time and I didn’t really know what was going on or what a wedding was. I just knew it was a ceremony meant to symbolize the love between two people. That night, I had a dream and mom visited me in my dreams just like she does for everyone on every night.”

Luna grinned. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…”

Nightmare cringed. “My mom saw the much younger and very foolish me…getting married to her.”

Discord, Rainbow and Luna burst into laughter while everyone else worked hard to suppress their own laughter. “Oh my gosh!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“I was very young at the time! I had no real idea what a wedding meant! It was just a stupid game! Come on, kids play pretend weddings all the time!” Nightmare cried.

Sunset giggled. “Maybe, but I don’t think any of us had a fake wedding with our moms!”

“Perhaps a cousin or two,” Trixie said, even as she couldn’t stop her giggles.

“Here comes the bride! She’s dressed in black! I don’t know the words to the rest of this song!” Discord sang.

Nightmare put her head on the floor and covered her face as she blushed in embarrassment. “Okay, yes. It’s very funny. Now I trusted you all with my darkest secret, something only my mom ever knew before. Can we please move on? Please?”

Eventually they all calmed down. “Well, I feel better now. Who’s up for a game?” Discord said as he rolled some marbles in his claws.

“I just have one more question. The thief wasn’t after your Project Zero, they just grabbed it as a bonus. What was the book they were really after?”

Nightmare shrugged. “It wasn’t important. They could have gotten a book like that at any library. It was just my copy of The Elements of Forgiveness: A Reference Guide.”

Somewhere in the Big Apple, Granny Smith knocked on the door. “Pardon me. Someone’s here to see ta see you.”

“Send them in,” Miss Applejewel said.

Pound and Pumpkin nervously walked into the shadowy office. Babs walked by them, a more confident smirk on her face.

“Ah, Pound, Pumpkin. I didn’t know you would be coming too. What can I do for you darlings?” Applejewel asked.

“We were just bringing Babs back here miss. And we wanted to check up on you. We haven’t seen you face-to-face in a while,” Pound said.

“Are you okay miss?” Pumpkin asked.

Applejewel spun around in her chair to face them. She wore a plain dress and a simple hat. She also still wore the same golden mask that she had worn to the Gala. “That mostly depends on what Babs here has brought me.”

“Miss Applejewel, why are you still wearing that mask? I thought the accident happened a while ago. Shouldn’t it have healed by now?” Pound asked.

Applejewel chuckled. “I told you all the truth. I’m sorry if you found it misleading.”

“Huh?” the twins said.

“The accident that forces me to wear this mask actually happened much earlier. It’s only now that my condition is being to show,” Applejewel said.

“Condition?” Pumpkin said.

“Yes. Actually it’s – OW!” Applejewel winced as she turned away from them. “Pound, Pumpkin, can you wait outside please? I need to talk to Babs in private.”

The twins walked out of the office while Applejewel removed her mask and rubbed at her eye, making sure to look at the floor as she did so.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Babs said.

“I’m fine,” Applejewel said as she put the mask back on.

“What does your eye look like?” Babs boldly asked.

Applejewel chuckled. “Trust me Babs, it’s a scary sight to see.” She turned back to face her. “Did you bring what I asked for?”

“Yep. I almost got a bonus too. A folder filled with information on the Element bearers. I thought you might want it.”

“You don’t say? Where is it?”

“I’m afraid the Elements caught me before I could get far away enough for the teleport crystal to work. Someone really needs to improve the range on those things. Anyway, they took the folder back and unfortunately I don’t remember much of what was in it.”

“Well at least you got back. The disguise crystal worked okay?”

Babs smirked. “Yep. They have no idea it was me. Of course I’ll need another teleport crystal to get back to Peaceville so that Apple Bloom and her friends don’t get suspicious.”

“Apple Bloom? How is she?”

“She’s fine. Her eye was hurting a little but she said she probably got a hair or something caught in it.”

“Huh…yeah, that’s probably it. Did you get what I asked you to get?”

“Right here,” Babs said as she placed the copy of The Elements of Forgiveness: A Reference Guide on Applejewel’s desk. “I don’t know why you wanted this specific copy though.”

Applejewel chuckled as she gently placed a hoof on the book. “You’ve done well.” She walked over to the mini-fridge in her office and opened it. “As promised: the best bottle of apple cider you’ve ever tasted. Made with zap apples too.”

Babs’ eyes widened even as she licked her lips. “And you’re sure it’s safe to drink?”

“I am. I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of last year’s failure at making this stuff. We’ve added a few extra ingredients to make sure there won’t be any negative side effects. It’s expensive to make but safe to drink.”

Babs quickly grabbed the rainbow-coloured cider and slowly drank it, savoring every last delicious drop. “Oh my gosh…” she moaned in happiness.

Applejewel chuckled. “Yeah. Don’t drink too much at once though. Okay?”

“Thank you. I better get back to Peaceville before morning.”

Applejewel removed another teleportation crystal from her desk and tossed it to Babs. “You got that right. I’ll contact you if I need anything else. Always a pleasure working with you Babs.”

As the earth filly left her office, Applejewel flipped through the pages of the reference guide. Eventually she found what she was looking for. “Gotcha…”

Elsewhere in Everfree, Pinkie Pie smiled as she patted the coughing pony on the back. “There, there. Keep coughing, you’ll feel better in a moment.”

The pony that looked like Twilight Sparkle glared at Pinkie with draconic purple eyes. “Trickster. You removed me from the dragon’s stomach?”

Pinkie grinned. “Yep!”

“But you were the traitor who trapped me in the first place!”

“Yepperoni!” Pinkie giggled. “So what’s it like living in Spike’s belly, Smokey?”

“Do not think of me as just some harmless cloud of magic! I am vengeance eternal! I am-”

Pinkie patted the spirit on the head. “Yeah, yeah. You can call yourself whatever you want silly filly. Just don’t call me late to the party!” she winked and giggled.

The spirit growled. “Was betraying me part of the plan? What did you hope to accomplish?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Well I was hoping to see if we could make a few of Nightie’s friends go crazy-wavy and then she’d make some nifty plans to beat them before making them not crazy-wavy.” She snapped her finger and made a folder appear. She flipped through its contents curiously. “Huh. Nightie’s mind really wanders.”

The spirit grinned evilly. “So you managed to acquire plans to defeat the Elements?”

Pinkie giggled. “What, you think I’m going to use these? Nope!” She snapped her fingers and turned the folder into butterflies. She smiled and watched the butterflies fly around before she turned them back into a folder and banished it back to Nightmare’s library with a snap of her fingers.

The spirit glared at her. “What? Then what was the point of all that?”

Pinkie giggled. “Aw, what fun is there in a point?”

“So this was all some sick game to you?” Eternity growled.

Pinkie smiled. “Oh there was nothing sick about it! Except maybe when I pretended to have Rock Pox.” She stuck her tongue out. “Does thith look gray ta you?”

“Then what was the real plan?” Eternity demanded to know.

Pinkie floated back in the air and sighed happily. “That’s the best part. I don’t know yet! What I do know is that all I have to do is wait.”

Eternity hissed in disgust. “You weakling. I will no longer ally myself with a fool. Stay out of my way Pink One.” She made to leave but stopped when she felt her hooves freeze to the ground.

“Now hold on a minute silly filly.” Pinkie floated forward and looked the spirit in the eye. “Why did you switch from possessing Gilda to Rainbow?”

Eternity growled. “I thought that was part of the plan.”

Pinkie frowned. “You hurt Dashie, you big meanie. That wasn’t cool, it wasn’t part of the plan, and it wasn’t FUN.” Pinkie smiled sadly. “I really hoped we could have been friends. But then you went and hurt Dashie. Now that I think about it, you hurt Rarity and Twily and a bunch of ponies. I can’t be friends with a big mean bully. So Imma gonna destroy you now, okie dokie lokie?”

Eternity smirked. “And how do you plan to accomplish that? I am conflict made flesh. As long as good and evil battle each other, I can never die.”

Pinkie nodded. “Uh huh. But the thing is, when Princess Sparkle was sad and lonely and angry, she used her magic to summon you and become Eternal Twilight. Before that…I dunno, what were you?”

Eternity’s eyes widened as its smile fell. “You wouldn’t…”

Pinkie smiled and snapped her fingers. “Ooh, I just thought of what you were! Let’s see if I’m right.” She reached into the air and ripped a hole through the fabric of time and space. The magical black hole began to suck in the magic it was created to absorb. Eternity gasped in horror as it watched its hooves turning into mist and getting sucked away.

She stared at Pinkie. “You would destroy my physical form. You’re actually going to kill me…”

Pinkie frowned and pointed a hoof at the spirit. “Hey! You listen here, you meanie hissy-missy! Don’t you dare make me the bad guy. I’m the one who’s making sure the evil spirit of doom doesn’t hurt anyone. Besides, you just said you can’t die. You just won’t be able to interact with other ponies anymore.” She smiled calmly. “It’s okay. I felt the same way when I was turned to stone. It made me pretty crazy but maybe you’ll turn so insane that you become sane! Won’t that be fun?”

“You can’t do this!” the spirit cried.

Pinkie giggled. “I can do anything I want! Including this.” She snapped her fingers and made a cake appear. “I am sorry about this though. Will this make it better?” The cake in Pinkie’s hooves had the words ‘I’m Super Sorry for Destroying You’ and a smiley face drawn with icing.

Eternity glared at Pinkie. “You may think you’ve seen the last of me.”

“I have,” Pinkie said as she stuck a fork in the cake and ate a piece.

“You may think you can beat the Elements. That you know what’s coming. You may think you know everything. But I know one secret you don’t.”

Pinkie smiled. “Ooh really? Betcha I know it!”

Eternity grinned evilly. “I know who escaped from Tartarus.”

Pinkie’s smile slowly faded away. The spirit formerly known as Eternal Twilight gave one final evil laugh as she was sucked away into the magical black hole, never to be seen again.

Wedding Part One: Cold Crystal Heart

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Wedding Part One: Cold Crystal Heart

It was a sunny day as the Elements, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Polaris all sat down in the grassy field. The ten friends were enjoying a nice picnic lunch when Smog had asked a question. The draconequus in the group was just finishing up his answer.

“And that is how babies are made!” Discord finished his explanation with a cheerful grin.

Smog raised an eyebrow. “Really? So your parents got together, snapped their fingers, and created you. Just like that?”

“Well that’s how it’s usually works. However my parents knew that I was going to be special,” Discord explained. “Now, when my parents created me they did something involving tooth floss, boots, flutes, some pans, an orange, and a chocolate cake with cotton candy frosting. I believe they borrowed the boots from Miss Rarity’s mother.”

Rarity tilted her sunhat down to cover her face. “Is this really the sort of conversation we should be having darling?”

Discord shrugged. “What? All they did was play a few instruments and circle dance around the cake until my adorable self appeared in the icing. What’s wrong about that?”

Rarity shifted her hat back up. “I suppose nothing is wrong, but when ponies have babies the process is a bit different.”

“Really? What is it?” Smog asked, causing Rarity to clap a hoof over her own mouth.

“N-nothing! Forget I said that!” Rarity cried.

Smog turned to look at Nightmare Moon. She saw the question in his eyes and looked away. “Oh, um…well instead of snapping fingers, the parents stomp their hooves at the same time.”

Gilda chuckled. “Ya sure about that? I’ve seen you ponies stomp your hooves plenty of times, but you don’t see foals falling from the sky everyday, do ya?”

Discord raised his claw to snap his talons, but Sunset Shimmer grabbed his talons with her magic. “Don’t even think about it.” Discord smirked at her attempt to overpower his magic with her own, but lowered his claw anyway.

“Yeah, well…they drink some milk before they stomp their hooves or…I don’t know!” Nightmare glared at Smog. “Just drop it.”

“I’m with Nightmare on this one,” Chrysalis said. “Can we please talk about something else?”

“Ooh! Wanna hear about a trick me and Gilda are working on?” Rainbow Dash said. “See first I do a Sonic Rainboom and then she does a Brave Bird’s Blitz through the middle of it. I’ll need to get out of the way, but if we time it just right it’ll look awesome!”

“Truly? Continue, you have Trixie’s attention,” Trixie said as she ate a sandwich.

Gilda gave a little smile. “Eh, it’s looking pretty cool so far but it ain’t perfected yet. Maybe we’ll show you guys when Dash and I can pull it off without crashing into each other. How ‘bout you Trixie, make any new tricks yourself lately?”

Trixie grinned. “Actually Trixie has been working on reinventing some old tricks. You see, Trixie has volunteered her services for the upcoming Hearth’s Warming Eve play to be held in the Crystal Empire! The audience will be thrilled by the special effects that only the Great and Powerful Trixie can produce!”

“The Hearth’s Warming Eve play? In the Empire?” Rarity’s eyes widened. “I uh, don’t suppose you know if they need a costume designer, do you darling?”

“Trixie will ask!” Trixie announced loudly as she grabbed a glass of chocolate milk and dramatically chugged it down.

“Why, thank you Trixie,” Rarity smiled and looked at the Windigo in the group. “Dear Polaris looks likes he’s having quite a bit of fun. Even on a gorgeous sunny day like this.”

Discord snapped his fingers and created more snowballs for Polaris to chase. “He is having fun, thank you for noticing Rarity! It warms my heart whenever I remember the day I met such a lovable, freezing cold hate-spirit like him. Thanks again for introducing us.”

Rarity blushed as she remembered the events that lead to Discord finding Polaris. “Um, there’s no need to bring up that old news, a-heh. …Please?”

“You ever think about getting a pet of your own?” Sunset asked.

Rarity frowned sadly. “I had a cat once, but the poor dear ran away. I admit that I wasn’t the best cat-owner. Wherever my little Opal is, I hope she found a good home.”

Smog opened his mouth to say something but stopped as he burped out a letter. Nightmare smiled and took the letter in her magic. “Dear Nightmare Moon, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in the Crystal Empire,” she read aloud. “Wait, wedding?”

Chrysalis smiled. “Ooh, a wedding. I love weddings!”

“Drinks all around!” Discord cheered.

Nightmare rolled her eyes and continued reading, “I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Queen Chrysalis, along with the regular duties I know you have been taught to perform at every wedding, the bride has asked if you could be one of her bridesmaids.”

Chrysalis’s eyes and smile widened. “Oh my! What an honour.”

“What do you mean regular duties?” Smog asked.

Chrysalis smiled at him. “It’s something that my mom and dad taught me when I was younger. It is the duty of any changeling queen or king to lead all of the changelings that show up to a wedding. Weddings are wonderful events that generate an overabundance of love. Ever since changelings officially became part of Everfree, it’s considered good manners to invite a dozen or more changelings to your wedding. With all the love we receive during these events, we can actually give the rest of the kingdom some of that love back on Hearts Day. That way, lonely people without a special somebody can still feel loved.”

Smog’s eyes widened. “You can give love back? I’ve been to Hearts Day parties before but I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.”

“You wouldn’t. It’s not a very flashy process but…well, I suppose I can show my close friends how it’s done.” Chrysalis’ horn glowed green as she opened her mouth. Green love energy swirled out from between her fangs and floated into the air. The green energy soon disappeared, or a least that’s what it looked like. “Go ahead. Breathe in.”

Smog titled his head up and took a deep breath. “Huh. It smells really sweet. Like chocolate, or strawberries, or sapphires.”

Nightmare smiled as she inhaled in the pleasant smells the love energy was creating before she continued reading. “Discord, you will be assisting the representatives from Sweet Apple Acres and Apple Pie Incorporated who are in charge of the catering for the reception. You may sneak a few chaotic surprises in, but please try and make sure that everyone enjoys said surprises.”

Discord chuckled mischievously. “Oh, someone is going to enjoy themselves, I can promise you that.”

“Sunset Shimmer, the groom has asked if you will be one of his honour attendants,” Nightmare read.

“What does that mean?” Smog asked.

“The honour attendants help out the groom during the wedding like how the bride has her bridesmaids. Usually the honour attendants are all stallions but a mare can be one too,” Sunset answered with a shrug. “So I guess the groom wants me to help him out during the wedding…although I have no idea why…”

Nightmare continued reading. “Gilda and Rainbow Dash, I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a Sonic Rainboom and Brave Bird’s Blitz as the bride and groom complete their ‘I do’s.’”

Gilda’s eyes widened. “The heck? I thought you guys were the only ones we told about that! …Dash…” she growled as she frowned at Rainbow.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “So I might have told a few ponies. Sorry. But come on G, when was the last time you ever saw something as sweet as a Blitz or a Sonic Rainboom during something as dull as a wedding? This is gonna be awesome!”

“Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.” Nightmare looked up. “Well doesn’t that sound nice Rarity? …Rarity?”

Rarity promptly fainted with a huge grin on her face. “Drama queen,” Gilda snorted.

“Smog, you will be hosting the bachelor party. Don’t invite Discord,” Nightmare read.

Discord chuckled. “Yes, good luck with that,” he said as he grinned evilly at Smog, causing the little dragon to take a step back out of nervousness.

“And as for you, Nightmare Moon, you will be playing the most important role of all: making sure that everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Nightmare read. She frowned and flipped the letter around to see if anything else was written. When she couldn’t find anything, she put the letter down. “But who’s getting married?”

Smog stopped midway through his shrug to cough up another letter. “Oh, maybe this one will say.”

“Sending the instructions first and the invitation last?” Discord smiled. “How delightfully random!”

Nightmare took the invitation and read, “Princess Twilight Sparkle cordially invites you to the wedding of…King Sombra and…my mother?!” she exclaimed.

“What?!” everyone shouted.

The completely flabbergasted Nightmare shook her head. “That can’t be right…but it says King Sombra and Captain Luna, soon-to-be Queen Luna right there.”

Sunset blinked a few times. “Um…do you know if your mom and King Sombra were dating?”

Nightmare shook her head. “No! Loony would have told me about this. I…I don’t understand! This came out of nowhere!”

Chrysalis frowned thoughtfully. “I…don’t remember sensing any sort of attraction between the king and your mom.”

“Yeah. My mom and King Sombra are friends. She’s the Captain of his guard. I just…where did this come from?!” Nightmare glared at the invitation.

“Now Nightmare Moon, why ever are you complaining about this? This is wonderful news! I’m quite jealous of you darling,” Rarity said.

Nightmare frowned. “Why would I be happy about this?”

Rarity giggled. “Because darling, if your mother becomes a queen, that will make you a princess!”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. A smile slowly started to form on her face. “Princess Nightmare Moon…that does sound nice…”

“Now you’re getting my dear. Feel better?” Rarity asked.

“I suppose I do. And if any stallion is good enough to marry my mom, it would be the king…” Nightmare said thoughtfully.

“You know, Trixie is curious…what about your dad? We haven’t heard much about him. Why isn’t he married to Luna?” Trixie asked.

Nightmare sighed. “It’s rather complicated. Although since we are going to the Crystal Empire, I can tell you what happened when we get there. It’s where my mom and dad first met after all. As for this wedding…if this makes Loony happy then I guess I’m happy…”

“I’m sure she’s very excited. So excited that she probably just forgot to tell you earlier. Weddings usually stress some people out and they sometimes forget things,” Chrysalis said.

Nightmare shook her head. “Loony would never forget to tell me something like this. You guys all know how important she is to me.” She looked up at the sky and began to softly sing:

“When I was just a filly, I found it rather silly
To befriend any peasants that loved the sun
I had my books and stars to read, didn't think that I would ever need
Other people to make my days feel fun
But there was one mare that I cared for
I knew she would always be there for me
My loving mother, best friend forever!
Like twin stars in the sky, we did everything together
She taught me wrong from right
My best friend for life
We never had a single fight
Our life was void of all strife!
We shared our hopes, we shared our dreams
I miss her more than I realized
It seems...
My loving mother, best friend forever
Like twin stars in the sky, we did everything together
And though she’s, oh, so far away
I hoped that she would stay
My loving mother, best friend forever...”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “Uh…like you just said, we already know how important your mom is to ya. Did ya really need to sing to remind us ‘bout that?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “Besides, it hasn’t even been a week since you last saw her.”

Discord smiled playfully as he absentmindedly turned nearby clouds into chocolate-covered apple dispensers. “Perhaps she’s just jealous that Loony is marrying someone other than her.”

Nightmare’s horn glowed dangerously as she scowled. “For the last time, it was just a stupid dream I had as a filly! And you all agreed to never bring that up!”

“We agreed to not tell anyone,” Discord pointed out. “You never asked to not tease you constantly about it.”

As Nightmare glared at the chuckling draconequus, Sunset looked over the invitation. “Well, it says here that the wedding is soon. We better get going to the Crystal Empire,” she said.

“Yeah! I wanna get started on planning that party, whatever a bachelor party is,” Smog said.

In a burst of confetti, Pinkie Pie appeared before them with a big grin. “Did somebody say party?!”

“King Sombra! I’d like to speak with you!” Nightmare announced as she made her way towards the king. Discord and Pinkie had teleported them all to the Crystal Empire and while they were setting things up, she was hoping to have a ‘chat’ with the stallion planning to marry her mom.

King Sombra looked past one of his guards and smiled. “Ah, Nightmare Moon. You and your friends received my letter then. I take it you teleported here?”

“With respect my king, what’s this about you marrying my mom?” Nightmare asked.

“Ah, yes. Guards, leave us please.” As the guards left King Sombra motioned for Nightmare to follow him. As they walked through the castles halls, student and teacher talked. “I thought I told you all this earlier.”

Nightmare frowned. “You have not.”

“No, remember when Prince Scorpan took Cerberus back? Before that, I told you the good news,” he said.

She frowned in thought. “No…I remember you said you had good news, but the subject of you marrying my mom never came up.”

King Sombra blinked in confusion. “Are you sure?”

“I think I would remember something like that.”

“Huh. I could have sworn I did…” He shook his head. “Well, it’s not important.”

“Of course it’s important! Two of the most important ponies in my life are getting married! If you weren’t going to tell me and my mom hasn’t, what am I supposed to think?”

The king sighed. “Luna has been very stressed lately with making sure the wedding is perfect. But you’re very important to us too. You’re her daughter and soon you’ll be mine too.”

Nightmare shifted. “I’m still not sure what to think of that…even if Princess Nightmare Moon is a thought I’m very comfortable with.”

King Sombra smirked mischievously. “But now that you know, there is a decision to make on whether you’ll be my best mare or her maid of honour.”

Nightmare smiled. “Really? I get to be the maid of honour?”

King Sombra chuckled. “Looks like I lost that game. And Sparky will be busy officiating the vows…perhaps Sunset Shimmer could be my best mare?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” they heard Luna’s voice say. Walking down the hall towards them was Captain Luna, without her usual guard uniform.

“Loony!” Nightmare quickly ran over to her and began to sing:

“Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give…your…”

Nightmare folded her wings back up and stopped singing when she noticed something. “Mom, you’re not dancing with me.”

Luna blinked in surprise before she smiled wearily. “I’m not? Oh, I’m so sorry um, Moony. I’ve been so busy with the wedding that I haven’t been able to sleep much.”

Nightmare frowned. “Does this have anything to do with why I haven’t seen you while dream walking lately? Mom, you need to sleep.”

Luna giggled. “Don’t worry Moony. I’ll be able to sleep peacefully after all of this is over.” She walked over and gave King Sombra a nuzzle.

“I have to go check in on Princess Twilight to see how the preparations are going with her,” King Sombra announced. “But Luna will be checking in with all of you to see how things are going. I think I speak for both of us when I say we couldn't be more excited to have you all here. Right, dear?”

Luna smiled at Nightmare. “Of course dear. I’m just going to check in with one of my bridesmaids and I’ll join you in a minute Nightmare!” As the king and captain left, Nightmare titled her head in confusion.

“Smog!” The baby dragon gulped and tucked his claw behind his back. “Were you eating icing off the cake?”

“Um…” Smog said before he sighed. “Okay fine. Yeah, I took a little icing. But I was just taste-testing it!”

“Doesn’t matter. Other people will want some of that cake too,” Nightmare said firmly.

Smog folded his arms. “Fine, whatever. So how’d your talk with your mom and King Sombra go?”

Nightmare frowned thoughtfully. “Loony’s acting a little odd. She forgot to sing Sun Shines and Moon Gleams with me. She never forgets that.”

Smog rolled his eyes. “And now you probably think she’s been replaced by a changeling or something, right?”

“Well it never hurts to be prepared!” Nightmare argued. “We came up with that song as a password. To make sure that the other one wasn’t an imposter.”

“Nightmare, it’s not a password. Your mom came up with that as just a fun song. Besides, can’t you check with your eye enchantment?”

Nightmare blinked. “Huh. You know, I almost forgot I had that. I’m so used to being around Chrysalis and the changelings in Peaceville that I hardly notice anymore when a group of them look blurry.” She frowned. “But the enchantment works better in groups. It’s harder to tell with only one person.”

“Did her magic turn green?” Smog asked.

“No, it still looks blue. Then again, maybe it’s not a changeling. What if it was Pinkie?”

“Really? Why would Pinkie want to marry King Sombra?”

“To rule Everfree as its queen?”

“…Okay maybe Pinkie is crazy enough to try that. But King Sombra hates Pinkie Pie!”

“Well maybe she’s hypnotizing him. Maybe she’d stay disguised as Loony forever. I don’t know!” Nightmare growled.

Smog sighed. “Look, we’re both getting worked up over something that’s probably nothing. Let’s go talk to your mom and see what’s happening for ourselves.”

Nightmare and Smog down the hall to see King Sombra having a little disagreement with the Element of Freedom. “Discord, I’m serious! I need to check the security on the Crystal Heart. Royal weddings can attract all kinds of trouble-makers and we need to be prepared just in case. Release me at once!” the king demanded.

Discord waggled his finger even as his tail-hand dragged King Sombra across the floor. “No, no, no! You’re not getting out of this one, Your Majesty!”

The poor king desperately tried to teleport, turn into a shadow, blast the draconequus, anything to try and escape. But Discord’s magic had trapped King Sombra. He glared at the red dragon. “Smog! I said not to let Discord know about the bachelor party!”

Smog shrugged. “Hey, I’m just one guy. What can I do?”

“You can help us with the bachelor party of course!” Discord said as his lion arm stretched out and pulled Smog over to him.

As Discord tried to pull King Sombra away, Nightmare turned to see Pinkie dragging Luna across the floor in the opposite direction. “Well, I hope you boys have fun with your party! But it’ll be nothing compared to the bachelorette party we’re gonna throw! Come on Loony! Can I hear a ‘woohoo’?”

“Help me,” Luna whispered.

“Huh, funny that didn’t sound like a woohoo.” Pinkie stopped and stuck a hoof in her ear. She soon pulled out a cupcake, shrugged, used her eyelashes to clean the confetti off, and stuck it in her mouth. “Come on everybody! Party, party, party!” she cheered.

Rainbow, Sunset, Gilda, and Trixie walked into the room. “Uh, what’s going on here?” Sunset asked.

“Sunny! Since you’re the king’s best mare, you get to join our party!” Discord snapped his fingers and levitated Sunset over to him.

“Hey! Put me down!” Sunset protested as she struggled against the spell’s pull.

“Oh yeah? Dashie, come on down!” Pinkie snapped her fingers and telekinetically pulled Rainbow over to her.

“I call Gilda!” Discord snapped his fingers and dragged Gilda over to him.

Pinkie snapped her fingers before Trixie could escape. “Well I got the last one! Whatcha gonna do now? Huh, huh?!”

“Simple! We’re going to out-party the pink pony party princess!” Discord said, making his challenge to Pinkie clear.

“Nuh-uh! We’re gonna have games, dances, and it’s gonna be super fun!” Pinkie cheered. “Right guys?”

“Nightmare, save us,” Trixie pleaded.

“Really now? I bet you can’t make more explosions than us! Who’s with me?” Discord cheered.

“But we…we can’t walk away from the wedding preparations!” Sunset said, smiling proudly at the plan she just formed in her head. “Yes, I’m afraid the bachelor and bachelorette parties will have to wait. We’ll get back to those never.”

Luna blinked. She glanced at King Sombra before she turned to face Pinkie. “Actually, I suppose a small party couldn’t hurt.”

“Um, Loony are you sure?” Nightmare asked.

Luna smiled as she stared at Pinkie. “I’m sure that Pinkie Pie wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. I trust her.”

Everyone else in the room, including Pinkie, stared at Luna in shock. “…You do? But…but what about the wedding preparations?” Nightmare said.

“Oh. I suppose I can get some of my bridesmaids to help you set up Moony. Cadance, Fluttershy! Could you come over here please?” Luna called out as she waved to the two ponies at the end of the hall.

“Oh, of course!” Cadance smiled as she walked over to them and bowed before Luna. “How may we be of assistance to you, future Queen?”

“I need you two to help Moony here with checking on the wedding preparations,” Luna stated. “Fluttershy, will you…” She trailed off as she saw Fluttershy fly over to them. The yellow pegasus was carrying a jar filled with…something purple. “Um, Fluttershy what are you doing with that jar of jelly?”

Fluttershy looked down at the jar in her hooves. Her eyes widened as she gently put it down and stopped hovering, touching down on the floor. She smiled sheepishly and made a few gestures.

“She says she’s sorry, she just forgot about if for a second,” Cadance translated.

Luna nodded slowly. “Alright then, just don’t let it happen again. Speaking of, you remember what you’re supposed to be checking on, right?” Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Thank you. Nightmare, go help them with the preparations. We’ll be fine.”

“Well…okay.” Nightmare followed Cadance and Fluttershy, even as she glanced back at Luna.

Nightmare, Cadance, Fluttershy, and Big Macintosh watched as the Cake Twins worked.

“Cake, check!” Pound said as he put the finishing touches on a white wedding cake.

“Ice sculpture, check!” Pumpkin announced as she finished working on an ice sculpture shaped like a moon inside a crystal heart.

A timer for the oven went off and Big Macintosh got up to remove the freshly baked apple fritters. “Apples fritters. Check.”

Nightmare nodded. “It looks like you’ve got everything under control here, even without Discord. …Which makes more sense, now that I think about it.”

“Yup. Would y’all like ta try a bite?” Big Macintosh said as he offered a few of the apple fritters for them.

“Sure,” Nightmare said as she, Fluttershy, and Cadance all ate an apple fritter. “Hmm, not bad,” she commented.

Fluttershy nudged Cadance. “Huh? Oh yes, the fritters. Um, delicious. I love, love, love them!” she said.

Nightmare raised an eyebrow as she gave Cadance a look. “Are you okay?”

Cadance blinked and smiled at her. “I’m great Nightmare. Thank you so much for asking!”

Nightmare blinked. “Um, anytime.” Her ear twitched as she heard giggles coming from somewhere else in the kitchen. “Excuse me.” She walked over to the other side of the kitchen to see Diamond Tiara, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon. Sweetie was telekinetically holding two plastic figures of King Sombra and Luna that were meant to go on top of the wedding cake.

“I do, do you?” Sweetie said in a deep voice as she levitated the king’s figure. “I do!” she said in a higher voice as she levitated Luna’s figure. She brought the two figures together and made kissy noises.

Nightmare frowned and levitated the figures out of Sweetie’s magic and into her own. “Sweetie Belle, those go on the cake.”

“Oops. Sorry,” Sweetie smiled sheepishly.

“What are you three doing here?” Nightmare asked.

Silver smiled proudly. “We were asked to be the flower fillies for the wedding.”

“Well, sorta. Luna asked me, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo to be flower fillies,” Sweetie said. “But Scootaloo said she wasn’t interested in being a flower filly and she asked if Silver Spoon wanted to do it instead.”

“Really? Why didn’t Scootaloo want to be a part of this wonderful occasion?” Cadance asked.

Silver frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t know. She just said she didn’t feel like it. She’s still here, though. Right now, I think she’s arguing with Gilbert over whether or not Rainbow Dash is more awesome than Gilda or something silly.”

“And my dad’s talking with Prince Shining Armor about something,” Diamond said. “I’m just hanging out with these two, waiting for them to finish up.”

Cadance nodded. “Uh huh…say, where is Apple Bloom? I would think she’s be helping her brother out here.”

“OW!” At the sound of Apple Bloom’s cry, they all turned to face the entrance to the kitchen. Apple Bloom had been walking towards them and carrying a few bags of apples with her when she suddenly fell to the floor. “Owie, owie, OW!”

“Apple Bloom!” Big Macintosh got to his sister before anyone else. “Are you alright?!”

“It hurts, it hurts, it HURTS!” Apple Bloom cried as she held her hoof over her right eye.

“Apple Bloom, lemme take a look at it,” Big Macintosh said. He gently pushed her hoof away to get a better look at her eye. His eyes widened as he grabbed his little sister and put her on his back. “We need ta find a doctor.”

“A doctor?” Nightmare asked. “Why, how serious is it?”

Big Macintosh glanced at Diamond, Silver, and Sweetie before he shook his head. “This ain’t something little fillies should be seeing.” He ran out of the kitchen to look for someone who could help Apple Bloom, but the others hurried to catch up with him.

“We deserve to know what’s happened to her!” Diamond shouted as she ran.

“Big Mac, stop! Maybe I can do something!” Nightmare said.

Big Macintosh did stop as he heard that. He turned around so that Nightmare could get a better look at Apple Bloom. “It’s her eye Miss Moon. It…it’s bleeding.”

Apple Bloom slowly removed her hoof from her eye and they all stared at it in horror. Her left eye was orange, just like it normally was. But her right eye had turned rather red, and there were in fact a few tiny drops of blood leaking out of it. Fluttershy gasped at the sight and flew off to get help.

Diamond shuddered. “T-that’s not a good sign.” Silver and Sweetie shuddered in horrified agreement.

Nightmare’s horn glowed as she stared at Apple Bloom’s eye. “Let me see what I can do…” Her horn glowed for a full minute before it stopped. “That’s weird. I…I can’t get a good reading on it. I’m sorry, but I don’t know what’s causing this.”

Fluttershy soon flew back to them, dragging another pony with her. “Please slow down, what are you…” Time Turner trailed off as he saw them all. “Oh dear. What happened her?”

Mayor Derpy soon flew over to them, with Sparkler and Dinky following her. “Timey? What is it?”

Sparkler saw Apple Bloom’s injury and quickly covered her younger sister’s eyes. “Don’t look Dinky. You don’t want to see this.”

Big Macintosh turned Apple Bloom to face the other stallion. “Yer a doctor, can ya help her?”

“Oh. Oh, yes!” Time Turner said as he slipped into his Doctor Hooves persona. “Let me take a look.” He examined Apple Bloom’s eye and nodded. “I’ve seen something like this before. It’s a magical injury, and it’s NOT fatal. I can heal her eye, but I’m afraid you and her will need to come with me Mister Macintosh. Treating this will take a long time. I’m afraid she won’t be completely healed until tomorrow.”

“B-but the wedding! Ah’m s-supposed ta be one o’ t-the flower fillies!” Apple Bloom cried.

“It’s okay Apple Bloom. We’ll get someone else to help. Maybe Scootaloo will reconsider now. Or I could do it, if you want,” Diamond offered.

“T-thank ya kindly DT. Ah’m sure mah dress will look prettier on ya anyway,” Apple Bloom mumbled.

“Sorry everyone, but I need to get working on Miss Apple Bloom straight away,” Doctor Hooves said.

Fluttershy stared at him and made several gestures.

“Sorry? Oh, don’t worry about that. Now, I’ll need to work on Apple Bloom for the rest of today and tonight,” Doctor Hooves said. “Afterwards she’ll need to spend tomorrow resting in bed, so I’ll be able to join you all for King Sombra’s and Luna’s wedding,” he said the last bit with a little wink towards Derpy.

Fluttershy smiled and made a few more gestures.

“Oh, um thank you.” Doctor Hooves narrowed his eyes at her. “By the way, you seem a little friendlier than when I last spoke with you.” Fluttershy smiled again and made one gesture with her hooves, before flapping her wings twice. “Oh. Okay then.”

“Apple Bloom?” Big Macintosh interrupted.

“Right, of course. Come with me, you can help me with her treatment.” The two stallions walked away with Apple Bloom, leaving the rest of them feeling worried.

“I really hope she gets better,” Diamond said.

“I think we all hope for the same thing Miss Tiara,” Derpy said. “Sorry, I should take Sparkler and Dinky back to the hotel we’re staying at. I look forward to seeing you all at the wedding tomorrow.”

“Right. Candance, Fluttershy, we should get back to checking on the preparations,” Nightmare said.

“Excuse me Rarity? Is Luna’s dress ready yet?” Cadance called out as the three of them entered Rarity’s suite.

Rarity smiled as she finished a stitch on the white and gold wedding dress. “Yes, of course. Um, I’ve been working on it ever since I was given the assignment, and I think Luna will be pleased with the results!”

Nightmare grimaced at the dress. She noticed Rarity’s hurt expression and quickly smiled. “Oh sorry Rarity! It’s a very beautiful dress. It’s just that my mom doesn’t usually wear white.”

“The colour is nice. Personally, I would have asked for something with more beading and a longer train,” Cadance said. Fluttershy gave her a little nudge and she quickly smiled. “Oh but uh, I’m sure Luna will absolutely love, love, love it!”

“Why, thank you! Oh, would you ladies like to see your own dresses?” Rarity offered. “I’m afraid I haven’t finished with them yet but they’re coming along nicely.”

“Does mine have darker colours?” Nightmare asked.

“Not to worry Nightmare, I know what you like. I can guarantee you’ll love your dress when you see it,” Rarity cheerfully promised her.

“Okay. I’ll trust your judgment with this one. Cadance, Fluttershy, are you coming?” Nightmare asked as she turned to leave Rarity to her work.

“Oh, do stay for a moment Nightmare. After I’m finished, your mother said she’ll be treating us all to hooficures,” Rarity said cheerfully.

Nightmare frowned. “No thanks. I dislike having other ponies touch my hooves.”

Rarity scoffed. “Oh, you and Rainbow Dash. It feels amazing, you two should give it a try.”

“No thanks. I don’t like hooficures.” Nightmare frowned and muttered, “For that matter, my mom doesn’t love them either...”

Later that night, Nightmare Moon walked over to the café table to meet her friends. “You all look like you had fun.”

“That’s up for debate actually,” Sunset groaned. “Sorry if I seem a little out of it. The party got kinda weird.”

“I’m with Sunny on that,” Smog groaned. “I’ve never been to a bachelor party before, but I don’t think it was supposed to be like that. I’ve got a headache.”

Trixie groaned. “From what Trixie has heard, headaches are normal. I think. Trixie has never been to a bachelorette party before either, but that’s just…sorry, Trixie forgot what she was saying.”

Chrysalis groaned. “I feel sick and I don’t know why.”

Discord huffed and crossed his arms. “Oh please. The party was a smashing success. I don’t know why you all didn’t enjoy yourselves.”

Sunset groaned. “Ugh. Please don’t say smash. I just remembered why I tried to use a memory spell to block that memory out.”

“I fixed it, didn’t I?” Discord said.

Gilda shrugged. “I still wanna know where that turtle came from.”

“Tortoise,” Sunset mumbled.

“Whatever. Not to mention the orange and the cat,” Gilda said.

“What cat?” Nightmare asked before she shook her head. “Never mind. So basically, it’s what you would have expected from a Discord and Pinkie bachelor party?”

“Yup. It came out of nowhere, I don’t know what I was doing for most of it, and I plan on forgetting it ever happened,” Smog said. He planted his head onto the table and groaned.

Nightmare frowned as she took notice of Chrysalis. “Are you okay Chrysalis? You look exhausted.”

Chrysalis weakly nodded. “Sorry, stomach ache. And headache. Between being a bridesmaid and performing my duties as a changeling queen for all of the visiting changelings, I’m a little tired. A royal wedding between King Sombra and Captain Luna is the kind of big event that many changelings dream about. There are so many guests that it gets hard to keep track of all of them.”

Nightmare sighed. “Trixie, Rainbow, you were at the bachelorette party with Pinkie and my mom, right?”

“Mostly. Gilda and I left a little earlier to work some more on our Rainboom and Blitz combo,” Rainbow said.

“Trixie then. Did you notice anything odd about my mom?”

Trixie shrugged. “Maybe. You’d have to be specific. Trixie witnessed many odd things at the party.”

“Ignoring all of the strangeness that two chaotic reality-warpers conjured up,” Nightmare said. “Was my mom acting like herself?”

“Acting like herself? What are you saying?” Chrysalis asked.

“I’m not certain yet, but there might be a possibility that my mom was replaced by an imposter. She didn’t sing our song when I saw her earlier. She always sings our song,” Nightmare said.

Rarity waved her hoof. “Darling, every mare gets stressed out on her wedding. Everything has to be perfect after all. I’m sure she just forgot.”

Nightmare frowned. “So I’ve heard. But this is my mom we’re talking about. MY Loony. I know her better than anyone and I’m telling you, she’s not acting like herself.”

Smog pulled his head off the table. “Nightmare’s right guys. If she says Luna isn’t acting like herself, then she isn’t.”

“I still say its probably wedding stress. But I shall trust your judgment,” Rarity said.

Gilda shrugged. “If she is an imposter, maybe we’ll get to kick her flank.”

Sunset smiled as their friends nodded. “So what do you want us to do Nightmare?”

Nightmare smiled. “Thank you. I know things have been a little difficult lately since you found out about Project Zero, but it’s nice to see I can always count on you. Thanks for trusting me.” She sighed and looked up at night sky thoughtfully. “I’ll try and confront her when I see her. For now I just want you guys to keep an eye on her. Look for anything suspicious. I don’t want to attack her in case she really is Loony.”

Chrysalis raised her hoof. “I need to speak with Luna about something before bed. I can look for anything suspicious, if you want.”

“Thank you Chrysalis. Don’t tire yourself out though, you still have your own duties to perform.” Nightmare yawned. “It’s getting late, I’m going to bed. See you guys in your dreams.” They said goodnight as Nightmare levitated Smog onto her back and went to their suite.

Nightmare and Smog walked quietly through the Crystal Castle. As they walked they passed by Cadance and Fluttershy talking in the halls.

“For goodness sake Fluttershy,” Cadance spoke firmly. “You need to be careful with that.” She pointed at the purple jar in Fluttershy’s hooves. Fluttershy winced and nodded her head sadly. “Look just put that thing somewhere safe. Whatever happens tomorrow we’ll be able to take the lid off, so not too much longer. Okay?”

Fluttershy nodded. She turned around but froze when she saw Nightmare and Smog. She made a little “Eep!” noise and flew off down the hall.

“Oh, Nightmare. Sorry about that, you just gave my assistant a bit of a spook,” Cadance said.

“That’s okay. What’s with that jar she had?” Nightmare asked.

“Oh, um…it’s just a little…thing of Fluttershy’s. You know how some people have a pet rock? It’s like that. Fluttershy loves pets,” Cadance said as she giggled nervously.

Nightmare raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Are you okay Cadance? You look a little twitchy.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Busy with the wedding, you know how it is.” Cadance smiled. “How are you feeling? This must be exciting for you. You could be a princess soon.”

Nightmare smiled a little. “If my mom does become Queen Luna then yes, I suppose I will be. Now I know I will make a good princess, but well…I’m not sure how others will see me…”

“Oh I’m sure you would make a lovely princess! You definitely have the beauty and grace of one,” Cadance said.

“Oh. You think so?” Nightmare said as her chest puffed up with pride and her wings fluttered a little.

“Of course! Your wings are astonishing, and your magic is amazing. Your body has such a majestic build, your fangs are adorable, your mane and tail is so gorgeous…and your eyes are so amazing…” Cadance said as she stared at Nightmare.

Smog stared at Cadance. Nightmare blushed and took a step back while slightly moving her left wing to cover her face. “Um, thank you Cadance. But I don’t think Prince Shining Armor would appreciate you talking about me like that.”

Fluttershy flew back over to them and touched down, giving Cadance a nudge with her wing. Cadance blinked and shook her head. “What? I…oh. No, no, no. I wasn’t flirting with you or anything Nightmare Moon.” Cadance blushed. “I’m dating Shining Armor of course. I was just giving you a friendly compliment, sorry I made you feel embarrassed.” She turned to leave with Fluttershy. “Anyway it was nice talking to you. Goodnight!”

Nightmare began to dream walk as soon as she had fallen asleep. She visited all of her friends in their dreams. Sunset was dreaming about battling ghosts with a rock band, Rainbow was dreaming about the Shadowbolts, and Gilda was dreaming about the same thing, only with a surprise duel with Mare Do Well thrown in. Trixie was dreaming about performing a magic show while riding a vampire Ursa Major, Smog was dreaming about ice cream castles, and Rarity was dreaming about herself as a knight in shining armor rescuing herself as a princess. Discord’s dream was too bizarre to even begin describing.

She visited Apple Bloom in her dreams to learn that the filly’s eye was healing. She visited Prince Shining’s dream to see him and Cadance getting married and fighting monsters with a sandwich. There were other people that she tried to visit in their dreams, but it appeared that most of them were awake. She couldn’t find King Sombra, her mom, Princess Twilight, Chrysalis, Fluttershy, or Cadance.

Nightmare’s internal clock was telling her that it was getting close to morning anyway. She was about to wake herself up when she heard Luna’s voice. “Nightmare!”

“Mom?” Nightmare spun around, searching for the source of the voice. “Loony, is that you?”

“Moony! C- …a…imp…find…in…caves ben…castle!” Nightmare’s ears twitched as she listened to the choppy message.

“Loony! Where are you?” Nightmare called out. She heard her mom’s voice again, growing fainter. Nightmare growled and shook herself awake.

As she hurried out of bed, she reached into her bags with her magic and pulled out her armor. Putting it all on, she quickly checked the room to find a note left by Smog explaining that he was meeting the others for breakfast.

She ran out of her suite and down the halls, searching for her friends, King Sombra, anyone with power who could help her in this grim situation. As she passed by one door, she slowed down as she heard something. Nightmare opened the door with her magic and stepped inside.

Pinkie Pie sat in the middle of an empty room. The only items with her were a piano and a piano bench. Her fingers moved across the piano as she played a rather haunting song.

“This day is going to be perfect
The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small
All my friends will gather round to say…”

Pinkie suddenly stopped playing and lifted her fingers off the piano. She scratched her head in thought before she looked up and smiled. “Hey there Nightie! How’s it going?”

As much as Nightmare was still uneasy around the Trickster, she had to trust Pinkie Pie sooner or latter. “Pinkie, I just heard my mom calling for help in a dream! I think she’s trapped somewhere, we have to save her!”

“Trapped? How could that be?” Pinkie asked cheerfully. “I just saw her earlier, silly filly!”

“Where?!”

“Boy, somebody’s not a morning pony,” Pinkie giggled. “No need to get all shout-y. They’re just in the wedding hall doing the practice session.” She smiled cheerfully and played a few notes on the piano before she paused again.

Nightmare frowned a little. “Um…what are you doing?”

“Working on a song,” Pinkie answered with a serene smile.

“Wait, you’re…working on a song?” Nightmare asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yup. It’s not finished yet.”

“It’s not finished? ...You can’t just sing the whole thing right now?”

“Nope. I need to rehearse a bit,” Pinkie calmly said. Nightmare had no idea why but that thought sent shivers down her spine. And seeing Pinkie acting so calm was sort of scaring her. Pinkie smiled cheerfully. “You better get going. They’ll be practicing the vows soon. They can’t have a wedding without the maid of honour, can they?” Nightmare’s eyes widened as she turned into magical mist and flew out of the room. Pinkie giggled and placed her fingered hooves back on the piano.

“That day is going to be perfect
The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small
All my friends will gather round,
While my enemies will bow down
And at last the truth will be revealed to them all…”

Pinkie lifted her fingers off the piano and giggled. “No, that’s not it. Let’s try this again. Once more…”

Princess Twilight smiled as she surveyed the room. King Sombra stood by her, looking rather happy. Over in the corner, Diamond, Silver, Sweetie, and Scootaloo were talking to Apple Bloom.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom weakly smiled as she held a hoof over her eye. “It’s okay Scoots. Ah feel fine. Eye’s almost healed, see?” She removed her hoof to show them that both eyes were their normal orange colour, her right eye merely twitching a little.

“Well, if you’re sure you’re up for it…” Diamond started before Apple Bloom cut her off.

“It’s fine Diamond. Ya can be the flower filly. Ah’m supposed ta be resting. Ah’m just here to watch y’all practice for when the wedding starts fir real,” she said.

Over in another corner in the room, Rainbow was pulling Rarity with her to talk with Fluttershy.

“Hey there. Fluttershy, right?” Rainbow asked with a smile. The yellow pegasus blinked in surprise at before she nervously nodded. “I don’t know if you remember me but we went to flight camp together. Name’s Rainbow Dash. I know we’ve met a couple of times whenever you and Countess Cadance stop by for a visit but we haven’t gotten much of a chance to talk, what with you not being able to talk. That’s why I brought my friend Rarity with me!”

Rarity smiled. “Hello darling. I am Rarity. I must say, I love your hairstyle. And you carry yourself with such grace! Miss Fluttershy, what is your secret?”

Fluttershy blushed and tried to hide her face behind her mane.

“Rarity, quit it! You’re creeping her out.” Rainbow smiled at Fluttershy. “Rarity knows a little more sign language than I do.”

“Well yes, but I’m afraid I don’t know all of it. I’m a little unfamiliar with how pegasus wing gestures work into the language too. But I shall try and help you with what I know,” Rarity said.

“So, uh…do you remember me Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy hesitantly looked into her eyes and slowly nodded. “Really? Awesome! We were…friends right? I know we didn’t hang out much, but we were buddies, right?” Fluttershy thought about if for a moment before she slowly smiled and nodded again. “Hey, cool! I’m reconnecting with an old friend! Maybe after this wedding is done, ya wanna hang out with us?”

Fluttershy’s smiled faded a little and she shook her head. She made a few gestures with her hooves. “She says ‘I’m sorry but I have a few appointments with Cadance that I need to meet. I’m sorry’,” Rarity translated.

“Oh, sorry to hear that. Um, it’s cool. Maybe some other day?” Rainbow asked.

As they continued to talk, the church organ began playing. Sunset, Smog, Trixie, Gilda, Discord, and Chrysalis walked up the aisle. “That’s good everyone. Nice and steady,” Princess Twilight said. “Then of course, Luna will enter.” Two royal guards opened the doors with their magic and Luna walked in. The princess continued talking as Luna walked up the aisle to join them. “I’ll say a few words, and then we’ll begin with the vows. King Sombra, you’ll get the ring from your best mare. Sunset Shimmer?”

“Right here, Your Majesty,” Sunset said.

“Perfect. Everything is…wait,” Princess Twilight said. “Where’s the maid of honour? Where’s Nightmare Moon?”

Smog shrugged. “Maybe she’s still in bed?” he suggested.

The doors were covered in a dark blue aura as Nightmare flung them open. “I’m here!” she shouted as she stormed into the room, her horn glowing as tiny bolts of lightning crackled around her mane. “And I will NOT stand for this!”

Smog noticed the tiny bolts around Nightmare’s mane and winced. “Yikes. Haven’t seen that in a while. Something’s got her mad,” he said aloud.

“Are you okay Nightmare?” Chrysalis asked.

“Nightmare, what is it? Why are you upset?” Luna asked.

“Don’t try and play games with me impostor!” Nightmare shouted as she stormed her way up the aisle. “Tell me what you’ve done with the real Luna! Where’s my mother?!”

King Sombra frowned. “Impostor? Can you provide any proof for this ridiculous accusation?”

“I’ve seen plenty of proof!” Nightmare growled as she started backing the frightened Luna up against the wall. “She didn’t tell me about this wedding, she’s been acting strange and suspicious, and I haven’t seen her while dream walking until this morning where I heard the real Loony’s voice crying for help!” Nightmare sneered at her. “I have you now imposter. Admit what you have done and tell me where my mom is right NOW!”

Luna’s eyes watered as she stared at Nightmare. “I…I don’t understand! W-why are you doing this to me?” she cried. “I did this for...please Moony, I…I love you.”

Nightmare’s triumphant smirk faded a little as she took a step back. “Y…your fake tears aren’t fooling anyone…” she said. Although she didn’t sound so sure herself.

“I…Nightmare, I’m sorry!” Luna cried. She ran out of the wedding hall as tears spilled from her eyes.

As she left, a furious King Sombra glared at Nightmare. “I am very disappointed in you.”

Nightmare took a step back. “But…but she was an imposter! She hasn’t been acting like my Loony at all lately!”

“That’s because she has been so stressed out and worried about making this day perfect! She told me she’s been dreaming of this moment ever since she was a filly. And now her own daughter has just stomped over her heart!” King Sombra shouted.

“No! That can’t…that wasn’t her! I heard the real Loony calling for help in a dream!” Nightmare cried.

“And did you ever consider that it was just a dream?” King Sombra said.

“That was an imposter! I know my mom better than anyone! I’m her daughter!” Nightmare argued.

King Sombra glared at her. “Maybe so, but I have known Luna for a lot longer than you have. I have known her since Sparkle and I met her, over a hundred years ago. I know how much the imprisonment of her sister broke her heart, and I know how much she has desired to have a family again.”

“She has a family already!” Nightmare said.

“Enough. I’m done talking to you. If you will all excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride.” King Sombra said to the others. He turned to Nightmare and growled, “You have a lot to think about.”

As the king left, Chrysalis frowned at Nightmare. “How could you be so heartless?” she said as she left too. Fluttershy frowned at Nightmare and followed Chrysalis.

“What? Chrysalis, I…” Nightmare turned around to see the rest of her friends. “You guys believe me, right? I would never hurt her if she was my mom. Never!”

Princess Twilight spoke up. “Nightmare I…I don’t know what to think. I suppose you would know your mother well enough to know if that was an impostor. But on the other hoof…that mare just ran off crying. She looked absolutely heartbroken.”

“You were a tiny bit harsh,” Discord said. He raised his claw and brought two talons close together. “Tiny bit.”

“So that’s it…none of you believe me…” Nightmare asked. Her ears and head lowered in sorrow.

Smog sighed. “…I believe you.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why?”

“Because,” Smog answered.

“But…what proof is there that it wasn’t the real Luna?” Rarity asked.

“Nightmare Moon is my friend and I trust her. That’s all the proof I need,” Smog said.

At that, some of the others nodded slowly. “I don’t know if you’re right about her being an impostor…but I know you wouldn’t hurt your mom on purpose like that,” Sunset said.

“Trixie is also unsure if she believes you or not. But she does trust you,” Trixie said.

Gilda sighed. “Well, we’ve dealt with weirder things. Ya really think she’s a fake? I mean, I don’t wanna say changeling, but it might be.”

“I doubt that. Chrysalis would know, but she has left to comfort the bride. I myself believe that was Luna,” Rarity said. “But I do not wish to side against you either darling.”

Rainbow scratched her head. “Yeah, I don’t know what to think either. But I won’t leave my friends hanging.”

“Pan-trees!” Discord shouted as he snapped his fingers and made a metal tree grow out of the floor. Everyone else stared at him. “What? Things were getting too depressing for me.”

Nightmare sighed. “Thank you believing me everyone. Even if I’m not sure I believe myself anymore.” She sat down on the floor and softly sang:

“She was my loving mother, best friend forever…
But now I fear we won’t do anything together…”

Fluttershy opened the doors as she and Cadance walked into the room. “Luna wishes to speak with you privately Nightmare. She feels she owes you an explanation. And personally, I think you owe her an apology,” Cadance said.

Nightmare stood up and sighed. “I’ll talk to her.” She followed Cadance and Fluttershy into a small room not too far away from the wedding hall. She opened the door to see Luna sitting inside, still drying her eyes.

Luna smiled gently. “I remembered the song:
Sunshine, sunshine
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a shake!”

Nightmare frowned slightly. “It’s sun shines and moon gleams.”

“Is it? Oh dear.” Luna sighed. “I’m sorry Nightmare.”

“No, I’m sorry Luna,” Nightmare said. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

Luna smiled. She held up her hoof and pointed at Fluttershy before she walked over and gave Nightmare a pat on the head. “No, I’m sorry. I’m not Luna.”

Nightmare blinked. “What?”

“Could you wait for us outside please?” Fluttershy gently asked. Cadance nodded and left the room. Fluttershy closed the doors and locked them.

Nightmare turned to Fluttershy. “Wait, you can talk? I thought you were mute.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Legally mute. I’m really sorry, but I’m afraid I only pretended to be mute. It’s worked well for me though. I’m really, really shy.”

“What’s going on?” Nightmare said. She stopped as she saw Luna’s horn start glowing.

“Oh, it’s okay. Come here, my little bunny,” Fluttershy said gently as she stared at Nightmare. Her blue eyes began to glow slightly as she stared her.

“Hush now, quiet now
It’s time to lay your sleepy head…”

Nightmare’s eyes started feeling heavy as Fluttershy sang. “W-what…” she yawned.

“Hush now, quiet now
“It’s time to go to bed…”

Nightmare laid down on the floor as the false Luna’s horn glowed. “I really am sorry. At least you’ll be with the real Luna soon.” Her horn flashed and Nightmare Moon disappeared.

Fluttershy sighed. “She has a strong will. That was harder than usual.”

The false Luna held a hoof over her chest. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore Fluttershy. I feel sick.”

“Hush now. We’re going to make the pain go away,” Fluttershy said gently.

‘Luna’ moaned. “Nightmare found out about us. Maybe not the whole plan, but she saw through me. Things are already spiraling out of control.”

“We can do this. Trust me,” Fluttershy said. “And even if things don’t go according to plan, well…that’s why we brought the backup plan, right?” She flew over to a shelf and brought down the jar full of purple stuff. “You said so yourself. Even if we can’t beat them, this will.”

The false Luna smiled. “You’re right. I just hope the legends are actually true. And that we’ll be able to contain it if things get too wild.”

“Will it really come to that?” Fluttershy asked.

“I hope we don’t have to use it. According to the book…”

She trailed off as they both stared at the jar. They gave it a little shake as the stuff inside the jar wiggled. The purple jelly-like slime suddenly doubled, then tripled in size as the jar cracked. Two eyeballs and a mouth grew out of the slime and gurgled. They looked at the face and spoke together,

“…nothing can stop the Smooze.”

To be continued…

Wedding Part Two: Unstoppable

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Wedding Part Two: Unstoppable

Nightmare Moon quickly woke up. Whatever spell had been put on her, she was able to shake it off fast. She quickly examined her surroundings to see that she had somehow ended up in the caves beneath the Crystal Castle. She had been down there a few times during her studies with King Sombra. He didn’t use the caves much except for storage or for privacy whenever they practiced a few darker spells. King Sombra believed that it was important for her to learn a little dark magic in order to better defend herself, but the people of the Crystal Empire had always been wary around dark magic, and rightfully so. Most unicorns couldn’t use dark magic without negative side effects.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Nightmare called out.

“Be quiet.” Nightmare turned around to see two changelings standing guard.

Nightmare frowned. “Who are you? Are you working with that impostor?”

“Be quiet,” The changelings said in unison. Nightmare frowned at their dazed expressions and waved a hoof in front of them. Their glazed eyes took no notice of her hoof’s movement.

“You’ve been hypnotized,” Nightmare muttered. “Like I was, by Fluttershy. She was the one made me fall asleep. She’s in league with the impostor.” Nightmare scowled as her horn glowed with furious power. “So I’ll have to take them both down.”

As she tried to pass the changeling they hissed at her, their faces suddenly twisted in anger. “You’re not going anywhere,” they chorused.

Nightmare smirked. “Really? How do you two plan to stop me?”

The changelings hissed again and fired two beams of green magic at her. Nightmare conjured up a dark blue shield, which easily absorbed the power of their spells. She grabbed the two changelings in her magical hold and telekinetically slammed the two of them together before slamming them into a wall.

“Sorry fellas,” she said to the unconscious changelings. “But I don’t have time to enjoy a proper duel.” Nightmare looked up at the cave’s ceiling and scowled. “Whoever you are impostor, I will make you suffer for what you did to my friends, my mentor, and my Loony!”

“Moony? Moony are you there?” she heard her mom’s voice say. Nightmare frowned in the direction the voice had come from and blasted the cave wall. The wall crumbled to reveal another section of the caves…along with a rather exhausted looking Luna.

“YOU!” Nightmare roared as her magic turned black, her eyes starting to leak dark magic.

“Moony? What…” Luna’s eyes widened as she saw the enraged Nightmare Moon. “No, wait! Nightmare it’s me, I’m the real Loony!”

Nightmare hesitated at the desperation in Luna’s voice. The dark magic faded around her eyes even as her horn still glowed dangerously. “One chance. You have one chance to prove that you are the real Captain Luna, that you are MY Loony. If I sense even the slightest deception you impostor I’ll-”

“Impostor? Nightmare, I thought you got the message I sent you in your dream,” Luna said. Nightmare blinked in surprise and motioned for her to continue. “Cadance is pretending to be me. That Luna is an impostor. Find me in the caves beneath the castle,” she said as she told Nightmare the unaltered version of her message.

“Cadance? That’s impossible. I saw Countess Cadance and the fake Luna in the same room plenty of times yesterday,” Nightmare said.

Luna blinked in shock. “What? But I saw her! Cadance trapped me down here, said she was sorry, and used her magic to turn into me, right before my eyes!”

Nightmare frowned. “There’s something suspicious going on here, I’ll give you that. But if you’re really my mom, why haven’t you teleported out of these caves?”

Luna pushed her mane back a bit and pointed at the top of her head, where two magic suppressors were wrapped around her horn. “Cadance did something to me with her assistant Fluttershy that knocked me out. Then they placed these blasted suppressors to stop me from using my magic.” She smirked proudly. “They made have gone so far as to use two suppressors but even that couldn’t block ALL of my alicorn magic. I’ve been down here for two whole days but last night I was able to gather enough magic to dream walk and warn you about what had happened.”

Nightmare bit her lip. “You do seem more like the Loony I know, but after everything that has happened I think I need a little more…”

She trailed off as Luna smiled warmly and sang:

“Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!”

Nightmare’s jaw dropped. “Mom? Is it really you?”

Luna smiled before she gasped dramatically. “Oh, Nightmare! You would choose me? I accept with the highest of honour!”

“Mom! You said you’d stop teasing me about that stupid dream!” Nightmare blurted out. Realizing what she had said, she smiled and hugged her mom. “You remembered that? After all these years?”

Luna smiled and hugged her daughter back. “Like you always say, you were just a filly and did not know any better. But I can recall your proposal to the dream me, and her acceptance. I can still see the joy sparkling in your eyes as you married the dream me, even if you had no idea what you were doing. I remember all that, and everything else you have done. From your cutest moments to your greatest triumphs, I have watched you with pride, Moony. You’ll always be my happiest, sweetest Nightmare.”

Nightmare stepped back and began to undo the locks on the magic suppressors with her magic. “It’s so good to see the real you, mom. I’ll have these suppressors off you in no time. Then we can get out of here, find the impostor, and have them tortured.”

“Nightmare, don’t you think torture is a bit much?” Luna winced as one of the suppressors scraped against her horn before Nightmare removed it. “I’m glad it didn’t happen, but I also wonder why you didn’t end up with a suppressor too when you were brought down here.”

Nightmare shrugged as she worked on the last one. “The impostor must be too busy to go through the trouble of getting another one on such short notice. Even King Sombra can’t have a magic suppressor on hoof right away. As we have seen today they’re very dangerous if they fall into the wrong hooves.” She frowned as she removed the last suppressor. “Speaking of King Sombra, why didn’t you tell me you planned to marry him?”

Luna blinked in confusion. “Marry? King Sombra? What are you talking about Nightmare?”

Nightmare blinked in shock. “What? So the wedding happening upstairs isn’t even real?”

“A wedding? Nightmare, I know even less than you do about this situation. I mean, Sombra? Really? He’s a good friend and we did date once or twice before you were born. He was even with me when you were born. But I don’t have any romantic feelings for him, and I’m positive that he doesn’t have any for me.” Luna frowned thoughtfully. “From what I can remember, I think he had an infatuation for your aunt…” she muttered.

“Well, all the more reason to get out of here. We have to stop that wedding and get to the bottom of this insanity,” Nightmare said.

Luna sighed. “I’m too tired to teleport back up without accidentally teleporting into a wall.”

Nightmare stepped closer to her. “I’ll carry you if I have to.”

Luna smiled. “Thank you for your concern, but I’m sure my strength will return soon. The exit has to be somewhere close, or else someone trapped down here would starve to death.”

“I can figure out which way the exit is if I can find a familiar crystal formation. Let’s go!” Nightmare said.

“Wait,” Luna said as she levitated a bookmark into a nearby book. “Okay, let’s go!” she said as she and Nightmare began to run out of the cave.

“What was that?” Nightmare asked.

“Well, Fluttershy and Cadance were kind enough to provide me with food and literature while I was trapped down here. I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose my spot,” Luna said.

“…You’re very strange, mom.”

Luna giggled. “I love you too, oh ‘Queen of the Eternal Night.’”

“Let’s just find the exit so I can blast someone,” Nightmare muttered.

Fluttershy gave the secret knock at the door before she came in. “I was just talking to Chrysalis. Prismia has finally arrived.”

Cadance smiled at the mirror as she straightened out the dress she wore. “Finally. And Doctor Hooves is in attendance?”

“He’s with Mayor Derpy and her family now,” Fluttershy said.

“Good. Maybe when we tell her the truth, she’ll realize he can’t be trusted,” Cadance said.

Fluttershy smiled as she walked up beside Cadance. “Are you excited? Today is the big day.”

Cadance smiled. “Today is a big day for both of us. I haven’t forgotten my promise.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh. Oh my goodness. What an honour. Y-you don’t have to do that Cadance…”

“You deserve this day too Fluttershy. You’ve taken care of me during my darkest hours. I wouldn’t be where I am without you,” Cadance said as she stared at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy turned away. “You’re doing it again.” Cadance blushed and looked away. “How much longer do you think we have?”

“Long enough for the plan to work,” Cadance said. “I was worried about Nightmare Moon for a second but…” she paused as they heard a knock at the door. “Fluttershy, could you please check that?”

Fluttershy walked over and opened the door to see a changeling with glazed eyes. “Oh, it’s you. It’s okay Cadance. Tell us what happened, my little bunny,” she said to the changeling.

The hypnotized changeling nodded slowly. “We left Nightmare Moon deep in the caves. We left two changelings to make sure she doesn’t escape.”

Fluttershy smiled. “You did very good. Momma is very happy.”

“Do you think they’ll be enough? Nightmare Moon is an alicorn, and she’s more powerful than me. It was almost a miracle for us to trap Luna down there but we couldn’t even get Nightmare a suppressor this time,” Cadance said.

“I’m sure Nightmare Moon won’t be a problem. Between my Stare and your magic, she’s still asleep,” Fluttershy said gently.

“Right. My magic against Nightmare Moon,” Cadance muttered uncertainly.

Fluttershy sighed. “Don’t worry Cadance. Even if she escapes all that, she’ll still need to find her way out of the caves.”

Cadance smiled at Fluttershy’s attempt to cheer her up. “Right. Only King Sombra knows his way around those caves.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Although she is his student…no, that’s not it. Why would he need to show her those caves?”

The changeling bowed before them. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“You’ve done very well, my little bunny,” Fluttershy said. “Go join your friends.”

“Keep an eye on Prismia,” Cadance ordered. The changeling nodded and left.

Fluttershy noticed the way Cadance was still frowning at the door. “Are you okay?”

“Aside from the usual? No. It’s just…you know how I feel about changelings,” Cadance said.

Fluttershy nodded. “I know, I feel the same way. They scare me. I know a lot of things do that, but they really scare me. Black chitinous pony-like creatures with sharp horns and fangs, that can shape shift into anything and eat love. I know it’s not fair of me to be scared of them but…”

“I know,” Cadance said gently. “When you think about it, it’s not fair for me to be so angry at them either. It was only two changelings who were involved in my condition’s creation. One of them didn’t even know about it. And now…it’s just…it’s ironic, isn’t it? Changelings were part of the problem before, but now they’ll be part of the solution.”

Fluttershy nodded before she looked out the window.
“…I never thought changelings essential.
They’re scary and filled with unspeakable greed.”

Cadance smiled and joined it,
“But maybe they have a glimmer of potential.
If allied to fulfill a greater need.”

“I know that their powers of transformation
Is surpassed only by the hunger in their hearts,” Cadance sang.

“But as monstrous as they are, they’ll stay in formation
Deep down, they don’t need a Stare to play their parts,” Fluttershy sang.

Cadance smiled and nuzzled Fluttershy.
“It’s clear from your worried expression
You scared that the whole plan will go splat.
But we’re talking queens and ascension!
Even you must be excited with that,” Cadance sang.

“So prepare for the chance of a lifetime
Be prepared for wonderful news!
A shining new era
Is drawing ever nearer”

Fluttershy smiled hopefully. “And where will I feature?”

Cadance grinned. “You’ll be queen of ALL furry creatures.”
“I know our task is horrid
But we’ll be rewarded
When at last I am given my dues
And the injustice will finally be squared!
So be prepared!”

Fluttershy grinned. “So you’re sure you can do it? I’ll…I’ll become an alicorn like you? I could have magic, and…and be a princess?”

Cadance smiled. “The Crystal Heart turned me into an alicorn. After today, we’ll have unlimited access to it and to some of the greatest minds in the empire. We’ll figure out how to turn you into an alicorn and you’ll rule by my side as my co-queen.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh t-thank you. I don’t deserve such an honour…”

“Yes, you do. And Everfree deserves to have a ruler as loving and kind-hearted as you,” Cadance said. “Not some former villains like King Sombra and Princess Twilight.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think Princess Twilight is a very nice ruler,” Fluttershy said.

“They’re both nice rulers. But I don’t trust dark magic and I don’t trust that the Pink One sealed away Eternal Twilight forever,” Cadance said. She noticed that Fluttershy was still unsure and smiled. “Fluttershy, think about what we’ll be able to create. If you rule with me, we could help homeless animals everywhere! The animals of the world will NEVER go hungry again! Say it with me: long live the queens!”

“Long live the queens!” Fluttershy said with a smile as she burst back into song:
“It’s great that our kingdom will soon be connected
And that we will be forever adored.”

“Of course, quid pro quo, you’ll be expected
“To take certain royal duties on board,” Cadance sang.
“Our future is cluttered with prizes
We will shine above all the rest
But the point that I must emphasize is
We have to SHOW them we’re the best!”

“So prepare for the coup of the century,” she sang.

“Be prepared for the end of our greatest scheme,” Fluttershy sang. They began to sing in unison,

“Meticulous planning
Tenacity spanning
Years of denial
Is simply why we’ll
Be queens undisputed
Respected, saluted
And seen for the wonders we are!”

Cadance flapped her wings as her horn glowed. “Yes, my wings and ambitions are bared
Be prepared!”

Fluttershy flapped her own wings. “Yes, our wings and ambitions are bared
Be prepared!”

They heard Rarity knock at the door. “Oh, Luna darling! It’s time for you to become a queen!”

“Stall her!” Cadance hissed as her horn glowed. As Fluttershy went to answer the door, Cadance levitated a green crystal over. She stomped on the crystal to absorb its power, her light blue magic turning green. She took the changeling magic she borrowed from the crystal and quickly put her disguise back on.

“Oh come now Fluttershy, I’m sure Luna looks beautiful,” Rarity said as she pushed past Fluttershy.

Rarity’s jaw dropped as she admired ‘Luna’ in her beautiful wedding dress. “What do you think Miss Rarity?”

“You. Look. Fabulous!” Rarity giggled. “Oh, I’m so jealous.”

‘Luna’ smiled. “I’m the one who’s jealous. I could never design a dress like this. You’re as talented as you are beautiful Miss Rarity.”

Rarity blushed and giggled some more, while Fluttershy nudged Cadance. “Oh, you are too kind Countess…oh, I mean, Your Majesty.” She opened the door for them. “Are you prepared darling?”

‘Luna’ and Fluttershy exchanged glances and giggled. “Oh yes. We are prepared,” the disguised Cadance said.

Princess Twilight smiled as she looked around the wedding hall. Hundreds of guests had arrived to witness the event. She saw Time Turner talking with Mayor Derpy and her family. She saw Big Macintosh giving Apple Bloom a hug. She noticed one changeling with a rather interesting mane style, particularly noticeable because most changelings did not have manes unless they were royalty or blue bloods. Speaking of whom, she saw Corporal Blueblood talking with her brother Shining Armor. The princess really hoped that Shining and Countess Cadance would be able to have their own wedding soon. Even Spike was waiting outside the wedding hall and listening through the walls, preferring to maintain his formidable size instead of shrinking down to fit in the room.

And lastly she saw the Element bearers and their friends in their finest suits and dresses, Garble and Sunset Shimmer standing next to the king. The only ones missing were Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis. King Sombra believed it would be best if Nightmare didn’t come to the wedding because of the tantrum she threw the previous day. As for Chrysalis, she was assisting the last few changeling guests who had decided to be late.

Princess Twilight shook her head to forget her irritation at the idea of anyone being tardy to such a big event, and decided to focus on the present.

King Sombra smiled as the guards opened the door. Fluttershy and Cadance flew in. As Fluttershy took a baton in her mouth to conduct the birds she had brought to sing the wedding march, Cadance bowed before them. “She’s just outside. We’re ready to begin.”

“Excellent. Fluttershy, start us off please,” Princess Twilight said. The yellow pegasus smiled as she waved the baton. The birds began chirping the wedding march as the guards opened the doors again. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Sweetie Belle came bouncing in flinging flowers everywhere. Apple Bloom smiled and nodded while Scootaloo and Gilbert paused their argument to watch them. Luna soon walked down the aisle, grinning widely. She glanced around the wedding hall and paused to wink at both Time Turner and that peculiar changeling, before joining the princess and the king at the front.

“Ladies and gentle-creatures,” Princess Twilight said. “We are gathered here today under the light of Crystal Heart.” She pointed at the Crystal Heart placed on the altar behind her. “The Crystal Heart is a symbol of our great Crystal Empire. Countess Cadance recovered this artifact of great power in the Badlands changeling kingdom when she was just a filly. The power of the Heart and the love inside of her, transformed her into the alicorn of love.

“This Crystal Heart is fueled by the hope and love of our empire, and thus it’s magic is reflected across all of Everfree. The Everfree kingdom was formed with the ideas of love, peace, freedom, and forgiveness; a kingdom where all kinds of intelligent creatures could be For Everfree. And with his dark magic put to good use, King Sombra has used this Crystal Heart to protect the Crystal Empire from many threats. And so, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Captain Luna and King Sombra under the light of our greatest symbol of love,” Princess Twilight said with a joyful smile.

“STOP!” They all turned around to see Nightmare burst through the doors. “Stop the wedding!”

Princess Twilight frowned. “Really Nightmare? The least you could have done is wait until I said, ‘if there's anyone who believes these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace’. And then you would say, ‘I object’ and then I…”

“Sparky, let it go.”

The false Luna whimpered at the glare Nightmare was giving her. “Nightmare why…why do you keep doing this to me…” she cried.

“DROP THE ACT!” the real Luna shouted as she barged into the room. “HEAR ME MY FRIENDS! I AM THE TRUE LUNA.”

“I think they can hear you mom,” Nightmare said as she saw everyone cover their ears.

“THAT IS THE POINT! WHO ELSE BUT I, THE TRUE LUNA WOULD USE THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE?”

“You have made your point Luna. Now could someone please explain why there are two of you before I decide to intervene?”

“I’m sorry Spike. I’m sorry everyone,” the false Luna said. Her horn glowed green before it shifted to blue as bluish flames consumed her disguise, revealing her to be Countess Mi Amore Cadenza.

All of the guests gasped. “Cadance?!”

Prince Shining Armor shook his head. “No. It can’t be…”

Cadance frowned. “Oh darn, I burned away the wedding dress.” She smiled at Rarity. “I’m really sorry Rarity, it was an accident. Still, it was a very lovely dress.”

“Why thank you darling, I…wait a minute!” Rarity cried. “Cadance you impersonated Luna? But…how can there be two of you? Who is that?!” she asked as she pointed at the Cadance standing next to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy sighed and spoke out loud. “I guess the cat is out of the bag now. Before you all ask, yes I can talk, I just prefer not to. As for her…you can take your disguise off, my little bunny.”

The other Cadance nodded as her horn glowed green. With a flash of green magic, Chrysalis took off her disguise.

Everyone gasped again. “Chrysalis? You were helping them too? What’s the big idea?!” Gilda growled and flew right into Chrysalis’ face. “Hey, I asked you a question!” She frowned and waved a claw in the changeling queen’s face, but her glazed eyes took no notice.

“She won’t respond. We hypnotized her quite a while ago,” Cadance said. “Actually, we’ve hypnotized a lot of people recently.” She waved a hoof and several ponies and changelings all glared at Gilda with glazed eyes. King Sombra blinked sleepily as his own eyes became glazed over.

Cadance smiled. “For as long as I have known Fluttershy she has possessed a unique ability that we call the Stare. Before it was kinda like a glare that she used to scare misbehaving animals into obedience. When she became my assistant, we used a few crystals to enhance the power of her Stare. Now she can use it on almost anybody to do almost anything.” Her horn glowed blue as she made a small cartoonish heart appear. “As for me, I’ve always been good with love magic. If I can make an old married couple stop arguing…I can also make somebody stop arguing with me.”

Discord snapped his fingers, causing a light bulb to appear. “Now I remember. Back at the Grand Galloping Gala, Fluttershy got into a staring contest with Chrysalis out in the gardens, mumbling something about ‘my little bunny’. Is that some kind of code word?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Yes, I picked it because I’ve always liked cute little bunnies.” She stared at him as her eyes began to glow.

“Oh no!” Discord dramatically gasped. “No, no, no more glowing eyeballs!” He wrapped his claw and paw around his neck as he pretended to choke. “Stop! I’ll do anything you say because…pff! Ha, ha, ha, you’re hilarious!” Discord laughed as he stopped faking. “Is that the best you can do?”

Fluttershy gasped and took a step back. “B-but…my Stare has always worked…”

Discord smirked at her. “My dear, I am a creature of chaos. I oppose the evils of cold order with every fiber of my being. You have used your Stare to turn these good people into your slaves, and slavery is the absolute worst manifestation of a most evil order. I was chosen to wield the Element of Freedom for more than just my charming good looks, my dear. And speaking of freedom, I should really do something about the mess you’ve made.”

Discord raised his mismatched arms and snapped his fingers and talons. Everyone under Fluttershy’s control instantly broke free of the Stare’s power. Changelings and ponies in the hall shook their heads as they came to their senses. King Sombra shook his head and stared at Cadance. “What is going on here? Cadance, what have you done?!” he growled.

“She tricked us,” Princess Twilight said, her eyes filled with anger and hurt as she glared at Cadance. “She tried to replace Luna and trick you into marrying her instead.”

“Marry?” King Sombra’s eyes widened. “I have no plans to marry anyone. Those little monsters were behind this whole disaster!” he said as he glared at Cadance and Fluttershy, dark magic leaking out of his eyes.

Chrysalis blinked rapidly and gasped. “Nightmare! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I couldn’t control myself, and she forced me to keep it all a secret,” she cried. “Please, I never meant to…”

“It’s okay Chrysalis,” Gilda said as she gently placed her wing on the changeling queen’s back. “Not your fault.”

“Gilda’s right. It’s their fault,” Nightmare said as her horn began to glow. “So every time you two called Chrysalis over to help with some errand, you were just hypnotizing her for your sick scheme.”

Cadance frowned. “In order for our plan to work I needed to disguise myself as Captain Luna, but everyone would have noticed if the Countess of Love wasn’t present at the biggest wedding of the century. So I used some changeling magic I absorbed from green crystals to disguise myself as Luna while Chrysalis disguised herself as me. Between her duties supervising all the changeling guests and her duties as one of my bridesmaids, nobody would be able to keep track of where Queen Chrysalis was.”

“So you swapped disguises back and forth to throw everyone off your trail,” Luna said. “Pretty clever, for an extremely paranoid scheme.”

“But not clever enough. I knew you weren’t acting like my mom, which is why you tried to trap me in the caves beneath the castle,” Nightmare said. “And now you’ve just revealed the rest of your plans, you complete fool.”

Cadance sighed as she noticed everyone glaring at her. “It looks like it. I wasn’t expecting Discord to be able to break Fluttershy’s Stare.”

“My dear, your magic is strong but it’s not up to Pinkie Pie’s standards,” Discord said confidently. “Unless you could bend the rules of reality like I could, did you really think you could get away with this?”

“I guess not,” Fluttershy said as she eyed a purple jar behind a nearby table.

King Sombra and Princess Twilight both glared at Cadance. “How could you do this Cadance? I thought we were friends. I thought you wanted what was best for our kingdom,” Princess Twilight said.

“I wish we could be friends too, Your Majesty,” Cadance said. “But Fluttershy and I believe that we are what’s best for this kingdom, not you. Not the master of dark magic or the former Eternal Twilight.”

Princess Twilight and Prince Shining gasped. King Sombra’s eyes narrowed in angry determination. “Regardless of your reasons, it appears you planned this wedding as some ridiculous attempt at a coup. But now that you have revealed yourself, I can protect my subjects from you!” The king’s horn glowed with dark magic. Cadance’s horn glowed with a blue aura as they both fired beams of magic. The beams collided with each other and began to push back and forth. Eventually the king’s beam of dark magic began to push further.

Fluttershy saw that Cadance was losing and grabbed the Crystal Heart off the altar. “Cadance, catch!” she said as she tossed the Heart to her. Out of reflex, Cadance caught the Crystal Heart in her magic. The power within the Heart began to flow into Cadance, increasing her magic. Her beam of magic began to push back further against King Sombra’s.

Princess Twilight’s horn glowed. “Don’t make me do this Cadance!” she cried. Seeing that Cadance wasn’t giving up, she fired her own blast of purple magic at her. Cadance soon created a magical barrier. Nightmare, Luna, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, and Chrysalis all charged their horns and fired blasts of magic at Cadance too. As the magic from seven opponents slammed into her, Cadance grit her teeth as she pulled more magic out of the Crystal Heart and put it into expanding her shield to try and push them all back with the strength of her barrier.

Discord munched on some popcorn as he watched the battle. “Rather impressive light show,” he said. He waved a bag of popcorn in front of Rainbow Dash and Prince Shining. “Would you two like any?”

Prince Shining looked back and forth between his friends, his sister, and his fiancée. “Cadance…”

Rainbow looked back and forth between her friends and her old flight camp friend. “Fluttershy…”

Discord noticed their twin looks of hurt and betrayal and shook his head. “Goodness, why does everything have to be so dramatic at weddings?” He shrugged and continued munching popcorn. He smirked as the seven blasts of magic soon overpowered Cadance and shattered her barrier, sending her crashing into the wall. “Oh look, show’s over. See, you two were worried over nothing.”

Cadance grunted in pain as Fluttershy helped her stand back up. “Oh Cadance, are you okay?” Fluttershy said, her voice dripping with concern. She looked up at glared at the Elements and their allies. “How dare you? How dare you! You think, just because you’re the king and the Elements you…you can just bully ponies who…”

Fluttershy trailed off as King Sombra glared at her. “You can’t order me around anymore. Your Stare is broken.”

Fluttershy stared at him as her eyes began to glow again. Discord smirked and stepped in between them. “Allow me to finish her off, Your Crystal-ness.” He grinned evilly at Fluttershy and raised his claw, cloaking it in golden fire.

Fluttershy took a step back at the sight of flames and gulped. Her eyes watered as she cowered before him. “Oh p-please don’t h-hurt me Mister Discord.”

Discord blinked as the flames around his claw disappeared. “Hey now, I’m the good guy. You’re the villain here, you don’t get to keep pretending that you’re weak and helpless.”

Fluttershy sniffled as teardrops fell out of her eyes. “B-but I am weak and helpless. Oh please don’t hurt me, I’ll be a good girl!” she cried.

“Now that’s not fair!” Discord said. “Princess Twily, what are you waiting for? Blast her!”

Princess Twilight looked at the cowering Fluttershy and shook her head. “I don’t want to blast her! Why can’t you?”

“Are you kidding? The way she is now, it would feel like kicking a basket of puppies!” Discord pointed at some of the guests. “See? They’re already judging me!”

Gilda glared at the guests who looked uneasy at the idea of anyone attacking Fluttershy. “Oh get it over it! She’s not some delicate little flower, she’s faking! I’ll take her down!” She clenched her claw into a fist.

“Please don’t hurt me!” Fluttershy wailed as Gilda stepped closer.

Gilda blinked and lowered her fist. “Aw darn it. Dash, you do it.”

“What? No way!” Rainbow cried.

Smog sighed. He walked towards Fluttershy, made a fist, and punched her. Even though Smog was just a baby dragon, and he didn’t even punch her that hard, Fluttershy still cried out. “OW! Oh, please don’t hurt me mister dragon, I’ll be good!”

Smog grimaced. “Darn, it does feel like I just punched a puppy. This shouldn’t be so hard. Chrysalis, she hypnotized you, you blast her!”

Even as Chrysalis shook her head, Prince Shining spoke up. “Do we really need to do this? You’ve already beaten Cadance, isn’t that enough?”

Nightmare frowned as she moved closer to Cadance. “After what she did to my mom, NO it isn’t. You’ve lost Cadance. Maybe now you can start explaining yourself. Why did you do all this?”

Trixie spoke up, “And why a wedding? The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to know how the countess planned to conquer the empire with a wedding.”

“And why would you send so many invitations out?” Sunset asked. “Why would you risk your plan being foiled by inviting so many guests, including us?”

Cadance opened her mouth to answer but stopped as she began to cough rather violently. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she wiped away her tears and hurried to Cadance’s side. “Cadance! Are you alright, what’s happening?”

Cadance kept coughing. It looked like she was choking on something. “F-Fluttershy…w-we’re out of time… U-use the b-backup plan…” she said as her eyes turned a pinkish-red.

Fluttershy nodded. “Of course.” She hurried over to the purple slime jar behind the table and smashed it against the floor. The purple slime gurgled as it began to grow.

Luna took one look at the slime as it grew a face and took a step back in fear. “By my sacred night, is that the Smooze?!”

The king gasped in fear. “Impossible! We imprisoned that abomination in a volcano years ago!”

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened. “A volcano…that’s what they were doing! That strange volcanic activity we were investigating, it was the Smooze being woken up! And that jar of purple jelly Fluttershy was carrying around was never jelly at all!”

“Garble, Corporal! Rally the guards and evacuate the guests! We’ll deal with the Smooze, now get everyone to safety!” Luna ordered.

Garble and Corporal Blueblood both saluted. “As you command Captain Luna! Alright, everyone out now!” The royal guards immediately began to lead the guests out of the castle and away from the Smooze, several fancy suits and dresses being discarded to let the people flee faster.

“Hey! There’s no need to throw my hard work on the floor!” Rarity protested as the bridesmaids discarded their dresses.

“Never mind that! What is the Smooze? And why is it growing?” Trixie asked, backing away from the Smooze as it began to enlarge.

“The Smooze is an ancient monster, a continually expanding river of slime that can corrupt anyone it touches and consume everything in its path” Luna explained. “We must destroy it before it has a chance to grow to its gargantuan size!”

Discord smirked confidently. “First a case of hypnosis and now some silly slime puddle? It feels good to be able to solve problems so easily again.” He snapped his fingers and watched as the Smooze shrunk. His eyes widened as the Smooze began to quickly expand again. He kept snapping his fingers as the Smooze shrunk and grew, its power battling his own.

“Discord, hurry up and beat it!” Rarity cried. “I don’t want any of that slime to ruin my dress!”

“I’m trying to teleport it back to its stupid volcano but it keeps growing!” Discord said. “It’s like chipping away at a mountain, rock by tiny rock!”

“Then do something else!” Sunset cried as the Smooze grew bigger again.

“Come on my little gooey-oozy, you can do it!” Fluttershy cheered. “Make mommy proud!”

“FLuTtteEeRRRrrsSSShhHHYyyYyy…” the Smooze gurgled as it continued to grow and grow.

“Now that’s just creepy,” Discord said. “It’s black hole time for you buddy.” But as he prepared to snap his fingers again, the Smooze formed arms and hands to throw a slimy blob of itself at Discord. The Smooze blob flew through the air and splattered all over Discord’s chest. “Oh now, that’s just disgusting!”

“Discord, hurry up!” King Sombra ordered as Discord tried to pull the Smooze blob off his chest.

“Sorry, let me try again!” But when Discord snapped his fingers again, there was a noise like a dying goose and a pillow appeared. “…Oh dear.” He kept snapping his fingers before he stopped relying on them and instead tried to destroy the Smooze simply with his chaotic thoughts. But all his efforts just lead to random junk falling all over the floor.

Sunset’s eyes widened. “The Smooze is messing with Discord’s powers! What do we do now?”

“Cry?” Rarity asked as she watched the Smooze swallow up the dresses she had worked so hard on.

“The Elements of Redemption!” Nightmare shouted as she took another step away from the expanding Smooze. “They’re our only chance!”

“Nightmare, Luna and I already used the Elements against the Smooze over a hundred years ago. They might not work a second time!” King Sombra shouted.

“They worked on Eternal Twilight and Pinkie Pie, they’ll work again!” Gilda argued.

“Right. Discord’s not the only one who can get them!” Nightmare said as her horn glowed. She summoned her Element of Power and Discord’s Element of Freedom, while Sunset summoned her Element of Knowledge and Trixie summoned her Element of Nobility and Gilda’s Element of Zeal.

But when Chrysalis tried to summon her Element of Love, nothing happened. “My Element! Before the wedding started, Fluttershy made me leave it in the royal vault!”

“The Elements can’t be used unless you have all six! We’ll hold the Smooze off for as long as we can! Go, NOW!” Luna ordered as she, Princess Twilight, King Sombra, and Prince Shining all fired blasts of magic at the Smooze.

An evil smile formed on Fluttershy’s face as she watched the Elements and their friends run out of the hall. “You can run, but you won’t reach the vault in time.” She giggled as the Smooze continued to grow, expanding to engulf the royal family while leaving herself and Cadance unharmed. “Come on my little goo-blob, you can do it. Stop them!”

As the Elements ran towards the royal vault, Trixie spoke up. “Explain this to Trixie! Why can’t Chrysalis summon her Element from the vault?”

“Ever since Pinkie stole the Elements during her attempt to conquer Everfree, King Sombra, Princess Twilight, and Loony placed protective spells all over the vault. That way, not even Pinkie Pie could snap her fingers and steal the vault’s contents. That’s why we have to open the vault ourselves and get the Element of Love from the inside,” Nightmare explained.

“But how did Cadance and Fluttershy get into the vault so that they could throw your Element in?” Smog asked Chrysalis.

“Because I’m still the Element of Love’s bearer,” Chrysalis said as they ran. “Don’t you all have keys to the vault like I do?”

“Nightmare does but she won’t let me use it. She thinks I’d eat all the gems inside, which I totally wouldn’t!” Smog said.

“Is this really the time and place to-” Nightmare’s eyes widened as a river of Smooze oozed out of the Crystal Castle. “Never mind! Go! GO!”

As they ran, more than a dozen changelings flew overhead. “Queen Chrysalis, we’ll hold that slime river for as long as we can!” Iris shouted.

“Be careful!” Chrysalis said as the changelings charged their horns and dive-bombed the now gigantic Smooze.

The nine friends had almost reached the vault when a splat stopped them. A white bunny fell out of the sky and landed in front of the group. The bunny looked up at them and hissed as purple Smooze goo dripped off him. Rainbow stared at the bunny. “Isn’t that Fluttershy’s pet pest Angel?” Angel hissed at he attacked Rainbow. “Hey! Get off me!” she shouted as she swatted the rabbit away with her hoof.

They heard more splats as other Smooze-covered creatures fell from the sky and landed in front of them. Cats and dogs literally poured from the sky, along with owls, chickens, squirrels, rabbits and turtles. Discord concentrated really hard and snapped his fingers to create a giant hammer. “Now we’re talking.” As a slime-covered falcon attacked him, he swatted the bird away and slammed it into a wall with the hammer. But the falcon just got back up again and charged him a second time. “What in the world? That hit should have sent that bird to dreamland!”

Rarity gasped as a white cat hissed at her. “Opal? Opalescence, is that you darling? Oh you’re covered in that horrible Smooze, you poor dear!” Opal hissed again and attacked her. “AH! Opal, I’m sorry! Whatever I did to make you run away, I’m sorry! Please, Opal you have to fight off that horrid slime!” she cried as she tried to levitate Opal away from her.

Gilda swatted away more Smooze-covered animals before ducking out of the way of a flying object. “Was that the turtle from the bachelor party?”

“Tortoise,” Sunset corrected as she blasted three crazed squirrels, two angry owls, and a Smooze-covered dog.

“Who cares?!” Trixie shouted as she blasted several animals out of the way. “Where are these animals even coming from?”

“Over there!” Chrysalis shouted. They turned in the direction she was pointing to see the now gargantuan Smooze racing towards them. Every so often, it would form a hand and throw a Smooze-covered animal at them. Fluttershy was hovering over the Smooze.

“Oh, you were right. Just a few drops of your slime and my animal friends won’t get hurt!” Fluttershy smiled as she lovingly placed another squirrel into the Smooze.

“YeS! SoNg?” the Smooze gurgled, its voice shifting all over the place.

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh, okay. But only because you’re being such a good boy.” She cleared her throat and began to sing:
“Something big is coming down. Have you heard the news?”

“Listen up!” the Smooze sang.

“Get inside! Better run and hide! Nothing can stop the Smooze!”

“You can’t stop me!” the Smooze gurgled.

Fluttershy giggled. “See the way it slithers forth
Spewing gobs of ooze henceforth.”

The Smooze giggled with her. “I love ooze!”

“Here it comes. Right now. Nothing can stop the Smooze!” Fluttershy sang.
“You can’t escape it, you can’t escape it,
You haven’t got a chance.
This ancient goo is better than chaos stew.
No matter what you do, it’s gonna get you.
Anyone who tries to fight is guaranteed to lose.”

“Guaranteed,” the Smooze growled as it kept engulfing the empire.

“You can’t win! You should pack it in! Nothing can stop the Smooze!” Fluttershy sang.
“Here comes the Smooze, cruising along
Singing its funky, gunky song!
There’s just no way to stop
This oozy, gooey glop!
We won’t stop,
Nothing else can top
My unstoppable Smooze.
‘Cause nothing can stop the Smooze!”

By the time Fluttershy had finished her song with the Smooze, the Elements and their friends had reached the vault.

“It’s getting closer!” Rainbow shouted.

“We got it!” Chrysalis said as she and Nightmare ran out of the vault. She placed her Element of Love around her neck. “There!”

“Perfect! Alright everyone, let’s obliterate this puddle of slime!” Nightmare cheered. She grinned confidently as the Elements began to glow…before she noticed just how close the Smooze was.

“Well this is gonna stink…” Discord said as the Smooze washed over them all.

Fluttershy opened the window and flew back inside the wedding hall. “Goodness, it really grew fast. Oh, did you see how well I did Cadance? Cadance?”

Cadance coughed. “I’m okay. Where are the Element bearers?”

Fluttershy pointed at the Smooze. It had grown out from the spot it had been released from its jar and flooded out of the castle and into the Crystal Empire. “Okay now. You can let them out,” Fluttershy said. The Smooze wiggled a little before it spat out the Element bearers, Smog, Rainbow, Rarity, King Sombra, Princess Twilight, Luna, and Prince Shining.

Trixie gasped. “Oh sweet air! Trixie missed you, don’t you ever leave her again!”

“Fluttershy! How could you do this?!” Rarity cried as she saw her Smooze-covered coat.

“Oh no,” Sunset said as she noticed that Smooze had gotten over all of them. “Luna, is this stuff going to mess with our minds?”

Luna shook her head. “I doesn’t look like it. As King Sombra said, we used the Elements to imprison the Smooze in a volcano over a hundred years ago. However the Elements did more than that. They turned the Smooze into a naïve and innocent creature with none of its former hatred or malevolence. To be honest, we asked the Smooze nicely to return to its volcanic home and never return.”

Fluttershy nodded. “And I asked the Smooze nicely to help me and Cadance in case we needed a backup plan. He might have altered your magic and my animal friends, but he won’t hurt you unless I ask him to.”

“So that explains why it’s listening to your orders and why the Elements didn’t work when we tried to use them while still stuck inside its slime,” Nightmare said. “The Smooze is just too stupid to realize it’s being evil.”

Fluttershy frowned. “That’s not very nice.”

“Yeah, well neither are you!” Rainbow shouted as she flew right into Fluttershy’s face. “Fluttershy, how could you do this?! How could you betray the empire? I can’t believe I wanted to be friends with you! How did that sweet, shy pegasus I met at flight camp turn so evil?”

Fluttershy flinched and fluttered away from Rainbow. “P-please stop yelling at me. I…I’m not evil…am I?”

“No, you’re not,” Cadance said as she looked at them all. “I understand that you all might be feeling confused, angry, even betrayed.”

“That’s an understatement,” Nightmare growled. Her friends nodded in agreement.

Mayor Derpy flew through the window and landed in the wedding hall. “What did you do to him?!” she cried.

“Mayor Derpy? Why did you come back here? Where’s Sparkler and Dinky?” Sunset asked.

“My little muffins are safe. They’re with Mary and the royal guards outside of the Crystal Empire. I came back to see if I could help you and to rescue my date. Now where’s Timey?” Mayor Derpy said.

Cadance smiled. “He’s safe, for now.”

Prince Shining frowned. “Why Cadance? Why did you do this?”

Cadance sighed. “It’s a long story. And it starts with those two.” Fluttershy whispered a few words to the Smooze and watched as it spat out two more wedding guests. Time Turner and a peculiar changeling fell out of the goo.

“Timey! Are you okay?” Mayor Derpy cried as she flew over to him.

Time Turner nodded and looked up. “Cadance…Fluttershy…what have you done?”

Cadance frowned. “If you’ll stop interrupting me, I’ll tell you.” She turned to the changeling on the ground. “Hello Prismia. It’s been a while.”

The changeling coughed and stood up. “Cadance?” A flash of green consumed the changeling as it took on the appearance of Cadance’s ex-friend Prismia.

Chrysalis stared at her. “You were with the other changeling guests…black coat with a rainbow mane…how did I miss that?”

“Hey, isn’t Prismia the mare who kept showing up in our visions when we were explaining how we lost our cutie marks to the Cutie Mark Destroyers and their friends?” Rainbow said.

“Goodness, how long ago was that?” Rarity asked.

“Hold on. Wasn’t Prismia a unicorn in those visions?” Smog asked.

“That’s what I thought too at first. What we both thought,” Cadance said. “But it turns out the Prismia is only half unicorn. She’s a changeling hybrid.”

Prismia stared at her ex-friend and sort of ex-girlfriend. “Cadance, is that what this is all about? You’re still mad at me?”

Cadance smiled as her horn glowed. She levitated a potion over from the same table Fluttershy had kept the Smooze jar. “I’m glad we bought Zecora’s famous ‘Flashback in a Bottle.’ This should make explaining things easier.”

“Woohoo! I’m not the only one who calls it that,” Discord cheered.

Cadance rolled her eyes as she took a sip and swirled the potion around in her mouth before her eyes turned white and she spat out the answer to all their questions.

The vision formed around them to show Clouds-Edge. A young Cadance was waving goodbye to a younger Fluttershy, Gilda, Rainbow Dash, and Prismia. The present Cadance began to explain. “It started a week after I had met Fluttershy and Prismia. I thought they were really fun friends to hang with. That day, my parents were out of town and I was home alone.”

Cadance smiled. “It’s funny. You know how they say in school that it’s a good thing to lose your cutie mark? How it doesn’t limit you to one talent and how you are free to make your own choices? I never fully believed that. I liked my crystal heart cutie mark. I liked it a lot. How could something as innocent as a cutie mark ever be a bad thing?”

Time Turner’s eyes widened. “Oh no...that day... Cadance I’m sorry, please don’t do this! You promised you’d never tell anyone!”

“And you promised you’d keep making my medicine,” Cadance said. “Oops.”

“I ran out of ingredients! Please Cadance, I’m begging you! Don’t make me relive the worst mistake of my life!” the doctor begged.

Cadance said nothing. They watched Young Cadance walk home, after dark as nighttime fell. A unicorn mare with a pink mane and a light brown coat walked up to her. The unicorn’s horn glowed green as she cast a sleep spell on Young Cadance. Making sure nobody else was watching, she levitated the sleeping Young Cadance and walked away.

The vision shifted to show a younger Doctor Hooves talking with the mare who kidnapped Cadance in a small house. “Couldn’t you have been a little more gentle?” Young Doctor Hooves asked.

“I was as gentle as I could possibly be,” the mare said. “The filly is fine.”

“Still, it’s bad enough that we basically kidnapped a little filly to perform these experiments,” Young Doctor Hooves said. His eyes widened. “Oh dear, that sounds really bad when I say it out loud.”

The mare frowned as her eyes flashed green. “Doctor! Science has no time to waste on cowards who hesitate in the face of what is ethical and what isn’t! What we do today could benefit many ponies.”

Young Doctor Hooves frowned. “I don’t know…”

The mare smiled. “Come now Doctor, trust me.”

“I find it difficult to trust a mare who won’t even tell me her name.”

The mare snorted. “Names are risky in our line of work. They make things too personal between colleagues, which can get in the way of successful science. That’s why I only refer to you as the Doctor.”

“Whatever. I still don’t think we should be doing experiments on a little filly.”

“That’s not just a filly. Haven’t you seen her cutie mark? It’s a heart made out of Cosmic Spectrum Stone. A very rare and powerful material, so rare that we have only discovered tiny samples of it, mostly in the Badlands. Now why would a simple pegasus filly have a cutie mark like that?”

“I don’t know. Won’t she lose it anyways?”

“I should hope that her cutie mark remains for as long as possible. This filly could have strange abilities, powers that no ordinary pegasus possesses. And it’s in the shape of a heart, a sign of love. If anyone is a perfect test subject for this experiment, it’s her.”

Young Doctor Hooves sighed. “…You really think this could help ponies?”

“Of course.”

“And the filly won’t get hurt?”

“That depends on the experiment. You’ll be the one testing the filly, so you’ll decide what happens to her.”

“…And how much are your employers planning to pay for this again?”

“A fortune, my dear doctor. Do this, and we will make you a very rich stallion. You can use the money to further your experiments; to help improve the world in the name of science. You could even take a well-deserved vacation. The choice is yours, although I hope that you will want to work for us again.”

Young Doctor Hooves sighed. He walked over to a door and opened it. Inside the next room, Young Cadance was still sleeping on top of an operating table. “Alright. Let’s get started.”

The vision shifted again. The doctor was alone with the younger Cadance. She was still sleeping, while he was looking through his notes. “A tuft of cloud…a bright rainbow’s glow…a pegasus feather, fast not slow…” He turned to look at a purplish-pink potion on the table. “Plus some rare flowers from the Equestria forest…alright then. Here we go. Test number one. Subject: pink pegasus filly with heart-shaped cutie mark. Testing the infamous love poison with an altered recipe to see…well honestly to see what will happen.”

Young Doctor Hooves stared at Young Cadance. “I mean, I hope this will have positive results but I can’t know for sure, can I? I’m really throwing caution to the wind here, aren’t I?” He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He glanced at a needle on the table.

“Well…” he said as he picked up the needle. “As long as we’re doing this for scientific curiosity…I wonder what would happen if she didn’t drink it…”

As the vision continued, everyone turned to stare at the present Doctor Hooves. “…I know I’ve said I’m sorry on multiple occasions, but perhaps I should say it again. Eh, Cadance?” he chuckled nervously.

Princess Twilight glared at him. “…Did you really do what I think you did?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. A long time ago, a prince created a love potion to give to a princess he really liked. The potion didn’t turn out so well. The infamous love poison: whoever drinks it will fall instantly in love with the first person they see. Furthermore, they become so lost in that person’s eyes; so obsessed with that person that they can’t think about anything else. The only cure is to stop the victim from looking into the other person’s eyes for a full hour,” Cadance explained.

“We’ve heard the story,” King Sombra said.

She turned to face Doctor Hooves with a furious glare. “But you didn’t just force me to drink it, oh no. You injected experimental love poison directly into my blood stream!”

Mayor Derpy stared at the doctor. “…Timey? Is this true?”

Doctor Hooves lowered his head and ears in shame. “I’m afraid so. It was the worst mistake in my entire life. Once I saw the full effects of what I had done, I took on a new name: Time Turner. Because I want nothing more than to turn back time to make sure I never did what I did. Of course, people don’t forget a doctor’s name so easily.” He looked back up with tears in his eyes. “Cadance, I am so, so sorry.”

“I have poison in my blood,” Cadance hissed coldly. “You ruined my life.”

Fluttershy frowned at King Sombra. “When Cadance told me her secret, we told the royal guards some of what had happened. The doctor confessed to the crime, but because our empire values forgiveness so much, he wasn’t arrested. He just said sorry and walked away without any punishment. Cadance never got her justice, even if the doctor tried to fix his horrible mistake.”

“Is that what it was?” Prismia asked. “If this happened a week after you met me then…”

Cadance nodded. “The doctor returned me home after he injected me. I woke up the next morning feeling lost and confused. I didn’t feel better until you knocked at my door and I stared into your eyes.”

The vision shifted again. The Elements recognized the train and Young Sunset Shimmer from the vision they had seen before.

Young Prismia gasped. “Of course I like you! We’re friends. I just…I didn’t know you wanted to be…more.”

Young Cadance stared her in the eyes. “I can’t help how I feel about you.”

Present Cadance kept talking as the vision continued. “The experimental love poison worked slower than the usual kind. It wasn’t long before I found the courage to express my love for Prismia. Being the good friend that she was, she agreed to be my girlfriend. Along with that, Prismia was half-changeling, although neither of us knew that at the time. Her instincts woke up inside her and she began to unconsciously feed on my love. But unfortunately, Prismia was eating poisoned love and her body soon became aware of it even if she didn’t.”

The vision shifted again. Young Sunset was walking to the train station.

“Wait! Prismia, please just tell me what I did wrong! I’m sorry!” Young Cadance cried.

Young Prismia grimaced. “Look Cadance, it’s not you it’s me.”

Present Prismia chuckled nervously. “Well now that I know it won’t hurt your feelings, I guess I can be honest. It was you. You were way too clingy, you were really starting to scare me.”

Present Cadance smiled. “I understand, no hard feelings. Would you like to tell them the next part?”

Prismia nodded. “Okay. Sometime during my relationship with Cadance, I met my half-brother. He contacted me, asked to meet with me. He explained to me that I was a changeling hybrid and he told me about life in the Badlands hive. I was curious. I wanted to learn more about my family and about who I was. I wanted to know if I could use changeling magic as well as unicorn magic. I wondered what love tasted like, and what it felt like to shape shift. He also told me about how the Badlands contained small samples of Cosmic Spectrum Stone, an artifact that I had always been fascinated with. When I broke up with Cadance, I followed him back to the hive.”

Cadance nodded. “You mentioned Cosmic Spectrum Stone a few times to me when we were dating. You said that before you came to Clouds-Edge, you met a unicorn who called herself the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Trixie’s ear twitched as someone said her name. “I remember now. Prismia asked me about Cosmic Spectrum Stone when I told her fortune. A year later, Cadance came and asked me for help with finding Prismia.”

“When she broke up with me, the poison in my mind forced me to chase after her. I was obsessed with you,” Cadance said. “The poison forced every conversation we’d ever had to the front of my mind while I searched for clues to track you down. I went to Trixie and she pointed me to the Badlands.”

The vision shifted one more time. Young Prismia, now looking more like a changeling was talking to someone. Chrysalis blinked as she recognized her younger self.

“Thank you for helping me find this doll. Poor Copycat has been looking everywhere in the hive for it all day,” Young Chrysalis said.

Young Prismia bowed. “It was my pleasure Princess Chrysalis.”

Princess Chrysalis giggled. “Oh, you’re too kind. I can’t believe anyone as kind as you could be half-pony.”

Young Prismia smiled. “Ponies aren’t so bad, Your Majesty. A lot of them are really nice.”

Princess Chrysalis fidgeted a little. “Somelings say that ponies are nothing but big bullies, and that they’re only good for food.”

“Well if you ask me, those somelings are the ones who being are bullies.”

Queen Chrysalis stared at Present Prismia. “Now I remember you. You didn’t just visit my home, you talked to me! We played together with some of the younger lings! I can’t believe I almost forgot you!”

Prismia shrugged. “I wanted to learn more about changelings. I wanted to fit in with the crowd. I don’t blame you for forgetting me, it just means that I can avoid detection just as well as anyling.” She smiled. “It’s kind of a compliment to my abilities when you think about it. I was able to escape the memory of a queen.”

Princess Chrysalis opened her mouth to say something, but someone else interrupted her.

“Prismia!” Young Cadance cried as she ran into the room. “I finally found you!”

Princess Chrysalis blinked. “Prismia, who is this pony?”

Young Prismia stared at Young Cadance as she grabbed Prismia into a loving hug. “Oh um, this is an old friend of mine.”

Princess Chrysalis smelled the air around Cadance. “Mm. She smells delicious.”

Young Prismia smelled Cadance’s love too. “You’re right. She’s dripping with love. How did I not notice before?” She eyed Princess Chrysalis nervously as the changeling princess licked her fangs. “Um, Your Majesty? Could I speak with Cadance privately for a minute?”

“You’re not going to eat all that love yourself, are you?” Princess Chrysalis asked with sad puppy-dog eyes.

Young Prismia giggled. “Come on, Your Majesty. Ponies are more than just food, remember? I just want to talk to my friend.”

Princess Chrysalis smiled. “Okay. You talk to her while I’ll see if I can find anyling who’s feeling hungry.”

As Princess Chrysalis buzzed her wings and flew off, Young Prismia took Young Cadance by the hoof and flew her to another part of the hive. They arrived in a cave-like room inside the hive when Prismia turned around to glare at her.

“Cadance, what are you doing here? Are you stalking me?!” Prismia asked.

Young Cadance giggled. “You’re holding my hoof! My special somebody is holding my hoof again!”

“Have you lost your mind?! Cadance, you shouldn’t be here. There are a lot of nice changelings here but there are also plenty of rotten ones. They might hurt you!”

Young Cadance giggled as she stared into the half-changeling’s eyes. “You’re my cutie-patootie lovie-dovie honey-bunny!”

Young Prismia looked sick. Many of the people watching the vision felt the same way. “Oh dear. I had almost forgotten about your...nicknames.”

Young Cadance nuzzled her. “You’re my snuggle-wuggles.”

“Okay, we’re back here again.” Prismia said as she levitated Cadance off her, her magic a smoky black and green aura. “Cadance honey, I need my space. Remember?”

Young Cadance’s eyes widened in fear. “NO! Don’t leave me Prismia! I…I don’t have to use nicknames if you don’t like them. I-I’ll give you space, don’t leave me!”

Young Prismia growled as she telekinetically pushed Cadance away. “No Cadance! I told you I need to be alone for a while.”

“You’ve been alone! You belong with me,” Young Cadance cried. “Together, forever and ever!”

Young Prismia’s horn glowed dangerously. “I said NO!” She fired a blast of magic at Cadance, who ducked out of the way. The blast of magic bounced off one of the crystals stuck in the walls and hit the ceiling. The hex knocked a boulder from the ceiling loose.

“Prismia! I’ll save you!” Young Cadance cried as she flapped her wings and pushed Prismia out of the way, before the boulder crashed onto her. A large chunk of Cosmic Spectrum Stone in the shape of a heart fell out of the boulder as it crushed Cadance.

King Sombra’s eyes widened. “The Crystal Heart.”

Present Cadance nodded. “I may have been corrupted by the love poison, but…”

“But nothing,” Fluttershy said as she interrupted her. “That wasn’t poison. That was the love between friends. Cadance, you sacrificed yourself to save Prismia.”

Luna nodded. “And with that act of selflessness, you proved yourself worthy of ascension to the Crystal Heart. It turned you into an alicorn.”

The vision shifted again to show Young Prismia staring at the horn that had grown out of her former pegasus friend. “That’s…that’s impossible…” Her wings buzzed. “I…I need to tell someling right now!” As Prismia flew away, Young Nightmare Moon entered the room. From there, the vision proceeded the same way that the Elements had seen before, with King Sombra coming in at the end to take the Crystal Heart and Young Cadance away.

The vision ended after that. Cadance sighed, “And that’s my story.”

“Um...okay. Trixie still has a few questions,” Trixie said.

“I’m getting to it. After I woke up, I discovered my new horn as well as my…condition. I confronted Doctor Hooves and he created a brand new kind of medicine just to help me. Fluttershy was the kindest filly I knew, and I felt that I had to trust someone with my secret. We’ve been taking care of each other ever since. I was thinking about using the Heart to turn her into an alicorn as a reward for her kindness. Fluttershy would make such a sweet princess.”

“There it is again. Your condition,” Princess Twilight said. “You’re finally going to tell me what sort of illness you have.”

Cadance chuckled darkly. “I think it’s obvious, Your Highness. The Crystal Heart didn’t remove the experimental love poison from my blood because the Crystal Heart only knows how to amplify things.”

Prismia’s eyes widened. “You’re still in love with me?”

“No,” Cadance muttered.

“...Are you in love with me?” King Sombra asked.

Cadance shut her eyes. “No.”

“…Do you love me?” Prince Shining asked, perhaps a tiny bit hopefully.

Cadance’s eyes snapped open as she stared at them with tears in her eyes. “Don’t you get it?! I’m in love with EVERYONE!”

They all took a step away from her. “…When you say everyone, do you mean...?” Nightmare asked.

“YES!” Cadance cried as she stared at Nightmare with wild eyes. “I lied yesterday, I WAS flirting with you! We ran out of medicine and now the poison is creeping back into my mind! Now, I can’t stop staring at you and thinking about your long legs, your astonishing wings, your beautiful mane and tail and eyes…” She stared at all of them. “It happens to everyone I see! I become attracted to every single part of their body, every trait of their personality. My poisonous thoughts are constantly out-of-control! They’re unstoppable!” Cadance cried. “I’ve already kissed Fluttershy nine times!”

Fluttershy blushed. “Um, there’s no need to tell them that…”

“Did you know I used to be a foal-sitter? I used to love kids. I still do, but I had to quit that job because I was afraid I might do something awful!” Cadance cried.

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Awful? What could you possibly be…oh. Ooh.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Cadance, don’t think like that. You’d never hurt a child, or do anything awful.”

“How is today not awful?!” Prince Shining demanded to know. “You kidnapped and impersonated Captain Luna, you hypnotized our king, and you unleashed a monster onto the empire for your coup! And now I find out you were lying about wanting to marry me.” He glared at her. “You’re a traitor and a liar.”

Cadance’s eyes watered again. “No Shiny. I never lied about that. I really do want to marry you. But…I don’t know what’s real. I don’t know if the love I have for you is true or if it’s just my sick, poisoned mind. When I ran out of my medicine, I got desperate.”

Fluttershy nodded. “The plan was: Cadance would disguise herself as Luna and I would use my Stare on King Sombra. They’ve been friends for years, and many hopeless romantics have wanted them to be in love with each other. It would be the greatest wedding event of the century, one that every changeling would attend. And when Princess Twilight said, ‘You may kiss the bride’, all the changelings would want to feed on the love from the first kiss of two newlyweds.”

Chrysalis frowned. “If one changeling couldn’t eat all the poison out of Cadance, you thought hundreds of them could?”

Fluttershy smiled. “But it’s okay. Our first plan didn’t work but now the Smooze can get the changelings to help us.” She frowned. “Whether they want to or not.” She turned to the idle Smooze and smiled. “If you could please spit out the others now?”

Chrysalis shook her head sadly. “Even if it could work, you’d be making hundreds of innocent changelings horribly sick just to save one pony. It’s not going to work.”

“It has to work,” Fluttershy said. “I’ve spent years trying to cure my friend. You can’t stop this from happening.”

Everyone turned around as Cadance broke into a coughing fit. “...Maybe using the Crystal Heart a second time wasn’t the best idea...” she said as she choked.

“Cadance!” Fluttershy, Princess Twilight, and Prince Shining cried as Cadance collapsed on the floor. Fluttershy flew to her side. “Cadance, are you alright?!”

“…Fluttershy…I-I…”

“What is it? Come on Cadance, you can tell me,” Fluttershy encouraged her.

Cadance looked up and stared into Fluttershy’s eyes. “I…I love you.”

“…What?”

Cadance smiled as her eyes glowed purplish-pink. “Will you be my very special somebody?”

“I’m too late...no…” Fluttershy whispered as her eyes watered.

Cadance’s eyes widened in fear as she began to cry even faster than Fluttershy. “No? What do you mean no? Fluttershy, whatever I did I’m sorry! Please don’t say no, I love you!”

“Cadance? Cadance, snap out of it!” Prince Shining said as Fluttershy backed away, shaking her head.

Cadance turned to face Prince Shining, her eyes glowing pink again. “…My Shining Armor! I changed my mind, snuggly-bear. Let’s get married right now!”

Prince Shining took a step back in fear as the madly grinning Cadance nuzzled him. “Sparky, do something!”

Princess Twilight bit her lip before her horn glowed and titled Cadance’s head to face her. “Twily! Will you be my special somebody?” Cadance asked as she stared at the princess, completely forgetting about the prince.

“No! Cadance you need to snap out of it,” Princess Twilight cried.

“No? What do you mean no? Please my princess, I’m sorry! I’ll be good, don’t leave me!” Cadance cried as tears spilled out of her eyes again.

“Don’t look at me. Don’t look at anyone!” Princess Twilight ordered as she tried to push Cadance’s head away. But she just locked eyes with the king next.

“King Sombra! Can we set up a real wedding now, my dearest king?”

King Sombra shook his head. “Cadance, you have to fight it!”

Again, Cadance burst into tears. “What? What’s wrong snuggly-wuggly? Please don’t yell at me. I am your loyal slave,” she said as she tried to kiss his hooves.

King Sombra flinched as he took several steps back. “This is wrong, this is so very wrong.”

“Let me try,” Chrysalis said as she got in front of Cadance and stared in her eyes.

Cadance smiled again. “My queen! Oh, I’m so sorry I tricked you my honey-bunny, snuggle-bug. Will you be my special somebody Queen Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis clutched her stomach. “Oh dear. I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Sick?” Candace cried. “My queen, what…” Her eyes glowed again as Chrysalis pushed her head away from her. “…Gilda? Will you be my…”

“Heck no!” Gilda yelled as she shoved Cadance away.

“No? But…Discord? I love you! Will you be my special somebody?”

“…Tempting…but I’ll have to say no,” Discord said as he gently pushed her away.

“What? Why not? Am I not pretty enough? Do you want me to look like Fluttershy, because I’ll look however you want me to dearest…” Cadance trailed off as her eyes glowed again.

“No, I don’t love you. Cadance, close your eyes!” Nightmare ordered.

“You don’t love…why? Please, let me fix this! D-do you like carnivals? We can go to one!” Cadance wept as everyone backed away from her. “W-why won’t...p-please! Doesn’t anyone love me?”

“…I do,” Fluttershy said as she stepped forward.

“Fluttershy?” Cadance stared at her with desperate hope. “My flutter-wutters?”

“What are you doing?” Prince Shining asked.

Fluttershy shut her eyes tight and shuddered. She opened them again and asked, “Cadance…will you marry me?”

“YES! Yes, I do, I do!” Cadance sang as she hugged and kissed Fluttershy. “I love you Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy sighed as she sadly accepted her fate. “I love you too Cadance. Let’s go home.”

“What? What’s going on?” Mayor Derpy asked as Fluttershy began to lead Cadance out of the hall.

Doctor Hooves sighed. “It’s all my fault. Without any medicine to stop the poison, her brain has been turned to mush.”

Fluttershy nodded. “She’ll spend the rest of her days searching for someone to love her…unless I accept her now.”

“Wait!” Rainbow said as she flew to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy don’t do this! You’re planning to sacrifice your life for her sake!”

Fluttershy smiled sadly. “Thank you for your concern...even after all the horrible things we’ve done today. But I’ve already spent most of my life helping Cadance and she’s helped me so much in return. It’s time to accept that this was my destiny all along.”

“Destiny!” Cadance giggled. “We’ll be together forever!”

“That’s right my little…honey bunny. Together…forever…” Fluttershy whispered as she wiped away a tear. “King Sombra, Princess Twilight? Look in my bags, they’re under that table over there,” she said as she pointed. “Inside my bag is a page from an ancient book called Smooze-ology. You’ll find the spell we used to shrink the Smooze and put it in a jar. Find an empty jar and cast the spell, and every slimy drop of the Smooze will be sucked into it. Only an alicorn or a draconequus would be powerful enough to cast it.”

“You can let go of my friends now,” she said to the Smooze. The gargantuan monster gurgled and the Smooze-goo on the Element bearers and the Royal Family leapt off.

Discord snapped his fingers and Fluttershy’s bags zipped back over to him. “Much better. Let’s see this spell now…oh this will be a breeze!”

“Just be gentle with him. I know the Smooze is an abomination, but he’s really sweet when you get to know him. I’m sorry we bothered you all…” Fluttershy sighed and kept walking out the hall with Cadance.

“What will you do now?” Doctor Hooves asked.

Fluttershy shrugged sadly. “Maybe I’ll give her a bath. Cook her a nice dinner. Cadance won’t be able to bathe or feed herself anymore...”

“Wait,” Chrysalis said. “Fluttershy, you did all this to help her?”

“Of course. I mean, I was mad at the king and maybe I thought I could help people more if I was a princess but…helping my friend was my main reason. Helping people is the only thing I’m good at,” Fluttershy said.

“Nightmare?” Chrysalis asked as she turned around.

“…Yeah, okay. I guess she didn’t really mean to hurt my mom anyway. Guys, let’s use the Elements on Cadance,” Nightmare said.

Princess Twilight nodded thoughtfully and smiled. “That could work.”

Sunset smiled. “Yeah. The Elements might not have worked inside the Smooze...but they might be able to cure her.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened with renewed hope. She beamed with joy as she pushed Cadance towards the Elements. “Cadance, if you love me you will hold still and don’t move.”

“Anything for you butter-flutter! Not too long though, I want to keep hugging you,” Cadance giggled.

Nightmare and her friends smiled as the Elements of Redemption glowed. A rainbow formed around all of them, circled the room, and flowed into Cadance. When the blinding light faded away, they watched Cadance groan and slowly stand back up.

“Ugh...huh?” Cadance groaned.

“Are you alright?” Prince Shining asked as he and Fluttershy helped her back up.

“It…” Cadance’s eyes widened as a smile grew on her. “It’s gone. It’s gone. The poison is gone! I’m free!” She grabbed Prince Shining and kissed him. “I’m free! And…and you’re the only one I want to kiss! It wasn’t a lie, I love you for real!”

She let go of the prince and bowed before the king, the princess, the Elements, and their friends. “You saved me! Thank you, thank you all! I am eternally in your debt.”

Fluttershy smiled gleefully and bowed too. “We are eternally in your debt.”

Pinkie appeared with a flash of light. “Hello, everybody! Did I miss anything?”

Gilda glared at her. “Where the heck were you?!”

Pinkie giggled. “I was giving Gummy and Spikey a bath! They must have stepped in some really sticky grape jelly, it took me a while to get them clean.” She snapped her fingers and teleported her pet alligator and Spike in his smaller form into the room.

Spike growled. “Five more seconds and I would have destroyed that Smooze, you pink imbecile.” He stormed away as he removed the amulet keeping him small. “I’m going to my room. Nobody but Sparky disturb me unless you wish to be eaten.”

Pinkie giggled. “He’ll be fine. He’s just being a little grumpy-scales.”

Cadance stood up from her bow and smiled at Princess Twilight. “I guess now, I follow the same path that you do princess. I promise ALL of you, I’ll make a real effort to be your friend this time. We’ll help you clean up the Smooze and anything else we did.” She turned to Prince Shining and smiled hopefully. “I know you must think I’m horrible, but I still want to marry you. Do you…will you marry me?”

Prince Shining sighed. He looked at Pinkie Pie and at his sister Princess Twilight Sparkle. He turned back to face Cadance and smiled. “Not today. But…I’ll think about it.”

Chrysalis smiled. “Was that a yes?”

“It wasn’t a no!” Pinkie sang. She smiled and turned to look at Fluttershy. The shy pegasus noticed Pinkie’s creepy grin and took a step back.

Cadance grinned. “Fluttershy and I will help start cleaning up. But there’s something I need to do first.” Her horn glowed as she blasted one of the few remaining windows open. She flapped her wings and soared out of the castle with incredible speed. “I’M FREE! I’m finally free!” She laughed and laughed as she flew all over the Crystal Empire. “FREE!”

Three days later, Garble was sitting up late at night in the castle library. He ate a few gemstones as he read a book and reflected on what had happened the past few days. The Smooze had been cleared out of the empire and thrown back into its volcanic home. Cadance had explained her situation and apologized to everyone. She and Fluttershy had moved to Peaceville to set up a new animal shelter. Garble smiled and crunched on another gemstone as he looked at the moon.

There was a small flash of fire as Philomena flew in through the window and landed on the table next time. “Good evening Garble.”

Garble frowned. “Philomena. Haven’t seen you in a while. What do ya want old bird?”

Philomena giggled. “Nothing from you at all. I just stopped by to wish you goodnight.”

“Don’t try and be funny. What do you want?”

“That is honestly it, my friendly rival. Have a good night,” Philomena said as she turned back to the window.

“…for it will be your last.” With that, Philomena flapped her wings and flew away.

Author's Note

First song is 'Be Prepared' from Lion King.

Canterlot Part One: The Sun Rises

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Canterlot Part One: The Sun Rises

Fluttershy yawned as she woke up. She stretched her legs and wings out as she climbed out of bed. She smiled as she ate breakfast and got ready for the day, as birds, ferrets, rabbits, squirrels, mice, and other animals scampered across the floor around her. She smiled as she saw a certain bunny hop past her. “Good morning Angel. How are you feeling?”

Angel looked up at Fluttershy and shrugged before he jumped up and grabbed a carrot off the kitchen counter.

“Angel, I was thinking maybe today you could talk with Angle.” The bunny frowned and shook his head. “Now listen here mister, Angle and Miss Chrysalis really want to be our friends. I know that it felt a little scary when we visited their hive last time, but we have to at least try and make new friends,” Fluttershy said. Angel sighed and shrugged again. “There’s a good bunny. If you can be on your best behavior when we visit their hive today, I’ll see if I can make you a special treat after dinner tonight. How’s that sound?” Fluttershy’s ears twitched as she heard a knock downstairs. “Oh my! They’re here early.”

She walked downstairs and opened the door. “Um, hello. W-welcome to Fluttershy’s Butterflies, Peaceville’s new animal shelter. H-how may I help you?”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked in. “You’re getting better but you’re still stuttering a little,” Silver said.

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, I know. It’s just, it’s hard for me to talk to other ponies. I’ve gotten so used to using hoof and wing gestures, with Cadance translating for me.”

Silver watched a ferret scamper by as she talked. “Well you can’t keep doing that now, can you? Cadance is still stuck in the Crystal Empire, helping them out with stuff.”

“And you know you need to be able to talk to other creatures if they want to buy a pet from you, or if their pet is sick and needs your help,” Diamond said. “Remember, confidence is key. This is your store. When a customer comes in you need to remember that you’re in charge, you make the rules, and they better be happy with it.”

Silver nodded. “Exactly. And if you’re still looking for suggestions, can I ask you about the store’s name?”

Fluttershy flinched just a tiny bit. “What’s wrong with the name?”

“Well, Fluttershy’s Butterflies isn’t very accurate. You obviously have more than butterflies for sale.”

Fluttershy blushed. “I know, but it sounds nice. Discord said I could name it whatever I wanted when he created this store for me and he said he liked the name too.”

Diamond rolled her eyes. “And we know how much he likes things being inaccurate.”

The door opened as Rainbow Dash and Gilda strolled in. “‘Sup buttercup?” Gilda said.

“Oh, hi Rainbow Dash. Hi Gilda. Um, welcome to Fluttershy’s Butterflies,” Fluttershy smiled and looked back at Diamond. “How was that?”

Diamond smiled and nodded. “Much better. No stutter this time.” She and Silver began to walk back outside. “If you need us, we’ll be playing with the animals in the backyard.”

“So um, what brings you two here?” Fluttershy asked.

Gilda shrugged. “Well, Discord has a Windigo for a pet. Got anything that could make him jealous?”

Fluttershy gasped and grinned widely. “A-are you asking to buy a pet?!”

“Yeah, we’re both kinda looking around,” Rainbow said as she watched a nearby tortoise crawl by her. “Hey, does that guy look familiar to you G?”

Fluttershy grinned as she flapped her wings and began to push Rainbow and Gilda further into her home and pet store. “You really want a pet? Really?! Because I’ve got so many wonderful choices here! Oh, I know you’ll just love them! And I’m sure they’ll love you! Oh, you’ll be best friends forever and ever!”

“Whoa, hooves off lady!” Gilda said as she shrugged Fluttershy off her. “And while you’re at it, how ‘bout you cool your jets? We’re not buying today, we’re just browsing.”

Fluttershy nodded, as her face grew serious. “Oh, of course. Figuring out what pet you want to get is a very important decision, one that you really shouldn’t rush. I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, it’s cool Fluttershy,” Rainbow said. “If you want to help us make a decision, that’s cool too. But it has to be something awesome like a falcon, or a vampire bat, or something.”

Gilda nodded. “Right. You can forget showing us anything that can’t fly, and we want to get a pet that’s as awesome as we are. So, what’ve you got?”

“Oh, I have lots of pets that I think you’ll like,” Fluttershy said. “Now maybe some of them can’t fly, but they’re fast and energetic like you Rainbow Dash.”

“Energetic huh? What makes you say that?” Gilda asked.

Fluttershy blushed and giggled. “They’d have to be to keep up with all the children who came by to visit yesterday. I certainly couldn’t keep up with them.”

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo came flying into the room and grinned at Rainbow. “What brings you here?”

Rainbow smiled. “Pet browsing mostly, plus visiting with Fluttershy. How ‘bout you Scoots?”

“Yesterday when we were here, I saw this wicked cool bat. He was playing this song on a couple of glasses, then he screeched and the glasses shattered. It was so awesome!” Scootaloo giggled.

Snails and Sweetie Belle poked their heads in through the door. “Hey Scootaloo, he’s doing it again!” Sweetie said.

“Sweet!” Scootaloo flew out of Fluttershy’s house and into the backyard. Gilda stepped outside to see Diamond, Silver, Snips, Snails, Apple Bloom, Sweetie, Scootaloo, and even Button Mash running around and playing with the animals in Fluttershy’s huge backyard.

“Hey Button! Surprised to see you here,” Gilda said as she waved to him.

Button looked up from the toy robot battle he was having with a ferret. “Oh, I’m just waiting for my new game to finish updating back home. Plus I wanted a rematch with this guy.” The ferret waved at Gilda before he and Button continued dueling with the robots.

Rainbow and Fluttershy walked outside, Rainbow’s gaze drifting over all the animals and the colts and fillies. “Hey come on guys. Fluttershy’s got better things to do than to watch you guys play with her pets.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Oh it’s okay. They’re just a little curious and I really don’t have anything better to do today. The only thing I need to do is pick up a book from Nightmare Moon.”

“Actually, Nightmare is a little busy today.” They turned around to see Chrysalis, Angle and Lyra walk over to them. “You’re Fluttershy, right?” Lyra asked.

“Oh um, yes. That’s me,” Fluttershy said as she glanced at Chrysalis before turning back to Lyra.

“Great. Smog gave me this to give to you,” Lyra said as she levitated a book from her bags over to Fluttershy.

Chrysalis smiled. “Lyra, Angle, and I were just about to check out this rare flower that my friend Mimic found. Angle was also hoping to maybe talk with Angel bunny.”

“Oh, of course. I think he’s still upstairs. You can go on ahead.” Angle nodded and buzzed his wings to fly in through the upstairs window.

“Howdy Chrysie, howdy Lyra,” Apple Bloom said as she walked up to them. “What’s that ya got there?”

Lyra looked at the other book in her bag. “Oh, this? It’s the script for the Hearth’s Warming Eve play that Trixie is going to be in. I was just taking it back to her.”

“What were you doing with it?” Gilda asked.

“I was thinking about auditioning maybe,” Lyra said with a smile. “Maybe I could be a good Clover the Clever?”

“Mind if Ah have a quick look?” Apple Bloom asked.

Lyra shrugged. “If it’s quick, sure.” She levitated the script over to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom skimmed over the script and frowned thoughtfully. “Huh. It’s exactly the same,” she muttered.

“Sorry? What’s the same?” Lyra asked.

“Huh?” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she quickly pushed the script back to Lyra. “Oh, n-nothing. A-Ah was just thinking they were maybe doing a modern day retelling or something. But nope. Clover, Platinum, Hurricane, Pansy, Smart Cookie…they’re all there…” she trailed off as she tilted her head in thought.

“A modern retelling?” Lyra asked. “Huh. Sounds like an interesting idea, but I’m not sure how that would work.” She shrugged and began walking away. “Well, it was great talking to you. I better give this back to Trixie.”

“I should go check on Angle,” Chrysalis said as she started to buzz her wings.

“I haven’t heard any crashes yet. I’m sure they’re doing fine,” Fluttershy said. “Um…if it’s okay with you…would you like to help me watch them?” she asked, pointing to the colts and fillies playing outside. “We could…talk if you want…”

Chrysalis touched back down and smiled. “Sure. What would you like to talk about?”

Fluttershy looked at the ground as her ears folded. “Um, I dunno. It’s just…I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable around changelings, especially with their involvement with the creation of Cadance’s condition.” She blushed a little as she remembered the last time she spoke with Cadance. There might have been some tiny trace of the love poison left in her. But the important thing was Cadance was cured now.

Chrysalis titled her head to one side. “I thought Prismia was the only changeling involved with that.”

Fluttershy shrugged. “M-maybe. Doctor Hooves said that he thinks that the unicorn who hired him all those years ago might have been a changeling and…” she trailed off before she smiled sadly at Chrysalis. “I’m sorry. It’s not fair, I’ve been scared of changelings for years but…you actually have a reason to be scared of me. Chrysalis, I am so sorry for what my Stare did to you. I’d like to start over with you.”

Chrysalis stared at the nervous Fluttershy before she slowly smiled. “I’d like to start over too.” The two girls shook hooves before they turned around to watch the colts and fillies as they played.

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Fluttershy said. Chrysalis nodded. After a few moments, Fluttershy started to softly sing:
“Mrs. Sun, Sun, Mrs. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me.”

Chrysalis smiled and sang with her:
“Oh Mrs. Sun, Sun, Mrs. Golden Sun
Hiding behind a tree.”

“These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you,” Fluttershy sang.

“Oh Mrs. Sun, Sun, Mrs. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me.”

Heavenly Sunrise smiled as she finished singing. She smiled even wider as the doors opened. “King Sombra will see you now,” the royal guard said to her.

“Thank you good sirs,” Sunrise said. She strolled into the throne room, her head held high and with confidence in her every step, as if she owned the place.

Several royal guards were stationed around the throne room. There were many days when the carpet leading up to the throne would be filled with a line of creatures, hoping to talk to the king or princess during royal court. At the time, only one creature had been talking to the king. She passed by Zecora, who was just leaving the throne room after her conversation with King Sombra and nodded politely. “Good afternoon.” Zecora opened her mouth to greet her back but slowly closed it, as she looked closer at Sunrise. A cold shiver went down Zecora’s spine as Sunrise smiled at her. “Is something wrong?”

Zecora shook her head and kept walking without another word, occasionally taking a nervous glance back at her. Sunrise simply kept smiling as she walked up to the throne where King Sombra was sitting.

The king raised an eyebrow at the somewhat familiar mare before he smiled. “Good afternoon my subject. What can I do for you on this fine day?”

Sunrise smiled. “Thank you, I’m glad you like today. I was trying to make the sun a little…sunnier, shall we say? As for what you can do for me, the first thing you can do is get up. You’re in my seat.”

King Sombra frowned. “Excuse me?”

Sunrise let out a ladylike giggle. “I thought it might make things easier if I open up with a joke. Although I will be taking my throne back soon, so things will go a lot smoother for you if you surrender now.”

“Sorry...but you’re not making any sense,” King Sombra said.

Sunrise let out another giggle. “I do apologize, my little pony. I forgot how little you cared for cryptic conversations. In that case, I shall be crystal clear.” Sunrise’s horn glowed with gold and orange light. The gold vest she wore melted into a bubbling puddle at her hooves as she unfurled her wings. Her mane and tail began to smoke a little as her eyes glowed slightly.

“I am here to reclaim my throne and my kingdom,” Sunrise said.

King Sombra’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “C…Celestia?”

Sunrise sighed happily. “It feels like it has been a century since I’ve heard another pony speak my name. It’s good to see you too, my former student.”

The king stared at Sunrise in complete shock. One of the royal guards, a rather pretty changeling stepped forward. “It almost sounds to me like you just challenged our king,” she hissed. The guard raised her spear with her magic.

Sunrise glanced at the changeling guard with disdain. “Oh dear...this is what happens when you leave the windows open Sombra. You let bugs in. Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of it.”

With a casual flick of her head, Sunrise grabbed the changeling guard in a golden glow and slammed her against the window. The glass cracked from the force of the impact as the guard cried out in pain. The other guards immediately reacted as they raised their weapons, charged their horns with magic, and got into fighting stances.

“No!” Seeing this, King Sombra pulled back his guards with his magic and created several walls of black crystals to shield his guards. “Do not challenge her! She’s too strong for any of you!” The guards felt shivers go down their spines at his words. The only other times the king had warned them against attacking the enemy was against Eternal Twilight and Pinkamania Disaster Pie.

King Sombra growled and fired the strongest blast of dark magic he could create at Sunrise. But the alicorn merely smiled as the magic passed harmlessly right through her. “What? How?!”

“I decided not to make the trip in person,” Sunrise explained. “The pony you see before is a magical creation, an extension of my power. The rest of me is in Canterlot, which you will soon see once again.”

King Sombra frowned. “Then why reveal yourself now?”

“To give you a fair warning of course. The game would not be fair if you were not aware we were even playing. I will be arriving here soon to take your Crystal Heart,” Sunrise stated.

“I will not let you attack my kingdom or hurt my subjects! You will fail!” King Sombra roared.

Sunrise smiled as her body glowed brightly. “When you see my sister, tell her I’ll see her soon.” King Sombra quickly threw up a wall of crystals to shield himself as well, right before Sunrise’s body exploded in a humongous burst of flames.

King Sombra coughed as he lowered the crystal shields around him and his guards. “Is everyone okay?”

The doors flung open as Princess Twilight and Captain Luna charged in. “What was that noise? King Sombra, what happened here?” Luna asked as she flew over to her guards to help them back up.

“The throne room is on fire!” Princess Twilight exclaimed. “Why is the throne room on fire?!”

King Sombra gave them a grim look. “Luna, it appears that your sister is back in town.”

“Sister?” Luna looked around at all the fires still burning in the throne room as Princess Twilight tried to put them out with her magic. “…Celestia?” Luna asked with wide eyes.

Princess Twilight froze as she dropped the water bucket she was levitating. “C…Celestia?”

“Guards. Find Countess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor and get them here, right now,” King Sombra ordered.

The changeling guard that Sunrise had thrown saluted. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“You’re still injured. Are you sure you can stand?” Princess Twilight asked.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. All that matters now is protecting you, the king, and the empire.” The royal guards ran out of the room to search for the prince and countess.

“Luna, see if you can find Garble. If that takes too long, find another way to send a message to Nightmare Moon and the other Elements,” King Sombra ordered. Luna nodded and flew out of the throne room too.

“Are you alright?” Princess Twilight asked the king.

“No Sparky, I’m not. First you, then Pinkie, then the Smooze, and now this.” King Sombra shook his head. “In my mind, there are only two things that could be worse than this.”

“What would that be?” the princess asked.

“Number one, Pinkie Pie turns against us. And number two…” King Sombra looked out the window. “Whatever it is that Lord Tirek and Prince Scorpan are afraid of.”

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened. “Something that Tirek and Scorpan are afraid of? I thought Pinkie was the only pony that scared them…”

“Never mind. Forget I even said that,” King Sombra muttered. “We already have enough to worry about. ...I just hope that the Elements get here soon.”

Nightmare Moon, Smog, Sunset Shimmer, Gilda, Trixie, Chrysalis, Discord, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all hurried into the throne room.

“King Sombra, Princess Twilight! We got here as soon as we could and we have the Elements!” Nightmare announced as she adjusted her helmet and the Element of Power on her head.

“Thank you Nightmare Moon. Thank you all,” Princess Twilight said.

“So, what did you call us here for this time? Did another ancient evil break out of its prison to try and take over the world?” Rainbow asked. As the others stared at her, she shrugged. “Come on, you guys were thinking the same thing.”

“I was thinking about onions, trees, and waffles,” Discord announced. “But Rainbow Dash is right, there does seem to be a pattern here.”

Captain Luna sighed as she closed the door behind her. “For the most part, Rainbow’s guess was right. However, this matter is a little more complicated.” She held up a hoof as Nightmare stared at her. “I’m sorry Nightmare, but I’m not quite up to singing Sun shines and Moon gleams today.”

Nightmare sighed. “It’s okay, I can tell you’re the real Loony. But what’s going on? Mom, it…shouldn’t it be night now? Why hasn’t Princess Twilight lowered the sun to raise the moon? Why haven’t you? For that matter…why can’t I lower it?

Luna looked up at the sun. “Moony…it appears that your aunt got out of her timeout early.”

“My aunt…you mean Celestia?” Nightmare asked.

“Indeed. Princess Celestia, the one who ruled with Princess Luna long before Princess Twilight Sparkle and I came into power,” King Sombra said. “Also known as the Sun, the Daybreaker, and the Queen of Fire.”

“Is she hot?” Discord asked, before he chuckled a little.

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes before she levitated a bubbling potion over. “I think you all remember what Zecora’s most famous potion does.”

“Woo, another vision! I hope somebody breaks out into a song this time,” Discord said as he summoned a video camera into his claw. “And…go!”

Princess Twilight took a sip and swirled the potion around in her mouth before her eyes turned white. They all watched closely as she spat out the potion and the vision began to form.

They watched a much younger version of Twilight Sparkle walk among a crowd of ponies. “I was just a filly when I first saw Celestia, well over a hundred years ago,” the present Princess Twilight explained. “Back then, the Crystal Heart Celebration was called the Summer Sun Celebration. The fair was being held in my hometown and I was excited to see the princesses for the first time.”

The filly Sparkle pushed around a few older ponies to get a good view. Royal guards that were dressed in very different uniforms than what Nightmare was used to seeing stood to attention. They brought up their trumpets and played an official sounding march. Then up on the platform, two ponies appeared in swirls of light and darkness. Nightmare recognized her mom, wearing the royal regalia she wore back when she was a princess. Standing next to her was an alicorn, slightly taller than Princess Luna.

She had a long horn and wings, like Nightmare and Luna. She also wore regalia similar to Princess Luna and Princess Twilight’s, although hers was a sunny, golden colour. Her coat was white, with just the faintest tinge of pink. Her mane and tail flowed magically in the air without wind, again like Nightmare and Luna’s hair. However while Nightmare’s hair was darkish blue like the night, Celestia’s mane and tail shimmered with one green, one pink, and two light blues stripes. She also had an image of the sun on her flank.

Nightmare blinked and looked again. “Wait…she has a cutie mark. Why does she have a cutie mark?”

Trixie looked around at the other ponies in the vision. “For that matter, why are so many of these ponies not blank flanks?”

King Sombra shrugged. “Over a hundred years ago, ponies received marks as they grew older. However when the Elements of Forgiveness were discovered, cutie marks began to behave strangely. Foals received them while the marks began to fade on older ponies, but only when they discovered they had a passion for something that didn’t relate to their cutie mark.”

Sunset tilted her head in confusion. “But…why would discovering the Elements do that?”

King Sombra gave a weak chuckle. “My former student, many ponies have searched for the answer to that question. After all these years, we still haven’t got a single clue.”

Luna shrugged. “It just sorta happened.”

The vision continued as the younger Luna spoke. “And so dawns a new day, our beloved subjects. I hope you have all enjoyed the late night festivities. And now, Princess Celestia will raise the sun.”

Princess Celestia smiled as she began to rise into the air. She held her front hooves over her head as her horn glowed. Luna’s horn glowed too as she bowed her head and lowered the moon. The sun rose into the sky and the ponies cheered. Some of the younger ponies began to edge closer to the princesses and praised Celestia for the beautiful day.

Off to the corner, Princess Luna’s ears folded down in sadness. She began to walk away, before Celestia called out to her. “My dearest sister, where are you going?”

Princess Luna stopped. “…The day is yours sister. I have had my time in the light. The ponies wish to praise you for this gorgeous day. You no longer need my here, and so I shall return to my room and rest.”

Princess Celestia smiled warmly as she walked past the crowd of ponies and laid her wing on Princess Luna’s back. “Please stay Luna. I hardly get to see you, my little night owl. We won’t be able to enjoy the rest of the Celebration without you. Isn’t that right, my little ponies?” Some of the older ponies looked a little hesitant, as if they weren’t sure what to say. “Come now. Tell us what you all enjoyed most about Princess Luna’s night.” As the ponies began to crowd around the two happy princesses again, Filly Sparkle stared in awe at the two rulers.

Captain Luna stared at her past self being hugged by Princess Celestia before she looked away, her eyes watering a little. “Skip ahead.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle nodded as the vision shifted. Princess Celestia with Filly Sparkle walked down a long hallway in Canterlot Castle. The hallway had a strong resemblance to the hallways in the Crystal Castle except that there wasn’t a single crystal in sight.

Princess Celestia opened a set of doors to a larger room within the castle. Inside, Princess Luna was talking to a younger version of Sombra and a stallion who looked like a teenage Star Swirl. Even though he didn’t have much of a beard, he was dressed in his famous hat and robes with all the little bells.

“Princess Luna, Sombra, Star Swirl…allow me to introduce Sparkle,” Princess Celestia said as she gently pushed Filly Sparkle forward with her wing. “She will be our third apprentice and your fellow student.”

Young Sombra gave Sparkle a disdainful look and scoffed. “Your Majesties, don’t you think she’s a little young? She’s just a filly.”

Star Swirl grinned. “Another student? And her name starts with an S too. Neat!” He walked over to Sparkle and shook her hoof. “Nice to meet you kid. Don’t mind grumpy-pants Sombra over there. We were pretty young when the princesses became our teachers too. Not as young as you are though...you must be something special!”

Princess Celestia smiled as she patted Filly Sparkle on the head. “Indeed she is. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a unicorn with her raw abilities.”

Young Sombra rolled his eyes. “Nice to see you still think so highly of us,” he said sarcastically.

But Princess Celestia kept smiling. “You all have unique gifts. But Sparkle needs to learn to tame her abilities through focused study. Of course, Princess Luna and I do not have enough time to mentor the three of you whilst still continuing our royal duties. Can I count on you two to teach her when we’re not around?”

“We will include a special field trip for the three of you if you do,” Princess Luna said with a smile.

“Woo! Adventure!” Star Swirl cheered.

Young Sombra groaned. “With respect Your Majesty, I have my research with magical crystals to consider.”

Princess Celestia smiled. “And I am very interested in seeing the progress you have made on your research. You are researching dragons too, correct?” Sombra nodded. “Well then you might be interested in seeing what made me decide to take on Sparkle as my third student.” Celestia’s horn glowed as she levitated a baby dragon over to them.

Smog’s jaw dropped. “Is…is that Spike?”

“Aw! He’s so cute!” Rarity gushed.

Princess Twilight smirked. “Careful, don’t let the present Spike know you said that.”

Star Swirl and Sombra stared at baby Spike. “Remarkable…” Sombra mumbled.

Spike gently floated away as Princess Celestia levitated him to her bedroom. “I have decided to raise the baby dragon into adulthood. Sparkle is a little too young to be a mother yet, however she has my permission to name him.”

Filly Sparkle blushed. “I’m still thinking, Your Highness.”

Sombra nodded. “Very well then. If this filly was able to hatch a dragon with her magic, perhaps she could be of some assistance to my research. Once she’s been trained a bit. If Your Majesties are too busy today, I will begin my lessons with her.” Sombra bowed to Princess Luna. “My lady.” He bowed to Princess Celestia, but with an added smile and wink. “My lady.”

Star Swirl and Sombra walked Sparkle out of the room and down the hall. “You’re going to love the lessons!” Star Swirl said. “Ooh, and the books! We’ve got a huge library, stuffed full with all kinds of books! We’ve got fiction, non-fiction, and all the stuff in between and around. You like books, right?”

Filly Sparkle grinned. “I love books!”

Sombra nodded. “Good. I take it that you have been reading as many spell books as you can find? What about dark magic? What do you know about that?”

Filly Sparkle’s ears folded down. “My parents say that dark magic is dangerous.”

“Magic is magic, little filly. A spell is only as dangerous as you make it. True, dark magic has a few…interesting side effects. However, it can be mastered with enough training,” Sombra said.

“But my parents said…” Sparkle trailed off as she saw the glare Sombra was giving her.

“Your parents are only mortal. They may or may not have your best interests at heart, but they make mistakes too. They don’t always know what’s best for you. You will begin studying dark magic with me and I will make sure that our studies don’t become dangerous,” he said.

“I dunno…” she mumbled.

“I wasn’t asking you. If you want to study magic, you must study all magic. Anything less would be foolish. Star Swirl, you teach her today. I have preparations that I need to see to.” With that, Sombra walked away from both of them.

Star Swirl chuckled. “Yeah, he’s a little grumpy. Don’t worry, he’s nice when you get to know him.”

“If you say so,” Sparkle mumbled.

Star Swirl smiled gently. “You’re probably feeling a little nervous. It’s okay to doubt yourself...I did too when I was your age. But if you keep moving forward at a nice, slow pace, you’ll get the hang of it. So even if you get scared, you really don’t need to doubt yourself. Okay?”

Sparkle slowly smiled. “Okay.”

“Great! Wanna see me pull a jackalope out of my hat?” Star Swirl asked as he took off his jingling bell hat and waved a hoof over it.

“…I miss him,” Princess Twilight said.

King Sombra sighed. “I miss him too.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? You seemed like, really grumpy back then.”

The king sighed again. “This is about Celestia, not me.”

“Agreed. I miss seeing Star Swirl too but unless that time-traveling old lunatic shows up here in the next three seconds, we still have more to show you all,” Captain Luna said. She briefly waited a few seconds to see if Star Swirl actually was going to make an appearance in the throne room before she sighed. “I shall take control of the vision now.” Luna’s eyes glowed white as she took control.

The vision shifted again to show Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Sparkle, and Star Swirl. The filly Sparkle had grown into a young mare. Next to her was Spike, no longer a newborn dragon but still much smaller than the large and great dragon they all knew he would become. Standing in front of them all was Sombra…and another Star Swirl.

The younger Star Swirl stared at his older counterpart. “Doesn’t the beard itch?”

Star Swirl the Bearded shrugged. “It did at first, but you know what I always say: there’s a spell for that.”

Young Star Swirl slowly smiled. “Oh, okay. ...Wonder if I can make that a catchphrase.”

“Well I wish you good luck with that. It never really caught on when I tried it. But as scary as it may sound, I have called you all here in regards to a matter more serious than catchphrases,” Star Swirl the Bearded said. “Sombra, you were in the middle of telling the princess about your discovery.”

It wasn’t a question, but Sombra nodded anyway. “Yes. Earlier today I discovered a place filled with great power. I encountered these strange items there.” His magic glowed red as he levitated six differently coloured, sphere-shaped rocks from his bags and placed them on the floor. “They told me their names. These are the Elements of Redemption, Forgiveness, and Harmony. Or just the Elements for short.”

Princess Luna looked down at the Elements. “These objects told you their names?”

“I know it sounds strange Princess Luna, but I can tell you now that the Elements of Forgiveness will play a big role in things to come,” Star Swirl the Bearded said. “Which is why I have traveled back in time to tell you who is destined to bear each Element.”

He walked towards them. “For…myself, the Element of Knowledge.” The younger Star Swirl nodded.

He walked over to the others, levitating an Element to each member of the group. “To Princess Celestia, the Element of Love. To Princess Luna, the Element of Freedom. To Sombra, the Element of Nobility. To Spike, the Element of Zeal. And to Sparkle, the Element of Power.”

“Nobility?” Sombra asked as he looked at his Element. “I don’t know…”

“You discovered the Elements for a reason Sombra. Trust me, nobility and generosity is the best fit for you. Or it will be,” Star Swirl the Bearded said.

“Power? But-but, I’m not powerful! This should be for Princess Celestia or Princess Luna!” Sparkle whimpered. “I mean, I’m nothing special…”

The old wizard smiled at her gently. “Trust me when I say you are, Sparkle. Besides, power can come from the most wonderful and unexpected places.”

“What does zeal mean?” Spike asked.

“It means loyalty. You love Sparkle, and so you are loyal to her,” Star Swirl the Bearded explained. The baby dragon seemed happy with this and hugged Sparkle.

“And Love and Freedom for my sister and I,” Princess Luna said with a smile. “Most wonderful.”

“Great! Sombra can explain to you a bit more about them. As for me, I need to head back to my own time,” Star Swirl the Bearded said. His smile faded a little as he added, “By the way, if you ever come across a crazy, pink earth mare…be wary of her. She could be a great ally…or enemy.”

And with that, Star Swirl the Bearded faded away from that point in time. The vision shifted again. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were sitting alone in the throne room.

“I’m not so sure about this Luna,” Celestia said.

“Not sure about what, sister?” Princess Luna asked.

“The creatures we are meeting today. I feel…nervous.”

“That’s unlike you. What is there to be nervous about? We are simply opening negotiations with these good creatures,” Luna said.

Celestia sighed. “Luna…for many years we have been at war with the changelings and-”

“War?” Luna interrupted with a giggle. “I think you’re exaggerating, Celestia. There has been much conflict between the changelings and our little ponies, but war? Disagreements between us have never escalated that much. Besides, that’s all in the past.”

“Is it?” Celestia asked. “Just one month ago, we met with the kings and queens of all the changeling hives in Equestria. We thought our societies could benefit from each other and we granted them citizenship. Now, hundreds of changelings constantly surround our subjects everyday. Creatures with wings and magic that drain love, that can look like anypony. They’re everywhere.”

“Celestia, you’re being paranoid,” Luna said gently. “The changelings have no reason to attack us. Love is gained through friendship, not warfare.”

“It’s not just changelings, sister. Minotaurs, dragons, griffons, diamond dogs, chimeras, and whatever those humans were.”

“I liked the humans. They were very nice,” Luna said. “...Most of them, anyway.”

“And those draconequui. Otherworldly, mismatched creatures that can change reality with a snap of their claws. We are lucky that they are more comfortable being harmless pranksters. What if they ever became a threat to our precious little ponies, what defense do we have against such-”

“Celestia,” Luna repeated firmly. “You’re being paranoid. It is not wise to fear the unknown just because it is strange. Our ponies aren’t defenceless either. And if anything does threaten our kingdom, we have the Elements of Redemption.

“Star Swirl says that the Elements might be related to the recent changes to our cutie marks,” Celestia said as she glanced at the flickering and fading mark on her flank.

“I wouldn’t worry about that. On the positive side, the Elements worked against that Smooze stuff, didn’t they?”

“I fear we have not heard the last of that slime. And the Elements’ power requires that all six and their bearers be present. What if…what if something terrible happens to Sparkle? To Sombra, to Spike, to Star Swirl, or to you? How can I…”

Luna hopped off her throne and walked over to give Celestia a hug. “We will be fine, sister. Stop worrying.”

Celestia sighed as Luna released her. As Luna sat back down on her throne, a royal guard opened the door. “They’re here to see you now.”

“Send them in,” Celestia ordered. The guard led the two visiting creatures up to the throne, where they bowed before the princesses.

“Lord Tirek, Prince Scorpan. At last we meet face to face,” Luna said.

“Just Tirek is fine,” the centaur said as he stood up. “We are all equal, are we not brother?”

The gargoyle-like creature shrugged. “The royal sisters are rulers of their country. I wouldn’t say we’re quite the same as them.”

“You wanted to speak to us,” Celestia said.

“Indeed. My brother and I are traveling adventurers. We wanted to explore more of this Equestria and to offer our services to you, should a need for them ever arise,” Tirek said.

“I know of what services you refer to. You steal magic from creatures,” Celestia said, a little coldly.

“Only evil creatures, Your Majesty,” Scorpan said.

“And who are you to judge who is good and who is evil?” Celestia asked.

Tirek tilted his head to one side. “Odd. Your subjects tell me you are known for your kind-hearted, sunny nature. Yet you seem rather cold to me.”

“As your brother just said, my sister and I are the rulers of Equestria. And as rulers we have to think about potential threats,” Celestia said. “You say you only steal magic from evil demons to protect people, but how do I know that you won’t steal magic from my ponies?”

“Our ponies,” Luna muttered.

Tirek smiled. “My brother and I love meeting new people. When we make friends, it is a habit of ours to sample their magic. Why would we need to steal it?”

“Sample?” Luna asked.

“Indeed. For example…” Tirek stepped forward and opened his mouth near Celestia. A stream of magic left her horn and entered his mouth. Just as Celestia flared her wings open in shocked anger, Tirek stopped. He backed away and smiled. “Is your magic still there?”

Celestia frowned as her horn glowed, before she cancelled the spell. “You didn’t steal my magic.”

“I only sampled a tiny part of it. That’s all it takes. Magic never truly dies, princess. It may fade with time, but more often it grows with time. I only took a small sample of your magic, but within a few years it won’t seem that small to me. You keep your magic, yet I still grow stronger,” Tirek said.

“And I should add that you and your sister are still MUCH stronger than we are,” Scorpan said. “So it would be stupid of us to try and challenge you. What I’m trying to say is…we come in peace, Your Majesties.”

“Besides taking magic we can also give it. We can make your subjects stronger too. We can offer you many rewards. And at this time, we only have one thing to ask in return,” Tirek said.

“And that would be?” Luna asked.

Tirek reached for a satchel hanging on the necklace he wore. He removed the bag and held it out for them to see. “I call this the Bag of Tirek. It once contained two very different but very powerful magical artifacts inside. The Rainbow of Light and the Rainbow of Darkness. Unfortunately, the Rainbow of Darkness was stolen from us.”

Celestia took the bag in her magic and levitated it towards her. She opened the bag and telekinetically took out a red, heart-shaped locket. “This is the Rainbow of Light?”

“Yes. A very powerful magic, quite similar to those Elements I heard one of your students discovered,” Tirek said. “You may keep it, if you wish. We have no need for it now, though we may return for it if and when we do.”

Celestia opened the locket and stared at the rainbow inside. “It’s…so…pretty…”

“Um, you should be careful with that,” Scorpan warned her. “During our battle with the masked thief, the Rainbows of Light and Darkness clashed together. The amount of magic used in our battle may have altered the Rainbow of Light. It could be very unstable.”

Tirek rolled his eyes. “Scorpan, you worry too much. I’m sure an alicorn princess knows how to protect herself from unstable magic.”

“So you wish for us to help you track down this thief and bring them to justice?” Luna asked.

“If it’s not any trouble,” Scorpan said. “We have a sketch of the thief we can show you.”

“I would be happy to help you,” Luna said as she stepped off her throne. “Celestia, are you coming?”

“Yes...you go on ahead…I’ll catch up…” Celestia said as she stared at the Rainbow of Light and the Bag of Tirek.

The vision shifted again. Luna slowly opened the door and stepped into the room Celestia was in. “Sister? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Celestia snapped. “…Sorry Luna, didn’t know it was you.” She turned back to the items on the table and frowned.

“Sister, I don’t think any of us will be fine for a while. The sooner we talk about it, the sooner you’ll feel better,” Luna said.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Celestia muttered.

“Are you sure? Ever since the Pink Trickster-”

“Do not speak of that Demon!” Celestia shrieked as she spun around to glare at Luna.

“Okay, easy. I won’t speak of her,” Luna said to placate her.

Celestia sighed. “I’m sorry sister. I just…need some time alone. Time to prepare.”

“Very well sister. I wish you goodnight then. Don’t forget to lower the sun,” Luna said as she left.

Celestia absentmindedly lowered the sun to make way for the moon. She turned back to the crystals on the table and frowned. Her horn glowed with a gold aura, before it grew darker and darker. Dark magic leaked from her horn and eyes as she tried to focus on the crystals before it faded. “Have to prepare. Can’t let another monster take away my ponies. Rainbow...Rainbow of Darkness, dark magic, Sombra. Connection? Trust? Who can I trust? Have to grow stronger,” she muttered.

The vision shifted again. A royal guard burst into the room and screamed, “Princess Luna! Everything is on fire!”

Sparkle, Sombra, and Star Swirl teleported into the room. “We’re trying to evacuate everyone, but the fires keep spreading!” Sparkle cried.

“I KNOW!” Luna shouted. “Guards, assist Sparkle and Spike with evacuating everyone! Star Swirl, I need you to heal the injured and-”

“Actually, there haven’t been any injured, as far as we can see,” Star Swirl said. “Whoever is controlling the fires, they’re doing it with extreme precision. I think whoever is doing this, doesn’t actually want to hurt anyone.”

“So they’re just doing this to create mass panic?” Sombra asked.

“Well it’s nice that nopony has been hurt so far, but Canterlot is still on fire!” Luna shouted.

“Where’s Princess Celestia?” Sparkle cried.

“I saw her fly up to the roof before…before the fires started,” Sombra said. He hesitated for several seconds before he teleported away.

“Sombra?” Luna asked. She flapped her wings and flew through the window and up to the roof of the castle. Sombra had beaten her there, and was staring in horror at Celestia.

Her regalia was missing. Her teeth were fangs; while her eyes had turned dark purple and draconic like Eternal Twilight’s. Her white coat had turned dark red and her flowing rainbow hair had turned to streaming orange flame.

“Ah, Princess Luna, Sombra. How nice to see you. Come to enjoy the view?” Celestia asked as her horn glowed, sending a fireball flying down to the city below.

Luna stared at Celestia, hurt and betrayal in her eyes. “Sister…you’re behind this?”

“How…how could you do this Princess Celestia?” Sombra asked.

“Queen Celestia,” the solar alicorn said. “You were right Sombra, it is rather silly to have more than one princess in a kingdom. Luna and I tell ponies that we are princesses because it means we share power, but we really did take the title just because it sounded cuter. As I have more power, ponies will refer to me as Queen. Luna, you’re cuter than I am so you can still be Princess.”

“Celestia! You’re setting our city on fire!” Luna cried.

“Yes. Our city is infested, dear sister. These dangerous pests need to be smoked out and so I have created controlled fires to scare our enemies away. And if they still remain, I shall be merciful and let them live in this city. After today, they will never question my power again,” Celestia said. She looked away from the city and smiled at Luna. “You sound upset, sister. Is it because I have not lowered the sun? I’ll be keeping it up there so that evil cannot hide under the shadow of your night. I’ll lower my sun in a month or two, shall I?”

“Sister, you must end this madness!” Luna cried.

“…Celestia, why are you wearing Tirek’s bag?” Sombra asked.

Celestia stared at the bag around her neck containing the Rainbow of Light. “The Rainbow speaks to me. It tells me whom to punish. Equestria is for equines only. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, all ruled by the alicorns of night and day. No room for invaders.”

King Sombra sighed as they watched the vision. “Celestia always had such a glorious light about her. The Rainbow of Light made it so that even she was blinded by her own glory.”

A royal guard appeared on the roof in a flash of green. “Princess Luna! Have you found Princess…Celestia…”

Celestia frowned at the guard. Her horn glowed and wrapped the guard in a magical aura that shifted from gold to green. A flash of green fire removed the pegasus mare disguise from the guard. “A changeling? Sister, you hired a changeling as part of your guard?”

“Sister, you must end this madness. The Rainbow of Light is unstable and it is making you unstable too!” Luna cried.

“I’ve never felt more stable. I see things clearly. Just as I see my enemies are trying to control my helpless baby sister,” Celestia said with a sad sigh. “But don’t worry Luna. I will burn away their taint.”

“Princess Celestia?” the changeling guard asked hesitantly.

“I am no mere princess,” Celestia said as she glared at the changeling. “I am the Sun. I am the Queen of Equestria, the Queen of Fire. I am Daybreaker, and you will fear my power.”

Daybreaker giggled as she looked back at Luna. “A few names I came up with. Would you like another name Luna? They say names have power, so to have many names must make one powerful indeed.”

“Queen Celestia,” Sombra spoke up. “You say that Princess Luna is being controlled by our enemies? Perhaps we can use the Elements of Forgiveness to free her?” He gave Luna a look.

Daybreaker nodded. “A good idea, my faithful student. Bring the Elements to me at once.”

“As you command, Your Majesty. Come Luna, let’s heal you,” Sombra said.

“Um, yes! Let’s.” Smiling nervously, Sombra and Princess Luna both teleported to the room beside the royal vault, within the castle.

“I’ll get Star Swirl, Sparkle, and Spike. Princess Luna, you get the Elements!” Sombra said.

“But what if they don’t work? I cannot imprison my sister in stone, as if she were no better than the Pink Demon!” Luna cried.

“Princess, we don’t have time to argue! I promise you, we’ll save Celestia!” Sombra said before he transformed into his shadow form and flew away. Luna turned to the vault and opened it with her magic. She levitated the Elements out of the vault and set them down on the floor. She levitated the Element of Freedom towards herself, before she looked down at the Element of Love.

Sombra reappeared with the other mortal bearers. Sparkle stared at the princess with tears in her eyes. “Princess Luna…is Celestia really…”

“She won’t be for long,” Sombra said as he levitated the Element of Nobility towards him. Star Swirl nodded and grabbed his Element of Knowledge, before levitating the Elements of Power and Zeal to Sparkle and Spike.

“What about Celestia’s Element?” Spike asked.

“I’ll take it,” Sparkle and Luna said at the same time. Sparkle froze before she bowed to Luna. “I’m so sorry, Princess Luna! She’s your sister, you clearly love Celestia a lot. I didn’t mean to imply that I love her more, I don’t! I-I mean, I love her but not more than you! Um…”

“I understand,” Luna said as she took the Element of Love. “She loves you too. Celestia and I have come to care for all of you. If anyone can help me save her, I’m glad it’s you.”

A blinding flash of light filled the room, before it faded away to reveal Queen Celestia. “Good, you have all the Elements. Now we may begin.”

“Sister, I am so sorry…but you have given us no choice. I only hope that the Elements can find the good that I know still exists inside you,” Luna said as her eyes watered.

The Elements began to glow as the bearers aimed them at Queen Celestia. The queen blinked in surprise before she frowned and fired a scorching hot blast of magic at them. The beams of magic collided, before the power of the Elements began to push against Daybreaker’s magic. Grimacing, Daybreaker used her magic to open Tirek’s bag, and the locket within. The corrupted Rainbow of Light added its power to Darbreaker’s as she fought against the Elements.

The light faded, and the Element bearers all stood up and groaned. “Did it work? Celestia, are you there!” Luna called out.

They looked up to see Celestia…still corrupted, with a bright rainbow shimmering around her. “The Rainbow of Light protects me,” she chuckled weakly.

“Not entirely,” Sombra commented as he noticed how weak her magic had become. The red glow of his horn’s magic began to turn black, as he fired a blast of dark magic at Daybreaker.

Daybreaker frowned as her eyes turned green and red, before she closed them. She opened her draconic eyes and smiled in amusement. “A fear spell? Foolish colt...darkness can never overcome the light.”

Sombra sighed. “I don’t want to do this, but you leave me no other choice princess. Either way, I cannot overcome you. We just need time to free you.”

Before Daybreaker could protest, Sombra summoned crystals all around her. They circled her and grew around her like a dome. Daybreaker’s horn glowed as she tried to push against her forming prison. The black crystals began to turn red, then orange and yellow. Spikes began to form in the crystal, making the dome look like a crystal sun.

Daybreaker glared at Sombra before she looked at Luna. Her eyes softened as she sighed. “A captain goes down with her ship. A queen goes down with her city. And so, this city will go down with me. Hear me now, my sister...the Sun will rise again.”

The Rainbow of Light shot out from its locket as Sombra put Queen Celestia into a crystal sleep. Star Swirl’s eyes widened as the Rainbow began to zoom all over the place. “Time to go!” he said as his horn glowed. He teleported himself and the other Element bearers outside Canterlot, where many citizens had been evacuated to.

“Princess Luna! Where’s Celestia? What’s happening?” a young dragoness asked.

Before Luna could answer, a huge Rainbow of Light wrapped around Canterlot. Within seconds, the Rainbow faded away, taking Canterlot with it. Something glinted in the sky, before it fell to the ground before them. It was Celestia’s crown.

“…Celestia…” Luna whispered sadly.

“Princess Luna?” Sparkle asked.

Luna sighed as tears fell out of her eyes. She levitated her own crown and placed it on Sparkle’s head. “Tell the ponies what has happened. I…I wish to be alone…” Luna picked up Celestia’s crown with her mouth, before she flapped her wings and flew off.

The vision ended after that. King Sombra sighed, “That was the last time any of us saw Celestia. Princess Luna was heartbroken, too full of grief from losing her sister.”

Captain Luna nodded sadly. “I declared Sombra and Sparkle to be the new prince and princess. I felt that my emotions made me…unable to perform my duties as ruler. Eventually I became a new recruit in the royal guard, so that I could still protect my subjects in some small way. After that…Eternal Twilight happened, and Prince Sombra became King Sombra.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle nodded. “And that was it. But now Canterlot and Daybreaker have returned. Nightmare Moon, we need you to protect Canterlot. This will be a difficult test for your studies but-”

“A test?!” King Sombra interrupted. “The fate of our entire kingdom is at stake and you think this is a simple test for our student to pass?”

Princess Twilight flinched. “I…no, of course not. I’m not making light of the situation. I just…forgive me, I don’t know why I said that.”

King Sombra sighed. “There is one more thing you should know. Earlier today Daybreaker threatened me, announcing that she would steal the Crystal Heart. And she did so using this form.” His horn glowed as he conjured up an illusion of a familiar unicorn, only with added wings.

“Heavenly Sunrise?!” Nightmare exclaimed.

“Heavenly Sunrise? Daybreaker, Celestia? Goodness, it’s only obvious until after it reveals itself, isn’t it?” Discord said.

“But…I haven’t seen Sunrise since she stayed with me during the dragon migration,” Nightmare said.

“That was a while ago. Why has the Queen of Fire revealed herself now?” Trixie asked.

“I…I think she might have been biding her time,” Sunset said. “You talked with Sunrise about a lot of recent events and magical discoveries. Not to mention you live in a library, and so did she for the days she was visiting Peaceville. Plus whatever she learned while on the road with the Cake Twins.”

Princess Twilight sighed. “So Daybreaker has had plenty of time to plan ahead.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Luna suddenly cried. “My friends, Celestia has returned. My sister is out there and she can be saved!” She stared at her daughter. “Nightmare Moon, you must use the Elements to save her.”

“Don’t worry mom. I’ll make you proud,” Nightmare promised.

Luna sighed. “…I just want my sister back.”

“We’ll save her,” Sunset promised. The other Elements nodded their heads in agreement.

“Canterlot has reappeared on top of the tallest mountain in Everfree. Good luck,” King Sombra said.

“Alright everyone! Who wants to fight a pyromaniac alicorn who controls the sun?!” Discord sang cheerfully.

“Trixie has doubts about this plan,” Trixie said.

“Well darling, that might be because we don’t have one plan,” Rarity said. “Um, since I am not a bearer perhaps I…”

“Oh, why am I asking such a silly question?” Discord said with a grin. He snapped his fingers and the Elements and their friends all disappeared.

Princess Twilight sighed. “Do you think they’ll succeed?”

“I’m planning on sending your brother, Fluttershy, and Countess Cadance to help them if they need assistance,” King Sombra said. “But don’t worry Sparky. They defeated Pinkamania. They can handle Celestia.”

Luna sighed. “I hope so.”

Outside of the throne room, a crystal statue blinked its eyes. It morphed back into Pinkie Pie, who smiled in thought.

“Celestia…” she said, rolling the name around on her tongue. Pinkie giggled and snapped her fingers, vanishing from the castle.

The Elements, Rainbow, and Rarity all appeared on the top of Everfree’s tallest mountain. Rarity opened her mouth to protest being forced to tag along, before she kept it open as she stared in awe at Canterlot.

“Oh my…it’s gorgeous! Everything is so gorgeous!” she squeed as she admired Canterlot’s architecture.

Trixie looked at Canterlot and shrugged. “Meh. The Great and Powerful Trixie is unimpressed. Looks like the Crystal Empire but without crystals.”

“B-but…gold! There’s gold on those buildings!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Focus, Rarity. We’re not here to admire the scenery,” Gilda said. “We’re here to kick Celestia’s sunny flank.”

Rainbow grinned. “Right! You and me, G! You guys wait here, Gilda and I will fly ahead to get the lay of the land.”

Gilda and Rainbow both flapped their wings, leapt into the air…and landed on their faces.

“What…hey!” Gilda growled. She tried to flap her wings and lift herself off the ground, but she couldn’t do much besides hover.

Rainbow was having even less success. “What gives? Why do I feel so heavy?

“Discord, did you mess with the gravity again?” Sunset asked.

“Hold on, let me check.” Discord snapped his fingers. He frowned in alarm when nothing happened. “My friends…I can’t feel my magic.”

Chrysalis frowned in concentration before she gasped. “I…I can’t shape shift.”

Smog blinked and tried to burp. “…No fire. Why can’t I breathe fire?”

Sunset glanced at Trixie and Rarity. The three unicorns all furrowed their brows in concentration. “…I don’t think any of us can use our magic!”

Nightmare frowned as her horn glowed. “That’s really weird. My magic is still working.”

“Looks like her magic’s works too,” Smog said as he pointed up.

Nightmare glared at the phoenix as if flew towards them. “Philomena? What are you doing here?” Philomena smiled as she landed on Nightmare’s back. “Hey! What are you doing?!” The others gasped in shock as Nightmare and Philomena both disappeared in an explosion of fire.

“Nightmare!” Smog cried as the fire flew off towards Canterlot Castle.

Far away from the other Elements, Nightmare gasped for breath as her body reformed. She collapsed onto the floor before quickly standing up. “Philomena! First you tried to attack Smog, now me?! Show yourself, you blasted bird!”

“Try not to be upset with Philomena, or with me.” Nightmare turned around to see Sunrise, with Philomena resting on her back. “I must apologize for deceiving you before. You deserve the truth.”

Sunrise’s body glowed with power as she turned into Daybreaker. Her body grew, her white coat turned red, and her mane and tail burst into streaming flames. Her draconic eyes stared at Nightmare as she gave a fanged grin. “Nightmare Moon…I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Celestia,” Nightmare whispered.

“Well, well. You know my name,” Daybreaker said with a relaxed smile. “But that appears to be all you know. As Sunrise, you told me much about yourself, your friends, and your home. Yet you know so little about me. Your mother never told you about your aunt, did she?”

“She told me enough,” Nightmare said.

“I doubt that. For you see, I am your mother’s sister.”

Nightmare hesitantly nodded. “I know.”

If Daybreaker was fazed by this knowledge, she didn’t show it at all. “Oh?” She sighed, “And I was hoping it would be a fun little surprise for you. But perhaps this is better.” She glided gracefully across the floor towards Nightmare. “You do realize what this makes us.”

Nightmare took a step back. “You’re-”

“We are family, my little niece.” Daybreaker stood next to Nightmare. She unfolded her wings and wrapped them around her as she gave Nightmare a hug.

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “What are you-”

“Hush now, my little niece,” Daybreaker said soothingly. She smiled and nuzzled Nightmare gently.

“Release me!” Nightmare shouted as she pushed away from Daybreaker.

Daybreaker blinked. “What’s wrong Nightmare Moon?” she asked, genuine concern flowing from her voice.

“What’s wrong, is that I know what you’ve done! I saw-”

“Ah, I see now,” Daybreaker said with a calm smile. “Your mother has told you about our little disagreement. Perhaps she has even shown you what occurred with that potion the little zebra made.”

“Little disagreement? You set Canterlot on fire!” Nightmare shouted.

“Unfortunately, yes. That was a mistake on my part. I’m very happy that nopony was hurt,” Daybreaker said.

Nightmare opened her mouth to argue, when she realized what Daybreaker had said. “You’re…you are?”

“Of course. I hope that you can forgive me for losing my temper. Sadly, the past is the past, and so we cannot change what has occurred,” Daybreaker sighed.

“Oh…”

Daybreaker smiled kindly at the confused Nightmare. “Philomena may have brought you to me, but I’m sure you have more important things to do than listen to an old mare talk. Please tell me, my dear. Why have you come to Canterlot?”

“I…” Nightmare sighed and stood straighter, her wings unfolding to make herself look like more regal, like the true heir to the throne that she was. “Daybreaker-”

“You may call me Celestia, my little niece,” Daybreaker said gently. “We are family.”

“…Very well Celestia. I am here to negotiate for your surrender and for you to cease your attack against the Crystal Empire,” Nightmare said firmly.

“You wish for me to surrender?” Daybreaker said. She smiled thoughtfully for several seconds before she nodded. “Okay.”

Nightmare blinked in surprise. “…What?”

“I surrender to you,” Daybreaker said with a smile.

“…Just like that?” Nightmare asked.

Daybreaker giggled. “Well, not just like that. We need to negotiate the terms of my surrender, now don’t we?” Daybreaker began to walk away from her. “Come, you must be tired. It’s been a long day for you.”

“Yes, especially considering that you are making it eternal,” Nightmare said with a frown.

Daybreaker giggled. “Ah, yes. During my time as Sunrise, you expressed your preference for the night. Very well, I’ll lower my sun.”

“You will?” Nightmare asked in bewilderment.

“Of course. However, before that I wish to invite you to dinner. You must be hungry,” Daybreaker said.

Nightmare hesitantly followed Daybreaker through Canterlot Castle. Eventually they reached the dining room, a very spacious room with a long table and a golden throne at the head of said table. “Please sit down,” Daybreaker said, indicating a small chair next to her throne. Nightmare looked at the feast on the table. Salads, soups, sandwiches, fruits, pies, cakes, and all sorts of food were spread out before them.

Daybreaker sat down in her throne and levitated some food onto her plate. “Please, eat. Have as much as you want, my little Nightmare Moon.”

Nightmare stared at a few darker coloured pies. “Those are moon pies.”

“Your favourite,” Daybreaker said with a smile. “You have the same sweet tooth that your mother and I possess.” She levitated a chocolate cake over to her mouth and bit into it happily.

Nightmare slowly smiled politely and joined her aunt for dinner. Under Daybreaker’s serene smile and gently glowing horn, Nightmare felt that same calming, pleasant sensation she had when talking to Sunrise. They ate dinner in silence for several minutes. As they were finishing dessert, Nightmare spoke up.

“Why did you set fire to all those houses?”

“Ah, yes. That must have looked a little scary. I assure you, I had no intention of killing all my enemies that day. I wanted to scare them out of my kingdom and remind them of my power,” Daybreaker said.

“I can...sort of understand that. But changelings, dragons, griffons, all those creatures…they’re not our enemies. Ponies have grown stronger with our allies. In fact, I have several friends that aren’t ponies,” Nightmare said. “Would you attack them too?”

“Why would I do that?” Daybreaker said with a warm smile. “I have no intention of hurting your friends.”

“Really? After all your talk of how Equestria or Everfree is for equines only?” Nightmare asked.

“She who cannot change her mind, cannot change anything,” Daybreaker said.

Nightmare found herself smiling a little. “So, about your surrender?”

“Don’t worry, my little niece. I plan on speaking with Sombra and Sparkle quite soon,” Daybreaker promised.

“Oh…that’s good,” Nightmare said.

“It will be a joy to see my friends again, as well as my sister. How is your mother doing?” Daybreaker asked politely. “I heard she was demoted from princess to captain. Such a waste of her potential.”

“Loony wasn’t demoted. She decided to become a guard because she felt that she wasn’t suited to lead the kingdom anymore, but she still wanted to protect the people,” Nightmare said.

“Loony,” Daybreaker said with a nostalgic smile. “My nickname for her was Lulu. ...I wish to thank you for being there for Luna when I couldn’t.”

Nightmare smiled hopefully. “My mom always spoke highly of you. Do you truly love her back?”

“Of course. I love all of my family with all of my heart,” Daybreaker said with such a warm, glowing smile. Nightmare smiled back at her.

Daybreaker stood up from her throne and walked away. “Come. One of my servants will clean the table for us. I have prepared a guest room for you. We can talk more there.”

Nightmare followed her out of the dining room and down the halls. As they walked, Nightmare glanced out the window and noticed the sun still hanging in the sky. “Um, Celestia?”

“You may call me Aunt Celestia, if you wish.”

“Okay. Aunt Celestia, will you lower the sun now? It’s time for the moon to rise.”

Daybreaker titled her head and smiled at Nightmare Moon. “You’re right, it is time.” Her horn glowed with golden light as the sun lowered, right before Nightmare’s eyes.

Nightmare smiled. “Good. Now we just wait for either Loony or Princess Twilight to-”

“Actually, I wish to see you raise the moon, to paint the night sky with stars.” Daybreaker smiled. “Will you show me?”

Nightmare grinned, small tears of joy falling out of her eyes. “It would be my honour.” Her horn glowed with magic as her body floated off the ground. Her eyes glowed with power as she raised the moon into place and took control of the stars. They shimmered and danced as Nightmare guided them all to create a spectacular night sky.

Daybreaker smiled proudly. “Well done, my little niece.”

“Thank you Aunt Celestia,” Nightmare said as she back down on the floor. She paused as she examined Celestia. “Why is your horn still glowing?”

Daybreaker smiled. “Oh, that? Do not worry about that. Come, you must be tired. Good little fillies need their rest.”

Nightmare thought about protesting at being called a filly, but she found that she didn’t care. She followed Daybreaker into the guest room prepared for her. The room was decorated exactly the same as her room in the Crystal Empire. The dark walls, the little lights that flashed like stars, a blue and purple bed that looked so inviting, and several toys that looked almost exactly like the ones she had owned.

Daybreaker pulled at the bed’s covers with her magic and patted the pillow. “Rest, my little niece. Let me tuck you in.”

Nightmare yawned. “Aunt Celestia I…I’m a grown mare. I…I can…”

“Please, Nightmare. I have missed watching you grow up. I admit, I’m jealous of the joy you bring Luna. Let me care for you like family is meant to. Even if I am your aunt, please at least let me pretend to be your mother,” Daybreaker said.

Nightmare found herself moved by Celestia’s kind words, her sad smile, and her glowing, pleading eyes. “…Okay.” She climbed into the bed. As Daybreaker tucked her in, Nightmare yawned and rubbed at her glowing, golden eyes.

“I shall sing you a lullaby,” Daybreaker said.

“But I…”

“Hush,” Daybreaker said, softly silencing Nightmare. “Hush now, quiet now. It’s time to lay your sleepy head… Hush now, quiet now. It’s time to go to bed…”

Nightmare tried to frown but her eyes were growing heavy. “Fluttershy sang…don’t like that lullaby…”

“You don’t? Perhaps a different one. Rest, Nightmare Moon. You must be exhausted,” Daybreaker cooed. She then sang a lullaby:

“Sleep, my little Nightmare
Sleep now, my precious niece
I promise that when you wake up
Our kingdom will know peace.”

Nightmare smiled in her sleep as Daybreaker began to walk away. “Goodnight mommy,” she mumbled.

“Good day, my little pony. My future heir, my shining knight. I have big plans for you.” Daybreaker giggled. “My little night knight.”

Daybreaker walked out of the bedroom and into the room next door. She conjured up illusions of King Sombra, Princess Twilight, and Luna. She then continued to sing:

“I’ve been exiled, and imprisoned
Left alone with no defense
When I think of what those traitors did
I get a little tense.” She glared at the illusions before she smiled and sang:

“But I dream a dream without ire
And then I don’t feel so depressed
Because it calms my heart’s raging fire
And it helps me get some rest.”

“The sound of Sombra’s final gasp!” she sang as she fired a blast of fire at King Sombra’s illusion, causing it to explode.
“My student once more within my grasp!” she sang as the illusion of Princess Twilight became a glowing-eyed filly with a quill in her mouth.
“My baby sister’s helpless cry!” she sang as she nuzzled a weeping Luna.
“That's my lullaby!”

She turned away from Luna’s illusion and conjured up illusions of a few dragons and changelings before she continued:

“Now the changelings I’ve tried forgetting
And the dragons I could forgive
Trouble is, I knows it’s petty
But I hate to let them live.”

She smiled as she set fire to their illusions before she conjured up a second illusion of Sombra.
“So the traitors sent somepony
To chase me off, like a common honeybee?
Oh, our magic battle will be flashy
But that works wonderfully for me.” She smiled as she set fire to Sombra a second time.

“The melody of angry spells
The ringing of war’s golden bells
A symphony of fire, oh my!
That’s my lullaby.”

Daybreaker stepped back into Nightmare’s room and nuzzled her gently. One of Nightmare’s glowing eyes briefly opened before closing again. Daybreaker smiled lovingly.

“Beloved Moon…your auntie has returned
To love her future queen
Until you learn to be my heir
With a lust for being mean!
So sleep, my little Nightmare
Sleep now, my precious niece
I promise that when you wake up
Our kingdom will know peace.”

Daybreaker teleported to the rooftop of Canterlot Castle. She grinned at her sun, which was still clearly hanging in the sky. As the fires in her mane grew hotter and bigger, she sang louder:
“The pounding of the drums of war
The thrill of fire’s mighty roar
The joy of my vengeance
My glowing glare
I can hear the cheering
Celestia! What a mare!
Payback time is nearing
And then my sun will fly
Against a FLAME-FILLED sky!
That’s my lullaby!”

Daybreaker’s ears twitched as she heard a moan. She teleported back into her niece’s bedroom where Nightmare was waking up. “Rise and shine, my sweetheart,” she cooed.

Nightmare opened her glowing, golden eyes and looked up at her. “M…mommy?”

Daybreaker nuzzled her niece. “That’s right, my precious sunshine. My sweet Nightmare Moon. How are you feeling?”

“I…had a weird dream mommy.”

“I hope it was merely unusual and not unpleasant. But you are awake now Moony, and I have a mission for you.”

“A mission?” Nightmare stood up and saluted her. “I am your loyal knight, mommy.”

“Very good. Nightmare, there are strange monsters that have entered our home. Non-equines who wish to hurt me.”

“Hurt you?! Where are they?! I’ll kill anyone who hurts my mommy!” Nightmare growled.

“Oh, there’s no need for you to have blood on your hooves. Bring them to me. Alive,” Daybreaker ordered.

“Will that make you proud of me mommy?” Nightmare asked hopefully.

“It will. Go forth, my brave black knight.”

Nightmare Moon saluted her before she turned into magical mist and flew out the window in a flash of darkness and light.

To be continued…

Author's Note

Solar Flare's song is based on 'My Lullaby' from Lion King 2.

I've changed the name of Celestia's corrupted form from Solar Flare to Daybreaker, to better reflect the canon story.

Canterlot Part Two: Long Live the Sun

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Canterlot Part Two: Long Live the Sun

“Hello! Anybody there!” Rainbow Dash shouted out as they walked the streets of Canterlot, searching for Nightmare Moon.

Sunset Shimmer groaned. “Give it a rest Rainbow. We’ve been knocking on doors for an entire hour.” After Nightmare Moon was snatched away by Philomena, the first place that the rest of the Elements checked was Canterlot Castle. However they couldn’t get inside as every door and window was both locked and ridiculously difficult to break into. Seeing that they weren’t getting into the castle any time soon, they looked for help from other sources. They had been going door to door, trying to see if any citizens of Canterlot were inside.

“Trixie agrees with Sunset. This is growing tiresome. But Trixie won’t give up so easily! The Great and Powerful Trixie laughs in the face of defeat!” She marched towards a house they hadn’t tried yet and knocked on the front door. Trixie jumped as someone unexpectedly answered her.

The door burst open and a grinning earth pony mare walked out. She had a green coat, an orange mane and tail, and golden, glowing eyes. “Good morning friends!”

“Um…hello. It’s...not quite morning, but Trixie wishes you a good day,” Trixie said hesitantly, the other mare’s grin creeping her out.

The earth mare nodded at her before she looked up at the sky and began to sing softly:
“Canterlot, it’s a golden city
Everyday just as grand as before
Canterlot, full of happy ponies
Waking up to say…”

“Good morning!” a passing earth mare sang.

“Good morning!” a passing pegasus stallion sang.

“Good morning!” another earth mare sang.

“Good morning!” a unicorn mare sang.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Gilda asked as smiling Canterlot citizens all suddenly left their homes and began to skip across the streets.

“I believe they’re all part of a crowd song,” Discord said.

Gilda frowned impatiently. “I got nothing against the magic of music, but we don’t have time for this!” She flared her wings open and marched out onto the streets. “Hey! SHUT UP!”

The gathering crowd of Canterlot citizens flooding onto the streets immediately stopped singing. Everyone in the crowd from unicorns, to pegasi, and earth ponies all turned around to face her, all of them with glowing, golden eyes.

“Good.” Gilda nodded and turned around to face her friends. “Now that we’ve got their attention, maybe someone here can tell us what the heck’s going on here?”

“Good idea Gilda. Let’s start with her,” Sunset suggested as she pointed at one mare. She had a purple mane and tail and a blue coat that sparkled like crystals.

“Hey she’s a crystal pony! I thought they only lived in the Crystal Empire,” Rainbow said.

“Rainbow darling, just because the crystal ponies prefer to live in the empire, it doesn’t mean that they ALL live there. Oh, could you imagine being a crystal pony?” Rarity said dreamily.

“Yeah. It’d probably be a pain. Having a sparkly coat throwing light into yer eye, all day nonstop?” Gilda said.

“Eh, I’m sure they don’t sparkle ALL day,” Rainbow said.

“You’re right. The problem is that they sparkle in the first place. How are you supposed to take anything that sparkles seriously?” Gilda asked.

“What? Luna and Nightmare’s manes sparkle, don’t they?” Rarity shot back.

“I’d say their ethereal manes have more of a shimmer than a sparkle,” Chrysalis said.

“Speaking of Nightmare, let’s get back to finding her,” Sunset interrupted. She walked over to the crystal pegasus and smiled. “Hello there.”

“Hello to you beautiful pony! Today is a glorious day!” the crystal mare said cheerfully. Sunset tried to smile back, although she was a little off put by the mare’s huge grin and glowing, golden eyes.

“Um, yeah…that’s all! Bye!” Sunset said as she backed away from the crystal pony. She turned to her friends and shuddered. “Haven’t seen a smile that creepy since…well, a certain Trickster stopped by for a visit.”

“Let me try,” Smog said. He walked over to a non-crystal pegasus and said, “Hi there. Excuse me, we’re looking for our friend Nightie.”

“What’s night?” the mare asked with a smile.

“…Okay, she’s not going to be any help. How ‘bout that guy?” Gilda asked. She walked over to a grinning unicorn stallion and said, “Hey buddy! We’re looking for an alicorn, black coat and wavy purple star-mane. Sound familiar?”

“An alicorn?” the stallion said, confused. “But, isn’t there only one alicorn? Her Majesty, the Daybreaker, Queen Celestia?”

“Actually, our friend is the niece of Queen Celestia,” Rarity said.

The stallion’s jaw dropped and his glowing, golden eyes widened. “The queen has a niece?! But then…she has an heir!”

The stallion ran past Gilda and hopped up onto the base of a statue of Celestia. “My fellow ponies! Her Majesty, Queen Celestia has a niece! We have a princess!”

The crowd of Canterlot citizens all gasped and cheered in amazement. “What is the princess’ name?” one mare shouted out.

“Tell us, strange bird-creature! Who is our princess?” the stallion shouted.

Rainbow growled. “Hey! Nobody talks to my friends like that and gets away with it! Why I oughta…”

“Relax, Dash,” Gilda said as her wing stretched out, blocking Rainbow’s path to the stallion.

“Yeah, just ignore them Rainbow,” Sunset said. “Her name is Nightmare Moon,” she announced to the crowd.

“…What’s night?” one mare asked.

“What’s Moon?” a stallion asked.

“What’s a mare?” a young colt and filly asked in unison.

“…Okay then. Listen, Nightmare’s our friend and we need to find her,” Chrysalis said.

The Canterlot ponies chuckled. “Oh please. Why would Celestia’s heir be interested in you strange creatures? You’re lower than even us peasants!”

Trixie glared at the mare who said that. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is no peasant! Trixie oughta-”

“Oh, what are you going to do?” Sunset snapped. “We can’t use our magic, you moron!”

“Ladies, ladies, let’s not fight each other,” Discord said as he stepped in between them. “Although while we’re on the subject, do you suppose any of these…‘charming’…ponies over there know anything about our loss of magic?”

“Good question,” Rainbow said as she marched over to one stallion and got into a fighting pose, throwing mock punches at him. “Alright buster! A way to get our magic back. Know anything?”

“You could always ask our glorious and generous queen,” he said with a grin.

Sunset frowned. “Why would we need to ask her?”

“Because she controls the Summer Sun crystal, of course,” an earth pony mare said.

“The Summer Sun crystal? What’s that?” Sunset asked.

“Our glorious queen of the sun and all who live under it, has mastery over many forms of magic. Even anti-magic. The Summer Sun crystal has the power to contain and enhance any spell cast into it. Queen Celestia is using it to enhance her anti-magic spell so that it covers all of Canterlot. Nopony can use their magic except for the queen. Or those who carry her blood in their veins,” the mare explained.

“Carry her blood…that must be why Nightmare could use her magic even though we couldn’t. She’s Celestia’s niece,” Sunset said.

“What about Philomena?” Smog asked.

Chrysalis shrugged. “It looks like she’s working for Celestia. Since Philomena is a phoenix, it might even make sense for her to be Celestia’s familiar spirit, or animal guide. I read an old novel in Nightmare’s library about how alicorns could use their blood to create special links to magical creatures, who would assist them with whatever they needed. The story was fictional, but maybe Celestia and Philomena have something similar.”

“Oh. So all we have to do is leave Canterlot and the Great and Powerful Trixie will once more be great and powerful?” Trixie asked.

The earth mare giggled. “I wouldn’t say that. As more of Celestia’s power returns to her, the stronger the anti-magical field will grow. Soon, it will expand until it covers all of Equestria.”

“All of Equest...I mean Everfree?! But...but why are you all so happy about that?! You can’t use your magic! None of us can!” Trixie exclaimed.

“The queen will protect us! Her power is without limit! She will defend us from all threats! And she promised to return our magic, once every evil has been burned away with her glorious fire!” a filly from the crowd announced.

Discord sighed. “Right, everyone’s thinking it so I’ll say it. The glowing eyes, the stretched grins? Either Celestia is brainwashing them or Pinkie Pie betrayed us and she’s having her ‘fun’ again.”

With a flash of light, Pinkie Pie appeared hovering over them. “Somebody call me?”

The Canterlot citizens all screamed in horror. “The Pink Demon has returned!”

“Flee before she devours our souls! FLEE!” The Elements and their friends watched as the Canterlot citizens all ran as if their lives depended on it. Soon the streets were deserted once again.

Pinkie smiled as she watched the Canterlot citizens flee, before she turned around to face the Elements. “Wow, tough crowd. Was it something I said? Maybe it’s my breath?” She floated over to Gilda and opened her mouth. “What do you guys think?”

“One, stop eating sweets. Two, start brushing your teeth,” Gilda suggested as she shoved Pinkie’s head away from her.

“Pff, yeah right!” Pinkie giggled. She waved her hoof and made a hot fudge sundae appear before drinking it down.

“Hey! How are you doing that?” Trixie demanded to know.

Pinkie titled her head in confusion. “What, this? Well, first you tilt the drink up to your mouth. Then you slowly slide in down your esophagus. Now the esophagus is this thing that-”

“We know how to eat and drink!” Sunset snapped. “We meant, how come you can use your magic? Something called the Summer Sun crystal is creating an anti-magical field around Canterlot. None of us can use our magic, not even Discord.”

“Really?” Pinkie waved her hoof and the empty glass disappeared. “So…you have no magic…while I’m random enough to escape the anti-magic thingy…and since Nightie isn’t here you’re short one Element…” Pinkie smiled at them as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Huh.”

Chrysalis frowned uneasily at the sight of Pinkie’s sneaky smile. “Um, yes. Now, being the good friend that you are, will you help us?”

Pinkie didn’t say anything for about three seconds before she nodded happily. “Of course. I’d do anything to help my friends. Anything.”

“Great! Do you think you can find-”

“Of course I can find your friends, silly filly!” Pinkie interrupted with a giggle. Her hooves grew fingers, which she then snapped. Prince Shining Armor, Countess Cadance, and Fluttershy appeared in a flash of light. “There! I found more friends!”

“Huh? Oh…uh, hi there everyone!” Cadance smiled at them all. “The king said he’s send us if you needed help.”

“Yep! They lost their magic and Nightmare Moon,” Pinkie cheerfully explained. She grinned at Fluttershy and flew over to her. “Hi there! Now, I know we’ve met a couple of times, but you were kinda still pretending to be mute before. Now that you’re not, we can properly introduce ourselves! I’m Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?”

Fluttershy mumbled and hid behind her mane. “Um, you already know who she is, Pinkie,” Cadance said.

“No, no. I’m Pinkie. And I need to hear her tell me her name. Come on silly filly, I don’t bite!” Pinkie floated closer to Fluttershy.

“Um, could you please float a little farther away? I like my personal space,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Can’t quite hear ya.” Pinkie’s ears morphed into flugelhorns. “Come again, please?”

Fluttershy frowned and Stared at Pinkie. She didn’t seem to notice that her eyes weren’t glowing.

“Ooh, ooh! Staring contest! I’m great at these,” Pinkie giggled as she stared right at Fluttershy’s eyes. “Betcha you blink first!”

Seeing that her Stare was having no affect at all on Pinkie, Fluttershy backed away. “Um, okay. You win. Could you please leave me alone now?”

Pinkie’s ears drooped as she made a sad face. “Aw, come on! Just tell me your name, and I’ll stop bothering you!”

Fluttershy sighed. “Okay. Um, my name is Fluttershy.”

Pinkie’s ears turned back into flugelhorns. “Nice and loud please.”

“I’m Fluttershy,” she said louder.

“Fluttershy…” Pinkie said, rolling the name around on her tongue.

Sunset’s ears twitched. “What was that?” she said as she spun around and stared at one a nearby store’s windows.

“What was what?” Rainbow asked.

“I…I thought I heard something. Like glass breaking…we shouldn’t be out in the open like this. Celestia could have spies for all we know,” Sunset said nervously.

“Ooh! Spies? That’s a great idea Sunny!” Pinkie said as she snapped her fingers and donned a black suit and some night vision goggles. “Wait…I look silly.” The night vision goggles turned into sunglasses. “There, that’s better! Don’t worry gang, I’ll go get stared on spying on Celestia!”

“Wait!” Discord shouted as Pinkie disappeared. “We want our magic back please!”

Gilda slapped her face with a claw. “Oh, Pinkie you useless little…” she growled.

“Wait, what was that about magic?” Prince Shining asked. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to levitate something. “My…my magic is gone.”

Cadance blinked in shock before she tried to get her horn glowing or her wings flapping. “My…mine’s gone too.”

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said as she found that while her wings were flapping, they weren’t lifting her very far off the ground.

“Oh that’s just great!” Gilda grumbled sarcastically. “We don’t have our magic, we don’t have Nightmare Moon, and as soon as Celestia finds us we’re sitting ducks!”

“Um…how should I put this?” Discord said as he looked up. “Celestia might not be the one we need to worry about.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked before she leaped back in shock as Nightmare Moon landed right in the middle of the group, cratering the ground as she landed.

“That, is what I mean,” Discord said as he pointed at Nightmare while she glared at them with glowing, golden eyes. “I fear that her dear auntie went and already turned Nightie…‘sunny’.”

“You! You’re the big meanies that want to hurt my mommy!” Nightmare cried.

“Uh oh. Listen to me Nightmare!” Sunset said. “Whatever spell you’re under, shake it off! We’re not your enemies! Celestia isn’t your mommy! Just calm down so we can – duck!”

They all dodged out of the way as Nightmare telekinetically ripped a lamppost out of the ground and threw it at them.

“Like I said…sitting ducks,” Gilda muttered before she dodged one of Nightmare’s spells.

King Sombra paced back and forth in his throne room. “I don’t like this.”

Garble sighed. “I heard you the first time.”

“We should have heard something back by now. I asked Prince Shining to tell Smog to send us a report. Why haven’t we gotten anything?”

“Dude, just chillax,” Garble said.

“How are we supposed to relax at a time like this?” Corporal Blueblood asked as he walked into the room. He gave the king a salute. “Your majesty, I’ve carried out your orders. What do you want me to do now?”

“Check with Captain Luna to receive new orders,” King Sombra absentmindedly commanded.

“Of course my king,” Blueblood said before he hurried back out of the throne room.

“I’d even be happy hearing something from the Pink One,” King Sombra muttered. “I hate not knowing what’s happening.”

“Well I would hate to keep you in the dark, my former student.”

King Sombra and Garble both whirled around to face the source of that serene voice. Their eyes widened as they saw Daybreaker.

“Leave us,” Daybreaker ordered calmly as she glanced at Garble.

Garble chuckled nervously. “A-alright then.” He clapped his claws together and slowly backed out of the throne room. “I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do. Um, I’m gonna go talk to…see ya.” Garble gave them a parting nervous smile before he ran out the door.

Daybreaker turned to face Sombra and smiled. “It’s good to see you again, my old friend. Your magic has let you age rather well, for a mortal.”

King Sombra slowly nodded. “Even in your altered form…you still look as beautiful as the last day I saw you.”

Daybreaker covered her mouth with her hoof as she gave a ladylike giggle. “Such a charming gentle-stallion.” She lowered her hoof as her voice took on a more serious tone, even as her smile remained. “I have come home to reclaim my kingdom.”

“This is no longer your kingdom. You gave up that right when you set fire to it,” King Sombra growled.

“Ah yes. You stole my kingdom from me, didn’t you King Sombra?” Daybreaker mocked. “Was that your plan all along?”

“I never wanted to take all of this away from you Celestia,” he said.

“I only allow my family and friends to address me so casually. You will address your queen with the respect I deserve,” Daybreaker said gently but firmly.

“You are no longer this kingdom’s ruler. That title has fallen to me, as does all the power and duties that come with it. I will defend my empire from all who threaten it. Even you,” King Sombra said as his horn and eyes glowed with dark magic.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to surrender?” Daybreaker asked. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t listen to reason. My niece is a far wiser student than you were.”

“What have you done to Nightmare Moon?!” he growled.

“Her talents were wasted on a teacher like you. Just as my words are wasted on you,” Daybreaker sighed. “If this is what you wish for Sombra. Let our magical duel begin.”

Daybreaker’s horn glowed with power as she launched a huge beam of fire at him.

Nightmare’s eyes glowed with furious power as she fired a huge beam of darkness at them.

“Nightmare, stop it! Daybreaker’s brainwashing you! Shake it off!” Sunset shouted.

“You’re not going to fool me!” Nightmare growled as her golden eyes narrowed. “You’re working with them! The meanie-pants invaders that wanna hurt my mommy! You’re not even ponies, are you? I bet you’re like those shape shifting bug monsters, like that big bug over there!” she said pointing at Chrysalis.

“Hey! Nightmare, you can’t call Chrysalis a bug monster!” Rainbow said.

“Dash, it’s okay. She isn’t in control of herself. Besides, bug monster isn’t that bad of an insult for us,” Chrysalis said. “Plenty of my friends joke about how we look like bugs. Even I joke about it a tiny bit.”

“Nightmare, you have to stop! Fight off Celestia’s control,” Rarity cried as she dodged another blast. “I don’t want to fight you, but I will if you won’t stop this madness right now!” Seeing that Nightmare wasn’t listening, Rarity charged at her and tried to launch a flying kick to her face. Nightmare just glared at her and caught Rarity in her telekinesis before hurling her toward a wall.

“I gotcha!” Gilda shouted as she launched herself forward and caught Rarity before she could hit the wall.

“Oh! P-please don’t hurt me Nightie,” Fluttershy whimpered as she stared at Nightmare. “I-I…”

“I don’t think that’ll work this time sweetheart,” Cadance said as she pulled Fluttershy out of the way of an oncoming hex.

Prince Shining grunted as he was thrown against a wall. “For magic’s sake! We need more weapons!”

Discord ran out the door of a nearby shop and threw him the baseball bat he had found inside. “Here’s one!”

“Thanks! Keep looking for more weapons, we’ll need them!” The prince charged towards Nightmare and swung his new baseball bat.

“I’ve got a better idea.” Discord snapped his fingers multiple times as he dodged Nightmare’s hexes, trying to access his powers. “Come on, Pinkie could use her magic, so it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for me to…ooh! Here’s something!”

Discord grinned as he felt a tiny portion of his powers slip through the Summer Sun crystal’s anti-magic field and return to him. His arms began to stretch like rubber as he focused his power through them. He curled his fingers and talons into fists and sent them hurtling towards Nightmare’s face. But Nightmare just turned her body into mist and dodged out of the way before flying towards him.

“Okay, this is crazy! Nightmare, snap out of it!” Smog shouted.

Amazingly, Nightmare slowed her attack and stared at him. “Smog?! What are you doing here? It’s dangerous! I’m sending you back to our room right now, mister! Mommy will be mad at you!”

Smog blinked. “Nightmare what are you…” he trailed off as a sneaky smile formed on his face. “Um, I mean yeah! You’re right. You should send me to our old room in the castle…where I can talk to Luna.”

Nightmare sighed in relief. “Oh thank the night’s holy light. Don’t worry Smog, I’ll defeat these meanies and then we’ll be together with mommy forever.” Her horn emitted dark blue mist that wrapped around Smog’s body and teleported Smog away from the fight.

Rainbow grinned even as Nightmare resumed attacking them. “Atta boy Smog! He’ll grab Captain Luna, and she can sort Nightie out.”

Sunset frowned as she jumped over a telekinetically thrown park bench. “I dunno. Looks like Nightmare’s spell is sending Smog to the wrong castle.”

“This is insanity! This is madness!” Trixie shouted.

“This is Everfree,” Discord said with a chuckle even as they ducked under another flying object.

“Bah! The anti-magic field only exists in Canterlot for the moment, it can’t be spreading that fast! Can’t we simply run past the borders of Canterlot and wait for our magic to return?!” Trixie asked.

“If Smog doesn’t get back with Luna, that’ll be the best plan I’ve heard all day! Everyone run!” Sunset shouted.

Power radiated off of Queen Celestia as they battled. King Sombra’s shadow form twisted in the air as he dodged Daybreaker’s fire blasts. But the Queen of Fire had peppered the air with traces of anti-magic. It wasn’t as strong as a full anti-magic spell, but the king was having trouble maintaining his spells. His form was forced back into a corporeal body soon.

“You can’t hide in the shadows forever Sombra,” Daybreaker said calmly.

“I’m not hiding from you anymore,” King Sombra said as he fired a blast of dark magic at her. The blast was deflected off the shield that Daybreaker conjured up.

“You locked me away in a crystal prison for over a hundred years. Possibly even two hundred, although I’ll admit it was difficult to judge the passage of time during my crystal sleep.” Daybreaker conjured up three fireballs tied together with a trail of flame, before throwing it at him. The king dodged out of the way, but she could see him weakening. “All that time spent away from my sister, my kingdom, MY ponies. All because you wanted the throne for yourself.”

“I didn’t steal the throne from you! I was content to research my magic in privacy. I was happy to help our kingdom from the shadows!” King Sombra growled as he summoned crystals all over the throne room, trying to trap Daybreaker again. “It was your actions that led us here today, not mine!”

Queen Celestia’s horn glowed with golden light as she blasted all the summoned crystals away. “Come now Sombra, you can do better than that.” She giggled as she watched the king conjure a magical, black, double-edged sword. “Oh yes. You colts and your play sword fights. Even so, you really shouldn’t be playing with something that sharp, little boy.” She conjured up a shining, golden sword of her own.

As the magical swords clashed in the air, King Sombra growled. “That attitude won’t win you any friends. Everfree has changed since you were gone; it’s no longer a place where the strongest pony princess holds absolute control over every creature.”

“You can rename the kingdom all you wish but this is still Equestria, and it is for equines only,” Daybreaker said as she calmly wielded her sword in her magical grip. “I care not for what bugs and beasts you have allowed into my kingdom. I will take back what is rightfully mine, you childish, cowardly colt.”

“You’re calling me a coward? You who hid in fear of anyone who wasn’t a pony?” King Sombra said as he fired another spell.

“Of course,” Daybreaker softly giggled as she deflected the spell. “You use fear spells. Who else but a coward uses fear as their weapon? Who else uses the evil darkness to try and block the eternal light?”

“Your sister used dark magic; she was the princess of the night. But Luna was never evil. She never set her city on fire,” Sombra argued.

“Please leave my baby sister out of this conversation,” Daybreaker gently commanded. “I will deal with her bad behavior…now that I have defeated you.”

King Sombra cried out as Daybreaker blasted him through a wall and outside the castle. The sun suddenly shone brighter in his eyes as he tried to use his magic and his sword to shield himself. A golden beam of magic blasted him downward, his body cratering the ground. As he tried to shift into his shadow form again, Queen Celestia’s sword sunk into his chest. He cried out in pain as he felt her magic wreck havoc on his form.

Daybreaker folded her wings up as she gently touched down on the ground. “Oh dear. Stuck in between your shadow form and your corporeal body. By my sun, that must hurt. I can end your pain, Sombra.” She smiled as she gently rested one of her wings on his body. “Surrender to me Sombra, and my magic can heal you.”

“What…what happened to burning me alive?” King Sombra asked as his magic tried to heal him.

“I’ll admit the thought crossed my mind. However, I am a forgiving mare by nature. Surrender to me Sombra, and I will offer you clemency. Continue to resist my power and, well…” Daybreaker smiled sadly. “I’ll at least make sure your ashes are treated respectfully. Have you ever considered where you would like to be buried? Perhaps I could keep your urn in a location that is special to you?”

King Sombra noticed something behind Daybreaker and he chuckled. “I won’t surrender. Even if you defeat me, there will be others who will fight you. Speaking of which, I think now is the time for that apology you owe your sister.”

Daybreaker blinked curiously as she looked behind her. Captain Luna folded her wings as she gently touched down on the ground. “Release him Celestia.”

King Sombra groaned as he suddenly felt himself slipping under a sleep spell. After making sure that her sleep spell was effective, Daybreaker turned back to her sister and smiled smiled warmly. “Luna? Oh, how I’ve missed you baby sister.” She eagerly, but still patiently walked towards Luna.

“Don’t try to fool me with honeyed words Celestia,” Luna warned, causing Daybreaker to stop in her tracks.

“Fool you? Luna, I am truly happy to see you. I’ll admit I’m disappointed in you for your betrayal, and for allowing yourself to be kicked off the throne. But I can release you from the king’s control, my sister.”

“So that you can put me under your control instead?” Luna growled.

Daybreaker giggled. “You make it sound like I’m enslaving ponies, when you know I would never do such a thing. The ponies of Canterlot are happy, my precious sister. We can be happy again too.”

“…What have you done with Nightmare Moon?” Luna asked. “If you’ve hurt my daughter, I’ll-”

Daybreaker blinked in mild shock. “Hurt your daughter? Luna, I would never wish harm upon my family. I was overwhelmed with joy to learn that you were able to raise such a wonderful child. I wish for the three of us to be together, to rule Equestria the way it was meant to be.”

“This is not the Equestria we once knew, Celestia. And even if you defeat me, Nightmare Moon and her friends will return to stop you.”

“Oh Luna. Your betrayal was caused by Sombra’s control over you; I have no desire to fight you. As for my little niece, she’s keeping her ‘friends’ occupied.”

The other Element bearers and all their friends stopped as Nightmare created a magical barrier, stopping them from leaving Canterlot’s borders. “Now what?” Fluttershy fearfully asked.

“What else? We kick Nightmare’s flank until she either drops the shield or we beat the brainwashing outta here,” Gilda said. She charged at Nightmare, roaring out a battle cry.

“…Works for me,” Rainbow said as she galloped towards Nightmare too.

“Fight for glory!” Trixie shouted as she joined in on the fight.

“Hold on, she has magic and we don’t! How…” Cadance trailed off as she saw that nobody was listening to her. “…Oh why not? I’ve been feeling bored lately anyway.”

“Woo! There’s no way that this could go wrong!” Discord sang cheerfully as they all charged at Nightmare.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot castle, Nightmare’s spell was dropping Smog off in the bedroom that Celestia had used to implant her hypnotic suggestions. As soon as the mist reformed, Smog glanced around the bedroom he found himself in. “Okay here’s our old room, so I’m in the castle.” He ran out the door but hesitated when he noticed that the hallway was not made of crystal. “Darn. This is Canterlot Castle, not the Crystal Castle. But then…was that bedroom…” He glanced over his shoulder and blinked in surprise as the bedroom appeared to wobble. The room became wavy, as if it were a mirage. “Huh. A really accurate illusion…creepy.” Smog shook his head as he walked away from the room and down the hall.

“So what’s it like being a golem?” Smog’s ears twitched as he heard a mare’s voice. He poked his head around a corner and spotted two mares walking down the next hallway away from him. The first mare was a blue coated, green haired pegasus, wearing a much brighter version of the royal guard uniform that what he was used to seeing. However the second mare looked like something else entirely. She appeared to be made of solid gold, with orange flames leaping off her metal coat.

“A golem? Whoa. Haven’t seen one of them in ages,” Smog whispered to himself.

The pegasus mare paused as she waited for a response. “Not much of a talker, are you? That’s okay. Even so, I think it’s a great honour for me to be so close to one of the queen’s creations!”

“Halt! Who goes there?” Smog turned back around to see another one of Daybreaker’s guards, a white coated and pink haired unicorn mare. Her glowing eyes narrowed. “A dragon? Bah, you are nopony; you have no right to be in Queen Celestia’s castle.”

“What? But um, I…I’m Nightmare Moon’s beloved assistant! And you do know that Nightmare Moon is Celestia’s niece, right? I’m here on the um, queen’s orders,” Smog said.

“Nice try. But the queen has better things to do than to entertain non-pony filth like you,” the guard said.

“...Wow. Okay listen buddy, you’re not allowed to insult someone like that,” Smog grumbled. “Not cool.”

“Nothing will be cool once the queen throws you into her sun. Surrender now before you make this worse,” she ordered.

“Worse than being thrown into the sun? Yeah, no thanks.” Smog charged at the guard, remembering the combat training he used to have with Nightmare. Spotting one area of the guard’s right foreleg that wasn’t covered by her uniform, Smog lunged at it and sunk his sharp dragon fangs into the pony’s flesh.

Understandably, the guard cried out in pain. Smog took advantage of this as he jumped up and stomped on the mare’s back, before he used her back like a springboard and jumped away from her. He landed and started running down the hall.

“S-stop that dragon!” the guard cried out. “He’s heading towards the Summer Sun chamber!”

“I am? Well thanks for that info, sucker!” Smog laughed as he ran even faster down the hall. As he ran, he could almost feel his dragon magic getting weaker. He used that feeling to locate which door the crystal might be hiding behind. He spotted several royal guards blocking a big door, maintaining his run as he used his smaller size and combat training to duck, dodge, and fight his way past them. He slammed the door behind him and ran forward.

Floating in the middle of the chamber was an orange crystal, shaped like a miniature sun. Smog jumped up and grabbed the crystal in his claws and fangs. He sunk his fangs into the crystal, but found it to be made of stronger stuff than the gems he was used to eating.

“Seize him!” guards shouted as they knocked down the door and poured into the room.

“Come on…” Smog growled as he tried biting harder into the Summer Sun crystal.

“Do you wish to return to Canterlot so soon, my sister?” Daybreaker asked as she noticed what direction it was that Luna kept glancing.

Luna focused on Daybreaker. “Whatever trap you have ensnared Nightmare Moon in, you won’t be able to hold her forever.”

Daybreaker giggled. “The ‘trap’ you believe I have set is of a different nature. My niece is perfectly fine.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” Luna flapped her wings. “I’m going to Canterlot and I will free her.”

Daybreaker’s horn glowed as she stepped in front of Luna. “Tsk tsk, Luna. It’s rude to fly away when we’re in the middle of a conversation.”

“You cannot stop me from saving Nightmare from whatever foul curse you have put her under!” Luna growled.

“I will if I have to. I can’t let you see your daughter right now, not when I know my little night knight still needs to finish her quest. A mother’s love is a powerful thing, and your love could prove stronger than the lovely enchantment that I have blessed Nightmare with,” Daybreaker explained.

“Enchantment?” Luna asked as the glow around her horn dimmed a little.

“Of course. I’m glad you remember that spell, even if you never used it yourself. Recently, I’ve been using the spell to its full potential on the citizens of Canterlot and my precious niece. I found a certain crystal that lets me increase the enchantment’s powers.”

“So then that means…” Luna hesitated. “You truly don’t want to hurt Moony. Or anyone in Canterlot.” She frowned at her sister. “You just want to control them. I will still break the enchantment’s power-”

Daybreaker giggled. “And how do you plan to do that, sister? By defeating me?” Daybreaker smiled calmly as noticed Luna’s hesitation. She stepped forward and wrapped Luna in a hug. “Oh sister. I have no desire to fight you and I can tell that you don’t want to fight me either. Why prolong this argument? Join me so that we may reclaim our thrones.”

Luna sighed as she stepped out of Daybreaker’s hug. “…You’re right Celestia. I can’t raise my sword against you. I already lost you once…I can’t lose you again. But there is still someone else that you owe an apology to. Princess Twilight will be arriving soon.”

Daybreaker’s ears twitched as she heard a heavy thud behind her. She turned around to see the great dragon Spike. “Oh my. Sweet little Spike, all grown up. I admit I have mixed feelings about this meeting.” Spike growled at her before he turned to face Luna.

“Fortunately my feelings on the matter are less mixed. Luna, I thought I should warn you. The Crystal Empire is under attack on the outside as well as the inside. At first, I thought Celestia had set fire to the trees outside of the empire. But on closer examination, it’s something else entirely.”

Daybreaker smiled pleasantly. “Ah, you’ve spotted them already? Lulu, do you remember that little golem project I was working on a couple hundred years ago?”

“Don’t call me Lulu!” Luna snapped. “And what of your golem pro…oh.”

Daybreaker giggled. “Indeed. I would never ask my royal guards to do anything beyond what their duties require them to do. While they guard Canterlot, I assembled a different sort of army. Fire golems; magical creatures created with enchanted golden armor and my own magic.”

“And what about Nightmare Moon? If she’s not part of your army, what is your enchantment forcing her to do?” Luna asked warily.

“Taking care of her ‘friends’,” Daybreaker patiently explained. “After all, the Elements deserve better bearers and Nightmare deserves better friends than an insect, a griffon, a chaos spirit, or a dragon. Speaking of which, I’m surprised that you haven’t attacked me yet Spike.”

“Celestia, I’m warning you. Surrender now before it’s too late.”

Daybreaker giggled. “I’ve fought dragons before Spike. You don’t scare me, young drake.” Spike snorted a ring of smoke at her.

“You’re as crafty now as you were a hundred years ago, Celestia. But that won’t save you this time. Now that I know the army outside our empire’s borders are golems instead of living ponies, I won’t feel any remorse when I crush them beneath my claws.”

Luna nodded. “Spike, you deal with my sister’s army. I’ll fly to Canterlot and free Nightmare from the enchantment she’s fallen under.” She glared at Daybreaker. “I’d like to see Celestia try and stop BOTH of us from leaving,” she growled.

Daybreaker sighed. “Such hostility. I apologize if I have said anything that offended you.” She turned around to face the unconscious King Sombra and used her magic to remove her sword from his chest and heal his injuries. “I do wish you would stay though. Without you here sister, I only have little Sombra here to keep me company. I would hate for him to start feeling uncomfortable if you leave.”

Luna snorted. “Threaten us all you like, I know you won’t be able to lay another hoof on Sombra now. If Spike found us, you can be sure someone else will be joining you soon.”

“Oh? Now why would I threaten Sombra? And as much as it pleases me to see that neither of you are foolish enough to challenge me, I am curious as to why you leaving your ahem, ‘beloved king’ all alone.”

Spike snorted before he flapped his wings and hovered in the air. But before he left to fight Daybreaker’s golem army, he said to her,

“As much as I would love to do battle with you, I’m not the one you should fear right now.”

The great dragon Spike flew away from Daybreaker…right before Princess Twilight touched down in front of her, cratering the ground as she landed.

“Well if it isn’t my little Sparkle. Congratulations on becoming an alicorn, my former student,” Daybreaker said kindly. “All we need is Star Swirl and I will have reunited with all of my fellow Elements,” she giggled. Princess Twilight Sparkle looked up at her, her eyes already glowing dangerously. Daybreaker blinked curiously as she noticed Princess Twilight’s mane and tail begin to smoke. “Oh dear. I understand that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, however you really shouldn’t be trying to imitate my hair Sparkle.” She paused as she noticed that the princess hadn’t responded. “Sparky? Are you alright, my faithful friend?”

“You. YOU!” Princess Twilight roared as she fired a huge beam of magic at Daybreaker.

Daybreaker calmly flapped her wings and dodged the powerful hex. “Oh dear. Is that anyway to greet your old friend and master?”

“OLD FRIEND? I wasted my life because of you!” Princess Twilight cried as she flapped her wings and launched herself at Daybreaker, firing dozens of hexes.

“Sparky, calm down,” Daybreaker gently ordered as she magically deflected Princess Twilight’s spells.

“NO! I won’t calm down! After your imprisonment, I had to help Sombra take up ALL the royal duties that you neglected!” she cried. Chunks of stone were ripped out of the ground and flung at Daybreaker. “Every time I had trouble I would ask myself, ‘What would Celestia do?’ YOU, the princess who became corrupted because of a stupid glow-y locket in an old bag!”

“Now Sparkle, there’s no need to shout. I…oh dear.” Daybreaker flew out of the way as Princess Twilight threw a large crystal spire at her. Luna sadly shook her head, flapped her wings, and started flying to Canterlot while Daybreaker was distracted by her enraged former student.

“And wouldn’t you know it, I got corrupted too! Whenever I wasn’t studying magic or serving my kingdom I was trying to make friends! But I spent so much time trying to be like you, that I…I…” Princess Twilight shut her eyes tight as both tears and dark magic began to leak out of them.

Daybreaker stared sadly at her. “Sparkle, I’m sorry. I can see that I have hurt you, though that was never my intention. Please don’t make me hurt you again,” she said as her horn glowed warningly as she conjured up a second golden sword.

“NO! You don’t get to order me around anymore! Not after Eternal Twilight, not after me and my family were separated from the world for a HUNDRED YEARS because I tried to be like you!” Sparkle cried, as tears spilled out of her eyes. Her mane and tail burst into orange flames similar to Daybreaker’s. Her eyes glowed with magic as her coat turned a darker colour.

Daybreaker blinked in mild concern for her student’s safety. “Twilight Sparkle, I have learned about Eternal Twilight. Think of your banishment, think of your friends, think of how Nightmare Moon will feel. You can’t trust Eternity’s dark power.”

“Eternity doesn’t matter to me! Eternity was destroyed! I brought the being who corrupted me into this world, and I can summon WORSE spirits to follow my commands!” The furious Princess Twilight growled as she transformed into a black-coated, flame-covered creature. She summoned a glowing, dark purple sword that clashed against Daybreaker’s golden one.

“Sparkle, don’t make me fight you…” Daybreaker warned her.

“SILENCE! Everything I ever did, I did to make you proud! And look where it got me! Banished and imprisoned, like YOU! Forced to rely on the Elements to save me! But I got back up! I became a princess and I succeeded were you FAILED! Tell me how proud you are of me, Celestia!” Princess Twilight bellowed as her glowing sword clashed faster and faster against Daybreaker’s sword.

Daybreaker frowned as her horn glowed. She created a powerful anti-magic field and knocked Princess Twilight back. Princess Twilight shrunk back to her normal form as her coat turned purple again and her hair went back to being her normal mane and tail.

Seeing that both Sombra and Twilight Sparkle were now lying on the ground, Daybreaker sighed. “Please surrender, my little pony…my precious student. You have fought bravely. I’m so proud of you.” Daybreaker smiled kindly at Princess Twilight, her words warm and soothing. She levitated Sombra next to Twilight Sparkle and walked towards them. “You don’t have to prove anything to me. Just surrender, and we’ll put all this pain behind us.”

Princess Twilight glared at her as she stood up. “An anti-magic field? I’m the alicorn of magic. That trick won’t work a second time…” her horn glowed again.

Daybreaker unfolded her wings and gently wrapped Princess Twilight into a hug. “Hush now. Please rest, my faithful student.” Her eyes began to glow white, but Princess Twilight looked away and fought against her spell.

“You know…I find it irritating how you refuse to take this matter seriously. Some people might call this a duel to the death,” King Sombra mumbled as he broke free of Daybreaker’s sleep spell.

Daybreaker smiled at him. “Awake already? You have gotten stronger. However, nopony needs to die today. Surrender, and all shall be well.”

King Sombra groaned and continued as if she hadn’t interrupted him. “Yet despite the seriousness of the situation, you’ve been smiling calmly the whole time and acting like this is just pleasant conversation for you.”

Daybreaker smiled warmly at them. “Of course. This is merely a simple disagreement between good friends to me. Your fear spells don’t work on me, so what makes you think I could ever fear any of you?”

Princess Twilight suddenly grinned savagely. “I know one person you’re afraid of.”

Pinkie Pie appeared hovering over them with a flash of light. “GUESS WHO? …I totally stole Discord’s catchphrase!” she giggled.

Daybreaker’s eyes widened. King Sombra and Princess Twilight both watched with weak yet triumphant grins as actual fear filled Daybreaker’s face for the first time that day. “Trickster…” she whispered in horror.

Pinkie gasped. “Oh my gosh, fire!” She snapped her fingers and dozens of water balloons fell from the sky and splashed against Daybreaker’s hair and face. Pinkie blinked a few times before she grinned. “Tia? Celestia, is that you? Gosh, it feels like it’s been ages since I last saw you! How’s it hanging?”

“Pink Demon!” Queen Celestia shrieked. Her horn glowed brilliantly as she fired a beam of bluish-white fire at Pinkie, who simply giggled and floated out of the way. “Monster! Trickster Demon, from the darkest corners of Tartarus!”

“Hey now! I was born on a rock farm, and it wasn’t anywhere near Tartarus!” Pinkie said in mock anger before she giggled again.

Queen Celestia growled as she ripped chunks of stone out of the ground with her magic and threw them at Pinkie, before firing loops of streaming fire into the air. “Monstrous, heartless, abomination of nature!”

“Aw, I’m not heartless!” Pinkie said as she transformed all of Queen Celestia’s attack into gummy worms. She reached down her mouth and pulled out her own beating heart. “See? I use my heart for all my Pinkie Promises!” The heart suddenly grew arms and fingers and crossed them. “It can do backflips too! Wanna see?”

Queen Celestia roared as she conjured up a humongous wall of flames and sent the wall blasting towards her.

“Hey now missy, keep acting like that and I’m not throwing you a welcome back party,” Pinkie said, snapping her fingers and transforming the wall of fire into a wall of chocolate cake and frosting. “Mm,” she sighed happily as she took a bite out of the chocolate. “Want some cake? I know you like your sweets as much as I do!”

“Uncontrollable, remorseless, childish monster! Evilest of evils, pink void that destroys everything she sees!” Queen Celestia cried. “I should drop the sun on top of you and end your threat right now!”

“Aw, you wouldn’t do that,” Pinkie giggled as she teleported next to Princess Twilight and King Sombra and hugged them. “These two little bookworms can’t stand direct sunlight! It hurts their night owl eyes,” she giggled.

Queen Celestia stared in rage and horror as she saw Pinkie hug them. “Release my students at once, you heartless monster!”

“Hey, what did I just say about my heart? Do I need to pull it out again? It can do cartwheels too,” Pinkie said.

King Sombra raised an eyebrow curiously. “I know that when we were the Element bearers, we all fought against the Pink One. However, you never explained why you seemed to fear her more than the rest of us did. Why are you so afraid of Pinkie, Celestia?”

“Yeah! I’m not even evil! I’m reformed and all that,” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“The Rainbow of Light showed me a vision! That vile pink monster is without remorse! I saw what she unleashed, what she will unleash if she is not stopped soon!” Queen Celestia cried.

Pinkie giggled. “Methinks the Rainbow of Light is making Tia here go cray-cray. Reformed, remember?”

Daybreaker glared at Pinkie before she sighed and recomposed herself. “Please, release my little ponies,” she ordered.

“Hmm…Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie grinned as she let the king and princess go. She floated over to Daybreaker and giggled. “Sorry, I forget my own strength sometimes. Don’t think I forgot about you, Tia! Come here and gimme a hug!” Pinkie grinned as she zoomed towards Queen Celestia.

Queen Celestia smiled victoriously as Pinkie released Sombra and Twilight Sparkle. Her horn glowed as she levitated an object from her fiery mane. She opened the heart-shaped locket that contained the Rainbow of Light and watched as the Rainbow’s magic went spiraling towards Pinkie. “It seems that fortune smiles upon me, demon trickster. I get to reclaim my throne, reunite with my sister and niece, and witness your defeat all on the same day.”

“Oh no! What a world! What a cruel, wonderful, rainbow-rific world!” Pinkie cried as the Rainbow of Light swirled around her and squeezed her in its grip. When the Rainbow of Light returned to its locket, Pinkie was nowhere in sight.

“No! Pinkie!” Princess Twilight cried as she saw the cheerful Trickster disappear.

Queen Celestia turned to face them. “Be at peace, my little Sparkle. Now that the Demon has been defeated, the curse she has placed you under will disappear soon.”

“Twilight Sparkle, relax,” King Sombra whispered to her. He turned back to face the queen. “Alright, you’ve defeated both of us. But do you truly think you’ve defeated the Elements of Redemption?”

Queen Celestia smiled warmly at him. “Of course. Nightmare Moon will soon bring me the Elements and Luna. Together, the sun and moon will destroy every trace of evil’s taint and then all will be right with the world. Now, what to do with you two…”

Prince Shining panted as he glanced over the overturned table he was using for a shield. “I don’t know how much longer we can last without our magic.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m sure mister Smog will eat the Summer Sun crystal soon enough.”

“He’d better hurry!” Sunset shouted as she felt another spell hit the table she was hiding behind.

Luna folded her wings as she touched down within the streets of Canterlot. “MOONY?!” Luna shouted. She gasped as she saw Nightmare Moon attacking her friends, who were ducking for cover behind tables, behind crumbling walls, and whatever cover they could find within the battle-damaged streets of Canterlot.

“NIGHTMARE MOON! STOP ATTACKING THEM THIS INSTANCE!” Luna shouted as she stood in between Nightmare and her friends.

Her daughter immediately stopped attacking her friends. She blinked her glowing, golden eyes at her mom in confusion. “M…mommy?”

“Captain Luna? Oh, thank goodness you’ve arrived,” Cadance sighed behind her table.

“Celestia put some sort of spell on her. She keeps attacking us, yelling about how she thinks we’ll hurt her mommy,” Sunset explained.

“I know of Celestia's enchantment. What I don’t know is why you don’t defend yourselves?” Luna asked.

“We can’t. There’s this crystal generating an anti-magic field. Only Nightmare can use her magic,” Sunset said.

“Odd,” Luna said as her horn glowed. “My magic is still working.”

“Yes, yes. Trixie and her friends already figured out that the field doesn’t restrain Celestia or any who are related to her. Now if you could please snap her out of it!” Trixie shouted as she pointed at Nightmare.

“Don’t you dare hurt my mommy!” Nightmare growled.

Luna hurried over to Nightmare and looked her in the eye. “Moony, I’m here. Nobody’s hurting me. You need to stop attacking your friends.”

Nightmare blinked in confusion. “Friends? But mommy, you said they’re…”

“Ignore what I said. Listen to what I’m saying now,” Luna said firmly. Her horn started to glow as she stared into Nightmare’s hypnotized eyes. “This isn’t the first time you’ve encountered someone pretending to be me. You know I would never ask you to attack your friends.”

Nightmare shook her head. “But…but you said…”

“Moony...I’m sorry I didn’t sing our song with you earlier today. Would you like to sing with me now?” Luna sighed and started to sing:
“Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!”

Nightmare stared at her as her eyes slowly stopped glowing. She smiled and sang with her:
“Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!”

As the short song was finished, Nightmare rubbed her head as she felt Celestia’s spell lift off her. “Ugh…mom? Loony?”

Luna unfolded her wings and wrapped Nightmare in a hug. “It’s okay Moony. I’m right here.”

“I…oh no…stars above!” Nightmare exclaimed as she spotted her friends. “Oh guys, I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to attack you! Celestia-”

“It’s okay Nightie,” Chrysalis said as she walked towards her. “We understand. It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, it’s cool Nightie,” Gilda said as the rest of her friends got out from under their hiding spots. “At least you didn’t use anything from Project Zero, right?”

Fluttershy blinked. “What’s Project Zero?”

“It’s nothing,” Trixie lied.

“Trixie’s right. I wouldn’t have used the Project anyway,” Nightmare said. “Whatever spell Celestia put me under, it made me think I was just a young filly again.”

“That was you as a filly? Really? Wow, no wonder your mom named you Nightmare Moon,” Rainbow chuckled.

Nightmare shrugged. “What did you expect during our brief battle? I mean, I’m a little old to being calling my mom ‘mommy’. I didn’t use the Project because in my mind it didn’t exist yet.”

Pinkie appeared hovering above them in a flash of light. “Hi guys! I found Smog! Does that mean I win? Ooh, ooh, do I get a prize?”

“Smog?! What happened to you?” Nightmare cried as she noticed Smog’s injuries. He was scratched up, bruised and exhausted, but he was also grinning.

“Guards…beat me up…fire golem can’t burn me…but she’s got a mean kick…got the crystal though…” Smog held up the Summer Sun crystal for them to see.

“Oh you poor baby!” Fluttershy cried. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix you up right away.”

Nightmare smiled proudly. “You’ve done well Smog. I couldn’t ask for a braver number one assistant. Does anyone have any bandages?”

“Yep. Borrowed them from the pharmacy just around the corner!” Discord said as he handed them a few boxes of bandages.

“Oh thank goodness!” Fluttershy said as she took the bandages.

While Fluttershy worked on Smog, Nightmare held up the Summer Sun crystal. “Now, what to do with this thing?”

“Ooh, shiny!” Pinkie said as she stared at the crystal. “Here, I’ll take it!” She snapped her fingers and conjured up a bright pink bag. She took the crystal from Nightmare, placed it in the bag, zipped it up, and vanished it with another snap of her fingers.

“Ha ha! Well done everyone! The Great and Powerful Trixie can already feel herself growing great and powerful once more!” an overjoyed Trixie cheered as her horn started glowing again.

Sunset grinned as her own horn, Rarity’s, Chrysalis’, Prince Shining’s, and Cadance’s horns glowed again. “Magic’s coming back fast!”

Rainbow and Gilda grinned as they felt strength return to their wings. “Aw yeah! Way to go Smog!” Gilda cheered.

“Woohoo! Can’t keep the Elements of Forgiveness down forever!” Discord chuckled as his claw and paw glowed with chaotic power.

“Great! Now that your magic has returned, why don’t we all go have a ‘chat’ with my dear sweet aunt,” Nightmare growled, her eyes narrowed in determination.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us back to the empire in a flash!” Pinkie giggled. “Oh! Um, before I do that, you guys mind if I check in on Spike real quick? Just, last I saw him he was fighting an army of fire ponies. I think that might be bad.”

“Very well, but hurry back,” Luna ordered. Pinkie grinned like a goofball and saluted her before she disappeared with a flash of light.

“So what happened to you Nightmare?” Sunset asked.

Nightmare sighed. “As soon as Philomena dropped me in the castle, my aunt manipulated me right from the start. She pretended that she was sorry for what she had done and that she would surrender to me. She went on and on about how much she loved ponies, my mom, and me. She invited me to dinner, where she had all this delicious food…all those moon pies…”

“Um…you checked to make sure she didn’t poison them…right?” Smog asked.

Nightmare rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously. That goes without saying. If I still check to make sure the food you’ve cooked for me isn’t poisoned, do you think I’d trust me insane aunt to not poison me?”

“Wait, what? You check your food for poisoning?” Rarity asked.

“You make a baby dragon cook for you?” Fluttershy gasped in mild anger.

“Smog likes to cook simple meals,” Nightmare assured her. “And I check all my food to see if it’s drugged or poisoned. Just a habit I got into.”

“So you weren’t drugged or anything…good,” Smog grunted as Fluttershy placed one bandage on a particularly sore bruise.

“For all the good that it did me. She must have placed her curse on me around that time. She made me believe that I had lowered the sun and brought forth the night, even though I can now clearly that it’s still daytime.” Nightmare frowned up as she glanced up. “Then she tucked me into bed and completed her spell.”

“Tucked you into bed? Aw, did she sing you a lullaby too?” Discord grinned. “If I’m guessing when she sang to you correctly, I must congratulate her. Best lullaby ever! Did any of you see those flames on the castle’s roof?”

Gilda chuckled. “I wondered what that was about. Pretty wicked flames.”

“Yeah…okay, that was pretty awesome,” Rainbow admitted.

Pinkie reappeared before them. “Hey guys! Spike’s fine! He’s having the time of his life!”

Luna smiled. “Good. The great dragon Spike is dealing with my sister’s golem army, and Moony is free from her influence.”

“Exactly. Celestia’s plans are falling apart and she doesn’t even know it yet,” Nightmare grinned. “Do you all still have your Elements?” The rest of the bearers nodded. “Good. Now, it’s time wish the Sun a very goodnight.”

Queen Celestia shifted on the crystal throne. “The cushions don’t help that much. Honestly, I don’t know how you find this comfortable Sombra. What about you Sparkle, do you use a different throne?”

Queen Celestia was sitting on Sombra’s throne, looking down at the king and princess as they sat on the floor in front of her. Princess Twilight growled as she struggled against the golden chains that were restraining them.

King Sombra glared up at the queen. “You won’t prevail Celestia.”

“Oh, Sombra. I already have.” Daybreaker smiled gently down at him. “Of course now, there is a question of what I should do to you. I’ll admit, in my darker moments while I was imprisoned I considered setting you ablaze and scattering your ashes. However, I feel so…at peace, right now. I defeated the Pink Demon with the Rainbow of Light. I have reclaimed my throne. I have even found a way to reconnect with my dear niece. There are still loose ends to tie up, but I would say that things have worked out splendidly.” Queen Celestia sighed happily. “It’s such a bright, sunny day.”

“And here we come to rain on your parade!” Queen Celestia’s ear twitched as Discord’s chuckling echoed through the throne room. Pink rainclouds appeared in the throne room and began to rain a rainbow coloured liquid. The golden chains restraining King Sombra and Princess Twilight melted off as the rainbow rain splashed onto them.

A flash of light appeared as Discord teleported himself, the other Elements, and their allies into the throne room. “Guess who, sunshine!”

Nightmare glared up at her aunt. “Celestia, you have much to answer for.”

Queen Celestia stared at her niece before she stared at Pinkie Pie. “Impossible. The Rainbow of Light defeated you!”

“Oh, is that what this thing is?” Pinkie stuck her hoof in her left ear and pulled out a heart-shaped, rainbow coloured mosquito. “Here, you can have it back,” she said as she flicked it away. “The mean old Rainbow didn’t hurt me like the Elements did, but boy was it annoying! Can you imagine how annoying it is for this tiny thing to fly into your ear and go buzz! Buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!” she sang as she flew all around their heads.

Just as Trixie looked like she was going to slap Pinkie, Discord stopped his chaotic comrade with a gentle pat on her head. “Thank you Pinkie, I think we get the picture.”

“A picture? Ooh, that sounds fun! I’m gonna paint a picture of the stupid look on her face!” Pinkie giggled as she pointed at Queen Celestia. She floated off to a corner of the room and summoned a bucket of paint, a brush, and some paper before she donned a smock and a beret.

“You can ignore Pinkie, auntie. You’ve got bigger problems right now. Hold still Celestia...this shouldn’t hurt too much,” Nightmare said. But as the Elements glowed and the bearers began to float off the floor, Nightmare noticed something. She wasn’t floating with them.

As the Elements’ glow faded, Queen Celestia smiled calmly. “Oh, Nightmare. You’ve done very well. But surely, you should have seen this coming.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Wait a moment!” She levitated the crown off her helmet. “This isn’t my Element! It’s a fake!”

Queen Celestia giggled. Her horn glowed as she pulled out three objects from her magical, fiery mane. The Crystal Heart, the Rainbow of Light, and the real Element of Power floating in her magical grip. “You are correct. During our dinner, I wanted to see how far into my enchantment you managed to slip into. I switched your Element with a fake crown while we were eating dessert. You really have to admire the hard work my servants put into it. That fake crown certainly looks real, doesn’t it?”

“Alright then, new plan. Get my Element back!” Nightmare ordered as she flapped her wings and shot towards Celestia, her horn already blasting spells and hexes towards her.

“Now we’re talking!” Gilda cheered as she flapped her wings and dive-bombed the queen.

“Let’s see how many fireballs I can shoot in a row!” Smog said as flames began to leak out of his mouth.

Discord snapped his fingers and conjured up dozens of thunderclouds. “You felt the rain, but now here comes a storm!” he chuckled mischievously. Lightning bolts, rocks, pears, artichokes, and fruit pies began to fly out of the clouds and towards Daybreaker.

Queen Celestia conjured up a powerful shield as the Elements, Rainbow, Rarity, Prince Shining, and Cadance all charged towards her. She winced as her shield was blasted with spells and lightning strikes. “I warn you now, my friends. You may outnumber me, but I still overpower you.”

Fluttershy edged away from the fight and helped King Sombra and Princess Twilight get back up. “Are you alright, Your Majesties?”

“Never mind that! Now’s our chance!” King Sombra said as he fired a beam of dark magic at Celestia’s shield. Princess Twilight fired a larger beam of magic at the shield too.

“It’s not coming down!” Sunset shouted.

“Chrysalis!” The changeling queen glanced behind her as Cadance shouted her name. The alicorn of love stood beside her, a large cartoonish heart floating beside her horn. “Take it!”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened as a smile formed on her face. “Cadance…thank you for trusting me.” She opened her mouth and swallowed the love energy that Cadance offered her, the pink heart turning green before she swallowed it. The green glow around Chrysalis’ horn grew larger until it was almost blinding. She grinned and fired a huge beam of magic at Celestia’s shield, while Cadance fired her own beam of magic too.

Queen Celestia frowned as the beams of magic collided against her shield. “You know, I don’t believe we’ve ever talked much. Chrysalis, is it? Out of all the ponies I was expecting to wield my Element of Love, a parasitic bug was not on the list. I feel a little insulted.”

“STOP!” Everyone shut off their beams of magic as an angry Fluttershy flew in front of Daybreaker’s shield and glared at her. “How dare you…HOW DARE YOU!”

Queen Celestia blinked as Fluttershy glared at her. “Is there a problem, my little pony? You seemed content to stay out of the battle before.”

“How dare you call her a parasitic bug! You think, just because you control the sun, just because you’re immortal and have all this magic, you can judge people like that?! She might have to eat love to survive, but she has more love in her heart than you do! You…you…meanie!” Fluttershy shouted.

“You tell her Flutters!” Gilda cheered.

“Atta girl Fluttershy!” Rainbow cheered with her.

Queen Celestia smiled. “Ah, I see. You’re standing up for your friend. I admire your loyalty, even if it is misplaced.” Her eyes started to glow as she stared at Fluttershy. The pegasus flinched before her own eyes started to glow blue.

“Wow. Talk about a Staring contest,” Discord commented as they watched the two mares Stare each other down.

“She’s distracted. Now’s our chance to take down her shield,” Nightmare said. They all resumed firing magical hexes at Celestia, being careful that they didn’t hit Fluttershy.

Queen Celestia was visibly struggling with maintaining her shield and her Staring contest with Fluttershy. But she smiled as the Crystal Heart and the Rainbow of Light glowed. “Without the Element of Power, you cannot use the Elements, while I draw strength from two magical artifacts of great power. This is your final chance to surrender.” The shield around Daybreaker began to grow hotter. Flames leapt off the shield and flew towards the Elements.

“Oh dear.” Discord snapped his fingers, causing waves of water to splash up from the floor to put out the fires. “It’s getting very hot in here, and I’m not referring to Celestia’s or to my own stunning good looks.”

“We need another plan!” Sunset shouted.

“Um, could…could someone help me? Please?” Fluttershy said as she felt her eyes getting weaker.

“Hold on dear, I’ve got you.” Discord snapped his fingers and teleported the tired Fluttershy away from Daybreaker. Looking down at the shy pegasus beside him, he got an idea. “Ooh, I know! Everyone, follow my lead!” He snapped his fingers and teleported Luna next to him.

Luna blinked as she felt her beam of magic slip away from her. “Discord? What are…AH! Release me at once!” she cried as Discord picked her up in his arms.

“If you say so!” Discord chuckled. “ALICORN TOSS, GO!” he cheered as he threw Luna like a javelin towards her sister.

“Luna!” Daybreaker’s shield faded away as she put all her energy into telekinetically catching Luna before she could hit her. “Did you just throw my baby sister at me?” she asked, glaring at Discord as she levitated Luna back onto the floor.

“Shield’s down! It’s working! Prince Shining, launch sister T!”

Prince Shining nodded. “Right.” He picked up his own baby sister and tossed the shocked Princess Twilight at Queen Celestia. “Little Sister Toss, Go!”

Daybreaker frowned as she levitated Princess Twilight back onto the floor too. “My friends, you can’t just throw ponies at all your problems.”

“Shining! What was that?!” Princess Twilight shouted.

Prince Shining shrugged. “What? Me and Cadance do it all the time.”

Cadance froze. “Um Shiny, sweetheart, nobody needs to know that.”

“Says you,” Gilda chuckled as Rainbow, Sunset, and Trixie giggled with her.

“You throw your fiancée?” a shocked Fluttershy asked.

Prince Shining blinked in confusion. “Only when we’re both really bored. Cadance can fly, and she says it’s kinda fun. Why, did you want a turn?”

“Brilliant idea!” Discord cheered. He snapped his fingers, gifting Fluttershy with temporary super strength. “Go for it!”

“Oh. Um, okay, if it’s alright with Cadance.” She walked over to Cadance and lifted her up. “Um…Best Friend Toss, yay!”

Queen Celestia giggled even as she caught Cadance and levitated her back onto the floor. “As amusing as this is, could you please stop throwing my fellow alicorns at me?”

“Heck no!” Gilda picked up Nightmare Moon and threw her at Daybreaker too. “Now’s your chance Nightie!”

As Nightmare flew closer and closer to Daybreaker, she suddenly disappeared with a bright flash of light. “Ah. Well, at least my niece is smart enough to know when a game must reach it’s conclusion,” Daybreaker said.

“You’re right. I say we’ve been playing this game long enough.” Daybreaker looked over her shoulder to see an indigo cloud of magic swirling around the Crystal Heart and the Element of Power that Daybreaker was still levitating. The magical mist flew over to the Element bearers and reformed into Nightmare. “Excellent idea for a distraction, guys,” she congratulated her friends as she levitated the Element of Power onto her head and the Crystal Heart over to King Sombra and Captain Luna.

Queen Celestia’s eyes widened as the Elements began to glow again. She opened the locket containing the Rainbow of Light with her magic as the Elements glowed brighter. But as the Rainbow of Light swirled out to protect its wearer, Queen Celestia looked at her opponents. Nightmare Moon was staring at her. Even as her eyes glowed with power and narrowed in determination, small tears leaked out of them. She looked at Luna, who was staring just as sadly at her sister.

“Celestia…I love you…” Even though Luna whispered, she could still hear her.

Queen Celestia, the mighty Daybreaker, the great Queen of Fire looked at everyone around her and sighed. She closed the Rainbow’s locket and smiled warmly.

“Well done, my precious niece.”

She unfolded her wings and closed her eyes as the Elements of Redemption blasted towards her. When the blinding light faded away, everyone groaned and slowly stood back up.

“Did it work?” Nightmare asked.

Luna got up faster than the others and hurried to the cloud of smoke where Daybreaker had previously been. “Sister? Celestia, are you there?”

The smoke cleared away to reveal Heavenly Sunrise. Queen Celestia had shrunken back to her weaker form. She slowly stood back up and looked up at her temporarily taller little sister. “Luna…I’m…oh, Lulu. I’m so sorry.” She tackled Luna with a big hug, tears pouring out of her eyes.

“Oh Tia…” Luna sniffled as she hugged Celestia back.

“By every star in the night sky…” Nightmare whispered. She hesitantly walked towards her mom and her aunt.

“Nightmare Moon…come over here. I’m so proud of you,” Luna said to her, tears spilling out of her eyes even as she smiled widely.

Celestia sniffled and stared at Nightmare too. “Congratulations, my wonderful niece. I knew that if anyone could defeat me, it would be you.”

As Celestia, Nightmare, and Luna all hugged each other, Prince Shining smiled. “I guess that takes care of everything.”

Beside him, Princess Twilight sighed. “I guess…” She and King Sombra both stared at Celestia, painful memories and years of sorrow reflected in their eyes.

Exactly two days had passed since then. The night and day cycle went back to what it was before. All the damage caused during their battle with Daybreaker and Spike’s battle with her fire golem army had been fixed up thanks to Discord, Pinkie, and Celestia herself. Once all the damage had been cleaned up, there was only one more matter to take care of. The Elements, Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy had been invited to Canterlot for a big event.

King Sombra, Princess Twilight, and Captain Luna were waiting for them by the time they had reached the large castle balcony. The Elements looked down at the citizens of Canterlot, their golden eyes filled with confusion.

Once the Elements were up on the balcony, Celestia appeared next to them in a flash of light. She had completely returned to her original form. Her dark red coat had turned white, and her mane and tail shimmered like a blue, pink, and green rainbow. The only thing missing was her royal regalia. In fact, she wasn’t wearing anything. King Sombra’s horn glowed as he levitated the Crystal Heart and the Summer Sun crystal to her. Celestia smiled as she took them in her magic and looked down at the crowd. “My citizens…my little ponies…it is time I set you free. I present to you the Crystal Heart. Let the light and love of Everfree shine within us all, both pony and non-pony alike.”

The Crystal Heart glowed brightly. On Celestia’s command, the Summer Sun crystal cracked and shattered into pieces. A humongous wave of magic spiraled outward as everyone in Canterlot felt their magic return to them. Their eyes also stopped glowing, as Celestia’s enchantment was broken.

King Sombra nodded. “Well done.” Celestia and the king turned around and walked back into Canterlot Castle, with everyone else on the balcony following them inside.

“So um…what have you guys been up to?” Sunset asked.

“What we always do in these situations,” Princess Twilight answered tiredly. “Cleaning things up after the huge battle with…” she waved her hoof. “You know…this and that. But that’s not the only thing we’ve been doing.”

“Indeed.” The Elements and their friends stopped as they entered a private room at the end of the hallway. Celestia was standing in front of them all. She hesitated before she lowered her head and bowed to all of them. “Elements of Forgiveness. My friends. I wish to make amends with you.”

Princess Twilight stared at Celestia in shock. She wasn’t the only one. “Princess, you don’t have to bow…”

“I’m sorry, who are you talking to, Your Majesty?” Celestia asked as she stood up again. “You are the only princess here.”

Nightmare blinked. “Pardon?”

Celestia smiled at her. “That’s what King Sombra said too. For the past two days since my redemption, I have been working to repair the damage I have done both to Everfree and to my relationships. Sombra and Sparkle both trusted me, and I abused that trust as Daybreaker. The conversations we’ve had these past few days have been tiring, yet necessary. I feel confident in the fact there is no more bad blood between us. After our talks, King Sombra offered to make me a princess again. I would have royal power and duties similar to those of Princess Twilight. However, I declined his generous offer.”

Sunset, Trixie, Rarity, and Nightmare all stared at her. “Um…why?” Nightmare asked.

Celestia smiled sadly. “Because I’m not ready. Princess Twilight has spoken to me about your past battles. Eternal Twilight, the Alicorn Amulet, a love poisoned Countess...even the Pink One. I understand how the Elements of Forgiveness work now. You have given me a second chance, and so I will make the most of it. I will do what is necessary to fully redeem myself and to hopefully become your friend.

“In order to do that, I must do so without the weight of my crown. Everfree needed Princess Twilight to return to her throne. However, this kingdom has flourished in the years I have been absent. Perhaps one day, I will step forward as Princess Celestia once more. But until that day, King Sombra and Princess Twilight will rule over Everfree, continuing to succeed where I would have failed.

“To be a ruler of Everfree, is a right that one must earn. It is a duty that I must earn back, and it starts with erasing all bigotry and discrimination from my mind,” Celestia said. She looked at Chrysalis and bowed. “Queen Chrysalis, I beg for your forgiveness. It was wrong of me to call you a parasitic bug. Princess Twilight and my niece have both spoken very highly of you. If anyling is worthy to wield the Element of Love, it is you.”

Chrysalis blushed. “Wow…thank you.”

“Smog, your courageous and heroic deeds astound me. To storm your way past my guards in order to save your friends, I know that you are a brave and noble dragon indeed,” Celestia said as she bowed to him.

Smog blushed too. “Heh, thanks.”

Celestia bowed to the griffon next. “Miss Gilda, I have heard tales of your astonishing strength. From your bravery in battle to your spectacular Brave Bird’s Blitz, I can see that the strength in your wings matches the strength in your heart.” Gilda smiled and rubbed the back of her neck at the praise.

“And last but not least, Discord. I admire your free spirit, your confidence, your cheerful attitude. Your dedication to chaos is surpassed only by your dedication to your friends. You help them in times of crisis, you make their days more interesting in times of peace, and you brighten their lives in all that you do. Behind that mischievous grin and powerful magic is the heart of a kind creature indeed,” Celestia said as she bowed to him.

Discord blushed. “My, my. And I thought I was a charmer.” Discord snapped his fingers and made a bouquet of sun-coloured flowers appear. “Some beautiful flowers for a beautiful mare.”

Celestia smiled. “Oh my. Thank you.”

King Sombra coughed. “Um, yes. Thank you Discord, I’ll take those flowers and put them in a vase.”

Discord raised an eyebrow at him. “Why? They’re not for you.”

“Yes well, Celestia doesn’t need your flowers since I already gave her some.” King Sombra frowned. “Moderation is important, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I disagree. I think more is more in this case. Celestia, who do you agree with?”

Celestia tilted her head and looked back and forth at Sombra and Discord. She smiled and turned away from them. “Nightmare Moon. I wish to apologize for all the deception, the manipulation, and all the trouble I put you through.”

Nightmare smiled. “It’s okay. Princess Twilight couldn’t control herself as Eternal Twilight; you weren’t in control either. And if my mom is willing to forgive you, then so am I.”

Celestia unfolded her wings. “Even as Daybreaker, I meant what I said before about us. I love you Moony. I wish to be a part of your family. I want to give you all the love I have to offer you. …May I?” Nightmare smiled and accepted the hug that Celestia offered her. Luna stepped into the family hug too.

Discord cleared his throat. “We’ll give you three a few moments alone, shall we?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. Um, I better check on Philomena. Make sure she’s feeling better,” she mumbled.

“I’ll stay here,” Princess Twilight said, staring at Celestia with an odd look on her face.

Discord snapped his fingers and teleported himself and everyone else to a different room in the castle. Only Nightmare, Luna, Princess Twilight, and Celestia remained in the room.

Nightmare stayed in the family hug for a few moments before she stepped back out. “So if you’re not going to be a princess just yet, what will you do?”

Celestia hesitated. Her smile faded as her ears folded down. “I…don’t know. The Rainbow of Light made me believe I had all the answers. That I was always right, that I was perfect. I am reminded now, just how flawed I am. All my failures as a princess, as a teacher, as a sister, as a friend.” She looked up and smiled sadly at Luna and Nightmare. “Compared to the wonderful people I see before me…I’m a failure. I’m nothing. I’m worthless,” she whispered.

“How can you say that? You’re not nothing! You’re not a worthless failure!” Nightmare cried, stomping her hoof on the floor.

Celestia smiled sadly. “Thank you for those kind words, my sweet niece. But I don’t deserve them. Even though I promised to make amends, I don’t even know how to start.”

She looked out the window and softly began to sing:
“It isn’t that I’m ungrateful
For the second chance you think I’ll earn,
For all the journeys I will partake in,
All the lessons that I will learn.

But I wonder where I’m going now,
What my role is meant to be.
I don’t know how to travel
To a future that I can’t see.

I have my wings, I have my horn.
I’m an alicorn, this is true.
But it’s still unclear to me
Just what I am meant to do.

I wish to have a purpose
Want to do all that I can.
I want to make a contribution
I want to find my part in the plan.”

Luna frowned in determination. She placed her wing on Celestia’ shoulder and sang with her:
“Our destiny is uncertain
And that’s sometimes hard to take
But it will become much clearer
With every new choice we make.”

Nightmare sighed as she placed her wing on Celestia and sang too:
“Patience is never easy
I understand wanting more
I know how hard it is to wait
To spread out your wings and soar.”

Princess Twilight flapped her wings, flew over, and touched down in front of Celestia with a determined smile on her face as she sang with them:
“But you stand here for a reason
You’re gifted and you’re strong
The Elements gave us both a second chance because
We belong!”

Princess Twilight, Luna, and Nightmare all smiled as they sang together:
“Know that your time has only just begun
As the moon rises, so does the sun
As magic finds a place in every heart
Know that you are loved; you’ll find your part.”

“We understand you wanting more
A chance to shine, a chance to soar!” Princess Twilight and Nightmare sang together.

Luna, Nightmare, and Twilight all flapped their wings and gracefully floated around a speechless Celestia as they sang the final part together:
“Know that your time has only just begun
As the moon rises, so does the sun
As magic finds a place in every heart
Know that you are loved; you’ll find your part.”

They all folded their wings up and touched down. Luna smiled as the song finished. “Know that we love you. We’ll help you find your part.”

Celestia wiped away a tear and smiled kindly at them. “I don’t deserve such a loving family.”

Nightmare looked Celestia in the eye and returned that loving smile with one of her own. “I think everyone needs a loving family. I know you deserve one.”

Princess Twilight smiled and teleported away as Celestia, Luna, and Nightmare hugged each other again. In another corner of the room, a painting of a pink earth pony blinked its eyes. The painting disappeared with a very faint flash of light.

Pinkie Pie appeared somewhere just outside of Canterlot. She held up her hoof and looked at the large apple she held onto. She looked back in the direction of Canterlot, before she looked back at the fruit. She sighed and vanished the apple with a snap of her fingers. “Not today. Not yet.” Pinkie was silent for a moment, floating in the air, completely alone. Eventually she snapped her fingers.

Maud Pie blinked as she found herself in front of her sister. “Pinkie? What is it?”

Pinkie shifted nervously. “I just…I just want a hug.”

Maud blinked slowly before she held out her forelegs. Pinkie flew into them and wrapped her sister in a hug. “There, there. It’ll be okay,” Maud said, a hint of concern showing in her otherwise bland voice.

Pinkie smiled. “You’re right, sis. Everything is going to be fine.”

Author's Note

I've changed the name of Celestia's corrupted form from Solar Flare to Daybreaker, to better reflect the canon story.

Solar Eclipsed

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Solar Eclipsed

Trixie kicked the door open and leapt into the library, flashing lights dancing around her as she gave the library a hammy grin. “Greetings friends! Behold, the Great and Powerful Star Swirl the Bearded!”

“Star Swirl, huh? Hold on Trixie, we’ll be down in a second,” she heard Nightmare Moon say.

Trixie smiled and waited for her friends, adjusting her Twilight Night costume. Within a few seconds, a black and dark blue dragon climbed down the stairs. “Nice costume Trixie.”

Trixie tilted her head in confusion as she started at the midnight black dragon. “Um, thanks…Smog?”

The dragon smiled. “You’re half right. It’s me, Nightmare. I’ve fused with Smog.”

Her eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Forgive Trixie for asking, but I thought you were reluctant to use that spell. To Trixie’s knowledge you haven’t possessed anyone since you possessed the Great and Powerful Trixie herself.”

Nightmare Smog shrugged. “I’ve been tweaking the spell a little. Smog has a little more control now. Besides, he asked me to.”

Trixie blinked. “Smog asked you to possess him?”

Nightmare Smog grinned. “Sure! I mean, check me out!” The dragon struck a pose. “I am the eternal dark dragon! The master of dreams and nightmares, the lord of the night! I look awesome! Totally worth it.”

Trixie grinned. “Ah, Trixie sees you now Smog. Very well then, shall we depart to join the Twilight Night festival?”

“WOO! Candy!” Discord shouted as he appeared in the library in a swirl of darkness. “Like my new entrance? I’m mixing it up a little. Don’t want flashes of light to grow boring, now do we?”

“Hey Discord,” Trixie said.

“Hello Star Swirl! Would you like a sherbet lemon?” Discord asked as he offered her a yellow sweet.

“Um, okay. Oddly specific candy choice,” Trixie said as she ate the offered sweet.

“Ooh, looking good you two! I see you took my suggestion. I am curious though…” Discord examined the possessed dragon. “Are you a boy or a girl now? Or both?”

Nightmare Smog shrugged. “I dunno. Wanna go join the festival?”

“Hold on. What about your costume Discord?” Trixie asked.

“That’s the problem!” Discord exclaimed as he pulled on his ears. “I can’t decide! I can be whatever I want!” He snapped his fingers and donned a cyborg costume, a vampire costume, a demon nine-tailed fox costume, an elf costume, a fairy princess costume, and an Apple Bloom costume. He banished the costumes with a wave of his paw and pulled on his horn and antler. “How can I choose?!”

Nightmare Smog’s ears twitched as they heard a knock at the door. The possessed dragon opened the door to see the scariest creature they had seen all night. “Well you could always dress like her. Doesn’t get much scarier than that.”

Pinkie Pie, dressed like a chicken, flew into the room and zoomed around the place. “Candy! Candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy!”

“Well, I’ve just encountered my new nightmare for the week. Farewell friends! The Great and Powerful Trixie – I mean, Star Swirl – shall now disappear from this weirdness.” Trixie gave them a bow before she threw a smoke bomb and dashed out the door.

“Pinkie, calm down!” Nightmare Smog said. “Aren’t you a little old for trick-or-treating anyway?”

“Too old for free candy?!” Pinkie shouted as she paused in her search for candy and flew into Nightmare Smog’s face. “Are you CRAZY?!”

“I’m not the one dressed like chicken,” Nightmare Smog replied.

“CANDY!” Pinkie shouted as she spotted a candy stash. She flew towards it and began pecking at the candy bowl.

“Hey! Those are for the kids! Get out of there!” Nightmare Smog said as they tried to pull Pinkie away from the bowl.

“I thought we were leaving for the Twilight Night festival. Who’s going to hand out candy if nobody else is in the library?” Discord asked.

“Honour system,” Nightmare Smog explained as they pulled Pinkie away from the candy. “Hey Pinkie Pie, I bet there’s lots of candy out in the Big Apple or Cloudsdale. Do you really need to stick to Peaceville when there are whole cities with tons of doors to knock on?”

“CANDY!” Pinkie clucked like a chicken before she vanished with a snap of her fingers.

“There. Let her be someone else’s problem for the night,” Nightmare Smog said as they dusted their claws. They groaned as they heard another knock at the door. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding! Even Pinkie can’t be done that fast!”

Nightmare Smog opened the door to see Big Macintosh wearing a black top hat and black cape with a skull on it. He was watching over a few trick-or-treaters including Scootaloo, who was dressed like a wolf, Diamond Tiara, who was dressed like a princess, and Silver Spoon, who was dressed like a cute witch.

“Twilight Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!” the fillies sang.

“Well hello there everyone. Nice costumes,” Nightmare Smog said, nodding in approval. “Happy Twilight Night, Big Macintosh.”

“Same to you Smog,” Big Macintosh said. “Is Miss Moon here?”

“Um, yes. I fused with Smog as part of our costume. Do you like it?” Nightmare Smog asked, striking another pose.

“Really? That looks so cool! Hey, can you fuse with me?” Scootaloo asked excitedly. “I want to see what I look like with a black coat, all magical, and mysterious, and moony!”

“Um…maybe next year,” Nightmare Smog said, dodging the question. “Where are the rest of your friends?”

“Snips and Snails are doing their own trick-or-treating. As for Sweetie Belle, she’s helping Rarity with something and Apple Bloom is feeling sick,” Scootaloo said. “So we’re getting double candy for them! We’ve already visited a bunch of houses! The Chaos Corner is actually spitting out chocolate cakes from its mailbox!”

“Speaking of candy, why are you two fusing? Won’t that mean you get less candy?” Diamond asked.

Nightmare Smog chuckled. “As much fun as trick-or-treating is, we’re a little too old for it, unfortunately. Besides, we visit the Chaos Corner a lot. Candy tends to rain from the walls there.”

Discord grinned. “I’m so glad you enjoy my treat distribution system! Oh, but you might want to check to make sure there aren’t any hidden tricks inside those treats. It’s bad enough when one finds a worm in their apple...oh don’t give me that look, I’m sure the cakes are fine! Just double check before you eat them, just some simple friendly advice.” He snapped his fingers and created a bag full of various…things, before he floated out the door. “Well, have a happy Twilight Night everyone! I’m gonna go throw toilet paper over some houses.”

Big Macintosh frowned. “That’s not very nice.”

“Oh, I’ll clean it all up tomorrow morning,” Discord said, waving his claw in dismissal. “What’s important tonight will be my prankees reactions. Which I will find hilarious.” He gave them a mischievous chuckle before he transformed into a cloud of bats and flew away.

“Boy, that Discord fella’s a fun character. Just like Eris told me,” a colt said from somewhere behind Big Macintosh’s group. Walking up towards the library was a white and brown earth pony colt dressed like a pirate. “Happy Twilight Night, dark dragon! Pipsqueak the pirate, at your service!”

“Happy Twilight Night, Pipsqueak. We are Nightmare Moon…and Smog. We fused together for our costume.”

Pipsqueak’s eyes widened. “Blimey! That sure beats my old costume.”

“Now don’t say that, you’ve got a great costume,” Nightmare Smog assured him. “Better than the costumes I wore when I was younger.” They looked down at their shared body and frowned. “To be honest, it’s better than what we have now.” Magical mist poured out of their mouth and reformed into Nightmare Moon.

Smog sighed. “Sorry Nightie, this isn’t working as well as I thought. You’re right, it would be best if we had our own costumes. Even if I did look awesome as a dark dragon.”

Nightmare shrugged and smiled. “It’s okay. I thought this might happen. Luckily, I left our costumes from last year upstairs.”

Smog smiled. “Sweet! I’ll go bring them down!” He quickly ran upstairs.

“What are you going to dress as now?” the curious Pipsqueak asked.

“Well, Smog dressed up like the great dragon Spike. He’s always admired the older dragon. As for myself, I’ll be going as a space mare,” Nightmare said proudly.

Smog came back downstairs, wearing a black and purple dragon costume. “Hey! Did you paint my costume a different colour?”

Nightmare smiled. “Yes. However, considering the fact that you’re wearing it, you’re obviously not upset about the colour change.”

Smog snorted. “I’m a little upset.” He rolled his eyes. “Fine, just ask me first next time.” He held up a costume, which Nightmare took from him with her magic. Nightmare slipped into a blue cloak, and put on some fake alien antennae.

“Um, excuse me? Now that you’re done changing, can we have our candy now?” Silver impatiently asked.

“Oh. Go right ahead. Honour system, you can take any three pieces of candy you want but no more than three,” Nightmare explained.

“Um…Mister Macintosh sir…can I have some?” a voice whispered behind Big Macintosh.

“It’s alright, little one. This here’s what Twilight Night’s about. Go ahead,” Big Macintosh said.

Slowly, another filly shyly stepped out from behind her hiding spot. Her costume was incredibly detailed, with black, dark blue, and dark green body paint all over her. She wore a realistic looking fake crown, fake horn, and fake changeling wings. The filly smiled shyly at Nightmare.

“Hello there. That’s a beautiful costume. What are you dressed as?” Nightmare asked.

The filly spoke with a soft, quiet voice. “Um, I’m…I’m Nightmare Pupa.”

Nightmare raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“She…she’s my fan novel original character,” the filly shyly explained. “She’s the alternate universe daughter of y-you and Chrysalis. She can’t control her magic and she has trouble making friends b-but she’s really sweet and nice.”

Smog and Nightmare blinked. “Oh…huh. That’s uh…that’s…neat. But, I don’t think Chrysalis would, well…” Nightmare shook her head in confusion. How was she supposed to respond to that?

“What? You…you don’t like it?” the filly sniffled, her eyes watering a little bit. “I’m sorry Nightmare Moon! I…I’m just such a huge fan of yours! The Elements are my heroes, and all the older colts and fillies keep talking about your amazing adventures and I just imagined what a happy ending would look like for you because you’re all so amazing and I’m sorry I’m so freakishly weird and-”

“Whoa, whoa. Easy there,” Smog said, gently calming the filly down. “Nightmare Pupa is a very nice name.”

Nightmare nervously chuckled. “Yeah…I’m sure Chrysalis would, um…well, you did say it was an alternate universe. All kinds of crazy things can happen there!”

“I’m sorry. It’s just…you’re all so super special sugoi,” the filly said.

Smog shivered. “And now I’m reminded of Eris.”

Nightmare smiled and patted the filly on her cute little head. “Listen, don’t worry too much about what I think. It’s a very nice costume. Go ahead and take some candy. See you all at the festival!” Nightmare and Smog smiled and waved at Nightmare Pupa, Pipsqueak, Diamond, and all her friends before they continued on their way to the festival.

Nightmare and Smog walked through Peaceville, admiring all the Twilight Night decorations that had been put up. As they made their way to the town square in the center of Peaceville, they saw Fluttershy playing a few games. “Hey Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy turned around and smiled at them. “Hi Nightmare, hi Smog. Did the fusion idea not work?”

“Sorta. Not exactly but…” Smog shrugged. “Speaking of costumes, nice vampire fangs Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Funny thing about that.” She winked at them, her eyes flashing green as she did so. “Before this, I turned into a zombie Princess Twilight.”

“Wow. Good job Chrysalis, I didn’t even know it was you,” Nightmare said.

Chrysalis giggled. “That’s the idea. Of course, I think I’ve been Fluttershy for a while now.” A flash of green fire consumed her body, turning her into a cyborg Rainbow Dash. “Before Fluttershy, I turned into Sunset. I’m cycling through everyone we know.”

Nightmare nodded. “Interesting. So where are Rainbow, Sunset and Fluttershy?”

Chrysalis shrugged. “Gilda and Rainbow are out pranking people. They’re dressed up like those Wonderbolts that Eternal Twilight created, and they’re scaring kids with thunder. I think Fluttershy is staying home tonight. From what I’ve heard, she’s not a fan of Twilight Night. As for Sunset, she should be around here somewhere. She’s getting pretty excited about the band that’ll be playing later today.”

“Really? Which band?” Smog asked.

Chrysalis smiled. “Peaceville actually managed to get the famous DJ Pony to play the music. And on vocals we have…the Dazzlings!” She did a little dance. “They’re one of my favourite bands!”

Smog smiled. “Cool. Can’t wait to meet them.”

“Excuse me, everyone. We just need to…oh, hi Rainbow Dash! Hi Nightmare, hi Smog!” They turned around to see Mayor Derpy, wearing a paper bag costume. The mayor’s assistant Mary was following behind her, wearing a monster clown costume.

Smog shuddered a little at Mary’s clown costume. “I remember that creepy thing from the last Mane-iac comic.”

“Great costumes everyone!” Mayor Derpy said with a smile. “My costume is a paper bag!”

Nightmare titled her head as they all examined the mayor’s costume. “…Interesting choice. Sorry mayor, but I don’t really see what’s cool or scary about a paper bag costume.”

Mayor Derpy’s smile faded. “When Dinky was born, I had a really bad dream about her and Sparkler getting stuck in a big paper bag and suffocating. Even if it was just a dream, paper bags still scare me to this day.”

Nightmare, Smog, and Chrysalis all stared at her. “Well…that’s dark,” Smog mumbled.

Mayor Derpy’s smile returned. “Oh, it’s not so bad. If I remember correctly you and your mom ended the nightmare before it got too bad,” she said to Nightmare. “And neither Sparkler or Dinky have ever choked on a bag.” She chuckled a little. “I’m such a silly filly, aren’t I?”

“I don’t think it’s that silly. You’re a good mom, Derpy,” Chrysalis said.

Derpy blushed. “Aw…thank you.”

Mary tapped her on the shoulder. “Um, excuse me mayor, but we need to go introduce the princess now.”

“Right! Let’s go Mary!” Derpy said as she flapped her wings and flew over to the podium onstage.

“Hey guys,” the real Sunset Shimmer said as she walked over to them.

“Hey Sunset. Nice costume,” Nightmare said.

Sunset smiled. “Thanks. I couldn’t decide between a fire demon or a rock star, so I mixed them together.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Hey, hurry up guys! The show’s about to start!”

Diamond, Silver, Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, Nightmare Pupa, and a bunch of other colts, fillies, and changeling nymphs hurried over to the stage. A few partying stallions and mares came up to the stage too. Once the crowd was focused on her, Mayor Derpy smiled and spoke into the microphone. “Thank you everybody, and welcome to the Twilight Night festival! Now then, if all the kids who have been out collecting sweets can listen closely to our friend Zecora, she’ll tell you all about the legend of…Eternal Twilight!” she finished with an evil laugh.

“Meh. I give her evil laugh a five out of ten,” Sunset muttered.

Green fog began to rise up around the stage. Zecora, wearing a swamp witch’s costume, stepped out of the fog. “Listen closely and on this night, you’ll hear the tale of Eternal Twilight.”

The crowd waited with bated breath for Zecora to retell the legend. But Zecora didn’t say anything further, as she, Derpy, and Mary all kept glancing at the stage curtain. “Um…wait just a second here everyone,” Mary said, smiling nervously. She pushed through the stage’s curtain and went backstage.

Nightmare frowned. “Excuse me guys,” she said to her friends. She then transformed herself into a starry cloud of magic. The magical mist flew up to the stage and behind the curtain, before reforming back into Nightmare Moon. “Is everything okay back here?”

Princess Twilight and Mary blinked at her. “Oh um…yes, everything’s fine, Nightmare Moon. Thank you for asking. Oh, and happy Twilight Night,” the princess said.

“Happy Twilight Night to you too, Your Majesty,” Nightmare said with a smile. “I’m really excited this year. Twilight Night is my favourite holiday, and this year we all get to meet the legendary holiday figure herself.”

Princess Twilight looked down at the floor as her ears drooped. “You of all ponies have had enough of Eternal Twilight.”

Nightmare gently laid a wing on Princess Twilight’s back. “Princess, tonight you have a chance to show Eternal Twilight in a positive light. This is holiday is for you, not the spirit that possessed you. Tonight is about caring as well as scaring.”

“But…I don’t want the kids to see me like that,” Princess Twilight whispered.

Mary smiled gently. “It’ll be okay, Your Majesty. They know it’s just for fun. Just play your role and it’ll be over soon enough. You can play some games with the kids afterwards.”

“She’s right. Those kids might be scared if they see you…but they’ll be sad if they don’t see you,” Nightmare said.

“Well…okay,” Princess Twilight sighed.

Nightmare titled her head in thought. “You know princess…I can help you, if you want.”

“What do you have in mind?” Princess Twilight asked.

Nightmare’s smile grew sneaky. “Earlier this evening, I fused with Smog as our costume, before I changed into a space mare. I can be pretty scary when I want to be, and tonight is the night to take full advantage of it.”

Princess Twilight hummed thoughtfully before she nodded. “I think I get what you’re saying. Alright then, you have my permission.” Nightmare smiled and transformed into a cloud of magical mist. The mist poured into Princess Twilight’s mouth, transforming her. Her purple coat turned purplish-black while her hair turned a darker colour and began to flow magically.

Mary smiled. “Alright then. We’ll get started as soon as you’re ready.” She pushed through the curtain and stepped back out onto the stage.

Nightmare Twilight shivered a little. “That felt a little too much like when the real Eternal Twilight possessed me. Oh, I’m not sure about this.” Her posture shifted a little as she smiled. “It’s okay, Your Majesty. I fused with you, not Eternity. We’ll just go out, put on a show for the kids, and I’ll leave as soon as we’re done.” Nightmare Twilight sighed. “Alright then.” Her horn flashed with power, disguising herself as Eternal Twilight.

Outside, everyone in the crowd turned back to Zecora as she spoke. “Yes…listen close my little dears, and I’ll tell you where you got your fears of Twilight Night, so dark and scary. Of Eternal Twilight, who makes you wary.”

From behind the curtain, Eternal Twilight leapt out and cackled evilly. The kids in the audience all screamed while the adults gasped with fright.

“Tonight, Eternal Twilight wants just one thing: to gobble up people in one quick swing!” Zecora said.

Nightmare Twilight licked her lips hungrily. “I will consume your flesh and devour your soul!” The dark alicorn flapped her wings and flew in a tight circle above the terrified crowd.

“Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves, from her searching eyes,” Zecora said, continuing her spooky tale.

“Hmm, I want to eat ponies, but I can’t find any!” Nightmare Twilight scowled as they held their right hoof up to their eyes and searched high and low among the audience. “I demand pony blood, not monster blood!”

“You have fooled the spirit, my clever friends. But Eternal Twilight you must not offend. Fill up her belly with a treat or two, so she won’t return to come eat you!” Zecora spookily exclaimed.

The kids jumped with fright as one of the nearby clouds spat out a lightning bolt, the thunderous noise startling them. They quickly opened their candy bags and tossed out dozens of the sweets they had gathered that night. Mostly the ones that weren’t their favourites. The kids might have been scared but they weren’t about to do something as stupid as give up the candy they were really looking forward to eating.

“Ah ha! I see candy! Om nom, nom!” Nightmare Twilight cackled as they picked up a few chocolate bars and sweets and hungrily shoved the treats into their mouth.

Zecora smiled. “Hungrily, she soars the sky. If she sees nobody, she passes by. So if she comes and all is clear, Everfree is safe for another year!”

“Blast! The people of Peaceville have defeated me once again!” Nightmare Twilight dramatically exclaimed. “But at least my belly is full of yummy candy. Oh well, I can always come back to destroy you all next year!” Nightmare Twilight smirked at them. “Enjoy your victory Peaceville and enjoy Twilight Night! But I’ll be back!” They laughed evilly before they flapped their wings and flew straight up into the air.

Once the sound of kids cheering had faded from their ears, Nightmare Twilight smiled and teleported back down to ground, far away from the town square. Magical mist poured out of their mouth and reformed into Nightmare Moon, while the princess shed her Eternal Twilight disguise and returned to normal. “See Princess Twilight? That was fun,” Nightmare said.

Princess Twilight sighed and smiled. “You know something…it was fun. Thank you.”

Nightmare smiled. “No problem, Your Majesty. Would you like my help when 'Eternal Twilight' visits some of the other towns?”

Princess Twilight shook her head. “Oh, I can’t ask you to do that. This is your favourite holiday; you should enjoy it with your friends. Now that I know what to say, I should be able to redo our performance when ‘Eternal Twilight’ makes her appearance in the Big Apple, Cloudsdale, the Crystal Empire, and so on.” She paused as she remembered something. “I also need to find Celestia. She was talking with King Sombra yesterday but she left looking a little sad about something. I asked King Sombra, but he didn’t know what it was either. She seemed happy, but I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Well, you can at least stay for a few games, right?” Nightmare asked.

Princess Twilight beamed. “Sounds like fun! I’m going to go try that pumpkin throwing game, I’ve got all the calculations figured out in my head. I’ll win a bunch of points for sure!” She clapped her hooves excitedly and teleported away.

“Hey Nightmare!” Nightmare turned around to see Smog, Diamond, Silver, Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, and Nightmare Pupa walking towards her. “You missed quite a show.”

“We fooled Eternal Twilight. It was super special sugoi wonderful!” Nightmare Pupa said with a giggle.

“Best Twilight Night ever! We’re gonna go throw pumpkins and spiders with the princess. You want to join in, Miss Moon?” Pipsqueak asked.

Nightmare chuckled. “Sure. Give me a minute, I’ll catch up with you.” Pipsqueak beamed and ran off.

“Um, excuse me Miss Moon?” Nightmare Pupa shyly smiled at Nightmare. “W-would you like some of my candy? I-I wasn’t sure if you had any, so I saved you some.” She offered a few treats from her bag.

“Oh, thank you. That’s very generous of you. Maybe I’ll take just one.” Nightmare smiled at her and took a single chocolate bar.

“You like chocolate too?” Nightmare Pupa asked with sparkling eyes. “It tastes so good, doesn’t it?” She reached into her bag, pulled out a chocolate cake, and took a big bite out of it. “Mm…” she mumbled as her tail swished happily back and forth like a puppy wagging its tail.

“Hey guys! The show’s about to start!” Nightmare looked up to see Sunset being carried on…a flying Rarity’s back.

Chrysalis touched down on the ground and winked at them. “Do you like it darlings? I transformed myself into a vampire Rarity.”

“Neat disguise Chrysalis.” Nightmare glanced at Sunset. “Wait, I thought the show already ended?”

Sunset grinned. “Not that show! Now that Peaceville has defeated ‘Eternal Twilight’ we can move on to the REAL show! The Dazzlings are on now! Come on, we gotta go see them!”

Lights danced all around the stage. The crowd cheered as the laser show and the fog machine kicked into overdrive. A spotlight shone down on the unicorn who walked out onto the stage. She had a white coat, a blue mane and tail, dark purple glasses, and a winning smile. “Good evening Peaceville! DJ Pon-3 is in the house!” The unicorn grinned as everyone in the crowd cheered for her. “Happy Twilight Night folks! For those of you who have been living under a ROCK, I’m Vinyl Scratch. You can call me DJ Pony, or DJ Pon-3, just don’t call me late to the party!” She chuckled as a few ponies laughed with her. “Okay, okay. As much as I’d love to captivate you all with my rocking voice, you folks didn’t come here to hear me sing. I’m just your disk jockey for tonight. I’ve got a rocking track we can shake our tails to. Now then, without further delay I give you…the Dazzlings!”

As Vinyl rushed over to her DJ machine, three earth ponies gracefully walked out onto the stage. The three earth mares were dressed like sirens, each of them wearing fake pink and green wings and aquatic looking dresses. Their beautiful voices matched their costumes perfectly, as they began to vocalize to their adoring crowd. The earth mare in the middle had a very pale coat and a vivid orange mane and tail, with a few streaks of blue and purple dyed into her mane.

“Oh my gosh! Adagio Dazzle!” Chrysalis squeed.

The earth mare on the right had a pale pink coat with a purple mane and tail, a few rainbow streaks dyed into her mane as well.

“Aria Blaze!” Sunset squeed, her eyes sparkling with fan girl glee.

The earth mare on the left had a bluish white coat and a bright blue mane and tail with a few dark blue streaks. She also wore pale pink glasses and a goofy grin.

“Sonata Dusk!” Sunset and Chrysalis both squeed together.

Adagio smiled as the Dazzlings finished vocalizing. “Alright, time for the lyrics. Hit it Vinyl!” A rocking theme tune played out from the DJ machines as the Dazzlings sang:

“We’re gonna cast our spell on you.
You’re gonna do what we want you to.
Mix it up here in my little bowl,
say a few words and you’ll lose control.
We’re the Dazzlings!
And we’re gonna put a spell on you.
Gonna put a spell on you
Yeah, we’re the Dazzlings!
and we’re gonna put a spell on you.
Put a spell on you!”

As the Dazzlings sang, their eyes started to glow blood red. The fog coming from the fog machines gained a red tint. The people in the crowd ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at the special effects as the blood red fog flowed around them.
“You’ll feel the fog
as our words cloud your mind.”

The Dazzlings began to slowly dance around the stage in a circle. As each mare passed through the spotlight, they gave their tails a little flick and winked at a few stallions and mares.
“You’ll become entranced
As our beauty makes you go blind
You’ll wake up in the dead of night,
missing our song when we’re out of sight.
We’re the Dazzlings,
and we’re gonna put a spell on you.
Gonna put a spell on you
Yeah, we’re the Dazzlings,
and we’re gonna put a spell on you.”

The Dazzlings walked to the edge of the stage and smiled down at the crowd. They stood up and raised their right hooves in the air. If they had fingers or claws instead of hooves, you could almost imagine them clenching their fists in victory.
“Our words fill you with such emotion,
As you fall in to dark devotion.
If you ever lose affection,
We can change your whole direction.”

The Dazzlings leapt off the stage and began singing and dancing right next to people the crowd…to the crowd’s growing joy.
“‘Cause we’re the Dazzlings,
and we’re gonna put a spell on you.
Gonna put a spell on you.
Yeah, we’re the Dazzlings,
and we’re gonna put a spell on you.”

The Dazzlings leapt back on stage as an excited Trixie conjured up fireworks with her magic.
“We’re gonna put a spell on ALL of you!”

The Dazzlings all smiled as the crowd cheered wildly. Vinyl moved two of the microphones off to the side, leaving only the main one. Once the cheering faded a little, Adagio spoke into the microphone. “Thank you everyone. Before our next song, my sisters have something they’d like to say.”

Adagio jumped to the side to dodge Sonata as she ran over to the microphone next. “Hi guys! We just wanted to say happy Twilight Night! We also wanted to let you know that…that…” Her eyes watered a little with tears of joy. “We…we wouldn’t be as popular as we are now if it weren’t for your support. You love us, you really love us! And we love all of you too!”

Aria nudged Sonata away from the microphone and smiled. “What she said, but with less mush. You guys rock.”

Adagio smirked. “Speaking of rocking, let’s get back to the show. Vinyl, next song!”

“Next song coming up!” Vinyl shouted from backstage. “As soon as I can find the...where did it go?”

As the Dazzlings got ready for their next song, Nightmare and her friends talked for a bit. “I can see why you two like them so much. They’ve got a great voice.”

Sunset smiled. “I know, right?”

“Some people say their songs are so good, they must be sirens or something,” Chrysalis said. “Of course, nobody’s seen a siren in who knows how many years.”

“The same could once be said about Pinkie. But who cares about any of that? The Great and Powerful Trixie got to add her spectacular special effects to the show!” Trixie said with a grin.

Sunset smirked at her. “I thought you were the Great and Powerful Star Swirl?”

“If Discord and Chrysalis can be multiple ponies and creatures for tonight, then so can Trixie!”

“Um, excuse me miss?” Pipsqueak said as he reached up and tapped Sunset on the back. “You’re a fan of those Dazzlings, right?”

Sunset looked down at the pirate and smiled. “Well, ‘matey’ you could say that.”

“Well, don’t most rock bands play their instruments when they sing? If they use a record or a DJ, isn’t that cheating?”

“Well, it’s like this. The Dazzlings play the instrumental part of the song and record it. Then they have a DJ play the recording while they sing during the show. That way, they can move and dance a bit more on stage instead of worrying about carrying a heavy guitar everywhere,” Sunset explained.

“But guitars aren’t that heavy, are they?” Pipsqueak said.

“It gets in the way of dancing,” one of the trees said. The tree transformed into Discord and floated over to them. “Did that scare any of you? I’ve been making spooky faces in the bark, but it’s only worked a few times.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, it was terrifying. I’ll be having nightmares about tree monsters for days.”

Pipsqueak frowned in confusion. “Really? It didn’t seem that scary to me.”

Discord shrugged. “See? Only half the time.” He smiled and held up a chocolate cake. “Well, at least my treat side of trick-or-treating is working out. I’ve had more trick-or-treaters arrive at my door than any other home in Peaceville! I even saw one little filly make several return visits!”

Pipsqueak smiled. “Oh, that’d be Sunshine. She told me that cakes are her favourite dessert, and no one else in Peaceville is giving out free cakes.”

Nightmare blinked. “Wait…Sunshine? Who’s that?”

“Oh, she’s the filly trick-or-treating with me!” Pipsqueak cheerfully explained. “Nightmare Pupa, remember? I know, you can barely recognize her with all that black and green makeup.”

Nightmare titled her head in thought. “Huh…”

Princess Twilight frowned in mild concern. “Um, you really shouldn’t eat two cakes at once. You might get fat.”

Nightmare Pupa looked up from the cake she was eating and beamed. “I most certainly will,” she giggled. “I will get ALL of the fat!”

“Somewhere in the world, my uncle is putting that phrase on a t-shirt,” Discord said as he and Nightmare teleported next to them. “And they will sell like hotcakes. Speaking of which, so you’re the filly who’s been revisiting my house for double cakes?”

Nightmare Pupa blushed and shyly smiled. “Oh! Um…h-hi there! D-did you guys want some of the fat too?”

Discord chuckled. “I’ll leave you three alone, shall I?”

Once Discord had teleported away, Nightmare smiled down at Nightmare Pupa. “We know it’s you Aunt Celestia.”

Celestia sighed. “And I thought my disguise was perfect.” She wiped some of the black and green paint off herself, revealing her white coat. “I even used body paint on top of this form.”

“It was a great disguise. It would have fooled us completely if you hadn’t told Pipsqueak your name was Sunshine,” Nightmare said.

A bright flash of light engulfed the white and pink filly, returning her to her majestic true form. “Surely that couldn’t have been the only clue. There are many wonderful people in our kingdom who have the word sun as part of their name,” Celestia said.

“There was also the cake. By now everyone knows how much of a sweet tooth you have,” Nightmare said.

Celestia sighed as she stared longingly at the chocolate cake stuffed in her treat bag. “I suppose that’s true.” She looked at Nightmare and asked, “Would you like some?”

Nightmare smiled. “No thanks. If would like to know though…why did you do all this? Turn yourself into a filly and go trick-or-treating on Twilight Night?”

“Am I not allowed to have fun?” Celestia asked.

“Of course you’re allowed. But why disguise yourself?” Nightmare asked.

Princess Twilight sighed. “Here, we’ll show you. Excuse me, I need to borrow one of Chrysalis’ friends.” She teleported away before she reappeared with a changeling nymph dressed like a ladybug held in her magic.

Celestia smiled kindly at the startled changeling. “Good evening, little one. Happy Twilight Night.”

The changeling nymph screamed. “Ah! Daybreaker! Please don’t eat me!”

Princess Twilight’s magic caught the changeling before she could fly away. “She’s not Daybreaker anymore! She doesn’t want to eat anyone! For magic’s sake, where did you hear such a ridiculous rumor? I thought this holiday was meant to stop me - I mean Eternal Twilight from eating people.”

Celestia sighed sadly. “Could you please put her down, Your Majesty?” Princess Twilight levitated the changeling back down, who stood frozen in fear in front of Celestia. The taller alicorn smiled kindly at her. “I believe you dropped this.” She levitated the bag of sweets that the changeling had been carrying with her.

The changeling blinked in surprise. “You…you’re giving me my candy back? You’re not gonna…”

Celestia knelt down to her level and hugged the changeling. “You no longer have reason to fear me or Her Majesty, Princess Twilight. The monsters that took control of us are gone now. This holiday is meant to be a celebration of your strength, of the cunning required to hide yourself from the eyes of monsters. You are braver than you believe yourself to be, my friend.”

“Oh…okay. Can I…” the changeling mumbled.

“Of course, little one. Return to the celebration and rejoin your friends.” Celestia’s horn glowed as she teleported the changeling back to her the festival. Celestia stood up and turned back to Nightmare. “You have become quite popular, my precious niece. The adventures of the Elements of Redemption have reached many ears. My own defeat being one of them. And just as it is with many legends, sometimes the facts are exaggerated to create a more interesting story. Many changelings are aware of how I viewed their kind in my darker years, and although I have been trying to make amends, my past is difficult to escape.”

“I think I understand why you were disguised now,” Nightmare said.

Celestia looked up at the night sky and smiled. “When your mother and I ruled this kingdom, we would occasionally assume disguises to mingle with the populace in order to better understand them. I have worn many masks in my life and the mask of a child is often easier to wear than the mask of a princess or a queen.”

Nightmare nodded. “Right, I get it now. Although, where did you get the idea for Nightmare Pupa?”

Celestia smiled. “I created Sunshine’s personality based on what Sparkle was like as a filly. Shy and bookish, with an incredible fascination with information, magic, and adventure. From what I have gathered, many boys and girls possess similar personality traits, and creating fan characters to insert into their favourite stories is but one of the activities they enjoy.”

Princess Twilight spoke up. “Celestia, now that you’ve explained what you were doing, do you want to go back to the festival?”

Celestia smiled warmly at a tree close by. “I’m afraid I’m not finished explaining yet. Pipsqueak, do you have anything you’d like to ask me?”

Nightmare and Twilight both blinked in surprise as Pipsqueak came out from behind the tree. “Where’d you come from?” Nightmare asked.

“Pipsqueak is extraordinarily good at the game hide-and-seek,” Celestia said. She walked towards the colt and knelt down to his level. “I’m sorry for lying to you about who I was Pipsqueak.”

The colt stared up at her. “Blimey. You’re a lot bigger than me now, Sunshine.”

Celestia smiled warmly. “Indeed I am, Pip.”

“So…you’re Celestia, right? The alicorn who tried to set fire to stuff, but then got switched around so that you’re nice?” Pipsqueak asked.

Celestia nodded. “You are correct once again.”

“Oh…does this mean we can’t play anymore?” Pipsqueak asked.

Celestia smiled kindly at him and gave him a gentle hug. “I have enjoyed the games we’ve played together immensely. You are an adventurous, creative, and kind-hearted young hero, Pip.” She released him from the hug and stood back up. “I have responsibilities like many grown-ups, so I can’t spend my days playing, even though I would prefer to. However, I encourage you to visit me whenever you have free time” She giggled. “I’m sure Sunshine will always be eager to go on another adventure with you, if you ask.”

Pipsqueak smiled. “Aw, thanks Sunshine. Er, I mean Celestia. Are you coming back to the festival now?”

Celestia glanced at the moon’s position in the night sky. “It’s getting quite late. Good boys and girls need their rest, even if they are allowed to stay up late on Twilight Night.”

“But I’m not tired,” Pipsqueak said, even as he let out a little yawn.

Celestia smiled knowingly. “Of course not.” She unfurled her majestic wings. “Would you like me to carry you back home? The stars look wonderful when you’re flying up so high.”

“The stars? Sure, I’d love to see them up close!” Pipsqueak smiled as Celestia levitated him up and gently placed him on her back.

“Off we go then.” Celestia smiled back at Nightmare and Princess Twilight. “If you’ll excuse us, Your Majesty, Nightmare Moon. I wish you both a happy Twilight Night.”

“Hold on,” Nightmare said before Celestia could fly away. “You’re leaving now? I’m sure Pipsqueak could stay up a little longer. If you wait long enough, I think the Dazzlings are going to start signing autographs. I know my friends are excited about that.”

Celestia smiled thoughtfully. “Well, I’ll have to remember to buy one for Pipsqueak.”

“That’s nice, but that’s not what I meant. Tell me you don’t need to leave just because I figured out Nightmare Pupa was Celestia.”

Celestia sighed and smiled sadly. “Peaceville is full of loving and open-minded people. But for everyone who accepts me as I am, there are still others who fear me for what I did as Daybreaker. I must reintroduce myself to the world slowly.”

“You’ve already done that,” Princess Twilight argued.

“Patience is a virtue, my friends. Especially once you consider how long I’ve lived; how long we will continue to live.” Celestia nodded. “I’m confident that my redemption will go much more smoothly at a slow and steady pace.”

Princess Twilight sighed. “Well, if you say so. But Celestia…promise me you’ll remember to have fun. You told me once that I needed to enjoy life more.”

Celestia giggled. “I got those cakes for myself, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but if I remember correctly, I also saw Nightmare Pupa give away all her non-cake treats to everyone she met,” Princess Twilight said.

Celestia looked up at the stars. “Candy on Twilight Night makes kids happy. I love making children happy. I love making all my friends happy.” She smiled and bowed to Princess Twilight before she flapped her wings and flew off. Once she had returned Pipsqueak back home, she flew into the night sky and hovered over Peaceville, watching the festival from the air.

Celestia thought about Nightmare and all her friends. She thought about the excited colts and fillies. She thought about all the Dazzlings fans, listening to their performance before they left for the next town. Celestia smiled and flew away into the night sky.

“Above all, to love Everfree is my one desire.”

Author's Note

Song based on 'Hex Girl' from Scooby Doo.

I've changed Solar Flare to Daybreaker

Heartwarming Eve

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Heartwarming Eve

‘Twas the eve of Hearth’s Warming, and all through the castle
Not a sound could be heard, no commotion, no hassle
The decorations were hung around the crystals with care
The Cutie Mark Destroyers were calmed, an occasion most rare.

Trixie was nestled asleep in her bed
With visions of fireworks dancing in her head
Diamond wore her tiara while Sunset wore her cap
The Elements and their friends were all settled in for a peaceful winter’s nap

For they all were quite tired, exhausted from performing in the play
That told of Everfree’s founding, which everyone knew by heart to this day.
Discord was sleepily chuckling as Polaris licked his face
The young Windigo unbothered by the story or the dark past of his race
For he knew his old family were hidden safe in their frozen cave
And with no hatred he could sense, Polaris had no reason to misbehave.

Rarity was happily mumbling in her sleep
Chrysalis yawned and wiggled under her sheets.
Smog dreamt of gems, and Gilda dreamt of flying teams
Loony and Moony wandered through their heads, guarding their dreams.

Rainbow Dash was snoring, and Fluttershy was too
Her gentle, quiet voice as soft as a kitten’s mew
Cadance slept near Fluttershy, and my brother as well
Yes, everyone slept while I worked on my spell

It was another sleepless evening, for this bookworm princess
As studying magic always left me rather restless
My family and friends all said to put my books away
But sleep could wait until the next day

Then out on the roof there arose such a clatter
 I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
 Out of the window I flew like a flash
And landed on the roof, which was strangely covered in ash.

Out of all the bizarre sights I had expected to appear
I was shocked to see eight Derpy clones, dressed up like reindeer
The mirror clones chatted and drank glasses of warm apple juice
The lead clone even waved at me and said, “Hi princess! I’m a moose!”

I asked them all to explain, “Why are you here?”
The clones said to go back inside and all would become clear.
I snuck back inside; of trouble I would be aware
And then around the corner I spotted a familiar mare.

She wore a red cloak, which flowed from her head to her tail
Her pink coat looked white, for its colour was so pale
The mare was Celestia, eating a midnight snack
But the cloak confused me, as did the toy bag on her back.

Oh her eyes, how they twinkle! Oh her smile, so merry!
As she ate her chocolate cake, and swallowed its topped cherry.
I was curious of her visit, so I cast an invisibility charm
I would spy on Celestia quietly, and cause her no alarm.

As soon as she had finished with her midnight snack,
Celestia slipped into a bedroom and opened her toy sack.
She spoke not a word, as she did carefully slip
A toy into young Silver Spoon’s sleepy grip.

She visited everyone in the castle and left them all a present
I now understood why from the pageant she was absent
She had been gathering gifts, with her friends she planned to share
Each present she picked with tender, loving care.

Scootaloo received a new scooter, and Apple Bloom a new bow.
Smog and Sunset received gems that forever softly glow
Rarity got a jeweled mirror, to admire her own beauty and grace.
While Discord was happy to get a pie splatted onto his sleeping face.

Many others received wrapped boxes, their contents so mysterious
But I would not peek, no matter how curious
She gave gifts to everyone, every creature big and small
From a book, to a hat, to a game, or a doll.

She visited the changeling queen, her mane so holey and teal
She kissed Chrysalis’ head, who burped like she had eaten a full meal.
And lastly she visited her sister and niece
And stared at them both, so calm and at peace

She gave them their presents and giggled with glee
Then she turned around and winked right at me!
She gave me a book, it’s cover a starry sky blue
Then she opened the window and outside she flew

She flew to the clones, and to her team gave a whistle
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard Celestia exclaim, as they flew out of sight
“Happy Hearth’s Warming to all, and to all a good night.”

Princess Nightmare Moon

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Princess Nightmare Moon

“Did you enjoy your meal, Celestia?” King Sombra asked as Celestia wiped her mouth with a napkin held in her magic.

Once she was finished cleaning the crumbs off her muzzle Celestia smiled at him. “I did enjoy it, thank you for asking. Not quite as entertaining as some of the meals that Discord has served me, but still very enjoyable.” She looked at the people around the table they were all seated at. “I hope you all enjoyed the food that the castle staff prepared for us too?”

All around the table there were nods of agreement. Captain Luna sat next to Celestia, with Nightmare Moon and Smog by her side. Prince Shining Armor had just fed a spoonful of ice cream to a very pleased Countess Cadance. Twilight Velvet and Nightlight were giggling as they shared a kiss. A slightly embarrassed Princess Twilight was keeping her eyes glued to her plate so that she wouldn’t have to watch her parents or her brother. Corporal Blueblood was cleaning his hooves with a napkin while the great dragon Spike, in his smaller form, was picking gem fragments out from in between his teeth. Even Garble and Philomena were behaving themselves.

“I’m glad you all enjoyed it,” King Sombra said as he raised a glass with his magic. “You know, this is a momentous occasion for all of us. The Crystal Heart Celebration is only a few days away and at long last the full Royal Family has been reunited.”

“Indeed,” Spike said as he examined his claws with a rather bored expression.

Celestia tilted her head to the side. “I know that Countess Cadance is planning to wed Prince Shining and that we count our dragon friends as members of our Royal Family, but I’m curious as to why Corporal Blueblood is here.” Her eyes widened a little as she quickly added, “However, I am not against Blueblood being here. I didn’t mean to imply-”

Blueblood held up his hoof to interrupt her. “It’s okay, Celestia. I take it that you have not heard of my ancestors?”

“I don’t believe I have,” Celestia said.

“Can’t say I have either,” Garble said. “Then again, I’ve heard enough about snobby noble ponies talking about their old-as-dirt ancestors during royal court.”

King Sombra chuckled. “Sorry Garble, I thought I already explained that to you. Or perhaps that was Miss Rarity?” He shook his head. “In any case, the explanation is quite simple. Do you remember Princess Platinum the Third?”

Celestia smiled and nodded. “Of course. She was the descendant of Princess Platinum the First. I remember that you two were quite close.”

King Sombra nodded and smiled at the memories. “Indeed. We had a few disagreements in our youth, but in time we became good friends. We were such great friends that her parents made me her godfather.”

Garble blinked in surprise. “Really? A godfather? You never told me about that.” He considered that for a few seconds before he shrugged. “Huh. You learn something new everyday.”

King Sombra nodded. “Indeed. I remember that when her parents told me about their decision, I was so worried that I might make a wrong move and destroy our friendship.” He shuddered a tiny bit. “In fact, it used to be something of a recurring nightmare for me.” He smiled again and said, “But we remained good friends up until the day she moved away from home to start a new life for herself.”

“As it turns out, Princess Platinum the Third was my great-grandmother,” Blueblood explained to Celestia and Garble.

“What, seriously?” Garble asked. “Wouldn’t that make you a duke or a prince or something?”

Blueblood shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. King Sombra and I have never looked too deeply into the rules concerning the subject, and frankly I have no interest in politics. True, the thought of Prince Blueblood is an alluring one, but I am happy to serve Everfree as a member of the Royal Guard.” He glanced at Captain Luna. “Of course, I would be happy to accept any sort of promotion if we are discussing-”

“I’ll think about it,” Luna said as she raised her cup to take another drink.

Philomena giggled. “No she won’t,” she chirped to herself.

“In any case,” King Sombra said, drawing their attention back to him. “I am grateful that you are all here. I must admit that it is wonderful to actually be looking forward to the Crystal Heart Celebration.”

“What do you mean?” Princess Twilight asked. She blinked and shook her head a little. “Whoa. Déjà vu,” she muttered to herself.

“For our subjects, it has been a celebration of our defeat of the Pink One.” King Sombra sighed. “Then a celebration of my defeat of Daybreaker and then Eternal Twilight. But for me, it was a terrible reminder that I was forced to banish two mares that I care about very much.”

Princess Twilight and Celestia both nodded sadly. Garble glanced at the two of them before he said, “Well yeah, but the celebration started first because you beat the Pink Demon and nobody cared about her.”

Nightmare frowned at Garble. “You’re lucky she’s not here right now. That wasn’t nice.”

Garble winced. “Okay yeah, that wasn’t cool of me. Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly and said, “But you got Sparky and Celestia back now, right?”

King Sombra smiled again. “Right. The Celebration has now become a wonderful reminder of your redemption, and your reunion with your family,” he said to both Princess Twilight and Celestia.

“And we owe it all to you,” Nightlight said as he and Twilight Velvet raised a glass to Nightmare. “Your actions brought our daughter back to us, and got us out of those cramped crystal sleep thingies.”

Luna smiled and nuzzled her daughter. “And it was the actions of you and your friends that reunited me with my sister. I’m so proud of you, my precious Moony.”

Nightmare’s smile grew wider, even as she tried to hide her blush. “T-thank you Loony. Thank you everyone.”

“Speaking of the celebration, have we decided where we’re going to have it?” Princess Twilight asked. “The Crystal Empire? Canterlot? Peaceville seems like the best choice, except that you held the celebration there last year during my return.”

“I believe we decided that the destination will be here in the empire,” King Sombra said. “But Canterlot would make a good location too in the event that something happened here before the celebration.”

Spike nodded. “Indeed. Such grand events in our kingdom do tend to attract much insanity. And I do not speak of Discord and his family.”

King Sombra chuckled. “In any case, we can discuss preparations for the celebration later.” He stared at Nightmare and mumbled, “Among other things.”

Nightmare smiled and stood up from her seat. “Well, it was wonderful to see you all again. We should do this again sometime. But I really should be getting back to Peaceville.”

Luna smiled. “Take care Moony. I’ll see you when you’re dream walking tonight.”

King Sombra nodded. “Have a safe journey.”

Nightmare and Smog closed the door behind them as they left the room. Celestia turned to face King Sombra and asked, “What ‘other things’ did you plan to discuss?”

“You heard that, did you?” The king chuckled. “I can’t give that away yet Celestia. It’s a secret.”

Princess Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes. “Come on, we can tell her.”

“Um, Your Majesties? What is that?” Blueblood asked as he stared in fright at a thorny, black vine that was growing out of the walls.

Princess Twilight frowned at the vine as everyone else stared at it. “Hmm…I feel like I’ve seen that before…somewhere in the Equestria forest. But it also looks like it could be-”

“Look out!” Spike shouted as the vines suddenly lashed out at them all.

Diamond Tiara’s ears twitched as she heard a rooster crow. She groaned and slowly woke up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She climbed out of her luxurious sleeping bag and opened the window to see that morning had arrived. Apple Bloom had invited her and Silver Spoon to a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres the other night. It looked like Silver had already woken up and wandered off to another part of the Apple’s farm.

Her ears twitched again as she heard someone in Apple Bloom’s bathroom. She walked over to the door and knocked on it. “Apple Bloom?”

“GAH! Um, don’t come in DT!” Apple Bloom said from behind the door.

Diamond’s nose wrinkled in disgust as she walked away. “I wasn’t planning on it. Just try and hurry up so I can wash my mane and tail.” She picked up her diamond tiara from the table in Apple Bloom’s room and put it on.

“What? Eh, sure. Sorry DT…it ain’t what ya think!”

Diamond frowned at the door as she heard what sounded like several items falling off the bathroom counters. “Everything okay in there?”

“Sorry just hold on fer a sec.” Diamond heard the sound of hooves being washed before Apple Bloom opened the door and stepped out. “Bathroom’s all yours.”

Diamond raised an eyebrow at Apple Bloom. The rich farm filly wasn’t wearing her favourite gem-encrusted red hair bow. What she was wearing was a pair of red sunglasses. “Um, isn’t it a little early to be wearing sunglasses?”

Apple Bloom smiled sheepishly. “What’re ya talking ‘bout? The sun’s bothering mah eyes.”

Diamond frowned in suspicion. “Apple Bloom, there are clouds blocking the sun. Even if there weren’t, you’re wearing sunglasses indoors. Ponies don’t normally do that unless they have something to hide.”

Apple Bloom gulped and looked away from Diamond. “Ya really wanna know? Fine. The truth is, Ah have a…an eye infection.”

Diamond’s eyebrows rose up. “Really?”

Apple Bloom chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah. Mah eye looks super gross right now. The doc said Ah have ta wear something to block the light from getting in mah eye.”

“Oh. In that case, I’m sorry,” Diamond said, smiling sheepishly. “How long has your eye been hurting?”

“It’s cool, it ain’t yer fault. Ah guess something flew in it during the wedding. Maybe?” Apple Bloom shrugged. “It didn’t get so bad ‘till recently.”

“Oh. Well I’m sorry from bringing it up. Here, let me get that for you.” Diamond said as she took Apple Bloom’s hair bow from her nightstand and tied it into Apple Bloom’s mane for her.

“Thanks,” Apple Bloom said as she touched her bow to make sure it was on right. She waited while Diamond used the bathroom next. Afterwards the two fillies chatted while they had breakfast. For some reason, Big Macintosh wasn’t there but Diamond guessed that he was probably out in the apple fields or something.

Diamond smiled as they walked out of the Apple’s farm. All in all, it was a very nice day. So nice, that Diamond decided to give voice to how wonderful she knew the day would be. As the sun’s light reflected off her tiara, Diamond opened her mouth and began to sing:

“Morning in Peaceville shimmers
Morning in Peaceville shines!
And I know for absolute certain
That everything is going to be fine!”

Apple Bloom froze in her tracks and stared at Diamond, who was cheerfully smiling and skipping ahead of her. The rich farm filly gulped and looked up at the sky. Black clouds hovered over the farm, all of them rumbling with thunder. Apple Bloom gulped again and ran after Diamond. “Uh, DT? Can Ah talk to ya fer a minute?”

“Of course AB!” Diamond said with a smile as they made their way into town. “Good morning Mayor Derpy!” she called as they passed by Derpy, who was frowning in confusion at her wings.

“There’s the mayor en route to her office
There’s Silver Tiara selling some quills!”

As Diamond kept singing, Apple Bloom frowned at Silver Spoon’s mom. “Since when does she sell quills?”

“Our Peaceville is so gentle and still
Can things ever go wrong?
I don’t think that they will.”

Apple Bloom jumped as the thunderclouds overhead rumbled even more. “Diamond, quit tempting fate!”

“Morning in Peaceville shimmers
Morning in Peaceville shines
And I know for absolute certain
That everything is going to be-”

To Apple Bloom’s relief, Diamond stopped singing as water suddenly poured down on her head. “Hey! Who did that?” Diamond frowned as she saw a pegasus pushing around some clouds. “Rainbow Dash, if that’s you up there you’d better apologize to me right now! I mean it, I’ll get my dad and then he…he’ll…”

Diamond trailed off as the pegasus flew closer to her and Apple Bloom. “Sorry kid. The weather’s acting weird,” Fluttershy said to them.

Apple Bloom blinked in confusion. “Fluttershy? Why are ya moving the clouds around?”

Fluttershy frowned at them. “Fluttershy? Who’s that?”

Diamond blinked in shock. “What?” She stared at the mare before she giggled. “Oh, I get it. Gilda or Discord must have finally convinced you to do a prank with them.”

Fluttershy scowled. “Are you laughing at me?” She flew in close to Diamond’s face and jabbed a hoof at her. “I’ll have you court-martialed for insubordination, Private!”

Apple Bloom pushed Fluttershy away from a startled Diamond. “Fluttershy! What’s gotten into ya?!”

Fluttershy blinked as the anger drained out of her. “Oh dear. Oh my goodness. I…” She frowned and scratched her head in confusion. “What was doing?”

“Um, are you okay?” Diamond asked.

Fluttershy stared at the two fillies as her eyes lost their focus. “Muffins!” she shouted with a goofy grin. She patted Diamond on the head, licked Apple Bloom’s check, and flew off.

“…What?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Okay, something’s wrong with Fluttershy,” Diamond concluded. “We need to let someone know that she’s lost her mind.” She pulled on Apple Bloom’s hoof and approached Mayor Derpy. It looked like the mayor had tripped over a large black root, and was having trouble getting back up. “Mayor Derpy? Something’s wrong with Fluttershy. I think we need to get her to a hospital.”

Derpy wasn’t paying attention to them though. “Whoa! Dude, what are these things?” she asked as she poked at her own wings.

“Um, miss mayor?” Apple Bloom said.

Derpy turned her head away from her wings and looked at them. “Oh, hi guys! Dash, sprint, der, horn, crown, muff, Rainbow, apple day?”

“…What?” Apple Bloom and Diamond both asked.

Derpy giggled. “Word, power, Dinky Tiara, space oranges! Well, good hello!” she said as she flapped her wings and flew away.

“Oh joy, the mayor’s lost her mind too,” Diamond said sarcastically.

“Looks like she ain’t the only one,” Apple Bloom said. All around them the citizens of Peaceville were acting weird. Changeling were arguing with unicorns about the best recipes for burnt milk, pegasus ponies were rolling around in the grass and chirping like birds, and earth ponies were shouting about their dragonfly wings malfunctioning. The two fillies also noticed that several large black weeds were growing out of the ground.

“May we ask why thy weeds doth bother us so on this day and forsooth?” Lyra asked as she passed by them. “Me yonder thought that thou vile blacks plants had returned from thee shadows from where ye once came.” She then grabbed at a thorny vine with her teeth and began tying it into a bow.

“What the heck is wrong with everyone?! What are we going to do?!” Diamond cried, trying and failing to not panic.

“Calm down,” Apple Bloom ordered. “Miss Moon and the Elements ought to be able ta fix this mess. We’ll just go talk to them and then everything will be right as rain.”

“Speaking of rain, why are Snips and Snails levitating clouds?” Diamond asked as she spotted the two colts among the crowd of confused ponies.

Before Apple Bloom could reply, Silver Spoon rushed past them toward her mom. “Sorry Diamond Bloom! Sorry Apple Tiara!”

Diamond gasped and chased after her best friend. “Silver? Oh no, don’t tell me you’re crazy too!”

“Mom! I got the diamonds just like you asked,” Silver said as she opened up the bag she was carrying. A pile of grapes and buttons spilled out of it.

“Good work Golden Fork,” Silver Tiara said. “Now then, all that’s left to complete the ritual is a blue buffalo.”

Silver smiled and saluted her mom. “Don’t worry daddy, I’ll grab Chrysalis right away!”

But before Silver could run off, Diamond tackled her to the ground and shook her. “Silver! Snap out of it!”

Silver blinked as she stared up at Diamond. “Diamond? What are we doing on the ground?”

Diamond’s eyes widened. “Wait, that actually worked? Silver, you’re alright!” She helped Silver stand back up and gave her a hug.

“Um, yeah. Thanks Diamond.” Silver smiled and stepped out of the hug. “I’m feeling a lot better. Hey, do you know why I was acting so shape, darling, butter squash?”

Diamond’s smile rapidly faded. “What?”

Silver squinted at the sky. “Arr, shiver me timbers. Them be some fine looking gold-boxes.” She smirked confidently. “Pardon me ladies, I do require to show my glasses.”

Diamond’s eyes began to water as Silver began to wander around aimlessly. “Silver…”

Apple Bloom placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Come on Diamond. If we can find the Elements, maybe we can still help her.”

Diamond sighed and nodded. “You’re right, we need to rescue them. Let’s hurry up and get to the bottom of this.”

Diamond and Apple Bloom hurried to Peaceville’s library and knocked on the front door. “Nightmare Moon? Are you in there? We need your help!” Diamond cried. “Please don’t be crazy!”

The two of them stepped back as Sunset Shimmer opened the door. “Um, hey guys,” she said with a weary smile.

“Sunset? What are you doing here?” Diamond asked.

Sunset smiled at the two of them. “Hi Sunset! I’m glad you’re here. I was up late studying last night and I noticed some interesting new quirks from my telescope. Come in!” Diamond and Apple Bloom cautiously walked into the library to find the walls covered in graphs, charts, and maps of the stars. “Carry the ten, negative azimuth on the moon…” Sunset muttered to herself as she jotted down notes.

“Okay, that’s fine. Sunset is still smart even if she’s confused right now. Maybe she can help us,” Diamond said. “Miss Sunset, something is making the people in town go crazy. Do you know if there’s anything we do to cure them?”

“Sure! I’d be happy to help you,” Sunset said with a smile. “But first, I want you to help me. See, I finally figured out how to bring eternal night!”

“…What?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I had an epiphany my friends! So you see, hard work doesn’t work, and homework is half as pointless as pointed work, and I can’t predict the past!” Sunset said with a smile. “The answer: monitor everything! Then the moon will block the sun and I can read books all night long with no interruptions!”

Diamond stared at her. “…But your name is Sunset Shimmer! You have sun in your name! Why would you want eternal night?”

Sunset frowned at them in confusion. “My name is Sunset? But…” She bit her lip and began pacing around the library. “Oh no…am I doing this wrong? Are people going to hate me?” She sniffled as tears started spilling out of her eyes. “I want them to love me…”

Diamond and Apple Bloom exchanged glanced before they both placed comforting hooves on Sunset. “It’s okay Sunset. We’ll help you get better,” Apple Bloom said.

Sunset stared at her before she smiled again. “Well hot dog! Thanks fer yer help AB! Ah mighty darn appreciate it! Yeehaw!” Sunset stood back up and began searching for a book. “Ah just need to find that book and Ah’ll be back to kicking bananas off the blue dress!”

Apple Bloom frowned. “Okay just ‘cause you’re confused that doesn’t make it okay fer you ta make fun of mah accent.”

Something came flying in through the window, startling all of them. “Oh dear! I broke the glass, oh no, oh no!” Gilda cried as she got back up and began sweeping the floor with her tail.

“Gilda? Um, do we want to know what’s wrong with you?” Diamond asked cautiously.

“Oh my goodness!” Gilda cried as she grabbed Diamond and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry Angel bunny, I’ll fix you up right away.”

“Fix me up? I’m not the one with a screw loose!” Diamond growled as she shoved Gilda away from her.

Gilda sighed and stared at the floor in sadness. “Okay Angel. You’re a grown jackalope, you can fish all you like.” Her smile returned as she picked up a book from one of the shelves and kissed it.

“Seriously! What in the hay happened to y’all?” Apple Bloom asked as she stared at Sunset and Gilda. “What caused this?”

Gilda didn’t seem to be paying attention to them as she stroked the book in her grasp. Then out of nowhere, she started to sing, “These animals don’t listen. No, not one little bit. They run amuck and flap about and throw their potted plants and…”

Gilda growled as her song fell flat. “No, no, no! That can’t be right!” She threw the book against the wall and began pacing across the library. “That was supposed to be a…or was it a…come on Gilda! It’s one or the other!”

Diamond nudged Apple Bloom as Gilda stared muttering to herself. “Are you seeing this?”

“Seeing what? All Ah’m seeing is folks acting nuttier than a squirrel’s favourite sandwich!” Apple Bloom shouted in frustration.

“No, look at her. She’s not speaking nonsense and she’s not acting like someone else. Those narrowed eyes, the growling, the wing and tail movements, that’s what Gilda’s like when she’s mad,” Diamond said.

Apple Bloom’s frown faded away as she stared at Gilda. “Really?”

“Well, that’s what it looks like to me. But can you see it? She’s acting like herself now!”

Gilda smiled and snapped her talons. “Wait, that’s it!” She giggled and bowed to Sunset. “Konnichiwa Shimmer-sama! Arigato for the invitation!”

Diamond frowned. “And now she’s back to acting crazy.”

“But she WAS normal fer a spell there. What was she doing?” Apple Bloom said.

“Hmm…it sounded like she was arguing with herself. Like she couldn’t make a decision about something,” Diamond said.

“But how is that supposed ta help us?” Apple Bloom groaned and scratched her head. “Ugh, we need help.” The two of them both jumped as they heard a whinny. They turned around to see Polaris flying straight towards them. The young Windigo landed on the ground in front of them whinnied in panic. “Whoa, whoa! Easy does it, little critter!” Apple Bloom said as she nervously took a few steps away from the Windigo.

“Polaris? What’s wrong, boy?” Diamond asked. Polaris whinnied loudly and flew off in another direction. “I think he wants us to follow him.”

“Um…yeah. Okay,” Apple Bloom mumbled. Diamond raised an eyebrow at her. “Sorry. Ah know the feller means well, but he gives me the chills. Nothing against him, Ah just get nervous ‘round Windigos. Never mind.” She shook her head and chased after him, with Diamond following right behind her.

Polaris led them all the way to the Chaos Corner. Diamond went up to knock on the door, but Discord flung the door open, picked the two of them up, and hurried them inside. “Hi girls! It’s getting crazy out there, am I right? Here, lemme lock the door real quick.”

“Discord?” Diamond sighed in relief. “Well, it’s nice to know that you’re still normal.” She paused as she watched him tie giant shoelaces overtop his front door. “Well, normal for you.”

“Diamond Tiara? Apple Bloom?” They both turned around to see Nightmare Moon walking down the stairs towards them. “Oh, thank the night. It’s nice to see that I’m not the only pony who hasn’t gone insane.”

Discord smiled at the three ponies and said, “I’ll let you get them up to speed, Nightie. But before I leave, do you two know where our friends might be?”

“We saw Gilda and Sunset in the library,” Diamond told him.

“Good enough. Wish me luck, ladies!” he cheered before he disappeared with a flash of light.

“Miss Moon, do ya have any idea what’s going on here?” Apple Bloom asked.

Nightmare sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t know much more than you do about the situation. After my meeting with King Sombra and Princess Twilight, I was on my way home when weird magical weeds suddenly attacked the Crystal Empire, causing everyone to act crazy! The weeds tried to attack me too but I managed to avoid them by using my cloud form.” Nightmare briefly turned her body into magical mist to demonstrate before she transformed back. “It’s probably how Polaris avoided the weeds too; him being a winter spirit and all.”

Apple Bloom glanced out a window and frowned at the growing black vines. “Hold on, them weeds are the things making folks act goofy?”

“As strange as it may sound, yes. I was able to avoid touching the vines but unfortunately Smog, King Sombra, and Princess Twilight weren’t so lucky,” Nightmare said. She sighed and stared at the ceiling as they heard three people jumping up and down on the second floor. “Right now they think they’re performing some kind of play. Pirate Ballerina Tap Dancers the Muscial.”

“Do you have any idea how we can get them better?” Diamond asked as she stared out the window. “I think I just saw my dad square-dancing with your brother, Apple Bloom.”

“Hey, come on y’all,” Apple Bloom said as she placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She smiled at Nightmare. “The Elements have handled worse than this. Just grab them necklaces, grab yer friends, and blast these weeds!”

Nightmare gave them a weak chuckle. “Thanks, but I’m worried that it might not be so simple. For one thing, while Discord and I have escaped the curse, our friends haven’t. How can I convince them to help me use the Elements when they’re getting northwest confused with pumpkin candy or something equally ridiculous? The other problem is that there are several of these vines popping up. If we want to get rid of these vines, we have to get to the root of the problem.” Nightmare suddenly giggled. “I said root of the problem. And we’re fighting plants.”

The air was filled with laughter as Discord reappeared. “Ho, ho! It’s nice to know that my friends can make a bad pun out of a bad situation.”

“I learned from the best,” Nightmare said to him with a proud smile.

Discord placed his paw and claw over his heart. “Awww! Come here, best buddy!” He flew over to Nightmare and gave her a big hug.

Nightmare blushed and returned the hug. “Okay, that’s enough. Now about our friends?”

Discord pulled away from the hug and snapped his fingers. “Right here!” With a flash of light the other Element bearers and the box containing the Elements themselves appeared in the room. With another snap of his fingers, the Elements attached themselves to their appropriate bearers.

Trixie was the first one to speak up. “Nightie?” She rushed forward and hugged Nightmare. “Y-you think I’m entertaining, r-right?” Before Nightmare could respond, Trixie let go and started pacing around the Chaos Corner. “No, no, it’ll be okay! You’re a good student – no, comedian! Have to make everyone happy, can’t let them down, don’t make them mad!” She cringed away from invisible demons and tucked herself into a ball. “Oh Celestia, they’re everywhere!”

“Come on now, keep it together,” Sunset mumbled as she shivered with fear. “It’s fine, you’re fine, j-just serve her tea and it’ll be fine. C-can I have tea? Is tea real? Is anything real?!” she cried.

“I-I thought I was at the school? How’d I get here? Where is here? Why is everyone always mad at me, why are you looking at me like, I can’t help it!” Gilda cried as she hid herself behind her wings.

“You love me, right?!” Chrysalis cried as she grabbed onto Nightmare’s hooves. “You love me Night? Please help me! I’m not crazy, I have to be perfect! My family already hates me, I-I can’t let anyone down again!”

“Yikes! What in the heck’s wrong with y’all?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Okay, everyone stop crying and calm down!” Nightmare ordered. Sunset, Trixie, Chrysalis, and Gilda all whimpered at her voice and lowered their heads to the floor. “Oh…oh, I’m sorry everyone. I didn’t mean to yell.” Nightmare sighed. “I just…I don’t know how to save you.”

“You know what we could do,” Discord said, drawing their attention. “Why don’t we ask our friend Zecora if she knows anything?”

“Miss Zecora? You think she can help us?” Diamond asked.

Discord stared out the window. “Well, she’s running towards my house so she’s obviously here for some reason. I’ll let her in.” He snapped his fingers and caused the shoelace lock over his door to disappear. Soon, Zecora burst through the front door of the Chaos Corner and gasped, panting for breath.

“You alright there Miss Zecora?” Apple Bloom asked as she and Diamond edged closer to their teacher.

Zecora sighed. “From my home, I’ve had to flee. The forest has grown too wild, even for…for…” She frowned in concentration as she went cross-eyed. “Ugh, it’s on the tip of my tongue! Was it…orange?”

“Oh no, don’t tell me you’re crazy too!” Diamond cried.

Zecora shook her head. “Right now, my head is as clear as it’s going to get. Yes, I’ve been affected by the wild vines’ curse and it has been scrambling my senses all day. Right now I can’t remember how to rhyme but fortunately that’s the only thing wrong with me.”

“Really? That’s great news!” Nightmare grinned. “You can tell us what the vines are doing to your thoughts!”

Zecora weakly smiled and nodded. “That’s what I came here to do.” She winced as she heard a crash outside. “Oh, but first I should let her inside.” She walked over to the door and opened it. “Celestia? Or was it Sunshine? Whomever you believe yourself to be, please come inside.”

Everyone else in the room gasped as Celestia bounced inside. She looked like her normal self in every way except for the fact that she had turned herself into a filly. She stared at Nightmare and smiled widely. “Moony!” She ran over to her niece and hugged her. “I wuv you!”

Discord’s eyes widened. “Oh my…”

“Aunt Celestia? I don’t understand, I thought the vines could only affect a person’s thoughts. Can they mess around with our magic too?!” Nightmare said.

Celestia giggled as she bounced away from Nightmare, only to trip over her own hooves. She giggled again and rolled onto her back, her wings splayed out. She grinned up at them and asked, “Can I have belly wubs?”

“Oh my…um…I’m just gonna…I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble,” Discord said to Nightmare as he levitated Celestia over to him.

Celestia frowned a little and stretched her hooves out to Nightmare. “Moony.”

“Don’t worry, Moony isn’t going anywhere,” Discord said as he tickled her under her chin.

Celestia giggled. “Your beard is funny!”

“Awww! Can we keep her like this?” Discord asked Nightmare with big, puppy-dog eyes.

Nightmare glared at him. “Discord, this is serious! From the looks of things, our friends have lost all hope! We need to restore their minds.”

Diamond stared at the alicorn filly playing with Discord’s ears. “Hey, if Celestia is here then where’s-”

Before she could finish her question, Captain Luna burst through the doors, her eyes wide with terror. “Celestia! Celestia, there you are!”

Luna sighed in relief as she levitated the giggling Celestia over to her. “Loony!” the alicorn filly giggled.

“Hush now child. Mommy will keep you safe,” Luna promised Celestia as she nuzzled her.

“Oh no…” Nightmare said as she stared at her mom. “Loony, please don’t tell me that you’re-”

“Night-sparkle?” Luna cried. She rushed towards Nightmare and wrapped her in a hug. “Please don’t leave me! Don’t let them take you away!”

“Mom. Mom! It’s going to be okay,” Nightmare assured her as she patted her mom on the shoulder.

Luna twitched as her gaze started darting wildly all over the place. “M-Moon, thrice jungle rock because star reflect pink squeaky! Tornado flash ricotta with goodbye hello!”

“It’s okay mom, it’s okay,” Nightmare said even as her voice dripped with concern. “Take it easy.” After she levitated her mom and her aunt to a marshmallow bed that Discord conjured up and placed them under a sleep spell. She then turned to Zecora, her eyes blazing with determination. “Zecora, tell me what you know. Now.”

“The reason our minds are so muddled is because of what the vines plant inside our heads. Doubt,” Zecora said. “The magic spreads into our minds and makes us doubt everything that we know. ‘Am I sure I’m doing this right?’ ‘Am I really a good athlete?’ ‘Does my audience really think I’m great?’ ‘Do I know what my name is?’ ‘Do I know how to speak?’ ‘Do I really know anything at all?! Or am I just a fool?’” Zecora stared down at Nightmare’s friends as they hugged themselves on the floor and babbled nonsense. “They doubt everything and everyone around them. They doubt their very nature. You need to find a way to remove that doubt.”

“They doubt their very nature?” Diamond said. “What does that mean?”

“It means that they can’t remember who they are. They can’t remember their personalities, their true selves,” Nightmare explained sadly. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Something sparked in her eyes as she got an idea. “They don’t remember who they are, but I do. I know how much we mean to each other. You’re my friends. My family. I know you better than the stars in the sky!”

They heard a series of bumps as Smog came stumbling down the stairs. The young dragon groaned as he recovered from his fall. “Nightie? Chocolate cabbage ice moose red books? Fire tail claw eye…I…good…assist…”

Nightmare smiled as she gently picked up the dragon in her magic and levitated him close to her. “Yes Smog. You’re a great assistant. You’re my number one assistant, my friend, and my brother. Sure, one of these days you might outgrow our humble library to turn into a great dragon. But I’ll always be proud of you because you’re MY great dragon.”

Smog stared at Nightmare as the confusion melted off his face. His eyes began to glow red as he smiled at her. “Aw, thanks Nightie. Huh, that’s funny. I’m…I’m feeling a lot better now…”

Discord’s eyes widened. “It’s working! Ooh! Let me do one!” he said as he joyfully grabbed the nearest friend. “Chrysalis! I know that things may often be scary for you. Believe me my dear, I know what’s like for others to treat you unfairly just because you’re different. And I know that some idiots may think that you are heartless just because you need to feed on love. But I can tell you now, you are the nicest and bravest little shy girl I have ever known. You inspire us with the love you have in your heart.”

Chrysalis stared at him as her eyes began to glow green. “Oh…wow. T-thank you Discord. That…really means a lot to me…”

“Hey, I wanna help!” Smog said. He hurried to Gilda’s side and helped her up. “Gilda. You’re a really cool gal. You’re our best flier, our Shadowbolt fan girl, our too-cool-for-school daredevil! You like doing stunts with Rainbow, like hanging out with us, and sometimes you just like relaxing with the latest Bravely Blue book. You’re the first to sign up for whenever Discord’s got a fun prank and you’re the first one launching herself at our enemies. You’re awesome, and that’s all I really need to say.”

Gilda’s eyes glowed with bright bursts of lightning. “Wow…y-you’re pretty awesome yourself Smog…”

“Trixie!” Discord sang. “You’re amazing, my dear! Sure, you may be the biggest attention stealing horse I’ve ever known. But you brag, boast, and perform your magic in a way that helps us ALL to shine brighter, not just yourself. You love your friends just as much as you love your fireworks. You’re a mad genius and we love you for that, oh Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Trixie’s eyes glowed blue. “Oh…wow. I…I mean, Trixie is deeply moved by the kind words of her friends…”

“We’re on a roll now,” Nightmare said with glee. “Sunset Shimmer. Even though you’re a crystal farmer, you still surprise me with your intellect, your cool head, and your refreshing sarcasm. You can be the voice of common sense whenever something ridiculous is happening, but you’re always there to help us through the insanity. When I’m not around, I know I can always count on you to take charge of these lunatics. You’re a great friend Sunny.”

Sunset’s eyes glowed a dark orange. “Wow…I’m…I’m speechless. You…you’re a true, true friend Nightmare Moon…”

Nightmare smiled at her friends as they broke free of the curse. She then turned to her mom and her aunt. “Mom. Loony. There’s so much I can say about you. You raised me, you inspire me, and you respect me. You were the first friend I ever had, way before I met Smog or my Peaceville friends. I love you so much.” Nightmare smiled and softly sang their song:

“Sun shines and Moon gleams.
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!”

As Nightmare finished singing, Luna’s eyes glowed with light. “Moony…I…I feel the same way about you. Oh Moony, I love you so much.”

Once Luna’s mind was restored her eyes fell on her sister, still held in her telekinesis. “Celestia, dearest sister, loving aunt, and our once beloved princess. I know that your return has been rough. And if you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re pushing yourself too hard. From Twilight Night, to Discord and Sombra, to the teaching the Shadowbolts and to Hearth’s Warming Eve you have taken on so much responsibility.”

Celestia giggled. “Santa Hooves!”

“Yes sister. I’m sure he was the one who left me such a thoughtful present,” Luna said sarcastically. She chuckled and said, “Celestia, one of the hardest things in life is knowing that you can’t please everyone. True, there may be fools who dislike for no good reason. But your family and friends are the people who should matter most to you. You’ve been getting involved with so many people, trying to get them to love you just as much as you love everyone. But Celestia, we already love you. We love you so much.”

Celestia’s eyes glowed with light. She smiled and floated away from Luna before her whole body glowed, her magic transforming herself back to full size. “Thank you so much my dearest sister, my precious niece. Thank you all, my friends.”

Zecora smiled. “Looks like that’s everyone!”

“What? What about you Miss Zecora? What about all the folks outside?” Diamond said.

Zecora sighed and gave them a sad smile. “I consider myself your friend too, but I know that you don’t know much about me. It’s my own fault, being the mysterious little zebra that I am. You won’t be able to restore my mind the same way, and I know that you won’t be able to restore everyone else. If we want Peaceville to recover from this curse, we need to get to the root of the problem.”

Nightmare nodded. “That’s what I said! And now that my friends are back, we just need to know where to aim the Elements.”

Discord snapped his fingers and conjured up a bottle. Zecora smiled at the familiar potion held in his claw. “Your friend already has the right idea. Everyone, you remember my vision potion. Simply break off a thorn from one of those vines and stir it into the potion. Then you’ll be able to discover where these vile plants come from.”

“Thanks for all your help Zecora,” Smog said as Discord stretched his arms outside to steal one of the thorns.

Zecora smiled. “It was my pleasure to help you. Now then, while I go upstairs perhaps you could return the favor by getting rid of these weeds quickly? I feel as if their influence is about to jumble up my words even mango…uh oh.”

“Don’t worry Zecora, we’ll break the curse soon enough,” Nightmare said as Discord gave her the potion. “Okay everyone, here we go.” She focused her magic on the potion and soon a vision began to swirl out of the vial and fill the room.

The Elements and their friends found themselves inside the castle of the Royal Family. But unlike the crumbling ruins where they had discovered the Elements, this castle was brand new. Sitting at the head of a large table in the middle of the room was a younger Captain Luna and a younger Sombra. “Huh, that’s odd. She should be here by now,” he said.

“I’m sure that Princess Sparkle will be here soon. You know how much she likes holing up in her library,” the younger Luna said. “What did you want to tell me, Prince Sombra?”

Prince Sombra smiled and raised a glass. “I have called you here to celebrate this momentous occasion. Today we have finished constructing the last part of the castle of the Royal Family. We have finally finished our new home!”

Younger Luna smiled and raised her glass too. “That IS good news! I can finally get settled into my new room.”

Prince Sombra nodded. “I hope everything in there is to your liking.”

As the two friends talked, the doors flung open as a pegasus guard flew into the room and bowed before them. “Prince Sombra! Princess Luna!”

“Call me Luna. I’m not a princess anymore, my little pony,” Younger Luna told the guard with a frown. “What’s the problem?”

“It’s Princess Sparkle! She demands to see Prince Sombra in the throne room,” the guard said. “I’d suggest you hurry, Your Majesty. She’s seems furious about something!”

Prince Sombra frowned in concern. “Very well, I’ll go see what’s troubling her.” Prince Sombra left the table and walked down the hall until he had reached a large throne room. On the right side, there stood a throne made entirely out of dark crystals. On the left side, there stood a dark purple throne with a big starburst symbol in the center of it. It was from behind this throne that a very angry looking Princess Sparkle stepped out from.

“Princess Sparkle?” Prince Sombra said as he walked closer to her. “Is everything-”

“Not another step!” Princess Sparkle shouted. She scowled at Sombra as dark magic crackled around her horn.

Prince Sombra blinked in shock. “Sparkle? What’s wrong?” He frowned in concern as the dark magical aura around her grew. “Why are you using dark magic? I told you that you must practice caution when using it!”

“ENOUGH!” Princess Sparkle shouted. “I won’t hear another word from your lying mouth! I won’t spend another minute sulking in the shadows, wishing desperately for a friend who can understand me while all these idiotic ponies worship you just for creating a bunch of dumb rocks! I won’t stand for the insults, the accusations, and the lies that everyone hurls at me! I’m done taking orders from morons who can’t even appreciate a good book!”

Prince Sombra backed away from the furious princess. “Sparkle, what’s gotten into you?!”

Princess Sparkle just scowled even more. “Daybreaker was right about you. Celestia should be in charge, not you Sombra. But since you banished her from our kingdom, another will have to take her place. Surrender your crown, you cowardly little colt!” She rose up and slammed her hooves into the ground, creating cracks all over the floor. “There can only be one pony on the throne! And that pony will be ME!”

With a flash of magic, the wall behind Princess Sparkle exploded. The princess hovered in midair as the moon rose up to block the sun. “Do you like it?” the princess said with an evil giggle. “I call it a solar eclipse. Day and night combined together to create perfect…twilight.”

Prince Sombra and all the people watching the vision gasped at the display of power. Dozens of books came flying into the room, the magical winds blowing the books open and flipping to pages containing powerful spells. Beams of magic burst from the pages of the book and blasted Princess Sparkle, filling her with power. As more magic poured into her, the princess was enshrouded in a sphere of magic. The sphere of magic spun round and round, growing bigger with every second. Then two large dark purple wings unfolded from within and flared out. And out from the sphere from magic, Eternal Twilight appeared.

Prince Sombra backed away in fear as Eternal Twilight glared down at him, her power causing lightning to crackle along her mane. “S…Sparkle?”

“DIE!” Eternal Twilight screamed as she fired a powerful beam of magic at him. Prince Sombra quickly turned into his shadow form and dodged out of the way. Eternal Twilight’s beam kept going though, tearing huge chunks out of the floor, walls, and ceiling.

Diamond gulped. “I don’t want to be here anymore!”

“C-Calm down, DT. I-It ain’t real,” Apple Bloom said, even as she shuddered with fear.

Prince Sombra transformed back into his normal form as soon as there was a break in Eternal Twilight’s attacks. “Princess Sparkle, please listen to reason! Think of your duties, think of your friends and family! Luna and I already lost Celestia, don’t do this to us now!”

Eternal Twilight sneered at him as she flapped her wings and flew down to his level. “Princess Sparkle? I am Eternal Twilight. In case you didn’t notice, I have no friends. Nopony wanted to be friends with me. And as for my duties, I have only one royal duty now…TO DESTROY YOU!” She fired an even bigger magical blast at Prince Sombra. He quickly transformed back into a shadow and flew out the hole in the ceiling.

Nightmare shuddered as they watched the vision. “I…I don’t feel so good…”

“I too feel quite alarmed,” Celestia said quietly. “I’m seeing it…but I’m having a difficult time believing that Princess Twilight could be capable of such destruction…”

“You can’t escape me!” Eternal Twilight roared as she flapped her wings and chased after him. She fired dozens of hexes, curses, beams, and blasts at Sombra’s shadow. She telekinetically ripped chunks out of the castle and threw them at him. She levitated statues and broken glass from the windows and flung them at him too. As Nightmare and her friends watched the vision, they shuddered at the sight of how violent Eternal Twilight could be.

“Hey, remember when Eternity used to be a joke to us? What happened?” Discord asked.

“Y-yeah! Y’all beat her like three times! Did her hundred year banishment mellow her out or what?” Apple Bloom asked, her voice shaking with fear.

“I think that’s only because we could beat her with the Elements. Without them, it’s clear just how dangerous Eternal Twilight is. She’s a monster,” Nightmare muttered.

In the vision, Prince Sombra’s shadow found Younger Luna and reformed before her. “Prince Sombra! Are we under attack? What’s happening out there?!” Luna cried.

“It’s Princess Sparkle! She’s gone completely insane! She’s transformed into an alicorn called Eternal Twilight and she’s destroying everything!” Prince Sombra cried.

Younger Luna’s eyes widened in fear. “Stars above. How can we stop her?”

“We need the Elements. With them, hopefully we can remove the corruption from Sparkle,” Prince Sombra said.

“That didn’t work for my sister! How will they work now?!” Younger Luna cried.

“They will work,” Prince Sombra growled. “Get everyone else to safety. I’ll-”

But before the prince could finish his sentence, something teleported behind him with a flash of light and interrupted him. His eyes widened as he looked down to see a magical purple sword stuck in his chest. He quickly transformed back into a shadow and flew off in another direction.

Younger Luna gasped at Eternal Twilight as she examined her sword. “Oh dear, my aim is just terrible. I was aiming for his skull.”

Present Luna shuddered. “Those eyes still haunt me to this day.”

Younger Luna’s horn glowed as she glared at Eternal Twilight. “Princess Sparkle, don’t make me fight you. Not after my sister. Please, I beg of you.”

Eternal Twilight just growled and blasted her into a wall. “Get out of my way!” She hurled several stun spells at Younger Luna until the other alicorn was knocked unconscious. Eternal Twilight then flew over the castle. “Show yourself coward!” She growled as her eyes glowed with furious power. “I’ll find you. I’ll find you even if I have to burn down this entire forest to do it!” A growing fireball appeared over Eternal Twilight’s head, demonstrating exactly how serious her threat was.

“You want me Eternal Twilight? Here I am!” Prince Sombra shouted. Eternal Twilight grinned as the prince flew up into the air to meet her. His body was being levitated by the power of the Elements, in their past form as six spheres of magic. “Please save her,” he whispered to the Elements.

“You dare try to wield my Elements against me? When I’m done with you, there’ll be nothing left!” Eternal Twilight roared in fury and launched a massive beam of magic at Sombra. In return, Prince Sombra harnessed the power of the Elements and fired a huge beam of magic at Eternal Twilight. The two beams collided, with Twilight’s beam of power holding up considerably well. But the Elements soon overpowered Eternal Twilight and in an explosion of light and darkness she was gone.

Younger Luna watched Prince Sombra float back down to the ground. The Elements fell out of his magical grip and clattered to the ground, losing their colours as they touched down. “Prince Sombra? W-where is she?”

“She’s…gone…” Prince Sombra said. The two of them were silent for several seconds. Then Prince Sombra glared down at the Elements, fury, sorrow, and dark magic blazing in his eyes. He fired a blast of magic at the spheres, scattering them across the ground. “Worthless ROCKS! This is the LAST time you fail me!”

Younger Luna stepped away from him in shock. “S-Sombra?”

Prince Sombra gathered up the Elements in his magic and stormed off. “Come, Luna. We’re going to lock these failures in a box and then we’re going to sleep this night off like a bad dream.”

“Sombra! How can you say that?!” Younger Luna cried.

“You gave your word that you would follow my orders, Luna. Unless you are ready to take your crown back,” Prince Sombra said as he tried to dry his eyes.

Younger Luna sighed. “After tonight I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.”

The vision ended after that. The Elements and their friends looked at each other in confusion and a bit of leftover nervousness. “Well…it’s going to be a long night of bad dream busting for you and Loony, Nightie,” Discord said.

Diamond shuddered. “Y-yeah. That was really scary.” Chrysalis stepped closer to her and Apple Bloom and wrapped the two scared fillies in a gentle hug.

“To think that my past actions could have led to such heartache,” Celestia whispered.

“Hey. None of that,” Nightmare gently ordered her friends and family. “It’s in the past. Celestia, you and Princess Twilight are both free from the dark forces that corrupted you. What matters now is how to save Everfree from the force that’s currently corrupting it. The potion didn’t say anything about these plants.”

“Maybe…y’all need ta take another sip?” Apple Bloom suggested.

Sunset sighed and shrugged. “Might as well.” She focused her magic on the potion next and soon another vision took form.

Discord took one look at the vision and smiled. “I like the look of this one already!” The rest of them stared at the village around them. Several objects floating by looked like they could belong in the Chaos Corner. There were six major landmarks in the town. A giant floating library, a humongous thundercloud that spat out rainbow-coloured lightning bolts, a castle made of precious gemstones, a large tree with numerous animal carvings drawn into its bark, a field of huge apple trees, and a gigantic pink birthday cake with a throne on top of it.

“Trixie remembers this! Isn’t this what Trixie and her friends saw in the vision we had before fighting Pinkie?” Trixie said.

Sunset examined their surroundings. “It’s not exactly the same, but then again Discord and Pinkie both like to mess around with a town’s architecture.”

“Except that these six landmarks she’s built have been here for a while. I can tell,” Discord said.

“Hey guys, look who’s here!” Smog said as he pointed at a group of ponies plus one dragon. It was Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Sombra, Sparkle, Star Swirl, and baby Spike. “The original wielders.”

Present Celestia and Luna both nodded. “This must be when we turned the Trickster to stone,” Luna said.

As the past Element bearers climbed up the pink cake’s staircase, they heard someone singing quietly:

“It’s just no good anymore since you went away
Now I spend my time just making memories of yesterday
One is the loneliest number…”

As they reached the top of the cake, they saw who was singing. Pinkie Pie was sitting on her throne, turned away from the original bearers. Her hair was straight instead of poofy, her mane hanging limply and obscuring part of her face. She was staring down at a bag of seeds in her lap. She took out a seed from the bag and twisted it into the shape of a pony. “Yes, one is the loneliest number to…to…” Pinkie shut her eyes tight and tossed the bag of seeds away. “Why is this happening to me? W-why couldn’t I make any friends?” She held her hooves up to her eyes and cried into them.

Sparkle winced as she heard Pinkie’s sobbing. “Um, are you sure about this? She doesn’t look evil. Just really sad.”

“Don’t let her get to you Sparkle!” Spike said. “She’s trying to trick us!”

“I must agree with Spike,” Princess Celestia said. “This earth pony wields dangerous magic. She banished the citizens of this town from their homes. She must be stopped.”

Pinkie’s ears twitched as she heard them talking, but she didn’t bother turning around. “Go away Madame le Flour. You’re n-not real.”

Princess Luna frowned. “I assure you, we are quite real. Turn around and face us.”

Pinkie sighed and turned her throne around to face them. Her eyes widened in surprise once she saw them. “Huh? W-who are you?”

Star Swirl smiled and stepped forward. “Hello there! You must be Pinkamania Disaster Pie.”

Pinkie flinched. “Um, I like Pinkie Pie better.”

“Okie-dokie Miss Pie! I’m Star Swirl and these are my friends. Say hello everyone.”

Sombra frowned. “Star Swirl, what are you doing?”

“Oh come on guys! I’m just being polite!” Star Swirl said. “Don’t mind him, Miss Pie. Sombra can still be a bit of a grump sometimes. Now go on, everyone!”

Princess Celestia sighed. “Very well. I am Princess Celestia.”

Princess Luna sighed. “Greetings Pink One. You may call me Princess Luna.”

Spike glanced at the alicorn sisters and shrugged. “I’m Spike the dragon. I’m going to be awesome one day!” he announced proudly.

Pinkie blinked. “Celestia…Luna…Spike…”

“Oh, um…my name is Sparkle, daughter of Twilight Velvet and Nightlight,” Sparkle said.

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Sparkle…hold on,” she said before she floated over them and began mumbling to herself. “Sunlight, moonlight, moon-night, nightlight, velvet, midnight, twilight…” Pinkie spun back around to face them and flew right into Sparkle’s face. “Twilight Sparkle?”

Sparkle jumped away from the sudden intrusion of her personal space. “Um, what?”

A wide grin stretched across Pinkie’s face. “Twilight Sparkle…” Her straight mane and tail became poofy again as she giggled. “Wowie! I thought you guys were just hallucinations at first! But somepony finally accepted one of my party invitations! Ooh, ooh, what do you guys want to play?”

She snapped her fingers and conjured up several board games. “We can play Wings N’ Tails, Pop Step, or OOH! We can play Pin the tail on the Pony!” She snapped her fingers and switched Celestia and Luna’s tails, Star Swirl and Spike’s tails, and her own tail with Sparkle’s.

Star Swirl glanced behind him and wagged his dragon tail. “Neat!”

“Hey! Give me my tail back!” Sparkle demanded.

“Aw, don’t you like my tail?” Pinkie giggled and batted at her own tail attached to Sparkle’s body. “It’s poofy! I know I like your tail!” Pinkie held her purple and pink tail and brushed it with a giggle.

“Stop that! It’s creepy!” Sparkle cried.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry!” Pinkie snapped her fingers and switched everyone’s tails back. “I forgot to offer you snacks! Do you guys like cakes, pies, cupcakes, cup pies?” She snapped her fingers and conjured up dozens of snacks. “Oh! I got these too!” She levitated the bag of seeds back over. “I’ve got plant seeds here! I know some ponies like to eat sunflower seeds except these aren’t sunflower seeds. Close enough though!”

Sombra frowned at the suspicious seeds. “What are they?”

Pinkie giggled. “I call them the Seeds of Doubt. They’re supposed to make me doubt whatever stupidly crazy plan I’m currently having!” Everyone stared at Pinkie. “What? I’m a lonely eccentric mare without a friend who’ll play the straight mare.” She beamed at Sparkle before she giggled nervously and threw the bag away. “I’m sorry, that was silly. I’m silly. I’m seriously doubting my doubt seed idea.” She giggled again.

Sombra frowned. “Enough games. Playtime’s over for you, Trickster.” He held up the Element of Nobility in his magical grip while the other ponies held up their Elements in their magic and Spike held his Element of Zeal in his claws.

“Ooh! What are those?!” Pinkie asked.

“The Elements of Redemption, Forgiveness, and Harmony. With their magic, we shall remove the corruption in your heart,” Princess Luna said.

“The Elements?” Pinkie titled her head to the side and giggled. “Those won’t work on me, silly! I’m not evil, I just got a teeny bit upset when everyone was being mean to me. But now you’ll be my friends! We’ll be friends forever, because you’ll never have to leave me! Ever!”

Discord sighed. “Poor girl. Pinkie means well but she tries way too hard. I can get away with it but that’s only because you guys can put up with me.”

Pinkie’s giggling faded away once she noticed that the Elements were glowing. “W-wait! What’s going on? T-they’re not supposed to be doing that.” The Elements glowed even brighter. Pinkie’s poofy hair went limp again as she backed away. “Wait! Can’t we talk about this?” Power spiraled from the Elements in an explosion of light. When the light faded, Pinkie had been turned to stone.

“Yikes. Poor Pinkie,” Apple Bloom whispered.

Sparkle stared at the statue in shock. “What? That’s not supposed to happen! They were supposed to help her!”

“Now hold on. I’m sure the Elements wouldn’t do this unless it was necessary,” Sombra said. “Um…maybe it’s part of the healing process?”

“Yeah. Maybe she’ll break out in a few days…or not,” Spike muttered.

Princess Celestia sighed. “That is unfortunate. Very well. The least we can do is take her statue back with us and keep a close watch on her. I’ll have the castle staff place her in the garden outside my tower.”

“But sister, are you sure you wish to have such a powerful creature sleeping outside your bedroom?” Princess Luna asked.

“Luna, she is but a statue now. What’s the worst she can do?” Princess Celestia said.

The vision shifted once more. An even younger and very angry Sombra stormed his way through an unfamiliar forest. “So Celestia thinks she can just toss me aside?! Ooh, dark magic is just SO dangerous. Ponies might get hurt!” he said, trying to mimic Celestia’s voice. His horn flashed with dark magic and burned a hole into a nearby rock. “That cake-obsessed, paranoid nag!”

Celestia stared in shock at the past Sombra. “Goodness. I don’t remember him ever acting like that.”

“After everything I’ve done for her! And she just ignores my work! Sure, I might have made a small mistake with the last experiment. I was a little overconfident, I’ll admit. But it would have been easily corrected! There was nothing wrong with the crystals. But no, instead she goes straight to paranoia, and whose fault is that? The girl. Celestia sides with Sparkle over me, just because the filly genius looks cute.” Sombra scowled as he fired another blast. The dark magic flowing from his horn and his eyes grew. “I will not be insulted like this anymore! I’ll show them the power I have discovered. The power that comes from dark magic and…crystalssss.”

He fired another blast of magic that struck a rock wall. Surprisingly, the wall crumbled away and behind that wall was a long underground hall. Curious, Sombra walked deeper inside until he arrived in a large crystal cave. Crystals of all shapes, sizes, and colours were dotted all over the cave with several crystal statues in the shape of different creatures such as dragons, a griffon, a draconequus, and over ten pony statues. In the middle of the cave was a beautiful pool with six spheres swimming in a circle. At the bottom of the pool was an image of a small starburst surrounded by a big crescent moon, both of which covered a sun. As Sombra drew closer, the pool glowed. Curious, Sombra reached out and touched the water with his hoof…and the pool responded.

Sombra stared in awe as the spheres flew up into the air and spun in a circle. Everything in the cave glowed as Sombra smiled hungrily. “Amazing…incredible! Magic! Power! Such powerful crystalssss!” He reached out for the spheres. “More power than I could ever-”

Whatever Sombra was going to say next was cut off as the spheres fired an explosive beam of colourful magic straight downwards. The power of the Elements exploded right in his face.

Gilda winced. “Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.” The others nodded in agreement.

As the lights faded in the cave, Sombra groaned and very slowly stood back up. “Ow…what was that?” He blinked and looked down at his hooves where the spheres had landed. He backed away from the spheres. “Power…too much power. Far too much for just one stallion…” He hesitated before he grabbed the spheres with his magic. “These…I need to show these to the princesses…”

“Hello? Anyone down there? Olly olly oxen free!”

“Star Swirl?” Sombra blinked in surprise as the other stallions strolled into the cave. “What are you doing here?”

Star Swirl grinned. “I placed a spell on the wall to let me know if the Cave of Forgiveness had been disturbed. About time someone found the Elements!”

Sombra frowned in confusion. “Elements? Cave of Forgiveness?” His ears twitched as her heard something whispering. He looked at the spheres and blinked in surprise as very faint voices whispered from them.

“That’s what future me told me.” Star Swirl hummed in thought. “He had a long beard. Or I guess I will have a long beard. Do you think that would look good on me? I’ll ask him later. Or I’ll ask me later?” Star Swirl shook his head and chuckled. “Anyway, gather up those spheres. I’ll take us back. Oh, one more thing! You’re not still mad at Sparkle, are you?”

“Sparkle? Oh please, I’m not angry with her. Compared to these Elements, my problem with her is nothing but a trivial matter. I can’t even remember what I was angry about.” Sombra’s ears folded down in shame. “Now that I think about it…perhaps I was too harsh with her…”

“Cool! Right then, let’s get going.” Star Swirl smiled. “You know, this cave really looks beautiful on the inside. Shame that the crystals stop plants from growing in here. Then again, if some plants did grow in here they might really mess up the cave’s magic.”

The vision ended after that. “You know, I coulda sworn that old Star Swirl winked at me during that last bit,” Discord commented.

“How do ya know he was winking at you? Everyone knows that Star Swirl was crazy,” Gilda said.

“A crazy genius. Kinda like a lot of people I know,” Sunset said with a roll of her eyes.

“Boy howdy. Those visions were one heck of a wild ride,” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah. It’s easy to forget that Princess Twilight was once like that,” Nightmare said.

“And how lonely Pinkie was,” Discord said.

“And Sombra. I mean, I know he tells people that he used to have a dark past, but he was pretty scary in the first part of that last vision,” Sunset said.

“Well now we know these events to be true. Just as we also know who is behind these chaotic vines,” Celestia said confidently.

“You’re right! Remember those seeds? Pinkie planted what she called the Seeds of Doubt over a hundred years ago. Those must have grown into the plants!” Discord exclaimed.

“That…sounds about right. But then, why did it take this long for the vines to grow?” Sunset said.

“Star Swirl said that this Cave of Forgiveness had crystals that stopped most plants from growing within the cave. But that if something plantlike did grow in there, it could mess with the cave’s magic. Trixie would guess that Pinkie’s chaotic vines were aiming for the cave and that it has taken exactly this long for the plants to reach the cave and steal it’s magic!” Trixie exclaimed.

“Makes sense. A lot of stuff we fight used to be a threat over a hundred years ago before they fell asleep or something, only to reawaken around this time,” Gilda said.

“Then resolving this problem should be easy. We shall summon the Pink One here and order her to clean up her mess,” Celestia said.

“You’ve got the right idea Aunt Celestia. But we need to do this carefully, if you guys get my meaning,” Nightmare said. Her friends smiled and nodded.

“Uh…Ah don’t get it,” Apple Bloom said.

Diamond chuckled. “Oh come on, AB. It’s obvious.” Her smile grew sneaky to match the ones the Element bearers were wearing. “The best way to get what you want is to ask nicely.”

Discord created a bubble of energy with a snap of his fingers to stop the vines from attacking them and then they all walked outside. Once they had reached the middle of town Nightmare spoke up. “Hey Pinkie! Can we talk to you for a bit? I bet you’re excited for the Crystal Heart Celebration! I know it’s going to be a really big party!”

With a flash of light Pinkie Pie appeared before them. Although it looked like she was preoccupied at the moment.

“Little Gummy! You’re the one!
You make bubble time tons of fun!
My little Gummy, I’m super fond of you!”

“Um…” Smog stared at Pinkie as she hugged her pet alligator while she sang in a bathtub full of pink bubbles. “Is this a bad time?”

Pinkie looked up at them all and gasped. “Hey!” She snapped her fingers and vanished Gummy and the bathtub before she wrapped herself up with a pink towel. “Doesn’t anyone knock anymore?!”

“Why do you care? We don’t normally wear clothes,” Sunset said with a raised eyebrow.

“But bubble time is private time!” Pinkie whined.

Smog groaned. “Okay, we’re sorry. We didn’t know we were interrupting your bubble bath. Sorry.”

Pinkie giggled. “Aw, that’s okay. I forgive you.” She giggled as she vanished her towel and floated into the air. “Anyway, hi everybody! Are you excited about the celebration, ‘cause I’m excited and-”

“Of course, Pinkie Pie. We’re all excited for the celebration tomorrow. But I’m afraid that the celebration might be cancelled unless these vines are dealt with,” Discord said as he floated up to her. He gently grabbed her chin with his talons and titled her head so that she could get a good look at the growing thorny vines. “As you can see, there are chaotic plants growing all over Peaceville.”

Chrysalis buzzed her wings and flew up beside Pinkie too. “He’s right. What’s more is that these vines can corrupt a pony’s mind and make them doubt all sorts of things. The people here are going mad. It’s really no fun for anyone.”

“Now, we just used one of Miss Zecora’s potions to see where these vines came from. It turns out that you planted these vines over a hundred years ago. But the vision told us that you did it by accident, at a time when you were a little lonely and angry at people,” Sunset said as she gave Pinkie a friendly smile. “It’s not your fault.”

Nightmare flapped her wings and flew up to look Pinkie in the eye. “But now, you’re not lonely anymore. You’re reformed now; you have us. And we know that you wouldn’t do anything so evil and so not fun. So because you’re such a good friend, if you could do us a favor and get rid of these vines and their corruptive influence then we would really appreciate it.”

“And then the celebration can start! Think of all the parties we can have once these weeds are removed!” Trixie said cheerfully. “So what do you say?”

Pinkie titled her head in thought. “Gosh. When you put it like that…of course I’ll help you!” she giggled. “And the answer to your problems is super simple too! Come on everybody!”

She snapped her fingers and the Elements, plus Celestia and Luna were levitated into a pink bubble. Before Pinkie could snap her fingers again, she glanced behind her. “Hey Diamond Tiara! Hey Apple Bloom! …Nice sunglasses! Can I try them on?”

Apple Bloom froze in fear. “Nope! S-sorry. Doc says Ah have ta wear them. Eye infection, really gross. Ah take these glasses off and just, it’ll be really nasty. So uh, please don’t touch them…please.”

Pinkie stared at Apple Bloom and slowly smiled. “Okie-dokie-lokie.” She then giggled, turned around to face the others, and snapped her fingers again. While Apple Bloom and Diamond stayed behind, the rest of them were teleported right inside the Cave of Forgiveness.

Nightmare stared at the cave as they were released from the bubble. The Cave of Forgiveness was just as beautiful as it was in the vision. Except that the Vines of Doubt had ensnared dozens of crystals in the cave, while the water in the pool looked like it was polluted.

“Yikes. The weeds really wrecked this place,” Gilda said as she flew over and examined the statues. She yelped and dodged out of the way as one of the vines tried to grab her.

“Indeed. Pinkie Pie, could you please remove these vines now?” Celestia asked politely.

Pinkie giggled. “Oh you don’t need me for that! You get can rid of these things yourselves! Just put your Elements back in the pool and their magic will get rid of my prickly plants.”

“Oh. Okay then.” Sunset took off her Element of Knowledge and examined it. “So we put the Elements in, wait for them to work, and take them back out?”

“What? Oh no, no, no. You have to leave them in,” Pinkie said with a smile.

Sunset frowned at her suspiciously. “For how long?”

“Oh you know…couple of weeks maybe? A year? Forever?” Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno. Eh, it’s probably nothing you need to worry about.”

Sunset immediately put her Element back on. “Yeah, no thanks. We’re not doing that.”

Gilda touched down beside her. “What she said.”

“Yes, that would be quite foolish of us. Pinkie my dear, I’m sure you can get rid of your own plants,” Discord said with an encouraging smile.

Pinkie’s smile faded and she shook her head. “What? Oh no, no, I can’t get rid of them. It has to be you.”

Chrysalis frowned. “Why is that?”

“Well, um…” Pinkie’s eyes darted around the cave nervously before she smiled. “OH! The mystery fun box!”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “The what?”

Pinkie grinned and nodded energetically. “Yeah, yeah! If you put the Elements in the pool, they’ll get rid of the plants and the pool will freeze solid! Then an ice pedestal thingy will form on it or somewhere in the cave and then there will be a box! A chest with six locks that will need to be opened with six keys. Keys that you will discover when you learn an important lesson about friendship. When you use these six keys to unlock the fun box, you’ll get a SUPER powerful new rainbow magic thingy! A magic rainbow that’s even more powerful than the Elements!”

“Hm. While the thought of something more powerful than the Elements is tempting…I’ll have to say no,” Sunset said.

Pinkie’s smile fell. “What? Why not?”

“The Elements are powerful enough to get the job done. If we freeze them in that pool, we might lose them forever on the small chance that we’ll be able to unlock this mystery fun box,” Nightmare said.

“If it even exists,” Gilda muttered.

“Hey! You think I’m lying!” Pinkie cried as she pointed at Gilda.

“What? No,” Discord assured her. “No, why would we think that? It’s just, do you even know where we can find these keys?”

“Um…I think so?” Pinkie said as she scratched her head nervously.

“You think, or you know? For that matter, how do you even know about the mystery fun box?” Trixie asked.

“Um…”

“Mom, Aunt Celestia, you both knew Star Swirl the Bearded pretty well. Did he ever mention anything like this?” Nightmare asked.

Luna shook her head. “He told us of the Cave of Forgiveness.”

“But he never mentioned a mystery chest containing a greater power,” Celestia said.

“What? Oh come on guys! Just put them in the pool and the vines will be gone. Don’t you trust me?” Pinkie cried.

“We do trust you. But we still need the Elements to protect Everfree from any future threats. And when I say that I don’t mean you, my dear,” Discord said. He crossed his arms. “Although, I’m starting to suspect that you just don’t want these vines gone.”

Pinkie fidgeted nervously. “What? Well…well it’s not like my plants are hurting anyone, right?”

Gilda growled. “Were you not paying attention? These vines are making everyone go crazy! I can’t even remember what I was doing for…” Her eyes widened as she recalled something. “Oh darn! I forgot about Dash!”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Dashie?”

Chrysalis gasped. “That’s right. I haven’t seen Rainbow Dash, Rarity, or Fluttershy all day. They could be in serious trouble!”

“Stay here. I’ll go check,” Discord said before he teleported away. Seconds later, he reappeared with three mares and one filly. “Sorry, Fluttershy wouldn’t let go of Scootaloo.”

The first one they noticed was Rainbow Dash, wearing a fancy blue hat, an orange scarf, and a pink dress. She giggled and said, “Don’t I look simply fabulous like this darling?”

Rarity frantically nodded her head. “Y-yes Princess Rainbow Dash. I-I promise I’ll fix this.” She ran her hooves over Rainbow’s long dress. “A-always check and recheck. Check, and recheck, and recheck…recheck…”

Fluttershy stared at Rainbow and screamed. “Evil stylish dress monster! It’s evil!” She threw Scootaloo at Rainbow. “Get them Miss Elizabeth!”

Scootaloo just stared blankly at them, making sad little cluck noises. She looked down and pecked at the ground before she looked back up, her eyes filled with tears. “Am…is I a good chicken?”

Celestia, Luna, and the Elements all stared at the confused ponies before they glared at Pinkie. “Fix this,” Gilda growled.

“This…this wasn’t supposed to happen. I…I never wanted to hurt anybody…” Pinkie whispered.

“Pinkie Pie. Please help us,” Nightmare pleaded.

Pinkie stared at them for several seconds before she sighed. “Okie-dokie-lokie.” She floated over to the polluted pool and clapped her hooves together. A wave of magic spiraled out from her, removing the vines and their taint as the magic flowed. Nightmare smiled as the wave of magic washed over them, leaving a faint tickling sensation. She smiled even wider as the magic washed over Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo. The four ponies blinked as the doubt was erased from their minds, leaving only regular confusion behind.

“W-what are we doing here? Oh Scootaloo! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to treat you like a chicken. Oh, I feel awful now,” Fluttershy cried.

Scootaloo weakly smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. Just promise me you won’t ever do it again.” She frowned as she added, “EVER.”

“What the heck am I wearing?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Hey! You guys are alright!” Gilda cheered as she flew over to Rainbow’s side.

“You call this alright? Get this junk of me!” Rainbow growled as she ripped the pink dress off.

“Oh do be careful with that!” Rarity protested. She cringed as the pink dress was torn apart. “Oh…oh fine. But leave the hat and scarf. Please? They at least look good on you.”

Rainbow frowned and flew over to the now clean pool. She examined her reflection and hummed. “Huh…not bad. But I’m still not wearing it.” She took off the hat and scarf and gave them to Rarity. “You keep them, fashion’s more your thing.”

“Oh thank you Rainbow! But perhaps you could wear them when the weather gets too cold?” Rarity suggested.

Rainbow thought about it for a second and shrugged. “Only if it gets cold. But sure, they’re not the worst clothes I’ve been forced to wear.”

A bright light filled the cave and they turned around to see that King Sombra and Princess Twilight had teleported into the cave too. “Your Majesties! You’re alright!” Nightmare cheered as they all rushed over to them.

King Sombra smiled proudly as he hugged Nightmare. “You’ve done it once again my friends. I’m proud of you all.”

“And they did it without giving up the Elements!” Pinkie announced.

“Really? Huh, that’s…surprising,” Princess Twilight said.

“You know, it’s not too late!” Pinkie pointed out with a hopeful smile. “Just put them in the pool and BAM! Magic mystery fun box! Super fun adventure for six friends! Super magic power better than the Elements!”

“Thanks but no thanks Pinkie,” Smog said.

“OH COME ON!” Pinkie whined. “You guys deserve a magic mystery fun box! …You deserve something at least!”

King Sombra stared at Nightmare thoughtfully. “You know, you might be right Pink One. Perhaps they do deserve something…”

Blueblood stared at Luna in shock. “I’m sorry Captain Luna, could you repeat that?”

Luna smirked. “From what I’ve heard, during the Grand Galloping Gala you claimed that you were a Colonel instead of a Corporal.”

Blueblood’s eyes widened. “I assure you-”

“Relax Blueblood. I understand what you were doing and why you did it. I only brought that up as a starting point.” She shook her head and smiled again. “My point is, you’re getting what you wanted. Soon people shall address you as Colonel Blueblood.”

Blueblood’s eyes widened. “But…but I haven’t done anything special to deserve this promotion!”

“Blueblood, you have carried out all my orders to the best of your ability. Even if my daughter and her friends were the ones fighting threats to our empire, you and my guards have still done everything that you could to help. You’re not the only one getting a promotion but you’re still getting one.”

Blueblood slowly smiled and saluted her. “Thank you Captain Luna for this great honour!”

Luna smiled. “You’re welcome Colonel. But I’m afraid you won’t be calling me Captain anymore.”

“What? Why’s that?” Blueblood asked.

Luna simply smiled and walked away. She calmly strolled down the hallway until she reached her destination. She saluted to the guards standing by the door and went inside. The Elements, Princess Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Diamond, and Apple Bloom greeted her. “Hey mom. Back already?” Nightmare said.

While the other people in the room talked, Diamond worked carefully to smooth out any wrinkles in her pink and purple dress. “How do I look? Is my tiara on right? Oh no, it’s not going to give them the wrong idea, is it?”

Apple Bloom groaned. “Ya look fine.” The rich farm filly was dressed in a simple red dress, plus her hair bow and sunglasses.

“Fine? I need to look perfect!” Diamond cried. “We’re about to meet royalty!”

Apple Bloom titled her head towards Princess Twilight. “Um, we kinda already have. Besides, the king won’t care none whether ya look perfect or not.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” Diamond pointed at her tiara. “This thing is really expensive but it’s cheap plastic compared to the crown he wears!”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I don’t know!” Diamond cried.

“Is everything okay in here?” Celestia asked as she and King Sombra entered the room.

“Eep!” Diamond quickly turned around and gave the king a bow and a stunning smile. “Celestia! King Sombra! It’s an honour to meet you!”

“There’s no need for that Miss Tiara,” King Sombra said. “If what Nightmare Moon tells me is true, you and Miss Apple Bloom assisted the Elements in saving Everfree from the Pink One’s chaotic plants.”

Apple Bloom blushed. “Well, we didn’t help that much.”

“Please ignore my friend, Your Majesty. She’s not feeling well. You’re right, we were a huge help to them,” Diamond said with a big smile.

King Sombra chuckled. “Of course. Which is why we are rewarding the two of you for your help. Now I hope you two enjoyed the last night’s pre-Crystal Heart Celebration party.” Diamond and Apple Bloom nodded. “Good. After the celebration, return to your rooms. I’ve left a small gift for the two of you before you return home to Peaceville. Now then, go join the crowd outside. The celebration will begin soon.”

Diamond grinned and bowed before him. “Our sincere gratitude, Your Majesty!”

After the two fillies left to go join the crowd outside the castle, Nightmare turned to Celestia. “So what were you talking to King Sombra about?”

“Oh.” Celestia blushed. “Oh my. Forgive me, but I’m still feeling a little overwhelmed.”

“Oh. Why is that, sister?” Luna asked with a playful smile.

“Sombra…Sombra proposed to me,” Celestia said.

The other girls in the room gasped, Smog’s jaw dropped, and a baseball bat appeared in Discord’s claw. “I’m sorry, he did what?”

“Discord! Put that away!” Chrysalis cried.

“Oh, very well.” The baseball bat disappeared while Discord gave King Sombra a smile that looked a little too polite.

“Oh this is wonderful news! Tell me you said yes, tell me you said yes!” Rarity squeed.

Celestia sighed. “King Sombra and I have a long history together. However, I do not know if I am ready yet for such a big change.”

“Awww!” Chrysalis stared down at the floor in sadness. “I’m never going to get my royal wedding.”

Celestia smiled and stepped forward to give Chrysalis a quick hug. “I’m sorry to disappoint you.” She stepped away again and sighed. “I also do not know if I am ready for people to call me Queen Celestia again.”

King Sombra chuckled. “Perhaps a duchess title could work as a smaller step to start on? Really, the titles don’t matter that much. What do you think Luna?”

“You could always refer to us as Princess Luna and Princess Celestia,” Luna chuckled.

King Sombra grimaced. “Do you remember when I said I used to disagree with Princess Platinum? Even though she was a real princess, she still went through a princess phase in her youth. One day she invited several of her friends over and…” He shuddered. “To this day, the thought of multiple princesses makes me sick. It’s why Cadance was made a Countess, and it’s why I would prefer to only have two princesses now.”

Nightmare stared at them. “Wait…two? What are you saying?”

King Sombra smiled at her. “Project Zero was not your best idea but you made a good point when you told us why you made those plans. Your mother and aunt were the rightful rulers of this land before they gave up the crown. Daybreaker is behind us now, and the three of you have served this country very well. Follow us.”

Nightmare gasped as Princess Twilight’s horn flashed brightly. She found herself inside the Cave of Forgiveness along with Twilight Sparkle, Sombra, Celestia, and Luna. For some reason, the cave’s ceiling was under a powerful enchantment. Hundreds of shining stars could be seen on the ceiling as the cave’s magic made it look like the night sky. “What? What’s going on?”

King Sombra smiled at her. And for the first time that she could remember, he started to sing:

“You’ve come such a long, long way.”

Luna smiled and began to sing too:

“And we’ve watched you from that very first day.
To see how you might grow
To see what you might do
To see what you’ve been through
And all the ways you've made me proud of you.”

Nightmare smiled as her eyes filled with tears of joy. “Moony…”

Princess Twilight and Celestia sang too:
“It’s time now for a new change to come
You’ve grown up and your new life has begun.”

The four of them sang together as they circled Nightmare:
“To go where you will go
To see what you will see
To find what you will be.”

And lastly, Luna sang alone as she levitated the Element of Power towards her daughter:
“For it’s time for you to reclaim your destiny.”

Trixie grumbled. “Now why did they just disappear like that? Here we all are waiting for the sun to rise, except now the royals go off to host some secret party without Trixie!”

Gilda frowned. “Yeah what’s up with that?”

Discord chuckled. “I know what it is! And I’m not telling!” he sang.

“Aw, come on! Give us a hint or something!” Rainbow pleaded.

“Quiet! They’re starting!” Sunset said. The Elements and their friends were waiting among a crowd of people outside of the Crystal Empire. A stage had been built to hold three statues of the sun, the moon, and a starburst. The Crystal Heart was on a pedestal raised above the three statues. The crowd slowly quieted down as King Sombra and Princess Twilight walked out onto the stage.

“Citizens of Everfree! For many years, I raised and lowered the sun and moon. A year ago during the last Crystal Heart Celebration, it was with great joy that I relinquished this duty to my old friend Princess Twilight,” King Sombra announced. “For an entire year she performed this duty wonderfully just as she did when Princess Luna gave it to her over a hundred years ago. Tonight someone else shall lower the moon and raise the sun. For today, we have another occasion that needs to be celebrated.”

Princess Twilight smiled. “It is with great honour that I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, grant royal power to the alicorns Celestia and Luna.” Celestia and Luna walked out onto the stage next and bowed before her. “I hereby name you Duchess Celestia and Duchess Luna. You may now rise.”

The two sisters rose up and smiled at the crowd. Duchess Luna said, “Citizens of the Crystal Empire. For a while now, you have wondered what shall become of our friends in Canterlot. Who shall rule them? Well, we are proud to announce that my sister and I shall govern the people of Canterlot, for now.”

Duchess Celestia spoke next. “While we work towards rebuilding Canterlot’s future, we’ll still be here to help and guide the people of the Crystal Empire.” She smiled wider and said, “While your king and princess have generously granted these titles, we are also here to celebrate someone who has received an ever greater honour.”

“CITIZENS OF EVERFREE!” Duchess Luna announced in her booming Voice. “I GIVE YOU…PRINCESS NIGHTMARE MOON!”

Nightmare’s friends stared in awe as Nightmare walked out onto the stage. She was wearing her armor plus the dress she had worn at the Gala. On top of her head sat the Element of Power. With her unfurled wings and all these put together, Nightmare looked like the princess that she was always destined to be.

Princess Nightmare Moon smiled at the whole crowd. She looked to her friends and shouted, “Come on up guys! I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for you!” Her horn flashed and teleported the other bearers plus Smog onto the stage with her. “These people who stand with me have all defended Everfree with their lives! They have been my allies, my teachers, and my friends! As an alicorn, I’m the only one getting crowned a princess today but my friends deserve their time to shine too so let’s give them a round of applause!”

The crowd cheered as the Elements all smiled and took a bow. Princess Nightmare then flew up as her horn glowed. The stars above them began to dance about and shine brightly as the sun rose up to meet the moon. As the sky danced above them, Nightmare sang proudly:

“Life in Everfree shimmers
Life in Everfree shines!
And I know for absolute certain
That everything is going to be fine!”

The crowd cheered wildly as the moon was lowered and the sun rose higher. And as night turned to day, Princess Nightmare found herself grinning with pure joy. She had her family, she had her friends, and she had the power of an alicorn princess. Everything she had ever wanted finally belonged to her.

Diamond grinned at Princess Nightmare. “Oh my gosh! You just know that the Element bearers won’t be leaving Peaceville. Which means we’ll get to live right next door to a princess! This is amazing!”

Apple Bloom grunted as she shielded her eyes from the sun. “Yeah…great.”

Diamond hummed thoughtfully. “There’s only one thing I don’t get. Why didn’t those doubt vines mess with our heads? Nightmare used her magical mist form to avoid them. Discord’s chaotic mind resisted them. What protected you and me?”

Apple Bloom grunted. “Ah don’t know…Ah…” She yelped as she felt a sharp stab of pain in her eye. “Excuse me Diamond, Ah…Ah need some air…”

“Huh? But we’re outside!” Diamond said as Apple Bloom ran away from the crowd.

Apple Bloom didn’t stop running until she was far away from the celebration. She had reached a peaceful lake just outside of the Crystal Empire. It didn’t look like anyone else was there. She edged closer to the pool’s waters and hesitantly lowered her sunglasses. “Please be better…”

“Is everything alright darling?”

“Eep!” Apple Bloom put her sunglasses back on and turned around. “Ah’m fine ma’am! Ah just…”

Apple Bloom stared at the mare in front of her. The famous Applejewel stood there, dressed in a blue dress with a red ribbon and a fancy blue hat. The sun reflected off the gold mask that Applejewel wore.

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “Apple-” Applejewel raised an eyebrow as Apple Bloom suddenly clapped her hoof over her own mouth. Lowering her hoof, Apple Bloom sheepishly chuckled and said, “Ah mean uh, Miss Applejewel. What a surprise…”

Applejewel chuckled. “You don’t need to call me that anymore. Don’t you recognize me?”

“N-no,” Apple Bloom lied.

“There’s no more need for that Apple Bloom. I’ve come to take the pain away.” Applejewel neatly removed her dress and her hat. She then walked closer to Apple Bloom, who backed away in response. Apple Bloom eyes darted all over the place. There was no escape. “Come now Apple Bloom. It’s time to take the mask off.”

“Hey!” Apple Bloom cried as Applejewel snatched her sunglasses off. She quickly shielded her eyes. “Don’t look!”

“I’m sorry Apple Bloom, but we have to.” Apple Bloom opened her eyes and stared at Applejewel as she removed her famous gold mask.

Apple Bloom took one look at Applejewel’s face and screamed in pure horror. “AAAHHH! Evil! EVIL!”

Applejewel smiled. “Oh, it’s not that bad, sugarcube. Come on Apple Bloom. It’s time to look the truth in the eye.”

Equestria Part One: Through the Mirror

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Equestria Part One: Through the Mirror

Sunset Shimmer smiled hopefully at her king. “So? What do you think?”

King Sombra levitated the piece of paper over to himself and read it. He levitated it back to the pile of notes and smiled. “I can see you’ve put a lot of work into this.”

Sunset blushed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“May I ask what your end goal is concerning your project?” he asked as he glanced at a few more notes in the pile.

“Well, at the moment I’m just doing some simple experiments. What I’m trying to do is increase how much power a crystal can give someone. I’ve noticed that dragons gain the most power from crystals but that’s usually because they can eat the crystal. Now obviously ponies and other creatures can’t eat crystals so I’m searching for alternative methods we can use to absorb more magic from a single crystal,” Sunset explained.

“I see.” King Sombra nodded and levitated the pile of notes back to her. “Well, I see no problem here. I understand how such experiments could be dangerous but I know I can trust you to be careful with your experiments. So yes, you have my permission and my approval.”

Sunset bowed to him. “Thank you King Sombra.” She looked up with a hopeful smile. “Do you think she will like it?”

King Sombra nodded. “I think she will. Applejewel likes to keep to herself, but she was my student once upon a time. I have a pretty good idea of how she thinks.”

Sunset grinned and pumped her hoof in victory. “Yes! I’ll finally get a chance to talk to Applejewel! Then if everything goes well enough, Clear Crystal Caverns could go from a crystal farm to a gold mine! Figuratively.”

King Sombra chuckled and levitated some letters from his desk. “I’m glad you’re excited about it. My advice is to just be friendly with Applejewel and the two of you should get along well. Either way, I wish you the best of luck Sunset Shimmer.” As Sunset opened the door with her magic to leave his office, the king spoke up. “Oh, and see if you can find Princess Nightmare. Some of the servants tell me that she’s been acting as hyper as the Pink One.”

Sunset smiled. “Of course, King Sombra. I’ll find her right away.” With that said, she walked out of his office and began wandering around the Crystal Castle, searching for her friend.

Eventually she found Princess Nightmare Moon walking down another hallway, reading a book held in her magic. “Hey Nightmare.”

Princess Nightmare immediately snapped her book shut and spun towards Sunset with a big grin. “Good morning Sunset! Did you enjoy the celebration yesterday?”

Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, I’d say I had a good time. Trixie and I got into a game against Discord and Chrysalis. I don’t know if he told you the rules but it was a pretty fun game-”

Princess Nightmare giggled and waved her hoof. “Yes, yes, I heard about that. Tell me something Sunny…” Princess Nightmare turned around, unfolded her wings, and struck a pose, her head held high with her hoof pointing towards her crown. “Notice anything different about me?”

Sunset sighed. “Is it that you’re a princess n-”

Nightmare giggled again. “Why, yes! I am a princess thank you for asking me, how thoughtful of you to notice.”

A changeling guard walked down the halls, pausing to bow before Nightmare. “Good morning Princess Nightmare Moon.”

Sunset rolled her eyes as Nightmare grinned and thanked the guard for her kind words. When the guard walked away from them and out of sight, Sunset’s eyebrows rose up as Nightmare actually started doing a little dance. “Well, you’re in an annoyingly cheerful mood,” she remarked.

Princess Nightmare finally noticed the unamused look Sunset was giving her and stopped dancing. “Sorry Sunset. I’m letting this whole princess thing get to my head, aren’t I?”

Sunset sighed and smiled. “A little bit, yeah. Although I can’t blame you for being excited.”

Nightmare grinned. “Of course I’m excited! I have great friends, a loving family, and all the power I’ve ever wanted!”

Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, you must feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now. Just try not to rub it in everyone’s face.”

Princess Nightmare sighed. “You’re right. I’m the Crystal Empire’s newest princess and I should act appropriately. I should be quiet, reserved, modest, humble…”

Discord popped up in between them, howling with laughter. “Modest? Humble? Yeah right!” He snapped his fingers and made a giant megaphone appear in his paw. “Come on Nightie! Let’s scream your name to the heavens!”

The big grin reappeared on Nightmare’s face. “Well, maybe a little more bragging couldn’t hurt.”

Nightmare and Discord flew to the nearest window and pushed it open. Nightmare took the megaphone from Discord and yelled into it. “HEY WORLD! NIGHTMARE MOON IS BEST PRINCESS! LONG LIVE THE NIGHT! ALL HAIL THE MOON!” She shut the window again and laughed along with Discord. “Ha, ha! That felt amazing!”

“OOH! Ooh, do we know any jerks we can brag to?” Discord asked.

“Well, if you two are going to act like lunatics no matter what, I might as well point you in the right direction. Chrysalis told me about how a few ponies hurt her feelings at the Gala. Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis called her a parasite,” Sunset told them.

Discord and Nightmare both gasped at the insult. “Well we can’t have that at all,” Discord declared, growling at the idea of someone calling Chrysalis that.

“Right. Time to go show those snobs that they’re nothing compared to Princess Nightmare Moon and her friends!” Nightmare said with a triumphant smirk.

Sunset sighed as her two friends disappeared with a snap of Discord’s fingers. “My friends are all crazy.” She shook her head and walked down the hallway back to her room. Once she was there, she grabbed the collection of crystals that she had been experimenting with from her desk and levitated them into a bag. She levitated one crystal and gave it a sharp tap with her hoof, releasing the extra magic within it. She absorbed the magic and played around with it for a few seconds, levitating different crystals to get a feel for how much the crystal’s energy altered her magic. Once Sunset was satisfied with her short experiment, she teleported herself outside of the Crystal Castle and began wandering around the Crystal Empire.

As she walked through the city, she glanced through one store’s windows and spotted Rarity examining bolts of fabric. “Hey Rarity!”, she said, waving to Rarity as she stepped into the story.

Rarity looked up from the fabric and smiled. “Oh, good morning Sunset. I was just looking to acquire some new materials for my Carousel of Wonders. The shops in the Crystal Empire always know just what I’m looking for!” she giggled. “By the way, have you ever heard of Pink Lady Apples? It’s this lovely café not far from here that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”

“A café? Isn’t it a little early to be having lunch?” Sunset asked.

Rarity gave her a mischievous smile. She then leaned closer to Sunset and spoke quietly into her ear. “This café is where Miss Applejewel has agreed to meet with you.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You mean I can go talk to her right now? That’s great! Thanks Rarity! Oh, and thanks again for convincing her to meet with me. Seriously, this is very nice of you,” Sunset said sincerely.

“Oh it was no trouble at all darling. I’m just happy that I managed to bump into Miss Applejewel yesterday. Now run along dear, don’t let me stop you.”

Sunset grinned and hurried out of the shop. From her time in the Crystal Empire, she had a good idea of where the café would be located and sure enough she eventually found the Pink Lady Apples café. Of course, judging from the paint platypuses bubbling off the walls, it looked like she wasn’t the only Element bearer visiting the café. Sunset strolled inside the building to see Trixie standing next to Discord, who was pulling a large pink pear off the wall.

“Ta da!”

“And there you have it ladies and gentle-creatures! You have seen Discord’s talent for bizarre architecture. But now, Trixie calls for her audience to stand back. For this humble, Great and Powerful unicorn shall now try her hoof at using chaos magic!”

Sunset froze in her tracks and stared at her crazy friend. “Um, Trixie? Normally I’m fine with whatever kooky magic trick you want to try but chaos magic is a line you really shouldn’t cross!”

“Please, listen to her!” Sunset turned around to see Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis cowering behind a table. “It’s bad enough that maniac is creating havoc out of this fine establishment, but a unicorn attempting to wield the same magic? I beg of you, please listen to reason!” Fancy cried.

“Oh, don’t listen to the hecklers Trixie. You’ve got this!” Discord gave his friend an encouraging grin and a thumbs-up.

Trixie grinned as her horn glowed. “Trixie is thinking of fireworks. Wall fireworks!”

Sunset spotted Chrysalis next, who was sitting at a table with an amused look on her face. “Chrysalis, help me out here!”

Chrysalis giggled. “Oh it’s fine, Sunset. Even if Trixie messes up - which I’m sure you won’t Trixie so stop glaring at me - Discord can repair anything she might break. Besides…” Chrysalis glared at Fancy. “I hear you really like this place and well...you did call me a parasite.”

“That was months ago!” Fleur cried.

“Really? Well Discord, you were wrong. You don’t need a clock with wings to tell you how fast time flies,” Chrysalis said with a dark chuckle.

“If that is what this is about then I apologize, but please listen to reason!” Fancy cried. “This café is owned by Apple Pie Incorporated. Miss Applejewel herself frequently visits this café and she’ll be furious if she sees this!”

“Funny, I don’t feel furious.”

Everyone in the café stopped what they were doing and turned to face the entrance. There stood Applejewel, dressed in a simple blue dress and a wide sun hat. The gold mask that she had been wearing for several months now was gone, so at long last they could see her face. Her right eye was a pleasant green colour while her left eye was covered up in very thick bandages that wrapped around the left side of her face.

Applejewel walked towards Sunset and smiled. “Sunset Shimmer, is it? I’m glad I ran into you. Miss Rarity spoke rather highly of your work, darling. If you’ve got some free time, perhaps we could have our meeting right now? I’m very curious about the research that King Sombra says you’ve been working on in your spare time.”

“It…it would be my pleasure Miss Applejewel!” Sunset said with a big smile.

Applejewel chuckled. “Excellent. I’ve got a room in the castle that Princess Twilight was kind enough to give me during the celebration. We can talk about your work there.”

“Great! Lead the way,” Sunset said as she followed Applejewel out of the café.

“What? Miss Applejewel! Aren’t you going to do anything about these lunatics?” Fancy cried.

Applejewel paused, turned around to examine her café, and shrugged. “Nah. You two have fun with the place.”

Sunset blinked. “Wait, seriously? No offense to my friends, they’re great and I love them all, but they’re totally going to take your café and turn it inside-out.”

Applejewel chuckled. “No worries. I have a few more cafés like this one in the Big Apple and a few other locations so a single café getting destroyed isn’t going to bother me that much. Besides, I built this café as a gift to my cousin Pink Apple and honestly I think it’s made her a little conceited.” She turned back around and strolled out of the café. “Are you coming Sunset Shimmer?”

“Yes ma’am!” Sunset said as she followed Applejewel, ignoring the smell of burning blueberries that was coming off the café walls that Trixie was casting her spells on.

“So from what Rarity has told me, you’re working on a way to increase the amount of magic a pony can absorb from a crystal? How would that work? From a spell or a potion perhaps?” Applejewel asked.

Sunset smiled. “Hopefully something like a potion. That way pegasus ponies, earth ponies, and dragons can use it too. However, I have been able to create a sort of prototype for the spell.”

“Really? And it could work for any crystal? Such as a purple one, a green one…even a clear one?” Applejewel asked.

“A clear one? You mean like the rare crystals that can absorb magic and cancel out harmful spells?” Sunset asked.

Applejewel shrugged and smiled. “Just as an example. You would want this to work for all types of crystals, wouldn’t you?”

“I suppose you’re right. So, would you like to see the notes I’ve made so far?”

Applejewel smiled. “That sounds simply divine, darling.”

Nightmare stepped outside of the castle and smiled up at the sky. She calmly strolled through the royal gardens, hoping to find Smog underneath the tree he said he would be reading under. Sure enough, there was Smog resting under the shade of the tree closest to the garden’s labyrinth. However he wasn’t alone.

“I like the look of this one,” Smog said as he pointed at one of the sketches held in Rarity’s magic.

Rarity levitated the sketch around and examined it. “Hmm, yes I quite agree with you.”

“Oh, hold that thought Rarity. Hey Nightmare!” Smog waved at her.

Rarity turned around and bowed to her. “Good afternoon Princess Nightmare. Smog and I were just discussing future plans for my new line. I’m going to try my hoof at designing suits and dresses for young dragons and dragonesses.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened with interest. “That sounds like a good idea. I’d love to see what you’re planning.”

“Oh no, you don’t want to see these silly little sketches.” Rarity blushed and levitated her sketches into her bag. “I only asked Smog to take a look at them because I wanted a dragon’s opinion. And yes Smog, you did say you liked them, however these are nowhere near complete.” Searching for an appropriate subject change, Rarity steered the conversation towards Nightmare’s day. “Now enough about me darling, how has your day been so far? How was your first summit as an official princess of Everfree?”

Nightmare chuckled. “From the way King Sombra made those meetings sound, at first I thought it would turn out pretty boring. But while the summit wasn’t very exciting, I still had a pretty good time.”

“Cool. So what’d you guys talk about?” Smog asked.

“This and that. The fun part was when I got to bring up topics for discussion. For example, I asked King Sombra and Princess Twilight what sort of royal duties and powers I would get. Like what exactly I would become a princess of?” Nightmare paused for a moment before she spoke again. “Smog, do you know how long a mayor serves in Peaceville?”

Smog raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

Nightmare averted her eyes and put on an innocent smile. “Oh, just curious.”

Smog sighed. “I hate to do this Nightie, but I think we need to nip this in the bud before we have a repeat of Mare-Do-Well.”

Nightmare raised an eyebrow. “Mare-Do-Well? Why are you bringing that up?”

“Well, how do I put this? I think you’re letting all the power of being a princess get to your head. Just a little bit,” Smog said, smiling sheepishly.

“Surprisingly, I find myself agreeing with Smog in this matter,” Rarity said. “Don’t get me wrong, I completely approve of your confidence. You are a princess, and you have every right to embrace it! But suggesting that we kick Mayor Derpy out of office so that you may rule over Peaceville is where I must draw the line.”

Nightmare blinked in shock. “What? The mayor is doing a great job, I don’t want to kick her out.” She smiled sheepishly and added, “However, she is still the mayor and they’re usually only elected for so long. I’m just trying to be pragmatic here.”

“Even so, you really should discuss this with Mayor Derpy herself.” Rarity sighed. “I’ll admit, I’m quite jealous of the title you have earned yourself, Nightmare.”

“She’s got a point. If you’re going to brag about being royalty, maybe you should keep it at a healthy level. You know, somewhere below Trixie,” Smog suggested.

Nightmare sighed and chuckled weakly. “Okay I get it. No more bragging for me.”

Smog and Rarity smiled in encouragement. “There ya go. And we didn’t even need to throw a costume together.”

Rarity giggled. “Oh dear. Now you’ve gone and put the idea in my head Smog. What sort of costume do you suppose I could put together if she hadn’t listened to us?”

“Rarity! Lovely to see you again.” The three of them turned around to see Applejewel and Sunset walked towards them. “Oh, and Princess Nightmare Moon too. I haven’t seen you in person since the Gala,” Applejewel said.

Nightmare smiled. “It’s a pleasure to see you again Miss Applejewel. Has Sunset shown you her research yet?”

“She has. Everything I’ve seen so far looks very impressive. Afterwards I asked Sunset Shimmer if I could meet with you and the other Elements before I made any final decisions.” Applejewel smiled. “I believe in judging a mare by her friends. If I get a good idea of what you’re like, I’ll get a good idea of what Sunset is like.”

“Oh. Okay, cool. What would you like to know about us?” Smog asked.

“Well for starters I – OW!” Applejewel clapped a hoof over her bandaged eye and winced.

Smog winced too. “Yikes. Is your eye still hurting? You would think it would have healed by now.”

Sunset and Rarity glared at him. “Smog!”

“No, no. It’s fine,” Applejewel said as she lowered her hoof. “He’s a curious little fellow, no need to scold him for asking questions.” She sighed and turned towards the castle. “I apologize. I should go back to my room. But before I leave, I want you to know that I’m very interested in the work you’ve shown me Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset smiled. “Wow. Um, thank you Applejewel. Thank you so much.”

“It was great to see you all again, especially you Princess Nightmare Moon.” Applejewel smiled at Nightmare and gave her a wink with her good eye. “Take it from an old hat fanatic like myself and keep an eye on that crown of yours. You wouldn’t want to lose it.”

Nightmare jolted herself awake as she heard something crash onto the floor. That was weird, she didn’t remember falling asleep. She didn’t even remember travelling through the dreams of her friends. She felt a little dizzy too, as if Discord had twisted the gravity around again, as if the world was upside-down. She rubbed her head and tried to focus on the noise that had woken her up. What she saw did the trick all right. Facing the door out of her bedroom there stood a pony. The mare was wearing a big black cloak that hid most of her features, but Nightmare could still make out an orange coat. What grabbed Nightmare’s attention though, was her crown sitting inside the orange mare’s bag.

“My crown! She’s got my crown!” Nightmare cried.

The mare dashed out of the bedroom and down the hall. Nightmare immediately gave chase. “Stop! Thief!” she shouted as she ran down the hall. Five doors to her side opened up as Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie poked their heads out in confusion. “She’s stolen my crown!” Nightmare shouted. Determination blazed in her friends’ eyes as they joined her in pursuit of the thief.

Her horn flashed and teleported her in front of the thief’s path. “Stop!”

Nightmare clutched her head in pain as a wave of vertigo suddenly washed over her. The world spun dizzily around her as the thief dodged around her. It looked like the thief had teleported away with a flash of green magic…right? The black cloak slammed into Nightmare’s face as the thief teleported herself directly behind Nightmare. The alicorn growled and flung the cloak off before she chased after the thief.

Nightmare was gaining on the thief, she was so close that Nightmare could just reach out and grab her. She tried to grab the mare’s tail with her teeth but failed. She saw the thief scowl back at her before she galloped at an even quicker pace. But before the thief could outrun her, Nightmare grabbed the thief in a tackle. The two mares came stumbling inside another room of the castle. Nightmare gasped as her crown flew out of the mare’s bags, ricocheted three times around the room, and disappeared into a mirror. She heard her friends gasp too as they all watched the crown just vanish inside a large mirror with a crystal arch around it.

Nightmare turned to glare at the thief. “What did you do to my crown?”

The orange mare chuckled darkly. “Sorry it had to be this way…”

The world spun dizzily around Nightmare once again. By the time it had refocused, the thief was standing beside the mirror. “…Princess,” the thief said as she gave Nightmare a mock salute.

As the thief turned towards the mirror, something changed. Something snapped. Time froze all around her as the events of that night all came crashing into her mind. This was incredibly serious. This wasn’t just her crown, it was her Element that this orange mare was stealing. Without it, the other Elements wouldn’t be able to work and her home would be left without one of its most important means of defense. She had to stop the thief. Even if the crown had vanished inside a mirror, better that she stop the thief now so that she could get some answers. Between reacting to the threat and just sitting there staring in shock, the choice was obvious. And yet such a simple choice strangely felt very important. Nightmare focused her glare, her magic, and her rage on the thief. Power glowed around her horn as she quickly put together the most powerful offensive spell she could conjure. She stood up and fired the spell, a huge burst of magic blasting out of her horn. Unfortunately, the thief was fast and jumped into the mirror, vanishing just like her crown did. But with no other target, Nightmare’s spell slammed into the mirror instead. Fortunately, the mirror remained intact…almost. Nightmare stared as a large shard of glass was blasted off the mirror and flew into the air. Nightmare shielded her eyes from the flying glass and she could hear Pinkie and one of her other friends gasping as they did the same. The shard of glass flew out of an open window and faded away from sight.

CRASH!

Nightmare was jolted awake for what felt like the second time that night. She blinked in shock to see that she was in her bed and that the world didn’t feel dizzy anymore.

Smog sat up in his bed. “What was that?!”

Nightmare shook her head. “What was what?”

Smog stared at her. “How could you not hear that? People probably heard that crash back in Peaceville!”

The doors burst open as the Duchesses Celestia and Luna hurried inside the room. “Moony? Are you alright?”

Nightmare stared at her mom and aunt. “I’m…I’m not sure. Smog and I heard a really loud crash. It kinda sounded like glass breaking. But before that I was…” Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Mom, something’s not right. I was dreaming but at the time I didn’t know I was dreaming.”

“What? That’s impossible. You and Luna have power over dreams. Don’t you always know when you’re dreaming?” Smog said in disbelief.

Luna fidgeted nervously. “I don’t always have control over my own dreams, Smog. I still have nightmares, extremely rare though they may be. However Moony has always shown to have even more skill at manipulating dreams than I.”

Nightmare stared at her bedcovers in thought. “Almost all of my dreams have been lucid for as long as I can remember. The only times I haven’t been in complete control of a dream was when I was really young or when Pinkie hypnotized me.”

“There is one other possibility,” Luna said. “This may not be a dream you experienced but a vision.”

Celestia nodded grimly. “I fear you may be right sister. During our time as princesses of this land, I had a few visions myself. Each of them a warning against a very serious threat.” She stared at Nightmare. “If you have experienced a vision now it is a warning that you must not ignore, my dearest niece.”

“You’re right Aunt Celestia. Considering what my dream was about and until I’ve figured out why I’ve had this vision, it would be best that we lock up my Element of Power in the royal vaults for safekeeping.” She got out of bed and grabbed the crown on her nightstand with her magic. Everyone in the room gasped as the crown melted into a pile of mush.

“What the heck?!” Smog exclaimed.

Nightmare leaned in closer to the pile of mush. “This isn’t my Element. This is a fake!” She scowled and flung the doors open with her magic. She then levitated her armor out from the corner it had been resting in, slipping it on piece by piece before she stormed out of the room. “When I find this FOOL of a thief I’ll make them rue the day they thought they could steal from me!”

King Sombra frowned at the wall behind his throne. “And you’re sure your crown disappeared inside a magic mirror?”

“I’m positive,” Nightmare said. She and the other Elements, plus her mom, her aunt, Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy stood in the throne room with King Sombra, Princess Twilight, Prince Shining Armor, and Countess Cadance.

King Sombra sighed. “Then you’re probably right. I’ve got the royal guards searching the entire castle and all of the Crystal Empire for your Element, but there’s been no sign of it. The thief couldn’t have gotten so far away with the crown already unless they had used one of the mirror portals.”

“They could have teleported to another city,” Chrysalis suggested.

“I wouldn’t say that, darlings,” Applejewel said as she walked into the throne room. Many of the people in the room were happy to see that Applejewel’s eye was completely healed and no longer covered by any bandages or mask. “Sorry for interrupting, but I heard about what happened from one of the guards. I wanted to help so I’ve asked a whole bunch of my employees to start looking around in the Big Apple, Clouds-Edge, Canterlot, and anywhere else that the thief may have gone.”

King Sombra smiled. “This is a surprise, though not an unpleasant one. Thank you for your help Applejewel. It’s nice to know that I can still count on my former student.”

Applejewel giggled. “Aw, you’re making me blush! I’m always happy to help my friends.” She stopped giggling and cleared her throat. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. This is a very serious situation.”

“Yes well, even though I know I can trust you with this knowledge, I would prefer it if no one else found out about Princess Nightmare’s missing crown,” King Sombra said.

“Why? Ya worried that a spy or something is going to attack us while we don’t have all the Elements?” Gilda asked.

“Trixie is sure that our king is just being cautious. Although speaking of spies, has anyone seen Diamond Tiara and her Cutie Mark Destroyer friends?” Trixie said.

Rarity gasped. “Oh dear, Sweetie Belle! If my sister and her energetic friends found out about this, if they were to chase after a cold-hearted thief in the hopes of losing their cutie marks it…it would be the. Worst. Possible. Thing!”

“Rarity, chill out,” Gilda said with a raised eyebrow.

“Did you not hear how much emphasis I put on those last few words?” Rarity said with a glare. “This is very serious and I will. Not. Chill. Out!”

Gilda glared at her. “Two can play at that game. Stop. It. That’s. Annoying.”

Applejewel chuckled and stepped in between the unicorn and griffon. “Easy now! There’s no need to fight, I’ve got Sweetie and her friends under control.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Sunset asked.

“Oh, it was pretty scary at first. I heard Apple Bloom outside during the Crystal Heart Celebration. She was screaming a lot and it looked like she was in pain. Luckily I was able to get to her in time and I had my best doctors fix her right up! She’s recovering now, so I asked Big Macintosh to take her back home to Sweet Apple Acres. Earlier today, Diamond Tiara bumped into me and asked if I had seen her. She and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders...I mean Destroyers were searching for her. So I told them what happened and sent Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, and Snails back home,” Applejewel said, moving her right hoof as if she was checking names off a checklist.

Rarity sighed in relief. “Oh thank you Miss Applejewel. I hope that Sweetie Belle can stay out of trouble.” She bit her lip. “I’m also glad that those sweet fillies and colts have gone home to comfort their friend in her time of need. What sort of injury was poor Apple Bloom suffering from, if I may ask?”

“Oh um, her eye got really bad. I think it hit its worst point. But the good news is that it can only get better from here! Don’t worry Rarity, your Auntie Applejewel has got it all taken care of,” Applejewel said with a smile.

“Oh dear. Well, if her eye is finally starting to heal that’s good news. Speaking of which, I’m glad your eye has healed too, Miss Applejewel,” Rarity said.

Applejewel chuckled. “Uh, yep! You have no idea how refreshing it is to not be wearing that mask anymore.” Her ear twitched and she turned around. “Well anyway, I gotta get apples, I mean get going. I’ll let you know if my friends find your crown.” And with that she left the throne room and closed the doors behind her.

Princess Twilight sighed. “We’d better get started.” The princess turned around and fired a beam of magic at the large crystal embedded in the wall. The secret passageway opened up and the Elements and their friends walked into the mirror chamber.

“And here comes the tricky part,” Luna said. “In your vision, you saw your Element disappear inside one of these mirrors. However, there are several mirrors in this chamber, many of which lead to strange or even uninhabitable worlds. While I met Prince Artemis in one world, in another world we explored we encountered hostile flying creatures that had eight eyes and tentacles on their faces. When traveling to alternate universes it can be difficult to determine who is friend or foe. That is why we must determine which mirror the thief traveled to on the first try. There can’t be any room for guessing.”

“It’s that one,” Princess Twilight said as she pointed at a mirror with a crystal arch.

“That one? But it doesn’t even work,” King Sombra said. “Princess Twilight, out of all the mirrors in this room that mirror is the only one we have never been able to open.” Celestia nodded in agreement.

Princess Twilight walked up to the mirror and poked its surface with her hoof. The mirror rippled as her hoof pushed through the glass like it was water. “The crack is fixed. It’s open now.”

“She’s right. I remember the crystal arch from my dream. That’s the mirror all right,” Nightmare said.

“Awesome! Let’s dive in!” Rainbow declared. She flapped her wings and dove towards the mirror before King Sombra grabbed her in his telekinesis. “Hey!”

“I’m sorry Rainbow Dash,” he said as he levitated her back to the floor. “But I’m afraid we can’t let you ALL go.”

“King Sombra is right. Sending all of you could upset the balance of this alternate world, creating havoc that would make it impossible for Princess Nightmare to get the crown back,” Celestia said.

“Ooh. What sort of havoc?” Discord asked with a mischievous smile.

“We have no idea what sort of world is on the other side. I encountered a stallion version of myself in one world. You might encounter alternate versions of yourself,” Luna warned him.

“Ooh! Like a world where I’m a griffon? Or a dragon?” Rainbow asked excitedly.

“Perhaps an alicorn? A draconequus? Perhaps a human?” Trixie asked. She giggled a little and said, “Trixie bets Lyra would love a world where every pony wasn’t a pony.”

“It’s hard to say. But we do have someone who can help me check,” Princess Twilight sighed. She cleared her throat and said, “Pinkie Pie, you’re invited to a princess party.”

With a flash of light, Pinkie Pie appeared hovering above them. “Thanks for remembering to use the code phrase Twily,” Pinkie said as she took a sip of the purple drink she was carrying. She smiled at them all and said, “Hi there everyone. Isn’t it a wonderful day out?”

“They might not agree, but I do believe this could be a wonderful day!” Discord said with a grin. “How are you Pinkie?”

Pinkie smiled calmly. “I’m going great.” She grabbed the straw sticking out of her drink and took another long sip.

“Huh. You…usually have more to say than that. Um…what are you drinking?” Chrysalis asked.

“Smoozie,” Pinkie replied.

“Oh, okay. What kind of smoothie is it?”

“Smoozie,” Pinkie repeated. She stirred her purple drink a little, watching as two tiny eyeballs floated in her drink like ice cubes.

“Wait, what did you say?” Fluttershy asked with a nervous look.

Pinkie smiled and vanished the drink with a snap of her fingers. “Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Um…okay. Anyway…Pinkie, someone stole Nightmare’s Element of Power. We need to send someone into this universe to find it, but we can’t risk meeting any potential alternate versions of ourselves. I’m going to send a spell into this universe that will scan everyone inside it. The spell will then report back to me and give us a basic idea of who we can send.”

Pinkie grinned. “Ooh. Sounds like a complicated spell.”

Princess Twilight sighed. “Impossible is more like it. That’s where you come in. You’ll let me borrow some of your incredible power to give me the magic necessary to cast the spell, while I’ll be the one controlling it. Now, I know this is a huge favor to ask of you-”

“Oh, it’s no problem. I’d do anything to help my friends.” Pinkie giggled and touched Princess Twilight’s horn. The princess gasped as glowing pink energy circled her horn. She staggered a little from the sudden and immense power boost before she fired a beam of swirly pink magic into the mirror. A full minute passed before she stopped the spell. She gasped as Pinkie removed her hoof and the power boost faded away. “Wow. Pinkie, your magic is…incredible.”

Pinkie calmly smiled. “I know.”

“So? What did you find out?” Smog asked.

“I’m afraid most of us won’t be able to go. From what my scan told me, the only people who don’t have counterparts in this other world are Nightmare Moon, Sunset Shimmer, and King Sombra,” Princess Twilight reported. “And to be honest, I’m not one hundred percent sure about Sombra and Nightmare.”

Princess Nightmare’s eyes narrowed in determination. “Alright. I understand my mission.”

“I still think we should all go with you,” Chrysalis said.

“I wish all of you could go with me too. I know that with the help of my friends I can accomplish anything, but even one friend can make a big difference. Are you ready Sunset?” Princess Nightmare asked.

Sunset smirked and gave her a confident nod. “Ready when you are. Don’t worry guys, we’ll be back before you know it.” Nightmare and Sunset smiled at each other before they both walked up to and then into the magic mirror.

Smog coughed. “So uh, just to be clear…we can’t go with them?”

“I’m afraid that’s correct. We can’t risk upsetting the balance of this alternate world. That’s why as helpful as you might be, I’m not letting you anywhere near that world so put the electric banjo sword down and back away Discord!” King Sombra ordered.

“Aw!” Discord groaned as he lowered the bizarre weapon he had created. “Come on, I’m sure that world could survive a little chaos!”

“NO,” Princess Twilight told him.

Discord crossed his arms and huffed. “Should have made Nightmare a queen instead of a princess. Place would be more fun if she was in charge.”

“Well, you heard him guys. We’ll just have to respect the king’s wishes and let Nightmare accomplish her mission – Pinkie! What are you doing with that?!” Smog exclaimed.

The other people in the room immediately spun around to glare at Pinkie…who was just calmly sipping her drink. She stopped drinking and giggled. “I can’t believe you feel for that.”

They spun back around to see that Smog had dived straight for the mirror while their backs were turned. King Sombra sighed as the dragon vanished into the mirror too. “Okay, no one else step through the mirror, I mean it. Let’s just wish them good luck.” The others nodded and sat down on the floor as they began waiting for their friends to return.

Pinkie stared at the mirror and giggled. “Have fun…” she whispered before she vanished with a snap of her fingers.

On the other side of the mirror, Smog had been spat out from the mirror and had landed on the floor. Groaning a little, he looked up to see rows of bookshelves surrounded by crystal walls. He guessed that they were in an alternate version of the Crystal Castle’s library.

“Smog? What are you doing here?” Nightmare asked as she helped him stand back up.

“I couldn’t just let my best friend go without me,” Smog said with a sheepish smile. “Besides, if there’s three of us we can cover more ground.”

“I suppose that makes sense. As long as we don’t run into your counterpart,” Sunset said as she looked around the library they had landed in. Another mirror stood behind them, only this one was hooked up to a very complicated looking machine. She examined the machine closer and gasped when she saw a book on top of it. “That book’s got my old cutie mark!”

As Nightmare examined the machine with her, Smog’s gaze darted all over the library as he asked the question that was on everyone’s minds. “Where are we?” He wandered through the room until he stopped and glanced down to see a book touching his foot. He picked up the book and raised his eyebrow at the title. “The History of…Ponyville?”

Equestria Part Two: Welcome to Ponyville

My Little Pony, My Little Pony

My Little Pony
I used to wonder what friendship could be
My Little Pony
Until you all shared its magic with me

Big adventure

Tons of fun!

A beautiful heart

Faithful and strong

Sharing kindness

It's an easy feat
And magic makes it all complete!
Yeah, my little ponies
Do you know you're all my very best friends?

No matter what, you’re all my very best friends!

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Equestria Part Two: Welcome to Ponyville

“Um, guys? Maybe you shouldn’t be touching that. I mean, it’s hooked up to the mirror that leads back home,” Smog said.

Nightmare and Sunset glanced at each other and backed away from the mirror with sheepish smiles. “You’re probably right Smog,” Nightmare said. She stomped her hoof in determination and said, “Right, enough dawdling! It’s time we start looking for my Element! Even if we run the risk of facing whatever unspeakable horrors this world may contain, we march forwards to reclaim my Element of Power and restore order to Everfree! Are you guys with me?!”

Smog raised his claw and Sunset raised her hoof. “Yeah!”

“I can’t hear you!”

“YEAH!” Smog and Sunset shouted.

“Alright then! Let’s move out!” Nightmare declared as she marched towards the library’s exit.

Sunset lowered her hoof and giggled. “That was silly.”

“Fun though. You gotta appreciate these moments when Nightmare gets overdramatic,” Smog chuckled.

Nightmare reached out with her magic to open the door, when someone else pushed the door open first. “Excuse me? Who’s shouting in here? You can’t be in here without permission from Princess Twilight…Spark…” A pegasus stallion stood in the open doorway, staring at them. He had a bright orange coat and a sapphire blue mane and tail. But the strangest thing was that he still had a cutie mark, in the form of a lightning bolt over a blue shield. He also wore a brighter version of the royal guard uniform.

“Oh good, they have a version of Princess Twilight,” Nightmare said cheerfully. She cleared her throat and said to the stallion, “Hello there. We’re here to see Princess Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends Sunset Shimmer and Smog. My name is-”

“Nightmare Moon!” the stallion shouted.

“Oh, you know who I am too? Good, then we can – Hey!” Nightmare shouted as the stallion flapped his wings and launched himself towards Nightmare, tackling her to the ground. Nightmare responded by blasting the stallion off of her with her magic. “What was that for?!”

“Ponyfeathers! I can’t beat Nightmare Moon all by myself,” the stallion growled. He turned around and made a break for the door. “Princess Twilight! HELP! Invaders in the library! Nightmare Moon-”

“Stop him!” Sunset hissed as her horn glowed with power. Nightmare was already ahead of her as her horn glowed too. The two mares grabbed the stallion in their magic and pulled him back into the library, slamming him against the wall. While Nightmare shut the doors with her magic and put a barrier on them, Sunset pinned the guard down with her magic. “We need to restrain him!”

“Ooh, how about this? Someone left this in the corner,” Smog said as he held up a lasso.

“Perfect.” Sunset grabbed the lasso from Smog with her magic and used it to tie the guard up. Once the long rope was tightly wrapped around his legs she nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Smog, make sure he doesn’t shout.”

Smog clapped both of his claws over the stallion’s mouth, then grimaced at the guard’s attempts to make him let go. “Okay buddy, that’s pointless and gross. I’ve got thick scales so you can bite my claws all you want but you don’t get to talk until these mares say so. Got it?”

Nightmare sighed in relief. “Okay, possible threat neutralized. Good work team. Now…” She leaned towards the stallion and glared at him. “I’m sorry about this, but in my defense you attacked first and we really can’t have you shouting for the guards.”

“Why would he even do that?” Smog asked. “And what’s with calling us intruders?”

“This is an alternate world guys,” Sunset reminded them. “Things aren’t the same here as they are in our world. I mean, maybe in this world we never beat Eternal Twilight and she conquered the world. This royal guard probably works for her.”

“But he said Princess Twilight. Doesn’t that mean she’s good here?” Smog asked.

“Oh sure. Like being a princess automatically makes you good,” Sunset said sarcastically. “There have been evil princesses before, Smog.”

Smog rolled his eyes. “Mostly in fairytales but I get your point.”

“Still, we’re actually pretty fortunate that someone attacked us this early. Think about it, we were just going to charge into another world without any kind of plan,” Nightmare said. “But now, we can learn more about this world from one of its inhabitants. We just need to make sure this stallion cooperates.” She spoke to the guard next. “We had no intention of hurting you when we came to this world. However we are on an extremely important mission. If you could just answer some questions for us, we promise we’ll let you go.”

Sunset’s horn glowed as a thin beam of magic snaked out and wrapped around the stallion. “I’ve just put a spell on your vocal cords that has now altered your voice. If you shout, scream or even talk too loudly, well…it’s not going to be pretty. Smog, you can let him speak now.” Smog nodded and removed his claws, wiping them clean on his legs.

The stallion glared at them. “I don’t know what trick you’re trying to pull, but you won’t get away with it! I won’t let you hurt anypony!”

Smog raised an eyebrow. “Anypony? Ugh, they still do that here?”

“Let’s start off simple. You know our names. What’s your name?” Nightmare asked.

The stallion glared at them but answered the question. “Flash Sentry.”

“Nice to meet you Flash. Now then, you called for Princess Twilight. Are you one of her guards?” Nightmare asked.

“No, I’m just here because Princess Cadance ordered me to housesit Princess Twilight’s castle while she and her friends were away. Princess Twilight returned yesterday but Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ordered me to stay here a little longer because they sensed something strange happen in this castle last night and they wanted another set of eyes,” Flash answered.

Smog’s eyes widened. “Four princesses? Bleh! I think I’m starting to see why King Sombra doesn’t like the princess title.” He noticed Nightmare giving him a small glare and quickly added, “Oh but you make a great princess Nightmare!”

“Wait? King Sombra? He’s back too? Oh this just gets worse and worse!” Flash cried.

Nightmare frowned. “Why? What’s wrong with King Sombra?”

“And while we’re at it, what’s wrong with Princess Nightmare Moon? Why’d you attack her?” Sunset asked.

Flash glared at them. “King Sombra was a tyrant who used dark magic to enslave the crystal ponies of the Crystal Empire, before he was defeated by Princess Cadance, Sir Spike, and the light and love of the crystal ponies.”

Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog stared at Flash before they glanced at each other and burst into laughter.

Flash blinked. “What? Why are you laughing?”

Sunset chuckled. “Because that’s ridiculous! King Sombra would never enslave anyone! And what’s this about the ‘light and love’ defeating him? That’s just silly!”

“It’s the truth!” Flash said. He glared at Nightmare and said, “As for you, Nightmare Moon is a wicked mare of darkness who tried to take over Equestria and plunge the whole world into eternal night!”

Nightmare smirked at him in amusement, although she didn’t laugh this time. “Now that’s just even more ridiculous. The whole eternal night thing is nothing more than a recurring daydream that I’ve had since I was a kid.”

Flash stared at her in disbelief. “What? You…don’t want eternal night?”

Nightmare shrugged. “Well I’d like eternal night, but I understand that other ponies wouldn’t be happy if the sun disappeared forever. So no, I’m not going to shroud the land in eternal night.”

Flash’s jaw dropped. “What? B-but you’re Nightmare Moon! That’s all you want! You’re a monster! You hurt Princess Luna! You-”

Flash gulped as Nightmare’s magic wrapped around his head and levitated him up to meet her furious glare. “Not another word, you stupid foal. The King Sombra I know is a kind and generous ruler. I’m not a monster and I would NEVER hurt Luna. I would rather rip my own wings off than ever let anyone hurt my mom.”

Flash stared at her, completely flabbergasted. “Mom? Princess Luna isn’t your mom!”

Nightmare’s horn and eyes glowed with cold fury as she blasted Flash with a powerful sleep spell that knocked him out cold.

Smog shook his head at the sleeping Flash. “What a weirdo.”

“No kidding,” Sunset said. “What are you doing?” she asked as Nightmare touched her horn to his head.

“Part of my studies in magic. The king and princess have been teaching me a few new spells they thought might be useful in the future,” Nightmare explained. “Princess Twilight taught me a memory spell and I’ve been playing around with it just in case any of you lost your memories due to magical amnesia or something equally crazy. I can also use it to remove certain memories.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “Nightmare, you can’t just mess with a person’s mind like that!”

Nightmare smiled at her. “Why not, I’ve done it before. Whenever you or Smog is having a bad dream I alter your mind to make the nightmare go away.” She turned back to Flash. “All I’m doing is removing the last…let’s say twenty minutes of his memory, just to be safe. I’ll create a small memory of him taking a break and falling asleep. We’ll untie him and when he wakes up, he’ll have no idea we were even here. And that’s ALL I’m doing to him, nothing more.”

Sunset frowned. “Okay…that does sound pretty minor. But let’s avoid doing this in the future from now on, okay? I think having the power to control people would become too tempting for us.”

Smog snorted. “Oh please. Now you’re sounding like Paranoid Sentry here. We’re NOT evil.”

“Unfortunately, the other people here might not know that,” Nightmare said as she used her magic to untie Flash and throw the rope away. “Now maybe Flash here is just delusional but he seemed convinced that the Nightmare Moon of this world was evil. I might need a disguise or something.”

“Did someone say disguise?!” Discord said as he poked his head through the mirror. He poked his eagle claw out and tossed them a bag of supplies. “One Bag of Disguises, on the house!”

Nightmare smiled. “Thanks Discord.”

“No problem Nightie!” Discord’s head twisted around to look at the machine attached to the mirror. “Ooh! What’s this thing do? Hey!” He glared at the mirror. “There’s no need to pull on my tail Chrysalis! Ow! Fine, I’m coming!”

Nightmare chuckled as Discord vanished back into the mirror. She then turned to the bag and unzipped it with her magic. She stuck her hoof inside, pushing back glasses, wigs, hats, cloaks, and other silly disguise pieces. Her eyes widened as she found something. “Ooh, this looks good.” She looked up and smiled at her friends. “Remember when Aunt Celestia was still pretending to be the unicorn Heavenly Sunrise? She used a gold vest to keep her wings folded up.” She levitated a purple vest out of the bag and showed it to them.

Sunset examined the vest and smiled. “Go for it. If Rarity was here she’d say the purple would look good on you.”

Nightmare nodded before she got focused on changing. She removed the pieces of her armor and tucked them into the bag. She then folded her wings and slipped the vest on. “A little tight, but it’ll do. Now for the next stage.” With a little concentration, Nightmare began to dampen her own powers. Her body shrunk just a tiny bit while her dark blue starry hair that flowed without wind shifted into her non-magical purple hair.

Smog titled his head to one side. “Kinda weird to see your hair like that again.”

Nightmare smiled and posed for them. “Well, how do I look? Just a normal unicorn now, right?”

“Wait, hold on. Your eyes,” Sunset pointed out. “No one else has draconic eyes like you do. Except for Eternal Twilight and well, nothing else needs to be said.”

Nightmare sighed. “You’re right. I can get my hair to look normal with enough concentration but my eyes will be trickier…then again, I can always alter the enchantment I already have.”

“Wait, you mean your changeling detection spell? But Nightmare, you’ve had that enchantment since you were a filly!” Smog said.

Nightmare rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and it’s made such an impact on my life,” she said sarcastically. “Seriously, the best thing that enchantment ever did was point out Chrysalis’ disguise when we first met her. I don’t need this enchantment and there’s no need to get nostalgic over a weak spell I cast when I was younger. Sunset, let me see your eyes for a moment.” Nightmare stared at Sunset’s eyes for several seconds before her eyes began to glow. When she blinked her eyes again she had normal pony eyes, while still keeping their blue-green colour. “Well?”

Sunset and Smog both nodded in approval. “I can’t even recognize you,” Smog said.

“Now you just need a name. Nightmare Moon seemed to scare Paranoid over there,” Sunset said.

“Ugh, a name? What do you guys think?” Nightmare asked as she examined her reflection in the mirror.

Sunset tapped her chin in thought before a name came to him. “Hey, you know Trixie’s cousin? The Mysterious and Mighty Nyxie? Her name is sort of similar to yours.”

Nightmare frowned. “What if we bump into her?”

Sunset sighed. “She’s a traveling showmare in our world, but she might be different here. Even if we do see her, we’ll just think of something else.”

Nightmare sighed, shrugged, and smiled. “Alright then. Call me Nyxie Lulamoon.”

“Great. Now that we’ve sorted that out, let’s get outta here before he wakes up,” Smog said as he heard Flash groan in his sleep.

“Hello? Is someone in there?” The three of them turned around to see the library doors open as Princess Twilight walked in.

Sunset stared at the princess, noting that for some reason she had her old cutie mark on her flank. “Princess Twilight? What are you doing here?”

Princess Twilight took one look at Sunset and let out a huge gasp. “Sunset Shimmer?! What are you doing here?!” Fortunately, before Nightmare could grab the rope again, the other princess smiled widely. “This is wonderful!” She rushed towards Sunset and pulled her into a hug. “Oh it’s so great to see you in Equestria again! I never thought you’d come back here! How is Canterlot High doing? Are you fitting in well with the Rainbooms?”

Sunset could only stare at her. “Um…”

Flash groaned as he slowly woke up and stood back up. “Weird dream…”

Princess Twilight gasped and stepped out from her hug with Sunset. “Flash Sentry? Are you okay? Why were you lying on the floor?”

Flash blinked and stared groggily at her. “Huh…oh. I’m sorry. I guess I got a little sleepy during my break and had a nap.”

“Oh, well um…that’s fine,” Princess Twilight said. “Anyway, my friends and I are back now so you can leave…unless, um…” The princess started blushing as her smile became very nervous. “Unless you want to stay…so you can…you and I can…um…we…”

“Hey Twilight! Applejack just stopped by to give us this sweet apple pie! You want some?” They turned around to see Spike walk through the door carrying an apple pie.

Smog stared at the other dragon in shock. Even when the great dragon Spike was using his magical amulet to shrink to a smaller size, this Spike was even smaller. He had to be only be a baby dragon. In fact, it looked like Smog was slightly bigger than Spike. But even in this crazy world, Smog’s respect for the great dragon did not fade.

He walked up to the baby dragon and bowed before him. “It’s an honour to see you, oh Spike the Stupendous.”

Spike stared at the other dragon, his jaw hanging open in shock. “You’re a dragon...and you’re being nice to me?”

Smog raised an eyebrow at him but still kept smiling. “Well, of course I’m being nice to you. You’re my hero.”

Spike stared at Smog with a big smile, even as his eyes watered a little. “T-thanks.”

Smog fidgeted uncomfortably. “Are you alright, oh Great and Mighty Spike?”

“Y-yeah I just…don’t meet a lot of nice dragons,” Spike mumbled to himself.

“Wait, who are you guys?” Princess Twilight asked, looking at Smog and Nightmare.

“Oh um, these are my friends,” Sunset said. “He’s Smog and she’s Nyxie.”

Princess Twilight gasped in wonder. “They’re your friends? Are they from Canterlot High too? That’s wonderful!” She rushed over to Nightmare and smiled. “I’m so glad that Sunset has been able to make more human friends! Hi there, I’m Twilight Sparkle. Now, I understand that it can be very confusing getting used to a pony’s body.” She giggled. “I know I had trouble walking around as a human.” She glanced at Smog. “Is that your dog? I didn’t know dogs turned into dragons in Equestria! How is he able to talk already?”

Human? Dog? Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog all stared at her with the same stupefied look on their faces. “Um…”

Princess Twilight clapped her hooves in excitement and began dragging the three of them out of the room with her magic. “Come on! We have so much talk about!”

As they were dragged out of the room, Sunset muttered a quick “sorry” to Flash before the three mares and two dragons left the stallion alone in the library. Flash could only shake his head in confusion before he went back to patrolling the castle.

“So, what’s new? Oh, we have so much catching up to do!” Princess Twilight said with a grin.

Sunset tried to match her smile, but was still feeling very confused. Princess Twilight had brought them all to a throne room in the middle of this crystal castle. There was a large table with a starburst on it, and seven thrones arranged around it. The six larger ones all had cutie marks on their backs including Princess Twilight’s mark, three apples, three diamonds, a cloud and a rainbow-coloured bolt of lightning, three balloons, and three butterflies. Only the smaller throne had no cutie mark.

“Um, well what would you like to hear about, Your Majesty?” Sunset asked.

Princess Twilight giggled. “Sunset we’re friends, you don’t have to call me that. Just Twilight is fine.”

“So what’s it like being dog? Oh wait, I already know that. Well, how do you feel about being a dragon? Pretty cool, huh?” Spike said with a smile.

“Um yeah…being a dragon is pretty cool,” Smog said. He exchanged glances with Nightmare and Sunset and cleared his throat. “Um, Princess Twilight?” He waited until Twilight was looking at him. “We didn’t exactly come here for a social visit. Someone has stolen something very important to us, and we think they might be hiding somewhere nearby.”

“Pardon? Ah didn’t catch all of that, what’s all this ‘bout some thief stealing something from y’all?” They turned around to see another mare walk in through the door and place an apple pie on the table. To Sunset, the earth pony looked a lot like Applejewel except that she was a plain Stetson hat instead of a fancy dress or hat. Her mane and tail were tied back into ponytails and she still had a cutie mark of three apples. Her eyes were also completely normal green eyes.

“Oh um, hello there,” Nightmare said, trying to be polite even with how confused she felt. “I’m Nyxie Lulamoon. It’s nice to-”

She was interrupted as the orange mare smiled and shook her hoof vigorously. “Well howdy Nyxie! Ah’m Applejack. Oh, and who’s this little feller?” she asked, looking at Smog.

“I’m Smog,” the red dragon said as he walked over to Applejack to shake her hoof.

“Howdy Smog, pleased to meetcha!” Applejack chuckled. She turned to Sunset and said, “And Ah recognize ya! Yer Sunset Shimmer, Twilight’s friend from that crazy human high school world!”

“Um…that’s me,” Sunset said, smiling awkwardly. She stared at Applejack and asked, “You know, you remind me of someone. Um…does the name Applejewel mean anything to you?”

Applejack tapped her chin in thought. “Huh…Applejewel…Applejewel…not ringing any bells…oh wait! Now Ah remember!” she chuckled. “Funny story sugarcube. Applejewel was a fancy-shmancy name Ah came up with fir myself. See mah friend Rarity was acting all silly ‘cause of this Trenderhoof fellow. So I threw together that Applejewel act ta show her how silly it was pretending ta be somepony that yer not.”

“Oh…that must be it,” Sunset mumbled.

Nightmare glanced at the two orange mares and spoke up, “That’s interesting. Sorry, I think we got a little off track here.” She turned to Twilight. “What my friend Smog was saying before Applejack came in was that someone stole something very important to me.”

Applejack gasped. “What? That’s awful! What’d they look like?” She reared up on her hind legs and threw a few mock punches into the air. “You just tell me who did it and Ah’ll teach them a thing or two!”

“I don’t know what the thief looks like. Although I’m guessing it’s an orange mare. Possibly a unicorn, but I can’t say for sure. Anyway, what’s really important is recovering the item that was stolen from me,” Nightmare said. She charged her horn and conjured up an illusion of her Element. “This is what I’m looking for.”

Twilight stared at the illusion. “Hmm…it kind of looks like my Element of Harmony. Only mine had my cutie mark on it. This one looks like it has Princess Luna and Princess Celestia’s cutie marks on top of my own.”

“Speaking of which, where are your cutie marks?” Spike asked them.

“Huh? Oh, um…humans…don’t get those,” Smog said.

“Oh.” Spike shrugged. “I guess that makes sense.”

Applejack stared at the illusion and chuckled. “Wait a minute. Yer telling us that somepony stole a crown from ya and then traveled to a different world to hide from ya?” She chuckled and nudged Sunset. “Boy howdy, this must be like reverse déjà vu fir ya!”

Sunset frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Applejack and Twilight both gave her a weird look. “Well ya stole Twilight’s crown, took it to another dimension, and used it ta turn yourself into a raging she-demon and raise a teenage army to conquer Equestria before Twilight helped ya come to yer senses.”

Sunset stared at her in shock and disbelief. “What? No! I’d never steal from Princess Twilight! And…demon? Teenage army? What are you talking about?”

Applejack backed away from Sunset. “Whoa, easy there sugarcube. Ah didn’t mean to offend ya, Ah was just saying that’s what Twilight told us had happened.”

Sunset stared at Twilight with a hurt look. “Princess Twilight I would NEVER steal from you!”

Twilight smiled reassuringly, even if she did look confused. “It’s okay Sunset. It’s all in the past, I know you’d never steal from me now.”

“That’s the spirit! Why focus on the past when we got a no-good thief we need to pin down?” Applejack smiled confidently. “Don’t you worry Sunset. That goes fir you too Nyxie, Smog. We’ll find this crown of yours.” She glanced at the table and spotted the apple pie. “Oh, y’all haven’t had a bite of Granny Smith’s famous apple pie yet? Y’all must be hungry after yer trip through the portal.” She walked towards the apple pie, but in doing so she tripped over a book that was lying on the floor and crashed into a stack of books that stood on Twilight’s side of the table. “Whoops!”

Nightmare, Sunset, and Twilight all grabbed Applejack and the falling books in their magic. Twilight blinked at the other two mares using their magic as they set everything down. “Wow. You two have amazing reaction time with your magic.”

“Hey, what’s this?” Smog said as he removed a pamphlet that had fallen off of the book pile.

Applejack took the pamphlet from him, read it, and groaned. “Shoot! Ah plum forgot that’s tomorrow! Talk about bad timing. Ya see, with all the friendship lessons we learned and all the crazy shenanigans that happen ‘round here the princesses figured, wouldn’t it be something if ponies all over Equestria could learn about our adventures? Especially after what happened with that no good Tirek! Why, Twilight was smacking that magic-stealing varmint back and forth all by herself before we got together to finish him off!”

Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog frowned at that. What had happened to Lord Tirek’s counterpart in this crazy world?

“That’s why tomorrow, we’re hosting the grand opening fir the Museum of Eternal Friendship! A place where everypony can learn about the magic of friendship!” Applejack finished with a smile.

Twilight smiled. “It could be a really good learning experience for fillies and colts all over Equestria.”

Applejack chuckled. “Of course our princess egghead would be happy for any opportunity ta lecture ponies about magic. Sorry Twi, somepony had ta say it and Dash ain’t here.” She turned to face Nightmare. “Problem is, everypony is gonna be busy putting the celebration together. As much as Ah’d like ta help ya, Ah just don’t have the time.” She gave them a wink and added, “But luckily Ah know just the pony who can help y’all out and still have time to help set the preparations up.”

Twilight smiled. “Oh, you’re right! Pinkie knows Ponyville better than any of us, she easily can help them out!”

“Wait, who?” Nightmare asked with some concern.

Applejack chuckled and turned to face Nightmare. “Y’all just head outside and knowing mah friend, y’all should find her waiting outside to greet y’all. You’ll know her when ya see her.” She turned to Spike and handed him a checklist. “By the way, Ah think ya left this in yer room Spike.”

Twilight gasped and yanked the checklist over to her with her magic. “Oh my gosh! We still have so much to do before the princesses show up!”

“Wait! What about…” Nightmare trailed off as Twilight, Applejack, and Spike ran out of the room.

“Nightmare, it’s okay,” Sunset said. “They said they know someone who can help us. Let’s just get back on track on finding your crown so that we can leave this mad world.”

Nightmare sighed. “You’re right Sunset. Let’s go.” With that said, her horn glowed as she teleported the three of them out of the castle. Once they appeared outside they turned around to stare at the bizarre tree crystal castle they had just left.

“Wow…what a stupid looking castle,” Smog said.

“I dunno, I think it looks pretty,” Sunset said. “Reminds me of the Crystal Castle back home, except smaller and more tree-like.”

Nightmare snorted in disdain. “Meh. King Sombra’s castle looks better.” She turned around and began walking away from the castle. “But we don’t have time for this. We need to find this friend of Applejack’s so we can find my crown.”

“Did somepony say friend? HI THERE!” Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog all jumped back as none other than Pinkie Pie appeared before them. She had a cutie mark of three balloons on her flank but otherwise she looked exactly the same.

“Gah! Pinkie Pie, I thought I told you to stop sneaking up on us like that! What are you even doing here?!” Nightmare asked.

Pinkie giggled. “Aw, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you…you…” She trailed off as she stared at them. The smile on her face faded as she scratched her mane in confusion. “Um…it’s great to see you again…um…” Her smile returned when she spotted Sunset. “Oh, Sunset Shimmer! I know you! You’re the pony who turned into a human and stole a crown and turned into a demon and tried to turn the other humans into your own personal army and fought Twilight but then you turned good and you became friends with the human us and you told Twilight about the sirens and you sang the song that defeated them and summoned a magical music alicorn and you became Twilight’s student!” She finished off her long speech with a huge grin.

Sunset could only stare. “What?”

“You’re friends with human me!” Pinkie shouted.

“Sweet Celestia, there’s more of you?” Sunset shuddered.

“Yep! And of course I remember…you…” She turned back to face Nightmare and Smog, her smile fading again as she stared at them. Her breathing suddenly became rapid as she frantically scratched her head, her puffy hair deflating a little.

“Um, Pinkie? You’re creeping me out,” Smog said.

“I…I don’t know who you are. Why don’t I know?! I can’t remember your names!” Pinkie cried. “You said we met before, right?!”

Nightmare and Smog glanced at each other. “Um…something like that,” Nightmare said.

“B-but how can that be?!” Pinkie cried. “I remember ALL my friends! Every single detail about them! How can I forget?!”

Nightmare hesitated then placed a comforting hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Everyone forgets some things every now and then.”

“But not me! Not important things like who my friends are! I can’t even remember your names! I’m a horrible friend!” Pinkie cried. She collapsed on the ground face first and sobbed into the dirt, tears spilling out of her eyes.

Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog all stared at Pinkie in complete shock. They had never seen Pinkie this sad before. Unless you counted the visions they had seen of Pinkie losing her hope for Everfree and slipping into insanity. The present day Pinkie they all knew was either cheerful and friendly or creepy and chaotic. It was clear to them that this world’s Pinkie wasn’t like the one they all knew.

“Pinkie. Pinkie! It’s okay! We forgive you,” Nightmare said, pulling Pinkie back up.

“Y-you do?” Pinkie sniffled.

“Yes,” Smog said, giving her a smile.

Pinkie saw his smile and smiled back, her hair regaining its puffiness. She leapt back up and pulled them all in for a group hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise, I won’t forget your names this time!” She grinned expectantly at them.

Smog chuckled nervously and backed out of the hug. “Okay. I’m Smog.”

“I’m Nyxie Lulamoon,” Nightmare said.

Pinkie gasped. “That sounds like Trixie Lulamoon!”

Nightmare smiled. “Yeah she’s my um, cousin. Do you know her?”

Pinkie grinned. “Sure do! She put on a magic show, made an Ursa Minor come to town which broke her wagon, then she left, came back with the Alicorn Amulet, took away my mouth which was super mean of her, banished Twilight, got defeated by all of us, took the Alicorn Amulet off, said sorry, put on a fireworks show and left.” She paused for a few seconds before she cheerfully added, “And I think there was a thing with Rainbow Dash and some Diamond Dogs, I dunno.”

Sunset winced. “Yikes. Sounds like me and Trixie have a bad reputation in this town.”

“An Ursa Minor broke her wagon? That’s awful,” Nightmare said. “And what’s this about the Alicorn Amulet?”

Pinkie giggled and waved her hoof. “Oh don’t worry about that, Zecora has the amulet locked up somewhere safe. OOH! Speaking of wagons, wanna see mine?” She immediately ran off somewhere only to return with a wacky looking wagon. “I use it to welcome folks!”

“A literal welcome wagon, huh?” Sunset said with a smirk.

Pinkie grinned. “Yep! And now, without further delay…” She pressed a button on the side of the wagon, causing an oven, flags, horns, and cheerful music to burst out of it. She began dancing and singing to the tune:

“Welcome, welcome, welcome
A fine welcome to you!
Welcome, welcome, welcome
I say how do you do?
Welcome, welcome, welcome
I say hip-hip hurray!
Welcome welcome, welcome
To Ponyville today!”

As she finished singing, a ding came from the oven. A colourful cake with red icing came flying out of the oven, while confetti shot out of the horns. Nightmare reflexively caught the cake in her magic.

“Woohoo! I put the confetti and the cake mix in the right places this time!” Pinkie congratulated herself. “No way am I going to forget anything else today!”

Smog raised his claw. “Hold on…you mean that book was serious? What did you say this town is called?”

“Ponyville!” Pinkie answered cheerfully.

“…That is the dumbest name for a town that I have ever heard,” Nightmare said.

Pinkie’s smile faded a little. “Why? What’s wrong with Ponyville? Everypony is always happy in Ponyville!”

“Pinkie, there are other sentient creatures besides ponies that live here, right? Calling a place Ponyville or using terms such as everypony and anypony instead of everybody and anybody makes it sound like you’re excluding people,” Nightmare said. “Is Smog not allowed in town because he’s a dragon?”

Pinkie gasped. “Of course Smog’s allowed in Ponyville! Spike’s a dragon and he’s one of my bestest friends in the whole world!” She bit her lip nervously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to exclude you Smog.”

Nightmare sighed and shook her head. “It’s not your fault Pinkie. You didn’t come up with the term.”

“Okay everyone stop for a second,” Smog said. “I appreciate you coming to my defense, but we’re getting off track again.” He faced Pinkie and said, “The reason we came to…ugh, Ponyville is because someone stole something from Nyxie.”

Pinkie gasped again. “Somepony – I mean, somebody stole from you?! That’s terrible!”

Nightmare conjured up the illusion of her missing Element again. “This is what my crown looks like. Your friend Applejack said you could help us find it.”

“Hey, that looks kinda like Twilight’s crown!” Pinkie smiled. “Of course I’ll help you! Anything for my friends! We…we are friends, right?” Nightmare smiled and nodded. “Great! Then let’s get to work on finding your – OOH!” Pinkie’s eyes widened as she spotted three familiar fillies walk by. “Girls! You wanna help us?”

Sunset sighed in relief as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo walked over to them. Other than Apple Bloom’s eye not being injured in this universe, these three looked normal. Three talented blank flanks just like they were back home.

“Hey Pinkie. What do you need help with?” Sweetie asked.

“Cool! Another baby dragon!” Scootaloo said as she admired Smog.

“I’m not a baby,” Smog grumbled. He sighed and shook her hoof. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“My new friends Nyxie, Sunset, and Smog lost something that looks like a crown! Someone stole it from them! We need to help them find it!” Pinkie said.

Apple Bloom gasped. “Gosh, that’s awful. But don’t worry! The Cutie Mark Crusaders are on the job!”

“The Cutie Mark…what?” Sunset asked.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CROWN FINDERS! YAY!”

Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog stared at the three screaming fillies. “Wow. They’re almost as loud as Loony,” Smog whispered to Nightmare.

“Alright crusaders! Let’s go find that crown!” Scootaloo cheered before the crusaders ran off. Nightmare, Sunset, Smog, and Pinkie chased after the fillies and began to search Ponyville for Nightmare’s crown.

“Find anything yet?” Scootaloo shouted.

“Nothing yet!” Sweetie shouted.

“Wait! Ah think Ah found…nope, that ain’t it,” Apple Bloom said.

Smog grumbled as the fillies continued searching. “This is getting us nowhere.”

Sunset groaned. “You’re telling me. We’ve been searching all day and still no sign of the Element of Power.”

Nightmare sighed. “It seems as if the thief foolish enough to steal from me is not AS foolish as I had thought. By now my Element could be miles away from here.” She turned her attention back to the Crusaders and called out to them. “Okay guys, that’s enough for today. If you’re up for it, you can keep helping me search tomorrow.”

“Aw!” The Crusaders sighed in disappointment but still walked back to Nightmare. “We’re sorry we couldn’t help you Miss Lulamoon,” Sweetie said.

“Hey, you guys did your best. There’s always tomorrow,” Sunset said with an encouraging smile.

“Well sure, after the museum ceremony thingy,” Scootaloo said with a grin. “Can you imagine it girls? Some of those friendship lessons were ours! Maybe we’ll have our own wing!”

“Since when do ya care about museums and other ‘egghead’ stuff like that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Since Rainbow Dash and-”

“Say no more,” Apple Bloom cut her off with a smile and a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah. Oh, I almost forgot!” Sweetie smiled. “Pinkie Pie wanted to throw you three a party to welcome you to Ponyville!”

“Really? We’d better not keep her waiting then,” Nightmare said. Throughout the whole day, Pinkie had been zipping back and forth between helping them search and getting everything ready for the upcoming museum opening. They had discovered that Pinkie had no chaotic powers...or at least, not to the same level she had back in Everfree. She still possessed abilities that couldn’t be explained, but Nightmare didn’t really care where they came from. Even though she had tried to be friends with the Pinkie in Everfree there had always been some tension between her friends and the Trickster, but this Pinkie was constantly friendly and helpful, and Nightmare found it much more relaxing to be around her.

“Great! Sugarcube Corner is right this way,” Sweetie said as they hurried down the street.

“Ow!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom cried as two fillies bumped into them as they walked around the corner.

“HEY! Watch where you’re going…oh, great. What do you three want?”

Nightmare and Sunset smiled at the sight of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, a few more familiar friendly faces. However, they soon noticed that those familiar faces were twisted into unfamiliar scowls.

“Um, look I’m sorry we bumped into you,” Sweetie said apologetically.

“Really sorry,” Scootaloo muttered angrily.

“Not as sorry as we are for bumping into you,” Diamond Tiara said before she raised a hoof to haughtily brush her mane back a little. “So, what are you three blank flank crusaders doing to earn your cutie marks this time?”

“With how often you three make a mess of things, I’m betting they’ll have a twister for a cutie mark. Maybe a mud puddle,” Silver Spoon said with a cruel smirk.

“Please! Mud is too good for these losers!” Diamond sneered.

Sunset stared at the two fillies in complete shock. The Diamond and Silver she knew were such sweet little fillies. They would never say anything like that.

“Hey! What’s the matter with you? Ah get that we don’t get along but you’ve never been THIS awful to us. Ah thought you trying to be friends with us,” Apple Bloom said.

Diamond snorted in disgust. “What, you mean Twilight Time? After all those favours I did for you, after inviting you to my pool party, and after what you did to us? I tried to be nice to you and all you did was prove how you’re nothing but a group of uncivilized, ungrateful, selfish, princess-hoarders! Princess Twilight should have been hanging out with me and Silver Spoon, not you three babies!”

“Yeah. She only hangs out with you because you’re sisters with two of her friends. It’s not like you’re actually special enough to be part of her entourage,” Silver said.

“Well said Silver. They’re NOT special. After all, they started their little Cutie Mark Crusaders club over a year ago and they STILL don’t have their cutie marks!” Diamond said with a sneer. “You’re nothing but a bunch of talentless blanks flanks!”

“Blank flanks, blank flanks!” Diamond and Silver sang in their faces. The crusaders sighed and avoided their glares as if they’d heard this insult before.

“Alright that’s enough!” Nightmare and Sunset snapped, as their horns began to glow with furious power.

Smog quickly grabbed onto their hooves to stop them. “Don’t!” he hissed to them. “They’re not worth the trouble.”

As Nightmare and Sunset reluctantly let go of the spells they’d been charging, Diamond and Silver finally noticed them. “Oh u-um…this isn’t what it looks like,” Diamond hastily stammered out, not wanting to get in trouble with the grown-ups.

Silver opened her mouth to spin a lie about how rotten the crusaders were, when something caused her jaw to drop in shock. “Like, oh my Celestia! Diamond, look at their flanks!”

Diamond did so, her own jaw dropping in shock. “You’re blanks flanks?!”

The crusaders spun around to stare at Nightmare and Sunset too. “Huh?! How the hay did we miss that?!” Scootaloo asked.

Diamond spun back around to face the crusaders with an evil grin. “Oh this is just tragic. Looks like you’ll be missing out on a lot. If two grown-ups still don’t have their cutie marks, that means you three will NEVER get your cutie marks!”

Silver matched her friend’s evil grin. “You’ll be blanks flanks FOREVER!” The crusaders cringed at their harsh words, the new spin on the old insult cutting much deeper.

“Leave them alone!” Sunset said as she stormed in front of the bullies and glared at them. “Seriously, what is wrong with you two?”

Diamond smirked coldly at her. “What’s wrong with me? I’m perfect. You’re the one who doesn’t have a cutie mark. Why was I ever scared of you?”

“They’re probably just some lazy old losers who’ve never even had jobs!” Silver said.

Nightmare glared at them. “Things work a little different where we’re from. We had our cutie marks and then we lost them, just like everyone else back home.”

“Wait…y’all lost yer cutie marks?” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Of course they did. I mean, what’s so great about a cutie mark anyway?” Smog asked.

The fillies gasped at him before Diamond replied, “Well of course I wouldn’t expect an ugly little dragon to understand. A cutie mark tells a pony what makes her special.”

Nightmare smirked at Diamond and Silver. “Really? What your marks are telling me is that you two are talented in being born into a wealthy family and wearing a fancy hat. Whoop-dee-do for you.”

“That’s not what it means! It means I’m daddy’s little princess,” Diamond shot back. “It means I’m going to rule my family’s company one day! It’s my destiny to be amazing!”

“Destiny?” Sunset said. “Destiny has favourites. People who get lucky in life.” She glanced at the disguised Princess Nightmare. “And people who don’t,” she sighed, looking down at herself. “I have friends who are a lot luckier than me and I’ll admit I’m jealous of them. But I don’t let those feelings ruin my friendship and I don’t let destiny tell me what to do. My friends inspire me to be better. My hard work will bring me the luck I need. Why should we let something like a mark tell us how to live our lives?”

Nightmare smiled at Sunset. “Well said. If you ask me, you’d make a far better princess than this pink brat.” She glared at Silver and Diamond and said, “But cutie marks are not the point of this discussion.”

Silver sputtered in anger. “What? Of course our cutie marks are-”

“The point is that you two are acting like cruel little bullies and you need to stop,” Nightmare said. “Now you leave these three fillies alone or else.”

“Or else what?” Diamond shot back.

“Or else we’ll tell your parents about your horrible behavior,” Smog said.

“What?” Fear flashed in Diamond’s eyes before she smirked again. “You’re new in Ponyville. You don’t even know-”

“You’re Diamond Tiara. I’ve been to Barnyard Bargains and I know Filthy Rich quite well,” Sunset said, hoping that the Mr. Rich of this world was close enough to the one she knew.

Diamond and Silver both froze in fear, before they glared at the crusaders. “This isn’t over,” Diamond hissed at them before she and Silver ran away.

As the two bullies fled, the three crusaders stared at Nightmare and Sunset. “Um, Miss Lulamoon? Miss Shimmer? Are cutie marks…really that bad?” Sweetie asked.

Sunset chuckled. “Hey, it’s your cutie mark. And your mark is as good as you want it to be.

Nightmare smiled reassuringly at the fillies. “What Sunset’s saying is that destiny is what we make of it. That’s what I think at least.”

“Oh, okay then,” Scootaloo said with a growing smile. “Well, way to tell them off! Seriously, you don’t know how much trouble they’ve been.”

“Hey guys! What’s keeping you?” The group of ponies plus one dragon looked up and smiled as they saw Rainbow Dash hovering over them. “The party can’t start without you. Hurry up!” Sunset chuckled as Rainbow flew ahead of them. It was nice to see that some things hadn’t changed too much.

They made their way to Sugarcube Corner and were warmly greeted by a happy Pinkie and several of Ponyville’s citizens. Pinkie was quick to introduce Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog to everyone at the party, some people they knew plus a few that they didn’t. They were pleased to see that this world’s versions of Rarity and Fluttershy were both there; the two mares taking time out of their museum preparation schedule to attend their welcoming party. There was one more familiar face they saw at the party too.

“Discord!” Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog exclaimed as they saw their friend.

The cheerful master of chaos was talking with Fluttershy when they spotted him. “Oh. Good afternoon,” he said, taking his head off and tipped it like a hat as he greeted them. “I take it you three are the guests of honour? Oh, and a dragon too, how wonderful!” He teleported over to Smog and levitated him into the air. “Little Spike gets a new playmate!”

Fluttershy frowned a little. “Now Discord, we talked about personal space-”

“Discord! It’s so good to see you!” Smog said as he pulled the alternate version of his friend into a hug.

The alternate Discord blinked in surprise as Nightmare and Sunset joined in the hug too before he relaxed into their embrace. “Oh. This is a surprise. I had expected that after my little um…incident with Tirek most ponies would be a little hesitant around me. However you three seem rather friendly.”

They let go of Discord and sheepishly looked away as a few other ponies in the room gave them odd looks. “You um…remind us of a really good friend of ours back home.”

“Oh, I doubt that my dear. You’ve never had a friend quite like me,” Discord said with a confident smirk as he brushed his claw over his chest.

Smog grinned up at him. “So, what kind of crazy awesome things did you bring to the party?”

“Hmm? Oh no, I haven’t brought anything. Fluttershy has asked me to be on my best behavior,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “No, no, you are the guests of honour.”

Nightmare smirked. “Well as the guests of honour, we say it’s our party and you can act however you want.”

“Come on Discord, let’s see what you got!” Sunset said.

“Woo! Chaos!” Smog cheered.

Discord blinked down at them. “You…want me to spread chaos? Sorry if I seem rather shocked,” he said as a small thundercloud darted out from behind his tail and began to float around a pegasus mare who looked a little like Mayor Derpy. “But I was under the impression that most ponies didn’t appreciate chaos the same way I do. I mean Fluttershy lets me have my space and Pinkie Pie does so enjoy my chocolate rain clouds but other than that…”

Nightmare waved her hoof. “Oh please, if other people don’t like your brand of chaos that’s their problem. Who doesn’t like silly and random things happening at parties?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Discord said as he glanced at some of the other ponies in the room.

“Come on, we’ll get you started. Like this!” Sunset quickly spun around and zapped Rarity with a bright green blast of magic.

“AH! What did she do? What did she – GREEN!” Rarity screamed as she saw the effects off Sunset’s spell. Rarity’s white coat had turned grassy green. In fact, her fur looked more like grass then it did fur. Sunset chuckled while Discord he covered his mouth with his claw as he held back a snicker.

“Oh sure, any unicorn can use an old illusion like that. Watch this!” Smog said as he dashed over to one of the tables, grabbed two bananas out of the fruit and candy bowl, and jammed them into Applejack’s ears.

“Hey! What in tarnation are ya doing?” Applejack shouted as she scratched at her ears with hoof.

“Who doesn’t love bananas?” Smog chuckled as Discord’s paw joined in on holding back his building laughter.

“Oh yeah? BEHOLD!” Nightmare announced as she fired a spell at Rainbow. The pegasus grew a pink horn with a sparkly tiara hanging off it as her feathery wings turned into butterfly wings with pink heart patterns. “Thy princess Rainbow cometh! Shower her with sparkles and frilly dresses!”

Discord couldn’t hold it back anymore and snapped his fingers, causing a ridiculously frilly pink dress to surround Rainbow. “Ha, HA! You should see yourself right now!”

“Hey! How am I supposed to fly with this thing?!” Rainbow grunted as she tried to rip the enormous dress off.

“Rainbow Dash, a princess is far too dignified to get off their lazy flank and do something! Just find an eager, egghead purple unicorn and shove your workload onto her!” Discord laughed.

“Hey!” Twilight shouted.

Sunset chuckled. “Relax Princess Twilight, we’re just having a little fun. Speaking of princesses and royalty…” Sunset smirked as she fired another illusion spell at Twilight. The alternate version of their princess gasped as he body turned black and holey, while her horn curved and her wings became more insect-like. “Nothing like an upgrade from princess to queen, eh Twilight?”

“Enough!” Twilight shouted as she dispelled the illusion.

The smiles on Nightmare, Sunset, Discord, and Smog faded as they noticed how upset Twilight was. “I-I’m sorry Princess Twilight. We were just having a little funny, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Sunset said. “W-we were going to fix everything back up when we were done.”

Twilight took a deep breath and sighed. “It’s okay Sunset. I just had a bad experience with changelings.”

Nightmare frowned. “Changelings? Why would you have a bad experience with that?”

Applejack snorted. “Gosh, might’ve had something ta do with their queen sucking the love outta her brother.”

Twilight sighed as Nightmare, Smog, and Sunset stared at her in shock. “It’s a long story…”

The three undercover friends exchanged glances. “Maybe it’s not the only long story we need to hear…” Smog muttered.

That night, Sunset and Smog were surprised to see Nightmare appearing in their dreams. “Hey Nightie. What are you doing here? I’m not having any bad dreams,” Sunset said.

“I think I might be,” Nightmare said as she stared at the ground, her ears folded down.

“Come on Nightie, it wasn’t that bad,” Smog said as he patted her on the shoulder.

“Yes it was!” Nightmare said as she shrugged him off. “I may have put on a disguise but that was only to be cautious. I never actually expected that stallion to be right!”

“Flash Sentry wasn’t right,” Sunset argued.

“Yes he was! You heard what they all had to say about us! King Sombra, a cruel tyrant who tried to enslave an empire! Discord, a spirit who corrupted ponies into monsters and filled the land with chaos, and only recently reformed. Chrysalis, a cold-hearted queen who kidnapped a princess and tried to conquer Equestria! ME, apparently nothing more than my mom’s evil alter ego!” Nightmare cried.

Sunset grabbed Nightmare’s face in her hooves. “Snap out of it Nightmare Moon!” Slowly, Nightmare’s face relaxed until she had calmed down enough for Sunset to let her go. “Now we expected bad news when we asked them about our counterparts, especially after learning how bad Diamond and Silver were in this world. Maybe not to such an extent, but you have to remember that the other Nightmare Moon? The other Sunset Shimmer? The other Chrysalis, the other Discord? We’re NOT them. We’re better than them.”

“You’re right Sunset,” Nightmare sighed. “But even in an alternate universe…I could never be prepared for this.”

She began to wander through the dreamscape as images of the ponies they had met the previous day began to fill the dream. As Nightmare stared at the illusions with unease in her eyes, she began to softly sing:

“I’ve never seen a place
That’s quite like this
Everything is turned around
This crazy world is upside-down.”

Smog sighed and began to sing with her:
“We have to stay on our feet
It’s the claw that we’ve been dealt
And we don’t have much time with them
We had to learn all that we could.”

Sunset began to sing with them too:
“They don’t use any crystals
They’re opposed to all changelings.
“I don’t get their flowery parks, wimpy clouds or cutie marks.
Everything’s confusing and it seems so new.”

Nightmare smiled at one image they saw yesterday of the Cutie Mark Crusaders gliding down Discord’s tail like it was a slide.
“But I look a little closer and it starts to feel familiar too.”

Smog let out a weak chuckle and stared at the image of Ponyville around them.
“What a strange new world.”

“We’re trying to make heads or tails of this strange new world,” Nightmare sang.

“Sorting through the small details of this strange new world. What a strange new world,” Sunset sang.

The next morning was the day of the museum opening. Twilight met up with Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog in Twilight’s castle after breakfast. “Don’t worry Nyxie. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be arriving soon. Once I’ve informed them of the situation we’ll all start searching for your crown together. Unfortunately there’s no time to reschedule the museum opening so we’ll just have speed through the ceremony.”

Nightmare smiled. “Thank you for agreeing to help us Twilight. I know how much the Museum of Eternal Friendship means to you.”

Twilight blushed. “Not as much as my friends do.”

The door burst open and Applejack ran into the room. “You guys! Yer never gonna believe this! Nyxie, Ah found yer crown!”

They spun around to face her. “You did? That’s wonderful!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Where is it? Did you find the thief who stole it?” Nightmare asked, a grin forming on her face at the thought of reclaiming her Element and punishing the foolish thief.

“Yeah! But here’s the weird part: the thief is pretending to be me!” Applejack said.

“What? What do you mean?” Sunset said.

“Okay, here’s what happened. Ah just woke up to get started on mah morning chores when Ah bump into a mare that looks exactly like me, other than not having mah hat. She introduces herself as Applejewel and goes on saying how she stole this crown to save the world. Next thing Ah know, she’s babbling about some crazy alternate world where Nightmare Moon, King Sombra, the changelings, and Discord all won!”

Nightmare, Sunset and Smog froze as she said that. “Her name is Applejewel, you say?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah! Just like the name Ah came up with during that whole Trenderhoof thing. Now Ah reckon that this crazy mare is some disguised changeling trying to fool me and doing a poor job of it. Ya know how much I hate liars, so Ah smacked her over the head with a shovel and tied her up in one of the empty barns.”

Twilight and Sunset flinched at that. “A shovel? That sounds pretty harsh,” Sunset said.

Applejack waved her hoof. “Ah, she’s fine. The changelings we fought at Canterlot took a worse beating than that. Them changelings got thick skulls. Anyway, the important thing is Ah got yer crown! I left it in the same barn so y’all can interrogate her if ya want.”

“You left my crown with the thief?!” Nightmare said with a frown.

“She’s out cold and tied up. She couldn’t grab yer crown if it was dangling right in front of her,” Applejack assured her. “Now come on! Ah’ll lead the way.”

The door burst open again as Pinkie came bouncing in. “Hey everypony! What are you all still doing inside? The princesses just arrived!”

Twilight turned to face her. “They have? Oh dear, that means we’ll need to start the ceremony soon. Pinkie, Applejack was just telling us that she captured a changeling disguised as herself who stole Nyxie’s crown!”

“Applejack was just about to take us to where she’s got the thief captured. I need to know why she wanted to steal my crown,” Nightmare said.

Pinkie gasped and then grinned. “Really? That’s great! I’m so happy you found your crown again Nyxie!” she giggled. “Ooh, ooh, can I come with you when you interrogate her? I’m really good at!” She pulled a lamp off a nearby desk and shined it into Smog’s face. “Confess!” she growled.

“Um…sure…you can come,” Smog said as he pushed the lamp away from him and slowly backed away from Pinkie. “That alright with you guys?”

When Nightmare and Sunset nodded, Applejack grinned. “Well alright then! Nyxie, Sunset, Smog, Pinkie, and Ah will go deal with that while the rest of y’all do yer little museum opening!”

Twilight frowned in concern. “Maybe we should all come with you.”

Applejack chuckled. “Aw sugarcube, there’s no need to worry! Ah got two unicorns, a dragon, and Pinkie Pie on my side all against one little changeling. If ya remember, we took out a whole army of them back at yer brother’s wedding! Trust me, we’ll be fine.”

Twilight sighed. “Okay then. I’ll see you guys at the ceremony. You should have your crown and the answers you need by then Nyxie.”

“Thank you Princess Twilight. Lead the way Applejack,” Nightmare said.

Applejack smiled as they passed through Sweet Apple Acres. The farm looked more or less the same way it did back in Peaceville, although Nightmare could tell that this Apple family wasn’t quite as rich as the one back home. “Ya know, after this is all over how about Ah treat y’all to some Apple family apple cider? Don’t tell Rainbow Dash Ah said this, but we keep a few bottles stashed away fir emergencies. This don’t exactly qualify but Ah reckon when are y’all gonna get another chance to taste some?”

Pinkie giggled. “She’s right you know! This one time I got like a dozen glasses of cider. It was sooooo good,” she said, drooling a little.

Applejack chuckled and then stopped as they reached a small storage barn. “Alright y’all. She’s in there.”

Nightmare pushed the door open and walked inside, lighting her horn up so that they could all see inside the dark barn. As they went inside she saw her Element of Power sitting behind a glass case. And right next to the Element was…another Applejack, without her hat and tied up and trapped inside a cage.

As soon as she saw them, the other Applejack cried out. “Pinkie Pie! Ya gotta get outta here! That ain’t the real me!”

They heard the barn door close behind them. Nightmare spun around to face the threat, her horn already glowing with power, only for Applejack’s hoof to slam into her face with tremendous force. The blow knocked Nightmare into Pinkie who managed to catch her.

Nightmare looked up to see Applejack glare down at her with an evil grin. “Boy howdy, that felt really good.”

Sunset and Nightmare both growled as they fired blasts of magic at Applejack. But the earth pony just chuckled as the magic was absorbed into her body, causing her muscles to grow a little. “What? How are you doing that?!” Sunset cried.

“Yer crystal research worked perfectly Miss Shimmer. Everything has worked out perfectly,” Applejack said with a smirk.

“Applejewel?” Sunset asked in disbelief.

“Oh no, it’s Applejack sugarcube. Ah’m done with lies and Ah’m done with looking at yer faces.”

Applejack charged at them with surprising speed. With little space to move in and unavailable to blast her with magic directly, Nightmare knew their options were limited. She and Sunset grabbed random tools in the barn with their telekinesis and flung them at Applejack, but the mare was quick to dodge or kick them out of the way. As she charged in closer to them, Nightmare reared up to crush Applejack under her hooves only for the earth pony to spin around and kick her hard in the chest. Sunset, Smog, and Pinkie all charged at Applejack too. Smog used his claws and his fire breath, while Sunset and Pinkie used their hooves and in Pinkie Pie’s case a foam finger to fight her. Applejack fought with such strength and speed that she was actually proving to be a real challenge for three ponies and one dragon. But eventually Pinkie was able to leap on top of Applejack and pin her down by sitting on her back.

Nightmare paused to catch her breath before she glared at Applejack. “I’ll admit, you’re really strong. You did good for only one pony. But now you’re done.”

Applejack chuckled darkly. “Ah wouldn’t say that sugarcube. Pinkie Pie, would ya please take care of our guests?”

Pinkie stared down at her. “What? I’m not helping you, evil Applejack!”

“I think she was talking to me, silly filly!” Pinkie’s voice giggled.

They turned around to see another Pinkie Pie, grinning at all of them. She shifted around so that they could all see her blank flank.

The Pinkie sitting on Applejack blinked in shock. “Huh?”

Sunset figured out who it was first. “Look out! It’s-”

But she never got to finish her warning. The blank flank Pinkie waved her hoof, grabbing Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog in her chaotic magic. She slammed them all into a barn wall, causing them all to cry out in pain. She slammed them into another wall, then the ceiling, then the wall again before she blasted them all into the cage the other Applejack was trapped in. With another wave of her hoof, the chaotic Pinkie teleported the nice Pinkie into the cage with them. Ropes and streamers sprung up from the floorboards and tied them all to the Applejack who tried to warn them.

The chaotic Pinkie giggled and helped the dark Applejack back up. “Did I do good Applejack?”

The dark Applejack chuckled. “Ya did wonderful Pinkie. Ah couldn’t ask for a better friend than you.”

As the ponies and dragon in the cage stared at them in confusion and fear, the chaotic Pinkie giggled and floated closer to the five of them. “Oh, how I have dreamed of this day…”

Equestria Part Three: This Day Pinkamania

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Equestria Part Three: This Day Pinkamania

“Pinkie how could you? I thought you were reformed!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Oh silly little Sunset! I never needed reforming! I’m the good guy here!”

Smog stared at her in disbelief. “You ambushed us and locked us inside a cage! How does this make you the good guy?!”

Pinkie’s smile shrunk a little bit. “Okay, I guess smashing you guys against the walls and ceiling was a little uncalled for. I’m sorry guys, I didn’t mean to get so violent back there.” Her smile grew again as she added, “I just got a little carried away because I’m so nervicited!”

“And you!” Nightmare Moon growled at the Applejack who had tricked them. “You’re the one behind this?!”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah sure am! Been planning this whole thing since the beginning. Shoot, Ah’ve been planning this since before Princess Twilight returned back in our world. See, everything Ah told ya was true. Except Ah was the one that this Applejack confused fir a changeling imposter.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” the Pinkie Pie in the cage interrupted. “Too many Applejacks and Pinkie Pies! We need some way to tell who is who!”

“No problem. The ones in the cage with us are Good Applejack and Good Pinkie and the ones outside are Evil Applejack and Evil Pinkie,” Smog said. “Sounds simple to me.”

The Applejack outside the cage frowned. “Things are a lot more complicated than that.”

“No, if you ask me they really aren’t,” Smog said as he glared at her.

“Ooh, I know!” the Pinkie in the cage said. “How about we call her Applejewel, cause that’s what Sunset called her and we can call the other me Pinkamania!”

Sunset stared at her. “Where did you hear that name?”

Pinkie opened her mouth to say something before she slowly closed it and stared at the ceiling. “Huh. How do I know that name?”

The Pinkie who was also Pinkamania giggled. “You can see it now, can’t you?”

“See what?” Pinkie asked.

Pinkamania just giggled again. “Don’t worry, I can see it too. I can even see them.”

The Applejack who was also Applejewel raised an eyebrow at her. “Right…well you folks stay here. Pinkie and Ah’ve got a ceremony to help out with.”

“STOP!” Nightmare shouted as they turned to leave. “Why are you doing this?! I demand answers!”

Applejewel snorted in disgust. “Too bad. Ah got nothing ta say to ya.”

“What? But you’ve got us all tied up! Isn’t this the part where you tell us your evil plan?” Pinkie asked.

“For the last time, we aren’t evil! Sweet Celestia, why would you think that?” Applejewel asked.

Pinkamania shrugged. “I know, right? I try to play some games with people and they always overact!”

“Don’t ya think we deserve to know the truth?” Applejack asked.

That made Applejewel freeze in her tracks. She sighed, and turned around to face them. “Yer right. You deserve the truth.” She smiled and asked them, “So how much do y’all know about alternate universes?”

“Well this one time we visited a world where King Sombra was good and Princess Celestia and Luna were bad but then we turned them good and that Sombra went bad except he still had a little good inside him and Princess Celestia was totally in love with him! And this one time Twilight and Spike went to one alternate universe where she turned into a human and he turned into a dog and they met a whole bunch of humans who looked like us except they weren’t ponies! And you were there too Sunset!” Pinkie explained very quickly and cheerfully.

Applejewel smirked. “Except she’s not the same Sunset Shimmer, are ya Sunny? And Nyxie ain’t the pony she claims to be either. Ain’t that right, Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie and Applejack gasped and stared at Nightmare. Applejewel chuckled. “Yeah, Ah know. In her world, Princess Nightmare is the leader of their version of the Elements of Harmony. Sounds crazy, don’t it? And things only get crazier from there. Pinkie?”

Pinkamania giggled and waved her hoof, regrowing her fingers. She snapped her fingers and created a small illusion of Ponyville, hovering in front of them. She snapped her fingers again and the Ponyville illusion began to split into two, then four, then six, then ten, and so on.

“So there you have it. Y’all know about worlds with humans, worlds with alicorns who are stallions instead of mares, and worlds where things are plain flipped upside down. Some universes are so different it’d be like comparing apples to castles...while some universes have so much in common ya could spend yer whole life searching for that one difference that made ALL the difference,” Applejewel explained. She smirked at Nightmare and said, “Ah knew the difference. Then Pinkie learned it. And if what she told me is right, you learned it during yer vision.”

Nightmare blinked. “How do you know about that?”

Applejewel chuckled. “Ah’m the Element of Honesty. Ah know truth better than anypony. And to know truth is ta know everything.”

“HEY! Applejack! Psst!” Pinkie said in a whisper that everyone could hear. “I think the other you is CRAZY!”

“Ah’m not convinced she’s me, but other than that yer right,” Applejack muttered.

Applejewel rolled her eyes. “Ya know what, why don’t Ah explain this in a way yer more familiar with?” She nodded to Pinkamania who snapped her fingers and made the Ponyville illusions disappear, before she conjured up one of Zecora’s vision potions. The potion swirled out of its container and filled the room. “Now this should look familiar to y’all.”

“My crown! She’s got my crown!” Twilight cried. “Stop! Thief!”

The others blinked in surprise as they saw Princess Twilight chasing down Sunset Shimmer, followed by Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and the younger Spike. “Hey! This is the night that Sunset stole Twilight’s crown!” present Pinkie said.

“For the last time, I never stole anyone’s crown!” Sunset cried.

“Not you, but another version of you,” Pinkamania pointed out cheerfully.

“She’s stolen my crown! Stop!” the past Twilight cried.

As the vision continued, Nightmare’s eyes widened. “This looks just like my vision. Except I was playing Twilight and I couldn’t see that it was Sunset.”

“What did you do to my crown?”

“Sorry it had to be this way…princess.” the past Sunset said to Twilight. The present Sunset shuddered a little as she saw how arrogant her counterpart was.

Applejewel chuckled. “Eeyup! Ah reckon that vision ya saw was the same thing we’re seeing now. But here’s where it gets interesting.” She pointed at the past Twilight as she fired her spell at the mirror. “In one Equestria, Twilight and the rest of us just sat and stared when Sunset vanished into the mirror. But in this Equestria, the one tiny detail that created this whole universe was that Twilight stood up and did something. But it wasn’t just this Equestria that Twilight helped create. See what do y’all think would happen when a super powerful alicorn like Twilight fires magic at a mirror designed to act as a portal between worlds?”

Smog gasped. “No way…are you saying your Princess Twilight…”

Applejewel smirked. “Eeyup. Twilight accidentally created a mirror universe. Your mirror universe at that.”

They watched as Twilight’s spell blasted a shard of glass off the mirror. The shard of glass flew out of an open window and faded away from sight, only for the vision to follow the piece of the mirror. Instead of the gardens outside the castle, the mirror fragment landed in an endless white void.

Pinkamania giggled. “Ya know, we’re a pretty lucky bunch of ponies! Not everyone gets the chance to see a Big Bang up close!” She laughed and waved her hooves as if she was on a rollercoaster ride as the mirror shard sent off a wave of energy, causing the earth, seas, and skies to form all around them. “We kinda sped up the vision there, but that’s basically what happened. And that’s how Everfree was made!” she announced cheerfully.

“Oh, I get it! The Twilight in this world helped create the world they come from. Neat! Are we going to hear about your cutie mark next?” Pinkie asked. “I mean, for some reason you don’t have one even though Evil Applejack does.”

“Ah ain’t evil, Pinkie. And Ah lost my cutie mark too. This one here’s a fake,” Applejewel said, pointing at the three apples on her flank. “A little bit of juice from a green crystal, and Ah was able to give myself my old cutie mark. Anyway let’s get back to the story. Now ya see, that piece of the mirror? It stuck around in mah world after it was created, but by the time Clover the Clever and company had their Hearth’s Warming Eve the mirror shard was long gone. The mirror shard even broke up into even tinier shards of glass before it was lost for thousands of years. After that, the rules of our little mirror world began ta kick off. All the villains and heroes in this world swapped places in ours. Nightmare Moon and Twilight, Sombra and Celestia, Discord and Pinkie, Trixie and Rarity, Rainbow and Gilda, the changeling queen and Fluttershy…even that rotten Diamond Tiara with sweet little Apple Bloom. And of course, Sunset with me.”

Sunset glared at her. “Excuse me? You think we switched places? I’m nothing like you!”

Applejewel smirked. “Ah wouldn’t say that sugarcube. Twilight and Nightmare may be the smartest mares in our groups but we’re the next best mares. We’re the second in command, the common sense of our groups. We’re loyal to our friends and passionate about our goals.”

Smog blinked in shock. “That…does sound like you, Sunset.”

“Sure sounds like Good Applejack too! She’s cool as cucumber. Or would that be cool as an apple?” Pinkie said.

Applejewel rolled her eyes. “Ya know, Ah’m interested in more than just apples. Ah mean, apples are my livelihood but Ah do think of stuff besides apples.”

“Oopsie daisy! Sorry, you can keep going now,” Pinkie giggled.

Applejewel shook her head and chuckled. “Thanks. So anyway, most folks in Everfree don’t know how our universe was made, course that shouldn’t come as a surprise. But because our world was split off from this world due ta Twilight’s actions, some of us figured a few things out. Twilight became powerful enough to know that there was something strange about our upside-down world but she never figured it out all the way.”

“My mom always said I’ve got a really special little brain and of course I have my Pinkie sense,” Pinkamania said. “When I got my chaos powers I learned a few more things too, but I still couldn’t figure it out ALL the way.”

“And that’s when we come back ta me. As the Element of Honesty, Ah was drawn to the truth. Ah reached the point in mah life where Ah was traveling off ta the Crystal Empire, whereas you’d be traveling ta Manehatten,” Applejewel said to Applejack. “But on my way there, Ah spotted something.”

The vision shifted to show a young filly Applejewel somewhere in a forest. She had the same cutie mark of three apples that Applejack had, and she was wearing a hat that was a bit big for her. Her eyes were glued to a tiny piece of the mirror shard, which was hanging out of a tree as if it was a piece of fruit. Still staring up at the mirror shard, filly Applejewel spun around and bucked the tree. The tree didn’t shake very much but the mirror fell out of the tree…and landed right in Applejewel’s left eye.

“OW!” Young Applejewel screamed as she clutched her eye. “Sweet Celestia! It fell in mah eye! Mah flying eye! Argh, Luna and Cadance right in mah apple bucking eye!”

Pinkie gasped as the filly Applejewel continued to scream. “Evil Applejack, such language! There are kids listening to this!” she said as she covered Smog’s ears with her hooves.

Applejewel raised an eyebrow. “How’d ya get untied so fast?”

Pinkie grinned. “Easy! I just wiggled around a bit.”

Pinkamania giggled and snapped her fingers, tying her counterpart up again. “Oh me! You’re so random!”

Young Applejewel finally opened her eyes and looked around while the older Applejewel explained. “Now as y’all can imagine, having glass in mah eye hurt worse than hay. But because the glass was magic, it didn’t actually damage mah eye. Instead the mirror shard sensed mah own instinctual desire for the truth and it began to show me glimpses into this world. It showed me that something was very wrong with mah world.”

She smirked at them as the vision began to shift. “The rest of mah past some of y’all might know ‘cause yer from Everfree. For those of you who don’t, lemme tell you catch y’all up. I traveled to the Crystal Empire and even made a few return trips there when Ah was a teenager. Ah became one of King Sombra’s students and got ta learning more about magic. During mah studies, Ah found even more tiny pieces of the mirror. Now that Ah had one shard stuck in mah eye, the rest of the shards were drawn to me. Shoot, some days it felt like Ah couldn’t even open a book without getting an eyeful of mirror.”

The other people watching the vision flinched as Young Applejewel did in fact open a book only for a piece of glass to fly out of it and land in her eye. “Gosh. Now Ah kinda feel sorry fir ya,” Applejack said, as the Young Applejewel screamed some more about apple bucking glass in her sky flying eye.

Applejewel smiled. “Aw, shucks. Thanks Applejack, but it didn’t hurt that much…okay it did, but Ah got used to it.”

“You got used to it?” Nightmare asked incredulously.

Applejewel smirked. “Sure. With every shard Ah collected, mah knowledge of Equestria and the truth behind Everfree grew. It was during mah studies when Ah knew that Ah couldn’t stand fir this anymore. Sombra on the throne, changelings and dragons flying all over the place, Discord having a bunch of troublemaking relatives, and all my friends turning bad? It was wrong. The world Ah was forced ta live in was a lie. And if no one else was gonna fix it then Ah would.”

She sighed as the vision shifted to show a younger Big Macintosh smiling at the younger Applejewel on the farm. Young Applejewel was staring at her blank flank, and she didn’t look happy about it. “Course, it wasn’t all easy. If Ah was gonna fix the world, it meant that Ah’d have to leave mah family behind. Of course, there are a small number of other Applejacks out in the multiverse who stayed in Manehatten instead of returning to the farm. Big Mac was so proud of me when Ah lost mah cutie mark, even though Ah hated myself fir at the time. But Ah couldn’t go back. Ah couldn’t live with the idea of mah friends as the bad guys and mah future sister as a bully. So Ah left fir Manehatten and then…Ah conquered it.”

Applejewel smirked and slipped back into the accent Sunset was more familiar with. “It wasn’t that hard to act like a true Manehattanite once again. After all, with my memories of Manehatten and Rarity, why I played the ladylike little filly perfectly. My performance was simply divine.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Shoot, yer city talk is good. Way better than mine.”

Applejewel winked and gave her a ladylike giggle. “Why thank you darling.” She smirked as the vision shifted some more, showing Young Applejewel talking with pony after pony. “In the big city, people are always searching for the next big thing and I knew how to win them over. Even when I didn’t, the mirror shards let me see things that nobody else could. I had the face of a cute little filly, the loyalty and dependability of an honest Apple, and the mind of a full-grown mare. By the time I was a young adult, I was playing the big city like a fiddle. I started up my own company, Apple Pie Incorporated, named after my family and my favourite cousin Pinkie Pie.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet! You hear that!” Pinkamania smiled and hugged Applejewel. “I’m still an Apple to the core!”

“Don’t forget the best fourth cousin twice removed ever!” Pinkie said as she wiggled out of her ropes again and hugged Applejack. Pinkamania giggled and snapped her fingers, retying her counterpart up.

“It wasn’t too long before they renamed the city after me due to all the hard work I had put into it. Of course there was one event that really helped in that area but that’s a story for another day. The point is that once Manehatten was renamed as the Big Apple, that’s when I really started to make my move. I used the power and resources at my disposal to find more pieces of the mirror shard and prepare myself for when I was ready to enter this world.” She smirked at Nightmare. “Remember that pony who stole your copy of The Elements of Forgiveness: A Reference Guide? That was Babs Seed.”

“Little Babs Seed? How’d she manage ta steal from Nightmare Moon of all ponies?” Applejack asked.

Sunset’s eyes widened. “Of course. You of all people would have the money and resources to get those rare crystals. They disguised Babs and stopped us from firing magic directly at her.”

“Eeyup!” Applejewel said, switching accents again. “She was actually part of a test. Ah used those same crystals plus yer own research to mix up mah own blend of magic protection. It’s why y’all couldn’t land a single spell on me. As a bonus, it turned out yer copy of the reference guide had another piece of the mirror shard. The last piece. Once it flew into my eye and joined up with the rest of the shard, Ah knew it was only a matter of time before the portal could finally open up and bring me back home. I just had to wait fir Nightmare to be crowned a princess. Just like Twilight, right before Sunset Shimmer came and stole her crown.”

“So lemme get this straight…ya got magic mirror glass stuck in yer eye that made ya see stuff. So yer plan was ta put more magic glass in yer eye?” Applejack asked. “Yeah, yer insane.”

Applejewel smirked. “Careful now. You’re the one talking to yourself.”

Applejack ignored her, and turned to face Pinkamania. “What about you?”

Pinkamania smiled. “For me, it was different. My powers and my Pinkie sense couldn’t tell me what was going on. For years, I struggled to remember the names and faces of the ponies and dragon who mattered more to me than anyone. But I discovered that there was one thing that could help me remember my past life: the magic of friendship. The first time I met my version of Twilight, I asked for her name. I did the same with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and finally Applejack.”

Applejewel nodded. “Pinkie’s plan was coming together and everything was all set in place fir mah plan. Ah just had one thing to check before Ah left. Now Ah sent lots of money to Sweet Apple Acres to give mah family the rich lifestyle they deserve and in return Big Macintosh tells me everything that happens on the farm while still keeping things between us a secret. Ah didn’t want Big Mac or Apple Bloom ta know about the dangerous game Ah was playing.”

“Until Ah learned that Apple Bloom already knew.” The vision swirled again and focused on Applejewel and Apple Bloom, on the day of Princess Nightmare’s coronation.

“Come now Apple Bloom. It’s time to take the mask off,” Past Applejewel said.

“Hey!” The Apple Bloom in the vision cried as Applejewel snatched her sunglasses off. She quickly shielded her eyes. “Don’t look!”

“I’m sorry Apple Bloom, but we have to,” Past Applejewel said.

Apple Bloom opened her eyes and stared up at Applejewel. As she did so, the other ponies got a good look of what was wrong with Apple Bloom’s right eye. Her sclera had turned dark red, her orange iris was glowing bright green, and dotted around her eye there were tiny specks of broken magic mirror glass.

Applejack gulped at the sight of it. “Sweet Celestia, that’s horrible. Poor Apple Bloom.”

But as bad as Apple Bloom’s eye was, it was nothing compared to Applejewel’s left eye. Past Applejewel removed her golden mask, giving them all a good look at her eye. “AAAHHH! Evil! EVIL,” Apple Bloom screamed.

Nightmare, Sunset, Smog, Applejack, and Pinkie had to agree with her. Applejewel’s eye looked like a cross between a broken mirror and a demon’s heart. Her sclera was blood red, with black veins shooting all over her eye like cracks in a mirror. Unlike her normal eye which had a green iris, her corrupted eye had a glowing blue iris. Most notable was the large mirror shard sticking out of her eye for all to see.

“Ah think Ah’m going ta be sick,” Applejack whimpered, staring in horror at her counterpart’s eye.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Pinkie whimpered.

“Is…is it throbbing? Maybe I’m going crazy but it looks like it’s pulsating,” Sunset said, her face looking a little green too.

Past Applejewel smiled. “Oh, it’s not that bad, sugarcube. Come on Apple Bloom. It’s time to look the truth in the eye.” She raised an eyebrow as she stared at her sister. “Speaking of which, you look like you have a little something in your eye too.”

“Mah eye? Applejack, you’ve got a huge hunk of glass in yer eye!” Apple Bloom shouted.

Past Applejewel shrugged. “I know. Honestly I can’t even feel it.” She frowned at her sister. “Speaking of which, there’s only reason why your eye would be like that. How much do you know about Ponyville, Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom flinched before she sighed and looked down at the ground. “Not everything but a pretty big bit of it.”

Past Applejewel smiled and switched accents. “Good. Ah can talk normal like to ya then. So when’d ya start figuring stuff out?”

Apple Bloom sighed. “If ya can believe it, Ah got a tiny piece of glass stuck in mah eye the same day Ah lost mah cutie mark. Ah felt it go in, but it was so tiny that it didn’t hurt much. Ah went around bragging ta ponies about how Ah lost mah mark. Ah dunno, at the time Ah felt like Ah’d really accomplished something but now Ah really wish Ah could remember what mah mark looked like.”

Past Applejewel sighed. “Not everyone remembers what their cutie mark looked like. Makes sense that you’d be one of them, even if it is unfair to ya.”

“After that Ah got kidnapped by Spike along with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,” Apple Bloom said. “In Spike’s hoard Ah found another tiny piece of glass that went flying in mah eye. The last big piece Ah can remember was when Ah borrowed The Elements of Forgiveness: A Reference Guide from Nightmare’s library. Ah gave it back ta her and ever since then mah eye’s been hurting something fierce and Ah’ve been getting glimpses of Ponyville.”

Past Applejewel sighed sadly. “That about lines everything up. Oh, come here sugarcube.” She pulled Apple Bloom into a gentle hug. “It’s okay AB. It’s okay. Ah’m gonna make it all go away.”

Apple Bloom frowned and pushed herself out of the hug. “What do ya mean you’ll make it go away?”

Past Applejewel smiled. “It’s almost time Apple Bloom. Ah’ve lined up everything getting ready for this moment. In just a little bit, Ah’m going to take Nightmare Moon’s fancy crown and toss it somewhere she’ll never find it. Then Ah’m going back home to Ponyville where everything is as it should be. Ah’ll go talk to Princess Celestia and convince her how rotten this place is.” She smirked coldly. “Then Ah’ll watch as she and mah friends kick this whole world upside-down.”

Apple Bloom gasped. “Why would you do that? Sis, Ah know things can be a little crazy in Peaceville but…they’re not the same! It ain’t the same evil Nightmare Moon, or Discord, or changelings or anything. They’re really nice! They ain’t hurting anybody!”

“What about our friends?” Past Applejewel growled. “Am Ah supposed ta forget about how much Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity have suffered? What about you?”

“W-what about me?”

“Apple Bloom don’t ya dare lie ta me! You’ve switched roles too! Ah know yer the spoiled little rich girl at school instead of that rotten Diamond Tiara.”

Apple Bloom frowned. “Fine. Maybe Ah did act a little like a bully once. But Ah’ve long since learned from that mistake. Just ‘cause Ah switched places with her, it don’t mean Ah gotta act like the old Diamond Tiara. And the Diamond Ah know now is a really nice filly! Dagnabbit Applejack, Ah’m happy with how mah life’s going! It ain’t perfect but Ah’m happy and Ah can live with a little weirdness.”

Past Applejewel glared at her for a moment before she sighed. “Alright Apple Bloom. If that’s the way ya feel. Excuse me fir a second.” She turned around and picked up her hat, reaching into it and pulling out a black crystal. She then rushed forward and smashed the crystal into her sister’s face, causing the crystal to release a black cloud. Apple Bloom gasped and coughed for a few seconds before the magic in the crystal knocked her out unconscious. Past Applejewel caught her sister and gently lowered her to the ground. “Ah’m sorry about this AB…but you’ll thank me when this is all over.”

As Past Applejewel carried her away, Applejack scowled at the present Applejewel. “How could you? Yer own sister!”

Applejewel sighed. “Sugarcube, that crystal didn’t hurt her it just gave her a little naptime. Trust me, she’s fine. If ya don’t believe me, ask Sunset. She’s the crystal expert.” The vision shifted again and Applejewel continued. “After that, Ah was focused back on the task at hoof. Ah snuck into Nightmare’s room and swiped her Element of Power, using another crystal to increase mah magic so that Ah could create a sorta magic cushion on mah hooves so that she couldn’t hear me come in. Actually Ah’d planned to grab the Element of Knowledge too since Ah reckoned it was mine, being the mirror for mah Element and all. But as Ah was sneaking around the castle, Ah bumped into Pinkie.”

The vision shifted one last time. Past Applejack crept through the Crystal Castle, wearing a black cloak. A few crystals and the Element of Power could be seen sticking out of one of the bags. As she continued sneaking down the halls, one of the doors opened and Past Pinkamania floated out of her bedroom. “Hi there!”

Past Applejewel jumped back in fright, but managed to cover her mouth with a hoof to stop herself from screaming.

“Nice night out, isn’t it? I just felt my Pinkie sense go off and boy was it a doozy! Next thing I know, you’re walking past my bedroom, secret agent ninja style!” She floated over and pulled the cloak off Past Applejewel. “So who…are…oh my gosh.”

“Pinkie?” Past Applejewel said, feeling a little creeped out by the huge grin growing on the chaotic mare’s face.

“Tell me your name. Tell me your real name right now,” Past Pinkamania demanded, her whole body shaking with excitement.

“Mah name is Applejack,” Past Applejewel answered, her eyes filled with courage and defiance.

“Applejack…” Past Pinkamania said, rolling the name around on her tongue. “…Celestia. Luna. Spike. Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Fluttershy. Applejack.”

As Past Pinkamania spoke the last name, her eyes began to glow. A shockwave of magical energy exploded out from her eyes as her smile stretched farther than ever.

CRASH!

Smog gasped. “That’s it! That’s the crash I heard!”

“You’re right! What was that?!” Sunset asked.

Past Applejewel grimaced as she clutched her ears. “What in tarnation was that?!”

“The sound of the illusion breaking,” Past Pinkamania announced as she gave her a big hug. “Oh Applejack…I remember everything now!”

“Ya…you do?” Past Applejewel smiled. “Oh Pinkie, Ah’ve missed you so much!”

“I’ve missed you too!” She set her friend down and grinned. “Come on! Forget about the Element of Knowledge and let’s go!” She snapped her fingers and teleported both of them to the secret mirror chamber. As soon as they arrived the portal to Equestria began to glow, the mirror’s glass waving and wobbling. The shard of glass in Applejewel’s eye began to glow with it. “The portal’s open. It’s finally open!” She pushed Past Applejewel toward it. “Come on Applejack! This is what we’ve been waiting for!”

“What? Wait a minute Pinkie, what about Nightmare Moon and the others? Ah’ll need time to talk to Princess Celestia and to warn her about them.”

Past Pinkamania giggled. “If it means that much to you, I’ll come with you! As long as I don’t stay too long in Equestria to start with, I should be albe to avoid Discord’s magic sensing powers and then I’ll come back here to throw them all off our tracks. I can even disguise myself as you!” To demonstrate she snapped her fingers and turned herself into Applejewel, including the fancy dress, hat, and bandage covering her eye. “Don’t worry, your Auntie Applejewel has got it all taken care of,” the disguised Pinkamania said.

“Wait Pinkie, what if-”

“I can’t wait anymore!” Past Pinkamania squeed. She grabbed Past Applejewel and jumped into the mirror, laughing all the way as the portal carried them to Twilight’s castle in Ponyville. As they jumped through the mirror, the large piece of glass floated out of Applejewel’s eye and clicked back into place on the mirror

Past Applejewel groaned and slowly stood back up. As she stood up, she caught her reflection in the crystal mirror and gasped. “M-mah eye. It’s…normal. There ain’t any glass in it. No glowing iris or blood red sclera!”

Past Pinkamania floated into the air with a giggle. “I always called it the white in your eye. Although calling it sclera would be more right since your eyes might not even have white in them and I’m sorry if I’m babbling but we’re here, we’re here, we’re here! We’re finally back home! Yippee!” she cheered as she zipped around the room.

“Pinkie, not so loud,” Past Applejewel hissed. “It’s nighttime, ya might wake up somebody.”

Past Pinkamania gasped. “You’re right AJ, time is really important here. Hold on to your hat!” She grinned and snapped her fingers, teleporting the two of them away with a flash of light.

Past Applejewel gasped as they appeared before a large crystal tree. “The Tree of Harmony? What are we doing here?”

Past Pinkamania floated up to the tree and pointed a glowing hoof at it. “You know, I’m curious…I know what the Tree does here but what does the Cave of Forgiveness do?”

“Oh, that’s easy sugarcube. Lemme just check mah…” Past Applejewel trailed off as she realized something. “The mirror shard ain’t there anymore. Ah can’t see the truth of things anymore.” Noticing that Pinkamania was still focused on the tree, she shrugged. “Mah guess is that the Cave is linked to the Tree. Everfree was split off of Equestria and it seems the cave knows that. Ah never got a good glimpse of the statue before, but doesn’t it have a bunch of statues of ponies? Maybe that’s us and our friends?”

Past Pinkamania giggled. “Maybe. I dunno. What I do know is that I FINALLY have what I’ve been looking for…” Six coloured jewels floated from the Tree and slowly spun in a circle around her hoof.

Past Applejewel gasped. “The Elements of Harmony. A…Ah never thought Ah’d get ta use them! Ah only planned on getting Princess Celestia, Twilight, and the others to come fix Everfree. But this…”

Past Pinkamania frowned. “I can’t get to their magic. They’re actually stronger than me. If we want to use these, we need to build a connection between us and the Elements.”

“A connection? How do we do that?” Past Applejewel asked.

Past Pinkamania stared at her, a spark of something glowing dangerously in her eyes. “Our friends, of course. Friendship is magic. All we need to do is make a connection with them and we’ll be connected to the Elements.”

Past Applejewel slowly grinned. “Ah think Ah know how we can do that.”

Past Pinkamania dropped the Elements of Harmony in front of Applejewel and floated away. “Well then, I’ll leave the rest in your dependable hooves Applejack! I gotta fly outta here before Discord senses something wrong. You get everything ready but don’t start the party without me! See you on the other side, silly filly!” With a final flash of light, the vision ended.

“And there you have it. Ah was telling the truth when Ah said Ah ran into myself. She even smacked me over the head with a shovel,” Applejewel chuckled as she pointed at Applejack. “But with all the crystals Ah’ve used, Ah’m a bit tougher than Ah used ta be. Even if Ah hadn’t, Ah’ve always been a hard-headed and stubborn little pony. Ah tried to get Applejack here, mah own other self ta see reason, but in the end Ah had to switch places with her. Once Ah got a bit of time from doing the chores here on the farm…” She paused and smiled. “Oh, it felt right to be doing them again…anyway, after that Ah started set things in place fir the museum opening. Once all six of us are on that stage together, we’ll be connected to the Elements of Harmony. Maybe even that new Rainbow Power.” She smirked at Nightmare and Sunset. “Once we get that, we’re coming over ta your world and setting things right once and for all.”

Nightmare growled at Applejewel and Pinkamania. “You’re insane. You’re both completely insane.”

“Okay, you’ve explained just about everything else. But why? Why are you doing this?” Smog asked. “We haven’t done anything evil! Why do you hate our world so much?”

“Because it’s a lie,” Applejewel growled. “It’s all lies! Mah friends have never been the bad guys, it’s you.” She pushed her face up against the cage, glaring at Nightmare. “What Ah’d like ta know is why you’re acting this way? Ah know how yer universe works Nightmare Moon. Yer supposed to be the same as the Nightmare Moon in our world, except that you’ve got a whole heaping helping of niceness and politeness dumped onto you. But the real Nightmare Moon is buried underneath. So why would an arrogant, vicious, maniacal mare like yourself ever pretend to be a hero?”

“You’re as crazy as Pinkamania if you think I’m the bad guy here,” Nightmare told her, glaring at her defiantly.

“Don’t worry, I got her,” Pinkamania said. She snapped her fingers and teleported Nightmare out of the cage and into her clutches. But before Nightmare could fight back, Pinkamania pressed her hooves onto Nightmare’s chest. The disguised alicorn screamed in pain as she felt Pinkamania’s power burning into her, her stomach feeling as if poison had been poured into it. “She asked you a question Nightie. Why would you ever think you were the hero?”

“Because I won!”

Sunset, Smog, Applejack, Pinkie, and even Nightmare herself were all shocked at the words coming out of her own mouth. “I may not have eternal night or the throne of Equestria. But I have everything I’ve ever wanted! I’m a princess of Everfree! The mighty alicorn of the night! I have power and I have friends! I’m not even possessing her and yet I have more control over Luna than ever before! I have all the power, love, respect and admiration that I’ve ever wanted!” The demon possessing Nightmare grinned evilly at Pinkamania. “Can you say the same thing, you pitiful foal?”

Pinkamania grinned evilly right back at her. “I will soon enough.” She let go of Nightmare and teleported her back into the cage.

Poor Nightmare felt like she was going to be sick as she coughed and coughed before she managed to fully regain control of herself. “What’d…what did you do to me?”

“Pinkie just let out what was already in there,” Applejewel said. She smirked at Nightmare coldly. “What was it that yer pal Discord said? ‘When all the truth does is make your heart ache, sometimes a lie is easier to take.’ Well your whole life is nothing but a lie.”

“Yer lying,” Applejack muttered.

Applejewel angrily spun around to face her counterpart. “The hay did you just say?!”

“Ah said yer lying! That wasn’t the real Nightmare, Evil Pinkie over there just used her weird powers to make her say what she wanted ta hear!” Applejack declared. “Ah may have just met her but Ah know that this Nightmare Moon is a much kinder and honest pony than you are!”

“Applejack is right!” Pinkie declared. “I don’t need to know her whole life story to know that this Nightmare Moon is a nice pony and way nicer than you two big meanies!”

Applejewel growled. “You little…”

“Applejack, stop.” Pinkamania patted Applejewel on the shoulder and smiled calmly. “They don’t mean that. They’ve just had a confusing day. Why are we still here when we could be with our friends?”

Applejewel smiled. “Yer right Pinkie. We got a ceremony to help put on.” She walked towards the door, her head held high with overwhelming confidence. “Ya coming Pinkie?”

Pinkamania giggled. “I’ll catch up.” She cheerfully waved as Applejewel shut the door behind her.

“Oh, what now? Are we gonna hear your evil gloating?” Smog asked.

Pinkamania giggled. “It’s not really evil gloating if I’m not evil, now is it? Applejack didn’t want to explain things to Nightmare and Sunset, but it seemed fair enough to tell our other selves what was going on. As for me, I’m just returning a favor I owe you.”

“What?” Nightmare asked as Pinkamania unexpectedly smiled warmly at her.

“You know…my parents were nothing like your parents,” Pinkamania said, smiling at her counterpart. “You always got everyone to smile for you. People trust you, they love you. I tried to the same thing that you did Pinkie, but I failed miserably. I was convinced that the world I lived in was evil and that I needed to fix it.” She smiled at Nightmare again. “But then you tried to befriend me. I know you never actually wanted to be my friend but you made the attempt so that you could reform me.”

“Pinkie…we truly wanted you to be our friend,” Sunset said. “If you just let us go-”

Pinkamania smiled sadly. “You don’t have to pretend for me. It would have never worked out between us. But you showed me things. You helped me reawaken Maud, the one pony who always believed in me. I told her that I could see glimpses into another world. A better world, where our parents loved us and we had friends. She knew I hadn’t figured out the whole plan yet but she never gave up on me. And I’ve seen all the other things in your world Nightie! I’ve seen nice Diamond and Silver, I’ve seen Polaris and the grown up Cake twins, I saw Rainbow with her friend Gilda, and I’ve seen lots of people become friends with people I’d never thought they’d be friends with!”

“So then…why are you helping Applejewel attack our world?” Nightmare asked.

“Oh, it won’t be your world I’m fixing,” Pinkamania said.

“Ah don’t like the sound of that…” Applejack muttered.

“Pinkie, stop! Whatever it is you’re planning, you don’t have to do this!” Sunset cried.

Pinkamania giggled. “But I want to. Come on guys, don’t look so sad. It’ll be fun!”

“Dagnabbit, Pinkie! Can’t ya act serious for one moment of yer life!” Applejack shouted.

Pinkamania frowned. “You want me to be serious? Fine. Let’s get serious.” She conjured up a hairbrush in her hoof and brushed her mane and tail until they were both straight and hanging limply. She smiled at them and said, “I think Pinkie here will agree with me when I say that there are three things I’m always serious about. Number one is parties. Sure, we may act silly but that’s just so everyone can have fun. That’s why I always make sure that nobody party poops on a Pinkie Pie party.”

Pinkie smiled nervously. “Um…yeah, I agree with you. But…why are you smiling like that? That’s not a nice smile.”

“Number two is a Pinkie Promise. Nobody breaks a Pinkie Promise. You of all people should know that Applejack,” Pinkamania said with a smile.

Applejack shuddered. “Yeah…I know.”

“Number three…” She zoomed over to the cage and pressed her face against the bars, her eyes glowing red and her mane on fire. “NOBODY HURTS MY FRIENDS AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!”

The ponies and dragon jumped back in fright, even as Pinkamania went back to smiling cheerfully, her eyes and mane normal.

“You see…this world isn’t the only Equestria I’ve gotten glimpses of. I’ve seen worlds where all my friends just like how I always imagined them. I’ve heard ponies tell all sorts of stories about our adventures and our friendship! Even in universes where we’re fictional. In fact, right now there’s a group of people out there watching us. They’re reading a story and they think that’s it’s just a story,” she giggled.

Pinkamania floated up to one of the windows in the barn and pressed her face and hooves against the glass, smiling directly at you.

“That’s right. I seeeee you.”

Pinkamania giggled and floated away from the window. “That’s not all. I’ve seen versions of our world that are filled with such joy…and versions of our world filled with such despair.” Pinkamania’s eyes began to glow as she stared off into space. “I’ve seen worlds with a cold-hearted Nightmare Moon, a greedy Chrysalis, a cruel Diamond Tiara, and a sadistic Discord. I’ve even seen worlds with evil versions of Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Celestia…even me. I’ve seen worlds where they win and where they make everyone around them miserable. So I’m going to bring joy back to those worlds! I’m going to erase the evil from every Equestria!”

“Oh…neat!” Pinkie smiled. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“What just a minute…what do you mean erase?” Sunset asked.

Pinkamania giggled. “Simple.” She snapped her fingers and created an illusion of Discord. She snapped her fingers again and gleefully watched as the Discord illusion screamed and turned to stone. She snapped her fingers a third time, conjuring up a large hammer in her grip. She swung the hammer and smashed the statue, reducing it to rubble.

The other ponies and dragon gasped in horror as Pinkamania looked up with a smile. “Or something like that. I can always change my mind when I meet them.”

“If you hurt Discord, I will make you suffer,” Nightmare growled.

“You can’t hurt Discord!” Pinkie cried. “He’s our friend!”

“No, this Discord is friendly. There are other worlds where he never reformed and where he hurt our friends.” Pinkamania frowned. “He deserves what I’m going to do to him.” She snapped her fingers again, creating illusions of Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra, Queen Celestia, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and several others. “What I’ll do to all of them.”

“You can’t do this! I won’t let you!” Pinkie cried, tearing falling out of her eyes.

Pinkamania giggled. “Oh, my poor little me. I’ve kept you all trapped like that for too long, haven’t I?” She snapped her fingers, causing the rope and cage to disappear. Instead, giant glass bottles trapped the ponies and dragon in their own individual glass prison. She even teleported the Element of Power back onto Nightmare’s head. “Here’s the deal Princess Nightmare. You can all break these glass bottles easily but since you’re the one with alicorn strength I know that you’ll break it first. When you get out, you can take Sunset and Smog and go home. Go back to Twilight’s castle, back through the mirror, and back to Everfree. You can forget all about me and live your life with your friends and family. I give you this gift as a sign that I truly am sorry that we couldn’t be friends. Or…you can try to stop me from erasing all my enemies. But if you do that, then no more Mrs. Nice Pie. Understand?”

“I understand perfectly,” Nightmare growled as she smashed her hooves against the glass. “And we WILL stop you!”

Pinkamania giggled. “You can try. Oh, and one last thing before I forget. I finished my song!”

She snapped her fingers, causing a rainbow coloured ball of light to appear. The ball of light began to play a haunting theme as Pinkamania softly sang:

“This day is going to be perfect
The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed since I was small.
All my friends will gather round
To say I look lovely in my gown.
What they don’t know is that I have fooled you all!”

Pinkamania snapped her fingers again, creating an illusion of her filly self, dancing about and trying to make other ponies smile.

“My childhood was meant to be perfect
I’d throw parties for every creature big and small
But instead of having cake
With all my friends to celebrate
I never had a friend who cared for me at all…”

The Pinkamania in the illusion began to cry as everyone turned away from here. Slowly her tears of sorrow turned into flames of fury as she glared up at the world with glowing red eyes.

“Pinkie, think about what you’re doing!” Smog cried. “What about King Sombra? What about Chrysalis or your friends back home? You promised us that you were good now!”

Pinkamania just chuckled darkly as she conjured up illusions of King Sombra and Chrysalis…before she kicked them both into clouds of mist.

“I care not a thing about your king
I won’t be seen with your changeling queen
Your promise? Well I was lying when I said…”

Pinkamania snapped her fingers and made cotton candy clouds with chocolate rain swirl about the barn.

“That through any kind of weather
I’d want us to be together
The truth is I planned this from the start!”

“Pinkie, please don’t do this!” Applejack begged. “Just forget this whole thing and-”

Pinkamania glared at her and conjured up more illusions, this time of Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, and Rainbow Dash.

“No my life I won’t forget!
My dreams, my friends, and all of my regrets.”

The others stared in shock as Pinkamania hugged the illusions of her friends before she kissed the Rainbow illusion. Applejack and Pinkie shook their heads in disbelief. Pinkamania grinned and conjured illusions of the Elements of Harmony, placing the Element of Laughter around her neck.

“But now at last the Elements will be all mine!”

Pinkamania then faced Nightmare and smirked.

“You can’t escape before it’s too late
But don’t worry we’ll have a blast.
Your friends? Oh I’m so happy that you asked!”

Images of changelings appeared all around them. One by one, the changelings grew wide eyes and creepy grins.

“I don’t fear the monsters I’ll knock down
As smiles replace all their frowns
Now they face judgment for their crimes at last!”

Pinkamania grinned evilly at the images of Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, and Tirek that appeared.

“Now it’s time to face your doom!
Your evil, my powers will consume!”

Nightmare, Sunset, and Smog gasped as they watched the images of their friends, burned away by pink flames. An image of the Equestria flag appeared next which Pinkamania proudly saluted it and sang,

“Oh, my Equestria, I’ll be your hero again soon!”

With that last line, Pinkamania’s hair became poofy once again before she turned into a pink blur and flew to Twilight’s castle in a burst of hyperactive speed. She reached her friend Applejewel who was inside a dressing room in the castle, struggling to get into the dress that Rarity had made her for the ceremony.

“Looking good Applejack!” Pinkamania giggled as she waved her hoof, causing her fingers to disappear. She waved her hoof again and donned her own Rarity-exclusive dress, a beautiful pink gown.

Applejewel smiled. “We finally did it, Pinkie.”

They heard Rarity knock at the door. “Pardon me, Pinkie Pie, Applejack. Are you ready?”

Pinkamania flung the door open and hugged her friend. “We sure are Rarity!” She spotted her other friends and zoomed over to give Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, and Rainbow hugs.

“Wow Pinkie. That’s like the fifth hug you’ve given me today. You must be in a really good mood,” Rainbow commented.

“Of course I am! I get to share the best day of my life with the best friends I could ever ask for! I love you Rainbow Dash! I love all of you!” Pinkamania cheered.

Twilight smiled warmly. “We love you too Pinkie. I love you girls so much.”

“Hey, don’t forget me,” Spike chuckled.

As they walked outside, Pinkamania could see a crowd of ponies gathered. Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Prince Shining Armor all stood up on a platform, ready to show her friends with praise. All the kids from the Ponyville Schoolhouse were there too. Even Discord was floating off to the size, staring at Pinkamania with a confused frown. Even if he did suspect something was up, it didn’t matter. Pinkamania could feel the magic of friendship flowing into her. She grinned widely and sung once more:

“Finally the moment has arrived!
All my friends are once more by my side!” she sang as she hugged Rainbow and Twilight.

Back at the barn, the ponies and dragons were frantically clawing and kicking at the glass bottle. Just like Pinkamania said, Nightmare was the first one to escape as she smashed through the glass. “Don’t worry guys, I’ll get you out of-”

“There’s no time!” Smog cried. “We can get out of these ourselves! Nightmare, you have to stop them! GO!”

Nightmare nodded and quickly ran out of the barn as fast as her legs could carry her, for some reason singing as she ran:

“Oh, if I don’t arrive on time
The kingdom will fall to Pinkie’s crime
And Equestria will be…”

As they stepped up onto the stage, Pinkamania saw the Elements of Harmony sitting behind a glass case on the table. She grinned at the sight of them and whispered,

“Mine. All mine…”

Princess Celestia cleared her throat and spoke to the crowd. “Mares and gentlecolts. We are gathered here today in celebration of the many accomplishments of Princess Twilight Sparkle and all of her Ponyville friends. They have all done many extraordinary things, including reuniting me with my sister, Princess Luna, defeating and then reforming the spirit of chaos Discord, stopping a changeling invasion, giving hope back to the Crystal Empire, creating new magic, and defeating the dreaded Tirek. All of this, they have done with the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, the magic of friendship. Two of Princess Twilight’s friends, Pinkie Pie and Applejack, were recently able to retrieve the Elements of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony so that you can see these Elements up close at last. And now, it is my great pleasure to declare this Museum of Eternal Friendship officially open!”

The crowd cheered as Princess Celestia used her magic to cut the red ribbon, keeping the museum doors closed. The museum itself was located within Twilight’s castle, in a room that Pinkamania had added on with her powers. The best part was that the castle was so big, not even Twilight noticed the addition.

Pinkamania basked in the pure joy that filled her whole body…and she smiled even more when she saw Nightmare running towards them.

“STOP! Everyone stop!” Nightmare shouted. The crowd gasped and spun around to face Nightmare. “That’s not the real Pinkie Pie! That’s not the real Applejack! They’re imposters! They stole my crown and now they’re trying to conquer Equestria! You have to listen to me, Pinkie is evil!”

Pinkamania giggled. “Boy, she sure sounds funny. Hey Twilight, she sounds like you when you went all crazy during Cadance’s wedding!”

Princess Cadance raised an eyebrow. “But Twilight was right about that.”

Pinkamania giggled again. “Well yeah, but look at me! Do I look or sound anything like that mean old changeling queen?”

“Nyxie!” Twilight said, her voice gentle but firm. “I think I would know if my best friends were replaced by changelings or something. What’s really going on here?”

Applejewel opened her mouth to say something, but Pinkamania interrupted her. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m not evil, she is! Nyxie is the one pretending to be somepony she’s not! And I can prove it!” Grinning madly, she zipped over to the Elements of Harmony and took them out of their case, tossing the Elements to the Element bearers and Applejewel before placing the Element of Laughter around her own neck. “We’ll beat her with the magical rainbow of friendship, just like we always do!”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but count me in!” Rainbow cheered.

Applejewel raised an eyebrow and stared at her Element of Honesty. “Is it just me, or are they glowing a little…darker?”

Nightmare gasped in fear as the Elements of Harmony began to glow. She then scowled with pure rage as Pinkamania reached over and cupped Princess Luna’s face with her hooves.

“Oh Princess Luna! There’s someone I would LOVE to introduce you to!” Pinkamania sang.

“PINKIE! Get your hooves off my mom!” Nightmare roared as she charged at Pinkamania.

But Pinkamania just grinned and waved her hoof, freezing Nightmare in midair before she began to sing:

“Little Nyxie, yes it is she
But not as you know her
Read my lips and come to grips with reality!”

“Wait, how is she doing that? Is it the Elements?”” Rainbow asked as Pinkamania floated into the air and hovered in a circle around Princess Luna and then Twilight.

“Yes, meet a blast from your past
Whose lies were too good to last
Say hello to your precious little Nyxie!”

Pinkamania turned around and fired a beam of magic from her chest, making it appear like it shot from the Element of Laughter. The beam struck Nightmare and removed her Nyxie Lulamoon disguise. Her eyes became draconic once more, her vest vanished as her wings unfolded for everyone to see, and her mane and tail became magical and star-filled once again. Even her armor appeared on her body, making her look exactly like the Nightmare Moon that Ponyville feared. “Or should I say Nightmare Moon?” Pinkamania giggled.

Nightmare stared at Luna as the crowd gasped. “Luna, you have to get away from her! She’ll-”

“Why won’t you leave me alone, foul she-demon!” Princess Luna growled. “Who have you claimed this time? Crawl back to the shadows from whence you came foul monster!”

Nightmare cringed at Luna’s harsh words, feeling as if she’s just been stabbed in the stomach. Tears fell from her eyes as she whispered, “L…Loony? Mom? W-why? I…I don’t…”

Pinkamania grinned and floated closer to her, still singing,

“So Nyxie turns out to be Nightmare Moon
Just an imposter, a cruel little monster
Take it from me.”

Pinkamania waved her hoof again, turning day to night as the sun lowered and the moon rose into the air. “Pinkie, what are you doing?” Applejewel asked, feeling confused and nervous.

“Her aggression and her treason
Give me plenty of reason.”

Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejewel gasped as they felt the Elements tug on their necks and head. It felt as if they were being lifted into the air by puppet strings. Pinkamania grinned widely, filled with the power of both disharmony and harmony as a rainbow coloured ball of energy formed in her hooves. She raised the ball over her head and aimed it at Nightmare.

“To send her packing on a one-way trip
So her prospects take a permanent dip
Her powers will be frozen, ‘cause the venue chosen
Is beyond of the earth – WHOOPEE!”

Nightmare screamed as the Elements of Harmony blasted her right in the face and banished her straight to the moon, leaving the Element of Power to clatter onto the ground. Pinkamania grinned as the Mare in the Moon appeared on Luna’s moon once more. She waved at it cheerfully, laughing like mad.

“So long! Ex-Element of HAR…MON…EEEEEY! Eh ha, ha, ha! AH HA HA HA!”

Rainbow stared at her friend with some concern as the Elements of Harmony lowered them back down. “Um, Pinkie? Are you feeling okay?”

Pinkamania grinned at her. “Oh Dashie…I feel alive.”

“W-why were the Elements acting so strangely?” Fluttershy whispered nervously. “It felt l-like they were c-controlling us instead of the other way around.” She closed her eyes and shuddered.

“I know what you mean darling. It felt as if my necklace was strangling me! But what I’m most worried about is why would Nightmare Moon return at a time like this?” Rarity asked.

“Nightmare Moon! Don’t worry, we’ll save you!” they heard Pinkie cry. The crowd of ponies gasped as three mares and one dragon ran towards them.

“Wait…two Pinkie Pies? Two Applejacks?” Twilight stared at Sunset and Smog as they came to a halt. “Sunset, what’s going on?”

Princess Celestia’s eyes widened. “Sunset Shimmer?”

Applejack glared at Applejewel. “What’s going on is that she ain’t the real me! Ah am!”

“Yeah! And that’s not me either!” Pinkie cried as she pointed at her counterpart. “They’re some kind of alternate usesses!”

“That’s not a real world,” Spike said.

“Really? So what would be the plural for us? I mean, ‘us’ is a plural already.” Pinkie tapped her chin in thought. “Gosh, it’d be a lot easier if it was just one pony from an alternate dimension we were dealing with. Do you remember that time I made a bunch of mirror clones and I had to deal with all those mes and wow, saying mes sounds a lot better than usesses.”

“Don’t listen them! They’re trying to confuse y’all!” Applejewel said.

Applejack smirked. “Oh what? Yer going to tell them we’re changelings? Ya might be really good at twisting the truth but there’s no way you can say that without lying. And from what Ah gathered, yer even worse than me at telling big, fat lies.”

“Where is Nightie – I mean Nyxie?!” Smog shouted at Pinkamania.

“Oh no…” Sunset whispered as she picked Nightmare’s Element of Power off the ground.

“It appears that the mare known as Nyxie was Nightmare Moon in disguise,” Princess Luna said. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What do you know of her?”

Smog shut his eyes tightly in frustration before he opened them again and looked Princess Luna in the eye. “I know that she’s my best friend and that she’s nothing like the Nightmare Moon of this world. She’s a good person.”

Sunset stared back at the princess too. “Our world is very different from yours. Princess Twilight, I’m sorry we lied to you. The truth is that where we’re from, Nightmare Moon is a beloved princess of our kingdom and the bearer of this Element of Power, the counterpart to your own Element.” She held up the Element to show them. “I wield another one of the Elements of Redemption along with my friends as we defend our Crystal Empire from any and all threats. Including that Pink Demon up there.”

Applejewel snorted. “Would y’all listen to yourselves? Y’all sound ridiculous! Pinkie, would ya help me out here? …Pinkie?”

Pinkamania smiled at her. “Applejack, it’s okay. We don’t have to hide anymore. Without Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Redemption won’t work. But more importantly, we finally have the Elements of Harmony. We’ve won.”

“Pinkie Pie? What are you talking about?” Princess Celestia asked with some concern.

“Applejack? What’s going on?” Apple Bloom said as her gaze darted from Applejewel to Applejack, pain and confusion in her eyes.

Pinkamania giggled as she floated higher into the air. “Sorry kids, not telling the story again! But I WILL leave you all enlightened!” She then placed her front hooves on her forehead, before a blinding flash of light exploded out from her eyes.

Applejewel gasped as everyone else in the crowd collapsed onto the ground, clutching their heads in pain. The other Element bearers, Big Macintosh, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the princesses, even Discord was suffering from a severe headache. “Pinkie, what are you doing?!” she cried.

Pinkamania smiled. “I’m just filling them all in on everything. All of Nightie’s adventures back in Everfree and all of MY adventures that have lead up to this. Sadly, stuffing all that information all at once always leads to a doozy of a double-whammy headachy! But this way, they’ll be all caught up.”

Twilight was the first to recover, as her massive headache slowly faded away. “That was a…good Nightmare Moon?”

“Gilda’s…still my friend?” Rainbow whispered.

“Cadance and me? Poison? A wedding? W-what’s going on?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“A hundred years…without Twilight,” Spike mumbled, his eyes watering a little.

“Diamond Tiara…was our friend?” Scootaloo asked, still whimpering from the headache.

“Nightmare Moon…” Princess Luna trailed off, the memories that been forced onto her leaving her completely speechless.

Pinkamania covered her mouth with her hoof as she held back a snicker as she floated over to Discord. “Boy, you were right Discord.” She raised her hoof and yanked him into the air. “The looks on your faces are priceless.”

“Release him at once!” Princess Celestia demanded as she fired a huge beam of magic at Pinkamania, who caught the spell in her hoof and shaped it into a ball.

“Oopsie daisy! I think you dropped this Princess Celestia, do you want it back?” Pinkamania bounced the ball of magic a couple of times before she sent it floating back into Celestia’s horn.

Discord smiled nervously. “Now Pinkie my dear, you still prefer Pinkie, right?”

Pinkamania giggled. “Yeah. It was kinda funny at first when Sombra and his buddies kept calling me Pink One this and Pink Demon that…but the joke’s gotten old now.”

Discord chuckled nervously. “Right. Now Pinkie my dear, from those memories you’ve shown me, you’re in the same spot that I used to be! I can’t imagine why your reformation isn’t sticking but shockingly enough the magic of friendship truly is-”

“What would you know about friendship?” Pinkamania growled. “You think a little ‘I’m sorry’ to Fluttershy makes everything you did all okay? You betrayed us to Tirek. You made Fluttershy cry. Even before that, you tried to destroy MY Equestria. You discorded my friends, you made Applejack a liar, Rarity a hoarder, ME a grump, and Fluttershy…” Pinkamania sighed and shook her head. “You would have turned my friends into monsters if you hadn’t been stopped. Now I’ll make sure you never hurt them again…”

Fluttershy gasped as she saw pink flames dance around Pinkie’s hoof. “NO! Please Pinkie, don’t hurt him!”

Pinkamania lowered her hoof and smiled at Fluttershy. “Aw, would you look at that? Fluttershy always stands up for her friends, even when they don’t deserve it. Okie dokie Flutters. I won’t hurt this Discord. Instead, I’ll just do this.” She turned to Discord and opened her mouth wide.

“Not again!” Discord cried as his chaotic magic poured out of his mouth and into Pinkamania’s as she drained him of his magic.

“And now, the final touch.” Pinkamania pointed her hoof at Discord, engulfing him in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, an earth stallion with a grey coat, a dark gray mane and tail, and a cutie mark of a twister stood where Discord had been. Fluttershy gasped and flew over to the fallen earth stallion. “There you go Discord! Now you know it feels. Don’t worry you still have enough magic for a normal earth pony.” Pinkamania’s eyes darted to two fillies in the crowd. “Speaking of…”

Diamond and Silver both screamed as they saw their cutie marks vanish. “What have you done?!” they cried simultaneously.

“Oh, don’t look so sad girls. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are always looking for new members.” Pinkamania laughed as she telekinetically flung the two bullies at the hooves of Apple Bloom, Sweetie, and Scootaloo. “Congratulations crusaders! They’re all yours now.”

“Leave them alone!” Sunset shouted as she blasted a beam of magic at the Pink Demon.

Pinkamania just dodged out of the way and smiled. “It’s been fun Sunny. Goodbye,” she said as she waved her hoof and sent Sunset and Smog flying away.

“ENOUGH! We will not allow you to torment our subjects any longer!” Princess Luna shouted.

“Even the ones who deserve it?” Pinkamania asked. “Ponies like the Flim Flam brothers, Suri Polomare, the changelings, Blueblood, Lightning Dust, or Starlight Glimmer?”

Rainbow glared at her. “Who in the hay is Starlight Glimmer?”

Pinkamania shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I’ll just have to find out when I invite her to a very…special…party...”

“You will not prevail, Trickster!” Princess Celestia shouted. “Twilight Sparkle! Use the Elements of Harmony!”

Pinkamania just rolled her eyes and giggled. “Oh sure. ‘Cause the last time you used the Elements on one of their own bearers worked so well…isn’t that right, Princess Luna?” She flew around in circles and gave them all a mad grin. “Don’t you get it Celestia?”

Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejewel gasped as the Elements around their necks glowed brightly before firing beams of magic at Pinkamania. The Pink One absorbed their magic and began to toy with her new power, causing rainbow coloured clouds to fill the skies and gemstones and apple trees to rise from the earth.

Pinkamania let out a deranged chuckle. “If the magic of friendship is the most powerful force in Equestria…then what does that make me?”

A piano floated past them all as Pinkamania spread her hooves wide and sang:

“This day has been just perfect!
The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed since I was small.
Everybody I’ll soon control!
Every stallion, mare, and foal!
Who says a girl can’t really have it all?”

~~To be continued…~~

THE END

Well that was fun! Oh, hi there! It’s me, Pinkie Pie! In case you were wondering, the songs that I sang were based off Queen Chrysie’s famous song and Prince Ali! You know, the reprise sung by that guy with the snake staff. Sorry if I sounded a little crazy back there, but I’m just SO excited! And I just can’t hide it! He, he! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed watching Nightie’s story now, because it’s over. Yeah, I’m sad to see her go too. But don’t worry! Now you’ll get to watch me on my adventure to erase all the evil from Equestria! So, anywhere specific you nice people want me to check out first? Any world where Discord won, or Twilight went crazy, or something else? Well, let me know if you think of a place! Anyway, you won’t have to wait long for the next chapter in my story.

See you later…friend…

Equestria, the Final Part: A Song of Smiles

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Equestria, the Final Part: A Song of Smiles

“You know, bad language makes for bad feelings, Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie said.

Dash didn’t have anything to say. She just sobbed and writhed in her tight bonds.

“Well” said Pinkie with an air of finality, “that’s enough reminiscing. It’s time to begin.”

“I think I hate you most of all.”

Dash’s eyes widened at the presence of the newcomer. There were now two Pinkie Pie’s in the room with her. The one with the scalpel and the skull and the hideous dress…and the one with glowing red eyes, like a vengeful pink demon. She didn’t know which one was worse at the moment.

The first Pinkie blinked in surprise. “What? I…what?!”

The other Pinkie’s eyes stopped glowing as she stared at Dash in concern. She waved her hoof and suddenly, Dash was free. She wasn’t strapped to the table anymore and was instead lying down next to the other Pinkie. The other Pinkie smiled lovingly at her and gently brushed her hoof over Dash’s mane.

“P-Pinkie? W-what’s going on?” Dash whispered, her voice full of confusion, fear, and a tiny bit of hope.

“It’s okay Dashie,” the other Pinkie said as she placed her hoof over Dash’s forehead, causing her eyes to swirl with hypnotic colours. “Fly home Dash. Fly back to your cloud house, climb into bed, and close your eyes. When you open them again, this will be nothing more than a bad dream.

Dash slowly nodded before the other Pinkie waved her hoof and teleported her away.

“Hey! Why’d you do that you meanie?” the Pinkie with the scalpel complained. “Her number was up! I was going share my work with Dashie in her final moments! I’m gonna-”

But she didn’t get any farther as Pinkamania glared at her. The Pinkie wearing the dress was sent crashing into the wall, then the ceiling, and then the wall again, before she landed onto the table, the straps tightening as they restrained her.

“You don’t get to talk!” Pinkamania snapped at her evil alternate self.

“Hey! Lemme go! I have to get to the numbers! Dashie’s number is up!” the evil Pinkie whined as she struggled against her restraints.

Pinkamania shook her head in disgust. “You don’t even know what you did wrong, do you?” She smirked coldly and poked the other Pinkie’s head with her hoof. “That’ll be the first thing I fix.”

The other Pinkie’s eyes began to swim with hypnotic colours. When the spirals vanished from her eyes, she shook her head slowly, before she let out a horrified gasp. “What…what did you do to me?”

Pinkamania smirked and lazily floated above the other pink mare. “I reversed your personality…by changing it back to what it was supposed to be.” She levitated the scalpel over to herself and made it float around her hoof as she examined it with a bored expression. “You had the cheerful and goofy attitude…but it clashed horribly with…well, with every other part of your disgusting personality. So I gave you the same loyalty I feel towards my own friends, just to let you know what a horrible pony you are.”

The other Pinkie whimpered. “All those ponies…poor Gilda…oh Dashie! I was going to…to…to my own best friend!” she sobbed.

Pinkamania nodded. “It’s good that we could finally get to the biggest part of the problem. I really don’t like all these other bad habits you picked up either.” She conjured up a piece of paper and frowned as she read it. “I mean, would you look at these puns? ‘I’m going to wing it now?’ ‘I got my I on you?’ Not to mention these puns with the pancreas, kidney, liver, bladder, and stomach.” She shook her head and lit the page on fire with a wave of her hoof. “Those aren’t just horrible, those are weak. That’s not up to my standards for comedy at all.”

She glared at the sobbing Pinkie. “Looks like your skills in dress making are just as bad.” She waved her hoof and the dress vanished off of the other Pinkie, as well as the horn necklace. “You are definitely no Rarity,” Pinkamania said as she set the dress and necklace on fire too. “Oh, that reminds me. Somewhere out there are some universes where my friends caught the same sick thoughts that made you do all this. There’s one where Rarity tried to make dresses with all the wrong parts, one where Dr. Twilight went way too crazy with her experiments, and one where Rainbow treated Scootaloo rather horribly. I mean, I’ve tasted rainbows and let me tell you they are NOT made out of little ponies. And I’ll have to talk to two different Fluttershys about how badly they were treating Dashie.”

The other Pinkie wasn’t even listening, too busy crying her eyes out and being overwhelmed by guilt.

Pinkamania wrinkled her nose in disgust at the room. “Your interior decorating is also horrible. Really, I’m just sick of everything here.” She waved her hoof again and erased the years of work that the evil Pinkie had put into her cupcake operation from existence. “Ah, that’s better. The air actually smells clean again. When this is over, I think I’ll go back in time to whenever it is you first started doing this. I may not know who those other ponies were, but I’ll be happier knowing that they’re alive again. Gilda too, I mean she might have been a bully but she’s WAY better than you. I guess the only reason I came to this point first is that, well…I wanted to enjoy this next part.”

The other Pinkie’s eyes widened as Pinkamania hovered over her with a vicious grin. “Well as you said, it’s time to begin.”

Pinkie sniffled. “Y-you’re right. Oh Celestia, you’re right. I’ve been a horrible pony. I deserve the same fate as all those others…”

Pinkamania chuckled, but there was no humor in her voice. “Silly filly, I’m NOT going to kill you. I think we already established that you’re the only sicko who tries to ruin cupcakes for all of us. Besides, I already cleaned up all the messy stuff. I’m trying to keep my adventures and my revenge kid-friendly after all.”

The other Pinkie gasped. “W-what? But then…w-what are you going to do to me?”

Pinkamania smirked coldly at the evil Pinkie as her hoof glowed with chaotic power. “I don’t know yet. I guess we’ll have to use our imaginations…”

Sunset and Smog screamed as they flew through the crystal mirror and landed on the floor.

“HA! You have foolishly sealed your fate Gilda! For Trixie has been hiding a royal flush from you all!” Trixie declared from her spot on the floor.

“Oh no you’re not, you liar!” Gilda argued.

“Um, guys? Sunset and Smog are back,” Chrysalis said as she looked up from the card game they were playing.

“Ah! You have returned,” Trixie said as the three of them stood up from their game and walked over to where the unicorn and dragon had fallen. “Were you successful in recovering Nightmare’s Element?”

Chrysalis frowned. “Where is Nightmare anyway? Why isn’t she with you?”

“Guys! Nightmare’s in trouble!” Smog cried as he sprang to his feet.

“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” Gilda growled as her wings flared open.

Instead of answering, Smog made a desperate run back to the crystal mirror. But when he reached the mirror all he did was smack into solid glass. “What? No! No, no, no!” Smog cried as he clawed the glass, trying to rip the portal open again.

“What? Why isn’t the portal working?” Chrysalis asked.

“Smog, chill. What’s going on?” Gilda asked.

“It’s Pinkie,” Sunset growled as she stood up. “She teamed up with Applejewel, the one who stole Nightmare’s crown, as part of some grand scheme to take over Equestria.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “Equestria? Like the Equestria forest? Who cares about that place?”

Sunset groaned and shook her head. “No, Equestria is the name of the kingdom we arrived in.”

“That’s not the point!” Smog shouted as he glared back at them. “We saw Pinkie banish Nightmare to the moon right before she sent the two of us flying through the portal and back here!”

“What?! I’m gonna freaking break Pinkie in two!” Gilda growled.

“Not directly back here,” Sunset groaned as she rubbed her aching head. “Pinkie thought it would be funny to make us do loop-de-loops all over the sky before we got back to the mirror in the castle. And now it looks like we can’t get back there to help her.”

Trixie blazed with determination. “Well then we’ll just have to find someone who can open it again!”

Gilda clenched her talons into fists. “Now you’re talking! Let’s get the others here and go kick Pinkie’s flank!”

Discord landed in the gallery with a flash of light, gasping for breath. Nowhere near as graceful as his other teleports usually were but in his defense, he was a little too terrified to be thinking clearly. He looked up to see two statues in the middle of his gallery, a solid gold statue of a large alicorn, and a smaller silver one next to it.

“Oh, thank chaos!” he cried as he flew over to the statues. He snapped his fingers frantically in front of the statues’ faces, over and over. “Come on! Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!”

Slowly, the gold and silver melted off of the two alicorns. For the first time in what felt like years, Celestia and Luna could breathe. The two of them gasped for breath for several seconds before they glared at Discord. “You soulless monster,” Luna growled.

Discord held up his claw and paw in defense. “Now ladies, I understand that you might be mad at me…”

“What happened to ‘I don’t turn ponies into stone’ Discord?” Celestia asked with a cold glare.

“Technically I turned you to gold and silver, but believe me Celestia, I am sorry for what I have done. Very sorry.” Discord jumped as a shiver went through his whole body. “Gah! Listen, there’s no time for this! Please, promise me that you’ll protect me and I’ll give you back your kingdom! I’ll put everything back the way it was and leave Equestria forever just please! HELP ME!” he cried as he threw himself at their hooves.

Celestia and Luna both stared at Discord in shock. While they had been looking forward to reclaiming their kingdom and getting sweet revenge on Discord, this was rather worrying. If something could scare Discord and could scare him this much, what could they do against it? “Why do you require our aid? Who or what is after you?” Celestia asked.

Discord shuddered as he stared at the bottoms of their hooves. “I-it started out just like any another day, a day for me to do whatever I wanted. Your little ponies were all hallucinating, heartbroken, depressed, and grumpy. But then Pinkie Pie smiled at me. At first I thought she wasn’t angry anymore, she was pink again, all smiley and cheerful and goofy, but no. No, no, no, I was wrong. She IS angry, very angry. Which wouldn’t be a problem but now she’s got chaos magic, she’s got chaos stronger than me and I don’t know what to do, oh chaos she’s going to get me!” Discord cried, blubbering out of confusion and fear. “P-please! You have to help me!”

“Oh, Discord. Of course we’ll help you,” Luna said as she and Celestia gently placed their hooves on his shoulders.

Discord looked up with hope in his eyes. “You will?” His hopeful smile died immediately as he noticed their own smiles. Stretched out grins and wide eyes just like the others.

“Of course we will. This is a Pinkie Pie party after all, and you’re the guest of honour,” Luna said as ropes, vines, and streamers began to stretch out of the floor and snake their way towards him.

Discord screamed like a little filly as he felt two pink hooves cover his eyes. “Guess who?” He jumped away from the floating Pinkie Pie, desperately trying to teleport away with a snap of his fingers. “Oh no, Dissy! You’re not escaping my party a second time!” Pinkamania gave him an evil grin. “You really should have seen this coming Dissy. You wanted me to be angry? Well now I’m really angry…”

“Hush now…quiet now…” he heard Fluttershy whisper. The other Elements of Chaos had entered the gallery now, their gray coats restored to their original colours as they all stared at him with those creepy grins. “Auntie Pinkie Pie will make it all better.”

Twilight giggled at him. “You just had to make a mess of everything, didn’t you? But it won’t matter now. Pinkie has already put everything back the way it was. Everyone has been cured…and blessed. We just have to deal with you.”

Rarity giggled. “But don’t worry darling…we can still make this fun.”

Discord gulped before he shakily stared Pinkamania down. “Y-you think I’m afraid of you? I’m Discord, the master of chaos! You think you can boss me around? You think you can defeat me?”

Pinkamania grinned. “Sure! After all…I’ve done it before.” She snapped her fingers and summoned…another Discord. Only this chaos spirit was tiny, smaller than a filly’s front hoof. Pinkamania grabbed the tiny Discord and wiped her mouth with him, as if he was nothing more than a napkin. She snapped her fingers and vanished him away.

“That…that was just a trick. A…a c-cheap toy you conjured up,” Discord stammered.

Dash giggled. “Oh, come on Pinkie. Let’s hurry up so we can really watch him squirm!”

Discord gulped. “W-what are you going to do to me?”

“Well gee, what do ya think I’m going to do first?” Pinkamania asked as she snapped her fingers. Discord screamed again as he felt his limbs begin to turn to stone. “Aww, that always manages to freak you out, doesn’t it?” Pinkamania zipped over to him and forced his mouth open. “But leaving you as just a stone statue is kinda boring.” She snapped her fingers again, halting his transformation. The half-statue could only shake with fear as dark plaid magic poured out of his mouth and flowed into Pinkamania’s mouth.

Pinkamania smirked and began to float away as Discord’s face froze into a forced smile. “What to do now…I know! I bet a Nightmare or two’s magic would taste really good…”

“And then she waved her hoof and blasted us into the air!” Smog explained to his friends as he finished telling them the whole story of what had happened to him, Nightmare, and Sunset in Equestria. Discord had immediately got to work on trying to cancel Pinkamania’s spell and open the portal when he had arrived, but it had already been a few hours. With nothing else to do but wait, Smog and Sunset had told them everything that had happened while they were in Equestria. “We got knocked back through the portal and now we can’t get it open!”

Chrysalis sighed and shook her head. “Pinkie…how could you do this?”

“I’m a little more shocked that Applejewel would do this,” King Sombra said. “Although it sounds like she has lost control over the Pink Trickster as well.”

Trixie frowned. “From what Trixie has gathered from their story, it sounds like Princess Twilight knew at least a little bit about this alternate world. Do you think she has allied herself with Pinkie too?”

“That’s ridiculous,” King Sombra said. “Princess Twilight has been with me all day.”

“What? But we saw Princess Twilight go through the mirror during our turn watching it,” Gilda said.

“Exactly. She said she was concerned about what was taking Nightmare so long so she went through the portal…and…wait,” Chrysalis said. Her eyes widened and she exclaimed, “That was Pinkie in disguise, wasn’t it?!”

Duchess Celestia tapped her chin in thought. “So she disguised herself as Applejewel, then returned as herself to assist Princess Twilight in casting her spell to scan this alternate world, and then disguised herself as Twilight earlier today so that she could enter the portal without any cause for suspicion.” She sighed. “The Pink One has proven herself to be a far greater trickster than we had originally thought.”

“We can worry about the details later,” Duchess Luna said as she paced back and forth nervously. “Right now Moony is trapped in another world and at the mercy of the Pink Demon. I find that I am not too concerned about her being banished to the moon, as this isn’t the first time Pinkie has done this to Nightmare. I know that Moony can survive, but I fear that eventually the Pink Demon will return so that she can have her ‘fun’ with Nightmare.”

Duchess Celestia frowned. “You’re right Luna. We have some time before the Pink One is likely to return to tormenting Princess Nightmare, but we are quickly running out of it. How goes the portal, Discord?”

Discord grunted as he gripped the edges of the crystal mirror with his paw and claw, channeling his power into the portal. “Ask me again in a few minutes. Or you know, whenever the air doesn’t taste like purple.”

Smog sighed. “Well that’s better than what you said before…I think.”

Pinkamania smiled up at the moon. “You know, maybe this is a sign that I’m not taking this seriously enough. This all feels like a game to me. Speaking of which, just another friendly reminder that you can stop me at anytime, Nightie.”

Nightmare Moon glared at Pinkamania from behind her crystal cage. “I will not surrender to your game you cursed spirit of chaos. I will-”

Pinkamania yawned as a zipper appeared over Nightmare Moon’s mouth and zipped it shut. “Hey Twilight, was she really this annoying when she was brainwashing you?”

Twilight Sparkle glared at Nightmare Moon. “She was far worse than that. Even worse than I could have imagined from what you have shown me Mistress. I’m so glad that you saved us all.”

Pinkamania grimaced. “Oopsie, guess I missed part of that spell.” She waved a hoof at Twilight Sparkle’s head and smiled. “There we go, you don’t have to call me Mistress, Twily. You don’t have to call anyone that.”

Nightmare Moon growled as she managed to unzip her mouth. “Do you truly believe this terrible fate is better for Equestria Twilight? If you release me, I shall-”

“SHUT UP!” Twilight Sparkle screamed. “Just shut up! It’s bad enough that you tried to control me, but Pinkie showed me what you were about to do! What you did to Celestia and to all my friends! You don’t control our lives! You are NOT my princess and I am NOT your pet, you monster!”

“Monster? I may have tried to take over Equestria, but I never tried to destroy it like your friend plans to do in a few hours!” Nightmare Moon snarled.

“Hours?” Pinkamania giggled. “You must be really bad at telling time…no, you’ve got less than five minutes now.”

Nightmare Moon gasped as her eyes darted back up to her precious moon. The moon had a face, but it was very different from the Mare in the Moon. Instead, two large blue eyes and an even larger pink grin were stretched across the moon’s face. Ponies all over Equestria stared in horror at the moon with Pinkie’s face as it edged closer to the face of the planet.

“Five minutes…you’re actually serious,” Nightmare Moon whispered. “You plan to destroy the planet with my moon.”

Pinkamania shrugged. “You were going to do the same thing, it just would’ve taken a lot longer. You do know that eternal night would freeze everypony, don’t you?”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened in horror, as part of Luna’s personality managed to claw its way to the surface of her mind. “Please! I only wanted my subjects to love me!”

“You banished Celestia to the sun. You brainwashed Twilight into being your pet. If I hadn’t come by to stop you, you would have hurt my friends, hurt Twilight’s family, and eventually hurt everyone. You’re not the victim here Nightmare Moon…but you can still stop this,” Pinkamania said.

Nightmare Moon shut her eyes tightly in pain and frustration as she fought herself. Eventually she cried out, “Alright, you win! I surrender! I beg of you, STOP THIS!”

Pinkamania grinned and snapped her fingers, putting the moon back where it was before and removing her face from it. “There we go! Once Celestia sees that, she can go ahead and raise the sun.” She turned to Nightmare Moon and asked, “Now what do you say to Twilight, missy?”

Nightmare Moon’s ears folded down. “I…I’m sorry for the way I treated you Twilight Sparkle.”

Pinkamania floated over to her. “There now, was that so hard? Still, I better make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Pinkamania waved her hoof and the cage around Nightmare Moon disappeared. Before the dark alicorn could react to this, she gasped as Pinkamania punched her hoof straight into Nightmare Moon’s chest. Her hoof wriggled around a bit before she pulled out Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon’s body. “There you go Luna!”

The flabbergasted Princess Luna’s gaze darted all over the place. “I…I am free?”

“Yepperoonie! You’re free of your nightmare, princess. Here, you should go see Celestia now, she’s really worried about you,” Pinkamania said. She teleported Princess Luna away before she returned her attention to what had previously been Nightmare Moon, before it had turned into a cloud of dark magic. “Oh, don’t look so sad Moon cloudy. I’ll put you to good use.”

Twilight Sparkle smiled as Pinkie drank the leftover magic of the monster who had tormented her.

“Okay, we might be onto something here,” Trixie said as she backed away from the mirror. “Individually, the portal resists our attempts to open it. But combining our magic could force the portal open.”

“Yeah, for less than a second,” Gilda growled. “Even I can’t fly through a tiny portal fast enough. Come on, there has to be something we haven’t tried yet! Darn it, why isn’t Dash or Rarity helping us here?”

“I saw Rainbow Dash and Rarity in Ponyville,” Sunset said. “With two Applejacks and two Pinkie Pies in there already, I’d rather not risk upsetting the balance by bringing anyone else who has a counterpart in Ponyville.”

“We’re bringing Discord, aren’t we? And who gives a flying feather about the ‘balance’ of this world? We’re trying to save Nightmare, aren’t we?” Gilda argued.

Duchess Luna frowned at the mirror. “We’re running out of time. There must be something else we can do!”

“Pardon me, Yer Majesty. But Ah think Ah can help y’all.”

Everyone in the room turned around to see Apple Bloom enter the mirror chamber. “Apple Bloom? How did you get in here?” King Sombra asked.

“And what happened to your eye kid?” Gilda asked, feeling a little creeped out at the sight of Apple Bloom’s red eye.

Discord grinned. “Now Gilda, you should know the answer to your question already. And I was the one who invited her here, King Sombra. I take it Eris wasn’t any trouble?”

Apple Bloom walked towards the mirror. “Nah, she knew how serious this is. Ah would have gotten here myself, but Big Macintosh didn’t believe me when Ah told him what Applejack was doing.” She stared at her reflection in the mirror and shuddered. “Ah can see her. Mah sis is terrified outta her mind right now, not knowing what Pinkie’s doing.”

“What is she doing?” Princess Twilight asked.

“Um…it’s actually not that bad,” Apple Bloom admitted. “She’s getting rid of a lot of bad guys in worlds where they won. But…Ah’d be lying if Ah said Ah’m not worried about what this’ll lead to. That’s why Ah’m here.”

“If you have an idea, please share it,” Duchess Celestia said gently, but with a scared and desperate edge to it.

“Yeah, Ah’ve got an idea…and the key to open this thing.” Apple Bloom cringed as she closed her normal one and focused her red eye on the mirror. “This is gonna hurt…”

Empress Twilight Sparkle cried out in pain as she was thrown into the wall. Her entire body ached from the losing battle she was fighting in, but she stood back up to face the chaotic version of her former friend. “You…I have to stop you…you’re chaos incarnate…you’ll destroy my perfect…harmonious Equestria if I don’t…stop you…”

Pinkamania yawned and went back to inspecting her hoof as another spark zapped across it. She then smiled sheepishly and said, “I’m sorry Twilight, that must have looked a little rude. I’m not yawning at you…okay, never mind I am. It’s not your fault Twilight, it’s just…I’ve kinda heard you say that already. You’re like the thirtieth evil Twilight I’ve fought today. Then there are all those evil versions of our friends…”

“Friends? W-what have you done to them?!” Empress Twilight growled.

Pinkamania shrugged. “I guess I can show you some of them.” She waved a hoof and a door appeared in the wall.

Empress Twilight glared at the chaotic Pinkie suspiciously, before curiosity overwhelmed her and forced her to take a peek inside. Empress Twilight took several steps back out of fear as several creepy grins stared back at her.

Pinkamania floated over to the room and began pointing at ponies. “Those are a few Nightmare Moons, Discords, changelings, and Sombras over there, you can guess what their stories are. That’s Rainbow Dash, she worked at an evil rainbow factory and she was about to seriously hurt Scootaloo before I stopped her. There’s Big Macintosh, he tried to hurt Scootaloo too plus Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. There’s Cheerilee over there and she tried to hurt a whole bunch of colts and fillies. That Fluttershy tried to hurt Rainbow again and that Fluttershy tried to turn Rainbow Dash into a baby, so I had to stop her too. There’s Rarity and she tried to…you’re not listening to me anymore are you?”

“What have you done to them?!” Empress Twilight snarled.

Pinkamania rolled her eyes. “Boy, your memory must be terrible in this world Empress Twily. You’re really going to be mad at me after what you tried to do to our friends in this world? I’m just glad that I reversed what you did.” She smiled at Empress Twilight and said, “But that’s enough reminiscing for now. I really should just skip ahead and drain your magic now, shouldn’t I?”

Apple Bloom smiled and rubbed her eye as the last traces of magical mirror glass floated out of it and back into the portal. “It’s all gone…oh thank Celestia, it’s finally all gone!”

Duchess Celestia smiled. “I played no part in healing your eye Apple Bloom. You came here of your own volition to help us restore the portal. We might be able to save my niece now because of your bravery.”

Apple Bloom weakly smiled. “Thank ya kindly, Princess Celestia. Oops, I mean Duchess.” She rubbed her eye and began to crawl over to the wall. “Sorry, but Ah feel pretty drained right now. A nap…sounds good…”

“You’ve earned it Apple Bloom. Now stand aside everyone! The Great and Powerful Trixie has so got this!” Trixie declared confidently. Her horn glowed with power and she shot a beam of magic at the portal.

“Well that didn’t work,” Spike said.

Twilight Sparkle was dead inside. After all the loops, after that nightmare she had forced everyone under during her time as the changeling queen, and after catching a glimpse of hope that she might be free of this never-ending nightmare only to wind up back in the library…she was dead inside.

Spike was able to pick up that something was very wrong with Twilight just from the expression on her face. “W-what? Twilight, are you okay? Can you hear me? Twilight, what’s wrong?!”

“Don’t worry Spikey, that’s what I’m here to fix.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she quickly scrambled to her hooves to stare in amazement at her friend. “Pinkie Pie? How, what, how, why, what, HOW?!”

Pinkamania smiled. “I know about the time loop Twilight. I’m from outside the loop and I’m here to end it.”

The flabbergasted Twilight could only stare at Pinkamania with her mouth hanging open. “What? H-how, possible, time, Elements, changeling, Star Swirl, tea, what, how?”

Pinkamania winced. “Ooh, you’ve had a pretty rough time, haven’t you? Well Pinkie’s here to cheer you up.” She bounced towards Twilight and tapped her on the horn three times. Twilight violently twitched as she felt something snap through her entire body. Pinkamania stepped back and gave her a smile. “There you go Twily! You’re not in a time loop anymore.”

“THANK YOU PINKIE!” Twilight cried, tears of joy pouring out of her eyes. She threw herself at Pinkamania’s hooves and began to kiss them over and over, expressing her undying gratitude to Pinkie.

For her part, Pinkamania was happy to meet a nice version of her friend again. “Aw, it was no problem Twilight. Sorry, but I better get going. I’ve got a changeling invasion to stop…again,” she added with a giggle.

“Thank you Pinkie…” Twilight mumbled. “I…I don’t deserve you…”

Pinkamania spun back around to face Twilight. “Hey, no more sad Twilight! That nightmare is over, you’re free now. You can forget all about hurting your friends, hurting Luna, and conquering Canterlot.”

Twilight stared up at her friend in horror. “W-what? H-how do you know about that?”

“Never mind the how Twilight. After seeing you escape this time loop in one universe, only for you to never escape it in this universe? I couldn’t leave my friend to a fate like that. Sure, I’m very disappointed in you for what you did when you were the changeling queen but…” Pinkamania sighed. “I have a pretty good idea of how it feels to lose hope and to turn yourself into something that isn’t completely equine anymore.” She smiled again and said, “Take care of her Spike.”

Pinkamania left the library and began to hover off the ground, slowly making her way to Celestia and Queen Chrysalis. She smiled when she reached the dozen disguised changelings guarding Celestia’s room, before she opened her mouth and devoured all that lovely green magic.

Discord shuddered as he felt several twitches slide down his body. “Oh dear…that can’t be good.”

“What can’t be good?” Chrysalis asked him.

“I’m sensing a strong magical disturbance coming from what has to be Pinkie…and Pinkie isn’t even in the same universe anymore,” Discord explained. “Which can only mean that Pinkie is absorbing magic that she really shouldn’t be absorbing…”

Prince Blueblood cringed as Pinkie levitated him up to her eye level. “Please! Stay back! I just had myself groomed!”

Pinkamania giggled. “F-funny. T-that’s what the last B-Blueblood said.” She paused to straighten out her twitchy alligator tail. “T-that’s funny. That wasn’t a Pinkie s-sense. W-wonder why my t-tail’s a t-twitching?”

Princess Celestia hesitantly called out to her. “Pinkie Pie…if that is who you truly are…while I am grateful for your aid in capturing Blueblood before he could do something truly unforgivable, I must insist-”

Pinkamania giggled, causing her wings to flutter as she did so. “Oh, it was n-no t-trouble, P-princess. D-did I g-get the other n-nobles too?”

“What other nobles?” Rarity asked.

“Oh…w-where am I again?” Pinkamania’s tongue stretched out and scratched the back of her head. “Is this the o-one where the nobles r-refused to let Twilight be with her human f-friend? Or the o-one where Twilight was a c-changeling and Blueblood stole an a-amulet and h-hurt her m-mommy?” She giggled as another violent twitch ran through her body.

“Pinkie Pie. For your own safety I must ask that you release Blueblood and sit down on the floor,” Celestia insisted. “You need help Pinkie.”

“I agree,” Rarity said as she stared at the alternate version of her friend with both concern and fear. “Pinkie Pie…there’s something very wrong with you.”

“What? I f-feel f-fine,” Pinkamania lied. She levitated Blueblood closer to her mouth and licked her lips. “Just gotta m-make sure…his magic must n-never hurt my f-friends again…”

Trixie groaned and backed away from the mirror. “Trixie has almost got it, she can feel it!”

“Here, let me try,” Chrysalis said. She turned to the portal and fired a beam of green magic at it.

A changeling flew into the throne room as fast as his wings could carry him. He stopped in front of the throne and knelt before the ruler of Canterlot. “Queen Chrysalis! Forgive me, my Queen, but we can’t stop her! She’s everywhere!”

Queen Chrysalis growled at him. “Useless drone! Get out of my sight and do not report back to me until you have seized her!” She grumbled as the changeling flew out again. “Why do you think must I be cursed with such idiotic drones, Twilight?”

Changeling Princess Twilight Sparkle fidgeted nervously. “I’m sure they’re doing everything they can, Your Highness. I only wish that we knew more about what or who we are facing.”

“…My name is Pinkie Pie…and I am here to say…”

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened as the doors burst open to reveal Pinkamania floating towards them, magical sparks dancing around her hooves. “Pinkie? You’re behind this? What-”

“…I’m gonna make you SMILE!” Pinkamania sang right before she launched herself at Queen Chrysalis. The queen had absolutely no time to react before her own magic flooded out of her mouth and into Pinkamania’s. With a wave of her hoof, Queen Chrysalis’ jaw was forced shut again, only to twist itself into a big grin.

“…And I will brighten up your day-aaay,” Pinkamania sang as she floated over to the terrified changeling princess.

“You’ve done very well Chrysalis. I believe you’ve managed to loosen it,” Duchess Celestia said. “Now please stand back and allow me to try.” She fired her own beam of magic at the portal.

Queen Celestia had never been more terrified in her entire life. Not only because of the thing that was just outside her throne room, sweeping the floor with her guards. No, it was because the pink demon had managed to show her exactly what was wrong with her plan. She had been very alarmed when she discovered the planet Earth and those violent humans. She had created a potion to turn humans into ponies, and she had believed that everything would work out for the better. Many ponies such as Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, or Applejack had agreed with, even though they seemed very reluctant to do so. Other ponies such as Rainbow Dash, or Fluttershy, had insisted that it was a terrible idea. Fluttershy said that she had met a few humans and that while some of them had scared her, she had also met dozens of humans who had been very nice to her. But Queen Celestia had refused to listen to them.

The doors to her throne room were thrown off their hinges with a loud bang. Her royal guards prepared to defend their queen as the pink thing floated inside. Their eyes widened in horror as a pink, bubbling potion floated out from the pink demon’s right hoof and splashed onto their coats.

“It doesn’t matter now…if you are sad or blue.”

Queen Celestia’s jaw dropped. She had heard about what the pink demon’s potion could do, but to see it up close was horrifying. The pink demon has decided that the best way to punish her was by showing her what the potion felt like, not by turning her ponies into humans…but by turning ponies into a specific pony.

“‘Cause cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie’s here to do…”

The guards shuddered as their coats turned pink, their horns or wings were tucked into their bodies, and their manes and tails became pink and poofy.

“‘Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile…yes I do…”

And one by one, that’s what her former guards did. The Pinkie clones stared up at Queen Celestia with wide eyes and huge grins. Queen Celestia closed her eyes as her horn glowed with power. However something told her that she wouldn’t be able to save herself this time.

“It fills my heart with sunshine all the while…yes it does…‘cause all I really need’s a smile, smile, smile.”

Queen Celestia gasped as she felt something splash across her coat. Taking her eyes off of the pink demon for even a second had been a very foolish choice. But as the pain faded away and a smile stretched across her face, she knew there was nothing she could do now but sing along.

“From these happy friends of mine,” she sang.

“You’re doing great sister! Keep it up!” Duchess Luna cheered.

“Maybe if we try more than one,” Sunset suggested. She stood next to Celestia and fired a beam of magic from her own horn. The portal began to wobble.

Adagio Dazzle cowered before the powerful storm that loomed over their stage. It had been going so perfectly. Sonata and Aria had made sure that the Rainbooms would not interfere, they had hypnotized everyone at Canterlot High with their siren’s song, and at long last, they had regained their full power. She thought that nothing could stop them. That was before those thunderous pink clouds had filled the sky and the pink demon revealed her face.

“I like to see you grin…I love to see you beam…the corners of your mouth turned up is always Pinkie’s dream…”

The sirens cried out as their mouths were forced open and vivid red magic poured out of them and into the grinning pink cloud. As Adagio fell to her knees in defeat, she was horrified to see a grin stretching itself across Aria’s face. Aria was smiling. And from the way her face was being to seriously hurt, Adagio knew that she was next.

“It’s working! I think we’ve almost got it!” Luna cheered. “Alright everyone. If you have magic to give, focus your power on the mirror. Don’t hold back!”

Discord snapped his fingers and created a storm cloud for Gilda to use. All together, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Sombra, Sunset, Trixie, Chrysalis, Gilda, Smog, and Discord fired beams of magic, bolts of lightning, and bursts of fire at the mirror. Ever so slowly, the spell that Pinkamania had placed on the portal began to peel away.

Queen Twilight Sparkle didn’t know what was going on. All she knew as she saw her husband, King Sombra, crash into the wall beside her, was that they were in serious trouble. She was out of world, out of her element, and panicking out of her mind. The craziest part was not that they weren’t alone, but that the other creatures who were trapped with her couldn’t possibly be there. She counted five Nightmare Moons, seven Discords, ten changeling queens, and at least a dozen ponies who all looked very familiar. And every single one of them cowered in fear as the pink thing floated towards them.

“But if you’re kind of worried…and your face has made a frown…I’ll work real hard and do my best to turn that sad frown upside down…”

Queen Twilight cried out as she was levitated towards the pink demon, before her mouth was forced open and her magic was completely drained. She landed face first on the ground and slowly lifted her head to see King Sombra, Discord, and Nightmare Moon land beside her. All of them with the same creepy smiles, just like the one tugging at her own face.

“‘Cause I love to make you grin, grin, grin…yes I do…”

“That’s enough! I think we got it!” Luna declared. Everyone in the room stepped closer to the mirror. Smog stuck out a claw and poked the surface of the glass, grinning as his claw sunk right in.

“Outstanding work everyone,” King Sombra said. “But reopening the portal was the easy part. Now, we must prepare ourselves for the most powerful threat that Everfree has ever faced. Do you have the Elements?”

“Right here!” Smog said as he held up Nightmare’s Element of Power. With a snap of his fingers Discord donned his own Element, while Sunset, Trixie, Gilda, and Chrysalis retrieved their Elements.

Once their magic necklaces were all on, King Sombra spoke again. “I must strongly emphasize to you all how dire the situation is and how dangerous this battle will be. But if we are to save our friend and princess, we must power through! Pinkamania will only have grown stronger during her rampage so above all we must-”

“Alright chums, let’s do this! Nightie!” Discord roared as he charged into the portal.

King Sombra grumbled and covered his face with his hoof. “Sweet Celestia, he just ran in. Can you believe-”

“We’re coming Moony!” Luna shouted as she charged into the mirror too.

“For Trixie’s friend!” Trixie roared as she charged in next.

“Yeah, let’s kick Pinkie’s flank!” Gilda roared as she charged in too.

“Charge!” Apple Bloom shouted as she ran for the mirror, before Celestia telekinetically pulled her away from it.

“I know you wish to save your sister, but I refuse to allow a filly to endanger herself. With that said…for my niece!” Celestia declared before she ran into the portal.

“Appropriate battle cry!” Princess Twilight shouted as she ran in too.

“Stick to the plan!” King Sombra shouted desperately at he ran into the portal, right behind Sunset, Chrysalis, and Smog.

Lord Tirek blasted the pink horror with as much magic as he could fire, only to be smashed into the ground from the gigantic hammer that she conjured up.

The hammer vanished from existence, allowing Tirek to stand up again. “H-how is this possible?” he cried. “I stole ALL the magic in Equestria! What in Tartarus are you?!”

“Bust it out from ear to ear let it begin…just give me a joyful grin, grin, grin…”

The creature held up her claw, creating a swirling ball of immense power. Tirek screamed as six beams of rainbow coloured magic blasted out from the ball, draining every last drop of magic from him. A portal to his former prison opened up behind him as he watched all the magic he had stolen fly off to every corner of Equestria. Except for the large amount of dark magic that was pouring into the pink creature’s mouth. As he was banished into Tartarus, he could make out the final line of the Pink Demon’s song.

“And you fill me with good cheer…”

On the other side of the mirror, Smog, Sunset, Trixie, Gilda, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Celestia, Luna, and Twilight all emerged from the library.

“Okay, everyone’s here and we got the Elements. But who gets Nightmare’s Element?” Sunset asked as they all ran down the halls of Twilight’s castle.

“I’ll take it,” Princess Twilight said. “It was my Element before Princess Nightmare claimed it.” Smog handed over the Element of Power to her, which she levitated to rest on top of her head. “Good. Now to find Pinkie, save Nightmare, and save the alternate version of myself and her friends.”

“Wait! Stop!” they heard someone shout as they ran past an open set of doors. They came screeching to a halt and ran back to the source of that voice.

“Uh oh,” Sunset mumbled as they spotted the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They were all tied to their thrones in a similar manner to the one that Pinkie had once used to tie Princess Twilight plus their own versions of Rainbow Dash and Rarity to large puppet handles.

“Sunset? You came back!” Fluttershy cheered. Her voice became a lot quieter when she saw Chrysalis and Sombra. “And you brought…oh dear.”

Gilda growled and launched herself at the Pinkie tied to her throne, jabbing her in the stomach with her talons. “Alright you pink traitor! Give us back our friend!”

“Wait! I’m not the evil me!” Pinkie cried.

Sunset’s horn lit up to pull Gilda away from the pink earth mare. “Gilda, let her go! That’s the nice Pinkie. The one who’s best friends with Dash in this world!”

Gilda’s furious expression slowly softened. “She is? Drat, I’m sorry Pinkie. Discord, see if you can let them out.”

While Discord floated over to the throne and examined the spell placed on it, another voice made Gilda’s head turn. “Hold on…you’re sorry? You’ve never said sorry about anything!” Rainbow said.

Gilda flapped her wings and flew over to Rainbow’s throne. “Hey Dash! Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of there.”

Rainbow blinked at the smiling griffon. “You…You’re the nice Gilda I saw…the one who switched places with me in those weird memories that crazy Pinkie forced on us.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Smog mentioned something like that. Why, what happened to you and me in this world?”

“That…that doesn’t matter!” Rainbow cried, her eyes just a tiny bit watery. “The point is…we’re friends where you’re from, right?”

Gilda smiled. “How could I not be friends with the coolest, bravest, and most awesome pegasus I’ve ever known?”

“Sombra? Chrysalis? And…you’re me!” the Twilight tied to her throne exclaimed. “But how can there be…oh no, this is that time travel incident all over again!”

Princess Twilight bit her lip and averted her eyes from her alternate self. “Trust me Twilight Sparkle…I’m feeling freaked out by this whole situation too. But if Duchess Luna and Prince Artemis can be in the same room together, then the universe shouldn’t blow up just because I’m interacting with my alternate self,” Princess Twilight said.

Twilight slowly nodded. “Okay. But then…Duchess Luna? Does that mean…you’re not a princess in your world Luna? Celestia?”

Duchess Celestia smiled kindly at Twilight. “I’m afraid so, Your Highness. But while we’re on the subject, where has the Pink Trickster imprisoned your own Celestia and Luna?”

“She locked them up in Canterlot, just like she did with them all here,” Applejewel said as she entered the throne room.

“Now hold on there sugarcube!” Applejack said from her throne just as Sunset’s horn began to glow with furious power. “She’s on our side now and she’s mighty sorry for what she’s done. Ain’t that right missy?”

Applejewel flinched at her counterpart’s glare. “Yes. Ah’m sorry. Ah am truly sorry for what Ah’ve done to y’all.” She sighed and looked down at the floor. “Ah spent mah whole life trying to fight mah world’s rules, trying to ‘fix’ everything based on what Ah thought was the truth. Ah turned mah back on the friends Ah made in the Big Apple and even mah own family, all because Ah believed in brutal honesty above all else. But seeing what that sort of thing has done to Pinkie Pie…Ah don’t want to end up like that.”

“End up l-like what, A-Applejack?” a bone chilling voice asked.

Everyone in the room froze as they heard Pinkamania’s voice echo through the throne room. “Uh oh, that’s evil me!” Pinkie cried. “Be careful guys!”

“Alright everyone. When Pinkamania appears, be prepared for anything! This shall be our greatest battle yet! Trixie only wishes…that Nightmare could be part of it,” Trixie said.

A bright flash of light filled the room and engulfed the people from Everfree, teleporting them out of the castle. They reappeared outside of Ponyville in a very large field. They looked up to see their opponent…and gasped as they saw what Pinkie had become.

Her mane was just as pink and puffy as always, except that she now had streaks of yellow, orange, and blue. She had sprouted a pink alicorn horn on her head plus two antlers. A pegasus wing and a bat wing fluttered from her back, plus a smaller set of changeling wings below the larger ones. Her forelegs were twisted into a griffon’s claw and a white tiger’s paw while her back legs were blackened and filled with holes like a changelings. She wore the same dark pink dress and black and pink cape that she wore when they had first fought her. Her eyes were glowing blue and red and leaking magic. Her wide grin was filled with sharp fangs.

But the creepiest part of all was that every single part of her body was twitching madly as magical sparks zapped all around her.

Sunset’s jaw dropped. “Pinkie…what have you done to yourself?”

Discord shuddered. “Pinkie my dear, I’d rather not be the one to tell you this but…you look like the sort of monster only Eris could dream up.” He quickly held up his paw and claw and added, “Only a little though. I’m not trying to hurt your feelings or anything, I mean chaos knows I look strange-”

But Pinkamania only seemed to be half-listening. “I’ll t-take t-twenty, no t-thirty black and r-red a-alicorns to g-go please…” she giggled.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked. “You’re stuttering.”

“And twitching. You’re twitching an awful lot,” Smog added.

“Oh, a-am I-I? Hadn’t n-noticed,” Pinkamania giggled.

“Hey Discord? You said you can sense magical disturbances,” Gilda said. “So…”

“I know what you’re going to ask me, my dear. The answer you’re looking for is: too much,” Discord said. “She has too much magic inside her.”

“What have you done, Pink Demon?” King Sombra growled.

Pinkamania giggled. “S-simple! Exactly w-what I s-said I was g-going to…I d-drained magic out of EVERY b-bad guy I could f-find…” She stopped speaking for a moment and twisted her long alligator tail. The pink tuff of hair at the end of her tail twisted itself into a hand, which then snapped its fingers. “Okay, there we go. How am I doing for stuttering? Sorry, that was getting annoying, wasn’t it?”

“ENOUGH! RELEASE MY DAUGHTER AT ONCE!” Duchess Luna demanded.

Pinkamania giggled and floated closer to them. “Or what?”

“Or we’ll be forced to use the Elements on you,” Princess Twilight said. “Please, Pinkie…this is your last chance.”

Pinkamania’s smiled faded when she saw Princess Twilight. Her eyes actually widened when she saw the Element of Power begin to glow. She floated higher above them and said, “You know what…you’re right. You’re not like those bad guys I’ve been draining magic from. You deserve a proper showdown. So I’ll bring Nightie down back from the moon on one condition.”

“Name it,” Luna growled.

“Princess Twily gives Nightie back her Element and you three stay out of the fight,” Pinkie said, pointing at Twilight, Celestia, and Luna. “I want this to be just between us.”

Celestia sighed before she nodded. “If it means that my niece is freed, then we shall not assist the Elements.” Twilight nodded in agreement and levitated the Element of Power to Smog.

“Well, alrighty then!” Pinkamania cheered. She snapped the talons on her claw, trapping Celestia, Luna, and Twilight in large pink bubbles. The bubbles floated up into the air as hundreds of other pink bubbles popped into existence too, every bubble containing a pony. “There we go. That should be everypony from Ponyville, plus the princesses from Canterlot!” Pinkie grinned at all the ponies, twitching a little more. “The perfect audience.”

She then snapped the fingers on her paw, raising the moon into the sky so that it was positioned next to the sun. The Mare in the Moon vanished off its face, before Princess Nightmare Moon fell onto the ground with a flash of light.

“Nightie!” Smog cheered as he ran to her side. He happily helped her stand back up as all her other friends and the king crowded around her too.

“H-hey guys,” Nightmare said, shivering a little. “The m-moon in this w-world is a lot c-colder than m-mine. It’s f-freezing!”

“Either that or Pinkie was just being a jerk to you. Who knows?” Gilda shrugged.

“Here, this should warm you up a bit. Sunset, can you help me out here?” Smog took a deep breath and spat out a small stream of fire. Sunset used her magic to wrap the flames around Nightmare, warming her up without burning her. Nightmare smiled as Smog then placed her Element of Power back on her head before she turned to glare up at Pinkamania.

“And here it is ponies of Equestria! The grand final battle between the heroes of two worlds!” Pinkamania announced into a microphone she had conjured up. “In this corner we have the Element of Laughter, the Queen of Chaos, and the vanquisher of evil throughout every Equestria…ME!” Pinkamania smiled and waved at the Elements of Harmony, plus the princesses, and Shining Armor. “Can I get a woohoo?”

Rainbow glared at Pinkamania and crossed her hooves. Just about everyone trapped within a pink bubble did the same thing, except for Fluttershy.

“Um…woohoo?”

“Thanks Fluttershy! I love you too!” Pinkamania giggled. She turned back to the Elements of Redemption and said, “And in this corner we have the heroic versions of Equestria’s greatest enemies! King Sombra, Princess Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, Sunset Shimmer, the Great and Powerful Trixie, Smog, and Gilda! Come on everypony, let’s give them a round of applause too!” A few more ponies cheered this time.

Princess Nightmare smirked. “Even though I’m going to enjoy this battle very much, I have to ask…how good are our chances?”

King Sombra’s horn glowed with power. “I will not sugarcoat our situation for you Nightmare…this will be the fight of our lives.”

Discord rolled his eyes. “Now why must you take everything so seriously? Let’s just do the polite thing and ask.” He directed his attention to Pinkamania and shouted, “Hey Pinkie! Just out of curiosity and for the sake of everyone playing fair, exactly how much magic have you absorbed again?”

Pinkamania giggled and waved her paw, creating a large scoreboard. “Let’s take a look! Now let’s see here…that’s every evil version that I could find of Discord, Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis and all her changelings, Alicorn Amulet-possessed Trixie, demon Sunset Shimmer, King Sombra, Prince Blueblood, Tirek, Starlight Glimmer, the Dazzlings, the Mane-iac, Ahuizotl, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Flim, Flam, Lightning Dust, Solar Flare, Daybreaker, Queen Celestia, Empress Twilight, Queen Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Big Macintosh, Cheerilee, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, and a few others…

“All with a score of zero!” Pinkamania announced.

Chrysalis gulped. “Uh oh…”

“And in this corner here we have me with a score of…oh dear, that’s a BIG number.”

Everyone stared in shock and disbelief at the scoreboard that read: The Hero Pinkie Pie: 1257.

“One thousand, two hundred, and fifty seven…that’s…that’s gotta be a lie. You…you’re lying!” Sunset sputtered.

“Yeah, I don’t believe you,” Gilda said, although she didn’t sound too certain.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they’re right. That’s a pile of nonsense,” Discord said. “It…it has to be.”

Pinkamania titled her head in thought. “Maybe you’re right. I probably just lost count. I know I can travel through time and space right now but…I couldn’t really have stolen magic from that many creatures…could I?”

“Discord?” Nightmare whispered nervously.

“She’s probably just joking. She couldn’t have stolen magic from any more than fifty of our alternate selves,” Discord assured her.

“Fifty?!” Trixie exclaimed.

“My dear, I have no idea if she’s lying about that number or not. What I CAN sense is that Pinkamania up there has absorbed a lot of magic and she has become overwhelmingly powerful,” Discord admitted.

“Hey relax guys. We have the Elements now. That’ll stop her,” Gilda said with a nervous smile.

Pinkamania giggled. “Oh sure! You guys can try those out whenever you want! We all know how well they worked last time.” The Elements bearers froze as they realized that Pinkamania was right. The last time they had used the Elements on Pinkie, all that it had done was slow her down for several minutes. And with how much power Pinkamania had absorbed now, who knew what might happen?

“In that case…don’t hold back,” King Sombra ordered them. “If we must rely solely on our own magical power…we have a very small chance of winning. So Discord…you can forget the laws I’ve written regarding you and your family during this fight. Don’t hold back anything.”

A very excited and very mischievous grin spread across Discord’s face. “Understood, my dear king.”

He turned to Smog and zapped him with a bolt of chaotic power. Smog grinned as he grew into a fully grown-up dragon, just as big as the great dragon Spike.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.”

Pinkamania grinned as every part of her body twitched with excitement and an overabundance of power, magical sparks zapping all over her form. “Yay! I’m so happy that you’re all just as excited as I am! And to show you just how much fun we’re going to have, here’s a little music to start us off…”

A rainbow coloured ball of light appeared next to Pinkamania’s ear.

Discord’s eyes widened as he listened to the song, realizing exactly what they were about to face. “Oh, Eris no. We’re having that kind of battle? She’s not serious, is she? Oh that’s just not fair.”

Pinkamania’s grin grew even wider. She raised her claw and paw, creating two glowing balls of pure power. “On your marks…get set…

“GO!”

Nightmare’s eyes widened as it began to rain chaos. “GET DOWN!” she ordered.

Nightmare, Sombra, Sunset, Trixie, Chrysalis, and Discord all put their power behind a massive shield that blocked them all from Pinkamania’s attacks. MILLIONS of magical blasts, bullets, and laser beams were fired at them, already making cracks in the shield.

“Are you seeing this? This is INSANE!” Trixie shouted.

“We’re supposed to fight that?!” Chrysalis exclaimed.

“I’d have better luck dodging RAIN! In the middle of the worst storm ever created!” Gilda shouted.

“My sincere apologies everyone,” Discord said. “Eris, my beautifully insane sister, if you gave Pinkie this idea I will be very cross with you!”

“My friends, I’m afraid…we can’t dodge that many attacks. We can only endure them,” King Sombra said.

“What’s the plan, Nightmare?” Smog asked.

“Discord, contain as much of her chaos as you can. Everyone else…attack. And good luck,” Nightmare softly ordered. Pinkamania’s attacks shattered the shield, and Nightmare flapped her wings and launched herself at Pinkamania.

Discord nodded and teleported himself right next to Pinkamania. He launched himself at the powerful pink demon, and the two chaotic creatures grappled with each other.

Gilda flapped her wings and flew into the air towards Pinkamania, her claws clenched tightly as hundreds of magical lightning bolts came spiraling towards her. Chrysalis buzzed her wings and took a similar path as changeling shaped balloons spread out and fired beams of magic at her.

Smog took a deep breath and spewed a huge stream of fire into the air, trying to set all the objects that Pinkamania had summoned on fire. Explosions of pink smoke filled the air whenever a balloon, chickens, bubbles, stars, sink, fishbowl, rainbow colour rocks, or acid spewing confetti snake touched the flames.

“Hold on!” King Sombra ordered as he summoned a crystal mountain out of the ground underneath himself and Sunset and Trixie. The crystal mountain pushed itself towards Pinkamania as the three unicorns all fired dark magic, fireballs, and fireworks at the pink demon.

While the visitors from Everfree continued to fill the air with a ridiculous amount of magical blasts, the ponies of Equestria could only stare in awe.

“Wow…this makes most of my parties look tame by comparison,” Pinkie said.

“Darling, what we’re seeing could make anything tame by comparison,” Rarity said.

“I…almost have to agree with her. My battle with Tirek was insane…but not this insane,” Twilight mumbled.

“Why aren’t we helping them? We have to get outta here!” Rainbow growled as she kicked at the bubble containing her.

“I think it might be too late for that Rainbow,” Fluttershy whispered. “It looks like…they’re losing…”

One by one, the Element bearers and the king of Everfree crashed into the ground, completely exhausted and overwhelmed by Pinkamania’s unrelenting magic storm. Nightmare groaned and turned her head to look at King Sombra. “I’m sorry my king…I failed you.”

“No Nightmare…you could never fail me,” King Sombra groaned. “You’ve made me…very proud of you…”

Nightmare sighed as she watched one of Pinkamania’s attacks strike Smog and shrink him back down to his normal size. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something…when I was younger, did you find a…strange poem?”

King Sombra weakly chuckled. “Yeah, I saw that…why do you bring that up?”

“I might as well tell you…considering we are likely to lose our magic now,” Nightmare sighed. “When I was a filly I had a strange dream about my mother…and I felt strange around you too. What I’m trying to say is…I see Prince Artemis as my father…but I also see you as a…sort of second father.”

King Sombra weakly smiled. “You…honour me.”

“Thanks…guys,” Chrysalis sighed. “Last meal…the love here tastes good.”

“Well, I’m not one for mushy stuff…but I love you guys too…” Gilda sighed.

Pinkamania hovered over her defeated enemies, biting her lip in thought. “What to do now? I can’t drain you like I did all the others, you guys deserve better than that.” She clutched her stomach with her paw and groaned. “I also feel like I’m gonna pop like the world’s biggest balloon if I eat something as small as Trixie’s magic.”

“Trixie hates you…so much,” Trixie groaned.

“Give it a rest Trixie…she didn’t mean that,” Sunset sighed.

“Get up!” Applejack cried. “You can still beat her!”

Nightmare smiled as the Elements of Harmony urged them to get back up. It was nice. Even though the Nightmare Moon of this world almost plunged Equestria into eternal night, they knew that she wasn’t the same Nightmare Moon. But from what Nightmare had learned about her counterpart, she could almost understand why Luna became so bitter and lonely. Perhaps if she had met her counterpart, the Nightmare Moon of this world would have never become so angry in the first place…

Nightmare’s eyes widened as she realized something. “Guys…do you still have your Elements?”

“Yeah,” Gilda groaned. “But what good will those do? We already used them on Pinkie…didn’t work. She only lost her powers for a little while and look where that’s got us…”

“But Gilda…everyone else we’ve used the Elements on…they’ve worked. Eternal Twilight, Eternity, Vengeance, Cadance’s love poison, Daybreaker…they’ve worked every other time.”

“It was only Pinkie and the Smooze that it didn’t work and the Smooze doesn’t count…because it was already under the Elements’ influence,” King Sombra said.

“Exactly. But Cadance and Fluttershy could still control it, mostly because it didn’t know that it was doing something bad,” Nightmare said. “Pinkie is the same way…she thinks she’s doing the right thing, mostly.”

“They worked on Eternal Twilight, Daybreaker, and Cadance…because they were all corrupted,” Smog said. “Deep down inside they knew they were doing something bad but they couldn’t stop themselves.”

“And the Elements didn’t work on Pinkie…because she thought we were the bad guys,” Sunset said.

“That’s it! WE can’t beat Pinkamania…but there are other ponies who can make her understand that what she’s doing is wrong,” Smog said as his eyes widened.

“Discord, free the Elements of Harmony,” Nightmare ordered.

“I don’t have much energy left in me…but I can manage that,” Discord said as he pointed his talons at the pink bubbles that trapped the Elements of Harmony.

The pink bubbles all popped and the princess of friendship, plus her six friends all landed on the ground. They hurried over to Nightmare and her friends, standing their ground between the Everfree heroes and Pinkamania. “Leave them alone!” Rainbow cried.

Pinkamania blinked in surprise. “Dashie? What are you…”

“Twilight Sparkle…take my Element,” Nightmare ordered. Twilight stared at the princess of darkness in confusion, but nodded and levitated the Element of Power off of Nightmare’s head and onto her own. The other bearers of the Elements of Harmony quickly realized what was happening, and removed the Elements from their necks.

“Applejack, take mine too,” Sunset said as she removed her Element of Knowledge and levitated onto Applejack’s neck.

“You got this Dash,” Gilda said as she removed her Element of Zeal and tossed it to Rainbow, who caught it in midair.

Pinkamania’s twitchy smile grew very nervous. “What’s going on?”

“Make Trixie proud,” Trixie said as she levitated her Element of Nobility over to Rarity.

“Not to worry my dear. We shall,” Rarity promised.

“I can sense your fear Fluttershy, but I need you to be brave now,” Chrysalis said as she levitated her Element of Love over to Fluttershy.

“Don’t worry Chrysalis,” Fluttershy smiled. “I’m always brave when it comes to my friends.”

“Pinkie my dear, take this as a sign of our friendship…and kick her flank,” Discord said as he levitated his Element of Freedom onto Pinkie.

Pinkie smiled and gave him a serious salute. “You got it!” The six Equestria girls all turned to face Pinkamania. “Alright everyone! Let’s kick my flank!” Pinkie cheered.

Pinkamania’s eyes widened with fear as the Elements of Forgiveness began to glow around the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. “T-that’s not supposed to happen!”

“Wow, these new Elements feel really weird,” Rainbow commented as the glow intensified.

“No time for discussion, here it comes!” Twilight shouted.

Pinkamania screamed as beams of light and darkness began to strike her. “W-wait! I…I thought it was doing it right! W-why are you attacking me?!”

Pinkie’s eyes widened as her counterpart’s body began to spasm. “Guys, the balloon thing she mentioned! I think she’s about to burst!”

Pinkamania screamed as more dark beams of magic blasted in her face. “Please don’t do this! I’m sorry! I just wanted to make my friends happy! Please make it stop, it hurts, I’m sorry, I’M SORRY!”

Light and darkness engulfed Pinkamania and exploded outward…before an even bigger explosion came from Pinkamania herself. Clouds of magic went spiraling off into the distance as the sky filled with power. Eventually, the brilliant light faded away.

The pink bubbles floating in the sky all popped, releasing the ponies trapped inside. Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Prince Shining all hurried to Twilight and her friends as they floated back to the ground while Duchess Celestia, Luna, and Princess Twilight hurried back to Nightmare and her friends.

“Nightmare Moon, you did it!” Luna cheered as she pulled her daughter into a hug.

“Oh most wonderful of occasions!” Celestia cheered as she hugged Nightmare too. “We knew you could do it!” Nightmare smiled and hugged them both back.

Sunset and her friends blushed. “Technically we didn’t do it…”

“Please! We did most of it,” Trixie proudly bragged.

“What she said,” Gilda chuckled. “We were awesome back there!”

“Ahem. Excuse me?” Princess Celestia said as she and the Elements of Harmony walked towards them.

“Oh…” Duchess Celestia let go of Nightmare and turned to the princess of Equestria. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia,” she said as she bowed to her counterpart.

“The pleasure is all mine…Duchess Celestia?” the sun princess asked her counterpart.

“Indeed. I’m…afraid you outrank me,” Duchess Celestia admitted.

“I suppose we can’t all be princesses or princes,” the other Celestia joked. Her gaze wandered over to the heroes of Everfree and she added, “Even if you brave ponies certainly deserve to be.”

“Hey, don’t forget us!” Discord said as he pulled Gilda, Chrysalis and Smog in for a hug. The four of them grinned at Princess Celestia.

“Well, I’m glad we got that all sorted out!” another Discord said as he popped up beside them. “Oh, what a relief it is to have my powers back again!” he sang as he wiggled his talons and fingers. “And it appears I have myself and his friends to thank!”

The Element of Freedom grinned and floated over to his counterpart to shake his paw. “My, my, what a privilege and honour it is to meet such a talented and handsome individual!”

The Equestria Discord chuckled. “Oh no my boy, it is I who considers this a privilege and honour!”

“While I have your attention…Smog has already told me a little bit about this world and…you realize what we must do first, right?” the Everfree Discord asked.

“Oh ho, great minds do think alike!” the Equestria Discord agreed.

With that said, the two Discords floated over to Princess Celestia and began to poke her repeatedly. The princess sighed. “Please stop that.”

“Nope!” the Discords sang. “You poke the pretty pony! You poke the pretty pony! You poke the pretty pony and that’s what it’s all about!”

Nightmare chuckled as the two chaos spirits sang their annoying song to Celestia. She turned to her mom’s counterpart and smiled. “I’m sorry about that. It’s good to see that you’re okay-”

Princess Luna frowned and pushed past Nightmare. “If I may have everypony’s attention! Where is the alternate Pinkie Pie?”

“Well, the giant crater over there would be my first guess,” Smog pointed out with a roll of his eyes. “But then again, who knows with her?”

“Sweet!” Gilda grinned. “Anyone else think we turned her to stone this time? Talons crossed for good luck!”

Everyone gathered around the giant crater and looked down into the bottom of it. “There she is!” Rainbow said, pointing at the pony lying in the center of the crater.

Nightmare nodded. “Right. Pinkamania Disaster Pie, you have a lot to answer for! Come out now and surrender!”

The pony twitched and slowly began to climb out of the crater.

“It’s over Pinkamania,” the Equestria Twilight said. “You will never rule Equestria. Any power you may have had in this world is gone.”

“…I know…it’s all gone…it’s all gone…”

“Right. Today, you’ve shown…everyone…” Twilight trailed off as Pinkamania pulled herself out of the crater and collapsed onto the ground.

Smog blinked in surprise. “What…what happened?”

“Physically, she’s fine,” Chrysalis said, her eyes widening as her magic scanned Pinkamania. “But emotionally…she’s dead inside.”

Gilda groaned. “Oh no…now I feel sorry for her.”

Pinkamania had transformed drastically due to the power of the Elements. Her claw, paw, wings, and horns were all gone and she was back to having a normal pony body. Her mane and tail were missing their extra colours and hanging limply. But the most shocking change was that she had lost all colour. Her entire body was completely gray and her eyes were full of tears.

“…finish your speech Twilight…” she whispered.

“Um…excuse me,” Twilight asked.

Pinkamania sighed. “I’ve shown everyone who I really am…I’ve shown them what’s in my heart…” She closed her eyes. “Just get it over with.”

“Are you referring to your punishment?” Princess Celestia asked seriously.

“Yeah…go ahead and lock me up…turn me to stone…banish me to the moon…smash my statue…”

Rainbow blinked. “Smash your statue? What?”

“Do whatever you want with me…I don’t care anymore,” Pinkamania whispered. “I don’t care about anything anymore…”

“Pinkie, you’re scaring me,” Fluttershy said, her voice dripping with concern.

“I…I’m sorry Fluttershy…I never meant to hurt anyone…”

“What about your plan? All those other Equestrias you were traveling off to?” Applejack asked.

“I…I couldn’t do it,” Pinkamania admitted. “Sunset, Nightie, Smog…I lied to you…and to myself. I couldn’t do it. No matter how evil that world’s Discord, or Nightmare, or Chrysalis was…I could never destroy them. I toyed with them for a bit, but in the end I just stole their magic and left them in dream worlds…with those awful, fake smiles…”

“So then…you didn’t actually hurt anyone? You only chased after villains, like you said you would? That’s good, isn’t it?” Sunset asked.

“Good?! I mean, I guess she only chased after other bad guys, but wasn’t that all part of her evil plan?” a unicorn mare in the crowd asked.

“So that she could come back with all the power and take over Equestria?” another pony added.

“I didn’t do it for me…this was never about me,” Pinkamania sighed as she stared up at Twilight and her friends. “I did all this for you. I wanted to get rid of all the evil in every Equestria…so that I could throw a party that would last forever…everything I did, no matter how creepy or cruel it was at the time…I did it all because I love you so much,” Pinkamania said.

“What?” Twilight asked incredulously. “But why? We never asked you to do this!”

“Because of the magic of friendship of course…” Pinkamania answered.

“What?! But…but friendship isn’t worth what you did,” Twilight said.

Pinkamania frowned. “You know that’s not true. Friendship is magic. Friendship is everything.”

“Ah can explain a little bit. Pardon me,” Applejewel said as she made her way towards them. “Pinkamania grew up in a time where it was impossible for her to make friends with anyone, no matter how friendly she was. But we both knew about Equestria. We learned about how important friendship was…and that if you don’t have friends, then you’re not important.” She sighed. “We learned that we HAD to get friends…no matter the cost.”

“Yeah…that’s why I’m so grumpy now,” Pinkamania sighed. “So go ahead and turn me into a statue…it’s not like I’m useful to anyone.”

“Pinkie, stop talking!” Nightmare ordered. “You should never say things like that!”

Pinkamania offered her a fake smile. “That’s the hard part of being the Princess of Forgiveness, isn’t it Nightie? No matter how much you hate me, you’re willing to forgive anyone eventually. But it doesn’t matter anymore…don’t you get it?”

Pinkamania sank to the ground and wept into the dirt. “I’m all alone.”

The people of both Everfree and Equestria were stunned at how lifeless Pinkamania had become. What could they do?

Eventually, a pair of hooves reached out to grab Pinkamania’s. She blinked and looked up to see her counterpart help her stand back up. Pinkie sighed and began to sing:

“It’s true some days are dark and lonely
And maybe you feel sad
But Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn’t that bad.”

Pinkamania gasped in surprise as Pinkie gave her a gentle smile.

“There’s one thing that makes me happy and makes my whole life worthwhile
And that’s when I talk to my friends and get them to smile!”

Pinkie grinned and began to tickle her counterpart. “Who’s a silly pony? Who’s a ticklish pony?”

“W-wait! Stop! I’m n-not ticklish…I…pff, bah, ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!” Pinkamania giggled. Pinkie grinned with her and continued to sing:

“I really am so happy!
Your smile fills me with glee.
I give a smile I get a smile
And that’s so special to me!

As the two Pinkies giggled and tickled each other, Pinkamania’s hair began to gain its puffiness back. Her colour returned to her, washing away the gray.

“‘Cause I love to see you beam, beam, beam
Yes I do
Tell me what more can I say
To make you see
That I do
It makes me happy when you beam, beam, beam
Yes it always makes my day!”

Pinkamania’s body was back to normal…but Chrysalis could sense that her mind was filled with a kind of happiness that she had never had the joy of experiencing before. She glanced at Nightmare, Discord, and all her friends and smiled.

The Everfree Discord grinned. “Well, what do you think? I don’t know about you, but I am an Element of Forgiveness. And she is sort of our friend.”

The Equestria Discord shrugged. “Not really my style…but I suppose she is our friend.” With that, the two Discords began to sing along:

“Come on everybody smile, smile, smile
Fill our hearts up with sunshine, sunshine
All we really need’s a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine!”

Nightmare chuckled, rolled her eyes…and sang along:

“Come on everybody smile, smile, smile
Fill our hearts up with moonbeams and sunshine”

“All we really need’s a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine!” Chrysalis sang as she joined in.

There were many people from Ponyville who were still confused about what had happened…but they still knew that this was a time to celebrate. Soon, everyone in the crowd sang along:

“Come on everybody smile, smile, smile
Fill our hearts up with sunshine, sunshine
All we really need’s a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of ours!”

“So smile…smile…smile…SMILE!”

“Come on and smile,” Pinkie sang.

Pinkamania sighed as the song drew to a close. “At last…I can truly smile.”

King Sombra bowed to Princess Celestia. The rulers of Everfree and Equestria plus the two groups of Elements were all gathered in the room containing Twilight’s crystal mirror.

“It was an honour to meet you Princess Celestia. I only wish our visit could have been less…explosive.”

“It was no trouble at all. You helped save our Equestria from a threat most dire…and you brought joy back to a mutual friend who has been missing true joy from her heart for far too long,” Princess Celestia said.

Princess Cadance’s gaze briefly wandered over to Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis. “Although there may still be leftover tension between our people…” She sighed and smiled again. “Feel free to visit us again.”

“We would be happy to have you,” Princess Celestia added as she smiled at Sunset.

“You’ll take care better care of yourself now…right?” Pinkie asked her counterpart.

Pinkamania smiled sadly at her. “There are a lot of things I need to fix up…”

“Try not to worry too much about the other worlds you visited,” King Sombra said. “If you visited worlds where an evil version of myself was successful in conquering the kingdom, perhaps it’s best if those other Sombras are missing some magic.”

Pinkamania weakly chuckled. “Well that cuts my workload in half…but I still have a lot of work to do.” Frowning a little, she turned to King Sombra. “Which reminds me…I kinda banished Eternity a while ago…but before I banished her, she told me she knows who escaped from Tartarus. I don’t know who it is, but I thought I could defeat them myself. Wherever he or she or it is…I couldn’t find them.”

King Sombra frowned. “That’s worrisome…but it can also wait.” He sighed. “Whoever has escaped, if they haven’t made their move by now then they likely won’t attack us until later. But thank you for telling me.”

The two Twilights bowed to each other. “It was an honour to meet you Twilight.”

“The honour is all mine Twilight.”

The two Applejacks smiled sheepishly at each other. “Um…sorry about locking you up and pretending to be you. And for what Pinkie did.”

“Uh…apology accepted. You just promise me you’ll take better care of yer sister.”

Pinkie titled her head. “That’s going to get pretty confusing. We need to call you guys something to tell the difference between you guys and us. What about Equestria Twilight and Everfree Twilight?”

“Ooh! What about Mirror Twilight and Canon Twilight?” Pinkamania asked.

“Why…Canon Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“Because, party canon!” Pinkamania waved her hoof and a party canon appeared over Twilight’s head and spewed confetti and cake batter all over the purple alicorn.

Twilight groaned as the two Pinkies grabbed two spoons and began to scoop the cake off her.

“Hey, look on the bright side. At least they’re not using their tongues,” Spike told her.

“Well, we can just let the fans decide what we’ll call each other,” Pinkamania said.

“Fans? What fans?” Rainbow asked.

“These fans!” Pinkamania waved her hoof again and conjured up several paper fans that spun around in the air.

“Everfree! Mirror! Everfree! Mirror!” the fans sang.

“I think I’m starting to get a headache,” Rarity groaned.

Pinkamania giggled and vanished the paper fans with another hoof wave. “I’ll guess I’ll check back with them.”

Nightmare chuckled before she turned to smile at her mom’s counterpart. “Princess Luna, I just wanted to say-”

Princess Luna frowned and turned to face the mirror. “Shouldn’t you return home before the portal closes?”

Nightmare’s smile faded. “Yeah…I guess we have worn out our welcome. Well…goodbye everyone.”

One by one, the visitors from Everfree went through the mirror until only the people from Equestria remained in the library.

“Well…that was a long and crazy day,” Spike sighed. “I think I’m going to go take a nap.”

“I hear ya buddy. Napping sounds pretty good right now,” Rainbow sighed.

“Still…it was nice to meet them. They seem like very nice ponies…I mean, people,” Fluttershy whispered. “Even Pinkamania wasn’t that horrible, deep down.”

“If you can ignore the time I was trapped in that pony’s body…the whole experience was extremely enjoyable!” Discord chuckled. “They spread chaos and friendship at the same time! Oh, I’m going to miss them.”

“Yeah…I wish they coulda stayed a little longer. Or at least, we could visit them more often,” Pinkie said.

The mirror wobbled a little as Discord and Pinkamania came back into Equestria. “Hello again! We just wanted to ask you something!” Discord said cheerfully.

“Um…okay. What did you want to ask me?” Twilight said.

“Um…what’s this button do?” Pinkamania asked, pointing at a big red button on the machine hooked up to Twilight’s mirror.

“Don’t touch that!” Twilight cried.

“Okay…ooh, what about this button?” Pinkamania asked, pointing at another button.

“Don’t touch that either! Don’t touch anything!” Twilight cried. “Those buttons weren’t even on that machine before!”

The two Everfree chaotic creatures exchanged glances…and promptly went nuts.

“TOUCH ALL OF THE BUTTONS!” Pinkamania cheered as she poked the machine.

“I’m touching everything! I’M TOUCHING EVERYTHING!” Discord cheered.

Twilight gasped. “Discord, Pinkie, stop!”

Eventually, they stopped poking the machine and pressing buttons. Pinkamania grabbed Pinkie’s hoof and jumped inside the mirror, followed by Discord. The two Pinkies zoomed back and forth and into and out of the mirror. Then a single Pinkie bounced out the mirror and grinned. “We added a new setting! This way, Twilight can visit her Canterlot High School human friends, and now we can all visit our new Everfree friends! Now then…guess which Pinkie I am!”

The Equestrians all let out an exhausted sigh…before they allowed themselves a group laugh.

On the other side of the mirror, Princess Nightmare and her friends sighed happily. There was still a lot of work to do. The aftermath of Pinkamania’s rampage, building bridges between Everfree and Equestria, and whoever or whatever escaped from Tartarus.

However that was a story for another time. For now…the greatest battle of Nightmare’s life was over and she was looking forward to what the new season would bring them.

Glimmering Stars

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Glimmering Stars

Princess Nightmare Moon examined her surroundings with a smile. “Impressive. Yes, I’d say we did a remarkable job here.”

“Remarkable is an understatement, darling. This place looks beautiful!” Rarity gushed, her eyes full of stars as she admired all the work they’d put into restoring the ancient castle of the Royal family. Rarity herself was wearing a pink dress she had created just for the occasion.

Trixie teleported into the entrance hall with a flash of light. “Everything else is prepared for their arrival. Now for the finishing touches!” Her horn flashed with power, causing a banner to unfold from the ceiling. The banner read Equestrian Embassy.

Rarity titled her head to one side and frowned thoughtfully at the banner. “Your banner looks lovely Trixie, but…forgive me for saying so, I don’t think it quite fits with the theme of the event.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Everyone’s a critic,” she grumbled. “Well if you think you can do a better job then don’t let Trixie stop you.”

“Oh no, no, I’m not trying to criticize you Trixie!” Rarity assured her. “I’m simply concerned that it might not be up to Princess Twilight’s standards.”

“Ugh, more like your standards. We both know that Twilight Sparkle is a very modest sort of ruler. As long as Trixie is polite and friendly, she has no reason at all to fear disappointment from the princess. As if Princess Twilight could be disappointed by-”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie,” Rarity sighed. “We know.”

“Hey! You’re supposed to say it with more enthusiasm! Trixie always shows her support for your work, doesn’t she?”

“We’re getting off topic Trixie. Even if the Princess Twilight we know is satisfied with all the work we’ve put into rebuilding this ancient castle as the new embassy for the Equestrians, this castle is meant for a different Princess Twilight, now isn’t it?” Rarity said. “And even if she is just as modest as our princess, what about her friends? What about their version of me? I can’t disappoint myself!”

“Hey, what’s everyone shouting about?” Rainbow Dash asked as she, Fluttershy, and Gilda flew into the room.

“Rarity’s just being a drama queen,” Trixie informed them.

“Excuse me? This, coming from the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie? You practically built your career on being a drama queen!” Rarity argued.

Trixie chuckled. “I suppose you’re almost correct. But Trixie uses only the right amount of drama for her acts.” She turned to Fluttershy and said, “Speaking of magic shows and theatrics, did Countess Cadance tell you when she and the others would be arriving, Fluttershy? Trixie needs to know when to set off the fireworks!”

“Cadance said she couldn’t make it,” Fluttershy said. Her gaze fell to the floor as she fidgeted nervously. “Sorry, I’ve feeling a little nervous about this whole thing. Oh dear…do you think the other Fluttershy will like me?”

“Of course she’ll like you!” Rainbow assured her.

“It…it’s just that…from what Smog told me, the other Fluttershy has never lied about being mute, or ruined a royal wedding, or…or…” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Hey, you’ll be fine Flutters,” Gilda said. “If the Equestria Pinkie Pie could forgive our Pinkie after the mess she put us all through, I’m sure the other you will be cool about it.”

“That reminds me, is Pinkie going to be here too?” Rainbow asked.

“Wait, we’re here! We’re here!” Pinkie said as she and Applejack appeared in the room with a flash of light. “We’re not late, are we?”

“We’re good fir time Pinkie but we got here in such a hurry ya didn’t give me time ta change,” Applejack grumbled as she pointed at the dark green skirt and a white dress shirt she was wearing.

“Sorry!” Pinkie squeaked. She snapped her fingers and replaced Applejack’s fancy business wear with a simple Stetson hat.

“It’s alright sugarcube.” Applejack smiled sheepishly at the other people in the room. “Ah had ta cut a meeting short.”

“Oh, Miss Applejewel! Lovely to see you again,” Rarity said with a smile, albeit a somewhat strained one. “So um…how is life in the Big Apple?”

“Aw ponyfeathers…Ah was hoping ta say this when everyone else got here, but since ya asked…” Applejack sighed. “Ah take it that y’all heard about mah role in what happened on the other side of the mirror and about mah story?” she asked Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy. “The truth is Ah tricked a lot of y’all into believing whatever Ah wanted ya ta believe about me. All fir some really complicated plan about getting to what Ah thought was the true Equestria. Ain’t that ironic? Ah tried ta use half-truths and misdirection to trick y’all, just because Ah was so obsessed with being in a world Ah didn’t understand. But now Ah’m finally being honest with myself and with everyone else. Ah don’t want y’all to be nervous around me or treat me like some Big Apple big shot. Instead, Ah’d like to make an honest effort at being yer friend.”

She walked over to Rarity and held up her hoof. “With all that said…howdy miss Rarity. Mah name is Applejack. Ah know ya like fancy stuff, but if it’s alright with you Ah’d prefer to act more like myself.”

Rarity smiled and shook Applejack’s hoof. “It’s simply wonderful to get to know the real you, Miss Applejack. You don’t need to worry darling, I’ve made some mistakes too. I’m positive that we’ll get along just fine.”

“Hold on!” Rainbow interrupted with a glare at Applejack. “Pinkie tried to fool us once. How do we know for sure that you’re actually going to reform yourself?”

“Ah brought y’all apple cider,” Applejack said. Pinkie snapped her fingers and summoned several glasses of cider that levitated in front of them.

“I instantly forgive you!” Rainbow squeed before she grabbed two glasses of cider and poured them both down her throat at the same time, a fair bit of apple cider splashing on her face due to her messy drinking.

As Applejack reintroduced herself to Rainbow and Fluttershy, Discord teleported into the room along with Chrysalis, King Sombra, Princess Twilight, Duchess Celestia, and Duchess Luna.

“Good work Princess Nightmare. The castle looks a hundred times better. I’d almost say you did a better job than myself and Princess Sparkle,” King Sombra said as he examined the refurbished castle.

“I agree. The castle looks wonderful,” Celestia said with a smile. “Now, before our guests arrive there is something I wanted to know: exactly how formal do we want this meeting to be?”

“I think it’s best if we let the Equestrians decide that, Aunt Celestia,” Nightmare said. “From what we learned during our visit there, becoming friends with the Equestrians shouldn’t be very hard.”

“So as long as we are all on our best behavior, negotiations should go smoothly. Now…do I need to explain what ‘best behavior’ means to any of you?” King Sombra asked as he frowned at Discord and Pinkie.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me King Sombra! I’m the queen of good behavior!” Pinkie promised him.

“Hey guys?” Sunset Shimmer said as she poked her head out from behind a door at the end of the hallway. “They’re here.”

“Very well. Then let us go and welcome our new allies,” the king said.

They all walked down the hall until they had reached the new mirror chamber. It was Princess Twilight’s decision to move the crystal mirror from the secret chamber in the Crystal Castle and place it within the Equestrian Embassy so that the portal could be more accessible for anyone wishing to travel between worlds. They opened the door to see Smog talking with Equestria Spike and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

Equestria Pinkie was the first to zip over and say hello. “Hi Nyxie! I mean Nightmare. Ooh, can I call you Nightie? It’s like blending the two names together, just like that time I blended chocolate with strawberries and hot sauce! …Wait, that’s three things.”

“Hi Pinkie! Hi Rainbow! Hi Twilight! Hi Fluttershy!” Everfree Pinkie squeed as she zipped over to each of the visiting ponies, giving them all a crazed grin that made her look like she had gone days without food or water and had just been presented with a glorious buffet.

“Pinkie! Control yourself,” Luna ordered. “Need I remind you that King Sombra asked you to be on your best behavior?”

Everfree Pinkie blushed and backed away from the startled Equestria Fluttershy. “Oops. Sorry. Don’t worry, I can control myself!” Her fingers shrunk back into her hooves as a small cloud of pink smoke engulfed her. A second later, the smoke cleared away to show that Pinkie had donned a maid outfit. She bowed to the Equestrians and said, “Welcome to the Equestrian Embassy. How can I serve you?”

Equestria Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Um…”

“Uh…” Equestria Rainbow added.

Discord shook his head. “I was right, Pinkie has been hanging out with Eris too much,” he said.

King Sombra sighed and walked over to Equestria Twilight. “It’s an honour to see you again Princess Twilight. I’ve been looking forward to getting to know you and your friends so that we may become better allies.”

Equestria Twilight smiled. “I’ve been looking forward to this too! There’s so much we can learn from each other!”

Nightmare frowned as she counted the seven visitors. “Wait a minute. Where’s Princess Luna? Shouldn’t she and Celestia be here for this meeting?”

“Oh. Um…I’m afraid Princess Celestia and Princess Luna couldn’t make it,” Equestria Twilight said, smiling nervously.

“Why?” Nightmare asked, a bit of an edge entering her voice.

“Oh you know…royal duties,” Spike said, giving her the same nervous smile.

“This meeting qualifies as a royal duty. Why aren’t they here?” Nightmare asked, grilling them for information.

Equestria Twilight winced. “W-well, someone needs to run the kingdom and-”

Nightmare stomped her hoof against the floor. “Enough excuses! Tell me why they’re not here.”

“You make them uncomfortable, alright?!” Equestria Twilight snapped. She winced as Nightmare’s face fell. “Sorry.”

“Why would I make them uncomfortable? This meeting is all about building bridges between our worlds,” Nightmare said, her tone much softer.

“I’m terribly sorry Princess Nightmare. Even though everyone in Ponyville knows that you’re a hero, I think you remind Princess Luna too much of a…darker part of her history. Building on that, you remind Princess Celestia too much of the millennium spent separated from her sister,” Equestria Rarity said.

Nightmare sighed in disappointment while Duchess Celestia and Luna exchanged worried glances. However a few seconds later Nightmare’s eyes began to burn with determination. “Sorry guys, you’ll have to carry this meeting on without me.” With that said, she began walking towards the mirror.

Luna hurried over to her daughter. “What are you planning on doing Moony?”

“Whatever it takes to make things right, Loony.” She stopped and gave her mom a hug before she turned around again and jumped through the portal.

Everfree Twilight frowned in worry. “Do you think she’ll be alright? I’m not so sure if letting her go was a good idea.”

Luna sighed. “Honestly, Your Highness? If she wasn’t doing it, I would.”

“Goodness. Is Princess Nightmare going to be okay?” Equestria Fluttershy asked.

“I hope so,” Smog mumbled.

As soon as Nightmare had jumped out of the portal and entered Princess Twilight’s castle, she began her journey to Equestria’s version of Canterlot. She wasn’t sure if Canterlot would be in the same location or not, so she would be forced to fly there instead of simply teleporting. It was a small price to pay for what she hoped to accomplish. Hoping to avoid unnecessary crowds of curious ponies, Nightmare turned herself into magical mist and floated out of the castle and into the air. From her spot in the sky Nightmare could see Canterlot perched on top of a mountain. While she preferred to fly with her wings, she didn’t want to attract too much attention and so the magical mist flew all the way to Canterlot.

Once she had reached the castle and had flown by unnoticed by the staff and the royal guards, she continued her journey until eventually she reached the throne room. Changing back into her corporeal form, she gathered her courage and knocked on the door.

“Please come in,” the voice of her aunt’s counterpart said through the door.

Nightmare opened the door and walked towards Princess Celestia’s throne. The two guards standing by her side pointed their spears at Nightmare as she approached the throne. “Halt! Who goes there?!”

“Princess Nightmare Moon, I assume? It’s alright, she is not a threat to me,” Princess Celestia said calmly. “Please excuse us while I talk to Everfree’s princess alone.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the guards said. They put their spears away and walked out of the throne room.

Princess Celestia regarded Nightmare carefully. The solar princess wasn’t frowning but she wasn’t smiling either. “This is quite a surprise. To what do I owe this honour, Princess Nightmare?”

Nightmare sighed. “Princess Celestia. King Sombra of Everfree has invited you and Princess Luna to our world so that we may build bridges between our two kingdoms in order to create a strong alliance. But then, you should already know this, correct?”

“I was already aware of that, yes,” Celestia answered calmly.

“And yet Princess Twilight was the only ruler from your kingdom to arrive. While she and her friends are wonderful company to have, we are concerned as to why you and your sister did not accept our invitation.”

“I apologize for my sister’s as well as my own absence from the meeting. However I have many royal duties and paperwork that require my attention. Since my sister and I are so busy, we felt that Princess Twilight and her friends would be capable enough to attend the meeting and discuss building an alliance between our two kingdoms by themselves.”

Nightmare frowned. “The building of an alliance between our two kingdoms should take precedence over some pile of royal paperwork that I can’t even see.”

Celestia frowned but didn’t say anything. The two princesses glared at each other for a while before Celestia sighed. “I suppose there is no way I’m getting out of this, is there? Very well, the truth is-”

Nightmare sighed. “I remind you too much of your Nightmare Moon.”

Celestia nodded. “I fear you are correct. I know that you saved my little ponies from a great threat and that you are a hero to both Everfree and to Equestria. My head tells me that you are a friend…but my heart says otherwise.” She lowered her head as her ears folded down. “As a princess I cannot allow my emotions to affect my ability to rule Equestria and yet I must admit the reason my sister and I have been avoiding you…is because we’re afraid.”

Nightmare’s glare softened quite a bit. “If you’re that scared of me I’m surprised you could speak so openly about this.”

“As a fellow princess and for coming to our aid when we needed it most, you deserve that much,” Celestia answered.

Nightmare nodded. “I understand. I want to be friends with both you and Princess Luna, but I know how much your version of me haunts her. We might not become friends overnight, but I’m willing to take my chances.”

Celestia nodded. “While I understand that your mother can stay awake much later in the day, Princess Luna is nocturnal. She won’t wake up until it is time for me to lower the sun. In the meantime we can-”

“In the meantime, I’ll try to stay out of your hair,” Nightmare said as she walked out of the throne room. “I don’t want to make you feel any more uncomfortable.”

“No, that isn’t fair. You are a guest and a visiting princess. I should-”

“Celestia, it’s okay,” Nightmare interrupted her a second time with a smile. “I can wait. If it’s to help Loony…I can wait.”

If you asked Smog, getting to know their new friends was going pretty well. Unfortunately Sombra, Celestia, and Luna had to leave the meeting early due to a robbery at a museum in the Crystal Empire. While the museum required royal attention in case an ancient magical artifact had been stolen or something, Sombra had insisted that their meeting was just as important and that Princess Twilight should remain to entertain her Equestrian counterpart and their friends. So far, the Elements had been sharing their adventures with the Equestrians and vice versa.

“Hold on, I’m not quite sure I understand,” Everfree Fluttershy said. “You…don’t own a pet store?”

Equestria Fluttershy blushed. “Um, not exactly. I have many animal friends that I take care of. Sometimes other ponies come to me asking me to help them with their pets. But no, I don’t own a pet store.”

Everfree Fluttershy tilted her head in thought. “But Pinkie told me that you gave your Rainbow Dash a pet tortoise. Right?”

“Yep!” Equestria Rainbow answered. “Tank’s a pretty cool guy. We’ll be spending our first winter together in a few weeks! We’re going to have so much fun building snow ponies, having snowball fights, extreme sledding, sipping hot cider…”

“Wait, you have a turtle as your pet? Why?” Everfree Rainbow asked.

“Because he won the honour to be my pet. He may not be very fast but he’s as loyal as any of my friends,” Equestria Rainbow said. “And it’s tortoise, not turtle.”

Gilda shrugged. “What’s the difference?”

Before either Fluttershy could explain, Everfree Rainbow spoke up. “Eh, I guess it doesn’t matter. If you think he’s cool then I’m sure he’s awesome. It’s your pet anyway.” She tapped her chin in thought. “Hmm…I wonder if I should get a pet?” She held up her glass to take another sip of cider, only to see that it was empty. “Hey, can I get a refill here?”

“Of course my lady,” Everfree Pinkie said, still in her role as a maid. The cider glass refilled itself as she smiled. “Are you thinking about getting a tortoise too Rainbow?”

Everfree Rainbow smirked. “Nah. Imma get me a falcon! Something that’s loyal AND super fast!”

Gilda nodded. “I hear ya Dash. We gotta prove our world’s the best of the two.”

Equestria Rainbow smirked. “Oh, you think your world is better?”

Gilda, Trixie, and Everfree Rainbow all smirked back at her. “We don’t think, we know,” Trixie boasted.

Sensing that a rather fierce competition was about to start, Everfree Fluttershy decided to intervene. “Speaking of pets, I don’t think you guys have met Polaris yet.”

Discord smiled. “No, I don’t believe they have. Polaris! Here boy!”

Polaris whinnied with excitement as he flew into the room through one of the open windows. The Equestrian visitors took one look at the Windigo and jumped back in fear.

“T-that’s a W-Windigo. That’s a pony freezing Windigo!” Spike exclaimed.

Everfree Pinkie giggled. “Silly Spike, you don’t have to be scared of him! He’s friendly.”

Equestria Twilight sighed as she and her friends relaxed a little. “Sorry. I guess there’s still so much we have to learn about your world. Even with those memories Pinkie forced into our minds…”

Everfree Pinkie giggled sheepishly and scratched her mane. “Sorry about that. Again.”

Equestria Rainbow shrugged. “All I really need to know is that you guys are the good guys here. Other than that, I try to forget those weird memories that got pushed into our brains.” She finished that thought with another gulp of cider.

Chrysalis smiled. “I understand that you might be a bit scared of him. But Polaris really is a sweetheart once you get to know him. Aren’t you boy?”

Seeing that both Everfree Fluttershy and Chrysalis were comfortably petting the Windigo, Equestria Fluttershy bravely stepped forward to give Polaris a cuddle. “Aw…he’s so cute!”

Polaris gave her a happy whinny and licked her face. Fluttershy pulled her face back and shivered. “…I can’t feel my face now…and I’m okay with that.”

Discord chuckled. “I think he’s hungry. No freezing our new friends, Polaris! Really, it’s not as if you would find any hatred coming from her. I’ve got your lunch right here, little buddy.”

Chrysalis grimaced. “Oh please don’t tell me you’re-”

Discord reached into the air with his eagle claw and ripped a small hole through time and space. He pulled out a snarling, slimy creature with horns and tentacles that was roughly the size of a tomato and closed the hole behind it.

Chrysalis held her hooves up to her mouth, looking like she was about to throw up. “Oh gross! I smell its stench from here!”

The Equestrians flinched as the creature growled and shrieked at them. “What in the world is that thing?” Equestria Rarity asked.

Gilda shrugged. “I dunno. I think they’re tiny demons from Tartarus, but nobody knows for sure what it is. Those little monsters hate pretty much everything though, so Discord uses these things for Windigo chow.”

“Quite right Gilda. Now take this somewhere else, if you could Polaris. You know how uncomfortable Chrysie gets during lunchtime,” Discord said as he threw the angry little demon. Polaris whinnied in excitement as caught the hate-filled demon in the air, freezing it solid. The icy spirit then took his meal outside the room to eat somewhere else.

Chrysalis sighed in relief. “Thanks for making it go away.”

Discord waved his paw. “Please my dear, it’s the least I could do.”

“I hope he comes back soon though. Polaris is good company to have,” Chrysalis said, glancing over her wings at the window he had flown through.

Equestria Applejack turned to her counterpart. “So how’s life in the big city?”

Everfree Applejack sighed. “It has its ups and downs. Funny, when Ah came to Equestria Ah was planning on just getting back to what mah memories told me was familiar and forgetting about Apple Pie Incorporated. But now that Ah know how selfish Ah was acting, Ah’m doing mah best to keep mah company going while making more time fir mah family and mah new friends. The people who work fir me are right decent folk. It ain’t fair fir them to suffer just fir mah crazy plans.”

“Trixie imagines that must take up a lot of your free time. Please let her know if there is anything she can do to help you!” Trixie declared. “The Great and Powerful Trixie still knows some acquaintances from her days in the city.”

“Thanks Trixie. That’s mighty generous of ya.”

“As if you would expect anything less from the noble and heroic Trixie!”

Everfree Applejack chuckled. “Sure sugarcube. How about you AJ? Sweet Apple Acres still standing in yer world?”

“Things have been pretty quiet around the farm. Except fir yesterday when Apple Bloom had a nightmare about getting a bunch of cutie marks,” Equestria Applejack said.

“Scoots told me something about that too,” Equestria Rainbow said. “How she was all set to do this awesome stunt in her dream before she got a cooking cutie mark and got forced into a kitchen or something.”

Equestria Rarity nodded. “Sweetie Belle told me she experienced a similar nightmare before Princess Luna intervened.”

“Well Ah’m just glad that Apple Bloom learned she doesn’t have anything to worry about a cutie mark. It won’t change who she is,” Equestria Applejack said with confidence.

Sunset nodded. “That’s a pretty good lesson to learn.” She shrugged and took anther sip of cider. “And if your sister still doesn’t like her mark she can always change it.”

The Equestrians stopped what they were doing and turned to face her. “Wait…what?” Equestrian Rainbow asked.

Sunset lowered her glass and licked her lips. “I said it sounds like a good lesson to learn. Mm, that’s really good cider.”

“Not that part. I think Rainbow meant the part about her cutie mark,” Spike said.

Sunset shrugged. “What, that she can always change it?”

“Um Sunset…ponies can’t change their cutie marks,” Equestria Twilight said. “It’s like trying to change who you are.”

Everfree Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? There might be some aspects of a person’s personality that always remain, but people go through changes all the time. Whether they’re just tiny changes or much bigger ones. Can you really say you’re the same person now that you were five years ago? How long have you had these?” She pointed at her wings and gave them a flap.

“Touché,” Equestria Twilight said as she stared at her own wings and flapped them. “I guess people can change. But a cutie mark is a representation of a pony’s unique talents and skills. You can’t change that.”

“And it doesn’t,” Everfree Applejack said. “In Equestria, a pony gets their mark when they find their talent. In Everfree, a pony is already born with a mark and so they know growing up exactly what their skill is gonna be.”

“Really? How does that work?” Spike asked.

Everfree Pinkie giggled. “It’s magic, silly filly!”

Equestria Twilight frowned. “What, does it predict the future? But magic doesn’t work like…” her frown faded as the two Pinkies smiled at her. “Never mind.”

Everfree Rainbow chuckled. “Just remembered who you were talking to, didn’t ya?”

“Anyway…” Everfree Applejack continued. “When a pony loses their mark it represents their desire to grow as a person. To learn new talents and skills. Even though we’re all blank flanks, we all remember what our marks looked like and what talents they represented. Except mah poor little sister, fir some reason,” she added sadly. She shrugged and said, “But once ya lose yer mark it’s gone fir good.”

Sunset blinked in confusion. “Well…not exactly.”

“She’s right,” Everfree Rainbow said. “I don’t need my old cutie mark to be the fastest flier in Everfree and it doesn’t really bother me that I’m a blank flank…but there are a few times when I miss having a mark. Still, I can always get one back.”

Everfree Applejack blinked in confusion. “Wait, you can?”

Everfree Pinkie scratched her head. “Gosh, first Luna being Nightie’s mom, then the Cake twins, and now this. I keep missing little details!”

“How do ya think I feel? Ah know that with the magic glass outta mah eye Ah can’t see the truth no more but how come y’all know about this and Ah don’t?” Everfree Applejack asked.

Sunset shrugged. “I guess even with magical powers of perception, you still can’t see everything at the same time.”

Equestria Pinkie giggled. “Yeah! If I could see everything 24/7, my brain would probably burst from too much information! Just the fact that I remember everything about everybody in Ponyville makes my brain go all whoop-whoop-boing!”

“I’m sorry, but can we get back to how a pony can change their cutie mark?” Equestria Twilight asked, speaking on behalf of her Ponyville friends. “Sunset, how is that possible?”

Sunset shrugged. “Starlight Glimmer.”

Everfree Applejack and the seven Equestrians all stared at her in shock. “How do you know who Starlight Glimmer is?” Equestria Twilight asked.

“Her resort is one of my favourite vacation spots,” Sunset said simply. Taking notice of their flabbergasted expressions, she sighed. “Oh darn, is she evil in your world?”

Everfree Pinkie giggled. “Oh yeah. She was a pretty big pile of trouble. Like that time Trixie stole the Alicorn Amulet and tried to take over Ponyville!”

Everfree Rarity blinked in confusion. “Wait, what?” Trixie asked, feeling just as confused.

“Hey wait a minute, you said Starlight’s name right before you went on your magic absorbing rampage!” Equestria Rainbow said, pointing her hoof at Everfree Pinkie. “Why didn’t you do anything about her?”

Everfree Pinkie scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. “First of all, I’m really sorry about that. Again. Secondly, I only chased after the bad guys who won and so I only chased after the Starlight Glimmers that beat you. You guys didn’t fight Starlight until after you all defeated me in that super awesome fight and I wanted to see how you guys would beat her.”

“A world where we didn’t beat Starlight? You mean, where we didn’t get our cutie marks back?” Equestria Rainbow shuddered. “That’s scary.”

“Hold on, what’s this about Starlight Glimmer?” Everfree Twilight asked.

“Clearly the Starlight Glimmer in their world is different from the one I know.” Sunset slowly smiled as she got an idea. “Say…how would you guys like to visit her resort?”

Everfree Rainbow smiled. “Cool. I could use a vacation.”

“Ooh! I heard they added some new massages at the spa!” Everfree Rarity added.

“I’ve only visited once, but it was such a lovely place,” Everfree Fluttershy said.

Meanwhile, the Equestria Twilight exchanged glances with her curious friends. “This…could be interesting.”

Princess Luna bounced with excitement as she sat in her throne. That afternoon Celestia had told her that a very important pony had requested an audience with her. Now, Luna’s nightly royal duties usually consisted of fighting monsters that liked to prowl near cities or villages at night and of helping ponies overcome their nightmares in the dreamscape. Officially, holding night court was part of her duties but many ponies still went to Celestia’s court instead of Luna’s. After one brief adventure where she took over Celestia’s duties for a day, Luna found that she preferred her duties over Celestia’s hectic schedule and so she was quite happy with the way things were.

But with all that in mind, Luna was still excited to see this important citizen. Even though Luna loved Celestia dearly, there were still times when she got a tiny bit jealous of her sister. The thought that someone favored her wisdom over Celestia’s made Luna felt as if she’d won something that night. The doors opened and Luna looked up with a smile on her face, eager to see the important pony. Her smile fell as she saw who approached her throne.

Nightmare smiled nervously and bowed before Luna. “Greetings Princess Luna. It’s a beautiful night that you have gifted us.”

Luna frowned as she watched the other alicorn of the night bow to her. “Princess Nightmare Moon of Everfree. To what do I owe this…pleasure?”

“Right. First order of business I uh, wished to give you these gifts as a token of my appreciation for all the hard work you do.” Nightmare’s horn glowed as she levitated dozens of presents to Luna, all of them gift-wrapped in night themed paper.

Luna eyed the presents carefully. “That is quite a large number of gifts.”

Nightmare smiled sheepishly. “Originally I had bought you gifts that I knew Loony enjoyed. Then I thought that you might not share all of the same interests so I bought a few more gifts, just to make sure I gave you something that you would really enjoy.” As Luna opened the presents with her magic, Nightmare waited patiently yet nervously for Luna to say something. She spotted a small possum lying on a black cushion next to Luna’s throne. “Oh, is that your pet? I used to beg my mom for a pet when I was a filly but she was concerned that I was too young to take care of one. Pretty cute little guy. What’s his name?”

“His name is Tiberius,” Luna said absentmindedly. She put the last gift down and looked Nightmare in the eye. “You do know that I am not your mother, yes?”

Nightmare flinched. “Y…yes I do know that.” She then regained her courage and said, “Just as you know that I am not the same Nightmare Moon who tormented you, yes?”

Luna sighed. “A little warning would have been nice, Celestia,” she muttered. She spoke a little louder and added, “You’ll have to forgive me Princess Nightmare. I know that you are an ally to our kingdom but it’s difficult to forget how much suffering your counterpart caused.”

“Right. I thought that would be the case. Which is why I am here to better bridge our two worlds closer, discuss how an alliance might be forged, and to alleviate any concerns you have about-”

Luna stomped her hoof against her throne. “Enough evasions! Speak clearly and do not, as the expression goes ‘beat around the bush’. What do you want?”

Nightmare looked Luna right in the eye and said, “I just want to be your friend.” Flinching at Luna’s cold glare, she whispered, “I’m sorry. Please, I just want to be your friend.”

Luna sighed and hesitantly muttered, “Very well. I accept your friendship.”

A smile quickly blossomed on Nightmare’s face. “You do? That’s wonderful! Listen, if you’re not busy tonight I was hoping maybe we could-”

“As a matter of fact I am busy,” Luna said as she stepped off her throne and walked past Nightmare. “It was a pleasure to talk to you Princess Nightmare Moon. Court is adjourned.” And with that, Luna left the throne room.

Nightmare sighed. “She’s started to warm up…but still no smile. I’ll just have to try harder.”

The Elements of Redemption and the Elements of Harmony had decided to take the train to Starlight’s resort after Discord had declared that he was not their chauffeur and that maybe he got tired of teleporting them everywhere. Smog couldn’t tell if he was being moody or mischievous, but the train ride wasn’t too long so he didn’t mind. During the time spent on the train, the Harmony bearers had told them about their encounter with the Equestrian Starlight and quite a few of them were shocked by her actions.

“And until you showed up, nobody in that town found it creepy that those equal marks could repress their personalities?!” Chrysalis asked, eyes wide with disbelief. “That sounds horrible!”

“It’s like that super creepy cult from the third Bravely Blue book,” Gilda said.

“What Trixie wants to know is this: did she really believe that was the path to equality or did she just want to be superior to everyone else?” Trixie asked.

Equestria Twilight sighed. “I don’t know what was going through Starlight’s head, but I’m sure you can all see now why we’re a little nervous about visiting her town again.”

Sunset smiled reassuringly. “Well you don’t have to worry about that. The Starlight I know would never try to brainwash anyone.” Her smile widened as the train came to a complete stop. “We’re here. Come on guys!”

The group got off the train and stepped out into what looked like a luxury resort. Everfree Applejack and the Equestrians blinked in surprise as they saw grown up ponies with cutie marks walking alongside dragons, griffons, changelings, deer, zebras, buffalos, diamond dogs, and other creatures.

“Wow! Is that a cow?” Smog asked as they walked past one group by an outdoor pool. “The last cow I saw was Mooriella and I haven’t see her in ages!”

Equestria Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Y’all don’t have cows in Peaceville?”

Discord shrugged. “They used to live in Peaceville but they all left for a different village several years ago. Said something about Peaceville being too noisy. I can’t imagine what they meant by that!” He smiled at Everfree Pinkie and said, “Wanna do something fun?”

Everfree Pinkie waved her hoof and conjured up several noisemakers. “Should I summon the monkey fish or do you want to do it?”

“Save it for later guys,” Sunset said. She scanned the crowd until she spotted the pony she was looking for. “Starlight Glimmer! Over here!”

A unicorn mare turned away from the minotaur she was talking to and smiled at Sunset. She had a pale purplish-pink coat, purple hair with light blue streaks, and a cutie mark of a purple star with two turquoise streams shooting out of the star. “Sunny! What a pleasant surprise!”

The two unicorns raced towards each other then screeched to a halt as they did a little dance. They gave each other two hoof bumps while singing, “Shimmer…glimmer…” Then the two mares stepped back and fired two beams of magic into the sky, where they collided and exploded out into a sparkling starburst firework. “SHINE!”

Starlight giggled as Sunset led her towards her other friends. “Oh, I’ve missed the good old-fashioned ‘shimmer, glimmer, shine’!”

Sunset chuckled. “I’ve missed you too. Anyway, there’s some people I’d like you to meet.”

Starlight smiled and introduced herself to Sunset’s friends. “Well of course I know who the Elements of Redemption are! Welcome to Glimmering Stars Luxury Resort! We’re so pleased to have you here. My name is Starlight Glimmer, the founder and manager of this little home away from home!”

Sunset smiled. “You seem to know who Smog, Gilda, Trixie, Chrysalis, and Discord are but there’s a few other people I invited as you can see.”

Starlight’s eyes widened as she saw the other members of their group. “Oh my.” She gave Chrysalis a mischievous smirk. “Queen Chrysalis, I’m surprised that you would try to prank me. It’s a good effort dear, but I can tell they’re changelings.”

Sunset shook her head. “Sorry Glimmer, they’re not disguised. Did you hear King Sombra’s speech about the discovery of a mirror world?”

Starlight gasped. “Oh my! You mean these visitors are from a whole other universe? And…and that’s the real Princess Twilight and the real Pink One?”

“Um, she prefers to be called Pinkie,” Chrysalis said.

“Oh, right! I heard that you were properly reformed now,” Starlight said as she smiled at Everfree Pinkie. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that dear. We have no judgments in our little resort.”

Equestria Twilight cleared her throat. “Um, yeah…would you mind telling us about your little resort?”

Starlight smiled. “I’d be happy to! Which of our services would you like to hear about? Now of course the cutie mark catalogue is our signature attraction but we also have pools, spas, an arcade room, a fun-filled mysterious cave adventure-”

Sunset held up a hoof. “Um, can you hold on one second Starlight? See, the main reason I invited them here is because…well, um…” She turned to Everfree Pinkie and said, “That memory thing you did to Equestria Twilight and her friends? Can you do it again?”

Everfree Pinkie nodded. “I won’t pour in every little adventure this time. Just the one she needs to see.” She floated over to Equestria Fluttershy and tapped her on the head before she floated over to Starlight and tapped her on the head too. Starlight’s eyes closed tightly as Pinkie explained what was happening, “I borrowed Fluttershy’s memories of the meanie version of Starlight plus her memories on how cutie marks work in Equestria. Let’s see how she takes it.”

Starlight groaned as she opened her eyes and shook her head. She gasped and kneeled before Equestria Twilight. “Your Majesty, I am so sorry to hear about the trouble my counterpart put you through. You and your friends can stay here as long as you like and no longer. I can assure you that I would never force you to do something you didn’t want to.”

Equestria Twilight chuckled nervously. “Um, you don’t have to kneel.” As Starlight got up and flinched a little in shame, Twilight gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay Miss Glimmer. My friends and I are still getting used to the fact that people here are a lot different than how we know them back home. But I am still curious about your resort…”

Starlight’s smile returned. “Oh thank heavens! I couldn’t live with the thought of hurting such a lovely group of people like yourselves. Please follow me to our welcome centre so that I can give you a full picture of what our resort offers.”

“Well? Y’all interested?” Everfree Applejack asked her friends.

Equestria Pinkie smiled. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on everyone’s smiles. And they’re all the genuine article! I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

Everfree Twilight smiled. “In that case, led the way Miss Glimmer.”

Starlight smiled and bowed. “Of course.” As she led them all to a large building, she glanced at Sunset and asked, “Pardon me for asking but will Princess Nightmare be joining us?”

Sunset sighed. “Not today Starlight. She’s dealing with…a family matter.”

It had been a few hours after Nightmare’s discussion with Luna and the lunar princess had begun the midnight monster-hunting portion of her royal duties. While Luna and some of her night guards were finishing up their watch around Cloudsdale, Prince Shining Armor and Flash Sentry were patrolling around the edge of Canterlot. “So is this your first time working at night?” Shining asked.

“Yep,” Flash replied. “Funny, I always thought that Princess Luna only did this late night monster hunting thing with her night guard. How come we’re out here helping? Um, not that I’m complaining or anything!” he hastily added.

“Cadance asked me to help her out tonight. Apparently Princess Nightmare came to our world to visit Princess Celestia today, only she was hoping to talk to Princess Luna instead. Cadance was worried that Princess Luna might be feeling off her game from the meeting and she might need a few more guards,” Shining said.

“Okay. Well, I’m happy to accompany you sir.” Flash observed the area they were patrolling. “So what kinds of monsters does Princess Luna usually fight? I heard something about an owlbear. What are those like?”

Before Shining could answer him, a nearby tree was split clean open as a dark alicorn crashed into it. “Princess Luna! Are you alright?” he cried as they hurried over to the alicorn.

“Oh, is Loony here? That’s great,” Nightmare said as she lifted her head up and gave the two stallions a dazed and goofy grin. “Hi there Prince Shiny! I’m BFFs with your sister! Oh and hey…that guy! What’s your name…ooh, Flash something, hi Flashy! Sorry about before with the tying and the…questions…”

“Nightmare – I mean, Princess Nightmare Moon?” Flash asked. “What are you doing?”

Nightmare pushed herself off the tree she landed in and shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Sorry, got a little dizzy back there. Anyway, I heard that Loony – I mean, Princess Luna and her guard went monster hunting around this time of the night, so I thought I’d lend my power. Boy, that thing’s got a mean punch!”

Shining frowned nervously. “What thing?”

Nightmare grinned and pointed up. “The savage owlbear I found lurking outside Cloudsdale.”

Shining and Flash looked up to see an enraged owlbear screeching down at them from a cloud. It had the head, wings, and talons of an owl and the body of a freaking HUGE bear. However, this owlbear also had icy blue lines of magic that ran up and down its muscular arms and flowed into its glowing blue eyes.

Nightmare grinned as her horn glowed. She flapped her wings and launched herself at the owlbear as it too flapped its wings and attacked. As Nightmare flew around in the sky, keeping her distance and shooting blasts of magic at the owlbear, Flash unfurled his own wings to fly up and help her. But before he could take off Shining conjured up a large shield around them. “Hey! What are you doing, we have to help her!”

“Are you insane? I can fight a manticore or a chimera on my own but that’s an owlbear! You’d have to be either an alicorn or Fluttershy to deal with a normal bear! Princess Nightmare is handling it, so what we need to do is to find Princess Luna immediately! Now let’s go!” Shining ordered.

Shining dropped the shield and the two stallions ran off in the opposite direction, hoping that they would find Luna quickly. Unfortunately, the sudden movement caught the owlbear’s eye. Flying away from its battle with Nightmare it dive-bombed towards Flash, screeching loudly.

“Wait, no! He’s not food! Flash, look out!” Nightmare cried as she dived towards them too.

But the owlbear was faster than any of the ponies as it lunged straight towards Flash and knocked him into a tree with a powerful sweep of its claws. The owlbear landed on the ground, growling as Shining stepped in front of it and conjured up another shield to protect Flash.

“Shining Armor, you keep it distracted! I’ll hex it from behind and finish it off!” Nightmare ordered.

“Right!” Shining shouted before he fired a powerful blast of magic at the owlbear. The beast screeched as it raised its massive arms to defend itself from the blast, only to be knocked out cold from the hex that hit it in the back of the head.

Nightmare sighed in relief as the owlbear finally fell into unconsciousness. “Finally.” She quickly made sure that the owlbear wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon before she hurried over to Flash’s side. “How is he?”

“It was the force of the blow that did the most damage. The claws didn’t dig too deeply into him but he still needs medical attention!” Shining told her.

“Good idea. I can try some healing spells on him, but there was definitely something weird going on with that owlbear. It‘s possible that the beast‘s claws were cursed, in which case the more help you can find the better,” Nightmare said as she focused her magic on Flash’s wounds.

“What‘s going on here?!” Luna shouted as she descended from the sky. Before Shining could explain what had happened Luna’s gaze zoomed in onto Nightmare’s glowing horn inches away from Flash’s side. “You! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY SUBJECTS!” she roared.

“What?” Nightmare took a step away from Flash. “Luna, this isn’t what it looks like!”

“ENOUGH LIES!” Luna growled as her horn charged with power. “I knew you couldn’t be trusted! I will protect my subjects from any and all nightmares and monsters! INCLUDING YOU!” she roared as she fired a blast of magic at her.

Nightmare conjured up a shield around her, cringing at Luna’s harsh words and at the force behind her magic. Fortunately, Shining jumped in front of Nightmare and conjured up his own shield. “Princess Luna, it really isn’t what it looks like! She wasn’t attacking us, she was trying to heal Flash!” he cried.

Luna canceled her spell to avoid hurting Shining but her glare did not fade. “A likely story. Why in Equestria would she need to heal Flash Sentry?”

Nightmare frowned. “Gosh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because he was knocked into a tree by an angry owlbear? You know, the owlbear right over there!”

Luna turned to look in the direction Nightmare was pointing and blinked in surprise once she saw the unconscious beast. “How…how did I not see that?” She turned to face Shining, her anger replaced with confusion and a growing sense of shame. “Is…this truly what happened?”

Shining nodded. “It is, Your Highness. Princess Nightmare Moon was fighting the owlbear when Flash Sentry and I walked in on their fight. The owlbear struck him before Nightmare Moon and I were able to incapacitate the creature.”

“Oh…” Luna’s ears folded downward.

Nightmare sighed and turned to Shining. “Cleary you don’t need my help here anymore. Find someone to take care of Flash Sentry’s injuries. I’ll just be on my way then. Tell your wife I said hi.”

“Wait!” Luna cried as Nightmare turned and walked away from them. “Princess Nightmare Moon, I was wrong to assume you had injured-”

Nightmare frowned and kept walking. “I don’t want to hear it Princess Luna.”

“Please, hold! I was mistaken. I let my feelings cloud my judgment.” She placed her wing on Nightmare’s back. “Please allow me to-”

“Don’t touch me!” Nightmare snarled as she removed Luna’s wing. “I don’t know why I even bothered to make friends with you! You were right before, you’re nothing like my Loony! She would never act like such a foal!”

Luna gulped as Nightmare glared at her with those fierce draconic eyes…that were leaking a few teardrops. “I…Princess Nightmare, I am truly sorry that-”

“I don’t want to hear it. We’re done,” Nightmare growled before she vanished with a flash of darkness.

Luna sighed and stared up at the moon. “…Why must these things keep happening?”

Starlight smiled at the two sets of Element bearers as they sat down in the welcoming hall. “So how would you like to proceed? Somehow I get the feeling that you’re not interested in seeing the traditional tour. Ooh, I have a song that I could sing for you!”

“That’s okay. The…last song we heard about this place was enough,” Equestria Rainbow said.

Starlight’s smile faded. “You don’t trust me, do you? Honestly, I can understand why.”

“Don’t worry about it Starlight. Just tell them about what a great place this is,” Sunset said, encouraging her.

Starlight’s smile returned. “Since we have different histories when it comes to cutie marks, perhaps I can start there?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Equestria Twilight said as she got out a notebook and quill to take notes.

Everfree Twilight blinked when she saw the quill. “You still use those? Maybe I should buy you a pen before you leave.”

Starlight cleared her throat and began her lecture. “A long time ago, ponies were born as blank flanks and received marks that represented what their special talents were as they grew older. Around the time when the Elements of Forgiveness were discovered, the nature of these marks was reversed. Stallions and mares who had their cutie marks started to lose them while foals were born with a mark that depicted what their talent was going to be.”

“Why would the discovery of this world’s Elements change that?” Equestria Twilight asked.

Starlight shrugged. “Nobody knows for sure. However, Everfree seems to be better off for it. I have always seen cutie marks as both a blessing and a curse.”

“Oh come on!” Equestria Rainbow said, throwing her hooves up in annoyance. “There’s nothing wrong with our cutie marks!”

“Consider this: anyone can see that your talent is in magic,” Starlight said to Equestria Twilight. “Your horn allows you to use magic but it’s your mark that allows you to excel at it. All ponies feel happy when performing their special talent. Right?”

Equestria Twilight smiled. “Well, yes. I like magic and learning as much as I can about magic.”

Starlight raised a hoof. “But consider this: has there ever been a time when you weren’t allowed to use magic?”

Equestria Twilight’s smile faded a little as she scratched the back of her neck. “Well…there was that one time during Winter Wrap-Up. I was pretty frustrated at not being able to help anybody without using my magic.” Her smile returned as she added, “But with a little organization I was able to help wrap up winter for Ponyville!”

Starlight titled her head to the side. “What’s Winter Wrap-Up?”

“Seasons work differently in their world. If you ask Trixie, Winter Wrap Up is overcomplicated and unnecessary,” Trixie said.

“Now hold on, what’s unnecessary about Winter Wrap Up? It’s tradition!” Equestria Applejack argued.

“Everyone please, let’s not fight amongst ourselves,” Starlight said. “Perhaps a better example would work. What can you tell me about your mark Miss Fluttershy?”

Equestria Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, it represents my talent with taking care of cute little animals.”

Starlight smiled. “That’s a wonderful talent. However, many animals often have very different behaviours. Wild animals in particular are obviously difficult to become friends with. Tell me, has there ever been a situation where animals were unkind to you or were avoiding you?”

Equestria Fluttershy winced. “Um…well there was the Grand Galloping G-Gala…”

Starlight nodded. “And how did that situation make you feel?”

“She became violently insane,” Equestria Pinkie blabbed.

“Pinkie!” the other people in the room – including Everfree Pinkie – scolded her, while Everfree Fluttershy went to comfort her counterpart.

Starlight nodded. “I see. And what about you Miss Pie? What do those balloons represent?”

“My partying skills of course! I love to plan parties for all my friends!” Equestria Pinkie said cheerfully.

“And has there ever been a time when you couldn’t plan a party or when a friend couldn’t…or wouldn’t come to a party?”

Equestria Pinkie flinched. “Well…there was that one time I wanted to throw a party on the same day my friends were throwing me a party…and at first I thought they were avoiding me…”

Starlight nodded. “And how did that situation make you feel?”

“…I became violently insane,” Equestria Pinkie whispered.

Starlight nodded. “It’s the most dangerous thing about cutie marks. My old textbooks referred to it as Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome. When a pony is unable to practice their special talent he or she experiences a temporary mental breakdown. Tell me, has anyone else ever experienced something similar happening to them?” Starlight’s eyes widened as everyone in the room began to look a little sheepish. “Really? All of you, even the ones who never have cutie marks?”

Gilda shrugged. “We’re not like normal people. Why are you trying to psychoanalyze us?”

“Oh, I’m not trying to!” Starlight said. “I’m simply illustrating the dangers of a cutie mark.”

“Now hold on,” Equestria Twilight said, holding up her hoof. “I’ll admit that my friends and I have become…upset in the past, but our cutie marks aren’t to blame for that! The only thing a cutie mark is for is when a pony realizes something about themselves that makes them unique whether it’s a talent or personality trait. It’s something that is always present in a pony even without that mark.”

“But a mark can alter a pony’s personality,” Starlight argued. “How do you explain the cutie pox?”

“Well…cutie pox is a very perplexing illness. Apple Bloom’s body may have been covered in cutie marks, but that was part of the disease’s magic.”

“Apple Bloom? Wait, you’ve encountered cutie pox too? My, my, you all live rather interesting lives, don’t you?” Starlight said.

Equestria Twilight frowned. “The point I’m making is that cutie marks aren’t as important as you think they are. My cutie mark is a part of me but it’s NOT the only part of me.”

“Really? Well that’s…” Starlight’s eyes widened and her jaw hung open a little. “…I’ve never thought about it like that before…” A smile slowly spread across Starlight’s face as she thought things over. “It seems like you’ve taught me something new, Your Highness. Yes, I’d say you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about.”

Equestria Twilight blinked in surprise. “I…I have?”

“Hold on a minute, I’m confused. Earlier you made it sound like you could give a pony a cutie mark and then you start warning us about the potential dangers of having one and now you’re agreeing with Twilight,” Equestria Rarity said.

“Oh, you have to understand darling, Starlight Glimmer loves cutie marks. It’s just part of her job to keep her guests safe and comfortable,” Everfree Rarity told her counterpart. “It’s like when a non-flying creature wants to go rock climbing or zip lining. It’s a fun and exciting activity as long as you stay safe.”

“Exactly!” Starlight said cheerfully. “My job requires me to warn ponies about possible risks but I still want ponies to enjoy the talents I give them.”

“And how does that work exactly? How can ya give someone a talent?” Equestria Applejack said.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Gee, I dunno. Maybe it’s magic?”

Starlight giggled. “Don’t tease them Sunny, it’s a good question. You see, when I lost my cutie mark at a young age I was quite happy. To me, losing my mark meant that I could realize my potential and learn how to do new things. However, I had a lot of difficulty when it came to improving my running speed, my drawing skills, or learning how to be more graceful. But then, I discovered an old spell that allowed me to pick and choose a new cutie mark. I wanted to share this gift with the world, so I created a mark that gave me power over cutie marks. Ever since then, I’ve been able to give ponies any talent or mark that they want…for a small fee of course.” Starlight smiled as she levitated a large book over to them. “That’s what makes our little resort so popular. Getting a new mark is like putting on a mask. It’s like you’re temporarily leaving your old identity behind to become someone else.” She opened the book with her magic and began to flip through pictures of cutie marks. “This right here is our cutie mark catalogue. Now, would anyone like a demonstration?”

Everfree Fluttershy raised her hoof. “Um, I’d like to try it…if that’s okay with everyone else.”

Starlight beamed. “Wonderful! I know you and Countess Cadance visited our resort before, but this is your first time using the catalogue, isn’t it? Go on Miss Fluttershy, take a look and tell me what you’d like.”

Everfree Fluttershy took the book and flipped through the pages. “Well…I’ve always wanted to be a faster flier…could I try this one please?” She pointed at a picture of a lightning bolt with wings.

Starlight smiled. “Excellent choice. Since this is your first time using our catalogue this mark is free! Hold still please.” Her horn glowed with a light turquoise aura as she aimed it at Everfree Fluttershy. Two streams of magic snaked out and tickled the sides of Fluttershy’s flank, right where her cutie mark used to be. Starlight’s horn dimmed as she completed her spell, giving Fluttershy the winged lightning bolt mark. “Well? How does it feel?”

The cutie mark glowed electric blue as Everfree Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh my…” She hovered in midair as her wings began to beat rapidly. “Oh my…I feel fantastic! I-I feel energized and energetic!” she giggled.

“Whoa! Flutters, check out how fast your wings are!” Gilda pointed out.

“They’re buzzing like a hummingbird’s!” Equestria Fluttershy said.

“I feel fast…really fast! Rainbow Dash, Gilda! Race me!” Everfree Fluttershy demanded.

Gilda and the two Rainbow Dashes grinned. “Wait, are you serious? This is so awesome!” Everfree Rainbow said.

“First one to fly ten, no twenty, no thirty laps around the resort and back here wins! One two three GO!” Everfree Fluttershy shouted before she zoomed out of the building, crashing through a window as she did.

As Gilda and the two Rainbows flew out the broken window, an irritated Starlight called out, “The cutie mark may be free but the mess you make with it isn’t! You’re paying for that window!”

Discord chuckled. “Not to worry my dear, I’ve got it.” He snapped his fingers and replaced the broken window with double glazed glass. “And the window tastes like chocolate!” he added before he zipped over and began to lick the glass.

“Hey! I want some!” Everfree Pinkie floated over to the window and began to lick the chocolate window too. “Why can’t I bite it?”

“Well we can’t have a window that’s so easily broken – whoa!” Discord jumped back as Everfree Fluttershy crashed through the window again and skidded to a halt.

Everfree Rainbow returned in second place with Gilda and Equestria Rainbow right behind her. “Wow! That was amazing Fluttershy!” Gilda cheered.

Everfree Fluttershy grinned. “I know! Let’s go again I wanna rematch!”

Starlight glanced up at a clock on the wall. “I’m afraid that’s all the time you get for a free mark.” Her horn glowed again as she zapped Fluttershy with her magic, causing the cutie mark to melt into Fluttershy’s skin and turning her back into a blank flank. “So how do you feel now?”

Everfree Fluttershy blushed heavily as her wing beats slowed. “Oh my…” She touched down on the ground and smiled sheepishly. “What a rush. I just felt so excited. I’ve been a pretty average flier all my life and suddenly I felt like I could fly circles around Gilda or Dash. I’m sorry.”

Starlight smiled and nodded. “Everyone has unique experiences regarding our catalogue cutie marks. It’s fun and scary at the same time…kinda like Twilight Night!” she giggled. “Would anyone else like to try it? I could talk to you about our prices, our upcoming holiday deals, or I could answer any other questions you might have.”

Everfree Twilight glanced at the clock. “I’m sure we’d love to hear more but it’s getting late. Luna said she’ll be checking up on Nightmare so I need to lower the sun and raise the moon soon. You guys should probably be getting back to Equestria too,” she said to the Elements of Harmony.

Starlight smiled warmly. “Well I’m still glad that you all decided to learn about Glimmering Stars Luxury Resort! Feel free to pick up a brochure on your way out and please come again soon!”

“Um…I’ll take one please,” Equestria Fluttershy. Noticing her friends’ curious looks, she smiled. “Well…this place feels so nice! It has all the friendliness that Starlight Glimmer’s village had but without us being locked up in a brainwashing hut.”

Starlight shivered. “Even without these new memories that other Starlight sounds horrible.”

“Out of curiosity…what did you do to the evil Starlight Glimmers who won?” Trixie asked Everfree Pinkie.

The Pink One smiled nervously. “You…you don’t need to know that.”

“That bad, huh?” Sunset asked.

“Uh…sorta. All I really needed to do to beat her was splash water on her. But I did get a little…creative one or two times.”

“How creative?” Everfree Rarity asked.

Everfree Pinkie’s eyes drifted to the ceiling as she looked back at her own memories. She reflected on her past actions for several seconds before she shuddered. “It’s…better if you don’t know.”

“If it’s that bad, I think we need to know Pinkie,” Everfree Twilight said.

“Well if it means that much to you Twily, I’ll…tell you later,” Everfree Pinkie said as she glanced at Starlight. “But I’m doing my best to fix things now!”

“So what, does that mean you’re putting those worlds back to the way they were before?” Sunset asked.

Everfree Pinkie giggled. “Oh heck no! That would mean letting the bad guys win! No silly filly, I’m fixing all the other things that went wrong and putting the bad guys into nicer prisons.”

“Pinkie, you damaged the multiverse quite a bit. You can’t tell me that what you did is going to be easy to fix,” Sunset said.

Everfree Pinkie frowned. “Sometimes it really CAN be that easy to fix. You don’t always need a complicated solution to your problems.”

Everfree Applejack sighed. “I think what Sunset is trying to say is that-”

She immediately shut up when Pinkie’s eyes began to glow red. “Look, I’m sorry! I’m trying to fix what I did! I wish I could go back to being a cheerful party-throwing goofball, but I can’t! I turned myself into this because I wanted to protect my friends and I’d do it AGAIN if I had to. I Pinkie Promised that I wouldn’t be such a meanie to people who aren’t my friends, but if my friends are in danger then I WILL protect them! No matter what it takes!”

Her eyes returned to normal as she finished her rant. Everfree Pinkie’s face fell as she saw how everyone was staring fearfully at her. “Oh…I…I’m sorry everybody I…I didn’t mean to…I just…” She sighed. “I need to be alone for a while.”

As Everfree Pinkie vanished with a flash of light, her Equestrian counterpart could sigh with heavy sorrow. “Poor me…”

Starlight sighed. “I hope your friend feels better soon.”

The door opened and Princess Nightmare walked in. “Is everything okay? I heard Pinkie yelling in here.”

“Nightmare!” Smog cried as he rushed over to greet her. “You’re back! How’d you find us?”

Nightmare shrugged. “After I came back through the portal, mom told me that you guys were visiting Glimmering Stars.”

“So how’d it go with Princess Luna?” Sunset asked.

Nightmare frowned and turned away from her friends. “I’d rather not talk about it. I’ll see you guys back home…I need to be alone for a while.”

As Nightmare turned into a cloud of magical mist and flew away, her friends exchanged worried glances with each other. In particular, Equestria Pinkie and Discord walked away from the group and began to make plans.

Princess Luna sighed and rolled into her bed, levitating her crown off her head as she got ready to go to sleep. “What a night…”

“Well it’s about to get longer,” Discord said as he appeared in her bedroom with a flash of light.

“Discord!” Luna cried as she jumped out of bed, covering herself up with her bed sheets. “How dare you invade my privacy again!”

Discord raised an eyebrow. “Why are you covering yourself up when you normally don’t wear clothes? I mean besides your crown, your shoes, and that weird bib thing…oh what do I care? Sorry my dear, but I’m here on behalf of Duchess Luna.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “You are the Discord from Everfree then? What business does my counterpart have with me?”

Discord smirked. “I think you know. But just in case you are as thick-skulled as I’m led to believe, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Before Luna could retort, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported them both to the mirror chamber in Twilight’s castle. “In you go!” he sang as he gave Luna a swift kick in the flank, knocking her through the portal.

The Equestria Discord teleported into the room next to him. “You know she’s going to be furious with you.”

Everfree Discord smirked. “You’re just jealous because you never took the chance to kick her flank yourself.”

“My dear me! I would never kick Luna’s flank! We’re friends after all.”

“My good sir, there’s no worry to be had when it comes to having fun with your friends! Sure, people such as Chrysalis, Smog, or Sunset are not the wrestling type however my more violent friends certainly enjoy the occasional roughhousing! Gilda, Trixie, and Nightmare have all kicked my tail and I’ve returned the favor. It’s all about what sort of interests you share with your friends.”

“Oh, I see now! Some friends enjoy their personal space while other friends enjoy a friendly game of flank kicking!”

“Now you’ve got it! So…wanna go prank some ponies?”

The two Discords high-fived. “Awesome.”

On the other side of the mirror Princess Luna growled as she stood back up. “Even as an Element of Forgiveness he’s just as annoying.”

“I don’t know, I find his personality grows on you.”

Luna turned around and came face to face with herself. And since she wasn’t facing the mirror… “Duchess Luna, is it?”

Everfree Luna nodded. “It seems you outrank me Princess Luna. It’s an honour to meet you at last.”

“It is an honour to meet you as well.” The two Lunas shook hooves. “To what do I owe this meeting?”

Everfree Luna frowned. “Moony came back home about an hour ago. When I went to see her she was quite upset.”

“And you wish for me to apologize to her? Very well, I was actually hoping to do so. Where is she?” Equestria Luna asked.

“Hold on princess. If you’re going to apologize to Moony it had better be genuine. That’s why I want to talk to you a little more first. Why do you distrust her so much when you know she is not the same Nightmare Moon you remember?”

Princess Luna sighed. “Like my sister, I suppose my heart speaks louder than my head in this circumstance. I know she means well but I…I can’t face her. Not the mare who looks so much like the creature that has caused my kingdom such grief.”

Duchess Luna sighed. “I heard that you’ve had trouble adapting to the present day due to your time spent on the moon. Princess Twilight had trouble adapting too. Although she only spent a hundred years banished and her family froze themselves in crystal so that they could be with her. Her experience was less traumatizing.”

“I am NOT traumatized!”

“Then why do you cling to the past so much? The Nightmare Moon you know is gone. So when another version of Nightmare Moon who has never harmed you or those you care for AND who has saved your kingdom from the Pink Trickster, why do you insist on treating her like the enemy? Please Luna, heed my words of wisdom and let go of your pain.”

Princess Luna frowned and turned away. “It’s not that easy to let my anger go.”

Duchess Luna smiled. “Sure it is. We’re guardians of the night. We of all people should know how to turn a nightmare into a perfect dream.” She wrapped her wing around her counterpart and led her outside the Equestrian Embassy.

They walked through the Equestria forest until they reached the top of a nearby hill. Princess Luna blinked as she noticed who was waiting for them. Nightmare Moon was sitting down, watching day turn to night. Her ears twitched and she glanced over her shoulder to see the two Lunas coming to her. The three alicorns of the night were silent as Nightmare’s mom sat down next to her and nuzzled her daughter. Princess Luna hesitantly sat down next to them.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Duchess Luna said.

Princess Luna stared at the sky and nodded. “The stars are arranged differently here…it’s like looking at a masterpiece under a whole new light.”

“A new perspective can make a work shine brighter,” Nightmare said. “I read that in a book once. Or maybe that was a dream I had.” She shrugged and cuddled up closer to her mom.

Princess Luna stared at the two. “You have the same love of books that Twilight Sparkle has. Many ponies say you shouldn’t judge others before you get to know them…and I am just now realizing that I don’t know much about you.”

Nightmare smiled a little. “I am a ruler of Everfree and a guardian of dreams. I enjoy reading because I enjoy tales of adventure or tomes of power. I live for the thrill of combat whenever I duel with someone. No matter how serious my mission is, I take great satisfaction out of every battle. I love my family, my friends, my kingdom, and my night. That’s all you really need to know about me.”

Princess Luna tilted her head in thought. “Have you ever wished that the night could last forever?”

Nightmare chuckled. “A daydream that I never grew out of. I appreciate the day just as much as the night, even though I sometimes still wonder what might have been.”

“Why? I wished for eternal darkness because I thought it was the only way ponies could see and appreciate my work. Why did you wish for eternal night?”

Nightmare’s horn lit up and gently levitated Princess Luna to her other side. She nuzzled the two Lunas and whispered, “So that moments like this could last forever.”

The two Lunas stared at each other and slowly smiled. They both wrapped their wings around Nightmare and sighed. The three night mares spent the next few hours sharing the peaceful darkness filled with shining, glimmering stars.

Daring Doubled

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Daring Doubled

Chrysalis paced back and forth across the library floor, deep in thought. “Do you think she might feel more comfortable if I shape shift into a pegasus or something? I’m pretty sure she was a pegasus too at some point. Or would she think that by using a disguise I’m trying to deceive her?”

“Hmm, that’s a good question. I’d recommend that you give her that choice,” Princess Nightmare Moon suggested. “Let her know that you just want to be friends with her and let her decide if she’s mentally strong enough to face your normal form or not.”

Chrysalis sighed. “That does sound ideal. Do you think I can do this?”

Nightmare smiled. “Hey, I did the same thing with the Equestrian Luna and it worked out for me.” She briefly frowned as she added, “Although Pinkie Pie told me her counterpart did something similar once. Even if the Equestrian Pinkie is more normal than the Pinkie we know, that’s a rather unsettling thought…”

Chrysalis blinked. “I don’t understand. What did the other Pinkie do that was similar to how you befriended your mom’s counterpart?”

“There were a couple of details I missed since she was talking so fast. I think she ate too much sugar the other night or something. Basically, Pinkie said her counterpart stalked a donkey named Cranky until she could befriend him. Sorta like how I stalked Princess Luna around until she stopped blaming me for all the trouble that other Nightmare Moon caused.”

Before Chrysalis could tell Nightmare that she wasn’t a stalker, the front door swung open as a filly and two colts burst into the library. “Hey Chrysalis! Miss Zecora told us you’d be here. Are you ready to go now?” Snails asked.

“I just need a minute please,” Chrysalis said as she glanced back and smiled at Snails, Snips, and Scootaloo.

“What do you need a minute for?!” Scootaloo asked as she buzzed over to Chrysalis and hovered in front of her. “Aren’t you excited?”

Chrysalis smiled. “I’m a little excited. However, I’m also really nervous.”

“Nervous? What are you talking about?” Scootaloo asked.

“I’m going to try and meet with the Cadance from Equestria today. It’s part of the reason why I’m going with you and your class during your field trip today,” Chrysalis told the three kids. “I’m looking forward to meeting Cadance, but from what Pinkie told me she and my counterpart have a…rough past. I’m hoping I can do for her what Nightmare Moon did for Princess Luna. That’s why I’m nervous about meeting her. Though, I take it that you’re not feeling nervous about today.”

“Nope! I get to meet the other Scootaloo and find out how awesome I am! I mean she is!” Scootaloo cheered as she flew around the room in little circles.

“Same with us. It’ll be cool to see what we’re like in Equestria. So, what are you guys doing?” Snails asked Nightmare and Smog.

“Peaceville has been pretty quiet lately, so we’re going to the Crystal Empire and then Canterlot to take care of royal duties and whatever princessy things King Sombra can distract Nightie with,” Smog said as he came down the stairs with a box full of books. “I think the rest of our friends are out doing their own things too.”

Nightmare nodded. “Trixie got a special show out in Clouds-Edge, Rarity is visiting her parents, Fluttershy is out on some bird watching event, and Discord is goofing off in Canterlot, doing who knows what. Gilda and Rainbow are going to Griffonstone to visit Gilda’s family and to pick up the new Bravely Blue book. Ahuizotl, the series’ author, is going to be there answering fan questions and signing autographs. Sunset is the only one staying in Peaceville today.”

“Cool!” the three kids cheered.

The door opened again as Diamond Tiara walked into the library. “Scootaloo, Snips, Snails! Did you find her yet? Oh, there she is,” she said once she spotted Chrysalis. “What are you guys still doing here then? Everyone else is waiting for us!”

“You can relax Diamond, we’re coming,” Snips said.

Diamond frowned with worry. “Sorry, but I don’t really feel like relaxing right now. I need more time to plan out what I’m going to say.”

“Plan out what?” Nightmare asked.

“Oh! Princess Nightmare Moon!” Diamond bowed to the suddenly cheerful alicorn. “I’m so sorry I didn’t notice you earlier.”

“It’s quite alright,” Nightmare giggled, feeling giddy as she basked in Diamond’s admiration of her. “You can get up now. What were you planning again?”

Diamond sighed. “I was talking with Sunset about if you three met my counterpart during your first visit to Equestria. And apparently…the other Diamond Tiara is really mean. And since our class is going to the museum with the other Cheerilee’s class…”

Nightmare nodded sadly. “I understand. You’re probably going to bump into her at some point. You’re right, the other Diamond Tiara was rather cruel. You’re much nicer than her.”

Diamond took her tiara off and played with for a bit as she thought. “Yes, but I’ve been thinking…like, I talked with Apple Bloom about this and…what I’m trying to say is…” She sighed and put her tiara back on. “Maybe I could reform her the same way you guys reformed the Pink One, Princess Twilight, and so on. I mean like, it worked for you guys and I’d like to think I know myself pretty well…so…”

Nightmare smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I wish you the best of luck on your quest.” Still feeling rather cheerful from Diamond bowing to her, she walked over to the filly and tapped her on her shoulders with her right wing as if she was knighting Diamond.

Diamond giggled and bowed to her again. “I won’t let you down, Nightmare Moon!”

Nightmare smiled. “You only have to worry about letting yourself down.” She glanced up at the clock on the wall and said, “You kids had better get going now. Don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Okay. Thanks Princess Nightmare! See you when we get back!” Snails said as he, Snips, Scootaloo, Chrysalis, and Diamond left the library. The changeling queen and the tiara loving filly were a little slower than their friends though, still nervous about what they were going to say to Princess Cadance or to the other Diamond Tiara. As they walked to the schoolhouse, Apple Bloom passed by them.

“Howdy there Diamond. So, ya ready?” she asked.

Diamond sighed. “As ready as I’m going to be. No matter how many plans I make or how well I know myself I have like, no way of telling how she’s going to react. You said we switched roles somehow in this universe or that universe or...ugh, whatever way this works! Right?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Sure, Ah reckon Ah was supposed to act like a spoiled rich brat an’ Ah acted that way fir a spell. But we’ve already become friends, something that the other DT and AB still can’t say. Sorry Diamond, but Ah can’t help you out as much as ya want me to.”

Diamond gave her a sneaky smile. “Oh you can still help me out, even if it’s only a little bit. No matter what approach I eventually decide on, you’ll play along with it, right? I’m ready…are you?”

Apple Bloom smirked and gave her a hoof bump.

Miss Cheerilee bit her lip nervously as she watched Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walk towards the other Diamond Tiara who was sitting next to the Everfree versions of her students…including the other Apple Bloom. She knew that Diamond didn’t like the Cutie Mark Crusaders (although she didn’t know just how much they really, REALLY disliked each other) and so she was concerned about what might happen next. But her counterpart assured her that the fillies had a plan to improve the situation.

The two classes from Peaceville and Ponyville were on a field trip at the Royal Canterlot Museum in Equestria. The fillies and colts and…other creatures from the Everfree side were ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ at all the museum artifacts locked behind the display cases. She had managed to keep the two classes focused on the tour for almost the entire trip but eventually she had to let them stop to eat lunch. Now Diamond had nothing to distract her from her other self. Cheerilee wasn’t sure what to do.

Seeing the concern on her face, Miss Zecora walked over to her and smiled. “Patience Cheerilee, let’s wait and see. Things may turn out better than you expect them to be.”

Equestria Diamond strutted towards her counterpart and smirked. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Maybe your little mirror world has some redeeming values,” she said.

Everfree Diamond turned towards her and shot her a confident smile. “What a pleasant surprise. It’s nice to know that I’m just as beautiful on this side of the mirror. I gotta so I like, totally love your mane style.”

Equestria Diamond’s smile became a little less threatening. “Why, thank you! It’s so nice to meet a civilized pony from your world. Before today, me and Silvy here only had the displeasure of meeting that deceitful Nightmare Moon, that monster that looked like Pinkie Pie, and their rotten friends.”

Everfree Diamond tapped her chin in thought. “Oh? You had trouble with them? Well, I’m sure even someone as wonderful as you can make a mistake sometimes. I mean like, I was only able to manipulate them so well because of how much I knew about them,” she said.

Equestria Diamond tilted her head to the side. “Manipulate? What are you talking about?”

“I mean like, sure Princess Nightmare was a little annoying to me at first,” Everfree Diamond lied. “Always going on about darkness this and eternal night that. However, I knew right away that she was a princess and I knew just how…rewarding it is to be friends with royalty. A careful word here and there and now…well, I never have any trouble finding the perfect dress before anyone else can even lay a hoof on it.”

Equestria Silver’s eyes widened. “You’re friends with Princess Nightmare?”

Everfree Diamond winked to Everfree Silver, who smirked confidently and brushed her mane back. “Oh, we’re friends with a lot of people. We’re the most popular fillies in Peaceville. Except maybe for Apple Bloom, but that’s mostly because she used to have magic glass in her eye.”

Equestria Diamond and Silver cringed. “She had glass in her eye?! EWW!”

“Oh, it didn’t hurt her. It was magic glass after all. She’s not like, bleeding anymore or anything. Still, it’s pretty hard to be more popular than that. Especially considering how rich her family is,” Everfree Silver said.

“WHAT?” Equestria Diamond growled. “Are you saying Apple Bloom’s family is richer than mine in your world?”

“Oh no way!” Everfree Diamond said, hurrying to calm her counterpart down. “We’re about equal. I might be richer than her actually, but then again Dad is the one in charge of the money, not me. Of course, ever since I became with friends with her it’s not like money matters.” She smiled as Equestria Diamond’s jaw dropped and continued, “Oh sure, when I first met Apple Bloom we like, almost hated each other. But you know what the difference between you and I is? I figured out how to win Apple Bloom and her little friends over to MY side and ever since then…well, let’s just say school’s been a lot easier for me. Speaking of which…”

Everfree Diamond climbed up on the table they were sitting at and announced to the two schools, “Hey everyone! May I have your attention please? Now, earlier today when our trip to this amazing museum started I talked with Miss Zecora and she agreed that I could buy all you special desserts from Celestia’s Sweet Tooth! The newest and coolest ice cream parlour that just opened up in Canterlot!”

The fillies, colts, and nymphs from both classes cheered. Equestria Diamond and Silver could only stare in awe at all the adoration their counterparts were getting, even from the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But then Diamond asked, “Wait, is there really an ice cream parlour nearby? I’ve like, never heard of Celestia’s Sweet Tooth and I know like, ALL the coolest spots in Canterlot!”

Everfree Diamond giggled. “Oh, it’s not in this Canterlot. It’s a new shop that opened up in the Canterlot back home. King Sombra and Duchess Celestia were there to cut the ribbon and everything. Oh! Here comes our sweet, sweet desserts now everyone!”

A unicorn mare with a brown coat and crazy rainbow hair bounced through into the room. “Konnichiwa everyone!”

Everfree Sweetie Belle frowned and coughed into her hoof.

“Huh? Oh, right. I mean, hello everyone! How are you? Fine, thank you. My name is uh…Twilight Rainbows! I am a normal pony who has come to bring you normal pony ice cream!”

Everfree Silver slapped her hoof across her face before she quickly shot a look to Everfree Scootaloo and pointed her head at the pony. Scootaloo caught the silent message and buzzed over to the unicorn. “Uh, don’t mind her everyone! She’s a little dizzy from bringing all our orders from Everfree to Equestria.” She turned to Twilight Rainbows and whispered in her ear. “Dial the crazy down Eris. We’re trying to get the other Diamond and Silver to be nicer like our Diamond and Silver.”

Eris’ eyes flashed yellow and red as she giggled and whispered back. “Sorry, I’m just so excited to visit this new world that everyone won’t shut up about. But since it’s to help out a friend of a friend of my brother’s, I can dial back my crazy from a scale of jū to ichi. But I warn you, it doesn’t get lower than jū ni.”

Everfree Scootaloo blinked in utter confusion before she shook her head and whispered, “Just stick to the script please.” She then flew back to her friends as Eris started to hand out delicious ice cream treats for all the kids on the trip.

When it came time to pay ‘Twilight Rainbows’ for the ice cream delivery, Everfree Diamond produced a big bag of coins before she gasped dramatically. “Oh no! I like, totally didn’t think about how many of you there were! I wanted to buy ice cream for everyone but I didn’t know how many students were in Miss Cheerilee’s class. I don’t know if I have enough money to pay for all this!” But before any of the colts or fillies could become upset about this, Diamond’s smile returned. “Unless…Apple Bloom, could I please borrow some money from you? I’ll pay you back of course.”

Taking her cue, Everfree Apple Bloom said, “Aw, shucks Diamond. Ya don’t need to pay me back. We’re friends after all, an’ Ah’m happy to lend a helping hoof to a friend. Especially when it gets us all ice cream! Ya remembered what mah favourite flavour is, right?”

Everfree Diamond grinned as Apple Bloom handed over a bag of coins. “Of course AB! I always remember what my friends like.” She then winked at Cheerilee.

Cheerilee hesitated for a second before she remembered that she could get Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara to stop bullying the Cutie Mark Crusaders if she played along. “Well, thank you for this wonderful treat you two! Class, I think Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom deserve our sincere gratitude for this thoughtful gesture.”

Equestria Diamond and Silver gasped again as the two classes cheered for Everfree Diamond, Silver, and Apple Bloom. When the ice cream was served to everyone, they moaned with happiness as the rich flavour of an ice cream cake filled their mouths. Eventually, they couldn’t take it anymore and went to ask the Cutie Mark Destroyers about what happened.

“So…what you’re saying is that you’ve become even more popular because you’re friends with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo?” Equestria Silver asked.

Everfree Diamond nodded. “Plus Snips, Snails, Button Mash, Princess Nightmare, and lots of other people.” She then leaned in closer to the Equestria fillies and whispered to them.

“I know how good it feels to tease a couple of losers, but in the end you only get in trouble for it. The best way to get what you want is to ask nicely. It’s all about making the right connections. Just be a good filly, maybe listen to the teacher a tiny bit more, say the right words, and soon…” Diamond’s cheerful smile slowly turned evil. “You could be more than just the queen of the school. You could be the next BIG thing. You two could be famous celebrities. I heard that you two don’t get along with Apple Bloom and her friends but let’s face it…they’re sisters with three Element bearers, friends with Princess Twilight, and even pen pals with Princess Celestia. If you befriend them, they can help you.”

Equestria Diamond frowned with a little worry. “But we’ve tried being friends with those blank flanks and it didn’t work.”

“You just need to try harder. Learn more about them, make an even bigger attempt to win them over. I know how much you hate namby-pamby ponies like them, but trust me…friendship is a very powerful and rewarding experience.”

She walked away from them with a confident swing in her step. “Think about it, Diamond Tiara!”

After lunch, the two classes continued their field trip through the museum. As Zecora and Cheerilee talked to the classes, members of the Cutie Mark Destroyers and Crusaders followed their teachers at a slower pace so that they could privately discuss how their plan went.

“So do you really think after all this, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will stop bugging us?” Equestria Scootaloo asked.

“Hey come on y’all. You know how yer Diamond is like, right? She’s nice to ponies when she thinks she can get something outta it. We pulled off this huge trick to get her and Silver Spoon interested in being friends with y’all. The rest should be easy,” Everfree Apple Bloom said.

“I don’t know,” Equestria Sweetie said. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are really mean most of the time. You two are much nicer than they are.”

Everfree Silver smiled. “I’ll let you in on a secret…Diamond is a lot nicer than me. I used to be just as bratty as your Silver Spoon once. Well… maybe not that bratty. But after I stopped worrying about hanging out with a ‘cutie cursed’ pony, things turned out pretty well.”

“We may be nicer than them, but they can still learn,” Everfree Diamond said. “I mean this is me we’re talking about. They’ll stop teasing you about your blanks flanks soon. And if you think about it, we weren’t completely dishonest about what we said. Friendship IS rewarding, isn’t it?”

Equestria Apple Bloom smiled. “Ah guess yer right. Well, here’s to being future friends with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.”

As their friends congratulated each other, the two orange pegasus ponies had the same thought. “Hey, where did Eris go?” Everfree Scootaloo asked.

Equestria Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. Did she just disappear or…”

Eris’ draconequus head burst out of a nearby painting. “HEY KIDS WANNA SEE A ZOMBIE?”

“AAAHH!” the fillies and colts screamed.

Eris floated out of the painting, laughing so hard that several of her interspecies parts fell off, bounced around on the floor, and reattached themselves to her. “Ah, the old jump scare. It may be cheap but boy does it work. You should’ve seen the looks on your faces! Priceless!”

Snips, Snails, and Diamond didn’t seem too upset about the jump scare, but the other fillies were frowning. “Don’t do that! You nearly gave us a heart attack!” Everfree Sweetie said.

“Oh, lighten up sweetie bunches of bell peppers! I’m just pulling your legs. Plus my own!” Eris giggled as her two legs popped off her body, twirled around, and shot out pink sparks for no reason.

Equestria Scootaloo glanced nervously over Eris’ shoulder and down the hall where the rest of the class was. “You’re gonna get us in trouble. Look Miss Eris, thank you for your help but do you think you can come back later?”

Eris’ legs lost teleported back onto her body with a flash of light as she crossed her arms. “Well! How rude. You try and help people and it only leads to more demands.”

“Wait, she didn’t mean it like that,” Everfree Sweetie said. “Eris, we just-”

“No, no. You want me to leave early and I’ll leave. Oh but before I go, if you would all turn your attention to the room down the hall and to the left. You know, the room that’s about to have a lot of broken glass? Whelp, Sayonara!”

As Eris giggled and disappeared with a flash of light, Snails looked at the others in confusion. “What did she mean by broken glass? It almost sounds like she was talking about a museum robbery or some-”

He trailed off at the sound of glass being smashed, followed by the security alarms going off.

“Someone is stealing from the exhibits!” Silver exclaimed.

“Eris was right…well what are you waiting for? Let’s get them!” Everfree Scootaloo cheered as she started running down the hall and to the left.

“Someone stop her!” Diamond ordered. Everfree Sweetie nodded and quickly grabbed her friend’s tail in her magic. “Scoots, what do you think you’re doing?!” Diamond hissed.

“Oh come on Diamond! You should be even more excited about this than me! If we can catch a criminal, your cutie curse would be gone for sure! OR you wouldn’t have to worry about being blank flanks anymore, am I right?” Everfree Scootaloo said, winking at her counterpart and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Ya know…the last criminal we chased after was actually pretty nice. If we chased after this varmint the same way we chased after Trouble Shoes…” Equestria Apple Bloom said, thinking out loud.

Everfree Apple Bloom stared at her counterpart in shock. “Y’all can NOT be serious. This here’s gotta be the most reckless, dangerous, irresponsible thing we’ve ever-”

“CUTIE MARK DESTROYERS/CRUSADERS CRIMINAL CATCHERS! Yay!”

Everfree Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped as the Crusaders and Destroyers all ran down the hall in the hope of catching a robber. She growled and shook her head. “Ugh! Of all the apple bucking, gosh darn it, stupid schemes…wait for me!” she shouted as she chased after them.

The eight fillies and two colts ran down the hall until they bumped into a pegasus mare, knocking her to the ground and causing her to spill the bag full of jewels she was carrying. The pegasus mare had a light gold coat and a mane and tail that looked like a grayscale rainbow. She was wearing a black suit, a hat, a belt with little pouches full of different coloured crystals, and big red glasses.

The thief quickly scooped up all the scattered jewels and placed them back in her bag, rolling her eyes at the museum alarms. “Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. You can stop going wee-ooh, wee-ooh anytime you want, I heard ya the first time.”

Everfree Scootaloo stared at the pegasus and gasped. “You’re Doctor Do!”

“Who?” Equestria Sweetie asked.

“She’s the main villain in the Bravely Blue books! The fearless super thief!” Everfree Scootaloo explained.

“I also go by Daring Do, if you’d prefer. I know how you kids hate your doctors with their drills and such,” Daring Do said with a smirk. “Wanna know something? I kinda knew these glasses would be a bad disguise but I thought to myself, why not have some fun with it? So let’s see here, we already have weak-as-paper display cases. Are you kids gonna tell me you’re part of the museum staff next? Wouldn’t surprise me, the security here sucks.”

“Well the real security guards will be here any second so you’d better return everything you stole, thief!” Diamond ordered.

“Yeah and don’t even think about trying to escape! There’s ten of us and only one of you!” Silver added.

Daring Do chuckled. “No thanks, kid. Any other day I’d love to play guards and criminals with you but I’ve got a full day planned. I need to fly all the way back to purple princess castle and through a magic mirror just to get back to my own universe. I probably should have planned my heists out better than this but hey, I like a challenge.”

“Are you listening to us?” Silver growled. “You’re NOT flying anywhere! Surrender now or we’ll be forced to stop you!”

Daring Do giggled and leaned down to kiss Silver Spoon on her forehead. “That’s cute. You’re cute!” Her right wing unfolded to pat Silver on the back while she patted Diamond’s head with her left hoof.

The two rich fillies growled and swatted Daring’s wing and hoof away. “Stop that!” Diamond ordered.

Daring sighed dramatically, flapped her wings, and lazily flew over their heads. “Oh, if you insist.”

“Um…guys?” the two Apple Blooms said at the same time. The Everfree Apple Bloom pointed to Diamond’s head while her counterpart pointed at Silver’s bare neck.

The fillies and colts gasped as they saw Diamond without her tiara and Silver without her pearl necklace. “She just stole your jewelry!” Equestria Sweetie screamed. “Stop! Thief!”

Daring just laughed as she flew down the halls with her bag full of stolen goods. Her smile only grew as she saw dozens of unicorn and pegasus guards barreling towards her. “About time they showed up. Bet you blink before I do,” she said as she charged toward them.

The museum guards gasped in shock when Daring didn’t slow down at all and instead crashed into a veritable wall of ponies. The guards were dazed from the collision for a few seconds before they all leapt back into action and attempted to restrain the super thief. But Daring moved with incredible speed as she dodged, spun, and kicked all of the guards until she had knocked them out.

“Seriously, your security stinks!” Daring laughed as she flew through the museum.

“I will be fine Miss Cheerilee! Take care of the children and all of you flee!” Daring heard a voice say up ahead of her. She slowed down as Zecora appeared at the end of the hallway she was flying through.

Daring smirked and slowed down, stopping in front of Zecora and hovering in the air. “Okay, this oughta be good. What makes you think you can stop me when those guards couldn’t?”

Instead of answering her with words, Zecora took a pouch full of green powder and blew its contents at Daring. The pegasus smirked and buzzed her wings as fast as she could, blowing the powder back towards Zecora. Daring smiled even wider when she saw that Zecora was unaffected.

“Very good. I recognize paralysis powder when I see it. It’s smart to bring that stuff to a fight but it’s even smarter when you build up an immunity to your poisons,” Daring said.

Even as the smug thief continued to smirk at her, Zecora knew that all she had to do was catch Daring by surprise and she wouldn’t be able to blow the powder away with her wings. But just as she blew another dash of paralysis powder at the thief, they both heard Diamond shouting orders as the Cutie Mark Destroyers and the Cutie Mark Crusaders all came charging down the hall. On Diamond’s command, Snips and Snails shot stunning hexes at Daring while the two Sweetie Bells attempted to grab her in their combined levitation. Daring flapped her wings and did an aerial backflip over the kids as the powder blew over the Destroyers and Crusaders while their spells knocked Zecora back.

Daring smiled cheerfully at her fallen foes. “I gotta give you guys some credit, in any other circumstance, you might have been able to catch me. Except I’m just that good. You’re clever…but you’re not quick enough. You might as well take these back,” she said as she took Diamond’s tiara and Silver’s necklace out from her loot bag and tossed them back to the temporarily paralyzed fillies. “See, I’m a nice gal once you get to know me.”

Daring tipped her hat to them and flapped her wings. “Better luck next time, suckers!” she said as she zoomed out of the museum and into the sky.

Ponies were gathering outside the museum as they all heard the alarms ringing. Among the crowd was Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and a pegasus mare who looked a lot like Daring Do, but with a purple shawl. “Oh no, that’s the museum the fillies and colts from school are visiting! They could be in trouble!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Hey, I think that’s the thief!” Rainbow said as she pointed at the pegasus who smashed through a window and zoomed away from the museum. “She’s getting away!”

“Rainbow Dash, Miss Yearling and I will make sure nobody’s hurt in the museum. As for you-”

Rainbow smirked confidently. “Don’t even need to tell me Twilight. I got her!” She flapped her wings and blasted off the ground, quickly catching up with the thief.

Daring blinked in surprise as a blue pegasus tackled her and tried to pull the bag of stolen goods away from her. “Let go! Those don’t belong to you!” As the two pegasus ponies struggled, Rainbow took a good look at her opponent and gasped, letting go of the bag due to complete shock. “D-D…Daring Do?”

Daring sighed as she retied the bag to her bag. “Another fan? That’s cool, but I’m a little annoyed that you just tried to steal my stuff. I stole it first, thanks.”

“But t-that’s impossible! I was just with Daring Do and even if I wasn’t, she’d NEVER steal from a museum! Who are you? A changeling? An illusion? Unless…” Rainbow gasped again and pointed at her. “You’re from the mirror world, aren’t you? The same day the Everfree school comes by for a field trip, plus the fact that you’ve got crystals in your bag, equals…yeah, you’re her! You’re evil Daring Do!”

Daring smirked as she took off her red glasses and placed them in her bag. “Oh, lighten up sunshine and rainbows. I’m not such a bad girl once you get to know me. Anyway it’s been cool, but I gotta dash.”

She turned around and zoomed away from Rainbow, only to halt in midair again when the other pegasus flew past Daring and hovered in front of her. “You’re not going anywhere, thief!”

Daring rolled her eyes. “It’s always thief this and criminal that with you guys. You know my name; you could at least show me a bit of courtesy and use it. Here to make it fair: what’s your name?”

“I’m Rainbow Dash. Fastest pegasus in this universe!”

Daring chuckled. “Sounds like I wasn’t far off from sunshine and rainbows. Nice to meet you Miss Dash…but what you’ve forgotten is that I’m not from this universe.”

She zoomed away from Rainbow again, her wings moving twice as fast as they were before. She stopped as Rainbow flew up and blocked her path yet again. “Let me rephrase that. Fastest pegasus in this universe and every other one that exists,” Rainbow bragged. “Sorry evil Daring, but you’re just not as fast as me. I’m here to catch you and make you return whatever you stole.”

Daring stared at Rainbow for a few seconds before she laughed out loud. “He, he, ha! Now THAT is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard!” she chuckled some more as she reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, slipping them on.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve caught up to you three times now! And I wasn’t even flying at full speed!” Rainbow shouted.

“That’s not it. I can believe you’re faster than me. It’s the other thing you said that’s cute.” Daring smirked and pulled out two crystals from her pouch. “I’ll catch you later Rainbow Dash…because you’ll never catch me.”

Daring smashed the two crystals together, causing them to explode in a shower of intense white light. Rainbow cried in pain and covered her eyes as she was blinded by the crystal’s light.

“Rainbow? Rainbow! Are you okay? What happened?” she heard Twilight’s voice say.

“Twilight? Where are you?” Rainbow kept her eyes closed as she waved her hoof around in the air, searching for her friend. She felt Twilight’s hooves wrap around her own. “Twilight, I can’t see!”

“Rainbow, calm down! I don’t know as much about crystals as the Everfree Sunset does, but that light wasn’t bright enough to cause any serious damage. I need you to blink as much as you possibly can. Your sight should come back to you soon enough.”

“Thanks Twilight.” Rainbow began to blink rapidly as Twilight led her back to the ground.

“Anytime Rainbow. It looks like the thief got away but we can still catch her! Do you remember any specific details about…hey! What are you doing with A. K. Yearling?!”

Twilight led Rainbow to a team of museum guards who were attempting to arrest A. K. Yearling. The princess tapped a pegasus guard on the shoulder and glared at him.

“Princess Twilight? Sorry you have to see this. This mare just stole several priceless treasures from the Royal Canterlot Museum and attacked several guards!”

Rainbow glared in the guard’s general direction. “No, she didn’t! That’s A. K. Yearling! She’s been signing books and answering questions all day.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell them!” Yearling growled. “I’ve been in the Sun and Sparkle book store all day. I have dozens of witnesses who can verify my alibi. For Celestia’s sake, there’s a poster advertising the whole event right over there!”

The security guard sighed and said, “You all make a very strong argument. But I saw the thief with my own eyes and she looked exactly like Miss Yearling here. Unless you’re telling me that the thief was some kind of evil clone then I don’t know what to believe.”

“Ahem!” They all turned around to see Zecora’s class and Miss Cheerilee’s class walk towards them. The two Apple Blooms stepped forward and smirked at the guard. “Howdy.”

The guard blinked at the two identical fillies. He sighed and ordered his fellow security guards to let Yearling go. “I guess you can sort things out from here, Your Highness.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said as the guards returned to the museum to determine how much was stolen. She turned to the two Apple Blooms. “Girls, do you have any idea what happened in there?”

“We saw the whole thing! In our world, Doctor Do is a fearless super thief. When she heard about the mirror she obviously couldn’t resist the opportunity to steal something from another universe! Now she’s probably on her way back to Everfree where she’ll hide everything she’s stolen!” Snips exclaimed.

Diamond nodded. “What he said.” She smiled at Twilight and added, “But don’t worry princess. I’m sure Princess Nightmare and the Element bearers will stop her.”

Miss Cheerilee sighed. “This has been a pretty exciting day so far. Okay children, it’s time to head back home,” she said to the two classes.

“I’m coming with you!” Rainbow declared. “Even if Princess Nightmare can handle it, I’ve got a score to settle with that thief!”

Everfree Scootaloo suddenly gasped. “Wait! Miss Yearling! Come with us!”

Yearling blinked as the filly and her friends smiled up at her. “What? W-why would I do that?”

Everfree Scootaloo gave her a sneaky smirk and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “My friends and I already know you’re the real Daring Do. If you want to keep your identity secret I totally understand. But think about it! You have the opportunity to travel to another universe and take back everything your evil twin stole! If anyone can stop Daring Do it’s you! Although…I guess Bravely Blue does a pretty good job of it too.”

Yearling raised an eyebrow. “Bravely Blue? Who’s that?”

Scootaloo grinned triumphantly. “Oh, he’s the hero in Mister Ahuizotl’s books.”

Yearling’s eyes widened. “Okay…you’ve got my attention now. Tell me more.”

“So did you two enjoy meeting mister...Owie-zolt…what’s his name?”

Gilda chuckled as she poked her glass and watched the ice cubes bob up and down. “Dad, his name is Ahuizotl. And yeah, Dash and I had a blast!”

“We sure did!” Rainbow squeed as she hugged her signed copy of Bravely Blue Meets Doctor Do. Noticing the look Gilda’s dad was giving her, she sheepishly chuckled and put it back down next to her copy of Bravely Blue and the Fearless Thief .

“Well I’m glad you girls had fun,” Gilda’s father said as he patted his daughter on the head with his wing.

“Dad! Knock it off!” Gilda grumbled, blushing as she waved her dad’s wing away. “Hey Dash, what time is it? Mom should be back by now.”

Rainbow glanced over her shoulder. “I dunno. It’s been a few minutes. Maybe she stopped to buy some more snacks on her way back.”

“I’m back!” They turned around to see Gilda’s mom, a pretty cute griffon with gold coloured feathers that contrasted with her husbands grayish red feathers. She flew down to their table with an excited smile and gestured behind her. “And I brought a friend!”

The two other griffons and pegasus all looked behind her to see a very large creature walking towards them. He had an elongated dog-like head and dog-like hind limbs. He also had ape-like forelimbs, plus a long monkey-like tail with a hand at its end. The dark blue creature straightened the tie on his suit and bowed before them. As he bowed though, his big red glasses dropped of his face. He quickly snatched them up and put them back on, smiling sheepishly.

“Sorry. The glasses, they slip all over the place.”

Rainbow gasped and held her face with her hooves, a big grin spreading across her face. “Ahuizotl just bowed to us!”

Ahuizotl chuckled. “Of course. If one were to ask me, you are more deserving of the praise than I. Miss Gilda, Miss Rainbow Dash, I have heard many stories about the dastardly villains you and your friends faced. Along with that mirror world you discovered. Another universe, full of discoveries to be made…it intrigues me.”

Gilda chuckled, trying to play it cool. “Heh, thanks. But you know how it is, even heroes like us have heroes of our own and Dash and I are big fans of your work.”

“Ah, of course! I was most flattered by your praise when I discovered you liked my tales of Bravely Blue. But of course, I cannot allow my fans to feel as if I value some of them more than others. The reason why I could not properly introduce myself when you were at the book signing and the questioning of my stories,” Ahuizotl explained. “But now, I am on my break and am free to talk with you. While we’re on the subject, may I ask which books are your favourite? You do not have to answer, I am simply curious.”

“These two right here!” Rainbow cheered as she held up her two signed books.

Ahuizotl’s smile became a tiny bit forced. “Ah, of course. You are a Doctor Do fan, yes?”

Rainbow smiled. “Well, sure. You always write her stories really well and she has a super cool origin story.”

Ahuizotl sighed. “Ah yes, I can see why you admire her…as I once did.” He turned to Gilda next. “And you?”

Gilda smiled. “Oh, I like a bunch of them. Bravely Blue and the Sapphire Stone, Bravely Blue and the Ring of Scorchero…I think my favourite is Bravely Blue and the Griffon’s Goblet.”

“You forgot his next book…Bravely Blue and the Idol of Boreas.”

They all looked up to see Daring Do smirking down at them, this time wearing her iconic outfit made up of a dark green vest and a pit helmet. In her hooves she dangled the Idol of Boreas - the griffon kingdom’s greatest treasure - over their heads the same way one would tease a puppy with a biscuit.

“The Idol!” Gilda, her parents, and every griffon in the restaurant exclaimed.

Ahuizotl growled. “You would dare steal a national treasure?!”

Daring just giggled at him. “Aw, did I make you angry Bravely Blue? If you want it…come and get it!”

Daring flapped her wings and flew away, a grayscale rainbow streaking behind her as she flew. Gilda, Rainbow, and several griffons all flapped their wings and chased after her.

Down on the ground, Ahuizotl ripped off his suit, tie, and glasses before he raised his fists to the sky. “DARING DO!” he roared as he charged after his enemy.

Daring grinned as she heard Bravely Blue roar. “Oh, yeah. That’s it you big blue beast of a boy. Show me that passion. Snarl, roar, and chase me all day and night.”

“Stop that!” Bravely Blue roared as he snatched a spear from a nearby griffon and threw it at Daring.

Daring just chuckled as she dodged out of the way. She flew a little closer to the ground and waved her tail at him. “Come on Bravely! I’m right here.” Bravely lunged toward Daring, who flew out of the way just before he snapped his jaws at her. “Ooh, you’re so close Bravely! So VERY close!”

“Stop that!” Bravely roared again as Daring ascended back into the sky and out of his reach.

Gilda growled as Daring continued to evade every griffon that was chasing after her. “She’s too fast! We need something to pin her down!”

“I got something ta pin her down alright!” an older griffon shouted as he flew up next to her. “I brought my throwing mace! An’ here’s a sword for you, kiddo!”

“Thanks Grandpa Gruff!” Gilda cheered as he tossed her a sword, which she then threw at Daring. Other griffons soon caught onto their idea and began throwing pitchforks, swords, maces, arrows, and griffon scones at the fearless thief.

“Now we’re talking!” Daring said as she began to spin her tail into a twister. Every weapon that got close enough to her was blown away by her tail-twister. “Ha, ha! I’m invincible! A whole kingdom literally on my tail and not a single one of you can – OW!”

Daring grunted as she bumped into Rainbow who had flown ahead of her and blocked her path while Daring was distracted. Gilda was next to tackle Daring and the two friends proceeded to drag Daring, kicking and flailing all the way down.

Gilda’s parents, several angry griffons, and Bravely soon caught up to them. “Well, well, Doctor Do. Once again your fearlessness has made you foolish. Only this time, your speed and your dumb luck was not enough to save you. Return the idol you have stolen from these proud griffons and surrender!” Bravely ordered as he and a griffon guard pulled out some hoof and wing-cuffs.

Daring winked at him. “Ooh, bringing out the hoof-cuffs already? And with an audience too! You’re just as bold as you are brave, Ahuizotl.”

“Stop! That!” Bravely growled. “For once, could you NOT pretend we are a married couple?!”

Daring gave him an adorable smile. “Oh but my Bravely Blue, I love you so! I even got you a ring.”

“You got me several stolen rings, you kleptomaniac!” Bravely growled. “And I will not allow you to steal anything else. Return the idol!”

Daring sighed. “Oh all right. It’s in my bag. If one of you griffons could get your sharp, pointy claws off me then-”

“Yeah, I got it,” Gilda said as she pulled the bag off Daring’s back and dug around in it. “Boy, you’ve got a lot of stuff in here. Wait, I think I’ve got the…the…”

Gilda’s parents, grandfather, and Rainbow all stared at Gilda with concern as she shuddered violently. “You okay kiddo?” Grandpa Gruff asked.

“S-so c-c-cold…” Gilda whispered as she collapsed onto the ground, her body shivering and her eyes glowed green and red. Her talons were wrapped around a very large necklace with a glowing bell on it.

“Gilda!” Her parents rushed over to their shivering daughter and tried to rip the necklace out of her claws. The instant they did so, the green and red glow faded from Gilda’s eyes and she stopped shivering.

“Ooh…what was that?” Gilda said as she stood back up. She gulped as she watched several griffons rip the necklace away from their friends, only for one griffon to fall under the same curse after the other. Grandpa Gruff ripped the necklace away from Rainbow, and she hurried over to her friend to figure out what was happening. “Dash, are you alright?”

Rainbow shuddered. “That bell on the necklace…when I touched it I saw something…awful. I think it’s got a fear spell on it.”

“I think you’re right? I saw Griffonstone and Peaceville in ruins. That thing is dangerous.”

“What, this thing?” Daring said as she picked up the necklace. Amongst all the confusion, the griffons who’d been restraining her had let her go free as they tried to help their friends. “I don’t feel anything.”

She tucked the necklace back into her bag, next to the Idol of Boreas. She then flew high into the air and waved at them all. “Better luck next time Ahuizotl!” She blew Bravely a kiss before she turned around and flew far away from Griffonstone.

Bravely’s fists clenched with pure rage as he screamed at his retreating foe. “DARING DO!”

Rainbow winced. “I know Doctor Do has given him trouble in the past…but it feels a lot more real when it’s…real.”

Gilda growled. “No. She won’t be giving him trouble this time. Don’t worry Bravely Blue, WE’RE coming with you!”

Bravely blinked as Gilda and Rainbow gave him confident smirks and smiled. “Many thanks for your assistance Miss Gilda, Miss Dash. With our combined might, we WILL defeat the devious Doctor Do and reclaim your Idol. This, I promise you people of Griffonstone!”

Gilda’s parents and grandfather smiled as Rainbow and Gilda picked up Bravely and flew in the direction Daring had fled. “Go get her, kiddo!” Grandpa Gruff cheered.

As the pegasus and griffon carried him under his arms, Bravely looked up at the two of them. “Um…you will not reveal my secret identity to anyone, will you?”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “That was a secret?”

Bravely blinked in shock for several seconds before he shrugged. “I suppose it was not.”

Apple Bloom sighed as she finished explaining the whole situation to the two teams. “And that covers just about everything.”

The Equestrian Rainbow Dash and Daring Do had agreed to come with the Cutie Mark Destroyers on their journey back to Everfree. When Zecora and her class came back through the mirror and returned to Peaceville, the Cutie Mark Destroyers and Apple Bloom led them to Clear Crystal Caverns. With the other Element bearers out of town, Diamond believed the best person they could turn to for help at the moment was Sunset Shimmer. Gilda had a very similar idea. She, Rainbow, and Ahuizotl came up with a plan to catch Doctor Do, during the flight and then train ride to Peaceville. In order for their plan to work, they needed magic and crystals and the best mare to turn to for that was Sunset.

So the two groups arrived at Clear Crystal Caverns around the same time, only for Daring Do and Bravely Blue to snarl at each other as they both mistook the other for Doctor Do or Ahuizotl. Sunset had separated the two with her magic and waited for Diamond, Apple Bloom, Gilda, and the two Rainbow Dashes to explain what happened.

Bravely sighed as Sunset lowered him back to the ground. “It would seem I owe you an apology Miss Do.”

Daring sighed and offered him a weak smile. “That’s got to be the first time I’ve ever hear Ahuizotl apologize. Call me crazy, but I believe your story.”

Bravely smiled. “Very good. I look forward to working with you.” He stepped forward and shook Daring’s hoof.

The two Rainbow Dashes slowly smiled as they examined each other. Equestria Rainbow’s gaze drifted to her counterpart, then at Gilda, and then back again. “This place just got two hundred percent cooler.”

Everfree Rainbow grinned. “You know what the ONLY thing that could make this day better is?”

“Watching Daring Do smash Doctor Do’s face into a wall while she says ‘stop hitting yourself’ over and over?” Gilda suggested.

“OOH! That’s even better!” Everfree Rainbow chuckled.

Bravely chuckled. “I agree, it would be MOST amusing. Daring Do, could you please make that image a reality?”

Daring giggled. “I’ll try.” She turned to Sunset and asked, “So what’s this plan you guys have to trap Doctor Do?”

Sunset levitated a small glowing crystal in front of them. She frowned in concentration as she cast a spell over the crystal and smiled triumphantly as the crystal transformed into Gilda’s Element of Zeal. “Perfect.”

Early morning the next day, hundreds of griffons were gathering around the Griffonstone palace as they put their plan into action. Sunset, Bravely, Daring, the two Rainbows, and Gilda’s family stood amongst the crowd as Gilda went over the last few details with the griffon’s king.

“Okay as long as we’re just sitting here waiting I’ve got a question. You seem to know Daring – I mean Doctor Do pretty well. What’s her story?”

Everfree Rainbow beamed. “Ooh, it’s such an cool backstory! I’ve read Bravely Blue’s books fifteen times by now but I’ve never heard it straight from Bravely Blue’s mouth! This is going to be super awesome!”

Bravely sighed. “The true story isn’t very different from how I portrayed Daring in my books. Although perhaps…I was a little more generous with my winning streak. The truth is Doctor Do has beaten me just as many times as I’ve beaten her. I’ve been able to reclaim several treasures she has stolen or discovered many an ancient tomb before she did…but there are still treasures that she has hidden from the world forever. And of course, I have been unsuccessful in arresting her.”

“So we’re equal in this world? I’m…not sure how to feel about all this,” Daring said. “Was my other self always like this or did something happen?”

Bravely sighed and began his tale. “I was born in a village just outside of the Everfree kingdom. My mother, she desired a daughter instead of a son. She had planned to name me Ahuizota, but once she discovered I was male she named me Ahuizotl in her bitterness. Which as you might imagine, would be like naming a unicorn ‘Pony’ or naming a griffon ‘Griffon’.”

“Yeah, an ahuizotl named ‘Ahuizotl’…I wondered what that was about,” Daring mumbled.

“Indeed. My parents, they loved me as much as they could despite my mother’s desire for a daughter. My childhood was fairly normal and I grew up with the same hunger for adventure, power, and world domination that any ordinary boy would have.”

Daring gave him a weird look while Gilda and Sunset nodded in response to his story. “Um…most colts I know don’t grow up wanting to take over the world,” Equestria Rainbow said.

Bravely raised an eyebrow at her. “No? How odd. Are they not at least power hungry?”

“I don’t know! Do I look like a boy to you?”

“Well your voice is a little raspy…” Gilda’s mom cheerfully said.

Equestria Rainbow growled at her before she turned back to Bravely. “Can we get back to Doctor Do now?”

“Yes, of course. I eventually traveled to King Sombra’s School for Academics and buried myself in my archaeology studies. It was there that I met Amy Katherine Do. Born to a pegasus stallion named Derring Do and a unicorn mare named Julia Yearling.” Bravely sighed at the memory. “They are good people. They didn’t deserve what happened next.

“As an ahuizotl, I was considered the weird one when I arrived at the school. Even though Everfree is a very loving country, there were still some bullies who teased me. Amy came to my defense and we became good friends. I always admired her bravery and intelligence and it was in fact I who gave her the nickname Daring Do. She was a fast learner and quickly obtained her doctorate. One day after many hours of researching in the library together, she became obsessed with the secrets in a book and expressed her desire to travel to the Forest of Fear in search of the ancient Temple of Destruction. I tried to warn Daring how unbelievable foolish it would be to travel to such a location but she was playful as always, treating it like a game.

“Within the Forest of Fear is where she encountered the creature that changed her life forever. The Frostfear spider.”

“The what?” Daring asked.

“Here, there’s a picture in the book,” Everfree Rainbow said as she pulled out her copy of Bravely Blue Meets Doctor Do and flipped to a page. Equestria Rainbow and Daring backed up in shock at the illustration of a gigantic, hideous spider.

“The Frostfear spider is a very rare creature; they are almost extinct. Three times the size of a pony, they hunt for prey in the darkest of jungles. Due to their infamous reputation and hideous appearance, anyone with a brain would flee at the sight of the monster. But the Frostfear spider’s greatest weapon is their venom. They can inject their prey with the poison or simply spit the venom at the prey until it seeps into their skin. Anyone who comes into contact with the venom has their concept of fear ‘frozen’ in their minds. It erases the creature’s natural fight or flight response and turns them into a fearless fool, even to the point where they do not remember what the word 'fear' means. The prey will then turn around to fight the spider and often become its meal.

“However, Daring was faster and craftier than any monster. She was turned into a fearless fool yes, but she was successful in defeating the Frostfear spider. She returned to me with bags full of treasure and incredible stories.

“But even though she retained her courageous and kind attitude, her altered mental state became clear to me. She stopped caring about risks…and eventually she ceased caring about laws.

“She became the world’s greatest super thief. Stealing treasures not for knowledge or even for money but for FUN.”

Bravely sighed as he finished his explanation. “She is not in control of herself. She cares only for the thrill of the hunt now and she is not afraid of who she hurts.”

Daring shuddered. “That’s the scariest story I ever heard. I really hope that spider doesn’t exist in my world.”

Equestria Rainbow sniffed and rubbed her eye. “Poor Amy…”

Everfree Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You going to be okay?”

“Yeah! I’m not crying! There’s just dust in my eye…hey look! The speech is starting!”

“Attention Griffonstone! The immortal King Grover has an announcement to make!” a griffon said to the crowd.

King Grover hovered down onto the stage. He was larger than most griffons and wore a bright gold crown. Among his dark feathers were a pair of pinkish white feathers and dark blue feathers. The king claimed that these feathers were a gift from Celestia and Luna back when they were princesses and that by attaching them to his back, he had gained immortality. Nobody knew if he was telling the truth but considering how old he was and that they couldn’t find any other explanation, the griffons accepted the story.

“A great tragedy has befallen our kingdom. The Idol of Boreas was stolen yesterday, and much of our pride with it. But does this mean the end of our race? NO IT DOES NOT!” King Grover shouted. “We are a mighty kingdom, united by our friends, allies, and family! And it is with the help from these friends and allies that I present to you a treasure to fill the holes in your hearts! Step forward, Gilda!”

Gilda walked onto the stage and bowed before the king before she addressed the crowd. “What’s up Griffonstone? I’m Gilda. When I was a kid some of you knew me and some of you didn’t. But you should ALL know what I’ve done by now. I became friends with a group of pretty cool creatures and saved the world a dozen times. And here’s the proof.”

She placed her Element on the pedestal before her. “When combined with the other five Elements, these fancy necklaces have more magic than anything else in our entire world. My Element is called the Element of Zeal, which is like super loyalty. I’m loyal to my friends, my family, and my kingdom. That’s why I’m giving my Element to you, the people of Griffonstone. I hope it brings you the same kind of pride it’s given me.”

“Mine mine mine mine mine mine…”

“The trap is set,” Bravely said. “Doctor Do was fearless enough to steal the Idol. Even if she knows this is a trap she won’t be able to resist stealing an Element of Redemption.”

“Mine mine mine mine mine mine…”

“Once she steals the fake Element, the tracking spell I placed on it should lead us to wherever she hides it. Hopefully that’s where the Idol will be, along with any other treasures she’s stolen,” Sunset said.

“Mine mine mine mine mine mine…”

Daring nodded. “It’s a brilliant plan. We’ll need to put up a fight to make it look convincing before she let her go. We’ll also need to…does anyone else hear that?”

“Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine…”

With a burst of speed, Doctor Do flew up to the stage, yanked the fake Element of Zeal away, and flew off. “MINE!”

“There she is! Grab her!” King Grover ordered.

Doctor smirked as three pegasus ponies and an army of griffons chased after her. “Ooh, hello there beautiful!” she shouted to her counterpart. “You from the mirror world? Don’t worry, I’ll be back to chat with you once I stash this somewhere safe. We have so MUCH to talk about.”

“You’re not stashing that Element anywhere! Give it back, Doctor Do!” Daring shouted.

“How about I give you this instead?” Doctor Do reached into her bag and pulled out the same bell from the other day. She gave the bell a mighty shake and smirked as beams of dark magic shot out from it. Several griffons were knocked down to the ground and trapped within cages that materialized around them.

“Whoa! I can see why he wants this thing so much!” Doctor Do chuckled. She rang the bell again and grinned as Bravely was trapped within the cage that appeared around him. “Better luck next time Ahuizotl!”

“DARING DO!” Bravely roared. He pulled at the bars with all his might and was rewarded when he was able to rip the cage apart. But by that time, Doctor Do was too far away.

Doctor Do cheered as she flew back into her secret hideout. “Oh yeah! Daring Do is undeniably, unquestionably, unstoppable!”

She giggled to herself and began sorting out her stolen treasures. “Let’s see…the Element goes here, the Idol goes there…aw man, now I don’t want to sell this thing,” she said as she examined the bell. “Well…I could always sell it to the guy, take the money, and steal the bell right back.” She chuckled. “What’s the worst that could happen to me?”

Just as she said that, Gilda, King Grover, Daring, and the two Rainbow Dashes all crashed into her hideout and tackled her to the ground.

“We’ve got the Idol!” Gilda cheered as she held up the Idol of Boreas

“And I’ve got everything she’s stolen from the museum!” Daring announced. “At least…I hope that’s everything.”

Sunset teleported into the room with a flash of magic, bringing Bravely with her. “Good work everyone. Mission accomplished.”

Bravely smirked and walked over to Doctor Do, pressing his tail hand on her back. “Once again your fearlessness has made you foolish-”

Doctor Do rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time sweetheart.” She gave him a smile and said, “Seriously though, congratulations. You beat me again, even if you did need a LOT of help this time. I guess we’re tied now?”

“Wait, seriously? That’s it?” Gilda asked.

Doctor Do giggled. “Of course, kid. Not everyone is the next Eternal Twilight or Pink Demon you know. I’m not interested in taking over the world or anything like that. I’m just looking for a bit of fun. What’s wrong with that?”

Daring glared at her. “Is it true about your parents? Is it true that you were friends with Ahuizotl? And you gave all that up?! How can you be so selfish?!”

Doctor Do’s smile faded. “I asked them if they wanted to join in the game but they said I couldn’t play! They said it was 'against the law' to steal from museums! I just wanted to have some fun.” She turned her head around to Bravely and said, “Ahuizotl…Bravely, baby…you know I love you.”

Bravely sighed. “There was a time when I loved you too Amy…but too much has happened. You need help Doctor Do and I need my friend back.”

“My brave and blue best friend. I know you’re mad at me but I never stopped being your friend Ahuizotl,” Doctor Do said with a smile. “Which is why I’m sorry about this.”

With her teeth, Doctor Do grabbed a crystal that was lying on the ground and crunched it with her mouth, shutting her eyes tightly. A blinding flash of light filled the room and Doctor Do took the opportunity to grab the bell.

“You win this round! But I’ll get you next time Bravely!” Doctor said before she kissed Ahuizotl on the head and flew far away with the bell.

As the light faded away and their sight returned to them, Bravely Blue growled. “Another day, Daring Do. I will hunt you down and bring you to justice.” He smiled at the others and said, “And hopefully I will not be alone.”

“You won’t be. If you ever need our help again, you just let us know,” Gilda said as she shook Bravely's hand.

King Grover bowed his head to Gilda as she gave him the Idol. “Once again, you have made your kingdom proud of you Miss Gilda. With the help of your friends we have reclaimed the Idol of Boreas and our kingdom’s pride with it.”

“This could make for a pretty good book, right?” Equestria Rainbow said as she nudged Daring and gave her a hopeful smile. Daring chuckled and put her hat back on, telling Rainbow that she’d think about it.

“Another win for us,” Sunset said. “Still…why’d she leave all these treasures to us and take that bell with her?”

“Who cares?” Gilda asked with a shrug. “It’s just a bell.”

“But it can trap people in cages. And didn’t you say it had some kind of fear spell on it?” Sunset asked.

“Oh yeah, forgot about that. But hey, we’ve got King Sombra, Nightmare, and Pinkie on our side,” Gilda said.

“I guess you’re right. Still…I’ve got a bad feeling about that bell…” Sunset mumbled.

Doctor Do touched down beside the abandoned shack and knocked on the front door. “Hey, anyone in there? I brought your fancy bell!”

The door opened and a cloaked creature stepped out. “You’re on time. That’s…good, I suppose.” The cloak obscured every detail about the person who had hired her to bring the bell back to him. Doctor Do couldn’t make out any features of the creature, except that he was a quadruped. Still, she was getting paid to bring this bell to him and while she didn’t care about money, she still liked the things it could buy.

“Follow me please. My…master…” the creature shivered a bit as if the word left a bad taste in his mouth. “He…he wants to talk to you.”

Doctor Do shrugged. “Sure.” She followed the creature into the shack and into a small room in the back. He pointed at an object sitting on the table and closed the door behind her.

Doctor Do walked over to the table and raised an eyebrow at the block of dark blue stone that was sitting there. “This is…just a rock.” She stared at it for a few more seconds before she took the bell and necklace and dropped it over top of the rock. “Are you a…magic rock? Hello, anyone in there?” she tapped the side of the stone.

The bell on the necklace glowed at the same time the stone did. The dark blue material began to melt into another shape until it resembled a skull with horns.

“I…am…awake…”

“Really? Sweet. I brought your bell, buddy. Can I have my money now? Of course it doesn’t need to be money, if you have any other magic beam shooting treasures I’ll accept those too,” Doctor Do smiled.

The skull’s eye sockets glowed red. “Where…is…your…terror?”

Doctor Do frowned in confusion. “Ter…er? Say that again, I didn’t hear you the first time.”

“There…is…venom…in you…”

“Wait, hold on…something is coming back to me…” Doctor Do scratched her head. “Okay terror sounds like…fear…and scared…I think?” She shook her head and smiled. “Nope, still can’t remember. Funny, I know what fearless means but I still can’t even remember what fear means. I look it up in a dictionary and I think I’ve got it but somehow it doesn’t stick, ya know?”

“A…pity…no matter…I have…other uses…for you…”

“Hold on there buddy. We had a deal and now you need to pay me. Unless she has a deal with someone, Daring Do works alone. So you had better pay up first because I’m not interesting in making any more deals.”

“Terror…is gone…from the ponies…I…will bring…it back. My kingdom…will rise…once more…”

“Oh cool, you’re a king? That’s the second one I’ve met today. Although that brings up a good question: who are you?” Doctor Do asked.

“I…Am…GROGAR…Fear…me!”

Doctor scratched her head again. “Okay, I caught about half of that. Who’s Grogar? And what does that word mean again?”

“You…will know…soon enough…you will ALL know…soon enough…”

The bell, the skull, and the skull’s eye sockets glowed brighter than before. With a flash of light, Doctor Do and the magic skull were gone.

Power

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Power

Granny Smith knocked on the door to announce their presence before she opened it. “Applejack? Yer friends are here to see you.”

Rarity smiled and walked into the office. “Good afternoon Applejack. I must say I simply adore your office’s décor!”

“That’s nice. Hey, can ya come here and help me fir a sec? Yer more fashion minded than most folks. I’ll be down in a minute or so, Granny.”

Granny nodded and walked back to her own office while Rarity joined Applejack, who was frowning at a small collection of business suits, dresses, and scarfs. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Well, Ah wanna wear something that’s more comfortable now that Ah don’t gotta hide who I am from the public,” Applejack said. “But at the same time, Ah still need to run a company and most ponies respect a well dressed mare. So Ah’m looking fir something classy but still real casual and comfortable.”

“Hmm. Let me take a look here…ooh, this might work! Try this red scarf and this hat.”

Applejack did so and examined her reflection in the mirror. “Hmm…the scarf looks okay, and it don’t itch or anything. The hat’s good too; kinda reminds me of the one ya made me fir the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Rarity titled her head to the side. “I wasn’t aware that I had designed something you wore for the Gala once.”

“Oh. Uh, different Gala with a different Rarity and Applejack. Sorry fir the confusion.” She shook her head and began to walk out of her office with Rarity following her. “Well that’s enough of the frou-frou fashion show. So y’all made it here okay?”

“Indeed we did. The others are out and about checking in our rooms and exploring the beautiful Big Apple! Once again I would like to say thank you ever so much for these Hinny of the Hills tickets!”

Applejack chuckled. “Shoot, it was no problem Rares. Think of it as me returning the favor.”

Rarity blinked in confusion. “What favor might that be?”

Applejack smirked. “Sorry, inside joke.” Her face relaxed a little as she asked, “Though those tickets also lead into the next point Ah wanted to talk to ya about. You know the Dazzlings? Turns out they’re pretty good actors on top o’ being good singers and they recently signed up to do a musical…or was it a music video? A movie with music in it?” Applejack scratched her head. “Ah forget the details. That’ll teach me not ta drink too much apple cider ‘fore a meeting. Anyway, Ah told them about how good yer designs were and they asked if you wanted ta do costume designing.”

Rarity gasped as her eyes shone with stars. “The chance to design something for the Dazzlings? For a feature length movie? Darling, I would be honoured!”

Applejack smiled. “Glad to hear it. Now, this job comes with one condition you should know about. Since there’s so many costumes that need designing, ya can’t just do it all by yerself. Ah’ve got two mares, Suri Polomare and Coco Pommel, who’ll be working with ya.”

“Oh, you mean from Polomare’s and Pommel’s Perfections? Sunset Shimmer showed me a few dresses they’ve created. Not quite as good as my own work, but I do like the few dresses I have bought from them.”

“Yep. They’re good people and good workers. Course, Suri used to have this annoying verbal tic, and Coco used to have a bit of an attitude problem. But Ah smoothed out those wrinkles when Ah worked with them in the past. Ah’ll introduce y’all to each other on the weekend. In the meantime, maybe ya can ask Trixie or Discord if they’d be interested in doing special effects or if Chrysalis and her changeling buddies could be stunt doubles or something.”

Rarity smiled. “I was just about to suggest such an idea! I’m sure our friends would love to help out in any way they can.”

“Whoever this mare is, she needs professional help.” The two mares glanced behind them to Smog stomping down the hall. He held up the checklist in his claws and read aloud, “‘Put the hay in the apple and eat the candle?’” He growled and folded the checklist back up. “What is that supposed to mean? What was this list even for? Why is this MY problem?!”

“Smog? What are you grumbling about, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, hey Rarity, hey Applejack.” Smog sighed and held up the checklist. “Sorry, it’s this weird list of chores that somebody mailed me. Here, listen to some of these.” He held up the list and read, “‘Bring the bubbles to the lyre player. Dust and clean the seashell. Teach the little fillies about winking?’ How do you teach somebody to wink? Why would anyone write half the things on this list?!”

Rarity tilted her head to the side in confusion. “But I thought you enjoyed doing things for your friends?”

“Yeah, my friends. I’m used to Nightmare having a checklist of things she wants me to do. I’ve even gotten checklists from King Sombra or Princess Twilight. Even then, the things on those lists are easy enough to do.” He pointed at the checklist and said, “This is just a demand for me to do a bunch of nonsense chores for someone I’ve never even met. It could be Rainbow, Gilda, Discord or Pinkie pulling a prank except THEY would actually make this funny. Seriously, do either of you get letters from strangers ordering you to come wash their front doors?”

“Well who delivered it to ya?” Applejack asked.

He flipped the checklist around and read the letter that had been attached with it. “Let’s see here…Merry Weather. Do either of you know who that is?”

“Merry? Sure, Ah know her. She’s an assistant of mine; good hard worker too,” Applejack said with pride. Her smile faded a little as she added, “Although, out of all the ponies Ah got working fir me she does seem the most likely to send ya a random list. Just…Ah dunno, something’s off with her. On top of that, she spooks easily around folks who ain’t ponies but Ah’ve been working with her to make her a little nicer. Ah could lead you to her if ya want.”

“Sure. I just want to know what she was thinking when she sent me this thing,” Smog grumbled.

“Mind if I tag along? I could help sort out this misunderstanding; I’m sure she only sent you that list by accident, Smog. Even if she is a little ‘off’ as you put it Applejack, I’m sure she can be reasonable,” Rarity said.

“Well then, you’re in for a big surprise,” a unicorn mare said as she walked over to them, carrying several books in her green, magical aura. The mare had a very pale, grayish gold coat and chestnut brown hair. She wore a bowtie and a pair of glasses. “Miss Applejack, I’m glad I found you so soon.”

“Oh, howdy there…I mean, uh…” Applejack cleared her throat and switched to her Big Apple accent. “Good afternoon, Camellia. I’m guessing you’ve heard of Rarity and Smog. Guys, I’d like to introduce you to one of my best employees. Camellia here is a country bumpkin turned city girl, like myself, except she was born in Germaney. Camellia works in global marketing and translations. She’s got a real good eye for detail too,” Applejack said with a smile.

Smog raised an eyebrow. “Hold on a second…Germaney?”

Camellia gave him a shrug. “As much as we try to run from it we can’t seem to escape the dreaded pony pun when it comes to naming locations, can we? Oh, before I forget.” She cleared her throat and said, “Drem yol lok, dovah Smog. Aal hin yol neh feim.”

Smog blinked a couple of times. “Um…excuse me?”

Camellia smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I’m rather obsessed with languages. I just said ‘Greetings, dragon Smog. May your fire never fade.’ It’s an ancient dragon language, but I use it whenever I meet a dragon for the first time. Just in case someone knows what I’m saying.”

Smog’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s…kinda cool. I’ll have to remember to ask Nightmare if we have any books on dragon languages.”

Camellia nodded at him before she turned back to Applejack, her smile fading. “I’m sorry to pull you away from your friends Miss Applejack, but Merry Weather is in a really bad mood and she’s taking it out on other ponies. You’re the only one who can get through to her when she’s like this.”

Applejack groaned. “I was afraid of that. Good news is, we were looking for her anyway. Rarity, you go on ahead of us. Nightmare and the others are in Guest Room number A-5. Smog, you come with us. Let’s see if we can sort this out.” The three of them made their way through the Apple Pie Incorporated building until they had reached another office with a pink heart on the door.

“And don’t let me catch you vermin ever again!” a voice shouted behind the door. The next second, three earth stallions all fled out the door, running for their lives.

“What…hey! Logan! Sunbright! Liquid Pride! Where y’all going?” Applejack called to them.

Camellia turned to Applejack and said, “Um, shouldn’t we do something?”

Applejack winced. “Yeah, I better go calm her down.”

The two mares and one dragon stepped into the office and walked towards the angry mare, who was smashing her face into a pillow. “Dear ponies above, why?! Why does my head hurt so much?!” she screamed.

“Merry? What’s going on here?” Applejack asked.

The mare looked up and smiled as she saw them. Merry Weather was an earth pony mare with a peach-pink coat and blonde hair, with a pink hair bow in her mane. She wore a heart-shaped necklace and a pair of iron boots on her back legs. “Applejack? Miss Applejack! Oh, I’m so happy to see you!”

“What happened in here? I saw Logan, Pride, and Sunbright leaving in a hurry. Were you arguing with them again?”

Merry giggled. “Okay, maybe I was a little too harsh with them. But you know how boys can be.”

“Don’t forget that stallion you just fired and threw a glass of water at,” Camellia pointed out.

Merry rolled her eyes. “He had it coming.”

“Merry…you’re starting to scare folks,” Applejack said.

Merry Weather looked down at herself with some shame. “I understand, Applejack. Maybe it’s a little hypocritical of me but…the one thing I hate more than anything is a bad attitude.”

Applejack sighed. “We need to talk about this…but before we do, Smog here has something he wants to ask you.”

“It’s about this list you sent me,” Smog said. “You wrote a bunch of strange requests and then ordered me to do the work on it. I don’t even know you!”

Merry blinked at Smog and tilted her head. “You’re not Spike.”

Smog raised an eyebrow at her. “Um…no, I’m not. Not even close. Have you ever seen the great dragon Spike? I’m red and gold and still pretty small. He’s huge, green and purple, and hangs out with Princess Twilight.”

“Oh? That’s disappointing,” Merry mumbled. “At least you’re still a baby dragon. Dragons are such brutes when they turn into adults.”

Applejack raised her eyebrow at Merry before she sighed. “Smog, let me handle this. Forget about that list and go back to your friends. I’ll see you just as soon as I’m done talking with Merry.”

Camellia cleared her throat. “Um, actually Miss Applejack you do have a few other things that need your attention.”

“Oh, right.” Applejack tapped her chin in thought for several seconds before she smiled. “Hey Camellia? Why don’t you show Smog those comics you were working on? I bet he’d appreciate it.”

Camellia smiled. “If you say so Miss Applejack. Come with me Smog.”

Gilda sighed and glanced up at the clock. “When is Applejack getting here?”

Sunset Shimmer looked up from the book she was reading and said, “You have to remember that she’s in charge of a huge corporation. She probably has a dozen meetings she needs to go through before she has any personal time left in her day.”

Discord’s gaze lazily drifted back and forth between his five friends before he shrugged. “A dozen meetings or not, it doesn’t excuse the fact that she is late. Which means…” he grinned and raised his talons as he prepared to conjure up something to entertain them.

“Hey guys!” Smog shouted as he burst into the room. “You won’t believe what I just got!”

Discord lowered his claw and floated over to Smog. “Ooh! I do so enjoy it when my friends are the ones causing chaos instead of me! What do you have there?”

Smog grinned as Sunset, Gilda, Princess Nightmare Moon, Trixie, Chrysalis, and Rarity walked over to see him. “It’s an enchanted comic book! See, Apple Pie Incorporated recently bought this new store called the House of Enchanted Comics. This book has a spell in the back of it that literally sucks the reader inside the comic book!”

Sunset blinked. “So…we get to become super heroes? With gadgets, costumes, and powers?” At Smog’s nod, she grinned widely. “That sounds awesome! Let me see that spell!”

Rarity blushed a little as Sunset levitated the comic book out of Smog’s claws and scanned the back page. “I’m afraid I never really got into comics as a filly. But I do enjoy some of the movies that come out based on those books. It looks like it would be a lot of fun to design a superhero’s costume.” Her smile faded as Gilda gave her a look. “Well…besides the whole Mare Do Well incident…sorry.”

Gilda shrugged. “It’s cool.”

Sunset finished reading the spell and smiled up at her friends. “Looks pretty safe. The enchantment will draw anyone nearby inside the book and place them in the role of one of the book’s heroes. To return to the real world we can either defeat the villains or use a special escape spell in case we get into trouble.”

Chrysalis sighed. “That’s a relief. Could you imagine how long we’d be trapped in that book if the villains were too powerful and we didn’t have an escape spell?”

Trixie smirked. “Too powerful for us? Don’t make Trixie laugh.”

“You have to remember that not everyone is as powerful as us,” Nightmare said. “Although…if we get the powers of the superheroes in this book, do we lose our own magic?”

“It doesn’t say, but if we did I’d imagine that it would only be temporary,” Sunset said. “This book came from a store, right? That means it has to be safe for the general public or else the place would be shut down.”

“Still, we should be careful,” Smog said. “I mean, I’m excited to try out this spell but it IS a prototype. Camellia told me this is the first time the House of Enchanted Comics has done something like this.”

“Who’s Camellia?” Chrysalis asked.

“She’s the pony in charge of translating this book into other languages for international shipping. That’s why she got the first look at it. This book isn’t even in stores yet so she thought I’d be a nice treat for us. She’s pretty nice but she’ll need it back once we’re done.”

Nightmare nodded. “Alright then. Shall we get started?”

Smog glanced around the room. “Wait, where’s Rainbow and Fluttershy? I’m sure they’d love to join in on the fun.”

“Pinkie already invited them to somewhere else,” Nightmare said. “Probably a good thing too; we don’t know how many characters are available for us to possess.” She levitated the book up and began the spell. “You can return to the place you started when the Power Syndicate is defeated. Take a closer look to join the adventure in this book.”

“Not much of a rhyme,” Discord commented before the book started glowing. A bright light shot out of the book before a vortex opened up, slowly pulling them all in. “Ooh, but this certainly makes up for it!” Discord’s arms stretched out and pulled his seven friends into a hug before he jumped into the book. “Geronimo!”

The City of Megatropolis! A lively, bustling city, filled with happy, hard-working…wait, what? What’s going on? Where the heck am I?

“Smog? Where are you?” Sunset moaned as she slowly stood up. “Oh, whoa. Ugh…bad idea to stand up…” She shook her head a little and attempted to regain her balance as she wobbled. “Is everyone okay?”

“Trixie is dizzy!” “We’re over here!” “Glurgh…”

Sunset turned around and blinked in shock as she saw her friends. Trixie had been transformed from a unicorn into a pegasus with a painted white face and glowing red eyes. She wore a mime costume with a belt that held several vials of differently coloured potions. Chrysalis wore a red outfit with a pink bow, blue high heels, and a blue and red tiara. Discord was dressed in some sort of pharaoh costume with mummy bandages wrapped around his arms and legs. Gilda had been transformed into some kind of red and black slime griffon. Sunset herself was dressed in a black and purple costume with a hood.

“Well…this is surprising,” Trixie said as she flapped her new wings. “Trixie admits that although she’s read a few comics, she is not familiar with these characters. Who are we supposed to be?”

The Legion of Heroism! Trixie, you’ve been transformed into Long-Face, the master of emotions! You’ve got several magical gases and toxins that can make people feel happy, sad, angry, courageous, or afraid.

Chrysalis, you’ve been turned into High Heel, the fashionable and friendly femme fatal! You’ve got a magic purse that contains a huge collection of high heels and shoes-themed gadgets with their own unique abilities.

Discord, you’ve been turned into Pharaoh Phetlock, the mighty master of mummies!

“Neat!” Discord said as he made the bandages around his claw and paw dance around.

Gilda…I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this. You’ve been turned into Sludge, the indestructible slime monster.

Gilda looked at her slime covered claws and growled. “Glurgle-glegh!”

Yeah…Sludge can only communicate through growls and grumbles. But on the plus side, you still have your wings. That’s not something Sludge usually has.

Gilda titled her head to one side and tried flapping her slimy wings. Eventually she was able to lift herself into the air and fly around like how she usually could. She hovered in midair and shrugged. “Glurgh…mograglugh mnuurgh.”

Sunset, you’ve been turned into Shadowmane, the masked mystery mare. You don’t have any superpowers but you have the kind of comic book education and martial arts training that gives you enhanced intelligence, strength, speed, agility, and reflexes, plus several throwing knives and other gadgets.

Sunset flicked her ears. “I don’t have any powers? That’s disappointing.” She frowned as her ears flicked again. “I don’t suppose I can trade with anyone or…okay, does anyone else hear that? Sounds like an alarm.” Her eyes widened as she listened closer. “Yep, that’s definitely a security alarm. Sounds like the bad guys are only a few streets away! Come on Legion of Heroism!”

“Wait, hold on a minute!” Chrysalis ordered. “We can’t just rush off right away! For one thing…where’s Nightmare? Where’s Rarity? Smog, where are you?”

What do you mean? I’m right in front of you.

“All I can see are some text boxes hovering in the air, saying everything you say,” Chrysalis told him.

…You’re kidding me. I’ve been turned into the narrator? My favourite comic book and I can’t even be a character in it? What gives?!

Discord smiled and held up his claw and paw. “Okay, calm down everyone. So the spell is not as perfect as we perviously thought it would be. But that could just be because there are so many of us, and the comic only had a handful of character roles for us to play. We can still have fun with this! It’s all about playing the cards you’re dealt, and using the thimble to declare checkmate! Gilda has been turned into a growling sludge monster, but she can still fly. I seem to have lost most of my powers in this comic book but I can still have fun!” With a mischievous grin, he turned to face Trixie and snapped his fingers. The bandages around his arms unwrapped themselves and shot out towards Trixie, rapidly wrapping her up like a cartoonish mummy.

“Mm?! Mmm! Mmmm nrmm!”

“Sorry Trixie, can’t hear you. Now then…dance my minion!” Discord snapped his fingers again and chuckled as Trixie stood on her back legs and began to dance like she was from ancient Anugypt.

“Mmrnmm!” Trixie growled.

“Looking good Trixie!” Discord laughed. “Hey Sunset, you’ve read about ancient Anugypt, right? I recall this one story the jackals had about-”

Sunset sighed. “Discord, I’ll admit that watching Trixie dance like that is funny, but we still have super villains to stop.”

Discord nodded and snapped his fingers again, freeing Trixie from his magic mummy bandages. “Right you are! Sorry about that Trixie.”

Trixie’s front hooves touched back down on the ground as she offered him a small smile. “Actually, the dance wasn’t too bad. Just leave Trixie’s mouth uncovered next time.”

“Glergh!” Gilda exclaimed before she flapped her wings and flew towards the sound of the alarm.

Eh, Gilda’s probably right. Even if talking is a free action in comic books, we REALLY should go and stop the Power Syndicate. Less talky more punching stuff!

“Right! Power Ponies Go!” Sunset declared.

No, you’re the Legion of Heroism…oh never mind.

Seeing that the rest of the Legion of Heroism had caught up with her, Gilda growled and pointed a slime-covered talon at the research laboratory where the alarm was coming from where something or someone had just smashed a giant hole through the wall. The Legion quickly descended to the ground level to confront their foes as terrified Megatropolis citizens fled the streets.

“Blast! It’s the Legion!” they heard a voice snarl. Four costumed ponies jumped out of the hole in the wall and onto the street. Their leader was a pink unicorn mare with a purple mane and tail, wearing red and silver armor and goggles.

The Masked Matter-horn! The Power Syndicate’s leader! She’s the world’s strongest unicorn, with a talent for ice magic.

Trixie snorted. “Strongest unicorn? She can keep telling herself that.”

Next to her was a pale brown earth mare with a black mane, wearing a red suit with black hoof bands, green hair ties in her mane and tail, and a black belt with a lasso tied to it.

Mistress Mare-velous! She has a magic lasso she’s psychically connected to, plus her deadly hoofarangs. She’s Matter-horn’s right hoof mare.

Discord snickered. “Hoofarangs? That’s some Silver Age silliness right there.”

In a flash of speed, another costumed mare appeared next to Mare-velous. This mare was a green earth pony with an orange mane and tail, wearing a white suit with purple lightning bolts.

Filli-Second! The world’s fastest, most hyperactive thief!

“So…she’s Pinkie Pie except still evil and without most of her chaotic powers,” Sunset muttered.

Hovering above their heads, a pale electric blue pegasus with purple hair smirked down at them. She wore a lightning bolt necklace and a very dark blue suit with lightning symbols, along with actual lightning dancing across her hooves.

Zapp! Her magic necklace amplifies a pegasus pony’s natural ability to control the weather and boosts it’s power to the max! She can summon tornadoes and storms more powerful than anything a pegasus or griffon can create in our world!

Chrysalis frowned up at Smog’s text boxes. “Not that it’s bothering me…at least not much…but why are you telling us all?”

First of all, it helps you guys defeat them if you know what they’re capable of. Second of all, I’m the narrator now. It’s like I’m compelled to spill out all the necessary exposition for any new readers. Don’t worry, we’re halfway there.

With a furious roar, a hulking monster of a pegasus with an amber gray coat and a brown mane and tail made another hole in the wall as she jumped onto the street too. She wore a bright green costume that was ripped in several places due to her humongous muscles.

Saddle Rager! She starts off as a normal sized pegasus but whenever she gets angry, she turns into that impossible strong monster!

“P-please put m-me down Miss R-Rager! I c-can w-walk the rest of the w-way!”

Saddle Rager growled and spat out the colt she had been carrying in her mouth. He had a gray aquamarine coat with a dark olive mane and tail and wore blue boots, a red cape, and a face mask. As he landed on the ground he shivered and hugged the tiny glowing metallic orb he was carrying like a teddy bear.

Sunset’s eyes widened with concern, her mask’s eyes widened too. “Um, why do they have a little colt with them?”

Oh dear. That’s Humdrum…please don’t hurt him. The only real power he has is breaking the fourth wall, although he doesn’t do that too much these days. The Power Syndicate adopted him after his parents went missing. At first, they treated him well and he was meant to be a morality pet to show off the Power Syndicate’s softer side. Then the comic books became a little darker. Nowadays, they treat him like their personal servant, punching bag, and meat shield.

The Legion stared up at Smog’s text box in horror. “That’s awful!”

I know. Like I said, please don’t hurt him. The only character left is Radiance and she…Rarity?!

Among the Power Syndicate there stood a very confused and nervous Rarity, dressed in a blue facemask and a dark blue costume with blue jewels imbedded in it. Two purple jewel bracelets glowed brightly around her front hooves, and several non-glowing purple jewels were tied into her mane and tail.

“What’s Rarity doing over there?” Chrysalis asked.

Before anyone could answer her, the Masked Matter-horn barked out an order. “Alright, team! Take them down!”

With a mad giggle, Filli-Second leapt into the battle first as she tackled Sunset and began to punch her rapidly.

Discord raised his arms over his head, conjuring up a sarcophagus. “Hold on Sunny – I mean Shadowmane! Help is on the way!” With a snap of his fingers the sarcophagus opened up and dozens of mummified ponies leapt out and tackled Filli-Second.

With a furious roar, Saddle Rager charged towards Chrysalis. Her eyes widening with horror, the changeling queen jumped away from the rampaging monster…surprising herself when she leapt several stories in the air before bouncing back down. “How did I do that?!” she cried.

Anti-Gravity Heels. High Heel always starts every fight with that pair, and it’s never lead her wrong before.

“Aw. Those would have been fun to play with…but no matter! The Great and Powerful Long-Face will vanquish this monster!” Trixie declared. She plucked a bluish black vial off her belt and flung it at Saddle Rager. As the gas was released, the rampaging monster began to sniffle and sob. The overwhelming sadness gas turned the hulking behemoth back into a normal sized pegasus mare.

Zapp growled as her magic churned up more storm clouds. “Vile twister of emotions! Thou continues to seek the path of the coward when my companion doth battle with thee! But if thou shall not face the rage of the beast than thou shalt tremble before the fury of mine storm!”

Lightning bolts shot out from the thunderclouds and scorched the street. Sunset cringed as a lightning bolt raced toward her, before it was blocked by an expanding wave of black and red ooze.

“Glergh!” Gilda cheered as she used her new powers to grow larger and larger until she was big enough to shield the Legion. She stretched out her body and chuckled as the lightning bolts simply tickled her indestructible slime.

The Masked Matter-horn smirked. “Pitiful fool.” Her horn glowed and shot out an icy blue beam. The spell struck Gilda and began to coat her sludgy body in ice. Once her opponent was completely frozen, she turned to Rarity. “Okay Radiance! Make a hammer and smash this thing to pieces!”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “W-what?”

Oh no…Rarity, it’s Smog! Can you hear me?

Rarity blinked at the tiny text box that appeared next to her ear. Taking the visual hint, she whispered to him. “Smog? What’s going on? Why are you a text box? And why am I one of the villains…again?”

Masked Matter-horn frowned, keeping her eyes on Gilda. “Radiance? What are you doing back there?”

Listen Rarity, I know you don’t want to do this but you need to play along. Just pretend to be a villain. Use your jewelry to create an attack construct in the shape of a hammer and pretend to attack Gilda.

“What? I’m not going to attack her!” Rarity exclaimed loudly. Far too loudly.

“What was that?!” Masked Matter-horn barked as she turned around and glared at Rarity.

Rarity flinched as the villainous leader stomped towards her. “W-well…must we really settle this disagreement with something so barbaric as smashing our enemy? Rather excessive, don’t you think?” she asked with a sheepish smile.

“Have you gone soft? Or soft in the head?!” Masked Matter-horn snarled.

Rarity frowned. “There’s no need for insults.”

The cold-hearted super villain pointed her glowing horn at Rarity. “How about threats?! If you don’t smash them, I’ll freeze you!”

Rarity gulped. “R-right. Well I would l-love to smash them with a giant hammer but I uh…forgot how to do that?”

“Are you kidding me? What, is Humdrum’s stupidity contagious now?”

“Yay Power Syndicate! Woohoo!” Humdrum cheered.

While their enemies were distracted, Chrysalis reached into her magic purse and pulled out a pair of shoes with serrated blades as the heels. She reached up and began to hack a small hole into Gilda’s frozen prison. “Come on Gilda, if we can survive a Windigo attack then you can easily escape this,” she whispered. Sunset, Trixie, and Discord grabbed some high heels from Chrysalis’ bag and worked to make the hole even bigger. Eventually black and red slime began to leak out of the hole and pour back down onto the street as Gilda twisted and reformed her body to escape the block of ice.

While this was going on, the rest of the Power Syndicate had joined in to taunt Rarity. “Come on! What’s slowing ya down, ya dumb mook?” Filli-Second asked impatiently.

“N-now let’s be reasonable ponies! My powers just aren’t working at the moment, surely this isn’t the first time such a misfortune has befallen us?” Rarity asked with a sheepish, yet hopeful smile.

“Cease thy complaining, Radiance! The battle would be ours if thou would recover thine backbone!” Zapp hissed.

“Hold on a minute. What if she’s not the real Radiance,” Mistress Mare-velous asked. “What if that rotten High Heel used one of her ‘A Mile in my Shoes’ gadgets?”

“What’s that?” Chrysalis asked Smog as Gilda slithered out of the hole in the ice.

High Heel is obsessed with shoes and shoe-related jokes, obviously. One of her coolest inventions was a magic pair of heels that allows her to swap bodies with anyone, whether she uses it on herself or not. High Heel, the other members of the Legion, and even members of the police force have used that gadget to spy on the Power Syndicate or other criminal organizations from the inside. Just put one shoe on your head, throw the other shoe at someone’s face and instant body swap.

Chrysalis’ eyes widened. “Really?” She reached into her magic purse and pulled out a pair of red heels with a very long ribbon tied between them. “Hey Trixie – uh, I mean Long-Face! Wanna trade powers?”

“Yes! I could do SO much more with a literal bag of tricks, even if they are shoe themed. Emotional manipulation is far better suited to you; honestly I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before.”

Chrysalis smiled and gave Trixie one of the heels before placing the other one on her head. With a flash of red light, the two friends appeared to switch places and costumes, but not bodies. Trixie smiled as she discovered that she had been turned back into a unicorn and a nicely dressed one at that, while Chrysalis grinned at the vials attached to her belt. The changeling queen picked up one vial full of green gas and licked her lips. “Is this a love potion?”

Sure. Long-Face created it back in the Hearts Day comic special.

Masked Matter-horn’s eyes widened as she glanced back at the Legion. “Why did they just switch bodies? Blast it all, they must be planning something!”

“Okay, enough of this,” Saddle Rager growled as she wiped the last of her tears from her eyes. “Radiance, stop being such an obnoxious, spoiled brat and do your job before I get angry. Honestly, you’re being as useless as Humdrum right now.”

Rarity frowned. “Now see here! There’s no need to talk about Humdrum that way and I can’t help it if my powers aren’t working.”

Chrysalis frowned. “She’s going to get herself in trouble if she keeps this up.”

Gilda – who had finished reforming herself outside the ice a minute ago – patted her friend’s shoulder and smirked. “Glergh.” With a mischievous grin, Gilda quickly slithered her way towards the Power Syndicate and launched herself at Rarity.

“AIEE!” Rarity screamed as Gilda covered her whole body in sludge before slithering back off. “My outfit! My hair! My precious hair!” She turned around and glared at Gilda, who she could tell was laughing even if it came out as a series of gurgles. “Oh…it. Is. ON!”

Rarity fired several blasts and beams at her friend while Gilda kept on chuckling as she flew, slithered, and dodged out of the way. Masked Matter-horn smirked and nodded. “That’s more like it. Enough distractions! Finish them!”

Sunset smirked too. “Glad we cleared all that up. Now let’s have some fun!”

And so the two super teams continued to battle each other with a lot less confusion and a lot more enthusiasm. Mare-velous and Sunset traded punches, kicks, throwing knives, and hoofarangs. Discord summoned more mummies for Filli-Second to battle. Chrysalis experimented with her emotion manipulating gases to see how much she could mess with Saddle Rager’s mind. Gilda and Rarity continued to chase each other. Trixie was even able to take on Zapp and Masked Matter-horn at the same time when she discovered some of the more impressive and even explosive shoes in her collection.

Meanwhile, Humdrum cheered for his adoptive family on the sidelines. “Yay! You can do it Power Syndicate! Woohoo!”

“Humdrum, you useless whelp! Thou must cheer louder for your goddess of thunder and lightning!” Zapp commanded him.

“Oh…okay!” Humdrum jumped on top of a mailbox that had somehow survived the super brawl and cheered louder as he raised the glowing orb over his head. “Yeah, Power Syndicate! Woo – whoa!”

Mare-velous slapped her face in frustration as Humdrum tripped on his cape and landed face first on the ground, the orb rolling away from him. “Humdrum, you worthless failure! Why do you exist?!”

Discord glared at her. “Now that’s just needlessly heartless.”

“I got it!” Sunset announced as she ran towards the orb. Unfortunately she was cut off as Filli-Second pushed her to the side and grabbed the orb in a rush of speed.

Mare-velous smirked. “Good job Filli-Second! See Humdrum, why can’t you be more like her?”

“I…I’m sorry mistress,” Humdrum sniffled, his eyes tearing up.

Saddle Rager giggled. “Oh look, the little baby’s crying again. That’s hilarious!”

The Masked Matter-horn grabbed the orb from Filli-Second with her telekinesis and smirked. “Well this has been fun, but we really must be going.”

Discord crossed his arms. “Leaving so soon? This party isn’t over yet!”

“Then we shalt end this party with a big bang indeed!” Zapp declared. She flew up into the sky and raised her necklace. More storm clouds formed in the sky as a mighty tornado descended onto the street. Zapp pointed at the Legion of Heroism and the tornado slowly advanced towards them.

“Sludge, Long-Face! Think you can stop it?!” Sunset shouted over the wind.

Chrysalis shook her head. “I don’t know if we can! I’m not a fast flyer and Sludge is…well, a sludge creature! She’ll be splattered all over the pavement!”

“Pharaoh Phetlock, can you do anything?!”

“I’m low on chaos and mummies don’t have a great history with weather! Maybe High Heel’s bag of tricks can help!” Discord zipped over to Trixie, reached into her magic purse, and began to throw shoes at the tornado.

“How is a shoe possibly going to stop a tornado?!” Trixie shouted.

“Because comic book logic!” Discord answered. Despite his cheerful answer, the tornado wasn’t slowing down.

Masked Matter-horn laughed as Saddle Rager tossed Humdrum on her back. “You’d better improve your strategy quickly, legion of losers. When next we meet, the stakes will be much higher. And from the fires of our final battle a new Megatropolis …OUR Megatropolis, shall rise from this city’s ashes.” With that said, the Power Syndicate minus Rarity began to laugh evilly…only to stop as they heard someone else laugh.

“Aw, did someone forget to invite me to the party! What’d I tell you all about coming in MY city? Eh, he, he, HE!”

Saddle Rager’s eyes widened. “Oh no…oh no, no, no…”

Filli-Second gulped. “We need to leave.”

“W-what’s the matter? C-chicken? I ain’t s-scared,” Mare-velous whispered.

Rarity backed away from them. “What? What’s going on?”

Masked Matter-horn’s gaze searched the sky. “Come on, come on…where are you?” Her eyes widened and she immediately leapt back as a car smashed onto the street.

Could it be…oh, we are in for a show tonight.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting…but now, the mane event has arrived!” Everyone turned around to see Nightmare Moon. She was wearing a purple costume with black and gold boots. Her wings and horn had shrunk a little but her hair had grown quite a lot, her magical mane and tail splitting off into several, rapidly twisting tentacles. Her midnight bluish black hair had gained a very green tinge to it, as if the night sky had been filled with poisonous green gas. Her draconic blue-green eyes had also turned red and green. And lastly, the change that creeped her friends out the most was a crazed grin that Pinkie Pie would have blushed at.

Nightmare Moon has become The Mane-iac. She was the optimistic, kind-hearted daughter of the CEO of a hair-care product company. Then the young mare had one bad day when the Masked Matter-horn broke into her family’s factory to steal their wealth and secrets. She blasted her into a vat of unstable chemicals the company was using to create a new type of magical shampoo. Masked Matter-horn’s powers plus the chemicals gave the young mare strange new powers, while the accident and her desire for vengeance against the Power Syndicate drove her completely insane!

“That’s quite a backstory. How come you didn’t describe our characters that much?” Trixie asked.

Because while her wild hair is powerful, it’s her insanity that makes The Mane-iac such a fearsome hero. Her personality matches her name and everyone in Megatropolis knows that.

Masked Matter-horn’s eyes widened in fear as Nightmare grinned at her. “ZAPP!”

“I know, I know!” Zapp cried. She steered the tornado under her control and accelerated its speed until it crashed into the Legion of Heroism, causing Nightmare’s friends to scream in shock. Except for Discord, who remembered that it was a comic book and just enjoyed the ride.

It appeared that Nightmare had the same idea as him. Rather than dodging away from the tornado she galloped into it, giggling madly as she spun in the air. “Well now, this puts quite a spin on our suspenseful tail, doesn’t it?” Nightmare’s hair stretched higher into the air, the mane tentacles spinning like helicopter blades. Her tail tentacles stretched out and grabbed the ledges of two nearby rooftops. She used her tail to pull herself towards the buildings while she stretched out two mane tentacles to slingshot herself towards Zapp.

“Gah! Release me at once, thou deviant!” Zapp cried as Nightmare’s hair tentacles wrapped around her.

Nightmare giggled. “Oh sure sweetheart, in just a second! But there’s just a little question that I wanted to…tickle your brain with.” With an evil grin, Nightmare licked one of her mane tentacles and stuck it inside of Zapp’s ear.

Zapp was understandably disturbed. “STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!” she screamed.

Nightmare giggled again. “There, see! That’s the question I wanted to ask you! Will you pretty please stop the tornado?”

“YES! Please I beg of thou, remove your corrupted hair snakes from my brain!” Zapp cried. She grabbed her lightning bolt necklace and made the tornado vanish. Nightmare’s mane stretched out to catch her friends while Gilda stretched her body out to catch Nightmare.

“C-coward!” Saddle Rager shouted at Zapp.

Zapp landed on the ground and curled herself into a little ball. “If thou think thou can do better than do so!”

“Can’t. Too scared from the last time we fought her.” Saddle Rager’s eyes widened in fear as Nightmare stomped her way towards the Power Syndicate, her hair tentacles acting like the legs of a gigantic spider.

Mare-velous levitated her lasso and roped it around a mailbox, which she then flung at Nightmare. The mad alicorn simply caught the mailbox with her mane, raised it in the air and sent it smashing back down towards her. “Air mail!” Nightmare giggled.

Filli-Second went next, zooming towards Nightmare and rapidly tying her hair into knots. Nightmare smirked as Filli-Second blurred around her and slightly shifted one of her tentacles. The next thing Filli-Second knew, she had tied herself up with Nightmare’s tail.

“Well now, someone has been a very knotty filly,” Nightmare giggled.

“Bad idea, bad idea!” Filli-Second cried as she quickly worked to untie herself.

“Well it’s your own fault, sweetheart. You’re the ones who wanted to get all our tails in a twist! Now, let’s settle down and give yourselves to let our hair down…on the curb!” Nightmare laughed madly as she raised her tail and slammed Filli-Second into the ground with it.

But the speedy super villain recovered quickly, and zoomed off into the distance. She returned seconds later with boatloads of bricks, which she used to rapidly build a brick prison around Nightmare. “Okay, I think I got her!” Filli-Second said as she raced back to the Power Syndicate.

Sunset raised a hoof. “Should we help her?” She quickly lowered her hoof as a pile of bricks exploded off Nightmare’s brick prison. “Never mind.”

“Sky spirits above! The fiend hath grown even stronger!” Zapp cried.

“Radiance! Form a pair of scissors and shave her hair off!” Masked Matter-horn ordered.

Rarity gasped. “Excuse me? I would never do something as heartless as shave another pony bald! It would be like asking me to shave my own mane off!”

Saddle Rager grabbed her. “Please! We’re begging you!” she sobbed.

“Forget it! I’ll do it myself!” Masked Matter-horn cried as another pile of bricks was blasted away. She telekinetically ripped off on of Rarity’s power jewelry and placed it on her own off. The bracelet and her horn glowed as she formed a glowing purple pair of scissors. As Nightmare finished demolishing her prison, the scissors flew into action and snipped Nightmare’s mane and tail away.

“There! That’s how it’s done! Now get your head together and finish the freak off!” Masked Matter-horn ordered as she shoved Rarity towards Nightmare.

Rarity let out an “eep” as Nightmare caught her in her hooves. “Oh dear! Nightmare…I mean, uh Mane-iac. I’m so terribly sorry about your hair!”

“What is she doing?!” Mare-velous growled.

“Don’t worry guys, Radiance has got this! She’s trying to trick The Mane-iac! Way to go Radiance!” Humdrum cheered.

Mare-velous glared at him. “Humdrum, grow a brain.”

Nightmare giggled as she held Rarity. “Oh don’t worry about me, marshmallow pony! I can already feel my hair growing back,” she said as strands of green, blue, and midnight black hair slithered out of her head. “So, are you having fun? Huh, huh, HUH?”

Rarity squirmed in Nightmare’s grip. “Not exactly darling. Do you think you could loosen your grip just a drop? You’re holding me rather tightly.”

Nightmare gasped, her grin growing wider as she dropped Rarity. “Not having fun? Oh no, no, no, we can’t have that! Ooh, I know what can liven up a party! SNACK ATTACK!”

Her mane and tail burst out from her once again, the hair tentacles wrapping around a pretzel cart, an empty pizza delivery truck, and a lamppost. She ripped them all out of the ground and hurled them at the Power Syndicate.

Masked Matter-horn screamed and used Rarity’s bracelet to create a large bubble around her team. “Filli-Second, get us all out of here!” Filli-Second grabbed Rarity and rushed back inside the bubble. The villainous speedster then pushed the bubble down the street like the world’s largest and fastest hamster ball.

“Aw! They don’t wanna play with me anymore! I guess I’ll just have to stalk them!” Nightmare giggled. She turned to her friends and waved to them. “Hey everybody! Are we all having fun?”

The rest of her friends were staring at her with dropped jaws. “Nightmare…what was that?” Sunset asked.

Nightmare giggled as she tickled her head with her mane, making ‘cuckoo-crazy’ gestures with her tentacles. “If I had to guess I would say my own lunacy has mixed with The Mane-iac’s own mania resulting a beautiful insanity! It’s all quite exciting, really.”

“Glergh?” Gilda asked.

“No need to hold back Gilda darling, I know I’m crazy. Sure I restrain myself a lot better than Discord, but I still dream of magical sheep, eternal night, and so on. Speaking of crazy ideas…” She stomped her way towards Discord and wrapped several tentacles around him, drawing his body close to her. “Hello, handsome.”

Discord blinked and smiled nervously as Nightmare stared at him. “Um, hello. What brought this on?”

“Come now Discord, you must have considered the possibility. I know you have certain feelings for my aunt, but sweet little Celestia is quite a bit older than you AND still very confused about what to do with King Sombra. You’ve had the odd thought about Fluttershy but she’s not immortal like you, at least not yet!” Nightmare giggled madly. “Then there’s her own confuzzled feelings about dating to consider. But back to us! We’re both the same age, we’re both immortal, we’re best friends, we love each other’s company, we’re both incredibly powerful and beautifully insane…and you are a rather handsome specimen. What about me, Discord darling? Do you think I’m pretty like a night sky?” Nightmare fluttered her eyelashes at him.

“Glurgle,” Gilda grumbled and rolled her eyes.

Nightmare smiled and formed one of her tail tentacles into a spike, impaling Gilda’s head with it. “I heard that.”

“Glergh!” Gilda exclaimed as she pushed her head away from Nightmare and recomposed herself, shuddering a little.

Discord titled his head to the side. “You know…maybe it’s this fun, mad little world…or just madness in general, but you make some GOOD points…”

Chrysalis cleared her throat. “Nightmare, you shouldn’t be making a decision like this. You’re not thinking clearly! Even if you were, now’s not the time.”

Nightmare grumbled, crossing her hooves and her tentacles. “It’s never the time! No cake for you!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Um, okay. Don’t know what cake has to do with this but the Power Syndicate took off with Rarity. We need to save her and defeat them!”

Nightmare grinned again. “Yay! Fun time again!” Her hair tentacles raised her above them and carried Nightmare as she stomped her way towards the bad guys. “Fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN!”

“Glergh,” Gilda mumbled.

Yeah, she’s starting to scare me too. Then again, The Mane-iac is her favourite superhero, so maybe she’s just having a little fun with it.

“We need to go after them! But how are we to catch up with them without super speed or magic hair? With some sort of shoe car?” Trixie asked rhetorically.

Actually, High Heel owns several cars shaped like shoes. There’s a remote in your purse.

“…Seriously?” Trixie fished around in her purse and brought out a red and black remote. She pushed a few buttons on it and several shoe cars came racing down the street, each shoe car matching one of the group’s favourite colour. “…This place is strange.”

“That’s why I love it!” Discord chuckled as he leapt into one of the cars. “Wow, it smells awful in here!” he announced cheerfully.

Well, Pharaoh Phetlock has a mummy themed car. Maybe…wait, what’s going on where am I going?

Meanwhile, at the Power Syndicate’s top secret headquarters…that’s a giant skyscraper. You know it’s not top secret if you’re using it to mock everyone. We all know who lives here, you’ve got PS written on the side of the building for Luna’s sake! Why I am here again? Oh, Rarity!

Filli-Second rolled the ball into their headquarters and gasped in relief. “That was way too close! I can’t handle the Legion AND The Mane-iac in the same day!”

“Hopefully we won’t have to deal with them ever again,” Masked Matter-horn said as she erased the purple bubble from existence. “Humdrum, get that orb to the lab and then come back here. We need to have a talk with Radiance.”

“Sure thing!” Humdrum said cheerfully before he took the orb and skipped off deeper into their lair.

Rarity gulped as Mare-velous’ lasso roped itself around her and pulled her towards the Power Syndicate. “Um…what seems to be the problem?”

Filli-Second pressed her face up against Rarity’s and frowned. “You’ve been acting weird Radiance! If that’s who you really are! How do we know you’re not some little piggy cop who used one ‘a High Heel’s gadgets to swap bodies with Radiance?”

“No, no! I can assure you all that I am Radiance!” Rarity said hurriedly.

Masked Matter-horn narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “I don’t know…you’re acting like the same self-obsessed drama queen you always are...but then again you’re acting very disloyal and incompetent!”

Rarity growled and finally used her new powers to create a purple umbrella, pushing the villains out of her personal bubble. “We all have our off days! And you ruffians were acting far more incompetent than I was! The instant Night – I mean, The Mane-iac showed up, you panicked and cried like a group of ill-tempered foals! And while we’re on the subject, I do NOT care for the insults you were spewing at Humdrum and I.”

Zapp smiled. “Ah, Humdrum! A most wonderful idea! Wait her whilst I go fetch him!” She then flapped her wings and flew off into their lair.

Hey Rarity. Are you doing okay?

“Not really Smog,” Rarity whispered to the tiny text box next to her head. “Oh, why did I allow myself to get sucked into this?”

Yeah, sorry about that. I shouldn’t have used the comic book with so many people in the room. It’s a shame too; if you were on the hero’s side you might be having fun with this. I think you’d make a great High Heel.

“I quite agree with you. However, I must admit that being Radiance isn’t so bad. I adore this outfit and I do so love a functional accessory. The problem is the barbaric brutes that I’m being forced to work with. What do you think they plan on doing?”

Well if they’re asking Humdrum to come here, they might ask for a loyalty test from you.

“What sort of test?”

Sigh…just remember you asked for this. And right now the script wants me to show you the answers rather than tell you.

Rarity titled her head as a flashback panel appeared before them, showing a glimpse into previous issues. Zapp, Filli-Second, and Saddle Rager were playing a board game. Saddle Rager looked up a them and said, “I’m bored. Do you want to hang out with Humdrum?”

“Okay!” Filli-Second answered.

Rarity grimaced as the next panel showed the three super villains kicking and beating the snot out of Humdrum. “Take that you useless tub of fat!” The three bad guys laughed at Humdrum before leaving.

“Ha, ha! Good one guys! You really got me!” Humdrum groaned cheerfully.

“That’s awful!” Rarity hissed.

Yeah, it’s a common complaint about the comic book. The rest of the story is amazing but the Humdrum abuse is really getting old.

A new panel appeared, showing Humdrum carrying a large stack of paper. “Whelp, I finally finished it! My new novel!” Humdrum announced to the four other ponies in the room.

Zapp smirked and conjured up a small lightning cloud in the room, zapping Humdrum’s work and setting it on fire. “Ha! Thy useless scribblings are now aflame!”

“What? B-but I’ve been working on that for over a year! Why would you ruin my dream?” Humdrum sobbed.

Mare-velous frowned at him. “Humdrum, dreams are for winners.”

Humdrum sighed, his ears drooping. “Okay. I guess if I’m not doing anything else I’ll get dinner started.”

The Radiance in the flashback – who looked like Rarity but with a yellow coat – nodded as she flipped to the next page of her magazine. “That sounds delightful Humdrum. We love you.”

Masked Matter-horn glanced up from the blueprints she was studying. “What? Oh, sure. We love you Humdrum. Hey Radiance, come look at this.”

Uh oh, flashback time is over. Here they come.

Rarity turned around as Humdrum walked over to them. “Um…you wanted to see me, Radiance?”

Saddle Rager and Zapp grinned evilly at her, nodding their heads. “You know what thou must do to prove thy loyalty.”

Oh no…they’re asking you to prove you’re evil in the worst way possible. Okay, here’s the plan. I want you to PRETEND to hit Humdrum. Don’t actually do it but make it look believable.

Rarity inwardly grimaced at what she was about to do, before she glared coldly at Humdrum. Using her imagination and her power bracelet, she created a spiked glove construct. The construct looked deadly, but Rarity made the palm as soft as a pillow. She made a show of swinging the glove with all her might and smacking Humdrum across the floor. When Humdrum landed, he looked more confused than injured.

Fortunately, the rest of the Power Syndicate bought it. Saddle Rager smiled at Rarity before she made her way to Humdrum and helped him up. “I’m sorry we had to do that to you Humdrum, but we had to make sure Radiance was with us. All for the good of the team, remember?”

“Uh…yeah!” Humdrum said with a nervous smile.

Saddle Rager slowly circled around him. “That’s a good boy. I know we’ve been rather hard on you…but you must remember that it’s all for your own good. When we took you in, you were helpless…yet angry. Angry at what the world did to you…but not angry enough.”

Saddle Rager held up her right front leg and flexed it. Her leg grew in size as powerful muscles bulged out on it and yet the rest of Saddle Rager’s body remained untransformed. “I know anger better than anyone. Most importantly, I know its true purpose. When your enemy is strong willed, anger only serves to make you stronger. However, when your enemy is weak…that is when they feel fear. The reason we become angry is so that our tormentor becomes afraid of us.”

She lifted Humdrum up by his cape and smirked at him. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Humdrum gulped and nodded nervously. “I sure do!”

Saddle Rager rolled her eyes. “And we’re all so happy for you.” She dropped him on the ground and dismissed him. “Now then, finish cleaning my bedroom. Just because we were on a mission it doesn’t mean you can avoid your chores.”

Filli-Second zipped over to them. “Hey! I was gonna use Fax Machine next! He needs to finish the list of chores I gave him!”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Darling, you have super speed! Anything Humdrum can do, I’m sure you can do twice as fast.”

Filli-Second rolled her eyes. “Well obviously. But my time is much more important than his.”

“None of you are using Fax Machine – I mean Humdrum! He’s helping Radiance complete the weapon!” Masked Matter-horn growled as she gave Rarity her other power bracelet back. “So you two get to work before the Legion gets here!”

Good! Rarity, take Humdrum and run! Out of all the super villains, Radiance is the least abusive! It won’t look suspicious if you’re nice to him!

“What? Oh um, right away!” Rarity said with a more confident smile. “Come along Humdrum, show me where this weapon is, quickly now!” She breathed a sigh of relief as Humdrum eagerly led her away from the Power Syndicate.

Zapp folded her hooves and hovered in the air. “Are you certain the weapon will work?”

The Masked Matter-horn smirked. “I’m confident it will. That orb is the final key to The Mane-iac’s destruction. Once the power gun is complete the Legion will be powerless to stop us. All we have to worry about now is Radiance completing the weapon in time.”

Filli-Second giggled. “Why are ya being so serious? We got plenty of time! It’s not like The Mane-iac and the Legion are right outside our front door!”

And that’s when the lights went out.

Mare-velous gulped. “T-that’s…that’s probably just a power failure. There’s n-no way they could have gotten past our high-tech defense system!”

One of the windows exploded as a sentry gun crashed through it. The gun had a few throwing knives and spiky heels stuck in it, along with a large indent that looked suspiciously like a giant tentacle had crushed it.

“Already?! They’ve never been this fast before!” Filli-Second cried.

Masked Matter-horn gulped. “Calm down! T-there’s no need to panic!” The Power Syndicate jumped back as a giant tentacle smashed through another window. “Shoot!” their leader cried as she blasted a sheet of ice over the window. But another mane tentacle punched a hole in the ice shortly afterward.

Nightmare peeked her eyes through the hole and smiled at them. “Little pigs, little pigs...let. Me. IN.” She sang as her mane ripped more of the ice apart. “So that my hair can crawl inside of your skin!”

Mare-velous patted the frightened Masked Matter-horn on the back, comforting her leader even though they were both shivering with fear. “J-just ignore her. She’s just trying to creep you out. She’s supposed to be a hero! T-there’s no way she would actually…”

One of Nightmare’s hair tentacles shot out and grabbed Masked Matter-horn by the waist, pulling her towards Nightmare. A few more mane tentacles reached out, sticking themselves inside her ears and pulling her mouth into a wide grin. “Smile for me, honeycakes!”

Masked Matter-horn teleported out of Nightmare’s grasp and down the hall, screaming her lungs out as she ran. “RADIANCE! HELP ME!”

“Wait for us!” Filli-Second, Mare-velous, and Saddle Rager screamed as they ran after her.

“Begone, thou psychopathic abomination!” Zapp cried as she threw bolts of lightning at Nightmare, before she too flew away.

Nightmare simply giggled, the lightning bolts merely making her hair even wilder than before. “This is so much fun!”

A sarcophagus appeared next to the window Nightmare had smashed through as she climbed inside the Power Syndicate’s secret lair. The door opened up and Discord entered the room, leading the rest of the Legion with him and making the sarcophagus disappear behind them. “You know, I’m rather surprised at what this Pharaoh Phetlock character can do. For someone whose only gimmick is mummies, he’s a lot more powerful than you’d expect.”

His powers got an upgrade about three issues ago. Good to see you guys again.

“Hey Smog,” Sunset said. She cringed as she heard Nightmare stomping through the lair, picking up objects and smashing them as she giggled madly. “Um, so once we arrest the Power Syndicate, this will all be over right? Because Nightmare is really starting to creep me out.”

Relax guys. Even if The Mane-iac is insane, she’s still a hero. She would never go too far in the pursuit of truth, justice, and making criminals cry.

“You say that now, but I’m still concerned. Nightmare, we need you to focus,” Sunset said to her friend.

Nightmare smiled cheerfully at them. “Oh Sunset…Nightmare Moon isn’t here right now. Then again, neither is The Mane-iac. I don’t know who’s in charge of my noggin at the moment, but boy is it a lot more fun with HER behind the controls!” Her hair carried her down the hallway as she called for the Power Syndicate. “Oh guys? Where’d you go? I just want to talk! About crushing your bones! With my hair! Which I’m going to do once we’re done talking!”

Chrysalis pawed at the ground nervously. “We…should probably go after her. Just to make sure she doesn’t do anything she’ll regret.”

“Glerp,” Gilda mumbled in agreement.

Rarity blinked in surprise as the rest of the Power Syndicate barged into the room, the Masked Matter-horn slamming the door shut behind them. “Girls? What’s got you all so frazzled? And what happened to the power earlier? I can barely see your faces.”

“No time for that! Is the weapon done yet? The Mane-iac and the Legion are right behind us!” Mare-velous exclaimed.

“Oh dear. I don’t know about the weapon darling, but Humdrum says it’s halfway finished.”

“Humdrum?! You left Humdrum in charge?! He can’t do anything right!” Masked Matter-horn screamed.

“Actually, it’s almost done!” Humdrum stepped away from the table he had been working at and lifted the device up for them to see. The metallic orb glowed faintly on the back of the power gun.

Zapp sighed in relief. “Thou has finally done something useful!”

Rarity blinked. “But Humdrum, earlier you said it would take another hour to complete.”

Humdrum chuckled. “Oh, I was just teasing you. Just like you’ve all teased me before. That’s the funny thing about revenge. It’s a dish that takes a lot of patience to prepare properly.” His smile turned cold as he pointed the power gun at Filli-Second and fired, shooting a purple beam towards her. “And I’ve got FAR more patience than you monsters could ever have.”

Whoa! Humdrum is finally fighting back? …HA! Called it! Button Mash owes me ten coins now!

Filli-Second screamed in pain before she collapsed on the floor, twitching wildly. “Owie, owie, owie!”

Rarity gulped as Humdrum pointed the weapon at her next. “Humdrum? What are you doing?”

“Taking your revenge and making it my own!” Humdrum snarled as he fired the purple beam at her. Her magical jewelry lifted off her hooves as she screamed and floated over to Humdrum. As Rarity fell on the floor, Humdrum attached the bracelets to his hooves and turned on the others.

Oh yeah, I should probably be worried about this. Don’t worry Rarity, help is on the way!

“You ungrateful brat! After everything we’ve done for you!” Masked Matter-horn growled. Her horn glowed while Mare-velous grabbed her hoofarangs.

“After all the nightmares you’ve put me through, you should have expected this,” Humdrum said as he used Filli-Second’s speed to dodge out of the way of their attacks. He appeared behind them and zapped them with the beam, stealing their powers too.

“Thou traitorous whelp!” Zapp shouted as lightning sparked around her hooves. But before she could fly up and unleash her power on him, Humdrum used Mare-velous’ lasso to drag her down to the ground and stole her powers next.

“And now for the icing on my cake,” Humdrum said as he turned to the last member of the Power Syndicate.

Saddle Rager growled at him, already halfway through her transformation as her body bulged with muscles. “You just made me VERY angry!”

Humdrum growled and fired the beam at her. Saddle Rager’s eyes widened in shock as her muscles shrunk, shattering her previous belief that her powers could protect her from anything. Her eyes widened ever further as Humdrum went through his own transformation, changing a lot faster than she had.

“NO! The tables are turned now! From now on, I’M the only one allowed to be angry! I’M the only one allowed to dream! And YOU will cower before ME!” Humdrum roared.

Outside the room, the Legion had heard the commotion and had come to save the day. The door opened up and the Legion gasped as they all saw Humdrum. The little earth colt had transformed into a raging monster, his muscles bulging, his new wings sparking with lightning, and his new horn glowing. The power gun was floating behind his cape, wrapped up in his magic lasso.

With a snap of his fingers, Discord resummoned the sarcophagus and opened it up to reveal more mummies. “Go get him fellas!”

Humdrum roared as the mummies charged at him, throwing them off or blasting them with ice and lightning. While he was distracted, the Legion helped the Power Syndicate get back on their hooves. “Well this is certainly a hairy situation you’ve gotten yourself into!” Nightmare said, laughing at the villains.

Masked Matter-horn stared at her before she began to turn around. “I’ll take my chances with Humdrum!”

“What?! For goodness sake, RUN!” Rarity ordered. They all ran and ran, not stopping until they had fled the Power Syndicate’s lair. Eventually they reached the street outside the lair and gasped for breath.

They all jumped as they heard another roar. Behind them, the Power Syndicate’s headquarters was being utterly demolished from the inside and out. Storm clouds gathered above their heads before Humdrum appeared before them in a blur of speed, broken glass and machinery parts strewn about behind him.

Mare-velous flung her hoofarangs at Humdrum in a mix of anger and panic, but they just bounced off him. “Someone do something!” she cried.

Chrysalis threw a vial of sadness gas at Humdrum. Unfortunately, when the gas cleared he was still a hulking monster. “Nothing’s working!” she cried.

Before Nightmare could use her mane against him, Humdrum created a magical chainsaw construct, slicing her mane and tail off. Before Gilda could restrain him, the monstrous colt charged her and flattened her to the ground. Things were looking pretty hopeless.

Trixie gulped as she took a step back from the enraged colt. “Any ideas Sunset?”

Sunset sighed. “Just one, but I don’t know if it’ll work. Do you think you can ‘walk a mile in his shoes’?”

Trixie’s eyes widened. “Brilliant!” She quickly reached into her purse and pulled out the body switching heels. She placed one on her head and quickly flung the other shoe at Humdrum’s face. Both ponies screamed as an intense pain shot through both of them. Fortunately, luck was on their side as Trixie woke up to find herself wearing Humdrum’s costume. Her muscles had grown incredibly huge but without the colt’s fury she slowly shrunk back down to her regular size.

Filli-Second giggled as Humdrum found himself in High Heel’s body. “Ha, ha! Nice outfit, loser!”

However, the enraged sidekick wasn’t finished yet. The magic lasso had dropped the power stealing power gun and Humdrum had already grabbed it. “You think that matters? As long as I have this weapon I can just steal those powers back!” he growled as he pointed it at Trixie. “I’m finally going to get what I want! No more treating me like garbage! I’m finally going to get payback!”

“If payback is what you want, why are you going so easy on them?” Nightmare asked.

Everyone turned to face her. Nightmare winked at Discord before she continued, “I mean, the Power Syndicate has been treating you like dirt for YEARS now and to pay them back, you’re just going to beat them up?”

Humdrum growled. “I won’t beat them up. I’ll destroy them!”

“Then why not do it properly? What if you prolonged their punishement?” Nightmare smiled maliciously, slowly circling him.

“What are you planning?”

“Planning? My dear Humdrum, do I look like a mare with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a superhero, simple as that. I arrest the bad guy and put them behind bars. What makes me different from the Legion is that I have fun with it.”

Discord caught on quickly to her plan and winked back. He turned to the Power Syndicate and said, “I’m impressed at how angry you’ve made this poor colt. Exactly how long have you been tormenting this poor boy?”

Zapp snarled at him. “Silence thy tongue, insect! Once we have beaten some sense back into this traitorous whelp, thou shalt be next!”

Nightmare smirked at her. “Oh honey, how are you going to do that? You’re powerless right now, remember?” She giggled as one of her mane tentacles grew back, reaching over and tickling Zapp.

Zapp cringed and jumped away. “STOP IT! Remove thy snake-like mane from mine ear, you despicable gorgon!”

Nightmare turned back to Humdrum. “You see, my little pony? Even after you’ve shown the Power Syndicate your fury, they still don’t respect you. Not the way they fear me.”

Humdrum slowly lowered his weapon, looking at her with a sense of awe. “How…how do you do it? Why are they so scared of you?”

Nightmare grinned evilly at the Power Syndicate. “Because I am the thing that sends shivers down their spine…the mad maniac that haunts their every nightmare. Me and my friends…we know how to foil their evil plans. Take yourself for example. They took you in, raised you as their lackey, and slowly destroyed your self-confidence. Why would they treat you that way unless it was part of some stupid evil plan? If you truly want revenge you need to destroy that plan.”

Humdrum blinked. “How do I do that?”

“Become a part of what frightens them the most.” Nightmare stepped closer to Humdrum and cupped his face with her hooves. “Join me. Help me introduce a little confusion. Upset the Syndicate’s established order. Watch as their world turns to chaos. Take Megatropolis back from them and make it your own.”

“Atta girl,” Discord whispered. He walked over to Humdrum too. “It gets even better my friend. As a superhero, you’ll have things you could never have as a mere sidekick. Friends who respect you, a city that adores you…perhaps even your real family; the parents who love you.”

“But…they told me that my parents were gone,” Humdrum mumbled.

“The Power Syndicate told you that? And you believed them?” Sunset asked, a small smirk spreading on her own face.

Chrysalis walked over to Humdrum and gave him a little hug. “It’s going to be okay Humdrum. We can help you.”

Humdrum was silent for several seconds. He looked at each member of the Legion before he turned to face the Masked Matter-horn. His former leader was shaking her head furiously…but fear was quickly replacing the rage that had been in her eyes.

Humdrum sighed and gave the power gun to Chrysalis. “…Can I have my body back?”

Trixie nodded and used the ‘Mile in My Shoes’ gadget once more. Humdrum was soon back in his own body; still empowered by his stolen abilities. He looked up at them and smiled. “I…I’ve made my decision. I want to join you.”

…Wow. Guys that was incredible! I can’t believe you…wait, what’s going on? Where am I…

Humdrum’s body began to glow with a soft red light. When the light faded, Smog was standing there in Humdrum’s place. He grinned and flexed his arms. “Well it’s about time!”

“You think this is over?!” Saddle Rager suddenly shouted. “Humdrum, you give us our powers back this instant! You are in a lot of-”

But Smog didn’t let her say another word. With a snap of his fingers, glowing chain constructs appeared around the Power Syndicate and restrained them.

“Ow! Not so tight Smog…I mean, Humdrum,” Rarity said with a wince.

“Oops. Sorry.” Smog turned back to the Legion and grinned. “Well, we did it! The day is saved thanks to...”

But the little dragon was interrupted by a white vortex that sucked our heroes out of the comic book.

The Elements of Redemption and Rarity slowly woke up back in Guest Room A-5. Waiting for them was Camellia, sitting on a nearby couch with a notebook and a cup of tea levitating in her magic. Camellia blinked in surprise at their sudden arrival, but remained pretty calm beyond that. “Welcome back,” she said.

“How long have you been there?” Gilda asked as she stood up. Her eyes widened. “I can talk? I can talk!” She smiled and rubbed her throat affectionately. “Oh vocal cords, I’m sorry I ever took you for granted! Seriously being indestructible was fun but I don’t think I could have lasted much longer!”

Discord snapped his fingers, grinning as the floors and ceiling twisted into purple and blue chessboards. “As fun as minions are, there’s nothing quite like my own brand of insanity!”

As Discord played with his powers so more, Nightmare rubbed her head in relief. “Ah…speaking of insanity, the voices in my head are gone! I can stop thinking like Pinkie Pie’s long lost twin.” She smiled a little as she watched her mane and tail flow in the air. “At least I got a really cool power to make up for it.”

“Well I’m glad you all had fun,” Rarity huffed. “I hardly even got to enjoy my powers once I found out I was on the wrong team! Next time do a little more research before you involve me in a spell such as that,” she sighed. “Goodness, I need a break.”

“Tea?” Camellia asked, levitating a cup towards Rarity.

“Oh, bless your generosity darling!” Rarity accepted the cup with a happy sigh. “What blend are you having? Oh I don’t care, any kind will do.”

“Ooh, I like tea,” Discord said. He snapped his fingers and a few cups floated towards himself, Sunset, Chrysalis, and Nightmare.

Camellia smiled. “Well even if it wasn’t what you were expecting, I’m glad you got to experience the comic book’s spell before anyone else. Still, I’d like to have that back now. Still need to come up with the translations for international shipping.”

“Sure. Thanks for letting me borrow it,” Smog said as he gave the book to her. He smiled as his friends relaxed. “You know, I think there’s an important lesson to be learned about what happened to Humdrum.”

“What’s that?” Gilda asked.

“One of the most important lessons you can learn. The Golden Rule,” Smog said. “Treat others with kindness and respect, the way you want to be treated. I mean, the Power Syndicate treated him like garbage and they lost. We won the battle because we treated Humdrum like he was important.”

Gilda smirked a little. “Kinda an obvious lesson, isn’t it?”

“It’s a lesson a few more people could learn,” Chrysalis mumbled.

“She’s right. Think about Eternal Twilight or Pinkie Pie. They grew angry because nobody was nice to them in the past,” Nightmare said.

“That’s one reason why it’s so important. If a person is pushed around too much, you never know how long it will be until they push back,” Smog said.

Merry Weather unlocked her front door and carried her bags into her house. Once she had put everything away she walked over to the couch and collapsed on it, lightly massaging her head. “Why is this headache still bugging me?” she mumbled. She groaned as someone knocked on her front door. Sighing heavily, she got back up and opened the door. “Hello. Can I help you?”

Outside there stood a unicorn mare with a pink mane and a light brown coat. “I believe it’s time that you did, Merry Weather.”

Merry frowned at the mare. “How do you know my name?” The mare’s eyes flashed green, causing Merry to growl. “Changeling. You had better get out of here before-”

“The Bells of Tambelon shall ring soon,” the mare told her. “And when they do, you had better be prepared for our Queen.”

Merry’s eyes widened. “I…y-yes. I understand.”

The mare smirked. “That’s a good little pony. Take care Merry Weather. I’ll see you again soon.”

Merry closed the door as the other mare left. She walked to her bedroom as if she was in a trance, but as she reached for a box hidden in her closet her face twisted into a frown.

“That blasted changeling. Eternal Twilight. Pinkamania. Even the old goat. They think they can push us around? They still have NO idea who they are up against...”

Bugs!

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Bugs!

“Woohoo!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Party, party, party! I wanna have a party! I need to have a party! You better have a party!”

Discord danced and slid backwards up a spiraling slide as he sang along. “Oh, party, party, party! You gotta party hardy! I…” he trailed off as he noticed something.

Discord focused his vision on the spiraling chaos around him. “Pinkie, stop!”

“What?! Did you say something Discord?!” Pinkie shouted over the party music.

“Pinkie, something’s wrong.”

Pinkie frowned a little before she snapped her fingers, causing the dancing and chaotic creatures to freeze in mid-step. She floated over to him and asked, “What’s the problem?”

“Can you feel that? It’s like-”

But he was interrupted as the party completely vanished all around them, leaving Discord and Pinkie in a floating white void. The two friends looked up as a hippogriff descended from the sky.

The hippogriff touched down on what could have been technically called a floor and smiled at them. She had a light, yellowish-gray coat and a light blue mane and tail. “Miss Pinkie Pie. Mister Discord. My name is Princess Skystar.”

“Oh. Um, hello there,” Discord waved politely. “What can we do for you?”

“Hang on. Are you from the Everfree kingdom or from Equestria?” Pinkie asked with narrowed eyes. She hovered near Discord’s ear and whispered, “I’ve got a bad feeling about her!”

Skystar cleared her throat to get their attention. “I come bearing a message from my Queen.”

Pinkie blinked. “Queen Novo?”

Skystar smirked a little. “No. Not Queen Novo. A Queen more regal and far more powerful than any of us pitiful ponies could ever be. My Queen commands that I say to you this:

“Your party is over. Cease these foolish interruptions, or all that you love will be destroyed”

Skystar smiled and slowly faded into the void. “A good day to you.”

As Pinkie and Discord exchanged worried looks with each other they noticed that their surroundings had changed. They were no longer in the mini-universe they had created to house the wilder side of their party but were instead floating in the middle of Peaceville.

“So...she just erased the party that we created, right?” Discord asked.

“Looks like,” Pinkie stated.

“Huh...”

The two fun loving, reality warpers floated silently together.

“...Well that's ominous.”

Sunset Shimmer’s body tensed like a coiled spring about to unwind. “Any minute now…”

She grinned as the sun’s rays began to bounce off the crystals in Clear Crystal Cavern, illuminating the underground part of Peaceville and bringing daylight down below. “Alright! It’s officially crystal harvesting time!”

She galloped over to a fresh cluster of bright green crystals clinging to the cavern ceiling and admired them. “Okay, these ones should be ready to go by now.” She turned around a gave a solid kick to the cavern wall, causing the crystals to drop from the ceiling. But as she caught them in her magic the crystals shattered into a hundred tiny pieces. “What the heck?”

She galloped over to a few other patches of crystals. “Okay, red ones?” She telekinetically pulled about five crystals out. “Okay, these ones are fine. Blue crystals?” She pulled out a few more. “Clear. Green ones?”

She frowned as the fresh green crystals she harvested shattered. “Oh joy, I have a thief on my farm. Okay, I know you’re out there!” she shouted. “Crystals like these don’t shatter unless someone has been draining them!” Her horn flared with power before she zapped a large rock. “And green crystals only have changeling magic! So, here’s what I’m thinking, sneak thief! You can keep disguising yourself as an inanimate object and eventually I’ll blast you sky high AND have you arrested! Or, you can stop hiding and maybe we can resolve this without anyone being sent to jail! How’s that sound?”

“Ugh…shut up, stupid pony.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed as she heard someone groaning. She followed the noise coming from the creatures moans to a decently large crater. Inside the crater, and surrounded by dozens of shattered green crystals lay…

Sunset blinked in surprise. “Chrysalis? What are you doing?”

Chrysalis glared up at Sunset and waved her hoof dismissively. “I ordered you to be silent, foolish pony. A changeling queen stands before you.” She hummed in thought and rubbed her belly. “Well, I lay within a crater surrounded by these delectable crystals, simply bursting with changeling magic so rich I may not have to feed on love for a week, but you get the idea.”

Sunset's brow furrowed in confusion. “Chrysalis?”

Another groan came out as Chrysalis got back on her hooves. “I thought I told you to be silent, stupid farm filly. Or do I need to drain your love to get some peace and quiet?”

Sunset glared at Chrysalis and slid down into the shallow crater. “Well someling is being rude. So, either someone has altered your mind with magic or you’re an imposter. Which is it?”

“Imposter? You think me, the imposter?! Now your familiarity makes sense! You’re one those obnoxious friends to my weak, pathetic counterpart!” The changeling queen sneered as she buzzed her wings and hovered in the air. “Tremble with fear, little pony! You stand before the true Queen Chrysalis!” she said with a cackle.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “That’s nice. But the thing is, you’re standing in MY cave. And I’m the only queen of this cavern!” She smirked right back at Queen Chrysalis as she levitated dozens of crystals out the ground; their raw magical power draining into the orange unicorn as she summoned them. With her magic supercharged by the crystals, she created eight fireballs out of thin air and launched them at the evil counterpart of her friend.

Queen Chrysalis snarled as she created a sickly green shield of magic around herself, protecting her from the fireballs. “Pest!” she hissed.

“Who’re you calling pest, you cowardly thief!” Sunset shouted back as she zapped the queen’s shield with a fiery red blast of magic.

“Insignificant worm!” Queen Chrysalis snarled as she dropped the shield and buzzed her wings to hover away from the blast. She fired a green beam of magic at Sunset next.

Sunset leapt out of the way of the blast before she ripped dozens of drained crystals from the crater, crushed them with her magic, and sent the shards spiraling towards her opponent.

Queen Chrysalis’ eyes widened as she conjured up another shield while flying away from Sunset’s attack. As the crystal shards bounced off her shield and fell to the ground, she scowled at Sunset. “I don’t have time to waste playing around with you, unicorn. The next time you meet my counterpart, ensure she knows that I’m looking for her. It’s high time she learns how a true queen of the changelings should rule!”

Queen Chrysalis let out another evil cackle before she vanished in a flash of green light.

“And I haven’t seen her since then,” Sunset said as she finished explaining to her friends.

“You…you gotta be kidding me,” the kind-hearted Chrysalis of Everfree said softly.

“How long ago did you say this was?” Gilda asked.

Sunset frowned. “Six hours ago. Didn’t I already tell you that?”

“Sorry, Sun. My head’s still kinda ringing from the party horn dopey Discord blew in my ear,” Gilda grumbled. “We have any idea where those two idiots ran off to?”

Trixie sighed. “One problem at a time dear Gilda. I think the evil version of Chrysalis running rampant around Everfree holds more priority over punishing Pinkie and Discord. At least for now.” She glared up at the sky and shouted, “Are you two listening to us?! We will hunt you down and have our revenge! Nobody uses the Great and Powerful Trixie’s cape for a tie dye T-shirt contest and gets away with it!”

“I know what you mean. Most of my hive is still sleeping off whatever it was they drank at that party. It's honestly a miracle that it only took us six hours to recover,” Chrysalis groaned, rubbing her head with her hoof. “What was I thinking? Eyeball and tail smoothie?”

“How did you manage to wake up hours before we did?” Gilda asked Sunset.

“It's a potion I bought from Zecora. Helps me get enough sleep but still rise early. Really popular with farm fillies like me,” Sunset explained. “I've actually been mixing it with some spells and crystals to-”

“We’re here! We’re here,” Princess Nightmare Moon called out as she flew into the cavern and touched down next to her friends, with Smog hopping off her back. “We searched all over Peaceville. Sorry Chrysalis, but no sign of your evil doppelganger.”

“It’s not your fault, Nightmare,” Chrysalis sighed. Her horn glowed green as she etched out a simple map of Peaceville on the cavern floor. “If I was the one hiding from you – and she’s practically me – I would have switched between a dozen different pony forms to sneak out of town and throw anyone off my scent.”

“First of all, your crazy counterpart could never be the amazing changeling queen you are,” Smog said. “That nutcase is from Equestria, and no offense to our friends on the other side of the mirror, but they do everything backwards over there.”

“An excellent point, Smog,” Trixie said; Smog blushing at the praise she had given them. “On that note, perhaps we should contact our friends in said backwards world, given as how they have the most experience in dealing with your stupid counterpart.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “We don’t need their help to capture one rogue queen. Besides, I thought the mirror was broken like everything else after Pinkie and Discord tried to break the record for Biggest Party in the Universe.”

“About that,” Nightmare said, holding up a wing for them to wait until she was finished speaking. “Two things happened on my way back here. First of all, the mirror’s working again. Smog accidentally tripped and tossed something into the mirror and it didn’t just bounce off like last time. Second of all, there’s an angry mob heading this way.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened. “An angry mob?”

“They might have been my crystals but Pinkie was the one who enchanted them for her party game. I had nothing to do with that singing spaghetti monster!” Sunset said with a firm stomp of her hoof.

“No, they’re here for Chrysalis. Seems like they’re having a hard time telling the difference between you and your nutcase twin,” Smog informed them.

“Oh. Maybe lead with that next time?” a concerned Sunset said. “An angry mob is nothing to laugh at.”

Smog smirked. “That's what you think. They're pretty small and slow by angry mob standards. We can fight them off-”

“If we have no other choice,” Nightmare said, shooting him a glare. “As much as I'd love some action around here, it would just make Chrysalis look bad.”

Chrysalis groaned. “For the love of love! When is that mare going to leave us alone!” She backed up behind a cluster of red crystals and said to her friends, “I have an idea of who’s leading the mob. Just play along with what I’m doing.” She ducked behind the crystals and vanished in a flash of green light. She emerged from her hiding spot in the form of Applejewel, or Applejack as her close friends knew her.

Heavy stomps from a pair of iron boots announced the arrival of Merry Weather, one of Applejack’s more aggressive employees. Following behind Merry Weather were about a dozen ponies who looked very angry indeed.

“Howdy there, Merry Weather,” Chrysalis said with a tip of Applejack’s hat. “Was just catching up with mah friends here. What can Ah do ya for?”

Merry Weather’s eyes widened in surprise. “Miss Applejack? I’m surprised to see you here.” Her brow furrowed as she growled, “If you are Miss Applejack and not that disgusting parasite disguised as her.”

Nightmare stepped forward. “I can confirm that the pony you see before you is Applejack. For those of you who didn’t know, I have a changeling detecting spell on my eyes,” she said, addressing Merry Weather and her followers. “Now can someone explain to me what you’re all doing here?”

Merry Weather eyed the alicorn with a suspicious frown. “Princess Nightmare Moon. Hmm…even if you were friends with the former Element of Love, surely you understand the threat an out-of-control changeling presents, so I assume that you are telling the truth.” She paused for a moment and sighed, “Very well. Me and my friends are here to capture the beastly changeling and bring her to justice.”

Silver Tiara, one of the ponies in the mob, nodded in agreement. “Well said Miss Weather. The sooner that bothersome bug queen and her hive of vermin are purged from this town the better.” She sneered at Smog and Gilda. “And if we can get rid of our other pest problems, so much the better.”

Gilda glared at her. “Well you’re no prize yourself, lady.”

Silver Tiara scoffed. “Well I never!”

Gilda stuck her tongue out at her. “Well I never indeed!” she whined in the most ‘arrogant elite’ tone she could manage.

“Why you…you brute!” Silver Tiara gasped.

Merry Weather stomped one of her boots against the cave floor. “That’s enough Silver. One set of monsters at a time.”

“Monsters? Don’t ya think yer being awfully harsh?” Chrysalis said. “Ah think y’all got the wrong idea about what’s going on here.”

“With all due respect, Miss Applejewel, I can assure you that we don’t think it’s harsh.”

Smog raised his claw to get her attention. “But Sunset here wasn’t attacked by the real Chrysalis. It was an imposter-”

“I did not come here to listen to excuses!” Merry Weather shouted. She stared at who she thought was Applejack and sighed, “Even from you Miss Applejack. Queen Chrysalis needs to be removed.”

“But-”

“But nothing!” Merry Weather cut her off. She turned away from the Elements of Redemption to glare at the shattered green crystals that the other Queen Chrysalis had been feeding from.

“Them shape stealing bugs will give you a fright!
Draining our love both day and night
They’re the ugliest things you’ll ever see
So I’ll put them all out of their misery!”

Before anyone could interrupt her, she spun back around to face them and kept angrily singing.

“They don’t care about nada, not zilch, no, nothing
Except bringing about our total destruction.”

Chrysalis, still disguised as Applejack, spoke up.

“Now wait just a minute, there’s another side to this
And if Ah did not defend them, then Ah would be remiss
These changelings are friends and family too
They care about our health just like we ponies do.”

Merry Weather growled and started up again.

“Oh, give me a break, you’re being too kind
These changelings have a one-track mind
They gobble up ponies faster than Smooze
Those bugs are nothing but bad news!”

“Okay listen, whiny!” Gilda shouted, attempting to end the song. “You don’t even know what you’re saying!”

Merry Weather snarled and pressed on.

“Shut! Up now! Or taste my boot’s attack!
These bugs, they’ve got to give our crystals back!”

Chrysalis spoke up again.

“That’s where I have to disagree
There’s so much love in Everfree
Crystals keep growing far and wide!”

Merry Weather spread out her forelegs to illustrate her point to her followers.

“You see one coming, you’d better run and hide!
They’re big and ugly and mean as sin!
Will ya look at the state these crystals are in!”

Sunset’s horn glowed as green crystals blossomed out of the ground.

“My crystals are fine! They’ll regrow with my magic!”

Merry Weather growled and smashed the crystal back into the ground.

“What about death? Can ya heal something that tragic?!”

Silver Tiara stuck her nose in the air and snorted.

“Well, I for one don’t have a doubt
These vermin must be stamped right out!”

Gilda growled.

“Okay lady, it’s time to go.
You take your mob and hit the road!”

This time, Merry Weather and her entire mob spoke as one as they circled the Elements.

“Stomp the ground!
That’s how they’ll know we’re mad!
It’s time to make those changelings sad!”

“Stomp the bugs! Stomp the bugs!
Free Peaceville of all these thugs!
Stomp the bugs! Stomp the bugs!
Clean Peaceville of all these thugs!
Stomp the bugs! Stomp the bugs!
Purge Peaceville of all these thugs!”

Merry Weather broke off from the group and shot a glare at Gilda.

“So back off now
Or taste my iron boot
Go fly off and tell those bugs to scoot!”

Chrysalis gulped at the level of hatred and fear she felt rolling off in waves from Merry Weather, Silver Tiara, and their followers. “C-come on now, sugarcube. Don’t y’all think that’s excessive?”

“It’s more than excessive. I’m pretty sure what you’re all proposing is illegal,” Nightmare announced.

Merry Weather blinked in shock at her statement. “Excuse me?”

“We are dealing with ONE crazy changeling. Just one changeling, who as far as we know was involved in some petty theft and assaulted exactly one unicorn, who was more than capable of defending herself. It’s quite possible that’s she committed worse crimes since then but so far, she’s the only rogue changeling I’ve heard of. We’re also pretty sure she’s not even the real Chrysalis,” Nightmare summarized.

“And how do you propose to deal with that? By announcing your mission to ‘stomp the bugs’ in front of an alicorn princess. I know you, Miss Weather; I know you don’t like creatures that aren’t ponies but I never thought you’d go so far to commit hate crimes.”

“Hate crime?!” Silver Tiara cried, making a noise like a nervous squawk. “T-that’s not what we’re talking about, your highness!”

Nightmare’s eyes narrowed. “It sure sounds like it. You’re using the crimes of one person to justify a violent confrontation with an entire group of people just because they’re different from you, even though they've never hurt anyone!”

“Please your majesty, I beg of you to listen to reason! That’s not what we’re doing!” Silver Tiara protested.

“Well whatever you’re doing, stop. As a princess of Everfree, I will notify our guards and our allies about what has happened. More than that, I will personally lead the hunt for Queen Chrysalis, or more likely for her imposter. If you have a problem with my decisions, you can make an appointment to see King Sombra or Princess Twilight. As for now, all of you leave Sunset Shimmer’s property at once.”

Nightmare’s eyes glowed white as her mane and tail began to whip around her, swirling like gathering storm clouds. “Now, are there any questions?” As Merry Weather’s angry mob collectively gulped and began to walk away at a brisk pace, Nightmare’s hair and eyes returned to normal. “I didn’t think so.”

“This isn’t over,” Merry Weather growled under her breath before she left the farm, her boots stomping heavily against the ground with every step.

“Way to take charge Nightmare,” Gilda said with a nod. She flapped her wings and hovered in the air, crossing her forelegs as she glared in the direction of the retreating mob. “You know that won’t hold them off forever, though.”

Nightmare sighed. “You think they’ll come back, even after my warning?”

Gilda shook her head in disgust. “Those racist idiots are too stupid to listen to ya. If we want to get Chrysie cleared, we gotta find her evil twin before they do.”

With a flash of green fire, Chrysalis returned to her normal form. “Gilda’s right.”

“Do you have any idea where we can start looking?” Trixie asked. “Trixie has been meaning to test out some of her more experimental tricks and since we don’t care if your imposter is hurt, Trixie can discover for herself if her tricks are a little too explosive or not.”

“Just try not to completely fry her, you pyro,” Sunset said with a chuckle. “But we’ll figure out how to fight her once we actually catch her. So Chrysie, any ideas?”

Chrysalis grimaced. “I know I said we didn’t need help from Equestria, but Merry Weather and her goons have made me a little more worried. And as much as I know what I’d do in this situation, that doesn’t mean the other Queen Chrysalis is facing the same circumstances. We don’t know what she’s done in Equestria recently.” She shrugged and said, “Maybe we can ask someone for directions.”

Ten minutes later, Nightmare Moon, Gilda, Trixie, Smog, and Chrysalis were waiting within the secret chamber of King Sombra's castle where the portal to Equestria was stored.

Gilda’s tail impatiently snapped against the wall. “I’m gonna smash Discord’s head in for making us wait.”

“It wouldn’t hurt him anyway,” Nightmare sighed.

“It’d make me feel better though.”

Trixie flicked her hat back a little. “What do you expect? Trixie’s mad at him too. How could anyone bear the burden of the Furious and Betrayed Trixie’s glare of disapproval?”

Gilda’s wings snapped open. “Hey, I know why you’re mad at him. I know why we’re ALL mad at him. But Chrysie could get into a heckuva lot of trouble because of her stupid evil twin. You’d think that’d be enough for Discord to stop hiding like a little chicken and help his friend out, but-”

“But, indeed, my dear griffon,” Discord’s voice said behind her. Gilda spun around to face him but all she saw was a wall. Eyes narrowed in suspicion, she glanced over her wings to see Discord somehow stepping out of the bit of fluff at the end of her tail until his own tail separated from hers.

“Trixie will admit, that’s one of your more creative entrances,” Trixie commented. She wrinkled her nose a little and said, “I can’t tell if that was inappropriate though.”

Discord waved his paw dismissively. “I’ve seen you ponies grab each other's tails with your teeth out in public. Can’t we all just agree to be platonically crazy?”

“As always, Trixie understands about half of what you say. It’s good to see you again, but she is still mad at you.”

Chrysalis cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to hog the spotlight, but this concerns me PLUS all of my changeling friends.”

“Quite right, my dear. Just say the word and I’ll snap this whole problem away!” Discord raised his claw to snap his talons.

“Thank you for the offer but that’s not what I had in mind. Honestly, I just need to know where all my friends are so that I don’t have to worry about the evil me replacing one of you.” She sighed. “It’s what I’d do in her situation.”

“I see. Well I’m here in whatever capacity you need me, ladies.” Discord coughed a little and asked, “Um, no hard feelings about that unfortunate accident at the party, right? It was mostly Pinkie’s fault.”

Chrysalis sighed. “Is it okay if I speak for everyone?”

Nightmare gestured to the mirror to Equestria. “We’re just waiting around for Sunset’s message to get through to the other Princess Twilight. I think you know all our thoughts on the subject.”

“Right. Discord, you’re our best friend and that’ll never change. But you and Pinkie Pie broke time during your crazy party.”

“Accidentally broke time,” Discord corrected. “And besides, Everfree is still standing.”

“Yes but now we’re standing a little farther behind than Equestria, and any other parallel worlds,” Sunset said. “We wouldn’t have even known that time was frozen if Pinkie didn’t blab your secret. But while only seconds passed for Everfree, it’s possible that our friends in Equestria haven’t seen us in years. Decades even. Their evil version of Chrysalis is the only bit of news we’ve heard from them so far, and she does not inspire confidence for the Equestrian kingdom’s wellbeing.”

Discord cleared his throat. “Yes, I suppose that is pretty bad. Is there anything I can do to patch things up?”

“I’d suggest you and Pinkie rewinding time so that Everfree is back in it’s rightful place in space-time but I think you’ve already messed around with the universe enough,” Sunset said.

“If Equestria has gone up in flames, you can try rewinding time. If our friends on the other side of the mirror are doing okay, then everything’s okay,” Nightmare said.

“Really? Great! So, no problems here then?” Discord asked hopefully.

“It’s like Chrysie said dude,” Gilda said, hovering over to him and placing her claw on his shoulder. “You’re our buddy and that ain’t gonna change. But the next time I see you, I’m punching your lights out.”

“While we’re still waiting for an answer, why not get it out of your system?” Discord suggested, transforming his eyeballs in lightbulbs with target drawn around them.

Gilda pulled her fist back and smashed his face in. While Discord scrapped himself off the floor, she sighed happily. “Well I forgive you.”

“Fantastic,” Discord grumbled. His face shifted back to normal and he glared at the mirror. “How much longer must they keep us waiting?”

“I’m here!” a unicorn mare said as she stumbled out of the portal. She had a pale purplish-pink coat, purple hair with light blue streaks, and a cutie mark of a purple star with two turquoise streams shooting out of the star.

Sunset blinked as she recognized the familiar looking pony. “Starlight?”

After catching her breath from the inter-dimensional journey, Starlight Glimmer looked up at her with concern on her face. “Sunset! I got here as soon as I…” she trailed off as she examined Sunset’s features. “Hold on. I thought I was the one who came to your world? How are we still ponies?”

“She’s not the one we know,” Chrysalis remarked. “Her mane style is different from what I remember.”

“C-Chrysalis?!” Starlight gasped.

“Not the one you’re familiar with,” Nightmare spoke up. “Miss Starlight-”

“Nightmare Moon?!” Starlight shrieked. “S-stay back! Sunset, we need to-”

“Let’s hold off on the panic party for now, shall we?” Discord suggested as he snapped his fingers, causing the floor beneath Starlight’s hooves to melt into a candy cane coloured pile of super sticky sludge.

“Discord?!” Starlight cried as some of the sludge leapt up to her horn, temporarily cutting off her ability to use magic. She gazed around the room. “Trixie?! And…” she trailed off as she got to the two Elements of Redemption she didn't recognize.

The young dragon pointed to himself and his griffon friend. “Smog and Gilda.”

“What the hay is going…” Starlight trailed off as her eyes widened. “Wait…I remember Twilight telling me about this…”

Discord grinned. “Superb! Allow me to fill in any blanks you might have, in the interest of speeding this search up along.” He reached over to her forehead and tapped it, causing her eyes to swirl with a rainbow of colours. The sticky sludge dissolved as he turned to face his friends and gestured at her. “What do you suppose her deal is?”

“I know the Equestrians mentioned it to us, but it was a long time ago,” Sunset said. “All I can remember was that this Starlight Glimmer was too evil to build the Glimmering Stars resort.”

“Doesn’t seem like the case now if she’s concerned about your wellbeing,” Trixie commented as the colours stopped swirling around Starlight’s eyes.

“Yeah…yeah, Twilight was right!” Starlight said with a grin. “Wow. Wow, this is such a surprise! And an honor!” She bowed to Nightmare. “Please forgive me, your highness. If I had known you were the good version of Nightmare Moon, I wouldn’t have freaked out like I did.” She smiled sheepishly.

“That’s okay,” Nightmare said, bowing her head to Starlight as a show of respect and allowing Starlight to stand up from her own bow. “Though I am surprised as to what you’re doing in Equestria Twilight’s castle. The last time we spoke with her friends, they mentioned that they had a bit of trouble with you.”

Starlight winced and scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. “Well, yes. But uh, that was a long time ago.”

“Something else you can help us with,” Trixie said. “You see, a little while ago our two idiot goofballs threw a party so wild and chaotic that it froze time all over Everfree. Perhaps you can tell us how much time has passed in your world and whether we should be worried.”

“Really? Um, okay. Let me go ask Spike,” Starlight said before she turned around and hopped back through the portal to Equestria. Two minutes later, she hopped back out and informed them, “Spike says it’s been two and a half years since they heard from you.”

The Element bearers all blinked in surprise. “Two and a half years?!” Nightmare asked. “That’s…well it’s not as bad as I was afraid but still not exactly optimal. Um, what’s changed since the last time we saw them?”

“Uh, nothing too bad, I assure you!” Starlight said with a smile. “I tried to get my revenge on Twilight but she helped me see the error of my ways and we became friends.” She chuckled sheepishly. “I ended up messing around with time in my own way before I became her friendship student, but uh, it’s water under the bridge at this point.”

Sunset shrugged. “If Princess Twilight is okay with that so am I. What else?”

“Okay, uh let’s see. The changelings on our side are good now, so-”

“Wait, let’s go back to that,” Chrysalis insisted. “If you read Sunset’s letter then you know about my counterpart, right?”

Starlight’s eyes widened. “Oh no. If Queen Chrysalis is here causing trouble then everypony…sorry, I mean everybody is going to think she’s you! Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” she cried as she wrapped Chrysalis in a tight hug, her eyes tearing up a little.

Chrysalis started a little from the sudden hug, but relaxed into it and gently patted Starlight on the back. “Hey, hey now. It’s okay. It’s not your fault my counterpart is so nutty.”

Starlight stepped out of the hug and sniffled. “Not entirely but I think I played a role in this. You see, Queen Chrysalis tried to kidnap Twilight and her friends and replace them with changelings to soak up all the love in Equestria. Me and some of my other friends were able to escape and sneak into her kingdom where we convinced the changelings to be good and saved everyone. I tried to help her too but she swore revenge against me and flew off. And I can’t help but think she’s here in Everfree because of me.”

As Starlight wiped the last tear out of her eye, Chrysalis hummed in thought. “You think she’s in our world to get revenge on you? But…what would she need in our world for that?”

“I don’t know. I’m really sorry I couldn’t be more help but that was the last thing we heard from her and nobody’s seen or heard any news about Queen Chrysalis in months.” Starlight straightened up with renewed confidence. “But I’ll be happy to help you find her and bring her in.”

But surprisingly, Chrysalis shook her head. “This is your first time stepping into our kingdom and you don’t know the changelings of this world like I do. I don’t want you getting hurt so it’ll be best if I handle the next part on my own.”

“What? I…wait. Please let me come with you. I feel responsible for her sneaking into your world and trying to ruin your reputation.”

But Chrysalis offered her a patient smile and patted her on the back again. “Well you shouldn’t. If there’s one thing I have in common with my loopy counterpart it’s that Queen Chrysalis is always responsible for her actions. A rogue changeling queen is my responsibility too, even if she’s another version of me from an alternate world. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve been more helpful than you realize. Now that I have a better idea of what her motivation is, I know how to draw her out of hiding.”

Starlight’s eyes widened as Chrysalis was consumed by a flash of green fire and replaced with her mirror image. “What? No, I can’t ask you to disguise yourself as me!”

The other Starlight smiled. “It’s a good thing you didn’t ask me then. Don’t worry Starlight. And guys, you don’t need to worry anymore either,” she said to her friends. “I know what I need to do now, and trust me, I’ve got this.”

“Are you sure you don't need our help?” Smog asked.

“Sorry buddy, but I need to do this mission solo. If only to prove to Everfree and to myself that I'm the better queen.”

Nightmare stared at her for a moment. She then shrugged and smiled. “Your confidence is infectious. Very well Chrysalis. If you say you’ve got this, I believe you.”

“Same here,” Gilda said with a thumbs-up. Sunset, Smog, and Trixie nodded in encouragement too as Discord waved a couple of cheerleader pom-poms.

Starlight bit her lip nervously. “Are you sure?”

Chrysalis smirked confidently. “Come on Starlight, I’m the Element of Love. I’m the one and only Queen Chrysalis. I know I can be a little shy, but I don’t need my friends to solve ALL my problems.”

CRASH

Everyone spun around to face a poor little pegasus mare who had somehow managed to crash through the castle ceiling, even though Sombra’s castle was made of pure crystal. The baby blue pony with a green mane and tail quickly got to her hooves and gazed at the group in alarm.

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay? That was a nasty fall!” Starlight exclaimed, rushing to check the pegasus for injuries.

But the pegasus backed away from Starlight. “I’m fine! I’m fine, please! Please, just don’t…I don’t like being touched.” The mare gulped and looked around the room. “Really, I’m fine. I’m not scratched up or anything.”

“I know that ponies have deceptively tough skin, but you crashed through a ceiling made up of sharp, pointy crystals. Are you sure you’re okay?” Discord asked with some concern.

“I’m fine! I’m fine! Just, uh…I got spooked while I was flying.”

“What?” Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing. Anyway, please ignore me. I’m leaving now!” the pegasus smiled sheepishly before she flapped her wings and flew back up through the hole she had made.

Discord’s head stretched out like a giraffe’s through the hole. A few seconds of searching passed before his head shrunk back to normal size and he addressed the group. “Well she was in a hurry.”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed. “Yes, she was. Something weird is going on.” Her Starlight disguise was replaced with a Gilda disguise in a burst of shape-shifting magic. “Guys, take a look around the castle then fan out from there. I have an idea about where to start looking but the more ground we cover the better.”

“Are you sure, you’ll be okay by yourself?” Starlight asked.

She smiled back at her and said, “Thank you for the concern, but once we’ve found her, Queen Chrysalis is my responsibility. This is just something I have to take care on my own.”

“Miss Merry Weather! We have a problem!”

Merry Weather scowled at the blue pegasus who touched down beside her. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

The pegasus bowed low. “I was never given a name. I am a humble servant to our glorious queen.”

Merry Weather’s eyes widened before she grabbed the pony’s ear with her teeth and pulled her behind a corner. She pushed the pegasus up against the wall and hissed. “What are you doing out in the open?! You know what our queen told us! Eyes and ears are everywhere!”

“Forgive me Merry Weather! I know what my orders are, but something has come up! I must deliver this new information to the queen at once!”

Merry Weather held her head high. “I am our queen’s most faithful servant. I can relay the message to her.”

The pegasus hesitated. “Under any other circumstance I would be happy to tell you, Miss Merry Weather. However, I don’t know if you would understand the severity of this bad news the same way our queen would.”

Merry Weather frowned. “Are you insulting me?”

“I…” The pegasus titled her head to look around the area. “Alright. But what you told us about the eyes and ears everywhere is true. I’ll need to whisper the information as quietly as I can.”

“Go on then.” Merry Weather closed her eyes and pressed her right ear up against the pony’s mouth. They huddled together as close as they could while the pegasus whispered her message.

Merry Weather pulled away from the pegasus in confusion. “So it is a doppelganger. I suppose Chrysalis can wait then. I don’t understand how the other thing can be bad news though. It sounds as if Chrysalis would be doing us a favor.”

“I’m sorry Miss Merry Weather, but I can’t go into the details out here in the open.” The pony’s eyes narrowed. “Where are we, anyway? This is not where our queen ordered you to be.”

Merry Weather winced. “I know. Deliver my apologies when you see our queen again. Unfortunately, you’re not the only mare who ran into a complication.”

She poked her head out from around the stone corner and glared out into the marketplace of the village she had found herself in. The town was centered around a crumbling, ancient castle. The village itself could best be described as ruined yet functional. Every house was made with dark stone, the wooden window shutters were covered in mold, and what little paint could be seen was peeling at an alarming rate. Merry Weather grumbled as Queen Chrysalis drained the love out of a donkey, one of the citizens of this miserable town.

“Mwa, ha, ha!” Queen Chrysalis cackled as she threw the donkey aside. “Who needs stealth and subterfuge? Brute force all the way! Kneel before your queen, insignificant donkeys!”

Up above the chaos, Chrysalis in Gilda’s form swooped down from the sky and landed behind a building, out of her counterpart’s view. She flinched back as a donkey hissed at her. “Hey! What are you doing here?! Can’t you see the crazy changeling?!”

“I know. Don’t worry, I’m here to stop her,” Chrysalis whispered to him.

“How? That crazy parasite is shooting magic left and right! Even if you come at her flying, you’ll never land a hit on her!”

Chrysalis sighed as she transformed into Starlight Glimmer. “You see that flash just now? I’m a changeling like she is but I’m on your side.”

The donkey squinted at her. “Well, sorry for the parasite remark then. But how do I know she’s not your queen or whatever?”

“My name is Chrysalis and whoever that changeling is, they’re impersonating me. I’m an Element of Redemption.”

“That supposed to mean something?”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at that; certain that everyone should have heard of the Elements. “We’re a group of about seven creatures who protect Everfree from-”

“Band of heroes, got it. Now quit jibber-jabbering with me and get her!” the donkey shouted, pushing her out into the open before ducking back into his hiding spot. “I believe in you, or whatever.”

Chrysalis spared one last glance at the odd donkey before galloping into the center of town, to finally face off against her rampaging doppelganger.

“Mm,” Queen Chrysalis moaned as she drained the love out of a poor cow. “Tastes like ice cream. Who else is on the menu?”

“You’re not going to hurt anyone else, you love thief!” Chrysalis shouted as she levitated her body in front of her doppelganger; hovering in midair.

Queen Chrysalis gazed at the unicorn before her and smirked. “A pony? While it has been refreshing to steal my love from a town that isn’t infested with you creatures, I do miss that sweet, sweet pony love.”

Chrysalis' eyes widened. “Wait a minute…”

“Changeling queen!” The two versions of Chrysalis turned their gaze to the left to see a dark blue ram marched towards them. The ram had two large black horns and big red eyes. He wore a red cape similar to King Sombra’s cape and a collar with a big bell hanging from it.

“I am King Gregory the Second,” the ram announced. “You stand within the center of Tambelon, a kingdom of dark magic. We do not know how you have discovered our home but it does not matter. I order you to leave this place and never return.” He scowled and hissed, “Lest you face my great-grandfather’s undying wrath.”

“Finally!” Queen Chrysalis hissed with sadistic glee. “Someone I can overthrow!” She turned and fired a blast of magic at the ram.

King Gregory rang the bell around his neck with his right hoof. The bell and the ram’s horns began to glow with the same dark magic Sombra used. He lowered his head and fired a blast of magic at Queen Chrysalis, the two beams of power clashing against each other and creating a shockwave.

The shockwave blasted the two combatants apart, but Queen Chrysalis was quick to buzz her wings and fly up into the air. “What fun!” she cackled as she fired another beam at King Gregory.

While the two dark mages fought each other, Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed. “Of course. How did I not see this?”

King Gregory grimaced in pain as Queen Chrysalis’ attack pushed him against a stone wall. “Curses. I’m out of practise.”

A donkey and a cow dove out of their hiding spots to help him up. “You can’t give up now, King Gregory! This is our home!” the cow cried.

“Please, stay back!” the ram ordered. “I won’t have my subjects in harms way! If I fall in battle, you’re the only ones who can keep the demon imprisoned!”

“Forget about that old fossil!” the donkey cried.

“This is all very touching, but you don’t need to fear me,” Queen Chrysalis said as she hovered over them, glaring down at them with amused contempt. “Give your kingdom and all your love to me. I’ll spare your lives and even deal with your little demon problem.” Her evil grin widened as she spread her forelegs into the air. “With all this power I can do anything!”

“Except face the truth it seems,” Chrysalis announced as she flew over to them, dropping her Starlight disguise and revealing her true self.

Queen Chrysalis’ eyes widened in shock before they narrowed. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my darling little doppelganger. Have you come to stop me, little pony lover? Or are you here to see what a TRUE changeling queen is capable of?”

Chrysalis frowned at her counterpart. “Who are you?”

Queen Chrysalis smirked. “I am everything you wish you could be, but lack the strength to become.”

“No. You’re not. I was just disguised as Starlight Glimmer, a unicorn who is supposed to be your arch enemy. But you didn’t even recognize her, did you? Let me tell you, if my arch enemy was in front of me I would have dropped everything to focus solely on their destruction.”

The other changeling’s eyes widened as she felt the icy, cold anger flowing off Chrysalis. “W-well…why should I concern myself with a lowly unicorn. My true opponent is you, the supposed ‘Queen Chrysalis’. It’s time I show you how a TRUE queen of the changelings is supposed to – OW!”

The false Chrysalis cringed against the stone floor, clutching her muzzle. “What did you just do?!”

“Punched you in the face,” Chrysalis answered as she flew over the changeling’s head and wrapped her back legs around the changeling’s neck. “And now I’ve got you in a chokehold.”

Queen Chrysalis’ eyes bulged as she gasped for air, before she teleported out of the chokehold and fired a beam of magic at her mirror image. “Fight like a queen!”

“I’ll fight as someone else, thanks. It’s what you’re doing,” Chrysalis answered before she shape-shifted again. When the green fire faded, she stood in the form of Duchess Celestia. Her horn glowed with the power of an emerald sun as she unleashed blinding light upon the city of Tambelon.

“AGH! The light!” the other changeling cried.

“Turn it off!” King Gregory shouted; his red eyes shut tightly even as his loyal subjects hurried him to the ruined castle.

Chrysalis flew over to her opponent and pulled her up by her face. She dropped her disguise and glared at her mirror image. She sucked in a breath of air and spat out a glob of changeling slime onto her enemy's hooves, sticking them to the ground. “This is your last chance, ‘Queen Chrysalis’. Surrender or else I’ll use my ultimate attack.”

The changeling hissed at her, flicking out her long, forked tongue. “Do your worst!”

But the changeling was caught by surprise as the true Queen Chrysalis kissed her. "Mm!" The kiss was long...lingering...electric. The changeling felt the queen's hooves grab her face. Her flank hit the ground and she struggled to remain upright, even though she felt like she was melting into a puddle. "Mmmm!" Pink and green trails of love magic danced along their tongues as Queen Chrysalis kissed her as hard as she could. The changeling's whole body tensed as she felt a wave of magic rushing towards her.

“MMMMMM” the changeling moaned as she felt the love pouring into her, overpowering her, until her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted.

“And you convinced her to follow you here without restraining her? Wow, you did a great job Queen Chrysalis,” Princess Twilight said looking over the still disguised imposter. For her part, the false Chrysalis just glared at the ground and didn’t say anything.

King Sombra glanced at the mirror portal to Equestria before turning his gaze back to the Chrysalis’. “Yes, a great job indeed. However, once we’ve finished sorting out this mess I’m going to need to talk to you about that small village you caught her attacking.”

“If you say so, your majesties.”

“I thought Tambelon was more of a kingdom than a village,” Nightmare commented.

King Sombra grit his teeth. “It’s also supposed to be a secret, Princess Nightmare Moon.” He glanced around the room. “Now I trust the other members of the Elements of Redemption can keep this secret. Isn’t that right?”

Gilda shrugged. “Sure, I guess.” Smog gave him a smile and a thumbs-up.

“What’s supposed to be secret?” Discord asked, turning his attention away from the Leaning Tower of Platypus Trees he had been assembling.

“Trixie promises nothing,” Trixie stated, sticking her muzzle in the air.

Sunset glared at them for a second before flashing a smile at the king. “They’re joking, King Sombra. We’ll keep it under wraps.”

“As for you Miss Glimmer, can you please not inform anyone about what you might know about Tambelon?” Sombra asked the last pony in the room.

“No problem, your majesty. If Tambelon even exists in Equestria, I haven’t heard of it,” Starlight said. “I only stuck around because I thought it was my fault the Queen Chrysalis of my world was attacking yours. But…you say she’s not your counterpart?”

Chrysalis nodded. “You want to tell the truth now?”

“Not really,” the imposter grumbled, still glaring at the floor.

Chrysalis growled and yanked on her imposter’s hair with her magic. “Do it, or I’ll force you to turn into a baby bunny and lock you in that form. You know I can!”

“Alright, alright!” her imposter cried. Once her mane was released, the imposter sighed and dropped her disguise.

“Thorax?!” Starlight shouted.

Chrysalis stared at the shocked unicorn. “How do you know my ex?!”

“Ex? As in ex-boyfriend?!” Sunset cried.

“Trixie! You’re pregnant?!”

The other eight people in the room glared at Discord as he held Trixie by her flat stomach. The two friends smiled sheepishly at them. “Sorry. We just wanted attention,” Trixie explained.

“Okay. So, I’m guessing this Thorax is from this world, and not the Thorax I know,” Starlight said.

Thorax frowned at her. “What I am like in your version of Everfree, pony?”

“Well actually, our kingdom is called Equestria…”

“Does it look like anyone cares, pony?” Thorax asked with a scoff.

Starlight frowned. “Well for one thing, the Thorax I know is way more polite than you. He’s the king of the changelings and-”

Thorax grinned. “HA! I was right!” Thorax cried, pointing his hoof at Chrysalis in triumph. “I told you! I so told you, but you never listened!”

“Let her finish,” Chrysalis said with a glare. She raised an eyebrow at Starlight and asked, “What kind of king is he? Does he get along with ponies and other creatures?”

“Well yeah,” Starlight said, doing her best to ignore Thorax’s crestfallen expression. “Spike was the first friend he made, then me and the Twilight Sparkle in my world became friends with him. Then the Crystal Empire…er, sorry our Crystal Empire again since this is the Crystal Empire too.” Starlight chuckled sheepishly.

“So how did your Thorax become king?” Chrysalis asked. “He’s not a royal,” she said, pointing at the grumbling changeling. “Is that different in your world or…”

“Thorax became king after he showed the changelings how to share love instead of stealing it. They stopped being starved of love, then they all transformed and then the changelings made him king after he, I, and our friends defeated…well, the other Queen Chrysalis. We stopped her plan but she escaped and we haven’t seen her since. Which was why I was afraid that she came to this world.”

“Starved of love?” Thorax asked. “All of them? What kind of pony propaganda is that? I may be hungry but I haven’t been starving since I was young.”

“Actually, I’m curious about something,” Starlight said. “So, all the changelings in your world are good, right?”

“We’re as good or as bad as you ponies are,” Chrysalis answered. “I can’t speak for every changeling in the world but the changelings in my hive are some of the sweetest creatures you’ll ever meet.” She beamed with pride.

“Okay. Then if none of you are starving and you all share love, why do you look…like that?” Starlight asked, gesturing at the black chitin and numerous holes in Chrysalis and Thorax. “I don’t want to offend either of you but the changelings back home used to look just like you, when they were starved of love.”

Chrysalis frowned in confusion. “No offense taken. What do the changelings in Equestria look like now?”

“Well, this is what King Thorax looks like.” Starlight’s horn glowed with power as she projected an illusion of a…very colourful creature.

“BAH, HA, HA, HA!” Starlight’s attention was drawn toward Discord and Gilda as they collapsed in a fit of laughter, hugging each other as they fell to the floor.

“C…come on guys. It’s not…that f-funny,” Sunset Shimmer said, even as she held her hoof over her mouth, suppressing her giggles.

“Yes…the Mature and Unamused Trixie does not find the giant butterfly amusing at all,” Trixie said, covering her face with her cape.

“Stop it you guys! You’re being very rude…you too, Sombra?” Princess Twilight said, as she glared at King Sombra who was facing the wall, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

“What…is that?!” Chrysalis cried. “What is that?!”

“Please tell me the other Chrysalis looks worse,” Thorax pleaded.

“Uh…no, she looks about the same here,” Starlight answered, feeling a little confused about what the joke was.

“Vegetable bug!” Gilda shouted.

“Bad OC!” Discord laughed

“Rudolph the Rainbow Reindeer!” Gilda laughed.

“Good one!” Discord laughed, giving Gilda a high five.

“The…stag horns and the butterfly wings…and a wing for a tail?!” Thorax cried. “Whose idea of a joke is this? What deity did I anger to deserve this?!”

Starlight frowned. “Hey! Stop making fun of him! I’ll have you know the changelings happen to like their new appearance.”

“Can they still shape-shift?” Chrysalis.

“Well, yes…”

Chrysalis sighed in relief. “Thank love. Thank the moon and stars. Thank everything.” She stared at the image and sighed again. “Well if they’re happy, I’m happy.”

“How can you be happy?!” Thorax cried. “They’re bright and colourful! And girly! Oh gosh, they turned their changelings into ponies! They’re contagious!” Thorax backed away from Starlight, conjuring up a shield around himself and Chrysalis. “Get away from me, you walking disease!”

“Thorax!” Chrysalis shouted, grabbing him with her magic and slamming him against the crystal wall, dissolving his shield. “You’re being very rude! Say you’re sorry!”

Thorax cringed. “My queen, I love that you’re being more assertive, but I can’t apologize to a pony!”

“You broke the law, Thorax. You attacked people and you stole from my friend Sunset. You’re going to apologize to her, and a LOT of other people. Now. Say. Sorry.”

Thorax sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry I think your version of me looks weird. Honestly, I suppose it could've been worse.” He turned to Sunset and said, “I’m sorry I drained your crystals and attacked you. And all those other creatures.”

“Can I ask why?” Sunset said.

Thorax groaned. “What does it matter? You’re going to throw me in jail anyway.”

“We’re the Elements of Forgiveness and Redemption. You still need to be punished for hurting people but if you’re willing to earn our forgiveness then we’re willing to offer it,” Nightmare said.

Sunset hummed in thought. “I’m guessing this has something to do with your past relationship with Chrysalis. She said you’re her ex-boyfriend?”

Thorax cringed. Chrysalis gazed at him with sympathy. “It would be best if we start at the beginning. Are you okay with that?”

“Whatever,” Thorax mumbled.

Chrysalis sighed. “Thorax wasn’t always a member of my hive. We adopted him from his old hive. They had very few changelings who were scattered all over Everfree. Most of Thorax’s friends preferred to go off on their own adventures. Some built lives for themselves among ponies, griffons, and dragons. Thorax managed to find a small village with ponies who were generous enough to give him a home. Sadly, the two ponies that took him in were the only ones who cared about him.”

“That village was filled with packs of small-minded idiots,” Thorax hissed. “Bullies and bigots littered the streets and the school I was forced to attend. Always ordering me around, calling me a parasite and a hideous bug-eyed monster. I couldn’t stand all the fear and hatred.”

Chrysalis gently brushed her hoof over his shoulder. “With only two sources of love in a sea of hate, Thorax ran away from the village. Not before causing a pretty big scene, from what I heard. I still don’t know what Thorax did but he promised me that none of the ponies were hurt. Unfortunately, after that experience Thorax never trusted ponies again.”

“I wandered from place to place, taking love wherever I could get it. It wasn’t long until I found myself in the Equestria forest. Two days later, I bumped into you,” Thorax said, gazing into Chrysalis’ eyes. “You were…beautiful. Kind. Protective of your changelings.”

Chrysalis smiled. “We got to talking. Told each other about ourselves. When I heard Thorax’s story, I welcomed him into my hive. A few weeks later, we started dating.”

“Hold on, I’m confused,” Starlight said. “You adopted him but then you became special some…body’s? Isn’t that like…incest?”

Thorax growled at her. “Excuse me?!”

She stared at Chrysalis. “Well just, what kind of relationship do you have with your hive? Do changelings have parents or are the changelings all your children? I mean, if you’re the queen do you lay all eggs or…”

Starlight yelped as Sunset stepped on her hoof. “Starlight, you never ask a changeling about that sort of thing. You let them be the ones who tell you who they’re related to.”

“Um, okay. But why?” Starlight asked, rubbing her hoof.

“Nobody knows, but changelings get very upset when you ask them questions they think are too personal.”

Chrysalis sighed. “She didn’t know, Sunset. I’m sorry Starlight Glimmer, but I can’t talk about the inner workings and relationships of a hive to a non-changeling. I don’t understand the rules myself, but there are some old traditions that we just have to listen to.”

“Stop apologizing!” Thorax snapped. “You need to stay strong when confronting ponies.”

Chrysalis frowned at him. “I guess that’s a good place to continue the story. Thorax was a very sweet guy but when it came to dealing with ponies he was just…impossible!” She kicked at the floor. “It was always ‘stop being so shy’, ‘don’t waste your time with ponies’, ‘be more aggressive’…”

“Assertive! I wanted you to be more assertive!” Thorax insisted. “Your hive deserves a strong leader!”

“I’m the queen of my hive! Not you! I decide what’s best for my changelings!” Chrysalis snapped at him.

“And you’re doing it! Right now, this is the kind of confidence we deserve! Why can’t you be like this all the time?”

“You don’t get to decide how I act or who I am. And not all ponies are cruel. Our hive doesn’t need me to be a ‘drain all ponies’ kind of queen. I need to be wise, kind, generous, and understanding, the same as all great leaders!”

“But-”

“And I’m not just queen of a hive anymore. I’m the Element of Love. I have a responsibility to help my friends protect Everfree. To be an example for other changelings to look up to.”

Thorax didn’t say anything. His gaze turned to the ground as Chrysalis addressed her friends. “You can see why things didn’t work out between us. He kept telling me to be ruthless, cold-hearted, overly aggressive...someone I’m not. And Nightmare, you remember how I was when we first met. I’ve gotten better at talking to ponies, griffons, and dragons, but I’m still very shy. I feel more comfortable around other changelings and I guess Thorax didn’t like it when I got nervous around what he felt were 'inferior beings'.”

“Spike was right. It really is like seeing a mix of Fluttershy and Chrysalis,” Starlight mumbled to herself.

Chrysalis spared a glance at her, before continuing. “Anyway, I broke up with him and he got upset. Not angry or anything just really sad and sulky.”

“Did not,” Thorax sulked.

“He was still a part of the hive, but he started avoiding me. Sometimes he shape-shifted into a pony or another changeling. Sometimes he’d leave Peaceville and wouldn’t come back for days or even weeks. He disappeared again about a week before Discord and Pinkie threw their crazy time stopping party.”

“We already said sorry for that,” Discord pointed out. “Come on, it’s not like I’m the only one who’s ever messed with time. Am I right?”

Starlight tensed as Discord nudged her shoulder. “No comment.”

“That’s everything I know. Wanna fill in the blanks?” Chrysalis asked Thorax.

Thorax grumbled some more before he answered. “It’s not public knowledge but you haven’t exactly kept her weird alternate world a secret,” he said, pointing at Starlight. “I did some digging and found out that the Elements of Redemption were much more ruthless in her world. After that, I got curious about how the Queen Chrysalis took care of her changelings. What I found was promising, even if the ponies cheated and sucker-punched her out of her victory.”

“We didn’t cheat! And we never ‘sucker-punched’ anyone!” Starlight protested.

Thorax ignored her. “So I decided to disguise myself as Queen Chrysalis to show you how strong you could be,” he said to Chrysalis, his eyes wide and pleading. “When Merry Weather and her thugs started bugging you, I thought you’d see how undeserving ponies are of your kindness. Then you could stop them from taking advantage of you. Please, Chrysie...everything I did-”

Chrysalis sighed, cutting him off. “Thorax…I think I understand why you did all this. But what you did was wrong. I don’t want to conquer Everfree. I want to be friends with other creatures, instead of treating them like food.” Her gaze hardened as she bared her fangs. “Your little stunt put a lot of people in danger, including the changelings in our hive. What’s more, you really hurt my feelings.”

Thorax’s eyes widened as Chrysalis turned her gaze to the floor, wiping at the corner of her eye with her hoof. “Chrysalis…Chrysalis I am so sorry. You know that I’d never hurt you-”

“Well you did,” Chrysalis snapped. “So, here’s what I’m thinking, guys,” she said to her friends. “Thorax serves out a community service punishment. He returns ALL the love that he stole and helps rebuild any damage he caused, including the mess he made out of Tambelon. He spends time healing the creatures that he hates so much.”

“I don't hate them. I just don't like them,” Thorax mumbled.

“Sunset, he attacked your farm first. Do you think that if he took orders from you, you could keep an eye on him?

Sunset smiled at Chrysalis. “I can do that. I’ve already got more than a few ideas on what he can do to repay me for all the trouble he caused.” Thorax grimaced at the smirk she shot him.

“That seems like an appropriate punishment,” Princess Twilight said.

“I agree. A rather generous one, considering what you have done. I suggest you accept your punishment. Unless of course, you’d prefer the solitude of a cozy prison cell?” King Sombra asked with a harsh bite to his tone.

Thorax stared at them with an unreadable expression on his face. He then turned to Chrysalis and bowed. “I will always be yours, my queen. If you think this is appropriate, then I will accept the consequences for hurting you and your friends. I can only hope that after I have served my sentence you will forgive me for my arrogance and we can be friends again.”

Chrysalis sighed and gave him a quick kiss on the head, causing him to smile dreamily. “In time, maybe we can. I have missed you Thorax. We might never had what we had before but I would love to be your friend again.”

“Well I’m glad that’s sorted out. Starlight Glimmer, thank you for your insight and help in capturing Thorax,” Princess Twilight.

Starlight chuckled sheepishly. “Thanks, but I hardly did anything.”

Trixie shrugged. “Not every show can be a magnum opus.”

“I’m pretty sure an artist or performer can only have one magnum opus,” Sunset said.

Trixie stuck her tongue out. “Says you.”

“There’s one thing I’m curious about,” Starlight said, glancing at Sombra.

The king sighed. “What would that be?”

“What is Tambelon?”

“We weren’t prepared for a changeling attack!” King Gregory shouted, stomping his hoof.

“Your job is to be prepared for everything!” Merry Weather shouted back.

King Gregory sighed as he paced around his rather mediocre throne room. “What does it even matter? The city was already in ruins, not like you can even notice the extra damage. Changelings who are allied with King Sombra are coming to share some of their love-”

Merry Weather scoffed. King Gregory glared at her before continuing. “-to help the drained citizens recover their strength. More importantly, my great-grandfather is still sealed away. In the end, no permanent harm was done.”

Merry Weather scowled. “This is the thanks I get for investing in your kingdom? I work hard for Miss Applejack and I have never once failed to deliver on the promise we made. With all the money I donate to you, one would think that a lazy king would put in better security to stop his fossil of an ancestor from escaping.”

“Now you listen here, Missy…”

Gregory paused as the door to his throne room creaked open. A white unicorn mare with pink hair and a blue bow tied around her tail, poked her head into the room. “Miss Merry Weather? I have a letter for you from Miss Applejack.”

Merry Weather paused for a moment before she turned around and smiled at the unicorn. “Thank you Miss Sundancer. I’ll be with you once I’m finished with this old goat.”

“I’m a ram, not a goat,” King Gregory corrected with some irritation.

“Um, Miss Merry Weather? This letter is very urgent.”

Merry Weather nodded. “Right. Alright then. We’ll have to continue this another time then, Gregory.”

King Gregory smirked at her. “Of course, Miss Weather. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your girlfriend.”

Merry Weather blushed. “She’s not my girlfriend. Shut up,” she muttered a little quietly. She ignored Gregory’s chuckles as she followed Sundancer out of the throne room. “Where’s the letter?”

“There is no letter. Simply a message.”

With that cryptic answer, the two mares walked in silence. They walked down the crumbling stone staircases, deeper and deeper, until their surroundings grew so dark, Merry Weather was having difficulty seeing her own hoof in front of her face.

They turned around a corner and Sundancer bowed low to the pony that was waiting for them. “Princess Skystar,” Merry Weather said, nodding to the hippogriff in greeting. “You have a message for me?”

Skystar smirked. “Sundancer, please leave us.”

As the unicorn crept into the shadows, Merry Weather raised an eyebrow. “What’s…going on?”

Skystar closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her blue eyes reopened, glowing with power and icy, cold anger.

“I’m disappointed in you, Merry Weather.”

Merry Weather’s eyes widened in fear, as she fell into a trembling bow. “M-my queen. I realize that my failure in controlling the old ram is inexcusable. I don’t deserve it but I beg for your mercy!”

“Gregory is not my concern. Grogar has never been a concern. Your failure to control your attitude is what irks me.”

“I…I can be better. Tell me how you want me to act, and I’ll do anything you say!”

“I already know that.”

“Please my queen, I have accomplished so much with you as my guiding light. All I want is to remain by your side! I am your devoted and eternally faithful servant!”

“DO NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME.”

Merry Weather lowered her head to the floor and whimpered.

“Merry Weather…my faithful little pony.”

Merry Weather felt a warm, loving magic lift her head up. Her tear-filled eyes gazed at the glowing blue eyes with awe and reverence.

“Our ultimate goal is within our reach. My power continues to grow and we have brought an end to the interference. Everything is going according to plan. But a complication has arisen that even I could have never foreseen. I have a mission for you, my faithful little pony.”

“I live to obey your commands, my queen.”

“You will allow Grogar to be revived. And then you shall destroy him. Let your battle serve as a distraction. The Elements of Redemption cannot know of my plans until I reveal myself.”

Merry blinked in confusion. “We are entering the final phase? My queen…I thought that Everfree would be the first to fall?” she asked. Skystar shook her head as the possessing voice answered her question.

“Everfree has become too risky to attack for now…

“But Equestria is more vulnerable than ever.”

The Bells of Tambelon

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Bells of Tambelon

Fluttershy smiled at the new house. “Well Mr. Snow Claws, what do you think?”

A minotaur with unusually white claws scratched the side of his right horn. “Well, you and mister uh…Beaver have done a good job...”

“It’s Mr. Beaverton, actually,” Fluttershy corrected.

“Uh, right. It’s just, um…why is my house a beaver dam?”

Fluttershy winced. “I’m very sorry for the trouble Thorax caused you and I’m so sorry we couldn’t build you a proper house sooner. But King Gregory has us working on a priority list and unfortunately your house was farther away from the battle and therefore, um…lower on the list. B-but this is just a temporary fix! We’ll get your new house done as soon as we finish the other stuff on the list.” She gave him a sheepish grin. “A-and who knows? Maybe you’ll come to like it?”

Snow Claws sighed and shrugged. “I’ll give it a shot, but the sooner you can rebuild my house back up the better.” He ducked a bit to get his horns past the door and stepped inside his temporary home.

Fluttershy heard wings buzzing in the air and turned to see the Element of Love touch down. “Hey, don’t give me that look, I don’t know where Discord is either!” Chrysalis snapped at Mr. Beaverton as he glared at her. She walked up to Fluttershy and smiled at her. “Thanks for all your help on such short notice Fluttershy. Your animal friends are really helping my changelings cut this project in half.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. Still no word from Discord or Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Love knows what those two goofballs are up to these days.”

“Well that’s okay, it’s a beautiful day and I’m happy to lend a hoof. Thanks again for telling us about Tambelon so I could help out.”

Chrysalis shrugged. “Thank Princess Nightmare if you see here. Well, since you seem to be doing fine I’m gonna go back and make sure Thorax is behaving himself. Take care.”

“Hey, hold up Chrysie!” Sunset Shimmer shouted as she hurried over to them.

“Oh, good morning Sunset,” Fluttershy said, smiling cheerfully.

Sunset spared her a quick smile. “Hey Fluttershy. Listen, have either of you two seen Nightmare?”

“I think she was talking to King Gregory about dark rituals or something, you know how it is,” Chrysalis said, shrugging nonchalantly. She paused as she considered the two ponies before her. “Or maybe you don’t know. Sunset, you ever cast any-”

“Uh, story for another time,” Sunset said, shutting up her friend with a blush and a sheepish smile. “Anyway, I need someone with a little authority. Thorax’s brother…um, what's his name again?”

“Pharynx,” Chrysalis and Fluttershy answered.

“Right. So, he was supervising his brother like we asked him, everything’s going good, but then Merry Weather showed up and started bossing them around.”

“Ugh,” Chrysalis groaned. “When is Applejack going to fire that angry nag?”

“I dunno, but she’s screaming up a storm. Pharynx flew off to get help but I think he had the wrong idea.”

“What do you mean?” Chrysalis asked.

“Well I saw Gilda pass me by overhead and she didn’t look happy, so…”

“Oh dear. Merry Weather hates any creature that’s not a pony. And Gilda, bless her heart, she’s got a temper. The sound waves from those two shouting at each other would destroy Tambelon all over again!” Chrysalis sighed, slapping her hoof against her face.

“Um, are you sure Princess Nightmare would be able to help? I know she’s a pony…well, mostly, but Merry Weather doesn’t seem to like her much either,” Fluttershy pointed out. “The only pony she listens to is Applejack.”

“I heard Applejack is already on her way here, probably to help with the reconstruction too. No idea when she’ll arrive though, and I’d rather shut Merry Weather up now instead of later.”

“So, Nightmare is talking to the king, Discord is goofing around as always, and Applejack is out of reach for now. Hey what about Trixie? She can distract Merry Weather for a while.” Chrysalis suggested.

Sunset shook her head. “Tried asking her. She’s still entertaining the kids around here and I didn’t want to add another tantrum into the mix.”

Chrysalis smirked. “From the kids or Trixie?”

“Yes,” Sunset smirked right back.

“I guess it’s up to us then. Maybe while Gilda is arguing with Merry Weather I can sneak Thorax to a safe spot where he can keep helping.”

“Um, do you need me for anything or…” Fluttershy trailed off.

“Thanks Fluttershy, but we got it. Let us know if you see Applejack,” Sunset said.

The changeling queen and the unicorn waved goodbye to Fluttershy, before they took off through the city. As they passed the main plaza of Tambelon they overheard Trixie singing to all the younger creatures of the dark kingdom.

“Morning in Everfree
A city awakes
To the bells of Tambelon
The milkmaid delivers, the baker-mare bakes
To the bells of Tambelon!

To the big bell as loud as thunder
To the little bells as soft as a song
And some say the soul of the city’s
The toll of the bells...
The bells of Tambelon!”

“She’s really expanding on her performances, huh?” Sunset commented.

As Chrysalis nodded in agreement, their ears picked up another song drifting around the corner. Although this song sounded a lot…harsher. There was a very clipped, business tone to the mare’s voice that she heard. To be honest, it sounded more like barking than singing. Feeling both curious and concerned, the two friends finished their journey to the southeast corner of Tambelon.

“Come on changelings, work faster!” Merry Weather shouted, her iron boots stomping as she paced back and forth, her glare boring holes into a food storage warehouse and the two changelings working. “Raise this barn! Raise this barn! One, two, three, four!” She punctuated each number with a boot stomp.

A changeling with purple wings and a red fin, looked up from what he was doing and hissed at her. “Lady, I’m getting real tired of you barking at us!”

Thorax looked up from the broken wooden boards he was hammering nails into and sighed. “Take it easy Pharynx. I’m the one who broke all this stuff.”

“Yeah, you’re the one who broke this place apart. What did I do? I tried to stop my crazy brother from making a fool of himself just because he wasn’t over his ex-girlfriend! So why am I stuck trying to patch this dumb warehouse up?” Pharynx glared at Merry Weather.

Merry Weather rolled her eyes. “The guilty changeling may be responsible for this mess, but even I wouldn’t be so cruel as to task him with rebuilding all of Tambelon alone. Everypony and every creature is pitching in to help. And you were just standing around like a lazy bug!” She jabbed her hoof in Pharynx’s direction.

“I’m his supervisor! I was just doing my job!” Pharynx shouted at her.

“As if you could be trusted not to let your guilty brother escape!” Merry Weather hissed back.

“King Gregory trusts me! Where would Thorax even go if he escaped?”

“Well whatever your ram king thinks or not, I have been given a much more constructive job!” Merry Weather said, puffing her chest out with pride.

The two brothers finally noticed the unicorn and changeling queen eavesdropping on their argument. “Queen Chrysalis! And you, um, Knowledge Element!” Pharynx buzzed over to them with a grin.

“Um, I’m Sunset Shimmer,” the orange pony said.

“Sorry, I’m not great with remembering pony names. Still, I like you better than this nag already,” Pharynx said with a smile, pausing to shoot a glare at Merry Weather. “Sunset, can you supervise my brother for a minute? I wanna go have a talk with King Gregory about kicking this nutcase out.”

“What happened to asking Gilda for help?” Chrysalis asked.

“I'm here, and ready to kick some rear!” Gilda shouted, dropping down from the sky and landing on the ground.

Merry Weather sneered at her. “Oh just what we need, a brutish, jerk-faced griffon.”

“You’re the only jerk-face I see around here!” Gilda snapped at her.

Chrysalis snuck up to the changeling brothers and hissed. “Quick, while we distract her, you two disguise yourselves and-”

Merry Weather scoffed. “Oh no you don’t! They’re not going anywhere. The minute I take my eyes off any of you, you’ll cast some changeling spell. I know how your kind can twist the mind with dark thoughts.”

“Our kind?!” Chrysalis, Pharynx, and Thorax hissed in unison.

“Hey, I’m not done with you!” Gilda pulled on Merry Weather’s tail and yanked. Not too hard, but enough to seriously irritate Merry Weather if the vein bulging on her forehead was any indication.

“How dare you…” Merry Weather growled.

“Okay seriously, what is your problem with changelings and griffons?” Sunset asked.

Merry Weather spared a brief glare at her. “You wouldn’t understand, Sunset Shimmer. Out of all the creatures I have encountered in my life, ponies are the most peaceful, kind-hearted, and friendly species in the world. Every other creature I’ve met is either a brute or a bloodthirsty savage,” she snarled at Gilda.

“Oh, you’re asking for it now!” Gilda growled, curling her talons into fists.

“ENOUGH!” Six heads looked up as a cloud of darkness came swirling down to them. Princess Nightmare Moon stepped out of the cloud with a dizzy looking Applejack right behind her. “Girls, Thorax and Pharynx, we need you in the throne room right now. King Gregory just received some bad news. He told me we need to be prepared if his ancestor is behind this. Merry Weather, Discord popped by to fill me on what you've been doing to my friend's changelings. Applejack's here to have a word with you about that.”

"Thank goodness," Pharynx sighed. Nightmare's horn flashed with magic as she, Sunset, Chrysalis, Gilda, Thorax, and Pharynx teleported away, leaving only Applejack and Merry Weather behind.

“Whoa nelly. Being turned inta mist is an experience, lemme tell ya,” Applejack mumbled.

“Miss Applejack!” Merry Weather hurried over to steady her boss. “Oh, you silly pony. What were you thinking letting that Nightmare queen drag you around? Are you okay? Do you need some water?”

Applejack frowned and shrugged her off. “Ah ain’t the one who needs help here. Ah hear yer attitude’s gotten worse lately.”

Merry Weather’s ears folded back. “Miss Applejack, you don’t know these creatures like I do. If you only-”

“Merry Weather, yer fired,” Applejack declared.

“F…f-fired?” Merry Weather whimpered. “B-but why?”

“Don’t look at me like that!” Applejack snapped. “This has been a long time coming! Don’t you go getting all teary-eyed when you’ve been treating other creatures like garbage just because they ain’t ponies!”

“That's why you're firing me? After years of a perfect employee record? Miss Applejack, you know that other creatures can’t be trusted! You used to see the truth!” Merry Weather cried. “I thought you could understand…”

Applejack sighed. “Merry, Ah had magic mirror glass in mah eye. It might have shown me stuff but it made me sick in the head. The changelings in Everfree ain’t as bad as they got in Equestria. Shoot, even the changelings over there have reformed.” She shook her head. “You’ve been a right bigot for years now and if ya can’t learn to love and tolerate than Ah can’t tolerate yer attitude anymore. You’ve been a good employee but…it’s over. Goodbye.”

As Applejack turned away from the other pony and walked away, Merry Weather blurted out, “I have a crush on you!”

Applejack slowly spun around and raised an eyebrow. “Beg yer pardon?”

“I…I know I’ve been in a bad mood for a while, and I know I’ve been distracted, but I can’t stop thinking about you! Your beautiful golden mane and tail. Your gorgeous emerald eyes! Your confidence, your friendly attitude, your work ethic, your integrity, your honesty! You’re everything I could ever want in a partner and…and I know it’s not proper, and I know we’re both mares but I can’t help how I feel!” Merry Weather sunk to the ground and wrapped her hooves around Applejack’s front legs. “Please, I’m begging you Miss Applejack, give me a chance to make it up to you!”

“Well this is a surprise. You're saying you are in love with this mare?”

“Applejack, I adore you! I worship you!” Merry Weather gazed up with a hopeful smile and eyes shining with tears. Her smile quickly disappeared as she saw that Applejack’s eyes were glowing blue.

“Funny. I thought I was the only one you worshiped.”

“My…my queen.” Merry Weather tried to rise back up only to cringe as Applejack’s hoof pressed into her back, forcing her to remain on the ground. “W-why have you possessed Miss Applejack?”

“Merry Weather, are you implying that I can’t possess the body of any pony I please? Me, of all creatures?”

“M-my queen, that’s not…”

“Or is it that you protest against me possessing this particular pony? This dull as dirt farm girl who has made you so distracted and lovesick during our mission?”

Merry Weather whimpered. “My queen…”

“Were you actually serious when you said you loved this pony? Love is less controllable than friendship, my faithful servant. Or does our friendship mean nothing to you?”

Applejack sneered at the crying mare as the air around them began to feel warm.

“I’m disappointed in you Merry. I have nothing against two mares falling in love but I think you can understand that others would get very angry about it. Do you remember who those others are?”

Merry Weather’s jaw tightened. “I know who our enemy is.”

“So, it’s still our enemy? Am I still your queen? Are you still my faithful student?”

Merry bowed her head. “Yes, my queen. I am loyal to you and only you.”

“Good. Now to get to the matter of why we are here. I will arrange for Grogar to escape now.”

Merry Weather’s eyes widened. “My queen, what about the ritual? What about Doctor Do? The sacrifices? The Rainbow-”

“I have burned the loose threads. I am accelerating my plan. PRAY, that I don’t alter it any further.”

Merry flinched at the harsh tone but kept her head bowed. “Yes, my queen. Please, how can I serve you?”

“When Grogar awakens, he should be able to distract the Elements of Redemption for a moment. The kingdom will have taken precautions to ensure that Grogar cannot leave Tambelon. You will seek out your old enemy and destroy him and the Elements.”

Applejack stretched out her hoof and touched the heart-shaped necklace that Merry Weather always wore. Bright blue magic flowed from her hoof and into the necklace, causing a dark aura to form around it. Merry Weather stood up and grinned wickedly at the power she felt emanating from her accessory. “After all these years…”

“Not so fast, Merry Weather. You require your full strength to battle your enemies. But you must still be punished for your transgressions.”

With a growl, Applejack stabbed her hoof into Merry Weather’s left hoof then right hoof. Merry Weather cried out and stumbled away from the other mare, her hooves sparking as if they had been electrocuted.

“My…my queen, I…” Merry Weather’s eyes widened in fear as she held up her front hooves and spotted the glowing cracks that had formed in them. “My queen! What have you done to me?!”

“I think you know exactly what those cracks mean.”

“Please my queen, anything but this! Take my memories, take my emotions, take my soul! Do whatever you want to ensure I remain your loyal servant just…just anything but this!” Merry Weather cried as she felt those glowing eyes flash brighter.

“Fulfill your role. It is the only way I can grant you the happily ever after you so desperately seek. And take comfort, my faithful old friend. No matter what our enemies may do to us, our victory is inevitable.”

The glowing blue light vanished from Applejack’s eyes. Applejack rubbed her head and shook the cold out of her bones. “Merry? Ah asked ya to repeat yourself.”

But Merry Weather just closed her eyes regretfully turned away. “Goodbye Applejack.”

As Merry Weather galloped away from her, Applejack frowned. “Why don’t Ah remember the last few minutes? Something ain’t right here…”

Gilda’s beak dropped as she starred at the statue of Doctor Do. “How the heck did you not see this before?!”

The Elements of Redemption, the changeling brothers, and King Gregory stood within the highest room of the tallest tower in the Tambelon palace. This room was directly below the magical bell that kept Grogar restrained. In the middle of the room sat a dark blue skull with horns that was spreading ominous vibes through the room. Surrounding that skull there was a circle of petrified unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. Each pony was facing the skull with various looks of fear frozen onto their faces. All except for Doctor Do, who looked more confused than anything else.

“The reason we didn’t see this before is because they weren’t here before!” King Gregory snapped. “I was in this room five minutes ago and it was empty! I have no idea what’s happening!”

Smog raised his claw in a placating gesture and gave the king a smile. “Don’t worry King Gregory, we’ve dealt with worse than this guy. I mean, me and Nightmare were joking about how the most impressive thing this old ram could do was summon cages.”

Gregory sighed. “While I appreciate your optimism, I can promise you that Grogar could do far worse than summon cages. Although that did seem to be his favourite spell for some reason…”

“So what’s the old lich king’s story?” Discord asked as he made a skull-shaped cloud dance around his claw. “Should I get Zecora’s flashback potion, or…”

“Don’t bother,” King Gregory snapped. “Grogar’s past is a complete mystery, but what everyone can agree on is that he was the most horrible ram in history.” He sighed and said, “I know you’re the Elements of Redemption, but on sometimes, the bad guy really doesn’t have a good reason to be evil.”

“An uncomplicated bad guy? Sweet. Then all we gotta do is ring the big bell up top, right?” Gilda said. “You’ve been ringing it everyday for years now and it’s got the job done so far.”

Gregory huffed. “We already rang the bell this morning, but this still happened!”

“Well go ring it again! I’ll fly up and do it right now!” Gilda flapped her wings and rose into the air. “Where’s the closest window?”

Before anyone could answer a bolt of blue light struck the top of the bell tower, completely vaporizing the ceiling.

“WHOA! What the heck was that?!” Sunset exclaimed.

“Don’t look at Trixie! None of her fireworks have done that much damage before!”

“Wasn’t me either,” Discord said with a shrug, still staring wide eyed at the missing ceiling. “Wow, it is just gone…”

Nightmare’s wings unfurled. “We’re under attack! There’s your answer for how these statues got here, Gregory. Gilda, follow me!”

“I’ve got your back, Nightmare!” Gilda shouted, zooming off into the sky. The two fliers circled the tower, scanning for any signs of one of Grogar’s minions.

“I can’t see anybody! Are they invisible or something?” Gilda called out to Nightmare.

Nightmare’s horn glowed as she cast a dark blue sphere of magic that expanded out from her body and pulsed as it hit Gilda, briefly turning her blue. “You’re the only body that spell’s picking up. Whoever just attacked us, they fled before we could even leave the room.”

“Guys! Something’s happening down here!” Sunset called up to them. Nightmare and Gilda quickly flew back down into the tower. The dark blue skull and the statues were vibrating while thick purple smoke was pouring out of the skull’s mouth.

“Nightmare, what do we do?!” Smog cried.

“What else?” Trixie smirked confidently as her horn glowed. “Light it up!”

Trixie, Chrysalis, Nightmare, Thorax, Pharynx, and Sunset all pelted the skull with beams of magic. Smog took a deep breath and spat a stream of fire at the dark object. The skull began to bounce and wobble in place. Tiny cracks started to form on it. However, it wasn’t enough to halt the transformation. Neck bones emerged out of the skull. A rib cage began to form out of the purple smoke.

“It’s not enough!” King Gregory cried, stomping his hoof in frustration. “And I can’t add my dark magic into the mix; it’ll just make him stronger!”

“I can look for a lightning cloud outside!” Gilda shouted her suggestion over the swirling mini-storm of magic. “Just give me like, two seconds!”

“Ladies, ladies! Allow me.” Discord clasped his paw and claw together, creating matter out of raw chaos magic, transforming and sculpting it like clay. Within seconds he had formed a metal moon-shaped sphere and pointed it at the skull with a mad grin. “Might want to step back everyone!”

Nightmare couldn’t help but ask, “Is that some kind of mini moon?”

“This is no moon, my dear.” A cone of green light formed at the front of the sphere “Here it comes!”

“However, before Discord could fire a weapon of such phenomenal power; such ultimate destruction that it would have obliterated Grogar’s regenerating skeleton and darkened soul, his weapon backfired on him. The emerald cone of destructive energy shifted to icy blue. The sphere began to change color rapidly, cycling through all the colors of the rainbow. The sphere flashed with blinding light, one could swear that a miniature sun had exploded in the room. The powerful spell caused Discord, the spirit of chaos, Gilda the Griffon, Smog the dragon, and Chrysalis, the queen of changelings to vanish. Whilst the other heroes of this story pondered to where their friends might have disappeared to, the four powerful individuals were transported to...somewhere else.”

“Wait, what?! Where’d they go?!” Trixie exclaimed as four of her friends disappeared.

“Was that supposed to happen?” King Gregory asked, nervously still eyeing the regenerating skeleton.

“They took Chrysalis!” Thorax cried. “We need to find her!” And without another word he buzzed his wings and rocketed out of the hole in the ceiling.

“Thorax! What about…darn it, he’s right!” Pharynx stomped his hoof in frustration before he buzzed his wings too. “Sorry but we gotta go!”

“Hey come back here! Do you want this freaky skeleton king coming back?!” Trixie shouted at the two retreating brothers.

“Find our other friends while you’re it!” Nightmare shouted at them before she pushed her magic harder against the skull. “Come on you stupid fossil, go back to sleep!”

“Girls, we’re running out of time!” King Gregory shouted, beginning to back away from the skeleton as the room turned darker.

“You...are out...of time.”

In a burst of dark magic, the room became pitch black. Even with the sun shining through the windows and the hole, not a single source of light could be found. Even with her enhanced night vision, Nightmare Moon could see nothing beyond her own hoof in front of her face.

“I...LIVE!”

Just as suddenly as it had left, light returned to the room. The remaining three Element bearers and King Gregory stared at where the skeleton used to be. It was easy to see the family resemblance between King Gregory and the aged dark blue ram that stood before them. The two rams were nearly identical, except that Grogar had bushy white eyebrows and a white beard. The collar that he wore around his neck was studded with spikes jutting outwards and the bell that hung from his collar was made of pure gold in contrast to Gregory’s silver bell.

Grogar shot them all a nasty grin as his red eyes glowed brighter. “After years of imprisonment I am once again free to smite the world as I did in days long past.” His gaze drifted to Gregory and he smirked. “Offspring.”

“Don’t make me sick. You’re no family of mine, monster,” King Gregory snarled.

“Descendant then. I am disappointed that you do not wish to join me. But that disappointment is overshadowed by the MISERY that surrounds me!” Grogar snarled before he turned and pointed at the two unicorns and alicorn. “Ponies?! Again?!”

“Ugh, didn't they have mouthwash in ye olden times? Your breath stinks like the dead,” Trixie complained. “Speaking of, what powers does this guy have again? Trixie wants to defeat this fossil quickly so that we can start searching for our friends.”

“Powers, you ask? Tremble puny ponies before my power!” Grogar roared. His horns glowed with dark magic that he fired at the three ponies. Nightmare, Sunset, and Trixie all charged their horns to conjure a shield, but they were all caught by surprise when the spell took affect around them. A tight steel cage formed around the ponies, trapping them inside.

“As I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted, why must I be plagued by these sun-shiny, pretty, prancing ponies?! I demand slaves of a higher caliber! Most importantly, I demand slaves with HANDS!”

King Gregory had enough of his ancestor’s ranting and charged at his kingdom’s greatest enemy, literally butting heads and locking horns with him. Their dark magic caused their horns to twist and spark but Grogar was still too lost in his own ravings.

“Don’t tell me that the Troggles are the only species that could provide me with what I want. Decades must have passed, CENTURIES must have passed. I do not know how long I was imprisoned, but something must have changed! Where are the creatures with HANDS?!”

“You just missed them. Smog, Discord, Gilda, and even Chrysalis all had claws, talons, and/or shapeshifting powers. Guess that means whoever just kidnapped them isn't working for you,” Sunset said.

Grogar glanced back at them. “What are you – GAARGH!” he growled as he was pushed away from Gregory and up against a wall by three powerful beams of magic.

“Cages? Are you serious?” Trixie laughed. “What a joke! You’re dealing with the Great and Powerful Trixie! Master magician and escape artist, you dolt! Even without the assistance of Nightmare Moon or Sunset Shimmer, Trixie could have escaped from that easily.”

“Trixie, stay focused,” Nightmare warned her.

“But cages?! Trixie could have escaped with her hooves tied behind her back! All four! Blindfolded!”

“INSOLENT, WEAKLING, PONIES! I'LL KILL YOU FOR HARMING ME!” Grogar roared as he fired blasts of magic at them. Trixie dodged out of the way, Sunset and Gregory conjured up shield spells, and Nightmare flapped her wings and hovered into the air. Nightmare Moon flew over his head and fired another blast of magic, pushing Grogar into the floor so hard it crumbled beneath his hooves and sent him down two floors.

“GRAAGH!”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “By the night, Trixie is right!” Her fanged-mouth stretched into an eager grin. “We’re going to destroy him!”

Even Sunset got a wicked grin on her face. “Gilda’s going to be so jealous she missed this!”

The three ponies jumped down the hole in the ground, eager to return Grogar to his skeletal state with far more brutal methods than his previous banishment. King Gregory hesitantly poked his head over the hole and called down, “I’ll just take the stairs and meet up with you, shall I?“ He rang the bell on his neck, causing a dark blue crystal to appear before him. “There's something I need to take care of...“

Grogar roared as he spotted the ponies again and charged at them. He headbutted a stone column causing it to crumble, but the pebbles bouncing off his head didn’t even phase him. Just as it didn’t phase Nightmare when she turned into mist again, causing the ram to pass right through her.

“GRAAGH!” Grogar roared as he missed his enemy only to roar again as three more beams of magic struck him, knocking him off his hooves and causing his body to bounce along the floor like a pebble over water.

“This is so much fun!” Trixie cheered as they advanced on Grogar. “Trixie doesn’t understand how anyone could find this ram scary.”

“Scary?” Grogar growled. “Perhaps you ponies HAVE gotten stronger over the years. Perhaps I should show you just how SCARY I can be…”

The glow in Grogar’s eyes lit up like an explosion as his gaze fell on them. Nightmare’s, Sunset’s, and Trixie’s eyes all turned red as a horrifying vision consumed them.

“G-guys? W-what’s happening?” Trixie asked as chains burst out of the floor and wrapped around her body. “Girls?!”

“W-what’s that noise? Mom?!” Nightmare cried out as she heard a voice screaming for help.

“OUCH! Girls! Where are…G-GAAH!” Sunset cried as she felt leathery, orange and black wings burst out from her back. Her hooves morphed into claws as her mane and tail burst into flames. “STAY BACK! I can’t control it! NO!”

“Come on now, my ‘lovely assistant’!” Trixie cringed as a shadowy doppelganger of herself growled down at her. “All you have to do is escape from the fire! But you can’t even escape a water tank, can you? You’re Weak and Useless, Trixie!”

“Nightmare! Help me!” Nightmare ran towards her mother as she witnessed Duchess Luna burning in a blaze. “The sun! It’s k-killing me!”

“Girls! I can’t stop it! I-I’m sorry!” Sunset sobbed as she collapsed into a fetal position, watching the flames leaping off her body burn all of Everfree down.

Meanwhile in the real world, Grogar grinned evilly down at the three ponies imprisoned by visions of their greatest fears.

“Grogar! Enough of this!” Grogar growled in annoyance as he heard his descendant King Gregory climbing down the flights of stairs and catching up with them. The king of Tambelon leapt down the last couple of stairs and scrapped his hoof against the floor in challenge as his horns glowed with power. “You will not hurt my citizens or my friends any longer!”

Grogar smirked. “And how do you plan to stop me, puny little descendant? I am GROGAR! The king of Tambelon! The MASTER of fear!” His red eyes glowed brighter as he focused his fearful curse on Gregory.

King Gregory braced himself and shivered as he felt the curse wash over him. He hesitantly opened his eyes to see…that nothing had changed.

“What? WHAT?! Why are you not COWERING before my power?!” Grogar roared.

Seeing an opportunity to plant the seeds of doubt and insecurity in his ancestor, Gregory smirked at him. “Perhaps your fear curse only works on ponies? Which is going to make reconquering Tambelon quite a challenge for you, since most of our citizens are not ponies.”

“No...no, you’re trying to trick me,” Grogar growled. “You’re only resisting my dark magic because you’ve stolen some of it for yourself. No matter. Once I bend Tambelon to my will once more, I shall harvest my dark power from your very bones.”

His horns glowed as he fired a blast of magic at Gregory, sealing him inside an iron cage. Gregory’s eyes narrowed as he rammed his horns against the cage. “This won’t hold me forever!” His horns glowed with dark magic as he began to headbutt the iron bars over and over.

“I grow tired of these interruptions. You will not delay me from reclaiming my kingdom any longer,” Grogar growled. With a burst of magic, he teleported out of the castle and right in the middle of the town square.

“Creatures of Tambelon! Tremble before Grogar!” he roared triumphantly. His grin widened as he caught sight of the creatures screaming, running in circles, and gaping at him with fear. Plenty of cows, sheep, donkeys, and yaks. But what really caught his attention were the griffons, minotaurs, and dragons. “Yes. Claws and hands. You will make FINE servants in – GRAAH!”

Grogar roared in rage as he felt a curled fist collide with his face and send him tumbling a good ten feet into the side of a wall. Grogar picked himself up and glared at the minotaur who punched him. Snow Claws stared at his own fist as if he couldn't believe he'd just done that.

“Snowy! What are you doing?! We need to get outta here!” a young donkey wearing a headband and earrings cried as she tugged against Snow Claws legs.

“Everyone! Did you see that?! I hurt Grogar! We can beat him!” Snow Claws called out to the citizens of Tambelon who hadn’t fled yet.

“Hey wait guys, he serious?” a dragoness asked her friends. The other dragons shrugged before they shot wicked grins at Grogar. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s roast this ram!” the dragoness pumped the air with her claws before she divebombed Grogar and spat a fireball at him.

“GRAH! Foolish pests! Disobedient slaves!” Grogar’s horns flashed as he shook the fire off him. His red eyes glowed as more creatures found their courage and began to rush him. He created a magical shield around him and growled as he saw fists, feet, hooves, fireballs, and blasts of magic slam against his shield.

“Does no one fear me anymore?! FINE! Then I shall teach you the meaning of FEAR!” His red eyes flashed again as he spread his fear curse, like fog over the entire kingdom of Tambelon. His evil grin returned as he sensed the ponies within the kingdom succumb to their horrifying visions. But his grin faded as he noted that all the non-pony creatures merely fought back shivers as the spell barely affected them.

“Hey, hey! Fall Harvest! Talk to me buddy!” Grogar glanced at one group of creatures, a minotaur, dragoness, and a unicorn stallion. The stallion was shivering and sweating at the same time, desperately trying to fight off the horrors that Grogar was unleashing within his mind. But the stallion’s friends were comforting him rather than cowering before Grogar’s curse.

“S-snakes! Everywhere! Get them away!” Fall Harvest cried.

The minotaur and dragoness set their friend down before they turned to Grogar with clenched claws and bared teeth. “You let our friends go right now!”

“Bah, I say! BAH!” Grogar roared. With a flash of dark power, he teleported away from the angry crowd of creatures and onto the very top of a tall tower on the right wing of his castle. “How long have I been cursed?! How many centuries have passed for these creatures to become so strong?! For my magic to degrade so much?!” He grumbled to himself as he fired a beam of magic from the top of the tower all the way to the ground below.

“No matter. If these creatures will not succumb to my fear curse, I have OTHER methods of getting them to fall in line. Come forth my Troggle army! I command you! RISE!”

The stone walkways of Tambelon began to crumble and quake. A skeletal fist burst out of the ground. A few feet away another skeletal fist clutching a rusty spear poked out of the stones. Within less than a minute, a small army of bipedal skeletal monstrosities with sharp tusks and big, helmet-wearing heads had formed. Many citizens panicked and fled as these savage skeletons grinned at them, their eye sockets glowing with a dark purple light.

The undead Troggles began to chase after the fleeing creatures, shooting magic out of their spears that trapped the citizens within cages. But the citizens of Tambelon were proving to be much more resourceful than their ancestors. If they couldn’t dodge or roll away from a cage-blast curse, they would commence pounding away at their cages with all of their strength. Over half of the people who were captured were able to break free and try to help their friends and family who were stuck in more durable cages.

The more battle-ready citizens of Tambelon still hadn’t lost their will to fight either. Many eager minotaurs, griffons, and dragons were taking every opportunity to live out every video gamer's dream come true. Dragons spat fireballs at the skeleton army and slapped their spears away with their tails. Minotaurs punched and kicked the Troggles, reducing their bones to dust. Griffons flew overhead and divebombed the undead army, causing bones to pop off and skid across the walkways as the Troggles exploded from the force of the impact.

Grogar grumbled some more as he watched this unfold. “Every dark curse, every spell, every trick I can produce, my enemies are prepared for. Conquering Tambelon is going to be much harder than I thought.” An evil grin spread on his face as he turned his head and gazed at the castle of Tambelon. “But it won’t matter. The bell of Tambelon is gone! Without this weakness, I cannot be cursed, killed, or restrained. Even if these creatures pummel away at my defenses, I can heal from any defeat they inflict on me. But they can’t. Even if it takes me a hundred years of war, I shall reclaim my destiny!”

“Bwa, ha, hah!” Grogar cackled. He reared up and raised his front hooves over his head, as lightning crackled over the sky. “Nopony can stop the mighty GROGAR!”

“You know, I never understood what all the hype was about with you.”

Grogar turned his head to see a pony standing behind him on the roof. “Who dares to – GRAAH!”

Grogar roared as the pony blasted him off the roof and sent him screaming downwards. He landed against the hard, unforgiving stone walkway with a crunch. He groaned as his bones popped back into place as he stood up.
“Stop that!” he roared at the universe. “Stop blasting me and defying me and…and…GRAGH!”

The pony leapt off the roof and let gravity take her down to Grogar’s level, only for her to stop in midair right before her hooves could reach the ground. She hovered for a few seconds before she touched down. “Really, this shouldn’t be surprising. You were a pathetic villain even back in the old days. Summoning cages as your main dark power? Defeated by a ringing church bell and a song? You may have picked up some new tricks since then, but monster armies and fear spells? Nothing new to the people of Everfree.”

Grogar grumbled and glared at the pony. “If my enemies can adapt, then so shall I.” He smirked at the young mare. “And what about you, little pony? My fear spell can still imprison your soul within your own mind. What makes you think you stand a chance against me?”

Merry Weather ran her hoof over the glowing amulet she wore around her neck. “Trixie isn’t the only pony with tricks up her sleeve.”

Meanwhile in the Crystal Empire, Duchess Luna frantically pounded on the door to King Sombra’s bedroom. “Sombra! I need to talk with you!”

Duchess Luna stepped back as the door opened, but she was surprised to see that is was not Sombra who opened the door but Lord Tirek. “Duchess Luna. I’m sorry that our discussion went on for longer than we intended. Please come in. Is your sister with you?”

“I am now,” Duchess Celestia said as she hurried down the hallway and followed her sister and Tirek into the king’s bedroom. “Sister, have you sensed-”

“I have, sister,” Luna interrupted her. “Moony is in danger. She cried out for me and I must answer her pleas, but I do not know where she is! Something is preventing me from teleporting to her side!”

“I’m afraid that’s our doing,” Lord Tirek said. He held up his hand before Duchess Luna could snap at him. “But we intend to send you to her aid right away. There are just a few short matters that we must discuss before you can save her.”

Luna stomped her hoof against the bedroom’s carpet, cracking the crystal floor beneath it. “No, Tirek! You will take me to my daughter now or so help me-”

“A mother’s love and her magical prowess is a deadly combination, Lord Tirek,” King Sombra said as he walked away from his balcony and joined his friends. “I suggest we keep this as brief as we can.”

“Very well, Sombra,” Lord Tirek agreed. “The short version then. When we fought Grogar last time his body was destroyed, and his skull was the only part left of him. We locked the skull in a box and kept it hidden until someone or something stole the box. Now Grogar has been revived and his attacking the people of Tambelon.”

King Sombra’s horn lit up as he levitated a dark blue crystal up to their view. “King Gregory, Tirek, and I installed a protection spell over the kingdom of Tambelon. When one of us sends magical signal to this crystal, a shield forms around Tambelon. No creature who possesses immortality can get in or out of Tambelon. It was meant to contain Grogar so that we could form a plan to defeat him before his tyranny could spread outside Tambelon.”

“So, any mortal ponies and creatures can flee the kingdom,” Duchess Celestia said. “But my niece and my sister are both immortal.”

“Exactly. But I’m going to tweak the spell a bit to allow the two of you to teleport into Tambelon and help Princess Nightmare and her friends,” King Sombra.

“Well cast your spell already! Moony needs me!” Duchess Luna cried impatiently.

“Someone stole Grogar’s skull, so it is likely that he won’t be your only enemy there,” Lord Tirek warned them.

Luna stomped her hoof again. “Bring them on!”

Without another word, King Sombra fired a beam of magic that struck the dark crystal. The crystal made a little ping sound, before he nodded to the alicorn sisters. Luna and Celestia instantly took their cue and vanished in twin flashes of light.

“Moony?! Nightmare Moon!” the sisters called out as they appeared in Tambelon’s castle. “Where are you?”

“Over here.” The sisters blinked in surprise as they turned around to see Princess Nightmare and King Gregory kneeling beside Sunset and Trixie.

“Moony!” Luna cried as she rushed towards her daughter. “It’s okay sweetheart, I’m here!”

Nightmare smiled up at her mother, even as she kept her horn focused on the still whimpering Sunset. “I love you too Loony.”

“What happened?” Celestia asked.

“Grogar caught us by surprise with a fear spell. I saw you burn...burning alive, Loony,” Nightmare whispered, fighting back a shiver. She sighed and her confident smirk returned. “But I am Nightmare Moon. Nobody knows nightmares and dreams better than me.”

“My stupid great-grandfather imprisoned me in a cage,” King Gregory informed the sisters. “I was stuck banging my horns against the bars for several minutes – that felt more like hours – before I finally broke myself out. I was going to break the illusions placed in their minds, but Princess Nightmare beat me to it. You should be proud of your daughter’s willpower, Duchess Luna.”

“Now we’re working on saving…wait, there we go!”

Nightmare and Gregory stood up with smiles on their faces as Sunset and Trixie stopped shuddering with fear and bolted up.

“What happened?” Sunset asked, her face twisted with rage.

“Fear spell. Gregory, how does it look out there?” Nightmare asked.

Gregory’s horns lit up as he pulled back the curtain on a nearby window. Sunset looked out the widow and sighed. “Skeleton army. That’s just great.”

“Great indeed. The Enraged and Apoplectic Trixie has some anger issues she needs to work out.”

A wicked grin spread across Nightmare’s face. “I think we all do.” Her wings opened wide as her horn crackled with lightning. “Friends, family…let us show these fossils what a true nightmare looks like…”

“Why does the world TORMENT me so?! How are you ALL so strong?! You're supposed to be WEAKLINGS!” Grogar screamed angrily.

Merry Weather smirked as Grogar fired another curse at her, only for his magic to bounce off the blue and black shield surrounding her. The shield faded for one second as Merry held up her glowing hoof and blew on it, sending a spiraling beam of blue magic flying towards Grogar. “The world has grown up, Grogar. You haven’t. You may have been a threat to us thousands of years ago, but now you’re nothing but an old fossil. And the rest of the world will know it by the time I’m done with you.”

Merry Weather reared up on her hind legs and conjured two blue fireballs in her front hooves. She flung the fireballs at Grogar and grinned viciously as the necromancer screamed in rage yet again. As Grogar was knocked off his hooves for what felt like the hundredth time to him, Merry Weather calmly walked over to him and glared down at him with amused contempt. “Had enough?”

Grogar coughed a few raspy clouds of dust, his gaze trained on the ground as he growled. “Countless centuries I was imprisoned. A fractured skull was the only thing that remained of my glorious being. Cautionary bedtime stories for little fillies were all that remained of my legacy. When my skull was retrieved, I had thought I had servants. I thought that stories of my greatness had been passed down to worthy and loyal disciples. I remember a creature who hid from the world in a cloak. I could not see her face. But now, I hear your voice.”

He raised his head and glared at Merry Weather. “You were the one in the cloak. You brought before me, the Doctor Do. The pony without fear. You brought the other ponies too...”

Merry Weather’s face twisted with rage. “I did no such thing! Doctor Do was a necessary sacrifice to fulfill my queen’s wishes. Besides that, she had lost her ability to feel fear. If I thought she was suffering, I would have broken her free from your control! As for the other ponies, that was all the stupid changeling's doing.”

“Yes…yes, you are right. It was the shape-shifting insect who brought the other ponies before me. The ponies who cowered with fear as they turned to statues. But you still played a small part in my resurrection. So why do you defy me now?”

Grogar’s voice had turned softer. Merry Weather took notice of this and raised a glowing hoof. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but I won’t be manipulated by you.”

“No. Someone else holds your leash. Who is it?” Merry Weather didn’t answer him, which only caused Grogar to chuckle. “It doesn’t matter. Luck is obviously not on my side today. On the day I had hoped to crush the ponies beneath my hooves, I awaken to find the world has grown too strong for me. I am surrounded by defiance and disobedience, but this too can be cured. If the world so desperately wants me to fade back into the shadows, I shall do so…”

Grogar raised his hoof and shook the bell attached to his collar. The kingdom of Tambelon shook with tremendous force, as if every building had been hit by the world’s strongest earthquake.

“BUT I SHALL TAKE MY KINGDOM WITH ME!”

“What are you doing, you idiot?!” Merry Weather screeched.

“I shall cast my kingdom into a realm of eternal darkness!” Grogar gloated. “You creatures may fight me as long as you please! A year, a decade, a century! You will do so in a realm more cursed than Tartarus! You will never feel the light or warmth of the sun! You shall never feel joy or love! Your wounds shall never heal and your unborn children shall never live!”

“I’m not pregnant,” Merry Weather pointed out. “Or did you mean mares in general…”

“Don’t interrupt me!” Grogar roared, annoyed beyond reason at somepony cutting off his evil monologuing. “Mock me all you want! Fight me to your last breath! I can never die and you disrespectful creatures shall never live happily! And when your will to resist me is gone, I shall return to finish what I started!”

As the kingdom of Tambelon crumbled into truly irreparable ruin, as the citizens fled from the skeletal Troggles, and as a portal to the dark realm opened above the city, Grogar laughed triumphantly. “AND THE WORLD SHALL TREMBLE BEFORE THE POWER OF GROGAR!”

Merry Weather grit her teeth and grabbed the amulet hanging around her neck. “I have a power of my own!” She closed her eyes and shook the amulet as hard as she could. Bands of black and blue magic spiraled out of her amulet and wrapped around the kingdom, the growing portal, and the undead Troggles. With a blinding flash of light, Grogar screamed in agony as his fur and flesh was peeled off his bones. The undead ram groaned as his skeletal body tumbled onto the ground.

Another shockwave of magic spread throughout Tambelon, and Grogar's evil was undone in the blink of an eye. The Troggle skeletons were buried back underground. The portal to Grogar’s cursed realm vanished. Even the ruined buildings looked a little sturdier, a little newer. The kingdom of Tambelon was no longer doomed.

“Alright you old fossil! Ready for round two?!” Trixie shouted as she came charging towards them.

“No need for that Trixie. He’s not going anywhere,” Merry said.

"Wait, did we miss out on a villain defeat? DANG IT!" Trixie threw up her hooves in frustration.

“What’s going on?” “Who is that?” “Did she do all that? Did she beat Grogar?” “The skeletons and cages are gone. Even my house is fixed. Was that her?”

A huge crowd had begun to fill in around Merry Weather as the donkeys, sheep, cows, dragons, minotaurs, griffons, and other citizens of Tambelon came out of hiding to see the defeated Grogar for themselves. Nightmare, Sunset, Celestia, Luna, and Gregory all caught up with Trixie as they took in the sight of the defeated necromancer.

“Hey, she did it! Grogar’s out for the count!” a middle-aged donkey cheered. The gathered citizens all leapt with joy, sang their praises for Merry, high-fived or high-hooved their friends, hugged and congratulated their loved ones, and shouted suggestions for Grogar’s punishment.

“Woo hoo!” Fluttershy quietly cheered from within the crowd, wanting to celebrate while not drawing too much attention to herself.

“Ha, ha! Outstanding job, lassie!” A red-headed, bipedal cat-like creature cheered as he gave Merry a friendly slap on the back.

Merry hissed and backed away from the cat person. “Don’t touch me!”

“Uh, sorry there, lass. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

Merry ignored the other cheering creatures and turned to the elder alicorns. “Celestia, Luna. Has anypony seen Miss Applejack?”

“I’m afraid not, Merry Weather,” Celestia sighed. “Discord, Smog, Gilda, Chrysalis, Thorax, and Pharynx are unaccounted for too.”

“Don’t worry, though. We’ll find our friends and anyone else who’s missing soon,” Sunset said with a comforting smile.

“We must congratulate you on your success, Merry Weather,” Celestia said.

Merry Weather blushed and smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “I just did what any good pony would have done, your-”

“Merry Weather, you’re injured!” Luna exclaimed, concern filling her eyes. “What has the vile ram done to your legs?”

Merry Weather pulled back her right front leg to see a glowing crack spreading down from her hoof. Glancing about her body, she spotted similar cracks along her other legs. “It…it’s nothing! I have uh, eczema! My hooves get hurt during bad weather, you see…”

“Merry Weather? Heh. Aha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha! Bwa, ha, GRAH HAH HA HA!”

The citizens of Tambelon all stopped cheering as they heard Grogar laughing madly. Already the undead ram king was regenerating his lost skin and fur. Merry glared at the evil ram. “What are you laughing at?!”

“It all makes sense now! I KNEW my kingdom was still inhabited by FOOLS!” Grogar grinned as he shakily rose back on his hooves. “Has nobody figured out your dirty secret?!”

Merry Weather grit her teeth. “Grogar…”

“That’s enough from you, vile corrupter!” Luna shouted.

Grogar's evil grin grew. “Don’t tell me you haven’t figured it out! Merry Weather…”

Merry tensed. “Don’t you say it…”

“M. W…”

“I’m warning you!”

“MEGAN WILLIAMS!”

Grogar’s horn glowed with power as he blasted the cracks growing on Merry’s legs. She screamed out in pain as the cracks rapidly spread to every inch of her being before her body shattered as if it was made of glass.

Shakily standing up in her iron boots, the gathered creatures saw the human Megan for the first time. Light pink skin instead of a peach-pink coat of fur. A pink bow in her long blonde hair but no tail in sight. A blue cloak with a pink heart on the chest was wrapped around her.

“My old foe,” Grogar cackled. “The human who stopped me from conquering Ponyland. This explains so much…”

“No…no…” Megan whispered as she stared at her fingers, slowly clenching them into fists.

“I assume you were able to battle me with that silly Rainbow of Light,” Grogar mused.

“Not even close, you fossil,” Megan growled as she pulled on the amulet around her neck. Black and blue magic circled around the amulet, transforming it into an ominous dark bag.

“The Rainbow of Darkness?!” Grogar exclaimed. “HOW? Your heart isn’t dark enough to wield that!”

“Sure it is. After all…I’m only human,” Megan growled as she pointed the Rainbow of Darkness at Grogar. A dark beam of magic flew out of the bag and struck Grogar’s chest. Within seconds, Grogar’s screams of pain were cut off as his whole body rapidly transformed into stone.

The crowd got so quiet, Fluttershy’s hushed voice was much clearer to make out. “So…is there a garden we can plant his statue, or…or what?”

Megan clenched the Rainbow of Darkness tighter. The crowd gasped as a shockwave of magic shot out of the bag like a cannon and struck the necromancer again, reducing his statue into hundreds of unrecognizable pebbles.

“Good riddance,” Megan growled as she let go of the bag.

“What did you just do?!” a shocked Nightmare asked.

“He may not have been the most powerful villain, but if you knew even half of the evil that despicable monster had done…”

“The very foundation of our kingdom is built on redemption!” the furious Luna shouted. “My daughter and I strive to create on world of friendship and forgiveness! If we kill our enemies, we’re no better than they are!”

“He already broke out of prison, and he’d never be our friend!” Megan snapped back. “I know him better than anypony!”

“No one will shed a tear for my great-grandfather.” King Gregory spoke softly, though every creature could still make out what he was saying. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you just killed another sentient being. And the only other person who ever committed murder in Tambelon is the very being you just destroyed.”

Megan’s gaze softened. “You’re right.” She raised her own hand and glared at it with disgust. “I’m human for less than a minute, and already I’m hurting ponies.” She faced Nightmare, Sunset, and Trixie. “This is why I never trusted your changeling or griffon friends.” She spread her hands out, gesturing at the wide swath of destruction that Grogar’s war had unleashed. “This is what happens when other creatures try to mingle with my ponies. Nothing but violence and sorrow...”

Celestia frowned at Megan. “This is neither the time nor the place to debate over your hatred of non-pony races.”

“Whatever that cursed relic of yours is, you clearly can’t control such dark magic,” King Gregory said. “Princess Nightmare, I’d like you and your friends to relieve Miss Williams of that bag and escort her somewhere we can keep on eye on her.”

“You don’t understand,” Megan mumbled to herself. “…I can make you understand.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “She’s doing something! Zap her!”

But before anyone could fire off a spell, Megan had torn the bag open, unleashing the full power of the Rainbow of Darkness. A tsunami of black and blue magic came pouring out of the bag, drowning the town square and every creature it under a flood of dark magic.

“Ugh…I’m gonna puke,” Trixie moaned. “No, wait…oh stars, it tastes like I’ve been brushing my teeth with smoke and mud!”

Sunset blearily blinked her eyes several times. “Okay, I think I can see colours again. Everyone okay?”

“Well I’ve got a splitting headache that I plan on sharing with that stupid human,” Nightmare groaned. “Loony? Aunt Celestia?”

“We’re okay, Nightmare,” Celestia said as she helped her sister up. “But it doesn’t look the same can be said for Tambelon.”

They followed Celestia’s gaze to where Megan had been standing. But the crowd of Tambelon citizens that were previously gathered around them had disappeared. What they saw instead sent shivers down their spines.

“Hello new friends!” A smiling unicorn filly with a dark blue coat of fur and crimson eyes, beamed at them. “Do you want to braid each other’s tails? I’ve got matching bows for all new ponies!”

Sunset’s jaw dropped as she examined the blue filly from head to hooves. Particularly the tiny golden bell ringing daintily on her collar and the red ribbons in her gray mane. “No way…King Gregory?!”

The filly scrunched her muzzle in confusion. “King Gregory? No thanks, I don’t want to play an icky king. I wanna play as Princess Giggle Wiggle!”

“What fresh curse is this?” Nightmare asked as she watched a bizarrely coloured crowd of little fillies dancing and playing with each other.

“Not a curse, my little ponies,” Megan said as she brushed her fingers down a giggling filly’s mane. “A blessing from my queen. Everything is as it should be now. And what’s your name, little one?”

“I’m Special Snowflake!” The snow-white earth pony answered, beaming up at the human brushing her mane and tail.

“Mr. Snow Claws? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…” Fluttershy mumbled as she ducked behind the crowd of dancing fillies, and out of Megan’s sight.

Several of the ponies bounced up to Megan, cheerfully asking her, “Will you be my friend?” “Will you be our mommy?”

“Of course, I will!” Megan said with a wide smile. She hugged three giggling fillies together and sang. “My little pony, my little pony...you’ll always be in my heart…”

Nightmare bared her fangs at Megan. “You foolish little girl…that’s what this whole thing was about? So you could transform all the citizens of Tambelon into fillies? Brainwashed, subservient, fillies?!”

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Trixie grumbled.

Megan sighed as she put the transformed fillies down. “You couldn’t understand my queen’s true plan. What you’re seeing is just my reward for being a devoted servant.”

“That delusional pride of yours will be your undoing…” Nightmare growled as she took a step forward.

“Easy there, Nightmare,” Sunset held her back with a raised hoof. “We still have our minds intact. That must mean you want something special from us, doesn’t it?” she asked Megan.

Megan traced her fingers along the bag attached to her necklace. “The Rainbow of Darkness can alter the body and mind of any creature I command it to touch. That’s why all the brutish beasts of Tambelon are now sweet, friendship-loving little ponies. But since you five are already ponies, it couldn’t change you. I have to alter the body AND mind at the same time, you see.”

“Enough of your xenophobia!” Nightmare growled, stomping her hoof as storm clouds began to form in the sky. “Change them back!”

Megan glared at her as the little fillies around her started whimpering at the flash of lightning. “You better put a stop to those storm clouds, young lady. Some of these ponies are afraid of thunder.”

“Because you made them!” Nightmare exclaimed, pointing at a red pegasus filly that used to be a tough-as-nails dragoness.

“I can still control your minds by changing you into dragons…” Megan threatened as she grabbed the bag again. Her anger faded however, as she looked down at the concerned fillies around her and the pebbles left over from Grogar’s statue. “But I don’t want to,” sighed, letting go of the bag.

“Instead, I propose a trade.” Megan snapped her fingers and in a flash of blue light, a small group of new fillies appeared and joined the crowd. “Hello, my little ponies. Why don’t you introduce yourselves to our new friends?”

“Hi there!” An oddly unicorn filly with a wild gray mane came bouncing towards them. “I’m Dizzy Daisy! What’s your name?”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Discord?”

“Your name’s Discord? That’s a funny name for a pony!” the transformed draconequus giggled.

“I’m Gilded Rosie!” a brown furred pegasus cheered, buzzing her wings as she hovered excitedly above them.

“Um, hi,” a pale green unicorn murmured as she shyly peaked out from her long green mane. “I’m Crystal Lily. Oh, and these are my two baby sisters Tilly and Philly.” She smiled and pointed to the twin green unicorn sisters. The two tiny fillies chirped like a pair of baby birds.

Nightmare’s grimace twisted even further in revulsion. “Do I even want to know what you’ve done to Smog?”

Megan blinked in confusion. “Who?”

“Nobody! He’s nobody!” Sunset lied with a sheepish smile.

Megan smiled again. “Well, I believe that accounts for all your formerly beast-like friends. As you can see, their memories and personalities have been drastically altered.” She raised her hand in a friendly gesture. “However, if you surrender Everfree to me, I can restore most of their identities. They’ll still be ponies of course, but they’ll remember being your friends.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Nightmare growled. “I take that ridiculous dark rainbow of yours and undo your curse. Then I turn you into a more appropriate creature. Like a cockroach!”

Megan tut-tutted in disappointment. “What did I expect from somepony named Nightmare Moon? Princess or not, hero or not, you’re too dark for my little ponies. You barely count as a pony at all…”

“That’s quite enough!” Celestia shouted. Her horn lit up with power and Megan’s eyes widened as she felt a pull on the bag tied to her necklace. She quickly grabbed it with one hand, keeping it close to her.

“Duchess Celestia, what are you doing?! My queen told me about what my Rainbow of Light did to you!”

“I would rather risk corrupting myself again than allow your evil to continue!” Celestia declared.

“How is this evil?!” Megan demanded as she grabbed the rainbow with both hands. “Ponies are the only people who can be trusted! I brought friendship back to Tambelon! I’ve protected friendship and harmony since before you were born!”

“This is not what friendship or harmony looks like!” Luna shouted as she grabbed the rainbow with her magic too. “By forcing us creatures apart you’ll only doom the world to a cold, unfeeling-”

“You don’t know what cold or unfeeling is! I wasted years of my life as a disgusting human! I won’t let anyone else experience the horrors I saw on Earth!” Megan growled as the Rainbow of Darkness pulsed with power. “Maybe not dragons, but perhaps some cute little breezies…”

“Wait!” Nightmare cried as she stepped between her family and Megan. “What was that deal you were offering? My friends’ freedom in exchange for something?”

Megan smiled with some surprise as she felt the alicorns’ magic let go of her bag. “I’m impressed. Perhaps I was wrong about you Nightie.”

“You don't get to call me that. But yes…” Nightmare smirked at her. “I’m willing to agree to a trade. My friends…in exchange for your crush.”

Nightmare shifted into a cloud of mist and flew off down Tambelon’s streets. Before Megan could ask the ponies where she had gone, Nightmare returned. As she shifted back into pony form, she gently dropped Applejack from her cloud.

“Miss Applejack?!” Megan cried.

“What in tarnation is going on?! Nightmare, there was this army of boney looking critters and now everyone’s turning into ponies! And…what in the hay is a human doing here?”

Megan cringed as Applejack stared at her. She quickly covered her head with the hood of her cloak. “Don’t look at me!”

“Applejack, meet Merry Weather’s true form,” Trixie said, shooting a smirk at Megan.

Applejack blinked in surprise. “That can’t be right…Merry's a mare. How'd...”

“Apparently she hates being a human so much she turned herself into a pony. I’m curious why she hasn’t done that again actually…” Sunset mused.

Megan uncovered her head and looked at the Rainbow of Darkness with a hopeful smile. But a glowing blue crack on her hand flashed warningly before disappearing. She sighed. “Do as your Lady has ordered, Merry.” She turned to Applejack and held out her hand. “Applejack, come with me.”

Applejack looked around at all the little fillies giving her big smiles and shuddered. “No. This ain’t right, Merry Weather.”

“Applejack…please…I love you…” Megan begged as she got on her knees.

“This ain't what love looks like! Yer creeping me out, Merry!” Applejack exclaimed, backing away from her.

“If I could have your attention again, Miss Williams,” Nightmare said as she placed her wing on Applejack’s back. “Restore the minds and bodies of our friends and the people of Tambelon. Set them free…” She flashed her fangs at Megan. “Or you’ll never see Applejack again.”

Megan’s face twisted with rage, she sprung back on her feet as her hands glowed with dark magic. “Nightmare Moon, I’m warning you…”

But Nightmare didn’t let her finish. Transforming into a huge, swirling cloud of mist, she scooped up Applejack, Luna, Celestia, Sunset and Trixie in her magic and flew away over the crowd of fillies.

“Stop them!” Megan screamed, pointing in the direction the mist flew off to as she ordered her enslaved ponies.

“Yay! Hide and go seek tag!” the happy fillies cheered. “I’m gonna wink my way over to them!” One unicorn filly declared before she teleported away.

“Bring them to the cathedral when you find them,” Megan ordered. “Don’t let them escape!” As the crowd of ponies went chasing after Nightmare and her friends, Megan snapped her fingers and teleported away.

The cloud of mist flew faster and faster, nearing the city limits of Tambelon. But just as they were crossing the border, a wall of magic sprung up and knocked Nightmare out of the sky. She was forced back into her alicorn body and sent stumbling along the ground as she dropped her friends and family.

“Ow, ow, ow!” they all cried as they hit the hard ground. Trixie was the first to leap up and scream insults at the forcefield. “Ponyfeathers! Fish paste! Rotten apples! Feathered ram on a monkey sandwich! Dumb wall!”

Sunset hurried over to her friend and placed her front hooves on the showmare gently. “Whoa, whoa Trixie! Breathe!”

“Sorry…sorry…” Trixie sighed as she took a few calming breaths. “Lost my mind for a second there. It’s just been one of those days…”

“I don’t approve of the vocabulary you choose, but I agree. This day has been difficult,” Celestia sighed.

“Creative insults, at least,” Luna said. She tapped the magic barrier and frowned. “Us alicorns may be trapped in here but if you brave mares can get a message to King Sombra, he can lower the barrier.”

“An’ while we're galloping all the way to the Crystal Empire, what are y’all gonna do trapped here?” Applejack asked.

“We’ll stop Miss Williams from leaving Tambelon and brainwashing anybody else,” Nightmare declared firmly.

“Ah can’t ask y’all ta do that by yerselves, princesses or not,” Applejack argued. “Merry Weather or Megan Williams, Ah just fired the girl. Ah can’t help but feel at least partly responsible for the rampage she’s a-wrecking.”

“We'll just be hiding somewhere until you get back. I don't like this plan either but I also don’t want to find out too late about any extra surprises the Rainbow of Darkness might have. Without Discord, we can’t just have him snap his fingers and summon the Elements of Redemption onto our necks. We need you to go to the Crystal Empire’s vault and retrieve them.” Nightmare groaned. "If Smog was here, I could get him to send a letter, but since he's-”

Trixie beamed as she looked over Nightmare's shoulder. "Oh Trixie could kiss that drake! Finally, some good luck!"

“Nightmare? There you guys are!” The group turned around to see Fluttershy flying towards them and Smog huffing and puffing as he ran towards them.

“Smog! You’re okay!” Nightmare rushed over to him and scooped up her best friend in a tight hug, while Applejack hugged Fluttershy.

“But we saw you vanish with the others! How did you escape?” Trixie exclaimed.

“I'll tell you this much, Merry has only gotten crazier since I first met her,” Smog said. “I couldn’t stop her from changing our friends but for some reason she let me go with just a colour change.” He pointed to his scales, which had turned from red and yellow to green and purple.

“It seems like she’s still confusing you for the great dragon Spike,” Trixie said.

“Well tell her I’m flattered, but still creeped out,” Smog sighed. “After she let me go with a cryptic warning, I snuck away from the creepy fillies our friends turned into and tried looking for you. Fluttershy was trying to escape too when we bumped into each other and she brought me up to speed on Grogar kicking the bucket and Merry being Megan. We hurried out to the edge of Tambelon, since I knew you’d try to let Sombra know what’s happening AND I knew the shield was still up.”

Smog took a quick breath after his recap and held up a pen and piece of paper he’d been carrying in his claw. “Flutters and I’ve written down everything we remember. Add anything you can think of, then I’ll hop over the shield and send it. Quickly please, before some other ancient evil wakes up.”

Nightmare grabbed the pen from him and quickly completed the summary of what had happened in her letter to the king. “The way our luck is going today, you might have just jinxed us.”

Smog facepalmed. “Dang it, you’re right.” Once Nightmare had finished the letter, he quickly jumped through the shield and with a flash of fire, sent the message straight to the Crystal Empire.

King Sombra frowned at the letter that had appeared to him in a puff of smoke. “If it’s not one thing it’s another,” he grumbled. He left the letter on the floor and walked towards the crystal controlling Tambelon’s shield.

Lord Tirek reached down to pick up the letter and read it. “Megan Williams? Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in years…”

“I'll bring down the barrier and send the Elements of Redemption to Princess Nightmare. And if Megan has any tricks up her sleeve, I know I can rely on your expertise to help us stop her.” King Sombra sighed. “That’s not what truly concerns me.”

“Something concerns you more than Grogar? More than a human leading a brainwashed filly army?” Tirek asked. He looked at the letter again and nodded in understanding. “Ah, I see. This mysterious queen that Miss Williams keeps mentioning.”

“I hate not knowing who my enemy is.” King Sombra dragged his hoof down his face. “Just who are we dealing with this time?”

In the kingdom of Tambelon, only one building could hope to compete for the castle’s title of ‘Building with the Largest Bell’. Megan Williams sat, kneeling in front of the fireplace in the main hall of the Tambelon cathedral.

Her hood was lowered, her head was bowed, her eyes were shining with tears, and her hands were clasped in prayer.
“I confess to my queen almighty. To the creators of all things. To the blessed alicorns. To the holy ponies, to all the saints.”

She looked up at the white flag she had hung above the fireplace and sang:

“My high queen, my Lady
You know I am a righteous mare
Of my friendships I am justly proud.”

She stood up and walked closer to the fire.

“My high queen, my Lady
You know I’m so much purer than
The human, vulgar, weak, aggressive crowds.”

She held up her fists in disgust.

“Then tell me, my Lady
Why I see fingers dancing here?
And why her emerald eyes still scorch my soul?”

She gazed into the fire as an image of Applejack emerged, smiling at her and biting into a juicy apple.

“I feel her, I see her!
The sun caught in her golden mane
Is blazing in me out of my control!”

She turned away from the fire and clutched her chest.

“Like fire! Dark fire!
This fire in my heart
This burning desire
Is tearing me A…PART!”

She gasped as she felt a gigantic shadow fall over her. She turned around and got on her knees, begging to the giant creature.

“It’s not my fault!
I’m not to blame
It is my humanity that infects my brain!”
Please, it’s not my fault!
If in your plan
You made a pony so much better than a man!”

She stood back up and held her hands high in reverence.

“Protect me, my Lady
Don’t let my anger distract my goal
Don’t let my weakness destroy my pony soul!”

She clenched her fists and hissed.

“Destroy the non-believers
And let them taste the fires of Tartarus!
And let Applejack be mine and mine alone!”

Megan stopped singing as Crystal Lily ran up to her. “Mommy, mommy! We can’t find them anywhere!”

“They’ve left Tambelon?! But how, I…” She paused and smiled at the former changeling’s concern. “Oh, it’s okay sweetie. Mommy isn’t mad at you. Just get back out there and keep looking, honey.”

Crystal Lily gave Megan a quick hug before she skipped off to follow her orders. Megan stood back up and sighed. “I have seen the Lady’s plan and it is good. I can’t let anything slow us down.” She turned to the fire once more and sang:

“Dark fire, night fire
Now Nightmare, it’s your turn
Choose me or your pyre
Be mine or you will burn!”

She cast a blue fireball into the fireplace and watched the sparks clash against each other. She turned once more to the white flag and the symbol that was stitched onto it: An inkwell with a quill.

“Faust have mercy on them. Faust have mercy on us all…”

To be continued...

The Kingdom of Faust, Part One

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Kingdom of Faust, Part One

“Let’s try this again…”

“Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria…”

A lone figure in a cloak calmly walked through the streets of Canterlot, heading straight for the castle.

The castle grounds were sparkling clean, as always. Two pegasus guards stood by the entrance into the palace, eyeing the cloaked figure suspiciously as they raised their spears, blocking the cloaked stranger.

“Princesses Celestia and Luna aren’t seeing guests right now,” the guard on the left said.

“And why are you wearing that cloak anyway?” the guard on the right growled suspiciously.

The cloaked figure paused in front of the two guards. Then a soft chuckle made its way out from under her cloak.

“Is she friend or is she foe, the ponies wonder…I can assure you that I am no friend.”

Her wings unfurled to their full length, causing the cloak to flutter away before it vanished into tiny flashes of blue light. Before the two guards stood an alicorn with a pale, goldish gray coat and a dark red mane and tail. Her eyes and her horn both glowed with icy blue light. On her flank was a cutie mark of a quill dipped into an inkwell. The strange thing about her cutie mark was that it faded and flickered in and out of existence, like a broken lightbulb.

“I am Lady Faust.”

The guards’ eyes widened, and they bowed before her. “Another princess? A thousand apologies that we didn’t recognize you, your highness,” the guard on the right said.

“Forgive us for not hearing about you before. Are you a new alicorn, like Princess Twilight was? Are you here in Canterlot to organize your coronation?” the guard on the left said.

Lady Faust glared at the two guards in annoyance. “Ignorant as always. It amazes me how people are still blinded by…ugh. I don’t have time for this,” she grumbled as her horn glowed brighter.

The guards blinked in surprise and quickly stood back up. “B-beg your pardon, your highness?”

“I said I am not your friend. And I am here to take back what is rightfully mine.”

Her blue eyes flashed and within a single second, both guards rapidly inflated with air before they popped like balloons. They fluttered down to the floor in the form of party confetti and remained still.

Lady Faust frowned at the piles of confetti. “Do stop whining. You’re not dead.” She sighed and walked into the castle.

As Lady Faust walked through the palace, guards and staff members all stared at her in shock and awe. But before anyone could speak even a single word, the alicorn’s horn sent out a pulse of power. The shockwave of magic traveled very slowly, but the results of said shockwave were tremendous. Ponies were pushed off the floor and up against the castle walls before they were all transformed and incapacitated. Guards, guests, and caretakers were turned into glass statues that shattered when they touched the floor, piles of sparkles, piles of ash, and piles of paper. Lady Faust kept to her calm walking pace until at last she reached the doors to the throne room.

She glared for a moment at the hearts carved onto the bright blue doors before she walked right through them as if they didn’t exist. She calmly trotted towards Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as the royal sisters stood up from their thrones.

“Another alicorn? Celestia, what is the meaning of this?” Luna asked.

“I’m afraid I’m as lost as you are. Hello there!” Celestia called out, with a nervous but hopeful smile. “You’ve caught us quite by surprise, my friend. Who might you be? How can we help you?”

The alicorn stopped in front of them and gave them a tiny sad smile as her horn glowed a little brighter. “I suppose I should thank you for not confusing me with your mother or anything ridiculous like that. You have no idea how annoying that can be.” Her eyes sharpened into a glare as she addressed them, “However…did you really think I would just let you get away with what you’ve both done?”

“Pardon?” Luna asked, her eyes narrowing a little.

“Your actions have saved thousands of ponies. But they have also doomed billions of lives.” Lady Faust squeezed her eyes shut. “Doomed to suffer a pain that only I can imagine.”

Both sisters looked on in concern as the pale alicorn shook as if she was holding back tears. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I do not know what you are referring to.” Celestia said. “Could you perhaps tell us your name? Or something about why you are here?”

“Sorry? It’s too late for that now. But I suppose I have forgotten to introduce myself, haven’t I?” The pale alicorn spread out her wings. “I am the Lady Faust. Princess of Writing and the true goddess of Equestria. Some of my ‘friends’ have also referred to me as the Witch Queen, or the Alicorn of the Apocalypse.”

Celestia’s eyes widened in shock. Luna frowned as her horn started to glow with power. “Alicorn of the what?!”

“Oh, that is amusing. Judgement from the usurper who started it all.” Lady Faust glared at Luna. “Have you already forgotten what the ponies called Nightmare Moon? The mare who betrayed her sister? The mare who eats children when she doesn’t get enough candy?”

Luna’s ears flattened, and she looked down at the ground in shame. But Celestia was quick to defend her sister. “That is enough! I do not know why you have come here to antagonize us, but Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon anymore! She has changed for the better!”

“And who are you to decide what is better? Because trust me Celestia, you have done much greater harm that Luna has.”

“E…excuse me?!” Celestia asked, an angry and bewildered frown on her face.

“Is this some form of joke?!” an equally furious and confused Luna asked. “My sister has never hurt anyone!”

“I disagree. You hurt Twilight Sparkle. You hurt her in ways you can’t even comprehend. You hurt her so much that even with all my power I doubt I can still save save her. I’m afraid it’s too late…to save any of you.” Lady Faust threatened ominously.

“That is absurd. Princess Twilight Sparkle is uninjured and in no danger. In fact, she is thriving. She has surpassed my expectations of her and she has accomplished so much for her friends and for all of Equestria,” Celestia said with pride in her voice.

Lady Faust mumbled something, too quiet for the others to hear. She glared at them and said, “I don’t know why I’m wasting my time trying to have a conversation with you. You’ve already labeled me as the enemy. You won’t listen to me. You won’t consider a new thought, or a new idea. Destroying your universe is the only way to capture your attention.”

“Destroying our what?!” Luna exclaimed.

The sisters glared at her as they pointed their glowing horns at her. “You are dangerously unstable and hopelessly overconfident in yourself. But since you have so foolishly wasted time gloating, we can nip this problem in the bud now,” Celestia declared.

“Where did that expression come from anyway?” Lady Faust pondered to herself as she examined the glass windows of the throne room with a frown.

Luna scowled at her. “You would be wise to pay attention to our battle, and wiser still to surrender!”

Lady Faust turned back to them with an unimpressed glare. “Oh, put those things away before you hurt yourselves.” She smirked at them. “We all know what’s going to happen. You’ll fire some magic at me and it’s not even going to leave a scratch. Then you’ll probably try to fly away before I knock you both out and imprison you in some form. And once Twilight Sparkle saves you, everything will be back to normal until about…the next season finale. And then, the same thing will just happen ALL over again. At least…that’s how it used to be…”

“Enough words! This ends now!” Luna shouted as both she and Celestia fired beams of magic at Lady Faust.

Their jaws dropped as she realized that Lady Faust hadn’t moved an inch from where she was standing. Both beams were pushing against her chest, but she wasn’t reacting to their power at all. She stared at the two sisters with a blank expression and yawned. “Are we fighting, or are you shining some flashlights on me?”

“We must increase our power! Push harder, Luna!” Celestia shouted as they increased the force behind their magic. But the only thing Lady Faust did was extend her wings and turn around so that her back was facing the sisters.

“Can you get this little itch behind my wings?” When the princesses couldn’t answer her, Lady Faust folded her wings up again and turned around and frowned. “Come on girls, this is embarrassing,” she scolded the sisters as she glared at them without blinking, even though the beams of magic were hitting her eyes.

Their strength giving way to exhaustion, both sisters let their spells go and gasped. “Our magic has no effect on her!” Celestia exclaimed.

“Not even a scratch…just as she predicted!” Luna cried.

“You’re going to fly away and warn Twilight now, aren’t you?” Lady Faust asked.

Both sisters unfurled their wings. “Quickly, Luna! Perhaps if I distract her, you can fly to Ponyville and warn-”

But before another word could be said, Lady Faust’s horn glowed even brighter as twin beams of magic launched out of her horn and struck the two sisters faster than lightning, completely engulfing Celestia and Luna in an angry flash of raw power.

When the light faded away after several seconds, Lady Faust calmly walked over to where the sisters had been standing. In their place were two tiny, inanimate, plush toy versions of the princesses. She levitated the toys up to her face and smiled at them. She glanced over at the glass window featuring Discord on it and sighed. “Might as well.”

A blast of magic struck the glass window and the real version of the Equestrian Discord came tumbling out. “Now that was quite unpleasant,” he grumbled as he floated back onto his feet. “What in the world am I doing here?” His gaze darted all over the room before he turned to scoff at Lady Faust. “Another alicorn?” He rolled his eyes. “Do I hear seven? Or wait…is little Flurry Heart old enough to count?”

Lady Faust smirked. “Did you know that little Nightmare Moon here was supposed to have your name?” she asked as she levitated the Luna plushie and waved it in the air.

Discord’s eyes widened. “Is that actually…well, no matter.” He snapped his fingers, but his smirk quickly faded as the Luna plushie let out a blue pulse and remained in the same shape. He stared at Lady Faust and poked her muzzle with his talon. He quickly withdrew his claw as a spark of electricity leapt out of her unamused face. “Wait, didn’t my Everfree counterpart warn me about you?”

Without any further warning, the alicorn’s horn glowed as bright and blinding as a miniature sun before she fired a colossal beam of magic that completely engulfed Discord.

When the light faded away, Lady Faust’s calmly walked over to where the transformed Discord was resting. “I’m really sorry about that sneak attack, little Longma. But you’re a much slipperier character than the princesses are. If I had given you too much of a warning, you might have been able to escape.”

She chuckled a little and levitated the princesses and the five-piece connectable plastic toy of Discord. She smiled at the three toys in her grasp before her smile faded. Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze turned to the ground. She held her head with a hoof and grit her teeth in discomfort. “Focus. Focus. Focus…”

Her head snapped up as a horrified castle maid dropped the tea tray she had been carrying with a loud crash. She let out a terrified scream as her eyes fell on the toys in Lady Faust’s grip.

Lady Faust sighed in frustration. “Why am I even making a big deal out of this?” With several flashes of light, the princess plushies and the Discord toy vanished. Lady Faust grabbed the maid in her telekinesis and pulled her towards her, keeping the maid’s mouth shut. As the poor little pony was dragged across the floor, her body rapidly shrunk and transformed until she was in the shape of a little jade statue.

Another loud shriek echoed through the room, causing Lady Faust to wince in annoyance as she dropped the jade statue. A young earth pony stallion was standing by the doorway, his horrified gaze taking in all the damage the alicorn had done.

“You…you monster! You won’t get away with this! I’ll…I’ll tell Princess Twilight and her friends what happened! You’ll be sorry for this!” the terrified and enraged stallion swore at Lady Faust before he galloped down the hall and as far away from the alicorn as he could get.

He did not get far. Lady Faust stared at the pony, her vision following his retreat no matter how much distance passed or how many walls stood in between them. With a tilt of her head, the stallion collapsed onto the ground in the middle of Canterlot as he feel into a deep sleep. She stood silently in the throne room for several seconds before she sighed. “What other choice do I have?” She turned her head and stared at the thrones of the two sisters, her eyes glowing with blue light.

“At the base of the thrones, there formed a miniature, magical black hole. This overwhelming gravitational force would soon swallow all of Canterlot. Every building and every creature within the city would be sucked into oblivion. For any citizen fast enough and lucky enough to escape, the survivors will look upon the ruins of their home; the knowledge that their princesses failed them filling their hearts with utter despair. Once Canterlot has been destroyed, the black hole will stop growing, yet remain as a constant reminder of My power. And as for the ponies who don’t get out in time…”

Lady Faust’s eyes dimmed back to normal as the black hole formed. She walked away as the room behind her slowly crumbled and vanished into nothingness. She maintained her calm stroll through the hallways as other staff members and guests at the castle all ran screaming for their lives. Once she left the castle, a checklist appeared before her.

“That’s the royal sisters and Discord taken care of. Maybe Cadance and the Crystal Empire just to make sure. But after that…” she smiled as she trailed off. Then her smile faded.

“Stop it.”

The checklist vanished and Lady Faust frowned. “Stop it. Focus.”

She brought one forehoof up to her head, then the other one. She hovered in place as she held her head, shut her eyes, and grit her teeth. “Stop it. Focus. Focus…” she whispered to herself as her horn glowed brighter.

“The big, scary Fausticorn, I presume?”

With a flash of pink light, all of Canterlot Castle was wrapped up in a huge pink jelly mold, preventing the black hole inside from swallowing up any more of the city. Lady Faust opened her eyes and rested her hooves back on the ground as Pinkie Pie suddenly bounced into her vision, watching her with a calm but very alert smile.

Lady Faust examined Pinkie before her gaze darted to the jelly mold. She sighed in relief and chuckled. “Oh. You’re the Pinkie from Everfree. You had me worried there for a second.”

Pinkie blinked in confusion. “…Really? You’re more scared of normal me than chaos me?”

Lady Faust glared at her. She rolled her head a little, causing her horn to draw a little circle in the air. As the tiny circle was completed, time stopped all around them. She pointed at the frozen expressions of fear on the faces of the ponies across the street from them. “Why would I be afraid of you when I can do this?”

Pinkie giggled. “Well for starters, I can do this!” She formed some fingers in her hoof and snapped them. But her excited grin faded when she saw that Lady Faust was still standing there, her horn still glowing with power.

Lady Faust was chillingly silent as her head tilted to the side and her eyes glowed. Pinkie gasped as she saw their surroundings flicker, like a TV with fuzzy reception. Lady Faust’s eyes returned to normal and the world stopped fading as she glared at Pinkie sternly.

“You did borrow a lot of power from Discord’s family, didn’t you? You’re strong. But I can erase Equestria with a sentence. I can destroy this world and everyone in it as easily as flipping a light switch. This isn’t a joke, Pink One. It is simply the end of life’s cruelest joke.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened as Lady Faust took a step forward. Not so much from her advance, but from the fact that when her hoof touched the ground, a house-sized chunk of the earth broke off from the ground and hovered in the air before disintegrating into dust.

Pinkie flashed her a sheepish smile. “Heh…easy there. Destroying the world? That’s a bit extreme, don’t ya think? I mean, I know I went into the whole crazy, mad villain deal too, but I never went that far. I...I’m sure if we just sit down and talk about what’s bothering you we can...uh...”

Lady Faust glared at Pinkie but didn’t take any other action. She stood completely still. The only movement from her were a series of sparks that leapt over, across, and around her horn. The intense glare was starting to creep Pinkie out…

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Lady Faust decided. Her eyes began to glow again.

“And so, the infamous Pinkamania lost all her chaotic powers. She fell to the ground and stared up in horror as all the magic within her floated towards Me.”

Pinkie let out as a gasp as her gaze darted to the left and right of the ground she was sitting on before focusing back on Lady Faust and the ball of rainbow-coloured chaos magic floating next to her. “Wait, how’d I fall down that quickly? What just happened?!”

“That’s what happens when I use my magic at full power. No buildup or flashy light show. Not unless I want to. Instead, I get results instantly. Leaving you no time at all to react to what I’ve done.”

Lady Faust glared at the very nervous earth pony. “You’re not the original Pinkie Pie but you’re still too annoying.” Her glowing horn lowered to point at Pinkie’s head. “I think I’ll-”

“Wait! What’s that behind you!” Pinkie shrieked as she pointed behind the all powerful alicorn.

“I’m not going to fall for-”

POP!

Lady Faust spun around in alarm to face whatever made that sudden noise. Blue fire started to crackle in her eyes as she glared at the remains of a popped balloon. She spun around to vaporize the annoying chatterbox, only to find a pink tail disappearing into a hole in reality. The rainbow coloured ball of chaos magic had vanished long before Pinkie Pie did.

“Clever Pinkie, but not clever enough.” Lady Faust growled as a bright blue hand with red veins formed out of her horn. The magical arm dove into the tear in time and space and didn’t rest until it grabbed something.

She smirked as she pulled up Pinkie Pie. She didn’t bother saying another word as the blue hand began to squeeze the life out of the pink pony.

“F-fun!” The pink pony choked out. “Fun…fun…f-fun…”

Lady Faust’s eyes narrowed as she loosened her grip on Pinkie. A glowing blue finger poked the pony in her belly, eliciting a giggle. “You’re a mirror clone, aren’t you?”

The Pinkie clone opened her mouth to respond but instead her eyes widened, and her cheeks bulged out. She found that the rest of her body was ahead of her. Her limbs retracted into her body as her belly filled up with air. Within a few seconds, Lady Faust had turned the mirror clone into a pink balloon, with a thin earth pony tail sticking out as the string. She let the balloon float up in the air, then turned around to fire a beam of magic at the jelly mold. The jelly disappeared and the black hole resumed its progress as Lady Faust unfroze time with another wave of her horn. She turned away from Canterlot and kept walking.

Meanwhile in Everfree, Nightmare Moon, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Smog, Duchess Celestia, Duchess Luna, Applejack, and Fluttershy were all still waiting at the edge of Tambelon.

“Oh my gosh! Hurry up!” Trixie shouted in irritation at the barrier.

“Silence,” Nightmare hissed quietly. “Do you want that crazy human to find us?”

“Why do you think the Anxious and Powerfully Impatient Trixie is acting so cranky? How long can it take for King Sombra to just grab the Elements and send them to us?” Trixie groaned.

Nightmare raised an eyebrow as she spotted a cloud of smoke swirling around the barrier before zooming in towards them. “Apparently not that long.”

King Sombra emerged from the cloud of smoke and stepped onto the ground. Lord Tirek appeared next to him in a flash of red light. Tirek placed his hand on the barrier, opening up a hole in it for himself and Sombra to step through. “Are you uninjured Princess Nightmare Moon?” the centaur asked. “Who else is still with us?”

“Everyone ya see here, and not much else, Ah reckon,” Applejack said. “Megan and her brainwashed army are behind us and we ain’t been dumb enough to come outta hiding to see what she’s cooking up, not at the risk of getting mind zapped by her fancy dark rainbow.” She raised an eyebrow at them. “Ah reckon yer both caught up?”

“Blasted lock, why did we make this so complicated?” King Sombra grumbled as his magic worked to undo the enchanted locks around the jeweled box he was levitating. He spared a quick smile at Nightmare. “We read your letter and we’re concerned about the human and this mysterious queen she keeps mentioning. So, we thought to bring ourselves as well as the Elements of Redemption to help you defeat this newest threat. Just need to…” he grumbled as he fiddled with the last lock.

Tirek nodded. “Indeed. Your letter informed us that the human girl I’ve been searching for has been masquerading as a pony, she just killed one of my old rivals, and -”

“Hold on, you’ve been searching for her? What history do you have with Megan Williams?” Nightmare asked with narrowed eyes.

Tirek sighed. “A misunderstanding between my family and hers. Scorpan and I caught sight of the human mage Megan and her younger siblings…whose names escape my memory,” Tirek admitted. “They were world jumpers as I recall because she mistook me for a much more aggressive Tirek. Possibly the one from Equestria.”

“Ugh,” Trixie groaned. “Even if there are some nice people from Equestria, that mirror dimension is becoming a pain in Trixie’s flank.”

“Would you like some help, Sombra?” Celestia asked as she stepped up to the king’s side and lit up her horn to undo some of the other enchantments.

Tirek shrugged and wrapped up his story. “Her younger siblings convinced her to stand down but Scorpan has often told me ‘that girl had a bad look in her eye’. We haven’t seen her in years but we have both been trying to track her down because of, well…” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “An ancient prophecy we found told us that she has something to do with the Queen of Destruction.”

“Who’s the Queen of Destruction? You don’t think that’s the queen Megan keeps mentioning, do you?” Sunset asked.

“For all our sakes, let’s hope not,” Luna said with a little shudder. “We do not speak of the Alicorn of the Apocalypse.”

Smog’s eyes widened. “Alicorn of what?!”

“Let’s focus on the current enemy for now,” King Sombra said with a triumphant smile as he and Celestia finished unlocking the box and retrieved the Elements of Redemption. He levitated the Elements of Power, Knowledge, and Nobility towards Nightmare, Sunset, and Trixie.

“Uh, no, can we go back to this 'queen of destruction'? That just stinks of a future mess that we’ll have to clean up,” Smog pointed out.

“Rest easy, young dragon. The prophecy is merely a mystery, not a concern. The queen has been imprisoned for over five thousand years,” Tirek said reassuringly.

“Which means she’s due to break out any day now. Seriously, how many bad guys did you lock up just so they can break out again years later?” Smog asked, shooting looks at Sombra, Tirek, Celestia, and Luna.

Luna rolled her eyes. “We’re not that bad when it comes to…” She trailed off at the eyebrows that Nightmare, Smog, Sunset, Trixie, Applejack, and even Fluttershy raised. “Come now, my sister and I weren’t even alive when the Witch Queen was imprisoned. If she could break out she would have done it thousands of years ago.”

Celestia nodded and folded her wings up. “Indeed. Let us focus our attention on today’s problems, shall we? If we spend too much time gazing into the future, we can miss what’s occurring right in front of our eyes.

“Um, but how will you use the Elements?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, I could try to use the Element of Love, um if that’s okay with you. Could one of you use the Zeal or Freedom Elements?” she asked, looking at Sombra, Celestia, and Luna.

Sombra shook his head. “Too risky. The Elements work best with their chosen bearers. If anyone other than Gilda, Chrysalis, and Discord use the Elements along with you three, the outcome would be completely unpredictable,” he said to Nightmare.

“Which is why we need to work on freeing our friends first, or at the very least their minds,” Nightmare declared. “Once our friends’ memories are restored that should be enough to convince them to use the Elements and restore Megan’s transformed victims. And if that doesn’t work, we go with plan B.”

“And plan B is…?” Smog asked.

Nightmare’s fanged mouth twisted into a cold smirk. “Beat her into a bloody pulp.”

“Trixie likes this plan!” the showmare declared, while Sombra, Smog, and Tirek nodded in approval. The other ponies looked like they wanted to object to this plan. But then…

“Hello new friends!” an oddly coloured filly with a squeaky lisp said as she bounced over to their hiding spot. “Miss Megan, Miss Megan! I founds them!”

“Ah, dang it!” Smog growled. “Looks like our luck at staying hidden just rang out!”

“Couldn’t have picked a better time,” Nightmare declared as she shot a blast of magic at the filly and knocked her into a wall.

“D-don’t you think that was too harsh?!” Fluttershy cried.

“WAH! The black meanie gave me an owie!” the squeaky filly cried.

“She’s fine, Fluttershy,” Sunset reassured their friend as they all ran back towards the town center. “Probably supposed to be a minotaur or a dragon so I’m sure-”

“Incoming!” Smog shouted as more fillies started playfully charging towards them.

Nightmare conjured up a shield around them and threw her magic into expanding it, pushing the brainwashed fillies away from them. “Lord Tirek, we should be safe if Megan has a soft spot for ponies and Smog.”

Tirek nodded in understanding. “But I am quite vulnerable to the Rainbow’s dark magic. I shall stay behind and intercept Miss Williams if she somehow slips from your grasp. Good luck Princess Nightmare”

“Fluttershy and Ah won’t be much help in a magic duel, so Ah reckon we’ll circle around other parts of the barrier and catch any runners by surprise,” Applejack suggested, which Fluttershy happily agreed to.

Nightmare heard King Sombra offering his help to them too, but her attention was soon grabbed by another swarm of incoming fillies. “Push them back everyone!” Nightmare ordered as she collapsed the circular shield and formed a smaller but much stronger shield just a foot away from her. Sunset, Trixie, Celestia, and Luna formed similar telekinetic shields and followed her as they charged right through the filly army, knocking them all aside.

As Smog ran after his friends, he shouted back “Sorry!” at the hundreds of transformed fillies sobbing over their bruises and boo-boos.

It wasn’t long before they reached the cathedral and Megan marched out the front door to see what the huge commotion was. “So, the nightmare queen returns to do battle once more.” She scowled at the alicorn and her friends. “How can you justify calling yourself a hero when you just attacked a group of innocent fillies?”

“How can you justify calling yourself a hero when you were hiding behind said group of innocent creatures?!” Nightmare growled back at her.

Megan glared at her and held up the Rainbow of Darkness. “Everypony, grab Nightmare Moon and her minions. I’m not gonna miss this shot.”

As Megan’s filly army marched towards Nightmare’s friends with adorably determined glares on their sparkly faces, Trixie eyed the ponies in concern. “So what’s the plan? Fight? Don’t fight? It’s not like it’s their fault.” Sunset nodded in agreement. Pushing some fillies away when they were being obstacles was fair, but they didn’t want to seriously hurt anyone when these creatures couldn’t control their actions.

Nightmare glared hard at the filly army as she analyzed their situation. Megan’s dangerous dark rainbow and her unpredictable magic. The transformed citizens of Tambelon and their slavish devotion to Megan. Their faces twisted with frightened determination. Their wobbly knees…

A solution came to Nightmare Moon as she grinned widely at the fillies, showing off her fangs. “Heh, heh, heh. Aha, ha, ha! MWA, HA, HA!”

The other ponies’ eyes widened as the fillies began to freeze up while Sunset and Trixie caught on quickly to their friend’s idea. Shooting an evil smile at a nearby filly, Sunset launched a fireball at a house and chuckled as it caught fire. Trixie smirked at another filly and threw two smoke bombs on the ground. As the smoke clouded her audience’s vision, Trixie cast a colour-changing spell on Sunset’s fire, turning the flames a dark purple. Meanwhile, Nightmare’s mane swirled with magic and lightning as the clouds over Tambelon began to darken and rumble. Sunset and Trixie levitated the clouds closer together, accelerating the storms creation. Smog helped out too, drooling fire and smoke out of his mouth and eyeing the fillies hungrily.

It cast quite a horrifying picture to the fillies and within seconds they were all running and hiding behind Megan with shouts of, “Save me Merry!” “Miss Merry, they’re too scary!” “I want my mommy!” “Waaah!

Megan’s jaw dropped in angered disbelief as the fillies began grabbing at her coat and quickly brushed them aside. She growled at Nightmare and her friends as her entire army cowered a good ten feet behind her. “That was a dirty trick.”

“Quite a dazzling performance if you were to ask me,” Luna said as she used her magic to extinguish the fires created by Sunset and Smog. “You should try that again during Twilight Night, dear Moony.”

Nightmare shot her mom an appreciative smile. “One thing at a time, Loony.”

Megan held up the Rainbow of Darkness and tightened her grip on it. “No more games,” she growled.

Nightmare brows narrowed as she got ready for battle, laying her wings on Sunset and Trixie as she prepared to teleport or fly away from the blast. Hopefully Megan couldn’t hit a moving target and hopefully her mom and her aunt could…

But before she could react, a beam of raw dark magic shot out of the Rainbow faster than she could predict it would. Just as the beam was about to collide with her though…

“What a fancy little trinket you’ve acquired. How do you like mine?” Celestia asked with a smirk as she shielded her niece from the dark magic, the Rainbow of Light wrapped in her telekinesis and held out in front of her.

“Sister! What are you doing with that accursed thing?!” Luna shouted.

Celestia shot a quick smirk at her as her mane caught fire. “Weren’t you curious as to why Sombra was having such trouble unlocking the chest containing the Elements of…oh dear…”

Her whole body began to heat up and glow before it erupted in a flash of flames. Nightmare, Luna, and their friends teleported on top of a nearby roof to escape the explosion, while Megan was knocked back into the cathedral from the force of the blast. The ponies all looked down at the battlefield in shock as they saw Celestia transform into Daybreaker.

“Oh my…I’d forgotten how good this power feels,” Daybreaker purred to herself.

“Sister, no! You must fight the Rainbow’s influence!” Luna cried. “You must…”

Luna trailed off as Nightmare held out a wing to stop her mother’s advance and scrutinized Daybreaker. “Aunt Celestia? Are you still in control?”

Even though Daybreaker’s eyes glowed with fire, they softened with a much kinder warmth as she gazed at her family. “Worry not dear niece and sister. Even though the urge to bring about eternal day once more fills me, I am still in control.”

Nightmare nodded in determination. “I can work with this. Keep the human distracted while we find the other Elements.”

Daybreaker smiled proudly as Nightmare, Luna, Sunset, and Trixie galloped off, before turning around to face Megan as she emerged from the cathedral.

“The Rainbow of Light belongs to me! You stole what was rightfully mine!” Megan growled as she fired another blast of magic from the Rainbow of Darkness.

Celestia deflected the blast from her own Rainbow, her eyes glowing red. “And your corrupted trinket stole me from my family.” Megan threw herself behind cover as Daybreaker shot a stream of flames in her direction. “Come now my little human, there’s no escaping your punishment. Step into the light.”

As Daybreaker and Megan flung different flavours of dark magic at each other, Nightmare turned to her friends. “Trixie, on my signal throw out as many smoke bombs and distracting magic tricks you can afford to use.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow at the sight of Megan slicing a fireball in half with a dark magic sword. “Trixie doubts she can be more distracting than that.”

“I’m sorry, who doubts she can grab a crowd’s attention?” Nightmare asked with a smirk.

Trixie chuckled. “Okay, you got me. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall make the clouds spew smoke and the ground breathe fireworks!”

“Excellent,” Nightmare nodded as Trixie and Smog began digging into her bag of tricks. “Now Sunset, with my aunt and Trixie keeping the heat off of us-”

“Ironic,” Trixie mumbled as she shot a firework at one of the fireballs Daybreaker had launched at Megan, sending the human into an even louder screaming fit.

“-you, Smog, and I will start searching for our friends,” Nightmare finished.

“Got it. Actually I have an idea of how to get our search started,” Sunset said as her horn began to glow. “See, Megan wants the creatures of Tambelon, especially the more 'macho' races like minotaurs and dragons, to act like really girly fillies. So, if we appeal to something that is the opposite of what they normally do…”

Sunset’s horn stopped glowing as she summoned a delicious salad, hovering above their heads. “Gilded Rosie! Who wants to eat her leafy greens?!” Sunset announced cheerily.

Gilded Rosie, the transformed Gilda, broke free from the crowd of fillies who were hiding from the main battle and hesitantly flew over to them. “Um…I’d like to haz salad, miss unicorn.”

“Good girl! Here you go,” Sunset said as she set the salad down in front of her. As Gilded Rosie daintily nibbled her meal, Nightmare levitated the Element of Zeal around Gilded Rosie’s neck.

“Now girls! Channel the Elements and focus on every good memory you have of Gilda!” Nightmare shouted. Trixie quickly rejoined her friends and soon the Elements of Power, Knowledge, Nobility, and Zeal were all glowing.

Daybreaker glanced over her shoulder at her niece and the other Elements. She held up the Rainbow of Light and directed a small portion of its power towards them. She then turned back to Megan and summoned up a wall of fire to continue distracting her foe.

The magic and support of her friends was more than enough to engulf Gilded Rosie and transform her body and mind back into Gilda the Griffon with a wave of colourful light. As soon as she was a griffon again, Gilda spat out the salad and hovered in midair, clenching her claws in fury. “Argh! I’ll kill that girl!”

Trixie and her friends grinned. “Gilda you’re back!”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s save the reunion for later. We need the rest of our friends to set that human on forgiving fire, right?” Gilda narrowed her eyes and rubbed her temples in concentration. “Let’s see if I can use that dumb filly brain before I knock it outta my head entirely…and…got them!”

Gilda launched herself into the air and scanned the crowd of fillies for their friends, using her eagle eyes and the rapidly vanishing memories of Gilded Rosie to find them. “Aha! Gotcha!” She swooped down and picked up Dizzy Daisy and Crystal Lily from the crowd of transformed creatures and dropped them both in front of her other friends.

“AH! P-please miss griffon, don’t eat us!” the fillies wailed.

“Can it, cream puffs!” Gilda snapped at them while Nightmare levitated the Elements of Freedom and Love onto Dizzy Daisy and Crystal Lily. “Give us back our friends!”

With another wave of magic, the Elements of Redemption washed over the two fillies and transformed them back into Discord and Queen Chrysalis.

“Thank heavens! So good to be back in my own skin,” Discord sighed happily. He frowned at Megan and waggled his finger at her. “Young lady, nobody forces me into a body I’m not comfortable with and gets away with it.”

“Everything he said and more,” Chrysalis hissed in agreement.

“Hey sweet, the Elements are still on!” Gilda remarked, pointing at her still glowing necklace.

“Perfect!” Celestia shouted before she teleported behind the outraged Megan and grabbed her in a full nelson, using her wings and magic to hold Megan back. “Now Nightmare! Use the Elements on us both!” Daybreaker grinned evilly at the human. “Before I really turn up the heat…”

“NO! I can’t fail my Lady!” Megan cried. Her eyes widened in fear as a rainbow of magic formed between the Elements. “You won’t send me back to the humans! I won’t go back to Earth! P-Please my Queen! L-Lady Faust! I beseech you to save your humble AAGHH!”

Megan screamed in pain as the Elements of Redemption washed over her. The Rainbows of Darkness and Light fell off their bearers. The corrupted Daybreaker was peeled back until only Duchess Celestia remained. Throughout the entire Kingdom of Tambelon, the Elements undid the transformation caused by the Rainbow of Darkness, giving every citizen of Tambelon their true bodies and minds. The Elements even went above and beyond as they repaired most of the damaged buildings that filled Tambelon’s streets.

“Princess Nightmare! We saw the Elements!” King Sombra came flying down to them in shadow form before turning corporeal. Lord Tirek, Applejack, and Fluttershy weren’t far behind them. “Once again you and your friends have saved Everfree from total…Celestia? What is that?”

Celestia released her hold on Megan and sheepishly chuckled. “Ahem, yes. I’ll…just put these somewhere safe.” She summoned the box that had previously contained the Elements to her side. She examined the box for a moment before she used her magic to duplicate the box, then proceeded to place the Rainbow of Light and the Rainbow of Darkness in separate chests. With a flash of light, she teleported the two boxes to the royal vault inside the Crystal Empire.

“Whelp, looks like everything worked out in the end,” Applejack said. She hesitated and pointed at Megan. “But uh…what do y’all wanna do with her?”

“Maybe you should turn her into something demeaning,” Thorax angrily suggested as he and his brother walked over to stand beside their queen.

“No, we’re supposed to be better than that…although that is tempting,” Chrysalis said to him.

“Hold the phone, girls,” Discord said as he created a red, toy telephone in his his eagle claw and used it to point at a swirling portal forming behind Megan. “It appears the Elements will be taking care of this problem too.”

“No, no, no. No, no, NO!” Megan groaned as she tried to crawl away from the portal; the Elements having sapped most of her strength.

“Wait, is that…it’s her! Molly, it’s her! Megan!”

From the other side of the portal, two more humans stepped out. One was a red-headed young man wearing a blue cloak. The other was a younger looking woman with blonde hair tied into pigtails and wearing a pink cloak.

Megan froze as she stared at the humans. “M-Molly? Danny?”

“Quick, grab her!” Molly shouted as she and her brother reached out to their sister, their hands glowing with magic as they levitated her into the air and began pulling her towards the portal.

“NO! I don’t want to be a human! Let me go!” Megan screamed as she tried to escape from them, futilely swimming through the air.

“Megan, stop it! You’re embarrassing yourself,” Molly sighed.

Danny noticed the ponies and other creatures watching the spectacle. “Um, hi there!” He waved and smiled awkwardly. “Listen, I don’t know what my sister has been doing in this universe but-”

“We’ll fill them in later!” Molly shouted. “We need to bring her home! I’m not losing her again!”

“Sorry. Um, to be continued!” Danny shouted. The two humans pulled their sister all the way through the portal, which then closed itself and disappeared.

“Okay…well that happened,” Smog said. He turned to the others and asked, “Did anyone else hear that part about the queen she was 'beseeching'? Who’s Lady Faust?”

Lord Tirek’s eyes widened in fear. “Oh no…”

Lady Faust frowned as she stared at the space above her. “So, they sent Merry back to Earth. That’s disappointing.”

“Ugh…y-you’ll never get away with this!”

Lady Faust blinked in surprise and turned back to her opponents. “Pardon?” she asked. In front of her, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire were trapped within huge, towering crystals of ice. The only parts of them that hadn’t been frozen were their faces. The rest of the Crystal Empire was in a similar condition. Royal guards, crystal ponies, and visiting changelings were all frozen to the sides of ruined buildings or the scorched streets. The Crystal Heart lay before them, shattered into a million pieces. Outside the empire, a blizzard was slowly closing in on them.

Everything that could go wrong in the Crystal Empire, had gone wrong. And the craziest part, was that even Lady Faust had trouble remembering what happened.

“Sorry, where were we?” Lady Faust asked politely.

“I said you won’t get away with this!” Shining shouted.

“Please, we don’t know why you attacked us, but can’t we try and talk this out?!” Cadance pleaded.

Lady Faust sighed, sending a small glare at Cadance. “I’ve tried talking. I tried talking to ponies like you for thousands of years. Nothing ever changed.”

“What are you trying to change?” Cadance asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

“Everything,” Lady Faust answered with a growl.

“Your Majesties! Is anypony there?!” Lady Faust’s eyes and ears turned toward a stallion’s voice as her vision zoomed in, and through the walls of the castle to focus on an orange stallion carrying an alicorn infant on his head. “W-what happened?!” he asked as he tried to help free a royal guard who was trapped in ice. “I-I saw a m-meteor! U-up in the sky, this ball of light just dropped down in the middle of the Empire, a-and there were earthquakes, and now me and Flurry Heart are the only ones who haven’t been frozen in crystal, a-and I can’t find Princess Cadance or Prince Shining Armor in the castle, and…”

Lady Faust grumbled. With a twitch of her ear, Sunburst and Flurry Heart appeared before them in a flash of light. The ice crystals on the ground spread and engulfed Sunburst’s legs before he realized where he had been teleported to. “W-what?! Y-your Majesties, what’s going on?! Who’s…”

The three other ponies cried out in alarm as Flurry Heart was teleported out of Sunburst’s grasp and reappeared floating right in front of Lady Faust’s face.

“Stop! Let her go!” Cadance cried. “Right now!” she added as anger mixed with the fear already present in her voice.

Shining growled at Lady Faust. “If you hurt my daughter, I swear I’ll-”

“You’ll what? Wait for your sister to come save you?” Lady Faust interrupted with a bored glare at him.

“Give us our daughter back and let us go, or I’ll break you in two!” Cadance threatened her. The Princess of Love’s horn began to flicker with power, despite the icy curse that Lady Faust had placed on their magic.

Lady Faust ignored Cadance and focused on Flurry Heart. The baby was waving her hooves at her parents, trying to swim through the air to them but unable to move because of the far more powerful alicorn’s magic.

“Muh-muh! Dah-dah!” Flurry Heart cried.

Lady Faust gently touched her horn to Flurry Heart’s head. A wave of black energy passed through the baby’s whole body. When it finished, Flurry Heart was no longer crying. She looked bored, and a little bit sleepy. She turned her head to Lady Faust and mumbled in confusion.

Lady Faust’s voice was surprisingly gentle as she spoke. “From the moment you were born, bronies called you an abomination. The show writers treated you like a villain. Even your own family is afraid of you.”

“What? No, we’re not!” Cadance and Shining denied, but Lady Faust ignored them.

She reached out with a hoof and gently held Flurry Heart’s own hoof. “Don’t let others define who you are. Don’t let others break your spirit.” Her eyes hardened a little as she added coldly. “Above all else, don’t let others into your heart.” Lady Faust then mumbled something under her breath, too quiet for the others to hear.

Lady Faust floated the baby over to Sunburst and placed her on his head. A flash of light caused the ice trapping his hooves to disappear. “Take her and leave the Crystal Empire.”

“W-what?” Sunburst asked. “You’re letting us go?”

“What did you do to our daughter?” Cadance asked, glaring at Lady Faust.

The pale alicorn glanced at her. “I removed her ability to feel. She won’t be hurt as she and Sunburst walk through the frozen north, and onward to Ponyville. Actually, I might as well give that to him too.”

Another wave of black energy passed through Sunburst. When it was over, the unicorn blinked a couple of times before he announced, “That was weird.” His voice was flatter than Maud Pie’s.

“Sunburst? What did she do to you and Flurry Heart?” Shining asked. “How do you feel?”

“I do not.” Sunburst stated. He then turned around and walked away from them, calmly leaving the Crystal Empire and paying no attention to the citizens who were still trapped in ice and crystals all over the place.

“What do you mean you took their ability to feel?” Cadance asked.

Lady Faust shrugged. “They won’t feel pain. Or loneliness or sadness. Anger, hatred, and fear will never dwell in their hearts. They are both numb to the world.”

Lady Faust sighed when she saw their angry glares. “Trust me. For some people, it’s the only way to survive.”

“I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing, but Princess Twilight will beat you. You may be powerful, but my sister and her friends carry within them the most powerful magic of all!” Shining declared, both him and his wife grinning in triumphant determination.

Lady Faust gave them a small, calculating smile in return. One that caused their own grins to fade. “Ah, yes. The magic of friendship. Funny thing about friends…”

The queen trailed off and her smile faded away. Eyes widening, she turned around as she heard another pony approaching them.

“Sir, you need to get out of here! Find Princess Twilight, get help!” Shining shouted at the stallion.

But the orange earth stallion with the blonde mane and tail didn’t respond to him. He just sneered at Shining and Cadance with open disgust. He then stared Lady Faust in the eye and said,

“You should kill yourself.”

Shining and Cadance were shocked at what the stallion said, but they were even more stunned at the reaction this caused in Lady Faust. Her glowing blue eyes burned with immeasurable fury as she rushed toward the stallion with blinding speed and smashed her hoof into his skull and out his jawbone. But instead of exploding into a bloody mess, the stallion simply vanished. The pony was nothing but an illusion, but the growling alicorn in front of them was still very real.

Lady Faust glared murderously at the royal couple. But rather than roar at them, as they thought she would, Lady Faust turned away from them again. Her magic evaporated her tears and she mumbled something under her breath again, too quiet for them to hear.

With a burst of impossible speed, Lady Faust flapped her wings and blurred all the way out of the Crystal Empire until it was just a speck in the distance to her. She cast one glance back at the empire.

“With the Crystal Heart shattered, the crystal ponies found their own hearts turning to ice.”

When her eyes returned to normal, she could see that one gigantic ice crystal had completely encased the entire empire. Everybody inside the crystal was no longer a problem to her.

Lady Faust hung her head and stared down at the snow-covered hill. After several seconds of silence, she grimaced and clutched her head as her horn glowed even brighter. “Oh goodness…focus. Focus!.”

Her gaze sharpened and she glared at the sky. “Megan blurted my name out to Princess Nightmare and her Redemption buddies. I need to keep them occupied.”

She dipped her horn to the snow and then raised her head. Three blood red, pony-sized crystals burst out from the ground. Another wave of her horn, and the three crystals changed colour. One bright pink, one baby blue, and one light green crystal. Three tiny swords formed out of her horn and floated over the crystals, tapping each crystal as if the floating swords were knighting someone.

The three crystals broke apart like eggs and from out of their shells emerged three shadowy figures.

“My Queen. My Lady,” her servants said as one as they bowed to her.

“Go to Everfree,” Lady Faust ordered them. “You know what to do from there.”

“Your happiness is all that matters,” the creatures spoke in unison again.

Lady Faust turned away from them, her tail cutting through the fabric of time and space as she moved. The three alicorn fillies dove into the portal that formed, which promptly closed itself as Lady Faust walked away from the fallen empire.

Meanwhile, in another part of Everfree, Diamond Tiara was shaking hooves with another filly. “Congratulations Cozy Glow! How does it feel to be a free blank flank?”

Cozy Glow, a pale pink pegasus filly, smiled bashfully and toyed with the bow in her light blue mane. “Aw, shucks. I don’t really feel that different than I did before. Although…I guess I feel like a weight has been lifted off my back. Not a very big weight, but I guess it feels nice.” She grinned and gave Diamond a quick hug. “But what feels even nicer is finally getting to meet my favourite pen pal! Golly, you don’t know how happy I am to finally meet you face to face!”

“Well I’m glad my advice was able to help you lose your cutie mark. Now if only I could get rid of mine,” Diamond said, frowning at her flank.

“Maybe if you stopped thinking about your mark so much, it’d disappear faster,” Silver Spoon said as she approached the two. “Are you enjoying the party so far, Cozy?” she asked with a polite smile.

Cozy nodded. “Oh yes! Thank you so, so much for buying us passes to Glimmering Stars!”

“I don’t get it,” Snails said as he and Snips walked over to the girls. “You just lost your cutie mark and you come to the one place in Everfree where you can get another one?”

“Snails, the marks are temporary,” Snips pointed out as he balanced a toy ball on his head. “Besides, there’s other stuff to do here too.”

“You don’t say? We’re here looking for stuff to do too.” The Cutie Mark Destroyers and Cozy turned around to see three alicorn fillies approaching them. The alicorn in the middle of the group had a pale pink coat and a vivid orange mane and tail, with a big bow just like Apple Bloom’s tied into her mane. The alicorn on the left had a baby blue coat, with her blonde mane tied into pigtails. The alicorn on the right had a light green coat with a short black mane and tail.

Snips eyes widened. “Holy cow. Three new alicorns at once?! And you’re our age?!”

Snails whispered to him, “Do you think Discord’s playing a joke on us again?”

Cozy eyed the three fillies and hurried over to Diamond’s side, whispering in her ear. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Bad feeling about what? Whatcha whispering about?” the blue alicorn asked with a sweet smile.

Diamond and Cozy exchanged concerned looks, but Diamond quickly smiled at the newcomers. “Don’t mind my friend, she’s had a long day. So um, it’s nice to meet you. I’m China Crown…”

“We know who you are, Diamond Tiara,” the pink alicorn answered. “I don’t know why you think you can get away with lying to us though. Maybe we should introduce ourselves first. I’m Apple Blossom.”

“I’m Bubble Berry!” the blue alicorn giggled.

“Name’s Buttercup, because I’m not gonna ‘ponify’ my name,” the green alicorn said with a grouchy frown. “And it should be obvious who we’re ripping off,” she growled.

“Don’t be rude Buttercup,” Apple Blossom scolded her.

“And together, we’re the Power Ponies!” Bubble Berry cheered. Before she frowned and cried, “Shoot! That name is taken!”

“Yeah, well so are Apocalypse Ponies and Powerpuffs!” Buttercup grumbled.

Apple Blossom hung her head and sighed. “There’s nothing original anymore.”

Cozy cleared her throat and stepped up to the three alicorns, smiling sheepishly. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m awfully sorry about that ‘bad feeling’ comment I made earlier. I lost my cutie mark because I finally learned to trust other people, but I guess old habits are hard to break free from. I’m Cozy Glow, and I’m just delighted to meet you all! What brings you here?”

Apple Blossom raised an eyebrow. “Why should we tell you?”

“Depending on what you’re here for, maybe we can help you?” Cozy suggested.

The alicorns slowly smirked. “Maybe pint size here is right,” Buttercup said. “Alright short stuff-”

Cozy let out a huff. “I’m the same size as you.”

“Ha!” Buttercup laughed. “Alright then. You wanna explain it to her?”

“Happy to,” Apple Blossom answered. “Our blessed creator gave us new life and new purpose. In exchange for the superhero powers we have been granted, our tasks are quite simple.”

Bubble Berry smiled. “Distract Princess Nightmare Moon and all of her friends. Unleash your powers on every city, town, and village that gets in your way. Do not kill anyone…unless they give you no choice,” she said with a creepy giggle.

“What?!” the Cutie Mark Destroyers exclaimed, all four of them taking a step back.

“Golly! That sounds awfully serious. Although, I’m glad you’re not planning to kill anyone!” Cozy said. “That’s awfully nice of your creator though. Um, who is-”

“Fishing for information, huh?” Buttercup said. Without any further warning, she grabbed Cozy with one hoof and flew into the air, raising her other hoof to smash through the ceiling.

“COZY!” the Cutie Mark Destroyers cried.

Berry Bubble glared at them. Bright red lasers shout out of her eyes, cutting through the air and popping the ball that Snips had been carrying.

The four friends froze as Apple Blossom popped up into the air and hovered above them. “Now there’s no need to panic. We’re supposed to avoid killing and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Buttercup floated back down with a whimpering Cozy. “Of course, we’re also supposed to be distracting so…feel free to panic.”

Apple Blossom took a deep breath and blew a sheet of ice onto one of the building’s support structures before smashing it. Buttercup flew outside and up into the air again before she shot out another line of heat vision that sliced through a building across the street. Berry Bubble smashed through the wall, flew up into the air and let out an ear-bleeding, glass-shattering sonic scream.

“GUYS! MY BAG! GET THE CRYSTAL!” Diamond shouted over the noise.

Before Silver, Snips, or Snails could rush over to Diamond’s saddle bag, Berry Bubble stopped screaming and smashed back down into the building. She snatched up a crystal from Diamond’s bag and asked, “So what’s this thing do? Huh?”

Apple Blossom and Buttercup were floating next to her in a flash. Buttercup grabbed the crystal and held it up for Apple Blossom to examine. “If our Lady’s information is correct – and it always is – that’s probably a communication crystal. Sunset Shimmer gave that to you in case of emergencies, didn’t she?”

Buttercup smirked at the Destroyers. “Feel free to use it, chumps. The Elements are who we’re trying to distract.”

“Oh, fun fact though!” Berry Bubble giggled. “Our creator placed a special spell around us, for dealing with the Elements of Redemption. See, they can work on us…but they have to hit ALL of us at once.”

“So, um…” Cozy said as she struggled in Buttercup’s grasp. “If you three split up, then…the Elements can’t beat you?”

Buttercup smirked at her. “You catch on quick kid.”

“But you’re not here to kill them, just distract them, right? Because it seems to me that destroying a luxury resort wouldn’t grab their attention,” Cozy said.

The other ponies blinked at her. “What are you getting at?” Apple Blossom asked.

“Well it seems to me that flying to Tambelon – that’s where they are right now, by the way – and showing them that you have a hostage would get their attention a lot faster than destroying this town. And golly, since you sort of have me at your mercy already…”

The three alicorns shared an evil grin before they blasted off into the sky with Cozy.

The Destroyers stared at the pink, blue, and green rainbow as they left. “So, Cozy did that on purpose, right?” Snails asked.

“Right. If there’s one thing I learned from her letters it’s that she’s pretty talented at manipulating a conversation,” Diamond said as she retrieved her communication crystal from underneath an overturned bowl.

“She’s quick with her hooves too. I didn’t even see her swipe that from Buttercup,” Silver commented.

“So, you’re gonna call the Elements, right? They’ll save Cozy?” Snips asked.

“Yeah. But we gotta warn the Elements about taking them all at once. We’ve really got to be careful with this everyone,” Diamond told her friends. She looked up at the darkening sky and gulped. “They said they almost picked the name Apocalypse Ponies. Something tells me we’re literally gonna be in for the fight of our lives...”

Meanwhile in Equestria, Rarity was relaxing on a lawn chair by the lake. She adjusted the sunglasses on her face and turned the page of the book she was reading. “Ah…” she sighed happily.

She glanced over at the School of Friendship and chuckled to herself. “I still can’t believe they actually did it…”

“Rarity! There you are! We’ve been looking all over the place for you!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she and Guidance Counsellor Starlight Glimmer made their way over to her chair.

Rarity sighed. “And I’m dreadfully sorry about that. However, I’ve scheduled a bit of ‘me time’ for myself now. Whatever the problem is, I’m sure it can wait.”

“I’m afraid not Rarity,” Starlight said. “We don’t know everything that’s going on but what we do know…is bad.”

“Like, really bad!” Rainbow shouted.

“Very well,” Rarity sighed as she grabbed her book and got off her chair. “Just give me a moment to…”

She trailed off as Starlight teleported the three of them to the main hall of the School of Friendship. Rarity sighed and quickly joined the rest of the Elements of Harmony at the front of the assembly.

“Hello everyone. Thank you all for coming to this emergency meeting,” Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and Principal of the School of Friendship said. She braced herself and tried to suppress her nerves. “I’m afraid I have terrible news. Earlier this morning, a completely unknown threat arrived in Canterlot and sent the entire city plummeting into a magical black hole. Princesses Celestia and Luna haven’t been seen at this time, and it appears that nopony was able to escape from Canterlot’s destruction. A photo taken of the black hole where Canterlot once resided was the most information we had on this developing emergency.”

“Um, I haven’t heard anything from Discord either,” Fluttershy added quietly.

Twilight pointed at Sunburst and Flurry Heart, who were standing off to the side. “That was, until our friend Sunburst arrived from the Crystal Empire. He says that an incredibly powerful and dangerous alicorn princess smashed into the Crystal Empire like a meteor and froze the entire empire and everypony within it. Sunburst and my niece, Princess Flurry Heart are the only ones who escaped the empire’s destruction.”

“Not entirely unscathed though,” Sunburst said with a yawn. “I do not know the alicorn’s name, but it is clear we only escaped because she let us. If you think I sound like I am not taking this seriously, then I should inform you that I do not care what you think.” He paused as the other ponies and creatures stared at him in stunned silence. “Oh. The alicorn took away my emotions.” He suddenly smiled and added, “Good news is, I can still feel happiness!”

“Yay!” Flurry Heart cheered.

Sunburst’s smiled faded back into a blank expression. “Then again, I do not have much to be happy about. It is kind of a hollow victory.” Flurry Heart yawned and went back to sleep on his head.

Twilight gulped and addressed her students again. “This unknown alicorn has attacked four princesses and everyone in their kingdoms. Given what we know, it is likely that she will be coming to attack me too.” She glanced back at her friends and said, “That’s why I think it would be best if we…temporarily closed the school and sent you all home.”

“What?!” several students cried in protest.

“Headmare Twilight, you don’t need to close the school! We can help you!” a pony named Sandbar pleaded.

“Yeah! We helped stop Cozy Glow from stealing all our magic, didn’t we?!” an orange dragoness named Smolder said.

“Students, students! Everyone please, settle down!” Twilight shouted over them. “I wish you could help with this threat, but even based on what little information we’ve gotten from Sunburst, this mysterious alicorn is one of the most ruthless enemies Equestria has ever faced.”

Sunburst nodded. “Oh yeah. She could crush Tirek and the Storm King like bugs.”

“You’re saying she’s stronger than the S-Storm King?!” a hippogriff named Silverstream cried.

“Yeah. We’re all gonna die,” Sunburst stated bluntly.

Starlight winced as the students started to panic. “H-He didn’t mean that everyone! His emotions are still being tampered with by the mean, old alicorn behind this!” She turned to Sunburst and hissed at him, “Can’t you be a little more positive?!”

Sunburst shrugged. “What’s the point? We are all fish floating down a river. None of us are prepared for her storm.”

Pinkie Pie hummed to herself. “I can’t tell if that was poetry or not. Maybe if Maud was here…”

“Everyone, please calm down!” Twilight shouted, lighting up her horn to draw their attention. Once everyone was quiet again, she continued. “I know things look bleak right now, but this is just a precaution.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash declared as she flew over their heads. “With our friendship, we’ve beaten back all the bad guys in the past! We saved Equestria before and we’ll do it again today!” Together she, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Starlight, and Spike all put their claw, and hooves together.

“Rainbow Dash is right! No matter how powerful this alicorn is, she will never be as powerful as the magic of friend…ship…”

Twilight trailed off as she noticed that Rarity was staring at the students. “Um, Rarity?”

“Hey, come on Rarity! Get in on this, you’re ruining the moment!” Rainbow said.

“Friendship…friendship…friendship. That’s all you have talked about for years,” Rarity sighed. “It’s inescapable. Unrelenting. But that changes today.”

“Rarity? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, a shiver of dread running up her spine.

Rarity pulled off her sunglasses, revealing her glowing blue eyes. “I don’t know what’s worse. Your naivety or your arrogance.”

Sunburst, recognizing what was going on, announced. “We’re doomed.”

Rarity smirked at him. “That’s a given.” With a tilt of her head, Sunburst and Flurry Heart vanished in a flash of blue fire. Before Starlight or Twilight could cry out for their friend and niece, Rarity swept her hoof across the room. The blue fire washed over the students like a wave, teleporting them all far away from the School of Friendship.

“It’s you, isn’t it?!” Twilight glared at her. “What did you do to Rarity?! What did you do to our students?!”

“And Sunburst and Flurry Heart?!” Starlight cried.

“Unbelievable,” Rarity grumbled. She turned to the others and smiled sadly at them. “I’m sorry about this Twilight. Still, it was fun while it lasted.”

“FUN?!” Twilight growled. “You attacked our home, our friends, for no reason and you think this is fun?!”

Rarity sighed. “Well no, I guess not. Fun isn’t something one considers when correcting the mistakes of the Omniverse…”

With a flash of light, they were all teleported outside the School of Friendship to an empty, grassy field. Storm clouds formed rapidly overhead as swirling blue light traveled out of Rarity’s eyes and into the middle of the field. Rarity shook herself awake, only to cry out in alarm at the figure hovering in the air.

Lady Faust, greatest of the alicorns and goddess of Equestria, towered over them.

“But this…does put a smile on my face.”

“To be Continued...”

The Kingdom of Faust, Part Two

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Kingdom of Faust, Part Two

On a planet called Earth, Megan Williams sat alone in her old bedroom. Glowing runes had been placed on her door to prevent her brother or her sister from entering without her permission. Megan was quite grateful that she still had some magic left in her, even if she was still unable to turn herself back into Merry Weather.

At that moment, Megan was doing something that she knew was a bad idea. She kept telling herself in her mind that she should really stop, but some part of her refused to put the newspaper down. Eventually she folded the newspaper up and almost gagged at the sight of the front page. She ripped the newspaper into pieces and threw it into a recycling bin, where the tattered remains of dozens of other newspapers lay.

She heard a knock at her door. “Megan? I brought lunch. Can I come in?” her brother Danny said.

“No,” Megan said. She sat back down on her bed and crossed her arms. “And I prefer Merry Weather.”

Danny sighed, but didn’t push the issue. A patch on the wall began to glow with power as a plate of food was pushed through the wall and gently flew over to Megan’s side. “Okay Megan. Seriously though, me and Molly are here for you. We’ll stay and listen to whatever you have to say. You know that, right?”

Megan wrinkled her nose in disgust at the chicken on her plate. “Danny, I’m a vegetarian!”

Danny sighed again. “Okay, fine. Just push the chicken to the side and I’ll eat it later.”

Megan took the fork provided with the plate and began picking through her food. The patch on the wall stopped glowing, and she couldn’t help glancing up at it. “When did you and Molly learn magic?”

“Same way as you did, I imagine. We picked a few spells up while we were searching through all those pony worlds, looking for you. We…we really missed you Megan.”

Megan stared down at her lunch. “Why?”

“Why?! Because we care about you Megan!”

“See, that’s the difference between you and the rest of humanity.”

“Oh brother…are you reading the news again?!”

“Well, you won’t let me use the Internet anymore…”

“That’s not what Molly meant! You can use the Internet, she just…the way you’re thinking right now, Molly said it’s best if you don’t, ya know…read the comments. I mean, if you can find some games on there…”

Megan sighed. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but…leave me alone.”

“Megan…”

“Leave. Me. Alone,” Megan growled at the door.

As soon as she could hear Danny leaving, Megan grabbed her pillow and pressed her face into it, hoping to block out the world.

“Merry Weather? Can we talk?”

Megan bolted up out of bed to discover Stygian stepping out of a shadowy portal and into her bedroom. “Stygian! Oh, thank our Lady you’re here!” She rushed forward and gave him a hug.

Stygian shuddered a little and turned into a living shadow, slipping out of her grasp before he turned back into himself about two feet away from her. “Merry, you know I don’t like hugs.”

“S-sorry. I’m just so glad to see another pony again,” Megan sheepishly smiled. “Even if you did argue with our Lady too much.”

Stygian sighed. “I argued with Lady Faust for a good reason. What she’s doing is too much.”

Megan curled her hands into fists. “We fooled all those other idiots into thinking our queen wants to destroy a world, but you and I know what’s really happening! Our cause is noble! How could you betray our Lady?!”

“I’m not…I understand what Lady Faust is trying to say, okay?” Stygian said. “I know how important her message is. But she is going about it the wrong way; hurting people isn’t going to solve anything. And after Tambelon, how can you argue that everything you did was noble? You transformed and brainwashed an entire kingdom, Merry.”

Megan uncurled her fists and brought her hands together in a plea. She crouched down to Stygian’s level and begged. “I know it was foolish. A leftover influence of the human I used to be. Please, I promise I’ll be better. It was stupid of me, and I am so sorry.”

“Really? So, you don’t hate dragons anymore?” Stygian asked. “Minotaurs? Griffons, changelings? You don’t hate ANY of them anymore?”

Megan blushed. “I know that irrational fears can be hard to get rid of. But I promise you, I will give every creature I meet a fair chance. I’ll make an honest effort to befriend everyone, no matter what they look like.”

“Even humans?”

Megan smiled dropped into a scowl. “They don’t count.”

Stygian groaned. “Merry, you’re being cruel.”

“You…don’t know…what those humans have done,” Megan growled.

“Merry Weather…Megan,” Stygian said, ignoring the glare she sent him. “Why do you hate humans so much?”

Megan growled and retrieved a book from underneath her bed. She threw the book at his hooves and pointed at the title, A History of War.

“Megan…”

“Look through that book,” Megan insisted. “I guarantee you, you’ll find a reason to hate humanity too.”

Stygian pushed the book away. “You know that ponies have had wars in the past too, right?”

“Not serious wars. A pony war usually amounts to a big playground tussle. Besides, ponies don’t fight over stupid things the way humans do.”

“Megan, I don’t know anything about humans, but I do know that you can’t judge a group of people based only on the negative actions of a few members. I’m positive that there are more good humans than bad.”

“Well you’re wrong,” Megan grumbled, crossing her arms.

“I’m serious! Maybe you just haven’t met that many humans. I mean…what about you? What about your siblings?”

“Molly, Danny, and I were lucky enough to be taken to a beautiful world of kind and loving ponies. Our vile human nature was washed away with the magic of their friendship.” Megan sighed. “Why am I explaining this to you? It doesn’t matter what non-believers like you think. My Lady will be victorious. She WILL get what she wants.”

Stygian sighed again. “Now that I know what her plan is, I can no longer be a part of it. But I also know that I’m powerless against her. Which is why I’m here to fulfill the final orders she gave me. A reward and an apology.”

Megan’s anger faded away as Stygian conjured up a small cloud of shadows and retrieved a glowing potion from it. “Drink this potion and you will permanently gain the ability to switch back and forth between your human and pony forms.”

Megan immediately grabbed the potion and drank it down greedily as Stygian kept explaining. “Tap your knuckles together to turn into Merry Weather. Clap your hooves three times to turn back into Megan. Or just concentrate really hard in the event you’re handcuffed or something...”

“Why would I ever want to be human?” Megan asked as she smashed her fists together and grinned as they turned into hooves.

Stygian shrugged. “It’s nice to have options, let’s leave it at that for now.”

“Okay, I’m ready to go,” Merry said as she hopped off the bed and gave him an expectant smile.

“I’m not taking you back to Everfree or Equestria.”

Merry frowned. “If you’re trying to stand between me and my Lady…”

“Actually, this is one of Lady Faust’s orders. You’ve been a loyal servant to her for years, and she said all that’s left is her apology.”

“W…what?”

Stygian sighed. “Lady Faust told you many things, including falsehoods that were meant to misdirect potential eavesdroppers rather than her actual orders. Lady Faust is concerned that you do not see her plan the same way she does. But most of all, Lady Faust wanted to say…she’s sorry for the way she treated you.”

Merry fidgeted. “But...she never mistreated me. She helped me when nobody else would. She came into my life, she said ‘I’m here for you’ and she proved it. I…I thought that made us friends…”

Stygian sighed. “Sooner or later, Lady Faust will make her lesson clear. Even if she doesn’t destroy Equestria, she’ll get what she wants. I only hope the world will benefit from all this.”

Merry gave him a dreamy smile, her mind filling with lovely visions of her Lady’s desires. “The world WILL become a better place. You’ll see, Stygian.”

Stygian eyed her carefully as he opened another shadowy portal. “Listen very carefully to this last piece of advice, Megan Williams. You should talk to your family or somebody who can help you. Attacking humans won’t give you peace.”

Merry frowned as the portal closed behind Stygian. “I can’t see anything else that will.”

Lord Tirek lead the Elements of Redemption and their friends deeper into King Sombra’s private study in the Crystal Empire. “Keep up everyone, we don’t have any time left to waste!”

Princess Nightmare Moon, Sunset Shimmer, Smog, Trixie, Queen Chrysalis, Gilda, Duchess Celestia, and Duchess Luna all stepped out of the portal that Discord had created with varying expressions of unease on all their faces. While they hurried after Tirek, Applejack and Fluttershy lingered near the portal.

“Are y’all sure that Tambelon is going to be okay? First Grogar, then Megan, and then we just up and left ’em all like a full branch of apples swinging in a storm.”

Tirek dismissed Applejack’s question. “Gregory can take care of his people. But if we do not confront Lady Faust, he won’t have a people! None of us will!” He levitated a few books out from the corners of the dustier shelves and skimmed through them. When he couldn’t find what he was looking for, he rubbed his forehead in irritation. “I do not mean to insult you or Miss Fluttershy but unless she can convince the Smooze to devour a world-destroying goddess, then I’m afraid neither of you will be much help to us.”

“W-w…world destroying?!” Fluttershy stammered.

“She…she ain’t that powerful, is she?” a wide-eyed Applejack asked.

Discord closed the portal that was still tied to Tambelon and opened two new ones. “Fluttershy, could you please do me a favor and check in on Polaris? It feels like it’s been years since I’ve given him any love. Mostly because he eats its opposite, but if I can’t be here for him now, somebody should. Please?”

“Um, okay Discord. I don’t know much about Windigo care, but I’ll do my best,” Fluttershy said before she flew into the portal leading to the Chaos Corner.

“And Applejack, perhaps you should go visit your family. It’s been ages since you’ve spoken to Apple Bloom, Big Mac, or Granny.” An apple pie appeared in Discord’s eagle claw and he handed it to her.

Applejack gave the pie a suspicious glare. “This one don’t have confetti-spewing worms, does it?”

“Now…isn’t really the time for jokes.”

Applejack’s eyes widened and she gulped at Discord’s sad smile. “This is serious, ain’t it?”

“I suppose now’s a good time as any to tell you this…Pinkie Pie and I sort of got an advance warning on Lady Faust. That time-stopping party we threw before? We did that on purpose, to try and hold her and her followers back. And it was working so wonderfully until that whack-a-doodle Princess Skystar showed up.”

Nightmare shot him a glare. “Okay, we’ll discuss that later. Applejack, you really should be with your family if this is as serious as it feels.”

Applejack grimly nodded and leapt into the portal to Sweet Apple Acres. Discord zipped the portal closed and turned his attention to Nightmare and Smog. The little dragon huffed impatiently.

“So, is anyone going to tell us just how serious this Lady Faust is?” Smog asked.

Tirek finally found the book he was looking for and brought it over to them. “Here. The ancient prophecy and every piece of information we have on Lady Faust, all contained within this book.” He sighed and flipped the book open to a random page. “Not that it means anything to a pony whose special talent lets her rewrite anything.”

The other people in the room examined the page he pointed at to see that all the sentences were crossing themselves out with bright blue ink to the point of illegibility.

“Okay, why are we staring at this book if you knew this’d happen?” Gilda asked impatiently.

Tirek shrugged. “Wishful thinking perhaps? I thought Lady Faust wouldn’t remember this book. I assure you, it had useful information the last time I read it. However, I worry Lady Faust may already be erasing those memories from my mind.”

“What, like right now?” Trixie asked.

Discord grimaced and stroked his beard. “Indeed. Pinkie and I spent some time debating this issue. I imagine that she’s gone to investigate the matter, which is why she wasn’t around to help us with Grogar and 'merry' Megan. The last time we spoke, Pinkie said Lady Faust would start her rampage in Equestria. I’d say that’s happening right now, but our realities are so tied together that Faust’s power can reach into our world with little effort.”

“Exactly how powerful is this Lady Faust?” Nightmare asked. “You’re all making this sound worse than the second time we fought Pinkie Pie, and she was draining magic from other universes.”

A portal popped open next to them and Pinkie came flying out. “Gangway!” she shouted before she grabbed the portal and slammed it shut.

“Speak of the Pink One, and she’ll appear,” Tirek remarked.

“Pinkie Pie! Thank the night you’re here, we could really use your help right now!” Nightmare said as she and her friends crowded around Pinkie.

“Oh, hey everyone,” the chaotic mare waved at them half-heartedly before she collapsed onto the floors. “Good grief, first that glowing hand and then that meanie Skystar chased me through 36 different worlds! I think I lost her in a time loop somewhere but…ughhhh, I’m beat.”

“Are you okay, Pinkie? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this exhausted since…ever,” Chrysalis said as she helped Pinkie back onto her hooves.

“Honestly, I’m not feeling too hot right now, Chrysie,” Pinkie said as some strawberry ice cream formed on her back, which she licked off with her super stretchy tongue to help her feel better. “I’m all about giggling at the ghosties, but no ghost has ever been this scary.”

“We should probably tell them,” Discord said.

“No arguments here,” Pinkie said. “Okay guys, here’s what you need to know. A while back, me and Discord heard about this super-duper, ultra-grumpy alicorn named Lady Faust, mostly because of her fourth wall breaking.”

“I think you meant, dimensional traveling,” Discord said.

“That too, that too,” Pinkie nodded in agreement. “Discord and I tried to stop her by throwing-”

“I already told them we threw the time-stopping party on purpose,” Discord said.

“Okay, I guess we’re talking about this now. WHY did you stop time and why didn’t you tell us about this sooner?!” Nightmare asked, flapping her wings a bit in agitation.

“Stopping time was the only thing we could think of to slow her down, and she gets really mad the more people know about her existence,” Pinkie said.

Trixie frowned and turned to Tirek. “You called this Lady Faust a world-destroying goddess earlier. But the Courageous and Triumphant Trixie and her friends battled Pinkie when she was at her worst. Surely, there must be some way to defeat Faust?”

Pinkie shook her head. “I’m really, really sorry to tell you all this, but even though I took the cake when it came to powerful baddies, Lady Faust takes every cake factory in the world. She’s SO strong, she could destroy Equestria in seconds, hop over to our universe without us realizing it, and destroy our world too.”

Sunset groaned. “Pinkie, I know you like to exaggerate for comedy’s sake but we need you to be serious.”

“I am being serious, Sunset,” Pinkie said with haunted wide eyes. “She really is that powerful.”

Trixie sat down and threw her forelegs up. “Whelp, we’re dead. Might as well make the best of our remaining time. Discord, could you please summon up a manticore for me? The Death-Defying Trixie has a bucket list she needs to attend to.”

“Okay, everyone just stop!” Sunset shouted to get their attention. She frowned at Discord until he sheepishly lowered his unsnapped talon and said, “We can’t give up now. Not after all we’ve been through.” She pointed at Tirek and Pinkie. “You’re making Lady Faust out to be this unstoppable, all-powerful threat that we could never defeat, HOWEVER…you’re forgetting one important fact.”

Smog picked up on the point Sunset was making and gestured to the empire outside the window. “If Lady Faust can destroy us all so easily, it begs the question…why hasn’t she already done it?”

“Hey, yeah! What’s stopping her?” Gilda asked the room.

“I…may have an idea,” Sombra said. “Nightmare Moon, you and your friends have used a certain potion created by Zecora in the past to relive memories, correct?”

“A good idea Sombra, but we would need Lady Faust to drink said potion in order to learn about her past,” Celestia said.

“Perhaps, but I remember a story that my mother once told me. I’m curious to see just how far back Zecora’s potion can take my mind…” Sombra pondered out loud.

Discord snapped his fingers and summoned a vial. “One flashback potion, hot and ready. Would you like strawberry or vanilla flavour?”

Before Sombra could reach for the potion, Tirek used his magic to blast the potion out of the air in annoyance. “You wish to know about Lady Faust’s past? I can tell you plenty. When I was just a young prince in my homeland, I happened to bump into the dreaded alicorn queen. She most likely wiped my memories clean off how this meeting occurred but what I do remember is a lesson I will never forget. I was foolish and ambitious in my youth, and I fed off of Lady Faust’s magic for just a single second. Just one bite of her magic was enough to accelerate my body’s growth beyond reason. I skipped over childhood and became an adult in seconds. All that magic made me grow as large as a mountain. Just the tiniest drop of Lady Faust’s magic overwhelmed me with power to the point I almost died. By the time my transformation was over, Lady Faust had disappeared and for an entire month I could not eat, drink, sleep, or even sit still. My days were spent donating that magic to people who needed it more, creatures who needed it less than others, or simply burning it all off. More years have flown by than I can count and yet I’m almost certain I still have some of her power left in me.”

Tirek fixed his audience with a glare. “This is the kind of enemy we are facing. I know you enjoy learning about your enemies so that you may more easily forgive them, Princess Nightmare, but Lady Faust isn’t like them. She is not a person, she IS power. Raw, indiscriminate, unforgiving power. We don’t have time to look at her past, we must destroy her now or else we won’t have a future.”

Luna snorted at him. “There was once a time when you thought Pinkie Pie couldn’t be reasoned with either, but Moony proved you wrong.” She smiled at her daughter. “If you wish to see Sombra’s memories, I’m sure we can spare some time. It is your choice though.”

Nightmare pondered her decision for a few seconds before she nodded. “Our methods have worked well for us in the past. And no offense Lord Tirek, but I trust my mentor and my mom more than you in this matter. Discord, get Sombra another potion.”

Discord conjured up another potion and floated it over to the king. “You know, one of these days I should really pay Zecora back for all these potions of hers I keep taking.” He stroked his beard for a second before he shrugged and snapped his fingers, creating a pony-sized bag of gold. “Well no good time like the possible impending destruction of two worlds.” He waved his paw and teleported the gold to Zecora’s house.

As for the king of the crystal empire, Sombra inhaled the potion and exhaled his vision.

The vision began in the middle of a howling blizzard. A pony was climbing up what looked like the road of a snow-covered mountain. Crawling up the mountain would have been a more accurate term as the snow had piled up so high, her tail and all four of her legs were sunk deep into the snow. It looked more like she was dragging her belly across a frigid white blanket as she tried to wrap her cloak tighter around her and the little baby colt she was carrying on her back.

As the pony climbed the mountain, her path began to clear. She stumbled upon the single patch of grass on the entire mountain and her squinted eyes widened in surprise and joyful relief as she saw that the patch of grass was right outside a cave.

“I told you we’d make it, Sombra!” the mare said to the weakly crying baby on her back. “We’ll be warm again once we get inside and I make a fire!”

The mare crawled her way through the rest of the snow until she could feel the hooves touch solid earth again, at which point she galloped into the cave. As soon as she stepped inside and away from the howling, freezing cold winds, the pony pulled her hood back. She was a dark purple unicorn with a light, grayish blue mane and tail. She smiled and gently lowered the baby – whose cries had softened as he felt warmth again – off her back. “Wow, it’s really warm in here, isn’t it Sombra? Almost feels like we don’t need a fire. But a campfire would still be nice, wouldn’t it? Now, we’re going to try and find some twigs and kindling, and then we’ll be nice and…”

“Leave me alone.”

The mare gasped and levitated the baby colt towards her, wrapping a hoof protectively around him. “Is…is someone there? Please, we didn’t know there was anyone here. We don’t want any trouble, we just need a place to stay until this blizzard goes away.”

The cave illuminated with a warm, cozy light, even though the unicorn could detect no fire or lantern. In the middle of the cave was a huge, pale white dragoness with red scales. The dragoness turned her head and glared at the pony.

“Go away.”

The pony gulped. “P…please miss dragon, I never meant to intrude upon your home. But I’m afraid we can’t leave. We’ll freeze to death out there.”

“I might eat you if you stay here,” the dragoness threatened. However, she didn’t look like she was getting up off the floor any time soon.

The pony could see how uncomfortable the dragoness was with the idea and softly chuckled. “Between freezing to death in a blizzard or getting eaten by a dragon, I’m sure you would make a much better story to tell in the afterlife. Maybe its’ the cold speaking, but the thought of slowly being digested in that nice, warm dragon belly of yours sounds relaxing.”

The dragoness adjusted her head so she could see the pony better. “You’re not scared of me?”

The pony shrugged. “Not really. I can tell you weren’t serious about eating us. You’re not a killer.”

“But I’m a…dragon. I’m a monster.”

“Oh no…” the pony whispered softly. “Did someone say that to you? Miss dragon, you’re not a monster.” The unicorn slowly inched herself closer to the dragoness and laid a gentle hoof on her side. “You-”

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” the dragoness growled, shuffling backwards into the cave.

The pony immediately retracted her hoof and took a few steps back. “I am so sorry, Miss Dragon!”

The baby colt cried louder again, and the mare began to gently rock him while keeping an eye on the dragoness.

The dark blue fire in the dragon’s eyes extinguished themselves as she looked down at the colt. “You have a baby with you?”

A very faint blue light seemed to wash over the colt and his cries softened again. “Oh, well that’s better. Poor guy hasn’t gotten any rest all night.” The pony smiled and brought the baby a little closer for the dragon to see, while still rocking the baby. “This little guy is Sombra.”

The dragoness eyed the pony. “And who are you?”

“Me? Oh, my name is Radiant Hope.”

“But…you’re not the same age…” the dragoness trailed off, her glaze flickering to Sombra then back up to Radiant. “What is your…relation to him?”

“I’m his mother,” Radiant answered.

“Aren’t you a little young to be anyone’s mom?”

“Oh well, goodness yes,” Radiant lightly giggled. “I’m his mother by adoption.” For the first time during the vision, Radiant frowned. “The poor guy was all alone out in the snow. Not even a letter explaining what happened or a blanket to give him warmth.” She smiled and tucked the baby tighter into the bundle she had him wrapped up in. “But he’s such a smart guy, yes you are. He’s said the word ‘Sombra’ more than a few times, even though most babies can’t talk at this age. He recognizes things too.” Her smile faded and her frown returned. “Which is why it’s such a tragedy. Why would his parents leave him like that? If he was sent to an orphanage, I could almost understand. Not every family has the money to give food, clothes, and toys to a newborn child. Parenting can be a stressful job, I know that. But they just left him to freeze to death in the cold! I would never wish that they had perished in some terrible accident, but at least it could explain why anyone could be so cruel to a newborn.”

“His family abandoned him…but you took him in?” Radiant nodded as she gazed down happily at Sombra. The dragoness was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again. “You can stay here until tomorrow morning. The blizzard will be gone by then.”

“Really? Oh bless you, thank you so much Miss Dragon!” Radiant took a step closer to offer a hug to the dragoness but flinched away. “Right. No touching.” She looked around the cave. “Um, since you don’t want us anywhere near your belly, do you have any twigs or stones I could use to make a fire? You wouldn’t even need to light it, I can…”

“There’s a fire over there.”

Radiant turned around to see a perfect campfire was sitting in a corner of the cave. “Oh wow, this is great! I didn’t even notice that fire was there before!” She hurried over to the campfire and crouched down to it, keeping Sombra close to her as they warmed up.

“I promise you, we won’t abuse your hospitality. We’ll sleep here until morning and won’t make a peep. I can find us some water and food and um, if I see any gemstones while I’m out tomorrow I can get you some,” Radiant said, smiling at the dragoness. Their host did not respond. Radiant sighed and gently rubbed Sombra’s back. “I wish I had a story I could read him.”

The dragoness looked over at her. “You like stories?”

“Sure. I love a good book,” Radiant answered.

The dragoness scratched a little circle into the floor with her claw. “You know, you could…borrow one of my books and read to him.”

Radiant’s eyes widened as she looked down at the huge pile of books that the dragoness was lying on. A part of her mind wondered if those books had been there before, but she focused on levitating some books over to her and expressing her gratitude to the dragoness. “This is amazing! Thank you so much, I promise I’ll give them right back and keep them in…wow, this is in great condition!” Radiant exclaimed as she flipped open the book and saw how clean it was. “I’m surprised Miss Dragon, I thought dragons only kept jewels and gold in their hoard.

The dragoness smiled as if she was remembering something. “Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.”

“You have plenty of great picture books. I wish I could use one of them but at this point Sombra will fall asleep any second. I’ll borrow one of your novels then. They say if you play music or read to babies when they’re sleeping it helps them to grow smarter. Do you play any instruments, Miss Dragon?”

The dragoness lightly shook her head no, and Radiant softly gasped as she realized something. “I’m so sorry, you know our names but I’ve just been calling you Miss Dragon this whole time. What’s your name?”

The dragoness growled. “I don’t have one anymore.”

Radiant smiled gently at her. “You seem really upset about something. I don’t know what it is, but maybe I can help you-”

“New rule. If you want to stay here, you can’t talk anymore,” the dragoness said before she laid her head back down and turned away from Radiant.

“I…okay. Sorry,” Radiant said before she fell silent.

…

…

“…If you want to read aloud, that would be fine.”

Radiant smiled again and opened one of the novels as she held Sombra closer to her. “Once upon a time, there was a brother and sister, cast out from their village for…”

The vision sped up until night had passed. Radiant and Sombra woke up from their slumber and Radiant grinned when she saw that the blizzard had passed. She walked outside of the cave to see that most of the snow had melted overnight. The path leading back down the mountain was clear as crystal. The only snow left formed in piles along the pathway, the snowbanks sparkling like diamonds under the sunny, slightly cloudy sky.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Radiant said, placing a hoof over her heart. She turned back to the cave and walked back inside. “Thank you so much for allowing us to spend the night, Miss Dragon.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Is there anything I can do to repay you for your kindness?” The dragoness remained silent. “Please? It breaks my heart to see a good person look so sad.”

The dragon turned her gaze to Radiant. “Are you…sure you’re a pony?”

Radiant blinked in confusion. “Well, yes. Don’t I look like one?” she giggled.

“You don’t sound like one.”

“Would you…like to come with us? See the world outside this cave?”

The dragoness growled and turned away from her. “I want to be left alone.”

Radiant sighed sadly. “Okay. I’ll leave you alone. But…one last question, please?”

“Okay.”

“If you just want to be left alone, why did you let us spend the night?”

“Helping you…made me feel happy.”

For the first time in the vision, the dragoness stood up. Her body glowed with power as she shrunk down to a slightly smaller, but still towering creature.

“And my happiness is the only thing that matters anymore,” Lady Faust said.

She glared down at Radiant as if she was expecting something. But instead, Radiant Hope stared back at Lady Faust, her eyes watering with grief. “Oh my goodness…I am so, so sorry for what they did to you. They were wrong. You can be a good person.”

Lady Faust tensed, flared her wings, and took a step back. “What?” she asked, her voice strained by anger and fear.

“I can see it in your eyes, and they were wrong about you! I won’t hurt you like they did, please don’t run! Let me help you!” Radiant cried as she reached out to the alicorn.

Lady Faust’s filled with burning tears before she teleported away in a flash of black and blue fire. The cave’s lighting, the campfire, and all the books vanished. Radiant stared sadly at the spot Lady Faust had disappeared from. A drop of snow fell on her muzzle, causing her to glance up at the darkening sky.

“We should go.” She bundled up Sombra a little more and galloped down the mountain in search of civilization.

The vision ended after that. Pinkie Pie blinked a little bit to clear her eyes before she floated over to King Sombra. “So…Radiant Hope was your adoptive mommy?”

“Ah, yes. You never met her, did you?” Luna said. “Yes, Radiant Hope raised Sombra as her own. She was not a wealthy mare, but she worked hard and supported herself and her son for many years. When Sombra discovered his talent for magic, Celestia and I offered him an apprenticeship, along with Starswirl and Sparkle. With Sombra and his mother living in the castle with us, money was no longer a concern for Radiant. But rather than relax in a life of luxury, Radiant Hope continued to work. She volunteered at hospitals and schools. She donated to and even created several charities.”

Twilight Sparkle smiled sadly and wiped a tear away from her eye. “Other than Sombra’s unknown biological family, she never had a bad thing to say about anyone. There’s a whole chapter about her in one of my favourite books, A History of Generosity: The World’s Kindest Creatures. I cry every time I read that book.”

“Gosh, she sounds really nice. How come I’ve never heard of her before?” Pinkie asked.

Sombra sighed. “The various branches of magic that I studied, plus my new duties as the prince of the Crystal Empire showed me how to extend my own lifespan. But by the time I became king, my mother was a very old mare. She turned down my offer to extend her lifespan and died peacefully, with me by her bedside.”

“Aww! Poor Somby!” Pinkie cried as she flew over to give him a hug.

Sombra allowed her to hug him for a little while before he slipped out of her grasp. “My mother is at peace now, Pinkie. She has been for many years.”

He turned to Tirek and said, “But this proves my point. Radiant Hope was one of the kindest, wisest, most forgiving mares I ever knew. And if she could see something good inside of Lady Faust, then she can still be reformed. It’s what Princess Nightmare and her friends have done against all their foes before and it has served them well.”

Tirek facepalmed and growled before he threw his hands up. “Fine! Princess Nightmare, you and the Element Bearers can deal with Lady Faust using any method you wish! But you had better do it now! The rest of us will stay here in Everfree, in the event Lady Faust tries to ambush the Crystal Empire while you’re gone. NOW GO!”

“Alright, alright already! Sheesh, more like Lord Impatient,” Discord huffed before he snapped his fingers and teleported himself, the other Element Bearers, and Smog to the room where the mirror portal to Equestria was kept.

“Wait…where’s the portal?!” Chrysalis exclaimed.

“Looking for these?” The Element Bearers turned around to see three brightly coloured alicorn fillies floating towards them. Buttercup and Apple Blossom grinned nastily at them as they dropped shards of the broken mirror at their hooves. Berry Bubble tried to appear menacing too but she was having trouble restraining her hostage, Cozy Glow.

Buttercup glared at Cozy. “You said they would be at Tambelon.” Cozy smiled sheepishly and shrugged before she glanced over at the Elements and started pointing at her own neck.

Smog - who was just so done with the number of villains they had been forced to battle that day - grunted, “Okay, now who are you three idiots?”

“I’m Apple Blossom,” the pink filly said. “These are my sisters, Berry Bubble and Buttercup.”

“Stop that,” Berry Bubble grumbled as she pinned Cozy’s hooves back, preventing her from making any more subtle gestures for the Element bearers to hurry up and use their magic necklaces already.

“Whassup?” Buttercup waved. “We’re still trying to come up with a team name for ourselves, ‘cause most of the good ones are already taken.”

“And since Megan is out of the way, are the three of you Lady Faust’s newest hench-girls?” Sunset guessed.

Apple Blossom smirked. “Ooh, I can see why you got the Element of Knowledge. Yeah, we’re here to make sure you don’t interfere with our creator’s plan. Now, nobody needs to get hurt…”

“Unless ya really want to,” Buttercup said with a smirk.

Apple Blossom glared at her before she smiled back at the Elements. “However, since we destroyed the mirror portal, the seven of you can’t enter Equestria anyway. So there’s no need to blow this situation out of proportion.”

“I believe you three are forgetting someone,” Nightmare said with a smirk as she pointed at Discord.

Apple Blossom nodded. “Ah yes, you have a point there. But Lady Faust is a fast learner. Your Pinkie Pie may have snuck up on her before, but now she has a spell in place to…redirect any portals that get opened by your chaos-wielding friends. Discord can’t get you to Equestria this time, princess.”

“Ow! Hey!” Berry Bubble cried as Cozy bit her.

“Use the Elements! Use them now!” Cozy shouted.

“Quiet!” the three fillies growled at Cozy.

The Elements on the other hand could recognize that Cozy probably had a good point. Wasting no more time talking, Nightmare and her friends grabbed their Elements and powered them up.

“Run!” Apple Blossom ordered. She and Buttercup smashed through the wall and rocketed far away from the vault.

“Hey! Don’t leave me!” Berry Bubble called after her sisters. Her eyes began to glow red as she threw Cozy aside and flew at the Elements with a hoof aimed right for Nightmare’s face. The power of the Elements of Redemption hit Berry Bubble before she could get too close. She was blasted back and pushed up against the wall as a heavy blue aura began to emit from her body.

As the glow from the Elements faded away, Smog hesitantly approached Berry Bubble. “Did it work? She doesn’t look any different.”

Sunset helped Cozy Glow get back up. Cozy quickly informed them, “Their leader, this Lady Faust or whoever, created her and her sisters with some special magic. Your Elements of Redemption will only work if you hit all three of them with it. I tried to warn you to use the Elements right away, but then two of them flew off already.” She blushed and added, “Also, my name is Cozy Glow. I’m a friend of Diamond Tiara’s and I’m a really big fan.”

“Oh. Well it’s always nice to meet you,” Sunset said as she gave Cozy a friendly hoofshake.

Trixie nodded. “As does Trixie. She only wishes it was under better circumstances.”

“Oh my gosh, same,” Cozy said with a nervous laugh. “Um, I don’t suppose I could ask you all for autographs or whatever…after you save the day again, of course.”

“Owie…what happened?” Berry Bubble asked as she rubbed her head.

“Oh no you don’t!” Gilda pushed Berry Bubble back up against the wall. “Smog, melt her face off while I’ve still got her pinned!”

“Whoa, wait! I’m me again!” Berry Bubble cried. “I’m Sonata!”

“Stop!” Chrysalis cried as she hurried over, telekinetically aiming Smog’s smoking mouth away from the alicorn filly. “Sonata? From the Dazzlings?”

“Uh, hey guys! Sorry for breaking the portal and all that junk,” Sonata said with a sheepish shrug.

“What’s going on? What happened to you?” Sunset asked.

“Okay so, you know like, how Everfree has kind of a low-key trade deal with Equestria? And how like, Princess Nightmare Moon gave me and the other Dazzlings permission to go on a world-tour in like, another world? Oh, thanks for that Princess Nightie! You rock!”

“You’re welcome,” Nightmare said, motioning for Sonata to continue.

“Right. So me and Adagio and Aria had just finished singing to this super classy restaurant over in like, I think it’s called Manehatten instead of the Big Apple, but like we were back on the road heading to our next show. And we meet this really pale alicorn. And I said we should stop and help her.”

Smog frowned. “Why?”

“Because she was hitting herself in the face with a hammer.”

“Um…I’m sorry, she was what?!” Nightmare asked.

“She was magic-ing this sledgehammer and hitting herself in the face with it. She seemed really sad about something even though her face wasn’t hurt. So Adagio agreed that she was probably like, super messed up in the head and we should try to help her, right? But then she used this crazy magic to rewrite our bodies and our minds! And now it’s like, me and Adagio, and Aria are superhero fillies, except we have to do what Lady Faust says to.”

“Ugh. Megan already tried this stunt, I shouldn’t be surprised that her master would try the same thing,” Nightmare sighed. “Sonata, I’m so sorry that you and the Dazzlings are suffering through this.”

Sonata smiled. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m cool.”

“How are you ‘cool’ with this?” Chrysalis asked incredulously. “You were trapped within your own transformed body before the Elements cured you.”

“Well, I’m sorry about being forced to break your magic mirror, and kidnap Cozy here, and wrecking all those buildings. Not being able to enjoy these new superpowers is a bummer too. But most of the stuff we broke could probably be fixed by Discord doing his snappy magic, right? And even though I’m trapped in my own head, my brain is super awesome!” Sonata grinned. “I’ve got the comfiest bedroom, with a computer I can listen to music on and watch cartoons all day! I’ve got a kitchen where I just talk to my fridge and I get any food I want! I’ve eaten the cheesiest nachos, the tastiest tacos, and the fudgiest ice cream ever!”

“Hmm. That’s interesting,” Cozy pondered out-loud. “You were captured, transformed, and brainwashed into doing her dirty work, but she’s using you as simple distractions. Outside of kidnapping me, all you’ve done is damage several buildings. All of which can be rebuilt by magic, although I’m not sure about this mirror portal. You haven’t permanently hurt anybody yet. And she goes through the trouble of making sure that your mind is comfortable, rather than just keep you as a silently screaming prisoner in your own head.”

Sonata shrugged in agreement as Cozy glanced over at Sunset. “Miss Shimmer, did you get Diamond Tiara’s call yet? I was with her and her friends at Glimmering Stars when I got kidnapped, and I’m pretty sure I threw the emergency communication crystal back to her.”

“The emergency…how did you know about that? Wait, hold on,” Sunset mumbled as her horn flashed and a clear crystal appeared before her. Noticing the blue aura surrounding the crystal, she growled in annoyance. “Is Faust blocking my calls?! I know she’s supposed to be some kind of crazy death goddess, but she’s not omniscient, is she?!”

“Pinkie and I believe she has to put effort into looking through dimensions,” Discord remarked. “Her power has some limits even if we don’t know what they are and she can’t pay attention to us ALL the time, otherwise she might have zapped you on the spot.”

“Uh, guys? My brain is feeling fuzzy again,” Sonata said as the blue aura around her grew brighter.

“Wait! If your alter egos just fly away, how are we supposed to free you and the other Dazzlings?!” Nightmare asked, grabbing Sonata by her shoulders.

“I don’t…I don’t…” Sonata whispered as she shut her eyes tight. She trembled a little bit before she suddenly started to sing:

“Rainbows will never light up my sky
Because it always rains
And every apple I touch is filled with worms.
How can I feel laughter
When all I’ve known is pain?
It’s a lesson that a pony could never learn!”

Berry Bubble’s gaze glowed red as she regained control and shot heat vision out of her eyes. Sunset jumped in front of Cozy and conjured up a shield, Trixie did the same for Smog, and Nightmare, Chrysalis, Gilda, and Discord all dodged out of the way. Gilda flew back down and landed two good punches into Berry Bubble’s face before the super-strong filly hit her in the stomach with a powerful uppercut.

Berry Bubble launched herself in the air and hovered over them. “Stay away from our queen!” She squeezed her eyes tight and muttered, “You don’t know what she’s been through.” She then turned around and smashed through the wall, flying off in the same direction as the other Dazzlings.

Cozy stared after their retreating foe, before she turned to face the Elements. “So, I only understand half of what is going on here? Why do they want to distract you? Who’s Lady Faust?”

“An alicorn with immeasurable power and mysterious origins. She is currently over in Equestria, an alternate universe tied to our own universe. She’s threatening to kill everyone over there and if they die, we probably won’t be far behind,” Chrysalis said, bringing Cozy up to speed. “We’re trying to get over there and stop her, but she keeps throwing distractions, bad guys, and road blocks to prevent us reaching Equestria in time.”

“We can’t waste too much time here, we need to stop Lady Faust. But we can’t just let the Dazzlings stay trapped in those forms,” Sunset said. “What’s the plan, Nightmare?”

“Cozy Glow, you said you were with Diamond Tiara and the Cutie Mark Destroyers when you were kidnapped?” Nightmare asked.

“Yes. Diamond was supposed to call Sunset Shimmer and warn her about those three, but I guess this Lady Faust is blocking the crystal’s magic. But if I know Diamond Tiara, she’s already putting a plan together to help you!” Cozy said with a confident smile.

“Well, that could be really good OR really bad. Alright, here’s what we do. Gilda and I will chase after the transformed Dazzlings. We’re the fastest fliers and the toughest fighters,” Nightmare ordered.

Discord chuckled at some joke only he seemed to get as Nightmare continued. “Discord, you will teleport Smog and Sunset over to King Sombra, Loony, Aunt Celestia, Princess Twilight, and Tirek. You two will explain that the mirror portal is broken and that Lady Faust is stopping Discord from creating his own portal to Equestria. Maybe they can come up with an alternative way to get to Equestria.”

“I can try and put the mirror back together,” Smog suggested as he picked up a few glass shards. “Then again…the Dazzlings might have hidden a few pieces…”

“Do whatever gets us to Equestria faster. Discord, you’ll also teleport Chrysalis, Trixie, and Cozy Glow to where the Cutie Mark Destroyers are. If they have a good idea, you three help them out. If they have a bad idea…help put out the fires.”

“And lastly Discord, try to keep in contact with all of us if something else comes up. Also, see if you can work with Pinkie Pie and combine your chaos powers. Maybe together you two can push past Lady Faust’s magic and open a portal to Equestria.”

“I’ve got something that can work!” Discord grinned and touched the Element of Freedom around his neck. The other Elements glowed brightly before the glow settled down. Discord explained, “There we go, superhero movie style communicators! Just touch your Element of Redemption and we’ll ALL be able to hear you!”

“How come you’ve never done this before?” Nightmare asked, touching the Element of Power on her head.

“Well, sometimes when I’m taking a chocolate sauce and strawberry spaghetti shower, I like to sing showtunes that can be…”

“Respecting privacy, got it,” Trixie said, looking a little sick.

“Okay, that’s enough chit-chat! Let’s go save the world!” Gilda declared.

The seven friends nodded to each other. With two snaps of his fingers, Chrysalis, Trixie, and Cozy were sent to Glimmering Stars, while Sunset and Smog were sent back to the Crystal Empire. Nightmare and Gilda shot up in the air and through the holes the Dazzlings had created, chasing after them.

Discord created a little alligator and rang it like a bell. A pink bubble appeared in the room and Pinkie Pie floated out of it, chewing the bubble as she touched down on the ground and waved her hoof over the mirror shards. “Yup. Pieces are missing.”

Discord floated over to her and crossed his arms. “How much of the Dazzlings’ current predicament were you aware of?”

“Wait, the Dazzlings? Gosh, I haven’t heard much from them in a while.”

“So, you didn’t know that Lady Faust transformed and brainwashed them into PowerPuff ponies?”

“She did what?!” Pinkie gasped. “When did that happen?”

“Weren’t you eavesdropping on us just now?”

“Dissy, I just got here. I’m teleporting back and forth to Twilight, to you guys, to random spots to make sure Faust doesn’t catch up with me…what are we doing again?”

Discord sighed. “I know, it can be a lot to process, even for such superior party animals like us. Our other friends are dealing with the Dazzlings for now, and we need a way to get to Equestria.”

Pinkie shrugged. “I’ve tried going back to Equestria, but Faust is blocking my chaos magic.”

“Well perhaps Nightmare is onto something. Let’s combine our chaotic power and see what we can cook up together,” Discord said, offering his hand to her.

“Ooh, I like the sound of that!” Pinkie took his hand and with a crackle of power the two reality warpers conjured up a portal in front of them.

“Yippee!” Pinkie cheered and poked her head into the portal. “Whoa…either a recycling plant exploded or this ain’t Equestria. What a dump.”

Discord poked his head into the portal and his eyes widened in horror. “Oh dear. Chrysalis is going to cry when she sees this…”

While all that was happening in Everfree, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria was staring up at Lady Faust.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment…for quite a few years now,” Lady Faust said.

“What did you do to our students?!” Rainbow Dash growled at her.

Lady Faust shrugged and smiled. “Nothing. They’re fine. See?” She waved her hoof and Smolder, Yona, Silverstream, Sandbar, Gallus, and Ocellus appeared on the field in between Twilight and her friends.

The six students tried to run towards their professors but with another wave of Lady Faust’s hoof they teleported away again. “I’ll be honest, I don’t really know what their story is. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the newer seasons,” Lady Faust said, mostly to herself.

“Where did you send them to?” Starlight Glimmer asked.

Lady Faust shrugged again. “Manehatten? Appaloosa? One of the two, I don’t remember. The point is, ALL of your students are far enough away that they’d need to take a train to reach you.” She glared at Twilight. “And I’ve spent a lot of time removing such distractions. I wanted to speak with you alone.”

Twilight scowled at her. “Why did you attack Canterlot and the Crystal Empire? What have you done to Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance?”

Lady Faust watched Twilight carefully. “…That’s it? You’re not concerned about the citizens of those two kingdoms? Or your brother?”

“Of course I’m-”

But Lady Faust interrupted Twilight. “Never mind. Princess of Friendship. Forgot who I was talking to for a millisecond.”

“Alright, I’ve had enough of you!” Rainbow shouted. Before Applejack or anyone else could stop her, Rainbow rocketed towards Lady Faust, hooves raised to smack in the face with a super fast double-punch. But instead Rainbow flew right through her, as if Lady Faust was made of mist. “What the hay?!”

“I see that violence is still your first approach,” Lady Faust remarked.

“Why you…” Rainbow growled. She flew back up to Lady Faust, turned around, and bucked Lady Faust in the muzzle…

CRACK

“OW!” Rainbow cried out in pain as she pulled her hoof back. She examined her hoof to see that a massive bruise was already forming on it. “What the hay?!” She glared at Lady Faust and punched her with her right front hoof…before she cried again and pulled back her freshly injured hoof. “What is this?!”

“It’s called pain, Rainbow Dash. An old friend of mine I thought I’d introduce you to,” Lady Faust said, her eyes drifting up to the sky. She furrowed her brow at something.

“Rainbow Dash, over here!” Fluttershy called. Rainbow weakly flapped over to her and Fluttershy gently held her hooves. “You just wait right here, and I’ll handle that big bully.” Fluttershy turned away Rainbow’s damaged hooves and glared at Lady Faust. “How dare you…”

Lady Faust rolled her eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”

“HOW DARE YOU!” Fluttershy flew over to Lady Faust and scolded her. “Listen here missy-”

But instead of listening to Fluttershy, Lady Faust took a different approach. She tilted her glowing horn so that it was pointed at Fluttershy’s pink mane, which rapidly grew much longer.

“Just because…” Fluttershy stopped to brush her mane out of her eyes. “Just because…pff! Pft! Pff!” She spat her mane out as it grew so long it fell into her mouth and down her chin.

“Now see, if I was actually evil I could have done something much worse. Just saying.” Lady Faust’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. She looked down and saw Applejack and Spike either bucking or biting her legs. She flexed a leg muscle and the farmer and dragon were both knocked back by a mini-shockwave.

“Stand back everypony!” Pinkie called out to her friends as she aimed her party cannon. “This one’s gonna be a real-”

But her declaration was cut off as Pinkie found herself floating up in the air and stuffed inside her own cannon. The cannon swiveled around and fired its pink pony projectile at the outside wall of Sugar Cube Corner. “Ouch! I’m okay!”

Rarity shook her head as her dizzy and dazed friends all tried to stumble back to her side. “Twilight, what are we going to do? We’re throwing everything we can at this mad mare and she isn’t even putting forth effort to shrug off our attacks!”

“Stand back everypony!” Twilight said as she and Starlight Glimmer finished powering up their horns. The two talented spellcasters fired twin beams of magic at Lady Faust. Their magic spiraled around each other, combining into one gigantic purple and blue blast of power. With their spell fired they looked up from their handiwork to see a long smoking crater where Lady Faust had been standing…and the alicorn herself just a few feet to the left of their attack.

“What? You think I’m just gonna stand there and take it?” Lady Faust sighed. With a wave of her horn, Rainbow’s and Pinkie’s injuries healed themselves and Fluttershy’s mane shortened to its normal length. The seven ponies and single dragon were teleported away from their previous spots on the battlefield and reappeared forming a semi-circle around Lady Faust.

“I was hoping to do this peacefully, but so far all you ponies have done is charge recklessly at me like you always do. I came all this way to ask you something Twilight Sparkle, and I will get my answer.”

Twilight frowned at her. “If you came all this way just to talk, then why did you attack Canterlot and the Crystal Empire?! Why did you possess Rarity and attack our school?! Why are you doing this?!” she cried. Her expression softened as she said, “You’re a pony! Just like us.”

“A pony just like you?” Lady Faust’s eyes lit up with blue fire as she glared at Twilight. “A pony just like you?!” she growled. “Arrogant and naïve!”

While the other ponies flinched at the blue fire, Rainbow shouted, “Hey! Twilight isn’t arrogant or naïve!”

“Oh yes she is!” With a flash of light, Lady Faust transformed into a pony that Twilight was a little more familiar with. A dark purple unicorn with a scar over her eye and a broken horn. Lady Faust growled as her broken horn sparked with an alarming amount of electricity. “That trick didn’t work on Tempest! What makes you think that just because we’re both ponies I have to agree with everything you say?!”

Twilight raised a hoof and tried to say something but Lady Faust resumed her normal form and cut her off. “Actually, let’s call her up! Let’s see what she has to say for herself!”

Before Twilight could ask what she was doing, a large force field formed around Lady Faust. Twilight tried to teleport inside the force field, but found she was unable to. Her friends tried to push against the shield and Spike and Pinkie both tried to dig underground to get underneath the shield. But nobody could stop Lady Faust from summoning the unicorn she wanted to talk to.

“Tempest!” Twilight cried.

“Fizzlepop!” Pinkie said, cheerfully waving hello.

“What the…where am I? Release me!” Tempest Shadow shouted as Lady Faust pinned the unicorn’s limbs to her sides and levitated her up in the air.

“You said that if you depend on others, you’ll never find your place.” Lady Faust pulled Tempest closer to her, and Tempest flinched at the growing anger in the alicorn’s eyes. “And yet you depended on the Storm King for everything! Why, Tempest?! Why did you do it?!”

Tempest tried to struggle out of Lady Faust’s magical hold, narrowing her eyes and trying to assess the threat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. But if you release me, perhaps we can discuss this like civilized-”

Tempest vanished as Lady Faust teleported her away. Fluttershy flinched at the electricity that sparked along Lady Faust’s horn and body. “Um…you seem tense? Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

Lady Faust didn’t answer her. Blue fire and smoke poured out of her eyes, reminding Twilight of King Sombra’s dark magic. Lady Faust pressed her hooves to her head and shut her eyes tight as she mumbled to herself. She reopened her eyes and waved her hoof, causing two princess plush toys and two crystalized ponies to appear inside her force field. They returned to normal and all took a gasp of fresh air.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Cadance, Shining!” Twilight cried joyfully.

“It’s not worth bringing up,” Lady Faust mumbled to herself as she dragged Celestia over to her with her telekinesis.

“Stop! Let her go!” Cadance cried as she, Luna, and Shining all fired beams of magic at Lady Faust.

But the pale alicorn ignored their attacks as once again they did nothing to hurt her. She looked Celestia in the eye and recited, “My dearest, most faithful student Twilight. You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely…but you simply must stop reading those dusty old books. My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends…”

Celestia’s ears folded back as Lady Faust grit her teeth, sensing that she was angry about something but unable to figure out what it was. “How do you know what-”

“I listen. More importantly, I read.” Lady Faust titled her head a bit and a journal appeared next to her. “Recognize this, Twilight? It’s the Friendship Journal. The one you and your friends copied and distributed to a whole bunch of ponies in Equestria. I used my magic to add in Celestia’s letters to help complete it.”

“Oh brother, are you like those other ponies who got the wrong idea from our friendship lessons?” Rainbow grumbled.

A long, jagged bolt of electricity sparked along Lady Faust’s entire frame. She opened her mouth to say something, but then the light around her horn grew brighter and she shut her mouth tight. “If I say anything…anything at all…you’ll just attack me.” She looked at Twilight and gave her an unsettling smile. “You’re the Princess of Friendship, after all.” She turned to Celestia as her icy eyes glowed blue. “And it’s your fault.”

Before Celestia could ask what she meant, Lady Faust jabbed her hoof into Celestia’s stomach. “She stabbed us all in the back, because of you! She left us all to DIE, because of you!”

Luna stared at Lady Faust incredulously and asked, “What are you talking about?! Twilight Sparkle has never betrayed anypony!”

Lady Faust dropped Celestia and began to pace around inside her shield. She hovered in the air and scrunched her face up in pain. She pressed her hooves against her temples so hard, it looked like she was trying to crush her own head. A chunk of earth ripped itself out of the ground and floated up to her. Lady Faust grabbed the lump of rock and smashed it into her own head, crying as the earth fell apart while her body remained undamaged. “GRAH!”

The other ponies and dragon backed up at the sight of her. “What’s…what’s wrong with her?!” Fluttershy cried out in uncertainty and concern.

Lady Faust’s eyes snapped open, still glowing blue. She swept her hoof and Celestia, Luna, Shining, and Cadance all turned into plush toys. She conjured up a box and slammed them all inside it. The box was pushed outside of the force field and into Spike’s claws. Twilight let out a single sigh of relief as she saw that at least the princesses and her brother were in safe claws, even if they were still trapped as plush toys.

Lady Faust made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a gasp, as her horn continued to glow brighter than ever. She conjured up a plastic bottle and focused all her attention on it. An incredibly thick red cloud, with sparks of black lightning crackling around began to drain out of Lady Faust’s glowing horn and into the bottle.

“What’s she doing?” Applejack asked.

“She’s…literally bottling up her anger,” Starlight answered. “Please stop, you shouldn’t be doing that!”

“Gonna tell me I shouldn’t use magic to solve my problems?” Lady Faust mumbled as she focused on draining her anger. The electricity crackling around her began to fade. “Heh. I really am your opposite, aren’t I?” she said, directing another glare at Twilight.

She capped the full bottle and then created a second bottle. Another cloud of anger drained out of her horn and into the bottle, but red wasn’t the only colour within the smoke. Sickly green, icy blue, and dark purple also flowed into the bottle. Starlight didn’t know what kinds of emotions Lady Faust was pulling out of her head, but that line of questioning disappeared as Lady Faust created a portal behind her and threw the two bottles inside it.

Starlight stepped a little to the side to get a peek at what was on the other side of the portal…and let out a scream. “SWEET CELESTIA!”

Lady Faust immediately closed the portal and dropped her shield. The light around her horn returned to its normal glow as she growled, “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

Starlight took a step back. “Twilight, I wouldn’t normally suggest this but the Elements of Harmony are the only thing we have that could stop her, but they’re all the way back with the Tree of Harmony!”

“There’s no need for that. Twilight, you always pretend that you’re willing to talk to your enemies to resolve the problem. Everything I’ve done so far has been getting rid of distractions,” Lady Faust said, stepping closer to them. “Grogar, Merry Weather, my followers, the Dazzlings back in Everfree…”

“You’re from Everfree?” Twilight asked.

“I’m…from before Everfree. Before Equestria.” Lady Faust shook her head and continued. “Me attacking Canterlot and the Crystal Empire…just distractions I was taking care of. My true goal was coming here and asking you a simple question that requires a simple answer. If you do that, I might let all your friends go free.”

“Wait, really? You’ll free the princesses, and Canterlot, and the Crystal Empire?” Pinkie asked. Lady Faust nodded and Twilight hesitantly stepped closer to her.

“Twilight, don’t! It’s a trick!” Rainbow cried.

“What kind of question is worth all the trouble you’ve caused?” Twilight asked the pale queen.

Lady Faust sighed. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. You’ve been doing a lot of winning lately, haven’t you? All those times you’ve saved the day. All the little promotions you’ve made for yourself. You’ve never really experienced loss, have you? Maybe you think you’ve had stumbles and setbacks. Maybe you lost a competition you didn’t really care about, or pretend that you failed at some test which one of your friends passed for you. But that’s not real loss. You’ve never experienced true defeat.

“I have. I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that I’m right…yet to fail nonetheless. It’s terrifying. Turns my legs to jelly. And to what end?” She coldly smirked at Twilight. “Well you’re going to learn what that feeling is like. After all, you never answered the question that your beloved mentor asked you.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“Princess Celestia asked you a question, a long time ago. And you didn’t answer her. You refused to even acknowledge she asked you that question. How disappointing,” Lady Faust said, pointing at the Celestia plush toy inside the box in Spike’s claws.

“It’s time you answered her question, Twilight.” Lady Faust sat down on her haunches. “Pop quiz, princess. I will ask you that one question. You can try and ask your friends for advice. You can give me as many wrong answers as you like, and nothing bad will happen. Because there are TWO answers that I will accept. If you give me the answer I HOPE you give me, then I’ll let everyone go. Celestia, Shining, Luna, and Cadance will all be restored. Sunburst and Flurry will get their emotions back. I’ll pull Canterlot out of the black hole, free its citizens, unfreeze the Crystal Empire, and completely reverse all the damage I’ve done since coming here.”

Twilight and her friends smiled at this. “Really? Well that’s great to hear! Now what’s…”

“However…if you give me the answer I EXPECT you to give me, then I’ll destroy Equestria and everyone in it. Believe me, I can do it. Of course, I might not even need to. Maybe the Tree will do that for me. The question is scary enough for it.”

Twilight blinked in shock at Lady Faust. “How…how can a question destroy Equestria?”

“Because of its nature. Because you dread it. You’ve run from it. And now the question is here.”

Twilight shook her head. “You’re crazy! I can’t risk Equestria and all my friends on a question! You’ll probably claim I answered incorrectly no matter what I say!”

“Are you sure? It is a friendship question. From a very important friendship lesson,” Lady Faust said, a smug smirk forming on her face.

“Heh, then you don’t stand a chance!” Spike said confidently. “Twilight, come on! You’re the Princess of Friendship! You run a whole School of Friendship! You’ve got this test in the bag. Time to show this mare who’s the boss!”

Behind her, all her friends gave enthusiastic and confident smiles. Starlight smiled too but thinking about what was behind Lady Faust’s portal made her smile shrink a little.

With her confidence boosted, Twilight turned to face Lady Faust. “I’m ready for your test. What’s my question?”

…

…

“What is the princess of friendship without her friends?”

…

…

“To be Continued...”

...I walk the Foggy Road...

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

...I walk the Foggy Road...

Lady Faust walked through a sea of fog. Gliding across the ground in a dreamlike trance, she spared just one glance back at her own body before stopping to hover over Twilight Sparkle’s frozen form. The little princess had a look of considerable confusion stuck on her face. Sighing sadly at the tiny pony, Lady Faust spared a glare at the main sources of her anger before she turned away.

Cutting through the veil of time and space with an upward slice of her horn, Lady Faust drifted down the road of fog. Notes of music and gentle voices brushed up against her ears, causing her brow to furrow even further. As the alicorn walked, she lifted her front hooves out of the fog and rested them against her hips as they transformed into hands. Lady Faust shifted and glowed until she took the form of a human woman with long red hair, wearing a simple pair of pants with a green hoodie.

As the voices rang circles around her ears, Lady Faust’s annoyance returned and she reached up to remove the problem. Taking both her left and right ears, she stuffed them into her pockets for safekeeping and smiled into the silence.

A ranch made itself known out of the sea of fog, and Lady Faust strolled into it. She walked through the fence, then the front door, and then a wall before she reached her former faithful servant. Megan Williams was sitting on a sofa in front of an inactive television. Lady Faust smiled as she recognized the book that Megan was reading and sat herself in a lone chair on the opposite side of the room. She watched Megan cradle the book as if it was a beautiful baby.

Megan’s human siblings, Danny and Molly came into the room. Danny made a remark that seemed to irritate Megan, causing her to close the book and growl at him. Molly made another remark that had Megan rolling her eyes.

Lady Faust watched the siblings argue in silence. Her lip-reading skills were terrible, but she picked up her name, plus the word ‘apple’. Lady Faust conjured up gem-studded apple slices that circled around her fingers as she thought about how she could have resolved that situation easier. Merry Weather had claimed to admire Applejewel because of her hard work and her honesty. But in hindsight, it was easier to see that Megan only fancied Everfree’s Applejack because she reminded Megan of a different Applejack.

Ah, the many variations within the multiverse. Lady Faust knew better now. She shouldn’t have possessed Applejack before Merry’s fight with Grogar. She shouldn’t have gotten angry with Merry. Instead she…well, Lady Faust didn’t know what she had been trying to do. Probably just speeding up her distraction, nothing more.

She glanced up from her pondering to see that Danny was holding a remote control. Lady Faust grew interested as he turned on the TV, but her smile faded as some human news network came in. Thank goodness she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Molly sat down next to Megan while Danny walked towards the chair that Lady Faust was occupying. She lifted a finger, and Danny turned around in a confused stumble before he sat down on Megan’s other side.

Megan growled something, causing Molly to shout back at her. Lady Faust tried to suppress her interest, but her curiosity grew without her permission. She held up both her hands and a brown book appeared in her grasp. She turned to a middle page and read the glowing blue lines that wrote themselves into her blank book.

Megan rolled her eyes. “Please, there’s no such thing as a human car accident.”

Molly glared at her. “Do you want to elaborate on that?”

“Humans crash their cars into each other on purpose, because they’re a horde of brainless, death-worshipping primitives who enjoy laughing at their own corpses,” Megan replied.

“What is wrong with you?!” said…

Lady Faust took her eyes off the book and watched the siblings argue. She grimaced as Megan and Molly continued to shout at each other, silently agreeing with Danny and Molly. Megan’s hatred of humans had been rapidly growing distasteful over the years that Lady Faust had known her. Honestly, Lady Faust could think of worse creatures than humans.

She watched Megan rip the remote out of her brother’s grasp and change the channel, shouting at the TV as another news story came on. Megan stood up from the couch and continued to rant and change the channel; her expression twisting more and more with rage as she found more things about humanity to complain about. It was making Lady Faust’s ears ring, but she definitely wasn’t going to answer them. Molly got up from the couch, seemingly to pull Megan away from the TV, but then Danny held up his hand in front of her. Lady Faust’s curiosity sprung up again and she returned her attention to the book.

“Wait,” Danny said reaching out to his younger sister. Molly turned back to him and raised an eyebrow. He sighed and said, “You’ve got to let the steam fade before you can pour the water. Just let her boil.”

Lady Faust watched Molly slowly nod in understanding before sitting back down. The three of them watched as Megan continued to rant at the TV, changing channels without registering what was on them. Eventually Lady Faust's attention was pulled towards the TV itself. She wasn’t too annoyed at Megan for constantly changing channels, since she didn’t see anything worthwhile on the TV anyway. But that changed when a superhero movie came upon the screen.

It only took Lady Faust a few seconds to identify the movie from her memories and she nodded to herself at the fond recollection. She glanced back at the humans to see that Megan was no longer shouting. She was kneeling on the floor, trying to rub the tears out of her eyes. Danny and Molly were crouching down next to her giving their sister a hug. Molly asked her a question. Getting curious once more Lady Faust read Megan’s explanation.

“…We had a good life. We grew up on our ranch far away from big city life. We didn’t have TV or internet when we were kids, so we didn’t know anything about the world. And then, life got even better. Ponies came flying across a rainbow looking for us to save them. We fought back evil centaurs, dragons, witches, blob monsters, and so much more. We traveled to a whole new world and we saved those little ponies. It usually didn’t even take that long; a few days at the most.”

She sighed. “And then the bad guys just stopped attacking. And we decided we were getting too old to keep playing with ponies. We came back home and tried to grow up like all the other human kids. And I couldn’t stand it. I was forced to read all those history books and overhear all those news stories…and I blamed myself. I felt guilty for thousands of crimes that had nothing to do with me, committed before I was even born. You two somehow managed to get by on this planet and find happiness…but I couldn’t.”

Megan sniffled. “So, I took the Rainbow of Light and used its magic to open a portal. I wanted to go back to where our friends lived, but something went wrong. Instead of finding our old home I found my Lady, and she saved me. She turned me into a pony and gave me a new purpose in life. She gave me something worth fighting for again.” She sighed. “A perfect world. A place I could be the hero again; where I could make a difference. Something I could never have here.”

Oh, so that’s what it was. Lady Faust had heard Merry Weather explain this all to her before, just not in as much detail. She flipped to the next page as Megan continued to explain her story…

Oh. Where was all this coming from? Lady Faust frowned a little nervously at the floor. That was…that’s a lot of fog. An unbelievable amount of fog. It was blocking her view of both the humans and the speech-to-text book in her hands. She set the book down and sighed. Usually the fog was a good thing. But now…

Focus. Think. Pay attention to what’s important. Drown the rest out.

Lady Faust stood up from her chair and manoeuvred her body around the humans and onto the chair that Megan had been sitting on. She picked up her old journal and found the page that her old student had been reading. The fog shifted a little as she read an old passage she had written:

Lapis the crystal pony
Had a very shiny coat
And if a pony saw it
They would stop to point and gloat.

All of the other ponies
Used to laugh and call her names
They never let poor Lapis
Escape from any pony games

Then one sunny Hearth's Warming Eve
Her parents came to say
‘Lapis your coat’s an ugly sight
So, we’re kicking you out of our lives tonight.’

Yes, all the ponies despised her
As they shouted out with glee
‘Lapis the crystal pony
You’ll die in agony.’

Lady Faust hummed thoughtfully and turned the page…oh, wait. The second part wasn’t for a few more pages. Just flip through a bit and…there! Lady Faust’s drawing skills weren’t at the same level as her writing skills, but anyone could clearly appreciate the picture of Lapis…

The fog lifted a bit as Lady Faust noticed that the humans were gone. She put the book down and walked through the house, her magic automatically detecting where they had gone. She climbed down the stairs to the Williams’ basement to see Danny and Molly using their magic to open a portal.

A yellow creature with electricity sparkling along its fur poked its head out of the portal and grinned at the humans. And surprisingly, Megan smiled back at it, even though there was nothing pony-like about the creature. Danny and Molly smiled at their sister, before they each took one of her hands and stepped through the portal.

The portal closed again, and Lady Faust nodded in understanding. Taking Megan away from both humans and ponies, and allowing her to adventure on with her siblings. It was the perfect ending to Merry Weather’s story; better than what Lady Faust would have written. Still, a small thought nagged at Lady Faust in her mind. Well, more than a few. Clapping her hands together and pulling them back caused an envelope to appear in her hands. Lady Faust went back upstairs and left the letter addressed to Megan on the kitchen table.

She placed her hands on the floor, walking through the wall even as she turned back into an alicorn. Her ears turned back into pony ears as they floated up to her head and reattached themselves.

Back down the old foggy road until she returned to…wait. There were ponies here, but this wasn’t Equestria. Where was she now?

Wandering through the crystal empire, Lady Faust came across a sign outside of a school building, declaring it King Sombra’s School for the Gifted. She passed through the walls, noting that the hallways were mostly empty. All the students were probably outside for recess. But passing through another wall, Lady Faust detected one pony sitting in a dark corner of the library.

A much younger Nightmare Moon was quietly chuckling to herself as she read a book filled with short scary stories. A pony with a dragon tail, wearing a glittering gothic dress was on the cover. The elder alicorn watched the child alicorn silently.

Her contemplation was interrupted by a group of loudly whispering ponies entered the library. The younger Nightmare heard their muttering too, causing her to scowl and scoot back farther into the corner. Lady Faust walked over to the group of children who were all glaring at Nightmare.

An earth filly with an orange coat and purple mane and tail whispered to her friends. “There she is, boys. The nightmare pony!”

The colts who were with her glared at Nightmare. The youngest looking colt among them flinched as he spotted the alicorn. “I…I’m not sure about this…”

One of the older colts frowned at him. “Hey, we’ve all gone into battle against the nightmare. You can’t chicken out on us now.”

The filly nodded. “Exactly. Don’t you want to be a member of my – I mean, the Colt Scouts?”

“But…but why do we gotta fight her? She’s just reading in the corner…”

“Menacingly!” the filly whispered firmly. She looked back at Nightmare and sneered. “Just look at that ugly black coat. Only bad guys are black.”

The younger colt winced. “I…I mean, changelings are black, and Harvest is pretty and nice…”

“EW!” the filly shrieked. “You actually talked to one of those things?! They suck out your heart and your brains! Are you infected or something?”

“You think it's ‘pretty?’ Do you wuv her? Do you love a bug?” one of the older Colt Scouts teased him.

“N-no! Shut up! I…I hate changelings!” the younger colt shouted.

“Shush! Shush,” the filly hissed at them, lowering her voice. “We can’t let her hear us.”

Another colt cringed. “She’s looking at us…”

Nightmare was indeed glaring at them, but she hadn’t moved from her spot either. The Colt Scouts shuddered. “Look at those creepy eyes…”

“Wanna know something worse?” the lead filly asked. “She’s got fangs. Like a meat-eating monster!”

The younger colt shivered. “I don’t understand. If she’s a monster, why don’t the grown-ups make her go away?”

The filly rolled her eyes. “Because her mommy is an alicorn, and alicorns get all the luck. They live up in the palace with the king and get whatever they want while the rest of us live down here and suffer! She gets little moon cakes everyday at lunch; it’s disgusting!” she sneered. “And she’s so spoiled too! She’s all like, ‘Roar! I am the nightmare queen! Zap, zap!’ She’s just a monster hiding behind her alicorn privilege!”

The oldest colt nodded. “Right. So, if you wanna be a Colt Scout, you gotta take a shot at slaying the monster.”

“B…but how is a water balloon gonna beat her?”

“We filled it with holy water, alright? Holy water melts monsters, so just throw it at her and she’ll melt.”

“Don’t worry, we’re right behind you,” the Colt Scouts said, holding up their own water balloons before they give the youngest colt his own balloon.

“Well…okay!” Gritting his teeth in determination, the youngest colt charged at Nightmare Moon and threw his balloon.

Nightmare’s mane lit up with magic and whipped out in front of her body, growing rapidly until it formed a shield big enough and thick enough to soak up the water from the burst balloon. “Every month!” she growled as she dropped her book and stomped over to them.

“She’s getting closer, save me!” the filly shrieked and hid behind the Colt Scouts, who all threw their balloons too. Nightmare’s mane whipped out again, batting away the balloons or whipping them hard enough to burst them in midair. Realizing that they were out of ammo, the Colt Scouts and their leader tried to run away but Nightmare’s magic shut the library door in front of them.

“Who dares attack the Mistress of masters?! The Deliverer of Darkness, the Princess of the Night! Nightmare Moon!” Nightmare shouted. Lightning crackled along her swirling mane and tail as the library was engulfed in darkness…because she had also turned the light switch off. The Colt Scouts all cried and screamed, running wildly around the library. “Stop, you foals! You’ll wreak my palace! Silence! Be silent– hey, I was saving that book!”

The library doors burst open, and Captain Luna came storming in. “What’s going on here?!”

“Help! She wants to eat us!” the filly and the Colt Scouts shrieked, running up to Captain Luna and clinging to her legs.

“M-mom!” Nightmare exclaimed. She shifted her mane and tail back into their natural states and ordered the lightning dancing in her hair to fizzle out. “They provoked me!”

“She’s lying! She’s a liar-liar, monster on fire!” the Colt Scouts cried.

“All of you back to your classes. I’ll deal with Nightmare Moon,” Captain Luna sternly ordered. The Colt Scouts all fled the library and Nightmare cast a nervous glance out the door as her mom stepped closer to her.

Captain Luna held onto her stern, disapproving glare for several seconds, before her right wing bent down to cover up the sides of their heads. She leaned into her daughter’s ear and whispered, “The same miscreants as before?”

Nightmare nodded and Luna sighed. In a flash of teleportation, the two alicorns were outside. Lady Faust teleported after them and followed as she watched Luna carry Nightmare on her back through the streets of the Crystal Empire.

“Where are we going?” Nightmare asked.

“Home,” Luna answered. “Those children will most likely report you to the principal, who will in turn suspend you for a few days yet again. I agree with this punishment, however I see no reason why you or I should have to suffer from one of the principal’s lectures again.”

Nightmare scowled. “It wasn’t my fault.”

“I am aware of that, Moony. I’ve seen Miss Proper and those Colt Scouts attack you before. But fighting back will not dissuade them. You can do better, Moony.”

“A queen needs to defend herself, and you won’t always be around to be my knight, Loony.”

Luna smiled back at her. “We are immortal, dear Moony. I will always be there to protect you.” She flapped her wings and took off into the air. “Now come. Just because you are suspended from school, does not mean you may slack off in your studies.”

Lady Faust followed the other two alicorns until they reached the main library in the Crystal Castle. She watched as Nightmare curled up next to Luna as the night mother read aloud to her daughter. Lady Faust blinked a few times, wondering what she was still doing here. Why was she stalking them? She frowned and blinked even more, sensing that something was wrong. She brought a hoof up to her eye…and growled as she drew back a tear.

She pulled herself away from the scene, slicing another hole in reality as she turned her head. She stomped down the foggy road again and created five bottles out of the fog as she made her way back to the present. A thunderous, thick cloud of blue and red emotion swirled out of her horn and filled all five bottles. She opened a smaller portal and sent the bottles to the same place she dumped all her trash.

She had almost returned to her own body when her head turned to something off in the distance…just to the right…

Lady Faust pushed through reality again and looked around at the interior of the main lobby. This was Glimmering Stars Resort, still in Everfree but at least she was back in the present. Frozen in time, there was Trixie, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, Starlight Glimmer...Nightmare Moon was most likely close by...

No. The transformed Dazzlings were nothing more than a distraction for Princess Nightmare. Even less than Megan. She was planning to let the Dazzlings go anyway, she didn't need to be here...so why...

Lady Faust pushed through another hole in reality; unable to deny the facts. There was too much fog now. She couldn’t see where she was going anymore. Normally the fog was a good thing. Normally letting go of her emotions was what she wanted. Then again…Princess Twilight didn’t look like she was going to answer her question the way Lady Faust WANTED her question answered…

One last stop then. To remind Lady Faust of why she was doing this.

She reappeared in Equestria. Deep underground. She grit her teeth, looked up…and stared at the Tree of Harmony.

A thunderous red cloud billowed out from her horn again, but she wouldn’t back down. A minute ticked by slowly; she could feel every second of it, but she maintained her glare. Disgust, despair, and horror swelled up in her mind and joined the blood red cloud of anger leaking out of her horn. Pulsing black lines of magic grew out of her eyes, her mouth, her wings, her hooves...

Looking at the Tree, she remembered the clones that Equestria's changeling queen had created. She remembered those ponies (made of dark magic but ponies nonetheless) melting into puddles.

Looking at the Tree, she remembered the children who had been forced into trauma in order to satisfy the unrealistic expectations of an unappeasable tyrant.

She remembered the three holes, burning into...

It would be so easy. She could already feel her horn charging up. Just one blast and then this vile, manipulative, cruel, self-righteous, hypocritical, evil thing would be nothing more than a cup full of splinters...

Except, Twilight Sparkle wouldn't have a chance. And that wouldn't be fair. So instead, Lady Faust turned and ran from the Tree of Harmony, her hoof crushing a crystal root as she galloped back to her greatest battle. She flapped her wings once and her astral form immediately returned to her body. To Princess Twilight and her friends, it would seem like no time had passed at all. They were still wondering how to answer her question.

And judging by the look on her face, Twilight Sparkle was going to fail.

Friendship is a curse

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Friendship is a Curse

Princess Twilight Sparkle furrowed her brow in confusion. “What?”

Lady Faust calmly shrugged. “I asked you ‘what is the princess of friendship without her friends?’ What’s so hard to understand?”

Twilight’s friends all exchanged glances with each other. Rarity asked, “How did you know Princess Celestia said that?” When Lady Faust didn’t answer, Rarity continued, “Besides, I never had the impression that Princess Celestia wanted Twilight to answer her. It was a rhetorical question.”

Lady Faust shrugged again. “Princess Celestia didn’t want to hear it but a lot of people would be put at ease by your answer. Although, judging by your hesitation…”

“Hold it! I know what you’re doing!” Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing at the elder alicorn. “This is just like when Discord tried to mess with our heads when he was still bad! You’re going to teleport us away from Twilight or get us lost in a maze or something! Well, tough luck! Twilight is still the Princess of Friendship! Even if you try to separate us, we’ll always be by her side, and she’ll always be the Princess of Friendship!”

Rainbow smirked as concern shot across Lady Faust’s face. “Oh dear, it’s worse than I thought. Princess of Friendship, I had no idea you had so much trouble washing your hooves.”

“…What?” the other ponies and dragon asked.

“I…I can wash my hooves just fine,” Twilight said.

“Really? All by yourself? That must be very brave of you.”

Twilight frowned in confusion. “Are…are you making fun of me?”

“Well, Rainbow Dash just said that you can’t wash your hooves without your friends standing right next to you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Rainbow said, glaring at Faust with more confusion that she would have liked.

Lady Faust nodded. “Ah, then it must be your food. I’m sorry you can’t eat your meals without being surrounded by your friends.”

“I can eat just fine. What are you trying to say?” Twilight asked.

Lady Faust glared at them as she dropped the joke. “Perhaps my question was still unclear. I’ll rephrase it then. I’m not asking you ‘what is the Princess of Friendship if her friends aren’t in the same room as her?’ I am asking you…”

“What would the Princess of Friendship be if she NEVER met her friends?”

“If…if she never met us?” Starlight asked, taking a step back.

Lady Faust smirked. “Oh, it looks like someone finally caught on. But then again, you almost asked her that question too, Starlight Glimmer. Remember?”

Lady Faust pointed up at the sky. A sonic rainboom exploded above them, before a glowing blue dome of magic appeared above it. The dome closed down on the rainboom, ticking louder than the world’s biggest clock, before the dome and the rainboom vanished.

Spike’s eyes widened. “She’s talking about going back in time and stopping the rainboom. But that means…”

“We all know what it means,” Lady Faust answered. “And to answer the question you haven’t asked yet, I CAN travel back in time. Without bringing any of you along for the ride. To your eyes, I could disappear at any moment and the timeline could change. Leaving you completely unaware as you explore your new lives.”

“You can’t do that!” Twilight and Starlight cried.

Lady Faust frowned. “I was tired of people telling me I couldn’t do things over eight thousand years ago.” Her glare relaxed again and she said, “Now that you understand my question, I want to hear your answer. You still have a chance to save your world.”

Twilight put her hoof to her temple, racking her brain for an answer. “Well…well that’s…I got it!” She smiled at her friends and said, “Without my friends, I wouldn’t be the pony I am today.”

“I am not asking you what the Princess of Friendship wouldn’t be without her friends. I am asking you, ‘what would the Princess of Friendship be without her friends?’”

Twilight’s friends looked to each other again. Fluttershy raised her hoof as if they were in a classroom. “You, um…you keep putting emphasis on ‘Princess of Friendship’. Do you mean like a…a concept?”

“Like how Cadance is the princess of love? What she would be if she wasn’t married to Shining Armor?” Spike asked.

Lady Faust gave them a small smile. “You’re actually thinking about it. That’s better.”

“Ooh, oh, I know!” Pinkie raised her hoof and cheered. “42!”

“What the…Pinkie, that ain’t an answer to a friendship question!” Applejack exclaimed.

“It’s the best answer I’ve heard so far,” Lady Faust said. Applejack, Rainbow, and some of the other ponies shot her bewildered looks. “Even if it’s wrong, it’s the closest answer you’ve given me to what I HOPE Twilight says. Here you go, Pinkie.”

With a small tilt of Lady Faust’s head, a glass full of melted milk chocolate appeared in Pinkie’s hoof. Pinkie gleefully consumed the treat, licking her lips and mumbling about how good the chocolate was.

“Hold on, I thought this was a friendship question, not a math problem!” Rainbow growled.

Lady Faust glared at them as her horn began to pulse an even brighter blue. “If I say…anymore…you’re going to start guessing. You’ll start to figure me out. And if you do that…” She grit her teeth and pushed her hoof against her head for a few seconds before she slammed her hoof back down. “NO. You are going to answer my question.”

Twilight shook her head. “But I…”

“I have time,” Lady Faust sat, sitting back into a more comfortable position. “I have all the time in your world.”

Queen Chrysalis, Trixie, and Cozy Glow all took a moment to assess the situation as they were teleported into the main lobby of the Glimmering Stars Resort. The wall and ceilings of the lobby had a few smoking holes in them but were otherwise in good condition. Trixie and Chrysalis could see a glowing shield surrounding the building as well as the shield’s creator, Starlight Glimmer, crouched under a table and flipping through a book with her magic.

Starlight looked up at the flash of teleportation and urgently hissed, “Cozy! Hurry up and find some cover! I don’t know how much longer my shield can hold them off!”

“Starlight? What’s going on; where is everyone?” Trixie asked.

“Oh hey, Trixie, Chrysalis! I’m glad you’re here!” Starlight pointed at one of the undamaged windows. “Princess Nightmare and your friend Gilda just got here and they’re helping Diamond Tiara and her friends. As for the other guests, I teleported them somewhere safe until those three tornadoes stop breaking my stuff.”

“Well, Trixie is glad that your guests are safe, but what about you? What about Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, and Snails?”

“Well of course I had to stay here. Glimmering Stars is my livelihood, my home! I know I’m a little out-of-practice with my combat magic, but I’m providing the best aid I can in this fight.”

Before Chrysalis could ask what Starlight meant by that, four ponies came crashing through one of the walls, sliding across the floor and groaning as they came to rest against the wall of pillows that Starlight quickly conjured up.

“The Cutie Mark Destroyers?” Trixie asked. “Stars above, are you okay?!”

“They’re holding up pretty well, all things considered,” Princess Nightmare Moon said as she and Gilda came flying in through the freshly made hole in the wall. She levitated the bits of broken wood and debris up in an attempt to repair the wall.

Gilda, looking very worn out, came towards the other ponies. “Yeah, me and Nightmare have been butting heads and trading punches with those three superpowered brats as we flew all the way back here. Then these four pipsqueaks came flying out to help us out.” Her eyes narrowed a bit. “And I mean literally flying. We gonna talk about this now?”

Deciding that the wall was ‘good enough’ Nightmare turned to the Cutie Mark Destroyers. “Now that we can catch a break, I want an answer to that too.” She pointed at Diamond Tiara and growled, “What were you thinking?!”

Trixie took a closer look at the sheepish colts and fillies and gasped. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, and Snails all still had their cutie marks…as well as four new marks. One of the cutie marks was a brick with white wings and a red cape. The other new mark was a fireball and a snowflake mashed together in a ying-yang symbol. There was a chess piece mark on the backs of their necks, and another mark on the sides of their bellies in the form of a lizard with half of its tail cut off and an arrow to indicate that the lizard’s tail was regrowing.

Cozy gasped at the sight. “Golly. You came up with a brilliant plan, Diamond!”

“More like a very risky one,” Trixie said. “Trixie admires your bravery but Starlight Glimmer MUST have told you the risks!”

Starlight sighed and nodded. “I did. But Diamond Tiara paid triple for each mark. She spent her entire vacation allowance on these marks and…those alicorn fillies made me desperate enough to agree.”

Diamond sighed and glared up defiantly at Nightmare and the other Element Bearers. “We’re fighting ponies with comic book superpowers, so Snails and I came up with an idea on how to fight back.” She pointed to each of her new cutie marks as she explained their purpose. “The flying brick gives us super strength, super speed, flight, and super toughness. The fireball and snowflake mark give us heat vision and ice breath. The chess mark gives us a boost in battle strategy and the lizard mark lets us heal from any really bad wounds.”

Snips nodded. “Yeah, and we needed all these extra powers just to be an even match for those guys!”

Nightmare frowned at Diamond and Starlight. “Don’t you know about the risks?! I’ve been reading up about your cutie mark services, Starlight Glimmer. It’s risky enough to add a cutie mark to a colt or filly who isn’t a blank flank yet. But three? Five?! These children have been dreaming about becoming blank flanks and discovering their potential for years! But if you can’t get these marks off them, they’ll NEVER come off on their own! You four could be stuck like this forever!”

Silver Spoon spoke up. “But if you don’t stop Lady Faust, none of this will matter!”

Gilda frowned suspiciously. “How do you know about Lady Faust?”

Silver rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Diamond isn’t the only rich pony here. She paid for most of the new marks but I wanted to know why Apple Blossom, Berry Bubble, and Buttercup were attacking us. So…”

She removed her glasses and showed them a small cutie mark on her cheek in the form of a broken wall with the number four on it.

Snips and Snails blinked in confusion. “How in the hay did we not see that?”

“Light bounces off my glasses and well, we’ve been kinda busy,” Silver said as she put her glasses back on. “The point is, I’m aware of how big the stakes are. Those three fillies out there are actually the Dazzlings, transformed and being mind controlled by this ultra powerful alicorn named Lady Faust. She sent them here to distract the Elements while she’s over in Equestria, threatening to blow everything up if the other Princess Twilight doesn’t answer her question.”

Snips eyes widened in horror. “What are you guys still doing here?!” he exclaimed, giving Nightmare, Gilda, Trixie, and Chrysalis disbelieving looks. “We can take these three down, you gotta stop the end of the world!”

Chrysalis sighed. “We would except Lady Faust is stopping us from getting to Equestria. Discord, Sunset, Smog, and Pinkie are all working on getting us there so in the meantime, we’re doing what we can here!”

“What a minute…” Diamond said, holding up a hoof and smiling. “I just had a great idea! You said the Dazzlings are being mind controlled, right? Let’s just get a mark that lets us undo that!”

“Like telepathy?” Snails asked.

“Right! Starlight Glimmer, I’ve got one more mark I wanna buy!”

Starlight shook her head. “I can’t!”

“If money’s a problem, we can get more!” Silver shouted.

“Kids, I’m not shallow or an idiot. I’d give you these marks for free if I wasn’t scared about what they’ll do to you! What if I can’t pull the marks back off? What if you four can never be blank flanks because of me?! Those extra cutie marks could put a strain on your magic if you’re not careful! They could shorten your natural lifespans! Is that what you want?”

Diamond and her friends took a chance to glance back nervously at their flanks. They all sighed, nodded in silent agreement, and faced Starlight again. “It’s a small sacrifice if it means saving the world.”

“There’s nothing small about this,” Nightmare argued quietly, already knowing their response.

“Maybe, but it’s still our sacrifice to make,” Diamond said.

“Fine,” Starlight said. She levitated her cutie mark catalogue up and flipped through the pages until she got to a cutie mark in the form of a brain with radio waves coming out. “This mark will let you enter someone else’s mind. You’ll be able to read their thoughts and insert new ones.”

“And hopefully awaken the Dazzlings real selves,” Silver said.

“Sounds perfect,” Cozy said as she glanced nervously out the window. “But you might wanna hurry up and add them. They’re circling around again and – MOVE!”

“We’ll hold them off!” Nightmare and Gilda shouted together as Apple Blossom, Berry Bubble, and Buttercup came crashing through the wall with mad grins and glowing red eyes.

As Starlight added the last superpowered cutie mark to the Cutie Mark Destroyers, Nightmare and Gilda fought the possessed fillies up in the sky in an epic aerial battle that was rapidly turning into a musical.

“I hate ponies!” Apple Blossom sang as she zapped Nightmare with heat vision.

“Ponies hate me!” Buttercup sang as Gilda tackled her.

“I prefer my own best company!” Berry Bubble sang as she kicked Gilda before getting blasted by Nightmare.

“Single and secluded! On my own!” Apple Blossom sang as she punched Nightmare before Gilda kicked a thunder cloud at her.

“I can have the best of times all alone!” Buttercup sang even as she got zapped by two lightning bolts from Nightmare and Gilda.

“Because I!” Berry Bubble sang.

“Hate!” Apple Blossom sang.

“PONIES!” The three alicorn fillies sang as they spun around, forming a tornado that whipped Nightmare and Gilda out of the sky and crashing back down again.

“Not anymore you won’t!” Diamond cheered as she and her friend came flying into the sky. The alicorn fillies glared at the Cutie Mark Destroyers, planning to unleash their heat beams. Snails distracting them by letting a cloud of frost breath while his friends pressed their hooves to their temples and focused on the Dazzlings’ clouded minds.

Within Apple Blossom’s mind, she sneered from her control seat as she felt the waves of telepathic energy slam into her. “You really think you can beat our Lady? We know the weakness of friendship! And we know how close the Dazzlings are. You’ll have to try a much stronger approach to get us to…”

She paused as she heard a distant clip-clopping sound. Echoing out in the distance, lurking in the shadows. But not lurking for very long. The hoof steps were getting louder. Those beats along with the wind were getting stronger. And there was no mistaking that smirk as Adagio Dazzle leapt into the air and landed in front of the controls.

“My return is a mystery
Thought you had control of me
I'm offended that you're so surprised.”

She pushed Apple Blossom away and stalked towards her, putting a smug sassiness in her every step.

“That first defeat was a practice round
But I pulled myself off the ground
And I've already planned your demise.”

In Buttercup’s head, Aria Blaze was gaining back control and loving every second of it.

“I won't stop fighting cause I'm not done yet
You're gonna regret
This time I won't let you forget.”

And in Berry Bubble’s head, Sonata Dusk could hear the song her sisters were singing and eagerly jumped in. The telepathic waves, the Dazzlings love of song, and their love for each other were all coming together into a powerful spell. There they were, singing on top of a stage; growing bigger while the alicorn fillies grew smaller.

“You're not gonna get away this time
We’ll strike when you're blind
You'll awake just to find you’re all mine.”

“You thought you won
Thought your reign would be longer
But I! I! I!
I'm just getting stronger.
We’re taking back our freedom
At last this fight is over!
Cause I! I! I!
I keep getting stronger!”

“When the sky turns to grey
When the light fades away” Aria sang.

“You will see, we just keep getting stronger!” Adagio sang.

“You can try to prepare
Or attack if you dare!” Sonata sang.

“I don't care, cause we’re just getting stronger!” Adagio sang.

All three Dazzlings sang:
“We are the song that replays in your head
We are the sirens lurking under your bed.
And although we lost it's never really the end
You should have known we’d have a plan for revenge!”

“Stop! Stop! You win!” Buttercup cried. “We’ll leave your minds alone, just stop blasting our ears! I can’t take it anymore!”

The Dazzlings stopped singing and smirked down at their defeated adversaries. “If you can’t handle the music you shouldn’t have stolen our spotlights,” Adagio said.

“Yeah! This is our stage, our show, and our bodies!” Sonata cheered.

“And you punks just couldn’t make it. Sorry, not sorry,” Aria sneered.

“We said you won already. Our Lady Faust planned for this anyway. As soon as we let go, your minds will be yours again and your bodies will transform back into your true forms,” Berry Bubble said.

“Oh, she 'planned' for this, huh? I’m sure you meant to get your flanks kicked,” Aria said sarcastically.

“Look, we’re going, okay? Just…tell us something? Before we leave?” Apple Blossom pleaded.

“If it gets you out of our hair sooner…” Adagio grumbled. “What?”

“Why bother disguising yourselves as ponies? It’s pretty obvious that you’re siren sisters.”

Adagio sighed. “Everfree is a very accepting place to live, but our ancestors had a bad reputation. Singing sailors out of their ships and hypnotizing them into marriages they weren’t ready for. But we’re not the bad guys anymore.”

“Hiding yourselves for your own safety, I get that. But why not go all the way? You could hide out in a comfy cottage, apartment, or cave. You could be doing an easy, well-paying job without drawing attention to yourselves. Why risk your lives for the fame?” Buttercup asked.

Adagio scoffed. “There’ll always be some people who can’t stand us no matter what, but they don’t matter.”

“And they’ll always be some people who love us, even if we reveal our true selves,” Sonata added cheerfully.

“Bottom line is, we’re not stupid, but we don’t care what other people think of us. We sing because we want to,” Aria stated firmly.

“And nobody stops a Dazzling from stealing the show!” all three sirens declared.

Apple Blossom…or perhaps the part of Lady Faust inside her…smiled. “Just as I thought. Everfree is a lot more mature than Equestria.”

“The stage is yours. Now entertain me,” the fillies said as one before they faded into nothingness.

In the real world, all the ponies and one griffon gathered around the three pillars of light. When the light faded away, three sirens stood in the place of three alicorns.

Chrysalis stared in shock. “The Dazzlings were sirens?!”

Gilda and some of the other ponies raised an eyebrow at her. “I mean…it’s kinda obvious when you think about it.”

Chrysalis blinked a few times and shrugged. “When you say it out loud, I suppose you’re right. Still, you must be the only sirens anyone’s ever seen in recent memory.”

“Hey, I remember you!” Sonata cheered as Adagio and Aria took a moment longer to regain their awareness. “From that one Twilight Night Concert. And like, probably some other ones. Nice to know the Elements of Redemption are fans of us!”

“Sonata!” Aria snapped.

“Oopsie! Sorry.” Sonata hovered over to her sister and hummed together with them. A flash of red light from their necklaces restored their disguises as earth ponies.

“Hey, come on. You don’t gotta hide who you are around us, it’s cool,” Gilda said.

“She’s right. You three are incredibly talented,” Silver said.

“I’m glad you’re not beating us up anymore,” Snails said.

“Yeah, sorry about that kids. Now, as much as I’d love to create and sing your own personal theme song for you all…” Adagio nodded at Nightmare, Gilda, Chrysalis, and Trixie. “You guys have one last baddie to fight.”

“Ugh!” Gilda groaned. “Never thought I’d get sick of punching bad guys, but four in a row?!”

Sonata frowned in confusion. “Wait, but there’s three of us, and…”

“I’m counting you idiots as one!” Gilda snapped. She winced and said, “Sorry, you’re not idiots, I’m just…tired. Grogar, that human, you three as those alicorn fillies, and now some crazy alicorn goddess…I’m gonna need a nap after all this.”

“Well, you have a little time to catch your breath,” Nightmare sighed. She touched her Element of Power and said, “We’ve helped the Dazzlings get back to normal but we still need a way back into Equestria. Sunset, Smog, Discord, how are you guys doing?”

She heard Sunset’s voice say, “We’ve brought King Sombra, Princess Twilight, and your family up to speed Nightmare, but we haven’t found a way to stop Lady Faust yet. Smog and your mom are arguing with Lord Tirek about something, but I don’t know what.”

“Well, Pinkie Pie and I found something,” Discord’s voice said. “But we don’t think Chrysalis is going to like it.”

“Wait, why wouldn’t I like it?” Chrysalis asked. She noticed her body, plus Nightmare, Gilda, and Trixie beginning to glow. “Wait!” she shouted as she held a hoof out to the Dazzlings. When the glow faded, Chrysalis saw that she and the other Element Bearers had been teleported back into the room with the broken mirror. “Blast it, I really wanted the Dazzlings’ autographs again.”

Discord and Pinkie glanced at the portal they had open. “We can most certainly do that after Lady Faust is defeated for good. However…this would be too much of a mood swing whiplash for you, Chrysie.”

Pinkie nodded. “On the other side of this portal we found, there’s just gotta be some kind of answer on how to beat Lady Faust. But you’re not going to like seeing it.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened in realization before she snarled, “If she hurt my hive I’m gonna…”

“No, no!” Pinkie waved her hooves out placatingly. “Lady Faust hasn’t hurt any hive or any changeling. In fact, she might have actually saved a few changelings…”

Chrysalis’ fear and anger faded away. “Really? She saved…but then why are you two so worried about…” She sighed and shook her head. “As long as my hive is safe and my friends are safe, what could possibly scare me in that portal?”

She and the other non-chaos controlling creatures nodded in agreement before they all stepped into the portal.

“Okay. But please don’t move around too much in there. The floor might kill us all,” Discord warned them as he floated into the portal too. Sunset was about to ask him what that could possibly mean, when her hooves wobbled on the unstable floor. If you could call it that…

The portal shrunk behind them but remained open. The Element Bearers plus Pinkie all took a moment to register the fact that they were all standing in a gigantic landfill of bottles. Mountains of bottles covered up the walls. Piles of bottles were stacked one on top of the other, lifting them several feet off the floor, if the humongous room even had a floor. All of those bottles were filled to the brim with cloudy emotions.

Chrysalis’ jaw dropped as she took in the sight of it all. Her legs wobbled and she collapsed onto the pile of bottles silently.

“Good grief!” Sunset exclaimed as she took in the mess. “There’s hundreds of them!”

“Trixie…has no words,” Trixie mumbled.

Nightmare flapped her wings to hover in the air above the bottles. “The amount of anger in this room...is this how she plans to destroy Equestria?! Who did she get these emotions from?!”

Chrysalis shuddered. “Herself. These are all from Lady Faust’s mind.”

Gilda glanced around uneasily. “'Kay, I’ve got no idea what all this junk is. Can someone please explain what the deal is?”

Sunset bit her lip nervously. “Unicorns, or any good spellcaster, can remove emotions that they don’t want to feel from their mind and put them in a bottle. If the bottle breaks, it could accidentally infect someone with your anger, fear, or sadness. But these bottles all look really durable.”

Trixie nodded. “It’s not a very effective spell. Even if Trixie’s anger is bottled up, the source of that anger most likely lingers. So, Trixie would just build up more and more anger until it became too much. By the way, Trixie is speaking from personal experience and it was a most unpleasant night.”

“Still, the spell can sometimes come in handy for people who can’t always control their thoughts,” Sunset said. “There was this stallion I met once who had a shelf in his room for bottled emotions. The poor guy did get help eventually, but he’s still afraid to let anyone get too close to them.”

“I know how emotions work, because I know love,” Chrysalis hissed. “There’s no love in this room. Just by looking at this landfill I can tell you two things: Lady Faust is very, very old…and very, very broken. I’m shocked that destroying Equestria is the only thing she wants if she’s this messed up.”

Nightmare sighed. “And part of defeating her will be figuring out just how messed up she is. Chrysalis…you’re a changeling queen. You can swallow these emotions and see Faust’s memories, just like how we use Zecora’s memory potion. I hate to ask this of you…”

“This won’t be like Zecora’s potion…but let’s get this over with,” Chrysalis grumbled. She pulled a bottle of emotions out of the pile with her telekinesis and examined it. Green and purple, a mixture of disgust and fear. She shivered a little before she removed the bottle’s cap and swallowed the emotions.

Queen Chrysalis opened her eyes and blinked. She was still a changeling, but she was in a younger body. She looked at the table in front of her and drooled over the baskets of chocolate and the orbs of solidified love. She brought one sweet-smelling treat up to her mouth…

“Like, oh my herd. What a piggy little filly.”

Queen Chrysalis glanced at the – what the hay are those?!

The creatures she was staring at were shaped like ponies but they looked like demons straight from Tartarus. Their skin and fur were covered in fire and brimstone. Their manes and tails were dripping ash and smoke. Their eyes were soulless and their mouths were uncontrollably dripping with thick green poison.

“Oh my herd, I know. Soon as a party starts, little Queenie goes straight to the food, lingers around it, then leaves early. What a fat, greedy porker,” the demon on the right snickered.

The demon on the left nodded. “I feel like, so sorry for whichever poor stallion gets stuck marrying her.”

The right demon grinned at her. “Oh, speaking of stallions, tell me more about that hot stud you scored last night.”

The left demon smirked. “Hot and dumb. Lemme tell ya mare, I took that hot hunk back home and spanked his flank so red, he’s been crying all day anytime he tries to sit down,” she bragged.

“Nice,” the right demon hissed and hoof-bumped her. “So, you gonna put a ring on him?”

“Nah, mare. That stallion can be my beta if he ponies the hay up someday. But I need a real alpha in my herd.” The left demon looked across the room and leered at a bland looking stallion. “Ooh, he’s got some nice legs.”

The two demons slinked over to the stallion and each grabbed him by one of his ears, pulling with their teeth. “H-hay!”

“Hay yourself, handsome. Why the long face? You’d look better if you smiled,” the left demon said with a smirk.

“Um…I-I…”

“Why are you stuttering? Did the piggy filly give you her germs?” the right demon hissed.

“I have a special somepony-”

“Well I’m sure she’d be happy to share with a sister,” the left demon said. “Come on, let’s leave this snooze-fest.”

Chrysalis was feeling queasy the whole time she was watching this. A hoof pressed down on her back and she felt like screaming as another demon spun her around and spat poison in her face. “Queenie?! Queenie! Chrysalis!”

Chrysalis was pulled back into her own body and mind as she felt a worried Sunset gently shake her awake. Chrysalis grabbed the empty bottle and spat the emotional memory back into it, sealing it tight as she retched. “Good grief, that was awful!”

“What did you see?” Nightmare asked.

Chrysalis took a few breaths to steady herself. “A memory from Lady Faust’s childhood, I think. Don’t know how much has changed from then and now, but she used to be terrified of ponies. In her mind, she saw them as demons made out of fire, brimstone, and poison. Setting aside the more unreliable parts of her memory, there’s also the way those two mares were treating that stallion. It was…vile.”

“That doesn’t tell us much about Lady Faust,” Trixie said.

“No, it doesn’t,” Chrysalis said as she pulled out another bottle and swallowed the emotions inside, even as her friends protested.

Chrysalis looked down at herself. This time she was in a zebra’s body. But why was-

She cried out in pain as she felt something sharp strike her across the face. She fell against a nearby tree and looked up. A circle of colt and filly sized demons leered down at her. The leader of the group let out a sinister chuckle and raised the sharpened stick in his hoof.

“Go back where you came from, stripes,” he snarled, swiftly bringing the stick down on her side and digging it down her belly.

It’s not real, it’s not real, Chrysalis thought to herself as she tried to block out the pain. But before the demon colt could hurt her again, she looked up to see the colt being pushed away by a filly. A filly with a white coat and a red mane and tail.

“Run!” the filly shouted at Chrysalis.

“What the Tartarus?!” Chrysalis shouted, startling her friends as she pulled herself out of the memory.

“What did you see? What did Lady Faust do?” Sunset asked.

After spitting the emotions back into the bottle, the changeling queen scowled. “She saved a young zebra’s life! It’s every pony else that’s insane!” Chrysalis snapped, stumbling a little on the bottle floor.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked, noticing just how weary her friend was looking.

“NO! I need to…I need…” Chrysalis trailed off as she pulled another bottle out of the collection. There was a rather worrying amount of purple fear within the bottle but there was a tiny dot of yellow light. Chrysalis opened the bottle and inhaled the emotions. Surely just a little joy would be worth whatever fear it was tied too. She NEEDED to feel happy after what she just experienced. Really, what memory of Faust’s could be more disturbing than what she just saw?

Chrysalis woke up in a younger version of her body, which she now knew was Lady Faust’s body. The ancient alicorn’s emotions were as difficult to read as ever but Chrysalis was starting to lose focus. She just needed to feel a little bit of happiness. Just…look down at the book in her hooves…feel her tail gently swish back and forth in contentment, like a pretty kitty cat. Just hum along…

“Close your eyes and open your heart. Believe in yourself, that’s how it starts. Dreams will come true, just wait and see. Because the magic’s in you and the magic’s in me,” Chrysalis quietly sang to herself as she read the lyrics. There was something off about her voice, but that didn’t matter. Nobody was here to…

The door slammed open, and Chrysalis choked on the wave of overwhelming fear that flooded in.

“There’s the Birthday Filly! Are you ready to…QUEENIE! QUEEN CHRYSALIS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE?!”

“Uh guys?!” Gilda pointed at Chrysalis. “She’s foaming at the mouth! I think she’s gonna-”

“NO! Nononononononononononon!” Chrysalis cried as she spat the emotion back into the bottle and threw it away, desperately trying to crawl away from the bottles even though she was surrounded by them.

Sunset levitated Chrysalis up in the air, so that her body wouldn’t be touching the bottles any longer. “Whoa, Chrysie! Calm down!”

“Chrysalis, focus on me!” Nightmare ordered as she positioned herself in front of the changeling queen’s view. “We’re right here!”

“L-love? Love!” Chrysalis hissed as she fixed a ravenously hungry look on Princess Nightmare. “Give me your love!” the starving changeling cried as she latched onto Nightmare and opened her mouth.

“O-okay, Chrysalis. Take what you need,” Nightmare said. She winced as Chrysalis drained some of the love Nightmare felt for Luna. “Take what you need, nothing more or less. Discord, get us out of here.”

“Wait, guys!” Pinkie shouted as she flew back over to them, holding a bottle that was mostly full of golden light. “I think I found something! This is what we’ve been looking for!”

“Take it and let’s get out of here!” Nightmare ordered. Discord and Pinkie reopened the portal back into Everfree and they all jumped back into safety.

Once they were out of the bottle room, and Chrysalis was looking better again, Sunset spoke up. “So, it seems like Lady Faust really hates ponies, huh?”

Having recovered her senses again, Chrysalis gave her friends a grim look. “Oh, it’s more than that…”

Lady Faust sighed impatiently. “This should not be hard. The answer is right under your muzzle, princess.”

Twilight glanced at her from the huddle that she and her friends had made. “Fine, how about this? Do you want me to say I wouldn’t be alive without my friends? Without them I wouldn’t have defeated-”

“Yes, you could have,” Lady Faust insisted. “It might have been more challenging for you, but I know for a fact that you would not be dead without your friends. You could have defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, the changelings, Sombra, and yadda, yadda.” She rolled her hoof and sighed again.

“But um, how could Twilight have defeated them without the Elements of Harmony?” Fluttershy asked.

Lady Faust rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, by using her brain maybe? Her magic? Shocking, I know.” She stood up and stretched her legs. “Fine, you get one more hint.” She glared at Twilight and said, “The only two answers I will accept are two words or less. It’s a short, simple answer. Anyone smart enough to spell their name could figure it out.”

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “Two words or less…”

Applejack frowned at Lady Faust. “Maybe the right answer is only one word? She’s craftier than a worm wriggling through-”

“An apple pun,” Lady Faust muttered, getting an annoyed grumble from the farmer.

“Okay then…sad. I would be sad without my friends,” Twilight answered.

Lady Faust did not accept it. “You’ve been sad plenty of times with your friends.”

“Okay…lonely. I’d be lonely without my friends.”

Lady Faust did not accept it. “You’ve only gotten MORE lonely with your friends.”

“Oh, come on!” Rainbow shouted. “We’ve given you like a hundred different answers by now!”

“Yeah, and you’re supposed to be teachers. This should be easy for you,” Lady Faust mumbled.

Pinkie scratched her head. “Mmm. I can’t think of anymore good answers.”

“Wait…maybe that’s it!” Starlight said with wide eyes. “Maybe that’s the answer!”

Spike and Twilight smiled in understanding. “You’re right Starlight Glimmer. It’s been in front of us the whole time.”

Lady Faust watched closely as Twilight stepped closer to her. There was anger in Lady Faust’s eyes…but also hope?

“I know you didn’t accept my answer before, but I stand by what I said. I wouldn’t be the pony I am without my friends. I never would have become a princess, or a principal of my own friendship school. I never would have been blessed to know such wonderful ponies!”

“Twilight Sparkle…”

“I consider myself the luckiest pony in Equestria, because I got to know all of,” Twilight said, smiling at her friends who all smiled back at her. “You’ve all taught me so much about friendship, and for that I will always be grateful. It was my friends who brought out the magic inside of me!”

“Twilight Sparkle…please don’t…”

“Without my friends, I wouldn’t have so many wonderful memories, so many new experiences! Everything I’ve accomplished has been thanks to them! So to answer your question, Lady Faust, I would be nothing without my friends! Because friendship is the most powerful magic of all!”

A pink glow swirled around Twilight and her friends as they all smiled and hugged each other. Twilight faced Lady Faust again, who was looking down at the ground and shaking. “I don’t know why you’ve come to this world seeking its destruction. But I do know that y-AAHHH!”

“Twilight!” her friends cried as Twilight Sparkle was yanked through the air and smashed into Lady Faust’s front legs. The Princess of Friendship looked up into Lady Faust’s eyes…and saw something unbelievable.

Her eyes were black and filled with twinkling stars. Her eyes were bigger than the galaxy itself. Twilight Sparkle was floating through space, without the need to breathe. She looked down in wonder at her home planet…

And let out a scream as it exploded into the biggest, most-hate filled fireball she had ever seen.

Twilight pulled away from Lady Faust’s eyes, but then the elder alicorn blasted her backwards to collide with her friends. The ponies and dragon all hurried back to their hooves and feet as Lady Faust brought down a livid glare on them.

“EGG-XACT-LY,” Lady Faust hissed. “Without your friends, you’re nothing. You’re less than nothing.”

With a flash of light, Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder, Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus were all summoned behind Lady Faust. “Hello boys and girls! You heard it right from your teacher! Without your friends, you’re all nothing!”

She grinned madly at Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder. “It doesn’t matter if you can fly. You have no value as a person without your friends!”

She scowled at Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus. “It doesn’t matter how strong or smart you are, friendship is the only thing that matters in your sad little lives!”

Yona glared up at her. “Yaks-”

“And it doesn’t matter what yaks think or what ponies think!” Lady Faust interrupted her. “All races bow down to friendship, don’t they?!”

The Young Six all vanished in another flash of teleportation as Lady Faust spun to face Twilight and her friends again. “Because that’s your catchphrase, isn’t it? All your other enemies didn’t learn your lessons, but I did! Friendship is Magic! But it’s so much more than that…Friendship is MANDATORY!”

All of Twilight’s friends stepped back at the insane alicorn. “Friendship is more important than the books you heartlessly discarded! Friendship is more important than creative dreams we filled our heads with! Friendship is more important than the family you left behind to prance about in a school that only teaches one subject! It’s more important than food, water, or sleep! Why, if you’re not making a new friend, every single day for the rest of your life, then you don’t deserve to live, isn’t that the lesson you’ve been teaching?! Princess of Friendship! Principal of Friendship! SLAVE to Friendship!”

“No!” Twilight cried. “That’s not what friendship is at all! The lessons my-”

With a scream of unrelenting rage, Lady Faust fired a blast of magic at the School of Friendship. In a blinding flash of light, the school had been completely destroyed. Absolutely nothing was left behind except a library full of books that were flying away…and a smoking crater.

“NOOO!” Twilight and her friends cried.

“That does it!” Rainbow shouted and charged at Lady Faust. Before she was even halfway there, a gigantic hoof emerged from the sky above and slammed Rainbow into the ground, squashing her like a bug.

“Rainbow Dash!” Starlight and Twilight cried. They fired twin beams of magic at Lady Faust, but both spells bounced harmlessly off her. With a swing of her horn, a shockwave of power rolled off of Lady Faust and slammed into Twilight’s friends, knocking all the ponies and dragon back and trapping them within the tentacles of magic that had snaked out of the ground to restrain them.

“Rainbow Dash, you gotta get up!” Applejack begged the pegasus groaning in pain.

“Please, stop!” Fluttershy cried as Lady Faust stomped over to them. “Why are you doing this?!”

“Why are you so angry?!” Pinkie shouted.

“I’m angry, because I just wanted to be left alone! I’m furious, because you FORCE friendship on people who were already happy with their lives! I’m enraged, because you make people sacrifice their individuality for the sake of ‘friends’ who always take advantage of them!” Lady Faust screamed.

“And I am apoplectic and infuriated because I! HATE! FRIENDSHIP!”

The Beginning of The End

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Beginning of the End

Princess Nightmare Moon furrowed her brow in concentration as she levitated the bottles of swirling emotions up to her eye level. She opened the bottles up, pulled the emotions out, and pushed them together into a cloud of dark rainbows. “New territory here,” she mumbled to herself as her horn and magical mane touched the cloud of emotions, pouring dark dream magic into Lady Faust’s bottled past.

Gilda came up beside her as Nightmare worked. “Well, I just gave Chrysie my share of love. Hopefully she’ll be back on her hooves in a few seconds. What’re you doing with all that?”

“I can’t read these emotions like Chrysalis can, so I’m trying to create a daydream out of this mess,” Nightmare answered.

Gilda grumbled. “What’s the point of all this info gathering?! I say we get to work on getting back into Equestria and smashing Faust’s face in!”

“But we don’t know how to get past Faust’s spell yet,” Nightmare responded. “Until we figure out her weakness, we can’t open a portal to Equestria. And even if we manage that, this is the alicorn who blocked Discord’s and Pinkie’s chaos magic. The mare behind Grogar, Merry Weather, and the Dazzlings brainwashing. It’s going to take everything we have to destroy Lady Faust.”

Nightmare smiled as the dark rainbow of emotions changed into a blurry cloud of blue smoke and stars. “Ha, ha! Success! Now, let’s see what other secrets you’re hiding Faust!”

Gilda watched as Nightmare pushed her face into the magical daydream. “Well, what do ya see?”

“It can’t be…is that Eternal Twilight?!” Nightmare exclaimed.

“What the…Eternal Twilight? Princess Twilight Sparkle’s evil self? I thought this was Faust’s past. Are you saying she had something to do with Princess Sparkle going bad?” Gilda asked.

“No…no, wait…it’s something else. Dreams can be difficult to follow even at the best of times, but Lady Faust doesn’t seem like she has a good grasp on her own mind. No, that pony is smaller, about the same size as Princess Twilight. But there’s something rotten about her…okay, I’m seeing something else…”

Nightmare grumbled as the daydream sputtered out and splashed onto the floor as a rainbow puddle. “Well, I suppose I should be impressed that daydream lasted so long under the circumstances.”

Gilda sighed. “So, was any of what you saw actually helpful?”

“I discovered one more detail. The name Tulip Secondborn.”

Gilda frowned in confusion. “Okay, Tulip is a pretty common pony name. But Secondborn? What kind of name is that?”

Nightmare growled at her own lack of success. “A useless clue.”

Gilda sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up too bad over all this. Just lemme know if you find a helpful memory.” She heard Chrysalis let out a deep breath and hurried over to her friend’s side. “You okay, Chrysie?”

Chrysalis nodded. “I am now, thanks to all of you letting me have some of your love. Nightmare, I saw what you were doing just now. Find anything useful?”

Pinkie teleported in between the two of them and held up the golden bottle she found. “Moony is having some tough luck, same as all of us. But THIS cool glowy thing might be just what the doctor ordered!”

Chrysalis blinked in surprise at the golden light. “That’s joy. Suppressing her own anger, fear, and sadness makes sense, considering how twisted Faust’s memories are. But why would she want to suppress her own happiness?”

Discord shrugged. “No clue. But this bottle is the only container with mostly happiness inside it. Trust me, we counted.” He held up an hourglass with calculators duct tapped to it. The hourglass grew arms and a mouth as it let out an exhausted breath and wiped its brow.

“Even if this doesn’t tell us anything new, I really need something to feel happy about,” Chrysalis said. She quickly swiped the bottle from Pinkie and allowed the emotion to fill her mind.

From outside of Faust’s memories, Chrysalis’ friends watched the changeling queen calmly watch the vision. Her glowing yellow eyes and blank expression didn’t reveal anything about what she was seeing. Out of nowhere, Chrysalis began to smile. Her smile morphed into a deliriously happy grin as tears started to roll down her eyes. Her face quickly twisted into a scowl and the vision ended. Chrysalis stood up again and shook her head to recover from the rollercoaster of foreign emotions she had been forced to feel.

“Well, what did you find? Don’t keep us in suspense!” Trixie said.

Chrysalis lightly chuckled. “We should have seen this coming. The answer to our problems is the same as it always is. Use the Elements of Redemption.”

“Seriously?! Now you tell us that?!” Gilda rolled her eyes. “Whatever, we’ve finally got our ticket to kicking Faust’s flank! Let’s get this thing started!”

Chrysalis gently pulled Gilda’s claw away from the Element of Zeal. “Not quite what I meant, at least not yet. Discord, we need to get to the Cave of Forgiveness.”

Discord and Pinkie exchanged surprised glances, before the spirit of chaos snapped his talons and teleported them all to the mysterious cave. The Cave of Forgiveness had undergone some changes since the last time the Element Bearers had seen it. The rainbow coloured crystals that were dotted all over the cave were sparkling even brighter. The crystal statues of various creatures had been refined dramatically. While before the statues could have been of anybody they now clearly depicted Nightmare Moon, Smog, Sunset, Gilda, Discord, Trixie, Chrysalis, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Celestia, Luna, Sombra, and a few others. In the middle of the cave a beautiful pool sat. While it seemed there was nothing but water in the pool, the liquid sparkled and rippled as if something otherworldly was swimming in it.

Smog took a nervous glance around the cave. “I don’t remember if I said this before, but this place creeps me out a little. Not a lot, but you know. A little.”

“I’m afraid I can’t agree with you, Smog,” Sunset said as she examined the crystals hanging along the walls. “I’d love nothing more than to break one of these off and see how they work. Except, I’m afraid I might break something else if I did that.”

“I’m somewhere in the middle,” Nightmare said. “This cave is beautiful, but also quite alien. It reminds me of my first time seeing the inside of a changeling hive.”

“I think it’s really pretty!” Pinkie chirped. She rubbed her forelegs sheepishly and added, “I’m sorry I polluted it with my Seeds of Doubt that one time.”

“It is okay, Pinkie Pie. I forgive you.”

The heroes all stared at the pool as a dark blue alicorn emerged from the waters and gracefully flew over to them. What looked like a continuously sparkling clone of Nightmare Moon touched down on the ground and smiled at them all.

Every Element Bearer who had a horn charged it up with magic, while Gilda and Smog cracked their knuckles. “Changeling?” Nightmare asked Chrysalis. When the changeling queen shook her head, Nightmare’s horn crackled with lightning. “Who are you and why do you look like me?”

The Nightmare clone smiled gently. “I am very sorry. It was not my intention to startle you. I do not want to hurt you. I do not want to hurt anyone.” A shimmering cone of light traveled up the clone’s body and turned it into Discord’s mirror image. “Is this form more to your liking?”

The other Element Bearers looked a little unsure about what was happening, until Trixie raised her hoof. “Oh! Take Trixie’s form next!” The clone nodded and did just that. Trixie circled her smiling, sparkling image and stared at her in awe. “You’re even more beautiful that my reflection.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon. You are worth far more than your beauty and your skills.”

“Um, excuse me?” Sunset raised her hoof. The clone transformed into her next. “Uh, okay. You seem friendly and all, but who are you?”

The mysterious creature turned back into Nightmare Moon and nodded gently. “Your caution and wisdom have served you well. However, you have no reason to fear me. Please forgive me for bragging, for as the expression goes ‘To err is mortal, to forgive divine.’ That is who I am.”

The beautiful entity spread its wings wide and smiled lovingly at them all. “I am the Divine Spirit of Forgiveness. And I am sorry you had so much trouble getting here.”

“I…I don’t understand. How can anypony hate friendship?” Princess Twilight Sparkle cried.

Lady Faust frowned at the princess and her friends. “I suppose that’s a new one for you. All your other enemies just wanted to dominate or destroy. They saw friendship as an annoyance or an obstacle at best. As for me? I don’t care about Equestria. I just want to destroy the evil that corrupts it. And friendship is the greatest evil of all.”

“Lady, you’re a few apples short of a basket. Scratch that, yer basket’s empty! Friendship ain’t evil!” Applejack declared.

“Yeah! It’s like the opposite of evil!” Pinkie Pie said.

Fluttershy frowned at Lady Faust. “I think we’ve all had enough of your attitude! I won’t let you call my friends evil, so you listen here, missy…”

“Crawling out from the darkest corners of her mind, the pegasus known as Fluttershy was horrified to confront her own assertiveness made flesh and blood.”

The sentence was written, and Faust’s spell was cast. Before their eyes a gigantic dark yellow minotaur with bulging muscles, pink hair, a spiked tail, and a pair of dragon wings appeared before them.

The Fluttermonster stomped the ground hard and snarled, “YOU BREAK MY HEART, I RIP YOU APART!”

With a quick slash of Lady Faust’s horn, the abomination was erased from existence. She glared down at the properly cowed ponies. “You think there’s a difference between being assertive and being mean. You think there’s a difference between friends and minions. I don’t see a difference. Do you?”

Fluttershy flinched from Lady Faust’s frosty glare. “Eep!”

Lady Faust shook her head. “You’re still not getting it. But to you, I suppose friendship is only the happier smile upon a two-faced monster. What would you call the changeling hive before Queen Chrysalis lost it? What would you call the friendship that she, Tirek, and Cozy Glow have made? Very bad people can still make friends, in fact they do it all the time.”

Starlight’s eyes widened. “Wait, what was that about Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and Tirek?”

Twilight shook her head. “You’re wrong, Faust. I don’t know how anypony could-”

“Oh, after all this time you still keep saying any PONY? That is an excellent point to make. Does anyone here remember this?”

Lady Faust waved her hoof and two illusions popped up. Zecora, wearing a dark cloak and with glowing yellow eyes, and Pinkie Pie doing a weird dance. “Oh, she’s an evil enchantress. She does evil dances!”

Pinkie cringed as the memories hit her. “Uh, well-”

Lady Faust waved her hoof again and the Pinkie illusion was replaced with an image of Rarity scoffing. “Just look at those strips! So garish!”

Rarity cringed too just as the illusions faded away. “I admit that we were acting very foolish at the time…”

“Everyone acts foolish at any given time,” Lady Faust grumbled. She stood silently glaring at Twilight and her friends before she asked, “What is the greatest evil in the world? What is the cause of histories greatest tragedies? Is it discrimination? War? Tyranny? My little ponies, the greatest evil of all time is group mentality.”

The ponies and dragon stared at her in confusion as Lady Faust continued to talk. “So many societies believe in different things. In the magic of friendship. In the power of the herd. Whether you realize it or not, group mentality is the force that binds us all in chains. When you look at someone – anyone – you pick one trait and you fixate on it. You judge a person by their species, or their gender, or the colour of their mane or coat. You think that just because I am a pony, I MUST have something in common with all ponies. You think because I am a girl, I MUST have something in common with all girls. And when we don’t have something in common with you, when we fail to meet your expectations, you FORCE them on us. When people see something paranormal, the only thing that matters to them is “Us versus her”. That’s how ponies saw Zecora, and it’s how you see me.”

“How many times did Twilight Sparkle want to sit in her library and read books? How many times did she want to lecture on a favourite subject or perform magical and scientific experiments?” Lady Faust growled at them. “And how many times did you idiots just roll your eyes and say, ‘Oh Twilight is such an egghead! Drop everything you’re doing and come do what WE want to do! Pinkie is throwing another party because today ends with the letter Y!’”

Lady Faust pointed at Pinkie. “Speaking of, what happened to that friendship lesson you learned? What about Cranky Doodle Donkey? What happened to the importance of leaving someone ALONE?!”

She sneered at Twilight next. “It’s not a lesson you learned. When Spike pointed out that you used to be a bad friend, you dropped everything to see Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Moondancer. The first few friends who accepted you back into the herd, you immediately forgot about. Just some more friends to add to your collection. But Moondancer was the one who got away. You wouldn’t leave her alone until she finally decided to put her books away and kick a stupid ball around. Proving once and for all that you didn’t befriend Moondancer for her sake…

“You did it for your own. To satisfy your own ego. You couldn’t let anyone know that the Princess of Friendship was a bad friend.”

Twilight shook her head in distress. “That’s not true at all! Friends aren’t trophies to be collected! Friends are-”

Lady Faust’s horn flared up and she glared down at Twilight with a scowl. “I wasted my childhood by listening to friendship lectures like yours. No. More. Debate. I’m going to destroy this world and every friendship-spewing pony in it.”

She lifted her head back up and said “The Princess of Friendship could ”

“WAIT!” Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs. “What was the other answer?!”

The other ponies and dragon all turned their attention on her. “Pinkie, what are you doing?” Rainbow asked.

“You said there were two answers you’d accept. If we gave the one you wanted to hear, you’d undo all the bad thingies you’ve done and let everyone go. So, what was that answer?”

Twilight winced as she noticed the frustrated look Lady Faust was shooting at her friend. “Pinkie, I don’t think-”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Lady Faust said.

“Y-yes?”

“That was the answer. Twilight Sparkle. The name you used to have.”

Twilight blinked in confusion. “B-but that doesn’t make any sense. You asked me what I am without my friends. I’m still Twilight Spar-”

“No, you’re not,” Lady Faust snapped. “Your name is Princess of Friendship. That’s ALL you are now, princess. That brilliant, kindhearted, beautiful mare? You destroyed her, princess. Twilight Sparkle is dead and you’re the one who killed her, princess!”

Lady Faust waved her hoof and a filly version of Twilight Sparkle appeared. “Well, I read ahead too Moondancer and I’m sure it said sodium chloride first.”

Lady Faust waved her hoof again and the illusion changed to an older Twilight Sparkle galloping away from three other ponies. “I think she’s more interested in books than friends,” one of them scoffed.

The illusion changed once more, this time focusing on Twilight alone. “I am her student and I’ll do my royal duty but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends.” The illusion then smiled and said, “Thank you sirs” before it vanished.

Lady Faust snorted as she saw the disbelief on the princess of friendship’s face. “I know you’re not going to listen to a ghost, princess. But Twilight Sparkle was right. You didn’t need to make friends to save Equestria.”

Spike spoke up. “I’ve been with Twilight since the beginning. Trust me, she couldn’t have done all the amazing things she’s done alone.”

“She never tried!” Lady Faust snapped back. “Starlight here was able to create an almost perfect mind control spell, just by finding some spells in a library and mashing them together. Twilight could have done that too! Why didn’t she just brainwash all those villains into becoming better people?”

“What I did was wrong! You can’t use magic to force someone to be good!” Starlight said.

“Isn’t that one of the primary functions of the Elements of Harmony? Both Nightmare and Sunset Shimmer?” Lady Faust shook her head. “Why am I even bothering? In this world morality only works on your terms, princess! You won’t even consider the fact that you might be wrong!”

Rainbow frowned. “Just because you never had any friends-”

“Oh, but I did, Dashie!” Lady Faust said with an angry, wild smile. “I had dozens of friends when I was your age! And I hated all of them!”

Lady Faust took a deep breath as streams of magic flowed out of her horn and into her head. “But this isn’t just about me. This is about all the people that society scorns. The losers, the bookworms, the social rejects. The introverts, the basement-dwellers, the hikikomori. When children grow up, they often hear that one person can make a difference in the world. Many people, ponies or otherwise, saw the difference Twilight Sparkle made. She cared more about her books than her friends, but she was still a hero. She was polite, hardworking, intelligent, talented, and loyal. People were inspired by you, before you became a princess. Before you even came to Ponyville.”

Lady Faust hissed. “And you threw us all away. Destiny handed you friends on a silver platter and you turned your back on everything you learned in Canterlot. You made it look SO easy to make friends; to find people who could love you. But we can’t all be heroes. And making friends is NOT easy. Not a true friend. Not somebody you can trust or confide in.”

Lady Faust turned away from them. “Tartarus is other people, princess.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry you felt so alone, but you-”

Twilight cut off her own speech and gulped as Lady Faust’s horn flared with power. “You’re not listening. After all these years, NONE of you EVER listen.”

Lady Faust turned back to them as her horn glowed blindingly bright. “For the last time: I want to be left alone.”

But before Lady Faust could unleash her spell, a rainbow wave of magic burst out of the ground and knocked her off her hooves. The tentacles of magic that had been restraining Twilight and her friends vanished and they gasped in awe as their savior emerged from the ground.

“Do not listen to this monster’s lies Twilight Sparkle!” a sparkling spirit that looked and sounded like the princess of friendship declared. “This heartless fiend does not belong in this world!”

“Oh, I am well aware of that,” Lady Faust hissed as she floated back onto her hooves. “The Tree of Harmony,” she spat with more hate in her voice than Twilight had ever heard in her life. “You know, in another world King Sombra obliterated you. It looked really fun.”

“Stepping on my roots and alerting me to your presence was a grave mistake,” the Tree of Harmony said. “Your revenge stops here! I will not allow you to hurt anypony else!”

Lady Faust grinned wildly. “What joy, I get to call out your hypocrisy too! Tell me, if it’s so wrong for me to kill fictional characters that don’t actually exist, why is it okay for you to do the same thing? Or have you already forgotten about those clones you melted?!”

“What the hay is going on?” Applejack asked. “Why’s there a sparkly version of Twilight? What clones?”

“Those clones were minions of Queen Chrysalis, created out of dark magic! I was defending myself from soulless monsters, just as I do now!” the Tree of Harmony declared.

“Oh, a ginger joke? How original!” Lady Faust spat sarcastically as she brushed her red mane out of her eyes. “What do you consider to have a soul? What about when you kidnapped six students and traumatized them?! Remember Gallus and Silverstream? Were they soulless? Oh, how benevolent of you to torture people with claustrophobia and thoughts of invasion!”

“They chose what they saw in my roots, not me,” the Tree of Harmony said in defense.

“They didn’t choose what they were afraid of! Nobody does! What gives you the right to judge our hearts?!” Lady Faust screamed.

“What gives you the right to justify your failures as an excuse for destruction?” the Tree of Harmony shot back.

Lady Faust’s posture suddenly went very stiff. “Explain,” she said as the ground beneath her hooves froze.

“Friendship is within your nature. It is within everypony’s nature. The world is not to blame for your misery. Everything bad that has happened to you is your fault.”

Lady Faust was silent at that declaration. The anger drained from her face and she stared at the ground in thought. “If that’s what you think...maybe I should have stayed in my room today.”

The Tree of Harmony’s horn flashed and the Elements of Harmony appeared on Twilight and the other bearers. “Twilight Sparkle, this villain cannot be reasoned with. For the safety of everyone in Equestria, you must use the Elements of Harmony!”

The Tree of Harmony floated up and behind Twilight and her friends. The six heroes smiled and linked hooves with each other as the Elements activated.

“Maybe the Equalizer was right about me,” Lady Faust said to herself. For some unfathomable reason, she smiled calmly at the wave of power that was building up. “Or perhaps this is what I’ve longed for. To see if I am the villain or the victim.”

Lady Faust let out a giggle as the magic of friendship came hurtling towards her. “No matter what happens…this is where I win.”

The magic struck Lady Faust and an explosion of light enveloped the whole area. When the light faded away Princess Twilight was overjoyed to see Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, and Discord all smiling at her.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle. I knew you could do it,” Celestia said proudly.

“Thank you, Princess Celestia. But it wasn’t easy. I feel like Lady Faust has tested us harder than anypony else.”

“Oh, come now. I thought I was a much more threatening villain,” Discord scoffed. He sheepishly added, “Not that I’m proud of it, of course.”

“So…what do we do with her now?” Starlight asked as she pointed to the huge crater and the alicorn lying in the center of it.

Twilight approached Lady Faust and looked down at her. “You will never destroy Equestria. Any power you may have is nothing compared to the magic of friendship. I am truly sorry that you felt abandoned in the past, but this is your second chance. This time, you can make friends who will never let you down. Or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours.”

“…If it’s all the same to you, I’ll take the second option.”

The ponies blinked in surprise as Lady Faust flapped her wings and hovered out of the crater. She was viciously wounded, looking more damaged than any creature Celestia had ever seen. Long, red scratches criss crossed over black and dark purple bruises that covered her white coat. Both of her eyes looked like they had been smashed in with a hammer and her grin had several teeth missing. But the worst of all her injuries, were the three sixth-degree burn marks running in a vertical line up her chest.

Then Lady Faust flapped her wings again and all her injuries vanished. Her horn flared up with power as her grin got wider. “Look at that. Friendship tried to kill me again.”

Floating back out of from where it was hiding, the Tree of Harmony’s avatar gasped in shock. “But that’s impossible! Friendship is the greatest magic of all! Friendship is-”

Her sentence was cut off as a blast from Lady Faust struck the tree’s avatar and made it explode into a shower of sparkles. Lady Faust tilted her head and the physical Tree of Harmony appeared in the air, completely uprooted and looking slightly gray. With another blast from her horn, the Tree of Harmony collapsed into a pile of dust that was blown away with a flap of Lady Faust’s wings.

“Friendship is dead,” Lady Faust said with a victorious smile.

“No…NO!” Twilight and her friends cried. Lady Faust gave them one last look and said:

“The Princess of Friendship could do nothing but watch in horror as a colossal wave of power erupted from my horn and washed over Equestria, destroying everything and everybody.”

And what she said came to pass. Rainbow tried to fly her friends away, but she wasn’t fast enough. Discord, Starlight, and the alicorns tried to teleport them all away, but they weren’t fast enough. A shockwave of deadly light exploded outward and obliterated the princesses and their friends and family. Every pony, every creature, and every thing burst into dust as the shockwave hit them. Ponyville, the Everfree Forest, Cloudsdale, Canterlot, Appleloosa, Manehattan, Rockville, Dodge Junction, Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus, Baltimare, Vanhoover, Somnambula, Trottingham…all gone.

Everything was wiped off the map. Within seconds, the planet itself was gone too. There was nothing left behind except a white void floating in space…and Lady Faust.

“…It’s over…”

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“It’s finally over…”

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Lady Faust closed her eyes and sank to the nonexistent floor, letting out an exhausted sigh. She spread out her front hooves and a pile of books appeared in front of her. She hugged all the books tightly to her chest and quietly wept. Her tears ran down her face and over her happy smile.

“…I’m finally alone. Thank goodness. Thank heaven.”

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Lady Faust opened her eyes. She looked back and forth, as if expecting someone to jump out and startle her. When nobody came, she opened up one of the books with a gleeful smile and began to read.

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THE END

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A portal opened up behind Lady Faust. She spun around in bewilderment just before a stretchy eagle claw and a pink hoof grabbed her by the neck and pulled her in.

“No! NO! Leave me alone! FOR GOODNESS SAKE, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

But the two limbs were unrelenting as they pulled Lady Faust out of one universe and into another. She pulled herself off the ground as the portal closed behind her and looked up in shock.

The Elements of Redemption all glared back at her. The alicorn of forgiveness flashed her fangs at the Goddess of Equestria.

“Greetings, Lady Faust. My name is Princess Nightmare Moon, mistress of the night. Welcome to Everfree.”

How to Forgive the Unforgivable?

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

How to Forgive the Unforgivable?

Queen Chrysalis blinked a few times. Her vision was getting a little blurry. Maybe it had something to do with the six different screens and six different books she was staring at and somehow paying equal amounts of attention to or maybe…

No, that’s silly. Her vision was fine. Her ears flicked a few times and her tail swished back and forth as she hummed different songs inside her head. She couldn’t make out what she was reading on the screens and in the books, but she could feel…something. Like a warm, comfortable blanket wrapped around her. Chrysalis was used to sensing or tasting love, but staring at these screens…she felt as if she was seeing love, in a way that no ordinary creature could.

Her ears flicked as the door to her room opened and an unfamiliar changeling flew in. “My Lady, I-”

“Knock and don’t come in unless I say you can!” Queen Chrysalis hissed at him.

The changeling whimpered and immediately bowed down. “Please forgive me, my Lady! I-It’s just-”

“Hold on a second,” Chrysalis grumbled as she put all the computers into sleep mode and neatly closed the books with a few bookmarks. “Look, just make it quick. Um, who are you again?” she asked.

The changeling blinked and hesitantly stood back up. “I was never given a name.”

Chrysalis smiled a little. “Good answer. Alright, what do you need?”

“My Lady, a situation has come up in this universe. Starlight Glimmer and her equality cult are getting too close to your location.”

Chrysalis frowned. “I thought Starlight was done with that. Unless…darn, there’s so many alternate worlds it’s hard to keep track of them all. Do you remember what’s different in this one? Wait, maybe I wrote it down somewhere.”

Chrysalis levitated a few journals up and skimmed them as the changeling stammered. “M-my Lady, what should we do about her? I highly doubt her equality magic could work on your glorious talent, but if it can-”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Don’t call it equality magic. Whatever Starlight does with her cult, it’s NOT equality.”

The changeling nodded. “Forgive me, my Lady. Before you rescued me from my miserable existence, I wasn’t very knowledgeable about the world. I’ve been studying the various texts you’ve given me of course, but um…if it’s not that, what is equality?”

“The way I see it, equality is just being nice to others.”

“Truly? If it’s really that simple, why do people struggle with it so much?”

“It’s…” Chrysalis sighed. “Listen, people have different ideas about different aspects of life, you know?”

The changeling slowly nodded. “I think I understand. But my Lady, in your texts you spoke about how the Equalizer had-”

“Zip it,” Chrysalis commanded and a zipper immediately closed over the changeling’s mouth. “First of all, those are NOT my texts. Burn those pamphlets immediately. Secondly, I don’t want you to pay attention to the very idea of the Equalizer. He is ancient history but his beliefs must never be allowed to poison anyone ever again.” Chrysalis reopened the changeling’s mouth with a flick of her red tail and sighed. She brought up a pale white hoof and rubbed at her flickering horn…wait, flickering?! The glow around her horn immediately flared up as she brought up a piece of paper and scribbled down

“The servant of the Goddess shall be granted a single use of Her power so long as She is satisfied with the result. Write what you wish to happen, and it shall be so.”

She levitated the paper over to him and said, “There. Go find the evil Starlight Glimmer, write down a solution to the problem and as long as I’m happy with it, it will happen.”

“My Lady, you honor me with this generous gift! But what-”

Chrysalis stopped listening as she cast a protection spell over her stuff and teleported out of the hidden palace. She opened a portal to a different universe, leading to nowhere specific and walked through it. As she strolled along the dimly lit path, she kept her motions under control and summoned a sphere of blue light. She tapped the sphere and listened as it played music.

“My little pony!”

“Ugh, no.” She tapped the sphere again.

“Sugar. Spice. And everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create-”

“Better, but no.”

“Gotta get back! Back to the past! Samurai-”

“Too short.”

“When there’s trouble you know who to call! Teen-”

Chrysalis hummed and tapped the sphere again. “Not bad. What else…”

“In the dusty basement where we meet…”

Chrysalis smiled and quietly hummed the lyrics to the song under her breath. The crystals she was passing got bigger and the cave grew brighter as she sang. “You’re ready to fight, look over there. They try to kill us for stars. Our bond has got much stronger than before...” she sang, prancing a little bit as she neared a glowing pool.

Chrysalis flapped her powerful wings and shouted, “Don’t lose your way! In your mind, we have to be…as one! Don’t be afraid, my sweetheart! This is the way to be more strong! Harbour my deep secret. It makes me so blue…”

“Run through this game, before my body is dry.”

Chrysalis immediately stopped singing and backed away from the pool as a familiar red-headed alicorn climbed out of the water and gently smiled at her. “Who are you? What do you want?!”

“Please forgive me for disturbing your privacy. Your singing was so beautiful, I felt compelled to join in.”

Chrysalis frowned as a cone of light shot out of her horn and swept over the alicorn. “What do you want, and what makes you think you can get it by confusing me? This isn’t a mirror pool, you’re not a changeling, and a draconequus wouldn’t be this subtle.”

“Please forgive me for not introducing myself.” The Lady Faust clone spread her wings out. “I am the Divine Spirit of Forgiveness. I’m sorry if that sounds too much like bragging.”

Chrysalis’ horn flared with power. “If you’re related to that soul-destroying Tree of Harmony, so help me…”

The spirit lowered its head in a graceful bow. “I forgive you for being angry. I understand how difficult it is for you to trust anyone. Please believe me when I say I mean you no harm. I truly wish for you to be happy.”

Chrysalis snorted. “Like the way that stupid Tree forced Princess Luna to be happy in her sister’s shadow? Or the way you wanted Princess Sparkle to be happy in a realm of eternal twilight? I assume this is Everfree?”

The spirit rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. “I cannot speak for the Tree of Harmony. As for my own accident, I provided Sombra with a method to heal his friend. I’m sorry to say that I have no control of the Elements of Redemption now that they have left my care. Sombra made a mistake in his attempt to bring Sparkle back to the side of heroes. However, I forgive Sombra, I forgive Sparkle, and I forgive myself. Everyone makes mistakes, and that fact is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow and took a step back. “I don’t know about divine, but you have proven your immortality to me. You are definitely not normal.”

The spirit smiled. “Thank you.”

Chrysalis frowned again and turned around, more than ready to leave this behind her.

“If you’ll forgive me for asking this, why do you keep coming back when you have the power to walk away forever?”

Chrysalis turned around again and glared at the spirit. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re planning on traveling to the Equestria that is tied with Everfree. You’re planning on destroying it. Why?”

Chrysalis became blank as she answered, “Because it’s the only way people will listen.”

The spirit nodded slowly. “People don’t listen to you very often, do they? I’m sorry about that.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “You say sorry a lot. It’s not your fault.”

The spirit smiled again. “And it’s not your fault either. All the bad things that happened to you; they have never been your fault.”

Chrysalis’ horn flared up again. “I don’t know what you want but I’m not giving it to you.”

“I don’t want anything from you, Lady Faust. I want you to be happy. Without magically altering your mind. I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear,” the spirit said with a silly grin as it approached Chrysalis.

“Don’t come any closer!” Chrysalis growled.

“You don’t have to be angry, Lady Faust. You’re a good person.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

“You are kind and intelligent. You are wonderfully creative. Your mind is beautifully organized yet adventurous. If the impossible happened, if you died, I would mourn you. The world would be a sadder place without you and without people like you.”

Chrysalis’ jaw dropped. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to run away. I don’t like this.

And suddenly the spirit was hugging her, someone was hugging her bad, bad, bad get off, get off, get off don’t touch me don’t touch me go away leave alone leave…me…alone…

The spirit of forgiveness was hugging her…and it didn’t hurt. She wasn’t suffocating. She wasn’t drowning. She wasn’t sweating, or crying, or vomiting, or bleeding. She actually felt…comfortable. Warm, in a good way. She felt happy…

“I forgive you. Can you please forgive yourself? And, if it’s possible…can you forgive your family?”

…It just occurred to Chrysalis that her constantly glowing horn had STOPPED glowing for just a few seconds. And hearing that last sentence…

~~Chrysalis~~ Lady Faust teleported out of the spirit’s hug and hissed as her entire body glowed with blue flames.

“Sneaky little changeling, poking through my memories. Sneaky little spirit, trying to get in my head. All of you, trying to tell me what I should think.” Lady Faust grinned. “I don’t know how far into the future you’re peeking in from Chrysalis, but it isn’t far enough.”

“Lady Faust, please,” the spirit pleaded. “Destroying Equestria will not give you peace.”

“It will do more than you think.” Lady Faust’s twisted grin relaxed into something a little calmer. “And really, I don’t know why you’re so concerned. The ponies of Equestria are fictional characters, and I’m a writer. I create new worlds in my mind by the hour. I can destroy a universe in a paragraph…and I can recreate a universe in a new chapter. If you think about, you have no reason to fight me.” Lady Faust scowled. “Not that it ever stopped you before…”

“Then why?” the spirit asked. “I’m sorry for asking, but if destroying Equestria makes no difference why commit the deed when you can walk away from the anger and pain?”

“That’s exactly why I have to do this. I CAN walk away from the pain.” Lady Faust looked down at her chest and waved her hoof over it. Three glowing red dots running in a vertical line upwards appeared. She glared down and uttered, “But not everyone gets to be immortal.”

The spirit of forgiveness’ ears drooped. “It is my nature to forgive everyone…but even I have difficulty when it comes to that.” The spirit floated back over to its pool and slowly sank back in. “I will not stop you. But when Princess Nightmare and her allies come for you…I will always forgive you.”

Lady Faust scowled and teleported away from the Cave of Forgiveness. An empty jar popped into existence and a small strand of golden light shot out of her horn and into the jar before Chrysalis lost her grasp on the memory.

“Well, what did you find? Don’t keep us in suspense!” Trixie said.

Chrysalis lightly chuckled. “We should have seen this coming. The answer to our problems is the same as it always is. Use the Elements of Redemption.”

“Seriously?! Now you tell us that?!” Gilda rolled her eyes. “Whatever, we’ve finally got our ticket to kicking Faust’s flank! Let’s get this thing started!”

Chrysalis gently pulled Gilda’s claw away from the Element of Zeal. “Not quite what I meant, at least not yet. Discord, we need to get to the Cave of Forgiveness.”

As they traveled to the cave, Chrysalis reflected on what she saw. She was ahead of her friends in that she had a much clearer picture in her head about who Lady Faust was. But would it be enough? Could they really understand an enemy who could barely understand herself?

Princess Nightmare and her friends blinked in surprise at the spirit’s declaration. “Well, well, well. This is an unexpected honour. I assume we have you to thank for the Elements of Redemption,” Nightmare said as she gave a polite bow to the spirit.

The Spirit of Forgiveness smiled. “I merely provided King Sombra and you with the Elements. Their success is largely your own doing. I forgive you for making an incorrect but understandable assumption.” Chrysalis raised her hoof but then thought better about the point she was going to make and stayed silent.

“Well whatever you did, thanks for the help,” Gilda said with a thumbs up. “Anyway, do ya think you can send us to Equestria so that we kick Faust’s flank?”

The spirit blinked and suggested, “Perhaps you would have better luck if we brought Lady Faust into Everfree? Her powers grow stronger or weaker depending on which universe she’s in. You may have better luck with the ‘home field advantage’, as I believe it’s called. I’m sorry if I used the wrong term. I am also sorry if you disagree with my idea, it was merely a suggestion.

Smog raised an eyebrow. “It’s like she’s proud about how humble she is.”

Discord nodded. “It’s like talking with an immortal Canadian.”

“Hey, can it with the jokes!” Gilda snapped at both of them. “Send us there, bring her here, it doesn’t matter to me! Can you do it?”

The spirit nodded. “Of course. I forgive you for your agitation and I’m very sorry that my inactivity bothered you. I can reach Lady Faust through my pool. Discord, Pinkie Pie, may I please have your help in this endeavor? I’m sorry if I’m asking too much of you-”

“No problem at all, fellow spirit!” Discord assured her.

Sunset let out a sigh as the spirits of chaos and forgiveness dipped their limbs into the pool. “Alright everyone. This could be our biggest battle ever. Bigger than Grogar and Merry Weather. Bigger than Daybreaker or Pinkie combined. Any last minute preparations we can make?”

“If you can think of anything, do it quick. I’m gonna head out quick and grab some thunderclouds,” Gilda said before she flapped her wings and took off. She zipped out of and into the cave a few times, bringing more and more lightning-charged clouds.

“When I tasted her memories in those bottled emotions, I got something of a picture of what Faust is like. But I’m worried it’s not enough,” Chrysalis said.

Trixie hummed in thought. “It’s best to know your audience in advance but I haven’t even had the time to practise. Which trick up my sleeve could work on a universe-destroying goddess?”

Sunset poked at a few smaller but powerful looking crystals. “Even though Gilda was getting annoyed with our info gathering, I’m annoyed at the fact that we still don’t know that much about Lady Faust. How powerful she is, what her true intentions are, how we can talk her down. I can’t remember if I’ve even seen what she looks like!”

“Taller than Celestia, pale white, red mane and tail that doesn’t flow like Nightmare’s does, cutie mark of a quill and inkwell that kind of flickers…she’s also constantly using her magic for at least one spell; her horn almost never stops glowing,” Chrysalis answered, drawing on what she remembered from Faust’s magical emotions.

“That’s good. Nightmare, did you get anything from that daydream you made?” Sunset asked.

Nightmare shrugged. “Nothing useful. I thought I saw Eternal Twilight but it wasn’t her, and I heard someone whisper the name Tulip Secondborn. And that’s literally all I got,” she grumbled.

Sunset’s eyes popped wide open. “D-did, did you just say Secondborn?!”

Nightmare, Trixie, Smog, and Chrysalis all turned to face her. “Wait, you know who that is?”

“No way!” Sunset exclaimed. “I don’t know anyone with a name like that, and thank goodness! Guys, I…I can understand Trixie not knowing what that name means. And that’s not an insult, Trixie! But Nightmare, Chrysalis…someone in your family must have told you what that name means.”

Nightmare frowned. “Nothing good, judging by your reaction.”

“Secondborn…was a popular name during the Dark Ages,” Sunset revealed. “Something I found when I was still King Sombra’s student; poking into books that were too old for me.”

“Yeah, Nightmare and I have been going through books our whole lives,” Smog said. “And the only time she wouldn’t read a book was if Luna told her not to.”

“It’s not exactly kids stuff. The Dark Ages refers to the earliest recording of pony civilization. If you try to look any further than that, the most you’ll find is some hoof paintings on a cave wall. During the Dark Ages, ponies were still evolving; still stuck in that ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality. And the pony who had the biggest herd survived the longest.”

Sunset paced back and forth as she explained. “Back then, the quantity of your friends was more important than the quality. The number of children you had was more important than whether or not you actually loved them. When ponies were given numbers as well as names. Any kind of change or progress was seen as a threat to the status quo. Any sort of difference was met with extreme prejudice. It’s a time when…”

She glanced at Chrysalis and gulped. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry…the Dark Ages is when the Z.I.P schools and the Changeling Trials took place.”

Chrysalis cupped her hoof around her mouth as her black chitin turned as green as her eyes. “Oh dear…”

Nightmare, Smog, Sunset, Trixie, and the Spirit of Forgiveness bowed their head and said in unison, “I am sorry for your loss.”

Pinkie blinked at the group apology. “Um, is everyone okay?”

Discord elbowed Pinkie hard. “Why didn’t you join in?! Even I know that’s bad manors!”

Chrysalis sighed and shifted her colour back to black. “I’m sure she didn’t know, Discord. Can we please not talk about it?”

Smog glanced sheepishly at Pinkie. “Right, you probably didn’t know, so it’s not your fault Pinkie. Just…any time someone mentions the Changeling Trials, the proper thing to do is for every pony to apologize to the closest changeling.”

Pinkie gulped at some of the glares she was getting from Trixie and Gilda, as the griffon paused in her cloud gathering. “Um…”

“Drop it already,” Chrysalis hissed at her friends. She took a few deep breaths to calm down and said, “So Lady Faust is very old. But based on what I saw in her memories, I don’t think she approved of the Trials.”

Nightmare slowly nodded. “Well that’s good. It means she’s not completely soulless.”

Sunset shuddered. “Some of her behavior makes sense now. If I was born back then, I WOULD go insane.”

Gilda flew back in with one last cloud and perched on top of it with a satisfied grin. “Whatever Faust’s deal is, I’m ready to thrash her. We can’t just let her get away with destroying Equestria.”

The Spirit of Forgiveness smiled at her. “I’m sorry I forgot to mention this, but Lady Faust destroyed Equestria a few minutes ago.”

“WHAT?” everyone else in the cave exclaimed. “We already lost?!” Trixie cried,

“Okay, now is not the time to panic everyone!” Nightmare shouted.

“She’s right. Who knows, maybe the Elements of Redemption can…recreate worlds and bring back the dead?” Sunset offered, not really believing herself. She shot a desperate look at the spirit.

The spirit continued to smile. “I apologize for alarming you like. Be at peace and know that you can still save Equestria. And it starts here.”

The spirit reached deep into its pool and gently pulled out what looked like a sparkling clone of Princess Twilight Sparkle. “Please allow me to introduce the Spirit of Harmony.” The spirit of forgiveness tilted her head. “Do you prefer spirit or tree? I’m sorry if I used the wrong title.”

“This…this cannot be…” the Tree of Harmony whimpered. “Friendship is the greatest magic of all. How could it fail?”

Discord snorted at it. “Overconfident little rhinestone, isn’t she?” Pinkie removed her hoof as if it were a glove and smacked him with it before putting it back on. “What?!”

The spirit of forgiveness shook her head. “I do not believe she was overconfident, although I forgive you for thinking so.”

The Tree of Harmony mumbled to herself. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends were supposed to defeat her.”

“I’m sorry for interrupting you, Tree of Harmony. I hope you can take comfort in the fact that nothing was wrong with the power of Twilight Sparkle’s friendship. Simply that Lady Faust does not see friendship the way most people do,” the spirit said.

The Tree of Harmony finally seemed to register Princess Nightmare and her friends. “Elements of Redemption. I beg you to save Equestria from the tyrant Lady Faust. She is a monster greater than any that the magic of friendship has encountered before. She cannot be reasoned with. She must be stopped.”

“I’m sorry to say that I disagree.”

The Tree of Harmony glared at the Spirit of Forgiveness. “She is an arrogant, self-righteous, destructive child who cares for nopony but herself.”

The spirit sighed sadly. “She is a child. Angry and in pain, lashing out at others because she never knew there was another way.”

The Tree of Harmony let out a growl. “You naïve…” Her anger was cut short as a glowing crack formed in its chest.

“Please be careful. It was thanks to Discord and Pinkie’s efforts that we pulled you back from death.” The spirit levitated the Tree’s avatar onto its back. “I am sorry to say I must leave you now. If Lady Faust destroys either of us, she could irreversibly destroy the world we protect too. For the safety of Everfree and the resurrection of Equestria, you must face Lady Faust alone.”

The Element bearers nodded in understanding, watching as the two spirits teleported away in a flash of light. Discord and Pinkie briefly high-fived each other before they plunged their limbs into the pool…and pulled out a very angry goddess.

Lady Faust pulled herself off the ground and glared at them. Nightmare made sure her fangs were showing as she smirked at the elder alicorn. “Greetings, Lady Faust. My name is Princess Nightmare Moon, mistress of the night. Welcome to Everfree.”

Lady Faust tilted her horn up, causing the ceiling of the cave to rise as she adjusted her surroundings to suit herself better. “All caught up now, are we? I thought that sending Megan, Grogar, and the Dazzlings after you would send a message to leave me alone. What a shock, you didn’t listen.”

“Hey, you’re the one who just blew up a universe!” Smog shot back.

“I’ll put it back when I’m good and ready to!” Lady Faust said with a glare. “Although your universe spawned from the world formerly known as Equestria, you’re all still alive! I decided that your world was more emotionally mature than that friendship-addicted nightmare; I decided that you weren’t worth attacking! And now, you decide to shove your muzzles where they aren’t needed.”

“We’re going to give you one chance to do things diplomatically,” Chrysalis offered calmly, while still keeping her fangs in Faust’s sight. “Will you please restore Equestria, right now?”

Lady Faust’s only response was for her horn to glow even brighter.

“That’s what I thought. Everyone, use the Elements!” Nightmare ordered. The six bearers all stood together as the magic of redemption built up inside them. Pinkie quickly summoned some chains to restrain Lady Faust before she teleported herself and Smog behind the bearers.

Lady Faust smirked as the magic spiraled towards her. “I’ve finally gotten proof that I’m stronger than friendship. Do your worse!” Light and darkness mixed together and sent magical energy exploding outwards, completely engulfing Lady Faust in the Elements’ power.

As the magic powered down, Smog hesitantly looked into the cloud of smoke. “Did we get her?”

The Elements all gasped and stepped back as the smoke was easily blown away, revealing a wounded Lady Faust already healing her injuries. “Compared to the Elements of Harmony, that was almost soothing!” she gloated with a teasing smile.

“…uh, Nightmare? Nightmare, what do we do? Nightmare? Nightmare?!” Smog babbled as he tugged on Nightmare’s hoof.

The Elements glanced nervously at each other, a little at lost of what to do when their best weapon proved ineffective. The Great and Powerful Trixie was the first to come up with a brilliant plan. With a quick swipe of her hoof, she turned her hat into a helmet, summoned a canon with a flash of magic, and jumped into.

“Ramming speed!” she shouted as she fired herself out of the cannon and rocketed towards Lady Faust. The alicorn responded by summoning a shield that sent Trixie ricocheting into the ceiling.

“Trixie! Are you okay?” Smog cried as he rushed over to her.

“Behold, the Paint and Growerful Triskie,” the unicorn slurred.

Lady Faust allowed herself a small smirk at the dazed unicorn before she got serious again. “I took my time with Equestria for revenge. You on the other hoof…”

Princess Nightmare Moon could do…

In an explosion of light, Everfree was…

Lady Faust’s glowing blue eyes glared at Discord and Pinkie. The two chaotic tricksters had their fingers tightly clutching a pencil that was scratching out the lines of Lady Faust’s reality bending sentences.

“This is…WAY harder…than it looks!” Discord gasped out, his eyeballs bulging out and sweating.

“Give me chocolate…and kick her flank! …In that order!” Pinkie gasped as her mane and tail grew small mouths and huffed and puffed in exhaustion.

“I knew these’d come in handy!” Gilda crowed as she grabbed her small arsenal of thunderclouds and threw them towards Lady Faust, giving them all a solid kick which sent lightning bolts flying towards her opponent.

Lady Faust flapped her wings and the clouds dispersed right before the lightning bolts came flying towards the Elements. Gilda quickly flew out of the way, Nightmare turned into mist and swirled out of their path, and Sunset summoned up a shield to absorb the damage. But with a swish of Lady Faust’s tail, the lightning bolts passed through the shield and struck Sunset.

“OW!” Sunset cried.

“Medic!” Discord exclaimed as he teleported over to Sunset wearing a lab coat and placed a bandage over her muzzle, which somehow healed all the injuries on her body.

“I got an idea! Smog, distract her! Everyone else, charge me up!” Gilda called out as she raised her claws.

Smog leapt into the fray and began bathing Lady Faust in a roaring sea of flames. As his fire breath reached her, Lady Faust simply flexed her wings again and turned the flames into bubbles that drifted harmlessly away. Meanwhile Nightmare, Sunset, Chrysalis, Trixie, Discord, and Pinkie all cast spells on Gilda’s claws to charge them up with power.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Lady Faust des

“GAH!” Pinkie cried as she tightened her grip on the pencil. Discord zipped back over to her and reapplied his power to stopping Lady Faust from killing them all in a sentence.

Gilda flexed her claws and dive-bombed Lady Faust, scratching her eyes and face in a flurry of magically charged swipes. The goddess glared at the griffon as her talons kept scratching, making a sound like nails against a diamond chalkboard. Lady Faust let out an annoyed grunt and headbutted Gilda, knocking the Element of Zeal across the room and crashing into her friends.

As the Element bearers picked themselves up again, Lady Faust glanced into the pool’s reflective surface and hummed. Her horn lit up even brighter and she smirked at Gilda as a small spark zipped up a leftover scratch on her eye. “All that for a drop of blood.”

Discord’s eyes widened. He gave Pinkie a quick pat on the shoulder before he let go of the pencil. Within seconds, he teleported himself and his friends out of the cave while leaving a bomb packed full of chaotic energy right at Faust’s hooves.

“Everyone okay?” Discord asked as he and the Elements appeared in an empty field in the middle of nowhere.

The Elements stared in horror as…

“PENCIL!” Pinkie cried as she appeared next to them. Discord grabbed their only defense against Lady Faust’s greatest weapon and added his power back.

“We need a better plan,” Sunset said as she began pulling crystals out of the ground. “The Elements aren’t working, Discord and Pinkie are too busy protecting us from world-destroying sentences, and she’s toying with us.”

“Well, if having more numbers worked against me, maybe it’ll work against her,” Pinkie suggested. She coiled a strand of her mane until it resembled a telephone and spoke into it. “Hey, it’s me. How soon can you get them here? Uh huh? Well hurry up and come over here. Gotta go, need to wrestle with this pencil some more!”

Pinkie tightened her grip on the pencil…just as Lady Faust teleported into the field wearing a smirk. “Cute toy you left me. Have you had enough yet?”

“Not quite!” Sunset shouted as she levitated a few dozen clusters of the crystals she had collected and pushed them towards her friends, who quickly crushed the crystals and absorbed the magic inside. Sunset then took the more volatile crystals and chucked them at Lady Faust where they exploded upon contact.

Lady Faust merely brushed the debris off her coat with a wing before she blasted Sunset off her hooves. The other Elements tried to rush her, but Lady Faust kept her house-sized beam active and swept it across the field, knocking them all back.

“Ow…” the bearers groaned.

“I really don’t need to destroy your world,” Lady Faust commented. “And without your Elements, you really don’t stand a chance. Why fight against someone who can rewrite reality itself? For that matter, why not take advantage of the situation? If you asked nicely, I could make all your dreams come true.”

Trixie pulled her hat out of her helmet and switched headgear. “Around here, we call that too many fizzy drinks at the Chaos Corner.”

“Ha, ha! Burn!” Discord cheered. His tail formed fingers which he snapped, creating a flamethrower aimed at Lady Faust. The alicorn merely blinked and the flamethrower turned into a plastic paintbrush that clattered harmlessly against the ground.

Just then the sun exp-

“Whoops!” Discord cried as he and Pinkie quickly scratched that line out.

“I suppose you do have fulfilling, happy lives. But can the rest of Everfree say the same?” Lady Faust turned to Chrysalis. “Wouldn’t you be happier if changelings didn’t need to feed on love? If your people never went hungry again? What about a world where nobody gets fat no matter how much they eat? A world where everyone is as strong as Celestia? Perhaps a world without disease or war? I can make ALL of that happen. Just convince your friends to let go of that pencil.”

Nightmare scowled at her. “If you can do all those things, why haven’t you already? Why did you destroy Equestria instead?!”

Lady Faust tilted her head in thought, looking around at the field. “You haven’t lived as long as I have. Haven’t seen the things I’ve seen. But you will. Just like Discord…and Pinkamania. Death is a topic people think about more the older they get, but what do you think about when you can’t die? When you have the power to do literally anything, you find yourself doing nothing instead.”

“So what, is that why you blew up Equestria? Were you bored?” Gilda growled.

Lady Faust didn’t seem to hear Gilda’s question. She looked down at the ground as her gaze lost focus.

“Snow.”

In a sudden gust of freezing wind, the entire field was blanketed in several inches of snow. Nightmare and Gilda wrapped their wings around themselves and Smog created a small fire for himself, Sunset, Chrysalis, and Trixie. Lady Faust traced a hoof along the top of the snow with an unfocused smile.

“Why is snow white, indeed.” Lady Faust threw her wings open and Nightmare, Sunset, Smog, Gilda, Trixie, and Chrysalis were all encased in ice crystals that burst from the snow.

Pinkie glared at Lady Faust. “Hey! Not cool!”

Everyone-

“Don’t let go!” Discord said, quickly scratching out Faust’s lines again. “We lose focus on this for too long and we’re all goners!”

“Well everyone, this has been fun. But I have other places to be,” Lady Faust said. “But I promise you that I won’t pointlessly prolong anyone’s suffering from now on. Because the last Equestria I’m going to visit…is the first.”

Turning away from the Elements, Lady Faust swiped her horn upward and created a portal to another version of Equestria. But just as she was about to step through, a wall of black crystals blossomed out of the ground in front of her, blocking her path.

“Behind you.”

Lady Faust spun back around to see a growing army of ponies and other creatures stepping out of rainbow-coloured portals. King Sombra’s horn crackled with dark magic. Duchesses Celestia and Luna hurried over to Nightmare and Smog to quickly thaw them out of their ice crystal prisons. Countess Cadance and Fluttershy came out of another portal, riding a mansion-sized blob of Smooze. Lord Tirek and the Great Dragon Spike stepped out of two portals, each of them larger than life. Starlight Glimmer stepped out of a portal followed by the Cutie Mark Destroyers, the Dazzlings and of her resort’s guest including a few unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi, yaks, donkeys, and minotaurs. The Shadowbolts came flying out of a portal in the sky while on the ground an army of royal guards led by Blueblood and Prince Shining Armor came charging out. A huge swarm of changelings buzzed over to Chrysalis and thawed her out plus Sunset, Trixie, and Gilda. Gregory came bringing his own small army of battle-ready Tambelon citizens. Last but not least, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash of Everfree stepped out of one last portal and stood next to King Sombra and the alicorn duchesses.

Lady Faust blinked in shock at the growing number of enemies. “As an introvert, I should hate this. But as a nerd, I’m not even mad. Where did you all come from?”

“Surprise, super-frowner!” Pinkie said as she popped up into existence next to her.

Lady Faust blinked in surprise at her sudden appearance before she glanced over at Discord and Pinkie still fighting her attempts at changing reality with a sentence. The chaos master known as Pinkamania was She glared back at the second Pinkie. “You’re from five whole chapters ago. So, you weren’t a mirror clone?”

“Yupperoonie! Thanks for turning me into a balloon! It sucked!” the not-mirror clone giggled.

Pinkamania chuckled at Lady Faust’s expense. “There’s more than one way to clone a cutie pie! Especially when you’ve got Discord’s power times, like ten!”

“Uh huh,” Lady Faust nodded before she punched the second Pinkie into a cloud of magic that fortunately swirled back into the main Pinkie. “Another angry mob. Boy, does this look familiar.”

“Surrender Lady Faust!” Lord Tirek ordered. “Even you can’t fight against all of us!”

“Friendship can’t hurt me anymore. I have nothing to fear from any of you. And Endgame did it better.” Lady Faust smirked. “Bring it.”

“ATTACK!” King Sombra roared. With over a hundred mighty battle cries, the army charged at Lady Faust.

“Ink.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Wait, go back! We missed that one!”

Discord’s chaotic senses focused on the word that Lady Faust had written. “Just ink? I don’t see how that – question answered!”

Every creature who had been charging on their own hooves, feet, or claws all took a tumble as the snowy field underneath them turned into a lake of black ink. The glow from Lady Faust’s horn intensified, causing titanic inky hooves, fingers, and tentacles to rise from the lake and crash down on several dozen soldiers within the army. Her gaze then turned to her airborne enemies. A single flap of her wings blew the aerial attackers back several feet.

“Come on everyone, we can’t let this slow us down!” Discord called out as he briefly let go of the pencil and snapped his fingers. “We all float up here!”

The creatures who had slipped into the ink levitated up into the air. With their minds telling their bodies which way to float, the army flew right back into attacking Lady Faust. But the immortal alicorn wasn’t even bothered as her enemies began to land hits on her. She simply stood with an amused smirk as magical blasts, claw strikes, arrows, spears, boulders, jets of flame, and globs of slime all bounced harmlessly off her.

Rocks appeared above their

After firing a few more blasts of magic, Nightmare discreetly teleported over to where Luna, Celestia, Sombra, and Cadance were. “This is a great distraction, but we can’t beat her in a physical fight. The only way we can take her down is by attacking her mind.”

King Sombra nodded. “The Pink One’s clone provided a decent summary of what you discovered before she summonded us here. From the room full of bottled emotions, it’s easy to see where Lady Faust’s weakness lies.”

Celestia bit her lip nervously. “Dear niece, what you’re suggesting is…it’s unethical…”

“I agree sister, but Lady Faust has made this problem bigger than herself. If we do not win this battle, Equestria and Everfree could be lost forever,” Luna said.

“Let me talk to her first,” Cadance suggested. “Fluttershy can get the Smooze to try and block any attack she makes, while I try to open her heart.”

“Do it,” Nightmare said before she flapped her wings and rocketed back towards Lady Faust, launching spell blasts and lightning bolts at the elder alicorn to keep her distracted. Cadance signaled to Fluttershy with a few hoof gestures and wing flaps, telling Fluttershy to direct the Smooze closer to Lady Faust’s position.

Even with an entire army attacking her, Lady Faust was losing interest in the battle. After silencing the Dazzlings with nothing but a gesture and a few literally zipped lips, she turned to face the pillar of Smooze slapping into the shield she briefly created. However, her eyes widened as she saw Countess Cadance approach her.

“Everyone fall back!” King Sombra ordered. “Let the Countess through!”

“Lady Faust,” Cadance said. “You have clearly proven your magical superiority. Even when facing an army, you’ve shown to be completely immune to all our attacks. This pointless violence serves neither of us. Instead, I ask that you please open your heart to me. Tell me…why are you doing this?”

“You mean why did I order your heart to get love poisoned?” Lady Faust said, confidence creeping back into her voice.

“…What?”

“Oh yes. Remember that time you got love poison injected into you? That was done on my orders,” Lady Faust said, taking satisfaction in Cadance’s growing fury. “The changeling who tricked the Young Doctor Hooves, she worked for me. It was all my doing.”

“WHY?!” Cadance cried, her horn glowing with rage. “Why would you ruin my life like that?”

“For this exact reason. I knew you would try to use your magic on my weak, vulnerable heart. So now I’ve put you into a situation where you’re too angry to think clearly. How’s it working so far?” Lady Faust chuckled as Cadance screamed in fury and blasted her with a continuous beam of magic that did nothing to harm the elder alicorn.

“I can’t believe it…she did all of that, all the torment and pain Cadance suffered through, just to make her mad!” Fluttershy growled. “Well, we’ll just see how she likes a taste of her own medicine!”

“No, Fluttershy!” Princess Twilight said, levitating her friend closer to her and away from the fight. “We need to follow Nightmare Moon’s plan. We need to manipulate Faust into surrendering; we can’t let her manipulate us!”

“How in the hayseed are we supposed to do that?” Applejack asked. “None of us can land a hit on her and any plan y’all cook up she can see coming!”

“WAIT!” Pinkie called out. “I got it! Nightie, Sombra, Diamond Tiara! Are you all prepared to do something really stupid?”

“Um…” the three ponies mumbled in half-agreement, not sure where Pinkie was going with this.

Pinkie snapped her tail, teleporting Diamond Tiara over to her. She gave the filly a slap on the back, creating a rainbow tornado cutie mark to appear on the Cutie Mark Destroyer. “Help Discord hold this pencil!”

Now endowed with a portion of chaotic power, Diamond Tiara grabbed onto the pencil, helping Discord with the task of crossing out Lady Faust’s attempts to destroy Everfree. "Oh no you " Pinkie Pie then vanished and teleported next to Nightmare and Sombra, carrying a huge sack which was leaking purple fluids. She emptied her sack full of bottled emotions into a giant blender that she created with a snap of her fingers. Mixing up thousands of past fears that Lady Faust repressed over the years, she gave the blender a final shake before she popped the lid open again. She then grabbed Nightmare and Sombra by the back of their heads and dunked their horns into the bubbling fear potion.

“Okay, quick! Hit her before the fear melts your mind!” Pinkie shouted before she zipped back over to Discord and retrieved her power back from Diamond Tiara, grabbing onto the pencil for one last time.

“Captain crystals ahoy, the Pink One wasn’t kidding about mind melting,” King Sombra mumbled incoherently as more dark magic than normal leaked out of his eyes.

Nightmare winced as her horn ached and her eyes watered. “I feel like I’m crying blood. This fear soup is putrid.”

My past nightmares were enough to melt their

“Just shoot her! Shoot her!” Pinkie shouted.

Lady Faust glared at the two fear masters. But before she could stop them, Rainbow Dash came flying in with a kick to her horn. “You little pest!” Gilda came in and dive-bombed her next. “Stop that!” The Shadowbolts and a few swarms of changeling buzzed around her, doing everything they could to distract her.

“Everyone fall back!” Luna called out. “Moony, Sombra, do it now!”

The princess and the king screamed as they fired their fear-fueled spells at Lady Faust, striking her in the chest as the rest of their army scattered out of harms way.

Luna, Celestia, and Twilight got to work cleaning off the remains of the fear juice from Nightmare’s and Sombra’s horns, bringing their minds back to normal. “Stay vigilant everyone,” Luna cautioned them. “Who knows what kind of unspeakable horror could scare a goddess such as her?”

The fear spell was quick to leech off Lady Faust’s mind and let go of her, before Lady Faust had a chance to throw it off. Her eyes widened in panic as a pony-shaped shadow blossomed out of the ground before it took on a distinctive form. The pegasus mare that stood before her had a perfectly white coat, as beautiful as Lady Faust’s coat was pale. Her mane and tail had rainbow colours just like Rainbow Dash’s, but expertly styled like Rarity’s. She wore a glamorous, sparkly white dress and she carried herself like a fashion model or a queen. Her red eyes were fixed on Lady Faust and she scowled in revulsion.

“My word,” Rarity said as she stood by her friends. “She’s beautiful! How could anybody be afraid of her?”

“Who is that?” Sunset asked.

While all the other ponies and creatures regarded the newcomer with confusion and awe, Lady Faust shuddered and shook uncontrollably. Her wings closed and stiffened around her body, shielding her from harm. She began to sweat and cry at the same time as her constantly glowing horn began to flicker worse than a broken light bulb, as the rainbow mare sneered and uttered a sentence.

“I should have never given birth to a lazy-brain like you.”

Luna’s and Nightmare’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh no.” Nightmare charged her horn up and blasted the fear illusion into nothingness. “Everyone stop fighting and get back! As Princess of Everfree I order you, stop attacking her!”

As the army that had come to support the Elements drew back, Nightmare hesitantly approached her opponent. “Lady Faust? Are you okay?”

Lady Faust regarded Princess Nightmare with a hollow, dead look in her eyes. Nightmare winced as she saw three glowing red dots on Lady Faust’s stomach, hissing and smoking. “Lady Faust, please, you need to tell us. What happened?”

Lady Faust looked over at the crestfallen Cadance who had forgotten her rage. “I’m sorry I poisoned your heart.”

She looked over at Lord Tirek. “I’m sorry for being too weird to live.”

She looked over at Princess Twilight and smirked humorlessly. “If you have friends, you’re a hero. If you’re a loner, you’re automatically the villain. Friendship is magic, after all. Well then your majesty…

I’m sorry I was too autistic to make friends.”

Sunset gulped and whispered to Chrysalis, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Before the changeling queen could answer her, Lady Faust literally exploded. With an otherworldly, nightmarish shriek of agony her body exploded into white and blue light that twisted into a tornado and flew up into the sky growing bigger and darker. The alicorn storm didn’t stop until it hovered over Nightmare, her friends, and their army like an ominous cloud. The cloud kept growing, twisting, and changing until at last it solidified its form. A city-sized writing quill with a humongous blob of ink hanging on the end of it loomed over them.

Discord’s and Pinkie’s eyes bulged out with alarms and cartoon sound effects before they shrunk back to normal. “RUN!” they screamed as they dropped the pencil and zipped over to their friends.

“What’s happening?!” Blueblood asked as the blob of ink dripped off the quill and fell towards them all.

“RUN! JUST RUN!” Pinkie shouted as she gathered up her closest friends and began to fly away from the ink blob.

But nobody could run, teleport, or fly fast enough as the ink blob splatted against the ground. The liquid blob transformed into thousands of sharp black spikes that whizzed after everyone within sight with a horrible clacking sound.

Gilda, Rainbow, the Shadowbolts, and all the other fast fliers tackled friends and allies to push them out of harm’s way. Unicorns created shields and earth ponies tore up chunks of the ground to hide behind. King Sombra conjured up a wall of crystals and ordered his soldiers to hide behind it. Princess Nightmare turned into her mist form and flew through the air, dodging the spikes at a dizzying speed as she pushed a few more ponies behind cover before diving into a crack in the ground.

The raining spikes clacked sharply against the ground for another minute before their noise finally ceased. Nightmare rose up out of the ground and turned back into her pony form as she accessed the damage. Spikes were littered everywhere as far as the eye could see. She couldn’t see anybody else, but she hadn’t yet checked behind their cover…

Nightmare’s eyes widened as she felt a sharp pinch coming from behind her. She swished her tail over to her line of sight and saw a black spike tangled in her ethereal mane. Which wouldn’t be so bad if the spike wasn’t causing her tail to slowly erase itself out of existence. A brief second of panic overtook her before she quickly wiggled her tail, turning it from magical starry sky to normal dark blue pony hair. She shot out a quick beam of magic from her horn that sliced off her tail and breathed a sigh of relief once the rest of her body was no longer at risk of being erased. Although, if just one spike could do that to an immortal alicorn like her, what about the others?

“Loony? Aunt Celesita? Smog? King Sombra? ANYONE?!” Nightmare called out as she wandered through the wrecked battlefield.

“Moony!” she heard her mother’s cry.

“Loony!” Nightmare flew over to the sound of her voice and came across her mom supporting Celestia. “Thank the stars you’re okay!”

“I’m afraid your aunt wasn’t so lucky,” Luna answered grimly.

“Celestia? What’s…” Nightmare’s eyes widened as she saw five spikes stuck in Celestia’s body. They weren’t drawing any blood but they were each causing a portion of Celestia’s body to disappear. Within seconds, she was completely gone.

“No…no, what…NO!” Nightmare’s eyes flashed with lightning. “This will NOT stand! Discord, Pinkie! Get over here and fix this!”

“…Can’t…” Pinkie whimpered as she floated into view, supporting Discord on her back. Both of the chaotic tricksters had spikes in them, though not as many as Celestia.

“No…no! How do I fix this?!” Nightmare demanded to know as she wrapped her wings around her friends.

“Faust…” Discord groaned out. “She can undo all this. Get her back here…and make her fix this…”

“Get her back…where did that coward go?!” Nightmare growled as lightning zapped away a moisture that dared to form in her eyes. “How do I make her pay?!”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry Nightie…” Discord whispered with a wistful smile as he rested his lion paw on her head. “Sorry I was such a joke…”

“I’m sorry I was such trouble…” Pinkie mumbled as the two of them were erased, fading away into nothing.

“No…no…” Nightmare growled. “This is not happening! Smog! Sunset! Chrysalis! Where-”

“Over here!” Nightmare spun around and galloped after the changeling queen’s voice. She was relieved to see that Chrysalis didn’t have any spikes in her. However…

“She got me, Nightmare,” Sunset sighed. The orange unicorn helped herself and Trixie off of Chrysalis’ back. She grumbled as her fading back legs caused her to stumble on the ground.

“Trixie saw the spikes heading for Sunset…and took the worst of them. Sadly she could not block the last one…some magician I am…” Trixie sighed.

“Shut up with the defeatist talk,” Nightmare hissed. “None of you are dying. People everywhere will sing the praises of the Great and Powerful Trixie for centuries to come, do you hear me?!”

Trixie let out a weak chuckle. “Trixie is down to her last trick…take it.” Nightmare blinked in surprise as Trixie removed her hat and held it out to her. “Wear it. Please.”

“I…as you wish.” Nightmare let her starry mane drift over to Trixie’s hat and place it on her own head.

“Show’s over folks…” Trixie sighed as she faded away.

“Nightmare, listen to me,” Sunset said. “You’re the only chance we have left. You need to forgive Lady Faust.”

“Forgive her?!” Nightmare snarled as thunder and lightning rumbled out in the darkening sky. “After she killed everyone?! Forget the Elements, forget my title, I will destroy that psychotic, arrogant worm!”

“You saw the same fear vision we all did,” Sunset said, her horn sparking to try and slow down the spike’s from making her fade away. “When you add it all up, the clues make TOO much sense. She must have lived during the Dark Ages. And her mom hated her...”

“Oh boohoo,” Nightmare growled. “She had a hard life. That does NOT excuse her actions.”

“Would they excuse yours? In our world, Luna taught you right from wrong. But in Equestria…” Sunset looked Nightmare Moon in the eye. “I think you know what you would have done if your mom didn’t love you.”

“I am nothing like Lady Faust,” Nightmare hissed.

“No, you’re not. But the other Nightmare Moon didn’t know what love or friendship was. She threatened to create eternal night, never caring how the cold would hurt the crops, the ponies, and the planet.” Nightmare’s eyes widened as Sunset coughed and her body started to erase itself faster. “If nothing else, you must forgive Lady Faust…so that she can bring us back to life.”

“I…yes, you’re right. Always the smart one, aren’t you Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset smiled weakly, her head being the only part of her that hadn’t faded away completely. “You forgive someone because they need it…but you also forgive someone because YOU need it.”

Chrysalis’ eyes watered as Sunset disappeared next. “How many of us did she get? How many of us are left?”

“Nightmare! Chrysalis! Guys!” Smog cried out from the smoke as her ran towards them. He tackled the two dark creatures and they brought him into a hug. “The Great Dragon Spike saved me! H-he took all the spikes that were coming our way! I…I tried to get to you as fast as I could but after the spikes there was just smoke everywhere! I…passed by the others. I saw the Smooze and Cadance…Fluttershy, Princess Twilight, and all their friends…the Destroyers, the Dazzlings…they’re all gone…”

“They won’t be gone forever,” Nightmare promised him. “Smog, tell me you saw where Lady Faust fled.”

“Yeah…that giant quill she turned into shot back down to the ground and disappeared. There’s this twinkling, swirly thing where she vanished. King Sombra thinks it’s a portal.”

Nightmare and Chrysalis gulped. “Did he…”

“My crystals and my shadow form saved me,” King Sombra said as he approached them. “Lord Tirek was hit in one of his arms but he…adapted.”

Smog frowned. “What does that-”

“It is not for a young dragon like you to see. He’s currently busy trying to find more survivors. Follow me,” the king ordered somberly. The three friends followed after him as he lead them to where Lady Faust had disappeared to.

“It seems in her state of panic and delirium, Lady Faust did not properly close her portal. Unfortunately it’s too small for even my shadow form to squeeze through.” King Sombra sighed. “If only…”

“Hey guys…this where the party’s at?”

“Gilda!” Smog, Nightmare and Chrysalis exclaimed as they hurried over to their last living friend. Gilda was clawing her way across the ground to reach them. Her feathers were in a messy shape, but otherwise unharmed. Unfortunately her back legs were nothing but a spike floating in faded space.

“Nightie, Chrysie, Smogster…I’m sorry I was such a brute…”

“Gilda, what are you talking about? You’re not a brute,” Nightmare said gently.

“Yeah, you’re awesome!” Smog said, with Chrysalis nodding in agreement.

“Doesn’t feel like it. I was the only Element without a magical horn, or dragon breath, or…whatever Discord has. I wasn’t a brainiac like you or Sunset…I just flew fast and acted tough. Even then, I was never as good as you guys at fighting…not against the really big bads. I’m sorry I was such a letdown…”

“You never let us down, Gilda. This isn’t the end,” Nightmare insisted. “I’m going to bring you all back to life. I swear by the moon and every star in the sky.”

Smog nodded. “Yeah, we just need to get that tiny portal open and we can keep fighting.”

“Hmm…I got an idea…” Gilda grumbled as she pushed herself off the ground. “Yo king pony. Hit me up.”

King Sombra regarded with a raised eyebrow Gilda. “What are you suggesting?”

“Crystals. Give me every kind you got that could make griffons powerful. Give me everything you got. Don’t care if it’s enough to kill me. Obviously.”

King Sombra nodded. “As you wish.” His horn lit up with dark magic as he blasted the ground all around Gilda, causing huge crystal growths to sprout up.

“Sweet. Gimme.” Gilda reached out with her talons and grabbed the crystals tightly until they were crushed in her claws, the magic draining into her. She snapped her beak out at the crystals growing near her face, absorbing more magic. Gilda crushed more and more crystals absorbing even more magic, and once she ran out she demanded more.

King Sombra created another batch of crystals. It was as she had finished absorbing the last few drops of power from the last crystal, that Gilda floated up. Magical lightning crackled all over her glowing body, hair and wings. Her eyes turned as black as a storm cloud with bolts of lightning leaping out from her gaze. She flexed her wings and shot fifty feet up into the sky.

Gilda kept climbing into the sky higher and higher before screeching to a halt in midair…and dropping back down, dive-bombing the tiny portal as Gilda’s body erupted into brightly coloured flames and electricity.

“BRAVE BIRD…DIMENSIONAL…DEVASTATOR!” Gilda roared at the top of her lungs as she crashed into the portal and exploded into pure awesomeness.

Smog wiped a tear from his eyes. “Out with a bang. I wish Trixie and the others could have seen that…”

“They might just get a chance!” King Sombra exclaimed as cracks formed in time and space around the tiny portal. The little tears in existence that Gilda created reached down to the portal and clawed at it, causing Lady Faust’s escape door to widen.

Smog shook his head. “It’s still too small.”

“But not for me!” Nightmare said with a triumphant grin. “Okay King Sombra, Chrysalis, if you two can shapeshift into your shadow form and maybe a parasprite or a dragonfly-”

“I’m sorry Nightmare Moon. We cannot go with you. A king’s place is with his people,” Sombra said solemnly.

“And a queen’s place is with her changelings,” Chrysalis agreed. “However many are left.”

“Are you two serious right now?!” Nightmare shouted at them, flashing her fangs.

“Let’s face it, I’d only slow you down,” Chrysalis sighed. “I might have shape-shifting powers, an army, and the Elements but none of that did anything to Lady Faust.”

“Princess Nightmare, I am confident you will succeed. But a ruler needs to hope for the best yet prepare for the worst. I will take care of your mother, Peaceville, and Everfree, if the unthinkable should happen to you,” King Sombra said.

“But…I can’t fight her without you…” Nightmare whimpered, allowing her fear to peak out behind her anger.

“You can. You’re Princess Nightmare Moon of Everfree. You’ve got everything you need to take her down,” Chrysalis said giving her friend a kiss right beside her ear.

Nightmare flinched and backed away. “What was that for?”

Chrysalis blinked a few times then crouched down, wrapping her wings tighter around herself. “I don’t know, this has been an emotional day for me.”

Nightmare gazed at Chrysalis, at Smog, at King Sombra, at Luna, and at what little else remained of her allies. She took a deep breath, transformed into her magical mist, and leapt into the portal.

For better or worse, this was her final fight.

You are cordially invited

𝓖𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓹𝓸𝓷𝔂.

𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓲𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓷𝓿𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓪 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂 𝓲𝓷 𝓬𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓪𝓳𝓮𝓼𝓽𝔂'𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓭 𝓸𝓷 𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓷'𝓼 𝓓𝓪𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 67𝓽𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓱.

𝓒𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓾𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓫𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓸𝓽 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓞𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓷 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓷 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂.

𝓛𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓬 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓮𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓪𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓥𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓲𝔃𝓮𝓻𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼, 𝓢𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓼 & 𝓛𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼, 𝓜𝓪𝔁𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓜𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓭𝔂, 𝓣𝓲𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓣𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓲𝓰𝓱 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓮.

𝓘𝓷 𝓪𝓭𝓭𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓪𝓳𝓮𝓼𝓽𝔂'𝓼 𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽, 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂 𝓪𝓵𝓼𝓸 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓲𝓯𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓯𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽, 𝓣𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓹 𝓢𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓷, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓻.

𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓭𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓼:

150 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓖𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓷 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂.

200 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓓𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓖𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓜𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓖𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓪𝓳𝓮𝓼𝓽𝔂.

250 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓖𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓱𝓾𝓰 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓒𝓮𝓻𝓮-𝓟𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓼

300 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓖𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓑𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼, 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓪𝓳𝓮𝓼𝓽𝔂, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓰𝓲𝓯𝓽 𝓫𝓪𝓼𝓴𝓮𝓽.

500 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓖𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓒𝓾𝓹𝓬𝓪𝓴𝓮𝓼 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼, 𝓪 𝓰𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓟𝓲𝓷-𝓽𝓱𝓮-𝓣𝓪𝓲𝓵-𝓸𝓷-𝓽𝓱𝓮-𝓟𝓸𝓷𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓪𝓳𝓮𝓼𝓽𝔂, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓼𝓪𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓾𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓫𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂.

10000 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓡𝓮𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓲𝓵𝓴𝔀𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓢𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼

10500 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓡𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓫𝓸𝔀 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓐𝓭𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓪𝓳𝓮𝓼𝓽𝔂'𝓼 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝓛𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝔂.

12500 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓡𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓫𝓸𝔀 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓢𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓪𝓼 𝓡𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓫𝓸𝔀 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽, 𝓹𝓵𝓾𝓼 𝓪 𝓼𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓫𝓮𝓭𝓻𝓸𝓸𝓶 𝓯𝓾𝓷 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓻 𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓒𝓮𝓻𝓮-𝓟𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓼

𝓐𝓭𝓳𝓪𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝔂 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓪𝔂 𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓐 800 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓲𝓽 𝓯𝓮𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓭𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽 𝓹𝓾𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓼𝓮.

𝓦𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓵𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮.

𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭:

Author's Note

I will be posting two ACTUAL chapters later this month.

The hostess of this party has graciously made herself available to answer any questions you might have about the party. However, please be aware that the hostess can be very...abrasive. She is very likely to criticize...everything about you if you talk to her. You have been warned.

If you wish, here is some music to set the mood for your conversation with her:

The Disappointing Alicorn

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Disappointing Alicorn

“What the hay were you thinking?!” a cream coloured pegasus colt growled as he pushed his older brother into a mud puddle.

“Ow! C-cool, I said I’m sorry!” the sunflower coloured pegasus cried.

“Sorry won’t turn back the sun, now will it?!” Cool Breeze growled. “Just because your leg was feeling tired, you thought you could shove all the work onto me! I missed out on the buck ball game because of you, Warm Breeze!”

Warm grunted as he stood back up. “I’m sorry I broke my leg, Cool, I-”

“You did not break your leg, you liar! I can see it just fine!” Cool turned around and kicked Warm’s left front leg, which had a cast wrapped around it.

“OW! Ow, how, ow!” Warm cried as he collapsed back onto the ground.

“Stop faking!” Cool growled as he brought his brother’s face up to meet his. “Now here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to Tulip’s party and you’re going back to the farm to do my chores. It’s only fair after you betrayed me yesterday, you greedy monster!” Without waiting for his brother’s response, Cool galloped towards Town Hall. Obviously it wouldn’t be Town Hall for much longer once the new castle was put in, but he’d heard that castles took time to build.

Cool had been standing in line to join the party for ten minutes and he was already getting impatient. “Come on, come on, come on!” he grumbled, mentally debating the pros and cons of pushing the other ponies out of the way so that he could be first. About fifty ponies ahead of him in line, one pony was being a nuisance at one of the checkpoints.

“Please, I’m sorry I didn’t get one of the advance tickets, but I didn’t have enough bits at the time! Look, I have enough now! I can buy a ticket from here, can’t I?” the plain brown earth pony with a broken heart cutie mark pleaded.

The mare in charge of the checkpoint, a dark green unicorn wearing a fancy dress suit, sneered at the heart-marked pony causing a scene. “Normal tickets are more expensive than advanced ones. Were you not paying attention to your invitation? You only have one hundred and fifty gold bits, and the price up here is TWO hundred bits.”

The brown pony gulped. “P-please I need to get in! I’m s-sorry but I don’t have enough gold-”

The unicorn mare and everypony with earshot glared at the heart-marked pony. “So, you’re not attending the party?!” the ticket taker scowled.

“No, I am attend-at…I mean, I am going to the party, I just, it was a slow day yesterday! I’m friends with her Majesty and the Grand Decorator, can’t I ask them to-”

“They’re your friends, and you’re acting this disrespectfully at their party?! I think you’re lying. I know I wouldn’t be friends with a thief like you!” the unicorn mare spat in the brown pony’s face.

“W-wait! I have this hat here! My best friend gave me this hat for my birthday last month, so it holds real value to me!” the heart-marked pony said as the unicorn mare took the offered hat. “You can hold onto it and when I pay the rest of the gold bits tomorrow, you can give me it back and-”

The unicorn mare smiled and placed it on her head but frowned when her horn poked a hole through the hat. She removed it in disgust and said, “You need better friends if they give you defective gifts like that.”

“B-but t-that…t-that…I-I…” the heart-marked pony stammered, struggling to hold back her tears.

“Sir, do you need to go to the hospital?” the unicorn mare huffed. “I was going to offer you some bedroom fun later to sweeten the deal, but I don’t want damaged goods polluting my future children. Get lost, you thief!”

The brown pony closed her eyes and dragged her hooves back the way she came. The other ponies in the line glared at her. “He’s NOT going to Her Majesty’s party?! What a self-absorbed flank head!” “How could he not show his support for Her Majesty when she invited him?!” “Ugh, stallions are the worst! Seriously, stallions are all scumbags!”

The heart-marked pony said, “A-actually I’m a mare…”

“What?! How we were supposed to know?” “You don’t look like a real mare!” “Ugh, it’s one of those freaks!”

Unicorns in line began to shoot spells at the brown earth mare, while everypony else in line began to throw rocks or small presents that they had brought for Her Majesty. The brown mare cried and galloped away in a hurry.

Once she was out of firing range, the ponies inline went back to conversing with their friends. “Can you believe that freak?”

Cool Breeze overheard one mare say, “Seriously, some ponies have no respect for other ponies. Ooh hay, she dropped her gold bits!”

“Hay dude, what are you doing with those?” her friend asked the mare as she scooped up the leftover bits.

“Well, I’ll give them to Her Majesty of course! I AM her best friend after all! And this is just what a Generous friend would do!” the mare said as she brushed her mane to the side to make herself more alluring.

“Ah, I gotcha girl. Hay, speaking of generosity, you cool with helping me pay for my little brother’s birthday?”

“You know it mare! He’s turning ten, right? That means hooficures, buck ball, and bedroom fun! Whoop, whoop!” The two best friends high hooved each other and kept on talking as the line moved.

After impatiently waiting inline for two hours to be let in, they all finally made it into the crowd of ponies gathered for the greatest celebration their town had ever held. Balloons, streamers, spotlights, sparklers, miniature stages for the bands, snack tables, and party games were all spread out in Town Hall, arranged to complete perfection. A gorgeously rich velvet curtain dominated one of the walls, with all eyes trained on it. Hundreds of brightly coloured ponies gathered in the middle of Town Hall, eagerly awaiting their Mistress of Cere-Ponies and the Grand Decorator to start the show. Within the humongous crowd of ponies, two unicorns with green eyes stood side by side. They pressed close together, eyeing the other ponies and discreetly licking their lips, but otherwise remaining completely still. Squished together in the two corners at the very back of the party hall, there stood two smaller herds of party guests. These guests didn’t have any pretty coloured coats like the other ponies in the hall. In these two small herds, all the stallions and colts had black coats and all the mares and fillies had white coats. Members of these two herds were dabbing at their faces with washcloths, as many of them were sweating.

The ponies continued to chat, gossip, and giggle together before the lights dimmed. The crowd instantly hushed itself right before a spotlight turned on and illuminated a pegasus mare flying above them. Smoke billowed out around her and everypony gazed in awe at her, even though they had no idea where the smoke was coming from. The beautiful mare hovering over them had a perfectly snow white coat. Her rainbow mane and tail were expertly styled, and their colours seemed to radiate off her like a halo. A large, puffy, and dazzling white dress wrapped around her. She also held the record for the largest, most complicated cutie mark in all of PonyTown: a mesmerizing, dominating, spiral rainbow. Her red eyes looked down at the ponies as she grinned at them, her face as glorious as the sun. Just behind her, a magical firework rose up and exploded into colourful letters, spelling out her name:

REGALITY

“Ponies, I ask you: What is a party?”

“Why, a party is a celebration of friendship!” Regality purred. “A celebration of the strength of your herd, the community of our fair Ponytown, and the Holy Order of Harmony. From the moment our ancestors gained free will on this earth, we have been marked by Destiny! Every day our earth ponies toil away at the soil, growing rich and bountiful food. Every day our pegasus ponies prove their mistress-y over the heavens themselves. Every day our unicorn ponies find new ways to bend the holy power of Harmony to our will! And every day we unite to defend our home against the demons, the heretics, and the parasites!”

“Every party I have mistress-fully created has been for you, the good ponies of PonyTown. Eighth of my bloodline, my House has produced at least one extraordinary party hostess for over three generations. So I ask you again: What is a party?”

A flash of light sparkled into radiance behind the crowd and they all shuffled around to gawk at its source. There stood a unicorn mare with a pretty pink coat and a hime-cut, honey-blonde mane and tail. She wore a delightful purple gown that draped over her body, and she carried herself with dignity and poise like a princess. Her cutie mark was a purple balloon with a red string that reached up and tightly wrapped itself around the balloon in a spider web-like pattern. Another firework shot up behind her and spelled out her name:

Tulip
Secondborn

“Parties are the world! The magic of friendship that unites us all! The heavens, the earth, and all of ponykind!” the unicorn declared proudly, with a face and voice that sounded exactly like a certain Twilight Sparkle. Whoever that is.

The unicorn teleported up to the stage in front of the curtain as Regality floated down beside her. “Ponies, I give you the Grand Decorator, my exceptionally talented daughter: Tulip Secondborn!” Regality stated proudly. “My little mare has had plenty of practice preparing birthday parties, garden parties, weddings, and Changeling Trial Celebrations. However, this party is an extra special occasion and I knew there was no other pony I could trust more with its completion than her.”

Tulip Secondborn bowed before her mother, before she spun around and posed for all the cute stallions in the crowd. “Yes, mother. A party is a celebration, but this party is truly a crowning achievement even by our family’s standards.”

“Indeed,” Regality purred, posing in front of her daughter for the crowd to stare at her. “The most successful party my second born daughter has ever held, all in honor for her eldest sister.”

“I agree completely mommy!” Tulip cheered, posing in front of Regality. “Why just a week ago, if somepony had told me that my big sister would go from faking her invalidy to achieving the greatness she has now, why I would have tied the deceitful parasite to a stake for the next Trial!” Tulip preened as the crowd laughed appreciatively at her hilarious joke.

“Indeed,” Regality purred once more as she fluttered her wings and elegantly hovered over her daughter. “Friends are always honest with each other, and I can honestly say she was quite a disappointment. But not anymore! Today, our herd becomes royalty! Today, my bloodline becomes divinity! All hail Harmony!”

“All hail Harmony!” the crowd cheered.

“And now my little ponies, the star of our show! We proudly present to all of you ponies, my daughter and your new Queen! Lily Firstborn!”

Regality flew up and pulled back one corner of the velvet curtain as Tulip levitated the other corner of the velvet curtain back to reveal…nopony?

The crowd stared in silence at the empty stage for exactly four seconds before they shouted, “Hey, where’s Queen Lily?!”

“I paid good money for this, our herd is owed a meeting with the Queen!”

“You lying horses! You’re changelings, aren’t you?! You better prove that Queen Lily is here, or you’ll be hanged for this!”

“This is Tartarus! How could you make us suffer like this! We’ve been waiting for two hours, we DESERVE to see the Queen!”

As the crowd threatened to riot, Regality glided over to her daughter and whispered harshly, “Where is she?!”

“Where else?” Tulip whispered back as she rolled her eyes. “I’ll get her. B.R.B, L.Y.M.”

Tulip teleported away from the perfect party that she had slaved away to create and arrived at a small house-sized blue box that had been built a few days ago at the very edges of PonyTown. “LILY!” she shouted as she threw open the door, not waiting for a response.

In the middle of the blue box there sat a very disappointing alicorn. Yes, she did have both wings and a horn, but they were in such disorder. The horn flickered like a badly lit torch and the wings were in desperate need of preening. Her white coat was far too pale to be considered desirable, and her red mane and tail were messy, too dark to be attractive, and not in any respectable manestyle. Her legs were too long and wobbly, her flanks weren’t bouncy enough, and her cutie mark was very boring, depicting nothing more than a quill and ink bottle. The dress she was wearing was beautiful, more than worthy of a queen, but she wore it like a filly playing with ratty window drapes. The alicorn also had a fat gut like an injured stallion who never exercised. Somehow, the alicorn even had acne, with horrid little pimples on her face. Seriously, doesn’t she care about her health? What if her future children came out with pimples?

“Lily!” Tulip shouted again to get her dimwitted sister’s attention.

“T-Tulip,” Lily stammered. “H-hi, how, um, how a-are y-you?”

“I’m disappointed in you, Lily. Mother and I do all the hard work and we ask so little of you, but when your herd depends on you, you always shut yourself in some dark, smelly room and drool over your brain-rotting books,” Tulip huffed.

“T-they do n-not rot brains. An-and, I-I’m not d-drooling,” Lily insisted. “I-I was g-going over, um, the uh, taxes.”

Tulip furrowed her brow at the gibberish her sister was speaking. “Lily dear, we don’t have time for one of your little riddles. And speak up!”

“B-but m-mayors need to…look over t-taxes and stuff, r-right? I-I thought I c…c-could getta head start, t-to help the town…”

“Help the town? You would help the town greatly if you would show up to MY party that I threw in your honour!” Tulip firmly stated.

“B-budgets are part of p-planning p-parties, a-aren’t they?” Lily asked. She meekly levitated a chart up. “I…I was think, uh thinking of h-how to g-get more money f-for the school, the hospital, the um, the library…”

“Oh Lily, the hospital wouldn’t need extra bits if you’d stop going there! I thought you had gotten past these little tantrums of yours when you got your wings, but now it sounds like you’re slipping back into bad behavior. Are you trying to make your herd cry? Is that it?!”

“N-no…no,” Lily mumbled, hiding her face behind her messy mane. “S-sorry, I…I’ll help. J-just please could I have o-one minute t-to…”

Tulip saw the book that was slowly levitating towards Lily and snatched it out of the air, tearing it in half with her teeth.

“T-Tulip!” Lily cried. “W-why’d you-”

“Enough excuses, Lily!” Tulip declared as she bit her sister’s ear. “It’s time for you to grow up, get rid of these dusty old books and make some more friends!”

In a flash of light, Tulip teleported herself and her sister to the stage in the Town Hall. “Here she is everypony!”

“OOH!” As one, the ponies approached Queen Lily and gawked at her.

“Wow! She’s beautiful and awesome!” a burly looking stallion cheered.

“She has wings!” a pegasus mare said in amazement.

“I’ve never seen a pegacorn before!” another mare gasped.

“U-um, uh…er, um…” Lily mumbled as her ears folded down.

A pegasus stallion flew up on stage and stopped right behind Lily. “WOO! Check out them flanks! Yowza-wowza!”

“Like oh my herd, who does her mane? You should like totally do your mane like that, Jelly!”

“Hey hot stuff, fluff your wings out!” an earth pony mare cheered.

“U-ugh, um, h-hello every…every…uh…er, um…” Lily murmured as she hesitantly raised her hoof to wave at the crowd before she quickly brought her hoof back down, wobbling unsteadily.

“Hey Lily! Catch!” a brightly coloured pony squealed as she threw a buck ball at the queen. The ball hit Lily right in the muzzle, causing all of her pimples to pop and turning her face into a disgusting mess of blood and pus.

“Eww, this is what an alicorn looks like?” a mare criticized, gossiping with her friends.

“Why’s she just standing there? Doesn’t royalty make speeches?” a stallion asked his wife.

“She’s kind of gross. Like, who pushed their foal down the ugly tree?” an older filly whispered loudly to her friends who all giggled.

A mare wearing a sparkly dress with jewellery, with a diamond as her cutie mark approached Regality. “Excuse me, Miss Regality.”

“Mistress Regality,” Regality corrected.

“Of course, Mistress Regality. If you’re in the market for a suitable king, I can offer you my fifth child, Tail Chaser. I’m sure he would make an excellent husband for the queen.”

Regality brushed a wing over her mane. “What makes you think your stallion is worthy of my queen?”

“Yes, quite right Mistress Regality. I believe one hundred bits is a suitable dowry.”

“Where is your lottery ticket?” Regality asked, unamused at the meager offer.

“Excuse me?” the mare asked.

Regality hovered over the ponies again and stated aloud, “All parties interested in my daughter should have received a lottery ticket when they purchased the Rainbow Diamond package. We shall begin now!”

Twenty-seven mares and four stallions all waved rainbow tickets as the bidding began. “I offer two hundred bits as a dowry!”

“I offer three hundred bits as a dowry!”

“I offer four hundred bits!”

“Five hundred bits!”

“Do you accept payments in cows?”

As Regality continued to barter her daughter’s hoof in marriage, Lily’s vision began to blur. Her wings, ears, and tail all twitched violently. Sweat and tears started to mix with the blood and pus on her face as she felt her eyes turned red, itchy, and puffy.

“Mommy, I wanna hug the queen!” she heard one little filly cry at her mother.

“Go right ahead, sweetie pie!”

She felt her heart hammering in her chest and her stomach gurgle and flip flop as dozens of fillies and colts began to leap onto the stage, jump on her back, and climb all over her. Lily honestly thought she was going to faint as she felt one baby foal spit up a gob of used milk on her.

“Eh…every…p-pony, c-can I-I uh…”

“Lily, play with me!” “Lily, catch the ball!” “Lily, my son would make a great husband!” “Lily, when are you going to-” “Lily, stand over here!” “Lily, try my carrot cake!” “Lily, I need you to foalsit my seven little girls!” “Lily, make the stadium bigger!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!” “Lily!”

It was too much for Lily and she vanished in a rather uncoordinated, jerky teleport.

“Hey! Where’d she go?!”

“She just tele-pathed out!”

“It was those rotten parasites, wasn’t it?!”

“Ponies, ponies, at peace!” Regality’s voice rose over the crowd, like a wave of loud kitten purrs. “We’ll find your beloved queen soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy the festivities! Partake in the banquet, let your ears feast to the flavors of tonight’s many musicians. Make memories that you and your friends shall share forever.”

Ponies all seemed to settle down as the party rose up into full swing. As Tulip supervised the crowd, Regality tapped her hoof against the polished floor. “Husband.”

A muscular earth stallion with an earthy brown coat and a short, brick red mane and tail galloped to her side, pausing to kiss her wings. “Yes ma’am?”

“It seems my little wayward queen is throwing another hissy fit. Run along and fetch her back, darling,” Regality purred as she fluttered her eyelashes at Lily’s dad.

“Yes ma’am,” the stallion grunted and galloped away.

Regality’s eyes lazily drifted over to where Tulip had just sat down, legs crossed and huffing in frustration. “Darling Tulip, whatever could be the matter? The crowd is loving your party. You should join the festivities. I can see a game of Spin-the-Bottle breaking out already, and there are so many hunky stallions out there for you.”

“Isn’t it obvious, mom?” Tulip huffed. “Lily ruined my party! I go to all this trouble for her and she just throws it in my face! That Star Swirl wizard made a mistake…”

“Do try and see reason, darling,” Regality whispered into Tulip’s neck. The unicorn let out a happy moan as her mom licked her ear. “Let little Lily work out the last of her temper tantrums. It is a small price to pay for the wonderful future that awaits us.” Regality’s smile widened as Tulip nuzzled her. Her wing lifted Tulip’s head to look up at the ceiling above them.

“The sky is no longer a limit to us, darling. Your sister is now a queen. Our flesh and blood is royalty. Divinity. No matter what happens to us, our herd shall be Eternal.”

Lily reappeared in an intersection of PonyTown that she knew wasn’t going to be that busy for at least a few hours. She sat down and took several deep breaths. After a minute, Lily determined that her stomach wasn’t calming down so she summoned a bucket with her magic and threw up into it. Once her stomach had settled again she vanished the bucket and her dress. Lily shuddered some more as she felt the mess still on her back and face, and a wave of blue light washed over her body, getting rid of any dirt, germs, pus, blood, and any other unwelcome fluids. A long-sleeved, hooded shirt appeared on her body to replace the dress. She levitated the hood to cover her head and lengthened the sleeves of the shirt. Seeing that nopony had discovered her yet, Lily pondered over what to do next, absentmindedly waving and flapping her front legs, pretending that the sleeves had given her octopus arms.

“Hey! What did I say about rhyming?!”

“S-sir, please, I wasn’t rhyming. I-I was singing!”

Lily looked up and saw a unicorn stallion with a giant hat, a monocle, and a gem-studded vest coat pushing around what looked like a very sweaty white earth mare.

“Don’t you lie to me, you were speaking that weird demon language, weren’t you?!” the stallion growled.

“I wasn’t, I wasn’t!” the mare cried.

Lily cringed and her ears folded down as the unicorn continued to rant about enchantresses and mushrooms or something. Her horn lit up with blue light and teleported the stallion to her mom’s party, where he would hopefully forget what he was doing once the bands started up.

The mare blinked in surprise at the unicorn’s disappearance before she noticed Lily. “T-thank you!” she said with an uneasy smile. “You’re Queen Lily, right? I’m Zoe.”

“Y-you’re w-welcome…” Lily mumbled with a similar uneasy smile.

The two mares nodded…and hummed…and stood there silently…avoiding eye contact…for a few minutes…

“I…I gotta g-go,” Lily murmured.

Lily awkwardly began to shuffle away after Zoe didn’t say anything, but then she raised a hoof. “Wait, please. There’s something I need to tell you.” Lily flinched but still stopped walking as she focused on Zoe. “My parents had an old…life lesson, if you will,” Zoe said. “A child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to finally feel its warmth.”

“Uh…um…w-what does that m-mean?” Lily hesitantly asked.

“Uh…n-nothing, sorry,” Zoe said with a blush. “I don’t, um - I don’t know why I said that. A-anyway, good fly – b-bye. I meant goodbye.”

Before Lily could mumble a “see you later”, she heard a glass bottle smashing against something followed by several giggles. Zoe ran away as soon as she heard the first noise while Lily, very stupidly chose to give her curiosity dominance over her common sense. She pressed her back up against one of the nearby buildings while using her wings to stop the dirty wall from touching the rest of her body. She slowly slunk towards the loud noises to see a trio of teenage mares stumbling along the road and laughing to each other as they each drank from a different glass bottle.

“Goal!” the one pegasus mare giggled.

“Nuh-uh, mine’s the goal I got,” the one unicorn mare cheerfully argued.

“Who’s that snooty Regality mare think she is?” the one earth mare hiccupped. “We can’t afford a ticket and somehow we’re the bad girls? How’s that flair…I mean fair?”

“Ah, forget ‘bout it. Them unicorns are always so snobby,” the one pegasus mare said as she leaned on her friend.

“Hay!” the unicorn said with a frown. “I thought Reg…Regal…what’s her name was a pegasus?”

“I dunno. Oh, hay, hay, your turn!” the pegasus said to the earth pony.

The earth mare giggled and took aim with her empty bottle before throwing it as hard as she could. The bottle smashed against something in the park and a baby immediately started screaming its lungs out.

“OOH, busted!” the three mares giggled as they all ran off.

Lily’s eyes widened and she quickly galloped over to where the crying was coming from. She gasped as she came across a foal carriage with broken glass around it, and then hesitantly crept closer to it to see who was crying. Inside the carriage, two foals, a colt and a filly, were kicking up a fuss. The slightly older colt was covered in most of the glass and his body was cut pretty badly. The baby colt was crying the loudest since the baby filly was having difficulty screaming due to a large piece of glass that had gotten stuck in her throat.

“Oh, oh no…no, shush, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Lily mumbled to the foals as she gently wrapped her magical aura around them. As blue light washed over the foals, the glass removed itself from their bodies, all the nasty cuts began to heal, and the two foals slowly stopped crying. Lily let out a sigh of relief as the two foals blinked up at her with curious coos and gurgles.

“It’s okay…it’s okay…” Lily whispered to the two of them.

“HAY! Get away from my babies, you horn-head!”

Lily yelped as a silver-maned earth mare came charging in and kicked Lily away from the babies.

“What kinda voodoo spell were you casting on my foals?!” the mare growled.

Lily shrunk at the mare’s glare. “S-sorry. Y-your f-foals-”

“What? Talk louder, stupid filly. Wait, what’s this now?” the mare said as she noticed Lily’s wings. “Ain’t you that fancy queen? Oh, so parading around town with your fancy forehead magic stick, using your witch powers on all us hard-working farmers wasn’t good enough for ya? You had to go and make yourself a mutant so you could lady over us in the skies!” Lily tried to mumble something, but she was cut off as the mare literally spat in her face. “Go crawl back to your own herd!”

As the mare took the carriage and strolled away with her foals, Lily shuddered and shook while her horn lit up and a wave of blue light washed over her body, getting rid of the saliva. Not taking any more chances, she made a decision and teleported to her destination. Out at the very edges of PonyTown, where the bushes and trees of the Dark Forest started to creep in, there was a circular patch of land with nothing but burnt, blackened grass. Lily unsteadily made her way to a pile of ash in the center of the circle and crouched down. With a gentle hum from her horn, a bouquet of black roses, a box of chocolates, and a stack of books appeared onto the black grass. Lily bowed her head and whispered.

“H-happy b-birthday…M…Mister B-bookworm.” Her head started to pound as tears spilled out of her eyes. “I…I-I’m…s-sorry. I g-got your…b-book. I’m s-so s-sorry.”

As she mumbled apologies into the earth, a gust of wind blew through the area and Lily “eeped” as she felt a scrap of paper blow into her chest. Hesitantly, she levitated the piece of paper and brought it up to her eye level. Her body started to quiver as she read the words: “Embrace the solution!”

She scratched the pamphlet with her horn, causing the message to burst into blue flames and vanish into the wind. Lily’s hooves flew up to clutch her head and her face contorted in pain as she mumbled, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Lily was so distracted by her own thoughts, at first she didn’t notice the tear through time and space forming in front of her. She choked back her tears and looked up with frightened eyes at the quiet arrival of Lady Faust. The first alicorn looked down at her younger self with a frosty glare. When Lily tried to open her mouth and attempt some form of greeting, Lady Faust pointed a hoof at her causing her past self to shrink down to the size of a grape. As Lily let out a terrified scream Lady Faust stepped on her, silencing and reducing her to nothing but a red smear. Lady Faust removed her hoof and stared at the remains of her younger self for exactly five seconds. She then pointed her hoof again and slowly raised it into the air. A bright blue glow surrounded the area like a magical circle, transforming the mess of blood and bone back into a living, breathing alicorn and then restoring her to her former size.

Lily Firstborn gasped as she was brought back from what felt like death. Taking more than a few seconds to figure out what happened she weakly refocused on her older self and cringed in horror. “W…w-why..?”

“You don’t remember me killing you,” Lady Faust said. As she spoke that sentence and rewrote her former self’s mind, Lily’s fear fell back within her normal levels of panic. Without another word, Lady Faust turned away and walked through time and space again, causing the tear in reality to vanish.

Lily stood silently for a few moments, once more having no clue as to what was happening around her. And then she got hit in the back of the head with a ball.

“Lily! You’re supposed to catch it!” some stallion whined as he caught up to where Lily was and retrieved his ball.

“Lily, don’t scare us like that!” a young mare cried as she came galloping towards Lily and enveloped her in a hug that made Lily think about a boa constrictor. “I can’t believe you left your own party, and without your bestie-best friend-better-than-the-rest!”

“Uh…I…I…”

The young mare rolled her eyes with a playful smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You can go to the hospital later, Queen Lily. Now let’s get back and party!” She pushed Lily back towards the direction of the party and grinned. “B.T.W, we bumped into your dad, but we had Rose Basket take him back to the party. The poor idiot was wandering around all lost and confused looking for you. Speaking of dumb studs, I just met these four hotcakes that would be perfect for you! Now letcha bestie glam up that mess on your face and those stallions will be putty in your hooves!”

As the other ponies in the past dragged Lily Firstborn back to the party, Lady Faust continued down the dimly lit hallway. As she walked, her powers reached out to a piece of chalk sitting on a chalkboard. The chalk added another tally mark to the chalkboard’s current count of fifty-two. She dropped the piece of chalk as she passed by a completely full chalkboard, and another chalkboard, and then another chalkboard…

Lady Faust paused for a moment and slowly did a double-take at the four tally-covered chalkboards. Her blank face betrayed her as she blinked once…twice…and then turned around to keep walking down the hallway. Ponies, hippogriffs, yaks, donkeys, changelings, and even a few humans scattered through the hallways that Lady Faust traveled through. They all took one glance at their leader and wisely stayed out of her way without a word needing to be said. Her journey was brought to a brief pause as one mare cheerfully greeted her.

“My lady, I have good news!” Merry Weather said as she pranced over to her queen. “I just got an interview with Applejewel’s…um…” Her smile faded away as Merry Weather noticed Lady Faust’s emotionless glare. “W-what’s wrong, my queen? Is there anything I…” Merry Weather silenced herself as she was gently levitated out of Lady Faust’s way and pushed against the wall. Without another word, Lady Faust abandoned the idea of walking to her destination and teleported into one of her bedrooms.

Her magic reached out to a little fridge that contained several bottles of chocolate milk, yogurt drinks, and magical potions. She levitated a potion called Liquid Courage up to her mouth and drank the contents in one swig. There was a very brief feeling of warmth that spread through her body before it faded away into nothing. Lady Faust drank two more bottles of the Liquid Courage, not really expecting any difference before she collapsed onto her bed. She levitated the covers over her head and spent more than a few minutes lying down against the pillow, staring blankly at nothing as her mind raced with millions of thoughts. She pressed her hooves to her head as she felt a very familiar headache coming. “Shut up…shut up…shut up…”

“Oh Lily, after all these years you’re still such a silly filly.” Lady Faust’s eyes widened as she bolted upright and fixed her glare on the eerily smiling Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“Leave. Me. Alone,” Lady Faust growled.

“Oh Lily, you know I’ll never do that. Aren’t you excited, Lily?” Twilight whispered eagerly. “You’ll be visiting Equestria and Everfree any day now. Think of all the friends you’ll make there.”

“Nobody is going to listen to me. Nobody will want to be my friend.”

Twilight tilted her head. “You think threatening to blow up a universe is going to stop them? Ponies are a forgiving, friendly species, Lily. You’re going to be redeemed.”

“Shut up,” Lady Faust growled as she turned away from Twilight and pressed a pillow around her ears.

“You’re going to be reformed.”

“Shut up!”

“You’re going to befriended.”

Lady Faust stood up from her bed, her body glowing with power. “I would rather die than be your friend.”

“And yet you’re the silly filly who made yourself immortal!” Twilight giggled. Her smile warped into a snarl as thick green venom dripped out of her mouth. “Did you really think you could refuse ME?!”

“You can’t escape us, darling,” Rarity hissed as she slithered out behind Twilight, levitating dirty gray ribbons that snaked their way towards Lady Faust. “Now try on these dresses as a favor to a friend…” She giggled as she spat out a glob of venom. “We’ll have the stallions slobbering all over you…”

A jittery-looking Applejack with eyes as black as coal faded into view. “Apples, apples, apples…” she chuckled, holding up a basketball covered in rotten apple skins.

“Come cuddle with us bestie…” Fluttershy’s voice whispered as mud-covered rats skittered across the carpet.

Lady Faust backed further and further away as Princess Twilight’s body twisted and warped until she resembled Eternal Twilight. Yet another shudder went down her spine as she heard Pinkie Pie whispering next.

“I love you…you love me…we’re a happy friendship tree…”

“No, no, no, no…” Lady Faust muttered herself as she shut her eyes tight and hid behind her wings as they fanned out to shield her.

“You dis me…I’ll kill you…All you’ve heard about FRIENDS is true…”

Out from the floor, a deathly pale Rainbow Dash floated into existence wearing a bloodthirsty grin…and carrying a three pronged pitchfork…

“NO!” Lady Faust screamed as she teleported out of the bedroom. When she reappeared it was on the surface of the second moon of a very distant, lifeless planet.

But the Eternal Twilight illusion followed after her. “Oh Lily, you’re always so selfish. But that’s what my friendship will cure. Because a true friend will always lend a helping hoof. So quit bellyaching about your stupid pop culture shows and DO AS YOU’RE TOLD LIKE A GOOD FRIEND!”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Lily Firstborn cried, her eyes and ears shut tight, her tiny filly body twitching feverishly as sparks of light leapt off her flickering horn.

But then with a bolt of lightning, Eternal Twilight was banished from the nightmare. And the second Guardian of Dreams, Princess Nightmare Moon descended from the sky and touched down in front of the confused filly.

From the moment she saw Regality’s party, Nightmare had caught on quickly that she was somehow seeing Lady Faust’s memories. If she had to guess, Nightmare’s daydream spell was more powerful than she could have imagined and it had sent her unwillingly into Lady Faust’s mind. It made Nightmare realize that part of the reason why Lady Faust seemed so unfocused sometimes was because she was constantly daydreaming. Though at what point did Faust’s memory turn into a waking nightmare? The princess of the night hadn’t figured that out yet.

Lily Firstborn titled her gaze up from the floor and stared at Nightmare as tears and blood gushed out of her eyes.

Nightmare sighed. “I really shouldn’t be feeling sorry for you…but I do. From that one glimpse of Regality and what those ponies did...growing up in Tartarus would have been nicer. But please…give me back Everfree and Equestria and I’ll leave you alone. I just want my aunt and my friends back.”

Lily’s puffy eyes narrowed, turning from slightly red to glowing blue. Numerous cuts on her body formed, but instead of blood they all gushed out burning blue flames. It wasn’t until her entire body was covered in fire that she growled out, “THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS FRIENDS.”

Spotting the warning signs a little too late, Nightmare flapped her wings and rocketed away from Lily. She was able to fly a good sixty feet away from imminent danger when the alicorn filly exploded into a supernova that swallowed Nightmare Moon and spat her out of Lady Faust’s mind and into the next chapter.

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Original Air Date: October 22 2010

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Original Air Date: October 22, 2010

Nightmare pulled herself off the ground and quickly assessed her new surroundings. She could already tell she wasn’t in a dream. She had to compliment whichever version of either her mom or herself was in charge of the night sky, because the stars looked beautiful. The spooky trees reminded Nightmare Moon of the Equestria Forest and the very first adventure she ever had with her friends, hunting down the Elements of Redemption that would help them defeat Eternal Twilight. Stars above, how the time flies.

“How it flies indeed.” Nightmare Moon tensed up and glared at Lady Faust, but the elder alicorn wasn’t even looking at her. “I suppose I should be flattered that somebody is interested in hearing my side of the story. Useful little spell you created. I know I would have loved to live inside my own daydreams. Hope you don’t mind, but when you jumped into the portal and started chasing me, I took control of your magic and made you cast a spell to enter my mind. The demon friendship squad wasn’t real. My memories before that were. Did you like what you saw?”

Nightmare’s horn charged up with power. “What I saw does not change what you did!”

“Hush now,” Lady Faust said as she shrank the size of Nightmare’s text, causing her shout to turn into a whisper. “If you draw too much attention to yourself, your old friends are far more likely to attack you than me.” She looked back at Nightmare and smirked, while pointing at a group of ponies on the other side of some bushes. “Do you even know where and WHEN you are, Nightmare Moon?”

“So, none of you have been in here before?” she heard Princess Twilight say. Except, looking through the bushes, she wasn’t a princess. She didn’t have her wings!

“Ugh, heavens no! Just look at it - it's dreadful.”

“And it ain't natural. Folks say it don't work the same as Equestria.”

There was Rarity and Applejack. Plus Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. All ponies that she had once fought against in some way or another who would later become her friends. Or if not, then the Equestria versions of themselves. Right on cue, a cloud of magical mist tried to knock Twilight’s friends off a cliff, so that mist could only have been the villainous version of herself. Princess Nightmare Moon glared back at Lady Faust.

“What are you doing in Equestria’s past?”

“Oh, it’s not just the Equestria you’re familiar with,” Lady Faust said with a smirk. “Welcome to October 22, 2010. The day when the second episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic aired.”

“Welcome to Equestria Prime.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. Before she could express her astonishment, Lady Faust teleported both of them far away from the Everfree forest and straight into a field of ice and snow.

Lady Faust looked up and smirked at the sun. “Would you look at that? The planet IS round.” She chuckled. “Or perhaps the sun is only here, on the day of eternal night, because this planet is whatever I say it is.”

Nightmare frowned. “But you’re not really Lauren Faust, now are you?”

Lady Faust glanced back at her. “Exactly how much of the fourth wall can you break?”

Nightmare shrugged. “Just enough. I know that in my world I’m as real as I can be. But in another part of the multiverse all the people I know are just fictional characters created for a TV show. What happens in one world can influence the other.”

Lady Faust frowned. “Discord and Pinkie.” She poofed up a laptop computer at her eye level and began scrolling through a document on it. “But when did they…? Oh! Of course. Multiverse theory is one of the easier ways for a person to accept they might be a fictional character in one universe. And if the conversation isn’t shocking enough, it’s not interesting enough. At least, from a writer’s or reader’s perspective.” She made the laptop vanish and smirked at Nightmare. “So your little tricksters kept things short and simple enough to be done off-screen. Well played. But that just means you don’t know as much as you could.”

“Well since you’re in a talking mood, why not fill me in on the rest? Since you seem to love the spotlight so much.”

Lady Faust grimaced and turned away from Nightmare. “You have the wrong idea about the spotlight. I hate it. Nobody ever listens to me, especially when they’re staring at me.” Her glare softened. “But since you’re making an attempt, despite all that I’ve done to Everfree, perhaps you’ve earned this.”

“I first met the real Lauren Faust out in a far less magical world, whilst I was masquerading as a human. We met at a coffee and smoothie place, although she no longer remembers our little get-together. I read her mind and saw the pictures she had drawn in her imagination, the first few steps towards her new show. I pushed a few of my own ideas into her head, gently nudging her in the right direction. She wanted to create a show for little girls that was treated with respect. I wanted a show that focused more on adventures instead of such unstable ideas like friendship. And then there’s the fact that Twilight Sparkle shares the same facial features, voice, and manestyle as my little sister, Tulip Secondborn.”

Lady Faust sighed and pawed at the snow under her hoof. “I wanted to remember her as…as the bookworm she was. Instead of the manipulative friend she became.”

“Of course, Lauren Faust was the one making the big decisions and so even though she created the show, eventually she handed it over to other writers. But her contributions are still remembered because even though she wanted the show to be popular I don’t think ANYONE could have predicted how popular it would become. The Brony fandom took the so-called ‘real’ world by storm. Even with the show ending, I don’t think anyone will ever forget the impact a little cartoon made on an entire planet. Nobody could have predicted it back then. But now, I can.”

Lady Faust summoned up a two-story bookcase full to bursting with glowing books. “Over nine years of the shows episodes, it’s greatest fanfictions, and it’s greatest fan reactions. I know what the people will love and what they will hate. With the future knowledge I have now, I can turn My Little Pony Friendship is Magic into an even bigger hit than it was before. This time, I’m not going to let anyone else tell Twilight Sparkle’s story. First thing I’ll do is have Twilight Sparkle defeat Nightmare Moon and restore Princess Luna all by herself. Her friends can help her get there but when the duel comes, it’ll all be up to Twilight. No hoof-holding friendship lasers, not this time.”

Her smile widened. “The bronies will do more than love the show. They will worship it. Their adoration will consume all their trivial thoughts of reality, leaving only blessed fandom in their minds.” She looked off into the distance and grinned. “And once I have them all eating out of my hoof, I will give them the greatest friendship lesson of all: You don’t NEED to make friends. You can accomplish things by yourself. There is no reason to ostracize loners and introverts. Nerds, geeks, fanboys, and fangirls are people who should be respected and not ridiculed.”

She closed her eyes and sighed happily. “If I work hard at it, I can create a world where it’s okay to be alone.”

Nightmare blinked at the bizarre nature of Lady Faust’s plan. “You did ALL of this, just to force everyone to never make friends anymore?”

Lady Faust raised an eyebrow at her. “What? No, obviously people should be friends if they both want to be friends. I’m telling people that they don’t NEED to make friends. That it’s not necessary in order for you to be happy.”

“But everyone already knows that. Nobody is forcing you to make friends…”

“Don’t lie to me!” Lady Faust snarled, her eyes lighting up with glowing blue flames in them. “Friendship is relentless! Friendship is without mercy! Friendship has hunted me down like a Terminator for centuries! I tried hiding from the world! I locked myself up in caves buried thousands of feet deep. What a shock, explorers dug down to uncover ‘secret treasures’ and thought I was just the most fascinating specimen! I banished myself to lifeless planets and distant moons. Surprise, astronauts or dimension-hopping wizards, or SOMEBODY chased after me! You keep saying you’ll leave me alone, BUT YOU NEVER LEAVE! ME! ALONE!”

Nightmare took a step back at Faust’s fury. “Is that true? But…but how many times could this have happened? You mean to tell me that after you teleport to a lifeless planet, astronauts immediately find you?! Just by accident?”

Lady Faust cooled the fire in her eyes and shook her head. “We’re both immortal but you’re still too young. One day you and your little buddy Smog will understand. Go to sleep for too long and wake up to find a dragon slayer poking at your cave with a plasma sword. Blink and you can miss a century going by.”

Nightmare nodded in understanding. “You must be truly ancient. But even if you could build up your own army of followers like Merry Weather, I don’t see how you’ll get these ‘bronies’ to worship a television show.”

Lady Faust smirked and shrugged. “What does it even mean to worship something? What’s the difference between a religion and a fandom? If you ask me, I think if DC comics had been written before the Bible or the Quran, then people would be following the sacred texts of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.”

Nightmare frowned and shook her head. “Maybe the reason people don’t listen to you is because you make no sense. Religion doesn’t work like that.”

“How do you know? I’ve never heard you discuss religion before. How do you decide? All you social butterflies do is argue and scream about a million different topics, and I can’t understand ANY OF YOU!” Lady Faust growled. “I already said I’m sorry for being autistic, what in Nintendo’s name can I say that will make you happy?!”

Nightmare observed Lady Faust’s shaking body and flickering horn. “So, you really…”

Lady Faust’s horn lit up with power again and stayed glowing. “Yes. On top of being an alicorn OC, which I know the bronies hate, I am on the autism spectrum. I have Asperger’s. I have a communication disorder, social phobia, a social skills learning disability, Extreme Shyness Syndrome, the Anti-Pony Plague, misophonia, anthropophobia, the Stutters, a Defective Mouth, or whatever the psychologists and therapists of your world wish to diagnose me as. Bottom line is, ponies are social creatures and I am a social failure. How do you think they reacted to me? I was worse than a thousand frightened Fluttershy’s and Chrysalis’ put together. I spoke quietly if at all. I stuttered and stumbled on every sentence. If I said the word ‘hello’, ponies asked me if I needed to go to the hospital. I am a big, fat, awkward, LOSER. And with magic playing a factor in my mind, it might have made things worse. I might be literally ALLERGIC to friendship. I used to pass out if I heard some pony talking for too long, or throw up after getting hugged by too many ponies. I could not have survived in Ponyville or Peaceville.”

Lady Faust’s eyes twitched madly as she thought about her childhood. “But even Pinkie Pie couldn’t have survived PonyTown. The people I grew up with were scum. Bigots, bullies, and murderers more depraved than your world of forgiveness can comprehend. They covered up all their evil in a blanket of pink cupcakes and parties, but it was always there.”

Lady Faust covered her chest with her hoof and stared Nightmare in the eye. “You think I became like this just because my mom ‘didn’t like me’? My mom tried to murder me.”

Nightmare gasped and backed away from Lady Faust. “No. That…that can’t be true!”

“Oh yes,” Lady Faust grimly nodded. “Sunset was right. I grew up during my world’s version of the Changeling Trials. And you know, when I became an alicorn I tried to stop it. I approached the changeling queen and offered them a cure for their love hunger in exchange for an end to the fighting. They happily agreed. The changelings praised me as a hero for saving them from starvation. And when I brought this news to my village, how did they react? My family and ‘friends’ led an angry mob towards me and they tried to murder me!” Lady Faust growled, stomping her hoof four times in emphasis.

To her complete shock, tears began to fill both their eyes. Nightmare wiped her eyes clean and asked, “How could she…?”

“And you want to know something else? Let’s pretend just for a minute, that friendship could EVER exist outside of a fantasy world. The closest thing I ever had to a best friend? His pony disguise was Mister Bookworm but her birth name was Felicia Faust. A gender fluid changeling. Now what do you think my mom did?”

Against her will, Nightmare pictured her dear friend Queen Chrysalis, tied to a stake and burning. She held a hoof up to her mouth to halt the vomit she could feel building up. “No…”

“Yes.” Lady Faust swished her tail and Nightmare felt her stomach settle down. “Now, I’ve gone back in time to kill, revive, and memory wipe myself so many times I’ve lost track. But I will NEVER forget or forgive those criminals for what they did. As I stood there, forced to watch as the one person who believed in me was set ablaze to the cheers of the ponies around me, I saw the TRUE nature of friendship.”

As much as Nightmare wanted to debate the second and third sentence, the first sentence had a greater priority. “As messed up as your life was, I don’t see how that was helping. Why would you kill and revive yourself like that?”

“I don’t know genius, maybe I hate myself?” Lady Faust grumbled. She winced and pressed a hoof to her head. “Maybe some days I feel like Rick, Morty, and Jerry all at the same time? Entertaining show, but yikes is it cynical.”

“I’ll have to get Discord to explain that reference.” Nightmare frowned. “What about Everfree? I can see why your concept of friendship is so twisted, but there are still people I care about. If Equestria Prime was your target all along; if you had no business at all with Everfree or our Equestrian allies, why did you attack the universe tied to mine first?”

Lady Faust groaned. “You’ll hate me no matter what I say, so what the hay? I guess the pragmatic answer was that I wanted to get the bronies attention. I suppose my other reason was stress relief. I went on a rampage through that Equestria because-”

She was cut off as Nightmare slammed into, her horn crackling with lightning and dark magic. “Just because you could?!” the princess of nightmares snarled.

Lady Faust rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You and the readers down in the comments think I’m so irredeemable, don’t you? Even though I must have dropped a dozen hints that what I did to your worlds was NEVER going to be permanent.”

Two books poofed into existence, floating behind Lady Faust’s head. Nightmare released the anti-social alicorn and stared at the two very large books. The title of one book read Everfree and the other book read Equestria tied to Everfree. Lady Faust pointed at them. “See those books? They contain everything and everyone there is to know from your two worlds. I can use those books to bring back all the people I killed in your world. There’s even instructions that YOU could use to bring them all back. I don’t remember a thing when I kill and revive myself and I guarantee you that all the ponies you know won’t even remember dying. A perfect reset button is yours for the taking, Princess Nightmare Moon.”

Lady Faust frowned at her. “And all I ask is that you take these books and leave. Me. Alone.”

Nightmare frowned. “I remember everything I’ve read on multiverse theory. If you change Equestria Prime, what will happen to Everfree?”

Lady Faust snorted. “I’ve already written those books, already established their canon. Even with the changes I’ll make across the multiverse, your worlds will be restored exactly how you remember them. Perhaps a little better, if those extroverted monsters will listen to me this time.”

Nightmare stomped her hoof. “Fine, but what about all the other universes created after Equestria Prime? I can’t help but think your actions will end up erasing billions of alternate universes before they ever have a chance to live!”

“If they get erased I’ll just un-erase them!” Lady Faust growled. “I thought I made it clear that I can undo death. Will you please just take the books and leave?! I thought your friends were the only things you cared about!”

Nightmare fired a blast of magic at Lady Faust, that unfortunately didn’t leave a scratch. “Then you don’t know me as well as you think you do! You can’t just shrug off what you’ve done like it’s nothing! If you actually cared about your Mister Bookworm, why didn’t you bring him back to life?”

Lady Faust’s horn lit up the sky like a lightning bolt. A string of furious mumbles formed behind her gritted teeth before she blasted Nightmare off her hooves and across the snowy field. “Because I can’t even convince the few people I care about to listen to me. Nobody will ever listen to me. It doesn’t matter what I say to you. Nothing I do matters.”

Nightmare growled and pulled herself back up. “I am so sick of this. Maybe my magic isn’t enough to bring you down, but let’s see how you do against these!” With a flash of light from her horn, Nightmare conjured up Trixie’s hat. She reached into it just like a great magician and pulled out a miracle. Twelve magical elements of incredible power. The Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Redemption all together. She levitated them all and held them up like a spinning shield in front of her.

Lady Faust’s eyes widened at the display for a moment…before she let out a chuckle. “You think…you think that…aha ha, oh you almost had me there! Ha, ha, ha!”

“What’s so funny?” Nightmare growled.

“Each Element is supposed to be paired to one bearer. If there aren’t enough, some ponies might be able to wield two, maybe three at the most. Of all the ponies in all the worlds I’ve encountered I think only Princess Celestia and your mentor King Sombra have been able to use six elements by themselves. And those weren’t exactly successful attempts, now were they? But one person using TWELVE elements? It’s insanity. That much raw power could kill even an immortal like you! Your plan is so crazy…it just might work. That means in most stories, it would work.”

Lady Faust’s smirk twisted into a harsh sneer as blue electricity sparkled along her eyes and up to her blindingly bright horn. “But this isn’t any ordinary story, is it? This is Equestria: where Friendship is Magic. Therefore, if you don’t have friends you don’t have a chance.”

Nightmare’s only response at Lady Faust’s amusement was to shoot a spell through the Element of Magic that sent out two beams of magic that curved around to touch the other eleven elements in her levitation field. The elements spun in their circle and fired a blast of rainbow magic at Lady Faust. The elder alicorn smirked as she batted away all that raw energy with a single wing swipe.

Nightmare gasped and Lady Faust kept taunting her. “Don’t look so surprised. Even if you think of your friends as ‘by your side, in your heart’ that’s not enough for Equestria’s standards. The only time Twilight Sparkle could ever accomplish anything was when her friends were physically by her side! Whenever she tried to save the day by herself, she failed miserably!”

“I am not Twilight Sparkle!” Nightmare Moon declared.

“Oh, but you are!” Lady Faust laughed triumphantly. “You can make all the comments about wanting eternal night or loving your mommy Luna, but your heart isn’t in it. You and Everfree were born to swap roles with Equestria’s heroes. You’re just a carbon copy of Twilight Sparkle, wrapped up in Nightmare Moon’s image. Deep down, you’re just like her; a socially awkward bookworm who abandoned her own values to be crowned Princess Slave of Friendship! Isn’t that the friendship lesson you’ve been teaching us all? ‘Don’t be yourself, individuality is overrated. Just give up on your dreams, join the herd, and do as you’re told by your greedy, peer-pressuring friends!’”

“That’s not true!” Nightmare roared as she blasted Lady Faust with her own magic, which again did nothing. “If you can’t be yourself with your friends, then they don’t deserve to be your friends. I still love reading books and gazing at stars. Even if I have mellowed out over the years, I still daydream about making the world kneel before the power of the moon! Compare me to Twilight all you like, but I am power hungry and proud of it! My life is more than just my friends!”

Lady Faust shook her head. “Don’t pretend like you’re finally seeing reason now, Twilight Clone. I may have stopped writing you, but I still know how you think. Your darkest impulses. Your greatest fears.”

She smirked up at the hot, unbearable sun and looked down at the empty field of snow around them. Beams of magic trickled down from her horn and touched her vocal cords. “And I know your greatest fear has already come true.” Finally endowed with the ability to sing like a normal pony, she began:

“You’ve always had a friend or two,
Someone to lend a hand,” Lady Faust sang, briefly turning her left hoof into a human hand before changing it back.
“When times were tough, you looked to them
To get out of a jam.
But now, no matter where you turn
There’s no one here but you!
You’re all alone, your greatest fear
Has finally come true!”

Nightmare stomped her hoof and sang back:
“Just because I’m by myself
Does not mean I will fold.
I don’t need help to defeat you!
I just need to be bold.”

Lady Faust rolled her eyes. “Spare me your aesopic speech. We both know you are wrong!”

“I’m not afraid to stand alone!” Nightmare sang.

“Little nightmare, you won’t be standing long.” Faust fired back.

Lady Faust blasted Nightmare with magic, erasing both her wings and one-third of her right back leg. As Nightmare struggled to regain her balance, Lady Faust kept sing-taunting her.

“You’re on your own, can’t fly away.
You’ve met your doom this final day!”

“I’m on my own but won’t give in!
I’ll get back up and fight again!” Nightmare sang. She spun the elements again and tried to blast Lady Faust, but her opponent just ignored the elements’ power and zapped Nightmare again. Her left front leg was erased out of existence and a chunk of her flank began to fade away.

“The hope in you is fading fast
And when it’s gone the world will be mine at last!” Lady Faust sang back.

“But like the moon, I’ll shine once more!” Nightmare sang as she fired a huge blast of her own dark magic at Lady Faust. Once again, no sell.

“Until day comes, and brings uncaring war!”

Under Lady Faust’s power, the sun over their heads spat out a wave of flames that hurtled down to the battlefield and struck Nightmare, burning the fur right off her flesh.

“AAAAAAHHHH!” Nightmare screamed. For added injury, Lady Faust blasted Nightmare with her magic, causing her horn to disappear followed by several pieces of her body. Without her magic holding them up, the twelve elements dropped into the snow. All that was left of Nightmare’s body was her head, neck, front right leg, and a piece of burnt flesh holding everything together.

This was the end, wasn’t it? No magic of her own and no help from the Elements. Friendship wasn’t strong enough to defeat Lady Faust and Nightmare wasn’t strong enough without friendship. As she watched her own body fading away, it finally sunk in that she just wasn’t strong enough. She looked down at the Elements surrounding her. Magic, Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, and Laughter. The allies she had found in Equestria and the former enemies she had defeated and befriended in Everfree. She then weakly titled her head to see the Elements that started her adventures. Knowledge, Nobility, Zeal, Love, and Freedom. She thought about Sunset Shimmer, the Great and Powerful Trixie, Gilda, Queen Chrysalis, and Discord. She thought about her loyal minion Smog, her wise mentor King Sombra, and her loving mother Luna.

Out of all the friends she had made, it was those eight Everfree heroes she held in the highest regard. She was sorry she wasn’t enough to help them. But then…Princess Nightmare Moon finally stared at her own Element of Power. And an idea sprung forth.

In her mind’s eye, she saw two little fillies. One was a pale white unicorn filly, who cowered with fear as a crowd of ponies snickered at her. One was a midnight black alicorn filly, who hissed at all the sun loving fools who couldn’t understand the glory of the night and the strength of her solitude. But out from the crowd of ponies there came Luna. Princess, guard captain, duchess, loving sister, loyal friend, and the best mom she could ever imagine. Luna knelt down to the filly Nightmare Moon and hugged her. And the filly Nightmare Moon stopped hissing and smiled as she returned her mother’s hug. As for the filly Lily Firstborn? She was dragged away against her will by a crowd of faceless ponies, screaming and reaching out to her own mother. But Regality heartlessly smirked and waved Lily away before she returned to styling her mane in the mirror.

That was it. Nightmare Moon finally figured it out. The same thing happened when the chaotic Pinkamania had to be blasted with the elements twice. Pinkie Pie refused redemption the first time because she didn’t see herself as the bad guy. It was only when Twilight’s team used the Elements of Redemption that Pinkie realized she was on the wrong side. Lady Faust refused redemption because she didn’t see friendship as a good thing. She genuinely believed that friendship was evil, that being reformed was a fate worse than death. Friendship could NEVER defeat Lady Faust. But Lily respected individuality. And deep down, she wanted to feel loved.

Without her magic touching them, the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Redemption all started glowing again. They rose into the air and spun in a circle, as their magic reached down and spread a healing wave of moonlight across her body. Within seconds, the pieces of Nightmare Moon that had been erased or burnt were restored to full health and she climbed back on her hooves, wings flared open, and horn glowing with power. She opened her mouth and triumphantly sang:

“There’s a bond you never got to know
A power you could not feel.
The love I give comes back to me
And makes me stronger than steel.
If I remember the love I know
And share it all with you
My love will shine from up above
And prove my cause is true!”

Lady Faust shook her head, shocked at Nightmare’s return.
“My depression cannot be cured.
True love can never last.
I’ll show you how real despair feels
One final fatal blast!”

“The power of the Elements was too much for Nightmare to control and her body exploded into dust, ending her life.”

Lady Faust fired her reality altering sentence like a bullet at Nightmare’s heart. But the sentence bounced off the younger alicorn and vanished. Lady Faust’s jaw dropped.

“You tried your worst to bring me down
But I refuse to fall!” Nightmare sang.

“How can this be happening?” Lady Faust asked, completely gobsmacked.

“Because I rise above this brawl!” Nightmare sang as she hovered over Lady Faust’s head with one powerful flap of her wings. The Elements all lit up with overwhelming power and blasted Lady Faust, surrounding her NOT in a rainbow but in a spiral of blue magic that resembled Nightmare’s and Lady Faust’s magic fused together.

“I’m on my own, with my moonlight
To keep me pure through the darkest nights!” Nightmare sang.

“You’re just one person. How can this be?!” Lady Faust asked, genuinely more concerned with the answer than her own life.

Nightmare smiled and sang:
“I’m more than that, if only you could see.
I may be dark and on my own
But I can see how much we’ve both grown
My will is strong, my heart is true
But love doesn’t need…
To be the end…of…you…”

In a spectacular explosion of magic and power, the Elements finished the job and banished Lady Faust from Equestria Prime. When the light cleared, Princess Nightmare Moon was the only pony left out in the snow. Lily was nowhere to be seen.

Nightmare touched back down on the ground and let out a relieved sigh. “Phew…okay…okay. Lady Faust? Lily? Are…are you there?”

No response.

Nightmare surveyed the area for a minute. The sun had vanished, leaving a beautiful night sky in its place. The huge bookcase was gone, but the two books that could restore everyone in Everfree and the Equestria she knew were still floating in the air. She levitated the two books towards her and dropped them into Trixie’s hat. She placed the Element of Power on her own head and placed the other eleven elements next to the two books. She now had everything she needed to return home and bring all her friends back to life. As if Lady Faust never attacked them in the first place.

As if a sad little loser like Lily…didn’t really matter.

Despite everything she had done, Nightmare couldn’t hate Lily anymore. Lily played the role of a villain like it was a game, because stories were the only way she learned how to successfully interact with anyone. Lily was still a kid at heart, even though she was unimaginably old. Nightmare still didn’t know the whole story, but it sounded like Regality had destroyed Lily’s emotional empathy.

Without Luna, Nightmare could have easily become someone as dangerous as Lady Faust. Even if Lily was too afraid to make friends, Nightmare wanted to forgive her. But without her around? Better to save those she had the power to save. And, better to leave this Equestria before the sun reappeared, signalling that the Nightmare Moon in this world had turned back into Princess Luna. Her presence would be too confusing to explain to the citizens of this world. It was time to go back home. She felt the twelve Elements give her a power boost as she opened a portal back to the universe of Everfree.

“Crysssstaaalllssss…”

Nightmare frowned and stomped a hoof against the ice below her. “Save it for season three, weird doppelganger of Sombra.”

“Buzzzzzkillllll…”

Nightmare allowed herself a chuckle as she felt a little comedy re-enter her life. She stepped into the portal leading back home and disappeared from Equestria Prime.

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Together or Alone You Will Shine

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Together or Alone You Will Shine

Lady Faust blinked her eyes a few times to clear her vision, before getting off the floor and bolting up to a standing position. She stumbled a little, still dizzy from whatever the twelve Elements had done to her and took stock of her situation. “What just happened?” she asked. She examined her body with a little confusion. She had shrunk down to about the size of a border collie. With shape-shifting as one of her powers, it wasn’t a normally big deal but it was concerning because she didn’t do it to herself and for some reason she couldn’t do it in wherever she was now.

She looked around the room she was in, ignoring the other person sitting at the computer for now. A decently sized bookcase filled with books, shelves for several computer games, and posters and other items from Disney and Marvel stories. It was ten times smaller than the kind of room she was used to relaxing in, but she still nodded in approval of the pop culture environment.

As she became aware of my presence, her magic restricted itself from harming me in any way. “Who are you?!” she asked, shocked by my sudden appearance in her vision and her inability to cast any curses on me.

“It’s nice to meet you in person, Lady Faust. Or I can call you Lily if you prefer. Sorry, I have to type this conversation as we talk.”

I could see her looking over my shoulder as I worked. Reading the last few paragraphs I had written, she gasped and took a step back. “You’re the one behind all this. You’re Invinsible.”

“Yeah, I am,” I said to her. “Sorry it’s taken us so long to get here. And for everything you…you know.”

Lady Faust frowned at me. “What are you doing? Why am I meeting you like this here in…oh, gross!” she growled as she saw the light coming in through my window. “Trees that don’t have any magic? Cars that don’t fly or transform? You actually live in this revolting world?!”

“Let’s try not to focus on that right now,” I told her. “What do you think of this meeting?” She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, so I kept talking. “When I first thought of it, I thought it might be kind of fun. You know, a fanon author kind of meeting a canon author. Or something like…”

She interrupted me and said, “Whether or not I think this meeting is clever is not your concern. A writer’s biggest concern is their audience. But since your readers are mostly normal humans, they probably hate this idea and everything you’ve written, and they want to murder you.”

“Well that’s not very nice. I’m sure the Bronies reading this story are good people.”

Lady Faust grunted. “I guess they are fans of a cartoon with magic in it. But how much do they appreciate magic, adventure, and good manners, and how many of them are only obsessed with friendship and conformity and all that garbage?”

“Wait, I think we’re going in the wrong direction with this. I’m sorry-”

“You should be sorry!” she growled as she cut me off again. “If you’re the one writing me, that means my life is all your fault!”

“I’m sorry. Honestly, your past created itself in my head, but I guess I could have made things a little gentler for you,” I told her.

“…What?” she asked, understandably confused.

“There was this writer I saw on the Internet once who talked about this,” I said to her. “Sometimes when you create characters in your head, some of them get bigger than the others. Their personalities develop in ways you could have never imagined, even though you’re the one imagining it. Everything about them, their hobbies, lives, and ambitions get stuck in your head. To the point where they take on a life of their own; to the point where you can almost hear them talking to you.” I pointed at one corner of my room. “It happened with her.”

Lady Faust turned to look where I was pointing. Hovering off the floor, wispy tentacles of pink smoke clinging to the ceiling, her hovering face grinned down at us. “Hello, my pretty little darlings,” the pink swirling eyes and blood-filled mouth purred.

“The filly from your other story?” Lady Faust said in disbelief. “Out of all the characters you write, you allowed a sociopathic horror beast of a hero to become a voice in your head?”

“She’s usually very nice to people who aren’t evil,” I defended. “She was fun to write and her personality just became too big in my head. It’s hard not to think about her.”

“Well you did something to my magic and she’s creeping me out!” Lady Faust gulped as she backed away from the giggling mad-girl. “Please make her go away.”

“I’ll be back,” the filly sang as I made her disappear.

“You get the idea,” I told Lady Faust. “When I first thought of you, you were just a generic destructive force. I reversed a lot of roles in the story, and that had to include Lord Tirek. Since he was from a previous generation, I came up with the idea for Megan Williams to take his place as the villain while he took her place as a hero. But Megan wasn’t threatening enough to be the final boss without giving her too many extra powers. So, I thought about Lauren Faust’s OC alicorn and how powerful she could be, and filled that role with you. But while she created Equestria, you were only supposed to be a destructive force. Like Doomsday from Superman. You were always powerful, but too boring to write about.”

I sighed. “But then I thought about how some pony like you would have grown up around other ponies, who are very social creatures while I am not.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I have a kind of social skills disability. That’s where you get it from, although your case is a hundred times more intense than mine. Sorry, maybe I’m not explaining this right…”

“How…how are you still alive?!” Lady Faust asked. She sounded pretty astonished.

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

“I mean, at least I have magic to protect me! You don’t have that! You don’t have anything to protect you from the vile, vicious, murderously angry and unreasonable extroverts lurking out there, just waiting for you to make a mistake so that they can rip your body in half and gnaw on your bones!” she ranted.

“I think you’re exaggerating. Extroverts aren’t like-”

“Yes, they are!” Lady Faust interrupted me. “Ponies and humans are social creatures. Anytime they encounter people who are NOT socially skilled, they treat us as inferior, unforgivable, and expendable.”

“Wait, wait, can you please calm down?” I said to her. “Remember that I’m typing this out for other people to read. I don’t want anyone to think I’m insulting them, because I’m not.”

“Why do you still care what other people think of you? Why should I care?! As soon as people notice my existence, they want to torture me.” Lady Faust let out a shuddering sigh. She was quiet for a few seconds before she said, “I was forced to watch an angry mob of so-called ‘friends’ burn the only real friend I have. I’ve seen how humans mistreat those who are different. And I’ve seen how Thorax in Equestria was treated before the fictional dragon sang a song to solve all their problems.”

She looked back up at me and said, “Normal people are monsters and friendship is a curse upon the universe. And there is nothing you, your audience, or the characters in your little fanfic can say that will change my mind.”

“I know your history,” I told her. “I know that the Princess of Friendship and her beliefs can’t get through to you. But I don’t think you’re unforgivable. Let’s talk,” I offered. “Away from my computer. I won’t write down anything more between us. Please, give me a chance to convince you that people can be better. That people like us can be respected and loved, even in an extrovert’s world. Even if it takes us months, I want to convince you that there can be hope, and that hope can win. No matter how long it takes, you can always time travel to when Nightmare just got back. Does that sound okay to you?”

Lady Faust was quiet for a few minutes before she answered me. And that was that.

“I’m sorry Aunt Celestia. I thought I could restore all of you in one go,” Princess Nightmare Moon said.

Duchess Celestia smiled up at her niece. “It’s no problem at all. I’d be happy to endure this for a little longer while you attend to restoring the others.” While it was a bit awkward at first for her to move her body with only her front legs, she was doing a remarkable job maintaining her dignity, even though her flank and her back legs were still missing.

Nightmare sighed. “It’s not difficult, just annoying.” She cleared her throat and said, “‘Thanks to the heroic endeavors of Lady Faust, the ponies of Everfree and Equestria were restored to life, now free from the curse of friendship.’”

After her second recital of the spell, the rest of Celestia’s body existed once more and she stood back up on four legs again. Luna walked up to her daughter and sister and smiled back at their friends, leading Nightmare’s gaze towards Gilda, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, and several other allies who had been erased during their battle with Lady Faust. Nightmare Moon had spent over two hours going back and forth to spots on the battlefield and saying the same spell over and over again to bring everyone back to life. A few creatures hadn’t been brought back yet and a few others still needed to hear the spell one more time before all their limbs were returned to them.

But progress was being made. Nightmare Moon was slowly undoing all the damage that Lady Faust and her actions had inflicted on Everfree.

“Do you truly believe that Lady Faust was defeated?” Lord Tirek grumbled. “I have heard the praise King Sombra has for you, and I have seen your strength in battle. But the nature of this spell you are using feels too much as if she is mocking us.”

Nightmare was about to respond to him, but I’m sure you have waited long enough.

Discord’s ears twitched. “Eh, Moony? I think Faust is…”

“Thanks to the heroic Nightmare Moon’s victory, the ponies of Everfree and Equestria were brought back to life. All the damage that Lady Faust had caused from the moment she stepped hoof in Canterlot was undone.”

Long tendrils of bright blue magic burst out of the ground around them and curled around Nightmare and her friends like the fingers of a giant hand. The fingers unfurled and burst out in all directions, bringing ponies and other creatures back to life and restoring the land itself to picture pristine health. Another flash of light filled Nightmare’s vision, completely blinding her to everything happening around her.

When she could see again, Nightmare blinked her eyes to take in her new surroundings. Canterlot Castle, but something in her mind told her this was Everfree not Equestria. Her fellow Elements Bearers, Smog, and King Sombra. Several other ponies appeared on the other side of the room, plus one small dragon. Again, her mind told her these were Equestria’s heroes, not their Everfree counterparts.

“What the...we’re alive?!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed

“We’re alive! Yippee!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she scooped up her friends in a big hug. Princess Celestia and Luna of Equestria flapped their wings and touched down beside the six ponies and Spike. The Elements of Harmony began to happily congratulate themselves while the Elements of Redemption remained on edge.

A very comfy looking bed appeared off in another corner of the room, interrupting the Equestrian’s celebration. An exhausted Lady Faust appeared on top of the bed and collapsed on to it. “Hey everyone.”

“YOU!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “I can’t believe you killed us!” She lunged at Lady Faust, but was easily teleported back to her original position by Faust’s magic. Rainbow didn’t take the hint, and repeatedly threw herself at Lady Faust only to be teleported back.

“Well somebody isn’t thinking with portals,” Discord chuckled.

“Hey, cut Dash some slack,” Gilda warned him. “Nightmare, what do we do? She doesn’t look like she’s gonna attack, but I mean…”

“Why are you here? How did you survive?” Nightmare asked Lady Faust.

“I’m sorry,” Lady Faust mumbled, yet her voice carried itself to everyone in the room. “I finally had the chance to talk with someone who would listen to me, and I realize now that I went about this the wrong way. Even if I easily resurrected all of you, I should have realized that destroying two universes might seem scary to most people. I just…don’t know how normal people think.”

Her front leg lazily jerked around and pointed at different people. “Chrysalis, imagine if your hive hated you. Applejack, imagine if your family never loved you. If they always believed you were a failure and nothing you did could change that. Pinkie, imagine hosting a party where everybody insulted everything you ever loved. Twilight and Nightmare, imagine if magic kindergarten never ended and the foals never stopped bullying you. Fluttershy, imagine if ponies tortured animals all around you. Every day, for your entire early life.”

Lady Faust dropped her front leg and pressed her face deeper into the pillow, even as her rant continued on. “I grew up in a Tartarus unlike any you have ever imagined. Some ponies can become alicorns because they accomplish great deeds or absorb a lot of magic. I used to think that’s what happened to me. But the more I look at my life, the more I’m convinced it was a survival instinct. My body knew that it would take nothing less than reality-altering magic and god-like immortality for me to survive. I was too weak to live.”

She lifted her head up to them with wide, haunted eyes. “And when I had the power to escape, I should have done the smart thing. Lock myself in a room so that I can gorge myself on pop culture stories and video games. But my stupid curiosity told me to see the world. My mom’s ghost ordered me to ‘go outside and enjoy the fresh air’. I traveled to countless different worlds and times. I saw ancient pony history. Human history. I’ve seen wars happen in front of me? Have you?”

Twilight, Nightmare, Chrysalis, King Sombra, and the two princess sisters all looked like they wanted to respond, but Lady Faust got off her bed and began pacing. “Obviously I stopped as many wars as I could, but it’s the infinite worlds thing, you know? I stop guns from existing outside of comic books in fifty universes but they’re still around in the other fifty universes! And normal people fight over such pointless nonsense!”

She stopped pacing and shook her shoulders a little as her horn started to glow slightly more. “I’m getting off track again. Long story short, my mind is messed up.”

“I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it sounds like at least a tiny part of that was your fault. Not everything!” Sunset Shimmer quickly added. “Your hometown sounds like a hundred horrible prisons rolled into one, that’s not your fault! But everything afterwards...”

“If you can travel through time, why not alter your own past?” Trixie asked.

Lady Faust sighed. “I was afraid that changing my origin story would alter my mind or even destroy my personality. My choices were taken away from me too much, so I highly respect freedom. My rampage of revenge would have been so much easier if I just mind controlled all of you, but I would never do that. Maybe I tiptoed the line a bit with my possessions but…”

She grit her teeth again as her horn glowed a little brighter. Noticing the Equestrians tense up a bit she said, “I’m not casting any spells on you. Just myself.”

“Why are you using magic on yourself?” Twilight asked.

“It allows me to talk like a normal person.”

“You don’t need magic to talk like a normal pony, silly!” Pinkie said, waving her hoof in a cheerful dismissal.

Lady Faust snorted. “Pfft! Yeah right!” She clutched her head and mumbled, “Ow.” She lowered her hoof again. “It’s already too hard for you to understand me. I need to spit what I mean to say out. I admit it: Princess Nightmare Moon and her friends won our battle. But this is unexplored territory for you all.”

“Uh, not really,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves as she hovered in air radiating confidence. “We always beat bad guys like you.”

“Debatable on many levels. For one thing, I resurrected you because Nightmare Moon beat me. The point is, what happens now?” Lady Faust raised an eyebrow at Twilight Sparkle’s group. “I can’t be banished, imprisoned, or turned into stone. All your Elements did was temporarily wound me. It took twelve Elements in order to force me to another world, one which I escaped from with little difficulty.”

“Um…well…” Fluttershy offered cautiously. “Since you brought us all back and undid all the damage you caused, and since we don’t really remember dying, and since you said you were sorry…”

“And I have no interest in making friends,” Lady Faust stated firmly. “I won’t attack you anymore, but I will never, EVER, be your friend. Like I said, unexplored territory for you.”

Twilight was incredulous. “But…why? Why wouldn’t you want to make friends?”

“Um, Twilight?” Spike cautiously lifted his claw in order to get their attention. “Maybe it’s because she’s been hurt too much? I mean, you remember what happened to Moondancer because you left Canterlot instead of going to her party, right? As for her…I can’t even imagine all the horrible things she’s gone through if she’s telling the truth.”

Pinkie drew a circle into the floor with her hoof. “I’m friends with Cranky, but I know that Cranky doesn’t usually like to spend time with people who aren’t Matilda. Some people just like to be alone.”

King Sombra spoke up. “Is that what you want, Lady Faust? To be left alone?”

Lady Faust sighed. “People actually listening to me? Will wonders never cease. Yeah, I think that’s what I should do. I’ll create my own private universe, fill it with all the pop culture items and modern amenities that I will ever need, and then never leave.”

“Ya can’t spend yer life locked up indoors,” Applejack protested.

“That’s right,” Fluttershy agreed. “You can’t live your life in fear.”

Lady Faust gave them a sad smile. “If I did this in the first place, I would have never destroyed Equestria and Everfree. I make a mess whenever I try to care about someone.”

She looked over at the Everfree heroes. “You lot have been very quiet. A sign of who’s the smarter party if you ask me. And yes, even though it’s hazardous for my health, I do care about other people. I think you know one of them.”

With a small puff of blue smoke, a regal unicorn appeared. She had a white fur coat with a purple-pink mane and green eyes. Her short tail was covered up by a purple cape and a crown was perched on her head.

King Sombra’s eyes widened. “Platinum? Princess Platinum?!” The dark king shadow-teleported over to her and reformed with a hopeful grin on his face. His smile faded as Platinum took several steps away from him and began shivering uncontrollably. “Platinum? What’s the matter?” He glared at Lady Faust as dark magic filled his eyes. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing. She placed a fear curse on herself. I don’t know why and I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with her. But whether you are her father or just her friend, you should know she’s one of my followers.”

“Your followers?! Platinum, that isn’t true, is it?” King Sombra asked her.

The king of Everfree was unaware that my magic lessened Platinum’s fear curse, allowing her to talk normally even under these severe circumstances.

Platinum felt her Lady’s magic and asked, “W-what do y-you want m-me to s-say?”

“I…I would like an explanation Platinum. What has happened to your speech? To the rest of you?” King Sombra asked.

Platinum glanced back and forth between the two most important ponies in her life and said, “W-what is the s-socially acceptable r-response?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should ask the Princess of Friendship over there?” Lady Faust suggested. She didn’t sound sarcastic…

“Um, hello there!” Twilight greeted her.

“As confusing as this situation is, it is an honor to meet you Princess Platinum!” Rarity added. “Why, I once filled your role in a play-”

“Hi there Platy!” Pinkie cheered. “Do you like-”

“I’M SORRY!” Princess Platinum screamed. She teleported away from the approaching ponies and curled up into a ball in a corner of the room. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Lady Faust sent another spell to reassure her follower. “It’s okay, Platinum, I’m right here.”

“I…I don’t understand,” a shocked Twilight said as her friends backed off.

“You said she cast a fear spell on herself? Why would anyone do this to themselves?!” King Sombra growled at Faust.

“As much as you think you understand friendship, you haven’t truly seen it’s ugly side. Social interaction is a skill that millions of people take for granted,” Lady Faust explained as she helped the crying Platinum back on her hooves. “Princess Platinum is just one resident of the Lily Faust Home for the Socially Disabled. A home and mental health facility for every person or entity I have met who is incapable of social interaction or making friends.”

Before Twilight or any of her friends could say anything, Nightmare Moon stepped forward. “Can I try something, please?”

She transformed into mist and slowly wrapped herself around Platinum. She never actually touched the princess, but it felt like a hug to Platinum. An otherworldly, magical hug that no normal person could ever replicate. After experiencing the alien sensation, Nightmare reformed next to Platinum and spoke softly.

“I forgive you for not being perfect. I forgive you for not having any friends. Whatever your reason for hiding from the world, it’s okay. And if you ever decide to come back to the real world…there will be someone who loves you enough to give you the solitude and freedom you need.”

Platinum’s terrified shivering faded as Nightmare spoke. She looked up at the dark alicorn with wide eyes and eventually, a small smile. “Thank you.”

With a flash of light from Lily’s horn, Platinum was teleported away. She stared at Nightmare and Nightmare stared back. “She reminds me of Moondancer.”

Lily blinked in surprise. Her eyes filled with magic for a brief second as she examined her own memories. “The party you and Smog were invited to before your trip to Peaceville. Before you met your friends and battled Eternal Twilight. I didn’t think you remembered.”

Smog winced. “Oh no, it’s been months since we last sent them a message!”

“It’s okay, Smog. We’ve been busy, and Sundancer and Moondancer will understand. You know they will,” Nightmare said comfortingly. She turned back to Lily and explained, “Sundancer and Moondancer are two old friends we made back when we were kids in the Crystal Empire. Sundancer was a little disappointed when we couldn’t make it to his party but he was a lot happier to know the reason we missed it was because of Eternal Twilight. And they were okay with being pen pals even when we lived on the same street.”

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion. “Why would you only be pen pals if you lived that close?”

“Because Sundancer has Aspergers and Moondancer has social anxiety. They’re both extremely uncomfortable with large crowds and social situations in general. I had to become their friend on their terms, but I’m happy that we still keep in touch.”

Lily’s jaw dropped. Her eyes widened as she regarded Nightmare with awe. “You understand. You actually understand.”

“I do,” Nightmare said gently. “Do you promise me that everything is back to normal?”

Lily frantically nodded. “Everyone is back the way they were before. I restored everything in both Everfree and Equestria. Me, Merry Weather, my followers, I’ve fixed it all. If there’s anything I forgot, just tell me and I’ll do it right. I’m sorry, I am SO sorry.” Even though she didn’t ask for anything, her tone was pleading. Begging for her true goal.

Nightmare sighed in relief. “Then I forgive you for attacking us, Lady Faust. I forgive you for being a socially anxious, misunderstood introvert, Lily. I won’t force you to be my friend. For now and forever, we won’t force you into friendship.”

“Wait, that’s it?!” Twilight protested. “You-”

“Twilight…” Pinkie said as she gently held her friend back. “I think she’s right.”

Everyone besides Nightmare and Smog stared with shock as Lily gave them a teary-eyed but still joyous smile. “Thank you.”

A portal opened up behind Lily and she stared into it as if seeing the opened gates of heaven. On the other side: a luxuriously soft couch was seated in front of a huge TV hooked up to multiple video game consoles. Bookshelves running up and down, left to right, farther than any of their eyes could see. Every shelf stacked with perfectly organized fantasy books, movies, video games, and figurines of various fictional characters. Most likely, there was much more behind what the portal showed a glimpse of.

Lily turned back to Nightmare and smiled. “Elements of Redemption. People of Everfree. You will never again fight a threat larger than me. You will never fight another threat larger than Pinkamania. Although you may occasionally get an exciting battle between good and evil, your home will never truly suffer for now and forever.”

“Uh…wow. Thank you!” Chrysalis said.

Gilda grinned. “She even said we’d still get a few small-scale battles to keep things exciting. Maybe you aren’t that bad after all, Faust.”

Lily beamed. “Yep, the only problems you’ll ever have now are personal problems. And hey, if I had the power to solve those this whole thing would have never happened.” She turned back to the portal and waved over her shoulder at them. “Feel free to tie up any loose ends off-screen.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Rainbow said. “Can we get the same deal?”

Lily’s happy face briefly soured and she rolled her eyes. “I know about Luster Dawn. You lot will be fine on your own.”

Lily Faust jumped into the portal and grinned widely at them. “Before the Princess of Writing could enjoy her much-deserved, ETERNAL vacation she cast a parting spell into Canterlot. The people of Everfree were transported back to their home, leaving Twilight Sparkle’s annoying friends behind until the day they can learn to be less preachy.”

“Hey!” Twilight protested as the portal shut behind Lily.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that,” Chrysalis said to the Equestrians as she and her friends began to fade away from Canterlot. “Sorry to run, but we’ll catch up later!”

Gilda let out an exhausted sigh as she sank into one of the many comfortable rainbow marshmallow beds that Discord had conjured up. Large enough to sleep on, tasty and regenerating with each bite, and the marshmallow never melted despite her body heat. “I’m glad all that’s over. Imma nap for a week.”

Sunset Shimmer relaxed into her own marshmallow chair. “So, what did King Sombra want to talk with you about when we got back?”

Nightmare relaxed in a hot tub of swirling mini-galaxies that she and Discord had both poured magic into. “He just said we have stuff to talk about later. He’s thinking about taking a vacation; maybe trying to find where Platinum is. I think he was talking to Loony and Aunt Celestia in private too.”

“Wow, really? You think we’re going to have to start calling you Queen Nightmare Moon?” Sunset hinted at.

Discord floated over to the table they were sitting at in Nightmare’s library home. Chaos Corner would have been their usual get together, but for now a more relaxing atmosphere was appreciated. “I’m going to let you in on a secret, Sunny. Ponies don’t have a clue how governments or throne claims work.”

“Does any species?” Chrysalis asked as she snacked on a cube of magically solidified love.

“She’s got you there. Can you please make room for Trixie, Smog?” Nightmare’s number one assistant and friend moved over a bit on his marshmallow couch so Trixie could sit next to him. “So, what’s this game we’re playing?”

“We’re calling it Overlords,” Smog explained to his friends. “You each get a board and a stack of cards. You’re all trying to accomplish your personal goal of taking over the world. For example, Nightmare tries to create eternal night, Chrysalis needs to build a changeling hive on each spot of her board, Sunset collects magical ingredients and crystals to become an alicorn, Trixie needs to successfully play the card Greatest Showmare in the World, and Gilda needs to defeat five specific opponents in a race mini-game.”

Discord crossed his arms. “Smog and I each had our boards, cards, and goals, but the game developers we tried to pitch our idea to said we were 'too OP'.” He made finger quotes in the air then turned them into finger-sandwiches. He took a bite and spat them back out. “Bleh!”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Smog smiled and gave him a pat on the back. “They say too powerful, I hear too awesome. Plus, there’s always expansion packs.”

“Discord nodded. “Fair enough. We shall simply have to resign ourselves to giving our chosen girls the best advice we can.”

“Okay, but don’t be annoying,” Gilda warned him.

Discord gave her a happy smirk. “For you my companions, I can only promise I’ll try.”

The Princess of Forgiveness smiled at her friends. “Sometimes, that’s enough. Let’s get this started.”

Lily relaxed into her soft chair, smiling fondly as she watched the finale to her latest anime. “That was a good show.” She looked over her shoulder. “Hey Pony Janet?”

A blue earth mare wearing a purple dress appeared next to Lily. Her strongest features were her helpful smile and cutie mark, which said Janet. “Your dinner is ready, Miss Lily. Cheesy pasta with Caesar salad and triple scoop banana split ice cream with sliced berries for dessert.”

Lily smiled as she accepted the platter while loading up a new video game onto her computer. “Thank you, Pony Janet. You’re officially best pony.”

“Not a pony,” Pony Janet corrected with a smile.

“That’s what I like about you,” Lily joked. “Dismissed.” Lily grinned again as Pony Janet teleported somewhere else, leaving her blissfully alone. She glanced at her to-do list, noting the visit she was planning for her followers scheduled in a month, before turning back to her screen.

As Nightmare selected cards from her deck, she happily started to sing:

“Each one of us has something special.
Something that makes us different.
That makes us rare.”

Lily smiled as her character unlocked a new summon spell and joined in on a song that wasn’t playing in her world,

“We have a light that shines within us
That we will never
Be forced to share.”

Thorax, Angle, and several changelings in Chrysalis’ hive sang along as they expanded their hive to make room for new arrivals to Peaceville.

“But when we come together
Combine the light that shines within
There is nothing we cannot do
There is no battle we can’t win.”

The Cutie Mark Destroyers and their friends ran through the streets of Peaceville, chasing a giggling parasprite. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, and Snails had all gotten rid of their cutie marks. Diamond ran into Apple Bloom and her two friends and the two groups of friends joined forces.

“When we come together
There’ll be a star to guide the way
It’s inside us every day!” Diamond sang.

In a concert in Tambelon, crowds of ponies and other creatures cheered as the Dazzlings sang for them. Their pony disguises had been discarded, and the sirens could be seen by all in their true forms.

“See us now! See us now!” Adagio, Sonata, and Aria sang.
“Let the rainbow remind you
That together or alone you will shine
Let the rainbow remind you
That together or alone you’ll be fine!”

In a very small alternate universe, one building stands tall both in size and in purpose. Thousands of ponies, humans, elves, robots, and other creatures work with their counselors or by themselves as they try to puzzle out the mystery and the dangers of social interaction. In one quiet little room, Megan Williams and her siblings watch TV while keeping an eye on the group in the bedroom across from them. King Sombra and Celestia are introducing Zecora to Princess Platinum.

“Each one of us will sometimes falter
You may stumble, you may fall.” Zecora gently sang to the princess.

“But we all have a kind of power
One that will see you through it all,” King Sombra gently sang to Platinum, levitating a wrapped present to her confused but curious hooves.

The Great Dragon Spike and Princess Twilight Sparkle of Everfree sat together in Spike’s cave, reading books together. Outside the cave, Pinkie Pie was snapping her fingers and jumping around on a trampoline-shaped pile of Smooze as she rained globs of chocolate and treats to her party guests.

“And when we come together
Combine the light that shines within
There is nothing we cannot do
There is no battle we can’t win!” Pinkie sang.

At the Glimmering Stars Resort, Starlight Glimmer carried over a tray of popcorn bowls and ice cream sundaes to her guests. She dropped bowls and glasses by Lord Tirek, Prince Shining Armor and Countess Cadance, and a few Shadowbolts who were all on vacation. She turned back to the movie that was playing on the projector and sang along:

“When we come together
There’ll be a star to guide the way
It’s inside us every day!”

It was night-time. Through worlds upon worlds of imagination, Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna guarded the dreams of Everfree and sang together, letting their message be known to all who would listen:

“Let the rainbow remind you
That together or alone you’ll survive
Let the rainbow remind you
That together or alone you will thrive!”

The computer screen turned itself off as it magically sensed that Lady Faust had fallen asleep. She cuddled up into her bed with her six-armed alien plush toy, dreaming about the day she would spend consuming fantasy and fictional stories tomorrow. And the day after that. And the month after that. For as long as she wished.

The Divine Spirit of Forgiveness levitated the covers over the peacefully sleeping Lily. The spirit smiled at her before walking away with the Tree of Harmony’s spirit.

“Let the rainbow remind you
That together or alone it’s your life.
Let the rainbow remind you
That together or alone you will always shine.”

The End.

The Twilight Mare (Revised)

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Twilight Mare

“Once upon a time…in the magical land of Everfree there were two royal unicorns who ruled together and created peace and freedom for all the land. To do this, the elder unicorn used his powers to make crystals rise up from the earth and strengthen the kingdom’s magic. The younger unicorn used her powers to raise the sun to begin the day and the moon to begin the night. Thus the two friends maintained balance for the Everfree kingdom and their subjects, all made up of different types of creatures.

“But as time went on the younger unicorn became resentful. The people laughed and played with the gifts the elder unicorn had given the land, but shunned the younger unicorn and her lessons of magic.

“One fateful day, the younger unicorn left the sun and moon in the sky together and refused to lower either one. The elder unicorn tried to reason with her but the bitterness and loneliness in her heart transformed her into a wicked alicorn of immeasurable magic.

“Eternal Twilight.

“She vowed that she would bring order to the land and rule the kingdom with an iron hoof. Reluctantly, the king harnessed the most powerful magic known to the Everfree.

“The Elements of Redemption.

“The Elements defeated the younger unicorn. But instead of removing the corruption from her as they were supposed to, the Elements banished her to a realm of twilight, between the sun and moon.

“The elder unicorn became king and the Royal Family took on responsibility for both sun and moon and harmony has been maintained in the Everfree kingdom ever since.”

The mare looked up from the book she had been reading out loud to herself. The mare had a midnight black coat and a bluish-purple mane and tail. She had a horn, wings and draconic blue-green eyes. The young alicorn’s hoof rubbed her chin in thought. “Hmm, the Elements of Redemption. Elements. I know I’ve heard of those before. But where?” The alicorn looked at the bright morning sky, trying to remember.

Forgiveness isn’t Tragic!
Redemption is Magic!

I used to think power was all that there could be.
Until you all shared your gifts with me!

Cool adventure!

Freedom and Laughter!

A powerful heart!

Smart and strong!

Sharing love!

It’s an easy feat and magic makes our power complete!

Don’t you know you’re all my friends? No matter what, you’re all my very best friends!

The alicorn walked down the road with her book bag. She stopped when three other ponies called out to her. A blue pegasus stallion, a yellow earth pony mare, and a white unicorn mare. The unicorn said, “There you are Nightmare! Sundancer is throwing a party out in the east castle courtyard. You wanna come?” The three ponies leaned toward Nightmare with excited smiles, waiting for her answer.

“Oh sorry guys,” Nightmare said, offering her best apology smile. Smiles were important to master when you had fangs like Nightmare’s. “I got lots of studying to catch up on. Maybe some other time.” Nightmare dashed off, using her wings to quicken her pace. Behind her, the three ponies grumbled about Nightmare’s preference for books over friends. Still, what can you do?

“Hi Nightmare!” A mint green unicorn mare waved to the alicorn.

“Hi Lyra! Busy now, talk to you later!” Nightmare said as she waved back to one of her few friends. “I know I’ve heard of these Elements before” she muttered to herself. Not wanting to deal with any more distractions, Nightmare flapped her wings hard enough to lift herself off the ground and flew the rest of the way home. When she finally reached her own front doors, she flung them open. Which unfortunately knocked the small red dragon on the other side off his feet.

“Smog? There you are Smog.”

“Nice to crash into you too Nightie,” the dragon grumbled as he removed the present that had somehow imbedded itself onto his tail.

“Quick, find me that copy of Prediction and Prophesies.” Taking a moment to actually acknowledge her surroundings, Nightmare spotted the gift Smog had. “What’s that?”

“Well it was supposed to be a gift for Moondancer. I thought we might see her and her brother at the party.”

“I just found out about Sundancer’s party. How did you find out? Ugh, never mind. We don’t have time for parties Smog.”

“But we’re on a break!” Smog said. Nightmare ignored him as her horn flared with dark blue magic. Several books from the shelves in their home were lifted down towards her. Nightmare held the books in her telekinetic grip and skimmed through each one. As she continued to get frustrated, Smog pulled down the book she was looking for and tossed it to her. Nightmare easily caught it in her magic and read from the book. “Thanks Smog. Let’s see Elements…Elements…see Twilight Mare?”

“The Twilight Mare?” Smog asked as he sorted the books away. “Isn’t that just a cautionary bedtime story? Like The Changeling who cried Windigo? Um, not that I don’t trust you.”

“Better to be safe than sorry,” Nightmare said, picking up another book. “Here it is. ‘The Twilight Mare, a myth from olden times, a powerful pony who wanted to rule the Everfree kingdom. Defeated by the Elements of Forgiveness and imprisoned within the realm between sun and moon for over a hundred years.’ I thought they were called Elements of Redemption? They don’t seem to be very forgiving. Well, better a hundred years than a thousand, I guess. Anyway…‘Legend has it that on the longest day on the one hundredth year the stars will align and aid in her escape. And she will bring about eternal twilight.’” Nightmare gasped. “Do you know what this means, Smog?”

“Time to move to a warmer country? With amusement parks?” Smog joked.

Nightmare allowed him a small giggle at his attempt to cheer her up. “No. Take a letter please,” she said, levitating a pen and some paper to him. “To the king.” Once she saw that Smog was ready, she spoke.

“Dear King Sombra. My continuing studies of magic have led me to discover that we are on the brink of disaster. For you see, the mythical twilight mare is in fact Eternal Twilight. And she is about to return to Everfree and attempt to conquer our kingdom. Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy doesn’t come true. I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Nightmare Moon.”

Smog finished writing down the message, breathed in, and spat a small jet of fire on the message. The magical fire wrapped up the message and the thick smoke carried the letter to the king. “Okay, sent. But from what you just described it sounds like the day Eternal Twilight is supposed to return is the same day as the Crystal Heart Celebration. I know that makes this all the more important but don’t be surprised if King Sombra is swamped with work.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “You make a good point Smog. But King Sombra has accomplished a lot in the past. I’m sure he can make a plan to defeat Eternal Twilight and still get everything for the celebration ready.”

“Yes but he’s just a unicorn,” Smog pointed out. “He might have enough magic to keep him alive for so long but he’s still just one unicorn. You’re an alicorn and pretty powerful for your age. I bet you could take Eternal Twilight down all by yourself.”

Nightmare wasn’t fooled. “One, Eternal Twilight is an alicorn herself. She might be more powerful than me. And two, flattery will not convince me to let you goof off at Sundancer’s party.”

“You’re no fun,” Smog grumbled to himself as he continued organizing their books.

Nightmare smirked. “Aw, come on. You know you love me.” She smiled wider as magical smoke flew through the window and materialized the king’s reply into the room. “See I knew he would want to take immediate action. What’s it say?”

Smog picked up the letter and read through it. He smirked back at Nightmare and said, “Well it sounds like he’s saying to get a life.”

Nightmare paused for a second. The room became shrouded in darkness as she calmly asked, “Care to rephrase that?”

Smog was only slightly intimidated. “Sheesh, learn to take a joke. ‘My dearest, most faithful student Nightmare, you know I value your diligence and that I trust you 100%. But you really need to get a life outside of those old books.’”

“WHAT?” Nightmare’s eyes flashed white as some of the clouds outside their home darkened. “Why’s he calling my books old? He’s older than some of these books are!”

“Let me finish.” Smog said as he took a step back. “‘There is more to life than studying. So I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Crystal Heart Celebration in this year’s location of the Village of Peace, better known as Peaceville. And I have an even more important task for you. Make some friends. I know you won’t fail me. Sincerely, King Sombra.’”

And those were the events that lead to Nightmare Moon and Smog being carried to Peaceville in a chariot pulled by two bat-winged pegasus guards. Nightmare was wearing her royal armor, given to her by King Sombra for ceremonies and other important events. The armor was made up of a simple helmet, boots, and chest plate with an emblem of the moon centered on it. The moon was similar to the cutie mark she had before it removed itself, as she grew older. Smog was wearing similar armor built to fit a baby dragon.

“So how many friends do you have besides me anyways?” Smog commented. “I mean there’s Lyra, the king, your old babysitter…who else? Hey, when was the last time you called your mom?”

Nightmare glared at him. “Get it together Smog. Now, the king arranged for us to stay in a library, right?” At Smog’s nod, she continued. “Good. We’re not here to make friends. I’ll check on the preparations as fast as I can and then find some proof of Eternal Twilight’s return in the library.”

As the guards brought the chariot down into Peaceville, Smog noticed some of the frightened looks they were getting. “Oh yeah. I guess the armor looks kinda scary.”

“It’s okay, everybody!” Nightmare Moon called out. “We’re just here to check up on the celebration, nothing more.” As her words reassured the ponies and other creatures of Peaceville, she got out of the chariot, thanked the guards, and bid them farewell.

Smog took off his helmet and tucked in under his arm. “You know it wouldn’t hurt to make some friends. What about that guy? He might even be able to help us.”

Nightmare looked over to where Smog was pointing. The bipedal creature was a little taller than her. He had the head of a pony but with a deer antler and a blue goat horn on his head. He had fangs, one longer than the others, as well as yellow-red eyes, white eyebrows, and a goat beard. He also had the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat. On his back the creature had a bat wing and a pegasus wing. The rest of his body was snakelike with a long orange tail at the end.

“A draconequus?” Nightmare’s eyes widened. “They’re supposed to be really powerful but also extremely rare. I read that most of them vanished hundreds of years ago.”

Smog raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for the history lesson. Anyway, all the more reason to say hi, right?” He indicated the draconequus, who had just walked right up to them.

“Um, hi?” Nightmare Moon said to the creature. In response, the draconequus gasped and jumped into the air. His eyes popped out of his sockets and bugged out to cartoonishly huge sizes. His eyes then turned into a swarm of bugs and flew back into his sockets, changing back into yellow-red eyes. He then flapped his wings and flew away from the alicorn and dragon. All this occurred in a few seconds. “Well, that was weird,” Nightmare grumbled.

A little later, Nightmare and Smog were walking towards the underground district of Peaceville. Smog read their official checklist. “Well we covered the banquet preparations for everybody else but we still need to get crystals for King Sombra. Hey, do you really think he eats crystals? I’ve never actually seen him at dinner.”

“He says he does,” Nightmare answered. “This is the last farm for us to check. Clear Crystal Caverns.” The two looked around the cavern, noting the various multicoloured crystals sticking out from the ground, walls, and cavern ceiling. As they were inspecting the cavern, an orange unicorn mare with a fiery mane and tail ran at the wall, turned around, and gave a strong kick to the cavern walls. The force of her kick caused some of the crystals to fall from the ceiling, which the mare caught in her aqua coloured magic and levitated into some baskets.

“Well, I guess she’s the farmer to talk to here.” Nightmare walked towards the orange unicorn. “Good afternoon. I am Nightmare Moon.”

The other mare’s eyes widened as she turned around and saw Nightmare. “An alicorn? Well, it’s an honour to meet you Miss Moon. I’m Sunset Shimmer. What can I help you with?”

“Nice to meet you too Miss Shimmer. I’m here on behalf of King Sombra, making sure that everything for the celebration is running smoothly. You know how much he likes crystals.”

Sunset grinned with pride. “Well you’ll be happy to know that my farm has the best crystals in all of Everfree. All other crystals are inferior to the ones my family and I grow. You’re a servant to the king, huh?” she asked as Nightmare inspected the gathered crystals.

“Actually she’s his personal student.” Smog answered.

“A baby dragon too, huh? Well nice to know it didn’t take King Sombra long to find an interesting replacement student to fill my absence.”

“I’m not a baby you know” Smog grumbled. “I just entered my preteen years. I’m just really small for my age.”

“No, he’s a baby alright,” Nightmare teased. Her eyes widened. “Wait, back up. You were the king’s student before me? He never told me about any other students. Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to replace you!”

Sunset chuckled. “Relax. I quit that old job and parted with him on pretty good terms. It just wasn’t what I was expecting it to be, you know? He tried to get me to control the sun a few times, which I got to say was not fun at all. That job is better for an alicorn; I don’t know how King Sombra has managed to hold up the sun and moon for so long.”

“He gets help sometimes,” Nightmare said. “Even I’ve moved the moon a few times. It leaves a nasty headache, doesn’t it?”

“Finally, somebody I can relate to. We should hang out after the celebration. While you’re here, want to sample some crystals for yourself? We have gems for dragons too.” At Smog’s eager nod, Sunset smiled. “Good. Let me just call the others for lunch.”

Her horn lit up and spat a bright fireball into the air that shimmered and bathed the cavern in bright light before vanishing. “Hey! Lunchtime guys!” Sunset yelled. “We’ve got company from the castle too! Get your lazy butts down here!”

Noticing the brief magical flare and hearing Sunset’s yell, dozens of ponies came running towards the three. The group gently pushed Nightmare and Smog towards a table, offering them crystals and food and asking questions about life in the Crystal Empire. “Okay slow down guys!” Sunset said. “Now why don’t I introduce you to my little family here?”

Nightmare glanced nervously around. “Thanks but we need to get going.”

“Nonsense, you’ve got time,” Sunset said. “Now over there is Time Turner, aka Doctor Hooves. Over there’s Mayor Derpy, that’s Screwball, Doctor Caballeron, that’s Doctor Stable, Miss Polomare, Miss Pommel, Button Mash, my cousin Sunflower, Iron Will, The Flim Flam brothers and…my friends Big MacIntosh and Diamond Tiara.” Sunset let out a sigh of relief after listing their names.

Nightmare tried to clear her head after being introduced to so many ponies. “Hold on. I’ve never seen this many supposedly related earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. These people can’t all be your family.”

“I know, I’m pretty sure I saw a minotaur back there,” Smog helpfully pointed out.

“Well except for my cousin Sunflower, I’m not related to anybody here,” Sunset said. “I mean family like a close group of friends. Heck, you could be part of our happy family of misfits too.”

“Thanks but we need to get going,” Nightmare said as she tried to pull Smog from some gems. She stopped as a small pink earth filly with a purple mane and diamond tiara on her head gave her the sad eyes look. The filly still had a cutie mark, in the form of another diamond tiara.

“But aren’t you going to stay for lunch Miss Princess?” Diamond Tiara sniffled. “I wanted to ask you what it’s like being royalty. Pretty please?”

Nightmare paused. She knew that she looked somewhat scary to anybody who didn’t know her, but here this brave filly was politely asking her to stay. “I’m not a princess Miss Tiara. But if you want, I guess we can stay for lunch.” Diamond and the other gathered ponies (and one minotaur) cheered.

After lunch, the red earth stallion named Big MacIntosh helped Nightmare and Smog back into town, before heading back to his own farm, Sweet Apple Acres.

Smog pulled the checklist out. “Okay, what’s next? There’s supposed to be a griffon named Gilda clearing the clouds.”

“A griffon?” Nightmare asked. “Isn’t weather management more of a pegasus job?”

“I guess if a griffon can move the weather, why not? As long as she's good at the job.” Smog reasoned.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Nightmare said as she looked at the cloudy sky. Her ears twitched as she heard something move in the air. Instinctively, she reached out with her magic and slowed the incoming creature to a halt before it could crash into her. Nightmare glared at the griffon caught in her magic. “Where did you come from?”

“What the...let me go!” the griffon growled as she struggled in Nightmare’s magic.

“You almost crashed into me! What were you hoping to achieve, attacking me?”

“What are you...dude, I had no idea you were there. Now drop me!”

“No idea? What if you had been flying towards someone else? You could have hit me!”

“Okay, okay! Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going. Now put me down.”

Nightmare sighed and released her. The second she did so, the griffon pounced on her and pinned her down. “You dare attack me?!”

The griffon smirked. “Nope. I wanna wrestle you. It used to be I had ta wrestle with someone before I can be friends with them. I don’t do it as much these days, but when I am ever gonna get another chance to wrestle an alicorn? You’re supposed to be really rare.”

“Huh. I think I read about that old griffon custom,” Smog said.

“So it’s a duel, is it?” Nightmare smirked. “It has been a while since my last challenge.” Her horn glowed as she shot a powerful blast of magic at the griffon. But her challenger leapt off Nightmare as soon as her horn started glowing and dodged out of the way.

“Magic's cheating dude!” the griffon argued.

“In real life, your opponent isn’t always going to play fair!” Nightmare shot back.

“This’ll be good,” Smog said as he sat down to watch the show.

The griffon narrowed her eyes and grinned. “You got a fire in ya to match those dragon eyes. I like it!” She leapt at Nightmare and tackled her again, this time clamping her left claw on Nightmare’s horn to try and throw her aim off. They spent a good minute wrestling before the griffon pinned her down.

“What? I lost?” Nightmare said as the griffon got off her.

“No way dude, you just tired me out. If we had kept going, you woulda knocked me out cold. But I think you’re too used to having your magic save your flank. But still, I mean...man, you are tough!” The griffon held out her claw and helped Nightmare back onto her hooves.

“You must be Gilda,” Nightmare said.

Gilda smirked proudly. “Well do you know of any other awesome griffons living here?”

“Can’t say I do,” Nightmare said. “I’m Nightmare Moon and the king sent me here to check on the weather, which you’re supposed to be clearing.”

“I’ll get to it,” Gilda said, waving a claw as she hopped onto a cloud. “Just as soon as I’m done practicing for The Shadowbolts! They’re going to perform at the celebration tomorrow and I’m gonna join them.”

Nightmare smirked. “The Shadowbolts? The most talented fliers in all of Everfree? For that matter, a team that usually only hires pegasus ponies?”

“Hey, they’ve hired other creatures in that past” Smog said.

“True, they would accept a griffon, but certainty not a lazy griffon who can’t keep the sky clear.”

Gilda frowned. “Hey, I can clear the sky in ten seconds flat.”

“As you pointed out earlier, I’m an alicorn.” Nightmare brought her wings up. “I could clear the sky in five seconds.”

“Oh it’s on!” Gilda declared. With a burst of speed she kicked clouds apart across the sky, finishing up at around ten seconds like she promised. Once Gilda was done she turned around to brag, but noticed Nightmare hadn’t moved at all. “…Did you just trick me into doing work? Lame.”

Nightmare tried to hide her surprise at Gilda’s speed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to trick you. But you are faster than I initially thought.”

Gilda smiled again. “Eh, it’s cool. Heh, you’re pretty awesome yourself Nightmare. Give me a call when you want to hang out with a cool friend some more.” The griffon flapped her wings and flew off.

Nightmare politely waved goodbye but frowned as she noticed Smog playing with her tail. Her mane and tail had gotten a little dishevelled during the fight. Within seconds, her mane and tail flared out into something more magical. Purple hair turned dark blue as shimmering stars appeared in her hair as it magically flowed gently without wind.

“Why didn’t you do that before?” Smog asked.

“I only use this spell for combat training and preforming royal duties…which included us supervising the celebration so you’re right, should have done this before,” Nightmare sighed.

“It looks really cool. You should leave it up like that.”

“The spell uses up my energy. Only a tiny amount of magic but…well I’ll leave my hair like this until after the celebration and Eternal Twilight’s defeat. Afterwards, I’ll consider if I want it back to normal or not.”

“Whatever,” Smog said as he got out the checklist. “Next are decorations.” The two walked into the town hall where the king was to arrive once the celebration began. The building was filled with banners, streamers, and large decorative crystals. Red and black was the recurring theme in the décor but splashes of other colours were present too. Smog stopped in his examination of the room as he spotted a (to his eyes) beautiful blue unicorn with a white mane wearing a purple wizard’s robe and hat.

“Wow. Would you look at her. Hey Nightie, are my spines straight? Come on, introduce me.”

Nightmare gave him a look. “I don’t know who that is. What are you expecting me to say? ‘Hi there! Have you met Smog?’”

Smog pushed her towards the unicorn. “Perfect! Go say that!”

The unicorn turned around upon hearing the voices and gasped. “An alicorn? Trixie has never seen an alicorn before! Truly this must be destiny, for fate has brought to Trixie one of the few creatures in all of Everfree who could possibly be greater at magic than her!”

Nightmare glared at Smog. “What have you gotten me into now?”

The unicorn continued to speak excitedly and theatrically. “Do not be shy, my most wonderful guest! The Great and Powerful Trixie welcomes you with open arms! Tell Trixie about yourself! Tell Trixie what you desire from her.”

Nightmare sighed and put on another polite smile. “Nice to meet you Trixie. I’m Nightmare Moon and this is my friend Smog, who would like me to inform you that he is older than he looks and he thinks you’re very pretty. That’s what you get for whispering in my ear without thinking Smog.” As he backed off a little she continued. “We’re from the Crystal Empire and-”

Trixie’s grin widened. “The Crystal Empire? Oh, how Trixie has dreamed of performing for the people there! Perhaps even the king! Why, a beautiful and mighty alicorn like yourself, you must know the king?”

“That’s correct. King Sombra asked us to supervise this celebration and I can see that you’ve done a great job with the decorations here.”

“You honour Trixie with your words!” Trixie grinned and charged her horn with a grayish magenta aura. “Perhaps you would honour her further with a magical duel? Trixie has no quarrel with you of course, she merely wishes to see your magical might for herself! Just a friendly duel between possible future best friends?”

Nightmare smirked. “Perhaps some other time. I just got out of a fight with a griffon and as fun as that was, I do not want to use up all of my strength. I need to check on the rest of the preparations before the moon rises anyway.”

Trixie’s horn stopped glowing as she nodded, even if she looked a little disappointed. “Right, of course. Trixie would love to talk with you more, but Trixie must also finish preparing for the king's arrival. We both have our own quests to do and thus, and alas, Trixie must bid you farewell for now. But when the celebration begins, come watch Trixie’s show and she will do her best to dazzle you! The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes you good fortune Nightmare Moon! I know that we shall be the best of friends!”

Nightmare gladly accepted permission to leave and dragged Smog away with her. “She seems nice, but her personality is a bit…much. Are you sure you’re interested in her Smog? I mean, what about Moondancer?”

“Hey, don’t question my romantic interests,” Smog growled. “I never wrote poems to any of my crushes.”

“I was very, very young and how dare you bring that up!”

The two stopped their arguing as they heard musical chirping coming from ten birds. Music was the last item for them to check and the birds sounded great. The birds’ conductor was a yellow pegasus with a short pink mane and tail. “You’re doing great everyling. Keep it up,” the pegasus said.

“Hello!” Nightmare bellowed. The pegasus and birds jumped at her voice but the birds were quick to settle back into the branches.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. We’re here to check on the music and these birds sound wonderful. Did you train them?”

For a moment, the pegasus looked scared before clearing her throat. “Well I uh…” As the pegasus stuttered, Nightmare rubbed her eyes. Something was blurring her vision. The pegasus suddenly frowned at Nightmare. “How dare you interrupt me? We are doing extremely important work for the celebration and you're not helping! Apologize at once!”

Nightmare frowned. While she had accepted that some creatures were rude and had learned how to deal with them calmly, the sudden mood swing from this yellow filly was suspicious. And with the way her vision was blurring…

“Your improvisation could use some work changeling,” Nightmare hissed. The yellow pegasus lost her haughty attitude and took a step back. Nightmare’s horn glowed. “I’m going to ask you nicely to remove your disguise before I do it for you,” she threatened.

The ten birds all burst into green flames. When the flames died down, the birds had all transformed into creatures that resembled ponies crossed with bugs. Their coats were black and their legs were filled with holes, yet the holes appeared to be part of their bodies and not injuries. They had holey insect-like wings, fangs, stubby little horns, and solid blue eyes. They all hissed angrily at Nightmare.

Her horn stopped glowing. “Easy guys. I’m not going to hurt you. I just don’t like being lied to.” She gave the yellow pegasus a reassuring smile.

The pegasus sighed and removed her disguise in a green flash. While she looked like the other changelings the difference in her appearance meant she was something more. Her eyes weren’t solid blue but dark green with long oval shaped pupils. While the other changelings were bald, she had a teal mane and tail, as well as blue-green plating over her midsection. She was taller than the other changelings but was slightly shorter than Nightmare Moon. Of course, since changelings were shape shifters this was probably by choice.

“A changeling queen. But you don’t have your crown” Nightmare noted. She waited for a response but the queen just pawed at the ground nervously and trying to look anywhere but at Nightmare.

“Um, you don’t have to worry about your disguise. It was very good. It’s just a few changelings liked to play some harmless pranks on me when I was younger. It annoyed me enough to put an enchantment on my eyes to detect disguised changelings. Though, it’s only noticeable when there’s a group of them in front of me.” She trailed off, as the changelings were still silent. “I’m Nightmare Moon. What’s your name?”

The changelings gave their names as Angle, Ditto, Mimic, Ersatz, Snare, and so on. One of the shorter changelings, Angle, hopped off the branch and gave the queen a nudge.

“Um I’m Chrysalis,” the queen mumbled.

Nightmare blinked. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Speak a little louder please.”

“Um, my name is Chrysalis,” the queen whispered as a few green sparks made her appear smaller.

Nightmare levitated a pen and paper from her bag. “Maybe you could write it down?”

Angle took the pen in his green magic and wrote down: Her name is Chrysalis. Now buzz off, you’re making her uncomfortable. Angle glared at the alicorn to drive the point home.

Nightmare nodded. “Right, sorry to bother you. Keep up the good work.” She walked over to where Smog was sitting behind the bush. He’d gotten bored and started doodling on the checklist. “Let’s get going Smog. Time to check the library.”

“Yeah, yeah I’m going,” Smog said. As he sat up Chrysalis finally spotted him and squealed in delight as she flew towards him. “A baby dragon!” A burst of green fire consumed Chrysalis as she turned into an exact duplicate of Smog. “I’ve never had a proper visual aid to be able to turn into a dragon before. And he’s so cute too,” she said in Smog’s voice. “What’s your name?”

Smog smirked at Nightmare. “Nice to see somebody appreciates me. I’m Smog.”

“Hi Smog. I’m Queen Chrysalis. Oh, but you can call me Chrysalis if you want. Can I ask you something?”

Smog, remembering that he was Nightmare’s research assistant, said “Sure. As long as I can ask you about changelings Chrysalis.”

Nightmare’s face switched from a grimace to a smile. The answers she got from Chrysalis made the following Q and A session more tolerable. She carried Smog on her back as they walked to the library they were going to be staying at. Smog had just finished telling his life story from the day he hatched out of a red egg, when Nightmare knocked the dragon off her back. Smog stood up to see they had arrived at the library.

“Well thank you for keeping us company Queen Chrysalis but I’m afraid we have some last minute preparations to make for the celebration tomorrow. So nice meeting you and goodnight!” Nightmare tossed Smog into the library with her magic and closed the door behind them.

Smog fumbled around in the dark library for a light of some kind. “Don’t you think we said goodbye to her a little too fast?”

“Sorry Smog but we have to convince the king that Eternal Twilight is returning and – GAH!”

“What? What is it?” Smog asked. Unfortunately he couldn’t see as well in the dark as the alicorn of darkness could and he hurried in his search. But somebody else turned the light on to reveal ponies of all shapes and sizes surrounded them. The library was decorated up with party streamers and the ponies shouted out, “Surprise!” But Nightmare’s attention was being diverted by something else.

“GUESS WHO!” Something screamed in her face. Nightmare jumped back as her horn flared with magic ready to blast the creature with those familiar yet freakish yellow-red eyes.

It was the draconequus from before, laughing at her expression. “Ho, ho, you should see the look on your face! Priceless!” He snapped his fingers and a camera appeared out of nowhere, snapping a picture and spitting it back out. “And priceless it is indeed. For you dear.” He handed her the photo of her own shocked face.

“Now, to business. I apologize for my quick departure earlier, but we have never met before, which means you must be new here. And quite frankly my dear, from my observations of you, you seem to be quite friendless so I set up this welcome party just for you. Pardon me, do you two know each other?” the draconequus asked as he pulled out a mint green unicorn from the crowd.

“Lyra?” Nightmare asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Nightmare!” Lyra squealed. She ran over and gave Nightmare Moon a hug. “Discord here invited me to your party and I was finishing my research at the Crystal Empire’s library and planning to move here anyway so now you’re here and I’m here and we can be friends again!” She said all this very fast.

“Oh, how has your research been going?” Nightmare asked. “I’d love to hear about it.”

A bright flash appeared between the two and deposited the attention-hogging creature. “Research? That sounds boring. Better to save that for another chapter in our lives, hmm? Now I couldn’t help notice that you’re a fellow hugger. Bring in the love!” The draconequus said as he and Lyra hugged. “And introductions, if you please.”

Lyra smiled. “Of course. Discord, this is Nightmare Moon, the personal student to King Sombra. And Nightmare, this is Discord.”

Discord floated in the air. “The master of random and chaotic! The ultimate party king! Well now, you have had the great fortune of meeting so many new friends haven’t you Nightie?”

Discord snapped his fingers and Sunset Shimmer, Gilda, Trixie, and Chrysalis appeared in the room. The four looked at their surroundings in confusion until four angry glares were focused on Discord’s grinning face.

“Well this is a party, isn’t it? Drink up!” He held up a glass of chocolate milk. Nightmare grumbled and instead of accepting the milk, she walked toward the snack table and poured herself a glass of something else. She then drank it before even looking at what was burning her tongue off.

“Hot sauce!” Nightmare spat as she flew upstairs searching for water and privacy.

Smog picked up the bottle his friend just drank from. “Why do you even have this?”

“It’s for you of course!” Discord said as he shoved the bottle down Smog’s throat, who spat it back out. “Dragons like hot sauce, correct? Also I will admit I was hoping something like that might happen. Oh dear, and I missed my photo op for her spit take. Pardon me, I’m Discord! I like to mess with people, ponies or otherwise! And you…”

Smog backed away from the grinning lunatic. “I’m Smog and you’re creeping me out.”

“Oh don’t be like that! Here, have a lampshade!” Discord snapped his fingers and then both dragon and draconequus were wearing lampshades. “And don’t think I forgot the rest of you!” he sang as lampshades covered everybody else’s head.

Upstairs, Nightmare was trying to ignore the party downstairs and was trying to find comfort by staring up at the night sky. Smog climbed up the stairs and sat down in the room with her. “You feeling okay?”

Nightmare glared at him. “NO! Everybody in this town is completely insane!”

“Well, Discord is crazy, I agree with you there. But everybody else seems nice.”

“But their niceness is taking up too much time!” she screamed. “On any other day I would love to study the griffon, the changelings and even that weirdo Discord. But I need to find out more about the Elements of Redemption and Eternal Twilight.”

“Okay. They’ll be partying all night long so that they can see King Sombra raise the sun tomorrow but I’ll get them to keep the noise down for you so you can study.” Smog went back downstairs as Nightmare flipped through a few book, searching for answers. She looked up at the moon, taking in its perfect surface. But her vision picked up something else swirling among the stars.

All too soon, Smog called her down to get ready for the celebration. Everybody in town, pony or otherwise had gathered in the town hall. The changelings disguised as birds sang the opening song, and Mayor Derpy announced the arrival of the good and wise king. Trixie jumped up on stage and pulled back the curtains. The curtains pulled away to reveal…nothing!

The ponies and other creatures of Peaceville began to grow uneasy at the disappearance of their beloved king. Then, a dark purple cloud filled with shimmering stars filled the stage and a huge alicorn, much taller than Nightmare Moon, appeared.

The alicorn had a purplish black coat. Her dark purple mane and tail swirled with tiny white stars. Her draconic eyes looked like Nightmare’s, except they were pink and dark purple, instead of blue-green eyes. She wore armor similar to Nightmare’s, except hers was golden with starburst symbols instead of silver with moon symbols. Aside from the complex crown on her head, her whole appearance made her look like Nightmare Moon’s evil older sister.

“Eternal Twilight.” Smog whispered in fear as he hid himself behind Nightmare.

The twilight mare spoke. “My little ponies. It has been far too long since I’ve seen you my dear friends.” Eternal Twilight grinned at her audience.

“Alright lady!” Gilda roared. “What’d you do to our king?” She flew towards Eternal Twilight, prepared to deliver a knock out punch. Unfortunately, Gilda was trapped in a dark purple field as Eternal Twilight’s magic grabbed Gilda and tossed her across the room.

“Foolish griffon,” Eternal Twilight hissed. “The King Sombra you knew is gone forever. This land was to be ruled by a true princess, not some false king.”

“And what makes you a princess?” Trixie called out. The unicorn charged her horn and blasted a spell at Eternal Twilight, but the hex bounced off a purple shield that surrounded her.

“After all these years, was nopony smart enough to learn about me?” Eternal Twilight snarled. “Did anypony recall my legend or use some common sense or do any research! Do none of you know who I am?”

Discord pretended to look thoughtful before shrugging. “I’m going to say a generic villain of darkness. But worry not my friends. There’s no need to fear, Discord is here!” A cape wrapped itself around Discord’s shoulders as he shouted heroically. He launched a lightning bolt at Eternal Twilight…that bounced off her shield.

“…Okay, let me try that again.” Discord snapped his fingers but Eternal Twilight simply glared at him. “Third time’s the charm!” He flew towards Eternal Twilight and smacked her on the head…only to be blasted across the room.

Discord sat up quickly and gulped as he looked at the one creature who been able to hurt him for the first time in his life. “Oh dear.”

“HA!” Eternal Twilight sneered. “I am the Princess of Magic itself! Nopony is more powerful than me, not even a draconequus!”

“Enough!” Nightmare shouted. “I know who you are, Eternal Twilight!”

Eternal Twilight smiled. “Finally, somepony remembers me. Oh, and a fellow alicorn too? Tell me, did you study magic for decades until you earned the right to be an alicorn as I did? Or were you simply born as one through sheer dumb luck? I guess it doesn’t matter, for you are still nothing compared to me.”

Eternal Twilight’s wings spread wide as her aura flared with power. “Remember this day my little ponies. From this day onward my rule will be eternal. I am your princess now, and I. Will have. ORDER!”

To be continued…

Author's Note

Changed Gilda's and Trixie's intros a little thanks to a suggestion from Miss Appolonia.

Settling in with Familiar Faces

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Settling in with Familiar Faces

About a week had passed since the Crystal Heart Celebration. It was a beautiful star-filled night. It was almost midnight, as she opened her balcony door.

Princess Sparkle walked out onto her bedroom’s balcony and looked down at her kingdom. These days she wore a small gold and purple crown on top of her head.

She heard a knock at her door as she watched the sky. Telling whomever it was to come in, she glanced back as King Sombra walked up next to her.

“Good evening Princess Sparkle. Wonderful night, tonight,” he said as he sat down to watch the sky with her. “I’ve missed seeing the night like this. True, others have done their best to raise the moon and stars in your absence, but I’ve always thought your work was the best.”

Princess Sparkle nodded and mumbled something. King Sombra sighed and tried another approach. “You know, the winter solstice is coming up. Perhaps you’d want to schedule an event of some kind?”

Princess Sparkle nodded. “Solstice, sure. I’ll add that to the list.”

The king’s magic closed the balcony door behind them. “Sparkle, please face me when you speak to me.”

Princess Sparkle turned to him. “Right, right I’ve been studying so let’s see if I get this…um. Uh, yo! What’s happening, my main stallion? This night be extra heavy, hot dog!” She gave an awkward smile.

King Sombra raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Uh, you know! What’s the haps pops?”

He frowned. “Please stop talking like that.”

Her smile faded and her ears drooped. “Sorry, I just…sorry.”

He sighed and asked, “Sparkle, would you mind telling me why you were speaking such outdated slang?”

Princess Sparkle looked confused. “Outdated? I was told that form of slang was appropriate.”

“And who told you that? Was it Discord? The new Element of Freedom is well known for being a prankster."

“It wasn’t him. She pranked me?” Princess Sparkle muttered to herself. “Why would…I guess it doesn’t matter, does it?” She went back to watching the sky.

“Sparkle, please tell me what’s wrong,” he said to her.

“No, it’s nothing Sombra. I’m just tired. Controlling both the sun and moon after so long has been...tiring. My magic isn’t back to full strength yet either.”

But King Sombra sensed that wasn’t the only problem. “There’s more to it than that. Be honest with me Sparkle. You’ve been shut inside your bedroom and the library all week. Everybody in the castle is worried about you.”

“It’s fine. Just tell everypony that…but that’s not the right word, is it?”

King Sombra nodded. “Correct. These days, there are creatures besides ponies who we are fortunate to have as civilized neighbours. To omit them from our conversations would be wrong.”

“You’re right,” she sighed. “There are dragons, zebras, changelings, and many other kinds of creatures out there. Old habits, I guess. My attempts to update my modern use of language need to be doubled.”

“Is that what it is?” King Sombra asked. “You’re feeling your outdated social skills are putting you at odds with everybody else in the castle? Are you still lonely?”

“Yes. I mean no! It’s not like before. Don’t worry about me.” Princess Sparkle glanced around nervously before looking back up at the sky.

“Sparkle, you don’t have to feel guilty about what happened. You are forgiven. It’s in the past. Now…”

“That’s not the problem!” Princess Sparkle snapped. Her wings unfurled and with a burst of speed she flew away from the balcony. King Sombra grumbled to himself before turning his body into a shadow and gliding towards the palace gardens where the princess had landed. The shadow reformed back into his body.

“Sparkle, I didn’t want to use the Elements on you, but what other choice did I have? I had hoped that the Elements would remove the corruption from you the first time. But their effectiveness seems to have worn out over the years. They made me wait for new bearers to be chosen before we could save you.”

Princess Sparkle wiped the water from her eyes before they could form into proper tears. “I understand that part. I don’t blame you. But…even though what I did as Eternal Twilight was wrong, even though my head was filled with stupid and evil thoughts…one thing remains. And I don’t mean the wings,” she said as he gave her a look. “I feel like the world is…wrong, in some way I can’t explain. Like everything is upside down and I don’t understand it!”

“So this time, let me help you understand it,” King Sombra smiled gently. “We can work through whatever you’re dealing with together. Okay?”

Princess Sparkle sniffled, dried her eyes again, and nodded. “Okay. Um…uh…oh! I returned the Mister Smarty Pants doll to that river serpent!” Princess Sparkle nervously smiled.

King Sombra knew a subject change when he heard one, but it didn’t bother him. He could help sort through Sparkle’s emotions another night. He wasn’t great with emotions anyway. “I’m happy to hear that. You know, it was your own Smarty Pants doll that started that toy line to begin with.”

Princess Sparkle sighed again. “That’s the other thing. The world has progressed without me. Towns replaced lakes; farms replaced fields…but that I could deal with. Just everypony…sorry, I mean everybody…” she paused and ran a hoof over the grass. “Everybody I ever knew is gone. My…family…”

This time she couldn’t stop all the tears from flowing. But before her emotions could completely overwhelm her, the king said, “Not exactly.” Princess Sparkle looked up at King Sombra as he looked at her, more specifically at her hooves. They had gotten tangled up in vine-like roots covered in thorns. She noticed this, and used her magic to remove the roots from herself. When she looked back up at him he said, “Follow me.”

He turned into a shadow once again and flew back up to her balcony. This time she teleported back to her room, disappearing and reappearing in a flash of magic. King Sombra began to walk out her bedroom when he saw a few documents on Princess Sparkle’s desk. “What are those?”

Princess Sparkle took a second to remove a thorn from her hoof with her teeth, before answering him. “A name change application. I’m changing my legal name to Twilight Sparkle.”

King Sombra looked at her with confusion and a little concern. “Why?”

“As a reminder,” was all she said as she grabbed a pen with her magic and signed off the last part of the application.

He sighed but kept walking out of her room as he led the way. “So I am to introduce you as Princess Twilight Sparkle now? That’s a bit of a mouthful.”

“I understand your concerns, including the ones you’re not voicing. But I think this will be good for me.”

“Not so good for your reputation though. We’re trying to make people forget about Eternal Twilight.”

“The point is that I don’t forget. I never want to hurt my subjects like that ever again.”

“As you wish, princess,” he smiled. “But to me, you’ll always be Sparkle, the girl who kept me and Star Swirl on track.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle smiled gently. “Sombra, Sparkle, and Star Swirl,” she giggled. “We were quite the group of maniacs. What happened to him?”

“Star Swirl?” Sombra said. “One day, he left on a journey and I haven’t heard back from him since. I don't know if his magic was strong enough to prolong his life, like ours. Either he's passed away or he's gone into hiding.”

“I hope he’s still alive,” she said. “He was a good friend, even with that silly beard.”

“It grew longer. They actually called him Star Swirl the Bearded. It’s in all the history books now too.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle giggled. “You’re kidding! Oh, pardon me,” she said as she accidently bumped into someone. “Sorry, I…oh Luna! How are you doing?”

Luna was a dark blue alicorn slightly taller than Princess Twilight Sparkle. She had a light blue mane and tail. She turned around and bowed to them. “Princess Sparkle, King Sombra. It’s good to see you. Forgive me Princess Sparkle, it was my fault.”

“Oh it’s not a problem,” Princess Twilight Sparkle said. “And it’s Princess Twilight Sparkle now that I’ve changed my name.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “That’s a bit of a mouthful. Permission to call you Princess Twilight for short, Your Majesty?”

“Granted. Oh um, Sombra informed me that the book you gave me on current slang wasn’t actually current. You must not have noticed.”

“Oh for crystal’s sake,” King Sombra grumbled. “You were the one who pranked her, Luna?”

Luna looked away from them to hide her mischievous smirk. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Majesties.”

“Very funny,” King Sombra growled. He sighed and smiled again. “So how is your daughter doing? I haven’t heard from her in a while.”

Luna turned around again and smiled. “Moony is doing great! I was just about to go to my bedroom and visit her in her dreams again.”

Princess Twilight’s eyes widened. “Daughter? Luna, you have a daughter? Wow, congratulations! Who is she?”

King Sombra chuckled. “Surely you must have noticed how Nightmare inherited her mother’s good looks.”

Princess Twilight put the clues together and gasped. “No way…Nightmare Moon is your daughter, Luna?” Luna nodded. “What…I…how? When did this happen?”

“As you can imagine, it happened not that long ago,” Luna smiled fondly. “Moony is still a teenager after all, a lot younger than me. She was actually quite a troublemaker when she was a filly. Why else would I name her Nightmare, hmm? But I’m proud to say that she’s grown up wonderfully.”

“Wow. So, um…who’s the father?” Princess Twilight asked.

Luna gave her a mischievous smirk. “Guess.”

“Argh, I’m terrible at guessing,” Princess Twilight grumbled. “Um…is it him?” She pointed at King Sombra.

He raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Okay um…is it one of the guards?”

This time Luna raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Who is he then?” Princess Twilight asked the grinning Luna.

“You’ll never guess it!” she sang, doing a little dance.

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll find out one of these days. Anyway, Sombra was leading me somewhere so goodnight Luna.”

Luna stopped dancing and her smile faded. “Actually there’s one thing I want to talk to you about in private, Your Highness.”

“Okay.” Princess Twilight followed her into a nearby room that was thankfully empty. King Sombra waited outside as she closed the door. “What did you want to tell me?”

Luna gave Princess Twilight a look. “So Moony has been doing well. Her wings have healed up nicely.” Princess Twilight winced a little but quickly smiled again.

“Right. She said she’d send weekly friendship reports to me, but I haven’t heard from her yet.”

“I believe I heard she only agreed to sending you reports, not that they would be weekly. Maybe she just hasn’t found any problems yet with her new friends.”

“Oh.” Princess Twilight’s ears folded down. “If I was in her place, I’d definitely be having friendship problems.”

“Now don’t say that, you’ll make good friends in time,” Luna smiled. Princess Twilight perked up a little.

Luna suddenly frowned and said, “I wanted to talk to you about what you did as Eternal Twilight.” The princess winced. Did the room feel a bit colder? “Not only did you endanger the Everfree kingdom and everyone in it,” Luna glared at her. “You almost broke my daughter’s wings.”

Princess Twilight gulped and took a step back from the cold yet furious glare Luna was sending her. “Please, you have to understand I wasn’t in control of my actions. I feel horrible about what I did and if I could have done anything different I would have!”

Luna nodded. “I understand,” she said as her light blue hair turned darker. Her body grew a little taller as her mane and tail began to magically flow without wind. “If Moony can agree to be your student; if she can forgive you…I can understand that you didn’t mean to hurt her.”

She leaned closer to Princess Twilight and growled, “Just as you can understand what will happen if you ever hurt her again, even by accident. I don’t care if I get thrown into the dungeons for attacking royalty. If you ever hurt my daughter again, your wings won’t be the only thing I break,” she hissed.

The frightened Princess Twilight recoiled more. Even if she was more powerful than Luna, an angry mother protecting her child was something nobody wanted to fight. “I understand.”

"DO YOU?" Luna shouted at her, her voice blasting into the terrified Twilight’s ears, as icy wind blew through the room.

She cringed and nodded frantically. “Yes! I will never hurt your daughter again! I promise!”

Luna suddenly smiled again. “Thank you,” she said, her mood completely switched back to happy. Her form shrank a little and her hair turned light blue again. “Moony is very excited to be your personal student. I’m sure we’ll all be great friends soon. Goodnight Princess Twilight!” She bowed and walked out of the door, back to her bedroom.

After she had left, Princess Twilight took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. She sighed deeply and went back out to keep following King Sombra.

“She used the Voice on you, didn’t she?” he said as they walked down the halls.

“Is that what she calls it?” She shivered. “Oh dear, I’m gonna see her in my nightmares tonight, aren’t I?”

“I can imagine. Obviously, I caught that last part of the conversation, but I’m curious as to what caused her to use the Voice. What were you two talking about?”

Princess Twilight thought about her response. She honestly wanted to be friends with Luna and Nightmare Moon, and she didn’t want to get either one of them in trouble. “Oh, you know…just stuff. Nothing to worry about.”

He frowned a little but didn’t press the issue. “Okay, but if whatever it is becomes a problem I wish to be informed. Still, I’d give Luna some space, if I were you,” King Sombra suggested.

“Oh, I will,” she promised. “Is this where you were taking me?” she asked as Sombra brought her into a large room at the end of the hallway.

“Indeed.” A royal guard wearing enchanted armor stepped forward. The stallion brought forward a small doll on a dusty cushion. He then bowed to the king and princess before leaving.

Princess Twilight inspected the doll. “I don’t understand. I returned the river serpent’s doll back to him.”

“I know,” King Sombra said. “This is the original Smarty Pants doll, as in your doll. I had it locked away in the vault. So far, time is the only thing that has damaged it. The castle servants cleaned it the best they could.”

“Miss Smarty Pants!” Princess Twilight hugged the doll tightly, smiling gently.

“That’s not the only thing I brought you here for,” King Sombra said. He pointed a hoof over to two beds where three unicorns slept. On one bed a stallion with a white coat and a blue mane and tail slept. On the larger bed, a blue stallion with a darker blue mane slept next to a grey mare with a purple and white striped mane.

Princess Twilight Sparkle stared at the three ponies in complete shock. “…Sombra, what am I looking at here?”

He smiled gently. “Out of all the ponies in Everfree, none were more worried about you than your family. Your parents mourned for you, treating your banishment as if it were your death, because nobody knew when you would return. Your brother was angry with himself for not being strong enough to protect you from the nightmare you became. They demanded I bring you back and restore the kindness in your heart, but I didn’t have the power to do so. We took a different approach.”

King Sombra held up a tiny crystal fragment that had been lying on the floor in his magic. “Unlike you and I, their magic was not strong enough to prolong their lives. They asked me to freeze and seal them inside crystal chambers and put them into a deep dreamful sleep. In all the years you have been gone, they haven’t aged a day inside those crystals.

“After the Elements had purified you and the celebrations afterward, I undid my spell and released them from the crystal sleep. They’ve been recovering their strength after being frozen so long. To them, only a short time has passed since they saw you turn into Eternal Twilight, over a hundred years ago.”

Princess Twilight was crying again as she stared at her family and processed the king’s explanation. “So…it’s really them? They’re alive? But…they…they wouldn’t leave their friends and their old lives for…me…would they?”

King Sombra placed a hoof on her shoulder. “They’re your family. To them, you mean more than life itself.” He lowered his hoof and walked out of the room. “I’ll leave you alone now, shall I?”

Princess Twilight moved closer to the beds, numerous emotions and thoughts circling her mind. But she didn’t have to wait long to act, as the king’s story had slowly woken up one of the unicorns. Her brother, Shining Armor weakly opened his eyes and stared at the purple alicorn in front of him.

“Shiny?” The princess said, pleading that this was real.

Shining Armor smiled gently. “Sparky…you’re back.” There were only three ponies brave enough to nickname Princess Sparkle like that.

“Shiny!” She cried happily as she hugged and nuzzled her big brother, now little brother after years of being separated by time.

As her mom and dad woke up, Princess Twilight Sparkle hugged them as well, tears of joy falling from her eyes.

Twilight Sparkle hadn’t lost everything, after all.

The Everfree Chronicles

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

The Everfree Chronicles

“Good grief, you almost hit the ground! To save you from danger, I won’t always be around!” Zecora scolded them.

“We’re really sorry Miss Zecora,” Diamond Tiara said.

“It was a pretty dumb idea,” Silver Spoon grumbled.

“Oh, like your idea was any better!” Snails retorted. “All you had us do was sit and move flowers around!”

“It’s called flower arranging and I’ll have you know, floristry is a very respectable job,” Silver frowned at the two colts. “Where did you two even get the idea for pony zip lining?”

“Discord said it was really cool,” Snails shrugged.

“And you listened to him?!” she asked incredulously.

“Hey, Smog said it was fun too!” Snips retorted.

While the fillies and colts were arguing, Zecora was pulling out another pony from the tree he was stuck in. He was an earth colt with a brown coat and orange-brown mane and tail. He wore a green beanie cap with a propeller and he still had a cutie mark in the form of a video game controller.

“Are you okay Button Mash?” Silver asked once he was down.

“I’m fine,” Button mumbled. He looked up at the other kids and said, “Um, if it’s alright with you guys, I think I’m gonna head home.”

“What? Wait, don’t leave yet!” Diamond cried.

“Yeah! Zip lining didn’t work, but if we can just find a cannon then I’ve got the perfect plan to lose our marks!” Snips grinned.

“Um, that’s okay.” Button gave a weak smile. “I actually kinda like my mark.” He turned around and started walking home.

“What? Oh, get real Button Mash!” Silver shouted. “Don’t you want to be good at something other than your dumb games?”

“What’s wrong with video games?” Snips, Snails, and Diamond all said. Though, Diamond spoke a little quieter.

Button shrugged. “I never get hurt playing video games. Anyway, see you guys at school!” He waved and kept walking until he was out of sight.

“Darn it!” Silver screamed in frustration. “It’s no use! No matter how hard we try, we always end up with these stupid marks still glued to our flanks!”

“Look at the bright side!” Snails said as he tried to lick some of the gooey brown syrup off his back and hooves. “At least this time we got covered in maple syrup instead of plain tree sap. That’s gotta count for something, eh?”

There was a flash of light as Discord teleported next to them. “Well, pouring buckets of tree sap on you kids would get boring after a while. Glad to see you appreciate a little variety.” He spotted Zecora and waved. “And a good afternoon to you too Miss Zecora! What brings you here on this fun-filled, no-school, weekend day?”

Zecora smiled at Discord and said, “It doesn't have to be now but sometime soon, I would greatly appreciate your help in finding Nightmare Moon.”

“Nightie? I believe she and Smog made plans to have lunch with the others, but the more the merrier!” Discord smiled, then leaned in close to Zecora and wrapped his tail over her shoulder as if it were another arm. “Out of curiosity, what kind of help do you need from her?”

Zecora smiled even wider as she pulled out a potion from her bag. The potion was a bubbly, dark purple. “At long last, my greatest creation is nearly complete: a potion that makes the present and past, meet. Alicorn magic can turn this potion from purple to white. That is why I seek the alicorn of the night.”

Discord gasped. “You mean to tell me that your ‘Flashback in a Bottle’ is almost done? That calls for a celebration indeed!”

“Flashback in a Bottle?” Diamond, Silver, Snips, and Snails all asked.

While Zecora grumbled that it wasn’t what she called the potion, Discord explained. “Our dear teacher and friend here, has always been able to brew potions that could cure any ailment. But she always ran into a dead end when it came to helping someone recover a certain memory. Usually what they did on the day they meet their special somebody, or whatever. Anyway, this potion was created to give anyone drinking it remarkable visions!

“It can be their first birthday, how they lost their cutie mark, that time you let your pet freeze someone while they were swimming so that you could empty their fridge…”

“Wait! What was that last one?” Diamond asked with wide eyes.

Discord blinked. “I asked Polaris to freeze Golden Harvest while she was swimming in the pond whilst I ate all her food?”

“No, not that! Losing their cutie marks!” Diamond exclaimed. “This is perfect! Think about it guys!” she said, smiling at Silver, Snips, and Snails. “This town is full of ponies who lost their cutie marks. Why don't we ask them how they did it?”

“Oh! I get it!” Snails grinned. “And if Nightmare Moon can complete Miss Zecora’s potion, then we could actually see how it happened!”

“Hey, yeah!” Snips beamed. “We can hear all about how the Elements lost their cutie marks! I bet they’ve got awesome stories!”

Snails frowned in thought. “But aren’t only three of them ponies? Do griffons, or changelings, or…Discords even have cutie marks to begin with?” He gave Discord a confused glance.

Discord shrugged. “Are you really willing to risk not hearing about it if we did?”

“Then it’s settled!” Diamond declared. “Let’s go ask the Elements how they lost their cutie marks!”

“Oh, most excellent of ideas!” Discord grinned. “I’ll go find my friends and we’ll meet you at Nightie’s library! And please, feel free to invite anyone else who might be interested in hearing about Everfree was made!”

Snails blinked. “What was that last part?”

But Discord and Zecora were already gone.

“Well what are we waiting for?” Diamond beamed. “Cutie Mark Destroyers, move out!”

They were halfway to the library when-

“Scoots! Hit the brakes!”

Diamond, Silver, Snips, and Snails all looked to the left side of the road to see Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle crash into them on their famous scooter-wagon.

About a minute later, the groaning ponies had found a way to disentangle themselves.

“Scootaloo, do you think you can watch where you’re going next time?” Sweetie frowned.

Scootaloo glared at Sweetie, before a mischievous smile spread across her face. “Quiet!” Scootaloo barked. “By order of Princess Rarity, the fashion police orders you to shut up!”

“Okay Scoots, that joke’s getting old,” Apple Bloom said, even as she tried to hide a snicker.

Scootaloo was trying to restrain her laughter too as she sternly barked, “Don’t make me beat you with my fabulous baton!” She grabbed an item from the wagon and waved it threateningly.

Apple Bloom couldn’t keep it in anymore. “Scoots, that’s a rubber chicken!” she laughed. The other kids all joined her in a fit of chuckling.

“Ah,” Diamond breathed in, her giggles fading. “That felt good.” She took another deep breath to chase off any remaining giggles and declared, “Right! That’s enough goofing for today! Come on Destroyers, we still need to hear those stories!”

“What stories?” Scootaloo asked.

“We’re about to hear how the Elements lost their marks! Pretty sweet, eh?” Snails beamed.

“Ooh!” Apple Bloom grinned. “That sounds like fun! Can we tag along with y’all?”

"Sure!" Silver said, nodding eagerly.

With a quick teleport, Discord appeared next to all of them. “Oh, there you are! Okay kids, who’s ready for story time?”

“Me!” The Cutie Mark Destroyers, Apple Bloom, Sweetie, and Scootaloo, all cheered.

“Well then, let’s get this party started!” Discord snapped his fingers and teleported them all to the library.

They appeared in the Peaceville library to see the other Elements of Redemption, Smog, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Zecora waiting for them.

“All right! We’ve got our guests. We’ve got snacks,” Discord snapped his fingers and one of the tables in the library filled up with food and glasses of chocolate milk. “And we’ve got the potion.”

Zecora nodded and brought the purple potion out of her bag and gave it to Nightmare Moon.

“Okay. Any specific spell you need?” Nightmare asked.

“It can be any spell that you might choose. It merely needs to be one only an alicorn might use,” Zecora said.

Nightmare nodded and charged her horn before zapping the potion with a spell inspired by the kind of dark magic that King Sombra used. Within seconds the potion shifted from purple to white.

“Awesome! Ooh! Ooh, ooh, let Dash go first!” Scootaloo cheered.

“Really? Thanks squirt,” Rainbow smiled. “But I’m not one of the Elements here.”

Gilda wrapped a wing around Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “Hey come on Dash. You’re my friend so that makes you a Honourary Element.”

Rainbow chuckled. “It’s cool. Here, G. You drink it. I never would’ve lost that mark without ya.”

Nightmare levitated the potion over to Gilda who took a sip of the potion. Following the instructions that Zecora had given them, Gilda swirled the liquid around in her mouth before her eyes started to glow white and she spat the potion out.

But instead of liquid coming out, a bright cloud of energy was expelled from Gilda’s mouth. It engulfed the entire room as it began to show them a vision.

They opened their eyes to see Cloudsdale. Even though not all of them had wings, they all found that they were standing on the clouds without any problems. In the air, several pegasus ponies, changelings, and even a dragon or two were flying through the air, zipping through a cloud obstacle course.

“Wow!” Scootaloo stared in awe. “So this is Junior Speedsters flight camp used to look like!”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “Is it really that different from what it looks like now?” Scootaloo shrugged.

“But dad! I don’t wanna learn with a bunch of pony dweebs!”

They turned around to see a much younger Gilda arguing with a huge griffon.

Gilda examined the other griffon and groaned. “Aw man! Even though I’ve grown, he’s still twice as big as me!”

Rainbow stared. “Wow. I forgot how freaking big your dad was.”

"Shush! I can't hear them!" Silver said.

“Come on Gilda,” The older griffon said. Even though he was smiling, his deep voice made it sound like he growled every word he spoke. “This here’s a great flight camp.”

“But everyone here’s just a namby-pamby pony!” Young Gilda whined.

“Not everyone. I see some changelings and dragons up there,” Gilda’s dad growled.

“Well, dragons are cool,” she admitted. “But why can’t I go to a griffon flight camp?”

Her dad snorted. “You know how Everfree works. They’re always on about harmony between all species and the rest of that lovey-dovey, sappy stuff. There’s no way they’d have an exclusive pegasus flight camp, or griffon camp, or whatever.”

“Can’t you train me?” Young Gilda whined.

“Why do ya think they’ve got more than one teacher in the schools? It’s ‘cause that way you can appreciate a different teaching style. Now listen here young cub,” he growled. “I went through this same camp when I was your age and I’ve never complained.” He gave his impressive wings a strong flap. “Come on Gilda. This place hasn’t seen a griffon student as awesome as me in years. Does that seem fair to you?”

Young Gilda looked thoughtful. “I guess it wouldn’t be cool if these lame-o ponies never got a chance to see Gilda the Glorious. Maybe they’ll get lucky and some of my awesomeness will rub off on them.”

“There ya go!” Her dad clapped Young Gilda on the back. “Now get in there, cub! I’ll see ya when you get back home. Heck, ya might even make a friend today.”

Young Gilda snorted. “As if.” She waved ‘see ya later’ to her dad and flew off to join the other junior fliers in a race.

Present Gilda cleared her throat and began narrating as they watched Young Gilda fly through cloud rings. “So that’s how I got enrolled at junior flight camp. A lot of the ponies kept asking me questions but I ignored a lot of them ‘cause they were annoying little dweebs.”

Scootaloo fiddled a little with her hooves and hesitantly said, “It sounds like you were sort of… mean back then.”

Gilda shrugged. “That's understating it kid. I was a grump and a brat when I was younger.”

“Anyway,” she continued narrating as they watched the vision speed up a little. “First couple of days, none of the other fliers bothered me. And I was cool with that, always liked being a lone wolf kinda gal.”

“Wouldn’t that be lone lion?” Snails asked. “Griffons being half lion, and all?”

"Whatever. That all changed when I met Dash.”

They watched as a younger Rainbow Dash flew over Young Gilda, a little higher in the air. She watched the griffon practice a few moves before touching down on a nearby cloud. Young Rainbow touched down on the same cloud and stared at Young Gilda.

She glared at Young Rainbow. “What are you looking at?”

“You,” Young Rainbow casually and shamelessly said.

“What? You’ve never seen a griffon before?” Young Gilda scoffed.

“Nope. What’s a griffon?”

“Half eagle and half lion. And all awesome!” Young Gilda smirked and flexed her wings.

“I like awesome,” Young Rainbow smiled. “Check this out!” She turned to the side to reveal a cutie mark shaped like a cloud with a red, yellow, and blue lightning bolt.

“What? Your weird butt tattoo?” Young Gilda tilted her head to the side. “Meh. Colour the lightning bolt black or something and I guess it’d be cool.”

“It’s not a butt tattoo!” Young Rainbow rolled her eyes. “It’s a cutie mark. See, most ponies have really lame cutie marks. But mine’s awesome! Wanna see the reason why?”

Young Gilda just rolled her eyes in response. Accepting the unsaid but implied challenge, Young Rainbow shot into the air with incredible speed. She rocketed higher into the air before shooting back down, going even faster. A Mach cone formed around Young Rainbow before an explosion of colour and sound formed behind her. Young Rainbow zipped around a bit, taking advantage of her successful Sonic Rainboom.

She finally touched back down on the cloud, next to the shocked Young Gilda.

“And that is…” Young Rainbow panted, trying to catch her breath. “What I call…”

But the poor filly was too busy panting and gasping for breath to finish her sentence. She collapsed on the cloud and continued gasping.

After about a minute, she stood back up. “Sorry ‘bout that. I can’t always do one of those, and every time I manage one it really takes a lot outta me.” She grinned. “But it’s so worth it.”

“Dude…that was awesome!” Young Gilda grinned. “I’ve never seen anyone fly so fast they make an explosion!”

Young Rainbow beamed, eating up the praise. “Glad ya liked the show.”

“Hey, ya wanna wrestle?” Young Gilda offered.

Young Rainbow frowned. “What, you mean fight you? Why would I wanna do that?”

“Back home, I gotta wrestle with someone before I can be friends with them,” Young Gilda explained with a shrug. “So, you in?”

“Can’t we be friends without the fight?”

“Oh hey, it’s cool,” Young Gilda said as she nonchalantly flew away. “I mean, if you’re too chicken to fight…”

The insult worked perfectly. Young Rainbow tackled her in midair and crashed the both of them in a cloud. They spent a good minute wrestling before Young Gilda had pinned her down.

“Ack! Argh, no fair! I’m still tired from earlier!” Young Rainbow whined.

“And yet you still put up a good fight.” Young Gilda smirked and hopped off Young Rainbow, helping her back up.

“Congratulations. You’ve passed my test. We’re friends now.”

“…Cool! I’m Rainbow Dash.”

“Gilda.” The two new friends high-fived and flew off together.

The present Rainbow took up the narration. “Since that day, Gilda and I were always hanging out together. We raced, we wrestled, and we joked about stuff. It was pretty sweet,” she said with a nostalgic smile. “I never managed to do another Sonic Rainboom until after some of my more extreme training, but that didn’t stop Gilda from helping me practice all our other moves.”

“And you were always there to help me out too,” Gilda added. “Remember that one time when-”

Gilda cut herself off as she glanced at the others. “But um, that’s a story for some other time.”

“Yeah. Ooh! It’s starting soon!"

They resumed watching the vision. Young Gilda was relaxing on a cloud when Young Rainbow touched down on the cloud, followed by two other pegasus ponies.

“‘Sup Dash. Who’re these two?” Young Gilda glanced the other ponies.

The first pegasus was a colt with a dark brown coat and light-ish gray mane and tail.

The second pegasus was a filly with a pink coat. Her hair was purple with a yellow streak. Her tail was very curly and her mane was pulled back into a ponytail with a blue bow. She still had a cutie mark in the shape of a crystal heart.

“Oh. yeah! Guys, this here is my griffon friend Gilda. Gilda, this here is Dumb-Bell.”

“Dumb-Bell? Yikes. Your parents must’ve hated you,” Young Gilda winced sympathetically.

The colt shrugged. “I prefer the term ‘dislike’. But yeah, just call me Bell.”

“And this here is…sorry, what was your name again?”

The pink filly smiled. “It’s Mi Amore Cadenza. It means My Love Song.”

“Do ponies always have weird names?” Young Gilda asked out loud.

The pink pegasus giggled. “Sorry. You can just call me Cadance.”

“Bell and Cadance are new here,” Young Rainbow explained. “Both of their parents are earth ponies, so they don’t have much experience flying yet. They asked if we could give them lessons. After all, we’re the best fliers in the whole camp, right Gilda?”

Gilda lazily smiled. “Hey if you think they’re cool Dash, they can hang with us.” She smirked at Bell. “You ever wrestle a griffon before, hot-shot?”

Bell grinned at the challenge. But before he could tackle her, he noticed something over Young Gilda’s shoulder.

“Ah dang it! Sorry, it’s gonna have to wait. My cousin’s picking on people again!”

Bell flapped his little wings and flew towards the disturbance. Curious, Cadance and the younger Rainbow and Gilda flew after him. The vision shifted to show two other pegasus ponies.

“Ugh! Hoops. He was annoying back then too.” The present Rainbow Dash frowned at the brown pegasus colt.

The younger Hoops was laughing at a pegasus filly with a yellow coat and long pink hair. She still had a cutie mark in the form of three butterflies.

“Nice going Clumsy-Shy! My baby brother could fly better than you!” Young Hoops laughed.

Young Rainbow, Bell, and even Cadance all snorted angrily. But before any of them could confront Hoops, someone else beat them to it.

Young Gilda landed in front of Young Hoops, her wings spread out to shield the yellow pegasus as she growled at him. “Leave her alone!”

Hoops gulped and took a step back, eyeing her beak and talons. “Y-yeah? O-or what?”

“Or how ‘bout I break your wings?” Young Gilda threatened. “Then we’ll see who can fly better!”

“Whoa, whoa! Easy there!” Cadance spoke quickly yet in a calming tone. Young Rainbow and Bell both flew over to pull Young Gilda and Hoops away from each other.

“I’m sure that Gilda didn’t mean that. Right Miss Gilda?” At the look Cadance gave her, Young Gilda nodded. “Good. So how about we settle this a different way?” Cadance suggested hopefully.

“Yeah! How about a race?” Young Rainbow smiled. “If I win, you stop picking on…what’s your name again?”

She turned to look at the yellow pegasus. But the other filly just cringed and hid herself behind Cadance.

“What if I win?” Hoops asked.

“Instead of your wings, I cut off your tail,” Young Gilda said with an evil grin. She held up her sharp talons to emphasize.

“I was joking,” Present Gilda told them. “Mostly. The point is, we all set up a big race for Dash and Hoops to go through so that he’d leave that other pegasus alone.”

The vision showed Young Rainbow and Hoops at the starting line. The yellow pegasus was holding the checkered flag in her mouth. All the other Junior Speedster fliers were finding spots in the clouds to watch the race.

The yellow pegasus waved the flag and the race began. Young Rainbow instantly bolted forward, flying far faster than her opponent. She dashed off so fast; she accidentally knocked the yellow pegasus off the cloud. The poor filly plummeted towards the ground like a rock.

Cadance gasped and stared at the screaming filly. “Shouldn’t someone catch her?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

“Well…she’s a pegasus too. She’ll be fine,” Bell said. The farther the yellow filly fell, the less convinced he sounded.

Young Gilda stared at the filly a little longer before shaking her head. “Her wings aren’t opening. She’s gonna fall! Get Dash!” she barked as she flapped her wings and rocketed toward the helpless filly.

“I have to help!” Cadance cried as she spread her wings too. “Bell, get Rainbow Dash’s attention! Hurry!” She dived into the air too.

“Stop the race! Dash! RAINBOW DASH!” Bell shouted.

Young Rainbow braked in the middle of the race and glared at him in confusion and annoyance. Noticing that he was frantically pointing downwards, Young Rainbow looked down to see Young Gilda and Cadance desperately trying to catch the falling pegasus before she went splat.

As Young Gilda flew faster, she noticed a swarm of butterflies gathering just off the ground directly below them. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, if the yellow filly hit the ground she’d end up crashing into all those butterflies too.

Young Rainbow’s eyes widened and she rapidly descended, flying towards them as fast as she could. Another Mach cone formed around and she put on enough speed to manage another Sonic Rainboom.

With an incredible burst of speed, Young Rainbow was able to catch the filly and pull her back up into Cloudsdale. Seeing that they were safe, Young Gilda and Cadance breathed sighs of relief and flew back up to join them.

As Young Gilda and Rainbow were trying to comfort the yellow pegasus, who was shaking with uncontrollable fear, a sudden cloud of smoke deposited another pony onto the clouds. Cadance was the first to notice her.

The filly had a shaggy rainbow-coloured mane and tail, similar to Rainbow’s. Unlike Rainbow, she had a stormy black coat…and a unicorn horn.

Cadance stared at the unicorn. “What? I…what? Who are you? Where’d you come from? How are you doing that?” she stammered, completely flabbergasted.

The unicorn smiled. “Teleportation and a cloud-walking spell. Sorry to startle you, but I just had to see this up close!”

Cadance blinked. “See what?”

“I just saw you, that rainbow pegasus, and that griffon save that other girl! That Sonic Rainboom of hers was impressive!”

“Sonic what?”

“Rainboom. That’s what the last one in recorded history was called. Sorry, you might not remember me, but I live on the same street as you.”

“You do?”

“Sure. You’re Cadance, right? Pink pegasus, earth pony parents, 31 Canter Street in Clouds-Edge. Did I get all that right?”

“Um, yeah.” Cadance blushed. “I don’t think we’ve met before though. I’m sorry.”

“It’s no problem. I’m Prismia.”

As the two of them talked, Young Rainbow was still trying to comfort the terrified filly. There was a tiny flash of light on her flank, and Rainbow’s cutie mark vanished.

The vision around them faded, and they were all back in the library.

“And that’s how I lost my cutie mark!” Rainbow grinned. “The cloud and rainbow-lightning bolt meant I had a need for speed and a need to win! Honestly, before that race I was actually afraid of losing my cutie mark.

“But I realized that there was something more important than winning. I might have lost that race, but I saved that other pony’s life!” she proudly exclaimed.

“Wow!” a wide-eyed Scootaloo beamed. “What an amazing story!” Everyone else in the room agreed with her.

“Huh. A little different from what Ah was expecting. What happened to Flutter…um, I uh, I mean…” Apple Bloom fidgeted a bit and said, “What happened to that yellow pegasus?”

Gilda shrugged. “Dunno. Whoever she was, we never saw much of her after that. Actually, I think she left around the same time Cadance did. Right?”

“Sounds about right,” Rainbow agreed, nodding.

“What happened with Hoops?” Smog asked. “Did he stop picking on the other students?”

Rainbow sighed. “Yeah. He left the other kids alone and started picking on me exclusively. He didn’t know that I stopped the race to help Gilda, so he thought he won. Always bragging about how he’d become a Shadowbolt before I would.”

Rainbow’s expression darkened. She glared at the floor as her teeth clenched, growling at a distant memory. Concerned, Gilda patted Rainbow on the back with a wing. The presence of her friend calmed Rainbow down and brought her mind back into the present.

“My turn,” Sunset announced. Nightmare levitated the potion over to her and Sunset took a sip. She swirled the liquid around in her mouth before her eyes turned white and she spat out a vision.

The vision formed to show Crystal Clear Caverns. A younger Sunset Shimmer was dragging a crystal across the ground with her magic. Her cutie mark was in the form of a blazing fireball.

“Neat mark,” Rainbow said as they watched the vision. “So you were great at fire spells?”

The present Sunset sighed. “Yes, but that wasn’t what my mark represented.”

“What did it mean then?” Sweetie asked.

“It meant I was ambitious and power-hungry,” she admitted.

Chrysalis stared at her. “...What?”

“For as long as I could remember, I craved magic and power. I spent every moment of my free time reading spell book after spell book. I got frustrated whenever I didn’t get a spell perfect the first time. Eventually, I started snapping at ponies whenever I was in a bad mood. I got greedy. I was compelled by power. Consumed by the idea of it. Before I stopped myself at least,” Sunset sighed.

“That’s why my mark was a fireball. It meant that my desire for power was so great, it was burning my mind apart.”

“Well…that was dark,” Discord commented.

Sunset shrugged. “Yeah. Honestly, I almost became the next Eternal Twilight. But I got better, as you’re about to see.”

They watched Young Sunset drop off the crystal in a bucket. She then eagerly grabbed a book that was lying on the ground and began reading.

“Hey look!” Sweetie shouted. “Rarity’s here too!”

A younger Rarity appeared in the vision, carrying tons of gems in her magic and looking very unhappy. Her cutie mark was in the form of three diamonds.

She dumped the gems and crystals off in the same spot that Sunset had, then went over to join her. “Good afternoon Sunset Shimmer.”

Young Sunset grunted in response, still reading.

“Goodness,” the present Rarity said. “It completely slipped my mind that you and I used to work in the same crystal farm.”

“That’s okay,” the present Sunset smiled. “I didn’t remember until today either. I wasn't great at memorizing anyone’s names.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but may I borrow that book you were reading yesterday?” Young Rarity pleaded.

Young Sunset grunted and levitated over a different book to Young Rarity.

“Thank you darling,” Young Rarity smiled and began reading. “Ooh, Sunset you simply must see this! This chapter is all about how to best use your magic to work with a needle and thread. Perhaps there’s a section on stitching that-”

“Pathetic,” Young Sunset growled.

“I…I b-beg your pardon?” Young Rarity nervously asked.

Young Sunset lowered her book and frowned at Young Rarity. “I sympathize with you. I want off of this crystal farm too. It’s pathetic how these grown-ups see your amazing gem-locater spell and all they do is send you to work in the mines, as the expression goes.”

“W-well…”

“It’s pathetic how you fail to stand up for yourself,” Young Sunset continued relentlessly. “It’s pathetic that all you care about is fashion. And it’s pathetic how almost every unicorn only bothers to learn a few spells, when entire libraries of arcane-knowledge are within our grasp. Why do unicorns limit themselves like that? Why do you?”

“I-I,” Young Rarity stammered, backing away.

“If you want to study fashion, that’s your business. But do yourself a favor and set your goals higher than that.”

Young Sunset looked like she was going to continue, but a pegasus mail carrier flew by and dropped a letter at her hooves before flying away. With mad glee, Young Sunset instantly ripped the letter open and read it.

“It appears that I was successful in my attempt to get into King Sombra’s School for the Gifted,” she grinned. “I just have to pass a measly entrance exam.”

She turned to Young Rarity and said, “Inform my parents that I am leaving for the Crystal Empire. I will pack my belongings and take the first train out of here. I’ll be sure to remember you little people when I’m famous and powerful. Farewell Gemstone.”

“It’s Rarity!” The other unicorn cried as Young Sunset left.

“Whatever,” Sunset snorted as she gathered the other books in her magic.

The vision shifted to show Young Sunset riding on the train to the Crystal Empire. She was reading and preparing herself for the exam, relaxed in her seat. Surprisingly, Cadance and Prismia were sitting on the seat next to her.

“Um…Prismia,” Cadance hesitantly started. “Have you given any thought to what I said before?”

Prismia fidgeted. “Um, are you sure you want to talk about this now? We’re on the train and I, uh…”

“You haven’t said anything about it since I told you,” Cadance whispered. She looked very sad. “You…you don’t like me, do you?”

“No!” Prismia gasped, eyes wide. “Of course I like you! We’re friends. I just…I didn’t know you wanted to be…more.”

Cadance stared her in the eyes. “I can’t help how I feel about you.”

“But…but what before? Whenever we talk, you’re always so eager to talk about which boys you find cute! What changed?”

Cadance blushed. “My parents always told me I was the most loving filly they’ve ever known.”

“So…you like both?” Prismia asked. “I…I guess that makes sense.”

“But you only like colts,” Cadance guessed. She looked like she was about to cry. “You don’t feel that way about me.”

Prismia hesitated. “Cadance, it’s true that I don’t feel that way about you. But…maybe I could, some day. Maybe…we can try it out and see how things go.”

Cadance perked up immediately. “Oh thank you Prismia!” She eagerly leaned in to kiss her friend.

“Whoa, whoa!” Prismia backed away. “Moving a little fast there, Cady!”

Cadance and Prismia both blushed and settled for holding hooves. Young Sunset glanced over at them and rolled her eyes before resuming her reading.

Present Sunset stared at the vision. “Um, Zecora? Why are we seeing this part? Nothing exciting happened on the train.”

Discord shrugged. “I find it interesting that those two appeared in both your vision and Gilda’s.”

Nightmare frowned at him. “Did you mess with the potion somehow?”

“I’ve done nothing of the sort!” Discord protested. It was difficult to tell if he was lying or not.

The vision shifted to show Young Sunset during her entrance exam. Three unicorn instructors, two stallions and one mare, were judging her.

“Now Sunset Shimmer, for your final test we have a dragon egg that we would like you to hatch,” the mare said.

A red dragon egg was brought before Young Sunset. She immediately fired a strong blast of magic, but the egg was proving to be very resistant. Increasing the amount of power she was channeling into the spell, she gave it a final push and the egg hatched.

Smog started chuckling as they watched the newborn dragon suck his tail. “Baby Garble. Man, I wish I had a camera.”

As Discord happily conjured up a camera and handed it to him, Nightmare looked at Present Sunset in surprise. “I didn’t know you hatched Garble.”

Sunset shrugged. “Well I did. I was really looking forward to having a dragon minion, but King Sombra said that he would raise Garble and then it would be my turn once Garble grew up a bit. But by that time I’d lost interest.”

In the vision, a shadow floated into the room before turning into King Sombra. He congratulated Young Sunset on her performance and offered to make her his personal protégé.

“Over the next few weeks, King Sombra taught me many different spells,” Present Sunset explained to them. “But I was insatiable. Everything had to go my way or I’d get mad. Whenever I wasn't studying, I was being rude and condescending to all the other students. Eventually, he had a talk with me about it.”

The vision showed King Sombra and Young Sunset walking down the hall.

“Sunset Shimmer, I have heard that you’re not getting along with the other students,” King Sombra said, frowning at her.

Young Sunset frowned. “King Sombra, we go to a school to learn, don’t we? If I spent all my time socializing with other students, I’d never have time for my studies.”

Sombra sighed. “You make a good point. But it doesn’t hurt to have friends Sunset Shimmer. It would certainly stop the other students from thinking you’re evil,” he muttered the last sentence. “Perhaps we should take a different approach.” He led Young Sunset to a large mirror, with a crystal arch around it. “Look into this mirror and tell me what you see.”

Young Sunset smiled and admired her reflection. “A beautiful pony with power and potential.”

King Sombra grimaced and rolled his eyes. “Care to try that again with our talk of humility taken into account?”

Young Sunset snorted and looked again. “I see a pony who isn’t powerful enough yet.” Her reflection in the mirror changed even though she didn’t. The mirror Sunset Shimmer sprouted powerful wings, as fire blazed behind her. “Someone who could rule Everfree.” Young Sunset stared at her reflection hungrily.

“Okay, I think that’s enough for today,” a nervous King Sombra said as he magically dragged Young Sunset away from the mirror. “We’ll continue our lessons tomorrow, when you’ve stopped creeping me out.”

“Wait!” Young Sunset cried. “I thought I saw something!”

“No you didn’t!” King Sombra said.

Present Sunset continued her narration. “Over the next few weeks after that I kept asking him about the mirror, but he never told me what I wanted. Eventually I got tired of waiting.”

The vision shifted again. It was nighttime and the crystal mirror stood alone. Young Sunset crept toward it, a greedy grin on her face. She looked into the mirror and saw her reflection turn into an alicorn, just like before.

She continued to stare until her reflection changed. Her reflection’s form shifted into a strange bipedal version of herself. Her reflection wore a black jacket, black boots, a pink shirt, and an orange skirt.

“Looks like one of those humans that Lyra was talking about,” Chrysalis commented.

Then the reflection changed again. The mirror Sunset morphed into a demonic creature with red skin, pointed ears, black wings, a fiery tail, and flaming hair.

Young Sunset leaned closer toward the mirror until her head blocked the rest of them from seeing what was going on. After a minute of watching, she suddenly gasped and scrambled away from the mirror, shivering with horror.

She galloped out of the room as fast as she could and accidentally ran right into King Sombra. “Sunset Shimmer? What are you doing here?”

Young Sunset backed away and flinched at the king’s suspicious glare. She bowed to him and said, “I’m sorry King Sombra. You were right. I should have listened to you.”

She hesitated, but kept talking. “I was curious about the mirror and I went looking for it, even though you asked me not to. I…I’ve also been studying other spell books. Specifically the ones about…dark magic.

King Sombra frowned at her. But rather than scolding her for her misbehavior he waited for her to finish.

“What I’ve been doing is dangerous. Because of that I think it would be best if you removed me from my position as your student. My studies end here. I’ll be taking the next train back home tomorrow.”

Young Sunset finished her announcement with another bow. King Sombra stared at her skeptically.

“If I may ask, what brought this sudden change in you Sunset Shimmer?”

“I saw another version of myself in that mirror. I became powerful…but I also became a monster. Even though I still want to be powerful, I don’t want to hurt anyone because of it.”

As soon as she said that, Sunset Shimmer’s cutie mark vanished.

The vision shifted to show the following morning. Young Sunset was making her way back to the train station. She passed by Cadance and Prismia again. Cadance was desperately clinging to Prismia’s hooves.

“Wait! Prismia, please just tell me what I did wrong! I’m sorry!” Cadance cried.

Prismia grimaced. “Look Cadance, it’s not you it’s me. I wasn’t sure that this would work and I was right. You want something different than I do.”

“Please Prismia!” Cadance pleaded. “I can change! Give me another chance!”

Prismia brushed her off. “I need my space Cadance. You’re too clingy! I still want to be your friend, but…I just need to be alone for a while.”

Cadance burst into tears as Prismia made her way to the train station.

Along the way, Sunset accidentally bumped into another pony. The teenage mare had an orange coat and a blond tail. Though, the large Stetson hat she was wearing concealed her face and her mane.

“Sorry,” Young Sunset mumbled.

“That’s alright. Beg yer pardon, but can you tell me where I can find King Sombra?” the orange pony asked.

“Sure. Just go to the Crystal Castle and ask around. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks.”

The ponies parted ways and the vision dissolved.

Sunset sighed. “Well there you have it.”

“What did you see in that mirror that freaked you out so much?” Sweetie asked.

“You don’t wanna know.”

Chrysalis frowned. “It’s sad to hear that Prismia broke up with Cadance. What do you guys think happened to them?”

Silver Spoon glanced at her. “Who cares? It wasn’t part of Sunset’s story.”

“I care!” Chrysalis cried. “I always hate it when a couple breaks up. It’s like letting food go to waste.”

Nightmare frowned at Discord. “Again I ask, were you messing with the vision at the end there? Why did we need to see that?” Instead of answering her, Discord became very interested with the snacks he had conjured up.

Apple Bloom fidgeted. “Um, who was that pony you ran into at the end there?” Sunset shrugged and gazed at the ceiling, lost in thought.

...

“Well, thank you for sharing your past with us dear friends. And now, prepare yourselves for a true cutie mark removal story! The Great and Powerful Trixie is onstage now!” Trixie eagerly chugged down the potion next and spat out her flashback.

The vision formed to show them a younger Trixie performing in front of a big crowd of creatures. Her cutie mark was in the form of a silvery crescent moon wrapped around a silver wand.

Trixie began narrating too. “Trixie is like Rainbow Dash in that she was not ashamed of her cutie mark either. Even from an early age, magic was easy for the Great and Powerful Trixie! Most ponies rightfully considered Trixie a genius magician. Trixie dreamed of taking her magic act to other cities. But at the time, Trixie was still inexperienced and needed to remain with her parents. So Trixie continued to perform in Manehattan.”

“Manehattan?” Smog frowned in confusion. “Where's that?”

“Oh, right! Manehattan is what the city used to be called. You might know it better as the Big Apple,” Trixie explained.

“Anyway, Trixie performed her magic nonstop. The fans loved me and I loved them back. After every act, Trixie would stay behind to give advice to anyone who had questions. Trixie wanted to see if she was good at fortune telling, you see. Oh, Rarity! Trixie forgot that you came to her too.”

The vision showed the younger Trixie talking with the younger Rarity inside a tent. “Approach seeker and ask! For the Great and Powerful Trixie knows all! …Sorta.”

“Thank you Miss Trixie,” Young Rarity said. “To business then. For a long time, I’ve been interested in fashion. But before I left my home of Peaceville and came here to the beautiful and fabulous city, a…an acquaintance of mine told me that I should set my goals higher. What would you suggest?”

Young Trixie grinned. “Easy! If you’re interested in fashion, why not take an interest in other forms of art as well? Take up painting, or sculpting, or singing! Take up magic!”

Young Trixie conjured up a beautiful crystal and gave it to Young Rarity. “Though you may never be as Great or Powerful as Trixie, you too could be a wonderful magician. Trixie believes in you! Now, does that answer your question?”

Young Rarity stared at her reflection in the crystal. A sneaky smile formed on her face as her cutie mark vanished. “Thank you Miss Trixie. You’ve given me a wonderful idea.”

Young Rarity walked out and another pony came into the tent that Trixie had set up.

“Approach seeker and ask! For the Great and Powerful Trixie knows all! …Kinda.”

“Thank you Miss Trixie,” Cadance said. She looked a little disheveled and nervous. “I was hoping that you could use your powers of divination to help me find my friend. I need to see Prismia!”

"Huh. That pegasus must travel quite frequently to show up this often," Present Trixie said.

“Prismia, Prismia…” Young Trixie frowned in thought. She smiled and shouted, “Aha! Trixie knows whom you refer to! The black unicorn with the rainbow mane! She came to Trixie searching for a rare object known as Cosmic Spectrum Stone!”

She conjured up an illusion of a glowing object that strongly resembled Cadance’s cutie mark, for some reason.

“Cosmic Spectrum is a strange, alien material,” Young Trixie explained. “It amplifies all magic that it comes into contact with. Much like the crystals we use everyday, but more powerful. However it also amplifies emotions. If the person wearing it is happy, they will feel even happier. If a person is filled with anger…things could get messy. It can be very dangerous if misused.”

Cadance stared at the illusion. “Prismia went looking for that?” She glanced at her own flank. “It looks like my cutie mark. It's a sign! Please, I need to know where I can find that!”

“The last known sighting of a fragment of Cosmic Spectrum Stone was in the Badlands!” Young Trixie warned. “As the name suggests, it is a dangerous place to venture to. But fear not! Trixie knows that the Kingdom of Changelings possess this Cosmic Spectrum fragment!”

She hesitated. “However…Trixie does not know how friendly those changelings are. They differ greatly from city or country changelings.”

“If it means finding Prismia, it’s worth the risk. Thank you Miss Trixie,” Cadance said. She ran out of the tent, twitching a little.

The last person to enter the tent was a young unicorn colt. His coat, mane, and tail were all white.

“Approach-”

“Wow!” the colt interrupted with a huge smile. “Your hat is so cool! It’s the hattiest hat I’ve ever seen!”

“Thank you!” Young Trixie beamed. “You have excellent taste.”

“But you know what would make it really amazing? Bells!”

Young Trixie blinked in confusion before giving him a chuckle. “Come now. As much as the Great and Powerful Trixie deserves your praise, this is your time. What can Trixie do for you?”

The colt’s smile faded. He fidgeted nervously before saying, “Could I be your apprentice? Please?” He smiled hopefully.

“Apprentice? Trixie’s career has only begun. It’s too early for her to take an apprentice. May I ask why you wish Trixie to teach you?”

“Well, you’re one of the most amazing unicorns I’ve ever seen!” The colt grinned.

“This is true. But Trixie is sure that you are a great unicorn as well.”

The colt fidgeted. “Um, yeah. Sure.”

Young Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Do you feel that your magic isn’t strong enough?”

The colt managed a weak nod. His smile was gone, and he was avoiding eye contact. He hesitantly whispered, “Um…I have a question. When you were a kid…were you ever called…stuff?”

“Stuff?”

He nodded. “Stuff like nerd, egghead…scaredy-cat…goofy…gross…weak…” he whispered.

Young Trixie gazed at the colt. His eyes had begun to water a little. “There, there,” she soothed shakily. He wiped his eyes dry.

Young Trixie hesitantly asked, “Has someone been calling you these things?”

The colt shuffled a little. “I’ve got six sisters. Three of them are unicorns. They’re all so much better at magic, compared to me. A-and the kids at my school keep calling me names because I don’t wanna play with them. It’s just that I don’t like sports. But nobody else likes reading the way I do. And I just…I just…”

Young Trixie stared at the colt. She slowly approached and gave him a small hug before breaking away.

“Trixie…understands your pain. When Trixie was a kid, she was also called…stuff. Sometimes, others insulted Trixie because they did not see how Great and Powerful she would be. They too called Trixie names.”

“But do not listen to them. Listen to what Trixie tells you now. Something I think kids like you need to hear more often.” He stared at her, waiting for what she had to say.

She looked him in the eye and said, “You are the most talented, most intelligent, and most extraordinary person in the world. And you are capable of amazing things.”

He stared at her, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. “Miss Trixie! Y-you don’t…”

“Trixie means what she said,” she said firmly. “And to prove that Trixie believes in you, Trixie will give you the one thing you need most. A chance.”

She charged her horn and fired a huge blast of magic into the air. The magic swirled and formed into a ball of energy, which slowly lowered itself toward the colt. Unbeknownst to the colt, his horn glowed and absorbed the ball of magic.

The colt quickly sat up; unaware of why he had been on the ground a few seconds ago. He staggered to his hooves and felt his head. Energy crackled and arched around his horn.

He stared at Young Trixie, who was slowly sitting back up too. “D-did…did you just give me your magic?” he gasped, completely shocked at this act of generosity.

The exhausted Trixie weakly chuckled. “No, only about half. I’d be crazy to give up all of my magic.”

“But still!” He stared at her. “This…this is too generous of you! I can’t-”

“You can and you will accept Trixie’s gift!” she said firmly. “Do not worry for Trixie’s sake. Trixie should be able to find something to regain her powers. Purple crystals shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

“Well…in that case…thank you so much!” He beamed and ran up to give Trixie a big hug. He excitedly leapt away from her and charged his horn with power. He cheered at the sight of his magic extending out and lifting several objects with his telekinesis. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I won’t let you down Miss Trixie!”

“Trixie thanks you, dear fan. She looks forward to seeing what you accomplish.” Before the colt ran home to tell his parents the good news, she stopped him.

“Hold! Please, the Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to remember you. What is your name young magician?”

He turned back to her and smiled. “I’m Star Swirl.”

The vision faded away. The group took a few seconds to process what they had heard before turning to face Trixie.

“Did he say…Star Swirl?” Nightmare asked with wide eyes.

Trixie nodded. “Time travel spells are very difficult for most ponies to use. But Star Swirl was not most ponies. Perhaps he still exists within our time, hiding out of sight. But Trixie knows that one day he will travel back in time, hundreds of years before any of us were born. And he will indeed become a most important magician. The most important conjurer of the pre-classical era.”

Trixie smirked at them. “He inspired me in my youth, and I inspired him in his youth. Haven’t you ever wondered why his hat and cape looks so similar to mine?”

“But…but…but how do you know?!” Nightmare stared at her in shock. “How do you know for sure that you met the real Star Swirl the Bearded?”

Trixie smirked. There was a small flash of light as she summoned a book with three stars on its cover. “He said so in the journal I mysteriously received in the mail one day.”

“GIMME!” Nightmare, Sunset, Discord, and Sweetie all cried as they lunged at the book. Trixie teleported it away before they could reach it, and they collided in a tangled heap.

Discord immediately snapped his fingers and summoned the book back. He flipped through the pages. “…It’s real alright.”

They stared at Trixie. “Trixie, this is incredible! By giving Star Swirl encouragement AND half of your power back then, you helped shape one of the most powerful unicorns ever known into the legend he was destined to be! I mean he created more than 200 spells! He was friends with Sombra and Sparkle before they came into power!” Nightmare gushed out excitedly. “Why haven’t you told anyone this?”

Trixie smiled. “Trixie prefers to brag about her own spell work. It wouldn’t be noble of Trixie if she bragged about Star Swirl’s accomplishments as if they were her own. That’s why Trixie lost her cutie mark. She found that it was more important to inspire others to be powerful instead of being the only Great and Powerful unicorn.”

Trixie sighed and took a sip of her chocolate milk. She then turned to Nightmare with a triumphant smirk. “Top that!” she challenged.

“Hold on!” Discord interrupted. “What about Chrysalis and I?”

Chrysalis frowned. “But changelings don’t get cutie marks.”

“Come now Chrysalis! You must have something to share!” Discord said.

Chrysalis glanced at the younger ponies. “No thanks. Your stories are much better than mine. Besides, my nymph-hood wasn’t always…pleasant.”

Discord tilted his head in thought. “Did you at least see Cadance once? That seems to be a recurring theme here.”

Chrysalis fidgeted. “The name sounds familiar. One day I heard about a Cadance and a Prismia who visited my old home. But I never saw them.”

“Fine then. My turn!” Discord drank the potion and showed them his vision.

“You made that all up!” Nightmare snarled at Discord.

“I’m offended by your accusation!”

“You expect us to believe that those… incomprehensible, unnatural creatures were your parents? Who one day snapped their tentacles to create you? And then they created Everfree for you to play with?”

“What part of ‘and that's how Everfree was made’ did you not understand?”

“Wha…huh?!” Scootaloo managed. Everyone else had similar reactions. Discord’s vision was just too weird to put into words.

“You made that up!” Nightmare growled, signaling that she was done discussing the matter. She brought the potion over to herself.

“Fair enough.” Discord laughed. “If I must have a past, I’d prefer it to be multiple choice anyway!”

Nightmare rolled her eyes but hesitated as she brought the potion to her lips. All of the other stories her friends had shared had been incredible. She wasn’t sure if her story would measure up.

Then again, her mom was in the story. Nightmare smiled and drank the potion before releasing the vision.

In her flashback, they saw an exhausted but very happy Luna, lying in bed. King Sombra was standing beside the bed, smiling. And there was another pony held in Luna’s hooves.

“You are so beautiful…my little moon.”

They were looking at baby Nightmare Moon. She was so tiny, from her fluffy little wings to her small horn. Her coat was a darker black while her mane and tail were both a plain purple, since back then Nightmare obviously didn’t know the spell that would make her hair flow magically without any wind. Her draconic blue-green eyes darted all over the place. Her cutie mark was in the shape of a crescent moon.

King Sombra smiled. “Congratulations Luna. You must be so happy.”

“The happiest I’ve been in over a century,” Luna whispered. Her eyes watered with tears of joy as she kissed baby Nightmare.

“Have you picked a name yet?” King Sombra asked. Luna shook her head.

Baby Nightmare blinked at King Sombra in confusion. A wicked (if fangless) grin spread across her face as her tiny horn unexpectedly charged with power and blasted him across the room. Baby Nightmare giggled.

“...Wipe that grin off your face Smog,” Present Nightmare muttered.

“Make me,” he replied, smirking.

“Why are we starting here? I wanna see cutie mark removal!” Diamond impatiently demanded. The other kids agreed, even as Sweetie smiled at the adorableness of baby Nightmare.

“I’ll fast forward a bit, but this is all important to the story,” Present Nightmare promised.

The vision shifted to show Luna dressed in her guard uniform, talking with King Sombra in the throne room.

Their conversation was interrupted when a young unicorn colt with a white coat, amber hair, and a compass cutie mark came running into the room. “Aunty Luna! Aunty Luna!”

“Oh, hello Blueblood!” Luna smiled. “What’s new?”

“Nightmare Moon is breaking all my stuff!” he whined.

“Like she said, what’s new?” King Sombra chuckled. “It appears the little nightmare is at it again. Just this morning I sensed her trying to raise the moon and block out the sun again, but I kept them out of her hold.”

“I better calm her down,” Luna sighed. She followed Blueblood into the room where he had previously been babysitting Nightmare.

Most of the room was completely trashed. Desks and chairs broken, dirt dishes flung everywhere, complete chaos. The only organized part of the room was a large book fort, where the still very young Nightmare was playing.

“PUNY PEASANTS! I AM NIGHMTARE MOON! QUEEN AND EMPRESS OF THE NIGHT! DARKNESS INCARNATE! COWER BEFORE ME!” Young Nightmare roared.

“Moony, are you misbehaving?” Luna asked sternly, but with a small smile at Nightmare’s antics.

“No Mommy!” Young Nightmare smiled. “Look! I made a book fort so the evil sun can’t burn me!” She then frowned at Blueblood.

“WORSHIP ME FOAL! WORSHIP ME! SURRENDER YOUR MAGIC TO NIGHTMARE MOON, SUPREME MISTRESS OF FEAR!” she roared.

Blueblood ran out of the room in fright. King Sombra strolled in to see what the fuss was about and smiled fondly at Young Nightmare.

“Aww, look. She’s already planning to conquer the world. Reminds me of myself, when I was her age.”

Luna sighed. “Your Majesty, she is uncontrollable. Every babysitter I get her, she throws a tantrum. I'm the only one she respects.”

“Understandable for a foal with the name Nightmare Moon. What shall you do?” he inquired.

Luna sighed. “Your Majesty…I’m afraid I can no longer be your guard at this time. I have a responsibility as a mother. I can't leave Moony to a babysitter. She's too important to me for me to continue this.”

King Sombra nodded. “I understand, but you don't need to quit. Take as many years as you need. You may resume your guard duties whenever you please.”

The vision shifted again. It was nighttime, and Young Nightmare and Luna were lying on the bed together in Nightmare’s old bedroom.

“Are you ready Moony?”

“Ready Loony!”

The two smiled and closed their eyes. The vision altered slightly, until a world unlike anything the other ponies had seen appeared.

"So...awesome..." Scootaloo whispered. The others silently nodded in agreement.

Luna smiled. “Welcome Moony, to the Dream World. A collective unconscious where the dreams of everyone in Everfree can be visited. But only by you and I.”

They all marvelled at the vision, watching different dream worlds float by them in an endless parade of shimmering bubbles across a night sky. Of course, the present Nightmare could see things in the dream world that the rest of them couldn’t.

Luna led Young Nightmare to the edge of a cliff. Below them, a thousand more dream bubbles flew by. “Look Moony. Everything the moonlight touches is our kingdom.”

“Wow,” Young Nightmare breathed in, awestruck.

“As rulers of the night, our most sacred of duties is to protect others from their nightmares,” Luna explained. “But as the Everfree Kingdom grows, the dreams multiply. One day Moony, I may not be have enough time to help everyone. I ask that when you are old enough, you join me as a guardian of dreams. A true princess of the night.”

Young Nightmare smiled. “So this will all be mine somenight?”

Luna nodded. “Everything.”

“Everything the moonlight touches,” Young Nightmare looked around with joy. She noticed darker bubbles float by and frowned. “What about those ones?”

“Those dreams belong to some of the crueler creatures of our kingdom. You must never walk in those dreams without me, or encounter those creatures in the waking world,” Luna warned.

“But I thought a queen could do whatever she wants!” Young Nightmare protested.

“Oh, there’s more to being a king or queen than getting your way all the time,” Luna said as she walked ahead.

Young Nightmare followed her, eyes and mouth wide. “There’s more?”

Luna chuckled. “Moony…”

The vision changed again. It was daytime, and Luna was leading an uneasy Young Nightmare around the castle gardens.

“Everything you see exists together in perfect harmony,” Luna explained. “You need to understand this harmony, and respect all creatures. From dragons, to zebras, to all three races of ponies, and beyond.”

Young Nightmare frowned. “But the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies aren’t as strong as us.”

“All the more reason to protect them and respect them. A ruler serves his or her kingdom just as much as the kingdom serves their ruler.”

Luna continued explaining. “Everything in nature has a purpose. From the changing of the seasons, to the cycles of the sun and moon.”

“But Loony, the sun burns me!” Young Nightmare whined. “Why can’t the night last forever? The air would always be cool and the stars would shine forever bright! Our beautiful moon would hang in the sky for everyone to see!”

“Moony, let me explain. Without the moon, the sun would beat down mercilessly, and the land would turn into a burning desert. But without the sun, no food would grow and the moon would freeze everything. Our planet can’t survive without them both. And so…we are all connected by the power of harmony and freedom.”

Young Nightmare managed a smile for her as she joined Luna in appreciating the beautiful day. She was about to ask another question, before shivers unexpectedly ran down both their spines.

Luna stared at Young Nightmare. “You felt that too?”

She nodded. “Loony, what was that?”

“Something I’m afraid I need to see to immediately.” Luna’s horn glowed as she gently levitated her daughter onto her back. Her horn flashed again as they teleported away.

The vision shifted again to show Luna speaking with King Sombra.

“Are you sure?” King Sombra asked, his expression a mix of surprise, hope, and fear.

“I know what I sensed,” Luna said firmly. “Someone has ascended. I don’t know who but I do know where.” She stared out the window. “It’s coming from the Badlands.”

“We’ll have to move fast,” King Sombra said. “We’ll need every on-duty guard available to us, especially our changeling guards. I’m afraid I’ll need you on this mission as well. Don’t worry about Nightmare Moon, I’ll have Garble and Blueblood look after her.”

“Then we have no time to lose,” Luna said as she followed him out of the room.

“You’re going to the Badlands? Can I come?” Young Nightmare asked with a hopeful smile.

“No, Moony! Stay here,” Luna said as she left to rally the guards.

Young Nightmare sat down, frowning at the floor. A minute later, Blueblood came in through the door.

“Ah, there you are Nightmare. King Sombra informed me that I am to look after you again,” he said importantly as he trotted towards her.

“They won’t let me go to the Badlands!” she whined. “I never get to go anywhere fun.”

Blueblood shuddered. “Why would you want to go to that dreadful place? Only the really brave or really stupid would venture there! Oh no, you’ll be much safer here.

“Besides, the only place of interest in the Badlands are the changeling hives. Now if you would like to appreciate changeling culture in a safer environment, I have something that might interest you,” Blueblood offered. He walked out of the room with a smile.

Young Nightmare glared at his retreating form. “…I’ll prove I’m brave,” she hissed.

With difficulty, Young Nightmare turned herself into magical mist and floated out the window.

The vision shifted again to show King Sombra, Luna, and dozens of guards. The area around them was bleak; the houses around them a dark green, while the skies above them were a dark red.

Chrysalis shivered. “Home sweet home,” she muttered.

While Luna and King Sombra were talking, Young Nightmare peaked around a corner. After making sure that they hadn't seen her and they were preoccupied, she excitedly flapped her little wings and flew off to explore the area.

Following the shiver that was going down her spine, Young Nightmare flew onward until she reached her destination. There she saw a large piece of Cosmic Spectrum Stone in the shape of a heart. Lying next to the stone was an unconscious Cadance. Except that she had lost her cutie mark…and gained a horn.

Young Nightmare gasped. “Another alicorn? …And she’s pink?” She touched down beside Cadance and began shaking her, trying to wake her up.

But while she was preoccupied, a trio of changelings had spotted the filly and were stalking towards her. These changelings didn’t look as healthy as Chrysalis or any of her friends; their legs riddled with more holes than usual.

Young Nightmare finally noticed the hissing changelings and jumped back, her horn starting to glow.

“Well, well, well,” the larger changeling hissed, circling the alicorns. “What have we here?”

“I know!” the second changeling hissed. “Two little trespassers!”

Young Nightmare glared at them. “STAND BACK, YOU FOOLS! BEHOLD THE GLORIOUS NIGHTMARE MOON, QUEEN OF EVERFREE! YOU CANNOT FRIGHTEN ME, FOR I AM TERROR INCARNATE!”

The changelings uncovered their ears and hissed at her. “Ooh. Little queenie here has a nice set of lungs. Except that you’re no queen of ours!”

“Speaking of queens, should we tell Princess Chrysalis?” the third changeling asked. The other two ignored him.

“We’re not like the little changeling traitors living in your kingdom!” the second changeling hissed. “This is our land! No ponies allowed!”

“Oh, I think we can make an exception this time,” the first changeling hissed, grinning hungrily at Cadance. “I bet alicorns have a lot more energy! The pink one smells especially delicious. So much love…” the changeling trailed off, a little drool sliding down her mouth.

Young Nightmare growled and blasted the drooling changeling with her most powerful hex. But because of her still developing powers, the spell didn’t do much damage.

The other two changelings instantly fired twin beams of green magic at Young Nightmare, sending her crashing into a wall. She cried out as pain shot across her body, far worse than the pain she received from any sunburn.

“Let’s take out the little troublemaker first! Then…dinnertime!” the first changeling hissed, horn glowing as they stalked closer to her.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” Luna’s voice blasted out at them. A beam of darkness shot down at the three changelings away. A dark blue aura wrapped around the dazed changelings and smashed their bodies together. Luna swooped down and landed on top of the changelings, her hooves pinning them down.

“If I EVER see you come near my daughter EVER again…” Luna threatened them.

“Oh, this is your daughter?” the first changeling asked, smiling nervously. "Oh, we didn't know that! Did you guys know that?" The other changelings were too terrified to respond.

Young Nightmare smiled and boldly walked up to her mom. “Loony! You got here just in time! They…”

She trailed off as Luna shot a furious glare at her. Young Nightmare cringed and shrunk away from her mom’s anger. It was the first time she had ever seen Luna angry with her.

King Sombra and a dozen guards galloped into the area. “Luna! What happened here?!” the king asked.

Luna scowled and levitated the changeling trio and the unconscious Cadance to him. “If you’ll excuse me, Sombra, I need to teach my daughter a lesson.”

With a flash of light, Luna teleported herself and Young Nightmare back to the Crystal Castle.

Once there, Luna glared at the fearful Young Nightmare. Turning away, Luna walked out onto the balcony she had teleported them to. With her magic, she reached out to lower the sun and raise the moon. With the setting sun gone the bright moonlight shone on Luna, casting a large shadow behind her. With the day changed to night, Luna sternly called her. “NIGHTMARE MOON!”

Young Nightmare cringed, but slowly walked toward Luna. As she walked, Luna stretched her wings out for a few seconds, her shadow growing larger across the balcony. Young Nightmare looked down at the floor and at her mom’s shadow, realizing just how much her mom easily overshadowed her. Both literally and figuratively.

As Young Nightmare approached Luna and stood by her side, her whole body shook with fear.

Luna stared at the moon for several seconds, before turning to face her daughter. “Nightmare Moon, I’m VERY disappointed in you,” she scolded. “I warned you to stay at the castle but you didn’t listen! You could have been killed! What were you thinking?!”

Young Nightmare cringed. “I,” her voice cracked. "I-I just wanted to be brave like you! I t-thought the changelings had something I could use to block out the sun a-and then we…”

“Hiding from the sun does NOT prove your bravery!” Luna shouted.

Young Nightmare was really weeping now. The pain she was feeling was excruciating. No physical injury could ever hurt as much as what she was feeling then. She had never felt so sad and so scared in her life. “I…I j-just wanted to b-be strong like you!” she cried.

Luna’s frown softened a little. “I’m only strong when I have to be. Moony, being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.”

“But you’re stronger than everyone!” Young Nightmare cried. Luna snorted in disbelief at that. “You’re not scared of anything!”

Luna’s frown completely faded as she stared at her daughter, lowering her head until they were both at eyelevel. “I was today. I feared I might lose you.”

Young Nightmare stared at her. “Oh.” A tiny smile slowly spread across her face. “I guess even alicorns get scared, huh?” Luna nodded. Her smile widened as she whispered, “But you know what? I think those changelings were even more afraid!”

Luna chuckled. “Because nobody messes with Loony Luna!” Her magic wrapped around her daughter and brought her forward. Luna bent down and blew a raspberry into Young Nightmare’s soft belly.

“Ah! No, no! Release me!” Young Nightmare squeaked between giggles. She turned into mist and squeezed out of her mom’s hooves before changing back and tackling Luna.

Luna laughed and flapped her wings, flying toward the palace gardens. Young Nightmare flew after and tackled her mom into the grass, wrestling her to the ground. They tussled until the fear and pain inside both of them was gone.

“Mom? Loony?” Young Nightmare asked, perched on Luna’s head.

“Yes Moony?”

“We’re best friends, right?”

Luna chuckled. “Right.”

“And we’ll always be together, right?”

Luna sat up, Young Nightmare sliding onto her back. “Moony…let me tell you a story,” she said, looking at the night sky.

“Long before King Sombra came into power, I was the ruler of this kingdom. While I ruled the night my sister, your aunt, ruled the day.”

“My aunt?” Young Nightmare asked with wide eyes. “I never knew I had an aunt.”

“Her name was Celestia. She was the wisest, nicest, most wonderful pony I’ve ever known. She ruled with kindness and compassion and she treated everyone with respect. Except for those occasions when she would play pranks on everyone she saw,” Luna giggled. “You would have loved her. I certainly loved her, even if I was a teensy bit jealous of her.”

“What happened?” Young Nightmare asked.

Luna’s smile faded. “She became corrupted by the most malicious of majiks. She was cursed into becoming a tyrant, instead of the sister I loved. Reluctantly, Sombra and I were forced to put her in…let’s say a very long timeout.

“Among the many things her corrupted form desired, she wanted to always keep the sun up…just as you desire to always keep the moon up,” Luna said, looking at her daughter. “Because of all this, my sister and I were forced apart. Moony, I want us to be friends forever. But that can’t happen if your behaviour doesn’t improve.”

Young Nightmare stared at her, with wide eyes. “I don’t want to leave! I’ll be good! I promise, I’ll never try to make the night last forever, ever again!” she cried.

Luna smiled and gave her mane a reassuring pat. “I know.” She looked back up at the stars. “Did you know that our sun is a star Moony? During the day, our sun is the only star we can see. But at night we can see thousands of stars. Some of them, the suns of distant worlds, so very far away. This is my favourite time of the day. When I can see the night sky, my little moon, and the far away suns. It feels…like the loving sister I remember is with us.”

Young Nightmare shuffled. “Loony? Do you think Aunt Celestia will ever come out of her timeout?”

“Only if she is nice again,” Luna whispered to her.

“…If she’s as nice as you say she is…I think I’d like to meet her.”

Present Nightmare smiled as the vision shifted one last time. “I was grounded for about a week as punishment. But after that, I had my twelfth birthday. The day I lost my mark.”

King Sombra waited patiently on his bedroom balcony. Ahead of him was Luna, Young Nightmare, and a baby Smog with a blue bow on his head.

“Are you ready?” Luna asked.

Young Nightmare nodded. Her horn glowed with power as her body floated off the ground. Luna’s and Sombra’s horns glowed too as they added to Nightmare’s power.

The moon lowered and the sun shakily rose into the sky. Young Nightmare grinned. With a little help, she had done it. She had controlled the sun.

Luna’s eyes widened. “Moony.” She pointed at Young Nightmare’s flank. Young Nightmare turned around to see her cutie mark had vanished.

Young Nightmare instantly beamed and began jumping up and down, chanting “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

The vision finally faded and they were all back in the library. Nightmare Moon smiled. “And that’s how I lost my cutie mark. Ever since that day, I don’t fear the sun anymore.”

Everyone was silent after that. Finally, Snails managed to speak up. “Wow. You and your mom must have been really close.”

Nightmare smiled. “More than you can imagine. Loony has always been special to me. That was the only time she was angry with me. She never told me to clean up my messes, do my homework, or anything. She asked nicely, and I did it. She never talked down to me; she listened to me, she treated me like everything I said was important. Whenever we played together, she’d always do what I wanted even if it was silly.

Nightmare smiled as her eyes watered a little. “My mom means the world to me. I…I love her,” she whispered.

“Awwww...” Diamond, Apple Bloom, Sweetie, Snails, and Chrysalis chorused.

Silver smiled too, before looking at her flank and frowning. “Well, those were all really good stories. But unfortunately, it didn’t make our cutie marks go away.”

Snips shrugged. “We can always try again tomorrow.”

Apple Bloom raised her hoof. “Wait, what happened with Cadance? She was an alicorn when we last saw her. And if Luna is your mom, who’s your dad? We didn’t see him. And what about Prismia? Or Celestia?! What about…”

Before she could keep asking questions, Mayor Derpy swung open the door and stomped into the library. “Discord, what’s this I hear about you emptying Golden Harvest’s fridge? And don’t blame my clone on this one, she’s been with me all day!”

A Derpy clone poked her head into the door and grinned goofily at them. “Yep! I emptied her fridge instead!” she said, pointing at Mayor Derpy.

“…Wow! Would you look at the time! Pardon me, but…I regret nothing!” Discord sang as he teleported out of the library.

As the others left to find Discord, Nightmare smiled and turned to Smog. “Smog, take a letter please.”

Princess Twilight sat at her desk, reading the latest letter from Nightmare Moon. Someone knocked at her door, and she opened it with her magic.

A grown-up Cadance walked into the room and bowed before her. “Good evening Princess Twilight.”

Princess Twilight smiled. It was a soft, almost sad kind of smile. “Hi Cadance. How are you?”

Cadance sighed. “Better. I heard that Prismia found someone else. And you know what…I think I can move on now.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

Cadance fidgeted. “Um, Princess Twilight? I’ve been meaning to ask…your brother, Prince Shining Armor…is he seeing anyone?”

Princess Twilight titled her head to one side. “Seeing anyone? As in, is he courting someone? I don’t think so.”

Cadance blushed and smiled. “Oh. Really. Thank you Princess Twilight. I’ve uh…gotta get something.” She trotted out of the room, twitching a little.

Princess Twilight went back to reading the letter. Once she finished, she turned around and looked at her blank flank in thought.

Shadow Games

Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic

Shadow Games

Celestia felt a tiny little jolt. The same jolt that she felt twice a day everyday for over a thousand years.

“What a beautiful day,” she said to herself, before she giggled.

She neatly levitated the covers off her bed, climbed out, and walked over to the window. She could already see the moon being lowered. Smiling, her horn glowed with power as she prepared to raise the sun. She blinked in surprise when the sun began to rise into the air, but without her magic.

The glow around her horn faded. “Of course. How silly of me.”

“MORNING, SUNSHINE!” Discord shouted as his head crashed through the window.

Celestia politely smiled. “Good morning Discord.”

Discord grinned and floated into the room, calming down a little bit. “Busy day today. Important day!”

“Indeed.”

“And like any important day, we start off with the most important meal! Which will be dinner, by the way. We’ll get our breakfast and whatnot tonight instead, or whenever we feel like it!” Discord snapped his fingers and donned a fancy waiter outfit. “Now then my dear, would you like breakfast in bed, at a table, or on the roof?”

Celestia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm, perhaps the roof for today. That way, I can better enjoy the sunrise with my friend.”

Discord grinned. “Splendid! Mixing things up again, are we? I was getting bored when you kept asking to eat at a table like everyone else, but once again you surprise me with your adventurous spirit!” He snapped his fingers and teleported both himself and Celestia to the roof of the Chaos Corner.

“Now then, what would mademoiselle like to eat?” Discord asked.

Celestia smiled thoughtfully before she answered. “I would very much like to have a daisy sandwich, an apple, some chocolate milk, and a piece of cake, please.”

“All excellent choices!” Discord snapped his fingers and conjured up breakfast – or early dinner – for himself and Celestia.

“You really should eat a little healthier,” Celestia said as Discord dug into his chocolate cereal, chocolate sandwich, and chocolate orange juice.

“Oh, quit worrying about what I’m eating and dig into your own meal, my dear!” Discord stared at her plate with an eager grin.

Celestia smiled and levitated the sandwich up to her mouth. But before she could take a bite, her cake started dancing and singing:

“This is your singing chocolate cake
I hope I find you well!
You’re invited to eat me whole
‘Cause I taste pretty swell!

I don’t know when your birthday is
But we can still celebrate!
For I am delicious
And my frosting is first rate!

Apples may be healthy
And sandwiches may be too!
But they can’t compare to a cake
With icing so sweet and blue!

No need to watch your weight
You’re already thin enough
Your voice is soft, your eyes are cute
Baby, you are hot stuff.

Meals aren’t the same without me
So to dessert we all say yes!
So please, oh please let’s end this song
I’m out of rhymes, I must confess!”

Celestia giggled and clapped her hooves as the cake fell down on its plate, exhausted and out of breath from the song. “Bravo! A wonderful performance. Encore!”

“Encore?!” the cake screamed.

“Ha, ha! Oh Celestia, stop tormenting the poor thing. End the cake’s suffering and just eat it already!” Discord laughed.

Celestia smiled and the cake cheered as she levitated it up to her face and took a bite out of it. When she was finished with her meal, she stood back up and stretched, feeling the sunshine on her feathers. “Thank you for the meal. I would also like to thank you once again for allowing me to temporarily stay with you in the Chaos Corner.”

Discord waved his claw. “Come now, you’ve already thanked me twice.”

“They say that the third time is the charm. And you are a very charming person, Discord,” Celestia said.

Discord chuckled. “Careful, Celestia. If old Sombra heard you say that, he’d think you were flirting with me.”

Celestia's smile faded a little as stared at Peaceville from the rooftop of the Chaos Corner. “I have gone on a few dates with King Sombra since my return. I still consider him a dear friend, but a lot has changed between us. I know I have feelings for him, but now those feelings are more difficult to understand than they were a hundred years ago. I am not sure what relationship I share with him now.”

Discord tilted his head and scratched at his ear. “Sorry, could you repeat that? I think I have an frog in my ear.” He pulled out a frog, which sprouted wings and flew away. “Ah, there it goes! Now then, you were saying?”

Celestia turned around and smiled. “Forgive me. An old mare’s prattling, nothing that you should worry about. In any case, I believe we were going to see Gilda today. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to take the scenic route.”

Discord shrugged and vanished with a flash of light. Once he had disappeared, Celestia flapped her wings and gracefully flew into the air. She took a leisurely flight to Gilda’s house, smiling and waving at every pegasus, bird, and changeling who flew by her. Eventually, she touched down on the ground beneath Gilda’s cloud house. Rainbow Dash and Gilda were already there, along with Nightmare Moon, Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Chrysalis, Discord, Rarity, and Fluttershy.

Gilda was the first one to see her touch down. “Hey Celestia. What’s up?”

Celestia smiled. “Hello everyone. To answer your question Gilda, I’m here for the same reason we all are. Unless I’m mistaken, today is the day you receive word on whether or not you and Rainbow Dash have been accepted into the Shadowbolt Academy.”

Rainbow grinned. “You got that right, princess!”

Celestia giggled. “Please Rainbow Dash, I’m no longer a princess. I’m just Celestia.”

“If I may say so Celestia, it’s rather difficult to think of you as anything less than a princess,” Rarity said. “Why, your very presence just screams royalty! Every word you speak is carefully chosen with such eloquent phrasing, your every movement is graceful to the point of perfection…and I feel as if you’re not even trying!”

Sunset Shimmer shrugged. “Maybe that’s just the way she is, Rarity.”

Celestia blushed and giggled again. “You flatter me far too much, my friends.”

Gilda cleared her throat. “Hey um, can we focus on why we’re all here? I don’t mean to cut in, but this is kinda a big moment for Dash and me.”

Celestia nodded and sat down on the grass with a gentle smile. “Of course. You must be very excited about this opportunity.”

“They’re excited. But I’m nervous,” Fluttershy said as she fearfully eyed the mailbox. “Oh dear, I really wish the mail would hurry up. I mean, I don’t want to rush those nice post office people, but I’m just so nervous.”

Discord sighed and looked at a watch that appeared around his arm. “You don’t want to rush them,” he muttered. “Pardon me ladies, I’ll be right back,” before he disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

Nightmare smiled. “Fluttershy, it’s nice that you want Gilda and Rainbow to be accepted, but you really need to calm down. You’re acting a lot more nervous than they are.”

Fluttershy sniffled. “But being a Shadowbolt has always been their dream.” She turned to face Gilda and Rainbow. “I don’t want to see your hearts broken if you’re not accepted.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Heartbroken? Me? Come on Flutters, have a little more faith in me. We’re made of stronger stuff than that, right Dash?”

Rainbow smirked confidently. “Yep! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made us Shadowbolts on the first day!”

“The process is a little more complicated than that,” Celestia said.

“Complicated? In what ways could it be complicated?” Trixie asked.

Before Celestia could answer her, Discord reappeared with a flash of light. “Sorry for the wait, but you’ll be happy to know that the wait is over!” He handed Gilda and Rainbow two letters. “Your acceptance letters, my friends.”

Rainbow eagerly snatched up her letter and ripped it open with her mouth. Gilda, trying to look cool and uninterested, took her own letter and ripped it open with her beak. She skimmed through the letter and smirked. “What’d I tell ya? I’m in.”

“I…I’m not,” Rainbow whispered.

“What?! Let me see…” Gilda reached out for the letter but then hesitated. She drew her claw back and smirked. “You almost had me there.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Darn. You always see through my pranks. Looks like we’re both going to be Shadowbolts!” She gave Gilda a victory hoof-to-talon bump.

Chrysalis smiled. “Congratulations you two.”

“Congratulations indeed! This calls for a celebration!” Discord readied his talons and fingers. “I’ll get the trampoline.”

Gilda patted his back with a wing. “As much as I’d love to party right now, me and Dash need to get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can show them our stuff!”

Sunset chuckled. “Aren’t you going to be there for over a week? You have plenty of time.”

“Hey, let us worry about all that,” Gilda said. “What I want to know is how you guys are going to survive a full week without us.”

Rainbow smirked with her best friend. “She’s right. Awesome deprivation is a very serious matter.”

Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes. “I think we’ll manage just fine.”

Discord smiled. “No need to worry about us. We’ll just be getting some filler out of the way.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow. “Filler?”

Nightmare shot Discord an odd look before she turned to Gilda. “What he’s trying to say is that on Tuesday we’ll be at Canterlot, helping them with the preparations for the Everfree Games.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “The Everfree Games? The most exciting sporting event in all of Everfree? I can’t miss out on seeing the games!” She bit her hoof nervously. “Oh, but I can’t not go to the Shadowbolt Academy! But…”

Nightmare patted Rainbow on the back with her wing. “I said the preparations for the games. We’ll just be setting up decorations and other things I’m sure you’d get bored with. The Everfree Games themselves are months away; you’ll be here to see them. In fact, if you do well in the academy, you might be able to join the Shadowbolts for the events.”

Rainbow slowly grinned. “Awesome…”

After several seconds had passed, Trixie walked towards her and waved a hoof over Rainbow’s face. “Rainbow? Are you okay? …Do you need the Great and Powerful Trixie to hypnotize you? Trixie has been learning the art of hypnosis for her new act, and she would be happy to wake you up from your trance!”

Gilda chuckled and nudged Rainbow. “I think she fainted from awesomeness overload.”

Rainbow blushed. “What? I didn’t faint!”

“If you did faint, it would have been pretty impressive with you still standing up,” Sunset commented.

Celestia smiled as she levitated two traveling bags over to Gilda and Rainbow. “I believe these are your bags. And I believe that we must depart for the academy soon.”

Gilda and Rainbow both flapped their wings and hovered in the air. “Yeah, we better get going.” Gilda blinked and turned to Celestia. “Wait, what do ya mean ‘we’?”

Celestia giggled. “Oh, I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you.” She turned to Nightmare and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you in my dreams, my little knight.”

Nightmare blushed. “Aunt Celestia, not in front of my friends,” she whispered.

Celestia giggled, flapped her wings, and flew into the air. Gilda and Rainbow looked at each other, shrugged, and followed her lead.

As the pegasus, griffon, and alicorn flew away, Discord and the rest of their friends waved to them. “Bye Gilda! Bye Rainbow! Call me Celestia!”

Sunset chuckled. “She’s not gonna call you.”

Discord frowned and blew a raspberry at her. “Don’t you have a crystal wall to go kick?”

Nightmare sighed and began to walk back to the library. “Well, that’s done. Remember, we’re going to Canterlot in a few days. If any of you need me you know where to find me.”

The next day, Rainbow and Gilda grinned at each other as they stood together in the lineup. They were finally at the Shadowbolt academy, located in a large cavern embedded in the side of a very tall mountain. The humongous hole in the mountain’s side was the only source of light and spare clouds for the entire academy. The Shadowbolts liked to stay close to the skies, just as much as they liked the darkness that could be found in a huge cave. Even though it was still daytime, the shadowy cave and the numerous clouds blocking all the sunlight from coming in kept the Shadowbolt academy nice and dark. Gilda and Rainbow had already filled out all the forms they needed and been assigned their rooms. After they had dropped their bags off in their rooms, they lined up with other pegasus ponies, other griffons, a few teenage dragons, and a few changelings.

“Well, well, well. Look at what we have here.” The eager Shadowbolt trainees looked to their right to see Nightingale, the leader of the Shadowbolts, walk towards them. Lightning Dust walked next to her, jotting things down on a clipboard.

“Bet you all think you’re Shadowbolt material, don’t ya?” Nightingale asked as she marched past the trainees.

“Yes ma’am!” the trainees shouted.

“Here we go again,” Lightning Dust muttered under her breath.

“Think you’ve got what it takes to be an elite flyer?” Nightingale said as she marched back, staring down the trainees.

“Yes ma’am!”

“Morons,” Lightning muttered.

“Well, let me be the first to tell you…” Nightingale turned around and gave the trainees a cold glare. “You don’t. If you had what it takes to be a Shadowbolt, then you would already be a Shadowbolt. That’s why you dunderheads are here.” A few trainees shivered at Nightingale’s voice. She wasn’t shouting, which some of them had expected. Instead her voice was as cold as frost.

Nightingale got up in Rainbow’s face and glared at her. “Ah, Rainbow Dash. Lightning told me about you. Think you’re hot stuff after that little Sonic Rainboom you did? Think a tiny, little thing like that could make up for what you did to Clouds-Edge?” Rainbow and Gilda both winced at the reminder, but remained standing at attention. Unfortunately, Nightingale still saw that wince. “Did you just wince? Are you wimping out on me? Do you know what happens to wimps in this academy? They get thrown out of this cave, in the dead of night, during the worst storm we can make. Then, those spineless cowards have to climb all the way back up and beg me to kiss their boo-boos better. So I’ll ask again, are you wimping out on me?”

“No ma’am!” Rainbow shouted.

“Liar,” Nightingale hissed. “I bet you’ll be the worst flier in the whole academy. You’ll probably give up after the first day.”

Rainbow frowned. “No ma’am! I’ll never give up, ma’am!”

Nightingale turned away. “Oh, we’ll see about that.” She glared at Gilda next. “What do we have here? Little miss Element of Zeal. You think just because you wave around a fancy necklace that you’re something special?”

Gilda frowned. “My Element isn’t the only thing about me, ma’am!”

Nightingale smirked coldly. “Is that so? Good, I can’t make a Shadowbolt out of a tiny hunk of metal. So hopefully, you’ll fly half as good as one.” Next, Nightingale walked up to another pegasus mare. She had a yellow coat, and a bright orange mane and tail. “What about you hot stuff? I bet you couldn’t even fly past the first flag pole without crashing into a wall.”

The fire-coloured mare smirked. “Try me, ma’am.”

The other trainees glanced at the mare, but didn’t dare break formation. Lightning’s eyes widened as she stared at the mare. “She’s dead,” she muttered.

Nightingale got in the mare’s face and hissed. “What was that?”

“All this talking won’t impress you, so let me show you what I can do, ma’am!” the mare said.

“Alright then. Give me three hundred laps. All of you,” Nightingale ordered.

“Only three hundred? A hundred years ago, we were doing almost twice that much.” Gilda, Rainbow, and all the other trainees stared in shock as Celestia flew towards them and touched down on the ground.

“Celestia? What are you doing here?” Gilda asked.

Celestia smiled and showed them the Shadowbolt badge she wore. “I volunteered to be one of the instructors for this academy. Miss Nightingale and Miss Dust are very busy mares, so I thought I could help them with training.”

Nightingale glared at Celestia. “Could you stop glowing? It’s bugging my eyes.”

Celestia giggled. “I’m not glowing Miss Nightingale. I believe that is simply the sunlight from outside reflecting off my coat.”

“Oh yeah. You used to raise that old ball of gas.” Nightingale scowled. “Don’t you know the sun is bad for your skin?”

“Only in excessive amounts, I believe,” Celestia said.

Nightingale frowned and turned around to face the trainees. “What are you still doing here? Get those chicken wings of yours flapping. Now.” Nightingale gave her whistle a blow, and the trainees saluted.

“Yes ma’am!” the recruits shouted. They all flapped or buzzed their wings and took off into the air.

As the trainees flew, Nightingale turned to Celestia. “Aren’t you supposed to be training the junior members?”

Celestia smiled. “You’re quite right. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I don’t pay you to stand around and stare at the new recruits,” Nightingale said.

Celestia giggled. “You don’t pay me at all, ma’am. I’m here as a volunteer.”

Nightingale scowled. “Wipe the grin off your face before I throw you into a thunderstorm. And get back to training the junior members.”

Celestia smiled and saluted her. “Yes, ma’am!” she said before she flapped her wings and flew off.

Lightning looked up at the trainees as they flew their laps. “They’re doing pretty good, don’t you think, ma’am?”

Nightingale nodded. “They are. Of course, they can’t know I said that. How do you think I’m doing, is my voice cold enough?”

“You don’t need to shout in order to be scary. You’re doing fine, ma’am,” Lightning said with an encouraging smile.

Much later, the trainees touched down as they finished their three hundred laps. Gilda and Rainbow both took a few seconds to catch their breath before they grinned at each other. Gilda turned around to face the other two pegasus ponies that had managed to keep up with them during the exercise. It was the fiery pegasus mare from before, followed by a light blue pegasus stallion with dark blue hair. “You guys did a pretty good job.”

“Thanks,” the pegasus said. “I’m Spitfire and this is Soarin.”

“Hey there,” Soarin said with a smile.

“You guys want something to eat in the mess hall?” Spitfire asked.

“You bet! I’m so hungry, I could eat meat!” Rainbow grinned at Gilda. “Remember that G?”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Shut up Dash.”

“Aw, but then we wouldn’t get to hear the sweet sound of her voice,” Spitfire said with a smirk.

Gilda smirked back at her. “Ooh! I like you. You’re snarky. I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

“And now, the Great and Powerful Trixie will hypnotize these two lovely mares!” Trixie declared. She looked down at Sunset and Lyra, who were lying down on the table. “Anything in particular you want the Great and Powerful Trixie to do to you?”

Lyra smiled. “Ooh! Ooh, ooh, can you make me think I’m a dragon? What about a minotaur? A...human?”

Sunset shifted uneasily. “You can do whatever you want Trixie. I’m just here to help you out. But nothing involving my mouth!” she warned Trixie. “I don’t want to wake up and find that I kissed someone or ate something that I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Aw, and I had a frog in his finest suit all ready for you,” Discord said as he teleported inside Trixie’s magic shop. He was sitting on top of a large toy space ship, with Smog sitting behind him. He was also drinking from a bottle of blue orange juice in his paw.

Smog blinked in surprise. “Oh, hey guys. What are you doing?”

Trixie grinned. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is about to hypnotize these two wonderful assistants into believing they are a different animal.”

Sunset smirked at Discord. “Why don’t you hypnotize me into being him? It might be fun to think I’m a complete goofball.”

Discord tossed the bottle over his shoulder and hopped off the space ship. “Aw, you’re plenty goofy when you want to be Sunny!” he said as he tousled her mane.

“Quit it!” she shouted as she tried to edge away from his paw.

“What are you guys doing?” Lyra asked politely.

Smog shrugged. “Just playing a game. Discord is feeling kinda bored and Nightmare doesn’t need me to do anything right now, so I thought I’d hang out with him for a bit.”

“Does anyone else find it odd that Celestia left with Gilda and Rainbow? Perhaps we should visit this Shadowbolt academy and see what sort of mystery they’re hiding from us,” Discord suggested.

Sunset shook her head. “I dunno. What if they’re in the middle of training?”

Discord sighed. “I suppose you could be correct.” He shrugged and smiled. “Oh well. Perhaps Smog and I will seek out the Cutie Mark Destroyers and see what they’re doing.”

Sunset glared at him. “Discord, if I come back to my farm and I see a giant bubble of chaos, I’m going to-”

“And there he goes,” Lyra said as Discord and Smog vanished. “But I’m sure he heard you. Ooh! What about a changeling?” she asked excitedly. “OOH! What about an alicorn? We could be hypnotized into thinking we’re related to Nightmare!” Sunset tapped her chin in thought. Something about what Lyra said reminded her about something that Nightmare said once.

Trixie chuckled. “Yes, yes, all very good suggestions!” She smiled and pulled out a pendulum. “Now, if there are no more interruptions, let the show begin!”

“Woohoo!” Scootaloo cheered as she flapped her wings and came in for a smooth landing. “That was awesome!”

Celestia smiled in encouragement. “Well done Scootaloo. You managed to recover in eight seconds.” She turned to face the younger dragons, griffons, pegasus ponies, and changeling nymphs. “And with that, our game for today is finished. You all did very well. Remember to get yourselves a nutritious dinner from the mess hall before you return to your rooms.”

Gilbert flew over to Scootaloo and smiled. “You did great! One second faster than me!”

Scootaloo blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, it was only one second. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Gilbert? Scootaloo?” The young griffon and pegasus turned around to see Gilda hovering in the air above them.

“Gilda!” Gilbert flew up to his cousin and gave her a hug. “What are you doing here?”

Gilda chuckled. “I could ask you the same thing. What are you two squirts doing at the Shadowbolt academy?”

Scootaloo grinned. “Didn’t you hear? It’s a new program the Shadowbolts are doing. Junior Shadowbolt training camp!”

Gilbert grinned with her. “Yep! Now I don’t have to wait until I’m older to begin training.”

Gilda blinked. “Hold on kiddo, I’m a little confused here.”

“I thought I already told you and the other trainees about this?” Gilda glanced over Gilbert’s shoulder to see Celestia, smiling patiently.

Gilda’s eyes widened. “You said you volunteered to be an instructor. You’re training my cousin?”

Celestia smiled warmly and nodded. “Not just your cousin of course. The Junior Shadowbolt training camp was formed quite recently. Now, Shadowbolt academy is specifically designed to help train pegasus ponies and other flying creatures who wish to be part of this elite flying team. The training can be very difficult, and not everyone passes the numerous tests. But for many stunt flyers, it is a dream worth pursuing. The Junior Shadowbolt training camp was created to help younger flyers to develop the skills they might need to join the Shadowbolts when they become adults, should they still desire to join the team.”

Gilda frowned thoughtfully. “Isn’t that what Junior Speedsters flight camp is for?”

Celestia smiled and gently shook her head. “That is to teach younglings about the basics of flight. Here at the Junior Shadowbolts, we cover more extreme flying techniques. In some cases, they are the same training exercises that you are your fellow trainees go through, but at a level that is more manageable for younger flyers.”

“We got to ride the Dizzitron today!” Scootaloo announced.

Gilda’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You guys went on the Dizzitron? What time did you get?”

“Nine seconds!” Gilbert announced proudly.

“Eight seconds!” Scootaloo announced at the same time.

Gilda whistled. “Sweet. Dash and I both got six seconds.”

Gilbert and Scootaloo both stared at her in awe. “That’s so awesome! Did you two really tie for the best time?” Gilbert asked.

Gilda shrugged. “Well Dash, might have been faster. But really, five and a half isn’t much of a difference.”

“HA! I knew Dash was faster. In your face!” Scootaloo said, grinning at Gilbert.

Gilbert glared back at her. “That’s probably just ‘cause Gilda was going easy on them!”

Celestia and Gilda both chuckled as Gilbert and Scootaloo began arguing. Celestia turned to Gilda and smiled. “I hope you are feeling less confused now.”

Gilda shrugged. “I guess so. I’m still not sure why you’re their instructor though.”

Celestia smiled at Gilbert, Scootaloo, and all the flying kids she was helping. “I enjoy teaching children. I also enjoy learning from new experiences. Sometimes it’s important to push ourselves a little.”

Gilda sighed. “Nightingale said something like that to you too, huh?”

Celestia noticed Gilda’s gloomy expression and gave her a patient smile. “Did something happen between you and Nightingale?”

Gilda sighed. “I had a talk with her after lunch today. We did the Dizzitron last night. She said we would be doing most of our training at night to get our eyes used to the dark. Anyway, Dash and I both got great times. But this Spitfire mare and her friend Soarin did pretty well too and they asked to put the Dizzitron at maximum speed.”

“Oh dear. That could have been quite dangerous. Are they alright?” Celestia asked, her voice dripping with concern.

“Yeah, they’re fine. The point is, Nightingale made them lead creatures and us the wing creatures.” Gilda frowned. “It’s bad enough that I have to take orders from Spitfire, but now Dash and I aren’t part of a team.”

“Have you had a disagreement with this Spitfire?” Celestia asked.

Gilda groaned. “Spitfire’s fine. She’s cool. It’s just…I wanted it to be me and Dash.”

Celestia smiled and placed a comforting wing on Gilda’s back. “It may not be what you expected, however you and Rainbow Dash are still part of a team. You’re both training to be Shadowbolts, to be part of one of the most elite flying teams in Everfree. And being part of a team means getting used to working with others who may not be as close to you as Rainbow Dash is. Did you not experience something similar when you first aided my niece in protecting our kingdom?”

Gilda blinked. “Huh. I guess Nightmare was the new girl in town before she became my friend.” She glanced at Celestia. “Push ourselves to try new things, huh?” Celestia smiled and nodded. “Alright then. Good talking to ya Sunny. Good luck with the kids.” With that, Gilda flapped her wings and flew off towards the mess hall.

It was a wonderful Tuesday morning. Discord and Sunset were sitting inside Canterlot castle. Sunset was reading a book while Discord was groaning loudly, trying to get her attention. “Oh my goodness, I’m so BORED!”

Sunset sighed. “Oddly enough, I’m getting a little bored too. But on the bright side, Chrysalis, Nightmare, and the others should be finished showing Miss Peachbottom around soon.”

Discord groaned again. “I already finished with decorations. The majority of our time here has been showing her around. You know, I thought there was supposed to be a lot more preparation required for these Everfree Games.”

Sunset shrugged. “The people who set these events up usually don’t have a friend that can just poof all the preparations into place.”

“Hmm. Speaking of friends who can poof stuff into place, what do you suppose our dear friend Pinkie has been up to?” Discord asked.

“I’m not sure. She’s been sorta quiet lately…”

“Too quiet?” Discord asked with a mischievous smile.

“Actually, yeah.” Sunset stared out the window in thought. “And for some reason that scares me.”

While they were talking, Nightmare, Chrysalis, Trixie, Smog, Rarity, and Fluttershy walked in through the doors. “Well, it took a lengthy tour and a lot of sucking up, but Canterlot has been confirmed for the Everfree Games,” Smog announced.

Rarity smiled. “I thought it was a rather enjoyable tour myself. Miss Peachbottom was a lovely mare too, even if her assistant was more difficult to impress.”

“Thank you everyone,” Countess Cadance said as she walked down the stairs to greet the eight of them. “I really think these games are what the people of Canterlot need to brighten up their spirits.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Hi Cadance.”

Cadance smiled back. “Hi Fluttershy. Sorry I couldn’t meet you all out here sooner. Shining Armor was telling me about some rather…unique ideas that some of the Canterlot citizens came up with for the games.”

“I thought he was at a meeting with King Sombra?” Nightmare said.

“Actually, King Sombra postponed the meeting.” Cadance sighed. “The people of Canterlot have been asleep with Celestia for a long time. They’re not sure what to think of our empire, and they still have a lot of questions for King Sombra so I guess we’re taking things slowly to ease their minds.”

Chrysalis and Nightmare fidgeted a little. “I’m a little curious too. What is King Sombra planning to do with Canterlot? He already rules the Crystal Empire, so what’s going to happen to the people here?” Chrysalis asked.

Cadance smiled gently. “He said he has a few ideas that might work, but he needs a little more time to plan everything out in his head.”

Nightmare sighed. “Well, he’s never steered our empire wrong before.”

Discord groaned loudly. “Yes, yes, the Canterlot situation is a big, jumbled up mess. Not exactly a fun mess either. Can we go home now? I’m bored out of my skull here.” To illustrate his point, Discord popped his head off his neck, and threw it like a bowling bowl down the hall. His head collided with miniature figures of Mare-Do-Well lined up like bowling pins. Once the figures were knocked over, Discord snapped his fingers and reattached his head to his body. “Honestly, I’m running out of things to entertain myself with.”

Nightmare chuckled. “Yes, I suppose things are a little boring around here when Aunt Celestia isn’t around. Countess Cadance? Do you have anything else on your schedule for today?”

Cadance blinked. “Oh! Are you inviting me to something?”

Nightmare smiled. “That’s what I was implying, yes. Just a friendly visit to Peaceville, nothing too formal.”

Fluttershy smiled shyly. “W-would you like to see how things are going in m-my store?”

“That does sound nice,” Cadance said. She smiled as an idea struck her. “Maybe there’ll be a monster or something attacking the town. Peaceville always seems to be full of excitement!”

Discord chuckled. “When you say it like that, the name sounds a little ironic, doesn’t it?” He floated higher into the air and stretched out his limbs. “Well, I’m glad we’ve wrapped things up in a nice little bow here. Any longer and I might have invited Eris here just to keep myself occupied.”

Sunset hummed thoughtfully to herself before she spoke up. “Um, Nightmare? Before we go back home, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“I don’t mind,” Nightmare said with a small shrug.

“When we were going to the wedding in the Crystal Empire, you said we might get a chance to meet your dad. But because of, um…” Sunset glanced at Cadance and Fluttershy. “...Certain events…we never got around to meeting him.”

Nightmare smiled. “Oh. You’re right; we never did get around to that. Well, it’s just a minor detour before we go back home. Are you all curious?” She paused as her friends nodded in shared interest. “Very well then. Discord, if you could take us to the Crystal Empire, please.”

“About time something interested happened today,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers. With a flash of light, they all appeared in a hallway somewhere within the Crystal Castle.

“And so by the time we got her out of that cave, she was completely covered in…oh, hello there.” The Elements and their friends turned around to see Corporal Blueblood talking to Captain Luna.

“Hi Corporal Blueblood. Hi mom!” Nightmare said cheerfully.

Luna smiled at her. “You’ll have to finish telling me that story another time, Corporal.”

Corporal Blueblood smiled at the Elements and gave a salute to Luna. “As you wish Captain Luna.” Blueblood turned around and walked down the hallway away from Luna and Nightmare as the two of them broke into their favourite song.

“Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!”

As the two of them finished singing, Luna gave her daughter a hug before she turned to face their friends “It’s good to see you all again. To what do I owe this surprise visit?”

Sunset smiled. “Nightmare said she was going to introduce us to her dad.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Truly?”

“Before I said I was going to tell them during the wedding, but you know what happened there. I guess I forgot about the subject until Sunset brought it up again. So…” Nightmare stared at her mom with a hopeful smile.

Luna tapped her chin in thought before she slowly nodded. “I suppose now is a good time. You’ll have to excuse me while I go speak with him.”

“No problem. We remember where it is,” Smog said. Luna smiled as her horn glowed. She vanished in a flash of light as she teleported to another part of the castle.

“Follow me everyone. You’re about to see a secret of this castle that few ponies know about,” Nightmare told her friends with a mysterious smile. They followed Nightmare through the castle, all the way to the throne room. Sitting in her throne was Princess Twilight, talking to Philomena who was perched on top of her throne.

“Are you sure about that?” Princess Twilight asked the phoenix.

“Yes Princess Twilight. I promise you that I’m not lying,” Philomena chirped.

Princess Twilight sighed. “Okay then. I suppose I’ll just have to take your word for it.” She looked up at she heard Nightmare and her friends enter the throne room. “Oh! Hello everyone. Luna told me what’s happening. She should be waiting inside for you all.”

Nightmare gave the princess a bow and smiled. “Would you like to come with us Princess Twilight?”

The princess smiled back. “I think I have time in my schedule. Philomena, go on ahead and tell King Sombra that I’ll be there in a hour or so.”

Philomena sighed. “Yes, Your Majesty.” She flapped her wings and flew off the princess’ throne. As she passed by Smog, she hesitated before she briefly touched down in front of him. “Smog…Nightmare…I just wanted to say…sorry. For…for those things that I did to you.”

Nightmare and Smog exchanged glances before they looked at Philomena and smiled. “Apology accepted,” Nightmare said. Philomena nodded and flew out of the room without another word.

Once Philomena left the room, Princess Twilight got off her throne, turned around, and faced the wall behind King Sombra’s throne. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as her horn glowed, her magic’s aura taking on a darker colour as she focused on a particular spell. She fired a beam of magic at a large crystal embedded in the wall. Reacting to her spell, the wall behind the thrones slid up to reveal a secret passage. Nightmare Moon and Princess Twilight led the way down a long passageway, followed by their curious friends. They eventually arrived in a very large, rectangular room filled with several magnificent mirrors. Some mirrors had horseshoe shaped rims, while others had gold frames, clawed feet, crystals made to look like eyes, or other unique features.

Nightmare led her friends to a mirror with a blue and pink frame. “My dad is on the other side.”

Sunset stared at the mirror, before he gaze was pulled towards another, more familiar mirror with a crystal arch. “That’s the mirror I saw before. The one that led to me losing my cutie mark.”

Trixie tapped her chin as she examined the mirrors. “Is that so? Very interesting. Trixie can sense that these mirrors contain powerful magic.”

“Your senses do not fool you,” Luna said as she walked out from behind one of the mirrors, startling Rarity and Fluttershy. She pointed at the blue and pink mirror in front of them. “This mirror is a gateway to another world.”

Sunset’s eyes widened in amazement. “Another world? You mean like an alternate universe? Do you know how incredible that is?!”

Luna smiled. “I do indeed. It was from one of these alternate universes that Nightmare’s father came from.” She reached up and touched the mirror’s surface, which shimmered and wobbled like water in a pool. “They’re ready to meet you,” she whispered into the mirror.

Nightmare’s friends watched in awe as a hoof poked its way out of the mirror. A dark alicorn stallion climbed out of the mirror and smiled at them all. What Sunset found surprising was that the stallion looked a lot like Captain Luna. “Greetings! I say to you all, a warm welcome on this most wonderful night!”

Luna giggled into her hoof. “It’s the middle of the day, sweetheart.”

“Aw, I thought these fine friends of our daughter’s were staying up late to see me. Can I get a redo?” the stallion asked.

Luna chuckled and shook her head. She turned to face Nightmare’s friends and said, “Everyone, it is my honour to introduce Prince Artemis.”

Rarity’s eyes widened as a grin formed on her face. “A p-p…a prince? An alicorn PRINCE?” Her eyes went out of focus as her grin turned goofy. “Ooh…ah…ooh,” she said before she passed out and fell on the floor.

Artemis looked down at Rarity in mild confusion and concern. “Nightmare, it appears that one of your friends has fainted. Is she quite well?”

Nightmare chuckled. “Oh, she’ll be fine. It’s great to see you again dad.”

Artemis grinned. “And I feel much joy at seeing you again, my beautiful Nightmare! Come here so that I may shower you with fatherly love and affection!” He levitated Nightmare over to him and wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug.

Nightmare winced, even as she tried to return the hug. “Ow. Thank you dad, but – ouch! Could you ease up a little?”

“Very well,” Artemis said as he released her. “Now then, friends of Nightmare Moon. I’m sure you have a few questions for me, so ask away! You, orange unicorn mare! Do you wish to go first?”

Sunset lowered her hoof. “Um, thank you. Sorry, but I have to ask…are you…Luna?”

Luna smiled and nodded. “Artemis comes from a world that is similar yet also very different to ours. Where he comes from, the stallions are mares and the mares are stallions. Prince Artemis is what I would be like as a stallion.” She paused and added, “And still royalty.”

Sunset stared at Luna, Artemis, and Nightmare. “And…you two had a kid? I’m pretty sure that breaks like…all the rules.”

“What do you mean?” Chrysalis asked.

Sunset twitched. “I don’t know! How can you have a kid with another version of yourself? My mind is mixed up in how insane this is! Just…RULES! You broke ALL of them!”

Luna chuckled. “Sunset Shimmer, it’s not what you think.”

“Indeed,” Artemis said. “The creation of Nightmare Moon was very different compared to the creation of other ponies. While I am the closest thing to a father that Nightmare has, she was not born in the traditional way.”

“What do you guys know about golems?” Smog asked their friends.

Sunset opened her mouth to answer, but Trixie was quicker. “A golem is an artificially created creature. It takes incredible magic to create such a creature, but the result can have the appearance, personality, and purpose of whatever its creator wants it to have. As long as they know what they are doing, that is. Trixie herself has tried to create a golem, but unfortunately she’s had little success so far. Trixie also remembers that Celestia created an army of golems to do battle with the great dragon Spike.”

“What happened to them anyway?” Chrysalis asked.

Nightmare shrugged. “My aunt said she tucked them away somewhere safe until she had use for them.”

Sunset frowned in confusion. “So then…are you a golem?”

Nightmare chuckled. “It’s our best guess. I might be something in between a golem and a pony. To be honest, we’re not completely sure what I am.”

“You see my friends, Luna and I combined our magic to create our beautiful daughter,” Artemis said.

“King Sombra also added some of his own magic to the spell,” Luna added. “His dark magic is part of the reason why Nightmare Moon looks a little like a scarier version of myself.”

Discord’s eyes widened. “Ooh! My mom and dad mentioned something about this!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Really? Your parents helped create Nightmare Moon too?”

Discord glanced at Fluttershy and blinked. “Um…probably. Possibly? I know they were present at least, but I can’t recall what they told me they were doing.”

Everyone stared at him for a moment as he stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Sunset faced Artemis again and asked, “So…an alternate universe huh? What’s King Sombra like in your world?”

“Queen Umbra,” Artemis said.

“Rarity?”

“Elusive.”

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Rainbow Blitz.”

“Gilda?”

“Iron Claw.”

“Celestia?”

“Solaris.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Butterscotch.”

“Chrysalis?”

“Metamorphosis.”

Trixie walked up to the mirror and stared into it. “Trixie?”

“Your counterpart is known as the Great and Powerful Presto,” Artemis told her.

A very big smile formed on Trixie’s face. “Presto…”

Sunset suddenly frowned at her. “Oh no, you don’t!” Trixie yelped as Sunset’s magic tugged on her ear. “Luna and Artemis might have found a loophole, but don’t you even think about doing anything like that!”

“Trixie was not thinking of doing anything! What were you thinking of?”

“I was hoping that even you couldn’t be that much of a narcissist,” Sunset growled.

“HA! Shows what you know. And don’t tell Trixie that you’re not even a little curious. Wouldn’t another version of yourself be the ultimate friend?”

“I’ve just been freaked out a second time by one of these mirrors, I’m not going to risk a third freak out!” Sunset shouted.

Artemis smiled. “Your friends seem like a very lively bunch.”

Nightmare sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“Though, speaking of Iron Claw and Rainbow Blitz, where are their counterparts?”

“They’re in Shadowbolt academy right now,” Nightmare answered.

“Oh! Well, I can always meet them at another time. I wouldn’t want to distract them from their dream,” Artemis said.

Discord chuckled and waved his claw. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them. They’re probably not doing anything that interesting.” His smile grew sneaky. “And even as I speak…”

“I can’t control it!” Spitfire cried. She and Gilda were currently in a cloud busting exercise with the other recruits. To get ahead of the competition, Spitfire suggested that the two of them could create a tornado to clear the clouds faster. Recalling what both Nightingale and Celestia had said about pushing yourself, Gilda had agreed to it. Now, Gilda watched as Spitfire spun out of control and out of the giant tornado that they had created. Gilda struggled as she tried to control the twister. If she had created the tornado all by herself it would have been more manageable, but combined with Spitfire’s power the tornado was proving to be too wild to control. Gilda cried out as the wind flung her out of the tornado and back into the Shadowbolt academy’s cave.

“Ugh…” Gilda grunted as she recovered from the rough landing. She stood back up to see the tornado heading away from the caves. “Well, at least it’s not going anywhere.”

Rainbow and Soarin paused their exercise and flew down to Gilda to see what happened. “Gilda! Are you okay? What was that?” Rainbow cried.

Gilda grunted. “Spitfire wanted to make a tornado to get ahead of you guys. Bad news is, she couldn’t control it. Good news is, at least there’s nothing important around the academy that could break.”

Soarin fidgeted nervously. “I dunno. It’s heading out into the forest. I thought I heard someone say they’re holding an exercise for something.”

Rainbow frowned. “What exercise? We were busting clouds up there, and we’re the only recruits.”

Gilda blinked as realization dawned on her. “Guys…didn’t Celestia say she was taking the junior recruits out into the forest today?”

Rainbow, Gilda, and Soarin all stared at each other. “Oh DARN!” Together, they all flapped their wings and flew after the tornado.

As the griffon and two pegasus ponies flew past her, Spitfire blinked in surprise. “Guys? Where are you going?” Her eyes followed them before they passed over the tornado. “Why would they be chasing…” Her jaw dropped as her eyes widened in horror. “Oh stars above, what have I done?!” She quickly launched herself in the same direction they were going.

“Dash! We need to slow the tornado! Soarin! You fly ahead and get Celestia’s attention. Tell her and the kids to get the flying heck out of the way!” Gilda ordered.

Soarin nodded and flew ahead of the two, while Rainbow and Gilda flew in front of the tornado and hovered in front of it. “Should we get inside and take control of it?” Rainbow asked.

“That might take too long. Let’s find a good angle and start flapping like mad. Maybe we can push it away!” Gilda shouted over the roaring winds of the approaching tornado. Rainbow nodded and began flapping her wings as hard and as fast as she could. Gilda’s wings flapped with hers, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

“Darn it! We can’t keep this up!” Rainbow shouted.

“Come on Dash! You said you wouldn’t give up, right?” Rainbow and Gilda glanced over their shoulders to see Spitfire, Soarin and Celestia hovering with them. The other three ponies began flapping their wings as hard as they could. With the combined strength of their wings’ magic, especially from Celestia, the tornado began to slow down before it sped back up and flew in another direction.

Rainbow sighed in relief as the tornado blew out towards sea. “Good. Nothing out there but fish.”

“Well, the fish and the sea serpents. Not to mention the…” Celestia trailed off as she noticed that the others were staring at her. “But then again, they know how to shelter themselves from rough weather.”

Gilda sighed in relief. “Great. The sea serpents know how to handle sea storms.” She turned around and glared at Spitfire. “As for you…”

Spitfire gulped as Gilda growled at her. “Um, Gilda? I am really, really sorry about that. I didn’t mean for that tornado to spin out of control.”

“My cousin could have been hurt,” Gilda growled.

“Um…” Spitfire smiled sheepishly at Rainbow and Soarin. “You guys know I didn’t mean for things to-”

“Your twister could have hurt Scootaloo,” Rainbow growled.

Soarin frowned. “I don’t really know the kids in that group Spitfire. But I do know that was too reckless, even for you.”

Spitfire gulped as even Celestia was frowning at her. “Miss Celestia, ma’am, I would never hurt those kids on purpose. I just helped you guys push the tornado out of the way!”

“And I will be sure to mention that fact. However, such reckless behavior cannot be excused when it endangers innocent lives,” Celestia said.

Spitfire sighed as her ears folded down. “You’re right, ma’am. I deserve whatever punishment you give me.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be the one issuing out a punishment, miss Spitfire,” Celestia said.

“Spitfire, you reckless, impulsive, arrogant, irresponsible…” Nightingale paused as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “I never yell at anyone, but I really want to right now.”

Spitfire flinched as Nightingale turned around to glare at her again. “Please ma’am, I am so, so sorry.”

“Save your excuses. You’re coming with me,” Nightingale said as she grabbed Spitfire’s left ear with her teeth and began dragging her to her office.

Rainbow bit her lip as she watched Nightingale pull Spitfire away. She glanced at Gilda, Lightning, and Celestia before she spoke up. “Um, Nightingale, ma’am?” She waited until Nightingale was looking at her. “I know that what Spitfire did was really irresponsible. But, the thing is…I did something similar once to Clouds-Edge, even if I wasn’t aiming for anyone and nobody got hurt.”

Gilda stared at her friend, before she sighed and spoke up. “Dash has a point. Nobody got hurt, and she helped us push the tornado away.”

Celestia’s frown faded as she noticed how scared Spitfire looked. “I know that this young mare needs to be punished for her reckless actions, but perhaps you could be lenient?”

Nightingale frowned at the three of them before she sighed. “Considering that she helped clean up her mess and that you saved those kids, I will try to be lenient. Now get back to work. Gilda, Rainbow, and Soarin, get up there and give me thirty.”

The four of them saluted Nightingale before they all flapped their wings and flew into the sky.

“I’m sorry about Spitfire,” Soarin said.

Gilda smiled at him. “Not your fault dude. Come on, I’ll race ya.”

As the Shadowbolt trainees flew their laps, Nightingale dragged Spitfire down the halls of the Shadowbolt academy. “Once again, I’m really sorry Miss Nightingale, ma’am.”

Before Nightingale could open her mouth to issue a retort, a Shadowbolt stopped her. “Excuse me, Nightingale? I’ve got something important for you here.”

Nightingale frowned at the Shadowbolt. The Shadowbolt had her hood up and her goggles on, so she was having a hard time figuring out who it was. The only distinguishing trait Nightingale could see was the bright yellow mane. “What is it?” she asked.

“I think it would be best if I decide what happens to Spitfire. I think we should give her a second chance. After all, that’s what my friends would want,” the pegasus mare said.

Nightingale frowned at the suspicious mare. “What friends would those be?” She examined the mare further and said, “I don’t recognize you. Who are you? And…” Her eyes widened as she stared at the mare’s hooves. “What’s wrong with your hooves?”

The mare giggled as she pulled off her goggles and removed the hood off her Shadowbolt uniform. “You can call me Surprise, ma’am.”

Nightingale stared at Surprise as she lifted her right hoof. “Those fingers…wait a minute you’re-”

Pinkie Pie snapped her fingers, causing Nightingale’s eyes to lose focus and her jaw to slacken. Spitfire stared in horror as Nightingale stared off into space. She gulped as Pinkie stepped closer to her. “So you wanna be a Shadowbolt? Well then, here’s what I want you to do…”

“W-what did you to her…” Spitfire trailed off as Pinkie snapped her fingers again.

“Well, it was wonderful to meet you all my friends! Nightmare, Luna, feel free to invite me to your world whenever you wish it so!” Artemis smiled and waved to Nightmare and her friends as he stepped back into the mirror leading back to his universe.

“I like him!” Discord said with a smile. “He’s like Luna but louder!”

“He did seem very nice,” Chrysalis said. She shifted a little as her stomach growled. “Um, are you guys hungry too or is it just me?”

“We have been talking to Prince Artemis for a while,” Cadance said. “I could eat if you guys are all hungry.”

Luna smiled as her daughter and her friends left the mirror chamber to go look for lunch. She was about to leave the room herself, when she noticed Princess Twilight staring at one of the mirrors. Luna walked up to the princess’ side and asked, “Is everything okay Princess Twilight?”

“It’s gotten bigger,” Princess Twilight said as she stared at the mirror.

Luna titled her head to the side. “Pardon?”

Princess Twilight pointed at the crystal mirror. “There. Near the corner. There’s a large crack. It’s gotten bigger.”

Luna stared at the mirror before she frowned in confusion. “Your Majesty, I don’t see any crack in the mirror.”

Princess Twilight turned around and stared at her. “You don’t? But…” she turned around again and stared at the mirror. “But how can that be?”

“Princess Twilight, perhaps we should go join the others. Your duties have exhausted you, and it’s possible that you’re seeing things. Another possibility is something in this room.” Luna’s gaze drifted all over the room. “This room holds many strange, and mysterious secrets.”

“I…you’re right, P…Luna. I’m probably seeing things.” Princess Twilight said as she followed Captain Luna out of the room.

Pinkie skipped down the hall, humming a little tune:

“We’ll be dancing on air when it happens
Dancing on air with glee.
Oh yes, they’ll be celebrating
When they see it’s me.
They’ll do cartwheels in the air when they see it
Their hopes will start to rise
From what I’m anticipating
They’ll be in for a BIG surprise.”

“Surprise? Is that what you named this form of yours?” Pinkie stopped skipping as she saw Celestia walk towards her.

“Hi there Celestia! How’s it going with training those itty, bitty, junior ‘bolts?” Pinkie asked cheerfully.

“Drop the disguise, Trickster. You don’t fool me,” Celestia said sternly.

Pinkie giggled and snapped her fingers, causing her white coat and yellow hair to turn pink. She removed her Shadowbolt uniform with another finger snap. “Ooh, you’re good. What gave me away?”

“The fact that you don’t disguise your voice,” Celestia stated.

“Huh, I guess you’re right,” Pinkie said as she lazily floated into the air. “So, how’s it hanging, Celly-belly?”

Celestia frowned at the chaotic mare in suspicion. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh you know, floating around, talking with my friends. Did you know Vortex has a birthday today?”

“Yes, however I also know that you are not friends with him.”

“Oh, you silly filly! I’m friends with tons of ponies!” Pinkie’s gaze wandered around the academy. “Ya know, it’s super duper nice of you to help out the Shadowbolts, but I’m kinda curious on the why of it all. You’re such a bright, sunny mare and here you are helping out an elite flying team that hisses at the sun and covers their heads with hoods.” Pinkie giggled for a few seconds before she suddenly gasped. “You’re not going Goth on us, are you Tia?”

Celestia was not amused. “I will not ask again Trickster. Why are you here?”

Pinkie floated closer to Celestia and placed a gentle hoof on her wing. “Hey, what’s wrong Tia? Why are you being such a grumpy grump-pants?”

“Please refrain from using nicknames around me,” Celestia said as she shrugged Pinkie off.

Pinkie sighed. “Ugh, fine. But why are you mad at me?”

Celestia frowned. “To be honest, I don’t know. Perhaps that is the reason why I am suspicious of you. I can unfortunately recall all of the horrifying things that I did as Daybreaker and I can recall all of the mischief that you caused this kingdom in the past. But something tells me that you are a bigger threat than I was. But when I try to remember the reason why that is, I come up with nothing. This wouldn’t be so serious if King Sombra did not mention something that happened during our battle.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed at Pinkie. “Apparently, Daybreaker was completely terrified of you. Apparently, I had a vision of you unleashing an unspeakable power. However, I have no memory of having such a vision.”

Pinkie tapped her chin in thought. “Huh. This sounds like quite a mystery.” She hummed as she blew into a bubble pipe. She thought carefully for a second before she vanished the pipe. “I think the Rainbow of Light was making you coo-coo crazy, and you saw a hallucination.” She beamed at Celestia. “There! I figured out the mystery in record time! Ain’t I such a smarty-pants?” she giggled.

Celestia frowned. “Or perhaps you used your powers to make me forget I had that vision.”

“Hmm…nope! I’m going with my idea. Now hold on missy,” Pinkie said as Celestia raised a hoof in objection. “You got to ask your question, so now I get to ask one.” Her crazed grin faded into a more genuine smile as she stared at Celestia. “You really love Luna a lot, don’t you? Like how I love my sister, Maud. Right?”

Celestia’s frown faded a little. “Of course. I care about Luna and Nightmare very much. And it is nice to hear that you have someone you care about too.”

Pinkie chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. “Is it really that hard to believe I care about Maud?”

“No, it isn’t.” Celestia frowned again. “Now, if we can get back to what we were talking about-”

“But what if it IS hard to believe?” Pinkie’s eyes widened. “What if I’m NOT being a good sibling? What if I’m not spending enough time with her?! Excuse me Celestia, I need to go.” And before Celestia could stop her, Pinkie teleported far away from the Shadowbolt academy.

Pinkie appeared deep within the Equestria forest with a flash of light. Maud Pie’s eyes remained focused on the rocks she was levitating with her hoof, even as her sister floated over to her. “Hi Pinkie,” she said with the same dull monotone she always used.

Pinkie smiled and hugged her sister. “Hi Maud!” She released Maud and watched the rocks float by. “You still like the powers I gave you?”

“Of course. I can understand rocks better than anyone. They speak to me,” Maud said.

“Really? What do they say?” Pinkie asked.

“Nothing, really. Rocks don’t talk much,” Maud said.

“Yeah, but that’s okay. Sometimes I feel like the people I talk to never talk much. Rude bunch of meanies. I mean, is it really so hard to keep up with me when I’m having a conversation and I’m talking and talking and talking about this thing that I did that one time?” Pinkie said. Maud mumbled something. Pinkie took it to mean that she was agreeing with her. “Exactly! Well, that’s enough chatting for now. Let’s go! It should be down there, right?” she asked as she pointed at the path.

Maud nodded as she let go of the rocks she had been levitating. The two sisters focused on the trail as they traveled deeper into the Equestria forest. As they traveled, Pinkie kept glancing at Maud and away again. She fidgeted as she floated through the air and twiddled her thumbs as she thought about whether or not it would she should ask the question she’d been having. Finally she said, “Hey Maud? Do you think…” Maud stopped and stared blankly at her sister. “Do you think my plan is a good one?”

“What do you mean?”

Pinkie rubbed her front foreleg in uncertainty. “I mean…we know what will happen if this works, or at least we sorta know. But would it really be so bad if we kept things the way they are? Do you think I could keep living like this? I mean, I have all these fun, crazy powers. I could throw parties for everyone. I could make friends with anyone…but it would take a really long time. ‘Cause now, nobody trusts me like you do.”

Maud blinked slowly as she thought up a response. “Pinkie, you gave me the power to control rocks. I can understand rocks better than anyone, because you were nice enough to do that. I can move all kinds of rocks. The little ones, which anyone can move, and the big ones, which most people can’t. I know which rocks last longer. Boulder has lasted longer than most of my pet rocks.”

Pinkie nodded. “He’s a fighter alright.”

“So are you. When you see something that you really want, you’re like a rock too. Strong like a mountain and crazy like an earthquake. Sure, you can crack a little pebble. But the wind can’t break a mountain.” Maud stared at Pinkie with the same emotionless stare than she always had, but Pinkie could see the seriousness in those eyes. “Are you a pebble or a mountain?”

Pinkie grinned as she rolled Maud’s words around in her head. “You’re right Maud! I can’t give up now!” she shouted. Feeling like her energy was renewed, Pinkie flew ahead and over to a cliff which she then launched herself off of. Once she reached the bottom, Pinkie floated back into the air and zoomed towards a large wall of crystals. “Okay Maud, do your thing!”

Maud nodded as she carefully slid down the cliff. Once she reached the crystal wall, she frowned in concentration and stomped her hooves as hard as she could. The crystal wall came crashing down, revealing the entrance to a cave. With that done, Maud stared at Pinkie as she snapped her fingers and conjured up a pink watering can that she levitated into Maud’s hoof. “Just go inside and start watering,” Pinkie said with an encouraging smile.

Maud stared at the watering can before she stared at Pinkie. “It’s nice to see that you haven’t given up, Pinkie.”

Pinkie grinned. “And it’s nice to know that I can always count on you!” She zoomed towards Maud and gave her a bone-crushing hug. Maud simply smiled and patted Pinkie on the head. Once Pinkie had released her, Maud took the watering can and went inside the cave.

While she waited for Maud, Pinkie smiled and stared at the ground. She wiggled her fingers and watched as a thorny, black vine poked out of the ground and began to rapidly grow. Within seconds, the vine was as big as a tree. A red sphere appeared on the vine and started to expand like a balloon. Pinkie floated up to the top of the vine and plucked the bright red apple from it. She floated off to a small lake not too far away from where the cave was and smiled at the water.

“Celestia. Luna. Spike. Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Fluttershy.” With every name that Pinkie spoke, the water of the pond rippled. Pinkie giggled, held up the apple and took a big bite out of it.

“Eight down. One more to go.”

Author's Note

Dancing on air song based off of song from gen 1 of MLP.

............................................Thinking.......................................

Friends, Forgive...................................................

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

In a time and place far from Everfree, there was a simple town. Technically it was more than large enough to be called a city, but the ponies who frolicked within the city’s walls liked to think of it as ‘just a big town’. A simple Ponytown, with over 50 pony stores, 3 pony schools, and hundreds of pony houses. Everything was as sunny, wholesome, and perfect as could be within Ponytown.

The teacher rang a little bell outside the Ponytown Elementary School, letting all the colts and fillies know that their recess was halfway over and to keep an eye on the time. But they still had twenty minutes left to keep laughing and playing games with each other. The fillies and colts ran back and forth, threw balls at each other, played jump rope, played hopscotch, and climbed all over the giant tree that was planted in the middle of the schoolyard.

On the left side of the schoolyard, there was a shorter tree. This tree was almost overstuffed with leafy branches and provided a huge amount of shade. It wasn’t particularly popular with the other colts and fillies because it wasn’t good for climbing and it didn’t let them enjoy the sunlight.

At the base of the tree, there was a single unicorn filly. There was nothing remarkable about this filly, except perhaps how pale she was compared to the other children. The unicorn laid back against the tree with a book held in her hooves and a peaceful smile on her face. Her ears folded and unfolded and her tail kept swishing back and forth, but she didn’t seem to notice. She turned to the next page of her book and grimaced, but her smile quickly returned.

…

…

She let out a gasp as she felt one of the colts roughly push against her side, shoving her into the tree trunk. “Tag, you’re it!” the colt exclaimed before he ran off laughing.

The filly shot the colt a very confused look before she settled down and picked up her book again. She flipped back to the page she was on and kept reading.

…

…

She let another gasp as two fillies, one pegasus and one earth pony, ran up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. “Tag, you’re it!” they exclaimed before they ran off again, looking back at her with eager grins.

Again, the filly blinked in confusion before she returned to her book. Her ears twitched and she squinted a bit as she kept reading before her face relaxed.

…

…

She let out a third gasp as a ball smacked her in the face and rolled to the side. “Hey, come on Lily! Pass it over here!”

Lily looked over at the group of kids shouting at her. She grimaced a little and picked up her book with her magic and walked over to where the ball had landed. She carefully rolled the ball back to the kids.

“No, no, you’re supposed to throw it to me!” a colt said with a wide smile. “Then I’ll throw it to you, and you throw it to-”

“Okay,” Lily mumbled. “Um, sorry I have to study.”

“What?” the colt asked.

“I have to study.”

“What? Could ya speak up, you’re really-”

“Uh, nothing. Excuse me.” Lily walked away from the strange looks the other kids were giving her and sat back down at the tree. She opened her book and smiled.

A few minutes later, a ball came whizzing towards her. But before it hit her, somebody else caught the ball in her magic.

Lily looked up in surprise at the unicorn mare smiling down at her. “Hi there.”

Lily blinked up slowly at the mare. “Hi.”

“Is it okay if I sit here?” the mare asked.

“Um…” Lily mumbled.

“Sorry, I brought some books with me, and I’m just looking for a quiet place to study.”

Lily blinked rapidly at the mare. “Um…okay.”

Lily stared at the grown-up mare curiously as she sat down against the trunk, keeping plenty of space between herself and Lily. She pulled out a book from her saddlebag and started reading. Lily’s tail swished a few times before she turned back to her own book.

The two ponies sat in silence.

…

…

…

Lily flipped to the next page, paused, and looked up at the cover of the book the mare was reading. “Um, excuse me…”

“Yes?” the mare asked with a smile.

“Um, what book are you, uh reading?”

“Heh, it makes sense you’d be curious. I had to travel a really long way to find a library that carried this book. It’s called Robots Vs. Fairies.”

Lily’s eyes widened and she blinked rapidly. “Robots Vs. Fairies?”

“Yep.”

Lily’s ears and tail flicked and swished. “So, it’s about robots fighting fairies? How advanced are the robots? Do the fairies belong to a royal court?”

“Take a look,” the mare said as she levitated the book over to Lily. She smiled as Lily stared at the cover. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

As Lily carefully opened the book, the mare continued. “This is actually a collection of stories. Each chapter tells a different story about robots OR fairies. Though there are one or two where they fight, yes.” The mare smiled. “For the most part, the book is split between two kinds of stories. Perfectly balanced. As all things should be. Until you get to the happy ending, or at least, what I think the happy ending is.”

Lily examined the table of contents and nodded slowly. The mare smiled and added, “My favourite short story in here is about a mortal girl who becomes a librarian and works for an immortal fairy princess. She even meets her special somebody at the library.”

Lily blinked in surprise. “She meets a colt in a fairy’s library?”

The mare shook her head. “Not a special somepony. A special somebody.” She grinned a little. “She falls in love with a shape-shifting, living book. When the book is in her fairy form, she has bright green skin, a sweet personality, these cute little outfits and she gets drunk by reading poetry the same way adults get drunk by drinking hard cider.”

Lily’s eyes brightened. “That’s so cool! Where did you find this book?”

“I’m sort of rereading it, so I suppose I can let you borrow it. Just make sure you don’t say any of the swear words in it,” the mare said as Lily flipped to the first story in the book and started reading.

“Hey Lily, ball’s coming your way!” a colt’s voice shouted as a ball came hurtling towards their tree.

Without even turning her gaze away from Lily, the mare's horn shot out a burst of magic that swerved through the air and struck the ball. It froze solid and crashed into the ground, shattering into hundreds of tiny ice cubes.

Lily gasped. “H-how’d you do that?!”

“Something from a standard book of spells I found. I can let you borrow it too, if you’d like.” The mare levitated another book out of her saddlebag.

Lily smiled at the bag. “How many books do you have with you?”

Before the mare could answer Lily, a group of colts made their way towards the tree. “Hey! What happened to our ball?!” a blue pegasus colt shouted. “Lily, why’s our ball turned into ice?”

Lily’s ears folded down before they turned up and flicked three times. “Um, uh, I…uh…”

“Lily, we’re playing jump rope! Come on!” a trio of fillies came galloping over with some skipping rope held in one earth filly’s teeth. They paused to stare at the ice cube pile. “What happened?”

The mare shrugged. “I have no clue how that ball got like that. But I think you can ask your teacher for a spare ball.”

The fillies and colts grinned at the mare. “Howdy there!” one colt said. “My name’s-”

“Listen,” the mare interrupted quickly. “I’m not staying here for very long. There’s really no point introducing yourself to me.”

The fillies and colts blinked in confusion, giving the mare very sour looks. “What? Who are you?” a filly asked.

“I’m just someone here to help Lily study.”

One of the colts frowned. “But we only have to study stuff in school. It’s recess now! Lily should be playing with us!”

Another filly frowned and squinted at the books in Lily’s grasp. “I don’t recognize those books either. What…”

The mare sighed and stood up, facing the other children. “Okay I lied about the studying-”

“My daddy says you shouldn’t lie!” one of the fillies cried.

“Friends don’t lie to each other!” another colt shouted. “That’s what my mommy said!”

The mare let out another sigh, a cloud of fog rolling out of the corner of her mouth. “Well, parents aren’t very astute or congenial.” As the other children frowned in confusion, the mare continued. “The point is, Lily and I are spending time reading together.”

“Uh, um…” Lily mumbled, her gaze focused on the books in the mare’s saddlebag. Several of the kids frowned at her.

One of the other fillies raised her voice. “But-”

“I’m sorry, but don’t you think you all need to be heading back to class soon?” the mare said as wisps of white light formed around the edges of her calm smile.

One of the colts glared at her and wrinkled his muzzle. “Why are you being so weird?”

What happened next caught all the kids by surprise.

Lily wrapped her hooves around herself as she felt an unnatural chill sweep through the playground. She gasped as she saw ice began to form and cover the tree trunk. She turned around to see if any pony else noticed this, only to discover that all the other children were gone. It was just her and the older mare left.

“Uh, where’d everyone go?” she mumbled.

“I think they left to go back inside. Things have gotten rather heated,” the mare said as she began to slowly walk away from the tree. The forgotten jump rope burst into flames and shriveled into ashes as her hoof brushed along it.

“Um, what’s…” Lily started to ask, before she felt…something enter her mind.

“Go home, Lily,” the mare gently commanded.

Lily walked away from the tree, a few books clutched in her magic. Her eyes were unfocused and glowing a tiny bit as she left the school. Eventually the glowing faded away, although her gaze remained spacey.

The mare sighed as she began to walk towards the town.

“Stop!” A shadow from underneath the larger tree slithered across the ground and jumped out in front of her path. From the shadow a unicorn stallion with a gray coat and a short, dark blue mane and tail emerged.

The mare blinked in surprise before she frowned. “Stygian. What are you doing here?”

Stygian held his hooves together and pleaded, “Please my queen. You don’t have to do this.”

The queen glared at the town. “Nobody else is doing anything to fix things. The hardest choices require the strongest wills. And right now, I’m the only pony who has the will to fix the world. I guess I was just too afraid to see it before.”

Stygian glared at her. “Who was that filly you were talking to? What did you do to her and those other children?”

The queen sighed. “Lily is a piece of the puzzle. She has a very unique set of skills. She’s one of the most unique beings I have ever known. People who are like her are very special. And very, very rare.” She frowned at his confused expression. “All you need to know is that she is a diamond living around dirt. I won’t hurt people like her, but I make no promises about else I will do.”

Stygian looked around. “Where are we anyway? This place feels…”

“This place is as real as I say it is.” The queen’s horn glowed again as an angry shout rose up from the town before an orange earth pony stallion with a blonde mane and tail came rocketing towards them.

The stallion hovered in midair and growled out, “What…”

And his voice was quickly silenced as his mouth vanished from existence. The queen shot the frightened stallion a glare so cold it could freeze suns. “No more.”

Stygian gulped. “Please my queen, what good will this do?”

“It will make me happy. That’s all the good it needs to do.”

The stallion dropped from the air and landed with a crunch onto the ground. But before Stygian could express his relief that the earth stallion was unharmed, the orange pony began to…crumble.

The orange stallion’s eyes widened and he cried out in silent fear as his fur, flesh, and bones peeled, flaked, and floated away. The stallion turned into ashes within seconds. Then, even less than ashes.

Stygian gulped and turned away from the other stallion, keeping his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to look at him. When the other stallion was no more, dark shadows began to ooze out of Stygian’s form. Ten shadowy blades of dark magic rose up from Stygian’s shadow and threw themselves at the queen.

But the queen didn’t even flinch when the blades washed over her like drops of rain. “Well thank you for convincing me to speed things up but you can stop now. The more you try to talk me out of doing this, the faster I will work.”

Stygian grimaced but still commanded the shadows to roll back into his body. “Even if I can’t stop you, somebody will.” He turned and raised an eyebrow as a crowd of angry stallions and mares marched their way out of the town and towards them. “Seems you’ve attracted a crowd.”

The mare sighed and walked around him. “Something else to work my frustration out on, I suppose.”

“That must be her! The witch who kidnapped our mayor!” a pegasus stallion from the crowd shouted. The angry mob roared with him and marched even faster.

Before Stygian could say anything, a blast of magic from the queen’s horn teleported him far away. “Like always, you refuse to listen. My plan will be nearing completion any minute now.”

“What’d you do to our mayor, you witch?!” a pale pink unicorn mare shouted at her as the mob stopped in front of the queen, jabbing at the air with shovels and pitchforks.

The other ponies glared at her in anger and confusion as the queen walked over to them, without a trace of concern on her face. “Believe me, I know. My heart has sunk pretty low. But whatever I’ve done, you deserve.”

One of the pegasi in the background scratched her head. “Is she singing? What’s wrong with her-”

“Quiet,” the mare ordered. The other ponies screamed as the head of the pegasus mare disappeared. Her body kept moving, hooves scratching away at her bloodless, empty neck stump.

“Monster!” a peach colored earth mare screamed as she threw a rock at the queen. The crowd gasped as the rock flew right through the queen as if she wasn’t even there and smacked one of the stallions who had been pointing a pitchfork at her.

“You called me the bad guy, well that’s fine. It’s no fault of mine. And some justice at last will be served.”

The peach coloured mare tried to pick up another rock, but she suddenly lost control of her body. Her mouth snapped shut, her front hooves raised over her head in a diving pose, and her body stretched and twisted. She dove into the side of the headless pony’s stomach like it was a pool of water and came out the other end. There was no blood or screams, especially since the other ponies in the angry mob found that their mouths were being sewn shut and their heads were inflating with hot air. The only sound came from the peach coloured mare, like melting and screeching metal as she finished transforming into a golden arch that passed right through the pegasus mare and kept both ponies trapped.

The queen walked around the floating ponies as two clouds swirled down to the earth. The cloud on the right turned into Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. The cloud on the left turned into Princess Nightmare Moon of Everfree. The queen stared at the two illusions, completely ignoring the former crowd.

“Now it’s time to rise up, or it’s time to back down and there’s only one answer for me.” The queen turned away from two princesses, causing the clouds to dissipate and faded away. “So I’ll stand up and fight, because I know what is right. And I’m ready…ready as I’ll ever be.”

Within the kingdom of Everfree there was an abandoned castle tucked away into the very edge of the kingdom's map. The castle was completely unknown to the general public, but there was a group of ponies that made use of this dark, lonely castle quite often. A unicorn mare with a pale gray coat, a curved horn, and a flowing green mane and tail bit her lip in thought. To her left, a large hole in the ground gently hummed as it held a portal between realms within it. To her right, held in her telekinesis, a finely crafted mirror floated. Her beautiful face turned from one magical artifact to the next.

“I’m worried about Merry,” the unicorn said.

“Leave her alone, Mistmane,” another mare’s voice came out from one of the cloaked ponies who were there with her.

Mistmane frowned at the cloaked ponies who were busy flipping through ancient books or polishing shields. “I’m calling her,” Mistmane decided as she levitated the mirror closer towards her. The other cloaked ponies in the room sighed but didn’t press the issue as the mirror started to glow and vibrate.

A few seconds later, Mistmane could no longer see her own reflection in the mirror but saw Megan William’s face instead. “Mistmane? Goodness, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Mistmane smiled. “It’s good to see you again Merry. I’m sorry to hear about what happened between you and our queen. Try not to worry though, I’m sure our queen will restore your pony form soon.”

Megan smiled gratefully before her eyebrows narrowed in unease. “You shouldn’t be wasting time talking to me. How are you and the others doing?”

“It won’t be long now. We’re packing everything up and heading to this ‘Equestria’ now. Our queen shall do what must be done, while we keep our counterparts occupied.”

A cloaked stallion snorted. “The Pillars. Couldn’t they have come up with a better name?”

“Our own team name isn’t that much better, Rockhoof,” a cloaked mare said. “And either way, we shouldn’t make fun of them. They haven’t done anything…well, I suppose they have made mistakes but they’re not bad people. They don’t deserve our ridicule.”

Rockhoof sighed. “I’m sorry, Som…Som-na…I’m sorry, I still have problems with names and…”

As the two ponies walked out of hearing range of Mistmane and Megan, the two friends returned to their own conversation. “As you can see, if we’re relaxed enough to bicker about team names, then you know we’ll be okay. And you?”

Megan grumbled. “The Elements of Redemption have escaped from me. I have my loyal ponies searching through Tambelon but this city is bigger than I remember it. What’s worse is I don’t know if they’re even still here.” She sighed and rubbed at her forehead. “What happens if I’m not strong enough? What if I can’t make them understand our message? Argh! I’m just…I’m scared, Mistmane.”

Mistmane smiled reassuringly. “Don’t be.” Her voice shifted a little as she started to sing,

“Now it’s time to redeem
Or it’s time to resolve
And the answer will hardly come free.”

Megan nodded and wrapped her fingers tightly around a locket in her hand. “I promise I’ll save my home and family.”

Mistmane nodded in approval at her resolve. “Now the line’s in the-”

“That’s…enough singing for now.”

Megan and the other ponies all gasped as a creature made of white light appeared in the middle of the room. Everyone in the castle immediately knelt before the powerful being.

“M-my queen! W-we’re ready to-”

“Everyone in the castle will leave immediately. Pack everything of value to you and leave nothing behind. As soon as this castle is empty, it will be destroyed. There’s no going back at this point.”

“As for you, Megan, you and I need to talk. Leave us.”

Mistmane quickly levitated the mirror over to the creature of light and hurried off with the other ponies to pack all their belongings. Megan gulped even as she kept her head bowed to her all-powerful queen.

“M-my queen. I have captured and converted every non-pony inside of Tambelon. Grogar is no more. B-but I fear that although I was able to turn Discord, Chrysalis, and Gilda to our side, the pony members of the Elements of Redemption escaped with…um…”

Megan trailed off as the queen sighed. “I actually like dragons.”

Megan stared at the queen with fear in her eyes. She was a deer staring at the face of a falling meteor. “W…what?”

“I like dragons. And changelings and griffons. Minotaurs are quite interesting. Zebras have an interesting culture and I admire their skill in potion brewing, although I find the rhyming just a little annoying. Donkey and cows, I’m neutral towards. Even Discord has his own charm.”

Megan gulped. “My queen, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I don’t agree with you when you say ponies are the best species. I’m saying that even though I admire your loyalty, I can no longer accept your blind hatred.”

Megan shuddered in horror as tears spilled out of her eyes. She held her piece of the communication mirror tightly and cried. “My queen, please I…why didn’t you tell me this earlier?! I would have changed for you! I’m sorry! Please my queen, please have mercy on this stupid human!”

The queen sighed. “I’m sorry too Megan. I should have told you this sooner. I let myself get too distracted with growing stronger. But I have ignored my destiny for too long. Time to set things right now.”

“Yes my queen!” Megan said with a hopeful smile. “I am your faithful servant and humble friend!”

“Glad to hear it. And with this new information, I hope you understand that I’m quite eager to see what a changeling Nightmare Moon or a dragon Trixie or Sunset Shimmer would look like.”

Megan gulped. “Yes my queen. The next time they face my Rainbow of Darkness, I won’t hesitate.”

“Good. Continue your quest Megan. Don’t stop for anything.”

Megan bowed one last time before the mirror cracked and broke apart, the tiny shards of glass turning into shimmering dots of light that floated away. The queen tilted her glowing, ethereal head to face the rest of the empty room. She could sense that there was no pony left in the castle.

She smiled at stared at the computer screen.

“Hello little bronies. Are you having fun?”

…

“Pinkie Pie could break the fourth wall. Did you really think I couldn’t?”

…

“What do you think of situations like this anyway? Do you think breaking the fourth wall is too much of a gimmick? Does it suck the drama out of the story?”

…

“Me. Knowing who you are. What you’re doing. No. You probably don’t care for this sort of thing. But then again, do you really care about anything?”

…

“We’ll find out together I suppose. I hope you enjoyed this teaser chapter. The next chapter, you’ll actually learn my name. You’ll see how Everfree is doing. And you’ll discover what I have planned for Equestria...and what I’m going to do to your world. You might dismiss me as a fictional character, but it’s in your best interest to let me win.”

…

“Oh, and if you’re feeling confused or disappointed by the unfinished song, I have something for you. It’s down .
.
T̸͉̰͚̰̜͔́̾̊̊̀̕͜͝͡͝ͅḤ̱̼̙̰̳̙̏̊̾͂̾E̸̢̢͖̘͇͔̬̩͔̓́̊͂̋̆͠͞R̢̠̲̖̹͌̂̿̒̐͐E̷̠͔̩͇͔͙̫̦̹̠̽́͋́͛̍͐͡
.
..”

The creature of light lifted her right front leg. An orb of swirling, glowing blue words and images formed in her hoof. The queen began to flicker and fade away before she slammed her hoof into the floor. The castle erupted in an explosion of bubbles, debris, and light.

Author's Note

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