The Mane Twelve

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..."