A Better World

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Rainbow Dash gushed. "I can't believe I'm going on another secret mission with Daring Do!"

Daring smirked. "Just play it cool alright? We don't want to attract attention. Canterlot's probably gonna be crawling with guards."

Rainbow saluted. "Cool. I can do that! It's just... I have so many questions about your books and we've never gotten to spend alot of time together and-"

"You read my books?" Daring asked, surprised.

"Totally! But uh... I'm not an egghead like Twi or anything." Rainbow said quickly.

"I heard that!" Twilight grumbled as she piloted the flying carpet with her magic. Everypony else snickered quietly, as their magical ride soared towards Canterlot. Zecora, Iron Will and Trixie had stayed behind, as Twilight's glamour spell could only conceal seven ponies. Even that was stretching it. They'd decided Daring's expertise in spotting traps and enchantments would be vital if the Princesses really had protected the Elements with powerful spells.

"You know Dash, I have a feeling we would've become good friends... if you hadn't gone totally evil and everything." Daring Do mused.

Twilight saw Rainbow Dash's sheepish expression slip into a sadder one. "Yeah... I guess."

The clouds in front of them parted, revealing the glittering city of Canterlot sitting on the mountainside. Twilight saw hundreds of ponies below them, visiting the several shops and restaurants Canterlot had to offer. Canterlot Castle towered above everything else, it's golden topped spires reaching up to touch the sky. Below them, several guards stood near the city's large golden gate, checking the identification of ponies coming into the city. There were several blue flashes as guards performed reveal spells on each pony to check for anything suspicious.

"Security these days is a nightmare, what with all the anti-changeling hysteria." Daring commented. "I hear they're even thinking about installing some kind of magical air turret. Not that it matters, no changeling in their right mind would come anywhere near here."

Twilight thought she saw the air near the castle shimmer slightly. Once they were near enough, it soon became apparent that the city was encircled by a massive shield, similar to the one Shining Armor had cast during the royal wedding, but invisible.

"How are we supposed to get past that?" Applejack said, pointing to the shield.

Daring cursed under her breath. "They've upped the security since we were last here."

"The guards probably know about us by now, and a glamour won't get past the reveal spells." Rarity pointed out as she looked at the entry gate.

Unless they could find a way in, their plan seemed finished before it even started. Deep in thought, Twilight watched the massive Canterlot Waterfall stream down the massive mountain, collecting in a large pool near the gate. Canals diverted the water throughout the city into smaller waterfalls that flowed from golden fountains off the edge of the mountain, making Canterlot look like an overfilled bowl of water. Twilight paused, her eyes widening as an idea came to her.

"I hope you like swimming."

"I hate swimming." Rarity sputtered as the seven ponies emerged from a sparkling fountain with a large statue of Star Swirl in the center.

"Let's move. We've got to get in and out of the castle by sundown. The guard doubles at night." Daring urged. The glamour made her look like a green (which fortunately, she didn't complain about) pegasus with a gentle blue mane. Her cutie mark was of a map with a small 'X' rather than a compass, and her hat was stowed in Twilight's saddlebags along with the Elements of Harmony book.

A few nobles shot them looks of confusion or disgust, but fortunately no guards seemed to be around the area. Twilight noted a small wooden sign near the fountain reading: 'No swimming'. She sighed and lit her horn, causing a blast of warm air to instantly dry everypony off.

They trotted on, trying to avoid looking at the dozens of 'Honesty' and 'Loyalty' posters plastered on the walls of every building. Guards seemed to be present nearly everywhere, silently observing passerby with expressionless faces. There was no air of snobbery as was usual for Canterlot. Even noble ponies walked with their heads down, conversing quietly rather than the lording demeanor Twilight had come to expect.

"Rarity, why're you staring like that?" Fluttershy asked. Rarity stood completely still, staring at three mares walking past with her mouth wide open.

She shook her head and blinked. "Those dresses... they're from the clothing line I designed last week!"

"And I bet I know where they got them." Rainbow Dash hovered over them and pointed at a large, white building farther down the street. In fancy, curling script, large neon lights proclaimed: 'Canterlot Carousel'.

"My goodness it's massive! How could she possibly afford to build that?!" Rarity gaped, awestruck by the immense, shining boutique. Twilight estimated it was maybe four times the size of Rarity's Canterlot Carousel back home.

"She's a Princess remember? Probably has the whole royal treasury at her disposal." Daring pointed out. "You know, if you're really a national hero back in your world, why haven't you asked Princess Celestia to help you build your business Rarity?"

Rarity blushed and coughed lightly. "Well... that wouldn't be very fair would it? And besides, I'm not that special... surely Princess Celestia has more important things to worry about."

"Looks like this world's Rarity felt differently." Twilight remarked as they passed several more 'Canterlot Carousel' outlets. There was also a notable lack of any rival boutiques.

Everywhere they went, it seemed there were more and more signs of just how far their counterparts had fallen. Twilight mentally counted them off. An Applejack who believed in honesty to the point of betraying your friends' trust. A Pinkie Pie who threw parties not out of spontaneity and levity, but rather to force ponies to feel happy. A Rainbow Dash who no longer believed in loyalty out of a sense of duty to one's friends, but instead loyalty enforced by fear and violence. A Fluttershy who forced her kindness on the world, destroying freedoms and lives in the process. A Rarity who gave away toil and freedom what wasn't hers to give, in the name of generosity. The thought made Twilight shudder.

She'd always thought of their Elements as the virtues of ponykind, things to aspire to above all else. Sure, they'd all encountered times where living up to their element was hard, and they were far from perfect. But here was the opposite side of the coin. In this world, their counterparts had been so determined to live up to their elements, that they took them too far, and all of Equestria was forced to suffer for it.

Long ago, she'd once proudly said Rainbow Dash was loyal to a fault. The irony was so pervasive, that Twilight couldn't help but give a quiet, dark chuckle. Suddenly, a revelation hit Twilight like the Friendship Express at full speed. They weren't here to solve a friendship problem. They were here because friendship was the problem!

"Apple's n' Cider, owned and supplied by Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack said. Twilight shook herself from her thoughts, staring up at the small red storefront Applejack was facing.

"Since when did Sweet Apple Acres own a store in Canterlot?" Fluttershy asked.

"Who cares! There's cider in there!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her tongue lolling out in excitement. Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, seemingly equally enticed by the promise of their favorite drink.

Daring Do rolled her eyes. "I suppose we could make one stop if you really want cider that badly." Before she'd even finished her sentence, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were already inside the store.

Applejack shook her head as she trotted in after them. "Ah have a bad feeling about this."

The store was decorated with a bright red and yellow color scheme, with plush booths and large tables lined up against the walls. Pictures of the Apple family hung on the walls, smiling down at them. Twilight recognized Apple Bloom, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Big Mac and of course, an Alicorn version of Applejack. Looking further inside the store, Twilight saw a bar-like set up with a large red countertop and several stools for patrons. A yellow stallion with a red-white mane stood behind the counter with his back to them, tending to three strange looking machines that hummed with power. Overhead, large speakers played an eerily calm, soothing music.

Twilight hesitantly walked up to the counter and said, "Um, excuse me? Can we have seven glasses of cider please?"

The stallion turned around and looked at her with a broad, unnatural smile on his face. "Why certainly madam."

"Flim and Flam?" Applejack gasped, recognizing the conponies.

Another stallion, identical to Flim except for a small mustache, walked out of a small door that seemed to lead to a storage room of some kind. Twilight recognized him as Flim's equally sketchy brother, Flam.

"Those smiles. Something's off with those smiles." Pinkie Pie groused, squinting her eyes.

"You can't sell Apple family cider without permission like that!" Applejack said angrily. Twilight looked closer at the machines, and saw the words: 'Super Cider Squeezy 8000' printed on them. Flim and Flam didn't respond, instead lighting their horns with a green aura and tossing apples into the giant machines. Applejack slammed her hooves down on the counter. "Hey! I'm talking to yall!"

They seemed to either not be aware of her, or simply be ignoring her. Applejack waved a hoof in front of Flim's smiling face, but the unicorn simply stood there, grinning widely. They levitated seven mugs of cider onto the counter.

Daring Do took a sip of her cider and shook her head. "It's no use. They've been repurposed."

"Repurposed?" Rarity asked as she took dainty sips from her cider mug.

"Yeah. The Princesses do it to criminals who're repeat offenders... or anypony who speaks out against them. They erase their memories and brainwash them to make them 'more compliant'." Daring said, making quotes in the air with her hooves. "These poor guys must've done something to make Twilight or one of her friends mad. They did the same thing to Ahuizotl and Dr. Caballeron." She looked away sadly, as if reminiscing about old times.

Twilight remembered well how the Flim Flam brothers had tried to scam the Apples out of their farm by cheating at a cider making competition against them. It wasn't hard to understand why Applejack held a grudge against them. She knew the Flim Flam brothers, Ahuizotl and Caballeron were all threats, but brainwashing them and taking away their very individuality? That just felt wrong... on a basic level.

"Ah wish ah could say ah was surprised." Applejack sighed sadly. She turned to Twilight and asked, "Can you help them?"

Twilight lit her horn and prepared to cast a memory spell. This "repurposing" sounded very similar to the way Discord had hypnotized her friends long ago. Daring put a hoof in front of her.

"Not yet. If you do it now, the guards might catch on to us. We can undo the spell after we finish our mission and beat the Princesses." Daring said firmly.

"I hate to leave them like this, but she might be right." Rarity agreed. Reluctantly, Twilight unlit her horn and levitated a few bits onto the counter. It seemed this world was even forcing them to compromise their morality for the greater good. Were they really any better than their counterparts?

Twilight remembered Diamond Tiara being dragged away by the guard, screaming and crying in fear. No. They were better. Alot better.

As they left, Flim gave them a cheery wave and somehow managed to smile even more broadly. "Thanks for your business! Have a nice day friends!" he said in a mechanical voice.

"That's a ton of guards." Rainbow Dash observed, summing up the group's sentiment. Canterlot Castle was under the heaviest security they'd seen yet. Dozens of Pegasi guards patrolled the skies above the castle, flying in lateral patterns as they scanned the sky and ground below for intruders. Even more earth pony and unicorn guards marched back and forth near the castle entrance, occasionally opening the glittering gate to let in a few fellow guards with prisoners in tow.

"If guards are the only one's that can get in, we just have to look like guards." Twilight reasoned. Her horn flashed, and glinting, golden armor appeared on everypony except Daring Do. Daring herself was changed back to her original look.

"Ooh pretty!" Pinkie Pie grinned, admiring her new armor.

"Hey, what gives?!" Daring hissed quietly, crouching lower behind the draconequus statue they were using for cover. Alternate Discord was in a cowering position, his face looking utterly terrified, as if he was begging for mercy. It was a stark, sinister contrast to the shocked expression Discord had been frozen in on their Equestria.

"You're our prisoner." Twilight answered, smiling grimly. Rainbow Dash and Applejack grabbed Daring by the forehooves, their faces hidden by golden helmets.

"We don't exactly look like royal guards Twilight." Rarity said. "Though I will say I think you look superb in that armor."

"Do you have a better idea?" Twilight asked. Nopony responded. "Once we can get in I can perform the locator spell and we can find the elements."

They trotted up to the gate, eyeing the guards nervously. Daring Do tried her best to look captured, struggling against Rainbow and Applejack's grip.

As they approached, the guard ponies looked at each other confusedly. Twilight quickly realized how small their frames were compared to the buff royal guards. The captain looked at them with a disbelieving expression.

Twilight felt herself sweating under her armor, mentally chastising her ill conceived plan. For the first time in her life, she wished she was a changeling. Then again, based on what happened to Chrysalis in this world, maybe not.

Fortunately, the captain waved a hoof, and two burly guards swung open the castle gates. They quickly went inside, breathing sighs of relief once they entered the castle foyer. The castle seemed the same as the one back home, with a bright purple blue color scheme and plush red carpet beneath their hooves. Nopony seemed to be around, so Twilight quickly banished their armor and disguises, instead casting an invisibility spell over them.

"Those guards didn't look very convinced." Daring said pensively.

"At least we're in. Twilight?" Rainbow urged. Twilight levitated the Elements of Harmony book out of her saddlebags, and began to cast the spell. She felt a tugging sensation at her horn, pulling her forward. Maybe that was the spell's way of telling her where to go?

Following the sensation on her horn, Twilight trotted forward, her friends close behind. They stuck close to the wall, barely avoiding bumping into the numerous guards that paced the halls. As they walked past a large, silver door, a pleasant, mouth watering smell filled Twilight's nostrils.

"Are those..." Fluttershy began.

"Nachos!" Pinkie cried, leaping towards the door with a hungry look on her face. Twilight held her back with her magic, barely stopping Pinkie from throwing open the doors and running inside. She realized guiltily that they hadn't eaten anything for hours.

"Pinkie no! You'll blow our cover!" Twilight reprimanded as the earth pony strained to get to the delicious smelling food. Pinkie stopped struggling and looked at Twilight with a sad, begging expression. And they said Fluttershy's eyes were compelling.

"Did you hear something?" she heard a muffled voice behind the door say. Everypony froze, and Twilight crept close to the door to listen.

"Dunno, ask one of your guards." Twilight gasped at the familiar voice... the voice of her oldest, or rather, youngest friend.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong Spike?" The other voice sounded remarkably like Twilights... no, exactly like Twilight's. Horror crept over Twilight's face as she realized that her counterpart was just on the other side of the door.

"After two years you don't know? Equestria's in permanent lockdown, everypony's living in fear, free speech is all but gone, and I can't even go out to get a claw massage!" alternate Spike said angrily.

"I told you the risks are too high! If you went outside, someone might kidnap you to get to me. Or worse!" pseudo-Twilight replied in a cautioning tone.

"Oh gee, I wonder why? Because they're tired of you ruling with an iron fist? Because they're tired of being forced to worship you all the time?" Spike said sarcastically.

Twilight heard her counterpart stomp her hoof. "That's not what we want! I'd never try to take the place of... of Princess Celestia."

"Well you're doing a pretty good job of it."

Pseudo-Twilight let out a groan of anger and frustration. Twilight heard the familiar crackle of teleportation, and a weary sigh from Spike. She felt the urge to go comfort Spike, to let him know it would be okay. Her hoof reached for the door, but Daring stopped it. The explorer shook her head, and motioned her forward. Twilight felt the tugging sensation urging her to pass the door, and continue along the hall.

With a deep sigh, Twilight nodded and continued forward, leaving the door and Spike behind. Even Pinkie's expression was somber, her craving for nachos no longer important as darker thoughts replaced it. There was a solemn silence among the group, as they all tried to process what they'd just heard.

Fluttershy spoke up first. "Twilight... I'm so sorry."

Twilight didn't respond. That had been her on the other side of the door. Not some cackling evil villain like Tirek or Discord. Not even some twisted, opposite version of her. No, this was something far worse. A Twilight without Princess Celestia's guidance or leadership. A Twilight who was only left with Celestia's teachings of friendship and harmony for Equestria, and would to any lengths to achieve her mentor's dream. Even if it meant using tyranny and fear.

Of all the enemies they had faced, this was the worst one of all. She was truly going to have to fight herself.

"Makes sense they'd keep the Elements in Canterlot Tower." Rarity said. Twilight realized she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. Again.

The familiar stained glass windows and arched hallway of Canterlot tower rose above her, casting shadows and reflections on the floor. She started forward, but Daring put a hoof out in front of her. Daring Do stepped forward, and tentatively stuck a hoof out into the hallway.

A magical blue barrier instantly appeared, and Daring yanked back her hoof, pointing above them. Two oddly shaped gem devices projected the barrier, gleaming in the afternoon light.

"Shield generators." Daring said. "That barrier can paralyze you instantly with one touch. Encountered a few of them while searching for the Trident of Neptune a while back."

"How do we get around it? Blast the windows open?" Rainbow asked. Rarity looked horrified at the thought of damaging the stained glass.

Daring Do shook her head. "That'd probably set off other alarms. But I have a feeling we don't have to disable it. I bet all of you can get through it."

"Us?" Fluttershy gulped.

"Well you're the element bearers after all." Daring said, smiling. Twilight hesitantly reached a hoof toward the shield, looking away nervously. She expected a jolt of magic to pass through her, as she was frozen helpless by the shield's magic. Instead... nothing.

Her hoof passed through the blue light, as if it was empty air. Twilight walked through the shield, completely unaffected, although the barrier seemed to have dispelled her invisibility spell. The others followed, Fluttershy inching her way past the barrier squeaking with fear. Daring remained behind the shield, waving them on.

As they trotted down the long hallway, Twilight looked at the intricate glass windows. There were the familiar depictions of historical events, such as the Age of Discord and the union of the three tribes. Two other windows showed alternate Twilight and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon, and trapping Discord in stone with their elements. But that was where the similarities ended. The other windows were much... darker.

The next window showed Twilight and her friends ascending to Alicornhood, glowing with white light as they smiled down over Equestria. Opposite to it, another window showed Queen Chrysalis, burning in black fire. It seemed there was no window showing Twilight and her friends with Cadence, hovering above the Crystal heart. Instead, the window showed Alicorn Twilight, standing triumphantly with a hoof over a defeated King Sombra. Next to it, another window showed Twilight in a similar victorious pose, standing over Tirek.

Twilight couldn't help but feel a little... outdone. Somehow, this world's Twilight had discovered the secret to Alicornhood, for multiple ponies at that. This world's Twilight had defeated Sombra easily. In this world, Twilight had stopped Tirek with such efficiency that the Ponyville library was still intact. But... the Tree of Harmony had never given this world's Twilight the Castle of Friendship.

The castle was her gift... her gift for doing things the right way. This world's Twilight had taken shortcuts, used dark magic and fear to bring down her enemies, rather than friendship and teamwork. She'd forced Harmony on this world, no not Harmony... Order. Harmony was balance, a duality of conflict and peace, good and evil, even friendship and enmity. But to this world's Twilight, order was all that mattered, at any cost. And in the process of bringing that order, this world's Twilight had become the very evil she sought to destroy.

"Ooh, sparkly!" Pinkie marveled. Twilight peeled away her gaze from the glass windows and looked ahead of her. Six circles were engraved into the floor, each the same color as one of their coats. A sparkling blue door with six lights locked a small cabinet. The door had a tiny hole in the middle, where Princess Celestia once inserted her horn to unlock it.

"Six circles, six lights." Rarity observed, stepping onto the white one experimentally. The circle glowed a bright green. Each of her friends stepped into their respective circle, causing the floor to emanate with green light. Finally, Twilight stepped onto the purple circle, watching it light up beneath her.

The six lights on the door glowed brilliantly, as multicolored light streamed out from them. There was a wooshing sound as the blue doors parted, revealing the six elements, sitting on a small shelf inside the cabinet. Twilight couldn't help but feel like she was seeing old friends again. It had been a year since they'd given up their elements to save the Tree of Harmony, and Twilight thought she might never wield them again.

Rainbow Dash started forward. "All right! Let's take these elements and get out of-" Suddenly the circles all turned a bright red, and electricity arced out of them.

Twilight felt pain like she'd never felt before. She collapsed, her body attacked by searing heat from all sides. Through her haze of pain, she saw multicolored flashes as six Alicorns teleported into the room.

Desperately, she tried to direct the painful electricity away, focusing her magic on a shield. She saw the hooves of a tall purple alicorn walk towards her. Weakly, Twilight tried to raise her head to see its face, but couldn't manage the effort. A shield started flickering around her, and some of the pain started to alleviate.

"I'm sorry." the alicorn gently whispered. A flash of purple light streamed over Twilight, as she was enveloped into darkness.

End of Part 1