The Mane Twelve

Chapters

Arrivals and Introductions
The Rise of the Republic
Self Sacrifice
Everlasting War
Leaving the Past Behind
Thank You For Freeing Me
Truth
Opening New Wounds
The Guardian
The Rise of Nightmare Chaos

Arrivals and Introductions

Ponyville. Quite a lovely town, full of lively ponies chatting and laughing. Its size may be small and the inhabitants may not be a lot, but that's why everypony think they are all a big happy family. Every day, ponies, shop at local stores with fresh-baked sweets and fresh fruit. Those were some of the reasons that made Quill Soul visit Ponyville and find an apartment to stay for a couple of weeks. Quill Soul was just an ordinary unicorn like the rest, with dark blue coat and shiny silver mane, as well as glasses. Yup. One ordinary pony like the rest. Quill Soul was looking for her first job, having recently graduated from college. She planned on going to Manehattan, but the journey was long and she decided to rest in Ponyville. It was quiet, it was simple, it may be the last peace and quiet she may ever get before the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Quill Soul was just walking between other ponies and gazed at the different shops and amenities with a piece of paper beside her, floating from her magic. It had an address written on it which indicated that she was looking for her apartment. As she walked, a pink pony appeared out of nowhere and gave out a big, cherful 'hi', startling Quill Soul.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie. Are you knew here? Haven't seen you before so you must be."

"Um...no, I'm not from here." said Quill Soul, trying to avoid the pink equine.

If it was one thing of Quill Soul's personality that troubled her the most, it was her lack of socialising. She couldn't help it though. She started walking again and Pinkie shrugged and followed her with small jumps.

"Soooooooooooo...who are you?" asked Pinkie, breaking the ice.

Quill Soul was stuck. She couldn't spell a single word and decided to ignore her. But Pinkie Pie wouldn't give up. She then started telling her stories about...all sorts of thing. From her friends to her pet Gummy. All in a very fast pace that made Quill Soul use a teleportation spell to get away from her. She teleported at a narrow alley and bonked her head on the ground. Well, that was foolish of you Quill Soul. she thought. She got up and noticed a big piece of graffiti on the wall. It was a yellow pony with long, pink hair and a shy expression. All done beatifully. This is magnificent. Quill Soul thought. However, she didn't seem to notice that the artist behind all this was right behind her and was at the ground. Maybe she fell on him when she teleported there. The stallion got up and tried to pull himself together. He was a little smaller than her in size, with messy blonde -and a little orange- mane, as well as a white coat.

"W-What are you doing here?" the stallion asked. "This is my spot. You're not allowed here." he continued.

"I-I'm sorry, I just-"

"Please leave. You're forgiven for falling on me. Just go please and don't tell anypony about this."

Quill Soul nodded and left the alley. The stallion sighed and picked his spray can, continuing that magnificent piece of art. Quill Soul felt a little relieved to have discovered another pony which was somewhat like her. Creative and shy as well. A little more nervous perhaps. Although random, she had a feeling she would see him again.

After a long walk in search of the place and a stop for a sip, Quill Soul finally found the apartment. Once she had settled everything with the owner, she went to her room and turned on the lighs. Small and comfortable. A-OK. Quill Soul dropped her bag and went immediately to bed. Yet, sleep just wouldn't come. She kept turning round and round, but nothing worked. She even tried the classic remedy of a glass of hot milk. Didn't work either. She sighed and sat on her bed, looking outside of her window at the stars and how they were shining across the endless night sky.

"Can't sleep?" said a familiar voice.

"It's not that Dark Equun." Quill Soul replied, not really turning around to look at the stallion.

Dark Equun seemed like he had appeared out of nowhere. And indeed he had. The door was locked and there was no sound of a teleportation spell. Quill Soul knowed him though and didn't mind him sitting with her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Quill Soul.

"Fine. Just peachy."

"Yeah. Me too."

Quill Soul turned around and looked at Dark Equun with an ironic look.

"Liar." she said to him.

"I could say the same thing for you."

Dark Equun was a stallion differenct from the others. With a dark coat and a mane just like Quill Soul's, he looked almost like he was her identical twin -despite the fact that he was a unicorn-. Yet he was not. That similarity between them was still unknown to Quill Soul or how did he even know her. She didn't recall ever meeting a pony named

Dark Equun. One day, she just met him at random when he appeared right in front of her as a spirit.

Dark Equun never talked about his past or showed his face. That was the reason he wore a mask with a strange red symbol on it as well as a dark cloak.

After

Dark Equun's last reply, there was a moment of silence. Quill Soul decided to speak first.

Dark Equun?"

"Mh?"

"Do you think I'm...weird?"

Dark Equun looked at her. Although he wore a mask, it was obvious that his face was worried. He sat towards Quill Soul and looked outside.

"Quil Soul...I am you. And I have the same memories and feeling as you. If it's one thing you'r not, it's weird. You're not like the rest of the ponies. You are unique. Know why? 'Cause you possess a gift like no other. Creativity."

Quill Soul looked at

Dark Equun in surprise.

"Creativity..."

He himself then turned his sight towards her.

"Yes. I've seen you draw and write and think like no other pony. And I admit that, out of all the ponies in Equestria, it's you that shines the most in this section."

Quill Soul just looked at him and just then, only for a second, it looked as if Quill Soul shed a tear of happiness. Without any hesitation or even thought, she gave Darklyo a big hug.

Dark Equun kept looking at her and hugged her back.

"Thank you

Dark Equun." she said and fell asleep on his hooves.

Dark Equun smiled from inside his mask.

"Nothing...Quill Soul."

On the other side of Ponyville, during that cold yet beautiful night, a shadow appeared from the depths of the Everfree Forest. A bulked-up stallion, with a dark grey coat and dark mane, pegasus, and with a hardcore look. However, he seemed affectionate and harmless. He walked towards Ponyville and muttered to himself:

"Only a few towns away."

As he entered Ponyville, he sighed and decided to find a small late-night place to rest. Luckily for him, he found a late-night cafe. Yet he wasn't sure whether to enter or not. It was like he was a complete stranger, trespassing enemy territory or something. The keeper was cleaning a few cups when he noticed the stallion.

"Come on in son. It doesn't bite."

The stallion entered in hesitation and rested himself by taking a seat. The keeper approached him with a little notebook.

"So, whatcha want son?"

The stallion remained silent for a bit, like he was thinking about something. He shook his head and faced the keeper.

"Just water, please."

The owner nodded and headed to fetch him the glass of water. He came back after a few seconds and handed him over his water.

"I say, you must be new here. What's your name?"

The stallion reacted like he did previously. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts but once again shook his head and answered.

"Heart...Heartfire."

In the same cafe, there was also one other mare with brightly white coat and sparkly

silver hair. She was quiet and was enjoying her cup of warm chocolate. She took a moment to put the cup down and looked at Heartfire. He on the other hand just stayed in complete silnce, lost in his thoughts. The mare got up and, with her chocolate, approached Heatfire, taking a seat next to him.

"Is it free?" she asked politely.

"Mh?" said Heartfire, noticing just then the sparkly mare. Her appearance astonished him. She was one of the prettiest mares he had met.

"Yeah...it is." he said and faced at his glass of water.

The mare took a seat and looked at him. Heartfire seemed to ignore her but not in a way like he wanted to avoid her. Something seemed like it was bothering him. He handn't even touched his water.

"What's your name?" asked the mare. "I'm Thyme." she contunued and showed him her hoof, like she wanted to shake hooves.

Heartfire looked at her and then looked at her hoof. He didn't seem to understand the gesture. Thyme put her hoof down and sighed.

"It's...it's okay if you don't want to talk."

"Oh no, it's not that, it's just..I have a lot in my mind right now. I feel like having a chat with a stranger right now to be honest." he said, his last sentence being a little ironic.

They both slightly chuckled.

"I'm Heartfire." he replied to her previous question.

Thyme looked at him with a bright smile on her face and soon, the two ponies began talking to each other about themselves and their families. They had more in common than they thought. They were both from a far away land, and both left to find something more. Their conversation and laughs seemed like they would never stop as the night passed.

On the other side of town, that exact hour, in an ordinary house, two sisters stay up till late at night, trying to find a solution.

"Mhhhhhhh...this isn't right." said one of them.

She had a light pink coat and long, curly white hair.

"I think it looks fine." said the second sister.

That one was almost identical with the previous one, but her colours were the first one's negative. Crimson red coat and dark, straight hair.

"No...something is off. Octuro, could you please wear it again?"

Octuro sighed miserably.

"Fine Dolce."

"Aw come on, it's not that boring. Smile." Dolce said to Octuro with a bright smile.

Octuro was always a little miserable almost all the time but deep inside, she was proud to have Dolce as a sister. In fact, she was her role model. Little did she know that Dolce thought the same of her. It was just that Dolce showed it a little more than Octuro. She seemed more joyful towards life, whereas Octuro not so much. She didn't hate it either though.

In the streets of Ponyville, the stallion that Quill Soul had bumped into during the morning, had now put down the can and sighed in relief and excitement. His sweat was pouring down his face like a waterfall but all that was worth it. It was finished. The yellow equine had been captured brilliantly on the big brick wall with even the smallest detail done kneatly. Next to the graffiti, or more suitably painting, there was a name written with small, messed letters, like ordinary graffiti. It spelled Grafix, for those who possessed enough fantasy to interprit the letters. Compared to the masterpiece next to it, the name was meaningless.

"If only you would notice that name...Fluttershy."

Back at the small apartment of Quill Soul's, she herself was fast asleep but

Dark Equun was still up, gazing at the distance from the round glass window. Only the gentle breeze could be heard apart from his breath, as well as Quill Soul's slight snore. Something's out there. Whatever it is, it's not good. Darklyo thought.

"Be prepared...Quil Soul..."

Dark Equun said to Quill Soul feeling her mane with his hoof.

Was

Dark Equun's thought correct? Was there indeed a mysterious threat out there? If there was, what was it?

Dark Equun was not sure, but he could not shake the feeling that something bad would happen.

In a valley, a few miles away from Ponyville, a shred of darkness appeared out of the blue and Nightmare Chaos rose out of it, his fangs gritting and his armor clanging. At the same time, the ground broke and the first Pony of the Apocalypse, Pestilence rose. Behind him, a fire broke and the valley was burnt to crisps, the ash giving rise to bright shining armor, War, the second Pony of the Apocalypse in it. Having no crops around anymore, a swarm of hungry flies gathered around each other, slowly forming flesh and bones in an untidy condition, giving birth to Famine, the third Pony of the Apocalypse. Last but not least, out of the dark slash came out a gigantic black cloak, binding itslef into a pony-like shape, growing out eyes, a mane, and hooves, the mask incarnating itself as well, not allowing anypony to see through it and look at the Final Pony of the Apocalypse, Death, in the eyes. Nightmare Chaos, looked at the vast field, and then turned to his Commanders.

"It is time."

The Rise of the Republic

Nightmare Chao's presence had now filled the skies with dark clouds, the wind started to pick up and the birds suddenly all ceased their singing.

"Allow me to start this … master." muttered Pestilence as he raised his hoof, "Now ... feed!"

When he said this a massive swarm of locusts thick enough to paint the sky black rushed towards Ponyville with the speed of gale force winds, eating and destroying everything in their path, living or not. It didn’t matter to the endless hunger of the locusts.

"This should keep the town busy my lord." Pestilence said.

"Oooooh ... Save some ... save some of that meat for me ... Pestilence... I want to feast on ... some, 'Fresh' ones ..." Barked Famine but still struggled to spit out his words.

"Perfect," said Nightmare Chaos. "Famine, remain to 'feast'. The other three are coming with me. We will storm into the castle to rid it of my little Celestia. Meet us back at the castle when you're done."

"I call her!" shouted War, "I want to be the one to separate her head from her shoulders! My Axe...thirsts for her blood!"

"Be that as it may … so long as I get the desirable pleasure of wringing out her soul with my bare hooves." said Death

"Alright!" shouted War "LET'S GO!"

The five started walking and slowly made their advance upon the city……

Ponyville was now being ravaged by locusts, eating everything, even ponies that were unfortunate enough to get caught in their path. Twilight Sparkle herself took the lead and gathered every Unicorn in Ponyville together.

"Unicorns... together!" shouted Twilight.

As soon as she finished that sentence all of the Unicorns gathered their spiritual energy and started forming a strong spiritual shield, causing the locusts to disintergrate in touch.

"Hold your formation ponies!" said Twilight to the Unicorns.

Famine formed a huge grin on his rotten face.

"Food..." he muttered and opened his mouth widely, a gigantic worm-like creature rising from it and storming at the little village.

Twilight looked at it in shock but kept her cool. He can't pass the shield. It fends off forces of evil. she thought with confidence. Yet the creature didn't hesitate and started devouring the shield. Twilight was speechless. She started panicking as the worm continued the job of the locusts.

"Retreat! Teleport to Canterlot! Take as many ponies there as possible! May the Princess of the Sun be with us..."

Fire had started burning and every building fell after the other. At the top of the hill, Famine could be seen licking his hooves while blood was dripping from his lips.

"Heheheheheh ... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!"

Twilight had just arrived with all the other ponies of Ponyville to Canterlot. Celestia's guards appeared and started to set up a barricade in the middle of the town square and spread the word for everypony to go there for protection under the statue of princess Celestia.

The guards were doing their best in the chaos to set up a safe haven amongst the madness, and they actually faired quite well. The locusts however started reaching Canterlot as well. They started fighting back the locusts with magic and got the barricades all set up. The battle was seeming to go in their favor for a while until…

There was a giant explosion around the statue of princess Celestia and amidst the smoke five pony bodies could be seen. It was the ponies of the Apocalypse.

"AHAHAHHAAAA! Look at all this food!" screamed Famine.

"Tsk. So ... this is Equestria's finest guard … pathetic." said War removing his giant Battle Axe from his back. He slowly walked over to a group of ponies huddled together in fear.

"Scream. Shout my name!" He yelled as he raised his axe and quickly brought it down splitting a pony in half.

The group started screaming and crying "Help! Help! Murderer!" just as War lifted his axe again. Four of the princesses' guards began to attack.

"Too slow!" yelled war as he quickly swung his axe connecting it with the throats of all the guards. They all fell choking on their own blood.

"Got you!" a voice yelled. War turned around to see a guard in midair of a jump ready to come down on him with a sword.

"Your back is vulnerable..." a voice whispered.

The guard looked but saw nothing then felt a quick sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to see about nine inches of a scythe sticking out of his chest. He died instantly after seeing the wound.

"War, I won’t be your babysitter again. I only see pity in your eyes now." said Death.

"War is everlasting!" he yelled at Death, "My axe has waited long enough. It's time for blood to be shed."

"FOOOOOD!" yelled Famine as he bit a pony in the neck and started gnawing at his flesh.

In all this commotion the ponies inside the barricade had started to riot out of fear and push through destroying it and fleeing randomly about the city that was now a twisted mess of locusts and fire. Nightmare Chao's eyes could be seen glowing as the fire spread through Equestria.

Canterlot was now completely defenceless. The Mane Six were struggling to survive and tried to pull themselves together.

"Girls, go to Celestia. Ill try to hold them." said Rainbow Dash to her friends.

"No, Raibow, you're gonna get killed out there." said Applejack.

Rainbow looked down and turned around.

"I know..." she replied. "But if it's to save Equestria, I'm gonna do -"

Suddenly, Rainbow felt a gigantic slash coming through her cest, making way for a gigantic scythe to rise, lifring her in the air.

"RAINBOW DASH!!!!!!!!!!!"

It was Death. As he revealed himself in all the chaos, his mask could be shown, giving out a large grin.

"It's a pity. Such a proud pony to be killed out of its own arrogance."

Applejack stormed towards Death with tears running down her cheeks.

"Applejack no! That's what he wants!"

Death grinned one more time and grabbed her by her throat, raising her with ease. Applejack was struggling to breathe.

"Feeling of love? Anguish? Pity."

"Sh..Shut up..." Applejack hardly spelled.

Death looked at her with a look of emptyness and threw her down. Applejack coughed as she tried to get her breath back. Death then lowered his scythe and pointed at Rainbow Dash.

"You want her? Then come at me. Fight me! Hate me! Attack me with all your might!"

Applejack got up and looked at him in the eyes. Twilight took a step forward.

"Applejack, listen to me. We must save Equestria. And Celestia can bring her back. I know she can-

"No Twi. Imma stay. I'll ... I'll fight for my friend."

"That's it. The hatred in one's soul is what drives them to revenge."

"No. It's not hate. It's ... Honesty."

Before Applejack knew it, Death was right in front of her. She was shocked. She couldn't even move out of fear. She looked at Death in the eyes but now, she was scared of him more than ever.

"Look at me little pony ... look at Death in the eyes!" he said and revealed the face behind the mask.

Nopony else could see it. Only Applejack. And she had never looked at something scarier than that face ever before.

"VANISH TO THE PITS OF EVERLASTING DAMNATION!" yelled Death and burnt himself along with Applejack. The mane six, now only four, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie cried out for Applejack as they watched her burn and scream in pain. Both of them vanished in a matter of seconds.

Fluttershy burst into tears and fell on her hooves.

"It's useless. It's all useless..." she muttered with a cracking voice.

She suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned around.

"It's over if you give up." said a mysterious pegasus with short orange mane and white coat to her.

Fluttershy looked at him for a moment then nodded, pulled herself together and got up.

"It's never too late." she said with the most determination she ever had.

In the castle of Canterlot, Celestia couldn't help but look outside of her window, watching her ponies suffer, one after the other, slowly multiplying in number. The deaths were endless and she did nothing. She just looked outside. At one moment, she didn't even look. She closed her eyes, like she was thinking or waiting for somepony. Suddenly, the door behind her burst open from an explosion. She opened her eyes and turned around calmly. Out of all the smoke rose Pestilence with a friendly look.

"My Celestia, it's been a while now hasn't it?"

"It has ... Pestilence."

"Is everything okay my dear? You seem ... upset." he said with a warm and friendly smile."

Celestia said nothing, only looked at him.

"Why do you care about them? You're a princess Tia. You can have anything you want. Fame, money, slaves. Everything really. So why do you choose to care for them?"

Celestia had her eyes closed when Pestilence was talking to her. She didn't seem to pay attention to him anymore. Pestilence looked at her in wonder and slowly approached her.

"Is something wrong Ti-"

Before he could finish, Celestia grabbed him by his throat and pushed him to the wall.

"Never call me like that again..." she said to him, looking him in the eyes with anger like no other.

Pestilence looked at her and started laughing.

"Ahahaha, ahhh, you're a fool, my little Celestia."

Celestia turned around but before she knew it, she could see Famine in front of her, quickly grabbing her hoof, then biting it with all his might. Celestia screamed in pain and let go of Pestilence's neck. Soon, Celestia started feeling weaker and weaker by the minute. Famine was draining her magic power with every second he had his teeth in Celestia's flesh, slowly sucking her blood.

"ENOUGH!" said a voice from a distance.

Famine immediately let go of Celestia's hoof and moved away, wiping his mouth with his hoof. Nightmare Chaos then entered the room and looked at Celestia which was now at the ground, struggling to keep herself together. The two Ponies, War and Death appeared out of a fire that burst between Nightmare Chaos. He in the meantime, looked at Celestia and gave out a laugh.

"You're pathetic Celestia. If you care for them so much, why not help them?!"

Celestia said nothing.

"Answer to your lord, you bitch!" he yelled at her and kicked her in the stomach, making Celestia spit out blood and cease her breath.

Death grabbed Nightmare Chaos by the shoulder.

"Hate in you grows stronger every minute brother, but we must set an example for the future riots that will come."

Nightmare Chaos sustained his hate and backed off, making way for War. He raised his axe and looked at Celestia.

"Queen of Equestria my ass!" he yelled and swung his axe at her, spilling blood all over the wall.

Right after that, the rest of the remaining Mane Six ran in the room only to see Celestia's head in Death's hoof. Twilight Sparkle looked at him in shock. Nightmare Chaos noticed her fear and laughed once again.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Generosity, Laughter, Kindnerss and Magic?! PATHETIC! You LOST! The New Chaos Republic has risen once again!"

"N-No ... it can't be..." muttered Twilight Sparkle.

"Darling, sorry about this..." said Rarity to Twilight Sparkle and teleported the four of them away.

Now the usual sounds of birds chirping and fillies playing are replaced by the sounds of torture and death, screaming and pain. The land is stained red with blood under the new rule of the Ponies of the Apocalypse. The New Chaos Republic is reborn and giant battlefleets are covering the skies while the streets are empty, under the presence of an everlasting night, under an everlasting full moon. All hope is lost...

Self Sacrifice

Another day in this now rotten world. Living under a twenty-four seven full moon, the streets of the once beautiful town of Ponyville are now empty and only the soldiers of the New Chaos Republic are wandering, searching and killing any remaining survivors and rebels. For rebels however, the consequences were worse. They were tortured by the Ponies of the Apocalypse accordingly so as to set an example for those who decide to go against them. However, nopony gave up. At the Cake's abandoned pastry shop, there is more than meets the eye. Pinkie Pie, along with the remaining Mane Six and a bunch of survivors found shelter underneath it, where a somewhat old warehouse was located. Despite that, everypony is scared and convinces itself that everything is over.

"I can't believe that Princess Celestia is gone..." cried Twilight.

"Don't forget about Applejack and Rainbow," said Fluttershy balling, "I don't know how we are going to go on without them."

"Yeah," replied Pinkie, "Applejack always got us through our problems and Rainbow always protected us. With them gone...we are hopeless." she ended and bursted into tears.

"I know this situation seems dire darlings," said Rarity "but we can get through this. We just need to work together, and yes, our friends were taken from us by these monsters but attacking them head on will only result in getting ourselves killed. Rainbow and Applejack wouldn't want that. Now cheer up. We will have time to mourn our friends after we banish these heathens!"

"No," said a mysterious voice in the back of the room, "We've lost them. Face it." said the mare and revealed herself.

The mysterious mare had a very abnormal appearance consisting of a hoodie to cover her head. Her appearance also signified her goth hoodie, having a pale coat and black mane with dark pink highlights. She seemed like she had total belief in her words and her sentences indeed sounded like she had given up. She turned around and faced at everypony. They looked at her as well.

"Everypony listen." she said with her hoof in the air, "Why are you even here? To save the unsaveable? Why don't you just le-"

Before she could finish, she felt a hoof in her shoulder. She turned around and faced a crimson pegasus, looking at her with a serious look.

"If you've given up, why are you here?" he told her.

The mare was at a loss of words. She pushed his hoof away and left to another room.

In a completely empty room, there existed only one unicorn, sitting alone and having only a few pieces of paper along with a pencil. It was Quill Soul, the shy unicorn that had recently come to Ponyville. That's a great way to start a new life. she thought. Suddenly, Dark Equun stood next to her and noticed her drawing. It was a beautiful sketch of Ponyville back in the old days. It was so beautiful only to see and keep seeing for hours. Dark Equun was speechless. Quill Soul noticed him but carried on drawing, adding little details.

"Why are you here? Doing nothing." Dark Equun asked her.

"What else can I do?" she replied, still focusing her sight at the sketch. "I'm not the fighting type and I'm sure that nopony wants to hear me."

Dark Equun stayed silent for a while and got up, heading to the exit. Quill Soul put the pencil down and grabbed him by the hoof.

"Please...don't go..." she said to him.

Dark Equun didn't look back and stayed where he was. He gave out a small laugh.

"So you really need a friend." he said and sat down once again, now looking at Quill Soul in the eyes. He looked at her through her glasses and gazed upon her beautiful blue eyes. "You possess such great potential. Use it."

Those were his last words. He then vanished into thin air, leaving Quill Soul alone once again. Quill Soul looked at the wall for a while and then got up, heading towards the others. You know what Dark Equun? You're right.

At the meeting ground, everypony was with their loved one. Friends and family. Only Fluttershy was alone. She may be the Element of Kindness, but that doesn't mean that she has given up on her shyness. She sat all alone, thinking about everything that had led her where she is right now. Why her, she thought. Suddenly, a pegasus approached her and sat next to her. To her surprise, it was the same stallion that met her in Canterlot. That polite pegasus with the white coat and orange mane.

"May I?" he said.

Fluttershy didn't respond. The pegasus gave her a smile and grabbed her hoof softly with his. Fluttershy blushed.

"It's going to be alright...you'll see." he told her.

"H-How do you know?" she replied, looking at him in the eyes.

"I...I just know." he said.

For a moment, both of them just stood there and looked at each other. The stallion was amazed by her stunning appearance and her beatiful, long, pink mane. Like he was her biggest fan.

"I'm Grafix by the way."

Fluttershy smiled to Grafix and gave him a tight hug. Grafix blushed and, if one could hear well enough, gave out a small squee.

"Thanks...Grafix," Fluttershy said to him, "for everything..."

Grafix said nothing. That hug was making him melt from his happiness and decided to make the most of that moment. She may never know... he thought and hugged her back.

Heartfire had survived the conflict as well and he was the one that put an end to the unkown mare's words. He was the same as when he came to Ponyville. He was silent, lost in his thoughts. He only looked at the other ponies, but his mind was elsewhere. At one moment, a sparkly white pony passed by him. Heartfire quickly snapped out of it. It's her. he thought and stormed towards her, kind of startling her.

"Heartfire?" said the mare to him, like she had met him before.

"Thyme! So it is you." said Heartfire with relief.

And indeed it was her. The same Thyme that sat with him at that cafe, during his first night at Ponyville. The same Thyme that he shared all of his experiences and laughs. She was there, next to him again.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was sitting with Twilight Sparkle while she was trying to pull herself together, trying to figure out a solution to this madness. Rarity was nowhere to be found. Pinkie was devastated. After all of this, she was unsure whether to smile again or not. Her mane was straight down and her coat colour got darker, like that of when she was back at the rock farm. Suddenly, two identical ponies appeared behind her.

"Aw, come on now Pinkie, cheer up!" said one of them, the happy and cheerful one, shining like the now non-existent sun.

"W-Wha?" said Pinkie after lifting her head, full of tears, in a complete mess.

"We know that these situations are somewhat difficult, and I myself don't agree with Dolce most of the time, but that's not an excuse to stop smilling." said the second one which, although looked more pessimistic than her sister, had the same bright smile.

Pinkie couldn't help but smile back, her colour coming back and her mane getting all fuzzy and messy again.

"You're right!" she said with happyness and hugged the twins, "Thank you, both of you!"

As Heartfire and Thyme walked next to each other, constantly opening new topics and laughing with each other, Heartfire's eye noticed a pony crying. He approached her to find out that it was the same mare that was against the Mane Six. She turned around and looked at Heartfire with a cold look.

"G-Go away..." she said with a cracked voice.

Heartfire sat down and put his hoof on her hood, taking it off.

"Look, if we're to complain and cry all the time, we're never going to get Equestria back. Only if we work together we can."

He then got up and showed the mare his hoof.

"My name is Heartfire."

The mare wiped her eyes and latched on his hoof, Heartfire raising her to her hooves. She immediately put on her hood.

"Violet. Violet Haze."

"Nice to meet you, Violet." said Heartfire with a smile.

Thyme behind him smiled to herself. I made the right choice. Looking around for a while, she noticed Twilight being lost in her thoughts and looking at something. Thyme focused her magic and teleported next to her, leaving Heartfire and Violet Haze to get to know each other a little more. When she teleported next to her, she just couldn't hold back but ask:

"Are you..Twilight Sparkle?" she asked and looked at her amazed.

It didn't seem like it, but Thyme was a very fond fan of Twilight's work and reports on different scientific and social matters which were proven revolutionary. Thyme herself was interested in discovering different kinds of things, that being one of the reasons why she was at Ponyville.

Twilight didn't seem to notice her. Like Heartfire all over again, she was lost in her thoughts as well. It was a map that she was looking at. A map of Canterlot to be more precise. Thyme took a quick peak.

"If it's the catacombs you're looking at, it won't work." she said, not expecting to get an answer.

Twilight raised her head and looked at Thyme.

"How do you know?" she asked with maximum curiosity.

"Well, considering that we're not messing with morons, they will have probably flooded them or blocked them. The best technique is to enter via magic. Unicorns, I mean."

"But what about the battleships? They will notice us with all the spark out teleportation magic creates."

"M-May I interrupt?" said a third voice with hesitation.

Both Thyme and Twilight Sparkle turned around and noticed a slightly taller Unicorn with glasses, keeping a small distance from the two unicorns.

"I read in a novel," the unicorn continued, "that the best offence is defence. So, the best way to teleport without the battlefleets noticing would be to distract them while attacking them as well. A job suited for pegasi."

Twilight looked at both of the unicorns amazed. She quickly opened a notepad and started writing down something while mumbling to herself.

"It's perfect," she said with amazement,"Girls, this plan, with a little more development is going to be perfect! What are your names really?"

After a small introduction, the three unicorns got back to business, choosing the perfect and most fit pegasi to assault the battlefleets, an exam that tested both their courage and their power.Thyme then ceased the opportunity to introduce Heartfire, which proved to be the strongest and most brave pegasus. Eventually, he was declared the leader of the pegasus squad. Fluttershy got her confidence back and decided to introduce Grafix as second pegasus in charge. Grafix at first wasn't sure but after a kiss on the cheek by Fluttershy herself, Grafix was more than confident. Pinkie Pie, now completely rejuvenated by the twins Dolce and Oscuro, encouraged the pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies, making them laugh and forget about all the anxiety and risks. The earth ponies, would follow the unicorns and break the doors, being the strongest in hoof power. Besides, unicorn magic wasn't the only thing that would protect them. Leader of the Earth Team was Violet Haze, the self-centered but self-controlled leader and in these times, self-control is essential. The plan was set and everypony fell to sleep for tomorrow would be the day of liberty or death.

While everypony was asleep, Rarity appeared out of the blue, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and began to write. After a short time of writing, she slipped the note next to Twilight.

"Goodbye...my friends." whispered Rarity, "You are the best friends a pony could ever hope for..."

She left the hideout with a tear in her eye and nopony ever noticed apart from Heartfire, whose desire for a good night's sleep was long gone. He didn't try to stop her, let alone talk to her. He only looked at her leaving, slowly fading into the black.

"Do the right thing." he wispered.

"Can't get sleep either?" said a voice behind him.

Heartfire turned around and saw Thyme.

"I should ask the same for you." he replied, "Sit."

The two of them were now lying at Heartfire's spot near a window, looking at the moon outside. Heartfire gave out a small smile.

"You're beautiful..." he said while looking at the moon.

"It is indeed." Thyme replied, looking at it as well.

"I was reffering to you." said Heartfire now facing Thyme.

Thyme was caught off guard there. She blushed and didn't want to look at Heartfire in the eyes.

"Heartfire, I-" she said while turning around to face him.

She never got to finish this sentence as Heartfire interrupted her by touching his lips with hers. Thyme didn't back off. She did the exact opposite. She closed her eyes and gave up to her desire. Heartfire slowly moved away and looked at Thyme's beautiful purple eyes.

"Our first and probably last." he said, breaking the silence.

Rarity made a run for the Graveyard but when she got there, she felt a presence behind her, shortly after entering the gate.

"Why have you come, young mare? What is it that your heart desires?" said a familiar yet cold voice.

"To make a deal with you, you monster!" shouted Rarity and turned around to face Death. "You take my life, and bring Rainbow Dash back!"

For a moment, Death just stood there and looked at Rarity with his dead look. He banged his scuthe at then ground.

"And what would it be that it may stop me from just sliting your throat right now is the real question you should ask."

"Nothing." said Rarity without losing even a minute her cool.

"I admire your bravery," he said and gave out a small laugh, "The Element of Generosity to the end I see, sacrificing herself to bring back the most loyal of them all. Fine. I will play your game, mortal. But I don't guarantee that it's going to be a peaceful arrival to the world of the dead!"

Death then lifted his scythe and stuck it clear into Rarity’s heart. She let out a shriek of pain and fell to the ground seeing Death's scythe with her very heart stuck to it.

Death raised his scythe once again and then beat it with Rarity's heart into the ground. As he did, he formed a pentagram and flames spit out of the ground which were immediately extinguished, revealing Rainbow Dash in a perfect condition.

"Ughhh, what happened?" said Rainbow Dash as she got up slightly dazed.

She then saw Rarity on the ground.

"Rarity!" she yelled and flew towards her.

"R..Ru….Run Rainbow…The…" she hardly spelled, coughing blood and reaching into Rainbow's ear, wispering the location where their friends were safely hiding.

"But...but what about you?!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

"My…t….time…is up…da…darling, now...make me prou…proud and protect the others o…k…?" said Rarity with her last breath.

"I promise...I will!" yelled Rainbow as she flew off, heading towards the others.

As Death gazed at Rainbow Dash fleeing with tears running from her eyes like waterfalls, Death grinned and gave out a maniacal laugh, one unlike the others, more sinister and evil than the rest. A laugh that made the plants rot and nature around him wither.

"These ponies are the most entertaining." laughed Death and faded into the Darkness.

Twilight woke up from the noise of a raven cawing outside the hideout and got up in shock as she heard a pony yelling.

"Intruder! Intruder!"

Twilight got up quickly and stormed towards the gathering room only to see Rainbow Dash strouggling to get away from the angry mob of ponies after her.

"EVERYPONY STOP!" Twilight yelled and everypony ceased, "She's just...Rainbow..."

She couldn't finish the sentence and immediately began crying. Rainbow dashed towards her and gave her a pat in the back.

"It's okay Twi, I'm here. But...Rarity..."

It was only then when Twilight remembered noticing a note that was right next to bed. She ran back to her bed and found the note.

"So it really was a note." she said, picking it up and beginning to read.

My Friends,

Please remember me when you read this. I am sorry for leaving in such a short notice without warning anypony, but this world is torn apart. It's full of hatred now, and envy, with its streets empty, only the patrols roaming around, ready to attack and kill us. That is why I want no place in it. This isn’t a world for a fashoniesta such as myself, I would only get in your way, or worse…get you killed.

My Friends, I believe you can save this world. I believe in all of you. Now...make me proud. I’ll be watching you...always...

Everlasting War

The plan was set and now, when the moon was still existent in the starless sky, Twilight Sparkle, along with her comrades, Pinkie, Fluttershy and the almost impossibly revived Rainbow Dash were about to start phase one. As all of them braced themselves for the upcoming assault, Twilight gathered the leaders of the pegasi squad: The strong and fast Rainbow, along with Heartfire, now second in command but still as willing to participate as ever. Alongside the remaining crowd of pegasi with Grafix and Fluttershy lost in it.

"Alright ponies, this is it," said Twilight with outmost determination,"Rainbow, our major concern is to wipe out the forces of the sky first. We want you to handle this. Your priority is to capture the Master Battlefleet and destroy the rest with it."

Rainbow Dash nodded and Heartfire stayed behind her, silent, only listening to the plan. Once everypony was set, the pegasi opened their wings and as the door to the outside world opened, Twilight focused her magic power and launched a massive burst of light, spreading it through the everlasting night. As soon as the light shined as bright as the sun, the pegasi started flying away, towards the sky, towards the battlefleets, with Rainbow storming first as fast as the speed of sound, maybe even faster than sound itself. Heartfire raised his wings in the air but was interrupted by a presence behind him. Thyme. Heartfire knew that it was her but didn't look back.

"Listen," he told her, "what happened, yesterday, let's just...try not to think about it. It wasn't something serious. A one-time thing only."

Upon saying these words, he turned his head and looked at her, deep in her purple eyes.

"Don't cry if I die." he said and took off with great speed, soaring to the skies and catching up with the other pegasi.

Thyme stayed speechless for a while, then looked down.

"If only it were that easy..." she said to herself.

At the ground, Twilight Sparkle look up at the sky but soon looked down again. The determination that was previously carved in her face was now starting to fade away and, out of the blue, she started crying. Pinkie Pie approached her.

"I can't Pinkie..." said Twilight with a cracking voice, "I lost Rarity and soon, this plan, along with us, will die away."

Pinkie said nothing. She wasn't joyful yet she wasn't miserable either. She approached Twilight even more and gave her a hug.

"Twi, don't be so iffy." she said with a comforting voice, "If it's one thing I learnt from that rock farm, never stop smiling."

Twilight looked up again but her tears were still running. She took a moment to calm down and slowly, her tears started drying on her cheek.

"Rainbow...we're counting on you."

Twilight's wish however was getting harder and harder to achieve by the minute. As soon as the sphere of light shined, the battlefleets and the patrols noticed. Soon, the sky was filled with demon-like alicorns, carrying sharp teeth and claws and assaulting the pegasi with great speed. The massacre was now continuing in the air as the alicorns assaulted the victims and plucked the pegasi's wings off, making them fall from the skies and crash into the ground with great force. The battlefleets didn't stay there and did nothing either. Surfasces opened and strong, masculine unicorns rose, standing on platforms, firing projectiles with exact presicion, making large holes into everything they struck. Even if they missed, the explosion caused by it still killed many. The number of survining pegasi decreased with every minute that passed. The remaining were struggling but it was pointless. Rainbow Dash on the other hand wasn't fighting back like the others. She was focusing on the Master Battlefleet. Alongside her, Fluttershy, her friend since they were small, willing to go anywhere with her. Behind Fluttershy were Grafix and Heartfire, struggling to fend off the projectiles and the assaulting alicorns by guarding the mares with their hooves. Stallion hooves were harder than the ones mares had and, even though it was painful to endure, was the only way of survival.

After stroming through thousands of demons and performing evasive loops, they stormed to the battlefleet with great speed and broke through its glass wall, used from the ponies inside it to look outside. As soon as they entered, the alicorns seemed intimidated by something and retreated. The unicorns as well. They didn't fire. They just stood there and watched the four pegasi.

"Everypony alive?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Ironic quesion. Grafix was at the ground, his hooves fried from the projectiles. Fluttershy quickly took out a bag she carried and wrapped bandages around his front hooves, then helped him get back up.

Heartfire was in the worst situation, with cuts all over his body from the claws and teeth as well as aching hooves from all the projectiles. He could hardly walk but he was a survivor. He was trained to endure these things. When Fluttershy came close to treat him, Heartfire raised his hoof and pointed it at her, stopping her from approaching her.

"No," he said., "You are the sword. You are meant to eliminate the enemy. I'm the shield."

Fluttershy looked at him for a moment and said nothing.

"H-How? How can you say that?!" she yelled at him.

Heartfire was taken aback by her yell. It was very uncommon for Flutterhsy to yell, even in the worst situations possible.

"What about the others?! Were they shields as well?!"

Heartfire looked away but kept his serious look. He then started walking towards the corridor, leaving Fluttershy looking at him.

"Come. Let's not argue about this."

"Right," said Rainbow while following him. "Come on you two."

Fluttershy started walking as well and Grafix stayed behind her.

As all four of thme were walking down the corridor, Grafix looked at Heartfire. Look at him. Self-sacrificing. Willing. Why can't I be like him? Why can't I protect the ones I love? Then he looked at the two mares. First Rainbow, the adventurous one, then Fluttershy, the kind one. Grafix stopped for a moment. Nopony other than Fluttershy noticed Grafix's hooves seize and stay in one place. As Heartfire and Rainbow, who had now taken the lead, kept on walking, Fluttershy turned around and approached Grafix.

"What's wrong Grafix?" she asked him.

For a moment, Fluttershy thought that she saw a tear running down Grafix's eye but couldn't tell because he wiped his eye way too fast.

"It's...it's nothing...really." he told her and kept on walking.

After a while of walking, the four ponies entered a large room. It was empty apart from the end of the room where there seemed to be some sort of mechanism.

"This is it!" shouted Rainbow Dash in joy, "I can't believe it was that easy." she said and rushed towards it.

Heartfire stayed behind. He seemed curious. It was easy indeed. Too easy. he thought to himself. It was clear to him at that time.

"RAINBOW DASH! IT'S A TRAP!" he shouted at her.

Rainbow on the other hand didn't have the opportunity to look or even head back before chains rose from the ground and grabbed her from her hooves, neck and waist, tying her tightly to the ground. Fluttershy gasped and ran towards her, trying to release her. Rainbow Dash was screaming in pain as the chains got tighter by the minute. Suddenly, the wall next to them cracked open and an axe could be seen in the air, along with a masculine alicorn entering from the dusts.

"Stupid mare. Fell to the trap like rats. ALL OF YOU!" he yelled.

The alicorn was overmasculine, with a crimson red coat and a mane that was as bright and deadly as fire. He was wearing gold, shining armor, hoof crafted and wielded an enormous double-sided gold axe.

Heartfire walked towards Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and looked at the mysterious alicorn in the eyes. The alicorn said nothing and only gave out a big grin.

"I trust you run this ship." said Heartfire to the mysterious alicorn.

The alicorn said nothing. He suddenly started walking towards the three pegasi, his axe swinging continiously in the air. As he got closer, Heartfire stomped his front hooves on the ground, preparing himself for an attack. The alicorn was now a few centimetres away from Heartfire. He didn't respond. Heartfire was surprised but didn't show it. Why isn't he attacking? he thought to himself.

Heartfire seized the opportunity and at lighnting fast speed, lifted himself from the ground and headbutted him. The alicorn looked up and didn't respond. Such a conclusion meant that he was dizzy. Heartfire gave out a smile. However, his smile was cut short when the alicorn dropped his head and looked forward, at Heartfire once again, his eyes burning like a vlocano.

"Is that...all you got?!" yelled the alicorn at Hearfire and charged his head, striking Heartfire in the head with great force, so great that made him one with the ground, making him rebound from all the force. The alicorn seized the opportunity and charged his axe at Heartfire while in mid-air, capturing him by the neck and landing hin in the wall. Heartfire was still alive but his neck was in between the two sided blades of the axe. He tried to get himself out but it was of no use. The axe was tightly stuck in the wall. The alicorn started chuckling but soon started laughing out loud, as hard as he could.

"FOOLISH PEGASUS! YOU CAN'T DEFEAT WAR AT HIS OWN GAME!"

Heartfire now looked at the alicorn shocked. The alicorn was the War, the legendary alicorn written to be the strongest pony that ever lived, earning his place in the Ponies of the Apocalypse, his lust for war becoming his element, his power, his thirst for more.

War walked past Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and approached Heartfire. Heartfire remained calm. War noticed his silence and gave out a grin.

"Your pride seems to be taking you over." said War, looking down on him.

Heartfire said nothing but only looked at War in the eyes.

"Not talking huh?" War said a little furious.

He looked down but soon raised his head and charged his hoof at Heartfire, striking his face, making Heartfire spit blood.

"I don't like it when they DON'T DEIFY ME!" he yelled at him, licking Heartfire's blood off his hoof.

Heartfire looked away, the impact from that punch still affecting him. War turned around and waved his hoof in the air. Soon, the chains that engulfed Rainbow broke and the cyan pegasus was let free. Rainbow quickly lifted herself in the air and stormed at War lightning-fast, appearing in front of War in seconds. War looked at her surprised but soon became serious again and grinned, charging his fist and grabbing Rainbow by her throat, grasping her breath. Rainbow struggled to breathe as War's strong hoof held her in the air. War's grin got even bigger and his fiery eyes got even brighter.

"The perfect trophy for the PERFECT WARLORD!" he shouted out loud and charged his other hoof, striking Rainbow Dash in her heart.

Rainbow vomitted blood as she looked at her upper body, seeing her coat turning slowly gold, with War's hoof still inside her body. W-What's happening?! she wondered as the gold colour kept taking over her cyan coat. As soon as the gold layer reached her throat where War was grasping her, her breath was seized and slowly afterwards, Rainbow Dash had turned completely gold, not moving even a single muscle. Fluttershy looked at the now 'Golden' Rainbow Dash in shock, tears already coming out of her eyes. War let her neck go and with his magic, put her next to the control device.

"Y-you turned her into...g-gold?" said Fluttershy with a cracking voice, unable to spell words.

War didn't answer. He turned around once again and faced at Heartfire.

"I want to hear you...hear you scream in pain. I want to take that pride away from you..."

He paused for a while. Then his horn started glowing. Heartfire was caught by surprise as he felt an aching pain inside him. A small cracking sound could be heard as Heartfire gritted his teeth, trying to endure the pain. He moved his head right to left over and over, resisting the growing pain. However, at one turn, he noticed his wings. The cracking wasn't coming from his teeth, it was coming from his wings. War was ripping Heartfire's wings apart. Heartfire couldn't handle any more and gave out a shout of pain as both of his wings were seperated from his body, blood splatting everywhere.

Thyme shut her eyes open and looked at the Battlefleet in shock. Something had happened. Something bad. Very bad.

"H-Heartfire?" she asked thin air as she slowly lost control of her emotions and started shedding tears.

Heartfire was now unconscious. War took out his axe from the wall, making Heartfire fall to the ground. His wings were lying on the ground as well, plucked from the pegasus. The worst in all ways way to humiliate a pegasus and take away their pride is to take away their only aspect that makes them special. Their wings.

"Coward. Lost his pride and didn't even stay conscious to notice." War muttered to himself as he walked towards the control of the ship and gazed at his newly earnt trophy. He quickly turned around however and looked at Fluttershy. His expression soon shifted and War got furious. He roared as he stomped his hooves on the ground and swung his axe in the air.

"WHERE ARE YOU COWARD?!" he yelled at thin air and started strinking the walls of the room, making large holes, as if he was searching for something.

Fluttershy looked at War in wonder as his rage was consuming him and the strikes got even deadlier with every strike. Soon, the four walls surrounding the room were exterminated and only the controls were in a good condition. War looked swiftly around, still looking red everywhere he looked. He didn't seem to find what he was looking for. He ran towards Fluttershy and grabbed her, throwing her at the corridor where they originally came from.

"COME OUT YOU BASTARD!" he yelled.

War stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, calming down and focusing only hearing sense. He quickly opened his eyes and grinned to himself.

"You can run, but you can't hide." War said in thin air and held Fluttershy, now unconscious, in the air with his magic. "Or do you want to see another one of you 'friends' die?"

War received no response.

"Come out and fight or watch her die while you hide and do nothing." he said to thin air once again.

Still no answer. War put down Fluttershy and lifted his axe in the air, its blades reflecting Fluttershy. With no hesitation, War swung his axe for Fluttershy's head.

"STOOOOP!!!" shouted a voice.

The axe stopped suddenly, only a breath away from Fluttershy. It started moving away and swinging once again in the air as War looked away and saw the white coated pegasus standing in the end of the room. War grinned and soon after that laughed out loud.

"IT'S YOU!" yelled War at him.

Grafix looked at War in wonder, intimidated by his fiery red coat and shining armor.

"W-What do you mean?" Grafix asked in hesitation.

War laughed once again.

"Of course you don't remember!" he yelled at him once again, "It's been indeed so long..."

Grafix now looked at War with even more wonder on his face. What did he mean by that? Grafix would never associate with the means of such a violent pony like War, let alone even know him. Grafix never was the pony who read much indeed and had only learnt about the Ponies of the Apocalypse ever since this whole incident started.

"Let me remind you," War continued, "Remember that fire, that so called 'accident', the eyes of the fiery beast..."

Grafix looked at War with even more shock now. His words soon started making sense, repeating themselves inside Grafix's mind. The 'accident'. The eyes of the fiery beast. Soon, memories from the shallowest depths inside Grafix's mind started to ascend.

Back, when Grafix was still small, the sudden war that occured out of the blue, so suddenly. Fire everywhere. Buildings burning, soldiers everywhere, ponies dying. Grafix ran to his house as all hell was breaking loose around him, avoiding corpses, soldiers, fire. It was still too late though. Grafix only stood in front of his old house, staring at it while it was being engulfed in flames and two fiery eyes staring at him likewise, piercing his soul, leaving him frozen to place.

Grafix shook his head to pull himself together and out of that flashback. War laughed at him.

"You STILL don't get it? Do you? My eyes are the eyes of fire, fire itself, war, destruction, mayhem, murder!!!"

Grafix couldn't stand the truth. All these things. They were his fault. It was his fault that he lost his parents, it was his fault that he roamed from city to city as an orphan, it was his fault that he had nopony to stand aside him as he suffered.

"W-Why?" asked Grafix .

"You want to know huh?" said War and paused for a while. "It was because...I was bored."

Grafix was shocked. Murder, destruction out of pure boredom? Grafix's eyes lit up after hearing that. He stomped his hooves on the ground and looked at War with a look full of hate and anger.

"Out of BOREDOM?! THAT'S WHY I WAS ALONE ALL THESE YEARS?! 'CAUSE YOU WERE BORED?!" yelled Grafix at him as he opened his wings widely and rushed towards him.

War gave out another grin and punched the air, the force striking Grafix, pushing him back, making him fall on the ground. Grafix didn't give up though. He immediately got up and gave out a war cry.

"That's the spirit," said War, "Feel that feeling. That sense of destruction..that sense of murder...that sense of war."

"SHUT UP!" shouted Grafix and stormed towards War once again.

War didn't back off. Instead, he held completely still, leaving Grafix to strike him in his face. However, that punch, like Heartfire's previous headbutt was worthless. War resisted the impact and looked at Grafix with a pejorative look. Grafix didn't back off. He kept punching War in the face over and over again, his rage getting even bigger with every punch.

"Grafix, no!" said a weak voice behind War.

Grafix, giving out a final punch, moved away from War at great speed and landed on his hooves a few metres away from War.

"You're not like him..." said once again the voice.

Grafix turned his head a little to the right of War and looked at the source of the voice. It was Fluttershy. She was in a mess after War's throw. She had bruises all over her and a countless scratches. War turned around and kicked her in the stomach.

"Y-you're...a f-forgiving p-pony..." hardly said Fluttershy, losing consciousness afterwards.

In fact, Gafix was about to storm once again towards War if it weren't for his curiosity of finding the source of the voice. After what Fluttershy said and the horrible act that Grafix witnessed, he took a moment to calm down. He looked at his hoof. What have I become?

Grafix closed his eyes for a while, took a short break and opened them once again, to look at War. War looked at him accordingly but seemed irritated.

"What's wrong kiddo?! Scared to attack me?!"

"No..." said Grafix quietly.

War now looked at him in wonder but soon regained his angry look.

"What did you say?!" War yelled.

"No," said Grafix once again, "I know what's wrong. Growing up...on the streets...robbing stores to eat. All because of what I thought to be fear. Fear to protect others. But it was you, all along. I...I don't have a reason to blame myself anymore. So, thank you...War. And, about the incident, I...I forgive you."

War was taken aback by that last sentence. His furious expression got even worse upon hearing that. In a heartbeat, he was standing right in front of Grafix, swinging his axe at him. Grafix only raised his hoof and grabbed it with not even pushing himself. War looked at him in shock. In seconds once again, he moved away from him and got back where he was earlier. War tried to get his axe back but Grafix didn't let go. What was more surprising for War was that Grafix didn't even bother to resist.

"YOU HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT! I HURT YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, EVERYPONY YOU KNEW AND LOVED! EVEN NOW! YOU HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT ME!"

Grafix didn't reply. He grabbed the axe with his second hoof and broke it in half. Pure gold, broken by the weakest type of pony.

"No, I don't," said Grafix, throwing the broken axe behind him, "I forgave you. I don't hold a grudge with you anymore."

"FINE!" yelled War, "IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIGHT BACK, THEN I WILL!" he ended and charged.

Grafix stayed in one place, not having even a single fear. He only slightly raised his hoof, swung it backwards and released at the right timing. When War was right in front of him. The punch landed successfully, striking him in the face with great force, sending him back. War opened his wings in mid-air and regained control of his movements.

"I DON'T WANT YOU FORGIVENESS!" he yelled at Grafix for one more time.

War then ascended a little more and pointed his hoof at Grafix. The hoof started charging, energy surging through its veins, slowly coming out like fierce lances, wrapping themselves around his hoof, engulfing it, forming a sphere that got even bigger and bigger. Grafix wasn't surprised, nor shocked. He stayed at the same place, looking at it, remaining calm. The sphere soon started moving away from his hoof and got in front of it, as if he was holding it.

"FEEL THE ROAR OF A THOUSAND LIONS!!!!!!!!!" yelled War.

Upon saying that, the sphere released itself, forming over a million lances, all charging at Grafix so fast and all at the same time. Grafix could hear the roars of the lions approaching him but didn't respond. The lances soon started falling around and over him, smoke coming out from the impacts. After a few minutes of constant bombardment, smoke was everywhere to be found. War couldn't see the outcome but he knew that Grafix was dead. He started chuckling. Suddenly, a weak sound could be heard coming from somewhere. It sounded like, warerfalls, calm water flowing. As the smoke cleared, War looked at shock to see Grafix in a perfectly well condition. Aside from that, he was now emitting a yellow aura from his body. The sound of water was coming from there. Grafix looked at War with a look more serious that Grafix had ever shown. He raised his hoof and pointed it at War. The aura started concentrating, like War did, around Grafix's hoof and formed a gold glowing gauntlet. War was now not only shocked, but intimidated by that gauntlet.

"It...can't be..." said War.

Grafix only looked at War, still maintaining his serious look. He pushed his hoof back and then unleashed it forward, making the gauntlet open and release brightly coloured chains that assaulted War, grabbing him tight by his four hooves and wings. The chains started going back to the gauntlet, pushing War towards it as well. War shouted in fear as he struggled to break the chains. The gauntlet soon started absorbing War. As his back hooves got sucked in, War let out his last resort.

"You may have won now, but...REMEMBER THIS GRAFIX! AS LONG AS THERE IS HATE IN THIS WORLD, RESENTMENT, ANGER, MANIPULATION, SEARCH FOR POWER, WAR ... WILL ALWAYS LIVE INSIDE YOUR HEARTS. ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!"

Those were War's last words as he got fully sucked into the gauntlet. Grafix looked at it and smiled to himself. The gauntlet started fading away but not the aura. Grafix then ran towards Fluttershy. He looked at her and her state. As he felt her beautiful pink mane, some of the aura slipped into it, making Fluttershy's wounds starting to fade away. She slowly opened her eyes to look at Grafix, giving out a weak smile. She gasped and hugged him tight.

"Don't worry Fluttershy," said Grafix to Fluttershy calmly, "he's gone."

Fluttershy looked at Grafix in the eyes and moved closer to him, her eyes closed, now her lips touching his. Grafix blushed but decided to follow, closing his eyes in the process as well. Nailed it. he thought to himself. Grafix moved his lips away after a while and got up, heading towards Rainbow Dash. As he looked at her, the rest of the aura moved away from his body and started moving around Rainbow's body, removing the golden coat wherever they went. Rainbow shook her head and got up in a bit of a state of confusion.

"W-What happened?" she asked Grafix, still a little confused.

"It's a long story." replied Fluttershy with a bright smile.

Nopony noticed, but Heartfire had now opened his eys as well, holding himself against the wall, looking down. He gave out a sigh as he looked at his demolished wings. He soon changed his view and looked at the wall, suddenly punching it as hard as he could. The three pegasi noticed and ran towards him. Heartfire looked away, trying to hide his shame.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, let's just...continue." said Heartfire and turned around.

The four pegasi then proceeded towards the controls. As Rainbow got control of the Battlefleet, she flew towards one that was nearby, crashing into it, and before they knew it, that battlefleet struck another one, making it take down another one, like domino.

Fluttershy, along with Rainbow and Grafix, who were now carrying Heartfire, left as soon as possible and landed on the ground next to Sugarcube Corner to be greeted by the Unicorns and Earth Ponies, cheering for them as loud as they could. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy reunited with Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie.

"Dash, you did it!" squeed Twilight in joy.

Fluttershy and Pinkie were cheering together while Grafix looked from a small distance away. Fluttershy approached him and held his hoof. Grafix blushed once again.

"I guess there's soemthing between us now." said Fluttershy, smiling at Grafix.

"Yeah...I guess there is." said Grafix, smiling back at her.

As soon as the pegasi landed, Heartfire moved away from the rest of the ponies, sitting inside the old pastry shop, in the dark, where nopony would see him and his embarassing state.

Inside all the excitement was Thyme as well. However, she didn't cheer along with the rest of the ponies. She was searching for Heartfire. She saw that all four of them had come together. So where was he? As Thyme got a quick glance of Sugarcube Corner, she noticed a presence inside it. She started walking towards it and entered in the dark.

"Heartfire? Is that...you?" said Thyme as she approached the fractured pegasus.

Thyme was taken aback when she saw Heartfire, his wings missing and blood still running over the dried one. Heartfire didn't want to look at her in the eyes.

"Please, leave me." replied Heartfire.

Thyme came closer to him and gave him a small hug.

"It's okay..." she said, trying to comfort him.

"Look, Thyme," said Heartfire while moving Thyme away from him, looking at her in the eyes, "I...I don't want us to be together."

Thyme looked at him in shock.

"It's just," he continued, "the whole thing, with the kiss, it was wrong. I'm...i'm not in love with you."

After that, Thyme looked down. The silence that had taken over at that moment was something Heartfire had never experienced before. He approached her and put his hoof under her chin, slowly lifting her head.

"Hey, it's o-"

Heartifre was cut short from Thyme's sudden slap on his face. Heartfire didn't respond. He only looked at her silent. Thyme didn't respond either. She got up and started walking away, out of Sugarcube Corner, leaving Heartfire be.

All alone.

Leaving the Past Behind

The cheering that was going on and about for the last hour or so was now gone as things started getting serious once again. Twilight had put her squeeing joy aside and gathered everypony around.

It may have been hard for Thyme to concentrate on her task now after that certain... incident with Heartfire. She tried putting him aside. Equestria was more important right now. However, it was not that easy even for a pony such as Thyme. What was that feeling that burned like an everlasting fire inside her? She shook her head and walked towards Twilight and Quill Soul which stood next to her.

"Phase 1 is complete," Twilight started, "Now it's time for phase 2. Everypony will enter the Republic. When inside, we will split into groups. The distraction team and the main team."

"Me, along with the rest of you guys," said Rainbow Dash, "will form the distraction team. We have to keep the guards away from the main team. Prepare for the worst."

Twilight looked at Rainbow and nodded at her.

"Me, along with Thyme and Quill Soul are forming the main team," Twilight carried on, "The rest of you will follow Rainbow. Since the Republic is big, split into two smaller groups."

"I'll take command of group two." said a voice from the crowd of ponies listening.

The pony moved forward, towards Twilight. It was the pony with the hood and the light pink coat, Violet Haze. Twilight noticed her confidence and nodded. Violet Haze gave out a determined smile and shook hooves with Rainbow, introducing herself in the process.

The ponies in the distraction group started spliting up, its leaders choosing the ponies to accompany them. Rainbow took the remaining pegasi -along with Grafix and Fluttershy- as well as a few unicorns and earth ponies. Violet Haze took Pinkie Pie and the twins Dolce and Octuro along with the rest of the unicorns and earth ponies.

As soon as the two groups formed, they gathered in front of the enormous door of the Republic and took their positions. Twilight, Thyme and Quill Soul focused their magic powers in one and shot a massive shot of magic, blasting the door open in front of them.

"Ponies...charge!" said Twilight and everypony ran inside shouting for their freedom.

Twilight and the two unicorns made their way towards the left while the other group split to the right.

To her surprise, as Twilight and her comrades were running in the corridor, there was no guard whatsoever. What's going on?! she thought to herself. This is too easy.Twilight smiled to herself and started accelerating, making Thyme and Quill Soul speed up as well.

After a little running, they reached what used to be the ball room. Such a large room. It brought back memories to Twilight. When she walked in here for the first time when she was just a filly. As she grew up and attended the Gala with her friends. It may have been a disaster, but they still had a blast. And then came the wedding of her elder brother or Captain of the Royal Command, Shining Armor. Another moment of happyness not for just her, but for everypony that day. But all that now was gone. It was all...fractured now.

"Well, we should keep moving." said Twilight after a small pause.

However, there was no answer from neither Thyme nor Quill Soul. Twilight turned around but saw nopony. She looked at shock in the empty space where there shouldnormally be the two unicorns that accompanied her till here. What's going on? she wondered to herself once again.

"What's going on indeed?" said a mysterious voice that came from upstairs, where one would proceed to the upper floors or where usually Princess Celestia would come down from her room. Twilight looked up to notice Celestia looking right back at her. She looked at her in shock. P-Princess Celestia? she thought. Celestia looked at her a little worried.

"What's wrong Twilight? Are you okay?" she asked with a bright smile on her face. "I thought you'de be glad to see me."

"I...I...I saw you-"

"See me what?" Celestia interrupted the unicorn as she went down the stairs. "Oh, that." she said after a while.

Quill Soul was in a state of total confusion. As soon as they entered the ball room, both Thyme and Twilight Sparkle were gone from her eyesight. Just like that. She started to worry and after a while looked around in shock. She was slowly panicking.At one quick turn of her head towards the right, she saw Dark Equun right in front of her, only a breath away. Quill Soul shouted in fear and fell down. After realising that it was only Dark Equun, she gave out a sigh.

"You really shouldn't scare me like that..." she told him.

Dark Equun was seeming to ignore her. He looked around as if he was searching for something.

"Um, Dark Eq-"

"Weren't there two more unicorns with you just now?" he interrupted to ask her.

Suddenly, Dark Equun raised his head and looked forward, at the wall. He felt a presence behind him. It wasn't a friendly one however. He turned around and saw an alicorn dressed in fabulously shiny cloth, hoof-stitched, having a sword in a sheeth as well as wearing a golden crown on his head. His mane, perfectly combed and his coat not even having a single scar or bruise. He seemed like the perfect pony. Dark Equun looked at him suspicious as the golden eyes on his mask squinted, became thinner.

"Surprised, are you not?" said the alicorn to him.

Dark Equun didn't respond. He immediately teleported next to Quill Soul in a flash, grabbed her hoof and teleported her back at where she came, to the entrance of the corridor where they originally came from.

"Stay back Quill Soul," Dark Equun said to her, "I sense darkness in him."

"Don't trust this creature Quill Soul," said the alicorn to her, "This...thing...is a creature of darkness."

"Don't listen to him. Appearances can be deceiving."

"Quill Soul." said the alicorn once again.

"No, Qull Soul." said Dark Equun, holding her hoof.

Now, the only thing Quill Soul could hear in her head were her name being called by both Dark Equun and the mysterious alicorn. She had...a choice? Choose between one of her only friends, a pony she could trust, or a promising alicorn? Quill Soul freed her hoof from Dark Equun's grasp and grabbed her head in a state of shock and confusion at the same time. Please...make the voices stop. she thought, the voices of the two ponies still echoeing in her mind.

Thyme was in the same state as Twilight and Quill Soul. Upon entering the room, they both just...dissapeared in thin air. Thyme didn't back off however. She started walking towards the centre of the ball room, looking down at the structure. Such a beautiful floor it was in the middle, showing Shining Armor and Princess Cadence dancing together. It must have been carved after they came back from their honeymoon. Thyme couldn't stop looking at it, her mind shifting back to him. Heartfire. Now it was only him that she thought of. She and him, dancing in this ball room, looking at each other in the eyes, ponies standing around them and clapping. It would be...perfect. She gave out a sigh as she kept looking at the marvelous piece of marble floor.

"Oi." said a familiar voice behind her.

Thyme slowly turned around and gasped as she saw Heartfire entering the ball room with a weak smile on his face, his appearance still in a mess, although a bit better now.

"H-Heartfire?" she asked him as she stepped away from the centre, heading towards him, "How did you-"

Heartfire put his hoof in front of her mouth, ending her sentence right there. Thyme slightly blushed.

"I came to make up." he wispered as he slowly approached her and pressed his lips against hers.

Thyme's memory immediately flashed back to that moment they shared together during that night. That first and fierce kiss that Heartfire gave her. It was just like that even now. Thyme closed her eyes and grasped Heartfire tightly. As she moved her lips away, she wispered to him.

"Don't leave me again."

"Well, you see dear Twilight, it was all part of a little plan I set up." continued Celestia as she got down the stairs.

Twilight could still not believe what she was looking at. It was Princess Celestia, the one and only Princess of the Sun, her mane glowing with bright colours and her smile being as warm and cossy as the setting sun. Without a second thought, she ran towards her and gave her a tight hug.

"I-I still can't believe it's y-you" said Twilight, her voice slowly starting to crack up and her starting to cry.

Celestia gave out another one of her warm smiles and hugged her back.

"It's okay my little pony."

Twilight let go and wiped her nose, her tears slowly starting to fade as she pulled herself together.

"Are you ready to walk?" asked Celestia with a caring voice.

Twilight looked at her with a determined look and nodded. The two ponies then started walking upstairs to where Celestia came from. So that explains the no-guards matter.

"SHUT UP!" yelled Dark Equun at the mysterious alicorn, taking him aback.

The alicorn gasped in disgust upon hearing this insult. Dark Equun kneeled and helped Quill Soul get back to her hooves. She raised her head and looked at his glowing eyes looking right back at her. Dark Equun said nothing. He looked forward at the alicorn who didn't respond. He was a mysterious one indeed.

"Quil Soul," said Dark Equun after turning his sight at her once again, "Whatever you do, don't run and don't listen to him. I'm here for you."

Quill Soul was about to break down into tears but after hearing Dark Equun, she nodded and stepped back. Dark Equun looked at the alicorn with a look of anger. The alicorn gave out a smile. However, his smile was gone when Dark Equun stood right in front of him right at that moment.

"Wh...Wha-" hardly said the alicorn before Dark Equun grabbed him by his garment and charged his other hoof, releasing it into a large blow, striking him in the stomach, making the alicorn gasp for a breath. Dark Equun let go of his garment and he fell to his hooves.

"Appearances can be deceiving after all." Dark Equun said to himself.

"Indeed, t-they can..." spelled the alicorn as he merged with the ground, making Dark Equun lose sight of him.

Suddenly, a loud laugh hcould be heard coming from every wall of the room. Dark Equun turned around every now and then and tried to find the alicorn. The laughing continued and Quill Soul found it harder with every minute not to panic. Out of the blue, the alicorn got out of the wall behind her and put his hoof around her neck, grasping her tight. Dark Equun heard Quill Soul's shout and turned around ready to storm towards her.

"One move and I'll snap her neck!" said the alicorn, grasping Quill Soul's neck tighter, making her pant for her breath.

Dark Equun stopped suddenly and stayed in one place. The alicorn smiled and merged with the wall once again, this time taking Quill Soul with her.

"QUILL SOUL!" shouted Dark Equun as he ran towards the place where Quill Soul would normally have been when he followed the alicorn's orders.

It was OBVIOUSLY a trap! thought Dark Equun inside him with his blood boiling. He bashed the wall, his rage still surging in his body.

"Well, you sure took that one seriously. Hah, imagine the look on your face when I threaten to kill her." said a mysterious yet so familiar voice behind him.

Dark Equun quickly turned around and saw the same alicorn once again in front of him, just like he saw him for the first time. He didn't have any wounds. But, wasn't the blow supposed to harm him even a little? What's his game? Dark Equun thought. However, his rage was not gone.

"What did you to her?!" shouted Dark Equun at him.

"Woah there bigshot," replied the alicorn calmly, "I'd like to stay and listen to your...opinion but, I got other business to attend to. Please stay, or your friend dies. Chao." he ended and vanished in thin air.

Dark Equun had no choice.

"So, what is your plan really Princess? Not that I'm complaining that is." asked Twilight as she, along with Princess Celestia progressed to her personal chambers through another corridor.

"When these five menaces arrived, I created a substitute but it required a ton of my power. I left and hid in order to regain my powers. I knew you'd come."

Twilight blushed when she heard that last sentence. She had heard a lot of compliments from the Princess before but that one really showed how much she trusted her student. Twilight squeed inside of her.

"So, what now Princess?"

Princess Celestia stopped for a moment. Twilight immediately stopped as well and looked at her in wonder. She seemed...frozen. Twilight waved her hoof. No response.

"Princess, are you okay?"

Celestia shook her head and took a moment to concentrate.

"It's...nothing. It's just those moments these days when I need to freeze in space and time to regenerate my magic." she replied with a smile.

"Phew, for a moment, I thought something happened to you." Twilight replied with a smile as well.

Thyme and Heartfire lied down at the soft marble floor and looked outside the glass ceiling, gazing at the moon while they held each other's hoof. At one moment, Thyme turned her head and looked at Heartfire. He seemed happier than usual. He may have had a weak smile on his face but Thyme could sense happyness in him. True happyness. He didn't seem to care about his wings anymore. Thyme smiled to herself. But at that time, her mind switched back to what happened. This reunion made her forget about Twilight and Quill Soul. She let go of his hoof and got up.

"What's wrong Thyme?"

"Well, you probably weren't there but, I have an objective."

Heartfire looked at her in wonder. He shrugged and got up on his hooves as well.

"I'm all ears."

Thyme looked away. She didn't want to spoil that moment so abruptly. She felt a little embarassed.

"I was supposed to find the leader of the Republic along with Twilight Sparkle and Quill Soul."

There was a small pause for a while.

"But that's suicide!" said Heartfire, a little tense now.

There was a moment of silence for a while once again between the two ponies. Heartfire approached her and held her hoof.

"Hey, I got an idea. Why don't we leave Equestria?"

Thyme was shocked to hear that. Heartfire looked at her with a weak smile. Thyme was at a loss of words. After a while, she looked down and said nothing.

"So...what do you say?"

"Heartfire..." she wispered.

Thyme let go of Heartfire's hoof and stepped away from him. Heartfire looked at her worried.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"The real Heartfire would not abandon his purpose," said Thyme, still looking down, "that's why he sacrificed his wings. In order to save this world," she continued and raised her head, now looking at him with a cold look, "The real Heartfire cares for everypony and put them above me."

"W-What are you saying, Thyme? I am Heartfi-"

"DON'T EVER SAY THAT NAME AGAIN!!!" she yelled at him.

After saying that, her horn started glowing, dark blue aura starting to surge out of her body, runes forming and hovering around her. Her normally lavender eyes had turned bright blue, the exact colour as that of her runes. As she gritted her teeth in utter rage, swords out of pure magic energy started forming and hovering in the air, their tips pointing right at 'Heartfire'.

"Ways of the Moon : Sword Swipe!"

The swords stormed with great speed at Heartfire and stabbed him one after the other, making him take a step back with every stab. After being stabbed by at least ten blades hanging from his body, Heartfire fell to his hooves and coughed blood all over the beautiful floor where there was the painting of the royal couple. He struggled to raise his look and looked at Thyme with a big grin on his face.

"Y-You're...clever," he hardly spelled, coughing blood once again, "I'll give you that."

Heartfire got up and started taking out the swords, one by one, not caring about his injuries. After removing them all, he concentrated his look once again in Thyme, still maintaining his big and menacing grin.

"Well, time to lift the curtain." he told her and started burning up, his flesh disappearing and showing his true identity underneath it. It was an alicorn, perfect in appearance.

"I am the Pony of the Apocalypse, Pestilence." the mysterious alicorn told her, his garment starting to wave as a small breeze surrounded them.

Thyme's reaction didn't change. She was still angry and it could be seen all over her expression. The dark blue aura around her started getting thicker, stronger. Pestilence looked at her with amzement. He started clapping.

"Very good my little unicorn. Embrace your greed. Admit it little filly. You are in, hm, love."

Thyme looked at Pestilence in shock. Her expression soon changed however back to her previous one. Pestilence's words only made her rage grow more. Her aura started shifting, creating large bones that started getting covered in flesh and fur, turning itself into a creature that looked like a wolf out of pure magic energy. In the middle, representing the heart, was Thyme, her eyes now completely bright blue. The wolf howled, shaking the earth underneath it.

"I have to admit that you simply impress me every minute my dear." said Pestilence, remaining calm, clapping once again after seeing the spiritual wolf.

"I don't care about him anymore, I only care...on destroying YOU!!!" Thyme yelled at him.

The wolf raised his paw and slashed the air, three massive claw projectiles storming at Pestilence. Pestilence gave out a smile and grabbed his sheeth with his magic, placing it in front of him, making the claws strike the sheeth. They struggled to get through. Pestilence swung it to his right, making the projectiles change direction, blowing up the wall. Thyme roared, making the wold roar as well, making the ceiling tremble and the entire room rumble. Pestilence looked around, admiring the mayhem.

"Magnificent, bravicimo my dear. Look at you. You may not want to accept it, but it is your denial to greed that makes you strong. Imagine if you gave in, imagine all thepower!"

Upon saying that, Thyme stopped for a while as a pause was in the air and the only thing that could be heard was the dust around them.

"Power..." Thyme repeated after slowly calming her expression.

"That's right my dear, you could have anything. Money, power, and every stallion youever wanted."

The last bit of the sentence echoed inside Thyme's mind. Every stallion you ever wanted. She looked down, looking at the ground with wonder.

"Heartfire..." she wispered.

"That's right my dear," said Pestilence with a friendly smile on his face, "Heartfire can be all yours when you become...a queen."

"A...queen..."

The enormous spiritual wolf around her started to slowly fade, its fur and flesh starting to strip, its bones slowly desintergrating and the aura starting to disappear. Thyme's eyes stopped shining and turned bland, like she was empty inside of her. Pestilence approached her and patted her head.

"Right. A queen, with us. So...what do you think?"

"NO!" shouted a voice from the end of the corridor.

Thyme slowly turned her head around, her dead look looking at a dark grey stallion enter the large room, his dark, red-striped mane shining under the light of the moon.

which seemed to shine brighter with the presence of the stallion.

"You're smart Thyme, and I know that this is not the real you."

Thyme looked at him, her cold, dead look staring into him in wonder.

"The real...me?" she asked herself.

"Don't listen to this fool Thyme," said Pestilence behind her, "When you'll be queen, you can have him and ten more to love you. You have to trust m-"

"No," Heartfire interrupted him, "You must never trust greed, and if there's one pony that did that, a pony that put her own desires below the ones she wants to save, wasyou, Thyme."

After that, Thyme's eyes started shifting, changing back into normal. She shook her head to get over her confusion and looked at Heartfire. Pestilence teleported away for the two ponies and away from the room.

"This is not the last you have seen of me." this sentence echoed in the room, slowly fading with every minute.

Thyme looked at Heartfire and gave out a weak smile, then looked down. Heartfire slowly approached her and slowly lifted her head with his hoof.

"I heard what you said back there."

Thyme looked away, trying to hide the tears that formed in her eyes. Heartfire gave her a weak hug. Thyme shut her eyes and hugged him tightly. Heartfire could hear her sobs as she burst into tears. Heartfire hugged her tighter.

"You will find somepony better than me. Hm, you'll see. I'm no good for you anyways." he wispered to her.

Dark Equun sat in the room for minutes, his head looking down, hoping to see that bastard once again with Quill Soul. Although he had no idea why he was with her in the first place, he just knew that he had to protect her. And he had failed. He banged the floor with one of his hooves, making a small hole beneath him. Suddenly, he heard somepony rambling. He got up and looked around to see him.

"YOU!" Dark Equun shouted at Pestilence.

Pestilence turned around and saw Dark Equun staring at him in anger.

"Oh, it's you," Pestilence said and sighed after a while, "Fine, take her, I got bored anyways." he ended and stomped his hoof gently on the floor, making a hole open in the wall, spitting Quill Soul out. Dark Equun teleported close to her.

"She's in perfect condition. Feel free to proceed." said Pestilence and walked away.

Quill Soul was unconscious but Dark Equun knew that Pestilence said the truth after he felt her heart still pumping. Dark Equun sighed in relief and put her behind, on his back. He started walking upstairs where Pestilence had proceeded.

"You'll be fine. I'll protect you." Dark Equun kept wispering to Quill Soul as he walked up the stairs.

After a moment, he stopped and looked behind him. He turned around and headed back to the middle of the room again, putting Quill Soul in the ground. He then covered himself with his cloak, disappearing in thin air.

"Princess, only one question. When I entered the ball room, there were two more with me. What happened to them?"

Princess Celestia said nothing and kept walking. Her colour looked like it started to fade away. Like she was fading away.

"Princess?" asked Twilight a little worried as she came closer to her. "Princess?" she asked once again and when she touched her, Celestia faded into thin air, as if she was...an illusion. Twilight looked in shock as she now touched emptyness.

"This has gotten very ridiculous. I got bored half-way anyways." said a voice behind her.

Twilight immediately turned around and saw Pestilence standing right in front of her.

"You're-"

"Pestilence?" he said as if he expexted Twilight to say it. He sighed to himself. "You're not fun at all, Twilight Sparkle. Oh well, time for a reunion." he ended and stomped his hoof on the ground, fading away as wimpering, coming from downstairs could be heard. Twilight started running towards the stairs, looking at Heartfire with Thyme and Quill Soul on the ground unconscious. She smiled to herself as she got down the stairs.

At the upper floor of the Republic, right in front of the large glass wall, sitting in a throne, gazing outside sat an alicorn in the shadows. Without turning around, he looked behind as Pestilence appeared out of nowhere.

"One would expect more from the incarnation of greed." the alicorn told him.

"What can I say my lord? I got bored." Pestilence answered, his answer accompanied by a shrug.

Pestilence was approached by Death, his mask still giving him the shivers, his bright eyes staring into his soul.

"What is it with the look?" he asked in irony.

"We have found ourselves the new Pony of the Apocalypse. And you have proved us wrong. You will not be necessary in the future." said Death with a cold look, his scythe behind him starting to glow from Death's dark magic, slowly lifting itself in the air.

"W-What are you implying, Death?" asked Pestilence, now a little panicked, starting to walk backwards, trying to avoid Death.

Death started walking towards him. Pestilence kept walking back until he was blocked by a wall. Death stood right in front of him, his scythe swiniging in the air.

"It means that you no longer the incarnation of greed." said Death, his scythe moving backwards, ready to assault Pestilence.

"No," said Pestilence frightened, "No! You can't do this to me! My ki-"

He never finished. Death's scythe fell and chopped his head, blood spilling all over the wall, his crown falling to the ground, its metal clang echoing all over the room. The body started disintergrating, forming a thousand bugs that burnt from Death's presence near them. Death turned around and looked at the alicorn, Nightmare Chaos.

"If you shall excuse me, my lord, I need to attend a matter." he said and vanished into the darkness.

"I hope everypony is okay." said Twilight to her comrades.

Quill Soul had gained consciousness a while before and Thyme had stopped crying, Heartfire standing right next to her. After a pause, all of them nodded.

"Okay then. We can continue moving."

After that, all four of them walked up the stairs and headed to the throne room or the meeting point as it was called in the plan. Twilight hoped that the second group was okay. Thyme and Heartfire, along with Quill Soul followed behind her. At one point, Thyme felt an ache in her head and stopped suddenly, feeling her forehead with one of her hooves. She gave out a shout of pain and fell unconscious to the ground. Her senses started to give up on her as the ponies gathered around her, shouting her name. Their voices got weaker and weaker until Thyme could hear nothing, falling in the black.

Thyme opened her eyes to find herself in a void. Completely white around her as far as the eye could see. No obstacles, not a single pony in sight. She turned around and saw a pony in a dark cloak, wearing a mask, making him and Thyme the only two in there.

"I suppose you already know who I am," stated the alicorn, "and it is so that I need not introduce myself. I know you, so you need not introduce yourself neither."

"Am I...dead?" asked Thyme the alicorn.

Death chuckled to himself.

"I would call it a comatose but if this is what you think, so be it. Yet this is not the reason I chose you specifically."

Thyme looked at Death confused. What did he mean by that?

"Chose? Me?"

"I know you all too well. A unicorn that stood out from the rest, from a town far away from Equestria. She lived in happyness until the town's leader left. Then, the ponies realised that she was unique. Special. They made her an oracle. That is why she left. Left to get away from it all, her curiosity as her only compass."

"H-How do you know that?" she asked him with even more confusion.

"My action was a precedent to yours. It was me who left that village. It was I who was...The Voice of the Moon."

Thyme looked at Death in shock, her jaw starting to shake after it was left slightly open by that name.

"It...can't be. F-father?!"

Thank You For Freeing Me

Violet Haze walked with confidence as she led the second part of the Distraction Group. Being a leader made the fire inside her grow stronger and her walk even more proud. Behind her, the twins Dolce and Oscuro, staying close to Pinkie Pie whose confidence wasn't to the highest, nor the lowest. She was just...there. The cheerful, happy and loud Pinkie Pie was gone and was replaced by a silent, calm pony. Maybe their cheering back at Sugarcube Corner didn't work after all.

Dolce was always with a smile on her face and every now and then she gave a small giggle or two, trying to make Pinkie cheer up once again. It just proved pointless. Oscuro kept the same attitude as Pinkie as all three of them followed the 'proud one' and behind them, a bunch of other ponies, chatting with each other while moving along.

After some walking, Violet Haze hadn't realised that she had led her squad to the gardens. They were said to be the most spectacular of Equestria, with big beautiful tress, nice, comfy bushes to relax and many animals to keep one company during hard times. All that was now gone. The trees were leafless and the vegetation was dead. The animals, nowhere to be found. Violet looked around with a weak smile on her face.

"Now it's peaceful..." she wispered to herself.

As the group walked through the gardens, Oscuro looked around her. She noticed that some small pebbles around her were kind of...shaking. Like something was approaching. Like a stampede. She turned to her twin sister.

"Um...Dolce? Not that I want to disturb but, look at that." she said and pointed at the pebbles.

Dolce shifted her look at where Ocsuro's hoof was pointing and stopped along with her sister, starting to look at the pebbles closer. Violet Haze didn't seem to notice them and kept walking. Dolce closed her eyes. She could hear a...breath? It was deep, slow but so weak, faint even. Where is it coming from? she wondered. Oscuro looked at her in wonder. She knew that she was thinking. She looked around. The scenery started getting a little foggy since they entered. Suddenly, the sound of a chitter could be heard.

"Um...Violet Haze?" asked Oscuro with a faint voice.

"Yeah what?" replied Violet after turning around, asking Oscuro with an ignorant tone, only then starting to realise that the backround had changed.

The chittering started getting louder. Violet started looking around nervously, attempting to find the entrance from where they came from. It was no use. Along with the chittering, the fog was getting closer, restricting their vision even more. The ponies gathered close to each other as the chittering got louder and louder every second.

"F...f-fo..." said a weak voice, coming from behind the mist.

Dolce opened her eyes and looked at the fog. She then turned her look at the ground, noticing a pile of bugs starting to come close to the ponies. She gave out a scream of fear. And it wasn't just from that side. The bugs had compassed the group and started getting on top of the ponies. Everypony started yelling, losing control while trying to get them off, scatching themselves but such efforts proved futile. The bugs were too many. Many of the ponies fell to the ground as the bugs entered inside them and burst out with blood all over them. Dolce and Oscuro used their magic to fend them off, protecting the leader and Pinkie Pie, being an important pony that she was, the Element of Laughter that is. Pinkie on the other hand didn't respond. She didn't laugh, she didn't panic.

After a while, the bugs started retreating, leaving the dead bodies of the ponies around the four ponies that were still alive.

"Everypony ok-"

"Shhhh," Dolce interrupted Violet Haze as she raised her ears.

The voice, it was gone. But it was replaced by footsteps. They were being approached by somepony else. As he got closer, Dolce focused some energy on her horn and created a small orb of light, to see through the mist.

She saw an alicorn approaching. His position was like that of a wild animal. Hunched back, his mane straight down, covering most of his face and his skin as damaged as himself. The mist could no longer hide who he was.

"Famine..." said Violet Haze.

Famine looked at them with a look of wonder while his wide open eyes staring at them for minutes. His mouth was dry and his moves were slow, as if he was stuck in time.

"F-food." he said and pointed at one of the corpses.

Dolce gulped and nodded at him. Famine rotated his head, like he didn't understand the gesture, his snake eyes still wide-open, a deep questionmark crafted in them.

He started walking towards the corpse and sat down, grabbing the corpse by its head and gnawing it, breaking the skull with his fangs, munching with great noise.

The ponies only looked at him. Trying to retreat would be wortheless. Where would somepony go with a mist such as that?

It only took Famine a few seconds, a little less than a munute to suddenly stop his meal and shift his look back at the ponies. He looked at the corpse then right back at them.

"Y-You'r-re...no d-dead?" he asked, his throat still as dry, even after sucking on the blood of his meal.

"No." said Dolce after a small pause.

Famine took a moment to look at each pony individually and then got back to devouring the pony. He left nothing behind him, not even the bones. As soon as he was done, he struggled to get up again, cracking noises coming from his decayed body, heading to another dead pony, a mare this time that still had some bugs in her mouth. Famine put his hoof close to the mouth and the bugs crawled up to his hoof. He looked at them and gave a weak smile. He put them on the ground and they started walking towards the mist. Famine watched them leave and, after a while of staring into the mist, got back to looking at the mare, grabbing one of her hooves and ripping it out of her body with his bare hooves, starting to chew.

Oscuro looked down for a while and took a deep breath. She looked back up and slowly headed for Famine. Dolce gasped as she saw her leave her. She tried to grab her hoof but Oscuro pushed it forward, loosening it from her sister's grasp. Dolce was taken aback. Violet didn't respond. Oscuro approached Famine and sat next to him, watching him gnaw on the poor dead pony. There was a moment of silence in the air before Oscuro started speaking.

"Hey..." she wispered.

Famine stopped suddenly, his jaw wide open ready to devour another part of the pony. He let the corpse go and shut his mouth, turning his sight towards Oscuro, his spine cracking for his head to turn. Again, a big questionmark crafted in his wide, oil-green, snake eyes.

"I'm Oscuro." the mare continued.

"Y-you...ap...appro-approach me..." he hardly spoke.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked him.

Famine looked forward, suddenly dropping his head, looking down, his mane falling as well, covering his head.

"I..." he started, "I-I don't..." he struggled to speak.

Oscuro gave him a weak smile although he wouldn't notice.

"Take your time." she wispered to him.

"I," he continued after a gulp, trying to focus on his words, "I...don't k-know..."

Dolce looked at her sister sitting next to Famine with no fear whatsoever. How can she do it? she thought to herself.

Oscuro looked at Famine. He raised his hoof and looked at it, as if...he didn't know who he was. Oscuro got closer and held his other hoof. Famine turned his sight once again at Oscuro, his puzzled look still all over his face.

"W-Why...do y-you...c-care..." he asked her.

"About you?" she said, sort of ending his sentence, "It's just...it's just that I sense...a hollow pony."

Violet looked at the dark maned unicorn sit next to that...thing. She tried to make sense of her words. What was she really trying to do? What was her plan?

Famine slowly got up and so did Oscuro. He pointed his hoof forward and the mist started gathering on his hoof, being sucked in. Soon, the fog that engulfed the surrounding environment was gone, the moon still shining bright above their heads. Famine put his hoof down and looked at Oscuro.

"H-Hollow?" he asked her, his voice getting a bit smoother, his struggle to spell starting to decrease.

Oscuro nodded.

"It's like...you're empty inside you. Is that why you eat?"

"I...I e-eat be-because I...I must."

"Why must you?"

"T-the voice...tells m-me to..."

Famine started walking towards the end of the garden, his steps, awkward, like he was about to trip and fall over. He then suddenly stopped and turned around, looking at Oscuro.

"You're...k-ind...bu-but...I...I...I must EAT YOU!!!" he yelled, his jaw opening wide open, a giant centipede rising, its mouth opening to reveal a thousand razor blade-sharp teeth, storming towards Oscuro.

Oscuro looked in shock as the centipede creature came closer. She wanted to run but she couldn't. Her feet were stuck in one place. Dolce ran towards her and grabbed her hoof.

"Together sister!" she shouted.

Oscuro looked at her and nodded. Their horns started glowing simultaneously, dark red and white merging together and forming a barrier around them, the creature colliding with it, its fangs trying to bite its smooth surface. The creature didn't back off. The exact opposite. Its attacks were sharp, lethal and kept banging harder with every strike. Oscuro and Dolce struggled to sustain the shield. Soon, cracks started to form. Their magic was giving up on them. No...Not now, thought Oscuro to herself, Dolce wants to succeed, to become a desinger, I mustn't let her down. Not now!

"Dolce! Oscuro! Get out of there!" Violet Haze shouted at them.

"Not now..." Oscuro wispered, "This is all my fault... not NOW!!!!" she yelled.

Oscuro's glow got even brighter upon that shout, the crimson red glow exiting the shield in a giant ray, shredding the beast in half. As the creature fell to the ground with great force, Oscuro fell to her hooves. Dolce gasped and used her magic to make her float and ran to the other ponies. Famine started slurping the centipede, swallowing it all. He looked at the ponies, seeing all of them still alive.

"N-No..." he said to himself and grabbed his head with his hooves, "h-he wants them...dead. And I...I failed..."

Oscuro panted heavily as she was let loose of Dolce's magic. After a hard struggle to pull herself together, she got up and saw Famine rambling to himself. She looked at him in shock and started running towards him. When she was close enough, she grabbed his head and looked at him in the eyes.

"Famine, don't let him control you! It is you who must have control, not him."

Famine gave out a shout of pain as he fell to his hooves, his eyes shut as he started giving out more shouts of pain.

"M-Make him stop!!! Make the pain stop!!!" Famine yelled while he shook his head from left to right. His voice started getting deeper and it sounded as if he was shouting with two mouthes now, the second one being a little more masculin.

"Famine, no!" Oscuro shouted.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus her magic. Her horn started glowing crimson red and the aura surrounding her horn slowly started surrounding her entire body. She opened her eyes, now bright red from the aura.

"Go away..." she wispered to Famine, "GET OUT OF HIM!!!" she yelled and her horn released a giant flash.

The ponies behind Oscuro and Famine became blinded by the bright light. It took some minutes for the light to get weaker. After the light had faded, Dolce opened her eyes, blinking fast a couple of times to get used to the lighting. She looked in shock at her sister, now lying on the gorund along with Famine, completely unconscious. She ran towards her sister.

"Oscuro! Oscuro!" she yelled over and over again, calling her sister, attempting to wake her up.

Pinkie Pie looked at Dolce and her struggle to wake her sister. She raised her look and gazed upon a second alicorn, dressed in royal garments, a crown on his head and a bow on his back. He waved his mane once and opened his eyes, revealing his bright red irises.

"Hm, that feel of...life. Pathetic really." he said to thin air.

The alicorn turned his look at Famine. He sniffed in pitty and started walking away.

"He was utterly worthless anyway." he kept talking to himself.

"Have I...have I seen you before?" Pinkie Pie told him.

The alicorn paused for a moment then turned his head around and looked at the pink pony. Upon seeing her, he gave out a small grin and turned around, beginning to walk towards her.

"If it isn't the Element of Laughter, am I right?" he asked her gently.

Pinkie Pie took a step back. The alicorn came closer, his weak grin still on his face.

"What's with the sad face my dear? Shouldn't you...smile?" he told her, now being only a breath away from her.

Pinkie Pie looked at his bright red eyes and couldn't help but wonder. Such red eyes, where had she seen them before? They were so familiar yet the pony having them, standing right in front of her, was not familiar to her at all. The alicorn noticed her wonder.

"What is nagging you my dear?" he asked her.

"Your...eyes. I've seen them before."

"Hm?"

"Di...Discord?" she asked the mysterious alicorn.

The alicorn looked at her in wonder. After a small sigh, he gently smacked is forehead and turned his look away.

"Oh, that sick excuse of a son." he rambled to himself.

Pinkie looked at him surprised. He was Discord's father? That didn't make sense. Discord was the god of chaos. He was chaos incarnated. A pony so well-dressed, so well mannered, how could he relate to that creature?

"H-How?" she asked herself.

"Well, technically," said the alicorn, "I created him but, in a way, I consider him my son. Pft, chaos incarnated. Well, didn't do a good job." he started rambling to himself again.

The alicorn suddenly stopped his rambling and looked once again at Pinkie Pie that looked at him as if he was a ghost.

"Oh, I don't suppose we have introduced ourselves. Pft, silly me." he told her, "let me start. I am the first Pony of the Apocalypse, Conquest, also known as Greed or Resentment but Conquest is just fine with me, wouldn't you agree my dear?"

Pinkie felt like she had lost it. This alicorn, father of Discord, responisble for this chaos, responsible for the death of some of her best friends, the reason that she can't smile anymore. Why didn't she attack him yet? What was causing this hesitation?

"Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" he asked her, "Not that I don't know you."

"Y-you killed them..." she wispered.

"Oh foolish Pinkie," he started after he streched his hoof around her shoulder like he was her friend, "A pony such as you does not need friends." he said with his mouth close to her ear. "They weren't laughing with you, they were laughing at you, silly."

Pinkie clenched her teeth after hearing these words for the second time in her life. She pushed his hoof away from her shoulder and turned around so suddenly that took Conquest by surprise, her hoof striking him in the face, pushing him back. Conquest turned his face to look at her again with now a giant bruise on his left cheek.

"Isn't that the Pinkie Pie everypony knows? Always seeking attention."

Pinkie's mane had fallen straight down, her pink colour fading away, turning into a lifeless dark pink and her eyes looking at Conquest with resentment.

"I don't want to hear your shit!" she yelled at him.

"That's it Pinkamina, hate me."

Violet Haze was surprsied by how Cinquest had completely turned Pinkie Pie upside down. That calm, silent pony was now replaced by a psycho.

"SHUT UP!!!" Pinkie Pie yelled at Conquest and stormed towards him.

Conquest gave out a grin and teleported away, making Pinkie suddenly stop and start looking around. Suddenly, she heard a shot from behind her. Before she could turn around, an glowing arrow pierced her left hoof, making her shout in pain and fall to her hooves.

"Fighting back will not save you my dear." said Conquest and teleported right in front of her, grabbing her mane and raising her head with force.

Pinkie Pie looked at him with pure hatred as she heavily panted, one of her eyes covered by her dark pink mane. Conquest looked at her with a friendly grin, his bruise somehow gone and his face perfectly structured once again

"A pony as capable as you, turning against me? Shame really. Why don't you join me?" he asked her kindly, a bright smile still on his face.

"Go to hell..." Pinkie told him after spitting on his face.

"Yet who can resist the embrace of greed?" he asked her and wiped his face.

Conquest started approaching her even more. Pinkie Pie struggled to make him let go of her mane.

"W-What are you doing you sick bast-"

Her sentence was interrupted as Conquest pressed his lips again hers, ceasing her breath. Pinkie's anger suddenly started fading as she closed her eyes and kissed him back with fierce passion. Conquest let go of her mane as she wrapped her hooves around him. Conquest opened his eyes while still kissing her. Suddenly, he felt a blow on his face once again, his lips suddenly moving away from Pinkie's lips, making him fall on the ground. He raised his head and looked at Violet Haze's back hoof still in the air, blood on its end. Conquest felt his lips and saw blood on his hoof.

"You bitch." he told her.

Violet Haze grabbed a now unconscious Pinkie Pie and carried her towards the twins.

"Hey Dolce, take care of her, I'll handle Conquest."

Dolce nodded at her and Violet Haze turned to Conquest with a confident smile on her face. She turned her neck once, making a small cracking sound and stomped her hooves once on the ground.

"I'm afraid not my dear." Conquest said and gently stomped his hoof on the ground.

Pinkie Pie shut her eyes open and suddenly got up, running towards Conquest and standing in front of him, guarding him.

"Pinkie, what are y-"

"Nopony will touch him. He's all mine!" Pinkie Pie yelled at Violet Haze.

Violet looked at her confused. Conquest gave out a small chuckle.

"So you still do not get it? I do not just kiss ponies without affecting them. Who can say no to the temptation of greed?"

"Pinkie, what happened to you?" Violet Haze asked her.

"It's...it's Pinkamina to you." she said and looked at her, giving out a slight grin.

"You see my dear, Violet Haze was it, you can not play leader if you do not possess any skills whatsoever. In other words, you lost."

Violet looked down. Conquest's words started echoeing in her head. Loss, loss, loss, loss, loss. Violet Haze then realised that she was always like that. A pony that always withdrawed from everything in her life. She was always the pony that hid itself behind others. A pony that had no place among others. At that moment, Violet Haze started sheding tears. Conquest started laughing as Violet's tears fell to the ground.

"Doesn't the truth hurt my dear?!" he said while laughing.

Violet had no words. Her tears kept running, ruining the black pencil under her eyes, completely ruining her face in the process. Conquest had broken her completely. As Conquest kept laughing, Pinkie Pie followed and laughed as well. Dolce looked at Violet Haze and then looked at the still unconscious Oscuro.

"Violet..." Dolce said to herself.

"Look at you my dear, worthless." said Conquest at Violet, his luagh still continuing.

"No," said Violet Haze, "Not now. I was always the pony that ran away. The pony that nopony else listened. But, I was different. I always found a way...a way to control myself. And Pinkie Pie, I now ask you to control yourself, to see the truth. You are blinded by him."

"No I'm not. I adore him." she said at her with slightly raised tone.

"That's what he makes you think." Violet Haze said and purple aura started forming around her body.

Conquest looked at Violet amazed. The aura started getting thicker as Violet looked at Conquest. She put her hoof in her hoody and removed it in a snap. The moment she did, the aura started surging from all over her body, gathering around her front hooves, forming some sort of glove. Violet Haze stood on her back hooves and took a battle position as the gloves covered both her hooves, forming fleeces. The gloves started shifting, forming shining purple armor with five claws each on the edges. Conquest started looking worried. Violet gave out one of her confident smiles.

"Now Pinkie, control yourself." she said and teleported in front of her, slashing her.

However, to Conquest's surprise, there were no cuts on Pinkie Pie's body. No blood dripping, nothing. He looked to find Violet Haze but she wasn't in front of him anymore. Conquest gave out a grin and arrows out of energy started forming around him.

"You can't hide from me little filly." he said to the air with cofidence.

"Nor do you." said a voice behind him.

Conquest turned around in shock to find Violet Haze right in front of him in midair, one of her pair of claws right in front of him. He tried to back off but Violet was too fast, slashing his garment open, forming five giant cuts on Conquest's chest, blood spilling all over the place. Conquest backed off a few steps and put his hoof in front of his mouth, coughing blood all over it.

"You're...a good one..." he said to Violet, who stood a few centimetres away from him, floating in mid-air, the claws on her fleeces shining bright under the moon. "Fine then, you want her, you can take her, but do not think her attitude has changed." he ended and teleported away.

Violet landed softly on the ground, still on her two back hooves and walked towards Pinkie Pie.

"I doubt it." Violet Haze said in thin air. "I slashed her to get rid of this influence." she continued, "I gave her back herself."

Back at the top floor, Nightmare Chaos gazed upon the moon along with Death on his side, his mask hiding the expression behind it. The silence that surrounded the two of them was disturbed by the sound of walking. Nightmare Chaos turned around and looked at a fully healed Conquest. Nightmare Chaos' weak smile was gone. Conquest bowed to him.

"It is indeed stimulating to look upon your presence once again, my lord."

Nightmate Chaos looked at him for a minute, then gave out a grin.

"It's good to see you too, Conquest."

"I trust that my counterpart was taken care of?"

"That matter has been taken of, I can assure you." said Nightmare Chaos after he had returned to the glass window, gazing upon the moon once again.

"So, Death," said Conquest, turning his look at the final Pony of the Apocalypse, "How have you been?"

Death didn't reply. He seemed lost in his thoughts as he kept on looking at the moon, not even turning around to look at his brother, let alone greet him.

"Oh, I got it," said Conquest to himself. "Another recruit. Intriguing."

Pinkie Pie lied unconscious on the ground but at least she seemed to have been back to normal, her pink colour starting to come back and her mane turning fuzzy as it was before. Violet Haze gave out a weak smile. As the fleeces that covered her front hooves started to fade, she approached the twins to check on them. Oscuro had gaines consciousness a while back but was still a little confused after overusing her powers.

She looked around her and saw Famine on the ground.

"No..." she said terrified and got up immediately to run towards him.

Famine wasn't moving a muscle. It was Conquest. He was the voice inside him. Oscuro's eyes started to well up upon looking at the non-responding body of Famine.

"Hey, Oscuro," said Dolce who was right behind her, "Why do you care so much for that alicorn? Isn't he supposed to be...an enemy?"

"Shouldn't one care for the other pony?" asked Oscuro after a minute of silence, "Shouldn't one care for the other's worries? The other's emptyness?! The other's feelings?!" asked Oscuro, her tone getting a bit louder with every question.

Violet Haze sat next to her and gave her a pat on the back.

"Hey, you went through a lot the last hour or so."

Oscuro looked at Famine for a while and suddenly burst into tears. Violet removed her hoodie and put it around Oscuro to comfort her.

"Hey, you know what they say. Sometimes, you should let it all go away. This is where self-control doesn't help."

Oscuro watched as Famine started disintergrating, becoming one with the ground and vanishing before the pony's eyes. Oscuro's sorrow got even bigger then. The tears seemed like they would never stop. When Famine was completely gone, the grass started getting greaner and flowers started growing around them. The trees started acquiring leaves and the bushes blossomed.

"Guess it was for the better." Violet said while gazing upon that renewal.

Oscuro raised her head and looked at the garden. Her tears started disappearing and were replaced by a weak smile. Dolce sat next to her and gave her a hug.

"It's always good to be joyful, Oscuro." she said with a comforting voice.

"Yeah." Oscuro replied, still maintaining the weak smile.

As the three ponies looked at the beauty of the garden, a voice could echo with the gentle rustle of the leaves that made Oscuro's smile even brighter, giving her a feeling of hope once again. A feeling that once again burnt strongly in her heart.

Thank you for freeing me...

Truth

"H-How is it possible?" Thyme asked Death as she gazed at him puzzled, Death's golden eyes looking at her, showing no emotion.

"This incident is a thing of the past. One cannot journey back and thus, cannot alter his future." said Death as he turned his look towards the void.

The space all over them was blank. As far as the eye could see, there was only emptyness. No sound either. They were stepping nowhere and seemed to be floating, although they were walking normally.

Thyme's puzzled look faded after hearing Death's latest sentence.

"Then let me ask you," she said, her voice calm now, "What do you want from me?"

Death turned his look once again at Thyme.

"I am not fond of repeating myself but for your case, I will. I recruited you."

"I'm...not sure if I understand."

Death started walking away. Wherever he stepped, the void started shifting, ground starting to appear beneath them, a vast valley appearing out of pure nothingness. Above them, a sky full of stars, shining bright in the dark night and the moon welcoming them like an old friend. Death stopped suddenly and stood next to a big, old tree. Its leaves were rustling from a gentle breeze, making Death's bland and dark mane flow as well. Thyme wasn't sure of Death's intentions but did she have a choice? She walked towards him. Death looked at her and pointed at the grass. The gesture seemed to be an invitation to sit.

"The meaning of the word is what it truly means," Death started talking after Thyme sat under the tree, "I want you to join the Ponies of the Apocalypse. Your skills are extraordinary. Your persuasion can open the eyes of other ponies. You are...Truth."

"What makes you think I will join you, Death?" said Thyme, her tone slightly raised now, somewhat disgusted by his naive speech.

Death looked down for a moment. After a while, he looked straight forward again and the environment in front of them changed once again. Two pathways formed, one to the right, the other to the left. Death started walking towards the left. All of a sudden, Thyme started hearing voices. Familiar ones as well. She looked around. After looking at the right path, she saw some ponies that seemed to be waiting for her. It was Twilight and Quill Soul and everypony else. Thyme immediately got up and began to ran towards that path.

"Think of it!" Death slightly yelled, making Thyme stop instantly, "If you choose this way, your death is undoubtable."

"I don't care," said Thyme with joy in her words, "If we're going down, we're going down fighting."

There was a moment of silence between them for a while. After waiting and receiving no answer, Thyme started running once again to her friends. Death's shallow look kept looking at her as she moved away.

"Little do you know that there wasn't a choice." Death said to thin air and as the shadows engullfed him, he spelled one more word.

Truth

Thyme shut her eyes open and looked at her friends looking right back at her, a look of relief in the two unicorns' faces. Thyme got up and was greeted with a warm welcome from Twilight and Quill Soul. After smiling back at them, she looked around, looking for Heartfire. She saw him standing next to a window, gazing outside. He didn't seem to worry about Thyme's awakening. Thyme approached him and sat next to him, looking outside as well.

"Something troubling you?"

"Oh, hey, you're awake," replied Heartfire after a short while. "What happened to you?"

"I...I guess I passed out." Thyme said.

Heartfire nodded at her and walked towards the two unicorns, Thyme following right behind him. She looked at him with a worried and puzzled at the same time look. He didn't worry a lot about her. He didn't even care the least, to be presice. What had happened to Heartfire on that battlefleet? That question repeated itself inside Thyme's mind, seeking an answer, as all four of them started walking.

Apart from that, Thyme was also worried about that, 'incident' with Death. He said he had 'recruited' her yet she refused. Did Death really let her go just like that? It all seemed...easy. To make matters worse, he also mentioned that, if she chose her friends, they would all die. Better than join with creeps like him. she thought.

As they walked in what seemd like another endless corridor, Thyme started feeling...dizzy. Her head felt like a million tons and her feet were tired, even though she was walking for less than an hour after waking up. She kept strong however, catching up to Heartfire. She was too weak to speak but she thought that by showing him her condition, he would be able to guess.

"Hm?" said Heartfire after he looked at Thyme. "Hey, what's wrong?" he said, suddenly stopping.

Thyme all of a sudden collapsed once again. Heartfire grabbed her before she could fall and laid her gently on the ground. He put his head on her chest, trying to find a pulse. There was none.

"No...No!" shouted Heartfire.

Thyme kept her eyes closed as she fell to the void. It felt like hours as she kept on falling and falling without ever reaching a bottom.

W-Where am I? Who am I?

Out of the blue, pictures started flashing in her head.

What's...what's going on?

She saw a small filly, her coat white as snow, inside a crowd of dark-coloured ponies. The filly isn't smiling. She seems sad. As if she doens't belong there. An older pony, an alicorn, approaches her and pats her head. The filly smiles at him. Although dark-coloured as well, he doesn't seem to stare at her, let alone talk about her behind her back. His golden eyes, looking at her friendly, a weak smile on his face. The filly hugs his hoof.

I...don't understand. What is this?

A new picture flashes. An older unicorn, a teenage one, waking up, all alone, heading outside, heasitating to open the door, leaving it as it is and walking back up at her room. It is that filly. She sits next to her window and looks outside, a world completely dark, only the bright sun shining in the far distance. The mare decides to pack, leave and never return.

Who...Who is this poor mare? Why does she leave her home?

Yet another new picture. The mare, sitting in a cafe, late at night. A young pegasus about her age enters the almost empty cafe, his presence making the whole place shine. The mare smiles to herself and gets up, heading to the pegasus. They start a conversation. The mare sits with him. They talk for hours, laugh, share experiences. She finally seems...happy.

She is happy. I'm glad for her.

Fourth picure, taking over the last one. The mare is in a crowd of ponies. She wanders around, feeling alone once again. A stallion approaches her, his familiar voice making her gasp in amazement and joy as she turns around to notice the pegasus she had met at that cafe, that night. They start talking, luaghing together. As the night falls, the mare visits the stallion, sits next to him. They both look at the moon when suddenly the stallion says something that makes the mare blush. It wasn't long before they kissed. The mare feels a warmth in her heart. She's...in love.

Love. I knew she would fall in it sometime. Everypony eventually does.

After that, no more picures. Everything was black for one more time, just like before the flashes. Thyme kept diving in the abyss.

"You decided to ignore me after all." said a mysterious voice.

W-Who is there?

"Pity. However, not all is gone. You belong somewhere." kept talking the mysterious voice.

Belong? Where? Where do I belong?

"You belong with us. All you have to do is open your eyes...Truth."

Truth...

Thyme opened her eyes and the void started shining, blinding her sight. Cracks could be heard from every direction and suddenly, the surroundings shattered into pieces, revealing four walls. Thyme started glowing bright red, a big boom of energy storming out of her body, releasing her braid, making the walls leak blood. See truth. Feel truth. Embrace truth. could be heard repeatadly as the walls kept leaking even more blood every minute. Thyme started screaming as she felt an ache in her eyes. Now, although open, her eyes were still seeing black. She felt her cheecks with her hooves, feeling the sense of a liquid. She blindly followed the trail to find its source coming from her eyes. She was...blinded.

"Truth is blind yet very powerful." said the mysterious voice, "Embrace it. Use it."

Thyme suddenly heard metal clanging approaching her. She tried to flee but the chains were still approaching, grabbing her tightly. She struggled to free herself but the chains were too powerful. The pain got even worse as she felt her hooves get pierced. The chains were spiked, making her hooves bleed.

"It is hard," continued the voice, "but it is only temporary for it is sacrifice that grants you power. Truth hurts. It feels nothing if it hurts."

All that pain could not get any worse yet it did. Thyme gasped for air when she suddenly felt her chest being pierced, her heart being squeezed brutally. She screamed in pain as she felt her insides being ripped out of her, seperated from her body. She couldn't stand the shock and passed out soon after.

"Thyme, wake up, Thyme!" Heartfire shouted as he shook Thyme, trying to get her out of her comatose.

All of a sudden, Thyme's eyes and mouth opened wide, bright light coming out of both. Thyme started screaming as her body started disintergrating, the light getting brighter as she split in pieces. Heartfire was speechless.

Thyme was now gone. Heartfire grabbed his head with his hooves, looking down in pure shock, his eyes wide open, still trying to get over what just happened right in front of his bare eyes. Twilight and Quill Soul could not help but feel shocked as well, one of their friends being 'destroyed'. Twilight started crying, mourning for yet another dead friend. Quill Soul was the most shocked. She fell against the wall, slowly sliding down, her eyes side open as her glasses left her head and fell to the ground.

Heartfire stood up and approached one of the glass windows that were located to their right in complete silence. He suddenly gave out a shout of loss and puched the window, shattering it as his hoof passed through like it was paper. Heartfire slowly moved his hoof back and looked at it, small fragments stuck on it, blood dripping from it. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the moon. He gave out another shout, this one a little longer than the last one. He looked down and grabbed his head once again, his eyes now shut, trying to hold back tears that were welling on his eyes. It was no use. The tears got through and started falling to the floor, their small splash being the only thing to be heard in the empty corridor apart from the heavy breathing and moaning.

"Moaning will never bring back the lost." said a voice coming from the front part of the corridor, only a few steps away.

Heartfire slowly turned his head to the left, looking at the dark alicorn with the pale mask, Death. He stayed silent, his tears gone, looking at Death just as how he looked at him, with a dead look in his eyes. Death started walking, his movements slow as he approached the three ponies.

"I am surprised to see this reaction. Usually, ponies would scream and panic, run around in fear." said Death as he kept walking towards them. "But do not worry. Your, friend is not dead."

Heartfire's eyes lit up as he heard that. He immediately left that window and stormed at Death, grabbing him by his cloak. Death's attitude didn't change. His bright golden eyes still looked at him through his mask. Heartfire's eyes now seemed full of fire and hatred.

"Where is she?"

Death stayed silent, still looking at Heartfire in the eyes.

"Answer me!!"

Death slowly raised his hoof, pointing at Heartfire's. Heartfire started feeling an itch, a burn. He looked down to see his hoof starting to get darker. Heartifire quickly let go of Death's cloak, still feeling the pain in his hoof. Death lowered his hoof.

"Do you really wish to see her? The pony whose heart you broke?"

Both Twilight Sparkle and Quill Soul looked at Heartfire in wonder. Heartifre stayed silent. He looked down.

"Tell me. Would you really do anything for her?"

"I...I would DIE FOR HER!!!" Hearfire yelled at him and stormed at him punching him in the face.

Death was caught off-guard as his mask fell to the ground and his mane covered his face. Death gave out a grin that seemed to show even if his mane was covering his mouth. He used is magic to get his mask from the ground. Suddenly, Death gave out a small chuckle.

"You really mean what you say, young stallion? Then you are a fool." he said, still chuckling.

Death suddenly raised his hoof, pointing it at Heartfire. Heartfire felt a force out of the blue seizing his breath. He struggled to breathe as he was lifted in the air. Death's chuckle started getting a little louder, turning into a laugh. Twilight got up on her feet and and charged her magic, blasting a sphere towards Death. Death turned his look, the sphere clashing with him, not even making a single scratch. Death's laugh carried on as he turned his look back at Heartfire. His laugh was cut short as a unicorn appeared behind him out of nowhere. The unicorn was dressed royally, wearing a fabulous dress, her eyes covered by a long scarf that waved all by itself, her bright silver mane shining from the moon. Death put his hoof down and fell Heartfire fell to the ground. As he put his mask back on, the unicorn walked towards him, now standing next to him. She looked down, at Heartfire.

"Who is this pony with the fiery aura, master?" she asked Death.

"I believe you already know, my apprentice. I apologise for what you saw. Let us leave them." replied Death and cloaked himself with the shadows, dissapearing in them.

The unicorn took a moment to look at each pony accordingly, spending the most time looking at Heartfire. She then started walking away, vanishing in the shadows while walking.

Quill Soul was still sitting against the wall, looking down, her eyes looking like a dead pony's. At one moment, a dark fire started burning next to her, giving rise to a dark pegasus. Dark Equun.

"Hey. You okay?" asked Dark Equun.

"No Dark. I'm not okay." said Quill Soul, turning to him, looking slightly angered.

Twilight Sparkle turned her sight at Quill Soul, looking in wonder as she talked to thin air.

"I thought you protected ponies. That you would protect us! Then why didn't you protect us now?!"

Dark Equun stayed silent and looked at Quill Soul as she slowly broke down into tears. He leaned and picked up her glasses, putting them on her face right after he slowly wiped the tears off her eyes.

"Listen, I'm not here for them. I'm here for you. It's my responsibility to help you. But if you want me to protect both you and your friends, then I will."

After saying that, Equun sat next to her again and gently held one of her hooves.

"I...I don't want to lose...my only friend."

Quill Soul stayed silent for a while after hearing that sentence. She slowly moved towards Dark Equun and gave him a tight hug, Dark Equun still looking forward through his white mask.

"I'm sorry Dark. I forgot how much you mean to me..."

Heartfire took a moment to take a breath and get up, shaking his head in confusion. Twilight approached him and used her magic to heal his hoof. Although it wasn't fully healed, it was better than an ever-lasting pain. Heartfire pulled himself together and looked at the end of the corridor or at least as far as his eye could see.

"Who was that unicorn?" he asked thin air.

He shook his head once again and pulled himself together.

"Come on you two, we have a plan to follow." he said to the two unicorns and started walking.

Twilight nodded and followed behind him. Dark Equun gave Quill Soul a boost and soon, all three of them started walking again.

Back at the upper floor, Nightmare Chaos stood on his two back legs, his front hooves raised in the air as he looked at the moon. Death and the unicorn appeared out of the shadows behind him.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Nightmare Chaos asked.

Death approached him and looked at the moon as well, whereas the mysterious unicorn stayed behind keeping silent. Right next to Nightmare Chaos, deascending from the ground, Conquest.

"War and Famine?" Nightmare Chaos carelessly asked.

"Both alive, following your orders my lord." Conquest immediately answered.

Nightmare Chaos gave out a small chuckle as he stood on his four hooves again.

"All according to plan." Nightmare Chaos muttered to himself.

Opening New Wounds

The castle started rumbling from the inside as sudden screams started echoing, its origins coming from the corridors of the down floors. Ponies losing their limbs and their lives from the brutal guards that appeared everywhere. Rainbow Dash swept through, everywhere around her seeing ponies getting struck down to the floor, their heads stomped by the brutal night guards, their dark skin and bright red devil eyes traumatising the ponies they saw. Rainbow flew for her life, increasing her speed every minute.

Fluttershy wasn't that lucky. Inside all the chaos, she had lost Grafix. She started panicking as she flew with no destination. Suddenly, a lighting projectile stroke her wing, making her lose balance and fall to the floor. She turned around in shock to stare at the muscular guard staring right back at her. Fluttershy started crawling away from him, the aching from the wing hurting even more while rubbing itself against the floor. The guard only walks towards her. Fluttershy was suddenly blocked by a wall, a dead end. The guard's horn started glowing dark red magic to suddenly be stopped by three bright yellow spikes, piercing his head, chest and one hoof, pushing him away from Fluttershy and sticking him to the wall.

Fluttershy looked to her left to see a white pegasus running towards her. It was Grafix. He came close and helped her up.

"Th-Thanks, Grafix." she said with a minor blush.

Grafix nodded at her and held her hoof tight. Both started running, heading at the nearest staircase. At one moment, Grafix's hoof started glowing, summoning his gauntlet. He raised Fluttershy and held her in his hooves while he spread his wings open. The guards left the rest of the suffering ponies and drew their attention at him, storming towards Grafix. Grafix didn't back off. As one guard stormed at him, he found himself a quick death as a sudden spike pierced his chest, making him fall to the ground. Grafix's gauntlet started glowing once again, giant spikes rising from the left side of the wall, following the guards after them. Grafix landed on the right wall and started running on his two back hooves without stopping, his sight looking straight forwad with no fear whatsoever. Reaching the end of the room, Grafix spread his wings once again and flelw to the end, entering the next room. Without looking back, he pointed his gauntlet at the door and a yellow sphere started forming, blasting itself away, heading towards the entrance they had just entered with great speed, blowing up the wall and blocking it.

Grafix closed his wings in mid-air and after a loop, landed on his back hooves, a serious look carved on his face. Fluttershy looked at him amazed as he put her down and dropped to his own four hooves after that. Grafix looked to his left, seeing Rainbow Dash panting heavily, trying to catch her breath after such a rush.

"Grafix, that was...wow." said Fluttershy calmy, although inside of her she felt pure excitement to see Grafix act so...awesome.

"Hey, good job back there." said Rainbow to him after another deep inhale.

"Not a problem." said Grafix.

Twilight and her squad had just reached the large golden door of the throne room. Their objective was completed. Now all they had to do is wait for the others. It wasn't much before the three pegasi arrived, as well as the twins and the highly confident Violet Haze, along with Pinkie Pie, still maintaining a neutral position.

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gathered.

"Well girls, this is it. Now or never." said Twilight Sparkle

"Yeah." Rainbow replied after a small pause.

"Still...we'll be together." Pinkie said after a weak smile.

Fluttershy's wing wasn't gone yet it hurt really bad. Grafix held her in his hooves.

"Is..is everything going to be okay?" she asked him.

Grafix looked up for a while and, after a minute or so kissed her forehead and felt her pink mane as he gently placed his head on it.

"Yeah...it will."

Quill Soul sat next to the window, as far away from the golden door as possible. She reached into the pocket in her little vest and took out a folded piece of paper. She slowly unwrapped it and looked at it for a while. A dark flame burst next to her and Dark Equun rose from inside.

"What is it?" he asked quietly so as not to disturb her by accident.

Quill Soul didn't say anything and just handed the paper to Dark Equun. He was surprised as soon as he saw it. It was him and Quill Soul. Dark Equun wasn't wearing his mask. She had portrayed him with glowing gold yet beautiful eyes. Dark Equun stared at it through his pale mask.

"Keep it." Quill Soul said to him after a puase.

Dark Equun turned his head and looked at her for a while. He looked back at the sketch and carefully folded it, then hiding it somewhere inside his cloak. He immediately sat next to her and removed his cloak, putting it around Quill Soul. She quickly grasped it tight and held it with her two hooves, making something like a small home. Dark Equun lied back and comforted his head with his two hooves.

"Hope you're ready. I believe in you, Quill Soul." he said calmly as he looked at the ceiling.

Quill Soul looked down for a while. She took off her glasses and saw her reflection through them.

"You know what Dark? I am."

Twilight Sparkle gave out a gesture and every pony that had survived gathered.

"Everypony, it was nice knowing you all." she said and turned her sight at the door.

She reached for the handle and slowly opened the door, a large creaking sound echoing in the room. In the end of it, Twilight noticed a dark figure gazing outside at the bright full moon. The figure turned around and stared at Twilight Sparkle with its glowing red eyes. Twilight didn't respond. He turned around afterwhile and looked back at the moon. Suddenly, he stood to his back hooves and raised his front ones like he called for somepony in silence.

"Such a marvel it is. A pure masterpiece." he talked to himself.

"W-What do you mean?" Twilight asked with a slightly raised tone, "Aren't you even surprised to see us make it till here?"

The figure fell to his hooves and started walking towards the pony. Twilight gritted her teeth and stepped forawrd, her horn starting to glow. The figure started shifting, its appearance becoming clearer, forming into an alicorn with dark skin and a slightly long dark blue mane that waved in the air.

"Why should I?" he replied when he was a small distance away from her.

The room began to shake and grow darker and darker as a sudden wall burst through the floor trapping ponies individually in a dark black room that not even light could penetrate.

"The real question is? Aren't you surprised?"

An evil laughter started echoing in each ponies' mind as it also wrung through their ears. It was Nightmare Chaos.

"Together you are strong with your friendship, but alone, you are weak, every one of you...you will all...give in to your nightmares!!!"

Rainbow shut her eyes. She opened after a while to find that she was still alive. But not at the same place, not back at the castle. Rainbow Dash looked around in shock to find that she was now in a graveyard. She started walking, tombstones all around her and the sound of nothingness greeting her. This...this is obviously an illusion. Yea, that's it. thought Rainbow Dash and bulked up. You have guts. Just find the exit and go save your friends.

All of a sudden, a hoof digged its way from the surface and grabbed Rainbow's hoof, catching her by surprise. In a state of panic, she immediately kicked it off and stepped back as the ground started lifting itself, a pale white unicorn revealing itself in the process. Rainbow looked in disgust when she realised that the pony in front of her was...Rarity. The most fabulous pony she had ever known, now a complete mess. Half of her face was missing and there were parts of her skull showing bits of flesh hanging from it. Rarity looked at her with a big wondering stare, her eyes wide open.

"Rainbow," Rarity suddenly spoke, "I...I sacrificed myself for you...and it was in vain." she suddenly shrieked in the end of that sentence.

"Rarity, I...I..."

"You are weak. Your loyalty is fading and you want to abandon this mission just so you can get out alive!" she shrieked at her.

"No, that isn’t true!" Rainbow screamed.

Rarity grabbed her head and started pulling it, slowly seperating it from the rest of her body, a wild shriek coming from her mouth as she ripped her own head off. Rainbow could feel the blood spatter on her face. Rarity's now headless body fell to the ground as the head rolled towards her hoof.

"You salvation was brought to you through destruction, little cyan filly. That makes you mine. You are loyal to me and no one else."

"NO!" Screamed Rainbow again, the image of Death crawling out of Rarity's head and appearing right in front of her.

"You don't choose, but I do." said Death and slowly started crawling in her mouth.

Rainbow Dash's breath was restricted as Death entered through her mouth. She suddenly felt her body being ripped apart although it wasn't. Her eyes rolled back as her jaw was breaking, now wide open. Rainbow Dash fell to her hooves. Her colour started fading, her skin turning red and her rainbow mane shifting, the once colourful colours becoming darker, more sinister. Rainbow coughed and blood spilt all over the ground she now looked at. She suddenly got up and opened her eyes to reveal crimson irises that had replaced her magenta ones. She started walking, entering a dark void that appeared in front of her.

Fluttershy stood in the centre of the short, enclosed room. Suddenly, the wall blasted open and an alicorn revealed himself from the dust. With stunning appearance, Fluttershy looked in awe but she also sensed evil in him.

"You must be..." he said and paused for a while. He scratched his head while trying not to scratch the golden crown he wore. "Hm, I don't seem to remember your name. Well, not important now. Anyway, let us get to the point. I'm here to kill you.

Fluttershy let out a squee of terror. Grafix, who was in the room directly next to her turned his head suddenly when he heard her panic. He ran to the wall and started raging, banging his hooves against the wall, trying to smash it open, to get to her, to save her. The alicorn started laughing.

"Aaah, you are funny little filly," said the alicorn, still maintaining a minor laugh, "I'm not here to kill you, I never fight. See, crown." he ended while he pointed at his crown.

"Then...w-what do you want?" Fluttershy asked, now completetly petrified.

"Oh yes," said the alicorn as he turned his look as he had remembered something and touched the hoof with his wall. "Promise not to scream." he ended while he looked back at her as the wall suddenly crashed.

Flutteshy shut her eyes in shock.

"Fluttershy? Dear?" said a familiar feminin voice as Fluttershy felt a gentle nudge.

Fluttershy slolwy opened her eyes to see Rarity in front of her with a warm smile on her face.

"R-Rarity?" she asked as she looked in surprise.

Fluttershy seemed to have been lying on the ground. As she got up, she realised that it was night. As she looked forward, she noticed a small fire burning, being the only light source. Fluttershy approached it and put her hooves forward, warming herself.

"Hey, you're awake sugarcube?" asked another voice coming from behind her.

Fluttershy turned around and gasped in amazement and shock at the same time. It was Applejack. It was really her. That orange coat and that bright blond hair with a braid at its edge, a brown cowboy hat on top of her head. Fluttershy was about to cry.

"Hey? What's the matter AJ?" said yet another feminin voice, its source a cyan pegasus along with two other ponies approaching.

It was her friends. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Applejack, all there. Fluttershy couldn't believe her eyes as she saw everypony smile at her. She immediately got up and fell on them, hugging them all, forming a big group hug. The ponies looked in amazement but still hugged her back.

As all six of them sat around the bonfire, Fluttershy wondered if everything that happened, the whole thing, was it real? War, Grafix, that kiss. Fluttershy felt her lips with her hoof, trying to feel the embrace of Grafix's lips. Maybe it was all a dream. Fluttershy decided to forget it and started chatting with her friends. Soon, they started laughing, enjoying themselves as they roasted marshmallows in the fire all night long.

Suddenly, the fire put itself off. Fluttershy panicked, her fear of the dark starting to take over. She looked around but everypony had disappeared. The weather started changing, dark clouds shrouding the entire skies. Lightning started to fall, striking random places around the field. With every bang, Fluttershy could hear a pony scream in pain. The number of lightnings that fell were...five.

"Your friends never liked you, little filly. They all saw you as expendable, they would leave you at the first chance they got and not even bat an eyelash." said a voice that echoed in the strong wind that had taken over.

"This isn’t true!" Fluttershy cried, tears now falling from her eyes.

"But it is little filly. What if that pegasus hadn't saved you? You would have died and no one would have even cared."

Out of the blue, a pony rose from the ground behind her. Fluttershy could feel a cold breath in her neck.

"Oh, but he means more than just a friend, doesn't he?"

Fluttershy quickly turned around a hundred and eighty degrees but nopony was there. Still, the sight in front of her shocked her even more than that. She saw Grafix, who was looking down, over a cliff. She slowly began to walk towards him and gently nudged him on the shoulder.

"G-Grafix?" she slowly asked

Grafix turned to her with an angry scowl on his face.

"WHAT?! I’m sick and tired of having to save you from every little thing! You are weak! I can’t stand that!" he yelled at her, the gauntlet on his hoof slowly forming and bright yellow aura forming around him, "I would’ve been better off never meeting you! You’ve ruined my life and damned all of Equestria!!!"

Fluttershy looked down, tears pouring faster than before when suddenly a golden spike appeared in front of her and quickly stabbed her chest, blood spraying forward onto Graphix’s face who was now giving out a big grin, the aura surrounding him making his grin even more scary to look at. His hoof grew in size and grabbed Fluttershy by the neck, moving her to the edge.

"Goodbye, useless mare!" he yelled as her threw her over the cliff.

Fluttershy fell far, leaving a small trail of blood in the air.

"Gra...fix..." she moaned before she hit the bottom, a giant thud echoing.

"See?" said the voice once again, "you only get in ponies' ways…"

Grafix could hear Fluttershy scream. He gritted his teeth in utter anger. He suddenly gave out a roar as the gauntlet released a big bang, crashing the wall into small pieces. Grafix stormed into the room and saw Fluttershy lying on the floor, some blood on the edge of her mouth.

"FLUTTERSHY!!!"

Grafix ran towards her and raised her gently. He looked in shock to see Fluttershy's once cute and shy eyes now look completely lifeless. He gently lied her down once again and waved his gauntlet over her. Fluttershy suddenly gave out a grand gasp, followed by a couple of coughs. Grafix gave out a sigh of relief. Fluttershy looked at him and quickly gave him a tight hug. Grafix slowly moved her away and raised her, lying her against the wall.

"Please, don't move, you're injured."

Fluttershy slowly nodded at him. Graifx gave her a weak smile, got up and turned around.

"Where are you?!" Grafix yelled into the emptyness of the room.

He heard a clapping coming from every wall. An alicorn suddenly rose from the wall in front of him, still maintaining his clap. He waved his mane, looking at Grafix with a look of royalty.

"And you must be that special somepony."

"What did you do to her?!" Grafix yelled at him, taking him aback yet not making him panic.

The alicorn looked with a look of minor disgust. He looked away for a bit, like he wanted to remember something again. He turned his look back at Grafix after a while.

"Let us not be violent now, okay? I'm not a fighter."

A spike rose in midair and stormed the alicorn, stabing him, making him cough blood. The alicorn raised his look at Grafix again after a whi;e, a small grin on his face. Grafix suddenly heard a scream of pain behind him. He immediately turned around to see Fluttershy holding her shoulder tightly, moaning in pain.

"What is this?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention," said the alicorn after a small laugh, "I advice you not to try to kill me. I mean, if you care about her." he ended and pointed at Fluttershy.

The alicorn grabbed the spike and quickly removed it from his shoulder, the wound immediately healing afterwards.

"And also, I may be able to heal, but she can't." he added.

Grafix gritted his teeth as he looked at the alicorn with pure hatred. A yellow aura started forming around him and suddenly started surging, rising from the floor all around the two of them. The alicorn looked around amazed. Grafix gave out a roar as the gauntlet started flashing. Grafix's hoof started peeling, revealing crimson skin underneath it. Fluttershy looked in shock, whereas the alicorn gave out a grin.

"I’m sick and tired of having to save you from every little thing!" Grafix yelled at Fluttershy without looking back. "You are weak! I can’t stand that!" he continued, his peeling continuing to his body, his wings entending as well as his height. "I...I hate you!!!" he said after turning his sight at her, looking at Fluttershy with fire in his eyes.

Fluttershy didn't want to believe what she heard. She got up and started walking, her shoulder still hurting. After reaching him, she could feel the huge aura surging around him. Grafix's face quickly peeled as well, his skin now entirely crimson red.

"Grafix...what are you...becoming?" she asked him, her words slow.

Grafix looked down on her. His mane fired up and became longer as his face shifted into an outraged one. He raised his hoof and smacked Fluttershy, the impact of the gauntlet pushing her back, raising her from the earth and launching her in the wall, a large hole forming behind Fluttershy's body as she felt her body smash the wall. She felt her bones crack and her organs shatter as she spilt blood all over.

Grafix had turned into a masculin red alicorn with a fiery mane, a look of destruction and hate in his eyes. Somepony Fluttershy had seen before. He started chuckling but soon it turned into a psychotic laugh that could be heard all over the castle. His horn started glolwing and gold armor started to incarnate on his chest and hooves. The ground broke behind him and out of the rubble, a huge double-sided axe rose, swinging itself in the air.

"I TOLD YOU GRAFIX...WAR...IS...EVERLASTING!!!" he screamed as he laughed out loud.

The Guardian

Fluttershy fell to the ground, her long pink hair covering her face…but something was different about her. Something had…changed her. The shade of Pink in her hair had slightly turned grey…the same going on with her skin color. She looked up with an angry expression on her face.

"You," she wispered "You're...going to FIGHT ME!!!"

War looked at Fluttershy and gave out another loud laugh while lifting his axe and pointing it at her.

"Well, look at this, the Element of Kindness has turned into the element of Anger!" he paused for a moment and looked at her enraged expression. He gave out a small chuckle. "Heh, maybe now you will survive more than one blow from me."

Fluttershy grinned her teeth. She stood on her hooves and looked with a menacing look.

"Bring it."

Pestilence looked at both of them as moment of silence existed. He started merging with the ground underneath him, slowly disappearing, leaving the two blood lusting ponies alone.

War stormed at her full force, his axe glowing crimson red. It was hungry. Hungry for blood.

War closed the distance to Fluttershy fast. As he approached her he jumped into the air with the giant axe raised over his head. He aimed for Fluttershy's neck but as the axe was about to hit its mark Fluttershy quickly tumbled to the side. Fluttershys quick dodge left War with nothing to hit but the floor as he struck it hard. The huge double sided axe was now pinned into the ground. He clung to it as he turned to look at Fluttershy. She ran towards him and hit him sharp in the face with her hoof. The force of the punch caused War to ungrip his axe as he flew through the air, blood spilling from his mouth. He hit the ground and, after a quick backflip quickly got back to his feet.

"Looks like you do have a bit of fight in you, Anger! No matter. You are still an easy challenge for me to deal with!" he yelled as he got his tounge out and swept the blood from his face.

Fluttershy stomped the ground, the axe flying out of it, about to hit the ground once again. Fluttershy's reflexes were fast though. Before it even hit it, she kicked the axe, sending it flying towards War with the speed of Rainbow Dash. He ducked narrowly dodging the huge weapon.

War looked at the axe and then back at Fluttershy.

"I don’t even need this axe. I'll kill you with my bare hands!"

Fluttershy started flapping her wings. She hovered in the air and then quickly dashed towards War.

"Yeah, that's it…" whsiperd War as Fluttershy flew towards him with one hoof extended. He prepared himself. Just as she was about to hit him War quickly grabbed her hoof, swung her around in a circle and slammed her into the ground. This blow knocked the wind out of Fluttershy.

War, while smiling, then grabbed her left wing and tore it off with ease.

"Let’s see you try and fly now!"

Fluttershy shrieked with pain. However, that didn't change her attitude. She grew even more angry as War picked her up with one hoof by her neck, squeezing hard.

"Can you feel your life slowly slipping away, huh?!"

Fluttershy glared into War's eyes and begun to use her most powerful ability...the stare.

War gave out a wide grin.

"No," said Fluttershy in shock, "but...you should…you should be loosing you sanity!" yelled Fluttershy.

"Ha! You think that you can actually-!"

War's grip on Fluttershy’s neck was loosening as he stared into her eyes. He was unable to move and he couldn’t look way from her. He felt his body start shaking as he dropped her.

Fluttershy still had him locked in her glare as she began to speak.

"Under normal circumstances, this stare would cause fear and give me the power to almost control you…but now, that I am fueled by the Element of Anger, I have control over your sanity!"

War couldn’t do anything. He found himself shivering more and more intensely until he finally dropped to the ground and screamed. He laid there on his side shaking and mumbling to himself. Fluttershy slowly walked over to War's axe. She grabbed it and started dragging it towards him, sparks giving off from the axe's weight sliding on the floor.

"Hmph! Everlasting War my ass!"

Fluttershy lifted the axe high into the air with both hooves. She swung down as hard as she could. War's head was sent flying. He was decapitated by his own weapon. A pool of blood formed under his own shining axe. Fluttershy panted in tire and relief with a grin on her face.

Suddenly, Nightmare Chaos appeared out of thin air behind her. He began clapping his hooves.

"Extraordinary." he said as he looked at the blood spatter that War's head left as it flew across the room. The head laid inches away from him. "You were too quick to rush in War. You never thought. You only acted, and that lead to your downfall."

Nightmare Chaos looked at the blood spatter that lead to War's headless body.

"Well, that is the art of war I suppose." he said to himself and laughed.

Fluttershy's fiery eyes suddenly changed back, back to the ordinary green eyes. She looked at the shining axe she was holding, the sight of blood on its edges. She quickly threw it away after a squee of terror. She looked around, blood everywhere. She panicked even more when she saw her wing missing. She shut her eyes and fell to her hooves, now completely petrified.

"G-Grafix..." she kept wispering to herself.

"You killed War," Nightmare Chaos told her, "You can have him back." he ended and vanished in the same way he had appeared.

War's corpse disintergrated and the blood started steaming. A big cloud of mist now covered the entire room when suddenly a big gasp for air disturbed the moment of silence. A figure appeared out of the mist. He kept yelling the same thing: Fluttershy, Fluttershy. The figure walked its way through the mist when he suddenly noticed another figure lying on the floor. He quickly ran towards the figure to discover a yellow mare with her pink mane messed up on the floor. The figure revealed itself as a white pegasus. He immediaely held the mare in his hooves and waved her mane, moving it away from her shut eyes. He gave out a warm smile of relief to himself.

"Hey you." said the pegasus.

The mare hesitated at first but slowly began opening her eyes, her sight still blurred. She saw the pegasus smiling at her and quickly open her eyes. Tears immediately started running from her eyes and she gave him a tight hug. Grafix grasped her tight and closed his eyes, slowly forming tears as well.

"It-it's really you..." said the yellow mare with a cracked voice, trying to keep herself in one piece.

"Mh. See, Fluttershy? Everything's okay." he replied with his eyes still closed.

The yellow mare raised her head and looked at him. The pegasus opened his eyes and looked at her green irises. He gave her a warm, comforting smile.

"Yes, Grafix," said Fluttershy, "You were right."

They both slowly started approaching each other, closing their eyes as their lips slowly touched into a slow, passionate kiss. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around his neck as Grafix held her waist gently. Everything around them seemed to have stopped as seconds felt like hours for them. Grafix's hoof started glowing once again, a sparkly yellow aura covering both of them. A part of the aura wrapped Fluttershy's broken wing, immediately giving it shape again, thus forming a perfectly new wing. The aura started fading as they moved their lips away, now looking at each other in the eyes as a perfect moment of silence surrounded them. Grafix got her close to him and held her in his hooves once again.

"And now...we wait." Grafix wispered.

Heartfire sat in the corner as Violet Haze looked around, putting her head against the wall, trying to find a signal coming from the others. No response. As if they were all alone. Violet Haze looked at Heartfire and slowly approached him. Heartfire didn't notice her, being lost in his thoughts again. Violet Haze sat next to him.

"Hey, you seem puzzled."

Heartfire raised his head for a while and turned to look at Violet.

"It's...nothing. Nothing too major."

Violet Haze's look changed. She looked at Heartfire in a different way, her magenta eyes now gazing at with a seducive manner.

"Good." she wispered to him.

With slow movements, she raised her back hoof and sat on Heartfire's lower body, wrapping her hooves around his neck yet still maintaining a distance from him. Heartfire's look towards her didn't change. He still kept his calm expression.

"This...this may be a little embarassing to say," said Violet Haze after a small pause, her cheeks now a little red from blushing, "You're...you're nice. You know. Calm, handsome, strong. Most of the stallions I've known were, complete assholes. I think...I think I like you."

Violet Haze paused for a while. Heartfire moved his hoof and gently grasped her hoody, removing it slowly and revealing her dark mane with the pink highlights on its edges. Violet Haze felt even more embarassed, her blush getting thicker. She looked away for a while, biting her low lip. She looked back at him for a while and began approaching him. Her lips pressed Heartfire's as he felt the embrace of her mane. Violet slowly moved away and looked at him, the blush still all over her face.

"That was...my first kiss. And, it felt great." she said with a weak smile.

Heartfire still looked at her with a calm yet serious look. He gave her one of his weak smiles as she lied on him gently. Suddenly, Heartfire felt a presence that made his spine chill. He gently pushed Violet Haze aside and got up quickly, looking around swiftly, the feeling getting more intense. A bright sphere popped in front of him and outside of the light revealed herself that unicorn. The blind-folded mare that was with Death back at the corridor.

"It is you." said the mare.

"I remember you. But...I do not know your name." Heartfire replied calmly.

The unicorn looked to her left, as if she sensed somepony else in the room.

"There is somepony else in here, isn't there?"

Violet Haze focused all her strength on her front hooves and pushed against the ground, launching herself slightly from the ground, landing on her back hooves, the hoodie covering her face again in the process. She extended her hooves to the back and pushed them forward, summoning her pair of fleeces, with the claws on their edges ready to strike.

"Depends. Who's asking?" Violet Haze asked rudely.

The mare gave out a small smile.

"Violet Haze, the pony who doesn't trust anypony." said the unicorn, still maintaining her calm stand against Violet's battle position.

Violet dropped her hooves and looked at the mare with a suspicious look. She quickly changed her expression and immediately disappeared, revealing herself behind the unicorn. She swung her claws with great force only to see them shatter right in front of her eyes, even though the mare didn't even respond. Violet Haze looked in shock at her fleeces that began disappearing.

"What...What's happening?"

"You say you control yourself, yet you attack like a barbarian." replied the mare and turned around, looking at Violet.

Violet Haze gritted her teeth and, with a sudden wave of her hoof, smacked the mare, making her spill blood. Heartfire was pushed aback and grabbed Violet Haze's hoof before she could smack her again.

"What are you doing Violet?!" asked Heartfire with a worried voice.

"You heard that bitch Heartfire! I'm not expected to sit and listen to her shit!" she yelled back at him with an enraged look, pushing his hoof away.

"Ah, Heartfire," said the mare after shaking her head left to right, "You have to shatter every heart you meet."

Heartifre turned his sight at the mare. He seemed shocked to hear these words come out of her mouth.

"W-Who are you?!" he asked, his words starting to crack up from fear.

"Truth can hurt, Heartfire."

Heartfire suddenly heard a giant bell bang, its echoing ringing in his head, making him shout in pain as he fell to the ground. Violet's worries turned to mumble not understandable by Heartfire anymore. The bell banged once again, making Heartfire shout again in pain, flashes in his head making him panic. The bell banged itself for a third time. Heartfire felt his heart stop beating. He fell to the ground, gasping for air as he slowly closed his eyes.

As Heartfire trotted through the Everfree Forest, he noticed a lost filly, weeping in the brush. Having learned the pony tongue from pilfered books that the wolves brought him, he spoke to her.

"What is wrong young filly, why do you cry so sadly?"

The filly looked at him, tears streaming down her face. She had a beautiful twilight blue mane, with a dark blue coat of fur. He noted the horn, which marked her as a unicorn, but also noticed the wings of a Pegasus upon her back.

"What is your name?"

"My... my name is luna," she said between sobs, "what's yours?"

The question hit him: He didn't have one in the pony tongue, so he did his best to translate it from Timber.

"I guess, in your tongue, it'd be... Heartfire... Burn..."

"Heartfire, huh?" The filly thought this over. She then beamed a wide smile at him. "Seems that I've made an awesome new friend today!"

Heartfire blushed. He knew that he had a talent for cheering up animals, but now he knew that it was what defined him. As this realization hit him, something appeared on his flank: his cutie mark.

"Ooh, it's pretty!" the young filly gazed at the mark, a pair of wings folded over a burning heart.

Heartfire blushed again.

"What were you doing out here anyways," he asked.

"I was picking flowers with my big sister, when I saw a butterfly. I chased it in here, and before I knew it, I was lost!" Tears began to well up in the filly's eyes again, and he thought fast.

"I could take you back home."

She gasped excitedly. "Would you!?"

Heartfire nodded, kneeling down to allow her to climb on his back.

When Luna was seated comfortably on his back, he flew up, over the trees to get a better view.

"Now, where are we headed?"

"There!" she pointed to a large white castle, jutting off of the side of a mountain.

"Hold on tight!" Heartfire flapped his wings twice, the bolted forward, seemingly racing the wind itself. Luna giggled happily behind him, enjoying the whole ride.

They arrived on the castle steps in a couple of hours, and Heartfire knocked on the huge, gold-laden doors. Another pony, about as tall as him, looked at him, then at Luna.

"Welcome home Princess Luna. Your sister has been worried sick!"

"I was fine, I'm a tough pony!" she declared, pounding her chest.

Heartfire stifled a chuckle, remembering how he found the filly.

"And who is your friend?"

"This is Heart-" She turned to see that he was already gone. As she looked around, she found a note. It read:

Dear Luna,

My apologies for leaving without notice, but I must get home. It was great meeting you, and we'll definitely meet again. If you have need of me, you know where my home is. You are always welcome there.

Your friend,

Heartfire.

"LUNA!" Heartfire gasped for air as he shut his eyes open in utter shock.

"It's her, right, Heartfire?" Truth asked Heartfire.

Heartifre slowly calmed himself and closed his eyes again, taking deep breaths. He got up and opened his eyes to look at Truth. Truth looked back through the scarf covering her eyes. Heartfire looked around and saw Violet Haze sitting in a corner, muttering to herself.

"What did you do to her?" Heartifre asked he looked at Violet.

"Truth shouldn't be hidden Heartfire. I opened her eyes, made her realise what she really is."

"A muttering cry-baby?" Heartfire asked her as he turned his sight at her again. "No. She's not. Not this. And so are you."

Truth looked in wonder.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Truth, you know everything. Tell me, do you know Thyme? 'Cause she is you."

Truth looked at him in shock.

"N-No! There's no such pony! I know so! There is no Thyme!!!" she yelled.

"Yes there is. When I came to Ponyville, I wanted to find Luna, the Princess of the Night, I loved her. But would she recognise me? That's when Thyme found me. And she made me realise that Luna isn't the one for me. Love grows when you get to know the ponies that are with you, like...you, Thyme."

"N-No," Truth said in complete panic, "Y-You're joking!"

"I never do Thyme. I...I love you." he ended and raised his head, red aura starting to surge around him.

His structure started shifting as he grew taller and his wings extended. Him mane grew spiky and long. Heartfire lowered his head and opened his eyes, his bright blue eyes looking at Truth. He opened his wings and a giant gust engulfed the entire room. Truth started walking back. Heartfire started walking towards her.

"N-No!!! Stay back!!!" yelled Truth, the gust making her scarf act like a leaf in a storm. The scarf eventually started ripping itself as it unwrapped itself from her eyes and neck to reveal Truth's eyes, completely empty, where one could see inside her. "Don't come closer!!! Please!!!" she begged, having reached the far end of the room, with no place to go now.

Heartfire had blocked Truth into a corner. He approached her and looked into her empty face.

"Please Thyme, see the truth." he wispered to her and pressed his lips against hers, a giant shockwave bursting and cutting the wind short. Truth was shocked but slowly began to relax. She closed her eyes and suddenly, images started flashing in her head.

A red pegasus and a white unicorn.

They laugh.

They share.

They kiss.

Truth opened her eyes and revealed beautiful light purple eyes. A flash covered the two of them, blinding Violet Haze. After the light was gone, Violet Haze saw Heartfire, back to his normal pegasus form, his wings completely recovered and Thyme, the clever white unicorn, back to normal. Their lips were touching and both were feeling the embrace of the other in that fierce, passionate kiss. Thyme moved her lips away and opened her eyes to see Heartfire giving her a bright smile.

"Thyme, I-"

Thyme put her hoof in front of Heartfire's mouth, pausing him.

"You can say that after we kick that Nightmare bastard's ass." she said with a weak smile and gave him a hug.

Violet Haze gave a weak smile to herself. Now I know, Heartfire. Go get her tiger. I'm fine. she thought to herself and looked at her hoof, summoning her fleece.

"Oi, lovebirds," she slightly shouted at them, drawing their attention, "Don't want to keep the others waiting, right?" she said with her determined smile.

Quill Soul found herself isolated from the rest of her comrades, now trapped in a single room, surrounded by four large walls. She didn't panic this time. In fact, she didn't see a difference from what she was used to. The wall in front of her started deforming as an alicorn rose, entering the room through the wall.

"Huh," said the alicorn a little confused, "Must have chosen the wrong room. Well bummer."

"Conquest." said Quill Soul, keeping her cool.

"That would be my name, yes." he replied camly.

There was a moment of silence between them. Conquest started laughing.

"Oh you, I think I remember you. You were back at the ballroom."

Quill Soul looked at him in shock. The image of Pestilence started flashing in her head. They had the same appearance, the same attitude. Why? How? Quill Soul started walking back. Conquest continued laughing.

"That's where the act becomes interesting. The most magnificent act of the play really. The part where there's no happy ending." he said and an arrow composed out of magic charged Quill Soul all of a sudden.

Quill Soul shut her eyes in shock and fear. When she opened them again, she saw a dark alicorn right in front of her, standing on his two back hooves, holding the arrow on one of his front hooves.

"D-Dark?"

The alicorn turned his head and looked at Quill Soul, his mask showing no expression whatsoever. He turned his look back at Conquest after a while. He squeezed the arrow, making it disappear on his hoof. He gently bent his legs and extended his two front hooves forward.

"Quill Soul, please, step back." he told her.

Quill Soul immediately followed his words and stepped to the end of the room. A slow cyan aura started covering Dark Equun.

"I come in justice, I fight for order, for peace. Aid me in my fight, Hydrambo!"

Upon saying that, the aura started turning into water that swirled around his body. A part of it slowly gathered on his hooves, forming a base. He grasped it tight and with one hoof waved it to his side, pushing the water away and revealing a blade almost as tall as him. Conquest looked surprised. Dark Equun didn't lose a moment and immediately charged Conquest, swinging his blade with great force. Conquest managed to block it, feeling the strong embrace of both the water and the blade punching his bracelets. They didn't last long though. Conquest looked in shock to see his bracelets breaking, the water piercing his garment and the blade creating a large rip that even cut his flesh. Conquest was pushed back by the impact, rolling back and smashing the ground, blood coming out of his mouth. Conquest struggled to get on his feet. His appearance was now a pure mess, with his garment ripped in half, his front hooves bruised and a huge cut on his chest.

"No matter," he said calmly, "I still have this!" he said.

There was another pause. Conquest looked at himself shocked.

"What is this?! I...I can't heal! What did you...what did you do to me?!" he yelled at him in disgust.

Dark Equun looked at him, his glowing gold eyes now somewhat smaller and more menacing. Conquest looked around in shock. He charged his hoof and stomped it to the ground, quickly merging himself with it.

Let's see you cut me now! this shout echoed in the room.

Dark Equun turned his sword upside down and pierced the ground. The water floating around him gathered on the sword.

"Seek freedom. Search high and low to find salvation. No escape for injustice." he said and the water burst, breaking the ground underneath the two ponies in the room.

Dark Equun quickly used his magic and formed a shield around Quill Soul. A sudden scream could be heard echoing in the now collapsing walls. As the walls turned to rubble, the two ponies found themselves in a larger room, yet in the same position, walls around them again. Out of the blue, Conquest launched himself out of the wall, falling to the ground. He was soaked to the skin and there were cuts all around his white coat. He was panting heavily, with his mane all wet, covering his face, the crown now on the ground. Dark Equun looked at Conquest's mess.

"Fine," Conquest wispered as he grasped his crown with slow, calm moves, "All right then, mon ami, two can play that game!!!" he yelled and the wall around him turned pitch black as glowing dark blue holes formed all around them.

Conquest gave out a large grin.

"The Room Of Suffering. I never wanted to act violently, but you...you pushed your luck!"

The holes started launching arrows made out of magic energy. Dark Equun felt them storming at him from all alngles. He didn't hesitate nor did he back off. His movements became faster, more sudden as he blocked the arrows from every angle possible, sending them to different directions of splitting them in half. Quill Soul looked in amazement behind that shield. Dark, I had no idea you were...this cool. Dark Equun's movements looked like one's of a dancer's, maintaining balance yet knowing when to dodge or block, even in mid air. Conquest's' grin got even larger.

"Good...good. Let's see you put up with more!!!" he yelled.

Dark Equun now found himself blocking and avoiding even more, more than double the amout of arrows. He gained speed to the point where he was no longer visible to the naked eye. Suddenly, his movements were cut short as an arrow pierced his mask, breaking the lower part of it, revealing his mouth. Dark Equun struggled to keep the attacks back but it was no use. The arrows were closing in on him, piercing his hooves, his body, his wings, his mask. Suddenly, an arrow that came out of nowhere pieced his mask, shattering it to a thousand bits. He fell back slowly, now covered by tons of arrows. As he fell, Quill Soul could only hear one thing that came out of his mouth.

"Quill Soul...I'm...sorry..."

The sword left his hoof and both fell to the ground, a huge clanging sound covering his thud.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAARK!!!" she shouted as tears started pouring.

Conquest gave out a psychotic laugh.

"YES!!! DIE!!! DIE!!! DIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" he yelled over and over again as more arrows pierced Dark Equun with every repeat.

"NO!!!!!! DARK!!!!!!!!!" Quill Soul moaned loudly as she watched her best friend suffer even when he gives his last breaths.

Dark Equun didn't respond. He was constantly bombarded by arrows, piercing every available spot he had. He kept spilling blood which seemd to go on forever, a huge river of blood forming all around him. When Conquest finally stopped, the huge grin on his face getting even bigger, Dark Equun slowly turned his look at Quill Soul. She gasped in shock as she saw his beuatiful golden eyes looking at her and a weak smile on his face.

"I'm...so sorry..."

The Rise of Nightmare Chaos

Luna's eyes are blindfolded as she is dragged by a strange somepony. During the cold dark hours of the night, Luna had no idea she would get kidnapped as she raised the moon one more time. What did the mysterious somepony want? Ransom? The throne? Luna was not sure. But she knew that Celestia would find her. She was certain that she would do anything to find her.

Luna's powers were for some reason useless. She tried teleporting away from there or using telekinesis to disarm the enemy but it was all worthless. Nothing worked.

She felt a sudden stop and immediately a bonk in the head and her she faded into the darkness. It seemed like minutes after she had woken up. Her head felt like a million tons. Although the room was kinda dark with only a little light coming from the holes of the One of them slowly approached Luna and looked at her weirdly. He bent over and his face was only a few intches away from hers.

"F...Fo...Food..." he hardly said

His appearance was gross. His eyes were dark from his probable lack of sleep and his skin seemed like he had gone through a war. There were cuts and missing pieces of his own flesh everywhere. His fur, dark green and dirty to the bone. He raised his hoof to reveal that it had been eaten away, the bone being visible and the maggots crawling to his shoulder. How could he raise it when it was just the bone? He slowly petted Luna's head. His breath was deap and Luna could feel it.

"Famine, stay away from the mare," said one of the other alicorns seriously.

Famine turned around and looked at him. He was petriffied by that mysterious alicorn. He turned back to look at Luna and slowly moved away from her, just like the way he had approached her. The mysterious alicorn made a step forward. He was well dressed, unlike Famine, and his appearance seemed like he had come from a royal and rich clan. He seemed rather serious and judging by his overall image, he seemed trustworthy. Luna kept wonderng why was he with them. He came close to Luna and bowed.

"My queen," he said with respect coming out of his mouth, "Welcome back."

Luna was cofused. Queen? She was a princess. The true ruler of Equestria was her sister, Celestia. That made her panic even more.

"T-This is some sort of misunderstanding. I am not a queen. I'm Princess Luna."

"I'd like to beg the differ my queen." said the alicorn still keeping his bowed position.

"You heard the bitch Pestilence," said a third voice from behind, a rather rough and harcore one.

Pestilence turned around and faced at the thrid alicorn.

"War, show some respect towards the queen." he said, always keeping his cool.

"Face the facts Pestilence, she's not our queen yet. We need the crown." said the alicorn, revealing himself from the shadows.

War was somewhat like the opposite of Famine. He was outgoing, brutal and violent.

He wore bright shining armor and looked like he came from the Great Battle Over Equestria. He seemed like Commaned Hurricane himself, but red and with fire coming out of his eyes. In his back, an enormous axe was held completely made out of gold.

"I indeed know the facts War, yet I have the decency to respect our queen."

Luna was starting to realise what was going on. Famine, War, Pestilence. Those weren't ordinary names for alicorns. But for divine beings. She looked at them in shock and tried to remember what she had read in the books.

"It's no use remembering little filly," said a forth voice, "one who has forgotten his past and decided to follow the future can no longer return to his memories and journey through them."

The fourth and final alicorn revealed himself. He wore a mask representing a creature with black skin like the darkness it was born in, bright yellow eyes like the setting sun and long mane like his endless life. Luna was more afraid of him than the other three combined. He was Death.

"D-Death..." she hardly said.

The three alicorns looked at Death. He walked towards them and looked at Luna, his golden eyes staring right into her soul.

"Death..." they said as well.

Death looked at each and every one of them respectfully. Famine looked down, War nodded and Pestilence bowed to him. It seemed that Death was the most powerful of the four. Death turned to Luna and focused on her once again.

"I am glad to see you again...sister."

Luna looked at him in shock. This monster...her brother? Impossible. A creature so malevolent like the divine and endless Death related to Luna? Why didn't Celestia ever talk about him?

"You seem as if you saw a ghost." said Death and took out his Grand Scythe, an enormous and powerful scythe extremely sharp in the edges, slightly damaged and a little rusty from all the ages it was used to rip the souls off of innocent ponies. He looked at it and then looked at Luna again. He slowly pointed it at Luna, the charged and assaulted her. Luna quickly closed her eyes. However, she opened them again to find that she hadn't died. Instead, she was free. She wasn't bound anymore.

"Consider this action as a favour from me." said Death. "Come," he continued, "let us talk in privacy." he concluded and turned around, starting to walk towards a corridor.

Luna stayed at her position for a while and looked at him. She then faced the other three. Death turned around.

"Well?" he said.

"Y-Yes." she replied and ran towards him, keeping a small distance between her and him. She didn't want to approach a lot the Incarnation of Death himself. As they walked down the corridor, there was complete silence. All that could be heard was the sound of a cricket singing. As soon as they walked past him, Luna watched him slowly disintergrating. It was Death's aura. Luna had a gift when it came to recognising auras in ponies. Death's however seemed both strange and unusual but so familiar and friendly at the same time, like he really was related to her. That made Luna even more confused. The two alicorns reached a lake outside an old warehouse where they came from. The lake however seemed peculiar. Its waters seemed black and the surroundings were plain and lifeless, covered in deserts and brutal four-legged creatures murdering each other.

"W-Where are we Death?" she said looking at her reflection in the lake.

"Our existance in this world is rather temporary, as one who has not disintergrated from the maggots of the ground cannot feel the present nature of these surroundings." he said.

He noticed Luna looking at herself in the waters and not paying much attention to anything else happening around her.

"Ah," he said slightly excited, "The Lake of Confrontation it is you look yourself at? Beware though, that the pony's reflecton in these blackened waters only reveal's its true nature, sometimes good and sometimes as bad as this dimension. I can only reflect myself in these waters and only I can activate its abilities."

Death raised his hoof and pointed it at the water. Suddenly, his hoof peeled and blood started dripping from it, slowly falling into the lake. His hoof then slowly started regenerating after that.

"Now you can gaze upon your true self and face the truth behind the real Princess of the Night."

Luna looked at her reflection slowly shifting into a creature that came out of the darkness like Death. It growed fangs and claws and its eyes looked at Luna like she was its worst enemy. Luna looked away.

"Looking somewhere else than your true destiny only makes you angrier, it only develops the darkness and its hate towards you."

"But wait Death, if this reflection is me, then..." she turned around once again but no sooner had she turned than the demon came out of the lake and pulled her inside. Inside the lake, Luna could hardly breathe, struggling to see inside the dark waters of the lake. Suddenly, she started hearing a voice. It wasn't Death's however.

"Luna...Free me..." said the voice. It was a feminin voice. She turned around and around to locate the mare but she could see nothing. Then, the lake brightened and glowing ponies started decending from the bottoms.

"It's her. Nightmare Moon." said one of the ponies"

The ponies started talking all together and judging her.

"It's all your fault-" "How could you-" "She was just a filly-"

Luna couldn't stand all the accusements. She quickly shut her ears and closed her eyes. Yet she could still hear them. All her guilt made her lose her breath even faster. She was going to die. Like this? Being accused by crimes she didn't commit?

"A dark end for a pony of darkness..." whispered Luna, "I can't...please...LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Suddenly, darkness started coming out from Luna's soul, forming into ponies that assaulted the glowing ones, sending them back to the abyss of the lake. Luna opened her eyes but they weren't the same anymore. They were filled with hate, with darkeness.

Death was sitting outside of the lake, next to a dry and old branch, that seemed to have been chopped down by the time and the terribly strong sandstorms. He looked at the lake one more time. He saw a hoof coming out of the lake. It was Luna. She was coming out. As she rised, Death gave out a grin.

"It's pleasant to have you back...Queen of Darkness, Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon had risen once again from her ashes. Defeated once by the Elements of Harmony, she was once again alive, with flesh and blood. Death's grin got even darker. Her appearance though seemed more sinister than her past. Her coat was darker, the darkest it could get with eyes full of darkness, with the look of a dragon. Her armor, shining like the moon itself, crafted from harcore Obsidian with spikes coming out and her mane was Sparkly Black. Her appearance now resmebled more to Death.

"It is indeed nice to be back." said Nightmare Moon with an arrogant and rude voice.

Death was now sure that he had gained his long lost sister back. Yet he needed to make sure that she was here to stay this time. Nightmare Moon at that time gazed upon her land, now recognisable by her, the Land of Demise, the world she had created herself. Only her and her commanders, the Four Ponies of the Apocalypse could enter this dimension. Death took advantage of this chance and backstabbed her with the Grand Scythe. She spit blood from her mouth and fell to the ground. Death sniffed.

"You didn't change at all then, sister." he said and walked away.

He didn't notice that Nightmare Moon was slowly getting up and recovering her wound.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT?!" she shouted at him.

Death turned around and grinned once again.

"Come Nightmare. Let us walk onto the ground where only its mighty rulers and those not belonging here can step their hoof. We have a lot to discuss."

Nightmare Moon decided to accept and soon the two alicorns started walking into the dust of the dessert. As they were walking, they looked around at the mindless creatures staring at them but not being able to touch them.

"Those existing in this universe can only see what meets their eye The supernatural cannot exist in a world of reality." said Death, having suddenly stopped.

He gazed upon the moon and his golden eyes shined upon his mask.

"It is almost time for that uncontrolable by anypony to be freed once again."

"What is it that you mean brother?" said Nightmare Moon looking at Death in wonder.

Suddenly, Nightmare Moon felt her heart had stopped beating. She could hardly breathe and fell to the ground struggling to survive.

"Manipulate the inner darkness and its overall control will be obtained. Utilise your advantages and dispose of the disadvantages." said Death to Nightmare Moon. Yet she wasn't paying attention to him at all.

Nightamare Moon couldn't stand the pain and fainted. She found herself inside a big room yet empty. Its colour was bright blue like her night. Squinting her eyes, trying to see till the end of the room, she could see another pony looking at her. Nightmare Moon started walking towards the mysterious pony. As she approached it, she started to realised her location and the pony that had joined her. The pony was Luna, Princess of the Night. Luna pointed her hoof on a random spot and a table flashed out of nowhere with two chairs.

"Sit Nightmare Moon. We need to speak."

"I don't make negotiations with inferiors." said Nightmare Moon arrogantly.

"Hm. You took over me again. Do you find yourself powerful?"

Nightmare Moon looked at Luna with a look of superiority.

"I am stronger and cleverer than you, little bug. What makes you think I'm not powerful?"

Luna smiled looking at the ground and turned around.

"I saw from this here location you come out and me come in. You were watching me all this time. From inside."

Nightmare Moon looked at her in curiostiy.

"What are you implying?"

Luna turned around and faced Nightmare Moon. She then raised her hoof and pointed it at her.

"You're weak and you know it Nightmare Moon. You're just like me. Or, better implied, you are me."

Nightmare now looked at her in shock. The room suddenly started becoming smaller and reaching for the two ponies. Nightmare Moon started to panic.

"No...NO! I control you!"

"I don't think so. Time to finish you once and for all."

The walls had reached Nightmare so close that they were now moments away from her and Luna at the same time.

"B-But if I die, you die as well."

Luna put he hoof down and calmed her expression.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." she said seriously, "Goodbye...forever."

Luna then closed her eyes. Nightmare Moon was petrified. So that was now the end for both of them. Nightmare Moon at first thought that she was bluffing. However, Luna was always too serious for a joke so overdone. She decided to follow Luna's actions and calmed down, slowly closing her eyes as well.

"Goodbye...Luna." whispered Nightmare Moon.

Suddenly, the sound of a slash was heard and the walls around the two alicorns were disintergrated into ash. Both Nightmare Moon and Luna opened their eyes and looked at each other in surprise.

"I strongly apologise for the damage. But you gave me no choice." said a voice.

The two mares turned to their left to look at Death.

"B-But this is my inner soul. You're not allowed here." said Luna startled.

"Trust me dear sister, when one's soul fades away from the world of the living, the Grim Reaper is called upon to gather the lingering sentiments. Now, you are my property." said Death and raised his hoof.

Luna then started to be pulled away, towards Death arm. That meant that she...had died. Luna had actually killed herself. As she was sucked by Death, Nightmare Moon looked at him with her most petrified expression and her feelings being sunk with Luna as well.

After Luna was sucked right into Death's body, he turned and looked at Nightmare Moon. His yellow, hollow eyes looked at her as he gave out another one of his dark grins.

"Now the creature of light has vanquished. You...are complete." said Death with slight excitement, keeping his dark tone and expression.

Nightmare Moon opened her eyes wide open. She was back to the real world and got up. Death was sitting at the sand watching two monsters eat themselves and keeping silent. His scythe was stabbed in the sand, and his mask was hanging on it.

"Death..." said Nightmare Moon hardly.

Death raised his head, took his mask, put it on and looked at her.

"Look at the moon and reflect your true nature now sister. You are complete."

Nightmare said nothing. Instead, she realised that actions spoke louder than words. She raised her head and looked at the moon. Suddenly, an image flashed inside her head repeatadly. Her vision blurred and her body started aching. Her eyes then blackened and her skin turned shiny black, with claws growing out of her hooves and her mane turning sparkly dark blue as well as her fangs growing bigger in size. She was transforming to that monster from the reflection of the lake. She could harldy speak and could not control her movements. Death sat and gazed at her transormation, slowly getting up and picking his scythe. Once the transformation was complete, Nightmare Moon was lying faint on the sand.

"Welcome into the world of existance, Nightmare Chaos."

The creature raised itself on its hooves. It focused its sight on Death.

"D-De-Death..." it said to him.

"Rest," said Death, "Let us walk back. The commanders need to be informed about your creation."

They soon started walkng back to the werehouse, Nightmare Chaos slowly following Death. As they entered back into the room where they came from, the three other commanders looked at the creature.

"Ah, your Majesty. You are once again back." said Pestilence and bowed one more time.

The vile creature stared upon him and its dark eyes pierced into his soul. Pestilence stepped back. War kept quiet and stood in detention. Famine lied down and looked at his new ruler, keeing his mouth shut, afraid not to cause any more damage to himself.

"Commanders, hear me," said the creature, now being able to talk, "The New Chaos Republic will be brought back to life as I was. Prepare yourselves for a journey to Equestria. Pestilence. War. Famine. And Death."

Pestilence nodded. War gave out a huge grin and Famine seemed quite excited now. Death decided to speak no more. His part was done and now he only needed to complete the final part of the reincarnation of the Republic.

But what was the Chaos Republic that made the Ponies of the Apocalypse so hyper? Legend had it that it had been formed ever since the birth of Princess Luna but she herself had no idea about it. The four Ponies chosen as her guardians were these four, at that time having different names and appearances. The Republic was a conspiracy to overthrow Celestia and prepare Luna to take her place as a tyrrant. It was formed by the guardians' fathers. The guardians however were kind to Luna. These four were kind and caring for Luna. They made everything in their power to make her the best Princess of the night. Yet, Luna gave in to her jealousy and became Nightmare Moon. Celestia, along with the four alicorns hid from Nightmare Moon as she formed her new kingdom known as the New Chaos Republic with the help of the conspirators. As soon as Celestia used the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon, the Republic fell. However, Celestia had completely forgotten that the four alicorns that helped her had a special bond with Luna and when she vanished, they vanished to the darkness too. The oldest pony put the blame on Celestia and promised revenge. The second one swore to destroy the kingdom. The third wished for everything to be his and the fourth wished for everyone to die from the worst death. After a thousand years imprisoned, the Republic was now just a myth only remebered by those four. However, year by year their appearance changed and their attitude as well. The older one could not face himself again and hid behind a mask. The second gave in to his violent part. The third one wished everything for himself and became greedy whereas the fourth one suffered from his own curse, not being able to die however. It was then when the Four Ponies of the Apocalypse were born. Their presence on Equestria was obvious from the results of ponies' greed ending up in war an then in famine, resulting in death. The Four Ponies of the Apocalypse decided to watch over Luna from the Land of Demise, the closest place to Luna, monitoring her every move and action, carefully analysing her and figuring out how to ressurect Nightmare Moon to create the Republic once again. Now their plan had officially begun. And with Nightmare Chaos being over a million times worse than Nightmare Moon, the destruction of Equestria and the fall of Celestia was inevitable. Now, they were unstoppable.