Miraculous: Ride of the Gatebreaker

Chapters

Prologue
1 - Friendship Might Be Magic
2 - The Feeling Someone's Watching
3 - Bullies Inbound
4 - Power of the Gatebreaker
5 - An Unenlightened Brightness

Prologue

Somewhere overlooking the streets of modern Paris, an enormous aperture opened with mechanical whirs to reveal a decorative window of curving metal and clear glass. Blue light streamed into an otherwise pitch black chamber from the circular opening, inlayed with crisscrossing beams that formed a symmetrical butterfly. A hole in the very center allowed the brightest stream of light into the lair, and its glow landed squarely before the feet of a tall man in an extravagant violet suit. He wore a silver mask that revealed only his piercing blue eyes and a vicious scowl upon his thin lips.

“Nooroo!” he shouted in a harsh baritone voice.

There was no answer. The man’s eye twitched. He sighed heavily and glanced down at his own chest. A silvery-white brooch in the shape of a slender butterfly held a purple collar in place. He groaned, grabbed the brooch between two black-gloved fingers, and gently removed it from his person.

In a flash of dark light, the man’s costume evaporated, and from the brooch in his palm rose a tiny creature, no taller than ten centimeters, floating in the air before him. It was entirely purple ― mostly a very light shade, with darker violet coloring its irises and a curious spiral adorning its forehead ― and though four butterfly-like wings hung behind its tiny body like a cape, it hovered in the air without a trace of movement. In fact, its large, smooth head was bowed, and its mouth curved down in sadness.

“Nooroo,” said the man in a quiet but sinister voice, “why did you not answer me?”

“I can’t communicate with you while your Miraculous is active,” the tiny creature squeaked in a high-pitched, timid voice. “I didn’t even know you had called. I can only see glimpses of what happens while I power the brooch.”

“Practically useless,” the man sneered. He sighed and held his forehead in a slender hand. “There must be more that you are not telling me. No matter how many times I try or how many villains I influence, Ladybug and Cat Noir consistently outmatch me!” He growled and stomped his foot. “I want their Miraculouses, Nooroo. There must be some way I can take them, some power you have not revealed to me!”

“Ladybug and Cat Noir own the most powerful Miraculouses in the universe,” Nooroo whimpered. “The powers of Creation and Destruction are… difficult to overcome.”

“But I’ve come so close!” The man ran his fingers through his slicked hair. “My villains are always distracted by their own desires. If I could imbue myself with greater powers and take on Ladybug and Cat Noir personally―”

“The Moth Miraculous doesn’t work like that,” Nooroo said, broken-hearted. “It is meant to empower those inspired by superheroes, not turn hurting souls into monsters.”

“You have no right to accuse my methods!” The man smacked Nooroo with the back of his hand, sending the little creature twirling sideways through the air with a whine. “Tell me now, Nooroo! What more can I do?”

“N-Nothing!” Nooroo whimpered. “The holder of the Moth Miraculous is meant to be selfless and share great power among many. Your powers are limited, yes, but the power you give others knows no bounds.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Limitless power for others. How ironic.” He folded his hands behind his back. “Very well, Nooroo. Tell me something else. What am I missing here? What knowledge do I lack about the Miraculouses that might finally give me the upper hand? What are their weaknesses?”

Nooroo shook his head. “I don’t know what you want, Hawk Moth. Ladybug and Cat Noir hold the most powerful objects in the entire multiverse. They are safest in innocent hands.”

Hawk Moth took a step closer to the purple kwami. “Did you say… multiverse?”

Nooroo’s face took on a paler shade of violet as his irises shrunk. “Uhhh… no?”

In a swift and furious motion, Hawk Moth grasped Nooroo’s tiny body in a tight fist and squeezed mercilessly.

“I know you cannot die,” growled Hawk Moth, “but you can still feel pain.”

Nooroo wheezed and moaned as his eyes began to bulge.

“What is the multiverse?” Hawk Moth shouted.

“Dim-en-sions!” Nooroo choked out. Hawk Moth loosened his grip just enough for the creature to speak. “The universe ― the m-multiverse ― is made of up of infinite dimensions, all harboring diverse forms of life! I’m from one of them! All the kwami are!”

“You’re from another dimension?” asked Hawk Moth, surprised.

“Yes! One of great power.” Tiny tears welled in Nooroo’s eyes as his bottom lip began to quiver. “Thousands of years ago, we were brought to this dimension, to this very world, because it needed us. It needed all of us…”

“How do I access the other dimensions? Show them to me!”

“I c-can’t!” Nooroo wailed. “I don’t have that power! No one does!”

“Hmmm…” Hawk Moth let go of the purple kwami, and it plummeted helplessly to the ground with a doughy thump.

Hawk Moth paid him no mind, stroking his chiseled chin. “No one has that power… yet.”

Below, Nooroo gulped.

With a cold smile, Hawk Moth replaced his brooch. “Thank you, Nooroo. It seems you were useful after all.”

Nooroo yelped as his body melted into swirling color, absorbing into the silvery brooch. A wave of magic covered Hawk Moth’s body, and soon a dark purple suit and tight silver mask adorned his looming figure once again.

“Now, Ladybug and Cat Noir,” he said, turning to face the sprawling cityscape of Paris below his window, “even your powers of Creation and Destruction will stand no match against Hawk Moth and his limitless akumas.” He smiled wickedly and spun his black cane. “I hope you’re ready to face infinity.”

🐞

MIRACULOUS
RIDE OF THE GATEBREAKER

🐞

“Aaaaand… GO!” screamed Pinkie Pie at an absurdly inappropriate volume.

Rainbow Dash took off in a multi-colored streak. Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and grit her teeth. Beads of sweat on her brow reflected the magic glowing in her horn, brighter and brighter every moment.

Though they tried to keep their eyes on her, Fluttershy and Rarity eventually had to shield their eyes from the searing strobes of magic emanating from Twilight’s charging horn.

“Goodness, how do you manage it, darling?” Rarity asked. She had to raise her voice over the vibrating hum that accompanied the light. “My horn would surely have burst by now!”

“Almost… there…” said Twilight through clenched teeth.

“Wowee zowee!” Pinkie shrieked, beaming at the radiant beams. Her wide eyes sizzled in their sockets. “It’s like the closest up fireworks show ever!”

“RrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaAAAUUGH!” With an herculean roar, Twilight Sparkle tossed her head back and vanished with a thunderclap. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity were all tossed backward by the blast, landing on their rumps some twenty feet from where Twilight had stood. Now there was nothing but a patch of burnt grass in the shape of four hoofprints.

“Wow! That wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been,” said Pinkie Pie.

Rarity cleared her throat as she fixed her mane. “I still think this is a juvenile idea. But I will admit, Twilight’s magic never ceases to surprise me.”

“Ow,” whispered Fluttershy, rubbing her flank.

Nearly ten miles away, far from the Ponyvillean field where the three mares stood, across the lengths of Ghastly Gorge and approaching Canterlot Mountain, Applejack sat on a prominent hill and munched on a hoofful of trail mix. Her tired green eyes scanned the skies expectantly as she reached into a little sack and scooped out more raisins and peanuts.

“Didn’t take into account how borin’ this part’d be,” she mumbled to herself. “Why do I always gotta be so accomodatin’?”

A brilliant flash of light suddenly burst to her right, and Applejack promptly screamed. Her trail mix flew into the air and splashed on the ground as she swiveled and took on a defensive stance. The iron scowl on her face suddenly dissipated when she realized what she was looking at.

“Twilight?” asked Applejack.

The wings of Twilight’s feathers were singed, her mane stood up at awkward angles, and her horn fired hot sparks into the air without warning. She couldn’t focus her spinning eyes as she stumbled in Applejack’s direction.

“Hey, Snapplecrack,” she slurred blearily. “Did I win?” She fell face-first into the ground and laid there motionless for several silent seconds.

In another flash of much more colorful light, Rainbow Dash swooped over Applejack’s head at full speed, blowing her hat off her head. As Applejack scrambled for it, Rainbow Dash made a tall loopty-loop to slow herself down and landed hard on the peak of the hill.

“Is she here yet?” she asked, panting. “Did I win?”

Applejack plopped her hat between her ears, smirked in Rainbow Dash’s direction, and pointed a hoof at Twilight’s collapsed body.

Rainbow groaned. “Uuuuggghh! I can’t freakin’ beat her!” She slammed her forehooves into the ground and dropped her head despondently. “Gosh darn it.”

“Ye’r still crazy fast, Rainbow,” said Applejack in a nonchalant tone. She shrugged. “But y’er basically racin’ Celestia here. The day you outrace an Alicorn is the day appleseeds sprout wrappin’ paper. It just ain’t gonna happen.”

“Yes it will!” Rainbow yelled, rising into the air on quivering, exhausted wings. “I just have try harder! I will beat Twilight!”

She flew away just as Twilight began to stir.

“Nnnnghh…” Twilight struggled to her hooves, shaking all over. “What happened?”

“Looks like ya passed out, Princess,” said Applejack. “But you did, in fact, win the race.”

Twilight beamed. “Yes!” She lifted one leg for a hoof-pump, but the supported leg immediately gave out and she toppled over again. “Ouch.”

“Hyuh hyuh hyuh!” Applejack laughed. “RD’s pretty ticked off. Ya might wanna go easy on ‘er next time.”

“Ohh… but it’s the only thing I can win against her!” Twilight said, pouting. She smiled a second later. “I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll talk to her.”

“I gotta say, Twilight,” Applejack began, helping her friend to her hooves, “sometimes it really seems like yer magic knows no bounds. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could raise the Sun all on yer own.”

Twilight snorted. “Not yet, Applejack. Maybe not ever.”

“I mean it! Now, I ain’t one to shower ya in compliments, so I’ll shut up soon enough. But really, Twi… I’m just glad to know somepony so dang powerful. Makes me feel safe.”

Giggling, Twilight shook her head. “You’re a stronger pony than I’ll ever be, Applejack. But that means a lot. Thank you.” She nuzzled her dear friend. “I wouldn’t be anything without you and the girls.”

A small, sad smile twitched on Applejack’s mouth. “Yeah. Ahem. Well, come on, then.” She helped Twilight limp to a nearby cart. “I figured somethin’ like this might happen, so I brought along a little help to carry ya home.”

“Oh, Applejack… that’s really nice of you,” Twilight said, climbing into the cart. “I’ll get out and trot as soon as I can. Promise.”

“Knowin’ you, Princess,” Applejack said with a wink, “you’ll fall asleep in three minutes and be zonked out the whole way to Ponyville.”

“Will not!” Twilight argued. “And stop calling me Princess!”

Applejack laughed again, and started the two of them down the hill toward their beloved home.

1 - Friendship Might Be Magic

“Hurry, Marinette! You’re still on time!” cracked the voice of Tikki from her hiding spot in Marinette’s purse.

Panting, Marinette leaped up the steps to her school’s vast courtyard two by two. She had to take a break for breath at the top. “This would have been… easier… in the suit…” she wheezed.

“You’re almost there! You can do it!” Tikki smiled up at her. “You don’t want your parents to get suspicious again, do you?”

“Eep!” Marinette’s shoulders tightened and she took off again, running through an ache in her side. Seconds before the bell rang to start class, Marinette burst through the door of her classroom with the loud announcement, “I’m here!”

Several of her classmates laughed. Her teacher, Ms. Bustier, did not. She sighed instead, eyeing Marinette with lids half-closed over her teal eyes.

“I won’t count you as tardy today, Marinette,” she said, “but please try to be more on time tomorrow, all right?”

Marinette nodded once with a serious expression. “Yes, Miss Bustier. I’m sorry. Thank you so much.” She skittered to her desk next to her best friend, Alya.

“No ‘It won’t happen again’ this time, hmm?” Alya whispered coyly.

“I really can’t promise that,” Marinette said with a weak smile. “Good morning.”

“Always good to see you, girl.”

Miss Bustier brushed back a lock of her auburn hair and smiled at the rest of the class. “Right then, students. We’ll be continuing our study of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables today. Remind me, had we just finished Volume Two or have we already met Marius?”

Marinette gulped and she tapped the ends of her fingers together above her desk. She suddenly noticed the lack of thick blonde hair directly in front of her.

“Where’s Adrien?” she whispered, leaning closer to Alya.

“He hasn’t shown up yet,” Alya said, rolling her eyes. “I swear, you two are made for each other.”

Marinette couldn’t help it: she giggled. Her cheeks immediately went pink and she turned back to the front of the class with an innocent expression.

“Chloé?” said Ms. Bustier. “Could you remind me how far along in the book we’ve gotten?”

Chloé Bourgeois looked up past her heavy makeup and sneered at the teacher. “I was sick that day,” she said curtly.

“You haven’t missed a day of school all year, Chloé,” droned Ms. Bustier.

“I meant I was sick of Les Misérables,” Chloé said with a snide smile.

A wave of chuckles passed over the small class.

Ms. Bustier grunted. “Very funny. You do realize it’s one of the most influential works of literature in the world, and one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century, all based on our history and the revolts that occurred in this very city?”

“Whatever,” Chloé said, checking her nails. “Sabrina, tell her where we were.”

“We started Volume Three,” Sabrina immediately chirped at Chloé’s right, “but we haven’t been introduced to Marius quite yet.”

“Thank you, Sabrina,” Ms. Bustier said with a smile. She got caught between sighing and clearing her throat, taking a moment to compose herself before opening the massive novel on the corner of her desk at the front of the class.

A blanket of dark clouds moved in front of the sun, blocking the natural light that normally streamed into the classroom.

“Oh, dear.” Ms. Bustier frowned. “We’ll have to flip on the switch. Nino, would you hop up and turn on the lights, please?”

“Sure thing, Miss B!” Nino said, sliding out of his desk and plodding to the lightswitch by the door. As he reached out to flip it, Adrien Agreste burst through the front door in a very similar manner to Marinette’s entrance earlier.

“I’m here!” he called out, summoning another wave of laughter from the students.

“Sup, Adrien,” Nino said, offering his best friend a fist. The two greeted each other with smiles and a fist bump before Nino flipped on the light.

Ms. Bustier couldn’t help but smile. “Honestly, Adrien. What is it that keeps you and Marinette from arriving to school on time?”

Adrien looked up and grinned at Marinette. She nearly fainted.

“Please, take your seats, both of you. We’re just about to be introduced to, in my opinion, the most interesting character in Les Misérables.”

Adrien and Nino took their seats at the front of the class, just below Marinette and Alya. Tuning her ears, Marinette managed to hear their whispered conversation.

“Where were you, dude?” Nino asked.

“I slept in,” said Adrien.

“Yeah right! Then why did you say you were going to bed at, like, eight o’clock last night?”

Adrien’s sculpted hands slid over his perfect, beautiful face.

Marinette blinked and shook her head.

Adrien rubbed his face.

“All right, I didn’t sleep in. I was… watching something.”

“Oh, yeah?” Nino raised an eyebrow. “Something that good?”

Adrien shrugged. “I don’t know yet. It’s all right. I don’t get what all the fuss is about yet.”

“What fuss?”

“Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

“Tell me now, bro!”

“It’s embarrassing.”

Nino tried to whisper quieter, but Marinette still managed to hear him. “Were you watching porn?”

Adrien blanched along with Marinette. “What? No! What?”

Nino laughed under his breath. “Then what was it, dude?”

Adrien was quiet, glanced over at Chloé and Sabrina, then mumbled unintelligibly, “Mllpnfrshpsmgc.”

Nino leaned closer. “What was that?”

Marinette leaned farther across her desk, as well.

Adrien snorted. “Mililponfreshpzmaj.”

Nino tilted his head. “Milton’s Milton Factory?”

Adrien pounded his fist lightly on the surface of his desk. “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!” he hissed.

Nino twitched, lurched, and suddenly howled with laughter. He caught the entire class’s attention and earned a dirty look from Ms. Bustier.

“Nino! Would you mind sharing with the class what exactly is so funny?”

Nino snorted and rubbed the back of his red cap. “Uhhh…”

Before he had a chance to make something up, a terrific thunderclap boomed outside. Ms. Bustier yelped and raised a hand to her chest as sheets of rain suddenly pounded on the classroom’s huge windows. Her students were just as surprised, though many of them were delighted by the display.

“My, that was surprising,” the teacher said. “It’s been a while since we had a thunderstorm in Paris.”

Marinette’s eyes narrowed. She scanned the angry clouds outside for any unusual signs. As hard as she looked, the storm seemed entirely normal, without a hint of magic among its rain or flashes of lightning.

Adrien was focused on the sky, as well. So focused, in fact, that Nino had to poke him in the shoulder to get his attention.

“You can’t just leave me hanging like that, dude,” Nino said with a lopsided grin. “Why were you watching My Little Pony?”

“Look, I’ll tell you later, okay?” he said. “I swear, it’s not as weird as you think.”

“Pff. Suuure.” Nino chuckled to himself and resumed a comfortable position in on the bench.

Marinette sat back, too. “My Little Pony?” she said to herself.

“What was that?” asked Alya.

Marinette shook her head. “Nothing. It’s quite a storm!” She managed a brief smile before falling back into her own thoughts. Why would Adrien watch something like My Little Pony? She couldn’t wait to get home and find out.

🐞

Twilight knocked gingerly on Rainbow Dash’s front door. “Rainbow?” she asked loudly. “Are you in there?”

“No!” Rainbow shouted back.

Twilight giggled and opened the door, letting herself in. She folded her wings at her sides and trotted through the cloudhouse, peeking around corners for her blue friend.

“I didn’t mean to make you mad, Rainbow,” Twilight said. She bore a smile, but her eyes were sincere. “Won’t you come out and talk to me?”

A patch of cloudstuff above Twilight’s head ripped open with a prolonged pfff. She looked up to see Rainbow’s pouty face staring at her from an upper floor.

“I’m not mad at you, Twilight,” Rainbow said. “I’m just super bummed.”

“Ha!” Twilight offered her another smile. “I’m sorry?”

“Ugh.” Rainbow dropped through the hole she had made. It patched itself up in the whoosh of her momentum. “You don’t need to be. I swear, I’m not mad at you. You’re one of my best friends, and you’re a freaking Alicorn, for peat’s sake.” Her frown morphed reluctantly into a sheepish grin. “Thanks for coming over. You’re so stupidly nice.”

Twilight shrugged. “I learned from Fluttershy. But my competitive edge I learned from you.” She smoothed down her bangs with a sigh. “It feels good to win, Rainbow, but I also know it hurts to lose. Especially for someone who cares as much as you do. I don’t want you to feel bad.”

“Thanks, Twi. Really. But again… that’s not really what this is about.”

“Oh?” Twilight tilted her head as she followed Rainbow into the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash pulled two carrot from a cloudshelf. She tossed one to Twilight and munched on the other hungrily. Without waiting to swallow, Rainbow Dash said, “I dunno, it’s just weird. When I first met you, you were just a goofy nerd. You were cool, too ― somehow ― and I liked you right away, but… I dunno, I also kinda felt bad for you.” She laughed at herself.

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean you felt bad for me?”

“You were clueless!” Rainbow said. “And clumsy!”

“Was not!”

“Was too!” Rainbow finished her carrot and did a backflip for good measure. “We all liked you, Twi, I’m not saying we didn’t. But seriously, you were a goofball.” She snickered and added, “Well, you still are a goofball.”

“Where are you going with this, Rainbow?” Twilight asked with a flat expression.

“I just mean,” Rainbow said, leaning against her counter, “that I never thought you’d be better than me at something. At anything.” She spun her hoof on the countertop, keeping her eyes away from Twilight. “Like, I can fly faster than you. We both know that. But one day that might not be true, y’know? Like, who knows what you’re really able to do. Everyday it’s something new. Something awesome.” A painful smile twitched at her mouth. “You’re awesome, Twilight. I never thought it would be true, but it is. You’re super awesome.”

“Thank you, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “And I’m sorry that my awesomeness… um… bums you out.”

Rainbow laughed and waved a hoof. “No, no, not like that. Look, this is hard for me to say, okay? I’m not good at this stuff.” She cleared her throat and bravely looked Twilight in the eye. “I always felt like I was the one that ponies looked up to in this town. Now it’s you. Everypony looks up to you, Twilight. Me included. And even though that kinda sucks to be dethroned or whatever, it’s also kinda awesome, because you’re, like… my best friend.” She shrugged. “There. That’s close enough.”

“Oh, Rainbow…” Twilight trotted up and hugged Rainbow’s neck with one foreleg. “That was really sweet of you. And just because I have a lot of eyes on me now doesn’t mean I’m more admired. You’re still the town favorite, no doubt about it!”

“Eh. Thanks, Twi.” Rainbow quickly hugged her back, then stretched her back like a cat. “Jeez, that flight really did a number on me.”

“Yeah, my horn hurts, too,” Twilight said, tapping it delicately.

Rainbow stared at her horn with an unusually thoughtful expression. “It can hurt?”

“Oh, sure,” Twilight said, nodding. “It kinda feels like a part of my brain, actually. Like, when I get a headache, it usually starts in my horn.”

“Ouch. That sucks.” Rainbow shuddered. “Well, I guess with great power comes great liability.”

“Something like that,” said Twilight, grinning. “Come on, let’s go get a bite to eat. You look starving.”

“Am I ever!” said Rainbow Dash, flying through her corridors to the front door. “Hurry up, slowpoke! And no teleporting!”

Twilight happily followed suit.

2 - The Feeling Someone's Watching

The storm raged all day and through the night. Marinette was glad for it; it seemed to keep the streets of Paris calm and safe from evil. She stayed home in her pyjamas, doodling raincoat designs in her sketchbook and putting a few hours into the new Ultimate Mecha Strike III DLC.

When she closed the game on her computer, she hesitated before putting it to sleep. Pushing her mouth to one side, Marinette opened her internet browser and typed My Little Pony into the searchbar.

Tikki yawned and floated casually out of Marinette’s nearby purse. “What are you doing, Marinette?” she asked.

“I overheard Adrien say he watched a strange show this morning,” she said.

“What kind of a strange show?” Tikki’s tired eyes struggled to focus on the large monitor on Marinette’s home desk.

“It’s a cartoon called My Little Pony,” said Marinette. She smiled at her own words. “I had a couple of pony dolls as a little girl. I never saw the cartoon, though.”

“Sounds cute!” said Tikki, spinning in place.

“Yeah, it does…” Marinette’s eyebrows lowered. “I wonder why Adrien would watch it… whoa.”

“What?”

Marinette pointed to the search images on her computer. “That’s not how I remember them looking at all.”

“Who?”

“The ponies. Huh… looks like the series was rebooted recently.” She squinted at the screen between scrolls and clicks. “And… a bunch of its fans are adult males.”

“Wow!” Tikki smiled. “You never know what’s going to resonate with people!”

“Yeah, I guess so… why do they like it so much?”

🐞

“Because it centers on the characters, who are actually pretty interesting,” said Adrien, opening a streaming app on the sixty inch monitor mounted above his desk.

“I’ll never get over how rad your room is, dude,” said Nino. His eyes flicked from the basketball hoop to the skateboard ramps to the bookshelves up along the indoor balconies. “Aw-hawesome.”

“Ah, thanks.” Adrien sighed. “I’ve had it so long, I tend to forget it’s not… normal. Anyway, here it is.” Adrien pointed to the screen.

Six colorful ponies surrounded a large, bubbly logo: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

“This is insane, bro,” Nino said, shaking his head. “I can’t even wrap my head around it.”

“Okay, look, I was reading about Ladybug online,” said Adrien. “There are lots of sites about her, tons more than just Alya’s Ladyblog. And I found this forum where a bunch of people were speculating who Ladybug might be in real life, and someone used a meme with a pony’s face.” He pointed. “That white one. Her name’s Rarity. And, I dunno, it just made me laugh. It was a great face.” He chuckled.

“They have huge eyes,” said Nino.

“Yeah! They’re expressive. Then I started looking into where these memes were coming from, and there are a million of them. It’s amazing.” He opened a browser and clicked through several tabs of screenshots from the show. “And then I realized, the people making these memes? The people talking about this show? They’re like us. They’re guys. Adult guys.”

“That still doesn’t make any sense to me, man.”

“Well, me neither. Not yet. But I think I’m starting to get it.” Adrien switched the computer back to the logo. “I watched the first couple of episodes today, and they’re… good. Like, they’re pretty corny and it they’re clearly made for kids, but the characters are interesting and the designs are fantastic.”

“All right, all right, you’ve convinced me,” Nino said, standing up. “I gotta head home, but for real? I’ll watch the show.”

Adrien laughed. “You don’t have to watch it. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“I’m gonna watch the first episode tonight, and we’ll figure it out together.”

“It’s a two parter,” said Adrien.

“The first two episodes, then!” said Nino, saluting without looking back as he left Adrien’s room. “Peace!”

Adrien smiled and swiveled to the screen. He closed all tabs related to ponies and found a large image of Ladybug swinging through the streets of Paris from the string of her magic yoyo. He shook his head at the silliness of it all, but sighed dreamily nonetheless. He swiveled again, watching the rainfall beyond his tall windows, and rested his chin in his hand. “Not tonight, m’lady,” he said. “But I’ll see you again soon.”

“Blyech! You’re so sappy when you think you’re alone,” said Plagg, Adrien’s tiny kwami. The jet black creature with cat-like ears crawled out of one of Adrien’s shoes near the foot of his bed.

“Eugh, Plagg! What were you doing in there?” Adrien asked.

“Napping,” croaked Plagg with a lethargic grin. “I don’t know why, but I feel ― yaaawn ― extra tired today.”

“It’s the rain,” Adrien said, stifling a yawn of his own. “Makes me sleepy, too.”

“So no superheroing tonight?” asked Plagg as distant thunder rolled over Paris.

“I don’t think so.” Adrien plopped onto his bed with a sigh while Plagg zoomed around his headboard. “Which means no Ladybug.”

“Yaaay!” Plagg backflipped several times. “That means more My Little Pony!”

“Ugh, no!” Adrien rolled his eyes. “I really don’t understand why you love it so much.”

“They’re just so cuuuute!” said Plagg, squeezing his own cheeks. “And the pink one makes me laugh!”

“Pinkie Pie.”

“See? You like it! You even know their names!”

Adrien’s cheeks went pink. “It’s fine. But I don’t wanna watch anymore.”

“Fine, I’ll watch it by myself.” Plagg zipped through the air to Adrien’s desk. “If you look over my shoulder, I won’t complain!”

“Over your shoulder?” Adrien laughed. “I can barely even see you from here.”

“Hey!” Plagg stuck out his tongue and started Episode 3.

🐞

“Do you ever get the feeling somepony’s watching you?” asked Pinkie Pie, glancing sharply over her shoulder.

“Um… sometimes, yes,” said Fluttershy.

“I love it when somepony’s watching me,” said Rarity, sipping at her tea. “It usually means I look spectacular.”

“Don’t you mean ‘fabulous’?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Oh, darling, I’ve realized I use that word far too often,” Rarity said with a frown. “I’m trying to broaden my vocabulary, as it were.”

“Then you should stop saying ‘darling’ so much, you two-dimensional ninny!” Pinkie shouted.

Rarity gasped and brought a hoof to her mouth. “My word, Pinkie! What a harsh thing to say!”

Pinkie snorted. “Oh, I’m just teasing, Rarity! How would anyone know it was you talking if you didn’t say things like ‘darling’?”

“Umm… pardon?” Rarity blinked, unsure if she should be offended.

“Hi girls!” Twilight called out several seconds before she landed at the table behind Fluttershy’s cottage. “Gosh, it sure is a gorgeous day!”

“What food have you got?” blurted Rainbow Dash, zooming in behind her.

Fluttershy smiled. “I made a garlic pasta. I think you’ll like it, Rainbow Dash.”

“Yyyyes!” Rainbow grabbed a bowl already prepared for her and breathed in the scent of the green onions sprinkled over the top. “How did you know I was coming?”

“Because Twilight said she’d fetch you,” said Rarity, “and when Twilight sets her mind to something, it may as well have already happened.”

Rainbow frowned briefly, but soon shrugged with a nod and dug into her food.

Twilight guffawed. “Why is everypony saying such nice things about me this week?”

“I must say, there’s something different about you, dar―Twilight,” said Rarity, stealing a glance at Pinkie Pie.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, blinking adorably.

“You just seem so confident,” Fluttershy said. “It’s nice to see.”

“Yeah! You’re really coming into your own!” Pinkie jumped ten feet in the air and landed in a perfect hug around Twilight’s neck. “I’m so happy that you’re happy!”

“Wow… thank you!” Twilight said, giggling. “I guess I do feel sort of… chipper! Hee hee!”

“Where’s AJ?” Rainbow asked, her mouth full of bow-tie pasta.

“She should be here any minute,” Fluttershy said.

“Y’know what’s weird?” Pinkie suddenly asked. Her head popped up from her hug with Twilight like a jack-in-the-box. “Nothing bad has happened for a long time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…” Pinkie began to count on her hooves, which multiplied impossibly. “No parasprites, no dragons, no changelings, no monsters, no hatred, no foalnapping, no feeling like you don’t belong, no robots shooting lasers out of their eyes, no aliens attacking from space, no―”

“We get it, Pinkie,” said Rainbow Dash. “It’s been… quiet.”

“It’s been nice,” added Fluttershy.

“I’m inclined to agree,” said Rarity with a fluttering laugh. “All’s quiet on the western front! Isn’t that what they say? Anyway, I rather like the lull in our adventures.”

“It’s given us time to just… be friends,” said Fluttershy.

A huge smile stretched across Twilight’s face. “You’re right! And that must be what you’re all noticing in me. I just feel like your friend again.” She sat on her haunches. Her voice took on a somber tone. “I guess becoming the Princess of Friendship just seemed like such a big responsibility. All of the craziness that comes with such a big change… I was worried nothing would go back to normal.” She sighed. “And, maybe it won’t. But at least there are moments like this, where I get to forget I have wings and a horn, and I can just… be your friend.”

“That’s how it all started, after all,” said Rarity with a small tear in her eye, “and how it ought to be.”

“I love you girls so much!” blathered Twilight.

Rainbow made a disgusted face as the others rushed together for a cooing hug. She focused on licking the last green onions from the bottom of her bowl.

“I know it won’t stay like this,” said Twilight very softly, “but I wish it would forever.”

🐞

When Marinette walked into class the next morning a full ten minutes early, she was surprised to see Adrien and Nino already at their desk.

“Dude, not kidding!” Nino said, holding one hand over his heart and the other a ninety degree angle. “It’s the best show I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“What are you talking about?” Adrien asked, bewildered. “It’s cute, sure, but it’s just for kids!”

“Nuh-uh, man,” Nino said, shaking his head. “The lore, the tragedy, the character arcs… this show is freaking gold. I love it!” Nino tipped his cap with a smarmy grin. “You’re looking at a one hundred percent converted brony.”

“Oh my gosh,” said Adrien, smacking his own forehead. But he was smiling.

“Did you say… brony?” Marinette caught herself saying. She nearly panicked, and very nearly buried her head into the nearby trash bin when Adrien’s clear green eyes met hers, but she managed to stand up stiffly and smile at the two.

“Uhh…” Adrien glanced at Nino unsurely.

“Heck yeah!” said Nino, pulling out his cell phone. The photo on his lock screen showed the six main characters, all smiles and colors. “Adrien introduced me to the best show ever!”

“I-I’ve seen a couple of episodes myself,” said Marinette, smiling shyly.

“You have?” asked Nino, nearly vaulting over the desk. Adrien, too, changed pace, smiling slightly.

“Yeah!” she said, waving her hands near her shoulders. “Nightmare Moon, tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala… I thought it was really sweet.”

“Oh my gosh! You’re so awesome, Marinette!” Nino said, slapping his knee. “I swear, you’re, like, the most surprising girl ever.”

“Uhh… thanks?” Marinette grinned awkwardly.

“You really liked it?” asked Adrien.

“Yeah! It was… like you said, it was cute,” she concluded.

“Guys! Guys! Wait!” Nino beamed and beckoned both of them closer while he found something on his phone. “This is the best timing ever. Look at this!” He flashed a shiny poster at them from the screen in his palm. “There’s a brony meetup happening right here in Paris this weekend! They’re meeting at the Eiffel Tower. We should totally go!”

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other with wide eyes. “Uhhh…”

Just then, Alya walked into the classroom behind Marinette. “Hey, girl! Look who showed up even before me!”

“Alya!” Marinette said, turning around with a smile that was much too wide. “Would you like to come to a fan meetup with the three of us?”

Alya reeled. “The… three of you? Fan meetup? What are you talking about?” She gasped. “Is this about Ladybug and Cat Noir?”

“No, it’s about My Little Pony!” Nino said. “I’m a brony!”

“Oh, really?” Alya’s enthusiasm didn’t skip a beat. “I saw a few bronies commenting on my Ladyblog the other day. They were so nice to each other, it was amazing. I’d love to see what they’re about if there’s a meetup going on soon.”

“Yes!” Nino nodded hard. “All right! This is gonna be so fun, you guys!”

Marinette and Adrien weakly chuckled together. But as the seconds passed, Marinette’s face slowly changed from hesitant to overjoyed as she realized what had just happened.

As she and Alya took their seats, she grinned maniacally in Alya’s face and whispered, “I’m going on a date with Adrien!”

“Kind of,” Alya tacked on, “but good for you, girl!”

“Eeeee!” Marinette clapped her closed fists together and sighed at the back of Adrien’s head.

3 - Bullies Inbound

“I’m going on a date with Adrien. I’m going on a date with Adrien! I’m going on a date with Adrien…”

“Calm down, ya crazy head!” Alya said with a laugh. “And stop walking like that. Just be normal. We’re almost to the Eiffel Tower.”

“Eeeeek!” Marinette’s arms folded goofily around her face in several positions before she started to run circles around Alya. “I can’t do this! Let’s go home!”

“Have you really seen the show?”

Marinette stopped and nodded. “Yes. I watched the first four episodes. They were cute! Not sure what inspired a whole adult fandom, though.”

“Maybe it gets even better?” Alya shrugged. “I haven’t seen any, myself. I just want to understand why these people are so nice to each other online. Usually I have to break up fights in the comment section, not watch friendships blossom!”

“Huh, that is interesting,” Marinette said, putting a finger to her chin. “Well, let’s go, then. I’ll do my best to pull myself together.”

“Hi, Marinette!” said Adrien, approaching from an adjacent street.

“Gyaaaah!” Marinette full-on screamed.

Adrien stopped in his tracks. Alya covered her eyes with one hand.

Thinking fast, Marinette pointed over Adrien’s head. “Is that Cat Noir?” she asked loudly.

Excited, Alya whipped out her phone and glanced every which way in search of the superhero.

Adrien didn’t even turn around. “I don’t think so,” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I thought Cat Noir usually comes out at night.”

Marinette blew air through her lips. “Yeah, right. That kitty loves the spotlight, and the sun’s as bright as it gets.”

“What was that?” asked Adrien.

“Nothing!” Marinette laughed uncontrollably, then deflated like a balloon. “Nothing at all.”

“Shoot, I missed him!” Alya said, tucking her phone away. “If either of you see Ladybug while we’re out here, we’re dropping everything to follow her, got it?”

“Got it,” Adrien said with fluttering eyelashes.

Marinette didn’t notice. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that today, Alya. No one’s been akumatized for ages!”

“That just means it’s bound to happen any minute now,” Alya said with a coy tilt of her brow. “Maybe one of you could be next! Do you realize you’re the only students in Miss Bustier’s class that hasn’t been akumatized at one point or another?”

Marinette and Adrien looked each other over as if meeting a stranger. “Huh…” they said together.

“Eh, it’s probably just because you don’t take anything Chloé says to heart,” said Alya. “She tends to really hurt peoples’ feelings.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty mean,” said Adrien.

“I thought you two were friends,” said Marinette.

He shrugged. “We grew up together, but… I don’t know. I’ve seen her enough lately to know what kind of person she is.” He scratched the back of his neck. “And I don’t like it.”

“Good!” Alya said, marching toward the Eiffel Tower. “That means you’re not a monster.”

“The jury’s still out,” Adrien joked.

“Ha ha ha!” Marinette laughed loudly, immediately catching up with Alya to hide her reddening face.

“Where’s Nino?” Alya asked as Adrien joined on her left.

“He went early,” Adrien said. “I told him not to wait up.”

“Are there gonna be a lot of people here?” Marinette asked. “I like the idea of supporting Nino, but… I-I’m not sure I’ll have much in common with full-fledged bronies.”

“Yeah, me neither,” said Adrien, peeking around Alya to smile at Marinette. “I guess we’ll just have to stick together.”

Marinette’s eyes bulged, but she quickly recovered with a wide smile and a double thumbs up.

They rounded a corner in sync and the Eiffel Tower came into view. There were several groups of people wandering the clean grounds below it, some larger than others, but it took a moment for Marinette, Alya, and Adrien to spot the brony meetup near a wide, cement staircase. There were two small posters, one of Pinkie Pie and one of Rainbow Dash. Most of the attendees were male, and most were almost offensively nerdy. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle at the variety of pony-themed T-shirts and hoodies among the crowd.

“Hey, Nino!” Adrien called out as they approached.

Nino was in the middle of an excited conversation and didn’t even notice his friends’ arrivals.

“And I’m telling you, bro, none of the ponies can even come close to Fluttershy! She’s perfect, bro! Best pony, for sure.”

“I still think Rarity has the most promise as a character,” said another boy, sporting a shirt with Rarity’s Cutie Mark and a fledgling moustache. “If the writers don’t mess up their perfect opportunity, she could definitely embody the most powerful character arc in Season Two.”

“You guys are all nuts!” said a skinny boy with a giant smile and even larger glasses. “Rainbow Dash is so above and beyond the best pony, it’s literally painfully obvious. She’s so freaking cool!”

“Coolest pony doesn’t mean best pony,” Nino pointed out.

“Yes! Yes it does!” the skinny boy yelled, and let out a burst of laughter. “This is the best argument I’ve ever had!”

They all laughed together. Alya and Marinette looked at each other with impressed expressions.

“So they really are insanely nice,” Alya noted.

Nino spun around. “Alya! Marinette! And Adrien! What’s up, guys? I knew you’d make it!” He gestured to the boys over his shoulders. “These are my new friends, Claude and Jean-Marc.”

“Hello,” said the bespectacled Claude.

“Greetings.” The quasi-moustached Jean-Marc waved.

Marinette looked around at the group. All in all there were about twenty kids, chattering incessantly about My Little Pony. Most of them were boys, and all of them were between the ages of fifteen and twenty five. She caught herself smiling. There was a kind of raw energy that sparked from such an unusual gathering. The fearlessness of the fans, the genuine enthusiasm for the material, the innocence of it all… it was strangely intoxicating, and Marinette soon found herself engaged in conversation.

“I’ve only seen a few of the episodes,” she said. “I think they’re really cute.”

“So you haven’t gotten to Sonic Rainboom yet?” asked Claude, wide eyes exaggerated in his lenses.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Sonic whatnow?”

“Oh my gosh! That’s the best episode ever!” Claude jumped up and down, rubbing his palms together delightedly. “Even if you don’t watch them all in order, you have-have-have to see Sonic Rainboom.”

“And you definitely need to watch the Season Finale,” said Jean-Marc, nodding thoughtfully. Though there was light in his eyes, he refused to smile. “It’s excellently written, and the music is superb.”

“I’ll get around to it, I’m sure,” said Marinette, smiling.

“Oh me goodness!” Another voice, much higher pitched, burst in from elsewhere. A small girl, no taller than Marinette’s classmate Rose, literally sprinted to Marinette and Alya. She had a round face, huge green eyes, and the thickest, reddest hair Marinette had ever scene. And as if her appearance wasn’t a good enough indicator, her accent was distinctly Scottish. “Other gerls! HA! I knew I wusn’t the only woon!”

Marinette smiled. “Yeah! Well, I mean, Alya hasn’t seen the show, and I’ve only seen a few episdoes, but―”

“But yeer heeeere!” The redhead laughed and clapped her hands, then extended one close to Marinette’s abdomen. “I couldn’t be happier! M’name’s Emilie. Great to meet you!”

“Hee hee! Good to meet you, too,” Marinette said, shaking Emilie’s hand before it passed to Alya. “I love your hair.”

“Thanks! Lots o’ you Frenchies don’t, y’know.” Her eyes softened. “That was rude, sorry. Really, thanks for sayin’ such. I don’t get lots o’ compliments.”

“Oh!” Marinette wasn’t sure what to say. “You’re welcome!”

“So! Who’s best pony then, hm?” Emilie stood on her tiptoes, still not reaching Marinette’s eye level. “There’s a right answer, so you best think hard!”

Marinette swallowed and looked sideways at her friends. Alya shrugged; Adrien and Nino were in another conversation with Claude and Jean-Marc.

“Uhhh…” Marinette’s eyes flicked to a poster behind Emilie’s head. “Pinkie Pie?”

“YES!” Emilie suddenly wrapped Marinette in a hug. Her thick arms wrapped around Marinette’s middle and squeezed tightly, making her cough. “That’s right! We pegasisters think alike, doon’t we?”

“Pegasisters!” said Alya. “I like that.”

“I couldn’t find a Pinkie tail,” Emilie said, turning around to show Marinette and Alya the literal-pony-tail hanging from a belt loop on her white jeans, “but I made one that sorta matches me own ‘mane’. Ha! Whaddaya think?”

“Awww, that’s cute!” said Alya.

“Stylish!” Marinette added.

“Oh. My. Word.” Yet another voice entered the scene, but this one made Marinette instantly cringe.

With a groan, Marinette turned around slowly and saw Chloé Bourgeois descending the cement stairs, hands on her hips, with her lackey Sabrina close behind. Alya sighed audibly and Adrien immediately stepped forward, meeting Chloé at the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey, whatever you’re thinking about doing right now,” said Adrien, eyeing the snide smile on Chloé’s pink-glossed lips, “it’s really not a good time. These guys are having fun.”

“Having fun being sickos!” Chloé boomed right off the bat. “Honestly, Adrikins, I’m shocked at you!” She tapped his chest with the tips of her fingers. “Fraternizing with such weirdos. Don’t you think they’re below our standards?”

“Get out of here, Chloé,” Adrien said seriously. “You’re just gonna hurt someone’s feelings.”

“Ooooh, wow! A protector of the weak! How dashing.” She winked at him, then marched closer to the bronies.

Most of them had caught onto what was about to happen. Marinette watched their body language fold in on themselves, waiting for an all-too-familiar beratement.

“You’re all seriously in love with this stupid kid’s show?” Chloé asked. “Ha ha ha ha! What a bunch of disgusting weirdos. These… candy horses make you feel happy, now, do they? Now that’s really sad.”

“Leave them alone, Chloé,” Marinette said, crossing her arms.

“Marinette! Why am I not surprised that you’re here?” She sneered, and her eyes drifted over to Emilie. “Wooow… is that a tail? Are you seriously wearing a tail on your butt? Ha ha ha!”

She and Sabrina laughed mercilessly, pointing fingers at Emilie’s tail. The bouncy Scot’s green eyes faded and her lips pursed close together.

“Knock it off!” Alya joined the resistance, walking straight up to Chloé’s bronzed face. “You’re one to talk about being disgusting, Chloé. Have you looked in a mirror recently?”

Chloé’s jaw dropped. “How dare you? Do you want my daddy to know what you just said? You with your dumb glasses and your gross mole!”

Alya raised a fist, but Marinette was at her elbow immediately, stopping Alya from throwing a punch.

“Hit a nerve, did I?” Chloé smired. “Well let me hit a few more.” She turned back to Emilie and leaned forward at the waist. “You do realize that your precious little show isn’t real, right? If you were a loser before a fake show made you feel like you have friends, you’re still a loser. As if there was ever any doubt.”

She cackled again, and Sabrina joined in. With a contented sigh, Chloé tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, that was fun. Come on Sabrina, Adrikins, let’s go.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Adrien growled, “but we’d all love for you to leave.”

“Fine!” Chloé rolled her eyes. “See you tomorrow at school then, honey-boo. Don’t get any of their tail hairs on you while you’re at it! Ha ha ha ha!” She marched off toward the Eiffel Tower, head held high, with Sabrina bouncing at her heels.

“Don’t pay her any mind, Emilie,” said Marinette. “I’ve been in her class my whole life. She’s always been mean to… Emilie?” Marinette glanced around the group of downtrodden bronies, but Emilie was nowhere to be seen. “Emilie!? Oh, darn it.”

Alya put an arm around Marinette’s shoulder. “She’ll be all right, Marinette. Chloé’s the worst.”

Marinette put her foot down. “I’m so sick of her acting like that! Come on. Let’s find Emilie and make sure she knows not to pay Chloé any mind.” She ran off with Alya in tow.

“We’re coming, too!” Nino said as he, Jean-Marc, and Claude hurried after them. “Gah, why does Chloé have to ruin everything?”

Adrien sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and chased the group as well. “I should have stopped her,” he said under his breath.

🐞

Twilight woke with a start. She touched the tip of her horn ― it was hot. She glanced around her room in the Ponyville Castle, but nothing seemed broken or even singed. She stood up regardless, wandering around the room in search of any errant magic she may have cast in her sleep.

She felt embarrassed, even though no one was around. He hadn’t sleep-cast since she was a filly. Groggy, she tried to illuminate her horn with magic to bring more light into the bedroom… but nothing happened. Frowning, Twilight tried harder, but the effort to channel magic through her horn brought upon a painful spike in her head.

“Ow!” she yelped, grabbing her skull between two hooves. “Ow ow ow! What in Equestria…?”

Spike opened her bedroom door. “Twilight! Is everything all right?”

“Spike… what are you doing up?” Twilight blinked heavily and rubbed her aching horn.

“I-I heard you yelling a few minutes ago,” he said. “Are you okay? Your eyes are red.”

“They are?” Twilight rubbed her right eye with the back of a hoof, but it stung too much to rub for very long. “What is going on? Spike, I can’t see very well. Will you help me to the bathroom?”

“Sure thing, Twilight.” Spike rushed up and took one of her hooves. “Is your horn okay?”

“No, it hurts.” She frowned deeper. “Why?”

“Uh… it’s kinda smoking,” said Spike as he led her to the large bathroom nearby.

“Smoking?” Twilight let go of her assistant and hurried to the nearest mirror. Leaning close, she saw her own red eyes and a slightly glowing, smoking horn. “Ahh! What’s going on?”

“I-I don’t know, Twilight!” Spike gulped. “Do you want me to send a letter to Princess Celestia?”

“Yes. Yes, right away.” She tapped her horn again and winced. “Tell her something’s wrong. Tell her to come here as soon as she can.”

“Maybe we should just go to her?”

“I’m not sure there’s time for that, Spike,” Twilight said quietly. “I can’t cast any magic.”

“What!?”

“Just… tell Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, sitting on her haunches in a daze, “that her fateful student needs her. Now.”

4 - Power of the Gatebreaker

Applejack and Rainbow Dash hammered their hooves on the Castle’s front door.

“Twilight!” Rainbow shouted. “What’s going on?”

“Princess Celestia!” Applejack said. “We saw you fly in there! Please, is Twilight okay?”

Fluttershy landed softly behind them. “Pinkie just told me! What’s happening?”

“We don’t know,” Applejack said, looking over her shoulder with a nervous expression. “They won’t let us in. Golly, I got a bad feelin’... I hope Twilight’s all right.”

“Oh no…” Fluttershy sniffed and hugged her long tail to her chest while Applejack and Rainbow Dash continued to knock wildly.

🐞

Emilie Onidae had nowhere to run.

“Stupid… stupid…” she mumbled to herself, struggling to keep tears from her eyes. “I should’ve known better. It’s always the seme. Always the seme…”

She crossed a street and tripped on the far curb, falling to the pavement on her hands and knees. With tears finally building at the bottom of her eyes, she covered her face and hurried to a nearby alleyway between two tall buildings.

“Every time I try to make friends… who am I fooling? I am a loser. I don’t belong here with dad, or in Scotland with mum. I don’t belong anywhere.”

She leaned against a wall and ― all alone ― started to cry.

🐞

There was a flash of light from inside the Castle. Rainbow Dash and Applejack froze in place.

“Twilight?” Applejack called out.

The golden front doors finally opened. Spike stood, shivering, with wide eyes and a small mouth.

“What happened, Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked, almost picking the dragon up. “Is it Twilight? Is she okay?”

Spike shook his head. “Princess Celestia took her back to Canterlot,” Spike said in a distant voice. “She said… that something’s very wrong.”

“What, like… she teleported? Just now?” Applejack gaped. “All the way to Canterlot?”

Spike nodded.

“Horseapples…” Rainbow Dash swore, floating slowly to her haunches. “This must be really serious. That’s gotta take a lot of magic.”

“I’m scared,” Spike whimpered.

Fluttershy wrapped around him in an instant. “It’s all right, Spike,” she whispered as his trembles doubled. “Twilight will be okay. Princess Celestia will know what to do.”

“I frickin’ hope so,” Rainbow Dash said. “I fly to Canterlot and help out, just in case!”

“Uh-uh, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “You’re gonna wait with the rest of us. We needja right now.”

Rainbow Dash pulled down her eyelids. “Uuugghh… why do I have to be so loved?”

🐞

The aperture opened quickly, and Hawk Moth looked over Paris with a glint in his eye. A hundred snow-white butterflies flapped silently all around him.

“Yes… finding solace in make believe is a beautiful thing, until it reminds you how lonely you are. The sadness… the embarrassment… so many negative emotions to feed my most powerful akuma yet.”

Hawk Moth reached out one black glove. A pure butterfly landed in his palm; he carefully covered its body in his other hand, and a cloud of darkness spilled out like fog between his fingers. When he removed his hand, the butterfly had been transformed into a black and violet moth, sparking with dark energy.

Hawk Moth chuckled to himself, raised his hand toward the window, and watched the moth rise toward the hole in its streaming center.

“Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!”

With a confident twirl of his cane, Hawk Moth let out a deep, prolonged chuckle.

🐞

Emilie wiped at the tears on her cheeks, but more kept coming while she hid in the narrow alley.

A black moth, glowing with purple magic, flew down from above and landed on her homemade tail. Its body and power sank into the tail like melting snow.

Emilie felt a shock course through her body. She gasped and looked straight ahead, overcome with a strange vision. Thousands of imaginative, colorful worlds soared past her vision while a smooth voice spoke directly into her mind.

“Gatebreaker, I am Hawk Moth. I give you the power to show naysayers how real an infinite multiverse can be. All I ask in return is that you bring me the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Do we have a deal?”

With a fierce grin, Emilie lowered her head. “Yes, Hawk Moth,” she said in a cold voice.

Beginning with her tail before spreading over her entire body, a bubbling, smoky substance of purple and black enveloped her entire body. It morphed and grew at rapid speeds, reconstituting her entire frame. When the darkness fizzled away, there was no longer a round Scottish girl in the Parisian alleyway, but instead a nine foot centaur emerged from its shadows.

Gatebreaker looked down at herself, admiring the womanly, muscular torso covered in dark leather armor. Her skin and fur were blindingly white, with zebra-like stripes of rich auburn adorning her from the neck down. Her tail was long and brilliantly orange, while the hair on her head was thick and swept backward in spiky clumps. Her tongue rolled over her newly sharpened teeth, and a wicked smile spread below her glowing green eyes.

An enormous longbow doubled as a staff in her left hand. She reached behind her and found a quiver of black, crackling arrows. She laughed, knocking an arrow on the long bowstring.

“Time to prove the neigh-sayers wrong,” she growled.

🐞

“Emilie! Emilie!! Oh, where did she go?” Marinette stopped on a street corner, breathing hard. “It’s no use, is it? She could be anywhere by now.”

“It’s all right, Marinette,” said Alya, just behind her. “We’ll track her down.”

“How?”

“Maybe one of the bronies knows where she lives.”

Marinette waited for Jean-Marc and Claude to catch up before asking, “Do either of you know Emilie very well?”

“Afraid not. This was her first meetup,” said Claude. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Couldn’t have gone much worse, could it?”

A gigantic creature thundered down an adjacent street. Half woman, half horse, and all ferocious, it charged toward the Eiffel Tower in a white and orange streak.

“Uhhh… was that what I think it was?” Claude asked in a squeaky voice.

“A centaur!” Alya slapped her forehead. “Gah! I bet you anything that’s Emilie. So much for taking a break from akumas.” She grinned. “At least this means we’ll get to see Ladybug and Cat Noir!”

Marinette gulped. “A-Are you sure we should stick around? I mean, that thing looked pretty dangerous… hehe…”

“That thing is the new friend we’ve been trying to find for the last twenty minutes,” Alya reminded her, folding her arms.

“You don’t know that!” Adrien spoke up, standing by Nino behind the two bronies. “Maybe it’s someone else entirely.”

“You do realize that Chloé’s involved, right?” Alya asked flatly. “Whatever. You guys can head home if you want. I’m gonna stick around and take some pics for the blog!” She rose her phone to her eye level and sprinted after the galloping centaur.

“I wanna see Ladybug!” said Claude, chasing after her with Jean-Marc close behind.

“Me, too!” Nino pumped his fist. “Come on, Adrien! We’ll miss the big superhero fight!”

“Ehhh, you go ahead,” said Adrien, stepping backward. “My dad doesn’t want me anywhere near all these supervillains that keep popping up. I think I’ll just head home.”

“What? Seriously?” Nino’s arms flopped at his sides. “That’s so lame!”

“Take some good pictures for me, huh?” Adrien smiled weakly.

Nino rolled his eyes. “Ugh. Whatever, man. Your loss.” He tore down the street, leaving Adrien and Marinette alone on the corner.

“So, uh… guess you’re going home, too?” asked Adrien.

Marinette nodded, wide-eyed. “Yup. Gonna just… start now, heh heh…”

“Me, too. Yeah.” Adrien turned around. “So long.”

Marinette waved succinctly. “Byyee!”

Adrien picked up his pace, turning a corner up ahead.

Marinette’s shoulder dropped in a deep sigh. “Phew! As much as I’d have loved for him to walk me home, now is not the time.” She opened her purse. “Did you hear all that, Tikki?”

“I sure did, Marinette.” She looked up with huge, worried eyes. “Centaurs are powerful creatures! You’ll have to be on your very best game here.”

“Aren’t I always?” Marinette grinned, glanced around for passerby, and finally flipped her hair away from her ear with a resounding, “Tikki, spots on!”

Tikki beamed before dissolving into a swirl of red and black. Marinette’s round earrings drank in the magic, and a blissfully familiar suit of skin-tight red, decorated with evenly spaced black circles from the neck down, accompanied an identically themed mask that materialized over her eyes and the bridge of her nose. The ladybug yoyo appeared on her hip, and she posed heroically before using it to zipline quickly up the side of the nearest building.

Just around the corner, Adrien brought Plagg into the open. “That thing looks intense.”

“Ehhh, centaurs aren’t so bad,” Plagg said with his eyes half closed.

“What do you mean?” asked Adrien. “Do they really exist? Un-akumatized?”

“Errm, maybe.” Plagg yawned. “I’m hungry.”

“Let’s hope you can hold over until we’ve taken this thing on. Plagg! Claws out!”

Plagg reluctantly absorbed into Adrien’s silver ring, which turned as black as night. He closed his eyes as the magic took hold, painting a layered, black suit over his body. Cat-like ears and a concealing mask appeared as he ran his hands over his head, and a belt-like tail shot out behind him. He scratched at the air for good measure, then expertly twirled his infinitely extending baton.

“Ahhh, I love this life,” he sighed to himself, then vaulted up onto a nearby rooftop with a quick flick of his staff.

He landed on his feet, sprinting along rooftops next to Ladybug.

“Hello, m’lady,” he said. “Long time, no see.”

“That should be a good thing, Cat Noir,” Ladybug said back with a smirk.

“The day villains stop terrorizing Paris will be the worst day of my life, if it means I never get to see you again.” He winked at her.

Ladybug sighed impatiently. “I’m guessing you saw the centaur, too?”

“Yup. I’ve even got an idea who she really is.”

“So do I. Come on, let’s hurry!”

In tandem, they leapt off a roof and dropped into the emptying square around the Eiffel Tower.

“Where are you, little rat?” The centaur’s voice, though feminine, boomed through the entire vicinity. She stomped her hooves angrily as her eyes scanned over groups of Parisians and tourists alike fleeing from the site, many of them screaming.

“Wow.” Cat Noir smirked awkwardly. “I hate to say this around you, m’lady, but… she’s kinda hot.”

“Excuse me?” Ladybug’s eyes flicked up and down the yet-distant centaur. “She’s half horse.”

“Well, the other half.”

“Is orange and striped?”

“Oh, so orange women can’t be beautiful, huh?”

Ladybug laughed in spite of herself. “Let’s just keep these people safe. Hey, Emilie!”

The centaur turned to face them as Ladybug and Cat Noir skidded to a stop some hundred feet away from her.

“Huh?” Cat Noir lifted a masked brow at Ladybug. “How’d you know her name?”

“I make it my point to know everything important in situations like this,” Ladybug quipped back at half-volume. She cleared her throat and yelled out, “You don’t have to do this! Hawk Moth’s power is only corrupting you!”

“My name is not Emilie,” the centaur bellowed. “It is Gatebreaker!”

“Not the worst I’ve heard so far,” Cat Noir said smugly, folding his arms. “I don’t get it, though. Why Gatebreaker?”

An evil grin stretched over Gatebreaker’s face. She lifted her bow with a crackling arrow and shot it into the sky. The strange object soared for a moment before forming a rip in the air itself. Though the arrow vanished, the rip remained, and from it poured dozens of large, leathery, bat-like creatures with wide mouths of razor sharp teeth.

“Holy hairballs!” Cat Noir yelled. “That’s new!”

Ladybug gaped as the creatures formed a flapping halo around the Eiffel Tower. “What are those?” she asked.

“Creatures from another dimension.” Gatebreaker knocked another arrow. “There are many more. Would you like to see?”

“Uhhh, no!” Cat Noir shook his head, bounded forward with two mighty steps, and extended his staff in Gatebreaker’s direction. The end of his staff smashed through the dark arrow in her grasp; it fizzled away inconsequentially.

“What?” Gatebreaker scowled.

“That’s the thing about akuma-powers,” Cat Noir said, spinning his shrunken baton under the nine-foot centaur. “They’re usually pretty easy to nerf.”

“Raaaugh!” Gatebreaker reared up on her hind legs and tried to bring her full weight onto Cat Noir’s body. He rolled out of the way with a grunt, looking to Ladybug for assistance.

She was already on it. Ladybug tossed her yoyo, wrapping its string several times around Gatebreaker’s forelegs. Unbalanced, the centaur toppled to one side, grabbing Cat Noir around the throat in a slender, human hand.

“Grtttt jbbb, Ldybgggg!” Cat Noir choked.

“Hya!” Ladybug pulled her yoyo back into her palm, jumped forward, spun around, and delivered a massive kick to Gatebreaker’s wrist.

The centaur yelled in pain and let go of Cat Noir. He backflipped immediately, putting distance between himself and the angry beast. “We gotta break this horse, and fast!”

“Where’s the akum-AAAAA!” From behind, some of the leathery creatures grabbed Ladybug by her shoulders and lifted her high above the ground.

“Ladybug!” Cat Noir held tight to one end of his staff and shot the other end into the ground, launching him high into the air. He spun the rod quickly over his head, using its force to guide himself through the air toward Ladybug.

In the meantime, Ladybug yanked one shoulder free of the monsters and swung sideways. She use the momentum to bring her legs up and kick another monster in the side of its wide mouth. The creature shrieked and let go. Ladybug fell ―

― and Cat Noir caught her, tucking one arm around her waist. He extended his pole the ground below and tilted toward Gatebreaker. They fell together, approaching the villain with laser-like focus in their eyes.

“Rrrgh!” Gatebreaker aimed another arrow directly at them and shot. Ladybug jumped off the end of the staff, vaulting over the arrow; Cat Noir shrunk his weapon down and fell out of the arrow’s path, as well. Where they had been, the projectile ripped another ragged hole in space, and waves of searing heat blasted out of it, raising the temperature around the Eiffel Tower by at least fifty degrees.

“Hoooo, that’s hot!” Cat Noir complained, landing awkwardly twenty feet from the centaur. He glanced up at the newest rift, billowing yellow steam. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“I shatter blockades between the realms of our universe,” Gatebreaker announced.

Cat Noir smirked. “Okay, cool. So why are you a centaur?”

Gatebreaker charged at him. He ran directly at her, as well, dropping to his hip at the last moment. He slid between all four of her hooves and struck her belly hard with his staff. He brushed past her tail and hopped back to his feet as the centaur roared in pain.

“Nice slide!” said Ladybug, joining at Cat Noir’s left.

“The sweat helps,” he said, wiping his brow with the back of a gloved hand. “Phew, this costume is not heat-resistant!”

“We have to find a way to close these portals if we’re going to keep fighting.” Ladybug looked up at the leathery monsters; they seemed to be suffering in the heat, as well. “Do you think your special power can close up the rips?”

“Uhh, I’m not sure destruction is the best method for closing holes in spacetime,” Cat Noir gulped, “or whatever is going on here.”

“Right… we need to destroy her akuma. Then everything will go back to normal. Creation might do the trick.” She tossed her yoyo into the air where it spun above her head, glowing brightly. “Lucky Charm!” she yelled.

The yoyo snapped back into her hand, and from the light emerged three inflated balloons. Rather than falling into Ladybug’s hands, they began to float upward and away.

“Balloons?” Ladybug asked aloud. “What am I supposed to do with those?” She wound up her yoyo and tossed it at the balloon’s conjoined strings; it wrapped around the strings and pulled the objects back to earth.

“Better figure it out fast,” Cat Noir said with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. “I think I’m gonna pass out from this heat.”

Ladybug’s world turned black and white. She glanced all around her, but the only objects illuminated in red with black dots were the balloons themselves and the howling centaur ahead.

“Huh… I don’t get it.” Ladybug frowned. “But that’s never stopped me before. Hey, Gatebreaker!” She held the balloons over her head with a confident smile. “Do these mean anything to you?”

Limping in pain, Gatebreaker turned to see the three balloons. Her eyes widened, and her chiseled face took on a much gentler expression. “Pinkie Pie…” she muttered.

“Your favorite pony? Of course!” Ladybug strutted closer to the centaur. “It doesn’t matter what anyone said about the show you love, Emilie. What matters is how it makes you feel, and the sort of life it inspires you to live.”

“That girl…” A scowl returned to Gatebreaker’s face. “The one who said it’s not real.”

“Chloé,” said Ladybug. “Er… I’m guessing. I’ve had problems with her before.” She shook her head slowly. “Chloé was wrong, Emilie. She’s always wrong. You don’t have to pay her any mind.”

But Gatebreaker wasn’t listening. “Chloé…” she repeated, snarling. “Chloé! Where are you?” She turned around, casting her glowing green eyes over the Eiffel Tower’s nearly empty square.

In the distance, Alya was filming the event from behind a metal garbage bin on the sidewalk. Beyond her, a group of boys in My Little Pony-themed attire watched in awe. And even farther than that, a bleach-blonde girl in a yellow cardigan shivered, trying to hide herself behind a street sign.

“You!” Gatebreaker thundered, and galloped ferociously across the square.

Chloé screamed and ran for her life down a nearby, one-way street.

“Oh no!” Ladybug panicked, looking up at the balloons. “That did not go as I expected!”

“Does it ever?” Cat Noir asked with a smile. “Check it out: the rifts are closing.”

Indeed, the rips in space over their heads shrunk as Gatebreaker chased Chloé away from the Tower.

“She must power them herself,” Ladybug thought out loud. “The farther she gets from the holes she’s created, the weaker the connection between our world and the ones she taps into.”

“The akuma must be in her bow, don’t you think?” Cat Noir asked.

“It doesn’t make sense… Emilie wouldn’t have a bow and arrow, would she?”

“I don’t think so, but we’ve been wrong before.”

Ladybug nodded at that. Her earrings flashed as one of the five black dots disappeared. “Right. I’m gonna change back any minute. Let’s get back to Gatebreaker, and then use your Cataclysm on her bow.”

“Way ahead of you, m’lady.” Cat Noir winked and took off toward the street where Chloé had been. Ladybug spun her yoyo behind her, cast it forward, wrapped it around a streetlight, and recoiled the string. The momentum launched her forward, and the duo were soon hot on the centaur’s trail of destruction through the streets of panicked Paris.

5 - An Unenlightened Brightness

Twilight’s vision was fading in and out. “Dear Princess Celestia…” she mumbled.

“I’m here, Twilight. I’m right here.”

“P-Princess?”

“Shhh… it’s going to be all right.”

Twilight caught glimpses of streaming Sunlight, smooth granite, fluttering curtains…

“Just breathe, Twilight.”

“Where are we? Wh-what’s happening to me, Princess?”

“We’re safe in the castle. You’re safe, Twilight. That’s all that matters.”

“Augh!” A shot of pain coursed through Twilight’s horn. “Oh, it hurts!”

Celestia coughed. “Your horn… it’s burning up, Twilight. Are you trying to cast any spells?”

“No! I’m not trying to do―gah!” Twilight doubled over. Only in her throes did she realize Princess Celestia was holding her, cradling Twilight’s entire body close to Celestia’s own. “Oh, Princess… what is happening to me?”

“Don’t be afraid, Twilight.” Princess Celestia’s voice was very soft. “I’ve called for the most esteemed doctors and mages in Canterlot. They’re on their way. You will be all right, my faithful student.”

Blind, Twilight gulped and nodded. “Okay, Princess. I-I trust you.”

“Just breathe, Twilight. Breathe.”

Twilight shuddered between each terrified breath.

🐞

“We have to keep her away from those rifts,” Ladybug said, sprinting at Cat Noir’s side. “Whatever happens, don’t let her go back to the Eiffel Tower.”

“She won’t have a chance.” Cat Noir smirked and clenched one fist. “And I’ll destroy the bow before she gets a chance to open another one.”

“Good luck!”

“Don’t you mean bad luck?” Cat Noir winked. “That’s kinda my thing.”

They turned a corner and almost ran into the centaur’s backside. They dove to either side of Gatebreaker and scanned the scene from the sidewalks. Chloé was backed against a row of abandoned cars blocking her path through the narrow street; Gatebreaker was aiming her bow directly at the cowering teenager.

“Please don’t shoot me!” Chloé was panicking. “Ladybug! Save me, plea-heeeease!”

“Don’t do it, Gatebreaker,” Ladybug shouted up at the centaur. “Don’t give Chloé power over your feelings.”

Gatebreaker snorted. “Don’t you see? She has no power. I am the powerful one. I can do anything.” She turned her menacing head to the right and sneered at Ladybug without wavering her aim. “Now she will see how infinite and real the multiverse is.”

Ladybug’s masked brow creased. “What do you mean?”

Gatebreaker grinned and opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly the blunt end of a metal pole struck her in the back of the head. She buckled forward, pressing one palm into her new bruise with an annoyed roar. Her left hand ― holding the gleaming longbow ― tensed her her side.

“Cataclysm!” Cat Noir shouted, channeling dark energy into his gloved fist. He leapt forward with superhuman strength and wrapped his crackling fingers around the bow. Its silvery surface rusted in moments and crumbled in the centaur’s angry grasp. Its string dropped limply to the street.

Gatebreaker glared angrily at Cat Noir, but the hero and his partner were standing over the shambles of the bow, waiting for the appearance of a black and violet butterfly.

“No akuma?” Ladybug asked after several empty seconds. “But… that must mean…”

She and Cat Noir looked up into Gatebreaker’s face. The mighty beast sneered at them, pulled an arrow from her quiver, and flexed the muscles of her left arm. A brilliant gleam of silver shone from the palm of her hand, bending into a moon shape. The Parisian heroes watched in horror as a new bow, identical to the first, materialized in the light shining from Gatebreaker’s fist.

“Blind fools,” Gatebreaker growled at them. “You see so little of what there is.”

Cat Noir’s ring flashed at him. He looked at it, then at Ladybug’s earrings. There were only two black dots left.

“You’re gonna change back,” he warned her.

“So are you!” Ladybug said worriedly.

Cat Noir smirked. “Don’t worry about me, m’lady. I’ll find out where the akuma is. Be back as soon as you can.”

“But what if―”

“Emilie, stop!” called a voice from far behind the centaur.

Ladybug, Cat Noir, Gatebreaker, and Chloé Bourgeois all looked toward the terrified voice. It came from one of several bronies standing in a tight group far down the road. “You don’t have to do this! Let Ladybug and Cat Noir help you!”

“Are you all so blind?” Gatebreaker bellowed. “Do you not understand my power? What I am about to do?”

“Don’t hurt anyone!” called another brony. Ladybug recognized him as Claude, the lively boy from the meetup. “You’ll only regret it, Emilie!”

“I am not Emilie!” cried the huge creature. “I am Gatebreaker, the path between dimensions!”

“Yo, Emilie, we’re not trying to hurt your feelings,” said Nino, emerging from the group. Jean-Marc and Claude followed him bravely as they marched toward Gatebreaker. “We just want you to know that we accept you as you are! Y’know? We’re here for you and we support you, no matter what jerks like Chloé say!”

“Hey!” Chloé barked. “I’m right here, you know!”

“Sweet boy… I thank you for your kind words,” said Gatebreaker as Nino and the others continued their approach. “But you do not understand. My goal is not to harm, but to educate! Not to destroy, but to free!” She turned back to Chloé with menace in her glowing eyes. “The gates I break are meant to be broken. They keep us from seeing the truth.”

Ladybug’s earrings signaled her final minute before her transformation back into a normal girl. “I-I have to go!” she whispered to Cat Noir.

“Go, then!” he said without tearing his eyes from Gatebreaker’s movements. “I’ll take care of this!”

“You too shall see,” Gatebreaker said. “You all shall see! Nothing is not real! Nowhere does not exist!” She pulled back a crackling arrow and aimed it right at Chloé. “The multiverse is endless.”

“No!” Cat Noir lunged for the bow.

He was too late. Gatebreaker released the tension in her bowstring, and the magical arrow burned through the air and struck Chloé directly in the abdomen. She screamed, but the sound of her pain quickly faded as the arrow ripped a hole in space. Chloé vanished completely.

The portal was somehow different than the others. Ladybug noticed immediately. It was brighter, larger, and light bent around its jagged shape like it bends around an eclipse. She suddenly felt herself drawn toward the light, but not in her mind: quite literally, her entire body was being sucked toward the portal.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Cat Noir stuttered, boots sliding over the pavement.

“It must be… some kind of vacuum on the other side.” Ladybug turned around and threw her yoyo, but it wrapped around her body and disappeared into the portal. “Gyah! I-I can’t hold it!”

“It’s too strong!” Cat Noir tried to use his pole as a brake, but it ground noisily until suddenly the pull was too strong, and he joined Chloé and the yoyo on the other side of the portal. “Ladybuuuug!”

“Aahhh! Help us! Help us!”

Ladybug watched Nino, Jean-Marc, and Claude fly toward the portal, spin around it like going down a drain, and vanish in its light.

“Ohhh… darn it!” Ladybug jumped off the ground and let the portal take its toll. “I’m coming, Cat Noir!”

Gatebreaker watched her portal swallow them all with delight.

Hawk Moth’s voice spoke directly into her mind: “Gatebreaker! What are you doing? You can’t send them into oblivion! I need those Miraculouses!”

“It’s not oblivion, Hawk Moth,” Gatebreaker said. “It’s home.” And with that, she galloped straight into her own rift in space. When her entire frame had vanished, the hole sealed itself up, and Paris was left in eerie silence.

🐞

“No!” Hawk Moth shouted in his observatory. He stomped his foot. “Gatebreaker! Promise me you will return with their Miraculouses! Gatebreaker? Answer me!”

His mental connection to the centaur was gone. In a fit of rage, he tore off the brooch on his chest and squeezed it in his palm. “Nooroo!” he yelled.

The tiny purple kwami appeared out of thin air, shivering at the sound of his master’s voice. “Y-y-yes, Hawk Moth?”

“Where did she go?” he asked loudly. “Where did she take them?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nooroo whimpered. “I can’t see what you’re doing while I’m in there.”

“The centaur! I gave a little girl the power to access other dimensions, and now she’s gone through a portal with Ladybug and Cat Noir!” Spit flew from his lips as he screamed in a low voice. “Now I’ve completely lost track of her. Where have they gone? How will I get them back? Has she lost her powers!?”

Nooroo’s head shook vigorously. “No, Hawk Moth, she didn’t lose her powers. Until you specifically take them away from her, she’ll retain whatever power you gave her through the akuma.”

Hawk Moth sighed and rubbed his forehead. “At least they can come back,” he muttered. “How will I get a hold of her? Do you know where she’s gone?”

“No.” Nooroo sniffed. “I don’t have any answers for you, Master. Whatever mess you’ve made… it’s your own.”

Hawk Moth gritted his teeth and moved as if to hit the little kwami. Nooroo cowered in midair.

Finally, Hawk Moth dropped his hand and reattached his brooch. Nooroo swirled into it, and Hawk Moth was once again robed in his tight purple suit and silver mask.

“You may have escaped me for now, Gatebreaker,” he spoke to no one, “but your powers are limited. Those I will give my next villain are not.” He grinned maliciously. “Hmm… villain versus villain. How very dangerous I’ve become.” He began to laugh as he searched the streets of Paris for another tortured soul.

🐞

Lyra Heartstrings and her best friend Bon Bon trotted gaily through the streets of Ponyville, eager to enjoy a relaxing day of picnics and ponywatching.

“I just love days like today!” Lyra said with a flounce of her mane. “I can feel it in the air: something wonderful’s going to happen!”

Bon Bon snorted and rolled her eyes. “That’s easy when your definition of ‘wonderful’ is spotting a pretty butterfly.”

Lyra gasped and pointed down, as if on cue. “Bon Bon, look! Look on that flower!” She bent down and beamed at a bright yellow petal and the spotted dot upon it. “It’s a ladybug! Oh, isn’t it the cutest?”

Bon Bon smirked. “It is pretty darn cute, for an insect.”

“I hear that ladybugs are a symbol of good luck!”

Bon Bon’s ears twitched, and she looked further down the road. “What is…? Hey, Lyra, do you hear that?”

“That ladybugs are a symbol of good luck? Yeah, I just told you, that’s what I hear!”

“No, not that. Listen.”

They did, together. Lyra stood up and her ears perked toward the sky. Panicked yet familiar voices rang through the air, like desperate fighting between good friends.

“Is that Applejack?” Lyra asked. “I think I hear Applejack’s voice.”

“And I could have sworn I heard Rainbow Dash.” Bon Bon nodded. “Come on, let’s go see what’s wrong.”

Hip to hip, Lyra and Bon Bon galloped down a few streets and approached the towering crystal castle. Grouped around the front doors were several ponies, many of which were Twilight’s closest friends. The anger in their voices and nervous expressions spoke volumes even louder than the shouting.

“What’s wrong?” Bon Bon asked as she and Lyra approached the group.

“Princess Celestia took Twilight away!” somepony cried. “She’s dying!”

“She is not dying!” Spike yelled immediately. “We have no idea what’s happening to her.”

“That’s even worse!” a stallion declared, echoed by hectic chatter in the crowd. It grew every moment, drawing attention from all across town.

“Everypony calm down!” Applejack said for the dozenth time. “I’m sure we’ll be hearin’ from the Princesses soon. They can send letters through Spike, remember?” She gestured to the dragon at her side.

“Just let me fly to Canterlot real fast and see what’s up!” Rainbow Dash whined in a hover. “I’ll be back in, like, forty minutes! Maybe forty-five!”

“We both know Canterlot’s farther away’n it looks, Rainbow,” Applejack growled up at her. “Whatever’s goin’ on with Twilight, I’m sure it’s gonna be fine.” She turned back to the crowd. “There’s no reason for y’all to be in such a tizzy!”

“Is that what Princess Twilight would say if you were suddenly whisked away to Canterlot?” asked a random mare.

Applejack blinked. “Uhhh… well, no, I reckon not, but…”

Fluttershy sidled up to Applejack and cleared her throat. “I think we should let Rainbow go,” she said softly. “I want to know what’s happening.”

“I heard that!” Rainbow Dash said triumphantly. “Okay, here I go! I’ll be right back!”

“Rainbow, no!” Applejack jumped and caught Rainbow Dash’s tail in her teeth before the pegasus could jet away. “P-tooee! If we wanna get a hold o’ Celestia so bad, let’s just send a little letter through Spike! That’s instant messagin’ right there!”

A murmur of accord spread through the crowd, urging Spike to clear his throat.

“Okay, hold on…” From somewhere behind him, Spike produced a pen and parchment. “What do you wanna say?”

There was silence for a moment, then everypony got an idea and spoke up at once.

“Is Twilight okay?”

“When’s she coming back?”

“What happened to her?”

“Should I go to Canterlot!?”

“What can we do to help?”

“Tell her I can be there in, like, fifteen minutes!”

“Enough!” Applejack threw her hooves in the air and everypony quieted down. “Ahem. I’ll do the talkin’. So… Dear Princess Celestia.”

Spike began to scribble.

“We here in Ponyville just wanna know what happened with Twilight. When you’ve got the time, couldja please give us some kinda status update. We just wanna know she’s all right. Yours… uh… Ponyville.”

“Po… ny… ville.” Spike finished with a flick of his wrist, rolled up the letter, and blew it to ash on a wave of green flame. A sigh spread through the gathered citizens, and the waiting began.

It did not last long.

A stone’s throw away, sandwiching the crowd between the Castle and this new phenomenon, a glowing rip in the fabric of space appeared with a high pitched roar. The ponies all spun and gasped at the portal, some of them shivering instantly.

“What is that?”

“This is bad timing…”

“Darn it! Where’s Twilight when you need her?”

More gasps and even some screams accompanied the surfacing of several forms from the light. The shapes arrived gradually, like a spark in slow motion. The first to fully materialize was a young, blonde mare with a garish yellow coat and icy blue eyes.

“Gah!” the mare exclaimed, rearing up on her hind legs only to tip over sideways. “Oof! What the… what is this? What did she do to me?” Her face contorted and she began to cry.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at each other with nervous eyes.

The next three forms to appear were stallions, one brown, one blue, and one green. Unlike the first mare, they wandered away from the portal with wide eyes, surveying the township all around them with nothing less than awe.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked in a wavering falsetto.

“Wait…” Applejack answered with a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

Two more equines materialized behind the group of three. The mare was pale and thin, with a shiny, dark blue mane and sky blue eyes that narrowed in the light of the portal. The other was a stallion who, to Applejack’s shock, was colored almost exactly like her: orange, with a spiky blonde mane and striking emerald eyes.

“Whoa…” Rainbow Dash said from above. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

The blue-maned mare glanced at the portal behind her, then at the ponies who had come through with her, and finally at the group gawking at them all. Her irises suddenly shrunk and she called out, “Everyone, get back! Get back!” She lifted her forelegs and tried to urge them away, but she lost her balance and landed squarely on her chin. “Ungh!”

Still, the ponies obeyed, especially when the largest spark of all ― a great glowing beacon shining brightly from the center of the portal ― grew into a terrifying shape.

“It’s Tirek!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “He’s back!”

“That’s too skinny to be Tirek…” said Applejack.

“I think… it’s a girl centaur!” Fluttershy said.

The shape fully formed and stepped out of the light, revealing an orange and white striped centaur with glowing green eyes and a long, sharp smile. The portal faded behind her, though it didn’t disappear completely.

The centaur beamed triumphantly and trotted in a slow circle. “Yes… yessss!” Her eyes swept over the ponies nearest her. She spotted the crying blonde mare and bent down, grabbing the pony around the throat in a massive hand. “How now, Chloé?” she asked in a rumbling voice. “Can you yet say that anything is pretend? That anything is worth dismissing? Look!”

As her onlookers gasped, the centaur stood at her full height and held the trembling yellow mare by her neck, forcing her to gaze over the city of Ponyville.

“The multiverse is infinite!” the centaur announced as the poor pony squirmed. “There is no corner unknown to me, no possibility unseen! I am Gatebreaker, and I shall ensure that none shall suffer under your ignorance again!”

The centaur cackled, but her laugh was cut short when something slammed into her abdomen. She gasped for air and let go of the yellow mare, who landed hard on the ground.

Gatebreaker stumbled backward and stared angrily at the blue wings under her nose.

“It’s not cool to choke ponies, Fencesmasher,” Rainbow Dash said proudly, crossing her forehooves as she hovered backward out of the centaur’s reach. “No matter what weird dimension you’re from.”

Gatebreaker moved to attack, when suddenly her green eyes softened. Her jaw hung slightly open for a moment before she whispered, “Rainbow Dash?”

The pegasus blinked. “Huh? Uhhh… have we met?”