CHAPTER 1: Magic Power! Whatever could go wrong with this?
“Ready, Rainbow?”
“Ready as the last fifteen times!”
The sky-colored Pegasus leapt off the cloud and into the open air. She immediately nosedived, aiming towards a lavender unicorn.
“Come on… This has got to work…” muttered Twilight as she readied her magic.
It was a bright, yet chilly, winter day in Ponyville. White blanketed the entire area, and everywhere you looked, a white horizon displayed itself. If you focused enough, you could even see Canterlot, which had similar conditions.
Twilight Sparkle, prized pupil of Princess Celestia, would’ve spent the day inside, as usual, reading and studying. Right now, she felt like maybe even taking Spike up on his offer to move her studying for the season to her nice, cozy-and-toasty warm bed.
However, her ever-curious nature led her to all manner of assorted subjects. Presently, she found interesting data on Pegasi magic. She developed a theory, that, if successful,
“NOW!” yelled out the speeding pony, as the sound barrier bent around her, barely making her yell relevant.
Could disprove Starswirl’s theory of supercraftian relativity!
As her horn flashed brightly, Rainbow Dash smashed through, boosting to ludicrous speeds while leaving a prism trail behind her. She quickly pulled up as a bubble appeared around her, and started spinning in tight circles.
Twilight focused, and the bubble slowly started shrinking. Rainbow’s blurred form started shining. She felt as if her body was lighting up in a non-burning flame.
A second aura appeared around Twilight’s horn, as the bubble was constantly shrunk and reinforced. Rainbow had become a white brightness inside the magic, which was quickly turning the floating object into a ball of light.
“GO!” The prodigy’s horn gained a third aura, and the sky and land seemed to darken against the potent light. Rainbow shot out of the bubble, barely avoiding being crushed inside the ever shrinking ball. As she landed haphazardly on the ground, ruining the green sweater she wore, at least more than it already was destroyed, Twilight’s teeth gritted under huge pressure.
“Oooo! Pretty!” came a newcomer.
Pinkie bounced next to Twilight, as did a yellow Pegasus.
No, not now!
“What’s that Twilight? It kinda looks like a disco ball. IS IT A DISCO BALL?! I’d LOVE to have one as bright as that!” The pink pony rambled almost to her ear.
“Pinkie…” tried Fluttershy, although she was ignored.
Her horn sparked.
NO, oh no, nononono
“I mean I’ve seen tons of disco balls at all the parties I’ve gone to, but I’ve never seen anything like this!”
“Pinkie…”
It sparked twice.
Nonononononono
“ExceptthatonetimewhenVinylhadputliketenpairsofglassesaroundone,itlookedfunnytoo!”
“Please, Pinkie…”
NONONONO-
“EVERYPONY DOWN ON THE GROUND!”
The ball of energy suddenly was released, and an enormous, prism wave burst from it. The four ponies around did their best to hold on, but to no avail. The force yanked them away from the snow, and a house’s worth of land was sent behind them.
“Ah, I simply love this season!” the white unicorn exclaimed to herself.
Unlike many other businesses in Ponyville, winter brought much more customers to Carousel Boutique, since the ponies’ coat alone wasn’t enough to keep the biting cold of the season away. Not only that, but the white expanse of snow glistening in the light made Rarity smile contentedly, as it reminded her of other beautiful, white beings.
Namely, herself.
She was currently seated behind the machine, stitching away with her gold thread. It was no request or order, but rather just a design made out of simple, yet fabulous ingenuity.
Covered in a thick, blue and golden mantle-like dress, donning a stylishly-ridiculously sized hat, she was in a moment of perfect placidness, in her own world.
A world in which she didn’t notice the brief darkening of the land outside.
“Eek! AAAAAGH!”
Her little world exploded in pain, blindness and a high pitch whistle in her ears as the hyper-charged Sonic Rainboom turned her windows to dust. Her eyes stung, but were yanked open by the horrible bolt of pain, calling from her hoof.
She looked at the blurred image of her hoof being painfully and repeatedly pierced by the machine, stitching it messily to her work.
Magic blasted out from her horn, as she mentally felt for a way to turn off this suddenly hell-born machine, over the repeated stabbing coming from it.
As the puncturing stopped under her command, she let out a yowl of pain.
Trying her best not to call anyone’s current attention, she clenched her teeth and let nary but a hiss escape her mouth. Broken, silent moans alternated with her breathing, a few tears marking the picture of her pain.
Her forehead pressing on the desk, she slowly opened her eyes as she collected herself.
Alright… Alright Rarity. Look up. Slowly. No sudden movement. In the slightest.
She closed her eyes as she slowly, and stiffly, pulled her head up.
It’s horrible…
IT’S TERRIBLE!!
Oh sweet Celestia, guardian and dame of Equestria why?!
My… Its… ruined! Useless! Ugly!
MY GOLD THREAD HAS BEEN STAINED!
Rarity nearly fainted as she saw her own blood, specifically the way it tainted her glamorous design.
She could’ve ignored the injury, was it not for her hoof’s new calling of pain.
Right. Got to deal with this.
No cotton available under her sight, she pitifully used her unfinished work to suppress the blood flow. Inspecting it once more, she saw how bad it was.
Her hoof had been stitched 12 times to the cloth. Not pretty.
Her technical, accurate prowess came forth though, as she quickly and efficiently cut the thread and cleaned the desk from anything that could get in her way.
Now, I could cut the thread inside into parts, but that is a bit dangerous, or I could pull it out, but that would be worse.
Oh Rarity, how do you ruin a perfect day AND dress like this?
“What the hay is goin’ on here?!”
Applejack came to a scene rather hard to explain or understand.
Twilight’s mane and clothes were a terrible mess, although it fit her infuriated expression. She seemed to be trying to do something. Looking up, she saw an equally-messy Rainbow Dash being followed by dark clouds, surrounded by purple magic. To the side she saw Pinkie Pie trying to pull her head out of the ground, with Fluttershy and Spike helping her. Further to the side, she saw a green sweater, alit in purple flames.
Upon noticing her, Fluttershy jumped over Pinkie Pie towards Applejack, leaving the pink mare’s rump to fall on Spike’s head.
“Pinkie and I were coming from Sugarcube Corner since she had baked me some cupcakes for helping her with Gummy, when we saw Twilight doing something with Rainbow, and Pinkie came closer to Twilight. She did something wrong and it exploded then Twilight yelled at Pinkie for it then Rainbow defended Pinkie saying it was Twilight’s fault then Twilight told Rainbow it was her fault actually then Pinkie talked but Twilight put her head in the ground then Rainbow yelled and Spike ran in and I tried to help but Twilight is mad and I CAN’T STOP ANY OF THIS!” Fluttershy yelled, or at least what was considered a yell in her terms, as the farmer pony pulled out her rope, making a noose as the Pegasus kept explaining.
“Don’tfh werry shugerkube, ah goth thid.” She said through the rope.
She broke into a quick gallop, jumped on Twilight and pining her head down to break her concentration and view, while at the same time flinging the hoop towards Rainbow Dash, pulling her down and out of the clouds’ path.
Pinning both ponies down to the ground under her forehooves, Applejack started talking in a disappointed tone.
“Now when ah heard a big boom over the whole town, Ah thought somethin’ terrible had happened, and would you look at that, Ah was right! There were two of mah friends bein’ terribly immature!”
“Now, Ah’m not surprised ta see Rainbow involved in this,” she started, the pegasus rolling her eyes and mumbling over a mouthful of snow.
“But ah AM surprised ta see ya actin’ so foalishly, Twi! I dunno what sciency thing you two were doin’, but that doesn’t mean ya can go on an blame anypony for yer mistakes!” She continued, as Pinkie finally freed herself from the ground with an audible ‘pop!’
“Now ah want ya two to say sorry to Pinkie and Fluttershy for yellin at ‘em, ya hear me?” She lowered her head to look at the two mares she held down.
Just as Twilight was about to (begrudgingly) agree on it, Rainbow suddenly said, “Yeah, no, I don’t think so.”
Her hindquarters shot up, knocking Applejack off balance. She pushed hard with her forehooves and wing on her restraint, until the rope ripped open, granting her full mobility.
“Sorry MOM, but I’m not about to apologize when I’ve done nothing wrong. I just defended Pinkie because Twilight blamed her for her spell’s failure!”
Being released from the earth pony’s hold, Twilight shot up in defense, her thoughts being challenged. “It WAS her fault! She kept yabbering on and on about something I couldn’t give horseapples about, even though I CLEARLY needed to concentrate!”
“Why didn’t you just ignore her then?!”
“She was yelling right in my ear! Besides, it’s Pinkie for Pete’s sake!”
“That don’t allow ya to dig ‘er head in like an oyster or somethin’!” Applejack joined in.
“That’s an OSTRICH you’re talking about!”
“Oyster ostrich eldritch WHO CARES?! The point is you Are being a jerk, Twilight!”
“Me?! If anyone is a jerk here is you, Rainbow!”
“What?!”
“‘Look at me! I’m Rainbow Dash! I’m so cool and awesome and INSECURE that I would never be at fault for anything!’”
“Oh yeah? ‘I’m Twilight freaking Sparkle! I’m the best magic spouter ever and can’t ever fail at anything!’”
“Ya two are just bein’ stupid now!”
“As if you’ve ever even read a book!”
“That was too low, Twilight!”
Fluttershy, Pinkie and Spike looked on as the stubborn trio argued on and on.
“What happened? What’s going- ugh –on?”
The three of them turned to see Rarity, who limped towards them, her right hoof held up and bound in a golden wrapping.
“I’ll… explain later.” Said Fluttershy.
“Very well… Spikey, what is that you’re holding?”
Spike, clad in a blue hoodie, looked up from his temporary trance of adoration to point at the parchment on his claw. He released it as he let Rarity take it and inform them, since Twilight was…
“A chicken flies better than you!”
“Now you keep Scootaloo out of this! She needs time!”
…busy.
Rarity unraveled the scroll, and cleared her throat with a polite ‘m-hmm’.
“Twilight,
Gather your friends and wait for me and my sister in ten minutes.
Celestia”
Just as she confirmed the letter’s source, the scene froze as two rather heavy clops echoed on the now silent area.
Without wait, the two alicorns flared their wings as the elements of harmony appeared around the group of friends.
The jewels held in the necklaces and tiara flashed as their gold bearings vanished.
With a flash, the six jewels, with Celestia’s and Luna’s horns added in, sent out beams of corresponding colors towards their holders.
Everything went black.
" P.S., May the Founder’s wish be on your side once more, my little ponies."
NEXT CHAPTER!
The area sparked shortly, and they saw as a gray sphere expanded. Going through them, they appeared in the snowy area had been in. As the sphere continued its way, trees and hills started materializing. However, under closer inspection, they saw that everything was in a cold blue tone, the sky being a dark shade of it as well.
Darkness! Who are all these ponies?!
CHAPTER 2: Darkness! Who are all these ponies?
Darkness.
Twilight’s consciousness slowly came to being, as words floated around her mind, seeking to gain meaning, and to become sentences.
What… happened…?
Princess Celestia…
The Elements…
Girls…?
As her mind finally took grip in her body, Twilight slowly stood up, holding a hoof to her head. Her other hoof felt an odd… nothing. She was capable of standing, ergo there was a floor of some form, but she felt just nothing beneath her hoof. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
She slammed her eyes shut, her entire nervous system being overcharged with ambient magic.
Her ears buzzed loudly as she shook herself again, barely hearing herself think as her heart rhythmically beat loud and clear like a drum. She strained to keep hold of her thoughts, as the overly present feelings she had scared her capacity to think again. Until something stopped it all.
Something seemed to snap, and suddenly she felt as though a large part of her was being drained down her body. It felt like thousands of ice-cold tongues licked every nook and cranny of her entire body, leaving behind an empty feeling.
As the maddeningly unwelcome feeling slipped out from her hooves, she shivered, and instinctually squinted her eyes open, slowly, as she recovered.
What in the world…?!
The darkness from before did not assault her, as now she stared into a pair of white eyes.
She reeled back looking at the pony in front of her. Staring at her with a serious glare was a unicorn sporting a pale indigo coat. Her mane was almost entirely black, excepting a single midnight blue stripe. The mare’s horn poked out beside said stripe, glistening with the same shine the blue, six-pointed star on her flank did.
“Who are you?”
Her only response was a burst of indigo-colored magic at her hooves. She jumped back, only to be met with a stronger magic blast mid-air.
Sliding back and groaning, she noticed she was not alone with the dark mare.
Looking around, she saw her five PFFs at her side, and saw five more mares rise from the ground around the offending unicorn.
Applejack held a surprised look for a second, and then glared at the pony directly in front of her, who mirrored her action. The earth pony had the same coat as the unicorn beside her. Her freckles, mane and eyes were an almost blinding white, and she wore an iris Stetson hat. Her cutie mark showed three black apples with iris-colored leaves.
Fluttershy could only tremble in her spot, although a slight sense of wonder crept up in her mind as she looked at the pegasus standing like a statue in front of her. Her coat was snow white, and unlike the other ponies beside her, she held a rather blank expression, although the slight furrowing of her brow showed a tint of… shame? Her lighter-iris mane matched with the butterflies on her flank, which were barely visible. Her stance looked confident at first glance, but looking closely revealed it to be her being too scared to even move.
Rainbow snorted and pawed at the ground, looking at her opposite dead in the eye. The light indigo-colored pegasus sported an exaggerated smirk, as she held her head high in the air and stared back down at the speedster. Her mane held the colors of black, iris, white, dark indigo, dark blue, and indigo, in that order. Her wings flared out, slightly covering the black, white and indigo thunderbolt she had for a cutie mark.
Pinkie looked with a smile at the other party pony in front of her. She found her light iris coat and dark blue, puffy mane to look hilarious! She took out a pink cupcake to present at her new bestest friend, but was super surprised to see her have a blue cupcake in her hoof already! She thought the obvious, and threw the cupcake at her eyeless friend to trade. She caught it with her mouth and ate it with a smile. Pinkie let out her hoof, awaiting her treat. Her smile widened as the earth pony reached back… then ate the other cupcake too! What a meanie! Pinkie’s smile turned into a saddy waddy frown, at which her opposite laughed out loud, pointing at her.
Rarity looked at the last of the dark ponies. Unlike the others, she had very little color. A completely white coat contrasted with a very dark blue mane, the only other tone in her body being the three indigo diamonds on her flank. She held her nose up in a decidedly snobby stance, sneering at the fashion-loving pony. Curiously, she also had her makeshift hoof bandage, except in a glistening iris color.
Standing up, Twilight now glared back in kind at her copy, who immediately charged up her horn. Thinking quick, Twilight cast a barrier around her and her friends. However, the dark copy of Twilight shot the spell at the ground between them.
The area sparked shortly, and they saw as a gray sphere expanded. Going through them, they appeared in the snowy area had been in. As the sphere continued its way, trees and hills started materializing. However, under closer inspection, they saw that everything was in a cold blue tone, the sky being a dark shade of it as well.
“Come on, girls! Spread out and destroy!”
The voice of Twilight’s doppelganger reverberated through the air, as they all started disappearing. The leader teleported in an indigo flash of magic, her glare fast on Twilight still. The dark farmer swung a noose into the air, and she magically disappeared as the noose came down around her. The dark speedster slid her hoof under her neck in a menacing gesture, then merely burst out of the area, leaving her rainbow of darkness behind her. The other pegasus of the group merely closed her eyes, when suddenly a hole appeared below her. As she dropped into it, they saw how a dark-colored mole closed it up. The meanie pony jumped up, poking her tongue out at the group, and dashed away in a similar, but more comical way to the dark rainbow pegasus. Finally, the last pony encased herself in a diamond of magic, sticking her nose even farther into the air, and teleported in a far more showy way to the dark Twilight.
“Come on everypony! We must stop them!”
NEXT CHAPTER!
Applejack finally found her double, near the empty fields. She saw as NegaApplejack bucked Big Macintosh’s side. Meanwhile the stallion was very strong, so were Applejack’s legs, and as such the stallion still toppled over, the plow he dragged following suit. He seemed confused at what exactly could have kicked him over like that.
Strength vs. Strength! Buckdown at Sweet Apple Acres!
PROLOGUE: Celestia's Nightmare! What could the Element of Harmony want?
Ugh...
What time is it again?
...2:20 A.M....
Sigh... Old habits die hard, huh...
The walls of the pristine royal castle glistened in the moonlight cascading from the windows. Depictions of the sun covered, or in the room's owner's opinion, cluttered the walls and furniture and even the pillows she rested her head on. The only object in her field of vision lacking the flaming orb was her royal garb.
And it was also the source of her nightmares.
Unbeknownst to most, the elements are capable of uniting and separating between incarnations, as they did when the current Holders ignited the 'spark' of friendship.
And as they did when she had to send her sister to suffer for 1000 years under her own darkness.
The former Element of Harmony had been insisting on her as it had on the night her sister returned. Insisting to call out the darkness once more, to make them true Defenders of Harmony. She was afraid to repeat her past mistakes. She could barely cope with banishing one pony, how could she live if it came to condemning six ponies more?
What was worse, she knew the turmoil the element brought her was not unfounded. After all, the elements had been quickly declining in efficiency in the past year.
At first, they worked wonderfully, as their rejuvenated forms called out to their former holder's heart.
However, they were taken and lost by the discorded being who couldn't even come close to them when he was first imprisoned. They even misfired, due to their holders becoming corrupted.
Last time it took several hundreds of years for the protection they had and brought to weaken to the level that their holders became vulnerable to chaotic magic. Now, it had taken less than a single year.
And recently, when they were desperately needed, the elements didn't even respond to their bearers proximity and danger.
The purple gem spoke to her every night, and it only had one thing to say in its powerful voice.
"PURIFY THEM."
And no matter how much she pleaded, how much she reminded it of events past a thousand years, it insisted.
"PURIFY THEM."
Standing up, she treaded her room carefully. Peering out the doors to the sleeping guards, she quietly spread her wings and flew close to the ceiling, using the tranquility of her sister's night to hide herself.
Upon reaching the observatory, she stumbled into the one pony she couldn't command away to remain silent.
Although the twitching of the night blue mare's ears showed her recognition of her arrival, she paid no mind as she kept looking down at the city below her.
Her constant despair temporarily replaced with the familiar concern for her sister, she slowly walked to her side. However, rather surprisingly, she found her with a placid smile etched on her face instead of a melancholic frown.
"The night has changed."
She followed her gaze to the city below, where, even at this hour, ponies trotted the streets. A few busy ponies here and there, other slightly less 'classy' ponies loittering about the alleys, and pegasi etching their silhouettes on the sky painted the picture of Canterlot at night, colored in the yellow lights of the ground and the white twinkles of the night. She never mentioned this, but in reality, her magic and control of the sun couldn't even hope to measure up to her sister's. After all, she just controlled the closest star. Her sister meticulously moved millions of others, far beyond where her own magic could even grasp.
More directly looking at her point of focus, she saw the distant park, where many, many ponies sat and enjoyed the view of the stars and moon above them. Some laid down, others sat on the benches, and others stood, but they all were admiring and praising the night's beauty. A couple passed closer to the castle's large observatory, and waved to Luna, which she responded to in kind
"It is unfamiliar, and yet, it fills me with upmost gratitude and pride to be blessed with such power, and the sharing this kingdom."
Luna looked up at her sibling, tears staining her joyful smile. No more were the days when the moon and stars were alone in the skies. Now, ponies reserved her night for relaxation and liberation. She found it slightly ironic, that her night was appreciated most by ponies of her own physical age, while elders and foals still adored her older, yet more mischievous sister's day.
"My dear Luna, in your absence, our subjects have learned to appreciate all the little blessings they have the right to upon their birth. Meanwhile the times have gotten more complicated, this has only just served to highlight the simpler, more beautiful things this world has to offer. Amongst them, I believe your glorious night is the most enchanting, unique thing I have witnessed."
"Thank you, Tia."
The two alicorns nuzzled each other, enjoying the once lost bond they had between themselves, and their kingdom.
This stopped short for the eldest sister, though.
"I've put extra care in my night, ever since the Element of Harmony has been pestering your dreams."
"...What?"
"Dear Sister, I may be younger than you, but by no means am I any less insightful or observant than you are. In fact, even our faithful servants have noticed the way you space out, staring at your necklace. Your sleeptalking is quite loud, too."
Her white face flushed in embarrassment.
"What has been bothering you? And what is the relation between my dark self and the six Bearers of the Elements? And just what is it that the Elder Element wants you to do?"
"Luna... I must tell you..."
She looked into the other alicorn's eyes, seeing a plead for honesty.
"Nightmare Moon... Our separation... It wasn't your fault... It was all mine..."
"Celestia, we've talked about this, you know it wasn't-!"
"Luna."
She looked down at her hooves, as the words snowballed and stuck in her throat.
"...It... ...It wants me to... It wants me to draw their darkness out, like I had to with you!"
NEXT CHAPTER!
Twilight’s mane and clothes were a terrible mess, although it fit her infuriated expression. She seemed to be trying to do something. Looking up, she saw an equally-messy Rainbow Dash being followed by dark clouds, surrounded by purple magic. To the side she saw Pinkie Pie trying to pull her head out of the ground, with Fluttershy and Spike helping her. Further to the side, she saw a green sweater, alit in purple flames.
Magic Power! Whatever could go wrong with this?
