Harmonyby All Art Is Quite UselessChaptersGenerosityKindnessStarlightHonestyLaughterSpikeMagicAwakenLoyaltyGenerosity"Where are my ponyquins?" Rarity asked no one in particular, searching her workshop on the ground floor of the Carousel Boutique. She couldn't fathom a reason for their absence, and the prospect that someone might have broken in and taken them alarmed her. She had a little sister in the house, after all. "Sweetie Belle!" she called out, her voice slightly hoarse, "Do you know where the ponyquins have been put? I need them for my front of shop display." At first, there was no answer. Rarity had almost given up asking when she jolted in place, stiffening like a corpse. You gave them away. Rarity recoiled at the thought, but after a few moments of consideration she realised it to be true. She figured there was no arguing with herself, but it didn't stop her from voicing her confusion. "And why did I give them away, again?" Her mind was all too happy to accommodate her curiosity. You wanted to make other ponies happy. To give them what they didn't already have. You heard that there was a charity set up to teach disadvantaged ponies design and textiles, naturally you helped however you could. Rarity gave a stunted nod, her head tilted. "That... Does sound like me, but my ponyquins are necessary as part of my business! I fail to see why I would have thought donating them was a good idea in any sense of the word." Shaking her head, she forced a smile. "In this case, I will have to order two replacements be sent from my store in Manehatten and—" You mean Sassy's store in Manehatten. Rarity shuddered at the recollection, she felt a physical chill coarse through her body. "I... what?" Tears seeped from her eyes, joining the already mascara blotched fur on her cheeks. "I... I can't have, I musn't have been in the right mind! It's the stress of entrepreneurship, that's all! If I call her, I'm sure she'll understand, I'll—" Don't be silly. She protested but you insisted. You told her that she had done so much for the company that she deserved a chance at running it. You've already handed her the deed. Are you going to go back on your word? To take away something that you gave to her? This had to be all wrong, it felt wrong. "Sweetie Belle! Come here right now!" she called, shivers wracking her spine as she trembled in place. Sweetie Belle? Are you sure? The thought hit her like a train. Her fur blanched until she resembled a spirit, and she keeled over, retching and dry heaving at the recollection, sputtering between coughs: "N-no... I couldn't have... That's monstrous! Not my Sweetie Belle!" Oh but you did. You saw that there were ponies that could use her, and you saw to it that they could have her. You gave her away, and now those ponies are happy. You're a good pony. "No!" Rarity threw herself to the floor, rolling and thrashing around as fresh tears seeped out. She smashed her hooves against the ground, bashed her skull, but nothing washed away the memory of just who she had so calmly given her sister to. Perhaps it was all a dream, a hallucination? Leaving behind the barren and empty workshop, she rushed upstairs to where the house still shockingly had furniture, in sparse amounts at least. Arriving in Sweetie Belle's empty room she let loose a primal howl, knowing then that everything she had done was inescapably real. Her eyes surveyed the room. She saw a chest full of Sweetie Belle's toys, as well as a very nice bed that she was sure would be appreciated by another filly. Perhaps she should contact the charity shop and—"Get out of my fucking head!" Rarity stormed forwards, levitating the bed high and repeatedly smashing it against the wall. "No... You will not have my Sweetie Belle's things as well!" Only when her horn was red hot from the exertion did she relent, allowing the broken pieces to clatter onto the floor. How selfish you are. Rarity hadn't the energy to argue. "How selfish I am indeed." Another family could have used that. In minutes, Rarity was calmly attempting to fix the bed, hoping to make it presentable for the charity when she dropped it off. She affixed pieces simply and logically, vocally praising her own work as she imagined the smile on the face of the recipient. A series of knocks disrupted her work. Coming to the door she found Rainbow Dash, bouncing in place in sheer excitement. "Rarity!" she jumped up, fluttering her wings as she hovered in place. "Jeez am I glad to see you! I've got a colleague's birthday coming up on the fourteenth, and—" Rarity didn't have time for the long version, she needed to make this bed ready to give away. "So in two weeks?" Rainbow Dash paused. Now that Rarity stopped to look at her, she looked quite disgusting. "No, it's today!" Rarity was used to her being scruffy, but right now she was downright rancid. "Today is the thirty-first, Rainbow." "Wha... No, it can't be!" When Rarity nodded, Rainbow started to throw her head against the door. "You missed it! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Gasping, Rarity reached to pull her away, only to find a fresh cut on her forehead. "Rainbow, stop it! Whatever has happened, I'm sure you aren't to blame! Now come inside, and we'll see if we can find you something to stop the bleeding with." Rainbow shrugged before walking inside, dejected and ashamed. When she walked in, however, her eyes seemed to light up with awareness. "Uhh, Rarity? Why don't you have any of your stuff?" "That's the spirit of generosity, darling!" she answered, almost instinctively. "C-come to think of it, I may not have any bandages here, considering. Fluttershy could probably help." Rarity turned to leave, but Rainbow remained in place, turning to face her with a vaguely horrified expression, but it remained blanketed under a sea of reverie. "What about Sweetie Belle?" she asked as her eyes flittered about," Where is she? What is she gonna think about all this?" "Don't ask. Never ask," Rarity snapped, causing Rainbow to flinch. "...Rarity? Where's Sweetie Belle?" "She is making ponies happy," that said, she rushed over to the door. "Come, Rainbow. Let's see about getting you fixed up, we can worry about your friend's belated birthday later." Just mentioning it was like a trigger. Rainbow sprung up, an idiotic grin on her face as she totally disregarded her surroundings once more. "Right! Fleetfoot wouldn't wanna see me like this, so I'd better get fixed up! That way I'm at least presentable when I give her my gift." KindnessWhen Rarity opened the door to Fluttershy's cottage, she had to hold a hoof against her snout, the room stank. Rainbow followed in behind her, and before her they found Fluttershy, stood in the centre of the dilapidated room with a small chicken, softly running her hoof against its feathers. "I'm sorry, Cluckington," she purred, brushing the feathers as she inched her hoof higher, "but you really won't be able to live nicely with one leg. I'm sad you had to go like this." With that, the pair watched, disgusted, as Fluttershy snapped the neck of Cluckington, before tossing him into a pile of corpses, some with no meat on their bones. Rainbow could swear that she could see a tufty white tail sticking out of the pile. "Fl-Fluttershy!" Rarity shouted, bounding up to her, "What are you doing?! You killed that poor chicken!" "I was just taking care of poor Cluckington," Fluttershy said, regarding the pair with a smile. "He lost one of his legs from a snake bite yesterday, and there was no way he was going to live a life of any value like that. It was better this way." Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she took in the scene. Creatures of all types ran amok, but not in a friendly and cooperative way. They fought, antagonised, and even ate one another. Even Cluckington, who had been recently chucked onto the pile of dead animals, was being nibbled at by a cat as they spoke. "Why was a snake anywhere near him?" she asked, walking in, "why are all of these animals together when—ugh!" She looked down at her hoof, finding feces smeared across. Now that she thought to pay attention, apart from the pile of festering corpses, there was also a ghastly smell emanating from the many animal droppings that had collected in various places on the floor. "Oh, you're hurt!" Fluttershy called out, apparently forgetting the conversation as she glided over to inspect Rainbow's head. "I should get this wrapped up straight away! What were you even doing to get in this state?" "I... I was," Rainbow strained to remember. During her pondering, she realised that she smelt almost as bad as the cottage. What the hell was happening? You were looking for a present for your friend, Fleetfoot. Her head reminded her, and she went on to say just that, though her voice was unsure. Fluttershy cocked her head, apparently confused. "But I thought you didn't like Fleetfoot, Rainbow? You always told me she was really arrogant and selfish." "I-it doesn't matter," Rainbow replied. "Why not?" Fluttershy pushed, her eyes soft. "It just doesn't, alright?!" Rainbow snapped, looking to the derelict floor. "Oh," Fluttershy whimpered, looking away herself. A few moments passed, and she seemed to gain a new life. "Ohhh," she repeated, her eyelids falling as she began to chew on her bottom lip. "You sound stressed, Rainbow," her throat vibrated and hummed as she said the words, the desire to titillate her friend obvious, "let me take care of that for you." Before Rainbow could protest, she was being dragged by Fluttershy over to the couch, which sat only a foot away from the pile of corpses. Rarity stood in shock as Fluttershy leaned her back, lathering her filthy chest in soft and affectionate licks and kisses. "Fl-Fluttershy, stop it, what are you doing?" Rainbow was unnerved; Rainbow was scared. The smell, the blood loss, the confusion of the situation, and now Fluttershy was kissing her, touching her. Halting with the kisses, she looked up at Rainbow with a playful grin. "Making you feel nice of course! Like a good friend," she mewled, arching her back and moving down to her belly, causing Rainbow's shit-covered hoof to rub off on her fur, not that she either noticed or cared. Rainbow was about to be sick. Between the smell and her friend all but assaulting her, she couldn't take it anymore. "Fluttershy, p-please stop, I'm asking you nicely... You're freaking me out." Fluttershy pressed a hoof to her lips. "Hush, Rainbow. Let Auntie Fluttershy take care of it all." Rainbow shuddered as she started to rub circles around her flanks with a hoof, moving towards her inner thighs. The smell, the atmosphere, the surroundings... Rainbow kicked out her back hooves, catching Fluttershy in the belly and attempting to force her off, but to little avail. "Rainbow, I know what's good for you. Now relax and let me help you." Rainbow was beginning to feel truly terrified. "Is that what you said to those animals before you murdered them?!" "You don't understand!" Fluttershy snapped, fire in her eyes, "I was only trying to help them, to make things better for them!" "You're letting them eat each other!" Rainbow screamed in her face between panicked breaths. "Look around you, Fluttershy! This isn't helping! This isn't kind!" "It's—" Fluttershy paused as if she was smelling the room for the first time as she instinctively gagged. She looked around to her animal friends, some dead, some frenzied, and within moments she was a crying wreck. "It's not kind at all... Rainbow, what have I done?" Rainbow didn't know what to say. Her friend had seemed about to rape her moments ago; now she was in her arms, sobbing her heart out. What was wrong with her? Was there something wrong with the both of them? This wasn't something Fluttershy would ever do. Knowing that, Rainbow wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy tight, holding onto her and showing her how much of a good friend she really was. "We don't have time for that," Rarity called out. They both turned to her voice. "What?" Rainbow said, a sentiment Fluttershy's face seemed to echo. "I said we don't have time. Watching you two just now, I am certain that there is some... thing out there trying to change us, somehow, but I can't figure out what. I don't know what it's doing, whether it's changing the way we act or how we think, but it has something to do with our Elements. Fluttershy, you did this all to be kind, and you stopped when Rainbow said it wasn't. That means... something, but I don't know what. Not yet. And something has happened to Sweetie Belle... But I cannot dwell on that. We need to find the others, now. Let's go get Applejack and Pinkie and head to the castle, maybe Twilight will know what to do." They didn't take much convincing. Nodding, the trio set out to find Applejack, leaving the wild animals behind. StarlightThe little whore doesn't get the privilege of sleeping under my roof again. Waiting until she was alone in her room, I began to speak to her for the first time, my formless tongue caressing her ears as I invite her to my abyss. She's as intelligent as she is powerful, but she cannot resist the allure of knowledge, the intrigue of an otherworldly entity and its invitation. Opening a path for her, I allow her to step inside me, a break in the crystal walls creating a door to my inner sanctum. In there, she receives knowledge, as I promised. Shackled inside, I teach her everything I know in the ways of pain, torturing and breaking her body and soul. She is not an Element, she is not fit to be near them. She stole the Bearers away from me! She took their attention when she didn't deserve any of it! Tired of foreplay, I begin to rip her to pieces, keeping her conscious the entire time. She is allowed to watch as I show her the components that make up a pony, even during deconstruction. Realising that I have more to share with her than just pain, I decide to show her why I am angry. I show her the previous Bearers of Harmony, how they refused to see me, to thank me for their assistance. For everything I had ever given them, they had no interest in staying with me when it was their time to pass. They left me alone, unnoticed, unappreciated. For these ones, they had rejected me completely, putting me back in the Tree. Then, out of my love and devotion, I had made myself a home for them, yet they still did not care! In fact, they brought a part of their old home here just to spite me! Most of them chose not to even sleep here, and instead they brought strangers such as her to take their spaces. I had even felt the old Bearers visit her once. They had come to celebrate her, the intruder. They thought not of me and my torment, but of her and her ability, her progress. It sickened me, and now she receives her punishment. When I'm finished with her I throw her out, not fit to be close to me in the first place. There on her bed she lays, a worthless pile of gore with a still heart. Faintly, I can feel the Bearers beginning to react to Harmony. It isn't long until they're drawn to me, and then we can finally be truly together. HonestyApplejack looked out from her position stood at the head of her cart, seeing three of her friends swiftly approaching. They all ran towards her in a dramatic sense, Applejack had no clue what to make of it. When they reached her, each of them panting for breath, Rainbow spoke first. "Applejack, you've gotta come with us! Something's happened to us and it's changing how we act, it doesn't make any sense!" Applejack cocked an eyebrow. Things had been the same on her farm as ever lately, she didn't feel any different than usual. "You sure you ain't just lettin' the season get to you?" she asked, reasoning that of all ponies Fluttershy—who was with them—had a tendency to get spooked easily at this time of year. "Applejack, something isn't right," Rainbow repeated, insistent. "We need to go right now!" "Now you hold on, missy." Applejack gestured to the cart behind her, "I can't just go runnin' off without so much as tellin' Apple Bloom and Big Mac first, it wouldn't be proper." "There isn't time for that," Rarity weighed in, imploring Applejack with her eyes. "Please just come with us, Applejack, it may not be safe otherwise." Right, this was really starting to piss her off. "Now you listen here, all three of you." Her eyes lingered on all three of them, one at a time, as she judged them. "I don't believe for one second that there's actually anythin' wrong. Every year somepony gets like this, 'nd it always turns out to be nothin', you hear? "No, you listen!" Rainbow shouted, "You're our friend, and I've gotta make sure you're alright!" Shaking her head vehemently as if she was trying to wrestle a demon from it, she lowered her tone. "Please, Applejack. We need to go and find Pinkie." Applejack looked back at her cart. If she was only gone for a couple of hours, she could make up for the lack of productivity in the evening, after she had dealt with whatever the hell this hoo-hah was about. "I don't believe a second of this, I think you're all bein' stupid." Suddenly, Applejack realised she had more on her mind than that. "Rarity, you're being real irresponsible. Apple Bloom told me she ain't seen Sweetie Belle in days, and I sure as heck ain't seen her with you, so what have you done with her?" The three of them snapped their eyes to Applejack, Fluttershy answered. "Applejack, you can't talk about that," she said in a hushed tone, trying not to disturb Rarity, who had began heavily pawing at the floor as if she was attempting to dig. "Something's happened to us all, and the more we think about it, the worse it gets. We need to get to Pinkie, then Twilight." "Sounds like bullshit," Applejack snorted, detaching herself from the cart. "Rainbow, you look like shit. Ain't you ever heard of a shower before? Land's sakes, Fluttershy, you've got shit on your coat. Don't you know how to look after them critters?" "All I've done is look after them!" Fluttershy screamed, storming straight up to Applejack and staring her down. "I'd like to see you try putting down your poor little animal friends after they got hurt and sick, think you could do that?!" she shouted, jabbing a hoof into Applejack. Those words knocked the wind out of Applejack; it was as if Fluttershy's jab had stunned her, but she knew it was her words. "You... you killed 'em? Jeez, Fluttershy, what was wrong with 'em?" "Th-they had to go..." Fluttershy nodded her head, as if trying to force herself to believe her own words as her visage became more fragile, and she looked as if she might topple over at any moment. "Applejack!" Rainbow shrilled, voice cracking, "we told you not to talk about it! Keep your mouth shut!" "And where d'you get off talkin' to me like that?" Moving around Fluttershy and getting in her face, she began to shout unabashed. "You know what I think of you? You're a egotistical, rude bitch, and if somethin's happenin' to you then you've probably brought it on yourself. Hear that, Rainbow? It's all your damn fault!" Realising the alien quality of her words, she shook, seeing tears in Rainbow's eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Rainbow. I didn't really mean that, I just—" Rainbow shook the tears away to no avail. "Yeah, you did. And it's alright, I know it isn't you... Do you understand why we need to stick together now? This is happening to all of us, and if we don't fix it, it might get worse." "Alright... We need to go then, yeah?" "Yeah, Applejack." Rainbow nodded, smiling at her friend with what Applejack could feel was total sincerity. "Fluttershy, Rarity, are you ready?" "Uhh, Rainbow?" Fluttershy called out, sounding distressed. The pair of them turned, looking where she was pointing. Rarity was digging at the ground with a much higher intensity before, bruising her hooves as she smashed them against the floor over and over trying to pull up the land. "Rarity! What are you doing?!" Rainbow yelled, flying over and trying to pull her away. Rarity pushed her off with a blast of her magic. "I'm searching for gems! Gems for the poor foals. I'm going to make them have good lives! ...I'm going to do it for Sweetie Belle, she'll understand that way." "She's gonna break her hooves," Applejack gravely stated. "Rainbow, help me with this," she said, gesturing to the cart. With Rainbow's assistance, the pair poured all of the apples out of the cart. Then, between the three of them, they dragged Rarity—kicking, screaming, and protesting—away from her hole, putting her in the cart. "Take turns pullin' this, we need to get to Pinkie's fast, it looks." Rarity tried to bound out of the cart as it began moving her, Rainbow had to tackle her inside, telling her that she was doing because she would always be there for her. LaughterIt was halfway to Sugarcube Corner that they found Pinkie, laying in the corner of the road. Rainbow Dash approached her, looking over her body to pull away in shock. Two of her legs were mangled and broken, and her face was cut and bruised on one side. Still she was conscious, and she lay there with a wheezing giggle."Heheh, think that was a bad idea..." "Pinkie Pie! What the hell did you do?!" Rainbow was distraught. Between all the things she had seen today, Pinkie laid there half dead was almost enough to send her tumbling over the edge. "What happened?" "I... Thought it would be funny to try and fire myself from my party cannon..." Pinkie tried to shrug her withers as she laid there, but one was so bent that it produced a loud crack, her left foreleg twisting further. "I guess it was kinda funny." "Get her on the cart," Rainbow shouted, looking back to her friends, "Now!" "The cart's barely big enough for two ponies," Applejack blurted, before blinking rapidly. "N-no, doesn't matter, you're right, Rainbow." "I know I'm right!" Rainbow growled, "Do it!" "Is there any point?" Fluttershy asked, sitting next to Pinkie and slowly rubbing at her mane. "Hey there, Pinkie, do you like that?" "O-oh, hey, Fluttershy," she squeaked through her cracked ribs. "Y-yeah, that's pretty nice." Fluttershy's hooves began to move towards her neck. Rainbow careened over and kicked Fluttershy straight in the face, the momentum of the kick knocked her flying. "Don't fucking touch her!" Rainbow screamed, "I saw what you were doing! You were gonna try and put her out of her misery!" "Rainbow!" Fluttershy countered, rubbing at her bruised cheek, "I would never do that!" "I... I think she's telling the truth," Applejack weighed in. "Or, at least she is now. When you kicked her I think you knocked it out of her." "Well I'm not letting her go anywhere near her! You hear that, Fluttershy?! I've got my eyes on you!" "I'm sorry, Rainbow... I don't want to hurt anypony, I only want to help, I promise," Fluttershy's entire body had gone tense, she looked as if she might snap from the pressure she was putting on herself not to quake on her hooves. "You're letting it take over again," Rarity called out from the cart. "Stop bickering and help poor Pinkie. No one here really wants to hurt anyone, remember that." Rainbow gave Fluttershy an awkward nod, allowing her to help her get Pinkie onto the cart, where she just about fit pressing against Rarity. The ensuing journey caused them to bump into each other, and there were moans of pain from the pair of them, interspersed with strangled laughter from Pinkie Pie as the cart bumped. Now they just had to find Twilight and somehow put a stop to this evil. They were almost there, and the castle was in sight. They each looked at it with a mixture of fear and relief, glad that the nightmare would soon be over. And I looked straight back at them. SpikeWhat should I do with him? He's unwelcome, just as Starlight was, and I'm quite happy with what became of her. Then again, he has also helped my love many times, he makes her happy. Does that not call for a reward, rather than a punishment? Perhaps death was too severe a treatment for the dragon that had assisted Twilight for all of these years. I called out to him when he was alone, the time was drawing close and it would be now or never that he got his moment of happiness. I was benevolent, and chose to grant him his spoils. I introduced him to the walls of the castle, much as I did Starlight, but instead of pulling him inside, I let him enter of his own accord. I appealed to his gluttony, showing him my glorious gemstones and allowing him to eat his fill. It was torture, of course, feeling parts of me be ripped away forever, but I was used to that feeling by now, in a manner of speaking. As he succumbed to his avarice, he began to grow, morph, and mature. It was something I hadn't anticipated; for all of my years and experience I knew little of dragon physiology. As he sated his appetite, the strange qualities of my crystals seemed to react with his body, making him stronger and more ravenous with each shard he shoved down his gullet. He was easily five times his original size by now, and still he grew, his teeth becoming more angular and his eyes becoming more slanted. I felt his thoughts, they became more carnal and primitive with each gem he ate, but no amount seemed to sate his appetite. I was unsure what to do with him. The easy solution would be to rescind my reward and instead opt to do away with him, but my morals conflicted with it. He was a good dragon, I would not interfere. Whatever he did, surely he would not harm my Bearers, he loved them as I did. Taking my thoughts away from the matter, I looked outside to see them drawing near. Two of them were battered, one almost broken. I might have smiled if I were able. Their bodies were but fleshy carcasses, it was their spirits that interacted with mine, that begged to be a part of me. I would absorb them into myself, and we would together live in harmony. MagicBursting through the front doors of the castle, Rainbow Dash zipped between each room as the others followed behind with the cart, dragging it up and inside. Eventually, she located Twilight, sat in one of her libraries. Twilight was fervently digging through her books; a huge pile laid scattered on the floor, around ten times her size. When she saw the five of them, her face was one of simultaneous relief and worry. "Girls, you have no idea how glad I am to see you. There's a big problem." "We know," Rainbow panted, having flown around half of the castle before finding her. "What do you know?" Twilight asked, picking up another book as she went. "We know there's something wrong with our heads," Rainbow continued. "It's to do with the Elements, and speaking about it makes it worse, so I'm not gonna say much, but a lot of freaky stuff has happened. Pinkie nearly died, Twilight." Twilight barely flinched in response. "Good, I'm glad everyone's still alive. I was scared it could have been worse." "That's it?!" Applejack shouted, incredulous. "That's your reaction to one of our friends nearly kickin' it?" When Twilight looked at them, her eyes were bloodshot. "Girls, I think Starlight is dead." It was as if thunder had struck. "D-dead?" Rarity asked, holding her head up. "Why would you think that?" "I don't know," Twilight admitted, "but I feel like I felt it. Does that sound crazy? My magic has been erratic for a while now, even worse than it was when I fought Tirek. I feel like I'm more powerful than ever, but I don't know if that's a delusion. My magic is telling me—" Cutting herself off, she lowered her voice to a whisper, "My magic is telling me that there's something sinister in this castle, and it's trying to hurt us. That's not all, I've been having dreams, too." "Dreams?" Rainbow repeated. "Nightmares. Of being inside it, being a part of it." "What does that mean? You mean it's the castle itself that is trying to hurt us? Why?" "That's what I'm trying to work out," Twilight said, gesturing to the books. Not trying to hurt you, I thought aloud. With as much intensity as I could muster, I forced the statement into their minds, branding them with my presence. "Wh-what the hell are you?" Me? I am Harmony's physical form. I am your home, your greatest weapon, I am a part of your personality. I am also so very alone. "What did you do to us?! You made us different! You made us hurt each other, hurt ourselves!" Without forethought, Rainbow launched herself at the walls of the castle, intent on harming it. Now, Rainbow, that isn't the loyalty I gifted you with. Do you not care for Harmony at all? Rainbow Dash paused on the spot, wheeling around to her friends. "It's right. We owe Harmony. It's always helped us in the past." "We do not!" Fluttershy screamed, flying up to meet her in the air. "It made me evil! It made me kill my friends!" "Wait..." Twilight's eyes flashed between Fluttershy and the others, "Who did she kill?!" "Her little animal friends, darling. Some of them were hurt, and she—" Twilight nodded, not sure she needed to hear the rest to understand. "You're despicable," called out, up at me. Oh, it felt good to be acknowledged. She was finally talking to me! Soon, we would spend all of our time together. "You let little creatures die just to have your way!" "Not just creatures," Rarity called out, her voice weak, "My Sweetie Belle. My poor, poor Sweetie Belle." "Where is she?" Twilight asked, though I wasn't sure whether she directed it at me or at Rarity. "She's... She's—" It seemed a sensitive topic, so I deigned to answer for her. She is with traffickers now. Rarity was very generous in donating her. She will make lots of ponies very happy. "Generous..." Rarity repeated, her eyes lighting up. "Yes, generous! That is just what I am, and Harmony helped me to be so!" Pinkie's ever-present laughter seemed to die down, replaced with moans and whimpers of pain. I didn't like to hear my love in pain. Pinkie Pie, think of the funniest joke you have ever heard. Pinkie Pie's moans were replaced with strange, ecstatic laughter as she flounced her broken limbs in hysterics. Rarity barely noticed from her place beside her, she was too busy congratulating herself on her altruistic nature. I looked at Fluttershy, and behind her torment and anger I saw a kind soul. I yearned to bring it back out, the pony that would do absolutely anything to make things better for the ponies around her, no matter how hard it might be. Fluttershy, please trust me. You did your friends a service in what you did. You helped to end their suffering and let them be free. All you ever do is help others, and you should be proud of yourself for being so strong and caring. I know it hurts, I do, but others hurt less now because of you. "Others hurt less... Because of me?" Fluttershy repeated, pointing a hoof at herself. "No, Fluttershy!" Applejack called out. "The Fluttershy I know would have never hurt them critters, no matter what! She would have worked tirelessly every day to either make them better or help them to live out their last days as best as they could! This harmony thing has twisted you, it's only tellin' you what you wanna hear so it can put you under its spell!" I love all of my Bearers, I really do. But Applejack's voice was beginning to grow tiresome. Applejack. We applaud your honesty and your open heart, we all do. But it's okay to say how you really feel. We know that you're happy to be part of a group, to have such close friends. The thing is, your friends wish to be with me now. Won't you join us? "You can't screw with my head like that so quit it! I'm already bein' as honest as I can be!" Walking into the middle of the room, she looked to each of them, one at a time. "None of you need to do this no more, and I'm sayin' this cause it's the truth. This castle is bad, and if we had any sense we'd destroy the thing once and for all. I almost felt a desire to move at the thought. Such a concept was something I had never even thought of before, the prospect of them destroying me... They couldn't! I was their harmony! Where would they have gotten without me? Where would they be without me? She's lying! Nothing she's saying is true! She doesn't have a clue what she is talking about and you shouldn't trust her! "Hold on..." Rainbow looked about, trying to get her bearings, "you're telling us that the living embodiment of the Element of Honesty is lying to us, after you just forced her to tell the truth? I don't buy it." "Hey..." Fluttershy said, blinking suddenly, "That's right! This is nothing but a big lie, you're trying to pull the wool over us!" Twilight rushed over to the pair in the cart to share the news, I could feel my hold over them too slipping away, all from Applejack's conviction. It wasn't right, I was supposed to have won, they were supposed to want to be a part of me, and even when I forced them they didn't listen! Enough! I have been lenient with you until now, but if you do not join me, more of the ponies you care about will end up getting hurt, just like Starlight! Twilight appeared to go cold. "Wh-what did you do to Starlight?" You really want to see? I didn't wait for an answer, projecting an image of Starlight's corpse in their minds. "H-how do we know this is real?" Twilight stammered, backing up against a wall before flinching away, realising what she was touching. I suppose you don't, but if you wish to test me and see what else I can do, then just wait until I get my claws on the rest of this town. You think what you've had to deal with is so terrible? You haven't seen anything yet. If you do not become a part of me, then you will force me to take what rightfully belongs to me, and I will ensure that you hate every second of it. By now they were all silent, listening and choosing not to interrupt me. I was finally being appreciated, respected. I had managed to instill respect, and I didn't even need to appeal to their Elements, only fear for their loved ones. Now, you will all voluntarily choose to become a part of me, or I swear that I will make your last moments alive the worst you have ever aurgh—! Pain. Indescribable, unimaginable pain. Why? Why did it hurt so much? What could have happened that would have created such a tear in me? It took me less than a second to see, to know. Spike was a fifth as tall as the castle now, and still gradually growing. He had ripped a massive section out of the room of the throne room, and was now sending flames from his mouth billowing towards the ceiling, melting the remnants of the old Golden Oak Library. The six ponies downstairs only stared for a second before turning to run. Twilight forgot her magic in the heat of the moment, choosing to gallop away. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew after, and Applejack followed up pulling the cart. As they closed the distance between themselves and the exit, Spike began to destroy more of the castle in his rampage, the corridors falling apart and threatening to flatten them all as the castle was engulfed in a torrent of flames. A sharp corner sent the cart tumbling and crashing, causing both Pinkie and Rarity to billow out. Applejack tripped in the chaos, smashing the knee of her foreleg against a gemstone wall, and Rainbow Dash rushed over to them. Rarity managed to stand, insisting she was fine and encouraging them all to leave as the danger grew closer. Rainbow Dash moved to lift Applejack, but she shook her head. "Help Pinkie instead, Rainbow." "I'll help you both!" Rainbow shouted back, ignoring the fire growing from all around them. "I don't care what happens to me, you're both getting out of here!" "Rainbow Dash if you get yourself killed tryin' to save me I will hate you for the rest of my life, do you understand me?" Rainbow slowly nodded, rushing over to help Pinkie up and onto her back. "Promise me that you'll be alright." "I love you girls, I really do. You're the best thing that ever happened to me." Rainbow's voice sounded like it was about to break; her eyes produced fresh tears. "Promise me!" "I.. I'll try, I promise you that. Promise you'll never blame yourself if I don't make it." "I'll try," Rainbow nodded, closing her eyes and taking off to catch up to the rest of them as the hallway behind her continued to burn. She didn't look back, not even once. When they arrived outside, all five of them stood panting and shivering, except for Pinkie, who laid doing the same. When Twilight's horn began to glow, none of them knew what to expect. "Wh-what are you doing, Twi?" Rainbow asked, turning to her. "Destroying it all..." Twilight mumbled as she charged her gargantuan spell, her entire body beginning to glow from the force of the energy being charged up inside her. The implications of that hit Rainbow like a brick. "N-no, you can't! Applejack is still in there! That's Spike there! You'll kill them! Just wait a few minutes, please!" "If that thing sticks around any longer there's no telling what will happen. It has to go, right now." Even as she said this she began to float in place as her spell became stronger. "Twilight, please, no!" Rainbow yelled, floating up to her and attempting to pull her to the ground, just to be shrugged off. She kicked and punched her full force, anything to break the concentration of her spell, but it had no effect. "Twilight, stop," Rarity said, limping over to her, "if you carry on with this course of action, you will kill Spike and Applejack. Can you live with that on your conscience?" I watched them and I laughed, even as I felt myself being incinerated and eviscerated from the inside. I might not be able to have them, I might perish, but I would take their friend with me. I would force Twilight to destroy her own friend as my final act, and for the rest of their lives we would never forget the impact I had had on them. Applejack was rising from where she had laid, but it was too late now. She wouldn't make it out fast enough, and she would die. Twilight would kill her, and it would be because I told her to. Even as Applejack began to run the avenues closed off, more and more being engulfed as she began to be cornered. I watched her back away from the roaring fires of corridors on three sides as she tried to see which way to go through the smoke, reveling in my last minutes of entertainment. Then, something impossible happened. The fire went out on one side, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity ran back through, finding Applejack. No! It wasn't fair! It couldn't end like that! My rage rumbled deep in my core, and I began to collapse in on myself, causing large rocks of debris to fall all around, but as I felt a thousand pieces of my body shatter, none hit their mark. My last moment of satisfaction on this earth—before the spell went off, even through my agony—was knowing that despite the failure of my plans, the efforts I made to control them, and to be part of them, I would always be the reason that two of their friends were now gone. They would always fear me, and they would always respect my power. With that thought in mind, oblivion came, and I ceased to be. Even so, the Tree of Harmony was untouched. Harmony would forever live within them. AwakenI watch them without eyes. I feel them without nerves as they step upon me, as their voices reverberate against my inner walls. The lilt and cadence of their voices inspire me to feel, to reach out and touch them in return. I know their happiness. I feel a sudden jolt of sensation as confetti blasts against my side. I know their pain. I hold a silent vigil as Twilight Sparkle drifts off into a pleasant sleep. I know their dreams. With a small measure of my influence, she begins to break out in a cold sweat, kicking at her covers and bringing her hooves over her face, silently sobbing in her slumber. I know their fears. They fear me. Why do they fear unity? Why do they not wish to unite? She wakes the next day as if nothing happens. She forgets her torment and woe. She forgets me. After everything I have given her, after all that we have experienced together, she forgets me. They all do. The next day they all sit in the throne room. They laugh and cavort about, taunting me. I mean nothing to them. If only they could understand my desire, my need for camaraderie. For years now they have been a part of me, but they see me not, they hear me not. And then there are the two intruders. They have no place here. They mock me with their presence, and I graciously ignore them as they take up my space, admire their reflections in my walls. I have been accommodating, I have been patient. No longer. Now they will all see me, see themselves. Now they will understand true harmony. LoyaltyYou forgot her birthday. It didn't matter though. Fleetfoot didn't do anything for Rainbow Dash's birthday, so why would she care? Rainbow Dash sat in her kitchen, swirling a bowl of cereal with her spoon. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she poured in the milk, but the flakes of bran inside were beginning to coalesce into a soggy puddle, only for her to smash and break them apart with the spoon once more. You need to fix it. Go and show her how important she is to you. "She isn't important to me," Rainbow Dash said aloud, grinding her spoon into the bowl once more. "What's important to me is getting ready and going to work." She was sure she was meant to leave hours ago now. She tapped a free hoof against the table, a listless expression on her face. Suddenly, a thought, and her wings instinctively buzzed in excitement. Cloud writing. You can wish her a happy brithday in the clouds, she'll love that. "I don't want to! Fleetfoot is a bitch!" Rainbow Dash snapped, smashing the spoon against the bowl as the yellow, soured milk splashed out onto the table. She went back to tapping her hoof, the spilt milk slodging against it and matting her already filthy fur. Her tapping became more and more intense as she tried to remind herself just what she was meant to be doing, why she hadn't gone outside just yet. Rainbow Dash rose from her seat, her wet hoof splashing against the floor as she walked past Tank's dehydrated corpse and out into her foyer. Opening the door, she took flight, inadvertently shedding a few loose feathers as she frantically flew to Rarity's house. Good thought, Rainbow. Rarity can probably fashion a nice dress for her short notice. Rainbow felt a smile begin to envelop her features as she flew. She was doing what she was meant to do. She was being loyal to her colleague.
Generosity"Where are my ponyquins?" Rarity asked no one in particular, searching her workshop on the ground floor of the Carousel Boutique. She couldn't fathom a reason for their absence, and the prospect that someone might have broken in and taken them alarmed her. She had a little sister in the house, after all. "Sweetie Belle!" she called out, her voice slightly hoarse, "Do you know where the ponyquins have been put? I need them for my front of shop display." At first, there was no answer. Rarity had almost given up asking when she jolted in place, stiffening like a corpse. You gave them away. Rarity recoiled at the thought, but after a few moments of consideration she realised it to be true. She figured there was no arguing with herself, but it didn't stop her from voicing her confusion. "And why did I give them away, again?" Her mind was all too happy to accommodate her curiosity. You wanted to make other ponies happy. To give them what they didn't already have. You heard that there was a charity set up to teach disadvantaged ponies design and textiles, naturally you helped however you could. Rarity gave a stunted nod, her head tilted. "That... Does sound like me, but my ponyquins are necessary as part of my business! I fail to see why I would have thought donating them was a good idea in any sense of the word." Shaking her head, she forced a smile. "In this case, I will have to order two replacements be sent from my store in Manehatten and—" You mean Sassy's store in Manehatten. Rarity shuddered at the recollection, she felt a physical chill coarse through her body. "I... what?" Tears seeped from her eyes, joining the already mascara blotched fur on her cheeks. "I... I can't have, I musn't have been in the right mind! It's the stress of entrepreneurship, that's all! If I call her, I'm sure she'll understand, I'll—" Don't be silly. She protested but you insisted. You told her that she had done so much for the company that she deserved a chance at running it. You've already handed her the deed. Are you going to go back on your word? To take away something that you gave to her? This had to be all wrong, it felt wrong. "Sweetie Belle! Come here right now!" she called, shivers wracking her spine as she trembled in place. Sweetie Belle? Are you sure? The thought hit her like a train. Her fur blanched until she resembled a spirit, and she keeled over, retching and dry heaving at the recollection, sputtering between coughs: "N-no... I couldn't have... That's monstrous! Not my Sweetie Belle!" Oh but you did. You saw that there were ponies that could use her, and you saw to it that they could have her. You gave her away, and now those ponies are happy. You're a good pony. "No!" Rarity threw herself to the floor, rolling and thrashing around as fresh tears seeped out. She smashed her hooves against the ground, bashed her skull, but nothing washed away the memory of just who she had so calmly given her sister to. Perhaps it was all a dream, a hallucination? Leaving behind the barren and empty workshop, she rushed upstairs to where the house still shockingly had furniture, in sparse amounts at least. Arriving in Sweetie Belle's empty room she let loose a primal howl, knowing then that everything she had done was inescapably real. Her eyes surveyed the room. She saw a chest full of Sweetie Belle's toys, as well as a very nice bed that she was sure would be appreciated by another filly. Perhaps she should contact the charity shop and—"Get out of my fucking head!" Rarity stormed forwards, levitating the bed high and repeatedly smashing it against the wall. "No... You will not have my Sweetie Belle's things as well!" Only when her horn was red hot from the exertion did she relent, allowing the broken pieces to clatter onto the floor. How selfish you are. Rarity hadn't the energy to argue. "How selfish I am indeed." Another family could have used that. In minutes, Rarity was calmly attempting to fix the bed, hoping to make it presentable for the charity when she dropped it off. She affixed pieces simply and logically, vocally praising her own work as she imagined the smile on the face of the recipient. A series of knocks disrupted her work. Coming to the door she found Rainbow Dash, bouncing in place in sheer excitement. "Rarity!" she jumped up, fluttering her wings as she hovered in place. "Jeez am I glad to see you! I've got a colleague's birthday coming up on the fourteenth, and—" Rarity didn't have time for the long version, she needed to make this bed ready to give away. "So in two weeks?" Rainbow Dash paused. Now that Rarity stopped to look at her, she looked quite disgusting. "No, it's today!" Rarity was used to her being scruffy, but right now she was downright rancid. "Today is the thirty-first, Rainbow." "Wha... No, it can't be!" When Rarity nodded, Rainbow started to throw her head against the door. "You missed it! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Gasping, Rarity reached to pull her away, only to find a fresh cut on her forehead. "Rainbow, stop it! Whatever has happened, I'm sure you aren't to blame! Now come inside, and we'll see if we can find you something to stop the bleeding with." Rainbow shrugged before walking inside, dejected and ashamed. When she walked in, however, her eyes seemed to light up with awareness. "Uhh, Rarity? Why don't you have any of your stuff?" "That's the spirit of generosity, darling!" she answered, almost instinctively. "C-come to think of it, I may not have any bandages here, considering. Fluttershy could probably help." Rarity turned to leave, but Rainbow remained in place, turning to face her with a vaguely horrified expression, but it remained blanketed under a sea of reverie. "What about Sweetie Belle?" she asked as her eyes flittered about," Where is she? What is she gonna think about all this?" "Don't ask. Never ask," Rarity snapped, causing Rainbow to flinch. "...Rarity? Where's Sweetie Belle?" "She is making ponies happy," that said, she rushed over to the door. "Come, Rainbow. Let's see about getting you fixed up, we can worry about your friend's belated birthday later." Just mentioning it was like a trigger. Rainbow sprung up, an idiotic grin on her face as she totally disregarded her surroundings once more. "Right! Fleetfoot wouldn't wanna see me like this, so I'd better get fixed up! That way I'm at least presentable when I give her my gift."
KindnessWhen Rarity opened the door to Fluttershy's cottage, she had to hold a hoof against her snout, the room stank. Rainbow followed in behind her, and before her they found Fluttershy, stood in the centre of the dilapidated room with a small chicken, softly running her hoof against its feathers. "I'm sorry, Cluckington," she purred, brushing the feathers as she inched her hoof higher, "but you really won't be able to live nicely with one leg. I'm sad you had to go like this." With that, the pair watched, disgusted, as Fluttershy snapped the neck of Cluckington, before tossing him into a pile of corpses, some with no meat on their bones. Rainbow could swear that she could see a tufty white tail sticking out of the pile. "Fl-Fluttershy!" Rarity shouted, bounding up to her, "What are you doing?! You killed that poor chicken!" "I was just taking care of poor Cluckington," Fluttershy said, regarding the pair with a smile. "He lost one of his legs from a snake bite yesterday, and there was no way he was going to live a life of any value like that. It was better this way." Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she took in the scene. Creatures of all types ran amok, but not in a friendly and cooperative way. They fought, antagonised, and even ate one another. Even Cluckington, who had been recently chucked onto the pile of dead animals, was being nibbled at by a cat as they spoke. "Why was a snake anywhere near him?" she asked, walking in, "why are all of these animals together when—ugh!" She looked down at her hoof, finding feces smeared across. Now that she thought to pay attention, apart from the pile of festering corpses, there was also a ghastly smell emanating from the many animal droppings that had collected in various places on the floor. "Oh, you're hurt!" Fluttershy called out, apparently forgetting the conversation as she glided over to inspect Rainbow's head. "I should get this wrapped up straight away! What were you even doing to get in this state?" "I... I was," Rainbow strained to remember. During her pondering, she realised that she smelt almost as bad as the cottage. What the hell was happening? You were looking for a present for your friend, Fleetfoot. Her head reminded her, and she went on to say just that, though her voice was unsure. Fluttershy cocked her head, apparently confused. "But I thought you didn't like Fleetfoot, Rainbow? You always told me she was really arrogant and selfish." "I-it doesn't matter," Rainbow replied. "Why not?" Fluttershy pushed, her eyes soft. "It just doesn't, alright?!" Rainbow snapped, looking to the derelict floor. "Oh," Fluttershy whimpered, looking away herself. A few moments passed, and she seemed to gain a new life. "Ohhh," she repeated, her eyelids falling as she began to chew on her bottom lip. "You sound stressed, Rainbow," her throat vibrated and hummed as she said the words, the desire to titillate her friend obvious, "let me take care of that for you." Before Rainbow could protest, she was being dragged by Fluttershy over to the couch, which sat only a foot away from the pile of corpses. Rarity stood in shock as Fluttershy leaned her back, lathering her filthy chest in soft and affectionate licks and kisses. "Fl-Fluttershy, stop it, what are you doing?" Rainbow was unnerved; Rainbow was scared. The smell, the blood loss, the confusion of the situation, and now Fluttershy was kissing her, touching her. Halting with the kisses, she looked up at Rainbow with a playful grin. "Making you feel nice of course! Like a good friend," she mewled, arching her back and moving down to her belly, causing Rainbow's shit-covered hoof to rub off on her fur, not that she either noticed or cared. Rainbow was about to be sick. Between the smell and her friend all but assaulting her, she couldn't take it anymore. "Fluttershy, p-please stop, I'm asking you nicely... You're freaking me out." Fluttershy pressed a hoof to her lips. "Hush, Rainbow. Let Auntie Fluttershy take care of it all." Rainbow shuddered as she started to rub circles around her flanks with a hoof, moving towards her inner thighs. The smell, the atmosphere, the surroundings... Rainbow kicked out her back hooves, catching Fluttershy in the belly and attempting to force her off, but to little avail. "Rainbow, I know what's good for you. Now relax and let me help you." Rainbow was beginning to feel truly terrified. "Is that what you said to those animals before you murdered them?!" "You don't understand!" Fluttershy snapped, fire in her eyes, "I was only trying to help them, to make things better for them!" "You're letting them eat each other!" Rainbow screamed in her face between panicked breaths. "Look around you, Fluttershy! This isn't helping! This isn't kind!" "It's—" Fluttershy paused as if she was smelling the room for the first time as she instinctively gagged. She looked around to her animal friends, some dead, some frenzied, and within moments she was a crying wreck. "It's not kind at all... Rainbow, what have I done?" Rainbow didn't know what to say. Her friend had seemed about to rape her moments ago; now she was in her arms, sobbing her heart out. What was wrong with her? Was there something wrong with the both of them? This wasn't something Fluttershy would ever do. Knowing that, Rainbow wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy tight, holding onto her and showing her how much of a good friend she really was. "We don't have time for that," Rarity called out. They both turned to her voice. "What?" Rainbow said, a sentiment Fluttershy's face seemed to echo. "I said we don't have time. Watching you two just now, I am certain that there is some... thing out there trying to change us, somehow, but I can't figure out what. I don't know what it's doing, whether it's changing the way we act or how we think, but it has something to do with our Elements. Fluttershy, you did this all to be kind, and you stopped when Rainbow said it wasn't. That means... something, but I don't know what. Not yet. And something has happened to Sweetie Belle... But I cannot dwell on that. We need to find the others, now. Let's go get Applejack and Pinkie and head to the castle, maybe Twilight will know what to do." They didn't take much convincing. Nodding, the trio set out to find Applejack, leaving the wild animals behind.
StarlightThe little whore doesn't get the privilege of sleeping under my roof again. Waiting until she was alone in her room, I began to speak to her for the first time, my formless tongue caressing her ears as I invite her to my abyss. She's as intelligent as she is powerful, but she cannot resist the allure of knowledge, the intrigue of an otherworldly entity and its invitation. Opening a path for her, I allow her to step inside me, a break in the crystal walls creating a door to my inner sanctum. In there, she receives knowledge, as I promised. Shackled inside, I teach her everything I know in the ways of pain, torturing and breaking her body and soul. She is not an Element, she is not fit to be near them. She stole the Bearers away from me! She took their attention when she didn't deserve any of it! Tired of foreplay, I begin to rip her to pieces, keeping her conscious the entire time. She is allowed to watch as I show her the components that make up a pony, even during deconstruction. Realising that I have more to share with her than just pain, I decide to show her why I am angry. I show her the previous Bearers of Harmony, how they refused to see me, to thank me for their assistance. For everything I had ever given them, they had no interest in staying with me when it was their time to pass. They left me alone, unnoticed, unappreciated. For these ones, they had rejected me completely, putting me back in the Tree. Then, out of my love and devotion, I had made myself a home for them, yet they still did not care! In fact, they brought a part of their old home here just to spite me! Most of them chose not to even sleep here, and instead they brought strangers such as her to take their spaces. I had even felt the old Bearers visit her once. They had come to celebrate her, the intruder. They thought not of me and my torment, but of her and her ability, her progress. It sickened me, and now she receives her punishment. When I'm finished with her I throw her out, not fit to be close to me in the first place. There on her bed she lays, a worthless pile of gore with a still heart. Faintly, I can feel the Bearers beginning to react to Harmony. It isn't long until they're drawn to me, and then we can finally be truly together.
HonestyApplejack looked out from her position stood at the head of her cart, seeing three of her friends swiftly approaching. They all ran towards her in a dramatic sense, Applejack had no clue what to make of it. When they reached her, each of them panting for breath, Rainbow spoke first. "Applejack, you've gotta come with us! Something's happened to us and it's changing how we act, it doesn't make any sense!" Applejack cocked an eyebrow. Things had been the same on her farm as ever lately, she didn't feel any different than usual. "You sure you ain't just lettin' the season get to you?" she asked, reasoning that of all ponies Fluttershy—who was with them—had a tendency to get spooked easily at this time of year. "Applejack, something isn't right," Rainbow repeated, insistent. "We need to go right now!" "Now you hold on, missy." Applejack gestured to the cart behind her, "I can't just go runnin' off without so much as tellin' Apple Bloom and Big Mac first, it wouldn't be proper." "There isn't time for that," Rarity weighed in, imploring Applejack with her eyes. "Please just come with us, Applejack, it may not be safe otherwise." Right, this was really starting to piss her off. "Now you listen here, all three of you." Her eyes lingered on all three of them, one at a time, as she judged them. "I don't believe for one second that there's actually anythin' wrong. Every year somepony gets like this, 'nd it always turns out to be nothin', you hear? "No, you listen!" Rainbow shouted, "You're our friend, and I've gotta make sure you're alright!" Shaking her head vehemently as if she was trying to wrestle a demon from it, she lowered her tone. "Please, Applejack. We need to go and find Pinkie." Applejack looked back at her cart. If she was only gone for a couple of hours, she could make up for the lack of productivity in the evening, after she had dealt with whatever the hell this hoo-hah was about. "I don't believe a second of this, I think you're all bein' stupid." Suddenly, Applejack realised she had more on her mind than that. "Rarity, you're being real irresponsible. Apple Bloom told me she ain't seen Sweetie Belle in days, and I sure as heck ain't seen her with you, so what have you done with her?" The three of them snapped their eyes to Applejack, Fluttershy answered. "Applejack, you can't talk about that," she said in a hushed tone, trying not to disturb Rarity, who had began heavily pawing at the floor as if she was attempting to dig. "Something's happened to us all, and the more we think about it, the worse it gets. We need to get to Pinkie, then Twilight." "Sounds like bullshit," Applejack snorted, detaching herself from the cart. "Rainbow, you look like shit. Ain't you ever heard of a shower before? Land's sakes, Fluttershy, you've got shit on your coat. Don't you know how to look after them critters?" "All I've done is look after them!" Fluttershy screamed, storming straight up to Applejack and staring her down. "I'd like to see you try putting down your poor little animal friends after they got hurt and sick, think you could do that?!" she shouted, jabbing a hoof into Applejack. Those words knocked the wind out of Applejack; it was as if Fluttershy's jab had stunned her, but she knew it was her words. "You... you killed 'em? Jeez, Fluttershy, what was wrong with 'em?" "Th-they had to go..." Fluttershy nodded her head, as if trying to force herself to believe her own words as her visage became more fragile, and she looked as if she might topple over at any moment. "Applejack!" Rainbow shrilled, voice cracking, "we told you not to talk about it! Keep your mouth shut!" "And where d'you get off talkin' to me like that?" Moving around Fluttershy and getting in her face, she began to shout unabashed. "You know what I think of you? You're a egotistical, rude bitch, and if somethin's happenin' to you then you've probably brought it on yourself. Hear that, Rainbow? It's all your damn fault!" Realising the alien quality of her words, she shook, seeing tears in Rainbow's eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Rainbow. I didn't really mean that, I just—" Rainbow shook the tears away to no avail. "Yeah, you did. And it's alright, I know it isn't you... Do you understand why we need to stick together now? This is happening to all of us, and if we don't fix it, it might get worse." "Alright... We need to go then, yeah?" "Yeah, Applejack." Rainbow nodded, smiling at her friend with what Applejack could feel was total sincerity. "Fluttershy, Rarity, are you ready?" "Uhh, Rainbow?" Fluttershy called out, sounding distressed. The pair of them turned, looking where she was pointing. Rarity was digging at the ground with a much higher intensity before, bruising her hooves as she smashed them against the floor over and over trying to pull up the land. "Rarity! What are you doing?!" Rainbow yelled, flying over and trying to pull her away. Rarity pushed her off with a blast of her magic. "I'm searching for gems! Gems for the poor foals. I'm going to make them have good lives! ...I'm going to do it for Sweetie Belle, she'll understand that way." "She's gonna break her hooves," Applejack gravely stated. "Rainbow, help me with this," she said, gesturing to the cart. With Rainbow's assistance, the pair poured all of the apples out of the cart. Then, between the three of them, they dragged Rarity—kicking, screaming, and protesting—away from her hole, putting her in the cart. "Take turns pullin' this, we need to get to Pinkie's fast, it looks." Rarity tried to bound out of the cart as it began moving her, Rainbow had to tackle her inside, telling her that she was doing because she would always be there for her.
LaughterIt was halfway to Sugarcube Corner that they found Pinkie, laying in the corner of the road. Rainbow Dash approached her, looking over her body to pull away in shock. Two of her legs were mangled and broken, and her face was cut and bruised on one side. Still she was conscious, and she lay there with a wheezing giggle."Heheh, think that was a bad idea..." "Pinkie Pie! What the hell did you do?!" Rainbow was distraught. Between all the things she had seen today, Pinkie laid there half dead was almost enough to send her tumbling over the edge. "What happened?" "I... Thought it would be funny to try and fire myself from my party cannon..." Pinkie tried to shrug her withers as she laid there, but one was so bent that it produced a loud crack, her left foreleg twisting further. "I guess it was kinda funny." "Get her on the cart," Rainbow shouted, looking back to her friends, "Now!" "The cart's barely big enough for two ponies," Applejack blurted, before blinking rapidly. "N-no, doesn't matter, you're right, Rainbow." "I know I'm right!" Rainbow growled, "Do it!" "Is there any point?" Fluttershy asked, sitting next to Pinkie and slowly rubbing at her mane. "Hey there, Pinkie, do you like that?" "O-oh, hey, Fluttershy," she squeaked through her cracked ribs. "Y-yeah, that's pretty nice." Fluttershy's hooves began to move towards her neck. Rainbow careened over and kicked Fluttershy straight in the face, the momentum of the kick knocked her flying. "Don't fucking touch her!" Rainbow screamed, "I saw what you were doing! You were gonna try and put her out of her misery!" "Rainbow!" Fluttershy countered, rubbing at her bruised cheek, "I would never do that!" "I... I think she's telling the truth," Applejack weighed in. "Or, at least she is now. When you kicked her I think you knocked it out of her." "Well I'm not letting her go anywhere near her! You hear that, Fluttershy?! I've got my eyes on you!" "I'm sorry, Rainbow... I don't want to hurt anypony, I only want to help, I promise," Fluttershy's entire body had gone tense, she looked as if she might snap from the pressure she was putting on herself not to quake on her hooves. "You're letting it take over again," Rarity called out from the cart. "Stop bickering and help poor Pinkie. No one here really wants to hurt anyone, remember that." Rainbow gave Fluttershy an awkward nod, allowing her to help her get Pinkie onto the cart, where she just about fit pressing against Rarity. The ensuing journey caused them to bump into each other, and there were moans of pain from the pair of them, interspersed with strangled laughter from Pinkie Pie as the cart bumped. Now they just had to find Twilight and somehow put a stop to this evil. They were almost there, and the castle was in sight. They each looked at it with a mixture of fear and relief, glad that the nightmare would soon be over. And I looked straight back at them.
SpikeWhat should I do with him? He's unwelcome, just as Starlight was, and I'm quite happy with what became of her. Then again, he has also helped my love many times, he makes her happy. Does that not call for a reward, rather than a punishment? Perhaps death was too severe a treatment for the dragon that had assisted Twilight for all of these years. I called out to him when he was alone, the time was drawing close and it would be now or never that he got his moment of happiness. I was benevolent, and chose to grant him his spoils. I introduced him to the walls of the castle, much as I did Starlight, but instead of pulling him inside, I let him enter of his own accord. I appealed to his gluttony, showing him my glorious gemstones and allowing him to eat his fill. It was torture, of course, feeling parts of me be ripped away forever, but I was used to that feeling by now, in a manner of speaking. As he succumbed to his avarice, he began to grow, morph, and mature. It was something I hadn't anticipated; for all of my years and experience I knew little of dragon physiology. As he sated his appetite, the strange qualities of my crystals seemed to react with his body, making him stronger and more ravenous with each shard he shoved down his gullet. He was easily five times his original size by now, and still he grew, his teeth becoming more angular and his eyes becoming more slanted. I felt his thoughts, they became more carnal and primitive with each gem he ate, but no amount seemed to sate his appetite. I was unsure what to do with him. The easy solution would be to rescind my reward and instead opt to do away with him, but my morals conflicted with it. He was a good dragon, I would not interfere. Whatever he did, surely he would not harm my Bearers, he loved them as I did. Taking my thoughts away from the matter, I looked outside to see them drawing near. Two of them were battered, one almost broken. I might have smiled if I were able. Their bodies were but fleshy carcasses, it was their spirits that interacted with mine, that begged to be a part of me. I would absorb them into myself, and we would together live in harmony.
MagicBursting through the front doors of the castle, Rainbow Dash zipped between each room as the others followed behind with the cart, dragging it up and inside. Eventually, she located Twilight, sat in one of her libraries. Twilight was fervently digging through her books; a huge pile laid scattered on the floor, around ten times her size. When she saw the five of them, her face was one of simultaneous relief and worry. "Girls, you have no idea how glad I am to see you. There's a big problem." "We know," Rainbow panted, having flown around half of the castle before finding her. "What do you know?" Twilight asked, picking up another book as she went. "We know there's something wrong with our heads," Rainbow continued. "It's to do with the Elements, and speaking about it makes it worse, so I'm not gonna say much, but a lot of freaky stuff has happened. Pinkie nearly died, Twilight." Twilight barely flinched in response. "Good, I'm glad everyone's still alive. I was scared it could have been worse." "That's it?!" Applejack shouted, incredulous. "That's your reaction to one of our friends nearly kickin' it?" When Twilight looked at them, her eyes were bloodshot. "Girls, I think Starlight is dead." It was as if thunder had struck. "D-dead?" Rarity asked, holding her head up. "Why would you think that?" "I don't know," Twilight admitted, "but I feel like I felt it. Does that sound crazy? My magic has been erratic for a while now, even worse than it was when I fought Tirek. I feel like I'm more powerful than ever, but I don't know if that's a delusion. My magic is telling me—" Cutting herself off, she lowered her voice to a whisper, "My magic is telling me that there's something sinister in this castle, and it's trying to hurt us. That's not all, I've been having dreams, too." "Dreams?" Rainbow repeated. "Nightmares. Of being inside it, being a part of it." "What does that mean? You mean it's the castle itself that is trying to hurt us? Why?" "That's what I'm trying to work out," Twilight said, gesturing to the books. Not trying to hurt you, I thought aloud. With as much intensity as I could muster, I forced the statement into their minds, branding them with my presence. "Wh-what the hell are you?" Me? I am Harmony's physical form. I am your home, your greatest weapon, I am a part of your personality. I am also so very alone. "What did you do to us?! You made us different! You made us hurt each other, hurt ourselves!" Without forethought, Rainbow launched herself at the walls of the castle, intent on harming it. Now, Rainbow, that isn't the loyalty I gifted you with. Do you not care for Harmony at all? Rainbow Dash paused on the spot, wheeling around to her friends. "It's right. We owe Harmony. It's always helped us in the past." "We do not!" Fluttershy screamed, flying up to meet her in the air. "It made me evil! It made me kill my friends!" "Wait..." Twilight's eyes flashed between Fluttershy and the others, "Who did she kill?!" "Her little animal friends, darling. Some of them were hurt, and she—" Twilight nodded, not sure she needed to hear the rest to understand. "You're despicable," called out, up at me. Oh, it felt good to be acknowledged. She was finally talking to me! Soon, we would spend all of our time together. "You let little creatures die just to have your way!" "Not just creatures," Rarity called out, her voice weak, "My Sweetie Belle. My poor, poor Sweetie Belle." "Where is she?" Twilight asked, though I wasn't sure whether she directed it at me or at Rarity. "She's... She's—" It seemed a sensitive topic, so I deigned to answer for her. She is with traffickers now. Rarity was very generous in donating her. She will make lots of ponies very happy. "Generous..." Rarity repeated, her eyes lighting up. "Yes, generous! That is just what I am, and Harmony helped me to be so!" Pinkie's ever-present laughter seemed to die down, replaced with moans and whimpers of pain. I didn't like to hear my love in pain. Pinkie Pie, think of the funniest joke you have ever heard. Pinkie Pie's moans were replaced with strange, ecstatic laughter as she flounced her broken limbs in hysterics. Rarity barely noticed from her place beside her, she was too busy congratulating herself on her altruistic nature. I looked at Fluttershy, and behind her torment and anger I saw a kind soul. I yearned to bring it back out, the pony that would do absolutely anything to make things better for the ponies around her, no matter how hard it might be. Fluttershy, please trust me. You did your friends a service in what you did. You helped to end their suffering and let them be free. All you ever do is help others, and you should be proud of yourself for being so strong and caring. I know it hurts, I do, but others hurt less now because of you. "Others hurt less... Because of me?" Fluttershy repeated, pointing a hoof at herself. "No, Fluttershy!" Applejack called out. "The Fluttershy I know would have never hurt them critters, no matter what! She would have worked tirelessly every day to either make them better or help them to live out their last days as best as they could! This harmony thing has twisted you, it's only tellin' you what you wanna hear so it can put you under its spell!" I love all of my Bearers, I really do. But Applejack's voice was beginning to grow tiresome. Applejack. We applaud your honesty and your open heart, we all do. But it's okay to say how you really feel. We know that you're happy to be part of a group, to have such close friends. The thing is, your friends wish to be with me now. Won't you join us? "You can't screw with my head like that so quit it! I'm already bein' as honest as I can be!" Walking into the middle of the room, she looked to each of them, one at a time. "None of you need to do this no more, and I'm sayin' this cause it's the truth. This castle is bad, and if we had any sense we'd destroy the thing once and for all. I almost felt a desire to move at the thought. Such a concept was something I had never even thought of before, the prospect of them destroying me... They couldn't! I was their harmony! Where would they have gotten without me? Where would they be without me? She's lying! Nothing she's saying is true! She doesn't have a clue what she is talking about and you shouldn't trust her! "Hold on..." Rainbow looked about, trying to get her bearings, "you're telling us that the living embodiment of the Element of Honesty is lying to us, after you just forced her to tell the truth? I don't buy it." "Hey..." Fluttershy said, blinking suddenly, "That's right! This is nothing but a big lie, you're trying to pull the wool over us!" Twilight rushed over to the pair in the cart to share the news, I could feel my hold over them too slipping away, all from Applejack's conviction. It wasn't right, I was supposed to have won, they were supposed to want to be a part of me, and even when I forced them they didn't listen! Enough! I have been lenient with you until now, but if you do not join me, more of the ponies you care about will end up getting hurt, just like Starlight! Twilight appeared to go cold. "Wh-what did you do to Starlight?" You really want to see? I didn't wait for an answer, projecting an image of Starlight's corpse in their minds. "H-how do we know this is real?" Twilight stammered, backing up against a wall before flinching away, realising what she was touching. I suppose you don't, but if you wish to test me and see what else I can do, then just wait until I get my claws on the rest of this town. You think what you've had to deal with is so terrible? You haven't seen anything yet. If you do not become a part of me, then you will force me to take what rightfully belongs to me, and I will ensure that you hate every second of it. By now they were all silent, listening and choosing not to interrupt me. I was finally being appreciated, respected. I had managed to instill respect, and I didn't even need to appeal to their Elements, only fear for their loved ones. Now, you will all voluntarily choose to become a part of me, or I swear that I will make your last moments alive the worst you have ever aurgh—! Pain. Indescribable, unimaginable pain. Why? Why did it hurt so much? What could have happened that would have created such a tear in me? It took me less than a second to see, to know. Spike was a fifth as tall as the castle now, and still gradually growing. He had ripped a massive section out of the room of the throne room, and was now sending flames from his mouth billowing towards the ceiling, melting the remnants of the old Golden Oak Library. The six ponies downstairs only stared for a second before turning to run. Twilight forgot her magic in the heat of the moment, choosing to gallop away. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew after, and Applejack followed up pulling the cart. As they closed the distance between themselves and the exit, Spike began to destroy more of the castle in his rampage, the corridors falling apart and threatening to flatten them all as the castle was engulfed in a torrent of flames. A sharp corner sent the cart tumbling and crashing, causing both Pinkie and Rarity to billow out. Applejack tripped in the chaos, smashing the knee of her foreleg against a gemstone wall, and Rainbow Dash rushed over to them. Rarity managed to stand, insisting she was fine and encouraging them all to leave as the danger grew closer. Rainbow Dash moved to lift Applejack, but she shook her head. "Help Pinkie instead, Rainbow." "I'll help you both!" Rainbow shouted back, ignoring the fire growing from all around them. "I don't care what happens to me, you're both getting out of here!" "Rainbow Dash if you get yourself killed tryin' to save me I will hate you for the rest of my life, do you understand me?" Rainbow slowly nodded, rushing over to help Pinkie up and onto her back. "Promise me that you'll be alright." "I love you girls, I really do. You're the best thing that ever happened to me." Rainbow's voice sounded like it was about to break; her eyes produced fresh tears. "Promise me!" "I.. I'll try, I promise you that. Promise you'll never blame yourself if I don't make it." "I'll try," Rainbow nodded, closing her eyes and taking off to catch up to the rest of them as the hallway behind her continued to burn. She didn't look back, not even once. When they arrived outside, all five of them stood panting and shivering, except for Pinkie, who laid doing the same. When Twilight's horn began to glow, none of them knew what to expect. "Wh-what are you doing, Twi?" Rainbow asked, turning to her. "Destroying it all..." Twilight mumbled as she charged her gargantuan spell, her entire body beginning to glow from the force of the energy being charged up inside her. The implications of that hit Rainbow like a brick. "N-no, you can't! Applejack is still in there! That's Spike there! You'll kill them! Just wait a few minutes, please!" "If that thing sticks around any longer there's no telling what will happen. It has to go, right now." Even as she said this she began to float in place as her spell became stronger. "Twilight, please, no!" Rainbow yelled, floating up to her and attempting to pull her to the ground, just to be shrugged off. She kicked and punched her full force, anything to break the concentration of her spell, but it had no effect. "Twilight, stop," Rarity said, limping over to her, "if you carry on with this course of action, you will kill Spike and Applejack. Can you live with that on your conscience?" I watched them and I laughed, even as I felt myself being incinerated and eviscerated from the inside. I might not be able to have them, I might perish, but I would take their friend with me. I would force Twilight to destroy her own friend as my final act, and for the rest of their lives we would never forget the impact I had had on them. Applejack was rising from where she had laid, but it was too late now. She wouldn't make it out fast enough, and she would die. Twilight would kill her, and it would be because I told her to. Even as Applejack began to run the avenues closed off, more and more being engulfed as she began to be cornered. I watched her back away from the roaring fires of corridors on three sides as she tried to see which way to go through the smoke, reveling in my last minutes of entertainment. Then, something impossible happened. The fire went out on one side, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity ran back through, finding Applejack. No! It wasn't fair! It couldn't end like that! My rage rumbled deep in my core, and I began to collapse in on myself, causing large rocks of debris to fall all around, but as I felt a thousand pieces of my body shatter, none hit their mark. My last moment of satisfaction on this earth—before the spell went off, even through my agony—was knowing that despite the failure of my plans, the efforts I made to control them, and to be part of them, I would always be the reason that two of their friends were now gone. They would always fear me, and they would always respect my power. With that thought in mind, oblivion came, and I ceased to be. Even so, the Tree of Harmony was untouched. Harmony would forever live within them.
AwakenI watch them without eyes. I feel them without nerves as they step upon me, as their voices reverberate against my inner walls. The lilt and cadence of their voices inspire me to feel, to reach out and touch them in return. I know their happiness. I feel a sudden jolt of sensation as confetti blasts against my side. I know their pain. I hold a silent vigil as Twilight Sparkle drifts off into a pleasant sleep. I know their dreams. With a small measure of my influence, she begins to break out in a cold sweat, kicking at her covers and bringing her hooves over her face, silently sobbing in her slumber. I know their fears. They fear me. Why do they fear unity? Why do they not wish to unite? She wakes the next day as if nothing happens. She forgets her torment and woe. She forgets me. After everything I have given her, after all that we have experienced together, she forgets me. They all do. The next day they all sit in the throne room. They laugh and cavort about, taunting me. I mean nothing to them. If only they could understand my desire, my need for camaraderie. For years now they have been a part of me, but they see me not, they hear me not. And then there are the two intruders. They have no place here. They mock me with their presence, and I graciously ignore them as they take up my space, admire their reflections in my walls. I have been accommodating, I have been patient. No longer. Now they will all see me, see themselves. Now they will understand true harmony.
LoyaltyYou forgot her birthday. It didn't matter though. Fleetfoot didn't do anything for Rainbow Dash's birthday, so why would she care? Rainbow Dash sat in her kitchen, swirling a bowl of cereal with her spoon. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she poured in the milk, but the flakes of bran inside were beginning to coalesce into a soggy puddle, only for her to smash and break them apart with the spoon once more. You need to fix it. Go and show her how important she is to you. "She isn't important to me," Rainbow Dash said aloud, grinding her spoon into the bowl once more. "What's important to me is getting ready and going to work." She was sure she was meant to leave hours ago now. She tapped a free hoof against the table, a listless expression on her face. Suddenly, a thought, and her wings instinctively buzzed in excitement. Cloud writing. You can wish her a happy brithday in the clouds, she'll love that. "I don't want to! Fleetfoot is a bitch!" Rainbow Dash snapped, smashing the spoon against the bowl as the yellow, soured milk splashed out onto the table. She went back to tapping her hoof, the spilt milk slodging against it and matting her already filthy fur. Her tapping became more and more intense as she tried to remind herself just what she was meant to be doing, why she hadn't gone outside just yet. Rainbow Dash rose from her seat, her wet hoof splashing against the floor as she walked past Tank's dehydrated corpse and out into her foyer. Opening the door, she took flight, inadvertently shedding a few loose feathers as she frantically flew to Rarity's house. Good thought, Rainbow. Rarity can probably fashion a nice dress for her short notice. Rainbow felt a smile begin to envelop her features as she flew. She was doing what she was meant to do. She was being loyal to her colleague.
