Life's Annoying Paradox: Perception is Reality

Chapters

Ch.1 An end & a beginning
Ch.2 Unexpected Inspiration
Ch.3 Pain
Ch.5 Nightmares &.....Chibis?
Ch.6 Maelstrom
Ch.7 Pies, Death Threats, and Pranks. Oh my!
Ch.8 Insanity Break .....
Ch.4 How far does this rabbit hole go?

Ch.1 An end & a beginning

Journal entry number; 1
-Date this entry was written; November 26th, 2011
-Date the event(s) written about occurred; Yesterday

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

"How to begin? How to begin? How to begin?"

"That's one way to do it."

*sigh* "Quiet you."

"Thank you dear reader for choosing to partake in this particular piece of literature. That aside, I hate writing, the fact that you're reading this means that I deemed it important enough to try and write down."

"He ain't kidding. We skipped three essays in a row in school once cause we hate it so much."

"They didn't need to know that."

"Then why'd we mention hating it in the first place?"

"..... I guess the best place to begin then would have to be the dream that came before and followed after."

"Ends life, kills laughter."

"..... I hate you too"

"I know."

.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*

The Solar Princess and one of her dearest friends are flying back to the royal castle after a party celebrating the end of another glorious adventure. Though the occasion was a happy one, the princess cringed slightly at what she knew was coming next.

Sure enough, he spoke. "It is time, princess."

"Harmonous, no! Even you don't have the power to cast that spell!" shouted the princess.

"Do you forget my perspective once again, and thus my limits? One is only limited by their imagination; I have proven this time, and time again, have I not?"

She sat there, glad for his company yet never wanting anything more from him. Slowly but surely he began to chant. It was a sad tune, one that seemed all too familiar to her. For the scores of times she had heard it, she still could not recall the lyrics. The princess shook her head and listened as Harmonous continued.

Before she knew it, he had finished. There was a warm smile on his face. He had reached out towards the princess; waiting, a warm smile on his face. She reached out towards him, a single tear in her eye.

As soon as their outstretched limbs connected, the spell activated, flowing out of its caster, and into its target. Her sight gained new clarity; she could now see that which was magically hidden. The first thing she saw was always one of the hardest to watch.

The final gleams of light went out from his eyes. They had both known what was going to happen, but he didn't care, and she knew better than to try and stop him. Slowly his form shrunk in size and grandeur till he resembled a well crafted doll.

He had chosen this form of immortality long ago. He had been the one to think of it, though as to why he had chosen it she could never seem to fully comprehend.

The princess walked the halls of her castle, staring straight ahead. She was too lost in her own thoughts to bother with those around her. Her subjects dropped to a knee before her as she strode past them. Because of this, no one noticed the faint gleam in the corner of their Princess' eyes. Only a few of her subjects would ever look her straight in the eyes to notice such a thing, but not one of them dare mention the pain they might have seen there.

She sighed, wishing that they would simply treat her more as a friend than a ruler. By now, though, she knew better than to expect this from her subjects. But still, one could hardly tire of the friendly demeanor of ponies such as Harmonous, even if he did tend to scare her from time to time.

Slowly but surely the princess made her way through the halls of the castle, traveling far beyond where she allowed the Royal Guard to station themselves. Every few generations -- almost like clockwork -- one of the more outspoken recruits would ask why they weren’t stationed farther along some corridors. The answer was the same each time.

"It's not that I don't have faith in you to guard these areas, but some things are best left alone. The farther you are from them, the better.”

Predictably, the inquisitive one would look confused at the explanation, but the sincerity with which she said the answer had put them at ease every time.

Standing in front of a tall set of ornately carved double doors, the princess contemplated the situation. It still frustrated her slightly that even she required a spell to find this room, but she knew well enough that such an arrangement was probably for the best. Just being in the room beyond almost always left her near or in tears by the time she left. Using her magic, she opened the doors and walked in, making sure to close them gently once inside.

It was not a large room, but it still held great importance to her. It was horseshoe-shaped, with the wider end towards the door. Lined along the long curving wall were about ten or fifteen ornate pedestals. While some had glass cases set atop them, the majority were bare.

The princess levitated the miniaturized form of her friend out of her hair and held it aloft before her. Again she sighed inwardly. She began to walk towards one of the pedestals.

"I still wish you had chosen normal immortality over this Harmonous. I guess it's for the best, as it has always been, even though you always tried your hardest not to endanger anyone with your powers."

She giggled as a memory of one of his more hilarious endeavors flashed through her mind.

Having made her way across the room while lost in her thoughts, she stopped in front of one of the pedestals. It was comprised of three separate symbols, each one successively smaller than the one it floated above.

The largest and lowest of the three was a hollowed out octagon, its cardinal points ending in triangles. This one rotated clockwise. The middle of the three appeared to be composed of three intertwined flower petals, forming a rough triangle, it rotated counter-clockwise. The smallest & highest of the three was a simple circle composted of two fish circling each other.

After placing him in the center of the highest symbol, she stepped back. Briefly calling to mind how the spell was cast, she wove her magic into the air above the pedestal. After a few moments and a slow exhalation, the ward activated. A glass case appeared in the air and drifted slowly down over her friend's miniaturized form.

Looking slowly from side to side, she turned around, and started walking towards the exit. Best not to dwell here much longer, she thought. Halfway across the room she stopped. In front of her, at about level with her head, a wisp of air formed. Quickly morphing into a small spout of fire, and finally with a barely audible pop, a sealed scroll appeared in the air before her.

Recognizing the seal on the scroll, a smile slowly crept across her face. Quickly levitating the parchment into her hair, she crossed the rest of the room to the door. Pausing briefly before it, she took another look around, casting her gaze from one case topped pedestal to another.

Exiting, she picked up her pace some, a knowing look on her face. Her sister did so enjoy hearing from this particular subject, even if the topic of the messages was sometimes a bit awkward.

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

"Did you have to make it sound so.....lame?"

"I did nothing but write the dream out as I remembered it. I added nothing, I changed nothing, I removed nothing."

"Urg.....no wonder I exist."

"Why's that?"

"To keep us from being tediously dull."

"....."

.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*

Ch.2 Unexpected Inspiration

Entry #4
-Date of entry; December 19th, 2011
-Date of event(s); 1,500-ish years before Nightmare Moon's banishment

Harmonous walked through the winding halls of the castle only slightly aware of the passage of time. His mind was struggling with a particularly frustrating question: Would he live as long as Celestia? The question had arisen while they were discussing the lifespans of the other species that resided within equestria.

He assumed the answer was yes, but the oddity of his existence denied him certainty on that account. Where as he might live forever as himself, doing so would deprive his friends of living each of their own lives; none of them were alicorns, meaning they would probably live mortal lives - possibly a little longer than most, but not eternal like he could.

Harmonous stopped for a second and sighed.

"How old are we all again?" he wondered out loud.

A few of the ponies walking by him flicked their eyes towards him as they passed, momentarily interested before they continued on their ways.

Let's see now... Fin is thirty, Hal is thirty-eight, that leaves Tom who's forty-six. Now, add those altogether... carry the one... giving me a combined age of... one-hundred and fourteen? he figured, remembering not to voice his thoughts this time.

Harmonous stopped again, this time the thought of his age causing him to cringe. Losing his concentration for a second, he felt himself begin to drift apart.

No! he thought, quickly regaining his composure and concentration. They'd think something was wrong if I allowed myself to split now. Not to mention it would scare the hell out of everypony in sight.

He started on his way again, mentally berating himself for slipping up over such a small thing.

Harmonous wandered through the castle gardens, before sitting down on a nearby bench. Looking around, he sighed - this time thankfully. There was nopony around here, which meant he could think out loud without worry.

After a moment, he spoke, "Of course there's nopony around here, I'm one of the few who dare to come near this statue."

Nearby sat the statue in question. It was quite tall, perhaps four times his height, but relatively thin. It’s form was lithe. Some ponies would think it odd that others would be afraid of such a statue, but then they would usually pale when the rest of the description was given.

Though there wasn't a pony alive today other than the Royal Sisters that knew what had happened, rumors and stories about the statue were still floating around. Originally he hadn't given the statue a second though the first time he had seen it. While incredibly detailed and life-like, he had never considered that such a creature might actually exist.

Stopping his mind from wandering for a moment, he thought back. No, he hadn't seen it himself. It had been Fin, Hal, and Tom that had seen it. Each had more or less the same thought regarding the statue, but those thoughts combined where his memory.

After seeing the looks and mannerisms of those ponies that had to pass by the statue, even going so far as to ask one of them what they seemed afraid of, he went and asked the sisters about the statue. At first they had given him a roundabout answer that would have normally been used in calming the occasional inquisitive pony.

But Harmonous knew better: just by standing near the cold stone figure he could feel that the statue was different. He had interrupted them as they spoke and told them what he had felt. They had both paled slightly with shocked looks upon their faces.

Turning to each other, they conversed in whispers before turning back to their friend. “I supposed there is no real harm in it then,” Spoke Celestia, before they divulged the statue’s true origins.

Thinking back on it some more, Harmonous chuckled. Before him was the petrified form of a being that could do anything that came to mind, but yet had still been imprisoned for his actions. This statue was all that remained of what had once been Discord, the very spirit of chaos and disharmony.

Harmonous did not fear him like most ponies did, nor did he fear him like the sisters did. He had realized rather quickly that even though Discord was inherintly evil, he still served a purpose. Whether or not Discord agreed with the purpose Harmonous thought he served was of little importance to the alicorn. Discord existed to balance out part of the world. Just as day and night balanced each other out, so to must their order be balanced by chaos.

Discord was necessary, of this Harmonous was sure. To kill him might very well have destroyed the world. The more he thought on it, the more he realized that everything that had happened, happened as it needed to. Even when something seemed horribly wrong, it was always just the way it needed to be. He stopped for a second and thought harder.

"Without sadness, how would we know what happiness is?"

Without anypony to answer his question, his mind returned to the original dilemma. He could try living on as if nothing was out of place, hoping that nothing bad would happen. But then what?

His friends would have to watch as everyone they knew died. Could he condemn them to a life like that just so that he could continue to exist? There had to be a better way.

Suddenly, Harmonous shuddered violently. [color#=4A2323]"The hay?" he exclaimed as he looked around. Freezing up, he turned slowly towards the statue of Discord. He scrutinized the surface. There was a crack in the tail, one that had not been there before.

"Oh horseapples!"

The alicorn rose to his hooves and cautiously trotted over to the statue. Leaning his horn in close to the crack, he began to focus his magic.

"You're not getting out of your prison that easily, Discord," he remarked as he calmed his mind.

Slowly the crack began to shrink, his magic working the split stone whole again. As quickly as it had appeared, the fracture was gone. Harmonous sighed.

"I really need to be more careful with my thoughts and emotions," he said as he continued to inspect the statue. He had to ensure that no other fractures had appeared.

As he was looking the statue over, an idea flashed through his mind. "I'm sure Celestia won't mind," he said, smirking. Again he focused his magic on the statue, this time doing his best to understand the spell that held Discord. He was slightly disappointed at what he found.

The sisters must not have thought to check and see how strong the spell was or how long it would last.

The spell essentially sealed Discord within a second of time, coated him in stone, and made him neigh indestructible for all intensive purposes. But it had nothing to deal with the magic that the spirit of chaos seemed to generate simply by existing. Nor did it have anything to keep outside magic from interfering or modifying the spell.

Well I can fix that, he thought.

Turning his magic on the statue for a third time, he began to weave the magic that was building up inside the stone into the spell itself. He hummed to himself while he worked, the seconds passing a little easier. Stepping back he examined his spellcraft three times over before finally settling back down on the bench.

"That should hold you for a couple hundred more years...oh horseapples," his elation suddenly turning to dread as he felt first burning then freezing hatred nearby. Turning around slowly, he found himself flanked by both Celestia & Luna. Celestia was the first to speak.

"Harmonous, please stand back," she stated while staring straight at the statue.

"Princess I can assure you-"

"I said: Stand back."

This time he moved without a word, watching as both sisters advanced to the statue, flanking it. Quickly their horns flared and engulfed Discord with magic. The resolute looks on their faces flashed to fear, then confusion, and finally to relief as they both took a step back.

In unison the sisters looked back at the slightly nervous pony, themselves slightly confused.

"Harmonous?" asked Luna, perplexed.

"I'm sorry if I scared you both,” he apologized, “I was mulling over something troubling and it apparently had an adverse affect on the spell holding Discord. So I took the liberty of repairing the damage. I even modified the spell so that it would use his own chaotic power against him to reinforce & refresh itself. It can now only be modified by either of you, or myself,” Harmonous beamed at the two sisters for his handiwork.

"Thank you Harmonous, but is the spell still linked to the Elements of Harmony?" Celestia asked.

"Yes, of course it is! Letting the spell run on only chaos would have been rather ignorant wouldn't you agree?" he returned, slightly unnerved.

Both Princesses visibly relaxed, looking at each other, then back at him.

"Thank you again, Harmonous. I hope you understand our apprehension regarding Discord," it was Luna that thanked him.

"Of course, I'm sorry to have disturbed you both with this," he said as he knelt before them.

"Well we'd best be off then," both sisters spoke in unison. They blinked, quickly looking at each other, then chuckling a bit as they made their way back into the castle.

"Now where was I?"

Harmonous turned to face the statue again. Suddenly his eyes lit up as an idea formed within his mind. He looked up, straight at the frozen form of Discord's face.

"Thank you Discord, I do believe you have solved my problem."

Harmonous got up and trotted back into the castle, making his way towards his room. He mulled the idea over in his head on the way, noting any preparations that would need to be made, and any other spells that might be required.

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

"Entries will usually be displayed in the order their events occurred, not in which they were written. Entry one is an exception to this because it has happened twice. I'd go farther into the details of this, but just trying to think of a way to explain it quickly is giving me a headache."

"Basically, we had the dream, went back in time, lived for about two-thousand five-hundred years, and then had the dream again, on the exact same day, in another world/universe/dimension/etc."

"I don't know if I should throttle you or thank you for that."

.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*

Ch.3 Pain

Entry #3
-Date of entry; December 12th, 2011
-Date of event(s); 1,500-ish years before Nightmare Moon's banishment

Fin bolted upright in his bed, gasping for air; once again, his dreams had become a nightmare. The stallion sighed. It was the same one he had been having regularly for the past month. He wished he knew why he was having them.

After his breathing returned to normal he crawled out of bed. Stretching for a moment before turning around, he set his magic to work making his bed. That finished, he walked over to his desk and sat in the nearby chair.

Why am I plagued by this nightmare? he thought to himself.

There was pain. So much pain.

He shivered as the lingering feelings of the nightmare finally passed from his mind. Using his magic, he pulled out his journal to mark the occurrence. After flipping through the pages, he came to the one where he had recorded, as best he could remember, the details of the nightmare, along with how many times it had occurred.

Hal, Tom, and myself stand in place as the world changes around us rapidly. First the throne room, then top of the mountain the castle was built into, an endless savanna, a mysterious forest, the streets of Manehatten, on top of a huge storm, sometimes deep underground even. But the feeling was always the same. Deep, unending, life draining pain. As I looked around, I could see that my friends felt it too. We could barely stand it. One by one we would fall. First Hal, then Tom, and finally myself. Sometimes Tom would fall first. Sometimes I would be first. It always ended with me awakening as soon as I could bear the pain no longer.

Fin shuddered and looked down at the tally he had been keeping. This time made seven total. What disturbed him most of all about the nightmare was that he never knew what happened to Harmonous. If he and his friends each felt that, he dared not comprehend what it could feel like for Mono.

Fin stood and walked over to the corner of the room in which he left his projects. Before him, a bagful of enchanted items floated. Recently he had been working on a cube made up of twenty-seven smaller cubes. Each of the nine sides of the larger cube were coated in a different colored gem, with the normally unseen sides of each of the smaller ones made of some indistinguishable black material. Fin sighed; he didn't feel like playing with his toys at the moment.

I think I'll go talk to Tom -- see if he's had the same dream. I hope the he won't mind the intrusion, were his thoughts as he left his room.

Tom raised his head and blinked his eyes a few times. "Aaaaaahhhhhhh, must ta' dozed off for a moment there."

He yawned a few more times and looked around his makeshift workshop.

"Now where was I?" he asked as he looked at what he was working on.

Before him were several plates of metal, each of a varying thicknesses. Tom still was not sure exactly what it was that he was trying to craft; all he knew was that he wanted to make it and that it was going to be huge.

"I'm gonna' have ta' move this thing outside at some point, it's gettin so darned big!" he yelled over the top of his hammering.

So far he had built what could only be described as a boat with wheels. It had multiple axles with a single wheel on each end. Those in the middle had a groove running the entirety of their circumference. The wheels on then ends had teeth sticking out of them, evenly spaced all the way around. Tom assumed that there was a purpose to having more than two axles & two different kinds of wheels.

Before he could think on it much more, he thought he heard a noise. Stopping his hammering for a moment, he listened intently. He could hear knocking coming from the door.

"It’s open!" he hollered, watching as the door opened. In stepped Fin, looking a little paler than normal.

"I do hope that I'm not interrupting anything important Tom," said the grey unicorn as he looked around a bit.

"Not at all ma friend. So what can I do for ya?" the rust-colored stallion asked.

"I was hoping to ask you something kinda important."

"Well, let's hear it then," Tom urged.

He looked up at Fin to show him that that he was paying attention. However, as his gaze fell upon his friend, Tom found that Fin was shuddering slightly.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tom asked.

"Have... have you been having any weird dreams lately?” stammered Fin. “And no,” he added, “I'm not okay."

"You had it too?" Tom asked.

Fin blinked; he hadn't expected that.

The two stallions looked at each other for a moment. They shared an expression of disbelief, followed by one of common pain. Both sets of eyes widened before they yelped, "Did you feel that too?" they asked each other. Fin shivered while Tom shook his head; the same draining pain they felt in their dreams, there had been a quick moment of it.

"Go get Hal, I'll meet ya both in Mono's room," Tom said as he put away his tools.

"Umm, sure thing," Fin said sheepishly.

Suddenly a cloud burst in the sky. In its place was what most would describe as a swirling ball of lightning.

"Celestia buck it all! I hate that dream!” Hal cursed as he hovered in the middle of the ball.

The nightmare from which he had just awoken always managed to make him seethe with anger. His room still had a few scorch marks from the first time he had dreamt it.

Hal bolted from where he was and started smashing through every cloud he could find, hoping to blow off some steam, and calm himself down. As he did so the electrical storm that had manifested around him slowly shrank until it was little more than a few stray arcs of static.

"Ha! Stupid dream, you can't hurt me.”

He suddenly found himself encased in a sphere of magic.

“Da buck?" he exclaimed.

His anger flared and with it the energy he had been suppressing surged forth. Fire spewed out in every direction as he prepared to pulverize whoever dared stop him. He broke through the barrier easily.

"WHAT BUCKING MORON DARES TO TRY AND CONTAIN HAILFIRE SHOCK?!" thundered the enraged zegasus as he looked around.

As soon as he saw who had done so his anger abated, the lightning and fire evaporating as he calmed himself down.

"By Celestia, Fin, you need to find a better way to get my attention. I almost tried to fry you right there ya know," he said looking down at his friend hovering nearby.

"I... I'm sorry Hal, you know I don't always think things through when I'm using my magical wings." Fin turned to the side, favoring the pure magic appendages extending from his back.

"Tom told me to come get you. There's something we want to talk about."

"What did I do this time Fin?" Hal asked in a flat tone.

"Nothing! It's just something that has to do with all three of us."

"And what would that be?" sneered the zegasus.

"Well umm..."

Fin trailed off. He was scared of the answer he might get.

"Out with it!” shouted Hal.

At Fin’s expression, the zegasus caught himself. “Urg... Sorry... I'm still just a little upset after... stupid nightmare."

Hal spat as he looked away.

"Not you too?" Fin confirmed worriedly. He was really scared now.

"What? Wait, don't tell me..." Hal asked back while fixing his friend with a piercing stare.

Fin cringed, he did not like it when Hal stared at -- well anything for that matter. It reminded him too much of the griffin diplomats he had seen when they were eating dinner with Celestia.

He quickly nodded his head. "Just great! Bucking peachy! Where are we having this conversation at?" He would never admit it, but he was scared now too.

"Mono's room," was all Fin could say before Hal bolted towards the castle.

Fin yelped while tumbling for a few moments until he was able to right himself. Hal had a bad habit of becoming lightning when he was in a hurry. Fin sighed and aimed for the castle as well. Maybe I should grab my journal first, he thought as he glided down.

Inside Harmonous' room, two ponies sat, waiting for the third.

"Come-on, come-on, Come-On!" blurted the impatient zegasus, "He should have been right behind me!"

"Calm down already. I doubt Mono would appreciate scorch marks on his floor. And I'm sure Fin will be here in a moment., spoke Tom.

"Err... sorry. It's just that this is annoying enough as is without having to wait to talk about it."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Fin squeaked out as he finally entered the room, "I, tho-- thought it would be a good idea to bring my journal with me."

"What for?" Hal huffed.

"Because I wrote down as much of the nightmare as I could remember in it, and how many times I've had it."

"Oh... well... I guess that makes sense."

"Now if you would be so kind, Fin, please show us the page in question."

"Umm, sure thing," Fin said as he moved next to Tom and opened his journal.

They all paled slightly as they read the description they each knew all too well. Hal unconsciously emitted cold as he read the tally at the bottom of the page. Tom merely paled even more.

"You're bucking me, right Fin? This is just a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid that's not the case, Hal." said Tom gravely.

"This--" Fin stopped speaking as they all started experiencing intense pain.

"Harm--" Hal managed before he dropped to the floor.

"--onous," Tom finished as he too fell to the ground.

As soon as he saw Hal start to tilt, Fin ripped out a fresh page from his journal and conjured up a quill, imbuing it with his last thoughts as he to crashed to the ground. The quill continued to write even after Fin had fallen unconscious. It’s task finished, the utensil vanished, leaving the room absent of motion.

After several minutes, an eerie mist began to coalesce in the middle of the room. The bodies of the three friends had become like smoke.

The smoke solidified into the form of an alicorn.

"Aaaaahhhhh... what a nice nap," Harmonous spoke as he looked around.

He made his way across his room towards his desk. But, before he got there, he heard a crinkle underhoof.

"Huh?" he said as he looked down.

A note? I wonder why they didn't just put it on my desk? he thought as he levitated the note up to eye level.

Dear Celestia it hurts! Harmonous I pray you read this quickly. Tom, Hal, and I were about to discuss a nightmare we had all had, when it actually started to come true. My journal should be on the floor close by. Read page one-hundred and forty-nine.

Harmonous paled as he read the hastily written note. The pain Fin had been feeling had somehow managed to affect the spell he had cast on the quill; the writing looked as if the writer had been dying.

Harmonous searched the floor for the journal. Finding it, he quickly turned to the mentioned page, a heavy feeling in his gut.

"No. Please Celestia, NO!"

Harmonous froze. Something was not right. He too had started to feel the sourceless pain and could tell that it was slowly intensifying. His thoughts rushing, he grabbed the note and the journal and teleported from the room.

Ch.5 Nightmares &.....Chibis?

Entry #5
-Date of entry; December 22th, 2011
-Date of event(s); 1,500-ish years before Nightmare Moon's banishment

Celestia lay in her bed, shifting uneasily in her sleep. Nightmares did not plague her often, but when she did happen to have one, they were usually grisly affairs. This one was no different.

She sat upon the throne as the four ponies writhed before her in agony. There were tears in her eyes. These were her citizens and it was her responsibility to protect them. But there she sat, powerless to help these four in anyway. It was not that she was unable physically get near them or that her magic was being blocked; it was just that everything she tried had no affect on their condition whatsoever.

The sight of them in pain continued until all their life was spent. The same heart-wrenching display repeated itself over and over and over.

The alicorn screamed with all her might. "Somepony please help! Anypony! A zebra! A griffin! A dragon even! Anything! Just stop their pain! I don't want them to die!"

Her voice was growing hoarse from yelling so much. Her spirit was dropping as nopony answered her.

"Please don't let them die!” she begged, “I don't want to be left alone! Why do they always have to die?”

A familiar voice answered her plea. "They don't always have to die."

"Wha-what?"

Celestia slowly sat up in her bed.

"Uurrhhggg. . . . .wha-wha, who what now?" the alicorn asked, trying to calm her addled mind.

"We said they do not all have to die, sister," repeated Luna.

"Oh, it is you," spoke the older of the two royal sisters.

Her mind raced for a moment as she sat up in bed.

"Thank you for saving me from that nightmare. But I would like to know why you are here."

"Are we not to worry about our sister when she is hurting?" asked the night-blue mare, a hint of mirth in her voice.

Celestia blinked, her mind racing again at just what that meant.

"Where is he Luna?" Celstia asked, quickly getting out of her bed.

"They,” Luna corrected, “Are fine. According to the guard Mono teleported into the throne room. You yelled at him. A slightly prolonged flash of light was seen. After which, you were unconscious upon the throne. Mono was curled up at the bottom of the stairs. Fin, Hal, and Tom were in a jumbled pile right behind him. That, and the Griffins were not happy about being interrupted."

The worry on the older melted into relief before scrunching up into confusion.

"Yes Tia, we are just as surprised as you are."

A shudder of rage passed through Celestia as she contemplated the source of the issue, before focusing on her sister once more.

"How, how are they Luna?"

"They are all fine -- unconscious still -- but fine."

The worry on Celestia's face eased a bit while she stretched.

"And what of the Griffin diplomats? Ragewing and Mattoclaw never were very understanding of such incidents."

"We wish you could have seen it sister.” The younger sister chuckled. “It looked as if they where about to burst with anger."

"How, dare I ask, did you deal with them?"

The older put a hoof to her forehead, half knowing the answer.

"A few of their favorite flavored pies to the face, some hard cider, and they were soon understanding enough to go rest in the guest rooms." Luna stifled a giggle as she spoke.

Celestia shook her head, some things never changed.

Standing up, the older set her magic to work. Crossing the room, she straightened the bed, removed her regalia, and combed her hair; it worried the subjects to see her disheveled.

"Luna, would you be so kind as to do the same as I?" she asked turning towards her sister.

"May we inquire as to why,Tia?" the younger asked in return.

"I have a feeling we are going to be busy for a while. It would be best to have as few things burdening us as possible."

"We see. We will meet you outside their rooms then."

The two alicorns exited the room, the younger stepping across the hall to enter her own room while the older went on ahead.

The Princess of the Sun stopped in the middle of the hallway outside the rooms of her four friends.

She could tell something was different before she even entered one. Where as she normally felt many small interruptions in the plane of magic, here it was calm and deathly quiet.

Before she could contemplate what this meant any further though, an interruption burst forth from the third door on her right.

Two orbs, each a quarter the size of a full grown pony, careened around the hall in an erratic pattern, smashing into each other repeatedly along the way. One was a seething ball of fire emanating anger. The other was made of lightning. While the electrified one also emanated anger, Celestia felt it radiated more confusion.

The two orbs of chaos soared back through the door they had burst forth from, the wind in their wake pulling the door shut behind them.

The guards in the hallway stayed at their posts flanking each door, but every one of them turned and stared at Celestia. A few just stared; they had seen worse. Others looked terrified. Some just seemed confused. One, Celestia could barely hear, seemed to be laughing. The regal mare sighed.

"Gentlecolts, control yourselves," she said, making sure to be firm but gentle in her tone.

"And umm..." she stopped to stifle a giggle, "Fix your manes please."

The armored stallions blinked; they had not expected such an answer in the wake of such a potentially dangerous situation. That, however, was before they started looking at each other. Not one of them had been left unscathed. Some manes were smoldering, the colored hair erect in wild spines or frozen into spikes.

They all did their best to hide their chuckles as small parts of their brains registered that this should not have been funny, and that they should not have been laughing. But each reasoned to themselves that if the princess was not worring, then neither should they.

"Guards," Celestia spoke, regaining their attention, "Go position yourselves at the ends of the hallway. My sister will be here momentarily.”

As you command your majesty," replied the sergeant of the group. After a few quick movements of his hooves, the guards split into two groups and moved towards either end of the hall.

Celestia looked around the hall. The orbs' brief rampage had left scars of fire, lightning, and ice along the walls, floor, and ceiling. Focusing her magic, she set about reversing the damage that had been done, all the while paying attention how her spells affected the plane of magic. She observed that each burst of magic would cause a ripple to form before it was choked down to silence once again.

Harmonous and his friends never had this magnitude of magical presence before, she thought.

"Just what did you do, human?" she said aloud, voicing her thoughts.

"What's a human, dear sister?" asked Luna as she alighted beside the white alicorn.

"We're going to find out just that. But before we do, do you notice it too, Luna?" Celestia asked back.

"Yes, we can sense it too. Magic is too quiet here, as if another presence is smothering it. Why do you ask?"

"I was merely making sure sister," at this Celestia moved towards Hal's room, with Luna following beside.

"Wouldn't it be better to see Hal after one of the others?" the dark blue alicorn inquired.

"He seems to be awake already. And agitated. So it would be best to calm him down a bit before he smashes a hole in one of the walls again.”

"Oh dear," the younger sister said, "We must see this." There was a hint of glee in her voice.

Using her magic, Celestia opened the door to Hailfire's room. Both sisters sat in mute shock at what they found within.

Ch.6 Maelstrom

Entry #6
-Date of entry; December 25th, 2011
-Date of event(s); 1,500-ish years before Nightmare Moon's banishment

"Uuuuurrrrgggg... somepony tell me I didn't knock myself out again. No, I don't think you knocked yourself out this time, unnggg. How long was I out for? How should I know? I just came to, myself. Great! They don't even bother telling the attendants anything anymore. I'm not an attendant ya hot head. Then what are you doing here? Again, how should I know? Well its not like I'm talking to myself! Naw I couldn't tell. As soon as I open my eyes, I'm punching you. We'll just have to see about that."

The zegasus opened his eyes and looked around. "Well, where the hay are you? I could ask you the same thing. Get your plot out from wherever you're hiding then! I'm not hiding anywhere, moron. Then shut up at least, you're giving me a headache. You're starting to piss me off; quit saying everything that's on my mind."

The lone pony got up out of his bed. "Tough luck dirt bag, I say what I feel like. Yeah, sure, right up until I kick you in the balls. Fat chance, I'd just freeze your hooves to the ground. Bullshit, people can't do crap like that! I don't know what people are, but this pony sure as Celestia can. Celestia my foot, come out here so I can kick your ass. I'm not hiding numnuts. Don't copy me ya imbecile. I'm so going to roast your plot when I find you. And I'm going to break all of your limbs!

The pony made his way over to the custom made mirror in his room. Considering the destructiveness of his own powers, and the fragility of most mirrors, he had shaped this one from silver and diamond. Momentarily forgetting about the soon-to-be-hospitalized jackpony hiding in his room, Hal beamed with pride at his creation.

It had taken him years to master his command of the physical elements. Air was second nature to him; he was part pegasus after all. Water soon followed and fire came easily enough as he learned to channel his anger properly. Earth had been the hardest, but he had the brute force to manipulate it once he figured out how.

"Nice mirror, now where are you? Huh what now? I said, where are you? Forget that, how are you making my mouth move? Your mouth? What the hell are you blathering about now? There you go again, quit that! I'll speak my mind whenever I want to. Not through my mouth you aren't! Since when the hell did I turn into a talking horse?! I'm a pony you idiot, a zegasus to be freakin’ exact. A zegasus? Let me guess, that's a cross between a zebra and a pegasus? At least you aren't clueless too. Oh for the love of-- you gotta be kidding me."

Here, he facehoofed. "Oh great, you can move my limbs too. Who said they were your limbs? My parents did when I was born, numnuts. Oh really? Yeah, really. Well stop hitting yourself then! Wait, wh--!"

THUMP!

He began punching himself as the two minds battled each other.

"THAT’S IT! I DON'T CARE IF ITS MY BODY! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SORRY PLOT!"

At this he started slamming into the walls at speeds that would have broken most ponies bones.

"Wow, you are a stupid one aren't you... Ow ow ow ow ow! Not so tough now are ya? My turn then!"

Hal stopped running into things, flapped his wings, and began flying in circles within the room.

"Hurry up and hurl; I'm getting bored of you. Pffft, that's your bright idea? Here, have some of this then!"

His right hoof ignited and he slammed it into the left side of his face. "Bet you didn't see that coming, numnuts. My turn again!"

His left hoof crackled with lightning before is was smashed into the right side of his face.

The pony of two minds payed no heed to his surroundings as his powers began to rage out of control. Pieces of furniture that he had smashed through before swirled about the room in a tornado.

Bit by bit, anything that wasn't built from stone slowly vaporized in the onslaught of fire, ice, and lightning generated by the enraged zegasus. Wood ignited, burnt through, smoldered, and crumbled to ash. Metal bits arced with static as they melted down and collected into globs before freezing over and shattering as they were cast against the walls.

Standing outside, on either side of the door, the two guards had started to visibly sweat. At this point, they were unsure what they should be more afraid of, the pony within, or Celestia in a bad mood.

These two had, on previous occasions, had the misfortune of being assigned to guard this particular pony. The noise they heard coming from the room this time made all the past times sound calm by comparison.

"Do you think we should...?" the one on the right managed before another crash was heard from behind the door.

"Not on your life," replied the one on the left.

By now, not even the diamond reinforced and silver backed mirror had remained intact. Anything and everything that was in the room had been smashed, vaporized, or melted into the floor, walls, and ceiling.

"COME ON! IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT? MY LITTLE SISTER HITS HARDER!"

Raw electricity danced a jagged path through the room as its partner of primal fire seared the very air in its wake. The physical body of the enraged zegasus was no longer visible by this point, all that could be seen holding the two together was a rapidly shrinking dark mass. A dwindling trail of fire coming from one side and a thining trail of static from the other was all that held the two small protrusions of concentrated fire and sparks that had once been forehooves.

Eventually the mass diminished in size till it winked out of exsistence. No longer joined together they circled farther about the room, bouncing off each other and everything else. Their common trajectory brought them into contact with the door to the room. Knocking it open, they careened, screaming, into the space beyond.

Not even realizing that they were now in the hall, the two masses of energy continued on their way.

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait."

"What now?"

"How do we know what the guards said?"

"Did you have to bring that up?

"Yes."

"Technically I don't know what they could have said, but creative license, and all that bull."

.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*

Ch.7 Pies, Death Threats, and Pranks. Oh my!

Entry #7
-Date of entry; January 14th, 2012
-Date of event(s); 1,500-ish years before Nightmare Moon's banishment

The Royal Sisters gaped at the spectacle before them. They had both seen what Hal was capable of before -- they had even seen him destroy his own room on a few occasions -- but what they saw before them was far beyond the norm for this inherently violent pony.

The entire room looked like the inside of some giant black pearl. The walls, floor, and ceiling were charred and melted together. Streaks of hardier materials could be seen here and there where they had fused with the stone, but even those were slowly turning black. Swirling about the room were the two orbs of pure energy. Occasionally, they would break off of their circling to crash into one another, streamers of fire mushrooming outward as lighting arced off like the branches of a tree.

The two royal sisters stood there for a few moments, trying to comprehend just what was going on. Slowly Celestia regained her composure, rubbed her head with a hoof, and grumbled.

"First the griffins, then the parasite, and now Hal. I dare not contemplate what comes next."

Turning to the right, the older sister looked at the younger. Finding a devious grin on the night-blue alicorn’s face, she spoke.

"Luna....."

"Worry not; we have an idea," the younger said before teleporting away.

"That's what I was afraid of," the older said to the empty patch of floor that had once contained Luna.

Turning back, Celestia stared at the maelstrom before her once more. Just what has gotten you so enraged this time, Hailfire? she pondered as she waited for her younger sister to return.

To pass the time, the older sister examined the containment spell she had cast on the room long before. The spell was the only thing keeping the storm from bursting out into the hallway.

After several minutes, Celestia heard the soft beat of large wings approaching; Luna was returning.

"Enjoying the show, Tia?” the moon princess asked as she landed next to her sister.

"Not as much as I could if it wasn't so threatening to other ponies," replied Celestia.

"Well, we shall make it less threatening and more entertaining then."

The older raised an eyebrow before noticing the pies floating in the younger's magical grasp.

"Magma-Cream and Frost-Berry, I assume?” the sun princess said.

"Hailfire's favorites, as usual,” Luna replied with a grin.

A faint smile appeared on Celestia's face. They had used this tactic to pacify Hal on previous occasions.

Taking half of the pies with her magic, Celestia took three steps backwards. Luna followed suit and took aim.

"Three... Two... One... Fire!" both alicorns shouted in unison as they launched the pies into the room.

The door slammed shut as soon as the last pie flew through. The sisters listened for the cacophony of sounds that they knew would follow.

The attention of the two whirling masses of energy had been shifted when they both heard fire shouted from the doorway. They had little time as to wonder who had done so as they tried to dodge the incoming baked goods. As the airborne pies sailed through the room, they quickly became superheated by the forces within and exploded haphazardly. The two orbs of energy were quickly covered in pie bits.

"THE HELL IS THIS?! IT’S PIE! PIE? Tastes like my favorite kind too! I hate pie! Suck it up and deal with it, pie is awesome!"

No longer focused on assailing each other, the burning fire and arcing static slowly drifted near each other once more. Hailfire rematerialized between the two, oblivious to what he had done to his room. He began to lick the remnants of the pie from his right hoof as he tried to wipe his left hoof clean on the floor.

Assuming the pony within had calmed down enough, the two alicorns just outside chose then to enter. Minding their feet, they made their way over to Hal, who was still busy removing the pie from his front hooves. Luna giggled at the sight of him. This pony could be violent, but the princess thought that he could sometimes manage to look exceedingly silly.

"Just what's so funny, punk? She's not a punk, she's Luna. Like I care, she threw friggin’ pies at us. Us? Well no duh, there isn't just one person in here anymore now is there? Pony, more than one pony you mean. I told you before, I'M NOT A PONY! Well you're in my body so right now you are a pony. Screw you. Would corkscrewing into the ground at the speed of light count? You're suicidal now too? Want to find out? You know what, sure I would, the faster I can be rid of you the better. Remember though,” the zegasus warned himself, “you asked for this."

The zegasus turned towards a patch of blackened wall where he remembered there had once been a window. Hal was about to bolt forward through the melted stone when Celestia's voice thundered out.

"Hailfire Shock! Freeze!"

Drained of all other thoughts by the power in her voice, Hailfire did just that: he froze. A thin layer of translucent ice sprang forth from every part of his body -- wings, mane, and tail alike. Luna burst out laughing and started rolling around on the floor, oblivious to the pie-covered mess she was quickly becoming.

Sighing, Celestia moved beside her frozen friend. Channeling the heat of the sun into her horn, she touched it to his forehead. The spark of warmth traveled through him, melting the ice as it flowed along his spine.

Hal trembled slightly from the other mind’s rage before the other voice within him spoke.

"Okay, I'm going to say the next part in a way that you can all understand me, because there isn't much reason to insult you if you don't understand the insults."

As he said this, Luna stopped laughing and stood up again. She and her sister shared a confused glance at each other before returning their attention to Hal.

"JUST WHAT THE BUCK IS YOUR BUCKING PROBLEM, YOU CRAZED MARES?!" the voice thundered from Hal. "I mean seriously, what the hell is -"

Hal's mouth snapped shut. The left side of his face looked confused as to why it could no longer speak. His right eye was closed and again he trembled slightly. This time as he spoke, it was Hal's voice the sisters heard.

"DON'T YOU EVER INSULT MY FRIENDS LIKE THAT AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME? I don't care what your problem is, you sorry excuse for a body-jacking freeloader. Have some damn respect for those who deserve it. Oh, and if you need a reason not to do so again numbnuts, I triple Diamond Dog Dare you to try and insult them again, and then I will show what pain feels like. I will repeat every painful action I have ever attempted, and trust me on this one, there's a long bloody bucking list of things I've done that hurt like hell."

The left side of Hal's face, Celestia, and Luna were stunned. Luna voiced her surprise first.

"Hal, we've never heard you speak like that before," she said as the stallion’s right eye snapped directly to her.

“Of course you haven't. What reason have I to do so until now? I might not be the nicest of ponies, but at least I know when to show some respect."

Hal bowed. Or, at least, he tried to. Mid-way down, the stallion lost his balance and fell over. The next thing he realized was that the other voice was laughing. Rolling around and laughing, after all that, what the hell is this thing's problem? he thought.

"What the buck is so funny?" he asked himself.

The stallion continued to roll around and laugh for a little bit longer, before getting back up.

Wiping a tear from his left eye, the other voice answered, “You are, Hal. Heh heh heh. You finally ponied up and grew a pair, so to speak. At least now I'll have something to kick later if need be. HA! But in all seriousness, I can respect your opinion on the matter. Now...”

The voice trailed off as it looked at the two alicorns.

"What?" he asked, noticing their confusion.

"Would you question that kind of conviction?" Hal's left hoof pointed shortly at each mare, then back at the right side of his face.

The sisters shook their heads. They would not.

"Now your highnesses...” Hal bowed and swung his left hoof in front of himself. "... just what the heck did you two want?"

Hal prepared to punch the left side of his face again before Celestia spoke up.

"No Hal, you and the parasite have argued long enough." The royal sister said the word with more than a modicum of steel in her voice.

"I'm a human da...,” he paused, before continuing, “..rn it all. I told you as much before; I am not a parasite. Now... pfft, ahahahahahahaha!"

Again the human mind within Hal caused him to laugh.

"By the sun, not again," Celestia groaned.

"What, pray tell, is so funny now, human?” asked Luna quizzically.

"You are Luna, heheheh, I guess you haven't noticed it yet, buwhahahha, but you're covered in pie. I thought I told you to show them some respect? I can't help it, it’s just so funny."

At this, Luna turned around to examine herself, Celestia looked over as well. She was indeed covered in small sticky chunks of pie. She giggled.

"Yes, we do suppose we look rather silly. Perhaps we ought to go bathe, then.” Before anything else could be said or done, the sound of wings flapping had filled the room.

The sisters looked back to find Hal hovering in the air, though something was off; the slight movements he made did not match up with the strength of his wingbeats. After a moment of thought, they realized that Hal was manipulating the air within the room.

"Now what are you doing, Hailfire?" asked Celestia.

"I'm not sure Celestia, I'm just as curious to find out what he thinks he's trying to accomplish."

The human half of Hal’s mind wanted to reply, but Luna spoke up first.

"Just what are you doing with our friend, human?"

While the right side of Hal's face held a smoldering scowl, the left side cracked a sly grin at Luna's question.

"I'm trying to accomplish two things at the moment. The first is to freeze a window till it shatters..." as if on cue, a window did just that, "...and now that that’s done, I can get a decent sized cloud going. And just what do you need a cloud for? Wouldn't you like to know? Just answer me! You'll see in a moment."

Hal gazed around the room, searching for the cloud in question. It didn't take long for him to find it; the watery mass was hovering just above Luna.

"Just what do you think you're gonna do with that?" Hal growled.

"What do you think?" the human retorted, doing his best not to laugh.

Realizing what the other mind within his head had in store, Hal found that he could hardly resist the idea himself.

"You wouldn't dare," Hal warned.

"I don't think I would be able to at all if you didn't at least partially want to as well."

Hal seethed with anger, How dare he presume as much! Some small part of his mind agreed however, It would be nice to get back at her for all the pranks she's pulled on me.

Celestia had already figured out what the human was planning. After a few moments thought, she figured it would be funny. She also knew too well what her sister was capable of, so she probably deserved it too. Suppressing a giggle, she moved a few steps away while Luna’s attention was preoccupied with Hal.

Still not comprehending what was about to happen, Luna asked, "Hal, just what does he have planned?"

The battle within Hal's mind over whether to be respectful and stop the human mind sharing his body, or to just say ‘screw it’ and finally get back at Luna tipped in the latter's favor at the sound of her voice. The right side of his face curled into the same sly grin that adorned the left side.

Unsettled by the look on his face, Luna pursued with more force, "Hal, just what is he planning?!"

"Oohhh, just your aforementioned bath,” this time, both voices within Hal had replied.

Throughout the entire conversation, the human's cloud had been growing. As it reached sufficient size, Hal alighted on the floor once more. Giving his left hoof a flick, it crackled with static once again. With a flick from his right hoof, the charge arced into the cloud, jarring it.

Eyes following the charge through the air, Luna looked up in time to watch as the cloud opened up and poured down on her flank. As the water contacted her coat, she gasped in surprise. Instead of cold water like she had expected, hot water had drenched her form.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Celestia relaxed. While she was willing to allow the event to unfold before her, she had been ready to defend her sister if the human's intentions had turned out to be darker than they initially appeared.

After a few seconds of watching Luna getting rained upon, Hal’s body shook with laughter, both minds agreeing that the sight was hilarious.

Not one to be outdone however, Luna quickly thought up a counter, one that would use the human's own prank against him.

"Hal, Human, if you would please, I think you've laughed enough," the soaked alicorn said.

"Heh, I guess we've laughed enough, right Hal? Whatever ya say, crazy."

Approaching her friend, the dripping royal sister asked in a sultry voice, "Now, just what should we do with you, two?"

"Wait, what?" both minds replied as they looked upon Luna again.

POMF! Hal's wings sprang wide as the moon princess stepped slowly towards him.

Hal was simply awestruck. Nopony had ever looked at him like that; he knew not how to react. The human was mentally scrambling to get Hal to move. Though Luna's sudden change in manner had nearly stunned him as well, some small inner voice was yelling at him.

Whoooaaa, Luna looks- NO! Now is not the time for that. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! thought the other -- human -- half of Hal's mind.

By now Luna was face to face with her friend, enjoying every moment of his obvious internal torment.

Leaning in close to Hal’s left ear, she spoke, sounding as enticing as possible. “While we appreciate the gesture, human, it can not go unpunished.”

Only then did the human mind notice that Luna's horn was glowing. Hal's left eye spun about erratically; the mind controlling it was searching frantically for the 'punishment' she had promised. He found it, too late. As his gaze flicked upward, he caught sight of the raincloud he had made. Only now, it was a thunderhead, and it was floating directly over him.

He decided in that moment to not allow Luna full gratification of revenge. Trying his best to make a 'facepalm' face, he looked over at her and stuck out Hal's tongue. That strip of moist flesh soon became an impromptu lightning rod as Luna nudged the cloud's electrical energy with her magic.

While Hal was used to getting shocked, frozen, burnt, and any number of other things, the human had never experienced such a sensation; a jolt from static electricity was probably the most similar experience he had felt. Had he been able to speak, he might have said that it felt like thousands of pins and needles were trying to burst forth from his body. Hal's half of his mind was jolted to its senses as the human's half passed out from the shock.

Still a bit disoriented, Hal slipped into his Zebrian accent.

“If you were trying to ssstun him, zen you’ve suctheeded.”

The zegasus’ tongue flopped limply in his mouth as he continued speaking.

“I don’ theel impeded. Jus’ remember who’th to blame; though I played that twrick twoo. And I’m thure he’ll thoon come to.”

Shaking his head a few times, he tried again, "When he duss I will ssstop ‘im. I won’t leth ‘im win."

His frustration rising, Hal stomped his hooves repeatedly.

“Screw it, I don’t give a bit!” he all but yelled before biting down on his own tongue.

Hal winced only slightly as he punctured the strip of muscle. A few drops of blood slid down his face. Wiping the crimson liquid away with a forehoof, he hoped that his voice would finally return to normal.

[strike]“Now thats settled, what’s next?” asked the thoroughly annoyed looking zegasis.[/strike]

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

“You really wanna go there, Malevolence?”

“Art thou already there-ith, Marcus?”

“I’m just gonna ignore you, then. My apologies, dear readers, for this break in the story.”

“We don’t actually care, we wanted to do this.”

“Speak for yourself Mal. I wanted this whole thing to be done professional style.”

“Good luck there, we both know we suck at writing.”

“You’re lucky this is the same kind of journal that that Nox Drachen guy used.”

“We bought it together, remember?”

“I have the feeling that you were being you at that time.”

“And just how would that affect our decisions?”

“Since when did it become habit for someone to remind their own insanity, that it is just that?”

“Since we tried to become a pony.”

“I sooooo don’t need this right now.”

“Why don’t we stop then? Or will we admit that we actually planned this?”

“Since Mal here decided to take up space I would have filled with descriptions and dialogue moving the story to Tom’s room, I’ll just start there in the next chapter.”

“We’re getting lazy now too? Oh wait. We’ve always been lazy.”

“Six other chapters beg to differ with you.”

.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*

Ch.8 Insanity Break .....

-Entry #9
-Date of entry; February 16th, 2012
-Date of event(s); Today

Marcus twitched in his sleep. His chaotic dreaming was marred by a familiar but foreboding tick. It always started softly, but it would rise to a hum, one that was almost comforting. It would grow to a drone, and soon become a thunderous chorus that drowned all his thoughts in its wake. Oddly though, it would end in a slide to perfect silence. Nothing would come after, only blackness. It would disturb him until he finally awoke.

He did not need sleep; it had been beyond his needs for some time. He still went through the motions though, hoping to forestall the day when he would finally snap, the day when he would finally lose himself completely to his own insanity.

Yawning, he rose from his bed. This too was pointless, just a phantom of once having a body of flesh and blood.

Yawning a second time, he stretched his limbs. The metal bands and bracers encircling his ethereal body drifted slightly further apart than normal. His wings thinned as they floated away from the metal rails controlling their position.

Guess it’s time for another journal entry, he thought as he reached into the hollow created by his breastplate and backplate. Finding the journal already open as he pulled it from within, his brow furrowed.

"Damn it, Malevolence. Chapter eight was supposed to come next, not an account of cleaning up another one of your reality splices."

"I've been getting so bored lately though, so just be happy that I interrupted so little over the first seven, and besides, I think you’re going to enjoy this one. Tee-hee-hee."

"God help us all."

"Don't you mean ‘Celestia help us all’?"

"You know what I meant.” Marcus sighed. “Thanks for keeping it in prose though, I guess."

"What? I'm not Demon King Jackass Doombringer all the time."

"....."

Replacing the journal, Marcus retrieved a fist-sized stone. With a flick of his wrist, the retractable talons inside it extended. Using the metal claws to trace the arcane pattern that had been etched into the stone sigil, he activated the illusion spell it held. Not that he minded looking like a suit of possessed armor, but appearing as flesh-and-blood instead of cold floating metal just made the day go by easier.

Not finding the Sun Princess in the throne room, Marcus wandered his way into the dinning hall. Celestia was inside, eating a salad as she read through several rolls of parchment. Moving closer, Marcus greeted the Regent of the Sun.

"Princess Celestia, good afternoon," he said, bowing slightly with a forelimb across his chest.

"Good afternoon to you as well, Marcus," pausing for a moment, Celestia smiled as she looked at the griffin.

Smiling back weakly, he said, "Malevolence got bored. It’s, in short, another one of those days.

"Is this the eighth or ninth time?"

"I haven’t bothered keeping track," Marcus said, shrugging.

Having gone through this exchange enough times before, Celestia anticipated Marcus’ next question and gave him the answer.

"Nothing has occurred thus far today to warrant investigation, though I will inform you if anything does occur."

"I'll be with the guys ‘till something happens, then."

"Today is Thursday, Marcus. Hal is holding his weekly training session, Tom is working down in the forges on armor, and school is still in session, so Fin is busy teaching."

"Does Hal have any Shadowbolts to train with yet, or is it still just castle guard and the Wonderbolts?"

"The latter, unfortunately."

"What about those two from Nightmare Night?"

"Volunteers from the castle guard."

Pondering this information for a moment, Marcus thought of the one friend that hadn’t been covered yet.

"That still leaves Mono, though."

"He's helping Luna in the library.”

"I guess I'll go watch Hal then. Laters."

A stupid grin on his face, he saluted half-heartedly, and jumped backwards, flapping his wings as he left the ground.

Twisting around as he sailed threw the open window, Malevolence wasted no time in voicing his indignation. “‘Laters’? You seriously just said that to Celestia?”

“I did. So what?”

“I have no words for you right now.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that something about me pisses you off. I’m still trying to find that part of you that doesn’t piss me off.”

“.....”

Canterlot Castle sat, perched high on the mountain that rose from plains below. The altitude and time of year made the weather somewhat nippy. Winter Wrap Up was not far off and a light layer of snow covered the castle grounds. The group of ponies flying above, however, did not care for any of these things.

Every pegasus wore weight bands around their neck, the base of their tail, each hoof, and at the base of each wing. For the guards in the group, this simulated the weight of their armor. For those that were part of the Wonderbolts, it allowed them to train even harder.

Leading this hodge-podge group of volunteers for extra practice was Hal. While he preferred sculpting and the occasional bit of alchemical fiddling for recreation, he couldn't deny the freedom of flight. He had at first kept up his skills by training with the castle guard, when they would allow it, but he soon had found that they were not strenuous enough at times. So, eventually, he found his way into the Wonderbolts.

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

"When we say 'found', we mean that he outright challenged them to a race."

"He came in third, barely, but they still allowed him to train with them."

"To be fair, he did manage it without the use of his powers, or any violence."

"True."

.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*

Even though the Wonderbolts did train more intensely than the castle guard, Hal still found that they lacked something. So, he started his own training routine, one that was even more intense than the Wonderbolts’.

He would occasionally invite a guard or Wonderbolt for maneuvers and routines that required more than one pony. Eventually though, pegasi from the different groups started to ask if they could join in, so Hal turned his practices into a volunteer free-for-all. Anyone could join, so long as they could keep up with him.

Sometimes even the occasional passing pegasus had tried to join in, but would usually be laughed off from their lack of endurance and/or skills. Hal made a point to at least congratulate those that tried. Some had even come back multiple times because of that, until they could keep up.

However, the participants today consisted of veterans of Hal's sessions. General Gale Greywing brawled with Wave Chill; Fleetfoot raced against Sergeant Friction Zero; and Cloudy Horizons teamed up with Blaze against Lucky and Fire Streak. Hal fought Captain Storm Wing far above the others to keep from hitting any of them with stray lighting.

Marcus hid in a cloud nearby, resting for the moment. Ten minutes passed as he watched the group fight, race, and fly in formations. At one point though, Hal had yelled at them all to line up.

"Do we really have to interrupt Hal’s sessions every time we come to watch, Malevolence?"

"Why you ask? It’s always such fun."

"It was fun the first time when I wanted to see just what all Hal would throw at me."

"Pegasi Bowling GO." The griffin shot out from the cloud at tremendous speed, aiming for right behind Hal.

As Marcus neared, his friend turned in time to see a white, gold, and brown blur. He heard the words, 'Think fast', before being spun around and then thrown into the line of pegasi. The ponies were knocked in all directions as Hal tumbled through them. Lucky hovered at the end of the line. A sneezing fit was all that saved her from sharing the same fate as the pegasi beside her; it propelled her out of the way of Hal’s path.

The offending Griffin was already hiding in another nearby cloud before anypony was able to right themselves. He had tried just flying straight off before, but as soon as Hal would catch sight of him, he'd get shocked, burnt, or frozen for his prank.

*.....*.....*.....*.....*.....

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

“Zip it.”

.....*.....*.....*.....*.....*

"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS HE?! I'LL BARBECUE HIS FEATHERED FLANK!!!"

Regaining his bearing before anypony else, Captain Greywing moved to soothe the fuming zegasus, fearing that he would do something more brash than usual.

"Calm yourself Hal. I have an idea for how we can find our little intruder."

"Really, Greywing? Come on then, tell me!"

"Just as soon as you calm down."

"Oh err...” Hal hovered still for a second, nothing but his wings moving. He breathed deeply. "Heh heh, sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Thank you. Now, do you know if our intruder is using any magic at all?"

"Magic? How would I know -- Actually, yes. He uses an illusion spell."

"Excellent. Storm Wing!" called Greywing.

"Yes sir?"

"Can you see any sources of magic nearby? Particularly any inside of a cloud?"

Captain Storm Wing looked around the airspace briefly before squinting at one cloud in particular.

"Yes sir. That cloud, there."

Hal tried to make straight for the cloud, but was held back by General Greywing.

"What the hay, General?"

"Finding him was the first part, isolating him will be the second. Clear all the other clouds."

No sooner had the words left the general's mouth, than did Hal fuel his powers with his aggravation. Jagged spikes of lightning tore from his body, clawing their way through the air towards their fluffy white targets. Each one vaporized in an instant.

"Now General, was there a third part to this plan, or can I ground the jerk?"

"No. That about does it, my impatient friend. Though I would recommend surrounding the target from all sides."

"No need," Hal ignited as he continued, "I would recommend you move back a bit though. Knowing him, its gonna take a whole lot more FIRE!" the zegasus charged forward. Calmed of most of his previous anger, he fueled his flames with the elation of having an opponent that he didn't have to hold back on.

"Sweet Celestia!" Marcus breathed, "I thought I would have been the target of all that lighting."

"Pansy. I'd have thought after all the times he's shocked us, you wouldn't fear it anymore."

"Getting blinded and burnt at the same time isn't exactly pleasant, and then there’s the erratic spasms for the rest of the day. I know we probably deserve it -- you more so than me -- but that doesn't mean I want to get shocked."

"You could always try to resist my influence more."

"I know you better than that by now. It's just been easier to go along with it."

"Good answer. Now, let's see what’s going on out there."

".....Fire, that’s what's going on out there."

"Fire?"

"Yes, fire. Whole freakin’ lot of it too....."

As realization dawned on them, Marcus and Malevolence had the same thought: Shit. Not a second later, Hal slammed into them, vaporizing the cloud they were in, and driving them towards the ground.

"Sir?" asked Zero, "Should we be letting Hal wail on that griffin?"

"Under normal circumstances I would have to say no, we shouldn't, Sergeant Zero," Greywing replied, "But from the looks of it, he's holding his own against Hal."

Hal slammed Marcus into the ground, boring a deeper and deeper hole as he continued to stomp on the griffin. Marcus headbutted Hal, knocking the zegasus out of the hole before climbing back out himself. Hal Slammed a hoof into the ground, causing the earth under Marcus to rocket upwards in a pillar. Peeling himself off of the pinnacle of rock, he dove toward Hal. The zegasus took to the air in kind.

"I guess that means the session is over, then?" Blaze half-asked, half-stated, as he gawked at the fight.

"I guess so," said Wave Chill.

The griffin and zegasus collided in midair with a resounding BOOM. The two tumbled through the air, a multicolored blur of thrown hooves, knees, and heads. Neither watched - nor cared - where they were going, which happened to be right through a castle window. The two crashed through the pane, bounced off the floor, slammed into the wall opposite the window, and slumped to the floor in a heap. Both were momentarily stunned.

Fin sighed, I wish those two would watch they were going for once. The last thing my students need to see is blood. He might have been able to think calmly, but he was still a timid pony and cowered under his desk just like his students.

Over a thousand years of life and he's still a wuss.

Urg, hrg, uugg. Time has little meaning with regards to ponies’ personalities.

Oh look, he's finally crawling out from under his desk, took him long enough.

He deals with a group of unicorns on a daily basis; that’s more than you can say for yourself. Urg.

Fin pulled himself from underneath his desk. The fear and confusion on his students’ faces prompted him to take action.

"Now class, back in your seats please.” Fin paused, watching as his students composed themselves What to do? What to do? he thought as he looked from the broken window to his students, to his friends, to the lesson plan on his desk, and back to the window. He repeated this process over and over as his mind ran through multiple courses of action.

Oh hells no. He did not just go all blue-screen-of-death on us.

Hal got Impatience, Tom got Obliviance, and Fin got Thought Overload. You do realize that no one but us will understand your last thought.

What? No long-ish single word for Fin? And like I care?

As far as I know there isn’t a single word for it, and I don't know why. I still hope that you will sometimes.

Oh hey, we can move again.

Let's help out Fin, then.

What about Hal?

I'm sure we'll think of something.

Marcus got up, standing on only his hind legs, and using his wings to keep upright. As he made his way to his unicorn friend, the class looked at him with varying degrees of shock, awe, disgust, and confusion.

The griffin walked up and whispered in Fin's ear. Broken from his trance by the sound of his friend's voice, he jerked away from the source of the noise.

Taking a deep breath, Fin turned towards Marcus and sighed. "Really, Marcus? Really?"

"Sorry about that, Fin. Though I do have a suggestion or two for you."

"I am, uh, kinda afraid to, umm, ask."

"Nothing over-the-top Fin. Simple stuff really."

Marcus leaned down and whispered in Fin's ear once again. The look on the red-tinted grey stallion morphed from one of discouragement, to suspicion, to optimism.

"That doesn't sound too bad actually," Fin said.

"I'll just start being more distracting then." With that said, the average-looking griffin took a step back and did something completely bizarre.

Marcus extended his wings, touching the tips to the floor, and pushed down. His body lifted into the air slightly, his wings acting as a pair of impromptu legs. Satisfied he wasn't about to fall over, he crossed his hind legs over each other, Zebra style, as if he was sitting on the floor. He clasped his claws together in his lap, and halfway closed his eyes. Glancing around at the students before him, he couldn't help but chuckle at the look of bafflement on each one of their faces.

Priceless!

I can agree to that. Heh heh heh heh.

Fin smiled weakly at his friend's display. Turning to face his class once more, he called out for their attention.

"Now class....." the timid unicorn said, but was ignored in favor of his friend.

"Students....." Fin raised his voice, getting a few unicorns to focus on him.

He sighed, rubbing his head with a forehoof. Sometimes Marcus was more distracting than he meant to be. Focusing his magic, Fin cast a soundproofing spell on the boundaries of the room, and an amplifier spell on his own voice.

"ATTENTION!" he boomed, causing all eyes to snap to him. The reclining griffin even wobbled a bit from the force of the sound.

Dropping both spells, he addressed the class once more, "Now class, since my friends Marcus and Hal decided to intrude on today's lesson, they shall be volunteering themselves as practice targets."

"There are three stations. The first will entail repairing the broken window. Those wishing to practice Levitation, Telekinesis, Material Mending, or Time Reversal spells, please gather to my left."

"The second station includes Hal. For those who wish to practice Diagnostic, First Aid, Grooming, or Revival spells, please gather around the unconscious zegasus to my right."

Turning to face his friend once more, Fin gave Marcus an inquiring look. The griffin simply nodded back. Reassured about the last part of the suggestion, Fin announced the third, and final station.

"The last station involves Marcus the griffin. The goal is to move him, or get him to move from his current position. Any and all spells that you may know are allowed, though any damage to the room, or endangerment of fellow students Will. Not. Be. Tolerated."

Some of Fin’s students dispersed to either station while others stayed in their seats, debating methods to get the griffin to move. The teacher trotted towards the window group, stopping when a new issue came to mind.

How do I oversee two groups at the same time?

He looked back and forth, he needed to be in two places at once, so there needed to be two of him. With a shrug of his shoulders, he thought of two of himself and called upon his magic. Within moments a perfect copy of himself appeared to his right. With a slight nod to each other, both Fins made their way to opposite ends of the room.

The reclining griffin lost balance for a moment; he was used to Fin's casting, but sometimes the unicorn still managed to catch him off guard. He arched an eyebrow as a Fin made its way past him. With a shrug, Marcus went back to watching those that were trying to get him to move.

Time dragged on for Marcus, the students’ attempts had little effect. With each telekinetic shove or wind-based push, he became more and more bored. Blinking he heard the distinctive pop of a teleportation spell.

A unicorn mare appeared in the air above him for a brief moment before falling into his lap. His wings collapsed and curled under him like the legs of a rocking chair. Sinking from the weight, he rolled forward, and deposited the mare on the ground in front of him before rocking backwards, his wings straightening back out.

Finally! A pony with brains! Malevolence thought.

"Very good uuuhhh," Marcus struggled for her name as he switched from his wings to his hindlegs.

"Moondancer," the grinning mare replied.

"Ah. Very good, Moondancer. Thank you." He ruffled her mane, getting a look of indignation in return.

"Sorry, old habits and such." He looked up as she trotted back to her seat. Most of the other students were at their seats as well. Only a few stood around Hal, who was still lying, seemingly unconscious, on the floor. Marcus looked around; there was only one Fin now.

Marcus’s gaze flicked back to the classroom. Something was wrong. He blinked. The bottom of the room looked normal, but the top half was filled with young fillies and colts. It looked like the past.

A shake of the head, a few blinks, and Marcus focused back on the room. The split remained, but was joined with another across the vertical. The top right was darkened, smeared with the mutilated remains of the classroom foals. The bottom of the side was brighter, but in the place of shredded bodies were whole corpses. They were slumped over their desks, the thick crosses over their eyes the only indication that they were not asleep.

Marcus sighed and closed his eyes.

MALEVOLENCE! he bellowed in his mind.

Yessssssssss? Mal's thoughts dripped with acid.

Cut the crap please.

Okie Dokie Lokie

Marcus shook his head side to side slowly and opened his eyes. His vision had returned to normal. Feeling a hoof on his shoulder, he turned to find Fin looking worried.

"You ah, okay there Marcus?"

"Yeah. Just Mal messin with my vision again.”

The would be griffin looked around the room, his eyes glazed over. Stopping as the clock came into view, he sighed, and turned back to Unicorn friend.

He gestured at the class. "Have them go Fin. Class is over."

Fin turned around to look at the clock, his eyes widened slightly seeing the time. Turning towards his students and calling on his magic, he amplified his voice again. "Class dismissed."

Ch.4 How far does this rabbit hole go?

Entry #2
-Date of entry; December 6th, 2011
-Date of event(s); 1,500-ish years before Nightmare Moon's banishment

Harmonous winked into existence at the base of Celestia’s throne. Looking up quickly, he saw the princess’ jaw freeze mid-syllable. He was about to speak when the Royal Sister thundered in anger.

"Harmonous! How dare you?" she shouted with the full force of her voice. "You have precisely one minute to explain yourself."

The intruding pony one looked around,soon realizing that he had just interrupted a meeting with some very important griffin diplomats. Panicking, Harmonous activated a time-pocket spell, sealing them both in a single second of time.

The ruler’s reaction was instantaneous. "You dare imprison me? What..."

The anger died in her voice as she finally noticed the condition her friend was in; his form was not entirely solid as it should have been. Instead, his body was surrounded by the misty forms of his friends, each slowly overlapping his position before drifting a few inches to the sides or above him.

"I... am... sorry... princess,” said the alicorn through intensifying pain. "The others are in pain, and... I am not far off from the same thing."

It must have been the spell I cast, he thought as he did his best to stay standing. Harmonous’ knees gave way and he crumpled to the floor.

"Read this," Harmonous groaned as he levitated the note and journal to Celestia. The weakening Alicorn did his best to slow his breathing and calm his troubled mind as Celestia read first the note, and then the journal entry.

"I'm not sure I entirely understand Harmonous. While I now know that Tom, Hal, and Fin are in pain, you on the other hand, as an alicorn, should be able to effectively stop the pain, or at the very least banish it from your mind," Celestia said, looking both worried and confused.

"I have had almost the same dream as described there. But I would be hovering above and behind them. Whatever it was that they were losing at the moment, I was gaining. The problem is now I feel that I'm gaining nothing. I feel only the same pain, now..."

The alicorn had manged, as he spoke, to sit up before the princess. But now he fell, fully unconscious.

In a split second, Celestia grabbed hold of the time-pocket spell before it could fail.

It would just raise more questions than give answers, the royal sister thought as she channeled her own magic into the spell.

"Now let's see what I can do here Harmonous..."

Celestia had looked around the room to check on various parts of the spell, speaking as she turned to face Mono once again, only to find that he had shrunk in size to that of when she had first met him.

"Mono?" she inquired.

The stallion-turned-colt slowly started glowing a faint red and rose from the floor. He stopped four feet off the floor. A pale haze poured fourth from his body, slowly taking the form of a creature that Celestia had never seen before.

The Princess sat there in silence, barely comprehending what was happening. She did feel something, however: anger. She was furious; she had not experienced such rage since her battle against Discord so long ago.

Here before her it seemed that not only were four ponies that she cared for possibly dieing, but that it was the fault of this being now taking form before her. She could see what the problem was: This thing was siphoning off their life so that it could live.

No more, the enraged princess determined. No more.

Celestia rose from her throne to her full height, moved down the steps till she was just in front of the creature, took aim at the thickest part of it, and, being careful not to hit her friend, shot a blast of her magic straight at the being. She was disappointed with the with the result.

What only could be described as a squeak issued from the creature as parts of its fluid form moved to try and block the attack. Though it did not know it at the time, it needed not fear the spell for the blast passed right through it, leaving no effect. Sailing on behind its intended target, the bolt was absorbed by the walls of the spatial spell.

Both stood there for some time, Celestia trying to process in her mind how it could be unaffected by her magic, while the creature slowly opened its eyes and ceased cringing.

"What are you and what are you doing to Harmonous?” Celestia blurted. It was all the alicorn could think to say.

The creature flinched. "You're not going to try and shoot me again, are you?" it inquired, not fully realizing that it was unharmed.

"That depends on how you answer my questions. I would suggest you do so."

Celestia’s surprise at the the creature being unaffected by her attack was quickly being replaced by anger.

"Well I don't have any idea about your second question, but as for the first, I could have sworn I was supposed to be a pony now. Would you happen to have a mirror I could use?"

It looked around, slowly losing itself to the grandeur of the room. After gazing about the room for a bit, and noticing but ignoring the seemingly frozen figures of the griffins and guards, its attention snapped back to Celestia.

"Umm... a mirror, please?" the creature insisted.

The white alicorn huffed in agitation; she had already lost much of her patience in speaking to the diplomats. This ethereal parasite was rapidly depleting the remainder.

Celestia raised one of her fore-hooves and pointed to the side of the room where a large mirror stood. She watched as the haze began to float in the direction she had indicated, following behind it at a distance. It stopped just to the side of the mirror and shifted suddenly before speaking.

"Did I just? … Not important, I guess... Now let's see what I look like."

The creature shifted in place and moved slightly to the side, positioning itself directly in front of the mirror. As the haze studied itself in the mirror, the princess noticed it becoming more clear in form.

It stood on upright on two legs, with it's upper limbs ending in... Dragon's claws? Celestia wondered as the creature slowly gained more definition to its form. No, those are only four talons per limb. This has five on each.

Suddenly, one of its upper limbs moved towards the colt floating within it. Its head started bobbing up and down frantically, looking between itself and the mirror. Taking a step back, it fell to the floor as color poured into its form, granting even more clarity.

"I remember... everything... But that... is me!"

Celestia had taken a step back when it fell, looking to where its voice had come from.

"Now that you remember, everything, as you put it, answer my questions," demanded Celestia.

It's head snapped around at her voice, a look of confusion and terror in its azure eyes.

"Oh shit," it said as it brought fourth not only the memories needed to answer her questions, but also those of the alicorn's recent anger.

Slowly it got up from the ground and stood, its mind racing with the different possibilities it could imagine to explain the situation. Several times it started to speak, only to have no sound come out.

Finally, its mind latched onto the one thing that did not quite make sense. "Celestia, you asked what I was doing to someone called Harmonous. Who would that be?"

"Not someone, creature, somepony. Harmonous is the colt currently floating in your chest."

He looked down at hearing her words, then back at the mirror to get a better look.

"That's where my heart should be," it muttered while still staring.

"Heh... heh heh... heh hahahahaha hahahahahahahaha.”

The creature fell over again, wrapping its arms around its chest and rolling around on the ground as it continued laughing.

Celestia furrowed her brow. Now she was really losing her patience with this thing.

"What is so funny, parasite?"

"I'm sorry Tia, its just that I realized what all is going on here. Heh heh. Though I should have guessed that you wouldn't have been able to figure it out. I'm dreaming! I mean, why didn't I get it before?"

The creature raised a foreleg and planted the palm squarely on its forehead.

"I mean seriously, I'm a colored floating haze with a colt for a heart. I've been shot at and unaffected by alicorn-level magic. And to top it all off, you have no idea what I'm supposed to be! Hahahaha." It was laughing so hard that there were tears in its eyes.

"You don’t know what I am? You're the ones that brought Equestria to Earth, after all. I mean come-on, Celestia, you've known about humans for years!"

”You will show me some respect you monster! You will answer my questions now, or I will rip Harmonous from you insubstantial chest!”

The last straw for Celestia had been the casual use of the pet name that her sister had given her.

"Sure you will Tia. Pfft. Next you'll tell me that Mono here is the combined form of three other ponies. Heh. Heh. Hahahaha," he sneered as he turned around and started to walk away.

"What?"

She blinked; the creature had said it as if it were completely preposterous.

"What, what?" he replied, still walking away.

"Repeat what you just said," she deadpanned.

He stopped and turned around, his mirth dying down to a chuckle.

"Harmonous here," he said gesturing to the colt in his chest, "Is the combination of an Earth pony by the name of Kerp Ztom, a Zegasis by the name of Hailfire Shock, and a Unicorn by the name of Infinite Imagination. I should know, all four of them are my ideas! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have some fun before I wake up."

At this he turned back around and continued to walk across the room. That is, until he ran into the edge of the time-pocket spell.

"The hell did I just run into?" he asked annoyedly as he started to poke at the invisible wall.

"That, human, is the spell Harmonous cast before he collapsed, shrunk in size, and started glowing red."

The alicorn did her best to hide her confusion. My attack did not affect him, but Harmonous' spell could? Several possibilities ran through her mind on just what that might mean.

"Bullshit!" it said as it turned around and stared at the alicorn. "I am Harmonous, and Harmonous is me!"

He spat as he began traversing the room once again. "Friggin dreams, never the way you want them," he muttered as he crossed the room once again.

"Apparently not, otherwise you would have passed through the spell as if it wasn't even there. On the other hoof, this should help prove that, You. Are. Not. Dreaming," Celestia said, adding power to her voice.

"Pfft, dreams rarely ever make sense."

He would not admit it, but he was starting to think that he was not actually dreaming.

"Prove it then,” he challenged, “Prove to me that I'm not dreaming. Come-on Celestia; I dare ya!"

"As you wish, human."

She moved towards him, an idea coming to mind.

"Harmonous once described to me what it felt like when he would allow himself to split back into the other three. He had mentioned that it required him to either lose his concentration, or he could push it along with a little magic."

Harmonous forgive me, she thought as she stopped before him.

"I'm going to try and force him to separate and see if you feel anything. Will that suffice?" she asked, hoping he would reconsider his challenge.

"Eh, why not?" The alicorn’s choice of proof sounded much more interesting that what he had planned to do for fun.

Celestia focused her magic into the tip of her horn. The magic manifested as a small star, that glowed dully.

"That's not much," he said, calling to mind what he had seen before.

"Harmonous said it did not take much," the alicorn replied as she tilted her head, touching her horn to Mono's glowing body.

As soon the magic entered Mono, his eyes shot open.

"Whys it so bright in here?" the colt asked, blinking his eyes.

"Mono, are you okay?" asked the princess, very much relieved that he did not sound like he was in pain.

"Oh fuck. Not g--" The human was not able to finish as he felt himself blast apart.

Light exploded violently from Harmonous engulfing him and the haze of the human. The force of the blast threw the princess against her throne, knocking her unconscious.