Shattered Harmony Part 1 - The Call

Chapters

Prologue - The Beginning of the End
Chapter 1 - Planning
Chapter 2 - Construction
Chapter 3 - Interruption
Chapter 4 - Return
Chapter 5 - Honesty
Chapter 6 - Redemption?
Chapter 7 - Sunset
Chapter 8 - Kindness

Prologue - The Beginning of the End

Green light shone from the various braziers placed throughout the chamber. The walls were black, like the night, and refracted the light into dozens of shades of green. A circular table, made of the same black stone, sat in the middle of the chamber. Eighteen thrones sat, equidistant around the table. Seventeen bore a deep green emerald embedded into the top of them, glowing with an inner light. The last one bore a shard of moonlight itself, a gift from the Princess of the Moon herself. The throne itself held the only non-Changeling in the room, a stallion, sitting tall and commanding respect from the seventeen other inhabitants. This was the council of the Changeling Empire, and they had gathered to discuss the future of the Empire.

“I tell you,” said one of the Changeling rulers sitting at the table, “it's becoming too difficult to recover love from the Equestrians.”

“Indeed,” another said, “just this last week, I had to save a few of my hivelings from capture. Knew it was a good idea to establish a high ranking position in the Destroyer's army.”

“Come on!” a familiar Changeling said. Chrysalis slammed her hooves down on the table, glaring at all of them, “If we'd taken Equestria five years ago, then we wouldn't be starving like we are.”

“Yes,” said a third Changeling, “and where would that leave us? If we'd taken Equestria, the Crystal Empire would have retaliated. There was one other Princess, now there are two. The Destroyer would not have let it happen, either. Or do you not remember when you revealed yourself?”

“I had it all under control!” Chrysalis snapped, the barb hitting home, “If that little Unicorn hadn't escaped the Caves, then Cadence would have been out of the way. I would have dealt with her after the conquest was over!”

“And how would you have handled the Dragons?” asked a fourth Changeling, resting his chin on a hoof, “Or the Griffins? Or the Zebras? Or any of the other races that are friendly with Equestrians? They would have attacked in retribution to your invasion. And the Empire could not have withstood such an onslaught.”

Chrysalis was about to reply when the Changeling situated across from the moonshard throne tapped a hoof on the table, the sound ringing through the room like a crystal note, bringing all attention to him. “It appears,” he said softly, “that there is only one way to solve this. The Shardbreaker is returning.” The room froze as the words echoed through the chamber.

“What?” asked the other sixteen in unison, “how do you know this?”

The Changeling nodded toward the stallion, then said, “prior to our meeting, Evening Fall kindly reported the latest news from the moon. He says that the Cannon is almost ready, and the Elements grow stronger. However,” he said with a dark undertone, “Equestria is not ready for him. Even with their allies, they couldn't hope to stand up against him. Even if we joined together, there is a small chance of success.”

“Then why should we?” asked one of the kings.

“Because,” the Changeling's attention now on the king, “without them, nopony can survive. Together we have a chance, however small. And this brings me to the reason I called the meeting.” He looked at each pony in the room, lingering on the stallion for a brief second longer, before continuing, “I propose that one of us tests the waters. It has been five years since the invasion of the Equestrian capital of Canterlot, and we are all starving. Our Element is not enough to sustain the entire Empire. The volunteer will locate the Elements of Harmony and question them, in order to discover their grasp of their individual Elements."

“Wait one second,” a fifth Changeling piped up, “it sounds like you already have a volunteer. Am I correct?” The Changeling nodded.

“It will be me,” he stated. The entire room rose up in an uproar, the sound reverberating around the room and increasing.

“You can't!”

“We can't lose you!”

“Who will solve our disputes?”

“Why would you do this?”

“You're the greatest of us all!”

“It is because,” the Changeling silenced all with a raise of his hooves, “the rest of you are leaders and rulers. To replace you would set back your hive more than a generation. To lose me," he smiled, "well let's face it, I don't rule anyling. My death would be easily replaceable. And besides, I will stay in contact with you all. If I don't report in every seven moon cycles, then assume something has happened to me and make the appropriate decisions.”

“But,” one of the queens began, but was silenced by the penetrating stare of the main Changeling.

“No, I've already made up my mind,” he said, “I'm heading out in two moon rises. I've already picked identified the hometown of the Elements. I'll spend my time preparing them all, secretly. We need to get them ready."

“And where would that town be?” asked Chrysalis. The Changeling tapped the table again and the center glowed a greenish color, before lines of light levitated above the surface. They watched as the lights crisscrossed and darted every which way, forming buildings. As they looked out over the miniature map, they could identify what looked like a carousel and a building made from gingerbread, as well as a clearing where the devastated hollowed out trunk of a tree stood. A crystalline spire stood, embedded into the ground at one end of the town, towering over the smaller buildings.

The Changeling smiled down at the quaint, little town, then looked at each and every one of the ponies in the room. “Ponyville.”

Chapter 1 - Planning

Amant Septim popped into existence in the middle of a road along with the seven Changelings that accompanied him. They were all dressed in fairly rugged clothes, reflecting the idea that they were travelers. Amant glanced around, then started to trot down the road, heading for the small town nestled in a valley and bordered on one side by a large forest. he said over the hive mind. Two Changelings, each in a Pegasus disguise, took to the air. They split off in opposite directions and started to comb the town. Amant glanced around, catching sight of a large farm with rows of what looked like apple trees being the major production. He nodded, then started to head toward the edge of town, hoping to skirt the busy parts of it.

It wasn’t long before one of the Changeling scouts reported finding a sufficiently obscure area, located close to the forest. Amant replied with his thanks, then headed in that direction. It took them some time before they reached the place, the scout had been hovering over it to help them find it, and Amant scrutinized it.

The clearing was large, Amant estimated it being several dozen hooves across and about the same width wise. Trees bordered the clearing, obscuring much of the outside world with their thick trunks. He nodded. “Now to find out how much it costs.” He hefted a small bag of coins from his saddlebags.

the second scout stated, he had been directed to the town hall after the clearing had been located.

Amant replied. They fanned out and studied the clearing, mentally marking vantage points and leylines that cross it. This went on for a few minutes before the scout reported back.

The scout sent back a picture of a map, marking the clearing and the location of the Apple family home. Amant smiled as he realized that it was the farm house he’d spotted on his way here.

he said, turning and leaving the clearing as he headed toward the farm house, the rest of his group following him while the scout started to ask about other parcels of land. They were walking for some time, passing rows of apple trees as they did, until they finally caught sight of a red barn structure that sat in the middle of a clearing three times the size of the one they had been at. Amant strode up to the door of the home, passing by a white fence and under a sign that named the farm Sweet Apple Acres. He rapped his hoof on the door three times and waited. He knocked a few more times, not hearing anypony inside, then turned around to address the group. He caught sight of two ponies walking out from one of the rows.

One was a Unicorn, white coat and purple mane that was expertly curled, wearing a large brimmed hat that shaded almost her entire body while the other was an Earth Pony, orange coat and blond mane, wearing a worn and weathered leather hat. The two ponies, mares Amant could tell as they came closer, were chatting about something. He caught the occasional mention of fabric and fashion as he stepped off the porch and headed for the two. They saw him and paused their conversation, the orange pony tilting her hat up.

“Can ah help ya’ll?” she asked in a rustic accent.

“Yes you can,” Amant said, “my name is Amant Septim and I was looking for a parcel of land to purchase. I happen to find such a piece, but when I inquired of the mayor she informed me that the Apple family owned it and that I should talk to them about price. I was told that they lived here, but nopony seems to be home. Do you know where I might find them?”

“The Apple fam’ly lives here alrigh’,” the orange mare replied, “Ah’m Applejack, Ah help run the farm with mah brother, Big Macintosh, and mah sister, Apple Bloom. Granny Smith is probably in the house takin’ a nap, Big Mac’s in the field and Apple Bloom’s off with ‘er friends. Wha’ piece o’ property were ya thinkin’ about?”

Amant glanced up at the position of the sun, remembering which direction he’d come from, then calculated the placement of the clearing. “I believe it was somewhere to the northeast of us,” he stated.

“The north field?” Applejack asked. Amant nodded, then hefted over a bag of coins.

“Money is no object,” he replied, “I just want a place where I can stay for a time, somewhere I won’t be disturbed. Somewhere quiet.”

“Well, ya’ll’ve come to tha righ’ place,” Applejack stated, “Ponyville ain’t got much to be noisy about. Not lately, anywho.”

“That’s what I hear,” Amant smiled.

“Where do you come from, if you don’t mind me asking?” the alabaster Unicorn asked.

“We’ve traveled far and are quite weary,” one of the six Changelings replied. He had the form of a Unicorn and his emerald eyes scanned the mare.

Amant dropped the bag of coins on the ground in front of Applejack. They could hear the clink of dozens of coins within. “Like I said, money is no object,” he stated, pulling the conversation back to the main point, “I can pay anything.”

“Well,” Applejack stated, reaching into the bag and pulling out a silver coin. It looked like a bit, but instead of the sun on one side it bore a crescent moon, “it ain’t really for sale.”

The Unicorn’s stare, which had been on the silver coin in Applejack’s hoof, darted to her face. Her eyes grew even wider, if that were possible. “Excuse us for a moment,” she said as she pulled Applejack away from the group. Amant and his group watched them go. He was certain rural ponies would have that reaction to silver.

Applejack slammed her hooves into the ground to stop her after they were far enough from the group and she spun on Rarity. “What is wrong with you?” she asked.

“Darling,” Rarity stated, gesturing to the bag of silver coins that still rested on the ground, “you don’t know what those are, do you?”

“Ah know that they’re just bits, though Ah thought bits were always gold,” Applejack replied.

“You don’t get to Canterlot often, do you?” Rarity asked.

“Of course not, Ah ain’t got much place in that fancy town.”

“Then you don’t know the true worth of silver,” Rarity replied, “most of Equestria deals in gold, and those that don’t deal in gems. But the really rich nobles deal in silver. Silver only comes from one place, a single mine that only the princesses know the location. All the nobles know is that Canterlot gets a shipment of silver in every month and it’s distributed throughout the market, up for the highest bidder. Silver is so rare that only Princess Luna can wear it as jewelry. A single silver bit is worth more than a hundred times that of a gold one! If the amount in that bag is about what I think it is, you would be set for longer than you’d have to worry!”

Applejack paused for a few seconds, thinking it over. “So you’re saying,” she said slowly, “that I would sell that piece o’ land for more than Ah could make in a year?”

“And the best part, when they leave, you could just convert it back to orchards and still make a massive profit!” Rarity was almost giddy with the prospect of so much silver.

“Well if that’s the case,” Applejack said, then turned and walked back to the seven ponies.

Amant watched the two mares talking. He really didn’t have much to worry about, most ponies he’d heard of were driven by money and the amount in the offered bag was much more than most nobles saw in six months. It was certainly more than than anypony would see in this small of a town. He smiled as Applejack and the other mare came walking back. He could taste the uncertainty mixed with hope and a dash of greed from Applejack.

“Alrigh’,” Applejack stated, resting a hoof on the bag of bits, “you’ve got yerself a deal. How long were ya’ll planning on staying in Ponyville?”

“Just long enough to get my research and studies done,” Amant replied, “hopefully no longer than six months.” The Unicorn mare excused herself, scooping up the bag of bits and, with a squeal of glee, she ran into the house, leaving the eight ponies behind. Amant smiled, then turned to Applejack. “I apologize for the inconvenience again, but where is the closest hotel? I’ll have a building crew here tomorrow, but I would like to relax before that happens.”

“Sure thing, the closest hotel is the Lonely Wanderer, it’s on the north side o’ town,” Applejack replied, gesturing with her hoof. Amant nodded his thanks, then his group strode off in that direction.

* * *

They walked through Ponyville, skirting the edge of town and finally coming into view of a large building bearing a sign declaring it as the Lonely Wanderer. Amant smiled. Finally he could start working on his-

He couldn’t finish that thought as a pink blur knocked right into him, bowling him over and sending the two of them into a roll for dozens of hooves. When they finally stopped, he found himself staring up at a pink Earth Pony with puffy pink mane and tail, staring down at him with sapphire blue eyes.

“Your highness!” the six Changelings cried, hurrying over and reaching out both hoof and magic to lift the pony off him. Before they could, the Earth Pony darted off to one side and gasped as he stood up.

“Oh my gosh!” she said in a voice that conveyed way too much sugar had been eaten that day, “I don’t recognize you. And if I don’t recognize you that must mean you’re new. And if you’re new that means I need to throw a welcome to Ponyville party. And if I need to throw a welcome to Ponyville party then I need to go get streamers and balloons and food and cakes and presents and all sorts of party supplies. And if I need to go get streamers and balloons and food and cakes and presents and all sorts of party supplies then what am I standing around here for?” And with that, she shot off toward the center of town, leaving behind a dust cloud shaped just like her.

Amant stood there, the dust cloud settling around him, for a few seconds as he let the incident settle into his mind. Then he shook off his fur and looked at each of his companions. “What just happened here?” he asked and the others just shook their head. He shook his head, then strode up to the Lonely Wanderer, walking through the entrance to see a Earth Pony stallion standing behind the desk, jotting something down on a clipboard. He walked up to the desk and reached out a hoof to tap the bell when the stallion set his clipboard down.

“You need a room?” he asked and Amant nodded, still stunned at what had happened outside. The stallion chuckled. “You ran into Pinkie Pie, huh? Or rather, Pinkie ran into you?” he asked, looking the seven ponies up and down, who nodded. He smiled at them. “I figured as much,” he said, “most new ponies have that kind of reaction when they first meet our resident Party Pony.”

“Mmhmm,” Amant said slowly, then he blinked and pulled out a small bag of coins. “Three rooms,” he said as he fished out a silver bit and placed it on the counter. The stallion eyed the coin, his posture and mannerisms becoming more uptight.

“Right away, sir,” he said, turning around to fish out three room keys.

Amant watched him for a few seconds, then asked, “You’re used to seeing this kind of coin?”

“Occasionally, sir,” the stallion replied, laying the three keys on the counter, “I’ve had several nobles from Canterlot arrive throughout the years I’ve been open. I’m familiar with the value of silver, as well as the usual requests. Nopony will disturb you, I’ll make sure of that. Do what you will with the rooms. This,” he said as he tapped the silver bit, “is more than enough to cover any damages, even to three rooms.”

“We will only be staying for a few days, until my house is built,” Amant replied. The stallion let a flash of surprise glance across his face, but it vanished as soon as it came.

“You intend to stay in Ponyville, sir?” he asked.

“Only for six months,” Amant stated, “by then it will not matter for our problems will be solved, one way or another. If it all happens the way I plan, you will find yourself in need of a much larger hotel.” He took the keys off the counter and passed two of them back, then turned and left the room.

They strode down the hall, searching for their rooms, finding them at the end of the hall. They each unlocked the door, then walked in and closed them. Amant glanced around his room. It was sparse, only having one bed and a single table, but bore a window that allowed him to look out onto Ponyville. He pulled the shades down, then pulled a small device from his saddlebags and placed it on the table. He fed a small sliver of magic into it, causing it to glow green as runes blossomed on its surface. He raised a hoof and pressed one of the smaller buttons that ringed the center, then depressed the center. It burst into life as a large screen popped into being behind the device. Amant sat down on the bed as sixteen Changelings came into view, each one sitting around a table and watching him.

Amant stated,

one of the Changelings stated,

With that, the device dimmed and the screen vanished. Amant snatched it off the table and placed it back in his saddlebags. He pulled out a small notebook bound with metal rings and comprised of thin sheets of metal, accompanied by a metal pen with a diamond at its tip. He flipped open the front page and, grasping the pen in his magic, checked a single box on a long list of items. He then closed it and placed it back in his bags. He leaned back and flopped onto the bed, closing his eyes for a second.

a call came from over the hive mind, calling Amant back to the world around him.

he asked.

Amant replied,

The link closed and Amant relinquished his mind to sleep as he closed his eyes and left the world behind.

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Chapter 2 - Construction

Amant awoke to the soft prodding of the hive mind. He rolled over and extended his consciousness outward, feeling the minds of his seven other comrades. One stood out as the foreling that he’d asked to get a construction crew.

He groaned, rolling out of bed. His hooves padded on the soft carpet as he shook his head to clear the fog of drowsiness. He walked out of his room and continued out of the hotel, walking out into the brisk morning air, the sun a hoof above the horizon. He glanced around and caught sight of the golden building tops of Canterlot glistening in the sunlight. He sat there for a minute, thinking on the next step of his plan, until he was interrupted by a cyan blur streaking through the sky. He snapped back to reality and started walking again, not noticing the cyan blur curving around the town. He trotted down the lane until he came to the clearing.

He could hear the shouts and complaints even before he pushed his way through the brush. There, standing around a large hole in the center of the clearing, was a group of large stallions, muscled and sweaty, glaring down at three mares. He walked toward the largest of the stallions, who was currently nose to nose with one of the mares, until he was a few hooves away from the pair. He cleared his throat and the whole group turned to look at him.

“Is there a problem?” he asked softly.

“Excuse me sir,” the stallion stated, “but this mare here tells us that we’re doing things wrong.”

“Ah am!” the mare said, stomping her hoof on the ground, “ya’ll are doin’ the foundation wrong! It needs to be thicker!”

“Excuse me!” the stallion bellowed at her, though she glared up at him, not fazed at his anger, “we’ve been building homes for a dozen or so years! Who are you to tell us we’re doing something wrong?”

“Ah’ve read books.”

The stallion scoffed. “Read books,” he said, “that doesn’t give any experience. Talk to us when you’ve built more than fifteen homes.”

Amant stated, and he saw one of the Changelings stepping toward the drawing board and the blueprints. He sat down on the ground, sighing as he listened to the two ponies shouting at each other. He took the time to study the three mares, figuring that they were most likely locals.

The main mare, the Earth Pony, had a yellow coat with a soft red mane tied back. Her orange eyes boring holes into the stallion in front of her and she wore a wide brimmed, leather hat that shielded her face from the sun. She was muscular, Amant found interesting for a mare, and slightly tanned, showing that she had spent time out in the sun.

The second pony, a Unicorn, was alabaster like a statue. She reminded him so much of the Unicorn that had been talking with Applejack that they might be sisters. Her mane was two tone, purple and pink that matched almost perfectly with her coat. Her light green eyes shone with intelligence and bore the weight of wisdom for one her age.

The third was a Pegasus, though her wings were much too small for flight, it seemed to Amant. She had a dark orange coat with a contrasting purple mane, making her appear like the setting sun. Her purple eyes glaring daggers at the large stallion in front of her friend, daring him to make a move.

As he studied each mare, he came to the same conclusion: each one was missing the symbol on their flank that most ponies bore. A cutie mark, he recalled, that’s what they were. He never understood the reason for them, Changelings didn’t have cutie marks. They all had roles to play in the Empire and butt marks didn’t change that.

He sighed as the air around the mare and stallion radiated the heat of anger, finally deciding to step in. His horn sparked, the sound of a firecracker erupting between the two ponies, making them jump back in surprise. “Now then, let’s come to an agreement.”

the message came back from the Changeling studying the blueprints. Amant sent back a thanks, then turned his attention to the two ponies.

“Why would you diminish the strength of the foundation?” he directed his question to the stallion, unfazed by the glare that bore into his eyes.

“We haven’t been!” the stallion shouted, “we’ve been doing what we do best.”

“Yeah, cheatin' ‘onest ponies outta bits,” the mare muttered.

“Now that’s not right! We’re honest ponies, just trying to make it in this world.”

“By buying cheap materials, building faulty foundations, haphazard construction? Tha’s how ya’ll make yer livin’?” the mare stated, stomping her hoof on the ground.

Before the stallion could say anything else, Amant heard exclamations across the hive link, confirming the mare’s statement. Amant raised an eyebrow, turning to the stallion. “It appears my staff has confirmed this mare’s statements. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

The stallion’s jaw fell open. He stuttered for several minutes, struggling to say something. Finally Amant sighed, raising a hoof to silence the stallion.

“In that case, consider yourself off the job,” he said, “it appears like this mare knows what she’s doing. Pack up your crew and head home. Find somepony else to scam.”

The stallion stood there, stunned, then his face grew hard and he turned and stomped off, his crew followed.

Amant turned to the three mares, the rest of his company grouping behind him. “Thank you,” he bowed his head slightly, “it seems that you’ve saved me some time. Time that is important. What is your name?”

“Ah’m Apple Bloom,” the mare replied.

“Apple Bloom, I thank you,” Amant stated.

“It was nuttin’” Apple Bloom said, scraping her hoof on the ground.

“Sir,” one of the Changelings said, drawing the two’s attention, “we now have a problem. With no construction crew, how will we get our home built?”

Amant thought for a second, then turned to the Changeling. “How fast can we get others here?” he asked.

The Changeling paused for a bit and Amant could tell he was running numbers, then he said, “after getting a Waystone set up, we can have more here in three hours.”

Amant smiled, then turned to look at Apple Bloom. “It seems like we have a crew, but now we need a forepony,” he said with a glint in his eye, “I wonder where we could find a pony that we could trust, somepony that knows what they’re doing.”

The two other ponies nudged Apple Bloom, who was blushing slightly, her face tinted red. “Ah guess,” she said slowly, “Ah could do it…” Amant smiled and nodded, then guided her over to the blueprints and began to explain what he wanted in the home while half of his company started to build the necessary matrices for long distance teleportation, the rest cleared the land and marked off locations for materials as well as disposed of the leftover materials.

After several minutes of making sure that Apple Bloom knew what he wanted, Amant returned to stand by the edge of the clearing with the other two mares. They sat there for a time, watching the busy ponies work. A request had already been sent through the hive mind for materials and workers. It had been accepted and they were preparing on the Empire’s end as well. Soon they would have a gateway from here to the Empire and back.

He turned to look at the two mares next to him, studying them a little better. The Pegasus had a glint of courage in her eyes, fearlessness he realized having seen it in several hundred Changeling in his time. She sat with her back straight and wings tucked to her side, though twitches washed over her coat at times. It was almost like she wanted to do something more than just sit there. She glanced up at the sky and Amant followed her gaze to catch sight of a prismatic trail streaking across the sky. A wave of envy and desire washed over him and he turned back to the mare. She watched the streak with want burning in her eyes, deep and abiding. Her wings extended and flapped several times, but curled back up when the thrust wasn’t enough to even get her off the ground.

“How long have your wings been like that?” he asked, startling the Pegasus. She stared at him, eyes wide, then looked down.

“They’ve been like that my whole life,” she said, her eyes watering at the edges, “the doctors say that I’ll never be able to fly. I was able to hover above the ground with effort when I was a filly, but as I’ve grown older and my wings haven’t gotten any stronger, I can’t even do that.” Clear liquid ran down her cheek and splashed onto the ground near her hoof. “I want to fly so badly, to feel the wind in my mane and the air brush through my feathers. But,” she turned to look at the Unicorn on the other side of him and smiled, “if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with my friends as I have. And my friends are more important to me than anything.”

A warm wave of emotion flowed from the mare, washing over Amant and making him smile. Then he turned to look at the Unicorn.

She was truly a work of art. Her coat shimmered in the sunlight, smooth and silky. It was like she’d been chiseled out of marble, but she was too alive for that. Her green eyes saw everything as she scanned the clearing, her eyes lingering on tiny details such as the far trees and the marks on the ground that the crew had placed for the materials. Her pink and purple mane was curly, but just so. It was as if somepony had just twisted bits of her mane around their hoof a few times, giving it a spring that he’d not seen on many other mares. Her horn sparked occasionally with small jets of green sparks that matched her eyes. He felt thoughtfulness flow from the mare and she bore the look of a professor, thinking and analyzing. Then a spark flashed in her eyes and Amant felt a small wisp of something sweet flow off her like a breeze.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, causing her to squeek and jump slightly. She turned to look at him, a blush on her face.

“She’s probably thinking about Button,” the Pegasus stated, verbally jabbing her friend. The Unicorn stammered for a few seconds, then glared at the mare.

“So what if I am?” she demanded.

“When are you going to tell him you like him?” the Pegasus asked, but the other mare shook her head.

“I don’t know if he likes me back,” she said, her head falling with her voice, “I don’t want to bother him like that.”

“Just take a stab and tell him! And if he doesn’t like you back, there’ll be others out there who will.”

“Yeah, but he’s the one I want to like me back. I’d give anything to know for sure.”

“Ah come on, Rumble and I hit it off well enough, after we both got up the courage to tell each other.”

“Yeah. But Button likes video games and he’s always so happy when he plays them. I just want to keep that smile on his face as long as I can, even if it’s never directed at me.”

“Come on, Sweetie Belle, he’ll be lucky to get you,” the Pegasus said, moving over beside the other mare, “I’ve heard dozens of other stallions, even colts, say how drop dead gorgeous you are. You just need to really lay on the charm, make him see you for who you really are. Not just a friend, but somepony who wants to be more.”

Sweetie Belle just nodded, turning back to stare out into the clearing to watch the workers gouge out runes in the ground. The two mares and Amant sat there and watched the clearing buzz with activity. He would glance over occasionally at Apple Bloom who hovered over the blueprints, making marks on a nearby notebook and comparing figures.

The sun glided across the sky and it neared the western horizon when one of the Changelings strode over to Amant. “Sir,” he said, snapping a quick salute, “we’ve completed the array and have confirmed with the Empire, who are ready as well. We can now begin importing workers and materials.”

Amant nodded. “Let us begin,” he said. He stood up and walked over to the edge of the control array gouged into the ground next to the blueprint table. Apple Bloom looked up and saw him stand next to her, then step into the center of the circle. His horn sparked and the circle burst into green flames that licked the ground, but didn’t burn. Two more circles, each one equidistant from him around the circle, followed suit, their Changelings feeding magic into the array.

Then the sky ripped open. A circular hole, the same size as the array, tore open, revealing the arid sky of the Badlands. As Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and the Pegasus watched, a dozen Changelings disguised as ponies glided through the portal and landed outside the array, making way for the materials that would come. And come they did. As all present watched, dozens more disguised Changelings carried, levitated, hoisted, and lowered various materials into their allocated spots in the clearing. One of the Changelings flew over to Amant and he gestured over to the blueprints and Apple Bloom’s figures. The Changeling pulled out a scroll and unfurled it, checking the two lists of figures and materials against each other. Then he rolled the scroll back up and, nodding to Apple Bloom and snapping a salute to Amant, he turned and flew back into the portal, the material wielding Changelings followed after dropping off their supplies.

The ponies all watched the portal shrink down until it almost vanished when, to Amant’s surprise, a large bag was dropped through the portal before it closed. The bag hit the ground and toppled over, spilling hundreds of silver bits onto the ground. A Changeling ran over and gathered the coins up and stuffed them back into the bag, then stowed it out of the way. All the Changelings lined up in front of the drawing board and stood at attention, each one staring straight forward.

Amant looked them over. They were smart enough to take the forms of all three pony tribe in roughly equal number. Then he turned to Apple Bloom. “Here’s your crew,” he said, snickering at the sight of Apple Bloom’s mouth hanging open. She shut it quickly when she realized that all eyes were on her, then she turned to Amant.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

“Simple long range teleportation array,” he said, “It allows us to move ponies and materials almost anywhere needed. It takes some time to draw it up, but once it’s there, we can use it almost indefinitely as long as we have at least three mages available.”

“That was way awesome!” the Pegasus said, rushing over.

“And why do you say that?” Amant asked.

“Because! If we could figure out how to make that portable, we could use it for some wicked cool tricks! And Dash could pull off some even more stunning tricks in the air!”

“Always thinking about ways to impress Rainbow Dash, huh Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle said, though her eyes were focused on the point where the portal had appeared.

“Of course, why not?” Scootaloo inquired.

“Could you show us how it works?” Sweetie Belle asked. Amant shook his head.

“It only works with the right kind of magic,” he replied then, seeing her fallen face, he said, “I could have one of my company look over the array and see how we could adapt it to general use.”

Before the conversation could continue, Amant noticed Applejack and the alabaster Unicorn pushed their way through the brush while a prismatic Pegasus streaked over the treetops, landing at the edge of the clearing. The three ponies, mares he could see now, moved toward the group. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo smiled and charged toward the Unicorn and Pegasus, while Applejack strode up next to Apple Bloom.

“Looks like ya’ll got yer hooves full, sis,” she said, causing Apple Bloom to jump and spin around.

“Applejack!” she cried, hugging her sister around the neck, then she looked up at the sun and saw how late it was, “is it really that late?” Applejack nodded, then turned back to the others at the edge. She walked toward them, Apple Bloom following her, and she waved at Amant who waved back.

“Hello Applejack,” Amant said, shaking her hoof when she extended it, “nice to see you taking care of your sister. No worries, I won’t let anything bad happen to her.”

“Well, that’s mighty kind o’ ya, thanks,” Applejack smiled, then she turned to the Pegasus and Unicorn, “sorry, I’ve never introduced ya’ll to mah friends. This here is Rainbow Dash,” She gestured to the Pegasus who stood with an air of superiority, “and this is Rarity.” She pointed to the Unicorn standing next to Sweetie Belle.

“It’s wonderful to meet you both,” Amant stated, smiling at the two of them.

“Yes, quite wonderful indeed,” Rarity said, reflecting his smile, then turned to look at Sweetie Belle, “come along Sweetie Belle, it’s getting late and a lady needs her beauty sleep.”

“Yeah, the two of us should also get going,” Rainbow replied, “come on kid, I’ll walk you home.”

“Thanks Rainbow!” Scootaloo said, beaming as she followed the Pegasus through the brush and out of sight.

Amant watched the four mares walk away, then he turned to look at Apple Bloom. “When can you get here tomorrow? We’re on a schedule,” he said, business-like.

“Ah guess Ah could get here shortly after sunrise,” Apple Bloom replied, looking at Applejack who nodded.

“Excellent, I’ll have the crew rest up and be ready to go then.”

With that, the two farmmares walked out of the clearing. Amant looked out over the piles of materials at the dozen and a half Changelings. Tomorrow was going to be the beginning of a long journey. A journey that would end with either the complete destruction, or the complete rebirth of the world.

Author's Note

So, the wheel begins its slow movement along the track of destiny. We have Amant and company building a base near Ponyville, as well as a few hints about the future. More will come as the story progresses. Keep an eye out every Friday when I release a new chapter!

As always, read and review! Thanks!

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Chapter 3 - Interruption

Amant made his way back to the hotel after making sure everyling was comfortable. They had a busy day tomorrow and he wanted his company rested. He closed the door to his room and pulled out the small device, resting it on the table. He activated it and smiled as he saw the familiar faces of the sixteen Changeling rulers sitting at the council table.

he inquired.

Chrysalis stated,

Amant sat down on the bed and laid back. he said, A knock came at the door, but Amant ignored it as he continued, A knock came again and Amant frowned at the interruption, still remaining on the bed. The knock came again, more insistent this time. Amant growled out loud, his anger rising.

one of the kings stated, nodding in approval,

Whoever it was at the door didn’t get the hint and banged on it. Amant’s anger rose to a boiling point as he hopped off the bed and stomped over to the door, flinging it open. “What do you want!?” he shouted. A bright pink pony stood outside with a basket in her mouth. She set it down at his feet as he vaguely recognized her as the pony that bowled him over when he’d first got into town.

“Hi, my name’s Pinkie Pie and I was going to throw you a party, but when you didn’t show up I figured that you might not have known where the party was, though I guess that might make sense as I was trying to make it a surprise party and if you knew where the party would be, then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise party now would it?”

Amant rubbed his temples. Pinkie Pie was rambling faster than he thought possible and it didn’t look like she was going to stop anytime soon.

“So I decided to pack you a basket of all sorts of sweets and goodies and bring it to you. But then I realized that I didn’t know where you were staying until I heard Applejack, who’s a really good friend of mine, I hope I can introduce you to her, well I heard Applejack talking about how a new pony had just bought a small part of her farm for a large amount of silver bits. Then I asked her when they were staying and she said that she had pointed them to the Lonely Wanderer. I knew where that was, heck I know where every building in Ponyville is, though not in Canterlot even though I’ve been there several times it’s just a large city that I don’t think even I could—”

Pinkie would have gone on longer if not for Amant shoving a hoof in her mouth. He sighed and smiled at the silence. “Thanks, but I don’t need any help right now. I don’t need to be bothered, so just take your basket and leave.” He backed up and started to close the door when a pink hoof shot out and stopped him.

“Are you really sure? They’re the best treats that you could have. I mean I do try and make the best treats for all my friends and even though we just met you could be my friend. I would really really really love it if you considered me your friend because I already consider you my friend. I want to hang out and talk with each other about all the cool things we’ve done. Or we could go pranking, Rainbow Dash and I love to go pranking. Rainbow Dash is another friend of mine that I could introduce you to…”

With each word, Amant’s anger rose. Finally he lit his horn, grabbing hold of Pinkie’s hoof and throwing it off the door and her away from his doorstep. “No, I don’t need friends. I don’t need your sweets. I don’t like them and I don’t like nosy ponies getting into my business. Leave me alone and let me play my game!” With that, he slammed the door shut and bolted it.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” Pinkie said, then trotted over and picked up the basket in her mouth. She turned and bounced away, already planning on how to make this new friend like her.

Amant watched her bounce away and sighed. The fate of this world didn’t rely on him making friends, only the manipulation of all the players. In order to do that, he needed to be focused, and he couldn’t do that if some crazy pony was trying to make friends with him. He heard a chuckle from behind him and he turned his attention to the council. Queen Chrysalis was chuckling and looked like she was having a hard time stopping herself from bursting out in laughter.

she said and Amant glared at her. She waved the glare away,

Amant retorted,

a queen stated,

Amant said, clearing his mind, The council looked at each other, then finally Chrysalis spoke up.

she said, A screen popped up in front of Amant and he could see the outlines of six ponies, all mares, form on it. He stared at it, trying to remember if he’d seen anypony like them around town during the past day. His eyes flashed open when he recognized three of them. He raised a hoof and gestured to the three.

he said, pointing at the three top outlines,

Chrysalis nodded.

Amant nodded. He ended the communication and tucked the device back into his bags, then slumped onto the bed and let sleep overtake him.

Author's Note

Short chapter this time. Sorry I forgot to update last Friday, but I guess you all get two chapters this week! Anyways, Amant meets Pinkie Pie and we see a little bit of his personality toward interruptions.

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Chapter 4 - Return

A lone figure crested the hill overlooking Ponyville. She bore only a cape and pointed hat, each one embroidered with stars and moons, and had saddlebags slung over her back that were covered by the cape. The saddlebags bore only the smallest amount needed for the mare to survive, though it was running out fast. She sat down and levitated a small bag of coins from her bags. She gave it a shake over a hoof, only to have two bits fall from sack. She sighed, then placed them back in the bag and returned it to her saddlebags. She was at her end. If this gamble didn’t work…well, she didn’t know what she’d do. Probably wander off and starve, she thought bitterly.

The sun peeked through the mountains to shine its rays down into the valley. The mare could only watch as the town was bathed by the slow and steady fire of sunlight, turning the homes from dull to bright, finally ending with its light shining on the crystalline tower that was her destination. She pulled out a newspaper with the words Equestria Daily written on top and a large picture of the newest princess on the front cover. She was waving at the crowd with the words Princess Twilight will rule from the town of Ponyville across the bottom. The mare swallowed, then gazed at the crystal tower again. If she was going to do this, she’d better get it over with. She stowed the newspaper and started down the road into the town.

As she walked through town, she was glad that there weren’t very many ponies awake at this time. She didn’t know if they would remember her from the last two times coming here, but she was sure if they did they wouldn’t be too happy about it. She moved as fast as she dared, trying not to make a disturbance but also trying to get to the tower as fast as possible. She wanted, needed to know if this would work. If it didn’t then she’d rather be out of Ponyville quickly. The town had bad memories for her, ones that she didn’t fancy dredging up.

She made it to the castle with little incident, only a foal caught her eye as she looked around which made her pull her hat down farther and rush on, and she gazed up at it. The tower was more than that. It was about as wide around as the treehouse had been, several smaller towers emerging at different heights as the tower rose to the sky. It finally ended dozens of hooves above her head in a point with a purple flag flying from the pole there. The flag bore the commonly accepted symbol for the Elements of Harmony, five gems of different colors arranged in a circle around a sixth in the center, each one connected by a shield of gold. The mare didn’t have much time to think about the flag when the doors she’d been sitting in front of swung open. The mare dropped her gaze to the doors as a familiar purple Alicorn strode out into the sunlight. She dropped down into the lowest bow she could as the Alicorn stood over her, shock and surprise on her face.

“Trixie?” the Alicorn asked, “what are you doing here?”

“Twil—Princess Twilight Sparkle, Trix-I mean I have come here to ask something of you,” Trixie said, her hat falling off and landing in the dirt.

“Trixie, please get up and come inside, I was just about to start my day,” Twilight said, levitating the hat off the ground. She waited until Trixie rose from her bow and she walked back into the castle, the showmare following her. Twilight set the hat on a peg close to the door, then walked down the hall. Trixie froze as the doors closed behind her, staring down the hallway. It glistened in the morning light, obliterating the shadows and causing everything to glow softly. The carpet was soft under her hooves and a tear ran down her cheek as she looked around. Twilight stopped when she realized Trixie wasn’t following her. She turned back to the stunned mare and watched as tears ran down her face, falling onto the carpet.

“Trixie,” Trixie sniffed, “I mean, if I’d known this…” Her voice fell away as Twilight walked back to her and rested a wing over the trembling mare’s back. With that smallest grace, Trixie collapsed on the ground, tears flowing like a river onto the carpet. Twilight sat down next to Trixie, still resting her wing over the mare. She nudged Trixie’s horn with her muzzle, causing the mare to look up at her.

“I don’t know what’s happened to you after you left Ponyville each time you did,” Twilight said softly, raising Trixie’s head and levitating over a tissue. Trixie took hold of it in her hooves and started to wipe her eyes as Twilight continued, “but I’m sorry for the way I treated you. After you left last time I was angry at what you’d done to my friends. I wanted to run after you and make you pay for all the horrible things you did to Ponyville.” Trixie shrank away from Twilight, fear flashing on her face. “But,” Twilight moved closer to the frightened mare, “thinking about it more I came to realize that you and I are a lot alike. You didn’t have many friends before coming to Ponyville, and you didn’t get the best welcome either.

“Before moving to Ponyville, I only cared about my books. I only wanted to read, never go to parties, though I was invited to dozens. My only focus was strengthening my magic. Reading and practicing was all I had time for, or so I thought. Then when Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to prepare for the Summer Sun Celebration with the added note to make friends while I was here, I resented her. I thought she wasn’t taking me seriously. But when Nightmare Moon returned and the girls and I went into the Everfree Forest to retrieve the Elements of Harmony, I learned more and more the importance of friends. I came to realize that I couldn’t return to my studies, that magic was useless unless you had friends, that friendship really was the most powerful magic I could study.

“Each time you came to Ponyville, you were trying to make a living, but you were also trying to make friends. You wandered because you didn’t have anywhere to call home. Even now you don’t have your show cart with you. You still don’t have a place to call your own. And here I am, the Princess of Friendship, charged with spreading the magic of friendship all over Equestria. I guess it only seems fitting to start doing that in my own hometown, don’t you think?”

Trixie looked up at Twilight, the fur on her face wet with tears. “But that’s impossible,” she whispered, “you’re willing to forgive me, even after all that I’ve done?”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s not impossible when you think about how powerful the magic of friendship is,” she said standing up and holding out a hoof for Trixie. Trixie stared at it, then hesitantly raised a hoof and took Twilight’s. Twilight pulled her up onto her hooves, then pulled her into a hug. “That’s why, Trixie Lulamoon, I want to extend the invitation to be my friend,” she said with a smile on her face.

Trixie’s jaw fell open and she shook her head slowly. “No,” she said, and Twilight’s face fell slightly, “no, I don’t deserve to be your friend.”

Twilight nodded her head softly. “Then if you don’t want to be my friend,” she said thoughtfully, “how about you learn about friendship from me?”

Trixie stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “You mean,” she said slowly, almost unbelieving, “you want to make me your student?”

“Why not?” Twilight said, smiling, “Princess Celestia’s taken at least two, and I’m sure even more than that, and she’s running the entire country. So why can’t I when I only have a town to take care of?”

Her eyes tearing up again, Trixie wrapped her hooves around the princess, hugging her like she’d vanish if Trixie let go.

“I’m home,” Trixie whispered, “I’m finally home.”

Author's Note

Short chapter this time, but this chapter we meet a familiar face, one seeking redemption.

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Chapter 5 - Honesty

Amant woke up to the slight crack of sunlight that shone through his half closed curtains. He rolled out of bed, strode out his door, and headed for the construction site. He got there after a bit to see Apple Bloom and the crewlings already at work, digging out the foundation and preparing cement to be poured. He spied Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sitting by the edge, careful not to get in the way of any of the workers. Amant sat down next to them and watched the clearing buzz with activity. He glanced over at Scootaloo. “Scootaloo?” he asked and she looked at him.

“You could call me Scoot, all my friends do,” she said.

“Yes, well,” he said as he cleared his throat, “I don’t plan on staying here long, especially not long enough to make friends.”

The two mares stared at him in surprise. “Not make friends?” Scootaloo said, “but anypony can. It’s not that hard, and it takes almost no time at all. In fact, I’d say that you’ve already made friends with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I. Maybe even Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity by association.”

“Perhaps, but the end goal does not depend on me making friends,” Amant retorted.

“That’s what Princess Twilight said when she first came to Ponyville,” Sweetie Belle piped in, “but then when she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon, she realized how important friends are.”

Amant perked up his ears at that. “So,” he said slowly, “who are her friends?”

“Well, everypony in town is, really,” Scootaloo said, “but her five best friends are Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack, who all met you yesterday, as well as Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. They’re the six mares that Ponyville has to thank for dealing with all the disasters and such, like with Discord or the Changeling Queen.”

Amant almost choked on his breath. “Wait,” he asked, “you know who the Changelings are?”

“Yeah, ever since five years ago when they crashed Princess Cadence’s wedding,” Sweetie Belle, “Ponies don’t really like it when other ponies impersonate royalty, especially to invade Canterlot.”

“But what do you all think about them?” Amant asked.

“I think they’re cool!” Scootaloo said, “imagine being able to transform into anypony you want! I could look like Rainbow Dash and fly as fast as she does! It would be amazing!”

“True,” Sweetie Belle stated, “but it could also be dangerous. What if you ran into somepony that you looked like, then you would have to explain why you look like them.”

“Yeah, but if you stayed away from their town, you wouldn’t have to worry about it,” Scootaloo replied.

“But if somepony saw you, then saw the other pony, they would wonder what was going on.”

“That’s why it’s tricky with illusion magic,” Amant piped in, “Unicorns have to be careful not to imitate anypony that would be easily recognizable. I think the same goes for Changelings.”

“Yeah, but it would be cool. Imagine all the pranks I could play!” Scootaloo said, a smile on her face and a far off look in her eyes as she daydreamed of the possibilities.

Amant watched her for a second, then turned his attention back to the reason he’d come over. “So, tell me,” he said, drawing their attention back to him, “these five friends of Princess Twilight, were they there when she picked up the Elements of Harmony?”

“Were they there!?” Scootaloo broke out of her revere to gape at him, “they were the ones that were chosen by the Elements of Harmony to help Twilight!”

“Wait, are you saying that you’re not the Element Bearers?” Amant stared at the two of them, mouth open.

Scootaloo shook her head. “Nope, though it would be cool to be one. Rainbow’s the Element of Loyalty, and I’m trying to be like her every day. That’s why friends are so important to me.”

“And my sister Rarity is the Element of Generosity,” Sweetie Belle replied, “that’s why her shop does so well, even though she doesn’t sell many dresses. She does touch ups and fixes for free, and many ponies like her work so she gets referrals all the time. She’s worked on several lines of dresses for many of the nobles in Canterlot, like Fancy Pants and his wife, along with Sapphire Shores. She’s even hosted a few fashion shows attended by Hoity Toity, and traveled to Manehattan for competitions.”

“Yep, and Applejack’s the Element of Honesty, so good luck trying to lie to her,” Scootaloo smiled, “Apple Bloom works hard to live up to her sister’s image.”

“All of us do,” Sweetie Belle stated, “the Elements of Harmony are less of an old mare’s tale and more of a reality for us. We live alongside the Bearers and we see how they live their life. We can only try to do the same.”

“And the other two are Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, each one represents an Element of Harmony,” Scootaloo remarked.

“Together with Princess Twilight, they all form the Elements of Harmony. But since giving the Elements back to the Tree of Harmony we don’t know what’s going to happen. I mean, they still have the cool ability to shoot a rainbow at anypony who stands against them, but how can they do that without using the Elements?” Scootaloo asked.

“So what can you tell me about Rainbow Dash?” Amant asked. Scootaloo smiled widely.

“Boy could I tell you anything you want!” she yelped with joy, “I’m part of her fan club and love to watch her.”

“How does she show Loyalty?”

Scootaloo thought for a few minutes, then said, “she’s always there when you need her. She’s willing to set aside her own troubles and difficulties to help anypony out. She was there to encourage Fluttershy when she was scared to help out lifting water to Cloudsdale. She gave me courage when I was depressed that I couldn’t fly for our flag carrying at the Equestrian Games. She saved Rarity when she fell during the Best Young Fliers Competition in Cloudsdale instead of going on with her routine.”

“But let’s not forget that she’s also prideful, stubborn, boastful and headstrong,” Sweetie Belle piped in.

“Well, yeah, she is those things. But when it comes to Loyalty, she’s the pony you’d be glad to have on your side when the going gets tough,” Scootaloo defended.

Amant thought for a second. “Do you know where I might find her?” he asked, “I’d like to ask her how she views Loyalty.”

“Well, since it’s the morning she might be sleeping in the orchards at Sweet Apple Acres,” Scootaloo said, “or she could be practicing her stunts. Though that’s easy enough to figure out if she’s doing that or sleeping.” She pointed up at the sky and Amant nodded, then he stood and left the clearing.

He walked toward the apple farm, hoping to find Rainbow Dash. He searched among the trees, gazing up into the branches. He was so busy looking up that he didn’t bother looking straight ahead, thus plowing into the side of a wagon that decided it wanted to say hello to him. He tumbled to the ground and shook his head, only to find his view filled with the sight of a familiar farmpony staring down at him in concern.

“Ya’ll alrigh’?” Applejack asked, helping him up, “Ah guess Ah was too busy workin’ that Ah didn’t even see ya.”

“No problem,” Amant said, dusting off his fur, “do you know where I might find Rainbow Dash in this forest of apple trees?”

“Rainbow?” Applejack asked, “well, she’s prob’ly sleepin’, Celestia knows she loves ta do it when Ah’m workin’.”

“Thanks,” Amant replied and started to trot off down the rows before a thought struck him and he turned back to chase after the wagon. He ran around a tree and almost slammed into the back of the wagon. He dug his heels into the ground to stop him inches from the wooden wagon. “Applejack?” he asked, poking his head around the wooden obstacle to see the farmpony dragging out buckets large enough for her to sleep in from the wagon and setting them around a tree filled with apples. She set down a bucket and turned to look at him.

“Yes?” she asked, fishing out another bucket.

“Do you mind if I spent the day with you?” he asked, “I’ve got a few questions I need to ask you.”

“Sure,” she replied, “as long as ya’ll don’t mind workin’. Too many things ta do on the farm to stop for a chat, unless yer Granny.”

“Great! What do I do?” Amant asked.

“Take these here baskets and set ‘em around the trunk of these trees,” Applejack pointed out several trees close to the wagon, “then when they’re all there, buck the trunk as hard as ya can. Don’t worry about hurtin’ ‘em, they’re good ‘n strong.”

Amant lit his horn and pulled a basket from the wagon. He grunted in effort as he hefted the heavy basket the dozen or so hooves to the foot of a tree then he dropped it, letting it slam into the ground as he huffed. He turned back to the wagon only to see Applejack watching him.

“What?” he said, still a little out of breath.

“It’s just ya’ll don’t use yer magic very often, do ya?” she asked.

“Why do you say that?” he grunted as he hefted another basket out of the wagon.

“Cause Ah’ve seen Twilight levitate hundreds of apples off their trees and into baskets. Ah’ve even seen ‘er carry several, full baskets at one time. Ya’ll are outta breath after one, empty basket.

“Well,” he said, thinking back to his time in the Empire, “I didn’t really have need to use my magic.”

“A Unicorn that doesn’t use their magic fer everythin’? Now Ah’ve heard o’ everythin’!” He watched Applejack chuckle as she pulled out a stack of buckets, then set them down next to a tree. She studied the tree, then spun around and slammed her hind legs into the trunk. Amant winced at the force behind the blow, but it was swallowed up in shock and surprise as he heard the sound of dozens of apples falling off the tree and landing in the baskets. He watched the buckets fill with apples, then Applejack turn and heft a bucket onto her back, finally placing it in the wagon. She did that for the other full buckets, turning to look at him as she placed the last bucket down.

“How do you do that?” he asked.

“Applebuck?” she replied, “simple, Ah line up mah shot and take it. These trees are hardy, they’ve been through a lot. Cold winters, long, hot summers, even Parasprite infestations. There’s not much they can’t handle. Now, didn’t ya’ll have some questions fer me?”

Amant blinked, then nodded, remembering the reason he’d offered to spend the day with the farmpony. “Yes, what is Honesty to you?”

“Honesty?” Applejack grunted, slamming her hind hooves into the next tree and listening to the apples land in the bucket, “Honesty is doin’ the right thing. Tellin’ the truth, no matter what happens.”

He nodded at that answer, then continued, “how do you emulate it?”

“Emu-what now?”

“Show it, I mean.”

“Well, that’s an easy one. Ah sell these here apples at a fair price. Ah only bring the best ones to market. Ah even give the occasional apple away, good fer business.” Applejack stopped and thought for a bit, then continued, “Ah also try ta only tell the truth. Ah know it might hurt other ponies when Ah do it, but it’s mah duty as the Element of Honesty to say the hard things. Ah didn’t tell the truth one time, and Granny almost got hurt because of it. Since then, Ah’ve alway tried to tell the truth, no matter what. Why so curious about it?”

Amant waved a hoof as if to ward off a fly. “I’m just curious, that’s all,” he deflected.

Applejack stared hard at him. “One other thing Ah’m gifted with,” she said, a cold edge to her voice, “is the ability ta tell if anypony’s lyin’ or not tellin’ the whole truth. And Ah can tell that you ain’t saying the whole truth.”

Amant gulped as her emerald eyes drilled into his. “I-I can’t tell you,” he stammered. It was almost like she was skinning him, pulling back layers upon layers, trying to see the very core of his being, “if I tell you, it will change the future.”

“Not tellin’ the whole truth.” The air seemed to drop a few degrees, her voice was so cold.

“Fine!” he said, “just stop looking at me!” Applejack blinked, breaking the grasp she had on him and he continued after taking a few breaths, “something big is coming.”

“Nuthin’ we can’t handle,” Applejack said, leaning against a tree trunk.

“You can’t handle this,” he replied, “it’s something larger than anything you’ve ever faced.”

“Larger than a Changeling invasion?” Applejack laughed. She didn’t catch his flinch at the mention of the invasion.

“Much larger,” he stated, “He will make the Empire look like an ant hill in comparison.”

“Who is he?”

A chill rushed through the row, ruffling their coats and sending shivers up Amant’s spine.

“Odium,” he said in a fearful whisper, “the Shardbreaker. He’s the one responsible for everything bad in this world. He’s the reason for Harmony being in as many pieces as it is.”

“But the Elements can’t be destroyed,” Applejack whispered, her eyes wide.

“He made them that way. They used to be one, now they are eight. It’s because he came to this world, but was defeated before he could complete his work.”

“How do you know this?”

“Studies, long and hard studies,” Amant replied, “I’ve been around for a long time, long enough to see patterns. I have seen the rise and fall of kingdoms, the growth and receding of nations. I am almost as immortal as the Princesses themselves.”

“How?” Applejack asked.

“I can’t tell you that,” he said and Applejack glared at him, “I can’t! It’s part of my mission. I can’t reveal who I am or everything I have worked for, everything I will work for will be for naught.”

Applejack glared at him, he could feel himself melting under her stare. Then she cleared her throat. “Ah guess this is somethin’ Twilight migh’ want ta know,” she said and Amant’s eyes grew wide and fearful.

“No!” he shouted, “you can’t tell anypony! The future is already off balance because I’ve told you, you can’t even tell your friends! Promise me you won’t tell anypony!”

“Now hold on there, stallion,” Applejack said, raising her hooves in a defensive gesture, “why even tell me?”

“Because you asked, and you’re Honesty. I can’t lie to you, even if I wanted,” Amant said, hanging his head.

Applejack thought about it, the wind blowing through the trees and tossing strands of her mane around, then she nodded. “If it’s important enough to tell me, but nopony else, Ah guess it’s good enough fer me. Ah promise Ah won’t breath a word to anypony. Ah won’t tell anypony, not until ya’ll tell ‘em.”

Amant nodded, relief showing on his face as he slumped to the ground. “Thank you,” he sighed.

Applejack gazed up at the row of trees, many of them still holding apples in their leafy grasp. “If ya’ll don’t mind,” she said, standing up, “Ah’ve got quite a bit o’ work ahead of me. Ready for more?”

Amant nodded, then lit his horn and grunted as he hefted the buckets around another tree. They worked in silence for a while then they took a short break and Applejack pulled several apples from the buckets while he took a seat underneath one of the empty trees. He turned to look at Applejack as she slumped down on the ground, her hat falling into her lap and sweat dripping off her nose.

“What do you think of the other Elements?” he asked and Applejack looked at him, surprised.

“Well, Rainbow and Ah have a competitive streak when we git together, but she’s a great pony. Rarity’s a bit dramatic, but good to have around when it comes ta talkin’ to the fancy folk.”

“No, what I mean is what do you think about the other aspects of Harmony? Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Friendship?” he said, stopping her before she went on.

Applejack sat back and thought for a bit. “Well now, that’s a question Ah ain’t been asked before,” she said, her voice faint while she thought. “Loyalty,” she said slowly, “is standin’ by mah friends, no matter what. Kindness is bein’ nice ta ponies, even if they ain’t nice ta you. Generosity is givin’ stuff away without havin’ ponies pay fer it. Laughter is keepin’ a smile on yer face, and helpin’ others smile. Friendship, now that’s a tricky one. Friendship is just bein’ there fer ponies.”

Amant nodded as he absorbed what she’d said, rolling it over in his mind. He popped another apple into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “And what of Tolerance?” he asked.

Applejack glanced at him. “Ain’t no Element of Harmony named that,” she said, “at least, none that Ah’ve heard. But Tolerance means dealing with other ponies and their attitudes all the time and not gettin’ angry.”

“And Love?”

“Now that righ’ there’s somethin’ Ah know about,” Applejack laughed, “Love is carin’ fer yer kin. Relatives and all, helpin’ them when they need it.”

Amant smiled, then hoisted himself back onto his hooves. He reached down and helped Applejack up, dusting off her coat. “Well, with that out of the way, what say you to me helping the rest of the day? You’ve given me a few things to think about, now I’d better help you out.”

Applejack nodded, sliding her hat back on her head and tugging it down slightly. “Ah reckon we’d better git a move on then, the sun ain’t gonna stop for nopony.”

A few hours later, when the sun was setting behind the trees, Amant wandered home, a bag of fresh apples in his magical grasp and a smile on his face. That was one Element out of six that he needed to talk to, to find out their grasp on both their element as well as the others. Things were moving forward in a steady motion, he thought as he dropped the bag by his bed and flopped down into it, things were definitely moving forward. And with that thought, he fell asleep, dreams of achieving his mission playing through his sleep the entire night.

Author's Note

Alright, it's been a long time, but I've got a few more chapters done.

As for this chapter, we see Amant talking with Applejack and we finally have a name for our enemy. But what is he? And how powerful is he really?

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Chapter 6 - Redemption?

Amant strolled down the lane. He didn’t really have anywhere to be today. He’d reported in to the council about his findings with Applejack and was told to space out his visits to the other five Elements, to ensure time for each one to think about his questions and meditate on their respective shard of Harmony. He had agreed, reluctantly, though he didn’t like the idea of sitting around and waiting for things to happen. He had been told that Equestria has waited for several thousand years, it could afford to wait a few days.

He had also checked on his house. Seeing the pace by which it went up was pleasing. He was glad that Apple Bloom had agreed to be the foremare for his crew. It made things happen a lot quicker. Apple Bloom, the very name called up the thought of the mare, her rose red hair tied back in a ponytail with her hat perched on top her head as she gazed around at the construction site. Apple Bloom who would smile at him whenever he visited the site. Apple Bloom, who would smile as she studied the blueprints, writing things down on her notepad. Apple Bloom who was the first one at the site and the last one to leave, as he’d been told by several of the Changelings there.

He was interrupted from his train of thought when he heard what sounded like sniffling. He raised an eyebrow and crept slowly toward the sound. As he rounded a hedge to peer into the park he caught sight of two mares sitting on a bench, one of them was hugging the other. He moved closer, hoping not to be seen, though he didn’t know why he was bothering with this. He didn’t like ponies poking their noses into his business, so why should he? He wanted to just turn around and head back into town, but something pulled his attention away from anything else and onto the two mares. There was something about the two that made him want to help them, in any way he could.

He finally stepped out from the bushes and walked down the path toward the mares, and he was able to get a good look at the two of them. The one hugging the other mare, who Amant could now tell was the one crying, was gray coated with a two tone mane of white and silver that had half of it tied into a braid and bore a pair of spectacles on her nose. The mark on her flank was of a silver spoon with a heart shaped gem in the handle. She looked up as he approached, causing the other mare to quickly sit up and wipe her nose with her foreleg. This mare was pink, but darker than Pinkie Pie was, and had a mane of purple and white with a silver tiara sitting on top. Her mark was that of a tiara, similar to the one that adorned her forehead. She sniffed once, then glared at him.

“What does a blank flank want with us?” she snapped, and Amant raised an eyebrow.

“Blank flank?” he asked.

“It means you don’t have a cutie mark,” the silver one stated, gesturing to her flank.

“Ah,” he replied, “I don’t think I can get one. It’s a little unheard of for my kind to get one, as I have never seen one on anypony I’ve been around.”

“So you’re an eternal blank flank?” the second one asked and Amant shrugged.

“Well, it’s not really important,” he said, “you see, I’m not here to get a butt tattoo, but to help save the world. And I can’t help but feel like you two mares are going to help me.”

“Please,” the first mare snapped, “it’s not like Equestria needs us to help it. We have the precious Elements of Harmony to protect us.”

“Yes, but there may be things that even they can’t fix,” the second one stated, “remember Tirek? It was only because Princess Twilight was an Alicorn that she was able to stop him. The Elements didn’t do anything, in fact they were caught just like anypony else.”

“Yeah, well, still. What can we do that they can’t?” asked the first one.

“You can learn, can’t you?” Amant asked.

“Of course we can,” snorted the first.

“Good,” he said, “first things first. My name is Amant Septim. What’s your’s?”

“I’m Silver Spoon, and this is Diamond Tiara,” the silver one stated, gesturing to herself then to her friend.

“Wonderful, Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, it’s nice to meet you. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, why were you crying?” Amant asked.

“It’s because we tease those blank flanks all day, and they never give up. They never get frustrated at each other. They always seem to be happy around each other and we can’t stand it!” Diamond complained, stomping her hoof down on the ground.

“Well, that is quite interesting,” he replied, “do you know why that is?”

“We can guess it’s because they’re such good friends,” Silver stated.

“Well then, why not become their friends? They are open to making new ones, so why not try your luck?”

“It’s because they don’t want to be friends with us, we’ve teased them for years now,” Diamond stated.

“Have you tried asking?” Amant asked.

The two mares looked at each other, then shook their heads. “No,” Silver said, “we haven’t.”

“So try that then!”

“But-” Diamond started to say but Amant held up a hoof.

“No buts,” he said, turning around, “come on! You’re going to help save Equestria, and I feel like you’re going to need to make friends.” He walked out of the park and headed to his home site. Diamond and Silver watched him walk away, then they looked at each other and shrugged.

“The worst they can do is tell us they don’t want to be friends. It’s not like we haven’t heard that before,” Silver said, and Diamond nodded.

“So, let’s go give this a chance. Who knows, maybe they will forgive us?”

With that, they hopped off the bench and hurried to catch up to Amant, following him to the clearing that was bustling with activity. Apple Bloom was directing the crewlings to start building the floor, as well as helping build several frames for the walls. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were helping out by hauling wood and tools to anypony who needed it. Amant walked up to Apple Bloom, who was currently nailing a board to what looked like a finished frame. She looked up when she noticed Amant walking toward her and she smiled. Amant stopped a few hooves away and let her pull out a rag and wipe her face with it, stowing it in her saddlebags. Her smile faltered slightly when she looked behind him and saw the two mares that had followed him. She walked up to Diamond and Silver and stared at them. Diamond shrank under her fiery stare and even Silver swallowed hard.

“Can Ah help ya’ll?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Well, we’d like to ask you a question,” Silver said softly, her eyes darting to the side when she noticed Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle coming over. Scootaloo bore a look of hatred toward the two mares, but Sweetie Belle looked curious.

“Yeah?” snapped Scootaloo, “and what’s that? Want to make fun of us more for not having a cutie mark?” She twisted around to display her blank flank at the two mares and Diamond cringed from the sight.

“No,” Diamond squeaked, “look, we’re really sorry that we’ve teased you all these years, but to be honest, we’re…” The remainder of her sentence was lost to mumblings and Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow.

“You’re what?” she coaxed.

“We’re kind of, well, jealous,” Silver said, poking at the ground with her hoof.

“Jealous?” asked Apple Bloom, not sure she heard right.

“Yes, jealous you country bumpkin, that’s what we…” Diamond started to say, but froze when she realized what she was saying, then swallowed and tried again. “Yes,” she said, calmer now, “jealous. We were, are, jealous of your friendship.” The three other mares stood there with their mouths open and eyes wide.

“How can you be jealous? Of us?” Scootaloo said, her tone now devoid of much of her previous anger.

“It’s because no matter what happens, or how much we tease you,” Silver explained, “you’re always good friends at the end of the day. Diamond and I have only ever had each other, and we’ve been lonely as we’ve seen our classmates grow up and make new friends. But with our reputations as bullies, we figured nopony would want to be our friends.”

“That’s right,” Diamond stated, “we’ve watched you three have so much fun and we’ve wanted that too. You always seem to enjoy trying to get your cutie marks by doing different things and we’ve wanted to be a part of that as well.”

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom shared a knowing look at Diamond’s comment, then they turned back to look at the two mares. “Alright,” Apple Bloom stated, “ya’ll can be our friends.” Diamond and Silver smiled at that, their eyes sparkling.

“Really?” whispered Diamond, “just like that, you’ll let us be your friends?”

“Sure, why not?” Apple Bloom asked, “Ah can tell yer sincere, and it seems like friends are important to ya. What kinda friend would Ah be if Ah didn’t let even bullies be our friend? Remember Babs? When she first came here, ya’ll turned her against us, but when she left we were great friends! She even came to the Apple family reunion. If that can happen to her, why can’t it happen ta anypony?”

Diamond started to tear up, a single drop running down her face at the thought of having friends, then she tackled Apple Bloom to the ground, sobbing. “Thank you,” she said, “thank you thank you thank you!” Silver Spoon looked at the two mares on the ground, then at the other two watching. She gave a shy smile and they returned it, Scootaloo a little more hesitant than Sweetie Belle.

“So,” Diamond looked up at the mess of materials, “what are you doing?”

“Ah’m helping to build Amant’s home!” Apple Bloom grinned from beneath her.

“And what are you two doing?” Silver asked Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

“We’re helping,” Sweetie Belle stated, smiling, “mostly by fetching nails and hammers, but also by moving materials and helping support frames and the like.”

“Is there any need for two more Earth Ponies?” Diamond said, looking down at Apple Bloom with hope in her eyes.

“Sure! We could all really use the help!” Apple Bloom replied, squirming out from under Diamond and stood up.

They spent the remainder of the day laughing and smiling as they helped each other. Occasionally Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon would complain at the amount of dirt that was on them, but after glancing over at the other three and seeing smirks on their faces, they just shrugged it off and got back to work. Amant watched each of the five mares help out, but he found his gaze sliding back to Apple Bloom. He didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to have a butt tattoo, but he just figured that it was something that Equestrians cared about.

He was so lost in thought by the end of the day that he didn’t even notice a certain yellow Earth Pony poke her face right into his until they were almost touching noses. He gave a cry of surprise and toppled backward, Apple Bloom rushing forward to grab him, but her hind legs slipped and she found herself on top of him. Both of them froze for a second. Due to the awkward position, Amant couldn’t help but notice the smaller details of the mare, from the small drops of sweat that clung to her forehead, the way the setting sun shone in her eyes, deepening their color, and even the heavy breathing that attested to a long day’s work. He raised his hooves to help her off him and they brushed her sides. He could feel the muscle through the soft coat and he found himself unable to breath as he watched her move, each muscle tensing in a way that seemed to make her entire body dance. She pushed herself up by bracing on either side of his head and he caught the whiff of sweat mixed with something sweet.

Apple Bloom pulled off her hat and fanned her face as she rested against a tree, her face warm from the sunlight and heat. Amant stood up and tried not to look at her, but he found his gaze always coming back to the farmpony. She almost reminded him of Applejack, the way she leaned up against the tree. She slid her hat back on. “Sorry about tha’,” she said, “Ya’ll were in a daze and Ah though ya might want ta know it’s time ta head home.” Amant heard her but the words didn’t register as she walked away after smiling at him, his eyes dropping to her flank and the absence of a butt tattoo.

He was knocked out of his staring by a shove, throwing him to the ground. He grunted and looked at what had pushed him, finding Scootaloo standing over him, looking extremely possessive.

“You hurt her,” she growled, glancing at Apple Bloom, “and I’ll snap your horn off, grind it up, and feed it to you. Got that?”

Amant shoved her off him. “I’m not going to do anything,” he growled back, “I’m here for one purpose and one purpose alone. She doesn’t calculate into that, alright?”

Scootaloo just huffed in disbelief, then ran out of the clearing. He stood up and dusted his coat off, then glanced around and caught sight of Sweetie Belle. He flinched. “You’re not going to tackle me to the ground, are you?” he asked.

Sweetie Belle laughed, like the sound of rain falling on crystal. “No, of course not,” she said, “first Rarity would kill me if I came home any dirtier than I am now. And second, I think it’s cute. She needs a good stallion.”

“What are you talking about?” Amant demanded, “I don’t care about her! She’s just a foremare that I hired to finish my house!”

“Yeah, a foremare that you can’t keep your eyes off for a single second,” Sweetie Belle giggled as she turned and left the clearing.

Amant stared after her, then slammed his hooves into the ground, grunting in frustration and anger. He tilted his head back and shouted his frustrations to the heavens, making the clearing echo with his cries, as the sun set and the moon took its place in the sky. He grumbled as he stormed out of the clearing, finally making his way into his hotel room. He threw himself on the bed, not even bothering to contact the council. He grumbled for a long time, hoping sleep would release him from the moment. It came, but only after a long and hard battle. The last thing he said before sleep overtook him was, “stupid mares.”

Author's Note

Second chapter for the day!

Here we see a certain pair of fillies showing why they treated our favorite CMC so rotten. Perhaps the five fillies can be friends?

And we have a hint of romance. Amant, are you getting distracted?

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Chapter 7 - Sunset

Sunset Shimmer slumped into a chair, dropping her backpack onto the floor next to her. She sighed, ever since Princess Twilight had gone back to Equestria she’d wanted to follow. She wanted to go back and make up for all the horrible things she’d done. Life was hard here, being in high school. Sure she had friends, but sometimes she got the feeling that they were keeping something from her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something was amiss.

Before she could think much more on it, her book buzzed. She reached down and fished it out of her backpack with the urgency and anticipation of someone awaiting a long lost friend’s letter. She flipped open the cover and fanned through the pages. Each page was filled with notes and spells, spells that she was unable to cast due to the lack of a horn. She rested a hand on her forehead, right where her horn would be if she was a pony, as she flipped through the pages. Memories flooded back to her, memories of sitting alongside Princess Celestia and learning, practicing spells, and studying. She smiled at them, then she found the page she was looking for. It had hoofwriting scrawled on it, hoofwriting that didn’t look like Princess Twilight’s. She quickly read the words, then read them again, and again. Each time she couldn’t believe what she was reading.

In rainbow ink the words It’s time to come home, Sunset. Go to the portal at your namesake. There you will find a way to repay all that Princess Twilight has done for you. I’ll be waiting for you.

She slumped in the chair, resting the book on her lap, as she processed the words. What way could she repay Princess Twilight? She glanced at the clock, then realizing that they don’t really have time in Equestria, she looked out the window at the sun, perched above the horizon.
She didn’t even think twice. She threw her book into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, running out the door. She locked it behind her, then stashed the key in her backpack. She ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time, and launched herself out of the apartment building, running as fast as her legs could carry her. It took her about fifteen minutes of running, lucky she was so close to Canterlot High, when a smile broke across her face as the familiar statue came into view. She ran down the sidewalk and stopped right in front of the mirrored side of the statue. She rested a hand against the cold stone and gasped for breath. She was a Unicorn, not an Earth Pony, and thus not known for her stamina. She finally regained her breath and she glanced up at the sun to see it setting behind the mountains.

“Well, I didn’t think you’d got my message in time.” The voice made Sunset spin around. She didn’t see anyone behind her and she glanced from one side to the other.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Who am I?” The voice asked, and Sunset almost pictured the voice raising a hand to their chest and acting shocked, “oh that’s right. You were gone before I broke free. But I’m sure you would still remember me, you did like to take walks in the Canterlot Gardens. And I’ve heard so much about you, Tia really didn’t keep quiet about you. Sweet Sunset, a student with such potential. It was a shame when you decided to divert your attentions from helping people to seeking power. Little did you know that by taking that path, you’ve unconsciously achieved your goal! Unlimited power! You had it in your hands, you still do, but it’s just so weak and unrefined. That’s why I’m here, to help you strengthen it. And to help you repay Princess Twilight for all that she’s done.”

“Yes, but who are you?” Sunset demanded, staring around.

“Oh, there’s no use in trying to find me,” the voice said, “I’m in a place you wouldn’t expect. Besides, I’m here to let you back into Equestria.”

“You can’t,” Sunset stated, folding her arms, “the portal’s closed for another seventeen moons.”

“And here you are, keeping track of the phases,” the voice said, amused, “besides, I like to think of myself a little above the natural Order of things.”

“Above order?” Sunset asked, “what do you mean?”

“Don’t worry about it, my dear. Let’s just get you back to Equestria so you can help save the world, eh?” A sound, like someone snapping their fingers, rang out from very close by, making Sunset jump. She spun around, looking this way and that, until she stopped right in front of the mirror. It was rippling, just like when Princess Twilight came through last time. She approached it slowly, not believing it, and pressed her hand up against the glass. It slid right into the statue and Sunset gasped, pulling back her hand. The portal was open, but why, and how?

“Now now, no time to dawdle. Time’s ticking!” the voice said and she felt two hands on her back. Before she could turn around to see much more than the sight of a red and yellow eye, she was shoved forward and into the mirror.

: : :

As Discord shoved Sunset into the mirror, the five other girls watched.

“Well, that’s done with,” Discord said, dusting off his hands.

“Thanks Dissy!” cheered Pinkie.

“Yes, thank you,” Fluttershy whispered.

“It’s no problem at all,” Discord replied, waving a hand. He brushed off his brown suit, then straightened the sleeves of his shirt, first the left, blue one, then the right, gold one. Rarity almost fainted at the sight of his fashion sense, but he just sighed. That hadn’t changed in all the years he’d known these ponies. “Well, I’d better be off!” he said, strolling up to the mirror, “got to go save the world and all that!” He stepped into the mirror and the portal closed behind him, reforming into the clear surface it had originally been.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Of course, darling,” Rarity replied, “even though she’s with that ruffian, Discord, their past has already been determined by the fact that we’re here now. We win, and there’s little more to think about. Come now, let’s go see what other fashions this world has. I’ve heard Pr-France has some wonderful designs!”

: : :

Sunset Shimmer tumbled out of the mirror, running into another person and eliciting a gasp of surprise as the both of them sprawling onto the floor. Sunset struggled to untangle herself from the knot of limbs she’d found herself in as she heard the loud thud of doors hitting the walls.

“What is going on here!?” a familiar voice shouted, “Trixie, I’m holding court right now so please try to be…”

Sunset turned to look through the light blue legs at the familiar sight of Princess Twilight Sparkle standing in the doorway, mouth agape at the sight of two ponies tangled up on the floor.

“Sunset?” Twilight whispered, slowly walking into the room, “how did you get back here? The portal’s closed, and the key is sitting in my bedroom.” She glanced up at the niche where a special book would be sitting in order for the portal to work, only to find it vacant.

“That’s because, my dear Twilight,” the familiar voice said, causing Sunset to look around and Twilight to sigh and shake her head, “I opened it for her.”

“Discord.”

The single word made Sunset’s skin crawl and her eyes to shrink into dots. She shrank away from the world and tried to find a corner to cower in. “D-Discord?” she stammered, her eyes darting about, “as in the God of Chaos, Discord? As in the God of Chaos that almost destroyed all of Equestria just because he was bored, Discord?”

“That would be the same,” Twilight sighed, “though this time it’s just, annoying as heck Discord, or always getting into trouble Discord, or my personal favorite, ruin my free day with my favorite foalsitter, Discord.”

“Oh come now, Twilight, you had a wonderful time! And Cadenza didn’t mind, so why should you?” Sunset glanced fearfully around, trying to see the speaker.

“Because,” Twilight said, the tips of her mane turning red and curling, “you ruined my day with her! You had us drag your sorry flank all the way to the edge of Equestria to get a stupid flower, only to find out that you weren’t really sick!”

“Ah yes, I remember that now, it was such an enjoyable time.” Sunset gave a yelp of surprise as her shadow pulled away from her and formed into a tall, serpentine creature. Color flowed into it, forming Discord who turned to look down at the frightened Unicorn. His nose stopped inches from her muzzle and he grinned down at her. Sunset tensed up, ready to run if he tried anything. Then Discord took a deep breath. “Boo.” The single word made Sunset’s eyes roll back into her head and she collapsed on the floor, passed out cold. Discord roared with laughter at the sight of the mare unconscious, tears rolling down his face as he rolled over and over in the air. “That was hilarious!” he said, catching his breath after a while, “I like her. Can I keep her?”

“No you can’t,” Twilight stomped her hoof on the crystal floor, making the room ring with the sound of a triangle, “what is she doing back here anyways? Why did you bring her back?”

“Oh Twilight,” Discord said, swimming through the air and curling around Twilight, “I could tell you, but that would change everything. Just know this: there are very few times that I have ever acted harmoniously, and these next few months will be one of those times. As for why she’s back, she’s going to play a very big part in Equestria’s future. She’ll be more of a help here and now than she will be there and then. Now then,” he said as he untwisted himself from Twilight’s ethereal mane, “I’d better be off, there are other things that require my attention. Princess, it’s been a joy and a pleasure.” He bowed to her, then shot off through the wall and out into the sky. Twilight just shook her head. She turned and stuck her head out into the hall, calling for a trio of guards.

“Let the nobles know that a friend has returned and I wish to make her as comfortable as possible,” she said to one guard then, turning to the other two as the first ran off, “there is a Unicorn unconscious in there,” she said, gesturing to the room behind her, “I want you to take her to a spare bedroom. Stand watch outside her room and inform me the second she awakens. Don’t let anypony disturb her, she’s just met Discord.” The two guards nodded in understanding, Discord had changed their coat colors to pastel patchwork for a day when he’d met them their first day on the job. Twilight stepped out into the hall and headed for the Hall of Friendship and the Council room beyond while the two guards stepped into the room and retrieved Sunset. They left the room and quickly found a empty bedroom. They laid Sunset down on the cloud mattress, then stepped outside and took up guard positions, closing the door behind them.

Author's Note

Sunset? Discord? What is going on here? And what is going on with the girls and Discord? They might know something we don't...

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Chapter 8 - Kindness

Amant stretched, groaning as he did so. He smiled at the sun as it peeked through his windows, then climbed out of bed and moved to the door, shaking his mane as he did so. He reached a hoof out and rested it on the doorknob. He opened the door and strode out into the bright, morning light. He felt the warmth of the sun beat down on his fur and he sighed. He bounced along the road, heading for the construction site when he froze. A cold breeze blew over him, sending a shiver up his spine, and he felt like he was being watched. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced around. Not seeing anypony out in the open, he directed his attention to the shadows that clung to the trees around him. He didn’t see anything and was about to keep walking when he was bowled over by a pink bolt. He grunted and tried to twist away, but found his assailant’s grasp to be too strong. He stared up at the pony and saw that it was a dark pink Earth Pony with a mane like a curtain. Her dark blue eyes drilled into his as she stared down at him, then smiled.

“Good, I got the right one,” she said, her voice low and thick. She sat back and let him get up. He backed away from the mare. She smiled at him, a smile that made him think of a serial killer, and shook a hoof. “Tsk tsk tsk, you don’t want to do that. I’ve got a bit of information that you might want to know about the Element of Kindness.”

Amant blinked in surprise and his ears perked up in interest. “What about her?” he asked cautiously.

“Just that she and the other four are at Princess Twilight’s castle today. It seems like Discord brought back an old friend. The Princess has canceled court today and she’s called her five friends,” the mare said, standing up and strolling past him, “which means I should be getting along. Can’t wait to see what that Chaotic being has brought in to help us now.”

“Wait!” Amant shouted, and the mare paused, turning back to look at him.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m just somepony that knows a lot about what’s going on,” she replied, continuing to walk down the lane until she turned a corner and vanished from view.

“Wait!” Amant yelled louder, running down the lane and around the corner, only to bowl right into a pink obstacle. They rolled for a bit until he felt the obstacle bounce off him and land a few hooves away. He flipped over and settled into a chase position, only to stop and blink.

Pinkie Pie shook her head. “Whoa,” she said, her eyes all dizzy, “that was a doozy. But I don’t think that was the doozy I was supposed to have. Oh, hi Amant! Glad I could finally meet up with you!”

“That’s great Pinkie,” Amant stated, stopping her before she could go off into another mind numbing rave, “did you see a dark pink mare come around this corner?”

Pinkie sat back and thought for a bit. “Nope,” she said finally, “I’ve only seen you. Although I don’t know what I’m doing out here. I usually just sleepwalk to the fridge and eat some cupcakes, especially the rainbow frosted ones. Those are the best…” She started to drool as her mind wandered.

“Thanks Pinkie,” Amant turned and headed back down the road.

“Oh, hey! Where are you going?” Pinkie asked, snapping out of her imagination and rushing up behind him.

“I’m heading to Princess Twilight’s castle,” he replied, “something about the other Elements being there.”

“Ooo, so you’ve heard about the new pony that’s come to Ponyville?” Pinkie said, bouncing along.

“New pony?”

“Oh, so I guess you haven’t! Discord brought a friend of Twilight’s from the other world back through the swirly portal. I got a letter about it this morning,” Pinkie said, then stopped and brought a hoof to her chin, “come to think about it, that was about the time I fell asleep. Funny, I had plenty of sweets this morning, and got plenty of rest. Why would I fall asleep after waking up? Huh.” She shrugged, then bounced down the lane. Amant stared after her, then just shook his head and followed the hyperactive mare.

: : :

Amant stared up at the crystal tower. He’d only seen it from afar, never from right in front of it. It seemed to soar above his head, shining in the sunlight of late morning and throwing sparkles of light across the surrounding area. He jumped back as the golden doors swung open noiselessly to reveal Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. The five mares moved forward and smiled as they saw him. Sweetie Belle smiled wide as she caught his gaze, while Scootaloo scowled when he looked at her.

“Hey Amant!” Apple Bloom cheered, waving at him which helped him relax. He smiled back at her and she tilted her hat down slightly to shade her eyes from the sun. He walked up the drawbridge to her. “Come to see Sunset?” she asked and he raised an eyebrow.

“Sunset?” he inquired.

“Yeah, she’s somepony that’s come through the portal thing that my sister always talks about,” Sweetie Belle stated, “she got here last night.”

Amant nodded as he felt something deep within guide him toward the door beyond the five mares. He stepped around the mares and headed toward the entrance hall. The five mares glanced at each other, then shrugged and followed him. Amant walked down the carpeted hall and he paused at two, golden doors. He pressed a hoof to it and small sparks shot from his hoof into the door. He yanked his hoof back as the doors swung open silently, revealing a hallway decorated with crystal windows that sparkled with color as the light shone through them. As Amant slowly walked down the hall, he glanced at each window. Each one was filled with different symbols. A trio of apple, a trio of balloons and a red, yellow, and blue thunderbolt lancing out of a white cloud adorned the windows to his left, while the windows on his right held a trio of butterflies, a trio of blue gems, and a star burst with five white stars arranged around it. He looked away as his attention was pulled to the doors at the opposite end of the hall. These doors were golden like the rest, but in them were embedded gems carved to look like the windows. Though, as he studied them, there was something off about them. It was almost as if they were set lower than they were supposed to be. He raised a hoof to trace the trio of butterflies and glanced at the other five. He ran his hoof in a circle, touching each one. Then he noticed something at the top of the circle. Where there was a blank space at the bottom, like the artist had purposefully vacated that area, the top area had a wider space. He measured with his hoof and found that there were two, empty spaces at the top of the circle. He placed his hoof at the point where another group of symbols could fit at the bottom, then yanked it away as the doors swung open like the previous set had.

Beyond the doors was a large chamber, similar to the council chamber back in the Empire. But, unlike the council chamber, this one only held six thrones, each one spaced equidistant around a circle carved on the ground. A six pointed star glistened on the circle, each point resting under a throne, and upon each of the six thrones bore a mare. Amant recognized Applejack sitting on her crystal throne with an apple-shaped gem embedded into the crown of it. She saw him and smiled, then turned back to the mare sitting in the middle of the star.

This mare, Amant guessed, must be Sunset. She was a Unicorn, her horn poking through her red and yellow mane and her soft, orange coat contrasted nicely with the red and yellow sun that she bore on her flank. She seemed like the kind of pony that would be full of confidence and power, but at this point she only seemed like she wanted to cower. She held her head up, but her tail twitched occasionally and Amant could see her adjust her front hooves as she sat there, enduring the gaze of six mares, each one on a throne.

One of the mares, a purple Alicorn with a purple, magenta, and dark blue mane, looked up as he stepped into the room. He caught a flash of irritation, then it vanished as quickly as it had come.

“To what do I own this visit?” she asked, her voice ringing with authority.

“Your highness,” Amant said, bowing his head, “I was unaware that you were busy. I had received word that Princess Twilight Sparkle had received a long time friend from another world. I also felt the need to visit with this friend. It appears that I have come at the wrong time.” He started to back away, but stopped when the Alicorn stepped down from her throne.

“And who was it that told you this?” she asked.

“It was a dark pink Earth Pony, your highness.” He kept his head down, so as not to look her in the eye, so he missed the glance that the Alicorn shared with Pinkie Pie, who sat across the room from her.

“And why would you want to come see her?” the Alicorn asked.

“Oh, come now!” A voice rang through the chamber, causing the five mares behind him to jump, as well as the Alicorn.

“Discord! Show yourself!” the Alicorn shouted. Amant looked up to see a lion’s paw pop out of her ear, followed by an arm, and eventually an entire creature made of mismatched body parts. The creature cackled and floated in the air above the ponies.

“Did you miss me, Twilight? I missed you,” the creature, Discord, Amant assumed due to the glare that the Alicorn was giving him.

“It’s very lonely being encased in stone, yeah yeah. I get it, Discord. You say that every time you’re gone for a long time.” The Alicorn rubbed her temples as if trying to fight off a headache.

“But that’s our normal greeting,” Discord looked hurt, sticking out his bottom lip and slithering around the throne bearing a butter yellow Pegasus mare. He winked at her and she smiled back at him, then he turned his attention back to the Alicorn, “you of all ponies should love routine?”

“Enough! Why are you here?”

He snapped his fingers and Trixie appeared in the room, dazed by the sudden teleportation. “Because I want to introduce you all to the seven ponies that are going to help you save Equestria!”

Each pony in the room gasped and stared at the mismatched creature.

“W-what are you talking about?” the Alicorn asked.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, surely you’ve read enough books to know what I’m talking about?” Discord asked, then stared at all the stunned faces. He laughed, leaping back into the air, then vanished with the snap of his fingers, filling the ceiling with a large, pink cloud. “Go back to the beginning, go read a history book. Go back to the tree, go take a look!” his voice echoed through the chamber as the cloud vanished with a pop and jellybeans rained down on the inhabitants of the room.

Princess Twilight just sat there as jellybeans fell from the sky and grumbled about Gods of Chaos and not making sense. Finally she snapped back to reality. “Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, go to the Tree of Harmony. That must be the tree he’s talking about.” The three mares nodded and ran out of the room. Twilight turned to the other two mares sitting on thrones, “Rarity and Pinkie Pie will help me…” She paused as Amant turned to follow the three mares out the chamber. She furrowed her brow and lit her horn, slamming the doors closed. “Where do you think you’re going?” she growled and Amant glanced over his shoulder at her, “Discord said something about you seven ponies are going to help us save Equestria.”

“That’s correct,” Amant replied, lighting his horn and throwing the doors open. Twilight gasped as her aura vanished, “and that means I need to be about my business.” He started to walk down the hall when two guards stepped forward and crossed spears in front of him.

“Her highness told you to stay put,” one growled.

Amant raised an eyebrow, then snapped both spears with his magic. “She is no princess to me, the Empire does not recognize her,” he said. A flash of light and Twilight stood in front of him, obscuring his path. He smirked up at her while she glared down at him.

“You are going to go back into that room and we are going to figure out what Discord meant,” she growled, her wings spread.

“No, I’m not,” Amant said, sidestepping her and walking past, “like I said, the Empire does not recognize you as a princess. And besides I took no orders from anypony in the Empire, and I’m not going to take orders from you.” Pain shot through his side and he rolled several hooves before stopping at the wall. He turned to glare at Twilight with her hoof raised.

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna gave me Ponyville as the beginning of my realm, that means each and every pony within its boundaries is under my rule,” she stated, slowly walking toward him as he stood up, “that includes you.” She punctuated the last word by slamming a hoof into the ground, cracking the crystal floor.

“No, that doesn’t.”

Twilight gritted her teeth, then threw him with her magic, slamming him into a pillar. She suspended him from the ground, with her magic around his body.”What is wrong with you?” she whispered, a fire in her eyes.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” Amant growled, his horn lighting and blasting Twilight back, “what’s wrong!? What’s wrong is that I’ve just spent the past few days in a backwater town in Equestria, dealing with you country bumpkins and your stupid morals! I came here because I have to, because if I don’t, the entire world we stand on will vanish within half a year. Equestria will be no more, and all you ponies care about is making bits and spreading friendship! The Empire has orchestrated events to bring us to this point, and all you want to do is ignore the very danger that will destroy everything you work toward! I’m sitting here, trying to make you all see sense by helping the Elements because I was asked to by Princess Luna! Now excuse me if I don’t care about your orders. I’m doing what is best for the world, not for you!” And with that, he picked Twilight up and threw her back into the chamber, slamming her into her throne. Then he turned and stormed out, heading after Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy.

: : :

Apple Bloom watched him go. The longer she waited, the stronger the urge to run after him became. Finally she could hold back no more. She dashed down the hall and out into the sunlight as her friends cried out after her. She glanced around as she exited the castle, looking for where Amant went. She caught sight of him stomping down the path and she ran after him. As she crept closer, she could hear him muttering to himself. She slowed down a few hooves behind him and matched his speed. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she just watched him walk. She found her eyes skimming over his coat, coming to rest on his flank. It wasn’t as muscular as other flanks she’d seen, but it was shapely. She could see the muscles move while he walked, his mane dancing in the slight breeze as it blew around his horn. The breeze bombarded her with his scent, sweet like a rose, but soft like feathers. She smiled as she remembered the few times she’d been at the site, working, and had caught him looking at her. For some reason it made her warmer, her face would flush and she would find herself spending a bit more time in the morning getting ready whenever she went to the site. She flipped her tail once, trying to cool herself off as she walked, finding herself growing warm. Thoughts of him standing next to her as they would watch the sun set, then kissing her as the moon rose. Finally she would lead him like a puppy dog back to the farmhouse and into her bedroom where he would…

“What are you-?” Amant’s voice broke her out of her thought process and snapped her back to the present, but not before she walked straight into him and knocked him over. She let out a cry of surprise and fell on top of him. She closed her eyes and gasped, only to find her mouth covered with something else. Whatever it was, it was soft and tender and slightly squishy. She cracked her eyes open a sliver to see a dark shape beneath her. She opened them wider to come eye to eye with Amant, her mouth pressed against his. Her eyes opened wide as she realized what she was doing and she tried to stand up, only to have Amant’s forelegs wrap around her barrel and pull her close, their mouths connecting again. This time, she felt something slippery poke at her lips and she gasped involuntarily, parting them. The slippery thing darted in and danced around her mouth, she realizing it was Amant’s tongue. She moaned as she felt herself growing warm at his dominance. She pulled away, only to have him follow her. They ended up falling over again, this time Apple Bloom was on bottom. She let out a heated gasp as her back hit the ground, finding her mouth and tongue waging a war that she was losing. A small part of her wanted to just give in, to give up and let him be the victor. She let out another moan as he pulled back and she stared up at him, his mane shining in the sunlight and his dark eyes obscured by shadows but she could tell he was staring into her eyes.

She panted heavily as he stood over her and moaned at his loss. She craned her neck forward and kissed his neck. She could feel the moan that came up through his throat until it leaked out into the world. He growled softly and she squirmed, pressing up against his hind legs. She felt her body get cold and hot at the same time and she wrapped her hind legs around his barrel, panting.

“Why?” she gasped, “why did you leave?” She kissed down his neck, reaching a hoof up to run it through his mane. She felt his body get stiff and he reached up with his hooves and pushed her off him. She blinked in surprise, then shrank under the simmering glare he gave her.

“Why?” he whispered, “because I’m trying to accomplish my mission and nopony seems to care about that. All I’ve seen you ponies care about are bits and friendship. None of that is going to matter if I can’t finish my mission.” Sparks fell from his horn, green trickles of light that fell onto her mane and made it tingle. “I need to succeed, otherwise there won’t be an Equestria to worry about. If the world isn’t ready in six months, the Shardbreaker will return and there won’t be anything we could do to stop him.” A small heart blossomed from his horn, green laced with black fire, and gently rested on her forehead. It sat there for a few seconds, warming her, until it sank into her skin. It filled her entire body with heat, different from the furnace she felt. It was like a warm blanket, comforting and gentle. As Apple Bloom gazed up into Amant’s eyes, he didn’t seem so off anymore. She’d never really thought about it before, but there had been something weird about him, but it seemed to vanish like fog in the sunlight as she watched him. Amant stepped back and helped her up, then he turned away from her to stare at the Everfree Forest.

“My mission needs to succeed,” he said softly, “I need to see how much each of the Element Bearers knows and understands about their elements and the others. Otherwise we won’t be able to do anything. Not even the strongest armies can stand against the Shardbreaker. The last time he came here, he shattered Harmony, but was stopped by a single, white Alicorn.”

“How do you know this?” Apple Bloom asked, watching him.

“We have books in the Empire that nopony has even heard of, much less read for over a thousand years,” he stated, glancing at her, his eyes now warm, “books that have been lost to the outside world, beyond the lands you ponies refer to as the Badlands. We watch and study, guided by the Creator. We guide the events of the nations around us. We were there when the Crystal Empire vanished. We witnessed the fall of the Creator to the Betrayer. We even watched for the night that the Creator would return. We have played each nation like a game, directing their hand, hoof, or claw to this very moment. The other nations are being prepared, it is only Equestria that is lacking. I have made it my personal goal to get this nation ready. I have to start with the Elements. They are the nation’s greatest weapons and defense. The Creator has spent her time wisely, preparing her soldiers and technicians throughout her banishment. The Cannon is almost ready. In six months, when everything comes to a head, we will deal the final blow to the Shardbreaker, healing this world and guiding it into a new age of prosperity and safety. The nations will combine against Him, uniting under one flag.”

“What can I do to help?” the question was out of her mouth before Apple Bloom could think. He turned to look at her, a smile on his face and a fire in his eyes.

“Keep doing what you’re doing,” he said, “we need a base outside the Empire. You’re helping to build it. Just get it done as soon as possible, then we can both move on to more important matters.”

Apple Bloom nodded, then turned to walk back to the site, a spring in her step.

“Wait!”

Amant’s cry made her pause and turn to look at him.

“Yes?”

“What tree? Discord mentioned a tree, where would a special tree be?”

“Everfree Forest, Ah’ve heard mah sister talk about the Tree o’ Harmony, located close to the old castle where they fought Nightmare Moon.”

Amant smiled at her and she felt a wave of heat pass through her, causing a smile to erupt onto her own face. They both nodded, then turned and ran in opposite directions. Apple Bloom headed for the site, eager to finish Amant’s house, while Amant ran toward the large forest that lined one side of the town.

As Apple Bloom ran as fast as her hooves could carry her down the path, she flashed by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle who were running up the path after her. They skidded to a halt, then watched their anxious friend run off, a slight whiff of something sweet chasing after her. The two mares sniffed and both came to the realization of the scent at the same time. Sweetie Belle sighed, smiling at the idea, then trotted after Apple Bloom. Scootaloo burned with anger. She spun around and spied the dark figure of Amant far off in the distance. Her eyes danced with a fire in them and she took off running, fully intending to make this stallion pay for what he’d done to Apple Bloom.

: : :

Amant hurried down the path, heading for the Everfree Forest. He ran around a house, only to see Applejack and the two Pegasi emerge from the forest. He assumed the rainbow maned Pegasus was Rainbow Dash, so the other one, who was currently shivering in fright and trying to hide behind her mane, must be Fluttershy. He trotted closer, trying to catch his breath, until the three mares caught sight of him. Applejack smiled and waved, while Rainbow looked him up and down and Fluttershy started to shake even more.

“Hello, Applejack!” he shouted as he came within hearing distance.

“Heya, Amant,” Applejack replied, smiling at him, “what’s up? Need me ta answer any more questions?”

He smiled. “Nah,” he said, “you’ve helped me out more than you’ll know. Actually I hope you will find out how much you’ve helped me and Equestria. But no, I’ve come here to ask either of your Pegasus friends a few questions.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering in midair and folding her arms, “what kind of questions? Want to know why I’m so awesome?” She struck a pose as Applejack sighed.

“If there anything like the questions he asked me,” she said, yanking on Rainbow’s tail with a hoof, “then they ain’t about your ‘awesomeness’, as ya’ll like ta call it. It’s about yer Element o’ Harmony.”

“Oh yeah! Loyalty!” Rainbow said, puffing out her chest, “you ain’t gonna find anypony more loyal than me! And Fluttershy here is the kindest pony you could find!” She swooped down and hugged Fluttershy, who gave out an almost silent yelp. She flinched away from Amant’s gaze as she tried, as far as he could tell, to hide her entire body behind her pink mane. He gave her a warming smile, which she returned shyly.

“Now, what I’d like to know is-” Amant began to say before being plowed into the ground by something about his size. He blinked the dust out of his eyes as he stared up at the livid face of Scootaloo.

“Lying, rotten stallion!” she bellowed at him, making his ears ring, before raising up and slamming a hoof into the side of his head, disorienting him. “She’s my friend!” she shouted with another hoof to the head in emphasis. “She’s your foremare!” she screamed, battering his head against the ground. “And you took advantage of her!!” She wrapped her hooves around his neck, raised him up off the ground, then slammed his head against a rock jutting out from the ground. His head pounded with each hit. He flung up his hooves in defense but found them batted away before the assault continued.

“Scootaloo!” Rainbow shouted, wrapping her hooves around Scootaloo’s barrel and lifting her into the air as she squirmed to get free, her hooves still swinging, “what is wrong with you?”

“He took advantage of Apple Bloom!” she shouted, jabbing a hoof at the stunned and bruised stallion. The declaration made Rainbow pause, almost losing hold of the squirming mare. Applejack glared down at Amant, who lay in the dirt as he nursed his bruised head.

“Is this true?” she said, venom dripping from her words.

“No it’s not! I swear!” Amant defended.

“Then why does she smell like it?” Scootaloo bellowed.

“I don’t know!” Amant shouted back, his throat starting to get hoarse from all the shouting he’d done, “she came onto me! She kissed me! I don’t have time for foolishness! I’m here for a specific reason and knocking up a dirt pony is not it!” He yelped as Applejack smacked his cheek as hard as she could.

“Don’t ever let me catch you saying that to anypony, ever,” she growled, her accent gone, “If I find out that this is true, you will find yourself a very dead stallion. Got that?”
Amant was sure that if looks could kill, he’d be dead three times over from the looks he was getting from Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo.

“Um, maybe we should listen to Amant tell us what happened?” Fluttershy squeaked from behind her mane, then yelped as everypony’s attention turned to her, “I mean, isn’t there always two sides to a story? Maybe we should hear his.”

Applejack took a deep breath, then let it out. Her glare softened slightly as she turned back to Amant. “She’s right, ya know,” she said, her accent returning, “let’s hear what Amant has ta say.”

Scootaloo huffed but didn’t do more than glare at the stallion, as Rainbow set her down, ready to hold her if she decided to attack Amant again. Amant shuffled away from the orange mare, nursing his head with a hoof. He glanced at Applejack and Rainbow, each one glaring at him, then at Fluttershy and nodded his thanks. She smiled at him, brushing aside a strand of mane from her face and sitting down next to Rainbow.

“I was walking out of the castle, heading to meet up with you three,” Amant stated, slowly. He glanced at Scootaloo and shrank from her glare. Mares were scary, he decided, then continued, “she came down the lane, I heard her but I didn’t care too much about it. She drew closer and I turned around to ask her what she wanted. When I did, we,” he paused and glanced at the four mares, “well, we kissed.”

“What!?” Applejack shouted.

“It was an accident!” Amant defended, holding up his hooves to ward off any more strikes, but Applejack seemed to be more surprised than angry. He continued, “I’m not going to lie, I liked it.” Scootaloo gave a snort. “I did! What stallion doesn’t like to kiss a mare, much less an attactive one?” He swallowed as he met Scootaloo’s death glare again, shrinking in stature. “I mean, it all happened so fast that I don’t know what all happened. One minute our lips met and the next I was filled with this feeling of warmth”

“That was when you took advantage of her, you dirtbag!” Scootaloo shouted, springing forward to tackle him, but was stopped when Rainbow grabbed her tail.

“No, I didn’t,” he demanded, stomping a hoof on the ground, “all I did was kiss her and run off!”

“When we saw her after that,” Scootaloo stated, pointing a hoof at Amant, “she smelt like sex! And she was all giddy!”

“Well, I don’t know why!” Amant shouted at the mare, his anger rising, “all I did was kiss her! If she did something after that, it’s not my fault!”

Scootaloo broke free from Rainbow’s grip and slammed a hoof into Amant’s muzzle, knocking him backward.

That was it, Amant decided. He was tired of ponies demanding things of him that he couldn’t give. He was tired of telling the truth and being hated for it. He lit his horn and threw Scootaloo off him and into Rainbow.

“You stupid mare!” he shouted, knocking the other two mares back with the volume of his voice, “all I’m trying to do is save this pathetic little town! I’m here to help you and all you can do is harass me about stupid stuff that I didn’t even do! I’m sick and tired of it. If I could, I would go home and never look at this useless country ever again! I would have it burned off our maps! Scoured from the memories of our children! Erased from the history books! But no, I have to deal with your crap every day! I’m not here even a single day when I get some pony wanting to throw a party for me! Leave me all alone!” And with that, he vanished in a flash of green fire that singed the ground where he’d stood. The four mares sat there, stunned at the display.

Scootaloo huffed. “Stupid stallion,” she muttered, “I’m trying to protect Apple Bloom as a friend. That means saving her from jerks like you, who just use a mare, then throw her away.” She stood up and shook her coat, then turned and strode off.

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy and Applejack. “I’m going after her,” she said, “I’ll help her calm down.” She flapped her wings and took off after the angry mare.

Applejack watched her friend go and shook her head. “Ah hope it ain’t true,” she said, “Amant’s a good guy, just maybe he likes ta be alone. Ah can honor tha’.” She turned and headed toward Sweet Apple Acres.

Fluttershy watched her two friends leave. A tear ran down her cheek. She hated to see ponies angry at each other. She hated to see ponies not willing to work things out even more. If there was anything she could do, maybe she could help in the little way she could. She smiled softly to herself, then turned and headed to her cottage.

She left her home a few minutes after arriving, carrying a basket full of treats, complete with a fresh apple pie. She trotted down the path, heading to where Applejack had stated Amant was living. She got there after a while and raised a hoof to knock on the door.

“I’m tired of ponies.” The voice made Fluttershy freeze. Amant was in there, but it seemed like he was busy. She debated whether or not to follow through with her plan. She wanted to help, but she didn’t want to be a bother. Before she could make up her mind, the door opened and Amant stood there, surprise on his face at the sight of her. “Fluttershy?” he asked, “what are you doing here?”

“Oh, um, nothing,” she said, turning around, “I can see you’re busy so I’ll come back later.” She was stopped by the handle of her basket, which she carried in her mouth, being enveloped with green magic and levitated toward the stallion. He popped open the basket and inhaled the sweet scent of cinnamon and spices.

“Apple pie?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, yes!” Fluttershy said, flapping her wings a few times as she leaped into the air with a smile, “whenever I’m sad, I like to bake sweets.”

A shadow flashed across his face at the mention of sweets and he looked like he was about to give the basket back. Then he thought better of it and levitated it inside. “Would you like to come in?” he asked, “I understand it’s customary to offer guests some refreshments.”

“Um, yes, I would love to come inside,” Fluttershy said, landing and following Amant into the small hotel room. She looked around, then lifted up the other side of the basket upon not seeing any dishes, or even a kitchen for that matter. She pulled out a yellow blanket with her cutie mark in the center and laid it out on the bed. She pulled out two plates and forks, along with a knife. She set them to one side and reached in to pull out the apple pie. She smiled as a wave of smell hit her, then she rested the pie on the blanket with a towel underneath it. She raised the knife and slid it into the flaky crust, releasing the smell of cinnamon and apples, before cutting two slices of the pit and placing each one on a plate. She handed one to Amant, with a fork, who took it with a smile.

“Now, what happened?” she asked, softly.

“I’ve told you what happened,” Amant replied.

She nodded. “You’ve told us what happened with Apple Bloom, but not why you’re so angry.” She took a bite out of the pie, letting the flavor wash over her tongue and eliciting a squeak of joy from her.

Amant set down his pie, untouched, then looked up at Fluttershy. “You want to hear the whole story?” he asked. She nodded.

“The best way to decide who to side with is to know both sides of the story.”

Amant took a deep breath, then began to explain everything that had happened that day, even going back as far as when he first got to Ponyville and the trouble he’d had with the construction crew. When he finished, the pie was almost all gone, and both ponies were beginning to smile.

“So all that happened over the past few days,” Fluttershy confirmed and Amant nodded. “But,” she continued, “does that really mean that you should be mean to others, just because of what’s happened in the past?”

The question caught Amant off guard and he sat there for a time, pondering on it.

“Kindness is more than being nice to ponies who are nice to you,” Fluttershy stated, placing a hoof underneath Amant’s chin and turning his face to look at her, “it’s all about being nice to ponies. It doesn’t matter if they’re nice to you. I’ve been pushed around a lot since moving here to Ponyville, and I’ve stood up for myself a few times, but I always try to be nice to everypony, because you never know if a smile could brighten up somepony’s day. They might be looking at you to cheer them up and they might not even know it.”

“So you’re saying I should be a doormat?” Amant snapped, and Fluttershy shook her head.

“No, of course not,” she said, “I’m a doormat. What you should be is nice to everypony, no matter what. Be a friend to your enemies. Give a gift to ponies that hate you. Extend the hoof of friendship to those who would wish your downfall. That’s what I’m saying.”

“Seems Kindness is the hardest Element to emulate,” Amant stated.

“Not really. All the Elements are difficult, depending on who you are. Sometimes it’s hard to keep laughing, sometimes it’s hard to tell the truth. But each time you do it, it becomes easier. I may understand the Elements and what they are, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for me. I hate being in the spotlight, like Pinkie Pie. But laughter requires some focus to be on yourself,” Fluttershy explained, “I’m extremely shy, always have been, but that means that I need to work extra hard on Laughter, and even on Honesty. Telling the truth, no matter what may happen, is easy to recite, but when it comes down to actually hurting ponies’ feelings it takes a great amount of Loyalty and courage. Standing for your friends’ ideals is made that much harder when you might be missing out on fun. Making ponies smile, no matter what’s going on, is easy, except when you might end up hurting other ponies’ feelings. Being nice comes naturally to me, but there still needs to be times when I’m kind to myself. I can’t just give things away, expecting nothing in return, and ignore the friendships I’ve made with ponies. Friendship is the most powerful magic in the world, but it’s without any strength if the Elements that it’s built on aren’t there.”

“And what of Love and Tolerance?”

“Those may come naturally to others, and even me, but they are what makes true friendships stronger. Loving somepony, despite their mistakes and faults through Tolerance, is just a stronger form of Friendship,” Fluttershy stated, reaching down for another piece of pie and taking a bite out of it.

“Thank you Fluttershy,” Amant replied, scraping his plate and setting it down on the bed, “you’ve helped me out a lot. Maybe there is something to Kindness.”

“Just do your best,” Fluttershy said, “it’ll become better the longer you work on it. And the first thing I would suggest doing is talking to Twilight or Scootaloo. It seems like they had some misunderstandings about you. You’d better start there. Or at least, that would be my suggestion.” She smiled at him, then packed up the basket and walked to the door. She closed it as she left, leaving Amant sitting on the bed, pondering. He fell backward, giving out a yelp as his bump landed on his pillow. He rubbed it gently with a hoof.

“I suppose I should go talk to Scootaloo in the morning,” he said, dropping his hoof back down. He relaxed into the mattress, letting go of his troubles and worries as he drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Alright, so Twilight might be a little Ooc here, but remember that she likes plans and hates things going against them.

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