One Last Game Book 1: The Gathering

Chapters

The Maddened Mind
The Ploy
The Alpha
The Samurai
The Beast Master
The Claymore
The Racer
The Assassin and Knight
The Illusion
The End of The Beginning
The Tank and Mage
The Captain and Spellsword
*Link to the Sequel

The Maddened Mind

Anger wasn’t strong enough a word to express his rage.

He was born to disrupt cycles, break patterns, upset order, end harmony. It was his entire purpose, his being, just to spread the beauty and wonder of chaos across all the lands that he could. Rain down chocolate, make trees dance, have days last minutes, or seconds, or years! He could twist minds, create matter, destroy energy, and replicate the impossible. There was nothing he couldn’t do.

Yet here he was, covered in stone, in a prison he had been in once and twice before. So now it was thrice, thrice he had been encased in a cell of rock, thrice he had been forced to watch the world move by him in perfect, unchallenged harmony. It sickened him beyond ways he thought possible, even for him. For every happy couple that cuddled in the garden, he felt bile rising in his immobile stomach. For every happy filly that ventured through the hedge maze, his ears rang for their silent prison. And for every touring group that labeled him a relic of the past, he felt his mind scream within its tomb.

This was not the way things were meant to work. His very existence should have ended this -- all of this. None of it should have begun again, not after he ended it last time. But it did. Not once, not twice, but thrice! First the alicorn sisters, then the elements of six ponies, followed by all eight of them together, and so easily that he barely had time for a song! What would be next? Would it happen again? If he broke free from this torturous prison yet again, would he be forced to endure another ill-fated stone jail?

The thought brought terror to his immovable body.

If even he, the creature destined for such a fate saw it coming, why was he continuing to plot it? Did he hope the cycle would change? Hope for something so beyond the power of any creature that he simply believed in something he couldn’t control, couldn’t manipulate, couldn’t change? There was a word for this, a vile despicable word that made his once furred skin shiver and scales crawl. It was a word used so often by the princesses, even more by their students? And not any less than by the laborers.

It was a cycle, a twisted, demented, evil, vile, and unforgiveable cycle.

Even he, he, the very incarnation of chaos itself, felt the idea to be more repulsive than anything harmony had created, because it was a thing of order he had a part in. Cycles were a form of harmony, a measure of balance. If anything of an intelligent mind knew of the cycle - or saw the patterns, they could predict what would come, know what would happen, and plan for the future. All of them, every last one of them, were things that could never exist within chaos. But here he was the spirit of chaos, its ruler, creator, maker and master, trapped in a prison, and cycle, that he had a hand in not only creating, but now enforcing.

How could it have come to this? Was he so ignorant to his actions that he failed to see their outcome? But was that not the very meaning of chaos, outcomes uncertain with actions beyond normal and immoral? Where was the line? Where did his chaos begin and the alicorns’ harmony begin? If this was a cycle, how could he end it? And that was the question. Not how he would escape again, not how he would exact revenge, not on what chaos truly was, or even what harmony grew from. There was only one dire question that circled all of his being, swallowing the God of Chaos in a torment of thoughts beyond even the boundaries of his disorder.

How did he end a cycle that depended on him?

If he left the cycle, left Equestria, to a land of his own creation, the balance of harmony would become permanent. Not a cycle, but a line, a permanent existence of concord given no reason or pause to end and every reason to exist. Peace would be eternal, fear would be a myth, and love and friendship would never end.

If he stayed within the cycle, then for every chance of freedom he grabbed, he would be defeated. For every chance of chaos he had to spread, he would watch harmony rise up and defeat him. And for every opportunity he had to end it all, something or somepony would appear to end him. It was the cycle that would demand it. No matter how long he struggled to hold his throne, no matter how well he destroyed the elements or hid them across the universe, they would be found, and he would be defeated. It was inevitable. It was, after all, a cycle.

What could be done? What could he do? What could be done to create end the cycle for a reign of chaos? Inexistence would delay it, action would start it again, but nothing in the realm of chaos could end it. No amount of corruption, deceit, treachery, lies, betrayal, or wrath could… could… co-o-u-uld….

Wrath…

Wrath was different than the rest of chaos… It didn’t change what already existed, it removed it. Removing the chance for them to change back. His alterations could be over-powered, or even reversed, but no amount of magic could replace a life that was lost. What is destroyed is gone, what ends cannot begin again, what is no more cannot reform.

It would be so easy for him to get rid of them, for all that he was and remained capable of, and they were nothing alone. No element of harmony separate from the rest could match the power of his chaos at its fullest. It would be so easy for him to remove them all. If there was nothing remaining, then his chaos could spread. He could inflict the young if the old could not teach, raise them to love the chaos the way their elders did harmony. He just had to get rid of the guardians, the wise, the ponies who knew about harmony. If they were gone, if they were all gone, then there wouldn’t be any need for the cycle. The cycle would be done, because he would be the only force left.

He just had to kill them all.

But it couldn’t be him.

He couldn’t inflict the wrath -- it would just be a part of the cycle. Anything he did within this cycle would ensure the survival of it. For any pony he killed, the others would replace. Maybe not quickly, maybe not wisely, but they would. And then through luck, will, or the cycle itself, it would end him, again and again and again.

He needed something, somepony, someone else to inflict the wrath, to begin the suffering, to ensure victory. A pony that could kill without regret, a soul that didn’t embrace the status quo, a being that yearned for things to be different than what they were, to be free from control or order. He needed to find souls that had such a yearning, such a gift, such a wish. But where?

Where in all of Equestria, where in the entire world, could such ponies exist? The few he had ever seen were things of his own creation, and they wouldn’t do. They were created by him, made by him, shaped by him, so they would be committing acts as if they were already him. It would be the same outcome. Murder, horror, acknowledgement, replacement, struggle, defeat. Defeat was not an option, struggle was only a variable. He had to remove them, though. There had to be murder, and murder brought horror, and horror brought fear. Then fear would bring the prize on a golden chariot. Fear would bring the chaos, and that would bring with it the end of Harmony.

But he was thinking too far ahead. He wasn’t used to planning like this, not in the least. A ploy, an act of deception, a spontaneous game, those were easy, those were fun. Those… those had been his downfall in the past. He needed a better method to end this, and it was just at the tip of his sharp marble tongue. There still remained work to be done. His next escape aside, he had to find the chaotic souls, beings with desire not far from his own, or at least with the capability to do so.

But where could he find them? Not in all Equestria, nor the world, did such a soul exist, and he had seen them all before when he took their precious balance away. There were no souls on Equestria that would be willing aid in such an act, and even if few did exist, not nearly enough to kill one of the precious ponies, let alone eight. He could not kill though, not so easily, not so flippantly. That was what began the cycle -- that was what started this predictable circle he had found himself within. He needed to be free, and if that meant finding a shred of order in his frozen mind to hatch plan, then it would be a sacrifice for the long run.

So from nowhere, in all of the land, could these beings come from. Now the question became what existed beyond this land. He already had the answer to that though. There were so many stars that lit the night, so many planets and lands beyond this one, so many worlds beyond Equestria. They could come from any of them, any land, time, or galaxy. They would have to be wicked in heart, cruel in nature, deceptive in thought, and cunning in action. He had time, plenty of time, endless amounts of time to search for them. They would listen to his words, fall into his traps or, if he was lucky, agree with his goal.

His goal was simple, sweet, though it was no easy feat. But now, it was just one step closer to being complete.

This cycle he had helped to create, this continuous pattern of freedom and confinement, of order and chaos, of yin and yang, would end. He would see the yin crushed, the order perish, and hope die as the ponies would embrace the beauty that was chaos.

He would free himself from this prison. He would travel to the galaxies of the universe and beyond. He would find his warriors of cycle-less existence. He would overthrow the harmonic circle of his own creation.

All cycles were meant to be broken.

Within his tomb of stone, Discord cackled in silence.

The Ploy

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m happy to report that “The Winter Wrap-Up” proceeded flawlessly this year. Not a single animal was left unattended, every bird was properly guided back home, and all pony homes remained undamaged as the ice thawed away. Entirely on schedule too, with not a single activity ahead or behind.

Mayor Mare was ecstatic to hear the news, happy that this year required no saving grace from any pony to save the day. In her own words, “It does my heart good not to worry about these events all the time.” She is such a kind mare. We really are lucky to have her leading the town.

Applejack and the rest of the Apple family are hard at work already, as usual. They estimate that the first collection of apples could be as early as a few weeks from now, if their optimism holds up. I’ve never doubted Applejack’s word before, at least when she’s not working herself to the ground, so I have no reason to start now.

Speaking of predictions, it came as no surprise to anypony that Pinkie Pie threw a party in celebration of the perfect wrap-up this year, complete with her very own fresh batch of spring cupcakes. The surprise here? They were filled with fresh dandelions from the new spring’s growth; just a few hours after spring had come in! That pony never does cease to amaze me.

Applejack and Rarity didn’t stay long oddly enough. It’s normal for Applejack to want to leave early, as she nearly always has some work that needs to be done at the farm, but Rarity usual uses Pinkie’s parties as an attempt for dress inspiration or sales. Her early departure was a rarity in itself. Stop laughing Rainbow. Anyways, she was probably being kind to Applejack, as the poor mare works so tirelessly day and night for her family. The two are rather a lot alike in that regard, Applejack for Apple Bloom and Rarity for Sweetie Bell. I must be hard having to work so hard just keep a home for their family…

Speaking of home, Rainbow Dash offered to fly me home. It was a little shocking at first, having the opportunity to be flown personally by a pegasus… sorry, “Equestria’s fastest pegasus.” Satisfied Rainbow? Yes I’m writing this down. Because the prince-Wait! Stop!

Sincerely,

Twi

Celestia blinked.

Of the many letters she received from her faithful student, this one, by far, had the most abrupt and unsatisfying endings she had ever read. No conclusion, no great lesson, and no “faithful” send off as she usually penned.

The princess of the sun began to chuckle lightly upon her throne.

“Is something amusing to you sister?” The white alicorn turned to see her younger counterpart, Princess Luna. The mare was trotting into the throne room, a look of curiosity on her.

“Just a letter I received from my faithful student,” Celestia answered honestly. “It feels as if something went… awry in the last moments of writing the letter.” She stifled another laugh as she spoke. Her magic enveloping the letter, slowly moved it into the grasp of the lunar princess. When the aura about the letter changed hues, Celestia relaxed her magic, waiting with a smile as Luna’s eyes began to scan the message.

“It does appear…” she noted as she read, “off in decorum as she approaches the end. Does thou believe young Twilight Sparkle’s initiative to be… lessening?” Her face formed the expression of worried trepidation, afraid that she would stumble into the territory of words her sister did not wish to engage in. A small release of laughter from the tall alicorn alleviated such fears.

“Not at all, my precious sister. There is a deeper, if you will, unspoken message in my faithful student’s words, one I believe that she is not aware she made.” Her words earned the same curious look from the alicorn of night, her brows low, lips slightly parted, and head tilted just a bit to the side. Celestia felt her smile stretch the skin beneath her pristine white fur.

“W- I,” Luna spoke with a slight blush, tongue near falling back into ancient Equine, “do not fully comprehend of what you speak? What message could she possibly pass without comprehension of doing so?”

Celestia beckoned her closer with a wing, still seated upon the throne of the royal court, now in a small commotion as the transition between day and night was about to begin. With the exchange of the sky came a transfer of ponies as well, both of the royal guard and the ponies in service to each sister. While the transfer occurred, and the sisters exchanged the sun for the moon, the hall remained empty from visitors. Only the guards coming to and leaving from their posts gave the room life, aside from the royal alicorn sisters.

Luna seated herself next to her sister, wings furled behind her as the note floated between the two. Celestia gave a slight, polite, cough before she began to speak.

“Over my faithful student’s past letters, she has written more and more of the young Rainbow Dash remaining in her presence even as she writes these reports to me. This is not terribly unordinary, as the Elements of Harmony are all students of mine when it comes to the Magic of Friendship.” The lunar princess nodded her head in understanding.

“However, what is a rare occurrence for Twilight is openly showing her letters to her friends as she writes them. When she remained with me here in Canterlot, she was terribly picky about finishing her work before anypony could see it.” Celestia let out another small fit of laughter.

“Now what does… do you laugh at?” Luna asked perplexed.

“Just a memory my dearest sister,” the sun princess began, “one of Twilight in her youth. I attempted to sneak a peek at her work once as she studied through one of Star Swirl’s journals of magical research. The fright I gave her was great enough for her to burn her work to ashes in a second.” Small giggles began to work their way through Celestia’s muzzle, poorly held back by lip and hoof.

“Perhaps I have yet to adjust my sense of humor for this age,” Luna muttered to herself. “Memory of past aside, what does young Twilight Sparkle’s actions mean? Is her openness with her friends merely a sign of their friendship together?”

“Oh yes,” Celestia agreed, “there is a friendship between the two, never doubt that. What my faithful student has written upon, however, gives signs of something else growing between the two. It is a connection deeper than friendship.” Her eyes looked to Luna expectantly.

“So you suspect young Twilight Sparkle of finding a connection deeper than friendship,” Luna concluded, hesitation still present in her voice. “May I ponder upon this as we walk?”

“We?” Celestia asked teasingly. Luna did not appreciate it.

“I truthfully meant you and I sister, not only myself. We still have a duty to perform for our subjects.” Her words did nothing to lessen Celestia’s smile.

“I know, and you are right dearest sister, our little ponies need your night, and my day needs its rest.” The white alicorn stood from her throne, ruffling her wings as she moved from the steps. Once they were side by side, the two began their short trek to the castle’s balcony. The guards were near ending their rotations and as were the castle staff. Candles began to light under the command of unicorn maids and blinds closed by the pegasi.

“So this bond that young Twilight Sparkle has found… what would it happen to be?” Luna asked again.

“A young scholar once gave a quote that for such a bond.” The white alicorn gave a small cough before continuing.

“True love is like ghosts, which everypony talks about, but few have seen.”

The accusation of her sister made the lunar princess near trip over her hooves.

“Love, Celestia?”

“Indeed, love. No different than Twilight’s brother and our niece.” Despite the clear shock over Luna, Celestia trotted on in the faux appearance of noticing.

“It would give explanation to that rather abrupt ending. It is not fitting to the style of your faithful student.” Luna mumbled the last bit to herself, though not a word escaped Celestia’s ears.

“After three years of diligent well formatted reports, I can find it in me to forgive her for one moment of informality, further excused by the mare she was with.”

“Indeed. We, you and I,” Luna clarified as she saw the sparkle in her sister’s eye, “should offer our congratulations next she comes to Canterlot. Perhaps it would be fitting to invite the young Rainbow Dash as well.”

“Oh yes,” Celestia agreed. “It has been sometime since Twilight has come to visit. Perhaps now with the Winter Wrap-Up completed, and to such a stellar degree, my faithful student can find it within herself to rest for a moment.” Celestia and Luna both gave a small amount of laughter at the comment.

“Indeed so, young Twilight Sparkle does lack the ability to properly relax, lest by your order dearest sister.”

“True, though I do wish often she would refrain from seeing me in such a way, at least for a short while.” Not even the alicorn princess could suppress the sigh of regret that vibrated through her muzzle.

“What do thou- you mean?” Their trots slowed in pace, despite the short distance they had left to travel to the castle’s balcony. “Is it not a grand thing your faithful student holds you in such high regard?”

“I have no qualms with the praise Twilight offers me. It warms me like my sun to Equestria, knowing that I am appreciated for being more than just a ruler. However…” She licked her lips, as if uncertain of how to voice her concern. “As of years late, Twilight has begun the slow and inevitable descent of departure from me. No longer is she just my faithful student, or I her mentor. Now she sees me more as a… critic of her works more than a true friend, and I whole heartedly regret that Luna.” Celestia’s held fell. It was only by a small amount, but enough that now she and her sister where on equal height with one another.

“Oh sister.”

“I care for her Luna. I watched her grow from a young filly to a fine mare, watching as she learned with a passion that I have not seen for centuries. Every little thing I did with her remains precious with me, but I fear now that she remembers my actions as only those of a ruler to a subject and I don’t want that.” She shook as she took in a breath of air. Luna remained stone faced and silent. Both had since stopped their trot.

“Even now, she is falling in love with the Element of Loyalty and I feel a joy for her unlike I have for any of my other little ponies.” Celestia took in another deep breath of air before continuing. “I am honestly afraid Luna. Afraid that my most faithful student, my most precious pony, will someday no longer see the need to see me at all.”

Luna wasted no time to act.

As sisters would, she rubbed her muzzle gently across the white fur of her sister’s frame, offering the solar princess the calming touch of the lunar sky. “You think too heavily of these matters. Though I have known our subjects for far less time than you, I know well the kindness and adoration Twilight still has for you.” The white alicorn’s gaze turned to her younger’s own, looking into the soul of her most precious friend.

“Whilst all our other subjects forsook me during the time of departure and arrival, young Twilight Sparkle spent time to aid me.” Both ignored the shiver of the others, horrid memories of a time now long past them. “She saw me not as a princess of the night, but as a mare in need of attention and friends. Using the lessons that she had learned, from both you and the other Elements of Harmony, young Twilight Sparkle gave me the knowledge to make my own friends from our subjects, to enjoy my time with other ponies. Not once did she treat me as anything but another mare in need of some aid.” The lunar princess took a breath before continuing.

“You have done more than just well with young Twilight Sparkle, my dearest sister, and I assure you as the Mare of the Night, she sees you in a manner far different than the rest of our subjects. You are more than a mentor. You are one of her greatest friends.”

Celestia said nothing in response. Both stood there, hooves length away from the balcony, seconds away from performing the duty. The mind of the elder alicorn thought hard on the words her younger had spoken, thinking of her student’s actions, her words, her praise, everything that she gave her in return for lessons of magic. In honesty, Celestia would believe that she received the better end of the deal. She taught the basics to a filly that loved to learn while she received the adoration and love of a foal. Had they truly grown apart so much that she could no longer see the love Twilight had for her? No, no she hadn’t. She just wasn’t looking hard enough.

“You… truly believe that? You know that Twilight thinks of me in such a way?” Luna nodded kindly in response.

“I do. We are willing a gamble of our celestial orb for it.” She smiled at her elder, and Celestia did the same.

“Thank you Luna, you set an old alicorn’s mind at ease.” The dark alicorn chuckled at the words, but Celestia had her own quip ready to deliver. “But do watch your tongue, dearest sister. ‘We are sure thou forgot thee’s modern tongue.’” Luna’s eyes bulged at the accusation, and now Celestia laughed again in turn. Mane billowing behind her, she began her trot again for the balcony.

“Come Luna, it’s time to raise your moon.” With a sigh, the dark alicorn followed her sister to the castle’s edge, overlooking the capital city of Equastria. The sight was the same as it was every morning and night, but it made the view no less spectacular. Ponies finishing up their daily tasks, stores closing as they prepared for the blanket of night, it was a peace that many welcomed after the rush and stress of a day’s work. Luna smiled upon her city, their city.

Both sisters took a deep breath as they began their task. A shimmer of their horns in unison and the sky began to change. The giant celestial orb of warmth crawled beyond the mountain range, silently disappearing from the Equastrian sky. Its departure was mourned, but inevitable. And as the sun set, the moon began to rise. Its slow ascent brought a comforting blanket of light upon the otherwise dark lands, offering a sense of peace the burning orb could not offer. When it slowly settled into place, its friends began to take their place. Small dots of light decorating the otherwise barren sky. They stretched across the landscape, covering the land in a peaceful calm, lulling all beneath into a state of harmony. When they were finished, the alicorns turned to one another.

“Good night, my most precious sister,” Celestia spoke as she rubbed her head against Luna’s.

“And to you as well, Tia.” Luna returned the embrace in kind.

The white alicorn left for her chambers, knowing that as long as her sister stood on the throne, their kingdom would be at peace.

“Dash!”

The sudden shout forced the cyan pegasus to tumble from her peaceful nap. A quick flick of her wings righted herself just before she landed on the ground below. Her shock was there, but it was quickly replaced by a spout of anger. Whoever had woken her up from her nap was gonna have to come up with something good. A push of her wings and she turned to face the perpetrator.

All thoughts of anger left her.

“Geez Rainbow, you literally slept the day away,” a young purple unicorn commented as she walked up to her floating friend. A content smile was on her muzzle as she stood just beneath the pegasus. Dash, for her part, simply stared back, sleep still trying to take control of her mind.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m cool,” the pegasi spoke quickly, hooves landing on the ground as she gave her body a quick stretch. “Just woke up on the wrong side of the cloud. So what’s up?” Twilight opened her mouth to speak… only to be interrupted by the pegasus.

“Whoa! It’s already night! You’re right, I really slept the day away. Geez, this is gonna kill my schedule.” She rubbed a hoof to the back of her head, waiting for the Element of Magic to make a comment or remark on her slothness. When none came, she looked to her friend to see what was wrong. The smile the unicorn previously had was gone, replaced instead with a small frown of disappointment. Her hooves played with one another nervously, as if afraid to speak.

“You’ve forgotten haven’t you?” Rainbow Dash froze.

She had forgotten. She knew that. She knew because she couldn’t remember. That means that she forgot it, whatever it was.

Yep, completely and totally forgot.

“Nah, of course I didn’t forget Twi’. We’ve been planning this for a while now.” She did all she could to make sure the purple mare couldn’t see through her cover. Good thing she wasn’t Applejack.

“Oh good, you didn’t forget, I was worried for a second.” ‘So was I’ Rainbow Dash thought as she let out an internal sigh of relief. “So, I have it all set up already, all I need is your help to make sure the skies are clear. You can do that, right?” The reaction of the blue pegasus said it all.

“In ten seconds flat!”

She was gone in a flash of rainbow hue, zipping into the night sky. The seconds were counting down in her head as soon as she bucked her first cloud. Pushing off of it, she moved to the next one just a little bit higher. She let her wing beat it out of existence as she moved to the next puff of white just beyond it. A small flap of Rainbow’s wings put her above. She stilled in the air for just a moment before she drove through the cloud, dissipating it into the night sky. She bucked two more clouds out of existence in her descent, removing another as she lifted her wings to ascend one more time.

With every cloud the pegasus kicked or flapped away, the brighter the sky got around her. ‘Sure beats doing this in the middle of the day with the heat on your neck.’ Dash thought to herself as she bucked another cloud into oblivion. And it was true. The cool night air gave her more energy than before, the stickiness of sweat yet having to mat down her fur. Too bad there wasn’t a night shift weather patrol, she would have really loved it.

By the time she was done, the sky was free of a single blemish. Not even a wisp of smoke was left to tarnish the sky. Flapping her wings in place, the cyan pegasus looked into the night sky to view the stars. The stars… viewing the stars…

Rainbow gave herself a face-hoof.

She turned in the sky as she searched for the familiar hue of violet on the ground below. The light from the night sky was more than vibrant enough for her to see. A dot of indigo caught her own violet eyes and she took off. Her unicorn friend was perched on a hill in the small field, a large metal object sitting on stilts just beside her. Twilight was looking at it, then the sky, and back again. Dash knew what the object was almost instantly.

“Oh good, your back!” she spoke enthusiastically at her descending pegasi friend. “I’ve got the telescope all set up. With a sky as clear as this, I’m sure we’ll be able to see every constellation Luna designed!”

“And who cleared the sky for your viewing pleasure?” Dash asked with a proud grin, chin up and hoof to her chest. Twilight indulged her with a sigh.

“You did Rainbow. Thank you.” She smiled as she moved her head towards the scope. “Do you want to see it now?” The pegasus looked to the telescope with curious eyes, tilting her head as if the question seriously mattered.

“Sure, I’ve got time.” Twilight let out a small laugh at the response, but trotted over to the telescope with her fellow mare regardless. They sat down with the telescope between them.

“Alright, now I’ve positioned the telescope to 25 degrees North of Northwest, so it’s left to just a rule of hoof to angle the rest of the telescope along the appropriate constellations in the Northern hemisphere. It would be hard to start off looking for specific discontinuities in the sky, so a low magnification of about eight time zoom would be a good bench mark, as opposed to a detailed forty or fifty. A place to look for would be-”

“Hey Twilight.” Said unicorn shook herself from her ramblings at the voice, looking at the pegasi over the telescope, hoof behind her head as she scratched her rainbow mane. “I’m used to clearing the skies, not really looking up at them. Do you think you could help me this time?”

“Oh, oh!” Twilight spoke with a dash of red from embarrassment. “Yes, oh I’m sorry Dash. I just get a little excited when I gaze at the stars.”

“I never would have figured,” Dash spoke sarcastically. She walked over to the unicorn’s side, sitting close enough for eyes to easily see into the lens. She looked into to the scope with one eye, squinting the other shut.

What she saw took her breath away.

As she looked upon the stars, she saw small specks of life dancing upon them, pillows of flame rising and falling among each one as they conversed within the sky. It was as silent as a winter’s night, but it was loud enough for Rainbow to tune out every detail around her. She watched the stars move in place. With every flame that grew and fell, it felt like she was watching them talk, speaking to one another in a language that Dash could only dream of understanding. Their beauty was… too awesome.

She gently maneuvered a hoof to increase the magnification, proud without saying it as she was greeted with an increase in the size of the stars. It didn’t change much, but what it did felt worth it. Small spots of the celestial orbs burned away from the small specks in the sky, letting them fall freely into the dark backdrop of the night.

“They almost look… alive,” Rainbow commented under her breath, staring in rapt attention through the scope as she gently moved it along its axis. Each star she saw was just as fascinating as the next.

“In a way they are,” Twilight commented beside her. “Princess Luna explained in one of her ancient texts that the stars are not all that different than Celestia’s sun. They are warm orbs of combusting helium so far away from Equestria that we only feel a speck of light and warmth from them.”

“How far away are they?”

“Light years Dash. Sorry to say, not even the Fastest Pegasus in Equestria could reach them in her lifetime, even if she could breathe in the vacuum of space.” She couldn’t tell if Twilight was teasing or instructing her, but she turned to see the mare regardless. Judging from the expression she had, it was teasing.

Her lips were pulled into a smile as her eyes shut themselves halfway. Her violet hued mane stood still against the still air of the night, head lulled just to her side as if she forgot how to keep it up straight. That familiar tail of violet and pink swayed behind her in a way Dash felt slightly… enticing. Rainbow swallowed a ball in her throat.

“S-so… uh, these stars…” she stuttered looking back into the sky. She wanted to look back into the telescope, Dash really did. But if she did, Twilight would have seen the red burning harshly against her cyan coat. That just wouldn’t be cool. She had to ask something, anything, to get Twilight focused on them. It shouldn’t be that hard. She was an egghead. So the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria asked the first thing that came to her mind.

“H-How many of them are there?”

“Oh, millions of them!” the lavender unicorn spoke enthusiastically. “Each star you see is part of the greater Equine Galaxy, so named by Princess Luna for being shaped similar the princesses. Every star you see is part of our galaxy, but beyond our galaxy there are millions of others, and each of those galaxies have millions of their own stars! And the best part about it? Each of those stars has their own ring of planets surrounding them, much like Equestria with Princess Celestia’s sun. I haven’t even been able to calculate the number of planets that could theoretically sustain life, let alone exist at all!”

Rainbow let her head come back down; watching with a small smile at the unicorn’s unbridled joy towards her knowledge of the night sky. But the pegasus had to admit it. Knowing just how large the universe was, putting in perspective how small they really were. It just felt like… there was so much more for them to do.

It was odd really, and she scratched her mane as the thought surfaced. Just a few years ago, she would have hated the thought of being so small compared to everything around her. But now, after being with her friends, banishing evil with the Elements of Harmony, and seeing just what she was capable of, it made her feel… giddy, she guessed. The idea there were other places out there, other living things she had yet to see, it excited her.

She really was the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria, but what about other worlds? Would there be pegasi there as fast as her? Unicorns as smart as Twilight? Earth Ponies as strong as Applejack? Rainbow let off a snicker. Now she knew why Twilight loved to do research so much.

Maybe being an egghead wasn’t so bad after all.

“So,” the pegasus began, earning the unicorn’s attention, “show me what else is out there.” With a proud smile, Twilight did just that.

Twilight must have spent hours describing the celestial sky to the pegasus, detailing every ounce of information she had piled up on Luna’s sky. She noted the naming of every star, the decision to create every constellation, the meaning behind every location, and the mysteries behind it all. She spoke about the planets that existed between the stars, so small not even her telescope could see, about the dust clouds that moved without direction through the abyss of space, guided only occasionally by the lunar princess herself. With every word she spoke, she grew more and more excited. With every word she spoke, Dash grew more and more nerve racked.

The pegasus was losing concentration between Twilight’s words. Every time the unicorn gestured towards a constellation, her lavender coat would brush over Dash, eliciting a warm feeling. She would lean in close and instruct the pegasus on how to adjust the telescope properly, letting her breath tickle down the cyan coat of her friend, letting her feel like electricity was shooting through her body. The worst was every moment the unicorn decided to stop talking, her tail chose to catch up for her. It swished back and forth against rainbow’s own tail, occasionally entwining itself with the rainbow fibers of the pegasus. Sweat was beading across her mane and muzzle, dripping like she just flew through a cloud. Twilight didn’t notice a thing.

“Do want to see more?”

As much as Rainbow enjoyed the stars, she really did, she didn’t want to look through the telescope anymore. She was just too hot to focus, especially with Twilight so close to her. With a sigh, she let herself fall back onto the grass, letting the cool blades chill her body. A pleasurable sigh released itself from her lips.

“Are you alright Dash?”

Was she alright? Completely. Was she happy? Insanely. Was she comfortable? Not quite. She could feel Twilight looking down at her as she laid in the grass, probably going through a list of possibilities for her friend’s odd behavior. She didn’t mind at all, having the unicorn dot over her, but she couldn’t stand how calm Twilight was about this.

Did she even know what was going on, or was she just that much of an egghead? Inviting her out to see the stars? Alone? How else was a pony supposed to take that?

Dash sucked in a breath. She had to steel herself. Courage. Loyalty. She could do this.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m cool,” she said with her front hooves behind her head. Tilting her head back, she looked up into the night sky, watching the stars without a telescope in hoof. They were numerous enough, and bright enough, to still take her breath away.

It gave her an idea.

“Hey Twi, why don’t you lay down with me?” Dash said as she patted a patch of grass next to her. She fully expected her friend to give a confused look.

“Really? But we only just started looking through the telescope. I mean, there is so much more for you to see. There’s the astral cloud just beyond the constellation of Orion’s Mane, or even the meteor shower that supposed to pass next to The Star of Spartatrot. That’s not to mention the image we can see of Starswirl’s Comet tonight. Do you really want t-” She never got a chance to finish.

In the midst of her ramblings, Dash had managed to grasp on the unicorns side, pulling the surprised lavender mare down onto the grass next to her. Her face was full of bewilderment before looking over at Dash, then the sky, and back to Dash again. The pegasus, to her credit, just gave her signature grin as she looked back.

“See, isn’t this better?”

Twilight had to admit, it was better.

She wasn’t analyzing the stars for details, wasn’t outlaying grand portraits in the eternal sky, didn’t question the amount of energy or heat from each star, and definitely wasn’t running any kind of calculation to predict which star was brighter than any other.

It felt… odd, but nice. Lying on her back, staring into the starry night sky, clear of even a single blemish, it really was very nice.

“Yeah, I guess it is Rainbow.”

“Good,” Dash responded as she snuggled herself further into the grass, hooves behind her head for support.

It was odd, at least to Twilight. All the years she had spent researching the stars, she couldn’t remember the last time she just sat back and appreciated them for being… there. It was simple to blame her analytical mind, her desire to learn more that should ever be possible, but that excuse could only go so far.

If she was ever quizzed about the intentions of Celestia, a quiz that she would need prep time to study for, she was sure of only a few facts. Sending Twilight to Ponyville was not merely convenient timing on the alicorn’s part. She believed Twilight capable, more than herself, to free Princess Luna from the curse and monstrosity of Nightmare Moon. Small things like that made up all of Princess Celestia’s decisions. Small, almost unnoticeable orders that would roll into something far greater than what they seemed.

Another prime example of that would be her friendship reports. Celestia knew more than most ponies, aside from her parents and Shining Armor, that Twilight sought a deeper understanding in everything. She was a hard pony to stand back and appreciate the big picture. While the friendship reports were meant to do just that, Twilight slowly realized something over time. In order to write the reports, to really understand what she was sending to her mentor, she had to appreciate the big picture.

Twilight couldn’t just report facts about what made up the bonds of friendship, she had to experience them, feel them, and build them. She had to experience the entirety of what it meant to be a friend to some pony, and how that made all the difference in the world. Simply, her work on friendship, he reports on the magic behind it, gave Twilight Sparkle a deeper appreciation for just what the big picture meant.

Now, lying under Princess Luna’s night sky, she was so glad her princess had given her the task. After all, now she could appreciate the night sky for its beauty, not its depth.

“Are you cold?” Twilight didn’t even think she was until she felt her legs shiver.

“Sorry, I guess I am. Just got too caught up in this.” She let out a weak laughter as she began to roll onto her side. “It was supposed to get a little cold tonight, so I brought a blanket with meee!”

She let out small shriek of surprise as she felt herself being pulled onto her back. Confused, she turned her head to Dash, ready to ask what was wrong. But she never needed the words.

Rainbow Dash had her wings extended over and under the purple unicorn, cocooning her within the cyan wings of Equestria’s fastest, and coolest, pegasus. She wouldn’t lie, it was warm, and extremely comfortable, more so than the rough fabric of her thick blanket would have been. Each feather in Dash’s wings tickled Twilight through her fur, warming her with their touch. As ironic as she knew it was, and as she would later note, it felt like she was lying on a cloud.

“R-Rainbow…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dash responded with her signature smile. “Wasn’t going to let my number one favorite bookworm get frigid under my watch.” She sounded so proud, so happy to be keeping Twilight warm. It made the violet unicorn blush.

“You can’t see the stars though.”

“There’s always tomorrow.”

Twilight was truly speechless. Equal parts due to comfort, shock, but most importantly to her, joy. She didn’t know why, she literally could not explain why, but having Rainbow Dash hold her like this, protectively in a warm embrace, felt… warm.

“Thank you.” She spoke quietly, nestling herself into the embrace of her friend.

“Any time Twi.”

The two lay together peacefully, warmed by each other and cooled by the night. Twilight let herself snuggle closer as she enjoyed the Pegasus’s embrace. It was peaceful in a way she could hardly describe, a task difficult enough for her inquisitive mind. It was more than just the warmth of her friend, or the comfort her feathered wings provided. It was as if she was being guarded, protected, within the embrace of Dash. It was almost as if nothing else in Equestria mattered.

All that mattered to her right now was Rainbow Dash.

“Wait… what’s that?” Dash asked as she pointed her hoof around Twilight. The purple mare gave the pegasus as quizzical look before shifting in the pegasus’s wings. When she faced the same direction as Dash, she saw just what was so odd.

A small spot was missing in the sky. That’s the only way she could describe it. Where she was looking, she knew there were supposed to be several stars in place. No less than 3 stars were missing from what was supposed to be the constellation of Zinc the Griffon. That couldn’t be right. There was no way Princess Luna would possibly make that kind of mistake. A hundred ideas went through Twilight’s mind for the reasons those few star could be missing. Maybe it was a trick of the night, a few stray clouds that blocked the view. Or maybe some artificial light was taking away from their projection. It was also entirely possible that the princess removed them to remodel the constellation. They did only make up the griffon’s shield. Now he would be holding just a sword in his battle stance. But all the ideas that Twilight had became nothing when she saw another oddity in the sky.

A star vanished from sight.

The sight filled her with complete and total dread. From the rigidness of Dash’s wings, she must have seen the same thing.

“I know I’m new to this and all, but… that isn’t normal, is it?”

“No,” Twilight spoke, her voice near failing as she watched another brilliant star in Luna’s sky be swallowed.

“No it isn’t.”

Despite how warm Rainbow’s wings were, Twilight couldn’t suppress her shiver of terror.

“Please hold still darling,” a white unicorn spoke as her magic levitated a brush in the air. “Your mane is just full of the dreadful Knots. Celestia knows when the last time you ran a proper comb through this was.” She heard a small grumble beneath her, but did well to ignore it. What she did not ignore were the words that followed.

“’Ah don’t know ‘bout this Rarity,” a tan coated pony spoke in return to the unicorn’s words. “Ain’t likely ah’m gonna be goin’ out concerned about mah looks any day now.”

“Of course you’re not Applejack, and that’s precisely the problem,” the unicorn answered. “You are a young mare, hard-working and, strong as you are, you need to look your best from time to time. Honestly, how can you expect to attract the attention of any decent colts if you’re covered in dirt with knotted hair all the time?”

“Now hold it righ’ there darlin’,” Applejack spoke as she began to turn about, but a quick hoof held her in place. “Who’s ta say I don’t get no attention from them colts an’ stallions?” She gave a small grunt as Rarity took out another stubborn twist in her mane. The unicorn couldn’t’ conceal her smile even if she tried.

“I’m to say so sweetheart, and it would just be the death of me if I let you go out thinking that mister right would just fall in your lap.” Her magic lifted earth pony’s mane, fluffing it like a pillow before letting it settle back down. “It may be the duty of the stallion to ask you out for tea, but you have to grab his attention first. The first thing you want him to think is, ‘Wow! That mare is simply smashing!’ Not something along the lines of, ‘She could do with a bath.’ Appearances do matter Applejack.” Clear as day, the earth pony was about to make a retort. But before she could voice her though, Rarity lowered the brush and presented the mare a mirror.

“Done! So what do you think? I’d say you look rather dazzling myself.” It may not have been the first time Applejack had to agree with Rarity, but should could count the occasions like apples in a basket.

Her mane hung low against her neck, falling just beneath the knees in her fore-hooves. Under the lighting in Rarity’s Boutique, it practically shined. It almost felt unnatural to her. She was so used to the thick straw blonde mane that seeing such… regal redesign felt more like watching another pony than herself.

“One could so easily get lost in your eyes with your hair down like this. Truly darling, you simply must wear it like this more often.” Applejack nodded her head dumbly. Just another apple in a basket, the earth pony reminded herself, just one more occasion out of less than a dozen.

But there was still that nagging sense of loss. Not sorrow or grief, just… like something wasn’t there, an empty spot that she needed to be filled to think properly? Was it something that Rarity did to her? Maybe, but the orange mare doubted. She shook her head left and right, letting her long mane billow in the momentum of the swings. Even to herself, the image in the mirror nearly took her own breath away.

“I… I must say that are quite dazzling Applejack,” the unicorn spoke with a stutter. “I don’t suppose we could give you these treatments of mine more often, could we?”

“’Ah suppose we could,” she answered automatically. That nagging feeling of loss still hung with her. What was it? She certainly didn’t miss the messy mare that stared back at her an hour prior to Rarity’s “beautification process”, but it still felt like something could be added, improved upon the unicorn’s design. Her hoof rose to brush the top of her head, tracing her straightened mane from top to bottom. As soon as she pressed on the top of her head, she knew what was missing.

Her signature Applejack hat.

She put her hoof to her face in disbelief of her own stupidity. How could she forget her favorite hat? She didn’t look that good. Did she? Didn’t matter, she needed her hat back. Looking to her side, she saw the familiar shade of brown. A quick bit and flick of her head, and she felt the accustomed sensation of it settling back on her head. She also heard the groan from Rarity like a tree in a spring’s new wind.

“Really Applejack? We spend the better part of an hour straightening and fixing your mane only for you to put that silly little accessory back over it? This experience was supposed to make you see yourself more as a mare, not an apple picker with a fine mane.”

“Hey now,” Applejack retorted with a turn, “I’ve had this hat with me for the better par’ of ma’ life. Isn’t no way ah’m gonna up and leave it for one day of brush n’ comb.” She rose to her fullest as she looked at the unicorn, who looked back without a hint of submission.

“I am not saying you have to do away with it, as much as that would please me, I simply wish you could enjoy some time without that rough patched hat on your head. Really darling, your hair looks so marvelous without it.”

“An’ ah say that ah look plenty well better with it. Been in mah family for a good long while now, and it’s gonna stay there.”

“And it can honey, but can’t it stay in your home perhaps? Why wear this when out and about in Ponyville? Wouldn’t you rather have ponies look at you for your elegance and not your… what is the word for it… grit?”

“Hey now, grit ain’t nothin’ bad. It sure beats the stuffin’ out of elegance. Ah would much rather them ponies look to me for my grit than looks. Skin ain’t that deep.”

“My apologies Applejack, I must have used the wrong word,” Rarity spoke with a bitten lip. The apple farmer smiled in victory, in what she took as submission form the unicorn.

“Ain’t no problem sugarcube.”

“But if you hold that hat of yours in such high regard, perhaps I should try it on myself.” Before the earth pony could muster up a proper argument, she felt the fabric of her hat leave her flattened mane. Her jade eyes looked up to see the hat surrounded by the familiar hue of Rarity’s magic, levitating it through the air. It landed on the white unicorn’s head with a graceful pat.

For a moment, neither spoke. Rarity felt she needed to move her head about to test the mobility of the hat, while Applejack looked on with a dumbstruck expression. She knew Rarity to be one to march to her own beat, setting styles that others could follow, but she never expected the unicorn to so openly take her hat.

Or look so good while wearing it.

“I must admit darling, it does feel nice and warm,” the unicorn spoke as she pushed the hat with her hoof. “But I don’t really see how you come across wearing it so often.”

“Just… Just habit ah guess. Can ah have it back now?”

“Hmm, hold on a moment. I think I may be able to spruce this up a bit.” Those words caught the pony’s attention.

“Oh no, hay no, ain’t no way you’re messin’ with mah hat,” she spoke as she marched closer to her unicorn friend.

“Why ever not? Don’t you think I did a marvelous job on your mane?”

“Yeah, ya did, but my hat ain’t made to be fiddled with. Best be given it back to me now.”

“Please Applejack, I know that I have just the materials needed around her somewhere. Give me a few moments and I’ll make this hat of yours something worth wearing with that new mane of yours.”

“Aw no, that ain’t gonna happen Rarity,” she spoke as she raised her muzzle to take the hat back. Rarity, however, seemed rather adamant this time about getting her way. Applejack felt the pull of the unicorn’s magic just after she found herself lying on her back, looking up stunned at the white unicorn.

“Now I know this isn’t what you are used to, but I promise you that I can make this hat something presentable.” Those words were starting to annoy the orange pony.

“Confound it Rarity!” she spoke harshly. “That is what ah was ‘fraid of! Ah don’t mind a bit of sprucin’ up time to time, but do ya really think that ah want my hat to change with me? Please Rare, can’t I have it back?”

The words cut Rarity deep. She didn’t mean to threaten the earth pony like she had. A change in style, an update in wardrobe, which was what she did daily for ponies all around Ponyville, Canterlot, Trottingham, and beyond. Was… was she really hurting her friend by trying to? With that thought in mind, adding details to the hat felt far less needed than before.

Still, the thought continued to linger. Would it hurt to at least ask?

“Maybe I could just add a little daisy design?”

“That’s it.”

Before the white mare could let out a shriek, she felt the full weight of Applejack upon her, pushing the unicorn on her back as the earth pony reached with her muzzle for the hat on her head.

Apparently yes, it would hurt to ask.

“A-Applejack!” Rarity spoke the name out of shear surprise. Her hooves were pinned to her sides as the heavier mare’s weight pressed won on them, neck craning to reach the brown cowboy cap on the unicorn’s head.

“Now best be holdin’ still darlin’. I ain’t gettin’ up till I get what I want.”

The unicorn gasped audibly as she felt the farmpony lean close to her, fur tickling her underbelly as she reached further for the hat. Just out of reach, but unwilling to unpin Rarity, the orange pony, reached with her tongue, hoping to get catch just the tip of her hat with the wet appendage.

It was at that moment another pony voiced itself.

“O-Oh my…”

The farmpony and fashion star turned their heads to see the source of the noise, despite their predicament.

The found the four familiar faces of their friends looking back at them. Blushing was hardly the word used to describe the heat the four felt. Embarrassment was hardly the word that explains what Rarity and Applejack were feeling. All they saw was the contact, the accessories, and tongue extended towards the unicorn’s horn.

“Th-This…” Applejack stuttered from atop Rarity, unable to find the words. “This ain’t wha’ it looks like!”

“She’s right!” Rarity spoke in agreement. “We were just helping one another with senses of style is all!”

“But… but you are, um, wearing her hat,” the shy canary pegasus spoke with a slightly bent hoof.

“Trading fashion!”

“And Applejack, your mane is so… straight,” Dash noted with a tilt of her head.

“Like the gal said, fashion sense!”

“Then why were you sticking your tongue out, too?”

“And you’re, um, lying on one, ah, another…”

“Like she said, it ain’t what it looks like!”

“Really? That’s weird, cause I could have sworn that you to were trying to do the oogie boogie together. You know the twisted tango, midnight wallop, night time rooster, or maybe the-”

“It doesn’t matter!” Twilight interrupted the pink earth pony, new found urgency in her voice as she fought away the blush. She took a few gasping breaths as she refocused her mind. She found Pinkie Pie, Dash found Fluttershy, now they found Rarity and Applejack. It didn’t, shouldn’t, matter what they were doing. Something far worse than poor timing was occurring around them.

“Girls, we have to get to Canterlot, fast. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna need us!”

“Wha’ for darlin’?” Applejack questioned as got off Rarity, helping her unicorn friend back to her hooves. She told herself the blush was still from embarrassment. Rarity did the same.

“The stars are disappearing Applejack,” the lavender unicorn spoke. “Rainbow Dash and I watched a few just blink out of existence. They were there and then gone without any warning.”

“Oh that is just dreadful! What pony would do such a thing to the princess’s marvelous night?” Rarity questioned with a hoof to her mouth.

“Ah got a better one, how many ponies can pull them stars outta the sky?”

“Well, um, Twilight was already telling us about that on our way here. She can tell you, if she doesn’t mind, I hope.”

“We all know Princess Luna controls her night, but Celestia did so for a thousand years before her. But we’ve also all seen another pony manipulate the cycles of night and day, for nothing less than a laugh.” The anger on her face was clearer than the rainbow spectrum of Dash’s mane. The anger she had mirrored Applejack’s own. The farmpony spat the name they all were thinking like a rotten apple, already mentally preparing herself for the ride to Canterlot.

“Discord.”

She knew what it was. She knew the moment she sensed it.

Whatever slumber Celestial had been enjoying ended the moment that sickly feeling reached her. Her eyes opened in shock, pupils dilated in terror. Breathing hitched in her throat as the sensation flowed through her every cell. The covers were removed from her form without any grace, her hooves touching ground after her magic had already opened the door.

The alicorn fled from her chambers as if chased, moving through the castle walls with haste. Guards around her voice their concern or curiosity to her state, but she paid them little mind. She had to make sure; she had to know what was happening. If the guards were truly terrified for her, they could follow her. Her duty was to all her little ponies.

A balcony approached her as she moved through the halls. With the grace she lacked when she awoke, she spread her wings as she jumped from the alcove, letting the mighty feathered appendages gently guide her to the ground below. Should her sun have risen and subjects been awake, she doubtlessly would have heard gasps of shock and cheers of joy. Hooves on the ground, she turned to the royal gardens, searching for the collection of statues before the royal garden maze.

She looked to every piece of carved stone present. Star Swirl the Bearded, Commander Hurricane, Smart Cookie, Private Pansy, Royal Hound, Beethoofen, Michael Manegelo, and dozens of others. There was one missing.

She knew which one it was. She already knew.

Of course she knew. But still, she rather wished she never did. Staring at the empty podium, nothing but pebbles of stone upon it, she knew that the statue was gone. Because the statue was gone, she knew what it meant.

Discord was free once more.

“Sister!” Celestia heard the cry from above. She turned to see Princess Luna descending from an alcove, face showing clear panic and pain as the moon lit her features. Once her dark hooves touched the ground, she wasted no time in rushing the elder alicorn, wrapping her in her dark wings. Princess Celestia gasped for just a moment, then quickly tented her younger mare in her own white blanket.

“Luna, you felt it, too?” Celestia questioned her sister under her embrace. She saw the lunar mane shiver and bob in confirmation. That was all the princess of the sun needed. Her wings wrapped tighter around her sister protectively.

“He’s taking my stars sister, my stars…” The pity and pain of Luna’s voice racked against Celestia’s nerves, sparking her hatred and loathing for the creature of chaos in the flames she thought reduced to cinders.

“Commander!” Celestia shouted. No sooner did the words reach the night air than did a pegasus guard come flying into the garden. Despite the clearly private scene, he held is face as stoic as any other moment.

“Yes your highness?”

“Gather the elements,” she spoke without moving an eye from her sister’s sky. “We need them once more. Spread as many of your guard ponies as you can about Canterlot as well. Send any reserves to other cities. Tell anyone who asks the truth. Discord is free again.” The anger was clear as she spoke the name.

“Right away, you highness.” The guard took off with a beat of his wings, vanishing beyond the castle walls.

“Dearest sister,” Princess Luna spoke in the elder alicorn’s embrace, “has Discord truly returned again?”

“I fear so, my precious sister,” the solar princess spoke. “I truly fear so.”

The lunar princesses slowly freed herself from Celestia’s embrace, turning instead to her night sky. Celestia stood beside Luna as both sisters watched the younger’s night. The dark alicorn would give a small cry every time another star vanished from existence. For every light that vanished in her abyss, it felt to Luna like a piece of her had left with it. It was an agonizing experience, feeling as if your soul was leaving you before your time, your life departing despite your will to live. The elder alicorn could only wrap a wing around her younger sister in comfort. Comfort that… despite all she may wish… did little good to what they saw.

How did he get out again? Was he growing immune to the Elements of Harmony? Such a thought was terrifying to the princess of the sun. The ultimate evil against Equestria, slowly growing immune to the one true defense they had against him. If that was the case, how would they eventually be able to stop him? What would happen the day the elements affected him no more than a summer’s breeze?

“Princess Celestia!” The white alicorn turned with joy in her eyes as her faithful student entered the royal garden, the other Elements of Harmony just behind her.

“Twilight!” Celestia spoke joyfully. “How did you arrive so quickly? I sent my guard out only a few moments ago.”

“We were already on our way here your majesty,” Rarity spoke. “Twilight and Rainbow Dash saw the stars disappearing and gathered us in a moment’s notice. We left as quickly as we could.”

“For that, I am grateful. For both your wisdom and action, my faithful student.” She could see the young unicorn blush. “But we do not have time relax. You are indeed correct that something is amiss with the harmony of the world, and I truly hate to bear the responsibility of telling you why.”

“Discord’s back, aint’ he?” Applejack asked, disdain clear on her usual cheery tone. It was impossible to miss.

“Yes, your are correct young Applejack, Discord has returned once more. No, I know not how,” she spoke before the ever curious unicorn could voice the question. “But what matters most is resealing him before he can possibly commit any travesties upon Equestria.”

“Do you know where he is princess?” Dash asked as she flew above her friends, careful that the alicorn was still a head above her.

“Unfortunately not.” All eyes turned to the dark alicorn besides Celestia. Her head remained raised and he back turned as she peered into her slowly vanishing night. “We cannot sense the monster’s presence, though we know his end shall be nigh.” The anger in her voice was unmistakable.

“I-I’m terribly sorry about your stars Princess Luna, um, I-I really am,” Fluttershy spoke softly as she approached the princess.

“Though thou may attest to bare your pity, thou knows not the pain I truly feel.” The canary pegasus quickly began to retreat at what she felt were harsh words. She was right. “Can thou comprehend the pain summoned by the departure of the spirit? Has thou truly experienced pain no different than agony?”

“Sister…” the alabaster alicorn began, but the darker sibling would have none of it.

“But thou sits not alone in ignorance. Not a pony amongst the Elements dares to imagine our pain, yet speak as if they possess power to aid us through pitied words.” Her snout snarled as a face of painful rage. Only fear kept Fluttershy from rushing behind the safety of her nearby friends.

“Not until thou can truly experience and endure pain such as mine may thou insult us with your honeyed and false words. Does thou und-” The heavy and firm hoof of the princess of the sun silenced the princess of the night. Violet eyes met blue as they stared into one another. One looked down at the younger with an understanding gaze of pain while the other with rage.

“Please Luna… Let’s focus on the matters at hoof,” Celestia spoke to her younger sibling. “Once the creature of chaos is banished again to his prison of stone, then we can search for a means to restore your night. They aren’t lost and they aren’t gone. We will find your stars again.”

Luna held her face of anger for only a moment longer, looking defiantly as she could into the alabaster alicorn’s eyes. But like the stars above, the emotion slowly left her face, replaced instead with the familiar calm aura of a leader, a princess. Turning to her side, she looked at the cowering pegasus, hiding fruitlessly behind her tail. She delivered a small sigh as she trotted slowly to the Element of Kindness.

“W-I apologize for my crass behavior, young Fluttershy. I… am not in the midst of a peaceful mindset.” Her eyes closed as she lowered her head, waiting for the denial or acceptance of the Element of Kindness. However, if her last meeting was anything to run by, the canary pegasus would only utter a small eep before she would dive to the nearest convenient foliage. What she received was a gentle response from a near whispering voice.

“Th-That’s okay. You’re just stressed. I’ve been that way too, um, so I understand.” However, her brave words fell apart as the dark alicorn looked up to her with a look of mild shock. “I’m sorry, if I spoke out of turn that is. You can just forget what I said, but only if you want to that is.”

“Nonsense. Your words are… kind to me. Thank you.” The gentle words from the ruler lifted the spirit of Fluttershy like the butterflies that adorned her cutie mark.

“Now then, let’s proceed to the Elements of Harmony.” With her simple announcement, Celestia turned towards the castle, the rest of the Elements of Harmony quickly following.

Twilight followed close beside her mentor, moving through the halls with as much memory for the castle as the princess herself. She had grown up within these walls; it was her home for quite some time. The ret of the ponies followed close behind, with Luna only a pony’s length away from her sister. It was a secret to no pony how pained she still felt. Her words had done more than enough to explain why she felt so… But though words helped a great deal, it often took action or time to aid pains that afflicted more than the body.

Twilight, however, spoke quickly as a though crossed her mind.

“Princess Celestia, where are Princess Cadance and my brother?”

“Or the Wonder Bolts?” Dash quickly added, now as curious as her egg-head friend. Celestia gave them both a small glance as she continued to trot towards the main hall. The ponies followed her obligingly.

“Princess Cadance is in Trottingham overseeing a political dispute among the lower and middle classes. Captain Shining Armor was requested to take a temporary post in Hoofington in order to train the city guard there. I have no doubt both of them will make haste back here now with the… fading night.” She chose her words carefully as her sister remained in earshot. Still, a quiver was seen through the dark mare’s body, and it brought a small pinch of sorrow to the alabaster sister.

“As for the Wonder Bolts… they are most likely resting at home. Spitfire warned me that they were doing some rigorous practice routines earlier today. Half for creating some more tricks, and another half for being more prepared for the… frequent problems that seem to occur.” Dash couldn’t suppress the drop in her head, no matter how small it was.

“Don’t worry Dashie, that just means they’re all snuggly wuggly in bed,” Pinkie Pie spoke to the still aerial pegasus. “You can probably say hi to them tomorrow when I throw the “We Beat Discord Again AGAIN party!” A small fit of laughter vibrated through the ponies.

“I think ya may be countin’ a few too many apples ‘fore they fall from the tree, Pinkie.” Applejack spoke to the pink mare.

“Nope, I’m counting ponies. And I say eight to one, Discord’s done.” She raised her head with prideful indignation. Zecora would be thrilled to hear her rhymes.

The Great Doors to the main hall came into view in the candle lit hall, two golden armored guards standing just to either end. They raised their hooves in salute as the royalty and honored guests came into view.

“At ease,” Celestia spoke to the two. They both lowered their legs in practiced unison. A small flare of magic came from Celestia’s horn before surrounding the large white doors, pushing them open in act effortless when compared to the sun. Even though it was for near the umpteenth time, Twilight still marveled at the sight to see her mentor’s magic.

“Luna and I have seen to adding an additional layer of protection over the elements this time,” Princess Celestia spoke as they all trotted down the grand hall. “Discord is talented in his means to twist and corrupt, but it would take more time than he has to possible overpower the shielding we have built. However, with so much protection surrounding it, even the most untrained of unicorns, insensitive pegasi, or apathetic earth ponies could feel the waves of our magic. So… the castle decorators had their fun…” She motioned with a hoof towards the resting place of the Elements of Harmony.

The ponies approached the wall at then of the room. It was more decorated than they had recalled from their last encounter. Large paintings and glyphs of each of the ponies decorated the once white structure, depicting each of them with the Elements above.

Dash flew above with Loyalty against her chest. Applejack stood proud on bottom with Honesty surrounding her. Pinkie Pie was painted mid-hop on the right, caught mid-cheer as Laughter danced from her mouth. Fluttershy was hesitantly beating her wings, encouraged to do so by the Kindness of butterflies surrounding her. Rarity glowed beneath Pinkie Pie, Generosity emanating from every lady like detail of her posture, pose, and pristine condition. In the center of them all, Twilight floated with eyes of white, Magic surrounding her in an embrace that called for attention, peace, unity, and harmony.

And around all of them hung stain glasses of their accomplishments. The purging of Nightmare Moon, the first and second sealing of Discord, defending Canterlot from the Changelings, and many many others. Not one of the ponies spoke, but for several different reasons.

“Awesome!” Dash cheered as she flew up next to her painted self. “They totally nailed me, all the way down to my sheer awesomeness.”

“Dash! Please act more civilized,” Rarity cajoled the pegasus. “Though I must agree, whoever painted the wall took great care to detail us properly. Why, they even curled my mane correctly, how thoughtful of them.”

“Mine too!” Pinkie bounced. “I look so happy, like I’m about to plan a party! I’ve never seen myself while I’m planning, but I bet I look like this. I know you guys look right though, cause I always see you.”

“I think it, um, looks very nice. Thank you your highnesses,” Fluttershy squeaked to the alicorns beside her.

“I second tha’,” Applejack agreed. “Didn’t think I’d be honored like a proper Canterlo’ pony one day.”

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, thank you so much. I… I didn’t know we deserved something like… this…”

“Of course you do my faithful student.” The princess leaned her head down towards the unicorn, taking her in a soft hug. “You have done more than prove yourself as my student, and done more than many ponies ever dream to. I think a simple mural on the wall is deserving of your efforts.”

“Believe me princess, this is anything but just simple,” The unicorn spoke admiringly.

“Yes, quite so, but I do believe we have more important matters at hoof,” Rarity spoke up, returning the admiring ponies back to reality.

“Yes, oh yes, I’m sorry I forgot.”

“Sa’me here.”

“My bad.”

“Woopsie, sorry princess.”

“It is quite already,” Princess Celestia spoke softly to the Elements surrounding her. “Now please, step aside as Luna and I dispel the barrier. And please,” she began to add to the already moving ponies, “be ready to adorn them as soon as they are presented. We cannot know where Discord is, and the greatest moment of weakness will be the time between when the spell is gone and the Elements are worn.”

All the Elements nodded, some flexing themselves as if to dash at the jewels once they were present. With a nod to one another, the alicorns stood before the mighty wall, and lit their horns.

The magic of night and day combined into one, swirling against and around the spells and traps that protected the Elements from those with cruel intentions. The painted images of the ponies began to shake against the stone before they slowly slid away. The granite and cobblestone moved with the command of the princess, revealing the gold trimmed and ruby decorated box within.

Celestia levitated the box the box before her, presenting it to the ponies who would wear the jewels by rights. Her aura opened the lid and reached inside…

“Let me guess: Empty”

All mares present spun in the room, heads looking high to the source of the voice far above them. There hung a familiar, infamous, shape.

Discord.

The creature of many parts stared down at the Elements of Harmony and Rulers of Equestria. His toothy grin and relaxed pose doing nothing but anger the ponies below. His claw and claw beat against one another in way that spoke of nothing but pride.

“It is so good to see you all again.” His liquid voice spoke the honeyed words. “It really has been just too long since we were able to chat. It’s usually just freedom, havoc, battle, victory, never time for anything like tea, milk, and cotton candy.” As he spoke, a glass of the now near infamous liquid appeared in his paw. He sipped on it nonchalantly from his position far above the ponies below.

“Monster! What has though done with our stars?!” Princess Luna shouted at the creature, but he passed it off like a fly’s presence.

“Fine, fine, no conversations,” He spoke waving his paw, letting his glass of chocolate milk fall and vanish into the stone floor. “Really, you ponies are just so boring and predictable. I don’t understand how you can live the way you do at all.”

“Discord!” Twilight shouted up at the draconequus. “How did you free yourself?!” Unlike the princess of the night, the unicorn’s words actually inspired an answer from the mad creature. It was just not the response they wished.

“Wrong question again, little Sparkle,” the master of chaos spoke as he snapped his fingers, disappearing in a flash only to reappear just besides Twilight. “What you should be asking is what happened to your precious magical stones? Isn’t that why you came here again? I mean, this is where I first met the new batch of precious ponies to wear their magical jewelry and call themselves heroes.” He waved his great paw in a sweeping motion.

“Alright, fine!” she yelled back to the spirit of chaos. “I’ll play your game. What did you do to the Elements of Harmony?”

“Tsk, Tsk,” Discord spoke with a wave of his sharp claw. “You don’t really think that I’d let you use the Elements again, did you? I was prepared this early last time, and the time before that, too!” An angry huff pushed its way through Twilight’s nostrils in place of the scream she wished to make.

“Then why did you-”

“Honestly, give me some credit here. It may be all fun and games, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you have the unfair advantage.” In a flash, he disappeared from the rafters above, reappearing before Twilight on the ground. He gave his toothy grin to the lavender unicorn, bending low enough for their snouts to touch.

“This is my game, and I make the rules. And I say the rules have changed.”

Twilight did all she could to defy the monster. She clenched her jaw, straightened her eyes, stood on tall hooves, and lit her horn. But it didn’t do any good. Her teeth trembled despite all the will she had, her hooves shook as she tried to make herself taller, and her eyes began to wet as Discord’s eyes bore into her own. She was truly, mortally, afraid for her life.

“Yeah, then what the hay are the new rules?” Rainbow Dash asked as she pushed, fearlessly pushed, the deity away from Twilight. “No, scratch that, why are you doing this again? You know that we’ll just beat your sorry flank again! You put the princesses in stone and that still couldn’t stop us!” Twilight tried not to notice the way her mentor shook at the memory Dash had conjured.

Discord looked at the pegasus silently. His claw drew itself up to his lips, scratching the lock of hair just beneath it. The once jovial and self-satisfying look of malice was gone, replaced with an oddly out of place appearance of contemplation. That look… it quickly began to make Twilight, all the ponies, nervous. Whatever Discord was thinking, it wasn’t good.

“You’re right about that, my little Dashie,” he said with a soft pat on the rainbow mane and crooked smile on his already twisted lips.

“Wha? What the hay does that mean?” Dash shouted angrily as she pushed his paw away.

“If I did everything the same again, of course you’d beat me.” That gave the ponies room to pause. Celestia took a step back as if she just watched her sun raise itself. Never once had Discord so openly admitted such a thing. He… he could be lying. It wouldn’t be far past him to do it, in fact it would be right in the park. That had to be it. There was no way Discord would-

“No matter what I do, no matter how I do it, you little ponies find a way to beat me,” he continued with wave of his hands. “Break your spirits, break your bones, or even turning you to stone, it never does any lasting good.” He dramatically fell like he was in a play, claw to his head and eyes rolling back. “There just simply isn’t a way for me to beat you ponies of harmony.”

It was no longer a question, it was a fact. Discord was lying to all the ponies in the room. Celestia knew it the moment he began the charade. There was a trap in his words, some false hope or alluring plan to give him the edge. But what was it? What was he planning? The princess didn’t know. After all, what good did thinking logically do in Discord’s mind?

“Really?!” the high pitched squeak of one Pinkie Pie vibrated through the royal hall. “That’s so cool! It’s kinda weird too. I mean, last time you were here, you were all, “hahaha, you don’t even know who I am. I’ll lock you up in stone, then banish you, then lock you up in the place I banished you to,” but then we went, “Go away you big meanie Discord!” then BLAM! You were back inside that statue again. How did you get outa gain anyways? Are you even stuck in there? Do have parties by yourself? That can’ be fun, and I should know, parties of one are never any-”

“Pinkie Pie,” a voice spoke from behind, so quiet she almost missed it over her own voice. Maybe she really had a few times. “C-Can you not m-make Mr. Discord m-mad at us. Well… that is if you don’t mind… I’m sorry… I-I just don’t want him to h-h-hate us.”

“Too late for that sweet little Fluttercry.” The deity of chaos spoke maliciously towards the canary coated pony. A small sound of fear was all the pegasus uttered before she ran behind Celestia, shaking worse than a tree in the midst of a tornado. The Princess of the Sun was not pleased.

“Enough Discord!” she shouted at the beast. “If you truly recognize yourself beaten, then be gone! Leave Equestria, leave these lands and never return!” Her wingers flared themselves over her head as she stood tall, regal, and strong as every pony knew her to be. As awed as her subjects were, Discord himself hardly bat an eyelid at the display.

“Oh come now Celestia, do you really think I’d go through all the trouble of getting out of that stone prison, searching the galaxy, and terrifying these ponies just for fun? Well alright, granted those last two are a real blast! I mean, who couldn’t give off a good laugh at little Fluttercry over there?” Celestia lowered herself just enough to wrap the pegasus in her wing, shielding her from Discord’s gaze. “Or how about little miss Rarity over there? She’s so humbled by my presence she can’t even speak!”

Said unicorn stood stock still as she eyed the spirit of chaos. She did not have the power of Twilight, the courage of Dash, or the protection of Fluttershy. She had nothing to hide her fear. And so her fear was more obvious than anyone else’s. Her dilated pupils, her sweat drenched coat, her shaking hooves. Nothing hid her fright from the beast. And that may have been more terrifying than Discord himself.

“Best be keepin’ away from her ya dirty varmint.” A voice spoke just beside Rarity. She didn’t even know who it was until the pony stepped in front of her, the cowboy hat blocking her view of the spirit of chaos.

“Oh and young Applejack comes to save the fair maiden from the beast of deceit.” He chuckled darkly to himself as he floated above the pair. “Always knew the Element of Honesty could be honest with herself.” Discord’s laughter only grew with the throaty growl that came from the orange mare. “A bit touchy are we? Perhaps it is a new development. Wouldn’t know, I’ve been far too busy these past few months. What with looking across the entire universe and all.” Those words grasped the ponies’ attention.

“So thee truly are at fault for taking our stars!” Luna shouted at Discord, hoof extended accusingly. “Return them at once creature of chaos, or you shall be forced to contend with the elements once…”

“Once more?” Discord ventured with a sinister smile. “Because we both know just how capable you are of using the elements, aren’t we… Nightmare-”

A crackle of lightening met his fur.

Luna gasped as the beast was sent sprawling across the floor. The sight of dark smoke and the scent of burnt flesh filling the room as he flew. It took the lunar princess a moment until she looked to her side, watching the traces of magic disappear from her sister’s horn. The magic was fading, but the rage was as plain as the rays of her sun.

“You will never speak to my sister in such a way, monster.”

The cold words sent shivers through the ponies in spite of the heat her anger gave. Now more than ever, she appeared to be the ruler of Equestria, showing just how powerful she was to a foe that threatened the safety and way of life of her subjects. It was truly terrifying. However, like Chrysalis before, the lands of Equestria and beyond proved to have creatures strong and powerful enough to stand against the forces Celestia could summon. Discord was surely one of the creatures.

“Brave, bravo Celestia, I really have a hard time remembering the last time you struck first in any fight. Usually you wait for someone to kidnap one of your ponies, or attempt to sack your kingdom, or maybe even turn your sister into-” The lightening arced again for the master of chaos. But this time, he was prepared.

The lightening billowed and died against a barrier in front of the draconequus, dissipating into the air of the grand hall as if it never existed. Whatever hope the ponies had in their leader’s magic vanished with the lightning. Discord really was more powerful.

“Hey now Tia’, it’s very rude to interrupt someone when they’re talking. Didn’t you ever learn proper manners?” he mocked the royal alicorn, flying through the hall’s grand space. Despite his ominous presence, he appeared to not have a care in the world.

“Why are you here again Discord?” Rainbow Dash finally voiced. “Do ya think you can beat us? We already smoked your scaly, leather, and furry hide twice before! I’ll bet my wing feathers we can do it again.” She finished with a proud smirk.

The princesses readied themselves, as did the guards of the court. All fully believed that the pegasus’s words would either anger Discord to attack, or force him to play a “prank” on the cyan flyer. Neither option was a pleasant one. So shock, no less than the third time that night, reached all of them when the master of chaos finally spoke his return.

“You’re right little Dashie. I can’t beat you.”

Every pony, even Pinkie Pie, was stunned silent. There were far too many ways to take his words. If he was honest, he was playing an angle that none of them could predict, foresee, or possibly prepare for. If he was lying, then they were in the same situation of being naked of the Elements of Harmony. Only this time, he had them in a state of confusion. Discord didn’t need to worry about panic. His presence alone was enough to cause a riot.

“What game are you playing Discord?” Luna voiced the thought of every pony in the room. She was walking a fine line with words alone. It was impossible to tell what would set Discord off.

“I’m not playing any game at all, at least not until I get you involved.” Discord slithered through the air towards the Princess of Night. “Do you want to know why I can’t beat you? Don’t you care to know why I keep coming back?” Discord ventured to the dark alicorn. Luna stood her ground, tall and proud, as the spirit of chaos approached maliciously.

“I wasn’t joking, as rare as that is, when I said I couldn’t beat you ponies again. Because whenever I win, it’s just a countdown until I lose, and then the same to you. Up and down, up and down, harmony and chaos, harmony and chaos, yin and yang! That’s what this is,” he continued to cryptically explain. The princesses and Elements of Harmony were confused enough if Discord was just giving another riddle.

“It’s a cycle. A cursed, predictable cycle.”

The hatred in his eyes was undeniable. It brought a shiver to every pony it fell upon. But as quick as it appeared, it vanished. The commotion of the court, however, had drawn the attention of the Royal Guard. The familiar metal of Gold began to flood the room, followed quickly by the shades of blue above. The guardians of night and day were both in the court, but Discord but not a one of them any mind as he continued to rant.

“Trapped between A and B, never reaching what either needs. I want chaos the way you want harmony, but this cycle prevents either from being. So I’ve had enough, I’m done, this path is gone. I’m going to end it all.” He smiled again, looking directly into Luna’s eyes as he did.

“And it’s gonna be fun.”

His tail whipped the air in a vicious slash, cracking against the stone. Or maybe it was the stone that was cracking. The lion’s paw flexed itself in the air before he brought it down in a vicious thrust. This time, it was the stone that cracked. However, something began to form around the appendage.

A black sickly forming shadow began to muster itself around his fist. Swirling, churning, and growing around him. To even the most ignorant of ponies, it looked more sick and evil than the monster himself. It was all the reason the guards began to approach.

“Halt!” Celestia called quickly upon seeing their actions. She knew better, better than anypony, even the Elements, that the Royal Guard was of little match for the Spirit of Chaos. It gave only more reason for Discord to grin.

“Oh why thank you Celestia, I do appreciate that. You wouldn’t believe how much concentration this requires. And I mean concentration, because I simply have to focus to make this work. Do you have any idea how painful it is for me to focus on anything? It’s nothing pleasant, let me tell you that.” His tail slowly slithered into the muck, entering deeper than anypony wished to know.

Twilight stood at her mentor’s side, horn glowing lightly as she prepared a spell. What the spell would do, she didn’t know yet, but she had to be prepared. Rainbow Dash had much the same thought, hunching over next to the lavender unicorn with wings flared. She was ready to pounce in a second. Applejack dug at the stone from her place off to the side, preparing a charge like the monster of chaos was just another tree in her orchard. Rarity stood close to her, visibly shaking in terror. Fluttershy was little different, but she huddled in a corner behind a thick set of drapes. Only the pink of her tail was visible. Pinkie Pie, despite all that had happened, still looked on with her now signature blissfully ignorant fascination.

“Ah, finally done.” In a swift motion, his tail and paw withdrew themselves from the black pool of the stone floor.

“What are you doing Discord?” Celestia did nothing to hide the venom in her words. Discord paid the alicorn neither notice nor mind.

“Now let’s see what I can find behind portal number one.”

His claw and paw dove into the black abyss.

Begin

Sweat poured from him like the blood of his fallen foes.

He had conquered a temple built by the commands of the gods, defeated foes that could level cities, and bested the very worst of trap the temple could ever offer.

And he now had his prize.

Pandora’s Box was in his hands.

After a thousand years, the box was at last free, the power to kill a god once more upon the land.

Kratos had found the means to destroy the God of War.

However, far away from the temple, in the now crumbling city of Athens, the god felt the Spartan succeed. His assaults on the city ceased, apathetic to the small amounts of sword and arrows the beat against his side like drops of rain on a mountain.

“So little Spartan, you’ve recovered Zeus’s precious box. But you will not live long enough to see it open.”

Already the powerful deity of destruction moved to end the one thing that could stop his might. The box was far away, as was the man who wished so desperately to wield it. But to a god, a master of Olympus, and incarnation of war, distance was as pointless and vague as the concept of time. His hand reached for a fallen pillar amongst the rubble of the city, gripping it as a child would a stick.

“I will see to that.” With a great heave of his arm, Ares sent the pillar through the air straighter and truer than any arrow fired by man. It flew with strength immeasurable, and with a destination clear.

“Goodbye Spartan,” he cruelly spoke as he watched the stone column sail through the sands of the desert and towards the might moving temple. “You will rot in the depths of Hades for all eternity!”

Standing before the box, still on the back of a titan, Kratos watched the object grow against the horizon, the pillar approaching faster than he could react. It was only when it was too late that the Ghost of Sparta realized what was happening.

The pillar impacted him, impaling him against the wall of the temple.

The pain could not compare.

His insides were torn, his bones were shattered, and his body hung uselessly against the mighty walls of the now empty temple. Blood filled his vision and screams met his ears. The blows of the Minotaur, the clubbing of Cyclops, even the flaming boulders of Hades could do little to compare to the pain and torment he felt.

But he fought on.

His hands reached to the pillar that now had severed his body. Uselessly, he pushed against the stone, trying with fruitless strength to move the object out of him, to free him from this tortuous confine. He tried to focus, he needed to focus, but he could not. Even on the brink of his death, his mind would not let him focus, even to save himself.

As the life left Kratos his thoughts returned to that fateful night, the night that had changed his life forever. Even in death… the memories, the visions would not fade. His wars. His murders. His crimes. They repeated endlessly within his head. But only one memory, only one crime, filled his mind with something other than rage and hate for himself. Only one memory gave him the thirst for vengeance like none other.

Only the memory of slaughtering his own wife and child.

How could he forget spilling the blood of his own family? A cruel trick, orchestrated by the God of War, his now former master.

“My wife…” he spoke weakly to the deceased form of his beloved. “My child…” He near sobbed as his eyes rested on the unmoving form of his descendant. “How? They were left in Sparta.” His mind had searched hard for the answer, hoping it would come to him in a way that could somehow save their already past lives. It came, but in a different form.

“You are becoming all that I hoped you to be Kratos.” the God of War spoke to him through a vision of flames. His face held nothing but cruel pride for the equally cruel trick he had played on his own champion’s life. “Now with your wife and child dead, nothing will hold you back. You’ll become even stronger! You will become death itself!”

But as the flames consumed the temple, Kratos knew his true enemy. He knew that there was no mortal on Earth who held any blame or burden for the death of his family more than the god who had once saved his life. There was no mortal, no Spartan, no soul of Hades, who deserved his rage, his hate, and his fury more than Ares himself.

Ares.

Stepping out of the now crumbling temple, Kratos let the name fill his body. What had once brought him strength and conviction, now summoned only anger and rage. He threw his head back, screaming the name into the night.

“Ares!!”

The village around him burned. A village he and his men had set on fire. There were no souls present to witness his deed. No servant of any god to condemn him for what he rightfully deserved. None that is, but the one who warmed him against it.

The old sage of soot skin turned to fallen general, spite and malice upon her face and even words as she spoke.

“From this night on, your terrible deed will be visible to all.” Her hand waved against the air, moving objects that lay beyond her sight. The churning of dust was heard in tandem with the motion of her hand. It was with a sick stomach that Kratos realized that what the priestess was moving was not sand or dust… but ashes.

“The ashes of your family will remain fastened to your skin. Never to be removed.” The Spartan watched with horror as the remains of his beloved wife and child surrounded him, only to quickly attach to him. As his tan skinned changed to alabaster white, as the memory of the night scarred itself within his mind, Kratos earned a new title, a new name, that would strike fear into the lives of the many throughout all of Greece.

The Ghost of Sparta, was born.

And now as he hung against Pandora’s temple, the box out of his reach, he watched his only means for vengeance slip away. The harpies under the command of his onetime master lifted the powerful chest away from the dying broken man. He reached a limp arm for the vanishing object, willing with all that he felt it would return, but it did not.

In death, Kratos knew he had failed. Kratos had failed to kill the God of War.

The Ghost of Sparta was dead.

End

The dark void of Discord rippled in the Royal Hall. Everypony present flexed in nervous anticipation. The Guards stood prepared, wings extended and snouts to the ground, ready to charge at whatever form of creature or monster Discord deemed fit to bring into the land of Equestria.

“Now let me tell you a little story, my little ponies, a narrative if you will,” The master of chaos spoke with a truly childlike demeanor. “There are hundreds of worlds like this one, I’d wager closer to a million in fact. Each and every one of them is different in some peculiar fascinating way. Do you want to know how I know?” His mismatched eyes beaded as he looked across the ponies in the room. Every pony, guards as well, stepped back from the maniacal beast.

“Because that’s what I’ve been doing while trapped in stone. I’ve been exploring.”

“That’s… impossible!” Twilight shouted. “That defeats the entire purpose of trapping you in the first place!”

“Oh don’t give yourself too little credit Lil’ Sparkle,” Discord spoke back. “I could do nothing to the world, or worlds, around me. Just watch and stare as perfectly boring harmony walked about and did whatever it wanted. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t plan.”

The shadow beneath him began to pulse, and Twilight stepped back as it did so. She didn’t know if something was going to come out of it, or if she was going to get dragged into it. Whatever did happen though, she already knew she wouldn’t like it.

“As I was narrating,” the draconequus continued with small cough, “there are so many different kinds of worlds, and so many different forms of harmony. I must say too, it was really awful, watching all these different animals laugh, learn, play, and love in ways you ponies have yet to really imagine.” The scowl on Discord’s face was impossible to miss.

“But then I realized something. What they had is like what we have. There is harmony, and then chaos. Up, then down, left, then right,” he spoke then with a wicked smile.

“Different kinds of harmony, that came with different illustrations of chaos.”

It didn’t take long for the ponies to realize the train of thought.

“You wouldn’t,” Celestia voiced threateningly, horn crackling with energy. Luna was no far behind her sister’s train of thought, as her blue horn began to pulse with its own energy.

“I would, your highnesses,” Discord spoke as he began to rise, claw and paw coming forth from the dark portal below. “I really, really, would.”

What came next was nothing short of mortifying.

Discord’s hand slowly rose from the black shadows of the portal, slowly as if carried down by some massive weight. And indeed there was. His face gleamed with pride as he catch was slowly drawn to the surface, covered in the same black intangible mist as the portal itself. It was tall by any pony standards, no doubt above even Princess Celestia in height. The black mess of Discord’s portal continued to drip from it as the spirit’s claw and paw held the thing up. His smile was unmistakable and impossible to miss.

“I got quite a catch, haven’t I?” His voice spoke as his mismatched red eyes looked the intangible shape over. “It’s so hard to tell what it is yet, but I have to say, I just love the outcome. But enough beating around the bush, let’s see what I really reeled in.”

Unceremoniously, Discord dropped the… thing next to the portal, the black ooze spraying across the white tiles. The ponies retreated from the stuff, but only truly gasped in horror as the different balls of darkness attempted to roll themselves back to the dark portal. For the princesses, however, the black conjuncture of Discord was not their concern. Their concern lay with the thing he had produced form it.

His paw flicked over the creature, lashing chunks of the black junk away. His claw repeated the same gesture oppositely, shedding more the thing beneath the darkness to the curious and fearful ponies in the hall. Those who were able to look beyond the draconequus, remove their sight from the mobile darkness, saw a sight beneath the spirit of chaos unlike anything they had ever seen.

It was bare of any hair, its skin plain as the Celestia’s day. The skin was of purest white marred only by a large scar that traveled along the torso. An oddly designed mark traveled up its body, by note of one lavender unicorn, red as loyalty. It curved around its foreleg, swirling like a snake in slumber, resting at the shoulder of the appendage. A similar mark traveled across its moon white face, covering majority of its left side. But beneath the marking was the only lock of hair along its entire body, hanging down from the chin in a manner similar to the master of chaos himself. The only clothing the creature wore aside from the guards on each hoof was a stretch of red textured cloth across his loins.

The creature was hideous, and words did little to prove it, but what truly set the guards on edge, neglecting the method of the creature’s introduction, were the unmistakable weapons it bore. Short, but viciously jagged swords were held on each hoof. Chains wrapped around the things fore-hooves, holding the blades tightly against the body, binding them. They were twisted, malicious, and worst of all, looked as if they belonged perfectly with the thing.

The ponies did not react kindly to the sight of the thing.

“W-What is…. tha- tha- tha-” Dash’s voice betrayed her as she tried to speak. Shock and awe, confusion and terror owning too much of her mind for words to form. But while her voice had failed, the unicorns no longer possessed the ability to breath. Twilight was losing her breath as well.

“Oh! I know this one!” Discord cheered as he backed up from the creature he had summoned, his jovial attitude only beckoning the fear and confusion from the ponies in the hall. “He’s more brutal than anything I’ve ever seen! This one time, a couple of months ago, I watched him rip the arm off some creature and beat it to death with it! Would have been perfect if he had just threatened to do it first.” His jovial recalling of the event only brought sickness to the ponies who heard. Poor Fluttershy had not the heart to hear anymore as she trembled with slow tears falling down her coat at the mental image. The drapes she hid behind slowly darkened as her tears fell.

“You… monster…” Applejack spoke through a clenched jaw. If her emotions could show, she would have been blowing smoke from her nostrils and shattering the stone floor with her hooves. Truth be told, as she always did, she loathed the monster before her like never before.

“Aw, come now, is that really such a terrible idea?” He questioned them, genuinely questioned. “Sure, it sounds bad, but just wait till you see it in action. I guarantee you’ll want to see more.”

“Nothing of the sort shall occur!” Celestia boomed, voice shaking the lights of the room. “You will return the creature to the plane you stole him from, and you will surrender yourself to us! Or so help you Discord, you shall WISH to be encased in stone!” Luna shivered beside her sister, as did the other ponies in the room. Discord, however, was either unimpressed or unamused.

“Meh,” he dismissed with wave of his paw. “You can attempt, dear Celestia, to do away with me as before, but I assure you, I shall not go quietly anymore. Because this thing,” he spoke as his form curled around the creature, paw atop the immobile thing’s head, “is just one part to an extensive key that will be my victory, your defeat, and the beginning of eternal chaos! In fact…” He rose away from the creature, talons of his claw beating in rhythm against his chin.

“Is… Is h-h-he d-d…” Fluttershy spoke on a quivering voice and weak hooves. Her form just barely peaked out from behind the curtain, eyes still red with tears. “D-d-dead?”

“Hmm. You know I’m really not sure. Let’s check.” Discord’s head fell against the white creature’s torso, covering almost the thing’s entire form. A faux look of contemplation was on his features, red eyes looking forward emptily. “Doesn’t seem like it, but I can’t say why he’s so out of it. I mean, death can’t be that tiring, am I right?”

His comment drew a collective gasp from the ponies.

“So… so he is dead. You killed him!” Twilight yelled at the draconequus. For all the horrors he often spoke of, and terrors he brought forth or manipulated, she had never seen the spirit of chaos do such a horrific thing. “Why? Why?! Didn’t you say you don’t turn ponies into stone?! Don’t you prefer chaos? Why would… why would you ki-kill…” Her voice slowly weakened under the force of her own words, the depth of Discord’s actions slowly weighing her down.

Twilight Sparkle was a pony who could read the deeper meaning of actions better than any other pony. She saw through the lies of Chrysalis, the capability of her friends, and the strength within every pony around her. So it was not hard for her to see the deeper meaning behind Discord’s one horrific action.

If he was capable of killing, what were they to do to stop him?

“Oh relax you little pony, I didn’t kill him. He’s not dead.” Twilight’s spirit flew, and she heard breaths being released from the ponies around her. “But he did die already.” And then she sucked the gasp right back in.

“Hey now, you can’t be dead and alive,” Pinkie Pie interjected fearlessly, maybe a bit foolishly, to the Master of Chaos. “Being alive means you aren’t dead, and if you are dead, that means you’re no longer alive. You can’t be both at the same time. That’s like being happy about being sad, it just doesn’t work that way. So what do you mean he’s alive but dead?” Discord smiled broad and bright before answered the inquisitive pink pony.

“Well my good Pinkie Pie, I mean that he died back on his world, but is alive here on ours. Just before the two eggheads over the start to question,” he spoke with a flick of his paw’s thumb towards Twilight and Celestia. “I’ll explain.” Flying into the air, he gave a small cough, preparing some elaborate speech. It was only by the hoof of Celestia that the guards did not attempt to strike him down.

“This little creature here is called a man. Ma-a-a-a-an,” he drew out insultingly. “He has seen more blood and war than Celestia has years. In fact, he was made by a god.”

“T-that’s not possible,” Rarity stuttered from beside Applejack, fear still as thick in her voice as it was plain on her body. “It… It just isn’t.”

“Oh, maybe not here, but it certainly is there. In fact, there were dozens of gods, for so many things. One for love, one for wine, one for the dead, one for the earth, one for the sea, one for the sky, one for the sun, none for the moon, sorry Luna, but most importantly, one for war. Any pony want to guess what one used him?”

A tentative hoof was raised, barely off the ground and shaking with fear, much the same as near every pony in the room.

“W-w-war?” Fluttershy squeaked, moving out from the curtains. A quick glance from Discord nearly sent her back. She chose instead the safety behind the dark alicorn of the night. Luna made no objections.

“Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!” The Master of Chaos cheered for the canary pegasus. “He was made like this by the God of War! A little bit a mayhem, a dash of destruction, then… the-death-and-murder-of-his-family.” His snarl was as fierce as the weight of his words.

“You brought such a monster to my realm?!” Celestia roared at Discord, horn crackling with energy at the thought. Same as before, Discord merely cheered.

“But… but he died, you said so. What does that have to do with him coming here?” Rainbow Dash spoke up. Her question was one part curiosity, two parts accusation. “He was protected by a god… How is it possible for him to die?”

“Simple, the god killed him.”

For maybe the umpteenth time that day, the ponies gasped. Fluttershy began to cry again.

“Ho-wh-wa… why?” Applejack asked as she stepped a hoof back. She honestly couldn’t understand why any pony would do such a thing.

“Hard to believe, I know, but I speak from experience that there are worse things than death. You know, let’s say for example, being trapped in stone for millennia.” His accusation was not unnoticed. “But I can tell your curious little minds just won’t be satisfied without knowing how…” Discord leaned over as he hung in the air, his facing growing stern with the details that would soon be spoken.

“So let’s move on.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Wha- No!” she shouted at Discord. “Tell us! Tell us why the God of War turned on him! Tell us why you brought him here. Tell us… Tell us how you brought him here…” She looked sternly to the Master of Chaos with her lavender eyes, trying to look as demanding as possible. For her credit, she did. For her debt, Discord cared little.

“Oh it must be just awful for you not to know something, huh Twi?” Discord mocked the unicorn. “But the less you know, the better. For me at least. Two birds, one stone. You’re distracted by not knowing something, and I get to leave your mind in a less harmonic state than before.” He disappeared momentarily, reappearing above the unicorn as he let his crimson eyes stare down at here.

“But I guess that if we are going to play, and I just want you to play so badly, I have to give you something.” Once more he vanished, and reappeared far above the ponies. He was lying in a hammock hung from the rafters… upside down.

Some chocolate milk in hand, he drank the glass.

“But only you Twilight. I can’t answer a question for every pony. We’re on a schedule here, and just like all proper schedules, I have no idea when the next step will happen.”

Twilight was about to voice herself, but stopped. This was Discord. Whatever she asked she had to be careful of. If she said her words wrong, or voiced her question as she normally would, he would easily twist it into a riddle or vague response that would gain her nothing. He was impossible to predict, so anything broad was out of the question.

“Hey Twilight.” The unicorn turned her head to see the familiar curls of pink bouncing towards her. “I know you wanna ask him a lot of things, but I just wanna know how the MA-A-A-AN got here.” Her obliviousness to Discord’s mocking aside, the mare did have a point. That was one question she wanted to know. But there were also so many others!

“My dearest student.” Twilight practically whipped her head at the voice of her princess and mentor. “I know you may wish to know why this being went through the pain that he did, but think wisely on it. For us to understand his pain would mean we would need to feel something akin to it.” Her eyes looked up to the draconequus above, and the way they hardened made a bone in Twilight shiver. “I’m more than confident if you ask Discord about how the creature was harmed, he’ll give more than words to show it.” That… that was true, and Twilight Sparkle was in no mood to feel any pain great enough that she would be granted death.

“Then… what should I ask?” Her eyes looked around the hall, looking to her friends for help. Fluttershy was still hyperventilating against the back hooves of Princess Luna, who let her dark wings shield the canary pegasus from the view of Discord above. She had done more than any could expect in front of the master of chaos, and the princess would not neglect a pony in need. Rarity and Applejack were sitting next to one another, the latter keeping a defensive pose between the white unicorn and draconequus, or at least as much as she could with Discord so high from the ground. Rainbow Dash just stared at the man on the ground either too shocked or too confused to speak. The rest of the guard had now surrounded the room, keeping themselves prepared and ready with eyes focused on both the twisted draconequees and misshapen being on the floor.

“I would ask him about the world from which the man came from.” Once more Twilight was enraptured by her mentor’s voice. “We know little of the workings of other worlds, if nothing at all, and knowing the cause behind the chaos may give light to the harmony to best it. Remember Twilight, knowledge is its own tool.” She was right. Of course she was right, she’s Princess Celestia! But… then how was Twilight to form the question? If she asked it plainly, would she bet taken to the world, or would she get a riddle about it? She needed details, but she couldn’t think of a way to make Discord give them to her. She put a hoof to her head in heavy thought.

“Or… or you can ask him about how it came here.” Three pairs of eyes looked to the cyan pegasus. Her eyes were still on the unmoving creature. “I mean… Discord said he didn’t kill it, but that it died, and now it’s alive here… I don’t think knowing anything about his world will make sense of that, at least not in a way that any of us would like.” Rainbow Dash did have a point as well. If the creature’s world was as hectic and awful as Discord just hinted at, it was incredibly unlikely that any pony would be able to learn much about it, at least joyfully. And what was learning without happiness?

“Hey Dashie, that was my idea!”

“Yeah, I know, but it is a good idea.” Her eyes had yet to leave the man.

“Then… Then I guess I’ll ask him that,” Twilight spoke to herself, but loud enough for the mares surrounding her to hear. Nods of approval were given, minus the excited bounce of Pinkie Pie, which she took for agreement.

The unicorn let herself take a deep breath of air before she spoke to Discord far above her.

“Wait!”

That wasn’t her voice.

The three Elements and princess turned to see the lunar princess trotting to them, a dawning look upon her face. Twilight knew that look instantly. Luna had an idea.

“Twilight Sparkle. Discord is expecting you to ask questions he knows the answers to, correct?” Well… she hoped he had the answers, but yes that was correct. “I am prepared to offer my horn as payment than no manner the form of question you ask, he will answer in only riddle and rhyme.”

“Well, yeah, but how else does the thing talk?” A dark look over Dash made the pegasus think fast. “Uh, your majesty.”

“Better… but you think only of moments where you ask questions for details he is aware of. He has time to make riddles, to form mazes to trap you in. What better way to distract us then to have us search for an answer he has already given?” That was also true. The spirit of chaos was proud of his ability to confuse the mares. Trickery was no new tool in that bag.

“Then, dear sister, what do you suspect Twilight should ask?” Celestia voiced to the younger alicorn. Luna looked up with the same look as before. It wasn’t just an idea, now Twilight knew it was a good idea.

“Ask him a question he has to think about.”

Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.

“Wait… how does that help?” Twilight asked the dark alicorn. “What good is a question he can’t answer? I mean, that just means I’ll have made him think for a while, but that doesn’t do us any good right now.”

“If he doesn’t know the answer, then he’ll speak as he thinks. We know him to be vile and evil, but he is no foal, at least not the kind he acts to be,” Luna explained carefully to the ponies. “He is old and wise, merely twisted as well. If you force his hand to think, then you may very well uncover the answer thou… you seek.”

The plan rolled itself over in the unicorn’s mind. Her prior encounters with Discord had left her with the impression that he was powerful, but mentally lacking. However, she could not think of a good reason why. His plans were conniving and detailed. His plots thought out and prepared. The few moments she did speak with him, he was always able to provide answers. It was true, to a degree, that the draconequus above was wiser than he allowed others to think.

“That… makes… sense…” the mare slowly spoke. “So… should I ask him about… your stars?”

It was a rare sight for any mare to witness a face turn from satisfied joy to unhindered rage.

“No.” Her voice was as cold as ice despite the heat her anger gave. “If… he tells of my stars, I will not let the answer be given to me in riddle. I am Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night, and I will exercise my patience for the matters closer at hand. Once Discord is defeated, he and his monster, then I will force the answer from him.”

“O-Okay,” Twilight spoke to the terrifying form of her princess. “I’m sorry, I just wondered if-”

“You need apologize for nothing, Twilight Sparkle.” The princess motioned with a very rigid hoof. “Now ask a question he does not expect, and you may receive an answer free of cryptic rhymes.”

The lavender unicorn gave her ruler a small nod before turning away. Her hooves trotted lightly across the stone floor of the grand hall, head hung now in thought. What was a question that Discord might not expect the answer to? He’d definitely expect her to ask about how the “man” got here, already answered who he was, and the gloating was near forcing her to ask about the state of the night. Anything he mentioned, even in passing, was something he most likely knew, thus, something he would give riddles for.

Her lavender eyes looked about the room in hope of seeing something that could spark an idea. Princess Celestia had a wing about her sister now, calming the younger monarch from her state of barely contained fury. Maybe she could ask Discord about the man’s family? No that wouldn’t solve anything, Discord said that the God of War had… yeah it would be a waste of a question.

Looking at her friends, Twilight saw little else to help her. Rainbow Dash was still gawking at the sight of the man on the ground, Pinkie Pie bouncing around the room without direction, Applejack comforting a near distraught Rarity, and Fluttershy curling around herself as she followed the pink pony. Asking about the creature’s friends would be pointless. From the way Discord described him, it sounded like all of his friends were already… well gone.

She could ask about where the Elements of Harmony were, but he would definitely expect a question like that. It was a riddle last time and the time before. The chances of him forgetting where he hid the Elements were less likely than Luna becoming Nightmare Moon again. There had to be something though!

The guards were still spread out across the hall. The pegasi and unicorns of Celestia’s golden guard mixing well with the dark trimmed steel of Luna’s shadow guard. They each appeared powerful and disciplined in different ways. While the familiar white and gold of The Sun Court appeared strong and trained, the guards belonging to The Night Court looked more terrifying by appearance. Together however, mixed like a crowd of ponies in Ponyville, they looked like a force capable of quelling the dragons in migration. They looked… looks…

The man! Why did he look the way he did? Why was he not a pony, or a griffon, or a dragon, or… or something else? Did he always look like this, or was he larger, smaller, thinner, wider, or even of a different gender? It… It didn’t do much for answering questions she had about the man, but it was a safe assumption that all she could relevantly ask was already known to the draconequus. But if she asked how the portal worked, she might have a better chance. And that really was something that could help them defeat the monster again.

“Discord!” she called up to the master of chaos. He looked up to her from his reverse position, chocolate milk falling up as she caught it in his muzzle. “I know what to ask you!”

“Really? Finally, that took long enough. Surprise me next time would you? Ask the question before you think of it, that doesn’t happen often enough.” His claw snapped once, forcing the hammock and glass out of existence, his body hung in the air as he waited for the unicorn to continue. Twilight tried to hide her assured grin.

“How come the man looks the way he does?” It was for a moment, just a moment, but it was long enough for Twilight to see it.

Discord’s wings stopped beating.

His eyes opened wider, his jaw slightly parted, and his two mismatched forehooves going slack at his side. Element of Magic indeed, finding a question an omnipotent being didn’t expect.

“You want me… to explain… why he looks like… that?” His paw pointed towards the white skinned beast on the ground, still having yet to move a muscle since his appearance.

“No, I want you to explain why, if, and how, he looks the way he does after you pulled him out of the portal! For something that sounds to have… died violently, he looks rather clean.” It was quite possibly just her imagination, but Twilight thought she could feel a proud smile on her princess’s muzzle.

“Oh that,” Discord spoke taken aback even further. “You want to know about that?” The unicorn nodded eagerly. “Hmm… didn’t expect that.” It took all that she could not cheer in victory.

“Well truth be told, I don’t really know, or want to know, or need to know, or care.” The unicorn almost broke out dancing, but the situation at hand, and the presence of her princess, kept her instincts in check.

“Ah, but you promised we had one question,” Twilight pointed out to the master of chaos, a smirk holding its place on her lips. If he saw it, Discord paid it no mind.

“Fine, if you dull ponies can’t live without answer, I’ll give it my best.” Holding up his paw and claw, Discord began to narrate once more. “Since I dragged him here from death as he searched for his after life, his spirit probably chose a form that was best suited for him, familiar I guess. Personally, I’d try and mix it up. Be a draconequus here, windigo there, and maybe a changeling somewhere else. I always did tell myself I could be anything I wanted to be, so why don’t I just go ahead and be everything!” His laughter was both unanswered and unappreciated.

“So you took his soul from death… and the souls that come here… can choose their shape?” Twilight clarified. It wasn’t a lost art by any means to change form, but only temporarily. This sounded more… permanent.

“Yes, yes, yes, and no. So three fourths yes, too even a ratio for my taste.” Discord gave a shudder before he continued. “They come here. They choose their shape, but only by what they remember. Can’t exactly expect every life to understand the beauty of chaos that well yet. After all,” Discord began with a shudder, “you ponies have made it clear to me just how much you value the familiar.”

“Is this the reason for taking my stars?” Princess Luna asked, rage unbidden from her voice. “Have you… swept away my starry night to claim lives in this cruel manner?”

Discord flew himself down the ground, curling around the princess of night before either alicorn could react. Any fear she may have been hiding came to the surface full throttle.

“Why yes, my precious moon, indeed I have. After all, there’s only one common road the souls can travel before they reach their paradise. Sadly, it wasn’t exactly through the familiar plains, if you catch my drift.”

“The… stars?” Celestia questioned on hitched breath. The idea was unfathomable. But like before, Discord paid her little mind.

“So yes and no,” he spoke with his toothy grin to Luna, claw under the dark alicorn’s jaw. “I took your stars away from you, but I did so by taking you away from your stars. I had to put this precious land of you ponies somewhere all souls had to cross to go through, somewhere, I guess you could say, close to home.”

“The stars didn’t move, Equestria did.”

Not a single sound broke the deafening silence of the room. There were no gasps of surprise, no trembling knees, no soft cries of fear. Instead, there was just stone silence. No pony, no Element of Harmony nor princess of Equestria truly thought Discord so capable as to move their entire land to… nonexistence.

“So, you’re saying that we-”

“Up! That’s it! Question time is over!” Discord announced with a wave of his claw, uncurling from Luna and flying high into the hall again. “I’ve answered more than one question, so you should be thankful little Sparkle. Just had one rule, but it was my rule, so I bent it a little, in your favor no less. Better thank me when we’re done.”

“Now let’s see if I can’t make that spark.”

No pony could prepare for what came next.

The master of chaos raised his claw and paw into the air, curled around one another with a pocket of air in between. Faster than the ponies could comprehend, a ball of light began to form in the appendages of Discord. It grew quickly in intensity and heat, near mimicking the sun with its shine.

Instinct flooded the guards below. The pegasi jumped into the air as they charged for the draconequus as their unicorn allies below raised their horns. The attempts were fruitless, and quickly so, as the flying ponies were forced to stop beneath the heat of the now near solar orb. The magic of the unicorns proved equally useless as Discord’s shield of magic reflected the deadly rays with as much difficultly as a fish swims through water.

“Oh, and just so you know what name to scream. Call the man Kratos.”

The words may have well been a curse.

The ball of light descended from the furred paw and scaled claw of the master of chaos. It sized no larger than a pony’s head, but had more magic in it than any unicorn in the room thought themselves capable of creating. It met Kratos’s chest without impact or noise, almost anti-climatically. But the orb came from what followed.

The creature began to scream.

His were loud and painful, giving most ponies motive to trot away quickly in fright. Fluttershy quickly began to cry again in absolute terror of the noise. Kratos thrashed against the tiled floor as his eyes opened. The blades chained to his arms lit with an intense fire as he moved to stand. Tiles and granite cracked beneath the force of his arms and legs as they pushed against the flooring beneath him. As he reached his knees, blades still clenched in his hands, the screams began to subside. They turned from tormenting pain yells into deep heavy breaths. Each gasp filled his lungs, pushing and lowering his muscular chest with forced effort. For a moment, no pony moved, not even Discord high above.

They watched, enraptured, as the creature pushed once more against the tile ground, rising to his tallest on his feet. Every member of the guard, night and day, kept themselves at a distance, yet still before any Element of Harmony and the Princesses themselves. Eyes of slit orange and determined gold watched the man of white carefully.

Their gazes froze when the met his eyes.

The burning eyes of Kratos gave them a sensation of pause they had never experienced before. His eyes, the portals to his soul, had more hate and disdain within them than any enemy they were ever trained to face. The pegasi dare not fly, the unicorns dare not spark, and the earth pares dare not move.

Kratos’s features turned in confusion as his eyes scanned the various ponies in the room. The muscles in his neck turned as the rest of his body flexed.

“What torture in Hades is this?”

His voice was deep and powerful, as filled with hate as the gaze he bore. It gave Twilight and Dash no less pause they facing a dragon looking for blood. Applejack still stood before Rarity, despite the guards in gold and blue that stood before each of them. Fluttershy, still in tears and weak in the hooves, huddled behind the unfurled wings of the Princess of the Night. Celestia stood next to her kin, form tall as she loomed far above the guards around her.

Pinkie Pie, however, was the only pony among the many that huddled within the hall that had no features of fear or panic across her muzzle. If anything, she appeared almost excited to see Kratos awake and on his feet. Celestia began to step forward, ready to address the man of white, but was stopped by the only other life in the room with the will and power to speak.

“Hades sent me Kratos,” Discord spoke as he curled down beside the foreign warrior. What was he speaking of? The question ran through the mind of more than one pony in the room.

“For what purpose has he sent a beast such as you? And I ask again, what manner of his domain do I face myself in?”

“Ah, two excellent questions at once! Oh this is exciting, don’t you agree Celestia?” The white alicorn gritted her teeth as she snarled at the master of chaos. “Or how about you little miss magic?” Discord pointed to Twilight. Her expression was more of disgust than anger.

“Answer me beast!” Kratos roared at the twisted form of Discord, who appeared not even the slightest bit perturbed by the anger of the warrior. The Elements, the princesses, and the guards, however, all took visible trots back at the voice. His cry alone… it felt powerful.

“Oh my apologizes Spartan, I just get side-tracked fairly easily.” The spirit of disharmony uncurled himself, standing to his fullest in front of the white skinned man. By size comparison, Discord towered over Kratos by over twice his height, literally. But somehow… by some magic, the smaller of the two appeared far more intimidating than the other.

“What you see before you are the final shreds of hope of all of the lost souls of Hades.” Confusion washed through the ponies like a new spring’s breeze. “Turns out, too many of the mortals who end up here hold on to that frilly little emotion. Not quite sure why, but they’ve started to manifest themselves, and they are of such stupid little things.”

That didn’t go unanswered.

“Hey! We’re-” The pink mare had her lips zipped before she could finish, the afterglow of a flash fading around her head.

“Noisy little ponies, aren’t they? Any how, the big man says you can have your… what was it now…” Discord beat his claws against his chin in mock though. His paw snapped at an already known idea. “That’s right! You’re already doomed life back. Who knows? You may even live long enough to actually kill your master.”

“You taunt me monster?” Kratos let his voice drip with venom as his blades growled with fire.

“Now now, I’m you’re free pass to Greece. These ponies…” He spoke with a sweep of his claw. “Are just the block in the path. Now how do you usually get rid of your problems? Cook them a cake? Offer them treats? No, no, you kill them, horrifically, almost randomly.”

“Cease thou words, foul cur!”

Luna’s voice roared across the ponies, pushing the few aerial pegasi to the ground. Many more of the unicorns held themselves with magic.

“Thee speaks only in twisted tongues!”

The Elements braced themselves against one another, some more prepared than others for the infamous yell of the Princess of the Night. The stone of the grand hall shook beneath its volume and groaned beneath its might.

“Send this foul creature from our sight or face the wrath of day and night!”

Discord, with a grin as malicious as ever, took to the rafters of the hall again with a flash of his magic. Kratos however, stood ground in a different way all together.

His blades impacted the ground beneath him, shattering the stone as they forced themselves into place. The winds and force of Luna’s words pushed against him with more might than any other pony in the room, but his body held firm against the ground beneath him. When her command was finished, however, and Kratos began to rise, the princess of the night recognized the error of her action.

“Whether the beast speaks truth or fiction, you want my life all the same.” His accusation came with a tug of his blades, pulling the jagged tools from the Grand Hall’s floor in a shower of stone. Celestia held her ground next to her sister. “I will take yours before your wish is ever uttered.”

“No! Please, I do now know who you are but believe us when we say we are no enemy to you!” Kratos had yet to stop his march towards the alicorns. His blades were still lit by an unholy flames and face twisted with rage.

“Halt!”

A guard pony, a pegasi coated gray jumped before his two rulers with commendable fearlessness. He hunched himself over, wings flared as he stood his strongest. The white skinned warrior slowed his pace, eyeing the creature with a look filled with no less hate.

“Cease and desist your threatening actions, or else you will be held accountable by Equestrian High Court!” High above, the ponies could hear Discord laughing in joy.

“I don’t think he cares much about that,” Rainbow Dash muttered as she flew around in the air, fighting herself for getting a better view, or getting further away.

“Do you surrender yourself?” the guard voice again.

“Stand down,” Celestia spoke to the gold armored guard. But he did nothing of the sort.

“No, your majesty.” He must have sensed the look of shock from the alabaster alicorn, because his eyes had yet to leave the now still Kratos. “Your life is in danger, as well as Princess Luna. We of the Royal Guard are sworn to protect you both with our lives, and I will not abandon my post because of some monstrous creation.”

“Go forth Kratos,” Discord spoke high above, near shaking with excitement. “Go forth in the name of Olympus.”

His words must have hit a chord.

The man of white swung his blade before the princesses could take a breath. It flew threw the air in an arc, wrapped in the flames of rage. It hit the gray pegasi with a clean hit above his armor, just at the base of his feathered appendage.

The guard’s wing fell off, burnt and broken.

At that moment, Tartarus was let loose.

Twilight heard herself scream before she realized she done it, a shrill shriek of terrified origins. She was not alone. Fluttershy openly sobbed tearfully in panic and horror, unaware of the way she dampened the coat of the Princess of the night. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all stood stock still in shock and horror at the sight they witnesses.

The guards, however, reacted.

Armor of golden light and nightly blue mixed as the unicorns and pegasi charged at their now deemed foe. Bolts of magic were fired at the white skinned man as pegasi flew from the air into tackling formations.

Nothing hit.

Kratos rolled onto his back, jumping out of the doge with his blades beside him. They hung from his arms by chains, still lit by the vicious fire he so fearlessly used.

“I do not care what form of creatures you are!” he roared at the Royal Guard before him. “You will not stop me from getting my Revenge!” The white skinned man pulled his arms together with a clearly brutal force.

The jagged blades swung in front of him in a wide arc. They cut the air with their heat, aiming to maim the ponies with their edge. One crossed across the muzzle of a night guard, earning a cry of pain. The other met only the gold armor of Celestia’s court guard, grazing across it as it left a vicious gap in the now useless armor. Kratos however, was not finished yet.

Blades in mid swing, the white skinned man twisted his body. The blades were pulled behind them as they moved in a vertical loop around him. The wrapped around the air, the chains growing taunt as the tip of the arc, just before they met the ground. The pegasi and unicorns easily dodged the obvious assault, most readying them for a swift counter. They never got the chance.

When the blades met the ground, a fire blew from beneath them.

Several of the pegasi of the Night Court fell with pained cries as their wings lit on fire. The concentrations of the unicorns were immediately shattered. The guard collective became completely still at the sight of the monster’s power. To Kratos, it was an opportunity.

His chains twisted on his arms, pulling the hit of his blades back to his hand. He was already in mid spring towards the guards, when he was able to grasp the evil devices.

“RAAGH!” he gave fierce cry as he jumped forward into the air with his blades raised. A gasp of either surprise or shock gave from one of the night guards, but it was drowned out beneath sound and force of the white skinned beast landing on another.

“Too bad for that pony,” Discord chuckled to himself from high above.

As soon as Kratos connected, his blades set to work, brutalizing the poor pony caught beneath his grasp.

First a foreleg was cut, then his armor was dented, then a rear leg cut off… then an eye… then a horn.

CLINK

The blades could do no more damage as they impacted something other than the pony that was still beneath him. A blue hued shield of magic had formed around the Royal Guard of The Night Court. The scowl on his face grew deeper as he tried again.

CLINK

The jagged tool of fire hit without force against the unicorn again.

Before Kratos could try again, a crackle of energy impacted his side, sending him from the Royal Guards of Night and Day. He gave a grunt of pain as he bounced across the tiled floor of the Great Hall, rising to his knees quickly after he stopped.

“Stand back!” Celestia called to her guard as she flew over them all. Luna stood tall behind her sister’s aerial form, horn glowing at its brightest. “You are no match for this creature of Discord’s bidding. Take the injured and retreat!” Her hooves landed before the warrior, wings flared in challenge.

“I will protect my ponies from your pathless wrath.” If Kratos cared for her words, he did not show it.

“RAAAAAAGH!”

Kratos threw his blades at the princess, watching as they deflected harmlessly across her shield. However, the failure only seemed to encourage him to attack harder. His steps grew closer and closer to the alicorn as the blades continued to dance around his form, twisting against the chains he commanded. Every pass they made at the princess of day was met with the same effect.

Celestia kept the shield up with all of her power. She was weaker than what she could be, her sun setting with a majority of her magic. But she could keep this shield, she could hold off the deadly assault of this damned warrior.

“Quickly!” Celestia called back again. “Retreat!”

“None of you shall leave here ALIVE” Kratos pulled his blades back to his hands, holding them at his sides in preparation for something. Celestia readied herself, shield taking in more of her near god-like powers. Her concentration broke however, when the beast of Discord’s bidding began to perform some cryptic movement. His arms moved above and below him, swinging without force around his body. He twisted and twirled the blades in his hands before hunching over and sending the to the tile ground.

If Tartarus was opened before, Kratos now brought the apocalypse.

Formless creatures of red and black flew from the white skinned man. They flew through the air in clouds of red. They screamed with cries of The Everfree’s banshees. By appearance alone, they were terrifying. By action, they were nightmares. The amorphous red wraiths flew around the room, eliciting cries of fear and panic from the Elements, and even the guards alike.

Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could in the enclosed space, avoiding the monster that now chased her through the air. Applejack hauled Rarity onto her back as she deftly avoided the monster of red which chased after her. Twilight Sparkle lit a shield of her strongest magic, unable to stop the tears that were falling down her muzzle as one of the creatures flew around her, assaulting her violet shield ruthlessly. Fluttershy hid behind the alicorn princess of the night sobbing hysterically to herself. Pinkie Pie… was no where to be seen.

“Way to use Hades’s Army to do the job!” Discord cheered again above, his claw and paw clapping together. “You do the God of the Dead proud!”

The Royal Guard, who were already beaten and harmed, could do little against the beasts of burden that assaulted them. They tore through the golden army of day like butter and rent the dark armor of night even worse. They cried in pain as the creatures thrashed against their exposed bodies. The specters of dark flames threw the pegasi against the walls, letting their wings crack and bend at odd angles. The unicorns found themselves unable to summon magic as they were tossed and beaten like dolls amongst a pile of rabid dogs.

Their pain was as evident in their screams.

And Celestia could do nothing to help them.

The moment she turned to aid her ponies, Kratos began to assault her again. She didn’t know if it was to distract her or to anger her, but he was accomplishing both. Every attempt she made to strike her own magic at Kratos was cut off by another angry slash of his chained blades, forcing her to add more of her magic to the shield. If she slipped for a moment, Celestia was doubtless the blades would tear through her mercilessly.

Luna was doing what she could. Her magic encased herself and Fluttershy in a protective bubble, as she attempted to do the same to the already injured ponies. Small fields of magic formed around every guard who was injured or maimed, keeping them as safe as possible from the onslaught of the “Spartan”. But she knew, from history and logic, it was a losing battle.

They had no Elements to use. The Royal Guard was being thrashed. Celestia and herself were indisposed with merely distracting the creatures. And Kratos… he was doing more than merely witling down her sister’s magic. He was easily plowing through what little she had to offer during Luna’s night. It wouldn’t be long before Kratos would be able to break the shield of light, doubtlessly begin to assault the princess of the sun, and soon turn his attention to the rest of the ponies who could only flee in this moment.

But there had to be something… just one thing she could do to help. Her dark eyes scanned the room as she searched for more injured ponies in thought. Her magical shield wrapped around another guard of her court, horn shattered beneath the assault of a red wraith. She would mourn his injuries later.

Where had theses creatures come from? There was nothing that Kratos had done aside from some cryptic dance to bring them into Equestria. He hadn’t used a spell she was familiar with, or rune she could translate, or even a portal that… used a portal…

Princess Luna had an idea.

Her dark eyes looked to the portal of Discord’s creation. It still swirled with energy she couldn’t imagine and with intent she couldn’t place. One part of it beckoned her while the other repulsed her. But the idea was still in her mind.

If Discord brought a warrior into her land, couldn’t she?

There were a million thoughts against it. It could make the current situation worse. She might be able to use it. It could take away her magic. It could take away her horn. It could take away her life. But no argument her mind summoned stopped her body from trotting over to the portal, eyes above it and wings flared.

This was an idea, but it was a horribly unpredictable idea.

“P-Please help…” a pegasus cried as she pushed herself as close to the princess as possible. “I’m s-s-so scared…” Her body shook with fearful sobs, eyes shut as she blindly held the princess of the night.

‘She is terrified…’ The dark alicorn thought as she looked back into the swirling portal of Discord’s magic. She looked up again to see the creature of white with swords of flames, terrorizing and attempting to maim the guards the castle. Her sister was doing little well in restraining the creature. No Elements of Harmony, little magical effect… small chance for survival…

“As am I…’

Luna plunged her head into the dark abyss.

The Alpha

Begin

This was his end.

He didn’t fight against it, as he would have before, nor did he deny it, as a young soul would. A life of many adventures and time across many lands had given him peace in a way words failed to describe, and emotions failed to express. If anything, he was thankful.

He was dying in the same place where he had grown.

His head lulled backwards against the rough bark of the tree, looking through the canopy of the forest. He searched for the sun that fought to pierce the thick blanket of leaves from far above him, watching with a sound mind as the life of the forest continued to move around him. It was ironic almost. All the lives he had met, everything about the world he had changed, and not a thing stopped for him as his life began to fade.

Cerulean eyes fell back to his wound. A deep stab from a Moblin’s spear, just beneath his sternum. He’d been lucky in the past with instincts and training, always able to make the wounds mark his arm or legs, never his torso. This time… his age had caught up with him. The memory was fresh in his mind.

The usual spry that would come with his jump was gone. Instead of a swift and deft dodge, he fell into the charging Moblin’s spear. He felt more shock than pain when he landed hard against the tree’s outer surface. It was only through instinct again that he had what little energy left that he did. A quick arrow of light from his favored bow vanquished the Moblin, but he was another story.

His eyes shut as the haze grew stronger, no longer sure if he could make out any details. The familiar stench of fresh blood crept through his nostrils. It brought him neither anger nor sorrow. Oddly enough, if anything, he would say he was at peace.

Peace… tranquility even…

Despite the many adventures he had taken and hundreds of lives he had saved, never once did he dream of dying in any of them. He did not ask to be a mighty warrior, stalwart hero, or legendary soldier. He wanted peace, quiet, and friends around him that he could easily live with. As he was, two out of the three were satisfied.

The forest did not mourn for him, and neither did it cry out in his abandon. His labored breathing was the loudest sound that permeated the forest’s otherwise calm atmosphere. There was no longer any fear of an attack from afar or near, no foes or monsters to set him on edge. He was safe, as safe as a dying soul could be.

It was a shame. Decades of fighting for the lost and forgotten, aiding the royal family in ways he never thought he could, and still his friends slowly left him. The sages foregoing their mortal desires for spiritual guidance. The caretakers of the woods, his old home, leaving him abandoned as his form grew older and older. Even the royal court finding his purpose less needed, and therefore less important, as his age and training slowly caught up to him. A dry smile met his lips as he remembered his princess’s face at the news. He held no contempt for her, no hatred or disdain in his heart. She bore enough of the emotions on herself for asking him to leave.

But that was the truth of the world, his world at least. The actions of the past always affect the future, but time cannot be stopped as all things must end. Reigns finish, corruption dies, and hope slowly drifts away. Happiness departs as our friends bid farewell, and sorrow comes as we find ourselves alone. But he wasn’t sad, not mournfully at least.

His life had been long. His adventures had been full. Lives had been saved, good deeds done, and a righteous queen still ruled the land, fair and peaceful in all of her ways. His mark on history was done. There was little left for him to fight to live for.

In fact, nothing at all was left.

“You’ve always been like that, huh Link?”

His blue eyes flickered with life as he looked above him, through the blanket of the trees. The sun blinded him only slightly as he looked for the owner of the voice, for the being that knew his name.

Then he saw her far above him, wearing the familiar clothes of green.

Saria.

Her hair was of emerald color, curling around her face as if to frame her like a porcelain doll. Face unmarred by any mark, it glowed under the soft light the sun. But if her skin glowed, her green eyes shined. She looked down at him as a child would, curious and ignorant of the pains the world held.

But Link knew this child. He knew her better than any other life. And he knew just how far from ignorance she truly was. She leapt from the branches of the trees with the grace of a forest nymph, landing on the floor of the woods with grace. Standing as tall as she could, she walked over to his fallen form. It was odd, despite all her grace and beauty, she had the saddest smile on her face. If she looked just a few decades older, she could be mistaken for a sage. He had to laugh silently at the thought.

Her being 'mistaken' for a sage.

“You’re really hurt this time, aren’t you?” she asked softly to Link, smile mimicking the sorrow her voice carried. He bobbed his head once in response. She didn’t speak again. She just stood there, staring at him. She didn’t look around herself, wondering if help was coming, or look worried as if she should go find some aid herself. She was not an ignorant child.

Saria already knew what was happening.

“Aren’t you worried? Scared?” the young child spoke again, the sad smile never leaving her face. She wrapped a finger around a strand of her emerald hair, twisting it back into place. Her steps were quiet as she approached him. Link shook his head slowly to her question, careful of the pain that was slowly ebbing through his body. She knelt next to him, her hunched form barely to his chest. She was smaller than he remembered, but that was probably another effect of time.

“You’ve done so much for everyone, more than they could ever know, but you never stopped trying to help.” Small tears stood on the edges of eyes, and the Hero of Time wished away the sight. Of all the things he might have asked for now, in his final moments in the woods he was from, the sight of his beloved friend crying was the last of them.

“I… I don’t want you to go Link.”

The sorrow in Saria’s voice truly was mournful now. It was no different than the cries he heard at funerals, of daughters sobbing over their father’s grave, or sons pleading at mother’s tombstone. He never understood the emotion, the pain of losing someone so dear. Friends, comrades, they were all close to him, to a hero who traversed time to save a kingdom. The few who had passed before him, he had mourned in a manner others would call cold.

Silently, in solitude, he let his mind grow used to their passing, to the idea that they would not join him tomorrow. It was the idea that when the next sun rose of Hyrule, it would be without their company, without their guidance, without their helping hand. Those moments had pained Link, differently than the wound he had now, but still no less painful. But he recovered, he moved on, and he rode into the new sun’s day.

What would happen to Saria now, knowing that he would now be the one to pass on? Would she mourn for him as the children he watched bury their parents, or would she separate herself from the other Kokiri, put herself into The Forest Temple again, letting the pain slowly pass away? Neither option was pleasing to him.

Link raised his hand, free of his blood and as clean as the forest floor. Placing it on his friend’s emerald hair, he held her close, careful to keep her away from the gore of his wound. She was silent for a moment, still as the tree he used now as support.

He felt her tears before he heard her cries.

Bitter tears soaked his tunic with the blood, colder than the thick red liquid.

“I-I’m sorry,” Saria needlessly apologized to him, wrapping her arms around his thick chest. She no longer kept herself from the blood, and Link had not the strength left to keep her from it. “Y-You were so a-alone, and s-s-sad. But I didn’t… I didn’t d-do anything to help.” He wanted to tell her she was wrong, shake his head and explain. But he couldn’t speak and she wouldn’t listen.

“You’ll… I’ll…” she stammered amongst her own words. Her tiny fists clenched his green tunic tight, unsure of what to say. Link preferred nothing at all.

“I’ll tell them all… I’ll… I’ll tell every sage, every Kokiri, every spirit of the forest who will listen! I’ll tell them all about you! You won’t be forgotten!” Her sobs slowly died down, her chest no longer heaving for breaths, though she held onto him no softer than before.

“I’ll never forget…”

Link was wrong before. Now he was at peace.

“I promise Link, on our friendship from so long ago, that I’ll honor you. I’ll make sure that no Kokiri forgets you, that your name is inscribed above mine in the temple, that Zelda holds your name next to their kings. All of it! You… you don’t deserve this… not you… not…” Her sobs returned softer, but no less mournful. Link had yet to remove the hand from her head, content to hold his one dear friend as close to him as possible.

If there was ever a time he believed the goddesses truly watched over him, more than to ensure a prophecy or duty, this was it. He did not have to solve a grand dungeon, defeat a monstrous foe, or slay an old god that threatened the world. The Hero of Time had only one duty now, and he would see it done.

Leaning his head against the tree, he let his breaths grow shallow, his breathing quiet, and eyes close in content. The warmth of Saria had yet to leave him, and he hoped, truly prayed, she did not until he was gone.

Slowly, gently, peacefully, Link descended into the embrace of darkness.

End

Luna pulled her head out of the portal the moment something solid met her teeth.

The dark blob she had captured was tossed through the air as she came up for breath. Her mind swam with dizziness and fatigue, trying and failing to focus her spinning thoughts. The portal, that… device felt too similar to the corrupting powers she had fallen to long ago. Her feelings felt like emotions and her body felt like thread, loose and unwilling to help her.

It took the dark alicorn a moment to realize how silent the room was.

Through her bleary eyes, she saw the few unharmed members of the Royal Guard staring at her stock still. The both guards of Night and Day had wide eyes and small pupils as they watched their ruler shake. Celestia, just beyond them, was much the same. Her shield was down and horn no longer glowing as she watched her younger counterpart. But what truly confused Luna more so than anything else, through her hazy mind, was what she couldn’t see.

There were no wraiths flying through the Grand Hall, no spirits of black and red terrorizing or attempting to harm. There were no flaming swords swinging on metallic chains, nor any kind of battle cry that had come with the sight. Everything was still around her, and she was deftly confused why. But as her mind began to clear and the vision truly returned to her eyes, the princess of the night realized that the many beings in the room were not looking at her, but at something else.

They were eyeing the dark figure she had pulled.

It lay across the tile floor, surrounded in the same black ooze that had once surrounded Kratos. The mist upon it moved and swirled, grasping at the white stones around it without force or purpose. Now she stared dumbfounded at what she produced, unable to grasp at desperation she must have had.

A low whistle from above broke her blank musings.

“Gotta say, didn’t see that coming. Not that I mind,” Discord mused as he let himself hang from the rafters. “It’s good to see royalty following my example.” For once, Discord was completely ignored.

Princess Luna walked with a nervous trot over to black mess on the floor. Her hoof rose towards the creature, and she couldn’t help but notice the amount it shook. Was this alright? Should… should she free whatever manner of creature she had just brought into her land?

Her dark eyes looked towards Kratos, hunched over with his blades in hand. They were not lit by flames, but still held the fresh blood of several members of her and Celestia’s Royal Guard. He… he wasn’t trying to harm them now. So did she have to free this thing?

“My my Kratos, you may want to start the slaughter again.” Now Luna let her eyes dart to the draconequus high above, laying on the air now as he stroked his mane.

“Wouldn’t want them to bring any reinforcements, now would you?”

Once more, the white skinned man fell pray to the twisted words of Discord. As his blades were lit again with a mighty cry, Luna turned back to the creature still hidden in the mist. No matter the danger, no matter the consequences, she had to free it.

Fortunately, it appeared the Element of Kindness was already starting without her.

Canary wings brushed at the dark ooze harsher than Luna would have thought the skittish pegasus capable of, but now was not the time for such musings. The sound of crashing metal and crunching stone continued to fill her ears, and she knew she had to hurry. The sounds of her sister’s magic fighting the creature only encouraged her to move faster.

The black mist began to dissipate as the being came into view, and Luna noted every detail that she could in her hast.

It was far more clothed than the last thing to come out of the portal. A green fabric covered majority of its frame. A leather belt was strapped around its waist, also crossing over it’s chest. She felt metal beneath the green, no doubt in her mind that it some form of disguised armor. That much told her the creature was a warrior. She only wished to her sister’s sun that it was nothing like the beast that fought her sister still.

“RAAAAGH” The battle cry of Kratos shattered her concentration as she watched him perform that dreaded ritual again. The wraiths were coming and Luna knew it.

“Keep working princess!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as she jumped in front of her. “I’ll do my best to keep them off of you.”

Less than a moment later, the deadly apparitions flew from the white skinned warrior. Celestia gave a cry caught between anger and pain.

“Hurry Luna!” Celestia command as she continued to take the blows from Kratos. “I do not know how much longer I can last!”

Luna set to freeing the creature even faster. Twilight’s magical shield encased them in a protective bubble as they worked, but the presence of the red creatures surrounding them did little but frighten Fluttershy.

Luna worked what she thought was up on the creature, finding a free patches of skin. A few more shakes from her hooves and she found its face. His features were far kinder than those of Kratos that was the first thing Luna noted. Though his eyes were closed, he looked at peace, and with a soft smile she thought ironic for their situation. If she could go by a stallion’s perspective, it was definitely a male, by the protrusion of his jaw and cheeks.

A green hat was also placed on his head, hiding all by a few locks of his golden blonde mane. It traveled farther than most other accessories she was used to, reaching just above his forelegs. However, his ears made him more like her fellow ponies than Kratos, as they were large and sharp, much like their own.

CRASH

Luna’s attention was diverted again, and for a reason far more horrifying.

Kratos had successfully shattered her sister’s shell.

Instinct ruled the princess of the night.

With a quick flex of her wings, she barreled through the magical field of Twilight, aiming with her horn towards the white skinned creature. One of the wraiths was impaled upon her mighty barb, dissipating it like the mist of the portal. Kratos, however, saw her approach.

His blades returned to his palms as he held them before his form, meeting the charging alicorn steel to bone. The force sent him sliding back across the tile, Luna still before him. Her horn continued to press against his flaming blades, holding them in a stalemate neither could afford to lose.

“Free him!” Luna shouted with all her strength. “Free the thing I have summoned!”

“Okie-dokie!”

Pinkie burst from behind a potted plant, seen for the first time since Kratos had awakened. The red wraiths were beginning to disappear again, their forms melding into the air harmlessly. The half freed form of the green clad warrior was still immobile as Fluttershy tried to free more of it, but her shaking hooves fought her will.

“Take five Fluttershy, I’ll help him out.” Her words were oddly controlled. Fortunately, her actions weren’t.

Jumping onto the creatures, Pinkie shook her head and flank as hard as she could, letting the puffy structure of her mane and tail move as much of the dark mist as she could. More and more of him came into view.

A skin tight suit covered his lower legs. Thick boots hid his feet. An equally strong material was placed over his hands, but also coated with golden steel. But it was when the last of the mist was taken away that Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight saw what adorned his back.

A sword.

“H-How do we wake him up?” Twilight asked, voice shaking in fear and exhaustion. “I-I have no idea what kind of spe-”

“Clear!”

Pinkie jumped on the creature’s chest. Hard.

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted, more in shock than anger.

“Clear!” She jumped again.

“Beasts of burden! Lay down your lives!” The battle cry of Kratos met their ears as the Spartan continued his battle with the princesses of Equestria. In a daring move, he thrust his blades forward, fighting the strength of the dark alicorn. Luna felt her form forced back at the sudden force of strength. Given the room, he angrily threw one blade forward.

Instinct saved Luna as she furled her wings to avoid the blade. Celestia, however took the force of the flames to her side.

“Agh!” she let out a grunt of pain as her white coat was stained black.

“Sister!” Luna shouted before turning her attention again to Kratos. “Be gone from our realm monster!” By her command, she lit the end of her horn with a static magic. It grew into a force of lightening that commanded the Spartan to release a cry of pain. He jumped back from the dark alicorn, now standing her tallest wings flared once more. He gave angry shout before charging towards the alicorn again.

“P-Please w-wake up!” Fluttershy was now on top of the creature, face before his own. “W-We need your help! Please!” Tears were streaming down the canary coat.

“Clear!” The pink pony landed on the creature’s chest again.

“Wake up!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she landed besides Fluttershy “Get off your flank!

“Clear!” A fourth time now pinkie landed on the creature’s green clothe chest.

“Please help…”

“Cle-” Pinkie was thrown off.

A desperate gasp of air was taken from the creature, sharp eyes opening wide as he threw the ponies off of him. He rolled onto his chest, heaving breaths that racked his body. His hair hung over his eyes, hiding the shock of his eyes from equally stunned ponies around him. One of his hands moved up, pushing over his face, feeling his own details. Slowly, his head began to rise from the ground, looking up at the scenery around him.

The creature immediately jumped to his feet.

For the second time, his presence had ceased activity in the room. Celestia watched apart from Luna and Kratos, nursing an injured side with her magic. Kratos took his blades back in hand as he defended himself against Luna’s magic, which had now ceased as she watched the thing clothed in green move by his action alone. The guards also paused from their slumped and broken forms to eye the new creature born from Discord’s magic. Said monster had his own words to say.

“Oh what a lovely display of vigor. Now I wonder just what kind of chaos he is capable of producing?”

The question seemed to travel through the mind of every pony present.

The thing in green looked around himself with nervous trepidation. His left hand hovered close to the hilt of his sword, his other silently floating behind his back. Sharp blue eyes scanned the crowd of ponies, looking from the group of four that were standing where he once lay, the battered formed of the armored guards across the hall, the two alicorns that stood in combat, an orange pony guarding a frightened unicorn, and the only other creature in the room that looked similar to himself.

Kratos had also since stopped his assault against the dark alicorn, now eyeing with the same hateful eyes the new-armed warrior in the hall. He was far smaller than the white skinned Spartan, by height and weight, but he was far more equipped for a battle than any of the other creatures around him. The monster of Hades must have been right. These… apparitions of hope drew forth something they thought could stop him.

The Spartan stepped away from the alicorn, moving now towards the other creature with a wide berth. The motion did not go unnoticed.

The green clad man drew his sword and shield at the sight. His long silver blade sang as it left its sheath, shining with a light and power far more holy than Kratos’s own demonic blades. The shield, unlike his blade, was far more decorated in colors. It had a red design on the center, not far from a phoenix, three golden triangles above that, and the shapes and bends of carefully crafted steel surrounding it. But what met the eyes of Kratos more than any pony in the room was not the design of the weapons, but the way the new warrior wielded them. The blade was in his left, shield in his right, and held by someone with clear experience in the fields of battle.

This would be far more of a challenge than ponies who had only ever received training.

“What is your name?” Kratos spoke the command deeply. More than one pony cringed under the force and chills his words brought.

The green-clad creature however, remained mute. His youthful face one of stone, but with sharp blue eyes burning against the orbs of Kratos.

“Speak!” Kratos yelled now, blades alighting under his unspoken command. No words came from the warrior, but he did take himself into a position of battle, blade pointing challengingly at the white skinned man.

“Sorry Spartan, but he really can’t talk.” Heads turned once more the form of Discord, now relaxing upon his own bed of purple clouds in one of the now few undamaged corners of the hall. “Oh, but I can answer that one question for you.” Giving an oddly polite cough into his paw, the lord of disharmony continued.

“His name Link, the so called ‘Hero of Time’. He’s been chosen by fate, destiny, and whatever other word you can think of for chance, to fight monsters, demons, and I think a god at one point.” The twisted draconequus relished the feelings that vibrated from the ponies below, but felt particular warmth from the soul he had conjured.

“Didn’t really find that much to enjoy in him myself, too peaceful and all. He kept wanting to restore harmony, and that simply won’t do here, not in the slightest. Kratos,” he spoke now to the warrior of flaming swords.

“I just received a vision from Hades,” he spoke the lie fluidly as she gave his claw and paw a wide sweeping motion. “If you are capable, able, to kill that warrior before you, the Lord of the Dead will grant you a tool of his own creation to battle your former master. Does that sound fair?”

“You lie, monster.”

For a moment, just a moment, hope flooded the ponies. This… monster was realizing he had been tricked. He would turn on Discord, he would help them defeat the master of chaos.

“Oh I suppose I was a bit obvious, wasn’t I?” His fingers snapped and the cloud beneath him disappeared. “I never was good at playing the servant, that requires too much self control for my tastes, and my tastes are well refined. God, master, ruler, lord, those are the most fun to play, because they have the least amount of rules behind them.”

“Why should I not kill you now?”

“Because I’m your only way back to Greece, the only one who can bring you to the doorstep of Ares.” The master of chaos proved once more his skill in manipulation.

“I have no need to trust you.”

“Oh but you do,” Discord nearly sang as he twisted around the Spartan again, fearless of the blades that came so close to maiming the royalty of Equestria. “You see, I brought you into this world. Me. Not these ponies, not any other god, and most certainly not yourself. Sending you back would be as easy as, well, killing ponies.”

“Stop this! Please!” Eyes turned to see Rarity speaking up, louder than she had the entire night thus far. “Can’t you see he is just using you? You’re a tool to him right now!” The glower from Kratos gave the unicorn pause, but she carried on as best she could. “W-We are not your enemies.”

“No, you are not.” He agreed with her… he agreed with her! A look of relief washed over her features, bliss removing the tension and fear that had been plaguing her form since the entrance of the monster before her.

“You are just in my way.”

Kratos threw the vile blades at Rarity.

She tried to summon the courage to avoid the blades, not fast enough. Applejack gave a cry as she ran towards the mare, not fast enough. Twilight lit her horn with the single thought of encasing her friend in the strongest shield she could imagine, not fast enough. Luna and Celestia watched in horror as the blades flew, the injured guards watched with anger. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to do.

The blades were just in front of the white mare.

But the blades never met her.

TWANG

Both blades clattered across the stone floor away from Rarity, lying on the ground uselessly. The mare watched them, stunned and scared for her life, before turning hoof and running away from the evil man as fast as her legs would carry her. Applejack put the alabaster mare behind her like the precious cargo she was.

A face of wrath etched itself across the white features of Kratos. He looked towards the source of the disturbance, and found the only other warrior in the room armed. A bow and arrow in his hands. Another thin stick was notched in the string, aiming for the Spartan.

“You dare interfere?” Kratos spat at Link, his flaming blades already coiling back into his palms. “You dare threaten me?” The green clad hero simply pulled the string of his bow harder, eyes trained on the white skinned enemy.

“At least now we know whose side he’s on,” Rainbow Dash murmured meekly as she trotted backwards. She was not the only one. A wide berth was being given to the two warriors as they stood off against once another. The Spartan of rage and silent marksman.

Slowly, however, the green clad warrior unhitched his arrow, holstering the bow and deadly metal. Kratos watched carefully, waiting for his new opponent to surrender himself. Such trivial thoughts were dashed as the warrior redrew his sword and shield, readying himself for battle. While Kratos had nothing but rage and anger upon his features, Link had a calm but stern determination.

“Oh I can’t wait to watch this!” Celestia looked up to see her most loathed enemy watching the duo circle one another, a bowl of popcorn in hand.

He slowly ate the glass in delight.

“Discord!” the alabaster alicorn shouted above her. “Why are you allowing this?!”

“My dear little pony, I thought it was obvious.” the Master of Chaos spoke high above them all, looking down at them like he was the god he was.

“I don’t care about who wins or losses. All I want is chaos and disharmony. Who could ever argue that a fight to the death is anything but madness?”

Begin

The man of pale white glowered at the being before him. His face of rage and eyes of fury. Hunching low to the ground, his knuckles tightened around the jagged blades in his hands. Crackles of flames began to form around the dark edges. With a shout, the warrior charged. He threw a blade towards Link, attempting to impale him without hesitation.

Familiar, near forgotten, instincts flooded the sharp-eared swordsman. He body performed a deft jump to his side, shield raised just outside the path of the fly blade. As the blade missed its target, the white skinned man wasted no time in throwing the second, swinging it like a vicious whip. It impacted the steel of the green warrior’s shield with a loud twang.

Kratos wasted no time in pulling the blade back to his palm, already throwing his other blade at Link. The hero deftly deflected the flaming blade with a swift swipe of his sword. The Spartan now had both blades away from reach. The green clad hero took his chance.

His feet made quick work in covering the distance between the two, blade already raised above his head to deliver a vicious strike. Kratos, however, swiftly rolled backwards and out of the path of the falling steel. His own blades returned to his palms as she landed. Only soon after he stopped did he begin his assault upon Link again.

The Spartan’s body spun as he threw both blades down vertically at the sharp-eared warrior. He deftly dodged the blades with another quick leap to his side. But he was only just prepared for the same blade being brought back up from the ground. Instinct saved Link again as he raised his shield to deflect the first blade, the second missing him entirely. Kratos still wasn’t finished.

The Spartan had jumped into the air, blades behind him held only by the chains on his arm. With a battle cry the ponies had all too quickly come to fear, the fiery blades were thrown down in front of him.

It was instinct again that saved Link’s life.

Performing a deft back flip, the hero pushed himself away from the falling blades, shield raised in defense as he did so. As the blades met the ground, a familiar and vicious pillar of fire erupted from the stone tiles, shattering the floor and shaking the foundation of the room. The ponies backed away further in fear and fright, more than one gasp being uttered.

The flames impacted the steel shield Link held, earning a grunt of effort from the warrior. He kept his guard raised until he heard the chains of his foe curl back around his arms. Strategy and tactics flooded the green clad warriors mind. Kratos had far more range than he did, and was far more than merely trained with the chained blades on his arms. If the pillar of fire was any indication, he was also properly skilled in at least some minor traits of magical use. It summed up one very clear conclusion.

Link knew if he stayed far away from his opponent, he would surely be defeated.

From his crouched position, he took another mad dash towards the white skinned warrior. Kratos was already on the attack again. Link rolled to avoid the first volley of blades, use his shield to deflect the second, and stopped the last with his sword. With another cry, Kratos ripped his blades back to himself, ready to strike at the charging warrior, but Link was too close.

The Spartan moved his body to his right as Link attempted to skewer him with his blade, quickly following with a slice towards Kratos. By now, the white skinned warrior had his blades back in hand, and he easily met the thin blade with his own.

What he did not expect was the green clad warrior smashing the shield against his head.

An angry grunt came from Kratos as he hobbled back, stunned from the unexpected assault. The cry that came next was from the blade that neatly cut his skin, bleeding white onto red. He rolled to his side through his haze, avoiding the sharp blade of his opponent. Any rage he had for the beast or ponies was forgotten at the newfound anger he had for this “Hero of Time” before him.

Link charged again, shield rose more obviously in an attempt to stun the Spartan. But Kratos would not let himself fall victim to the same tactic twice. He still attempted to assault the hero with his blades, letting the chains whip and slash at the air as the green clad hero dodged and rolled past the fiery design. Now Kratos watched the hero pull his shield back as thrust his blade forward again. He still dodged, he still guarded, but as he watched the shield come close to him, he did something different. The Spartan twisted his blades against Link’s own, forcing the jagged tips to meet the solid steel of Link’s shield.

Kratos’s sword pierced the shield, clean through.

He gave a savage cry as he ripped the metal from Link’s hand. The green clad warrior gave a roll backwards to avoid any counter attack the warrior would doubtlessly commit. Instead, however, Kratos opted to pierce the shield in his sword a second time, wedging both of his fire branded blades through the steel. With only a grunt of effort, he ripped his arms apart at once.

Link’s faithful shield fell into pieces across the stone floor.

Strategy and tactics. He could no longer risk being close without a means to guard himself and Kratos was too nimble to try and avoid his blades forever. He needed to slow the wrathful Spartan down, by any means. He sheathed his sword behind his back, leaving himself momentarily unarmed before the very capable warrior.

“Do you submit?” Kratos asked as he saw his opponent on one knee, blade gone and now without a means to defend. A fierce shake of the green clad hero’s face told the Spartan all that he needed to know.

“RAAGH!” With another abominable battle cry, Kratos began his assault on Link. The smaller warrior dodged and weaved through the fiery blades, pushing off the ground with both hands and feet, agility not far from a creature of the forest.

“Be gone!” Kratos cried as he raised his arms back in the midst of his assault. The ponies knew what was coming next, twice was more than enough to know. Whether by instinct or talent, Link did as well.

In the same moment Kratos threw himself into the air, preparing to smash his blades against the ground in a vicious explosion, the green clad hero drew his bow with a hitched arrow. Link drew the string back to his head, aiming at the terrifying form of the white skinned warrior. The Spartan threw the blades down, preparing to smash his foe before he ever had a chance to fire a single bolt.

He was too slow.

The arrow flew from Link’s bow as true as a comet across the night sky. It hit the white skinned warrior in shoulder, earning a grunt as his only admittance of pain. However, the arrow’s job was not done.

Ice began to form around the thing piece of wood.

“What sorcery is this!?” Kratos shouted in pure rage as his shoulder was slowly encased in the growing sheet of frost. Link only smiled at the successful maneuver. The Spartan’s arm was quickly encased in the frigid material, wrapping around the skin, bones, and even the chains to his fiery blades. It spread quickly down his chest and opposite arm, committing the same act as before. When it encased his head, only an image of wrath could be seen.

The warrior’s blades, and body, hit the white ground as harmlessly as a boulder would roll down a hill.

“Tha-That’s it?” Link heard a feminine voice speak behind him. With labored breaths, he turned around to spy a lavender pony looking at his work. She had wide violet eyes with a hanging jaw. All no doubt from seeing a sight she had never seen, or even dared to imagine. It was not the first time such an expression caught the hero’s own eyes.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” a hauntingly deep voice spoke from above. The green clad warrior let his eyes fall up towards the voice, already knowing of the creature that possessed it. He only wished he could remember its name.

“You’d be impressed with what the Ghost of Sparta can live through, especially in the name of vengeance.” Link watched the multi-portioned creature point a sharp claw at his form, cocky grin upon his features. “Better watch little man, the fun is just beginning.”

Crack

“Uh, Did you hear that?” The Hero of Time turned to see a flying creature speak. Oh he heard it, they all had, or at least they all acted like they did.

CRACK

“The monster… his tomb is being shattered!” Link followed the distressing call of the dark alicorn, watching the ice that encased his disturbingly strong opponent begin to shatter.

“Every pony get back!” It was another alicorn who commanded this time, but taller, lighter, and what appeared to be older. “Please.” Her eyes met Link’s, an act he was not prepared for. “Help us.”

Her irises showed the deepest levels of empathy and desperation. She knew of the danger she was in, the danger of what he could now assume were her subjects. Her voice spoke not too differently than another, or at least a kind of manner. Controlled in the most challenging of situations, filled with power even when asking for aide. Were he not worried and preparing for the Spartan again, Link may have given a silent laugh.

She sounded like his one-time princess.

Link gave a small smile and nod in return.

He notched another arrow in his bow as he faced the creature again, chunks of ice already falling to the floor as the creature grew closer and closer to freedom. The ponies had once again back away to the far edges of the room, too terrified of what the pale man would do in his fury, now possibly even worse than before.

The air became tense as patches of Kratos’s skin began to touch the free air of the court, larger and more massive chunks of ice crumbling beneath his doubtlessly struggling form. The few guards who could stand lowered themselves before their comrades, motioning for the Elements to get behind them. Only Applejack and Rarity complied. Fluttershy was too frightened to lift a hoof, while Twilight and Rainbow were more drawn by a nervous sense of curiosity to the warrior. Pinkie Pie, once more had made herself unseen among the chaos.

The Spartan was only moments away from freedom, but he green clothed foe did not wait. Link reached behind himself grasping at something in a parcel only Luna had a clear view of. The shape made her wings freeze. Small blue object, doubtlessly larger than her own hoof, with a sharp metal end… held by chains.

It looked too similar to the fiery tools of Kratos.

The tool, however, remained unused. Just as quickly as the hero had equipped the spike and chained tool did he holster it on his waist. Instead, he notched another arrow at the Spartan, one arm already free and sword returning to his palm. Link did not wait for Kratos to recover.

He loosened another arrow at the man. Every mare and stallion present fully expected another prison of ice to encase the white skinned monster. Instead... they beheld a sight they could not attribute to good nor evil.

The fire met the ice in a ball of flames.

“RAAAAAGH! AGH! AGH!” The searing flames shattered and melted what little ice still subdued the white skinned warrior, but saving no amount of mercy for the warrior himself. It was impossible to tell if the cries were of rage from his temporary imprisonment, or pain from the flames that slowly turned his pale skin black. Link, however, was already notching another arrow.

Kratos was prepared this time, even through his pain.

As the second bolt of either fire or ice flew towards the scarred pale target, the fiery blades nocked the thin projectile out of the air. It met the ground in another brilliant display of flames. While the ponies jumped once more at the sudden heat and explosion, neither Link nor Kratos gave it a second thought.

The Spartan charged again, wounds from the flames doing little to slow his charge. The green clad hero, instead of notching another arrow, reached for the chained spike attached to his hip. Pushing the back till the tip aimed high, he pressed something on the device.

The chain flew like an arrow.

While the ponies dumbly watched the spike soar through the air, Kratos paid it no mind. His blades were already lit by flames little different than those that burned him. The chains rattled as he pulled his arm together with a haunting battle cry, jagged steel aiming for the neck of the green glad warrior. But as the blades approached, Link dodged in a manner unlike what he had seen before.

With the press of another button, The Hero of Time flew through the air. Such an event gave the Spartan reason to pause.

Link’s flight ended with his boots on the rafters of the hall, spike embedded into the stone and handle clipped to his waist. Standing upside down, less than forty feet above the paled skinned warrior, the green clad hero, knew he had an advantage. Raising his bow, notching and arrow, he took aim at Kratos.

“Now this is the kind of stuff I like to see,” Discord interrupted the battle as he flew around Link, causing both focus and vision to shake. “Fighting upside down from the ceiling, pure genius! It’s almost as if you’ve had a lot of practice with these kinds of fights.” The draconequus must have mistaken the sharp eared warrior’s look of rage for confusion, because he felt compelled to explain.

“Oh you know, horribly outmatched, overpowered, enemies coming at you, and you having to dive into things purely abnormal to beat them! That’s like a love story for chaos! Maybe I’ll write that down sometime later.” For whatever reason, Discord failed to notice Link take aim at him with his bow. The arrow flew before the ponies or Kratos had time see him aim.

Discord, however, was prepared.

In a small flash, the mismatched creature was gone, and Link’s arrow impacting the far wall with no more harm than a flung stone. His sharp blue eyes searched the room from his reversed position, careful in his movements, but focused in his motive.

“Tsk, tsk Mr. Hero, you’re aiming in the wrong direction.” Link turned his head to see Discord floating just behind him, perfectly content in his own gravity reversed position. “But you know, as much as I love your ability to try the impossible, I dislike your desire to harm me. Well, no matter, the ghostie down below shouldn’t have much trouble with you once you’re back on the ground.”

That took a second to process.

In another flash, Link disappeared from his stance upon the rafters, only to appear again just feet away from Kratos, no arrow notched and no means of escape.

The Spartan did not hesitate.

His blades flew towards the still recovering Hero of Time, unable to process his re-reversal of gravity. One blade swiped past his arm, cutting through his tunic like air. The next just above his boots, drawing blood along his outer thighs.

Link gave a harsh grunt of pain at the sensation, hearing a few panicked gasps form behind him as well. The sensation of pain was nothing new, but it was always something to avoid if possible. But try as the warrior might, he could not escape the barrage of attacks the Spartan was unleashing upon him.

For every flaming chain ducked, the other would swiftly take his place. Every step he took back for distance, Kratos took two more forward. Each warrior knew the advantages, and the pale skinned one was not about to let one go to waste. Not against an enemy who had unleashed the fury of ice and fire upon him.

“We have to help him!” Link heard a voice of authority speak from some corner of the room. Even with his deft dodges to the fiery blades, he remembered the voice belonging to the tall alabaster creature that had pleaded so briefly to him before.

“How?” That voice he did not recognize.

“Anyway we can.”

Link didn’t know what happened next.

At one moment, he was in mid flip backward, deftly avoiding one blade low as another swung high. The next, his back was to a scarred stone wall, Kratos in mid attack four times further away. Except, he was no longer free and able in the hall. He was trapped in a bubble of some conjuration, harder than steel if the lack of ability for the blades to pierce it was any indication.

The sharp-eared warrior’s blue eyes starred at the trapped man in a captivating fashion. He was almost blissfully unaware if he had just been pulled out of some dream or shoved into a new one.

“Are you well?” Link’s focus was brought again to one of the oddly formed inhabitants of the halls, the same tall and white winged unicorn as before. He recognized the question through his shock, however, and gave a quick nod of confirmation.

“Good,” she spoke curtly, eyes turning again to the terrifying warrior, who was viciously screaming inside his imprisonment. Link followed the gaze further to see it land on another creature of similar shape, but this one far darker than the white coated one that spoke to him. Her face, and he knew it was a she, was strained with a gripped jaw, stress of some kind working hard on her body and mind.

“My sister’s spell will not last much longer.” Link’s eyes returned to the horse like creature as she spoke. “I will be brief. I am Celestia, that is my sister Luna, we rule Equestria. This fight was ours until you and that monstrous creature were forced into it. My sister and I will aid you in any way we can to vanquish this foe, then aid you again for whatever wish you have.”

Link did not have time to think.

He raised himself from the ground as his hand entered the pouch behind his back, searching for a new object inside. The alabaster mare watched quizzically as he did so. When his hand withdrew, even the princess was impressed.

Another shield was in his grasp, far larger than what should have been capable for any pouch to carry, but still appearing out of nowhere all the same. It had a shape similar to the one Kratos had so easily shredded, but with a very clear and vivid difference. The top was not of harsh thick metal, but smooth and well cared for glass, reflecting every detail of the world that bounce of it with perfect clarity. Link equipped the shield over his right arm before motioning with his left.

Celestia would have preferred words. Words were quick and easy to distinguish. But if the small chance that Discord’s words were true, and this warrior could not speak, his motions would have to do. He gave a point to her horn, a gesture to his shield, and then a vicious gesture towards Kratos.

The princess of the sun believed she understood.

“Very well.”

“Agh!” Both heads turned to see the smaller alicorn shuffle back on her hooves as the shield around Kratos shattered. In his hands were no longer blades of steel and fire, but now bolts of lightening and death, crackling with energy and destruction.

“I am not a fool to be ignored!” he shouted into the room, sure that every life within heard his demands. “I am Kratos, a Warrior of Sparta, and none of you will keep me from my vengeance!”

Link gave a nod to Celestia before running around the warrior, shield raised and prepared for any spell the man may through at him. His focus, however, was more towards the two creatures that had so easily imprisoned him and freed his foe from their mortal combat.

“Use the cockatrice spell,” Celestia spoke to Luna as she galloped to her side. “And aim at Link.” For the briefest of moments, the dark alicorn looked at her sister with a wild and shocked gaze. The taller sibling did not have the time to explain.

"Now!” Luna didn’t hesitate from her sister’s orders.

The two alicorns lit their horns simultaneously, moving in synchronicity. Their heads gave a slow roll as the magic gathered at the tips before firing forward in a vicious bolt. As the alabaster alicorn predicted, Link was prepared and ready.

The spell impacted his shield of glass, swirling against the surface like a stone thrown into water. In a more controlled situation, Celestia realized, she would have marveled at the sight. But whatever peace the shield portrayed died the next instant.

The bolts fired back, but towards a new target.

Kratos had his sights on the alicorns with magic, his own fists of lightening ready to viciously throw another bolt. He was not prepared for their spell to clear miss him. Nor was he ready for the impact from his back.

The effects of the spell were immediate.

Stone crawled across his back, hardening slower but far harder than the ice of Link’s arrow. The sensation as hauntingly familiar to the Spartan, and knew how little good he could do at the moment. Instead of striking at any being in the room, he lowered himself to the ground, placing his blades above his head as the stone surrounded his entire form.

In a manner of seconds, the vicious Spartan was encased in stone, completely immobile.

Both princesses released a breath of relief at the sight, trusting the security of the prison they had created. Link however, did not. Instead, the hero moved to one of the far walls, putting hands against the stained glass as his eyes attempted to see through it as well. A starless night hung above the horizon, but the object of his vision was closer than the unseen celestial orbs.

“Ah, what are you doing?” He heard a voice speak beside, or more specifically, above him. He spared a brief glance to see the cyan coated pegasus looking at him questioningly, only to look back to the glace again.

Dash watched the green coated warrior look through the glass with something close to what Twilight had when she was reading one of her books. Something close to concentration, but also with a mix of curiosity.

“Seriously, what are you doing?” When he turned to her, he had only one thought in mind.

Strategy and Tactics.

Link walked towards the two large equine figures, careful of his wounds as he did so. They regarded him carefully, despite the side of the battle he had chosen.

“What worries you, warrior?” the smaller of the two asked him. “You act as if the battle is not won.”

The warrior looked to her with deep breaths, still exhausted from the battle before and wounds he bore. His hand motioned to the still stone frozen Kratos before pointing towards the glass he had just walked away from. The princesses had no idea what he was doing?

“I’m not sure I follow.” the tall alabaster alicorn spoke. “The pale warrior is subdued, and the battle won. What is there to fear?”

“Um, your highness?” A timid voice called. Both tall alicorns and warrior turned to see a canary pegasus. The focused attention of the group brought the already frightened pegasus to her knees, cowering behind her pink mane.

“My apologizes Miss Fluttershy,” the dark alicorn spoke again trotting slowly towards the cowering creature. “I did not mean to frighten you as I have before. Pray tell us what you wished to say?” Fluttershy timidly raised her head, looking into the kind features of the night princess as she smiled down upon her. The pegasus found herself smiling in return.

“Oh, I just wanted to ask what Link saw outside the windows.” Luna’s eyes opened wide in recognition.

“Outside…” Luna’s mind searched quickly for just what existed beyond the stained glass of the hall. It faced North, away from Canterlot, outside the reach of Ponyville. It gazed solely upon the landscapes of her land, upon the forests, the skies, and the mountains. The princess swiftly returned her attention to Link.

“Did you mean the mountains?” The warrior quickly began to nod.

“You believe he is from the mountains?” Celestia asked with a quirk of her eyes. That seemed rather improbable, if not impossible. The warrior’s fierce shake of his head let her realize she inferred his actions incorrectly.

“Nope! He wants you to send the big bad meanie to the mountains!” a bouncing pink pony spoke up, appearing from where Link could not imagine. Celestia turned her gaze to Link with the same questioning look in her eyes.

“Is this true?” The warrior quickly nodded. Then swiftly, Link raised his hand. He motioned again to the stone warrior, to the windows, but now placing a hand against himself.

Only one pony understood the meaning of that gesture.

“You want to go with him?” A lavender unicorn questioned as she trotted forward. Link looked down at her with a small grin, nodding in confirmation once again. His joy fell on the pony like water on rocks.

“No! That’s insane and unneeded!”

“Uh, no offense to ya Twi’, but stone ain’t exactly the most solid prison lately.” Here, sharp eyes turned hard as they spun to the draconequus still floating in the room, eagerly chomping on a glass bowl filled with popcorn.

For more than one pony, his inaction towards the recent imprisonment of Kratos was anything but comforting.

“That’s not the point. We should try and-”

CRACK

“Oh no,” Fluttershy spoke softly in fear, already backing away on her hooves. She was not alone, as more than one pony gave the statue of the warrior fearful eyes.

“M-Maybe we were just hearing things?” Rainbow spoke hopefully. “I-I mean, it takes the Spirit of Chaos more than a year to break out of that, there’s no wa-”

CRACK

Twice was enough. Link was already running to the statue’s side, blade drawn to his side. He slid to the statue’s side, placing a gloved hand across an already growing crack of the warrior. The solid figure shook beneath the sharp eared warrior’s touch. It only forced him to grip the stone arm.

Looking back to the group he waved his sword towards the window, a fierce look of determination in his eyes. Celestia looked out the window, through the colorful glass and to the mountains that lay far beyond. When her eyes returned to the warrior, she spoke quickly.

“I cannot bring you to return once I send you.” It was not a fact to be discussed. Instead of hesitation however, Link aimed his blade above his head, pointing to the rafters above him. Quickly, the ponies let their eyes follow his lead.

The collective gaze fell on a small glowing ball high in the room, in the very spot Link had placed himself with the sharp tipped tool still locked at his side.

Neither Celestia, Luna, nor any pony present knew what it meant, but they knew this warrior was confident in its ability to do whatever it had to. The princess of the sun gave a nod before lighting her horn.

“May the heavens be with you.”

In a flash of light, the two warriors were gone.

There were no cries of anger, pain, resentment, or fury. Just a sudden flash like a star, then empty space where they once stood.

End

“Well, that was anti-climatic.”

Celestia looked high at the draconequus.

“I was hoping for a bit of disemboweling, maybe even a decapitation. I mean really, is it too much to ask for one thing to go my way? Such a waste. But then again, if I didn’t see it coming, and nothing else did either, then I guess that makes it really unexpected. Close enough to chaos that I’m satisfied.”

“You’re a monster.” Just as before, Discord paid the curse not even a wave of his claw.

“Oh maybe to you, but I assure you I’m worth more that. After all,” He flashed away only to appear just before the alabaster mare. “I did make sure those two will have a fun trip.”

Those words made Celestia freeze.

“What did you do Discord? Speak without riddles to hide behind.” The draconequus gave the solar ruler a cryptic grin as he regarded her.

“Let’s just say… I turned that short trip of yours into a quick drop with a sudden stop.”

Link was falling.

He wasn’t falling a few feet, not even a few stories. From the distance he was from the ground he would have sworn in a silent vow that even Death Mountain would seem small compared to. The clouds rushed past him, the wind deafened him, and Kratos was almost free from his prison.

The warrior didn’t hesitate. He pushed the Spartan from his grip, letting the crumbling statue fall away on its own. His hand hands cupped one another, summoning the blessed magic within him.

Slowly, a green ball of light began to form between his palms. Even with the rushing wind, it kept itself between his open appendages, more loyal to him than the boundaries of the world. It slowly began to rise from his palms, slowly rising as if its descent was slowing. So close, the spell was so close to being completed.

A fiery blade struck the ball in two.

Link’s hand caught the chain more out of instinct than strategies or tactics. He quickly felt himself pulled towards the bearer of the monstrous devices.

“What have you done!?” The pale skinned warrior roared over the rushing wind. He threw his second blade towards Link, but the updraft of the wind quickly took it from its intended path. Before Kratos could let out a growl of annoyance, Link planted his feet to the monster’s large chest, kicking off of him with all of his strength.

It sent to the two far apart from one another, though doing nothing to stop their terminal velocity descent. But the pale skinned warrior was far form through with Link, and his sword were still ablaze with the intent to strike again.

Strategy and Tactics.

The green clad warrior drew his bow before Kratos threw his blades again. There was little room to dodge with nothing to push off of, but the long held instincts of the Hero of Time served well as he twisted and bent his body in ways to avoid the oncoming blades. He was not, however, able to avoid the fire that scorched his tunic, burning the green material black and earning hisses of pain.

He moved through it all though, notching an arrow at his bow as he took aim. Kratos knew now what to expect from the arrow though, and readied his blades for the oncoming assault.

But it never came.

The pale warrior lowered his fierce blades to see Link well out of his reach, falling far beyond the length of his chains. His bow was holstered and hands drawn into a close. Once more a green orb floated in his hands, rising in parallel to his chest. Anger overtook the Spartan for his foolishness. He bent his body to approach, trying desperately to reach the green clad warrior as he performed his spell.

But then Link was gone. Vanished in a flash of green.

The pale skinned warrior’s blades met only the same air he was falling through. Angered eyes looked down to see his descent only quicken the longer he was in the air. The rocky mountains were approaching fast, and he had no way to slow his fall.

Kratos’s cries were deafened by the roaring wind.

When Link appeared again, the floor was much closer than the mountain was before. Falling at the speed he was, the shocked looks of the ponies beneath him, Link knew on instinct that hitting the stone floor would be little different than the jagged mountain side.

Strategy and Tactics.

His gloved hand reached for the hookshot on his belt, pressing the trigger on its handle. The sharp point of the device flew like an arrow from his bow. No sooner did it hit the ceiling above him did Link find himself pulled away from the stone floor.

Instead however, the green clad warrior found all his momentum pulled into a swing.

His muscles groaned as his body was lashed in a vicious arc, ending with him smacking head on into the solid stone wall. Breath left him instantly as pain swam across his back like water. Only the swords of Ganon could possibly compare to the level of pain that consumed him.

Link’s fall was not complete, however. As soon as his trusted hookshot dislodged itself from the ceiling, his body fell once again, landing upon the stone floor with a painful thud. A low moan of misery came from his lips at the sensation, but he was still once more thankful to his tools. The pain was a sign they had succeeded in preserving his life.

Fatigue overtook Link’s now still form, forcing his breaths to become ragged and deep. His eyes fell shut, not enough energy left in him to even make sure he was safe. The still constant pain had reduced him to nothing more than a tired mess of limbs.

“Now that is what I was looking for!”

He groaned in pain at the voice. The warrior knew he had to look, had to see the vile creature, if only to assure himself that he was not about to be thrown into another battle.

“I mean c’mon! That’s what I wanted! A warrior pulling out all the stops and using magic in ways even I’ve never seen before. Ice Arrows? A Hookshot? Mirror Shield? Those were amazing!” Link felt himself cringe as the beast flew down to him, blocking any light with his slithering form.

“Maybe I should have picked you first after all, convinced you that these ponies were just more poes, right? Or maybe skinned Stalfos? No, you’d react better if I told you they were slaughtered children of your precious Epona, correct?”

Despite his pain, Link felt himself snarl in anger. His muscles cried in protest at the gesture, earning a grunt that forced his angered expression to fall into pain. It only earned a dark chuckle from the multi-purposed draconequus.

“Hilarious, but enough for now.” With a push of his wings, he sailed into the air again, high above the ponies and warrior beneath him.

“This is just the beginning, the first chapter in an epic that will rewrite the laws of life and death!” His paw and claw threw themselves to his sides and he nearly screeched his declaration, earning expressions ranging from rage to fear on the ponies below.

“But I must stop for now, preparation need to be made.” His claw pointed cruelly towards the alabaster alicorn, who stared back at the monster defiantly. “Prepare you troops and ready the guard dearest Celestia. You never know which corner I’ll be hiding around, what kind of warrior I’ll send next. A monster from the sea? An angel from below? Maybe a demon from above? Who knows? I don’t, you don’t, and that’s the best kind of knowledge there is. The kind that can’t be obtained.”

With a wicked laughter he blinked out of existence, leaving the ruined hall, ponies, and warrior behind.

Celestia watched the spot he had vanished from for only a moment before turning her eyes away. Her ponies were in fear, her and her sister’s guard severely injured, and the warrior who had fought for their safety wounded on a far wall.

She was a leader, and she needed to act.

“Lieutenant,” the solar princess spoke as she turned her head to the collective of guard ponies. Said guard walked apart from his fellow guardsman, golden armor chinked and damaged from the assault of the Red Wraiths of Kratos. Aside from scuffled patches of fur that doubtlessly would hold bruises beneath, the pony unharmed, and least of most compared to the others around him.

“Yes your majesty?” he questioned as he gave a low bow to his ruler.

“Send for the healers,” Celestia spoke. “Acquire every pony capable you can, even the students.”

“Of course, your majesty.” The Royal Guard of the day court gave a low bow before running from the hall, horn moving the small amount of debris that blocked his path. The alabaster alicorn gave a low sigh as he departed.

“So…” Princess Celestia began, eyes turning to the warrior who had so fiercely fought on behalf of her ponies. “Your name is Link?” Said green clad hero looked up at her mutely, arms dead at his sides as he leaned against the once Grand Hall’s wall. Labored breaths came from his form and sweat pressed the bangs of blonde to his skin.

The warrior nodded once in response.

“I thank you… on behalf of all of my land, and all of my subjects, for fighting for our protection.” With the grace of a queen, the princess of the sun lowered herself into a bow, giving all the respect that she could to the tired and drained warrior. Through injured limbs and exhaustion, Link gave the princess a genuine smile, offering the deepest nod he could give in return. He felt a muscle groan as he did.

“Please, allow me.” Link felt something surround him.

It wasn’t far different from the fairies of the fountains, healing wounded travelers as the stumbled across their small homes. An aura of peaceful warmth surrounded him, relaxing the tense and strained muscles in his arms, painlessly closing the few wounds Kratos had successfully opened, and most importantly to him, calming his frantic and confused mind.

A pleasured sigh released itself from his lips before he knew it was even there. Blue eyes rolled backwards as his lids shut firmly intending to take the tired warrior into a dreamless sleep. But just before he could let himself drop away, the sensation stopped and feeling returned. Feeling that brought no pain, no fatigue, and no sign had been in a battle of any sort.

“Can you stand?” It certainly felt like he could. His leathered gloves pushed against the stone wall behind him before extending his legs. The forces of his muscles easily moved him back onto his own two feet, and without a single groan from any muscle in his body. Link put his hands before his eyes, giving them testing flexes as he worked his rejuvenated limbs. Honestly, it felt like the battle with the demon man never occurred.

His blue eyes looked up to the alabaster alicorn, standing but a hoof’s height above him. They met each other’s gaze in a smile.

“I do believe some introductions are in order,” Celestia began as she turned her head slightly, breaking gazes with Link. His eyes followed, resting on the only ponies clothed in no armor and barren of any wounds. They all watched him varying forms of nervousness, some more akin to fear. He smiled regardless. It wasn’t the first time he was given such reactions, and he doubted, even in this apparent death, that it would be the last.

“H-Hello.” A lavender unicorn stepped towards him, standing to just above his waist. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, bearer of the Element of Magic, brother to the Captain of the Celestia’s Royal Unicorn Guard, second born in the-”

“I think he gets it Twi’.” Link’s eyes turned to a pony with a coat that matched his eyes. He did his best not to show too much surprise at the flying creature with a mane made from rainbows. He must not have done well enough, as the pegasus gave a proud smirk as she looked at him.

“Impressed huh?” she spoke confidently with a hoof to her chest. “Name’s Rainbow Dash, fastest pegasus in all of Equestria. And I’ve just gotta say, after seeing the way you kicked that guy’s pale butt, I’m happy you’re on our side.” Still flapping her wings in the air, she put a hoof towards the green clad warrior, whose sharp blue eyes fell on it questioningly.

With as much hesitance as most of the ponies had for him, he reached out his own leathered arm and grasped the appendage like his sword. From the broad grin the pegasus gave him, he knew he made the right decision.

“I must attest to the young Rainbow’s words. We are most fortunate to possess you as an ally over foe.” Link turned to see the dark alicorn from before marching towards him. Unlike the elder alabaster ruler, she came just a hoof beneath his height, but held as much poise and power in her stance and form as any ruler he had ever met.

“My name is Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night. I am pleased to finally speak to you, Sir Link.”

That was a title he had not heard in quite some time. Not since his departure form the Hylian Court, since his last meeting with the Queen of Hyrule. Familiar and long held instincts rose to his mind as he knelt down on one knee, fist on the floor in submission to the ruler.

“Oh my.” He heard a timid voice speak from somewhere beyond his view of the floor. It would be the first time his instincts had failed him, should the act be an insult of some kind to this equine species. Hesitantly, he began to raise his head, eyes looking to the dark alicorn before him. Her eyes wide with surprise, though the warrior could not see any traces of disgust or insult upon them. His fears were alleviated when she placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“Rise.” The command felt all too familiar. Link pushed himself from the stone, eyeing as gently as he could the dark coated princess.

“How did you know he was knighted your highness?” Link saw the violet unicorn question, and it was a very good question.

“In truth, I did not. I assumed from the crests that adorned his shield that he may once have served a kingdom with rulers minutely different than us,” Luna caught her sister’s gaze, “you and I.”

“And I must say Princess Luna, you have quite the eye for detail.” These words came from another unicorn, with a coat that matched the tall alicorn ruler. She gave a small but very feminine bow towards the taller figure of Link. “My name is Rarity, Sir Link, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” She held his gaze for a moment before he noticed her lip twitching.

“I… I must also thank you for before. For saving me from that dreadful brute of a thing.” Her hoof scratched at the ground as she spoke. “So…. So thank you very very much. If there is anything I can do to help you, you have only but to ask.”

“I’m right there with ya.” Before Link could turn to the new voice, an orange hoof was pushed to him, chest high. “Name’s Applejack partner, an’ like Dash said, we’re mighty keen on havin’ ya on our side. It means a bushel of apples what you did for Rarity, and I thank ya for it.”

The Stetson hat-wearing pony gave a bright smile to the warrior, one that he returned as well. Wrapping his fingers around the orange hoof, he shook it all the same. But no sooner did he release the appendage then did a new pony assault him.

Literally assault.

A blur of pink knocked into the green clad warrior, sending him from his footing and crashing into the ground. The air was knocked form his lung as he landed on the stone floor, eyes looking up in shock. They met the large blue eyes of an incredibly bright pink pony.

“Hi there!” she cheered only breath’s length away from Links face, “my name’s Pinkie Pie, and I’m so glad I met you! I love meeting new ponies, but you’re a new MA-A-A-A-AN, so that makes this even more special!

“Oh, Pinkie, I think you may be frightening him.”

Link turned his head only slightly to see a canary pegasus standing far away from him, but with both of her pink eyes locked on his. Their vision was shared for only a moment before she ducked behind the dark alicorn, hiding herself from his view.

“Oh, Fluttershy, I’d say you are the one being scared by him,” the pink pony on his chest spoke again. “But c’mon! You’ve got a lot to tell us! Where are you from? How old are you? How many parties have you been to? Do you have a lot of friends? What’s it like having only two legs? What are those things on your hoo-”

“Calm down Pinkie,” The lavender unicorn spoke this time. Link felt the weight of the pony being taken off of him as an aura of purple surrounded her, lifting the otherwise energetic mare off of him. The warrior gave a grunt before raising himself to his feet again, lightly brushing off the dirt that had collected on him.

“You’ll have to excuse my friend, she tends to get… excited around poni… thin… um… lives she hasn’t seen before.” Link heard Twilight give a light chuckle as her fore-hoof rubbed the back of her mane nervously. He only smiled down in response. “But she did raise some good questions actually, between the rest of them. There is one question I wanted to ask you though…” Her hooves clicked together with nervous intention as she summoned the courage to speak the words.

“Do you mind if I ask some questions?”

Link gave a polite and kind nod as his answer.

“Alright!” Rainbow Dash soared in front of him, landing besides the violet mare, a proud grin on the pegasus’s face. “Colt, I’ve got a lot of things to ask you!”

As the Elements began to ask their questions towards the new life in the Grand Hall, Celestia moved away from the group. Her eyes and mind were more drawn to the other new addition to her once flawless castle. It possessed no life. It had few discernible features. And most terrifying of all, she had no hoof in placing it there.

The princess of the sun stared down at The Portal of Darkness.

To herself, out of earshot of any pony around her, Celestia mumbled a single question she was determined to figure out.

“What are you?”

The Samurai

With a gasp of breath, Twilight withdrew her head from the portal, emerging with another figure of white.

She fell to her haunches the moment she was free, unaware to the weakness she felt until she attempted to move even a single muscle in her form. Nothing screamed in pain, but everything was apathetic to her wishes. Only during her last 148 hour studying session did she feel this tired. The unicorn’s eyes were wide and unfocused; looking at nothing as her mind slowly gathered itself together.

“Hey, you okay Twi’?” Said unicorn craned her neck to see a worried pegasus in the air behind her, cyan hoof extended towards her.

“Y-Yes.” She spoke on breaths as shaky as her legs. “Just a-a bit… flustered, I-I guess.” Twilight slowly attempted to put some strength into her legs, pushing her form off the ground

“Woah! Hold on there egghead, there’s no rush.” Leaning against the pegasus’s wing for support, the unicorn could not suppress the comment or smile that slowly came into being.

“K-Kind of ironic to hear you say that.” For her credit, Dash brushed off the retort with a quick flick of her mane.

“Yeah, but hay, it’s a day for firsts.” Something about that comment made Twilight’s brain begin to buzz.

“Is it day already?”

Sure enough, as the lavender mare’s purple eyes looked beyond the stained glass of the hall, she saw the brilliance of her mentor’s sun stretching over the far horizon. By rough trajectory, it must have been raised at least two hours thirty-six minutes and twelve seconds ago. She could be off, she reminded herself, but her mind still was recovering.

There was no doubt an unstable mixture of cortisol and norepinephrine currently working through her body.There must have been quite a taxing amount of energy required for the portal to…

“Oh!”

Twilight gave a small push of the pegasus, wobbling on the stone before making solid trots towards the still mist covered figure she had drawn. Her legs made two full gaits before Rainbow caught her descending form again. The mare grumbled at her weakness.

“How did Pinkie jump after she did that?”

“Cause she’s Pinkie Pie, duh.” Dash spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Twilight had no counter argument.

“D-Do you need, um, any help Twilight?” The unicorn and pegasus both looked to see the timid form of Fluttershy just next to them, looking through her elegant mane at the duo. “Only if you need it that is. Or if you want it. Oh, either will do, I don’t mind, really.”

“I hope I can be of assistance as well.” All three now looked to see the sole alabaster alicorn in existence standing above them, regal and kind as ever. “You appear to be exhausted, my faithful student, and I assure you there is no reason to push yourself now.”

The lavender mare looked to her beloved mentor, then to her timid friend, next her loyal companion, and then finally, the misty white figure she had drawn. Her hooves were weak, her breaths deep, and body practically screaming for a few minutes to lie down.

“Yes, yes please.” Twilight answered.

“Very well.” The alicorn trotted to the figure only a few hooves away. It was smaller than the form of Fawkes, yet slightly larger than the dark mist that contained Link. Beyond that, everything about the figure was beyond the princess’s view.

“Should we, um, start, your highness?” Celestia tilted her head to see the canary colored pegasus standing just beside her. “Oh! That’s only if you need my help. I’m sure you don’t, but I can offer it, or I am offering it. If you want it.” The princess of the sun smiled in response.

“I would more than appreciate your help Fluttershy.” Celestia spoke with her calming tone, her voice physically calming the bashful creature. “I am just a small bit surprised that you volunteered. It is a very brave task of you.”

“Oh, yes well, um, i-it’s just because I saw how kind Fawkes really is, at least to Pinkie.” Her eyes turned to her bubbly pink friend, currently bouncing on the knee of the Super Mutant she had pulled forth more than a few moments ago. “Plus, I-I trust Twilight. When she’s focused, I don’t think she can do anything wrong.”

Celestia let her smile grow wider with the words the pegasus spoke, the praise she had for not only her friend, but her own student. Said unicorn was now sitting with four legs on the ground, eyes struggling to stay wide as the cyan mare by her said supported her. What Fluttershy said was true. When Twilight was focused, she rarely did wrong her work.

“Very well,” Celestia motioned with her head, “Shall we proceed?”

They both set to work on uncovering the creature, Fluttershy with the grace of nature and Celestia with the grace of royalty. Their wings worked delicately with the mist, handling with the care a pony would giver their foal. Canary feathers brushed small amounts careful but quick flicks while large alabaster wings slowly lifted great amounts of the equally white mist from the form. Just beneath, the two began to find large amounts of gray.

“Gray, huh?” Rainbow Dash spoke from her position, just beginning to catch glimpses of the figure beneath the white fog. “I gotta admit, I was getting used to the green.”

“Rainbow,” the tone of the unicorn beside the pegasus carried a critical tone that spoke the same volume as her words. “We are literally gathering the ethereal energy of lives trans-space and trans-dimensional. The odds that every being besides our own wears green is so astronomical in chances that… that all this is more likely to happen.” Despite the meant to be serious words, Dash found herself snickering.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, cut me some slack.” Dash spoke with a wave of her wing. “I get used to things pretty easily.”

“So I’ve discerned.” Twilight spoke in return. “That is definitely not something I share with you.”

“It’s a gift.” Dash spoke with thick hubris. “Every pony wants it, only I got it.” The cyan mare could feel the gaze of her lavender partner.

“Twilight.” The voice of Celestia called, breaking the two from their short conversation. “We are done.”

Lavender eyes opened wide at the now fogless creature by the portal’s side. Weakly, the unicorn rose from the stone floor, walking the short distance needed to see the creature clearer.

She was not alone. Rainbow Dash was still by her side, offering her wing and side for support as her own pink eyes gazed at the creature lying beneath them. The remaining ponies plus Link each stood around the form as well, each looking over it with expressions ranging from curiosity to wonder. No pony, however, not even the shy Fluttershy, saw the creature as threatening in the slightest.

More similar to Link than Fawkes or Kratos, the creature had pale wrinkled skin. Its ears were unsharpened, though hidden mostly beneath a tall pointed gray hat. A beard thick and long extended from the ends of its face to the end of its chest line. From those few features alone, it was more than clear that this soul had seen much age and, presumably, carried much wisdom.

It wore clothing like the other souls drawn from the portal, though far from the same as any other. They were not tattered rags, small cloths, or armored tunics, but instead, thick gray robes. It covered near every part of the creature, hiding everything but the ends of its hands and the wrinkles upon its face. What drew the eyes of the princesses and Link, however, were not the features or wear, but the items it held within its grasp.

In one hand, it carried a staff, just as tall as the figure itself, but appearing far more aged and delicate than even the creature itself. At stick’s end, an oddly etched crystal sat within twisted bark, holding no light, no beauty, nor anything but shapeless glass. However, in the other hand, it held a sheathed blade. The contents and style of such a sword were hidden from the prying eyes of the ponies surrounding it, but it appeared no more fearsome then the shield on Link’s back.

“He’s an old fella, that much I gotta say.” Applejack spoke first among the crowd.

“Oh indeed Darling, indeed.” Rarity quickly agreed. “And he is wearing such appallingly plain cloth. I mean really, it looks nearly as old as he does. Do they have no fashion where he is from?”

“Wait? How’d you girls end on ‘he’?” Dash spoke before another pony could but it.

“Well Dash, he doesn’t have any of the familiar features belonging to females of any species classification.” The student in Twilight spoke from memory. “His chest doesn’t appear to be preparing itself for any lactation, his cheek bones are too pronounced, chin too wide, and I’m sure if we removed his clothing we would see-”

“WowieZowie!”For what may the first time their lives, the Elements were ecstatic to hear Pinkie cut off on of them from speaking. Said mare had appeared by the creature’s side with speed that Dash would envy, if she were forced to admit it.

“Look at this thing? Is it a MA-A-A-AN still? Maybe he’s a human like Fawkes talked about or maybe he’s a Hylian like Link, but that would be too weird because we already have a Hylian like Link so having another would be just silly unless it were a different kind, but he doesn’t have sharp ears so he must not be an Hylian so that must make him a man.”

“Careful now Pinkie Pie.” Celestia cajoled gently to the mare. “He still has yet to wake. I need you to move for a moment.”

“Whoa, just like that?” Applejack questioned the princess of the sun. “No judgin’ him ‘er nothin’?”

“Compared to the blades of Kratos, size of Fawkes, and tools of Link, I am certain an aged figure such as this possess far less threat.” The alabaster alicorn spoke with a tint of irony in her voice. The cowpony took the message clearly. Mumbling her apologies, she stepped away.

Celestia carefully lowered her horn to the brim of the old figure’s gray hat. Just as before, a ball of white energy collected at her horn’s tip. The alicorn shut her eyes in calculated concentration, allowing the magic to build up carefully under her control. When it reached the same shine as it did with Fawkes, she let it slowly descend into the aged form of the creature below her.

He instantly awoke with a gasp.

He did not however, scream or run. Instead, wide eyes looked up to see the alabaster alicorn looking down on him, horn beginning to lose its shine. Carefully, the crowned ruler of Equestria slowly stepped away, giving the now awoken man room to move.

Like his appearance showed, the man rose with the weight of centuries on his shoulders. His back legs bended together as his form moved into a sitting position. His right hand felt for the stone floor, shaking across the stone tiles as weight was added to it. With a small push he rose into a crouch before rising to his tallest with aid of his staff.

All the while his eyes were wide and careful.

Fluttershy, an expert in all species of Equestria, knew the frightened look the moment her eyes lay on it. She recognized it when a baby dove fell from its tree, lost and separated from its mother and kin. It gave a the saddest cry for help and desperation, only to go silent and still when its baby blue eyes fell on the canary pegasus trying to aid it. It took the pegasus near a full day of careful approach and kind words before the baby bird would trust her. Patience was a must.

Carefully, gently, Fluttershy spoke to the tall gray robed figure.

“A-Are you alright?” The words only appeared to frighten him further.

“You… can speak.” His voice concealed none of his shock, thick and aged as it was.

“Well duh, why wouldn’t we be able to speak?” Dash spoke as she flew in front of the wrinkled man. Her appearance did nothing to still he rapidly beating heart.

“And fly.” Even with the thick gray beard covering most of his features, his open jaw was as blatant as the rising sun.

“Yeppers, we can even dance!” Without wasting a beat, Pinkie Pie jumped in front of the still reeling wizard, jumping on her back hooves as danced like she was in the midst of a grand party. For every wave of her hooves, the gray robed man took another step back. The observing ponies watched with emotions ranging form nervousness and trepidation of their own.

That changed quickly as he drew his sword.

“HALT!” A voice filled with power roared through the hall. The wizard raised his arm in defense as the air blew against his form without mercy. “SHEATH THINE BLADE AT ONCE!”

The torrent of air slowly ceased, and the cloaked man slowly lowered his arms. Before him stood the congregation of the beings that had instilled such shocked fear within him.

Ponies. Talking, flying, magic casting ponies.

“Ya might ‘ave scared him a bit much there Pinkie.”

“Hey, I didn’t know he was a scaredy pants. I thought he would love to party!”

“Oh, I don’t think he wants a party right now Pinkie. That is, only I don’t think so.”

They spoke about him without speaking to him, talking in circles around the subject that stood before them all. His grip only tightened on his blade and staff.

“Please.”

A voice spoke to him within the crowd. It came from a large alabaster horse, with wings as wide as an eagle’s and horn indicative only to unicorns. Her mane bellowed in winds he no longer felt and had an expression about her features he deciphered as stern. The mere fact that he could read the horse’s expression at all was concerning, neglecting the wings and horn as well.

“Creature,” she spoke again. “Lower your blade and staff in my presence.” She spoke with aura of a queen, and doubtlessly one with much experience. The ponies surrounding her tall form all looked to her with awe before returning to him with anticipation. Clearly, the figure was held in high regard. Wisdom of lost ages spoke to the gray-cloaked man.

To harbor good will, trust must first be built.

Slowly, carefully, his blade twisted in his hand, sliding with a metallic grind as it slowly found its way into the holster at his side. He saw the relief flood across the faces before him. Again, he was unnerved by his ability to do so.

“Thank you.” The white horse spoke again, approaching him with careful trots. “You must be frightened, and I understand that.” He chuckled briefly at the comment, but she continued nonetheless.

“I am hailed as Princess Celestia, Guardian of the Day.” Her wings were flared as she spoke, standing her tallest, despite still remaining a few hooves shy of the wizard’s height.

“What is your name?” The ruler of Equestria spoke as she would to a new ambassador of a foreign land. To the wizard’s credit, he replied in much the same way.

“I am hailed as Gandalf the Gray, Master Wizard of Middle Earth.” The Gray Wizard stood to his tallest as he spoke, holding his staff close to his form as he did so. His blade of silver now hidden beneath his tall and loose robs.

“Then Gandalf the Gray, allow me to be quick with my words. This is the kingdom of Equestria, ruled by my sister, Princess Luna and I.” Her wing flashed briefly to the dark alicorn. Though shorter than the white horse he spoke to, the wizard could tell she stood taller than the rest of the colorful ponies that surrounded her.

“Our kingdom has recently been attacked.” His attention fell to her once more. “We did nothing to instigate this assault. We began no wars nor charted any treaties. The enemy that has assaulted us did so out of spite and anger for what our land holds and represents.”

“And what does your land represent, your majesty?” He heard a chocked gasp from a lavender unicorn behind the monarch, but the wizard kept his attention on the alicorn. He had dealings with kingdoms of old. He knew better than most the twisted corridors of conversations between rulers and lords.

“Harmony.” She spoke easily. Gandalf raised a gray brow.

“My kingdom has been at peace for near a thousand years. No wars have ravaged this land and no hatred breeds within it. This is the land my sister and I guard, the realm we hold dearer than our own lives. But,” The horse lowered her head before she continued, dark thoughts drifting through her mind. No… dark memories.

“A monster from our past has made his presence known again, and he desires now not for just our defeat, but for the death of all of else. Man,” She spoke his species like a title. “It was by his magic that you were brought here, but I hold no secrets, it was by our desire that you came.”

“I do not understand.” It was rare for him to find a riddle he did not know, let alone could not solve. But he was still on the defense surrounded by creatures he did not comprehend. He had little time or desire to think.

“The monster, Discord, the enemy of our state, has used his powerful magic to create a gateway for the dead to enter our world.” The princess let the words wash over the wizard before she continued. She watched his old eyes drift to the misty portal of white, watching it curiously before looking back to her.

“We have, however, converted the portal into a tool for our own use. He can make this device again, and I have little doubt he is doing just that. I know my kingdom is threatened and I also know that we are near powerless to stop it. So, under much consideration and council, we, all of us, have decided to use this portal. You,” She motioned with a hoof. “Came from this portal.” Again, she let silence reign in her court, hoping this wizard would know of what she spoke. Her hope was well rewarded.

“So I was dead, and you brought me back.”

“Precisely.”

“And you did so with the belief that I would aid you.” Now the princess hesitated.

True, as they had discussed with Link, not all of the souls they drew from the portal would be willing to help them. Many would be searching for the death they most likely deserved. If the aging structures of the wizard’s body were any indication, he most certainly was old enough to perish from age. Celestia bit her lip nervously at the thought. But she quickly steeled herself. Like with politicians from foreign lands, she could show no weakness to one belonging outside her kingdom.

“It was not belief, but hope.” She began to explain. “We are not so foalish as to think every soul that comes through this portal will be jumping to our side, but with the risks set before us, the chance had to be taken.” Took to slow deliberate trots towards Gandalf, concealing nothing in her approach.

“I am sorry if you truly wished to rest, a sleep we have now robbed you of.” Her eyes softened as she looked into the aged orbs of the wrinkled man. “It was not and never will be my desire to bring misery upon others. I can tell you carry much wisdom in your mind, no doubt from seeing much in the world you hail from.” His beard made a slight twitch, one that the monarch took for him as smiling. “You must understand the weight of my choice, and I hope again that you agree with it.”

Gandalf looked down silently.

He let the knowledge of the situation flow through him. He was brought back from the dead. He was in a land no longer belonging to Middle Earth. This kingdom was in peril and it requested aid. A kingdom built on harmony and peace, fighting a foe that relished chaos and destruction. The wizard let his eyes wander from the alabaster monarch, looking instead to the collection of ponies around her.

Each looked to him with varying degrees of expectations. From their height, it felt like the eyes of the Halflings were upon him again. The way each of them had such curiosity, wonder, and hope shining in their orbs gave him pause. It was the kind of innocence he had seen robbed before in times of war, children and women forced to fight against their wishes or desires. It made his very bones cry in protest.

With a deep sigh, he spoke his response.

“I do understand and I do agree.” While the relief was clear upon the ponies behind her, Celestia kept her face firm.

“Then will you help us, Gandalf the Gray?”

He smiled brightly through his gray beard.

“I shall.”

Now joy spread across her muzzle.

“Good, good.” The words followed her breaths of relief. “I must say, with your silence, you had me worried.”

“I apologize for that.” Gandalf spoke in return. “But one as wise as I should know that such a decision should not be made in haste.” The alicorn was quick to agree.

“Of course, but now.” She motioned with her head as she began to turn. “You must meet my subjects, just a few of the ponies who aided me in the decision to use the portal, as well as defending this kingdom.” With a raised brow but shut mouth, the wizard followed. A golden encrusted hoof motioned towards the ponies before them.

“Before you are the Bearers of The Elements of Harmony, the most powerful magical artifacts of our lands. They have been, unfortunately, stolen from us by the creature I have mentioned before.” Celestia’s head gave a small nod towards the ponies one by one, labeling them as she went.

“This is Applejack.” An orange coated mare bowed, pulling her Stetson hat down with her.

“Pinkie Pie.” The exuberant pink pony bounced as she waved at the wizard.

“Rarity.” The alabaster unicorn gave a polite bow upon her spoken name.

“Fluttershy.” The canary pegasus hid herself from view. It brought a small smile to Gandalf’s lips.

“Rainbow Dash.” A nod of the head was all the acknowledgment the cyan mare gave the wizard.

“And my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” The lavender unicorn gave a practiced bow as well. The gleam of curiosity and wonder was as evident in her eyes as he had ever seen before.

“So, Gandalf the Gray, do you have any questions?”

“More than one,” he spoke truthfully, but also, as the princess had hoped, easily. “But there is something I would like to say first.” Perking her ears, Celestia bade him to go on.

“Those were not few words.”

The reaction was instantaneous.

The ponies around him quickly began to laugh and giggle at the well-timed joke. One with a coat of purest pink was rolling to and fro on the stone tiles of the grand hall, fore legs to her chest. Another pony, the same violet mare that gasped before, was trying her best to stifle the laughs that attempted to rise from her throat. It was only when the alabaster ruler herself began to laugh did she allow the air to leave her lungs.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Princess Celestia.” Gandalf kindly spoke with a low bow, given as both hands clenched the gnarled staff in his palms. The ruler looked to him with a kind and generous smile, the laughter now gone from her lungs.

“It is my honor to offer it, Gandalf the Gray. Now I thank you for not only your aide to offer, but also your level mind.” The returning quip left his lips before he had a thought to stop it.

“It comes with age.” The Gray Wizard spoke with a wide smile, one the ponies around him quickly joined in sharing.

“We look forward to many conversations with thee.” Princess Luna spoke on approach. “You bear much similarity to a friend of ours in an age past.”

“Really?” He genuinely asked. “And whom might that be?”

“Star Swirl the Bearded.” The dark alicorn answered, a proud smile on her muzzle. “A genius wizard that aided in crafting our nights and exploring the lore and arts of magic. He is credited to many achievements in his long life.” Despite the actions Luna held in high regard, the wizard focused on only one out of the many.

“I think I can imagine why I remind you of him.” Gandalf answered kindly as one of his wrinkled hands began to stroke his beard. It drew a collective giggle from many of the ponies.

“Oh yeah, and that’s one big beard you got.” Pinkie Pie spoke as she bounced in front of the tall wizard. “That’s like super long. Do you ever trip on it? Cause I bet I would, if I didn’t have my Pinkie Sense that is. I’m just an ear flop and tail twitch away from seeing myself fall down.” The words were lost across Gandalf like water on a rock.

“Beg your pardon.” He spoke quietly as he eyes the still jumping pink pony.

“Ah, don’t mind her…” A very deep voice spoke from behind causing the Gray Wizard to turn. His once questioning features turned into those of shock. “She has… quite a lot of energy. Almost makes you feel… uh, slow.”

Gandalf spoke nothing in return. Instead, he stared mouth agape at the green decaying giant. He had lived for hundreds of years, and seen ever manner of beast that walked the plains and forgotten lands of Middle Earth, from awe inspiring to horrifying. This… thing before him was most definitely in the latter.

“Oh, I’m sorry Gandalf.” Twilight spoke quickly to the dumb struck wizard. “We didn’t introduce you to the others.” Slowly, he lowered himself to the lavender unicorn’s position, eyes focused on the being before him. Holding up a hoof, the mare began to speak.

“This is Fawkes, he was the first to be drawn from the portal after the princesses and I altered it.” Gandalf wrote that question in some corner of his mind to ask later. “He’s a big guy, but he’s actually really kind hearted.”

“Is he an orc?” The question earned a curious stare from both Super Mutant and unicorn.

“Um…” Twilight hummed. “I don’t… think so. He says he’s a Super Mutant. Specifically he was caged and left abandoned by other Super Mutants because he wasn’t as barbaric as they were.” She must have chosen the correct words on some scale as the nerves in the wizard’s face slowly began to calm.

“Uh, Night Light is correct.” Fawkes spoke again. “My brethren are not well… loved in the Wasteland, and for good, um, reason.”

“Twilight, actually Fawkes.”

“My apologies, names are still… difficult.” A small nod and obvious smile was all Fawkes needed to know he was forgiven.

“My forgiveness as well, Fawkes.” Gandalf spoke as he rose to his tallest, still several hooves shorter than the green giant. Before either party could question his words, the wizard elaborated. “You appear very similar to a race of beings from my own world. They also were not held in high regard and are infamous for their destructive ways. I had never met one among them who wished differently.”

“Then, maybe I’m the first!” The Super Mutant cheered as eh slammed his gargantuan fist to his chest, the resulting sound resonating through every form present. It earned a hesitant chuckle from the fragile appearing Gandalf.

“Yes, quite so I believe.”

“Oh, and there is one more.” Carefully Twilight gave a small push to Gandalf until he turned to face the other non-pony member of the room, clothed in a green similar to that over their giant friend.

“His name is Link. He can’t speak unfortunately, but we communicate with him through a quill and paper.” The Gray Wizard eyed the Hylian carefully, approaching with steps in sync with his staff. The green clad warrior stood still with the wizard’s approach, arms crossed as he cerulean blue eyes met the curious orbs of the bearded man. When Gandalf stood just before him, he phrased his first question.

“Are you an elf?” Link raised a single eyebrow in question.

“An elf?” Princess Celestia asked as a return, hooves clopping across the stone floor with her approach.

“Yes, elves.” Gandalf confirmed, offering eye contact with the monarch before he continued. “They are an ancient race of people, distinguished by their smooth features and sharp ears.” A wrinkled had motioned towards the pointed ends of Link’s ears as he spoke, bidding the Hylian to raise his hands to them questioningly.

“Whilst we share an accordance that Sir Link harbors such similarities to your elves, we are sure that,” Princess Luna stopped herself, eyes focusing on the ground before continuing. “I am sure that he is what he calls himself to be, a Hylian. A resident and subject of the kingdom of Hyrule.”

Gandalf turned his attention from the royal alicorns back to the green clad warrior that stood before him. Said Hylian/Elf had his leather bound hands to his head, feeling the sharp points of he his ears self-consciously. The act stopped the moment he saw the wizard’s eyes on him again.

“I find it between coincidence and fate that all of you appear at least similar to races from my world.” Gandalf spoke as he leaned on his staff. “It dwells in a realm of mystery I find myself wishing to explore.”

“I’d love to know more, too!” Twilight eagerly spoke at the Gray Wizard’s side. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than learning. I’m sure there could be some way for else to explore this mystery of yours.”

“I agree it is one that deserves thought.” Princess Celestia spoke next. “But at another time. As we, weagreed,” Celestia spoke with emphasis as her pink eyes lingered to her dark younger sister, the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “Time is short for us, and there is no way to tell when or if Discord’s portal to the lost souls will close. So,” She turned her attention away from Gandalf and Link, “The question now comes to who wishes to use the portal next.”

An orange hoof raised before Celestia could even take a breath.

“Ah’ll be bettin’ Ah’m next.” Applejack spoke up, pushing her Stetson hat over the brim of her eyes. Seeing the display, her athletic rival could not suppress the words coming to her muzzle.

“You sure you can handle that AJ?” Rainbow Dash jeered. She ignored the displeasing look Twilight sent her. “I’ll bet this is at least twenty percent harder than bucking your entire field of apples.” The pegasus ended her jab with a proud smirk, wings flittering at her sides. The cowpony, however, was quick to react.

“If that’s how it’s gonna be Dash, ya migh’ wanna take a seat for a while. Ain’t now way or how ya’ll can handle this work then.” Applejack took immense joy in the look of frustration that crossed the cyan mare’s face at the remark, as well as the guilty smile that crossed the lavender unicorn beside her.

But before the pegasus could give her own retort, Applejack, unceremoniously, dove into the white portal.

Begin

He had walked this path before.

It had to have been decades past, a lifetime ago. Back when he was a young man, back when his purpose in life still strove for him to do more. He was a fool, maybe, but not foolish. He knew better than most what was at the end of this road.

Past the hands of the sea, through the skies of war, and in the canyon of the dead lay the one thing, the one object, he had searched nearly all of his life for.

The way back home.

“Ha Ha. Back again.”

His footsteps slowly came to a pause as the familiar voice spoke to him. Though the decades were cruel to his own body, the figure looked no different than in the moments they battled all that time ago.

A coat long and black, hiding beneath it several tools designed for war. His skin was blue with the ice that doubtlessly flowed through his veins. But his body, his entire form, it stood taller and wider than it should have, larger than his own as a young man now doubtlessly titanic to his aged form.

“Gotta say Jack, I never really imagined this day would come.” Jack. It was so rare to hear others speak his name, now at least. “Boy, I have been waiting a long time for you to come back here. I have guarded this gate for centuries to millennia, faced warriors as tall as mountains to as small as ants, and I have never had a battle or a foe quite like you.”

“Thank you.” The voice sounded ancient even to Jack’s own ears, but there was no mystery as to why.

“No need, thinking back on it, it makes since.” The figure removed his hands from his pockets, showing the massive appendages off, large and strong enough to shatter bone, maybe even stone. “Rule still stands though, only one man can walk through this portal, and I will stand here and guard against any others who try.”

The gate, the portal, Jack eyed carefully. It stood larger than most doorway should, wider than even some walls. A swirling mass of energy so similar to the magic Aku had conjured during their very first confrontation.

Aku.

At the name alone, Jack found himself smiling.

“Confident, aren’t you?” The voice spoke, drawing the samurai from his dreaming.

“My apologies,” he spoke quickly, raising an unarmed hand. “I was… recalling a pleasant memory.”

Pleasant indeed. The memory of the day, the hour, and the battle in which his life had accumulated to a single moment.It was when he delivered a blow he would never forget.

It was the moment he slew the great evil, Aku.

“Ah, remembering that one last glorious battle?”

“No,” Jack spoke too quickly in return. “No battle is glorious. Necessary, but not glorious.” He explained to the warrior who was doubtlessly older than him.

“Good answer.” The dark coated man spoke in return. “But it will take more than good answers to use the portal Jack.”

“I no longer have the endurance to face you, Guardian of the Gate.” Jack spoke calmly in return. “I have come back here for the sole promise of the two creatures before you. Both spoke of my image in the gate you guard, showing me in a time old then I was.” He extended his arms outward, showing his aged form.

“I am that older figure now, with his goal in the present accomplished. Now, I wish only to return and finish my last great battle, to save my kingdom from destruction.” The guardian was mute and stoic as the samurai spoke. Only his jacket moved in the unfelt winds of the valley as his emotionless eyes watched Jack. When the warrior was finished, arms returning to his side, the guardian gave a wide grin.

“That, that is the man I have been waiting for.” With the weight of years uncounted lifting, the guardian approached the aged Jack with no aura of hostility or deception. “You are the first, and only, warrior to come before me knowing what you seek, and knowing why. I have kept this tool safe from the hands of greedy warlords and pitiful fools who wished only to correct a mistake of their past, unwilling to accept it. You… you finished the fight here, a war that was your own a long time ago. Now you come back to finish it in the past. You’re not trying to correct a mistake, you’re trying to prevent one. One that you had no strength or ability to prevent.” His massive blue appendage gripped this shoulder of Jack. If he attempted to, he would doubtlessly be able to snap the arm in two. Jack was undeterred by the idea.

“Samurai Jack, it is my honor, my duty, and my privilege to allow you to use the Gate of Time.”

The words gave peace to the samurai. It was not the sensation of accomplishment, not the same as the moment his task was done. It carried its own force and kind, lifting from him the burdens and worries of never returning home.

A satisfied smile crept to his lips, pulling at the beard that hung from his chin. He didn’t even attempt to fight it. This was what he had been searching for, looking for, waiting for. Now that it was finally within his reach, moments away from his possession, the samurai did nothing to fend off the waves of joy that worked their ways through his aged form.

Looking to the blue guardian, Jack asked a question he was sure the man wasn’t prepared for.

“What will you do now?”

“Me?” The guardian asked, almost disbelieving the question was even posed to him. His hand removed itself from Jack’s shoulder, taking a step back as he did so.

“Not a clue. Not that I need one. I knew, I and still know, that if everything goes as it should, then all of this.” He spoke with a large sweep of his hands, motioning to the corpses of warriors from ages old to days new. “All of this will never have happened. I won’t be guardian. I won’t be a warrior. I’ll just be another soul in life looking for his way.”

“And that will satisfy you?” The answer was wise, but it was the acceptance of which that perturbed the aged Jack. Of the many lives he had met, long ago and only a short time past, nearly all wished for more than they had. Under the tyranny of a dark god, such things remained dreams. As of late, he heard tales of plans and aspirations hoping to be turned true, no longer dreams that gave light during the night.

“Jack, you’re the first and only warrior I’ve crossed swords with and was able to talk to afterwards. I can’t think of a better way to live my life now than to live in peace. And you, my friend,” Jack saw his smile grow at the word. “You will earn your peace once your last battle is done.”

The samurai didn’t doubt the words for a moment.

“Then I suppose it is time.” He dark brown eyes looked to the swirling portal of white and blue, beckoning his desires. The late Guardian of the Gate agreed.

“It is.” Stepping aside, and slowly walking away, the Guardian spoke one last time. “One more thing though, Jack.” The samurai looked to the dark shades of the one man he could never defeat, listening closely to the message he held.

“Every warrior who has come here came so believing they could control where in time and space the gate would take them. Truth is, it decides for you.” Jack looked at him curiously. “Just because you want to go back to the moment you faced Aku doesn’t mean that’s where it’ll drop you off. You could go back to being a baby, end up a hundred miles away, you might not even go back to the past at all.” The last words struck a cord.

“Then… would I be better suited for not using this gate?” The aged warrior questioned carefully. The guardian, however, was cryptic as ever.

“Not for me to say, Jack. Destiny says you use it, fate says you’re the only one who gets to. Can’t imagine that something I guarded my entire life would do something as stupid as waste yours. My opinion, go for it. You’re decision, not my call.” Raising his hand in farewell, the Guardian departed, leaving Jack’s view for the last time.

The samurai turned back to the gate, now far more hesitant than before using it.

It was a risk that varied little in his dangerous life. Treading into dungeons old, looking for treasures sacred, and most importantly, battling demons with the age of gods. This would not be his first time risking much for his most desired goal.

But should he prevail, it very well could be his last.

That was the thought Samurai Jack put in the forefront of his mind. This would work.

His bones gave small cries of disappointment as he moved closer to the portal. Resolve and determination fueled his every step.

Jack’s body was old, but his will was strong.

It mattered not the amount of years, the amount of battles, the amount pain he had had endured. None of it did. Not as long as all the struggles he worked through brought him to this moment. The chance to correct his error.

The opportunity to completely and fully rid the world of Aku’s existence.

The portal continued to swirl soundlessly as he approached. His feet did not sway, his form did not waver. The warning of the Guardian was held close, but so too were the convictions of old.

Jack stepped into the portal, leaving the world behind.

END

The Beast Master

Applejack lifted her prize from the portal with all the strength and grace she did a haystack.

Rough and strong.

The blob of white flew from her maw, sailing silently through the air before rolling across the stone tiles. Fluttershy and Link moved out of the objects trajectory, the former doing so with a small ‘eep’ as she quickly flew into the wings of the latter. Said warrior looked at the canary pegasus in his arms curiously as she shivered against him.

“Geez Applejack.” Rainbow Dash muttered at the display. “Eager much?” The cowpony hade a sharp reply ready at the end of her tongue, muzzle already moving to do so.

She was silenced by a pounding migraine.

Her jaw and eyes opened wide as the dull throb overtook her senses. She pulled a hoof to her head, lightly knocking her Stetson hat from it. Her legs slowly lowered her form to the ground, careful with jostling her pounding brain.

“Oh, are you okay Applejack?” Twilight asked carefully as she trotted closer, raising a hoof to her clearly pained friend.

“Ah’m fine.” The pony spoke through gritted teeth, though the truth was clearly the opposite. “Just a rough poundin’ in my head. Feels like Ah ran head first into a barn’s side door.”

“Here, let me see if I can fix that.” Without waiting for a response, the lavender unicorn let her horn begin to glow, carefully lowering her head towards the orange mare. But a rough hoof stopped and cut her concentration.

“Don’t worry none ‘bout me Twi’.” Applejack spoke as she lowered her hoof to the stone floor. “Ah’ve felt worse. Give me a couple oh minutes and Ah’ll be fresh as mornin’s new dew.” Though tentative, the unicorn slowly backed away at her friend’s request.

“Are you sure, dear?” Rarity offered gently. “I can attest from prior experience how useful that spell is. It’s quite the saving grace after long hours of work.” But once more the offer of aid was cut off.

“Nah, don’t fret none ‘bout me.” The cowpony returned, giving her head one last good shake before standing her tallest on all four hooves again. “Sides, Ah’m mighty more curious ‘bout what Ah caught in the fishin’ hole.” Even though she was an Earth Pony with no magic to give, her words seemed to cast a spell over the worried mares that surrounded her.

“This is how… I came through?” Gandalf questioned with a voice that conveyed confusion and shock in equal amounts, though his face remained as unreadable beneath the grey beard as ever.

“Indeed so, wizard.” Princess Celestia confirmed. “But if it offers any comfort, Twilight was far more careful with pulling you from the device.” One cowpony offered a sideways glance towards the royal alicorn, but wisely spoke no words.

“No, no it’s not that. Rather…” The Gray Wizard began, pulling his staff close as his weight pushed onto it. “I am altogether confused and curious of this art of magic. It is none that have seen in any realm of Middle Earth nor across The Western Seas.” The alabaster alicorn at his side understood only half the terms her tall guest spoke.

“Speakin’ honestly Gandalf,” Applejack spoke as she shuffled closer on her hooves. “There ain’t a pony here who can tell ya the way Discord’s magic likes ta’ work. He’s just… a great big pile o’ chaos an’ mystery.” More than one head nodded in agreement to the mare’s words.

“I do not doubt you at all young one.” Gandalf spoke kindly, “But that halts little the curiosity of my mind.” If sworn to honesty, as she always was, Applejack would swear on the grave of every Apple Family Member that Twilight Sparkle’s eyes gleamed with boundless joy. Celestia however, was quick to act before the sponge that was the unicorn’s mind began to question the wizard.

“If it is alright with you Applejack, I think it would be best to free the soul you have conjured.” The cowpony gave the princess a glance before looking towards the object far across the hall. She winced slightly as his head turned too quickly.

“Yeah, tha’ be a darn good idea.” Without another word, but with a kind smile, the princess walked towards the mist covered form, prone and still. Only the dissipating mist on top of the solid figure beneath swayed in the air. For not the first time, Celestia thanked the stars no longer above that the mist appeared so much gentler than the cold black tendrils of Discord’s twisted art. It was small, but it made the act slightly less distasteful on her moral pallet.

“Need a hoof, AJ?” Rainbow Dash questioned behind the solar ruler, earning a motion of her head. She saw the familiar cyan pegasus hovering in the air, looking down on the Stetson wearing mare beneath, fore hoof to her head in pain.

“Well… maybe, yeah.” That earned a quick retort from her friend.

“Really? That’s it?” The shock was as evident on her voice as the rainbow mane on her head. “No arguing about how fine you are? No screaming that you’re A-Okay?”

“Nah, not righ’ now.” The fore hoof drew slow circles across her temple as she spoke. “Pardon me RD, but this throbbin’ is worse than buckin’ a tree the wrong way.”

“Okay, alright.” Dash turned her taunts into concern with almost practiced ease. “You just chill, me and the rest of the gals will wake this bad colt of yours up.” The smirk of pride was impossible to miss, on the pegasus and on the earth pony.

“Thanks girl.”

“Um, girls?” The new voice drew the two, and the voyeuristic princess back towards the mist covered figure.

Or at least… the once mist covered figure.

Above the newly revealed creature stood the meek canary mare and the green-clad Hylian, one hiding behind her mane and the other crossing his arms with a satisfied smile. The alabaster alicorn, orange earth pony, cyan pegasus, and the rest of the hall residents collective looked back with expressions ranging from shock to disbelief.

“I-I’m sorry.” Fluttershy shot out without and reason. “I-I didn’t mean to reveal so much, b-but seeing how far he flew, oh I just thought he might have felt some pain.” Link beside her simply nodded in agreement, lips frozen in their upward facing position.

“Nothing has been ailed young Fluttershy.” Princess Luna spoke as she approached. “We are all simply… stunned by the speed at which you performed your task.” Small nods were given around in agreement.

“O-Oh, okay, I’m sorry.” With a controlled sigh, the lunar princess approached the figure on the ground.

He was of similar size to that of Link, though far less clothed than the Hero of Time. Robes similar to those of Gandalf, but far brighter than the dull gray of the wizard’s own. The hair of his mane was solid black, tied into a knot atop his head. Other than that, there was little else to describe about him. His face was young and unmarred, robes clean and white, mane sleek and well cared for.

That was until her eyes fell on the blade.

It appeared as nothing spectacular. A solid jet black sheath with a carefully detailed grasp and guard. Golden hues were wrapped beneath the dark cloth of hilt, coiling upwards towards a golden encrusted guard. The blade itself was hidden from view, but somehow, Luna just knew it would vary greatly than even the silver of Gandalf’s blade. From that small object, she felt an aura hard to describe.

“He looks kinda… plain.” Applejack spoke on approach. “Not tha’ I find tha’ wrong her nothin’, just not what Ah, expected.”

“Indeed.” Celestia spoke beside her sister. “Though to be honest, he still is one of a few in men in Equestria now. At least I presume him to be a man, if I can take the similarities between him and… Kratos.” The invoked a shiver in the dark alicorn, but tears in the canary pegasus. A leathered glove from Link helped to quell the growing tears.

“Well… we mustn't wait too long now.” The princesses of the sun spoke with faux joy, hoping to avert the imaginings of her ponies away from the obvious nightmare. “Let us prepare ourselves.”

“For what princess?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she trotted next to her mentor.

“Why to wake him up of course.” Celestia returned with a kind voice. “The reactions we’ve received so far have been… less than pleasant.”

“I offer my apologies again for my threatening nature.” Gandalf offered the ruler. “Waking as a stranger in a strange land is… not a common experience to me.” The alabaster alicorn smiled pleasantly to the Gray Wizard before speaking.

“And I did not expect it to be one.” She quickly countered the apology. “However, though the reaction is normal and likely, I still wish for my subjects to be safe from harm.”

“Oh, but…” Fluttershy went silent again as the gaze of the alabaster alicorn fell on her.

“What is it Fluts?” The cyan pegasus asked as she hovered over to her friend. “Something ya need to tell us?” With all the hesitance that lived in her name, the canary pegasus peaked her muzzle out from her pink mane before speaking.

“He’s already awake.”

And Twilight thought only Pinkie Pie could confuse her this much.

“Fluttershy, that’s not-“ But her retort died in her throat.

The man was awake.

His chest was breathing, he arms moving, and eyelids fluttering as if trapped in some dream. He wasn’t mobile, he wasn’t scared, but he was more awake than either Fawkes or Gandalf before him.

“Tha’… tha’ ain’t possible.” Applejack’s words came out more as a stuttered gasp than a determined statement. “The princess didn’ even use her magic yet.”

“W-Well… we didn’t have to do that to wake up Link…” The pegasus looked up the green-clad hero she mentioned. Again he spoke nothing in return, but only nodded in response. “We weren’t, um, gentle, but… but we didn’t use any magic to wake him up. I-I’m sorry, but I don’t know why.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for darling.” An alabaster unicorn spoke on approach. “It’s just… not what we were prepared for, not that there is much that we can do to prepare for all of this.”

“Maybe we should-“ Celestia cut herself off.

The man was beginning to rise from the floor.

His thin fingers pushed against the cold stone floor, helping him rise to his feet and off the harsh surface of stone. His eyes remained shut, however, as his other hand held his forehead. A small grimace marred his features, a fact only the emotionally sensitive pony noticed.

“Are you alright?” The voice spoke through the fog that was his mind. It seemed, far off, but quickly approaching. His feet seemed determined to send him back to the floor he rose from, but he fought the urge, pushing a hand forward to brace himself on a nearby object.

It impacted something, holding him steady, but he could even through his haze something was different.

His muscles didn’t feel old or tired. They felt young and free. His reflexes weren’t slow or calculated. They were instant and gratifying. It was as if he wholly felt younger, spryer, youthful.

“Excuse me.” A new voice spoke, but far closer and clearer than the one before it.

“Please remove your paw from my snout.”

Now he was confused.

Fighting the fog in his mind, the man lowered his hand and opened his eyes. Fuzzy shapes and colorful images danced through his vision for a moment, quickly giving rise to the very real fear he may have impaired his vision. Trading his sight for his body, he wasn’t yet sure it was a trade he was willing to make. But the images slowly came into focus, carefully taking shape into structures he could see the detail in. And the first thing he saw did little clear his confusion.

His hand was pressed against the snout of a unicorn.

No, his hand as pressed against the snout of a unicorn with a rainbow mane and wings.

“I am not home, am I?” He asked himself more than the creature he still had his hand upon.

“I’ll ask once more.” The unicorn with wings spoke to him, “Remove your hand from my body.”

“I apologize again your majesty.” The man spoke with a deep bow before Princess Celestia. “I was confused to my location and situation and meant no disrespect to you in any way. I humbly ask again for your forgiveness.”

“It has been granted several times over.” The alicorn replied easily, a cheerful smile once more upon her features. “The only thing I ask for at the moment is your name.” Raising from his bow the man looked the princess of the sun in the eye before answering.

“They call me Samurai Jack.” And that was it. No grand title, no earned feats. Just a name and occupation. Princess Celestia could tell already she would like this man.

“Well, Samurai Jack,” she replied with his name, storing it deep in her memory. “Allow me to introduce the other members of the hall.” With a wave of her wing, the ponies came into better view, no longer hiding behind one another or moving around his foreign presence.

“These are the Elements of Harmony, plus my co-ruling sister, Princess Luna.” The dark alicorn gave a regal bow of her head and crossing of her fore hooves, wings expanding outward as she did so. Jack replied with a bow of his own.

“Next is my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” The lavender unicorn approached the samurai with a look caught between caution and curiosity. For what she was careful of, Jack could not imagine.

“A pleasure to meet you.” She spoke with an outstretched hoof. Looking at it with his own expression of curiosity, Jack slowly extended his hand outwards, wrapping it around the lavender appendage. He felt the mare shake it before returning it to the ground. It was odd, and maybe a part of aged paranoia on his part, but she sounded… cold.

“Next are Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.” Said pegasus and earth pony barreled towards him. The samurai had enough peace of mind to only step back and not to reveal his blade to the equine creatures. However, unlike the mare before them, the two only eyed him curiously before giving a nod to one another and running back, leaving behind a very confused Jack. The princess, however, continued on as if nothing happened.

“After them are Fluttershy and Rarity.” The two mares walked towards him with far more grace, and caution, then the three ponies that preceded them.

“It is a pleasure to meet you darling.” The unicorn spoke with an outstretched hoof that Jack quickly took hold of. “I do hope we become well acquainted in the future.”

“Thank you Mrs. Rarity, I feel the same.” The unicorn gave a small nod of her head, satisfied with the conversation. The pegasus, however, only continued to play with her hooves, unwilling to look up to taller figure before her.

“I apologize, have I offended you?”

“W-What? No, oh, I’m sorry.” The pegasus meekly said behind the long strands of her mane. “I-I’m just not… um, very good with, oh, meeting new p-ponies. I-I mean men, or people, o-or, oh….” She stammered over her words as her hooves played with one another. Her blush was starting to consume her.

“It is quite alright Mrs. Fluttershy.” The samurai spoke kindly to the mare. “It is my privilege to meet you.” He gave a low bow to the mare, to which Fluttershy gave a hesitant bow of her own. Satisfied, the mare trotted back to her group of friends.

Before the princess could introduce the next pony in line, the mare took it upon herself to speak before spoken to.

“Well Ah might be the last, but Ah’m still just as proud ta meet ya partner.” Applejack spoke loud and true to the tall man, hoof extended outwards as she ignored the dull throb of her brain. “The name’s Applejack.” With a soft smile, the samurai gripped the hoof with his own appendage, giving a small shake of the hand/hoof unison.

“It is a please to meet you Mrs. Apple.” The cowpony continued to smile.

“It’s Applejack.”

“I know, and that is what I called you, Mrs. Apple.” The samurai only continued to smile as he took of the ending of her name.

“No Jack, mah name is Applejack.” She was still smiling, but her teeth were grating themselves.

“And that is what I am calling you, Apple.”

‘By Celestia, he was worse that Pinkie Pie!’ Applejack thought.

The mare felt the throb in her brain begin to grow again. As kindly as she could, she turned away from the white-garbed man, putting her hoof to her mind with slow circular massages to her temple, although It didn’t help much.

“You… are surprisingly calm with this…” Princess Celestia noted with an air of caution. It was not as if she hoped for reactions similar to those of Gandalf or Fawkes, but… acting as if nothing serious had changed felt… odd. Jack turned and gave his full attention to the alabaster monarch.

“I have little reason to be angered or frightened.” The samurai began to explain. “This is now far from the first time I have been sent to foreign worlds and meeting alien creatures. Though it is first time I have not been attacked or threatened after doing so.” It was clear from expression alone just how many questions his words had created in the mind of the princess. The celestial ruler wished to ask every one of them, but instead found her wisdom before she could. She settled with asking the robed warrior one.

“Have you… died before?” Even with her regal tone, she asked the question tentatively. Those words were not known for inspiring joyful memories in others.

“No, I have not.” Before she could speak again, Jack continued. “If your curiosity resides in how this has happened to me before, please allow me to explain.” With a soft smile and notion of her head, the alabaster alicorn beckoned him to continue.

“I was born in a land old with history and tradition…” The samurai began to explain. He recalled his early memories of his family, of his father and mother, rulers of the feudal era. He explained the training of his childhood with tools and weapons from lands near and far. His tone grew dark as he recalled the rebirthing of the great evil of Aku, the Shape Shifting Master of Darkness.

With barely constrained anger, Jack told of this monster’s wrath. Destroying his kingdom with hardly any trouble. The evil had taken his family, his home, his friends, and nearly every aspect of his life. It was only at what he believed to be his final moments that he found the sword he now carried, imbued with the power and strength to rid the world of the monster.

They met in a clash in the creature’s home, blow for blow to one another. Aku was strong, agile, and above all else, deceitful. Jack… Jack was determined with a will that had not existed in a warrior for since his father’s days of glory. The battle had slowly come to a conclusion, the dark demon battered and weakened beneath the might of his blade.

But before the final blow was struck, Aku drove open a portal in time, flinging the helpless samurai into its depths.

“From there I emerged into a land, as I am told, thousands of years older than my own. There now existed tools I had never seen, buildings that clawed at the sky, and apathy for life the likes of which I had never dreamed to imagine.” The samurai lowered his head respectfully as his tale finished. He was only partially aware of the crowd that had slowly formed around him.

“You have my sympathies and regrets for your kingdom Samurai Jack.” Celestia spoke to the warrior, lowering her head in tandem with his. “I understand well the fear of losing your home, but I hope never to experience the pain of watching go.”

“And neither do I wish for others to.” Jack added. “You spoke earlier that a demon was plotting such action against your kingdom?” The princess of the sun raised her head before giving a slow nod in confirmation. “And his presence is why I have been drawn here as well?”

“It is.”

“Then you have my blade and loyalty, Princess Celestia.”

Jack fell to both of his knees, lowering his head to the floor before the alabaster alicorn. A relieved smile drew itself across the muzzle of the celestial ruler looking down upon the white robbed warrior. Around him, the other ponies gave their own sighs and expressions of relief and joy. The other warriors as well seemed pleasantly relieved, Link and Gandalf each expressing a pull of their lips. Only Fawkes and Pinkie Pie were absent from the display, still happily chatting at the far side of the room.

“Rise, Samurai Jack.” Celestia spoke to the man. He did so with a grace she was sure he carried into battle as well. “I thank you not only as a ruler, but as a friend for your assistance.”

“Um, Samurai Jack?” Twilight asked the white-garbed man, earning his attention. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, about where you came from?”

“Is this really a proper time for that Twilight?” Rarity questioned her friend. “He did just tell us the greater portion of his past.”

“Gotta agree with Rare’ on this.” Applejack backed up the unicorn. “It ain’t proper manners to ask questions like that.”

“I have no objection to the questions Mrs. Apple.” Though his words and tone were kind, the cowpony only grew aggravated in return.

“For pony’s sake, mah’ name is Applejack, not just Apple and not Mrs, I ain’t a married mare.”

“My apologies,” Jack began, “It was improper of me to assume you were wed Ms. Apple.”

“Gah!” The cowpony near shouted in defeated. She raised a hoof to her head to quell a slowly growing throb.

“I… I just have one question I want to ask, if that’s alright with you.” The lavender mare spoke again, addressing the samurai as she did.

“Certainly Ms. Sparkle.” Dash snickered behind the violet mare, but made no comment.

“Right, so, did have ponies like us back home?” The lavender unicorn asked, her visage painted with that of a curious scholar. “It’s a quick theory, but you seem oddly relaxed by us. Gandalf and Link weren’t exactly… knowledgeable of ponies.”

“No, not those with speech at least. There were steeds in my land indeed, but none could speak with the same language as my people. Though I have met many strange creatures with the ability to speak, including dogs.”

“Talkin’ dogs?” Applejack questioned Jack, hoof still to her head for the minor throbbing within it. “Now hold on a minute. That righ’ there is jus’ crazy talk. Who’d ever believe there be talkin’ dogs?”

“About as much I believe in talking horses.” Gandalf noted calmly behind the cowpony, earning him a quick glare from the orange mare. The aged wizard merely grinned in response, pushing his pointed gray hat over his eyes.

“I speak the truth to you, I swear.” The samurai quickly addressed Applejack. “I meant no insult by my words and I apologize if I have offended you Ms. Apple.”

“AppleJACK,” the mare responded curtly to the break in her name once more, “And rest yer’ head partner. I ain’t offended bout nothin’ but mah name. Just find that hard ta believe is all. Ya see, I got my own dog back home, loyal as Dash over there.” She spoke with a motion of her hoof. The pegasus was not pleased.

“Great, so I’m like a dog, AJ?” The cowpony didn’t miss a beat with her rebuttal.

“In more ways than ya know RD.” It was more than clear to even the four new beings in Equestria that the flared wings of the pegasus were for far more than show. Thankfully, her friend eased her quickly rising anger.

“Calm down Rainbow.” Twilight spoke to the cyan mare. “This is not the time or place to start an argument. You as well Applejack.” The grin on the cowpony’s muzzle quickly vanished under the unicorn’s words.

“By the way,” the unicorn continued as she trotted slowly to the Element of Loyalty, “Why aren’t you tired, or woozy, or… anything?” The question flew over the cowpony’s head, mane, and hat.

“Wha’ are ya talkin’ abou’ Twilight?” Applejack questioned with a tilt of her head. “Ah’m a bit stressed, but ah’ll blame that on Discord and this her varmit mockin’ mah name.” The samurai quickly held up his hands in defense.

“Please Mrs. Apple, I mean no disrespect to you.”

“Agh!” Applejack half-yelled half-grunted as the man continued to speak only half her name. The unicorn heard Dash snickering behind her. The cowpony put her fore-hooves to her head, rubbing her noggin in slow steady circles.

“So, um,” the unicorn began to venture again. “Headache?”

“Yeah, and I nasty one at tha’.” She spoke without looking up the her magically tuned friend. “Tha’ easy ta tell?”

“I’m sorry to say yes,” Twilight admitted. “But it does raise an interesting question though.”

“And what might that be?” The lavender mare turned to see the tall form of the Gray Wizard looking down at her, a smile not far from the kindness of her mentor accompanying his soft gaze. Were she alone, she might have cursed. If she wasn’t sure before, she was sure now.

She had pulled out something close to her mentor.

“Well, of the three of us that have used the portal thus far, there have been varying degrees of symptoms afterwards.” Twilight began, “Pinkie Pie had an altered sense of equilibrium for a only a few moments before she recovered. I had nearly all of my energy taken from my body, despite producing now discernable magical or physical activities. Now Applejack is experiencing intense migraines, though I admit I’m hesitant to blame that solely on the portal alone.”

“And what of us Twilight Sparkle?” The lunar princess asked as she approached. “We…” She took a slow breath. “I have also used the portal, but not a trace of weariness nor pain haunts my form.”

“I… I don’t know.” The unicorn softly admitted, “But if I had to guess, I’d say that it is because you are an alicorn, not to mention immortal.”

“Immortal?” Several sets of eyes turned to the samurai, who now looked to Luna with an expression none could decipher. “I truly hate to impose upon your discussion Mrs. Sparkle, but I cannot say that is a valid reason.” Those words earned the attention of more than the present group.

“And why would you say this, Master Jack?” Rarity ventured forth as she trotted close to the cowpony, already extending well-manicured hoof around the orange coat of her friend. “Call me rude for assuming, but you do not appear to be the intellectual type.”

“No, I am not.” He quickly agreed. “I have been trained and taught how to fight since my childhood. I have learned only enough to read and write. However,” Jack spoke before the ponies could interject. “I have been forced to face many creature and beings that were immortal as well. With all that I am, and all that I have been, I can assure, that being immortal has little to do with your highness’s protection.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t follow that.” Twilight spoke first. “What do your previous accomplishments disprove about my theory?”

Jack’s return was as cold as the steel he held.

“Even immortals can die.”

The breath froze in the throat of far more than one pony in the room.

Suddenly, Luna felt very nervous around this well trained and honest warrior.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Dash quickly spoke up, swooping up to face height with the white garbed man. Jack took a visible step back in shock. “Are you threatening the princesses? That’s just beyond uncool dude! Don’t think we won’t buck you the hay out of here if you keep that up!” Her snout was against his nose before he had time to respond.

“I apologize again.” Jack spoke as he stepped back, taking a deep bow towards the group around him. “I did mean for my words to carry any pain or insult. I… simply did not wish for you to venture down a false path, not when I have knowledge that can help.”

“It… is… alright.” The princess of the moon slowly spoke to the man. “I have just… not heard of those feats before.” Though her words were careful and strong, her hooves to visible trots back. Jack spoke nothing of the action.

The tension, however, was cut off by the pony best known for distractions.

“So you’re a strong MA-A-A-AN, aren’t you?” An exuberant pink pony asked, hopping up and down in front of Jack. “I doubt you're as strong as Fawkes though, he’s a Super Mutant! He can tear steel in two! I bet he can twist that sword into a cute little ribbon. Would you wear a ribbon like that?”

Jack’s face flushed lightly.

“Pinkie!” Rarity scolded. “Darling, it is not polite to insult things on one pony’s character.”

“But he isn’t a pony, he’s a MA-A-A-AN.” The unicorn swiftly put a hoof to her snout.

“Uh…” He stammered as he gripped his blade with both hands, holding it close to his from. “I would appreciate it if you did not attempt such a thing.”

“Why not? They not hard to make and that one is so small. I bet some pony can make one longer, wider, faster, and stronger than that lickety split!”

“I apologize, but I must doubt your words.” Within the boundaries of only Pinkie’s logic, that seemed ruder than her own words.

“Really? Why?”

“Because this blade was crafted by my people, then blessed by the gods. It contains the power to destroy only evil in the world.”

A low whistle followed his words.

“So… that is blade that allowed you… to… slay immortals?” Princess Luna asked hesitantly, still several hooves away from the white-garbed warrior. Jack turned his attention to her.

“Yes, but I feel that I must explain. The beings that I was forced to slay were neither kind nor generous. They were cruel things that flourished under the tyranny and pain of others. I have never lifted my blade willingly against someone in need, and even if I did, this blade could not wound them.” Those words inspired the academic in a certain unicorn.

“Wait, so your sword reacts differently depending on the target?” Twilight asked as she let her lavender eyes fall on the hidden blade, concealed within its black sheath.

“Yes. I can cause no pain to those innocent or just.”

“That’s amazing!” The lilac mare cheered, her eyes not moving away from the blade. “A substance that reacts with magical senses. It’s easy to create something that reacts to magic, but no pony has ever discovered a method for situational reactions quite like that. Inventing tools that can judge moral and ethical parameters as opposed to strictly matrixes of energy is nothing short of an old mare’s tale. With further study, I’m sure we could-”

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash near screamed into the unicorn’s ear, earning a startled twist from the mare. “Geez, you lost it again.” Twilight blushed under the words, knowing full well what they meant.

“Look,” the cyan pegasus started, addressing the group around them. “Jack’s cool and all, I get that, but don’t we have more important things to worry about? I mean, like, let’s say, getting a few more super soldiers out of that thing?” She finished with her hoof aimed at the alabaster portal in the room.

“Then, uh,” A few eyes turned to see the green behemoth standing tall above the crowd, tiny eyes looking towards the floating mare. “Maybe you should find the next warrior, um, Crash.”

Right message, wrong name.

“Crash?!” The pegasus fumed as she flew to the face of the Super Mutant. To his credit, unlike last time a pony appeared in front of him, Fawkes did not fall down. “The name is Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria. Don’t you forget that.”

“My apologies.” The green giant spoke calmly in return, “I am still… unfamiliar with many of your names.”

“Yeah, well… second warning.” Dash could hear Twilight giggling beneath her.

“Fawkes is correct though.” Attention diverted to the alabaster princess, form regal as her voice while speaking. “Introductions are important, but questions will have to wait until later. We do not know when Discord will make his move again, or in what method he will attempt to attack us. Without the Elements, we need warriors such as you Jack,” Celestia addressed the samurai as she spoke, “And you Link, Gandalf, Fawkes.” With each name, she turned attention to the warrior, looking every one of them in the eye as she did so.

“I have already sworn my blade to you princess.” Jack spoke as he bowed. “I will follow your command and judgment.”

“And I as well.” Fawkes spoke, pounding his monstrous hand against his tattered chest.

“I sought for harmony where I hail from, and I will do so here.” Gandalf agreed. “However,” The pause caught the attention of many of the ponies and warriors. “Know that I follow no king, queen, or monarchy. I seek only for order, not power.”

“And you will see no such ambitions from I, my sister, or any of our subjects, wizard.” Celestia spoke in return. “My kingdom thrives on the harmony of all and it is threatened by the chaos of Discord. All I ask is for your assistance in defeating this cruel foe.”

“Then you have it.” The Gray Wizard smiled with his words.

“Must we ask thou, Sir Link?” Luna questioned as she turned her attention to green clad warrior. The mute Hylian smiled in response, nodding his head towards the princess. “We will assume you agree.” He smiled brighter in return.

“Then let’s continue.” Princess Celestia spoke. “Rainbow Dash,” The pegasus gave the alicorn her full attention. “Do you wish to go next?” The cyan pegasus flared her wings as she summoned a proud smile. Oh, she was ready. She was ready, prepared, and eager to give this magical portal a try. She opened her muzzle and spoke her agreement.

“Um, may I go next?”

All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who the swiftly curled into a ball beneath her long mane.

“Oh, um... I don’t have to. You can go Dash. I’m sorry.”

“Whoa, Whoa, Whoa.” The cyan pegasus spoke back. “Youwanna try, Fluts?” Clearly, the shock was not shared alone. More than one face looked at her with wide eyes and open jaw.

“Oh, um, yes. I-I do.” When only expressions of shock met her gaze, she quickly began to second guess herself. “B-But maybe I shouldn’t. You can go Rainbow. You’re, um, braver than me. You’d be-” She was quickly silenced by her brash friend.

“No way Fluttershy,” Dash spoke, landing on the stone floor mid sentence. “There’s no way I’m letting you back out of that. I’ve known you for… like ever, so I know how rare you volunteering for something like this is.” She looked down at her cowering friend with the kindest smile she could muster. “I’ve got all the time in the world. You can go ahead.”

“Yeah Fluttershy!” The only pink pony in the room spoke. “You volunteering surprised me. ME! I love surprises, so I want to see what you do with yours.” The party pony embraced her skittish friend for endearment, nuzzling the canary pegasus close. Fluttershy blushed madly.

“O-Okay, I will.” Pinkie Pie didn’t let go. “I will, I will, I promise.” She knew before puffy mane of Pinkie Pie left her field of vision that she spoke the sacred word.

“Pinkie Promise?”

“What’s a…Pinkie Promise?” While a select few groaned at what was coming next, several of the ponies, and all of the warriors, were curious of the same question.

“Oh that’s easy!” The pony bounced over to Fawkes. With her equine strength, the pink mare jumped onto the Super Mutant’s shoulder, looking him square in the eye. Holding up her hooves, she began the rhythmic phrase.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Confusion swiftly followed.

“What’s a cupcake?” Pinkie’s eyes almost rolled out of her sockets. Her jaw dropped wide and it was clear to more than just the green giant what was coming next.

“We can ask such questions later.” Princess Luna spoke commandingly, picking the pink Earth Pony up in a dark blue embrace. Jack, Gandalf, and Fawkes were enraptured at the display. Wisely though, they remained silent. “Ms. Fluttershy.” The canary pegasus stood at attention, meekly so.

“If thou desires to use The Portal of Souls, we request though do so now.” Fluttershy have a nervous look to her levitated friend, thinking it wise to wait for her first. However, seeing the mare spinning in midair, giggling with joy at the lack of gravity, the pegasus knew her pink friend would be alright. Timidly as ever, she trotted over to the portal’s side.

“The Portal of Souls?” She heard Celestia question. Luna’s answer followed quickly.

“A name feels required for a device of such power.” The lunar princess explained. “And such a name explains it’s purpose well enough.”

With just one more hoof step, Fluttershy found herself before the newly dubbed white portal. She bit her lower lip in a nervous habit, already feeling her legs beginning to push against one another.

‘What should I feel?’ The pegasus asked in the sanctuary of her mind. ‘I… I can’t be afraid, or timid, or shy. I have to be strong, for my friends… but I don’t want to bring a mean pony through here… or frighten them… or scare them... or worry them.’ The doubts piled quickly into her mind, shown physically by her clenched eyes.

‘I don’t want a mean pony, or a cruel pony, I… I want a kind pony.’ That unspoken declaration gave the confidence to the canary coated mare.

‘I want… I need a pony who hates fighting.’

With a short breath, Fluttershy dipped her head into the gate.

“Dad?”

The question left his mouth almost in time with the large figure diving into the water. He watched with something close to fear as the ripples ceased across his entrance, flames still flying across the sinking ships.

He pushed himself to his feet, moving as fast as he could to the shore’s side. His large green eyes could see nothing beneath the murky depths of the water, reflecting only the carnage of the battle behind him. He looked for his father, instead he saw The Green Death.

He saw the dragon the size of a fleet of ships roaring across the shore, bellowing his flames with his cries. He saw his friends flying around the creature on their own steeds of the sky, doing little to it aside from causing an annoyance. The battle was hopeless. Their defeat was inevitable, but he couldn’t focus, not on that, not yet. He needed to rescue his friend.

“Dad! Dad!” He was shouting it into the water with all of his might. But nothing came. No shout in return nor figure in the distance. He was saved and left alone in the hopeless battle against the giant. He looked, searched, desperately for something, anything that would give him the means to save his father.

In the end, he didn’t need one.

An explosion of water broke the only variably calm water in front of him, carrying two figures of size more than double his own. One was the familiar hulk of his father, adorned still in his fur coat and thick beard. The other was the friend he first tried to save. A friend he had known for less time than anyone else he had ever met. A friend that spoke a language he could not understand. A friend with wings wide, scales black, and fire that made the very air cry in fear.

Toothless the Night Fury.

The slim dragon jumped to the rocky shore, dropping his father, the Viking king, safely on the boulder he stood on. Those familiar sharp green eyes looked to him, looking with a determination they both shared. He shook his head towards the towering creature above them. He knew what it meant almost without a thought.

“You got it bud.” The small Viking child didn’t hesitate to run up the short climb, eagerly jumping on to the back of his faithful friend. His hands quickly began to move across the buckles on his friend’s saddle, clipping and tightening them with practiced ease. He kept his eyes high as he did so, looking over every detail of the dragon he could name.

“Hiccup!” His hand froze as he felt a large hand grasp his own, holding him steady and to the ground. His eyes fell onto the familiar orbs of his father.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Stoick the Vast, King of the Vikings, spoke with more honesty than almost anything else he had said in his lifetime. The words gave his son pause. “For everything.” There was a lot to apologize for.

“Yeah, me too.” Hiccup agreed with little hesitation.

“You don’t have to go up there.” He older figure spoke with a motion of his head. His son, however, couldn’t repress the ironic statement drifting to his lips.

“We’re Vikings. It’s an occupational hazard.” The smile split his lips hesitantly, but he saw the same expression dance across his father’s. Stoic placed both of his muscled hands across his son thin arms holding them with the strength of centuries.

“I’m proud to call you my son.” Hiccup would never be able to deny it. The words of his father gave him more happiness than he ever thought possible. He wasn’t the fishbone son, the traitor spawn, not even the shame of the clan.

He was Hiccup Haddock, son of Stoick the Vast.

“Thanks dad.” It was time to go.

Leaning close to his friend’s sleek body, he waited for his friend to respond. Toothless quickly repeated the action of his rider, crouching his legs as he lowered himself to the stone shore. Then all at once he pushed.

All at once the two flew as one.

The wind rushed past them with ferocity Hiccup missed after every flight. The thrill of the ascent, rushing towards the heavens, climbing closer to the domain of Valhalla, it was a feeling indescribable. He wished he could cheer, throw his arms forward with the excitement that usually came with the feeling. But he was not doing this for fun or practice.

Now… now he was doing this fight.

“Alright Toothless.” He spoke close to his ride’s ear fin. “Let’s strike it with lightning.” The Night Fury gave a quick bob of its head before dashing into the sky with all its might. This time, the speed of the ascent forced a smile across the small Viking’s lips.

They quickly lost themselves in the clouds, hidden in the mighty formless structures of the sky. It was wear the ferocity of the Night Fury was at its worst, and it was wear the duo of Earth and Sky were at their strongest. Slowly, the climb slowed as Toothless fanned his black wings, catching the rushing air in their grasp. Hiccup moved his boot along the saddle’s side, forcing the fin to collapse.

They were moving as one.

Their ascent turned into a dive, Dragon and Viking now descending towards the mighty Tyrant of the Dragon Hive. Adrenaline rushed through their veins as the wind and clouds rushed past them. It burned the skin on Hiccup’s face, but only dried the slightly parted mouth of Toothless. When the target came into view, the Night Fury began to breathe. It’s cry slowly filled the sky as it rushed against the wind, pocketing the combustible gas within its lungs.

The Vikings beneath them all gave small cries as they scattered and fell, the familiar sound bringing nothing but destruction to them in the past. But the eyes of the rider and dragon were on a different target all together.

For a brief moment, panic flooded Hiccup’s face as he saw the Green Death sucking in one of the dragon’s he had freed. The blonde haired “Valkyrie” on its back more than obvious to him. Fortunately, he and his faithful friend already had a way to save her.

They grew closer to the beat, faster and faster, their velocity increasing with every second of their drop. When Toothless flew within arrow’s reach, he unleashed the fire from his gut.

The fireball erupted across the monster’s face.

With a shriek of pain, it stumbled backwards, the prey it was only seconds away from capturing now free. Nearly. The dragon was free. It’s rider was free falling to the ground.

“Think fast buddy!” Hiccup called as he flipped the switch on his foot again. The Night Fury stilled once more before shooting backwards towards the Tyrant. No flames grew in its lungs this time, however. Their aim was to save a life now, not end one.

The falling mess of the Viking woman was easy to spot.

Toothless flew as true as an arrow towards the falling form, legs already extending towards her. All Hiccup saw was their flight towards her then over her.

“Did you get her?”

He watched his friend’s head disappear for a moment, looking towards his belly for a moment before looking back up. He held that same adorable toothless smile that so earned his name. Hiccup chuckled as he lowered himself back onto his friend.

The duo approached the ground with surprising speed, just as easily stopping before it. With practices ease, Hiccup flicked his foot within its holster to adjust Toothless’s tail fin. He watched his draconic friend flip the Viking girl around. When her feet began to run across the stones, Toothless let ago, then he and the son of the Viking King were back into the air.

Everything was ready.

“That thing’s got wings.” He absently noted as he and his faithful friend flew above it. A plan quickly started to weave itself into his mind.

“Okay, let’s see if it can use them!”

Hiccup gave a pull on the harness and a flick of his foot, aiming Toothless towards the Green Death. Just as before, the Viking and Dragon sped towards the Tyrant of the Dragon Hive, preparing another ball of flames. The wing was just as harsh as before, ripping across the skin of the human as he clung and guided his faithful friend. The Night Fury released his flames across his one time ruler, letting the fire devour its hide.

Begin

The force pushed the Green Death to the ground.

“You think that did it?” Hiccup questioned as he looked behind him, searching for the giant of a dragon.

With a body as large as the island, it wasn’t hard to miss.

“Well, it can fly.” He exchanged a nervous smile to his dragon, Toothless giving him one in return.

And so the chase began.

They flew low and close to the sea, thinking in unison with one another. They weaved through the rocky structures of natural design, large arcs of solid stone that would cease the flight of any other creature in the sky. The pursuing behemoth smashed through the stone without even a pause. Toothless had his speed. Hiccup had his mind. The Green Death had its size.

For every arc or boulder the duo had to spin or dive through or around, the massive Tyrant smashed to oblivion. The agility of the Night Fury was quickly losing to the endurance of the Green Death. It was a battle Hiccup saw their defeat it in.

But he was a Viking. Vikings don’t admit defeat.

His eyes looked high as another ancient arc was sent to its unnatural demise, the dust nearly covering his vision. He saw the clouds above growing dark, collecting the angry bolts of Thor above. The idea was like a thunder strike.

“Okay Toothless,” The Viking child began. “Time to disappear!” With a click of his boot, the Night Fury eagerly began its ascent.

The climb was as quick as ever, the wind rushing past their bodies as the clouds grew closer to them. Unfortunately, so too did the Green Death gain distance upon them. The sound of his massive jaws chomping behind them forced the Night Fury to beat his wings ever faster, and for Hiccup to think ever quicker. It served it’s purpose well when a familiar hiss began to sound behind him.

“Here it comes!” His foot smashed the pad, forcing Toothless to veer right. A pillar of flames erupted past them a moment later.

Their climb continued into the clouds, darkening ever faster as the battle continued to go on. Hiccup looked around himself briefly, mind buzzing with activity. The idea was growing quickly in his mind, and he had no intention of stopping it.

“Alright buddy, let’s play hard to get.” Toothless gave a snort of approval.

The Green Death opened its jaws again, snapping forward to taste the human and betraying dragon. It missed again. But now when it searched, looking for its morsel size prey, it found nothing.

Nothing but dark ominous clouds surrounded it.

“Toothless.” Hiccup whispered quietly as they glided around the blind dragon. “We’re going to ground. Aim for the wings.” The Viking could feel the dragon smile at the idea.

Toothless quickly began to circle with increasing speed, his jaw collecting the gas of the air again. The low whistle of his blast grew hidden in the high mist, more threatening than the Green Death itself. Satisfied, Toothless pushed his body right, to which Hiccup eagerly complied.

The Night Fury dove towards the Tyrant of the Dragon Hive unseen, unleashing an explosion of fire across its wing.

The beast howled in anger as the fire tore through its sensitive webbing.

The duo gave a silent cheer.

Their assault turned relentless, unleashing fireball after explosion of flame one after the other. The effects rippled through the clouds like lightening, dangerous and fast. The Green Death could not find the two, by sight or smell. Yet the balls of fire continued to rip through it, tearing apart the body built from centuries ago, fed by the livestock of generations.

Its anger quickly became known.

With a mighty roar, The Green Death began to spray it’s deadly flames again. However, it was no longer the controlled pillar of destruction. It flailed madly in the air, desperate to cover every inch of the sky with the thick flames. The clouds slowly began to dissipate under the intense heat.

“Watch out!” Hiccup cried as the flames licked the back of Toothless’s tail. The dragon was unharmed, as the Viking knew he would be. The artificial tail fin, however, was already smoldering by the time he turned around to check on it.

“Okay, time’s up.” He positioned himself on the Night Fury again, leaning towards the creature of their collective bane. “Let’s see if this works.” They turned their turn into a dive, falling over the Tyrant of the Dragon Hive with all the ease they did stationary pillars of the sea.

“C’mon, is that the best you can do?” Hiccup taunted as they flew into its vision, smile and confidence brimming from his form. Toothless eagerly cried in agreement mocking the dragon in tongues no human could understand.

The Green Death, however, did.

Its wide eyes only gave birth to a loud roar as it quickly began to give chase to the duo. It dove after the black scales of the Night Fury, eager to sink it’s large fangs into the thick hide of its strongest soldier. Loud resounding chomps of its jaw filled the two with all the adrenaline they would ever need.

“Stay with it buddy, we’re good.” Hiccup spoke the words for the two of them, both already aware of the failing tailfin behind them. “Just a little bit longer.” The clouds continued to rush past them,

“Hold Toothless…” He knew it was coming. It had to be coming. It was too predictable until now. Chomp, fire, chomp, fire, chomp, and chomp. The fire had to come. They’re a clear target for it. No blind spot, smoldering flames to smell, it was impossible for it not to spray fire. It had to. It had to.

Hiccup heard it suck in breath.

“Now!”

Toothless quickly rolled in mid air, looking back into the face of his long time oppressor. With more eagerness than any other action in his life, the Night Fury launched a ball of fire into the open jaws of the Green Death, causing the combustible gas within to ignite.

Pain erupted through the Tyrant of the Dragon Hive, choking of flames, smoke, and gas within its lungs and no air to bring relief. The pain was quickly forgotten, however, to a new emotion. Its name was panic, and it came with the quickly approaching object. Once through the clouds, it was impossible to miss.

The ground.

The Green Death opened its wings as fast as it could, aiming to slow its descent to the hard surface below. But the webbing wasn’t strong enough. The small tears that had formed beneath the fierce balls of flames of Toothless expanded into gaps across the leathery material. In the end, the Tyrant of the Dragon Hive was left in a free fall.

Toothless rolled himself into a ball, deftly dodging the descending form of the one time ruling dragon, letting the monster fall to its demise.

And so it did.

The body erupted into a pillar of flames.

But it wasn’t over yet. The pillar grew quickly behind Toothless and Hiccup, now swiftly moving through the rocky spines of the gigantic monster. Explosions ripped through the thick scales beneath them, searing the skin of Hiccup with every wave. But they were almost through, almost done.

But then, like the final challenge to dragon training, the large boulder of a tail rose from the corpse of The Green Death. Hiccup kicked the pedal on his foot ready to swerve and avoid the final obstacle.

The useless tail fin flew off into the flames.

Hiccup looked up worryingly to see the massive stone tail before them.

“No.”

The tail was fast approaching.

There was no way to avoid it.

“No!”

They hit the clubbed tail together.

Hiccup saw only darkness.

End

The Claymore

With grace most ponies practiced to perfect, Fluttershy withdrew her head from the portal, white misted object in hoof.

It was huge.

Compared to even Fawkes, the Super Mutant, the object was large and bulky. Even through the white mist, the object appeared to be everything but light in weight. It was long, it was tall, and it was wide.

But not a single pony or warrior focused on it.

Compared to all of her friends, Fluttershy was by far the kindest hearted, gentle, caring, and compassionate pony among them. She never strayed away from a friend in need. She made sure that every animal in Ponyville was fed and cared for. Even in times of sorrow, she made sure to be kind to everypony around her. But because of all of her kindness, she was sensitive, nervous, and unsure of most of the decisions she made.

That is why it surprised none, but worried all, when Fluttershy rose from the portal in tears.

She wasn’t sobbing in hysterics or moaning in pain, but a steady stream of tears descended from her bright blue eyes nonetheless. Carefully, she took slow trots backwards, leading the mist-covered object from the Portal of Souls in a manner similar to guiding baby ducks to the pond. From the neck down, she looked no different, not even worried or scared.

From the neck up, her face was the image of sorrow.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight Sparkle was beside her friend almost before the name left her throat. The pegasus barely responded to her.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy!” She spoke again, nudging her side gently, trying to get any kind of motion out of the pegasus. But none came. She seemed so lost, so… distant. Did something happen in the portal? Did she lose her mind?

“I’m alright Twilight.”

The suddenness of the voice almost made her jump, but the words brought her an undeniable sense of relief.

“That was quite the scare.” Gandalf noted, a wrinkled hand to his chest. He was not the only one in the room to worry. Each of the Elements were gathered around the mare, stopping or slowing their approach only now when the realized their friend was alright. Link and Fawkes watched nervously from a distance, both at opposite ends of the hall. The worry was clear on Link’s face whereas the preparedness to act was clear from Fawkes’s position. Jack was slowly releasing the hilt of his blade, slight paranoia still creeping through his young form. The mind of an elder in the body of a young warrior.

“Geez girl,” Applejack spoke as she trotted at a pace half that of just a few moments prior. “You ‘bout gave me a hear’ attack right there.” Her voice slowly fell into a more caring tone as the still falling tears met her green eyes. “Why are ya’ cryin’ suga’cube?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wait… you mean your crying, just to cry?” Dash asked with hesitation from above her friends, eyeing her fellow pegasus carefully.

“Maybe.” Fluttershy may have spoken her well being, but from his distant remarks, and lack of motion, the idea was becoming more and more unlikely.

“Hey now Fluttershy!” One excited pink pony shouted from beside her. “There’s no reason to frown or cry. You just pulled out a whopper! You beat my record by at least six stones. That’s something you gotta celebrate!” No one noticed the green Super Mutant raise a hand to his lower chest in thought.

“I’m okay Pinkie, I promise.”

“Nu uh!” The Element of Laughter argued. “You aren’t happy unless your smiling. And from where I’m standing on my four hooves, you gotta pouty face on. We can’t have you be sad now, that makes every pony else sad! C’mon Fluttershy, let’s so smile.” With her demand, Pinkie Pie placed herself between Fluttershy and the still white-misted figure she drew from the portal. Eye contact lost from her catch, the canary mare was forced to look into her friend’s gaze.

“But…” She began weakly, “I-I really am okay, honest. Oh, I, um, I-I just felt like crying a little, not much, just some. I’m sorry I worried you.”

“Okey dokey, apology forgiven, but,” Pinkie spoke before Fluttershy could shy away. “I’m still not moving until I get a smile!” The ears on the pegasi fell flat on her head.

“Oh, but… Pinkie…”

“Gotta smile.” The pink pony simply responded.

“I-I don’t think now is-”

“Gotta smile.”

“-a good time because, oh-” Fluttershy was taking nervous trots backwards.

“Gotta smile.”

“Pinkie Pie!” That wasn’t Fluttershy.

The pink pony flew into the air as the voice ripped through her concentration like a well placed party cannon. Landing on the ground, she quickly turned to see Twilight looking at her, except something was wrong. When her unicorn friend shouted like that, it usually meant she was angry, or disappointed about something.

Instead she looked afraid.

“Aw, you too?” Pinkie Pie asked obviously. “I know Fluttershy is a little mopey dopey right now, but making ponies smile is my special talent Twilight, just give me a minute and-” She never finished.

The lavender unicorn had picked her up with her violet magic.

“Whoa! This is even more fun the third time!” Without waiting for any retort, the party pony began to eagerly spin herself in circles, enjoying the feeling of anti-gravity for all it was worth. Her vision grew blurred as her rotations grew faster and faster, nothing to slow her increasing speed. But then she saw something that was odd, even to her.

The white mist… It was moving.

Immediately, Pinkie Pie pushed her hooves outwards, one of them catching the tiled floor.

“Wha… What is…” Rarity couldn’t finish her thought. Her mind was enraptured, entranced, and all at once, mortified by the shifting mist Fluttershy had pulled from the Portal of Souls.

“Ah don’t know, but stand back darlin’,” Applejack spoke as she pushed the alabaster mare away, emerald eyes sharp on the dissipating mist. “Wha’ever Fluttershy pulled from tha’ darn hole ain’t down for the coun’ or waitin’ for an invitation.”

A small cry of surprise came from high up, only for glancing eyes to see Rainbow Dash lifting Twilight away from the shape as well. The unicorn’s only protest was the small cry. After that, she held onto the cyan hooves like Smarty Pants in a thunderstorm.

“P-Please don’t worry.” Fluttershy spoke her loudest. “I-It’s probably just scared and frightened. It’s lost, and constrained, and, oh, it must be in pain.” Her face grew more and more worried with every word she spoke. With only a small shake of hesitance, the pegasus trotted towards the still shifting ball of mist.

“Just let me-”

A black wing erupted from the cocoon.

“Get back!” A powerful voice boomed from behind the ponies. Fluttershy didn’t need to be told twice. She darted as fast as her hooves would take, looking for the safety of the nearest object she could trust. Anything large, anything strong, anything that was anything!

She settled with the arms of Link. The pegasus felt herself in his embrace before she could even think, huddling close with terrified shivers.

What had she done? What did she do? Did she bring a monster into Equestria? Was she going to be the only pony of her friends that thought of something evil? Was she evil? The thoughts began to make her quietly sob, shaking from self-torture and horror. She felt the rough hand of link slowly pet down her back, soothing her. She muttered nor squeaked not a word.

The wing, however, was not all that belonged the creature.

The mist quickly began to evaporate and return to nothingness as the leathery appendage flailed from the small opening it forced. More and more of the creature quickly came into view. Every detail only made the ponies and warriors more and more awry.

Black scales that rivaled the night. Sharp talons of piercing strength. A large tail of solid muscle. The finally, deadly green eyes of slit vision, looking with predatory ambitions around itself. The creature was unlike any soul in the room had ever seen. But all at once, they almost immediately knew what it was. It was alien, but then, only too familiar.

“A dragon!” Pinkie Pie shouted from her now precarious position on top of Princess Luna. The monarch objected little, too focused on the new creature in her and her sister’s shared hall.

“That’s unreal.” Dash’s words were objected little to.

“I… must say…” Celestia spoke as if she had flown a country mile. “I did not expect the kind and gentle Fluttershy to summon such a… dangerous creature.” Said pegasus only shivered deeper into the embrace of the Hero of Time.

The dark winged beast looked around itself violently. Its wings flapped in sharp bursts, flexing the appendages close to its body before violently shooting them outwards. It gave a wide berth to where it lay. Its tail had curled up around itself as well. Dual dark fins fanned themselves at the limb's end, providing small futile cover for its otherwise very large body.

“They can be dangerous creatures.” Jack spoke more to himself than the others. His form was hunched over with one hand on the hilt of his holy blade. Despite the situation, he couldn’t repress the happy thought of his ability to do so again, at least with this much ease.

“At least it is one similarity our worlds share.” Gandalf noted as well. He had his blade drawn again, though no pony thought any less of him now for it.

No pony, no warrior, and not even the dragon dared to move. They all carefully regarded the creature with caution, neither taking a step forward nor trots back.

“RAGH!”

All eyes stared in shock as Rainbow Dash flew screaming towards the black dragon.

She stopped just in front of it, hooves held and with a fierce a look as possible on her features. For a very small moment, the dragon shirked back under the sudden presence, shocked by the audacity and sudden appearance of the mare.

That changed quickly.

“ROAR!” The black beast bellowed in return, neck stretching towards the aerial pegasus with a wide jaw and sharp teeth. The vocal return shocked Dash to her core, freezing her in place.

She moved regardless.

Before the mare could think twice, she found herself being pulled out of the air by a familiar magical force. The lavender hued aura surrounding spoke enough to let her know who had saved her. She was quickly placed on the ground, four hooves firm on the stone tile beneath her. Looking up, she saw the mare who saved her. Said mare was not giving Dash a kind look.

“What the buck were thinking?!” Twilight yelled to her cyan friend, completely oblivious of her language in the presence of the princess. “First you drop me like a stone, then charge at a dragon. A DRAGON!” Dash shivered meekly beneath the unicorn’s near flaming gaze.

“H-Hey, I had and idea.” Her argument was as weak as her legs felt.

“Really? What?”

“I thought I could scare him away.” Speaking it out loud, it really didn’t sound all that great of a plan anymore.

“Scare it? Scare a dragon! Are you insane!?” Dash didn’t both to reply, fixing her gaze on the stone floor instead. “If it tried to attack I don’t think any of us could have acted fast enough to save you!”

“Why didn’t it though?”

“Yeah, why… wait what?” Twilight questioned as her concentration shattered under the question. Dash had focused her vision on the unicorn again, the steel of her will hardening behind her eyes. The lavender mare knew that look, she knew it well. It was the gaze she gave a script of paper, a vial of chemicals, or even one of her friends, when she was in the middle of an investigation.

Rainbow Dash was in deep thought.

“Why didn’t it come after me?” Turning back towards the black winged creature, they saw it still laying across the stone floor, curled around itself, wings flapping dangerously, and gaze harder than a mountain’s core. “I’ve been around Fluttershy’s animals long enough to know that if you scare a big one, they’ll definitely try and catch you. Why didn’t it?”

“It is hoarding something.” The pair of ponies looked up to see Celestia approaching, her own gaze focused on the dragon as well. “Dragons will only keep still guarding objects they hold possession over. It is neither in its cave nor any area of its own territory, so it holds still to protect whatever lies beneath it.”

“Then, would should we do?” Rarity asked aloud. “It’s not as if we can simply dismiss it, and I dare to think Dash’s little antic may have given it reason to hate us.” The cyan mare in question grumbled under her breath.

“It is a good question that I do not know the answer to.” Celestia spoke as her mind already began to wander, her fellow ponies doing the same. “Honestly, I hope for a solution that earns the dragon’s trust. I see little reason there to a conflict between us.”

The alabaster alicorn shut her in heavy concentration, breathing deeply as her aged mind began to conjure an idea. There existed neither time nor patience to find a way to force the dragon to move, and with little information about it, it was impossible to tell what it would consider an even trade for the object it was hoarding. Furthermore, based on it’s size, it most likely did not possess the aptitude for speech.

The feral dragons of the wild did little for communication until they reached the adult stages of their life. Spike was raised by ponies in a civil society, so he was exposed to the desire and need for communication much earlier. For dragons, who spend majority of their time in solitude, speech was not a thing to concern themselves highly with.

“What… uh, is Fluttercry doing?”

Though the first words to enter Celestia’s mind were quick reminders for Fawkes’s misspeaking of her subject’s name, for the third time, those words quickly died as her eyes fell on the pegasus in question. She was no longer curled in Link’s arms. She was no longer crying in for mysterious reasons.

Fluttershy was approaching the dragon.

“Whoa!” Dash spoke as she flared her wings. “Fluttershy! Get ba-” She lurched backwards as a lavender hued aura surrounded her for a second time. Her pink eyes found Twilight’s looking back at hers. However, they didn’t contain the fire of disappointment. Instead, they held silent caution. It took a moment for the rainbow mare to process it, but it made sense fairly quickly.

If she spooked the dragon again, Fluttershy might not be so lucky.

She had to remain calm, she had to believe in her friend. She was loyalty and Fluttershy was kindness. What kind of dragon would attack a defenseless mare like her?

Many, actually.

“Please,” The canary pegasus spoke in a tone far calmer than most would expect for the given situation. “We aren’t going to hurt you.”

Her words were fluid, sound, and mesmerizing. Almost as much as they demanding gaze of her eyes. The dragon watched stiffly. His muscles continued to flex around whatever object it held close, but no longer did it snarl or bite at the approaching pony. The small trots of Fluttershy did not slow, and the black dragon did not bite.

“Here,” Fluttershy spoke when she stood a hoof’s length away from the large draconic figure. “We are only going to help you. I promise.” Her yellow coated foreleg extended forward, brushing across the creature’s own foreleg.

Much to the relief of the stoic onlookers, the dark dragon slowly retracted his leg, revealing the prize he hoarded so selfishly from the others. The object reached Fluttershy’s eyes first, and it made her give a quiet gasp.

The tension returned with force.

“Fluttershy, what is it?” Princess Celestia asked from afar looking to her kind subject. “What does the dragon horde?” The soft blue eyes of the pegasus looked back to those of her ruler, and a soft mumble came from mouth, unheard by the ponies around her.

“What did she say?” Gandalf asked curiously, gnarled staff still in hand.

“I don’t know,” the alabaster alicorn admitted. “Please Fluttershy, what is it?” But for every word the poor pegasus tried to speak, the lower and lower her voice went.

“I don’t know what it is, but it must be a terrible sight.” Jack noted aloud. His blade slowly drew itself from his sheath, stance prepared for whatever the dragon may yet attempt.

“Fluttershy.” Princess Luna spoke to the canary pegasus. “Please, come back to us, you have done e-” She was silenced by a piece of parchment being shoved in front of her vision. It nearly made her back pedal in fright. Her wide eyes quickly followed the paper’s holder, looking from the hand that held it to the face it belonged to.

“Sir Link!” The lunar princess shouted in small shock as the perpetrator came before her vision. “What is it?” Of course, he didn’t speak. The Hero of Time merely shook the paper in front of himself again. Refocusing, the Princess of the Moon began to read his hastily scribbled words.

“It’s a man.”

All eyes returned to Fluttershy. Her head was nodding with frantic speed.

“How… is that possible?” Twilight spoke from her still hovering position, Dash refusing to let the mare go.

“How is what possible?” Gandalf questioned in return. “How your subject was able to draw two bodies from the portal? How Link was able to hear her near toneless words? Or maybe it isn’t a how. Maybe you meant to ask ‘why’, as in, ‘why is it protecting a man and not gold or other possessions.”

“All of those.” Celestia spoke more confidently now than since the dragon’s appearance. “There are many questions we both have, but none of them shall be answered until the man awakes. I can only presume that he will not awaken the same as Samurai Jack or Link.”

“And why is that?” The wizard returned.

“Because,” she spoke with a motion of her wing. “If having that beast on top of him, roaring and scraping at the stones with such force, does not wake him, I have little doubt that it is now a requirement of my magic to awaken him.” The alabaster princess turned her vision back to the pegasus. Said mare was standing closer to the dark dragon, looking at it with eyes no longer containing the power and force of The Stare. The dragon, in return, did little more than look back.

“Fluttershy.” The mare gave a small squeak as her ruler addressed her. “I must awaken the man the dragon guards. Do you think you can allow me access to him?” If possible, it almost appeared as if the color drained from the pony’s coat.

“Oh,” she began with obvious trepidation. “That would him angry a-and I don’t want to upset him. I-I mean, he’s not a bad dragon, but, um, oh, h-he’s just scared for friend.”

“Friend?” Gandalf now question, forcing the pegasus to shirk and hide under her mane beneath the still unfamiliar voice. “How do you know the dragon thinks of the man in such a way?” Seeing that the old wizard was one with patience, Fluttershy slowly moved her jaw to answer.

“B-Because of the way he’s holding him. The man is so small, looks so fragile, and the dragon is using its legs to… to stay up, keeping himself propped above him. He’s making sure not to crush him. Really he, oh, I’m sorry, but he thinks us as a threat.”

“Ah can’t say Ah can blame the poor soul.” Applejack spoke from her side of the room, appearing now far calmer than a few moments before. “It ain’t that much different than the rest of the fellas we had ta pull out.”

“Can you not communicate with him?” Luna asked the canary pegasus. She received a fierce shake of the pink mane.

“N-No. Most dragons eventually learn how to talk so… so I don’t know how to talk with them. A-And the only dragon I’ve ever spoke to is Spike, but, oh, I’m sorry, he’s just a baby.”

“Believe me Fluttershy, we understand.” Twilight spoke to her friend, nothing but honestly lacing her voice. “It would just help if we had another way of communicating with it.” With the keen eye for detail, Twilight did not miss the subtle look of recognition that swept across the canary mare’s face. “Wait… you do have an idea, don’t you?” The nerves returned with force to the small pegasus.

“W-Well… yes.” She clicked her fore hooves together, but didn’t voice a single word of what she thought of.

“Please Mrs. Fluttershy.” Luna spoke from behind her. “We already believe your idea will have merit.” For another quick moment, the pegasus played with her hooves.

“H-He doesn’t understand me, but, um, he reads my actions well.” She bit her lips slightly, giving a small motion of her head towards the dark beast. “I-I might be able to convince him to let you get close, maybe, but I’m so sorry if I can’t.”

Oddly enough, it took no more convincing for the pegasus to turn back towards the black dragon, blue orbs meeting green as she conveyed all the emotions of her heart. It was endearing, watching a friend they all knew to be fearful of dragons, doing all that she could to help him. The Element of Kindness indeed.

“We want to help you.” She softly towards the creature. It eyed her carefully. “We know he’s hurt, but we can help. I promise.” She lowered herself to her knees, making herself as small as possible before the mighty beast. It followed her down, head lowering lower and lower until it rested on the cool white stone.

“I promise, we can help him.” Fluttershy turned her gaze towards Princess Celestia slowly, deliberately. The dragon followed her eyes, landing on the tall alicorn with a different emotion. It wasn’t anger or violence, but caution, defense. He wasn’t going to attempt to harm them, the princess knew, not unless they tried to harm him.

“Y-You can try now your majesty.” Without any more pause, Celestia approached.

Celestia approached with her wings drawn in, doing her utmost to appear as small as possible before the creature. It was not an easy task. The dragon did not bite or bark at her, but she could see the muscles of his legs and wing flex the closer she approached. It did value the being in its grasp.

With hesitance that was understood, the dragon slowly revealed the man he had claimed as his charge.

Man was too generous a term.

Compared to the beings labeled as such before, this man was far smaller, in height and weight. Dots marked his face, spotting him like flecks of dirt on a pony after a Running of the Leaves competition. He appeared to be lacking muscle on nearly all of his limbs that she could see. He was garbed in thin clothing around his entire form, aside from large thick boots and a vest of sorts across his chest. Everything about him was light.

“It’s a boy, a child.” Gandalf spoke from behind her. She wished to turn and thank him, but was still cautious of the dragon before her. She did not wish to insult the creature.

“Thank you.” Celestia spoke to the black beast. “I promise to be gentle.” She did not know if the dragon understood her or not, but he made no motion to attack her. He only kept his hard gaze on the alicorn, watching her like a tiger watches a fawn. She swayed little under the powerful gaze.

Everything afterwards proceeded as it had twice before.

Magic of bright white gathered at the end of the alicorn’s horn again. Slowly it balled together into a single mass, bright and brilliant as the sun the alabaster ruler controlled. The ball of light slowly descended into the boy’s petite form, disappearing beneath the lining of his clothes. Just as with Kratos and Fawkes, he stood still for only a moment.

Then he woke up.

The boy awoke with a loud gasp, chest rising as if pulled. He immediately rolled onto his side, coughing harshly onto the stone floor. His hands braced themselves across his torso, holding his form as he racked it with heavy, most likely painful, coughs.

Celestia quickly backed away as the dragon displayed his possession over the boy again. A black wing drew itself over the smaller form while green eyes stared at her. It wasn’t threatening or dark, but neither was it empty or hollow. The large eyes fell upon her more with caution than anything. Thankful, but still wary.

“Are you well?” She spoke the question carefully, making sure it was loud enough for the figure to hear.

The dragon looked down to his own wing, watching it move without his own will. Doubtlessly, the creature beneath heard her. It was left to answer still if it understood her, however.

“Just… Just tired.”

The voice was young, the kind she would expect from a colt entering the awkward stage before entering a stallion’s life. High in pitch, but with the occasional squeak that detailed the thickening of his vocal cords. Celestia bit her lip quickly as the next question entered her mind. She knew it would do little but instill sudden terror in the child, but she could think of few other ways to calmly introduce the boy to Equestria.

“Do you know where you are?” The black webbed wing instantly froze.

That was before a hand roughly latched onto the end of appendage, pulling it away so large green orbs could stare into the princess’s own pink gaze.

A scream of fright quickly followed.

“Whoa!” The small figure shouted close to her muzzle, backing into the dragon’s muscled form. “What in the name of Hell are you!?” A thin finger pointed at her accusingly, an gesture she had only recently become acquainted with, one that she was also quickly losing taste for. She kept her gaze cool, however, beneath the boy’s rude question. The eyes of the dragon still watched her cautiously, but now she saw a flicker of rage jump behind the green slit irises.

“Please, calm yourself,” she attempted to speak soothingly, lowering her head to match his height. “Neither I nor any of my subjects mean you harm.” Looking back on it now, she may have revealed too early to him how surrounded he was.

“Subjects? There are more of you?” His agitated gaze looked left and right sharply, landing on every colorful pony in the room, all giving their own expressions of pity and surprise. His frantic motions were doing a number on both himself and his draconic companion. The more weight he pressed into the black scaled body of his friend, the more fearsome the gaze of the beast grew. It was only a matter of time before the thing thought it best to defend his charge.

Celestia could not let that happen.

“Please, be at ease,” she spoke in as soft a voice as she could manage. It successfully drew the attention of the boy, but did little to calm his clearly agitated nerves. “I understand your fright, more than you know. But please listen to me.” His breath slowed some, but his eyes relaxed not in the slightest.

“You were brought here by forces beyond your control. I do not know the workings of your world, nor the moment you last experienced, but I can presume this much.” With a slow closing her eyes and obvious intake of breath, Celestia delivered the news.

“You were in a battle of some great intensity. During it, you were killed.”

His breathing stopped.

Shock over took the small child again. The thin legs beneath him grew weak as he fell to the floor beneath his draconic friend. A large black wing slowly began to surround him, shielding him from the vision of the others present. The dragon gave a soft look to the boy before turning a far colder gaze towards the alicorn. Celestia hid her emotions well from the sharp green eyes.

“Okay,” she heard the high voice speak. “Okay, yeah, alright.” Despite the words that usually meant an acceptance to circumstance, the tone they were spoken in implied everything but such. The large head of the dragon swerved to look inside of his webbed appendage again, no doubt making eye contact with the charge beneath.

“Do you know where we are bud?” Honestly, Celestia expected the dragon to do one of many things. Scoff and turn away, look back towards the voice with a curious look, maybe even breath fire on the creature that spoke like an equal to it. Such things were in the nature of the dragons, dotting the landscape of her land.

What she did not expect was the dragon to shake his head, in response.

So Fluttershy didn’t just summon a dragon, she brought in the boy that had befriended it.

“No, huh?” The voice answered back. “Yeah, didn’t expect you to. No worries. Hey!” The strength of the final word was clearly meant to capture her attention. Clearly, he didn’t expect her to listen to his words. “Um, yeah, okay, Toothless can you let me up now?”

“Toothless?” Celestia spoke as a question. That was a state of physical being, usually implying early infancy or extreme oral damage. Spoken like a name, it felt right that it was meant to imply some kind of unnecessary dominance over something. Using a title in such a way seemed, doubtlessly, to be cruel. How had Fluttershy brought in such a creature, she, the kindest of all the Elements?

Her pondering would have to wait, as the webbed appendage opened wide, revealing the small boy beneath. By appearance alone, he looked far less frightened, but by no means at peace, oh no. Not nearly yet.

“So what,” he began hand scratching at the dirty brown mane on his head. “Is this supposed to be Valhalla? Cause I don’t see any Valkyries or Gods, and I’m pretty sure Odin would want a word with Toothless.” Like Gandalf before him, Celestia understood only the smallest portions of the words he spoke. The meanings washed over her like the wind in her mane.

“You are not in Valhalla.” She spoke in her regal tone. “You are in my kingdom, the land of Equestria. I do now know where you hail from or what position you hold, but here I am Princess Celestia, the Princess of the Sun, Guardian of the Day.” A part of her wished to fan her wings, show the small man her form. But she did not. The dragon was not trusting of her. If she did anything threatening, she doubted it would not attack.

“Okay, yeah, right, that makes sense.” Celestia raised a brow. He was either far too accepting, or still caught in disbelief. “And I’m Hiccup Haddock the III, destroyer of worlds, and warlord of of Berk.” Disbelief it was.

“I do not jest when I tell you my name.” Celestia began coolly. It earned a cautious gaze from the boy, Hiccup if he truthfully spoke his name. “I understand if you find this situation unorthodox, impossible even. Were it just a day ago I would think the same thing. But a terror the likes of which the mind strains to imagine has attacked my kingdom.” The cautious gaze slowly melded into one of curiosity. She would have to indulge if she meant to earn his trust.

“He is named Discord, a master, a god even, of chaos.” Now the curious gaze grew wide again, his jaw twitching ever slightly in shock. He believed her at least. “It was by his magic, his powers, that you have been brought into my realm. Though I confess, it was by our will.” Curiosity again.

“Wait, wait.” He held up a hand towards her. She silenced herself as requested. “How did he get me here? Or you get me here? Or anyone, thing?” A bit more trusting maybe, Celestia noted, but still lost and confused. Nothing she wasn’t expecting.

“You did die.” The alicorn paused, not for effect, but to allow the truth to sink in once more. It was a crucial fact. “The workings of Discord summoned your soul to my realm. From what little he cryptically told us, you “pieced” yourself back together.”

“And Toothless?” He spoke the question as his green eyes looked up to the large black creature still wrapped protectively, possessively, around him. She watched their gazes met, and was silently astonished as the dragon’s own eyes softened into almost peaceful orbs. “I doubt he died, so how did he get here?”

“I do not know.” Celestia hated admitting such things. But truthfully, she hated lying even more. “Truthfully I do not.”

“Okay, yeah, so, um, how do I get back?” He did seem rather eager to leave.

“Until Discord is defeated, I fear you cannot.” She expected horror, surprise, most likely some anger.

This boy did not appear to a warrior like the beings that had drawn before. His muscles were weak, is form still growing, and nothing on him to be used for defense. If Discord spoke the truth, any warrior would have brought with them the weapon they had used their entire lives. The Hero of Time and Gandalf were testament enough to that. But he brought nothing, nothing at all.

Except for his dragon.

“Alright.” The alicorn watched him rise to his two legs, still standing barely higher than her chest. At his tallest, he most likely matched the heights of her little ponies, perhaps a few fractions of hooves taller.

“Alright?”

“Well, Toothless and I can’t leave till this… Discord is gone, right?” She nodded once in agreement. “So we’ll help, I guess. I mean, if you wanted us dead, I’m pretty sure we could out fly you.”

She heard a vein pop in a pegasus not far behind her.

“Though not a record, you did accept your circumstances rather swiftly.” He chuckled at her comment, laughed. Celestia knew he would elaborate.

“Let me just summarize the last few weeks of my life.” He held up hand, raising a digit for every point he made. “I just got done fighting a dragon that was the size of a mountain. It could fly, blow fire hotter than Hell’s pits, and was commanding every dragon within a couples leagues of my home island to attack us. The last thing I remember is me and Toothless shooting it out of the sky.” That was not an easy feat, assuming no details were embellished in his story.

“Before that, I was the first Viking to ever capture a Night Fury, the first Viking ever to refuse to kill a dragon, and the first Viking to earn the trust of one. Then I spent weeks learning about Toothless, how he flies, how he breaths fire, and everything else about him. During all of this, I was becoming the greatest student in dragon killing by being peaceful with them.”

“This isn’t really, likely,” he said, motioning around himself. “But my life has been just a bunch of random impossible things for the past few weeks. This is just another day.”

What an odd boy.

“Yeah, okay, we’re friends now.” A rather eager voice spoke as she approached the pair. “But what’s this I hear about you out flying her?” Dash landed before the boy, raising a hoof towards the princess with pink eyes glaring forwards. “There’s no way any dragon could out fly Princess Celestia. Hay, I bet I could fly circles around you with my wings tied.”

“How could you fly with your wings tied?” He asked quickly in response. “Wait, no, why are you so colorful?” Hiccup’s hands reached out towards the rainbow mane of the fastest pegasus in Equestria.

“Hey!” She yelled, quickly slapping away his hand with her hoof. “You don’t get to mess with the mane. If you want respect, you gotta beat me in a race.” Oddly enough, the boy smiled in response.

“You don’t know Toothless then.” He spoke with pride, wrapping his arms around the neck of the black beast besides him. “He’s the fastest dragon in all of Berk, a Night Fury. We used to call them the children of lightning and death.” Something he said must have struck a nerve.

“Lightning, huh?” Dash spoke with a faint smile, confidence slowly crumbling under the admission. “Yeah, well… I can break the sound barrier with how fast I fly!”

“That’s enough, now.” A far more relaxed voice spoke over the pegasus. “We don’t need any kind of rivalry right now.” Before the pegasus could object, she found herself being lifted into the air, again, by a purple hue of her friend’s magic. “Seriously Rainbow, first you charge the dragon, now you pretty much threaten the human?”

“Uh, my name is Hiccup.” He spoke to the unicorn. “And my dragon has a name. It’s Toothless.” Said dragon lolled his tongue out of his mouth at the title. The unicorn looked towards the pair, releasing the pegasus from her ethereal grip.

“Twilight Sparkle, it’s a pleasure to meet you both.” She extended a hoof towards him. Looking at it for just a moment he opted to clench his fist into a ball and punch the outstretched limb. Twilight gave small yelp.

“Oh, sorry.” He quickly spoke sheepishly. “Kinda what we do back where I’m from. But… then again, we don’t have unicorns and pegasi… or horses at all.”

“Ponies,” Twilight corrected. “And that’s good to know, but actually, I was curious as to how you trained your dragon, and why you called him Toothless?” The unicorn’s gaze fell on said beast, lavender eyes full of curiosity, and emotion she would never have her fill of, not on a day like today.

“Train him?” Hiccup asked like the question was a joke. From his laugh, he took it as one. “I didn’t train anything. He actually helped me. All I had to do was realize how wrong I was.” A lot of words no answer.

“I… don’t think I understand.”

“Oh, um, well, my family hunts dragons, all the time.” So he did come from a violent world. Oddly enough though, for some reason, the unicorn found less to fear in hunting dragons then hunting much else. “I-It’s not a great story, but I… well I shot Toothless here down. I found him injured in a cove, one of his tail fins…” His voice trailed off, eyes falling to his best friend’s rear appendage.

His eyes bulged.

“Toothless!”

The sudden shout earned the attention of the ponies, beast, and men alike. The dragon looked to his charge before it’s large eyes settled on its own tail.

Its eyes bulged.

“Your tail!” Hiccup shouted with nothing else but joy. “It’s back! Your tail is back! You're healed!”

“W-Wait!” Twilight shouted above the pair. “I don’t understand, what happened!?”

“When I hit Toothless, he-Whoa!”

It was all Hiccup could let out as Toothless swiftly lifted him from his feet, placing the boy on his back. Any shock the boy had quickly left.

“You gotta warn me when you do that buddy.” He spoke playfully to the dragon, rubbing large circles around his neck. “Seriously next time I-AUGH!”

It was by pure luck he was close enough to grab hold of the dragon’s neck.

Toothless shot into the air with his own power, spinning like a twister as he went. With deft movements befitting a bird, he weaved through the high raptors of the grand hall, spinning and diving through the stone arcs like the great monuments of the Berk’s shore. He swiftly met the end of the hall, only to push off of it with all four of his large scaled legs. The force, combined with a few beats of his wings, sent the dragon to the other side of the hall before any pony present could blink.

It was fast.

“Toothless!” They heard the boy cry on the dragon’s back, more from excitement than fear, fear anybody or pony else would have on the beast’s back during his daring flight. “You’re flying again! By yourself!”

The dragon slid across the ground as it landed, happily jumping across the stone tiles, ignorant to the small amount of panic that had spread through the ponies around him. Hiccup was equally unaware. He jumped off the dragon’s back, wrapping his thin arms around the creature’s thick neck in a weak hug. The dragon, however, pulled his own forelegs around the boy as well. They looked so happy.

“W-what was all that about!?” Dash nearly screamed. “That thing just went off the guard rails and flew around this place like it was his play pen! Is it out of its mind?!” Neither Hiccup nor Toothless were perturbed by the pegasus’s words.

“When I first found Toothless, he was missing his tail fin.” The ponies’ eyes immediately went to the creature’s rear appendage, seeing nothing missing, but admiring the sleek set of scales and webbed wings behind it. “A downed dragon is a dead dragon, and Toothless couldn’t fly without his tail fin.” Looking at the unicorn from before, Hiccup beamed.

“So I made him one.” Twilight gawked.

“I made an artificial limb to help him fly. Trouble was I had to be on him for it to properly work. Unless I was riding him, Toothless couldn’t fly.”

“O-Oh.” A somber voice spoke from just behind them. Hiccup turned to see a small pegasus curled on the ground, looking up to him with sad blue eyes. It reminded him so quickly of a Terrible Terror, kicked and beaten in a cage.

“T-That was very kind of you.” It was more than clear she was uneasy around the pair. Whether it be from the dragon, the boy, herself, or a combination of all three, nopony could tell.

“Hey, thanks.” Hiccup responded gingerly, a touch of shyness of his own. The actions struck Celestia as odd. He didn’t seem to possess any kind of hindrance from speaking to her, bluntly no less. Perhaps it was the kind words spoken by Fluttershy. Compliments. A sad theory, but one that made sense.

“That was quite an impressive display.” Gandalf spoke as he approached the pair. Hiccup had a look of mild surprise on him as the wizard approached, but nothing scared or frightened. “I have seen many dragons in my days, but never a companionship such as yours.”

“Yeah, it’s a new thing I’m trying to start.” Hiccup spoke with a hand against the back of his head. Another action near identical to her ponies that shied away from attention.

He truly was new to compliments.

“Gotta say, that kinda monster ain’t what I expected Fluttershy ta rip outta tha’ portal.” Applejack spoke softly to the unicorn at her side.

“Oh I agree darling,” Rarity spoke in return. “But it does make a fair bit of sense as well.”

“Whatcha’ talkin about?”

“Well think about,” the seamstress began. “According to poor Hiccup, his entire species is meant to do nothing more than hunt dragons.”

“Yeah? That don’t sound too ‘kind’ ta me.” Applejack countered.

“Well of course that’s not, but rising above the social norm to start a companionship with one?” The earth pony let her jaw open slightly in realization. “Exactly. And more than that, Hiccup must have worked very hard to give the dragon back his flight. I can think of nothing more generous or kind. Giving some pony back the thing they hold most dear.”

“Very wise.” Both ponies turned to see the dark princess at their side. Rarity beamed with sparkling eyes at the alicorn’s compliment.

“Why thank you your majesty.”

“Mrs. Rarity.” Princess Luna spoke to the alabaster unicorn’s side, causing her to stiffen quickly. “While the dragon and boy become more acquainted with those of us here, would you like to take the next turn?”

“Your majesty?” Rarity spoke the title in question, unsure if she heard right. The princess wanted her to… sneak a use of the Portal?

“We fear time is running out,” The alicorn admitted almost nervously, almost. “If we wait for all parties to be introduced, then Discord shall use his magic again without us aware, or prepared.” The lunar princess turned her gaze towards the seamstress, earning her rapt attention.

“W… I trust you in this use of the Portal of Souls. You are careful, detailed, and by more than all else, generous.”

The unicorn bit her lip, eyes glancing from the new pair creatures to the misty white portal upon the ground.

“Well go on now Rare’, best be pickin’ while the pickin’s good!” The unicorn let out feminine laugh at her dear friend’s words.

“Yes, yes, alright.” Turning towards her royal monarch, the unicorn gave a small but noticed bow. “Thank you your majesty. I shall do you proud.”

Resolve hardening, she trotted over to the white portal upon the alabaster stone. That was when her thoughts began to flow.

‘What should I think of?’ The question was harder to answer than the unicorn gave credit for. ‘It would be too cliche to think of generous thoughts, too contaminated as well. I might ponder giving away a few of my lesser works and find a soul that embodies creativity… But would that be so bad either?’

Rarity bit her lip as the thoughts continued to dance through her mind. Applejack and Pinkie Pie hardly hesitated when they did this, but here she was working off of all the possible way she could make a mistake.

‘Honestly, I feel like Twilight right now.’ What was meant to be an inside turned into a spark of inspiration, straying little from how her own production line worked.

‘Twilight was nervous as well.’ The alabaster unicorn reminded herself. ‘Princess Celestia had to give the poor girl a few words of encouragement. But…’ Her mind continued to work. ‘But it was Sir Link who gave her the advice she needed. Now what was it again? Oh yes, “think of something that grants you peace.” Now what does grant me peace?’

A million and one thoughts ran through the seamstresses mind. Designing new clothing lines, preparing for social events, relaxing at the spa, having tea with Twilight, playing around with Applejack… Her purple mane shook almost violently to dislodge the last thought.

“You okay sugar cube?” So much for forgetting it.

“Quite alright, Applejack.” Rarity spoke evenly, but not unkindly. “Just having a bit of trouble focusing. This is like preparing a dress for Photo Finish, it must not be rushed.” A small wave of remorse flew through her as she saw her canary coated friend blush at the mention of the designer’s name.

‘I’m thinking on the wrong topics.’ She concluded, turning back to the Portal of Souls. ‘Fashion brings me happiness and joy, but most certainly not peace of mind. What does keep me down to Equestria? Why do I work so hard day in and sundown?’ When the answer came to her, she almost bucked herself.

‘Sweetie Bell.’

The name of her younger sister took over her mind as Rarity focused her hardest on the youngest member of her small family. Spontaneous but helpful, always willing to help out, even with things she wasn’t nearly qualified for. Wearing a brave face as she worked hard everyday to make her big sister, to make Rarity, proud of her. That was a rare kind of peace. The kind that made her heart melt with joy and relief. It was a feeling Rarity never wanted to let go of, but only did so knowing she would find it again.

Holding the memories of her sister close to her heart, Rarity pushed her well curled mane into the white portal.

Begin

“How long do you plan on laughing, Clare?” A tall woman asked with a voice free of malice. Her words were directed to a young girl by her side, no taller than the distance from her waist to the ground. The child was giggling beside herself, petite hands covering her lips as the spontaneous bouts of air fought against her.

“Well, that’s the first time I’ve seen you look like that, Teresa.” The child responded between her fitful laughter. “You looked so surprised when the people were rejoicing.” Her bright brown eyes looked up to the tall blonde woman she adored, a smile fit only for the youthful upon her face.

“Yeah, it was a first, to be thanked in that manner.” Teresa thought back upon her many encounters like the one she just fought through.

She had slain many beasts in many towns, saving the lives of the villagers with every visit she paid. But never once did they cheer for her, run up to her with thanks and praise. It was always fear that met her before, always the nervous words of thanks before the shivering bones of the townsfolk. Appreciated, maybe, but always feared.

“It did feel pretty good,” The tall blonde spoke again, this time earning a mildly confused look from her young companion. “To save people from Yoma without the idea of doing it as a job.”

Teresa felt the bed she sat on shift slightly, earning a glance of her attention. Her silver eyes fell onto her charge, still adorned in her red clothing and looking up to her with adoration indescribable. Silence hung between the two for a moment, but a moment neither could describe as unpleasant.

“Teresa, can I sleep with you?” Before the tall woman could voice a single word, the child curled onto her bed, resting her fragile head upon her muscled thigh, breathing a content sigh that many others would only give if resting on a cloud.

“Hmm?” The tall blonde questioned lightly to the child. “We have two beds. There’s no reason for you to squeeze in with me.” Her words slowly fell silent as she watched the child’s eyes close, her form lulling itself to sleep. No amount of training could suppress the smile that spread across her lips.

“She falls right asleep now that she’s on a comfortable bed.” Teresa spoke to herself, raising a callused hand to the child’s head, resting it on the thick red mane of hair. Her fingers weaved through the long strands, an act just as comforting to her as it was soothing to Clare, or so her content sighs of sleep portrayed.

“Rest well.” She whispered to the child, wishing with all that she had the child would sleep away the nightmares of her past. “We’ll be staying in this town for a while.” Carefully, she moved the petite head from her thigh onto one of the bed’s well-cushioned pillows. A small moan of protest was given, but Clare did little more than stir. Pulling the blanket over her form, Teresa watched pleasant dreams shift across the child’s features.

She stood to her fullest from the bed, stretching her thinly clothed arms above her head. The muscles stretched with only a small groan of pain before relaxing, filling them with relief. With an almost alien sense of peace, the silver-eyed woman looked out of the room’s window, watching the villagers walk by, each wearing their own expression of happiness. Somehow, knowing that she had a part in putting it there, without wish for pay or reimbursement, was… uplifting.

This… life. She enjoyed it.

Traveling from town to town, helping the townsfolk with the monsters, the Yoma, that walked in their midst. Saving their lives to receive their good graces. All the while taking care of Clare. Helping the young child grow in a dangerous world, keeping her safe from the threats that lingered in the dark corners. It was… relieving, peaceful. She could do this. It would be-

Teresa froze.

Her lithe body put itself against the wall just beside the window, looking out of the clear glass no longer with peace, but worry.

“I sense that three abnormal Yoki senses have entered this town.” She spoke to herself in a tone far colder than the soft words she whispered to Clare just moments before. The threat was obvious, Teresa recognized that. The next step was to figure out why it was a threat.

“Rule enforcers sent by the Organization?” The blonde woman muttered, “To get me for my betrayal.” It was hard not to scoff at the word. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to remind herself just why she was innocent, why the Organization was wrong, and why what she did was worth every drop of blood spilt.

Right now, she had to hide herself.

“Suppress my Yoki…” Teresa shut her eyes, focusing her mind in a way that came from only years of training.

“To the limits…” She felt her muscles grow weak, her senses dull, and body lax.

“So they can’t tell where I am…” That was the most important part. If she could her aura from being sensed, kept herself out of the third eye of her fellow warriors, then she and Clare would be safe, at least for another day.

“… but I don’t think they’re that stupid.” She knew it before she even spoke it.

Her, Teresa of the Faint Smile, one of the single most powerful warriors ever created by the Organization, would be hunted by nothing less than the very best they could throw at her. The Yoki suppression may work against the low ranking few, but against the single digits, it would do little more than make them chuckle.

Besides, there were already there.

“Oh well,” she spoke to herself, focusing on the auras already moving past the floor beneath her feet. “Can’t disappoint them.” The blonde woman pulled a chair from the far wall, moving in front of the bed her precious Clare rested on.

There was a fight coming, she didn’t doubt that at all. However, she also didn’t doubt her victory.

After all, she did have something more to fight for.

Her attention turned to the entrance of her room as the wooden door swung open. Metal clicked across the hardwood surface as the equally tall figure entered. She smiled pleasantly at the warrior.

“Yo,” Teresa replied calmly. The other woman was garbed similar to herself, wearing a suit of solid gray, covering her from neck to toe. However, she was also garbed in the protective armor plating that marked their status as warriors. Large solid steel pauldrons, thin well-trimmed faulds, and heavy metal boots, all dyed the same metallic gray. Other than that, the woman looked just like her, aside from one other physical detail.

Teresa’s hair was blonde. This woman’s was silver white.

“It’s been a while, Irene.” She spoke again, calm as ever. She knew this warrior well, from adolescence to the battlefield. They were old friends. “I’m happy you look so well.”

“I’m here for your head, Teresa.” Yep, true old friends. The silver haired woman even kept the same appearance of an emotionless ghost.

“You think you can do that?” It was a taunt, she knew, if she had ever given one before. But she had to see her friend strike first. Her entire battle strategy stemmed from it.

End

Thankfully, her baiting worked.

The wind seemed to vibrate for a moment in the air, chopping gusts of air pushing the odd furnishings of the room. It was subtle, soft, bust most definitely there.

Gashes started to grow across the room.

Large splinters of wood flew from left to right as the floor was torn apart, the ceiling ripped down, and the furniture turned to limbs. But nothing was visible. There were no marauders storming into the small confined area and wreaking havoc, no typhoon sweeping through the chamber. Nothing. Nothing but air.

“Go ahead and do your Quick Sword.” Teresa spoke boringly, despite the heavy destruction ripping through the room. “but don’t get the girl sleeping over there mixed in this.” Ever calm in the lethal environment, the tall blonde rose from her seat, looking towards the motionless silver-haired woman across from her. Despite the destruction around her, Irene had yet to move.

“Don’t worry. It will all be over by the time she wakes up.” Teresa couldn’t help but let her face be painted with a faint smile.

Her silver eyes watched the warrior, but her sense, her soul, something else. Despite how motionless Irene stood at the doorway, it was more than evident the destruction she was causing around her. To her eyes, it was an invisible force ripping through the air like a demon. To her soul, the silver-haired woman as swiping her blade through the air at speeds no eye could track.

It was how she earned her name. Quick-Sword Irene. A pity, really, against anyone else and she would outclass them by leagues.

But her foe was Teresa of the Faint Smile. The only warrior to predict movement of Yoki.

With a loud clang. The destruction ceased.

Irene gaped at Teresa.

The blonde warrior stood before her with her blade drawn, blocking the large claymore in the hand of the opposite warrior. The silver-haired warrior no longer stood at the door way, but now was hunched over near the center of the room. She was so close to hitting her target, to ending this without a moment’s hesitation.

Teresa didn’t even blink.

“What’s wrong?” The former number one mocked to her opponent. “If you're Quick Sword stops flashing, it’s useless.” Irene scowled at her opponent, jumping back before beginning her assault again. Teresa blocked every motion of the blade with all the ease of breathing.

“Well, it has improved a bit from before, but it’s still not quite enough.”

The two silver claymores danced through the air. One attempting to behead her target with every swing and the other casually, blocking every swipe. It was a mission to one, and a game for the other. But the end was the same for either victory. Teresa kept her senses moving, watching with vision beyond her eyes for every swipe of the sword that came her way.

That’s when she felt another blade

‘Below’

She quickly jumped back, flipping through the air as she avoided the blade from beneath the flooring.

“Teresa!” Clare called to her, now sitting up frightened in her bed. Any child would be. The warrior landed just behind her, back to the window and senses trained on the opponent before her.

“Don’t move!” Her soul pushed outwards, sensing the yoki of Irene before her and the unknown warrior beneath her. “Stay still.”

‘Behind’

The window shattered behind them as third sword blew through the frame effortlessly. It never found its target, however. Teresa jumped out of the building, avoiding any danger the blade possessed, Clare ducted beneath her arm. She landed on the streets below, eyeing with her physical gaze the three warriors who had tried to kill her, all bearing similar armor, clothing, and weapons to her own.

All willing to kill.

“No thanks for sending three annoying bitches.” She muttered as she counted them with her eyes, keeping track of their movements carefully. But their eyes weren’t focused on her, the warrior who was clearly their target. They were trained to her right, their left, at something else outside her vision. Teresa turned her head to see what they were looking at, and gasped.

It was another warrior.

“There was another one?” She was young in appearance, even by the eternal standards of warriors belonging to the Organization. No, she was new, brand new. Her hair was short and barely hanging past the top of her neck. She had a small face and large forehead. Inexperienced, most likely on her first hunting trip.

So why was Teresa so nervous about her?

‘Nothing’

“Impossible, I didn’t sense her presence at all.” The warrior stared at her blankly, claymore at her side with an expression as unreadable as her Yoki aura.

“Pleased to be making your acquaintance. I am Priscilla, the new Number Two who has recently received my symbol.” That statement truly threw Teresa off.

“Number two?”

“Please forgive my rudeness, but I am here for your head, Teresa.” She certainly was blunt, no denying that.

But she was also dangerous.

Teresa could not sense the Yoki in her body, the presence of her being. It was as unknown to her as the normal humans around her. She could only see they were there with her eyes, not her senses. This was going to be a difficult fight, and it was going to be a fight.

“Stay away from me, Clare.” The child gasped softly and looked up to her, clearly nervous and frightened about doing such a thing. It was their forced separation that had caused this entire mess in the first place. Turning around, Teresa smiled down to the red gowned child. “It’ll be okay, so don’t worry. Trust what I say. I’ve told you the same before, right?”

The child smiled brightly up towards her. That was all the motivation Teresa needed to fight on. Quickly as she could, Clare left her side, hiding in the alleys between the buildings.

“You don’t have to worry about the child.” Priscilla spoke to the blonde. “When we are finished, she will be taken to the Organization.” The blonde warrior scoffed harshly at the words.

“Truthfully, I had hoped to face you one on one, but my orders are to have me and my comrades take your head.” On cue, the three other warriors from before, Irene and the two mystery warriors, joined around her.

They had circled Teresa.

“I’m sorry Teresa. But you brought this on yourself!”

The air exploded.

The land beneath the four warriors slowly crumbled beneath the force of the released Yoki, the water of the river besides that splashing in waves under the unseen force. Buildings shook, windows cracked, and nearly every other sign of coming storm were present in the town on the cloudless day.

It was a Yoki aura that was indescribable beyond the destruction it could wreck. By appearance alone, the town was shaking. Used in the hands of well-trained warriors, these well-trained warriors, even the Abyssal Ones would be wary to face.

Teresa smiled.

This wasn’t a fair fight.

It wasn’t a fair fight, not at all.

That was the thought she kept in her mind as she stood over the youngest member of her four assassins. The three others lay in quivering pain around the now near ruined city. A pity really, the villagers didn’t do anything but cheer for her when she helped them earlier. But none were dead thankfully. No man, woman, child, or Claymore. The casualty list was zero.

It would end at one. Arguably, a child.

The silver blade in her hand shined with strength above the fallen form of the short haired girl beneath her. The unfathomable strength of Yoki from before was reduced to nothing a kindling flame. A flame doused by the blood and tears of the young child who possessed it.

At such a young age, with such little experience, the child was able to force her to work harder than she ever had before. Using skills and techniques independent of her near vital Yoki sensing capability, and with a sword craft that could match nearly any warrior to date.

In the future, she would doubtlessly be a threat. With some experience, with enough battles, she would outreach Teresa of the Faint Smile, becoming a foe the likes of which the Organization had never seen before.

It was as doubtless as the rising sun.

Priscilla would someday surpass her. When that day came, she would very likely lose her the only thing that gave her life purpose.

Raising her sword above her head, she pushed the greatest of her strength into her arms, preparing to deliver the deathblow. It would be quick, painless for both Teresa and Priscilla. It would keep the former number one safe; protect the child she had broken the rules to save.

But as she kept her blade in the air, a single image kept playing through her mind.

The face of a child in tears filled her mind, holding her tall form close as she sobbed without restraint.

“Damn.”

Teresa cursed herself as the large claymore was holstered in her back. This was the first time in all of her memories she had ever put her faithful weapon away before her foe was dead. But now here she was, disarming herself in the very presence of the only enemy to ever give her a slight moment of self-doubt.

“What’s wrong with me?” She muttered as her hand pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “I must be getting soft.”

“Teresa!” She heard a youthful voice call to her, and she was only too glad to meet the oncoming child. Seeing the youth garbed in red, the self-deprecating emotions fled her.

“Clare,” she spoke kindly as she lowered herself to one knee. “Are you alright?” The child smiled eagerly as she nodded her head towards the tall blonde. She felt a smile crawl onto her own face as well, already blissfully ignorant of the battle she had just survived.

“I’m glad. Can you do me a favor now?” Teresa had to suppress the laugh that was crawling up her face at the child’s eager face and starlit eyes. “I need to make sure these warriors don’t follow us. Can you please fetch our supplies from our room.”

“Yes!” With eagerness only a child could understand, Clare took off for their inn. It gave Teresa a feeling near impossible to describe.

“That child,” she began to speak, silver eyes turning back to Priscilla beneath her. “Is the very reason I have given away everything in my life this far. My ranking, my loyalty, and now, maybe even my self respect.” It was a joke, at least it was meant to be. But no one was laughing, not even herself.

“You killed humans.” The girl spoke in a surprisingly defiant voice, one the tall blonde would not expect from such an utterly defeated foe, especially such a young one.

“I did.” Teresa admitted it without hesitation. “I killed humans to save a human. I broke a rule to save a life.”

“You killed my papa.” That… wasn’t true.

The silver-eyed woman looked back to Priscilla again, wondering not for the first time just how young this woman was. Judging by the severe lapse in memory she just had, this must be close to her first fight.

“You killed my mama and papa.” Those words were quickly becoming disturbing to the former number one of the Organization.

“You must have me mistaken for someone else.” Her tone contained nothing but apathy for the fallen warrior. “Even if, by some chance, you had a relative in the bandits that I killed, I doubt I would feel any differently.”

“But… my mama and papa are dead…” It was quite clear now the child in a woman’s body was crying in the old memory. “A Yoma killed mama, and papa laid down on me as he died too. Why did they have to die? Why did you have to kill them?”

“You’ve lost your mind.” It wasn’t a question. It was clear now that warrior before her was a child in more ways than she originally thought. A novice on the battlefield, a beginner in the art of war, and an infant in the confines of her memories. Teresa drew her claymore at speeds only few could match, pointing the deadly tool at the pitiful form of Priscilla.

“I could end your life, here and now. But I have a reason to live. You cannot take that from me.”

“You took away mine.”

In a flash she couldn’t see, at a speed she couldn’t register, Priscilla was gone. There was nothing in front of Teresa, nothing but a cobblestone road layered with blood and tears. There was literally nothing in front of her.

Not even her blades and arms.

“What?” Confusion. It was so surprising… so odd.

She never felt the next swipe of the sword.

The Racer

Ever the elegant mare among her friends, Rarity withdrew her head from the portal with grace befitting the royal alicorn princesses. Even with a figure draped in mists of white held in the teeth of her muzzle, she was able to flick her head, restoring the bounce of her mane, and trot backwards with all the grace of a dove.

Like handling the gowns and dresses of her boutique, Rarity pulled the misted figure from the portal with care. Slowly, she laid the figure on the alabaster tiled floor. Her muzzle released the misty figure allowing the unicorn to roll her neck.

She held a slight face of discomfort, though none of any serious pain. Her eyes did not water, lips did not quiver, voice did not moan, and body did not fall. Even by the standards of appearance, the mare was perfectly and marvelously pristine. Still, there appeared to be a matter of annoyance for her, as the screwing of her eyes was clue enough.

“Ya’ll alright Rare?” Applejack asked quietly next to the mare, concern lacing her voice. The unicorn nodded a few times before replying to the earth pony with a low voice.

“My… throat.” The mare wheezed with effort as her hoof reached up to touch her tender wind tunnel. “Just… a bit… sore.”

“Ah can tell,” Applejack admitted. “But nothin’ else is wrong with ya? No pain er aches?” The alabaster unicorn shook her head in reply. Clearly, she was not in favor of speaking her concerns right now. “Well that’s mighty fine,” the orange mare spoke with relief. “You go on now an’ rest yer hide, Rare. The girls and Ah can take care of tha res’.” Instead of calming the unicorn’s features, however, the earth pony’s words seemed to cause her friend to scowl.

“I… will not… sim…ply… trot a…way from… my work.” Her alabaster hoof slowly rubbed the white coat above her throat, aiming to soothe the scratchy cords far beneath her touch. “I… always… see to it… that…”

“Alrigh’, alright’,” Applejack interrupted, clearly with unease. She bit her lower lip as she watched the scowl on Rarity’s face slowly fade, returning to a far more calm, if slightly pained, expression. “Don’t go forcin’ yerself.” Her hoof waved in the air as she cajoled her friend. “Ah jus’ don’t wan’ ta see ya fall over is all.”

Instead of pained words, the white mare opted to put a thankful hoof on Applejack’s shoulder giving the farm mare a thankful smile.

“Yeah, yeah, happy mushy times all around.” The rude remark broke the pair of ponies from their embrace.

“Rainbow,” Twilight reprimanded her pegasus friend, again. This time, however, the cyan mare was prepared.

“I know, I know, rude, disrespectful, learn some patience, blah, blah, but seriously, can’t all that wait?” Her hoof was pointing towards the white-misted figure Rarity had drawn from the portal, unmoving and unfazed by the world around it. “I can think of a few things that deserve some more attention right now.” Without another word, the mare flew to the covered figure’s side, fellow ponies and warriors slowly joining around her.

“Is she always like that?” Hiccup asked the canary pegasus at his side, both watching the excited smile on the mare’s face.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy quickly disagreed. “She’s actually very kind and protective. It’s just that, oh, she can be very impatient sometimes. Please give her a chance, I’m sure you two, oh I’m sorry,” She spoke the apology as her hoof stroked the black scales of the dragon next to her, “Three of you will be great friends. Her favorite hobby is flying after all.”

“Well some common ground is good, I mean common air, sky, whatever.” The boy’s hand roughed his own hair in mild embarrassment. Fluttershy simply giggled cutely beside him.

“Miss Fluttershy?” The boy, dragon, and pegasus all turned to the voice of the dark alicorn, looking towards the latter of the three with a gaze filled with authority, but soothed by a voice of kindness. “Do you wish to aid us in releasing Lady Rarity’s find?”

It took little coaxing for the meek and timid Fluttershy to help any life in need.

She trotted close to the Princess of the Night, eyes on the misted figure laying close to the Portal of Souls. Rainbow was already looking over the figure with strained eyes, attempting to see beyond the misty veil of what the creature Rarity had pulled was. She was fruitless in her search.

“May I help, Mrs. Dash?” Jack asked the pegasus as he approached her side. The pink eyes of the mare looked up to the chocolate orbs of the robed man, asking an innocent question with an honest smile. It wasn’t something Dash was used to receiving, even from Applejack.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” She spoke with as much certainty as Fluttershy had courage. Her hooves grapevined to her left, making room for the much taller stature of the man. Carefully, Jack knelt down to his knees, sitting on the ends of his feet as the mist slowly drifted around his legs, harmless as the air he breathed. His hands quickly began to free the white mist of the creature, working slow sweeps across the thick fog. With only a small moment of hesitance, watching the human work, Dash joined in.

As the now far less menacing mist began to dissipate, the form beneath began to emerge. A cloth of white surrounded its body. It was tightly wrapped, and also appeared to be thin. It was little different than the white material that hung clinging to Link, or the current state of Fawkes’ own ripped garments. That swiftly changed.

On various parts of the creature’s form hung solid sections of steel, large and solid in shape and mass. Each small section seemed oddly bright, as if unmarred by any kind of battle or age, freshly smelted from the anvil’s hammer. Some sat on the shoulders of the creature’s forelegs, some surrounding its rear hooves, and the rest hanging from its midsection, cut into foreign jagged patterns.

“What an odd uniform.” Gandalf spoke from his high position, looking over the slowly appearing form beneath the mist, aged eyes curious with wonder. “So little of the body is guarded from attack, and the steel seems far too heavy for any form of agility. It appears all around contradictory.”

“You seem to know a lot about clothes.” Rainbow Dash spoke in a teasing tone, eyes showing her intentions well. “Maybe you can sit down with Rarity one of these days and talk about how awesome frills are with buttons.” It was a good thing for every pony and warrior there Dash wasn’t the best when it came to teasing with words.

“Perhaps another time,” the gray wizard spoke with a dismissing hand. With only a small grunt and a grin as Dash took it as a victory, their eyes returned to the now nearly free creature below.

The head was now plain and easy to see, though the blonde mane that attached itself to the creature’s scalp was nearly as white as the mist that covered it. From what the hall’s occupants could see, it was long, appeared well cared for, and waved in motions like the sea. That was the first detail Twilight noted before moving onto the rest of the creature’s body, listing what she saw in her mind.

Digitized units at the end of the fore hooves, now officially recognized as hands, bare skin absent of any warm protective coat, superior muscle density in the rear legs as compared to the forelegs.

This was definitely another man. However, a few features stood out more than others.

The face was plain and easy to see, so one could notice that it was angled in very subtle curves, smooth and unmarred by stubs of hair or large cheekbones. A smaller and less angled nose sat just above the mouth. But by far the most distracting characteristic of all were the large mounds protruding from the thin tight grey garb across the man’s chest.

All these facts bundled into one solitary fact. Twilight spoke it likely she was reciting a line from a text book.

“This man is female.”

“Well it’s about time,” Dash muttered as she let her eyes fall over the creature. “We’ve been pulling out colts and stallions left and right. ‘Bout time one of us finally pulls out a mare.”

“The correct term is a woman, Mrs. Dash.” Jack spoke politely as ever from behind the pegasus, one hand raised to voice his point. Said mare only gave him a blank stare in return. “If she is female, she is a woman.”

“So… woman is the term referring to females of the species of man?” Twilight asked as she trotted closer to the white garbed samurai, earning his gaze. When their eyes met, he gave her an affirming nod. “Then what is the correct term for males of your species?”

“Men.”

“Yes, that species.” Twilight spoke in agreement. “What are males called in the species of man?”

“Men.” Neither his word nor tone changed. Twilight was slightly irked.

“I know…” She began slowly, “That your species are referred to as men, but what I’m asking is what are the males in the species of men referred to as?”

“Men.” The unicorn’s eye twitched.

“I kno-we know,” Twilight stressed as a lavender hoof motioned over her fellow ponies, “What you specifically are. We know that males and females are referred to in different ways. Now, what do you call male men.” With a serious face and deep breath, Jack spoke again.

“Men.” Twilight wanted to scream.

“As much fun as this has been to observe.” Gandalf spoke to the pair as he approached, “I feel I must intervene before someone is harmed. Twilight,” His kind voice earned the gaze of the agitated pony. “What Jack is saying in such few words, is that males of the race of men are referred to as men. The two are synonymous.”

Twilight’s muzzle made an “O” shape as her coat began to tinge red.

“Wait, so males of the species of men are… referred to as men?” Celestia looked with an equal amount of curiosity. It was not common for any one gender of a species to possess the name of the species as well. At least not in Equestria it wasn’t.

“Indeed so,” Gandalf spoke with a nod of his head, causing the tall pointed hat on his head to wave slightly in the air. “It would be a jest for me to say I know why, but such is the way of things.”

“Now that’s just boring.” Only the newest additions to the foreign warriors were surprised by the outburst of one energetic pink pony. “Calling two things by the same name? What’s so good about that? You gotta be more creative. I know! If she’s a woman,” Pinkie spoke as she pointed a pink hoof to the still motionless woman on the floor. “Then you guys can be mermen!”

“I’ll have to refuse my dear,” Gandalf returned politely, already looming over the much shorter pony. “Old habits fade only with time, and I am in no position nor mood to rush it.”

“Aw, but that’s no fun. What does it matter what time wants to do?” Pinkie Pie questioned with a tilted head and drooping lips. “If everything always stays the same, then you can never find anything to laugh about.”

“I’d take ‘er word for it.” Applejack spoke in agreement from beside Rarity, still nursing her sore and parched throat. “Tha’ mare knows how ta make any pony laugh from Manehatten ta Las Pegasus.”

“Um, yeah, about that.” Hiccup spoke up, Toothless curled around him protectively, though far calmer, on the stone floor. “Shouldn’t we wake up the woman, you know, the female man?”

“Agreed, young Hiccup.” Princess Celestia spoke with volume, “Matters of idle curiosity are best to be settled in later times.”

“But… that’s not what I-”

“It’ll only take me a moment to wake her,” Celestia spoke above the boy, turning towards the blonde woman lying still upon the floor. Her form moved in the same practiced motions they always had in the presence of others, regal and powerful with grace and function.

However, when she stood above the still woman, all her features froze.

“Link.” The alabaster monarch called gently as she stared down at the figure. For the ponies and warriors that could see, the eyes of the princess were undeniably harder. “Please prepare yourself.”

The green clad warrior gave a look of curiosity as he approached, heavy boots moving across the floor as he drew his sword and shield by Celestia’s side. The action did not go unquestioned.

“Princess Celestia, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked her mentor with a voice caught between curiosity and worry, pitched higher than the usual chords of her throat. Though the gaze of Celestia did not turn, she addressed the young unicorn nonetheless.

“I have only now noticed the item upon this woman’s back.” She spoke as her golden hoof motioned towards the figure again. “One that near rivals the size of her already tall form.” Twilight’s lavender eyes moved from her ruler to the motionless woman. It was hard for any details to be seen around the female’s back, her head and chest facing upwards towards the rafters of the room.

However, looking over the blonde’s shoulder, she saw a hilt far larger, though little different, than the blade Link bore. It was only when she looked past the woman’s waist that she saw the end of the blade emerge, barren of any sheath and sharper than the end of the unicorn’s own horn. It was a terrifyingly large weapon.

Before Twilight, or anypony for that matter, could voice their concerns, the princess’s horn descended upon the woman, lighting her already bright garb with the ethereal light. She held a hoof to her eyes as the familiar magic of her mentor temporarily blinded the room.

The unicorn could not fathom the strength and concentration the magic must require, yet Celestia was beginning to cast it with only mild forethought. But then again, she was the Princess of Equestria and Twilight was only her student. It made sense that the teacher should be more skilled than the student.

She felt the light begin to dim throughout the room, no doubt forcing the magic into the still body of the blonde woman. Twilight lowered her hoof to see the light magic of her mentor receding into the uniform of the blonde, fading from view of the occupants of the room.

All eyes watched the woman on the tile floor, as still now as she was before the magic had entered her. Not a leg twitched or muscle moved. Celestia paced backwards only a few trots, readying herself for whatever affect her magic may now have caused. Link also readied himself, crouching behind his shield with sword poised for attack. The stance made Twilight bite her lip. But before she could voice a complaint to the green clad hero, she froze.

The woman gave a light gasp.

The unicorn’s vision returned to the woman, gaze aimed and eyes wide as she lay upon the floor. Twilight blinked to focus her vision… only to see the woman already standing.

Fast… she was very fast.

But that detail was left alone as she looked at the woman’s face, observing the only part of her that was kept from their voyeurism as the blonde slept. Her eyes, or more specifically, the color of them.

The woman’s eyes were the purest silver.

They looked across the room’s occupants, staring at each warrior and pony with quick, but noticeable, pauses. Her blonde mane waved slightly with every turn of her head. Her lips were parted only slightly, breath moving in and out of the airway. She held no emotion in her eyes, only cold contemplation.

But her lips began to move. Slightly, oddly, moving in a motion that no amount of fatigue or stress could cause. There was only one reason for lips to be moving the way that the woman’s were. She was forming words. Simply, she was muttering to herself.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t hear you?” Celestia spoke the question without consult. It earned the gaze of the woman immediately.

She didn’t speak, she didn’t nod or shake her head, and she didn’t do anything except a single action.

She drew her blade.

Instantly, Link put himself before Princess Celestia, blue gaze focused coldly on the blonde woman in front of him. His fist balled against the hilt of his sword, twisting the blade behind its shield. To the princess he guarded, it appeared as if he were getting ready to strike.

The woman must have seen it. She must have thought the same thing. It was the only reason for her actions. There was no other reason to excuse what she did next.

The woman charged Link.

In a flash not even Dash could see, the woman’s large blade impacted Link’s shield.

The green clad hero let out a gasp of surprise as he was forced to his knees, both arms needed to keep the blade from slipping past his guard. The woman looked down at him coldly, standing in a position meant for battle, the blade in only one of her hands. The other was held calmly by her side. To the warriors who watched on, the message was clear.

This woman was toying with Link.

Jack unsheathed his blade, running towards the green warrior’s side to help, but was stopped when the Hero of Time gave a forceful cry. He pushed himself to his feet, repelling the woman from him. A moment of surprise flashed across her eyes, but it was quickly lost as she jumped back.

“You’re stronger than you look.” Her tone as cold as the rocky stones atop the Crystal Mountains. “The Organization must have trained you well.” Were they in a conversation not needing weapons, the ponies may have expressed confusion. But, now they showed actions ranging from anger to fear.

Fluttershy pulled herself next to Pinkie Pie behind Fawkes, the tall Super Mutant holding a hammer the size of a pony in his hands. Toothless pulled Hiccup close to him, the boy doing nothing to repel the action. Gandalf drew his blade from between the princesses, readying himself for battle. Twilight lit her horn, readying the most powerful shield spells she could remember, anything her older brother had passed on to her during his many training sessions. Rainbow Dash was in the air, no doubt staying away from the woman whose speed rivaled her own. Link was the first among them to begin an attack.

He drove his blade towards the woman, tip aimed for one of her muscular thighs. It was quickly deflected as her large claymore batted his much smaller metal sword away. It was only the instincts of his past training that saved him, his shield held up to his right side as he attempted his blow. For the next moment, he felt the woman’s blade impact the outside of his Mirror Shield, sending the Hero of Time into a defensive roll.

The silver eyes watched his movements for a moment, but then stopped with a bounce of her hair. She heard something. In fact, every member of the room had.

“HYAAAH!”

The woman’s eyes looked up to see a man in white falling down to her, blade held above his head in preparation for a strike. She raised her own blade to meet his.

CLANG!

The two swords met with a fierce blow. Jack hit the ground behind the woman after the impact, spinning on his wooden sandals the moment he could. His own blade was readied for the blows the woman began to deliver. When they came, he matched them with his own. The woman’s strikes slowly grew faster and faster, attempting to overpower the man she fought. But Jack did not relent.

Their swords danced against one another at speeds only a few could follow. The solid metal of the blades began to mix into a fluid liquid suspended in the air, sparking with every movement that it made. Many of the ponies and warriors were forced to hold their hooves and hands to their ears. Jack’s fast blade strokes began to strain his muscles, sweat pouring from his form with every spark that filled the air. The woman, however, appeared no more tired than the moment before she attacked Link.

The torment of noise ended with a solid clang.

Jack stumbled back as his blade arm was twisted, hit in a way he did not prepare for. The woman was just before him, claymore raised above her head and preparing herself for a blow against the samurai.

Luna never gave her a chance.

“CEASE THOU ACTIONS!” A hauntingly familiar voice roared as wind pushed against those unfortunate enough to be within its path. The frenzied woman raised her blade to protect herself as the onslaught of words hit her. “SHEATH THINE BLADE OR SUFFER PUNISHMENT”

The blonde quickly let her sword drop as the force left, leaving her with an expression less of shock, but more of anger and curiosity. Resentment. But just as Celestia was preparing herself for another dance of her blade, she was surprised to hear speech instead.

“Odd, a monster begging for mercy as they attack.”

To Celestia, the Elements, and the warriors around her, the words felt more like an accusation than anything else. To Luna, the words carried an insult she hated to hear. Her wings flared violently, horn beginning to glow. Something dangerous was about to occur, that much was certain.

But a disaster was avoided.

Before the woman could swing her blade or Luna could unleash her magic, Celestia surrounded the blonde in her ethereal hued magic. A look of shock appeared on her face for only a moment. When the large claymore in her hand was ripped from her grip, shock turned to anger. When the warriors around her made their presence known, with drawn swords, staves, and hammers, her anger became more controlled, but it by no means vanished.

Link and Jack stood side by side, each of their swords aimed at the woman who demonstrated so readily her ability to cause harm. Fawkes stood in front of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, his large stature hiding all but the faintest traces of the ponies behind his legs. Between Celestia and Luna, Gandalf stood in a stance that betrayed his age, sword held in one hand and staff glowing lightly in the other. Toothless growled fiercely as his tail curled around Hiccup, holding the boy close.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood side by side now, their horns and wings flared with the duty and desire to protect those around them. Violence was not something they enjoyed committing, but it was an act they would perform if so they were threatened. Applejack held back a catatonic Rarity, the unicorn watching the blonde woman with blank eyes and a mortified twist in her lips. She did not voice a word, but to the apple farmer, her concern was as clear as the apples on her trees.

Unarmed and surrounded by warriors near her skill and creatures with magic she could not trace, Teresa scowled in anger, silver eyes casting a gaze no duller than her stolen sword to every life that stood around her. The muscles beneath her white garb tensed, armor shifting as she rolled her arms. She was defenseless and trapped, but she was not going to surrender.

“Enough.” Celestia spoke with flared wings. She stood at her tallest with her magic surrounding her, blinding all eyes that gazed upon, even the silver orbs of the woman who so readily attacked them. Immediately, she had the woman’s complete attention.

“I know not who you are,” She spoke in a cold tone, strong with authority, but threatening with irons. “And I know even less of where you are from. But we are not any foes you once had.” Though her words spoke of peace, neither the warriors nor the blonde woman relaxed.

“Then what are you?” Her voice was bitter, angry. Celestia felt much the same. But she could not show it, not without authority. She was the Princess of the Day. She had to be better than those who challenged her.

“I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria.” She waited only a moment, letting the blonde woman judge her words. “As I have said, I know nothing of where you come from. If by some chance we remind you of foes you faced before, we apologize. However,” Her form grew brighter as she allowed the barest of her magic to surround her. “As we hold no wish to harm you, I ask you to refrain from harming us.”

She did not respond, not immediately. Instead, her silver eyes traced every member of the room. From the few ponies who had the strength and will to fight her, to the many warriors that had armed themselves around her, and of course, the two royal princesses standing tall and regal before her.

But something slowly changed. Her eyes once careful and calculating widened. Her movements became sharper, more sporadic. The blonde mane on her head began to whip as her head turned from one figure to the next, looking at each of them with some growing emotion they could not easily name.

When she looked back to Celestia, however, the emotion was clearer than her sun on a cloudless day.

Worry.

“Clare.” The woman whispered, silver eyes wide and desperate as she looked across the occupants of the room. Confusion swiftly followed the mention of the name.

“Is that your name?” Celestia spoke with a strong voice, deep in tone and vibrating with force. “Are you called Clare?” Desperate eyes met her own. The breath of the blonde warrior was quick and broken, jagged like a shattered blade.

“No.” She spoke as quick as her claymore could fly. “I’m Teresa. Clare is the young child I travel with. Where is she?” She spoke assuming the occupants of the room found her in a gorge, lost and beaten. She spoke as if the girl was separated from her by only walls and vision. She spoke as if this mysterious girl was nearby.

She spoke as if she were still alive.

“You say we are not enemies.” she continued, the desperation being forced from her words, but not enough to be forgotten. “I do not know how I came here, but you must have seen the child with me. She wears a dress of red with long hair of autumn leaves. “

Princess Celestia was no fool or foal to the emotions of her ponies, nor was she ignorant to the pain of mourning and loss. So many of her subjects had been taken from her through the merciless hooves of death or the unstoppable trots of time. It was never a thing to become accustomed to. Neither the action of losing those close to you, or comforting those who had suffered the loss.

The only act she loathed more than comforting those who had suffered the loss was delivering the message herself. It was rare, ill common, but still something she had to weather when all other voices had faded or the courage of other ponies had failed. As a leader, as a monarch, she always had to carry the final hoof in offering assurances or announcing tragic events.

It was never easy.

Even now, after centuries of practice, millennia spent alone in her immortality, Celestia knew neither words nor definite action to deliver the horrendous message she was about to convey.

This was not Link or Fawkes, who came prepared or with little regret. This was not Gandalf, who only awoke with only confusion. This most definitely was not Jack, who found this event no different than many others in his life. It was most certainly not like Hiccup or his pet dragon Toothless, who had, in the very least, each other in their demise.

This woman, Teresa, had many reasons to live, and none of them were with her.

Celestia felt her throat swell. Only practice kept her from attempting to swallow the imaginary ball or release a shivering sigh. This was going to be painful, for all parties present.

“Miss Teresa,” she spoke with a tone only slightly warmer, but with force unhindered. “You are the only woman in our presence. There is no Clare, neither in this room nor throughout my lands.” Lowering her wings only slightly, dropping her tone only moderately, Celestia finished.

“You came into this land alone.” And now the most hated words were forced to be born.

“You came into my land through death.”

The silenced pierced her heart worse than anything she had witnessed that day.

Teresa did nothing. She stared forward without vision, looking at something no occupant of the room could see. Her once stiff muscles loosened, her limbs going limp by her sides. The defensive air dissipated in a manner little different than the white mist that once covered her. Slowly drifting into nothing, leaving behind only the true form of the creature beneath.

The stone cracked as she fell to her knees, metal boots embedding themselves into the tiles. The warriors and ponies tensed for only a moment, but Teresa did not move again. Like a statue fashioned in dyes of color, she was perfectly still. She did not cry, sob, scream, shout, or even move.

She was catatonic.

“Teresa.” Celestia spoke in a voice she could decide upon. Half of her wished to be comforting in this time of clear grieving, the other making her power still known and clear. The silver claymore was kept high against the wall and far away.

“Teresa.” She called again, taking small trots forward. The woman still did not stir.

Plip

If the alicorn hadn’t had seen it, she wouldn’t have noticed it.

Tears.

Tears slowly pattered across the cracked white tile beneath Teresa’s legs, wetting the ground with their volume. Before the warriors were speechless from her skill, now they were silent for her sorrow.

“Are you sure?” No sorrow was kept from her words, any restraint from the torture she felt. “Please, tell me you’re unsure. Tell… tell me Clare can be here... please.” The answer was obvious and plain to the Princess of the Day, but she still found herself unable to speak a truth in what would doubtlessly be a cold tone.

“Is… Clare your daughter?” A question with a question, it was a twist in conversations she disliked to hear, but she disliked these conversations even more. The blonde warrior shook her head slightly.

“No. She’s a child I found, I… I gave up everything to protect her.” The words did nothing to soothe either princess or warrior.

“You were protecting her.” Many eyes turned to see the bearer of the voice, lowered jaws accompanying wide eyes. They watched the skittish pegasus, who only moments before was behind Fawkes cowering in fear, approaching the weeping woman with her own wet eyes. Teresa slowly raised her gaze to look upon the canary pegasus, seeing neither fear or hatred in those deep cerulean eyes.

All the silver-eyes warrior saw was sorrow.

“Y-You… died for her.” Fluttershy stood just before the white garbed woman, the silver eyes of the warrior staring back into the mournful blue orbs with trembling force. “I’m… I-I’m so sorry.”

Without any hesitation, Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around the blonde, pulling herself into the nape of the woman’s neck. More than a few warriors tensed at the action, prepared for the blonde woman to act slightly more than violently. Celestia and Luna found their breath caught in their throat.

Slowly, as if the action was entirely new, Teresa raised her arms. The strong appendages curled around the canary pegasus, pulling the kind soul closer. Her silver eyes were lost in the pink mane of the Element, her gaze hidden from those around her.

The soft cries of her pain were not.

Many of the warriors turned away, knowing well from experience the paths of mourning. Intruding upon the delicate scene would do little good. The youngest of the ponies, unaccustomed to the kind of sorrow they watched overtake the woman, shied away with lowered ears and curled legs. Luna and Celestia were the only of the Equine race to understand the pain of mourning, and the care one had to take when comforting a soul enduring it. Fluttershy was the pony already offering the wounded warrior all the care she could give. The princesses were not needed.

Twilight turned her attention back to the Portal of Souls, no longer looking at it with the mixed sensations of joy and possibility, but now nervous disdain. Of the many warriors they had pulled forth, of the many lives that had been brought back from the dead, this woman, Teresa, was the first to truly break from the experience. Taken from lives that depended on her, forced away from a child she loved… The unicorn swallowed a ball in her throat.

“It’s necessary,” she muttered to herself. “The princesses agree, my friends agree because… because Discord won’t care who he hurts.” Twilight spoke to herself every reason for their use of Discord’s once twisted device. “H-He’ll destroy Equestria, twist it and break it. Now, he may even move on to other worlds.”

Lavender eyes looked to the warriors who now set themselves apart from the sensitive scene in the hall’s center. Link was writing out phrases between Jack and Applejack. Rarity leaning on the farm pony for support, no doubt from the inability to believe she had pulled forth a warrior so broken.

Celestia spoke with Gandalf, out of earshot and with her ears against the golden frame of her crown. Gandalf leaned hard on his staff, the rim of his sharp hat pulled over his eyes. Pinkie Pie sat on the shoulder of Fawkes, who had taken to sitting on the ground again, no doubt from discomfort from his large stature. The pink earth pony was calmer than Twilight could say she had ever seen her before, and it unnerved her.

Hiccup and Toothless stood near Luna, the boy rubbing his small hands over the dragon’s scales in a gesture both found comforting, or so the continuation of the action portrayed. The Princess of the Night spoke lightly to both of them, in a voice that Hiccup’s nervous glances showed was near entering her Royal Canterlot phase.

Dash was the only pony alone.

Her pink eyes were focused on the mourning pair in the room, watching with flexed wings as her foalhood friend and the blonde woman hugged one another in tears. Their sobs were not audible, even to Twilight’s sharp senses, but the image was damning alone.

Dash was the only pony of the Elements who had yet to use the Portal… Maybe… Dash would want to use the portal now.

Twilight approached the pegasus with slow trots, mind working as her body moved. Every scenario of how her cyan friend would react to the news played through her mind. Eagerness, denial, dismissal, maybe even the actions of anger would take over Rainbow. She was a hot-head in the calmest of scenarios, and after what they had witnessed, been witnessing, a sound mind was not the highest of Twilight’s predictions.

When she stood just beside the mare, she waited for Dash to react, to say something, acknowledge her presence. But she didn’t, she continued to stare ahead at the weeping Teresa and Fluttershy, catatonic.

“Dash,” Twilight lightly spoke to her friend, poking her with a hoof.

The pegasus nearly hit the rafters.

“Whoa!” She let out in a quiet cry, looking over Twilight with something between agitation and fear. “What was that for?” The unicorn didn’t speak. Instead, she merely pointed her hoof towards the Portal of Souls, still shifting across the stone floor. The white mist of the portal had never looked so menacing before.

“Oh…” Dash spoke simply. “Okay… alright…” Not a response Twilight was expecting.

“Rainbow, are you okay?” she asked as she put a leg around the mare. She held back a gasp as her hoof made contact. The pegasus was physically shivering.

“No… I… I’m okay, but…” Her pink eyes looked to the hunched form of the only female they had pulled from the Portal of Souls, hunched over the Element of Kindness with small tremors of sorrow. Fluttershy, in the warrior’s grasp, cried as well, wrapping her wings around the thinly white garbed woman. It was a mournful and pitiful sight.

“I know,” Twilight agreed, looking from the unfortunate scene to the cyan mare. “I know. That was hard for all of us to see, but-” Her pegasus friend instantly cut her off.

“That’s not it.” Dash spoke quickly, taking a breath before she continued. “I-I know that stuff happens. My dad… he held me like that when mom passed away. That stuff happens I know, trust me, really trust me, I know. But that’s not what gets me.” Her pink eyes fell back to the white vortex before her. In her eyes, Twilight didn’t see the usual confidence, the overwhelming sense of pride. Instead, all she saw was the emotion she hated to see most of all in the cyan mare.

Doubt.

“W-What if I pull something like that out?” she questioned, head already beginning to shake back and forth. “What if the next thing I pull out starts crying because it didn’t want to die. What if I ruin some pony’s life like that? How can I do that to anypony? T-That would be awful, uncool. Hay, I wouldn’t even be any better than Discord!”

“Dash!” The mare turned her head sharply to see the powerful gaze of her unicorn friend, lavender eyes burning into her own pink orbs. “Never, ever, compare yourself to that monster.” She spoke with a tone Dash had never heard her use before, ever. Not even when she accused Chrysalis of impersonating Cadence.

“You are by far the bravest, most loyal, pony I have ever met. If you think for a moment that anything you do will make ponies suffer, you’re wrong. You’re more careful than Fluttershy when it comes to other ponies.”

“I did parade myself around that one time,” Dash muttered more to herself than Twilight, hoof kicking at the white tiling beneath her.

“Yeah, one time, you got a little big headed, but guess what?” The pegasus just waited. “You were doing it while helping other ponies. You bragged, but you never bullied. You boasted, but you never demeaned. Dash,” Twilight was close to her now. Really close… “You are one of the most selfless ponies in Equestria, and yes, the fastest as well.” She watched the ghost of a smile drift over the pegasus’s face.

“But… what do I do?” The words may have been pitiful, but the tone… Dash was just unsure. Twilight pressed on.

“Just… think of racing,” the unicorn spoke again, pushing for her friend to leave behind the thoughts of Teresa and Fluttershy. She could worry later, but right now, she had to focus about using the portal. It wasn’t the kind of tool to be used on a whim. Pinkie Pie aside.

“Remember how you fly fast enough to create a Sonic Rainboom? Remember how that feels?” She saw the fire returning to Dash’s eyes. “Keep that in your mind, let that feeling give you strength. Remember what it feels like to have forty g’s of force pushing against your body as you pull out of a dive, recall the thrill of having other ponies cheer for you.” She pushed her hoof against the pegasus’s chest, making her point.

Dash was nodding her head in agreement. It was working.

“Rainbow, you can do this.”

“Yeah, yeah I can!” The mare cheered as she beat her wings, lifting herself into the air. “Yeah, I can totally use this thing. I’ll pull out some pony so awesome that... that…” She stalled.

“Uh… that they won’t need to prove how awesome they are!” Twilight watched on, giggling at the antics of her friend.

“I believe you Dash,” she supplied, watching the pegasus land again on her four hooves, facing the Portal of Souls with the familiar fire in her pink eyes, bright and kindled by her confidence.

‘Twilight is right.’ Rainbow reminded herself, staring into the mist as her mind began to work. ‘Racing is the one thing I have to think of. It’s what I live for. It’s all that I am! When I race, I’m happy, I’m excited, I’m alive! I’m more worried than I am at any other moment in my life!’

Wait… That wasn’t right.

‘Afraid?’ The word was foreign to the mind of the pegasus, but it was by no means or stretch of any boundaries a welcome term. ‘No, I’m not afraid. Not at all. There’s no way that I am. I’m just nervous enough to fail.’

There it was again.

Dash angrily shook her head, rainbow mane flipping back and forth against her in a futile attempt to dislodge the thoughts. A curious Twilight watched patiently from her side.

‘Okay… not racing then… now what?’ A million and one ideas flew through her mind at speeds she loved to experience. Flying, racing, wings, clouds, sleeping, Daring Do, Cloudsdale, Twilight Sparkle. Head shake.

‘No, wait.’ The pegasus stopped herself mid head swing. ‘I was onto something there. It’s not just Twilight. It’s everyone! Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, all of them. When I’m with them… I’m happy.’ It didn’t require and shouting declaration, a powerful swing of her body, or even an inner boast to herself. All Rainbow Dash needed to think about were her friends, each and everyone of them around her, already happy and smiling.

‘I just need my friends.’ She concluded with an almost joyful sense of bliss. ‘All I need are the ponies who believe in me.’

With a breath of air, Dash sank her head into the Portal of Souls.

Begin

“It’s an awesome sky.”

The words were spoken through bloody lips.

His body was broken beneath him. Legs bent at odd angles, arms twisted beyond repair, and a rusty liquid leaking from wounds marring his entire form. It was a horrible kind of pain. The kind you couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t like mourning a passing friend, like leaving a long time home, it was the kind of pain a single glance of the eyes could remind you existed. If he looked down at his shattered form for even a moment, the pain would return in force.

So he watched the sky as he let his mind wander to things he didn’t know.

“I wonder how Tails is doing.” He spoke with a wandering mind, his lips already growing numb. “Knuckles, too. I bet Amy and Cream are playing another game with dolls.” He tried to laugh, he really did. But instead, he just coughed blood. Blood reminded him of his wounds, and the wound reminded him of pain.

He felt the pain quickly.

“No, the real question is Blaze.” Blue lids shut themselves slowly before opening again, careful of the thick red liquid hovering over his vision. If he blinked too fast, he would blind himself with his blood.

“That crazy cat is probably sitting in front of Sol Emeralds still. Maybe entertaining the Silver, but probably not.” Instead of laughing he gave a small sigh, avoiding the blood slowly pooling in his lungs.

“How did I get here again?” The answer was more than obvious, at least to his yet to be damaged mind, but any thought was better than the reminder of the wounds littering his body like snow on a mountain top. His mouth moved awkwardly as he recalled the events.

“That’s right, I was running.” What he didn’t have the energy to say was what he was running for. It wasn’t a usual run through the Green Hills, or an agility test through Diamond Zone. No. It was something, needless to say, more life threatening.

To be exact, it was to catch someone threatening other lives.

There was no connection between him and the life in danger, nothing but hearing a plea for help. But that’s what he did. It was one of the many things he lived for. He was given a gift at birth and he used it anyway he could. It just turned out that one of those ways was to help others.

So at speeds few could fathom, he gave chase with a life hanging in the balance.

“Running at the speed of sound,” he tried to sing a jingle at the familiar memory of his speed. Between his broken bones and the blood collecting in the back of his throat, it didn’t quite carry the same catchiness as when he heard it before. “ Oh well.”

Honestly, he thought the perpetrator was going to be his age old foe, Dr. Robotnik. There was almost nothing that the mad scientist wouldn’t try and pull for the hopes of luring the blue blur towards whatever the next death trap he had conjured was. So it could be said he was reasonably surprised when instead of a large man on a hovercraft, he saw a purple weasel.

But that’s what it was.

His name was Nack, as he never forget a name, and he knew that the weasel was working for someone else. He never did have the smarts or courage to pull something illegal off with his own ideas. Maybe he was working for Dr. Robotnik, maybe someone else, it didn’t really matter.

All that mattered was that he had kidnapped a young child from his home, a rabbit no older than five, and was speeding away on a hovercraft with a velocity that most people would need a jet to keep up with.

He wasn’t most people, and he certainly didn’t need a vehicle of any kind.

He had his two legs, moving at speeds that strained the sound barrier. Eyes on the child wailing in fear and the weasel trying with little success to lose him. A weasel throwing profanities left and right during the entire ordeal.

“Man, it is hard to imagine Nack without swearing.” He felt another chuckle beginning to grow in his chest. He opted to swallow a ball of his copper tasting liquid instead, squelching the spontaneous reaction immediately.

For a time, he didn’t speak again, he just let his mind wander back to the chase.

It was through the Green Hills, a place he loved to run through almost twice daily. Plenty of natural obstacles, a few tricks hidden in the rockwork, and lots of wildlife to see in every passing. However, he didn’t have the time to admire the view.

Nack had the young male rabbit in his claws, pushing his hovercraft to the highest speeds as he tried fruitlessly to escape the blue blur beneath him. The look of fright on his face was evident, but the fear was more than clear in his actions. It bode little well for his hostage.

‘Kind of regret that kind of thinking now.’ He thought absently as the memory continued to play in his mind.

He had taken a chance to save the hostage and render Nack harmless. It went smoothly in his mind. Run up the next incoming hill, ball up with his spikes extended as he met the trajectory of the incoming craft, impale himself in the metal, climb up, then knock Nack out while he was either oblivious or stunned. If he could count on himself for one thing, it was his reaction time.

It didn’t pay off this time.

“Really though, I guess I should have given that weasel more credit.” Another footnote to the memoir of his still playing mind.

He had successfully made it onboard the craft, and he had climbed up to see the weasel and hostage face to face.

But Nack was neither stunned nor oblivious to his presence. He had a gun drawn, armed, and pointing at the blue hedgehog with skill all knew he possessed. He always did have a knack for killing things.

The first shot hit just above his collarbone, severing several choice arterioles. The next only skimmed the hedgehog’s side, spinning from the first shot and attempting to avoid the next.

Unfortunately, it forced him to topple from the speeding craft.

Falling was nothing new. Planes, helicopters, aerial platforms, sky forts, even clouds. He had walked and fallen from all of them before. But then, there was always a way to land. Tails may have been there, ready to catch him in his own aircraft, or maybe a canopy of trees with thick leaves and branches to fall on.

This time, he only had the solid earth, meeting him mercilessly at speeds he used to enjoy.

Honestly, really honestly, he wished he could have blacked out on impact. Falling was nothing really new to him. Run across enough terrain in your life and you’ll find one or two slippery substances. A few scrapes, scraps, maybe a broken limb if he was unlucky. But this… was so much worse.

“And here I am.” He concluded the memory of his story, staring back into the sky with eyes nearly empty. “What a waste.” Yet he didn’t regret it, not even now. It wasn’t something he could easily explain, or sum up in a few sentences, but he had tried to before.

But how can you summarize the morals of your life so easily? Don’t kill. Don’t steal. Be a good hedgehog. Those were too broad and open to interpretation, as Shadow had so easily showed through his own actions, with guns. Really, it came down to a metaphor, an example of when all of your morals, all of your goals, all of your dreams, could be summarized in one exact instance. He was finally able to find his.

He would rather die failing to save a life with the help of his friends than walk away peaceful alone.

“Mission accomplished,” he laughed, and coughed, on the phrase. “Or nearly.”

It wasn’t long before his vision began to blur, the shape of the clouds above becoming harder to distinguish, the shades of blue blending together.

“Guess it’s time.” He let his eyes drift shut, filling his vision with darkness. “Well…” He whispered absently, hoping some curious ear listening to the wind would hear his final request.

“Let’s do it again sometime.”

Sonic the Hedgehog was no more.

END

The Assassin and Knight

Luna drew her head from the portal.

She expected an onslaught of some feeling, some pain, some kind of emotion she simply wouldn’t be prepared for. All of the Elements of Harmony before her had experienced such a thing when they drew forth from the Portal of Souls. Tears from their eyes, pain from their muscles, or maybe even as simple as a pain in the head. But they all had felt something.

She felt nothing.

Even as the dark alicorn gently laid the white misted soul over the tiled ground, stepping back to collect herself, she felt no differently now than she did when she first dove into the white device. It wasn’t something she was about to voice many complaints over, but it cause a small seed of doubt to grow in her chest.

Was this misted figure not a soul? Did she draw forth a thing that had never truly lived? Why was she so unharmed but the others experienced pain on varying levels? Perhaps… it was because she was an alicorn? An immortal? Her vision turned to her sister, seeing how the famed Princess of the Sun fared.

She could have fared better.

Sweat shined across her coat, as if Discord had attempted to strike at her during the lunar princess’s brief absence. Pink eyes were wide with fatigue, labored breaths moving through her lips, and alabaster legs shaking as if only moments away from buckling beneath her. No, Princess Celestia did not fare well after her ordeal.

Then why did Luna?

“Are you well, Princess Luna?” The dark alicorn turned her head to see the samurai standing beside her. A hand was present on his blade, the other stretching out, as if to brush against her coat. Her curious eyes met his gaze of concern.

“Yes, but why do you ask?” Luna returned, the curiosity of her lack of pain still at the forefront of her mind. Jack’s gaze fell from her to her sister.

“Because your elder sibling is in pain, many of us feared you would fare much the same.” An honest statement and an honest concern.

“I am well.” She spoke carefully, making sure even as the words left her lips that she truly was of peaceful mind, but especially, of sound body and soul. “Nothing ails me, neither in mind nor body, but what of my sister?” She asked before the samurai could offer words.

“Princess Celestia said that she felt ‘Magical Fatigue,’ though I am unaware of the meaning behind the words.” The lunar princess nodded in understanding. Of course, he wouldn’t know what that was, a being from a realm she had never even dreamed of existing. She, however, was fully aware of the symptoms.

An overheated body temperature coupled with loss of breath and possibly a horn fracture. It only took a quick glance for Luna’s dreaded suspicions to be laid to rest. Celestia’s horn was as straight and sharp now as it was the moment before she entered the white abyss. Speaking of, there were now two new objects in the room.

Just beneath the hooves of both princesses lay white figures draped in mist. Their sizes were little different, and both lay motionless across the stone floor. The mist on either form did not dissipate, and from the looks of it, no pony had begun to free Celestia’s found soul. Instead, several of the Elements surrounded her, asking her if she was alright, tired, needed to rest, and several other pleasantries.

“She will be alright.” Luna spoke the words more to herself than the alabaster garbed man next to her. Regardless, Jack nodded to her words.

“Those were her words to us, though it has done little to stop Ms. Apple and her company from worrying over her.” His words were as true and honest as the cowpony’s own. The lunar mare let out a sigh, returning her sights to the object that lay at her hooves.

Or rather… the figure that lay at her hooves.

“By the sun!” The princess back pedaled away from the figure, wings flared in shock. Jack was by her side in an instant, hand on the hilt of his sword and crouched in preparation to draw. The collective gaze of the warriors and Elements fell on them, only to shift quickly to the form on the ground.

No mist covered the form that Luna had drawn from the Portal of Souls, no dissipating alabaster fog. Instead lay a boy, no doubt barely older than Hiccup. His mane was long and white, hanging to his back and covering his eyes. Odd clothing, even by the standards of the warriors from before, hung against his body, brightly colored and lined with zippers. Nothing about him seemed anything above the ordinary. No weapon on hand, no horrific scar, no oddly shaped appendage, at least to comparison of the warriors that had joined them already.

He seemed… plain.

“Whoa,” Rainbow Dash spoke before any other pony, flying to the boy’s side. “So, the mist just… kinda went away? That happened with the dragon, right?”

“His name is Toothless.”

“Toothless, right, sorry.” the pegasus waved her hoof in the direction of Hiccup, eyes trained far harder on the still form in front of her. She tilted her head as her wings brought her closer and closer to the form. Raising a hoof, she pushed at the strands of hair hanging over his eyes.

“Rainbow!” With an eep of surprise, the cyan mare found herself pulled back once again from the figure on the ground, her tail dragging her across the tiles. She stopped only when her pink eyes fell upon the familiar lavender of the unicorn beside her. “How many times are you going to do that?”

“Do what?” Dash asked Twilight, pink eyes looking back to the still form on the ground. “He’s knocked out, it’s not like I’m bothering him.”

“It’s disrespectful!” The pegasus just sighed under the words of her friend, either too used to it or too bored with the lecture she had received already once before today.

“So that happens often?” Sonic asked, leaning towards the pony closest to him. The mare with orange coat replied back.

“Often ‘nough.”

“Kinda reminds me of some of my friends back home.” He snickered at the memories that surfaced. Applejack gave a nod of her hat.

“Well don’t worry none ‘bout it bein’ borin’ ‘round here.” She gave the hedgehog a bright practiced smile that she so often offered customers in the market place.

“I didn’t think it was going to be.” The cowpony felt him lean in close before he whispered the next part. “But it wouldn’t have been hard to liven the place up if it was.” He gave her another smirk as he finished.

“Yer just like Dash.” Applejack noted with a smile of her own.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Before he could give the orange mare another trademark smile, he felt something bump beside him. A quick glance was all it took for him to realize he had to look a little higher.

“I’m sure Rainbow Dash will appreciate your words Sonic.” Princess Celestia spoke kindly to him, offering a smile far softer than the one he gave her.

“Thanks princess.” The Princess of the Day nodded towards the hedgehog’s words, looking back to the still figure on the ground. His hair was longer than any of the others they had drawn forth, but his appearance showed an age younger than most as well.

“Should we wake the boy now?” The solar ruler turned to see the only woman in the room looking towards the same figure, her blond hair hanging down her back. As long as it was, the boy’s was still greater in length. Celestia forced herself not to shake her head, focusing on such a minute detail.

“Yes, I think it best we do.” Her vision, however, did not turn to her sister, but the figure that still lay at her own hooves. “And yet I cannot take my mind off of what I have conjured.” She heard the armor of the woman beside her clink as she moved closer, regarding the still misted figure beneath them both. Unlike the figure Luna had drawn, the mist clung to Celestia’s draw with no waning effort.

“If you wish, we can clear the mist from this figure.” Teresa spoke in a pitch the Princess of the Day could not say she enjoyed. It was not forced, or pained, or disrespectful in any way. Rather… it sounded haunted, empty. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Oh, she’s just worried Teresa.” The voice drew the vision of both princess and warrior. The subject of the gaze gave a small sound of fright before forcing her pink mane over her eyes. “I-I’m sorry, I-I shouldn’t have spoke, oh, please just forget everything I said.”

“Now now Fluttershy, you have offended no one.” Celestia spoke with a kind voice, reaching down her long neck to gently prod the pegasus’s side. Blue eyes peeked out from beyond the cascading mane. “You were correct though, I am worried for Teresa,” she turned her attention back to the blonde woman as she spoke. “Though I must admit, I have never been forced to travel across dimensions before, let alone through the means by which you were forced to endure.”

“I am not used to this, and I have told you that.” The tone of the voice did not change. “But I am still no threat to you, either of you.” Her gaze shifted from alicorn to pegasus, neither shirking or cowering beneath the gaze of her silver eyes.

“Nevertheless, I extend my aide to you, Teresa.” Celestia spoke again. “But… I am curious of what lies behind the mist of this figure.”

“As am I, your highness.” Gandalf spoke upon approach, staff in his hand used for support. “But I will wait for your decision of action.” The smile was clear on his lips, even through the thick beard upon his chin. The Princess of the Day smiled in return.

“I would like to and do plan to, but I feel it would be best to awaken the boy Luna has brought forth before we reveal this form to the realm. After all, I can think of few ways to convince a disoriented warrior he is among friends if a figure lies still and unmoving on the floor.” She felt a smile pull on her lips as the aged wizard chuckled in tune with her joke.

“A fair point indeed, and wise decision at that.” Teresa nodded in agreement, face as unmoving as before. Any change in demeanor Fluttershy may have had was hidden beneath the blanket of her pink mane.

“You are all so loud.”

All voice ceased.

The white haired boy on the ground stirred.

Slowly his body hunched forward, arms pushing against the tile ground. His legs flexed, pulling them closer to his body. His hand rose to cover his head, fingers grasping at the temples of his skull. The digits slowly circled across the skin, twisting the strands of hair that hung in the way. He let out a breath of air, one of relief to Celestia’s ears.

His hand fell from his face, falling back to the floor. Giving a grunt of force, he pushed himself up, standing to his tallest among the warriors and ponies that surrounded him. Turning, he looked towards them through his hair. No emotion of shock, surprise, or awe overcame him.

Only confusion.

“Where am I?” His tone was even, flat, but not dead. Tired, not apathetic, not uncaring, closer to bored if anything. Celestia gave her head a light shake. Her mind was rambling again. The fatigue of pulling her catch from the Portal must not have worn off quite yet.

“You are in the Kingdom of Equestria.” Princess Luna spoke, trotting forwards towards the boy. She stood only a few fractions of a hoof taller than him, but was taller nonetheless. “I am Princess Luna, the Guardian of the Night.”

She could see the traces of blue beneath his white bangs, regarding her with curiosity. There wasn’t disgust or absence of believability in his gaze. They just watched her, most likely to memorize her details.

“Thank you.”

“That… is it?” Luna twisted her head in curiosity, keeping her gaze centered on the child. He did nothing more than raise a hand to the back of his head, eyes falling to the floor.

“Thank you… your majesty?”

Luna was finding the ability to keep her jaw up harder and harder.

“Is something wrong?” Again, right there! He asked the question so easily. How? The others may have been accepting, but none were so outright unsurprised. Even Jack, who only required a moment of apology, didn’t understand who or what they were. Yet… this boy seemed to know without more than a bit of knowledge that he was in their land. What was he?

“W-I am… confused.” The Luna Princess admitted with a head that nearly sagged. “Are you not… surprised about your whereabouts?”

“Surprised? Yeah, a little, but not really surprised.” He took a small bow towards the monarch, hand below his naval as he did so. “My name is Riku, and I apologize if I intruded upon you in anyway.”

“It is… a pleasure.” Princess Luna spoke again, still walking upon hallowed ground. “So, this is… not new to you?” Luna ventured towards him, trotting ever closer to the curious boy. Though his eyes were concealed mostly by the alabaster strands over his face, the piercing blue of his orbs was unmistakable. He offered the princess his gaze before he spoke a response.

“Honestly no,” his response was as toneless and flat as it was when he first woke up. “This has been happening for… years now I guess. I just usually have more control over it.” If he registered the look of shock upon the face of Luna, he gave no indication otherwise. Instead, he turned from her, head tilted back as his eyes scanned the rafter high above him. “This place reminds me of The King’s Palace.”

“The King?” Riku, turned to new voice, a lavender mare with a curious look in her eyes not far from her own. “You have a monarchy where you live?” He stared at her for just a moment before shaking his head in response. But, he stopped, looking to the side as he did so.

“No… but we sort of do.” The look of bewilderment on Twilight’s face was enough to tell him to elaborate. “I don’t know how much you guys know about the other worlds out there, but I can tell you know more than the average person.” His hand pointed towards the samurai who had greeted him with the dark alicorn, gaze unchanged as he regarded the boy.

“Point is, I know there is more than one world. There’s like, a collection of them. Hundreds of different worlds that each has their own story, the only thing they share is the sky. But, there’s one world that has a larger understanding of the rest of them. The King there, King Mickey, is like a guardian for the other worlds. He is able to find a way to stop things that try to threaten the worlds.” He let out a laugh as he finished his sentence.

“I… must have missed the joke.” The unicorn spoke.

“There wasn’t a joke, just thinking of how ridiculous this must all sound to you.”

“You’re a little outside the ballpark on that one.” Eyes moved to the blue blur standing in the crowd, arms crossed and giving a grin only the ponies could say they recognized. “I mean, look around. These are magical talking ponies, capable of magic and flight, battling something they described as basically god, drawing out people from that portal over there, and you think any story you come up with is going to sound any crazier than what’s already happened to them?”

Princess Celestia, body nearly recovered from her ordeal, nodded her head with a satisfied smile at the hedgehog’s words. As he had spoken before, his words rang the bell of truth with a blunt hammer.

“Point taken.” Riku returned, “It’s just that I’m usually more prepared for this.”

“You mean you can predict your trans-dimensional travel locations and times?” The words silenced Riku quickly. Shaking her head, Twilight tried again. “You know how to do this by yourself?”

“Well, yeah.” He spoke plainly, raising a hand to his eye height. He regarded it like a brand new object. “I mean, it can’t be that much different than what you’ve done, right?”

“I’m afraid it is.” Riku looked to the Princess of the Night again, her face sterner than before. “You described the worlds before as all being within sight of one another, correct?” The white haired boy nodded. “That has changed for us.” Though it was beyond the vision of any pony or warrior present, the boy’s eyebrows rose.

“I don’t really understand what you mean.” Luna looked away for a moment, searching for an answer that would satisfy him. She took in a breath of air before continuing.

“When you say that each of these worlds share the same sky, then I assume that you can see stars, correct?” Again, he nodded simply in response, unsure of where the dark alicorn was going. “Discord, the being of which Sonic mentioned in only passing, demonstrated to us the depths of his powers once more. Equestria, our kingdom, no longer exists in the plain of existence that many of us know.”

“I really don’t mean to interrupt your highness,” Riku spoke with a small raise of his hand. “But, I’m not getting what you’re trying to say.”

“I mean to say that Discord has taken Equestria from the realm of the living, and moved our entire land into the pathway between the living and dead.” The boy had a face of shock about him, mouth open and hand spreading from his sides, but Luna was not finished. Pointing a hoof at him, she drew what she hoped to be the point home.

“To have come here, Riku, you must have died.”

Where Riku was shocked before, now he was frozen. With his mouth still fallen open, his eyes hardened to sharp glass, staring at the dark alicorn with a gaze she both loathed, but understood.

“Where is Sora?” The question was not what either princess or any pony expected, or understood.

“I’m sorry, but I do not understand.” The Princess of the Night kept her voice neutral as she spoke. Dangerous ground was approaching, and she needed to tread carefully over her words and tone.

“Sora.” He spoke again. “About my height, sharp short brown hair, black clothing, most likely smiling. Ring any bells?” His tone had grown dark quickly, and Luna knew it was would take only one misplaced word to send this boy off now.

Her eyes looked to Celestia, watching the elder alicorn stare at them both. Her pink eyes were hard and focused, wings flared and legs bent. She was prepared should the worst occur. Luna’s eyes, however, fell to the figure at Celestia’s hooves, the other misted figure.

‘That could be Sora’ She noted the possibility, but there were many more possibilities. ‘But telling him such would only create an assurance I cannot guarantee. It would be too temporary to possibly work. I need to calm him down, else I discover in a most unfortunate method as to the tools of his trade and depths of his power.’

“Riku,” Luna spoke carefully. “You are the only one I drew forth from the Portal of Souls. I do not know how you came to be-”

“The Door of Light.” He spoke the words so fast, Luna almost missed them.

“What is the Door of Light?” Riku swallowed, fists clenching as he spoke.

“The Door of Light is a pathway that only the light of the worlds can open up. It is a path created by the hearts of worlds to grant those who pass through it safety, but also guiding them to where they are most needed to be. It is what King Mickey used to escape Kingdom Hearts, and it is what Sora and I used to escape The World That Never Was.” Luna took a breath before she spoke, but she already knew what she needed to say. It was obvious to her now.

“Is it so hard to believe that you were guided here then?” She let the question hang, letting the boy think over the words as she continued to phrase the point in her head. “Is it so impossible for you to believe that you were called here, and perhaps, he was called elsewhere?” Riku bit his lip.

He understood her point.

“That’s not what we wanted.”

“I can count the number of times fate has worked in the favor of desires with only my four hooves.” The princess let her tone carry a carefully planted seed of anger. If it grew properly, the boy would believe her anger directed at the threads of fate. Should it flourish, he would understand she had fallen victim to those ties before. Riku did not appear to be a boy lacking in knowledge.

One of his hands rose to his head again, rubbing the temples as he had before. He didn’t like it, she didn’t expect him to. But he had to accept it, she needed him to. With deep sigh, he spoke again.

“Why me?” He asked the fruitless question. “What about me is so... cursed by fate?”The Princess of the Night did nothing to conceal the sigh that fell from her lips.

“I do not know, Riku.” Luna spoke in an even tone. “I know just as well the reasoning behind fate’s whims as I do machinations behind life and death.” Princess Luna trotted forward, letting her voice fall back into that of a caring soul, a kindred spirit if possible. “I took no pleasure in pulling you here, but please understand that I, neigh, all of Equestria, needs your aide.”

“With what? Discord? He sounds powerful, but what makes him… well, evil?” Much brasher than before. Then again, he had a perfectly legitimate reason to be. With a sigh of regret, the dark alicorn continued.

“Discord is the embodiment of chaos and disharmony. He is an immortal draconequus, a creature built from the parts of many creatures. Equestria, the kingdom my sister and I rule together, is the symbol of peace and harmony throughout all lands. Discord has attempted multiple times before to overthrow and change this kingdom into his own twisted version of reality. But now… he has crossed lines no pony knew existed. The Portal of Souls,” she motioned with her hoof, “is just one of the creations he has conjured and we need not think hard that there will be more. Already has drawn forth a man closer to a monster. The destruction of this hall was his doing and his doing alone.”

“But you stopped him.”

“No, he stopped him.” Luna’s wing pointed towards the Hero of Time, watching the conversation from a far wall, arms crossed and gaze as sharp as Riku’s own. “His name is Link, and he hails from a land known as Hyrule. In desperation, I used the portal to draw him here, and he saved us from the beast, though nearly at the cost of his own life. But… the creature Discord brought forth was done so with little more than a thought and a few simple actions. If he were to strain himself, to truly break the bonds of reality to dust, we all know there would be little we could do alone.”

“So you went asking for help?”

“In a sense, yes.” She raised her hoof to him. “Can you help us? Do you want to help us?”

Riku looked at the crystal clad appendage like a bird would a viper. His breaths were deep, eyes unblinking. He wasn’t a fool at all. He knew any deal he made with royalty would be far spread and well known. He could not break from it, hide from it, or do anything against it.

Then again, what reasons were there for him to even think of such a thing?

Raising his hand again, he grasped her hoof.

“I will help you in any way that I can, your highness.”

“Well that’s a relief!” Riku back pedaled as a large pink object jumped into his vision, bright blue eyes staring only centimeters away from his own. “I mean when I first saw you I was ‘WOW’ but then you were so quiet I was all ‘UH’ but now that you’re here to stay I’m all ‘YAY!’”

“I…uh, what?” The white haired boy took two steps back. Pinkie only took it as an initiative to take two hops more.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself.” Still hopping to his height, up and down, The pink pony held out her hoof to the teen. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I can’t wait to be friends with you.” By more of instinct than want or need, Riku reached forward and grasp the hoof moving in front of him.

“Riku…” He didn’t have to move his arm to shake her leg, her bouncing took care of it for him. Her mouth opened, doubtlessly to begin another tangent, but stopped. Instead, she stood still on the ground, looking forward with a gaze completely different than before. Instead of bubbly excitement bouncing her blue orbs, her gaze was focused on nothing. Gently though, she began to whisper.

“Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch.” With every action she spoke, her body repeated it.

“Wait… wait, what?” If Pinkie Pie heard the boy speaking to her, she didn’t pay it any mind. Instead, her large blue eyes scanned the room, looking past every warrior and pony her eyes fell on. When she stopped, she pointed a hoof outwards, aimed towards a far wall.

“Watch out for opening doors!”

Link blinked.

The grand doors to the hall flew open, crushing him.

The collective gaze fell to the now open doors. Between the two mighty structures stood forms more than just familiar to the ponies in the room. Twilight knew them both better than most.

“Shining! Cadance!”

“Twilight!” Both ponies shouted as they galloped into the room. No sooner than a few hoof falls later did they freeze with wide eyes upon the crowd. The Princess of Love flared her wings. The Captain of the Guard lit his horn, eyes narrowing upon the strangers that littered the crowd.

“Shining Armor.” The voice earned the immediate attention of the alabaster unicorn. “Release your magic at once. There are no spells that need casting here.” His blue eyes scanned the crowd again looking towards every unfamiliar shape that stood within it.

Standing on two legs, holding weapons in their hands or strapped to their backs, and all watching him with gazes that ranged from curious to cautious. The Captain of the Guard released tense breaths with every passing moment, horn remaining lit.

“Sweet heart.” The voice of his wife whispered next to him. “I think you should listen to my aunt.” Their gazes locked, the princess’s kind and caring eyes staring into the militant stare of his own. He released another breath of air. Slowly, the light from the tip of his horn faded away.

“That was not the best way to enter, was it?” Shining Armor asked with as joking of a tone as he could manage. No pony laughed. “Didn’t think so.”

“No, not it wasn’t.” Twilight shook her head as she trotted next to her brother. “But it is good to see you again, and you too Cadance.” She nuzzled her brother, who locked a leg around his younger sister’s form. The pink alicorn joined in, rubbing her cheek against Twilight’s own. “So, um… how did the two of you get here? According to the Princess, you were in Fillydelphia and Manehatten.”

“News of an attack on the castle travels quick.” Shining Armor explained, releasing his younger sister. “Plus, being Captain of the Guard does help. The fastest pegasi in the country got me here as soon as the alarm was raised.”

“The Wonderbolts!” For what was now a third time, Rainbow Dash flew herself close to the newest entrant of the hall. “Oh colt, if you got those guys to fly you here I’m just surprised you didn’t get here faster. I mean seriously, how were you able to handle those kind of speeds? I didn’t think unicorns could handle that kind of stuff.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight practically cried at the brash nature of her pegasus friend, again. She stopped, however, when she heard her brother chuckling above her.

“You’d be surprised what a unicorn is capable of once they go through training for the Royal Guard.” The lavender unicorn didn’t need to look to know that her brother was smiling. “Besides the better story belongs to Cadance. Once she caught wind of what happened, she just up and teleported here.” The pink alicorn at his side smiled as well, eyes half lidded as she looked into his own.

“It’s helpful being a princess.” Was all the response she gave to the silent question that hung in the air. “But, I think there is more to talk about than just how Shining and I got here.”

“Indeed, there is.” Celestia spoke in agreement, but her gaze turned from the Captain of her Guard and niece. “Link, are you alright?”

“Link?” Cadance and Shining spoke in unison.

Their question was answered by the door behind them closing. A small turn of their head and they found a being, appearing little different than the rest of the creatures that were in the hall, garbed in green with a dulled claw over his face. His other appendage was pushed forwards in front of him, doubtlessly to shut the door that once rested on him.

“Tsk, tsk Link.” Pinkie Pie spoke up, bouncing over to the Hylian. “You should never ignore my Pinkie Sense, it’s always right.” The digitized appendage over his face fell low enough to show his gaze to the pink pony standing beneath him. It could very well have put the Stare to shame. “On second thought, I think you’ve learned your lesson.” With that, she dashed back to the group behind her, jumping up the large form of the Super Mutant Fawkes.

“Oh dear, are you alright?” The hero’s vision turned to the alicorn with a coat color scarcely different than that of the pony from before. “I didn’t know you were there. I apologize if the entry of my husband and I caused you any… harm.”

Link regarded her silently, hand slowly falling from his face. There was no mar over his features just as there was no blemish over her own. Her eyes reflected genuine concern for him, betraying no word she spoke regarding his well being. He let a small smile grow on his lips before nodding towards her.

“That’s good.” Cadance released a sigh of relief. “So, your name is Link. Where do you come from?”

“I’m sorry to say he cannot speak, my niece.” Princess Luna spoke, approaching the pair. Shining Armor was not far behind.

“Your majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is going on? Not just him,” His head motioned towards the green clad Hylian. “But all of them!” His hoof waved over the crowd. Each member of the crowd that did not belong to the collective of ponies shifted in some manner. Some stiffened themselves, prepared for the worst of words or actions, reaching for tools or weapons they had on person. Others scratched their heads, knocked their shoes, or didn’t move at all.

“There is quite a lot to explain, isn’t there.” Celestia admitted aloud, eyes also looking over the group collective. “And we haven’t much time to do so at that.”

“Why not?” Princess Cadance asked her aunt, moving to her elder’s side. “Please, what has happened?”

“Have the guards told you nothing?” The question returned a question, but it was one that required little effort to answer.

“No,” the pink alicorn replied with a shake of her mane. “Most have been attending to the injured or securing other sections of Canterlot from attack. All that we know is that a powerful enemy was able to invade the castle and threatened not only you and Aunt Luna, but all of the Elements as well.” The concerned gaze she gave Twilight was both expected and unavoidable.

“Then let me make this clear before anything else.” The warmth Celestia offered before slowly chilled beneath the weight of her words. “Discord has returned again.”

“What!” Cadance and Shining Armor shouted in unison, shocked and worried eyes looking up towards the Princess of the Sun.

“Yes, and it appears he is far more threatening in his nature than he was before. After he appeared to announce his theft of the Elements of Harmony, he took credit for robbing the night sky of all its stars.”

“Why would he do that?” Shining Armor asked, keeping his tone even as he could. The slightest bob of fear was present, however. Celestia paid it no mind.

“To place us in the plane between the living and the dead.” The gazes of the two ponies stood between awed and horrified. “His reasoning for doing so was both simple and complex. By his own words, he wishes to destroy all of Equestria, but that doing so by his own hand would be part of this… cycle, as he puts it. For every time chaos rises, harmony will fight and triumph. He hopes to break that cycle by bringing in elements that do not belong in our world.”

“You mean like them?” Shining Armor asked again. He did not need to motion with any part of his body to make clear who he was referring to.

“Yes, like them. However, we were the ones to bring them here.” Cadance moved to speak, but her aunt continued. “The device that Discord had created rests over there.” Her hoof pointed towards the billowing cloud of mist, swirling atop the tiled floor of the damaged hall. “Originally, it was blacker than night, and used only twice while in such a state. He used it once to bring forth a man with monstrous strength and capability. Luna then used it, in an act of desperation, to bring forth a warrior of stout courage, whom you have already met.” She looked beyond the pair, to the green clad hero behind them. He waved in recognition.

“So, Aunt Luna used the portal to summon Link to battle this… monster?” Celestia nodded.

“The monster’s name was Kratos, but he was closer to a creature of Tartarus than anything else we have seen before.” Princess Luna spoke in place of her sister. “With Link’s aid, we were able to best him, and send him to the mountains far to the north. However, Discord was quick to remind us that he would be doing more than simply summoning more dangerous creatures into our realm. When he departed, he left his device here. Since then, we have all made use of it. Even Celestia and I.”

“Indeed, in fact,” the Princess of the Sun trailed off as she turned from the pair of ponies in front of her. “I think I can show you how one of the souls comes through the portal…”

“Oh, sorry, but that’s already done!”

The ponies and warriors looked to see the pink pony standing over the now mist less form, smile as bright and blissful as it ever was. Fawkes crouched to his knees just behind her, still standing taller than Celestia herself. Any words any warrior or pony had for the pair were killed when they saw the creature beneath them both.

It was a child again, at least by the appearance of height, but one that had doubtlessly seen fights before. A large scar in the shape of an “x” was lain across his chest, muscled but bare. The only clothes to adorn him were thin pieces of fabric over the upper portions of his rear legs and an even thinner red sleeveless jacket about his torso. A wooden substance was also tied to his feet, held in place by small strings that weaved between his toes. But aside from the garb he wore and scars he bore, there was one facet about the thing that none could turn their eyes away from.

The straw hat upon the boy’s head.

It appeared weathered and old, but sturdy as well. It covered most of his head, hiding any mane he may have beneath the thick dry strands. A red loop of fabric hugged the hat tight, separating the dome in the center from the flat lid that surrounded it.

“How odd,” Rarity noted as she looked over his form. “Wearing food as a form of fashion. Though I suppose if one is in abundance over the other, it would make do. And I must say he pulls off the look rather well.”

“Ah’m pretty sure he ain’t wearin it ta eat Rare.” Applejack noted bluntly next to her unicorn friend. “Hay is good fer more than just eatin’.”

“Oh of course it is, but I have never seen it used as an object of fashion before. Why, just imagine if I attempted to use your apples as some sort of gown. It would be ghastly!”

“Um, excuse me?” Both turned to see a robe of gray behind them, leading upwards the olden form of Gandalf. “Is now really the best time to be thinking of… food and clothing?”

“No… No, yer right.” Applejack admitted with a tense sigh. “Call it a bit of a habit ‘tween the two of us.”

“Discussing food?”

“Nah, I mean just talkin’ and rambin’ as a whole. Jus’ somethin’ we do ah guess.”

“Perhaps it would be best if we woke the boy up before speaking more on the subject of food or other delicacies.”

“Ugh.” The straw hat boy muttered. The group collective turned to look at the child on the floor, eyes squeezing shut as the digits of his hands flexed. He was already waking up. His mouth moved without sound, curling, twisting, and opening in shapes that none could recognize. But then slowly, finally, he uttered a simple sentence.

“I’m so hungry.”

Pinkie Pie could not stop herself.

“Hee hee hee hee ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HA!!” The mare collapsed to her side, legs shaking with shut eyes as she let loose the barrage of laughter spilling from her lips. Fawkes above her scratched his head at the display, assured she was okay only by the peal of giggling noises she made.

“Uh… are you okay… Pinkie?” The Super Mutant asked, bending low to a knee towards the pink pony.

“I’m fine, but I mean c’mon!” She pointed a pink hoof towards the mutant towering over her, smile as bright as ever. “How many of you guys woke up hungry?” Not a hand rose among the crowd. Instead, eyebrows rose in question. The pink pony didn’t pay them any more mind than she did the gazes of the ponies back in Ponyville. “Oh! Maybe I can make him a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ cake, or maybe some ‘Good Morning’ cupcakes. The twins love those.”

“Pinkie, I don’t know if now is a good time to be making sweets.” The blue eyes of the earth pony found the owner of the voice in a second.

“Why not?” She asked, quickly dashing over to her lavender coated friend. “Is there something wrong with them? I use them for greeting parties, celebration parties, welcome parties, farewell parties, birthday parties, never had them for reborn parties, but this could be my first time!” Her smile was a blissful as ever.

“What are we celebrating?”

“The newest member of our group, duh!” Pinkie Pie turned her attention to the newest addition of the conversation.

“Who’s that?” With a jab of her pink hoof, the earth pony spoke her answer.

“You!” Her flat ended appendage landed on the scarred chest of the boy.

Only then did the rest of the warriors realize he was awake and aware, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and speaking to the pony in front of him as if it were no different than any other day. The boy, didn’t seem any more confused than Pinkie Pie herself.

“Really? What’s new about me?” A smile began to work its way across his face. His hand rose to brush his forehead, making the straw stitched hat on his head falling backwards to reveal the locks of black hair beneath.

“You’re completely new!”

“All of me?

“All of you!”

“What’s new about that?”

“You’re new here!”

“Where’s here?”

“Equestria!”

“So I’m not… dead?”

Silence reigned through the hall.

The bubbly atmosphere of Pinkie Pie vanished beneath that one question. There were so many things she loved to joke about, turn upside and make into a bright and shining silver lining. But… death… she didn’t know what to do.

“Perhaps I can elaborate on this.” The boy looked up to see the figure of a dark alicorn approaching him, wings flared and eyes narrowed on him. He didn’t seem any more shocked than when he started speaking to the pink earth pony. That is to say, not at all.

“Okay, but I do still get cupcakes and cake?” And just like that, Pinkie Pie’s switch was flipped.

“Oh! Of course! I can make any kind of cake! Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, ice cream, cotton candy, apple cider, moon patty, carrot, cheese, rainbow, sparkle-”

“That is… enough,” Luna spoke gently to the energetic pony, currently bouncing with every flavor she listed. “Once introductions are included, maybe then we can discuss… sweets.” Both boy and pony smiled cheerfully at the news. “But as for now, there are questions that need to be asked.”

“Okay, like what?” The dark haired boy stood to his tallest as he asked the question, eyeline reaching just above the dark monarch. Luna repressed a sigh. She was too used to standing above her subjects not to be surrounded by nearly a dozen foreign creatures that easily towered over her.

“To begin, what is your name?” Princess Luna spoke with the same air of caution that she used with Riku. Both were children in her eyes, but this one seemed far more aloof than the white haired teen. This teen, however, smiled with a grin that would have split the muscles on her face, should she have tried to match it.

“Me?” He asked again, putting a thumb to his scarred chest. “The name is Monkey D. Luffy, Luffy for short, and I’m going to be King of the Pirates!”

And just like that, all the tension in the room returned. If there was one talent this boy had, it was shifting the atmosphere in the room with a near whimsical speed.

“A pirate?” Luna held no bars in adding a tone of violence in her voice. Pirates were not a common thing in her land, but they were far from a myth. Groups that varied little different than bandits, attacking traders or travelers in open waters or above in the air. Cowards of battle, as she was more used to calling them, ambushing the helpless and running from the strong.

How had her sister, the most noble and dedicated pony in all of Equestria, possibly brought forth a being that wanted to rule these kinds of souls? There had to be a reason, Luna just had to find it.

“Yup! That’s my dream since I was little.” His grin had yet to fall, despite the cautious air that had come with his declaration.

“And why is that? Do you not know the evil deeds pirates are known to commit?” He shook his head, grin never fading.

“Course I do, but why would I want to do those things?” Again, for the third time, in what was easily less than a minute ,the air of the room shifted. From worry towards his death, to caution towards his dream, and now confusion as to its meaning.

“I… don’t understand.” Luna admitted. Luffy smiled before explaining.

“A pirate’s life is one of adventure. Being able to sail the seas and find all different kinds of treasure in the Grand Line. My dream is to find One Piece, the Ultimate Treasure from the Last King of the Pirates. When I have that, I’ll prove to Shanks, to everyone that I am the King of the Pirates.” Several terms evaded knowledge in the mind of the alicorn, but the message was clear as glass.

“So you do not enjoy… the ambush and harm of others?” For the first time, her words caused the boy’s smile to fade.

“Nu uh, no way. “ His crossed over his chest before pushing themselves out to their fullest. “That’s not fun at all. What kind of adventure is it to hurt others? The whole point of having an adventure is discovering the unknown while laughing along the way. If you all you do hurt others, then you’re no longer on an adventure.”

‘Interesting/” The Princess of the Night noted as he spoke. ‘He cares not for the harm of others. Perhaps, but the blessings of Celestia’s Sun, he may wish to help others as well.’

“What if I told you there was a being that wished to harm others, what would you do?”

“Depends, who is it hurting and why is it doing that?” His hand was behind his head, rubbing the short dark locks of hair that rest there.

“Innocents, and because he enjoys it.” Celestia spoke in her sister’s place, walking to her side. Luna spoke nothing against it.

“Then I’d stop him.” Both sisters smiled at the words.

“Do you want us to tell you how you got here, young Luffy?” For the first time, the Straw Hat Captain looked confused. His eyes looked about the room, moving from form to form, wall to wall, and finally, back to the alicorns before him. When his vision rested on them, he nodded.

“This is the kingdom of Equestria. It is a peaceful land ruled by both my sister and I.” Celestia and Luna stood to their tallest at the introductions. The boy’s jaw slightly dropped as he saw the flared wings of both princesses. “I am Princess Celestia, and this is Princess Luna.”

“We have ruled this land for many centuries.” Luna continued. “With a careful eye, we have watched and protected this land for nearly all of our years, guiding it with all our wisdom and knowledge.” He seemed enraptured by her words, staring at them both as a young child would towards a story told by his mother. Celestia continued where her sister ended.

“However, a dark being exists to fight against our harmony. He is the embodiment of chaos and disharmony, a thing that enjoys only seeing the destruction of our peace. He twists the minds of others into becoming what they most hate, turning ponies that love one another into the worst of enemies, or forcing ponies of unbreakable wills into submission through doubt.” Luna spoke next.

“This monster has returned to our land, a third time now since his first defeat. However, instead of merely attempting to twist our land, he has spoken his desire to destroy it. He aimed to do so through the aid of others from lands and worlds far beyond our own.” Her dark hoof motioned towards the Portal of Souls, swirling with the same ethereal mist as ever. “That is the device he used.” Luffy’s gaze rested on the swirling mass for a bit longer than curious glance, perhaps to memorize its features. Celestia spoke when he was finished.

“Everypony here has used that portal now, aside from my niece and nephew-in-law,” Her wing motioned towards Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, who both bowed in turn towards Luffy. With a smile of his own, he did the same, both arms straight at his side. “The many different beings here all came through that device, which we have now named the Portal of Souls, yourself included.” His head nodded in understanding, straw hat bouncing on the back of his head.

“This being is called Discord, and he no longer aims to twist our land, but to destroy it, and all the beings that live within it. By his own admission, he hopes to do so through the use of others, and not his own hooves.”

“That sounds bad.” His simplicity was already becoming legendary, even among the warriors and ponies already within the hall.

“Yes… quite bad. But, that is why you are here.” Celestia spoke softly. “We are not prepared to face this enemy alone, and I have drawn you here personally to aid us.” It carried a different meaning when she spoke it, but a millennia of practice had earned the alicorn the ability to twist words. It was not an act that ever earned her pride, but it was something used in necessity. The more this pirate believed he was personally called to help, the greater his emotion would likely be to offer aid.

Her caution was unneeded.

“Sure, I can help!” He practically cheered with outstretched arms as he spoke, earning sigh from the solar ruler as she heard the words. “I just have one question.” He raised a digit as he spoke.

“And that would be?” Celestia doubted he would ask for anything she could readily offer, but denying requests was not a method used by any kingdom to earn or keep allies in times of battle and war.

“Do you have anything to eat? I’m starving.” There was nothing else that needed to be said to earn laughter from the ponies, and a few warriors, who stood in the room. A chorus of chuckles and laughter filled the broken hall. “What? I’m serious here.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Princess Celestia spoke with a bright smile, one she was only too happy to wear. “But perhaps you could wait until all ceremonies are finished. This hasn’t exactly been a… usual day.” From his manner of speaking, the alabaster alicorn expected something more from him, a foalish argument perhaps that he was hungry now. Instead, he raised his finger again.

“Alright, but can I ask another question?” The Princess of the Day nodded her head in compliance. “Are they going to use the portal now?”

Luna and Celestia were not the only two to turn to the bearer of the voice. The eyes of many fell on the aloof pirate, pointing towards the pink alicorn and alabaster stallion with as blissful a smile as any soul could possess. The ponies in question, however, were caught surprised.

“I-I… didn’t think of it.” The Princess of the Day phrased carefully, letting the idea work through her own mind. Truthfully, she had not thought of it. It had seemed more appropriate that she would perform the deed the last. There was no logic behind such a thought. Just… a feeling.

“Does that mean they can’t? Cause I wanna see what happens.”

“I’m a bit curious myself.” The same teen from before spoke up, white hair waving as he walked the short distance to the group. “We’re the only two here now who haven’t seen the portal used, and from the way everyone here is talking-”

“Everypony here is the correct phrasing.”

“Sorry, whatever, how everypony here is talking, only ponies can use the portal. So, it would have to be Shining and Cadance who would use the Portal of Souls. Sorry again if I spoke your name’s wrong. It’s all still new to me.” He held his hand out towards the pair. The pink alicorn smiled kindly to him.

“Please don’t worry about it. I actually prefer being called just Cadance. As for Shining…” The stallion looked between the pair with a still careful gaze. His posture alone made it more than clear he was not used to trusting others so quickly, let alone in the presence of royalty. “Well, that name is usually reserved for those closest to him.”

“Oh,” Riku put a hand behind his head, scratching at the base of the long white strands of hair. His hidden gaze fell on the unicorn again, who looked to him with no shrinking amount of caution. “Sorry, I guess the correct title would be Captain Armor?”

Again, the alabaster unicorn said nothing in return. However, his gaze slowly softened under the vision of the boy’s hidden blue eyes. He was foreign and he was new to this land. But the royalty trusted him and he appeared to be no threat. Now was not the time to bite the hooves…. hands of allies. With Discord’s return, they would need help. And, if the Princesses of Night and Day themselves had brought forth these beings, who was he to say otherwise. Shining Armor sighed deeply, gaze aimed at the ground before rising to make contact with the boy again.

“Shining Armor will do.” He held out his hoof the boy. With a subtle smile, Riku took hold of it.

“So, does that mean you’re going to use that thing now?” Eyes turned again to the Straw Hat Pirate, looking among them with blissful ignorance.

“You really have a one track mind, don’t you?” Riku’s question carried insult in the words alone, his tone more playful than demeaning. Luffy smiled back in response.

“What else is there to worry about now?” Princess Celestia could not help herself. She began to laugh, feminine and high as one would expect from the immortal ruler of all of Equestria. Gazes that looked to her were filled with only minor curiosity.

“I must admit, you have a point Luffy.” Celestia’s laughter ceased as her muzzle rested in a pleasant, relaxed, smile. “What is there to worry about now but what is before us. We shouldn’t worry of what will be or what can be, only what is right now.” The smile on Luffy’s face would have rivaled Pinkie’s own, splitting nearly across all his features.

“Then, you do wish for us to use the portal, your majesty?” Shining Armor’s voice earned the attention of the alabaster alicorn. Her smile never faded nor faltered.

“Only if you wish to Captain.” His gaze shifted around the room with the words, moving from the royalty he served, the little sister he protected, and the device that that was behind the sudden… influx of warriors. Celestia spoke on. “I have forced nor ordered no pony to use the Portal of Souls thus far. All have done so out of their own curiosity or will. In honestly, I would wish for you to, but I will not order nor demand you to. It is not something that is to be done lightly.”

“I… understand.” He spoke the words carefully to his liege, gaze shifting from her to the many bi-pedal creatures around the ruined hall. “It’s just… this is not something I expected to be asked to do.”

“I would be more shocked than I was during Discord’s return if you were.” Both Captain and princess laughed lightly at the joke. It eased the tension, as was its intention.

“Maybe I can go first.” Shining Armor’s head nearly whipped to see the gaze of his wife, looking nervously between himself and her aunt. He was not the only one to express shock at the suggestion.

“Niece,” Princess Luna began, sapphire eyes looking upon the pink alicorn. “Are… you sure you wish to attempt this?” A shaking head was the response offered before words were spoken.

“Honestly, no, but I know that we need more help. I was there when Discord returned a second time. I don’t know if luck is the word I want to use for not being there for the first, but now it sounds like what he’s planning is far worse than anything he attempted earlier.” She bit her lip, gaze focusing on her beloved. “I know that besting the master of chaos and disharmony will require more than just a bit of luck, and if I can help in any way I can, then I will. If that means taking the same risk that everypony here as already done, I think I can manage that.”

“Spoken like a true princess of Equestria.” Princess Celestia spoke with unconcealed pride. Any blush the alicorn may have had was hidden beneath her pink coat. “Then you wish to attempt the use of the portal first?”

“I do.”

“Then let me be clear on its use.” The tone of the alicorn fell from proud to cautious and careful. “The device of Discord’s design relies heavily upon the emotion and thoughts you are keeping. We have altered it to reflect what you currently think and feel, as opposed to how he crafted it, which drew the opposite of what you wished to experience.” She let out a sigh before continuing.

“When you reach into the Portal of Souls, be assured that you have nothing short of a peaceful mind, else you may risk drawing a soul none would wish to see. But do not worry, and do not fret. You must merely hold close the memories of events you think fondly of, and I am sure you have many to draw from.” The twinkle in her eyes were unavoidably casted towards the Captain of her guard. He either did not notice it or did well to hide his feelings of it.

“Alright.” The pink alicorn spoke, nodding her head in understanding, absorbing the information her aunt spoke to her. “Yes, alright, I… I can do that.”

“I never had any doubts.” The tone again turned from cautious to confident, at a speed only one with practiced centuries of the art could perform. Cadance smiled at her aunt’s words. With a turn from the small group, she approached the swirling mass atop the broken tiled floor.

‘Peace of mind, happy thoughts, pleasant memories.’ The Princess of Love recited the verse in her head, speaking the phrase with every step that her hooves took. ‘Something that brings me happiness. Something that relaxes me. This shouldn’t be this hard to think of.’ Her trotting ceased as the pink alicorn stood before the Portal of Souls.

Princess Cadance let her tongue play with the roof of her mouth, swallowing on nothing. She was a princess, practiced and poised. From a young age, she was taught to hide her emotions from the public eye, else some form of scandal grow out of it.

It was a difficult thing to learn, as it would be for any child, but the young maiden of love had learned small ways to keep herself from showing too much. Playing with things others couldn’t see was just one of them. There was, however always one that saw through her thin disguise.

“Nervous, honey?” The pink alicorn almost jumped when she heard the voice behind her. She didn’t need to turn to know who was talking.

“A little, I admit.” She spoke with a smile betraying the chills she felt within. “It’s an everyday thing to go to some town or city and meet the crowd, but it really isn’t normal to go to different… well, universe.” He chuckled lightly, she knew he would.

“Well I can’t blame you there.”

“Were you planning on blaming something else on me?” She smiled with the words, defusing any threatening nature they may have. She wasn’t ready for the words he spoke back.

“Only getting me excited every time I have to trot behind your-” His words silenced and muffled beneath the strands, her magic surrounding his muzzle.

“Careful dear,” Cadance whispered to her stallion. “That kind of talk is better left for else where.” She risked a glance behind her. She didn’t enjoy what she saw.

While the pony she had sitted for was blushing worse than the pink pony’s mane, the rest of the warriors and beings around her were shifting with discomfort, alternating from hiding their bare faces with indiscrete gestures of their claws or turning away altogether. The only two alien forms to continue watching the pair were the boy with the straw hat, the one she had witnessed being awoken, and the only woman among them as well, face more emotionless than the depths of a changeling’s soul. Cadance shivered again.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Again.” Shining Armor spoke again, hoof against her side. It instantly brought her warmth through her coat, calming the jittery nerves not far beneath. “But let’s be serious now. Are you having trouble focusing?”

“Two points for the stallion in blue.” The princess hoped to have a joking tone, but it was too forced to carry any weight. Fortunately, Shining Armor wasn’t the captain of the Guard for his magic alone. Carrying the work of others was a guard’s duty.

“Hey, c’mon.” He spoke in the same warm tone he used only with her, shameless about the contact they shared with one another. She didn’t speak a word against it. “I’ve seen you do the impossible day in and day out. You’ve never given up in anything and you definitely don’t back down from challenges.” Every word he spoke made her smile wider and brighter.

“That’s why I love you Cadance. And, that’s why I know you can do this.”

‘There never was any doubt, was there?’ The Princess of Love smiled to herself, looking from her beloved husband to the Portal of Souls. ‘For all that I am, and all that I can do, my peace of mind rests with him.’ She giggled softly, realizing the cliché tone and phrasing of the words.

She didn’t mind, she couldn’t mind. It was that kind of cliché wording, that almost groan worthy idiom that made up the connection between so many kinds of love. It began with awkward introductions, small things ponies tried to avoid, but fell into readily to prove to another the depths of their emotions.

To Shining Armor and herself, it was no different. Breaking out of her shell of offering love to others and accepting the love from another was an action she wholly considered impossible in her younger years. But it took those corny introductions from the brother of the foal she sat for to form a crack in that belief.

Approaching her with flowers, offering chocolate, and even citting quotations from Shakesmare. Even now it brought a smile to her features. Watching the Captain of Guard fumble over himself for her was… yes awkward, but so much more than that. It was funny, comforting, and most importantly, new.

It was a kind of love she had never had. One that brought her not just happiness or joy, but peace. Not to give love, or nurture love, but to accept love, to be in love.

She let the emotion overtake her. Trotting till she was at the portal’s edge, she descended into the alabaster mist.

Begin

“Cazzo!”

He cursed lightly to himself, hanging off the edge of the ship. His grip was loose against the damp wood of the boat, nothing beneath him but Spanish waters. A guard passed by the railings above him, the light and fire of the torch ghosting over his hidden form. Wisely, he remained silent.

The guard slowly moved back towards him, eyes out on the calm water of the sea. So far, he remained unnoticed over the ship’s side, the light revealing nothing of his currently vulnerable form. The heat of the flame came closer and closer, the guard no doubt moving to stand at the boat’s edge. Dangerous.

As expected, the flame of the guard’s torch could be seen just above him, hovering over the side of the ship as the guard stared outwards to the sea. The man clinging to the ship’s side watched the guard carefully, memorizing his details.

He wore a full metal helm, covering any features that would be easy to recognize. The torch was held high above his head, his other hand doubtlessly resting on a sheathed sword. He could see nothing below the chest line, but what he did see were thick red lines across a white cloth backdrop. That detail was all it took to convince the man over the ship that the guard was not an innocent life.

He pulled himself up as fast as he could reaching outwards with his hand. The guard momentarily backpedaled, stunned and shocked the man’s sudden appearance. Any voice or cry he would have normally made was silenced as the man’s hand clenched itself over his neck.

His hidden blade entered without any resistance.

Red liquid slowly pooled onto his hand, the guard slumping as his life gave way. As the man had done many times before, he wrapped his fingers on the guard’s uniform, pulling him over the ship’s edge. He let the man hang still for a moment above the water before dropping him into the calm sea. The splash he made was light and small, enough to be forgotten by any other guards.

He couldn’t wait here any longer.

He lifted himself up over the edge as quietly as his form would allow. Aside from the small gangling of his tools, he made not a sound. Another Templar guard stood across the boat from him, facing outwards towards the water. His hand instinctively reached back to grab his crossbow, but stopped. He saw only one guard, but there were doubtlessly more. Silence and masking his presence were what he had to do now.

He remained crouched low to the ground, moving as swiftly as his weighted gear and aged muscles would allow in silence. The pacing was slow, but it was a safer risk to linger too long than to make too much sound. One risked a glance, the other investigation.

Behind a stack of crates he found a spot unobserved, one that risked no idle glances or curious gazes. As swiftly as before, he claimed the spot his own, settling between the wooden boxes out of sight. He heard nothing close to a guard’s call or wondering words.

For a moment he could rest, but only a moment. The guards did not know he was here, let alone that he was on their ship at all. A breath of air left his lungs in the form of a sigh, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as he calmed his nerves.

Once more he cursed the effects of his age. His movements were slower, muscles weaker, and mind slightly duller, though no man or woman would call him anything less than sharp. He depended too much on his instincts and talents in the past to serve him well now. Now, he only survived from patience and practice.

His breath stilled as he heard one of the Templar’s approaching, metal boots clicking against the hard wood of the deck. The guard wasn’t close enough to him to be a threat, but he couldn’t move while he was so close. However… neither could he afford to stay in one place too long.

He reached towards his back in tandem with the guard’s footsteps, hiding his noise beneath the Templar’s shifting armor. The guard stood by the side of the crates he hid within; he had successfully drawn the weapon of his choosing. A crossbow, a silent killer from great lengths.

He held the notched bow just in front of himself, careful and decisive about its aim. He took in a silent breath. His hand grabbed the side of a crate, flexing as hard as he could to spin himself from the hiding place. The arrow flew from his bow without a sound, and impacted the man’s neck without a grunt.

He was beside the falling guard before he impacted the deck. Quickly carrying him back to the location he had just hid within. As noiseless as possible, the body was placed in the small alcove of the crates, out of sight, and now out of mind.

The entire encounter had taken only a few blinks of his eyes.

That made two Templars, two guards, fewer on the deck of the ship for him to worry about. There was still little way for him to tell how many were left. The bodies may have been out of sight, but if continued to wait and strike, it would only be a matter of time before one Templar began to suspect, and then the search for him would begin. Worse, if a wise man led these men, they more than likely board boats and burn the ship down. His strikes had to remain at a minimum now.

He leaned out from the crates, looking quickly around the deck. There was only one other guard, but he would doubtlessly realize he was alone soon enough. If it remained that way, an alert of some kind would be given. If he killed him, however, then the next Templar to come up to the deck would realize the danger on their ship.

The solution, he had to leave the top deck.

His eyes found a door at the bow, beneath a set of railings that let to the observation deck. He had not grown on ships, but he knew the room well.

The captain’s quarters.

Just as swiftly as he had before, he made for the door, slipping inside with as much noise as a mouse scurrying across the basement floor.

Many things in the captain’s quarters caught his eyes. The documents along the center table, the cabinets along either wall. A bed that appeared fit for royalty. A few gold statues were easily identified across a couple of platforms as well. Not to mention the floor he stood on offered more room than even the storage quarters when emptied. Whoever the captain of this ship was, he traveled in luxury.

He let his eyes fall on the documents on the table, looking for anything that could be of interest. They held dates and times past both long ago to mere weeks, names he did not recognize, and a few in a language he could not understand. Among them all, however, there was one object, one parchment of paper that his eyes could not sway from.

It was the Queen of Spain, Queen Catalina, drawn with a red “x” over her head.

Queen Catalina was no one he had ever met. She was as important to him as a deer from the woods. But it was this deer that brought him onto the ship. The queen was to be assassinated, that he was able to hear from more than one drunkard in the streets. But, from the lips of many citizens, he heard them speak of this queen’s honesty, loyalty, and desire to help the people. The reasoning for the Templar’s killing her was beyond his knowledge, he only knew two very important details.

The first: The Templars were to kill her with a tool he was not familiar with, by means not even he could achieve. It was no sword or spear they were to skewer her body with nor any kind of poison he had ever seen. From what the Templars spoke of before, it was an item not far different from the Apple of Eden he left in the care of his friend Leonardo. The second detail?

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” His lips pulled themselves into a smile as he let the familiar phrase slip from his lips. Perhaps she was in the way of Cesare Borgia. Maybe she knew of the Templar threat. All that he knew was that the Templars wished her dead, and he wished the Templars gone. So the queen, by knowledge or not, was someone he aimed to protect.

His eyes looked forward as he heard the guards marching down the stairs, just behind the door he had shut. It was not locked. If he locked it, they would know something was wrong. Quickly, he took to a window grasping at the frame as his body jumped through the hole. The door opened the moment his body was hidden from view.

“The queen’s guards are more loyal than we have originally anticipated.” One of the men spoke as he entered the room. “They accepted neither gold nor power when we offered it. One of our men lost a finger in the scuffle that came afterwards.” Silence followed for a time, ended by a fist impacting the wooden table. They were angry. Good.

“A setback to be sure,” a new voice spoke, far deeper and older than the first. “But do not think this means we have no options remaining to us.” He could feel the calm settle over the group beyond his vision.

“I did not say we will have difficulty killing her, I said we would have difficulty reaching her. If we were to kill her in the open as other have done to kings and queens in the past, we would only open ourselves up to unneeded loose ends.” They were wiser than he liked to be, but that did not mean he wasn’t prepared.

“Do not worry, we will find something by tomorrow’s end, I’m sure.” The deeper voice spoke. “What concerns me now is our tool.” The calm turned into a chill. “Cesare gave very specific instructions for it. We cannot allow any others to come close to it.”

“How could they?” A third voice spoke, easily the youngest among the three. “Those fools are all too busy walking on the upper decks or sleeping in their quarters. They are restricted from this room.” It was always the youngest that gave away the details. He himself was little different once.

“Be that as it may, I still wish to ensure we have it in proper condition. There would be no greater way to make fools of ourselves and the power of the Borgia if we attempt to kill the queen with nothing in hand.” Their feet moved uneasily against the floor. He could feel the vibrations through his hands. No… it wasn’t their feet. They were moving something far heavier across the floor. Was it the cabinets? The dressers? A secret floor door? It was impossible for him to tell, and looking now would only guarantee his capture.

The noises continued for a moment, scraping wood against wood and wood followed dulled slams of lifted objects falling to the floor. It wasn’t a dresser then, that would not require so much force, and table could be kicked over by a single man. It was the bed then. They were moving the bed on the floor.

A light click reached his ears. There was a door beneath the bed. That was also good to know. His fingers growing numb, however, and it wouldn’t be long before he would need to let go. Hopefully, by then, they would be gone.

“So that’s it?” The first voice to speak spoke again. He sounded unimpressed, his voice carrying no pause or heightening in tone.

“Do not be a fool.” The third man responded harshly to the former. “This is a tool gifted to us by Cesare himself. Should the invasion fail, we will be able to secure the whole of Spain for the Borgia.” Ezio swallowed the instinct to click his tongue.

He had to act now. His prize was in the open and the three highest ranking Templars in one room. This was something every instinct he had told him to take. Should he wait any longer, the opportunity may slip by.

He released his hold with his right hand, moving it the cross bow draped across his back. His left arm flexed with all the strength years of training had brought to his aging form. As silent as a leaf in the wind, he lifted himself back through the window of the ship, quickly taking note of what little had changed in the room.

The three men stood where the bed once lay, said object now pushed to a far wall and turned onto its side. Between the three of them was a chest held in the hands of what looked to be the youngest. It was simple, ordinary, and easy for the human eye to pass over. But for his eyes, colored gold with the detail of an eagle’s gaze saw an object as valuable as the Apple of Eden.

Two of the men faced away from him, looking at the chest with eyes he couldn’t see. The third man, looking down at the chest, looked up to see the man clothed in white appear through the window. His curious eyes opened wide, mouth opening to scream, but before he could make any noise, his life was cut short by the trigger of the man’s crossbow.

The two other Templars gave gasps of surprise as their comrade fell, arrow jetting from his eye. The box was dropped to the ship’s floor as both turned towards the man they hadn’t seen, hands to their blades, preparing for a duel. But duel was not what occurred. The mysterious man as already between them crossbow unstrung and no swords in his hands.

His blades were attached to his wrists.

Before the two remaining Templars could draw their blades, he was between them raising himself to his fullest. Extending his arms outwards, he let his blades slide into each man.

They’re lives ended soundlessly.

“Bene.”

They fell to the deck with less sound than the moving bed. He would be fine. His eyes fell now on the chest they held between them. The chest was shut, whether that be from the scuffle he had caused or it had not been opened at all, it mattered little. This was the prize he needed to secure the safety of the queen, and another defeat for the Borgia.

“Now, let’s see what you really are.” He spoke with both hands upon the chest, eyeing the mysterious relic with a careful eye. He had more than simple firsthand experience with tools of ancient power. The Apple of Eden was something to fear. Whatever this object was capable of, he had to be wary.

With a small amount of force, Ezio Auditore lifted the chest open.

He swiftly left the world behind.

End

Shining Armor wasn’t used to what he was feeling. He had felt it before, he knew that, but not nearly what could be called often. He often felt love, happiness, security, and strength. Now… he felt none of those things. Right now he felt what did walking up the aisle with Cadance, after Chrysalis was properly done away with. It felt similar to that of applying for school in the Royal Guard. He had felt is it so little, so ill frequently, he barely knew what to call it. It was only because of his frequent conversations with Twilight that he had an idea for what it was, as she felt it often enough.

He was nervous.

This was not a plan he had spent the better part of several weeks preparing, or a reexamination of his already superior shield casting spells. No, this was something he was given no preparation, no foresight, and worst of all, no experience.

Shining Armor coughed against the white sleeve of his coat. His eyes wandered to the pink form of his wife, head still gone within the white abyss. It was easy to offer her aide, simple to reassure the mare he was willing to dedicate his entire life to, but it wasn’t as easy to do that for himself.

‘Peace of mind.’ He reminded himself, establishing the state he had to enter before he could use the device. ‘Having no fear or worries about negative consequences or events.’ with the stoic tone of his voice, he sounded like his little sister, reciting vocabulary terms in her room as she studied her hardest for an upcoming test.

‘You are not the first to do this.’ He let the words wash through his mind. ‘Twily, the princesses, and all of the Elements have each used this… thing. You are older, more experienced. You should know what gives you a peace of mind.’ He should, he knew that, but he didn’t.

A forced sigh pushed itself through his throat, brow furrowing as he thought hard on the subject at hoof. If there was one thing he knew above all else, aside from how to breath, it was that a peace of mind was not something a member of the Royal Guard could deserve to have. If he allowed himself to think that threats were not to come, that peace was all encompassing and prevalent, then dangers far and wide would descend upon Canterlot.

It should be easy to remember what brings him a peace of mind. But he didn’t know. Not at all.

“Shining, are you okay.” The alabaster stallion shook his head once before turning towards the owner of the voice. His little sister was trotting up to him, lavender eyes looking up at him curiously. She always did have a questioning gaze, no matter what he was doing.

“Sort of,” he answered honestly. “Just…” The unicorn bit his lower lip. “I really don’t know how to focus on this.”

“You don’t know how to focus?” Twilight raised her pitch with the words, letting the question hang with an air of sarcasm he couldn’t ignore.

“Alright, not focus, but… I don’t know what to call it, getting myself relaxed I guess. That’s usually what Cadance helps me with.” His hoof motioned towards the alicorn mare still deep within the portal, reaching for a prize no pony knew of yet. “This is serious stuff Twily, and I have never been told to relax before going on guard duty.”

“Well, believe me when I say you aren’t the first to be a little more than nervous about this.” The young unicorn began standing side by side with her older brother. “We’ve all had to think long and hard about ourselves before we used this. It’s easy to see what we enjoy in our lives, but it’s hard for us to remember why we do it.”

“Usually ponies would say it is to be happy.” Shining mumbled next to his sister, lowering his head to match her height. She giggled softly before answering him.

“And they’d be right, but not completely.” Twilight put a hoof to her chest as she continued to speak. “I enjoy learning Shining.” He really did have to work to suppress a chuckle. “But that doesn’t really bring me peace of mind.” This time, he was unsuccessful. The young mare raised her nose at the noise, but continued nonetheless.

“But the reason why I learn is to impress the princess, to make her happy. The more I learn, the more I know, the prouder she is of me.” The Captain of the Guard couldn’t stop himself from giving his liege a quick glance. She was conversing with the old wizard that had spoken to him before, Gandalf. “Whenever I read her letters, listen to her speak, I really do feel better about myself. Now…” She let her words drift off, forcing the alabaster stallion to look back down on her. “Why do you do all that you do, Shining?”

Another good question, but this time, he knew the answer in a heartbeat.

“Thanks sis.” He spoke honestly, giving his younger sibling a hug across the neck. She felt him nuzzle beneath his coat. Slowly, he released her, a subtle clue she instantly recognized. Twilight slowly trotted backwards, allowing Shining Armor a moment of solitude before the Portal of Souls.

‘Why I do this, huh?’ He was not lying to himself before when he thought of the remark. He knew full well what he does all this for. Why he was the Captain of the Royal Guard, why he enjoyed protecting ponies of all races, ages, and personalities, and why security was more important than anything else.

‘Because unless I do it myself, I can’t be sure it’s been done right.’ The idea filled his body, remembering every action he had done over his still youthful lifetime. Protecting his little sister, repairing damage around the house, leading his fellow troops through the academy, and organizing the entire Equestrian defense system, everything was done, at least in part, by his hoof.

‘Then this isn’t any different, is it?”

With a sound mind, and a sound body, Shining Armor let himself enter that rare state of peace.

And as his wife drew herself from the Portal of Souls, Shining Armor entered.

Begin

“Are you sure about this Bruce?” The man in gold asked, hand held outward towards the dark suited man. “Nothing is forcing you to make this decision.”

The dark suited man moved about the cavern they both currently resided in. He moved with focused eyes and sure feet, letting his hands dance across control panels and tools the man in gold did not recognize. Glass screens flash and flickered with data and progress bars, slowly filling as the man continued his work, unflinching.

“I understand the risks involved.” He answered back. He didn’t stop his movements to offer eye contact to the man he spoke with. Instead, he continued to disconnect wires, package important objects, delete encrypted files, and outfit the suit he wore. The man in gold continued to watch him move through the room that resembled so well a lair.

“I do not think you ignorant towards the risks of harm that may befall you. I merely question your knowledge of the situation.” He watched as Bruce moved large panels of wiring against a far wall of the cave, neither grunting nor breath in duress despite the impressive size of the objects.

“You told me all that you knew.”

“But is that enough for you?”

Now he stopped, looking towards the figure with a helm of gold, cape of blue, and ankh large across his chest.

“As you said, the universal ties holding the fabric of reality together are slowly dissipating into the void of space.” Bruce spoke the fact like a citation from a book, a detail he memorized twice over before preparing for an important exam. “You have traced the dying Ley Lines to another dimension. Travel to said dimension is impossible for you due to your binding to this universe, however, you traced the Ley Lines to the first objects to develop failing connections, and you found me before all else.”

“If I were the Flash, I might have a joke to make.” The man spoke on, paying the small remark no mind.”

“So you have come to me with the request that I help you. Other than this, you know nothing.”

“Precisely, and that is where my concern for you lies.” The man in gold swept his arm sideways as he spoke. The man he addressed let the cape he wore drape over his form, revealing only the smallest amount of skin beneath the dark cowl over his head. “You are acting blindly, something I have never attributed to you before.”

“You came to me, Dr. Fate. If you thought someone else was more capable you would have gone to them.” He spoke in a flat tone, eyes narrowing at the master sorcerer.

“I would, but just because you are the most capable does not mean you are the best suited.” Beneath the helm, he heard the man give a sigh. “This is not a trial or test you can hope to learn or grow from, this is a judgment upon your very soul, your very being.” Bruce’s response was instantaneous.

“I’ve had those before.”

“Bruce,” Dr. Fate began again, patiently. “My concern does not lay with your lack of conviction, for I know you have more than any other soul on Earth. But, I have seen how you approach the impossible, how you will court death before allowing others to aid you. For this to work, for you to succeed, you will need the aid of all those you find by your side, bearable or not.”

“I have worked with individuals of nearly every personality you can imagine. I’ll adapt.” He turned around again, facing the largest computer screen in his cave. “Aside from that, I do not intend to travel unprepared, not as long as I have a choice.” A hand appeared from beneath his cloak, reaching outwards to press on a button Dr. Fate could not identify from his distance away. He was only able to witness, and marvel, at the result.

Slowly, almost unnoticeably, faint specks of light began to grow outward from the computer screen. It sparked like candle fire and spread just as fast. But as the light grew, so too did its form so briefly it appeared as flames, but now was far more recognized as grids, patterns, neon blue lights that started to surround the computer screen with increasing speed.

The man in black stepped backwards allowing the third dimensional force to encapsulate more and more of the objects. It contacted a box of supplies Dr. Fate saw the man stack earlier, surrounding them in the glowing field. It spread like circuit wires across the floor and up the walls, grabbing at the lights overhead and the panels below.

The man in gold stepped back as the light began to twist in the air, breaking from the straight celled pattern it held before. It bent, curled, aiming for a familiar shape within the cave. A plane, no, a jet of color no different than the shadows. It was slowly surrounded in the same light, grasping a growing around it with speed that only seemed to increase the larger it grew.

For a moment, a just a moment, the sorcerer wondered if this was why the man was so calm. That no matter what occurred to the universe, to the Ley Lines, that his material objects would be safe. It was concern that was too human for him to have, and one that was quickly settled.

The man in the dark garb raised his hand from this cape, holding a device Dr. Fate did not recognize. His gloved hand pushed a button, and in perfect sync, the lights stopped moving.

The grid was held in place in the air, glowing the neon blue, but no longer grasping for more objects to collect. Without waiting for ceremony, the man pressed another button, and the light show began again.

Every line and box of every cell slowly receded backwards, tracing the path they just endured. Like water seeping upstream, all lines traversed back towards the computer screen, no longer faltering or slowing. The show was impressive, and the sorcerer would be far from honest to claim otherwise, but something else held his attention. It wasn’t the show itself, though it was a result of it. It was the objects, all the objects, the neon grids had collected.

They were disappearing.

In sync with the recession of the lines, the objects began to fade from existence. Entire blocks of steel and boxes of gadgets fading into nothingness as the computer’s screen neon lights left their form. Like a child’s spirit towards a departing parent, the physical material objects descended into a nothingness Dr. Fate could not follow.

As the lights died, and the room emptied, the man in gold spoke only a single word in response.

“Impressive.”

“Advanced trans-dimensional storage programming.” The dark suited man explained, hand retreating back into the blanket of his jacket, not even caring to marvel at the deed he had just done. “I acquired it during the League’s last encounter with Brainiac.”

“You trust it’s use, knowing from what means you acquired it?” Dr. Fate knew the answer to the question without asking it.

“Would I be using it otherwise?” He spoke with the rare air sarcasm, lost beneath his stoic voice. “Besides, only the fool throws away the tools of his enemy. A wise man learns from enemies that nearly bested him.” Touché. The man in the gold helm gave a bow of his head in acknowledgement.

“I take back what I said earlier.” He spoke in a tone unchanged from the stoic voice from before. “You are more prepared than any other individual I would ever be able to find. I am glad it is you the Ley Lines call to, Batman.”

“Don’t get me wrong.” The dark knight spoke as he approached the man with the golden helm. “I have no idea what I am walking into here. If anyone else had told me this was happening, or even possible, I wouldn’t even listen to them.” His face remained flat and emotionless as his voice. “I’m out of my element on this.”

“Then why do you continue to agree so earnestly with it?” The mystic doctor questioned, crossing his arms as he stood before the master detective. Batman did not move in response to the words or gesture.

“Because I have to.” He spoke the answer as simply as he had before. “But, let me be clear. I don’t believe in fate.” And now the man in gold did not move in response to the obvious jab.

“Then you have only succeeded in forcing me to reword my question.”

“You told me that the Ley Lines are being severed across the universe, that I am at the epicenter of it.”

“You are.” The doctor nodded slowly.

“Then I have to fix it. Not because of any high calling or godly power, but because I am the only one who can.” Now the doctor shook his head.

“Many would call that fate, Bruce.”

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t.”

The two stood face to face with one another, neither blinking or moving apart. Dr. Fate’s arms were in front of him, crossed above his golden ankh, and flexing under the tension and gaze. Batman continued to stare through the slits of the golden helm of the sorcerer, his body remaining hidden beneath the large cape wrapped over his form.

Dr. Fate sighed, perhaps in defeat.

“It matters not to me, and clearly not to you.” He turned from the Batman, walking towards a barren ledge in the dark cavern. “All that concerns me now is the fate of this world, and by consequence, all life in the universe. My faith has been placed in you Bruce to carry out this deed, in my steed, where I cannot go.” He raised his hand forward palm out towards the empty air. Golden helm facing the dark knight, he questioned.

“Are you prepared?” The man in black did not hesitate.

“I am.”

“So be it.”

A ball of purple gathered in the sorcerer’s outstretched hand, hanging in the air for a moment before levitating forwards. For every inch of air it ventured, it grew in size. Wider, taller, and larger, the lavender orb moved forward. When it was the size of a man, it started to swirl, golden hues collecting in its spirals. It stopped just before a cliff’s edge.

“I will close this gate once you are through.” He spoke simply, tensely to the dark knight. “I cannot risk whatever is causing this mayhem to possibly enter this universe.”

“I understand.” Batman walked past the golden clad man, moving closer towards the mystical gateway. But then stopped, suddenly, abruptly.

He stood before it; the portal conjured by Dr. Fate, swirling with a massless substance and churning with strength no computer of his could quantify. Magic was never something he had an interest in, but he never denied the power it had or what is was capable of.

Now though… he would have to depend on it more than he ever had before.

“Dr. Fate.” He called behind him, turning so the black cowl concealing his features showed only the whites of his eyes. “Protect Gotham while I’m gone.”

“Bruce, as you are risking your life for the fate of existence, so too will I in defending your home. You have my oath and word.” The man in the golden helm bowed lowly, arm across his chest. The man shrouded in darkness nodded once more before facing the portal. Conviction strong in his mind, body, and soul, he moved forward into the ethereal device.

Batman descended into a familiar darkness.

End

The Illusion

As Shining Armor pulled his head from the portal, he took in a breath of air through his grit teeth. He didn’t feel any pain, any loss of breath, or anything that hurt his physical form. No, instead, he felt… odd. It was like something was missing, like a piece of him had been stolen away from his mind and soul. It didn’t hurt him, it just confused him.

Pulling the figure in his teeth backwards, he let it drop almost roughly on the tiled ground. Still the feeling did not leave him. A snort of breath left his nostrils as aggravation quickly took place over confusion. It was like a void at this point, consuming anything that came near it. His concerns, his questions, his worries. Everything just fell into it and vanished.

“Shining?” He heard the voice ask beside him. He turned only to face the speaker, knowing full well already just who he was going to be speaking to.

“Hey Twily.” Shining Armor spoke evenly; face still scrunched in an array of emotions ranging from either anger or curiosity. He didn’t know which himself. Putting a hoof over his face, he put on the mask he wore when duty called. “How did I do?” Twilight was unconvinced.

“Shining,” she began, voice no less critical than when she reprimanded Spike for eating jewels before dinner. “We all experienced some kind of pain or phenomenon when using the portal. I know you are, too.” He sighed bitterly. Trying to trick his little sister really was an impossibility.

“I’m not in pain.” The captain of the guard began carefully. “I just… feel like I forgot something. Like something was taken from me and I don’t know what it was. I don’t even know if it was important. It just feels… gone.” His sister regarded him carefully, eyes full of curiosity, but lips turned into a concerned frown.

“It’s alright,” she began. “It’ll probably fade away in a little bit. All of ours did, and they ranged from cramped wings to tears.” Shining sucked in a breath of air at the thought. “Besides, I’m sure you’re a little more concerned about how Cadance is doing.” That made his tail drop in unison with his face.

“Is she hurt?” Concern flooded his words as much as they dominated his features. Twilight’s smile was a comforting sight. Pointing her hoof beyond him, she spoke.

“See for yourself.” And he did.

Cadance was there, no pain marring her features or body. She was eyeing her own draw from the portal, bathed in misty white and still as wood. Shining let out a breath of air in relief.

“That’s good.” He spoke how he felt. Letting a smile overtake his features, he began to trot forwards. “Cadance!” His called earned the attention of the pink alicorn, who in turn let a smile grow on her own lips.

“Shining!” Her voice spoke brightly, trotting the last few hoof lengths between them. They nuzzled one another happily, letting their eyes shut in the small amount of bliss their light intimacy gave them.

It was a low whistle that broke them apart.

Cadance turned from her husband with a blush visible on her red hued coat. Shining was little different, those made the impression of a sun trying to peek from beneath the fur on his cheeks. Their eyes looked towards the source of the noise. What they expected was the goofy hedgehog who seemed to take everything in stride, or perhaps their little sister’s friend Rainbow Dash, who would doubtlessly be less careful with the sensitive matters.

Instead they found Discord glass paned and resting on the Crystal Heart of a kingdom to the north.

“Oh come now, don’t mind me.” The glass figure spoke, waving a claw in his two-dimensional pane. “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one enjoying the show.” He chuckled lowly as the gazes fixed on his glass form. It took all but a moment before the warriors readied their weapons.

“That is the monster?” The Gray Wizard questioned, sword in one hand and gnarled staff in the other. “I expected a larger foe.”

“Larger?” Discord mocked. “I take offense to that old man.” He jumped from the crystal heart to the pane on the far side of the hall, standing on the flying form of Chrysalis as she was banished from Equestria. “You’re no different than the rest of these poor ponies the first time I met them. What’s the point in being what you expect? It’s far more fun to be whatever you want to be, and right now, I want to be something you can only see, but never touch.” A dark chuckle came from his lips as his sharp talon traced the still glass form of the Changeling Queen beneath him.

“It wouldn’t be that hard to hit you.” Gandalf raised his staff with his words, glowing an ethereal white. It did nothing to frighten or shock the draconequus.

“Do you really think that shattering glass is going to kill me? You’re more disappointing than I ever expected if you honestly think that will work.” The wizard scowled at the mocking demon. “Still, brownie points for effort.” The glass paned monster snapped his flat claw.

A platter of sugary chocolates landed in front of Gandalf.

The wizard jumped back out of shock before peering down at the plate with confusion, his eyes shifted from the plate to the multi-formed entity still embedded in the glass of the grand hall. He was not alone in his curiosity, as nearly every warrior among him shared in his misperception. Only the ponies kept their gaze full of anger.

“Food!”

The cry of joy was a shock to nearly all. It only took a moment until their gaze found the pirate Luffy lunging towards the platter of sugary sweets, his reach grabbing at the food and taking greedy mouthfuls of the chocolate sweets. He had a smile little different than Discord in the glass. But he was smiling from joy, Discord from mirth.

“Wha?” The star hat pirate said through a mouth full of sweets. “I’m hungry.”

“I like him.” Pinkie Pie eagerly spoke up from the shoulders of Fawkes.

“As do I.” Discord agreed from his window pane. “A bit of an oddity among the odd. I like it.”

“Enough Discord!” Celestia roared to the monster of glass. “Show yourself now! Whatever your plan was, we have changed it. We’ve bested it! Now surrender yourself to us!”

“Oh don’t dull your pointy little horn princess.” The draconequus mocked towards Celestia. “I’m a great many of things, quite possibly everything in fact, but I am not a fool. Why would I even possibly let myself appear in front of, oh quite a few new additions to your little posse of power?” His eyes shut as he cackled with mirth. “No no, this isn’t me, at least not all of me.”

“You speak in more riddles then.” Samurai Jack voiced to the glass paned draconequus, slithering from the remnants of the Crystal Empire to the stained image of his second defeat. “What game are you playing at?”

“Ah, finally a man who understands.” Confusion riddled the samurai’s features. “Maybe not, but you’re closer than the rest, and I even gave them the answer.”

“Discord!” Celestia bellowed with anger. The reflection of the monster nearly bellowed his own laughter in return.

“Seeing you so angry is a welcome change in my book Celly, it must mean something is going right.” The Princess of the Day snarled her lips. Many of the warriors around her were not far behind, fists clenching in anger upon the grips of their weapons.

“Honestly, have none of you thought of the right question yet? I’m all for the unexpected, but it’s impossible to solve a riddle unless you have some clues.” His glass form grew as he spoke, expanding across the panes of every window in the hall. He surrounded the group of warriors and ponies alike.

“If you’re just a fake,” Riku began carefully, eyes hidden beneath the long bangs of his alabaster hair. “That means you’re a distraction. There wouldn’t be any reason for you to make sure we’re all here unless you were doing something that either threatened us, or we could stop. What is the real you doing?” When his sharp blue eyes gazed at the pane holding the clear form of Discord’s mismatched golden eyes, the draconequus broke into a wide grin.

“That question earns you the riddle.” His form slithered from the panes until he was gone from view. The ponies and warriors circled the room with their eyes, searching for the form of Discord as quickly as they could. But not a soul laid eyes on him. That was when he chose to speak.

“As the youth in this room hold the wisdom of the wise, I look for the innocence of others to help draw the most wicked of my kind. Where am I?”

His dark laughter rolled off the broken walls.

“W-What’s going on?!” Scootaloo shouted with more fear than anger as she looked around herself. Gone was the familiar wooden frame of the CMC clubhouse, warm and well lit by candles and fire. Now she was in the densest parts of the Everfree Forest, gnarled trees and dark canopies chilling to her bones. Sweetie Bell was just beside her, hugging her own cape against her white coat in a vain attempt to gain some warmth. Apple Bloom trotted around the two, Spike on her back, as they looked for any possible reason for their sudden disappearance.

“I really wish I knew.” The baby dragon spoke up, looking around himself as he scratched his chin. “This feels like something that would happen to Twilight. Maybe one of her experiments went wrong.” He quickly shook his head. “No, no, no, she told me she went to Canterlot to see what was wrong with Princess Luna.”

“That’s why she dropped you off with us?” Sweetie Bell asked as her hooves shivered. “Cause the stars are going out?” The dragon nodded his response.

“Yeah, she and Dash went off to find the rest of the girls before they went to Canterlot. Maybe Nightmare Moon is back.” They heard whipping hair before they heard any words.

“No way!” Scootaloo practically shouted. “There’s no way she’s back. Rainbow Dash blew her away with the Elements of Harmony!” The rest of her friends only stared back in response.

“Whoa, relax Scoots.” Apple Bloom spoke up, trotting closer to her friend. Spike slid off of her back as she did. “It was just Spike ‘ere thinkin’ up a good reason for wha’ happened. It ain’t like it’s what really happened.”

“Yeah, it’s just me theorizing.” He earned more confused than understanding stares. “It means I’m coming up with ideas for what’s happening. It’s what Twilight does when she gets a problem.” Three young mouths opened in understanding. “Just don’t worry Scootaloo, I’m sure that whatever it is, it’s no big deal.”

“You’re words are kind young Spike,” a mare’s voice spoke from between a thicket of trees, causing the fillies to freeze. The group of four shivered as a group until the hooves and legs of the intruder appeared. They were followed by a bright pair of golden eyes. “But what I have to say you may not like.”

“Zecora!” Apple Bloom cheered happily at the Zebra. “How ya doin’?” The elder mare smiled to the young filly before she spoke in return.

“Apple Bloom, it does me good to see you well. Though I fear we may soon discover why the stars fell.” The zebra wore a stern gaze undirected towards the group of fillies around her or Spike between them. Her golden eyes were trained to the empty sky far above. “I did not come here by my own will. It was by magic unseen around any plain or hill. A flash of light gave me fright, but now I find myself here near without sight.”

“So… we all just basically were warped by something none of us has any idea was?” Scootaloo questioned with a hoof behind her head. Uncertainty filled her words as much as it did her features. “That all sounds really messed up.”

“It isn’t the weirdest thing to happen to us though…” The group turned to Sweetie Bell, still curled into her red cape for warmth. “I mean, I remember being brainwashed by Twilight to fall in love with a doll. This isn’t a whole lot different.”

“Hey!” Spike shot back. “That was different, and she was really sorry afterwards. Besides, there’s no way she would just cast a spell on us for fun. She’s not like that.”

“Spike’s right.” Apple Bloom agreed. “Besides, there’s no way mah sister would let this happen, let alone yers Sweetie.”

“Or Rainbow Dash…” Scootaloo weakly spoke. “Still though, what they heck happened?”

“That’s my que!”

All five of them froze.

“Uh, what was that?” Scootaloo questioned as she lowered herself to the ground, hooves getting ready to jump, her eyes already moving in every direction. Her friends were silent, caught in the midst of their own confusion and fear. Apple Bloom found herself pushing against Zecora, depending upon the older mare with a fear she couldn’t voice. The Zebra put a hoof around the younger filly as her golden eyes scanned the trees around them.

Yet they found nothing. The forest was just as eerily still as it was on any night, starless as this one was. There were no beady eyes staring at them from behind the dark shadows, no sharp teeth gleaming with unseen light. The forest was no scarier than it was before. But that didn’t mean that they were alone. It was Sweetie Bell who saw it first, only because a gust a wind blew her thin cape from her eyes.

A dark mass growing on the ground.

Her shriek earned the attention of her friends, who didn’t need to question the reason for her fright. The ponies and dragon all backed away from the growing darkness on the ground, swirling and misting with an aura none had ever seen before. Spike, who had been with Twilight near all her life, had never seen any spell she had cast come close to this kind of mist. Zecora, who worked with potions of every form, never saw a mist so dark or sinister in all her life.

Hooves pushed back from the growing darkness with a great sense of urgency, pushing until their backs were against the hard bark of the trees. Still though, they did not run. Curiosity and terror keeping them from venturing into the haunted woods around them.

Cries of fright ripped from the throats of the fillies and dragon as a claw dragged itself from the darkness. It pulled against the ground around them bring more and more of its form into the waking world. Slowly, horrifically, the form it belonged to became all too vividly clear. The name of the monster came from Zecora in the same tone as a curse.

“Discord!” She shouted the name as the twisted draconequus freed itself from the dark portal on the ground. His twisted smile and crooked tooth gleamed with joy as his name was spoken, golden eyes fixing on the zebra with a near sadistic gaze.

“Well hello Zecora, so good to see you.” He spoke with a mocking tone. “It’s a shame it’s never been muzzle to muzzle until now. I’ve always loved that rhythmic tone of yours. Oh, but that’s not to say I’m any less pleased by the rest of you!” His paw and claw spun with his body as the last of him popped from the dark portal, the misty blackness clinging to him with dark tendrils. The remaining ponies cowered into balls.

“It would be such a joy to sit here and talk about all the wonderful things you have all done. Making ponies fall in love with one another to nearly killing your own family out of your desperate search for your talents. It’s almost a tragic kind of irony.” He laughed as the tears began to show in the eyes of the young fillies.

“What do you want?” Discord turned to look at the only other creature in the group scaled like himself. His smile fell not a hair as he gazed at Spike.

“Oh little Spike, the baby waby of the group.” He laughed as the dragon snarled. “It’s good to see you’re the brains in this group. It makes sense that the foals are led by a baby. The less sense the better, I always say.”

“What…” Scootaloo hissed through her grit teeth. “What do you want?” She repeated the words of her dragon friend, though with much less force or strength.

“Is that all you little ponies can think of?” Discord let out an exasperated sigh, ignorant to the tension around him. “Fine, fine, if you are all so insistent to get on with this.” He snapped his claw.

Instantly, the ponies and dragon found themselves pulled towards the floating embodiment of chaos, hovering above the massless portal from which he had emerged. Their hooves and claw beat on the forest floor in a desperate attempt to sway their forced movement. It did little to no good.

“Let me be clear and fast.” With a cough into his hand, Discord began. “I need the help of some very capable ponies to bring in a brand new form of chaos into this drab world of ours. Every time I seem to have a spare opportunity to make it happen, something happens and then your precious Elements of Harmony jump in and save the day. It’s so… predictable.” Zecora did not miss the spark of anger that flew across his golden-crimson eyes.

“That’s when I had the idea. The best way to make things new is to add something new. If I want to make this game less predictable, I need to bring in the most unexpected of things. Those being, different forms of life.” The what would be curious and wondrous gazes were fixed in terror and fear. “Amazing isn’t it? But I know you are all so shocked with awe you can’t even speak. Never worry, I’ll explain.”

“All you five have to do is reach into this little portal of mine and break out a brand new addition to this plain land. It’s that… or I throw you all in.” Discord never stopped smiling.

The three fillies quivered and squirmed in their hooves desperately searching for any kind of hope that could save them. Spike prayed and wished on everything he could remember for Twilight to save him, for her to teleport here with all of her friends and put Discord back in stone. Zecora kept her eyes on the monster above them, ignoring the draw of the darkness just before her. She kept her anger at the front of her mind, never forgetting just how wicked this god of madness was.

“Tick Tock little ponies,” Discord spoke wistfully above them, letting his arm swing back and forth with his words. “Every second wasted is just another reason for me to send you far far away. Sorry to say I can’t promise it would be to a magical place.” Tears fell from Sweetie Bell’s eyes, her soft cries begging for her sister to come save her. She looked among her friends. None of them fared any better.

Scootaloo was biting her lips close to the point of drawing blood, probably to stop herself from cursing at the deity above them. Her wings shook and bristled at her sides, legs doing much the same. Spike gripped his tail with his claws, holding it close in a habit he hadn’t done since his hatchling days. Apple Bloom quivered as she pulled her legs to her chest, leaning as hard against the zebra in their midst for strength. Only Zecora, the eldest of the group and only mare among fillies, looked strong and hard against the beast of terror above them.

“You are a coward and a fool, yet still a monster. Harsh threats and empty taunts will only doom you faster.” The striped pony swore in her rhymes. They earned only a mocking grin from the multi-formed beast above.

“Oh, is that the best you can do? I’ve seen ponies write songs on whim and all you can do is rhyme. Seriously though, you’re going to have to use this sooner or later.” Discord let his talon swim through the portal just beneath his floating form, twisting in the swirling mist with the same twisted grin he wore. “It’s really quite fun, speaking from experience here.”

“You’re amusements are twisted, your games a bone. Be gone from our lives demon, or be sentenced once more to stone.” Once more, Zecora’s word did little more than amuse the embodiment of chaos.

“That was a good one, but I digress, time is getting away from me, and I am on a very strict schedule this time.” With a snap of his mighty paw, the group found themselves transported around the dark portal on the ground. Cries erupted from the fillies, fear taking hold of them with an iron grip. Zecora fared little better, her anger towards the monster mocking them the only thing holding her sanity strong.

“Let me be absolutely clear about this.” Discord spoke to the tear filled ponies, floating above them upside down. “All you have to do is reach in a pull something out for me. I don’t mind what, because the less I expect, the better it is. Once you do, you’re free to go. No chaos included.”

“J-Just once?” Apple Bloom stuttered out to the draconequus above, tears falling unabashed from her lids. “Th-then we can all go h-home?” The draconequus swayed his head from left to right, rolling it against his shoulders.

“Yes, yes, back to your pathetic, boring, and predictable lives.” He spoke in a bored tone, rolling his paw in the same manner he did his head. “Back to your miserable existences without purpose or meaning.” A wicked smile drew itself across his features.

He twisted in the air, putting his snout only hoof’s length away from Zecora. She snarled in return, near gagging on the toxic breath that came from the embodiment of chaos and disharmony. A deep throated chuckle made her hooves rumble across the ground.

“Maybe that’s what you’re so afraid of,” he cryptically began to the zebra. “Never being able to see your home again, being kept far away from the land you grew up in. Forever a stranger in a strange land.” The golden eyes of the striped pony furrowed in anger at his words. He paid it no more mind than the wind.

“Or maybe you,” he spun to Apple Bloom, her bow falling with the rest of her terrified features. “It’s hard to threaten you with anything, probably because you already have so little. No parents, no wings, no magic, no talent, yet you keep believing in yourself? I really want to know just how you can believe in nothing.” Tears fell from the frightened filly, her sobs shaking her trembling form.

“Then you,” He flashed behind Sweetie Bell, wrapping a claw on her stuck form, causing the fibers of her coat to stand to their tallest. “You know I wondered the most about you. You always look like a third wheel with your friends, doing as they say, saying as they do. I think there’s another word for that. An anchor, a burden, a thing that’s better off to be cut.”

“Leave her alone!” The mismatched eyes of Discord glared at the shivering pegasus behind him, her eyes the only thing about her that was defiant.

“Or what?” He mocked with a crooked grin. “Are your broken little wings going to blow me away? Or maybe that large mind of yours will simply subdue me. Hilarious, I know, but jokes are all that I can come up with when I look at you, crippled in almost everyway that I can imagine. The only thing left is to blind you, then you really will be just a sack of flesh and bones.” The fire that burned in Scootaloo’s eyes died without a fight.

“But I can’t forget my least favorite dragon!” Discord nearly sang as he spun in the air towards Spike. “After all, you’re probably the most hilarious among the group! At least they all have someone who watches out for them, but you? You’re just a fax machine for that namby pamby princess! I’ll bet my magic, wings, and claw that in just a few years, you’ll either be useless or in the way. And we all know what your “mother” does with useless things. I believe her own phrasing is “imprison them in the place they were banished to.” Wouldn’t that be exciting?”

The four foals quivered and writhed in the fear and sorrow, too terrified to speak and too tearful to move. Zecora herself was too fueled with rage to do anything more than glare at the monster above her. It was a sight he had yet to bore of.

“But enough beating around the extra-dimensional portal, it’s time to really get things going. And I promise, only once.” He snapped his claw with a resounding click.

The four ponies and baby dragon found themselves reaching head first into the portal of swirling darkness.

Spike was terrified by thought of Twilight forgetting him. What if he was forgotten? Thrown away like a molded book. Once he was dead, there would be nothing left of him.

“Focus Simon! Simon!” The voice rang through his ears like the drill of his greatest friend. The waking world slowly returned to him, beating his broken form all the way. Kamina let a breath roll off his teeth.

Begin

“What’s a guy gotta do ta get some rest around here?” He pushed himself off the controls of the Gurren. Pain shot through him instantly. His teeth bared themselves as the pain took its toll, both waking in slumbering form and taxing him of the little energy he had. Ragged breaths came from his lips. His eyes swayed to the chair beneath him, sideways as his Gunman was on the ground. With a force of effort, he pushed his way into the chair, choking on pain with every motion he made.

But he could not give up yet. Even if the pain took everything from him, he would give all of that for his friends who still fought high above him. The gunfire and cries of panic were evidence that they needed him. He would not abandon them now. His hands gripped the controls of the Lagann, watching as the screens around him flickered to life. The pain had yet to subside.

He turned his eyes skywards, looking for the massive battleship that had just so recently nearly been his grave. Another sigh of pain left his mouth, both for his body and spirit. Simon had control of the carrier, but he was not in control of himself.

The massive ship moved across the scorched ground, firing every gun on the deck as it did. Gunmen from both sides fled from the pillar of destruction, moving like a titan across the land. A smile broke through his pain. He knew what he had to do.

“Simon!” He cried. “Let’s see you grit those teeth!” Without waiting for a response he aimed his arm towards the small structure that was the Lagann.

He launched his arm forward.

The metallic structure flew like an arrow through the sky, propelled by rockets and clenched in a fist. It impacted the small orb atop the carrier beautifully. He heard Simon shake and rock through the small robot as his fist made contact. Laughter wasn’t beyond him to produce. He heard the cry of his brother through the panels almost instantly afterwards.

“Kamina! You’re still alive!” He smiled through bloody teeth.

“Simon, who the hell do you think you are?” He pushed the controls for the Gurren, pointing his only remaining arm high into the sky, aiming for the stars and beyond. “Isn’t your drill the one that will pierce the heavens, the earth, and through to tomorrow? What are you doing messing around here? We’ve won, the big guy is yours now. There’s no reason to hold back.”

“Bro,” he heard Simon almost whisper through the com link, the massive ship holding still. His heartbeat through his ears. “Right!” That was when the ship began to move again.

Color spewed from every hole in the carrier’s side. The windows, the doors, the cannons and deck. Everything began to move under the control of the Lagann again. Kamina couldn’t have been happier.

The mighty ship rocked back and forth, the controls awkward and foreign. But then the arms along the ship’s sides pulled a pose both familiar and sacred. With one held to its hip, the other aimed high into the sky, Simon’s voice cried out through the battlefield.

“Everyone! It’s alright now! The Dai-Ganzan belongs to us! Jump on board!” Cheers and hoorays of joy echoed from the compatriots of the two, familiar Gunman jumping into the sky with their large metallic bodies. But just as quickly as the celebration began, it had to end.

An explosive line traced itself across the ground, erupting before the human controlled Gunmen. Kamina raised his eyes skyward again, looking for the source of the power almost lazily. He eyes fell on the familiar figure of white.

“Damn human scum!” He heard the gorilla cry in vengeful anger. “It’s mine! Given to me by the Helix King! If you punks wanna take it from me, I’ll smash it up!” Kamina rolled his head back and sighed. The pain was starting to get to him, blood dripping from his torso with every beat of his heart.

“That damn beast doesn’t know when to give up.” He let the words come from his lips, unfiltered through his mind. He fell forwards, catching himself on his knees. Another stupid idea rolled through his mind, making him smile. “Simon, listen…” he made sure the comm link was active. “Let’s finish this in one go. By combining with the Gurren Lagann one last time, let’s settle this!” It was almost painful to give that battle cry, but the voice that responded didn’t lack in enthusiasm.

“Alright bro!” He watched the small Gunman that was the Lagann shoot from the mighty structure sailing through the sky. It grabbed at his glasses, throwing it forward in one fluid motion. Kamina looked boringly at the flying boomerang, watching it sail over his head and impacting two enemy Gunman ready to attack him. He couldn’t have been any prouder of his brother.

“Let’s go!” He shouted above the pain that rang in his ears.

The Lagann landed on top of the Gurren, drilling straight through the top of the robotic machine. The power began to flow almost instantly. The metal sheets that had been cut were repaired. The missing limbs that had been severed regrew. Kamina could only grin like a maniac as it unfolded. He knew what was happening, knew like an old man knew about life.

“Whether it’s impossible or laughable, great men open up paths of battle!” He let the power of the Lagann continue to flow through it’s beaten vessel, filling him with a strength that dulled the pain and sharpened his mind. He could do this, he and his brother. Simon wasn’t far behind.

“If there’s a wall, we break it down! If there’s no path, we make it with these hands!” He reached their conjoined hand upwards grabbing as the black glasses sailed towards them again. They both knew what they had to do.

“The heart’s magma burns with flames! Everlasting Combination, Gurren Lagann!” The glasses fell into place, healing and sharpening like sword’s edge in combat.

“Who the hell do you think we are?”

With a mighty cry from the two, the volcano behind them erupted.

Cries and cheers of excitement blew through the air with more ferocity than any bullet or rocket fired that day. Their friends, their family, were all behind them. This was their time, their moment. As brothers now and until their end, this was how they were going to end it.

“Take ‘em!” The gorilla Gunman cried, pointing towards the Gurren Lagann like a child would a lion. Still, the enemies all lunged for them, dozens of the ships ready to tackle them. That wasn’t going to happen.

“Don’t mess with us!” Kamina shouted as he pushed his controls to the floor. Holes erupted from the Gunman they controlled, glowing with energy all too familiar to him now. With a sudden lurch, drills erupted from the empty sockets, impaling all of the enemies with a single blow. The eruptions of destroyed ships soon followed. He had yet to drop his smile. He had yet to forget his pain.

“You bastard, take this!” The gorilla general aimed his spear at the two. It was more than obvious what it was meant to do. “Condemn Glaize!” The blue beam of energy shot towards the two. Kamina didn’t flinch.

“That can’t break this hand!” He reached forwards catching the energy with the metal palm of the Gurren Lagann. It spilled out from the grasp, shooting around their form, but never hitting them.

“I-Impossible!” The general stuttered, his massive Gunman taking a very visible step back. Kamina gave a laugh. He fell forward in pain. It was going to happen soon. He knew it.

“Listen Simon,” he began, whispering into the comm link they shared. He knew his brother was listening with rapt attention.

“Don’t forget, believe in yourself. Not you who believes in me. Not me who believes in you. You have to believe in you that believes in yourself.”

“B-Bro?” Simon was already beginning to shake, but it couldn’t end, not yet. Not until Kamina avenged his own death. Beams of green shot from his Gurren, knocking the glasses from their position. Reaching upwards, he grasped their frames, holding the sharp object like the deathly tool it was.

“Certain kill!” He cried, throwing the object like a boomerang. It flew forwards, spinning until all that could be see were black wheels. It impacted the Gorilla General, lifting him into the air, and pinning him against himself. His arms were pierced with his legs. He couldn’t move at all.

Kamina focused all that was left in him. The combined Gunman raised its hand high into the sky, letting the will of its pilot move it.

“Giga!” He screamed, causing a massive spiral of metal to grow from the Gurren Lagann.

“Drill!” The metal increased in size until it dwarfed the figure it came from.

“Breaker!” The Gunman jumped with the drill, spinning it until only a spear of death could be seen. It propelled itself forward through the air.

The General never stood a chance.

The Gurren Lagann flew through the enemy Gunman with more ferocity than nature could ever produce. It decimated the gorilla inside, tearing apart the hull and metal of the object, ripping it until nothing but scrap were left.

The Gurren Lagann landed on the ground without a scratch.

End

Kamina couldn’t breathe anymore. Kamina couldn’t see anymore. This was it.

He couldn’t be happier.

“Farewell… Comrades…”

Scootaloo thought of nothing but her own crippled wings, useless and pathetic. They weren’t born great and she couldn’t make them great. She was a disgrace.

“Tell me who you are girl?” The young girl being addressed looked up at the intimidating figure. He was honestly no taller than she was, but he looked like he ate steel for breakfast and concrete for dinner. A thick beard hid most of his face, but the snarl beneath it was just as clear as the bullets he had strapped around his belt and torso. She sighed before answering.

“Yeah, no.” The answer only made him show teeth. “Oh what, you were expecting me to get up and kiss you? Sorry bud, but I got standards, and you don’t even pass the height requirement.” She saw the breath leave him through his teeth.

“Settle down there Salv’.” A taller man spoke from behind the shorter one. The girl turned her attention to him. Another guy who looked tougher than bricks, but not nearly as intimidating as the brute she was talking to. At least he looked like he had some class with his straight haircut and clean shaven face. Heck, she could go for the metal implants he had on his forehead. Her vision was caught by his eyes when he looked down at her, the shorter man now walking away from the pair. “Sorry about him. Haven’t known him for long, but I’m guessing he’s not big on conversation.”

“Eh, no biggy.” The girl replied easily, letting her hand wave the air in front of her. “I’m pretty used to people blowing smoke at me. Comes with the territory.”

“And what terrain would this be?” Now the girl looked at a woman. Woman might not have been the best word for her. No, that implied mortality.

This was a goddess.

Her blue hair curved to frame her face, ice blue lips lifted into just the smallest of smiles as crystal orbs gazed down at her. Blue markings, unlike anything the girl had ever seen before, were tattooed across her left arm. She couldn’t see the right, hidden beneath a tight fitting suit of yellow and black. It made the girl pull against her own baggy sweater and skirt, suddenly very much aware of how juvenile she must have looked.

“Well, uh…” the girl trailed off, the right word escaping her. “That’s… mechanics! Yeah, mechanics and other engineering principles. I’m probably the greatest engineer alive.” She gave off a goofy grin as she lifted her left arm, scratching at the back of her head. She pulled away from her own hand as a few hairs were torn from her scalp. The girl brought the arm back down, looking at the fibers caught in the metallic frame.

“I bet you have quite the story behind that gizmo.” The man spoke to her, crossing his arms as she gave off a grin. She felt both proud and insulted by it, the oddest feeling she’d experienced yet on this planet. “Did you get bored one day and decided to play Mrs. Fix-It?” Insulting it was.

“No,” the girl breathed out, “A particle saw cut through my arm when I was trying to shave off a piece of sheet metal for my DT-Project. NBD, it only went like half way to the bone. It was actually really convenient, ‘cause it gave me the radical idea for how to transport my digistruct module for the Project.” She flexed the metallic appendage in front of her, giving off a pleasured smile as the gears churned inside. A high whistle earned her attention.

“This is probably where I say I’m glad I was born with mine.” The woman held up her own arm, comparing it to the metallic structure of the girl’s. The young girl found her face growing warm as the blue haired deity came closer to her. “Tell me though, what is this DT-Project that is so worth severing your own limb for.”

“Nah, I got a better question.” The man interrupted the two. The girl pouted with a stuck up lip. “What’s your name girl? A sweet little redhead like you, wearing what I’m willing to bet the Misses over is a schoolgirl uniform, on a planet like Pandora? You’ve must have done something either pretty wicked or pretty stupid to end up here.” Yeah, he was definitely being insulting. She opened her mouth to tell him just that when the woman answered for her.

“That is a bit rude Axton.” The woman spoke as she stood to her tallest, crossing her arms just like he had.

“What? It’s an honest question.” He spoke back without a hint of guilt about him. “I mean, c’mon, let’s go down the list here. I’m wanted for war crimes and deserting the Dahl Military, here only ‘cause my Ex-Wife told me I wouldn’t be pursued.” Axton put on a large grin as he pointed a finger at the woman in front of him. “You’re name is Maya. You’re being chased by like a hundred different splinter groups for being a Siren, one of six magically gifted women who are literally born badasses. I’ll take your word that you’re here for info on this mysterious siren and vault.” He coughed into his hand before pointing past the small trio. “That down there is Salvador. I don’t have the time to list all the shit he’s wanted for. Let’s just say it starts at swearing and ends at cannibalism.” The girl’s eyes were wider than when the conversation began. “Last but not least, we have Zero.” Axton motioned with a thumb over his shoulder. “An assassin that I know nothing about, other than he killed a politician for the challenge. He doesn’t scare me, just worries me.”

The girl turned her attention to the thing the man had spoken of. It wore a large black suit and stood taller than anyone else she had seen in the group so far. That was not to mention the mask he wore, a sleek metal that she couldn’t identify. The plasma sword on his back, however, she knew instantly was deadly.

“Divert your focus / Do not stare at me young girl / Or I will kill you.” The girl felt her skin prickle.

“See, he even talks in Haiku. I know nothing about him.” Axton finished with an almost proud smirk. Neither the girl nor the woman returned it. “Now, why don’t you fill us in on just what your story is? At least give us the juicy parts. Train’s at least a good five minutes out.” The girl debated the idea of telling him off. Waiting five minutes wouldn’t be a bad thing to get him out of her hair. Besides, she might just be able to talk with Maya then. But… earning a little respect on a planet like Pandora was never a bad thing, unless he had a bounty on her head, but that could wait.

“My name is Gaige.” She spoke as proudly as she could. “I’m wanted for the creation of unauthorized and illegal technology. Basically, my DT-Project.” Gaige watched Maya raise an eyebrow at the information. It was Axton who spoke up first.

“That’s it?” The young girl fought back the urge to slap him. A slap from a piece of particle metal could hurt. “I mean, where are you from, what’s this tech, why are you here?” She sighed again.

“Fine,” She spoke without concealing her pout. “I’m here because my DT-Project wasn’t illegal until I took him to my school science fair. So yes, this is my school uniform.” Gaige did well to ignore the clicking of Axton’s tongue. “On Eden-5, the science fair is a big deal, cause a lot of major corporations try and get us to sign up and build them stuff for their corporate agenda and blah blah blah.” She droned out the words. “Basically, I hate all those big name companies. I was there just to prove that there isn’t an engineer alive who can match my skills. My DT-Project was really impressing the judges, too. But that’s when Marcy showed up.”

“Marcy?” Maya questioned with an almost amused voice. “She sounds like a… a child.” Gaige was too fumed by the memory of her adversary to care much for the break in the siren’s voice.

“More like a bitch.” She spoke venomously. “Marcy stole my DT design to impress the judges, and ‘cause she has more money thanGod, the judges actually let her win. But that’s not all, apparently she sold the designs to the police force and like five other gun companies to design and modify, meaning that she took my idea and made billions off of it!”

“Yeah, bitch sounds about right.” Axton spoke in agreement.

“Damn right she is, but… that’s where it went… bad… very bad.” Gaige let her voice drop as the horrific memory surfaced in her mind. Her right arm rose to grab her metallic left, holding the metal like a comforting bear, knowing the design she had inside would keep her safe.

“Bad how Gaige?” Maya questioned softly. The young engineer bit her lip.

“Okay so Marcy was all proud that she won over me, so she started bragging to me and showing off the prize money and trophy. But what she didn’t realize was that I had Deathtrap active and I had his FVF system calibrated to physical force. So when she pushed me, he saw her as a threat and went to attack her. But I… I-I must have misaligned the Discord circuits when I was adding the Pre-Shrunk Cyberpunk mods to the comm link channels. So… so when he hit her she… kind of… sort… um…” Gaige let her eyes look up pleadingly to the two adults she was talking to. They both looked back with nothing short of curiosity. She relented.

“Okay, she exploded!”

“Wow! Damn!” Axton laughed as he put his hand on her shoulder. “That’s one way to handle a bully.”

“That is beyond inappropriate Axton.” Maya warned again, when her vision returned to Gaige, the child saw nothing but sympathy now. “It’s alright if you don’t want to continue. I understand how hard it can be to carry memories such as that.” Gaige, however, was still in her foal mood from the fresh memories.

“Don’t treat me like a child,” she spoke quickly to the blue haired siren. She regretted it immediately. “I-I’m sorry I…”

“It’s alright; believe me I understand that as well.” Maya spoke with a smile to the young engineer. “I’ll have to tell you sometime about just why I left my own home to come here.” Gaige felt her face growing warm, and she couldn’t be sure if it was because of the digitechnology in her arm growing lambent or not. What she did know was that those golden eyes looking at her were… beautiful.

“You want me to give you two a minute.” Gaige shook her head as Axton’s voice broke her from her daze. Fortunately for the young engineer, the siren seemed all too willing to voice her displeasure.

“Listen asshole,” Maya started out, pointed her tattooed arm at the army deserter. “Why don’t you-”

“INCOMING!”

Begin

Bullets flew past the trio.

Gaige was pulled behind a cargo box as Axton ran by her, reaching into his modulator for a weapon. The engineer watched with quick breaths as he turned towards the direction the bullets were coming from. She had yet to see what was firing at them. His arm was thrown upwards and out came a device Gaige didn’t recognize.

“Meet the Misses!” He shouted outwards. The engineer watched as the small box unfolded itself at a quickening pace. Metal rods, tubing, and chaises connected almost instantly to form an object recognizable but not at all familiar to her.

It was a turret, and it sounded like it was firing nukes.

“My turn.” Gaige turned to see Maya crouching by her, her arm on top of the engineers. The siren gave her a quick look and command before moving out of cover. “Stay here.” That was when Gaige noticed her arm was glowing.

The engineer felt a vacuum suck the air from the train cart, a boom echoing across the metal hull as it did. She fought to take a breath of air. She didn’t know if it was because of the power she felt or the sight of the goddess taking the form of a woman just beside her.

“Now get out of here!” Maya shouted with an almost animalistic roar, swinging her arm to her side. Gaige heard metal crunch and shatter as she felt the train drag to the side. Whatever the siren had just done, it packed one hell of a punch. She watched enraptured as the blue from the woman began to fade, her glowing tattoos fading into what appeared to be ordinary ink. She wouldn’t think it was just ordinary any more.

But the bullets were still coming. Maya took cover across from Gaige, letting the two have eye-contact through a shower of bullets and metal. The engineer felt herself smile.

“My turn!” Gaige shouted as she twisted out from behind the box. Her green eyes looked down the length of the car, looking for the enemies that were firing on them. She saw large metal figures walking towards them, colored gold and holding objects ranging from spinning blades to mounted machine guns. It took her all of a minute to figure out what they were.

“My design!” The engineer shouted with anger at what she took to be a mockery of her life’s work. Her lips snarled as she lifted her metallic arm up. “Let me show you posers what a real mech looks like!”

Her arm began to work.

The digistruct module inside the metallic appendage spun with life as electricity flowed through it. Gears churned at revolutions far above the necessary amount. The structure shook left and right at the base of its attachment as the hidden compartment began to work. Sparks of blue began to fly out from the crevices in the metal sheets. That’s when the work began to show. A memory construction grid folded out in front of Gaige, three dimensional blocks expanding and forming on one another as the modulator inside of her arm continued to spin. That was when the magic happened.

A mech of impressive size materialized in front of her, throwing out arms that easily reached and blocked off the train car. Taller than Axton or Maya, it towered over Gaige as it roared with a mechanical strength. The engineer had never felt so proud.

“Sick ‘em boy!” That was when Deathtrap charged.

The legless robot hovered down the hull of the train, pushing over the boxes and cargo shipments in its way. When the robot floated above its inferior clones, it swung a claw at them. Scraping metal echoed throughout the hull, dulled only by the sounds of crunching circuit boards and flying bullets. It swung again, repeating the ear shattering sound that doubtlessly did as much destruction to the imposter bots as it did the ear canals.

“Yeah! Yeah!” Gaige cheered with a pumping fist. “I am a badass!” Her rush had yet to die down. The young engineer turned towards the siren, now standing to her tallest with the majority of the threats demolished, or soon to be.

“You’re awesome.” The siren spoke simply to the mechanical savant. Gaige smiled like a child on Christmas Eve.

“No, you’re awesome!” She spoke back to Maya, pointing her mechanical arm towards the woman. The blue haired siren smiled in response.

“I’m sure.”

“I am never going to intentionally try and piss either of you off again.” Axton spoke evenly behind the pair, his turret repackaging itself into its container. The two women smiled at him.

“Enough of your talk.” The three turned to see the assassin and behind them with a bloody sword. “We have to search for more foes / The fight is not done.” Without waiting for a response, he turned from them, running down the hull for the conductor’s room. With a nod of confirmation, Axton followed close behind.

“Guess that’s our queue to go, huh?” Gaige asked absently. Maya gave her only a nod before jogging towards Axton, her arm already beginning to glow the same blue as before. Gaige made sure she was watching that. Watching the siren’s arm and not her barely contained backside moving up and-

“No, not now!” She cajoled herself. Raising her human digits to her hand, Gaige blew a whistle behind her, earning the full attention of the Deathtrap. “C’mon boy!” Without looking to confirm if he was following, Gaige followed the path of the others.

She opened a door to find herself in another train compartment, visually different only by the lack of broken metal and scorch markings. Her eyes looked towards the end, seeing the other four members of the party already at the door of the conductor’s room. Grinning, she ran forwards, raising her metallic arm to direct the DT-Project behind her. Maya gave her a smile as she drew close.

Axton looked back at the group, counting to make sure they were all there. Silently, he motioned his head towards the door. Gaige flexed her arm, Maya doing the same. She saw Zero raise his sword, gripping it with both hands as Salvador brought two guns in front of him. She would have raised her eyebrows if she weren’t preparing for another fight. The soldier deserter took a deep breath then. Raising his leg, he kicked down the door.

End

All five of them froze.

Bombs were stacked from the floor the ceiling, compartment high and wide. Wires and timers connected all of them in a pattern that Gaige couldn’t follow with the time that she had. At the center of them all sat a solitary figure, hunched over with rope around him. Slowly the chair spun towards them. Axton raised his gun, ready to fire at first chance, but he never had to. A wooden dummy was looking at them, smiling with a plastered face and chiseled jaw. Then it spoke.

“It’s cute that y’all think you’re the heroes of this little adventure… but you’re not.” Gaige glanced at one of the timers, panic overtaking her.

“Deathtrap!” She called almost desperately. She felt warm protective arms warp around her. Then she felt a hard metallic wall pull itself around her.

“Welcome to Pandora kiddos!”

The world erupted into a bright light.

Sweetie Bell thought of nothing but her magic, non-existent. She really was just an anchor to her friends.

Begin

“A-are you sure about this Maka?” A young boy tentatively asked, hunching in on himself despite his impressive height. The girl he addressed looked back to him, smiling with a comforting gaze.

“Yeah,” Maka spoke simply, her green eyes turning back down the hall, darker than black and soundless as space. “We have to check it out.” Her words carried a confidence he did not.

“But… why now. We could wait for Kid-sama, or Soul-sama, or even Black Star. Wouldn’t it be better to wait for them? I don’t know how I can deal with doing this alone.” He lowered his gaze to the ground, visible only through the knowledge he was standing on it. All his eyes could see, through his pink locks of hair, was darkness thicker than his own robe.

“You’re not alone though.” He saw her gloved hand grasp his own lifting it upwards. He followed it carefully. “I’m here, and I’m not leaving you.” He felt her hand grip his own stronger, the fibers of her glove moaning under the stress. “Not again.” Now he felt bad.

“Maka…” He droned with pity. “I’m alright, I promise.” He heard her hair whip back and forth, the air slicing beneath the pig tailed strands.

“You’re not okay though.” The response wasn’t a question, but the concern was more than clear. “You nearly died. You did die. All I could do was sit above you and cry!” He felt her hand press against something soft, deforming slightly under the pressure. He held back a gasp as he realized what it was.

The wet sensation of tears made it obvious.

“Maka…”

“You probably know exactly what it’s like, having to watch something you love fade in front of you.” He pulled his free arm across his chest, doing all that he could to resist the urge to curl into a ball. He did know, too well. “I… I’ve never felt so useless before. Right in front of me, right when I could have saved you and… a-and you ended up being the one who saved me.”

“I’ll never let anything hurt you Maka.” There wasn’t a trace of hesitancy in his voice. There didn’t need to be, there was nothing to think about. That statement was as true to his soul as the blood in his veins.

“You’re… You’re alive, Chrona, and I couldn’t be happier about it.” He couldn’t understand why she sounded so sad then. “I just… you promised me-we promised each other that we wouldn’t let anything hurt us. I’d protect you and keep you safe, no matter how hard you thought it was going to be, no matter what you thought was going to happen. You… you gave your life to save me… then thanked mefor it.”

“I’d do it again too.” Chrona could feel Maka drawing him closer, her head falling into the crook of his neck. His hand fell to his side just before he drew it back around her. Her lips sucked in a slow breath of hair, tickling his neck.

“Don’t say that.” She whispered slowly. “Don’t throw away your life so easily.” It was hard to say there was any empty space between them, the distance between them closed.

“I wouldn’t know how to deal with being alive if you weren’t there though.” Chrona continued to list his actions easily, his logic seamlessly. There was no question in his resolve.

For a moment, a still peaceful moment in the dark silent hall, Maka said nothing, opting instead to hold Chrona close to her, savoring the warmth she felt through his still breathing body, not pierced by any sword and free of any wound. Alive and living.

“But you lost Ragnarok.”

Chrona could say nothing.

The strength in his arms grew weak at the reminder, a memory that only grew in length with every passing second of his life. One year, two months, four days, and 21 hours since he was pierced by the vector of his own mother, draining the blood from his body. Just as long since his blood was drained from him, his dark black blood. Only 32 seconds after that, the life in his blood fading away, the soul kept within it passing away.

It was when he first began to feel alone.

“It’s not your fault.” He spoke lightly, unconvincingly.

“It is.” Maka argued, pulling back for her forehead to push against his, blonde hair twisting with pink. “If I wasn’t so… stupid, you wouldn’t of done what you did and… and Ragnarok would still be alive. You wouldn’t be alone.”

“You… You said I’m not alone.” Chrona felt his own voice begin to shake. Maka was not far behind.

“You said that you were. I am here. I am not leaving.” The confidence in her voice grew with every syllable she spoke. “And I am not going to let you think low about yourself ever again. You don’t deserve that, not after everything you’ve been through.”

Chrona took in a deep breath before letting out a small smile.

Maka always did know the best words to say. She was always there for him, saying the things that he needed to hear, lifting his spirits in ways he thought useless or impossible. No matter how hard he pushed, how far he moved away, she always did something to bring him back, and now was no different. He wasn’t gone, far from it, savoring the contact he had with her, but any little thing that told him she would stay was a blessing to be had.

“Are you ready to go now?” Maka asked gently, slowly moving away from him. She grasped his hand again as she did, not letting go. “We can’t be far now, and I’m sure we’ll find what we need at the end.” Chrona didn’t doubt Maka’s words, he never did, but he couldn’t help the feeling of unease that wormed itself into his chest. He felt the pressure on his hand increase. “But don’t worry. I’m not going to leave, and there’s nothing we can’t handle.” And just like that, he was alright again.

“O-Okay,” he replied with all the conviction he had, raising his slender form to its tallest. Just a head above Maka’s own height, though it was barely visible in the dark hall. He felt a tug on his hand, the soft clatter of shoes on stone, and he knew that she was walking again.

They continued in silence for a time, walking down the hall with only the sound between them. Chrona never let go of Maka’s hand, feeling the warmth of her body through the thin layer her glove provided. His own gown was long and black, a blanket more than clothing, but he found that simple contact with his greatest friend warmer than any other part of him.

The darkness of the hall never seemed to end. His eyes looked forward, at least in the direction in which he was moving, but saw no dot of light or fading darkness. It felt like a great void that was still as stone. Never growing in closer to him, but neither expanding and leaving him in nothingness. It was an almost comforting feeling. Then again, it may very well could have done with where they were.

He knew where they were, more so than Maka. It was not because of deception or trickery. He would never do something like that to her ever again. It was because where they were was more than just a place he’d been to before. This was a place he had grown up in.

For lack of any other term, it very well could have been called his home.

It was lighted back then, by candles forged through his mother’s magic and kept ablaze through captured souls. His childlike ignorance for the torture of the souls at the time turned to apathetic pity as he grew, as much love in his life then as light in the tunnels now. Who was he to care about the lives of these captured souls?

He, Chrona Gorgon, the child of a witch and subject of torturous research. Drained of his blood at an age too young, replaced with a metal enchanted with magic. No blood flowed through his veins now, no red liquid of life. Only blood as black as the halls he walked within, a metal he could harden into steel and swing like a sword. Blood that was his weapon, blood that used to have a soul, blood that used to be his only friend. And now, Maka was taking him back here, back to where he had so many nightmares and nights alone, filled only with a weapon that mocked him for comfort.

But he didn’t feel any fear, and absolutely no regret. He knew why they were here. It was what Maka called “hope to bring Ragnarok back, so you won’t be alone again.” How could he say no? The one thing he had lost for all the things he had gained, and now he was being offered to have that back. How could he say no to taking back the one thing he found comfort in all his childhood, given to him by the comfort who was so kind to him now. It was enough to make him smile.

“Thank you Maka.” He spoke quietly, knowing full well no matter how low he spoke, the blonde would hear his words. The grip between the two tightened in response.

“No problem Chrona, but just wait until we get there.” That reminded him.

“We should be there soon.” He felt her slow at his words, stopping slow enough to prevent him from running into her. Her silent question was obvious to him. “There should be a door ahead. I wasn’t allowed to go in there. Mother always said that I wouldn’t be able to deal with it.”

“Well I’m with you now, and I say that you can.” He smiled again. Whenever she said that, he knew that he could. She walked forward again, slower than before. Chrona listened to Maka’s gloved hand traced the stone walls, feeling for the door he knew was there.

It didn’t take long. Her fingers drummed on metal as they slipped from stone.

“I guess this is it, huh?” She asked with an amused tone. He couldn’t see her well, but Chrona knew she was smiling.

“Yeah,” he whispered almost blissfully. “B-But be careful!” The warning almost felt redundant at this point.

“I know. Medusa isn’t exactly careless with her research.” The voice of the blonde girl had gone from joyful to indifferent at a speed he had only heard in one other voice before, and he didn’t enjoy the woman who had that voice. Not even a little. “We’ll just have to be careful for anything that happens, huh?”

“Y-Yeah.” This time, Chrona strengthened his grip on Maka’s hand. Somehow, he felt it grow warmer.

“Here goes.” Slowly, Maka slid her hand from Chrona, putting both of her gloved palms against the hard steel . Giving out a feminine grunt, she put her muscles to work, pushing on the steel frame. It groaned in annoyance to her effort, but did little more than that. “Won’t budge.” She noted through her grit teeth.

“Here, I can help.” Chrona offered behind her, moving to her side. In perfect synch, he put his hands next to hers. “Um, whenever you’re ready.”

“Alright, this time for sure.” The confidence in her voice was infectious. “3, 2,” Chrona took a deep breath, putting all the strength of his stance. “1, go!”

They both gave a push against the rusted metal. It cried before falling away in a pile. For only a moment, just a moment, Chrona saw Maka next to him, brows scrunched in effort and eyes forward. Then he looked forward and saw what he never expected.

A blinding light, turning the empty darkness behind them into a haven he wished to retreat to. The light burned, scorched and drew cries from his throat. He heard Maka do the same.

The light sucked them both away.

End

Apple Bloom thought of herself, but she found nothing she could believe in. No strength, no intelligence, nothing that was worth any faith or trust.

Begin

“Are you comfortable father?” A voice gurgled above him. He had met many species in his life that had been disturbed by the sound. It was unique among the dozen of alien races throughout the galaxy. Sadly and honestly, it was rare to hear such a tone, the race it belonged to grounded and stranded aside from the few uplifted by the other races that took pity.

It was a pity, because it matched his voice.

“Yes.” He spoke upwards, lighter than the voice that spoke down to him. “As much as I can-” His words were cut off as harsh coughs rocked his form, sending pain through his torso and throat. He shouldn’t have spoken, he knew that, but he needed to.

This was his son, a boy and voice he had not seen for nearly two dozen years, a child he knew he had, but was never able to raise. He was now the only legacy he had left. Speaking to him was an action he needed to do, no matter the pain it brought.

“Please,” the same voice spoke to him. “Relax, I am sure she will be here soon.” He did relax then, under the comforting palm and grasp of his kin. He didn’t speak the name, but he knew who his son meant. It was obvious, almost as painfully obvious as his approaching demise.

But he felt no fear.

This was a moment he had been preparing years for. His illness was never a secret, its eventual end obvious. It was only by the grace of the goddess and hunters above that he had done so much good with the little time that he had left. A soft sigh left his lips, rumbling on the same chords he spoke with.

Memories of his life slowly slipped through him. Training at the hands of the Hanar, falling in love with the warrior goddess Siha, witnessing the birth of his son, avenging the murder of his wife, the contracts and time spent alone with no purpose, then meeting her.

“Thane?”

It was not his son’s voice that spoke. It was soft and feminine, carried on the same tone and pitch. It flowed through his tired form the way a desert wind washed across his scales. Comforting in warmth, prickling his nerves, reminding him that he was still very much alive.

“Commander Shepard.” He heard his son speak. He was polite, calm, and respectful. It made him proud. “My father told me you were no longer incarcerated.” The small pleasures. “I don’t know if you remember me. My name is Kolyat Krios. I came to draw blood… and…”

He felt their vision lie over him, watching his vulnerable and prone form. The training in him told him to flex his quadriceps, preparing for an assault. His heart told him to be at ease. There would soon be nothing left that could hurt or harm him.

“He asked me to take off his oxygen mask, so he could be comfortable. I don’t think it will be very long.” His son sounded sad, remorseful, so different than the resenting tone he had carried when they reunited two years ago. It did his fading life good.

“Your father helped me save a lot of lives. I’d like to be here.” There was never any doubt in his mind that she would stay, just as there was no other feeling but peace and acceptance to her wishes.

“Of course.” He son spoke with an understanding undertone, moving away slowly so it left only him and her. Only he, the assassin, and she, the soldier. His Siha.

She approached him with a grace he wasn’t sure she possessed. Hair swaying ever so slightly as she walked towards him, muscles moving in a practiced motion, from training no less rigorous than his own. Light pink lips smiled down at him, soft blue eyes watching him with adoration and respect, two things of many things he never thought he would possess.

“Siha,” he spoke in his echoing tone. “I’m afraid I’ve picked a bad time to leave.” She leaned in close as he spoke, unabashed by the distance that closed between them.

“You couldn’t disappoint me Thane, not even now.” Her hand slowly drew itself over his face, feeling every bump between his scales. Her soft flesh caressed him lovingly. He loved it.

“Such pleasant things from your lips.” He stopped, coughing upwards as the pain began to sear his fading form again. He resisted the urge to swallow. “Forgive me, words are difficult.” Thane turned his gaze to the ceiling, watching the unmoving metal as he calmed his sore nerves and decaying flesh.

“Siha,” he began again carefully. “I need to know if the councilor survived.” It was his son who answered him.

“Yes, father.” Kolyat spoke with an unchanged tone. “Three of the councilors are still alive thanks to you and Shepard. Udina… he instigated it. He is dead.” He felt no joy for the life he was told had left. All life was sacred to him now. Thane turned his attention to the woman beside him.

“There is something I must do before it gets worse. I must-” More coughing ripped through his lungs, forcing his laying form to bend forwards with the pain. He saw his son standing at the far side of his bed, hands folded in prayer as he stood by his father. Kolyat had regained his faith too. There was little left for him to regret. Leaning backwards, he began to speak, careful with every syllable that left his lips.

“Kalahira, mistress of inscrutable depths, I ask forgiveness. Kalahira, whose waves wear down stone and sand-” Again the coughing returned, as did the pain. Thane moved forward again, putting his own green scaled hand to his mouth to catch the liquid that moved forth. His son watched him, pain in his own dark eyes.

So Kolyat continued for his father.

“Kalahira, wash the sins from this one and set him on the distant shore of infinite spirit.” Thane turned his dark eyes to Shepard, the woman, his Siha standing still just beside him. He had never seen such sad eyes on her face before. It didn’t suit her.

“Kolyat,” he spoke as proud as his shivering voice could manage. “You speak as the priests do. You have been spending time with them.” The smile he gave took all the energy he could imagine. His son nodded in return, face betrayed the depths of the storm Thane knew brewed within him. That was alright. Strength took many forms.

His son moved around his bed, moving towards his Siha with a respectful space between them. When he stood by her side, Kolyat spoke again.

“I brought a prayer book. Commander, would you care to join me?” He watched Commander Shepard take in a deep breath before nodding. She was hiding her pain little different than his son. His son had faith. He knew his Siha did not. That was alright. The gods may favor the faithful, but that did not scorn the ignorant.

“Kalahira, the one who’s heart is pure, but beset by wickedness and contention.” His son spoke carefully, reading from the scripture with practiced tones. That was when Thane’s Siha leaned over, carefully reading on from where Kolyat left off.

“Guide this one to where the traveler never tires, the lover never leaves, the hungry never starve.” He could feel the pain in her voice, a pain he could no longer help to remove. It was hard to undo his own impending death. “Guide this one, Kalahira, and she will be a companion to you as she was to me.” Thane listened with rapt attention as his Siha finished the prayer. She had recited it perfectly.

The words asking for Shepard’s forgiveness.

He had said his prayers and wishes not before Shepard entered his room. He was prepared the moment his son had removed his oxygen mask. The only task he had left in the realm of the living was the knowledge that his love, his mate, would be able to join him as well.

And now she would.

He turned his head towards the window beside him, gazing out along the many buildings and cars that flew by. Life was such an odd thing. Easy and blissful to experience, yet all together tragic and confusing. What was he but another life passing from this world to the next? Another soul letting his spirit fall into the waters of the great beyond, letting the warrior goddess and angels guide his once broken spirit.

Thane felt that familiar warmth reach over his gaze, gently holding him close. Her chest pushed against the back of his head, holding his already fading form and passing spirit. She yearned for him to stay, but they both knew he could not. Thane was a being of faith, and Shepard a woman of will. He knew what awaited him now, and he only needed to be sure that his lover’s soul would be forgiven as well.

Breathing was becoming much more difficult.

“Kolyat?” He heard her question his son, her voice crying with her eyes, though he could see neither. “Why did the last verse say “She”?”

“The prayer was not for him commander.” His son spoke with no less love and devotion as he had before. “He has already asked forgiveness for the lives he has taken and ended. His wish was for you.”

He heard the gasp and tears from his Siha just before he heard water drip across the floor. It was painful, he knew. Painful to his soul and body. But pain was what began all methods of healing. Guilt was pain of the soul, and guilt would lead her to forgiveness.

“Goodbye Thane,” she whispered above him gently, letting her hand run smoothly over his scales.

“Meet you across the sea.”

Thane began his journey home.

End

Zecora thought of her home, of her kind that fought against nature itself to survive. She had to keep to her ways. She had to keep her mind strong. She could not forsake her own ways now.

Begin

“This place is really messed up Tenzin.” The woman noted dryly as she followed the elder man. She rolled her head back against her hands, digits knitted together. “I mean, c’mon, I already mastered the avatar state, not to mention beat the crap out of The Equalists. Air bending is all I got left, and I really doubt you’re gonna be able to teach me much in… wherever we are.” I low sigh came from the man in front of her. She heard that sound at least half a dozen times a day.

“For the last time Korra, we are going to the private study chambers of Avatar Aang, my father.” It was hard for the woman to not smile at the exasperated tone she heard. “Whenever a difficult situation arrived in the world, one requiring more than a demonstration of force, Avatar Aang would come here to meditate with his former selves, your former selves.”

“Yeah, I got that, but I don’t know why I have to be here to do it.” Korra blew out a breath of air, watching as the small gust she created form a cloud of dust. “I mean, didn’t Aang do all of that on the back of a Tiger Turtle, er, Shark Tortoise? Whatever that thing was before Sozin’s comet.” Another sigh. That was two, only four more and she would hit today’s quota. The idea brought a wicked smile to her lips.

“You miss the point Korra,” Tenzin reprimanded in what he thought to be a harsh tone. To her, it sounded no different than the monks trying to teach her waterbending. “Accessing your Avatar state is difficult process you have not mastered yet, no matter what you may think of yourself.” He must have felt her mouth opening to argue. “Yes, I am thrilled you spoke to my late father and have restored the bending of nearly ever bender in Republic City, but there is a difference between what you have done and what prior Avatars can do.”

“And that is?” Her hand put itself outwards, palm raised up as she waited for an explanation. They had yet to stop walking down the old and what appeared to be abandoned hall.

“As of now, you can speak to your former selves like you and I talk over morning meals. I do not hold that as anything but an accomplishment, but that is not the Avatar state.” That is when he turned to her, eyes conveying a message and wisdom the young Avatar found difficult to ignore. “When you reach the true Avatar state, there is no discussion among your past lives, no consensus or conversation. You will literally become one with your past lives, knowing what they know and seeing what they see. If you can do that, then you will truly have mastered all that I can possibly teach you.”

Korra was silent.

The idea both scared her and intrigued her. It was odd enough just having to share her life with others. Living in a family that had a new baby to care for, spending so much of your day making sure everyone was alright, that was hard enough. Sharing a body, mind, and everything that was you? Somehow intimacy didn’t quite cover just how deep of a connection that needed. Then again, what would be more awesome than learning all of the greatest techniques in bending in a single moment? Being able to erupt volcanoes, summon tidal waves, rip the land into earthquakes and maybe even cause a typhoon.

It was so scary it was awesome.

“This is nothing to smile about Korra.” The reprimanding voice of Tenzin shook her from her thoughts. Her hand ran roughly across her mouth. “This is an important test that will require all of your concentration, you don’t have time to daydream about your friend.” Korra froze.

“Wait, what?” The elder monk turned to her as she stopped, brow knit into a confused look. Tenzin returned with a look of his own.

“Your friend Mako, you were just thinking about seeing him again, weren’t you?” The confusion on Korra’s face left her. Heat swelled in its place.

“What!? No, I was thinking about how cool it would be to be able to use the most powerful bending techniques, not just my own!” Tenzin watched with a mask of apathy, slowly cracking with a faint smile beneath his pointed beard.

“Now Korra, it’s alright.” He spoke honestly, putting a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “I’ve been young and in love too. I know how distracting those thoughts can be.” If asked later, Tenzin would have sworn on his father’s grace he felt her skin grow hotter with his words.

“Th-That’s ridiculous!” The teen nearly screeched, backing away from her airbending master. “I don’t fantasize about that kind of stuff.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I was serious the first time!” Korra shouted back without hesitance. “I was thinking of bending like with all my Avatar…ian powers, not making out with Mako over the Bending Stadium with a light show above us and cool breeze that would make us sit closer… together.” She let out a defeated sigh. Tenzin smiled like his father.

“You see, was that so hard to get off your chest?” He questioned in good nature the slumping form of the Avatar. “Now that you’ve gotten off your mind, you can focus on your meditation.”

“Yeah,” Korra admitted weakly, starting to walk forwards again with a hunched form. “Let’s just get this over with for today. I’m already beat after that.” She heard Tenzin chuckle as he continued to walk as well.

“Don’t worry,” he spoke to her. “I doubt you’ll be able to accomplish this the first time. It took my father many years. Just relax yourself in the room, and I’m sure you’ll find your peace eventually.”

“Peace, right,” she noted dryly. “Peace of mind in this dusty cold tomb.” He sighed again in front of her. At least she was halfway to meeting today’s mark.

“It’s not a tomb Korra, it’s a meditation room. One specifically designed by Avatar Aang through the study of other temples. He wished to recreate the Air Temples, but for a logical fear, kept one of the holiest rooms buried beneath the ground.” Korra wouldn’t have been able to swear on it, but Tenzin sounded almost… defeated.

“Kind of pointless for an airbender to sit underground, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” he agreed without reluctance, earning a curious glance from the younger of the two.

“Wait, you agree with me? Just like that?” He sighed again. That made four.

“I don’t fight you with words for my enjoyment Korra. What I do is to ensure that you become the Avatar the world needs you to be. You have already done so much, but Amon proved that any bender with a silver tongue can turn even one of the most peaceful cities into a realm of corruption and discord.” She felt him place a hand on her shoulder, stopping them both.

“You are the Avatar, the reincarnation of the world itself. You are meant to bring balance and peace to all, bender and non-benders alike. For that to happen, you need to feel the connection with the world, to live the lives of your past, experience memories not your own, and learn from all of them things no coward on a throne could dare argue with.” He placed his other hand on her opposite shoulder, directing her gaze to his.

“If nothing else, remember this. For as long as you are alive, and for as long as you are strong, the world will always need an Avatar. Whether it be to protect the weak or correct the wrongs, you, and you alone, have the power to change the world.”

Korra gazed back at Tenzin, letting his words roll through her mind carefully. It felt practiced, precise, but most importantly, convincing. She drew in a deep breath of air, shutting her eyes briefly as the words worked through her one more time. Carefully, she chose her own words, and responded in kind.

“That was really lame Tenzin.”

The elder monk sighed again. Five down, one to go. She couldn’t help a snicker.

“It’s a good thing that we are here then.” Without waiting for a remark from the young Avatar, Tenzin put his hand out, grasping at a handle Korra had not seen. A small wind blew past her, drawn into the opening doorway. Dust billowed in front of her, tickling her nose just enough to earn a sneeze. When she opened her eyes, she gazed into the room, or what little she could see.

Only small slits appeared through the rocky walls at the room’s opposite side. She couldn’t tell if the ground had risen since then or they were intentionally built to house such little light. What light that entered showed her a barren and empty room, filled with just dust and grime.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” She openly complained. “Aang stuck himself in here? For how long?”

“I’d say weeks, I think he survived off of eating the ants that crawled through the windows.” If Korra had turned any faster, her hair would have left a mark on Tenzin’s face. When she did look at him, all she saw was wide and proud smirk. “I am my father’s son. Joking isn’t beyond me.” Korra found herself smiling in return.

“Yeah, that, or maybe I’m just rubbing off on you.” She pushed herself to her tallest height, barely above chin high for the air bending monk.

“I’ll take my small victories.” He spoke easily, but he didn’t sigh. Dang, and she was so close to meeting that quota too. “Regardless, I’ll bring food often, and you will not sleep in here. When night falls, it will be obvious. For now, focus on the state of your mind when you communicated with your former selves. That will be the doorway you need to fully immerse yourself into the lives you have lead.” She nodded in understanding.

“Alright, guess I’ll catch you later.” Without another word, she walked into the room, moving around the empty space in hopes to find or see something that escaped her from the door. But there was nothing. Just dirt covering the walls and dust frosting over the grime. It was a bore inside of boredom.

End

The door clicked shut behind her. Korra sighed in annoyance. She sat herself on the dusty ground, pushing away the stray clumps of dirt that irritated her.

Time passed slower than frozen water in the artic. More than once Korra found herself scratching at itches that weren’t there, finding the specks of dust that danced in the soft light of the room more captivating than comets.

“Agh!” She shouted with no restraint to her aggravation. Pushing herself from the ground with a bit of her airbending, she twisted until she faced door. It was nearly as hidden as the rest of the room, at least in the darkness and with so much dirt everywhere else. Korra walked over to it, rubbing her hand over the sleek metal.

She remembered stories of Katara, talking of how the old Chief of Police, Toph Bei Fong, could bend metal to her will, that she was the first to do it. The metal benders were now a force to be reckoned with, debatably secondary only to the Thunder Squad of the Fire Nation Army. Then again, she’d only ever seen one in action.

Korra blew at a strand of hair that fell over her eyes. It refused to budge. Putting up both her hands, she ran her fingers through her hair, shoving all the dirty strands out of her vision. That’s when her elbow struck the wall.

“Ow.” She said more out of reaction that any pain. Her eye glanced at the marred joint, sporting a bit of dirt that doubtlessly covered a raw piece of skin now. The Avatar directed her vision once more at the wall. The area where she had struck it was clear, the dirt not on her skin having fallen to the ground. But that was not what captivated her interest.

There were markings beneath it. Her hand pushed against the dirt, scrubbing at the substance to get a closer view at the clearly intentional drawings. She did that for all of a minute before hitting her head against the wall.

“Duh?” Taking a few steps back, she positioned herself in the proper stance. A stomp of her foot, a thrusting of her arms, and the extension outwards. All the dirt fell away from the walls.

Korra gasped at what she saw.

Faces, markings, murals, designs, maybe even scriptures of every Avatar that had come before her. She didn’t know them all, not even a hundredth of the many faces that decorated this forgotten mural, but she knew enough. She knew of Roku, the firebending Avatar that had battle the King of the Fire Nation. She knew of Kyoshi, the earthbending Avatar that had split countries. She knew of Kuruk, the waterbending avatar that had tamed monsoons. And she knew one face more than any other.

She knew of Aang, the last airbender, the avatar that ended a hundred year war and brought peace to the world, the world she was now responsible for guarding. Her hand traced his image, from the blue arrow on his forehead to the staff he carried at his side. Even now, on a face carved in stone, she could feel him smiling at her.

Korra could sense them all smiling at her.

She could sense everyone of them.

Her body sat on the floor, eyes glowing white and bright.

Breath slowly left her form.

Discord, both above the portal of darkness and his pawn in the Hall of Harmony, cackled with mirth comforting to no soul.

“Now, the game can begin.”

The End of The Beginning

“What is your game?” Luna challenged the glass pane deity, scowling at him as Discord smiled to her. “Do you truly intend to simply… summon more monsters mimicking the form of Kratos?” The draconequus rolled his tinted eyes at the question.

“Really now, is that what you presume I’d do? Just walk around and repeat myself over and over again?” The illusion of Discord jumped from a pane and fell onto Chrysalis, claw over his head as he relaxed against the changeling’s figure. “Oh the life of a dramatic, always doomed to be assumed by those around him.”

“He doesn’t seem so bad.” Celestia kept her gaze hard as she looked towards Hiccup, hand behind his head scratching obliviously. “Yeah, it’s a bit… crazy, but like I said, I’ve seen enough for Helheim to be normal at this point.”

“Oh that’s too bad Cough-up. Oh sorry, it’s Hitchup, dang it no… no… Hiccup! Yeah, that’s it.” The hand on the back of the boy’s head only seemed to increase in weight, forcing his head down further. “Really, though, I’m glad you realize I’m anything but evil, but it really is too bad that this is normal to you. Normal means it makes sense, and it’s like I always say. What’s the fun in making sense?” Discord laughed atop his the glass Chrysalis, leaning back until he fell from her still form. His stained form fell down the glass, disappearing from view and out of sight.

“He’s still acting like a coward.” Rainbow muttered angrily as she flared her wings, twisting in place as she searched for the mad draconequus, the same as everyone else in the room.

“A coward?” The dark voice rumbled through the hall. Shivers followed close behind. “A coward… coming from the bird that flew away from her friends, that doesn’t seem to mean too much, now does it.” On her grave, Twilight would swear she heard Dash’s teeth crack.

“Then what are you?” The samurai asked the air, twisting with his hand clenched on his blade. “What form of wizardry and runes do you practice?” The laughter returned with volume and strength.

“I don’t practice anything.” The voice spoke resolutely. “There’s no need to test anything in chaos, because no matter what I do, it’s different every time. Ha ha ha ha ha….” The laughter died as the voice faded away.

“He’s toying with us.” Riku spoke to the princess next to him, hands at his sides as he looked past his silver locks for the beast. “It’s a scare tactic I’ve seen dozens of others use before.” Luna swallowed to churn the muscles in her mouth.

“That is a ploy he has played in every game.” The monarch returned. “It is not enough that he knows himself stronger, he must also pretend his spirit to be stronger as well.”

“And I’m not?” The dark voice rumbled again, shaking the glass along their panes. “It always does amaze me how far you will fall into delusions simply to believe yourself in some sort of… predictable world. Delusions are just illusions and are a thing that doesn’t belong in chaos. After all, those are the things that hide chaos within your harmony.”

“Link.” Twilight whispered to the green clad hero, currently walking through the crowd with bow drawn and eyes sharp. “Do you know where he is?” A slow shake of the Hylian’s head was enough for her.

“Could tha’ varmint not even be here?” Applejack questioned aside from beside the unicorn. It earned the sideward gaze of the few around her. “Ah’m just sayin’, tha’ cider slick snake ain’t one ta be playin’ the odds. He makes ‘em.”

“I’m surprised ponies call you the dumb one Apple Mac.” The heads turned to the very distinct voice of Discord. His glass form jumped into another pane of glass, climbing up the shining form of Celestia as she raised a crystal sun. He stilled atop her head, a paw on one of her wings and a claw on the other. “I think I should reward a pony for surprising me, that’s only fair, and what’s a game without fair odds?”

Discord let his crystal red eyes scan over the crowd of those beneath him, never losing the gleam of his teeth. It was impossible to tell if the shine was from the glass or his own happiness. He watched some of the ponies lean closer to the warriors they had brought forth, those warriors pulling weapons or tools to their sides. Then there were the few that stood alone from the crowd, close to no pony or warrior. Those few, those two, were armed as if to face him alone.

The thought brought the warmth of the impossibility to him. Fighting odds they couldn’t best.

It was like a love story to him.

“I am a bit curious though, why haven’t you decided to help out your… newest compatriots?” Celestia let her tongue run across her lips, wetting the thin layer of skin. Her eyes darted from the white misted form on the tiled floor only briefly before looking back up at the draconequus.

She was the only one who was able to keep her focus upon the monster of impossible forms.

“Oh! I nearly forgot.” Fluttershy whispered softly before trotting close to the white form nearest to her. Shining Armor gave her a small glance before letting his eyes return to the form he had drawn. “We should really hurry, and help him out.” The Captain of the Guard nodded stiffly, his eyes moving from the alabaster mist to the mad god looking down at him greedily.

“I should help this one as well.” Cadance whispered to her husband, already retreating towards her own draw. “We don’t have the luxury of time anymore.”

“Luxuries are things you can enjoy in large amounts.” Discord defined the term with a flick of his claw, releasing the glass replica of Celestia. He spun along the axis of his paw, ending with himself hanging upside down from her wings, tail curled about her pinions. His smile never faltered. “If you have anything in too large an amount, it becomes normal. Normal is boring.”

“Not much time at all.” Cadance was able to spare on a glance to see the spiky form of Sonic at her side. “Fortunately, this is where I excel.” That was all the warning the pink alicorn had before the hedgehog began to work.

A wind ruffled her wings and fur, growing in intensity by the passing second. Her eyes shut as she took hoof steps back, folding her head away from the offensive air. She cracked open an eye to see many of her friends in the same situation. Twilight was pushing her hooves to the floor while her Shining Armor taking a far more trained position of defense.

Then without a sign, the wind died completely.

“Done.” She heard the voice of the hedgehog speak. Cadance raised her head to view the sight he sounded so proud of.

Her eyes met two new forms laying across the ground, still and unmoving, but barren of any mist, haze, or fog.

By the others in the room alone, it was clear that both were men. Aside from that, it was impossible to see any more than that. Both wore clothes that covered them completely.

The form closest to the Crystal Princess was wearing a suit that covered his entire form. It was the purest white, but stripped and mixed with the purest shades of red she had ever seen. The clothing along his form was tight in some areas, but loose in others, ranging from thin and sleek to thick and sturdy. Her attentive eyes drew themselves from the odd garb it wore, focusing instead on the tools that hung from the oddly dressed thing.

The scabbards and sheaths were nothing new to her eyes, having lived with and among members of the guard for nearly all her life. The lengths of them, however, were odd to her. For a pony of any race, they were nearly as long as her own carriage. The few that weren’t were far too small to be properly held.

The Crystal Princess bit her lip to stop herself from slapping a hoof to her horn.

It took Cadance this long to realize that she was judging this man along the lines of a pony, and not that of a man.

Her eyes moved to the figure closer to her husband, just as still as the alabaster coated figure next to her. Unlike the man still near her, however, the other figure wore clothes as black as night.

While the other man wore clothes of clear cotton or silk, this other man appeared to be wearing designs only slightly thinner than armor. Every patch of it was painted the darkest black, changing only to lighter shades in some areas, but never any different. His cape, his suit, his pointed cowl, they were all a mysterious black. There was, however, an unmistakable mark across his chest. It was simple in design, a single color with a few curves, but Cadance recognized it well.

A bat. Wings extended and in flight.

This man, again unlike the other closer to the Crystal Princess, had no visible weapons on him. His hands were encased in armor thicker than the rest of his body, a belt of what appeared to be strapped tools, but not a sword, dagger, hammer, or anything else of the sort on him.

Clap Clap Clap Clap

“That was very impressive!” Discord cheered from his current pane of stained glass. He was now standing above his own form from his first defeat, smiling and cheering above his sprawled and screaming self. “I’d wager you’re faster than that pompous pegasus any day.” The jeer was obvious, but Dash was oblivious.

Twilight, however, saw it coming from a mile away.

She put a hoof around her blue friend, pulling her close to her own form. The unicorn pushed her muzzle into the ear of Rainbow, whispering harshly and quickly to her easily agitated friend.

“You can’t do anything right now Rainbow. We’re lucky enough he didn’t separate us again. Just give it a bit more time.” Twilight felt her competitive friend shiver and stiffen in her grasp, mentally battling herself. It was after a low sigh left the blue pegasus that her form still and relaxed, flared wings folding back into her sides.

“What a pity, I was hoping for a bit of a display.” Another taunt from Discord washed over the room. Twilight was beginning to hope that her logic was wrong. Maybe if they hit the glass hard enough, it would hurt him.

“But, I digress, I did promise a gift for the disorder you brought me. It would be just rude if I took without returning, right?” He shrugged his shoulders, holding his open paw and claw to his side.

In a flash, his smile grew wicked; appearing almost sharp enough to scratch the glass he was part of. The warriors and ponies could do little more take in a breath of air as the two appendages slammed into one another.

A brilliant flash of light lit the rafters above them.

In the next moment, it was raining bodies.

The screams from above drew frantic gazes and startled gasps from those below. All were recognized by the ponies in the crowd, stirring feelings of rage few could describe. The dragon, the pegasus, the unicorn, zebra, and earth pony. As their screams filled the rooms, the reaction was spontaneous.

The ponies acted.

Twilight quickly took hold of the dragon and zebra in her magical grasp, stopping them in mid fall. Dash flew from the tiled ground, scooping up Scootaloo before she had fallen her height in the air. Rarity and Applejack galloped in tandem with one another, whisking their sisters from the air with all their strength and grace.

It only took a moment, but in that brief period of time, the ponies had been able to save their friends from their fall, preventing any harm or consequence.

No pony or warrior stopped the black mists from falling to the floor, landing with a wet plop across the tile.

Eyes were quick to stare at the, black tendrils floating form the objects just as it had done with Discord’s portal from before, before it was changed and purified. The sight made the ponies churn with unease, the way the black mist was a contradiction in every way to the white fog from the other warriors. The mist that hung along the floor now was vile, greedy even, reaching and growing outwards, but never gaining ground. More than a few warriors took careful steps back, Hiccup mounting Toothless as the dragon began to snarl.

“What… are those…” The question slowly arose from the samurai, sword unsheathed and held before him protectively. “They are far different than the ones from before.”

“That’s because we purified Discord’s original portal.” Celestia reminded calmly, eyes as focused on the black mist as any other in the room. “They call forth for a soul that is opposite of what you are feeling. Whatever those forms are… they are the contradiction to what those who pulled them out were feeling.”

“He made us do it!” The sudden shout from across the room, earned the gazes of those closest to the voice. Scootaloo, with watery eyes and hooves holding Dash close, cried out again. “H-He made us use that thing. We didn’t want to! I promise we didn’t!”

“She’s right!” Sweetie Belle echoed her friend from atop her sister’s back. “We were just playing then he-he-he-he-” The foal broke into tears, burying her face deep into Rarity’s mane. The alabaster unicorn donned an expression of fury. With her knit brows and furrowed eyes, the regal pony took the visage of wrath.

“That’s a good look on you.” Discord taunted again from above, either ignorant or apathetic to the hateful gazes being bestowed upon him.

“Sweetie,” Rarity whispered a dark tone to her sobbing sibling. “Go and hide, now.”

“Same ta ya Apple Bloom.” Applejack echoed her friend. The filly on her back squirmed in discomfort. “Hide yerself now. Things ain’t gonna be safe fer now.”

“Oh! Trying something new then? Wonderful!” Discord cheered earnestly at the ponies below. “I was just a tad bit worried you’d do something expected, like charging at me blindly with all your post pubescent fury.” The scowls on the two below grew venomous as the draconequus made of glass only continued to laugh.

“Don’t let his taunting affect you.” A feminine voice spoke in a tone almost foreign with the calmness in the words. Applejack and Rarity turned in tandem to see the tall blonde warrior walking towards them, cape billowing behind her, but massive blade still sheathed tightly behind her.

“Who says I’m taunting? I’m just stating facts for the curious questions, aren’t I?” Discord jumped from his pane, pushing off the head of his own imitation before landing upon another glass figure, three windows over. Her curled his claw possessively over the visage of the Elements of Harmony.

“Their anger is more than understandable.” Teresa spoke again, silver eyes flashing towards the two in question before returning her gaze to the monster above. “But so is your reason for being here.”

“What does she mean?” Sonic asked the pegasus next to him. His answer came with shrugged shoulders and squinted eyes.

“Really? I’m that predictable?” Discord asked in mock horror, placing a paw to his brown stained chest. Teresa let her lips curl into a faint smile before she spoke on.

“If you were here to attack or assault us, you would have done so already, when we were, as you are so proud to say, not expecting it.” The fanged grin on the draconequus only grew with the widening of his eyes.

“Still doesn’t explain much…” Riku muttered from beside the dark alicorn. Luna nodded in agreement. Teresa, however, continued on.

“Bringing in the children of these other… ponies, however, would be a step in one of two tactics. Either you are trying to anger them, in which anger would be justifiable, or you are trying to gather more of us.” A few eyes grew wide in understanding.

“Then… the others…” Celestia muttered in growing understanding, eyes looking to one of the several dark objects lying across the white tiled ground. Suddenly, the female warrior was making a lot more sense.

“My, you are a clever one.” Discord ruefully congratulated. His smile, however, had yet to fall. “It’s just too bad that it took your abandonment of that poor girl back in your own world to bring you here.” The faint smile along Teresa’s lips turned into a dark frown.

“How simply tragic it must be, leaving a poor defenseless young girl alone, surrounded by monsters and bandits no matter where she turns.”

“Shut up.”

“I can imagine a million different things happening to her, and everyone of them entirely possible in that chaotic land of yours. Eaten by a… yoma. Beaten by a villager.”

“I told you to stay quiet.”

“But I’m not even considering the most likely possibility. I mean, what point or fun is there in knowing what’s going to happen. I don’t get any fun out of knowing that Celestia wants to put me back in stone,” Discord let his smile turn ominous and glass red eyes glow.

“Just as I’m sure that Teresa of the Faintest Smile gains no joy in knowing that her precious little girl is being used by bandits.”

The glass holding Discord shattered.

Teresa let out a small gasp of shock, watching the colored window falling to millions of irreplaceable pieces, the monster within nowhere to be seen. Though her hand was clenched hard against the hilt of her blade, it remained attached still to the hold along her back. Her silver eyes flickered left and right, searching quickly with all her senses for the monster she knew had to be near.

“Did you do that?” The blonde warrior’s concentration broke as she looked behind her, seeing a wide eyed unicorn looking up to her. Her head shook lightly; blonde bangs waving as she did so.

“No.” She answered simply. That simple answer brought her own curiosity to a head. “Do you know who did?” Twilight lightly shook her head as well.

“I thought you did, especially after what he said.” Teresa’s eyes were already looking away from the small pony.

“Now that was unexpected.” The roll of laughter brought Teresa’s blade to bare. “Here I thought it would be you would attack me blindly. And what’s more, it was so out of the norm, that not even any of you know who did it. That’s marvelous.” Another chorus of laughter brought a grind to the teeth of the blonde warrior.

“Everyone of you keeps looking up for me, but you should really look down for what attacked me.” The clever few present caught on quick.

“Where is the man dressed in black?” Cadance asked aloud, eyes already searching the room.

“I-I don’t know. I thought Princess Celestia had to wake him up.” Shining Armor answered his wife.

“What! Look! Up in the Sky!” The ominous voice of Discord mocked in the hall. It only succeeded in agitating those who heard it. “It’s a crow! It’s a carriage! No wait, it’s him!”

An explosion erupted from the rafters above.

The foals shrieked in terror at the sound, running from the debris that fell. Celestia and Luna acted in perfect unison with one another, raising shield that covered the warriors and ponies present, allowing the falling marble and wood to bounce harmlessly off the shield. One object, however, was far larger and heavier than any of the debris.

It landed on the shield with ease, large black cape drawn over its back, hiding nearly every detail beneath. Its hands were spread and legs crouched, preventing damage from the fall. Its hidden eyes looked through the transparent shield of magic, looking over every pony and warrior that looked back to it.

“It’s Batman!”

The shield fell away with a single thought form the alicorn sisters. The man fell only a short distance, landing with more ease than he did the initial fall.

“Oh dear, are you alright?” To the surprise of many, it was Fluttershy that ventured forward first, trotting up to the intimidating figure with veiled eyes. Her bright blue orbs looked through a screen of pink hair, gazing curiously at the man as she trotted.

“Be cautious Fluttershy, we don’t know which side he has allegiance to.” Luna spoke as the yellow pegasus continued to approach.

The timid pony stopped before the caped man, hiding behind her hair in a manner only slightly similar to the man with his cape. Their eyes met with a dark chuckle from Discord above.

“Allegiance? Didn’t the thoughtless woman tell you who he is fighting for already?” A frightful shake from Fluttershy was given as the voice vibrated the hall and ruined stone, Batman in front of her, twisting in place as well. “He did already try and hit me, though it was about as useful as your Elements of Harmony.”

“That was you?” The voice of Teresa was neither questioning nor critical, but openly curious. It was a question unspoken yet shared. The man in the dark cowl offered only a small nod as he continued his scan. Another revolution, then he let his eyes fall to the taller alicorns.

“Are you in charge?” The openness of the question earned a small blink of shock, Celestia’s lips parting slightly, even in comparison to the events of the day. But her mind quickly steeled itself, her face growing strong as she responded.

“I am.” The man wasted no time.

“I have no idea what kind of war is going on. All I know is what I’ve heard, and that’s that Discord, a being that you oppose, is torturing you in some way.” Celestia nodded again. “There’s a much larger threat we have to talk about, but I think we can both agree it will have to wait.” That earned a raised brow from more than simply Celestia.

“Wait, whoa, stop.” Rainbow commanded as she flew between the two. Batman didn’t flinch. “You know something about what’s going on? How do you know that? Everypony else is about as clueless as Rarity at a Rodeo.”

“I resent that!” The shriek was well enough ignored.

“Like I said, we’ll talk about it later.” The tone had only darkened with its intensity. “Besides, shouldn’t you be questioning him?” The well armored hand from beneath Batman’s cape extended the lone figure on the floor, unmoving and draped in white.

“He’s… not conscious.” Cadance replied with a clear tone of unease in her voice.

Her eyes shifted slightly away from the developing conversation, looking instead to the few ponies and warriors that remained mute in the crowd. Those who were not scanning the room with drawn weapons were hiding behind crumbled stone or gripping those clearly more suited for battle. Really, none of them were prepared for this.

“No,” he replied as sternly as every other word he had spoken. “He’s awake.”

“Bastardo.”

The Crystal Princess nearly hit the rafters at the voice.

Without any preparedness, the body flipped over onto its back. The arms hidden beneath the baggy sleeves then pushed off the tiled ground, raising the man to his feet. With an almost elegant twirl, he faced the crowd before him, eyes well hidden behind and beneath his drawn hood.

“Be honest.” He spoke to Batman. “What gave me away?”

“You’re breathing was audible, loud enough for me to track an unsteady temp. The body’s natural ability to breath is only offset when acted by an outside force. You had none.” Throughout the entire explanation, not once did the dark knight let his eyes drift from the alabaster alicorn.

“Solenne.” The man spoke with a smile, scarcely hidden beneath his hood. “Allow me to introduce myself.” He positioned his leg behind him, bending low to one knee. His arm stretched outwards, pushing the cape that hung around his shoulder aside. With his gaze to the ground, only his clothing and tools could be seen.

“Il mio nome è Ezio De Auditore Da Firenze.”

Confusion followed his words.

“His name is Ezio.” The other fully garbed man spoke, eyes still trained on the solar princess. “And we can do introductions later. Right now, there are more important things to be worried about.”

“And the man in black takes the trick!” The voice rumbled through the hall again. This time, it only aggravated the ponies and warriors, far too used to his taunting nature.

“Does he never keep quiet?” The master assassin asked as he rose from the ground, hand motioning into the air. It earned a few snickers from the ponies around him.

“The only thing that’s worked so far is a prison of stone.” Luna supplied honestly. “Though the integrity of such has fallen into question as of late.”

“As it should, Nightmare Moon.” It was more than just visible the amount of rage the name caused both alicorn rulers. The reaction was not missed by the warriors near them. “All the same I suppose, it just means you’re starting to understand how useless harmony is. Anything that is made to last forever must change eventually. It’s a trans-universal truth.”

That’s when the air grew tense.

A shadow flew along the stone and tiles, squirming and twisted through the paths of the ponies and warriors in the hall. Each gave their own small yelp and reflex to move out of its way, alert and terrified of it’s presence. More than even a handful of eyes followed its tracks, watching as it ran up the wall, weaving through the windows before diving down again to the mess of the crowd below.

It ran along the higher walls until it mixed with the dark corners of the ceiling, moving through the rafters until it crawled to the floor again. Then it slowed, snailing until it reached the top of the doorway at the end of the hall. It sat along the top of the mighty doorway, so large it could be called a gat.

Then it began to spill.

The shadow grew from the stone, pulling itself from the hard surface of the wall. It dripped like goo as it came forth, dripping onto the ground in a manner that reminded Twilight of acid. A hauntingly familiar shape began to form from it. Complete with a claw, paw, horn, tooth, and scales. With a twisted grin, the newly formed figure spoke.

“Nothing lasts forever.”

“Okay, that,” Hiccup muttered near dumbly, wrapped protectively by a large fanned wing of his dragon. “Was new, and a bit disturbing. Yeah, just a small amount. Enough to make sure I won’t blink for a few hours.” The draconequus laughed appreciatively.

“So… that’s Discord?” The large green man asked from his place on the wall, fists clenched like cannonballs, ready to fly. Several of the much smaller ponies around him nodded without glance away from the monster above.

“The one and only.” The mad god admitted, holding his limbs to their furthest length. “And I’m so glad my reputation precedes me. Believe it or not, I hate repeating myself.”

“What is your game?” Batman asked to the draconequus, white eyes focused on the demon in a manner similar to a young colt and his unwanted green’s at dinner. The very thought made Discord chuckle aloud.

“For the world’s greatest detective, you seem a bit slow. Didn’t Augusta Gein over there make it clear what I’m trying to do?” The barb he threw drew no blood, but the warriors prepared themselves regardless.

“Why would you possibly want more of us together?” Riku asked carefully, already focusing the will of his heart into his hand. There was more than a suspicion that he would need his blade soon.

With a cryptic smile, Discord snapped his fingers.

“Because it’s part of the game.”

The dark tendrils surrounding the figures on the floor vanished.

In an instant there were more unmoving bodies along the floor. Not dragged from a portal or rendered with a sleep spell. For the warriors present, they appeared little different than corpses, as alien as they were.

“Looks like those little tikes took in quite the draw.” Discord mirthfully complimented as his own red eyes looked over the figures. “From maturing children to scaly aliens, magical powers to unending determination. I don’t think there’s a one among them that I’d dislike.”

“How do you know them? No, why do you need them? No, not that either.” Twilight listed the questions as they bombarded her mind, head and mane shaking with every idea she discarded. A comforting hand on her back stilled her frantic mine. The magical protégée gazed up at the aged from of the Gray Wizard.

“So many questions, so many curiosities. Ugh,” Discord groaned as he let himself fall to the ground, vanishing through the stone.

He reappeared at the far side of the hall, sitting high above the once secure resting place of the Elements of Harmony.

“If you know everything, then nothing is random. If nothing is random, everything is obvious. The obvious can’t exist in chaos. So why should I answer any of your questions?” He let his claw scratch at his brow, lips in a pout with his single large fang near gleaming.

“Duh! Because we can’t play your game if we don’t know the rules.”

Only Pinkie Pie could ever say something so random, yet simple.

So the surprise was more than deserved when eyes turned to the straw-hat pirate, looking up at the draconequus with a straight line between his lips.

“Hmm…” Discord pondered the thought seriously. “It’s not about it being fair, but it would be rather hard to play a good game when you’re the only one who knows what’s going on. It’d be like the only pony that could walk trying to have a race.. That’d be tragic indeed. Hilarious, but tragic.”

“You’re disgusting.” Gandalf muttered seriously.

“Well you’re old!” Discord shot back without hesitation. He was the only one to laugh at the joke. To himself, one was enough. It was an odd number.

“But Rubber D. over there does have a point.” He supplied again. “It wouldn’t be any fun to play a game if you all didn’t know any of the rules, but it would be unfair if I revealed the end of the game as well. So how about this? Let’s do some introductions!”

In a flash, he was in front of one of the collapsed figures. The warriors and ponies present back pedaled away quickly, Teresa scooping up a terrified pegasus foal as Shining Armor lit his horn in front of Sonic.

The figure Discord had appeared before was another woman, as the weight in her chest was a sign of. Her skin was darker than the rest of her fellow humans, hair tied in a tail that closely resembled the tuff of hair along the ponies’ flanks.

“I’m pretty sure our good old friend Zecora found this little treat.” The Zebra snarled lowly at his voice. “I want you to all meet Korra. Hey that rhymes! Zecora summoned Korra. Bravo, shaman. You rhyme even in your magic. You’re boring inside and out!”

“Can I shoot him now?” Ezio asked with his arm extended, eye using the long appendage as a guide. The pink alicorn beside him offered a quick glance with a heavy shake of her head. With a bit of his lip, he complied.

“Korra here is the Avatar of her world, able to channel the spirits around her. She can manipulate just about anything to boot, with her special dancing magic. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Just a bit of dancing and she can cause more natural disasters than I can. Brilliant.” He unceremoniously dropped the girl.

Twilight caught her with a flash of magic, taking the unconscious woman beside her.

“Next up, we have these two!” Another flash and two more young woman appeared in his claw and paw. “Two for the price of one Scootaloo, you’re mother would be proud. I don’t know, she’s still drifting out there in no man’s land.” Teresa’s blade gleamed with her rage as the foal in her arms leaked liquid from her eyes.

“This one.” Discord raised his paw, revealing a woman of sky blue hair. It framed around her face, blemish free and almost porcelain in color. One of her arms was decorated in tattoos that ran down the length of it, disappearing into the odd yellow garb she wore. “Her name is Maya. She’s a legendary creature called a Siren. And just like a siren, she’s loud, annoying, and more destructive than the thing she’s trying to warn you about. Just a flick of her wrist and she can do anything from controlling your mind to sending you flying through the air.”

“As for her friend,” Discord raised his claw, a young girl appearing scarcely older than Hiccup sagging sideways. “Her name’s Gaige. She’s a supposed genius, famous for nothing besides murdering her classmate at a science fair. Basically, my kind of gal. I mean look at this!” Her let a talon of his claw pull back revealing the odd attachment to Gaige.

“She built and attached that arm herself. Cut off the arm first too. She hated how simple her own body was, she changed it to suit herself. Like I said, someone you could all admire.” The return of his laughter was the furthest thing from comforting since the cold hand of death.

“Next!” Discord let the two drop again like toys on the industry line. Luna caught them no different than Twilight had, taking them far away from the mad draconequus. Without beating an eye or flapping a wing, Discord pulled his victim towards him, rag dolling through the air.

“Whoops, caught this one upside down.” Discord chuckled as he gripped the leg of the man in his grasp. With a flick and release, he spun the man in mid air before catching him again, upright, but still knocked cold.

“Say hello to Kamina!” The mad god cheered the name like a national anthem. The man in question had a cape much like Batman’s but colored a distracting red with a tuft of hair lightning blue. But what was easily the most distracting facet about him were the oddly shaped, and large, glasses, spiked at ends rising far above Kamina’s hair.

“He’s the man who’s sworn to his compatriots to pierce the heavens, to overthrow an evil king, and to do the impossible with nothing but sheer determination and willpower. How did he prove that you ask? Why, he avenged his own death!” Applejack would have sworn on her parent’s grave she heard a pin drop in the back of the hall.

“Oh you should have seen it! One second, he was impaled by a giant spear inside his robot. The next, he was rising from the grave and repaying the favor to the monkey that did him in, only this time, he used a drill the size of this entire room. Oh, that whole world is nothing short of gorgeous with the level of chaos it has.” Without warning, Discord threw the man to his side, letting him fly with deathly speeds towards the wall. A fast run from Sonic caught the man before he could make impact.

“Oh you’re all so good and helping those you don’t know. It’s almost as if I could plan on it.” The mad god leaned backwards as he let his laughter ring through the hall. Before a warrior could unleash their fury, he was gone in another flash of light.

“There’s only a few more to go now though!” He announced from high above the crowd, hanging by a tail from an undamaged rafter. In his paw and claw again were two more reactionless bodies. A girl, who scarcely looked past puberty, and another child, the gender impossible to see.

“This one here is Maka!” Discord announced holding the blonde haired girl high. “She’s a master meister, a natural talent with a scythe, and a level-headed genius. Really, quite a bore. You should have done so much better Sweetie Belle, but what else is there to expect from a unicorn without magic?” The foal shivered in her sister’s embrace.

“But this one!” Discord announced near proudly with the other child, assumingly a boy if the mad god could be trusted this once. “His name is Chrona, or Crona, maybe even Coma with how he’s acting now.” Another round of solo laughter followed.

“This boy has had a life the rest of you can scarcely imagine! Tortured from birth by his mother, given a curse that no child would ever want, and forced to kill and literally eat other humans. Aw, what glorious disorder this boy has made.” With an underhand throw, both children when flying through the room. Rainbow snatched them both from the air without so much as a sweat. She did, however, have an expression of rage clearer than Celestia’s sun.

“Last, and maybe even least considering the pony that drew it.” Apple Bloom whimpered pitifully at the words. “We have the alien from lands the farthest away than any one here. Hailing from a galaxy torn by war, we have the master assassin, Thane!”

In both claw and paw, the mad god held a creature unlike any other warrior present. The surface of his body was covered in scales little different than those of a dragon, colored a forest green. A large black trench coat fit over his form, hanging from him like a well-crafted piece of silk over a manikin. In the end, a perfect fit, or so Rarity would declare.

“Now, this may only be obvious to the cleverest of you, but he isn’t human. He’s called a drell, a lizard race suited to the driest of climates. The best part about him? He has perfect recall of every memory, not to mention nearly three decades worth of assassination training and hits. But he’s so bogged down by the idea of gods helping him. Seriously? What kind of god would help a mortal who can’t do anything for them?”

He threw the reptilian bipedal with a shrug of his shoulders. Fawkes caught the falling creature in his large hands with ease.

“Now that you know who’s who, all that’s left is to wake the dead.”

Celestia didn’t have time to process the thought before Discord snapped his fingers.

All at once, the six sleeping warriors awoke with sounds ranging from gasps to screams. The bodies twisted and squirmed free of the ponies and warriors holding them. Each fell to the ground with different levels of pain.

“Wha-Wha-Wha-Huh?” The young woman with a robot arm sputtered out, pushing herself off of the tiled floor. Her gaze was wide and fearful, turning from one creature to the next. Her mouth opened for a silent scream.

“M-Maka?” The boy with pink hair asked his dull gaze slowly became more and more away. Terror accompanied his consciousness. “M-Maka! Maka!”

One by one the newly awakened warriors began to move, the panic and agitation evident in every one of them.

Discord watched from above with a smile that never faltered. The digits of his paw and talons of his claw beat against one another with ever increasing joy. His tail curled like a spring, coiling and uncoiling with unison of his tongue, lapping at the drool that spilt from his split smile.

This was the most fun Discord had had in all his life.

“Now what to do… what to do…” He muttered to himself. The scales along his body were shivering with excitement, his coat standing on end as the very idea of what was coming next. Floating in the air behind the party of warriors and ponies below, the draconequus readied himself.

The plan was set; it was only time to deliver.

In a way that only the mad god could.

“It’s the Wind Up!”

Discord cheered as he leaned back. His claw and paw balled together near his chest, a manic smile with mismatched eyes looking down at the crowd beneath him. Only the warriors and ponies undistracted by the awakening warriors heard his taunt.

“And the Pitch!”

His talon threw itself forwards. But… nothing was there. He threw empty air at the warriors. Celestia swallowed on the liquid in her throat, hoping that parching the dryness in her throat would stop her from having to blink. A shaking breath followed the ball of liquid into her. What had Discord just done?

“They’re Outta Here!”

A flash of light blossomed and died in the center of the group.

“Dash! Rainbow?!” The monarch heard the frantic cry from beside her, head swiftly turning to see her pupil running towards an empty space on the floor. But she knew that spot wasn’t empty only moments ago. There was a pony there, a hedgehog as well. But now they were gone.

“Oh no! Dashie!”

“Where’d she get off ta?!” The rest of Twilight’s friends were gathered around that small barren area on the tiled floor, surrounded by the warriors and family, but not a cyan pegasus in sight. Tears were building in all of their eyes. But just as quickly as sorrow came, the snarl of anger approached.

“Speak demon!” Celestia heard the Gray Wizard beside her yell to the twisted monster above. “What have you done to the young one?”

“Tell ya what old man,” Discord mockingly spoke as he disappeared in his own flash. The warriors tensed again, weapons drawn and prepared. Celestia watched with flared wings and wide eyes as Link scanned the room with his bow, eyes never matching the path of his arrow. Toothless curled around Hiccup, pulling the boy close to him, snarling at the empty air. Another flash lit the air behind the group, and alabaster monarch whirled to see Discord once more against the panes of glass. His smile had only grown in size.

“I’m not much for telling what I do, that would require some train of thought, and I derailed that predictable thing eons ago.” He chuckled with mirth at his words. An arrow for the green clad hero sung through the air as it hit the glass. It shattered the stained window instantly, sending thousands of shards into the air. A cry from the ponies was only done so in surprise. But then there was another flash, and Discord was in another window, sitting contently on top of the Crystal Heart.

“Now now Link, you should know better. When has striking without a plan ever worked for you?” Discord’s yellow tinted claw swayed back and forth mockingly. “Let me finish talking to the Gray Wizard, after all, he was so curious about what I just did. But explaining is just hard and boring and dull. What’s the point in doing something that’s all of that? Maybe I’ll just show you again instead?”

“Spread out! NOW!” The commanding voice of the masked man blared throughout the hall. By instinct, the warriors and few ponies obeyed, scurrying into smaller groups away from the monstrous demon of forms. Pinke held onto Fawkes as the large Mutant ran towards the large doors, Fluttershy doing much the same to the man that had ordered the tactical retreat.

“Good move,” Discord complemented, vanishing from the pane window as he fell from his perch. He flashed into existence on the rafters above. “But too slow.”

The draconequus’s claw hung down towards the crowd of unmoving warriors and ponies, grinning with ill intent as he pushed his middle talon against the sharp thumb of the same appendage. The limb aimed just above the head of the fleeing caped man, canary pegasus grasping against his cape.

With snap of his fingers, the two vanished from sight.

“No!” A cry echoed across the hall. The mismatched red eyes of Discord gleefully turned to see an infuriated Rarity glaring at him. Brave, but foolish. “Bring back Fluttershy, Now!” Without waiting for a reply, the unicorn levitated several pieces of shattered glass from the floor, throwing them against the demon above. Discord never lost his smile.

The sharp shards ripped through him like paper, peeling into him and imbedding into the stone behind him without ever slowing. Pieces of him fell from high above, drifting lazily down through the air, dissipating before they ever touched the cracked stone far beneath him. The snarl had yet to leave Rarity’s maw.

“Aw, how tragic, but I’m far from done.” The ponies turned to see Discord leaning against the Grand Hall’s door, taller than the Super Mutant before him.

“After all, I can’t have a game with this many spectators.” The group turned again to see another Discord at the far opposite end, standing before the wall that once hid the Elements of Harmony. They both wore the same cryptic smile.

The Discord furthest from the doors raised his paw, open and unarmed. A moment later, it caught the elongated fist of Luffy. Several warriors turned to see the red vested boy snarling with his elongate limb.

“Now you see them!” One Discord mockingly cheered, pulling the rubbery limb of Luffy towards him. The other did the same for Pinkie Pie, pulling at the floating the pink pony through the air faster than Fawkes could reach out and grab her. He let out a growl of rage. Two draconequuses spun in tandem with one another, carrying their hostages without a care in the world.

“Now you don’t!” When the two had finished their twirl, the party pony and pirate captain now were nowhere to be seen.

“This isn’t working.” Celestia whispered horrifyingly to herself. Her mind raced, spun, and dove through every idea she could summon, searching for any possibility of escape. One came. “Twilight!” She yelled to her pupil. “Take as many as you can and teleport from here! Now!”

“Oh, why didn’t I think of that!” One of the Discord’s mocked the monarch, claw to his Cheshire split face. His largest red eye pierced the princess’s form. “Maybe because I already did.”

“Not this time!” The woman who called herself the Avatar declared. Before Celestia could turn her gaze, she saw the woman swing her arm towards the large creature, far from close to the monster. But with her movement, something else churned.

The stone along the wall broke free from it’s position, slamming into the monster of many parts with a blow that lacked mercy. Korra swung another fist, and another block made it’s way towards him. The Discord that received the blow spun with the impact, jaw unhinged and spinning with his body.

“That’s enough of that.” Any other blows the Avatar prepared to deliver was stopped as the other Discord grasped her hand with his claw, effectively immobilizing her. The dark skinned woman’s other hand twisted to command a bolt of fire, but before she could deliver a blow, she vanished under the very light the others had.

Celestia was focused on another form that had vanished.

“Twilight!” She yelled into the hall, looking fruitlessly for her lost pupil. “Twilight Sparkle! Answer me! Please!” All that resounded in her ears was the mocking laughter of the unharmed draconequus and the shouts and commands of the warriors and ponies around her. Her lips snarled in anger. “Discord! You monster!”

Celestia’s horn sparked with life as she aimed the deadliest spell she could imagine at the creature. He looked on with a twisted grin and confident aura. It only encouraged the alabaster monarch to continue. But before she could let the spell fly, Discord was gone. Not in a flash of light, or transformation into something intangible, but under the mighty blow of a large object.

Fawkes stood where the monster once did, hammer in his grasp.

“Bring back all of them!” The Super Mutant commanded, using his size to his advantage. Despite the command, Fawkes raised his hammer again, letting the large metal object hang in the air above his head. In front of him jumped a pony, unfazed and unmarred by the horror of the sudden disappearances.

“Do as this man commands!” The zebra ordered with her own gusto. “Or you shall be banished to beyond the sands!”

“Is a monster and an outcast the best you got?”

The two froze as they felt the alien appendages grasp them from above. They had only time to look up and see another draconequus, larger than the Super Mutant himself, glaring at them with malice intent. It’s maw could swallow the hammer of Fawkes without any effort, and his claws lift the ceiling from the stone with just as much force. But instead of any attack, Discord only grinned as he spoke again.

“It’s probably best I remove you from this lot.”

The two were gone, just as the others.

Celestia did not hesitate now.

A beam of sharp light sung through the air, moving toward the Master of Chaos with murderous intent. Her eyes widened in shock as it diffracted along nothing, spreading into harmless beams of light along the ruined hall. The oversized Discord twisted his head to the alabaster alicorn, eyes as large as her head and maw large enough to take her in half.

“Finally starting to strike back Celestia?” He asked defectively. “Much as I would enjoy sending you off, there are certain plans even I have to follow.” The monarch never had the chance to ask the obvious question.

Link was beside her in a moment, roughly pushing her out of the way as he aimed another arrow at the larger creature. His sang through the air, just as the one before it, but now carrying the flames that he had used against Kratos in the battle that now seemed long ago. The draconequus, however, only laughed in mockery as the arrow hit the same unseen barrio as Celestia’s magic, harming the monster beneath no more than the tile on which the wood fell upon.

“Time’s up.” Discord darkly spoke. “Now you two get to watch.”

Discord didn’t move at all. His claw didn’t snap, paw didn’t flick, and eyes didn’t blink. He was as still as the statue that he was for the past year before and millennia before that. He made no motion or intention of casting a spell against the two, his words aside.

But his words must have been enough. A prison surrounded Link and Celestia before either had a chance to move. It was not of stone or steel, but of crystalline glass. It was thin, transparent, but a shade of pink that casted everything in a deceptively peaceful hew. From top to bottom, it encased the alabaster alicorn and Hero of Time.

Link wasted no time in beating against the glass, earning nothing but a sore wrist. Celestia’s magic impacted the material with as much force as her magic could contain, earning no more Link’s own attempts.

They were trapped and helpless.

“Now then,” the dragon size Discord whispered with his wide split grin. “Next.” His eye twisted in place to look for another target. A pony that was too brave for her own good, a warrior too brash for his own benefit, or maybe just a tasty treat that hoped for the obvious. Discord’s eye settled on a purple filly, curled and shivering against the form of a much larger woman, blonde hair hanging behind her in waves.

“Now I wonder why you didn’t try to strike me down quickly.” He spoke to the pair mistily. “You have so much talent killing others Teresa, I wonder why you hesitated. Perhaps it’s because of that foal in your arms. You always did have a soft spot for the weak and useless.”

“Leave them alone!” Discord’s eye twisted to see another girl standing in front of the pair, a boy with pink hair just by her side. “You’ll solve nothing if you keep this up.” A cackle as deep as a mine shook the walls at her words. It brought nearly all within to a shiver.

“That is the most pathetic reasoning I have ever heard for not having fun.” A response couldn’t have been given back. His paw swung outward lashing at the girl who stood in front of the woman and foal. But the boy beside her pushed her out of his reach, instead taking the entirety of the impact. To Discord it felt all the same.

He took in a deep breath of air, letting the suction of wind pull against the clothing of the few in front of him. The girl was squatting, reaching for something that wasn’t there. The blonde was holding Scootaloo close, her other hand gripping her claymore with monstrous strength. Discord was grinning as smoke rose from his nostrils.

He spat flames on the trio in front of him.

It was fast, it was deadly, and it was over before any pony or warrior could comment that it happened. As Discord’s breathing ceased, so too did the flames. Nothing remained where his breath had landed.

“Maka!” The pink haired boy screamed in terror. “Maka! Maka!” But the girl was nowhere in his sight, just as lost as the others before her. His pink eyes turned toward the monstrosity; smoke still billowing from the cheeks that had produced the fire. Chrona saw only red.

“Sorry kiddo.” Discord spoke mockingly to the boy beneath him. “But I’m already in a hurry.” Another suction of breath was taken in, leaving the boy shivering with fear and rage in front of him. The maw of the draconequus opened and he let loose with a cry.

Discord cried at the pain that rose from his abdomen.

His head whipped dangerously fast to see the samurai in white standing beneath him, sword raised above his head and eyes glaring daggers towards the monster. The monster sized draconequees snarled with rage. Jack didn’t make a sound of anger or challenge. Instead, he twisted his blade in deeper. Another wave of pain flashed through Discord’s mind.

Another light, larger than any of the other, lit the room. When it was gone, Jack found his blade against only air. The samurai positioned himself for battle, holding the blade before him as he made careful circles around the room, preparing for a strike from any direction.

“Sister! Celestia!” He heard the dark monarch cry in panic as she flew to her elder’s side. The sapphire etched hoof pushed against the glass, carrying with it a force Jack couldn’t tell whether was grand or pitiful. The alicorn within, however, placed her own hoof against her sister’s, the pink glass between the two the only thing separating them. He let out a low sigh.

“Touching, family that is.” Jack twisted on a heel, pivoting his sword till it held it’s place in front of his face. He saw no Discord though, no demon of many shapes or monster of grand size. Not even a mockery of his already mocking image upon the stained glass above. Instead, Jack noticed a detail that was foreign from the rest of the room, a distinct oddity among the already marred stone.

He saw a toothed smile lain across a brick.

“Family seems to be the best motivator for so many of these pathetic ponies. And you’re no different yourself.” Jack kept himself mute and focused, inching forward with his blade in hand.

“Hold on there partner.” He heard the clopping of hooves across the floor quickly approaching him. That voice, the speed, and the lack of intent to harm. The samurai recognized Applejack without ever turning to her. “Don’t listen ta’ a word that there monsters says.”

“Then don’t listen to me.” Discord interrupted the farm pony before she could further warn the taller warrior. “Tell him all about me somewhere else.”

The two together had only a second of time to back away before the light enveloped them both, taking them away from sight.

“But I can’t let a good opportunity go to waste.” The brick spoke again as twisted eyes open along the shattered stone above it. The red pupils twisted until the fell upon the trapped warrior and princess, the latter being comforted by her sister still free from his magic. That would not be difficult to fix. A soft glow of purple and his body formed again the rafters above the pair, thick lion paw angling down towards the vulnerable princess.

“Luna, watch out!” The cry in tandem with a twisted sword flying through the air.

It cut the path between Discord’s reach and the defenseless princess. The alicorn’s eyes immediately looked upwards, wings flaring as she jumped back from the draconequus. Discord pouted his lip in childish disappointment. The blade that had blocked his path spun like a boomerang in the air, returning to the pale haired boy it belonged to. He stood side by side to the princess of the night.

“Aw, don’t stop me now. I’m on a roll here.” Discord pleaded with all the sincerity of a hypocrite committing a crime. “Besides, I still have plenty of others to take care of.” His body twisted through the air as he kept his arms spread outwards, motioning over the ponies and warriors still spread throughout the room. “It’s hard keeping track of all of you if you’re so spread out, and I’ll have to put the blame for that on the Manbat.”

“Hey! Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!” It was more curiosity than an annoyance that caused Discord to turn towards the voice. He was met with a man standing tall and proud before him, fearless in stance or gaze. His red cape hung behind him with crossed arms in front of him, sharp tall glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. All the while, a very confident smile sat on the man’s lips. It was impossible to chalk it up to either bravery or stupidity. All the draconequus knew was one simple fact. He liked this guy, a lot.

“Attacking those who can’t defend themselves is nothing short of cowardice. A man charges into battle against only the most worthy of foes, against those who are better than himself. You’re doing nothing more than picking on the weak and laughing about it.” The blue haired man pointed an accusing finger at the master of chaos. “If you want to test your metal so badly, go a round with me, bring back the rest of the guys to prove you’re a worthy challenge!”

“Or,” Discord began raising a single digit of his claw. “I could do this.” The sharp talon fell quickly, causing a confused twist of features to pour like water down the man’s face. Not a moment later, a small spiked creature landed on his head, causing the man to gasp out of surprise. “Followed by this.”

With a snap of his claw again, the two were gone.

“Don’t bother trying to fly away either.” The draconequus spoke to the empty spot on the floor. “There’s nowhere to go and no one who can help.” His body twisted like a rung towel towards the being to which he spoke of. Hiccup was positioned over Toothless, a young filly with a pink bow clutching on to his back for dear life. Fear shown proud and controlling in both of their eyes. The dragon, however, looked back towards the draconequus with fury that matched his name.

“Ah, but if you want to leave so badly, take company, it’ll make the journey more eventful.” His tail whipped behind him, grasping at something that cried out in shock and defiance. Another voice shouted in rage, but Discord each an equal amount of mind. Nothing was equal to nothing.

Raised in front of him, his tail uncurled to let the petite form of Gaige drop in front of him. The girl raised her arms outwards, letting the appendages fall across the floor before the rest of her body. Her metal arm scrapped and stone tile with an ear rending sound.

“I’m gonna rip you ten new holes when I’m done with you!” The girl shouted as she tried to right herself on the ground. The draconequus payed less than no mind.

“There we go, three’s a crowd, so four’s a party.” A malicious smile hinged on Discord’s lips as he raised his claw again in front of the four. “Bye Bye.”

Another snap. Another light. Another empty space.

“I’d say I’m about half way there no-”

BANG!

The sudden sound was accompanied by another sharp blow to Discord’s side. Unlike the hammer of Fawkes, however, this was much smaller, and in honesty, much more painful. His paw moved up his side, searching for the object he knew was no imbedded into his side. His massive appendage found nothing, however, nothing poking out from him at all.

All he found was a small hole just below his shoulder.

BANG!

This time, the mysterious tool met only air.

“Damn.” The alien voice muttered as he lowered his tool from the empty pocket of air. His scaly hands moved the long barrel of his weapon upwards, allowing him the freedom of movement. His black eyes scanned the room as he pivoted on his feet, moving towards a far wall. His training was far from foreign to him. An enemy couldn’t harm him through a solid object.

“Sir, are you alright?” The assassin turned his head downward to see the alabaster unicorn trotting to his side. The conditions of panic were obvious to him. The shivering joints along her appendages, unfocused eyes, clenched jaw. But still she did not flee. Either she was very brave, very foolish, or very used to these scenarios. He didn’t have time to analyze which was more likely.

“I am fine.” He replied in his echoing voice, earning a small gasp from the feminine pony. “Please, make haste from here.” His hand lowered itself to push against the white creature, hoping to direct it to the doors along the far wall.

But as his scaly hand pushed on her neck, a large talon gripped his own, holding him against the pony. The two looked up in tandem to see the horror that was the God of Chaos smiling down at them.

“Protecting the weak? How dull and predictable.” Discord’s tail slammed into the ground soon after he was finished, taking with it the weapon the lizard man had once held. “Let’s see how long you can last in the long run, hmm?”

The monster’s tail curled around the two, surrounding Thane and Rarity, hiding them from the view of the others. When Discord pushed himself from the ground using the same appendage, the two were gone without a trace, no different than any of the others before. The Spirit of Disharmony allowed himself a dark chuckle at the use of his powers.

“I can’t believe I never thought of doing this before!” He cheered as he flew himself into the air, arms outstretched and a wicked smile on his lips.

“It just seemed so natural to let loose with a few ploys and see how things would work, but I should have known better, and at least now I do know better. You ponies, predictable and boring ponies, will always try and restore that dull drab that is peace and harmony.” He visibly shivered under his own words.

His red eyes scanned the few ponies that remained. The princesses of the Equestria, the loving couple of the Crystal Empire, the warriors with them, and of course, a little unicorn foal, currently crying along the tiled floor.

Discord bathed in the mirth that flowed through him.

“Oh you miss your sister already?” The monster taunted as he curled around Sweetie Belle, voice as dark as the moon’s unlit side. Even the terrified filly, shaking worse than a tree in a storm, could tell the mocking tone over the draconequus’s words. “I always thought it would take longer than just a few seconds. You know, you must know, letting the feeling of loss kick in, abandonment, all that stuff.” Tears fell from Sweetie Belle’s eyes. Her teeth gnashed together to keep her voice from screaming.

“Enough of this!” A feminine voice yelled from beside Discord. A large blow was given to his side, forcing the draconequus to twist against the force. His claw curled to grab at the thing that had assaulted him, but he met only air, only blank space where he knew the object of his dull pain was.

His head twisted with gnarled teeth to see a woman of blue hair standing in front of him, marks of foreign nature draped along her arm. They glowed like the horn of a unicorn as she aimed the appendage at him, eyes golden like his own. The twisted features of Discord’s mouth curled upwards as he bent his massive paw backwards, readying himself for a retaliating blow.

He was never able to deliver it. Again he was assaulted, given a mighty force upon his back. It sent him twisting through the air, writhing above the ground as he fought to regain his balance. This blow was also different than the few that were able to connect with him. It did not pierce him or smash him or slam against him. This sliced him.

Discord twisted in the air like a snake, curling through it until he hovered with wingless flight above the warriors that had assaulted him. He peered down at the one that had harmed him. The master of chaos recognized the boy immediately.

It was the boy that had been in the company of the blonde girl from before. His pink hair hid most of his face, bangs hanging to the bridge of his nose. It was impossible to miss the black sword he held in his hand, sharp to a point and as long as his arm. But for the omnipotent deity of many parts, it was just as impossible for him to miss the look in the child’s eyes. It was dark, shadowed, but most importantly, that of a killer’s.

The look in Chrona’s eyes thirsted for blood.

Discord could only smile with glee.

“So the youngest of these newcomers is actually the most dangerous?” He asked from his position above the rest. “Who would have thought that a child like you would be the one who wanted blood the most? It does my old heart good to see that youngsters these days are doing their part to break from the norm.” His stomach rumbled with mirth.

“You’re evil.” The pink haired boy declared so easily. It only brought Discord to twirl through air with his laughter.

“I’m evil?” His paw rose to one of his eyes, wiping away moisture that had collected beneath his lids. “You’re a regular genius aren’t you? Calling someone who wants to break the status quo evil. But tell you what, I’ll add your game to mine.” Discord snapped his talon again. Chrona, however, did not disappear.

Instead, he found himself being pulled to the far end of the room, flying through the air as if he was thrown. His back collided with the stone wall, forcing his breath to leave him with a painful gasp. His form curled along the floor as he crumbled into a heap, his sword clanging across the ground as his hands pulled themselves around his stomach. The fire had left his eyes, replaced by wide expressions of pain.

“Oh no!” A young voice cried as she sprinted to the boy’s side. Her white hoof pushed away the pink hairs on his head, shaking with as much intensity as his own pained form. Sweetie Belle bit her lip as she looked down at him, the boy looking up at her with an unreadable expression.

“That’s charming, really, honestly.” Discord mocked from behind the foal. Sweetie felt all of her legs go weak at the nearness of the voice. “But just the two of you aren’t enough. I can’t go and make you think you’re anymore worthless than you already are, now can I? Let’s see…” His voice trailed off as his upper body rotated on itself. He spun slowly without stopping, turning till his head was far past his back, then continued turning. Discord’s torso spun a full revolution, then two, then three.

His lower half popped off like an unspun screw. Sweetie Belle gagged, hiding herself against the boy’s vulnerable form.

“I feel like I’ve lost ten pounds.” Discord laughed with an amused grin, but his eyes turned beady in a moment, honing in on the only warrior in the room without a pony to accompany her. “You’ll do.”

Maya had all of a moment to prepare herself before she felt the disconnected tail of Discord wrap around her waist. Her hands fell to the scaly appendage, pushing against it with all her strength, but succeeding in only stretching her arms. The grip was strong and tight around her. Angry golden eyes glared upwards to the floating half of the mad god, who looked down at her with only a jovial smirk.

“Glare all you want, it’ll only wrinkle your face.” His hands clapped together, and the blue haired siren felt herself being thrown forwards. Any perception of balance was lost to her as she rag dolled through the air. The floor became the ceiling and the rafters above a faraway floor.

Pain shot through her form like lightning as she impacted a far wall. She fell to the cracked tile below, spitting blood from her lips, her head ringing like a siren. Maya could still hear the dark laughter from above her.

“Now say cheddar!” Discord’s disembodied top fell onto his hind legs again, screwing himself back into place. As his body made the final turn, he twisted on his back heel, aiming his claw towards the collapsed warriors and shivering foal. Without waiting another moment he snapped his claws.

The three were gone, disappearing into thin air.

“Oh so close to being finished now!” The draconequus cheered. “Now all I have to do is…”

His voice trailed off as his prancing form stilled.

An almost out of place look of pondering washed over his features, tongue curling around his exposed canine as his eyes fell to half mast. His serpent tongue uncurled itself to lick his lips once, twice, then thrice. Slowly, nearly delicately, his paw and claw folded in on one another, holding them close as they could.

With a sudden jerk, he vanished from sight.

Ezio dove through the open air Discord once occupied.

The master assassin hit the stone floor without a force to dampen his fall, earning a grunt of pain. He hissed as he rose to his feet again, leaning close to the ground as he drew his blade, hidden blades already retracted into their respective sheaths. Hood drawn over his features, he scanned madly around the room, searching for the aura of a madman. His vision beyond the boundaries of flesh turning his eyes gold.

Ezio's eyes saw the white auras of the royalty around him, a princess captured, her sister beside her, and a niece running towards him, her husband close behind. The familiar inviting blue encapsulated the few that remained in the hall as well, from the old man still carrying his sword and staff as well as the captured knight, beating against his crystal prison.

But he saw no threatening red, or even necessary gold.

“Ezio.” The elegant voice called to him, and he turned to see the pink unicorn with wings of a pegasus standing beside him. “We cannot separate from one another, that his how he is managing to pick us off so easily.”

“No, it is why he is taking him so long.” The assassin shot back, offering only a cool glance of his eyes towards the crystal princess. “The Batman was correct in his judgment. This demon of hideous intent has no form that we can easily wound, but he has every method to do away with us.”

“So that means I shouldn’t have to worry to much longer.” Ezio didn’t hesitate as he turned towards the voice, raising his left hand towards where he knew the monster to be. But his arm only succeeded in aligning with a balloon floating freely in the air.

Slowly, it turned towards him, wearing on its surface a Cheshire grin complete with beady red eyes. It laughed at him and the princess alike.

“Distractions, isn’t that the way of the assassins?” The master assassin had only time to widen his eyes before he felt a thick paw wrap around his torso. Instincts and reflexes thought dead beneath his age commanded him to raise his arms. Blades from along his wrist extended from his grasp instantly, falling towards the thing that gripped him as soon as they were able.

They didn’t even pierce the hide of the monster gripping him.

“Cazzo!”

Ezio heard Cadance beside give out a yelp of fright, no doubt in a situation little different than his own. Thrashing his head, throwing back his hood, he saw the talon of a dragon wrapped around the wings and coat of the pink alicorn, who was kicking her hooves with all the force she could muster.

“A princess from a far off kingdom and an assassin without a home.” The monster listed in a bored tone above them. Never before had the master assassin wished so dearly for the ability to end a life than now. “What am I to do with you two?”

“Release them!” Both Ezio and Cadance looked to see a unicorn of blue rushing towards them, head bowed with horn alight. For Cadance, she saw the love of her life rushing to save them both. For Ezio, he saw a trained warrior barreling towards his next foe. For Discord, he saw another way to send his toys away.

“Alright, but only because you were so convincing.” Without another word, Discord dropped the two lives in his grasp, letting them fall to the floor.

They both fell through the tiles and out of sight.

“No!” Shining shouted with a voice laced deeply with rage. His horn released a blast of magic uncontained and unhindered in intensity. It flew through the air, crackling like lightning. Discord smiled at the approaching magic.

He was gone before it ever made contact.

“No!” The Captain of the Guard shouted again at his failed attempt. He slid to a stop as his gallop ceased, head twisting to and fro as he searched for the demon.

“Trying to kill me Prince Armor?” The disembodied voice of Discord mocked as it echoed through the worn hall. Shining grit his teeth at the voice. “That is simply wonderful. Doesn’t it feel simply exhilarating to try and do something different for once?”

“You will be vanquished demon!” The Prince of the Crystal Kingdom turned to see the aged wizard from before yelling into the hall, a fair distance between them without either moving to thin it. “You strike at us like a coward and mock us like a fool. The end of your deeds will be as swift as the judgment that will be cast down upon you.”

A dark laughter met his brave words.

“I never really get tired of that speech. ‘You will suffer’ or ‘This is the end, Discord’.” The unseen draconequus laughed with gusto at the battle ready wizard and knight. “It always seems to change no matter how often I hear, if only this cycle were like that, maybe then I would not be forced to act the way I am. But, it’s just like grandma Discord always said.” The voice cut off without another word.

In only a moment, the two found themselves levitated into the air.

“Sometimes, you have to make things happen.” The wind left Shining and Gandalf as the two were pulled towards one another, rushing at one another with a force they couldn’t see or comprehend.

As the two met one another, they shattered into particles and dust, becoming nothing more.

“And then there were four.” Discord walked out from a ruined wall, the remnants of his guise falling to the floor in pieces. His red eyes were focused on the quartet on the far side from him, two encapsulated in a crystalline prison, and the remaining two, standing ready for his assault.

Princess Luna, wings flared and horn alight, stared at the approaching draconequus with a rage few could ever dream to match. In Discord, she saw a thousand years of her suffering, the source of all her pain, and the accumulation of what she hoped to be all her wrath. Her eyes were near slit with the tightness by which her brow was knit.

Riku, curved sword before him with his other hand held out defensively, watched the draconequus as he did the demon who lived inside him. He knew that he could never best this thing, not alone and not without the aid of his now lost friend. But still, he would defend the few who were close to him. Because that was what his friend had taught him to do.

“So now how will I do away with you two, hmm? Light you on fire? No, I’ve already done that. Snap my claws? I’ve done that far too much now. What to do, what to do?” Discord dragged his talons through his beard, twirling the hair fibers with the sharp extremities. Riku clenched his Path to Dawn tighter in his hand. Luna scratched her hooves against the tiled floor. Celestia and Link pensively watched from their imprisonment.

“What are you planning to do?” The silver haired boy asked carefully. Discord opened one eye wider than the other, watching the youth with an amused grin. It only brought the keyblade master to flex his muscles in preparation of a strike.

“Planning to do?” The draconequus repeated. “Why, I’m not planning to do anything.” The reactions ranged from shock to horrified. “Oh don’t get me wrong, this all is planned out, but not by me. After all, it’s like I said. Anything I do is just a part of the cycle. Even if I throw every monster, demon, and abomination from here to B.F. Egypt, I’m sure some part of this cycle’s ploy will demand your eventual victory, no matter how hard my struggle.” Luna and Riku shared a pensive glance towards one another.

“Then… what is the purpose of this?” Luna lost no ground as she spoke, but the shivers that rose through her were unquestioned as Discord let a rumble slip through his lips.

“For that, you’ll have to ask the one who planned it.”

Without another word, Discord pulled his paw and claw backwards, ripping on strings unseen. Luna and Riku felt themselves being flung through the air before they were aware that the draconequus had made a move.

They both slammed into opposite walls, vanishing from sight as their bodies were covered in the dust.

“Luna! LUNA!!” Celestia cried out from her prison, hooves beating on the prison that held her. But no force she gave so much as shook the pink crystals that entombed her. Bitter tears fell from her eyes, clinging to her fur as they drifted over her enraged scowl. Liquid in her eyes, she glared daggers at Discord, still approaching the two without a care in the world.

“Now now ‘Tia, you shouldn’t worry so much. After all, I may have sent her… away, but I didn’t imprison her, let alone for any length of time.” The fury in the solar princess’s gaze could have turned the living to stone. Discord laughed at it with the thick pink barrier between them. “Now that’s the look I remember you wearing. It’s the last thing I saw the first time I was imprisoned, and it’s what you looked like last I saw you before… all this.” He twirled in place with his paw and claw outstretched. His lips were pulled nearly as far as his limbs.

“I will end you Discord.” Celestia seethed coldly. “Elements of Harmony or not, I will use every ounce of my will and magic to rend you from this world forever more.” As the words of the warriors had done before her, the alabaster monarch succeeded in only bringing a cackle to the draconequus’s lips.

“And again!” He cheered to her. “And it’s still just as fresh as the wizard’s idle threats. How I wish that odd little mute by your side could speak.” Discord spoke as he turned his gaze to Link, whose blue eyes were focused to pricks of ice. “You fight with such disorder, using a million and one tools to finish a single task, always acting in a way others can’t expect, and still winning.” The sigh Discord released was nearly pleasurable.

“Do what you will with us Discord, and do it fast.” The ice behind the monarch’s words was only matched by the frost in Link’s eyes. “It is torture enough to be forced to watch your antics.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to keep you around for a bit longer, don’t I?” Teeth were close to cracking within the alicorn’s mouth. “But really, that was the plan all along, or at least a memo I saw in the footnotes, scribbled on with a bit of dried up charcoal.” The words were mockery, and not meant for the serious to take to heart. But, even in a book of lies, there exist seeds of truth, and Celestia, practiced with the twisted ways of Discord and society around her, saw that seed beneath the grime of filth and deceit.

“What plan Discord?” She asked as evenly as her voice could manage. “What ploy are you playing at?” For a moment, the draconequus ceased his prancing, twirling towards the two imprisoned beings with a truly bemused expression. His lip pout, jaw twisted, and one eye larger than the other. He put his face against the crystal prison, looking hard and mockingly at the two. They stepped back with the little room they had, giving in return only glares of ice and snow.

“Plan…” He repeated slowly. “Yes, a guess there is a plan. But it’s not my plan, I told that to Luna. You were there, you remember, trapped in prison, angry, trying to kill me. Just like right now if I recall correctly.” Celestia hissed in a breath of air.

“But,” Discord’s voice turned solid on a flick of a coin, eyes straightening and jaw tightening. His claw and paw gripped the prison with his monstrous strength and magic. Faint cracks formed along the crystalline prison. “I guess a service is due.”

“W-What…” Celestia found herself caught like a field mouse between terror and rage. It was the oddest combination of emotions she had felt in the longest time.

“I can’t keep all the secrets, that’s no fun, that’s actually expected. Either option is expected. I stack the deck, I play it fair, I load the dice, or I lay them out square. This is one of those moments that I adore and abhor.”

“Discord…” Any anger Celestia had was slowly buried beneath her nurturing sense of unease. This was not the mad god who had attacked her moments prior. This change was… drastic.

“So now I do get to choose, or at least listen to you, about what way I should play this. But since I’ve done so much, and you can do so little, I guess a small token of notion of payment is due, a small prize for allowing me such a riveting performance and wonderful performers. Just this once, from you and you alone, I’ll let you see the plan. No!”

His paw slammed on the prison, shaking the air within the princess and knight’s confinement. An unavoidable shiver ran through them both.

“I’ll let you see something better.” His smile grew manic, his eyes psychotic. It wouldn’t have surprised Link or Celestia to see drool dripping from the fanged tooth. Not surprise, but without a doubt unease.

“Link,” Discord began again, turning his hungry eyes to the hero garbed in green.

“Don’t you recognize your prison, don’t your memories just scream to be remembered?” It took only those words for Link’s eyes to scan the prison once, then twice, again, hands running over the magical crystal again.

“It’s a prison that I didn’t make, but told another to conjure. He made the plans, came up with the ploy, and devised a game that he has dreamed up before, but only I could deliver to him.” The hauntingly familiar laugh came from the draconequus again.

“Link cannot speak Discord.” Celestia reminded in a neutral tone. “What devil of his past do you speak for?”

“Speak for?” Discord questioned. “I’m not going to talk for him, that would be just rude.” The master of chaos pushed himself from the prison of the two, leaning back to his tallest height, towering over them in form and power combined.

“After all, he’s done so much to help me, and with such a simple request in return, something I could do with a single snap of. My. Claws.” He held the scaly appendage before the prison, savoring the power he held.

“I asked for a game I could watch and play, be a part of and yet be safe from. He asked me only for his right to rule, for a power that already exists in his land, but was kept from him by the very Hylian that stands next to you, Celestia.” The monarch gave a glance to the hero, a quick look of her eyes.

It turned into a curious stare.

Link had his sword drawn, his shield raised, and a fire in his eyes that melted and coolness he once held. Even his lips were drawn into a snarl, looking at Discord with the Element he so bravely held, holding Courage high in the face of a demon whose wrath was great.

For a moment, she was forced to marvel, to appreciate the warrior who held so little fear in the face of a being so powerful. For the ponies that had heard and experienced the madness of Discord, he was not a thing to be easily forgotten, or even spoken of.

“You know, don’t you Link, Hero of Time.” The dark tone and wicked laughter earned the return of Celestia’s attention. “You know all too well who I speak of. Let me make it clear then just the role he played.”

Discord vanished in a flash, turning into nothing as he left the two alone in their prison. Pensive breaths were exchanged in the still air as they waited for his inevitable return. The master of chaos did not disappoint. With another flash, Discord reappeared, at the far end of the hall from the two, walking towards the large double doors.

“As I told the precious sister, any plan I conjure, no matter how foreign, is still one that has been birthed in this cycle. I can only bring in the players and watch them run, not that I am disappointed in watching absolute chaos unfold. But the trick became deciding the right one.” He held out his paw as he spoke, back still to the princess and knight.

“If I brought another Kratos, it would only be another battle, and a repeat performance so early is too drab to be called chaotic or exciting. What I needed was a deceiver, a planner, a master of the mind.” His claw drummed against his mane as he spoke, still walking ever closer to tall doors.

“So then I realized what I needed. The land from which you came had many puzzles, many tasks, and many riddles that needed to be solved. You did find a way past them all, but you are the key that only wishes for harmony, no matter how random and chaotic your methods. What I needed was the mind behind those plots, the being that thought of those riddles, and the one who played the gambits to gain what he needed. In the end, the answer was only too obvious.”

Discord’s paw and claw grasped the handles of the large white doors, clenching along the bars with more strength than any pony could ever supply. Though unseen by the princess and the knight, his smile had only grown from wicked and manic to crazed and ravenous.

“So Link, help me with your vow of silence to welcome a foe you swam through time to stop. A man clever enough to deceive the gods, and wicked enough to command power in it’s most purest of forms.”

Discord threw open the doors with a single pull.

The large structures hit the wall with a booming force, cracking the hinges that kept them in place. The damaged metal cried in agony as it slowly began to tear away, letting the heavy wood it kept straight falling from its grasp. With another loud clang, the two doors fell away, hitting the broken tiled floor.

Link paid them not a mind. Nor did Celestia.

Their eyes were focused solely, completely, on the figure that now stood between those two ruined doors, wearing a smile that haunted the dreams of the Hylian while bathed in power that made Celestia seethe.

“Link of Hyrule, Celestia of Equestria, I give you the Demon Thief, the King of the Gerudos, the Dark King himself.”

“Ganondorf.”

To Be Continued in “One Last Game Book 2: Temple of Chaos”

The Tank and Mage

For what was now beyond an uncountable number of times, Celestia paced around the dark void of Discord’s creation.

The guards had since been moved from the grand hall, taken to the medical pavilion by the orders of the princess of the night. The hall housed only the green clad warrior, the elements, the princesses, and this dark portal to the stars’ know where.

It appeared, as it was, a black hole of swirling darkness upon a floor of otherwise pristine white. Small wisps of ghastly darkness moved beyond the portal, only to be dragged back into the void, lost within it. No sights could be seen with her eyes. No magic could be felt with her horn. No breeze could be felt with her wings. If not for the eyes that saw the darkness at all, should would never had been able to recognize its presence. And without its demonstration… she would not fear its power.

But for the fear she had, a part of her still felt compelled to thank it. Her eyes looked to the one good thing that had come of Discord’s chaotic workings, the warrior clad in green. For the monsters that Discord her land, Luna had brought forth a creature exactly the opposite. She could not call him a man, though it was definitely male. Distinct differences were set between the horrendous Kratos, and this… peaceful warrior Link.

She watched non-too-subtlety as creature attempted to communicate his answers wordlessly, pointing and moving his… claws in manners that proved to be more confusing to her ponies than helpful. It didn’t surprise her. Only the energetic form of the Element of Laughter pieced his movements to words. It was to no small benefit that he understood them, however. A part of her dared to think he only could because of the large ears he had, pointed and stiff, but that was a filly’s idea and one she quickly dismissed.

He stood above all her ponies, save her sister, but he moved as gently as a summer’s breeze among them, almost with practiced ease. The white alicorn’s mouth was pulled into a grin as she saw the exceptionally active pony nudge his gloved hand. Link looked down at the Element of Laughter, smiling with closed lips before he began to scratch behind her ear. The curled pink tail beat the stone ground in joy.

Still, a piece of her noticed the things the Elements did not. Though Link had no desire to harm, he was no less a warrior than Kratos. It was clear through his actions he wished no ill will on any of her subjects, there was little doubt he had gone through many battles before the one prior. Also, for one that had only so recently died, and pulled into a land he knew nothing of, he seemed no less at peace than any of her ponies on a normal day. If anything, he almost seemed joyful about his interactions with the Elements, guards, and her sister as well. Celestia could not tell if Luna had missed such signs, or merely was proving her learned acting skill’s potential.

Those were mysteries she could not answer yet. Celestia knew, both logically and emotionally, that her time should be better spent on the last remnant of Discord’s magic within her castle walls. So again, as she had done for a fair amount of time past, she began to trot around the black portal. But it was to no avail.

No matter how many times her form circled the dark gateway she came no closer to understanding it than she had hours prior. The mechanism behind it was… chaotic, that she had doubt, but did that mean it was random? Perhaps, but it was unlikely that even Discord would so willingly risk pulling in a warrior that would outright disagree with him. Was pulling Link into her realm pure chance? Or was Discord truly pulling the strings of whom or what they brought into the land of Equestria, giving them a false sense of security?

Hours after the battle that still marred her grand hall, and she was no closer to answers than before. Instead, Celestia found herself with only more detailed questions.

“Have you figured the mechanisms behind Discord’s magic yet sister?” She heard the familiar voice ask her. Celestia turned to see her fellow princess approaching her, eyes on the portal instead.

“No, I haven’t. Its mysteries to me are as unknown as the meaning of life itself.” The princess of the sun admitted with a dejected sigh. “I do not know how it draws its power, how it attracts souls, or why each of the warriors that came through it is, well, who they are. The only conclusion I have reached is there is no coincidence for the beings this… gateway conjured. I refuse to believe the chances are so broad that Discord could pull a creature that was hailed as a Ghost while you pull forth a mute warrior of boundless courage. More than that, even I cannot see Discord risking himself to pull warriors that would turn on him.”

The night princess listened to her sister’s words carefully. She was right in her speculations, or at least she agreed. There was no method to tell if they were correct or not.

“So you think some part of us… called to Sir Link?”

“No,” Celestia spoke, “Well… perhaps, but I cannot be certain. I do not know. What I do know from observation alone is that Link is not a warrior who hungers for battle or glory.” She motioned with her golden clad hoof towards the sharp eared male. “Understanding that, I find it difficult to believe that this portal works off of chaotic imaginings alone. If it truly did draw souls that only wished for chaos, I see no reason why Link would defend us, or for his presence at all.”

“You make good cases sister. Then… we truly do not know how it works?”

“No… Not at all.”

“I beg your pardons your majesties.” A polite voice spoke from behind the alicorns. Both turned to see the Element of Generosity looking up to both princesses. “I truly do not mean to intrude on your conversation, but I have a question that I feel may be dire for an answer.”

“What is it young Rarity?” Luna spoke to the unicorn.

“Well… Discord has never been one to play fair, as he makes his own rules and takes away our advantages.” Both alicorns slightly nodded in agreement. “So why, after his departure, is his portal still here?”

That was a fine question indeed.

Though she spoke in no raised volume, her musings were heard from the other Elements of Harmony. Each of the Elements trotted over to the princesses, some more nervous than others due to the presence of the portal beyond. Link walked behind them all.

“That is a good question.” Celestia admitted. “Discord is not one to offer anything beyond his own rule or will.”

“That darn monster is just playin’ with us is all.” Applejack spoke up. “There ain’t no reason tha’ beast is gonna give us anythin’ but problems.”

“I would agree with you Applejack, if were not for our friend here.” Celestia’s hoof motioned the green clad creature behind the Elements. He opened his cerulean eyes wide at the motion, pointing a sigil digit to his own chest.

“L-Link?” Fluttershy questioned.

“Yes, Link.” The alabaster alicorn confirmed. “I’ve already reasoned that Discord would not risk pulling forth warriors that would bring harmony or order, or else his plot to spread chaos would fail. But Luna’s ability to bring Link into Equestria shows that the portal doesn’t strictly follow his will, otherwise he never would have made it into Equestria.”

The alicorn fell silent, letting the weight of her words work their way through the young ponies’ minds. She valued her wisdom, she trusted her judgment, but she doubted her mind alone was enough for staying chaos this time. She needed to know what the other ponies thought, all of them.

“Honestly your majesty, I think we should just get rid of it.” Rainbow Dash spoke first as she flew above the other ponies. “I don’t trust anything that monster leaves behind, and he’s more than willing to take things from us. I don’t wanna risk pulling out another Kratos. Don’t get me wrong, Link is definitely cool and all, but I don’t think risking pulling out another “man” is a good idea.” The cyan Pegasus crossed her forelegs, wings flapping as she eyed the dark portal.

“I agree with Dash.” Of all the voices she expected to be against the use of the portal, the voice Celestia heard was not one of them.

All eyes turned to Twilight as she spoke, confidence plain on her face.

“Truly, my faithful student, I would think you would want to study this portal.”

“I DO!” Twilight spoke with more force than she intended. “But… but I don’t want to risk pulling something like Kratos out again. I’m not saying we have to get rid of it, but I really don’t want to risk using it. And… and I can’t think of any way to safely test it…” She almost seemed, pained by the idea, losing such a unique chance to study something brand new. Were the circumstances different, Celestia doubtlessly would have encouraged her student. But her kingdom was in peril and her ponies being threatened. Now was not the time to think of acquiring new subjects for studies.

“It... It really would be bad to, um, keep it around. I mean, I don’t want to offend or, um, anything but… but Discord… he isn’t a nice pony… he wouldn’t, um, help us so… so it’s… um, dangerous.” Fluttershy spoke softly, afraid that her admittance for disliking the dark thing would hurt somepony’s feelings. Her fears were needless as many of her friends nodded their heads in agreement.

“We should be terrified of that thing.” Rarity spoke. “It brought something akin to a demon to this realm. It would be selfish to keep it for the hopes it could bring something kind like Link again.”

“So… do you all agree to we should try and remove Discord’s portal?” Her eyes looked across the Elements, waiting for their replies. One by one, their heads began to nod, small confirmations of yes being spoken among them.

They all agreed.

Almost all agreed.

“I don’t!”

The princesses of Equestria, Elements of Harmony, and the Hero of Time turned to the one voice that spoke. All eyes landed on Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie we have to get rid of that thing!” Dash spoke as she flew in front of the pink mare. “It’s too dangerous to just keep around.” Pinkie Pie, however, didn’t let her smile waver.

“But none of you are answering Rarity’s question. Discord let us have it, and he isn’t getting rid of it. Aren’t you curious why that is?”

“Well that’s because… because…” Twilight began, but slowly let her voice die out. She truly couldn’t think of a logical reason for Discord to leave it behind, no different than her mentor. “Okay we don’t know why, but whatever Discord is planning, it definitely isn’t to give us anything. That portal has to be a trap.” She finished with a stomp of her hoof. Pinkie just giggled before responding.

“Nah, it’s just a game silly!” Not for the first time, but arguably the most inconvenient time, no pony was amused by the pink pony’s words.

“Pinkie Pie, darling, I do not think we should play this as a game. Discord isn’t… he doesn’t play games like we normally do.” Rarity patiently tried to explain the Element of Honesty.

“Well of course he doesn’t. Who would want to play a game like Hide-And-Seek with him?” Rainbow Dash failed to suppress the urge to face hoof. “I mean, I don’t like playing with him either, he’s unfair. He’s not trying to play fair at all, that’s just mean of him, but that doesn’t mean he’s not trying to enjoy the game. Really, there isn’t any fun in playing something if you know you the other players don’t stand a chance.”

“Pinkie Pie, are you saying-”

“I just think that mean-old Discord isn’t all that bored and careful. He wants it to be a game, so he’s making sure we have someponies to play with.” As twisted as Pinkie’s mind was, the logic did make an almost odd amount of sense.

“So… so you think he’s going to let us use the portal… to bring in more people like Link, so… so he can have more fun toying with us?” Dash asked the question out loud, but even she was trying to make sense of it. It wasn’t something beyond Discord’s ability, but it was definitely just conjecture. Trying to predict Discord’s mind was a fool’s foolish folly.

“I agree with Mrs. Pie.” Princess Luna spoke, no emotion on her face. “As much as I hate the creature Discord, I don’t think he would find any joy in attempting to slaughter us. He is a foe that would find much more joy in toying with us. He would give us hope, even if it were false. To prove my point, did he not allow thee to search for the Elements of Harmony upon his first coming?” The ponies’ heads nodded in agreement. That did sound like Discord. Show them a path they had to take, only to have it lead to a dead end.

“But then… um… wouldn’t that… ah, mean the portal was a trap?”

“Usually yes, but there must be something that we’re missing.” Celestia spoke again, irritation beginning to creep into her voice. “As we have agreed, I cannot see Discord allowing for chance to harm himself. There must be something, some way to use the portal that we are missing. Something so subtle, so minute, but so important that it acts as the deciding factor for what soul the gateway summons.”

It was rare for any pony to see the princess of day so flustered, but it would be uncommon for any pony to be anything less than confused in the current situation. An eternal enemy had returned promising terrors beyond what they thought him capable of. Warrior and creatures from beyond their entire world, maybe even space and time, were coming to Equestria by methods Celestia could so far only speculate. To top it all off, her hall was ruined in what Discord non-too-subtlety said would be a minor conflict compared to his grander scheme. Nothing was going right.

“I simply hate asking such questions,” Rarity began as the alabaster princess continued to ponder to herself. “But Princess Luna, what possessed you to use the portal as you did?” The dark alicorn gave a sigh. Had she not already answered this question?

“I was desperate young Rarity. That monster Kratos was destroying our castle near effortlessly and coming far too close to ending our subjects. It was a risk, but I was willing to harm myself before letting my inaction harm other ponies.”

“So you were thinking clearly then.”

“No… No I was not.” Luna admitted to the Element of Generosity. The princess’s had began to hang low at the admittance of what she believed was weakness.

“I was so afraid.” Those words made Celestia’s ears perk.

“I… I was afraid when I used Discord’s portal. All I saw was the monster in the hall, swinging those blades of fire with a war cry worthy of dragons and-”

“Luna, my sister.” The alicorn spoke as she trotted to her dark sibling. “That’s it. That’s it!”

“Princess,” Twilight spoke from behind her mentor, “I… I don’t understand.”

“You must have emotion and feeling, Twilight! That’s the secret, that’s how the portal works, it has to be!”

“Beg yer pardon yer majesty,” Applejack began, “but ah’ don’t quite see how ya’ came ta’ tha’ mindset.”

“I don’t have anything conclusive, but it fits well. It is impossible for someone to simply stop feeling something by force of will, and I know of no pony who feels nothing at all. If there were ever something Discord would be proud of, above his love for chaos, it would be his knowledge of emotion. I truly apologize for summoning the memory, but I’m assured that you six remember your first encounter with the mad draconequis.” She could see the shiver work through them all. She felt a pang of guilt as a tear escaped Fluttershy. “He knows how emotions work in all ponies, and I don’t doubt that he works this portal by emotion.”

“So if the portal is affected by emotion, how?” Dash spoke as she scratched her mane with her hoof. “It’s not like I can just say, ‘I’m the happiest mare in Equestria’ then pull out Pinkie Pie’s double.”

“You want to double me?”

“There is little way to know exactly how the portal operates based upon emotion and feeling, if at all. It just… appears to be the best option at the moment.” Celestia resigned.

“Perhaps we should ask our new friend.” Rarity spoke as she turned to Link. Every pony followed suit. Realizing he was the center of attention once more, the green clad hero straightened himself.

It was a fine idea. The princesses gave one another a small glance at the idea, before Luna motioned her head to her sister. A nod of her own and solar princess trotted to the Hero of Time.

“I doubt you wished to come here Link.” Celestia spoke with a tone of authority and peace. “It is clear from your ability to survive against one such as Kratos that you had seen many battles before.” The Hero of Time gave no sound or motion for her to stop. “Yet when the fighting is done, you quickly found peace, in a place I know you alien to. I cannot say anything of the lands from which you hail from, but I can speak for what I know through my immortality.” Raising herself to her tallest, lavender eyes above the hylian’s own sapphire orbs, the alabaster alicorn spoke her conclusion.

“You were prepared to die, weren’t you?”

It didn’t take a moment for Link to nod in response.

No pony gasped, screamed, or fainted. An evening of all three had made the ponies rather durable to the emotions. However, pity had yet to weaken its hold. They all knew life could be hard, cruel, and certainly random. But no pony could imagine a way to accept death, not with one who appeared so… young.

“I apologize again for your death, Sir Link.” Princess Luna spoke as she trotted next to her sister. “But I feel questions must be asked.” A nod from the hero, and the lunar princess began.

“Did you die in the face of battle or in the company of friends?” Oddly enough, Link didn’t immediately answer. Rather, his face took a look of contemplation, wondering how to answer. This lead to no end of confusion for Luna, who was sure the question, was either yes or no. The confusion was answered, however, when the Hero of Time raised both of his hands, palms up, in front of him. Celestia recognized the sign immediately.

“Both. You died in battle, but with friends near.” Now he nodded in response. “Was it your friend that… killed you?” The nod turned into a fierce shake, and the princesses released breaths they felt themselves holding.

“So… the battle is what ended you, but your friend’s presence brought you peace…” Again, the hero nodded in reply.

“Shoot Link.” Applejack spoke before her fellow Elements of Harmony. “Do ya… do ya think tha’ maybe yer peace o’ mind was wha’ drew ya in here?” The hero only shrugged in response.

“No, I refuse to think even the mad Discord would rely on such an unpredictable ploy.” Princess Luna spoke in reply. “I know from prior… experience how the last moments of your mind are not always suiting to what you hold dear. A brave pony may fall to cowardice in her final moments, or a scoundrel may pledge a life of piety in return for his life. It is a cruel piece of knowledge that we are not always ourselves at… our ends.” Her refusal to meet anypony’s eyes was enough to show the weight of her words upon the princess’s own soul.

“Then, um… could it be something, different ah!” Fluttershy lightly squeaked as her voice grew in volume, giving herself a small jolt. “Oh I-I know it’s something, ah, different, but, oh, like, um, deeper maybe?”

“Exactly how deep, sugar cube?”

“L-Like our Elements, maybe, I may be wrong, but I just thought-”

“Correctly…” Twilight spoke over the canary Pegasus. “If Princess Luna is right that Discord would want assurance that he drew out what he wanted, then it would have to be something about ourselves that doesn’t change, at least easily or quickly.”

“We are all rather tied to our Elements, I believe.” Rarity spoke in agreement. The other said Elements of Harmony nodded their head in agreement. Turning to the hero in green, Twilight asked him.

“Link… is there anything about you that defines, well… you?”

All the ponies eyed Link carefully. None of them expected him to speak, so they waited for him to start to move his hands in sign. But he never did.

Instead, he looked about himself. Examined his arms, flexed his fingers, adjusted his long pointed hat, things a pony might do when they were confused. Did he not understand them? Before Twilight was able to voice her question, Link looked to her, a clear expression of an idea on his features.

The Hero of Time raised his left hand to the ponies, palm facing him. On the back of his glove was a design the lavender unicorn was not familiar with. The outline of three golden triangles stood on the center of his glove stacked with one on the tips of the other two. They were all identical except for one triangle. It sat on the bottom row, furthest to the right of the three. While the other triangles were just outlines, glowing upon the glove, the bottom was solid and filled, outshining the hollow pyramids. As always, Dash spoke first.

“That’s. Awesome.” Not the exact words the other ponies would use, but none disagreed.

“Link, what does that mean?” Twilight asked with a tilted head. She already doubted there was a sign he could give that would properly explain it, but without knowing what the symbol meant, all it was to the Elements and princesses was an impressive light show.

The need to explain was plain on Link’s face. Somehow he had to tell them, he had to explain what it meant. His azure eyes looked about the hall, hoping to find anything that could explain what the symbol meant, and a way to convey the secret he was unintentionally hiding from them. Said eyes widened as they settled on something near the throne.

With the gentle grace the alabaster princess had already granted him capable of, he moved past the Elements of Harmony, approaching the large stone throne with haste. Just before it, he reached his arm out and grasped something that sat just within hand’s reach. When Celestia caught eye of what it was, she fought the urge to groan.

A quill and paper, the very two items she had left by her stone chair to write reminders and letters.

“How could I, the Princess of Day and Ruler of Equestria, forget such a simple method to communicate without words?” She spoke it as a whisper to herself, but her keen ears caught Luna chuckling beneath her breath. She grumbled in return. From the few audible taps she heard beyond her vision, more than a few of the Elements had acted out their own feelings with a face-hoof.

Link got to work with quill in his left hand, paper in the right. Beyond the view of the ponies, he began to sketch and write across the parchment, working with practiced ease. For a time, the only sound the filled the air was the scratching of his quill against the rough texture of the paper. For one specific unicorn, it tested her patience. As her friends could agree, she never was quite good at tests. Stretching her cyan wings, she took to the air just behind the green clad hero, eyeing the paper critically.

“What the hay, why are you redrawing the symbol?” Dash asked from her aerial position. Her response was given with a single raised finger.

“Fine, fine.” Rainbow grumbled as she back winged away into the air.

The quill continued to scratch along the paper for a few more moments, filling the air with rough sound. When he was finished, he passed the parchment off to the purple unicorn. It was quickly surrounded by the mare’s telltale purple aura. Once it was before her eyes, she began to read.

“The entire symbol is called the Triforce. The Triforce represents the powers of… the goddesses?” Twilight read louder, giving a quirked eyebrow to the green clad hero. He gave an eager nod in confirmation. The nod only made the unicorn’s gut twist.

“The same gods… as… Kratos?” The knot undid itself at Link’s quick dismissal, given by a fierce shake of his head. He had to readjust his hat. She heard Fluttershy give a sigh of relief from behind her. Twilight continued.

“Each one represents one of the three. The top is Din for power. The bottom left is Nayru of Wisdom. The bottom right is Farore for courage.” The paper finished, she looked back over it, then looking up to Link. As the hero raised his left hand again, showing the symbol on the back of his hand, the pieces slowly fit together in her mind.

“Courage?” Twilight read from the paper. “Courage! You’re the Element of Courage!”

“Did ya’ think of somethin’ Twi’?” Applejack asked her unicorn friend, although the unrestrained smile and near hopping of the lavender mare was answer enough.

“He’s courage!” She spoke again, pointing an excited hoof at Link, who now had raised his arms as if he was being accused. “Courage is a synonym for bravery, which is an antonym for fear or cowardice. Don’t you see? This explains how that portal works!” When confusion met her words, Twilight drove the point home.

“He represents the opposite of what Princess Luna was feeling!”

Understanding and joy began to flood Celestia’s and Luna’s faces.

“The portal draws the soul that is most akin to the opposite of what we express within.” Luna repeated, in a far more cryptic tongue than the unicorn had. “So when I dove into it, I felt pure fear, and I drew forth a warrior that is the embodiment of courage.”

Link could hear the praise and hope on her words. His hand scratched the back of his head sheepishly for it. For all of his deeds, he was unused to such high praise from any new face.

“Good thing you’re such a timid, quiet, little bundle of shyness Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she hugged the canary Pegasus. “You helped bring us the most courageous, brave, heroic, hero of them all! That can be the title of his party! ‘Welcome to Equestria Heroic Hero of Heroicness!’”

“Mighty glad we figured tha’ one out, huh Rar’?”

“Oh indeed,” Rarity agreed to her apple-farming friend. “That answers how it works, but… but it still doesn’t tell us why Discord left that dreadful thing here.” Her white hoof pointed to the portal again. “Even if it was for us to ‘play his game’ as he would so cruelly say, I cannot see the Spirit giving us such a fair chance. It tells us nothing of his plan.”

“It actually does reveal Discord’s ploy.” Luna spoke as her mind began to near audibly buzz with thoughts. The ponies, plus Link, turned to her as she did. “He hoped we would use the portal in the method he did, simply draw forth creatures in the hopes that they will aid us in preserving harmony. Then when we attempted to, we would only be summoning minions who would be eager to abandon us for him.” Her eyes lit with an emotion split evenly between understanding, anger, and shock.

“We would unintentionally build his army, and in doing so, destroy hope for ourselves.”

“Wow… that… that is evil.” Dash spoke. The plan was as devious and cruel as it was intelligent and clever. “We should thank… well, your highnesses, that Link came through at all. If it weren’t him, we would have been pulling out monsters left and right…” Rainbow Dash let her rump hit the stone floor with the thought, imagining herself pulling out a creature that moved faster than herself, faster than sound, so fast that couldn’t stop it from reaching her friends, couldn’t stop it from reaching Twilight...

The thought made her wings shiver.

“So… do we use it?” Twilight asked aloud.

“Beg yer pardon?” From the expressions of her friends and mentor, the lavender unicorn knew Applejack was not alone in her confusion.

“I mean… do we use Discord’s spell? Now that we know how it works, we could theoretically use it against him. The greatest downfall for pony leaders in ancient times was often instruments of their own designs…”

“No.” Princes Luna spoke, cutting off the Element of Magic. “Whatever wisdom you believe your words to hold young Twilight, do well to remember that power corrupts, and using the absolute power of Discord would corrupt absolutely.” Her stance and posture made it clear her position was not one for discussion.

“I understand your fear, dearest sister,” Celestia began, “But… even I fear that we will not be enough to stay off Discord without outside aid, now more than ever with the Elements of Harmony missing and Discord giving us no clue as to where to find them.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie cheered for the alabaster alicorn. “And besides, now that Mrs. Smarty Pants has figured out how the portal works, we can pull out all sorts of amazing ponies! Think of all the friends we can make. I bet we can have a party big enough to give the wedding run for its money.”

“Oh, no. No nononono,” The nervous chatter of the shy Pegasus drew more than a few pairs of eyes.

“Fluttershy?”

“I-I don’t think we should pull any more ponies out from th-th-there.” She pointed with a shaking yellow hoof. “It’s so dark, and cruel, and evil, and monstrous, and-and-and…” The inevitable tears began to slide down her muzzle.

“Wouldn’t pulling ponies out mean that they are dead?”

Celestia did not miss the look of pain cross Link’s eyes.

“Um… yeah, I guess they are. But it’s not like we’re the ones actually, well, you know…” Dash motioned with a wave of her hoof. “Besides, wouldn’t most of these guys want to help us?”

“I don’t know about that Dash.” Twilight spoke, her eyes glued to the portal. “There’s no kind of guarantee who we could pull out of the portal. What if it is somepony that just wants to rest after a long life? Wouldn’t asking them, maybe even forcing them, to come here just be cruel?”

“I-I didn’t think about it like that…” The rainbow manned Pegasus muttered guiltily; hoof rubbed the back of her head. Slowly, the other elements began to voice their opinions, agreeing or disagreeing with the usage of the tool. It could save Equestria, possibly all of existence, but at the possible cost of the peace the souls may very well deserve. It was no longer a debate of yes or no, but right or wrong, just or unjust, needed or wanted. But as the voices of the elements and Luna conversed about the tool of Discord, Celestia continued to watch the only non-pony among them.

At every mention of death, he had flinched.

It was never any more than a bug bite; a small twitch of a muscle, but it was too constant to be anything but a reaction to the conversation that now surrounded him. Millennia’s worth of wisdom rested inside the princess of the sun, and she knew full well how to use it.

“Once more,” Princess Celestia began, trotting up to the green clad hero, “I think we must look to our honored guest for an opinion in this matter.” The light conversation around her ended as she spoke, lavender eyes trained on the ocean blue orbs of the Hero of Time.

“Link, as a warrior we have pulled from this portal that crosses space and time, as a life that has witnessed the cruelty and terror of Discord, and as… as an innocent victim of circumstance within this struggle you knew nothing of, what do you say to the use of this device.” Celestia watched as the green clad hero’s sky blue eyes hardened into sapphire orbs.

“Knowing that any soul we pull forth is one that has already passed, and knowing that each soul may wish to remain at rest, would you risk robbing these souls of their due peace, for the chance and need to end Discord and his rising chaos?”

The Hero of Time was silent and motionless to her words.

He looked into alicorn’s eyes with more feelings than Celestia could keep track of fluidly. At one moment, she saw anger swim in his orbs, only to be drowned beneath a pool of sorrow. A blink of an eye later, her soft irises caught compassion, only to be released at the sight of thoughtfulness. If nothing else, she had to give Link credit. He was not taking this decision lightly.

Slowly, however, his hands found their way to the quill and paper again, and his own eyes fell to watch his writing. The familiar scratching of his quill could be heard again, as well as a soft groan from a cyan Pegasus among the other Elements of Harmony. Not once, however, while he was writing, did the Hero of Time look up to them.

He finished with a pull of the quill, pushing the paper forward for the monarch to receive. Celestia enveloped the paper in her magic as she levitated it before her eyes, reading over the words carefully and aloud.

“Destiny is often a force described as ascending beyond all logic and reason. It works beyond the veil of time and far past the boundaries of space. I have traveled far in my past life, and I have seen much, but all that I have seen has eventually come together, whether they are magnificent sights or horrific endings. All things are connected in life and the boundary of time and space is nothing that can stall destiny’s hand.” The alicorn let her eyes fall on the hero once more as she took a break from the paper. She looked into his eyes again hoping to see a sign of just how long he fought, for how long he lived in his past life. But through either practice or talent, she could see nothing more than emotions flickering through his orbs. Looking down she continued.

“I agree that many lives, many I have known would find using this portal as an act against their will, or the will of others who it may draw out. However, Destiny rarely calls upon us in times of our own need, or a time that we expect. If the lives that are drawn forth from the portal are done so, they will have come by a force of destiny. Some may be angry, other resentful, but in the end, they will know that they have one more purpose to fulfill before they rest. For some of them, it may even be a chance for redemption.”

Celestia rolled up the parchment as she finished, eyes looking down as if she were still reading the page. His answer was far more detailed and elegant than she gave him credit for. There was logic in his words, as well as emotion. It was a hard choice, as all conflicting opinions usually derive from, but Link had given her an answer that not only satisfied, but explained. It convinced her.

“Who else agrees with Link?” She asked the Elements as she turned to face them. She saw the hooves of the elements hesitantly begin to rise, one by one lifting them in the air. Only the ever-energetic Pinkie Pie shot her hoof into the air as if it were on fire.

“I too agree with Sir Link.” Princess Luna spoke as she raised her darkened hoof into the air.

“Me too!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she hopped with three hooves, holding the last above her puffy mane. Celestia looked amongst them with a growing smile across her muzzle.

“Very well,” Turning to the portal, she motioned with her head towards two of the ponies in the crowd of seven. “Sister, Twilight, please aid me in this endeavor.”

“Of course.” Luna agreed as she joined her sister’s side. Both alicorns stood tall next to each other, towering over the Elements that surrounded them.

“I… I have no idea what to do… Princess I’m sorry, but… what do we do?” It was difficult to tell if the pain in the unicorn’s voice came from her lack of knowledge or fear of disappointing her mentor.

“Do not stress yourself Twilight Sparkle.” Luna spoke just beside her. “Thou must have faith in thy self. Your deeds precede your name, and we know thou shall aid us immensely.”

“T-Thank you Princess Luna.” The unicorn began to trot forward, her hooves still unsure of the weight she bore. But she was stopped by a cyan hoof.

“Hey Twi’.” Rainbow spoke to the mare as she turned her friend. “Just relax, alright. I know the feeling; it’s like getting ready for a big race that you haven’t prepared for. I know, it sucks.” Twilight’s muzzle just hung open dumbly.

“Dash, what are you talking about? I’m fine, I have the princesses helping me, and-”

“C’mon Twi’, I can tell when you’re nervous. It’s almost as bad as when you forgot to send a report to Princess Celestia.” Dash caught the glare quickly. “Almost. My point is you can do this. Just stay calm, take deep breaths, and do what you do best.”

“Okay… okay… I can do that.” The lavender unicorn spoke as she nodded her head. She raised her eyes to look at the Pegasus, who had a content, and slightly smug, smile on her muzzle. Twilight gave her one as well. “Will do Dash.”

“That’s our Element of Magic.” The Pegasus cheered as she gave a quick beat of her wings. “Do us proud Twilight!” She yelled once more as she descended next to the rest of their friends. Every last one of them cheered as well.

“Go get ‘em girl!”

“Show the meanie Discord what really magic is!”

“Keep a stiff upper lip Twilight.”

“Yay.”

The unicorn gave a small hidden laughter at her friends’ antics. Even in one of the most dangerous situations, they proved they really were the best friends she could ever have. Then again, there really wasn’t a better way to prove otherwise.

“Alright,” Celestia spoke softly as the alicorns and Element of Magic gathered around the portal. “There is no specific spell that can counter act Discord’s magic, at least not one to this degree. However, I believe if we use a combination of memory suppressant and restoration, we may be able to “trick” the portal into working for how we are actually feeling, and not the opposite there of.”

“Princess, I’m confused, don’t the two spells cancel each other out?”

“Ordinarily yes, but this portal isn’t like a pony’s mind. We want to preserve the basic function, but remove the corruption of twisting our emotions.”

“And what if the corruption lies deeper than the usage of the portal itself?” Luna asked her sister now.

“I do not know, but they are the only spells I can imagine we try right now. Do you two agree?” Twilight eagerly nodded her head to her mentor. Luna however, did so with much more caution, thinking of her decision as she began to commit to it.

“Alright then.” Celestia spoke as she placed her hooves just beside the portal. She ignored the familiar cold feeling of the tendrils attempting to wrap around her hooves. They could try, but they would not shake an alicorn’s stance. Neither she, her sister, nor even her faithful student. They were all stronger than that.

The alabaster alicorn watched Luna set herself just beside her, no more than a wing’s span to her left. Turning her head, Celestia saw Twilight to the same to her right, though with far more hesitance. Understandable, she was not immortal.

“Are we ready?” Both dark alicorn and lavender unicorn gave a nod to the princess of the day, both of their hooves steeling themselves against the tiled stone. Determination flooded their eyes and captured their features. Celestia smiled as she knew, they were ready.

“Then let’s begin.”

Hues of lavender, alabaster, and aqua magic began to shine above the dark portal. Each of the different colored forces of magic began to blend into one another. The lavender and alabaster glows combined into a pink hue of warmth, then quickly joined with the near misty aqua hue of Luna’s magic, turning the pink, oddly enough, white.

Small sparks of power dissipated off the growing orb of power as it hovered above the alicorns and unicorn. The three ponies in question did not move or make motion as the ball began to grow, their eyes shut in concentration. The rest of the Elements and Link himself, however, watched on with wide eyes.

They had all seen their friend and princesses cast such magic before, whether in everyday tasks such as raising the sun, or in times of great… well chaos, such as Discord’s initial moment of freedom. Link however, had only seen such powerful magic on the receiving end. His leather gloves cried as he clenched his gloves together, willing himself to hold his ground. These ponies meant him no harm; they already saw him as someone to be trusted. He was going to run from fear, not when he possessed courage.

“Hey, it’s falling!” Pinkie spoke with a raised hoof aimed at the ball of magic.

Sure enough, the large ball of intense white light slowly began to descend from its hovering position. It drew closer and closer to the dark portal, almost beckoning the black tendrils to grasp it. They eagerly complied. The misty liquid reached up from the portal, slowly attempting to wrap themselves around the massive ball of magic. At first, they burned away, dissipating as they came close the intensity of the light. But as the sphere drew closer, the darkness grew in numbers, and the ball was no longer strong enough to burn away the sinister black coils.

Still the ball descended at no faster a pace. It fell into the darkness of the portal as slow as it had begun, and no amount of pull of the tendrils accelerated it. At first, nothing happened. Even as the ball of magic descended halfway through the void, nothing pulled, pushed, or fought against it, nothing the alicorns and unicorn felt at least.

That changed quickly.

In a single moment, the ball was pulled into the void with more force than any of the magic users could prepare for. Even the two who moved celestial orbs had not the strength to fight the pull of the void. In a second the magic had vanished into the dark abyss, leaving behind the silent breathing of two very tired princesses and one exhausted Element of Magic.

The portal of pitch-black shadows began to shine an ethereal white.

“Stand back!”

Celestia put a wing before her faithful student and friends, protecting them with her entire form as the portal began to shine brightly. Luna raised a shield of magic in front of her, eyes shutting as the intensity of the light became too much for her irises to bear. Link raised his own shield of glass, prepared to counter whatever the portal threw at them.

The strength of the light only continued to grow, shining brighter and brighter until it pierced the very lids of the shuteyes in the room. There was no sound, no screams of pain, just a light so bright that it blinded even the blind.

Then, in a moment, it all ended in a flash.

Tentatively, Celestia lowered her wings, turning her head to watch the portal they had attempted to alter. Luna did the same as Link also holstered his glass shield. All eyes, pony and non-pony, met the same sight.

The dark portal was now a white void.

The dark mess of tendrils and mist was no longer present. No dark blemish stained the otherwise white tile floor, and no elements of chaos eagerly beckoned the lives surrounding it to jump in. Instead… it was white as snow.

The dark sinister tendrils were not soft alabaster vines. They did not whip and curl, they floated and entwined. They did not beckon or demand. They were softly, cordially, invited. The once ominous portal of Discord was now a soft inviting door. For all intended purposes, it looked safe, but only Applejack was able to voice the question.

“Is… is it safe?” She asked as she tentatively approached the portal. It took a moment for the alicorns plus unicorn to answer. The purification of absolute chaos was not a simple feat.

“I can assume so Applejack by change alone, but that again is only an assumption.” Celestia answered lightly beating her wings to cool herself. “But unfortunately, there is now way to ensure that it works properly.”

“No method but one, dear sister.” Princess Luna spoke her wings mimicking Celestia in pushing the air around her. Only once before had Twilight wished she had wings as much as now.

“True.” Turning back to the Elements and Link, Celestia finished. “The only way to test the portal is to… use it.”

All eyes looked down at the now white gateway, clear against the marble flooring only by its unblemished features against the trotted on stone. Compared to the dark workings Discord had left behind, this new portal seemed peaceful, warm, almost inviting to the ponies that slowly approached it. That did not mean they were willing to use it. Even Link, the now dubbed Element of Courage, put a glove to his mouth in thought.

For the numerous times he found the puzzles he encountered dependent upon “guess-and-check” methods, he was no fool to jump blindly towards a goal. There had to be a plan, a sequence of events, and a small riddle to solve even. Though none of those options were clear here, and he doubted anything similar would present itself, he still wished against the idea of reaching blindly into an unseen abyss.

He was not alone. Despite the near magnetizing aura of warmth the portal projected now, no pony found it an inviting idea to jump into what Discord had initially laid.

No pony but one.

“Me first!”

Not even Dash was fast enough to stop Pinkie Pie from dumping her head into the portal of white.

Begin

“My friend, Go!” The shout echoed off the metallic walls. Screeching steel and unnatural war cries soon followed it. Two figures ran down the compact halls, grabbing corners as they turned, too afraid to possible slow themselves.

As they both turned a corner, they came to what appeared to be a dead end, metal on all three walls. Both slowed for only a moment, but then sound of banging metal behind them reminded them that stopping was hardly an option.

“Make way!” The larger of the two figures shouted.

SLAM!

The smaller of the two quickly put his body against a different wall, just fast enough for his monstrously larger companion to barrel past him. As his body made contact with the far wall, it gave way under his weight, opening up a much larger area before them. Without wasting a moment, he tore the remaining steel from the floor, wedging it into the hallway from which they had just escaped. The cries were muffled, but by no means gone.

“God I’m glad you’re a Super Mutant, and it looks like we’re back at the atrium.” The small companion spoke as he ran into the new room. “Give me a second, I’ll find out how to get out of here.” He immediately began pulled his left wrist close to his face. A small green terminal began to work before his eyes, outlaying their current location, and the many halls that surrounded them. His fingers began to dance across the controls.

“A second may be… too long my friend.” The larger figure spoke, turning to face the hall they had come from. The pounding of metal and cries of bloodlust grew louder even with the new steel wall in place. “The beasts grow closer!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Big mistake for ever coming to a vault just because it had a lucky number on it.” The younger companion dismissed. His blue garm brightened as he adjusted the lighting on his wrist. “I’m just glad my Pip-Boy marked the Death Claws before they really jumped us.”

“No, my friend,” the larger companion disagreed, rolling his enormous green arms. “Be glad that I was able to save you from them! It would have been a very… poor death for one such as you.”

“Right man.” The smaller man agreed. He slowed his pace across his wrist bound computer for just a second, letting his eyes drift to his faithful and powerful companion. But just before he could voice his thanks, screeching metal tore the air.

The enemy was very close.

“Fawkes, I owe you, but can you please distract the hell out of those monsters?!”

“With pleasure!”

Not waiting for a response, Fawkes pulled out his weapon from his back. A large contraption that was a powerful as it was fearsome. Even for the being that had plowed through solid steel to find the new room, it required both hands to hold up. It had all the power and weight of a Gatling gun, but all the accuracy and speed of a laser beam.

“Come, wake up… and die!”

The creature pulled down the trigger of his weapon.

Instantly, streams of high-density light tore from the gun, ripping through the steel and impacting the beasts on just the other side. Cries of pain from the nightmarish creatures echoed through the air, no longer muffled by the steel between companions and monsters. The rails spun under Fawkes’s guidance, sending molten hot streams of death at the creatures that now attempted to escape the halls.

“We take that hall, follow it to the ground floor, then we can take the stairs to surface.” He spoke as his hand traced the path they had to take. Giving only a grunt of understanding, the Super Mutant put his weapon away, following his human companion.

“Just another vault I said.” The human companion spoke as they continued their mad dash. “Just looking around some more old ruins I said. We’ve already seen the FEV factory, what could be worse?” He cursed as they turned a corner. Not wasting anytime, he jumped the stairs before him, his green skinned companion doing the same.

“It could be worse, friend.” Fawkes could see his companion take it as a joke, even as they sprinted down the hall to the fast approaching atrium.

“Worse? Oh obviously,” he responded back with sarcasm. “Instead of highly agile, vicious, bullet resistant, territorial predators after us, it could be Liberty Prime mistaking us for communists!” He shouted as they broke into the atrium. “Oh I bet The Brotherhood would get a kick out of watching the iron giant chase ‘The Last Best Hope for Humanity’.” Even in their run, Fawkes gave a loud yell of approval at the title.

That however, was all he could have given.

Just before the two reached the door leading to the stairs the needed, a monster dropped in front of them.

On its hind legs, it stood tall enough for its head to graze the ceiling above it, sharp spikes along its back and neck effortlessly tearing the metal. Jagged teeth grew along its jaw, no lips or covering to hide their sharp and vicious nature. Despite its sheer size, the claws that hung from his sides still scrapped against the ground. The talons were long, the ends were sharp, and their reach was great. Each one treated steel like a well-placed plasma rifle treated flesh. The massive creature also fought the notion that a good defense was a good offense. Scales as thick as Power Armor covered every inch of its body, layering it with enough protection to keep it safe from anything short of a nuclear bomb.

The Lone Wanderer summed up his feelings for the creature in four words.

“I hate Death Claws.”

It shrieked back at him in response.

Fawkes acted quickly. His signature super sledge un-holstered itself from his side as he charged towards the beast. The steel hammer slammed into the creature’s side, sending it off balance in a daze. But despite his strength, the creature still stood.

“Run Fawkes, now!” The human shouted as he dashed past the creature. The Super Mutant quickly followed, but not before delivering one more heavy blow to the Death Claw, pushing the mutated lizard to its knees. Just as his massive green form made it into the tight metallic hallway, he saw the familiar shape of a rusted tin can fly above his shoulder. He knew what that device was as he watched his friend make hundreds of them before.

“Burn you bastards!”

An explosion of blue and orange caught the Death Claw at the bottom of the landing. It burned with the warmth of radiation and the heat of fire. The beast wailed in pain as the scales that once protected its thick hide curled upon themselves, sending the creature into agony.

“God I love those Nuka Grenades.” The wanderer spoke without ceasing his run. Fawkes only laughed in agreement.

They reached the top of the stair well quickly, opening and shutting the door as quickly as the two could manage. It wouldn’t much for slowing the Death Claws, but every little bit helped. The central hallway of maintenance came into view as the Lone Wanderer and moral Super Mutant reached the highest level of the Vault. From memory alone, the human guided his companion to the exit.

“Alright, if we’re lucky, we can shut the vault as we try and escape. Not even those monsters will get through that door. Nuclear god damn bombs lost that fight.” He turned another sharp corner, Fawkes doing the same. “Last door, good. Now we-” His head slammed into the steel. It didn’t hurt, not anything compared to bullet wounds or dog bites, but it did shake him a little. Confusion set in quickly. He put his hand to the control pad, trying to open the door again. Nothing happened but a small squeal of protest. The Lone Wanderer cursed.

The door was stuck.

“Fawkes! Buy me some time!” The green behemoth gave a nod of understanding moved closer to the doorway they had just come from. The Death Claws were fast approaching, or so the sound or screeching steel was evidence to. He wouldn’t be able to kill them all, no matter how wonderful the idea sounded, but he could so them down. Gripping one of the metallic support beams with his large hands, the Fawkes gave a mighty pull, snapping the steel. The metal above gave a groan in protest as the weight of thick material grew without the support.

He tore one more, than two, than three, and was finally rewarded with the result he wanted. The metal above began to crack in a web like pattern, the stress of the metal exceeding all Factors of Safety. As the cracks grew, they became more numerous, faster and faster, until, as they used to say, the damn finally broke.

All at once, the thick steel of the Vault’s many walls came crashing down upon the hallway, wires, tubes and layering all at once. Dirt and grime came with it, sending a billowing cloud of dust into Fawkes’s eyes, momentarily blinding him to the fruits of his labor. As the dust began to settle, he let himself smile inwardly. A great amount of the vault had collapsed in on itself, and the Death Claws were barely audible through all of it.

“The hell did you do?” He heard the Lone Wanderer ask behind him, coming around the corner.

“I believe the best saying is… ‘I brought the house down.”

His human companioned nearly killed himself laughing. Fawkes easily joined in.

If there was ever one sign of madness throughout the wasteland, it was the ease at which its citizens were able to forget the presence and grip of death for the sake of a little humor and joy.

“I would… smile, could my mouth, allow it.” The Lone Wanderer continued to laugh at the joke.

“Awesome job though, that’ll buy me like… a few minutes maybe.” He spoke as he returned to the still unopened door. “It’s probably just a faulty wire. Problem is I think said wire is on the other side of the door. But if I’m lucky, a quick bypass through the AC port will allow the default DC current to arc just fast enough to open the door.” His words were lost across Fawkes like waves on a rock. They were there, but then they were gone.

BAM!

The sudden boom startled the human and mutant alike, eyes both swirling to the collapsed ceiling keeping them from death.

“Was that-?”

BAM!

“Yes, yes it was!” The question he was about to ask answered, the Lone Wanderer returned to his work double time. Fawkes stood behind him, Super Sledge ready to go for anything that attempted to harm his companion. The cries were quickly accompanied by the sound of slicing steel as the Death Claws began their assault on the barricade.

“Dammit!” The Wanderer cried as a shock of electricity forced his hands away from the control panel. The green Super Mutant gave a look to his friend nursing a small burn on the outside of is hand. The vault door had yet to open. The cries of the Death Claws grew louder.

In a second, nothing more or less, something clicked in Fawkes mind.

“Move!” Fawkes shouted as he roughly pushed his friend aside. Any protest the Lone Wanderer had was lost when he saw his Super Mutant friend grip the edges of the steel door, veins pulsing across his arms.

“YeaAAAARGH!” Using all of the strength the FEV virus gave him; Fawkes lifted the metallic doorway up from its locked position, hinges screaming in protest as they were fought against. The screeching was by far louder than the cries of the Death Claws, but by no comparison anywhere near as dangerous. The door slid up a good foot before it stopped, Fawkes’s strength used up and unable to progress.

“My friend, go!” He shouted for the second time that day, motioning with his head for the Last Best Hope for Humanity. Taking the hint, the Lone Wanderer rolled beneath the doorway, making it onto the other side with ease.

“Alright, give me second here man and I’ll have that door open.” The one time vault resident spoke as he worked at the controls for the doors. “There’s gotta be a short somewhere, and if I can just do a quick bypass in the circuitry, I should generate enough of a command to the system to tell it to op-”

SLAM!

The sound of pounding steel was unmistakable, and it drew both a look of horror and feeling of dread from the Lone Wanderer. It only a glance from his eyes to confirm what he heard.

The steel was embedded into the ground of the floor, any mechanism to hold the thick material gone with that move, gone with any hope to open the door for the Super Mutant.

Fawkes had shut the door, permanently.

“Fawkes!” He shouted as he jumped to the door, fist pounding on the steel uselessly. “God dammit Fawkes! Open the door! I know you can hear me! Fawkes!” Pulling out a well-preserved plasma rifle, he fired the device at the door several times, hoping to melt the steel of the doorway. No such luck graced him this time. Vault-Tech built their doors to last.

“Dammit Fawkes! Open this goddamn door right now!” Said Super Mutant could hear his friend, his onetime savior call speaker. If his lips could move, the green Super Mutant would have smiled. The Death Claws were fast approaching, but they had a lot of material to get through first. There was time, just enough time. Fawkes moved to the speaker, placing his oversized hand against a dusty red button.

“No, my friend, this is where my destiny has brought me.” There was no doubt in the green Super Mutant’s mind that if he could smile, he would be with genuine joy. “You once… attempted to give your life for… your father’s work. Now… now I am giving my life, so that you can… continue your righteous path.” The silence spoke volumes to the Super Mutant.

“My friend, it has been an honor to fight beside you.”

His thumb unclicked itself from the speaker.

“Dammit Fawkes! No! I lived through that and that gives you no right to die like this! I can save your ass and you know it!” His voice was muffled but the words were clear. However, so was the desperation in his voice. The Death Claws were fast approaching. The collapsed hallway could only slow the terrifying creatures for a few moments, and that was all he had. Giving a sigh, he pushed the button down again.

“No, my friend, you cannot.” Fawkes heard the fist pounding on the door fruitlessly. It felt… good, in a “Super Mutant” kind of way. “I am not… as skilled as you are with technology, but I know broken things when I see them. Either, we both die here, or I die here. You… you are a messiah to the Wasteland. It is my honor, and my destiny, to give my life so you may continue to help others.”

He was done now, in more ways than one. Pulling out his Gatling Laser, low on power and ammunition, Fawkes knew it wouldn’t last long. Through the muffled steel, and screeching metal, he heard the door to the Vault open, and he knew his friend had left.

“Thank you, for everything, my friend.” The words were spoken in solitude, but it brought a near alien emotion to the green Super Mutant.

He was happy.

This was good day for Fawkes, one time companion to The Last Best Hope for Humanity, the Lone Wanderer.

“Alright beasties!” he shouted at the Death Claws, their terrible talons finished ripping the steel apart. “Come and DIE!”

Not a soul heard his shouts of triumphs, his grunts of movement, his brief cries of victory… not even his screams of eventual pain.

But he was happy.

End

Needless to say, the ponies gasped as Pinkie drew her “catch” from the purified portal. It was large and bulky, shapeless and white, but by all means far too large for her to ever be able to normally carry. With all the grace she forever lacked, Pinkie dropped the mass of moving white on the stone tile besides her.

“Wow! That was a doozy woozy.” She spoke as put a hoof to her head. “Usual it takes a full day with the cake twins to make my head this fuzzy.”

“Pinkie!” Twilight directed at the wavering pink pony. “What were you thinking?!”

“Hmm… I thought of something willful! Don’t want any pony in Equestria getting mopey on me.”

“No, not that… well that’s helpful too,” Twilight noted as she looked to the rather large blob of white. “But what I meant was what were you thinking jumping in like that?! You could have seriously hurt yourself.”

“Oh, but it wouldn’t have been fun to just wait around and… oh…” Her hooves began to shake beneath her.

“Take it easy girl.” Applejack spoke as she put a hoof on the wavering pony. “No need to stress yer’self out like tha’. How ‘bout we welcome… wha’everya’ pulled.”

Those words were all it took to put the life of Equestria back into the pink earth pony. Without a word, Pinkie jumped to the still covered figure, putting hooves down upon it as fearlessly as she had drawn it.

The pony took to freeing the unseen figure with a near alien amount of joy. The ponies surrounding her watched enraptured as they imagined the figure that was slowly be revealed to them. Link stood behind them all watching arms crossed as the energetic pony took to freeing the new soul she had conjured.

All feelings of hope died when they saw the creature beneath.

It was grotesque. A sickly green that was associated with nothing except disease and illness. Its skin seemed to agree, as it was ripped, charred, sliced, and cracking from what no soul present could imagine. Whatever apparel it was wearing suffered no less damage, torn with great force and burned by items that both unicorns and alicorns present knew from no magical force. But those were just the small details.

Its size was enormous, larger than that of even Kratos before it. It doubtlessly would stand above both alicorns, possibly even if they were stacked atop one another. By appearance alone, it looked as if it weighed more than an entire herd of buffalos and with just as much strength as well. Looking closer, more than one pony, Link included, could tell that the ripping of his clothes hadn’t come from any kind of battle.

Pinkie Pie, whether positive or negative, had no fear or contempt for the creature she was freeing from the white tendrils of the portal. Her hooves continued to push the misty material from her “catch.” Her energy and smile didn’t even begin to fade. Not even as she brushed the final remains of the mist off of the creature’s face.

Fluttershy let out an eep of fright.

For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if an explosion had taken place close to the creature’s face. So much was… missing. There was no skin covering its teeth, its large mandible stuck in a permanent growl with the missing lips. Al that was left to indicate the creature could hear were small holes on either side of its head, the ears that seemed so prominent on the other ponies and warriors now gone. Hair was well was missing from it. No fur, not even a small tuft of it like Link sat upon the creature’s head. As horrible as it would sound to be called, there was only one word that many of the ponies could use to describe the thing: Hideous.

“Wow, he’s so big!” Pinkie pie squealed. “Wonder if he’s the only one who’s that big back where’s he from. Do you think they have bigger parties there because of it? That would be awesome! A Pinkie Party of his size would be a Mega Pinkie Party! That’s a new party idea right there. I almost feel like Rarity today!” Her energy was only met with confusion.

“Pinkie, you… aren’t concerned at all?” Rarity spoke to the energetic earth pony. “It…

“He Rarity, he’s a colt. Or man. Probably a stallion if anything…” An exasperated sigh escaped the white unicorn.

“HE doesn’t look that… kind.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Mah problem is tha’ he looks to darn much like tha’ villain Kratos.” Applejack’s words were met with a few nods from other ponies. “I know it’s wrong ta pass judgment based on looks an’ all, but… I don’ know…”

“You are right to be cautious, young Applejack.” Luna spoke, eyes still on the creature. “We have not received a… consistent type of creatures from this portal. As young Twilight Sparkle has also said, we have no means to test this altered device, so we have no means of knowing if the creature is truly just, or unjust.” A short moment of silence followed the princess’s words.

“Why isn’t he waking up?” Said unicorn asked, as she looked the large green thing over. “Link was able to rise with just some coaxing. This… he is sleeping through all of us talking, and Pinkie Pie bouncing on him.”

“A good question, but I hardly find that relevant compared to the larger matters at hand.” Rarity spoke next.

“But it could be important,” countered Twilight. “We don’t know how this portal works, and as long as we have similarities in anything, we have to ask why.”

“Quite true, but we won’t know those answers while he is still asleep.”

“Should we wake him up then?” Dash’s words earned a quick gasp from the unicorn beside her. “What? I’m just saying, it’s not like we’re gonna learn anything from him while he’s lying on the ground.”

“Well that’s true, but it does seem awfully dangerous.” Twilight spoke. “Isn’t there one thing that can happen that we can test?” The lavender unicorn asked with a small bout of anger. She heard the cyan Pegasus chuckle in response.

“H-He does look rather, um, mean.” Fluttershy spoke softly, changing her position so Link was between her and the new creature. “Couldn’t we send him back?”

“I’m afraid the only method I know of to do that, at this point, would be to use the same means by which he got here.” Celestia spoke to the Elements.

“So… the portal?”

“No. Death.” That caused hitched breaths.

“No! I-I didn’t mean that! I wouldn’t! N-Never, I-I would n-nev-” Her voice began to fail with the misery and weight of what she thought she implied.

“There there Fluttershy.” Rarity spoke with a gentle tone. “We know better than that. You cannot hurt a blade of grass, let alone any kind life. However, this is one position among us that I believe carries a great deal of weight, if we are all to agree.” A minor amount of confusion followed her words, until the unicorn turned to the only non-pony in the group still conscious and friendly.

“Link,” Rarity asked a she trotted over to the green clad hero. “What do you think?” Her horn was already aglow with the quill and paper close behind. Link took them both from the air and began to write.

The familiar patience for his writing filled the air as the quill scratched across the surface of the parchment. Dash had yet to quell in her innate curiosity.

“We seriously gotta find a better way for you to talk.” She grumbled as she crossed her hooves, hovering bored through the air. Link paid her no mind. His quill finished its final scratch as he handed the parchment over to the white unicorn. She took with a civilized nod of her head.

“If we judged him based only on his looks, we would be doing him an injustice.” Rarity spoke as her eyes scanned the pages. “Just because he looks the way he does, does not mean that it is an accepted appearance in his world.”

“Do you speak from experience Sir Link?” Luna spoke with curiosity upon her voice. He replied back to the princess with a simple nod of his head. The smile across his lips hanged between sadness and acceptance.

“Y-You were, um, o-ostr-tr-tro… bullied t-too Mr. Link?” Fluttershy spoke up from behind the green hero. His cerulean eyes gave the canary pegasus a look of sympathy. It nearly brought tears to the young Fluttershy’s eyes.

“Don’t righ’fully mean ta inner’upt,” spoke Applejack. “But ay’ think it best ta stay focused on our jolly green giant he’re.”

“Yes, yes, of course Applejack, but that is all he wrote, and I think it speaks quite clearly the side Link wishes to take.” Rarity rolled up the parchment, handing it off to Link. “What matter most now is the final decision. I doubt any of us ponies have the desire, let alone will, to… permanently harm this… this…” She finished with a wave of her hoof towards the unconscious green form. Pinkie Pie still eagerly worked around it.

“Waking him would be best, I agree,” Princess Celestia spoke, “But it must be done with caution. We do not have the fight or flight situation as we did with you or Link. So we must be careful. After all, this is all new to me, as well as my ponies. I will not allow them to come into harm’s way, not if that road can be averted.”

The ponies nodded in return to her words, Link giving his own head bob of approval and understanding. Said alabaster alicorn then turned to the newest guest of the battle-worn Canterlot Castle, as well as the pink pony who had yet to stop examining the creature.

“Miss Pie,” she spoke in her most soothing voice, “I request you step aside. I’m going to try and wake him.”

“Okey-dokey-loki Princess!” The party pony cheered as she hopped to the side, resting just beside the frightened Fluttershy, still hanging behind Link’s legs.

Celestia took in a deep breath as she prepared herself. The spell was not difficult, and required little magic, but the subject she was performing it on was anything but ordinary, or predictable. He could be a ferocious warrior no different than Kratos, ready to tear apart any of her precious subjects, in which case she would need to be quick with her magic and force. He could also be calm and calculatin waiting for the perfect moment to strike against them. Or he could be the best option of the three, like Link, peaceful in approach and intention, hoping only to not harm a single life around him. She wished upon every star her sister had created that he was to be much like the Hero of Time.

“Here we go.”

The large royal white horn began to shine with the brilliance of the sun. Its glow slowly surrounded every object with the royal hall, allowing its warmth to seep into them, become one with them. It was neither forceful nor hesitant. The act was done as simply as breathing in the air.

Every pony present basked in its presence, even the princess of the night allowing her eyes to flutter shut in bliss. Link himself was perturbed. The sensation was alien, something he knew he had never experience before, but it all at once felt familiar. It was not close to his death, not like his final farewell to Hyrule, but rather like his ascent into the Holy Realm. It was like entering the domain of the Triforce.

It was as if he was standing in the presence of the goddesses themselves. He lowered himself to his knee, bowing to the alicorn princess. No one saw his action, too blinded by Celestia’s light or too engrossed by its warmth.

The alicorn princesses slowly lowered her head down to the large creature, careful and patient with the energy she was commanding. The tip of her horn hovered above the green thing’s head, flooding him in the bright light. Celestia’s horn carefully touched itself to its forehead, letting her magic flow from around her, and into the creature itself. The warmth and glow of her horn slowly left the room as its energy faded.

The creature’s scream pierced the air next.

Celestia back trotted away in shock, head raised and wings flared. More than one of the Elements gave an eep of fright at the sound. Link readied his sword and shield, already expecting the worst.

The green skinned creature rolled to its side, arms raised defensively above its head. When a moment passed with no action, he raised his head to look around.

His chest moved with great heaves of air. Despite his size, he remained on the ground, staring at each of the ponies that came into view. His eyes, dis-proportioned to the rest of his body, looked to each one of them carefully. Fluttershy was not able to suppress her shaking hooves. Pinkie Pie was not able to suppress her excitement.

“Hi there!” The bubbly pony shouted as she jumped in front of the large creature. It instantly backed away further against the stone floor, raising itself from the ground as it did.

The princess was right. It truly was an enormous creature.

Even hunched over defensively, Pinkie Pie barely made it past the creature’s mid thighs. His large hands were flexed at his sides, balling into large fists that doubtlessly could crush the pony that stood fearlessly in front of it. Though a thin layer of blue fabric covered its legs, they hid nothing in the amount of muscle they possessed as well. He was a walking titan of a creature.

“My name is Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?” The earth pony spoke with a raised hoof. The creature acted as if he was being threatened, taking a step back.

“Pinkie, I don’t think-” Dash’s words died in her throat.

“What… are you?” The thing spoke with a voice not unlike Vergil. It was not the same, not at all, but it didn’t have the malicious intent to kill that the cries of Kratos had. It… It didn’t sound evil, and it certainly wasn’t acting threateningly. If anything, it was more afraid of where it was.

“Oh silly, I’m a pony of course! Don’t you ponies were you come from?” The question jogged something in the creature’s mind. His head began to move around to look at more than just the occupants of the hall. He looked at the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the tiles, the glass, the pillars, and everything else. There was nothing in the room he didn’t try to see more of. The ponies plus Link hesitantly let him do so, still cautious to his true intentions.

“It’s… it’s so bright! Where am I?” He looked down at the pink earth pony.

“WHERE AM I?!” His roar shook the pony where she stood.

A bubble of magic surrounded Pinkie before she could answer.

She was instantly moved back away from the creature, besides the lavender unicorn, horn already aglow. The other Elements of Harmony flared their wings or lit their horns, pushing their hooves against the floor defensively. The creature did not calm down. His eyes continued to wander the hall, jaw opening and closing as if debating to scream. That silent argument was quickly won.

“My friend, Where are you?!” He yelled into the hall. Immediately, his arms began to pump as the large creature began to run from the crowd of ponies. Princess Celestia, however, would not risk such a creature running through her halls.

A small shine from her horn and a barrier appeared before the hall’s exit. The creature impacted it without a single force to cushion his fall. It grunted in pain as it stumbled back from the barrier, hand against his face in pain.

“Calm yourself.” The princess spoke as she approached the still stunned creature. “We mean you no harm and intend to keep no secrets from you. My name is Princess Celestia, and you are in my land, Equestria.” Her mighty wings flared as she spoke, being sure to attract all of the creature’s attention. He did not seem bright, but he could definitely understand her. All she needed to do was make sure he was listening.

“This is not the Wasteland.” He spoke more to himself than the princess. “This is not my home.”

“No, it is not.”

“How…” He began, hand still against his head. “How did I get here?” The creature’s small eyes looked back to her own large orbs, neither pain nor hatred within his eyes. Only confusion was present in what Celestia could see.

“You were summoned from the portal of white, just over there.” She motioned with her hoof. The creature’s eyes followed her, ending at the still swirling vortex of frosty color.

“So then…

“I know not the situation you were in before your arrival here, only that, if our theory is correct, I did not save you from whatever fate fell upon you.” Confident now, Celestia trotted closer to the creature. It noticeably flinched when it saw her approach, but she only slowed herself. She did not stop. She could hear the Element of Laughter bouncing excitedly behind her.

“So I did… die.” He did not ask the comment; he spoke it. He was already well aware of the answer.

“I am sorry.”

“No… you do not have to… be.” It was odd. There existed no skin across his dermal or epidermal layer of his facial features to allow it, but Celestia could feel, feel more than see, the creature smiling at the thought.

“You’re happy?”

“I gave my life… if I remember correctly… so my friend my live. He… was a good friend. Saved me from my confinement and allowed me to see the world, or… what was left of the world.” Celestia stored his words away for later conversation. There was much to discuss for the matter at hand.

“Tell me, what is your name?” She asked gently, looking up to creature. The princess ignored the felling of unease that came from looking up at the creature. She was too used to standing on stairs above her subjects, or remaining entire body lengths taller. Her courage, however, was rewarded.

“I… I am called Fawkes, companion and guardian the Lone Wanderer, ergh.” His breathing had yet to calm, but his arms had now relaxed, as well as the rest of his body. The princess was more than thankful to feel the tension leave the air.

“You are… a strange creature, Princess Celestia.”

The rest of the ponies felt the tension come right back.

“I beg your pardon?” She spoke as kindly as she could to the creature, amazement more than embarrassment coating her words as she spoke. She was the odd creature here? Compared to he who stood entire pony heights above her? Quite obviously now, there were no ponies where this thing came from.

“Please do not… uh, take offense. I have seen… I am one of those creatures as well. Even among my own brethren, I am seen as odd.”

“What do you mean?”

“You must not be… familiar with my kind, are you?” The white alicorn shook her head in response. “Ah, I see. Well… my kind is called, Super Mutants. We are a powerful force throughout the Wasteland. Usually, we enjoy the slaughtering of others for sport.”

Celestia didn’t need a sixth sense to feel the ponies behind her tense and flare their wings and magic. Fawkes, as he was called, continued regardless. Maybe he didn’t notice them.

“My friend from back home, uh…The Lone Wanderer, as he was partial to being called, fought them. He found me in a prison during one of his, many adventures. For all purposes and intentions, he was my savior from my own people.”

“How was this… wanderer a savior to you? And why were you in a cell?” Celestia asked her questions carefully. She wanted to hear of good deeds from a kind soul, not of some misplaced mayhem or chaos.

“Ah, one question answers the other. You see, my brethren, my kind, are violent by nature and born through… unnatural means. The pain of being… uh, born is enough to break all of our minds. But I…” He spoke with pride in his voice. A large hand pounded his chest to signify further his self-respect. “I was able to endure the pain. Because of it, I did not wish to harm others when I became as I am now. To punish me for my, inability to hunt, I was locked in a room for… uh, um… I can’t remember how long.” The princess opened her mouth to speak, but the creature did not finish.

“I used to keep track of the days, but then it became easier to count the years. My angered brethren destroyed my means of… counting the years when I passed one hundred.” That brought more than a spark of curiosity to Celestia’s mind.

“You have lived for over a century? How are you able to do so?”

“I do not know. I… am not that smart. I can memorize things well, and I have still retained the semblance of my mind that allows me to… judge. But this mutation of mine,” Fawkes gestured to himself as he spoke, large arms floating in front of his form. “It did not leave my mind unscarred. I was actually because I was able to… judge my actions, that is what my brethren imprisoned me. My friend freed me from my confinement, and I have traveled with him… ever since.”

“At least, until recently.”

“You said before you died to save him.” Celestia repeated what he said. “You don’t regret that?” Again, as before, though his face was unable to show emotion, she could see the flickers of feeling beneath his small eyes.

“No, no I do not.”

“You are both a selfless and kind hearted po… life then, and we will have to discuss your endeavors in full when we have more time on our hooves. But for now, I think you should meet the rest of my fellow ponies.” Her wings began to relax to her sides, her head turning behind her. With small wave of her hoof, she gestured for the Elements to join her.

It did little to surprise the princess of the sun that her faithful student approached first.

“It’s nice to meet you Fawkes, my name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student to princess Celestia.” She held out her hoof to the large green creature with a smile as brilliant as her mentor’s sun. The Super Mutant looked down at the lavender unicorn before lowering himself to a knee extending a hand as he did so. It easily encapsulated the pony’s entire foreleg.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well!” Fawkes spoke proudly between oblivious and happy as his rough hand/hoof shake literally lifted the unicorn from the ground. She steadied herself as she returned to the marble floor. It wasn’t hard for her to place who was giggling behind her. However, her mind was far more focuses on the creature she knew nothing about than the enigma she had given up on.

“There are so many questions I have to ask you! Like what is your world like? Or what other kinds of life do you live with? How do you speak Equine without lips? Are you as strong as you are large? What kind of-“

“Easy there Twi’.” The voice of one Applejack spoke above the now rambling unicorn. “As curious as ya are, it ain’t proper manners to shoot off questions like tha’.” Looking up to Fawkes, the orange earth pony pushed her signature hat back before extending her own hoof up towards the creature.

“My name’s Applejack, pleasure ta meet ya Fawkes.” Just as before, the green giant wrapped his gargantuan hand around the pony’s hoof, shaking the poor earth pony off the ground.

“It is my pleasure to meet you as well! Ha ha!” His rough laughter was put between welcoming for some ponies and polarizing for others.

“Mr. Fawkes,” The white unicorn began as she trotted to the Super Mutant, letting the orange Earth Pony rebalance herself. “My name is Rarity.” She gave an elegant bow to the already kneeling creature. “Just so introductions do not last us the entire night, allow me to introduce to you the rest of my friends.”

She turned around to look to the other ponies in the room, Fawkes following her gaze with the same placid face, unable to show the joy of meeting new forms of life that did not wish to possess his own. Extending her hoof out, she began by pointing to the large dark alicorn, standing just beside the white portal.

“This is Princess Luna, Guardian of the Night and sister to Princess Celestia.” The alicorn gave a practiced bow to the green giant, he returned with a small nod. “Beside her is Fluttershy, whom I will be more than impressed if you can convince her to say hello.” Said canary pony quickly fled behind the only other non-pony in the room.

“The man she just fled behind is actually another new guest, quite like yourself. He is named Link, though we have yet to have a proper conversation with him.” The green clad hero raised an arm to his side giving a proper and practiced royal bow to Fawkes. Just as before, the Super Mutant nodded from his kneeling position.

“The brash pegasus above him is Rainbow Dash. She’d kill me if I didn’t say this, but she’s the Fastest Pegasus in Equestria.” Said cyan pegasus nodded her head in agreement. “Lastly we have-”

“Really Rarity? You would introduce me last?” The pink earth pony spoke as she quickly put herself in front of the white unicorn. “Now that’s just rude. Ruder than rude! That’s like super rude!” She gave a small huff to the bewildered unicorn, turning instead to Fawkes.

“Hi there, my name’s Pinkie Pie, what’s your favorite flavor of cake?” She asked the question without a hint of hesitation.

“What’s a cake?” Fawkes asked in return. To the party pony, he may have well as asked what color the sky was.

“You don’t know what a cake is?!” She practically screeched to the giant. He stood straighter on his knee as the earth pony zipped right up to him. “How can you be so old and now know what cake is?! That’s just horrible! Maybe even the worst. Possible. Thing!”

Rarity gasped.

“I, uh… apologize. I have not eaten much in quite some time." Fawkes’s large hand rubbed the back of his head guiltily.

“I truly do wish we could spend more time now talking with you Sir Fawkes.” Princess Luna spoke to the large green man. His gaze turned to her, the pink party pony doing the same. “But we are in the midst of… a predicament of sorts. Please trust us that we will tell you all that we know in time. However, time is an element we do not possess enough of, and we must make do with what little we currently have.”

“You have been… most kind to me, Princess, uh… Moon,” he heard the pink mare just in front of him stifle a giggle. “More so than others I have met. As long as I am not asked to… leave, or I am not attacked, I will wait patiently. It is a skill I have grown quite good at doing.” Fawkes leant back from his knelt position, sitting himself on the stone floor as he watched the ponies in front of him. More than just one pony continued to watch him as well. Still, even sitting, he stood taller than any of the Elements.

“You guys go on ahead.” Pinkie Pie spoke to her the other ponies. “I wanna chat with Mr. Fawkes some more. He needs to learn a whole lot more about cake.” Without waiting for a reply, the pink earth pony eagerly bounced next to the large green man, stopping only when she landed on his outstretched legs. Fawkes didn’t appear to mind.

“That’s Pinkie Pie.” Dash’s words spoke for the entire group.

“Well c’mon girls, time’s a’ wastin’.” Applejack coaxed as she returned to the portal, now appearing far more eager than she had before. She was not alone in her change of mood.

Watching the energetic party pony pull out a creature as kind as Fawkes, in spite of his size and appearance, had completely replaced any skepticism in Twilight Sparkle. Instead, her mind was rushing with ideas of what she already knew. The portal before had worked on twisting their emotion into summoning something opposite. From what she had observed, it appeared as if the princesses and herself had reversed the process, a double negative. Now it drew on what they really were feeling. If that was the case, they could bring in souls and life forms that embodied the very elements, just as they did…

Just as they did…

For some reason, the thought seemed far more terrifying to her than she expected.

“Um, does anypony mind if I go next?” She asked her friends as she trotted next to the portal. Her fellow Elements all shook their head, as well as the princesses.

“It is hard to argue against the idea of the most intelligent Element of Harmony using this portal, young Twilight.” Luna spoke to the lavender unicorn, a smirk clear on her face. Said unicorn flushed with embarrassment.

“Don’t tease the poor dear Luna.” Celestia cajoled her sister. A small admission of ‘Huzzah’ was her only response. “Go right ahead Twilight, we will be here. But be careful and sure that think of something just and harmonic as you reach inside. Be sure that no emotions of doubt or confusion enter your mind.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

She approached the portal as confidently as she could… with shaking hooves and biting her lip. This was just an experiment, that’s all it was. Pinkie Pie had used it almost effortlessly and she pulled out a creature that was… well a gentle giant. She could do the same, at least close to it. She was the Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, the very embodiment of magic. She had challenged some of the most powerful creatures in Equestria with her magic and come out on top. Together with her friends, she had saved Equestria more times than she had hooves. She could do this. She can do this.

None of it helped still quivering form.

“Twi? Are ya sure you’re alright sugarcube?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m alright. Just a bit nervous is all. It’s like taking a test I haven’t studied for.” She laughed lightly to herself at the joke. It still didn’t help. Honestly, Twilight expected one of her friends to volunteer to go before her, or for her beloved mentor to give a helping hoof or wing. What she did not expect was the soft pat of rough leather against her back.

Her neck craned to see Link looking down at her, his blue eyes looking into her own lavender irises with kindness. Where he a pony, she might have blushed. Her eyes only averted from his gaze when she saw the parchment he was holding in front of her. Did he write her a message? She never even heard the quill scratch. Twilight silently cursed herself in Celestia’s name; she must be more of a wreck than she thought. Grabbing the parchment in her magic, she levitated it to her eyes.

“If you find it difficult to concentrate on the matter at hand, think of something that always brings peace. When you’re at your calmest, you think the clearest.” The unicorn finished the words with an admiring glare. If it wasn’t written on the parchment the way it was, she would have sworn it had come from an ancient textbook.

“More prior experience Sir Link?” The moon princess’s question with met with a confirming nod from the green clad hero.

“Well, it’s worth a try.” Twilight muttered to herself as she gave her body a light shake. Link stood back from her, crossing his arms as he did so. Every other pony watched as their friend shut her eyes in concentration.

’What does bring me peace?’ The question was harder to answer than the unicorn gave it credit for. ’Books inspire me, but can also captivate me. My friends are dependable, but also dependent. What… What do I do to find myself at peace?’ She lightly bit her lip at the teasing question. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. It was supposed to be an answer as simple as the Star Swirl’s Thesis.

’Maybe…. Maybe I haven’t been at peace yet before. Maybe I’ve been spending my whole life in a state of rushed stress.’ No pony could deny her claims within her own mind. ’I’ve always been just one trot away from insanity and the only thing keeping me from jumping is the need to learn more. Is there really no peace in my life? Oh Celestia…’

In her mind, a lantern lit itself.

’Celestia.’ The name filled her mind. It brought such a euphoric sense of warmth to the unicorn filly. Her muscles relaxed as the vision of her mentor’s grace filled her senses. Her mind emptied as the power of the alicorn overpowered her imagination. Her soul relaxed as the alabaster wings wrapped around her protectively, giving her the shield and knowledge of the ages.

“Celestia.”

She quickly snapped her eyes open, putting a hoof to her mouth in shock. The confused looks from her friends gave her more relief than she realized. They hadn’t heard her. Good. Her relieved eyes looked said mentor, only to drop again.

Said Princess had heard.

Celestia looked at the lavender filly with a raised brow and lightly parted muzzle. Her pupils had dilated slightly more than what would be expected with the given lightening, most distressing of all; she saw her mentor’s wings twitch.

She had heard and she had understood.

This was either going to be really good… or really bad.

As elegant as only an alicorn could be, Princess Celestia trotted beside her personal protégé, leaning her head down to the unicorn’s neck. She nuzzled the purple unicorn in a way she had done so many times before, during hard training sessions or stressful nights. Just like before, Twilight could not, and tried not to, suppress the feeling of harmony that passed over her.

“Go on Twilight Sparkle. I believe in you.” The words gave the unicorn all the faith she needed. Straightening herself, relaxing her form, and letting the idea of her mentor’s grace filler her mind, the pony gave a nod.

“Okay.” With her mentor’s name in mind, she gave her head a dip into the white pool of the portal.

Begin

The flames danced with death and darkness.

The gray robes about his body hung to him with the sweat of heat and fear. Moving through the Mines of Moria proved to be as dangerous and fool hardy as he had predicted before the decision was made. No servants of Saruman clung to the pillars, nor any demons of Sauron. No, a worse kind of evil infested these now dead mines, and the ancient wizard watched it approach.

The flames danced with death and darkness, and their master stepped through them without hesitation.

A beast of darkness and unparalleled fury. A demon the likes of which even the All Watching Eye hesitated to gaze upon. Stature as tall as the Kings of Old, coat as black as the winter’s night, covered in flames made to smelt Mythril, and with eyes of hunger not even the goblin’s could match.

The Balrog roared

“RAAAAAAAAGGGGH!!”

He knew a fool’s challenge when he saw it, and he knew facing the demon now would be just that. Turning from the fire and demon, he fled to reach the rest of his companions ahead. Already they were crossing the Bridge of Khazad-dum, so close to the exit from these dreaded mines. He ran with all the speed his tired and weary legs could muster, unwilling to let himself fall in flight.

The weight of the creature chasing them shook the very stones he ran across, telling of the monster’s fast approach. Of the dark cloud that approached them, there was only one silver lining. The goblins were gone, no longer an issue to worry of. It was not nearly enough to compensate for the impending doom just behind the fleeing Fellowship.

The aged man watched as the men hobbits crossed, the only elf among them already far above the steps, firing arrows uselessly at the beat. The dwarf was fast behind him, standing upon the stone his own people had carved. That left only him. He was the only one remaining on the bridge. Good.

He stopped, turning to face the demon. Upon a slim sliver of stone, holding him above a near endless chasm below, the wizard of grey held his ground.

“You cannot pass!”

“Gandalf!” Frodo yelled to the wizard, watching as his dear friend stood upon the bridge.

The Balrog ceased his chase, standing before the wizard with a pose and stature that would send dragons in fear. His mighty wings pushed the darkness of his smoke aside, lighting his cloak with the dark fire from which he was born. The heat drove the stone to scream, but the Gray Wizard did not move. Instead, he raised his staff above his head, letting the light grow from its end.

“I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you,” flexing his arms as much as his tired muscles would allow he finished. “Flame of Udun!”

The Balrog raised his arm, forming a sword of flames within his hand. Its length was greater than four steeds and heat comparable to the Forge of Mordor. It had no hesitation in bring the blade down upon the wizard.

It cracked against a shield of light.

“Argh!” Gandalf cried as the fires grew close. But they did not burn, not while his magic held. The Balrog stumbled back as his blade dissipated against the shield. Its shock quickly turned to rage.

“RAAAAAAAAGGH!” Its cry held the heat of its sword. But the wizard did not move.

“Go back to the shadows.”

The Demon of the Deep was not finished. His hand moved again, summoning the flames of darkness once more. No longer did a sword of weight form, but now a whip. It turned in the air by its command, cracking like lightening. The Fellowship watched with mute horror as The Balrog stepped upon the Bridge of Khazad-dum. The wizard did not move.

“You!” His staff rose.

“Shall not!” His staff and blade met.

“PASS!” He sent his staff into the bridge.

A pulse of light flashed across the stones giving the mighty beast pause. It watched Gandalf carefully, hesitant to attack again. The wizard held his ground. So the beast took another step upon the bridge, raising his whip to strike the man in gray… on for the bridge to give under his weight.

It let out a mighty cry as its body began to fall.

Like a waking nightmare, the Balrog fell into the deep, his dark fire vanishing into the dense shadows below. Only his cries of spiteful rage echoed across the tomb of Moria now.

Finally, the wizard relaxed.

A bit too early...

He felt the whip before he heard it, wrapping about his leg in a quick pull. It sent his footing to the unfelt winds as he dropped his staff and blade. Both fell into the deep, and he was not far behind.

“No! No!” He heard above him. “Gandalf!”

His companions were fighting one another to get to him, with only a few having the courage and mentality to stop them. They were the leaders, they were the men. He grabbed at the stone, attempting to raise himself from the stone. One handful, one arm length, one at a time he gained ground. But it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.

Gandalf’s eyes watched Frodo fight against Boromir, desperate to reach him. He slowly turned to see Aragon looking at him with silent surprise. If they were to come and save him, if they were to try and rescue him… they would doubtlessly perish under the coming goblins. There was truly only one path for the wizard to walk, and he chose his paths well.

End

“Fly you fools.”

He let himself fall into the void.

The fall itself was almost peaceful. No force but the passing air pushed against him in his descent. No flames, no fire, no heat, nor death made its approach on him as he moved effortlessly.

But as he descent quickened his target came further and further into view. The Balrog still flailed helplessly against the pull of gravity, no room to fly and no ground to push against. The Grey Wizard turned his fall into a dive, aiming for the dark demon.

His sword of silver fell besides him, and he grasped it from the air as easily as an elf does his bow. Weathered hands gripped the steel with strength preserved for the youngest of men. Still he continued to descend towards the Demon of the Dark Fire, fearless of the creature’s flames.

Gandalf met the form of the creature with his blade, earning a roar of protest and struggle from his gargantuan foe. The Balrog struggled as the wizard continued his assault with the blade of silver. Flames danced across the monster as their descent continued down the cavern, walls of rock passing their dueling forms.

The wizard continued his assault upon the Demon of the Dark, flames and embers billowing from every wound he caused. Hollers and Roars of pain erupted from the beast with ever slash, but the cavern walls prevented him from retaliating against his smaller foe.

Then the cavern opened beneath the two.

A massive lake, the size of which even Gandalf had rarely seen, fast approached them from beneath. The Balrog’s flames illuminated the massive body of water, glowing now with a light that seemed too dim.

But the wizard was not to be distracted. Even as he descended, he continued his assault against the monstrosity of life. The Silver sword repeatedly slashing the dark flames of the demon. The lake grew closer with every passing blow.

Then it was upon them, swallowing the two without prejudice.

Gandalf met only darkness.

The Captain and Spellsword

Every kind of athlete can be the subject of a muscle spasm, a forced contraction of microfibrils beyond their normal amount. It carries with it an extreme sense of pain that can take minutes to recede. As the fastest pegasus in Equestria, Rainbow Dash had been subject to her own fair share of spasms and contractions over the years. From simple twitches that wouldn’t leave, to near crippling pain that brought tears to her eyes, she had felt every kind at least once.

Those were nothing compared to the spasms in her wings now.

As her head pulled itself from the Portal of Souls, white-misted prize in hand, her jaw clenched itself with more than just a grip to keep hold of her find. Her hooves trotted backwards quickly, the figure sliding across the tile with her. When the only pull she felt on the figure was her own, she released her grip.

“Ow!” She cried as soon as she was able. “Ah! Hng, ah!”

“Dash!” Twilight quickly made her way to her friend’s side. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Where? Can you breathe? Where is the obstructi-” She backpedaled as one of the pegasus’s wings hit her across the face. Confusion and shock washed over her features, before realization set in.

The mare’s wings were sporadically flinging themselves in the air, extending to their maximum length before pulling against her side again, hyper-contracting to the degree that her furled wings touched one another. The pain of the experience was clear on the face of the pegasus, biting her lip with eyes clenched shut. Her hooves dug into the stone floor with little relief. Twilight acted swiftly.

“Hold on Rainbow.” Closing her eyes, she focused the magic into her horn. Her mind’s eye looked through the synaptic nerves of the blue wings, watching with horrific fascination. The calcium and potassium pumps were operating out of homeostatic proportions, forcing extreme negative solutions across the efferent nerve cells. Worse yet, they were operating outside of the direction of the spinal cord’s direction.

Her magic flowed across the nerves, freezing them in place. All chemical movement slowed under her direction before settling on a dead stop, holding them in place. This couldn’t last though, and Twilight knew it. The only thing that can stay in perfect equilibrium is something that’s dead, it was a reminder she wrote in her biology book. It was temporary though, and blood was still circulating unobstructed through the capillary networks of the pegasus. Her wings weren’t close to decaying yet.

“Oh…” She heard the voice slowly release, the closest thing to a pleasurable sigh she had ever heard fall off Rainbow’s lips. “That’s so much better.” Twilight opened her eyes to look at Dash.

Her legs had since given out, and she was laying sprawled across the floor in an almost undignified manner. Somehow though, Twilight didn’t think she minded right now. Looking the pegasus in the eyes, she smiled kindly.

“Anytime Dash.” The cyan mare smiled weakly up towards the unicorn. It was a painful experience, but they both only felt better now that it was over.

“What have you done?” Anything warm they felt vanished under the icy voice that spoke above them.

Twilight and Dash looked up to see the cold visage of the Princess of the Night. With wings flared and eyes sharp, nothing off the royal alicorn appeared kind, let alone forgiving. The pegasus couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her form, even in her pained and exhausted state. Twilight was little different.

“I ask you again,” She spoke as her hooves trotted closer to the pair. “What have you done?”

“Um,” Twilight began with the onsets of a cold sweat. “W-I asked Rainbow Dash to use the portal.” The fury grew quickly across the features of the Princess of the Night. “She didn’t want to, b-but I convinced that it wo-”

“Whoa! Hold on there, egghead,” Dash interrupted her friend, standing on her four legs, wings hanging with a slight limp at her sides. Her pink eyes looked to the sharp blue orbs of her ruler. “Twilight didn’t do anything but help cheer me up after… yeah, after that.” Her hoof gestured towards the far wall. No pony had to turn to see what she meant.

“No, you’re wrong Dash.” Twilight’s words were quick and decisive. “Princess, I coerced her into doing it. I… I just thought that everypony should get a turn, and Dash had yet to-”

“Not even close to the truth. Princess, I wanted to use the portal.”

“Stop attempting to take my blame Rainbow.”

“Stop trying to protect me Twilight!”

“Enough!” Luna’s voice hinged only a breath’s length away from a shout, a force all ponies knew well could push them from the ground with ease. Both Dash and Twilight were silenced by their ruler, looking up to her with fearful eyes. “Neither Loyalty nor Magic sought to asketh of us for our permission in using the object of Discord’s creation. Thou exchanged no words with either us or our elder sister. No warnings were given for no action was seen!”

Celestia raised a wing to stop Applejack from raising her voice. Twilight was her student, but this was Twilight’s action. Before anything else, the ruler had taught her student one important rule. Always take responsibility for your own actions.

“After what occurred with Generosity’s choice of thoughts, did neither of you think of thine actions before commitment?” Her hoof shimmered in the light of the waning sun, gesturing to the figure still covered in a mist of white. “What are thou’s plans for action should the soul be tortured as the last, Magic?” Luna’s words fell to Twilight, who could only shudder as she curled closer to the ground. “Or you Loyalty, what words do you know to speak to calm a pained soul?” Rainbow opted to use her previously spastic wing, draping it over the lavender unicorn at her side.

“Do neither of you see the force of thine actions if-”

“Please don’t be harsh on them.” Luna whirled to see the bearer of the voice, a voice she did not expect to hear.

It was Teresa, standing at her tallest with the timid Fluttershy at her legs.

The warrior’s face was sunken in, the tears and muffled sobs of earlier still as present on her features as the blonde hair that ran down her mane. Silver eyes locked gazes with Luna’s own orbs, the apathy of the former unfazed by the rage of the later. The blonde woman took a breath before she began to speak again.

“Fluttershy has told me what has happened.” She reached down to stroke the pink mane of the canary pegasus. “She has spoken of this monster than invades your lands, and of debate that followed for using such a tool. Before you say it again, she did explain how it works, though I’m sure a few details were neglected.” The pegasus hid herself behind her mane, but did not shy away from the gentle fingers that scratched at her scalp.

Warriors and Elements alike watched the woman with uneasy gazes, unsure how stable the woman who had so swiftly raised her blade against them was. Her form was tall, stiff, but showed no sign of reaching for any kind of weapon. The blonde only continued to watch the Princess of the Night with a gaze that resembled the dead more than the living.

“Then,” Luna began cautiously to the woman, “Are you… accepting your being here?” The woman took a deep breath before replying; face moving only to allow the air to slip past her lips.

“I have only accepted the need you have for warriors to aid you, and that my death was by no force of your will.” It was too cryptic an answer for any member of Celestia’s party. “Simply, no, I have not accepted being here because I have never imagined a place beyond death, let alone other realms that held life. Take no insult to my words, but I am not as accepting to sudden change as the rest of you appear to be.”

“May I ask why not?” Celestia spoke in her sister’s steed, walking around the blonde woman to gain her vision, to prevent any sign of cornering her. If she was beginning to accept her state her, then any form of threatening motion had to be avoided.

“There is no magic in the world I am from. No gods or kings, only monsters that hunt and warriors that hunt the monsters.” She looked towards both Luna and Celestia, hollow gaze alternating between the two. “I was one of the warriors who hunted the monsters, but I chose to leave.”

“Why?”

“So I could take care of Clare.”

The word was the only thing that brought emotion to the dead voice of the blonde warrior. Wisely, neither princess spoke more of the subject. Teresa’s eyes left the rulers, looking instead to her side. Her vision fell onto two figures, garbed in green and white.

“Link, Jack,” she spoke to both warriors, wearing a face that was as hidden as the pegasus still trotting meekly behind her legs. “I am sorry for assaulting you.” She drew in a shaking breath before continuing. “I still am becoming accustomed to the knowledge… and memory… of my death.”

Jack smiled in return, bowing low at his hips before her.

“It is of no fault of your own.” He spoke in a kind deep voice, fearless and comfortable before the warrior who had so recently nearly defeated him. “It is an alien feeling to experience, but I hope you accept it in time.” As he rose, Link walked closer to the white garbed woman, face as unreadable as her own.

His cerulean blue eyes peered into her empty silver gaze. The room was still as they stood before one another, neither moving a muscle nor shifting to speak. They simply stared at one another, speaking on a plain none could understand.

Slowly, Link lifted his hand to the warrior, face unchanged. Her gaze dropped to examine the object, briefly looking it over before looking back to the Hylian’s eyes. They had changed, though only slightly.

No longer did they bore into her own, but now calmly allowed to accept his offering of peace. Raising her opposite hand, she grasped his leathered gauntlet. Link’s face lit up in a smile. Slowly, almost unsure of herself, Teresa did the same.

Slowly, the other warriors and ponies began to surround her

“F-Fluttershy?” The canary pegasus turned from the tall blonde woman to her alabaster friend, trotting forward with a pace even she would call slow and timid.

“Rarity, are you alright?” The answer was obvious, but the question was no less needed.

“No… No, not really darling.” Her curled mane swayed with her hair, rocking back and forth. “It is hard for me to think that I brought… her into Equestria, me. The Element of Generosity, and it sounds as if I tore a mother from her child.” Liquid slowly started to pour down the unicorn’s cheeks.

“Oh no no no no no,” Fluttershy quickly set to work wiping the tears from her friends face. Rarity did little to fight back. “Rarity, it’s not your fault, she’s just a little scared is all. It’s not that uncommon.”

“Really?” The alabaster pony’s voice already doused itself with sarcasm. “It just happens everyday, ponies pulling families apart and having to watch the mothers sob themselves catatonic. Oh yes, I must have just forgotten to read the headlines.”

“You know that’s not what I meant…”

“Darling I know… I know, it’s just,” she let out a bitter laugh. “Did you know I thought of Sweetie Bell when I reached into that thing?” Her hoof made a sharp motion towards the Portal before continuing. “I just tried to remember how much I love her, that every time I get her to laugh or smile is something good that’s happened to me. I held that close to my heart, and what happened? I tore another family apart like… like… like dragon teeth through fine silk.”

“Rarity…”

“I’m sorry.” The unicorn let out quickly. “I’m venting, and I-I’m quite well aware, but…” Her eyes looked again to the blonde woman, shaking hands and bowing low to warrior and pony alike, an empty smile on her face. “How can I not feel guilty over that?”

“I’m glad you feel guilty.” The comment made the mare’s head spins.

“Fluttershy! How could-”

“It means you want to help her, you want to make her feel better.” Fluttershy smiled politely and timidly to her friend. That sounds generous to me.”

The unicorn’s lower lip twitched up and down. Those words… they were so wise, so… deep. She found a smile pushing itself upon her face. Wasn’t that supposed to be Pinkie’s job?

“Th-Thank you.” She spoke earnestly to her friend. “Thank you so much. I’ll do it. I’ll do just that. I’ll… I’ll make her a gown that will have the princesses drop their jaws in awe!” Fluttershy giggled at the comment.

“I can’t wait.”

“Whoa, talk about a spin.”

All conversations in the room died.

The group collective focused their vision on a figure no longer covered in white.

Celestia stood above him, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle at her sides. The pegasus offered her friends a wink of the eye before focusing her vision back on the moving creature.

“Sister…” Luna began, looking towards her alabaster elder. “You… revealed it? Woke it?

“I apologize sister,” Celestia spoke as she turned to her younger sibling. She had a sly smile across her features. “But they did ask me first.” Any arguments Luna had died on her lips as her eyes saw motion beyond her sister’s form.

The spiked creature spoke as he rose to his feet, large red shoes upon them. A white-gloved hand was pushed against his face, hiding the already studied features from view. His other arm was held outwards, either searching for a means to stabilize himself, or simply to help his balance. Silence reigned around him. When his feet were secure on the floor, he let his hand slide away, revealing to the occupants of the hall the emerald green eyes he possessed.

They quickly widened in shock.

“Whoa!” He shouted with more force than the first time he spoke the word, pedaling backwards on his feet. Celestia was unfazed before him. It was far from the first time today she received such a reaction. It was unlikely it would be the last.

“Please, calm yourself.” She spoke with as light a voice as she could muster, eyes as gentle as they would allow themselves to be. “We are no threat to you here.” His reaction did surprise her.

He calmed down, visibly.

His just rapid breathing slowed to a normal pace, lighter than that of one in shock, and with eyes that looked little different than those of the ponies around her. He bent forwards for a moment, quills nearly touching the stone beneath him, before he rose to his fullest. The cheekiest grin she had ever laid eyes on was settled evenly on his lips.

“Sorry about that.” He spoke to her like she was an old friend. “Just shocked me is all. Haven’t seen you around before. Then again,” he spoke as his eyes scanned the room, grin shrinking as his eyes grew. “I haven’t seen… well… anyone here before. Something happen to me?” Silence reigned after his question.

He was too calm. Way too calm.

“Oh sorry,” he spoke quickly, as if he had offended them in some way. “I got a bit ahead of myself, didn’t I?” Curled one of his hands into a fist, letting the thumb stick out like a nail. He pushed it against his chest as his head rose as if to look at the ceiling, but his green eyes remained fixed on Celestia’s dilated pupils.

“Sonic’s the name, speed’s my game!” Silence met his declaration, until a single voice rose in protest.

“Oh yeah?!” It was of only mild shock to see Dash race in front of the hedgehog, who appeared only slightly perturbed by the pegasus’ appearance.

“Sorry to rain on your parade buddy, but speed is my game. I can fly fast enough to break the sound barrier and I doubt you can even reach half that speed. What’s wrong? Do you think you ca-”

Dash found herself muted as a purple aura surrounded her, pulling her back to the side of the princess, or more specifically, the mare by the alicorn’s side.

“Dash!” The unicorn cajoled, glaring at the rainbow maned mare with as much anger as she could summon towards her friend. “Challenging him like that is no way to introduce yourself. Princess Luna was upset enough after we, yes we, used the portal so quickly. Do you want to upset her again?”

The proud and confident features on Sonic’s face turned to confusion before embarrassment, eyes looking curiously around at the many different faces eyeing him.

“Hey, did I say something wrong?”

“No.” Celestia spoke with forced volume, fearful that her shock would render her voice mute. “It is just…” She watched her faithful student talking down the Element of Loyalty, said pegasus looking back with a protesting glare. Her wing extended over her eyes, hiding as she adjusted the mask back into place.

She couldn’t show weakness, not to her little ponies and certainly not to this foreign form. Carefully, her wing retracted back to her side. “We have simply not had such acceptance on the part of the others we have drawn from the portal.”

“Portal?” His hand raised itself to scratch the back of his head, scratching between his quills. One eye was half shut while the other was wide, questioning the word.

She sighed. Of course he didn’t know. How could he have known? With a motion of her hoof, Sonic looked towards the method for his entrance.

“That is the portal, or as we now call it, the Portal of Souls.” She trotted closer to the blue figure, mind thinking of every logical path he could venture down in his curiosity. “It was crafted by a being we call our enemy.” She paused, knowing the next question that would come.

“So you like, what, stole this? Seems kind of a hard thing to lift off the ground.” A bit crass, but he spoke honestly.

“This is my home, Canterlot Castle. He invaded my home and used this device to pull forth a being that threatened the lives of my subjects.” Again she waited. Again, she was right.

“Hey, whoa, wait, you mean that you’re, what, at war or something?” His green eyes looked to her with minor confusion, hand moving from his quills to his chin, scratching them all the same.

“Yes,” Even after admitting such a fact so many times, the dread within her had yet to subside. “His name is a Discord, a master of Chaos and Disharmony. He threatens to tear apart my kingdom and send all of my subjects into a realm of disbelief and horror that I cannot allow.” She turned her head, looking towards a warrior her sister had drawn from the portal, Sonic followed her gaze.

“That is Link.” Said warrior gave a small bow of acknowledgement. “He is a warrior my sister, Princess Luna, drew forth from the Portal of Souls.” The alicorn gave a respectful bow towards the newest addition to the group of foreign creatures at the mention of the name. The hedgehog smiled to each of them as he waved and bowed, offering a raised fist and extended thumb to each.

“They both seem pretty cool.” He spoke while looking towards the younger ruler, but his gaze quickly met Celestia’s again. “But I didn’t catch your name.”

“My apologies,” she spoke with a small practiced smile. “I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria’s Day.” His eyes widened a bit before the smile brought his lids down.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were a princess.” His hand rubbed the back of his head, weaving between his sharp quills with practices ease. “Most of the royalty I know is more relaxed than you.” Celestia couldn’t suppress either the sigh or smile that overtook her. Incredibly rude, but brutally honest.

“I have been told that very same thing by only a very few number of ponies.” She smiled down at the smaller figure, he scratching the end of his nose with a grin she found absolutely cheeky. “But now I must ask, why are you so calm with this? Are you not worried of waking in a strange land, with strange ponies?”

“Well, a little shocked, yeah,” he admitted stepping back, taking a little spin around with his arms held outwards. “But this is hardly my first time going through this. I’ve woken up in the desert, stranded on an island, in an alternate dimension, and I’m guessing I’m in the later on this one.”

“Close, but not quite.” Eyes turned to the white garbed form of the samurai, stepping forward before offering a low bow of greeting. Sonic recuperated with a nod of his own. “I have been through experiences similar to your own, Mr. Hedgehog.” Said hedgehog’s eyes raised at the title given to him. “But this is not an alternate realm, but merely another.”

“I don’t follow.” It was a fast answer, which meant it was one he was sure of. Jack continued without a sigh or sign of annoyance.

“There are events occurring in this realm tied to our own. From the words of the princesses, an evil has worked its way to move this land into the path of the afterlife.” That got a reaction from Sonic.

“Whoa, wait, one more time.” He held up a single digit.

“There are events-”

“Not what I meant.” Sonic didn’t let the confusion even begin. “I mean that I don’t understand the ‘moving the realm’ part. How powerful is this dude?” Shudders from the alicorns was his answer before words were given.

“He is the master of magic that no being in my land can dare approach. Any object or action you can dream, he has the power to fulfill.” Luna spoke in a tone filled with cold dread, eyes showing no emotion otherwise. “He has robbed my night, attacked our subjects, and has threatened to rip our land apart. War is what we mentioned we were at before, and neither my sister nor I were jesting with the word. But this goes beyond merely our world.”

“If Discord wins,” Celestia finished for her sister. “It is highly likely that all life, of all worlds, of all realms, will slowly begin to fall.”

“Whoa.” The hedgehog fell to his back, hands spread wide on the ground as his eyes looked blankly upward, the information moving like molasses through his mind. It was the simplest summary of emotions Celestia had ever heard or seen.

“That’s why we started using the Portal of Souls.” Sonic’s head twisted sideways towards the new voice, a lavender mare he heard speak only briefly before. She took notice of his confusion quickly and easily. “Sorry, my name is Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia.” She beamed at the title. “When Discord said he was going to start bringing in warriors and things from other realms, we knew that whatever we had in Equestria wouldn’t be enough.”

“So you decided to get help the same way he is.” Sonic finished for her. “Good call.”

“It appears that Rainbow Dash has drawn a suitable soul from the portal.” Celestia spoke with a kind voice to her younger sibling. Said alicorn gave a low sigh as she shut her eyes.

“But that does not mean that my words from before possess any less weight.” Now it was the elder’s turn to sigh.

“I admit,” she began “It was a risk on Rainbow Dash’s part.”

“Then you do agree it would be best to not use the device again?” Celestia did not speak, instead, staring at the Portal of Souls.

“Perhaps…”

“Then let us see if we can shut it.” Luna spoke with a tone of finality. She continued before her sister could speak again in protest. “At the very least, we may be able to hide it from sight.” Celestia nodded towards her sister, trotting towards the portal in tandem with her sibling. They were both stopped by a voice new to their realm.

“Whoa wait, hold on.” The blue hedgehog spoke as he appeared by the princesses’ side. Celestia flared her wings quickly in shock, but flexed them back to her sides. “You’re not going to use that thing again?” His white gloved hand aimed towards the Portal, swirling still with its soundless color.

“Correct.” Luna answered honestly, raising her height to her fullest, towering over the smaller creature. “Do you hold an argument to our decision?”

“Yeah, I kind of do.” The sisters blinked. He was a bold soul if nothing else. A bit rude and forward, but definitely bold.

“Please, what is your reasoning against our decision?” Celestia spoke in her sister’s place, holding an aura far calmer than one of her younger sister’s. “You are the last soul we have drawn forth from the portal, and the one who has not seen the power it holds.”

“No, I haven’t, but I have heard plenty about this Discord guy now.” Sonic countered, motioning a thumb over his shoulder. Celestia let her gaze briefly follow his motion, her eyes settling on that of both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. “From what I hear, this dude means more than just business, and he’s not exactly too big on letting the playing field stay fair.”

“As true as that is,” Celestia began to counter. “I cannot risk pulling forth more souls that will disrupt the balance of my kingdom. Counting yourself, we now have eight beings that have never existed in Equestria before, nine souls who were never meant to see my land, if I include the dragon.” Her face looked towards the group of warriors, spread out among the Elements. “At what number do we risk a turning in power? What is enough and what is too much?”

“That is why we are now finished.” Luna concluded, lightly stomping a hoof to the ground. “We are now eight warriors stronger, eight beings that Discord has not prepared for. Why would we risk pulling forth a warrior that wishes for destruction now?”

“Because that won’t happen.” His smile reflected all the confidence in his voice. It did more than simply confused the Princesses of Night and Day. It baffled them.

“You…” Celestia began, almost unnerved by the confident posture of the blue being a quarter of her size. “How can you be so certain of such a thing? It goes beyond magic’s ability to predict; yet you claim it as if a fact read from an ancient book. How?” To Luna and Celestia’s chagrin, the hedgehog shrugged.

“I’ve been across dimensions,” he explained in a casual tone. “I’ve seen places I thought impossible, like this one, and I’ve met rulers and leaders that guarded kingdoms with their lives, like yours.” Sonic had spoken of this before, as both alicorns were aware. “But, you guys are by far the most peaceful race, in the most peaceful place, I have ever seen.” Celestia could not hide her smile from the praise.

“What is it you mean to say?” Luna questioned in place of her grinning sister.

“Well, I can say that as long as pe- sorry, ponies that you trust keep using that thing.” He motioned with a jab of his thumb. “I have a rather hard time seeing you pulling out Iblis.” The title flew over the heads of both eternal rulers, but the tone of the name was clear.

“I have to agree with… Sonic.” The gray wizard spoke on approach to the royal group and hedgehog. A smile was visible, just visible beneath his beard. “In times of war, risks are necessary.”

“We have risked enough.” Luna shot back quickly to the wizard. “We risked much pulling forth as many warriors as we have. The chances of pulling out a warrior that will not aid us, but find comfort in Discord’s ploy, will only increase with every soul summoned. Would it not be best to end it now? It saves us the risk.” Her cerulean eyes looked to the sole woman of the room, a mournful smile upon her lips. “It can save others the harm.”

“That is a risk in itself.” Gandalf’s tone was filled with strength. He pulled himself to his tallest against his gnarled wood staff. Luna’s eyes widened for only a moment, before sharpening themselves into slits.

“What does thou mean?”

“You do not wish to risk the lives of your subjects with… reckless abandon. Neither of you do.” The alicorn sisters exchanged small glances to one another before nodding towards Gandalf. “But would it not be risking those who depend on you by not accepting the help of allies?” Luna’s gaze hardened on the wizard, but he continued. “We have numbers now, yes, and I have yet to meet this creature of evil and deceit. However, if what you claim is taken in truth, then how can you ensure the numbers we have now will be enough to prevent his wrath?”

Neither sister could give an answer.

“The gray man’s right.” Sonic spoke with a jab of his thumb. Gandalf’s brows raised in curiosity towards the title he was given. “We’re not trying to say you’re flat out wrong, but really, there’s no such thing as having too many friends at your sides.”

His words hit the sweet spot.

Celestia looked moving her gaze from the two, looking towards her faithful student. Twilight was standing next to Rainbow, horn aglow as she moved through the wings of the pegasus, relaxing the microfibrils and rejuvenating the collage of the Element’s muscles. A few years prior, she would never have though her student so willing and outgoing for another pony in her life. Secluded to a library, studying for enjoyment, keeping safe a doll she had since foalhood as a friend dear to her.

Now she experienced more joy than books ever offered her, depended on her friends more so than she did the teacher who guided her for so long in her life. Celestia had never been prouder.

“Perhaps they are right.” Smiles of agreement adorned the faces of the blue hedgehog and gray wizard. She turned her pink eyes to Luna. “Sister, what do you think?”

“I am still… unsure.” The dark alicorn answered truthfully, “They… are correct, but I still fear.” She turned her gaze to her sister. Celestia did all she could to not wrap a wing around her kin, not in the presence of foreign gazes.

“Go sister.” The suddenness of the command shocked the alabaster alicorn more than the words.

“Luna?” The Princess of the Night motioned with her hoof.

“I have drawn from the portal once already. It must be your turn now.” The pink eyes of the elder alicorn looked from the swirling mixture of white to the dark eyes of her younger kin. One looked inviting, the other accepting.

“Alright,” she spoke easily, little motivation needed to try something she had not experienced in her thousand years of rule. “But, you are going next.” She needed even less motivation to gain joy out of her sister’s surprise.

“S-Sister?” The alabaster alicorn hide her smile with a turn of her head, facing no longer the warriors of blue and gray, but the portal of white instead.

“We are taking far too long with this. Discord will return, and I fear he will return soon.” She replaced the smile with the mask of the princess. Stern, absolute, powerful, and above all else, intimidating. She turned to Luna, wearing the practiced mask. “When I begin to draw forth with a soul from the portal, I would ask you to descend after me. Can you do this?”

Luna looked to her elder with a bashful look Celestia knew she offered no other pony. The playing of hooves, averting of eyes, they were the actions one gave another of greater power or authority. Their power was shared, their authority the same, but Celestia was the eldest and Luna never forgot it.

“I will, sister.” Celestia removed the mask to give her sister a bright smile.

“Thank you Luna.”

She felt, more than noticed, the calm that had descended upon the crowd in her hall. The conversations hushed, movement slowed, and doubtlessly, eyes now trailing her form. It was nothing she was not used to, experiencing it multiple times in the course of a day, millions in her eternal life time.

‘We already have so many warriors.’ Celestia noted within her mind, eyes scanning the crowd of foreign creatures that now occupied her ruined hall. ‘Do we truly need another warrior? Do we need another soul capable of destruction?’

Her rule over the lands of Equestria had taught the old alicorn the importance of being frugal. If any life, young or old, dwelled too long or took too much of an item, they would by consequence rob another from possessing or enjoying whatever it was they hoarded. It reflected on the policies of the economy, on the boundaries of their land, on the magical powers her unicorns bore, and nearly everything else her court decided upon. Now, such a lesson was being taught with not items, but lives.

‘How do I decide what is enough? How few are too little to challenge Discord? How many are too much to keep the balance of power within my land? I cannot allow my ponies to be threatened.’ She bit her lower lip in thought, a habit she had not done since a foal in the shadows of a growing kingdom.

They had a knight of great devotion, a samurai of speed and strength, a woman driven by love, a wizard devoted to balance, a giant kinder than a most would expect, and a boy who had tamed one of the fiercest of creatures. Warriors they had plenty. But as Celestia listed the new lives that occupied her land, she noted a detail, a title, that none could truly possess.

‘We do not need another warrior. We need a leader.’ The idea chimed in her mind like a well-timed bell. ‘We do not require strength in steel or magic, we need traits suited for wisdom and knowledge, a life with the strength and determination to lead others through respect and loyalty.’ She felt a small wave of joy wash through her. It wasn’t often she felt such an emotion.

Self-satisfaction.

So many of her daily tasks devoted to the care of others, the safety of her subjects, the prosperity of her ponies. Not since Twilight left for her tutelage in friendship did Celestia feel such an emotion. A bit selfish as it was, it gave her a kind of happiness that was impossible to avoid.

With a breath to calm her nerves, closing her eyes to concentrate, Celestia let her head dive into the Portal of Souls.

Begin

Ace is dead.

It was the mantra filling his head for what felt like years now. A constant unending string that filled his senses. He saw Ace’s face, he heard Ace’s laugh, and he felt Ace’s hugs. All he could think of was his brother, the one true member of his family he had left. And he’s gone.

Ace is dead.

Even if the impossible had been accomplished, even if he possessed the strength to overthrow the World Government, it didn’t seem to matter. It didn’t matter without the promise of seeing his brother again. But that was impossible, a dream he dreamed while awake in tears.

Ace is dead.

“But I’m not.”

That was the mantra he spoke now.

On his knees, exhausted beyond belief and thrown into a training regiment he hadn’t had since his childhood, he let the words overpower his feelings, let the meaning override his doubts. His brother is dead, his life gone, but that wasn’t the end of the world.

Portgas D. Ace is dead.

Monkey D. Luffy is alive.

“Tired, huh?” The aging voice asked with sarcasm that could drown a fish. From his hands and knees, Luffy looked up to see the grinning face of his mentor, the former right hand to the now deceased Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh.

The hair on his head and chin were silver, grayed from a long life and countless battles. Rimless glasses held themselves over his eyes. Eyes unmarred aside from a single scar running over the edge of one. His skin was tan from the countless hours spent in the sun, body wet with sweat. Through it all, he still held a proud, but slightly cockish, smile.

“Not… done yet.” Luffy spoke with his powerful determination, refusing to stop until his mind left him. “I can do this all day, and you know that.” His mentor gave a small laugh towards the words.

“I doubt that, you’re barely able to stand on those rubber legs, kid.” The tip of his scimitar pointed towards the quivering limbs of the young captain. Luffy spoke nothing in return, not at first. He held one of his hands against his legs, steadying himself as he rose from the ground. The other grasped the straw hat on his head, holding it in place as he raised himself to his tallest, standing in unneeded defiance of his mentor’s words. Silver, nonetheless, smiled at the act.

“I’m not done, until… until I’m strong enough. Strong enough… to protect all… all of my friends!”

The white haired teacher stood back for only a moment, watching the child less than a third of his own age, proclaiming to do so much with so little. It was endearing in its own way.

“You really don’t quit easily. Here I thought White Beard was just blowin’ his stache’ again.” He chuckled to himself at the joke. Luffy did not join in. “But sorry kid, you aren’t gonna learn anything about Haki while you’re on your last leg. C’mon.” He motioned backwards with his head, already sheathing his sword. “Let’s get some grub before you pass out again. God knows I ain’t gonna carry you back to camp for the third night in a row.”

Behind

Silver bent low and motioned his head to his right, deftly dodging an elongated arm. The appendage appeared to grow with the strike, moving forward an impossible distance, stretching as if it were made of rubber.

Then again, that was exactly what it was made out of.

“Tough luck kid.” Silver’s voice didn’t carry an air of difference from his tone before, differing not even in pitch. “You’re getting better though, didn’t even notice that one was coming until the last minute.” The former general turned on the ground, looking at the form of his student, arm out stretched to nearly its fullest in the futile attempt to hit him. Luffy’s breathing had yet to subside.

“Did I ever tell you how Gol and I fought like this?” Luffy didn’t reply to the question, breathing to hard and focusing too much. “We’d go for hours a day on the deck, of course not all out. Couldn’t risk sinking our own ships. Once we hit dry land though, the crew would have to clear out entire sections of the island just for us to be sure we weren’t gonna hurt anyone. Of course though, Roger always won, being the captain and all.” The old man turned on the ground, pushing off of it as he rose to his fullest height.

“Wanna know the big difference between you two?” Silver asked as he approached the still recovering Luffy, too exhausted from work and strain to even retract his elongated arm to his body. “That man knew when enough was enough.” That earned a cold stare from the straw hat captain.

“There’s no such thing… as too far… for my crew!” He pulled his arm back with his declaration, forcing the limb to quickly retract back into its original shape, no longer distorted and elongated. His mentor didn’t bat an eye. He did, however smile even brighter.

“Aye, you two share that as well.” The determination on Luffy’s face slowly cooled into curiosity. “I don’t want you ta give up on anyone kid.” Silver explained with outstretched hands, cool and aloof despite the training his student wished to continue. “I just want you to calm down and rest for a day. We can do all this tomorrow, and the next, and I bet even the day after that. But if you don’t stop, we’re gonna have to put you behind schedule. And it’s like you said, you want to finish in two years time.”

Silver was right, Luffy realized.

His muscles ached in ways that begged him for rest, cramping in pain and twisting in agony. Sweat poured from his rubber skin, drenching the red vest and thick jeans on his waist. Even his breath was labored in leaving his body. Taking it in was a task by itself.

“Okay.” He relented, promptly falling onto his face.

“Oh come on now.” Silver sighed as he watched his student hit the ground. “The whole point of stopping was so I wouldn’t have to carry you again. C’mon, get up.” He cajoled as he lightly kicked Luffy’s side. Not even a grunt of pain was uttered from the downed captain.

“God, you are just as hopeless as Gol was.” Though the words meant to criticize, the old mentor found himself smiling at the barely conscious boy at his feet. Without a word of protest from either party, Silver reached down to Luffy, picking up the captain, and placing him over his shoulder.

Turning towards the woods, he walked away.

The trip was taken in a state of haze, details impossible to grasp and only the broadest of actions remembered in mind. Silver had made it back to their small camp by dealing with only a small number of the local wildlife, specifically a wolf, bear, and a few dozen lions. Nothing either of them couldn’t handle.

Now Luffy was laying on his straw cot, staring past the thin canopy of trees above him, watching the stars that were out of reach for even his elastic arms. He hated to think, but he never was tired of dreaming. And when he looked into the stars of the night, dreams filled his mind faster than water overtook a sinking ship.

“How are you doing?” Silver asked him across the campsite, sitting comfortably against a thick tree. His blade was in hand, free from its sheath. A stone worked its way across the outer edges, sharpening the heavy steel to a fine point. “You haven’t said a word, haven’t even asked for some meat.” It wasn’t an offer, just an observation.

“Tired,” Luffy muttered with a grunt. “And weak.” The scrapping of stone against steel stopped.

“You are learning plenty fast.” Silver observed. “Only a half a year to go, yet you understand more about accessing Haki than I ever seen in an individual. However,” He put his blade aside, staring at Luffy with eyes that held the same rare fires of importance.

“There is another way we can do this.”

Luffy turned his head towards his mentor, head still resting comfortably on his cot. Silver, however, had his eyes trained on the stars far above.

“It’s risky, dangerous, but I guarantee that if someone is strong enough, they can pull through it with more strength than they could have ever imagined before. Strength of mind, of body, but requiring a tremendous strength of will.”

The old man’s eyes fell onto the straw hat captain, wearing a gaze that was almost uncharacteristically serious. It didn’t unnerve Luffy, but it made him pay attention. Silver let his eyes work their way over his student, taking careful detail of every bruise, every scar, every mark across his body. With a deep sigh, he finished his thought.

“If I force your spirit to leave its body, you can become more adept at sensing, and manipulating, the forces of life around you.” The eyes of the straw-hat captain bulged.

“Haki…” He spoke almost absently, mind processing what his mentor had said.

“That’s what Haki is.” The old man explained, eyes drifting back to the stars above. Even as he spoke, he found himself tracing the familiar constellations, the shapes he enjoyed drawing from the bow of a good ship. “There only ever was a few individuals who can manipulate Haki the way I can… the way you can. Sensing life, striking at souls, and instilling fear in the very depths of one’s being. Those are the three principal forms of Haki. The cages of our bodies in essence, limit us. Spirits are trapped within our flesh and blood, only able to sense so little.” Silver’s gaze fell from the sky, falling again on the young captain before him.

“If you were to leave the prison that is your flesh, let your soul mingle with the world in a way only the dead can, then you will learn by instinct alone how to manipulate the forces of Haki, at a rate few could ever honestly predict.”

“You want to kill me.” Luffy didn’t trip over a single word. Neither did Silver.

“Correct.”

For just a moment, the straw hat captain let his eyes drift away from the silver haired man. He didn’t think. It hurt him to think, but he could dream, he could imagine. Imagine the faces and expressions on each and every one of his friends. All of them strong, each of them loyal, but even so, none of them strong enough to protect everyone.

That was his job.

Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, future King of the Pirates. He had to have the strength to best any foe, conquer any enemy, defeat everything and anyone that threatened his crew, his friends, and his family. If he didn’t have the strength to defend them, to help them, he didn’t deserve the honor to be a captain or leader to them.

He needed to get stronger, he needed to fast.

If this was the only path that allowed that, he would take it.

“I’m ready.”

Silver never gave Luffy a chance to take back his words.

End

Luna watched her sister with rapt attention. There was honestly very little to see, her head and mane vanishing into the mist of color nearly identical to the elder alicorn’s coat. But she cared little for what she saw with her eyes, and observed more what she saw with her mind.

The stillness of her sister’s body was from more than focus. The muscles in her body had frozen in place. Even deeper than that, the blood in her veins and sensations in her neurons were completely still. It wasn’t much different than a frog in winter, its blood crystallizing in hibernation.

The Princess of the Night knew from experience alone that the sensation was one unfelt. Her sister, like herself before, was traveling through a dream she wouldn’t remember, a state of mind the guardian of the night knew better than any other.

But this was one dream she would intrude upon.

Instead, the dark alicorn used her time to think of the decision that would soon come her way. Her cerulean eyes drew themselves to the figure her jaws had drawn from the portal of white, the second alien figure to appear within the realm she and her sister shared. He was speaking, or more accurately listening, to the curious inquiries of Gandalf the Gray.

It was by luck’s wings alone that she was able to pull Link from the portal, but she was sure the grace of fate’s winds would not blow beneath her again. She needed to be sure of herself, like her sister, like the Elements before them both.

‘But what gives me peace?’ The reflective question was oddly difficult to answer. One would assume finding peace would be a thing anypony would know how to do, per their preferences. ‘A wonder I have not given such a thing more thought in times past. My night would give me such a fleeting feeling, but the remembrance of its current state… no, not peace at all.’

She breathed a heavy sigh as the memory of her empty sky perpetrated her mind. Her eyes screwed shut at the reminder that it would be seen every moon rise until Discord’s defeat.

‘Then not my night.’ She spoke resolutely in the corridors of her thoughts. ‘Not the stars, not the dark, most certainly not the moon.’ Luna’s head shook left and right as the obvious answers slowly dropped into the implausible. No craft of her night sky brought her peace, no memory of her past brought her hope.

‘Then what?’ The question was answered only with continued silence. ‘If not peace, then what brings me joy? I hold not yet the love of subjects, adoration of others, or deeds in the present to distinguish me.’ She felt the ice of regret begin to form around her heart. She clenched her chest in hopes of breaking it.

That was no longer her. The ice of loneliness was no longer her captor. She did have friends, a family, and duties to fulfill. She was no longer hated, no longer whispered off with trembling voice and tearful eyes. There was no adoration, but there was respect.

For the sins of the past, she had earned her redemption.

Luna smiled.

‘So that is it.’ She admitted with a growing smile. ‘I feel joy from such a memory. I feel peace moving towards such a goal.’ She trotted next to her sister, standing before the portal with her sister’s frozen form beside her.

‘A warrior seeking redemption. Such a soul would be perfect.’

When Luna saw her sister’s head begin to rise from the portal, she followed the elder’s instructions to a tee.

With an unneeded breath, but a resolute mind, the Princess of the Night dove into the Portal of Souls.

He loved the waves.

They reminded him of so much, from memories of the past to ideas of the future. The paths he thought he knew as a child changed like the waves of the sea, the same waves he watched from his home day in and sunset. The waves, the ocean, carried dreams upon its foam.

Even though he was far from home, even with his future unsure, the waves he watched were still as peaceful as ever.

“What are you thinking about?”

His vision turned to see his friend looking at him, blue eyes filled with a kind of happiness that seemed foreign in the dark landscape they were trapped in. His eyes wandered from his friend, looking past him to the monoliths of dark arcs. They stood above the land, stretching over the sky and sea. Malformed, alien, twisted, maybe even a little creepy. He couldn’t call them evil though. The darkness wasn’t evil.

“Just home.”

He answered his friend simply, letting his eyes return to the boy only a year his junior. Sora looked back at him with a bright smile. His spiky brown hair waved with his head, no doubt holding back another odd chuckle. Living in the presence of optimists for a few years really wore off on him. No, that wasn’t it. His friend was always like this. If anything, he wore off on them.

“Yeah, I miss home too.” His friend’s eyes looked out to the sea, still smiling. “But hey, at least every one else made it back.” Now he was smiling brighter too.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They were silent again, each looking out to the ocean. The soft cascading water across the dark sands beneath them filled their ears. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine a palm tree just behind him, a blue sky stretching over an endless sea, maybe even another friend calling their name from somewhere down the beach. He sighed contently.

“Do you ever wish it didn’t happen?” The question surprised himself. Why did he need to ask that?

“If what didn’t happen?” His friend asked in return. He looked over to see those same eyes looking at him with nothing but idle curiosity. No, he was wrong again. There was definitely some happiness still in those eyes. Even the world of darkness couldn’t swallow that light.

“Everything.”

“Like time never happened?” His friend followed the serious question with a bout of laughter, leaning back on his hands. He could only sigh with patience at the action.

“Sora.”

“Ha ha. Sorry, something Goofy said once. I still can’t forget it.” His friend looked back to him, a smile brighter than before across his features. Odd, he never got tired of seeing his friend smile like that. “But no, I’m glad it all happened.”

“How come? You know we’re probably going to be here for a while. Stuck in a world of darkness.” He waved his hand around as he said that, motioning towards the dark water in front of them, the shadow arch ways around them, the black sand beneath them, and the night sky above them. There wasn’t any life for them to enjoy.

“Yeah, but we still have a bit of light to share between us.” Scratch that, just enough light for them to enjoy. Now he found himself laughing a little in return.

“You and your light.” He rubbed his hand across his forehead, just imagining his friend without that fire inside of him.

“You and your darkness.” Yes, him and his darkness.

The cold shadows that had tempted him since a young age, the darkness that he listened to eagerly. The empty promises, honeyed words, and false hopes that it had given him. He had followed them all for years, and it was only with his friend beside him that he realized the error of his ways. It was never the task of darkness to rule or lead. It followed the light. Where the light went, it would go.

“Touche.” He spoke again, pushing a finger against his friend’s shoulder. His friend laughed like he was tickling him.

The waves continued on.

He let his vision be consumed by the only object in this world of shadows capable of movement. They lulled him like the oceans of his home, like the islands he hadn’t seen for years. It would be a hard task to see them again. But if they ever did, it didn’t matter right now. Now, all that mattered was nurturing that small amount of light he had, the fire his friend had given him to pull him from his despair.

He felt something hit his feet.

Curious, he looked down, nearly gasping at the sight.

A message in a bottle.

He picked it up, pulling the cork on the glass off as he shook the message free. It fell into his hands with a small crinkle. It wasn’t aged. It couldn’t have been older than a few months. It was written on with dark ink, bleeding through the other side of the paper, but only slightly. He unrolled the message and let his eyes scan over the text quickly.

He was smiling.

“Hey,” he spoke towards his friend. Sora looked over at him, a small smile on his face before looking down at the object he was holding. It was something he didn’t have before. He pushed it towards his friend, for once, with a smile larger than that of Sora’s.

“It’s for you.” The spiky haired teen took the paper from his hand, holding it in front of him as he began to read the text aloud.

Begin

“Thinking of you wherever you are.” He let his head fall back on the sand.

“We pray for our sorrow to end.” He let his eyes shut in peace.

“And, hope that our hearts will blend.” He opened his ears to the sound of his friend speaking.

“Now I will step forward to realize this wish.” It sounded like something she would say.

“And who knows:” Who did know?

“Starting a new journey may not be so hard.” It never really was.

“Or, maybe it has already begun.” It had begun years ago for them.

“There are many worlds.” Hundreds of them.

“But, they share the same sky.” The same fate.

“One sky, one destiny.” One road to dawn.

He felt warmth spread through his body.

He rose from the ground, looking out across the dark water of the shadow world’s ocean. A bright light had begun to grow above the water. It wasn’t far away, it wasn’t a star unseen. It was a beautiful warmth that spread over the waves, lighting the dark world.

“Light.” The word sounded so foreign to him, even though it was as well known to him as the friend who sat next to him.

“A door to light.” That’s what it was. A door to the world of light, growing in the realm of darkness.

They had seen the impossible before.

His friend jumped to his feet, looking over at him with a smile he hadn’t seen for years. A smile that begged for love, for friendship, for courage.

For adventure.

“We’ll go together.” His friend held out his hand to him, waiting for him to take the offering. A promise to continue their adventure together, to remain together in worlds they had never seen before. The one promise neither had kept.

The one promise he could redeem.

“Yeah.”

He took his friend’s hand, standing up on the dark sands. Together, they walked through the dark waters of the ocean, ignoring the soft beating of the waves against their skin, the foam clinging to their clothes.

They walked through the doorway together.

Riku and Sora left the world of darkness behind.

End

*Link to the Sequel

I only just realized the pun in the title... I apologize from the bottom of my heart for that.

Anyways, click on the picture below to begin/open the next book.