Chapters Shattered Harmony: Starfall
Chapter 2: Broken Harmony
Universe Alternate 2 ( What if Chrysalis was never prevented from taking over Canterlot?)
This day had certainly been perfect in the Queen's eyes. Because there was no Rainboom, she had discovered that it was easier for her to infiltrate Canterlot with her army then it would have been if had taken place in the Prime Timeline. She didn't know it though, she was completely oblivious to the existence of the Time Spell.
Not that it mattered really. Sunset Shimmer was the Element of Magic in this timeline. She had gotten over her petty emotions she had displayed towards Celestia and realized she was better off understanding what the term self sacrifice truly meant. Her Brother Sunburst had opted to join the Equestrian Royal Guard instead of attending Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She was so Proud of him. She was also proud that he was marrying her former foal sitter, Cadence.
Chrysalis was able to completely fool all of them, including Sunset. But she also decided to maintain a contigency plan. She had two of her changeling guards take on the guise of Royal Guards and abduct a random stallion off the street. She'd use him as bait to attract the attention of Sunburst and Cadence, and then switch places with one of them. Of course she didn't realize right away that the stallion in question was a Guard washout named Shining Armor.
Everything is almost in place, she thought to herself.
Apparently due to Starlight messing up the Timeline, Twilight and Spike ended up in an altered timeline where Chrysalis was never exposed as a fake and thus was able to achieve her desired outcome of taking over Canterlot, and soon after Equestria. This was not how it was suppose to be Twilight thought as she and Spike noticed 6 Spears being pointed at them as they recovered their bearings and saw that they were in the Forest outside of Ponyville. She looked up to see Pinkie and Fluttershy aiming Spears at their necks. What in Celestia name was going on here.
Why was this Reality worse then the last one they were just in. Then it dawned on her. What if because of Starlight's tampering with the timeline, entire alternate Universes were being made, and not just altered timelines. Even if they succeeded that would mean that these universes would still be in existence. Twilight decided that there was only one recourse, she would see if there was a Tree of Harmony here and strive to save what was left. At least then she wouldn't feel so guilty, like she was feeling right now.
She couldnt believe it, but here it was, The Queen of Changelings mused for a moment. My Changelings will devour all the love in the kingdom and it all started with a simple wedding. Twilight was missing and the other ponies from Canterlot were being locked up in the Canterlot catacombs. Cadence was presumed dead and Shining Armor was thrown into a cell after he served his usefulness. Even though he wasnt part of the Royal Guard yet, she found him useful into tricking every pony into believing that he was part of it. Twilight Sparkle had failed her magic test, but for whatever reason Princess Celestia still saw something in her enough to send her to Ponyville. She had also killed Luna with the power she had gained from Cadences love for a certain Stallion, Regardless of whether he was of upper class Material or not.
Fast forward 2 years later. Canterlot had been over run and the rest of Equestria was on the verge of falling. the only real threat came from a resistance movement that was being formed by survivors living in the forests of Ponyville and the Out skirts of Canterlot. This was just a setback to Chrysalis and she was growing tired of it. She decided to track down the leader of this rebellion and end it once and for all.
The Everfree Forrest.
2 years of being on the run. 2 years of hiding from Changeling patrols. When was it going to end she thought. Her and her two companions were growing weary of this. Rainbow Dash had a nagging feeling that this was not how things were supposed to be. All she could do for now was think back to that race at Junior Flight Camp in Cloudsdale. She had failed to protect her friend Fluttershy from those bullies. She had failed to win that race and because of it Fluttershy fled Cloudsdale in tears, and anger at Rainbow Dash for failing her as a friend. Rainbow also remembered something else. A Purple Alicorn had appeared out of nowhere and asked her to do the impossible, Create a Sonic Rainboom. Now that she thought about it, that alicorn reminded her of a unicorn she had know once. A unicorn that she had been in love with . None of her friends had known about it. That unicorn had been sent to Ponyville to find her special talent. All Rainbow Dash could think about now were that unicorn and Fluttershy, and whether she was still alive or not.
I stoked the fire seen more then you know the tears of the broken have washed away my soul
Damn, why cant i get it together lately? Dash thought to herself. She felt like a complete and utter failure. She had failed her friends, and more over she had failed the Princesses. She couldn't get over that last part. She had watched Luna die. Die to a freak of nature like Chrysalis. She wished she could of gone back in time and changed everything. Changed it to where Chrysalis was the one that died and not the Princess of the night.
"I'm a failure." She whispered to herself.
No your not.
The pegasus' mind dredged up a memory, from the summer sun Celebration.
"So much for becoming a Wonderbolt," Rainbow scolded herself at the time.
"What happned?," Twilight asked her. Her Twilight.
"I screwed up royally is what happened," She told her marefriend, " I tried out for the Wonderbolts roster," she started to choke up.
"I botched my Entrance Exam," Dash was beside herself with grief.
"Well, that doesnt make you a failure to me, just all the more real," Twilight pulled Dash's chin up to hers and kissed the Cyan coated Pegasus.
"You sure know how to set me straight dont you," Dash said coyly.
That was the one happy memory she held onto all of these years later. In some ways it was what kept for going for so long where others might of just thrown it in and given up.
Rainbow kept thinking how true those words were that were lingered in her mind. She was a broken shell right now. She felt hollow inside. As much as she wanted to pick up the pieces of her shattered sanity. Rainbow Dash felt broken inside. Here she was trying to act the loyal friend and keep her 2 friends alive and safe, and she' couldn't have foreseen her own plight. Her and the others had escaped the Changeling invasion of Ponyville only to end up hiding in a cave in the middle of the Everfree forest like a coward. She wanted to face down Chrysalis and give that abomination a piece of her mind. But in her current conditoin she was in no position to fight anything, how could she with a broken wing and not to mention a broken pysche. She didnt know if any of the others had escaped, been captured, or even killed. Her mind immediately snapped to Fluttershy. Oh my god, she thought to herself, did her and Pinkie Pie make it out of Ponyville? As her, Applejack, and Rarity huddled close to together to keep warm, her thoughts shifted to something else. Something she had heard when she had been out scouting for food earlier. She had climbed a tree to get to some fruit, she saw two changlings walking towards her position. She climbed up the tree and held her breathe as she waited for them to pass. She overheard the conversation they were having.
1st Changeling: " Did you hear, one of our scouts reported seeing a purple Alicorn bearing the resemblence of the one we caught and threw in the Canterlot Dungeon."
2nd Changeling: "Fraxis must of been drinking that damn nectar again. I told him not to get drunk while on duty. The Queen will have his head for it."
1st Changeling: "He wasnt drunk again, 4 more soldiers reported the same thing."
2nd Changeling: "Then im confused, what does it mean?"
1st Changeling: " This alicorn said she's from an Alternate world, one where our plans were defeated by her and Princess Cadence."
2nd Changeling:" Then we should be on the hunt for her shouldnt we."
Rainbow Dash couldnt believe what she had heard. The only purple pony she had ever seen was that of a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. She had moved to Ponyville to study magic, She had failed an enterance exam, but Celestia felt that with some study and practice that Twilight might find a talent for it. As soon as the Changelings were out of range Rainbow Dash finished collecting food and hurried back to the cave. The others wouldn't believe what she had discovered.
Zecora was still waiting for her scouting parties to return when she began getting a strange sense coming from a clearing up ahead. The first scouting party reported back, and boy did they have a tale, part of the scouting party stayed behind to secure some prisoners they came across. Zecora decided to go with them to see who or what it was. She just had a sense that she had to be there. When she got there she found Pinkie, Fluttershy, Carrot Top, Bon Bon, and 3 others guarding an Alicorn and a baby Dragon. She walked up to them and put a salve on them that would determine if they were changelings or not. What happened next confirmed that nagging feeling she was having. They weren't changelings, they were in fact from another timeline all together. the Alicorn, who later identified herself as Twilight Sparkle, told Zecora that a pony named Starlight Glimmer was attempting to alter the past and keep her and her friends from meeting altogether.
She later explained that in her timeline, she and her friends had stopped the Changeling invasion. " I see." Zecora said calmly." and im afraid your friends are not so, here." She said with a tone Twilight was used to from the Zecora in her Timeline. As they got close to the Resistance camp, Twilight turned to Pinkie and told her about her timeline. Pinkie said that she must be happier there than she is in this timeline. She told Twilight about the invasion and how it affected their version of Equestria. She told her about how Celestia watched as Chrysalis KILLED her sister in a vain attempt to defend the Castle. Twilight looked as if she was going to break down and cry. Luna was dead in this reality. :(
Twilight turned to Zecora and asked her if the there was a Tree of Harmony here like there was in her timeline.
Zecora said in a positive tone, "Yes, its not far from here, near the castle of the 2 Sisters, why do you wonder so?"
Twilight asked if she could take a pony or 2 with her to check. Zecora sent Fluttershy and Pinkie with Twilight to check it out, since it could help to end the Changelings. As the 4 set out, Twilight told their guides about her timeline. Fluttershy almost cried when she heard the name Rainbow Dash. Her and RD HAD been friends in this timeline, but she and 2 others went missing around the time of the Changeling Invasion, and that was 2 years ago from their perspective. what none of them realized was that 3 ponies were hiding out in the cave near the Tree of Harmony, and that those ponies were Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Twilight was unsure if it was really them the closer they got to the area outside of the cave. She had a spell on that could expose them if they were changelings. That would be a little hard seeing as these same "Ponies" were already confronting Zecora in the Rebel Camp, and those were Changelings.
As the four of them approached the cave entrance, they were met by AJ, Rarity, and most of all Rainbow Dash.
I tried to block out the screams but their haunting me in my dreams
For the briefest of moments, Rainbow Dash looked pale as a sheet. Behind Fluttershy was a Lavender coated and Purple maned Alicorn. Her heart started a skip a beat. It couldn't be... It was, she thought. There as clear as day was Twilight. Her mind started to wander a bit. Did Twilight love her the same way in whatever reality she was from. Did they even know each other. The way purple alicorn smiled when she saw Dash gave the pegasus her answer.
Rainbow could tell by the look in Flutters eyes that she had forgiven her a long time ago for what happened. Fluttershy understood from the pained look Rainbow had that she had questioned her sanity because of her failure all those years ago. Rainbow Dash turned and looked at the Alicorn like she had seen a ghost. Rainbow Dash's face went white when she realized that it was Twilight who was standing before her. But not the Twilight she had known, but at the same time she could feel the same emotions and feelings of love and romance emanating from this one too.
"Twi...Twilight, is it that really you?," Rainbow asked in a hushed, yet hesitant tone.
"In a way, Rainbow, yea it's me," She replied.
Applejack looked back at Rainbow Dash for a moment and realized what she had overheard from those Changelings was true. Rainbow Dash walked over to Fluttershy and hugged her as tight was she could. It pained the Yellow Pegasus to see her friend in this condition. Rainbow Dash then walked over and hugged Twilight. Everypony else was a bit confused by what was taking place between these two. When they were done, Twilight turned and explained what was happening the best way she could. Applejack still had a confused look on her face, so Twilight decided to share her knowledge.
Twilight soothed her nerves by saying that she was from an Alternate Reality, one in which they were all friends, and had Stopped the Changeling invasion, with help from her brother and the real Princess Cadence. It was hard for Rarity, because apparently she had Known a baby dragon Named Spike, she had found him wandering near the Everfree Forrest around the time of the Invasion. She tried to help him, but he succumbed to his injuries. Before he died, he told her she was the most beautiful everything he had ever seen.
Twilight turned to her "Friends" and with a determined look they all raced back to the Rebel Camp in time to see Chrysalis strike down Zecora with a blast of magic. All Six ponies gathered around each other and almost instantly Beams of color shot past Chrysalis and her changelings. Chrysalis took notice of the Alicorn before she realized what was about to take place.
"You..... YOU CANT BE," She hollered out.
"What? Afraid that you might lose?", Twilight mocked Chrysalis.
"No, That my guards reported that they locked up a unicorn that bears a resemblance to you is what's up.", Chrysalis told this mystery Alicorn in front of her.
"It's no joke, My name is Twilight Sparkle, and i'm from a reality where you were beaten by my brother and his fiancee, along with help from me and my friends.", Twilight spat back at the Changeling Queen, " and I'm here to set it right." and with that Twilight's horn began to glow bright. It was a spell Chrysalis was afraid to speak of.
It was a Power of Love spell that was so strong it could blast her and her army all the way back to the Badlands. And not to mention the fact that they were wearing gold necklaces with specific shaped gems in the center. Chrysalis looked on in fear as she realized she was staring the Elements of Harmony from Equestrian legend.
As the five other ponies gathered around Twilight, there was a glowing white sphere that began emanating from them. Streaks of color began shooting past her as she slowly started to realized she was staring at weaponized Elements of Harmony. The same elements that had been used to banish Nightmare Moon over a century ago were now being utilized against her and her army. An intense magic field expanded outwards from the six ponies and hit Chrysalis with incredible force.
She Screamed out "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and suddenly her and her entire army of Changelings were flung out of the Forest and hurled thousands of miles away from both the Forest and Canterlot.
They entered Canterlot to find a ghost town. They set about finding the entrance to the Catacombs and seeing who was still alive down there. The very last cell Twilight came across contained a white Stallion and a small Purple Unicorn. The Stallion looked on the verge of death, he was malnourished, his ribs nearly showing under his white coat. Twilight nearly started crying when she realized it was her brother, Shining Armor, and herself. But what got to her the most was that they were covering themselves with a lavender colored pony with a purple and pink multicolored Mane, a Pony that was believed to be dead. It turned out that Chrysalis had failed to strike a killing blow to Cadence and she had simply remained unconscious all this time. Shining Armor was too weak to do anything to help. It was up to Twilight, the Unicorn version, to try and help keep Cadence alive while they were all locked up together. As the unicorn Twilight came out of the Catacombs and into the light of day she couldn't believe her own eyes. There in front of her was herself, and not just another unicorn, But an Alicorn. The Alicorn Twilight then turned to her friends and told them to take care of themselves as the portal opened up. AJ hugged her and told her good luck, Rarity hugged Spike and whispered to him," i always hoped to see you again, here or in the next life, my little spikey wikey."
Author's Note
doing a few revisions. i just want someone to read it and think 'that was interesting'. Just added a few structured points here and there. feel free to read over and tell me what you think. Currently listening to Awoken Typography remix by the WoodenToaster and H8_seed at the moment. i feel songs like that and others give me help in avoiding writer's block at times.
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
Chapter 3:Revenge is best served Cold
Universe Alternate 3 ( What if Sombra was never stopped when the Crystal Empire returned after being gone 1000 Years)
And with that the two were back in Cloudsdale, ready to try and stop Starlight Glimmer from reprehensibly altering the past. As soon as Glimmer appeared Twilight didnt hesitate to launch herself in the air and lob several bolts of magic at Starlight Glimmer. They both exchanged fire a few times, before the next Portal opened up, This time Twilight grabbed Starlight and pulled her in to the time vortex , along with Spike and the time spell. As soon as they were through the portal, Starlight had a wounded look on her face. They were near the Cutie Map and Twilight's Castle was gone, but what shocked Starlight was how desolate and empty the town and the Surrounding area was.
"Is this a joke or something?" she spit out at Twilight.
" This is no joke, i wanted you to see what this quest for Revenge is doing to Equestria." Twilight retorted back at her, "Everything we did do, even the smallest amount affects the Future. You want equality for every pony, but you never realized the actions or consequences." she snarled. As they walked back to town, Starlight couldn't bare to take anymore of this in. She let Twilight and Spike hold onto the map.
"I.. I've never realized," Starlight was stunned by the realization that her quest for revenge had put all of Equestria in danger," how petty i was to try and get Revenge when it was doing so much more damage to others." She lamented.
"Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom not only connected me to my friends Starlight," Twilight felt somewhat pained as she said this,"But it was part of my destiny." She finished.
"I learned from an old book , that six mares were destined to form a connection and protect Equestria from danger," she went on," but because of you destiny was broken and thus allowed the various foes my friends and i had beaten to be victorious, which only made things worse" Twilight hoped that this was enough to finally convince Starlight to give up their duel. What finally broke her was their next stop. As soon as they got to where they were going, Twilight and Spike were shocked at what they saw. And Starlight finally let it all sink in. Everything that had happened was her fault.
She had to find a way to make amends for her arrogance.
Most of Ponyville was a ghost town, the Carousel Boutique was Boarded up, and so was Sugar Cube Corner. Things didn't feel right in this reality much less the other 2 that Twilight had encountered. But at least in the other 2 she was able to get most of it right. As they got closer to Sweet Apple Acres she could tell the air was getting darker. It wasn't until they rounded the corner that she realized that it had been industrialized for some reason. As they approached the barn, a tan mare with camouflaged clothing and a blonde mane hidden under a hair net came out pushing Barrels to a wagon. The Mare looked up to see Twilight and asked her if her and her friends were lost. Twilight realized that it was Applejack, but she got the sense that this version wouldn't know who she or Spike were, so asked why the town looked abandoned. Aj told Twilight that most of the Ponies had moved to support the War Effort. " what war effort?" Twilight asked. " Uh, you know , the war against King Sombra and Crystal Empire."
Not this Twilight thought, as if Running into Chrysalis was bad enough, Because of Starlight's mucking up of the timeline, Sombra was alive in this one? Ughhhh, she thought to herself. Part of Twilight wanted to strand Starlight here so she could see first hand how time travel was just was dangerous as it could be beneficial for quietly observing the past.
Out of nowhere Starlight collapsed on the ground. Twilight could immediately tell she wasn't 'faking'. Twilight thanked AJ for the information and let her get back to her job. She teleported Starlight to the nearest hospital in range of her magic. She wasn't prepared for what she saw when they got there. Half of the rooms for the Clinic were full of wounded. another thing that got to Twilight's heart was that in 2 of the Hospital Rooms were both Princess Celestia and a young pink pony. She stopped a nearby doctor and asked him what happened to PRiness Celestia, when asked if she was related or not, she told him was a cousin of the Princess. He told her that the Princess had been badly injured fighting King Sombra but that she was in stable condition. She walked to the other pony and gasped when she saw that it was Pinkie Pie. She asked the doctor about Pinkie and what he told her made her heart nearly crack in half.
"She was admitted here with 2 others. One was identified as her sister, Maud Pie, who i regret didn't survive surgery, and the other was a blue coated Pegasus by the name of Rainbow Dash. She's in a room down the hallway to the left, if your interested in speaking with her. The doctor could tell without asking that Twilight might be the one pony to lift RD's spirits. Even though it was sort of against policy to just let her in there.
She got to Rainbow Dash's room and knocked on the door. She heard a raspy voice say " WHAT."
She opened the door and there on the bed was Rainbow Dash. This one had Scars over most of her body, presumably from the war. She turned to look at Twilight and nearly passed out. Without words Rainbow Dash could almost read the emotions coming off of Twilight's face. Twilight sat next to her and cupped a wing over Rainbow Dash. Dash didn't even question the act, even as Twilight pulled her close and hugged her. Dash could also feel the rage that was building inside Twilight. A rage towards a certain Shadow Pony. I'm going make him suffer for this she thought, for making this world so hellish. Twilight told Rainbow Dash where she was from and that she was here to fix things from being so screwed up. She also kissed her and told her how much she loved her in her reality.
"Then i guess I'll be waiting for you when you get back there." ,Dashie said coyly.
"I only wish i could stay here though, so i wouldn't be so far from you.", Twilight said this with a voice laced with sadness.
Rainbow Dash pulled her close and lifted her head to where they were looking into each other's eyes.
"I know you'll be there for me in spirit Twi, and i will hold on to that no matter what happens.", Rainbow could tell she had lifted Twilight's spirits a bit. Out of all the darkness around them, Rainbow was the one bright spot in Twilight Sparkle's life.
As they hugged one last time, Twilight whispered something into Rainbow Dash's ear, " I will find a way to fix this, I promise you with all my love." Then she got up and headed to the door. She looked back one last and smiled.
Twilight left the room and looked for the doctor. She thanked him for the information and for taking good care of her "cousin" and for taking care of Rainbow Dash. As she exited the Clinic she could feel her rage starting to burn a hole through her Heart as well was her soul. All this had happened because of Starlight wanting Revenge and not thinking about the Aftermath. Twilight was on the verge of a break down. She could feel that rage swelling inside her, but it wasn't the kind of rage you felt when the world need to be saved, it was the kind of rage you feel when a loved one had been hurt or worse. Twilight understood that there was only one recourse for her. She told Spike to hold on to the time scroll and to stay here at the Hospital with Starlight. And with that she launched herself into the air and set a flight path for the Crystal Empire. With or without the Crystal Heart, she was going to make Sombra suffer for causing this war, but on top that, it also became personal. She was going to make him suffer for what he'd done to Rainbow Dash. Twilight had known for some time now that she and Rainbow Dash had a closer connection that they did with any of the others. They loved each other with every fiber of their being. One wasn't complete without the other so to speak.
As she neared the front lines, she could hear shouts in the air and on the ground. She could hear the screams and tortured moanings of the Troops as they clashed. She could she the Aerial Combat units swooping down and assaulting Sombra's ground forces. and then she saw him. There standing on a towering rock formation, shouting orders to his troops and laughing manically, was King Sombra. She knew what she had to do, and she to do it without him noticing. Twilight flew high enough to where he wouldst hear or at least have the time to respond. She was heading for the one place that King Sombra had hoped no one would go. The top spire of the Castle, the spire in which he had hid the Crystal heart. Twilight know that was the one way to stop him, she didn't let her doubt seep into her mind at all. She had to stay focused and save what was left. What she didn't expect was that in this Reality, Sombra wasnt the only villain that was Free. The Guards around the area where the Crystal Heart was located was nonexistent. Most of the Cryrtal Ponies were off Fighting Celestia's Forces.
As Twilight snuck past them and into the room, she saw the Crystal Heart, and a vaguely familair Statue. What was the Statue of DISCORD doing in the Crystal Empire?!?! She put that aside and stayed focused on the task at hand, She levitated the heart over to her and teleported herself and the Heart to the center of the Courtyard. Before King Sombra could react she put the Crystal Heart in the center. The ground started to thrum with sound. Two pillars erupted from the ground and from the ceiling of the castle and held the Crystal heart in place.
An intense energy field erupted from the Crystal heart and expanded outwards, causing King Sombra to feel a burning sensation as he watched his coat glow and start to crack under the intensity of the positive magic, Suddenly he exploded right where he was standing, The light beams causing his essence to be erased from existence. All of the Crystal ponies that been fighting for him through the use of his dark magic, became disoriented and took off their helmets. But she knew that wasnt the end of it. She had seen the direction his horn had gone after the magic explosion. She found without much difficulty. As she neared the area, Sombra had already retaken his form. She landed near him, and glared at him.
"SO you think you challenge me wretch?", he said with traces of contempt.
" I'm going to kill you.", Twilight spat back. This was no longer about just saving what was left. This about revenge. Then an unexpected guest appeared next to Twilight. Rainbow Dash had been checked out of the hospital and given an ok to fly. Somehow she knew she had to be there with Twilight when she confronted the King of Shadows.
"Don't worry Twi, i'm only here to watch you beat the ever living crap out of him.", Rainbow told her mare friend.
Almost like a blessing Twilight unleashed hell on Sombra. The King couldnt believe his eyes as she hit him with her most powerful magic spell and then procceded to pummel him repeatedly. Then he felt the strangest sensation. He couldnt move. Something else startled him. His horn... was BROKEN?!?!?!. Twilight had used a spell to restrain him while she ripped his horn right off his forehead and smashed it on the ground. The last thing Sombra saw was red, as She incinerated him with a fire blast.
Her and Rainbow Dash hugged before they flew back to the hospital to check on Spike and Starlight Glimmer.
There was general confusion but after awhile they started walking up to Celestia's Forces and surrendering. She and Rainbow Dash landed and then went to see how Spike was doing. As soon as they to the door, Celestia was standing before with a confused look on her face.
" How did you... I thought you failed the Entrance Exam Twilight.", Celestia was still confused.
Twilight Explained that she was from an alternate reality, once in which her and her friends had helped to stop Sombra from taking over. It was with that knowledge that she was able to infiltrate Sombras castle just now and find the Crystal Heart and save what was left.
Author's Note
Fixed a few errors that someone was complaining about, so now most of it should be "bearable" to read now. Dont expect it everytime. i can only put up with so much critiscm before i start getting pist off. i suffer from anxiety at times, and bitching about stuff and expecting everything to be perfect really annoys me and kills my desire to be more creative. I just want someone to read this and go, "oh that was interesting, or i like that part of the story".
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
Cloudsdale ( The Past)
What she didn't know was that Twilight wasn't actually hurt by Starlight at all, it took more then just the power of a unicorn to physically harm an alicorn. Twilight was nearly immortal after all, the older she got, the more mature her alicorn magic became. Twilight was going to make sure she suffered for everything she had just put her and Spike through. Starlight's days were numbered.
"Come on, Spike, we have to stop her," Twilight said as she levitated the small purple dragon on to her back, and opened the time portal for their next confrontation. She was surprised a bit when it opened and deposited them back in her Castle. But something was still off. Then she asked herself the most idiotic question that she was known to think about.
How could things get any worse for them. They survived a reality over run by the changelings, another Timeline run by nightmare Moon, and one where all of Equestria was in open war against Sombra and the Crystal Empire. She'd soon find out that was one question she really needed to stop asking herself all the time. Everytime she'd asked that question things would spiral out of control. Even her friends had learned that lesson multiple times since meeting Twilight Sparkle.
She got her bearings and began looking around. Off to the corner was a television, turned on to the news. She turned around in time to see Applejack walk in on her.
"Twilight ??," She asked in hesitation.
Why was AJ looking at me like that, she thought. She got her answer soon enough.
"Yea," Twi replied.
"SHE's IN HERE!!," AJ yelled to somepony behind her. Two ponies in unusual armor walked in and aimed two futuristic weapons at Twilight and Spike.
"AJ what are you doing?!," Twilight said confused," Your supposed to be my friend."
Then it hit her, maybe in this reality, they had been friends, but everything must of changed because of something causing a falling out between the lot of them. She'd soon find an unthinkable answer when the last pony she'd wanted to see was about to enter the castle. And it was somepony she desperately wanted to choke the life out of , right this very moment.
" Maybe years ago, Twi, but after you started to openly revolt against the new government, i had to make a choice if i wanted to keep mah farm and the lands around it ," AJ could tell she was hurt by this.
"What in Celestia's sake are you talking about Applejack," Twilight wasn't sure what the hell was going on.
That's when Starlight Glimmer walked in, dressed in some kind of regal military uniform.
"it's quite simple Twilight, I won years ago, and you LOST." Twilight couldn't believe it, she had entered an alternate reality where Glimmer hadnt been reformed and had won in stopping the Rainboom. Her heart nearly sank and Applejack could see this. She knew what she did had been wrong, but she was also thinking of what would of happened to her family if she had not made the decision she made.
"What the hell have you done to my friends Starlight?", Twilight asked as she glared daggers at this version of Starlight Glimmer.
"I'm doing what i think is right for Equestria Twilight", she answered in a tone that took Twilight by surprise. This Starlight actually believed she was doing this for the good of the nation. She couldn't realize that it was going to come crashing down around her.
Before Twilight was to be escorted to an internment camp, a broadcast came up on the Television. Twilight's heart went cold when she heard the broadcast.
Glimmer's name appeared on screen as the transmission to all of Equestria began.
Starlight Glimmer: Fellow Equestrians, I come to you in the wake of recent events to issue a call to reason. Let no pony deny the perils of our time. While we battle one another, divided by the petty strife of our common history, the tide of greater conflict is turning against us, threatening to destroy all that we have accomplished. It is time for us as nations and as individuals to set aside our long-standing feuds and unite. The tides of an unwinnable war are upon us, and we must seek refuge upon higher ground, lest we be swept away by the flood.
The time has come, my fellow Equestrians, to rally to a new banner. In unity lies strength; already many of the dissident factions have joined us. Out of the many we shall forge an indivisible whole capitulating only to a single throne, and from that throne I shall watch over you. From this day forward let no pony make war upon any other pony, let no Equestrian agency conspire against this new beginning, and let no pony consort with alien powers, and to all the enemies of Ponykind: seek not to bar our way, for we shall win through, no matter the cost!
"In this world, Your not worthy of being the Element of Honesty. You turned on your friends when they needed you most, and SOLD OUT your own country," Twilight looked away as she spoke those last words, and looked at the ground as she was escorted out of the castle. How were they gonna get back to their own timeline now. Unknownst to her, She would soon see just how dire the situation in this version of Equestria was. And that her friends , excluding AJ for now, were still around and part of a resistence against this Equestrian Dominion. Twilight would have to get used to using the guns in this world along with her magic.
As they loaded her into the transport vehicle, her captors came under fire once the vehicle was half way away from the town. Twilight held Spike close to her as the vehicle was struck by the blast of something powerful. As they held onto each other, the door opened to reveal Rainbow Dash with a sniper rifle slung over her shoulders. When they looked at one another Twilight wasn't sure of what was going to happen. Was RD part of the resistance or going it alone in this universe?
"Thank Celestia you're alright Twi," was the first thing out of her mouth. This Rainbow Dash looked as if she had been to hell and back, literally. It was comforting at least that they were still friends here.
"What happened here?," Twilight said as she looked back towards Ponyville.
"Everypony that didn't support Starlight's vision of Equality has either been captured or is in the resistance fighting against her,"Rainbow explained as they got off the road and found a safer way to travel. Dash knew they had to find another way or risk getting caught by Starlight's Equestrian Defense Patrols. Insurgent activity had doubled since her broadcast earlier today.
"This might sound crazy, but i'm from an alternate universe, one where none of this has happened," Twilight was expecting RD to start suspecting she might be a spy, but not this one. But this Dash had to say threw Twilight for a loop, a verbal one anyway. She was not ready for Rainbow's eventual response.
"I know, Starlight screwed up the timeline remember?, you told me when i was a filly in Cloudsdale during one of the Time loops, and for some reason i remember talking to you and buying it when you told me to perform a Rainboom," RD looked and saw the confusion in Twi's face. It was short lived. Her face returned to normal after awhile. Rainbow saw something that she hadn't seen this whole mess had started. She watched a soft smile creep across Twilight's muzzle as the lavender Alicorn pulled the cyan coated pegasus close and kissed her on the lips.
Dash took a guess as to what might of prompted it, not that she minded, they were marefriends after all. If Twilight fixes this mess Glimmer made, Dash thought to herself, There's still that chance to ask her for her hoof in marriage when it's all said and done in the end. The thought of the two of them married made her smile internally.
"I'm guessing that you ran into Aj while in your old Castle,"RD smirked a little.
"Yea, and i told her she doesn't deserve to be an Element of Harmony for turning on her friends," Twilight started, " and that she should be ashamed of herself." Twilight saw the hurt look on Dash's face when she said this to the Rainbow maned pegasus. She was in for a shock though.
"Twi, that wasn't smart," RD scolded her.
"What, why?," Twilight asked her.
"They nearly killed Applebloom and Big Mac, and no one's seen Granny Smith since then," RD had a real look of worry on her face.
Now Twilight felt horrible for what she said to Applejack, she thought back to it, and realized just how pained and hurt Aj looked when she said those words to her. Twi could see how much those words stung Applejack's spirits. As they walked along the path, Twilight got a good look at the surrounding areas. Much of Ponyville was deserted, save for a few ponies still willing to live there. Their cutie marks were equals signs. She let her mind wander a bit as she tried to process all of this. It was just heart breaking to her .
Great, she thought to herself, Now I feel just awful about saying that to Applejack.
None of them knew that if did find a way to topple Starlight's regime, a most dangerous and all too familiar foe would rise from the ashes. A new empire would rise from the ashes of the Equestrian Dominion, an empire devoted to the virtues of the night. For over a thousand years it waited in the darkness to see its eventual return to glory. The only Royal sister known to be alive in this timeline was Princess Luna. All would bow to her, and all would submit to the might of... The New .. Lunar Republic.
Starlight Glimmer's precious empire was going to come crashing down around her, and all it took was the lighting the match. Half way across the land, Twilight and RD had just gotten done with a meeting of the Rebel council. They had broken for a recess while they considered all the things she had told them. About how things had played out differently in her world than they did in this one. All hell was going to break loose soon, Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash had to be ready for it on a moment's notice. Rainbow Dash lifted part of her armor to reveal a tatoo she had gotten awhile ago, it read 'Death before Dishonor', It seemed like something Dashie would also do in her timeline. A timeline she wanted to get back to as soon as possible.
Author's Note
I was listening to something the other night and had the idea that an unreformed Starlight Glimmer reminds me so much of Arcturus Mengsk from Starcraft XD. So i altered his speech at the end of the first game and made it sound like it was coming from Starlight. .i also had a dream the other night that she opened a portal and went and made a pact with him.
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
Damn it's starting to get a bit cold early, Dash thought to herself. She hated the cold, now more then ever. Especially after Starlight took power. That mare had no clue what she was doing as far as Dash was concerned. She Could remove a Pony's special talents, but she could barely control the Sun , moon, or the weather.
That moron Starlight had no way to control the Sun or Moon, so the days were shorter, and the nights longer and a bit colder then someponies had anticipated. That's what they get for supporting a lunatic. And by all means, Glimmer was a Lunatic in Dash's eyes. She had broken up their circle of friends, and plunged Equestria into civil War after taking power. Starlight and her Equality Party were nothing more then thugs in fancy armor. If Dash had her way, she'd of put a bullet right between Starlight Glimmer's eyes the first chance she could get. She also knew that if Twi was successful in getting back to the past, she'd be able to put Starlight in her place. After all, what was all this worth if not for the love they shared between one another.
As she spotted a marker stone with three balloons carved into the rock, she knew they were getting close to the meeting site. It wouldn't be long now and they'd see the rest of their friends. Well minus Applejack of course. Also, leave it to Pinkie Pie to be the one that came up with the idea of what marker should look like.
They were almost there. Rainbow couldn't stop looking at Twilight though. maybe it was due to the guilt she was feeling for what she couldn't confess to her marefriend. That she was acting as a spy for both the Resistance and for Luna's forces. She knew that the time was approaching she'd forced to tell her, she just wasn't ready to yet.
While Rainbow Dash took Twilight to a secure location to meet with the rest of their friends and the Leaders of the Resistance Against Starlight's Dominion, something was brewing elsewhere in Equestria. No one could of foreseen the events that would transpire soon. Not even Starlight. Her quest for revenge all those years ago had an unfortunate side effect. An unseen consequence that would plunge the countryside into a war the likes of which none had seen in nearly a hundred years. And Starlight Glimmer would have to face the music as it were, for her actions.
After the meeting, it had been decided by a majority vote that Twilight and Rainbow Dash would find a way into Canterlot Castle and confront Starlight. She would either step down or they would be forced to execute lethal force against her. It was strange for Twilight to see her mirror opposite on the Resistance' Council. But at least she was alive in this reality, The other Twilight listened as her time Traveling self explained her confrontation with AJ earlier that week.
Rainbow and Twilight set out for Canterlot immediately.
The Long Night
]The Darkness is coming
Somewhere deep in the Everfree forrest, far from the prying eyes and ears of Starlights Equestrian Dominion, an ancient order was in the process of gathering its forces.
"A new power is rising. Its victory is at hand. This night the land will be stained with the blood of Mares. March to Canterlot. Leave none alive. To war! " A shrouded figure spoke from atop the newly constructed balcony of the Castle of the Two Sisters, deep in the Everfree Forest.
"There will be no dawn... for mares.," The shrouded figure shouted down towards the army amassed beneath them. It was an army bred for one thing and one thing alone, to destroy the world of mares, and along with it any and all opposition to its sole Monarch. The army was the Longma, or Bat Ponies as they were once called. Everything about them spoke of their thirst for combat if nothing else. Their armor was serrated and their claws and teeth could tear the flesh from almost anything breathing. Starlight had no idea that they were still around, lurking in the shadows just waiting for the opportunity to strike.
Luna had raised an army of more than a thousand Long Ma, Bat Ponies for the laymen. They would unleash hell in the name of their monarch. They would restore order to the land as they had seen it over a thousand years ago. Victory would soon be at hand, and Starlight would be dead or dying before her.
There would be no dawn for her enemies. Unknownst to her, was the existence of Twilight and her battle to restore the affected timeline because of Starlight's meddling. But she would soon. Twilight didn't know that Dash was working for both the resistence and Luna as a spy. Luna only had her tell her of where Starlight's forces were camped, never compromising the location of the Resistance, though none of them knew it. Rainbow knew if Twi found out, her trust in her pegasus might shatter, and that was something that Rainbow vowed would never happen. They loved each other, and there was no denying how strong it was. Dash swore never to hurt Twi like that, Ever.
After the death of her sister, Luna had gone into seclusion. Not wanting to see the land be subjugated by a pony like Starlight, she vowed to get revenge by any means necessary. Even if that meant she had to reawaken the beast inside her. She would be the reaper in the night. The one that drove others to fear. The Nightmare that would once again grip Equestria in its throws. Not even the Resistence would dare challenge her, not now anyway. They had a common enemy, but that's all that they had in common. If Celestia was still alive she'd of cursed her sister for taking this course of action, but she wasn't and it was the only way Luna could ensure her survival, and those of her followers.
From the ashes of the Equestrian Dominion would rise the New Lunar Republic, and with it Nightmare Moon's return to power. And the ever lasting night would shroud the lands of Equestria for a generation or more. Neither Twilight nor Rainbow Dash could of foreseen something like this ever happening again. And Starlight would come to regret ever battling Twilight out of revenge. If she couldn't of seen the consqeunces of her actions before, she certainly would now.
As the Battle cries of Long Ma roared up from the base of the Castle, The Army of the Lunar Republic turned about and set off to war. You could hear the clanking of the armor and the grunts from the soldiers as they trecked out of the forest and towards the border with Canterlot. After Starlight had overthrown the Royal Sisters, she used Canterlot Castle as her home base of Operations. She would soon come to regret that decision. Guns were rare in Equestria, and the only ones made were suprisingly in her sole possession. Not that it would do her much good. She had no idea until this day of what type of hell she had incurred. Starlight sat in her office and wondered what life might of been like if Twilight had won. It dawned on her for once in her life after what happened with Sunburst that Twilight could of been the first real friend she had made in a long time. She knew from reading a scouting report that the Transport Twi had been in was attacked by rebels, though it didn't specify how many. And that she had escaped with someone.
Starlight got up to take in the fresh air near the balcony of her office, when she thought it was odd that night sky was so early today. She knew it had fallen on Princess Luna to raise both the sun and moon, especially with what Starlight had done to take power. What she didn't realize until now was that with in a day or so there would thousands of Lunar Republic soldiers amassed at the gates of Canterlot Castle. And what she didn't know would.. Kill her.
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
Twilight and Spike awoke to find themselves back in Cloudsdale.
Something caught her eyes though, there were dozens of Royal Guards this time. Something that also caught Starlight's attention and seemed to make her somewhat nervous. As Twilight was about to make her move, a voice spoke from behind her, " Who are you my little pony?", and turned to come muzzle to muzzle with Celestia. And the PRincess seemed very confused as to what was standing before her. That was until Twiliglht was the first to break the silence.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm from another timeline," she decided to keep it short, there was no telling if she'd be believed here or taken to the dungeons. She looked up to see a somewhat relaxed look spread across Celestia's face. Hopefully the princess believed her, hopefully was a relative word though.
"that explains why I sensed the magic from the tree here," Celestia commented before turning to have Twilight walk with her, to learn why she was here and what she could be to help.
"I'm after that unicorn over there, her name is Starlight Glimmer,"Twilight paused,"My friends and I stopped her from stealing the cutie marks from a town of ponies she falsely tricked into being equal." Celestia nodded as she went on," So she stole the Time Spell from the Canterlot Archives in order to get revenge on me. Every timeline I've visited grew progressively worse because of the lack of friendship magic. Three I mangaed to restore some decency of order with variants of my friends. Some, I dont want to think about." This last comment caught Celestia's interest more then the rest of the conversation.
"What exactly happened in those realities, might I ask?", Twilight obliged her.
"One reality saw the return of King Sombra, and an all out war between the nations of Equestria and The Crystal Empire, another saw the the Occupation of Equestria by Chrysalis and her Changeling empire, And another saw the return of your sister Luna, but because my friends and I weren't there to stop her, she came back as Nightmare Moon and imprisoned you in the moon,", that last one struck a chord with the Princess. Twilight could see that last bit caused Celestia's shoulder's to sag for a moment.
"And what happened in your timeline?", Celestia asked her new friend, hoping that her one regret in life might of been rectified in another world.
"Because of my friends and I finding the Elements, we purged her of the Corruption and restored her to Princess Luna. She was so happy to see you she was in tears most of time." Twilight smiled softly to herself as she recalled that memory from so long ago.
"Back to the matter at hand then," Celestia spoke," That Lilac colored unicorn is Starlight Glimmer?", she asked Twilight, who nodded with a resounding yes. Use of a time spell in this kind of manner was apparently a crime on the same scale as murder or Treason. Twilight was about to say something to Celestia, when the Goddess of the Sun summoned her Guards. This wasn't going to be like the other time that something similiar happened, and Starlight ducked out at the last moment.
Celestia flexed her wings and flew to where the Unicorn was standing with the fillies. Starlight's face lost all of it's color when she saw who was in front of her. She never even got the chance to speak, she was in that much shock. And she was not prepared for what happened next. Celestia summoned Twilight to her side so she could take witness of this.
"Starlight Glimmer, for mis use of Starswirl The Bearded's Time spell and augmenting it, I, Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and Goddess of the Sun, do hear by place you under Arrest. Violating time the way you have is a crime punishable by Death. Right as she said this, Rainbow Dash broke the sound barrier, and performed a Sonic Rainboom. Starlight's pupils shrank. It all went to Tartarus for her, right then and there. Celestia turned to Twilight as the Portal opened and smiled. She allowed Twilight to take Starlight with her, along with a scroll to the version of herself that Twilight had grown to know. And with that, she turned back to congratulate a filly Rainbow Dash who just earned her multicolored lightning bolt cutie mark, and had ensured the destinies of the friends she was going to make in Ponyville.
As the portal opened back up, the two mares and one small dragon, landed back in Twilight's castle of Friendship. the double doors opened to reveal all her friends standing there, albeit with surprised looks on their faces.
"IT's good to be home,"Twilight started to say, right before Rainbow Dash jumped her, wrapping her hooves around her. And said the most bizarre thing.
"I knew you'd do it Twi." How could she of known? Twilight thought, Rainbow should of had no memory of the events that had transpired, since she wasn't there.
"Dont question it, it was like a thousand different me's were all connected at once, and we all knew you'd come through for us, for me." That was the most egg headed thing that Twilight had ever heard Dash utter. And she was proud of her for it. But now was not the time for smiles and sunshine.
"Spike, send a scroll to Princess Celestia, and ask her to come with five Royal Guards," Starlight could see the cold look in Twilight's eyes right now. There was no , I want to be friends, everything's forgiven kind of look. This was one of utter despise. She had tried to take her destiny from her, her friends, her future. As far as Twilight was concerned there was no forgiveness for that kind of act.
Her friends were a bit surprised by her behavior as well. All except Rainbow Dash, somewhere deep down in her gut, she knew this was Starlight deserved for trying to keep them apart. For trying to screw with their friendship as well as for mucking up the timeline too. As if on que, Celestia arrived as asked, and with five Royal Guards. To prevent her from escaping, Celestia cast an anti magic field around Starlight Glimmer, preventing her using her magic at all.
"Now, what is the meaning of all of this, Twilight?", Celestia asked of her former student.
"This," and with that Twilight presented the scroll from the alternate Celestia and gave it to her mentor and friend.
It read : If you are reading this, then our Twilight made it back to her timeline safely. from what she has told me, The unicorn Starlight Glimmer, stole the Time Spell magedcrafted by Starswirl the Bearded and altered it to travel back in time to prevent the Sonic Rainboom and to keep Twilight from ensuring her destiny and meeting her friends. You and I both know what happened the last time a pony tried to use that spell for their own gains. Before the portal opened I was handing down a death sentene on Ms. Glimmer. I am transferring that order to you. I know you and I both have decisions we regret in regards to a certain pony. But this must not be allowed to go unpunished.
Signed the Goddess and ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia
And so shall it be, she thought to herself.
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
As they were preparing to take Starlight to meet her fate, Pinkie was trotting around the site, constantly calling out,"Bring out yer Dead!,", at the top of her lungs. Where in Celestia's name did she get the idea for that, Twilight silently thought to herself. Even Starlight bore a look of annoyance as Pinkie chimed out again," Bring out Yer Dead!," The convicted mare rolled her eyes for what might be the final time.
"Pinkie,"Twilight spoke,"Knock that off,"she hinted, to which the pink mare actually stopped and furrowed her brow.
"But it's fun to do Twi,", she said as she got her cheery demeanor back. Twilight facehoofed as she heard those start echoing through town again.
"Bring out Yer Dead!".
Twilight reflected for a moment. She had saved the day yet again, stopped a crazy and misguided mare from keep her from her friends, and disrupting the timeline. And yet she still felt something clawing at her conscience. And it went away as soon as she remembered what Dash had told in not one, but three seperate timelines," Go get her Twi."
And she did just that.
No pony had been executed in at least one hundred years or longer. But this order was necessary, even if her sister Luna didn't agree with the practice, It did have its merits. And hopefully this was the last time she had to sentence anypony to this fate. Twilight and her friends, along with her brother Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Celestia's sister Luna, gathered on a wind swept hill a small ways away from Canterlot. A crowd of ponies had gathered to bear witness to the last moments of Starlight Glimmer.
There was no escaping this, no offer of a second chance. For her crimes, she was to be put to death.
The last light of day
"Starlight Glimmer, I princess Celestia, Goddess and raiser of the Sun, and ruler of all of Equestria, IN the name of the mother goddess and the light of Seven, Of the old gods and the new, Do hereby sentence you to Death." She could stare into the fate she had brought upon herself.. It was useless she thought to herself, as the executioner lead down the walkway to the Gallows. She let herself become so consume by her quest for revenge that it never occurred to her to just seek out of the pony that had started her unexpectedly down this path she found herself on.
Her heart stopped cold when she looked into the gathered crowd of ponies. There in the crowd, as plain as a bright sunny day, was her filly hood friend Sunburst, with the most unexpected pony standing next to him. His sister, Sunset Shimmer. She could only drop her gaze as Sunset stared at her, glaring daggers at her. Starlight looked up briefly to see Sunset walking over to Twilight and hugging her. .They were friends she thought?
Not that it mattered to her anymore. She threw it all away anyway. Twilight had offered friendship back at the village and she rejected it. Called them all weak. Did she end up being on the wrong of that one. From what she remembered, Sunburst's sister had been a protege of the Princess, just like Twilight once was. She barely took notice of her surroundings now, she was too busy in thought to remotely recall what was going on around. It was her way of coping sometimes.
As the thought left her, the Executioner tied the last art of the noose that was now snugly against her neck. When asked if she had any last words at all. She remained silent. But they all knew it, her silence was only just another sign or her guilt. I was so foolish. I stole the Cutie Marks of an entire village of ponies that I had tricked and forced Equality on, stole a Time Spell in a mad quest for revenge. And what did it get me in the end? Nothing but the end of Noose for my transgressions.
She paid no attention to the others as Celestia gave a nod. And with that her body felt as if it were screaming as the trapdoor opened and her body dropped through the bottom. Her hooves had been tied behind her back, so she couldn't even tug at the rope that was suffocating her now. Her entire body went slack not to long afterwards. As the rope around her neck drained the final vestiges of life from her body, Starlight uttered one word," Su..n... burst..", before finally dying.
Starlight looked down to see her own body just hanging there, now completely lifeless. Her spirit turned around to see a thousand fiery and squirming , rotten hooves clamoring for her. She was about to spend the rest of eternity in the last place she had ever expected to ever see. A place that was told in stories to scary fillies into obeying their parents. She felt them wrap around her waist, clawing at her, dragging her down into the cold dark earth.
So ends the tale of Starlight Glimmer. A mare so consumed with Revenge that she threw away any chance at friendship. And is now serving Eternity for her crimes in the last place anypony wants to ever end up.
For her transgressions may she enjoy her new home.
And the thousand screaming souls that were clawing and dragging her down to her new resting place. The souls of the innocent and the damned cried out to her.
And she could not turn away from them. She was theirs now, for all eternity, theirs to make suffer.
As She was dragged down, she was greeted by a carving on the side of a cavern made entirely out of pony bones. It read: Abandon Hope All Ye who Enter.
Or Better known in the common tongue as WELCOME TO TARTARUS.
Author's Note
This ones finally done, after the longest time O_O.
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
Epilogue: Glimmer's bad Dream
And then she woke up. Her mane in a tangle and glistening with sweat. The coldest sweat that she had ever felt. It was like waking from an unending nightmare. A nightmare of her own design. Starlight Glimmer stared out the window of her bedroom and sighed. Everything could of gone much worse she thought.
Her life now was full and bright. She had a close knit circle of friends. A mare that shared her heart. And yet she could still feel the threads of the multiverse bearing down on her. Ready to crush her under the weight of the innumerable sins that she could have committed had she gone through with it all.
Her nightmare all but told her that. It was a constant reminder of what events could of been like had she rejected Twilight's offer of friendship all those years ago. It was something that drove a chill down her spine. She had never told Twilight this, but there have been times where she could see an alternate version of herself staring at her through the reflection of the mirror in her bathroom.
Always asking an unanswerable question.
Why.
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
Chapter 1: The Fading of Starlight
Starlight was waiting for Twilight in her Castle , with the Cutie Map in perfect view. No pony had ever been seen sneaking in through the front door, and yet she managed to slip in without making a sound. After attending the seminar Twilight had just held about the effects and implications of Cutie Mark Magic, she decided to use the opportunity to get back at her. She was going to make sure that Twilight and her friends never met, thus never interfering with her vision for equality. She had no idea the impact it would have on Equestria. Each Timeline would turn out much worse than it was supposed to be. And each one would contain different levels of discontinuity, one universe would not affect the others, and so on. And Starlight's fate would be different in each timeline. You the reader will be witness to each divergent timeline and the effects that would result from Glimmer's misguided path to revenge through the use of Time Travel.
She was also unaware of the fates she would inevitably create for her alternate selves in the process. That thought had never occurred to the lavender coated unicorn. She was so blinded by her quest for revenge that she couldn't see what was right in front of her.
A chance at a better life.
And yet her fate had been resigned to something much worse.
The Everlasting Night
It wasn't going to be easy, but Twilight had to do something about Starlight, or she was bound to destroy all of Equestria through all this Time Travel meddling. She pulled herself together after her and spike went through the 3rd time loop. It was nighttime compared to the last 2 realities she had been in. Fear started to creep up her spine, filling her with a cold dread. If it was night here, then that meant that in this timeline Nightmare Moon had come back and conquered Equestria unchallenged. It also meant that Celestia was either dead or Banished. She picked herself up and started walking, with Spike right next to her. Then came the howling, They both realized that this also meant that the Timberwolves were nearby. Spike and Twilight began running to the bridge connecting the Castle Grounds to the Ravine where the Tree of Harmony was. She pushed open the door with her hooves and stopped to breathe. As they opened the door all the torches in the great hall flickered to life. As they walked down the hallway she kept thinking about her friends and what their life must be like without her. As soon as they climbed the stairs to the upper level of the Castle, a White Unicorn with 3 diamonds for a cutie mark walked by them and whisked a torn banner off the ground with her magic and onto a hook high on the wall.
"Rarity?", Twilight muttered to herself. The Unicorn gave her a snide look as she commented that all the banners needed changing and that the castle was closed to visitors.
"Rarity," Spike clamored, "It's me, Spike."
"I don't associate with dragons.", She said coldly to him. Spike looked like his heart was going to break in half.
"Rarity" Twilight spoke out loud this time.
"We need your help, we have to get back to the map and stop Starlight Glimmer.", Twilight told her.
Rarity looked at her with skepticism, " I don't know how you know my name, but i don't have the time for some Tourist and their crazy stories right now." And with that, another Chill ran down Twilight's spine when she turned around at the sound of a commanding voice.
"I guess you leave me no choice," Twilight slung the words at Rarity like a barb, and before the unicorn could react she was presented with a series of images in her mind. Of the sun, of another version of herself and this other pony at the spa, almost as if they were friends in another life. It slowly dawned on her, they were friends in this other life, an alternate timeline as it were. One where where they all shared in the warmth of Celestia's sun, and of their friendship.
Then Twilight stepped away and turned to face what she had sensed was giving her such a chill down her spine. There was no denying it now. There sitting on her Lunar Throne was Nightmare Moon. She seemed uninterested in what had transpired between this mystery guest and her Night Maid, Rarity. As she was about to speak, Rarity had just turned the corner to head to the cantina that was just around the next hallway. Before rounding the corner, she could only back at both Twilight and Spike. And she felt utterly ashamed of herself now for what she had said to the young dragon.
Fix this, she thought, fix this for all our sakes Twilight.
" Time Travel you say?", And with that statement a tall black and blue armored Mare stood up from her Throne. NO. Twilight thought. There in front of her were six more ponies clad in Lunar Republic Armor. and walking towards her was none other than Nightmare Moon. " You will take me to this map of yours and tell me more about this time travel magic." She demanded of Twilight.
What was she going to do. That thought was playing over and over in Twilight's mind. She could try and fight Nightmare Moon, she had the magic to now to do so. She could teleport both of them away from and try to reason with her. Or so she take Nightmare with so Starlight could see just how stupid her plan at revenge had been. For now she decided to go with the latter plan. But she'd keep the second one as a backup option. That's when a familair voice came from behind her and got her attention. When she saw who was speaking, a part of her heart broke.
"The PRINCESS gave you a command, and if you want to stay out of the Dungeon i suggest you comply.", Twilight turned around to see a light blue, cyan colored pony take off their helmet to reveal a familiar face. Twilight's heart broke in half and turned to ice when she saw none other than Rainbow Dash standing there.
"Ok.", Twilight said as she turned back to face Nightmare Moon. Spike protested but it fell on deaf ears.
"We have no choice Spike." She whispered to him. As they left for the forest Twilight turned around and looked Rainbow Dash in the face.
" What is it.", She asked hiding her curiosity.
"How long have you been under her command?", Twilight asked her.
"Since the Fall of Celestia, what does it matter to you?", RD retorted.
"Because in the time i'm from, me, you and 4 other friends of ours found something called the Elements of Harmony, and defeated her. When i heard your voice i felt like my heart was on the verge of breaking", Twilight told her.
" Because in my world you are very important to me and i cant let Starlight get away with what she's done.", She looked deep into RD's eyes and whispered to her 4 words.
" Your one of my best friends Rainbow. Well, more than that to be honest.", Twilight whispered. As she said that Rainbow's attention seemed to focus on those last words of hers.
"Just how close are we, really?" She was curious now. With that Twilight put her lips to Rainbows and kissed her. Just on that gesture alone Rainbow Dash had a good understanding of how close her and Twilight were. And for the longest time since Nightmare Moon's return, she felt happy for once.
As soon as they got to the area where the map was, Twilight caught up to Nightmare in time to see her blast the last Timberwolf with a bolt of Magic. She turned her attention to the map and told Nightmare Moon that she would show her what to do. But in the back of Twilight's mind there was another reason to do this. She would use Nightmare Moon to school Starlight Glimmer in just how bad revenge was as an idea. She turned around to look Rainbow in the face and told her to come to the map as well. Rainbow Dash complied and the 4 of them Got on top of the map. Twilight activated the spell and they were all transported to the Cloudsdale Junior Flight Camp. And almost as if on cue, Starlight showed up. But then the unexpected happened. CELESTIA was there.
What was Celestia doing here? She had never attended the Race as far as Twilight had known.She stepped away from Moon and approached her former mentor.Twilight felt it was best if she went and explained what was happening before she could say anything. Celestia's answer surprised her to be honest.
"I know", the Princess stammered out. She told Twilight that she had sensed something was wrong with the timeline through the Tree of Harmony. Starlight ignored them and walked over to Nightmare Moon, much to Twilight's chagrin. Before she got close to the princess Rainbow Dash jumped in front to block her. Twilight told RD to follow her. Rainbow Dash Reluctantly obeyed and walked over to Twilight. As she did so, she saw the most unbelievable thing, there flying past at a fast pace, was the filly version of Rainbow Dash. As soon as that happened it looked like she was going to cry. Happier memories came flooding back.
Nightmare Moon could only stare at Starlight Glimmer with the faintest bit of rage in her eyes. If what Twilight had said was true, then this mare broke time iteself out of petty revenge. She had interrupted their lives. Before they had stepped through the portal Twilight showed Nightmare just what had happened in her timeline. How she and Celestia were both happy and ruling together. As had been intended. Twilight had explained to her that after the banishment Celestia had cried herself to sleep every night since that tragic event.
Nightmare had found herself staring at the ground before stepping through and when she saw Celestia staring back at her when they had entered the past she was content. Content that her older sister was alive and well and not stranded on the moon like she had been for thousands of years. Inside her mind, she woke Luna up and told her everything that was happening.
"this mare, Twilight, she said that We're ruling together with Celestia. As it should have been. Luna, you were right all this time. I may be a seperate being now, but i realized that i was created out of your jealousy. And that Jealousy is gone now." Nightmare Moon spoke to the mare before releasing final control of Luna's Mind.
"Before i leave you, i need you to do something for me." She spoke one last time," Make this Starlight Glimmer understand how pointless her quest for revenge really was." As she said that Luna was released from her confinement within her own mind. Celestia couldnt barely believe what she was seeing. There in front of her was her little sister.
"Luna.." Celestia stammered. Seeing her older sister tearing up made Luna tear up as she wrapped her forehooves around Celestia's breastplate.
"Im sorry for what i did to you Sister," Luna squeaked as she also cried into Celestia's fur,"I'm sorry for doubting what you had tried to tell me that day." Celestia put a foreleg over her sister and hugged her tight. This was the most important thing that could have happened for them. They looked up though to see a dark blob of magic take the form of Nightmare Moon.
"Dont worry Tia, Im going back to make sure things turn out for the better for us." Celestia smiled after she had said that. Nightmare was now her own separate being and right in front of her assumed Luna's form before walking back to the portal. She'd travel to this universe's moon and retrieve the Luna still stranded there and take her with her. She would also explain to her what was going on. Somehow thanks to Twilight Sparkle they would fix their timeline.
And if they found the Starlight Glimmer of their world, they'd lock that mare aware just to teach her a harsh lesson in humility.
They all heard a scream and whisked around. Starlight was clutching her side trying to stop the blood from spilling out onto the sky pavement. As a parting gift Nightmare grazed Starlight with a bolt of magic. Twilight hoped that would show her that revenge is a path you dont want to go down. Lest you become consumed by it. As she looked around Rainbow felt something come over her. For the first time in years, Rainbow Dash pulled off her Armor and spread her wings in the beaming Sunlight. This caught they attention of her younger self, and they met in the middle.
Twilight, Luna, and Celestia could see the scars that covered her entire back and part of her side. This Rainbow had been in numerous battles it seemed. And now she was free. Free to spread her wings and soar the skies once more. Twilight caught her smiling before a small pegasus came up to them.
"Are you me?", her filly self asked. Talk about bizarre. The smaller Rainbow Dash was now looking up at an older and more grizzled version of herself. Her ears perked up when the Older one spoke to her in a calm tone.
"Yea i am kid, and i have something to tell you", The Older one stated. This was going to be something that she'd regreted when she was a filly and had never really gotten over. Seeing both her younger self, and being here in the past. She had to set this right.
"Dont make the Mistakes i made, Protect Fluttershy, and more importantly defend her whenever you can.", she said," Of all the friends you'll make, she's the one that will matter most until you meet four others, you understand?", The filly looked at this Scarred, yet proud mare with a Rainbow Mane.
"Yes. Yes i understand.", she replied back.
As Nightmare Moon entered the Portal, the older Rainbow Dash started walking back to it to. She looked at Twilight with a thankful smile. but what happened next was unexpected. around the corner came a timid yellow filly Pegasus. Rainbow's eyes and hers met. RD walked over to her and put a wing around her and pulled her closed to her body. The Yellow Pegasus was none other than Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash and her looked at one another before the filly smiled and hugged her back. Fluttershy knew this wasnt her Rainbow Dash, but at the same time knew that it was Rainbow Dash all the same.
Twilight and Celestia turned back around to confront a wounded Starlight Glimmer. As much as Twilight felt satisfied, she couldn't really just let her die. They bound the wound and they all watched the race from a safe distance. Rainbow Dash felt satisfied when she watched her filly self hit the sound barrier and punch through it, doing a Sonic Rainboom in the process. Rainbow Dash was unsure what to do now. Does she go back to her own timeline and face the consequences and or does she find an isolated part of Equestria and settle down all the while staying out of sight as not to contaminate the timeline. Celestia looked at her and then Twilight.
"Why dont you go with her.", she said calmly.
Twilight thought of how odd it might be if there were 2 Rainbow Dashes. but she decided it was worth the risk if it meant that this RD got to see how her life might of been. As soon as the next Time portal opened the 4 of them went through it and ended up back in Twilight's Castle. All of her friends had just entered the room, when Rainbow Dash froze with an astonished look on her face.
" Your'e here", she said.
Apparently she never told anypony about a certain event that took place at Junior Flight Camp. and neither did Fluttershy. You'd think with 2 Rainbow Dash's being in the same room that some kind of temporal cascade effect would of happened. but not here. Starlight was taken to Canterlot by Twilight and BOTH Rainbow Dashes. The Second Rainbow Dash decided to dye her Mane darker colors, RD never told her family that a second version of her was from another reality. they forged credentials stating that she just Rainbow Dash's twin sister. As they were doing that, Twilight Remembered something that Chrysalis had told her when she had impersonated Cadence. Something about the Canterlot caves...
Twilight told Celestia what Starlight had planned to do with the time spell. Celestia was not pleased by any means. Twilight told her about a perfect way to punish Starlight Glimmer and the princess cracked a smirk. As soon as they neared the steps to Throne, Twilight used a spell similar to the one Chrysalis used and opened a rift in the floor and watched Starlight disappear from sight.
" You'll have plenty of time to think about your life and what matters more.", Twilight said as she disappeared beneath the floor.
Rainbow Dash turned to her other self and hugged her. " I knew I'd see you again, i never understood it, but i just knew somehow."
The other one smiled and then turned to Twilight, " so you think you could help me change the color of my coat?"
" I think tan would be nice, and a compass for a new Cutie Mark.", she said.
" I think that can be arranged", Twilight told her with a smile. Before they parted ways, she leaned in close to Rainbow Dash and kissed her on the cheek.
"What was that for?" Rainbow asked her.
" That's what i explained to you in the forest, remember, I love you and i always will no matter what life sends at us. "
" And if you need me, just whisper it in the night wind and ill find my way to you." , Twilight told her.
Author's Note
There are probably some errors, but i am just starting out here.
Shattered Harmony: Starfall
"Do you hear that?", an Equalist guard told the one next to him.
"No," Why do I always get the paranoid ones at this hour ?, He didn't let his companion hear that last part. At least he hoped the stallion next to him didnt hear it, that was the last thing he needed on a night like this. He did miss certain things, but decided against thinking about them. Starlight had a way of severely punishing those that were deemed " Free Thinkers" to her plans at spreading Equality through the land of Eqeustria. What none of them realized though, was that this was her last night on this realm. The guard turned to the sound of footsteps, only to turn around and come face to face with a Pegasus with a rainbow Mane, and a Purple Alicorn.
He couldn't believe the sight in front of him though, it was Twilight. But she was supposedly missing or killed when Starlight had come back and overthrown the PRincesses. But it was her. He had to make sure that he wasn't going to be a target. After all, how would she feel if she attacked him, only to find out that she had attacked her own brother. Starlight had let Shining Armor retain his position as Captain of the Royal Guard. When she had taken power, she brought about so many improvements. Mostly to the military aspect of Equestria. They had a modern militarized force that could rival that of even Roam. The last war with that nation was nearly 1000 years ago. It wasn't long, the Equestrian Royal Army had managed to force the Roaman legions into a narrow pass near the sea of Gallopolay, which caused them to suffer massive amounts of casualities on their side. The Equestrians only lost fifteen squads of stallions compared to the fifty thousand that the Roamans had recklessly sent in there.
She looked as though she was going to cast a restraining spell, so he prepared himself for it. He nearly started to laugh when the spell did more to his companion guard, and nothing to him. As he saw the dumbstruck look on her face, he decided that was the best time to remove his helmet. Rainbow Dash was the first to nearly faint when she saw who it was that was standing in front of them. Twilight still had a confused look on her face.
"Sh..Shining?!?" she let out. She found her brother's left hoof covering her mouth. And yet she was still giving him that " How, what, WHY?" type of look she had always given him when they were younger. When she nodded she was calmed down, he removed his hoof from her muzzle and explained what happened as to why he was here.
"She let me keep my position, but I haven't seen anypony else afterwards. I've been on night duties most of the time, and haven't had the time to see how Cadence has been doing. We drifted apart after Starlight came back and took over, pushing her Equalist agenda through those with the same ideas that control seats in the Parliament." His gaze turned back to Rainbow Dash as he guided them to an abandoned building in the capitol. Most of the city in this area had remained deserted after Glimmer's party had come to power. Most of the ponies in this part of the city moved to either the Crystal Empire, or moved to other parts of Eqeustria.
"Why are you glaring at her Shiny, she helped me escape after I got back," Twilight was unsure of why her own brother would be glaring at Rainbow Dash. It wasn't because they were, or are, marefriends was it?
"A few nights ago, I started hearing a rumor that somepony was a Lunar Republic Loyalist, and yet was working with the rebels at the same time. Care to explain Rainbow?, I wonder how my sister would feel to see she had been in love with a traitor." Shining waited for Dash's response, but never got one. There was a commotion at the gates of the Palace. He told them to stay put while he went back to investigate. Twilight ignored him and followed Shining, much to both his like and annoyance. Both of them peered over the rampart of the castle tower they were close to and saw the most shocking thing.
A legion of Longma being led by a cloaked figure were storming the castle. She told him he had to tell Starlight, regardless of each of the others feelings on the matter. Shining hesitantly agreed and ran towards Celestia's old castle to warn Starlight while Twilight oped to stay behind and find out just who the cloaked figure leading the bat ponies was. As they stayed in the abandoned building, she turned to face Dash. She had the most painstricken look on her muzzle.
"I wasn't doing it to hurt you Twi, I swear,", Rainbow Dash could tell when her words were falling on deaf ears. Why, she thought, why did Luna have to put her in this position. She loved Twilight from the first moment they had met. She could see that there was something about her that pulled at Dash's heartstrings. Even after she became an alicorn there was something about her that just sang radiance. And now Dash was going to lose her, all because of her loyalties being twisted again and used against her to make a choice.
Twilight looked at her with utter disdain in her eyes now. She took off after her brother, leaving a broken hearted Rainbow to just sit there in the darkness of the structure. Rainbow had thought to follow her, but decided instead to do something else. She took to the air as fast as she could, fly towards Celestia's old castle. She had one goal on her mind. She was going to kill Starlight Glimmer for everything she had been put through. This caught Twilight's attention as she stopped to look up. Something in her heart was berating her for the way she had just talked down to Dash just now, something she had never imagined herself doing before. She flexed her wings and attempted to make the distance that was between them. She used her long range Teleportation spell to round it out.
But she was too late, she watched in shock as Dash performed A Sonic Rainboom within a rock's throw distance of the Castle. She also had line of sight to watch Rainbow Dash crash into and slam Starlight against the back of the tower where she was sleeping. Twilight teleported inside just in time to watch Rainbow slam her hooves into Starlight's chest. Starlight tried to use her magic, but found it being hampered by something. But Twilight noticed it. Dash was enveloped in an Anti Magic field. It was cancelling out Starlight's magic. Which evened the playing field in both Rainbow and Twilight's minds. Before any of them could react to the other. Starlight found herself being pulled to the edge of the balcony by a blueish and black looking magical aura. There standing before them was Princess Luna. She looked over at Twilight with a look of relief.
"I did not know you were still alive Twilight Sparkle,", blue coated alicorn lamented. Apparently they had all thought that Starlight had killed her when they were engaging in their battle. It was her will to get back to her friends that kept her going she told Luna. Before they could saying anything else, the Time Portal opened. Twilight told them that was her cue to leave. Luna wished her luck. Rainbow could only look away. Twilight walked over to her and kissed her, right in front of Luna.
"I forgive you, I will always love you." And with that she was gone. Rainbow Dash could only sit there and think to herself.
Go get her Twi.