Tirek's Reform

by Harratot33

Rating: everyone
Tags: Romance, Tirek, Science Fiction, Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Tragedy, Adventure, Main 6, Discord, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Flurry Heart
Length: 9781

Twilight Sparkle and her friends must prevent Stellas Spatium from enslaving Discord's dimension and the entire multiverse, once again using the famed Elements of Harmony to do so.

Part two of a trilogy (The Coming of Stellas Spatium, Tirek's Reform and Starswirl's Return) that summaries how I would end the show were it up to me.

After killing his sisters, Stellas Spatium plans to enslave both Equestria and other dimensions; while his bounty hunters hunt for the group, The Mane Six, Cadance, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Spike escape to a strange dimension to formulate a plan to stop him, while an old foe ultimately decides to team up with them after Spatium declines to work with him.

Published 2017-08-14 11:10:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-21 18:36:22 UTC

Prologue

One Thousand Years Ago...

"Stellas?" Luna called out to her brother. He was sitting by himself on the steps leading into the castle he shared with his sisters in the Everfree Forest. As he did every evening.

"Leave me alone," he whined. Celestia joined her sister.

"The Equestrian government just visited," she said. "They wanted to confirm your resignation as governor of the stars."

"That's...it's not like I wanna see anypony right now; you two keep telling rubbish I don't need to kn--"

"Stellas!" Luna was becoming more impatient. Celestia beckoned her to stop.

"They aren't too happy with you, either. They're very disappointed in you for refusing to use the magnificent power you've been given."

"Magnificent?!" Spatium's vocals were growing louder and crosser with every syllable. "Is that how you would describe governing the stars?! Something nopony gives a..."

"Stellas!" Luna interrupted. "This has been going on for far too long." She sighed. "You tell him, Celestia..."

"Ponies become allicorns when they are deemed worthy. Everypony who has ever become one has achieved great feats, been loyal, powerful...but most of all, is destined to use their magic to help other ponies and...cliché as it sounds, make Equestria a better place..."

"Oh..." Spatium was now grinning a foul-looking grin. "I can help with that!" He took out an ancient-looking book. It was slightly dusty, and even ripped; in fact, it looked as if it had been burned, but perhaps it had always looked that way. It was impossible for anypony to tell!

"Tell me that isn't what I believe it to be!" Luna cried.

"Stellas, have you been venturing to the restricted section of the Canterlot Library again?" Celestia asked.

"Well, that explains where he went gallivanting off to yesterday!" Luna said crossly.

"You both know I go gallivanting off quite a bit," said Spatium, enjoying himself now. "Yes, I've been studying dark allicorn magic. And now...I think I've finally mastered the spell I need to overthrow you both and rule everything. Not silly stars, no...it's not even really the sun and the moon I'm after. I mean ponies. Actual, real ponies. Observe!" Without warning, he generated a bolt of crimson unicorn magic and attempted to hit Celestia. He missed narrowly, and the two sisters fled into their castle, with Luna slamming the door violently behind her.

"We have to leave!"

"Agreed!" Celestia exclaimed. No sooner had she finished that simple sentence than Spatium was using more magic to destroy the castle itself! All the windows began to crack, as did all the walls. Eventually, hardly anything was left, and Celestia and Luna were exposed (and severely injured!).

"Now I've got you right where I want you!" Spatium laughed. Celestia watched in horror, too outraged at all that had she had just discovered about one of her own blood relatives to even open her mouth, as Luna underwent a gruesome transformation into one of the most grotesque beasts she had even seen: her horn grew taller and darker, her tail became transparent and entirely night-sky-blue; her black-and-white moon cutie mark was now purple and white, and oh...how her eyes changed! Celestia could hardly believe it!

Luna let out an ear-piercing laugh and the pair instantly went for Celestia. They were not able to reach her, however. Celestia had begun running the split-second her sister had turned into something so...nightmarish.

Nightmare Moon! Celestia decided in the privacy of her own thoughts. That's what I'll call Luna's horrific new form when everypony asks what's happened to her and Spatium. Celestia was rushing to the Tree of Harmony, also located in the forest. When she got there, to her total disgust, she found the pair who had been pursuing her had somehow got their first!"

"EVER HEARD OF TELEPORTATION SPELLS?!" Spatium gloated. Celestia put one hoof on her forehead.

" You are an idiot!"

"Oh, but you are!" Nightmare Moon's voice was nothing like Luna's whatsoever! "And now you will pay for that mistake!" Nightmare Moon and Spatium then began showering Celestia with jets of unicorn magic in an attempt to overpower. But she would not have that. She hit back, hard and fast!

"I didn't want to ever have to use these against anyone," she said strenuously. "But the pair of you have left me with no alternative!" And with that, Celestia seized the six elements before the other two had a chance; her horn glowed a lemon-like yellow, and they all whizzed around her body in a circular motion, forming a rainbow-esque pattern. Her wings raised, and her face grew sterner with every passing second. That same rainbow morphed into a humongous ball of light that engulfed the princess, who subsequently transferred it onto her horn, generating one huge ray of unicorn magic. It was too much for Nightmare Moon and Spatium.

"Noo...oooooooooo..." They both screamed simultaneously, and vanished in a matter of seconds. Celestia put her wings over her eyes and wept.

"I just want my true brother and sister back..."

Author's Note

This story is a sequel to "The Coming of Stellas Spatium". In order to be understood and enjoyed fully, reading the aforementioned fanfic is recommended :)

Chapter 1 - The Re-Shaping of Equestria

Manehattan. This famed and hugely-admired Equestrian city had once been home to some of the tallest and most iconic skyscrapers in the whole of the land. Sadly, those were no more. The blaze generated by Spatium's controlling of the stars had spread across all of Equestria very quickly. But it's residents were safe; Spatium had ordered his right-hand men (residents from all over whom he had transferred his evil intentions into) to re-locate everypony to the one place he had avoided setting ablaze: the Everfree Forest.

"Can't have the elements of harmony going up in smoke, can I?" he had chuckled to himself. "I will need those! I will need my slaves! But most of all...the Everfree Forest is right next to Ponyville...and if Twilight Sparkle and her friends refuse to serve me...they will be slaughtered!" He gazed at the many, many ponies in the city who were still kind-hearted. "As will these!" Down below, Cranky Doodle Donkey and his wife Matilda were discussing the recent tragic events.

"Celestia and Luna have never evacuated an entire town in the thousand years they've been in office!"

"You really think it's another attack by an evil force?"

"Well...I...I don't think Matilda, I know it is!" Spatium swept down from the sky.

"You are correct," he hissed. "But unfortunately for you two, you will not be correct about me being evil for very much longer!" He bent down, and his horn began to glow a pale white. Following a short pause, scanty, cigarette-smoke-like threads of silver began to move out from the pair's body in much the same motion as a snake would sliver towards helpless pray. This strange substance was every last bit of goodness in their personalities, and without it, it would be extremely difficult for anypony to convince the pair that Stellas Spatium was the best pony in the world...and not omni-benevolent... and...not their true ruler.

"Do you think Sweet Apple Acres is still standing?" Granny Smith asked Big McIntosh. The two were being taken by Cranky and Matilda to the Everfree Forest by cart from Maretropolis.

"...Nope." Big McIntosh said sadly. "The blaze reached everywhere in Equestria bar the forest."

"Whatever could've caused such a fire?" Granny Smith asked puzzlingly.

"It was Stellas Spatium!" Cranky exclaimed proudly.

"Eh...who?" The two earthponies were completely confounded.

"You will hear him later on," said Matilda. "He is addressing everypony in Equestria at lunchtime."

"I demand to know why the Everfree Forest is the only darn place in Equestria that wasn't lit up like a..." Granny Smith started.

"Spatium wanted to save it," said Cranky. "He is giving everypony a better life there."

"How in tarnation is a dirty, smelly forest filled with Timberwolves better than a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city such as Manehattan?! I sure hope this Spatium fella knows what he's doing!"

"I certainly hope you know what you're doing!" Trixie yelled to Spike.

"Come on, it's the last element and then we're done," Spike was attempting to retrieve the element of generosity from its place in the Tree of Harmony.

"Uh...wouldn't it be easier it I just used my magic to lift it out?"

"We tried that with Fluttershy's element, it took like...forever!"

"Look, I think you're kinda annoying, I'm not gonna lie..."

"Thank you very much!"

"UHH...you do annoy me, but I wouldn't dream of you falling and hurting yourself." Then she giggled more softly: "Well...maybe in the odd nightmare on occasion." Mere milliseconds passed between this tasteless remark and Spike finally managing to prise the element from its natural spot.

"There, I'm done! Let's go rendezvous with Twilight!"

"Do you have to use those nerdy words all the time?" Trixie asked, as Spike hopped onto her back. She began to move out of the magnificent room.

"What...I see them in my comic-books all the time and I just thought...ya know, they make me sound smarter and all that."

"UHH!" ml>

Chapter 2 - The Departure of the Cutie Mark Crusaders

"Aren't ya just glad I'm safe and sound, Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Rarity," said Sweetie Belle. "If I were you, I'd just be happy I hadn't been turned into a slave with no mind of my own by that scary allicorn!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders were still in the forcefield in the aftermath of Spatium's attack on Ponyville with The Mane Six, Starlight Glimmer and Princess Cadance.

"We're all overjoyed at your safety," Cadance asserted. "But it was terribly dishonest of you all to go sneaking into such a treacherous battle site like that!"

"Apple Bloom, I'd like you and your friends to be honest," said Applejack. "The question I think we're all pondering on is: why?"

"Well..." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were hesitant. Scootaloo not so much.

"We wanted to be involved with a major fight for once because we've never done that before!" she blurted out. The others all scowled.

"There's a good reason for that!" Twilight seethed.

"What...we're too young?"

"Totally!" This came from Rainbow Dash; she knew how much she meant to Scootaloo, and that she would automatically agree with anything she might say, as if she had been programmed to do so. "You guys are way too vulnerable to help catch a bank robber, let alone help deal with somepony as crazy powerful as Spatium!"

"He's enslaved everyone in Equestria," Sweetie Belle acknowledged. "But so did you in the case of The Town With No Name, Starlight!"

"Way to rub it in!" she shouted.

"What makes Spatium so darn..." Apple Bloom's query was interrupted by a simple gesture made by the rest of the group to the corpses of Celestia and Luna. The Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped in horror.

"I'm so sorry, guys, I didn't..."

"Celestia and Luna are dead?!" Sweetie Belle screamed. "But they were so gentle, and sweet, and loyal...and..." She was unable to continue; tears were flooding out from her eyeballs faster than she could possibly control.

"That Spatium is a MONSTER!!" Scootaloo yelled, crying too.

"He's not just a monster," said Cadance empathetically. "He's also going to be back for us very shortly. If we refuse to cater to his each and every whim, he'll be less than forgiving. And we can't let anything bad happen to you fillies!"

"BUT...but..." Apple Bloom wailed. "If my sister and her friends are about to go through terrible experiences, I wanna be there to share those terrible experiences with them!"

"You three are far too important," Applejack said tearfully. "You're only hope of survival is to go with the rest of the evacuated ponies.

"W...while you guys are treated so mercilessly by that evil-doer?" Sweetie Belle was in tears now, too. "And we'll all become as evil as he is!"

"It can't be helped, darling!" Rarity bawled.

"Will we ever see you all again?"

"I'm not going to sugar-coat it," said Twilight, tears flowing out her eyes as quickly as everyone else's. "I'm not sure. It depends on how effective the elements of harmony are on Spatium. If we don't make it out alive, at least you guys will have each other and...and..." The trio of fillies hugged Twilight and the others. "Promise me you'll all go to the nearest city and join with the evacuated citizens."

"If it's what you all want, we'll do it!" Scootaloo wept.

"Go now!" Cadance said firmly. "There's not much time." She, Rarity and Twilight produced an opening in their forcefield and the three fillies scampered out, gave one last wave to the group, and left, eventually going completely out of sight.

"What now?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I want for one want to know what's taking Spike and Trixie so long with the elements!" said Rainbow Dash.

"I didn't see any smoke coming from the Everfree Forest," said Twilight. "I suspect Spatium refrained from setting it ablaze so he could put all his slaves in one place, and..."

"What is it?" Starlight Glimmer blubbered.

"I suspect he may be after the elements of harmony."

"We'll give it another few minutes and then go after them." said Cadance.

"How much longer till we reach the town square?" Spike asked.

"Patience!" Trixie said impatiently. "We've nearly reached the edge of the forest." Just then, who should come running out in front of Trixie to block her path but Zecora.

"You must not leave!"

"Ooh...ooh, I wonder what crazy rhymes Zecora's come up lately!" Spike was excited, but his mood turned to bitter disappointment when Zecora repeated:

"You two are to stay here. Stellas Spatium is our leader."

"Are you ill?" Trixie asked.

"You two must stay here, where you can serve Stellas Spatium."

"You don't reckon he's altered everypony's personality so they act this way?" Trixie whispered to her companion.

"I do!" Spike admitted quietly back to her. "I also reckon we ought to get out of here and find Twilight!"

"Leave it to me!" Trixie swiftly fished into her cape and pulled out a smoke bomb, smashing it onto the ground and running in the process, obviously.

"I'm tired of waiting!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Calm down, Pinkie," Twilight responded. "We're only gonna be waiting another minute."

"60 seconds?"

"I was speaking figurativ--"

"Okey-dokey-lokey!" A few seconds later, however, she resumed chanting: "Where are they? Where are they? Where are they?"

"We're here!" Spike yelled.

"Wow did that actually work?!" Pinkie said, surprised.

"Spike!" The baby dragon embraced Twilight, and Trixie did the same to Starlight.

"I see you've got the elements," said Twilight. "Here, let me put them in my saddleback." And she did just that.

"How long were we gone?" Trixie asked.

"Um...I think it's about lunchtime..." Fluttershy estimated. Before anypony could utter another word, however, as suddenly as a downpour in the middle of August, the group all heard Stellas Spatium's more-than-menacing voice—his actual, true vocals—in their minds! Everypony and nopony could hear him, for everypony in Equestria heard him speak in their minds at that moment, but if one pony were to be mysteriously unaffected, they would have heard absolutely nothing.

You are hearing the voice of your new leader, Stellas Spatium. The voice went. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were weak and foolish, so I obliterated them. And I will obliterate anypony who does not abide by my laws! Twilight and the others felt as if their hearts were about to explode out of their chests. Everypony will work for me and I will work for them, as Equestria's one and true ruler! My first act as this place's ultimate leader will be to balance all the dimensions in the universe as I see fit. Yes, as the one who was destined to lead everypony in Equestria but was never given the chance...well, I feel I have the right to take my power up...just a notch. Everywhere in the entire multi-verse will bow before Stellas Spatium!! There was a lengthy pause before Fluttershy realised, and screamed:

"DISCORD!!!"

Chapter 3 - Team-Up!

Queen Chrysalis had been in exile in the more desolate and less populated areas of Equestria ever since her defeat at the hoofs of Starlight Glimmer, plotting her revenge.

I can't do it myself. She had thought to herself. Starlight will no doubt bring along many of those petty friends I captured back during my second attempt on an invasion of the most love-filled place I've ever known. And I can't defeat all of them on my own—especially in the absence of my changeling army! Chrysalis wandered for months, experiencing both extreme heat and cold, in both mountain and desert, near sea and land. When she heard Spatium's mental message to everypony in Equestria regarding him taking total control of everything, however, she began to venture back into the urban areas.

"I'm certain Spatium could use a few more...henchponies, as it were," she giggled. "And I know just the pony—aside from me of course—he would be most interested in teaming up with!"

The Crystal Empire had not been destroyed by Spatium. The forcefield produced by Shining Armour, Cadance and Twilight was still as strong as it had been when the former had bid the latter two his poignant farewell.

Sneaking past security will be filly's play! Chrysalis thought. All I have to do is impersonate Princess Cadance, just as I did on her wedding day all those years ago. I'll say I've come back to see Shining Armour. The guards simply couldn't refuse to aid such a lovely pony as her. Chrysalis did just as she had psychologically planned. A single drop of pony blood running down her face like a tear, the guards instantly understood and began to escort 'Cadance' to her beloved husband; not many steps up to his place of residence, however, the masquerading monarch broke free of their grip and gave each of them a single, but violent kick to the head, rendering them unconscious. With nopony to stop her, she ran back outside and directly to the Crystal Library.

"Hey, whadda ya think yar doing?!" The Librarian shouted. "That's the restricted--" Chrysalis rapidly transformed back into her true form and sucked every bit of love out of the stallion. Having done so, she was able to access the restricted section. Her search for the book she needed did not take too long; when it was complete, she opened it. A vast blanket of dust covered each page, so she gave the book a brutal shake. And then, at long last, she found the page! And she recited the spell: the spell to enable her to enter Tartarus itself! There was a blinding flash, and in literally no time at all, she was there.

"I just need to find," she said aloud in hope that her desired prisoner would overhear. "...where Lord Tirek is kept!"

"Whoever happens to be seeking me," the voice that replied was Tirek's, no doubt about it. "Lord Tirek is up here." Chrysalis darted her eyes about the place. The voice seemed to be coming from up ahead; and it was. She trotted slowly forwards, avoiding the other ghastly inmates, and eventually sighted Tirek's cage. One lengthy flight of stairs later, and she was as close to him as she could possibly muster under the circumstances.

"What is it that you want with me?" Tirek was very small, given the fact that none of the magic he had stolen the last time he had broken out was contained in his body any longer.

"Did you hear Stellas Spatium's mental cry out to everypony in Equestria?"

"I don't believe it was just to Equestria," said Tirek. "He was detailing plans to enslave and command different dimensions, so it makes sense that he would wish for as many creatures in the multi-verse to hear his commands as possible. I wish I could help him!"

"That's what I'm here for," said Chrysalis.

"Go on," Tirek demanded, intrigued now.

"You broke out of here once before," Chrysalis explained. "Who's to say you can't perform such a feat a second time?" Tirek paused, breathing heavily and menacingly through his nose.

"NOPONY!"

"We need to get to Chaosville!" Fluttershy urged the rest of her group.

"To where now?" Applejack asked.

"It's where Discord lives," explained Fluttershy. "I've been there for tea parties myself on several occasions. It's really spooky, but if Spatium's gonna tear it down and be ruler of it as part of his quote-unquote 'master plan', I for one suggest hurrying there at once!"

"I agree with her," said Cadance. "Discord's magic is extremely powerful and could prove most useful in bringing about Spatium's downfall."

"Besides," Twilight continued. "I don't think we're ready to confront Spatium again just yet."

"Your logic is, as always, overwhelmingly enlightened, my dear," Rarity said selflessly. "We need time to form a cohesive plan!"

"How do we enter his dimension?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, um...I don't think it's an official dimension...actually," Fluttershy confessed. "It's more like a...void between all the different dimensions in the multi-verse."

"You mean like a sort of gateway to all them?" bleated Starlight.

"I guess so, but..I'm no scientist," said Fluttershy sadly.

"If Discord's so-called void is a gateway to all the dimensions," said Twilight. "That'll be Stellas Spatium's first stopping point, and the very first inter-dimensional location he invades. Oh, we simply must hurry!"

"How do we get there?" Applejack questioned.

"Discord's always transported me there himself," Fluttershy admitted. "But now he's not physically here, I wouldn't know where to start!"

"How's Stellas Spatium getting there then?!?" Pinkie yelled at break-neck pace.

"That's a good point, Pinkie," said Cadance. "He's the most powerful allicorn in existence, right?"

"What are you saying?" Twilight inquired curiously.

"Well," Cadance explained. "I'm certain he'll be using some form of teleportation spell to achieve inter-dimensional travel. After all, no library in Equestria has any number of books containing spells to reach every dimension in the entire multi-verse."

"You think we could try it?"

"Anything is possible," Cadance said warmly, smiling for the first time in days. "With the magic of..."

"FRIENDSHIP! WE KNOW!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Just please hurry and get us to Discord's realm, we don't have time for all this chit-chatting!"

"Here goes..." Twilight and Cadance began.

At the same time, Tirek and Queen Chrysalis were making their way to the Everfree Forest, the site of Spatium's most recent sighting.

"Have you considered the prospect he will refuse to work with anypony?" Tirek asked.

"Pfft!" Chrysalis replied immaturely. "It will work out."

"Working out isn't something that's transpired very much during my lifetime," said Tirek. "How about you?

"Started out just fine," Chrysalis detailed. "Started out just like any other Changeling's. The infinite thirst, and lust, and hunger for love. And then I became Queen." She began to laugh lightly. "Took them long enough—two hundred years, no less!"

"When myself and Scorpan grew distant and he befriended Starswirl the Bearded, I began to feel the weight of a sour life on my shoulders," Tirek sniffed. "And when I was first thrown into Tartarus, my life...it was just over. When I escaped and began to thirst for ponies' magic, just as your race thirst for love...it was the greatest thing ever. But then my life was turned to torment yet again by Princess Twilight and her fellow figures of nobility."

"I, too, have one which I am seeking revenge on," said Chrysalis empathetically. "The unicorn named Starlight Glimmer, for bringing about the downfall of my race."

"You don't mean..."

"I do. I truly do! Every last one of my people turned into good-hearted individuals..."

"Surely...you have more love to feed off that way?" Tirek grinned evilly.

"You're an ingenious one!" she cackled. "We make quite a pair, do we not?"

Reaching the forest at last, the two found Stellas Spatium immediately. He was on the ground with the Cake family, who were trotting in the opposite direction.

"That's it," he said demandingly. "Out of here! Find me ponies that have escaped being turned and find them now!" He turned and sighted Chrysalis and Tirek. Their eyes were not black-and-orange, as all slaves to Spatium were. That is how he could tell:

"Ah! Mr. and Mrs. Cake, no need!" The earth pony couple shifted around and began to head back into the forest. "I have found some myself."

"Massive fans, just saying," Chrysalis began.

"Allow me to handle this, my dear," Tirek interrupted. "I have recently broken free from Tartarus, the prison for the criminally insane..." He stopped. "Alright, maybe forget that part, but the point is..." Tirek's words were drowned out by a horrifying scream—it was that of Queen Chrysalis herself! And her eyes were no longer swampy-green; quite the opposite: fifty-percent orange, fifty-percent black!

"You're next!" Spatium grinned. Tirek did not even consider fighting back, he ran. Oh, how he ran! It is astonishing that he was able to get away, considering how much of his strength had been diminished in his battle with the four princesses.

"NOPONY WORKS WITH THE LIKES OF STELLAS SPATIUM!" Spatium roared. "ONLY FOR HIM!" He paused and surveyed the area. "Bulk Biceps!" The ghostly-white and totally humongous male pegasus stomped up to him. "You must go and fetch me Lord Tirek at once!" Bulk did not reply verbally, only nod his head and charge off after Tirek, just as Spatium had requested. His slaves would perform any task he requested!

Chapter 4 - Dimension Nameless

Tirek did not know where he was going whatsoever; he just kept going, fully aware of the fact that if he did not, he would be not be let off lightly by Spatium.

I know evil when I see it...hear of it...feel it in the atmosphere. Tirek thought as he sped along into Ponyville itself. But Stellas Spatium...he's another sort of evil altogether; one I never dreamt even existed! In the town square, Twilight's group was still attempting to reach Discord's realm.

"OK!" Twilight revelled in delight at a certain spell she had caught sight of in a book of hers. "I think I've found the very piece of allicorn magic that can help us, Cadance. It's one that amplifies any spell an allicorn may perform ten-fold!"

"So, if we cast a regular transportation spell and combined it with this bit of magic, we could be able to go as far as Chaosville?"

"There's only one way to find out. Hold hoofs, everypony," The row of ponies went like this from left to right: Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Spike, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Cadance, Twilight, and...Tirek?!? Nopony had noticed his more-than-unexpected arrival, he was just so minute.

"Ready?" Twilight asked.

"READY!" Everypony clamoured in response (with the exception of Tirek, that is, of course!) Twilight and Cadance's horns began to glow a candy floss-like pink, with white sparks sporadically jetting from them every two or three seconds.

"Concentrate," Twilight urged Cadance. "It's not ideal that we don't exactly know what Discord's realm looks like, but we must try to generate at least a rough image of it in our min--" And then came the inevitable moment of notification. "NO...it can't be..." Before the purple pony could say anything more about Tirek's uninvited inclusion into the group, she and the others found that they had been successful in transporting to Chaosville. Boy, did it live up to its name! In fact, it lived up to its name far more so than usual; for it was not only pure havoc as a result of the lack of consistence in size, rotation or colour, but many of the doorways to other dimensions had been opened, and objects were falling into those other dimensions at close to the speed of light!

"Oh...I fear we're too late!" Fluttershy wailed in disbelief. "It looks as if Spatium's gotten here first!" There was a brief pause in which the mellow pegasus realised that nopony else was giving any sign of sadness at this fact. They probably just don't care about Discord and will never be convinced he's well-meaning after all he's done! She thought to herself, but when she removed her hoofs from her tearful eyes, she found the cause of the deathly silence was much, much more sinister!

"Just dandy!" Rainbow Dash was shouting. "Stellas Spatium, by far the most evil foe we've ever encountered, and now Lord Tirek—let's face it, you ain't exactly pure of heart, either!"

"I am aware of that, Rainbow, just please let me--"

"Hey! Nopony calls me Rainbow that isn't my friend!"

"Don't anger him, Rainbow Dash," said Twilight. "Have you come to gain vengeance for your defeat at my hoofs? And how in Celestia..." Twilight stopped, and recognised that that term was no longer appropriate. "How in Equestria did you break free from Tartarus? Take a step back while he gives his story, everypony, he may be small, but he could very well still be dangerous." Tirek told everypony all about Queen Chrysalis breaking him out of Tartarus, and how they had seeked revenge on Starlight and Twilight respectively, and how they had tried in utter vain to aid Spatium in his quest for control of the whole multi-verse.

"So Chrysalis is one of Spatium's now, just as all the residents of Equestria are?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Correct," Tirek replied.

"You should be happy, Starlight, if she wasn't, you would've had to fight her all over again!" said Pinkie Pie.

"I'm...not so sure, Pinkie," Twilight said slowly, still slightly unsure herself what to make of everything.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, even though he didn't specifically swear it in the same manner Queen Chrysalis did, I'm sure Tirek would have liked more than anything to get me back for landing him in Tartarus for the second time in his existence." Tirek nodded.

"Well," said Cadance, confused. "What's stopping you?" Tirek sighed.

"Because I know sticking with all of you is my only means of surviving. Do not get me wrong, I'd still like nothing more than to have all of Equestria under my rule...but under these newly-founded circumstances, that is no longer possible."

"SO YOU'RE REFORMED?!" Pinkie yelled excitedly. "LIKE DISCORD?! YOU'RE OUR FRIENDS NOW...AND BELIEVE IN ITS MAGIC, AND HAVING PICNICS, AND MAKING CUPCAKE RECIPES...AND...AND..."

"Pinkie! Pinkie! Pinkie!" Tirek interrupted. "Please...you're voice is the stuff of nightmares. No, I am not reformed; and don't consider any of you friends—merely scapegoats."

"Hey!" Applejack said loudly all of a sudden. "Who's to say that if we do ever manage to prevent Spatium from enacting any more of his diabolical plans, you'll tear us to shreds the first chance you get?"

"Who knows," said Tirek. "I may! It is up to all of you. I just think it would be better if me and Twilight were kept as separate as possible."

"I completely concur," said Rarity. "Anyway, if you want my opinion, I don't believe we should be letting former foes off more easily than we would normally just because we're currently facing off with one that's far more menacing than any of them ever were."

"Hmm...I suppose I just don't feel safe or comfortable around you, Tirek," Twilight admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Actually..." Pinkie began. "I was thinking about that thingy Applejack said...about him crushing us as soon as we bring about Spatium's downfall. And I got thinking: if we can all take Spatium, surely we could take Tirek again, and if Spatium is defeated by us, Tirek would be wetting his centaur pants and running like the wind from us!"

"Pinkie Pie has a point," said Cadance. "Even if it is rather juvenilely stated."

"Personally," said Spike. "I am of the well-formed and argued view that...well, I agree with everything Rarity said."

"It's not looking too good for you, is it?" Rainbow Dash said obnoxiously. "It goes without saying what my vote is."

"How has nopony realised that Tirek's magic may come in extremely useful once we get to that elusive final battle with Stellas Spatium himself?" This time it was Starlight's turn to voice her opinion.

"I'm with Starlight on this one," said Trixie. "I think it's ignorant of us to think we won't need all the hoofs we can get to say the very least."

"Would Tirek even help us defeat Spatium? He just said he wanted to help him," Spike pointed out.

"After what he did to Chrysalis?" Tirek replied rather morbidly. "She is the closest to a real companion I have ever had. No...no, I shall never help the piece of scum! Still, I am not overly keen on the idea of helping any of you."

"But you do desire vengeance for what he did to Queen Chrysalis, don't ya?" Applejack asked.

"Absolutely! I mean I do not really wish to...aid any of you in anything not associated with Spatium."

"We don't expect you to," said Twilight. "Nor do we particularly want that sort of assistance, thank you."

"Is he really sticking around, then?" Rainbow Dash was beginning to sound impatient.

"Well, I for one certainly don't think he should at all!" This voice was one that had not been heard by the group since Spatium's raid on Equestria. It was that of Discord. "Look, Tirek, I'm not going to bore you with 'Why did you betray me, how could you??' or any other kind of overly-sentimental dialect designed to emotionally guilt you. All I care about at this moment in time is ensuring the safety of Fluttershy and her friends." He teleported himself down to the ground and put his arms around them.

"I have no particular interest in speaking with you, either, Discord..."

"I think we should make our decision soon, y'all..." Applejack was beckoning towards the various gateways to different parts of space and time; through one of them emerged Stellas Spatium himself! Thankfully, he appeared not to notice Twilight and the others; this was not enough to prevent shivers being sent down everypony's spines, though.

"Which dimension should I re-balance in my image first?" He hissed. "Eney-meeny-miny-mo..."

"We have to get out of here and fast!" Discord whispered to everypony.

"Agreed, but what about Tirek?" Cadance uttered just as silently in response.

"Is that really a top priority right now?"

"We've got to try another inter-dimensional travel teleportation spell," said Twilight.

"No need for that!" Discord assured the princess of friendship. Twilight and Cadance scowled.

"What?! Have you never taken a shortcut before?"

"Where the heck are we?" Rainbow Dash was just as puzzled as everypony else.

"I have transported you to the one dimension not even Stellas Spatium will bother about," said Discord.

"Let me guess, is it called - nothingness?!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Nice try, Pinkie Pie!" Discord disappeared in a flash, only for three of him to appear an instant later. One of them was at a desk with what seemed to be question cards; the other two were sitting at a game-show-esque table.

"What is the name of this dimension Discord has brought his friends to?" The first Discord asked the others. "Is it A - nothingness..."

"Ooh! Ooh! That gets my vote!" Pinkie squealed.

"Is it B - Dimension X?"

"Sounds like something out of one of my comic-books," said Spike.

"Or C - Dimension Nameless?" The two Discord's at the large table both held up white flash cards with the third letter of the English alphabet written on in ink that was just as black and dark as Stellas Spatium's plans for the multi-verse.

"CORRECT!" The first Discord yelled in delight.

"Dimension Nameless?" Twilight Sparkle was fascinated. "I think I read about that in a book somewhere."

"Oh, is there anything you haven't read about, Twilight?" Discord asked. The dimension he had escorted them to was certainly appropriately named —it was literally nothing but whiteness as far as the eye could see!

"Anyway," Tirek butted in. "What are you all going to do about me?"

"You know..." Rainbow Dash's vocals were suddenly much dulcet. "Don't get me wrong, everypony, I feel as comfortable having Tirek around as Spatium would in a friendship class. But—being so loyal, as all of us are—we can't just send him back to Discord's realm. Spatium will enslave him for sure, or worse!"

"I'm with my fellow pegasus," said Fluttershy. "As immoral as Lord Tirek has been in the past, we can't just toss him out."

"That's not like us at all," Starlight Glimmer nodded.

"Why, Fluttershy, I do believe you are the kindest little pony I have ever had the fortune to meet!" Discord said sweetly, embracing her.

"I'm glad you're safe too," said Fluttershy, half-poignantly and half-cheerily.

"So it's decided?" Tirek questioned. "You're gonna let me stay. Well, I cannot say I am happy with the concept..." Twilight and Cadance's eyes narrowed. "But I'd be far less happy in the clutches of that menace Spatium!"

"You too," said Pinkie, who just did not get it.

Stellas Spatium had assembled a team of his slaves gathered from all across Equestria in the dimension of Dream Valley prior to its invasion.

"Whichever one of you can locate Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends will receive a most desirable prize," he promised them. "And I want everypony alive!"

"As you wish," everypony said. They were Big McIntosh, Granny Smith, Zecora and Mayor Mare!!

"Go!" They did as he commanded, of course. "And if you return to me empty-handed, do not think for one moment you will be let off lightly." He grinned as they were transported by him back to Equestria. Nothing could stop him from enslaving the entire multi-verse! Not even, seemingly, the great princess herself...!

Chapter 5 - Return to the Crystal Empire

"Spatium's most likely got some of his newly-recruited servants on our tails as we speak," Starlight Glimmer suggested (highly accurately!).

"Try as they might, I can almost guarantee they'll never find us here," said Discord. Lord Tirek was several feet away from the rest of the group, just staring into the white canvas that had seemingly plastered itself all over infinity. He had not spoken to anypony since they had arrived in the bizarre realm.

"How are we all goin' a sleep?" Applejack asked. "What are we all goin' a eat?"

"I can help," Discord replied confidently. "I can use my magic for good as well as chaos, you know." Using his powers, he caused a huge plate of daffodil and daisy sandwiches to appear. "Oh, silly me!" Discord said, facepalming for a moment. "I forgot that such dishes are not to the liking of dragons!" And he fashioned a plate of gemstones. "Where that faithful assistant of yours, anyway, Twilight?" Like Tirek, Spike and Rarity were not with everypony else; the pair were sitting next to each other in a different corner of the seemingly limitless space.

"What's on your mind?" Spike queried. "You look even more anxious and worn-down than the others."

"More than any anypony else," Rarity explained. "I'm worried about Sweetie Belle and her friends. They're only fillies, Spike," Tears were beginning the formation process in her eyes. "I doubt Spatium will have much use for them. And if he ever finds out about...their association with us...what if he--he--"

"Now, Now!" Spike was swift to console the unicorn. "Let's not jump to such conclusions. We are all gonna avert any more of Spatium's evil doings, remember? You'll see your sister again, and Applejack hers. And...everypony else! You'll see."

"I only hope your predictions are error-free," Rarity said. Spike put one claw on her flank. He wondered why Applejack was not showing as much concern as her friend. It's true, what they all say. Spike thought. Applejack cries on the inside.

Nopony could tell exactly how long a period of time they spent in the dimension. Twilight's pocket watch ceased to function to second they stepped hoof in there—according to Discord, this was a normality; strangely enough, not even he could tell how long they had been away.

"What if time works in a different way here?!" Trixie pointed out. "And each second we spend away from Equestria is equivalent to like a day there?"

"It can't be helped, I'm afraid," said Twilight.

"How are we all planning to defeat Stellas Spatium?" Rainbow Dash asked, as if this were far more important than worrying over inter-dimensional time zones.

"Can't you use the chest you used on me?" Tirek inquired, finally interacting with the group.

"That's impossible," Twilight said sadly. "The chest can only be utilised once."

"Surely the elements of harmony would be effective if Spatium himself were after them," said Applejack.

"Well, um...do we have a plan B?" Fluttershy questioned.

"We need a plan C, D, E, we need the entire alphabet!!" Pinkie squeaked.

"As beneficial as that would be," Twilight said, cracking a half-hearted smile. "We simply haven't time."

"I have an idea!" Starlight piped up. "Do you all remember Sunburst?"

"Your childhood friend who used his extensive knowledge of magic to help us restore the Crystal Heart?" Cadance remembered.

"Y'all think he can help us?"

"Absolutely!"

"Twilight Sparkle and everypony else are certainly not hiding in any of the lighter, non-evil dimensions," said Zecora to Granny Smith, Mayor Mare and Big McIntosh.

"Certainly not," Mayor Mare agreed. "But we cannot and shall not return to our master empty-hoofed. He'll be less than forgiving."

"What do we do?" Granny Smith was concerned.

"I was thinking," Mayor Mare continued. "I know this may sound crazy, but as much as I believe Spatium is brilliant and will make Equestria a better place, what gives him the right to refuse my ruling alongside him, as mayor of Ponyville? And...don't you all think...he can be a little...h...harsh, sometimes?" Now, if the elderly mayor of the small town thought the feelings of pure hatred and worry she harboured up until that point were troublesome...well, those feelings were increased probably hundreds of times when Stellas Spatium himself appeared out of nowhere in front of the light grey earth pony.

"Simple teleportation spell," he revealed.

"Err...what's...up?" Mayor Mare tried to fake a laugh, but under the circumstances that was close to impossible!

"You are!"

"Huh?!" The pony's trio of fellow recruited bounty hunters watched as Spatium used his magic to continuously move her off the ground and subsequently smash her back onto it, as if she were a toy he had been given to play with—the entire ordeal was reminiscent of a young child using a bouncing ball. There was an ear-splitting silence for some time after that. At last, Spatium wheezed:

"Spread the word! That's what happens to ponies who question my authority." And then he flew away. Out of curiosity, Big McIntosh trotted up to Mare and put his large head to her heart.

"Dead?" Granny Smith asked him. Another pause. Then:

"...as a piece of meat. And I can't say that's not what she was to Spatium."

"If you all don't mind me saying so," said Fluttershy. "I suggest before confronting Spatium we pay the Crystal Empire a visit."

"How right you are, my dear Fluttershy," Discord concurred. "After all, none of us know how long we've been gone."

"Discord's right," Twilight urged Cadance. "What if Shining Armour and Flurry Heart are in danger? Besides, Starlight," Twilight made a ninety-degree clockwise turn. "Sunburst lives there, and you can talk to him about becoming involved when the time to do battle Stellas Spatium comes."

"To the Crystal Empire it is then!" Discord exclaimed. "Hang on...I'll transport everypony..." He did just that, and in no time whatsoever the group found themselves standing not in the infinite emptiness of Dimension Nameless, but in the icy, albeit gorgeous, streets of Cadance's home.

"You're welcome," he sneered.

"HEY! YOU DIDN'T EVEN GIVE US A SINGLE SECOND!" Pinkie shouted in reply.

"Well, Spatium certainly hasn't been here," Cadance said gladly. "Everything's intact."

"Starlight and Trixie, I recommend you two go and see Sunburst and discuss your plans with him," Twilight suggested.

"Thank you," said Starlight, and her and the blue unicorn hurried off.

"Discord, will you go and see if all the residents are okay?" Discord hurried off. "Cadance, myself and my group of friends will see what's become of Shining Armour and Flurry Heart!"

"Well, what about me?" Spike could not help but feel disappointed Twilight had not included him in the "sorting things out" roster, as it were (Tirek could not care less!).

"These past...however long we've been must have been super stressful and tiresome for you, my number one assistant!" Twilight patted the baby dragon on his head. "You can go to the library and catch up on the latest issues of Power Ponies."

"Oh, Twilight," said Rarity. "I'm sure Spike would enjoy a little company while he reads; and I do have to admit, I've been very much feeling the effects of so much action and very little reading up on fashion recently."

"Oh, yes please, Twilight!" Spike begged loudly. "Please let Rarity come and keep me company." Twilight knew exactly what was going on Spike's head.

"Well...alright, then," she smiled. "We have more than enough ponies going to see Cadance's family." Everypony headed off to their unique spots without speaking a word to Tirek. He just sat and admired the utterly undeniable beauty of the place; he had never been to the empire previously.

Chapter 6 - The Dark Elements

"WHERE HAVE THOSE BOUNTY HUNTERS OF MINE GOTTEN TO?!" Stellas Spatium did not know the meaning of the word 'patience'; he had never known it in all his existence, as a matter of fact.

"Mighty leader," The earth pony Sweetie Drops trotted up to the him. "I am a former secret agent, and if my investigation skills are anything to go on, I'd reckon the princess and her companions have returned to Equestria." Spatium leaned into the biege pony slightly.

"So soon?" He sounded doubtful.

"Yes," Sweetie confirmed. "With their knowledge and expertise, they've most likely already come up with some silly plan to defeat you. And besides...have you forgotten about the Crystal Empire?"

"I went there to invade and re-balance it as I see fit, just as I did to everywhere else," Spatium responded proudly. "But when I got there I discovered a forcefield covering the entirety of the empire that was, try as I might, seemingly unpenitratable...is that even a word?"

"I have no right to give you advice..." Sweetie had to choose her words very, very carefully; everypony in the Everfree Forest had heard about Spatium's beyond brutal treatment of Mayor Mare. "But I believe the group are there." And with that, she trotted away as swiftly and anxiously as a member of the Wonderbolts performing a flight routine for the first time.

"The Crystal Empire, eh?" Spatium smiled and whispered to himself: "You haven't seen the last of Stellas Spatium just yet!"

"Spike?" Rarity called out. "Be a dear and fetch me a book on Crystal Empire dress patterns." The duplet had gone to the library, just as Twilight had suggested.

"Coming right up," Spike called back enthusiastically.

"Yes, yes, don't rush—this place is simply ginormous! You'll have to make a quest of it!" She giggled.

"Or I could just ask the librarian."

"To each their own," Rarity smiled. Spike was soon back with just the piece of non-fictional fashion extravaganza she was seeking. "Thank you," she beamed, and utilised her unicorn magic to pick up the title and read. Spike did not read his comic-book. This was a very opportune moment—one he could use to behold the unicorn's magnificence. She's a rarity, alright! Spike thought to himself. It's not every day you meet someone with such style and kindness. It's such a wonder she doesn't have a pony boyfriend. But I don't suppose she'd even consider giving me a chance. Would she?

"Oh my goodness, is everything okay?" Fluttershy frantically asked. It certainly did not appear to be; Cadance and Shining Armour's home was in a such a state!

"Yeah! This place looks like my sister Maud after being somewhere with no rocks for an extended period of time!"

"What happened here?" Twilight inquired.

"I'm losing it, Twily!" Shining Armour was lying flat as a pancake on the sofa; Cadance sped up to her husband and gave him a comforting hug.

"You look okay physically," Cadance pointed out. "No paleness, no signs of dizziness..."

"That's because I am!" Everypony exchanged a befuddled look. "However, I'd like you all to consider what being all but alone with such a young daughter in the midst of a such a large-scale invasion of does to one's mentality!"

"I'm so sorry," said Twilight. "I didn't think of that." It was her turn to give the royal stallion a hug. "How is Flurry Heart?"

"Fine," Shining Armour breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I envy her, really."

"What do you mean?"

"She has no idea what's going on...she doesn't have to deal with the constant fear that she'll be swept away by that beast...if none of us make it out of this alive, it'll be some time before she has to cope with loss. I just envy her."

"Shining Armour," Twilight quickly changed the subject, she was finding it increasingly tricky not to shed any tears. "Forgive me...I'm aware that we've only just arrived, but we're planning to confront Stellas Spatium as soon as possible; the longer we hold it off, the more ponies he slaughters. We're going to have to get as far away from here as possible—the Crystal Empire is the only safe place left in all of Equestria! Now, we'll need your wife to join us—one allicorn is quite bluntly not enough to even come close to victory—but you must stay here!"

"I understand. It would be totally unprofessional of me to leave my daughter...and the citizens of the empire, too. Oh, come to think of it..." Shining Armour's facial expression became a horrifying mix of shock and guilt. "I haven't addressed them in days!"

"Discord is doing just that as we speak," Applejack re-assured him.

"Wait...Discord as in...Discord, Discord?"

"These are strange times."

"If you think that's weird," Pinkie Pie hollered. "Wait until you hear that Lord Tirek is waiting for us outside."

"It's a long story," said Twilight. Everypony began to make their way out. "If ever all this blows over...we'll tell you. If not..." She embraced Shining Armour again. "Thank you for being my big-brother-best friend-forever."

Stellas Spatium swooped speedily down to the very edge of the Crystal Empire. He touched the forcefield. It was hopeless. It was akin to attempting to break through a steel wall. No Matter. Spatium spoke to himself in his twisted head. I have a plan. I think it's time to send out another of my mental messages: this time to everypony in the empire.

Discord was pondering whether his friends had completed their duties; he had certainly finished with his—it was the same with every household: everypony was utterly unaware of the invasion occurring just outside their residence.

"I guess I'll just have to sit here like a statue and wait," he winged, transforming himself into stone. His use of tongue-in-cheek sorcery did not, however, prevent him from having to hear Spatium's message to the Crystal Empire:

I know none of you know about what's happened these past few weeks, so I'll give it to you without beating about the bush for any amount of time: Princess Celestia and Luna are dead—their brother, Stellas Spatium, me has to come to do what should have been done a whole millennia ago: re-balance Equestria as I see fit. I was never given the chance to aid ponies in need back in my day; my parents and the government seemed to think "governing stars" was a profound job. Well, don't you worry, everypony. Spatium laughed manically. I dealt with the weak and foolish; not just my sisters, but other ponies who have stood in my way. And the same fate will affect everypony here, unless they all work to remove this confounded forcefield. You all have just one hour. My patience is on thinner ice than that which composes the streets in the empire itself. I will repeat: one hour, or you will all perish! Even Discord, who enjoyed a little chaos from time to time, shuddered in horror at the non-verbal speech he had just listened to against his will. Before he could hurry off to locate the rest of the group (with the exception of Tirek, who was still sitting motionless in a corner), theyran up to him.

"You all heard it too?" He knew the answer before he even so much as formed the question in his mind.

"What are all the residents going to do?" Rainbow Dash had always been proud of being so fearless of everything; now, however, she was becoming very, very afraid, and consequently, that fact made her even more sick to her stomach than everypony else.

"Don't you see?!" A bloody-red earth pony had exited his home and was arguing with a much smaller, light-blue unicorn. "If we turn off that shield-thing, we won't die!"

"I think most of us would rather die than live a life serving that monstrosity."

"Not me," the earth pony insisted. "Out of my way, everypony." And using his immense strength, he smashed his way through all the ponies blocking his path, running right up to Shining Armour's home. Discord and the two princesses exchanged a look and ran after him, with Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie following closely behind. The pony was shockingly swift; even Applejack could not catch up!

"What good'll going to the Crystal Empire Castle do 'im, anyway?" Applejack was confused.

"If he's able to knock Shining Armour unconscious," Twilight explained. "The forcefield will disappear, as his magic will no longer be able to keep it functioning."

"Fluttershy informed me that you and Princess Cadance had a hoof in its generation, too," said Discord.

"Indeed we did," said Twilight. "But all three of us are needed to keep it up. Anypony's consciousness ceases, and it goes down completely!" The group were simply not fast enough; Rainbow Dash swooshed up to the balcony, but by the time she had got there, the earth pony was rushing into the sitting room...and then...BANG! He had smashed a vase over Shining Armour's face; Flurry Heart began to cry from her bedroom, but what did the earth pony care? His main priority now was getting out before Twilight and everypony else had a chance to intervene.

"So," Stellas Spatium laughed. "I see somepony has made the correct decision." He did not waste another solitary second; he drew every last bit of goodness out of the Crystal Empire residents; their whips of goodness floated sorrowfully out of their bodies, and in mere moments they were no longer themselves at all!

"Luckily," Pinkie Pie grinned. "Princess Twilight has the elements of harmony on her for just this sort of occasion."

"Fluttershy, will you go and look after Flurry Heart?"

"I'll do my best," she assured the princess. Discord began to follow suit, but Twilight beckoned him to stop.

"We need you!"

"So...YOU HAD THEM ALL ALONG?!?" Spatium was even angrier than usual now.

"QUICK!" Twilight howled. "QUICKLY...GET YOUR ELEMENTS ON, GIRLS!"

"Where in tarnation's Rarity?" Applejack sounded annoyed.

"Right where any respectable friend would be at a time like this!"

"COME TO ME...!" Spatium flew quick as a bolt of lightning down to ground-level. By this point, the elements were all on their respective ponies.

"You know the drill!" Twilight yelled. The remaining members of the Mane Six began to glow their respective colours; a wave-like rainbow also formed and wrapped itself around Spatium. Simultaneously, Princess Cadance blasted the allicorn with bolts of powerful magic, and Discord punched and kicked at his body as aggressively as he could. Twilight Sparkle's eyes became purely white, and it was then that a flash, just as colourless, should have engulfed Spatium and made him disappear. Instead, there was a flash and then...nothing. Everything was precisely as it had been before everypony harnessed their elements. Spatium was laughing manically again.

"DID YOU REALLY ALL THINK?" He was also just as loud as before. "I WOULD HAVE TRIED TO FIND THE ELEMENTS IF THEY COULD BE USED AGAINST ME?" The group all immediately realised he was telling the truth—they had had no effect on him whatsoever!!

"My turn!" Spatium made a simple gesture with his wings, and the elements all shifted off of the ponies and into the air beside him. His eyes turned from black-and-orange to entirely dark, and the elements, while retaining their original colours, became darker shades.

"I present to you all," Spatium was literally having the time of his life! "The dark elements."

"The what...?" Twilight, Princess Cadance and Discord were dumbfounded; the others had no time to be, though; they were swept off their hoofs by Spatium and were soon floating in mid-air right beside him.

"Applejack...deceit." Applejack's pupils became dark.

"Rainbow Dash...unfaithfulness." Rainbow Dash, likewise.

"Pinkie Pie...despair." The exact same process.

"Rarity...selfishness." Likewise.

"Twilight Sparkle..." Now it was Spatium's turn to be bewildered. "You have not changed. WHY?!"

"I don't know...but I'm not exactly disappointed like you." Twilight decided not to bother with the standard 'Turn my friends back to normal at once.' It was no good.

"You haven't gotten to dear Fluttershy!"

"No matter...her new element would have been meanness, but I believe there's already plenty of that to go round! Don't you all agree, my new right-hand ponies?" The quartet made a series of unpleasant sounds and nodded. "And do you really think you, Cadance, Discord, and that Starlight Glimmer pupil of yours will be en--"

"NO! But I swear I will get revenge on you, you pure evil scum!" Everypony gasped. The furious voice belonged to none other than Tirek.

"I can't be bothered to deal with the likes of you right now, you traitor." Spatium grabbed his newly-founded allies and swept away. Unbelievably, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie entered the scene just as he exited!

"What...?"

"I'm too in shock to say anything right now, Starlight," said Twilight. And it was true.

"Well, I can tell you that Sunburst is happy to assist us in defeating Spatium."

"What's the point?"

"When you hear this plan you might change your mind." Twilight perked up.

"You really think there's hope yet? Without the magic of friendship?"

"I..." Starlight Glimmer hesitated. "I do."