My Little Pony: An Epic Returnby Epic BassChaptersPrologueChapter 1Chapter 2PrologueApproximately 1000 years ago-The Everfree Forest: The Castle of Two Sisters The unicorn foal chases young Princess Luna around the courtyard. The unicorn has white fur and a purple mane. His name is Epic Bass. He and Luna are best friends. Princess Celestia does not approve of their relationship because she believes that Epic Bass is a bad influence on her sister. Epic is gaining on Luna until she takes flight. “Not fair, I can’t fly,” Epic Bass complains. “Na, na, na,” Princess Luna blows a raspberry. Epic points his horn at a tree and concentrates: BLOOP! All the leaves fall off the tree and bury the princess. She jumps out and tackles Epic Bass. They tumble and roll until they stop at Princess Celestia’s hooves. She glares at the two of them while they look up at her. “Shouldn’t you be heading home, Epic Bass?” “I suppose.” He is actually afraid of Princess Celestia. He starts to head home, but Luna begins to protest. “You cannot make him leave, Sister!” “It is getting late,” Celestia replies calmly, although it is a few hours before sunset. Epic Bass heads home. He is upset that any time he is playing with Luna, he gets sent home by Celestia, but he is powerless to do anything, he doesn’t even have his cutie mark yet. Luna has her cutie mark. So does everyone else in his class in Canterlot. He is the only one he knows who doesn’t have his cutie mark, and Princess Luna is his only friend. Well, besides his older sister, Poetic Bass. He has never been good at making friends, and it is even worse that he is the only Blank Flank. When he arrives at home, his sister is waiting for him. She always seems to know when he is coming home. She has a sympathetic look on her face, as always. She knows that Princess Celestia does not like him. Nobody is really sure why she doesn’t like him, she just doesn’t. She gives him a hug and leads him inside. She gives him some ice cream and they go to bed. Weeks go by with the same routine. Eventually, Princess Luna gets sick of her sister making Epic leave all the time. She decides that it would be better if she ruled alone. She starts to rebel and become angry all the time. At school, Epic Bass is always getting bullied by his arch-enemy, Flaring Flame. Flaring is an all red unicorn with an orange streak in his mane and tail. His cutie mark is a bonfire. He already is quite adept at starting fires with magic. He bullies everyone, but Epic especially. He bullies Epic not only because he is a Blank Flank, but also because they genuinely despise each other. Today, Flaring caught Epic’s tail on fire. The other kids helped to put it out, after they stopped laughing. The teacher scolds them and they are put in detention. They will not be allowed to play during recess today. After the school day is over, they all head home. The days, weeks, and months go by. Every day gets worse. One day something more horrible than ever takes place. Princess Luna becomes evil. She and Princess Celestia get in a fight, but by that time, she is no longer Princess Luna; she is Nightmare Moon. Eventually, Princess Celestia has to resort to using the Elements of Harmony. With the help of Epic Bass, (though he is not mentioned in the history books) they banish her to the moon, although it devastates them both. After that day, things seem dreary, yet peaceful. It is strange, though, Epic does not have his cutie mark yet. He hopes he’ll get it soon. He has almost reached maturity. No one has ever taken this long to get a cutie mark before. If he does not get it soon, it may cause more problems than just bullies. After a few months, things seem normal again, except for one thing. Flaring Flame has disappeared. His parents are extremely worried. Even though they are enemies, Epic Bass decides to go look for him. Using his gut instincts, he decides to travel through Everfree Forest looking for him. He looks around without any luck, until BOOOM! Epic runs in the direction of the explosion. In the middle of a dark clearing surrounded by thorny bushes, Flaring Flame is standing over a strange altar. The altar is a dark stone, and shapes a lot like an alicorn. In fact, it looks like Nightmare Moon!! When Flaring notices Epic standing behind him he turns and smiles evilly. “Hello, Epic Bass. Nice of you to join us.” He sneers. “Us?” Epic asks, wearily. “Yes, Nightmare Moon is here as well. Not in body, of course… yet.” “What do you mean ‘yet’?” “I am going to bring her back, she was not done before you and Princess Celestia banished her to the moon.” “Are you crazy? You can’t do that!” “Just try and stop me, Blank Flank!” Flaring Flame launches a flame at Epic Bass. Epic barely has time to jump out of the way before the ground where he was just standing is scorched. Epic quickly powers up his wubs and fires: WHOOOOOM! Flaring doesn’t even try to dodge. The blast hits him and dissipates. It doesn’t leave a mark. He launches another ball of fire at Epic and it nearly wipes him out. Epic deflects the blast with his wubs just in time. But Epic will not be able to keep this up. He is already tired, while Flaring hasn’t even broken a sweat. If Epic doesn’t finish this soon, he will not win this fight. He has to stall. “Why would you want to do this? What do you have to gain?” “It’s simple, really. Nightmare Moon has promised me power in return for her freedom.” “Do you really believe that? Nightmare Moon is evil, and untrustworthy. You can’t―” “NO!!! She chose me!! ME!!” “Did you ever consider that she just saw you as gullible and easy to manipulate?” “Silence!!!” Flaring Flame charges at Epic Bass, head down, screaming. Epic Bass quickly forms a shield of explosive energy. Flaring Flame bounces off the energy shield, but rises to his feet once more, and launches yet another fireball. They continue on like this for quite a while. Just when Epic Bass was beginning to lose hope, something happens. Princess Luna speaks to Epic in his mind. She’s not completely gone! That means there is a chance to get her back. “I can help you, my good friend,” she says. Luna lends him her strength and he charges up his wubs. This is more powerful than anything he has ever done. Flaring also charges up his flames. They fire at the exact same time and their blasts hit in mid-air and explodes. Epic goes flying and hits a tree. He’ll be sore tomorrow, but he’ll be fine. Flaring Flame wasn’t so lucky. He hit the altar and it cracked. Then, he started to turn to stone. “NOO! This is not the end! I curse you Epic Bass! ‘Fall, you will soon. Fall, you will, at the full moon. Six will find you. When you rise. I will too.’ I will destroy…” That is all he got out before he was completely turned to stone. Then, something amazing happened. His flank began to glow and when it stopped, a picture of a bass cannon was there. He got his cutie mark! But this is not the time to celebrate. He needs to warn Princess Celestia of the curse. Epic heads back to the castle, it is damaged from the battle between the sisters. Princess Celestia is currently having a new castle built. Epic finds the princess in the courtyard. When she sees him, she beckons to him. He heads over to her and kneels. “Rise,” she says, “What do you want?” “I’ve come to warn you. I had a fight with Flaring Flame. He was attempting to bring Nightmare Moon back. I stopped him, but he cursed me. He doomed me to fail. He said that I will fall and ‘six’ will find me and when I rise, he will as well.” “This is not good,” she says. “No, but there is good news. When I was about to lose, Princess Luna helped me. That means she is not fully gone. We can get her back!” “You must have been hallucinating. My sister is gone.” Epic Bass is about to argue when the princess walks away. He goes to follow her, but she stops him with a look. Epic Bass heads home and his sister is happy to see that he has his cutie mark. “You finally got it!” She exclaims. “What? Oh, my cutie mark. Yeah.” “You don’t seem very excited.” She says worryingly. “I am, but I can’t be too excited after what happened today. And before you ask, I don’t want to talk about it. Good night.” The days go by and nothing happens. Epic is beginning to think that Flaring’s curse was just nonsense, when an explosion happens in the mountains. Princess Celestia is too busy to deal with it, so Epic Bass decides to check it out. When he gets to the mountain, he finds a cave. He heads inside and heads down farther and farther. Eventually, he comes to a cavern. There is a gem in the wall and it is pulsating. Cautiously, Epic walks up and touches it with his horn. Immediately it expands and attaches to his horn. He pulls away and the gem breaks. Part of it is still attached to his horn and it is expanding. He feels his hind hoof get heavy and looks back to see another gem expanding up his leg. He creates some wubs to break the gems, but it doesn’t do anything but cause more pulsing. He continues to use his magic as the gems surround his body. He gets one more blast before he is completely sealed. Three days later, Princess Celestia arrives and she sits for a while. When she leaves, she puts a spell on the cave to prevent everyone but the “six” and the Princess herself from entering. “I am sorry that this has happened to you. I know I was never kind to you, but I was just being protective of my sister. I really did like you. You are a brave stallion. I will see you again someday, I am sure of it. Until then, Epic Bass, good-bye.” Chapter 1Present Day-Ponyville “Come on, Spike!” Twilight Sparkle shouts as she runs toward Sugarcube Corner. Spike is trailing behind her, carrying a tower of gift wrapped boxes. They make it inside just as they see Pinkie Pie coming around the corner. “She’s coming, hide!” Everyone hides quickly, and just in time. Not one second after everyone is settled, Pinkie Pie hops through the door. “Surprise!” Pinkie gasps with surprise. “A party?! I LOVE parties!” “Happy Birthday, Sugarcube,” Apple Jack says. “Yes, indeed, Happy Birthday, darling,” Rarity adds, flipping her mane. “We spent all month planning this without you finding out.” Twilight puts in. “Yeah, I did these totally awesome decorations, with a little help from Rarity.” Rainbow Dash brags. “A little help?” Rarity inquires. “I made the cake. I added my secret ingredient,” says Spike, proudly. “Yes, um, I hope you like the punch,” Fluttershy shyly says, shuffling her foreleg. Pinkie takes a sip of the punch with a very serious look on her face. “I don’t like it,” she decides. Everyone gasps. “You … don’t … like it?” Fluttershy looks about to cry. “Nope, I LOVE it!” Pinkie exclaims, with a cheeky grin, throwing her forelegs to the sky. Everyone sighs with relief. They are glad that she likes, no, LOVES everything. After so much planning and hard work they would hope that it wasn’t a waste. Then, their former enemy, now a friend, Discord, appears out of nowhere, donning a birthday hat and a party horn. FLOOOOM! “Oh, did I miss the surprise part? What a pity.” Discord pouts. Everyone is having a good time dancing, eating, and drinking. Then, it is time for Pinkie to open her presents. She got some pretty cool stuff, such as, balloons, confetti, more party cannons, and a giant horn. They were all expecting to have a good time all day, until the mane 6’s cutie marks started glowing. They all rush off towards Twilight’s palace. When they get inside, the mane 6 sit in their seats. Immediately, a map shows up on the table. It has their cutie marks floating above a location in the mountains. “I wonder what it is that is so important that needs all of us?” Twilight asks. They remember the location and head off. It is almost sunset by the time they get there. They quickly find a cave. When they go inside, the cave walls are lined with pulsating gems, and there is a low humming. “This has to be the place,” Twilight decides. “Let’s get going, ya’ll,” Apple Jack adds. They go deeper into the cave. As they do, they notice that they are going at a steady decline. Also, the humming is getting louder. The gems are blinking faster. As they get farther down, a fog starts to form. The humming starts to sound like music. “Is DjPon3 down here?” Twilight wonders aloud. They finally get to a large cavern. Now the gems are flashing like a light show. The humming has taken on the tone of head-banging dubstep. At the end of the cavern is a large gem in the general shape of a unicorn. When the six get closer, they see that it IS a unicorn. They all gather around and see that it is a stallion. “Oh, he’s handsome!” Rarity exclaims. “I’ll have to say I agree, there, Sugar Cube.” Apple Jack states. “Um… yes.” Fluttershy shyly agrees. “I guess so,” Twilight says. “Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow Dash says, gruffly, although she is definitely looking. “We must have to free him, ya’ll,” Apple Jack says. “Or maybe he is already breaking free and he’s a BAD guy! And we have to stop him!!!” Pinkie says, standing on her hind legs, and waving her forehooves like a boxing pony. “I don’t think so,” Twilight says, “I think that he is a good guy. But, just to be safe, be ready when we free him.” They surround the stallion and fire up their Elements of Harmony. They start floating and Twilight’s eyes glow white. Their element colors shoot out of their bodies and combine to form a rainbow. The rainbow rushes down and hits the gem. The gem cracks and shatters. The unicorn falls to the floor “I am back,” the unicorn looks excited at first, but then his face contorts into a look of sheer horror. “What’s wrong?” Twilight asks. The unicorn looks up, startled, as if he just noticed the girls standing there. When he sees them, he relaxes a little. “So, you must be the ‘six’. I must say, I didn’t expect you to be pretty girls.” “The ‘six’?” Twilight asks. “Pretty girls?” Rainbow Dash sounds offended, although she is blushing. “Just pretty?” Rarity also sounds offended. “What do you mean by the ‘six’?” Twilight asks again. “Years ago, my enemy cursed me. He said that someday I will fall and ‘six’ will bring me back. He also said that when I wake, he will as well. I have to get to Princess Celestia and warn her.” That was when he noticed Twilight’s wings. “You’re an alicorn?” He inquires. “Yes, I am the fourth alicorn princess, the Princess of Friendship.” She replies. “Fourth? Who’s the second and third?” He asks, confused. “Well, there’s Princess Cadance, who is married to Shining Armor, my brother. And then there is Princess Luna, she’s…” She breaks off as she sees the unicorn’s eyes widen. “What’s wrong?” “Princess Luna? She’s back, then?” “Yes, she came back as Nightmare Moon and we used the Elements of Harmony to turn her back into Princess Luna.” “I have to see her.” “Wait, you knew her?” “Knew her? She was my best friend. I was devastated when Princess Celestia and I had to banish her to the moon.” “You helped? If that’s the case, then you’ve been alive for over a thousand years!” “What? It cannot have been that long.” “Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s true.” Apple Jack puts in. “I must go.” “Come on, then.” Twilight says, turning to go. “Wait!” Rarity exclaims. “We do not know your name, good sir.” “I am Epic Bass.” At that, he walks out of the cave. The girls follow him until they get outside. Then, they lead the way down the mountain to the train station. Epic Bass was a little scared; he has never seen a train before. After about an hour, they arrive in Canterlot. They head to the castle and enter the throne room. They all, except Twilight, kneel before Princess Celestia. She looks down at them and tells them to rise. “Hello, Epic Bass. I wish I could say I was happy to see you, but if you are here, then that means that Flaring Flame will not be long.” “Yes, that is true. I wish that I was not here.” “Well, don’t wish that,” A voice says from behind them. Epic Bass turns around with a start. Standing near the door, he sees Princess Luna. Immediately, he walks up and bows. She raises his head up with her forehoof. “You do not need to bow to me, my friend.” She says. “I missed you, Luna.” Epic’s eyes are shining. “I missed you as well, Epic Bass.” She says. “So, no more Nightmare Moon, right?” He asks wearily. “Nightmare Moon will not be returning.” She winces. “Good, I am glad.” He states, adding, “but my return is not a good thing. It only means that Flaring Flame is returning.” “Well, maybe things are different now, maybe you came back and he didn’t.” Rarity puts in helpfully. “There is only one way to find out.” Princess Celestia states. They all head towards Everfree Forest, and the Castle of Two Sisters. Epic Bass leads the way to the Shrine to Nightmare Moon. When they get there, they see the petrified unicorn sitting on the altar. It is still. Princess Luna shivers as she looks at the shrine. She has a look of fear in her eyes. “Well, it looks like everything is fine,” Twilight states. “For now,” Epic replies, sullenly. They head back to Canterlot and Epic Bass eats his first meal in a thousand years. Author's Note This is Chapter 1, haha, haha. Chapter 2 will hopefully be added soon. Chapter 2After the meal, everyone decides that they cannot do anything else just then, so they decide to sleep and deal with the situation the next day. They have to decide where Epic Bass will sleep. “He can stay at the Carousel Boutique with me.” Rarity says, a shine in her eyes. “I think he should stay here in Canterlot,” Luna puts in. “How about in my palace? It would make sense. There is plenty of room, and I am the Princess of Friendship after all,” Twilight states, matter-of-factly. “I think that is a splendid idea,” Celestia says, adding, “Is that alright with you, Epic Bass?” “I don’t see a problem with it. It would give me the time to get to know you all, right?” So, it is decided that Epic will live at Twilight’s palace, however temporary. They all head to their respective homes for the night, and the six, Spike, and Epic, will figure out what to do in the morning, while in Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna try to form a backup plan, for if the other plan fails. Epic finds it much easier to navigate the palace than most, possibly stemming from growing up with a princess. On the way to his assigned room, he meets Starlight Glimmer. They practically run into each other. “Oh, hello,” Starlight says. “Who are you?” Epic inquires. “I am Starlight Glimmer. I am here to learn about friendship from Princess Twilight,” she replies. They start talking and for some reason, she comes clean about the fact that she used to be evil, and stole the cutie marks of everyone in an entire town. Epic Bass didn’t seem fazed by it. In fact, he was impressed by her ability with magic, and is glad that she has become good now. The two of them quickly become friends. And, as it turns out, their rooms are right next to each other, so they can help each other get around the palace. Epic Bass goes to his room, but he doesn’t sleep. After all, he slept for a thousand years. But, that is not the only reason he doesn’t sleep. He sits up all night, pondering what to do. He knows that his enemy will awaken soon, and there is nothing he can do to stop it. He will have to battle Flaring Flame again, and this time, he is sure, will be much more difficult than the last. He will need the help of all of his friends, new and old. In the morning, the mane 6, Epic Bass, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer meet in the throne room. The mane 6 and Spike sit in their respective seats, and Starlight and Epic pull up chairs. They begin to talk about a plan. “There is no way to prevent the return of Flaring Flame, we will have to fight,” Epic Bass is saying. He is nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready. “Well, is there any way to postpone his return?” Twilight inquires. “I’m not sure where a spell like that could be found. Besides, I don’t think any one of us is powerful enough to perform a spell of that magnitude.” “We could check the Library in the Canterlot Palace,” suggested Rarity. “Yes, and as for the magnitude of the spell, maybe you’re right, no ONE pony can perform the spell, but if we all work together, we could pull it off, no problem, with the magic of friendship!” Twilight exclaims.” Epic Bass looks around at all is new friends and smiles. He realizes that what Twilight says is true. With the magic of friendship, anything is possible. He decides right then and there that he will always be there for his friends, as they are going to be there for him. They all head to Canterlot to search the library. When they get there, they begin to search. After a few hours, they start to lose hope in finding anything to help them. They continue searching until nearly sunset. At that point, they give up. “Let’s face it, there’s nothing here,” Epic Bass sighs. “Oh, dear, what will we do?” Fluttershy looks more worried than normal. The two of them are the only ones in this section of the library, and Epic Bass notices, not for the first time, how beautiful Fluttershy is. He stares at her for a while. She stares back for a few seconds, then looks away, blushing. He, on the other hand, could have stared at her for ages. He doesn’t even realize that he is doing it. He also doesn’t realize that she no longer likes it. He has stared at her for so long that now she just thinks it’s creepy. He finally looks away when he realizes this, and starts to half-heartedly search again. “Perhaps I can help?” A very familiar voice says behind the two ponies. The being standing, no, floating behind them is a mismatched jumble of a creature. With each body part that of a different animal, he is a strange sight to behold. Epic Bass has never seen him non paralyzed before. “Discord!!” He exclaims, charging up his very destructive wubs. Vmmmmmm Woooooooooob!!! “Woah!!” Discord shouts, teleporting a few feet to the left. “That is no way to treat a friend.” “How did you escape your prison, Discord?” “Escape? Oh, I didn’t escape, I was released. I’m reformed.” “Um...please don’t attack him, he is our friend,” Fluttershy puts in, quietly. “What’s goin’ on over here?” Apple Jack calls as she and the others run over. “I didn’t realize that Discord was no longer the evil being I always was told about.” Epic Bass replies, casting an apologetic glance at Discord. “Did you do that?” Twilight Sparkle asks, gesturing at the blast that Epic created through 5 bookcases and the wall of the castle. “Oops…” He says, “I just reacted on instinct, I went against all my training by impulsively attacking with such a powerful spell.” Twilight seems surprised that he can produce a spell of such magnitude. Epic explains that not only did he grow up around Celestia and Luna, which definitely improved his skill, but he also is a natural when it comes to what he calls “Dropping the Bass”. Also, he says that gems transport and hold power, and actually makes power greater over time. Being trapped in gems for a thousand years probably caused his power to cycle through the gems and build up until when the gems were broken, the immense amount of power embedded itself inside him. Epic Bass no longer even knows the extent of his own power. “So, you think you can help, Discord?” Epic ask, still suspicious. “Of course, I know that you’re trying to prevent an evil being from escaping from a prison of stone, which is a subject that I know quite well,” He replies, continuing, “Of course, Flaring Flame is too powerful to fully prevent from returning, but I can postpone his return long enough for us to prepare.” The eight ponies, dragon, and draconequus head back to Ponyville to prepare the spell. By the time they get back to the palace, it is well into the night. They decide to wait until the morning to continue their preparations. It was a long, tiresome day of looking through books. They all head to bed, none of them go home, that way it will be more convenient come morning. In the morning, they all eat a quick breakfast and get to work. Discord hasn’t performed this spell before, but he knows it will work. It will take all of them to make it work. They will need the mane 6 for their Elements of Harmony. Discord, Epic, and Starlight will be needed for their magic. It takes a few hours to make sure they get the spell right, and then they head to the Everfree Forest, and to Flaring Flame, still trapped in his prison. “Look!! There are cracks in the stone, he is breaking free. We must hurry!!” Epic Bass exclaims. “Alright, ya’ll. Are ya ready to do this?” Apple Jack asks. “Yes, sirree, dog!” Pinkie exclaims, enthusiastically. “Oh, um...I suppose,” Fluttershy says, shyly. The others chime in an affirmative. As Discord readies the spell, everyone joins in around him to perform it alongside him. The friends ready their own portions of the spell. The six activate the power of their Elements. Starlight and Epic point their horns at the statue. Once again, each of the mane 6’s elemental colors shoot out of their bodies and intertwine to become a rainbow. Starlight and Epic’s spell’s intertwine as well. And, of course, Discord raises his arms and…. FLOOM!!! The spell works. The cracks in Flaring Flame disappear, and he is trapped once more. The friends rejoice, except for Discord and Epic Bass. “This is only a temporary fix,” Epic says, solemnly. “Yes, quite. Flaring Flame will still escape, soon enough,” Discord states, adding, “I’d say we have about a week before he breaks free.” “Then we have a week to prepare,” Twilight says, matter-of-factly. They all head back to their individual homes, but Epic Bass decides that he is going to go visit Fluttershy. He heads to her little cottage to find her having a picnic with her many animal friends. He walks over to her and asks if he can join her. “Um...Of course,” she says, blushing, her eyes shining with happiness. So, Epic sits down and Angel hands him a teacup and a plate of food. Even he, who is normally a stubborn little bunny, seems to already like Epic Bass. After the picnic, they all sit and watch the sunset. As the sun is going down, Fluttershy and Epic Bass slowly scoot closer to each other. And as the last rays of sun disappear under the horizon, their flanks touch, and they lean against each other.
PrologueApproximately 1000 years ago-The Everfree Forest: The Castle of Two Sisters The unicorn foal chases young Princess Luna around the courtyard. The unicorn has white fur and a purple mane. His name is Epic Bass. He and Luna are best friends. Princess Celestia does not approve of their relationship because she believes that Epic Bass is a bad influence on her sister. Epic is gaining on Luna until she takes flight. “Not fair, I can’t fly,” Epic Bass complains. “Na, na, na,” Princess Luna blows a raspberry. Epic points his horn at a tree and concentrates: BLOOP! All the leaves fall off the tree and bury the princess. She jumps out and tackles Epic Bass. They tumble and roll until they stop at Princess Celestia’s hooves. She glares at the two of them while they look up at her. “Shouldn’t you be heading home, Epic Bass?” “I suppose.” He is actually afraid of Princess Celestia. He starts to head home, but Luna begins to protest. “You cannot make him leave, Sister!” “It is getting late,” Celestia replies calmly, although it is a few hours before sunset. Epic Bass heads home. He is upset that any time he is playing with Luna, he gets sent home by Celestia, but he is powerless to do anything, he doesn’t even have his cutie mark yet. Luna has her cutie mark. So does everyone else in his class in Canterlot. He is the only one he knows who doesn’t have his cutie mark, and Princess Luna is his only friend. Well, besides his older sister, Poetic Bass. He has never been good at making friends, and it is even worse that he is the only Blank Flank. When he arrives at home, his sister is waiting for him. She always seems to know when he is coming home. She has a sympathetic look on her face, as always. She knows that Princess Celestia does not like him. Nobody is really sure why she doesn’t like him, she just doesn’t. She gives him a hug and leads him inside. She gives him some ice cream and they go to bed. Weeks go by with the same routine. Eventually, Princess Luna gets sick of her sister making Epic leave all the time. She decides that it would be better if she ruled alone. She starts to rebel and become angry all the time. At school, Epic Bass is always getting bullied by his arch-enemy, Flaring Flame. Flaring is an all red unicorn with an orange streak in his mane and tail. His cutie mark is a bonfire. He already is quite adept at starting fires with magic. He bullies everyone, but Epic especially. He bullies Epic not only because he is a Blank Flank, but also because they genuinely despise each other. Today, Flaring caught Epic’s tail on fire. The other kids helped to put it out, after they stopped laughing. The teacher scolds them and they are put in detention. They will not be allowed to play during recess today. After the school day is over, they all head home. The days, weeks, and months go by. Every day gets worse. One day something more horrible than ever takes place. Princess Luna becomes evil. She and Princess Celestia get in a fight, but by that time, she is no longer Princess Luna; she is Nightmare Moon. Eventually, Princess Celestia has to resort to using the Elements of Harmony. With the help of Epic Bass, (though he is not mentioned in the history books) they banish her to the moon, although it devastates them both. After that day, things seem dreary, yet peaceful. It is strange, though, Epic does not have his cutie mark yet. He hopes he’ll get it soon. He has almost reached maturity. No one has ever taken this long to get a cutie mark before. If he does not get it soon, it may cause more problems than just bullies. After a few months, things seem normal again, except for one thing. Flaring Flame has disappeared. His parents are extremely worried. Even though they are enemies, Epic Bass decides to go look for him. Using his gut instincts, he decides to travel through Everfree Forest looking for him. He looks around without any luck, until BOOOM! Epic runs in the direction of the explosion. In the middle of a dark clearing surrounded by thorny bushes, Flaring Flame is standing over a strange altar. The altar is a dark stone, and shapes a lot like an alicorn. In fact, it looks like Nightmare Moon!! When Flaring notices Epic standing behind him he turns and smiles evilly. “Hello, Epic Bass. Nice of you to join us.” He sneers. “Us?” Epic asks, wearily. “Yes, Nightmare Moon is here as well. Not in body, of course… yet.” “What do you mean ‘yet’?” “I am going to bring her back, she was not done before you and Princess Celestia banished her to the moon.” “Are you crazy? You can’t do that!” “Just try and stop me, Blank Flank!” Flaring Flame launches a flame at Epic Bass. Epic barely has time to jump out of the way before the ground where he was just standing is scorched. Epic quickly powers up his wubs and fires: WHOOOOOM! Flaring doesn’t even try to dodge. The blast hits him and dissipates. It doesn’t leave a mark. He launches another ball of fire at Epic and it nearly wipes him out. Epic deflects the blast with his wubs just in time. But Epic will not be able to keep this up. He is already tired, while Flaring hasn’t even broken a sweat. If Epic doesn’t finish this soon, he will not win this fight. He has to stall. “Why would you want to do this? What do you have to gain?” “It’s simple, really. Nightmare Moon has promised me power in return for her freedom.” “Do you really believe that? Nightmare Moon is evil, and untrustworthy. You can’t―” “NO!!! She chose me!! ME!!” “Did you ever consider that she just saw you as gullible and easy to manipulate?” “Silence!!!” Flaring Flame charges at Epic Bass, head down, screaming. Epic Bass quickly forms a shield of explosive energy. Flaring Flame bounces off the energy shield, but rises to his feet once more, and launches yet another fireball. They continue on like this for quite a while. Just when Epic Bass was beginning to lose hope, something happens. Princess Luna speaks to Epic in his mind. She’s not completely gone! That means there is a chance to get her back. “I can help you, my good friend,” she says. Luna lends him her strength and he charges up his wubs. This is more powerful than anything he has ever done. Flaring also charges up his flames. They fire at the exact same time and their blasts hit in mid-air and explodes. Epic goes flying and hits a tree. He’ll be sore tomorrow, but he’ll be fine. Flaring Flame wasn’t so lucky. He hit the altar and it cracked. Then, he started to turn to stone. “NOO! This is not the end! I curse you Epic Bass! ‘Fall, you will soon. Fall, you will, at the full moon. Six will find you. When you rise. I will too.’ I will destroy…” That is all he got out before he was completely turned to stone. Then, something amazing happened. His flank began to glow and when it stopped, a picture of a bass cannon was there. He got his cutie mark! But this is not the time to celebrate. He needs to warn Princess Celestia of the curse. Epic heads back to the castle, it is damaged from the battle between the sisters. Princess Celestia is currently having a new castle built. Epic finds the princess in the courtyard. When she sees him, she beckons to him. He heads over to her and kneels. “Rise,” she says, “What do you want?” “I’ve come to warn you. I had a fight with Flaring Flame. He was attempting to bring Nightmare Moon back. I stopped him, but he cursed me. He doomed me to fail. He said that I will fall and ‘six’ will find me and when I rise, he will as well.” “This is not good,” she says. “No, but there is good news. When I was about to lose, Princess Luna helped me. That means she is not fully gone. We can get her back!” “You must have been hallucinating. My sister is gone.” Epic Bass is about to argue when the princess walks away. He goes to follow her, but she stops him with a look. Epic Bass heads home and his sister is happy to see that he has his cutie mark. “You finally got it!” She exclaims. “What? Oh, my cutie mark. Yeah.” “You don’t seem very excited.” She says worryingly. “I am, but I can’t be too excited after what happened today. And before you ask, I don’t want to talk about it. Good night.” The days go by and nothing happens. Epic is beginning to think that Flaring’s curse was just nonsense, when an explosion happens in the mountains. Princess Celestia is too busy to deal with it, so Epic Bass decides to check it out. When he gets to the mountain, he finds a cave. He heads inside and heads down farther and farther. Eventually, he comes to a cavern. There is a gem in the wall and it is pulsating. Cautiously, Epic walks up and touches it with his horn. Immediately it expands and attaches to his horn. He pulls away and the gem breaks. Part of it is still attached to his horn and it is expanding. He feels his hind hoof get heavy and looks back to see another gem expanding up his leg. He creates some wubs to break the gems, but it doesn’t do anything but cause more pulsing. He continues to use his magic as the gems surround his body. He gets one more blast before he is completely sealed. Three days later, Princess Celestia arrives and she sits for a while. When she leaves, she puts a spell on the cave to prevent everyone but the “six” and the Princess herself from entering. “I am sorry that this has happened to you. I know I was never kind to you, but I was just being protective of my sister. I really did like you. You are a brave stallion. I will see you again someday, I am sure of it. Until then, Epic Bass, good-bye.”
Chapter 1Present Day-Ponyville “Come on, Spike!” Twilight Sparkle shouts as she runs toward Sugarcube Corner. Spike is trailing behind her, carrying a tower of gift wrapped boxes. They make it inside just as they see Pinkie Pie coming around the corner. “She’s coming, hide!” Everyone hides quickly, and just in time. Not one second after everyone is settled, Pinkie Pie hops through the door. “Surprise!” Pinkie gasps with surprise. “A party?! I LOVE parties!” “Happy Birthday, Sugarcube,” Apple Jack says. “Yes, indeed, Happy Birthday, darling,” Rarity adds, flipping her mane. “We spent all month planning this without you finding out.” Twilight puts in. “Yeah, I did these totally awesome decorations, with a little help from Rarity.” Rainbow Dash brags. “A little help?” Rarity inquires. “I made the cake. I added my secret ingredient,” says Spike, proudly. “Yes, um, I hope you like the punch,” Fluttershy shyly says, shuffling her foreleg. Pinkie takes a sip of the punch with a very serious look on her face. “I don’t like it,” she decides. Everyone gasps. “You … don’t … like it?” Fluttershy looks about to cry. “Nope, I LOVE it!” Pinkie exclaims, with a cheeky grin, throwing her forelegs to the sky. Everyone sighs with relief. They are glad that she likes, no, LOVES everything. After so much planning and hard work they would hope that it wasn’t a waste. Then, their former enemy, now a friend, Discord, appears out of nowhere, donning a birthday hat and a party horn. FLOOOOM! “Oh, did I miss the surprise part? What a pity.” Discord pouts. Everyone is having a good time dancing, eating, and drinking. Then, it is time for Pinkie to open her presents. She got some pretty cool stuff, such as, balloons, confetti, more party cannons, and a giant horn. They were all expecting to have a good time all day, until the mane 6’s cutie marks started glowing. They all rush off towards Twilight’s palace. When they get inside, the mane 6 sit in their seats. Immediately, a map shows up on the table. It has their cutie marks floating above a location in the mountains. “I wonder what it is that is so important that needs all of us?” Twilight asks. They remember the location and head off. It is almost sunset by the time they get there. They quickly find a cave. When they go inside, the cave walls are lined with pulsating gems, and there is a low humming. “This has to be the place,” Twilight decides. “Let’s get going, ya’ll,” Apple Jack adds. They go deeper into the cave. As they do, they notice that they are going at a steady decline. Also, the humming is getting louder. The gems are blinking faster. As they get farther down, a fog starts to form. The humming starts to sound like music. “Is DjPon3 down here?” Twilight wonders aloud. They finally get to a large cavern. Now the gems are flashing like a light show. The humming has taken on the tone of head-banging dubstep. At the end of the cavern is a large gem in the general shape of a unicorn. When the six get closer, they see that it IS a unicorn. They all gather around and see that it is a stallion. “Oh, he’s handsome!” Rarity exclaims. “I’ll have to say I agree, there, Sugar Cube.” Apple Jack states. “Um… yes.” Fluttershy shyly agrees. “I guess so,” Twilight says. “Yeah, whatever,” Rainbow Dash says, gruffly, although she is definitely looking. “We must have to free him, ya’ll,” Apple Jack says. “Or maybe he is already breaking free and he’s a BAD guy! And we have to stop him!!!” Pinkie says, standing on her hind legs, and waving her forehooves like a boxing pony. “I don’t think so,” Twilight says, “I think that he is a good guy. But, just to be safe, be ready when we free him.” They surround the stallion and fire up their Elements of Harmony. They start floating and Twilight’s eyes glow white. Their element colors shoot out of their bodies and combine to form a rainbow. The rainbow rushes down and hits the gem. The gem cracks and shatters. The unicorn falls to the floor “I am back,” the unicorn looks excited at first, but then his face contorts into a look of sheer horror. “What’s wrong?” Twilight asks. The unicorn looks up, startled, as if he just noticed the girls standing there. When he sees them, he relaxes a little. “So, you must be the ‘six’. I must say, I didn’t expect you to be pretty girls.” “The ‘six’?” Twilight asks. “Pretty girls?” Rainbow Dash sounds offended, although she is blushing. “Just pretty?” Rarity also sounds offended. “What do you mean by the ‘six’?” Twilight asks again. “Years ago, my enemy cursed me. He said that someday I will fall and ‘six’ will bring me back. He also said that when I wake, he will as well. I have to get to Princess Celestia and warn her.” That was when he noticed Twilight’s wings. “You’re an alicorn?” He inquires. “Yes, I am the fourth alicorn princess, the Princess of Friendship.” She replies. “Fourth? Who’s the second and third?” He asks, confused. “Well, there’s Princess Cadance, who is married to Shining Armor, my brother. And then there is Princess Luna, she’s…” She breaks off as she sees the unicorn’s eyes widen. “What’s wrong?” “Princess Luna? She’s back, then?” “Yes, she came back as Nightmare Moon and we used the Elements of Harmony to turn her back into Princess Luna.” “I have to see her.” “Wait, you knew her?” “Knew her? She was my best friend. I was devastated when Princess Celestia and I had to banish her to the moon.” “You helped? If that’s the case, then you’ve been alive for over a thousand years!” “What? It cannot have been that long.” “Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s true.” Apple Jack puts in. “I must go.” “Come on, then.” Twilight says, turning to go. “Wait!” Rarity exclaims. “We do not know your name, good sir.” “I am Epic Bass.” At that, he walks out of the cave. The girls follow him until they get outside. Then, they lead the way down the mountain to the train station. Epic Bass was a little scared; he has never seen a train before. After about an hour, they arrive in Canterlot. They head to the castle and enter the throne room. They all, except Twilight, kneel before Princess Celestia. She looks down at them and tells them to rise. “Hello, Epic Bass. I wish I could say I was happy to see you, but if you are here, then that means that Flaring Flame will not be long.” “Yes, that is true. I wish that I was not here.” “Well, don’t wish that,” A voice says from behind them. Epic Bass turns around with a start. Standing near the door, he sees Princess Luna. Immediately, he walks up and bows. She raises his head up with her forehoof. “You do not need to bow to me, my friend.” She says. “I missed you, Luna.” Epic’s eyes are shining. “I missed you as well, Epic Bass.” She says. “So, no more Nightmare Moon, right?” He asks wearily. “Nightmare Moon will not be returning.” She winces. “Good, I am glad.” He states, adding, “but my return is not a good thing. It only means that Flaring Flame is returning.” “Well, maybe things are different now, maybe you came back and he didn’t.” Rarity puts in helpfully. “There is only one way to find out.” Princess Celestia states. They all head towards Everfree Forest, and the Castle of Two Sisters. Epic Bass leads the way to the Shrine to Nightmare Moon. When they get there, they see the petrified unicorn sitting on the altar. It is still. Princess Luna shivers as she looks at the shrine. She has a look of fear in her eyes. “Well, it looks like everything is fine,” Twilight states. “For now,” Epic replies, sullenly. They head back to Canterlot and Epic Bass eats his first meal in a thousand years. Author's Note This is Chapter 1, haha, haha. Chapter 2 will hopefully be added soon.
Chapter 2After the meal, everyone decides that they cannot do anything else just then, so they decide to sleep and deal with the situation the next day. They have to decide where Epic Bass will sleep. “He can stay at the Carousel Boutique with me.” Rarity says, a shine in her eyes. “I think he should stay here in Canterlot,” Luna puts in. “How about in my palace? It would make sense. There is plenty of room, and I am the Princess of Friendship after all,” Twilight states, matter-of-factly. “I think that is a splendid idea,” Celestia says, adding, “Is that alright with you, Epic Bass?” “I don’t see a problem with it. It would give me the time to get to know you all, right?” So, it is decided that Epic will live at Twilight’s palace, however temporary. They all head to their respective homes for the night, and the six, Spike, and Epic, will figure out what to do in the morning, while in Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna try to form a backup plan, for if the other plan fails. Epic finds it much easier to navigate the palace than most, possibly stemming from growing up with a princess. On the way to his assigned room, he meets Starlight Glimmer. They practically run into each other. “Oh, hello,” Starlight says. “Who are you?” Epic inquires. “I am Starlight Glimmer. I am here to learn about friendship from Princess Twilight,” she replies. They start talking and for some reason, she comes clean about the fact that she used to be evil, and stole the cutie marks of everyone in an entire town. Epic Bass didn’t seem fazed by it. In fact, he was impressed by her ability with magic, and is glad that she has become good now. The two of them quickly become friends. And, as it turns out, their rooms are right next to each other, so they can help each other get around the palace. Epic Bass goes to his room, but he doesn’t sleep. After all, he slept for a thousand years. But, that is not the only reason he doesn’t sleep. He sits up all night, pondering what to do. He knows that his enemy will awaken soon, and there is nothing he can do to stop it. He will have to battle Flaring Flame again, and this time, he is sure, will be much more difficult than the last. He will need the help of all of his friends, new and old. In the morning, the mane 6, Epic Bass, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer meet in the throne room. The mane 6 and Spike sit in their respective seats, and Starlight and Epic pull up chairs. They begin to talk about a plan. “There is no way to prevent the return of Flaring Flame, we will have to fight,” Epic Bass is saying. He is nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready. “Well, is there any way to postpone his return?” Twilight inquires. “I’m not sure where a spell like that could be found. Besides, I don’t think any one of us is powerful enough to perform a spell of that magnitude.” “We could check the Library in the Canterlot Palace,” suggested Rarity. “Yes, and as for the magnitude of the spell, maybe you’re right, no ONE pony can perform the spell, but if we all work together, we could pull it off, no problem, with the magic of friendship!” Twilight exclaims.” Epic Bass looks around at all is new friends and smiles. He realizes that what Twilight says is true. With the magic of friendship, anything is possible. He decides right then and there that he will always be there for his friends, as they are going to be there for him. They all head to Canterlot to search the library. When they get there, they begin to search. After a few hours, they start to lose hope in finding anything to help them. They continue searching until nearly sunset. At that point, they give up. “Let’s face it, there’s nothing here,” Epic Bass sighs. “Oh, dear, what will we do?” Fluttershy looks more worried than normal. The two of them are the only ones in this section of the library, and Epic Bass notices, not for the first time, how beautiful Fluttershy is. He stares at her for a while. She stares back for a few seconds, then looks away, blushing. He, on the other hand, could have stared at her for ages. He doesn’t even realize that he is doing it. He also doesn’t realize that she no longer likes it. He has stared at her for so long that now she just thinks it’s creepy. He finally looks away when he realizes this, and starts to half-heartedly search again. “Perhaps I can help?” A very familiar voice says behind the two ponies. The being standing, no, floating behind them is a mismatched jumble of a creature. With each body part that of a different animal, he is a strange sight to behold. Epic Bass has never seen him non paralyzed before. “Discord!!” He exclaims, charging up his very destructive wubs. Vmmmmmm Woooooooooob!!! “Woah!!” Discord shouts, teleporting a few feet to the left. “That is no way to treat a friend.” “How did you escape your prison, Discord?” “Escape? Oh, I didn’t escape, I was released. I’m reformed.” “Um...please don’t attack him, he is our friend,” Fluttershy puts in, quietly. “What’s goin’ on over here?” Apple Jack calls as she and the others run over. “I didn’t realize that Discord was no longer the evil being I always was told about.” Epic Bass replies, casting an apologetic glance at Discord. “Did you do that?” Twilight Sparkle asks, gesturing at the blast that Epic created through 5 bookcases and the wall of the castle. “Oops…” He says, “I just reacted on instinct, I went against all my training by impulsively attacking with such a powerful spell.” Twilight seems surprised that he can produce a spell of such magnitude. Epic explains that not only did he grow up around Celestia and Luna, which definitely improved his skill, but he also is a natural when it comes to what he calls “Dropping the Bass”. Also, he says that gems transport and hold power, and actually makes power greater over time. Being trapped in gems for a thousand years probably caused his power to cycle through the gems and build up until when the gems were broken, the immense amount of power embedded itself inside him. Epic Bass no longer even knows the extent of his own power. “So, you think you can help, Discord?” Epic ask, still suspicious. “Of course, I know that you’re trying to prevent an evil being from escaping from a prison of stone, which is a subject that I know quite well,” He replies, continuing, “Of course, Flaring Flame is too powerful to fully prevent from returning, but I can postpone his return long enough for us to prepare.” The eight ponies, dragon, and draconequus head back to Ponyville to prepare the spell. By the time they get back to the palace, it is well into the night. They decide to wait until the morning to continue their preparations. It was a long, tiresome day of looking through books. They all head to bed, none of them go home, that way it will be more convenient come morning. In the morning, they all eat a quick breakfast and get to work. Discord hasn’t performed this spell before, but he knows it will work. It will take all of them to make it work. They will need the mane 6 for their Elements of Harmony. Discord, Epic, and Starlight will be needed for their magic. It takes a few hours to make sure they get the spell right, and then they head to the Everfree Forest, and to Flaring Flame, still trapped in his prison. “Look!! There are cracks in the stone, he is breaking free. We must hurry!!” Epic Bass exclaims. “Alright, ya’ll. Are ya ready to do this?” Apple Jack asks. “Yes, sirree, dog!” Pinkie exclaims, enthusiastically. “Oh, um...I suppose,” Fluttershy says, shyly. The others chime in an affirmative. As Discord readies the spell, everyone joins in around him to perform it alongside him. The friends ready their own portions of the spell. The six activate the power of their Elements. Starlight and Epic point their horns at the statue. Once again, each of the mane 6’s elemental colors shoot out of their bodies and intertwine to become a rainbow. Starlight and Epic’s spell’s intertwine as well. And, of course, Discord raises his arms and…. FLOOM!!! The spell works. The cracks in Flaring Flame disappear, and he is trapped once more. The friends rejoice, except for Discord and Epic Bass. “This is only a temporary fix,” Epic says, solemnly. “Yes, quite. Flaring Flame will still escape, soon enough,” Discord states, adding, “I’d say we have about a week before he breaks free.” “Then we have a week to prepare,” Twilight says, matter-of-factly. They all head back to their individual homes, but Epic Bass decides that he is going to go visit Fluttershy. He heads to her little cottage to find her having a picnic with her many animal friends. He walks over to her and asks if he can join her. “Um...Of course,” she says, blushing, her eyes shining with happiness. So, Epic sits down and Angel hands him a teacup and a plate of food. Even he, who is normally a stubborn little bunny, seems to already like Epic Bass. After the picnic, they all sit and watch the sunset. As the sun is going down, Fluttershy and Epic Bass slowly scoot closer to each other. And as the last rays of sun disappear under the horizon, their flanks touch, and they lean against each other.
