Nothing Probably Goes on Forever Too

Chapters

Ch. 9: Wait... How Much?
Ch. 10: Next Dance, Hakuren
Ch. 11: First Signs of Release
Ch. 12: Back and Forth
Ch. 13: If Looks Could Kill
Ch. 14: Dignity Dies in Cherry Blossoms
Ch. 15: Joy, Sorrow, and Anger
Ch. 16: The Princess of the Shadows
Ch. 17: Darkness Into Light
Ch. 18: Heart Over Matter or I Am
Ch. 19: And Then There Was One
Ch. 20: Recollecting the Spirit
Ch. 21: We All Have Our Demons
Ch. 22: Shattered Whispers
Ch. 23: Something's Got to Give
Ch. 25: Dumb Fabric of Reality
Ch. 26: Every Day Is A Beginning
Ch. 27: Additional Releases
Ch. 28: Voice of the Village
Side Ch.: Heaven's Frost vs. Hellfire
Ch. 29: Creativity Stems From What Already Exists / Epilogue: Encyclopedia
Ch. 1 - 8, Package Deal: Blank Slate through Orchid Sky
Ch. 24: Everything is Not What It Seems

Ch. 9: Wait... How Much?

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In a rich man's world.
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In a rich man's world.

Chapter 9: Wait... How Much?

"Woah!" exclaimed Spike.

"I don't believe it," I looked with just as flabbergasted an expression.

"Two hundred bits?" inquired Twilight rhetorically surprised.

"Who," agreed Owloysius in disbelief before finding his perch to sleep for the day.

Two hundred. That was the sum inside the thawed pouch Rarity had given me the night before. I knew she had high-paying clients but... man. To have so much on her that she was willing to give away was crazy. Clearly, her spa appointments hadn't broken her bank if she had that much to spare.

"Where did you even get this?" asked Twilight still surprised.

"Well, yesterday I helped Rarity as a dress model," I started, "Then as I left, I vaguely remember her putting a pouch like this into my possession. But I was so dizzy, I didn't even think to look at the contents."

"Wait," pondered Twilight as she tilted her head slightly, "I thought you spent yesterday practicing your flying with Rainbow Dash."

"That's how the first half went," I corrected, "The second half involved..." I shuddered a little, "dresses. So... many... dresses." I quickly shook my head in an attempt to rid my mind of the previous day's beautification.

"But," I continued, "I thought I was paying Rarity back for the broken ceiling. I didn't realize that she was going to be so generous." At this time, I mentally face hoofed.

I didn't expect the Element of Generosity to be generous? my thoughts asked me disbelievingly.

"So, uh," interjected Spike, "What are you going to do with it?"

"Excuse you?" I said with wide eyes.

"The money I mean," clarified the baby dragon, "What will you do with it?"

"Oh yeah," Twilight's eyes started lighting up, "That's got to be worth at least a few good books."

"Now there's a surprise," remarked a sarcastic Spike. The librarian gave her number one assistant a frown of annoyance. Then they both turned to look at me expectantly.

"Well...," I started to say before my stomach decided to vibrate and make a gurgling noise.

"Well, first I'd like a good breakfast," I said. I swear I could feel the sheepish blush on my face right then.

It was amazing what the animators of the show left out when focusing on particular aspects. The number of restaurants available in Ponyville was huge. Most of which weren't even two blocks away. So our party of three (I could just here Pinkie Pie somewhere shouting, "Hey! No pony invited me.") walked over to a brunch-themed eatery. I didn't catch the name of the place, so finding it again on my own would be difficult in the future.

"Wow," whispered Twilight as she scanned the menu, "The prices seem a little steep."

"Yeah," I whispered back in a half-agreement. To be honest, this was the first time I had seen a menu in Equestria. How was I supposed to know how cheap or expensive things usually were?

"It's a good thing Tundra can cover it," said Spike in a little boy voice. That is to say, it was loud enough for ponies at nearby tables to give us stares.

"Spike!" Twilight shushed him in a harsh whisper.

I added in a similarly harsh whisper, "Do you want to go through another chase scene like when you had the extra Gala ticket?"

Fortunately, Spike caught on quickly. He pretended to be very interested in a certain menu item and began whistling the "I'm innocent so don't look at me" tune. The parties at nearby tables ("Why didn't any pony invite me to the party?" asked the hypothetical Pinkie.) resumed whatever conversations they were having before.

Thirty-three bits. That's how much the late breakfast had cost. I started thinking maybe the dollar to bit ratio was about one-to-one. After all, the meals at sit-down restaurants back on Earth had a rough, average cost of ten dollars.

About eleven per person, er pony, for a slightly expensive place? I thought to myself, Sounds about right.

Using Big Macintosh's fancy mathematics, I calculated that I had one hundred, sixty-seven bits left. Heh, that would have been enough to open a savings account back home. I wasn't sure if Ponyville even had a bank. They never revealed one in the show. Then again, I had seen a few things that the show neglected in their details. A First Bank of Equestria wouldn't be the most surprising thing I had seen today.

I was kind of surprised at how easily my wing could act like a hand for certain things. The money pouch was tucked under my right wing at the moment and it felt only marginally uncomfortable. I wasn't flying, so thinking about my wings didn't make them stop working.

"Hey, TS!" shouted a familiar, slightly raspy voice. Speaking of flying...

"Hi, Rainbow!" answered Twilight and I at the same time. Both of us waved a hoof. My would-be flight teacher looped around once before hovering by within a couple ponies' worth of distance from us.

"Hey, Tundra, you're not mad that I had to bail on you yesterday, right?" asked the Pegasus straight out, "I had... uh... emergency weather to handle. Yeah."

As tempted as I was to use my frost magic and create a makeshift Pega-popsicle, I thought against it. Instead, I decided to play it off smoothly.

"Nah, don't worry about it," I replied with a straight face, "Besides, I got paid for the trouble I brought Rarity."

"Really?" asked RD. Her expression looked like she was taken aback, "What did you have to do?"

Keeping the straight face, I told her, "I stood still for her for ten. Hours. Straight." Okay, granted I also lost some male dignity. Dash didn't need to know that.

"Oh my gosh," said Rainbow with a concern that looked kind of strange for her, "I am so sorry."

"Like I said, don't worry about," I waved a hoof dismissively.

"I gotta make it up to you," decided Dash determinately, "Just name a favor and it's yours."

I rubbed my chin in thought for a moment.

After remembering my current discomfort with the money pouch, I asked, "Do you know if there's a place around here that makes custom saddlebags?"

One guided trot later, I exited the store with some comfort-fit saddlebags. They were white with a personalized clip in the shape of a blue musical eighth note. Best of all, they left room for my wings to stretch and fold properly. Currently, the inventory consisted of one pouch filled with one hundred, twenty-two bits. Luggage was not cheap.

"So, are we cool now?" asked Rainbow Dash. I could of sworn I saw visible sweat beads drip off her head.

"Yes, Rainbow. We're cool," I replied with a gentle smile.

"Whew, you have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest," she sighed in relief. Apparently, she had been rather worried about me being upset. I could tell this was new territory for her, being the provider of comfort instead of sweating her usual awesomeness.

"All right, I gotta get going. Later TS!" she hollered before zipping away in a stream of 7 colors.

"Did I miss something?" asked Twilight with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, what was that about?" added Spike who was currently riding her back.

"Oh, just a settlement of differences," I replied in a vague fashion, "Nothing you need to worry about."

"O... kay," said Twilight as we continued our trot, "Anyway, I decided to send news to the Princess about recent events."

"Let me guess," I attempted, "Those 'recent events' involve me and that Nightmare, right?"

"Well, yeah," she avoided eye contact as she said that, "And I got word back that she'll be meeting us at the library soon."

"Eh, it's probably a good idea," I confirmed, "If any pony knows what to do, it would be Celestia."

"My thoughts exactly," the lavender unicorn nodded.

The day sure went by quickly. I vaguely remembered having Hay Fries for dinner. (By the way, Firewall was right. The human mind does not like the taste of hay at all. Since my mind was a human's, well, put two and two together.) I was practically ready to fall asleep in the guest bed at the library.

"Hey!" shouted a high-pitched voice. Needless to say, I jumped into a sitting position. This would be the first time I had ever experienced a heart attack. But quickly, my blood kept pumping properly as I stared into the bright blue eyes of the intruder.

"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here?" I asked from fatigue, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's 10:37 and twelve seconds, but that's not the point right now," countered the mare with cotton candy for a mane.

"Then why are you here?" asked my exhausted mouth.

"Why didn't you invite me?" she asked with a miffed look of a hurt animal.

"Invite?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You set up at least two parties in this chapter alone and I wasn't invited," complained Pinkie Pie as if what she said was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Parties? Chapter? Pinkie you're not making sense," I said while I performed a slow face hoof.

"Well," said Pinkie, "Just don't let it happen again." With that conclusion, she hopped off to who knew where.

I chalked it up to Pinkie Pie just being Pinkie Pie before lying back down to get some sleep.

Ch. 10: Next Dance, Hakuren

Get down
I feel a feeling like I'm painfully spinning
We sleep together in a wintry land.
You hold me in your gaze and I hold you in mine.
Make a promise for tomorrow.

Chapter 10: Next Dance, Hakuren

I stood in the middle of a white expanse. Half of me was wondering where I was. The other half felt content to just stand there. Neither would be appeased as another presence was shown within the empty space. Soon I could identify the white coated, blue maned alicorn.

"Shirayuki," I stated without asking. She closed her lids over her green eyes as a large, single-panel, glass window passed in front of me. I could see Shirayuki's image in the glass. When the window moved aside, some other pony was in her place. It was an average pony-sized alicorn with a black coat and a dark purple mane.

Wait, I thought, That's me!

When the other pony opened her turquoise eyes, there was no doubt about it. This was...

"Tundra?" I called in confusion. When I heard my voice, it wasn't my own. I lifted a hoof to my mouth in surprise. When I looked at my hoof, I noticed it was white. I could then see the outlines of evergreen armor attached to my chest.

"What's going on?" I asked. Tundra (er, the one in front of me) closed her eyes and smiled sadly. The large window appeared again and slid in front of me. It left a second time, and the pony in front of me was now a Celestia-sized alicorn. Her slitted irises swam in the two shades of magenta that were her eyes. Contrary to Celestia's holy breeze, this one's mane floated on some unholy storm. Yet, she didn't look at me in hatred. All I saw in her eyes was an emptiness.

I looked back at myself to see that my hooves had regained a shade of black. But the armor had changed colors to a midnight blue.

"I'm... Nightmare Moon?" I pondered. My voice had changed again to sound like Tabitha St. Germain's darker tone.

The Nightmare Sol in front of me suddenly burst into several light particles. What remained was a floating sword that looked just like the white katana Sode no Shirayuki. I couldn't feel my body and I couldn't move. The sword flew swiftly through my chest plate and into me. My breathing grew shallower. Idly, my gaze traveled along the blade to the hilt. A black hoof was curled around the hilt. I looked up and stared into the green eyes of a black mare wearing an evergreen helmet.

When I blinked, I pulled my blade out of Nightmare Moon's chest. She faded away into the darkness with a soundless scream.

I lifted my head and gasped in a huge breath. My entire coat was wet from the sweat-inducing dream. I looked around the room and noticed Spike and Twilight were still sound asleep. It was still dark, so I wasn't that surprised. I released a breath along with some of my earlier tension.

Man, that was a crazy dream, I thought. I took a couple deep, steady breaths as I laid back down.

"Rise and shine, my little pony," called a gentle voice.

"Urgh... wha?" I grumbled in half-sleep, "Nicole Oliver?"

"Close, but not quite," chimed in another voice. At this point, my half-awake eyes scanned my immediate vicinity to find the source of the voices. I was soon looking at the forms of two rather tall -- and somewhat intimidating -- beings. I think I took two double-takes.

"Y-Your majesties!" I exclaimed. In my surprise, I ended up tripping over the covers of my bed and falling onto the floor.

Great first impression, I thought to myself sarcastically.

"Who's Nicole Oliver?" asked the taller of the two princesses as she turned to the slightly shorter one.

"Oh, it's just your voice actress," answered the younger sister. Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow in confusion while I raised my eyes in shock.

"How do you know about voice actresses, Princess Luna?" I asked as I slowly stood up.

She gave the pony equivalent of shrugging one shoulder before saying, "When you blow up a computer to reveal its secrets, you tend to pick up a few things."

Oh, right, I thought to myself, This is the universe that Firewall entered. So that means that she... wow. I couldn't begin to wrap my head around knowing everything the internet had to offer on a given day.

My thoughts were interrupted when Twilight called from downstairs, "Tundra! I'm going out for a bit. Don't give the princesses too much trouble, okay?" On that note, I heard the sound of a door shutting.

Don't give them much trouble? I thought, What happened to our bond of trust, Twi? My disappointed expression must have been showing because Celestia decided this was an opportune moment to giggle behind her hoof.

"My faithful student tends to worry too much," she commented. She then assumed a slightly more serious expression before saying, "Anyway, I assume you know why we're here."

"Er, kinda," I responded, "You want to discuss the fact that the Nightmare is now inside me."

"That's not the only thing," piped in Luna, "But yes, that is the gist of it."

"Out of curiosity, what does the Nightmare call itself now?" inquired the elder.

"Shirayuki," I answered. Both princesses looked down as if sorting through their own thoughts.

"Where have I heard that name before?" muttered the younger sister.

"Would you..." Celestia paused as if trying to find the right wording, "mind calling her forth?"

"Call it forth?" Luna turned to her, "Sister, isn't that dangerous?"

"Well, I've seen a bit more of the series than you," I pointed out, "You ponies are pretty tough to be able to survive three versions of the Equestrian apocalypse."

"Three?" echoed Luna.

"It will be all right, Lulu," assured Celestia, "Go ahead, Tundra."

"All right," I acknowledged, "but first I'm going to need a bit of space." I jumped off the bed-level floor and opened my wings to glide down to the more open second floor.

"Stand back," I warned, "I don't want to poke your eyes out." Luckily, they got the message and remained where they were to observe. I reached out my right hoof and the katana was soon summoned in my grasp.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I called. The sword became white as a long, white ribbon appeared on the end of the handle. My coat slowly turned white starting from the right hoof. This time, I could still feel my body, but I could tell it wasn't completely in my control. The evergreen garments attached themselves to me. My height increased to the average height of the princesses.

As my transformation completed, the other two alicorns in the room glided down to the floor that I was standing. I drove the blade into the floor so that I would have both front hooves free. A feeling of guilt hit me in that moment and I looked down away from the princesses' stares.

What's wrong? I thought.

I... I have wronged these two so much, replied Shirayuki's thought-voice. As Celestia took a slow step forward, I felt my body move into a bowing state.

"Your highness," said the delicate voice of the white snow.

"There's no need for formalities," insisted the sun princess.

"Celestia," said Shirayuki still in the bowing posture, "I have committed so many terrible deeds. I even lashed out against the two of you, forcing conflicts that never should have taken place."

As the evergreen armored alicorn spilled her heart out, the princesses held their peace.

"I stole the lives of other ponies in the absence of my own," she continued, "I even allied myself with the traitor of Equestria."

She must mean that Harry Potter wannabe, I thought privately.

"And now that I've done all of this," the snow white alicorn cried and then whispered, "All of this..."

Through Shirayuki's tears, I could see Celestia and Luna listening expectantly.

"Can I even claim the right to ask for your forgiveness?" she asked with a voice that sounded distraught.

The sisters looked at each other, then back to Shirayuki, then back to each other. The elder leaned in close to whisper something to the younger. I couldn't hear what she said, but when she pulled back, Luna nodded in understanding. They started walking forward and I felt Shirayuki stand back up. When the princesses were right in front of her, they stopped advancing.

"I will not forgive you," said Celestia flatly. My other half expected this and felt lowered her head in resignation.

"I understand," she said quietly.

"How can we forgive some pony that has done nothing wrong?" asked Luna rhetorically.

Wait, what? I thought. Shirayuki raised her head in surprise. The princesses leaned forward and nuzzled either side of her.

"But... but I..." stammered the wintry alicorn.

"It was the Nightmare that committed those sins," clarified the elder sister, "Not our friend."

Holy mood swings, Batman! I was not expecting that. Neither was Shirayuki, as she was left speechless. She felt compelled and returned the motion that the princesses had given to her. Tears ran down all of their eyes. I would have cried too except... well. It's kind of hard to produce tears as just a mind. So I opted for a sappy thought.

This is so beautiful.

Yes, replied Shirayuki's thoughts, it is very beautiful.

The reunion of old friends was interrupted by a horrid, foreign moan echoing somewhere in the distance.

What was that? I thought.

"What was that noise?" relayed Shirayuki.

"It... can't be..." stuttered Celestia.

"Can't be what?" asked Shirayuki.

"But there's no mistaking that sound," added Luna.

"What is it?" Shirayuki turned to the younger sister.

"Shirayuki," said the elder in a firmly gentle tone, "Stay here. Luna, we must go at once."

"Right!" confirmed the moon princess. In a couple flashes, they had teleported out of the section of the library.

What was that all about? I thought in concern and confusion.

I don't know, answered Shirayuki's thought-voice, But we're going to find out. She retrieved the katana from the floor and opened her wings. She literally flew down the stairs to the first floor before bursting through the front doorway. I was surprised the wood didn't splinter upon impact. A few wing flaps away from the door, and we saw the source of the moaning noise.

That. Is. A. Big. Monster. I thought mentally stepping on the words like broken glass. Remember what the Ursas looked like on the show? Now picture that star-skin look on a Timberwolf. Then picture that conglomerate creature as the size of two of Twilight's libraries on top of each other and as wide as three Sugarcube Corner bakeries. That's what we were looking at. I mentally twitched while Shirayuki's left eye took care of the physical twitch.

It's strange that the first thing I thought about was how the ponies were going to need their houses insured. I watched several structures get smashed or smacked away by the giant wolf constellation, a Lupus. I had no idea how to deal with this thing. But someone else did.

I didn't know how or where, but instincts of what felt like years of experience rushed through me in that instant. Shirayuki felt a sudden surge of energy and flew. Her wings led us toward the giant enemy.

"So-me-no-Mai," she said as she held the blade to the right. Then, as she swung wide to the left, she shouted, "Tsukishiro!" A giant pillar of ice towered from the ground and seemed to drill right through the Lupus' rib area. At first, I thought it was a direct hit. However, as the ice tower crumbled, I could tell that the only thing that accomplished was making a much angrier, astral wolf. Said wolf used its paw in a backhand motion to knock Shirayuki in an aerial somersault.

Something clicked in the back of my mind. Immediately, I assumed some control of Shirayuki's body (or was it still technically my body? I don't know.) and straightened my wings. This action slowed my backward, head-over-hoof spinning until I was just gliding through the air. I managed to direct us to the closest rooftop and stood on it. Man, I was going to feel that tomorrow.

Shirayuki and I now had the full attention of the Lupus. That was good for the ponies working on evacuating the area. That was not so good for us. But then, I had an epiphany.

Your powers, I aimed my thoughts to my other self, they resemble those of Rukia Kuchiki's. Within the course of a millisecond, she was able to read my memories to what I was specifying.

I hope that's not your way of saying that we need an Ichigo Kurosaki equivalent, she thought back, because there isn't one around here.

No, no, no, I thought defensively, I mean that I have an idea. I drove the white katana into the roof and held up both of my front hooves. (Don't ask how I kept my balance because I don't know either.)

What are you doing? asked Shirayuki's thoughts.

Look, you've got control of my mouth still, I thought to her, so you're going to have to say what I think verbally.

What? she held her eyes in a position questioning if I was sane. Frankly I wasn't fully sure of that myself.

Hey, I mentally smirked, have a little more faith in yourself.

Shirayuki paused for a second. She sighed before saying, "Very well. I believe in you, Tundra."

Get ready, my mind told her. The wolf was slowly advancing while crushing more houses. Shirayuki relayed my thoughts as I gave them to her:

The one who reigns, mask of flesh, all creation, flap of wings

The one who carries the title of human.

In the name of truth and temperance

Dig your claws into the wall of sinless dreams.

That Lupus was pretty darn close. I'd say it was within about a football field distance.

Hadou 33: Sokatsui!

And even then, it still didn't know what hit it. A giant pulse of bluish-white fire exploded forth from in front of my hooves and exploded in the wolf's face. The Lupus grabbed its face in a paw and howled in pain.

"Want some ice for that burn?" asked Shirayuki deadpan. I think my dry humor rubbed off on her. She regained control of the body and grabbed her sword. Four streams of what looked like snow and air started flowing like a reverse fountain toward Sode no Shirayuki's tip.

"Tsugi-no-Mai," she said monotonously, "Hakuren!" What happened next, I can only describe as a wide, horizontal blast of ice racing towards the beast. What I saw was much more heart pounding than watching an anime character perform that technique. The Lupus was nearly engulfed by the resulting ice. This was the longest ten seconds of my life.

Soon the ice cracked and broke away leaving only a few bloody traces of the monster that lay waste to Ponyville. Some ponies had found convenient hiding spots behind the buildings that were still standing. They were now coming out to see why things had suddenly become so silent. An unscheduled light snow was falling over the town today.

We did it, I thought in a tired enthusiasm.

"Yes," agreed Shirayuki. A sudden upward rush of air met her face.

The mattress was gritty and uncomfortable that night.

Ch. 11: First Signs of Release

And I might know of a future
But then you still control the past.
Only you know if we'll be together
Only you know if we shall last.

Chapter 11: First Signs of Release

"Roar, Zabimaru!" Somehow, I wasn't surprised hearing the shout come from Applejack. I could see her wielding the long, flexible sword with spikes running along the inner edge. As the weapon stretched out and made snapping noises, the timber wolves that were in its path soon became piles of broken twigs.

"Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" shouted the youngest of the Apple family. Apple Bloom held a sword that resembled four long hooks attached together at the hilt. With one diagonal sweeping motion, the diamond dog standing in front of her was torn into ribbons... literally.

"Growl, Haineko!" called Sweetie Belle. It looked like she was just swinging around a swordless hilt. In actuality, a cloud of gray sand seemed to respond to her hoof's motions. The dust seemed to hack and slash a shadowy silhouette in front of her. Whatever creature it had been, it no longer was.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura," said a neutral tone. The blade in Rarity's hoof appeared to break into several hundred pink, cherry blossoms. I expected yet didn't expect the various cutting motions that the blossoms took on the Windigos in view. Soon, the cold ghosts that fed on hatred dissipated and there was nothing left.

The cold calculating gaze of Twilight Sparkle fixated onto a distant, invisible target. She pulled back on a bowstring made entirely of bluish-white light. An arrow made from the same light was released and rushed through space. My view was suddenly in front of the receiving end of the arrow.

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked. Sunlight had a tendency to blind me in the mornings when I wasn't ready for it. I reached a hoof to my forehead hoping to alleviate the grogginess I was feeling. It helped, if only marginally. Though, my ears were beeping.

Wait... I thought, that's not my ears beeping. A quick glance to the left of the bed revealed an old heart monitor showing a green wavelength every time the machine released a beep. I turned my blinking eyes to my front. This blanket wasn't pink but rather a faded green. It was safe to assume that I had somehow been checked-in to a hospital.

What did I do last night? I asked my mind.

You confronted a Lupus Major and won, said another voice.

"Oh, a Lupus Major," I said quietly. (Thought process loading... loading... loading... download complete.)

"Wait, what?!" I asked slightly louder.

You know, I can hear your thoughts just fine if you let me, said the other presence.

Shirayuki, I replied via thought, a... Lupus Major?

Yes, affirmed the other mind, Quite a feat as well. I wasn't expecting that Kido technique. You truly are remarkable.

"Uh, thanks," I said taking the compliment. I tried to remove the blanket and sit up, but a sharp, piercing pain sent me onto my back. I let out a short cry from the pain. That's when a door opened a ways from the foot of the bed I was on. The one who entered was a unicorn in a white doctor's jacket, although his coloration reminded me of Caramel.

"Ah, you're awake," he said. He seemed genuinely happy about that fact.

"What's the diagnosis, doc?" I asked going for the direct approach. He looked taken aback. Maybe I came on too strong.

"Well, you've got a few scrapes and a broken rib," he finally said, "Normally we'd be looking at about 3 weeks of bed rest for that to recover properly. But you might be lucky enough to get out by the end of the second week."

"How long have I been here so far?" I inquired.

"Just short of a full day," was his response, "Don't strain yourself too much, Miss Tundra Stanza." With that, he made his way out the door.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask one of the nurses," he called as the door closed. I had to spend two more weeks in this place? I sure hoped the food wasn't as bad or worse than what Rainbow Dash had made it seem in "Read it and Weep". Strangely, even though I had just woken up, I felt my eyelids getting heavy. I guess horizontal positions made me sleepy.

Darkness took my vision away.

"Snap, Tobiume!" called Fluttershy. The multiple-pointed sword she held released a large, plum-shaped fire in the direction that she swung her blade. The pink swirl called Screwball literally ate the fire plum before exploding, twice. (I don't know how that happened either.)

"Getsuga Tenshou!" yelled the wielder of the butcher knife Zangetsu. With raw power, Rainbow Dash released a wave of energy from her blade strong enough to slice the heavens. But it was all for naught as the paw of Discord managed to snatch her and crush her into unconsciousness before tossing her aside.

"Dashie!" yelled a teary-eyed Pinkie Pie. She held a katana pointing in the direction of Discord as her hair suddenly snapped straight and the empty space felt much colder.

"Um, Pinkie Pie?" I was afraid to ask, "Are you all right?"

"Don't worry about me," ordered Pinkie, "No one messes with my friends. No one." The familiar paw of Discord reached out as if to crush a second pony.

"Reap, Kazeshini," commanded the pink pony in a monotone. The draconequus's paw was immediately severed as the katana reformed into two pinwheel-scythe blades attached together by a chain. Pinkie proceeded to throw said blades at his head and chest. Even chaos beings cannot live without their brain and heart. Discord was no exception. His voiceless corpse was proof of that.

I woke up again. I wasn't sure how long I was out for that time. In any case, the sunlight was gone leaving a faded glimmer of moonlight to fill the room. Not being able to move for a while was frustrating to say the least. I decided now was as good a time as any for an impromptu musical number, courtesy of adrisaurus.

Day to night, dark to light,

Fall the sands of time.

Let the years like the gears

Of a clock unwind

In your mind walk through time

Back to better days.

Memories, like a dream,

Wash tears away.

I could almost hear piano and harp notes joining the melody.

Like a star in the sky,

Darkness can't reach you

Light the night, joy is light,

Till the new dawn.

Cast away your old face

Let go your spite,

With this mask I'll ask

To borrow your light.

I looked around for the source of the closing instrumental, but it refused to be visible.

"That was beautiful," said a voice. I turned to look to the far left. How did I not notice another patient's bed in the same room? The world may never know.

"Oh, thank you," I quietly replied. I couldn't get a good look at her in the dark, but the whitish hoof cast was easy enough to spot. I could see magenta eyes close before mine decided to do the same.

"Sting all enemies to death," whispered Scootaloo, "Suzumebachi!" Her blade transformed into a yellow, stinger needle sprouting from her hoof. A large, black butterfly appeared in the middle of the gray abyss. It then flashed a bright red color before dispersing into red dust.

Ch. 12: Back and Forth

Every night I will save your life
And every night I will be with you.
'Cause every night I still lay awake
And I dream of an absolution.

Chapter 12: Back and Forth

There wasn't a whole lot for her to look back on. But what she could recall, she remembered fondly. It felt like she had been with these two friends of hers since time began. Snow Sleeve, or Shirayuki, was just like them. They could fly, bend matter with magic, and share a good fitful of laughter. With Sunny Skies, or Celestia and Lu Lu, or Luna, happiness was sure to be found.

"Sunny Skies?" Snow Sleeve had asked off-hoof one day, "What's your favorite season?"

"I'd have to say autumn," answered Sunny, "I just love the pretty colors the leaves can make as they cover the ground."

"Hm," understood Snow, "And you, Lu Lu?"

"Well," said Lu having to pause and rub her chin, "My favorite season would have to be winter. It reminds me of you, Snow. The white blanket is just beautiful to look at."

"How about you?" asked the sisters in unison.

"Actually," said Snow holding up a hoof, "I would say summer is my favorite."

"Yeah, I bet it's because Sunny's your best friend, right?" joked Lu.

"Mm-mm," responded Snow shaking her head, "A long summer day does feel wonderful, but it's the summer nights that are the clearest. So in a way, I get the best of you both." She smiled as her friends took this in. Soon, happy giggles erupted from all three little ponies.

"Come on, you two!" shouted Sunny, "You gotta keep up!" She galloped through the snow-covered field as Lu and Snow struggled to keep up. Despite the cold temperature, the two younger fillies were sweating as they panted for breath.

"Wait up," Lu said as loud as her tired throat would let her. Snow Sleeve stopped in her tracks to recuperate.

"You can catch her Lu," Snow encouraged in between breaths, "I'll... I'll catch up... eventually." With a firm nod, Lu Lu continued in pursuit of her sister.

"You'll do perfectly," whispered an unfamiliar voice from behind Snow. She gasped and turned to see a creature unlike anything she had ever seen before. It stood on its long, hind legs and was currently reaching out with a short-clawed paw. She was unsure of what to do. By the time she decided getting away was a good idea, it was too late. The creature already had her horn in its grasp.

In that moment, Snow's entire body was filled with a pain and despair stronger than any she had ever felt before. She tried to scream, but the air no longer existed in her lungs. Her vision started clouding over as black and white mists covered her eyes. Soon, she was completely gaseous and her thoughts of her friendships were diluted by feelings of anger and hatred. The white mist floated up into the sky before disappearing into thin air. Only the black mist remained in front of the bipedal creature. Said biped was distinctly male.

"Empty creature from Shirayuki's vessel," he decreed, "I dub thee Nightmare. You will join my cause to recreate this world."

"Yes, master David," said the monotonous black cloud.

My recovery was quicker than I had expected. After a few examinations, I was released from the hospital at the end of the first week. Apparently, my natural talent for melody plus the "Song of Healing" helped speed up the process. Outside the doors, I was greeted first by the sight of Twilight Sparkle.

"I am so sorry," she said as she pulled me closer for a hug, "I couldn't do more for you."

"Twilight," I said, "you visited me every other day. I'd say that's plenty."

"But, if I had just studied up a healing spell sooner instead of getting caught up in the more advanced inmanipulon manipulation..."

"Hey," I pushed her hooves off my neck and looked her straight in the eyes, "You're a good friend. You don't need to perform miracles every day to prove that."

"That's what I said," interjected Spike.

Not helping, Spike, I thought as the librarian and I stared at the dragon in annoyance.

"By the way," said Twilight, "I was wondering if you could tell me what happened on... that day."

That day. It was kind of easy to pick out the day to which she was referring. Pinkie Parties, Fluttershy brave-face, Rainbow Dash tricks, and Rarity drama happened all the time. Climactic battles that ends in a fatal attack were not so common. Specifically, what were uncommon were the style of battles that belonged in an anime, not a kid-friendly cartoon. As we started walking away from the hospital, I gave all two of my audience members the 411 of that day.

I told them about the reunion between my other half and the Princesses. It was a heartwarming event that ended abruptly as they teleported out to evacuate the town. What they needed the evacuation for was a certain Lupus Major attack. Twilight wasn't as taken aback as I thought she would be at my description of swinging around an ice sword and performing what would probably be the equivalent of black magic here. Though, she did hold a bit of a sorrowful look on her face when I finished up with the death of the big, bad wolf (no pun intended).

"Having to accept the fact that some creatures need to be... dealt with... never gets easier," lamented Twilight.

"Yeah," I agreed. I'd never actually killed before. Sure, I've practically danced in my seat watching zombies and aliens die in video games. But I never thought I would have to get involved in a real fight to the death. I suppose the only reason I wasn't mourning the fact was because I knew I had protected several innocent lives that should never have to expose themselves to a world of destruction.

"Humans find it to be a necessary evil, don't they?" asked the librarian.

"Sometimes," I nodded. There really wasn't any point in arguing about her vocalized thoughts.

But I just thought I'd give her another point saying, "Although, a large majority of our species try their best to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen." She didn't respond and Spike had decided to take a nap on Twilight's back, so he couldn't reply if he wanted to. Before I knew it, we had arrived at their humble abode.

"In any case," said Twilight in her pre-lecture mode, "You should probably go easy on that rib."

"No worries, Twi," I said back, "Look!" I shook around and bended in makeshift stretches as if to prove I was fine. I immediately halted the action when I started feeling a bit of a warm sting in my left side.

"As I was saying," Twilight followed up. She had a small frown, but I could see the smugness in her eyes that were practically saying, "I told you so."

"Hey! Watch this!" urged Lu Lu. With a few flashes from her horn, a few stars in the night sky responded and and formed arcing motions.

"Wow," said Sunny Skies and Snow Sleeve with eyes wide.

"Like it?" smirked Lu, "I call them 'shooting stars'. They 'shoot' through the sky."

"Why not call it a 'meteor shower'?" wondered Sunny.

"That's silly, Sunny," retorted Snow, "That would never catch on."

"Heh heh, of course not," said Sunny returning her gaze to Lu's little project.

"Princess Celestia?" yelped Twilight after opening the door. None of us had expected to see her so soon.

"Forgive me for entering unannounced," said Celestia in with a slow, solemn nod, "But, may I speak with Tundra privately?"

"Uh, sure," said Twilight who turned and looked at me before asking, "Is that okay with you?"

"Y-yeah, no problem," I stammered, not sure what to make of the situation.

"I'll be downstairs," declared the librarian who, still carrying Spike on her back, made her way to a doorway that led to what I assumed was her basement. With the resident of the house out of the scene, the Princess of Equestria slowly approached me.

"Actually, I'd like to talk to both of you," she said gently and flatly.

"Wait, should I get Twilight back in here?" I asked.

"No, Tundra," stated the princess, "I mean both of you." Needless to say, I wasn't sure how to oblige.

"Uh..." I filled the silence with the overused sound effect of all speeches.

Hey, Shirayuki, I directed my thoughts toward my other self.

Yes? queried the soft-spoken mind.

Any chance you can make yourself visible? I asked half-jokingly.

One moment, she replied. I didn't even feel a tingle as I watched a white, translucent ghost move out of me and to my right.

"Woah!" I jumped where I stood. I was looking at Shirayuki's white, blue-maned form. But at the same time, it was like she wasn't all there. I guess you had to be there to understand what I was looking at.

"What is the matter?" asked the projection with a wry smile, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Ah-ugh, really, Shirayuki?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. She really did steal a piece of my sense of humor.

"Now that we're all present," interrupted Celestia, "Shall we get started?"

"O...kay," I paused between the first two syllables, "Started with what?"

A long pause followed the exposition that would have been cut out of an official episode.

"Let me just run over this one more time," I started, "You and Princess Luna have been having the same dreams that I've been having and now Shirayuki and I need to find these ponies from the dreams in order to unlock their power."

"Yes," affirmed Princess Celestia.

"Also, various reports from around the kingdom suggest that David has somehow been conjuring creatures of varying degrees of shadow magic."

"Yes."

"And all of us, the ponies from the dreams, need to face these creatures and prevent another apocalypse."

"Well, I didn't say it like that but... yes."

I had to fight against the urge to perform a face hoof. I lost the fight.

"No offense, your majesty, but I think this whole thing sounds like the plot of a very poorly written story," I said while somehow holding a deadpan expression through the whole sentence.

"I must admit, I find this difficult to take seriously," agreed Shirayuki equally deadpan.

"A wise pony once said, 'Reality is stranger than fiction'," offered Celestia.

"A poetic excuse," I countered.

"Well, I suppose it's your choice," said Celestia as she started trotting toward the door. She came to a stop just in front of it before adding, "But can you really deny the possibility? You've both seen one of the conjurations in your most recent battle." The Lupus Major, I assumed.

"But why us?" asked the ghostly alicorn.

"Because I need a friend that I can trust with this task," responded the princess.

"Couldn't you just get Twilight and her friends to fire the Elements of Harmony at everything and be done with it?" I asked hoping to produce a loophole.

"Even the Elements have their limits," said Celestia closing her eyes, "I realize that now. This enemy we now face is one that requires bonds much stronger than six friendships."

She opened her eyes again before continuing, "And... I'm not invincible. One day, I too will pass on from the living world. I hope that when that happens, the Equestria that I leave is in capable hooves."

"Gee, Sunny, don't get all dark on us now," smirked Shirayuki.

"Sunny?" I turned to the translucent figure, "Where did that name come from?"

Celestia chuckled, "I've missed you too, Snow Sleeve."

"Snow Sleeve?" I turned this time to the princess as she opened the door and walked out of the library.

"Those are nicknames we used for each other in our younger years," explained Shirayuki.

"Oh," I said, "So... what do you think about the whole spiel?"

"I will not claim that I fully understand the gravity of the task that has been requested," she responded, "But, I do believe that we are capable of a greater potential. Perhaps this request of Celestia's will lead us to answers."

"Meh, all right," I said, "I didn't have anything better to do."

In a flash of light, the translucent image of the snowy alicorn was gone and my mind felt fuller.

"Oh!" I said clapping my hooves together once, "I almost forgot." I walked over to the door that was at the back of the first floor. I knocked on it three times.

"Twilight, the princess left," I called through the wood. The door opened as the unicorn entered the room.

"So what did you two talk about?" she asked upfront. I noticed Spike was standing next to her, albeit sleepy.

"Oh, you know," I replied nonchalantly, "Just catching me up to a few current events and the whole David war going on. The usual." Twilight looked a bit confused about that answer. What was she expecting? In any case, she didn't push the issue.

"Anyway," she said, "While you were in the hospital, I had a chat with Applejack. Since you're currently unemployed, we figured maybe you could work part-time on the farm until a more solid occupation presents itself. What do you think?"

Man, Twilight, I didn't know you were a control freak, I thought barely hiding my slightly miffed feelings.

"Sounds good," I confirmed.

"Great!" she replied, "It's going to be another early morning for you so it'd be a good idea to get to bed early tonight."

"Sir, yes ma'am!" I responded with a mock salute.

After a dinner salad (I was really starting to miss meat), I headed upstairs to the guest bed. Sleep came easily that night.

Ch. 13: If Looks Could Kill

Reach out for the sunshine
Forget about the rain
Just think about the good times
And they will come back again

Chapter 13: If Looks Could Kill

Sweet Apple Acres: home to the famous Apple family and source of the primary staple food of pony diets everywhere. The home of famous apple cider and zap apple jam was right here. This setting was also the current source of my heavy breathing and hind leg pains. Mostly, it was heavy breathing.

"Hah... Newton... made it... seem... so... easy... for apples... to fall... from the... tree," I panted. For something that was supposed to follow the laws of gravity, the red and green fruits were stubbornly hanging onto their respective branches. Oh, some were kind enough to oblige by my persuasion to fall into the baskets. But I didn't nearly have the productivity of the two apple buckers that worked here for their whole lives. I guess even alicorns had their limits in strength.

"How are you doing?" chirped a young voice. I turned my head back and forth looking for the source. Then, I stopped to look down at the yellow filly with amber eyes.

"Health-wise, I'm great, Apple Bloom," I answered, "But as far as efficiency goes, not so great. I just can't connect with the tree's sweet spot."

"I think you're doing great for a first timer," smiled Apple Bloom.

"Heh heh, thanks," I smiled back. I needed that encouragement. The filly took a full bucket on her back and started heading to the storeroom. I moved on to the next tree. This one took me five kicks to dislodge all the apples. I briefly considered levitating some off but quickly brushed that notion aside. Applejack appreciated honest working ponies. To perform the job any other way felt... well, dishonest.

That didn't mean that the hot sun was any less forgiving today. I had to wipe sweat away from my eyes more than once.

Why are you doing this again? asked the thought-voice of Shirayuki.

Oh, come on, Shiryauki, I thought in response, Just because we're on a mission to save the world, doesn't mean that the other important life tasks can be ignored. Besides, it's only right that I earn my keep.

I didn't say it was wrong, she thought in return, I'm just making sure your decisions are made firmly. From what I can tell, you do have that.

Thank you for understanding, I directed gratitude in my mind, Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy. I kicked the next tree to prove a point.

You know, I can't really go anywhere unless you go somewhere, she commented.

Huh, smart alec, I mentally spat as her thoughts to me went silent.

Half the day had passed and I had just finished bucking the orchard's second row. How did Applejack and Big Macintosh do this every day? I may never know. I was breathing so hard that I thought about collapsing right then and there. I never got the chance.

The sky became much darker from something blotting out the sun. These were not Pegasi storm clouds that created the shade. The noise from above was much to rapid and buzzing to be thunder. I turned my gaze and squinted my eyes to focus on what lied above. What I saw made me open them and my mouth in disbelief.

"It... it can't be," I breathed barely above whispering volume.

The buzzing noise gave me the feeling that I get when staring at a swarm of wasps in one location. That feeling was a large amount of tension and unease. Since I had entered an alternate universe, I had assumed that I would never see the horrors that disgraced season two with their presence. My assumption had been wrong. I was staring at a huge swarm of... changelings.

My new observation was confirmed as some of the swarm angled themselves downward and surrounded themselves in green, meteor-like fires. As they approached whatever they were aiming for, I got a better look at them. I wish I hadn't. These weren't exactly the same changelings that fan artists could make cuter just by drawing chibi versions of them. No, these changelings looked like something that the artist of Giygas from "Mother" had a field day with. I thought nothing could remind me of that.

At least ten of them had crashed into the trees and grass around me, forming a circle of craters and changelings. If these guys were at least as destructive as what the show had made them out to be, I couldn't hesitate.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I shouted while summoning my katana. It shone in its white, ribbon form as my other half took dominance. She stood tall in her evergreen armor.

"So-me-no-Mai," she spoke as she held the blade to her left. She then swung widely as she shouted, "Tsukishiro!" A giant circle of ice surrounded the ground around her. The circumference overtook the ten changelings in the immediate vicinity. A giant, ice pillar sprouted from the ground ensnaring all who were inside the circumference. It rose high into the sky before crumbling from existence. Almost all the beings who were trapped in the pillar had cracked along with the ice. Only Shirayuki remained alive.

We couldn't celebrate, however, because many other changelings were still destroying the land. Not to mention, we had to make sure the Apple family was safe.

Let's go! I encouraged through thought.

"Right," agreed Shirayuki as she took flight toward the barn house. Along the way, numerous changelings attempted to tackle or pounce on her. Several quick swings from her sword halted their advances with slayings. The changelings seemed to evaporate into shadows when they were defeated. I didn't have time to fully observe since we were kind of in a hurry.

Ahead, I could see Applejack and Big Macintosh trying to fend off a whole army of changelings. The two of them were doing pretty well holding off the frontal assault. They had strong hooves, but they were getting scratched and scraped by attacks to their sides where their legs couldn't hit. Closer to the house stood Apple Bloom, looking scared. Who could blame her? I was pretty scared right now and I actually had a fighting chance against these things.

I wonder why the changelings aren't using their shape-shifting ability, I briefly wondered.

Maybe they're not changelings at all, pointed out Shirayuki as she slayed another three of the monsters in her way.

Well, I don't know what else to call them, I mentally shrugged, 'Cause that's the closest thing I can relate their looks to.

Whatever they were, they were slowly gaining the advantage in the endurance fight over the farmer ponies. A few well-placed attacks left AJ and Big Mac in crumpled heaps. Shirayuki grit her teeth in an upset realization. We weren't going to get there in time. I managed to take over her left hoof momentarily as she caught on to what I had in mind.

She vocally relayed, "Hado 33: Sokatsui!" A burst of blue arcing fire hit a large number of the creatures that had previously been on top of the bearer of Honesty and her brother. That distraction bought Shirayuki enough time to fly over the confused back line of changelings and land in front of the exhausted farmers.

"Apple Bloom! Are you all right?" asked the snowy white alicorn.

"T... Tundra?" the filly stuttered, "W-what's goin' on?"

"I don't have time to explain," Shirayuki said tersely as she turned around to face the incoming enemies, "Just hang in there, okay?" Another wave of the dark, insectoid monsters was heading our way.

Just how many of these things are there? I thought rhetorically. Shirayuki held the white katana horizontally toward the wave. As she did so, four channels of snow and air sprout from the ground to the sword's tip.

"Tsugi-no-Mai!" she shouted, "Hakuren!" A large burst of ice erupted from the blade and hit at least twenty of the creatures in the way. As they crumbled to pieces inside the crashing ice, another wave seemed to take their place within a few seconds.

"Urgh, they just keep coming," scowled Shirayuki, "Tsukishiro!" A new pillar of ice erupted from the ground in front of her and trapped more changelings within. They were destroyed as the pillar cracked and dispersed. Like moths to the fire, more insectoids took their place. I tried the fire approach again with Shirayuki's left hoof.

"Hado 33: Sokatsui!" she shouted. Blue fire impacted and more monsters burned into the shadows. But more were buzzing away as they approached the Apple family's abode.

Is there no end to this? I thought exasperatedly. Shirayuki switched tactics to cutting and slashing individual bugs that came in range. But, she was getting tired. Even I could feel the fatigue that was wearing into her consciousness.

Apple Bloom watched as her newest friend fought the scary creatures from parts unknown. Her terrified gaze moved over to her big sister and big brother. They were lying on the ground looking worse for wear.

"Applejack, Big Macintosh," she whispered. The orange farmer pony managed to open one eye and looked over at her little sister.

"Apple Bloom," she coughed, "You gotta get out of here."

"What?" asked the filly in disbelief, "I can't leave you here, Applejack. I just can't."

Applejack took a deep breath before falling asleep again from the pain.

"Applejack!" cried Apple Bloom as she held her sister's hoof in both of her own. She closed her eyes and let tears flow freely.

"This isn't a very pretty situation."

"Huh?" asked the farmer filly. She looked around to see that she was no longer on Sweet Apple Acres. In fact, her surrounding area looked more like Whitetail Woods, but with less pathway and more trees. She turned around to see another figure standing there. However, it was shaded out so she couldn't tell who or what it was.

"Your family is in danger, Apple Bloom," said the figure, "You need to save them,"

"How can I save them?" asked Apple Bloom, "I can't fight."

"It's simple," replied the figure, "Just call out my name and I'll take care of the enemies in sight."

"Your name? But I don't know your name!" she shouted in frustration, "And what does that have to do with saving my family?"

"My name is encrypted in your soul because I am a part of you," said the silhouette as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't get it," responded the filly.

The figure sighed, "Reach out your hoof." Apple Bloom had no idea where the stranger was going with this, but she complied with the request and held out her right hoof. A small sword appeared and the handle was almost immediately wrapped in her hoof's grasp.

"Look within yourself and find your resolve," said the shaded figure, "Then you will be able to call my name without fail." A bright light engulfed the entire forest, the figure, and Apple Bloom.

The red-maned filly opened her eyes. She was still holding her sleeping sister's hoof in the same position she was in before she had that vision. Apple Bloom gently let go before standing upright. The tears stopped falling as she found her resolve.

I didn't ask to be put into a real-life version of survival mode. I never tried to join the military to face wave after wave of endless enemies. Heck, I nearly threw away my copy of Left 4 Dead because I was tired of the re-spawning enemies. But here I was, killing off wave after wave of changeling wannabes with no end in sight.

Shirayuki's hack and slash method would only last so long before I exhausted the energy my body had left to offer. After that, I didn't know what I would do. Right now, I could feel Shirayuki's heavy breathing during this five second long pause between waves. It wouldn't be long before the dark insectoids would be at it again.

"Stand aside, Tundra," ordered a voice I hadn't expected to hear. Shirayuki turned to see a young filly walking up to the left of her. I think both of us were shocked at the filly's advance.

"Apple Bloom, what are you doing?" asked the reasonable alicorn, "Get back!"

"No," replied the eerily calm, yellow pony, "I've found my resolve." I watched in confusion as she held out her hoof. A small katana suddenly appeared in her grasp. At this, Shirayuki did a double-take.

"I'm going to protect my family," said Apple Bloom without a trace of her usual southern twang. The rest of the changelings were closing in on our location. However, Apple Bloom looked undeterred.

"Tear in frenzy," she declared monotonously, "Ruri'iro Kujaku." The katana blade seemed to glow blue like sapphire before long tendrils started flowing out of it. Within moments, the entire swarms of monsters were ensnared in the azure tendrils. The insectoids were unable to move. Something was visibly flowing out of them and through the threads. Small objects that resembled tree buds started growing out of the tendrils.

"Ruri'iro Kujaku steals the life force from the enemy it ensnares," explained Apple Bloom still in a calm monotone, "Once the buds have fully grown, these invaders will die."

Frankly, I was kind of horrified that a child could talk about death so casually. Sure, on any given day if I was talking to my friends about the concept, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. But this was a little girl who had yet to finish the equivalent of elementary school. She wasn't supposed to worry about pushing on daisies.

True to her word, the buds grew larger and the changeling invaders looked like they were fading away. When the buds finally opened in bloom, all of the ensnared enemies evaporated into shadows. After that, the tendrils started retreating to the handle that was holding them. Within seconds, the sapphire plant returned to its sword form. One of the stray blossoms floated down within Apple Bloom's reach. She chomped it out of the air without thinking twice.

"A... Apple Bloom?" said Shirayuki cautiously. The alicorn didn't get to finish her thought as a new growling sound made itself known. A shadow that looked like the changelings' dying forms appeared just in front of view. It seemed to take the reverse action and solidified itself into one large monster. It stood about eye level with Shirayuki and looked a lot like...

Chrysalis? I asked mentally. The 'queen' only growled in anger rather than talking, if it could talk. Apple Bloom's expression changed from one of indifference to one of furious anger.

"Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" she shouted. This time, the blade in her grasp altered its shape into four hook-blades attached at the hilt. Apple Bloom took a leap toward the new changeling and swung diagonally. Chrysalis(?) screeched in agony before fading into the shadows like her comrades.

The anger in Apple Bloom's eyes seemed to fade before they closed silently. She opened them and they had a bit of the light that was usually in them. She didn't look tired at all from that Zanpaktou release. In fact, she almost looked healthier than she had this morning.

"Zowie!" yelped the filly, "What just happened? Tundra, what happened? Why are you white? Where did that armor come from? Did I really just summon a magic sword out of nowhere? What's going on?"

"Woah, woah, slow down, girl," said Shirayuki, "One question at a time."

"Sorry, this is all just so confusing," admitted Apple Bloom. She took a deep breath before asking, "What happened to you?"

"Well, where to start..." the snowy alicorn muttered.

That's a good question, I agreed, Just give it to her slowly.

"In a sense," started Shirayuki, "This is my true form."

"Your true form?" Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, "What the hay does that mean?"

"I'm a pony that was split in two long ago and now the two halves have come together again," the alicorn tried to explain.

"I don't get it," said the filly.

"It's a bit complicated. Even I'm not entirely sure how the whole 'me' thing works," admitted Shirayuki.

"Okay..." sighed a still confused farmer girl, "Where did this magic sword come from?" She held up said sword still in its released state.

"That sword is part of a power you now possess," answered the alicorn, "You activated its 'magic' when you called its name."

"You mean... Ruri'iro Kujaku is this sword's name?" asked Apple Bloom now staring at the weapon she held.

"That's right," confirmed Shirayuki, "And it seems that your sword's power enables you to absorb energy from the enemy." She raised her own katana up while adding, "Just as my sword can bend ice to its will."

"That's kind of creepy," said the young farmer, "... but it's also kind of cool. But now a tougher question: what were those things we just fought?"

"Actually, that's one of the easier ones to answer," replied the alicorn, "According to Princess Celestia, David has decided to create newer creatures of the shadows in order to remake the world again."

"David?" the filly visibly shivered, "Not again."

"I take it you've heard of him before," commented the snowy alicorn.

"Heard of him?" Apple Bloom looked up at Shirayuki, "I was captured by him and nearly suffocated in a cavern filled with that inma -- iminap -- pulon... stuff. I think Firewall called it anti-magic."

"That makes sense," nodded Shirayuki, "It's easier to pronounce and doesn't hide the substance's true nature."

Apple Bloom nodded before a big yawn escaped from her mouth. I don't think any of us had noticed how late it was getting.

"Why don't we help your siblings inside and then call it a night?" offered my other half, "I'm sure we could all use some proper sleep."

The filly nodded in agreement. It took some rough teamwork to carry two ponies that had stronger muscles than either of us, but we managed to do so. We tried our best to avoid adding more damage to the already bruised farmer ponies. I remember hearing a suggestion to just bring down a few blankets instead of trying to carry them upstairs.

Shirayuki wished the yellow filly good night as she found a long piece of furniture to rest on. Throughout the whole thing, I hadn't even noticed that Granny Smith was snoring in a wooden rocking chair. I guess Shirayuki and I were too tired to let the noise bother us. Whatever I slept on that night felt much more comfortable than dirt or roof tiles.

A lot can happen in just two weeks. In the first week, I was pulled into a fan version of Equestria, earned my cutie mark, and found out I was actually half the soul of an old friend of the Princesses. Oh, I almost forgot about learning to fly, getting wrapped in overly gaudy dresses, and taking on a huge wolf creature with nothing but a sword and ice magic. My second week here was spent mostly in medical recovery. If you had told me a year ago that I was going to work in agriculture, I would have laughed at how ridiculous that sounded.

Well, here I was doubling my efforts in apple bucking on Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom had to miss two days of school to help out while her older siblings recovered from those nasty wounds. Yeah, the show writers really underestimated the damage that an army of changelings or creatures that looked like them were capable of. Green cocoons and goo weren't even in their arsenal. Slash-and-burn craters and toppled trees went way beyond the simple "chase you and eat your love" image that I had known them for.

On the bright side, Applejack and Big Macintosh recovered quickly and two days went by in a breeze. Sure, they weren't instantly healed as soon as their bandages were applied, but man. These ponies must have had super regeneration or something. On the third day, Big Mac was already up and clearing fallen debris on the orchard. Applejack was already surpassing her usual efforts to collect the harvest. She had said that tomorrow was market day and they were way behind their usual inventory.

The sun move through the sky fairly rapidly. Before I knew it, it was already sunset and it was time to turn in for another day. Dinner that evening had corn soup as the main course. I wasn't complaining, since it tasted much better than hay fries in my honest opinion. I was glad that Granny Smith hadn't been outside when the changelings had ravaged the land the other day. I was certain that seeing all of what transpired would have broken her heart.

I went to sleep tired that night. It was a good kind of tired instead of the falling unconscious from a battle kind of tired.

...

Hearts and Hooves Day: the equivalent of the human world's Valentine's Day. While it was the source of many lovely couples and romance novels, this particular Hearts and Hooves Day had one more ingredient. For the last few days, I had been working on a little, secret project. It involved me taking guitar lessons from a certain 'background' pony, design choices from a filly test subject, and sworn secrecy by the test subject's close family. Said test subject was nervously waiting backstage with me.

"I'm starting to have second thoughts about this," she told me.

"Oh, I'm already on my fourth thoughts about this," I replied, "But I'm still going through with it." I flashed a disarming smile before continuing, "How about you?"

Her look changed from one of cringing to one of determination in those amber eyes, "Yeah. Let's do this."

Several Ponyville residents had come to see why there was a stage set up in the center of town. Suddenly, the sky seemed to dim to a dark, room's lighting. What some of the ponies might have noticed was me walking onto the stage to a stool on the left. (Oh, yeah. I was wearing an old stetson hat lent to me by a close friend.) I sat down on the stool holding a guitar before strumming a few notes. As I did this, the curtain opened up and a spotlight shined on the true star of today's attraction. Wearing a T-shirt, she started singing her solo.

You're on the phone with your girlfriend, She's upset

She's going off about something that you said

She doesn't get your humor like I do

I'm in the room. It's a typical Tuesday night

I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like

And she'll never know your story like I do

I changed chords as Apple Bloom pointed a hoof toward her chest.

But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts

She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers

Dreaming 'bout the day when you wake up and find

That what you're lookin' for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you

Been here all along so why can't you see?

You belong with me

A few smaller lights danced around the front of the stage before the main spotlight returned to Apple Bloom.

Walking the streets with you in your worn out jeans

I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be

Laughing on the park bench thinking to myself

Hey isn't this easy?

And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town

I haven't seen it in a while, since she brought you down

You say you find I know you better than that

Hey, whatcha doing with a girl like that?

She wears makeup, I wear ribbons

She's cheer captain and I'm on the sidelines

Dreaming 'bout the day when you wake up and find

That what you're looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you

Been here all along so why can't you see?

You belong with me

Standing by, waiting at your back door

All this time how could you not know baby?

You belong with me

The spotlight turned in my direction as I strummed a guitar solo. After that, the light returned to a bobbing filly singer.

Oh, I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night

I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry

I know your favorite songs and you tell me about your dreams

Think I know where you belong. Think I know it's with me.

Her voice grew quiet for the next musical bridge.

Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?

Been here all along so why can't you see?

You belong with me

Her voice rose again.

Standing by, waiting at your back door

All this time how could you not know baby?

You belong with me

Have you ever thought just maybe

You belong with me

As the echoes from the guitar and imaginary drum set faded, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd of ponies that had gathered. Apple Bloom appeared quite happy as she took a bow. She then pointed a polite hoof toward the guitarist on her right. I obliged by bowing my head and wings in the position I had used in my past two performances.

This was fun, I thought in satisfaction, I'm glad we did this. Thank you, Taylor Swift wherever you are.

"Fun?" I skeptically asked the librarian, "You're saying that's fun?"

"Well, yeah," said Twilight with utmost sincerity, "and no pony knows makeovers like Rarity."

Why me? I thought.

Would you rather face hoards of shadow monsters? asked Shirayuki's mind.

Yes,... Yes, I would, was my half-serious reply. One way or another, I was going to 'assist' the fashionesta pony at the start of the new month. I knew what my nightmares were going to consist of during that time: Art of the Dress in stereo... in 3D. I face hoofed at the thought while Twilight went back to studying whatever it is Twilight Sparkle studies.

Ch. 14: Dignity Dies in Cherry Blossoms

Your affection, your affection
Taking pride from fear
Past will tell you when to make
Yourself a hero.

Chapter 14: Dignity Dies in Cherry Blossoms

"Ichigo!" I shouted as I opened the closet door, "We've got orders. Several hollows have been spotted!"

"What?!" the orange-headed boy shouted back. I didn't have time to deal with his surprise. Donning my read glove with a blue flame and skull pattern, I gave him a good smack upside the head. His Soul Reaper form exited his body instantly.

"Come on! We don't have time to fool around," I said while grabbing him and jumping out the open window.

"Hey, wait!" he cried.

---

I said the incantation exactly as I had studied it:

The one who reigns, mask of flesh and blood

All creation, the flutter of wings

The one who crowns us with the name

Gathering of heat and war beyond the seas and rivers

Take steps to the south.

Hado 31: Shakkahou!

Screams woke me up from whatever dream I had been having. In my startled state, I got tangled up in the blanket before promptly reacquainting myself with the floor. The floor and I still weren't on a first-name basis, but I was starting to understand its pain. I rubbed my head in displeasure before slowly standing up.

"What's going on?" I said still half asleep.

"L-look," shook Spike as he pointed a claw to the ceiling. My half-open eyes followed the path of his claw upward. I blinked a couple times. I didn't understand what I was looking at. Though, the smoke and small debris were a nice touch.

Wait... I thought, Smoke and debris- holy crap!

"What happened?" I said now with eyes open wide.

"I... I don't know," stammered Twilight, "You were muttering something in your sleep. Next thing I know, a giant red sphere appeared out of nowhere and flew up to the ceiling."

"And it exploded!" added Spike for emphasis.

"A red... sphere?" I quietly echoed. Strands of my thoughts started lining up.

If I was mumbling the phrase that I was saying in that dream and an actual red orb was launched, then... But how? Only Shirayuki can cast Kido... right?

That may not be true anymore, replied my other self's thoughts, Since we're the same soul, it's possible that we now share powers.

"Hm..." I muttered while rubbing a hoof to my chin.

"Tundra?" called Twilight during my train of long thought.

"Hang on. I'll be right back," I replied as I practically glided downstairs and out the front door. I had to make sure this wasn't a fluke. I looked around and saw no pony in the immediate vicinity. Then, I held up my front hooves, pointed to the sky.

"The one who reigns," I chanted, "Mask of flesh and blood. All creation, the flutter of wings, the one who crowns us with the name. Gathering of heat and war beyond the seas and rivers take steps to the south." Red light started to swirl around just beyond my hooves.

"Hado 31: Shakkahou!" I shouted. A red sphere of what I assumed was fire was released up to the sky. After flying for about two seconds, it exploded in smoke. A slight, unusual rush of wind was all that remained of the fireball's existence. Twilight practically rushed out of the library after me.

"Tundra, are you nuts?" she asked frantically, "You can't just throw around powerful magic like that!" It was then that common sense came back to me. I realized how childish I had acted as if finding a new toy to play with. How did I forget "never play with fire"?

"Eh heh," I sweat dropped, "Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I got carried away."

"You think?" called Spike from the open doorway.

After a quick breakfast of hay (I still thought hay was gross), I headed on my way to the Carousel Boutique. I intentionally walked slower than my average pace. I was not looking forward to a repeat performance of dress modeling. I had nothing against the dresses personally as they were attractive to look at. What I was against was wearing the dresses on my body. Regardless that my body and soul were those of a mare, my mind and heart were still those of a guy. I didn't want to lose what was left of me.

I was disappointed when my long walk brought me to the front door of the dress shop. Still, I tried to make the best of the situation as I knocked. I smiled politely as the door opened.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique: where everything is sleek, unique, and magnifique," said Rarity with her usual flare.

"Hey, Rarity. It's me," I said.

"Hello, Tundra. It's wonderful to see you again, darling," chimed the alabaster unicorn.

"Yeah, likewise," I replied though with notably less enthusiasm. Either Rarity didn't notice or she hid her recognition of my facade rather well.

"Ready to begin?" she beamed.

"As ready as I'll ever be," was my resigned reply.

Well... I was pleasantly surprised. The items Rarity had me model for weren't so dressy so much as they were accessorized. Aside from the translucent, white wedding gown (don't ask), I didn't have to wear a single dress. Instead, the high-standard unicorn had me try on things like hats, ribbons, bow ties, and hair pins. I didn't even know Rarity designed sunglasses. I think I actually had fun that day.

"All right, darling," said Rarity, "That will be all for today." I stepped off the rounded podium and reached my hooves forward in a stretch. I guess standing in one place for so long stiffened my joints. Soon, however, I was standing upright again.

"Rarity!" called a high-pitched voice. A door to the back opened and in ran a brightly colored, younger clone of Rarity. Sweetie Belle was so adorable. That won't be the last time I've said that, either.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. Not right now," apologized the older sister who was currently levitating several items in her light blue magical aura.

"But I've been sitting around with nothing to do for hours," emphasized Sweetie Belle. In her defense, it had been three hours since I arrived that day. So technically it had been hours. Still, I didn't want to be the start of an argument that I couldn't finish. Rarity managed to find places to put some of the objects in her hold while she paused to think.

"Tell you what," proposed the boutique owner, "Why don't you keep our guest busy and I'll catch up with you later?" I probably looked a bit stupid turning my head and looking around for Rarity's 'guest'. It wasn't until after five seconds had passed that I realized who she was talking about.

"Me?" I asked pointing a hoof at myself.

"Okay!" perked up the filly almost instantly, "Come on! I'll race you to the back!" Just like that, Sweetie Belle was scampering again.

"Hey, wait up!" I called. Hoping to avoid tripping, I opted for a brisk trot instead of running after her.

I wasn't much of an artist. I never have been. Whenever I picked up a crayon in the past, I could only draw five things effectively: one-colored backgrounds, smoke, stars, boxes, and stick figures. Yeah, my pride did not exist in drawing.

So now picture this guy who can't draw. This same guy has lost all of his fingers. This guy could levitate objects with just a feeling. That feeling, however, froze anything he lifted in a literal case of ice. This frost magician was in an alien's body and on top of that, the body is female. In just that moment in time, I was that guy.

I was, however, willing to try something else. Sweetie Belle was rigorously completing a masterpiece on her sheet of paper. In a cautious motion, I leaned down and picked up a crayon in my lips. (To anyone who happens to get turned into a pony-like creature in the future, here's my piece of advice: keep your tongue in the back of your mouth unless you want to taste what you've put in your mouth.) Admittedly I felt a little silly, but to my fortune, Sweetie Belle didn't notice and kept going.

My mouth dexterity, besides talking, was next to zero. I tried to lean down to the paper and draw stars, but my initial motion sent the first line off the paper to the table beyond where the paper ended. So, then I tried to cover the paper in a green-colored background. But, my aim with the crayon left lines spaced so far apart that the result looked more like thin stripes more than anything else. This was not my finest hour.

I looked over to what Sweetie Belle was finishing up and I practically cried at how beautiful it looked. Let's just say that the show animators really underestimated how well she could draw Rarity.

The lights in the room shut off all at once.

"Uh, is this normal?" I asked rhetorically.

"No, it's not," answered Sweetie Belle anyway. I mentally face hoofed at her misunderstanding of my sarcasm. From beyond the room's length, a scream shattered the uncomfortable silence.

"Rarity!" shouted the filly and I simultaneously. I galloped to the door, Sweetie Belle right behind me. When I banged the door in, I heard wood the sound of wood splintering. I think I might have broken a hinge when I barged through the door. In hindsight, maybe I would have been better off freezing the door knob. But that was far from my mind as I entered the main, front area of the store.

"What happened?" asked Sweetie Belle for both of us. The room was barely lit, and Rarity was facing away from us, so I couldn't tell what she was feeling. I slowly trotted closer to Rarity, not really sure what to expect.

"Rarity?" I tried asking. With the same slowness, Rarity turned herself around to face me. Something was wrong with this picture. The alabaster unicorn had a 'lights on with no one home' look in her eyes. But maybe, just maybe it was the fact that there was a giant, orange-yellow flower attached to her chest with several purple roots ingrained in her coat. Maybe.

I don't like the looks of that flower, thought Shirayuki.

If it is what I think it is, then I don't either, I thought-spoke back. A really high pitched giggling noise in the room confirmed my suspicions.

"I have total control," squeaked the voice.

"Wh-what is that thing?" asked Sweetie Belle. Before I could answer, Rarity lifted her left front hoof. A long katana manifested itself in her grasp. She jumped toward me as if to strike.

"Sweetie Belle, stay back!" I ordered as I summoned my own sword in a defensive stance. Metal clanged against metal as I struggled to hold the possessed Rarity off.

I'll handle this, said Shirayuki's mind.

No, you can't! I responded.

Why not? she asked.

Rarity isn't the enemy here, I tried explaining.

Could have fooled me, responded Shirayuki sarcastically. During that time, Rarity had swung her sword several times against mine. I had to constantly realign my hold to keep up my defense.

"Rarity! Tundra! Stop fighting!" cried Sweetie Belle.

I would if I could, Sweetie, I thought, But I don't think Ritze the mind controlling flower will let her stop. I managed to enforce one powerful push sending Rarity sliding back a few feet. After that, I held my ground.

The squeaky voice from earlier said, "Let's see what else you can do." On that suggestion, Rarity raised her sword upright and in front of her face.

"Scatter," she said in monotone, "Senbonzakura."

Oh, heck no! I thought as I watched her blade separate into a thousand pink petals. A slow, invisible twister guided the cherry blossoms through the room in a circular motion. But I knew better than to assume that this was a peace offering. When Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of Squad 6 performed this technique in the anime, his intent was to kill. These petals were all as sharp as his Zanpaktou, Senbonzakura. If I didn't do something... well, the boutique floor would be a lot redder.

Now, Tundra! urged my other half.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I shouted without thinking. My Zanpaktou became white along with its ribbon. Shirayuki stood in her evergreen armor where I had stood a split second before.

But the moment of beauty was not meant to last.

The unicorn Cutie Mark Crusader watched from a ways behind the alicorn. Visibly, she was trembling. She felt afraid and betrayed. Where had those weapons come from? Why was her sister fighting a friend? This wasn't right.

As the petals began to clear from the scene, she could see drops of red trickling down the alicorn's legs. Within the next few seconds, a small geyser of the red liquid poured out of that pony's right side. The blue maned alicorn collapsed to the floor unable to cry out in pain. Sweetie Belle held her mouth agape as her eyes squinted with tears. To add insult to injury, the yellow flower that had somehow possessed her sister laughed in its high pitch voice.

"That was fun," it giggled, "Let's do it again." The petals reassembled together to form the original sword that Rarity held in her grasp. Instead of holding it straight up, however, the unicorn now held the blade so it pointed at the floor.

"Ban...kai," she droned. Her grip on the sword released and it began to drop.

I-is she giving up? thought Sweetie Belle hopefully. When the sword fell through the floor, the feeling of unease reclaimed her unsettled heart. White ripples like those of a pond spread out from where the blade had fallen. Two seconds passed before a horrifying sight met the filly's eyes.

The entire room seemed to vanish in a large blue abyss. Several, giant sword blades rose from the ground in the formation of an aisle around Rarity and the perceived target. Said target was currently lying on the ground struggling to move.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," droned Rarity. What had been giant swords now separated into millions of cherry blossoms. Sweetie Belle had already seen the damage that one sword's worth of those petals could do. She did not want a repeat performance anytime soon.

"Stop!" she cried ignoring Tundra's earlier warning to stay back. She ran forward with tears streaming from her eyes. She stood in front of the fallen alicorn's body and looked at Rarity in desperation.

"Sis, please... stop," she whimpered. Unfortunately, whatever force bound her big sister wouldn't let the attack stop. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes waiting for the end.

"Nyah, what a mess you've found yourself in," commented an alto voice.

"Huh?" spoke the filly as she opened her eyes. What had been her sister's house was now replaced with a beach. It was complete with a lone palm tree and small ocean waves. Sweetie Belle looked left and right in confusion.

"Where... am I?" she asked.

"Not exactly the best time for that kind of question, nyah," replied the woman's voice. Sweetie Belle turned around to face the speaker. Despite the sunny appearance of the scenery, the silhouette of the speaker was shaded out. It was like a sentient shadow.

"Who are you?" asked the filly.

"Nyah, I'm hurt Sweetie Belle," said the silhouette, "I've been a part of you all this time and you've forgotten me."

"What are you talking about?" said Sweetie while raising her voice, "I don't know you."

The figure sighed before saying, "You're wasting precious time, nyah. Soon your sister and your friend will die if you don't step in." The calm ocean waves started growing larger and flowed further up the beach line.

"Rarity... Tundra," whispered the filly replacing her frustration with worry. A strong wind started bending the lone palm tree at a right angle.

"Do me a favor, will you, nyah?" pitched in the silhouette, "Prove you're worthy of my power and call me before you die, okay?" With that, the shadowy figure vanished.

"Wait!" shouted Sweetie Belle as a tsunami-sized wave crashed down and engulfed the entire beach line.

The filly gasped as she opened her eyes. What was that vision she just had? Turning her head slightly to the right, she noticed a small sword now being held in her hoof's grasp.

Is this... what she meant by... her power? contemplated Sweetie Belle. But the time for thinking was quickly vanishing as several of the pink petals from before began to close in on their target. Sweetie was still afraid, but she clenched her face in newly founded determination. She pointed her blade toward the incoming onslaught.

"Growl, Haineko!" she shouted.

Pain... so much... pain. I never wondered what it would be like if I ever pissed off someone with Byakuya Kuchiki's powers. Now that I had felt it first hand, I wouldn't have to wonder. I had no idea how many places I had gotten cut, but it was definitely enough to merit screams from my nervous system.

This is just fan-tipping-flastic, I thought. Sure, Shirayuki currently had dominance of the body but I could still feel all of her pain. She slowly opened her left eye wondering why we were still alive. The answer was surprisingly not in the form of Princess Celestia or Twilight Sparkle saving the day. Instead, it looked like we were surrounded by a dome made entirely from gray sand. The one currently holding the dome in place was...

"Sweetie Belle?" coughed Shirayuki. Indeed, the unicorn filly looked like she was concentrating while holding the handle of an empty blade.

This sand is... Haineko? I contemplated. I could hear metal clanging against metal. The dome started distorting in a few places every once in a while. Was that Senbonzakura hitting Haineko?

So even though the Zanpaktou change form, their overall density and structure are still that of the original swords, I thought. Then I internally groaned, Oh, great. Twilight Sparkle is rubbing off on me.

The sound of clashing metal faded a minute later. The dome of ashes swirled around a bit before it returned to Sweetie's possession as a full katana. At this time, I also noticed pink petals returning to the form of Rarity's katana.

"Aw, she's run out of energy," cooed the high pitch squeak, "Oh, well." The purple veins in Rarity's chest shrank and disappeared as the yellow flower exited her body. The flower seemed to float in midair as the purple stem reformed into a small, red rodent's head.

It is Ritze, I affirmed, But how? Is this one of David's newest experiments? Shirayuki tried to move, but all she succeeded in doing was gripping her sword tightly. That wasn't going to be enough.

"I'll just take control of one of you," squeaked Ritze. If she wasn't an energy stealing, body snatcher, she would have been kind of cute. Alas, she was a body snatcher and therefore was not cute. The rodent-flower started levitating face forward toward Sweetie Belle and me. The filly wasn't ready for this full-out battle and my body was still incapacitated from round one.

Did some pony order a miracle?

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!" shouted a reinvigorated voice. Before any pony in the room could react, six rectangular bars of light that resembled flower petals held the abomination in midair. The flower rodent was ensnared in the lights, struggling fruitlessly to escape its restraints. I think Sweetie Belle and I were both surprised when we saw the caster of that Kido.

"Hurry!" exclaimed Rarity, her emotions clearly returned, "Strike it now!"

Sweetie recovered from the shock first and shouted, "Haineko!" Her blade separated into fine-grain ashes. The ashes rushed toward the rodent. With one swing of the hilt, the filly successfully cut through Ritze.

"Yaaaaaaugh!" screamed the flower rodent. As the bars of light faded, the red headed mouse shrank in size and form to resemble a tiny blue seed. I needed to destroy that seed.

"S-sokatsui," stammered Shirayuki raising a hoof. The familiar blue fire blast flew forward disintegrating the blue seed into the shadows from whence it came. The three ponies left in the room took shaky breaths in this moment of recomposing.

I recall an implicit agreement for all of us to sleep on the floor that night.

...

Some amount of time later, I woke up. Although the blanket covering me was green in color, I didn't hear the heart monitor that would indicate that I had been taken to the hospital. Still, after opening my eyes a bit and looking down, I could tell that somebody had decided to bandage me up in several places. It was then that I noticed Rarity muttering to herself. There was something about "the right flowers in the vase", but I couldn't tell for sure.

I guess the Carousel Boutique was larger on the inside than I had thought. I was in a well-furnished guest bedroom that I didn't even know existed. Slowly, I rose into a sitting position. Even though I still felt pain, it wasn't enough to send me crashing back to the bed. Most of the pain was in my right shoulder anyway.

"Good morning, Tundra," said Rarity turning to look at me. I raised my left hoof to my forehead trying to rub myself awake.

"How long have I been out?" I asked. My throat felt a bit dry in that moment.

"It's... been about two days, darling," said the alabaster unicorn with a sorry frown.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked noticing her sad face.

"N-nothing," she stumbled over the word, "Well... except..." At this point she raised her front hooves up in an "I surrender" motion. I didn't expect her to lay her hooves on the bed nor did I expect her to wail with tears flowing out of her eyes.

"Oh, Tundra, it was the most dreadful thing," she cried, "I couldn't stop that repulsive creature from taking control of me. I hurt you in ways that a lady should never inflict pain. But worst of all, worst of all... I may have mentally scarred my one and only sister for the rest of her life." Well, I'll give the show writers credit here. Rarity was a drama queen. Though, considering the events that had taken place, I think she had a right to be. She bawled like that for a couple more minutes.

Since I was right within range of her tear stream, I decided to offer comfort in the one way I knew how. I slowly and softly rubbed her back with my hoof. This seemed to help reduce her wailing to a hushed whimper.

"It's not your fault, Rarity," mentioned a younger voice. Rarity took a pause in her crying. Both she and I looked at the open doorway. The source of the comment was her younger sister, standing just inside the room.

"You're not to blame for anything," reiterated Sweetie Belle.

"But I-," stammered Rarity.

"She's right," I interrupted, "None of us were prepared for that attack. You couldn't have known." I sat up a bit straighter before continuing, "Sometimes, life throws things our way. No matter how much we prepare and plan, there will always be at least one thing that catches us off guard. In those times, we just have to accept the situation, learn from them, and then move on."

Sweetie Belle walked up and nuzzled Rarity.

"Besides, you're my big sister," she said, "I'll always be her for you." Tears changed in Rarity's eyes from grief to joy.

"Thank you," whispered the older sister as she pulled in the younger sister for a hug. I smiled at the familial sight before me.

Over a lunch of hot tomato soup, I managed to talk with the unicorn sisters in better moods. Somewhere in the conversation, I asked Rarity how she had known how to use a Bakudo. She said that she didn't remember the exact details. There was however a half-awake dream that involved a short conversation with a bipedal gentlecolt wearing handsome, old-fashioned attire. She described how the only thing off about this man's appearance was the tacky mask he wore, though she hadn't bothered to tell him that. Long story short, she now knew a few general Kido techniques in addition to wielding her new sword's powers.

If I'm piecing together what she said properly, I thought to myself, Rarity talked to the spirit of Senbonzakura.

It would seem so, replied Shirayuki's thoughts.

During the next half-hour, I told them about the situation that Princess Celestia had explained to me. I told them about how David had this whole plan involving creatures of the shadows and bringing about a new created world.

"That sounds like the story of a badly written work of fiction," commented Sweetie Belle.

"That's pretty much what I told the Princess," I chuckled.

The conversation pretty much devolved into small talk after that.

A few days passed before I could finally shed my bandages completely. A few small scars remained, but even Rarity commented how unnoticeable they were. When someone that normally overreacts to appearances says you look good, then you look good. There was no question about it.

A bright light and arcs of darkness scoured the abyss. They destroyed everything in their path. Thick, red water spilled from the cuts carved into the lavender unicorn. She let out a scream.

"Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle," whispered a voice.

I shot up from the pillow into a sitting position. I gasped at the dream I had just had. It was too gripping. I didn't know what to do but I knew I had to do it quickly. In haste, I threw off the blanket covering me and rushed out the front door.

Twilight, please be all right, I thought as I flew in the direction of the library.

Ch. 15: Joy, Sorrow, and Anger

And I may never know
The answer to this endless mystery.
Where should I go?
What should I do?
I don't understand what you want from me

Chapter 15: Joy, Sorrow, and Anger

A dark silhouette crept into the tree house via the unlocked door. Neither the librarian, nor her assistant noticed the intruder's presence. Oddly, the owl who was normally nocturnal was talking a midnight nap. This only worked to the intruder's advantage. As they slowly made their way up the stairs, the figure pulled out a disturbingly curved blade. This intruder was out for blood.

They reached the top step which held the loft for the bedroom. They slowly walked toward the sleeping unicorn. The lavender unicorn was blissfully unaware of the danger that approached. The intruder's Achilles heel was their need to make lasting impressions which required their audience to be awake. This would explain why her next move was to ignite her blade in a bright, white light.

The librarian shook her head in a groan at the disturbance. She opened her eyes to analyze the disruptive light source. When she saw the wielder of the light source, she let loose a yelp in shock.

"Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle," whispered the intruder.

"Twilight!" shouted a faint voice. This shout caught the intruder off guard. Where had that voice come from? They were quickly answered with the sound of smashing glass from the bedroom window. Another wielder's sword clashed with their own, sending the intruder tumbling to the next floor down.

The intruder growled, "Who dares to interrupt the Great and Powerful Trixie?" The intruder, now clearly a female blue unicorn, looked up to see what had meddled with her show-stopping finale. She was surprised to see a black winged unicorn wielding a similarly shaped sword as her own.

Okay, in hindsight, maybe it wasn't such a good idea crashing through the window like that, I thought as I shook some loose pieces of glass from my body. Still, I was doing what I had to do to protect Twilight. I had to keep her safe from the purple caped... wait, Trixie?

"What's going on?" asked a now fully awake Twilight Sparkle. In contrast, Spike just rolled over in his sleep readjusting his blanket in the process.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked the rhetorical Trixie as she stood up, "I'm here to settle things."

"Settle what?" I countered. I still held my blade in an "I'm warning you" pose.

"Hmph," humphed the show pony, "A stranger like you would never understand what Trixie's been through."

"I know that you were practically kissing up to David over a year ago," I stated. When did I become such a jerk?

"The Great and Powerful Trixie serves no pony!" she shouted. She then raised her katana high before declaring, "Shine Brightly, Nijigasumi!" Her Zanpaktou... well, shone brightly. (How else was I supposed to describe it?) I lifted the hoof with my sword in grasp to try and block some of the light from blinding me. When I could see again, Trixie had vanished from the floor below.

Okay, maybe vanished was a poor word choice. She actually reappeared directly to my left side before taking a swing at me. The two katana clashed briefly before Trixie seemed to disappear again. In the next split second, she was on my right. Our swords clanged against each other again. Then she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

What is going on? I asked myself in thought. There's no way she can possibly be this fast. A quick kick from the rear corrected my assumption as I fell to the next floor down in a somersault. Miraculously, I had managed to quickly right myself on three legs. I didn't have time to celebrate, however, as Trixie leaped down for another attack. This time, she wasn't so quick to leave visibility.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I declared. My Zanpaktou was quickly engulfed in white as a ribbon extended from its hilt. The taller Shirayuki now had dominance of control. Upon realizing that her opponent was a taller, stronger pony, Trixie leaped out of the pushing competition and backed away.

"What are you?" asked the show pony. She then slowly blinked before adding, "No, Trixie does not even care. Trixie must move you out of the way if she wants her revenge on Sparkle."

Revenge for what? Twilight beat you fair and square, I fumed this time keeping the thought safely in my mind.

"Flash and burn, Nijigasumi!" yelled Trixie. The entire room seemed to illuminate way too brightly for me to see anything.

Shirayuki, brace yourself! I shouted in thought, She's going to make the shadows attack you in the light!

"So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro!" declared Shirayuki hastily. A translucent pillar of ice surrounded her just in time for several black waves in the light to bash against the pillar's surface. They sounded relentless cutting against the ice. The light began to clear just as the pillar crumbled to frozen dust particles. I mentally sighed in relief.

"I'm not done yet," said Trixie. She moved her Zanpaktou in a sideways U-shaped motion. In doing so, she left behind a visible path of positions where her sword had passed. These light markers suddenly launched forward like actual projectiles. Shirayuki tried raising her sword to block, but the blades of light had strength of force in numbers. She was pushed back and was lifted off her hooves into the bookshelf behind her. I felt the internal pain as Shirayuki coughed up blood.

In a split second, the show pony had reappeared just in front of Shirayuki. Trixie held her lit up blade under the alicorn's head just inches away from her neck.

"Tundra!" shouted Twilight from the upper floor. Unfortunately, even her fast mind couldn't keep up with the motions that this battle had taken.

"So that's your name," muttered Trixie, "Very well. Now, Trixie can properly mark the land where she buries your remains."

"Why are you doing this?" coughed Shirayuki.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is free from her captivity, but not from her subordination," said the blue unicorn, "To rid of the past that haunts her, Twilight Sparkle must die." She poked her sword closer. I couldn't feel it cutting skin, but the shimmering metal was definitely close enough that it could do so.

"You stood in Trixie's way," continued the show pony, "So you must be ended as well. Rest in peace, Tundra." Shirayuki held Trixie in a defiant gaze until the end.

"Split and deviate, Ruri'iro Kujaku," said an extra voice. Both unicorns and the alicorn in the room opened their eyes wide in surprise. Before I knew what was happening, azure tendrils reached out and pulled Trixie out of her attacking range.

"What is this?" the magician yelped.

"You mess with my friends," said the newcomer who stepped into the room, "and you mess with me."

Shirayuki gasped, "Apple Bloom!"

The blue unicorn, however, was not having it. She madly swung her brightly lit sword and slashed the tendrils off her body before they could complete their energy drain. Ironically, the fact that she did so left her blade without any of its light bending powers to use.

"This isn't over," she growled. On that note, she released a small smoke bomb that barely covered her tracks as she ran down the stairs and presumably out the front door.

After that, Apple Bloom's weapon returned to its original form, leaving a few lingering buds not quite fully in bloom. She took hold of one of them and held it toward the injured alicorn.

"Here, Tundra," said the farmer filly, "It ain't much, but it should help in a pinch." The snowy alicorn reached down and grabbed the azure bud in her teeth before gulping it down. I wasn't sure at the time, but I think that energy healed whatever internal organ was previously bleeding. My back felt less painful too.

"Thank you, Apple Bloom," said Shirayuki.

"Don't mention it," smiled the filly.

"Apple Bloom," said Twilight while walking down the stairs from her loft, "what are you doing here?"

"I... I kind of... hm... It's hard to explain," struggled Apple Bloom, "I kind of just... felt this nagging... pressure or something coming from this direction. Without thinking about what I was doing, I ran over to see what was what and here I am."

"That... sounds almost exactly like what happened to us, er me," commented Shirayuki.

It's probably better if you use singular pronouns, I told Shirayuki through thoughts, After all, we share the same soul. I sensed a mental nod in reply. Then I noticed that the visibility in the room was getting a tint of orange. The three ponies in the room looked to the open window and saw the sunrise in the eastern sky.

"Eh heh, um, sorry about breaking your window, Twilight," Shirayuki relayed my apologetic thought.

"Oh, don't worry about that," insisted the bearer of Magic, "I've got a repair spell for just this type of occasion." She went back upstairs to put said spell into action. Meanwhile, the snowy alicorn eased herself up to a four-hoof standing position.

"Come on, Apple Bloom. I'll walk you home," she said.

"Okay," replied the filly in a chipper tone. She then frowned slightly before asking, "Do you think Trixie will ever get herself straightened out?"

Shirayuki sighed, "I sure hope so, kid. I sure hope so."

I guess the key to returning to my default, black and purple form was to stay out of the stress of battle for an extended period of time. By the time Apple Bloom got to the front door, I had gained dominance of my body. She looked at me expectantly and then kept moving as I followed her outside, gently closing the door behind me.

"So, Tundra," inquired the filly, "If your true form is that white pony with blue hair, why do you keep changing back to your lie form?"

I chuckled, "It's not a 'lie' form, Apple Bloom. This is my default form, with default meaning 'what I look like normally'."

"Why don't you just stick with one form?" she asked.

"Well, it's a little complicated," I said. Both of us kept a steady pace on the path to Sweet Apple Acres.

"That's what you said last time I asked that," pointed out Apple Bloom, "I want more of an answer than that."

I sighed, "All right, but I warned you." At least this explanation would pass the time as we walked.

"So let me see if I got this straight," said the farmer filly, "You're made of two ponies."

"Yes," I affirmed.

"One of them was a human from the alternate planet Earth."

"Yes."

"The other was an old friend of the Princesses."

"Yes."

"But she was corrupted and became the Nightmare spirit."

"Yes."

"Then the human you and the Nightmare you came together and reunited to form the soul of the Princesses' lost friend."

"Yes."

"But you both still think independently from each other. The black you, 'Tundra Stanza', takes care of normal everyday stuff while the white you, 'She-ra-you-key', takes care of battles."

"That about sums it up."

Apple Bloom looked like she was lost in thought until she chirped, "Makes sense to me."

"Wow, you're pretty quick to catch on," I commented.

"I'll take that as a compliment," smiled the filly. The good mood of a child was infectious. I felt myself smile just by talking with her. Funny, I was never this open with kids before. I guess ponies did make everything better. I was half disappointed when we arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. I didn't want to leave this filly's cheerfulness so soon. In retrospect, Applejack couldn't have been more relieved to see her sister's arrival.

"Apple Bloom!" she cried out, "Oh, heavens to Betsy. You're all right! Where have you been?"

"I was with Tundra," replied Apple Bloom pointing a hoof to me.

"Boy, howdy," muttered the orange earth pony before turning to me and saying, "I hope she didn't give you too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," I said while dismissively waving a hoof, "In fact, I still have to thank her properly."

"Thank me?" asked the yellow pony, "What for?"

"You've saved my life twice now," I said with a sincere smile.

"Oh, yeah, heh," chuckled Apple Bloom, "But you don't need to do anything. You already thanked me."

"I'll find a way to pay you back," I insisted, "I mean it."

"Well, all right then," she accepted, "I'll hold you to that."

Applejack just looked back and forth between us in confusion, "Did I miss something?"

"Don't worry about it, AJ," I told her, "Apple Bloom won't let me forget."

"Eyup, don't worry, sis," reinforced the filly, "I'll let her know when she can pay me back."

"Later!" I waved to both of the farmers before I opened my wings and flew away.

I think I barely heard Applejack say something like, "Okay, now I know I missed something."

The weather patrol for Ponyville must have brought in a few clouds during my walk. By the time I flew within visible distance from Carousel Boutique, they were sprinkling. The raindrops fell harder as I landed in front of the door. I think this was the first time I had ever had hair that was long enough to mop my eyes when it was wet. I made my way inside as the store's entrance bell jingled.

"Welcome to-, oh my stars!" cried a voice that I assumed was Rarity.

"Stand back, Rarity," I warned, "It's about to get wet." I shook myself all over to get the gist of rainwater out of my coat and mane. By the same physics that the cartoon uses, I was perfectly dry when I stopped shaking. I looked over to see the white unicorn looked rather worried.

"Darling, are you all right?" asked Rarity, "Twilight told me about the whole thing and I just couldn't imagine the trauma that must have overwhelmed you...!"

"Rarity, relax," I said holding up a hoof in her direction, "I'm fine. Wait, Twilight told you? When did she come over here?"

"No, no, no. You misunderstand. Allow me to start from the beginning," she restarted, "Earlier this morning, Sweetie Belle and I felt this strange, nagging pressure coming from the direction of the library. But by the time we ran over there..."

"... Apple Bloom and I had already left," I finished, "So you can sense spiritual pressure too?"

"Spiritual pressure?" she asked with a look of confusion, "Is that what it's called?"

"Yeah," I replied, "I guess you two didn't sense it as quickly as Apple Bloom because you're not quite attuned to the sensation yet."

"I suppose," responded Rarity, "Wait, then where did Apple Bloom find time to get used to the feeling?"

I sighed, "Let me tell you about what happened a couple months back." Expository retelling was becoming my new hobby. Maybe I should have gotten a cutie mark in that, though I have no idea what a situation explaining cutie mark would look like.

"But how do you know if they were changelings if they never altered their appearance?" inquired the fashion pony.

"Well, that's just what they looked like to me," I answered, "and I didn't exactly have an encyclopedia on hand with their picture that could tell me what their actual name was."

"Apple Bloom saved your life," marveled Rarity.

"Not just me, she saved her whole family," I corrected.

"That's amazing," commented a third voice.

"Yeah, it was," I agreed, "Wait! Who said that?" The third speaker slowly came out from behind the fitting room doors.

"Sweetie Belle," said Rarity slowly, "How... long have you been listening?"

"Pretty much the whole time," answered the unicorn filly just as slowly.

"Oh, good," I sighed in relief, "I don't have to tell the whole story all over again."

"Well... as long as you're all right with others knowing," started Rarity.

"Hey, the way I see it is this: the more someone knows, the less I have to explain," I said.

"Oh, by the way, Tundra," said Rarity after tapping once with her hoof, "Twilight wanted me to pass on a message to you. Apparently, you're going to help Fluttershy for a couple of days starting this evening."

"Oh... thanks," I responded, "That's good to know."

Twilight Sparkle, did it ever occur to you to consult me about these things before deciding them? I thought feeling mentally ticked.

...

"Augh! Not the bees! Not the bees!" I yelled as I ran away from the swarm of the killer insects with stingers. All I knew was that one minute, I was running around trying to get a certain rabbit to eat his dinner. Next thing I knew, I had run smack into a tree and narrowly dodged a falling hive. Now, I had to get away from the plague of insects. They were closing the distance between us fairly quickly. I had to think fast.

Apparently, the scenery decided my thinking wasn't fast enough and decided to change for me. The grass I was running on turned into a full body of water. This made the cursed bugs give up on their chase. The downside, however, was that I was soaking wet again (even though the rain had ended hours ago) and my dignity also suffered. Slowly, I lifted my head out of the water's surface. A frog jumped off the lily pad that had ended up on top of me.

"Are you okay?" whispered a barely audible voice. I turned to the pink-maned Pegasus while I tried to cool my jets for her sake.

"No, but I will be," I answered, "Don't worry, Fluttershy."

"Was I worrying? I'm sorry," apologized Fluttershy.

Those adorable eyes and low posture, I thought, She really is the cutest thing ever.

She's certainly... delicate, Shirayuki paused while looking for the right word.

It wasn't easy convincing Fluttershy to sleep in her own bed that night. The poor thing practically begged me to use the more comfortable mattress. But I had insisted that as the house guest, I had to make certain sacrifices to ensure the well-being of the host. She finally gave in and headed upstairs after saying good night to me. I was just about to collapse on the green couch from exhaustion when my skin suddenly started crawling.

This tension... it's a spiritual pressure, I thought in realization, But why does it feel so close? My thoughts were answered by something crashing through the front door. Watching the splintering pieces fall to the sides, I barely had time to notice the gray binding that suddenly surrounded me. I opened my eyes wide as the binding pulled me out the door from which it came in.

When I saw exactly what was yanking the other end, my eyes stayed wide in shock. It was a gray spider-taur of sorts. It had eight limbs in total. What was bizarrely grotesque was how humanoid its upper body and head looked. Under the moonlight, I could now distinguish the creature's structure as metallic and sturdy. The binding that held me was made of that same material. I didn't want to believe what this was, but it was exactly what I thought it was.

Dalk, I thought.

"Looks like I caught a big one," cackled the steel woman-spider.

"Urgh," I struggled against the restraints, "Are you another one of David's creations?"

"Don't know. Don't care," replied Dalk smugly, "All I care about is how much destruction I can cause." She let out a creepy laugh before adding, "Let's have some fun, shall we?" At this point, I felt the bindings slightly tighten as I was suddenly lifted beyond my normal jumping height. Just as quickly, I felt the binding loosen completely as the coil got sucked back into Dalk's body. I needed to correct my flight path before I hit the ground at a lethal force.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I shouted bringing forth my white sword and its ribbon. In a flash, the taller white alicorn had control of the body. A few flaps from her wings quickly straightened her out. My relief was short lived as the spider below readjusted one of her arms. The underside started firing like a machine gun. Shirayuki barely managed to dive under the volley of spherical bullets and landed behind Dalk. The spider-taur just cackled madly.

"Dodge this!" shouted the creature. A hidden compartment on her back opened up. It released a giant metal sphere at a breakneck speed.

"So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro!" shouted Shirayuki. Her signature pillar of ice appeared in front of her only to be shattered in the next instant by the airborne bowling ball. She tried to fly out of the way, but the sphere banged against her back hooves upon her takeoff. Being hit at that angle spun her forward once before falling to the ground sprawling. Man, did my ankles hurt. Dalk laughed at my pain, but I refused to let her win. Shirayuki lifted up her left hoof to relay my thought.

"Hado 33: Sokatsui!" the snowy alicorn shouted as a blue blast of fire was released. The metal spider-taur, however, jumped right on over it.

"Ha ha, you missed!" taunted the creature, "Let's try this again." One of her arms reversed and released another round of machine gun fire. I decided to try my hoof at defensive Kido.

"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!" shouted Shirayuki while raising her sword. A shimmering light that resembled a high-powered fan appeared just in front of the Zanpaktou. Unfortunately, this only blocked a few of the bullets. Soon, the fan crumbled Shirayuki was hit by the rest of the barrage. She yelled out in pain while I could only think the word "pain".

Fluttershy opened her eyes to a place that was not her cottage. She looked around to see that she had somehow entered an amphitheater. Currently, she was on the row furthest in the back. The place looked devoid of life save for the grass growing in random patches. Upon another glance around, she saw a lone figure standing at the center stage area. Out of curiosity, she decided to trot over to the center.

"Um, excuse me," whispered the Pegasus as she approached, "Do you know where we are? Um, my name is..."

"... Fluttershy," finished the figure. At this the pony quietly gasped.

"Um, y-yes," she stammered, "How did you...?"

"There's not much time," the figure muttered loud enough for Fluttershy to hear him, "The despair of battle has almost taken another."

"W-what?" stuttered Fluttershy not quite sure that she heard right.

"You must stop the battle before it accelerates," said the figure, "Call on my power to make the enemy see the error of their ways."

"I... I don't understand," said Fluttershy while taking a step back, "Battle? Power? What does it all mean? Who are you?"

The figure sighed before slowly opening his eyes. As he said, "My name is," a bright light engulfed the entire amphitheater.

"Wait!" shouted Fluttershy.

"Wait!" cried the canary-yellow Pegasus as she jumped up into a sitting position. She looked around to find herself in her bedroom. She could feel herself covered in sweat.

"Was that... just a dream?" she asked herself. But something else was unsettling. She could hear several clanging noises and they sounded faint and distant. Her ears perked up when she heard a distinctly shouted message.

"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!"

"Who... said that?" asked Fluttershy, "It... kind of sounded like... Tundra?" Throwing her blanket over to the bed's end, she rushed downstairs. When she saw that her door had been broken into pieces, she knew something was wrong.

"Oh, no! Tundra!" she breathed. She found herself flying out the front in a dash.

It hurt to breathe. Trying to speak resulted in me coughing up something liquid. I couldn't even move without it hurting somewhere. I was probably covered in bruises, if not potholes.

Son of a gun, I thought, Why am I such a glutton for punishment? I managed to open one eye to try and look ahead. I was surprised to see not Shirayuki's white hoof, but my own black hoof.

Shirayuki? I directed my thought-speech to her, Shirayuki! After a few seconds of no response I thought, Crap! She must have fallen unconscious. The sword in my right hoof's grasp had already returned to its default katana form. I grunted and tried to move, but whatever bone was broken wouldn't let me even get up.

"Impressive that you're still alive," commented the stupid metallic spider, "It's unfortunate that our fun had to end so soon. Bye bye, little pony." With that, another hidden compartment opened in her body to reveal another flying, steel ball.

Move, darn it, I thought to myself, Move! I closed my eyes anticipating the fatal blow.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke," breathed a voice. I heard metal clang against metal. I opened my eyes wondering what could cause that sound if my sword was lying flat on the ground. I would have gasped in surprise if my back didn't hurt so much.

"F-Fluttershy?" I said hoarsely. Indeed, the normally reserved Pegasus was standing in front of me. She was flapping her wings to levitate in place, but I couldn't see her face. In her front hoof, I could see that she was holding a weapon with an upside-down L-shape. The metal against metal I had heard was the giant sphere hitting that L-shaped weapon. A second later, the giant sphere crashed to the ground as Fluttershy landed standing on her hind legs.

"What's this?" asked Dalk. The pieces she had shot earlier returned to her legs. Upon stepping on them, they seemed almost liquid being reabsorbed into her body. In a disgusting manner, she moved one of her arms close to her face and licked it with her steel tongue.

"I'm only going to ask this once," stated Fluttershy in an authoritative motherly tone, "Please leave and stop hurting my friend."

"Huh?" said the metal abomination tilting her head to the side, "Who's hurting? I'm just breaking her bones so that her nerves won't notice her dying."

"I see," said the Pegasus holding her same volume and tone, "In that case, I have no choice but to remove you by force."

"Ha! Big words coming from a little pony," mocked Dalk, "I wonder if you'll be more fun than she was." The half-spider opened spots in her arms to shoot a barrage of slow spheres. Miraculously, Fluttershy managed to move her weapon in just the right way to ricochet all of the bullets away from her. Each felled sphere rolled along the ground back to their shooter. But as the metal creature stepped on these, she was surprised to notice that they were no longer fusing uniformly with her legs.

"Wabisuke doubles the weight of whatever it strikes," explained the Pegasus, "Your steel body has a set density and can no longer support its own weight."

"I feel so heavy," moaned the spider-taur. Her physical body actually started leaning over on the disfigured limb she was standing. At first, I was worried she would get crazy like her anime counterpart and just break off her arms. She never got the chance.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

"Growl, Haineko."

Upon hearing two familiar voices, I watched as gray ashes and pink petals swirled around Dalk. In the next moment, she was cut to pieces. I heard her piercing scream as she faded into the shadows. I managed to watch the ashes and flowers return to their owners' katana. Then, my pain-filled body decided to send me to the same place Shirayuki was.

The realm of unconsciousness.

One pony sat in the dark in an empty room by her lonesome. No one knew this pony's history. She wasn't entirely sure about her past either.

Every pony, she thought, would be better off if I just... faded away.

A circle of white surrounded this pony. She didn't scream as it dragged her to parts unknown. She accepted her emptiness.

Ch. 16: The Princess of the Shadows

Don't say if I were you
Or tell me what you'd do
How things would be if
You were in my shoes
'Cause you're not me.

Chapter 16: The Princess of the Shadows

The gray abyss. It's been a while since I've been here. It was a universe that only existed because my mind allowed it. This was where I first unlocked the truth. It was the truth that concerned my very existence. I was a life that was separated into two and then reunited as one.

I looked around for a bit. There wasn't much to look at. After all, it was pretty much empty gray space in every direction. Out of boredom, I decided to walk around the abyss. The 'ground' felt like grass, but it made a sound like a tile floor as I trotted.

"Just where are you going?" pondered a new voice. I took a pause in my walk, looked left and right, and turned around. Standing before me was a conveniently familiar sight. It was a pale, white woman in a white kimono, with grayish blue hair and blue eyes. Part of her hair was held up by a pentagon-shaped hair pin. This was the Zanpaktou spirit.

"Sode no Shirayuki," I referred to the spirit in front of me.

"There's nothing here in any direction," she added, "So why do you wander?"

I shrugged, "Because there's nothing else to do here."

"Is that so?" asked the woman. She pressed her hands together before slowly separating them. In the space between her hands, the sword that I had grown used to seeing appeared. Sode no Shirayuki was, in essence, wielding... herself.

"So-me-no-Mai," she said softly as she moved the blade slowly across in front of her, "Tsukishiro." A frosty circle appeared around my feet. I dived to my left just in time to avoid the frozen pillar that overtook that circle just a split-second later.

"What are you doing?" I shouted at her, "We're supposed to be on the same side!"

"A lowly human comes into this world and expects me to just let him wield my power?" Sode no Shirayuki rhetorically pondered, "I don't think so."

"You know," said a third voice, "For someone who's been a part of me this whole time, you don't really know me at all."

The lady gasped in shock as she turned around to see... the other me.

"What?" whispered the Zanpaktou spirit.

"Shirayuki!" I exclaimed in happy recognition.

"I'm not just a human," continued the snowy white alicorn. She walked a bit closer before adding, "I'm also a pony, a pony who has regained what was lost."

"We found each other," I carried her point further.

"We found the truth," said Shirayuki.

"And together," we said in unison, "We're stronger." The Zanpaktou spirit looked between us slowly back and forth.

"Impossible," whispered Sode no Shirayuki, "There's no way you could wield my power." The woman seemed to regain her composure and pointed the blade back at me.

"Tsugi-no-Mai," she declared, "Hakuren!" A white blast of ice emerged from her blade in my direction. An evergreen chest plate engraved itself on me before I held up both of my hooves to the incoming ice blast.

"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!" I shouted. A circular fan made completely of light blocked the ice, practically blowing it away. This seemed to catch the spirit off guard as she hesitated to make another move.

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!" called the white alicorn. Six rectangular bars of light surrounded Sode no Shirayuki at the waist. Now she couldn't move even if she wanted to. I held up both front hooves toward her and Shirayuki did the same.

"Mask of flesh and blood, universe soar," I chanted.

"The one crowned with man's name," continued the other alicorn.

"Carve a twin lotus on a wall of pale blue flames."

"And await the blazing fires to reach the distant heavens."

The two alicorns said the last line together, "Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!" Large, double bursts of blue flames left our hooves and exploded on contact with the paralyzed Zanpaktou spirit. I held up a hoof to shield my eyes from the bright explosion. When the smoke cleared, I was slightly surprised as was Shirayuki. Sode no Shirayuki looked to be in perfect health and was even smiling a little.

"Okay, with strength like that, perhaps you are worthy of my powers," she said with closed eyes. She then disappeared completely. In another couple flashes, both Shirayuki and I had a white katana and ribbon in our grasp. There was an awkward moment of silence.

"O... kay," I finally said, "That was random."

"Indeed it was," agreed Shirayuki.

A steady beeping noise woke me up. I guessed that was an indication that I was in the hospital again. I felt sore all over. Whatever happened last night must have been awful. Then, I remembered quick flashes of the fight with a Dalk look-a-like.

Well, she is technically one of the more formidable Bount dolls, I thought, I can't really take all the blame for her kicking my butt.

I'm... I'm alive? asked a familiar mind.

Hey, welcome back, I thought to her, I was worried I had lost you when you didn't respond.

Heh, sorry, was Shirayuki's reply. I decided not to worry about that right now and distracted myself with counting the number of places that I had aches. So far, I had found seven. My counting was interrupted by the room door bursting open.

"Tundra!" exclaimed the two ponies that entered. I fought a couple of the lower back pains to sit up a little more.

"Fluttershy, Rarity, are you doing all right?" I asked the pair.

"Are we doing all right?" echoed Rarity, "What about how you're doing?"

"You were covered in bruises and lacerations," muttered Fluttershy just loud enough for me to catch what she said.

"Well, the fact that I can feel the pain must mean something's working right," I told them smiling slightly.

"Darling, don't even joke about that," said the unicorn.

"I wasn't joking," I said in deadpan.

"W-well," stumbled the Pegasus, "As long as you're going to be just fine." She might of mumbled something else, but it was quieter than I could here. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to ask her what she had said. A loud, demonic growl hurt my ears as my entire body vibrated from a new pulsation.

"What was that noise?" quietly asked Fluttershy.

"Rarity," I whispered, "Did you feel that?"

She whispered back, "If you mean that 'spiritual pressure' thing that you told me about before, then yes."

"I have to- urgh!" I winced in pain trying to move. My back felt like it was on fire and forced me back into a horizontal position under the blanket.

"Don't strain yourself, darling," insisted Rarity, "I'll take care of it." I opened my mouth to argue, but she had a point. Even though I wanted to fight whatever was out there, I was in no condition to stand let alone run into battle.

"Be careful," I managed to say through the pain.

"I will," nodded the unicorn before turning to her best friend, "Fluttershy, please stay here and look after her."

"Um, okay," whispered the Pegasus. With that matter settled, Rarity ran out the door. After she left, I took a quick self-check of my body. With a few bandages here and a couple stitches there, I probably could have passed for a zombie pony. Well, except I didn't think brain consumption sounded appetizing. (I mentally gagged myself for even bringing it up.)

Two fillies had also felt the surge of spiritual pressure. They quickly galloped over in the direction of where the feeling was coming from. Various ponies in town were running in random directions. Just as many ponies were screaming in terror. Though, their screams were drowned out every time the source of disturbance let out a howl. It sounded neither like a pony nor an animal. It just sounded horrible.

The two fillies braving this terrifying situation stopped when they came to a crossroads. They saw each other and grouped up.

"Sweetie Belle?" asked one of the fillies in surprise.

"Apple Bloom!" exclaimed the other filly.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"Let's go then!" They continued galloping as fast as their little hooves could carry them. When they finally found the source of the horrible noise, they halted and stared in bewilderment.

It was a creature unlike anything they had ever seen before. It kind of resembled a white dragon, what with its clawed paws, clawed feet, and long tail. At the same time, however, it looked nothing like a dragon. It had sharp shoulder spikes that jutted out irregularly. It had a messed up mane on its head. Speaking of its head, it looked like a paper-mache project gone wrong. It had a distinct skull-like appearance with a strange pattern of red markings on one side.

The white creature held something in its left claw that looked a lot like a black sword. It had the same shape as the ones Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom remembered using. Ponies had been fleeing the area because the white creature was ripping gashes and holes through the ground and a number of houses. Plus, its occasional guttural sound wasn't exactly pleasant.

"What in Celestia's name is that?" Sweetie Belle asked with her eyes wide.

"I don't know, but one thing's for sure," answered Apple Bloom. She reached out a hoof and summoned her sword before continuing, "It's wrecking up Ponyville and needs to be stopped."

"All right," said the unicorn filly suddenly much calmer. She too summoned her sword and prepared for the worst. "You ready?" she asked.

"I'm ready!" declared the earth pony filly as she leaped at the bone-colored beast, "Now bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" Her sword briefly glowed before changing into a hooked shape. This hooked blade split into four identical blades attached at the handle. Just as Apple Bloom prepared to strike, however, the beast's white tail whipped around and smacked her out of the air. The filly yelped as she flew a bit before crashing into the ground just barely avoiding house wall behind her.

"Growl, Haineko!" called Sweetie Belle. Her blade changed to its ash form and swirled around the beast. The filly swung her empty handle a couple times and the ashes responded by cutting gashes into the creature's skin. Blood rushed out, but the cuts were almost instantaneously covered by new, white layers.

"Oh, come on," groaned Sweetie Belle. Unfortunately, she had been loud enough for the beast to change its focus on her. It lifted its right claw in her direction. A red sphere of light appeared just in its palm area. Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then her eyes widened as the sphere changed into a fast-moving beam heading right for her. The attack was coming too fast for her to do anything and it was too broad to sidestep. She closed her eyes and shivered in place.

"Bakudo 81: Danku!" shouted a new voice. A vertical, transparent barrier of magic appeared in front of the filly just in time for the red blast to collide with it. The attack seemed to vanish after a few seconds. Sweetie Belle opened her eye and then blinked in confusion at the sight before her. The barrier lasted for a second longer before disappearing. The filly looked around until her eyes caught sight of a familiar pony.

"Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?!" asked the purple-maned unicorn, "It's dangerous out here. Go back to the boutique!"

Sweetie Belle shook her head, "No, Rarity. I have new powers same as you. I want to protect the town too!"

"Sweetie Belle," warned her sister, "This is a fairly reasonable demand. I want you to go home where it's safer."

"This isn't about what you want," retorted the filly, "It's about what's best and the best thing to do is get rid of the threat rather than running away from it."

"Uh, girls," interrupted the yellow, earth pony, "We still got a situation here." She pointed her free hoof toward the monster. It was clearly pissed at those that would dare oppose it.

Both unicorns anime sweat dropped, "Good point." The creature jumped toward the group of ponies. Said ponies quickly jumped out of the way. The creature left a large impression on the earth it landed on. Each of the ponies released their signature ranged attacks.

"Split and deviate, Ruri'iro Kujaku!"

"Growl, Haineko!"

"Scatter, Senbonzakur-AAAAAAH!" screamed Rarity as the creature's tail had managed to grab and toss her over a large distance.

"Rarity!" shouted Sweetie Belle in alarm. With two of the special sword attacks halted by distracted wielders, the only attack that made contact was the one with blue tendrils. Ruri'iro Kujaku did manage to channel some energy out of the creature. However, this was shortly stopped by a wild swing of its black sword. The severed branches retreated to the owner's handle before reassuming their curved sword form. Apple Bloom grunted in frustration.

The screaming bearer of Generosity flew far away from the battle scene. Before she braced for impact, she thought about how unladylike it was to be tossed by a creature's tail and how uncouth it was to let such a nasty thing even touch her. Karma decided she had enough flying for the day and gravity brought her down... into a full garbage dumpster. Luckily, she wasn't hurt. Unluckily, her looks and smell had paid the consequence.

"My hair," Rarity whimpered.

"Sweetie Belle, now!" shouted Apple Bloom holding her sword high as she charged in.

"Right!" answered Sweetie Belle doing the same thing.

Then, they both shouted, "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Beast Slayers! Yeah!" The unholy creature seemed to pause in its rampage at that sentence. This pause allowed both crusaders to stab an area of the skin near where a heart would be on any normal creature. A bright, white light burst out of nowhere and engulfed all three fighters.

Apple Bloom groaned as she slowly picked herself up. She opened her eyes and took in the sights around her. Several glass cases, alternating in shape from dome to box, were scattered all over this giant 'hall'. She then noticed the one thing in this place that wasn't behind glass. Her friend was lying on the floor.

"Sweetie Belle, wake up!" shouted the filly with a hair ribbon. Her friend groaned a bit before standing up as well. Apple Bloom waited a moment for her to get a good look at the surroundings.

"Where... are we, Apple Bloom?" asked the unicorn filly.

"I don't know," replied the farmer, "but it kind of looks like that museum we went to that one time."

"A museum?" echoed Sweetie Belle. She walked up to one of the glass boxes and noticed an figure of sorts levitating in place just inside the glass. A golden, engraved card was floating just underneath the figure. Sweetie Belle read it out loud:

Rainbow Dash: Coolest and fastest flier in all of Equestria.

Looking up at the figure again, the filly took more notice of the details. It did look like the 7-colored Pegasus. It had its wings open and a confident smile on its carved face. Apple Bloom walked around to the glass dome right next to it. That display's card said:

Princess Celestia: The oldest and wisest of all ponies.

A first glance at the figure hadn't shown that. But, as Apple Bloom looked at it again, it did look like the Princess. It was complete with a divinely blowing mane and the eyes of experience and wisdom. Apple Bloom could have sworn that the figure winked at her and jumped in surprise. The two fillies looked through more glass cases. Each held a figure that only revealed its true features after they read the engraved cards. Cheerilee, Big Macintosh, Princess Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and even Snips and Snails all had a display showing them. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle chuckled slightly after reading the two-for-one display of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon:

Diamond Tiara & Silver Spoon: What's there to know?

At the end of the row, the fillies looked in awe at their own respective displays:

Apple Bloom: Strong initiative; Great artist and crafts pony; Best friend.

Sweetie Belle: Caring; Awesome singer; Best friend.

"Wait a minute," said Apple Bloom as she stopped walking, "If whoever wrote these cards considers us their best friends, then who wrote them?"

"That's the million bit question, isn't it?" replied a voice, but it wasn't Sweetie Belle. Both fillies jumped in shock before turning to look. Beyond the end of the row was just black space as far as they could tell. But the voice had come from that direction. Soft hoof steps could be heard echoing on the floor. Within a few moments, the alleged speaker appeared in plain view.

For all purposes, it appeared to be a unicorn mare. But there was something different about her attire. It took Sweetie Belle a few seconds to realize what the outfit reminded her of. She recalled reading about older models of Royal Guard armor. The type that this unicorn was wearing resembled that of chain mail.

"Who are you?" asked Apple Bloom directly.

"Hm... I'm no pony... or any pony. You decide," replied the unicorn with a smug smirk on her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Sweetie Belle unsure of what to make of the newcomer.

"Oh, you two are so cute," said the unicorn, clearly dodging the question, "Why if you were just a little older, we could've gotten together for a little 'wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more'." Apple Bloom opened her eyes wide and blushed at the implications from that last sentence. In contrast, Sweetie Belle just tilted her head in even more confusion. Though, she had finally figured out the answer to Apple Bloom's 'million bit question'.

"Where's Scootaloo?" asked the sister of Generosity. At this question, the armored unicorn's mood seemed to drop immediately. She let out an audible sigh and turned around to face the empty space behind.

"I'm afraid my lady is ill," she said drooping her head and ears. This seemed to be the magic phrase that brightened up the dark abyss with light. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle covered their eyes with their hooves. As the light began to reduce its intensity, they looked again to see one final display case. Several spotlights were shining on the contents. The figure inside this glass did not require a second glance for detail.

"Scootaloo!" shouted both fillies as they rushed forward in a gallop. They came to an abrupt halt as they slid across the floor just in front of the glass. That was no statuette in the glass. It was magically levitating, yes, but it was clearly breathing and wriggling around. The Pegasus filly was shaking her head and scrunched eyes as one would while having a nightmare.

"Look!" Sweetie Belle gasped directing Apple Bloom's attention to the much larger engraved card.

Scootaloo: Blank flank; fool; loser; chicken; loner; freak; dodo; a no pony... a no pony... a no pony.

The phrase 'no pony' repeated several times covering the rest of the entire card.

"I... I don't understand," Apple Bloom shook her head crying in disbelief.

"Why?" asked Sweetie Belle with a similar facial expression, "Why would she label herself like this?"

"Her heart is ill," said the unicorn. She looked forlornly at Scootaloo, "My lady has tried to fight the feelings of hurt with light. The problem is, worlds exist in both light and darkness. The more light she shines to hide her dark feelings, the longer the shadows become and engulf her heart."

The fillies turned to the chain mailed mare, still teary-eyed.

"What does it all mean?" asked Apple Bloom.

"If my lady does not learn to harness her shadows," continued the armored unicorn, "Her own darkness will consume her and destroy her. I want to help her heal, but I cannot if she does not accept the shadows that are a part of her."

"How do we help her?" asked Sweetie Belle, "There has to be something we can do."

"Your best bet would be to relieve her of the lights of deception she's used to chase away parts of herself," said the mare.

"You mean all these spotlights?" asked Apple Bloom spreading her hooves wide to point at several of the lights at once. The mare nodded sincerely.

"I got it!" declared Sweetie Belle now with a look of determination. She summoned her sword and cried, "Growl, Haineko!" The blade turned into sentient ashes that floated around. The wielder swung her handle and the ashes sliced through the lights causing multiple explosions.

"Aw, yeah!" cheered Apple Bloom. When the smoke cleared, however, the lights had returned as they were: unbroken and shining brightly.

"I don't understand," claimed Sweetie Belle, "Haineko can cut through the toughest steel. Light bulbs are fragile compared to that."

"The lights on a heart are not physical lamps that can simply be broken," stated the mare.

"Now you tell us?" asked Apple Bloom while performing a face hoof, "What are we going to do now?"

"Hm..." hummed the other filly while rubbing her chin with a hoof. She looked over at the large engraving and suddenly smiled.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," she said, "What if we tackled this problem from a different angle?"

"Huh?" responded the confused farmer.

"If we can't destroy the deception lights directly," Sweetie reiterated "why don't we change what they shine on?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Apple Bloom in realization, "Yeah! Let's change the words!" At this, the armored mare looked up and hope sparked in her eyes.

"Scootaloo!" shouted Sweetie Belle, "You're not just a blank flank! You're a pony filled with opportunity!"

"You're a wonderful Pegasus pony!" piped in Apple Bloom.

"You're a great dancer!"

"You're a risk-taker!"

"You're an adventurer!"

"You have the best reflexes!"

"You never give up!"

"But most of all..."

"Most of all..."

The two fillies shouted their next phrase together, "You're my best friend! Cutie Mark Crusaders: Best Pony Friends Forever!"

As their voices echoed in the abyss hall, the entire environment began to shake violently. The spotlights began to flicker and short out. Cracks started forming in the glass dome that encased the orange Pegasus. Eventually, the tremors stopped completely as the case shattered into a million pieces. The magical levitation no longer held Scootaloo in place and she began to fall.

"Lady Scootaloo!" shouted the unicorn mare. She galloped forward and caught the filly before she could meet the floor. She managed to land on three hooves. The fourth held her master.

"Lady Scootaloo," said the mare in a gentler voice, "Please, allow my shadows to mend your heart's wounds." The filly slowly fluttered her eyes before opening them sufficiently to see.

"Kage...hime?" she whispered. The unicorn mare nodded with tears in her eyes. She held Scootaloo in closer for a warm embrace.

A huge gust of wind blew Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle off their hooves to the other end of the display row.

The fillies yanked their swords out of the white beast's body and jumped back. A pillar of dark magic surrounded the beast causing a huge gust of wind in all directions. Eventually, the pillar cleared leaving the beast as it was. Pieces began to fall off the white coat. Soon, the rest of the outer shell fell off in one motion. It left the impression that it had been a paper-mache project gone wrong. The 'beast' crumpled into nonexistent dust. An orange filly stood in the center with one hoof on the handle of a sword driven into the ground. She was breathing hard, but she was alive.

"Scootaloo!" shouted Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They ran forward to their friend. They shared a hug with her as she suddenly realized where she was.

"Guys, what... happened?" asked Scootaloo slowly. The other two shook their heads as if they were saying it didn't matter.

"You're back," said Apple Bloom.

"And you're never alone," added Sweetie Belle. The Pegasus filly decided to just roll with it and hugged them back. But then, a chorus of roars interrupted their reunion. Up in the sky, five gray dragon-shaped creatures circled the town area just above the Cutie Mark Crusaders' current position. What differentiated these creatures from average dragons were the exoskeleton skulls that covered their entire heads. The Crusaders looked up at the creatures in a mix of disbelief and fright.

"You got to be kidding me!" exhaled Apple Bloom, "We had enough trouble with just one bone-covered creature."

"We don't have the strength left for five," heaved Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo's expression changed from worry to one of fixated determination.

"Stand back, girls," she said while raising her sword, "I'll handle this." At this the other two moved back, not because Scootaloo asked them to but because they were surprised.

"What are you saying, Scoots?" asked the farmer.

"We just got you back," said the unicorn filly, "I don't want to lose you again."

"You guys saved me from myself," smiled the Pegasus, "The least I can do is save you from these things." She held her sword at a horizontal angle facing left.

"It's time to learn how to master my shadows," declared Scootaloo, "Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime!" The sword glowed in a black color as it seemed to extend from the handle. When the color dissipated, the weapon looked like two swords attached on opposite ends of the same handle. Scootaloo lifted this weapon above her head.

"Shadow Blade," whispered the Pegasus. In midair covering a diameter equal to her weapon's length, a circle of dark swords appeared. Above, the would-be dragons had their mouths wide. Red spheres began to grow in that open space.

"Too slow," said Scootaloo as her dark energy swords were launched through the air. In less than a second, the swords had pierced all of the flying skull faces. The red spheres disintegrated as the beasts vanished in the smoke of shadows. With its work complete, Kagehime returned to its one-bladed default form. Scootaloo sighed in relief.

"Hey, Scootaloo," called Apple Bloom, "Want to come over to my place tonight?"

The Pegasus filly nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Cloud 4," said Fluttershy.

"Miss," I declared. Never have I ever played the My Little Pony equivalent of Battleship. But you wouldn't have known that given my current board play. Maybe I wasn't giving Fluttershy enough credit. After all, she could have just been losing on purpose to make me feel better.

"Farm 8," I called.

"Oh, um, you just rained on my Cumulus," said Fluttershy while removing said cloud from her field, "Um, you beat me... again."

"So it would seem," I replied with a tone of indifference.

"Um, I'm sorry," she muttered, "Did I not try hard enough for you again?"

"No, it's not the game," I waved her off (the pain in my front hooves had lessened greatly since I woke up), "I can't help feeling like I forgot something."

"Well, I'm sure whatever it is, it can wait until you're all better," assured the bearer of Kindness.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I agreed, "Another round?"

"Oh, sure, that is if you want to," she answered.

"I need a shower," shivered Rarity as she trotted along. Pieces of garbage stuck to her in the most awkward places.

"I NEED A SHOWER!"

A/N: Special thanks to Leo Archon for "loaning" me the use of Kagehime.

Ch. 17: Darkness Into Light

A/N: I'm going to need to borrow Kagehime for a little longer, Leo Archon. I hope that's all right, and thank you!

Wake up
Our past stops right now
I see light
Must be you

Chapter 17: Darkness Into Light

I had ordered my air force to position the Thunderhead above the 7th farm. The enemy would never find it there.

"Captain!" shouted a man on radio, "The enemy has launched a magical missile to position Foal-Alpha-Roger-Melvin 7!"

"Crap!" I cursed before ordering, "Reposition UCC Bumblebee to position Charlie-Luna-Otto-Uncle-Delta 2!"

"Understood, over," crackled the radio with the ending static. This wasn't good. I was about to lose another fleet of sky units. The wars I had won before meant nothing if the enemy were to destroy me now. I had already lost a Mach-2 Seagull, my Comrade Cumulus, the West-six Weatherpony, and my 2-volt Thunderbolt. I prayed that good fortune would find me a miracle. The radio crackled again.

"Captain," said the man, "The enemy has just fired at position Charlie-Luna-Otto-Uncle-Delta 2!" The miracle was gone.

In spite of the fact that I had just lost my men, I looked up and smiled at the 'enemy'.

"I win, um, if that's all right," muttered Fluttershy.

"That's more than all right, Fluttershy," I said in pride, "That was fantastic, strategic playing."

"R-really?" she asked covering one eye with her mane.

"Really!" I nodded firmly.

"Oh, well, um, thank you," said the Pegasus. The moment of compliments ended abruptly as the door opened. One of the nurses entered, but it wasn't one of the ones that I knew the name of.

"Excuse me," she said to Fluttershy, "Visiting hours are over."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Fluttershy in a rush, "I'll just be going now." With that, she started quickly stepping out the door.

"Good game, Fluttershy," I called, "I'll see you later!"

"Y-yes. Bye, Tundra," responded the Pegasus as the nurse closed the door behind her. The lights seemed to automatically turn off after the door shut.

Is it really that late? I thought.

I yawned, "Oh well. Fluttershy's right. I can take care of whatever I forgot when I get better." I laid my head back against the pillow and peacefully fell asleep.

Oddly enough, I spent less than forty-eight hours in that hospital bed. Equestrian medicine was amazing. I wondered what I ever did without it. My wonder was interrupted as I met a familiar face after I exited the front door.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, Twilight Sparkle," I joked.

"Well, if you could stop getting severely injured we wouldn't have to," she joked right back. At least, I think she was joking. It's kind of hard for me to tell when I'm talking to someone who's typically sincere.

"I heard about the incident from Fluttershy," she stated.

"Which incident? There were a few things that traumatized me over at the cottage," I pointed out.

"The one involving a giant arachnid shooting metallic alloy at you," Twilight elaborated.

"Oh, that incident," I said in realization, "Yeah, that wasn't one of my finer moments."

"On the contrary," said the unicorn, "That was a really admirable action standing up for Fluttershy."

"Huh? Maybe I missed that part," I said with an eyebrow raised, "I distinctly remember getting my flank handed to me."

"Yes, but in doing so you ultimately saved Fluttershy from suffering the same casualties," redirected Twilight. She smiled, waiting patiently for me.

"Ohhh," I finally said, "Eh heh. It was nothing."

"So, now that you've recovered," said the librarian back in organizer mode, "Who do you want to work with next: Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie?"

"Pinkie Pie," I answered without hesitation.

"Wow, I'm surprised," said Twilight, "I thought for sure you'd at least stop to think about that."

"Pinkie Pie's tasks will try my patience more," I replied, "So I say, 'Take the most difficult stuff first.' If I can survive Pinkie Pie, than I can look at whatever plans Rainbow Dash has and practically brag that my job is too easy."

"Okie Dokie Loki!" piped in the pink party pony from nowhere, "Your shift starts right now." She grabbed me as I yelped in surprise.

Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty

Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty

Cupcakes!

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes!

Oh good gosh, make it stop, I whined mentally, This song is getting on my nerves.

"Okay!" chirped Pinkie Pie while skipping over to another side of the kitchen counter.

"W-wait, did I say that or think that?" I asked. Then I face hoofed, "Oh, right. It's Pinkie Pie. It doesn't need to make sense." I set my hoof down on the floor. Meanwhile, I kept mixing the bowl of batter by levitating the whisk. The layer of ice that my magic added to floating objects didn't seem to get in the way as much as I thought it would. In fact, it actually made the treats that came straight out of the oven easier to sample.

"Mm, chocolate banana," I mumbled before swallowing one of the cupcakes, "Now that's a good taste."

"Isn't it though?" responded Pinkie Pie, "Now remember, don't put in anything sour."

"I know, Pinkie Pie," I replied, "I only heard your song nine times before."

"You want to hear it again?" she asked with a giddy grin.

"NO! I mean, uh, no thank you," I answered, "That's quite all right."

"So!" she asked, "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" I responded while tilting my head in confusion.

"Duh!" she rolled her eyes as if the answer were obvious, "That crazy battle scene that takes place after you ask, 'Pinkie, what are you talking about?' Are you ready for that?"

"Pinkie, what are you talking about?" I asked. Then I did a double-take and thought, Huh? How did she do that? My train of thought was interrupted by a large vibration running through my entire body.

This is spiritual pressure! I thought. The door to out back suddenly burst open to reveal a straight sword on a chain.

"Get down!" I yelled tackling Pinkie Pie to the floor. The longsword and chain whizzed over our heads barely missing the hairs on our manes. The blade banged and nicked one of the counters before recoiling back out the door.

"Any Zanpaktou wielding ponies in there that can come out and play?" cackled a voice from outside.

"It can't be," I whispered.

"What can't be?" whispered the pink one. I barely registered what she asked. I was still trying to comprehend the possibility of who the attacker was.

"Wait here," I whispered to Pinkie, "I have to check this out." I slowly crawled around to the back doorway. I held myself off to one side before taking a peek just beyond the frame. A small red blur passed my vision as I heard chains rattling. I backed up as a bladed, red fold-up fan exited the building. Slow stealth wasn't safe enough. If this new threat was in fact what I thought it was, then I needed to arm myself and charge in.

I summoned my katana and took a leap in the visible area of the doorway. I galloped forward without holding back. The longsword from earlier was heading toward me, but I held my own sword up to block. The blades clanged against each other as the chain yanked the longsword away. It was then that I caught site of the attacker.

It kind of reminded me of what Rarity's mother looked like: a unicorn with a pair of white pants on. Yet, there were distinct differences. This enemy was purple in color, and her mane was a long and untied sea green. Her evil grin revealed slightly fanged teeth. She held the fan and longsword in her front hooves. Somehow, she had perfect balance on her hind legs. The look in her eyes was one of excitement and blood lust.

I couldn't believe who this was, yet here she was. This was the Bount that was called Yoshi and her weapon was her doll Nieder.

"So you decided to play, Shirayuki," commented Yoshi, "I'm so glad." I opened my eyes wide at what she had just said.

"How... do you know that name?" I asked shakily.

"That guy David told us to specifically target you," chuckled the unicorn.

"Us?" I questioned, "How many of you are there? Just who are you people?"

"You've told her too much," said a masculine voice from the longsword she held.

"You certainly love to hear yourself talk," said a seductive, feminine voice from the fan.

"Hey, shut up!" growled Yoshi, "Did you forget who's in charge here?"

"Of course not," said the two voices of Nieder in unison.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" I asked rhetorically.

"Hmph, wise crack!" shouted the Bount as she threw the fan at me.

"Here I go!" cried out the fan. I raised my sword expecting to block the attack. What caught me off guard was the fan suddenly switching angles to a much lower height. The fan dragged the chain around my back hooves. It circled a few times and then tightened. The unicorn grunted and yanked on the longsword end of the chain. This sudden force flipped me over onto my back. I was being dragged toward this mad mare. I was still a few yards away, so maybe I still had a chance.

Thinking quickly, I held up my free hoof and started chanting:

The one who reigns, mask of flesh and blood
All creation, the flutter of wings
The one who crowns us with the name
Gathering of heat and war beyond the seas and rivers take steps to the south.
Hado 31: Shakkahou!

An orb of red fire headed right for the enemy. Her chuckling changed to a spit of frustration as she moved her longsword in a diagonal position. The fire exploded on contact with her blade. She was sent sliding back into a conveniently placed tree. Unfortunately, I was still chained so I got dragged along the ground. The friction between the grass and my back burned me like a rash.

It wasn't a total loss. As Yoshi was momentarily stunned, the fan part of Nieder loosened its grip. I was able to roll over away from the chains. This was no time for holding back. I stood up and held my Zanpaktou with its blade pointed down.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," my sword changed to white as did my body. Shirayuki, in dominance, lifted the katana's blade to point at the Bount. Four small columns of snow and air floated from the ground to the sword's tip.

"Tsugi-no-Mai," breathed the tall, snowy alicorn, "Hakuren!" Before the large blast of ice could hit its target, Yoshi opened her eyes and leaped to the left. All the attack succeeded in doing was freezing the base of the tree.

"That's not good enough!" laughed the unicorn as she threw her longsword in my direction. Shirayuki slashed and knocked the opposing blade away. She then held up a free hoof for her Kido chant:

The one who reigns, mask of flesh,
All creation, flap of wings
The one who carries the title of human
In the name of truth and temperance, dig your claws into the wall of sinless dreams.
Hado 33: Sokatsui!

An arc of blue fire rushed forward. It narrowly missed its target as Yoshi ducked down onto one front hoof and leaped high into the air. Shirayuki opened her wings and flew to intercept the Bount's path. The enemy yanked the side of the chain she held and the longsword came whizzing past the alicorn. It nicked her wing slightly, causing her to wince in pain.

Yoshi took this opportunity to perform a downward kick into Shirayuki's body. I could feel my other half's stomach pain as she was catapulted downward. I could also feel her back pain when we crashed through the roof of Sugarcube Corner. Various building debris followed me to the floor. I was, for the most part, pinned to the bakery floor.

"Tundra!" I heard someone call out. I couldn't tell who because Shirayuki's vision and hearing had muted in the dust from the collapse. I felt very lightheaded at that moment.

...

"Tundra!" shouted Pinkie Pie. From the kitchen doorway, she had seen her friend enter the sweet shop in a very painful way. She had taken peeks outside every once in a while in curiosity, but she wasn't the type to get in a fight. Fighting made other ponies sad and sad was the opposite of happy. The very thought of some pony deliberately trying to make some pony else sad sickened her.

The idea made her angry.

Yes, give into your fear, said a voice in the earth pony's mind, Give into your pain.

Unbeknownst to Pinkie, her poofy curls were slowly losing their cotton candy appearance. One by one, her hairs began to straighten out and lengthen. Her coat was getting a few shades darker. Her expression was an unreadable frown.

Give into your anger.

Pinkamena Diane Pie held out her hoof to the side. A curved sword appeared in her grasp.

Kill.

"Reap," whispered the pony, "Kazeshini." The blade flashed in an eerie green and transformed. When the aura cleared, the weapon had become two scythe blades joined by a chain. One scythe was held in each of Pinkamena's front hooves. In a blur, she vanished from where she was standing.

The Bount laughed wickedly. She was having way too much fun. She was kicking the tar out of an alicorn, supposedly the strongest species in this whole pitiful land. Fighting made her feel so alive.

A swoosh of air behind her interrupted her laughing fit.

"Just what are you laughing at?" asked a voice. Yoshi turned around to see a pony standing on the air just like she could. In the speaker's grasp was another one of those unusual weapons. Yoshi figured it must have been one of those Zanpaktou. She resumed her earlier grin.

"What am I laughing at?" the unicorn echoed, "I'm having a blast. Crushing my enemies and making them suffer is quite pleasurable."

"I see," said the other pony quietly. She twirled one of the chains in her hoof, causing the scythe on that side to rotate in a circular motion. It made a distinct whistling noise as it gyrated through the air. Then, without warning, the pink pony released that scythe, causing it to rotate like a propeller as it flew toward Yoshi.

The Bount easily sidestepped the toss, only to find the pink pony had disappeared and reappeared instantly right in front of her. Said pony began to swing her second scythe straight down. Yoshi quickly put up Nieder's fan to block the strike. This defense seemed to work at first. Then, a dark slicing noise could be heard as she watched red liquid spurt from her left arm.

The pink pony yanked on the chain in her hooves. Looking slowly behind her, Yoshi saw the incoming, spinning scythe that had been launched initially. Her next moments were lost in bleeding shadows.

Pinkamena stood in the dark sky for a long while after that.

Meanwhile...

"Twilight Sparkle!" declared a voice as if over a megaphone, "The Great and Powerful Trixie has returned to get her revenge! Face Trixie now if you can!" In the center of Ponyville, nothing stirred but an out-of-place tumbleweed. The show pony thought that she would be able to convince her rival to fight with nothing but sheer... persuasion. Needless to say, Twilight Sparkle didn't show. This was going against everything Trixie had planned, but she would not be stopped by minor setbacks.

She heard a sound similar to rushing wind behind her. Assuming it to be a teleportation spell, she turned around with her eyes closed and a smug, confident grin on her face.

"So, Sparkle you accepted the challenge-..." she paused when she opened her eyes to see what was really behind her. It was not the lavender unicorn with magenta highlights. Instead, a small, orange Pegasus had materialized in that spot.

The filly spoke up, "I thought I sensed a strong pressure in this direction."

"You are not Twilight Sparkle," Trixie snorted, "Trixie does not have time to play with you, runt."

"It's Scootaloo," said the filly, "and just what are you planning to do when you find Twilight?"

"I don't have time to explain my plans to you," said the blue unicorn, "Trixie has revenge she must take."

"Revenge for what?" asked Scootaloo, "Last I checked, that egghead beat you fair and square."

"Do not try Trixie's patience," snarled the show pony. She held out a hoof and a katana materialized in her grip.

"Don't do something you'll regret," retorted the filly. She called forth a katana of her own.

"You don't know who you're dealing with," said Trixie.

"Don't let blind anger be the source of your power," said Scootaloo with a wisdom beyond her years, "If you let your rage control you, it will destroy you."

"Enough of your nonsense!" shouted Trixie, "If you insist on standing in the way, Trixie will get rid of you as well." Her katana began to glimmer as the filly's katana grew covered in a dark veil.

"Shine brightly, Nijigasumi!" cried the show pony. Her blade was consumed in light.

"Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime!" shouted the filly. Her blade transformed into a double katana joined at the handle. Both ponies slowly moved a hoof. In the next instant they seemed to vanish in blurs of motion. Sounds of metal clashing against metal could be heard, but the only thing a passerby could see was quick flashes of white and black lights.

At least, that was true until the fighters reappeared in one spot on the other side of the town center. They held their weapons against each other in a push-of-war. This was soon stopped by Scootaloo spinning her handle. The motion brought her second blade in an upward motion. Trixie reacted by quickly jumping away.

"Don't make me kill you, foal!" implored the blue unicorn as she moved her blade in a sideways U-shaped motion.

"I could say the same," replied the Pegasus filly, "Shadow Blade!" A circle of dark energy swords appeared in front of her. With a nod and a push, both ponies launched their respective projectiles. Light clashed with shadows, neither side gaining the advantage.

"Flash and burn!" yelled Trixie. A flurry of light particles started to stream in the air around Scootaloo. Before she could react, the lights expanded and completely engulfed the entire area. She was trapped in a semi-sphere of light.

"Saigyoku Nijigasumi," breathed the show pony, "It's over." She turned around away from her light dome. Her cape fluttered on a magical wind. She started walking away but then paused to take one last look at her handiwork. However, she did not expect a sudden barrage of sword-shaped shadows flying right for her. They collided with her, tearing up her cape as she rolled along the ground. The encasing light suddenly dispersed as an unharmed Pegasus filly started walking forward, shooting her Shadow Blades in a multitude of directions. As quickly as this had started, her firing ceased.

"It can't be," heaved Trixie as she shakily stood up, "My Nijigasumi should have destroyed all the shadows. How is it possible that you can still use them?"

"Don't you know?" asked the filly rhetorically as she trotted closer, "If you shine a brighter light, the shadows just get longer." A translucent silhouette of a chain mailed unicorn appeared next to Scootaloo before quickly vanishing again.

"Preposterous," spat the show pony, "Darkness can't exist in the same place as light."

"Maybe, maybe not," Scootaloo sighed, "But I'm not going to talk about that. I want to ask you something." She stood just a couple feet away from the older pony before asking, "What did you hope to accomplish?"

Despite her bruises, Trixie huffed in pride, "Twilight Sparkle deserves death and I am going to be her executioner."

"She saved the town from destruction so she deserves death?" asked the filly skeptically, "Now who's being pre-pasta-mous?"

"She humiliated me," added the blue unicorn.

"So?" retorted Scootaloo, "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon humiliate me every school day. You don't see me trying to kill them."

"She robbed me of my fame," growled Trixie.

"Mare-Do-Well stole Rainbow Dash's fame, but she didn't try to kill her," countered the Pegasus.

"She killed my father!" yelled the unicorn.

"W-what?" stammered the filly.

Trixie closed her eyes and sighed before describing the tragedy that befell her.

The curtains opened, the drums rolled, and the crowd cheered. She watched from the side of the stage as the final act began. Her father climbed into the empty tank. Once there, an assistant used a chain and lock spell to make sure any ordinary pony in the stallion's position couldn't move. The tank was then filled to the brim with water, much higher than the chains would allow the magician to swim. Trixie had seen this trick a hundred times in her whole life but it never ceased to amaze her.

It would only take the stallion twenty-five seconds to escape spectacularly. He would even be high and dry when he reappeared again. That was Trixie's favorite part. The clock ticked by as she watched her father pretend to struggle helplessly against the bindings. That would raise the tension of his audience. It was the perfect way to grab attention.

But as the second hand passed thirty-five after the minute, Trixie could sense that something was wrong. Larger air bubbles left her father's mouth. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to perform the impossible feat, escape the tank, and bow to a shower of roses. Why wasn't this happening?

Her father drowned that night.

---

The traveling cart was all she had left to remember him by. It was the last birthday present he had ever given to her. She vowed to treasure it regardless of the weather. When she heard it crash to pieces behind her, she had only been in fear of the Ursa. But as she left the town after going out with a smoke bomb, she realized that there was nothing left. All that she had to hold her father close to her was gone.

"That wasn't Twilight's fault," argued Scootaloo.

"It was entirely her fault!" snapped Trixie, "It's because of her that my father's memoir is gone. Those that cannot prevent death deserve to die themselves."

"In that case, why not just kill every single pony in existence?!" asked Scootaloo rhetorically skeptically, "No pony can prevent death."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie will never accept that nonsense as a fact!" said Trixie, "By getting her revenge, Trixie shall make the equal exchange."

"It's not your right to decide who lives or dies," said Scootaloo softly.

"How would you feel if everything you knew and loved was taken away?" asked the show mare, "You don't know what I've been through. A filly like you would never understand true loneliness and despair."

"Loneliness," echoed the orange filly, "You honestly think my life's been sunshine and rainbows every day?"

"Chickens can't fly, ha ha!"

"You think I don't know what it means to be picked on for my faults?"

She shed tears while holding her hooves on top of her mother's tombstone.

"The feeling that you're all alone in this world..."

"Blank flank! Blank flank! Cutie marks can't stand your tank. Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"The feeling that your life is pointless..."

Every pony would be better off if I just... faded away.

"True despair... oh yeah," reflected Scootaloo solemnly, "I know what that's like."

"Worthless, little piece of... urgh!" grunted Trixie as she called forth her katana again, "Shine, Nijigasumi!" She then yelled as she galloped forward.

"Shroud, Kagehime," whispered the Pegasus filly while holding her ground. The sound of two swords swinging was heard. Blood dripped just as one of the blades got knocked back from its wielder and was driven into the ground.

Scootaloo stood there, empathizing with her opponent. They shared so much in common, but they fought for very different reasons. Her sword shrank to its single katana form. She looked at the blue unicorn that had once again collapsed to the ground.

"What are you waiting for?" asked the bleeding unicorn, "You have your weapon and I don't. End this fight."

"Whatever you say," said Scootaloo and let her blade vanish from the physical realm. She turned around and began to trot away.

"Why?" yelled Trixie, "Why won't you do it? I tried to end the life of a friend of yours, didn't I? Finish me!"

The filly stopped and sighed before turning her head, "I'm letting you live so that you can learn. I'm still learning and fighting against lights and shadows of deception. Maybe you can too." She then resumed her trek back to Apple Bloom's home.

Trixie slammed the ground with a hoof before screaming in anger.

"Soten Kisshun, I reject!"

My ears were working again and my body didn't feel so heavy. I slowly opened my eyes to try and see why. I was a bit startled by the strange, orange tint that shaded my vision. But after a few more seconds, the orange faded and two objects passed my sight. They looked like... origami swans.

"Good morning, Tundra!" greeted a familiar voice. I looked to my right and saw the origami swans fly around for a bit. I was shocked to watch them incorporate themselves into Pinkie Pie's flank.

"Pinkie Pie," I slowly said, "What just happened?"

"Well, I said 'Good morning, Tundra!'" she repeated.

"No, no, no. I mean before that," I clarified.

"Well, a lot of things happened before that. I was born and raised on a rock farm. I discovered the joy of parties. I took a job in catering..." she rambled.

"No, after that," I face hoofed.

"Which is it? Before or after?" she asked smiling innocently.

You're doing this on purpose aren't you, I thought.

"Doing what on purpose?" she asked still smiling.

"Gah!" I yelped in annoyance. I then took a deep breath before asking, "What were those origami swans that just... flew into your flank?"

"That's silly, Tundra," Pinkie Pie giggled, "Origami swans are made of paper. Paper can't fly into your flank."

"Then what were those things that merged with your flank?" I asked. I was beginning to remember why I thought she would be the hardest to work with.

"Oh!" she finally seemed to understand, "Those were my new friends, Ayame and Shun'o."

"Ayame and Shun'o?" I echoed. Then I thought, Where have I heard those names before?

"Yeah, they're pretty neat," said Pinkie, "They showed up sometime after you fell through the roof. They can fix up your owwies fairly well. They came with four other friends: Hinagiku, Lily, Baigon, and... um."

"Tsubaki?" I offered. I had an idea of where this was going.

"Yeah! Have you met them already?" she asked somewhat too excitedly.

"Uh, no... not personally," I chuckled nervously. In what I hoped were private thoughts, I thought that the main cast was going to receive Soul Reaper powers save for Twilight Sparkle. Why did Pinkie Pie get Orihime's powers?

"They live in my cutie mark. Isn't that great?" said Pinkie jumping up and down in place.

They live inside her cutie mark? I mentally pondered.

Well, there are six of them and she has six balloons in total for a cutie mark, commented Shirayuki's mind.

That... makes... way... too much sense, I thought dumbfounded.

"So, want to make more cupcakes?" asked the pink earth pony.

"A crazy lady just tore up a large portion of the shop's roof, you just gained powers that can increase your fourth wall breaking tenfold, and you're asking if I want to make more cupcakes," I said skeptically.

"Yuh-huh," confirmed Pinkie Pie.

I sighed, "Sure, let's go do that."

"Yay!" she cheered while skipping along to the kitchen. While I'd never understand her, I could say one thing without a doubt:

"Typical Pinkie Pie."

"Huh? What's this?" asked the unicorn in the candlelight. She was reading the library's copy of Predictions and Prophecies, but was intrigued by new pages that had appeared before the back cover. She had never seen these before. A single line appeared on the first extra page:

A Quincy's arrow must be fired from the heart.

Ch. 18: Heart Over Matter or I Am

So many ups and downs
My heart's a battleground
I need true emotions
I need more affection than you know

Chapter 18: Heart Over Matter or I Am

"The Windigoes are a herd of winter spirits that feed off the hatred and bitterness of the ponies that fight. The conditions of the land shall become as cold as their hardened hearts. That is why this feud between equine races cannot continue for any lengthened time. If they could listen to reason, perhaps the harsh blizzards could give way to the blessings that spring has to offer."

She listened to her mentor speak these words of wisdom. She made it a habit of keeping a parchment and quill close by so that she could always remember his advice at a later given date.

"Master," she posed a conundrum, "Surely there must be an alternate avenue to prevent the potential plague of hatred that haunts the households that binds bitterness to begin with."

The swirly bearded mentor sighed, "There is a way to stave off their blizzards, but I advise against taking that path. For that solution, my faithful student, is an even more dangerous road to follow."

"What is it?" the clever student asked.

"It is the path of... the Quincy," he said looking away from his student, "Taking this path would allow a pony to temporarily wield arrows strong enough to cripple spirits."

"However?" she asked fully aware that he was about to mention a drawback.

"However, in doing so that pony would effectively surrender his or her soul to the cause eternally," he said gravely.

Clover the Clever sat quietly where she had been standing, lost in thought about the idea of losing one's soul.

---

She had come back to Princess Platinum's castle after the founding of Equestria. She needed to gather certain items before she would be ready to move on. In the process of packing sacks, she stumbled across an old anklet. This hoof piece was unusual in the fact that it was patterned with a blue cross. It was a forbidden artifact. Her mentor would have choice words if he ever knew what curiosity plagued her mind.

"You must never put this on, young one," her mentor had said, "Once you do, you will be bound by the consequences that a Quincy must bear. The wearer will be forced to fire a continuous volley for seven days without rest. Though this will give that pony much power, it will also hinder their spirit."

Clover the Clever was not crazy, but she was curious. Her mentor had often warned that too much curiosity could lead to a fast, fatal end. 'A fool rushes in where the angel fears to tread' after all. Still, she had time to spare. She wondered what a little extra power could possibly do that was so deadly. Convincing herself of her logical reasoning, she took the anklet and headed up the tower's stairs.

---

It was day four and she still couldn't fully grasp what she was doing. Every minute or so, she would position one of her hooves in front of the other and pull back. An arrow, that was made of nothing but bluish-white light, would materialize and fire toward the horizon seconds later. She wanted to go to sleep, get nourishment, and rest. But her body would not respond to her will.

The anklet must have been possessed or so she thought. When the seven days were up, she would find a cure somewhere in her mentor's written theories of magic and then destroy this thing for good. But until then, she had to endure the exhausting, repetitive motions that she was being forced to do.

---

"Clover the Clever," fawned Platinum, "I love the new look." Clover was wearing white robes with blue highlights. The ensemble was complete with a blue cross on her white cape.

"Uh, thank you, Princess," she blushed.

Twilight Sparkle awoke with a start. She never went to bed. She was still at her study desk. Her candle had burned out hours ago. The early light of morning was just breaching the horizon. She sighed in disappointment, realizing she had probably spent a whole night studying and had forgotten to properly schedule an appropriate sleeping hour.

"What was that dream?" she asked herself, "It felt so... real." She shook her head and smiled, "No, that's ridiculous. Dreams can't be real. There's too much in them that's illogical. For starters: magic with hooves? Every pony knows that inherent magic is channeled from the mind through the horn. There's little else besides amulets and talismans that can properly conjunct such a construction."

Still, she had to wonder about that sentence she found in the new page of Predictions and Prophecies. She flipped through it again, but when she came to the last page, the strange extra pages were gone. It was like they were never there to begin with. Perhaps she had fallen asleep before even that.

A Quincy's arrow must be fired from the heart, thought Twilight, Why would such an obscure phrase be in my dream? Her train of thought continued, And how do I remember that dream perfectly? Was that an actual event that Clover the Clever had been through or was something else going on?

Twilight stopped and shook her head.

"Maybe Spike is right," she said quietly, "Maybe I do over think things sometimes."

"~All you have to do is take a cup of flour. Add it to the mix,~" sang Pinkie Pie.

"~Now just add a little something sweet not sour. A bit of salt, just a pinch,~" I continued.

"~Baking these treats is such a cinch. Add a teaspoon of vanilla,~" she sang.

"~Add a little more and- What the crap am I doing?" I shouted as I shook my head in disbelief.

"Aw, but that's my favorite song," pouted Pinkie.

"Sorry, Pinkie Pie, but I just can't stand it," I stated bluntly. Then I looked at her. I wished I hadn't.

"Not the puppy dog pout," I whined trying to block the sight with one of my hooves. It was no use. Those pleading eyes made it feel like I was upsetting Fluttershy. I took a deep sigh before I continued the last verse:

Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty

Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty

Cupcakes!

Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes!

"Yay!" cheered Pinkie Pie, "Let's do it again!"

I think I had more dignity in Rarity's dresses, I thought.

I distinctly remember you thinking you had lost your "manliness", countered Shirayuki.

Not helping, other me, I thought back.

"Hey, Scoots!" called Apple Bloom as her friend entered the club house, "Where have you been?"

"Oh, you know," answered Scootaloo vaguely, "Around."

"You're not going to... uh, never mind," the farmer filly quickly shut off her own sentence.

"I'm not going to what?" asked the Pegasus filly tilting her head in confusion.

"Uh, turn into a skeletal monster that we have to go break some weird lights in order to beat," finished Apple Bloom quickly.

Scootaloo blinked twice before replying, "Oh, no, no, no. I'm doing much better now. I'll take my time and eventually I will figure out what I'm supposed to be. No more beating myself up, you can count on that." She flashed what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Apple Bloom seemed accepting of it.

"All right," she said, "Did you happen to see Sweetie Belle on your way over here?"

"I'm here!" called a familiar voice whose source came running in slightly weary.

"So, what's the plan today?" asked Sweetie Belle after her breathing evened out.

"Hey, remember that wicked song you did a while back," asked Scootaloo to Apple Bloom, "Maybe we could try for singer cutie marks."

"Um, didn't we already try for those in that talent show?" pointed out the unicorn filly.

"Besides," added Apple Bloom, "I didn't get one for singing in my solo act."

"Well, maybe third time's the charm," said the Pegasus optimistically, "Hey, maybe Tundra could give us some pointers on music."

"Hm, I guess it's worth a try," commented Sweetie before muttering, "Although, I'm still not up for the whole 'singing in front of a crowd' thing."

"Great! Let's go find Tundra!" declared Scootaloo.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, go!" shouted all three fillies before racing out the doorway.

"I'm melting. I'm melting," I groaned.

"You look pretty solid to me," smiled Miss Literal. I had to face hoof so hard that I was sure I was losing IQ points.

If I never hear that song again for the rest of my life, it'll be too soon, I thought through the migraine that I was sure I had. My ear perked up when it heard a motor-like buzzing noise. I used this excuse to go to the front door and look for the source. I'm not sure why, but I felt really glad to see Scootaloo propelling her scooter with wing power. Her best friends rode in the red wagon behind her.

"Hey, you were right. She's here," said Sweetie Belle.

"Howdy, Tundra!" called Apple Bloom, "Do you have some free time?"

"We'd like your help in our search for song cutie marks," added Scootaloo.

"Uh, sure!" I replied with enthusiasm. I turned my head back toward the kitchen door and yelled, "Pinkie, I'm going out for a break!"

"Okay! See you next chapter!" was the reply I heard.

Honestly, Pinkie Pie? I thought shaking my head, Where do you get these ideas? ...On second thought, don't answer that. I made sure to close the door before I galloped after the speeding scooter and wagon.

So the four of us got to work. Sweetie Belle wrote some sample lines for the Crusaders to sing. Each of the three took turns singing the lines and I gave some feedback regarding the overall sound. Sweetie Belle's voice was crystal and perfect (no surprise there). Apple Bloom's voice, as I had learned working with her before, had an adorable southern twang that just made the lines more enjoyable. Scootaloo... well,... could use some work.

At some point during song proposals and auditions, the topic of swords came into play. I learned that Scootaloo had obtained her new power. Though, I was kind of surprised that I didn't recognize the name of her Zanpaktou. I thought I knew a lot about Bleach, but I guess not. The details concerning her particular chain of events intrigued me.

"Hey, Scootaloo," I pondered, "How would you like to try your hoof at heavy metal music?"

It was the evening of a hot summer day. The slightly chillier air of night helped to relax the various ponies gathering around in Ponyville Park. Foals and younger children were advised not to attend the event in response to the warning that the content "may not be suitable for younger audiences". While the message was quite vague, the cautious parents took the advice to heart and stayed with their children indoors. The attenders were mostly young stallions and mares.

Standing in the slightly darker backstage, I asked my partner, "You ready for this?"

To this she firmly answered, "I was born ready." The conversation was left at that as we took our positions.

Over the course of a couple weeks, I had figured out a way to reposition my center of gravity when performing passionate tasks with my front hooves. Now I had a perfect place for application. A single light shown on the left of the stage as I glided down with open wings. While I could still hear the audience wondering what was going on, I started strumming my new guitar. It emulated an electric guitar's sound almost perfectly.

The curtain opened up and revealed a punk-mane styled Scootaloo. The light followed her as she bobbed to an invisible drum beat. Then, in a way no one thought was possible, she sang on key to the song.

I see no, hear no evil

Black writings on the wall.

Unleashed a million faces

And one by one they fall.

Black hearted evil or

Brave hearted hero,

I am all, I am all I am.

I... I...

I am.

Here we go buddy.

Here we go.

Here we go buddy.

Here we go!

Go ahead and try to see through me.

Do it if you dare.

One step forward, two steps back,

I'm here.

Do it... Do it... Do it... DO IT!

Can you see all of me?

Walk into my mysteries

Step inside and hold on for dear life.

Do you remember me?

Capture you, or set you free?

I am all, I am all of me.

I am...

At this time, Scootaloo called out her katana.

I see and feel the evil,

My hooves will crush 'em all.

You think you have the answers,

I laugh and watch you fall!

Black hearted evil or

Brave hearted hero,

I am all, I am all I am.

She then stowed her weapon into its non-solid existence.

I... I...

I am.

Here we go buddy.

Here we go.

Here we go buddy.

Here we go!

Go ahead and try to see through me.

Do it if you dare!

One step forward two steps back,

I'm here.

Do it... Do it... Do it... DO IT!

Can you see all of me?

Walk into my mysteries?

Step inside and hold on for dear life.

Do you remember me?

Capture you or set you free?

I am all, I am all of me.

I am...

I am everyone, everywhere, anyhow, anyway, any will, any day...

I am...

I am everyone, everywhere, anyhow, anyway, any will, any day...

I am! I am! I am!

I am!

Do it... Do it... Do it... Do IT!

Can you see all of me?

Walk into my mysteries?

Step inside and hold on for dear life.

Do you remember me?

Capture you, or set you free?

I am all, I am all of me.

I am...

Here we go!

I am, I am all of me!

My last note lingered until absolute silence rested on that stage. I looked up. Most of the ponies in the audience just stood with their mouths agape or their eyes wide open. I also noticed that there were fewer attendees than we had started with.

Well, Crush 40's music wasn't made for everybody, I thought. That's when I heard one clapper and one set of hooves stomping.

"Yay, Scootaloo!" cheered Spike.

"All right, squirt! Way to go!" hollered Rainbow Dash. A few, somewhat reluctant hoof stomps joined hers. Heck, Rainbow Dash could easily win over a crowd when she wanted to. Scootaloo and I took respective bows. At least tonight wasn't a total loss. After all, my partner got approval from her idol. It was a good night.

How Twilight Sparkle ended up in this situation, she would never know. One minute, she was stepping outside for air. The next she was surrounded by she-didn't-know-whats. They all had large teeth and white exoskeletons for faces. She could tell that much. Other than that, these creatures held nothing in common with each other except for their unexplainable desire to look hungrily at the lavender unicorn before them.

Hastily, Twilight tried firing magenta magical bolts at the monsters. The bolts bounced off the creatures harmlessly. She barely avoided a giant fist by sidestepping haphazardly. She then cast another spell in her repertoire. In a pinkish-white flash, she disappeared and reappeared a few feet away. The librarian quickly galloped away from the mob.

The skull faces would not have that and gave chase. A few were starting to gain on the unicorn as she kept up her galloping pace. As her quick, on-the-run calculations were presenting to her, she couldn't outrun the entire group forever. She didn't know what to do.

Do not retreat.

The strange thought caused Twilight to halt her hooves and slide to a stop. What am I doing? she thought, I need to get away from these things! Yet, her muscles refused to resume a gallop. Instead, she was turned around and forced to face the howling beasts.

Concentrate. Don't let your aim falter. Let your heart guide your arrow.

A flash of her dream crossed her mind's eye. She saw Clover the Clever's motions. Again, her body reacted without her direct thought. She stood up on her hind legs, front hooves held together in front of her.

Can it really be? she thought, Well, if I must. This time, she willingly moved her right hoof back. What looked like an ethereal bow took hold in her left hoof while an arrow made from the same energy appeared simultaneously. Twilight was entranced by these new objects.

Keep your eyes on the enemy.

The foreign yet familiar thought made her shift her gaze to the creature that was closest to her. She squinted her eyes and looked only at the skull. A split second later, the arrow left her grasp. In the next second, the arrow made contact with the beast's face. One second more and the creature disappeared in a smoky shadow. It was a start, but more enemies were lined up to attack their prey.

What if I pull further back? asked the unicorn to herself. She placed her limb next to the glowing bow. Then, she reached it back beyond the corner of her peripheral vision. A longer, thinner arrow appeared. Keeping her eyes on the monster in front, she released her right hoof's grip. The distinct whistling noise told her that the arrow was flying away. It pierced the entire line's worth of skull heads. Just as many disappeared into dissolving shadows.

One staggering beast had stayed out of the line. It was this creature that charged forward now. Unfortunately for it, the unicorn it was interested in had already learned her method of defense. Another tug and another release sent a third and final arrow sailing through the air. The beast had no chance to escape its dissolving fate. The pack had lost.

"Twilight!" called a friend as they galloped toward her, "Are you all right? I sensed a large pressure from this direction a while ago but now it's gone."

Twilight Sparkle sighed in relief, "Yes, Rarity. I'm all right."

"Goodness, darling, you look like you've just run a marathon," commented the alabaster unicorn on her friend's dirt and sweaty appearance.

"I'm sure I do," agreed the librarian. A sudden vibration through her entire body interrupted her thought. By the look at Rarity's small irises, she had felt it too.

"What is this?" asked a worried Twilight.

"It's a spiritual pressure," whispered Rarity before raising her voice, "and it's coming from Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Aaaaaaaah!" yelled Apple Bloom. Her body had been catapulted by one of the skull creature's punches. She landed gracelessly after a couple yards of flight. The four-hooked Fuji Kujaku sank into the earth beside her as it reverted to katana form. Her sister stood petrified and mortified at the sight she was right next to.

"Apple Bloom?" called Applejack, "Apple Bloom, no!" But the yellow filly didn't respond. She was out cold.

"Why? Why her?" asked the hatted pony to no one in particular, "She's just a little filly." The beast took no notice of Applejack's insistence as it slowly strode toward them.

"Why did she get dragged into this?" breathed the orange earth pony before shouting, "Why couldn't it have been me?" She tried performing the motion with her hoof like she had seen Apple Bloom do before. No such luck came to the older sister. No magic weapon came to her aid. She slammed her hoof back to the ground in frustration.

"You know what? Forget it!" she yelled, "Who needs a stinking sword?" She ran up and stood in front of her sister before addressing the beast directly, "If you want my sister, you're going to have to fight me first!" The beast seemed to stop just in front of her before obliging to her proposal. It reached out a fist to whack the nuisance out of its way. Applejack closed her eyes and braced for the impact.

"Well, well. Somebody's in a hurry to die," said an older woman's voice.

"Stupidity's a virus and it's spread to her," responded a younger boy's voice.

"Wha-?" Applejack opened her eyes. This wasn't her farm anymore. She was in some section of Whitetail Woods that she had never seen before. Autumn leaves rustled in the wind.

"Maybe she caught it from you," continued the older voice.

"Yeah, just like she got her big butt from you," said the younger voice smugly. AJ turned around to see two figures joined by a chain. In the obscure lighting, however, she couldn't identify anything else about their looks. Though, she could see the taller one forcefully rubbing a noogie into the shorter one's head.

"Ow, ow, ow! Hey, quit it!" cried the shorter one.

"Excuse me," coughed Applejack, "but, just who are ya'll supposed to be?" This seemed to halt the little squabble between the figures as they turned their heads to face the farmer pony.

"What?" asked the shorter figure, "Haven't you ever seen your inner power before?"

"I doubt it," answered the taller figure.

"Inner power?" echoed Applejack, "What are you talking about?"

"It's obvious," scoffed the taller figure, "You were looking for a 'magic sword' before you came here, right?"

"Well, we're it," declared the smaller one with pride.

"But, ya'll don't look anything like a sword," pointed out the farmer pony.

The taller one sighed, "A Zanpaktou's spirit is just as important as the physical blade."

The shorter one continued, "And if you want to use our full potential, you'll have to remember this."

Together they said, "We are..." but their voices were muffled as the next word was spoken.

What did they say? thought Applejack, I couldn't hear their name.

"Still can't hear our name, huh?" asked the shorter figure.

"Well, you'll have to memorize it soon," chuckled the taller figure, "Otherwise your sister will die."

The bearer of Honesty opened her eyes wide before turning her head up and screamed, "Apple Bloom!"

Something dripped on her face. Slowly, Applejack opened an eye to see why. Then, she opened both eyes wide in shock. She turned to look at the fist that had been hurtling towards her. The fist was bleeding. The reason for it bleeding was something that was in her hoof's grasp.

Is that... mine? asked the farmer to herself. She then blinked back tears in a look of renewed determination. She swept the curved sword in an upward motion. The skull-faced beast reared back roaring in pain. On impulse, Applejack lifted her left hoof just over her now horizontal blade.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" she declared. Her sword glowed red as it lengthened, broadened, and grew spikes along its edge. Grunting, Applejack lifted the handle and swung it down in front of her. The long sword grew even longer as flimsier sections seemed to sprout between the spiked sections. Her swinging motion flowed through the weapon like a ripple.

When the wave reached the end of the weapon, it hooked onto a section of the large beast. Red liquid spewed out of the new cut. It roared in discomfort while Applejack pulled back her sword to its original six-segmented state. She then leaped into the air before raising Zabimaru high.

"For Apple Bloom!" she shouted as she took another swing. This extended the blade once again and plowed it right through the beast's face. The yelp of pain was silenced as the creature was engulfed by a smokey shadow. With the threat extinguished, Applejack's sword thinned out and shrank back to its default curved-blade appearance. She then ran over to her sister's side.

"Apple Bloom," she whispered. She needn't have worried. The filly groaned a bit before blinking her eyes.

"Applejack, w-where's the...?" Apple Bloom started asking.

"I've taken care of it," breathed the older sister.

"You saved me," realized the yellow filly.

"Hey, what are sisters for?" asked Applejack rhetorically. In relief she nuzzled her little sister. A familiar poof sound of a teleportation spell interrupted her and she looked up to see the two unicorns gallop toward her.

"Applejack!" exclaimed Twilight Sparkle, "Are you all right? We thought there was a threat over here."

"Goodness, darling!" cried Rarity, "You're absolutely covered in blood!" Applejack moved a hoof and wiped the "cover" Rarity had mentioned off her face.

"It's nothing, Rarity, really," insisted the farmer, "and Twilight, I've already dealt with it."

"You dealt with it?" echoed the bearer of Magic, "So does that mean...?"

"Yeah," confirmed Applejack, "Now, I've got them do-hickey powers too."

"Well," paused Twilight, "at least you're okay." The farmer nodded.

Black and white net.
Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts.
Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line.
Form a circle and fly through the heavens.

Bakudo 77: Tenteikura.

I felt something "click" in my mind and my eyes opened wide. Apparently I wasn't the only one. Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all had the same expression. Spike, however, was only confused by our looks.

Fluttershy had been pouring rations out for her animals. A sudden "jolt" to her head caused her to drop the box in surprise.

Pinkie Pie was busy trying to get her favorite baby friends to laugh. Funny faces weren't cutting it. Madame Le Flour was nowhere nearby to offer her help. Even Pinkie Pie's sudden mind "click" didn't draw a smile from Pumpkin and Pound Cake.

A sudden pulsation in their minds "connected" Apple Bloom, Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight to another entity. They held their eyes open in shock.

My little ponies, I ask that you meet me at the library. I will be there momentarily.

As quickly as the message had been brought upon them, the feeling of mind zapping ceased. The pupils of the ponies' eyes returned to normal.

"That was Princess Luna!" exclaimed Twilight.

"What do you reckon she wants?" asked Applejack.

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" implied Rarity.

Apple Bloom picked herself up before exclaiming, "Let's go then!" All the ponies galloped as quickly as they could to Twilight's abode.

Ch. 19: And Then There Was One

It's natural. You know that
This where you gotta be. It must be your destiny.
Sensational, and you believe that
This is what you've waited for and
It's you that they all adore

Chapter 19: And Then There Was One

Rainbow Dash had already flown far ahead, but I still flapped my wings as hard as I could. On the ground, Scootaloo was propelling her scooter via wing power. Spike and Sweetie Belle rode the wagon behind her. I feared the worst when I heard that telepathic message from Luna. There are only a few things she ever comes out into the visible light for and this wasn't a Nightmare Night celebration. We had to get to the library.

Apparently we weren't the only ones that had gotten the message. Along the way, I saw Fluttershy flying in the same direction. I also saw Pinkie Pie galloping to the library. That was unusual. Ordinarily, Pinkie Pie would just bounce or zing to her destination. But no, there she was legitimately galloping.

Closer to the library door, I saw four recognizable ponies head inside. It looked like it would be a full house tonight.

"Thank you for coming, every pony," said the Princess of the Night, "I wish we had met under different circumstances. I'm afraid we are on the precipice of disaster."

"You stole that line straight from episode one," I pointed out. A brief, annoyed glare from Luna was enough to tell me to shut up.

"Princess Luna, what crisis are we looking at?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Yeah! Whose flank do we have to kick now?" added Rainbow Dash.

"I admire your enthusiasm, Rainbow Dash," complimented Luna, "but you personally won't be 'kicking flank' anytime soon. Not unless you've somehow managed to awaken your inner power."

"I can perform the Sonic Rainboom on command now," bragged the bearer of Loyalty.

"True," conceded the Princess, "but this is not an enemy that can be defeated by just sound and light." She panned the entire group that was present before saying, "David's forces are increasing. The cities that used to be lesser known or quiet have now become the desolate birth lands to Hollows, Bounts, and several other unknown entities. In order to overcome this enemy, all of you need to unlock the potential that lies within."

"Pfft, who needs a stinking sword?" dismissed Dash.

"I used to think that too," commented Applejack, "But now I realize that strength alone isn't going to win."

"Fine, if you say so," conceded the cyan Pegasus.

"B-but, how will she do that?" whispered Fluttershy.

"Simple," I said confidently, "We wait until the next threat shows up, let Dash get caught in the situation, and bam! Zanpaktou is released."

"Oh! Oh! Can I be the next threat?" asked Pinkie Pie. Everyone in the room gave her stares of confusion and appalling.

"What? I still have some cake ammo I haven't touched. Besides I've never been the villain before," said the bearer of Laughter.

"That's debatable," I muttered remembering the events of "Party of One".

"It's not that simple," Luna said shaking her head, "I'm not sure if you can tell, but I can. Rainbow Dash's particular energy is sporadic. A stressful event will not be enough to activate her soul's true power."

"Then whatever shall we do?" piped in Rarity.

"We'll have to evoke it by other means," sighed the Princess.

"W-what other means?" asked a confused Sweetie Belle.

"Tundra," addressed Luna, "Do you remember how Ichigo got his Soul Reaper powers the first time?"

I gasped, "You don't mean."

She nodded, "I do mean."

"What do you mean?" asked various other voices.

"What are you talking about?" asked the rest of the other voices.

"But, wouldn't that mean I would...?" I started asking.

Luna shook her head, "No, you misunderstand. I'm not asking you to do it." She held a hoof to the side. In an instant, a katana manifested itself in her grasp. She continued, "I'm saying I'll do it."

"Luna, are you crazy?!" I half-shouted, "If you're wrong about this, Rainbow Dash could die!"

"Die?!" panicked the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I felt a familiar sensation. In a quick flash of light, my other half gained dominance.

"Even if you're right about this, you could end up powerless," said Shirayuki holding back tears.

"The Princess... powerless?" whispered Twilight.

Luna smiled sadly, "You worry too much, my friend. Besides, what kind of kingdom is it when the ruler has all of the power?"

"Lu Lu, no. There has to be another way," breathed Shirayuki.

"Just what the hay are you two talking about?" asked Applejack. As Shirayuki surrendered her white form back to my black form, I sighed.

"In order to attune Rainbow Dash's energy to a state in which a Zanpaktou can manifest," I said, "Luna is going to thrust her own through Rainbow Dash's heart."

"Her heart?!" asked all the others present except Luna who knew it already, Fluttershy who just gasped in horror, and Rarity who fainted on the spot. Dash's confidence wasn't as strong as it was two minutes ago.

"Rainbow Dash, follow me please," said the Princess of the Night. Not like she had much of a choice, since the Pegasus was surrounded by an indigo magical aura and levitated behind her. The Princess pulled her out the back door. Everyone else just sat or stood in shocked silence, well almost everyone.

"What in Equestria is going on?" asked Spike. That shocked me out of my stupor.

Shirayuki, you know what I'm thinking? I asked my other half.

I... can't believe that you're thinking that, she thought after scanning my mind for my plan, I also can't believe that I agree with you.

I marched toward the back door. I couldn't let this happen.

"P-princess, is this really necessary?" stammered the normally confident flier. The magical aura holding her prevented her from escaping if she wanted to. She looked like she really wanted to.

"It must be done," answered Princess Luna coldly. The cyan Pegasus squirmed around but the aura didn't give her an inch.

"Hold still," ordered the Princess, "This will only hurt for a minute." She angled her sword straight and pulled it back. She closed one eye to aim. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable piercing. The Princess lunged forward.

CLANG!

Time held still for what seemed like a few seconds. My sword was held upwards while hers was held out and horizontally. I may have felt an adrenaline surge as I pushed her away. The aura that was holding Dash vanished and in her surprise, she fell to the ground. Luna, on the other hand, just narrowed her eyes in disapproval.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked firmly.

"I could ask you the same thing," I replied, "Have you gone insane?"

"Not possible," Luna responded, "The Elements of Harmony purged me from the powers of darkness. I am good again."

"Then why the heck are you throwing that goodness away to commit a horrible sin?" I nearly shouted.

"I am only looking after the safety of my subjects," she answered.

I spat, "Yeah, right. Stab a pony just because it might bring out her power sooner. That really sounds like looking after her safety." My sarcasm did not go unnoticed by the Princess.

"I want the safety of my entire kingdom," she retorted.

"What about what Rainbow Dash wants? Did you ever bother to ask her?" I called her out.

"A loyal subject knows when she must willingly follow her ruler," she answered.

"Then what was that bull crap statement you made earlier about how a ruler shouldn't have all the power?" I reminded her.

"You would dare question the decision of your princess?" she counter questioned.

"Well, excuse me, Princess, but I don't recall ever agreeing to be your subject," I remarked.

"Stand aside, Tundra Stanza!"

"I won't!"

"Then I will make you move!" she yelled as she flapped her wings once. She gained a few feet in altitude before crying out, "REIGN OVER THE FROSTED HEAVENS, HYORINMARU!" As she swung her blade down, a huge channel of frozen water rolled out from the tip. It resembled an east-Asian dragon with red eyes and matched its appearance with a roar.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I called. My Zanpaktou took its Shikai state of a white blade with a long white ribbon. My body's control was shifted over to Shirayuki.

"So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro!" she hastily declared. A huge pillar of ice surrounded her and reached for the skies. The ice dragon collided with the pillar. The impact shattered them both.

"ET TU, SHIRAYUKI?" called the Princess of the Night in the Royal Canterlot tone.

"Sorry, Luna," spat Shirayuki, "But I'm not your subject either. Your rash actions prove that you're not thinking clearly. You must stop and calm yourself down before deciding your next plan of action."

"SINCE YOU INSIST ON INTERFERING, MY NEXT COURSE OF ACTION IS DESTROYING YOU!" Luna decreed.

"I rest my case," muttered the snowy, white alicorn.

Rainbow Dash looked with horror at the fight developing between the two alicorns.

"Stop it," she whispered.

"Hado 33: Sokatsui!" shouted the other me launching an arc of blue fire. Luna just sliced through it with her Zanpaktou. I could have sworn a bit of ice appeared on its edge briefly. She sent another cold water dragon my way. Shirayuki flew up and around it in a horizontal semi-circle.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!" she shouted launching a few quick, straight charges of blue lightning. Luna dodged around these blasts with ease. She seemed to growl in irritation.

"BANKAI!" she declared. Streams of ice engulfed various parts of her body. Her back hooves resembled frozen dragon claws. Her wings froze and grew to three times the size of her body. Three purple flowers with four square petals each floated behind her.

"DAIGUREN HYORINMARU!" cried Luna. She then swung her sword in a wide motion before shouting, "HYORYU SENBI!" What looked like a huge wave of ice came rushing towards me.

"Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren!" shouted Shirayuki. A large blast of ice was expelled from the tip of Sode no Shirayuki's tip. The ice wave collided with the ice blast preventing either attack from hitting their intended targets.

At least, that's what I thought. Next thing I knew, Luna appeared right in front of my face. Shirayuki opened her eyes wide to express my surprise. At the same time, one of Luna's frozen claws kicked Shirayuki in the stomach. My pain only increased as I impressed a crater into the ground below.

"Stop it," said Rainbow Dash at normal room volume. Tears that normally wouldn't dare show their presence on her face now started to drip.

I coughed up something liquid. I opened my eyes to see that Shirayuki had lost dominance since my body was smaller and black again. I looked up to see Luna's dragon appendages and her solid white eyes. One of the purple flowers behind her crumbled to dust, but considering the damage she had done to me, my time would run out before hers did. She began to dive down with her sword outreached.

"THIS WILL FINISH YOU!" she bellowed, "RYUSEN-!"

"Stop it!" shouted out a voice that I had forgotten was there. I turned my head to see a huge aura of bluish-white energy. In the bottom-center of that aura, an enraged Rainbow Dash stood. Both Luna and I were caught off guard by the shout and the sudden surge of spiritual pressure.

In a blur of bluish-multicolored light, Rainbow Dash was gone and Luna was sent flying into the ground several yards to my right. I randomly thought it was kind of convenient that there were no houses in this field behind the library. Smoke and dust covered Luna's position as she crashed into the ground. I looked back at Rainbow Dash who currently looked like she had fire in her eyes.

"I don't care if you are a princess," she fumed, "Don't you dare threaten to kill my friend!" It was then that I noticed that she was holding something in one hoof. It looked like a giant, black butcher's knife with a white blade. White tape that looked like bandages held it to her hoof.

Is that... what I think it is? I asked myself. A certain rumbling made me turn back to my right. The smoke cleared to reveal a giant orb of ice. This orb separated to resemble Daiguren Hyorinmaru's wings and a relatively unscathed Princess Luna underneath. She vanished and reappeared between Rainbow Dash and me instantaneously. This was the end then. The Princess of the night was going to end us right here and no-.

"You passed," she said gently. To say Rainbow Dash and I raised an eyebrow was an understatement. The purple flowers faded as did Luna's extra-long ice appendages.

"Huh?" said the Pegasus.

"Wait, I thought you were going to destroy me," I stammered in befuddlement.

"Well, if I hadn't said that, you wouldn't have reacted the way you needed to," Luna replied.

"Wait, wait, wait. What the hay is going on?" asked Dash.

"This was a test to see if you could unleash your power under the right conditions," explained the Princess of the Night, "Looks like you can. So you pass."

"What was all that you said about Rainbow Dash's energy being unstable and unable to manifest a Zanpaktou under battle stress?" I asked still a bit confused.

"I made it up," Luna flashed a smile. I'm pretty sure Dash and I successfully performed an anime faint because the next thing I knew, all four of my hooves were in the air.

So, this really is the universe Firewall came through, I thought.

How can you tell? asked Shirayuki.

Luna's a fan-flipping troll, I thought back.

I winced a bit as Rainbow Dash helped me along back to the library's main entrance room. She stared daggers at Luna every once in a while. I would have too if my stomach wasn't sending blood to my throat every half-minute. That was a cheap trick. The worst part was I probably couldn't sue her for the damages with her being a Princess and all. That pony needed reprimanding. That, or I needed a restraining order against her. If this was how she treated her best friend Shirayuki, I did not want to know what she did to her worst enemies. (Discord doesn't count because the world Firewall was in never introduced him.)

The three of us entered the room and everyone inside was pretty much in the same shocked position they were in when we left. Eyes were held in blank shock. Rarity was still on the floor in a faint. The works.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie," called Rainbow Dash, "Would you mind using your healing powers on Tundra here?" I wasn't even surprised when Pinkie Pie instantly left her pose of stupor.

"Okay!" she bounced over before declaring, "Soten Kisshun! I reject!" Two origami swans flew out of her flank and formed an orange dome around Dash and me.

Applejack came out of her stupor next and said, "W-wait a minute. I thought Rainbow was getting stabbed. Why does Tundra need healing?"

"Oh, that's easy," said the pink pony cheerfully, "Luna pulled a prank and now Tundra has internal bleeding!"

"How do you figure?" asked the stetson hatted farmer.

"I just read above the last divider," replied Pinkie Pie in the same upbeat tone.

"Last divider? You know what, forget I asked," Applejack shook her head.

Twilight came to as well before asking, "If Tundra's hurt, does Princess Luna need healing?"

"She's fine," Dash and I stated flatly.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a..." started Luna.

"She's fine!" Dash and I stated again.

Luna harrumphed, "So this is the thanks I get for awakening your power."

"You almost killed me," I deadpanned.

"Keyword: almost," smiled Luna. The space reversal shield that Pinkie set up had finally given me enough comfort. I could stare daggers at Luna without flinching.

"Fine, I get it," Luna said raising a hoof in mock surrender, "I'll leave the grumpy couple alone."

"Not in the mood, Lu Lu," I grumbled.

"Only my friends call me that," she spat.

"Well, I am the soul and vessel of Shirayuki, in essence, your friend," I pointed out, "Ergo, I can call you Lu Lu."

"Smart***," she muttered.

"Hey, what did your boyfriend say about swearing?" I asked.

"You're hitting below the belt, Tundra," she warned.

"You don't wear a belt," commented Pinkie Pie. Thank you, Pinkie Pie. That was perfect. (Seriously, I couldn't have said it better myself.) Unfortunately, my chains of payback were over and Luna took a deep breath before addressing all of the room's occupants.

"The converging threat I told you about wasn't a lie," she stated, "There are still entities and creatures that you will have to face. Nevertheless, it is important for all of you to practice regular Jinzen, meditation to communicate with your Zanpaktou."

"Meditation... to communicate...?" started Sweetie Belle.

"With our swords?" continued Scootaloo.

"How does that work?" asked Apple Bloom.

"A Zanpaktou and its wielder fight as one," explained the Princess of the night, "You must lay your sword in front of you and meditate in silence to speak with it in the world of your mind. Regularly doing this will keep your spirits in unity and balance."

"What about us?" questioned Twilight Sparkle. The rest of the group turned to face her.

"I mean, Pinkie Pie and I don't have those swords, Zanpaktou," she continued, "What should we do?"

"Well," Luna took a pause, "The bearer of Laughter has those friends of hers that live in her cutie mark. As for you... well, a full minute of mind-clearing rest never hurt any pony." The Princess smiled sincerely.

"I couldn't agree more," said Rarity who had apparently recovered from her earlier faint, "Speaking of which," she turned to the Crusaders, "Girls, isn't it past your bed time?" A collection of "Aw"s was heard from the trio of fillies.

"I reckon we could all use some shut eye after that mind boggling we just went through," nodded Applejack. Rainbow Dash yawned as Pinkie Pie's little friends returned to her cutie mark.

"Again, I appreciate your time," thanked Luna as she turned to leave via the front door.

"Good night, Luna!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

"Farewell, Princess," said Rarity with a bow of respect.

"Goodbye, Princess Luna," said Twilight.

"Evening, Princess," said Applejack tipping her hat.

"Yeah, whatever," said Rainbow Dash with her front hooves crossed.

"What she said," I agreed. The crusaders and Spike just yawned and waved Luna goodbye. I think Fluttershy muttered something, but I couldn't quite hear her. On that note, Princess Luna departed out the door and flew away into her night.

"Hey, Tundra," said Dash, "You up for one more flight before you hit the hay tonight?"

"Meh, sure. Why not?" I replied.

I never thought I'd say this, but I love sleeping on a cloud. I can't believe I ever got a good night's sleep on any other mattress. It made me wonder why Rainbow Dash kept sleeping on a tree branch in the show. I didn't care that it was in the relative shape of a sofa (normally, sofas are uncomfortable). That cloud was so comfy. I could practically feel all of my troubles drifting away.

"Tundra, wake up," grumbled Dash, "You're grinding your teeth again."

And then that happened. I've been told by other people that I grind my teeth when I sleep. Considering all of the witnesses were close family... on different nights... I've been inclined to believe them. But I've never felt the supposedly hurt jaw muscles that come with grinding teeth while sleeping. Plus, my teeth never looked chipped or damaged from the motion, so I never found a reason to wear a mouth guard.

But for the sake of Dash's peace of mind, I decided to just get up. Despite the fact that she's often seen napping in the show, she did have an early morning job she has to perform every day. Her work time was still an hour away so she wanted to get in as much sleep as possible. I wasn't about to argue why it would be better to damage her ears just to let me sleep.

I decided that now was as good a time to perform that meditation Luna had suggested, Jinzen. Funny thing is Zanpaktou take after the properties of their masters. Since I was able to walk, stand, or lie on clouds, my katana was also able to rest on the cloud floor in front of me. I folded my legs in the "cute Twilight reading" pose (from Applebuck Season when Rainbow Dash crash landed on the balcony) and closed my eyes. I let nothing else bother my mind.

The gray abyss returned. This time, I didn't bother wandering. I just sat there. In front of me, I could see Shirayuki sitting in a similar position. To my right, I sensed a third presence but I didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Sode no Shirayuki," I stated flatly.

"Why does your heart carry a grudge?" asked the woman in the kimono.

"I don't have a grudge," I denied, "What are you talking about?"

"You still hold it against Luna for testing Rainbow Dash in such a manner," she stated.

"She made it very clear that she wouldn't hesitate to kill me," noted Shirayuki, "How can I not hold that against her?"

"Anger leads to unrest which will leave you unfocused," said the spirit, "The last thing you need in battle is a distracted emotion of anger."

I mentally shrugged, "If Luna needs to be saved from some danger, I'll save her."

"That may not be enough," said Sode no Shirayuki softly, "What if you find yourself in a situation where it's more tempting to aim your rage against her and it distracts you from the primary objective?"

"When that bridge comes, I'll cross it," answered the white alicorn. The woman sighed.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" I asked.

"For now," affirmed the Zanpaktou spirit, "But just remember this: you must master your anger. You must not let it master you."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Shirayuki.

I opened my real eyes. I picked up the katana Sode no Shirayuki and let it vanish from the physical realm. Somehow, that meeting left me less at peace than I was in before. I let out a soft sigh.

I suppose the next chance I get, I'll apologize to Luna for bringing up her boyfriend, I thought reluctantly.

And maybe I should apologize for spitting in the face of her authority, added Shirayuki.

If you want to, I shrugged.

Ch. 20: Recollecting the Spirit

Hide your darkest doubts and fears away in me
Back and forth through space and time you'll stay with me
Careful to not overlook the unseen...

Chapter 20: Recollecting the Spirit

Apple Bloom returned with a new empty bucket just as Applejack had finished bucking the twenty-fifth row. The older of which took her hat off briefly to wipe off some honest, hardworking sweat.

"Whew, all right, Apple Bloom," said the bearer of Honesty, "Let's take a break."

"Mm-hm," affirmed the younger sister. The two of them trotted over to one of the trees that offered a larger source of shade and sat down comfortably. The yellow filly rubbed her chin in thought for a second.

"Hey, sis," chirped Apple Bloom, "What did you think of that whole 'Jen-sin' thing the Princess brought up yesterday?"

"I don't know," shrugged Applejack, "It sounded to me like a whole lot of hooey."

"Well, I'm going to try it," said AB.

"Try what?" asked AJ. She looked and practically jumped out of her hide when her sister manifested her sword.

"Land sakes!" she exclaimed, "Watch where you point that thing, Apple Bloom! It's not a toy."

"I know," replied the filly, "I'm going to lay it here and try 'meditating' with it or whatever it's called." Apple Bloom then closed her eyes and tried her hardest not to move an inch. The sword laid on the grass just in front of her.

"Uh, okay," said Applejack with one eyebrow raised, "You can go right ahead and do that."

The pony of little faith did not realize what was actually happening in her sister's mind.

The unmarked section of Whitetail Wood graced her eyes. Apple Bloom was slightly baffled that she didn't want to move from that spot. At the same time, though, she didn't mind. In fact, the slight breeze in this place felt calming. It felt good just sitting there with her eyes half open. She could feel another presence standing just behind her.

"Howdy, Ruri'iro Kujaku," she addressed the presence without looking.

"Hello to you as well, Apple Bloom," greeted the slightly older man.

"Can I call you Kujaku?" asked the filly.

"As long as you stop calling me Fuji," said the Zanpaktou spirit slightly irritated.

"Why?" inquired the curious farmer, "I thought that's what you're supposed to be called when I just want an extra blade."

"I despise the color wisteria," the man practically spat, "When you call me wisteria, I can't feel anything but loathing."

"Aw, come on," edged Apple Bloom, "I think Fuji Kujaku's a cool name."

Ruri'iro Kujaku sighed, "Well, I can see this conversation led nowhere in a hurry."

"So what do you think about all the strange stuff that's going on?" asked Apple Bloom to change the subject.

"It's ugly," commented the spirit, "Very ugly. It makes me revolt when my beauty is even forced to touch such ugliness."

"Well, you're technically a sword," pointed out the filly, "Touching the enemy is kind of unavoidable, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," the Zanpaktou spirit sighed, "Such is the curse of being a fighter."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better, Kujaku?" asked Apple Bloom.

"If nothing else, please try to call me by my real name in the future," said Ruri'iro Kujaku.

"Well, I won't Pinkie promise, but I will try," said the filly sincerely, "Thanks for chatting with me."

"Of course, Apple Bloom," said the spirit.

Apple Bloom opened her eyes.

"Applejack! Applejack!" she exclaimed, "It worked! It really worked!"

"Woah, girl, slow down," said Applejack raising a hoof, "What worked?"

"That 'ji-sen' thing!" said the younger sister still excited, "I talked with my sword and it talked back."

"Uh-huh," said the orange earth pony that was still skeptical, "Sure it did."

Apple Bloom could see the doubt written on her sister's face and said, "I'm serious, sis. After saying 'hi' to it, I found that Ruri'iro Kujaku had an obsession with his own beauty like Rarity."

"That's... oddly specific," said Applejack half out of disbelief and half out of intrigue.

"Try it with yours! Try it with yours!" insisted the filly.

"I don't know, Apple Bloom," said Applejack uneasily, "I'm not sure that I should."

"Come on, AJ, just try," said Apple Bloom. She activated her cute, big eye blink.

The bearer of Honesty finally sighed in resignation, "Oh, all right. I'll do... whatever it is you did." She held out a hoof (away from her sister) and summoned her sword.

I can't believe I'm doing this, thought the older sister, Talking to your sword? That's ridiculous. Still, she decided to humor her little sister and placed it down just in front of her. She closed her eyes and tried not to move. The filly looked at her sister expectantly.

She'd have to wait a full minute for the results.

Applejack opened her eyes in shock to find herself in that strange, abandoned pathway along Whitetail Wood. She almost panicked and tried to move. Yet, a soothing, surreal feeling tingled down her spine. It made her body insist on just sitting there in the quiet. She... actually liked this feeling.

"Well, you came back, Applejack," said a woman's voice.

"You," stated Applejack, "I remember... you. I take it that you're Zabimaru?"

"Congratulations," commented a snide boy's voice, "Give the pony a prize."

"Give it a rest, Snake," said the woman, "She's just getting used to us, after all."

"Excuse me, Monkey," retorted the boy, "but weren't you the one that called her stupid during her last visit?"

"No, that was you," corrected Monkey, "I simply added that if she was stupid then you were too."

"Meh, typical remark made by the one with the big butt," said Snake as he kicked the woman in the gluteus maximus.

"Why you little..." growled Monkey as she gave the boy a double noogie on either side of his head.

"Ow! Quit it! Ow!" cried Snake.

"Hey!" called Applejack, "Knock it off you two!" The two entities joined by a chain looked at Applejack, looked back at each other, and then turned away from each other in a huff.

"Wait a minute," thought Applejack out loud, "Snake and Monkey? Who's Zabimaru then?"

"We are," said the two bipeds at the same time.

"Our name means 'Snake Tail'," explained Monkey, "Snake here is basically my tail."

Snake spat, "Somebody's got to cover that big butt of hers."

"Why I ought to..." growled the woman.

"Enough!" shouted Applejack, "If you two are the same Zanpaktou, shouldn't you get along better?"

"You're one to talk," replied the boy.

"If we seem stubborn, it's only because we take after you," added Monkey, "We reflect aspects of your spirit after all." Applejack was about to retort, but the words her Zanpaktou had chosen hit a chord inside her. After all, she didn't believe her sister about the meditation communication at first.

"I guess I... can be a might stubborn now and again," admitted the farmer.

Monkey nodded, "That steadfastness can help you remain standing in a long-term battle."

"Just remember not to let it get in the way of trusting the truth," added Snake.

"Right," affirmed their master.

"And if you ever find yourself in a situation where all hope seems lost," added Monkey.

"Just remember this one phrase," continued Snake.

"Higa Zekko!" they declared together.

"Higa... Zekko?" asked AJ tilting her head slightly at the odd phrase.

"It's a last resort of ours that you can use," vaguely explained Snake.

"But remember to save it as your finisher; otherwise you'll be wide open," continued Monkey.

"Well, all righty then," said Applejack, "Thank you." The two parts of her Zanpaktou spirit nodded in affirmation before she whited out.

Applejack opened her eyes and gasped.

"What the hay?" she whispered.

"Did it work? Did you see it?" asked Apple Bloom excitedly.

"Y-yeah," stumbled the older sister, "but that was really weird."

"So what's your sword like?" asked the filly, "Is it a guy? Is it a girl?"

"Yes," said Applejack at a loss for more detailed vocabulary.

"Is she nice?" queried Apple Bloom.

"Not exactly," admitted the bearer of Honesty, "she's a bit hard-headed and easily irritated."

"Sounds like Rainbow Dash," commented the yellow filly.

"Yeah, kind of," agreed Applejack, "How about we get back to work?"

"Aw," drooped Apple Bloom along with her enthusiasm, "All right." Oddly enough, the sun had barely moved at all. It indicated that little time had actually passed while the siblings had been in that other world.

"~Hm, hm, hm, and that's the art of the dress,~" hummed Rarity. At the moment, she was adding the finishing touches to a special ensemble for her most recent Canterlot client. It practically shone with her finesse and mystique. This last gem in her magical grasp required specific alignment. She could afford no distraction.

"Rarity!" called her distraction. She jumped up in a yelp. The release on her levitation resulted in sending her gem to some parts unknown behind the furniture. She fought to control the growl escaping through her bared teeth... unsuccessfully.

"Yes," she muttered, "What is it?"

"Are you almost done?" asked her most common distraction.

"You know what?" asked Rarity before letting out a held breath, "I think now is as good a time as any to take a break."

"Yay!" cheered Sweetie Belle while hopping around, "So, what you want to do?"

"Frankly, I wouldn't mind just finding a seat and resting in quiet," answered the bearer of Generosity.

"Okay," smiled her little sister, "Hey, do you want to meditate in Jinzen with me?"

"First of all, it's redundant to say meditate and "zen" in the same sentence," corrected Rarity, "and second... yes, I think I'd like that." She walked over to the shop's door to flip over the "Closed" sign. This moment of peace required no distractions. Well, it would make sense to at least minimize external disturbances.

Sitting at the center of the room a few feet apart, both of the unicorns summoned forth their respective katana. They laid it down in front of themselves and let their eyes slowly close. Their consciousnesses swam to another plane of awareness.

The storm had passed and the waves were calm once again. The beach line with a lone, bent palm tree was brightly lit even though the sun's position couldn't be identified. A distant seagull's call completed the mental image. It felt nice to be here.

"Haineko," stated Sweetie Belle.

"Senbonzakura," stated Rarity.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle, nyah," meowed the 'ash cat'.

"How are you faring, Lady Rarity?" inquired the man of 'one thousand cherry blossoms'.

"Wonderfully, good gentle colt," replied Rarity, "Those lessons you gave me came in handy several times."

"That's good to hear," nodded Senbonzakura.

"By the way," she continued, "I couldn't ask you this last time we met, but how would you like a makeover?"

Comically, a sweat drop appeared on the outside of Senbonzakura's mask as he said, "Th-that's quite all right. It isn't necessary."

"Oh, but I insist!" exclaimed Rarity. She continued on with a long-streamed tangent about the proper looks for a biped and/or a sword. Senbonzakura, on the other hand, kept struggling while turning down her offers and ideas. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and Haineko looked at the wild conversation with unreadable expressions.

"I still can't believe she's always been like that, nyah," muttered the girl.

"Tell me about it," said the unicorn filly while shaking her head. Eventually, Rarity got so excited in her ramblings that she jumped up from her seat in excitement. This motion cause her and Senbonzakura to vanish from Sweetie Belle's sight.

"Idea!" declared the bearer of Generosity. She practically hopped over to her design palettes and fabric supplies leaving Sweetie Belle to meditate on her own.

"O...kay, then," hesitated Sweetie looking for the right word.

"So, you think you're ready for this, nyah?" asked the girl with a cat-tail.

"This what?" asked Sweetie in return.

"I mean the converging enemies situation, nyah," said Haineko.

The filly shook her head before saying, "I don't know for sure, but as long as my friends and I stand together, there's nothing we can't accomplish."

"Nyah, hey, before you go," said the 'ash cat' as she tapped her master's forehead resulting in a slight spark of acknowledgement inside the filly's mind.

"What was that?" asked Sweetie Belle blinking her eyes.

"Just a gift, nyah," answered Haineko, "You never know when it might help."

"Thanks, Haineko," said Sweetie Belle as she faded from the mind realm.

"Take care, nyah," fared Haineko.

Fluttershy sat quietly (as she usually did) at the center of the amphitheater. After letting her animals have an extra portion in their breakfasts, she had decided to try that "Jinzen" that Princess Luna had told her about. It was somewhat distilling but at the same time very calming to be back in this place. She somehow fought her usual instinct to jump upon feeling the other presence nearby.

"Wabisuke, is that you?" she asked.

"It is," replied the Zanpaktou spirit.

"I... never got the chance to thank you for helping me save my friend that one time," said Fluttershy.

"It's a bit early to be thanking me," responded Wabisuke.

"What do you mean?" asked the Pegasus.

"Now that all of your friends have these new powers," he elaborated, "They will most likely be the targets of threats in the future."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them too much," she said softly.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"As long as we're there for each other, we won't be overcome by the challenges we face," she answered gently but confidently.

Wabisuke sighed, "Nothing gets you down, does it?"

"Well, sure I feel sad sometimes," admitted Fluttershy, "but I don't let that get in the way for too long. Life's too short to let a few sad times stop you from living."

"You're a good soul, Fluttershy," said the 'penitent one'.

"I try my best," she smiled. A breeze seemed to grow louder as she opened her eyes.

Twilight Sparkle was flipping page after page in a pile of books. She hadn't been this frustrated with a lack of results since that one time she tried to look up "dragons". The thought that pony kind was this uninformed about the world discouraged her. Surely there had to be something about the Quincy beyond a hallucinated phrase and dream. Despite her insistence, there didn't seem to be anything.

"A minute of mind-clearing rest never hurt any pony," Luna had said before.

Twilight sighed, "Maybe she's right." Letting Owloyisius sleep on his perch, Twilight quietly walked out to the library balcony. She rested her hooves in a comfortably folded position and closed her eyes. Not a gust of wind stirred her from her moment's reprieve.

"So teleportation isn't the only way," acknowledged a voice.

"What? Who's there?" asked Twilight in a startled jump. She looked around, not quite recognizing the rooftop that she was now standing on. It kind of resembled that of an old castle. This, however, was not what had her attention. She found her eyes focused on hooded unicorn standing a few feet in front of her but looking away. They appeared to take a step forward before their body was suddenly whisked away from sight by some unknown force.

"No burst of teleportation magic?" asked Twilight, "How is that possible?"

"Hirenkyaku," said the voice. Twilight slowly turned her head and body around. She practically jumped again at the sight of the other unicorn. She wasn't sure, but they looked really familiar.

"Particles of spirit energy carry the user's feet," continued the other unicorn, "and allow the user accelerated motion without exhausting magical energy from the mind."

"Who... are you?" asked Twilight. The other unicorn lifted a hoof and pushed her hood back. Twilight gasped and her eyes went wide. This unicorn... looked a lot like her but... older.

"Perhaps you can learn this technique as well," whispered the not-Twilight.

"Hiren...kyaku," muttered Twilight taking a subconscious step forward. In the sound of a whisk of air, her form vanished as the figure with a hood stood on the castle roof alone.

"Good luck, Twilight Sparkle," whispered Clover the Clever, "The last Quincy."

Twilight Sparkle stood up frantically after opening her eyes. The image of her vision still remained fresh in her mind.

Clover the Clever, what are you trying to show me? thought the bearer of Magic. Time marched on and the sun moved through the sky, but she remained standing on that balcony lost in thought.

Another day turned into another night. The Cakes had closed up shop. Contrary to the theory that she had endless energy, Pinkie Pie actually fell soundly asleep. Her snoring was adorable, though somewhat annoying, as she dreamed whatever it is that Pinkie Pie dreams.

"I can't believe this!" griped the vibrant black and purple imp, "I want to get out and play."

"Patience, Kazeshini," said Pinkamena Diane Pie holding up a hoof, "There is a war brewing. Losses in this fight are inevitable. Pinkie will most assuredly lose a friend in the conflict."

The straight-haired pony grinned wickedly as she continued, "When her sadness and anger reach a boil, I will walk again. Then, Kazeshini, we will have our fun."

"But I can't wait," complained Kazeshini, "I want to rip somebody to shreds now."

"You know," proposed Pinkamena, "I could still force a mental zipper and lock into existence to force your mouth to be quiet."

The discolored imp quickly went stiff before squeaking, "I'll be quiet."

"Good," she replied as she resumed her tranquil meditative state.

"~Chocolate fountain,~" sang Pinkie Pie,
"~Some stay dry while others taste the rain.
Chocolate fountain.
Another lick and then come back again.~"

"Move away from the stream to take a gasp of air!" giggled Pinkie Pie happily before taking a huge breath. She took a dive into her brown pool of chocolaty goodness. The piano continued playing without her lyrics.

Scootaloo had spent most of the day racing through the streets on her trademark scooter. Now, she sat quietly on the floor in the guest bedroom the Apple family had graciously lent her. While the idea of meditating to talk to her sword had sounded silly, she did have to admit to herself the curiosity behind the concept. She decided the best thing to do would be to turn off the lights. After that, she summoned forth her blade and laid it flat on the floor in front of her.

Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander.

The museum wasn't such a haunting image anymore. It became a vast open area for her eyes to explore. The Pegasus filly was slowly accepting the truths of light and darkness. So she wasn't surprised upon hearing the hoof steps that approached her.

"Hey there, Kagehime!" called Scootaloo.

"Ah, Lady Scootaloo! Wonderful to talk to you again!" exclaimed the chain mailed unicorn, "Love your mane! You never looked better! You're beautiful! I could just kiss you because you're so beautiful."

"Heh heh," chuckled the filly, "I'm glad you're feeling all right."

"Am I feeling all right?" asked Kagehime rhetorically, "Maybe I'm not. Maybe this is just a front and I'm actually sick."

"I think I'd be able to tell if you were sick," said Scootaloo with a smirk.

"Too true," giggled the Zanpaktou spirit. She then made a noise as if clearing her throat before assuming a much more serious tone, "So, how you faring, my lady?"

"I'm all right," answered the filly, "It'll take time, but I think I'm starting to find my place in the world."

"That's good," responded Kagehime with a nod, "Have the shadows stung recently?"

"Not too badly," replied Scootaloo, "Though, I had a bit of a run in with someone else trying to fight off shadows with light." The memory of her fight with Trixie wasn't exactly something she could forget.

"I know," said Kagehime, "I was there."

"Oh, right," Scootaloo chuckled sheepishly, "I keep forgetting."

"We work together, Lady Scootaloo," said the armored unicorn with a sincere smile, "You're never alone."

"Right," affirmed the filly with a nod, "Thank you, Kagehime." She prepared to take her leave.

"Don't be a stranger," giggled Kagehime, "Call me."

Scootaloo felt her cheeks blush as she opened her eyes.

"Did Kagehime just...?" she asked no one in particular as the disturbing mental image crossed her mind. She then looked down at the Zanpaktou in question and shook her head at the ridiculous idea.

"Nah," she chuckled nervously as she touched her sword's handle to remove it from the physical plane of existence.

Rainbow Dash flew back home after a long day of weather patrol, kicking back, napping, stunt performing, more napping, and just being awesome. The sun had already left the sky a few minutes ago. Now it was time for some well-deserved sleep. Her lungs agreed as they released a yawn that escaped the cyan pony's mouth.

Entering her self-constructed cloud home, her ears were met by the most awful sound. It sounded like a cross between sand paper and Pinkie Pie's most recent prank. Rainbow Dash held one hoof up to cover her ear while she looked around inside for the source of the noise. She was not surprised and she was rather irritated to see that it was exactly what she thought it was: her guest's teeth grinding.

Although she was quick to judge, she wasn't unkind. Dash decided to try a different tactic tonight than directly poking her guest awake. She flew over to her closet and shuffled some stuff around. She finally managed to find her old mouth guard. She used her breath to blow a layer of dust off before rubbing the second layer off with her hoof. She then returned to the sofa area and stuffed the mouth guard into her guest's mouth. The teeth still ground, but at least the awful noise had been muted.

Dash sighed silently in relief and flew around to her own bed. She laid down and fell asleep without a struggle.

Rainbow Dash lazily opened one eye. She thought it was a bit too early for Princess Celestia to raise the sun. At least the clouds were cool to look at.

Wait, Dash thought, The clouds?

Her eyes opened wider upon realizing that she was not in her cloud home where she shouldn't be able to see the outdoor clouds. Instead, a row of bland, blue structures met her eyes underneath a sky of patternless clouds. Also catching her off guard was the fact that she had somehow been sleeping here while floating in midair. She let out a yelp as she quickly flapped her wings. Only then did she stop and realize that her wings weren't lifting her in any direction and she wasn't falling when they stopped.

"What the hay is going on?" asked the bearer of Loyalty.

A/N: Kagehime is an original Zanpaktou thought up by Leo Archon. Thank you muchly.

Ch. 21: We All Have Our Demons

Now I face out. I hold out
I reach out to the truth of my life
Seeking to seize on the whole moment, yeah.

Chapter 21: We All Have Our Demons

I woke up with a strange feeling on the inside my mouth. It felt like something was forcing me to swallow my own drool. I opened my eyes to a creeping ray of sunlight and moved into a sitting position. I reached up to feel what could possibly be protruding from my mouth. I tapped the object a couple times before I decided to just spit it out... literally.

"What is this? A mouth guard?" I asked out loud, "And why does my tongue feel a little fuzzy?" Then, it hit me.

Rainbow Dash, I thought, I ought to give you a piece of my mind. I marched on over toward her bedroom. It might have been a more intimidating image if my marching wasn't muffled by the cloud floors that I walked on. As I rounded the corner, I prepared to give a good yelling at a certain pony for stuffing bacteria-infected objects in my mouth. However, before I even got one word out, I noticed something that caught me off guard.

She was... well, I wasn't sure. But the position of that other thing suggested... uh. Rainbow Dash was cuddling Zangetsu. She was holding that giant butcher knife like it was a stuffed animal. Sometimes images are so wrong, intimidating, or cute that I just don't want anything to do with them, lest they somehow cause my untimely death. This was a cute-wrong image.

All thoughts of flipping my lid evaporated in that moment. I decided to just turn around and do something else.

I need to stop drinking, I thought.

But you haven't been drinking, pointed out Shirayuki's mind.

Maybe I should start so that I can stop, I retorted.

That doesn't make any sense, she countered.

Welcome to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I half-sarcastically replied, All logic is bleeped up here.

I'm sorry, but did you just think the word "bleep"? she asked.

Yeah, so? I thought back.

Wouldn't it just be easier to think of the actual curse word you're looking for? asked her mind.

No, I will not use profanity even in the safety of my own mind, I argued, I have to have some integrity.

If you say so, Shirayuki thought uncertain.

I do say so, was my thought to finish the mental conversation.

"What the hay is going on?" asked Rainbow Dash. She was held in some sort of suspended animation but she wasn't in some pony's magical hold as far as she could tell. Slowly, the unknown force pulled her toward the roof of one of the bland, rectangular structures. Thankfully, the force allowed her to land on all four hooves. She was given the freedom to look around the place more freely. But all in all, it was more of the same. Blue box-shaped structures sat underneath the solid blue sky.

"Rainbow Dash," called a deep voice. The Pegasus in question looked around rapidly for the source.

"Over here," said the voice. Rainbow Dash turned around to face the voice's owner.

"Who? What are you?" she asked. The entity that she was looking at had a long, rustled mane and a pair of tan sunglasses. Aside from that, she couldn't see any other details about the being. It was covered in an overly long maroon cloth that was torn and ragged.

"I'm surprised that you have to ask that, Rainbow," said the being. Its voice definitely set it in the 'male' category.

"Well, of course I would ask that!" snapped the Pegasus, "I've never seen you before."

"Very few beings can reside in this place," he said as if she hadn't said anything, "and there isn't anyone who could possibly know me better than you."

"Than me?" echoed Dash, "Sorry, but I think I'd remember a cryptic old colt like you."

"Then perhaps you will recognize this," responded the man with just as much patience as he started with, "My name is Zangetsu."

Zangetsu? thought Rainbow Dash, Wait a minute. She had a brief flashback of holding a particular weapon against Princess Luna the other night.

"You're my sword?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"So you do remember quickly," confirmed Zangetsu, "Good. Your mind needs to be as quick as your physical speed."

"Hey! Was that an insult?" asked Rainbow as a blood vessel started to bulge. Zangetsu ignored the angry question and repositioned himself. He almost looked like he was floating in the air just behind the pole that his feet were touching.

The old man asked, "How is it that you can stand there like that?" Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow before looking behind the man.

Since when do clouds float sideways? she asked herself. Then a strange unknown force pulled her backwards... or rather down... the real down. Her eyes opened wide at the realization that she was falling. She tried flapping her wings, but they weren't catching any air in this weird place.

"Ahhhhhhh!" screamed the bearer of Loyalty.

"We will meet again soon," called Zangetsu, "Don't lose sight of your desire to win, Rainbow Dash!"

"Ahhhhhhh!" was the response he got. The world began to fade to black.

I wasn't too surprised when I found very little in what looked like Rainbow Dash's fridge. I found some honey and oats to munch on. I had no idea why she had honey and oats. I hoped she wouldn't notice the thin layer of ice that my magic had left on the honey jar's lid. Even I had to admit that was a pretty lame hope.

As I finished my makeshift breakfast, I heard a sound akin to a door knocking. I was kind of bewildered at the time because I didn't think clouds could imitate such a noise. I half-expected Rainbow Dash to answer it, but then I remembered the disturbing cute-wrong image that plagued my mind from earlier. Not wanting to be the one to wake up Rainbow Dash just to get cut in half by accident, I decided to trot over to the front door myself.

My frozen magical touch left the doorknob a bit icy as I opened it. I briefly questioned how water vapor could freeze without falling but the thought left my mind almost instantly. I opened the door toward me to see someone I never thought I would see again.

"Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Where's Dash?" asked the visitor, "Is she home?"

"She's a bit preoccupied at the moment," I said with a careful choice of words, "May I take a message?"

"Yeah... here's a message for you," said the gruff girl's voice. My eyes widened as a sword appeared in her grasp.

"Don't get smart with me!" she practically squawked.

Rainbow Dash jumped up from her bed in a yelp. She looked around frantically before calming down again. She was in her bedroom safe and sound. Her wings still worked. Everything was normal. Well, everything was normal except for the large blade she saw on the bed. She didn't remember summoning its power.

"Don't get smart with me!" said a voice. Dash's ear perked up at the sound. Had that been who she thought it was? Whatever the case, she picked up her Zanpaktou and quickly flew around the corner.

Metal clashed against metal and we spun around each other flying outside the door. I had to admit that she had the advantage. After all, her claws were better designed for a grip. That explained why her wakizashi felt so forceful against my katana. She had me on the defensive. Judging from her confident smirk, she knew it too.

"That all you got?" she snidely asked. I couldn't reply using up all my focus to defend. I'd have to activate my Shikai if I wanted to even come close to matching her strength. But with her striking so fiercely and rapidly, I wasn't getting that chance.

"Gilda, stop!" yelled a third voice. My opponent noticeably halted her attacks as the two of us turned to Rainbow Dash. She was standing just in front of her doorway. Zangetsu was wrapped tightly to her hoof by the bandaging on its handle. I used this reprieve to fly a little distance away from the gryphon. To my fortune, I found a small cloud patch on which I could momentarily rest.

"Yo, Dash," called the gryphon holding the wakizashi, "Long time no see."

"Gilda," said Rainbow Dash slowly, "What are you doing?"

"What? Can't I give an old friend a visit?" asked Gilda, "Or did you decide to replace me with another lame pony friend?"

"It wasn't like that, Gilda," rebutted the Pegasus, "You left on your own terms, remember?"

"Details, shmetails," dismissed the gryphon, "I had cool standards and you fell short of them."

"Since when does being cool involve trying to kill my friends?" asked Dash in annoyance.

"Oh, I haven't been trying to kill her," stated Gilda calmly. Before I could try to comprehend that twisted logic, she disappeared in a blur of motion. Next thing I knew, I had a wakizashi in front of my face and a gryphon's claw around my neck.

"This is me trying to kill her," Gilda stated before whispering, "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi." My eyes widened at the name. I didn't need to watch her wakizashi reform itself into a gauntlet with an extended needle on her middle claw. I already knew it was bad news to be this close to that particular Zanpaktou.

Risking a small scratch from her unarmed claw, I delivered a back-leg kick to her body and flapped my wings hard. Unfortunately, I felt a deep pierce in my back-right hoof as I flew away. As I turned around to face Gilda, my hooves slid along the larger cloud that held Rainbow Dash's house up. A quick glance back confirmed my suspicion that a white-patterned mark in the shape of a butterfly had appeared on the hoof that was hit. This was going to make my concentration difficult to keep.

"Tundra, what is that?" asked Rainbow Dash pointing her free hoof at the mark in question.

"It's a Homonka," I answered, "It's part of that weapon's 'Nigeki Kessatsu' maneuver also known as the 'two-step death'."

"Two-step death?" she echoed, "I don't like the sound of that."

"Should that needle touch the same spot again," I continued, "my death will be imminent."

"That's crazy!" argued Dash, "No pony could possibly die from two hits to the leg."

"It doesn't need to be the leg," I responded, "If she gets two shots on any part of my body, then it will be the end of me."

"Is there any way to get rid of the mark?" asked the Pegasus.

"There are only two ways that I can think of," I replied, "Neither of which are going to be easy to accomplish. We have to incapacitate Gilda or break her Zanpaktou."

"If you two lame-os are done chatting," interrupted Gilda, "Then I'd like to get on with this." She came flying in like a predator chasing its prey.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I shouted. The blade and my body gained a white hue. I didn't look, but I'm sure that the Homonka mark on Shirayuki's back-right hoof changed to appear black against the white fur.

As I expected, Shirayuki's physical strength was better than my own. She was able to push Gilda back after a couple exchanges of weapon swings. What I didn't account for was Gilda using her unarmed talon. A single, bleeding gash against my sword-bearing hoof was the consequence I paid for my mistake.

This isn't a mindless beast, thought Shirayuki, This is an Amazonian that has been trained her whole life to rip apart her enemies.

That... was a deep comparison, I replied in my mind. The gryphon dove in for another round. Shirayuki prepared to perform one of her Zanpaktou's specific attacks, but was interrupted by a multicolored blur rushing past her. Butcher knife parried gauntlet as Rainbow Dash looked Gilda in the eye.

"Gilda, stop!" shouted the Pegasus, "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" echoed Gilda, "Because I feel like it." She swiped with her free talon but Dash managed to angle Zangetsu to block both of the gryphon's front limbs.

"I don't believe that," stated Rainbow Dash, "You don't just aim to kill some pony for no reason."

"It's instinctual, Dash," argued Gilda, "I can only be an animal now."

"This isn't the Gilda I knew," said Rainbow shaking hear head in disbelief, "Even when you got really upset before, you didn't lash out and hurt others."

"The Gilda you knew was weak!" squawked the gryphon. I saw a disturbing yellow energy being radiated from her feathers.

I really hope that isn't... my thoughts trailed off.

...Kenpachi Zaraki's spirit energy? finished Shirayuki.

Yeah, that, I affirmed.

"You replaced me with a bunch of weaklings!" shouted Gilda as she managed to shove Rainbow Dash away from herself, "I've been granted a new power and now I'm going to use it to get rid of your distractions, one by one."

"Gilda... no," breathed Dash.

"If I have to take you down too, so be it!" she roared as she disappeared in a whisk. Before I could finish opening my eyes in shock, Gilda had sunk Suzumebachi's needle into Rainbow Dash's cutie mark. Time seemed to slow down before Dash reeled back in a pained yell. A black, Homonka butterfly mark appeared and blocked the view of her cloud with the three colored lightning bolt.

"Rainbow!" yelled Shirayuki. In my distracted distress, I almost missed Gilda's advance on my position. She and Shirayuki threw a few more strikes at each other before I felt another sting pierce my cheek. I could only assume another mark appeared in that spot as Shirayuki fell to the cloud behind her. I could only here grunts from the white alicorn in acknowledgement of her pain.

Something stirred inside the heart of the bearer of Loyalty. She no longer saw her friends fighting each other. She saw a monster preying on her real friend. It looked like the beast was about to deliver the finishing blow.

"Rainbow Dash," said the deep voice from her dreams. Her bandaged grip on her Zanpaktou tightened with a new fury.

"Don't lose sight of your desire to win," continued the voice. Energy like a rainbow's spice surged through her entire being.

"Trust me completely and I shall lend you my strength."

"I trust you, Zangetsu," said Rainbow Dash, "Beat this monster and save my friend."

"Yes," affirmed the old man. The rainbow aura changed to a solid, bluish-white tint and engulfed both Zanpaktou and wielder. The wielder raised her blade above her head. The concentration of energy increased along the blade's edge. In a large exaggerated motion, Rainbow Dash swung her blade down in front of her.

She shouted her attack, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Shirayuki managed to open her eyes enough for me to see the horrific sight of the gryphon wielding Suzumebachi. How could I have gone down this easily? I wasn't even bleeding that much. Yet somehow, neither Shirayuki nor I could get my body to move.

"So long, loser!" declared Gilda raising her armed talon.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" shouted a voice out of sight.

"Huh?" questioned the gryphon looking to her side. Before I knew what had happened, she was swept away by a large blue wave of light.

"Huh?" asked Shirayuki.

Huh? I thought in a confused agreement. My other half managed to turn her head enough to see Rainbow Dash a couple meters away. She looked like she was breathing heavily and her weapon was held out straight in front of her.

Did she just...? Shirayuki and I thought simultaneously. A squawking roar interrupted our shared pondering and Shirayuki turned to the right to see what it was. Gilda was hanging there, slowly flapping her wings, and holding her currently bleeding limb that had the gauntlet on it. Her beaked face was held in one of loathing and pain.

"You'll pay for this, Dash!" growled Gilda as she turned around and flew to who knew where. Shirayuki managed to slowly stand on the cloud she was on. Absentmindedly, I turned my head to look at the back hoof that had been stung earlier. To my relief, the Homonka mark was gone. I heard Rainbow Dash softly land next to me.

"Rainbow Dash, that was amazing!" complimented Shirayuki.

"Y-yeah," she stammered between breaths, "That felt... really... good." The sentence ended with Rainbow Dash collapsing on the cloud area that we were on. After that heart thumping encounter, she deserved a rest. Sode no Shirayuki vanished from the physical plane as I regained dominance over my body. Though, I still had cuts in the same places that Shirayuki had been hit.

"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" breathed a voice nearby. I turned around to see Fluttershy of all ponies.

"I sensed a strange power over in this direction," she managed to say despite her worried look, "What happened?"

"Gilda happened," I stated bluntly. Fluttershy seemed to get the message and nodded in understanding. She then looked shocked all over again as she got a better look at me.

"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed at whisper volume.

"It's just a scratch," I said automatically.

"No, no, no. You're covered in cuts and gashes," corrected the yellow Pegasus, "This is much more serious than a scratch."

"I'm more concerned about Rainbow Dash," I said turning to look at her, "She's fallen unconscious."

"Oh, gosh. That's terrible!" whisper-exclaimed Fluttershy, "You two need medical help right away! Can you fly?"

"No problem," I smirked flapping my still healthy wings.

"All right," Fluttershy grunted as she held up Rainbow Dash's front hooves, "Here... we... go." It looked like we were headed once again for Ponyville Hospital. This time, I would be awake upon my arrival.

"So, Rainbow Dash, you've started developing your powers," said a raspy voice. Their evil eye glowed in the dark abyss.

"Excellent," it continued as it began to cackle maniacally.

On the bright side, I didn't need much more than antiseptic and bandages. Basically, I got the 'first-aid kit' treatment. On the downside, Rainbow Dash was exhausted. She was breathing a bit easier now, so I was relieved to hear that. But she'd have to stay at the hospital for the rest of the day or until she woke up, whichever came first. Fluttershy and I were asked to leave the bedroom so that Dash could recover properly.

During our departure, I gave Fluttershy a bit more detailed description about what had happened. It hadn't been easy taking it in as an eye witness. So it took a bit longer for me trying to tell it to someone else. But I think Fluttershy got the gist of the important details. I couldn't read her expression completely through the mane that covered her eye.

"First Trixie and now Gilda," I said off-hand, "It almost makes me think that Blueblood and Photo Finish aren't far behind."

Fluttershy didn't comment on that. If she did, it was too quiet for me to pick up.

"Okay, wrong thing to say," I said pausing briefly to rub the back of my neck, "Sorry, I'll shut up now."

"What if...?" Fluttershy began but then trailed off into a mumble.

"Come again?" I said turning to face her directly.

"What if you're right?" she asked just barely above whisper volume.

"About what?" I asked not quite following her meaning.

"What if they aren't far behind?" she clarified using my words from before.

"That was a left field joke that I shouldn't have made," I insisted, "They're not going to turn bad and attack us."

"How can you be so sure?" Fluttershy breathed inquiringly.

"They've got busy lives," I pointed out, "They won't have time to plan petty vengeance."

"Oh," she responded letting the conversation fade back into awkward silence. The only sounds that filled my ears now were our hoof steps on the tile floor.

"But," breathed Fluttershy, "If they do somehow get free time, you're saying that they could."

I shook my head fervently, "No, Fluttershy. They won't."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

I lightly chuckled, "If they want to hurt you, Fluttershy, they'll have to go through me first."

"Um, all right," was her response, "Just... be careful, okay?"

"Of course," I affirmed.

"See? See?" chirped the small, yellow spirit, "Didn't I tell you I could reunite you two?"

"Buzz off!" ordered the gryphon trying to swipe away the spirit with a talon. The little spirit easily moved out of the way and giggled at her master's frustration.

"Don't be mad at me," jokingly criticized the fairy, "You're the one that attacked the other pony without provocation."

"I said buzz off!" demanded the gryphon.

"Can't," pointed out the fairy, "Face it, grumpy. You're stuck with me until the day you die and I don't think you want to die anytime soon. Do you?"

The gryphon only growled and hissed in response.

"I didn't think so," giggled the spirit.

Rainbow Dash found herself in the familiar landscape. It was the bland, structural complex inside her mind. This was where she had met Zangetsu's spirit. Something felt different about the air, though. She could tell that it was... darker and fouler.

"Why hello," said a raspy voice. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes wide and turned around. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at. Sure, it had the wings and shape of a normal Pegasus pony. However, there was something wrong with its face. Its crooked grin was filled with black teeth. The whites of its eyes were solid black as well. The eyes' color was a demonic, golden orange.

"It's good to see you face to face," the white Pegasus continued, "Rainbow Dash."

"Who the hay are you?" asked the addressed cyan Pegasus.

"Me?" asked the other, "Well, isn't that obvious? I'm your better half."

"Better half?" echoed Dash.

"I'm the real you," continued the other Pegasus.

"That's a load of horse apples," spat Rainbow Dash, "You can't be the real me because I'm the real me."

The white being just laughed in its raspy tone before saying, "You really are slow in the head."

"What?" asked Rainbow lowering her eyebrows in anger.

"When I say 'real'," clarified the other, "I'm saying that I have the strength that you couldn't hope to possess."

"What are you saying?" asked Rainbow Dash with a tone that practically warned of a future clobbering.

"You came close to dying today," continued the white Pegasus, "As a result, I started to gain a part of your being and fed off your weakness." Its wings opened wide and high as it smiled with an insane elation.

"Eventually, your weakness will burn out and I'll have your soul all to myself." The being cackled in its ever-painful raspy tone.

"You're not making any sense!" spat the bearer of Loyalty. The other Pegasus seemed to take a few seconds to pause from its fits of cackling laughter.

"Who knows?" it asked rhetorically, "You'll probably be long dead before I can do that. So you've got nothing to worry about, Rainbow."

"I've heard enough nonsense from you!" shouted Rainbow Dash, "Zangetsu!" She held out a hoof and the bandaged handle of her butcher knife-shaped Zanpaktou appeared in her grasp.

"Oh, so she has a temper," mocked the white creature, "Good. You'll need that anger to win later."

"If you're the real me," reasoned Rainbow Dash, "Then pull out your sword and back up your nonsense right now!"

"No, not yet," chuckled the other, "This fight would be premature. Come back when you've gained some new found strength. I don't want you to die on me just yet."

"Raaaaaah!" yelled the cyan Pegasus as she charged forward and flew right at the other being. Rainbow heard her weapon connect with something. But when she looked more closely, the other Pegasus had somehow blocked her sword with just its bare hoof. What surprised her more was that it didn't look the least bit scratched.

The other being humphed, "Like I said, premature." A white light surrounded it and spread out to cover Rainbow's entire field of vision.

I had a bad feeling as I started to fall asleep in Fluttershy's bed that night. It wasn't a spiritual pressure. It was just something that gave me the case of the shivers, even though it was relatively warm in the room. Perhaps there was some merit to the worry I had mistakenly inflicted on Fluttershy's conscience. Either way, I knew that my battles for Equestria weren't over... not by a long shot.

"Fan-tipping-flastic," I muttered before my eyes closed completely.

Ch. 22: Shattered Whispers

Can't believe my eyes
How can you be so blind
Is the heart of stone nowhere but fear inside

Chapter 22: Shattered Whispers

My wings weren't cooperating. I had to run. I needed to get away from that hand. It was coming closer. I couldn't let it grab me, not again. Never again!

But my legs felt like they were trying to swim through molasses. I risked turning my head to see the ever-approaching hand. That was a mistake. It had cut the distance that was between us in half. Now it was almost right on top of me.

I turned back around to face forwards but I couldn't see the end of the road. Now there was another hand getting closer from the front. This one was gloved and had long finger nails. I wanted to escape but there was no going back or forwards. My legs stopped working and I was suspended in the air.

Simultaneously, both hands grabbed me. I could feel the chilling sensation of losing my soul. I let out a few grunts in pain. I was blinded briefly. When I could see again, the Nightmare and Sode no Shirayuki stood in front of me.

"San-no-Mai," the two of them whispered, "Shirafune."

I let out a scream as a long, white blade came toward my face.

"Ahhhhhh!" I yelled as I sat up. I breathed heavily with a cold sweat. My heart only slowed down slightly upon realizing that I was in Fluttershy's cottage. That was a horrible nightmare.

The hand of David, I thought, and the hand of Muramasa. What does it mean? Muramasa was a Zanpaktou capable of breaking the bonds between Soul Reapers and their Zanpaktou. Why was his hand in my dream?

It may mean that our fears are closing in, replied Shirayuki's mind, I can only hope that we are ready for what is to come.

"Yeah," I muttered aloud, "Me too."

"Tundra?" I heard Fluttershy call as she flew up the stairs, "Are you okay? I heard screaming."

"It's... it's nothing, Fluttershy," I told her waving a hoof dismissively, "Just a bad dream."

"Goodness! You're sweating like crazy," breathed the yellow Pegasus at one decibel, "You wait here. I'll go get you some water." She flew down the stairs without another word.

"Y-yeah, okay," I muttered at a volume that was barely louder than Fluttershy's normal volume. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was worried. I needed a moment away from the thought of being overcome by madmen. I could only think of one person that I could immediately share my troubles with. After dropping off the bed, I held out a hoof and summoned my Zanpaktou. I laid it down in front of me before assuming a sitting position and closing my eyes.

"Sode no Shirayuki," I said in the gray abyss, "I am deeply troubled."

"Yes, I can sense that much," affirmed the pale woman spirit, "You have fear in your heart, but I cannot determine why this is the case."

"It has something to do with David," added Shirayuki, "I just know it."

"I am not so certain that he is the only source of your concern," pondered Sode no Shirayuki, "There is something else, something that is interfering with your trust."

"That dream about Muramasa," I muttered before asking, "What if I become too reliant on you and he uses that strong bond of trust against me in the future?"

"In that case," said the Zanpaktou spirit, "you should train your mind and heart to lock out foreign spiritual presences."

"But how do I do that?" asked the white alicorn, "I couldn't resist foreign control when David used it on me the first time. How can I train my heart to do so now?"

Sode no Shirayuki seemed to pause while she was thinking. She then said, "I believe a good start would be to familiarize yourself with yourself."

"Huh?" I asked while raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Lady Tundra, get in the habit of fighting your own battles," said the woman, "Lady Shirayuki, get in the habit of living your life and not just fighting all the time."

Shirayuki blinked a couple of times before asking, "And you think this will help us learn to lock our hearts?"

"If you can complete yourself," said the Zanpaktou spirit, "then there won't be anything that the enemy can easily take away from you."

"Well, all right then," I said slowly, "I'll at least try."

"Thank you for your advice, Sode no Shirayuki," thanked the white alicorn. The spirit nodded as my presence left the gray abyss.

I opened my eyes and reached out to put my katana away. It disappeared in its usual fashion.

Well, you heard her, other me, I thought.

Give me a minute, pleaded Shirayuki. At this point, Fluttershy returned with a glass full of water.

"Here you go," she said softly. I reached out with my magic and floated the glass towards me. The water only felt more refreshing from the thin layer of ice that I always accumulate on magically held objects. I gulped the water down rapidly and by the time I moved the glass away to take a breath, the water was gone.

"Thank you," I said as I returned the glass.

"Oh, no problem," said Fluttershy, "Do you... um, that is... I mean, if you're willing to..."

"Want to go visit Rainbow Dash?" I finished her question, "Yes, I'd like that."

"Um, yes, great," stumbled Fluttershy over her words, "Let's go do that, I mean if you're ready."

"Absolutely," I said as I stood up. Fluttershy went ahead and walked down the stairs.

Ready now, Shirayuki? I asked in mind.

Yes, I am, she responded. I felt a comfortable chill as her white coat and evergreen armor took their places on my body.

"Let's go," said Shirayuki as she ventured forth and... promptly tripped and tumbled down the stairs. I felt the numerous bumps she felt against the wood. When she finally stopped somersaulting at the bottom, I mentally face hoofed.

Apparently, this is going to take some getting used to, I thought. The white alicorn ignored my thoughts as she stood up and shook her head to remove the dizziness. With a bit of a mental nudge, I directed her to the front door.

"Um, Tundra?" asked Fluttershy who was standing just outside, "Why are you in that form? I-is something dangerous nearby?"

"Huh?" blinked Shirayuki before waving a hoof dismissively saying, "Oh! No, I'm just trying something different today."

"Well, all right then," said the yellow Pegasus. I could tell she wasn't fully convinced, but she started trotting along the path anyway. My other half followed on foot.

Arriving at the hospital, I was only half surprised to see the doors open. What exited was a forcibly pushed Rainbow Dash in a wheelchair. I was fairly certain that Ponyville had socialized medicine. You got your tax bits' worth of care and that was it. The wheelchair, however, seemed a bit unnecessary as Rainbow Dash immediately flapped her wings and kicked the chair away the first chance she got.

"Rainbow Dash!" softly exclaimed Fluttershy, "What'd the doctor say?"

"He said to take it easy," answered Rainbow Dash before waving a hoof dismissively, "Like any pony knows what that really means."

"Yes, a doctor's message can be a bit vague at times," commented Shirayuki. It was then that Rainbow Dash noticed my taller, armored form.

"Hey, Tundra, what's with the get up?" she asked, "Is there another one of those monsters around that needs a good smack down?"

My other half shook her head, "No, I'm just trying something new." Dash turned to look at Fluttershy as if she would know better.

"That's what she told me as well," shrugged Fluttershy.

"Meh, all right," Dash finally shrugged, "Personally, I think you look cooler in your other colors, but whatever."

Do I really look that bad? thought Shirayuki as she frowned.

Nah, you just don't look that good, I mentally smirked. I sensed her slightly roll her eyes at my joke.

"Well, I'm going to get going now," said Rainbow as she did a few limb stretches, "I've got to make sure they didn't put a certain some pony in charge of weather while I was out."

"Um, okay," muttered Fluttershy, "Bye, Rainbow Dash."

"Safe travels!" wished Shirayuki. With that said, the bearer of Loyalty left in her trademark, seven-colored trail. Fluttershy and I stood there for another few moments.

"I should probably get going too," commented Shirayuki, "I assume Twilight will be expecting my routine check-in."

"O-okay," stammered Fluttershy before softly saying, "See you later, Tundra." My other half nodded as the Pegasus and I went our separate ways. This time, Shirayuki decided to take to the skies and fly over to the library. I'd gotten used to flying after doing it for so long. Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit acrophobic as we sailed over the houses.

I'm glad Shirayuki had a stronger stomach than I did.

The skies seemed to darken as Shirayuki arrived at the library's front door. Perhaps the Pegasi had decided to release a thunderstorm to make up for the number of days a light shower could have been applied. The rain had yet to start falling, though, so the snowy alicorn hurriedly knocked on the door. It opened just a few seconds later.

"Hello, oh!" said Twilight as she looked at me with startled eyes, "Shirayuki! Is there something dangerous nearby?"

My other half was about to answer that question when a sudden, strong pressure vibrated throughout my body. The feeling was soon joined by loud, deep roars. Adding these factors in, Shirayuki quickly amended her intended answer.

"Yes, yes there is," she stated in a calm voice, though her eyes were wide open. Without another word, she and Twilight quickly ran over to where the pressure felt like it was coming from. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Oh, you've gotta be crapping me, I thought rhetorically. The thing was taller than 5 stacked houses, walked in giant white high heels, and looked like it was wearing a full-body cloak of pure blackness. It's giant masked face was the largest of any Hollow in existence. To top it all off, it was crushing several houses that it happened to brush its foot against.

A Menos Grande?! was my second rhetorical thought, Ugh, all right, Shirayuki. It's my turn.

Are you certain? asked the other mind, I should probably handle this.

No, I replied, Sode no Shirayuki said that fighting my own battles would help train my heart to lock out foreign spiritual pressure. It makes sense that my trials should be the hardest.

Shirayuki let out an audible sigh before thinking, Very well. In an invisible flash, she summoned forth the katana.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she declared. My Zanpaktou entered its Shikai form while my body regained its shorter, default form.

"Here we go!" I determinedly said. I flapped my wings and flew up to get closer to the Hollow's vision height.

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle stood on the ground visibly shaking from the power she could sense from the giant monster. Fear had a grip on her emotion, but she wasn't going to let this stop her from trying to fight. Assuming the bipedal stance of Clover the Clever, Twilight brought her front hooves together before pulling one hoof back. The familiar Quincy bow and arrow formed out of the spirit particles that resembled bluish-white light. She took aim at the giant black body of the enemy she now faced.

In the next instant, the arrow left her grasp with a distinct whistling noise. It flew for several meters, covering the distance between her and the monster. The arrow made contact with the body, but it had little immediate effect other than making the creature roar louder in its unbearable voice. Twilight needed a different angle, a different vantage point.

With just a quick thought, Twilight started taking a step. She disappeared immediately from the position she was standing at. Her Hierenkyaku technique brought her to one of the rooftops that was still intact. She reached back a bit further with her arrow-holding hoof this time. Her aim lined up with the giant's face. Another arrow was released in its whistling noise.

The sound of another arrow caught my attention. I briefly looked at a rooftop that Twilight had somehow gotten to. I guess she teleported or something. That arrow made contact with the Menos' mask, but it didn't leave much in the way of visible damage. It seemed to open its mouth to roar again, only for a giant red sphere to start gathering red light at the mouth's opening.

"A Cero!" I exclaimed. The sphere released into a wide beam. I watched, knowing full well that at my position, I couldn't easily deflect the beam from where Twilight was. I held my mouth open in a horrified, silent gasp.

"Santen Kesshun! I reject!" shouted a bubbly, yet serious voice. An orange, triangular shield appeared in front of Twilight and managed to repel almost all of the Cero attack, except the wind it caused. In any case, Pinkie Pie showed up just a second later next to Twilight. I turned my attention back to the Menos and held my Zanpaktou in a horizontal position with the tip facing the enemy.

"Tsugi-no-mai," I said as four channels of snow and ice flowed into the sword itself, "Hakuren!" A large blast of ice was projected from Sode no Shirayuki. A few seconds later, the Menos' entire face was covered and frozen. But an enemy of this magnitude would need something more to ultimately finish it. As I kept flapping my wings to stay airborne, I held up my free hoof and began an incantation.

Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel.
With light, divide this into six!
Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!

With the incantation boosting its power, the Kido summoned six large, rectangular bars of yellow light. These bars encased around the Hollow's body where the waist would be. The ice from earlier managed to thaw out, but now I had a moment's reprieve where the enemy couldn't move.

"You ready to do this?" asked an excited Pinkie Pie that was somehow floating at my elevation. I wasn't going to make the mistake of asking her how she did that.

"Yeah!" was my simple reply in addition to a firm nod. Keeping my free hoof facing the Menos, I prepared another Kido.

Mask of flesh and blood, universe soar.
The one crowned with man's name.
Carve a twin lotus on a wall of pale blue flames
And await the blazing fires to reach the distant heavens!
Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!

"Koten Zanshun! I reject!" shouted Pinkie Pie. My large burst of blue fires aimed for the same target as Tsubaki's offensive shield. I have to say that the explosions from the impact were pretty satisfying to watch. As the Menos let loose one final roar, it was swallowed up by the burning shadows and ceased to exist.

"Whoo-hoo!" shouted Pinkie as she jumped on her patch of thin air, "Hoof bump!" I let a smile cross my face as I obliged to Equestria's rendition of the high five. I think I even let out a lighthearted chuckle.

Our brief celebratory dance was interrupted by some all too familiar moans. Pinkie and I both held our eyes wide as new spiritual pressures shook the entire atmosphere. As I looked on, more Hollows of the same type emerged from nowhere and stood atop the collapsed debris that the first Menos had made.

David, I hate you so much right now, I thought with grinding teeth.

Let me take this fight, insisted Shirayuki.

No! Not yet, was my reply. Still, I felt myself trembling at the sight of this Menos army. I wasn't sure how many this rag-tag team of three ponies could actually take on.

"Bankai!" The white unicorn released her upside down katana and let it drop to the ground. It sank into the ground with a white ripple effect. An aisle made of giant blades of the same type emerged from the ground as the air briefly took on a dark blue hue.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!" called Rarity. The giant swords broke apart into millions of tiny blades in the shape of the petals of cherry blossoms. These blades circled around like a hurricane as they sliced and diced the bodies of two of the Menos. The Hollows faded into the shadows soon afterward.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" The segmented, spiked blade extended in a curved direction. It cut right through the neck area of one of the giant masked monsters. The Hollow let out a pained howl as it faded in a burst of shadows. The segmented blade shortened and returned to its master. Applejack held the dull side of her Zanpaktou against her shoulder to admire the sight.

"Split and deviate, Ruri'iro Kujaku!" Azure vines sprouted and grew from the yellow filly's blade. They soon surrounded the larger enemy. Emerald colored energy began to flow into the vines. As it did so, buds grew all along the branches and soon blossomed. The giant monster dissolved quickly into nothing but shadows. After that, the tendrils returned to sword form as Apple Bloom munched on one of the blossoms.

"Growl, Haineko!" shouted Sweetie Belle as her blade turned into gray ashes. The ashes started cutting through the cloak of one of the bone-faced monsters.

"Shadow Blade!" declared Scootaloo. A circle of dark energy swords rushed at the enemy's face at light speed. This monster didn't get to howl in pain as it disappeared from the physical realm. The teamwork of these two fillies accomplished what one alone could not. They gave each other an affirmative nod before continuing on their way.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" cried Rainbow Dash. A wave of blue energy left her giant blade. The wave cut straight through one of the masks of the giant creeps. The giant didn't stand a chance. It faded into the shadows as Rainbow Dash rushed away in flight.

"Koten Zanshun! I reject!" Pinkie Pie's offensive shield bounced off the face of another Menos Grande. However, it failed to leave any lasting damage.

Come on, thought Twilight Sparkle from her vantage point, I can't just fire off one arrow at a time. I need... A brief image flashed in her mind's eye. The aged Clover the Clever could be seen firing several arrows at once. Returning to the present, Twilight was gifted with her ancestor's blessing. She brought her aiming hoof back and held it firmly.

"Licht Regen!" cried the bearer of Magic. Instead of her usual single arrow of light, several light arrows seemed to stream from that one bow shot and converged on the target that Pinkie Pie had started attacking. As the stream of arrows ceased, so to did that Menos' existence.

The various explosions and attacks caught my attention as I looked around this section of Ponyville. It wasn't a rag-tag team of three ponies anymore. All of us were stronger as one. I shouldn't have doubted for one second. My friends were always there for each other and I was there for them. That's why I wouldn't fight alone anymore.

All right, Shirayuki, I directed my thought, Take this one. I sensed a mental nod from her as my body took on its whiter hue. Interestingly, my Zanpaktou Sode no Shirayuki also looked a bit brighter now as a new found strength surged through my entire being.

"So-me-no-Mai," said Shirayuki, "Tsukishiro!" A giant pillar of ice sprung up from the ground and surrounded this last Menos in front of me. After the pillar reached the skies, it cracked and crumbled along with the Hollow that was in it. Shirayuki closed her eyes and sighed in relief.

The Menos Grande threat was vanquished at last.

"Aw, yeah!" whooped Rainbow Dash, "Who's bad?"

"We're bad!" answered Pinkie Pie, "Wait, we can't be bad. We're the good ponies." She immediately took her own expression literally and held a confused look on her face.

"We kicked some beast flank!" declared Applejack.

"Yes, we certainly overturned ruffian heinie," agreed Rarity in a slightly more sophisticated manner.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders: Monster Slayers!" declared all three of the fillies before looking at their flanks, "Aw."

"Sorry I wasn't much help," lamented Twilight.

"What are you talking about, Twilight?" I turned to face her, "At the end there, you were firing off whole volleys of Reishi arrows. Combining your attack with Pinkie's took out that one Menos spectacularly."

"Huh," she stopped and thought before affirming, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Hey, wait a minute!" commented Rainbow Dash, "We're missing some pony!"

All nine of us stopped the congratulatory conversation to look around the group. There was indeed a pony missing.

"Where's Fluttershy?" asked Apple Bloom for the whole gang.

"Oh, I just remembered!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. The rest of us turned to look at her expectantly.

"Rainbow Dash and Tundra, you need to head over to Fluttershy's cottage right away!" she continued.

"Wait, why us?" I asked.

"Duh, because you two are mentioned after the next divider," she answered as if her logic was obvious.

"Divider?" echoed Rainbow Dash while raising an eyebrow.

"Rule one of Pinkie Pie," said Twilight as if prepared for just this moment, "Do not question Pinkie Pie."

"Good rule," I commented, "Come on, Dash. Let's go."

"Heh, just see if you can keep up!" she declared boldly as she flew off leaving her multicolored trail behind.

"Don't count me out just yet," I muttered as I gave my flash step a workout. To the outside observer, it probably looked like I vanished leaving nothing but a hoof print on the ground I was standing on a second ago.

The two combatants had seen better days. One of them had less piercings the other day. The other fighter had days that she could breathe more easily. There was almost no point to this battle. What one of the warriors considered their purpose, others would ridicule and point out the unreasonableness of such a goal. However, Fluttershy was above senseless ridicule.

"Gilda, please stop," she said in a firm yet gentle motherly tone, "My Wabisuke has already cut your weapon eight times now. You can't continue fighting like this."

The heavy breathing gryphon countered, "Shut... up. You don't... know... anything." Try as she might, Gilda couldn't raise her gauntlet armed talon from the ground. It felt so heavy.

That wasn't to say that Fluttershy had gone unscathed. Earlier in the conflict, Gilda had managed to strike with Suzumebachi in two different spots. One black butterfly-shaped Homonka marked Fluttershy's side just behind her wing. The second Homonka rested on her cheek just under her eye. In spite of this, she was in no more danger of dying in this fight than she was to begin with.

"Fluttershy!" yelled a voice from above. In a rush of wind, Rainbow Dash stood next to Fluttershy and looked angrily at the opponent. Another gust seemed to bring another friend to Fluttershy's other side.

No, I didn't get there before Rainbow Dash. I had to flash step at least twelve times in addition to two galloping sprints. What could I say? It takes a lot to keep up with a pony that can fly up to Mach 5 speeds normally. But I digress.

I was staring at the one who would dare to attack Fluttershy while her friends were fighting off monsters. Gilda the Gryphon looked like she was breathing really hard and her arm looked stuck to the ground at a very uncomfortable angle. Noticing the Zanpaktou in Fluttershy's possession, it didn't take me three seconds to figure out what had happened. Wabisuke's Shikai power doubles the weight of whatever it touches. Just a few touches would make the average weapon impossible to lift and virtually useless.

Of course, facts and figures weren't going to make a certain gryphon give up the fight she started. She was a predator by nature and she had her sights locked on her prey. She let out the lion's roar in her as a crushing yellow aura radiated from her soul. Despite all the weight, Gilda raised her Suzumebachi gauntlet and lunged forward.

"You're dead!" she yelled. I was all set to summon my own Zanpaktou to parry her. But somebody beat me to the punch.

"Flash and burst!" called an unseen voice. Before I knew what was going on, small particles of light circled around the gryphon and engulfed her completely. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and I held up a hoof each to prevent ourselves from going blind. Another figure jumped in front of us as the light began to fade.

"Saigyoku Nijigasumi," muttered the figure. Well, that narrowed down the possibilities in my mind of who this could be. When the bright dome of light finally shrank down to almost nothing, I could see a very thoroughly cut up gryphon. Gilda's weapon returned to sword form before vanishing completely. If she was breathing hard before, she was really having trouble doing that now with the new bleeding areas.

In spite of her injuries, her wings had miraculously avoided taking any severe damage. Gilda used these still intact wings to fly away. I assumed she would just head wherever home was. But then again, that's what I assumed the last time I saw her. So who really knew where she was going this time?

I turned my attention back to our hero of the hour. Did I even have to say it? It was the Great and Powerful Trixie, minus the fancy, purple cape. I was about to ask her something but as she turned to face us, she lifted her nose up and vanished with the flash step sound effect.

"Did that just happen?" I asked rhetorically.

"What just happened?" asked Fluttershy at whisper volume.

"I don't believe it," muttered Rainbow Dash.

"What don't you believe?" asked Pinkie Pie. I practically jumped out of my skin falling onto my side.

"Where the heck did you come from?" I asked in a startled shout.

"Well, when my mom and my dad loved each other very much..." she began.

"Never mind!" I said at the same, loud volume. During my brief exchange of words with Pinkie Pie, the rest of the gang galloped onto the scene and regrouped.

"Fluttershy! Are you all right?" exclaimed Twilight.

"What happened?" asked Applejack.

"Trixie just saved us from Gilda," stated Rainbow Dash.

To this Applejack chuckled, "Very funny," until she saw Rainbow's deadpan expression and said, "Oh wait, you're serious."

"What does this mean?" piped in Apple Bloom.

"I don't know, kid," I said as I looked up at the stars, "I don't know."

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

Ch. 23: Something's Got to Give

One, nothing wrong with me
Two, nothing wrong with me
Three, nothing wrong with me
Four, nothing wrong with me

Chapter 23: Something's Got to Give

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

I heard the whispered phrase. My ears perked up and I turned to find the source. But I couldn't find it. No one else seemed to notice the voice. Asking at the time wouldn't gain any results. At least, that was what I thought.

"It's been a while," said the voice. It sounded like it was just behind me. I slowly turned around to verify the voice's location. However, I couldn't see anything behind me. Actually, that was the problem. I couldn't see anything behind me. There was no sky, ground, or grass behind me. So naturally, I turned back around to see the rest of the group.

"What the...?" I half-asked, half-remarked. In lieu of my friends stood nine clones of one man. His features matched Firewall's literary description of him perfectly. They were Harry Potter with rectangular glasses and no lightning bolt scar.

"How have you been?" asked the closest clone. It sounded like he was right next to me, but I saw him move his lips from over three feet away.

"Impossible!" I exclaimed, "Kyoka Suigetsu's illusion only works if the victim sees the blade! How could you have cast the illusion?" None of the clones of David said anything for what felt like forever.

Finally, the furthest one said, "I don't know what you mean."

One of the others said, "I'm afraid you're slightly mistaken."

The next in line said, "My powers can distort your senses regardless which one of them observes my Shikai."

My eyes went wide as I whispered, "Your voice. I... heard your voice."

"Correct," all of the clones moved their lips but it sounded like only one of them spoke.

"Where are you, David?" I asked loudly turning to the right, "Show yourself!" I turned to the left.

"What would it matter?" said his voice, "Even if I did reveal my true location, I could just make you see and hear me somewhere else."

"Bleep it!" I said without curse. I decided to close my eyes rather than try to wade through the illusion.

Let me be your eyes.

I held out my right hoof. The grasp of my Zanpaktou felt familiar.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," I whispered. I couldn't see, but I recognized the extension of my spiritual pressure glow with energy. What happened next was kind of hard to explain unless you were there. I could "see" friendly spiritual pressures in front of me. It was kind of disorienting the first time I did this.

One spiritual pressure felt foreign and threatening behind me. It was this pressure I lunged out at.

"Tundra!" shouted the voice of Twilight. I opened my eyes and saw that my blade had just narrowly missed the figure of David. I looked back and saw the wide, shocked eyes of my friends.

"Where are you looking, fool?" asked David's voice. I turned back and stared disbelievingly at the sudden tug against my grasp. Somehow, that bastard had laid his entire hand around Sode no Shirayuki's blade without cutting or freezing.

"Don't you know it's unwise to look away from the enemy?" he asked rhetorically. Next thing I knew, a small red geyser had started squirting. But it wasn't from his hand. My eye glazed down to see the deep cut on my shoulder. I lost sight of David after that.

"Hax," I whispered, "I call hax." Black became my vision's favorite color.

He stood behind the black alicorn as she bled and fell to the ground. The other nine ponies in the vicinity looked horrified only for a moment. Multiple katana were quickly summoned into their grasps. He held a sad smile as he casually flash stepped to the left and right of the various members of the group. One by one, the ponies fell to the ground in bleeding messes.

The lavender unicorn tried to release a reishi arrow. He absentmindedly snatched it out of the air and crushed it out of existence. Simultaneously, the unicorn felt her own heart being crushed as she fell to the ground unable to scream in pain. The only pony left standing was the pink earth pony.

Said earth pony's mane had looked rather lively and puffy. Now it looked shaded and straighter. In fact, it almost helped to set the stage for her darkening mood.

Pinkamena Diane Pie called forth her katana before letting out a rage filled scream.

"Reap, Kazeshini!" she screamed.

Her one blade transformed into two scythes attached by a black metal link chain. She swung one of the scythes in a circular motion by the chain for a while. Then without warning, she threw that particular scythe in the man's direction. Amazingly, the sharp edge of the scythe managed to trim a single hair follicle as he stepped to the side. She briefly let a smirk cross her face as she yanked the chain to call her boomerang-esque weapon back.

That smirk quickly turned into a wide-eyed, open-mouthed shock. Before the scythe could make its return trip, the man's hand snatched it out of the air. She let out a gasp as a large gash appeared across her chest. Blood spilled as if a sharp sword had cut through her. But no pony had cut her... had they? She could barely form the thought as she fell to the ground.

She didn't notice the large energy buildup from another being in the area.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" called a raspy voice. The man barely flash stepped out of the way of the giant blue energy wave. When he turned to face his new adversary, he was mildly intrigued by the appearance. The cyan Pegasus was fluttering in the air again. But there was something different about her spiritual pressure. The fact that half of her face seemed to be covered in a bony exoskeleton didn't go beyond his notice.

"And who might you be?" he gently asked. The orange-eyed creature let out a hysteric laugh in response.

"Who am I?" it echoed, "Well that's a pretty stupid question. I'm ME!" In her grasp was the Zanpaktou called Zangetsu. She seemed to use both hooves to grab the bandage taped to the hilt and swung the blade in giant circular motions. As she did this, her raspy laughs filled the otherwise silent air.

She then regained a natural, one-handed hold of the weapon and let out a giddy yell. Taking a hectic swing, she released a second giant blue wave of energy. The man held up a hand as if to block this wave. That would prove to be a mistake, as the wave soon collided with his hand. His feet slid back and uprooted a large portion of grass. He opened his eyes in surprise.

"Impossible!" he whispered as the blue wave exploded in his face. The half-masked Pegasus let out another round of raspy laughs.

"What's wrong? Are you dead already?" she mockingly called. As the smoke cleared, however, her expression changed from one of joy to disappointed. The man was holding out both arms out straight and he was mostly unharmed. The only sign of damage was his pair of glasses that neatly cracked in half and fell to the ground.

"Tch! So you're pretty tough," complimented the creature, "This ought to be fun." She then made a forceful push with her wings to launch herself forward. The man braced for the incoming attack. He needn't have been so cautious. Somewhere midway, the Pegasus halted her flight. She reached her free hoof toward her half-mask.

"No!" she yelled, "Rainbow Dash! Stop! What are you doing?!" The Pegasus shook and trembled while somehow managing to stay airborne.

"I was about to finish him!" she continued, "If you take back control now, you'll die! Don't you understand?!" The tugging became stronger until at last, the mask broke into several white pieces. The last sign of this creature was a raspy scream of agony.

The man let go of a breath that he was unaware that he had been holding.

Rainbow Dash breathed heavily as she slowly fluttered down. Three of her hooves made contact with the ground as she struggled to hold Zangetsu in her fourth. What remained of the mask crumbled into almost nonexistent dust. As she was trying to regain her steady breath, the man appeared in front of her in a quick whisk of motion. He held out a single index finger almost touching her shoulder.

"In retrospect," he whispered, "You were probably safer with that mask on. Hado number 4: Byakurai." A straight beam of white lightning flung from his finger into the Pegasus. As the electricity surged through her body, Rainbow Dash could only yell in agonizing pain. The man watched wearing a sad smile as the bearer of Loyalty lost her balance and fell to the ground. Patches of fur and feathers were charred.

"I really do hate violence," he sighed. With that, he vanished in a flash step motion.

Oddly, I found myself hearing the lyrics to a sad Gary Jules song.

All around me are familiar faces.

Worn out places

Worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races

Going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow

No tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles, it's a very very

Mad world

Mad world...

...

"Fulfill, Hisagomaru!" At least, that's what I think I heard somewhere in mid-consciousness. But the next thing I knew, I felt a cross between icy and hot feelings as something pricked my neck. The foreign feeling caused me to yell out my thoughts really loudly.

"Yaaaaah! I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a whole lot better!" It was true. I distinctly remembered getting cut up at some point. Despite that new prickly feeling, I felt like the pain and numbness was almost entirely gone. With this new feeling of invigoration, I immediately stood up on all fours to look around.

"Your highness!" called the voice from before, "That's all it can take. The meter is full."

"THEN RELEASE THE WAVE AT US, NOW!" ordered another voice.

Luna? I mentally asked.

"But, what if I-?" started the first voice.

"DO NOT HESITATE!" roared Luna voice. My vision was soon relieved of the blurriness.

"Is that-?" I started to ask.

"Akeiro Hisagomaru!" declared the pony in my sight as an item in her possession released a large red wave made of energy.

"Holy crap!" I exclaimed. The wave collided with something spherical in shape before bursting into the sky. The wave remained visible for at least five seconds. When the energy started to dissipate, I managed to get a better look at the sphere that had been attacked. It looked like an orb made out of pure ice. Three purple flowers with rectangular petals floated behind it. Two of these flowers were now crumbling to dust.

"Daiguren Hyorinmaru?" I asked no one in particular. As if to answer my question, the orb opened up into a pair of giant ice wings attached to a certain alicorn of the night. It was Luna, no doubt about that. But that left one other immediate question on my mind. Well actually, I had a few questions, but the first one held predominance.

"Who was that other pony?" I asked rhetorically. I turned my gaze back to the pony in question. The coloration seemed familiar enough. It was that pink pony with the chartreuse mane. It was that pony that several fans disliked the color combination of because it was 'gross' or something like that.

It was...

"Daisy?" I thought aloud while tilting my head in confusion. Her ear perked up at the mention of her name and she turned to look at me. In her hoof's grasp was what looked like a scalpel.

Is that Hisagomaru? I thought while looking at the object.

"You know my name?" she asked. I couldn't concentrate on an answer as I was listening to what her voice actually sounded like. You know that one line she had in "Cutie Pox"? "Enchanted"? Yeah, that was her voice I was hearing now.

Why does she have Hisagomaru? I asked myself mentally, I thought for sure it would go to someone like Nurse Redheart. But then, my thoughts decided to pull a random flashback to a scene from Bleach.

"Where I come from, 'Hana' means 'flower'. That's not exactly something to be proud of."

Oh, I thought as the flashback ended, Hanataro, flower, Daisy, duh.

At this point, my other immediate question poked its way into the open.

"Wait, where's everyone else?" I asked. When I looked behind me, I saw every pony of the group standing and healthy.

Oh thank goodness, I thought, I thought for sure that David was going to do something dreadful to them.

"You're all okay!" I happily called out as I trotted over to the rest of the gang.

"Not all of us, I'm afraid," lamented Rarity with a noticeably troubled tone.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Then, I laid eyes on exactly what was wrong.

Twilight Sparkle. She was sprawled out on the ground. At first, I thought she was just sleeping. But, that should have resulted in some noticeable motion from her lungs expanding and shrinking. But there was no alternate shifting motion in her chest. She wasn't breathing.

"My Hisagomaru only repairs wounds," breathed Daisy with regret, "It can't restart a stopped heart."

"Her heart... stopped?" I stammered, "But that means that she..." Died.

It can't be! thought Shirayuki.

"But she can't be!" I practically shouted against my restricting throat, "She's not supposed to...! She's the main character for crying out loud!" Yet, all the other ponies could do was hold their heads down in sadness and grief. My heart felt heavy for even thinking of the possibility that Twilight's would never start again. I could feel my body shake and shiver in disbelieving fear.

"No," I whispered, "Twilight."

"Stand aside, my little ponies," requested a new voice. Everyone backed away as the source trotted into view. Princess Celestia's face was unreadable, despite it being in broad daylight. I immediately complied with her request. I wasn't going to stand in her way. She slowly made her way over to the bod- er, Twilight's form.

For a second, I allowed a small light of hope cross my eyes. Celestia was all powerful, right? This was the part where she'd perform some awesome magic or god-like technique to fix everything, right? There was still a chance. She stood with her face above Twilight for a few seconds. I think the rest of the group was as hopefully expectant as I was. I even saw a sign of Pinkie Pie's typical smile.

Celestia crashed to her knees and began to mourn.

I fell on my rump in utter shock and sadness. I'd never heard Nicole Oliver perform a crying voice on record before. But, I could guarantee that this wailing, this absolutely hopeless sobbing, was more deep and heart wrenching than anything Ms. Oliver could act.

Have I ever heard God cry? I don't think I have. Sure, I've seen reenactments of the periods in the bible where Jesus wept, but that was just an actor in a play and/or movie. This was the figure known to most of the land of Equestria as their almighty deity weeping in front of me. I'd never heard such a resolve-shattering cry as this. In fact, I think that's why my eyes felt itchy and dry. My tears did not feel worthy to share the same air space as Celestia's tears.

My fear-filled shaking from before resumed. The air literally felt colder with this alicorn crying in my immediate vicinity. I barely even noticed a certain red bird fly in. What, had a stray cardinal decided to watch the scene? I hoped it was enjoying the show! (Heavy sarcasm implied in that last sentence.)

I immediately regretted that lashing thought as the bird became more visible and landed on Celestia's shoulder. It was the phoenix Philomena. She must have heard her master crying and came flying to her side. One of her stray, vermilion feathers floated down on... the lavender body. I could see something quite liquid form in Philomena's eye.

Oh, great, I lightly sarcastically thought, Even the bird is crying. This really is hopeless. It didn't even register to me that the bird's tear dropped onto the feather that laid atop Twilight's lifeless form. If the main character of this land was dead, what was the point of going on?

"Ph...Philomena?" croaked Celestia as she briefly looked up with her watery eyes, "Y...you're giving her... another chance?"

Princess of daylight say what? I stumbled in thought. A sort of shimmering noise and light started erupting from the moistened feather. The light covered Twilight's entire body and the feather seemed to be consumed in it.

What? I thought still quite confused. The corpse began to float in midair for a second before gently lowering itself onto all four hooves. It gasped in a huge breath of missed oxygen.

Whaaaaaaat? my mental circuits tried to communicate.

"Wh-what just happened?" asked Twilight's voice. The voice had come from the corpse.

"Augh! Zombie pony!" yelled Pinkie Pie, curling herself up under her wild, pink mane.

"Oh, Twilight," whispered Celestia as she pulled in her faithful student for a hoof hug, "Thank goodness."

Just then, a million thoughts hit me at once. A phoenix feather was dropped. A phoenix down was dropped. A phoenix tear was also shed. Phoenix tears have healing powers. Philomena just revived and healed Twilight Sparkle! Okay, maybe not a million, but it felt like a lot at the time.

"Da flip?" I asked completely baffled.

A phoenix normally never allows itself to cry. It is a fiery bird of the sky. Its tears would normally burn anything unholy. But when it does cry, it chooses someone it deems worthy of the second life. Just as the bird itself rises from the ashes, so to does the entity it weeps for. Combined with the life-giving properties of a phoenix down feather, the tears can heal a body that has almost lost its soul. At least, that's how it was explained.

I still didn't get it.

"Uh..." my mouth exhaled as I tried to process everything I had just been told.

"Think about what you know about phoenixes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the Final Fantasy series," tried Luna, "Then combine those facts."

"Okay," I uttered with eyes still held in a position of confusion.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we had all moved into the slightly roomier library. By 'all', I mean the main nine ponies, the two princesses, and me. I guessed Daisy was sent home.

"In any case," said Luna standing up from her sitting position, "The advance is happening faster than we had first assumed. We must get started with advanced training right away."

"Advanced training?" echoed several members of the group.

"What do you mean?" asked a curious Applejack as she readjusted her hat.

"Now that David himself has entered the battlefield," continued Luna, "It is imperative that more of us master Bankai."

"I... recognize that term," commented Rarity, "It's a version of our Zanpaktou's power, but greater in strength."

"Precisely," confirmed Luna.

"But, don't normal circumstances make Bankai impossible to obtain for over a hundred years?" I asked, "Let alone be mastered?"

"Yes," confirmed Luna, "But I have good news and bad news. The good news is I have the necessary tools to allow a pony to at least achieve a Bankai in less than a day."

"And the bad news?" piped in Sweetie Belle.

"There's only enough for three ponies," conceded the Princess of the Night, "and the tests will likely be lethal if some pony should fail."

"So..." I paused for dramatic effect, "any volunteers?"

"I'll do it!" hollered Rainbow Dash almost immediately flying to Luna's side.

"So will I!" vouched Applejack without a second thought.

"I guess I'm excluded from the list of candidates since I already have a Bankai," lamented Rarity dramatically.

"Um... uh," mumbled Fluttershy. She made no move whatsoever. I couldn't fault her. Pacifists need to be peacemakers, not warmongers.

"I will!" chirped Pinkie Pie, "Oh, wait! No sword! Never mind!" She still held that energetic smile despite contradicting herself.

"I can't either," said Twilight, "Sorry."

"I'll go." The rest of us turned to the unexpected voice.

"Scootaloo?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Are you sure?" added Apple Bloom, "You heard what the Princess said. It could be lethal."

"I'm not going to let a word I don't know the meaning of stand in the way," chuckled Scootaloo.

"Lethal means 'it could kill you'," I deadpanned. There wasn't any point in being all cushy with the situation now.

"Like I said," she reiterated, "I'm not going to let that stand in the way." She walked over to Luna's side.

"Very well then," said Luna with a nod, "Let us be off." On that note, she activated a white burst of magic from her horn. The four ponies disappeared in a pop of white light.

"Twilight," spoke the soft, gentle voice of Celestia. I had almost forgotten that she was there.

"Yes, Princess?" asked Twilight as she looked up.

"I... um, how do I put this?" struggled Celestia. I've never known her to be one to struggle with finding the right words to say. But that was assuming my knowledge of her in the show coincided with what I knew about this Celestia. (Guh, thinking about different dimensions makes my head hurt.)

"Feel free to say whatever's on your mind," said Twilight with a small smile.

Celestia took a deep breath before saying, "Okay. Yesterday, I took a look through the old inventory in the Starswirl the Bearded wing of Canterlot's library."

"Oh?" said Twilight indicating she wanted to know where this was going.

"And," Celestia continued, "I found something that may relate to your newly developed powers, specifically the Quincy powers."

"Really?" Twilight questioned with renewed excitement, "What did you find?"

"These," the Princess of the Sun answered as her magic produced five small objects from thin air. They appeared metallic and rectangular. What caught my eye was the specific pattern on them as well as the small ringlets on each of their ends, kind of like what you'd attach a key chain to.

Those are Seele Schneiders! I thought.

"Princess," said Twilight with eyes wide in wonder, "What... are these?"

"I'm not entirely sure," replied Celestia with a twinge of regret, "But I thought perhaps if you meditated with them, something might click into place."

"Okay, Princess," said Twilight while using her own magenta aura to take hold of the thin metal bars, "I trust you."

"And Twilight," said the princess as she stood up.

"Yes?"

"I love you." Celestia bent down her swan-like neck and nuzzled Twilight gently. Twilight returned the favor with her own nuzzle.

D'aaaaaaw, I thought while wearing a stupid smile, That is so adorable. I wish I brought my camera.

"Awwwwww," cooed the remaining Cutie Mark Crusaders. The absence of a certain filly saying "ew" reminded me of something else.

"I wonder how Scootaloo's doing," I muttered.

Princess Luna appeared in a flash of bright light along with her three passengers. The large room resembled a cross between an old throne room and a barracks for the Royal Guards.

Rainbow Dash whistled, "Nice place you got here."

"What is all this?" wondered Scootaloo.

"This is a special training ground," replied the princess, "Here, the Elite Royal Guard usually practice their more heavily armored bodies against greater magic and harsh climates. Today, however, I have specifically given the order for them to 'take their necessary vacation hours'."

"So... this is where we're going to train to use Bankai?" pondered Applejack.

"Sort of," answered Luna, "I didn't tell any pony about this because there wasn't a need. But now, there is something I must show to all of you." With a pattern of flashes resembling telegraphic 'Horse Code', Luna's magic opened up a compartment in one of the walls. She then used her midnight blue aura to draw forth three objects from the depths of the compartment. The objects looked kind of like the mannequins in Carousel Boutique. However, these had specific patterns of black lines traced around their 'bodies' and red crystals in their 'hearts'.

Luna set these objects down in front of the three other ponies before saying, "These are based off a tool I witnessed in my burst of knowledge from the human world."

"Wow... what is it?" said Rainbow Dash as her awe quickly turned to confusion.

"By striking these statuettes," explained the princess, "They will bring the spirits of your Zanpaktou into the real world. Then, they will test you in ways they see fit in order to see if you're worthy of using their Bankai."

"What kind of tests?" asked Applejack.

"As I said before, they could be lethal," continued Luna, "Each individual Zanpaktou is different. So it's likely that no two tests are exactly the same."

"What... happens if we fail?" asked Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash, however, quickly interrupted before declaring, "We won't fail! We've come too far to back out now! That's why we came here in the first place, to get stronger." Scootaloo gazed at her idol with sparkles in her eyes.

"You're right," affirmed Scootaloo without another word.

"So how do we go about doing this?" asked Applejack.

"First," said Luna, "Call forth your Zanpaktou." In three flashes, the two katana and one butcher's knife were in their grasps.

"Then, activate their Shikai form. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash, your Zanpaktou is already in that form."

"Aw, yeah!" pumped Rainbow Dash with her free hoof.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" called Applejack. Her katana flashed in red light before transforming into the six-segmented, spiked blade.

"Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime!" called Scootaloo. The blade in her grasp glowed black before growing a second blade of similar size on the opposite end of the handle.

Luna flapped her wings and flew over to the old throne seat that was currently a few feet behind the mannequins. She stood in front of the seat as she took on a slightly more authoritative tone of voice. Thankfully, for her little ponies, it was not as ear-splitting as her Royal Canterlot tone.

"Today is a momentous occasion," she decreed, "Not one, but three of the Zanpaktou's chosen stand here to take this trial. But this is neither a competition nor a contest. You will each be judged for your individual efforts. All three of you may prevail or none of you. But we did not come all this way to watch you fall short of the mark. I trust that you are ready."

"Yes!" stated the two Pegasi and lone earth pony.

"Then let the test begin!" decreed Luna, "Thrust your blades into the statues before you."

"Hyah!" shouted Rainbow Dash as her blade pierced her statue's 'heart'.

"Hup!" grunted Scootaloo as one side of her double katana pierced the statue before her.

"Rah!" shouted Applejack.

A bright, red light erupted from each of the statue's 'hearts' and engulfed the three ponies. When it cleared, they were gone from the immediate vicinity.

"Good luck, my little ponies," whispered Luna hopefully.

"This course of action, I do not find wise, majestic creature of courage and skies."

"Just shut up and tell me how to use this thing."

"Very well, but you have been warned. Now thrust your weapon into this horn."

"Finally, something I know how to do."

Ch. 25: Dumb Fabric of Reality

In this world there is no black and white
I'm told that there will never be a wrong or right
But is that true?
Should I believe that because others do?

Chapter 25: Dumb Fabric of Reality

Deep in the heart of Hollow territory was a vast desert land. An Equestrian may have assumed that Nightmare Moon had cursed this land with eternal night. That was not the case, however, since the mare in the moon had never crossed this particular plane of existence. Twenty-four hours of night was in fact perfectly natural for this land. This desert was known by those who bothered to remember as Hueco Mundo.

In an undisclosed section of this nighttime wasteland, a large pale building stood. It looked like a plain dome of a generic base of secluded operations. There was no need for regular guards to stand on the outside of this dome because nobody ever invaded this base. It was inside this building that several entities had gathered. They were gathered in such a lighting that neither their faces nor their true forms could be seen clearly.

“My friends,” stated a deep male voice, “It seems our search for greater power will be a more interesting journey than we first thought.”

“What did you find?” asked another voice.

“By tapping into the Hogyoku’s most basic powers,” answered the first voice, “I’ve discovered how to read spiritual pressures beyond those in the realm that we reside.”

“So what?” scoffed a third voice, “What’s the point of sensing pressures in the Soul Society and the world of the living if we can just do that by going there?”

“Oh, I’m not referring to those two realms,” said the first voice almost chuckling, “I’m now able to sense energies in entirely different dimensions. New worlds if you will.”

“How preposterous,” said a silhouette moving a limb as if to style his hair, “Aside from life and death, it’s scientifically impossible to cross over into alternate realities.”

“Let our lord speak!” warned a fifth figure who was standing particularly close to the first.

“Thank you,” said the first voice, “Contrary to the facts that you’ve gathered, it is quite possible to transverse the fabric of realities. Though, it is not by science that the travel is possible. It is by a particular form of magic.”

“Meh, I’ve heard weirder things,” muttered a sixth figure that had his feet on the table.

“No. 3,” said the first voice moving his head to look at one of the figures that had yet to speak, “I’d like you to make the first exploration into this new world I’ve discovered.”

The figure referred to as No. 3 made no move of excitement or resentment to the statement.

“This first mission will be purely reconnaissance,” clarified the first voice, “I don’t want you to make any unnecessary kills.”

“Understood, my lord,” said No. 3 with a voice that sounded deep yet feminine. The figure took their leave from the table and wandered off.

“In the meantime,” continued the first voice moving his gaze to another silhouette’s location, “How would you like to explore a second new world?”

“Ooooh aaaaah,” was the response he receieved.

From what I could translate of her rapid-fire speech, Pinkie Pie’s healing shield not only healed my injuries but also somehow repaired my helmet. But I could still see the broken pieces from the fight before on the ground. Regardless, a quick tap with my hoof confirmed that evergreen headpiece was in fact on my head and fully intact.

A few words with Luna confirmed my assumption that the David that had ambushed every pony had in fact been Discord. But what happened after Luna had fallen was a complete blank. At this point any explanation was viable. Well, maybe the aliens abducted and replaced David with a shapeshifting zombie pony idea that Pinkie Pie came up with was not but other than that, theories could be tossed without counter-arguments.

When I tried to ask about my missing partner’s mind, every pony was just as clueless. None of us knew what to think. I even tried performing Jinzen to try and peer into my own soul. But the only other presence I could sense inside the gray abyss was Sode no Shirayuki. Tundra was nowhere to be found.

Where are you? I asked out of force of habit. The pause in time that I expected a mental response was silent. I don’t know why I thought she’d be able to answer if she wasn’t even there.

I really felt like I had lost a piece of myself. Heh, I guess I have. Why else would I be relaying my reflection to an audience that isn’t there?

Ugh… my head.

It felt like a thousand pound weight decided that my brain needed a workout. Someone should have told that weight that my brain isn’t that kind of muscle. Some rays of sunlight threatened to burn my eyelids and their contents.

“Might as well get up,” I muttered slowly moving the covers as I rose into a sitting position.

“Wait… what?” I asked starting to recognize a problem with my voice. But it sounded awfully familiar.

“Heh, that’s interesting,” I chuckled, “I haven’t heard that voice in a long time.” It was a male tenor’s voice with a nearly unnoticeable Southern accent. It was my voice, my human voice.

“Well, just to be sure,” I muttered to no one. I lifted up what I had gotten used to as a front hoof. That was not the case today. It was a hand, five fingers and all.

“Ow,” I winced still feeling the headache as I rubbed my temples, “Okay, hold on. How did this happen? I kind of get the picture of what happened but how did it happen?”

I remembered… fighting, lots of fighting. Discord had corrupted every pony. Shirayuki barely managed to hold off Rainbow Dash. Then… what? A huge blank was all I could draw and my headache was not helping me think straight.

Check my current state of health, was my next thought, I already know I have a headache. Other than that, I can’t feel any prominent pain. Somehow I’ve turned back into a human.

I got up from the bed I was on. It was difficult trying to look around the room with my head pounding. Though, I did manage to find a mirror above a hand sink. I did look fairly much like I remembered looking like before that impromptu trip to Equestria. I even had the same jacket and T-shirt on.

Looking down, I could see a pair of jeans, socks, and Nike’s. Thinking back, I could vaguely remember the outing with my siblings. Where they were now, though, I couldn’t say for sure. There wasn’t any sign of them in this hotel room. Oh, it was a hotel room all right. I could tell by the individually wrapped bars of face soap and the fancily folded towels.

Hey, Shirayuki, I asked internally, You have any ideas?

There was no response.

Other me? I tried again, Hey! Partner!

Still, there was nothing from the peanut gallery of my mind.

Great, I thought in sarcasm before seriously thinking, we’ve been separated again.

All this thinking wasn’t helping my migraine. I decided to walk over to the window that the sunlight was leaking in. Maybe I could get a better grip on my bearings. Somehow, my hand that wasn’t holding my head remembered how to move curtains and open the blinds. I took a good long look at what was outside the glass.

It looked a bit too generic to be any specific location. Cars were parked outside. A few people were out for a jog. They had their hands raised. A small boy was making balls explode. The hotel sign said “vacancy”.

…Wait…

I squinted at the small boy. He seemed a bit slouched over, blond, and buck toothed. Every few seconds, a red orb or purple burst of energy erupted from his fingertips. Said energy caused a few cars to explode or rocket sky high. The people weren’t jogging. They were running away from this kid.

Despite the direct sunlight, my eyes opened wide. My jaw dropped as far as the muscle would allow. My hands both fell slack to my sides. I forgot all about my migraine in that moment.

He’s…he’s, my own thoughts struggled to form, but… that’s not… he can’t… how?

Wonderweiss.

After what felt like eternity, I blinked and closed my mouth. Wonderweiss was still outside the window causing destruction without a care in the world. A freaking Arrancar was outside causing destruction!

This is impossible, I thought, He’s an anime character! How the heck did he get here?!

On the bright side, my mind was working coherently again. On the downside, a few scientists would be ticked at how many laws of physics that the creature outside was breaking. Oh, yeah, and then there was the property damage. That was bad too.

“Well, I doubt there’s an anime convention around with people that take role-playing seriously enough to deal with this guy,” I said to myself, “So it looks like I’m the only one with any clue as to what he’s capable of. That means I’m going to have to stop him.” I blinked a couple times at the gravity of what I had just said.

“Am I one hundred percent sure that I haven’t gone insane?” I half-seriously asked. I shook my head in disbelief before running over to the door. I’m amazed that I didn’t need a lot of practice getting used to moving on two legs again.

Grabbing the handle, I was slightly disturbed at how ice cold it felt. When I looked at the handle, I was taken aback by the actual layer of translucent ice that had formed on it.

I still have frost magic? I asked mentally. I waited for a while before remembering that I wasn’t going to get a reply.

Focus, man, I reminded myself, Stop the Arrancar first. Ask questions later. Ignoring the potential freezer burn, I yanked the door open and ran down the hallway.

After closing the exit door, I noticed that the next group of runners was a squad of police. They were prepared for fireworks and other gun wielders. They were not ready for a partially bone-covered boy with powers sort of like a super saiyan. In any case, they didn’t notice as I started running in the opposite direction as they were.

“Well,” I gulped, “Here goes something.” I tried moving my hand off to my side as I ran. To my surprise and relief, a katana did appear and I could grab it. Oddly, it felt somewhat less comfortable in five fingers than it ever did in one giant hoof. It would have to do, though.

“Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!” I yelled. I then slid my feet to a halt as I realized how retarded that sounded. I almost sounded like Toshiro Hitsugaya trying to release Rukia Kuchiki’s Shikai. That just sounded so wrong. What was worse was the fact that it hadn’t even worked. My katana was still a gray metal-colored sword.

“This is just fan-tipping-flastic,” I muttered, “It doesn’t even work right.” A sudden whirring sound caught my attention and I lifted my head to look.

How did I completely forget about that? I thought as I observed the charging blast called Cero. I made a dive behind one of the cars that was still intact as the purple beam of energy sailed over me. My breaths were getting faster at my increasing worry about the situation. I could die here!

I’ve got one more stupid idea, I thought with a gulp. Carefully, I placed my sword down on the tar ground next to me. Then, I slowly lifted both my hands up and looked at Wonderweiss. I hoped it took him long enough between blasts for me to test what I was about to do. There was no room for error here. I verbalized the incantation.

The one who reigns, mask of flesh, all creation, and the flutter of wings
The one who carries the title of humans.
In the name of truth and temperance,
Dig your claws into the wall of sinless dreams.
Hado 33: Sokatsui!

I nearly closed my eyes in expectation of a dud. But instead, I got a wide blast of fire thrown in the Arrancar’s direction. I could hear an explosion as a cloud of smoke covered Wonderweiss’ image. I think I wore a silly smile when I realized that my Kido was usable.

That being said, my migraine decided to come back a little stronger now. I also felt a bit heavier all over. I guessed humans weren’t exactly made for spamming Kido like Soul Reapers were.

My ponderings were interrupted when I looked over at my enemy. I couldn’t believe it. Well, I guess I could have believed it, but in that moment I didn’t. Wonderweiss didn’t even look remotely phased. His pink eyes were still staring into space and his body wasn’t scratched at all. Plus, it looked like he was charging up another Cero.

“Oh, bleep,” I muttered as I ducked. In a flash of purple, the car I had been using as cover flew apart into pieces of scrap metal. The force from the explosion sent me flying a short distance before I rolled over for a few feet. How I avoided getting hit by most of the metal and lived to tell about it, I’ll never know. I’ll also never know how I had regained a hold of my katana.

The migraine plus new bodily bruises were definitely not doing my body any favors. I didn’t think fighting a creature of impossibility was helping either. It was only a matter of time before I’d be facing death’s judgment.

Wonderweiss. Of all the Arrancar that have ever been on Bleach, why did it have to be Wonderweiss? Gathering myself into a pained sitting position, I could only tremble in fear as the boy prepared to launch the fatal blow.

“Sever, Raika!”

From out of nowhere, a large wall of flames erupted. An inhumane screech escaped the mouth of the Arrancar as the fire all but consumed him. My body still refused to move despite the fact that what had been a threat on my life was being dealt with. I slowly turned my head to face what had saved me. One word escaped in a hushed breath.

“Steven?”

“Hey, Chair! Why are you sitting on yourself?” laughed my classmate.

“Ugh, my name is Cier,” I told him for the umpteenth time. I wasn’t a sitting object.

“Sorry, Seer,” he chuckled again. I shook my head and gave up as he took his seat. I wasn’t a looker either. My name was pronounced like the words ‘chi’ and ‘air’ combined. Cier. I swore he was mispronouncing it on purpose. Everyone else I’d ever met could pronounce it correctly on their first guess.

Steven meant well, though. All he was doing was trying to make everyone he talked to laugh. It was just that his scope of humor was very different from several of the people he met. Surprisingly, it was even different from my own and I thought my humor was pretty dry.

What I find kind of strange is that I can’t remember what my general ed. classes were like before Steven came along. We just happened to meet one day, sat nearby each other, and bam. Acquaintance acquired. It was the safe kind of relationship, the one that wouldn’t hurt if it developed into a friendship or deteriorated into nothing special.

I guess we sort of had the clichéd similarities. Both of us were guys in our first few years of college. We couldn’t stand one particular teacher, so we used a recorder to take notes while we slept in the back of that class. We were both single and had a sweet tooth. That’s about where the similarities ended.

See, Steven was a bit of a flirt. He often made comments toward girls in ways that sounded like he was interested in romance. Though, I could see a lot of evidence that proved he wasn’t really interested in the full commitment. Within a couple hours, he was hitting on the next girl. No, he didn’t sleep around. He just played with his cast and reel in what I saw as the wrong way.

Now, that’s not to say that I was perfect. After all, I didn’t play the dating game… at all. I went to college for the education (blasphemy!). That meant finding a balance between attending classes, studying, eating, exercising, and internet surfing. Sometimes I did two of those activities more often than others. But I digress. Partying and girlfriend searching were not on my “to do” list.

Despite our differences, I could never call Steven an enemy. I’m not sure what it was, but something just seemed right about talking to him, awful sense of humor and all. Maybe it was because he went out of his way to make sure I had someone to talk to. I don’t know.

“What’s up, Cier?” asked the guy with the burning trumpet Keyblade-esque Zanpaktou.

But he… that can’t… Raika… what? thought my struggling mind.

“Steven?” I said again.

“That’s my name,” he confirmed, “Don’t wear it out.”

“How… are you… here?” I stumbled over the words as I moved to stand. Out of all the questions I had right then, that was the first I could coherently ask him.

“Eh, you know,” he shrugged, “I was in the neighborhood. Went for a walk. Saw a bunch of explosions and thought I might as well check it out.”

“W-where did you get that?” I asked while pointing to the sword in his hand.

“This?” he echoed, “I’m guessing the same place you got yours.” He pointed his other hand to the katana that I was holding.

“You…” I wasn’t sure how to word my next phrase, “You’ve been to… Equestria?”

“Yeah,” Steven nodded, “I think it was over a year ago now.” I nearly choked on my own breath. This was getting way too similar to other things I had heard to be a coincidence.

“F…Firewall?” I mouthed barely able to utter the word.

“How long has it been since I abandoned that name?” he asked looking up.

I perked up, “Kingdom Hearts II.”

“I thought you’d get that reference,” he chuckled.

“But… you can’t be… the Firewall, can you?” I asked doubtfully, “That guy has a whole fan fiction written about him.”

“And the first 14 parts were surprisingly accurate,” he smirked.

“Get out of here,” I said shaking my head.

“Though, I almost regret never doing Luna,” he sighed. I let out a fitful of coughs.

“But, you’re nothing like Firewall,” I refuted.

“Really?” he looked at me with interest, “Do tell.”

“Well, you typically know when to take things seriously,” I started listing, “Your actions tend to be selfless in the long-run. You stop joking when you know it’s gone too far.”

“I’m waiting to hear the differences,” said Steven.

“You don’t have the same last name as he does,” I pointed out.

“Don’t I?” he asked rhetorically, “Tell me, Cier. Have you ever seen me write my full name before?” I lifted a finger as if to say yes, but then stopped. I thought back on the times I’ve glanced at his papers. Not once, could I clearly recall anything more than “Steven” written before I had left the vicinity. I’d never even gotten a clear look at his ID.

“So, you’ve been to Equestria?” he changed the subject.

“Uh, yeah,” I stammered.

“How was it?” he continued.

“It was… different,” I worded carefully, “Mostly the good kind of different. Though, getting used to all the differences was challenging at first.”

“That’s understandable,” he nodded.

“Especially…” my voice faded to a mumble.

“Especially what?” he asked. Darn, I was hoping he wouldn’t catch that.

“Well,” I started knowing that I was going to regret it, “you probably don’t know what it’s like to be… gender bent.” His eyes opened in shock before he coughed on a laugh.

“You, ah-ha! You turned into a mare?” inquired Steven.

“Uh-huh,” I nodded. I knew right then that I had set myself up the bomb. Tick. Tick. Boom!

“AH ha ha ha ha ha!” he laughed with one hand on his knee. I could only face palm at what I’d gotten myself into. After about thirty seconds, he managed to calm down, but I could see that disarming smile he wore.

“Well, it could have been worse,” he managed to say, “You could have been forced to wear a dress.”

“Um… actually,” I muttered remembering a certain crash before my first real meeting with Rarity.

Strange. Why am I suddenly recollecting Tundra’s embarrassment when she first visited the Boutique? I thought, Do I miss her so much that I’m trying to fill the void with her memories?

Maybe I was going insane. I really hoped I wouldn’t again. The last time I went insane was when I nearly burned every pony… No, that was the Nightmare. Celestia and Luna assured me of that. But painful memories were the most difficult to forget.

“Woah, dude,” Steven said with a sudden look of empathy, “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I shrugged, “In retrospect, they weren’t uncomfortable. I had the right body for them.” There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Steven’s sword had long since lost its fiery Shikai form.

“So,” he finally broke the silence, “Tundra Stanza. Where did that name come from?”

“I might have used one of my online account names,” I admitted.

“Real original,” he dismissively stated.

“Said Mr. Norton Anti-Virus,” I joked back. That seemed appropriate as we shared a couple laughs. Something that felt like an earthquake interrupted our moment of reunion. Both of us looked in the direction of the crispy Arrancar. It wasn’t a crispy Arrancar anymore.

Wonderweiss stood slightly stiffer than he had when I first saw him. His spiritual pressure made my migraine come back and made everything in the parking lot look slightly blurry. I braced myself for another attack. I did not expect him to turn around and look away. I also didn’t expect a giant black hole to rip apart visible reality in front of him.

In the moment, I knew what it was but I couldn’t remember the name of the reality tear that I was seeing. This was the pathway that Hollows and Hollow-esque creatures used to travel between realms of life and death. However, this one seemed a bit different. In the anime, these things were supposed to be black on the inside. This one’s interior seemed a bit too colorful. In fact, the collage of images I was seeing against its backdrop looked a lot like…

“…Canterlot?” I asked aloud.

“Cier! Get going!” shouted Steven above the rumble.

“What?” I asked not entirely understanding what he meant.

“It could be your only opening to get back home!” he shouted, “You’re half a soul of a pony, remember?”

“But what about you?” I asked. The makeshift portal started to gradually close.

“I can’t go back,” he lamented, “I was never supposed to go in the first place.”

“But, Firewall,” I started.

“No buts!” he shouted pointing out that the black hole was caving in on itself, “Go!”

I still didn’t understand why Steven couldn’t come with me. But my legs were already running after Wonderweiss. Adrenaline must have been pumping through me like crazy because I didn’t think I could run that fast without tripping. In less than second, I was already on the other side of the opening.

Turning to look behind me, I was horrified to see the Arrancar charging up his smaller red blast called a Bala. Out of nowhere, a flaming item flew out of the closing rip in reality and pierced Wonderweiss through the backside. The projectile sailed through his body to who-knew-where. The sudden piercing caused him to scream in agony and fade into the shadows. Unfortunately, that happened right after his Bala started launching in my direction.

I crossed my arms in front of my face. I didn’t think that could protect me from anything. I just reacted to the situation. Red light filled my vision as I heard the metal from my sword crack to pieces. I was expecting the energy blast to burn my skin.

Instead, I felt… liberated.

I scrambled my hooves into a standing position. There was an explosion of sorts and a massive spiritual pressure somewhere outside. I could hear and feel them. What was it? I needed to find out. From the balcony that I was on, I flew toward the castle’s main hall.

Entering the open chamber, I was not prepared for what I saw. Floating in front of Celestia and Luna was… it. The dark cloud that haunted my conscience was right here. My closest friends were trapped in what looked like energy ropes.

“N…Night…mare?” I mouthed finding breathing difficult.

“Ah, Shirayuki,” cooed the cloud of darkness, “Fancy meeting you here.”

“But, but, that’s impossible,” I stammered while shaking my head in disbelief, “You can’t be.”

“Oh, Shirayuki,” said the cloud practically purring, “You didn’t think you were the only pony that could have nightmares, did you?”

“Let my friends go!” I shouted.

“I will,” it calmly stated, “After I regain possession of your soul.”

“Never again!” I defied her.

“That wasn't a request,” said Nightmare flatly, “Bakudo 4: Hainawa.” Within a split second, I was ensnared by yellow energy ropes that seemed to stem from the dark cloud.

“Where did you learn Kido?” I asked while tugging left and right.

“Hm,” the cloud contemplated, “You’ll know as soon as I take back what’s mine.” The Nightmare began to float closer. I decided to release a large amount of spiritual pressure right then and there. The white radiating aura disintegrated the yellow energy ropes with ease.

“Mm, your spiritual pressure is delicious,” said the cloud in what sounded like elation, “It’s just drawing me in even more.” To my horror, it was right. The dark cloud actually used my coating of spiritual pressure as a medium to funnel itself. Before I could cut it off, my aura had already altered to a dark purple. My limbs felt stiff.

“This feels so good,” sighed the Nightmare.

“No… no…” I muttered through the stiffness, “NO!”

What happened next, I have yet to fully understand. I could suddenly feel a third energy surging through me. I could actually feel my eyes burning green as the dark cloud was expelled from my body. Was this what Luna felt like during her magical release?

“How?” asked the Nightmare floating just in front of me, “How did you resist?”

“It is a spiritual lock-out,” answered a new voice. Despite the burning feeling, I could see her presence just to my right side.

“Sode no Shirayuki,” I murmured. The pale woman in white sleeves stood tall.

“By concentrating another’s energy that already resides in her soul,” continued my Zanpaktou, “She has discovered how to repel foreign signatures.”

“You mean,” I started as I lifted a hoof to my chest plate, “Tundra is still inside me?”

“Yes,” affirmed Sode no Shirayuki with a nod, “because you and Tundra Stanza are one and the same.” The vision of my Zanpaktou spirit faded but I could still sense her presence within. The green burning cooled, but now I knew what I had to do.

Tundra, I thought, lend me your strength. I called forth my sword and held the hilt firmly.

“Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!” I called.

My brief feeling of touchless liberation was quickly replaced by a new feeling. I wasn’t sure how, but I could almost see a multitude of things at once. Somehow, I could see the inside of one of the castle’s corridors. I could see a cloud of darkness. I was being held by a hoof, Shirayuki’s hoof. I could feel my own power merge with hers. I could feel the frozen touch of righteous fury.

Somehow, I was the sword that had just been released.

“What exactly do you plan to do with that?” mocked the Nightmare in a pained tone, “Your solid weapon can’t touch me!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I smiled lightly before resuming a serious look. I held the point of my blade almost directly into the dark cloud’s outer layer.

“San-no-Mai, Shirafune!” I shouted.

Time stood still. Nothing in the room stirred. But then, the cloud of darkness that was pure hatred and jealousy started dancing around. It was somehow anchored by the white sword that slid through it. A new feeling permeated the cloud’s essence, one of relief and tranquility.

Slowly, the cloud funneled itself into the Zanpaktou, granting its strength to the wielder. Instead of an overwhelming sense of foreignness, the darkness became lighter. The weapon in the white alicorn’s grasp began altering shape. As the last of the cloud became one with the blade, it more resembled a long and thin foldup fan. But it did not lose its icy touch.

The energy ropes that had bound the Princesses of the land faded into nothingness. This enabled them to look more freely at the events that transpired. The alicorn of winter had used up much of her spiritual energy in the lock-out from before. As a result, she couldn’t keep her eyes open as she slowly fell to the ground. Her transformed weapon faded from the physical plane.

When the Princesses had run forward to check on their friend, they found a smaller, black pony in her place. She was sleeping soundly.

…

I guess it’s true that you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone. During my brief return to Earth, I had almost allowed myself to believe that my true life was lost. After I came back, I had lost the presence of an old friend. I couldn’t understand why things had to be the way they were. I still don’t completely.

On the following day, Celestia decided that I ought to know at least some of the things that had transpired over a year ago. I found out that some complex, ancient curse was used to bring Ste-… Firewall to Equestria. When everyone had figured out how to break that curse, they had inadvertently sealed him back to the human world. Trying to bring him here again would only result in a universal collapse of all dimensions involved.

His magical residue still resides in the lives he touched. That’s how Luna was able to sleep when she wants to without losing her mind to the more painful dreams. Somehow, his heart still protected her. She seemed to be okay with that. I wasn’t sure she was, but I think she was entitled to have some things kept secret.

I pieced together what happened with Discord the other day. I knew that the field trip by Cheerilee’s class never happened. Celestia said that David had been able to release the stone creature from imprisonment. Trace amounts of anti-magic were found at the site of his missing statue. It was how David’s spiritual and magical presence had been undetected. Still, what David had hoped to accomplish by releasing the entity of chaos in this realm was a mystery.

As for the reappearance of the Nightmare, no one knew for sure how that had happened. My partner mind was back and she suggested that perhaps her loneliness had been partially responsible. I scoffed at the idea telling her that if that were true, it would have happened at Pinkie Pie’s birthday two years ago. Shirayuki let the subject drop after that.

Celestia offered to let me borrow the royal carriage to ride home. I politely declined. I told her that I technically hadn’t stretched my wings for twenty-four hours.

To this, she giggled before replying, “Fair enough.”

I had to give the background artists of the show credit for the optical illusion they made. Canterlot was far enough from Ponyville that by the time I arrived at the library door, it was already way past sunset. Hoping not to wake up either of the residents unnecessarily, I slowly pushed the door open, freezing the door knob involuntarily.

“SURPRISE!” yelled a blur of pink as confetti and streamers rained from nowhere.

Holy crap! I thought while nearly jumping up into the doorway. You’d think after multiple Pinkie Pie shenanigans I’d get used to this kind of thing, but I haven’t. My Ponyvillian friends were all gathered. Even the Crusaders were up, though I thought it was past their bedtime if the moon in the sky was any way to tell time.

“One of these days,” I said while looking at Pinkie Pie, “you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

“Pinkie told us to gather here to surprise some pony,” chirped Sweetie Belle, “but she wouldn’t tell us who.”

“Hoo,” added Owloyisius.

“Yeah, exactly,” affirmed Sweetie Belle while the other two fillies showed expressions that were suitable in lieu of a face hoof.

“Tundra… you’re back,” said Fluttershy with clarity.

“Thank heavens, darling,” added Rarity.

One by one, the various ponies and dragon gathered around me. Never did I think that a group hug would feel so right. But here and now, it was right. Tears filled several eyes including my own.

I was home.

Standing in the air, away from pony eyes, a white-covered entity stood and observed. She was neither completely surprised nor completely believing in the readings she was getting from this world. Still, data was data. If it gave her something to report upon her return, it was a side benefit. With a sound like a wind tunnel, she was gone.

Ch. 26: Every Day Is A Beginning

Sanctus Espiritus
Redeem us from our solemn hour
Sanctus Espiritus
Insanity is all around us
Sanctus Espiritus
Is this what we deserve? Can we break free
From chains of never ending agony?

Chapter 26: Every Day Is A Beginning

"No!" negated the filly with finality.

"Come on, Sweetie. Please?" I continued my begging, "It'll be a nice change from the norm."

"I'm not doing it," she reiterated.

I understood her hesitancy. I really did. But this wouldn't work with anyone else. Desperate times called for desperate measures. This was no exception.

"What if I told you that Rarity was going to run?" I tossed the question into the air. That perked up Sweetie Belle's ears pretty quickly.

"Well, then... maybe I would," she said thoughtfully, "But are you sure she'll run?"

"Absolutely!" I said pounding my chest for emphasis.

"I will not run," stated Rarity.

This just can't ever be easy, can it? I thought while face hoofing.

No, it cannot, affirmed Shirayuki.

"A lady must not let herself appear sweaty and dirty," recited the bearer of Generosity, "and such an event would have those results. So, I'm not going."

"But I've seen one of your fall fashion outfits," I pointed out, "It looks perfect for running in and ponies love watching a moving advertisement." That seemed to give her pause from her current project.

I have her now! I thought with a small smirk.

"Be that as it may," acknowledged Rarity while resuming her work, "I still will not run."

That smirk I had immediately deflated to a frown of irritation. I didn't want to have to use this card, but she held three aces. It was time to bring out the full house. I pretended to cough and muttered something far too loud to be ignored.

"Beg pardon?" asked Rarity turning around. I walked over and repeated the phrase in a whisper to her ear.

"Really?" she asked in slight surprise, "She is?"

"Mm-hm," I affirmed with a nod.

"Well then, like I was saying," started Rarity with enthusiasm, "Ponies love watching a moving advertisement."

The annual Running of the Leaves marked a seasonal, pivot point on the Equestrian calendar. For those of you that skipped "Fall Weather Friends" for whatever reason, here's the 411. Each year, ponies ran along a tree-lined path to allow the colorful autumn leaves to fall loose from the branches. This paved the way for winter to arrive in a timely manner. Well, that about sums it up.

"Fillies and gentle colts," declared an amplified voice of Spike.

"Welcome to the annual Running of the Leaves!" added an equally amplified voice of Pinkie Pie.

The baby dragon and pink pony were riding in a hot air balloon as announcers and overseers of the race. At the starting line, several ponies assigned with a random number stretched and prepped. Most of them were veteran runners that competed every year. Though, a few recognizable second-timers could also be seen. The farmer Applejack and the weather manager Rainbow Dash had decided to run a fair race for kicks and giggles. Ponyville's own librarian Twilight Sparkle had done some quick calculations to determine her best pacing and endurance.

But some of the spectators were more surprised at this year's first-timer. She trotted up in an elegant yet form-fitting outfit. A light purple shirt of sorts and a sky blue headband stood out as the centerpieces to her ensemble.

"For Sweetie Belle," she whispered as a reminder to herself.

Meanwhile, my partner and her younger friend had been generously loaned another hot air balloon to follow the action while giving support in a slightly different manner than Pinke Pie and Spike. Needless to say, Sweetie Belle was showing nervousness.

"I'm starting to have second thoughts about this," she whimpered.

"It'll be all right," insisted Shirayuki placing a hoof on the little one's shoulder, "I'm right here with you."

"On your marks!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Okay," nodded Sweetie Belle slowly, "Thanks, Tundra."

"Get set!" yelled Spike.

All the racers stood with their heads low and hooves poised to charge forward.

"Go!" cried out Pinkie and Spike simultaneously.

It almost felt like a gentle melody was playing to accompany Sweetie Belle's melody and Shirayuki's harmony.

Ohhh.... ohhh....

Another day is like a new beginning

And so today I know that it's a new start

I know the bad times are disappearing

'Cause now I know that we'll never be apart

You're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye ('cause you're my diamond in the sky)

You're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye ('cause you're my diamond in the sky)

A fork in the road forced some of the racers to take alternate routes. But ultimately, they were the same length. Shirayuki took the second verse of the song.

Yeahhhh...

Another road that we must travel

Another night for you to show me the way

And so today, I'll give up dreaming

'Cause now I know that I need you every day

You're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye ('cause you're my diamond in the sky)

You're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye ('cause you're my diamond in the sky)

Yeahhh... ohh...

I think Pinkie Pie said something regarding how close the first two racers were as far as racing position. But all I could see at that point was Rarity. She was struggling to keep up as well as maintain her clean look.

Where do all the rainbows go?

To somewhere I don't know

Wherever it is, I want to go

Ohh...

Wherever it is, I want to go

Suddenly, the fashionesta looked up at her little sister, truly giving her all into the song. At that moment, she decided that her good looks were only second priority. She decided that all family here should give it their all and that included her.

Feel so high...

Feel so high!

You're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye ('cause you're my diamond in the sky)

You're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye ('cause you're my diamond in the sky)

In a stream of dust that no pony was expecting, Rarity was at the front. Applejack and Rainbow Dash nearly tripped over their own hooves in shock.

Goodbye!

You're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye (diamond in the sky)

(just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye (diamond in the sky)

Oh, you're the one that makes me feel so high (just like the diamonds in the sky)

I never want to hear you say goodbye (diamond in the sky)

(just like the diamonds in the sky)

Ohh... (diamond in the sky)

Yeahhh...

In a photo finish (the racing term, not the pony with that name), Rarity took first place while the competition was more than a yard behind.

"Tundra Stanza," growled Rarity, "Would you please be so kind as to tell me why you lied to us?"

"It wasn't really a lie," I nervously rebutted, "You did run and Sweetie Belle did sing."

"Only because you tricked us," squeaked Sweetie Belle. Any other day, I would have found her voice crack to be adorable. But right now, I was downright terrified of the potentially rabies-infected filly.

"L-look," I stammered, "Everything worked out all right in the end, r-right?"

"Good intentions or not," said Rarity with a dark fire in her eyes, "It's not right for ponies to manipulate other ponies."

"Isn't that what you do all the time?" I asked with a straight face. Mentally, I face hoofed myself. I could have sworn I saw one of those red, anime frustration marks above Rarity's head.

"What did you say, darling?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Well, you practically suckered the gems from those diamond dogs and a particular dragon," I pointed out, "So, telling me it's wrong to manipulate others is like being a hypocrite."

Bad mouth! Bad mouth! alerted my brain.

"You know she's got a point," agreed Sweetie Belle.

Oh, way to rub salt in the wound, I thought because I knew that saying such a thing out loud would only multiply Rarity's current rage. But she had her head down, so I couldn't see what her expression was right then. Slowly, she lifted a hoof in my direction. Was this an offering of truce?

Nope.

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro," she whispered.

An all-too familiar flower with rectangular petals now trapped me by the waist. The intense pressured of that particular kido prevented any movement of my major limbs. Sure, I struggled a bit, but it was useless.

"What are you going to do?" I asked completely scared out of my mind right now.

"Oh, I just want to thank you for such a wonderful opportunity," answered Rarity in such a sweet voice that I just knew it was forced.

"Th-thank me?" I stammered.

"Oh, yes," she responded. She walked over and put her mouth right next to my ear and whispered, "I'm going to make you look absolutely beautiful."

Oh no! I thought, She doesn't mean...

"The fitting room is just over here~," she nearly sang. With me unable to move, she levitated me easily with her magic.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I shouted hoping beyond hope that there was some satellite in this world that could receive my voice and save me from the... the... women's clothing. No such satellite existed, I'm afraid.

I think I relived Rarity's deleted scene from "Luna Eclipsed". In hindsight, it wasn't nearly as bad as the time I fell through Rarity's roof and was forced to work for her.

You know what the worst part of this is? I asked my other self.

What's that? responded Shirayuki.

I didn't even get to see Sweetie Belle's new cutie mark, I answered.

I made another visit to my inner sanctum. The gray abyss was still as empty as usual save for the three presences that could reside in there. There was something different about my Zanpaktou's spirit. Nothing visibly stood out, but there was definitely a different air about her. I couldn't put my hoof on it.

"You can sense it too, can't you?" asked Shirayuki sitting across from me.

"Yeah, but I don't know what it is," I answered.

"You have been through many experiences," commented Sode no Shirayuki, "Your combined wisdom has unlocked a power that was previously unobtainable."

"A previously unobtainable power?" I echoed.

"What would normally take hundreds of years to learn has inadvertently been made possible through the immeasurable time that you were separated," continued the 'sleeve of white snow', "And it only grew stronger when you reunited."

"Your words are cryptic," commented the wintry alicorn, "I don't quite understand what you're getting at."

My Zanpaktou sighed, "You are now capable of using my final release."

"Wait," I started to piece together what she was getting at, "Are you saying...?"

"... that we can now use...?" continued Shirayuki.

"... Bankai?" we finished together.

Sode no Shirayuki nodded once.

"But, that's impossible!" I reasoned, "Rukia Kuchiki didn't have a Bankai."

"We never went through Luna's special training either," added Shirayuki.

"Lady Tundra," interrupted the Zanpaktou spirit, "Are you Rukia Kuchiki?"

"Well... no, but..." I paused.

"Lady Shirayuki," she continued, "Haven't you noticed another that didn't need to go through that training?"

"I supposed Rarity never had to, but..." contemplated my other half.

"Then why is it so hard to believe?" asked Sode no Shirayuki, "Your power is not limited simply by what you have previously perceived. You mustn't shackle your own strength with expectations that others have set."

A moment of silence filled the gray abyss.

"Heh," I chuckled, "I guess not."

"I suppose that was a bit of a rash judgment," admitted Shirayuki.

"Still," I pondered, "It seems like it was too easy to achieve."

"Is there a condition that we have overlooked?" asked my other half.

"The key to my final release lies in the first dream that united the two of you," answered Sode no Shirayuki.

"Great," I groaned in sarcasm, "More cryptic riddles."

"We'll just have to take it one step at a time," sighed Shirayuki. I nodded in a reluctant agreement.

"Be strong," advised our Zanpaktou, "Both of you."

To make up for such a tiring day, I slept soundly that night. I may have been poked awake a couple of times. Twilight told me I was snoring too loudly. Spike made a point that my teeth grinding was getting annoying. Both were solid statements, but there wasn't a whole lot I could do. One can only control so much of their breathing and jaw movements while they are not consciously aware of them.

Still, I had to thank Spike for waking me up. It was right after he was heading back to his basket that a familiar vibration shook my whole body. Twilight also reacted to the sensation. A spiritual pressure was closing in. Without so much as another thought, both of us ponies were galloping out the library's door. It was silently agreed that a sleeping dragon could guard the library just fine.

"Think you can get us a bit closer to the source?" I hollered while galloping.

"Give me a couple seconds!" she hollered in reply. Her horn started glowing in a spreading magenta aura. True to her word, we were surrounded in white flashes a couple seconds later. I guessed she had been practicing that spell for a while since I didn't feel any burning around the edges like I had expected.

The teleport spell dropped us off near a patch of the Everfree. I could tell by the ragged appearance of the trees. Though, what confused me was the row of apple trees I could see in the distance behind me. I had always thought the Everfree Forest was closer to Fluttershy's cottage. Equestrian geography baffled me to no end.

Navigational discrepancies aside, some of the other ponies of our posse were headed out this way as well. Off the top were both of the Apple sisters, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash. It kind of struck me as peculiar that the rest of the gang was missing. But I didn't have time to think about that. The source of the unfriendly spiritual pressure began to close in from the Everfree Forest path.

In retrospect, it was a breath of fresh air from all the Hollows that had recently attacked Ponyville. On the other hand, it was kind of a downer that I was seeing a familiar adversary that I was hoping had been a "one episode and that's it" deal. The enemies gathered in swarms. Their insect-like wing beats contrasted with their multicolored puffball bodies. Every few seconds or so, one of them threw up new brethren.

Parasprites.

"Oh no, not these things again," groaned Rainbow Dash.

"Wait," halted Twilight, "Take another look. There's something different about them."

I took another panning look at the swarms of famine-inducing pests. The librarian was right. There was something different about them. While the parasprites that I was familiar with had sparkling emerald-colored eyes, these had fairly bloody red eyes. Some of them even had fangs bared, adding to the vampire-esque vibe I was getting from looking at these creatures. Oh, did I mention that there were swarms of them? I couldn't even begin to count them.

"Whatever the case may be," I said as I held out a hoof and summoned my Zanpaktou, "We can't let them into Ponyville."

"But how are we gonna fight so many?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Simple," scoffed Scootaloo, "We make more of us."

"Huh?" responded a confused farm filly.

With determination, Scootaloo brought forth her Zanpaktou and called, "Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime!"

The sword glowed in a dark aura as its second blade emerged on the other side of the handle. I thought perhaps that she was going to use her signature 'shadow blade' technique. However, I did not expect her to move her hoof around so that she held the weapon behind her back. I shared Apple Bloom's look of confusion as the Pegasus filly released her grip and let the Zanpaktou drop.

"Bankai," she breathed.

Kagehime looked like it was fluidly sinking into the ground. Before I could ask what was going on, the very shadow underneath Scootaloo wriggled around and climbed up her body. At first, I was worried that she might sink into darkness like some Kingdom Hearts victim. But then, the shadow took on a more solidified shape. It looked a lot like a body of chain mail armor and it fit the filly's form snugly.

"Tsukikura Kagehime," said Scootaloo out loud.

"Wow, that's cool!" complimented Apple Bloom, "But... what did you mean by 'make more of us'?"

"Just watch this," smirked Scootaloo, "Kage bunshin!"

In less time than it took for me to blink, we were all in the presence of several Scootaloos. No, I'm not kidding. There was literally a whole herd of her. All of them were clad in the same shadowy, chain mail armor.

"Woah," I muttered.

As quickly as they had appeared, Scootaloo and her duplicates vanished. I quickly looked back and forth trying to discern their location. A lucky glance back at the incoming swarms of red-eyed parasprites cleared up that confusion. Some of the Scootaloos were launching blades of shadow at the bugs. Others of her were getting a bit more confrontational with direct hooves to the faces. Still, other Scootaloo copies were holding their front hooves together. Their shadows seemed to release a number of shadows in the shape of human arms practically strangling the life out of the pesky bugs. Every parasprite that was hit dissolved into slightly maroon shadows.

"Woah," I muttered again.

"Not bad, squirt!" called Dash, "But let me show how a professional handles this!"

The cyan Pegasus called forth her own Zanpaktou. Zangetsu's white tape started wrapping itself around her hoof. A bluish-white aura surrounded Dash entirely.

"Bankai!" she yelled. The energy radiating around her changed into a reddish-black aura. Within a few seconds, I could see her again. I'm no Rarity, but I could appreciate the awe inspired by some good looking threads. That full-bodied, black jacket that flapped with white, torn edges really looked good against her six-colored flowing mane. In her hoof, the blade itself had taken a much more generic katana shape. But if Bleach had taught me anything, it was that Zangetsu was much stronger now than it was as a butcher knife.

"Tensa Zangetsu!" cried Rainbow Dash lifting the blade high, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Swinging her blade down caused a fairly large wave of black spiritual energy to fly toward the enemy. Many of the would-be parasprites exploded on impact and dissolved into fading shadows. Though, there were still plenty of the buggers flying around that spat out more of each other.

"Hey!" interjected Applejack with a chuckle, "Don't you girls take all the fun!" She held out her hoof and called forth her own sword.

Holding her other hoof just above the blade, she yelled, "Roar, Zabimaru! Bankai!"

The sheer force of her growing spiritual pressure was so intense. I thought Apple Bloom, Twilight, and I were going to get blown away like paper slips in the wind. Luckily, that was just imagination crossing my thoughts and not the reality. When I could chance a look at Applejack again, I was taken aback by the surreal yet epic appearance. Her stetson had been replaced by a white headband. Her shoulders were covered in faded red fur and small skull bones. But that wasn't what really had my attention at the moment.

Applejack's Zanpaktou, Zabimaru, had transformed into several, bamboo-like segments of a gigantic skeletal snake. It had its own pelt of red fur resembling the mane of a lion. It coiled around its wielder loosely, while she stood proudly and determined.

"Hihio Zabimaru!" shouted the bearer of Honesty, "Higa Zekko!" The hundred or so segments of the serpent like weapon seemed to float in the air as they split apart from each other. Within a few seconds, the separate parts all glowed red and flew in several directions. Any parasprites unlucky enough to find themselves in Hihio Zabimaru's path got smothered into shadow vapors.

The remaining three ponies looked agape at the three Bankai users. I had to shake my head out of its stupor. There were still a few parasprites lingering after that astounding power display.

"Come on you two," I nudged Apple Bloom and Twilight Sparkle, "We need to clean up here!"

"Oh! Uh, right!" replied the filly shaking herself out of her self-induced daze.

"Y-yeah, we should do that," stammered a recovering bearer of Magic.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I yelled as my Zanpaktou accepted its white appearance and ribbon.

I can handle this, I thought.

Very well, conceded Shirayuki.

Twilight created her reishi light bow and managed to fire a few rapid arrows at the bugs in the immediate vicinity.

"Tsugi-no-mai, Hakuren!" I declared. My ice blast easily picked off the pests right down the middle of the stragglers.

"Split and deviate, Ruri'iro Kujaku!" cried Apple Bloom. The familiar sapphire-colored branches wrapped around what was left of the parasprites and absorbed what little energy each of them had to offer. There wasn't enough to fully grow any blossoms for Apple Bloom to consume. Still, it wasn't all bad.

A repeat of "The Swarm of the Century" had been averted.

Contrary to his omnipotence, a lone man decided it would be better to just walk in through the front door. In his nigh psychic grasp, four dormant ponies floated behind him as if they were sleeping on air. Oh, it still brought unwanted attention by the guards. But, he figured it would make a better impression than teleporting into the resident's chambers unannounced. Yes, a certain level of easiness and trust was required for this next step if his plan was to yield any success.

Still, the appearance of lance-wielding guards was a bit annoying as he walked. A few Rikujokoros here and a few Sais there, he proceeded into the castle grounds with little interruption. Honestly, the whole stroll hadn't even fazed him in the slightest. He needn't have taken so many precautions. Sure, a stray thought could allow him to immediately end the lives of those that stood in his way, but unnecessary bloodshed would only give his deal partner more reason to hesitate. So, he left most of the Royal Guard immobile but very much alive.

Those that stood in his way now were merely observation guards.

"Bakudo 1: Sai."

The two night watchers were soon on the floor fighting against their own bent fore hooves. The man proceeded past them with no more resistance. While it was true that Luna guarded the night, both of the Princesses had taken to standing in the room as the uninvited guest made his entrance along with his cargo.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Luna, "Why are you here? Why have you incapacitated our Royal Guard?"

"And why are you holding those four hostage?" asked a cross Celestia who was referring to the ponies in the man's hold.

"Yes, I expected questions along those lines," he said with a sad smile, "This is necessary for me to make an offer."

"And just what makes you think we'd accept any offer from you, David?" inquired the peeved Princess of the Night.

David sighed, "So I guess you don't care what happens to their lives if you refuse."

The room was filled with a rather heavy silence. This held for a few seconds.

"What do you want?" asked the elder Princess still glaring at the intruder.

"I'd very much like your cooperation in dealing with a certain... problem that's come to my attention," began the man, "Haven't you noticed a disturbingly foreign spiritual pressure?"

"We were under the impression that it was your doing," remarked Luna.

"No, that's not possible," said David apathetically and dismissively, "This particular pressure stems from outside of this realm. It's not even from the human dominant realm that Stephen originated from."

"Firewall," corrected Luna in a muttered tone.

"What exactly are we looking at?" inquired Celestia.

"I can definitely tell that it's hostile," stated David matter-of-factly, "Should it be left unchecked, it will undoubtedly cause harm to this realm in ways that will make the Battle of Shadows look like a mere fencing tournament in comparison."

"So what?" asked the miffed Luna, "Can't you handle it yourself? You are the 'creator' after all."

"If only it were so simple, Luna my dear," cooed the man.

"I'm not your dear," she quietly snapped.

"I expect the unknown variable will eventually bring in reinforcements," continued David, "As vast as my power is, I'm just one entity. I'm going to need all of your available help that you can offer."

"First, release my subjects," ordered Celestia.

David sighed, "If that's what it'll take." In lieu of a magic spell, the psychic hold unceremoniously dropped all four of the floating ponies to the ground. A group yelp of surprise projected from them.

"Woah! What happened?" chirped Pinkie Pie before looking around the room, "Oh! Hi, Princess Celestia! Hi, Princess Luna! Hi..." Her expression suddenly took a slightly more angry look as she said, "David," but then quickly reverted to its usual happy face as she looked back at her pile of friends.

"What was that horrid dream?" asked Rarity as she came to.

"Wh-where are we?" asked Sweetie Belle just barely coming out of her half-sleep state.

Fluttershy remained silent and cowered behind her mane at the sight of the man that had caused so much strife in the past.

"I should point out that this new enemy will most likely not distinguish either of our causes as their allies," continued David in spite of the groans behind him, "It would be best if we had less to worry about in the heat of an inevitable conflict."

He was now right in front of the Princesses. He held out his hand as a person would just before giving a handshake.

"This doesn't mean that we trust you," warned Celestia as she reached her hoof into his hand, "Nor should you take this as a sign of subordination."

"Of course not," responded the man nonchalantly, "It's a loose thread of agreement that either of us can sever once the greater threat is removed." He released her hoof. With barely a blink, he was gone.

"I don't trust him," Luna stated the obvious.

"If there's a threat that can unnerve him," pointed out Celestia, "We ought to at least give it our attention, if not for our little ponies."

"I know," sighed her little sister.

"My lord, I have returned. You were right. There are some rather intriguing spiritual presences in that world."

"Good. Well then, onto Phase two."

A/N: Kagehime is an original Zanpakuto generously donated by the great Leo Archon. Once again, thank you.

Ch. 27: Additional Releases

Know ya'll been patiently waiting. I know you need me. I can feel it.
I'm a beast. I'm an animal. I'm that monster in the mirror.
The headliner, finisher, I'm the closer, winner
Best when under pressure with seconds left I show up

Chapter 27: Additional Releases

"Could you run that by me again?" I asked with my left eyebrow raised. I couldn't have heard that right. There was no way she could possibly say something like that. But my ears rarely lied.

"We're going to ally ourselves with David against another threat," reiterated Celestia.

That still doesn't sound right, I thought to myself.

"What could possibly be more threatening than a guy that can practically override reality as we know it?" I inquired.

"The Arrancar," answered Luna with utmost seriousness.

"Gesundheit," blessed Rainbow Dash.

"The Arrancar?" I sputtered, "Hollows that removed their masks and gained Soul Reaper powers? Those Arrancar?"

"Yes," Luna answered with a solemn expression.

"Wait a minute," I muttered. I recalled seeing that one particular Arrancar back in my old realm. Had they really disregarded reality's fabric that much?

"Well, they sound like they're pretty much the same as the oversized critters we've been dealing with before," commented Applejack, "What's a little extra sword power to prevent us from taking 'em down?"

"You have no idea," I stated coldly, "These aren't just beasts that can swing swords back and forth. They have power that some megalomaniacs can only dream of. The average pony soul would be crushed simply by being in the same vicinity as them."

To this, Fluttershy responded by squealing and then hiding behind her other friends.

"What about us?" asked Twilight worriedly.

"We'll most likely be able to hold our ground," I replied, "but it's not our group that I'm worried about."

Rarity gasped, "Every pony else in all of Equestria is in danger!"

"Precisely," affirmed Luna.

"That's why we need all the help we can get," added Celestia, "For now, we'll stand by David's side against the incoming foe."

"Urgh," I grumbled, "I hate it when you're right."

"Them's fighting words!" warned Rainbow Dash.

I sighed, "I meant that one phrase, not all the time, Dash."

Celestia wisely sidestepped the little spar and addressed the whole group of ten ponies, "Head back home and rest, my little ponies. You will need it against the enemy that's yet to come."

"Yes, Princess," affirmed Twilight with a bow (the motion, not the weapon).

Luckily for us, the train ride back to Ponyville was free since it was a royal business trip.

Two days later...

Miss Cheerilee was doing what she normally did on a weekday. Every day was a teaching opportunity. It was how she ensured that one day her students would "bloom". In the midst of her automatic routine of speaking about the topic with passion, she almost didn't notice the small paper airplane that conveniently floated from Diamond Tiara to the desk of Silver Spoon. The teacher was running out of time for the school day, so she decided to put off calling out their disruptive behavior for another time.

Still, that wasn't the only thing that was bothering her. A nagging feeling kept tapping on her mental shoulder insisting that something wasn't quite right. She tried to shrug off the feeling by telling herself that tiny voice was being silly.

What could possibly go wrong today? she thought with a smile.

The answer came in the form of a force that shook the whole classroom and every pony inside. Surprised, Cheerilee took a brief glance out the window. What should have been blue sky was instead being blocked by greenish beams of light and similarly colored smoke. She had no idea what those signs could mean.

Meanwhile, her students weren't feeling much better about the situation than she was. Several of the fillies looked as though their very bodies were pressed against their desks or the floor. It was like gravity had become the new superglue or something. But three fillies in particular weren't quite as pinned down. They were struggling against some force, but at least they were able to stand. Cheerilee recognized Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle as they ran out the door.

"Girls! Wait!" she yelled as she power trotted after them.

She had not anticipated what was waiting outside. The two figures that the fillies were staring at were mostly white in appearance. Only their faces showed any indication that they weren't a couple of skeletons. One of them looked like what Cheerilee had seen of David. Except this man was much older in appearance and he seemed to be wearing a necklace made of fangs. The other looked like a younger biped with a white viking's helmet and an empty eye patch with a shooting flame pattern above it.

What in Equestria...? thought Cheerilee.

"Hey, what do you know?" chuckled the smaller biped, "I got them to come out in the open!"

"Good for you," commented the man nonchalantly. He didn't seem remotely interested in the situation as he took a sitting position in the patch of air that he was floating. The little one clenched her teeth as if annoyed.

"Starkk!" she grumbled, "Why can't you take this more seriously? It's because of your laziness that you fell behind Baraggan's advance!"

She continued to ramble on about various topics that irritated her. The four ponies that watched her complain felt awkward. One could even argue that they had sweat drops to emphasize the awkwardness of the situation that they were in.

"Just do what you want, Lilynette," shrugged the one called Starkk, "They don't really look like they're worth the effort."

"Fine! I will!" spat the one called Lilynette. She then returned her attention to her initial prize: the entities in this world that held the power of Soul Reapers. A green light started to form a sphere in front of her eyes.

"So long, chumps!" she yelled as the sphere started to lengthen into a beam shooting forward.

"Get behind me!" shouted Sweetie Belle to her fellow crusaders, "Bakudo 81: Danku!"

A tall, rectangular, and clear wall materialized in front of her as the other two fillies stood behind her. The light beam collided with the newly formed wall and was blocked. The dispersing energy, however, did singe some of the grass on either side of the 'split void'. As the transparent wall vanished, three swords appeared in possession of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Now it's our turn!" declared Apple Bloom taking a leap toward the enemy, "Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!"

Despite her Zanpaktou's hatred toward the name 'Fuji', it still released some of its power in the form of four hook-shaped blades attached by the hilt. All four of said blades were on course with Lilynette. But as with most warriors, she wasn't going to fall from getting hit by one attack. Her leg swung around the filly's Zanpaktou and connected with the pony's head. In a burst of sound, the bipedal girl had disappeared and reappeared behind Apple Bloom. Lilynette delivered another kick to the filly's back. Apple Bloom yelped from the impact and tried swinging Fuji Kujaku around at her opponent.

The weapon missed its target as Lilynette had once again vanished out of the way. A kick from above sent the filly spinning. Apple Bloom bounced off the ground a couple times before scraping along a couple yards. Her friends and teacher looked at her in shock. A certain Pegasus was the first to recover.

"Oh, you messed with the wrong filly, pal!" growled Scootaloo, "Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime!" Her Zanpaktou responded by covering itself in a dark aura. A second katana grew from the other side of the handle as the aura eventually subsided. The Pegasus filly flash stepped and reappeared practically on top of the enemy. Anger prevented her attack from being stealthy and allowed Lilynette enough time to reach up to her broken horn and pull out a long, curved sword of her own.

The sudden appearance of the enemy's blade surprised Scootaloo, but she didn't waver in her downward swing. The sound of metal clashing with metal echoed through the sky. The warriors pulled their respective weapons back for a few more rounds of swinging them at each other. The swords collided again and again. Both wielders attempted their own rendition of flash step in order to one-up. But their respective speeds were too similar to fully gain an advantage either way.

Back on the ground, Sweetie Belle had taken the liberty of moving a bruised Apple Bloom out of harm's way to one side of the school building. She quickly galloped back to resume analyzing the fight at hoof. Currently, the smaller of the two enemies was doing most of the fighting. In contrast, the white robed man was just sitting there without a care in the world. As tempting as a free shot would have been, Sweetie Belle really didn't see a good reason to fight any pony that didn't initially attack her or her friends first. So, she returned her attention to the other Arrancar.

Scootaloo's got that girl's attention right now, she thought, So maybe...

She held up her free hoof while remembering the extra knowledge that Haineko had granted her.

"The one who reigns, mask of flesh," she chanted, "The one who crowns us with a name."

The clash of blurs and blades continued within her sight.

"Gathering of heat and war beyond the seas and rivers take steps to the south."

"Shadow Blade!" shouted Scootaloo. The light-speed blades of darkness overcame the sound-speed of the Arrancar's Sonido. Lilynette was stunned for a moment. That was all the time a certain unicorn filly needed.

Sweetie Belle finished her incantation, "Hado 31: Shakkahou!" The 'red flame cannon' orb flew toward the stunned Arrancar. It collided with a fairly large explosion. Scootaloo reappeared on the ground next to Sweetie Belle and breathed heavily.

"Did we... win?" asked Scootaloo between breaths. The smoke cleared to reveal a very much alive Lilynette. She was covered in bruises and had a burn stain. However, she was more pissed off than dead. Scootaloo lowered her head wearily as she held her double-katana behind herself.

"Looks like we'll need just a little more," she sighed while letting her Zanpaktou fall into her shadow, "Bankai." Her shadow literally wrapped itself around her and formed a suit of chain mail armor. While she didn't feel any less tired, there was significantly more spiritual power present.

"Tsukikura Kagehime," Scootaloo whispered.

I've got to be careful, she thought, It's daytime right now, so my reach with the shadows is a bit limited.

Both fillies took a defensive stance daring the opponent to make the first move.

"A Bankai," said a voice that had been quiet for a while. The other three fighters looked at the sitting man that was no longer sitting. Lilynette let out some spit in disbelief before swiftly moving over to his side.

"Well then, it would be rude if I held back," continued Starkk, "Allow me to properly introduce myself. Espada Number 1: Coyote Starkk." He placed one hand on Lilynette's head.

"And this is Lilynette Gingerbuck. When we become one, our power is released," he explained before calling, "Kick about, Los Lobos!"

Spiritual energy made visibility of the enemy impossible. Sweetie Belle found herself having as much trouble breathing as Scootaloo from the sheer pressure that Starkk was exerting. Cheerilee continued to observe the whole thing in utter horror. When the aura cleared, Lilynette was gone. Additionally, Coyote Starkk's appearance had changed greatly. Gray wolf pelts covered his lower legs, arms, and collar area. The eye mask that was Lilynette's now covered Starkk's eye. In each hand, he held two bent metal objects. Enough exposure to human culture in the past enabled at least three ponies to identify a gun when they saw one.

"What the hay?" breathed Scootaloo.

Starkk raised the two objects in his hands and pointed the open ends at both of his current adversaries.

"I really don't want to do this," he said sincerely.

"Stop stalling and shoot already!" shouted a muffled voice that sounded like Lilynette. Starkk let out a sigh before pulling the trigger on both of his weapons. Two large beams of blue energy were launched from the guns. They were moving way too quickly to dodge or retaliate. In response, Scootaloo literally sank into her own shadow.

"Growl, Haineko!" cried Sweetie Belle hastily. She willed her blade of ashes into a protective dome around her. Giant explosions resulted from the blue Ceros.

She looked on. Was it fear that kept her eyes open? No, fear would have driven her to run around in panic like any other citizen of Ponyville. Was it enjoyment? Certainly not. What pleasure was there to gain from watching so much pain and destruction? There was none. So why did she just stand there and stare?

Cheerilee didn't have a clear mind to form that answer. She watched three of her little ponies fight against an unknown threat. She gazed on as each of them fell to one of the dangers that threat imposed. Apple Bloom was unconscious. Sweetie Belle soon followed her example. Scootaloo was still awake, but now she was barely able to stay standing with one hoof on a sword that was driven into the ground. That strange armor she was wearing a second ago had disappeared.

The girls, thought Cheerilee worried for their safety, The children... my children... get away.

The man who called himself Starkk was preparing one of his weapon's for another shot at the standing filly. Scootaloo was in no condition to keep fighting. She was shivering and struggling to breathe.

"Get away from my children!" shouted Cheerilee. Her body moved before she could make up her mind. Time seemed to slow itself as a number of things happened all at once. Another beam of blue energy left Starkk's weapon. Cheerilee galloped over and stood in front of Scootaloo.

"Miss Cheerilee!" shouted Scootaloo. A sword of unknown origin manifested itself in Cheerilee's hoof. The illusion of standstill time continued.

She felt the words flow as if some ancient demon was controlling her mouth, "All waves rise and become my shield. Lightning become my blade. Sogyo no Kotowari!"

Before Starkk could react to the chain of events, a blue Cero similar to his own was projected back at him. The beam blocked out visibility for him and anyone who was looking at him. Several seconds passed before the Cero faded into nothing. Starkk hadn't suffered very much damage, but there were certainly a few patches of his outfit that were emitting smoke. He took a long look at the direction from where the Cero had come.

Cheerilee was a bit surprised herself. The sword in her hoof had taken on a different shape with the sharp edge on the above side instead of underneath. Additionally, it had somehow peeled itself into two identical weapons that were joined at the hilts by a long, red rope. Five metal squares that resembled dog tags hung onto the rope.

"How did you fire that Cero just now?" called Starkk from his airborne position. Cheerilee looked up at him, down to her weapon, and back at him. An unusual smirk formed from her lips.

"Why don't you fire again and see for yourself?" she called back.

Where is this confidence coming from? she thought to herself, And why does it feel so good?

After a few seconds, Starkk replied, "Very well, then."

"No, you idiot!" yelled Lilynette's voice as if inside the gun, "It's obviously a trap." But Starkk paid no mind to the voice of his partner. With another pull of the trigger, he fired a blue stream of energy at the pony that challenged him. This time, he saw her blade actually catch the Cero, stopping it in its tracks. Less than a second later, her weapon fired a Cero back in his direction. This time, he quickly rushed to the side of the blast in order to avoid any direct damage.

"I see," he muttered, "That's how."

"Awaken and scream, Benihime!"

There was hardly a day off available to a particular Canterlot pony. When he finally had such a day available to him, he had not expected an overwhelming force to crush the city streets and the civilians among them. No, he certainly had not expected to witness such collateral damage. He especially did not plan to see two creatures that were quite cringing to see, creatures that looked like they would even frighten off Everfree Forest wildlife.

"I say," breathed Fancypants readjusting his monocle for the third time still not quite believing what he was looking at. Next to him, his wife Fleur de Lis was just as stunned by the surrounding damage and the two entities responsible for it. She didn't say anything, but her slim figure moved as if to express her shock in a standstill interpretive dance.

You don't want them to keep destroying the city, do you?

The feminine voice caught Fancypants by surprise and he looked around for the source. It wasn't Fleur, as she was standing there with her mouth agape. The voice sounded as if they were echoing off every empty space of air at once, like an omnidirectional noise beacon.

Well, no, he thought as if answering the call, But what am I to do about this imminent destruction?

Fight back.

I say, he mentally declared, That would be the instinctual thing to do... for a Royal Guard!

Why not you?

Well, he thought back, Considering I haven't the means to combat this foreign monstrosity, I can't rightly...

A couple lights flashed briefly in Fancypants' view. Before he knew it, two blades of nearly identical sizes had nudged their handles into his front hooves.

You were saying?

The question that the new voice asked tickled Fancypants' mind for a few seconds. In fact, it gave him a bit of a poetic phrase to mull over. The phrase was so unusual and yet... so familiar at the same time. He just had to say it out loud.

"Flower wind rage and flower wind roar," he recited, "Heavenly wind rage and heavenly demon sneer. Katen Kyokotsu!"

As she listened to her husband recite the most obscure poem she had ever heard, an unusual voice echoed in Fleur de Lis' mind.

Can you not see the damage that those two have caused?

Fleur blinked in confusion. She looked left and right but she couldn't find the source.

Don't bother looking for me outside. I am already in you.

She stopped shaking her head wildly, but still held her eyes open wondering what was going on.

Beauty is more than just how you look.

Really? she thought while idly patting her mane, What else is there?

Use your beauty to attack the problem.

A flash of light surprised her from her mental dialogue. Her front hoof now held a sword of a slightly curved design.

Go with the flow.

Fleur de Lis' mouth moved seemingly on its own as it said, "Surge, water and sky. Nejibana!"

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!" declared David.

"You're mistaken, Charlotte Coulhorn," said Cadance with a look of determined anger burning in her eyes.

"Really?" asked the muscular Arrancar in a dress in disbelief, "And how's that?"

"A princess must learn to restrain her power," answered the princess holding her less impressive Zanpaktou, "Otherwise, she risks destroying her very kingdom."

The edge of Tobiume gathered an orb of multicolored flames as she continued.

"You claim to be a princess that always gets her way, but all that makes you is a heartless tyrant. A real princess looks out for her subjects. She guides and protects them. She will even put her life on the line to ensure their safety."

She raised her sword high as the fiery orb continued to swirl.

"Now I'll show you what the love of a true princess is capable of," said Cadance with a calm promise.

"You forget, I still have your little lover in my hold here," pointed out Charlotte. Said lover, however, held a hoof up with other ideas.

"Bakudo 8," he choked out, "Seki!"

A small blue orb appeared before immediately bursting on contact with the Arrancar's skin. The pop surprised him and kicked him back a few feet.

"Snap, Tobiume!" cried Mi Amore Cadenza swinging her weapon down. This motion released the 'plum tree' fire and sent smoke and force into Charlotte's gut. With a unified battle cry, the pony couple aimed their respective blades at the stunned enemy. Tobiume and Gonryomaru pierced vessels where the heart should have been.

Time slowed down for the fighters involved. In a flash of white pieces, Charlotte Coulhorn's headpiece crumbled. He fell and hit the ground on his back. Then, for what seemed like hours, he slowly faded into the shadows.

Cadance and Shining Armor stashed their weapons into the non-physical plane. They then took each other in a reassuring embrace. Things were looking up.

"Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku!" called Celestia.

"You honestly think you're all that? Pheh!" scoffed Gilda, "You're not even a real bird, Avirama Redder." She held her talons apart as she yelled, "Bankai!"

A flash of light engulfed Gilda's gauntlet and her entire front limb. Seconds followed before Suzumebachi's final release became fully visible. Golden metal covered Gilda's arm as a base launcher complete with a small scope-like piece covered her right eye. Attached to the base was one giant, yellow missile. Large and obvious, it was an exact opposite of its Shikai form.

"Jakuho Raikoben," declared Gilda as she took aim at the red-winged Arrancar. Said Arrancar aimed his Devorar Pluma feathers at the gryphon.

Pah, thought Gilda as the missile left its base, Like he'll have the chance.

"Bakudo 79: Kuyo Shibari!" declared Luna.

The huge blimp of blubber that called himself Choe Neng Poww swatted away my favorite zebra with just one swing of his bulging fist. She had all the power that I recalled Ikkaku Madarame had and yet she still went down so quickly. I for one was shocked.

"Meep," I whimpered at the sight of the whale-sized Arrancar.

How the heck do you kill something with that much mass? I thought.

"Let's hit him with everything we've got!" yelled Daisy as she healed Zecora's more serious wounds, "Fulfill, Hisagomaru!"

"Right!" called the caped Rainbow Dash, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Hikotsu Taiho!" yelled Applejack.

After shaking myself from the initial worry I joined the chorus of attacks, "Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren!"

A huge red energy wave, a large thin black energy wave, a red cannon-esque blast from the snake's mouth, and an icy blast all made direct hits with the giant whale. While scratches became apparent against his white skin, he otherwise didn't appear fazed in the slightest.

Crap, I thought, Now what?

"Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant. Obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away. Scatter brightly and cleanly when fired."

No pony, thought Rarity her letting anger and energy burn, No... no one hurts Fluttershy and gets away with it!

"Heh," chuckled the green-haired Arrancar, "I didn't think you were the strongest one." He emphasized his point by kicking the poor thing out into the street.

"You just made a grave mistake, brute!" snarled Rarity.

"Hm?" he responded as he turned around.

"Bankai!" declared Rarity as she released her blade tip-down. White ripples emerged from the ground that the Zanpaktou entered. Unlike her previous Bankai releases, this one surrounded both Rarity and her enemy with a full, spherical landscape made from light pink blades. At least one hundred million swords spun around them.

"Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," stated Rarity, "I have given up all of my defense in favor of offense." One of the pink blades levitated of its own accord down next to her. Its aura receded as she grasped its hilt in her hoof.

"Now that's more like it!" shouted the Arrancar ecstatically.

"Prepare yourself Grimmjow!" called Rarity as both she and her enemy charged forward with blades bared.

"Hado 91: Senju Koten Taiho!" shouted David.

"This is too easy. I don't know why I even bothered letting my power rise to that of a Fourth Seat."

That voice was really starting to get on the Great and Powerful Trixie's nerves. The voice belonged to the apparently male human-esque entity standing before her. He had a sword with a pink handle and his stupid blond mane was too unkempt and long. To top it off, he had scratched his own mask. How dare he mock her? What had he said his name was? Fin... Door... Car-something? In any case, her heavy breathing wasn't helping her think.

"What are you implying?" she asked after catching her breath, "Are you saying that Trixie is weaker than these so-called Fourth Seat soul reapers that you mentioned?"

"Exacta!" chirped the man pointing a finger in her direction, "Right on the mark. Your mind is sharper than your blade."

"Trixie does not have to take this," she fumed, "Shine brightly, Nijigasumi!" Her katana glowed in rapidly-flashing colors of light as the base shone in a pure white light.

"Exacta, smart decision," chuckled Findorr, "You're finally getting serious. I suppose it's only fair that I humor you and show you my power as well. Engrave the surface of the water, Pinza Aguda!" Purple fire surrounded his form. As the flames cleared, his sword was gone. In its place, a giant claw reminiscent of a crustacean looked like it had fused with his entire right arm.

She seems to be able to alter the temperature of the water in the atmosphere at will, thought Twilight, She can do so without wasting a second thinking about the action. If that is in fact instantaneous, then even the speed of my arrows won't be enough.

Yeah, and Tsubaki won't be fast enough either, agreed Pinkie Pie even though Twilight couldn't hear her thoughts.

Meanwhile, the blond-maned Arrancar clashed her sword against one of Twilight's newest weapons: the Seele Schneider. While it was meant as an arrow, it worked as an impromptu defense against the melee opponent that she had been forced to fight with.

"If you want to live," started David after the explosion subsided, "leave this place and never return."

My worries were answered as a giant column of yellow light surrounded the whale in front of me.

They're... being called back? I thought in disbelief.

When they have the advantage? added Shirayuki.

Cheerilee and Scootaloo were all set to go another round when their vision was disrupted by a yellow light shining down from the sky that surrounded Starkk.

The impromptu battle between Fancypants and Ggio Vega was interrupted by a large column of yellow energy encasing the foreign enemy and slowly lifting him into the sky. The same also applied to the green elephant Nirgge Parduoc before Fleur could land another ocean wave onto him.

A column of yellow light appeared from directly overhead. The unconscious body of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez floated up into the hole in the sky.

As the explosion from the missile fire subsided, so too did Avirama Redder's body. He slowly evaporated into crimson shadows.

Yellow light engulfed Findorr Carius before he could get serious. As he started to get lifted away, Trixie could only watch in a combination of confusion and relief.

As soon as the battle had started, a bright yellow light blocked one of Twilight's strikes and lifted the silent Arrancar out of sight.

David sheathed his blade into the disguise of an old cane. He turned to look away from the slowly rising body of Sosuke Aizen.

A/N: Kagehime is an original Zanpakuto donated by Leo Archon. All other Bleach-related content belongs to Viz Media. I gain no profit from this.

Ch. 28: Voice of the Village

No, you'll never be alone
When darkness comes
I'll light the night with stars
Hear my whispers in the dark

Chapter 28: Voice of the Village

The room was dimly lit where she sat. Mattresses of subjective comfort surrounded her on every side of the room. The only thing that didn't have much cushioning was the one door in and out of the room. But even mad dogs knew better than to ram their heads into a metal door unless there was something on the other side.

She didn't know how long she had been in here. Nor did she particularly care. Because some pony had visited her recently. This some pony was much nicer toward her than any of the slave masters that locked her in this room. This some pony always answered her call. All she had to do was make one short request.

"Whisper, Muramasa."

The next seven days were occupied by everyone doing their part to rebuild sections of the damaged cities. (I know technically that Ponyville isn't a "city" but it's easier calling it that than "two populated areas that hold several residents".) Aside from a double-digit count of minor casualties, not one pony had died from the invasion. Hey, good news was good news and I was happy to take it.

That threat that was supposed to be more bothersome than David hadn't exactly been as big a deal as it had been hyped up to be. Seriously, I thought we were going to have to face the Privaron Espada, the Gillians, and all those other Hollow-esque baddies. I mean sure, I wasn't going to complain about the relative ease that the Princesses and David had with taking care of the primary source. However, I did think it was a bit too easy. I had a hunch that something else was going on. I didn't like that hunch, but it saved my keister more often times than not. So it did come in handy.

Be that as it may, I had no leads for that hunch to follow. Sure, Twilight Sparkle's instincts were right that something was off with Cadance the day before the wedding. But even she didn't fully understand what was going on behind the scenes. Similarly to my situation, I had a strong feeling that David wasn't trustworthy. Unfortunately, knowing that and knowing what he was actually up to were two very different pieces of information and I didn't have the second piece.

We'll just have to play it by ear, sighed Shirayuki via thoughts.

"Yeah," I sighed audibly. After earning my keep by helping Spike reorganize Twilight's book collection, it was time to get some much needed sleep. Some day, when the hectic battles were over, I wanted to look into getting my own house. I was grateful to my friends for their hospitality but there was just something about moving out that inspired... liberty. Until then, I would sleep soundly under the pink, guest blanket.

Geez, Louise, I thought as I woke up, Another morning of waking up to a spiritual pressure?

Unfortunately, that was what woke me up and convinced me to toss the sheets aside. I headed out without a word to announce my rapid departure. As usual, the door knob covered itself in ice as I yanked it open via magic. That wasn't what annoyed me this morning.

No, what bothered me was that the spiritual pressure I felt wasn't a foreign one like all of the enemies we had encountered recently. It felt familiar... too familiar.

Rarity? I thought, What is she doing out this far away from Carousel Boutique? After crossing a few blocks half-galloping and half-flying, the answer was apparent.

That's not Rarity! gasped Shirayuki through thought.

It most certainly wasn't. Sure, there were pink petals floating about and tearing up some rooftops. However, it wasn't the white unicorn that was controlling them. Instead, the epicenter of the destruction consisted of a what looked like a heavily armored man. His face was hidden by a uniquely patterned mask. I knew this man.

"Senbonzakura?!" I shouted in shock.

The armored man turned to look at me due to my outburst. In a quick motion, he swung what looked like an empty hilt in my direction. The swirling cherry blossom blades followed his order and headed my way. Fortunately, my instincts acted before I could think. A quick flash step carried me to a different section of the street behind him. But I knew this wouldn't last long.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I shouted while pulling out my Zanpaktou. The katana turned white and grew its long, pale ribbon. My body soon joined its color as my other mind took control. Her evergreen armor and helmet took their respective positions. As I feared, Senbonzakura's small, pink blades soon corrected themselves and followed our position. A swish of air was all I heard to indicate that we had once again avoided the direct attack by way of a flash step.

In her new position, Shirayuki held her blade out horizontally while saying, "So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro!" A large, frozen circle appeared beneath her hooves. An instant later, a pillar of ice surrounded her just before I heard the sound of Senbonzakura's Shikai colliding with the ice.

No thank you, thought Shirayuki, I've already been cut up by that attack once. I'm not doing an encore. Soon, the pillar protecting her shattered to smithereens. The pink cherry blossom blades returned to their wielder as Senbonzakura's blade. He rushed forward with a more direct approach.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!" shouted Shirayuki aiming a hoof at the incoming enemy. Small arcs of lightning skated through the air. But each and every strike missed their intended target. Senbonzakura was still coming fast. His sword clashed with hers and her back hooves slid across the ground a few feet. He and she exchanged swings of their respective blades. The sound of multiple hits of metal filled the air.

An uncomfortable rumbling feeling shook the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse. All three Crusaders felt various degrees of anxiety. Apple Bloom was gritting her teeth trying to bear the pressure. Sweetie Belle physically sweat out of an unknown fear. Scootaloo looked worried but also annoyed with an angry scowl.

"We gotta go check this out," admitted Apple Bloom. Her two friends nodded in agreement and they headed out the door. Down the ramp they scampered. The earth filly and the unicorn filly took their respective seats in the wagon as the Pegasus filly mounted her trusty scooter. Helmets were on instantly, and the buzzing of wings set the speed of their travel.

The spiritual pressure was coming from the Everfree Forest. But as soon as Scootaloo slowed to a stop at its edge, the pressure suddenly reduced itself. The sudden calmness caught all three of the girls off guard. They were even more perplexed at the entities that were standing just on the border between safe land and the forest.

"No way..." breathed Scootaloo.

"Hello, cuties," chuckled one of the beings, "Did you miss me?"

Clang, clang, clang went my pattern of attacks. If I weren't so busy fighting for my life, I might have considered writing a song to that rhythm. As it turned out, however, there was a masked samurai which was also a Zanpaktou that was trying to kill me. Senbonzakura tried sending forth his flower petal blades again. I wasn't sure if I could counter it with ice alone.

"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!" yelled Shirayuki.

Her yellow-orange kido fan spun rapidly and managed to block most of the blades. But, she had to jump back to avoid the rest.

"Scatter!" shouted the man as he held an open hand in my direction. The thousand cherry blossoms flowed with his command. It looked like I was going to need a slightly larger fan.

"Hado 58: Tenran!" I called out. From my tilted blade, a tornado blew and managed to hold off the wave of Senbonzakura's shikai. As the winds subsided, he called his petal blades back into sword form. He looked ready to charge forward again.

"You're... Kagehime?" asked Scootaloo in disbelief. The unicorn in question simply giggled in response.

"Hey wait," interrupted Sweetie Belle pointing to one of the other entities, "I know that creature. It's Haineko!" The humanoid cat smirked at being mentioned.

"And that's Fuji Kujaku!" exclaimed Apple Bloom as she looked at the third entity. The man with a bandage-topped hat twitched his eye and frowned.

"That's Ruri'iro Kujaku," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"Oh, right," Apple Bloom rubbed her neck sheepishly, "Sorry, I keep forgetting that."

She then put her hoof back down before tilting her head, "Wait... I thought ya'll were supposed to exist inside our spirits. How can you be out here?"

"I'm not entirely sure," admitted Kagehime, "I just remember sometime this morning, a voice told us to follow our instinct."

"What does that even mean?" Scootaloo asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned," chuckled Kagehime, "my instinct is to fight freely and stretch my horizons."

"That sounds even more vague," pointed out Sweetie Belle.

The armored unicorn didn't respond to that. Instead, she just raised her hoof out in front of her.

"Shroud the world in darkness," she whispered. A pool of black energy swirled in front of her hoof before it began to take a more distinct shape. The manifested weapon looked like a rather familiar double katana. All three of the fillies gasped as they recognized the shikai release.

"A part of me always wanted to fight a cute little girl," smiled Kagehime. With barely a step, she was gliding above the grass at the crusader in front. Scootaloo instinctively summoned her sword from the ethereal realm just as her Zanpaktou spirit crashed into her. Scootaloo's hooves skidded across the ground as Kagehime pushed her black sword against Scootaloo's. The little filly had no idea why she was being attacked and her wide open eyes showed that.

"Scootaloo!" shouted Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle simultaneously.

"Better look after yourself," muttered Ruri'iro Kujaku as he suddenly appeared right behind Apple Bloom. They both manifested katana and swung at their respective other. The sound of metal clashing with metal rang even on the edge of Everfree.

"Ready to dance, nyah?" chirped Haineko. Sweetie Belle summoned her blade just in the nick of time to defend against Haineko's swing. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were just as confused as Scootaloo. How had their Zanpaktou spirits entered the real world and why were they fighting them?

"Stop right there, Senbonzakura!" shouted a new voice. The interruption was enough to catch both his and my attention as we turned to look at the source.

"Rarity!" exclaimed Shirayuki. Senbonzakura only grunted in annoyance.

"Leave him to me, Tundra!" hollered Rarity as she manifested her blade, "As his owner, I shall be the one to correct his uncouth behavior."

"Makes sense to me," nodded Shirayuki as she jumped back and away from the clash. Senbonzakura quickly found a new sparring partner in Rarity. It was astounding how fast she had him on the defensive. Shirayuki took one last look back at the brawl before she took flight toward the other side of town. I sensed some other stray spiritual pressures. Some pony else might have needed assistance.

"Growl!" called Haineko as the blade in her hand crumbled to ashes. The ashes formed a cloud and started to circle around her opponent. Unsure but not clueless, Sweetie Belle swung her own blade around wildly before running through a gap in the ash cloud. She then turned around and stood ready for a counterattack.

"Growl, Haineko!" she shouted. But nothing happened. Confused, she looked down at her Zanpaktou. It was still in one piece and had not reacted to her shikai release command. She tried swinging it once with a bit more force.

"Growl, Haineko!" Sweetie Belle shouted again, "Why isn't it working?"

"You want to know why it isn't working, nyah?" echoed Haineko with a chuckle, "Here's an interesting fact: my spirit no longer resides in that sword of yours. You're basically just playing with an overgrown butter knife."

"What?!" squeaked Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo wasn't faring much better.

"I know it must hurt right now," commented Kagehime, "Without my spirit, you can no longer fight in the shadows."

Scootaloo's only response was a series of grunts trying to fend off the barrage of attacks. Her single blade could just barely defend against the rapid spinning of Kagehime's double katana.

Farther along the forest's tree line, Apple Bloom was somewhat more successful. In translation, her opponent was just as annoyed as she was since their attacks countered each other swing for swing.

"Why won't you just crumble to pieces?" growled Ruri'iro Kujaku.

"Why can't you just calm down?" inquired Apple Bloom while she kept hitting his blade with her own.

She didn't want to do it.

"Raise your head."

She never wanted to do anything like this.

"Nngh!"

But... he had attacked without reason.

"Augh!"

And he had threatened to do the same to the ones she loved the most.

Without her sword, she switched to her bear shoulder massage technique. It did more than enough of a job breaking the bones in Wabisuke's neck.

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy whispered as she sat next to the silent blade that she had just defeated. Slow tears ran down from her eyes.

"I... guess I was wrong about you," winced Wabisuke with his last breath, "Your bond with your friends actually makes you stronger."

"But... I hope you won't forgive me for doing what I had to do."

On that note, she reached out and touched the weapon's hilt. This sent it back to the non-physical plane.

"Fluttershy!" I hollered as I glided down next to her, "Are you all right? I thought I sensed another spiritual presence around here."

She nodded slowly as she seemed to blink away some tears, "I'll be okay. I did what was necessary."

"Uh, okay then," I acknowledged though I felt like I was missing some details. Still I didn't press on the issue and followed up with, "I'm going to check on every pony else. I'll come back to you later."

"No, Tundra," disagreed Fluttershy calmly yet in a voice slightly louder than her usual self, "I'm going with you."

"If that's what you want to do," I shrugged as I wasn't one to turn down free help. Besides, my other half was commenting about how cute Fluttershy looks when she's determined. I couldn't argue with that.

She was starting to slip up. The ashes began to leave visible cuts and scrapes along Sweetie Belle's skin. She wasn't made to keep fighting forever. There just had to be a way for her to end this.

"Do you... honestly think..." Scootaloo asked through pants of breath, "... that you're... all that... with the shadows?"

"Well I am the Shadow Princess," pointed out Kagehime.

"Even so," spat Scootaloo, "You said it yourself before. It's up to me to control my shadows as well as my light. You never said that it was important to just let you handle everything."

"Wait... what are you implying?" asked the Zanpaktou spirit in genuine confusion.

"I'm saying that even though I depended on you for a lot," continued Scootaloo, "In the end, I have to be the one to look for that balance." She held her blade out in front of her as a thin layer of spiritual power formed around her body.

"Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime!" she called. Her weapon was covered by a dark aura as it lengthened and reformed. As the shadow cleared, Scootaloo was now holding her own double katana. Kagehime let out a gasp at seeing Scootaloo pull that off. Scootaloo simply let out a forced chuckle as a circle of sword-shaped shadows appeared in front of her. Kagehime huffed once as she formed her own circle of dark energy swords.

"Shadow Blade!" shouted both of the fighters as their respective shikai powers collided in the air. The multitude of shadow blades dissipated on contact with each other.

Apple Bloom struggled against her new predicament. Ruri'iro Kujaku had successfully wrapped her up in a bunch of azure vines. The buds along the branches had already begun to form.

"How does it feel to be on the receiving end of your attack?" asked the man.

"Heh," chuckled Apple Bloom, "Stick with what you know best... right? Fuji Kujaku?"

Ruri'iro Kujaku growled, "I told you to stop calling me that."

"Well, what if I said, 'Bloom, Fuji Kujaku'?" grinned Apple Bloom. The blade in her grasp suddenly glowed an emerald color before splitting into four hook-curved blades. With a wild swinging motion, Apple Bloom chopped off the vines before most of her energy could be stolen.

"Impossible!" gasped Ruri'iro Kujaku, "You can't use my power if I'm not in your power."

"I guess that just proves I've got the strength to try," responded Apple Bloom, "and I'm not afraid of calling you the name I choose... Fuji Kujaku."

Senbonzakura was the first to break contact with his blade as he took a leap back.

"Scatter!" he called holding his sword straight up. The metal blade glowed in its familiar pink glow as it separated into one thousand cherry blossom blades. They started to circle his opponent who still held a determined look on her face.

Just because I am a lady does not mean that I cannot take care of myself, thought Rarity.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura!" she cried. Just as the petal-shaped blades closed in on her, her own sword flowed into a stream of pink petals. One thousand blossoms were countered by one thousand blossoms. Not a scratch was left on her.

Grunting quietly, the masked man ran over and started encouraging his thousand blossom blades to outmaneuver his opponents' blades. The air on the street was filled with the shikai of both fighters. If they weren't so lethal, the scene would have been beautiful to watch. Two thousand cherry blossoms glided through the air. Their paths were guided only by the winds of spiritual energy that Senbonzakura and Rarity harnessed.

Eventually, Senbonzakura grew tired of the seemingly endless fight and called his own blades back into his original sword. Curious, Rarity did the same as Senbonzakura held his sword with the blade pointed to the ground. He released his grip and let it drop.

"Bankai," he said. The sword just sank into the ground as if it were sinking through water. The scenery around the fighters darkened to a deep blue. Circles made of floating pink swords surrounded them.

"Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," he addressed his attack. Two of the blades floated down within reach. He grabbed the hilts and the swords immediately assumed the colors of standard Zanpaktou. Contrary to previous uses of this Bankai, the countless blades that surrounded him and his opponent faded. Eventually, they all formed around the swords that he was holding in what appeared to be wings of white spiritual pressure.

"Shukei: Hakuteiken," he called. But before he could advance, the sound of a flash step was audible. Rarity appeared instantly just behind him.

"It seems I was mistaken," she sighed, "I thought you were a gentleman. Without me, however, you act like an impulsive ruffian."

The white energy surrounding his swords seemed to 'pop' out of existence. What followed was a crack as bits of his armor shattered and revealed his arm and his eye. Senbonzakura shook in place a bit as he realized what had happened.

"L-Lady Rarity..." he whispered as he slowly fell forward.

A bare katana lied on the ground as Rarity trotted back to retrieve it.

"Ready for the real fun to begin?" taunted Kagehime as she dropped her double katana behind her, "Bankai!"

After her weapon vanished, the shadow behind her seemed to wrap around her body. But other than a brief flash, she didn't look any different physically.

"Nothing happened," commented Scootaloo while looking with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, something's happened all right," chuckled Kagehime, "Kage Bunshin!"

In less than a second, several copies of the armored unicorn surrounded Scootaloo. All of which looked eager to play.

"How is that possible?" demanded Scootaloo almost losing grip on her double sword, "We're in broad daylight!"

"I'm no longer bound to your limitations, sweetheart," smirked Kagehime, "My bankai is at its peak now."

With a grunt of annoyance, Scootaloo held her ground as several Kagehime clones bounded onto her position. The Pegasus spun her weapon around as quickly as she could. It knocked out some of the clones into puffs of smoke, but more were on their way. One even managed to utilize their own shadow into some dark, physical claw to grab her neck.

"Get... off!" Scootaloo choked as she swept the claw away with one of her blades.

Fighting an entire army on her own was not a good strategy. So, she decided to try galloping through the crowd. She put the handle of her weapon between her teeth to allow room for a full-out run. She shot down some of the clones with her shadow blade technique while swinging her head at any clones that came too close to her.

"What's the matter, Apple Bloom?" smiled Ruri'iro Kujaku, "Getting spiritually weaker?"

"Are you kidding?" forced Apple Bloom, "I'm just getting started."

Her heavy breathing wasn't helping her argument.

Wait! thought Sweetie Belle, That's it! She'd never see it coming!

"Fluttershy, are you sure you're okay?" I asked. I knew she was our quietest friend, but this was a different kind of silence. This was an eerily calm quietness that can only be surreal because some pony had disregarded their emotions. Fluttershy was not one to ignore her feelings.

"Yes," was her reply. That particular response bothered me more than it should have. It wasn't a barely audible whisper or a hesitant and uncommitting stammer. It was solid neutral acknowledgement like a Royal Guard's affirmation.

This battle situation against Hollows, shadow monsters, and rogue Zanpaktou was starting to affect every pony.

Someday, I thought, I hope we can all have a nice relaxing day. I miss those summer days.

Sunny... Lu Lu...

Sweetie Belle had just started telling us about kido, thought Apple Bloom.

I guess now's the time to see what I've learned, decided Scootaloo.

"Mask of flesh and blood," chanted Apple Bloom, "Universe soar. The one crowned with man's name."

"The one who reigns, mask of flesh and blood and flutter of wings," recited Sweetie Belle, "The one who crowns us with a name."

"Carriage of thunder," spoke Scootaloo, "Bridge of a spinning wheel."

"Carve a twin lotus into the wall of blue flames and await the blazing fires to reach the distant heavens."

"Gathering of heat and war beyond the seas and rivers take steps to the south."

"With light divide this into six."

"Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!"

"Hado 31: Shakkahou!"

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!"

Ruri'iro Kujaku expertly dodged the double-burst of blue fire. Haineko easily jumped over the red flame cannon. Kagehime sank into the shadows before the six bars of light could ensnare her. She reappeared to Scootaloo's right.

"Just where were you aiming?" asked the 'azure peacock'.

"I taught you that move," chastised the 'ash cat', "You can't defeat me with it."

"Silly Scootaloo," chuckled the 'shadow princess', "A few lights won't vanquish my darkness."

"Wasn't aiming at you," smirked the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Huh?" questioned the Zanpaktou. But the meaning of the phrase soon became clear.

"What? What is this?!" exclaimed Ruri'iro Kujaku. His waist had become trapped by six rectangular petals of light and he couldn't move.

Haineko looked just in time to be scorched by a giant burst of blue flames.

"Nyaaaaaaah!" she cried.

Kagehime didn't say anything. She could only stare in shock as a small blast of red fire collided with her. She was completely surprised.

"Bakudo 9," shouted Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in unison, "Horin!"

"Fluttershy!" I gasped, "Did you feel that?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Let's go."

We were flying rather close to the edge of the Everfree Forest. That's when I spotted six figures.

Hey! thought Tundra, It's the Cutie Mark Crusaders!

"What do we do now?" wondered Sweetie Belle aloud.

"We can't just leave them like that," agreed Apple Bloom.

"Girls!" hollered Fluttershy as we glided down for a landing.

"Fluttershy! Tundra!" exclaimed Scootaloo.

It didn't take long to figure out what had happened here. The other three entities in the vicinity were trapped in Bakudo.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that those are the spirits of your Zanpaktou," I motioned towards them.

"Yeah," affirmed Sweetie Belle, "They just started attacking us for no reason."

"So it was just like with Wabisuke," muttered Fluttershy. I don't know how I caught that when she's usually so quiet. But, this wasn't the time to ponder that.

"I think there's some pony near Ponyville that's wielding Muramasa," I hypothesized, "A strong enough spiritual pressure is far-reaching and I believe it has affected Zanpaktou over a large area."

I only received three stares of confusion in response.

"Muramasa can take control of a Zanpaktou spirit and turn it against its master," I explained, "There are only two ways to counter it. The first way is to apply a spiritual lock-out before its effect takes place. The second is applied when it's too late for the first. You must regain control of your Zanpaktou's power by defeating it with a finisher."

"You don't mean..." trailed Apple Bloom. To that, I simply nodded once.

"If that's what we have to do," sighed Scootaloo. Head held high, she walked over and faced the armored unicorn which I assumed was Kagehime. Scootaloo raised her double katana and a circle of dark blades appeared in front of her.

"Shadow Blade!" she declared and the swords of darkness were launched. The recipient of the attack let out a short grunt of pain before a black aura engulfed her. Scootaloo walked over to the katana that was now lying on the ground. As she took hold of the handle, the sword vanished and her own spiritual pressure felt a bit stronger.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were a bit more reluctant to follow through. But after looking at each other and then back at their Zanpaktou, they knew what they had to do. Two respective sword slashes were followed by two more Zanpaktou recoveries. The afternoon air felt a little lighter.

"I ain't too keen on using magic, but I'll try it anyway," said Applejack to herself, "How did it go again? Hado... 4: Byakurai?"

Surprising herself and the retreating duo, a small flash of blue lightning ran through and hit Monkey and Snake. Their hairs stood a bit on end and their bodies seemed to actually freeze from the light electrocution.

"W-w-what th-the he-e-eck?" shivered Monkey. As she was holding the chain that connected her to the other Zanpaktou spirit, Snake shivered twice as rapidly.

"It worked?" blinked Applejack before jumping for joy, "It worked! Alright! Time to turn this fight around!"

"Y-y-you c-c-can't b-b-be s-serious," quivered Snake.

"Thank ya'll for teaching me this particular move," smirked Applejack as the pieces of her weathered sword, "Higa Zekko!"

The 'broken baboon fang' glowed a brilliant red before its parts flung into the opposition. The yells of both of Zabimaru's spirits rang out to the sky. As the shower of sword pieces ended, a flash of light briefly engulfed Monkey and Snake. As it passed, a fully intact Zabimaru weapon stood with its blade earthbound.

"How do you like them apples?" panted Applejack as she breathed away the stress of battle.

"Did you collect the data that I asked for?" pondered the 'creator'.

"Of course," was the response, "So long as you remade the tools that I've lost."

"You have my word," he told it, "No one will suspect that they aren't the genuine Arrancar."

"Then that concludes our business."

As the spiritual connection faded, the man took hold of the faded-blue pony in the straitjacket. Without an audible sound, they both vanished from the white room.

Author's Note

Kagehime is an original Zanpakuto lent by Leo Archon.
All other Bleach and MLP related content are property of their respective owners.

Please support the official release.

Sorry it's been so long.
I kind fell into a funk where Bleach wasn't the center of my anime fascination.
As a result, I started to feel a bit less confident with this story.
Plus, that whole threat of being booted off one particular group if I kept posting stuff like this didn't help.
But I think a little collab work with a good person helped me remember that it's not the dislikers that should make me stop writing.
If I want to finish something right, then I'd better doggone keep at it until that story's status is "complete".
So that's what I'll do.
No matter how long it takes.

Side Ch.: Heaven's Frost vs. Hellfire

I wish I had an angel
For one moment of love
I wish I had your angel tonight

Side-chapter: Heaven’s Frost vs. Hellfire

I’m not really sure what happened. As soon as I opened my eyes, my ears were full of various cries and cheers. There were tall walls all around that stretched to the sky. At the edge of some of the walls, I could see ponies, people, and a bunch of other creatures having a hoot and acting like wild football fans. To say I was flabbergasted would be an understatement.

Where am I? I thought, Who are these people? And why do I suddenly not care if I kill the next guy that crosses my path?

As if to answer my question with a question, a peculiar bipedal creature walked in from the other side of the arena. I wasn’t sure what how to describe what I was seeing. The way his black skin looked like it had been melted, how his four insectoid wings buzzed behind him occasionally, and his clawed hands(?)… altogether, it almost made me want to vomit.

Yet, the only emotion I could express at that moment was cold indifference. It was as if my ability to feel anything beyond an urge to kill had been stripped from my being. In contrast, my soon to be opponent couldn’t seem to wear any expression except a silly smile on his face.

“So, Tundra Stanza, huh?” he addressed me.

Who is this kook? I thought, though my indifferent stare voided any emotion behind that thought.

“I don’t know,” he drawled as he seemed to look at me from horn to hoof, “You look too hot to be called a tundra.”

Is he… coming onto me? I wondered while taking a step back despite the fact that there wasn’t anything to go back to, I’d better do something to end any awkward intimacy right now.

“I’m Knightmare,” the creature pointed a claw at himself, “But I think I might be your best dream in-”

“You do realize I used to be a man?” I tried halting his thought train at the station.

“Oh, re-he-heally?” he practically sang his syllables.

Wait, if he’d be willing to hit on guys or girls, I put two and two together and my eyes opened wide in horror, Oh, dear gosh! I just doubled my trouble by saying that!

“FIGHT!” ordered an overhead announcer that sounded suspiciously like Shao Kahn.

My earlier urge to kill quickly obliged. Feeling a bit more confident with my magic than day one as a pony, I willed five icicles into existence and surrounded the abomination called Knightmare. I galloped forward and summoned my Zanpaktou. I did not want to get my hooves dirty.

Well, I would just… not like that.

My distracting thought nearly cost me my eyes. Shards of the icicles flew past me and I had to swing my blade around wildly to avoid getting some free impalements. As soon as I thought it was safe to open my eyes, however, a rather heavily weighted object smacked me in the face. Dots of light swam in my vision before I could shake them out.

“I can’t believe I just hit on a drag queen!” groaned Knightmare.

He’s lost in thought, I realized, Now’s my chance!

I galloped forward taking steady aim with my blade. All I had to do was extend it a bit extra and he’d soon be ready for the “decapitated statue art” section.

“San-no-Mai, Shirafu-Woah!” I yelped as I slid off target onto my rump.

Is this some kind of cruel joke? I whimpered in thought as I watched a piece of one of my own icicles fly into the opposite wall. My chance to finish this fight literally slipped out under me. Not wanting my enemy to copy my ‘hit them while they’re distracted’ strategy, I quickly stood back up.

My ear perked up at a screechy chord resembling the noise of an electric guitar. After that, a familiar weight hit me in the chest area. Luckily, my blue chest plate took most of the force. I tried swinging my Zanpaktou at Knightmare, but the blade missed by an inch as he safely backed away. I hated to admit it, but I needed help.

“Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!”

While I was able to take control of the body, I briefly wondered why my sword had refused to change to its shikai white color. But, there was no more time. Rapidly, I advanced on the enemy’s position, swinging with power every time I struck that ax-like weapon of his. Eventually, his defensive stance broke and he resorted to buzzing his wings. This somehow made him move faster, but it also kept him from fighting back.

Yes, I’ve got him on the ropes! I cheered mentally, All he can do is dodge!

Though, my excitement soon switched to annoyance. I took notice that even though he was dodging every which way he could, he wasn’t really showing any signs of tiring. In contrast, my own muscles felt like they were starting to ache.

“Oh, come on now!” Knightmare shouted over my onslaught, “You make a lovely mare, Miss Stanza! But you see, it’d make things easier for both of us if you did not have that sword. You know what I mean?”

What does he mean by tha-? my thought was interrupted as he successfully flew out of my grounded range of attacks. He then proceeded to shake his cheeks and tongue around in a fashion that I recalled Rainbow Dash taunting that one time. Needless to say, I was kind of infuriated by Knightmare's mocking of me.

“So-me-no-Mai,” I whispered, “Tsukishiro.”

With my magic focused, a circle of white ice appeared underneath Knightmare’s feet. But, something wasn’t right.

Tsukishiro is supposed to transform into a pillar of ice, trapping all within regardless if they are on earth or in the sky, I stared angrily at the event that was not taking place, Why isn’t it working?

“What? Do you think I need to chill out?” Knightmare joked as he smacked his own behind for good measure.

You know what? Screw this! I fumed as I charged up an orb of my own ice magic. I forced it forward and I was briefly satisfied when it resulted in a yelp from the opposition. I couldn’t fool around with this fight anymore. If I wanted to defeat him, I’d have to use all of the power I had left.

Pointing my sword over four specific points, I called upon all of the spiritual energy I had into the tip of my blade. Snowflakes poured into one point, practically begging me to kill something with them. That’s what I intended to do.

“Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren!” I called. The wave of snow shot forward in a dense, cold beam. Briefly, I let a small smile cross my otherwise angry face. There was no way that Knightmare could…

…float casually to the side to avoid my attack and let the arena wall suffer his planned fate.

…what, I thought in disbelief.

The wall certainly looked prettier in its new coat of bluish-white. But, I couldn't enjoy it as I was already falling to my knees. I could barely stand, let alone fight.

“Girl, I just gotta say,” my enemy whistled, “You’re as cold as ice.”

I have to use my kido, I thought while panting, It’s my only chance.

“H…hado… thirty-…three,” I tried saying between breaths.

The accursed scream from that ax destroyed any concentration I had left. My eyes were forced shut to minimize the headache. When the wail ended, I looked back up hoping for peaceful tranquility. Unfortunately, that action alone left my neck wide open for the sharp projectile that collided with it.

With the last amount of blood pumping through my brain, I managed to see what the problem was with my Zanpaktou. It had the violet hilt of Ruri’iro Kujaku.

I was fighting with Apple Bloom’s sword this whole time?! I thought exasperatedly.

Then, I saw no more.

---(Tundra’s POV)

I watched from the safety of the VIF (Very Important Fighter) seats. Idly, I rubbed my neck.

“Yeesh,” I muttered, “I’m glad that’s just a simulation.”

Some time later…

“Hey!”

I looked over toward who was speaking. I recognized him from his depicted image in the arena. It was Knightmare Demonbane. Although, he wasn’t nearly as gross-looking in person as his hologram was. I think the staff of this “Equestrian Death Battle Tournament” had taken some creative liberties when creating the fighters’ representative avatars. Shirayuki was supposed to have a white coat after all, not just take control of my body mentally.

“Mind if I take a seat, Miss Stanza?” Knightmare asked politely.

“I don’t mind at all,” I smiled lightly. It was better to make friends in real life than enemies.

“So…” he seemed to struggle with what he was trying to say, “Uh… sorry.” I wondered why he was so red in the face.

Oh, he must be talking about what happened in the arena, I concluded. I held up a hoof before he could say something that would embarrass us both.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I told him straight, “You fought me. You beat me. That’s how a tournament battle is supposed to go.”

“Y-uh, I wasn't… actually… talking about,” he kept pausing frequently before letting out a sigh.

Then, what is he talking about? I wondered with an eyebrow raised.

“I think they got some faulty information,” he hurriedly explained, “because there’s no way I’d be that insulting to anyone, unless they’d done something to make me really angry. I just… yeah. Sorry.”

Well… I wasn't expecting that.

“So, uh,” he paused before offering one hand forward, “Friends?”

“Sure,” I nodded as I completed his handshake with my hoof, “Besides, they weren't exactly spot on with my information either. I mean, Ruri’iro Kujaku?” I chuckled at their error in the pre-battle analysis, “That's Apple Bloom's sword.”

“Definitely different universes. The Apple Bloom I know has a razor whip,” Knightmare chuckled in reply, “Well then, maybe we can meet again after the tournament is over. I’d love to do a duet on stage.”

It had been a while since my last, large production musical number.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “I’d like that.”

“Then it’s a deal!” he perked up, “Drop by New Canterlot sometime and we’ll make some beautiful music together! … and no, that wasn’t innuendo.”

“I… didn’t say it was,” I blinked at his sudden drop in mood.

That didn’t sound remotely suggestive, I thought.

“Everyone likes to think I’m a shameless pervert,” he grumbled, “I personally don’t like it when everyone I meet assumes that, since it’s not true. And I swear I’m going to strangle Griffin for telling Arrel that.” He immediately stopped.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say to that. What do you say to a guy that’s been unfairly judged for a large portion of his life without sounding judgmental yourself?

---(Shirayuki’s POV)

I had to say something. I wasn’t going to leave this poor man in the dumps. So, with barely a nudge, I took dominance and spoke my mind.

“If everyone else chooses to make assumptions before they've properly met you, then that's their problem. I can tell that you're better than that.”

Knightmare looked up briefly. Tears rolled down his honest smile line.

“Thank you,” he exhaled before resting his head in his hands.

Stay tuned to From Nobody to Knightmare for the special crossover chapter:
Musical Mayhem: The Angel of Music vs. The Demon of Metal!

Author's Note

Death Battle: Equestria belongs to RLYoshi.
From Nobody to Knightmare belongs to JJ Malcom.
Permission was granted by both of these writers to post something like this.
All other potential references belong to their respective owners.

This chapter is non-profit and not meant to be stolen in any way.

Yeah, I know how much you people hate short chapters, but I just couldn’t keep this to myself.

Ch. 29: Creativity Stems From What Already Exists / Epilogue: Encyclopedia

Rays of light from the stars in the night sky above
Send a plea from across the ages
So that our wishes will be in someone’s heart someday
Let’s shine on like that star

Chapter 29: Creativity Stems From What Already Exists

“Uwaaa!”

I was sent sprawling to the ground after the last onslaught. My enemy was practically on top of me. My Zanpaktou was just out of reach. Meanwhile, another blade was almost right against my neck. I was finished. I had lost. It was then that my enemy sighed.

“If a convincing illusion of you with that sorry excuse of a strategy couldn’t defeat a half-breed changeling, what in *gee*’s name made you think it would work for you against me?”

“Gee, thanks,” I muttered, “I was trying to forgive and forget that incident.”

Don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy the musical number after the multi-dimensional event. But the battle to the death itself revealed my most shameful weakness. I had no proper training in the ways of combat. Sure, I’d managed to kill my fair share of Hollows. But against enemies that could match or surpass my speed, I might as well have been Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho. Yeah, I sucked.

“It’s like I said when we started this training session,” Luna sighed as she pulled her sword safely away from my windpipe, “Fighting with a sword isn’t the same as flailing a flyswatter. You must hold an unbreakable defense and an unyielding offense.”

“You keep saying that, but I’m still not getting it,” I shook my head as I continued to lie on my back, “Maybe you ought to rephrase it.”

Luna took a deep breath as we just stared at each other for another half minute. Eventually, she reached down her free hoof and helped me up. Absentmindedly, I brushed off a thin layer of icy dust from my shoulder.

“Snow Sleeve,” Luna said much more gently, “I’m just trying to look out for you. I don’t want to lose you again.”

“Likewise, Lu Lu,” I smiled sadly, “I’m sorry that I was such a jerk when we first met up.”

“Water off an otter’s back,” she insisted, “Now, shall we?”

“All right,” I stood ready with Sode no Shirayuki in my grasp, “Let’s dance.”

One month later…

You know, I was starting to wonder when I would find myself back on Sweet Apple Acres. Assisting the long, tiring harvest had a weird rejuvenating effect after all that fighting. Heh, I guess when I focused on using a Zanpaktou, I spent less time using my back legs than I thought. Whatever the case may have been, I was back into my usual, part-time work loop. Bit collection was slow going, but the goal of having my own house was ever growing nearer.

Who knows? I thought, After I put in some furnishings, I might just take up a hobby.

Such as? popped in Shirayuki.

I... haven't gotten that far yet, I admitted, But plans should always be open to improvisation.

Can’t argue with that, she conceded.

I was about done with my shift when a shadowy figure stomped in out of nowhere. Seriously, it was like watching Celestia stamp on the library’s balcony all over again. Only this time, it was a much less pleasant surprise.

"Huh?" I blurted in shock, "What are you supposed to be?"

"Surprised?" asked the being as she walked closer, "I guess you should be."

Contrary to the Friendship is Magic fan base, there weren't a whole lot of black ponies that wandered Equestria freely. Up until now, I thought I was the only one. So when I looked at this new face, I was a bit lost.

"I bet it's not every day that you meet your twin," she smirked.

Her voice was unmistakable. It was a little lower and slightly more... seductive, but it imitated Rukia Kuchiki's just as easily as my own. I couldn't see anything about her that was remotely different from me except her eyes. Where my reflection showed me having turquoise with white, this clone had shimmering blue highlighting her eyes as if they were discharging lightning.

Who... or what is she? I thought.

"Too shocked to speak?" she asked rhetorically, "This should come as a relief then. I'm an exact replica of you created by Aizen and David."

I knew he couldn't be trusted! Shirayuki practically shouted in my head.

"So you're a fake me," I simply stated.

"I am not a fake," she tensed up slightly, "I don't care if you're the original. You're not better."

She stopped trotting forward before continuing, "We share the same body and the same talents... but there's one easy way to tell us apart."

"The fact that I'm not going to copy Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories quotes while you are?" I asked coyly.

"No!" she grumbled, "It's because I'm not afraid of anything!"

"I rest my case," I smiled gently.

"You know what? Forget this!" the clone suddenly shouted. A coat of white surrounded her entirely. In just one second, I was looking at a fairly convincing copy of Shirayuki. Though, the lightning blue eyes still gave away her artificiality.

"I'll just skip to the part where I destroy the original!"

She practically ripped a sword out of thin air and charged forward with one powerful flap of her white-feathered wings. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to see a fake me try to imitate my abilities. Even so, I barely managed to call forth my Zanpaktou before she was right in front of me. Our blades clanged against each other before I was launched back through the air. I was more stunned from my surprise than I was from her force. Though, a quick collision with one of the apple trees woke me from my trance.

"Oof!" I grunted. I heard a couple cracking sounds behind me before the sound of colliding leaves ended them. I turned around feeling slightly embarrassed at knocking down one of AJ's trees. Although, that sheepish feeling left as soon as I remembered what had knocked me this way in the first place. In fact, the fake Shirayuki was already getting ready with another attack.

"The one who reigns, mask of flesh and blood," recited not-Shirayuki, "Flap of wings. The one who carries the title of humans."

I kind of panicked before starting my own incantation.

"He who reigns, mask of flesh and blood," I said with a hoof raised, "Flutter of wings. The one who crowns us with a name."

"In the name of truth and temperance, dig your claws into the wall of sinless dreams!"

"Gathering of heat and war beyond the seas and rivers take steps to the south!"

"Hado 33: Sokatsui!"

"Hado 31: Shakkahou!"

Not-Shirayuki's crashing blue fire was intercepted by my red flame cannon. However, the aftershock from the explosion of red and blue fires was strong enough to blast me into the foliage of the tree that I had just knocked over.

"Fan-tipping-flastic," I mumbled, "I got leaves in my hair."

Maybe I should take over, suggested Shirayuki.

No, you'd better not, I replied, If someone else comes by and sees us fighting ourselves, then I'd like to give them a few more differences to look at than just eye color.

Oh, right. I didn't think about that, she admitted.

"Anyway, if I'm going to beat this wannabe," I resolved, "I'd better start treating this battle seriously."

The smoke cleared away and revealed a still very ticked off not-Shirayuki. It seemed she stole my idea as both of us spun the hilt of our swords in similar motions.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" both of us cried out. My Zanpaktou and my clone’s counterfeit both obtained icy hues and long ribbons of white.

“This is scientifically impossible,” muttered Twilight before raising her voice, “You are not scientifically possible!”

“Said the purple unicorn that pushes things around with magic,” retorted the not-Twilight.

“Ouch,” said Twilight softly.

“Still,” pondered not-Twilight, “this isn’t the best place for a proper battle. Meet me outside within the next minute or I’ll destroy this whole place.”

With that, the doppelganger whisked away in the breezy noise of her Hirenkyaku.

“What are we going to do, Twilight?” worried Spike.

“Stay here, Spike,” the Quincy told her dragon assistant, “I’m going to teach myself a lesson.”

Twilight copied her double’s vanishing act.

“Come back soon,” whispered Spike.

"Is that the best you can do?" mocked not-Shirayuki, "I expected that you'd put up more of a fight."

The injuries I had sustained were getting worse. Some of my blood was literally frosted onto my legs. I was also finding breathing to be a difficult task. I needed something... anything that could give me an edge. I needed a trump card. But the way things were going, my metaphorical deck may as well have been empty.

We need to turn this battle around! Shirayuki mentally exclaimed, I sense that the spiritual energy of the others are in danger.

I know, I thought back, But how do we beat an enemy that can use every move that we can?

Wait! she replied, Remember what Sode no Shirayuki said about our Bankai during that one jinzen?

She said that the first dream that brought us together is the key to unlocking her Bankai, I recalled.

Right, my other half affirmed, and what was that first dream?

It involved me reliving events that tested the main six against their own Elements of Harmony.

So, she concluded, Let us focus our spirit!

For my friends,I nodded.

For what they stand for, added Shirayuki.

“Playtime is over!” I hollered out loud.

I took control of the body and gained my respective colors. I stood up tall despite the pain of the icy droplets of blood surrounding me. As I did that, I lifted my Zanpaktou sideways in front of me and placed my other hoof against the dull edge.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked not-me. I ignored her and started letting the words of power flow from my mouth.

Truth become my sword.
Faith become my shield.
Wisdom guide me.
Compassion fill me.
Selflessness be with me.
Happiness reign eternal.

"Ban...kai!" I shouted.

The next few moments almost felt dreamlike to me. I was experiencing thoughts and feelings that were mine but also weren't completely mine. It was like I knew what Tundra Stanza knew, but I also held Shirayuki’s understanding. Regardless, this surge of spiritual power was... refreshing. I could literally feel my eyes burn a forest green before my vision returned to me.

"Kazekage Sode no Shirayuki!" I declared. I didn't need to see my Zanpaktou's new form. Somehow, I just knew that it was in both of my hooves. It resembled a couple of black and icy blue fold-up fans. Each was armed with icicle spikes that resembled dagger blades. Tundra’s black coat of fur occupied Shirayuki’s larger body type. I was also gifted with the white robes of my Zanpaktou spirit Sode no Shirayuki.

Not-Shirayuki looked completely stunned. Her lightning blue eyes that once held smug confidence widened and gave way to fear and hesitation.

"Wh-what is this?" she stammered. I didn't have time to answer her question, though.

"Fourth Dance," I breathed while waving my fans in a sort of flag-twirling cycle, "White Blizzard."

Heavy gale-like winds flowed outward in multiple directions. Each gust carried several crystals of snow and ice.

"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!" not-Shirayuki quickly retorted. An orange circle that looked like fan blades appeared. But her defense was for naught and quickly crumbled under the weight of the storm current. The winds and ice cut through her skin in various patches. There were even frozen clumps caught on her feathers.

"Fifth Dance: White Typhoon!" I declared. I spun myself around once. The resulting cold wind resembled that of a large tornado. Said tornado surrounded not-Shirayuki in an unstoppable force of pure rotation. It lifted her off her feet and rendered her wings useless. I flew up above my self-made tornado and held my fans just above the eye of the storm.

"Sixth Dance," I stated flatly, "White Guillotine." I threw both of the fans down, icicle daggers poised and sharp. The fans spun around in circles until they sliced through the target. The tornado died down as I watched the impostor pony fade into particles of shadows. My fans followed boomerang-esque paths back to my hooves.

I fluttered back down to the ground and took a moment to breathe. But I wasn't going to let myself rest just yet. I galloped in a direction that I sensed my friends' spiritual pressure. It felt like several strong releases had been activated at once. One thing was for sure. This wasn’t a contained situation.

Pinkie Pie, you must control your anger. Don't let it control you.

"Huh? Princess Celestia?" asked Pinkie Pie while looking all around her.

"Nope! Just me," stated not-Pinkie with blue sparks radiating from her eyes, "Koten Zanshun!"

"Woah!" yelped Pinkie as she narrowly dodged her look-alike's attack shield. In a slight panic, she bounced over to the next rooftop.

Channel your aggression into a more productive effort. Make it righteous fury.

"How do I do that?" asked Pinkie as she kept bouncing along.

"Just hold still and die!" exclaimed not-Pinkie a little too gleefully, "I reject!"

"Yikes!" hollered Pinkie. This time, the attack just barely missed the bottom of her hooves.

"Well, okay, Princess Celestia's voice in my head," she said as she turned around, "Hey, anger! Let's do something righteous and fun!"

Oh fine, grumbled a different voice inside her mind, Here, take this. Before she knew it, a sword appeared and her hoof wrapped around its hilt.

"I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'll do it anyway," she decided, "Reap, Kazeshini!"

This was the first time that Pinkie Pie ever truly contacted and responded to her other self's power. The weapon in her hoof surrounded itself in an eerie, green aura as it reformed entirely. Its blade took on the more curved appearance of a scythe on the end of a metal pole. The weapon seemed to replicate itself and the two pieces were joined by a chain at the ends of their respective poles. The ‘Death Wind’ was as intimidating as its name implied.

“Princess,” reasoned Fancypants one more time, “Surely there must be a better way to resolve this dispute without such barbaric measures.”

The lightning-filled gaze of the alicorn of love showed no sign of acknowledging her current opponent’s persuasion. In fact, the only verbal response he received was given after she swung her weapon and its small magical plume of fire.

“Snap, Tobiume!” the artificial Cadance commanded.

Fancypants held up both of Katen Kyokotsu’s blades preparing for one nasty, impending explosion. But the explosion never came. He felt the urge to readjust his monocle as he stared at the giant wall of water that was now acting as his shield. Now, he knew he never conjured such a defense. So naturally, he turned in the direction of the wave’s flowing source.

Standing tall and pretty while twirling a large, trident-esque spear was none other than Fleur de Lis. Water was literally following her Zanpaktou’s guidance and carrying the strength of the vast oceans.

“Surge, sea and sky, Nejibana!” Fleur yelled.

“You know,” contemplated Shining Armor, “I’ve always told every pony that you are potentially your own worst enemy, but this is ridiculous!”

The lightning-filled eyes of the copy-pony showed no indication that he was paying any attention to the words of the real pony. Currently, the Zanpaktou Gonryomaru was locked in a duel of lightning bolts with its clone. Shining Armor had hoped that his look-alike was as open for discussion as he was, but now that hope was being dashed away in fast-paced sparks filling the air between him and his opponent.

A sudden tingling gave Shining the shivers from behind. He managed to catch a glimpse of yet another clone before falling to one knee. He focused some of his magic and formed a shield large enough to cover himself. The attacks from his clones were reduced slightly, but the surging electricity still somehow got through enough to make his mane stand on end.

“Bakudoh 4: Hainawa!”

Shining Armor opened his eyes at the sound of the new voice. Yellow ropes of light ensnared the weapons of his enemies from out of nowhere. In their distracted state, the fake stallions couldn’t repel the plum-shaped plumes of fire crashing into their sides.

Cadance’s hooves stomped on the ground just outside of Shining Armor’s shield. Said shield was dissipating as he allowed it to recede.

“Are you all right?” Cadance didn’t take her eyes off of the clones as they recovered.

“I’m always better when you’re with me,” smiled Shining Armor.

“Here!” she offered. A small valentine erupted from her horn. The implicit strength behind it floated over before popping against Shining’s head.

“Thanks,” he nodded, feeling a lot better. He stood ready for another round against the not-Shining Armor twins.

As I flew, I could feel a large torrent of spiritual pressure in every direction. I wanted to help everyone that I could. I needed to help everybody possible. But I couldn’t identify which problem was closest. All of the destruction and disasters were top priority. The sheer force of everyone’s spiritual energy threatened to crush me.

Before I could think any longer on the matter, a large white sheet felt like it cut through my mind. My focus was blinded and all manner of color blurred out.

I struggled to open my eyes against a haze. Somehow, I had been laid down on a dark ground. I had no idea where I was, but it looked very similar to my gray abyss mind realm. However, this wasn’t as comforting a plane. Wherever I was, it felt foreign and unnerving just to stand up.

My outfit in Bankai form had apparently disappeared while I was out. It was just me and my evergreen chest plate. Absentmindedly, I tried summoning my Zanpaktou. Fortunately, I could still see the katana in my grasp. Though, that was a small positive considering I still had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there.

“Cier Dylan.”

That voice… I thought as I swung my head around looking for the source.

“Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel.”

Hoping to avoid a kido-based attack, I tried running in a random direction. Sadly, I couldn’t get a lock on the source of the caster. He could have been anywhere.

“With light divide this into six.”

“So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro!” I shouted. I conjured my ice pillar around myself, hoping to block the impending attack from any direction.

“Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro.”

In that exact instant, my ice was pierced and I felt six pounding objects hit my midsection. My ice pillar cracked and shattered just a few seconds after that. It left me exposed and I could see the six bars of light had me trapped. I wriggled and squirmed, but to no avail.

I was starting to wish the enemy in question would pick a new outfit. Harry Potter was too good for this man to go off and imitate. Seriously, what was his deal? He was even walking casually toward me like he didn’t have a care in the world. When he was within spitting distance, I just stared in anger and disgust.

It was jarring to see this guy show frustration on his face when he was right in front of me.

“So, Cier,” David nearly spat (glad he didn’t spray it), “Are you having fun yet?”

“Fun?” I raised my eyebrow at his choice of words, “First of all, my name is Tundra. Second, I woke up in a dark abyss. Third, I’m trapped in an immovable position. Fourth, there’s this bastard venting at me like he’s my drunken father. Yeah, David, I’m having loads of fun. What do you think?”

“Then why did you come here of all places?” he followed up.

“You think I had a choice in the matter?” I looked at him like he’d grown an extra head (which would be ten times less bizarre than the questions he was coming up with). “You’re the one that separated me from my true self all those years ago. I ended up living a human life. That wasn’t in itself bad, but then you used your crazy voodoo powers to drag me back to Equestria as a separate entity. Don’t even get me started on how you’ve been screwing up the place with monsters from an anime.”

“I gave you a chance to return to your human life,” he stated flatly.

“You shouldn’t have needed to,” I gave my rebuttal, “Heck, you shouldn’t have needed to create the disasters known as Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Shadow Pony War, and the Arrancar invasion. Feel free to stop me at any time.”

“All right, I will,” he said while grabbing my forehead.

“What the heck are you doing?” I didn’t like this feeling. It was way too similar to an event from my past… Shirayuki’s past.

The filly tried to scream, but her voice had escaped her. She felt her entire soul split in two. The white entity floated away. Only the dark entity remained behind.

“Empty creature from Shirayuki’s vessel, to you the name Nightmare shall be given.”

Inside, I could feel my spiritual energy churning into itself. I tried to block out the pain by closing my eyes. Needless to say, that wasn’t a very relieving effort. I clenched my teeth against the strain that my entire body and soul was burning against. I let out a prolonged yell until finally, David’s grasp left my head.

My head drooped like a weight had suddenly been added to it. My efforts to escape Rikujokoro were now fighting just to lift my head and open my eyes. Slowly but surely, I was eventually able to see again. What I saw caused me to widen my eyes in shock.

“I’d just like to let you know that I’m not your enemy,” said David, “In fact, this isn’t even your heroic tale.”

But I tuned him out as my attention was too focused on the figure that now stood beside him. The body that stood on all fours looked like the correct, white form. It had the right evergreen armor and the right, light blue mane. But there was one thing wrong with its face.

The eyes.

“Shirayuki?” I whispered, but her eyes weren’t on me. They were glassy, looking right through me.

“What were you hoping to accomplish?” wondered David rhetorically, “Were you aiming to mooch off of his fame? Did you think that by taking his place in the battle against me that no one else would notice? Or were you just that dead in the brain one day and decided that you needed to bounce off his premise just so you could elevate your own?”

“Shirayuki, what happened to you?” I asked. She didn’t even respond to my voice. I think I heard David sigh, but I wasn’t entirely sure.

“The only one who can remove the problem is yourself,” he said with what sounded like regret in his tone, “You’re the one that must take responsibility for your actions. It’s time to pay the consequences for the suffering you’ve caused. Nightmare… kill her.”

Shirayuki lifted a hoof in my direction. Her blank, spacy stare didn’t change.

“Mask of flesh and blood,” she droned, “Universe soar. The one crowned with man’s name, carve a twin lotus into the wall of blue flames and await the blazing fires to reach the distant heavens.”

“Shirayuki, no!” I shouted, unable to do much else.

“Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!”

I watched as the giant burst of blue flames rocketed across the abyss. I was going to get hit by a fatal blast. This stupid flower around my body was preventing me from getting out of the way. I squirmed some more, but it still was not letting me go. In frustrated reluctance, I closed my eyes and waited for death.

…

I was confused as to why the explosion I heard didn’t feel like I was burning or for that matter, warm.

“Have you already forgotten our training?”

“Wha…?” I looked up and stared my defender in awe. “Luna!”

“He thinks he knows it all,” Luna scoffed. She whipped her Zanpaktou around and shattered one of the petals ensnaring me. The rest of the lights soon dwindled and I could move again.

“Let’s show him how he’s got it wrong,” Luna smiled at me.

“Yeah,” I nodded in confidence, “The days are dead and gone where he can push and pull us around.”

I picked up my sword and firmly grasped it.

“Time to go farther and stronger,” I directed my eyes to where David stood. It was kind of refreshing to see him looking perplexed rather than his usual calm and collected self.

“What I’ve got, you can’t control!” I declared while holding my blade to the side, “Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!”

I saw a glimmer of light return to Shirayuki’s eyes. Then, some unseen force flung her toward where I was standing. A blinding, white light covered our collision. Meanwhile, my sword altered its coloration to the white translucence of ice and a long, white ribbon grew from its handle.

I stood strong next to Luna as we were facing David. It was time to do the unthinkable, perform the impossible, and break the unbreakable. My body was radiating spiritual energy in every conceivable direction. I felt indestructible.

“Trying to break me again?” I asked rhetorically, “Don’t expect me to bend this time.”

“You can try to hide behind your pretty little words and stage played fights, but you’ll never be what you’re not,” rattled David, “You’re not a hero, Cier. Never have been, never will be.”

To this, I sent a blast of ice from my sword. He dodged easily, but he seemed to do so begrudgingly. His face wasn’t the bored expression of a lazy man. It was the anger shown from one giving more effort than he would have liked.

“Now you’re trying to get under my skin again,” I noted, “I’m not even listening. You won’t win.”

“I don’t expect you to understand,” he snarled as he pulled out his own weapon, “Scream, Benihime!”

Quickly, I flapped my wings and flew out of the way of his red energy wave attack. For an empty abyss, the environment around us was sure acting like solid rock and getting torn up fairly easily.

“Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru!”

Luna’s frozen dragon attack glided over and just barely missed David’s foot by a toe.

“Of course we don’t understand!” Luna called out as she circled around the abyss’ somehow existent sky, “Over and over you say that your actions are for the better of this entire world, but equally as many times the actions you take are destructive and cause suffering to all the ponies.”

“Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren!” I called out, sending my icy wave in David’s general direction. He used Benihime’s red energy to form a full-body shield. It cracked upon impact with my attack, but he looked otherwise unharmed.

“Creating war zones in the name of peace?” I questioned, “That’s called hypocrisy!”

David’s immediate retort was to launch forth his shield in another large wave of red energy. I had to flash step in order to dodge that one.

“What about you, Cier?” he asked while wearing a sad smile, “Do you fancy yourself as the one to rule them all and the sole protector of the peace?”

I got in close and started a push of war between my sword and his. The energy being given off by both of us started ripping pieces of the ground underneath our feet.

“No, I’m not that arrogant,” I answered, “I know that it’s going to require someone greater than I to lead Equestria to a long-lasting peace. But I also know that particular someone isn’t you. You’ve been going about your plan doing basically the same thing again and again. Repeating the process of destruction and expecting a result different from ruin is insane.”

David tried to feint and back away. But I held strong to the offensive approach, not once letting him get an opening.

“Great power requires a great responsibility to wield,” he told me in a tone of a frustrated lecturer.

“And you’ve been abusing your responsibility horrendously,” I concluded.

Luna tried to attack David from behind. But I could tell that he sensed her presence as well. In a maneuver that I didn’t think was possible, he spun around and launched me over. Luna and I ended up hitting each other’s wings and sides. It took a split second to readjust our positions and only a split second more to return our eyes to the enemy.

“I see now that words won’t dissuade you,” David let out a sigh, “Must this all end so violently?”

“Do not test us with this façade of sorrow,” warned Luna, “You brought this whole mess upon yourself.”

“If that’s the way you want it,” he said almost reluctantly, “Screwball, Screw Loose.”

Two more presences suddenly made themselves known. I didn’t know them personally, but Tundra’s quick thoughts recognized them. The faded pink pony with a crazy look in her eyes and a propeller beanie cap was one of Discord’s creations. The light blue mane with an unkempt gray mane was an ex-mental house patient. Both of these ponies wielded Zanpaktou of dangerous capabilities.

“Coward,” I muttered regarding the so-called master.

“Bankai!” yelled Luna. With that, her spiritual pressure shot through the roof.

A thick layer of ice encompassed her large wings. Icy, draconic claws lined the rest of her limbs. Three purple flowers levitated behind her. All the while, she never lost that determination in her eyes.

“Daiguren Hyorinmaru!” she addressed her Bankai’s form.

“Luna?” I wondered what she was going to do.

“You handle the big boss, Shirayuki,” she ordered, “I’ll deal with the small fry.”

In the blink of an eye, she was flying over the newcomers. She grabbed each of the ponies in an icy clawed grip and flew off. She flew a fair distance away before dropping them unceremoniously to the ground.

I supposed that now was as good a time as any to bring out the big fans.

“Ban…kai!” I cried.

Again, I became an existent entity. The white robes adorned my exterior and I held the ice cold fan blades in my hooves. I knew what Tundra and Shirayuki knew. I felt what they felt. In me, those combined feelings were only made stronger. Such was the result of their Bankai: Kazekage Sode no Shirayuki.

“Scream, Benihime!”

“Fourth Dance: White Blizzard!”

David’s red energy wave was strong, but my large-scale gale of ice was nothing to sneeze at. Our special attacks fought for ground. Neither was gaining a very large advantage. I could sense him start to pour a little more of his spiritual energy into his attack. I responded in kind by giving more of mine. The resulting red wind was almost blinding the way it leaked out in sporadic directions.

Oddly enough, David was the first to break away from launching his wave. He vanished from his spot and reappeared closer to me outside of the explosion. He tried swinging his blade to an exposed area. But I adopted a spinning motion, parrying his sword with my open fans. While the sound of blizzard winds died down, the sound of metal colliding with metal only grew in intensity. As I attempted to counterattack, he just barely managed to jump away from the brunt force. But his sleeve did get caught on one of my blades and I could see a large cut on his arm.

“You,” he gasped in dumbfounded wonder, “You’re different. You couldn’t keep up with my speed the last time we met. Your strength isn’t dwindling either. What’s going on?”

“I had some help getting stronger.” I smiled slightly. “I have some pretty darn good friends.”

I held my fans so that their blades could touch. I never took my eyes off the enemy.

“You said I’m not a hero,” I said thoughtfully, “That may be true, but no matter who I am, I’m going to use all of my power to ensure that Equestria gets to survive one more day.”

“What if that one more day leads to a cold and sufferable future that you wrought?” David asked.

“I’m not going to lie and say that there won’t be suffering of sorts, because there will be,” I admitted, “However, tomorrow will have to take care of itself. Besides, that problem along with its solution will be a problem that arrives naturally. It won’t have to waste energy cleaning up the messes that you leave behind.”

“Hado 54: Haien!” he shouted, launching a giant, purple fireball from his blade.

“Fifth Dance: White Typhoon!” I cried out, summoning the cold winds into a great tornado. The resulting winds spun around and deflected his attack into the abyss’ large unending sky. Mere seconds passed until the fireball was no longer visible.

My tornado didn’t stop there. It moved on over until David was standing right in the eye of the storm. I took that opportunity to fly above the swirling, freezing gust.

“Sixth Dance: White Guillotine!”

“Woah,” Applejack held her head suddenly feeling dizzy, “What in the hay is that?”

“I feel strange,” whispered Fluttershy as her vision began to white out.

“That was fun!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, “Let’s… never do that again.”

“Is it getting warm out here?” wondered Rarity.

“These fakers have nothing on us!” shouted Rainbow Dash with pride.

“Sprenger,” muttered Twilight as she released the trigger for her move. Her doppelganger was soon on the receiving end of a five-pointed pillar of spiritual energy. The light could be seen from miles away.

“Time to wrap this up!” declared Apple Bloom.

“Do you girls feel that?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Feel wha-?” Scootaloo stopped herself when a pressure of unfamiliar magnitude shook the entire area around her.

I closed my eyes. The frigid wind that I had commanded was starting to subside. I began to trot away from the scene.

“Surely you must have known that this wasn’t over.”

I have to admit that I gasped upon turning around to look. My White Typhoon had completely disappeared. In its place stood a fairly unharmed David inside of a crimson, yet transparent box. Though, the box quickly disappeared.

Dang it, I thought, I knew that he would be formidable, but...

I never finished that train of thought. In that instant, David was standing right next to me.

“I’m afraid it is you that brought this fate upon yourself,” he said almost… lamentingly.

Blood started rushing from a wound I didn’t know that I had. I fell to my knees.

This… can’t be… happening, I thought in disbelief. My eyes were wide open and shaking. Even over the spilling noise, I could hear my heart beating in a slow, steady pattern. My breathing was quickening and getting shallower.

I’m not a hero, I realized as I started to approach the ground. I was barely holding onto my fans. How I was still holding them didn’t matter at the time. My eyelids were getting heavy.

Maybe you’re not. But that’s only when you fight alone.

The new voice got me to reopen my eyes. As I looked at the abyss before me, several faces came into view. Literally dozens of faces danced in the air before me. Most were indistinguishable from other ponies I had seen before. However, eleven lights outshone all of the other faces and gave me a blinding look at what really mattered.

Before I knew it, I was standing up straight again. I turned to face David and I couldn’t help but feel much calmer. The bleeding from before had stopped and I felt revitalized by some unseen power.

The Elements of Harmony are honesty…

A multi-segmented blade flew through the air past me. It came within a foot of David before it transformed into the head of a skeletal serpent with a bony body. It shoved David back a foot or two before turning into a puff of smoke.

… kindness…

An L-shaped blade came crashing down. David tried to raise Benihime to defend. He managed to parry the disembodied weapon three times. After the third strike, however, his arm looked like it was struggling to hold his own weapon up. He ended up dropping his sword and it left a heavy imprint on the ground.

… laughter…

An orange, bird-shaped light flew in and struck David’s left shoulder. That was soon followed by a spinning sickle that slashed his right sleeve. Like the weapons before it, the sickle turned into a smoky vapor.

… generosity…

Several illuminated petals danced through the surrounding atmosphere. They slowed down before taking the form of a thousand pink swords. They pointed in David’s general direction before launching forward. He managed to dodge some of the blades that were driven into the ground. But then, two of the multiple swords successfully pierced him. His chest and his stomach area had been pierced, though there wasn’t any visible blood in those areas.

… loyalty…

A giant blue wave of energy launched in from somewhere to the left. It was an exact likeness of the Getsuga Tenshou. David held up his hands and somehow managed to hold the wave in place (What the he**?). After a couple seconds, however, the blue wave turned a shade of blackish-red and knocked him back. He was sent rolling along the ground, breaking the pink blades in the process.

… and magic.

A multitude of bluish-white arrows poured in from outside the visible area. Many of these arrows smacked into David. He was launched into the air and pinned against an invisible wall. It was rare to see this man show any emotion. Right then, I witnessed his anger as he ripped three arrows out of himself and dropping from the invisible wall. He wobbled a little, struggling to stand up straight.

“The Elements of Harmony have no power over me!” he yelled.

“Strength is not limited to just the six,” I said with renewed, calm confidence.

“What?” he breathed.

A strong heart holds other virtues such as gentleness…

A stream of gray ashes swirled into the air. They swept past David and added a few new cuts to his outfit, along with some skin cuts.

… patience…

Four hooked blades swung across David’s back. Though, the blades quickly altered form into bluish-emerald vines. They wrapped around his midsection and lifted him up into the air.

… diligence…

The shadows themselves joined in on the attack. They took on the form of darkness swords. A circle of these cut through David’s suspended state. The vines were severed, but not before the man received a few new bruises along his body and rips in his clothes.

… and love.

(I don’t think I’ll ever make sense of the image I saw next.) An ice dragon covered in cloves of fire flew through the air and slammed into David before he was able to fall down completely. He was then quickly ensnared by what looked like a cage made entirely from the blaze.

It was time for the icing on the cake.

“So-me-no-Mai,” I called, “Tsukishiro!”

The largest ice pillar I had ever made formed around and froze through whatever was standing in that fiery cage. The pillar and its contents shattered causing several pieces of ice to crash against the ground. It was at this time that my Bankai ceased.

“I have to admit,” David smiled sadly, burnt and broken, “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I don’t,” I smiled back.

Images of all my friends stood around me. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Luna, and Celestia stood by in spirit. Shirayuki’s image stood the closest to me.

“My power comes from my friendship,” I continued, “That… is the strongest magic of all.”

Small pieces started dropping from David. It resembled a cracking piece of glass rather than the disgusting alternative. As he literally cracked up, he laughed. However, it wasn’t the evil laugh of a madman or a two-parter villain. It was the proud laughter of a father that had raised his child right.

“Fine then,” he settled on saying, “We’ll see how long a peace without me in this world will last. Go and take your world. You’ve won.”

The rest of his body soon cracked into nonexistent pieces. They flashed like little lights before fading away completely. I could no longer sense David’s energy. He was gone.

Tundra slowly closed her eyes as she let out a tired breath. Her whole body began to fall. But she didn’t get very far. I quickly positioned myself underneath her so that she could rest comfortably.

“Let’s go home,” suggested Celestia.

I nodded in agreement. As her horn glowed in its golden magic, I took a look around at every pony. A mix of confused and uncertain expressions was shared. Celestia and Luna were the only two that shared my feelings of acceptance. The ponies that Luna had called ‘the small fry’ were currently sleeping on her back.

Home sounded lovely right then.

Many months later…

The air felt a lot less tense. I didn’t know how to describe it. The very earth and atmosphere felt like a giant weight had been removed from our shoulders. This was how Equestria should have been.

I had finally saved up enough bits from my odd jobs to acquire my own house. It was just on the edge of town. It was close enough to make shopping trips easy, short walks and stay within reach of everyone I knew. Granted, the only furniture I had in the house was a bed, but I had to start somewhere.

Winter had arrived and a peaceful blanket of snow covered the land. Hearth’s Warming Eve was coming soon and any of the other holidays I had yet to learn about. At the moment, however, I was simply enjoying the company of my closest friends. A fire crackled in the fireplace as eggnog was being around.

“So, if I understand this correctly,” pondered Luna aloud, “you can call upon the strength of the other Zanpaktou users whenever you want?”

I shook my head, “I’m pretty sure that was a one-time thing.”

Celestia sipped her mug of eggnog elegantly.

“But, if David truly has been defeated,” Luna continued, “Why do we still possess these weapons?”

She emphasized her point by briefly summoning her katana before sending it out of physical existence once more.

“Perhaps a time will come when we need them again,” I guessed, “There have been some scattered raids by Hallows over the last month. Just because one source of power is gone doesn’t mean that our work is finished.”

“You do have a point,” conceded Luna with a sip from her mug.

“Hey,” I said while looking around, “Where’d Celestia go?”

Both Luna and I turned our heads to scan the room. The eldest of the alicorns was nowhere to be found. Time decided to use that moment to hit me in the back of the neck with a sphere of solid coldness.

“Oof!” I gasped as I turned around. Another white sphere flung in through the recently opened door.

“Hey!” exclaimed Luna after getting smacked in the face by the snowball.

“Gotcha,” whispered a familiar voice.

“Oh, you asked for it, Tia,” giggled Luna as she galloped out.

I chuckled a bit as I joined the impromptu snow fight.

~The dream that I had is endlessly distant.
The blue sky of drier days is in my hooves.~

Some of the clouds parted and revealed openings for the sun to shine through. Many of the piles of snow sparkled in the new light.

~Trial and error within fixed intervals of sound
A space without time or dimensions
I’ll make a real-life sound
And bring beauty to my face
If only on one side~

I quickly got to work. Using my magic, I reshaped some of the nearby snow into a small fort. It wasn’t a perfect defense, but it would suit my cover system needs.

~An overripe apple fell into my grasp
Our other half is reflected in the mirror.~

“Et tu, Tundra Stanza?” called Luna after I had sent a couple snowballs in her direction.

~Trial and error within fixed intervals of sound
A space without time or dimensions
I’ll make a real-life sound
And bring beauty to my face
Even now~

“Opportunity is the mother of initiative!” I shouted back before redirecting some of my efforts to pin Celestia behind her snow castle. I guess she had plenty of time to build that before I ran outside.

~Trial and error within fixed intervals of sound
A space without time or dimensions
I’ll bare my claws to support the head and body
And scratch across my face
Neatly, on just one side~

A giant snowman came hurtling in my direction. Though, unlike most snowmen, this one had icicle fangs, a football helmet, and what looked like spiked cleats on its bottom section.

“Fan-tipping-flastic,” I whispered.

~A distant feeling
But still real life~

“How many points do I receive?” cheered Luna.

“I yield!” hollered Celestia from somewhere. I couldn’t tell from where as my vision was obscured by a large sheet of white powder.

“Uncle!” I shouted, though it sounded more like a muffled mumble.

Soul Reaper and Quincy Encyclopedia

(In order of relative appearance)

Tundra Stanza / Shirayuki

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Sode no Shirayuki; “Sleeve of White Snow”
Powers: Command over ice

Techniques
“Dance, Sode no Shirayuki”
-The sword changes color to a pearly white. A long white ribbon attaches to the handle. Every swing by the blade now seems to give off a cold, winter breeze.

"So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro"; (First Dance, White Moon)
-Summons a giant circle of ice on the ground
-Grows a giant pillar of ice that reaches to the sky before shattering all enemies within
-Can form an ice pillar around the user for an impromptu defense

"Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren"; (Next Dance, White Ripple)
-Focuses a large concentration of ice at the sword’s tip before releasing it as a beam or a wave
-The blast itself freezes anything it touches including the air
-Used for overpowering tactics or for countering larger attacks

"San-no-Mai, Shirafune"; (Third Dance, White Blade)
-Extends the blade’s length with ice
-Useful for stabbing enemies that are close but just out of reach of the blade’s tip
-Can also be used to reform the blade if it has been broken prior

Bankai (Final release)
Name: Kazekage Sode no Shirayuki; “Wind Shadow Sleeve of White Snow”
-Dresses the user in the white robes of Sode no Shirayuki’s spirit
-The blade is broken in two and transforms into frozen fan blades (similar to Kitana’s weapons from Mortal Kombat)
-In Tundra’s case, the Bankai fuses her two minds into one while in effect

Techniques unique to the Bankai
"Fourth Dance, White Blizzard"
-Conjures a huge gale of wind filled with snow and ice
-Capable of chilling some enemies down to the bone
-Has a wide range and is more forceful than Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren

"Fifth Dance, White Typhoon"
-Creates a freezing cold tornado large enough to fit a pony inside
-Instead of going to the enemy like White Blizzard, it pulls the enemy toward itself
-Provides a good setup for the Sixth Dance

"Sixth Dance, White Guillotine"
-The user throws the fan blades at the immobilized enemy. The fan blades spin super-fast, enough to cut through just about anything.
-Not recommended for use against moving targets; Tundra never does.

Other techniques (outside of sword’s power)
Shunpo; “Flash Step”
-An agility based technique in which the user travels a certain distance with as few steps as possible
-To the untrained eye, the user appears to fade out at point A and rematerialize at point B

"Kido"; (Way of the Soul)
-Techniques that can be utilized by the Shinigami, Soul Reapers
-Incantations make these techniques stronger, though some can still be cast without the chants but with less power
-Divided into two categories: Hado and Bakudo

"Hado"; (Way of Destruction)
-Small attacks that are dependent on the caster’s spiritual energy
-Mainly for offense

1: Sho; “Push” (incantation unknown)

-A small shockwave that can literally push back the enemy

4: Byakurai; “Arc Lightning” (incantation unknown)

-A straight beam of electrical energy is shot in whatever direction the caster is pointing

31: Shakkahou; “Red Flame Cannon”

He who reigns, mask of flesh and blood, the one who crowns us with a name. Gathering of heat and war beyond the seas and rivers take steps to the south.
-A blast of red fire is shot in the direction the caster points
-Resulting explosion can act as physical damage or a smoke bomb

33: Sokatsui; “Blue Fire Crash”

The one who reigns, mask of flesh and blood, the one who carries the title of humans. In the name of truth and temperance, dig your claws into the walls of distant dreams.
-A blast of blue fire is released going wherever the caster was pointing at the time

58: Tenran; “Orchid Tempest” (incantation unknown)

-Holding their sword with their blade pointed to the ground, the caster releases a tornado-like whirlwind focused in the direction of the enemy

73: Soren Sokatsui; “Twin Blue Fire Crash”

Mask of flesh and blood, universe soar. The one crowned with man’s name, carve a twin lotus into the wall of blue flames and await the blazing fires to reach the distant heavens.
-A much stronger version of Sokatsui, the caster releases a large blast of blue fire
-Often used in conjunction with Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro

Bakudo; “Way of Binding”
-Energy based techniques that restrict the enemy’s movement in some way
-Mainly for defense

1: Sai; “Restrain” (incantation unknown)

-Forces the enemy’s arms to fold behind them

4: Hainawa; “Crawling Rope”(incantation unknown)

-Yellow energy ropes that can wrap around the enemy, trapping their arms and immobilizing them

9: Horin; “Disintegrating Circle” (incantation unknown)

-Red and yellow energy combine into a spiritual rope that surrounds the enemy and forges a circular binding

39: Enkosen; "Round Lock Fan" (incantation unknown)

-The user forms an orange barrier that resembles spinning fan blades
-Useful for blocking one lethal blow or a few smaller attacks
-Breaks easily and is not meant for drawn out battles

61: Rikujokoro; “Six Petals of Light”

Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six.
-Creates six bars of yellow light that collide with the enemy’s torso
-Resembles a giant yellow flower
-Prevents any movement or escape

Apple Bloom

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Ruri’iro Kujaku; “Azure Peacock”, sometimes called Fuji Kujaku; “Wisteria Peacock”
Powers: At full power, it drains the enemies’ spiritual energy. At partial power, it acts as four blades in one.

Techniques
“Bloom, Fuji Kujaku”
-Takes the form of four hook-shaped blades attached to the hilt
-Can cut through slightly thicker materials than the single blade can
-Meant for close and personal melee attacks

“Split and deviate, Ruri’iro Kujaku”
-The blade transforms into several extending vines of azure coloration. These vines ensnare enemies while slowly draining away their spiritual energy reserves. If the buds that are growing on the vines fully blossom, the victim or victims die.
-Once the technique is complete, the remaining flowers on the vine can be consumed to restore the user’s own spiritual energy.
-The vines themselves are not unstoppable. Fire and well-placed sword swings can sever them.

Other techniques
Hado #73: Soren Sokatsui

Rarity

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, sword
Weapon’s name: Senbonzakura; “Thousand Cherry Blossom”
Powers: Flower petals of doom

Techniques
“Scatter, Senbonzakura”
-The blade glows in a pink aura and then separates into 1000 smaller blades that resemble petals from a cherry tree. These blades can be controlled and moved in any direction the wielder chooses. Each one of the “petals” has just as much density and sharpness as the original sword.
-Can be concentrated into a tightly packed area to act as a defense
-Can also be used to strike the enemy from several directions at once

Bankai
“Senbonzakura Kageyoshi”
-The original blade is dropped tip down and sinks into the ground. Several larger blades rise up from the ground to surround the battlefield. Every single one of these blades glows in a pink aura before splitting into a multitude of cherry-blossom-shaped blades. Their maximum numbers are somewhere in the millions.
-Used for much larger enemies and/or multiple enemies

Techniques unique to the Bankai
“Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi”
-The user surrenders their entire defense in favor of offense. The multitudes of cherry blossom blades surround a large, fixed area of the battlefield. Neither the user nor the enclosed enemies can escape. The blossoms then take the shape of full-sized swords. The user of the Bankai can only wield one or two of these blades at a time. The wielder’s overall damage increases, but their own body is much more vulnerable than usual.

Other techniques
Shunpo
Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro
Bakudo #81: Danku; “Splitting Void” (incantation unknown)
-Creates a large, colorless barrier that blocks all attacks
-Can block attacks of strength of Hado #89 and less

Sweetie Belle

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Haineko; “Ash Cat”
Power: Ashes to ashes

Techniques
“Growl, Haineko”
-The blade reforms into a cloud of gray ashes. These ashes can move in any way the user chooses. They can still cut as deeply and hold the density of the original blade.
-Can ward off some attacks while also attacking the enemy from other directions

Other techniques
Hado #31: Shakkahou
Bakudo #9: Horin
Bakudo #81: Danku

Trixie

“Ahem.”

Oh, my mistake (sarcasm)

The Great and Powerful Trixie (bleh)

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Nijigasumi; “Rainbow Blade”
Powers: Light and illusion

Techniques
“Shine brightly, Nijigasumi”
-The blade shines in seven colors of light. It shimmers so rapidly that it is almost invisible. The light itself can blind the opponent to the point that they can’t see where the wielder really is.

“Flash and burn”
-Swinging the blade in an arc motion creates a myriad of blades made out of light. These blades can be launched forward as medium-damage projectiles.

“Saigyoku Nijigasumi”
-The enemy is surrounded in an orb of light. It can literally crush the shadows out of them as the spiritual energy implodes on itself.
-The orb is not escape-proof. A high enough concentration of spiritual energy from within can disperse the light and reduce the overall damage.

Fluttershy

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Wabisuke; “The Penitent One”
Powers: Weapon heaviness and decapitation

Techniques
“Raise your head, Wabisuke”
-The sword reshapes itself so that its blade resembles an upside-down L-shaped hook. One touch from this blade doubles the weight of any object it touches.
-Can be used to increase the weight of an enemy’s weapon exponentially.
-The sharp edge inside of the L can be used to sever an enemy’s neck without much resistance. Fluttershy herself refuses to utilize this particular power.

Scootaloo

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: *Kagehime; “Shadow Princess”
Powers: Darkness of truth

Techniques
“Shroud the world in darkness, Kagehime”
-A dark aura surrounds the weapon as a second blade grows and is attached to the same hilt. It can essentially be used as a pole arm weapon that is grasped at its center.

“Shadow blade”
-A circle of swords made entirely of shadows forms in front of the user before being launched at the enemy as projectiles. This is most powerful at night when there is plenty of darkness to consume.

Bankai
“Tsukikura Kagehime” (Dark Moon Shadow Princess)
-The wielder drops Kagehime into her shadow. The shadow grows and wraps around the user creating the chainmail armor normally worn by Kagehime’s spirit.

Techniques unique to the Bankai
“Kage Bunshin” (Shadow Clone)
-The user creates physical copies of themselves from the shadows.
-Though this does limit their maximum power output, it is useful for attacking from multiple directions.

“Shadow Strangle”
-Though never addressed by name, this technique creates a limb from the shadows that can choke an enemy and suffocate them.

“Shadow Step”
-The user disappears and can emerge from any shadow that is in their sight
-Particularly useful at night when the entire battlefield is covered in shadows

*Kagehime and Kagehime’s powers were all used with permission from Leo Archon.

Other techniques
Shunpo
Bakudo #9: Horin
Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro

Pinkie Pie / Pinkamena Diane Pie

Weapons: Six flowers of the Hibiscus Shield; Zanpaktou, katana
Weapons’ names: Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku, Lily, Shun’o, and Tsubaki; Kazeshini, “Death Wind”
Powers: Defense shield, “Healing” shield, and Attack shield; Wind scythes

Techniques
*Each of the three shield techniques are strengthened by the phrase “I reject”
“Santen Kesshun” (Three Sacred Links Shield)
-Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon form a triangular shield between the user and the enemy to reject negative events, i.e. damage.
-The technique can also be used to protect allies of the user’s choosing

“Soten Kisshun” (Twin Sacred Return Shield)
-Ayame and Shun’o form an oval-shaped barrier to reject the negative phenomena inside the shield. This technique reverses the wear and tear of time inside. It essentially amounts to healing even though it’s more correct to say that it reverses time in a given space.
-Can be used on just about anything in the physical plane of existence
-Cannot be used to restore spiritual energy completely

“Koten Zanshun” (Solitary Sacred Cutting Shield)
-Tsubaki breaks through the enemy, forms a shield inside the enemy, and then repels the substance to split enemy in two.
-Can cut through pretty much anything
-Any hesitation from the user will weaken Tsubaki’s strength

“Reap, Kazeshini”
-The sword transforms into a pair of dark scythes. They are attached to each other by a long chain. They can slice through wind and slash the enemy. Each of them can be spun and thrown by the user to increase their momentum and consequently their killing power.
-Used mainly when Pinkie’s anger overwhelms her and straightens out her mane

Twilight Sparkle

Weapon type: A bow made entirely from reishi, spiritual energy
Powers: Arrows that draw their strength from the heart

Techniques
“Heilig Pfeil” (Holy Arrows)
-By drawing back her hoof from her bow, Twilight can form arrows made up of the spiritual energy within and around her. These arrows are lethal if they are accurate.

“Licht Regen” (Light Rain)
-This technique fires multiple Heilig Pfeil at once.
-It can fire up to 1200 arrows per second

Other Quincy-specific abilities/weapons
“Hirenkyaku” (Flying Screen Step)
-The user rides on a flow of reishi under their feet to move at high speeds

“Seele Schneider” (Soul Cutter)
-A unique arrow weapon that is the only blade weapon that a Quincy carries. The Reishi surrounding the weapon vibrates at 3 million revolutions per second. It loosens the bonds between the Reishi particles of whatever it cuts into.
-It is not meant for cutting normal materials like other swords are
-It can steal the enemy’s spiritual energy to increase its own length and power
-Gains more power when used as an arrow than when used as a blade

“Sprenger” (Explosion)
-Uses five Seele Schneiders in a pentagon-shaped seal. Releasing enough spiritual energy activates the seal, causing it to explode within its borders.
-Usually requires the enemy to be distracted in order to set up
-Should be reserved as the last attack

Applejack

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Zabimaru; “Snake Tail”
Powers: Whip it into shape

Techniques
“Roar, Zabimaru”
-The katana transforms into a six-part segmented blade. Each of these segments has a razor that can snag an enemy’s skin. The weapon can be stretched farther by the flexible sections in between the blade segments.
-After about three attacks, the weapon must be called back to its original length

Higa Zekko; “Bite of a Broken Baboon’s Fang”
-The segments of the sword are separated and levitated by the wielder’s spiritual energy. The segments then lash out in a one-shot, omnidirectional attack.
-Meant as a last resort
-Leaves Zabimaru and its wielder defenseless for a small time

Bankai
Hihio Zabimaru; “Baboon King Snake Tail”
-The sword becomes a much larger form of its shikai, resembling the skeleton of a snake. It is made of several segments and has the head of a snake at the end. The user also gains a fur cowl around their neck, kind of like an ape’s fur.
-The Bankai form doesn’t cut. Rather, it snags enemies and smashes them against the ground.
-The snake head can also cause damage by biting the enemy
-The multiple segments are held together by the wielder’s spiritual power. They can separate or reconfigure themselves at any time
-Should the Higa Zekko attack be used when Zabimaru is in Bankai form, the attack will be much more devastating than its shikai form

Technique unique to Bankai
Hikotsu Taiho; “Baboon Bone Cannon”
-A dense blast of concentrated, red spiritual energy is fired from Zabimaru’s mouth
-The resulting burst of energy usually breaks Zabimaru’s segments out of formation after the attack is finished

Other techniques
Hado #4: Byarkurai
Bakudo #4: Hainawa

Luna

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Hyorinmaru; “Ice Ring”
Powers: Weather manipulation and ice dragons

Techniques
“Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru”
-Controls water and ice. The huge stream takes the shape of an Eastern Dragon that will freeze whatever it touches.
-The power is so great that it can cause clouds overhead to immediately start a thunderstorm
-Can also create waves of ice if swung towards the ground

Bankai
"Daiguren Hyorinmaru" (Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring)
-Ice flows from Hyorinmaru into the wielder. The ice around their sword arm resembles a dragon's head. More ice grows out of the wielder's shoulders, forming giant wings and a tail. On the wielder's other three limbs, the ice takes the form of dragonic claws. These ice limbs are moveable and can act as extensions of the wielder when needed.
-Three flowers made from purple ice float just behind the wielder. The longer the battle takes, the more the petals begin to melt away. In theory, the Bankai form ceases once all three of the flowers have melted completely.

Techniques unique to the Bankai
"Bankai Regeneration"
-If any of the icy limbs are broken or damaged, they can repair themselves by using the water in the air.

"Ice Wing Shield"
-The wings can wrap around the wielder to defend them from attacks.

"Ryusenka" (Dragon Hail Flower)
-When the opponent is stabbed, a huge burst of ice erupts from the point of contact, freezing and enclosing them. The ice is then shattered along with the enemy inside.

"Hyoryu Senbi" (Ice Dragon Swirling Tail)
-By swinging the blade linearly, a crescent-shaped flow of ice is launched forward.

Other techniques
Shunpo
Bakudo #77: Tenteikura; "Heavenly Charged Sky Net"
Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts. Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line. Form a circle and fly though the heavens.
-Transmits the caster's voice to a large number of people/ponies/sentient beings at once. Requires symbols drawn on their limbs and the ground.
-Root-like extensions reach out into a glowing rectangle. Upon placing their hands (or in this case hooves) up to the rectangle, the extensions glow.
-The message is transferred mentally to any area of the practitioner's choosing.

Bakudo #79: Kuyo Shibari; "Nine Sunlight Traps" (incantation unknown)
-Eight black holes with purple outlines emit spiritual energy in the personal space around the target. A ninth hole manifests itself in the target's chest. Severely immobilizes an enemy.

Rainbow Dash

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, Pesh-kabz knife with cloth-wrappings
Weapon’s name: Zangetsu; “Slaying Moon”
Powers: Overwhelming force and energy waves

Techniques
Getsuga Tenshou; “Moon Fang, Heaven-Piercer”
-Zangetsu absorbs the wielder’s spiritual energy, condenses it, and then releases that energy from the tip of the blade. The energy takes the form of a bluish-white, crescent wave and follows the path where the sword was slashed.
-Capable of large-scale destruction
-Useful for countering other energy-based attacks
-Gains a much darker, red hue and more strength when used in Bankai

Bankai
Tensa Zangetsu; “Heaven Chain Slaying Moon”
-Spiritual energy wraps around the wielder and Zangetsu. Upon release, the wielder is robed in a black, worn-down cloak similar to the one worn by the Zangetsu spirit. The giant knife has been changed to the more conventional shape of most Zanpaktou katana. Its blade is entirely black and its cloth-wrappings have been traded for a chain made of black, metal links. Despite its smaller appearance, it is actually more durable than its shikai form.

Bankai specific abilities/techniques
Hyper-speed combat
-The wielder can utilize all of the power gained from the Bankai to greatly improve their speed. This can result in creating afterimages that confuse the opponent.

Enhanced strength
-As the name implies, Zangetsu's Bankai greatly enhances the wielder's strength.
-Most kido-based attacks are now useless against the wielder

Kuroi Getsuga; "Black Moon Fang"
-Still referred to as the Getsuga Tenshou, but it is much more powerful than the original attack
-Black attack wave with a red outline
-Has all the capabilities of the original Getsuga Tenshou with even more precision and control

Gilda

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, wakizashi
Weapon’s name: Suzumebachi; “Hornet”
Powers: Two-step death

Techniques
"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi"
-The sword glows and shrinks in size. When the glow fades, Suzumebachi is in the form of a black and gold gauntlet. A small chain links this gauntlet to a stinger blade on the wielder's middle-most finger (or in Gilda's case, her claw).
-Despite its modest appearance, it can still block and counter the slashes of enemy sword attacks.

Nigeki Kessatsu; "Two-Step Death"
-The first strike is a stab by Suzumebachi's blade. It leaves behind a mark in the shape of a black butterfly. The mark is called a Homonka, "Bee Crest Flower". If struck in the same place twice, the opponent will undoubtedly die. When this form of death takes place, the two crests spread out and merge into a much larger crest. The enemy's body is demolished in a flash of red light.
-These Homonkas cannot be removed unless the wielder of Suzumebachi wills it. Alternatively, they will disappear if Suzumebachi's wielder is rendered incapable of fighting.
-Fun fact: Suzumebachi's blade secretes a poison that can act as an antidote for any other poison

Bankai
"Jakuho Raikoben" (Hornet Thunder Whip)
-Takes the form of a missile launch base that covers the wielder's entire arm, their shoulder, and has half of a face shield.

Technique unique to the Bankai
-Contrary to the quick and silent assassination method of Nigeki Kessatsu, Jakuho Raikoben can launch a large and loud missile that is attached to its base. The slit in the face shield enables the wielder to aim this missile when their arm is raised. The missile tracks its target and makes contact before creating a huge explosion.
-The resulting damage can shatter a number of buildings that happen to be in the same vicinity.

Discord

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Kyoka Suigetsu; “Mirror Flower, Water Moon”
Powers: Illusion

Techniques
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu"
Kanzen Saimin; "Complete Hypnosis"
-Controls the five senses of anyone that has ever laid eyes on the shikai release (except for the wielder and anyone the wielder chooses)
-The target misinterprets form, shape, mass, feel, and smell
-Essentially allows the wielder to create illusions that distract the enemy, preventing the opponent from reacting to any "real" attack until it is too late.

Daisy

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Hisagomaru; “Gourd”
Powers: Healing charge and release

Techniques
"Fulfill, Hisagomaru"
-Unlike other Zanpaktou, Hisagomaru doesn't inflict damage. Instead, it heals the wounds of whomever it touches. Red smoke is emitted from the wound that it heals. A red lit gauge on the side of the blade fills up during that time. Small cuts will barely fill any of the gauge while giant injuries might fill the entire thing.

"Akeiro Hisagomaru" (Crimson-Colored Gourd)
-Once the gauge is completely filled, Hisagomaru takes the shape of a scalpel. It then concentrates all of the wounds it has accumulated into one massive attack. With a slashing motion, it releases a red energy wave that's nearly strong enough to take out a Menos Grande Hollow.
-Attacking with the shikai form after the first energy wave is difficult and has much less potency

Screwball

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, wakizashi
Weapon’s name: Shinso; “God Spear”
Powers: Stabby stabby

Technique
"Shoot to kill, Shinso"
-The blade glows white and extends at a high speed to impale enemies from a distance.
-Has tremendous force and can be swung in wide arcs to hit multiple targets

Steven

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, kodachi
Weapon's name: Raika; "Lightning Flash"
Power: Trumpet fire

Techniques
"Sever, Raika"
-The weapon transforms into a white longsword with a hooked end. Shell-like pipes form the hilt. These pipes emit fire from the holes and the release sounds like a trumpet horn.
-The blade can heat up and gain enough strength to resist energy based attacks as strong as the shikai form of Getsuga Tenshou
-It can shoot fireballs from the hook or concentrate the fire into the ground for high speed fissures of flame

Cheerilee

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Sogyo no Kotowari; “Truth of Pisces”
Powers: Energy redirection

Technique
"All waves, rise and become my shield. Lightning, strike and become my blade. Sogyo no Kotowari"
-The blade slowly peels apart and becomes two. A red chain connects the hilts and lengthens. Five silver square charms attach to the chain. Along the inside of the main blade, a smaller second blade juts out. It runs parallel to the main blade and faces inward instead of outward.
-The shikai ability allows Sogyo no Kotowari to absorb energy attacks in one blade, channel the attack through the five charms of the rope, and then fire the attack back through the other blade. The energy is accelerated, making it difficult for the opponent to dodge.
-The process is so fast that the attack looks like it comes directly from Sogyo no Kotowari.

Fancy Pants

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, daisho (taichi and wakizashi)
Weapon’s name: Katen Kyokotsu; “Flower Heaven, Crazy Bone”
Powers: Games grown-ups play

Technique
"Flower Wind rage and Flower God roar. Heavenly Wind rage and Heavenly Demon sneer. Katen Kyokotsu"
-After the poem-like command is finished, the pair of blades transforms into a pair of huge scimitars with red tassels dangling from the hilts. However, there is still a slight difference in size. The swords still act as a daisho, where the wakizashi is used for speed attacks and the taichi for power.
-Katen Kyokotsu's power is to "make games real". Anyone who steps in the boundaries of its spiritual pressure is bound to its rules. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. (This power is not fully explored in this particular story.)

Fleur De Lis

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Nejibana; “Twisted Flower”
Powers: Force of the ocean waves

Technique
"Surge, Water and Sky. Nejibana"
-The blade gets twirled as it glows. It transforms into a cross between a trident, a Japanese spear, and a Chinese halberd. It has a blue horsehair tassel. The non-trident end of this weapon is corkscrew-shaped. Water flows freely from either end.
-Nejibana manipulates water in every motion. An attack from this weapon feels like the crushing force of a giant wave.

Cadance

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Tobiume; “Flying Plum Tree”
Powers: Snaps of fire

Techniques
"Snap, Tobiume"
-The blade straightens out and grows three jutte-like prongs along its length at varying intervals.
-In this shikai form, Tobiume can release fireballs from its blade that explode.
-The fireballs are accompanied by a crying sound like that of a seagull.

Other techniques
Bakudo #4: Hainawa

Shining Armor

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Gonryomaru; “Stern Spirit”
Powers: Piercing and lightning

Techniques
"Bite, Gonryomaru"
-The blade transforms into a rapier.
-Gonryomaru can manipulate lightning in its blade to attack the enemy.

Other technqiues
Bakudo #8: Seki; "Repulse" (incantation unknown)
-The practitioner creates an orb of light blue energy. It blocks attacks and repels whoever strikes it.

Zecora

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Hozukimaru; “Demon Light"
Powers: Extended spear and three-part nun chuck

Techniques
"Extend, Hozukimaru"
-The shikai release form looks like a spear with a wax wooden shaft. The pommel has a red horsehair tassel.
-It can deliver powerful blows.
-Stronger attacks can break it with ease.

"Split apart"
-What originally looked like a spear now takes the form of a three-sectioned weapon that can reattach and split at any given time. The three sections are connected by extendable chains.
-Allows for mid-range, flail-like attacks and catching first-time opponents off guard.

Celestia

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Ryujin Jakka; “Flowing Blade-Like Flame”
Powers: Set the world on fire

Techniques
"All creation turn to ash, Ryujin Jakka"
-The blade is covered with fire. The sheer aura from this released Zanpaktou can disintegrate anything that the sword is waved at, leaving nothing but ashes.
-Releasing this blade's full power could destroy the very thing that Celestia fights to protect. That's why she never releases it completely.

"Jokaku Enjo" (Fortress Blaze)
-An immense wall of flames surrounds the opponent and forms a huge contained sphere to imprison enemies.

Other techniques
Bakudo #63: Sajo Sabaku; "Locking Bondage Stripes" (incantation unknown)
-The user calls forth yellow energy, ensnaring the enemy in a thick rope.
-While similar to Hainawa, Sajo Sabaku is a much stronger technique that binds the enemy completely and not just their arms.

David

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, shikomizue
Weapon’s name: Benihime; “Crimson Princess”
Powers: Crimson energy techniques

Techniques
"Awaken, Benihime"
-Benihime transforms into a mid-sized sword with a razored edge instead of the traditional point. The hilt bends forward at the end with a crimson colored tassel hanging from its base.

"Scream, Benihime"
-Fires strong and destructive energy blasts that flow in arcs of the sword's swings.
-Can be charged up to deal even more damage

"Blood Mist Shield"
-A crimson, hexagon-shaped barrier forms in front of the blade. Protects the wielder from any damage.
-Can block physical and energy-based attacks, though stronger energy attacks can cause the shield to errode.

Other techniques
Hado #4: Byakurai
Hado #54: Haien; "Abolishing Flames" (incantation unknown)
-Fires a blast of purple fire energy that incinerates a target completely upon contact, practically making its target nonexistent

Hado #91: Senju Koten Taiho; "Thousand-Hand, Bright Heaven Culling-Sear"
Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired
-Ten pink energy spheres are fired at a single focal point. The resulting explosion is over-the-top devastation.

Bakudo #1: Sai
Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro

Screw Loose

Weapon type: Zanpaktou, katana
Weapon’s name: Muramasa; “Village-Just”
Powers: Turning enemy Zanpaktou against their masters

Techniques
"Whisper, Muramasa"
-Muramasa shines in a bright purple light releasing purple energy in a large surrounding area. Any Zanpaktou in the area will turn on their wielders, attacking them and their allies independently from their masters' control.

Zanpaktou Manifestation
-Muramasa's spirit can manifest in the real world and use his powers independently from his wielder.
-He can also cross into the inner worlds of his targets and force the Zanpaktou's spirit into the real world. This often confuses that spirit and causes it to give in to its negative emotions.

-Only a strong spiritual energy lock can resist Muramasa's hypnotic effects.

Author's Note

*Sigh*
I really don't have an excuse for why this took so long. I shouldn't have kept you all waiting so long for this.
At least I can sort of relax now. This is one less incomplete story that I have to feel guilty about putting off.

Ch. 1 - 8, Package Deal: Blank Slate through Orchid Sky

A/N: Good news for those of you that didn’t like this story: this will be the last update I ever add to this. More about that in the bottom author’s note.

Eternity: Nothing Probably Goes on Forever Too

Chapter 1: Blank Slate

...

I could only see darkness. I could only feel darkness. I was surrounded by dark empty space. Was this a dream? I didn't know. I didn't care. I couldn't feel anything.

Surely, you seek purpose.

What? What was that? It sounded like a voice, but I couldn't really tell how it was really toned. Before I could ponder, it sounded again.

I can give you answers.

What was I supposed to make of that? Answers to what? What could this voice possibly have to offer in this empty plane of existence?

Find your heart at the core of nightmares.

I felt a strange breeze.

Ugh, I felt horrible. Whenever I woke up from a dream before, I've had to shake my head slightly before forcing my eyes open. Normally, this was followed by reaching over and checking the time and throwing blankets off of me.

Today was not one of those days. I felt no blankets covering me.

Did I kick them off during the night? I wondered. It took a bit longer for me to open my eyes. I wasn't expecting what I saw next.

It looked like a patch of grass in the middle of nowhere. Naturally, I did a double-take and blinked rapidly to try and clear my sight. But the illusion wouldn't fade. I was not in my bed. I was on a patch of grass.

Is this what a drunk dream feels like? I thought. I recalled going out to the bar for the first time yesterday on my twenty-first birthday. My older siblings insisted on all of us getting wasted. As the stupid youngest brother, I figured why not. After that, I couldn't really place any memories beyond a blur of a run to the bathroom.

Back in the present, I decided that maybe my eyes just needed a good rubbing to help them clear up this grassy field image. So I reached up both of my hooves and did so.

...Wait...

I did another double-take at the sight of what I had thought were my hands. What I saw were two sort-of cartoon hooves. They were black as night. They were black as coal. They could have been painted black. Why was I thinking in Rolling Stones lyrics?

"What the heck?" I practically yelled. That's when another realization caught me off guard. My voice... didn't sound like my voice. It sounded way too feminine. Not that I had anything against women's voices, but... agh, never mind. I tried speaking at a normal volume over a few random words.

"She sells seashells by the sea shore." I could now say with almost absolute certainty what my voice sounded like. It reminded me of Rukia Kuchiki from the anime Bleach.

"What is...? How is...? Huh?" I tried to grasp coherent thoughts under these circumstances. As a last ditch effort to hold onto sanity, I looked around at myself. It didn't surprise me that my neck was slightly more flexible with the angles it could turn to. What did surprise me was how the rest of me looked.

I looked like a horse. I looked like a black-winged pony. I looked like a black Pegasus with a purple tail that could move with nary a thought. My hair (or was it mane) was long and had the same shade of dark purple. I could only stare with my mouth agape.

When I turned forward again, I saw a slow-moving river. I started walking over toward it. Yeah, I walked on all fours but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. Upon reaching the river, I looked down. For the first time, I saw my new face. It resembled a pony's muzzle, black as the rest of my body. My large eyes had irises of the color turquoise. Thankfully, I didn't have draconic slits for pupils. Heaven forbid I plagiarize Pen Stroke even in delirium.

Although, something else struck me as odd. In my reflection, I saw a horn above my forehead.

"Wait, if I have this," I muttered, "and these," referring to my wings which flapped once involuntarily, "am I an alicorn?" But if my reflection was any reference to work with, I wasn't anywhere near the size of Celestia. Heck, I don't think I was even up to Cadance's height.

Now, I may have known a lot of things about My Little Pony that many people would shrug at, but I didn't consider myself a brony. After all, I'd never even looked at the merchandise, let alone made any purchases or donations. I was just a fan of the show and an avid reader of fan fiction. Heck, I even enjoyed watching all sorts of parody videos made by lovers and haters alike.

Anyway, I was for all intense purposes lost and alone in the middle of nowhere, Equestria. Still not entirely convinced that I was still sane, I decided the best course of action was to follow the river. I dared not risk trying to fly just yet. Having acrophobia as a former human kind of diminished any joys one could expect from flying.

So I walked downstream for what felt like a few minutes. I didn't really have a good time reference since the sun didn't look like it was going anywhere.

How is it I can walk like a quadruped without tripping? I thought. I guess that was the magic question, because at that moment I tripped over my own hooves. So the fan fic writers were onto something when they said that you should clear your mind while performing a mundane pony task. I slowly picked myself up and let my mind wander to other things.

How did I get here? Wherever here is. What magic would choose me out of the countless other people that actually want this kind of thing to happen? What should I do now? What if I can't get back home?

Okay, my thoughts were not exactly optimistic. In fact, it sort of bummed me out how often I thought about worst-case scenarios. I decided to try a different approach with my thoughts. I focused on a song during my silent trot.

~Sanctus Espiritus. Redeem us from our solemn hour.
Sanctus Espiritus. Insanity is all around us.
Sanctus Espiritus. Is this what we deserve? Can we break free
From chains of never ending agony?~

Within Temptation sure knew how to perform moving music.

All I know for sure is I'm trying.
I will always stand my ground.

Chapter 2: Situation

…

Conveniences seemed to be common in the actual Equestria as much as they were in television show Equestria. As my thoughts sang the finishing words of another Within Temptation song, I looked up to see where the river was going. It passed right on through a familiar-looking town. Gee, Ponyville is a lot broader when you look at it from the right angle. Wow, it looked beautiful.

Despite my state of presumed insanity, common sense decided to ask me something.

How will they react to a strange alicorn pony?

Although, that thought was instantly replaced with:

Do you want to be stranded in the middle of Equestria by your lonesome?

I decided to listen to the reasoning of the latter question. I kept up my pace and trotted down the hill, still following the river. Walking into the town of Ponyville was the easy part. Attempting to avoid making a scene, I found was much more difficult. The ponies that were out and about gave me looks of various emotions: indifferent, shocked, nervous, and afraid. I heard various whispers as I continued my walk through the streets.

"Who is that?"

"Is she an alicorn?"

"How is that possible?"

"Is she a princess?"

"What if it's a cursed pony?"

"What kind of curse gives extra body parts?"

"What if she's one of those creatures?"

"She doesn't even have a cutie mark."

"What is she?"

I sighed on the inside. I forgot that rumors spread like wildfire here. I needed to find someone, some pony to listen that would be reasonable. If the show and stories were anything to go by, then my best bet would be to talk with Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy. But Fluttershy's cottage was near the Everfree Forest and I had no idea where that was in relation to my current position.

Twilight it is, then, I thought. I managed to spot the tallest tree above the houses and started heading in that direction. The trek was pretty uneventful, aside from a few more gasps and suspicious stares from the locals. I think I even heard a Pinkie Pie-esque gasp when I passed what looked like Sugarcube Corner.

I should have been able to predict the next cliched event, but I didn't. I had reached the house tree library. Just as I lifted a hoof to knock on the door, exhaustion finally caught up with me. I guess going for a full day's walk without food and breaks wasn't a good thing.

The mattress felt a little dirty as I laid down.

I can grant you an identity.

A new you.

...

"Tundra," I felt my mouth say.

Listen to the cold melody...

...and wake up...

"Wake up!" shouted a voice.

"Wah!" I yelped as I fell off a couch. Wood or stone, tumbling onto the floor was not a comfortable experience.

"Ow...," I muttered. As I opened my eyes and looked around, I found the source of my disturbance. It was a rather impatient-looking baby dragon.

"Oh, good. You're awake," said Spike, "When we found you lying outside in front of the door, Twilight assumed the worst."

I gave him a blank stare. I guess he interpreted the stare as one of confusion.

"Twilight's the librarian here, and I'm her number one assistant. Call me Spike."

"A... All right then, Spike," I stumbled over my words briefly before shaking my head and regaining my bearings. Frankly, I wasn't sure how I was going to explain that I already knew the things he was telling me. I supposed I would wait until I met Twilight personally. A grumbling noise interrupted my train of thought and my stomach felt like it was vibrating.

"Heh heh," chuckled Spike, "I guess you're hungry. Actually, this works out perfectly. Twilight wanted me to let her know when you woke up." He started walking and motioned for me to follow him. I did so albeit fairly slowly. He opened a door and let me walk through first. I didn't remember seeing this much of the place's kitchen before right then.

It looked like a kitchen mostly ergonomic for human use. I still didn't fully understand how equines could use everything people could. But, those thoughts quickly evaporated as the pony I wanted to see came into view.

"Oh! You're awake," she said, "That's good. When I found you outside my door unconscious, I assumed the worst."

"So I heard," I replied with a chuckle. My stomach decided to put its two cents of sound effects into the barely started conversation.

"Here," said Twilight, "you should probably eat." A sandwich of sorts floated toward me. I assumed it was Twilight's magic considering the magenta-colored glow it held. At this point, I probably made the biggest dick-move ever. I let the sandwich float there and just chomped a bite out of it, without even thinking about grabbing it myself. Huh, daisies tasted just like they smelled. My human mind still found eating flowers like this a bit weird, so it wasn't that pleasurable.

"Uh..." hummed Twilight, "Wouldn't it be easier to just take it yourself?"

"Huh?" I paused after swallowing the bite, "Right, sorry." I was unsure how to go about grabbing it in a levitating hold like Twilight was doing. I wasn't exactly born with a horn, so using it was a foreign concept to me.

How hard could it be? I thought. I decided closing my eyes and concentrating would be a good start. I shut out my mind to anything else, thinking only of grabbing the sandwich with invisible fingers. I felt something swimming in my mind, but it wasn't exactly a grab. I opened one eye to check my progress. What I saw surprised all three occupants of the room.

An ice cube. It was a sandwich shaped ice cube, complete with a cut-out in the shape of the bite I just took. If I weren't so shocked, I would have been laughing at the cut-out. Instead I opted for the obvious question.

"Did... I just do that?" Yeah, obvious answer, right? I guess the shock was enough to break Twilight's hold on the sandwich, because it fell onto the floor and broke into little bits of ice.

"How did you...?" she asked with eyes still open wide, "Was that a cold spell? Is it because you're an alicorn? Do you have some hidden reservoir of untapped magic? Oh, I have so many questions."

"I thought I was dealing with Twilight Sparkle, not Pinkie Pie," I managed to insert into the short pause she had taken. The mention of her friend might not have been an ideal timing. Her eyes suddenly squinted in suspicion.

"How do you know the name Pinkie Pie?" she inquired. It felt like the air had just dropped in temperature a few degrees and not just because of the ice cube sandwich.

I sighed, "You might want to sit down, Twilight. This is going to be a long story."

Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else, getting me frustrated.
Life's like this.

Chapter 3: Walking This Road

This is a fine kettle of fish I've gotten myself into. How could I forget the possible repercussions of walking into some place unannounced and uninvited? For all I knew, I was completely insane and my story was full of possible, logical holes. I should have known better than to just assume that everything would work out-

"Well, that explains everything perfectly," said Twilight with full sincerity.

Huh? Did I hear that right? Did Twilight Sparkle, the Twilight Sparkle, the most logical and analytical mind in all of Equestria... did she just believe my full story without questioning all the scientific impossibilities?

"It... does?" I asked lamely. I was still getting used to hearing my Rukia-esque voice.

"Oh absolutely!" she affirmed, "We had a case almost exactly like that last year."

I sat on my rump in bafflement. This had happened before? What crazy fan fictional universe had I entered?

"Yeah, that Firewall was a lot of fun," piped up Spike.

Firewall? The multi-personality disordered Stoic and Lafter unicorn? The original character from Through the Eyes of Another Pony by CardsLafter? That Firewall was here? I would have fainted right there on command if I knew how.

"Are you okay?" asked the baby dragon. I could only shake my head in disbelief. Hunger plus a bunch of mind-boggling statements only led me to feel weary in the past. That combination was doing so right now.

"Um," paused Twilight, "Here. Take half of this." She levitated her own sandwich and somehow split it into perfect rectangular halves. I absentmindedly grabbed it with one hoof and started nibbling on the half sandwich while I was lost in my own world of thoughts.

If I'm in the Equestria that Firewall was in, then that means... My thoughts tangled over the number of ethical ramifications that had. Luna had a boyfriend. Most of the ponies were familiar with some human memes and witty terminology. Then, the worst idea crossed my thoughts. They know everything.

It wasn't until I was on the last bite of the sandwich half that my thoughts returned to the here and now.

How am I holding this with just my right hoof? I thought. Apparently, gravity decided to kick in and yank the remaining bite to the floor. That only reinforced what I had found out earlier with my walking: mundane tasks with hooves must be acted upon without thought in order to work. In other words: "stop trying to hit me and hit me". Morpheus was onto something after all.

"Sorry," I muttered, "I tend to over think things... a lot."

"Ah, don't worry about it," shrugged Spike, "I've seen Twilight think too hard all the time. I'm used to it." Twilight gave him an angry glare but didn't say anything. She then sighed and turned back to me.

"Anyway," she said, "you're welcome to stay here until you figure out what you want to do."

"Uh, thank you," I replied, "but you really don't have to trouble yourself."

"It's no trouble at all. Besides, wouldn't you like to find your cutie mark?"

Oh yeah, that's right, I thought as I turned to look at myself. I was by the show's definition a 'blank flank'. I guess it couldn't hurt to try and figure out what I could be here in Equestria.

"Oh! I should introduce you to my friends," marveled Twilight, "I'm sure between the six of us we can teach you how to fly, use magic, and be a pony in general."

"Th-that sounds great," I stammered. I was still uncomfortable with how surreal this whole situation felt.

"And knowing Pinkie Pie," she added, "I bet she's already seen you and started party preparations."

"Heh, yeah," I chuckled, "Sounds like Pinkie Pie all right." We shared a good couple of laughs after that.

"By the way, what should I call you?" Twilight asked.

I thought while rubbing my chin for a bit before saying, "Tundra. Tundra Stanza."

Ceteris paribus, or "all else held constant", it made the most sense to meet the pony with the least sense first. Well, after meeting the sensible, organized one. That way, introductions with the rest of them would be easier in contrast. So, off to Sugarcube Corner we went. It was certainly different actually walking to it than watching a convenient scene transition.

If there was one thing consistent with Pinkie Pie, it had to be parties. No matter what, she always loved to party for any and every situation. She probably even made up something for the reason of over 70 percent of her parties, just for the sake of partying. I guess that's what I liked about her and why I was glad to never be that hyper. One fourth wall breaker in the world was plenty, thank you very much.

Knowing that, I almost didn't jump up startled when the lights turned on and every pony there yelled, "SURPRISE!" ...almost. I almost didn't get startled again when a blur of pink, white, and blue obscured my vision... almost.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were you? Were you? huh? Huh? Huh? You see I know every pony and I mean every pony that's in town but since I don't know you that must mean you're new and that means I should throw a big welcome party to help you make lots of friends." She blinked rapidly with such bliss. I only caught a few of the first two sentences before she scrambled her words in her 'Pinkie Pie talk' mode.

"Uh... yeah, it was surprising," I said leaning back a bit in fear of the invasion of my personal space. I think I actually felt sweat dripping from my forehead, and I'm fairly certain it was not that hot in the room.

"Great!" she yelped cheerfully, "Ooh, hey! I decided for this party we ought to have a karaoke mic set up. Why don't you head on over to that?"

"Huh?" I managed to squeak out before I was grabbed and launched through the air. Next thing I knew, I was on a small stage of sorts in front of a microphone. A colt... er, stallion I guess... was sitting up there playing an acoustic guitar. The tune sounded familiar and before I knew it, I was singing a melody to match it.

How can you see into my eyes like open doors
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb?
Without a soul
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead
It... back... home.

I lost all sense of the party guests watching and only thought of the music.

Wake me up inside.
Wake me up inside.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone.
Save me from the nothing I've become.

I felt... happy just singing my heart out.

Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me.
Breathe into me and make me real.
Bring... me... to life.

Wake me up inside.
Wake me up inside.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone.
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Bring me to life.

Bring me to life.

The guitar changed from its usual chorus to the next verse.

Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.

A few silent strums were struck before the chorus resumed.

Wake me up inside.
Wake me up inside.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Bid my blood to run
Before I come undone.
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Bring me to life.

Hmm... Hmm...

Bring me to life.

As the guitarist played his last few chords, I heard a faint twinkling noise from behind my head.

All of this time I can't believe I couldn't see.
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me.
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems.
Got to open my eyes to everything.
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul.
Don't let me die here. There must be something more.

Chapter 4: Without You

I opened my eyes seconds after I heard a faint, twinkling noise.

What... was I... doing? I thought, Wait. I looked around at my sides. There was a symbol that looked like an eighth note in the color of ice: whitish-blue yet translucent. I had a cutie mark.

...

I HAD A CUTIE MARK!

The other ponies at that party reminded me of their presence with several hoof stomps. They added cheers, shouts of praise, and the occasional whistle or two. I opened my wings and crossed my front right hoof in front of my other one. I hoped it looked like an equivalent for bowing. It seemed to work sufficiently as the cheers continued for several seconds.

I trotted off the small stage as the cheering started to die down. Every pony started resuming whatever conversations they were having before. That is, every pony except...

"Wowie zowie! That was super, terrific singing!" ...Pinkie Pie. I was still miffed that she practically threw me onto the stage earlier, but really. Who can stay mad at such a happy face?

"Thanks," I managed to reply. I'm pretty sure I was blushing.

"Seriously," said Twilight as she approached, "your voice and sense of rhythm flowed together perfectly."

"Ooh! And you even got your cutie mark," acknowledged Pinkie, "This calls for a celebration!"

"Aren't we already in the middle of one?" I asked.

Pinkie lifted her hoof to her chin as if in deep thought before gasping, "You're right. I should double up on cake and decorations and make this a doubley fun party!" She then performed a cartoon zip line motion to leave the vicinity in a split-second.

"Typical Pinkie Pie," said Twilight and I at the same time. Upon realizing this, she added, "Jinx. You owe me a drink."

"Ah, so you're familiar with that expression," I commented. I decided to humor her and trotted over the punch bowl. Luckily, the path wasn't blocked off by the numerous dancers and minglers at the party.

I started to wonder if magic was another thing that couldn't be performed if it was over thought. It just had to be done. So, instead of closing my eyes and imagining invisible hands, I just looked at one of the cups and the ladle. A turquoise-colored aura surrounded them and moved them in the fashion a person would move them to pour a drink. At first I thought I was getting the hand of using magic. Then, without any warning, the cup became surrounded by a layer of ice. The contents, however, were still liquid.

I was surprised, but I didn't drop the cup to the floor. Somehow, I was still levitating it even though the aura I was using faded a little. I decided to walk over to where Twilight was. At that time, she was talking with one of her friends. I assumed it was Rarity by the white coat and deep, purple mane.

"Here, Twilight," I said with a straight face, "I hope you don't mind if it's a little cold." I floated the cup over to her. She turned her head to look at the cup, opened her eyes wide, and then giggled before taking it in her own magical grasp.

"Thanks," she said with a somewhat amused expression.

"You must be Rarity," I said to Twilight's talking buddy, "I'm Tundra Stanza. It's a pleasure to meet you personally." I lowered my head in respect before raising it again.

"Likewise," she said returning the gesture.

The party dragged on for a couple more hours. I managed to at least introduce myself to each of the main six ponies. Rainbow Dash's hello had been short and sweet (big surprise). Applejack had been loud and proud. Fluttershy was just so darn cute. I didn't even mind that I could barely hear her sentence.

At some point when I wasn't looking, Pinkie Pie had managed to double up on the confetti, balloons, and even the banners. The second one read, "Happy Cute-Ceañera Tundra!" Heh heh, clever. She even doubled the amount of cake. I ended up eating two slices of red velvet and two slices of carrot cake. How did Pinkie know those were my favorites? I may never find out.

On the bright side, the punch wasn't spiked (oh, the pun) with rupees or anything of the sort. That's good, because there were fillies and young colts attending the party as well. Seeing any of the Crusaders drunk was not on my list of life goals.

Eventually, the guests began to thin out and the music faded into a soothing silence. It was time for every pony to head home. I managed to haggle sleeping arrangements at Twilight's house. By that, I mean she offered and I accepted. I wasn't always good with asking outright about what I was thinking.

We trotted in silence in the direction of the library. I didn't really know what I was going to do now. Why was I here? What force brought me here and what was I supposed to do?

Constantly pondering in circles wouldn't help. For now, I needed to rest. Pink blankets weren't exactly appealing to me but if I learned anything from the show, I was not going to look my gift horse in her mouth. With a blow from Twilight, the last light in the house went out.

Something was terribly wrong. I was woken up by movement, but it was clearly too dark for it to be morning assuming Princess Celestia was on proper schedule.

"She thought she could escape me, but now I have the focal point of Magic."

My half-awake state quickly changed to full alertness as I jumped out of the bed. Brushing off the blanket from my left wing, I turned to the source of the voice. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. My jaw held slack as I looked at the light purple, translucent mane of a draconic-eyed pony. Twilight Sparkle looked just like an old fan art picture of her Nightmare-possessed self.

"T... Twilight?" I hesitantly asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Not exactly," said the unicorn as I was suddenly impacted by a blast of pure magic. Against my will, I was flying through the door to the outside. At least the grass was merciful with dealing pain. I managed to right myself from lying on my back to standing on my hooves. I turned to face my attacker who was calmly walking out of the tree house.

She raised her head and laughed. I knew Tara Strong could act an evil laugh but this... this cackle gave my shivers the shivers. Some of the windows and doors opened as ponies looked to see what was going on. Needless to say, several of them panicked at the sight of a Nightmare possessed unicorn. Screams and random running accurately reflected their televised counterparts.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. A cool breeze started to pick up and move my mane. I let a familiar tune pass through my mind and began to sing it aloud with a somewhat higher voice.

My Little Pony, My Little Pony,
What is friendship all about?
My Little Pony, My Little Pony
Friendship is magic!

I was soon joined by an invisible choir that rode the winds. I didn't mind holding the melody.

(My Little Pony)
I used to wonder what friendship could be.
(My Little Pony)
Until you all shared its magic with me.

When I was young I was too busy to make any friends.
Such silliness did not seem worth the effort it expends.
But my little ponies, you opened up my eyes
And now the truth is crystal clear, as splendid summer skies.
And it's such a wonderful surprise.

(My Little Pony)
I used to wonder what friendship could be.
(My Little Pony)
Until you all shared its magic with me.

Miraculously, Twilight's five best friends started gathering behind me as the song said each of their names.

When danger makes me want to hide, you'll Rainbow Dash to my side,
Kindness is never in short supply, once smitten twice Fluttershy.
For honesty no pony can deny, you are the Applejack of my eye,
A heart that shines so beautiful, a Rarity to come by
And you all make fun and laughter as easy as Pinkie Pie!

(My Little Pony)
I used to wonder what friendship could be.
(My Little Pony)
Until you all shared its magic with me.

My voice became gentler for the brief bridge of the song.

Our friendship's magic and it's growing all the time.
A new adventure waits for us each day is yours and mine.
We'll make it special every time!
We'll make it special every time!

The invisible choir and I resumed the upbeat tempo.

(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 is an easy feat
And magic makes it all complete, yeah!

(My Little Pony)
Do you know you're all my very best
(Friends!) Friends, you're my very best
(Friends!) Friends, you're my very best
(Friends!) Friends, you're my very best
(Friends!) Friends!

As the winds died down, something was happening to the possessed unicorn. She was holding her head in pain. I bet she was fighting against her parasitic cloud. Said cloud then decided to leave its host of its own free will.

"Fine!" shouted Nightmare, "If I can't have her, I'll just have to silence you!" It pounced upon me before I could react. I couldn't move as the shadow cloud started to fade into my skin. I could just barely sense a cyan-colored chest plate appear on me before everything went black.

Can you face your friends if you've cast them aside?
How can you face the light if in darkness you've chosen to hide?

Chapter 5: To Remake Forgotten Promises

...

I was dreaming… but which parts… were the dream?

I felt my eyes open. I was surrounded mostly by a gray abyss. What was not abyss was the source of light in front of me. I saw an all too familiar magenta star shape hanging as if on a wall. Beneath that star were five doorways. Each held a discolored shape of their respective Element. From left to right there was the apple of Honesty, the balloon of Laughter, the gem of Generosity, the butterfly of Kindness, and the lightning bolt of Loyalty.

In order to reclaim what was lost, echoed a voice that I did not recognize, you must first venture the virtues of old.

I didn't exactly have any way to wake myself up at the moment, so I decided to humor the faceless voice and follow its vague advice. I started walking forward, taking note of the fact that I couldn't see my body as I moved along. In the dreamland of nonsense, I would try to make at least some organized direction. I first stepped in front of the gray apple, and walked through the door to who knew where.

"That just can't be the truth," I said looking up from the pond. I had just seen the vision of us splitting up after completing the quest. I couldn't believe it. Our friendship over, just like that?

"When all the truth does," said the living pile of apples, "is make your heart ache, sometimes a lie is easier to take." I stood cold there, pondering that statement. Maybe it was easier to accept and tell lies.

Wait a minute, I thought, just because it's easier doesn't make it right. Sure the truth does hurt sometimes, but lying will only lead to stringing a web of more lies and those cut deeper than any painful truth ever will.

I could move again. My resolve was restored.

"Who were you talking to?" asked Twi as she walked up behind me.

"Would you believe a pile of talking apples?" I asked.

"Considering what Discord's capable of, that wouldn't surprise me," she answered.

"C'mon, Twi," I said tipping my hat in determination, "We gotta find the rest of our friends."

I found myself in the abyss that I had started in. But there was something different this time. The leftmost doorway was closed and a shimmering orange-colored apple shone brightly above it.

"Did I just live through one of Applejack's memories?" I asked no one in particular.

Each virtue relived will bring you closer to the truth.

Well, that was easy, I thought, Might as well see where the rest of this path goes. With confidence in my step, I walked through the doorway marked with the gray balloon.

"No! Stop it!" I shouted but the balloons just crept in further. What I had first thought were cheerful faces now looked more menacing. What's worse were the five balloons that took the faces of my best friends and laughed at me in the most mocking tone of voices.

"Stop laughing at me!" I pleaded with my head on the ground.

"Oh, poor Pinkie Pie," cooed the Discord balloon, "And here I thought laughter made you happy."

"Happy?" I growled, "I don't think so."

Wait a minute, I suddenly thought, What am I getting so upset about? Plenty of ponies find me funny. In fact, I laugh at me too. It's important to learn to laugh at yourself.

I looked down at my hooves and thought, I'm gray. Gray! Ah ha ha ha ha! HA HA ha ha ha! It was so hilarious. I just couldn't contain my giggles. Here I was thinking that laughing at me was so bad. If I laugh at myself, doesn't that mean we're sharing? I didn't even notice that the balloons were popping. I was laughing so hard. I didn't even realize I had regained my colors.

"Pinkie Pie!" called Twilight, "Are we glad to see you!"

"Oh-ho, Twilight!" I chuckled, "I was gray! Gray! Can you believe it? Ah ha ha ha ha ha! I've never thought something was so funny before. Well except for that time I saw him dancing on your head and I went, 'Pfft ah ha ha ha!' but I mean really, who can top that?"

"Same old Pinkie Pie," Twilight smiled.

The door to Laughter was closed. A sky blue balloon shone brightly above it. Not even giving a pause, I stepped through the next doorway.

"I was expecting an audience with the Princess," I complained, "not outdoor sports."

I ran into a wall and went, "Oh my."

"Welcome to your lucky day, Rarity" rang the voice of the draconequus, "You've found the one thing in Equestria that could rival my face for sheer beauty." At this the three diamonds engraved in the wall shone brighter than they did before.

"What do you think?" his voice continued, "You like?"

"Yes," I said mesmerized, "I like very much." I leaned in a bit before shaking my head.

"No!" I declared defiantly, "I shan't succumb to such fabulousness."

I walked away with strained steps, "Must... get to the center... to meet... the others." It was getting harder to resist the pretty, pretty, shiny, shiny. But then another thought crossed me.

"Digging into that kind of wall without my magic would ruin my hooficure."

I walked away more fervently before adding, "Besides, what's the point in obtaining a treasure if there's no pony to share it with?" I picked up my ladylike pace. Nothing would stop me from reuniting with my friends. Least of all a rock.

I took note of the purple diamond hanging above the recently closed doorway before walking through the next one.

"Not really," I replied innocently, "In fact, I think I'm awfully lucky to have friends who want me to be the best I can be." The butterflies I was talking to immediately flashed and were replaced by Discord. I backpedaled in surprise.

"Oh for goodness sake!" he shouted before poking my head, "You've been kind for far too long, my dear. Time to be cruel. Arrivederci!" With that farewell, he disappeared.

"Ouch," I whispered.

Cruelness only leads to more ponies feeling bad, I thought sadly, I don't want to be the cause of pain to others. I just want to help where I can.

"Fluttershy!" shouted Twilight cheerfully, "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Me too," I muttered as I gave her a hug with my front hooves, "Me too."

The pink butterfly shone brightly over the second to last door. Only one remained. I took a slightly more cautious step through the last doorway. I think a bit of Fluttershy's personality rubbed off on me.

"Hey, I'm here to deliver a message," said Discord holding his palms in my direction.

"I've got a message for you too!" I shouted while waving my front hooves using what I remembered from my karate classes.

"Listen closely," said the ugly guy while taking his sunglasses off, "This is important. A weighty choice is yours to make. The right selection or a big mistake. If a wrong choice you choose to pursue, the foundations of home will crumble without you." He snapped his fingers to summon a cloudy vision of... my home... falling to pieces.

"Cloudsdale?" I choked, "Crumble? Without me. NOOOO!" My worries made it easier to startle me when a wrapped up box appeared out of thin air.

"That box contains your wings," claimed Discord, "You can take them and leave the game, or you can carry on aimlessly wandering this maze. Your choice." He made the choice sound so easy. I could just take my wings and save Cloudsdale. I could be the hero! I just had to break one rule of this stupid game.

But, if I leave now, I thought, who will help my friends? Even if I do somehow save Cloudsdale, who's to say that jerk wouldn't just take it over and destroy it once he's done with Ponyville?

This wasn't about me. This was a decision about what really matters. My friends needed me more right now. I was going to stand by their side and fight. I spat in the direction of the present and quickly galloped down the maze in a different direction.

"Don't worry, guys," I said, "I'm coming!"

When the five are present, they reveal and strengthen the sixth.

Now that the red lightning bolt was in place, the five doorway Elements shone brightly and arced a light toward the magenta star above them. It too glowed brighter than ever.

Your final task will begin.

I was engulfed by white light. Now I stood in a white abyss and I could see my black hooves again. Was the dream over? My question was quickly answered by an omnipotent cloud of dark energy floating a ways in front of me.

"How is this possible?" asked the Nightmare angrily, "Your soul should have been wiped from existence!"

"I guess I just don't die that easily," I replied with a straight face. It growled in response and charged after me. Dodging attacks was a lot easier when there was so much open space.

"What allows you to resist me?!" the cloud demanded. Bells whistled in my ear before I gave my retort.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" a katana manifested and I held it by wrapping my right hoof around the hilt.

"W... what?" stammered Nightmare. Her dark essence started flowing like a stream. It flowed right into the katana. Its color changed to a snowy, white color and a long, white ribbon attached itself to the sword's hilt.

"I... I remember," said the voice though it no longer sounded spiteful, "You... are me."

The white alicorn with a faded blue mane stood as blizzard winds seemed to spiral around her. She wore a helmet and chest plate of evergreen colors. She opened her eyes to reveal green irises like those of a regular pony.

"I am Shirayuki, the white snow," she said calming herself and the winds that were blowing around. As the ponies looked on, her armor cracked and shattered. The white alicorn vanished. In its place, a black, purple-maned alicorn fell to the ground unconscious.

Whatever lies beyond this morning
Is a little later on
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all
Nothing's like before.

Chapter 6: Meet You At Road's End

Sunlight was eating at my eyelids. I could feel the rays burning at them, trying to force them open so that I'd have to wake up. Eventually, I'd have to face the day. I mean really, what could a guy like me do without food, water, and exercise? Reluctantly, I gave into the morning sun's wishes and opened my eyes. I rolled the blankets off of myself, and turned to stand...

...only to fall onto all fours.

That's... not normal, I thought. I think the clip-clop noise startled me out of my half-awake trance. I stared down to look at my hands to see what was magnetizing them to the floor. At first, I was afraid seeing black hooves where peach skin should have been. Then, memories started flowing back to me about the recent couple of days.

Oh yeah... I'm a pony now, I thought. I turned to look at the rest of my body and remembered some more.

And I'm a girl now.

I didn't really have any reason to be disappointed. There was nothing inherently wrong with being a girl. It was just a bit of a let-down turning into something that I wasn't. Forgive me for stealing your words, Adam Jensen but I never asked for this. I knew a few people that did want this. But, I never thought that I was that obsessed with the pony-based universe. What did fate want me to gather from this?

For that matter, why did fate decide to send the show's first antagonist and primary source of darkness at me after I just got here? I was surprised that I didn't feel the insanity that was described in several Human in Equestria stories. It was both comforting yet distilling that at least some form of normalcy existed in a world entirely constructed of what I had thought was fiction. The slowness for reality to sink into my conscious mind combined with my flat hooves were all that stood between me and ripping my hair out.

As usual, my thoughts tried to circle around to earlier ideas. In the dream, the Nightmare had said, "You are me," as it entered that katana. Why a katana? Additionally, why did I shout the phrase for a Zanpaktou release that only Rukia Kuchiki should be capable of? These questions weren't getting answered, and this whole thing was starting to make my head hurt.

I decided to do the one thing I always do when my thoughts get convoluted: go out for a walk. I slowly made my way down the library's two flights of stairs, barely sparing a glance for the numerous bookshelves I passed. Melvil Dewey would have had a field day here. At the ground level area, I saw Spike rushing around. I guessed he was organizing Twilight's most recent study mess.

"Morning, Tundra," he called without losing a beat in his reshelving.

"Morning, Spike," I replied, though I lacked any enthusiasm when I said that, "I'm going out for some air."

"All right, but don't be gone too long. Twilight said she wanted to talk to you about something."

"I don't doubt that." I used my magical hold to open the door, though I accidentally left the door knob frozen from my icy grip. I guess I'd have to get used to that through practice. I decided to just kick the door closed as I left. It slammed a little louder than I would have liked. I had slightly more acute senses than the average person. For all the good they did me, it was kind of pointless to have that extra sensitivity.

The sunlight felt warm against my black hide. While it felt kind of nice, I felt a bit uncomfortable anticipating the temperature to rise to a cooking level. Luckily, there seemed to be a bit of a breeze flowing through the streets. I assumed I could thank whatever Pegasi were in charge of weather that day. I was certain the cool air was all that was keeping me from frying in my own sweat.

I enjoyed exercising, in spite of my change in center of gravity. I never really thought about the number of differences between walking as a person and walking as a pony. It was probably because I never thought I'd need to think about that. You didn't randomly change species and location without some cause, right? I shook my head. If I thought too much about walking and anatomy, I'd most likely trip over my hooves again.

It helped that there weren't as many rumors about me floating between the town residents. I guess Pinkie's parties can make anyone feel welcome. (No, I will not ponify every word I can. I speak English.) I still got a few glances and stares, but these were now looks of curiosity and not suspicion. I even saw a few strangers wave to me. I didn't want to raise a hoof and trip so I gave them what I hoped was a polite nod of acknowledgement.

I'm not sure how I got there, but I had found my way to the large open area known as Ponyville Park. I really should have considered asking Spike for a map of town before heading out so that I could gain some geographical knowledge for future navigation. As I walked along, I glanced towards the lone, white bench to the side of the sanded path. On it sat a familiar minty green unicorn fiddling with her lyre. A certain multi-voiced earth pony was absent but that made sense. Even best friends didn't spend 24 hours a day with each other.

"Hello!" I called when I had walked within a few feet from the bench.

"Oh, hi!" perked up the bench sitter, "You're... Tundra, right?"

"That would be me," I affirmed with a nod.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lyra." Yes, the fans got it right! "Welcome to Ponyville."

"Thanks," I smiled briefly before assuming a curious look, "So what are you up to?"

"I'm trying to form a new song to catch the attention of any passerby," she explained, "Trouble is, string notes alone only go so far. I need to think of some good lyrics."

She rubbed her chin in thought before looking at me, "Hey, Tundra, do you think you could use your talent for music to give this tune of mine some oomph?"

"Huh?" I was caught slightly off guard by that question, but then I said, "Well, sure I suppose. Let's hear what you've got so far."

Lyra started playing a slow melody of notes, plucking the strings with her magic. The pattern sounded vaguely familiar. Before I knew it, my mouth was releasing words of a song that felt like they emerged from the depths of my soul, if that makes any sense at all.

For a thousand years

I've waited here for you

Waiting every night

For I thought you were the

Answer to my life

Days turned into years

And into centuries

Patience had to fade

Don't you see that there is

Vengeance in my eyes?

The chords from the lyre began to take a different major.

Luna won't you cry for me

I'm as lonely as I've ever been

I am forced back into the start

Is there any way to fix a broken heart?

I don't know when I closed my eyes, but when I did, I could see a vision of stars flowing with the song.

Infinite despise

And endless jealousy

Bottled in my soul

Has erupted as I'm

Tearing through the skies

Days turned into years

And into centuries

Patience had to fade

Don't you see that there is

Vengeance in my eyes?

I took a brief pause as Lyra changed chords again.

Luna won't you cry for me

I'm as lonely as I've ever been

I am forced back into the start

Is there any way to fix a broken heart?

While I didn't see them, I could just feel frozen tears spilling from my eyes to the ground below me. Notes from the lyre continued to play for what felt like a full minute. I was in the zone. Song and emotion became one with me.

Luna won't you cry for me

I'm as lonely as I've ever been

I am forced back into the start

Is there any way to fix a broken heart?

...

Is there any way to fix a broken heart?

I took a deep breath as Lyra played the closing notes to the song. That's when I realized why the song sounded so familiar.

Thank you, Eurobeat, I thought.

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see a rather large group of ponies gathered around and watching. I probably would have tripped and fallen backward if I wasn't frozen stiff in shock. Though, I needn't have felt so nervous. One pony started stomping their hooves, then another. Soon the whole crowd was cheering and stomping in delight. Obviously, they enjoyed that little piece of entertainment.

I opened my wings and knelt my head in lieu of a bow. Then, I lifted my head back up and slowly pointed a hoof to the instrumentalist. Some of the crowd looked at her and continued their applause. Lyra was ecstatically smiling and even started bouncing in place, something I had thought only Pinkie Pie was capable of.

Eventually, the crowds began to thin. Only a few were still walking around the park. Sunset was on the western horizon. At least, I assumed that was west. Lyra thanked me for the fun day. I returned her gratitude with my own thanks. She smiled as she walked off with Bon Bon. I guess they were roommates but there was no confirmation either way.

That left one purple unicorn walking up to me with a somewhat happy yet also serious expression. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first.

"Tundra... we need to talk."

You want your freedom? Take it.
That's what I'm counting on.
I used to want you dead but
Now I only want you gone.

Chapter 7: First Dance, Tsukishiro

Cue scene transition to the library!

...

No actually, it was a long quiet walk back to the tree building. The local librarian and I had a small-talk conversation regarding today. I told her about Lyra and the little musical number we did together. After that though, there was a long pause of silence. That's what a lot of my conversations were, awkward silence.

The pause in sound didn't last long as we arrived at Twilight's abode. She opened the door and let me go in first before she followed and shut the door behind her.

"All right," she said with an unreadable expression, "Come on out."

"Excuse me?" I asked in confusion.

"I know you're in there,... Nightmare." Twilight's voice was creepily calm.

"What are you talking about, Twilight?" I still didn't fully get what she was trying to say.

"Stop this charade," she said with a somewhat louder voice, "Show yourself to me!"

At that moment, it felt like my entire bloodstream had frozen over (at least I think ponies have bloodstreams). I couldn't move a muscle.

"Very well," said a new voice using my lips. I lost control. I was forced to watch as my right hoof reached out to the side. A katana manifested in the hoof's grip.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," said the voice. The blade gained a solid, white hue as a long, white ribbon attached to the hilt. The whiteness spread to my hooves.

Then my vision was shrouded in darkness.

A snowy, white coated alicorn stood in the former human's place. Her faded, blue mane floated on some nonexistent wind. On herself, she wore a helmet and chest plate, both the color evergreen. The white blade was still being held in her right hoof, though not in a threatening pose. Her wings were held high and open. Her pure, green eyes stared at the other pony in the room with depressed guilt.

"I knew it," muttered Twilight.

"So, wait," called a voice from upstairs, "What should we call you now?" Twilight and the alicorn looked upstairs to see a certain baby dragon that looked rather sleepy as he stared back at them.

"What do you mean, Spike?" asked a now confused Twilight Sparkle.

"Well, whenever the Nightmare took over different ponies before," the dragon started, "she kept changing her name. I just want to get the name straight away so we don't have to keep calling her 'you'." For once, Spike had beaten Pinkie Pie to the random, logical strand of thought.

The armored pony gave a quick chuckle before saying, "Shirayuki."

"Anyway," said the annoyed unicorn, "I want answers."

"Very well, Twilight Sparkle," said Shirayuki as she dug her blade into the floor and let go of it, "What would you like to know?"

What was it with me and the gray abyss? It's like it wanted to marry me or something. (That's a creepy thought. I really hoped that it wasn't looking for marriage.) I picked myself up, though I couldn't see my appendages or limbs. Phantom limbs, now there was a meta thought that drove me bonkers in the past. The idea that the mind could feel an arm even if it wasn't there baffled me.

But there was something different about this visit to my subconscious. The abyss altered its form to reveal a sort of black and white motion picture. It was weird. You had to be there to understand how empty space can suddenly look like a silent motion film. It sort of resembled an open field and it was... snowing?

Small white flakes floated all around me. I thought about reaching out to one, but the snow crystal just went right through me. I was a ghost watching a wintry landscape. But what did it mean? Why was I being shown this?

I heard giggling. As I turned to my right, I saw what I had only assumed was possible in fan comics before. Alicorn fillies were running around playing in the snow. From what I could see, there were three of them. I immediately recognized two of them as the pink and white Celestia and the blue moon Luna. The third, however, was unfamiliar to me. Her coat was as white as the snow around her and her mane was the color of clean lake water.

Her green eyes seemed to look through me briefly before she rejoined her friends in slapping snow at each other. They were all laughing and having a grand old time. I couldn't help but smile at the sheer adorableness of the sight. If I had a phantom heart here, would having it explode cause any physical harm?

Well wasn't that an out of place thought? I asked myself rhetorically.

As I looked on, a silhouette of a man walked into the picture. I couldn't tell if he was saying anything, but the unnamed alicorn acted as if she had heard something. When she turned to look at the man, she shook in fear. The man reached out a hand and grabbed her forehead, around the horn. When he let go, all that remained was the essence of two clouds. A white cloud floated away to some unknown destination. The black cloud that remained behind looked as if it were boiling, though I couldn't make sense of the sight.

"After that day," said Shirayuki, "All I could feel were clouds of hatred and rage. Merging with other lives was the only way I could feel like I had a heart."

"You expect to believe that David was the only one to blame?" asked Twilight hinting skepticism in her tone.

"No," sighed the taller alicorn, "Ever since I joined with Tundra, I've felt new emotions. Guilt, sorrow, and shame are gaining predominance. I feel like I need to make up for the things I've done, the sins I've committed."

"You could start by letting Tundra go," remarked Spike.

"I cannot do that," she replied, "Because she and I are one soul."

"What?" asked the librarian and her number one assistant.

The vision became distorted and started to fade. I felt a large pulling force, though I couldn't tell from which direction. The dream started to fade and I started to see splotches of color in a new scenery. The colors started to take shape and before I knew it, I was inside Ponyville library. But, something seemed a bit off.

Although I was standing, I couldn't really feel the floor. I looked down to check my black hooves. To my surprise, they were translucent. I could practically see right through them. I would have been more excited about ghost abilities if the thought of being a ghost wasn't so terrifying. I looked to my left and saw three other beings in the room.

Immediately, I recognized Twilight and Spike. They looked at the third being with open jawed shock. When I looked at the third being, I was slightly caught off guard but she also seemed... familiar somehow. She was wearing armor like Nightmare Moon but it was evergreen in color, so that couldn't be the familiarity. I noticed her white body and blue mane, but still, that could be any pony. That's when she looked at me with her soft, green eyes.

No way, I thought. I had just seen those eyes. Those were the eyes of the alicorn filly in my vision. I couldn't believe this was her, yet here she was fully grown and rivaling Luna in height. It was then that I noticed the white sword driven into the floor next to her.

Sode no Shirayuki? How is it here in the real world? I struggled to make sense of the circumstances but to no avail.

"Whenever you need me, Tundra," said the white alicorn, "Just look within yourself." She then reached out and grabbed the white katana in her right hoof and held it horizontally in front of herself.

"So-me-no-Mai, Tsukishiro!" she declared as her entire body was surrounded by a pillar of ice that reached to the ceiling. Twilight, Spike, and I just sat there in shock. Within a few seconds, the pillar started cracking and falling apart. My phantom body felt drawn in to the area that the alicorn was just in. It felt like gravity pulling sideways. In a flash, I went from translucent to opaque.

I fell to the ground lying with my legs spread out. A few ice crystals lingered, scattered around me before fading from the physical realm.

"Ow," I groaned as I slowly stood up. I shook my entire body out of the chills I just felt.

"What just happened?" I asked the magic question of the day.

"I... think we just finished talking with your other half," said Spike eventually.

"Well," said Twilight struggling to find words, "That was... uh."

"... awkward and disturbing," I finished.

"Yes, that's an appropriate phrasing," agreed the unicorn, "Awkward and disturbing."

"Maybe we should all head to bed," suggested the baby dragon.

"Sounds good," I quipped.

"Good idea," rushed Twilight, "Besides, I told Rainbow Dash to expect you to be up early tomorrow morning for some flying lessons."

"Gee... thanks." Oh good, my sarcasm survived this series of unusual events.

Tomorrow, I would tackle my acrophobia. Tonight, I needed some restful shuteye.

If you want to see some action
Gotta be the center of attraction.
Make sure that they got their eyes on you
Like the face that you see on every magazine.

Chapter 8: Hadou no. 58, Orchid Sky

"Come on, Tundra!" urged the 7-colored Pegasus in annoyance, "You're supposed to be learning flying, emphasis on flying."

How did I get talked into this? I hated flying. Back when I was a human, I couldn't stand how the air pressure hurt my ears. Not to mention, I distinctly remembered the one time I couldn't hold down my breakfast, literally. Now, I didn't even have the luxury of a semi-comfortable seat during the flight.

This was the tenth time I had fallen forward on my chin. I had the grass stains to prove it. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I just flapped my wings the way I figured all Pegasi did and thought about moving in the direction I wanted to go. What part was I missing?

"What part don't you get?" criticized Rainbow Dash. I guess she could read my mind in that one moment. Luckily, my legs didn't hurt as much as my head and it was fairly easy to pick myself back up into a standing position. The only thing permanently damaged was my pride.

I believe I can fly, I thought, I believe I can touch the sky. I flapped my wings again. If at first you don't succeed try, try...

...and fall on your chin for the eleventh time that day.

"Ugh..." groaned Dash. I didn't even need to open my eyes to know that she performed a double face hoof. After wiping away what I could from my newest grass stain, I stood up.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong," I said to my mentor, "I thought I could just fly by thinking about flying."

"Ohhh," she realized, "I think I know what the problem is now. Flying isn't about thinking."

"It's... about doing," I came to the same conclusion. Of course! It was basically a situation of tripping over my hooves again. Only this time, it was with different muscle groups. I couldn't activate flight by thinking about it. I had to just do it.

I took a calm breath and closed my eyes. I cleared my mind of the more distracting thoughts. I let my open wings feel the wind as if they were following an ancestral instinct. Before I knew it, I could no longer feel the ground under my hooves. I opened my eyes to witness myself hovering a few feet above ground level.

"You're off the ground," commended Rainbow, "but now let's see you fly." Now that the lift was in my second nature, I could focus my efforts on changing direction. Luckily, doing that did correspond to my thoughts. When I thought and leaned forward, I moved forward. I experimented with leaning right and left with similar results. I wasn't going to test my luck moving backwards, however, I accidentally discovered how to perform an aileron roll without crashing. I'm surprised I didn't lose my stomach after the stunt.

"Still not up to my level," chuckled Rainbow Dash, "but that was a decent loop." I dared not respond out of concern that losing concentration on flight and direction, would result in a fast reunion with my good pal: the ground.

"All right, now let's head back to the ground," said the cyan Pegasus. Why did she say that? At that moment, I remembered why I didn't like flying. I had flipping acrophobia! Panic attacked my brain and in turn its signals to the rest of my body, namely my wings. Said wings decided to shake uncontrollably, making my course of direction too unstable. So as I saw myself hurtling toward a building, I acted in the calmest manner I possibly could in that moment.

I let loose a sheer scream of terror.

...

How did I get roped into this? I thought, The last time Rainbow crashed through the Boutique's ceiling, Rarity practically let her off scotch free.

Currently, Rarity was applying the base fabrics and pieces for her fifth dress modeled specifically for alicorns. I was the uncomfortable mannequin and in that moment, the gravity of my transgender transformation hit me.

I'm a girl now. The only appropriate clothes to apply to a girl here is... *ugh*... pretty, pretty dresses.

As a fan of the show "Friendship is Magic", I stopped worrying about losing manhood long ago. I still had interest in Mortal Kombat and other violent video games so I thought I was covered. When I had woken up a few days ago as a girl, I didn't think much about it. It was strange how cross dressing suddenly brought back my old fears of losing my place in the universe as a guy, of losing an important aspect about myself, and of losing... well, me. I wondered why I couldn't bring tears to my eyes to mourn the loss of my Y chromosomes.

"~Just 17 more to go, and I can let you go~," sang Rarity. Her seemingly carefree mood just made this whole situation more undignified. I swear I could feel my masculinity melting. Funny, I could imagine taking on all three of the first two seasons' antagonists all at once with Shirayuki. In contrast, I could not possibly survive against the enemy in this room. If these dresses were any tighter, I would have gained a level in claustrophobia. I didn't even pay attention to specific colors anymore. I was going colorblind out of plain, mental stress.

Irony was cruel to me today and started singing a penetrating melody that incapacitated my ability to think coherently.

Thread by thread, stitching it together.

Tundra's dress, cutting out the pattern snip by snip

Making sure the fabric folds nicely

It's the perfect color and so hip

Always got to keep in mind my pacing

Making sure the cloth's correctly facing

I'm stitching Tundra's dress.

Oh, goodie. My mind even adjusted the lyrics to match the current event. This was just fan-tipping-flastic.

Yard by yard, always stressed

And that's the art of the dress.

Too... many... dresses, sputtered my thoughts, Manliness... fading. Can't... go on.

Rarity had moved her last, completed ensemble to a separate rack. Still, my mind was spinning and threatening to cave in on itself.

"You've been very cooperative, darling," said the fashionista unicorn, "For helping me out so much, I'd like to give you this as a token of appreciation." She floated over something that resembled a small money pouch.

I barely registered when my telekinetic grab locked onto the pouch. I was also too far gone to notice the small layer of ice that I had somehow encased the bag in as I exited Carousel Boutique.

"Thank you, Tundra!" called Rarity, "Come back again soon!"

Ribbons... hats... lace... spool... Opal, my mind continued to fail at making coherent, full sentences. I walked without aim. I'm sure my eyes were just staring into space.

Where... library... walk... go... sleep. Fatigue and stress were not positively compatible. I don't know how I managed to find the library door, nor do I fully grasp how walking up the stairs didn't trip me in my zombie-like state.

"Welcome back, Tundra," said a voice. I don't remember if it was Spike or Twilight and I didn't care. As soon as I reached pink blankets, my magical grasp on whatever Rarity had given me instantly dropped to the side of the bed. I was completely out within a minute.

Bed... Can't hear ya. I'm asleep... zzz.

Author's Note

As for Chapter 9, even I have to admit that it was horrible filler at best.

I noticed one of the biggest problems with my first few chapters was that they were too short and didn’t really move the storyline forward enough to really end them right there. So here’s the deal. I’ve conglomerated all of the “pre-Bleach crossover” stuff into this one mega-chapter for new and veteran readers’ convenience.

Finally, I’ll provide a link that can bring you straight to Chapter 10. If you want to skip the chapters without Bleach, there’s your chance.

Ch. 24: Everything is Not What It Seems

A/N: MLP:FiM is property of Hasbro.
Bleach is property of Viz Media.
Kagehime is an original Zanpakuto by Leo Archon.
Through The Eyes Of Another Pony is owned by CardsLafter.

Any song material is property of their respective owners.

I can't stand idly.
No, I can't move at all.
I curse the name, the one behind it all.

Chapter 24: Everything is Not What It Seems

The bright light lifted and Rainbow Dash could safely open her eyes again. She was surprised, however, to find herself on one of the mountain ranges rather than in the castle grounds. She no longer had Zangetsu in her grasp. Instead, the spirit of Zangetsu was standing on a slightly higher incline than her current position. His unreadable expression was only harder to read behind his tan sunglasses and his dark maroon jacket.

“Zangetsu?” questioned Rainbow Dash, “Where are we?”

“We are on the mountainside opposite of Canterlot City,” answered the old man, “It’s an appropriate spot for us to begin your Bankai training.”

“All right,” nodded Dash firmly, “Bring it on!”

Zangetsu raised his hand open to the sky. In a flurry of clangs, several objects of different shapes crashed and inserted themselves into the mountainside. Upon closer inspection, one could tell that each of these objects was actually a uniquely shaped sword. Some looked better suited for cutting while others just had decorative designs. In any case, there was no telling how many of these swords there really were. Zangetsu lowered his hand onto the closest weapon to him.

“Your test is this,” he stated in his clear, deep voice, “Among these swords you must find the real me. Then, you must use it to defeat me and make me submit.”

“I… have to cut you down?” asked Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t sure her loyalty allowed for her to fight someone she considered an ally.

“Yes, because if you don’t,” started Zangetsu as he leaped down and swung the blade in his hand at the Pegasus. She quickly avoided the lash by flying out of the way.

“I will kill you,” he finished. Uncertainty in Rainbow Dash’s eyes quickly gave way to frustrated determination as she swooped down and grabbed one of the blades out of the mountainside.

“Fine! If that’s the way you want it!” she shouted as she swung her blade against his. The sound of metal clashing with metal filled the air.

Applejack didn’t know how it had happened, but she had somehow landed in Whitetail Wood again. Unlike her mind realm, however, this looked more like a familiar part of the path. It looked just like the place in which the Running of the Leaves starting line had been. There was sort of an irony to how this would be the location of another beginning in her life.

“Applejack, over here!” called an older woman’s voice. The farmer pony turned around to see the two faces of the spirit of her Zanpaktou. Zabimaru looked happy, but at the same time strained like something was bothering them.

“How’d we get here?” asked Applejack in confusion.

“It’s probably because this is the ideal place for your Bankai training,” said the younger Snake as if what he said was common knowledge.

“I suppose there’s no point in beating around the bush now,” conceded the older Monkey with a sigh. She raised her arm to point behind her as Snake did the same. Applejack wasn’t sure what she was looking at until broad, wooden poles rose out of the ground and shook the earth beneath her. The bearer of Honesty decided to high tail it out of there before she got sent up too. One galloping trip later and she was outside the perimeter of nine wooden poles in what looked like three rows of three.

“Here’s how the test works,” called Monkey as she stood off to the side. She made a sideways sweeping motion with her arm. In an instant, Applejack was the startled wielder of Zabimaru’s Shikai form. She looked back at the spirit questioningly.

“Using only that sword,” continued Monkey, “You have to touch all nine of the poles at once.”

“But there’s a catch,” interrupted Snake, “That weapon you’re carrying can only bend a maximum of three times. In other words, even though its length is nearly infinite, you’ll have to work with exactly four straight lines.”

“What?” stammered the confused earth pony.

“Oh, and try not to mess up,” continued Snake, “Because there’s a repercussion or something.”

“That was my line,” muttered Monkey furiously.

“What kind of repercussion?” asked Applejack.

“If you really want to know, go ahead and fail,” said Monkey dropping her frustration for a nonchalant façade. Applejack shook her head and let the subject drop. She decided to just focus on the task given to her by her Zanpaktou.

Three bends to make four straight lines, she thought, and it has to touch all nine. How hard could that be?

“Roar, Zabimaru!” she called as she swung the blade to extend in front of her. The extensions touched all three of the center row’s poles in front of her.

Heh, she chuckled mentally, I’m already a third of the way there.

She decided to tackle the left row next. With just a force of will, she made the blade bend left at the third pole. It touched the back-left corner pole and bent a second time to come back in Applejack’s direction. The blade extended and touched all three of the left row’s poles. Applejack willed the blade to bend a third time to cross all three of the poles closest to her. Unfortunately, she ran into a problem as the weapon reached the front-right corner of the pole square.

Oh no! she realized, It’s already bent three times but it hasn’t touched the last two poles.

And despite her efforts, she couldn’t force the blade to bend a fourth time to cover up her mistake. She was stuck.

“Well, I didn’t think you’d take me up on my offer to fail,” commented Monkey. In a flash of red, Zabimaru’s Shikai left Applejack and reappeared in Monkey’s hand.

“This is the repercussion,” said the woman as she swung the blade. Applejack found herself unable to move as the spiked edge snagged her shoulder and a trace of blood started leaking out.

“Augh!” she cried, “What in tarnation was that for?!”

“This is part of the trial,” Snake reluctantly said, “If you’re not ready to control our Bankai, then you’re going to die. It’s sink or swim.”

“You can’t be brash and straightforward all the time,” stated Monkey as the blade disappeared from her hand in another flash of red, “To pass this test will require using some of that brainpower you’ve been ignoring for a large chunk of your life.”

Applejack only winced in a frustrated pain as Zabimaru’s Shikai reappeared in her grasp. Maybe if she tried for the rightmost row of poles first…

“Roar, Zabimaru!” she yelled through the pain.

Tall, bushy walls surrounded her every which way Scootaloo looked. It kind of looked like a maze that she was in. It was hard to tell since she was inside whatever landmark this was. A strange, swirling sound caught her ear and she turned her head to look. In the slightly more open section that she was in, a shadow silhouette rose. The figure soon brightened up and the armored unicorn spirit of Kagehime was revealed.

“Welcome to the Labyrinth Maze of Canterlot, Lady Scootaloo,” greeted Kagehime, “This is where your Bankai training shall begin.”

Huh, that’s odd, thought Scootaloo, Usually Kagehime goes a couple of rounds teasing before getting to the point. I guess this is really serious.

As soon as Scootaloo had thought this, the unicorn spirit closed her eyes and let out a long deep breath. Suddenly it seemed as if nighttime were befalling the entire area. But the darkness kept spreading. By the time it was finished, the whole place was darker than even the darkest midnight Scootaloo had ever known.

“This is the test that you must take,” stated Kagehime’s voice, “You have to navigate this dark-covered labyrinth and escape. Once I am finished speaking, none of your five senses will work. Good luck, my lady.” With that, the world became silent to Scootaloo.

She tried saying, “How am I supposed to-?” but she stopped when she realized that she couldn’t even here her own voice.

Great, now what do I do? thought the Pegasus filly, and what did she mean by none of my senses will work?

With that question in mind, she tried backing up and reaching for the wall that she was just in front of. Her hoof failed to touch anything except the ground underneath her. Even the scent of leaves was absent.

Huh? I know there was a wall back there just a second ago, she thought, Where did it go?

Frantically, Scootaloo started running in a random direction, hoping to regain her bearings. She felt no walls. She saw nothing. She heard nothing. No smells or tastes could aid her now. Even her sense of feeling lied to her.

“Help!” she mouthed, “Some pony help!” Her voice fell on deaf ears, her own deaf ears. No pony else knew where she was save for her Zanpaktou. But the Zanpaktou could only oversee the test, not interfere.

Scootaloo was lost and alone in the dark.

“Hup!”

I’ve always wondered what the significance to Kendo was. It was that training that involves holding a sword-like object and repeatedly swinging it up over your head and then back down.

“Hup!”

I forgot whether the idea was to do it as quickly as possible or as slowly as possible. I opted for the latter and that’s what I was doing with my unreleased Zanpaktou.

“Hup!”

Celestia had already left. Royal duty called. Rarity took the other Crusaders home. I recall seeing Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie leaving earlier too.

“And switch!”

Every so often, I swapped dominance with Shirayuki. That way, she got in training as well. Her motions were a bit more exaggerated than my own, but I assumed that was because of her longer hoof reach.

“Hup!”

Kendo felt like a unique exercise. Of course, that was assuming my understanding of the training was correct and I wasn’t making a fool of myself by forgetting a part of it. Considering my lack of Japanese studies, the possibility of being a fool was very high.

“Hup!”

I was doing this outside, by the way. Heaven forbid the day I swing around a sharp object inside the library with all those papers and books floating around. Twilight would kill me if I ever did that.

“Hup!”

Somewhere in the distance, I could sense the spiritual pressures of the three ponies that went with Luna for Bankai training. I was partially envious because I knew that Sode no Shirayuki didn’t have a Bankai. At the same time, I considered myself lucky that my training would never be as lethal as my battles.

“Hup!”

I really hoped that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo were okay.

“And switch!”

Another sword fell to pieces as she gained a new blood wound. Rainbow Dash was getting annoyed and worried. How was she supposed to find the real Zangetsu among this mess of swords?

“That’s sword number 15,” stated the old man spirit, “Pick again.”

The cyan Pegasus flew away from the man frantically looking between the scattered blades that were still embedded in the mountainside. The dripping blood from her wounds wasn’t helping her focus.

Maybe the real Zangetsu is the one that looks like it, thought Rainbow Dash. She started looking a bit more closely at the swords for one specific shape. Straight uphill, she saw one that looked like a likely candidate. She sped forward on a windy updraft and pulled the giant butcher knife free from the rocky landscape.

“This one for sure!” she yelled triumphantly. She swung it at the incoming old man. She did it! She found…

… another sword that broke upon clashing with the old man. This time she barely ducked under his swing. She almost lost a hair from her mane.

“And that’s sword number 16,” said Zangetsu.

“Horse apples,” Rainbow Dash muttered. The old man took a pause from his onslaught and stood tall above his master.

“Rainbow Dash,” he said, “Do you know why that sword crumbled?” She looked up in anger. How the hay was she supposed to know something like that?

“Each of these swords represents a part of your heart,” explained Zangetsu, “You need to find the part that was specifically meant for fighting. That sword you just used represents your heart’s frailty. Your dependence on me makes it impossible for you to rely on your own strength.”

“Wait a second,” interrupted Rainbow Dash, “Just the other day you asked if I trusted you. Today you’re saying that dependence is a weakness. That’s like being a hypocrite!”

“Trust and dependence are similar, but not the same thing,” said the old man, “If you can’t find it in your own heart to fight, then you are not ready to achieve a Bankai.” On that note, he swung his blade to the ground. The bearer of Loyalty rolled out of the way just in time and grabbed the next sword that was closest to her. She let out a short battle cry as she charged ahead.

“Rah!”

“Wrong again!” called Snake as he swung the extendible blade at Applejack. She grinded her teeth as she tried to endure the pain. This was the fifth cut she had received since the test had started. It was starting to take a toll on her ability to breathe.

Dag nab it! she thought, I got all but one that time.

It had seemed like simple foal’s play when she had started. Now it looked to Applejack like this trial might be next to impossible. But she wasn’t giving up that easily. She was an honest, hard worker. She wasn’t going to let a few scratches dissuade her from reaching that goal to be stronger. She almost willed Zabimaru’s Shikai into her grasp now.

“Roar, Zabimaru!” called the bearer of Honesty.

Blind. Blind and deaf. Blind, deaf, and mute. Blind, deaf, mute, and numb. That’s how the aspiring Cutie Mark Crusader felt now. Everywhere she looked, she only saw more darkness. Everywhere she listened, she only heard dead silence. She wasn’t even sure that she was securely on the ground because her hooves had lost all feeling. She was lost.

What do I do? thought Scootaloo, What can I do?

In spite of her blindness, she could easily picture images of her friends in her mind. Twilight and the others. Tundra. Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle.

Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash, she thought picking her head back up from the depths of misery, she wouldn’t give up in the face of the odds would she? No way! She’d keep trying regardless of the situation. I can practically feel her determination trickling onto me.

A strange realization made her widen her eyes in the dark domain.

Wait a minute. I can feel her… off in the distance! I can feel her fighting spirit!

The words of some of her friends swam in her thoughts.

Is this… the spiritual energy sense? she asked mentally. The more she concentrated on the feeling, the wider it seemed to spread. Soon she was taking in the locations of all sorts of spiritual pressures. Not just Rainbow Dash, but Applejack was fighting as well. Princess Luna was waiting collectively. Scootaloo’s other friends were off in the distance, presumably Ponyville. Then, one more spiritual pressure was noticeable. This pressure felt similar to Scootaloo’s own spirit.

Kagehime, she thought, so that’s where you are. For the first time in the labyrinth of darkness, a smile started forming on Scootaloo’s face.

So it’s not just the looks that matter, thought Rainbow Dash, It has to be the part of my heart specifically meant to fight.

Unfortunately, this was easier to say than to put into practice. Without something descriptive to look for, she was just pulling out swords randomly from the mountainside hoping they were right. So far, this was proving neither efficient nor productive.

“That’s sword number 58,” commented Zangetsu. His attacks were increasing in frequency, making it harder for Dash to focus on finding the right blade. Even flying higher wasn’t putting any distance between her and the old man since he seemed to have limitless jumping height.

Still, Rainbow Dash managed to find a few seconds to her own thoughts. A few years ago, she had seen one of the Wonderbolts’ live speeches. In that speech, she recalled hearing Fleet Foot say something that suddenly resonated with her now.

“When you follow your dream,” the suited Pegasus had said, “You can’t just give half your heart into it. You need to put your whole heart toward achieving your goal.”

My whole heart, echoed Rainbow Dash in thought, Hey, that could mean something here.

She looked around at the scattered swords that still remained embedded in the mountain.

So far, the pieces I’ve been picking up have all fallen apart after one or two hits. That probably means that none of these swords alone will be able to make Zangetsu submit. What I need… is all of my heart.

The bearer of Loyalty landed and came to a screeching halt on a flatter part of the mountain. As Zangetsu closed the distance behind her, she lifted one hoof to her chest area.

This… is where my fighting strength is.

Applejack had made unlucky mistake number 13. She had the cuts to prove it… literally. A red little puddle underneath her body was starting to grow in diameter. Her breaths were getting more ragged. Every once in a while, her vision blurred over and she had to yank her head back up to avoid falling.

Nuts and shoots, she thought, I’m getting nowhere fast. What am I missing? Think, AJ. Think!

She mulled over the words her Zanpaktou spirit had said. Three bends and four straight lines had to connect nine poles. There had to be something that she just wasn’t getting.

Wait, she thought as a new light shined in her eyes, maybe…maybe it’s not what they said, but what they didn’t say. Every time, I’ve been making the sword bend at one pole or another. But I don’t remember them ever saying I had to bend the sword at a pole.

She took another look at the weapon in hoof. Then she looked at the poles and back at her sword again.

Worth a shot, she thought as she lifted Zabimaru’s Shikai for one more swing.

“Roar, Zabimaru!”

Scootaloo was starting to get the picture. She started scampering in the direction in which she could sense Kagehime’s spiritual pressure. For each moment that she didn’t get any closer, she assumed that she was running into a wall and had to alter her route slightly. This system of running closer and readjustments slowly but surely led her closer to her Zanpaktou’s presence.

I can do this, thought the filly, I can do this!

As if reaching inside herself, Rainbow Dash concentrated her spiritual focus at the space between her hoof and her chest. In a burst of bluish-white fire, a blade of a familiar shape emerged from her soul. This... was the real Zangetsu. Brimming with determination, the Pegasus turned around to face her attacker. She swung the new blade in a solid motion.

The old man's sword was sent flying to the valley below. For the first time since the training had begun, a look of concern crossed his otherwise unreadable face. For the first time, he was the one off guard.

For the first time, a streak of red splashed the sky that wasn't Rainbow Dash's blood. His caped form glided over her as he gave her one final message.

"Well done."

The extending blade touched all three poles on the rightmost row of poles. But it didn't stop there. It kept going a little distance before making a sharp turn. Zabimaru's Shikai touched the back center pole and the middle left pole. It extended past the square perimeter again before making another sharp turn. It passed all three of the front poles before making the third and final curve. It completely snared the diagonal. Three curves made four straight lines that touched all nine poles.

Applejack let out a strained chuckle knowing that she had done it.

"About time!" remarked Snake.

"So you finally solved it," put in Monkey.

"Yeah," breathed Applejack, "So what is the Bankai?"

"Rather than telling you," started Monkey.

"Why don't I just show you?" finished Snake. His eyes glowed red as he was surrounded in a cloud of smoke. In the blink of an eye, the smoke cleared and the little boy had been replaced with a giant, skeletal head of a serpent. It lunged forward before Applejack could react.

Scootaloo took a few more turns. After that, she found herself on a homeward stretch. She could run toward the spiritual pressure that she was sensing and it kept getting closer. No more tricky, untouchable walls blocked her path. She even started fluttering a little above ground level as excitement filled her.

And then, she was right on top of it.

"Gotcha!" she declared touching a hoof to the presence. As soon as she had, the veil of darkness seemed to lift. Kagehime's spirit was right in front of her and the labyrinth was left behind.

"Hey there, sweet thing," giggled Kagehime with a wink.

...

About a week passed. The enemy presence has been surprisingly lacking recently. I mean, if the commander-in-chief of the forces of evil stepped onto the battlefield, I would have thought that we'd be up to our ears in Hollows and other monsters. This was not the case.

That's not to say that things were quiet for all those seven days. As soon as the "Bankai trio" returned from Canterlot, Pinkie Pie already had a "welcome back" party set up. I was glad to see that some things never changed.

I asked Luna about the training that had taken place. She said it was similar to using devices that Kisuke Urahara used for Ichigo's Bankai training. However, she didn't have all of the spiritual tech that was available behind the anime so she had to improvise with an algorithm of spells. She even added in a few 'special touches' that were not used. I didn't really get it as I had never studied a day in a magical academy. Nevertheless, I could assume that something had worked. After all, there was a definitively stronger light shining in the eyes of the three ponies.

So after the long pause from the blood-spilling action, imagine my surprise when I found an envelope appear literally out of thin air. A thin, translucent veil covered the letter as it opened itself up.

Dear lucky winner,

Be prepared for a surprise at the exact center of Ponyville in about two minutes.

It's to die for.

Don't be late!

Regards,
D.

The envelope and it's contents exploded like an over-pressured glass. I had to cover my eyes with a hoof to avoid getting cut. After that, I stared into space with an eyebrow raised.

Since when does David send letters? I asked mentally.

This couldn't be a more obvious trap if he had said "P.S. This is a trap," added Shirayuki. I gave a nod agreeing with her sarcasm.

"Twilight!" I called into the walls of the library. There wasn't any response. I hoped that no sign was a good sign the same way no news is supposed to be good news. I sighed before deciding to just go. Once again, I froze the door knob when using the door. Once outside, I called forth my katana and gripped it as best I could.

"Let's go, Sode no Shirayuki," I said as I flapped my wings to travel.

I was not prepared for what I saw. At first glance, it just looked like the main six ponies had the same idea to come to the town center. But on closer examination, I could see a plethora of problems. Houses were misshaped, the sky was orange, and there was a giant red throne seat where the fountain was supposed to be.

That wasn't the least of my worries. Even though they looked unharmed, Twilight and the others looked a bit off. Specifically, their coats and manes looked darker in color than they were supposed to be. I hoped this wasn't what I thought it was. I gently landed before trotting forward a bit.

"Guys?" I asked carefully treading, "What's going on?"

"There's nothing wrong with us!" stated Applejack quickly as she turned to face me. Though, her own shifting eyes indicated quite the opposite of what she said.

"O...kay," I responded, "Uh, anyone else want to comment on that?"

"Stay away from my precious!" growled Rarity. It looked like she was angrily guarding... a tree stump.

"Uh, noted," I said to her, "I think there's something very wrong here."

"The only thing wrong here is you," remarked Fluttershy, "Ha!"

"What you laughing at?" snarled a faded, yet still curly-haired Pinkie Pie.

"Pfft, your problem now," dismissed Rainbow Dash as she flew off to who knew where.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but are you okay, Twilight?" I lifted my free hoof in her direction.

"Go away," she muttered refusing to look up.

"Twilight, it's me!" I insisted, "I'm here for you as a friend."

"I have no friends," she said flatly while still avoiding eye contact. That hurt. That really hurt.

I heard a laughter nearby the throne seat as what looked like David said, "Isn't chaos a wonderful thing?"

Aw, crap. It is what I think it is, I thought to myself.

"Drop the disguise and show yourself,... Discord!" I demanded.

The man sighed, "Straight to the point as ever, eh? I almost forgot that you shared Celestia's grimness." Then, I saw a rather disgusting sight. What was a man started melting. He literally melted and reformed limbs and body parts. In a matter of one minute, the disgustingly familiar draconequus was standing in front of me.

"Good to see you again, Shirayuki," greeted Discord with a broken fanged smile, "How have you been?"

"Spare me the pleasantries, Dee Que," I said pulling the nickname from my other half's memories, "What are you doing in Ponyville?"

"Oh, what fun is there in just telling you?" he asked mockingly lifting his feet up and floating in a laid back position on thin air, "You really need to learn to lighten up, Snow Sleeve."

"I don't have time to waste on a nuisance like you," I said curtly, "Where's the real David?"

"Why are you so interested in a stick in the mud like him?" he asked slightly frowning, "I'm much more fun to play with."

"Just put my friends back to normal and let me deal with the real villain," I said with as forceful a serious tone as possible.

"You're not exactly in any position to make demands," he said while altering his posture upright. A sword appeared in his eagle claw's grip as he silently said, "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

Holding my own Zanpaktou in a horizontal stance, I quickly retorted, “Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!” Both my sword and my body adopted their whiter hues as Shirayuki gained dominance. The white ribbon on the hilt floated on a cold, unnatural wind.

“Oh, ladies!” chimed Discord snapping two phalanges on his free ‘hand’, “Would you be so kind as to entertain our guest of honor?” In five flashes of white light, the corrupted bearers of Harmony had me surrounded.

“Bastard,” muttered Shirayuki for both of my minds.

“Scatter, Senbonzakura!” yelled Rarity as the cherry blossom blades glided from her sword. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes.

Sorry, everyone, I thought, I’ll try not to hurt you too much. Discord wasn’t giving me many options. I’d have to fight my friends in order to get to him. Shirayuki raised her free hoof toward the incoming petals.

“Hado 4: Byakurai!” she declared. A shot of lightning danced between Senbonzakura’s pink blades. The electricity found its way to Rarity. I could barely hear her scream before the next pony made her move.

“Licht Regen!” A hail of reishi arrows followed the Quincy’s cry. Now I remembered why Shirayuki usually took the battles for me. Her reflexes were a lot faster.

“Tsugi-no-Mai, Hakuren!” she retorted while pointing Sode no Shirayuki’s tip toward the incoming ‘holy rain’. A blast of ice erupted from the blade and managed to keep the storm of arrows at bay.

“Koten Zanshun! I reject!” cried the next opponent. It was weird seeing Pinkie Pie angry without her straight mane but I didn’t have time to think about that. Against the incoming ‘attack shield’, Shirayuki surprised me by dropping her Zanpaktou and holding out both of her front hooves.

“Bakudo 39: Enkosen!” With this cry, an orange fan of spinning light appeared. It deflected the projectile but immediately shattered like glass. Shirayuki quickly followed up by pointing one hoof at each of the two ponies that had just attacked.

“Bakudo 9: Horin!” Twisting ropes of red and yellow light shot out from her quick incantation. The energy ropes reached around and ensnared Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. Slamming her hooves together, Shirayuki caused the bound ponies to fling into each other. The bearers of Magic and Laughter fell to the ground in a begrudging heap.

“Don’t roar, Zabimaru!” Despite Applejack’s order, the extendible ‘snake tail’ went ahead and veered toward me anyway. Shirayuki performed a flash step maneuver to dodge the attack. Next thing I knew, I was standing right behind Applejack.

“Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!” called the wintry alicorn. The familiar ‘six bars of light’ appeared and trapped Applejack by the waist. At least, I assumed that was the waist area. (I still didn’t know pony anatomy that well.) That left one more corrupted bearer to put out of commission.

“Raise your head, Wabisuke!” shouted the aforementioned corrupted bearer. I hoped what I was about to do didn’t hurt quite as much as the anime led me to believe.

“Bakudo 1: Sai!” yelled Shirayuki. Fluttershy’s hooves were suddenly bent by an invisible force. They snapped to behind her back, letting her hook-shaped Zanpaktou fall next to her as she crashed to the ground. She couldn’t remove the invisible force that bound her hooves despite how much she struggled and growled. Shirayuki turned her attention back to the draconequus who had grabbed a popcorn bag out of nowhere. Said draconequus nibbled the bag while letting several perfectly popped kernels go to waste.

“Discord!” yelled the alicorn of winter, “Stop hiding behind my friends and fight me like a man!”

He actually scratched his chin as if in thought before instantly replying, “Nah, not interested.” To this, Shirayuki responded by picking up her white Zanpaktou where she left it. With a flap of her wings, she soared towards Discord’s position. The master of chaos let out a fake yawn before snapping his fingers(?). A new flash of light popped and Sode no Shirayuki was quickly on the receiving end of a giant butcher knife.

“My show’s not done yet,” stated Discord with a small smirk, “Isn’t six a number of completeness?”

“Rainbow Dash, snap out of it!” pleaded Shirayuki. The seven shades-of-gray Pegasus gave no verbal response as she kept pushing Zangetsu with more force. Shirayuki had used up a lot of spiritual energy with all those Kido attacks from earlier. I knew we didn’t have much strength left. The corrupted bearer of Loyalty lifted her free hoof higher up on the dull side of her Zanpaktou.

“Getsuga Tenshou,” she whispered. Shirayuki opened her eyes wide enough to express both her and my own horror. A blast that large and that close left no time to dodge. As the blue wave started to build up, she lifted her hoof to perform the only defensive move we knew.

“Enkosen!”

The ‘heaven slicer’ exploded and made quick work of the defensive fan. Along the uneven roads of soap, Shirayuki tumbled backward head-over-hooves. When she finally came to a stop, she breathed heavily as she struggled to stand up. Something red spilled over her left eyelid. I heard a cracking noise before I watched her evergreen helmet fall to the ground in a couple of pieces. Her pale, blue hair would have been prettier to look at had I not been in so much pain.

With only my right eye to observe, I almost didn’t notice Rainbow Dash quickly reappear next to me.

“Any last words?” she finally found the nerve to speak.

“S…” my other half started, “So-me-no-Mai, Tsuki…shiro.” A pillar of ice appeared and surrounded Rainbow Dash along with the sky above her.

“Fascinating,” complimented Discord’s voice, “I didn’t know you could force your offensive ice to be nonlethal.” Despite her heavy breathing, Shirayuki was able to gasp as the draconequus appeared just two feet in front of her. He grabbed her unarmed head in his lion’s paw.

“I guess I forgot to mention this before the game began,” he chuckled, “Rule number 1: I win.”

A cloud of gray smoke floated above my eyes into the sky and then I saw no more.

A much more faded-colored alicorn fell to the ground after Discord released his grip.

“TO TARTARUS WITH YOU, MONSTER!” bellowed the Princess of the Night, “BANKAI!” Ice began to cover her body in various places. It extended her back hooves into frozen claws. Her wings expanded in size to nearly three times their wingspan. She charged her sword down toward the embodiment of chaos. Fury was predominant in her fully white eyes.

“RYUSENKA!” she roared. Upon impaling Discord, a large glacier of ice covered his form. For a moment, Luna thought that her vengeance had been gained. However, the sporadic spiritual pressure that she sensed behind her told her otherwise.

“Really, Lu Lu, you’re making this too easy,” he told her as he looked away. Red liquid burst from a large, straight line across her body. Her eyes lost their magical rage and regained their usual color.

“It can’t… be,” breathed Princess Luna as her ice wings and claws shattered into their original limbs. Her wounded form fell to the ground in a heap.

“I feel like a king!” laughed Discord truly proud of the mess he was creating, “Even David himself couldn't match me now!”

“Shoot to kill, Shinsou.”

Discord’s moment of triumph came to a screeching halt. A long piece of metal had actually found and pierced his untouchable heart. He turned his misconfigured head to see the culprit. His unbalanced red pupils caught sight of a shade-of-pink pony. This pony’s purple eyes had swirls instead of the usual eye color and she wore what looked like a beanie for a hat. A silly grin was plastered on her face.

“You,” whispered the master of chaos as he collapsed into a fading shadow. His effects on this world slowly lifted until there was no evidence of him existing at all. The gray ponies recovered their colors and their respective personalities.

As the pony with the screw and baseball cutie mark reeled her sword back in, a man with a young wizard’s appearance walked up beside her.

“Exactly as planned,” he stated flatly. He and the strange pony disappeared in a flash step motion.

I opened my eyes to a restored town center. The sky was blue, the houses were ship-shape, and the fountain was silent. But something was still bothering me.

Tundra? I thought internally, Tundra!

I couldn’t sense her mind. Usually, whenever one of us woke from a long sleep, she would be the one to have immediate dominance. But as I did a mental search, I couldn’t even sense a hushed presence. It was like she was gone completely. I began to shake in panic.

Wait! The others! I interrupted my own thoughts. I looked around a bit before seeing that they were gathered around Luna. The one called Pinkie Pie was using her healing shield.

“Oh, thank goodness. You’re awake,” said a hushed voice. I looked back to the right to see Fluttershy leaning down next to me.

“Fluttershy?” I asked, “What happened?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” she gently breathed, “There was an ambush by David, but then I sort of blacked out after that.”

There was something more complicated than that. I distinctly remembered fighting Discord. But what happened after that?

Ugh… my head.