Fragmented

Chapters

Creative Competition
Creativity's First Day in Canterlot
Everfree Rescue
Anger's Management Problem
Where the Players Stand
To Fracture An Element
Sparkles of Lust
Logic vs. Anger
The Pieces Move Into Place
One Villain For Another
Golden Hearts Are a Yellow Hue
Dashing Deceit
Resolutions and Reconstruction
The Fragmentation
Seven More Down, Seven to Go

Creative Competition

Bon-Bon looked with concern over the outside parlor of her sweets shop. It wasn’t the fact that their was nopony at in the parlor, oh no, it was quite busy as usual. Lyra hastened around getting ponies’ orders while trying to remember previous ones. Lyra hated serving as the waitress to Bon-Bon’s shop, but it was the only way she could rent out one of Bon-Bon’s guest rooms on the second floor without actually ‘paying’ rent.

Bon-Bon laughed as Lyra tripped over a young foal’s toy while passing by, but it did little to distract her from her original target. Over near the edge of the parlor, all alone, was Twilight. Twilight had, when she could keep it secret from Pinkie Pie, come to Bon-Bon’s shop to taste test her many bake goods and candy treats. Now however, Twilight just looked blue: in quite the literal sense. Her eyes were a slightly dark blue instead of lavender and her cutie mark bore the same color. Her expression screamed sadness and depression and Bon-Bon was about to walk over and see what was troubling her.

At that moment Twilight’s eyes and ears perked and she turned. A look of horror spread across her face and she jumped out of her seat, over the parlor’s small fence, this is when Rainbow Dash collided with Twilight’s previous resting place, and just ran. Soon four others joined Rainbow Dash, who was recomposing herself.

“Ow! How did she see me coming?” Rainbow Dash moaned as she rubbed the new bump on her forehead. Rarity rolled her eyes.

“How do I say this dear? You’re as subtle as a bull rampaging through a china shop… While said bull is shouting the Equestrian National Anthem at the top of its lungs.” She slinked away as Rainbow Dash glared daggers at her.

“It is of no consequence that this attempt has failed.” Logic stated, coming up from behind (as well confusing the heck out of poor Bon-Bon). “We must continue the search for Sadness, this has the potential to be the easiest catch of the week and may make up for our previous loss.” Logic clarified, staring at Rainbow Dash as she spoke the last part.

“Oh come on! How was I supposed to know that those Wonderbolt tickets Deceit bribed me with were fake?” Rainbow retorted.

“They were drawn using crayons… and the art skill was that of a three-year-old.” Logic retorted back. Rainbow Dash blushed with embarrassment.

“Ah know ya’ll are havin’ a nice heart to heart, but shouldn’t we find Sadness?” Applejack interjected. They all nodded.

“But where to look for her? Ooooo! I know! Sugarcube Corner! That’s gotta be it! That’s where I would go!” Pinkie Pie gleefully stated. The others simply glared at her. Surprisingly, Fluttershy spoke up.

“Ummm… I-I might have an idea on the type of place Sadness would go.” She squeaked as the group looked to her and leaned in to hear her out. After a moment of fear from being the center of attention Fluttershy began explaining her idea.

~~~~

Sadness huddled into the corner of the dark alley she had ran to. She huffed from running so hard and curled into a ball. She was depressed about everything. She couldn’t help being sad about running away from her friends, but if they caught her she’d be even sadder about that. She beat herself up about running into the alley, she could have found a better place but what if going somewhere else she ruined somepony’s day, she couldn’t take that either. Tears ran down her face as she was constantly assaulted by her depression.

A noise came from down the alleyway and Sadness jumped. She desperately looked towards where the noise originated but the closely packed together buildings made it difficult. Suddenly something flew at her. She yelped as it landed next to her. Sadness looked down on the object: it was triangular in shape and had lots of strange runes traced on it. She was about to touch it when the object began glowing with a white light. Sadness gasped as the light engulfed her and dragged her into the capture device. She clawed around for anything to grab hold of to no avail. Finally she was sucked in, but to her relief her sorrowful feelings disappeared and a blissful feeling came over her. She smiled before disappearing into the device.

Logic and the other Elements emerged from the darkness into the now empty alleyway. The device soon picked up a green aura as it floated into Logic’s saddlebags. She turned to Rarity.

“Excellent work on ascertaining the precise location of Sadness’ fleeing attempt Rarity. We are one step closer now.” Logic nodded at the white mare.

“Oh it was nothing,” Rarity replied modestly. “It was Fluttershy who gave us the idea in the first place.” She patted Fluttershy on the shoulder as she spoke.

“True.” Logic stated, nodding to Fluttershy respectfully. “However you were able to come up with an exact location even before I was. That is a trait I admire very much.” Logic’s facial expression remained indifferent. Rarity however blushed a deep scarlet and tried to hide it by pretending to fix her mane. Logic turned to the others. “Let us return to the library and place this one with the others.”

Before they could leave Logic soon found herself being knock to the side by Pinkie Pie, her tail twitching sporadically.

“Pinkamena! What was the meaning of that?!” Logic shouted out.

“My tail’s twitching! That means something’s gonna fall!” She explained. Logic stared at her.

“That is a foolish notion. One cannot predict future events through body spasms, it is an illogical…” A tile from one of the roofs above them fell exactly where Logic had been standing not even a moment ago. Logic stared at it, eyes wide and shocked. She looked up at Pinkie Pie, who was smiling widely, and began to twitch furiously. “What ARE YOU?!!” Logic exclaimed. Pinkie smiled.

“I’m Pinkie Pie! Party thrower extraordinaire! *Sigh* I thought we went through this already.” Pinkie’s smile did not end. Logic simply stared off wide-eyed, still twitching.

~~~~

Spike put the last book back on its shelf. It had been hard to fix up the library all by his lonesome with Twilight gone, but he persevered and got it done quicker than he thought it would take. Spike admired his work a little longer when the door flew open with green magic, Logic walked in and the others followed her inside. Logic proceeded to open a small chest near the foot of the stairs and placed the capture device holding Sadness in with the other four they had caught so far. Seeing this successful capture, Spike's already happy mood elated further.

“Wow, another one already? That’s five in one week!” He smiled brightly. “At this rate Twilight will be back in no time.” Everyone else but Logic nodded at this statement

“Perhaps.” She said, looking at the other capture devices. Gluttony, Fear, Hysteria, and Stupidity, the easiest fragments to catch. Gluttony had foolishly assaulted Sugarcube Corner right off the bat; it wasn’t hard to capture a fragment that didn’t fight back. Fear was huddled up in a corner near the town hall, other than actually trying to find her that was an easy one. Hysteria was running around town worrying about every little thing she possibly could, to the point of realigning flowers so they matched up symmetrically. They had to work to chase her down. Lastly Stupidity, she did say Sadness was going to be the easiest catch but that’s only because Logic won’t count Stupidity walking, while bumping into a great many things, right into the library looking for cake. Logic quickly captured her before Pinkie could oblige. Logic had to agree they were doing well, but these were the easier fragments and she didn’t know what the others had in store for them.

“Oh my look at the time! It’s still quite early.” Rarity stated. The others looked towards the clock to see it was only 12:30; it had been a quick catch indeed.

“Iffin you’re not minding Logic, since it’s so early an’ all, can I go back to the farm and catch up on some apple bucking? The farm’s been going slowly since ah joined your Twilight hunt.” Applejack awaited Logic response, but before she could get it something knocked on the door. Everybody turned to it. Logic, who had walked from one end of the room to another as she had been thinking, was the one who answered.

Standing in the door way was a grey Pegasus with a blonde mane and bubbles for a cutie mark. Her eyes looked at completely different directions and she held a letter in her mouth, which she had just retrieved from her mailbag. She motioned for Logic to take it and a green aura surrounded the letter and it floated to Logic’s face.

“Mail delivery for Miss Twilight Sparkle!” She stated, now free to talk with the letter gone from her mouth. She looked at Logic’s confused look and began to worry. “Oh no… did I get it wrong again?” She frowned at the prospect of failure.

“No, no. This is the right address.” Logic reassured. He looked up from the strange letter to its deliverer and cocked an eyebrow. “So you are…?”

“I’m the mailmare! My name’s Ditzy Doo! But mostly ponies call me Derpy Hooves.” She smiled widely at Logic, who’s face remained indifferent.

How odd, Logic thought, she is a mailmare but her talent indicator is a bunch of bubbles… and those eyes, can she adequately see with them like that? “Perhaps that will be explained in season three.” Logic pondered. This out loud thinking caught Derpy’s attention and she cocked her head to the side in confusion. Logic caught this and recomposed herself.

“But I digress. I am simply curious about your eyes Miss… Hooves was it?” This statement caught Derpy’s attention. Oh great, she lamented, here we go: what’s up with your eyes? Can you see straight? Why’s your voice like that? Are you stupid? Are you retarded? Are you… are you… Derpy felt tears forming as yet another pony was going to ask her, and then judge her, solely based on her appearance.

“They are quite interesting are they not?” Logic stated. “I have seen you flying about often so it is clear they do not affect your ability to fly. Do your eyes work much like a chameleon’s eyes? If so that would be quite the evolutionary advantage… Um, Miss Hooves? Miss Hooves are you alright?” Logic stared at Derpy, as she seemed to be in a daze. Derpy shook off her confusion.

“W-wait. You’re not going to mock me? Call me retarded? Say I look funny? Tell me I talk weird?” Derpy questioned, unable to believe it. Almost every single pony she had ever met, at some point in time, has asked her, mocked her, or questioned her about her appearance.

Logic once again cocked her eyebrow. “I had not intended to do so. Insulting you has no merit to it that I can see. As for calling you retarded? As a personification of logic and intelligence myself I can say with certainty that looks and voice do not wholly factor in with a creature’s intelligence right off the bat. A creature can look downright idiotic and still have a powerful intellect and even then what is the importance of widespread intelligence over many subjects? A creature can be a genius in a certain subject but a complete fool in the another.” Logic was of course speaking of herself and the understanding of emotions, a topic she wasn't afraid to admit she had no clue about.

Derpy sniffed and looked at Logic. “R-really? You really think that?” She replied.

Logic nodded. “Of course. If you judge a common penguin’s intelligence on how well it can fly through the air then it will always be an idiot.”

Derpy was about to shed tears, but this time it was tears of joy. No one had ever said something like this to her and she was overjoyed. Before Logic could ask if she was well Derpy grabbed ahold of Logic into a giant hug. Logic, not one for feelings, was taken aback by this and didn’t know how to proceed. Finally Derpy whispered a thanks to Logic and proceeded to make Logic even more confused: by planting a wet kiss right on Logic’s cheek. This turn of events had made all of the others present in the library turn their heads to this spectacle, all of their eyes wide. Derpy released Logic, waved goodbye, and flew off with a noticeable spring in her glide.

“Ummm… Logic. What in tarnation just happened?” Applejack inquired as Logic shut the door. She turned her head to the others, wide eyed and shocked.

“I do not know Applejack. If I did, I would use all of the knowledge in my head to explain it but I just do not know!” Logic twitched a bit.

Rainbow Dash was next to break out of the trance. “Well, ummm, what does that letter she gave you say?”

Logic looked down on the poorly kept letter. She opened it and read it aloud. "I know for a fact you and the other Elements are looking for the other fragments Logic. How do I know you’re reading this Lodge? Lets call it a lucky guess. Anyway, I have some information on some fragments you might find quite interesting. There’s a ruin in the Everfree forest that I’d like to meet. Do come post haste. I’d hate to be waiting long. Enclosed is a map to the location. Do hurry! Lots of love, you’ll find out soon enough. How foolish. As if this stranger truly believes we would be stupid enough to do such a thing!” Logic tossed the letter into the trash and walked away, Applejack rushed over and fished it out.

“Now wait just a darned second! We can’t just ignore this here letter!” She protested. Logic shook her head.

“Of course we can. It is clearly a trap and I will not go willingly to it.” Logic retorted.

“But Logic darling, we could find out more about the other fragments. Maybe this stranger will give us the number of fragments or where they are.” Rarity tried to convince Logic. Logic would not budge.

“That is a naïve notion.” She replied.

“I-I agree with Logic. It’d be crazy to go into the Everfree forest, not to mention s-scary.” Fluttershy interjected. Rainbow Dash glared icily at Fluttershy, who shrunk away.

“Why so scared Logic? There’s six of us and we’re the Elements of Harmony! Nopony’s gonna mess with us!” Rainbow Dash boasted, making punching motions again. Logic reasoned that the others would not budge.

“Fine, fine. I can see I am in the minority here. We will go, but we must be on guard the entire time! Our stranger has the advantage of terrain and secrecy so it will be difficult to plan ahead.” Logic stated. The others agreed. Finally Logic glared at Applejack. “If something goes wrong and we are either captured or killed: I blame you.”

Applejack chuckled. “Fair anuff.”

Soon they all went back to their individual homes to prepare. Logic was already home so she was quick to prepare and waited outside for the others, after telling off Spike about him coming with. He was too young for such an expedition and Logic knew this. Her only wonder, as Logic stared up at the sky, was why she had sounded so motherly as she talked to Spike. Logic sighed and shook it off, calmly waiting for the others to arrive.

~~~~

A small flower blossomed in the Everfree forest. It had found a crack in the tree line and basked in the sunlight that the crack brought. The flower’s pleasure was short-lived as it was crushed into the ground by a lavender hoof.

Anger shifted through the forest, her face radiating irritation and annoyance. She mumbled incoherent things to herself as she walked along, eventually coming to a small clearing. She spied a small pond near the center and walked over to it. After taking several sips of the liquid, however, her face turned to disgust.

“FUCK!” She yelled as spit out the pond water. “This tastes like SHIT! Dammit, just like the other ponds and rivers.” She brushed her tongue to get the taste off, to no avail. She spied some flowers to her right. She walked over and ate them, hoping to get the water’s taste out… the results were less that satisfactory.

“FUCK ME!! Why does everything in this forest taste like ass?! No matter where I go it all sucks!” She looked around at the quiet forest. “FUCK YOU FOREST! YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?! FUCK YOU!!!” She screamed as red magic pulsated out of her horn and obliterated the small clearing, disintegrating everything nearby and knocking over some trees. Anger stood in the epicenter of this destruction, her nostrils flaring as heavy breathing erupted from her clenched teeth. Suddenly she heard laughing.

“Ahahaha! My, my Anger. You don’t seem all too happy. But I suppose that’s normal… considering.” Anger looked around but saw no one.

“Who and where the hell are you?!” She snarled bitterly.

“Who am I?” The voice replied, clearly masking its real sound. “Well let’s see, in this forest there are trees, more trees, and that one squirrel by that one rock. If I had to guess I’m the ‘more trees’. Does that help?” The voice laughed.

“Come out here and face me you piece of shit cockbite!” Anger growled, not willing to play such games.

“Language my dear Anger. Can we please try to have a civilized and ca-… Well a civilized conversation anyway. And about facing you. I’d have to say no. I like my organs on the inside of my body, believe it or not.” The voice said this all rather matter-of-factly.

“If you going to be a cowardice piece of shit then fine! What the fuck do you want?” Anger said and waited for a response.

“Well of course I want to help you my dear Anger. I found the nicest of places for you to vent out all that bottled up aggression. It must hurt so much. To have to endure all of Twilight Sparkle’s anger, her hatred and her dislikes. If only she had been a meaner pony, let it all out when she could, maybe you wouldn’t be in this state. But if you just listen to me I promise I’ll help.” The voice sounded extremely motherly to Anger.

“GO. FUCK. YOURSELF! You think you know me?! You think you can boss me around! You’re just like that bitch Celestia! She never cared! Every time I tried to please her with hard work and dedication… nothing came of it! She’d just nod and give me that stupid smile! She never trusted me with important knowledge, like her plan involving Nightmare Moon! I was her toy, her publicity stunt. I was there to make HER look better, to make HER look more personable to Equestria. She can go and fuck herself silly! And you can FUCKING DIE!” Anger shot magic into the trees, but the voice continued.

“You poor thing. You don’t have to worry about me though. I wouldn’t expect you to get nothing out of this little endeavor. In fact, here’s a sample taste… does the name Trixie ring a bell?” The voice smiled to itself.

Anger’s eyes widened. “You… You know were that bitch is?!” Memories flooded to her about Trixie: her arrogance, her mockery, and her making Twilight’s friends look like fools. “Where. Is. SHE?!” Her expression was pure rage.

“Ah, Ah, Ah. First you do me my favor and vent in the place of my choice. Then I will tell you how to get out of the forest and where Trixie is; then you can find her, have a nice chat, get some coffee together, and then finally beat her face in… or whatever you were planning on doing.” The voice now awaited Anger’s response.

“Alright fine. Show me this place. But after I’m done YOU WILL TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!” Anger snarled. The voice laughed yet again.

“I wouldn’t dream of betraying you Anger. Just follow the glowing rocks.” Anger looked to her left to see a rock being to glow with a yellow aura. She walked up to it and suddenly another began to glow. She soon followed this magic path deeper into the forest.

~~~~

Logic and the Elements of Harmony stared at the hulking ruin. It was clear this greyed out structure had long since been abandoned and trying to ascertain its original shape was impossible: it now looked like a smashed cake with windows. Logic looked over to Applejack, feeling like a smartass.

“Well, this structure most certainly does not scream trap, wouldn’t you agree Applejack?” Applejack threw Logic a glare and began to walk inside. Logic rolled her eyes and proceeded in. Soon they all began to make their way in; expect for Fluttershy, who was backing away slowly, but was scooped up by Pinkie Pie and brought inside.

It was dark, damp, and musky. Logic looked behind them to see Rarity trying to make her way through without touching most of the floor. Logic half closed her eyes in a look of disappointment and then charged a spell. Rarity gasped in shock as a green aura surrounded her hooves, protecting her from the filth. She looked over to see Logic staring at her, the mares’ horn glowing. Rarity blushed and mouthed a thank you to Logic, who returned it with a nod.

Soon they reached an equally dark main chamber. Logic looked around and noticed an oddity: the place was in ruins. Normally this wouldn’t disturb Logic, of course it was in ruins: it is a ruin after all. But the destruction Logic saw was fresh, intended, and certainly caused by a pony, a mare, if Logic was any judge.

“Ah don’t get it. Th’ letter said somepony would meet us here.” Applejack worriedly stated. Logic was about to whistle out trap but Applejack’s glare stopped her. Suddenly torches began to light up, breaking the darkness of the room to an extent and confusing the six mares even more.

“Welcome! Welcome! It’s about time you got here! I’ve been waiting forever! I almost thought you weren’t coming!” A voice boomed from what seemed like every direction.

“Yes well, sorry darling but your directions were rather… vague. That and we had to pack accordingly.” Rarity stated, pointing to their saddlebags.

“You come late and then insult my work? How dastardly! It’s like you’ve taken my heart and smashed into tiny little pieces. Then spit on it. And that spit was likely diseased with something that’ll give someone… I don’t know, salmonella? I hope you’re happy… cause you’ve killed me.” The voice feinted crying.

“Enough games! Who are you?!” Logic shouted. The voice was taken aback.

“Really Logic? You’ve no clue who I am? And here I thought you’d have figured it out by now. How disappointing. No matter though.” Instantly the group could hear hoof steps, and on a high ledge directly in front of them a mare stepped out. She had lavender fur and a cutie mark that was a six-pointed star surrounded by several others. Her eyes and cutie mark were the same color: a bright yellow.

“Creativity!” Logic shouted at the top of her lungs. Creativity laughed.

“Ahahaha! Very nicely done Logic. Clappity, clap clap!” Creativity looked at her hooves as she clapped, instead hearing a clopping noise. “Or wait… is it cloppity, clop clop? ...Nevermind, that’s not important.” She looked at Logic. “So dear sister… how you doing?” Logic’s glared evilly at her ‘sister’.

“So yer the one that called us here?” Applejack questioned. “Why is that? Do ya want t’ help us find th’ other fragments and bring Twi back?” The fragment laughed.

“Well Applejack, if you must know, you and I do have the same goal. Well the same goal minus one teeny-weeny little detail. You see, in my version of the plan, Twilight gets put back together except…” Creativity grinned malevolently. “In my version I overpower her will and get control of her body, thus becoming a real boy! Wait… that last part’s not right.” Creativity pondered her plan while the others gasped.

“Hey you can’t do that! That is mean and not Okie-Dokie-Loki!” Pinkie Pie objected.

“I’m sorry did you say something?” Creativity asked, popping out of her thoughts. “I don’t see what the big deal is and besides, it’s not like you six are objecting to my plan. You are gathering the other fragments for me.” Creativity laughed. They glared angrily at the fragment.

“I don’t understand. Our darling Twilight was never this malicious! Why in the world are you like this? I’ve never seen creativity as an evil emotion.” Rarity stated.

“By itself, it is not.” Logic stated. “But to be creative, truly creative, a creature must have ambition. It is ambition that drives us to think of ideas; it is ambition that drives to the completion of those ideas. It looks like my dear ‘sister’ has taken to ambition quite well and no longer wishes simple freedom.”

“You should be a detective sis.” Creativity chuckled. “Your deduction skills are superb! Sadly it will not help you.”

Applejack interjected. “Ah’m confused. Why would ya up and show yerself to us? Wouldn’t be a might easier to stay hidden till the right time t’ strike?” Creativity again laughed and clapped.

“Very good! I wondered if anyone was going to bring that up. You see Applejack; I have shown myself for but one reason! There is no point in hiding!” All but Logic looked at Creativity with confusion. “Yes that’s right! There’s no point in hiding, one way or the other our paths would have crossed. I am simply getting it out of the way. Why wait?” The smile on Creativity’s muzzle widened slightly, until Rainbow Dash started to burst out laughing.

“Wow! And I thought Stupidity was well… stupid! But you? You've given us the perfect chance to catch you and stop you here and know! Now that’s pretty stupid.” She continued to chuckle.

“Oh but Rainbow Dash you can’t capture me. My new friends wouldn’t like that one bit.” Creativity whistled.

“Y-your new friends?” Rainbow asked as she looked around to see Timberwolves appear from all directions at the clap of Creativity's hooves, there had to be at least 15 of them. Rainbow Dash instinctively flew into the air to prepare an aerial attack while the other five huddled into a circle facing the Timberwolves (well Fluttershy was cowering more than facing).

“Haha! Have fun dealing with that. Remember Logic: I need you to be alive so we can fix Twilight so please try not to die.” Creativity turned and began to walk away. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to make popcorn so I’ll have something to chew on while I watch the…” A green flash lit up the structure and then dissipated. Creativity turned to see all of the Timberwolves had been destroyed by Logic; they were now only piles of smoldering ash.

“I am done playing games Creativity!” Logic shouted.

“Well I have to say I didn’t expect that one. Geez Logic you need to calm down… WHOA GEEZ!” Creativity ducked as a magical bolt shot past her head. Logic’s horn flared with magic as she was about to take another shot. “Whoa! Whoa! Careful now Logic. This structure has become rather unstable as of late, I’ve no idea why.” Creativity chuckled at this and put her hoof to the wall. “The tiniest disturbance could set off a chain reaction that brings the whole place down.” Her smile became sadistic.

Logic’s eyes widened. “You would not dare to.”

“Well Logic to be creative, sometimes you have to take RISKS!” Creativity pushed hard on the weakened wall and a huge crack began to form as it wormed its way up the ceiling. Rainbow Dash looked up to see rubble falling towards them. She quickly dodged the first and second boulders, but a third rammed her and push her to the ground, breaking her left wing in the process.

“Oh come on!” Rainbow exclaimed through the pain. “Why is always my wings that are getting broken!”
Logic looked from the collapsing ceiling to Creativity on her ledge. Logic began shooting out magical bolts at the fragment. Creativity saw them coming and dodge each one, only to have them hit the ceiling above her and cause it to collapse. She jumped back and was barricaded from the main chamber. Though depressed at this, the collapsing building convinced her to get over it and run to safety.

Back in the main chamber rocks were falling each and every way, threatening to crush those still inside. Logic knew they needed to act fast or be crushed.

“Applejack, get Rainbow Dash on your back and carry her! Rarity, use your magic to halt rubble in midair and toss them aside. Fluttershy and Pinkamena, try not to be crushed.”

They all did as they were told. Pinkie Pie picked up Fluttershy and began to effortlessly dodge the failing rubble, Pinkie’s tail flailing about constantly. Rarity used her precise magic to catch rocks in the air and send them harmlessly into the wall. Applejack dodged several rocks before getting to Rainbow Dash and hoisting her onto her back, she then chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Oh it’s nothing really.” Applejack explained. “Ah was just thinkin’ how this is a big change from how you usually are with other mares. You’re usually on the bottom right?” She smirked mischievously. Rainbow glared daggers at her, clearly not amused.

The group made their way to the door, swerving this way and that to avoid being pancaked. When they reached the entrance it was, to their dismay, blocked by fallen rubble. Logic processed possible plans before choosing one; she turned to Rarity.

“Rarity, come here.” Logic screamed over the falling rubble. Rarity swerved slightly and reached Logic.

“What is it?” She asked. Logic thought of how to phrase it.

“Nuzzle me.” Logic finally said. Rarity was taken aback.

“Nuzzle you?! Darling this is hardly the time for such things.” She exclaimed, though it did not hide the blush on her cheeks.

“I am quite proficient at siphoning off magic from other sources, but those sources need to be touching me. Combined with your own magic I can break through the rubble. Get it?” Rarity nodded as Logic finished his explanation. She hesitantly began to nuzzle Logic, causing the others to blush furiously. A green aura surrounded Logic’s horn. Soon enough a bluish aura joined the green one around Logic’s horn. With enough energy stored, Logic let out a powerful green and blue blast that cleared the rubble completely. Logic then jumped into the entrance and created a green shield that deflected the incoming rubble.

“Come on lets move!” She shouted out.

All of the ponies, except Rarity, rushed through the cleared entrance. ‘I didn’t know Twilight’s fur was so… soft, or that her mane smelled so good’ was the thought racing through Rarity’s head. Logic saw her dazed and yelled out to her, snapping her out of it. She then made her way past Logic to safety. Logic took one last look at where Creativity had been and then pushed the shield forwards. She immediately looked at the floor and shot a magical blast that propelled her out of the ruin before it finally collapsed.

Logic and the others all fell onto the ground after running to absolute safety from the collapse. They could not help but pant heavily. Logic turned to Applejack and got her attention.

“Next time we get a strange letter telling us to go somewhere... WE DO NOT LISTEN TO IT!” Logic went back to panting heavily.

“Don’t ya’ll worry.” Applejack panted. “Ah am never listenin’ t’ strange mail. If ah do, any one of ya have my permission t’ buck me up side th’ head.”

~~~~

Creativity calmly walked through what remained of an escape tunnel. She began to ponder to herself out loud. “Hmmm… Am I sadistic? I mean I did such try to bury them alive by collapsing a building on them… is that sadistic?”

Creativity pondered some more. “No, no, no of course it isn’t! Now if I had shot out their kneecaps with my magic and then collapsed the building… that would be sadistic. Yes it’s official: I’m fine. I’m not sadistic, no, no, no. I’m perfectly normal in that regard.”

She smiled to herself as she pushed open the tunnel door and sunlight flooded into the small hole.

“Nope, not sadistic at all.” She said to herself as she left the tunnel.

~~~~

On a small hill overlooking the Everfree forest the fragment Anger looked at the sun as it set. Using Creativity’s direction, despite them being vague, she had just about found her way out of the forest. A smile plagued her lips. Creativity had been right: beating the crap out of that old building was quite relaxing and it did release a lot of bottled up anger. With that out of the way she could now focus that anger towards those who wronged Twilight.

“Oh yes, just you wait Trixie.” She remarked sadistically. “When I’m done with you you’ll be nothing but an empty shell of your once ‘great and powerful’ self. After I’ve broken you then, maybe, I'll let you die.” She laughed sadistically as she imagined that arrogant mare getting what she deserved. Anger once again shifted her eyes to the sun.

“And after that… you’ll get yours you ungrateful, uncaring, ignorant bitch of a leader. I swear it.”

Anger began to make her way down the hill.

Creativity's First Day in Canterlot

A copy of one of the many magic books contained in the Ponyville library floated down to its current owner. Swiftly looking through the book Logic confirmed it as the one she was seeking and went to sit on the nearby couch. Carefully studying its contents Logic looked as if she didn’t know of the rest of the world existed. Unfortunately for Spike, she did know, and she caught him staring at her with a depressed look.

“Is something wrong Spike? You seem distressed. More distressed than usual I might add.” Logic cocked an eyebrow at the dragon.

“What? Oh, sorry Logic I was just thinking about… well about that fragment you guys found: Creativity.” The dragon spoke cautiously, unaware if this was a touchy subject.

“I see. What about her? She has proven herself our enemy and we must stop her from completing her plans. Were she not so reckless she would already be captured.” Logic replied, showing no inclination towards hatred for Creativity.

“Well it’s just…” Spike thought about how to phrase it. “Why is she so evil? I mean she tried to kill you and the others, something Twilight would never do.”

“Well the Twilight in this universe anyway.” Logic muttered to herself.

“What?” Spike asked, clearly having heard Logic’s comment.

“Nothing. As to your question Spike I believe Creativity is not evil, just uncaring.” Logic explained.

“Uncaring? I think trying to kill her best friends and planning to steal the real Twilight’s body is pretty evil!” Spike retorted.

“Her actions may seem malevolent, but she herself is neutral. If being nice and kind was the only way to obtain her goal she would play that part. Sadly it is not and she now stands against us.” Logic sighed; Creativity’s scheme had certainly thrown a wrench in Logic’s own plan.

“I still don’t really get it.” Spike shrugged.

Logic inhaled deeply and sighed. “Understandable. Trying to make sense of a creature like Creativity is difficult but I will try to explain the best I can.” Logic looked out the window towards some nearby clouds. “The one main thing you must know about Creativity is that she will find a way to her goals… and may fate be kind to the unprepared who get in her way…”

~~~~

Creativity walked causally down the streets of Canterlot. The sun shined brightly over the capitol of Equestria and its high-class, well-dressed occupants. As for Creativity, she dressed simple, wearing a bright blue dress with yellow frills on the neck, shoulders, and bottom opening. She had ‘acquired’ this clothing from a tailor shop the night before and she believed the yellow frills were an excellent match for her eyes (not only that but it helped her to blend in, nude ponies being in the minority in Canterlot).

She past by many ponies, greeting those who didn’t believe themselves too high-class to say hi to one so simply dressed, and gazed in wonder at the shops and all the other wondrous things the nation’s capitol had to offer. It amazes me that Twilight never came here when she lived in Canterlot, Creativity thought, how could she disregard all this wonder as foolish and unneeded? Her eyes then set upon a group of young foals playing. One unicorn filly had a doll she carried around with her magic, laughing with the others. Her fun was cut short when two of the group’s colts used their own magic to tear the doll away from her. She began crying and uselessly ran after them, screaming at them to return her doll. The foals laughed cruelly at her attempts before they were surrounded by a yellow aura. They were soon face to face with Creativity, whose angry glare frightened them.

“Now is that any way to treat a young lady?” Creativity stated coldly. The colts shook their needs no. “Good to see you noticed, now give the doll back to her.” The doll levitated back to the filly’s grasp, Creativity looked down to her. “Never let anyone stand in your way of your happiness, ever. And if someone thinks they can put you down,” She snickered as she turned to the two colts. “Think of a creative way to defeat them!” She yelled as she tossed the two colts into a nearby fountain. The water broke their fall and ensured they landed safety, but they ran off as soon as they got out of the fountain to avoid the other children’s laughter.

The young filly turned to Creativity. “Thank you so much miss.”

Creativity smiled. “Think nothing of it! The end justifies the means my dear girl, never forget that!” Creativity walked off, leaving the filly in thought. I’ve probably just created the next iron-willed dictator of a neighboring country, Creativity predicted.

Passing by all the shops soon brought a concern to Creativity’s mind: she had no money in which to purchase goods like food. She would need money to survive and it would hurt her plans and secrecy if she continued to ‘acquire’ things like she had her dress. Creativity had been walking a good five minutes, pondering different ways that she could obtain the money she desperately needed, when she saw a figure in a nearby alleyway, but she thought nothing of it. Suddenly a stallion hopped forth and held a knife, taped to his hoof, up to Creativity’s neck and slowly backed her into the alleyway.

“Give me all your money bitch, I’ve got places to be and I don’t wanna be held up.” He threatened, moving the knife closer to his captive’s neck.

“You’re not from around here are you?” Creativity questioned, rather calmly for one being mugged.

“Hehe yeah, how’d ja know?” The assailant replied.

“You see I can tell you’re just a self servicing cesspool of filth who cares only for himself and how to satisfy his base needs and doesn’t care who he hurts to achieve those needs. I then noticed you’re not wearing any clothes once so ever so that means you can’t possibly be from Canterlot.” Creativity smugly stated. “As for money? Sorry good sir I am dead broke, so broke in fact that I’ve decided to come up with a new word to explain that brokenness. I haven’t thought of anything clever enough yet so do you have any ideas, I’m always open to new things.” She smirked. The mugger became distraught.

“What?! No money at all!” He quickly looked at Creativity’s dress and tugged at it. “Well I suppose this will get me something at least.” He then looked down all of Creativity’s body: it’s smooth curves, soft fur and almost perfectly rounded rump, no longer hidden by the dress as he held it up. “Not only that but there are… other ways for you to pay me.” He chuckled and gave a sadistic smirk.

“I see… Well,” Creativity replied. “Before you eviscerate my marehood with your…” She looked down and her eyes noticeably widen. “Hmmm… Surprisingly large stallion cock, I have an inquiry.”

The stallion blinked at her and laughed, knowing that she could never use a spell fast enough to stop him from slitting her throat. “Alright sure, I’ll humor you. What’s the question?”

Creativity’s grin became wider. “Do they accept organ donations here in Equestria?”

~~~~

“And here’s the last of it Miss Ebony Spring.” The nurse at Canterlot’s Luna Memorial Hospital said as she pasted the last couple bits over to Creativity.

“Thank you very much!” Creativity smiled. “I’d no idea that organ donation was such a profitable market.” The nurse frowned at this remark.

“Yes well we always need more organs to help with operations here. But ummm… if you don’t mind keeping that to yourself please? The last thing we want are ponies removing organs for a quick bit.” She asked quietly.

Creativity chuckled. “Oh but of course! Such a secret is save with me. To tell you the truth I wish I wasn’t here, but my brother said if he died that he wanted his organs donated to help others.” Creativity feinted sadness.

“I’m so sorry for your loss Miss Spring.” The nurse replied, trying to comfort the ‘poor’ mare in front of her.

“Oh it’s quite alright. The dastardly fiend that committed the act is behind bars now and that is all I can hope for. Goodbye and have a nice day.” Creativity bowed her head a little and left the hospital, much richer than when she had arrived, when the sound of tiny fireworks filled the air.

“Come one, come all! Come and see the Great and Powerful Trixie perform for your entertainment!” The blue showmare announced as more fireworks sparked out as she leapt up onto her hind legs and spread her front legs upward. Creativity walked into the watching crowd, curious to see the pony she certainly doomed to a world of pain but a few days ago.

“Who among you thinks they can best Trixie, the most powerful unicorn of all time!” She boasted.

A yellow unicorn mare lifted up her hoof and volunteered. Trixie nodded at her and she came up on stage. Her horn lit up with magic as she shot forth a variety of colors and twisted them about, creating quite the impressive light show. The crowd oohed and aahed at the spectacle, Trixie was unfazed. After the mare completed her show Trixie laughed.

“Ha! Is that all you can do?! See now as the Great and Powerful Trixie amazes everypony here and surpasses you!” Trixie pulled up her hat to reveal her horn as magic charged up inside of it. Once fully charged Trixie let out a rainbow of dozens upon dozens of colors. She swerved them into different shapes and created a light show ten times better than the other mare’s. When Trixie had completed her show, however, she sent the colors raining down on the other mare, knocking her over and dying her mane and fur a variety of colors. The audience laughed at this turn of events and Trixie reveled in it. The victim of this treatment was less than elated at this and it appeared as though she might cry. How… nice to see the embarrassment back in Ponyville has not soiled her attitude, Creativity thought while she gritted her teeth.

Tears formed in the victim mare’s eye and she was about to let go all her embarrassment and sadness, until a hoof was placed on her shoulder. Her tears stopped as she looked up to see a purple mare in a simple blue dress smiling at her. The mare stooped her mouth next to the surprised one’s ear.

“No need to cry. I’ll take it from here.” The purple mare’s smile continued as she helped the other one up off the floor and sent her on her way. When the rainbow mare got to the bottom the purple stranger called to her. “I’d stick around if I were you. You may find yourself amusingly surprised and avenged.”

Trixie noticed the dressed mare on stage. “And who are you supposed to be?” Trixie asked snobbishly.

Creativity laughed. “I am the Modest and Average Ebony Spring!” She shouted, throwing her hooves into the air just as Trixie did.

The crowd laughed at this blatant mockery of Trixie’s own style of speaking, a fact Trixie’s ego could not stand. Trixie’ll wipe the floor with this ignorant fool and Trixie will relish in her defeat! Trixie laughed as these thoughts filled her head.

“Alright, show Trixie and the crowd what you’ve got.” Trixie snickered, already planning a worthy humiliation for this mare.

“Ok. If you insist.” Creativity said. She looked around and saw some juggling balls lying in Trixie’s wagon. Using her magic she grabbed the balls and began juggling. It was nothing impressive, just simple juggling that any unicorn with basic concentration skills could do. The crowd laughed at this simple routine, which definitely lived up to Creativity’s stage name. When ‘Ebony’ finished she gracefully bowed.

“HA! That was it?! That was all you could muster to challenge Trixie?!” She laughed. “Let the Great and Powerful Trixie show you real juggling!” Trixie picked up several large objects from her wagon and began to juggle them effortlessly above her head in intricate patterns, wowing the crowds watching from below. Creativity watched this act for a few seconds, waiting for the right moment. Soon Trixie attempted to create a fountain out of the floating objects and she brought them hovering some feet above her to begin. Creativity took her chance and using her magic she pulled Trixie’s showmare hat over her horn and eyes, making her lose her concentration. Trixie pulled her hat off just in time to look up and see the objects where mere centimeters away from her.

The crowd was on the ground laughing, especially the rainbow mare. Trixie had been completely covered in fallen objects as one by one they fell on her. Trixie tried to dig herself out but it was to no avail, she was able to poke her head out however to look around. To her surprise the pony who had shown her up was nowhere to be seen. Trixie looked at the still laughing crowd and she took on an annoyed look, puffing some hair out of her face.

Creativity snickered to herself. It was quite fun showing up that boastful twit of a mare Trixie and it elated the fragment’s mood tenfold. Her face became serious, as she knew it was time to stop playing around and get something done, so she trotted off towards the royal palace. As she approached the main gate Creativity frowned. Two very large Pegasus stallions, wearing the traditional golden royal guard armor, stood between the outside city and the palace. Creativity pondered how she would be able to sneak through them without being noticed. The thought dawned on her: just walk right through! While she couldn’t impersonate Twilight and casually stroll through, thus alerting the Princess to her arrival, she could have the guards removed. Creativity trotted off to set her plan in motion. Creativity went behind a stallion, who was busy browsing a nearby shop, and stealthily nabbed his coin pouch. She then proceeded to walk over to yet another stallion siting on a bench.

“Excuse me sir, but it’s my first time in Canterlot and I’ve lost my way. Do you by any chance know how to get to the Pegasus Perch Hotel from here?” Creativity asked as she batted her eyelashes and tried to sound as innocent as possible.

“Why yes I do know!” The stallion smiled. “You just turn down the main road here, make a left turn once you make it to the second intersection, and it should be on your left after… oh, three blocks down.”

“Thank you so much! It’s been so hard trying to find my way around since arriving here; I’m bad with directions you see. Here’s a little something for your troubles, go on take it, I won’t take no for an answer you deserve it.” She handed him the stolen coin pouch and trotted off. The stallion looked at the coin pouch and smiled, what a nice mare, he thought. His thoughts were cut short when the pouch’s real owner spotted him holding the bag and he rushed over, shouting at the sitting stallion. The two argued a bit over the pouch’s ownership until the real owner finally threw a punch at the unsuspecting stallion. The hit stallion recomposed himself and angrily jumped onto his attacker and the two rolled around fighting.

Creativity rushed over to the palace guards with a terrified face. “Help! Two stallions are fighting in the courtyard over there! I-I think one of them might kill the other if they aren’t stopped! You have to help, please!” Creativity begged.

The two guards looked at each other. “Step aside ma’am, we’ll handle this.” And with that they rushed off to stop the fighting. Creativity simply grinned as she walked into the palace grounds undisturbed.

The palace gardens were just as magnificent in person as they had been in Twilight’s memories. Creativity pleasantly strolled through them, enjoying the sights as she trotted about. Her pleasant stroll was cut short, she started to notice this little trend, when she noticed a patrol of guards coming towards her. If that wasn’t bad enough, behind them walked Princess Celestia and her Guard Captain Shining Armor. Creativity trotted in place trying to think: she couldn’t go back the way she came because that was the way they were going and there was no effective place to hide in her current location. Creativity nervously looked about, positive that she could not impersonate Twilight well enough to fool the Princess or Twilight’s brother. As the group got even closer Creativity looked up and saw the palaces high walls and an idea popped into her head. She ran back the way she came to be less visible and teleported to the high walls. When she was safely on top of the wall she looked down and watched as the group passed. She let out a relieved sigh and proceeded to walk along the walls, determining that this was a safer route for now. Before she reached the first wall tower however she jumped as a voice came from behind.

“Hey! You by the tower! Wait just a second!”

Creativity didn’t hesitate as she spun around and shot magic from her horn, impaling the unfortunate guard patrolling the wall in the chest, lifting him over the side of the wall and holding him there. Instead of dropping him to his death as Creativity had planned however, she looked at the dangling royal guard in front of her. Unlike most guards, whose faces would be stone cold and unregretful that they had died in service to their princess, this guard was terrified and had tears streaming down his face. Creativity assumed that this guard was a new recruit, fresh meat that didn’t have the unshakable loyalty of a seasoned veteran. Creativity smiled, this could come in handy.

“I can see you don’t want to die.” She yelled over to the recruit. “That’s good because I don’t want to kill you. So here’s an idea, and please do try to be open-minded about this: you revoke all your loyalties to Celestia and Equestria and instead pledge yourself to me! I assure you serving me will have many benefits, join in the next five minutes and I can guarantee you won’t fall to your untimely and painful demise. So how about it?” Creativity smiled, knowing this was a win-win for her no matter what.

The guard looked about, first at Creativity, then down to the fall that would spell his death. Fear and a want of survival made the guard nervously nod a yes, prompting Creativity to pull him to safety. Dropping him on the floor she preceded to envelope the guard in a yellow aura, which sealed the gaping hole in his chest and created an intricate pattern around his neck. The guard’s frantic breathing steadied and he shakily sat up, turning his gaze to Creativity.

“Well, now that you’re not bleeding out it’s time for introductions! I am Creativity, a fragment of the psyche of Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic and Princess Celestia’s personal student, that was blown into consciousness by an experiment gone haywire. In public however you will refer to me as Ebony Spring, for obvious reasons. So, who are you my new assistant?” Creativity gave a reassuring smile to the still shaking guard, who found it oddly comforting.

“I-I’m Steadfast, one of Princess Celestia’s newest royal guards. T-thank you for not killing me…” He stumbled a bit, still afraid of the mare in front of him.

“Well I do need help in order for my plan to come to fruition so I thought, why the hell not?” Creativity laughed.

“Your-your plan?” Steadfast asked.

“Yes! You see I plan on having my dear sister fragment Logic gather up all the other fragments for me. Then I’ll defeat her and take over Twilight’s body when they try to repair her, it’ll be so fun.” Creativity began to daydream about her victory; Steadfast on the other hand was even more confused.

“You told me that rather quickly.” He questioned.

Creativity looked at him with half closed eyes. “Yeah, so?”

Steadfast shook his head. “It’s just I’m wondering why. You don’t know me and I work for the Princess, who will certainly not allow you to complete that plan of yours.”

“A good point.” Creativity laughed. “But you see: you don’t work for the Princess you work for me, that was our agreement with letting you live. That brings me to my second piece of business.” She pulled out a mirror from her dress (she had actually bought this item legitimately) and showed it to Steadfast, who gasped as he saw the magic inscription on his neck. “I have placed a runic pattern on your neck and the moment I desire to activate it… well, your head will be about ten miles away from your body. Understand?” Creativity smiled. Steadfast wanted to cry but was cut off by his new master. “Well now that we have the birds and the bees of our relationship settled, how about you show me to the palace maid’s dressing room? I’ll need to look the part if I’m to act like one.”

Steadfast blinked at her. “Did you have to describe our relationship like that?”

Creativity laughed. “Oh I can tell this is gonna be fun.”

~~~~

Steadfast guided Creativity through the many twists and turns of the Canterlot palace, sweat dripping down his coat like a waterfall. If they were caught he could get court-marshaled for this. Even if he didn’t, Creativity might blow his head in the fighting to cover her escape or for a final last stand. Needless to say, this poor recruit had staved off multiple heart attacks by sear will alone.

Creativity, for her part in this silent walk, looked around at the decorations scattered everywhere in a tasteful fashion. She already knew most of where she was going, but was not afraid to admit she had no clue about more populated parts of the palace. Regardless, it seemed that all was going well, until a stallion turned the corner right in front of them. Steadfast had to grind the floor with his hooves to ensure he did not hit the stallion (Creativity was not as fortunate, ramming into Steadfast’s backside).

“Whoa there private! Lets not have an intersection collision shall we?” The stallion proposed.

Creativity pulled herself out of Steadfast’s rump and looked up at the one blocking their route. The stallion was tan and had a dark shade of brown for his mane and tail, both of which where very unkempt. He was thin and tall, very tall actually. He had to be able to look Princess Luna in the eye. His hooves bore armored boots of silver and his left shoulder blade carried an armor plate of the same color, other than that he work no other armor like most guards did. Creativity tried to get a look at his cutie mark, but there was none she could see. Steadfast response broke her from her inspection.

“S-s-sorry General Duncan, I-I was just showing this new maid to the d-dressing room… Sir.” Steadfast stated; his heartbeat was so quick it could perform its own sonic rainboom if it tried.

The General blinked for a few seconds and then laughed. “I see. Well private Steadfast I have to say it is refreshing to see you kindly showing this young mare to the maid’s quarters. Such manners… are you sure you’re a royal guard? You must have had them before because we all know it’s not Shining’s influence.” He chuckled after he finished his sentenced and looked at Creativity. “Hello there miss. Head General of the Equestrian Army Quickstep at your service.” He bowed respectfully to Creativity.

“Quickstep?” Creativity asked.

“Tis’ the name given to me young lass. Duncan is a hard earned nickname you see.” Duncan said while rising from his bow.

“Oh, I see. Well it was nice to meet you general sir but we must be off. I have to start work soon.” Creativity lied, trying to move this conversation along.

“Oh of course, of course.” Duncan smiled. “I be on my way then.” He walked past them and began to trot off, but stopped and turned to Steadfast. “Oh and Private? Please give my regards to Guard-Captain Armor when you see him alright?”

“With all due respect sir, I’d rather not get hit upside the head today.” Steadfast replied grimly.

Duncan stared at him with a blank expression and then burst out laughing. “Ha-ha! True, true Private. We wouldn’t want you hurt would we?” Duncan continued his walk down the hallway.

Steadfast turned to Creativity. “C’mon, lets go.” The two then continued down their route. Creativity was occupied by a new piece of knowledge that not even Twilight had ever known. Equestria has an army? She thought.

Duncan watched the two turn the corner and began to process his own new data. Hmmm… The recruit was nervous, poorly attempting to hide his heavy breathing, tried not to look at the maid, and was clearly frightened of meeting any other living thing. He pondered some more. The new maid for her part was unbearably calm, unlike every other new servant that comes here. She was scooping out the guard strength of the area and looking for constant escape routes. That can only mean one thing. Duncan let out a heavy sigh. “That kid wants to bone her so bad it’s disturbing. I bet that new girl sees right through him and is just being cautious.” Duncan shook his head. “That or she’s an evil bitch with an intricate plan revolving around creator knows what and she’s employed that poor kid by threatening to kill him.” Duncan’s head stooped low and he kept on walking. “I really hope it’s the first one… I don’t really feel like dealing with a disaster this week.”

~~~~

Creativity was finally about to pull her head through the frilly maid outfit’s head opening. Looking down at her new apparel Creativity had to admit: Not as provocative as I thought it would be. She turned to the blue dress currently occupying the floor and picked it up with her magic, she’d had grown to like it a lot and decided to keep it for further use. She placed the dress next to the rest of her belongings in her locker. Creativity snapped out of her packing trance when she heard snickering from behind. She turned to see two upper-middle class mares trying to conceal laughter, rather poorly. When the two saw they had been discovered they decided to have their opinions heard.

“Nice dress newbie, where’d you get it?” The one on the left snickered.

“My guess is the garbage behind a bed sheet factory.” The right one chuckled.

Creativity leered at the two idiots in front of her. Instead of lashing out at them, however, she chuckled lightly and prepared her response. “Nice faces girls. I can tell you two take after your fathers real well.”

The maids gasped at this insult and stuck their snouts in the air, walking off. Creativity rolled her eyes and, completing her apparel requirements, walked out to meet Steadfast at the entrance to the non-commuting servant's quarters.

“Idiots.” Creativity exclaimed. “If I go bat-shit crazy one day and decide to kill everyone… they’ll be the first to go.”

Steadfast shook off this disturbing statement and began walking with his master. “So now what?” Creativity shot a look at him.

“Now? Now we sit back and go about our daily lives while Logic collects the other fragments. Between then and now however we will gather information. Steadfast, I want you to relay anything you hear about the guards to me, understood?” Steadfast nodded, not questioning whether Creativity could tell if he told somepony about her, he guessed the answer was yes.

The two stopped at a large door. “Good. Now is the time we separate. Be a good boy and act normal so no one thinks you’re crazy or a traitor. For my part I will not explode your head, fair deal?” Steadfast nodded again and the two left through the door.

Caught up in her plan as she was, Creativity was unable to notice the pony that had been watching them. She was just as oblivious when the pony disappeared into a lime green flash.

~~~~

Spike had finally finished cleaning the library. He had a lot to think about since he had finished his talk with Logic. Creativity still rubbed him the wrong way, wish Rarity would rub me any way, popped into his mind and he began basking in a daydream, one that was cut short by a lime green flash. Twilight Sparkle now stood in the library. Her lime green cutie mark matched her eyes, which were moving around the room every second. It was not hard to tell she was using all her willpower to stop herself from picking up the nearest object and closely examining it. Logic came down from the second floor after seeing the bright flash and looked at her sister.

“There you are Curiosity. Have you any news for me? Any fragments in Canterlot right now?” Curiosity nodded and walked up to Logic and whispered in her ear. “I see… so that is where she went. Anything else?” Curiosity shook her head this time. “Very well. How unfortunate. Regardless, here is your payment as usual, do enjoy it.” Logic pulled some books to the table next to them. Curiosity’s tongue lolled out of her mouth in a heavy nerdgasm as she lifted the books and headed towards her room in the basement. Spike watched in worry as she left.

“Is it really wise to keep another fragment in here? I know she’s helped a lot but…” He didn’t know how to phrase it.

“It is fine Spike. Curiosity and I are about as twin sister as you can get in our situation. Besides, she will remain quite loyal as long as I provide her with enough things to sate her curious nature. Do try to have a little trust. Her information has resulted in more than half of our fourteen captures so far.” Spike nodded, Logic was right. Curiosity was an extreme help and he should be glad they have her. Logic began up the stairs again before looking down at Spike. “Oh and clear a table for me please? Rainbow Dash is coming over for me to examine her wing so I will need a clear area.”

Spike saluted and got to work clearing an area out. He began to worry for Princess Celestia and Twilight’s brother Shining Armor. He didn’t have to hear what Curiosity had to say to know what was up. His worry slightly faded as he thought about Logic and Twilight’s other friends. Watch out Creativity, one day we’ll take you down and get Twilight back. Spike smiled confidently as he worked.

Everfree Rescue

“Well Lodge how is it?” Rainbow Dash asked as the fragment known as Logic studied her wing carefully.

“Everything looks in order. So yes, you may resume your regular activities.” Logic finally stated, wishing the mare would rest for one more day but knowing that was quite the impossibility.

"Wahoo!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she took off, still unaware she was in the library, and banged her head on the ceiling. Her first flight in days lasted five seconds.

“So Doctor Logic, how about now?” Spike snickered as Rainbow Dash drifted back down holding her head.

“Her wings appear to be undamaged. As for her newly acquired head injury? I have high doubts that it affected any higher brain functions, not that she has many to being with.” Logic replied coldly, causing Spike fall other laughing. Even Rainbow’s ice-cold glare couldn’t stop the dragon’s laughing fit.

The library door suddenly burst open revealing the other Elements as Applejack hastened to the front of the pack, a worried look plastered in every corner of her face. She hurriedly looked around the library, searching for something. When she was seemingly unable to find it she turned to the confused occupants.

“Have any of ya seen Applebloom anywhere? She went running off with her friends but didn’t come back for lunch like ah told her t’. She’s been missing since then!” Applejack’s worried look became worse as the three shook their heads no.

“Where did you see your younger sibling last Applejack? There are few places that they could go to and not be found.” Logic questioned, Applejack thought for a bit.

“Well, her friends showed up at nine this morning and asked iffin she was around, and she was, so ah got her for ‘em and they went off t’ play. Ah told her t’ come back for lunch at 11:30, but she didn't come back.” Applejack explained frantically.

“So she’s 30 minutes late, big deal. Why are you so worked up AJ, she probably just forgot while she’s off adventuring with her friends.” Rainbow Dash said as she shrugged, hopping off the table she had sat on while Logic examined her.

“No, no, no! Applebloom is always on time for things like this. She has never been late before and ah’m scared worse than a snowpony during Winter Wrap-Up!” Applejack lashed back at Rainbow Dash, still not convinced.

“Very well Applejack. Since it seems as if you will not let this go we will assist you in finding your sister. Besides, it has been a good twenty-four hours since we last saw any other fragments and we will need your head on straight when they do reappear.” Logic said as she picked up two bags.

“Really? Ya mean it? Oh thank ya Logic, ya got no idea what this means t’ me.” Applejack replied, relieved that she would not have to search alone.

“Think nothing of it.” Logic stated as she turned to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, if you could be so kind as to carry one of these bags? My back has become strained as of late and I believe it is because of constantly carrying these things.” Fluttershy nodded and one of the bags floated to her. She looked inside to see several fragment capture devices.

“W-why do we need these?” She asked. “We aren’t looking for a fragment.”

“True. But I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. We may just come across one of the others in our journey and if that happens we must take the opportunity to catch them.” Logic glanced at the worried Applejack, who seemed to be listening. “Unless of course it is between capturing them and saving Applebloom and her friends. Ensuring they return safely to Ponyville is our main objective.” Logic finally said. Applejack seemed to calm down and gave Logic a thankful smile, which Logic returned it with a respectful nod like she always did.

“Let’s go!” Applejack exclaimed as they all walked out of the library, Spike included after a glaring contest with Logic, in the search for Applebloom and the others. Please be safe little sis, Applejack said to herself, oh Applebloom where’d you run off to?

~~~~

~Two and a half hours ago~

The door to Ponyville’s medical center opened to allow three small fillies access to the outside world. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo walked outside with their heads hung low, depressed by yet another failure in their search for their cutie marks.

“Well I guess we’re not Cutie Mark Crusader Chiropractors.” Sweetie Belle gloomily stated as a stallion walked out of the hospital, it was rather clear he was having some trouble with his back.

“Well heck, that shouldn’t get us down girls.” Applebloom quickly said. “There’s still a lot more stuff t’ try out for our cutie marks!” The other two instantly perked up and they all nodded, running off to their next adventure.

They had arrived near town hall and saw that there was some paint cans on the side already open and ready for usage.

“Have we tried Cutie Mark Crusader Painters yet?” Scootaloo asked, scratching her head.

“Ah don’t know but there ain’t no harm in tryin’.” Applebloom encouraged. They all smiled and nodded to each other and each picked up a paintbrush and were about to start when...

“Hey girls, whatcha doing?” The three fillies turned to see who the voice was and, not to their surprise, there stood Twilight Sparkle smiling at them.

“Oh, hi Twilight. We’re just tryin’ t’ get our cutie marks like usual. We’re actually not sure if we already tried bein’ painters, but no harm in tryin’ right?” Applebloom smiled as she finished her explanation, Twilight smiled back.

“Oh of course! Nothing could go wrong with three little fillies trying to paint the side of a building alone. But why are you girls trying to be painters? It’s such a dangerous job!” Twilight replied, leaving the fillies confused.

“Um… dangerous? How is being a painter dangerous Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked, an unsure look on her face.

“You mean you don’t know! Tragedy!" Twilight replied with a gasp. "Well it’s simple: look at that ladder over there! You could easily fall and hurt yourself! Not to mention it’s been proven that long exposure to wet paint can cause serious health problems in ponies. And of course all that hard work out in the sun can give you heat exhaustion and kill you near instantly! You should try something much safer.” Twilight nodded all-knowingly as she spoke.

“Huh, Ah never thought of it like that, paintin’ is really dangerous. But if not paintin’ what do you think we should try next Twilight?” Applebloom questioned.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Adventurers!” Twilight exclaimed.

“We’ve already tried that.” Scootaloo sighed.

“You just haven’t tried hard enough! In fact I know of a great way to start. You see, there’s an old ruin in the Everfree forest that’s full of treasure! If you went and got it then you’d be rich, have your cutie marks, and you’d have earned the entire town’s respect!” Twilight explained.

“Rich!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Have our cutie marks!” Applebloom cheered.

“The respect of the town? Even Rainbow Dash?!” Scootaloo questioned.

“Especially Rainbow Dash! She’d love to hang out with a brave, heroic pony like you after that adventure! So here’s the map I found detailing where the treasure is. The path to it is almost completely clear of monsters and I’d go myself but I have so much to do!” Twilight explained as she handed Applebloom the map.

“Thanks so much Twilight!” Applebloom said as she grabbed hold of the map in her mouth.

“Think nothing of it. I’m always happy to help.” Twilight responded.

“Lets go girls!” Applebloom yelled with naïve enthusiasm as they all took off towards the Everfree forest. Applebloom stopped for a second and looked at Twilight. “Ummm… Twilight? Why are your eyes orange? Your cutie mark too?” She cocked an eyebrow.

Twilight looked surprised. “Ha-ha! Applebloom, my eyes and cutie mark have always been that color you silly filly.” She smiled.

“No they haven’t. They’re usually a purple color.” Applebloom protested.

“Applebloom I think I would know what the colors of my eyes and cutie mark have been for my whole life. Now run along and get your cutie mark.” Twilight made a shooing gesture with her hoof. Applebloom thought for a moment then shrugged, turning to catch up with her friends.

Deceit waved goodbye as the filly disappeared. She snickered at her well-placed lie and turned towards another way into the Everfree forest. Deceit had no clue of the cloaked figure, who had watched the whole ordeal, as she turned away down the street.

~~~~

Present Time

“Sorry Twilight I haven’t seen them anywhere.” Cherilee told Logic without thinking about it much.

“I see. Very well, thank you anyway.” Logic replied as she nodded and turned away.

“Of course, always a pleasure Twilight. Oh and by the way, I can’t wait for our late night session tomorrow!” She happily called to Logic, who stopped in her tracks wide-eyed when she noticed the change of pitch in the last part of the sentence.

“Ummm… yes, well, I am afraid I have to cancel because ummm… I have things to do, yes! Yes, many, many things…” Logic nervously replied as she tried to smile, to no avail. Eventually she gave up and ran off.

“Huh… That’s weird.” Cherliee responded. “Twilight always loves to help me grade the student’s work and organize the classroom.” Cherliee shrugged and went back inside the school building.

Logic met up with the others in the town center to relay their discoveries. When Logic saw the looks on all their faces she could tell they hadn’t found hide nor hair of the missing fillies. She got close enough to hear Applejack and Rarity yelling at the others.

“What do you mean you didn’t find them?! Oh my poor Sweetie Belle!” Rarity sobbed.

“They got t’ be somewhere! We just need t’ keep lookin’!” Applejack yelled.

Logic shook her head. “Enough you two. Falling apart and yelling is not going to help them find their way to us. We must think of where they could be.”

“I just so happen to know where they are. It isn’t a place very far.” Came from behind the group. They turned to see Zecora the zebra standing behind them, clad in the cloak she usually wore into Ponyville.

“Zecora? You know where Applebloom is?” Applejack asked as her mood elated.

The zebra nodded. “Yes, but I fear old warnings have gone unheeded, and if you do not act fast your missing fillies’ lives will soon be depleted.” Zecora’s voice was as somber as ever and this only made her sentence more unnerving to those listening. “ A map of Everfree was given to them by a Twilight Sparkle with eyes of an orange hue. The three fillies then hastened into the forest without further ado.”

Logic gritted her teeth. “It seems that Deceit has decided to play her tricks yet again, only this time the results may be more fatal.” Logic cringed at what might happen to the poor fillies, considering the Everfree forest’s dangers.

“No, no, no! We have t’ go in there and get Applebloom back! Oh how scared that poor lil’ filly must be right now.” Applejack shuttered.

“Not to mention my helpless Sweetie Belle! Oh this is truly the. Worst. Possible. Thing. Ever!” Rarity cried.

“Not to mention poor Scootaloo, I hope she’s alright.” Rainbow Dash said as she hung her head. She looked up to see the others present looking at her with confused expressions. “Oh c’mon, don’t give me that look! If I don’t worry about her nopony else is!”

“Enough! Let us move out and get to them before anything else does!” Logic interjected. The others nodded and sped off towards the forest. Logic stopped and turned towards Zecora. “Thank you for your assistance. We may just save them yet.”

“There is no need to thank me my logical fragment. Now go and save those fillies so nopony need lament.” Zecora replied. Logic nodded and sped up to catch the others.

~~~~

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had trotted through the Everfree forest with bravado and fearlessness. Following the map given to them by Twilight they had made good pace to where the treasure was suppose to be.

“I can’t wait to get this treasure! We’ll be the talk of the town! The three fillies who got their cutie marks by uncovering a grand treasure!” Scootaloo boasted, drifting into a daydream about a celebration in their honor.

“Yeah, everypony’s gonna be so proud of us! It’ll be so great!” Applebloom continued.

“Maybe.” Sweetie Belle replied with not much enthusiasm. The other two looked at her.

“What? Why are you thinking that Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked, confused by her friend’s sudden lack of certainty.

“Well it’s just… How do we know this treasure exists? I’ve never heard of it. Not only that but why would Twilight give us the map when the Everfree forest is always dangerous? There’s no permanently safe path in this forest and we’re just three little fillies. We should have thought this through more.” Sweetie Belle explained, the naïve enthusiasm of earlier finally wearing off of her.

“Oh c’mon Sweetie Belle, Twilight wouldn’t give us this if it weren’t safe. Ah’m sure it’s completely fine. Twilight’s yours and my sis’s best friend, she wouldn’t lie like that.” Applebloom said, trying to convince Sweetie Belle.

“I guess so…” Sweetie Belle remarked, clearly not convinced.

Suddenly a sound came from the bushes.

“Hello?” The three fillies asked all at once, no one answered.

The bushes rustled again and the fillies could not contain their fear as they saw a pair of large, baby blue eyes appear in the bush. The fillies screamed automatically and bolted away from the area as fast as their small hooves could carry them.

“Where… Where are we running to?” Sweetie Belle questioned, panting hard from the run.

“Ah don’t know, but do you really wanna stay near whatever was in that bush?” Applebloom replied. Sweetie Belle shook her head and the three continued to flee for their lives. They stopped once they came to an open clearing. Applebloom was the first to realize where they where.

“Hey! This is were the treasure’s supposed to be!” She excitingly gasped, out of breath.

“Hey yeah! Awesome we made it!” Scootaloo replied.

“So, ummm… girls? Where’s the treasure?” Sweetie Belle asked, putting a damper on the other two’s spirits. It was true. There was nothing else in the clearing except the fillies. Applebloom became distraught.

“Where… Where is it? Ah don’t understand. Twilight would never lie to us. Ah don’t under-…” Applebloom was cut off by a screech off in the distance. The three fillies screamed and ran to a nearby tree and huddled in a large opening at the base of the trunk.

“Applebloom? Scootaloo? I’m scared.” Sweetie Belle replied, as if were not common knowledge (On the plus side they hadn’t soiled themselves like I probably would have so bravery points for that). The other two simply nodded in unison.

~~~~

“Well this is just wonderful.” Rarity pouted sarcastically as she surveyed the collapsed bridge.

It was indeed an unfortunate turn of events that resulted in Logic, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash on one side and Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike on the other. Logic surveyed the rope used to hold the bridge in place. Cleanly sliced through, but carefully bound together to appear like the bridge was safe to travel over. A deceitful trick, Logic concluded. She got up and walked over to the others.

“A simple sidetrack, nothing more.” Logic stated. “It should only take us a couple of minutes to fly over everyone from the opposite side to our own.” Logic had thought of using her teleport spell to whisk their four companions over to the correct side but decided against it. Those unfamiliar and inexperienced with teleporting would be quite disoriented afterwards, delaying them further.

“What? No! We have t’ go now! Applebloom’s probably scared right outta her skin right now! Who knows what’s creepin’ in this here forest. We can’t delay!” Applejack trotted in place, silently screaming worry with her body language.

“Applejack it will take no more than a minute or two. Rainbow Dash will pick up Pinkamena and Spike, Fluttershy will carry Rarity an…” Logic was able to get out this much before being cut off.

“Fluttershy?! Logic no offense and all but Fluttershy is not the best at flying and ah don’t think she will be able to carry anypony across!” Applejack retorted.

Logic looked over to Fluttershy, who was staring at the chasm with great fear, and back to Applejack. Closing her eyes Logic began preparing a short speech about the benefits of positive peer pressure and how being encouraged by a large group of close friends can help tremendously. As Logic raised a hoof and opened her eyes to speak she noticed Applejack running deeper into the forest. She squinted angrily in Applejack’s direction and turned to Rainbow Dash.

“Follow her. Stay above the tree line so I can find you.” Rainbow Dash saluted Logic and flew off after Applejack. Logic turned to the others. “Try and find another way across this chasm. Even if we rescue the fillies in time it will be a good thing to have an already known escape route.” With that Logic turned again and ran off after Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Rarity sighed. “Come on, we’d better get moving if we want to find a way across this dreadful chasm.” The others nodded and they took off to the left, following the chasm’s winding mouth.

After almost half an hour of walking Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike were getting no where fast. Spike, still much younger than the rest, had hopped onto Fluttershy’s back to rest and had taken on look out duty. Fluttershy, the ever fearful, constantly questioned him about their surroundings.

“See anything?”

“No.”

“H-how about now?”

“No.”

“Wh-what was that?! I heard something!”

“Pinkie just stepped on a fallen branch.”

“Oh… ok. Huh? Did you see that?!”

“That’s Rarity flicking leaves from her mane.”

“Oh, I’m sorry… Oh no. What’s that?!”

“That’s a manticore charging at us.”

It took Spike a second to analyze what he just said and adjust. Looking over just in time to see the manticore pounce at Fluttershy, frozen in place by fear. Spike pulled back Fluttershy’s hair with a quick tug, causing a chain reaction that caused the pony to rear up and miss being sliced in three. Undaunted, the manticore back-pawed Fluttershy and sent her and her dragon passenger flying. Pinkie tried to help by distracting the large beast but this proved futile, the creature flinging Pinkie right into Rarity. After sliding back a few feet and pushing Pinkie off of herself, Rarity turned to Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy are you alright?!” Rarity watched in relief as her yellow friend moved about. “Can you stop him? You know, like the other manticore we met before defeating Nightmare Moon?” Rarity prayed her friend’s prowess with animals would save the day.

“That manticore was angry because he had a splinter, this one wants to eat us for dinner!” Fluttershy squeaked. Rarity’s jaw dropped.

“You know… judging by the position of the sun it’s actually more like the snack-time between lunch and dinner.” Spike added aloud. He shrunk away at Rarity’s ice-cold glare.

The manticore, for his part, had decided to renew his assault on these weak little creatures he planned on feasting upon. He charged the closest two, Fluttershy and Spike, and brought his massive claw up for a final strike.

“F-Fluttershy! Move!” Spike demanded.

“I-I-I can’t. I’m too scared.” The pegasus replied.

Spike half closed his eyes in disappointment. “Well, we’re dead.”

The tiny dragon’s morbid prediction proved to be false as a silvery blast of energy hit the beast smack-dab in the face. Tumbling back, the creature’s roar was deafening. When he finally regained his composure he looked to the direction of the interruption. Before the creature stood to identical looking purple mares glaring back at him. The one on the right had eyes of brilliant silver, as well as a smile of unshakable bravery and courage. The other had baby blue eyes and a smile wider than any pony thought physically possible. The manticore had to process the scene before determining he was not seeing double and charge at them. The blue-eyed double laughed hysterically as she dodged the massive claw, hopping around as the perfect distraction for the angered beast. Finally it cornered her against a tree and prepared to strike, the smirk did not leave the blue-eyed double. Before a killing blow could be delivered the silver-eyed mare jumped onto the manticore’s back and charged magic in her horn. When she was fully charged she pointed her horn at the creature and fired, knocking the beast out cold. She rolled off as it fell to the ground and stood up victorious next to her identical twin. The pair studied their work a bit and then trotted to the flabbergasted mares and dragon.

“Hi! How you doing?” The blue-eyed one asked, smirking. Her sister rolled her eyes.

“Humor that’s no way to ask if someone’s ok after being attacked.” She gave Humor a sisterly scowl.

“What’re you talking about Courage? Hehe. I don’t see the difference when it comes to asking questions… you just ask ‘em.” Humor chuckled some more.

“So you’re the ones that have been following us.” Rarity suddenly injected, causing her three friends to cock their heads in surprise.

“Wait… you knew they were following us?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?!” Pinkie Pie looked peeved, a truly rare thing.

“Yes I did. Logic was kind enough to tell me she was able to sense something sentient was following us with her magic.” Rarity explained. "However she told me to keep it a secret for the moment.” At the mention of the word secret Pinkie’s complaints died down. Rarity turned to the fragments. “So, why are you following us?” She looked sternly at the two.

“Simple.” Courage replied. “Humor and I saw three fillies prancing about the forest. At first I commended them for their bravery seeing as this forest is so dangerous.” The fragments facial expression hardened. “But then our sister Deceit appeared and we overheard her speak of how she tricked the poor things into this mess. So we decided to go find them, well I decided to find them… Humor sort of laughed at the whole scenario.” Courage leaned closer to Rarity, who shuddered at the close contact of someone who reminded her of Logic. “The girl’s a bit sick in the head if you catch my drift. Laughs at everything, no matter what it is.” She whispered.

Rarity pulled her head away to look at Humor, who was already initiating contact with Pinkie Pie. “Then the other atom says ‘I think I lost an electron.’ So the other asks ‘Are you sure?’ to which the first replies ‘I’m positive.’” The two burst out into a laughing fit.

Rarity shook her head a bit and looked to Courage. “So you saw us entering the forest and decided to tag along behind us in case we needed help?” Courage nodded.

“In fact we know where the fillies are right now. We would have assisted them out of the forest but factoring in that someone who looks like mother lured them in here and that seeing two Twilights without proper explanation might break their little minds I advised against it.” Rarity commended the fragment’s forethought. As horrible as it was to think about Rarity was glad that a pony of high moral values and intelligence like Twilight had been the one to be fragmented like this. Her scholarly mind at least ensured that the fragments were not just mindless beasts following a specific doctrine.

“Alright.” She finally said. “Lets go. We have to find them as quickly as possible.” The others nodded and they set off.
Pinkie and Humor stayed close to together, exchanging jokes and laughing merrily. Spike had taken refuge from walking on Rarity’s back and he once again stood lookout. Courage walked at the head of the pack, leading the way. Fluttershy wormed her way from the back of the group to Courage’s side.

“T-That was really brave what you did. W-With the manticore I mean.” She stumbled over every other word. Courage smiled at her.

“Thank you! I pride myself at being brave and courageous! Not like I have much choice in that regard mind you.” The fragment laughed at her obvious mental handicap.

“I-I wish I was as brave as you are, and not some scared little filly who’s too frightened to save herself.” Fluttershy sighed at her obvious flaw.

Courage looked at her reassuringly. “Well what’s stopping you? Courage isn’t some magical spell you need to learn to activate. It’s something that’s always inside of you and all it takes to have is that first step.” She smiled at the yellow pegasus.

Fluttershy sighed again. “I wish it were that easy.”

~~~~

Far away from the Element’s rescue mission, Anger walked crudely across the ground. A vein popped in her head as she walked. She was trying her utmost best to ignore the mare behind her. Unable to stand it anymore she acted.

“FOR FUCK’S SAKE! DO YOU HAVE TO BREATH SO GODDAMN LOUD?!” She turned to her travel companion, looking at her with a look of pure rage.

“Really Anger there’s no need for language.” She stated. “You can still get your point across without vulgarity. Yeah you cunt-fucker, calm the hell down or else I’ll rip out your heart and feed it to you.” Anger’s companion coughed after that last part. “Sorry about that.No I’m not.”

Anger’s eyes rolled. “You know what? Fuck you Morality! The hell are you following me for?” She stared at Twilight’s morality fragment. It’s left eye was the purest of whites and it’s right was jet black. The large star of her cutie mark was white while the tinier ones were black. Morality stared back at her sister.

“Because I want to try and convince you off of this blind path of revenge and hatred. It will only end in your own pain. Also I want to set shit on fire!!!” Morality twitched a bit and looked at her sister with earnest eyes.

Anger just kept walking. “Good luck with that.” She pouted and cursed when she stepped in some swamp goop.

Lets just kill her, steal anything she has, and make for the nearest strip club; I’m feeling frisky. Morality sighed. Really? Must you too be so barbaric? What? I’ve never experienced the love of another… course that’s just cause our mom’s a prude. Morality sighed yet again, only to have her ears perk up as she heard something. “Anger…” She called.

Anger paid no heed. “I don’t care Morality. Whatever it is you can take it and shove it… up your… oh fuck me.”

Anger had to cock her head all the way back to see the heads of the hydra in front of her. The beast stared down at her; one of its mouths was stained with blood. Peering to the side and seeing a pegasus mare covered in blood some meters away she had to guess that’s where it came from.

“This day just keeps on sucking. I am extremely pissed right now.” Anger announced, as if it wasn’t common knowledge.

~~~~

Rarity’s group had just made to a small opening in a large rock face. Courage had told them that there was a naturally forming bridge that could take them across, thereby finding a way past the chasm that impeded their progress.

“So this is it?” Rarity questioned, Courage nodded. “Okay then. Lets go. We need to meet up with the others as soon as possible.”

Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Humor all hurried into the cavern. Courage was just about to head in herself when she noticed there was only five of them. She looked back at Fluttershy, who was eyeing the cave with a fearful expression.

“Fluttershy what are you doing? Come on we have to keep moving.” Courage asked, despite knowing the answer.

“It’s so dark in there. I-I can’t do it. Just leave me here. I’ll wait for you here.” She squeaked.

Courage’s eyes rolled. “Come on it’s ok. I’m right here with you, okay?” The fragment extended a hoof out to Fluttershy. The pegasus looked at it, then back to Courage. The fragment’s face was reassuring, confident, and brave. Fluttershy took the hoof and nodded, prompting a smile from Courage.

Their moment was cut short by the loud sound of rock crunching and breaking apart. They looked towards the cave, then to each other, and darted inside. Running frantically, the two skidded to a stop at the edge of a large chasm. Looking about they were able to spot their companions on the other side of the chasm. Pinkie Pie was holding on desperately to a small ledge, Rarity and the others clung to her sides.

“What the? What happened?!” Courage shouted over to them.

“We were walking across this bridge when it just collapsed!” Rarity squealed, frightened by the long merciless drop below them.

“W-What do we do Courage?!” Fluttershy looked to the fragment, hoping she had some failsafe plan.

The fragment’s eyes shifted all about, thinking of the right course of action to take. After a minute or two of thought she looked to Fluttershy. “Ok here’s the plan: you fly over and grab them one at a time. I’ll meet you half way and levitate them to safety with my magic.” Courage smiled at her well thought out plan. She had, however, not taken in one crucial piece of information.

“I-I can’t do that!” Fluttershy squeaked, the fragment’s ego deflated. “It’s so dark and high up and dangerous! Why don’t you just teleport them right here?” Fluttershy prayed it was a possibility.

“Impossible.” Courage explained. “I need to be physically touching them to teleport them this far a distance. Building on that, I can see no ledge big enough to support me. In other words: you’re our best hope right now!” Courage’s stare became adamant.

Fluttershy looked for another way out. “W-What about Humor? She’s touching them. She could teleport them to this side no problem.” Fluttershy begged this to work. She was at a difficult crossroads.
Courage violently shook her head no. “Oh no. Oh no no no no! You do not want Humor to try and teleport! She is one of the worst when it comes to complex magic. I saw her hug a tree once and she accidently teleported. I couldn’t even tell it had once been a plant when she reappeared.” Fluttershy tilted back in fear.

Hanging on to Pinkie’s left leg, Rarity’s eyes rolled. “Um, excuse me darlings. Not that I want to be rude or anything but DO SOMETHING! WE ARE HANGING BY A THREAD HERE! I DON’T WANT TO BE A RED STAIN ON THE CHASM’S FLOOR!” Rarity breathed deeply, not used to yelling that much.

Fluttershy squeaked at her friend’s outburst. Courage put her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Fluttershy, you have to. You’re the only hope we’ve got.”

“I-I-I can’t! I’m too much of a weak, scaredy cat that can’t even be brave enough to save her own friends!” Fluttershy was close to tears. “I’m just a waste of space.”

“Weak? Scared? Waste? Pff…” Courage shook her head. “Wasn’t it you who stood up to a manticore not too long ago? Didn’t you make a dragon nearly wet himself?” Courage glared at Fluttershy, clearly not convinced at her self-criticism.

“I, well yes but…” Fluttershy didn’t know what to say.

“And when the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran into the Everfree forest didn’t YOU go after them?!” Fluttershy shook her head yes. “I have no doubt that there are a ton more examples of brave things you’ve done. Fluttershy, bravery and courage are not heading face-first into danger without fear. In fact they’re the exact opposite! Courage is about moving ahead despite the fear, it about knowing you’re afraid but acknowledging that there is something more important than that fear and you’re willing to risk everything to get it!” Courage once again gave Fluttershy a confident look; she disregarded it.

“It’s easy for you to say. You can’t feel fear. And you’re certainly not in my position right now. You don’t think I haven’t heard that speak before?” Fluttershy took on a crueler pose. “It’s always the same: just thoughtless encouragement. A lie, really. You never expect me to take you seriously. It’s all a game, a stupid lying game!” Now tears really were streaming down Fluttershy’s face as past memories flooded her mind.

Courage had had enough! She grabbed Fluttershy’s head with both her hooves and stared her right in the face. “You know what Fluttershy? I know I’m a hypocrite! I know that coming from me that speech sounded like complete bullshit! And I know ponies tell you to never give up and fight on and never fear, when they really don’t mean it sometimes. They lie to you. But you know what? If you ask me, a lie that makes someone feel like life’s worth living is worth a ton more than a truth that makes them want to die.” Despite meaning every word she spoke, Courage was glad Twilight had read so many quote books and inspiring speeches. Fluttershy looked at Courage, then the chasm, and back to Courage. “If it makes you feel better, don’t look down.” Courage latched on to Fluttershy and tossed her over the edge.

~~~~

Later

Spike kissed the ground repeatedly. Pinkie Pie hopped up and down congratulating Fluttershy on conquering her fear, even if it was a bit forced. Rarity scolded Courage for putting Fluttershy through such a traumatic experience.

“I can not believe you just threw her over the edge! What is wrong with you?!” She hissed. Courage opened her mouth. “Oh no! Don’t give me that: Oh but it worked Rarity so why are you complaining? It was truly uncalled for! For shame Courage!”

The fragment’s eyes rolled. “Can we just focus on meeting up with the others? We have to find a way across this gap.”

Humor, who was a short distance away from the group, heard her sister and hopped in place. “Ooo, Ooo! I know! We can walk across it!” And with that she jumped high over the chasm, landing in midair and simply standing there. The rest of them, except Pinkie, stood with mouths agape.

Courage’s pupils shrunk. “Dear maker she’s gained the powers of the pink one. We’re doomed.”

Rarity shook the confusion off herself. “Wait a minute.” She trotted up to Humor and, with a spark of magic from her horn, made an entire rock bridge form under Humor and stretch across the chasm.

Courage chuckled, walking up next to the white unicorn. “Huh. Deceit must have sabotaged the one bridge and hidden the other. Geez, she’s being uncharacteristically sadistic today isn’t she?” Rarity shot her a look.

“Ooo… When I get my hoofs on that fragment… She’s gonna wish Logic has a capture device ready!” Rarity pouted in anger and trotted across the bridge, the others shot glances at each other. She turned after noticing no one followed. “Well? Lets go! We don’t have all day! My precious Sweetie Belle must be fainting from despair by now!” They nodded and followed suite.

~~~~

Logic dodged the massive tail that swung towards her. TWACK! A tree exploded into thousands of debris and splinters. Looking up from her spot on the ground she saw Rainbow Dash nosedive the hydra attacking them. Applejack was curled up next to a tree, protecting the three shivering fillies they had rescued from the hydra’s attack. Shaking off mud and twigs, Logic felt her sides. Blast! That damnable beast had caught her capture device bag and torn it clean off! Logic quickly mourned this loss and then charged an attack and aimed for the hydra. Firing a green magic burst and hitting the hydra dead center in one of its heads, the beast backed off from trying to eat Rainbow Dash and focused on Logic. Dodging head after head trying to engulf her, Logic smacked into a tree. Coming to her senses she looked up and cringed as the beast prepared an all out strike against her. The beast flung every single one of its heads at once towards Logic. Time stopped. Sounds ceased. It was that moment, when death is upon a being too early and their lives’ halt to a standstill to witness their final moments. The fragment had no clue what to do and simply closed her eyes automatically, waiting for the final blow.

“Hey sis? Sis? You ok? Need some aspirin? Maybe a stiff of cider?”

Logic opened her eyes to see a baby blue eyed duplicate of herself staring at her, giving her a large smile. “H-Humor? W-What are you? Where is the hydra?” Logic questioned, clearly confused.

Humor laughed hysterically. “Well it’s pretty funny really! You see we’ve invented hydra ball!” Logic’s head went back, a bit in disgust and a little in confusion. She moved her head to the left to see past her sister.

Courage had engulfed a large tree in magic and had proceeded to smack the hydra upside each of its heads. Rarity, desiring to protect her sister, had also grabbed a smaller tree and began attacking the hydra. Logic shook her head.

“Enough of this.” Logic stated firmly as she got up. With her moment of relapse and fear over, Logic grabbed the largest tree in the vicinity and floated it above the distracted hydra’s head. With a flick of her neck Logic broke the tree over the hydra’s heads, one could still hear the bones cracking over the splintering wood. The hydra, for its part, finally decided this hassle wasn’t worth the meager meal it would receive for victory and it turned and fled deeper into the forest.

“Yeah that’s right you better run! You big chicken! Bawk bawk bawk!” Rainbow Dash taunted.

“RAINBOW!” Logic roared. “I have had enough of you today! Shut your mouth or I will shut it for you!” Rainbow Dash stopped instantly, not wishing to anger Logic more than she already had on this trip.

Throwing her tree aside, Rarity ran up to Sweetie Belle and hugged her tightly. “Oh Sweetie Belle I’ve been so worried! I thought I’d never see you again! Are you alright?” The filly nodded but did not speak, this worried Rarity. “S-Sweetie? Are you well? Why aren’t you talking? What happened? Did you eat something? Did you-“ Logic cut her off.

“They are simply shaken from the ordeal Rarity. They will regain their speech later. Right now we must return them home.” The fillies nodded at the idea: home. Logic gave a suspicious sigh. “I suppose the fact you are not frightened or hesitant of me is because Applejack has explained Twilight Sparkle’s condition.” Once again, the fillies nodded. Personally they were happier to be alive than anything else.

“It only seemed right, considering.” Applejack stated, defending her actions. Logic gave a respectful nod, clearly condoning Applejack’s course. The fragment turned to her sisters.

“So… You were the ones following us?” Courage and Humor nodded. “I see. Fluttershy please give me your capture device bag please. Mine was lost fighting the hydra.” Courage laughed.

“Oh I get it. This is the part where you capture us right? As if it weren’t obvious.” Courage laugh had subsided to a chuckle. “Look Logic. I get why you’re doing what you’re doing but… I don’t want to go back.” Logic glared at her sister.

“You do not have a choice. I am doing what must be done to fix our mother’s accident. I thank you for assisting our friends in finding their way here and fighting the hydra but still… I can not allow you to leave.” Logic looked ready to pounce on her sisters, if necessary. Courage looked ready to bolt. It was Spike who made the next move.

“You know Courage, personally, I think that it would be the bravest, most courageous thing possible if you were to let us capture you. Think about it: isn’t sacrificing yourself to save an innocent life really, really heroic and brave? I think it is.” The dragon prayed his persuasion had stuck, he wanted his friend and caretaker back as soon as possible.

The fragment scratched its chin. Spike had appealed to its nature and it did sound rather brave when one thought about it. After all how could she, in good conscience, live her life knowing it was bought by a freak accident that basically destroyed an innocent? Not only that but Logic gave Courage a I-will-hunt-you-to-the-ends-of-the-earth glare, which solidified Courage’s resolve. “Alright, alright. I can see there is no way out of this. Fine Logic, you win.” Courage sighed as Logic took out a capture device.

“Wait!” Fluttershy dashed to Courage. “Courage I… I ummm… Want to thank you for what you said. I really do appreciate it and I'll try to be braver... for you.” She smiled at the fragment, trying to hide the sadness she felt from watching her go.

Courage smiled back. “I'll hold you to that Fluttershy.” She hugged the yellow pegasus and clicked on the device Logic had placed on the ground. She vanished into the tiny thing and Fluttershy fought back some tears.

“Ooo Ooo! That looks like soooooo much fun!!!” Humor grabbed one of the devices and clicked it, laughing as she was sucked in. “It’s like an ultimate merry-go-round!!! Woohoo!!!” She yelled as she finally was brought in. The remaining ponies stared at Humor’s device for a bit, dumbfounded. Logic snorted. At least she went out happy as foal in a candy store.

Logic flexed her muscles, she grunted in pain when her rear end felt strained. Oh right, She thought, I had almost forgotten. Logic sighed. “Well, now that the day’s excitement is over I believe it is time we made it home. I wish to heal the pain in my backside in peace… away from Rainbow Dash.” The last part had quite the flicker of anger.

“Oh come on Lodge! I said I was sorry! How was I supposed to know it was booby-trapped?!” Rainbow Dash almost whimpered a bit, trying to repair the emotional damage to her fragment friend.

“Yes, because a Wonderbolts poster signed by the entire team is definitely something I would expect to be lying around in the Everfree forest. The plausibility of that happening only increases when we know for certain that my sister Deceit is running around doing maker knows what.” Her sarcastic tone did not escape Rainbow Dash, whose ears turned back in regret.

Logic used her magic to pick up Scootaloo and placed the frightened filly on her back. The poor foal instantly grabbed hold of Logic’s neck, gladly hooking on to any possible mother figure she could find after her terrible ordeal. The remaining fillies were placed on their respective sister’s backs and Spike once again hopped onto Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash, in an attempted peace offering, picked up the fragment capture devices and placed them in the bag she had decided to carry herself. When they were all ready to head they all gave understanding nods and set off (Fluttershy and Spike bravely took the lead).

~~~~

Logic placed the towel carefully down onto the couch in the main room of the Ponyville library. She then set off towards the kitchen to grab some ice. All the fillies had been returned to their respectful homes, Logic could barely stop Scootaloo’s parents from hugging and thanking her when she returned to filly to safety. The whole ordeal had been exhausting on everyone and they decided it was best to call it a day. Only Spike and Logic remained in the library now and they set off doing their own thing. Logic returned from the kitchen and placed a large icepack on the towel. Placing her rump directly on the icepack Logic sighed in a pleasurable relief that had escaped her for the better part of their adventure.

Spike, who had been cleaning, cocked an eyebrow. “So what exactly did Rainbow Dash set off…”

“I do not want to talk about it.” Logic interjected angrily, remembering the painful event. “Suffice it to say I will not be speaking to her for the remainder of today and tomorrow.”

Spike shrugged and walked over to the nearby table where Courage’s and Humor’s devices where. In Logic’s haste to find relief she had forgotten to put them in the chest and so Spike took it upon himself to do. Opening the chest and placing their new captures in Spike began to count. Twenty. They now had twenty fragments locked away tightly. Ever since they met Creativity fragments had been popping up everywhere, they had to have caught seven in one day alone. The high number of captured fragments bred a thought in Spike’s mind.

“Hey Logic.” He turned to the fragment. “We’ve got quite a few fragments now. Do you… Well, do you think we could start putting them back into Twilight now? Can we start to repair her?” Spike’s face beamed with hope.

Logic sighed. “N-No. We cannot start repairing Twilight Sparkle. I am sorry Spike.” The dragon’s face deflated.

“B-But why? Is something wrong? Will something bad happen?” Logic’s eyes peered down to the floor. “That’s it isn’t it? You know that something bad will happen if we repair her too soon.” Spike sighed now.

Logic shook her head. “No… it is not that. The truth is I have no clue what would happen if we started to repair her… and I-I am afraid of that.” Spike looked at Logic, clearly confused. He obviously knew that a being of intelligence would be scared senseless about not knowing something but this was a different matter. Logic caught his face and did her best to explain. “You see Spike, think of a… a… a grandfather clock. Now imagine that several pieces broke. You clearly need to repair it, so you do. But the thing is you do not buy all your parts at one store or all at once. You buy one piece and install it into your clock. You do not compare it with other pieces and you never check to make sure all the pieces fit perfectly with each other. If all the pieces do not work well together what will happen?” She turned to Spike.

The dragon pondered. “Well, I guess the clock wouldn’t work right.” His eyes beamed with realization. “You’re afraid that if you don’t repair Twilight with all the fragments at once it will hurt her in some way?” Logic nodded.

“This unknown danger is not something I want to risk. I cannot risk it. If Twilight were to be harmed because of my foolish haste I… I am not a risk taker Spike. I will always choose the safer route.” The fragment’s face was unmoving.

“Not a risk taker? Unlike Creativity?” Spike glared at Logic, but the fragment’s face was still. Spike sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He turned towards the kitchen. “If you need me I’ll be making myself something to eat.” The fragment didn’t respond, she simply nodded her head slightly. Spike’s eyes dropped a bit and he went to the kitchen, leaving Logic alone with her thoughts.

~~~~

Anger breathed heavily. Her mane and tail had been slashed to tomboyishly short lengths by the hydra’s teeth. But she was alive… and covered from head to hoof in blood. Anger half-sighed, half-chuckled a bit at the massive amounts of energy and magic she had to use to fling herself through the hydra’s body and out the other end. The creature lay dead in the swamp now, a gigantic hole through its chest. Anger turned to her sister Morality as she tended to the pegasus mare that was here before them. Morality’s head shifted to look at her sister when she approached.

“The hydra got her pretty bad. Looks like her throat’s been torn to hell. It’ll be a miracle if she talks again. I can heal her and get her on her hooves real quick, what do you think?” She asked.

“I don’t care. Leave her or help her, just don’t slow me down.” Anger barked back. “I gotta go clean this shit off of me, will she be done by then?” Morality nodded. “Do whatever the hell you want then.” Anger growled as she walked off to find some pond to clean off in. Morality watched her walk off and then set to work.

Anger's Management Problem

For a being of pure, insatiable rage, Anger walked rather calmly through the mountain passes of Equestria. Though each hoof hitting the ground was a rather loud clop, it was a sign that gave Morality hope. The white and black eyed mare had tried, futilely, to convince her sister that it was wrong to seek revenge on Trixie for simple acts of hubris. She hoped that their journey would soften the angry fragment’s heart a bit and throw her off her path. Her hopes had only heightened with the addition of their newest voice in the group, figuratively speaking.

“Is she still there?” Anger grunted quietly to Morality (The moral fragment was taken aback at the fact her sister could whisper).

Morality glanced behind them. “Yes she is. Let’s ask if she’s done the procreation polka yet.” Morality gave herself a scowl.

Slightly trotting behind the two fragments was pegasus mare. Her hazel eyes graciously complemented her dazzling white coat and beautiful blue mane; Wonder if the carpet matches the drapes, another scowl. Her slender body was perfectly rounded in all the right places to make a stallion’s tongue drop and mares pout in jealousy; one might think her a model of the highest degree. In fact the only deformity this fine creature had was a long gash of a scar reaching right from the front of her undercarriage to the middle of her neck in a slight slope leaning to the left, a parting gift from the hydra encountered by all three of those present. Regardless of this obvious flaw in the perfect body she had a good-sized smile on her face as she peered over at her beloved rescuers, Anger in particular. Anger, who had turned back for an instant, caught this and spun her head back quickly.

“The hell?! Why is she looking at me like that?!” The mare scowled in displeasure. “I didn’t do anything. But still she’s looking at me like a stallion looks at Playcolt magazines.” A memory of a young Twilight Sparkle walking in on her teenage brother looking at some rather questionable magazines flooded her mind, assisting with her mental comparison.

“Well you did save her from the hydra.” Stated Morality, Anger’s mouth opened to protest. “I know that I was the one who actually save her from death. However she wasn’t awake for that. All she witnessed was you defeating the evil creature trying to kill her. She's kinda like a baby duckling, she’s imprinted on you, sort of. Also I do in fact think that she is… she is… well… A major cunt-liking dyke.” Morality coughed heavily, it was hard to keep her other half out of a conversation for as long as she had. “Um… Yes. Precisely. And she is quite taken with you.” Anger’s eyes rolled.

“Great.” She moaned. “Not only do I have my fucked up sister who has no fucking clue what side of the spectrum she’s on but also a lesbian bitch who wants to fuck ME up the ass for saving hers. My life is just one piece of shit after another. I need to start keeping track.” She hung her head in boiling anger. “Fuck. Why me?! Creativity doesn’t have to deal with this kind of shit.”

~~~~

“Hold still… Hold still!”

“I am holding still! How about you be a bit faster?!”

“I’m trying!”

“Try HARDER!”

“Ok, ok, ok. Hold on. Let me think.” Private Steadfast of the Equestrian Royal Guard to her highest majesty Princess Mittat solis dator concordiae dominatorem terrae Solaris (Princess Celestia for short) released the little rump that was attached to the fragment Creativity and stepped back a bit. It was quite the unfortunate situation. The mare was stuck in one of the many chimneys on the roof of the palace after trying to clean it. Steadfast sat on his own rump and began scratching his chin thinking. His glance fell upon the mare in the chimney, geez she’s got a cute butt… it must be soft as… Steadfast shook his head, throwing away such dirty thoughts.

“Um hello? Steadfast, get me out of here!” Creativity moaned. She was breathing rather heavy on the count that she had recently discovered she suffered from claustrophobia and did not like the small space she now occupied. Oh of all the fears to get from mother I get stuck with a fear of small places… it really sucks being a shadow. Creativity inhaled deeply and exhaled, just like the self-help books explained.

“Why the hell did you even take chimney duty?! Everypony knows that whoever does it gets stuck in at least one chimney. It almost a guarantee!” Steadfast barked at his master.

“Oh give me a break, how was I supposed to know? All I have to work with is Twilight’s memories and that ain’t much! No one had taken the job yet and they were offering better pay to anyone who did it. To me it seemed like a completely innocent and straightforward thing!” Creativity’s usually cool demeanor had fallen into rage, a rage that increased with each second she was in her small prison.

Steadfast sighed, then shook his head in realization. “Wait, you’re a unicorn! Just teleport yourself out with your magic!” The recruit smiled to himself, puffing out his armored white chest with pride. He was quite excited he had thought of something Creativity hadn’t. The fragment huffed.

“Ya don’t think I already tried that?!" Steadfast's ego evaporated. "I was originally stuck in that chimney!” Creativity’s calmness had returned, slightly, as she talked, pointing her right leg off to the side towards another chimney.

Great, Steadfast thought. Since the Changeling Invasion a little back, all of the castle’s old defenses had been reset to modern standards to avoid anything like that happening again. Poor Captain Armor, Steadfast’s mind wandered again, this time towards his superior. Shining Armor had to be put through vigorous tests upon his return from his honeymoon to ensure all of the Changeling Queen’s control had been severed. What hurt the Captain the most was that Celestia forbad him from assisting with the revamp of the castle defenses, which meant the task had fallen to General Duncan (who was not stationed in Canterlot at the time and suffered no injuries, unlike the rest of the Royal Guard Senior Staff). General Duncan had spared no expense and in no time at all the Canterlot Palace was the most beautiful super fortress in all of Equestria and her neighboring countries. Unfortunately, one of the laziest revamps was to that of the castle chimneys, which were enhance to become smaller in case an intruder tried to get in through them. The Canterlot nobles didn't feel like shelling out much money for the castle revamp and had given Duncan a set amount of money for the revisions and he was unable to fix the chimneys as he had wanted. Now the things closed on you whether you’re an intruder or trying to clean out the soot.

Creativity, tired of Steadfast’s daydreaming, shouted out to him. “HEY! Stop wasting time and get me outta here!” She really did hate small places.

“Alright, alright.” Steadfast moaned. He looked over her one more time. “Ok look. I’m going to go the kitchen, get some butter, and we’ll slide you out nice and gently ok?” He began to trot away towards the kitchen. Creativity became distressed.

“Wait what? No. No, no, no! Steadfast, do not leave me here. Steadfast, are you listening? Do not leave me alone in here!” She wiggled furiously in place, trying to escape.

“Calm down, I’ll just be a minute.” Steadfast called to her.

“No! No! No! I’m not staying her for another minute! That’s it. I’m blasting my way out.” She called back.

Steadfast’s ear’s perked and her ran over to her. “Creativity no! Calm down! Don’t blow anything up!” She was still wiggling. “Please Creativity don't! have some decency!” An awkward silence took hold. Steadfast’s eyes shifted back and forth, confused. Inside the chimney Creativity’s face suddenly scrunched up into an angry scowl.

“Decency?! SCREW DECENCY, I HAVE MAGIC!!!” Soon the chimney lit up with a yellow light from within. Steadfast’s pupils shrank and he tried desperately to escape the blast, spoiler alert: he didn’t. Far away at Canterlot’s front gate a single guard stood watch. At that moment he heard a small pop. He looked around curiously, trying to see what made it. When he couldn’t find the source he shrugged and went back to it.

“FREEDOM!!!” Creativity popped out of rubble and dust, a triumphant look on her face. Laughing a bit she looked around the dusty, rubble filled area. “Steadfast? Steadfast where are you?” She looked for the stallion but couldn’t see through the dust.

Suddenly a voice echoed out. “Creativity? Creativity help!”

The fragment peered over to an area that was already clearing from the dust. Her pupils shrank and her face became distraught as she beheld a large armored white buttocks sticking out of a nearby chimney, the armored legs flailed about aimlessly.

Creativity slapped her hoof to her face. “It’s gonna be a long day.”

~~~~

Anger’s group had made it to a large opening in the mountains. There was a small stream nearby and plenty of vegetation to feast on. It was as good a place as any to sleep for the night and after two days of constant walking each of them wanted sleep. Anger walked up to inspect the vegetation. It better taste more appetizing than that shit in Everfree forest, Anger thought while looking over the possible food. Morality had gone towards some nearby trees with the intention of ripping off dead branches for firewood. We should burn the whole thing! Now that’d be a campfire! Morality rolled her eyes at these thoughts and began picking off dead branches, trying incredibly hard not to hurt the tree. After several minutes of gathering she inspected her pile and knew it was not enough for a proper fire. Looking up she could see more trees on a high cliff ledge, but there was no way she could reach it with her magic. She turned around to see Anger lapping up some water in the stream, with their new pegasus companion standing several feet away. An idea sparked in Morality’s mind. “Hey, hey Mute! Do you mind coming over here and assisting me with gathering firewood?”

The pegasus mare known as Mute turned to Morality. She could not tell the two her real name on the count that her vocal cords had been utterly wiped out by the hydra’s attack on her. To make things more complicated she refused to write her name in any form. This silence prompted Anger to declare that if she wanted to be mute that’s what they’d call her (it was meant as an insult but the mare had taken a liking to the name). She looked at Morality with a saddened expression and didn’t move an inch; instead she looked down to Anger still lapping up water.

Morality’s eyes rolled hard. “Oh for the love of…” She made a circling gesture in the air with her hoof to get Anger to say something. Anger looked at her and rolled her own eyes; this mare is really pissing me off.

“Geez, yes. Go help Morality. I’m not too keen on freezing my ass off tonight.” Anger said with a scowl. Mute’s face lit up and she flew over to Morality, eager to help. Morality explained what she wanted and the pegasus flew up and got to work knocking down tree branches.

Anger watched Mute for a bit, sitting down with the intent of resting a bit. Mute glided about effortlessly; she probably was a model with the way she was curved. Daydreaming about destroying Trixie, both verbally and physically, had grown old to Anger and her mind shifted elsewhere. Anger began to think about of all the reasons this strange hitchhiking mare could be attracted to her. Was Anger beautiful? No, she was scarred and dirty and her tail and mane were disgustingly short after being slashed off by the hydra. Was she nice to be around? No, she was rude, mean, and never let anyone near her without consequence. Was…Was Mute attracted to violent, rude mares? No. That…that couldn’t be. Who’d want to be attracted to someone who always was cruel to you and hit you whenever they felt like it? Anger’s mind flicked about, rudely downplaying herself and trying to figure Mute out. It was a hard process, Anger rarely thought about things throughly and it always gave her headaches eventually.

“Ugh,” The fragment sighed. “My brain is full of FUCK!” She closed her eyes and put her hooves to the sides of her head, a headache coming on. At that moment however her eyes flicked open and she ignored the pain in her brain. Noises. She heard noises. What were they from? …Stallions. Yes! Anger searched Twilight’s memories. She had heard stallions trotting on hard rock before and that was the sound! How many? Sixteen hooves clopping up and down. Ok, there were four of them. Size? Soft clopping… processing… soft, but they had a thump with them regardless. They were full grown stallions… and they were trying to be sneaky. It was a fool’s errand, trying to be sneaky against Anger. She was the most primal of her sisters and had the keen senses like the equines of old had, before they were a sapient species that used brain instead of instinct. Anger’s eyes shifted about. She was unable to see them, unable to smell them, they were good at every thing expect being quiet. Anger stood concentrated on the sounds, she did not see or hear Morality approach.

“Hey Anger we got all the wood we need for…” Was all Morality could muster before TWACK! Anger had done a complete 180 and slammed her left fore hoof right in the nose of Twilight’s morality. Pain shooting up all across her body, Morality could only grab her nose to stop the waterfall of blood that gushed out. Falling to her knees while still clutching her nose she could only look up at Anger with confusion.

“I-I… dammit Morality! You know not to sneak up on me! Why the hell would you even do that you idiot?!” Anger yelled, truly believing she was in the right. Mute, some way away picking at foliage, cringed when Anger’s loud yelling reached her ears.

Morality, sealing her wounded inner nose with magic, got up off the ground head still lowered. “It’s… It’s… I mean I know you didn’t… You didn’t mean to… I was stupid to… I should have… I should have…” Morality’s face contorted suddenly and she twitched. The fragment raised her head and revealed her face to be broken into one of unquestionable hatred. “The fuck am I saying?! This is your fault you stupid piece of shit! You just turned ‘round and sucker punched me in the nose! FUCK YOU! I’ve had to put up with your fucked up shit and that’s a lot of effort to be rewarded with a punch to the nose! You called ME fucked up?! Look in the goddamn fucking mirror you piece of fucked up stupidity! How about you grow the FUCK up and stop chasing after some dumb bitch who didn’t do jack-SHIT to you! FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR LITTLE REVENGE PLAN, you jacked up piece of SHIT!” Morality heaved and heaved, the exertion getting to her. Anger stood there, dumbfounded. Morality finally regained herself and instantly felt pangs of regret at what she had just said. “A-Anger I… I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have…” Morality’s apology was stopped by Anger’s hoof.

“T-There’s four stallions following us.” She blurted out, getting to the main point and pushing past the mushy crap. Morality’s eyed widened. The uncalled for attack all made sense know and she instantly forgave her sister for the deed, but this realization only made Morality’s moment of anger even more bitter. Anger continued. “I don’t expect them to attack us. From what I gathered they’re full grown but not all that muscular. Probably a scouting party.”

Morality’s guilt gave way to survival instincts. “So that means there’s more somewhere.” Anger nodded. “They’ll probably wait till nightfall to strike.” Anger nodded again. “Just like in Daring Do Book Ten: Night in the Menacing Manor.” The fragments recited at the same time. Anger felted shamed at referring to a fictitious book in a real life situation but with Twilight’s memories as her only source of information it was her only choice.

“One of us will keep watch. We’ll let Mute sleep.” Anger nodded to see if her sister understood. Morality nodded in response but was in fact confused. Why does Anger want Mute to have a full night’s sleep? Morality pondered.

I gotta stay up as long as possible and think all this through. Anger’s own thoughts wandered. She had looked over to Mute as she returned, a large amount of delicious foliage in her possession. She nudged a large chunk over to Anger and gave the rest to Morality and stepped off to the side. It sickened Morality that she was so willing to starve herself for their benefit. Anger lapped all the vegetation up at once and made off to start the fire. Morality split and her ration in half and gave it to Mute, smiling widely but with that you-will-not-convince-me-so-just-eat-the-damn-food look in her eye. Mute obliged. After she'd finished the two set off to assist Anger.

~~~~

The brisk night air was as cold as ever in the mountains, luckily Morality was lying next to the warming flames of their campfire. It was her second shift as lookout, but she didn’t mind as much as one would think when having their sleep interrupted. If anything she wished she had had more food (After all she always dined for two). Her thoughts travelled away from her rumbling belly and over the shifting form of Anger. Morality could tell her sister was having a nightmare, she always had nightmares. Grunting and tossing about, the anger fragment found no comfort in any position. Their pegasus companion was awoken by this and slid over to Anger, going in for a comforting cuddle, only to be smacked away by the fragment.

Morality felt impressed, and confused, when she went in for another attempt and had succeeded! She wrapped her forelegs around Anger’s waist and held her gently, like a true lover. Anger backlashed once and when that had failed to scare the intruding mare off she submitted, wrapping her own forelegs around Mute’s waist. Morality smiled sisterly as Anger stopped fidgeting and relaxed in the grip of the pegasus. Morality’s smile vanished into seriousness. Why? She wondered, Why is she accepting Mute? Anger is supposed to feel only that: Anger. Yet she almost looked sorry after she hit me, she’s quickly taken a responsibility for Mute, and now they’re cuddling together! Morality rubbed her head with both hooves. I wish Logic were here… she’d explain what’s happening. It’s like we’re losing ourselves, what we are. I don’t get it. Poor Morality, lost in thought. She had no clue about the stealthy stallion creeping up behind her. Before the mare could react at all a cloth was thrown over her muzzle and forcibly held there. Morality could instantly smell the knockout drug that had been dipped into the rag. The world became blurry and unfocused. She tried desperately to hold on but it was impossible, she’d gotten quite the whiff of the drug and she eyelids slowly closed, her existence faded to black.

~~~~

Morality’s world rushed back to her in a mess of fuzzy environments, amplified sounds, and a crick in her neck. She looked around; she was still at the campsite. She turned to see Anger where she had been last night, though her current position of sleep confirmed she had be drugged too. Using a quick healing spell, the pain in Morality’s head vanished. She got up on all fours and wobbled comically over to her sister.

“Anger. Anger. ANGER!” She yelled… and was met with a hoof to the chin. Anger sprang up onto all fours, alert and ready to defend herself. As she peered around and saw no enemies she turned to see what she had just hit… oh shit. “What is with you and PUNCHING ME?!” Morality blurted out, holding her nose yet again.

“You’re too touchy touchy.” Anger stated blandly. She surveyed the campsite yet again. “Huh… We’re still here… Despite the fact they drugged us and had us where they wanted us.” Anger perked up instantly. “Well, good enough for me! Let’s go Morality. This attack of theirs was a wasteful bust of stupidity.” Anger turned to the nearest exit from the clearing.

“Wait! Anger!” Morality cried out. “Where is Mute?” Anger stopped and looked around. Twas true. The white coat, blue manned pegasus was nowhere to be found. Morality’s face became one of horror. “They-They must have taken her!” She trotted in place frantically. “Anger, we must go! We must go and find her!” Fear for their companion wracked Morality’s good-natured heart.

“No.” Was Anger’s response.

“Wh-What?! B-But Anger we can not just leave her in the hooves of whoever attacked us last night!” Morality retorted angrily.

“Sure we can. She wasn’t too much help and running off to save her will waste time tracking that bitch Trixie. We… I don’t need her!” Anger replied. It seemed that last night Anger had made up her mind: it was stupid and dangerous to let anyone close to her and she was better off without the headache. The worry on Morality’s face worsened as Anger walked began walking away.

No, no, no! Come on Morality think fast!!! ……………………………AN IDEA! Morality sat on the nearest rock and adopted a neutral, pouting expression while looking around seemingly aimlessly. “Oh I get it Anger, it’s okay. I can understand how you’d be afraid to face them.” Morality cooed coyly. Anger stopped dead in her tracks. Bingo! Morality continued. “You know I’m glad you’re letting this go, it shows progress! I mean if I were you I’d be furious that they had been stalking us.” Anger twitched a bit. “And then they attack us while our backs were turned! Geez, we fell so easily.” Anger was shaking. “Personally I’m just happy they didn’t have their way with us. I mean really, we were out for so long! They could have easily…”

“THAT’S IT! WE’RE FINDING THESE ASSHOLES!” Anger seethed from the mouth. Morality knew she had thrown dynamite into a volcano, but what the hell let’s throw more!

“Oh no we couldn’t! Like you just said Anger dearest, it would be such a detour from your plan… You know now that I think about it, they stole from you too, if you count Mute in some way…”

“WE ARE GOING TO FIND AND BREAK THEM!” Anger was pressed against Morality’s face, fizzle and spittle coming from her mouth.

Morality rolled her eyes coyly. “Well if you insist dear sister, I suppose we can search for them.” It’s too easy sometimes. Morality thought.

The mention of having to actually search deflated Anger’s temper. “Wait… we’ve no idea where they are! There aren’t any tracks either! How the hell are we supposed to find them?!” Anger temper rose again.

Morality smiled. “I’m glad you asked. You see, despite your insistence on her uselessness, Mute has all but left us quite the trail of bread crumbs.” Morality pointed off to the right and Anger followed her hoof with her eyes. They landed right on a small bloodstain on the ground, unnoticeable unless you looked for it. Anger looked closer and saw that little blots decorated the ground, eventually spiraling out into a neat little path.

Anger smiled devilishly.

~~~~

The stallion know as Pickpocket held his snout, wincing at the pain. He’d been the one chosen to show the main group to where the travellers had settled and was chosen on the spot to knockout the white pegasus of the group. What the stallion hadn’t anticipated was the mare’s resistance: she’d bucked him in the nose! It had been bleeding for hours before he could finally get it to stop. Geez that mare’s got a kick! He concluded after yet more pain.

“Well boys? What have ya got for me?” All the nine stallion heads present in the main room of their wooden hideout in the mountains turned to the voice. It was their enigmatic leader: Brand Hoof. He was a big thing: all grey with a jet-black tail and mane to boot. His muscles were the sizes of a regular pony’s head and his hooves where massive, Frisbee sized at least!

“Ooo, ooo!” A brown stallion bounced up and down. Struggling a bit to get the squirming form in front of his boss the stallion finally threw the captured mare to the right position and took off the sack over her head, revealing a gagged and frightened Mute underneath. “Here you go boss! Just like you asked.” The brown stallion stood straight up with hubris.

Brand Hoof scratched the thick black stubble on his chin. “The scouting party said there were three of ‘em.” His tone was not irritated, but clearly confused.

“The other two were unicorns sir.” A maroon stallion towards the back blurted out.

Brand’s eyes widened. “HA! Who says ya can’t get good help these days!” He nodded approvingly to his crew; they liked it when he did that. “Unicorns are too difficult to control, with that magic they got. And seeing how we don’t have any of our own unicorns or any anti-magic inhibitors it’s an unfortunate series of events just waiting to happen! Good on you boys for remembering that staff meeting we had!” Brand laughed heartily, the others joined in eagerly.

Mute looked around, her hazel eyes visibly frightened. Brand Hoof saw this and placed one of his massive hooves under her chin and lifted her face up to look at his. “Aw don’t be scared now, we ain’t gonna hurt ya. You see here’s what’s happening: ponies, and other species believe it or not, outside of Equestria get real lonely sometimes. They just need a proper bed buddy to… relieve stresses of the day.” Mute’s eyes widened as she put two and two together. “That’s where we come in! We provide mares and stallions to those particular unfortunates and get paid handsomely for it, while our clientele gets companionship and love. Now I know what we do may seem a little evil, but its simply business my dear nothing more.” The other stallions nodded in agreement. Their boss was so good at explaining their line of work to others. Brand Hoof bent down and removed the gag from Mute in preparation for part two of what this group of slavers called ‘the job interview’.

“Now listen very good now little one, as much as it pains me to have to subject you to such things, we have to make sure that you do your job well. After all that big scar on your chest takes away overall beauty points from ya, and that's not good. While I myself believe it adds character and a bit of an exotic touch to you, many of our buyers won't like it." The slavers nodded, Mute was pretty and that scar was actually pretty hot to them, but the clients came first. "My business prides itself on quality!” Brand Hoof sat down in a previously unseen large chair behind himself. Splaying out on his back to reveal his… private area, he snickered some. “So please, show us what you can do.” Mute couldn’t believe this was happening. This stallion wanted her to blow him right in front of nine others! She wanted to get out of here so very badly (Then again, who wouldn’t?). She wished that she was home, or with Anger, anywhere else. Mute resisted, shaking her head and going nowhere near the already hardening sex of this slaver. The others stallions advanced on her with a simply one step, a clear gesture that she wasn’t getting out of this. Brand Hoof gave her a kind face and a gesture to begin and, with all do reluctance, Mute opened her mouth to engulf the stallion’s cock, hardened to its fullest thanks to previous self-foreplay with its owner. Brand Hoof moaned instantly, but recomposed himself to deal with an issue that had to be dealt with before it got out of hoof. “Listen boys: I know that what’s about to happen gives a lot of ya stiffies but please, hold off the jerking until you get to your own bedroom! Last thing I want to do is assign somepony to clean your sex spunk from the floor!”

Several stallions moaned with displeasure, many more burst out laughing. They could always count on their boss for a good laugh, even when he was working. Mute didn’t know what was worse: that she was being forced to give a blowjob to some random slaver pony or that he and his fellows were so casual about all this. They were talking about selling ponies into sexual slavery like they were foals with trading cards! Mute had gotten all of the cock she could into her mouth and began to skillfully (and by that I mean improvising, she’d never done this before) licking the meat rod, lapping up some precum in the process.

The laughter of the group of stallions hadn’t dulled in the last minutes. Pickpocket had been especially affected by his boss’s humor. Shaking his head in laughter his eyes suddenly widened. The stallion turned his head to a window near the front of their home… Huh, the stallion wondered, I coulda sworn I just saw something there. Staring at the window for another second or two he finally decided it was nothing and turned his head back to the spectacle at the other end of the room, just in time to miss a purple head come up to the window, stay there for a second, and come back down.

Outside the hideout, two purple mares had discovered an innovative way to reach a window. “Well?” Anger grunted. “What’s going on?” The anger fragment heaved her rump into the air, sending her sister flying up towards the window.

“Ok. There are ten of the them.” Back down, then up. “Their watching who I think is the boss of all this.” Down, then up. “I see Mute. She’s… oh my.” Down and up.

“She’s what? What’s happening?!” Anger questioned.

“Um, well… you see…” Morality couldn’t phrase it.

Anger, tired of games, heaved her sister up one more time… then stepped out of the way, causing Morality to land with a thump. “What are they making her do?” Anger hissed. Morality was a prudent mare by all accounts. As such the actions taking place inside were rather distressing to her. Trying several times and failing each one, she gestured Anger close and whispered in her ear. The fragment’s face contorted. “THEY’RE DEAD.” She hissed, breaking from Morality and stomping towards the door.

“No Anger don’t! You’re no match for ten stallions! Please listen! Try to think!” She began to shuffle over to her sister, full with intentions to stop her suicidal headstrongness. TWACK! Morality was on the ground, holding her now bleeding nose. “OW!! WHAT IS WITH YOU AND BREAKING MY NASAL CAVITIES?!” She tried to scream as softly as possible. Anger didn’t care, she just put her hoof up to the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Penny Worth, the youngest of the slavers, was far enough back to hear the subtle knocking. With pure, stupid ignorance he went to open the door. SLAM! CRACK! SQUISH! The door crushed the stallion as Anger mowed it down, creaking his bones and causing blood to spurt out in various directions (it was a light door but Anger had turned into a freight train). The remaining stallions and Mute turned to see Anger in the doorway over their fallen comrade; she nearly foamed at the mouth.

“Give. Me. Mute back. NOW!” She hissed.

Brand Hoof looked at Anger for a moment, then broke out laughing. “HA! So this is one of our newest sales companions. Sorry little lady but she’s not with you anymore.” He motioned to Mute, tapping her upside the head rather harshly to let her know she wasn’t finished. Tears in her eyes, Mute began to once again suckle the stallion’s cock. Brand Hoof looked back up with a smirk, then motioned to his men and wasted no time. “Get her.”

Every stallion in the room pounced on Anger, who desperately tried to repel their superior numbers. Her hoof pelted the nearest attacker dead center in the face, sending him flying. A larger attacker was battered with a savage magical blast to the chest. She was able to magically head-butt one more before they finally toppled her and pinned her to the floor. Without a plan or good tactical ability, Anger’s rescue mission was over in less than a minute. She had only killed two in the whole ordeal: The stallion at the door and the one she’d head-butted, the magic had fried his brains to mush. Anger couldn’t believe it. It could be over… IT COULDN’T! Her end wasn’t here!

Brand Hoof laughed. “Well… that was sure quick. That’s what you get for…for…” The stallion tensed up. He had forced Mute to continue pleasing him and he had reached his limit (Not like he was holding back, he wanted Mute's 'interview' over as soon as possible). Unable to hold on anymore, and because what better insult to Anger’s defeat, he finally let go in a gush of primal male biology. Anger’s eyes widened in shock as Brand’s cock filled Mute’s mouth with a nearly endless supply of his white seed. Mute couldn’t hold all of the warm sticky substance in her mouth and it slid its way out and onto her lower muzzle and Brand’s pelvis. Brand’s hooves kept Mute’s head in place, ensuring she received every drop of his seed. When his cock finally stopped releasing its load he let her go. Mute’s head instantly went to the side and she puked out as much semen as she could, there was no way she was swallowing it! Brand Hoof laughed at the display, she’d get used to it after awhile he knew that for certain.

What Brand Hoof had not known, but soon would, was that Anger’s sapience had snapped. All the intelligence Anger had from her mother was gone, replaced with hatred. All that was left was anger, anger directed at Brand Hoof. Red sparks began to fizz and crackle around her body and horn. With each passing second it became worse. Soon the seven stallions holding her down looked down with horrified awe. Morality jumped into the doorway.

“Never fear Anger! I’ve fixed my nose bleed and I’m here to…” She looked down to see Anger’s body begin to have spasms. Morality began walking out. “Umm… right. I’m just gonna… I just gonna hide behind that rock… over there…” She darted for the nearest cover.

Anger’s eyelids flung open, revealing the eyes beneath them to be completely engulfed in a red light. She had done it. She had crossed the the line and broke the one rule that even the most black-hearted unicorns followed. It was simple: never give in to your anger completely. Magic is by itself powerful, but when infused with a powerful and unstable emotion like anger of its user magic was deadlier than an atom bomb to all around it, and Anger's hatred was impossible to control. Brand Hoof and his men, all earth ponies, had no clue about this rule. Before Brand Hoof or any of his fellow could even muster ‘what the…’ Anger sent out a magical pulse that destroyed the hideout’s wall and roof and cleared the fragment’s personal space of the seven stallions. Two of the unfortunate blokes were impaled onto debris, their dying breaths strained and painful as large pieces of wood and rock jutted out from their chests. Two had been thrown out to the front of the hideout. Getting up almost instantly and giving each other a horrified stare they bolted away from the scene, knowing it to be their only chance. The remaining three were thrown in front of Anger, who didn’t even give them a chance. The fragment pulled a stone support beam out of the ground with pure magical might and pieced one of the stallions in the chest, killing him instantly. The other had their necks sliced by magic and they were left to bleed out and die. Anger walked past her destruction and faced Brand Hoof. The slaver’s boss was too big to be thrown about like a ragdoll and snorted in anger, furious at the death of his beloved friends and co-workers.

“You…You BITCH! You’ll pay for that! I swear it!” And with that Brand hoof charged Anger, who could only happily oblige the challenge. Anger charged at Brand Hoof, a scowl plastered on her face. Before the two collided however Anger tripped herself, resulting in a slide that passed her right under Brand Hoof and into striking range. The stallion’s eyes widened in pain as blood and semen littered the floor in a rushed splatter. After coming to a complete stop Anger hopped up and turned to Brand Hoof, who was clutching his now non-existent private area. “You…you bitch. You cut off my… my…” He couldn’t even get the words out, who the hell cuts off a stallion’s privates during a battle?

“That’s the least of your worries you disgusting pig.” Anger yelled, her speech sounded like the royal Canterlot voice. At the end of her sentence Anger charged up all her magic, and I mean ALL of it, and sent it rushing forth towards Brand Hoof. The last sounds ever uttered by that lowlife slaver where screams of agony as everything down to the atoms in his cells were disintegrated by Anger's magic. Everything became eerily still.

Morality’s head popped out comically from behind her hidey rock. Dead seven stallion corpses littered the destroyed building; all that remained was Anger in the center of what had once been a building (Mute had been knocked behind Brand Hoof’s large chair). Anger was literally steaming; light magical red smoke billowed from her body as she panted heavily from the exhaustion of all her magic. Mute, frightened senseless, finally summoned the courage to step out from her hiding place. When she was three feet away from Anger the fragment turned around and stared her down. Mute winced, believing Anger about to attack her. Instead Anger stomped up to her, threw her hooves onto her shoulders and madly kissed her.

“Whoa.” Morality stated as she stepped out from her cover, her voice a blend of both sides of her psyche.

Anger kissed Mute in every spot possible on her face and mouth, even going to lick Brand Hoof’s semen off of her face and out of her mouth, replacing it with her own spittle.

“You know… I don’t swing their way but I find this incredibly hot…” Morality was so surprised by what she saw she didn't even notice her darker side had returned from its day long hiatus.

Anger and Mute broke the hot kiss and stared into each other’s eyes. “You’re mine, and no one else’s!” Anger blurted out. Mute nodded happily and they continued the kiss, Anger wrapping her forelegs around Mute's waist while the pegasus flung her own legs over Anger's shoulders.

“Wait a minute… Oh son of a bitch! We aren’t going to get any sleep now! I can already hear those two making nasty sex noises at night… Dammit.” Morality got over the scene her sister was making and finally realized her dark side was back. She retorted quite happily. “Well it seems you’re back. Blast, I was just getting used to the quiet. HAHA! You know it! I’m back, fully rested, and ready to set shit on fire!!” Morality laughed. “Aha ha! What is with you and wanting to do that? I swear you have a one track mind.” Chuckling some more Morality looked at Anger and Mute, now looking at each lovingly. All Morality could do was smile happily at her sister for finally making some progress with becoming more social (kinda). What a happy ending… despite the destroyed building, the eight dead stallions, and the fact that one of their little group was kidnapped and forced to give a sex slaver a blowjob.

Other than that… Such a happy ending.

~~~~

Miles away from the love and destruction sat the fragment Logic. Reading a very large tome on the couch of the Ponyville library’s main room she seemed engulfed in her work. This changed when the fragment lowered her reading tome slightly and looked around for any signs of life. Seeing none, her eyes shifted to a bag settled on the end table next to the couch on the left side. Darting her eyes about one more time she used her magic to grab a small object from the bag and hid it and her face behind the tome.

At that every moment Spike appeared from the kitchen. “Hey Logic I wanted to ask you something!” He cried.

Logic jumped at the sound of his voice and hastily put the tome to the side and brushed off her mouth with a foreleg. “Umm… yes Spike. Is there something you need?”

Spike was not oblivious to Logic’s frantic cover-up, but he’d learned long ago it was better not to ask. “Yeah I got another question about, you know, you and the other fragments.” The dragon spoke sheepishly, not knowing if this was a sensitive subject for Logic. It wasn’t.

“Of course Spike! You may ask me anything, you know that.” Logic relayed happily but keeping her neutral face. Spike had already asked Logic much about the fragments, it seemed as if his interest in them had no limits though his reasons were undoubtable.

Despite the warm response the dragon spoke cautiously. “Well I was wondering about Courage, about how heroic she was...I mean heck she was willing to sacrifice herself for Twilight.” Logic cocked an eye, Spike caught right up on it. “I know that ponies usually associate courage with heroism but you can be brave and evil at the same time, its not unheard of. Not only that but her heroism seemed more natural, not an ideal that was drilled into her head at birth.” Spike looked at the floor.

Logic chuckled, still no smile. “Well Spike I must say, you are just as smart and inspecting as Twilight Sparkle is.”

Spike laughed. “Yeah I know don’t remind me. You can’t really stay Twilight’s #1 assistant without some of her rubbing off on you.” The dragon’s mood was uplifted by this light banter.

“True enough.” Logic stated. “As to your question it is quite simple: we are foals.” Spike’s head went back a little, confused. Logic continued. “You see Spike, no matter how hard one may try, our environment and those we interact with will always affect our own personality. Foals learn by seeing and repeating and like them fragments do the same to an extent. Nothing can ever stay completely pure and so we begin to diverge from our original ideal and become more like average ponies. We develop… quirks I guess you could call them.”

Spike nodded in understanding. “Oh… so you mean like you cupcake thing?”

Logic’s eyes widened and her pupils shrank to small dots. She instantly grabbed the end table bag with magic and held it close her. “IT IS NOT A THING! IT IS A PERFECTLY REASONABLE ADMIRATION FOR THE DELICIOUS CONFECTIONARY BAKED GOOD! BESIDES I LIKE MORE THAN JUST THE CUPCAKES!” Logic’s chest heaved back and forth, not used to such yelling. When she looked at Spike’s confused look she whimpered like a puppy. “Please do not tell the others… especially Pinkamena.” Spike gave an are-you-serious look but this caused Logic to whimper again. Finally Spike’s eyes rolled and he nodded, calming the fragment down.

“So…” He pondered. “What kind of quirks would a fragment like Creativity or Anger develop?” He asked.

Logic chuckled to herself; very aware (thanks to Curiosity) that Creativity’s quirk had become claustrophobia. She deserves it, Logic thought. Recomposing herself, she answered his question. “Well… negative emotion fragments will most likely find something that is the exact opposite of their psyche, a kind of balancing act. So Anger will probably develop a quirk that can calm her down or makes her get away from the hatred. It is hard to tell sometimes, we are as unpredictable as any other pony.”

Spike nodded in understanding. He was happily Logic simplified things for him. “Thanks Logic that had been bugging me for a bit.” Logic nodded respectfully. Confirming their conversation was done Spike made his way to the door.

Logic’s eyebrow cocked. “Where are you going?” She inquired.

“Over to Rarity’s.” Spike stated. “She wants me to help her dig for gems again.”

“Very well.” Logic replied. “Just make sure you are back before dark and stay out of trouble… we have had enough of it this past week.” Spike nodded and headed out the door, making sure to close it quietly as was Twilight’s preference.

Logic waited for a bit with bated breath, leaning over the side of the couch staring at the door. When she was sure Spike was gone she pulled out the copy of Cupcakes: A History from its hiding place. Reading from where she had left off she quickly scanned the rest of her current chapter. “Blast it all! Not in this chapter either” She groaned, lying on her back while keeping the book magically levitated above her. “How are you able to make such irresistibly delectable baked goods Pinkamena?!” Logic gritted her teeth hard. “I will discover your secret to irresistible confections Pinkamena! I swear I shall!” With that decree escaping her mouth, Logic began to study hard once again.

Where the Players Stand

Spike's little dragon feet pawed their way across the ground towards Rarity’s Carousel Boutique. Logic was helping Rarity with a custom-fit dress for a very important client. The only drawback was the client was unable to come for the fittings and so Logic, only nanometers larger than the client, had offered her assistance. Spike was relieved to see Rarity’s workshop get larger and larger as he approached.

Inside the well-known little boutique the white unicorn stitched in more fibers to give the dress, if you could call it that, much more durability. After she completed that little tidbit she began walking around the pedestal Logic stood on, examining the dress’s progress (as well as its model). She gave the fragment a rather seductive smirk.

Logic saw this and became red in the face. “Umm… Rarity. I understand that I agreed to assist you in this endeavor but I must ask why this clothing is so… revealing.” It was true, the dress showed off as much skin as possible while still maintaining its ‘dress’ status. The back of the dress is what really irked Logic. The skirt part was as short as possible and oddly shaped, not only showing off so much backside it was a sin but it also magnifying it to look even more seductive. Logic didn’t like it. Though ponies were almost always naked it wasn’t until they put on clothes that they felt so prudish about showing off skin. It was an illogical embarrassment Logic had inherited from Twilight, and to have something illogical made Logic twitch like it was her job.

“Oh I’m terribly sorry about it Logic dear.” Sorry I can’t jump onto that pedestal right now and give you the time of your life. Rarity shook her head a bit and continued her work. “It’s just that this was what the customer wanted: A high class dress that at the same time as being beautiful she wanted it gaudier than you could believe! Those rebellious Canterlot youths, what are you going to do? Hmmm…” Rarity had reached her way to Logic backside and she was enjoying every second of staring at the purple butt.

Logic caught on real quick. “Stop that.” She growled unthreateningly. Rarity took it as playful sex rejection role-play and continued to stare until her workings brought her to the Logic’s side again.

At that moment Spike had finally reached the doorknob and entered the room, a newspaper in claw. “Hey you two I just wanted to… WHOA! Logic what in the world are you wearing?!” The little dragon had not seen a gaudier dress than the one decorating Logic at this very moment. The fragment pouted.

“Do not ask.” She replied.

Spike could not help but burst into a fit of giggling as he tossed the newspaper onto a nearby table, one claw was held forcefully over his mouth so as not to incur the fragment’s wrath. “Well… it’s" Spike snickered. "It’s really great looking on you Logic. It really shows off your…” He wasn’t able to finish.

“Logic, why in tarnation is your plot stickin’ out worse than a dog’s tongue on a hot summers day?” Applejack remarked as she entered the frilly boutique, having accepted the invitation Rarity had given her for lunch together that day.

“Do. Not. ASK.” Logic was sure to put emphasis on the last word, detailing her displeasure.

“Oh hello Applejack darling!” Rarity exclaimed. “I had completely forgotten out our lunch get together today, silly me. I’m putting the final touches on a… a questionable dress for one of Canterlot’s elite. Logic has been assisting me with modeling.” The fashion pony smiled heartily.

“What kind of fancy pants Canterlot noble wants somethin’ so… revealing?” Applejack couldn’t even guess at who wanted this type of thing.

“Ah, ah, ah Applejack. I mustn’t reveal customer’s names. It’s bad work ethic, you know that.” Rarity smiled as Applejack shook her head in understanding. Rarity turned back to her work and carefully applied the last stitch. “There! Finally done! And it only took twelve hours! Quite the record if I do say myself. Ok Logic you may remove the dress.”

“Finally.” The fragment sighed in relief. Hopping off the pedestal she quickly made her way to the bathroom, she had to pee real bad after standing in one spot for twelve straight hours.

Applejack chuckled. “Well she sure is starting to be quite the average mare, if I do say so.”

“Oh yes.” Rarity replied. “She’s quite helpful! She helped Sweetie Belle and her friends with their homework, showed Fluttershy timesaving animal feeding techniques, and even helped Rainbow balance her checkbook! That last one is a miracle that I thought only the Elements of Harmony could fix. Oddly enough she’s stayed away from Pinkie Pie.” Rarity pondered this for a moment.

“Can ya blame her?” Applejack retorted. “Every time she’s near that mare she starts twitchin’ somethin’ fierce! It quite funny to watch, truth be told.” Applejack chuckled at the thought of Logic’s twitching issue.

At that moment the door of the boutique opened yet again, this time revealing two mares. The one on the left had pudding yellow fur, a big poofy orange mane, lime green eyes, and finally a cutie mark of three carrots. The other mare was light blue with steel blue eyes and a periwinkle mane featuring a dark blue streak, an hourglass plastered her rump.

“Golden Harvest! Minuette! Such a pleasure to see both of you! What brings you here today? My, I haven’t really spoken to either of you in months!” Rarity rambled on until Applejack stopped her cold, allowing the two mares to speak.

“I know it has been long hasn’t it?” Golden Harvest remarked. “I wished we’d visit more but… we’ve been busy.” With that she turned their attention to Minuette, who turned around to show off her gorging belly. Rarity gasped.

“Oh my! You’ve finally found a donor? Oh that’s so wonderful! Of all the couples in town you two deserve a bundle of joy for your own! So whose the donor?” Rarity’s gossip mode activated, eager to discover the foal’s donor father.

Minuette and Golden Harvest smiled to each other. “Well that’s just it, she doesn’t have one. We saved up enough bits to buy those magic pills that can allow two mares to, you know, have a biological child together. Minuette volunteered to carry it, seeing how I’m the one who does the hard labor on the farm while she does our checkbooks.” The two smiled at each other, reminiscing about how they met. To those watching, expect Spike, who hated all that mushy stuff, it was truly a beautiful display of true love.

A loud flushing could be heard from down the hall as Logic finally had finished her business, though half the time was spent simply preparing for the task. “Ugh.” She stated while leaving the bathroom and throwing her dress aside. “Disgusting organic processes. I have been here for more than two weeks and still I find trouble each time I must excrete wastes. Why is it so hard for a pony’s body to use all of the materials it intakes?” Sighing again she’d began the short stride back to the main room.

Applejack gasped. “Oh no! We can’t let Logic know these two are havin' a kid together!”

“Why?” Spike and Rarity asked in unison.

“Why?! Cause it’s an illogical possibility or somethin’ like that! Her brain won’t process right and she’ll have a meltdown!” Applejack worriedly stated.

“What will have a meltdown Applejack?” Logic appeared behind the orange mare, causing her to jump and land facing the fragment. “Equestria is nowhere near having the technology required for nuclear power plants or any other large industrial center prone to such things.” She cocked an eyebrow.

Before Applejack could respond Golden Harvest jumped in between them with a big smile. “Oh Twilight! Minuette and I are having a foal together! Just us! No stallions involved at all… well there was that one time we…” She cut herself off once her partner gave her an ice-cold look.

Logic blinked twice and then nodded. “Is that so? Well I am quite happy for the both of you! May you raise your new foal to be healthy, strong, and, most importantly, intellectual.” Applejack’s jaw dropped hard.

“W-What?! How are ya not twitching like crazy right now?” She barked at the fragment. “It’s impossible for two mares to naturally have a foal! You should be jumping worse than when Pinkie Pie's had coffee!”

“Applejack please, if one does not take in the account of magic into things in this world than much would make no sense. Pinkamena is no unicorn so her abilities are…” Logic twitched. “Wrong.”

“Ooo! Did someone say my name?!” Said an excited Pinkie Pie as she appeared from nowhere standing on Logic’s back.

Logic’s pupils shrank. “H-How did you?! All other entrances are sealed and we did not… you cannot… But it is not…” Logic’s twitching started up again.

Pinkie’s eyes rolled. “I came to see the new mommies silly! I want to plan a baby shower for them! They told me to meet them here cause they need Rarity to make some maternity things for them.” With that Pinkie hopped off Logic and went over to the others.

Rarity’s eyes lit up. “Oh you want me to make you some things for that blossoming belly of yours hmm? Of course I will darling it’s the least I could do!” She went to a nearby door and opened it up to lead them inside. “You’ll need to show me what fabrics you want and… Applejack! Pinkie Pie! Could you come in here and assist me?” The two mentioned ponies nodded and proceeded inward through the door.

Alone together, Logic and Spike stared in confusion at what had just happened. Logic was the first to break a lengthy silence. “So ummm… Spike. I have a gift for you.” She turned towards the dragon and pulled out a dazzling gold gauntlet with an equally dazzling emerald carved into it. The dragon’s eyes widened in awe of it. “I would have given it to you earlier but I did not believe it necessary… until our run-ins Creativity and Deceit.”

“What is it? Some sort of super awesome weapon?!” Spike asked, eager to use it if it was.

“No it is a tracking gauntlet. With it I can always know where you are, whether your playing outside or are being pursued by lustful intentions.” She peered over to the room Rarity was in and cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Oh come!” He retorted. “I’m not that much of pervert!”

Logic chuckled (still without a smile) and placed around his left wrist. The dragon loved it. It was so stylish, even for a boy to wear. “If you could hurry back to the library so I can test it out…” Logic began,

Spike finished. “Yeah I know. It’s alright I was going back anyway. I gotta lot of stuff to do still. See ya Logic.” The dragon waved goodbye as he left, the fragment nodded respectfully.

Turning to join the others, Logic finally noticed the Spike’s newspaper’s headline: Manehatten in Fear! Multiple Ponies Attacked. Logic looked at this with a frown. “How unfortunate. But it is not our place to help in such things. We must rebuild Twilight. I am sure the Princess has this under control.”

~~~~

“Ugh! This is totally not under control!”

Princess Celestia sighed deeply as she read the reports over again. The ponies that had been attacked recently in Manehatten had been done so with skill. The attacker left no evidence and the victims didn’t wish to discuss it, no matter how hard the guards pressed them. It was as if they were against a ghost. But no, she couldn’t give up! She was Princess Celestia! She’d find a way to capture this evil! All she had to do was think… which would be a lot easier with that loud thumping sound. “Must you do that while I’m working?! It’s very distracting!” She barked.

Nestled snuggly on his back on the left side of Celestia’s rounded bed laid High General Duncan of the Equestrian Military, a paddle in his mouth. Attached to his paddle was a ball and string and with each up and down movement of the General’s lower jaw it bounced back and forth, off the paddle and then caught by the string to fall back and repeat the pattern. After a few more seconds of mind numbing paddling, the General spit out his paddle and sat up.

“Well it’s your fault for working so much…” He poorly retorted. “Calm down a minute and think straight. It’ll be cool heads that catch this sicko not you being jealous of my paddling skills.” He smiled humorously at his remark.

Celestia looked at her General, splayed out naked on her bed, his shining silver leg gauntlets and single left shoulder spaulder sitting whimsically at the right bedside. She chuckled a bit, deciding to counter his humor with her own. “Well from what your wife tells me about your ‘paddling’ skills, I’ve no need to worry.”

Duncan’s ears turned back in embarrassment and he looked away, red in the face. “Did you really have to go there?” He said, clearly thrown off by the Princess’s vulgarity. He sometimes forgot that she acted much differently when it was just the two of them together. She chuckled again as Duncan reached for a pack on his left shoulder. Usually it was hidden by his spaulder but now it was in plain view, attached by leather strap to his upper left leg. From it he pulled out a bright yellow lollipop and using both his hooves, rather deftly, he unravel the wrapper and placed the candy in his mouth. Bleh! It was lemon flavored and Duncan hated lemons. Despite this he continued to suckle on it. Duncan's transition away from his smoking addiction had not been seamless. He still needed some cigarette-sized object in his mouth providing him with some flavor in order to feel relaxed. Lying down on his back once more he sighed in relief, placing his right hind leg onto his left one and positioning both forelegs behind his head.

Celestia could not help but intruded. “So… Duncan. Is something wrong?” She asked, taking on a motherly tone. Duncan’s eyes simply rolled a full three hundred sixty degrees.

“No. What makes you think that? Not that I’m prying mind you.” He replied calmly.

“Well it’s just that you usually prefer the right side of my bed. You only take the left side when something’s wrong.” Duncan’s mouth opened in protest. “And don’t try to say otherwise. I haven’t known you this long to not understand your mannerisms.” Her tone was serious, with good reason. When Duncan was worried it meant something bad.

“It’s nothing, really. I’m just pondering troop deployments in my head. It ain’t easy to guard the eastern half of Equestria’s border with a little over three hundred soldiers. Of course I’d have nearly seven hundred if they hadn’t been injured in the Changeling’s invasion of Canterlot. Whose fault is that I wonder?” Duncan gave Celestia a drab look. She knew he was still sore about her allowing Shining Armor to take over two hundred and fifty ponies away from the eastern border to defend Canterlot when it was threatened. The irony was of course that the Changelings had gotten into Equestria from the east and the undermanned defenses, requiring at least six hundred soldiers to be effective, were unable to keep them out after almost sixteen hours of fighting. Though they had taken out a great deal of enemies they’d lost nearly two hundred soldiers in the fighting and the two hundred and fifty Shining had borrowed where also hit in the attack on Canterlot. The east, Duncan’s domain, was now very, very undermanned and weak.

“I know. I know. You needn’t remind me of my blunder Duncan. I’m just glad Twilight had seen threw the ruse of the Queen.” Celestia’s voice was weak and sad, a tone no one but Duncan had ever heard.

The General decided to change the subject. “Speaking of Twilight Sparkle, how is she?” He’d hoped to gladden her up by talking about her favorite student. He failed; she became a little more distraught.

“I haven’t heard from her in over two weeks. I worry for my precious little student.” Her eyes conveyed the sadness in her heart over Twilight’s silence.

“Oh I’m sure she’s fine!” Duncan said, laughing. “It’s Ponyville, remember? It’s so peaceful there that there’s no way something big worth writing about will happen every week! Don’t worry, when things get exciting, she’ll write you the biggest letter yet!” This attempt worked.

“Thank you Duncan, that was sweet. But really. Are you sure you’re ok?” The Princess asked. Duncan nodded; he was lying of course. In reality his thoughts centered around a certain mare that he prayed was not the trouble he pegged her for.

The Princess smiled, falsely sensing truth in his tone. “Alright very well. I suppose that I overreact about you sometimes. But that’s what friends are…” A loud knocking sound from her large golden bedroom door interrupted the Princess. “Come in.” She said, taking on an official tone once more.

A white mare covered in the traditional Royal Guard armor stepped through. Her walk was sheepish and her face down in fear. Duncan and Celestia pegged her as a new recruit almost instantly. “U-Umm… Y-Your Majesty? I have a message to umm… G-Give to you from…” She was sweating severely.

“Well come on. She won’t bite… as far as I know.” Duncan chuckled at the glare shot to him by Celestia. The recruit was dumbstruck that this stallion off to her side was regarding the Princess like that. Where in the world is his cutie mark? She wondered as she stared at his hips to try and catch a glimpse of his mark, hoping it would tip her off with his identify.

She recomposed herself. “Oh! Right! Umm… The guard forces in Manehatten want you to send a high-ranking office to collect the information they have about the attacker that’s been hitting us for the past few weeks.” She gulped after she finished.

“I see.” Celestia replied. “Very well. I will send Captain Armor to Manehatten immediately!”

“Can’t. He has the week off remember?” Duncan added while nudging himself over towards the other side of the bed and reaching for his armaments at its edge.

“Oh right… Drat!” Celestia pondered for a bit and then smiled, turning to Duncan. “How about you go pick them up Duncan?” She said rather coyly.

“Oh sure when I’m just around you insult my aptitudes but when you need me it’s just: Go do this Duncan, pweety please? Alluring smile, wink wink.” He looked up at her frowning as he strapped on the first part of his left foreleg armor. It was custom made into two separate parts so that Duncan could bend the joint right above the hoof with ease.

“Only for you my dearest Duncan.” The Princess smiled at her beloved friend as he strapped on the last leg piece, forgetting herself while an out-of-the-loop recruit stood dumbfounded.

“Very well. I’ll go right now.” Duncan replied as he tightened the strap that held his spaulder in place. He walked towards the door quickly to avoid the recruit, she’d be asking him questions he just knew it.

“Duncan.” Celestia called before Duncan was halfway out the door. “Are you positive nothing’s wrong?”

Duncan smiled cockily. “Celeste darling everything’s fine. Even if things weren’t it’d be ok. It’ not like that stuff can get to you here. I mean what are they gonna do? Set the place on fire?”

~~~~

Dusty Broom’s insides were on fire. She’d never felt pleasure like this before; it was ecstatic! All her other marefriends were good but as she looked down at the purple mare feasting like a beast on her precious marehood, she could only cry out in ecstasy.

“Al…Almost… there… come on! Do me you dirty whore!” She loved dirty talk during sex; it made the experience ten times better. Finally the lapping mare knew that she wanted badly so, being merciful and totally not sadistic, she jammed her tongue into the folds of Dusty Broom’s cunt causing a ripple the mare could resist. “Oh YES! I-I’m c-c-c…” She didn’t even finish. Her sex’s juices spilled out over the mare’s face and mouth, shoving the sticky love juice down her throat as she swallowed each blast. After Broom’s convulsing was done the eating mare climbed up to look the Canterlot maid in the face, her own covered in her juices.

“So how was it love?” Creativity asked sweetly.

“It…It was amazing Ebony.” The maid said after many hard breathes.

“Glad you liked it.” Creativity seductively pulled Broom in for a hot kiss. Broom loved it, tasting herself in Creativity’s mouth. After over a minute of smooching Creativity broke off. “So you think you’ll be able to get my papers through so I could be on Celestia’s personal maid staff with you?” Broom nodded. “Good. Thanks so much love.” The fragment stated as she nuzzled her partner once last time and got up to leave. “Until next time.” Creativity winked and walked out of the supply closet.

Steadfast’s disgusted grimace did not change as he turned his head to see his master walk out, covered in mare sex juice. “Do I really need to stand her and keep guard while you go on various misadventures? Sorry if I don’t seem really glad about two mares doing it in the room behind me it’s just that I have some decency.”

“Oh shut up.” Creativity retorted. “Look on the bright side: it wasn’t a stallion this time.” Steadfast’s head went back a little. It was true; having to guard the door while he heard Creativity getting mounted hard by some random guard stallion was not his favorite memory to repeat. Creativity tilted her head to the left, signaling that they were leaving. As they began to trot down the halls began Steadfast felt guilty.

“I’m sorry Spring its just… well I didn’t you swung… you know… both ways.” Steadfast’s face reddened with blush by the end.

“What are you talking about? I don’t prefer anyone. I’m asexual my dear Steadfast.” Steadfast’s head went back at this remark.

“What? But you… Even you cried out in pleasure when you two were… umm… doing it. Not only that but I think you came too!” Steadfast retorted back.

Creativity’s head swung back and forth in disappointment. “Steadfast the body is simply a machine. And like a machine it responds to activation stimuli. Even if your conscious mind is asexual your body can become aroused. The body’s a machine, pure and simple. The only thing that matters is the mind. Everything else is transparent, there to sustain and transport your mind. In fact the only good thing sex brings is procreation, and some stress release if need be. Actually Steadfast if you ever needed ‘stress release’, I’d be happy to help.” Creativity had stated this rather smugly, lifting her tail at the last part to show her wet cunt.

“That’s rather cruel and calculating.” Steadfast replied, totally skipping over that last bit because he really didn’t want to go there with her.

“Ha! Who do you think your talking to my friend? Geez it’s like you don’t even know me.” Creativity shook her head. “Heh heh. Oh, turn down here Steadfast. I need a shower.” The guard did as he was told and followed his master.

Canterlot Palace was an old place, really old. With so little room to expand, being on the side of a mountain and all, the expansion of some sections over time had to be postponed. One such section was the work staff shower rooms. Because ponies have no sense of nudity it was open to both genders and as one could imagine this can cause some issues, least of all was actual legroom, the palace staff had been twenty times smaller when the castle was built and though the staff grew the showers had only been expanded once. Creativity and Steadfast emerged from the locker room with towels thrown around their necks.

“I don’t think it’s such a bad name Steadfast. I mean look at the bright side; the initials could have been switched. I bet you’d love waltzing around with the initials B.S.” Creativity chuckled a bit at the stallion’s dislike of the second part of his name.

“Oh yes it’d be grand!” The stallion replied sarcastically. He hated it when Creativity gave her two sense about his life. Even so, Steadfast liked talking with Creativity. Despite what one might think she was an above-average listener and, when necessary, gave great insight or encouragement. She might have a bomb strapped to his neck, but Steadfast felt like he was the world to her whenever they talked, and it was time to repay the favor.

The shower room was empty, which made sense seeing how it was the middle of the day. The pair threw their towels onto a bench and stepped into the nearest shower together. Steadfast blushed, as he’d done the other times, as Creativity nonchalantly followed him into the open shower (She had a bad sense of personal space). With the turn of a lever warm water poured from the shower’s nozzle, wetting the two instantly. As Steadfast rustled shampoo into his mane he took this moment to act. “So…” He began. “After you get Twilight’s body, then what?” He actually was genuinely interested in this topic.

Creativity pondered her answer as she dunked her head under the nozzle to get out her shampoo. Flipping her mane back as she brought her head up she smiled. “What will I do? I’m not sure. What does one do with life? I’ve never experienced anything outside of Twilight’s memories and my short two weeks of life. First I guess I'll pay Trixie a visit, reconcile with her, and maybe have sex, who knows?” She chuckled at bit. She knew all to well that Trixie might not even be alive when she becomes the Alpha Twilight.

“Trixie? That stage mare that acted real snobbish and boasted a lot? Why would you want to make up with her?” Steadfast could never understand Creativity’s motives.

Creativity began lathering soap all over her wet body, making sure to get in every crevice (Steadfast had to cross his legs to hide a hardening private). “Because Steadfast: to let the past guide you is foolish. You must always look towards the future, to new and creative discoveries. If you don’t you get trapped by idiotic traditions that only hold back true progress. I will not be held back.” With the soap all lathered up Creativity proceeded to wash it off, she made sure to close her eyes to avoid water seeping in.

“I guess that makes sense.” Steadfast was also washing off the soap from his body. “Let’s hope your sister gets all the fragments together before the Elements of Harmony get involved, or worse: Princess Celestia.”

Creativity’s eyes shot open and her pupils shrank. “W-What do you mean?” She asked, trying to keep her confident tone.

“Well it’s just, I don’t know… It seems like your plans could be stopped pretty quickly if Logic used the Elements of Harmony. I mean come on they beat Nightmare Moon AND Discord. They both had godlike power. And even still, if she simply told the Princess you’d have nowhere to hide, especially here in Canterlot.” Steadfast was nonchalant, not realizing the full extent of what he’d just said. Creativity on the other hand was quite shaken. Steadfast was right! The Elements of Harmony could stop any plan she had in a heartbeat, and it was only Twilight’s fear of disappointing her mentor that kept Logic from simply telling the Princess what happened. All it would take was the swallowing of pride and a single letter and everything was over. Creativity twitched, was her plan really that fragile? Could it really be over like that?! No… No it can’t be. She wouldn’t allow it.
“Hey Spring you coming?” Creativity’s head jolted up from its down position. Steadfast was at the entrance to their shower, looking at her.

“I-I… I need to take another shower.” Those were the only words that came out. Creativity grabbed the shampoo and started to begin cleaning herself again. Steadfast was confused at first but soon a thought came to his mind: you get to watch Creativity bathe again. Cheeks reddened with blush, Steadfast walked over to his showerhead and pretended to do things as he watched his beautiful master shower again. He felt perverted and knew the right thing to do was leave, but the hardening flesh between his legs provided a strong protest.

~~~~

The legs of the little dragon Spike had once again carried him across the stretch of land between Rarity’s boutique and Twilight’s library. Finally reaching the library door he flung it open with a thwack, not watching his dragon’s strength on the count that his attention was glued to his wrist. The gauntlet Logic had given him was amazing; he’d never seen an emerald like the one nestled into it. Spike wondered what it could do, the temptation was overbearing. Luckily he knew all too well that Logic would give him a stern talking to if he played with it so he turned his attention to his chores.

Cleaning the library was no easy feat, but Spike had become a master at it. In no less than half an hour he’d cleaned all but Logic’s personal work desk. The fragment usually kept it in a very orderly fashion but she had to rush today to help Rarity with the…umm… dress? Spike smiled, knowing Logic would be so happy if he cleaned it for her. It didn’t take long, just some stacking there and putting away over here. Very simple, until Spike got to the bottom of the stack, where a plain reddish brown notebook lay. It was worn and other that an old insignia on the front, a triangular shield that was equally cut into symmetrical parts down the middle, its cover was blank. Unlike with his new jewelry, Spike’s curiosity could not be sated. He jumped into the desk chair and opened the notebook. Big surprise: it was filled with notes… Logic’s notes. Spike began to read the texts, despite a moral protest. Inside were details on building capture devices and how they worked, Logic’s experiences with having a body, basic information about fragments in general, Logic’s thoughts on Twilight’s friends, a pretty drawing of Rarity and Spike together, and some cupcake recipes (with a rather witty poem dedicated to the confectionary treat towards the end). The next part is what caught Spike’s eye. It read as follows:

After almost two week I am finally able to ascertain how many fragments escaped Twilight Sparkle’s mind. It seems that there are thirty-five of us. Thirty-five Twilights from one. This is a good sign considering we now have twenty captured. There would have been forty-two of us, but Twilight’s mind finally reacted to the fragmentation, sealing itself off and protecting any remaining psyche of our mother. Huh, it would have been interesting if there had been forty-two, considering ponies believe forty-two to be the number of life and the universe. A foolish notion. Numbers are artificial constructs, meant only to give order to the chaos of our existence. There is no such thing as a universal number. Only a fool would believe in such a thing. Besides, if there were a number of the universe, which there is not, anyone that used 11% of his or her brain would know that it is…

Spike’s head tilted back as the next part of the sentence was blocked out by blackness. The page looked as if had been burned, restored, then burned again for added effect. Spike saw a star next to the blackness and spotted another towards the bottom.

*Addendum: do not write universal number down when thinking of it as universal number. The consequences of doing so are… problematic.

Spike shook his head and continued to the next page, which held a large chart on it. Finally feeling like he hit the jackpot, Spike continued to read.

Below is a chart of all the fragments that have escaped. I have made sure to detail whether they have been captured or not, for future reference. I am still trying to piece together how these emotions and mindsets escaped when others did not. I will review notes and compile a theory next moment I have the time. As for the fragments they are as follows:

#1: Memory, Status: Deceased. Addendum: It appears that the memories that we fragments posses are not natural. It is only because of Memory magically sacrificing herself and transferring the memories to her sisters that we are not running around with any knowledge at all. May she rest in peace. #2: Logic, Status: Assisting. #3: Anger, Status: Gratis. #4: Generosity, Status: Captured. #5: Greed, Status: Captured. #6: Stupidity, Status: Captured. #7: Happiness, Status: Captured. #8: Sadness, Status: Captured. #9: Paranoia, Status: Gratis. #10: Outgoing, Status: Gratis. #11: Gluttony, Status: Captured. #12: Courage, Status: Captured. #13: Fear, Status: Captured. #14: Hysteria, Status: Captured. #15: Curiosity, Status: Assisting. #16: Creativity, Status: Hostile. #17: Honesty, Status: Captured. #18: Deceit, Status: Hostile. #19: Humor, Status: Captured. #20: Solemn, Status: Captured. #21: Kindness, Status: Captured. #22: Bigotry, Status: Captured. #23: Testosterone, Status: Captured. #24: Loyalty, Status: Captured. #25: Betrayal, Status: Gratis #26: Morality, Status: Gratis. #27: Hope, Status: Gratis. #28: Athletics, Status: Captured. #29: Friendship, Status: Captured. #30: Misanthrope, Status: Captured. #31: Respect, Status: Gratis. #32: Insomnia, Status: Captured. #33: Excitement, Status: Gratis. #34: Determination, Status: Gratis. #35:….

The page was burnt because of Logic’s earlier mistake; it couldn’t be read. Spike groaned in frustration and closed the book; the chart had been the last thing. Placing the book in a cozy little spot on the desk, the little dragon left to get something to eat. He knew that not knowing that last fragment was going to bug him to no end.

Miles away in Canterlot Creativity and Steadfast walked into the shower locker room. Creativity was certain that the Elements and the Princess would need to be taken out of the picture, but how? As her thoughts shifted about she noticed the headline of a newspaper on a bench.

“Oh no. Oh no, Oh no, Oh no!” She cried as she read the details closely. “She got out too?! Dammit! Of all the… WHY?!” Creativity crumbled up the paper angrily.

Steadfast took a step forward, shocked. “Wait. You know whose behind the attacks?!” His face was stern, thinking Creativity had a hand in these attacks somehow.

The fragment grumbled. “Know her? I’m related to her!”

~~~~

The night air was brisk and moist with dew. Magical street lamps lighted the dark streets of Manehatten, though no one was actually walking on them. Four armored stallions racing down the street broke the night silence. The two unicorns and two pegasi bolted into a dark alleyway, glad they had received the tip off from a passerby. Coming to a stop they stood tall against the scene before them. A stallion was on his back unconscious, a dark figure in the shape of a mare leaning against his own.

One of the guards finally spoke. “Halt! In the name of her royal majesty Princess Celestia!” Despite a strong voice and sturdy demeanor, this stallion was a bit frightened. This mare had attacked many ponies here in Manehattan successfully and that was unnerving. Also the smell didn’t help… What was that smell? Was that… semen?

The mare rose from her down position into a standing one, a creepy, pearly white smile plastered on her face and her eyes closed. When she reached her full standing position her eyes popped open, revealing the hot pink pupils behind them. “Halt?” She cooed. “That’s not a very relative order if I’m standing still, don’t you agree?” She chuckled a bit.

“You are under arrest for the rape of this stallion here and the other forty-eight you’ve assaulted.” The Unicorn Captain said, lighting his horn. “Step into the light and offer no resistance! We will use force!”

The mare walked into the light nonchalantly, revealing her purple fur and dark purple mane with a reddish stripe. Her chuckling continued. “Ok lets set thinks straight, that stallion wanted me to have sex with him. No rape involved my good sirs.” She replied.

“Even still you will be arrest for the other forty-eight attacks. And now that we know you rape your victims you're going to be stopped.” The Captain stated.

Lust laughed. “Ahaha! Sorry but those weren’t me. I’ve haven’t had sex with that many ponies… yet. Besides, rape is so cliché. I prefer willing participates, it’s much more fun.” Lust smiled innocently.

“I do not believe you. Guards, take her in.” Snarled the Captain.

“HA! You think you can catch me?” Lust responded.

“Well.” The Captain chuckled. “Aren’t we a bit cocky?”

Lust looked shocked. “Me? Cocky? No I’m not cocky.” She looked over to the stallion and back. “I was a few minutes ago. Oh yes. So very full of… ‘Cocky’.” She smiled as she reminisced.

The Captain grunted. “Get her.”

The three other guards charged Lust, who teleported instantly and caused them to slam into each other. A pink flash coming form the rooftops, the Captain looked over fast enough to see Lust waving them goodbye before she disappeared over the rooftops.

The Captain turned to his men. “Pull yourselves together! We have to catch her! Swift Storm, Thunder Blitz! Fly over the rooftops and stay on her! Willow Wisp and I will be up shortly.” The pegasi saluted and flew over the rooftops in pursuit of Lust.

The fragment in question was dashing about the rooftops, smiling to herself. “Well that was easy. Too bad I couldn’t get some action with them, they were my kinda size!” Just then the two pegasi landed in her path. Lust grinded to a halt and turned around to flee, only to be met by the unicorns. Looking between the two advancing groups Lust knew there was one option. “Hey guys, come on. We can settle this like mature, grown-up adults. So… who wants a sex orgy?” All four stallions took a hard step forward in aggression. Lust sighed. “No one ever picks the sex orgy.” The fragment teleported once again as magic blasts struck her location. A pink spark appeared some ways away at one of Manehatten’s parks. The stallions nodded to each other and raced off.

Running along the park path they came to a rest stop occupied by only one other: a pony sitting on a bench reading a newspaper that covered their whole face. The Captain half closed his eyes in disappointment. Strolling over he moved the paper out of his line of sight to reveal Lust. “Really?” He asked.

“What? It worked in the Daring Do books.” With that Lust used her limber body, obtained through massive amounts of sexual intercourse, to hop over the back of the bench and send it flying forward with magic, sending the Captain and Thunder Blitz flying back. The other two charged her and this is when Lust prepared her ultimate attack. Love spells were easy, no matter what some would tell you. You just need the right mixture of magic to manipulate the pony's hormones and… whoa.

“I might have overdone it.” Lust admitted. The two guards had been blasted back by the force of Lust’s spell. When they came to the pegasus guard spotted a lamppost and started to furiously hump it. I mean really, he was going to town on this thing. The unicorn had awoken to the sight of his captain and was now trying very hard to kiss and make love to him. The Captain was holding him back shouting orders. “Hmmm… I should really learn to focus more so I don’t do stuff like this. I mean I still think it’s hot as hell and if you guys weren’t chasing me I’d masturbate unendingly to this but that’s not the case so I gotta go! Bye.” The fragment sprinted away.

“Oh no you don’t!” The other pegasus guard, Swift Storm, had gotten up and chased after Lust, his captaining screaming a warning to him.

Swift Storm found himself down another dark alleyway. He spotted Lust. “Hold it right there!” He shouted.

“Alright, alright. You got me.” Lust said, putting her hooves in the air.

Swift Storm walked up to her. “You’re damn right I did! Now you’re coming with me you… hmpft!” Lust had cut the guard off by smacking her lips to his, invading his mouth with her tongue. The two simply stood their, tongue intertwined. Swift Storm couldn’t believe this! Was this really happening? Swift Storm was still a virgin, hell he’d never even kissed a mare before. She was so soft, so gentle, so cute. The stallion wrapped his arms around Lust’s waist, basic male instincts taking over.

The Captain had subdued the other two guards and now raced to help Swift Storm. Following the hoof prints he turned down an alley to find Swift Storm, on the ground, unarmored, and smelling of sweet lovemaking. The Captain stared, mouth agape. “What?” The stallion replied. “She was very persuasive.” The Captain smacked his hoof to his face.

~~~~

Even in the dead of night Canterlot Castle brimmed with lights and activity. In the servants quarters Creativity was hastily packing some things into a traveling bag. Steadfast stood on the sidelines watching her frantic pace.

“Ok so you understand the instructions I gave you yes?” Steadfast nodded at Creativity’s question. The fragment nodded. “Ok good. Now I may be gone for a day or two so don’t worry, just act normal until I return. After that we can start to plan the next phase.” The fragment lost herself in thought again.

Steadfast couldn’t help himself anymore. “Creativity what’s all this about? Where are you going?” The recruit didn’t like being kept in the dark like this.

“Simple my dear Steadfast. I’m going to deal with our Elements of Harmony problem. Plain and simple. After that we can deal with the Princess.” Creativity placed the bag on her back with magic and began to walk out.

Steadfast called to her. “Deal with the Elements? How the world are you gonna do that?”

There was a long silence. Creativity kept herself turned away from Steadfast. The stallion became unnerved. Then, slowly, Creativity turned her head, revealing a smile. It wasn’t just any smile however; it was a satanic smile that requested that blood be spilt and nothing less.

“Why Steadfast, in the traditional manner of course.”

To Fracture An Element

Warning: This chapter contains graphic violence.

Logic stepped out of the library’s kitchen into the main room of the homey tree house, a baking tray hovering in a green aura next to her. She placed the metal holder down to inspect her work. Excellent, she thought while staring at the six delicious-looking cupcakes before her. Lifting one up with magic she brought to her mouth and quickly inhaled it, barely even chewing. After a few seconds of taste analysis the fragment scowled and gave out an irritated sigh. “Still not as good as Pinkamena’s. Ugh! I must learn her secrets behind creating these confectionary treats!” The fragment quickly engulfed all but one of the remaining treat, leaving the last for Spike.

The mentioned dragon was currently occupied with placing books back on their shelves. The library was still open, regardless of Twilight’s predicament. However ponies were less inclined to replace the books back to their rightful shelves after returning them without the constant vigilance of Twilight Sparkle to ensure they did so. Spike was nearing the end of his task, only one more book to go. As he picked it up he looked to see the title to get an idea of where it should go. To the dragon’s surprise the book in question was the Elements of Harmony book Twilight referenced during the situation with Nightmare Moon. An odd thought crept into the dragon’s mind. The Elements had defeated Nightmare Moon, they had defeated Discord. What was one piece of psyche to them? They could no doubt bring Creativity to her knees. Logic was technically Twilight so she could probably use the Element of Magic. It was worth asking. “Hey Logic…” The dragon began.

“Yes Spike? Is something wrong? I am quite busy right now.” The fragment didn’t even lift her head from her cupcake notes.

“It’s about the Elements of Harmony. Do you think it’d be possible to use them on Creativity?” Spike looked at the fragment anxiously, waiting for a response.

“Of course we could use the Elements. I am technically Twilight Sparkle after all. In fact I am positive that we if we used them all the fragments would instantly return to Twilight, fixing our little mess.” Still the fragment’s head was plastered to her notes, face unmoving.

Spike’s jaw dropped low. “W-WHAT?! You mean we could have fixed all this over two weeks ago?! Why in the world haven’t we used the Elements?!” Spike couldn’t believe this! All this time Twilight could have been fixed instantly.

“No. To use the Elements would mean we would have to tell Princess Celestia about Twilight’s mess up. She cannot learn of it.” Logic face showed real fear at the last part. She may be just a small piece, but Logic was almost identical to Twilight Sparkle, fears and all. “Besides, if we even made a step towards them Creativity would stop us. I shall not put the others lives in danger. After all that is how Creativity would solve the problem: incapacitating one of the Elements so they could not use their piece of the puzzle.” This explanation was important enough to have Logic look up at her charge and give him the look of I-know-what-I’m-doing-don’t-doubt-me.

Spike pondered for a second. “Well… what if Creativity doesn’t know about the Elements? What if she has no clue about the threat they pose?”

“Do not be silly Spike. Creativity must know of their power and how it could stop her. If she did not the very shock of knowing all of her plans could be undone instantly would… drive her…to…” Logic’s face lightened with realization. How could she not take that into account? If Creativity really didn’t know it would have dire consequences. But she has to know. She has Twilight’s memories, how could she not? Unless she didn’t bother delving into just how powerful the Elements are. But no, it was an impossible notion. Creativity wouldn’t… wouldn’t…

The explosion that ripped through the air was of immeasurable strength. The shockwaves caused books to topple off their shelves, Spike fell over and Logic face became white. “Wha-What’s happening?! What was that?!” Spike tried to balance himself but with the shockwaves still pulsating through Ponyville it was impossible for the dragon to gain a footing.

“S-Spike, gather Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkamena, and Fluttershy. When you are finished return here and stay put!” Logic ordered as she looked out the window towards Sweet Apple Acres, smoke billowing into the clouds from its direction.

Spike gained a footing. “What?! What’s…” He looked out the window and saw the rising smoke. “No! I want to help too! I can…”

“Spike!” Logic cut him off. “No. You WILL stay here.” Logic headed for the door and opened it wide. “I… I want Twilight Sparkle to have a life to return to.” The fragment stated without turning her head. After a moment of silence between them Logic fled towards the Apple’s farm.

~~~~

The red barn house burned bright orange as flames engulfed it effortlessly. Big Macintosh jumped back and skidded a bit to avoid the yellow blast of energy shot at him. He stopped and brought his head up to look towards the flaming barn. From the flames Creativity stepped forth, a satanic grin plastered on her face. To her right, caught in her magical grasp, Applejack squirmed as she was choked by the magic around her neck. Horseapples, she thought as she struggled to no avail. The world around her became blurred, flicking between sight and blackness. As her body used up the last reserves of oxygen it had her lungs cried desperately for air. Creativity was going to make sure that cry was never answered. Applejack’s eyes squinted, her world slowly warped and turned black…

Air. Precious oxygen filled Applejack’s lungs as she fell off to the side. Big Mac had thrown a cart at Creativity, but she had easily turned it to splinters. The fragment had not, however, anticipated the apple tree that all but flung her back into the burning building and caused her to release Applejack. The orange farmer gasped for air. She coughed and stood up, years of hard work making her very difficult to shake up. The sound of crashing wood caught her attention and her head twisted to see the commotion. Creativity had returned the tree to its sender and Big Mac jumped quickly out of the way to avoid the burning projectile, a hailstorm of magical blasts followed. Despite being faster than he looked, not even Big Mac could dodge the fifty shots coming at him. The stallion grunted in pain as several of the small aura bullets cut through his upper forelegs and a bit of his lower chest. Blood splattered about, tainting the fertile land red. The stallion quickly recovered and charged his opponent, ignoring the pain. The fragment grinned more, preparing to sheer right through the farmer’s head with magic. Charging up she aimed carefully in order to provide the maximum damage. The stallion rushed closer. 3, 2, 1… THWACK! Right to the face. Creativity stumbled as the orange hoof slid across her face and forced her to the ground. Creativity’s lightweight body caused her to skid about, Applejack charging her in order to press her advantage. Creativity came to a stop and, scowling with hatred, pulled her head up, firing her still charged up magic. Applejack reared to the right, a red fountain. Blood littered the ground as Applejack’s left eye was blown to hell. The mare backpedaled and slumped onto the side of a cart, holding her eye as pain exploded in her body. Picking up a tree with magic and flinging it towards Big Mac, Creativity walked towards Applejack uninterrupted. Grinning as she charged magic to finish the mare off, Creativity knew this would solve her Elements problem.

“Don’t touch ma sister you big dumb fragment!” Applebloom charged Creativity, head-butting her back leg. The fragment’s magic dissipated and she picked up the filly with magic, bringing her to face her enemy. An annoyed scowl covered her face alongside the very visible bruise the size of a hoof Applejack had given her.

The fragment smirked. “Hmph, aren’t we just the brave little filly? Why don’t you go away and play with your friends? The adults are talking.” Creativity’s smirked disappeared, she was very angry. This whole operation had become a mess.

Applejack interjected. “D-Don’t you dare touch her you piece of…”

“Applejack please, language. There’s a foal present. Have some decency I mean really.” Creativity’s smirk reappeared, Applejack’s grimace became worse. Creativity turned to the filly. “Begone foolish child.” With that Creativity threw Applebloom with her magic… right towards the flames of the barn!

“APPLEBLOOM!” Applejack yelled at the top of her lungs as the filly went screaming headfirst into the fire.

“I wouldn’t be so worried about her Applejack. After all you’re about to join her.” Creativity’s satanic grin reappeared as her magic formed into a huge scythe around her horn. Applejack’s remaining good eye automatically closed as she awaited death’s cold embrace.

Green shot across the air and blast through Creativity’s neck, sending blood, skin and muscle in every direction. The fragment pedaled left and toppled over herself. Applejack’s eye opened as she processed what happened. Turning to her head left Applejack eye lit up as she spotted Logic’s form standing erect and adamant, a shaking Applebloom behind her right foreleg. “L-Logic… Applebloom…” Applejack could barely voice her sheer jubilation at seeing the fragment’s arrival and her sister's safety secured. A cruel laughing began from behind them, Applejack’s head turned yet again and her eyes widened in fear.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Logic you know it’s not nice to blow away ponies’ necks.” Creativity’s smile was demonic as the hole in her neck healed, the edges of it shrouded in a yellow aura.

“And you know I will not allow you to harm innocents to further your own sick goals.” Logic retorted. The fragment looked down to Applebloom. “Flee from this place immediately.” The filly looked up at her with a face of pathetic defiance. “Now.” Logic retorted. The filly nodded and turned, running out from Logic’s undercarriage and fleeing towards Ponyville.

“Oh Logic you know that’s not how this works…” Creativity grinned as she sent a blast hurdling towards Applebloom. The filly looked back in horror as the blast closed in on her. Logic flashed in front of her and deflected the magic away with her own, sending it flying towards a tree. Logic charged her own blast and sent it flying, Creativity dodged. That’s when Logic’s second attack hit her dead center in the chest, sending her flying back and leaving a nasty wound. “DAMN!” The crack of the tree Creativity was flung into could be heard a mile away. The fragment slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Logic walked to the still form. “It ends here Creativity.” Instantly Creativity popped up and slashed with her magic, slicing right through Logic… literally. Creativity’s eyes widened at the holographic projection as Logic appeared behind her and blasted her in the back. Creativity’s skin bubbled and melted away as the point blank attack ripped through her, coming out the other side and sending her flying several meters away.

Breathing heavily, Creativity stood up once more. Blood spilled from the new hole in her stomach. She turned to face Logic, her better in every regard when it came to magic. Before she could even charge her magic however Big Mac rushed her, sending her into one of the barn’s remaining walls and holding her there with both of his massive hooves. Struggling pathetically, Creativity could not escape the large stallion’s grasp. Creativity’s quick brain devised a plan in seconds and she charged her horn. The magic seeped down into her mouth and into her teeth. Shaking, each of Creativity’s teeth morphed into sharp, pointed fangs. Blood spilled from each tooth and out of the fragment’s mouth as the transformation occurred. Creativity’s head reared back and came down onto Big Mac’ right foreleg, her vampire-fang teeth sinking in deep and drawing blood. Big Mac grunted but did not release the fragment. After shaking a bit to try and maul the leg Creativity’s horn glowed again, this time enveloping all of Big Mac’s body except the leg Creativity clung to. Big Mac grunted, he had dealt with unicorn bullies in the past and he knew all to well how they worked. The massive stallion dug into the ground deep, preparing to resist the force of magic about to try and throw him. Creativity teleported.

Applejack rushed over to her brother, her eyes never leaving the severed leg for a second. Logic turned to where Creativity had returned to the material plane, Big Mac’s right leg still in her fangs. The crazed fragment’s mouth flexed to allow the leg to drop to the ground. “Huh.” Creativity threw her head up and laughed. “I guess that’s why they tell you never to teleport when you have an anti-magic spell activated. It’s so good knowing that.” She broke out into frenzied laughing once more. Logic shook in angered disbelief. Creativity stopped laughing and brought her head back down, a psychotic smile on her face. “Applejack’s next! But first…” Creativity’s horn charged and magic slithered down into her left leg and hoof. Logic’s eyes widened as her sister brought her leg up and forced it down onto Big Mac’s severed one, splitting it in two visible pieces in a fountain of blood, bone, and flesh.

“You’re gonna pay for that you sicko!”

Creativity’s head turned to see Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy running, or flying, down the main road. The ‘sicko’ scowled in displeasure and turned to her sister. “It seems as if the odds are now against me… Well, it’s been fun Logic but know it’s time I be off.” Creativity bolted towards the arriving group and sent a magic shockwave at them. The magic pushed the group in all different directions as the fragment bolted past unhindered down the road.

“Follow her! Do not let her escape your sight! We will be along shortly.” Logic yelled to the mares. They all nodded and set off after Creativity, Rainbow Dash was the only hesitant one, looking back at the destroyed farm and praying Applejack was okay. Shaking off her worry the pegasus sped after the others. Logic switched her attention to the Apple Family. Using her magic she instantly snuffed out all of the fire ravaging the farm. With that done she walked over to Applejack and her brother and crouched down, motioning to Applejack. “Hold him as still as possible.” Applejack had no clue what Logic was planning but she trusted the fragment and held her brother down tight. Logic’s horn ignited brightly and she brought it to the severed limb’s shoulder. The shoulder ignited green and slowly the bone reformed, followed by the muscle, nerves, veins and arteries, and finally the skin. Applejack’s good eye widened in awe. “Now you.” Logic said. In all the excitement Applejack had forgotten about her own lost eye. Logic brought her horn to Applejack’s face and it glowed brightly. Pain shot through Applejack’s head and her teeth clenched. The darkness that infested Applejack’s left side of sight vanished, revealing the world once more. Applejack was sure that eye was blasted to oblivion. And then there was Big Mac’s leg. Even magic healing needed the actual severed limb to repair it fully.

“How…?” Applejack started.

“Do you honestly think I spend all my down time doing nothing?” The fragment replied. Applejack didn’t know how, but she didn’t care. The farmer pony smiled to herself. She hadn’t trusted Logic at the beginning. She thought that the fragment was simply playing them and trying to do the same as Creativity. But now all her doubts where removed, Logic was just like her mother and Applejack knew she was a true friend. “Let us go and meet up with the others. It is time to end Creativity’s games.”

Applejack looked at Logic and smile, nodding her head confidently.

~~~~

The rock that Rarity and the others hid behind was quite adequate at blocking the blast hailed at them by Creativity from her vantage point on top of a rocky hill about three ponies high. The injured Creativity sent another blast hurdling towards the rock. A green blast intercepted it and they exploded into a two-colored explosion. Creativity turned to see Logic and Applejack closing in. Creativity hastily sent attacks flying at the two, all of which Logic easily countered. Logic and Applejack boldly stood in front of the hill; Logic motioned the others to join them. Creativity looked at the large half-circle of ponies that was in front of her. She tried to charge up her horn, but all that came out was fizzle. She tried again; it simply fizzed. Again! Fizz. Once more! Nothing at all. Creativity’s face was plastered with shock.

“It is over Creativity! Your games and schemes are at an end!” Logic shouted towards her sister victoriously. Creativity had no magic left; she was finished. Logic’s defenses slacked.

Creativity laughed, her mane all in her face. “YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?! YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING LOGIC! YOU BELIEVE I WILL JUST LIE DOWN AND ACCEPT DEFEAT?! HELL NO! I WILL WIN! YOU THINK MY GAMES ARE DONE?! WELL THIS PARTICULAR 'GAME' ENDS NOW!” Creativity’s tone was feral, her eyes crazed. Logic knew she was blowing hot air, a foolish attempt to be defiant and nothing more. Logic peered over to capture device bag that Fluttershy had brought with her. With Creativity drained it would be mere child’s play to…

Logic’s eyes widened. That was all they could do. Then again, what was the appropriate response for watching the pony next to you explode into a geyser of dark red blood? Creativity had lied. Her pathetic attempt at conjuring attacks was a ruse, a trick to get Logic to relax and lower her defenses. And now Applejack was a bloody mass of flesh that was blown several meters backwards before landing with a thump. The other five Elements stood dazed at the unmoving form of Applejack. It was Rainbow Dash that broke the silence.

“APPLEJACK!!” The sky blue pegasus rushed to her friend and rival, landing next to her she scanned the body. Slow, heavy breathes escaped the Earth pony’s mouth. “She’s… She’s alive!” This realization caused the rest of the Elements, except Logic, to rush over to their injured friend.

“And so ends the Element of Honesty… sort of.” Creativity smiled. “See Logic? You should know better than to underestimate me! I may not be as strong in the magical department as you but I am still…” Magical green tentacles pierced through the fragments scarred chest and out the other end, blood accompanying them. Blood erupted from Creativity’s mouth and one eye squinted. “Bullocks! I just healed that wound!” She looked to her sister. Logic shook uncontrollably; her normally pure dark green eyes were highlighted with red and she scowled death. Lifting her head up Logic sent Creativity flying and with another flick brought her hurdling towards the ground. Creating a small crater, Logic didn’t give her immoral sister another second to think. Pulling her head to the left Logic caused Creativity to skid across the ground, uprooting the rock as she went. After pulling her as far as she could, Logic brought Creativity up once more and slammed her into the side of the hill with a crack of the rock. The tentacles dissipated, only to have magical spears pierce Creativity’s shoulders. Creativity grunted in pain but was soon silenced by Logic’s hoof stomping her neck and choking her. Her look of hatred had not changed a bit.

“If I did not need you to rebuild Twilight you would be dead. But now, finally, you are defeated and will hamper us no more.” Logic’s voice was dark and full of hate.

“True. It seems like you got me Logic. Bravo. The only question is are you faster enough?” Creativity smiled, Logic gave a confused look. “Oh you don’t know? Well that blast to Applejack was quite fatal. I gave her about two minutes to live. She’s got a little over a minute left. So Lodge, do you think you can finish me off and capture me with enough time remaining to save Applejack? She’s dying sis. Rarity hasn’t the magic skills to keep her alive and not even Rainbow Dash has enough time to fly her to a hospital.” Logic’s eyes grew wide and her pupils shrank, a difficult choice ahead. Creativity continued. “But like you said, with me gone getting the other fragments will be child’s play. So what will it be Logic? Will you take a step forward in the progression of your goal, or will you take two steps back to save Twilight’s little friend? You know you’ll never have a chance to catch me like this again. You’ve about forty-five seconds to choice.” Logic turned to the others, standing over Applejack’s body. Creativity wasn’t only a threat to their mission but to everyone in Equestria, given time. But could she let Applejack die? Creativity’s capture is much more important than any one pony’s life. But… Applejack. “Twenty seconds.” Logic’s eyes shift back and forth, trying to think of some solution. She couldn’t let Creativity escape. “Ten seconds…” Logic disappeared in a flash of green and appeared next to Rarity. Pushing a hugging Rainbow Dash violently to the side, Logic’s horn lit up and enveloped Applejack’s form in a green aura. The farm pony’s breathing steady out and wounds sealed slightly.

Creativity watched the spectacle with amusement. Foolish bleeding hearts, they could easily catch me right now… Too bad they’re all wrapped up with poor Applejack. What stupid little ponies. Creativity used the last of her magic to teleport onto the hill once more. Loosing her balance she tumbled down the craggy landform and hit the ground with a thud. “Oof! Aaah…” The fragment coughed violently. Using what strength she had left Creativity crawled away from the battle scene, beaten and dying. Putting her right hoof out and pulling herself forward and then repeating the process over and over only one thought came to her mind regarding her current state. “Oh geez, that’s gonna get infected.”

~~~~

Logic looked at the unmoving figure of Applejack, breathing steadily after two hours of magic surgery. Granny Smith, who had been at the market at the time of the assault, held a weeping Applebloom in her grasp. Big Mac, covered in several bandages scattered about his own body, walked up next to the fragment. He placed his hoof on her shoulder. Turning to him Logic saw the massive stallion nod in respect; it was because of this pony that his sister was alive. Logic wanted to cry but didn’t have the emotional capacity for such things. It had been her fault for Applejack’s state; her foolish confidence was how Creativity got a clear shot. What truly hurt the fragment was that she had confided this to Big Macintosh and yet he didn’t care. He was still grateful… Organics confused Logic so much. All simulation scenarios told her Big Mac would hate her and send her away. But here they both were.

Logic grunted in surprise as Applebloom appeared next to her, fresh and dried tears littered the filly's face. “L-Logic, is Applejack gonna be ok?” The filly looked pleadingly at the fragment.

Logic patted the foal’s head. “She will be fine Applebloom… I promise.” The doctors at Ponyville General had done all they could but it just wasn’t enough to prompt a quick recovery. Applejack would be here for a long while… and it was Logic’s fault, or so the fragment believed. Logic turned to Big Mac once more and gave a nod. The stallion nodded back and Logic exited the hospital room into the hallway, Rainbow Dash filled her eyesight.

“Well? Is she okay? Will she make it? What’s going on Logic?” Logic sensed something in the pegasus’ voice, as if she was trying to hold back something… Anger?

“Applejack is fine. She will be here for awhile and that is all there is to it.” Logic’s matter-of-factly voice returned. Regardless of her guilt there were still fragments to be caught and falling apart solved nothing, Rainbow disagreed.

“That’s it? THAT’S IT?!” Rainbow yelled, the other Elements’ heads jumped to the pegasus. “How is that it?! There has to be more we can do! We can’t just leave her like that!”

“No.” Logic replied. “All we can do now is wait for her to recover. In the mean time we look for more fragments. Applejack’s injuries do not mean we stop our mission…”

“WHAT!!?” Rainbow couldn’t believe it. “You can’t be serious! Just like that? Applejack’s almost killed and you don’t care at all?! Right back to the mission? To heck with that! We have to find Creativity and make her pay for this!” Rainbow pounded her hoofs together.

“No. We must stay focused. Revenge accomplishes nothing. It is more important to gather the fragments. Creativity will have her day, but it is not now.” Logic retorted to the pegasus. The other Elements nodded in agreement.

Rainbow scowled. “No! We find her now! You’re just too scared to face her! Well fine! I don’t care! I’ll find her on my own!” Rainbow turned to leave.

“Rainbow, stand down.” Logic stated threateningly.

“No.” The pegasus replied, walking away.

“I said stand down…” Logic stepped forward.

“Go buck yourself in the butt. With my wings I’ll find her easy… and make her pay.” The other three Elements shrunk away at Rainbow’s threat, never before had the pegasus been so dark.

“I am giving you one last warning…” Logic roared.

Rainbow Dash didn’t look at her as she approached the door to the lobby. “No.”

It was quick. It was surgical. It was pretty cruel. Rainbow’s eyes widened as her wings were cut off by Logic’s advanced magics. The wings sputtered in the air before disappearing into green flames, the wounds healed instantly and not a speck of blood was dropped. Rainbow’s head turned to Logic. “You will get those back when your head has cleared itself of your current thoughts and…”

Rainbow slammed Logic to the ground and began to punch her wildly. “GIVE ME BACK MY WINGS YOU…YOU… YOU BITCH!!” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy’s mouths dropped, Rarity covered her own mouth with her hooves and gasped.

Logic looked at Rainbow, her face already bruising black and blue. “No. You are too unstable to be allowed to have them. End of discussion.” Logic’s horn charged up and sent Rainbow flying all the way down the hall, through the doors and into the lobby. Rainbow looked up shocked. Already she could see Rarity running over to help Logic up, the white unicorn tenderly held the fragment in her grasp. Rainbow’s grimace darkened and she got up and left, stomping out of the hospital.

The others stared at where Rainbow once was, disbelief plastered on their faces. Logic addressed them. “Do not think ill of her, she is confused. The hardest test of loyalty she has ever faced on a regular basis was picking sides in an argument. Even the toughest of tests like Discord did not have results we have now. To see a friend like Applejack in such a condition is heart rending, she cannot take it. Not only that but she rightly blames me for what happened. We must simply give her time. To see paradise die before your very eyes is a difficult thing.” The other mares looked to the floor. “Come, let us return home… it has been a challenging day, to say the least. We all need rest. Fluttershy, go find Rainbow Dash and assist her with getting to her house, I made sure she was enchanted to be able to wake on clouds indefinitely.” The yellow pegasus nodded sheepishly. With nothing more to do, they all left the hospital.

~~~~

Spike opened the door to the library when he saw Logic and Rarity approaching. Logic was leaning heavily on the white unicorn. She hadn’t been injured severely but her magic and stamina reserves where dangerously overused. Spike didn’t say a word to the two, already aware of Applejack’s condition thanks to Curiosity. Rarity led Logic up to Twilight’s room and helped her up onto the bed. After Logic was securely onboard the white unicorn joined her, cuddling up right next to her. Her face saddened as she saw Logic’s guilty grimace.

“I was a fool.” Logic stated somberly.

“You had no idea Creativity was going to do what she did.” Rarity retorted.

“But I should have. Her name is Creativity! I should know that she has billion and one plans for every situation, including this one.” Logic’s face cringed up in an attempt to cry, nothing came. “I should know that you can never trust her!”

Rarity nuzzled Logic. “It’s ok, it’s ok. Applejack will be fine, remember? And Rainbow Dash just needs some time to vent. Creativity failed at her murder attempt.”

Logic’s head shook. “No. Murder was never on her mind. All she cared about was incapacitating the Elements ability to stop her. Now two Elements are gone. She won this day.” Still Logic’s attempts at tears failed, resulting only in a sad grimace.

Rarity used her hoof to pull Logic’s head to face her. “You still have Spike, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. You still have me.” Rarity went in for a kiss but the fragment broke away.

“I know. You all have been companions I could only have dreamed of. I… Thank you.” The fragments face lightened slightly, her face made smiling reflexes but none stayed for more than a nanosecond.

“There’s no need for thanks darling. Twilight’s our friend and we will do what it takes to bring her back. You two have so much in common. If she were conscious I’d bet she couldn’t wait to meet you.” Rarity smiled heartily at Logic.

The fragment’s expression darkened. “Yes… of course. It will quite the meeting, will it not? She is very lucky to have companions like you and the others.”

Rarity brought the fragments face up once more. “Thank you Logic. But just remember we’re your friends now too… And we’ll help you no matter what.” She nuzzled Logic’s neck again, the fragment did not protest simply out of the belief Rarity was being sisterly.

“Your support is very uh… reassuring.” Logic said nervously, becoming uneasy with Rarity’s touching.

Suddenly Rarity pushed Logic over and onto her back, dazing the fragment and giving the fashionista enough time to kiss Logic deeply. Logic’s eyes widened as she felt Rarity’s tongue play with her own. Logic felt a warmth conjure up between her back legs as they kissed but dismissed it, whatever it was it was probably an unnecessary organic reaction to surprise. Rarity broke the kiss and stared at Logic and the spittle connecting them. “I’m glad you think so.” She winked at the fragment. Rarity climbed off the bed and made for the door so Logic could rest.

“Umm… Rarity?”

Rarity looked back to Logic, still in bed. “Yes?”

“Do not do that again.” The fragment sighed; well aware Spike was in the house.

Rarity winked. “No promises.” She lifted her tail and flashed her sex at Logic and left. The fragment’s eyes were wide and she had developed a light scowl.

Spike had walked into the room after showing Rarity out and instantly saw the remaining spittle on Logic’s mouth. The dragon cocked an eyebrow. “Do. Not. Ask.” Logic responded with an annoyed tone, throwing the bedcovers over herself and trying her best to sleep. The itching warmth between her back legs persisted but she blocked it out with magic.

Spike shrugged, knowing that Logic couldn’t feel love or lust. Not only that but Logic’s face was priceless. Spike shook his head and went to shut all the blinds and he blew out all the candles. Snuggling into his little basket, Spike was thankful that this day was over.

For tomorrow was a new day, regardless of the today.

Sparkles of Lust

Warning: This chapter contains explicit sexual content

The unicorn captain Swift Spell of the Manehatten guard looked out the window of the city’s barracks, eyes strained by a single ray of sunshine. Normally he wouldn’t care a bit; he loved the daytime (He really couldn’t understand how those Lunar guards enjoyed being out at night). As he surveyed over the billowing smoke in one of Manehatten’s districts, however, he couldn’t help but be a bit irked by today. Turning he address the other unicorn, Willow Wisp. The Corporal dared not look at his Captain, not after that mare had magically caused him to become infatuated with Swift Spell and try to mate with him. Swift Spell disregarded the guard’s awkward feelings.

“Willow Wisp, go and get Swift Storm and Thunder Blitz.” The Captain turned back to the rising smoke. “It’s gonna be one of those days.”

~~~~

Another concussive blast ripped through the Kaplan District of Manhattan, sending smoke billowing up into the sky. Suddenly a form burst from the cloud, covered in smoke and soot. As she flew through the air the smoke and soot rode off to expose the purple coat underneath. Lust finally landed and backpedaled a bit before coming to a stop and rest onto her right foreleg. Looking up the fragment moved out of the way just in time to avoid yet another blast that erupted from the smoke. Green magic blitzed around and struck the ground, throwing up all sorts of foul types of what could be considered dirt. Though the blast was concussive and therefore non-lethal, the Kaplan region was notorious for never being clean and having dirt cover the streets. Though Lust had dodged blast one, blast two was skillfully created to meet her as she landed. This time she was hit hard and slammed into the back wall of the dead end she had been corralled into. Hitting the wall with a loud thump, she slid down until her back legs hit the solid ground. Raising her head up once more she spied Logic emerging from the smoke, an annoyed look on her face.

“You have been quite hard to track Lust. Still, we have found you. You will answer for the attacks you committed.” The logical fragment stated.

Lust rubbed the back of her head. “Why does everyone think that’s me? I’m a lover, not a fighter.” A personal bliss caught Lust. “Oh yes… Quite the lover. There was this one stallion who had a fetish for socks and let me tell you…” Logic sent a blast at Lust, whacking her against the stone wall once more.

“I am done with your games.” Logic stated blandly. “It took me sometime to figure out you were behind the attacks and then even more time still to formulate a plan to catch you. All in all, it has been a very tiring week. So, to ease this process along, any last words Lust?”

“At least I’m going out with a raging arousal.” Lust slapped her hoof in between her legs; Logic heard a squelching sound. Another blast sent Lust against the wall.

“And still, every time something comes out of your mouth I become more annoyed.” Logic yelled, gritting her teeth.

“Ya know Logic you’re sending some mixed signals here. You say you dislike me and yet your helping me get off like it’s nobody’s business!” Lust laughed, rubbing her marehood some more.

Logic’s eye began to twitch. A scowl developed. “I am done! Time to end this!” Logic charged up her magic and prepared to knock Lust out for an easier capture. The sex fragment’s eyes widened as she realized Logic’s intent. Finally figuring that this situation was unfavorable, Lust scanned her memories to find a suitable place to teleport to. Logic fired her attack. Lust gasped and teleported, her mind focused on the memory she was currently looking at.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy appeared on the scene to see Logic staring at empty space. Rarity walked up next to the fragment. “Umm… Logic? Logic are you ok? What happened?” Logic didn’t answer her and simply walked forward; entranced at the spot she had been looking at. The three other mares looked at each other. They had been scattered all around to help corral Lust to Logic but had no clue of what had just transpired. Rarity took a step towards Logic with the intent of asking her what had happened. She jumped back however as Logic turned around, her horn ignited green.

“Come on, we must leave.” Logic set off down the street.

“What? Where to? Why?” The three mares asked all together.

“We are leaving, to Ponyville, because Spike is there.” Logic had a slight pause between each piece of information. She headed off towards the teleport spell glyph in the nearby park that would bring them to Ponyville fast. The others looked at each other and quickly followed suit.

Logic’s deep scowl never dropped for a second.

~~~~

Lust slid back into the material plane with a thump. It was never wise to teleport so quickly, unsafe landing procedures usually followed. The fragment shook her head as she brought it up and looked around at her surroundings. She was in Ponyville, in front of the library to be exact. Looking around she saw no one else around. Her attention shifted to the library. So this is where mom lived, She thought, geez… it just screams ‘needs to be laid’, guess I can’t blame her though. She came to Ponyville to learn about friendship, not friendship with benefits. Lust got up and decided to head inside, what was the harm after all?

Inside the tree house library Spike worked aimlessly in the back of the main room, cleaning up dust. Logic had been rearranging some things before she left for Manehatten and it stirred up a lot of the annoying substance. There was already a large pile in his pan; he’d only been working for a minute! As he worked the dragon’s eyes shift to Logic’s bracelet, it’s emerald eye still as bright as ever even without light to provide a sparkle.

Spike heard the door open and someone walk in. It sounded like a mare of Logic’s size and weight. Without turning around Spike begin a conversation. “You back already Logic? Did you catch Lust?”

Lust’s eyes widened, a smile crossing her lips. She coughed a bit and took on a very monotone voice. “Umm… yeah, I’m home. Just got back. The others they… umm… they’ve all gone home because they were very tired. As for Lust? No… we weren’t able to catch her. Still there’s always tomorrow.” Lust smiled at what she thought was an impressive rendition of her sister. With each second the two spoke she took a step towards Spike. Oddly enough a voice in the back of her head said no to her saucy thoughts but she dismissed them. When was she going to have a chance to have sex with a dragon, much less one she knew.

Spike had stopped cleaning, instead he stood in place, contemplating. After a second or two he made up his mind. “What did you just say?” The dragon asked nonchalantly.

Lust was only a few steps form her next conquest. “I said we weren’t able to capture Lust and that the rest of the girls went home because they’re all very tired and whatnot.” Almost there…

Spike nodded. “Yeah… That’s what I thought you said…” To Lust’s surprise Spike reared forward with the dustpan in one claw, throwing all of its contents into Lust’s eyes. The fragment backpedaled in pain and shook her head to try and evict the dust that had infected her face. Finally taking a hoof and wiping her eyes clean Lust looked up, just in time to see the broom. Spike was a baby dragon; this fact was true, but still he was a dragon. The force knocked Lust back into the nearby table, slamming her head into the side.

Spike shook his head. “If you’re going to pretend to be Logic at least talk like her. Logic doesn’t use apostrophes to shorten her words.” The dragon smiled at his victory but it was short-lived. He took a step back in disbelief.

Lust picked herself up from the floor. Feeling her nose with her hoof she felt the warm feel of blood, hitting the tableside had done a number on her nose. She turned to Spike smiling, her right nostril bleeding. “Wow Spike… I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing. It’s ok though; I’ll totally adjust to that and all your Rarity fantasies.” She took steps towards the dragon. Spike in turn began his backward stride, flailing his broom at the fragment. Lust back up a step to avoid his pathetic attempts and then snatched the broom away with magic, throwing it off to the side. Spike had reached the stairs leading to the second floor now and he was lost at what to do. The little dragon had made it up several stairs before Lust reached the bottom. “You know, I could just grab you with my magic… but what’s the fun in that?” The fragment chuckled.

Spike shook all over; very aware of what would happen to him if Lust caught him. He had nothing left to defend himself with and running was futile, Lust would use her magic if it was the only way to catch her prey. His eyes shifted wildly about, to the left, then the right, then the left again, down to his bracelet, to the ceiling… wait, back to the bracelet. Staring at Logic’s gift Spike could see from its current angle that the emerald was not securely in place. It could pushed down, like a button. Logic wouldn’t make a design oversight like that, the gem could fall out otherwise. Unless of course that was part of the design. Spike’s mind returned to what Logic had said when she had given it to him: “With it I can always know where you are, whether your playing outside or are being pursued by lustful intentions.” Being pursued by lustful intentions. Lustful intentions… Lust’s intentions. Spike almost smacked himself in the face at the realization. Though it made sense to him that Logic had the forethought of an Alicorn and the ability to back it up.

Spike looked down at his bracelet. “Oh please let me be right…” Spike took another look at the advancing Lust, readying to pounce, and pulled up his right claw. Slamming down on the emerald bracelet, Spike disappeared in a blinding flash of green.

~~~~

Logic and the other Elements were racing towards the park where Logic’s teleport glyph was. After using magical fallout to determine Lust’s arrival point, Logic was adamant to stop her from taking Spike’s virginity. Logic had not told Spike of the bracelet’s teleport spell on the count it has a limit amount of usage. She’d hoped to capture Lust and then tell the dragon when they had gotten back, a poor lapse in judgment as of now. As the group raced about the streets of Manehatten Logic began feeling queasy, as if something was affecting her. Stumbling about Rarity caught her.

“Logic? Logic what’s wrong!” The white unicorn inquired.

Before Logic could answer there was a blinding green flash that dissipated with Spike landing right in front of the group. “Spike!” All four mares cried out.

Logic’s queasiness subsided with the teleportation complete and she went to the dragon. “Spike? Spike, are you ok? What happened?” Logic was positive she already knew the answer.

The dragon was breathing heavily. “Lust… Library… Tried to…Stuff…” He was unable to create complete sentences, but Logic was able to understand nonetheless.

Logic scooped Spike onto her back and turned to the others. “Come on. Spike may be out of danger but we still have a chance to catch Lust. We must make haste. I do not want Lust to get to any of Ponyville’s innocents.”

The group nodded and continued to the glyph, hoping Lust would stay put and not do anything. Luckily enough, one of those things was actually going to happen. The other one… not so much.

~~~~

Lust stared sadly at the spot on the staircase where Spike had once been. “Awww… I wanted to have some fun with him, it’s not like he would regret it.” She moped a bit at this unwanted turn of events. Sure there were a lot of ponies in Ponyville in which to partake lovemaking with, but Spike was going to be something special. Lust’s ears turned back and she sighed loudly.

“Logic? Logic is that you?”

Lust’s ears perked and turned her head towards the library’s basement door. It opened to reveal a purple mare with lime green eyes and cutie mark. Lust’s surprised face cocked an eyebrow, in confusion and arousal. Curiosity stepped out into the main room of the library and instantly jumped when she saw Lust.

“Oh Lust, it’s you. What are you doing here?” The fragment cocked her head to the left in questioning.

Lust’s eyes shifted back and forth between nothing. It made sense that Curiosity was helping Logic, they went hoof in hoof after all. But seeing as Logic wasn’t here and they had at least some time to themselves, a foul idea crept into Lust’s mind. She smiled. “Well Curiosity I’m simply visiting, nothing more. I wanted to see how Lodge is doing, you know.”

“Oh.” Curiosity replied. “I see. Well Logic isn’t here right now. I believe she is hunting for you and…” She was unable to finish her sentence; Lust was usually very blunt after all.

“So my dear Curiosity.” Lust said, sliding up close to the other fragment so that their muzzles were mere inches apart. “Have you ever experienced lovemaking before?” Curiosity shook her head. “Really?! Oh wow that’s a shame! Don’t you wonder what it would be like? To have intercourse? Aren’t you the least bit curious my dear fragment?”

Curiosity stared at Lust, an awkward silence setting in. Lust began feeling just a tad uncomfortable with Curiosity’s lapse in movement. As Lust began to pull away, for safety reasons you understand, Curiosity tackled her to the ground in an impassioned kiss. WHOA NELLY! Lust thought as she hit the floor, her lips and tongue wrapped sexily around Curiosity’s own. Not even Lust had expected to convince Curiosity to mate with her so quickly. Geez… even I wait a bit so that I can get the mood going… Lust admitted to herself. Despite what one would think, Lust enjoyed consensual intercourse much more and found infinitely more appealing then rape. With rape there’s no equal ground, no place that both sides can enjoy and despite being the fragment of lust there was still love buried deep within her. Sure what she planned for Spike could be considered rape, but the fragment knew the dragon would have consented and enjoyed quickly. Lust expelled the thoughts of Spike from her mind, instead focusing on her current love toy. The two had a nice position on the floor, their bodies intertwined and their tongues furiously circling around their mouths trying to please the other’s sexual desire. It was Curiosity who broke off the kiss, panting heavily as she raised her head to stare at her exact twin, spittle connecting them to their moment of passion. Curiosity picked herself up and, using her right foreleg, brought up Lust’s back left leg and moved her own body into position.

“Ooo I see. Already connecting the caverns huh?” Lust said with giddiness in her voice. Lust was usually very submissive than one might think. She was adaptive, letting her partners choose the path they wanted. Lust was going to be aroused no matter what they did, so it only seemed fair to the fragment to let her partners take the lead so both parties could have the ultimate sexual experience.

Curiosity wedged her sex closer and closer to Lust’s. Hesitating for but a second, Curiosity slammed her cunt into Lust’s and began to thrust. Lust bit her lower lip as she herself began to rock her pelvis forward, moving the two pink slits together lovingly. Already both of the mares were extremely wet, juices spilling from their sexes in small, but numerous, droplets. Curiosity’s cheeks were a deep red as the ecstasy of the moment took hold over her and she began rocking even harder. Lust, not to be outdone, began to rock herself. The two moaned with ecstatic pleasure as the rubbing of their slits together was accompanied by a fleshy squish sound. Lust closed her eyes and trusted even harder, extracting more love juice from her partner. This scene of sexual bliss pleased both mares to know end. But as Lust felt her tipping point coming on oh so quickly everything stopped.

Lust’s eyes opened to ascertain why the pleasure had stopped, and what she saw would have made her cum right there if it had not been for experience. Curiosity had fled the passionate thrusting to reposition herself, on the couch. Lying on her haunches she spread her legs wide to expose the dripping marehood. Placing her hoof on top she slid across it seductively, bringing it up to show just how wet it was. Lust licked her lips and wasted no time, understanding quite well what her double wanted. Lust jumped over to her twin and getting on her knees. Grabbing Curiosity’s legs with her own forelegs Lust dove in, a true dive-bomb if you will. Her whole muzzle penetrated the squishy flesh and the tongue began its work. Lapping up all the inside juices with precise, skillful laps, Lust gave Curiosity the eat out of her life. Making sure to massage every inch of the precious flower she was currently devouring, Lust made her way to the clit. Nibbling on the pearl ever so gently to not cause any pain, Lust lapped her tongue around the small thing. Ways of pleasure rode through Curiosity’s body. The curious fragment couldn’t believe that sex was this good; then again… she was having sex with Lust, who was an expert. Next she’d have to do it with stallion, that way it be new again. Curiosity shook uncontrollably, her end was near and she was more than willing to climax with the beautiful mare below her. Lust lapped up more and more juice; it was like lemonade to her. She made yet another nibble and licking motion to Curiosity’s clit before pulling her head out and doing yet another dive-bomb on her sister fragment, this time with her tongue already out. That did it! Curiosity was close to her first orgasm! So close, it was heaven to her right now. Almost… 3…2…1… Wait… Where’s the finish? Curiosity was confused. She had read books about this; there should be a climax! Why hadn’t it happened? The fragment looked down to see Lust rising up, licking the last bits of juice off herself. The curious (and rather unsatisfied) fragment looked at Lust with a pleadingly look, begging her to finish her off.

Lust smile. “Oh no, not yet. We’re ending this together, like sisters should.” Lust chuckled at the remark, for all intensive purposes this was more akin to super masturbation than actual incest. “Ready?” Curiosity nodded. Lust’s horn lighted up and her body filled with magic.

Curiosity’s eyes widened in amazed shock.

~~~~

Twelve hours later from present

Anger breathed heavily, her eyes closed. Her cheeks were as red as her eyes from the blood rushing to them. Slowly cocking one eye open, she looked up from her submissive position. Mute was above her, smile gently and thrusting hardily. Anger’s body let out another spasm as Mute dug the strap-on deeper into Anger’s marehood. The fire next to the illuminated all around them, causing their lovemaking shadows to dance on the wall to the right of them. Anger had been nervous at first but now as she looked into Mute’s loving eyes all her nervousness vanished. Anger willingly accepted the fake cock being slammed into her each second, as long as Mute was the one that committed the act. Only at times like this did Anger forget her hatred and revenge and instead basked in the glory of love.

A good distance away Morality laid with her back on a rock, her own fire blazing next to her as she stargazed. “You owe me a hundred bits sis.” The fragment’s black and white eyes rolled. “I do not. Oh yes you do! We made a bet and you lost! Now pay up! I do not gamble, it is a horrible habit and I am above such things. It’s not gambling! It’s a bet, there’s a total difference! Now pay up!! I bet you a hundred bits that when those two had sex that Mute was gonna be the top and stick it up Anger! You lost cockbite.” Morality became distraught. “I call fraud! It seemed so obvious that Anger was the type of fragment to be in control! It’s totally out of character for her to be submissive like that! Then again she’s always different around Mute.” Morality mumbled that last part. “Besides, you have no physical representation! There’s nothing to give the money to! So there, you loose.” Morality pouted a bit, she hated to be upstaged by her other half. Suddenly a sound came from beyond the darkness. Morality turned her head towards the sound, then back to her lovemaking sister. The two had decided to change their position and now Anger sat on Mute’s lap, making out with her lustfully while Mute pumped her full of fake dick. After conferring with her darker half that there was no way Anger could hear them, Morality made a move. “You can come out you know. I’ve know you were following us for some time now.”

Out from the darkness appeared two stallions. Morality remembered them fondly: they were the two slavers who had escaped Anger’s massacre. The grey one stepped forward and bowed to Morality, the other soon followed.

“What do you want?” Morality questioned. “Haven’t you done enough?”

The grey stallion Pickpocket leapt up. “No, no! Please. You don’t understand. Me and Hat Trick here… we wanted to… to apologize for what we did.” The stallion’s voice was raspy; Morality could tell it had been from many tearful nights.

“A lot of good that does, to Mute and the countless other’s lives you’ve ruined.” Morality stated coldly, letting her darker half take more reigns than usual. “Mute was raped, do you really think your apologies can fix that? Creation only knows if she’ll ever truly get past it. I can’t even began to mention the others you’ve probably hurt…”

“Only Mute.” Pickpocket interjected. “We were new, the two of us. We’d never taken part in any of it. Your group was actually our right of passage.” The stallion looked down the ground, tears forming. “P-Please… we’ll do whatever you want! We want to make amends! They offered so much money and they all seemed like nice guys we… we were just tired of living off table scrapes and what we could steal.” Both stallions’ eyes became waterfalls as they lamented their actions. Morality’s gaze softened. Sometimes ponies didn’t have a choice at good and evil, they just needed necessity. A bag fell between the two stallions, heavy with coins. Both of them looked at the bag, then Morality.

“Take this, it’s some money we took from what was left of the slaver operation. I want you to go to Canterlot and wait. That’s it: just wait. You wait for my signal and when you see it, and I assure you that you will know it when you see it, you come find me and listen to my orders. Until then, use this to buy food and necessities. ONLY necessities, nothing else. If you waste this second chance I will find out.” The stallions looked at each other, then back to Morality. They truly wanted to make amends so they nodded to Morality, picked up the bag of coins, and ran off into the darkness, wishing only to help with the damage they’d done.

Morality watched them leave and then turned back to her stargazing. She had to do her best to ignore the moans of ecstasy that escaped her companions mouths. She rolled her eyes. Bloody hell, it’s like they’re wild animals… She thought.

~~~~

Steadfast gasped for air, looking down between his legs as the mare sucked more and more on his cock. “Oh... oh yes Creativity… that’s great.” The stallion said between breathes. The recruit’s fragment master had returned yesterday and she was treating the stallion to a little something special for her victory. Stress release, she had called it. Steadfast didn’t care; he was lost in ecstasy as he looked at the mare engulfing his dick. It was so impressive that she could take the whole thing in her mouth and still have room to skillfully move her tongue to caress Steadfast’s sex. Then again Steadfast never considered to himself to have a sizable meat stick in the first place. Still he was impressed. Steadfast could feel his breaking point. He gasped more as his penis convulsed and began to shake. “I-I, I’m c-c-coming!” He roared as he let his master’s mouth be filled with his seed.

Steadfast jolted up in his bed almost instantly, breathing heavily. He pawed at his face and his eyes shifted around the dark room of the Royal Guard Barracks. Realizing where he was at last he let out a relieved sigh. Suddenly his eyes shot open and his hooves went for his crotch, feeling about. Still dry, thank god. Steadfast had to shake his head, had he really just had a sex dream about himself and Creativity? “What is wrong with me?” He foolishly asked out loud.

“Oh any number of things.”

Steadfast almost jumped out of bed when the voice came from the shadows. Suddenly a light flicked on to reveal a brown unicorn looking humorously at his fellow guard.

“Oh… It’s just you Radiant Point. Ugh, don’t scare me like that.” Steadfast’s eyes rolled, not amused by his friend’s choice in scare tactics.

The stallion Radiant Point chuckled. “Sorry, but once I saw you shifting about I just had to try something. So whatcha thinking about buddy? Considering what I saw I’d say it’s mare problems.”

Steadfast sighed. “You could say that.”

“Wet dream?” The other stallion guessed.

“No I’m still dry… by some miracle of nature. To tell you the truth I don’t even know where the dream came from, I don’t think of her like that. She’s, well…” Steadfast tried to come up with a word.

“Abrasive?” Radiant offered.

“To say the least.” Steadfast replied.

Radiant Point chuckled. “Maybe she’s got some redeeming quality that makes her tolerable to you.” The unicorn thought for a bit. “That or you’re just horny and want get some mare meat.” The stallion had to magically shut his mouth to keep from waking up every other sleeping guard in the barracks with his laughter.

“I don’t know… it’s complicated. It feels like I just can’t escape and I just don’t know how to feel…” Steadfast sighed; he wanted to sleep more.

“Looks like somepony’s got a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Heh heh." Radiant Point chuckled at his joke, unaware at how literal it really was. Steadfast drowsily glared at his friend. "Alright Steady, I can see you want to sleep. I have to get back to my shift anyway.” The unicorn put a hoof on his friend’s shoulder and looked at him sincerely. “But hey, really think about what you want from this mare Steads. If she’s not the one than it’s all good, just be friends. There are a lot of mares in the stable buddy. Alright, see you around Steadfast and please, try to get some sleep. You look awful.” With that Radiant Point flicked off his horn, turned, and exited out the barracks.

Once again in complete darkness, Steadfast placed his head on his pillow. He only wanted sleep now and pushed out all thoughts of Creativity for now. Regardless of his romantic feelings towards his captor, he still worried for her. It had been a week since she’d left and she hadn’t returned once. Weariness taking over his body, Steadfast began drifting off to sleep.

He’d worry in the morning.

~~~~

Present Time

Curiosity tongue was lolled out of her mouth as her lust had overtaken her. The fragment Lust had used her magic to spawn a penis and was now effectively shoving herself deep inside the other fragment. Lust chuckled over her own moaning, recounting where she had learned the spell. And who says bookworms never get any? She laughed some more at the thought, ensuring her pelvis continued to thrust the large cock in Curiosity’s marehood. Squishing noises from their connecting sexes alone made Lust horny and ready to finish this. Curiosity for her part was greatly pleased. She had acquired many books detailing this action but actually doing it was something that a book could never explain. The fragment began to wonder how she might dirty talk with Lust, like it was down in the books.

“Oh Lust.” She moaned. “Keep thrusting! Fill me to the brink with your cock! I want it all!”

Geez, what’s she been reading? Porn? Lust thought as she pounded harder. “Don’t worry Curiosity, you’re gonna be filled to the brink with my seed soon enough.” She could already feel the end nearing.

Curiosity smiled. “G-Good. I want it so bad. I… I want to have your foals Lust! Fill me to the brim so I can birth out so many little Lusts!” Just like in the novel Curiosity had read.

Well that had done it for Lust. She couldn’t take another second. She thrust hard into Curiosity’s cunt and let loose, spilling her fake, white seed all inside the mare’s hole. With each pump of Lust’s sex white filled the marehood, eventually overloading and spilling out onto the floor. Curiosity’s own climax had mixed with Lust’s, creating a gooey concoction of sex fluids dripping to the floor. Lust collapsed backward in release, her fake cock dissipating with its job done. Curiosity slumped to the ground, exhausted by her first lovemaking. The two laid there, in their own sex juices, for what seemed like forever.

Panting, Lust finally lifted her chest and head up, balancing on her right foreleg. “So. Ready for round two sis?” She said as she smiled coyly at Curiosity.

“I am afraid that shall not be happening today sister dearest.”

Lust turned her head to see Logic and the others standing at the doorway. Spike was there but had a blindfold of magic wrapped around his eyes, per Logic’s demands. I’m old enough to know what the birds and bees are… The dragon grumbled silently.

“Oh… Hi Logic. Care to join in? Oh who am I kidding, you’re too much of a stickler…” Lust gave her sister a drab look.

While the scene appalled the other mares, Logic stood with her eyes half closed. “You know… I am not even surprised at this… I actually sort of expected it. After all I cannot blame you given your nature.” Logic’s voice was cold.

“See, this is why you are best sister Logic.” Lust replied. “You accept us and all of our faults, still loving us in your own special way.” The sex fragment smiled at Logic.

“I am going to enjoy catching you and watching you get sucked into a capture device.” Was Logic’s reply, she glared poison-tipped daggers at Lust.

“Not today sister! Bye Bye!” Before anyone could act Lust, who contained a lot of stamina (for obvious reasons), used what she had been holding back with Curiosity to teleport herself away from the library. Logic scowled, but quickly became clam once more. Truthfully the past week of work had put her in a lazy, uncaring mood.

“Once again: not surprised…” The fragment sighed. “Curiosity get yourself off the floor.”

Curiosity jumped up, finding new stamina from fear of Logic. She frowned greatly. “Logic I… I’m sorry.”

Logic put a hoof on her shoulder. “I know, and I cannot blame you for your own nature either. Hopefully your curiosity has been sated.” Curiosity nodded shamefully at this remark. “Good, now clean up.” Levitating a mop and bucket to Curiosity, Logic gave her sister an ice-cold stare in which to cement the deal.
Curiosity hastily went to work cleaning up the aftermath of the shameful acts she had committed with Lust. Her frown never left her face.

~~~~

Logic stretched all her legs about in preparation for bedtime. Using her magic to close the blinds and hide the starry night, she yawned heavily. What a day. She didn’t know what was worse: coming home to find Curiosity had had sex with one of their sisters, though Logic knew it was technically masturbation, or doing so with the others present, especially Spike. It had taken a long while to persuade the others that everything was under control and that Logic and Spike would be fine. Logic even had to bribe Rarity with a picnic together to make her leave. Hearing small footsteps Logic turned to the door.

“Geez, that was a weird day huh Logic?” Spike the dragon proclaimed rather nonchalantly. He chuckled. “Man, I’m glad Rarity didn’t fall for Lust! I’d have no chance then!” The dragon burst out laughing, forgetting the intense fear he had felt when it was him in Lust's sights.

“You seem rather calm Spike. Especially when it comes to Rarity. I have seen no outright signs of jealously from you, considering it I she is entranced with.” Logic could not help but probe about for information.

“Why should I worry Logic?” The dragon smiled. “Like you said: You don’t feel love or lust. Anything Rarity tries with you is a lost cause. Rarity’s so smart and pretty, eventually she’ll figure that out and move on… giving me a chance once more!” The dragon grinned widely at his fragment friend.

Logic grunted humorously. “I see. You do seem to have it all planned out. Would you like to come along on our picnic? I know I would enjoy more company… and a witness to ensure she does not pull a stunt on me like Lust has done here.”

“Nah, I gotta help Fluttershy out with some of her animal friends… I sorta promised her I would.” Spike scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Never be embarrassed at the performance of a good deed Spike. Now let us get off to bed hmm?” Logic cocked an eyebrow playfully.

Spike nodded and climbed into his basket. Logic did the same with her bed and snuggled in, using her magic to cut off the lights in the room. As she closed her eyes she was glad that this saucy day was well and over.

~~~~

Morality’s eyes opened slowly as her ears heard approaching hooves. Anger plopped down on her haunches next to her sister, an annoyed glare on her face. Morality could only sigh as base natures took hold.

“Is something wrong Anger? You look… distraught, to say the least.” Morality genuinely cared for her sister’s well-being, but still… it was Anger.

“I couldn’t finish…” Anger replied, motioning to where Mute was sleeping peacefully after intense lovemaking.

Morality cocked an eyebrow. “What? Why not? I’m sure Mute wouldn’t mind going all the way with you.” Shit, she’s probably the one who said ‘let’s fuck till we drop!’ in the first place.

Anger grumbled. “She finished… multiple times… I, I can’t finish…” The fragment looked away from her sister.

Morality stared blank faced at Anger. Oh. My… Abort. Abort, Abort, Abort! Abort, Abort… Fall back! FALL BACK! All units pull your asses to the minimal safe distance zone to escape the incoming shit storm. Retreat, run, evacuate the conversation immediately! Ignoring the voice in her head, Morality continued. “Do you want to talk about it?” There was a pause in Morality’s head. Dear Maker you didn’t… That’s it… I’m out. Goodbye, see you later. I am not staying for this one…

“I don’t know what happened… Mute was so pleased the entire time and so was I. We thought of every possible thing we could do. We even took the strap-on we bought using the slaver money to…” A hoof slammed into her mouth.

“Please, with all due respect, do not explain.” Morality just shook her head. Surprisingly, Morality’s darker side did not resurface. She really did want no part of this conversation. Morality looked at Anger. “Sister, some ponies are just different. That’s it. Maybe you can’t climax because you’re an anger fragment, who knows? Or maybe it’s because of your lifestyle… maybe if you stopped seeking revenge on Trixie you’d be able to…”

“HELL NO!” Anger interjected, taking Morality’s hoof out of her mouth. “I will find that bitch and make her pay! Stop trying to convince me otherwise Morality, it’s not going to work!” Anger turned her head upwards, towards the glittering light in the darkness that was Canterlot. Tomorrow they would arrive in the city and find Trixie; it has been a long time coming.

“Still you protest!” Morality had lost some cool. “Can you not see that this quest will only end in pain?! Can you not look past petty hate and become more than what you are based off of?! For fuck’s sake Anger look yourself in the mirror and ask, is this who I want to be?! Do you truly want to be some monster who attacks ponies that have wronged her even in the slightest of ways?! Dammit, think before you act for once in your life!” Morality had stood up and was panting heavily at her sister.

Anger got up and snorted. “We’ll just have to disagree about that now won’t we sis?!” With that Anger got up and left, walking back to Mute to snuggle lovingly with the pegasus.

Morality stared off towards them for some time. Eventually she shook her head. “So it seems.” The fragment laid down on all fours and began to dowse off. “So it seems…” She yawned.

~~~~

Swift Spell looked at the magically illuminated nighttime scene. The Kaplan District had wide but shallow craters spread all around. The smoke that had billowed out from the blasts had pegged the fighting to be much worse, but in reality it was clearly a minor brawl between unicorns. Swift Spell heard some commotion behind him and turned to see what was causing it.

The Captain instantly stood up straight, banged his legs together and saluted. “Superior officer on the scene!”

“There’s no need for that Captain Swift Spell.” General Duncan smiled. “It’s much too late for formalities.” The General remarked nonchalantly as he yawned and strode up to Captain Swift Spell, flanked by two escorts.

Swift could not help but look at the General’s entourage. One slender but muscular brown pegasus on the General’s left and an equally slender, but not as buff looking, beige Earth pony on his right. Their armor was bright silver, just like Duncan’s. It was very apparent that it was no guard’s armor. They wore not helmets and the armor was not embroidered at all like normal guard armor, just plain metal plate covering the pony’s entire back and undercarriage too. Their armored boots went all the way up to their knee, stopped to allow for movement, and continued to the base of the shoulder blade. The bottom boots had an extended piece of plate in the front to cover and protect the knees. There were no spaulders or any kind of armor on their shoulders (to assist with mobility yet again). The same system of armament could be seen on their back legs as well. Large red crystals were etched into each of the pony’s foreleg boots on the side, parallel with the shoulders. Swift Spell knew full well what those crystals were and wanted to be nowhere near them. Swift Spell couldn’t help but feel intimidated; the stallions behind Duncan were Equestrian soldiers, some of Duncan’s own force.

Swift Spell recomposed himself and answered Duncan’s remark. “It’s never too late to be formal sir. I suppose you’re here to pick up the attack details?”

“Yes, indeed I am. In fact I have already done so, but when I heard about the brawl that happened today I couldn’t help but check it out.” Duncan smiled happily at Swift. “Also I heard your patrol had encountered the attacker yes? I want to ask you some questions.”

“Oh… I see.” The stallion felt nervous but shook it off. “Very well sir I will answer what I can.”

“Excellent!” Duncan exclaimed; he turned his head to his guards. “Tesuu, Pen Stroke (What a stupid name), go over there and help the guards with whatever they need.” The soldiers nodded and trotted over to help in anyway they could. Duncan brought Swift Spell farther away from the group so no one could eavesdrop. “Ok Captain let’s be blunt, we both know these attacks are fake. What I want to know is why go through the trouble of faking something like this.”

Swift Spell blinked at Duncan. “W-What? How can the attacks be fakes? We have all the testimony we need to support the accusations.” The Captain couldn’t believe this.

“Please.” Duncan rolled his eyes. “No pony can attack over forty innocents, not leave a single piece of evidence, and have it so that the large amount of victims, who I like to add have never all been in the same room or seen together, not speak a word of his/her identity when it certain that at least one would speak, at least that’s what looking back into the psych profiles of reported victims states they would. So Captain, why do you think somepony would stage all this fake cat-and-mouse bull crap?” Captain Swift Spell couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

It really had been one of those days.

Logic vs. Anger

Warning: Violence

Trixie could do nothing but sigh in blissful relief as she lowered her backside into the tub of steaming hot water. Hesitating for a moment to allow her posterior adjust to the warmth, Trixie finally decided to plunge all the way in. All the aching bones in the unicorn’s body let out a relieved moan as Trixie fur and skin became wet with water. Laying back in the bath so only her neck and head remained above water, Trixie relaxed after a long day of showbiz. The showmare took ten minutes to simply take in the heat and then began the process of cleaning herself off, rubbing soap in every crevice (to her dismay she had to stand several times to get all of her body clean). She contemplated staying in the bath for another few minutes to rest up more, but she decided against it. Lying down in a pool of one’s own filth sort of defeated the propose of a bath. Stepping out oh so gracefully, she dried herself and unplugged the stopper from the drain to allow the water to exit.

Once all of her gussying up needs were tended to the mare stepped out of the bathroom of the room she had rented. Trixie smiled at the five star hotel room, adoring the high society life she was treating herself to. Trixie was never short on money; in fact she always had enough to keep her belly filled to the brink and her other basic needs in check. She knew full well that needs were much more important than wants and the mare prided herself at keeping a very balanced checkbook. But as Trixie peered to the large sack of coins she had received in the mail she could help but wonder at what she’d splurge on with it.

While looking at the bag the showmare’s eyes couldn’t be stopped from looking at the letter that had arrived with the coins:

Miss Trixie Lulamoon,

I thoroughly enjoyed our little act together; it was quite entertaining. To see you get pummeled with a large variety of objects gave me a chuckle or two. Still, I do not expect you to get hurt without receiving an adequate reward for entertaining me. Enclosed are ten thousand bits for you to use for your own desires. I hope you enjoy them and use them wisely. I would suggest using them as soon as possible to do something nice for yourself. After all, you never know when something could tear your life apart now do you?

Best Wishes, Lots of Love,

Miss Ebony Spring

Trixie had no clue what the last part meant but she sure did appreciate the money. Trixie chuckled; she’d have to do a show with Miss Spring again sometime. The tips from that particular show had set Trixie for the next three months. It seemed like the crowd enjoyed watching Trixie get hurt after all her cruel tricks. If Trixie could employ that kind of technique, cruelly messing with ponies and then being defeated by one, it would just rake in the cash and keep the crowd happy. That was the important part: the crowd’s happiness. There was no point of Trixie putting on her big Great and Powerful act in it didn’t please the crowds. Trixie smiled at the idea of sending a letter to Miss Spring and asking her to perform with her again. They’d make an epic traveling duo, helping to bring entertainment all around. Not only that but Miss Spring wasn’t half bad looking now that Trixie had thought about it. The showmare wondered if this Ebony Spring’s barn door swung that way (she certainly hoped so). Yes… the two of them… a great traveling entertainment couple. And after the show they’d go to Trixie’s wagon and enjoy the ‘after party’. Hugs, snuggles, kissing, bending down and…

A knock at the door made Trixie jump and her heart skip a beat. Her cheeks became a deep red color once she noticed where her hoof had drifted. She dried off her hoof with a towel and made for the door. She decided that she didn’t feel like being all great and powerful right now. Right now she’d be the real Trixie: a modest mare who excelled at putting on the mask of an actor. The mare made it to her door. “Yes? Who is it?”

“Room service ma’am, complements of the kitchen.” The voice behind the door was sort of strained, as if trying to keep in a lot of pent up aggression.

Trixie decided to look through the door’s little spy hole. Sure enough there was a purple mare in the standard hotel staff uniform. Trixie could only blush at the spectacular beauty of the maid in the hallway. She reminded Trixie of somepony she knew… but she couldn’t place it. Seeing no obvious threat, Trixie began to unlatch the door and remove the protection enchantments common to all hotels and inns. As the last lock and magic seal were opened, Trixie began to pull open the door with magic. The showmare had no idea why the hotel’s kitchen was giving her free food and she had felt like being cautious but dismissed it.

After all… what was the worst that could happen in the whole thirty seconds it would take to get the food?

~~~~

The palace’s servant quarters were unbearably quiet this time at night. It made sense though, there was a huge birthday party going on downstairs. It wasn’t everyday the head gardener turned sixty and all the palace staff wanted to show their great appreciation and respect for the stallion that had been apart of the Canterlot castle for over forty years. Despite the lack of living souls in this part of the castle, Steadfast still walked with precision and deft stealth skills to avoid detection. He knew his route by pure memory alone, having to go to and fro often. In his saddlebags rested all sorts of copied documents. Guard deployments and schedules, royal decisions in court, and all other types of papers only meant to be seen by the Princesses or high-ranking officers. Finally reaching his destination he turned the doorknob and stepped into Ebony Spring/Creativity's room. Despite being empty for ten whole days the room was amazingly well kept, Steadfast had made sure to that. The guard had no clue how to clean properly like a maid would, but he certainly tried his best. His master would return to a clean and pleasurable environment. Reaching the center of the small room Steadfast placed the bag of documents down onto the central table. It was the main feature of the humble quarters, considering the only other things in the room was a bed at the back wall, a vanity stuck against the right wall, and finally a medium sized chest below the window. Checking one last time to ensure all the stolen documents were present and would be waiting for his master, Steadfast finally turned to leave…

“Hello there recruit. Why might you be here this fine evening?”

Steadfast jumped and turned around instantly, his eyes quickly beholding General Duncan standing in the room’s doorway, clad in his normal armored apparel as well as a pink and yellow polka dotted party hat. “Oh… General Quickstep sir…” The recruit tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t reveal his reasons for being where he was. “W-What are you doing here sir… I thought you were in Manehatten?” The recruit tried to smile nervously, but he failed.

“I was, but I got back this morning. Slept the rest of the day away… Oh well, at least the party has been fun.” Duncan smiled warmly at the recruit. “So… What are you doing here Private Steadfast? Miss Spring isn’t here at the moment, something about a personal problem… yes that’s it! She was taking a few days off to help with some family issues.” The General had taken a few steps into the room during his explanation, unnerving Steadfast in the process.

“I, uh… Ebony wanted me to bring any mail she got while she was away and put it in her room. That’s what I’m, uh… doing, yeah…” Steadfast’s heart raced; if Duncan looked into the saddlebag he’d find a lot more than mail.

“I see, I see…” Duncan moved his head up and down as he scanned the room, walking in a slow circle around the center table. “So you and Miss Spring are well acquainted?” Steadfast nodded. “Well it’s good to know she’s making friends and not just… bed-buddies…” Steadfast’s eyes widened. How did the General know about Creativity’s sexual encounters? Why was he questioning Steadfast so much? Did it really matter, or had the stallion already piece the evidence together? Duncan saw the distress on Steadfast’s face and continued. “So recruit, do you know of any of Miss Spring’s relatives? Know of any family? You see I was looking at a picture Princess Celestia has and… well I dare say Miss Spring has quite a resemblance to a mare her royal highness knows.” It was no secret that Celestia kept a scrapbook of all her personal students; the sun princess was a sentimental one indeed. Steadfast shook his head again; his eyes shifting as Duncan finally made his circle and now stared Steadfast in the face. “Ok, last question. Now... and stay with me on this one... why are you giving Miss Spring classified documents? A maid hardly has any use for such things.” Steadfast’s eyes widened. He knew! He knew that Creativity was not what she appeared. Steadfast’s mind shifted about, thinking. What to do, what to do? Before his mind was made up however, his mouth spoke.

“With all do respect sir,” Steadfast’s voice was contaminated with a harshness the stallion didn’t know he had. “I have done no such thing as give Ebony classified documents. I am simply doing a friend a favor. With that in mind, how about you take your suspicions and shove ‘em up your ass you arrogant son of a bitch.” Steadfast’s mind couldn’t fathom what he had just said, to a superior officer no less! If it was Captain Armor standing in front of him he’d been on kitchen duty until he made the rank of Captain himself.

Duncan brought his face mere centimeters from Steadfast’s, a death-inducing scowl on his face. “You know Private, bad behavior rubs off from others onto you. I expected better from you, considering how polite you were the first time we met.” Despite his facial expression beaming of hatred, Duncan’s voice was quite calm. “I would suggest holding your tongue when speaking to officials other than I, they won’t be as lineate.” With that Duncan brushed past the still foul-faced recruit. It was only when Duncan was fully out of his sight that’s when Steadfast’s regret kicked in.

“Wait, General sir!” The stallion turned around to see the General, who had done the same for him. “I-I’m so sorry I… I don’t know what came over me I…” The recruit looked close to tears.

Duncan put a hoof up, stopping the sobbing guard. His face was sympathetic, the calling a guard a traitor tactic was always an effective way to route out the unloyal. A treasonous guard would become worried and overtaken with anxiety, and usually spill the beans since the officers already ‘knew’. Steadfast had reacted the way a truly loyal guard would: annoyed at being called something so heinous as a traitor. “It’s alright recruit, I am the one at fault. I shouldn’t have gone so low as to accuse you of treason; I know how much you guards hate that. I know you aren’t giving out classified documents. Just trying to test your metal... Its a foolish thing I do with my own soldiers sometimes, no offense was meant.” Steadfast looked at the General with a new level of respect, since when did higher up officers apologize? “I am simply trying to keep you out of trouble, you never know where it will appear. Which is why I’m asking for you to listen: You can have a perfect dog. You can love it, feed it, play with it and give it everything it needs. It can love you back with all its heart and never dream of hurting you. But just remember recruit: Even your perfect dog will bite you if you disturb its pups.” The General let the words sink in and then bowed to Steadfast. “Good night Private Steadfast. If I can give you any recommendation it would be to come to the party downstairs, it’s quite fun.” With that, the General exited the room, returning to the party.

Steadfast just stood there, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Finally giving up he decided to do as the General commanded and go to the party. He looked around the room and sighed. “Where are you Creativity?” He asked aloud somberly as he turned to leave.

“Awww, Steadfast… You really do care.”

The guard pony whipped around to see the window open, the drapes blowing in the breeze. In the window frame a figure could be made out in the darkness. Her yellow eyes glowed from the light hitting them.

~~~~

Trixie’s head slammed against her room’s vanity. Tumbling to the ground, she could feel the rush of blood from her nose increase. Bruised and beaten, a black eye forming under her left socket, she could barely move her head enough to see her attacker. The purple mare Twilight Sparkle looked down at her, the mare’s pupils were blood red color and her mane and tail slashed into a tomboyish style. The scowl on her face brought such fear to Trixie that she had soiled herself right before the first barrage of attacks. Behind the unicorn stood a white pegasus with a blue mane and hazel eyes. Trixie tried her best to talk over the pain.

“T-T-Twilight… p-please. T-Trixie is sorry for what she did in P-Ponyville. Trixie didn’t mean for it to happen. She only…” The hoof coming down on her face and bashing her head against the floor stopped Trixie short.

“Shut up bitch! I don’t want to hear it! You’ll pay for what you did and I’m going to make you wish you were never born!” Anger cried out hatefully, preparing for another strike on the powder blue mare.

Tears formed in Trixie’s eyes, flowing down her face in waterfalls. “No! Please! Trixie is sorry!” The showmare cried heavily, trying to speak through the sobs. “Trixie is so sorry!” Anger brought her hoof down of the poor mare once more.

Knock Knock Knock!

Anger’s head turned as the sound came from the door. Nothing else happened, everything was still. Anger’s eyes shifted about, trying to make sense of it. There was no response or question, just a knock. Suddenly a second knock came, prompting Mute to turn her head and wonder. Still, no pony called to them, asking if everything was ok or if Trixie needed something. This unnerved Anger a great deal. Trixie, using her remaining might, slowly pulled her own head to the door in confusion. Finally, a third knocking came… and Anger had had enough.

“Stop knocking and go away you piece of…” The anger fragment wouldn’t ever finish her sentence, it was hard to talk when the hotel suite’s door was blasted off its hinges and sent hurdling at Anger.

Anger’s eyes widened just in time for the door to slam her away from Trixie and send her through the wall out into the street. Trixie and Mute stared in shock; the amount of magical force needed to do that was substantial at best. Walking into the room and appearing from beyond the dust and debris stood… Twilight Sparkle? Trixie’s head stalled as she witnessed yet another Twilight Sparkle, this one with dark green eyes, walk casually into her room. Seeing that it was her lover’s enemy, Mute prepared to jump into action and help combat this new threat. As she spread her wings wide to prepare, however, Logic’s magic came up and backhanded the mare into the wall with bone crushing force (Luckily the sound proof walls made sure that the elderly couple next door couldn't hear a thing). Trixie stared at the new Twilight as she approached her. Her face was a blend of neutral and scowl, she clearly did not want to be combating the other Twilight like this. Checking to make sure Trixie would live to see another day, Logic turned her attention to the large hole in the wall. Walking up to it see peered down into the street below, she spotted Anger getting herself up from underneath the rubble. Logic’s eyebrows furrowed and she jumped out of the window, enveloping herself in magic to make the fall down slower and less bone crushing. Landing on the pavement with a light clop of her hooves, Logic peered over to her sister and began the short walk to her. Anger had just pushed the last piece of rubble off of herself, now reverting her attention to her attacker.

“Really Logic!? We’re doing this again?! I’ll break you in two sis-…” Anger was blasted back by a green bolt of magic from Logic. Landing a few feet back, Anger clutched her stomach. Logic’s blasts had never been that strong!

At Logic’s end, she was formulating plans to counter Anger. It shouldn’t be too hard, Logic wasn’t holding back anymore. She had held back against Anger the first time, she’d held back against the hydra, and Creativity, and so many other things. Her holding back was why Applejack was in the hospital, why Creativity was still free. The fragment was done! She’d had always held back for fear of hurting others in the process or accidently creating another magical problem. Everything changed after Creativity had attacked. Now the logical fragment was done playing nice.

Anger once again stood up as the pain subsided and she prepared to… and Logic threw a bench at her. Charging an attack, Anger blasted the bench and shattered it to pieces. The fragment had to cover her face as bits both large and small flew past her, some of the large parts (still flying at high speed) were close enough to slice past her skin and cause several flesh wounds on her body. Logic wasted no time and charged her sister, her horn lighting up and sending pulses to her hooves. Anger recomposed herself and dodged Logic’s hoof as it slammed into the ground, crushing the pavement into a good sized crater. Anger charged up her open blast and sent hissing at Logic. The green-eyed Twilight cast up a shield and deflected the shot back at Anger, once again propelling the angry fragment back a few meters. Dazed, Anger tried to recompose herself, only to have Logic use another magically charged hoof to pummel her into the ground.

“It is over Anger.” Logic remarked coldly. “Your revenge schemes end here!” Logic sent another charged hoof down on Anger, causing the fragment to spit out some saliva and blood. Logic grimaced, it annoyed her to use an attack Creativity had made up but it was still very effective. Logic would not forsake such a usable weapon simply because its original creator was dirty.

Anger tried to wiggle from Logic’s grip, to no avail. “Dammit! I won’t lose! I won’t lose to you and your stupid friends!” Anger grunted with annoyance as she squirmed.

“Well, you are in luck. It is only I. I will not risk the safety of the others when it comes to you. They are all safely secure in Ponyville, not even aware of my absence save Spike.” Logic tightened her hold on Anger, almost breaking her ribcage. “Now, to end this. You will harm no one else sis-…”

Logic was sent flying to the right as a blur slammed against her and carried her away from Anger. Pulling back, the blur sent Logic skipping and skidding against the hard pavement towards a three-way street intersection. Landing next to Anger, the blur known as Mute nuzzled her love and gave a quick kiss to the cheek. Logic shakily got up on her hooves and aimed an attack. Firing the green blast towards the couple, green met red and sparked about violently as a shield encased the unicorn and pegasus. Logic’s eyes widened. Anger was using a shield spell! Blast… Logic’s teeth gritted as she put two and two together, being with Mute has no doubt kept Anger calm enough to actually start learning more advanced spells. Once again Logic had made a miscalculation that had gotten the better of her. Ever since Curiosity had told Logic that she had seen Mute with Morality and Anger she dismissed it. Logic had not actually thought the mare’s presence would do anything but calm Anger down a bit. This turn of events was certainly unthinkable. Logic didn’t know if it was a fault on her part or if Anger had adapted to the usual unpredictability that organic creatures have. It didn’t matter; Logic would defeat these two!

Before Logic could react Anger sent a magical blast right at her. Dodging effortlessly, Logic prepared her own attack. Mute sprung into action, flying at super fast speeds in order to slam right into Logic’s stomach. Pushing Logic into the side of a building, Mute broke off to allow Anger to send blast after blast of volatile magic at Logic. Logic was blasted to the side in a storm of red magic and grey smoke in a skipping motion, Anger not even letting her sister touch the ground before blasting her again. Despite deciding not to hold back, Logic wasn’t able to concentrate long enough to get off a single counterstrike and could only form quick shattering shields to protect herself from the full brunt of Anger’s hits. Anger was smiling sadistically as she blasted her sister, enjoying the crushing defeat of the high and mighty Logic. Suddenly a spark of green flew out of the red and grey to slam Anger right in the face. Anger backpedaled in pain, holding her face as it seared from the concussive blast. Logic had bided her time in order to see any possible pattern in Anger’s attacks. When she found it she waited for the opening and POW! Finally getting time to concentrate, Logic charged up an attack to… wait, where is Mute? Logic’s head perked straight up in time and she dodged the pegasus’ hind hooves slamming down towards her. Logic landed and brought up a shield to deflect the beam of magic shot at her from the revived Anger. Shifting her eyes about, Logic assessed the battle. To her left, Mute hovered slightly off the ground some meters away, poised to strike the moment Logic’s attention was shifted elsewhere. To Logic’s right stood Anger, ready to blast her sister with magic. Logic shifted her magic into a quick scan of her body. Lets see, heart rate: sixty bpm, blood pressure: ninety-seven, overall body condition: forty-eight cuts, seventy-five bruises, a deep laceration in right side (risk level currently low), blood loss currently one liter (magically enhancing heart to compensate), magic supply is currently at eighty-nine percent full, internal bleeding in left leg and lower neck. Also, have to pee real badly. Logic huffed at bit; her situation was not looking well from a physical standpoint. At least her magic could compensate where needed, still she had to end this soon. She could not take on these two alone with them being so in sync together. She could try a magical shockwave… no that could bring down several buildings if she put too much into it. Dammit, even though she had pledged to do whatever it takes to capture the fragments from here on in, Logic couldn’t bring herself to simply start dishing out large amounts of magic with no concern for those nearby. She wasn’t Creativity.

“What’s the matter Logic? You seem to be at a loss.” Anger chuckled confidently, preparing to end this with a single blast. “I one the other hoof am quite ready to end this right now!” Anger flung her head forward and sent her red magic flinging towards Logic. The intelligence fragment was at a loss. If she dodged or deflected the attack, she’d be wide open to Mute’s attack right after. Logic could easily stop the pegasus but Anger would simply strike at her again, leaving Logic with few options. The red zipped towards Logic, Mute readied herself, and Logic tried to formulate some way out. That way was closer than the fragment thought…

A powder blue streak rushed across the sky, zigzagging gracefully as it struck Anger’s attack and dissipated it into a beautiful flash of light blue and red sparkles. “What the hell?!” Anger turned to the origin of the streak, only to have another hit her like a bowling ball right in the face and send her into a wall. Mute let out a silent call of alarm at Anger, but it was the least of her worries. Several magical tentacles rushed forth and entangled her, pulling her forward and positioning her just right to slam her head into a lamppost. She slumped to the ground lifelessly. “MUTE!!” Anger dashed over to her beloved with all due speed, relieved when she found her alive.

Logic stood dumbfounded as a light blue flash erupted in front of her, revealing the Great and Powerful Trixie. The showmare had a stern look on her face. Logic could tell where her magic had been used to seal cuts and heal the parts of her body damaged by Anger. Trixie cocked her head towards Logic. “Are you ok?”

“Well, I am not dead. That is a statement in and of itself.” Logic stepped up next to Trixie. “I must say I am impressed. I do not remember you having the ability to teleport last time.”

“Trixie may be great and powerful but even she can always learn something new and useful for her acting career.” Trixie struck a dashing pose and raised a hoof to the night sky. “After all, once a spell is learned by the Great and Powerful Trixie it can be considered a truly advanced form of magic!” Trixie gave a confident grin and made her facial expression a suave one.

Logic shook her head. “Yes, quite the advanced magic. It is not like it is know by even the tiniest unicorn foal with a guide to basic spell casting.” Trixie caught on to Logic’s sarcastic tone, deflating her ego.

The showmare smiled embarrassingly, scratching the back of her neck. “Yes, well… Trixie sometimes over exaggerates with her abilities… It is all for the show you understand.” Trixie chuckled a bit, but soon lost her elated tone and stared at Logic. “So, what’s going on? Did Twilight Sparkle accidently mess up a spell? It would certainly explain why there are two of her.” Being a unicorn specializing in magic herself, Trixie was well aware of all the mishaps that could occur when practicing magic.

“It was of no fault of her own. It seems fate was simply unkind to her. A magical accident has split her into multiple personalities. I am Logic, Twilight’s intelligence. I am currently assisting the other Elements of Harmony with capturing the other fragments and restoring Twilight to her original state. Currently, we are facing Anger and she desires your head for the wrongs you brought upon Twilight, her friends, and Ponyville. Do not think her some social avenger however; she is but a foal who has become angry at a bully who stole her glasses.” Logic believed that explanation was good enough. Trixie scuffed a bit, being compared to a bully was not a fun experience.

The powder blue unicorn shook off her dislike of the comparison and focused on the task at hand. “So how do we go about ending this? Trixie is good at defense but not at attack. Her first shots only worked because it caught Twili- Anger off-guard.”

Logic formulated a moment in her head. “Hmm… You focus on Mute, I will deal with Anger, this way they cannot double team us.”

Trixie pulled her whole body in Logic’s direction and pouted dramatically. “WHAT?! No! Trixie wishes to help defeat this Anger mare! Trixie can sense how powerful she is and Trixie knows you’ll need more than just yourself to beat her!” Trixie became somber, tilting her head down in a sudden, rapid depression. “Trixie… I have to help… to right a wrong done to innocent ponies by a foolish mare. Please Logic… let Trixie help you.” She became truly distraught.

Logic put a hoof on her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look. “I am stronger than Anger, maybe not in brute strength, but still stronger in other aspects. I have been unable to defeat her because she and Mute have been tag teaming me. Keeping Mute occupied will go along way. Not only that but I do not want you to get hurt, too many have already been hurt by this foolish accident.” Trixie sniffed up a forming tear and looked at Logic, hardening her resolve Trixie nodded and the two turned to face their opponents.

Anger had just awoken Mute and got her to her hooves, ensuring there was no long-term damage to the pegasus. Logic and Trixie wasted no time separating the two, Logic rammed Anger with magic and chased after her tumbling form while Trixie enveloped Mute in her magical tendrils and flung her about. Logic charged Anger and head-butted her with a magically enhanced skull. Anger responded with her own magic and soon the two were engaged in a brutal reverse tug-of-war, their magic mixing in and around them causing massive red and green sparks to erupt into the street (had Logic not magically cut off the sound and light to the surrounding buildings beforehand the battle would have awoken every living soul in the neighborhood). “I’m going to break you and that stupid bitch Logic! I may not have your magic, but I’m ten times stronger than you!” Anger boasted as the pair’s heads shook violently under the pressure being applied to them by the opposing mare.

“You continue to repeat that and yet I still stand! As with most words spoken in anger your threats are hollow!” Logic yelled back, closing one eye to shield it from the intensity of the sparks that danced about sporadically. Logic’s backtalk only infuriated Anger more and she pushed harder, not willing to give an inch.

Trixie jumped back and sent powder blue shocks spiraling from her horn towards the hostile pegasus. After Mute had broken free from Trixie’s grasp she had pounded the unicorn dead center in her chest, flinging her back. Trixie was on the defensive as Mute continued a pattern of dodging and attacking at the exact moment Trixie stopped firing to allow for her magic to cool down. Already several bruises had formed, washing away the progress Trixie had in healing herself during the first half of the fight. Both fighters knew Mute had the upper hand: her slick, slender body wasn’t only just for looks. The soundless pegasus was faster than one would expect her to be and to her dodging Trixie’s attacks was like doing the kiddie course at flight school. If this obvious disadvantage wasn’t enough, Trixie was exhausted. Any unicorn would be out of breathe from the amount of energy used to quickly heal the damage Trixie had taken from Anger but Trixie had it off worse. She was a unicorn used to quick tricks and spells that dazzled a crowd long enough for her to catch her breath, not a seasoned guard with lots of stamina and conditioning to use her magic supply efficiently. The final, unfortunate fact that she was facing off against the pony race with arguably the most stamina out of the three did not improve her chances. Charging up yet another attack, Trixie’s eyes widened as the magic simply fizzled out of her horn. She had been too fighting too hard! Her magic had overheated and needed time to cool off for a second, a second Mute used to her advantage. Like the untrained fighter she was, Mute could only ram into Trixie hard and send her flying in what appeared to be a final blow. Trixie skidded about and finally stopped cold. The showmare shifted on the ground, but her body had failed her. I… I can’t do anymore. I-I’m done, it’s alright though… Trixie did her best… It’s ok for me to just lie down and rest… no… NO! I won’t… I won’t give up! I have to help! I have to… Trixie sent a magical shock through her own body, kick starting the tired and numbed muscles. Standing upright, Trixie stared down her opponent. Then, without warning, she charged at Mute screaming a wordless battle cry. Mute snickered silently and met Trixie’s charge with one of her own; unicorns were bad at close quarters after all so it would be an easy kill. Kill… Would Mute really do that? The pegasus pondered for a moment during her charge. Yes, for Anger! For her beloved Mute would do whatever it takes to please her. That was all that mattered. The gap between the unicorn and pegasus lessened and finally they collided, unfortunately for Mute. The pegasus let out a wordless scream as she and Trixie were electrocuted. During her whole charge Trixie had been building up magic to release it into one final electrical shock. Trixie would go down, but she’d take Mute with her. Now Trixie was screaming at the top of her lungs as she acted as a conductor to allow electricity to flow into Mute. Finally Trixie lost consciousness and fell to the ground numb, but still breathing. Mute staggered back a good full meter before falling backwards and landing on the hard pavement, tiny breathes escaping her mouth.

Logic broke from the head-butt and slid back, turning her head to Trixie in worry. “Trixie! Trixie can you hear me?! Trixie!” Logic had stopped paying attention to Anger and left herself wide open. Logic could never understand why she cared so much for others. She was logic, cold and calculating. But even though she promised to give her all and take her fragment sisters down no matter the cost she still found herself holding back and not willing to sacrifice for the cause. She could have easily ended this fight with a magical shockwave. It would have leveled the neighborhood but it would have worked and stopped Anger. Why did she care? It was one of those life questions Logic wouldn’t be able to solve now as Anger threw a magically charged hoof dead center into Logic’s chest, sending her flying a good five meters. Landing with a loud thud, Logic looked at her sister with utter disbelief. She has already learned that attack?! I have only used it a few times and she can already duplicate it without any training?! Logic couldn’t believe how this fight had turned. Trixie was down, probably dying. Logic was badly hurt and getting worse each second. Despite it all, Anger still seemed to be going strong. Logic had to do something! Logic closed her eyes and tried to desperately think of some way to beat her sister… but what could she do?! Wait… That’s it! Coughing up a bit of blood and breathing heavily, was able to get up onto her hooves, though she wobbled constantly.

Anger watched the spectacle with amusement. The fragment laughed. “Gee Logic, what’s wrong? You don’t seem to be well! Are you feeling ok? You’re not acting like your usual ‘superior’ self!” Anger laughed again at her sister’s suffering. She deserved it for standing in Anger’s way.

Logic grunted. “It is true… I am not feeling like myself… I may be beaten, bloody and exhausted but at least…at least I am not you…” Logic coughed more and tried to keep her balance.

Anger’s eyes widened in confused frustration. “What? What the fuck does that mean?!” Anger put a hate filled hoof forward.

Logic chuckled without smiling. “I mean that despite all this pain… despite all this torture my body is currently going through… At least I am not you… At least I am not a failure!” It was getting hard for Logic to talk; she tried to put as many words as possible into her breaths.

Anger’s right eye twitched. “WHAT?! A FAILURE?! I’M NO FAILURE!” Anger screamed at her sister with all her might.

Logic gave her smile-less chuckle once more. “Oh really? Not a failure? Your track record says otherwise…” Logic looked her sister dead in the eye.

“What the fuck are you talking about?!” Anger inquired frustratingly, she was not impressed with these games.

“Simple.” Logic replied. “ You failed to defeat me during our first encounter, despite your best efforts. You failed to find your way out of the Everfree forest without Creativity’s assistance. You failed to defeat the hydra until you employed everything you had, and even that was a close call. You know that, do you not?” Anger began to seethe, her rage building up with each accusation. “You failed to effectively combat the slavers before they captured your precious Mute. You failed to climax with your lover despite both of your best efforts. You failed to kill Trixie even though you had her right in your hooves. And like the first time, you have failed to defeat me, despite expending all your strength.” Red magical electricity began to spark around Anger’s eyes closed and she shook with rage. The smart thing to do would be to stop right now, but that ironically enough was not part of Logic’s plan. Now was the time for the killing blow. Logic took a minute to steady her thoughts as they trailed away due to blood loss and fatigue. Finally, she tore the scab off the unhealed wound. “And of course, your greatest failure is from your own foolishness. Do you want to know a secret Anger? Thanks to Curiosity’s recon I was able to do some calculations. Guess what I found out: If you had not bickered with Morality about going to save Mute then you would have arrived at the slaver hideout long before she was raped.” Anger’s eyes shot open in shock. “That is right! You are the one responsible for Mute being raped! It was your own irresponsibility that is the reason she had to suffer through that experience! You are why your precious lover was forced to her knees and had to give a stallion oral intercourse!” Logic let the last part sink in.

Anger erupted into a mess of red electricity as her eyes were consumed by a red glow. A sphere of red formed around the fragment as her rage reached critical. Logic nodded to herself, this is what she wanted. Anger would fire a super charged blast of magic at Logic. Logic would deflect it with her still considerable pool of mana and capture Anger instantly, the mare having used all her power in the attack. Finally Anger would be defeated and Logic could help Trixie. But wait… something was wrong. Anger wasn’t concentrating her magic, she was letting expand outward… disintegrating everything in the red sphere of magic! Logic’s gasped in shock at her miscalculation, Anger was going to release the energy in a death sphere of incredible energy! Already a crater was formed under the mare, the ground being blow away. Logic acted fast, her eyes gave way into complete green glows and she charged all the magic she could muster. Sending it through her hooves and into the ground, a green aura soon sprouted out and engulfed everything: All the buildings, the street, Mute and Trixie, anything that could be harmed by Anger. Logic was not going to let Anger destroy the entire neighborhood. Logic grunted as the protective spell reached its limits. Looking around, Logic made sure everything was secure. Yes, everything was enveloped in the green aura… everything except Logic! Logic had selflessly made sure she would be the last one secured, but as she tried to envelope herself with the magical shield Logic made a terrifying discovery: the spell had a limited amount of area it could cover and Logic had made it to the limit. Logic tried to think about what she could take away to shield herself. No, going over the numbers again Logic ascertained that she couldn’t take an inch off of anywhere or there would be damage. Anger fired her sphere outward; it fizzed against the shield. Logic looked to Mute and an idea came to mind. If Logic took the shield off Mute she could protect herself! After all who was Mute to her? The enemy that’s who! A mare that was helping Anger! The sphere was approaching fast! But as Logic prepared to take off Mute’s shield she stopped herself. No… how could Logic do something so cruel, something Creativity would do… The red magic was a foot away from hitting Logic! Logic shook her head.

She was not Creativity.

~~~~

General Duncan walked into the study, more than just a little drunk. His party hat was tipped to the side and he had a dumb little smirk on his face. Instantly, he spotted Royal Guard Captain Shining Armor drooling over some paperwork. As the not so sober stallion walked over to the Captain the stallion in question noticed his guest.

“Oh… Hello General Quickstep. What are you doing here?” Shining asked blandly.

Duncan sat in the chair opposite to Shining. “I am is enjoysing the boozes. Iz much fun!” Duncan chuckled drunkenly.

Shining rolled his eyes. “Really? Can’t you act like your rank for one night?”

Duncan waved a hoof in Shining’s face. “My shift ends at when the big pointy thing is on the four and short pointy thingy is on the six… or wait is it the other ways around?” Duncan pondered.

“Ugh… Have you no shame?” Shining shook his head.

Duncan shook his head at the question. “You need to lightens up! You is always about work! You always so about work yous aren't even able to sent a letter to your sister that you are becoming married! Whas up wit that?! The Princesses are lesser sticks in the mud than you!” Shining scuffed angrily, trying to contain some growing rage.

Suddenly a bright light appeared off the distance in Canterlot. “What in the world?!” Shining jumped out of his chair and looked out the window.

Duncan did the same, but remained in his chair for balance reasons. “Ooooo! Prettical colors! Somepony thinks its Hearths Warming Eve already. Silly pony, that event’s not for another tree months… what… whats month is it?” Duncan chuckled as the flush on his cheeks darkened thanks to the booze.

Shining on the other hand was very concerned. “That’s no holiday festival Duncan! It’s some sort of magical fight! I have to go and get my guards on it!” Shining headed for the door.

“NO!!!” Duncan rushed to Shining, pressing his face against Shining’s.

Shining Armor grumbled. “Duncan... we’ve been over this personal space issue before haven’t we?” Shining tried to push the stallion away.

Duncan shook his head. “No I mean you can’t send guards right now! Too dangerous!”

“What?” Shining replied.

Duncan brought Shining to the window. “See the red sphere-y thing? See how’s its all pulsate-y and sparky? That mens it all unstable! That bad! The green stuff is protecting them district it seemth. But it too be pulsating… That must mean the green castor is being attacked by the red pony! The power being emulated by the attack is too strong, your guards’ll be disintegrated!” Shining Armor looked at Duncan with dumbfounded expression. Shining and Duncan were rarely on similar terms and Shining considered the General a child that never acted his age. But even Shining Armor respected the fact Duncan’s investigative abilities were unmatched, despite being drunk off his ass. Duncan certainly was good at his… “And that’s why the snow fairies are going to war with the dirt people of Arcturus seven over their cheese supplies!” And there was the booze talking. Shining finally pushed Duncan off and headed out the door, leaving the stallion to his rants. Still, the Royal Captain planned to take Duncan’s advice.

As Shining turned down the hall Princess Celestia walked into the study. Noticing Duncan on the floor she looked down at him, a grimace on her face. “Really Duncan?! How many times have I told you not to go to a booze party without me?! I mean really, how can you be so insensitive, not saving me any.” The royal Alicorn was yelling at the drunken stallion in the face.

Celestia pouted, sometimes Duncan never thought ahead... the royal Alicorn liked alcohol too!

~~~~

It felt like a hundred freight trains hitting Logic all at once. The magic tore through her body and gashed out chunks of the fragment. Logic wasn’t even able to think straight as the pain engulfed her body and tore through her very being, right down to Logic’s artificial soul.

What felt live an eternity in hell was actually only three good minutes of Anger venting. The previous battle had exhausted her just as much and she didn’t have a lot left. As the last remnants of magic faded, Anger fell over panting hard. Twilight’s hatred picked herself up and looked around to find everything still intact. Anger shook her head; she didn’t give two shits about the surrounding area. All she cared about was her bitch sister Logic bleeding out several feet away. Taking long, wobbly steps Anger moved to her sister with what consciousness she had left. A smile formed on Anger’s face and she laughed. “N-Now who’s the… the f-failure Logic?!” Anger lost her balance and tumbled forward, coughing out some spittle. Rising again Anger continued towards Logic. “I-If I was such a… such a failure you’d be the one standing here!” Anger now stood over Logic’s form. “But I g-guess not!” The fragment still smiled.

Shaking, Logic turned her head to her sister. “A-At least I can climax during my sexual escapades.” Logic chuckled somberly. She didn’t actually know if she could climax at all but hell, if she was going out she might as well go out as a defiant bitch.

Anger raised a hoof in preparation to crush Logic’s head. “You annoying bitch! I’m gonna enjoy this!” Logic closed her eyes in response to meeting her death.

Anger screamed as something latched onto her back and held on tight. Logic opened her eyes to see the powder blue form of Trixie hanging on for dear life around Anger’s neck. Anger tried desperately to remove Trixie from her back but it was no use. In an attempt to hold on Trixie found a spot on Anger’s neck and bit down hard into it, drawing blood. Anger reared up screaming curses and the like. Trixie tried to speak but the sound was muffled. “Trixie will not let you hurt Twilight! She won’t let you hurt anypony else!” Closing her eyes, Trixie tried to concentrate.

Logic saw the glint in Trixie’s horn. “T-Trixie! No! Stop!” But it was too late, using the very last drop of magic and consciousness she had, Trixie teleported herself and Anger out of Canterlot in a flash of powder blue.

The street was quiet now. Rubble from the hotel and pavement littered the stretch of open space, giving one the impression of a warzone. Logic tried to stand but simply couldn’t, falling over herself each time she attempted. Giving up, Logic proceeded to crawl slowly to Mute, leaving a skidded blood trial as she went. Finally reaching the unconscious pegasus, Logic grabbed hold of her and teleported in a flash of green.

The guards that arrived thirty seconds later had no idea of what to make of the ruined battle scene they were looking at.

~~~~

Canterlot glistened in the distance; it’s beautiful walls reflecting off the moonlight. On a small rocky ledge only a few miles from the city Trixie and Anger rematerialized from a flash of light blue. Trixie landed straight down while Anger skidded a bit. Trixie was out cold, but Anger was still very much awake. Getting up from her landing zone, the fragment looked around at her surroundings.

Realizing where she was Anger shook her head in disbelief. “No…No, no, NO!” Looking around frantically, Anger spotted Trixie. Rage replaced disbelief and Anger stomped towards the defenseless mare. “YOU! You ruined EVERYTHING! I was finally going to beat Logic and get my revenge! I was going to prove I’m no failure! Than you had to be a fucking hero! Well fine! You wanna be a hero? I kill you like the stupid fucking hero you are!” Anger raised a hoof against Trixie, preparing her strength to crush the mare’s neck. Anger brought her hoof down and… she was blasted back by magic before she could do any further damage. Anger staggered back in confusion. Before she could look up again another blast of spiraling black and white magic sent her against the rock face. She fell to the ground with a thud.

Anger’s eyes shifted as she tried to open them. Finally succeeding she looked up and towards Trixie. Standing behind the fallen mare stood a purple unicorn, her left eye was white and her right was black. Anger put a hoof out in defiance, but Morality disregarded it. Hoisting Trixie on her back, Morality took one last look at her sister. Anger’s eyes widened, it was the same look Logic had given her when she called Anger a failure. It was the same damn somber look. Morality turned her head away and teleported in a flash of black and white, leaving Anger alone. It finally crossed Anger’s mind: she was alone. Mute was gone, probably killed by Trixie’s attack. Anger wanted to cry but she knew full well she didn’t have the capability for it. She had lost everything. Sure she didn’t have much but she had Mute (and that was all that mattered to her). But now it was all gone… and it was all her own fault.

Anger let out a frustrated scream that echoed through the night.

~~~~

Spike yawned, he wasn’t used to staying up this late. Still, the young dragon wanted to be awake when Logic returned. Spike had reservations about Logic going without anyone else but there wasn’t much he could do to stop the fragment and even if he had told the others it would take hours to get to Canterlot. Spike placed the last book on its respective shelf; he hated busy days like today had been. The dragon shrugged, simply happy that the craziness of the day was well over.

A green flash from atop the stairs alerted Spike to Logic’s return. The dragon walked around the center table to get a good look at his returning caretaker, certain she had defeated Anger and caught the renegade fragment. In reality, what Spike saw turned his already cold blood into ice and had his mouth drop. “L-Logic?”

At the top of the stairs stood the fragment Logic, beaten, bruised, and near death. Dried blood encrusted forty-three percent of her fur and fresh blood gushed out of huge gashes littered all about her body. Where it not for her magic sustaining her, Logic would have died long ago from blood loss.

Logic had just returned from a Canterlot Hospital after leaving Mute at the front door. Logic was not, however, going to stay in the same city that she knew Creativity was hold up in, too risky. Logic turned her head towards Spike shakily; in fact the fragment’s entire body was shaking. “Spike… do not let Rarity into my hospital room alone. I do not trust her not to try something sexual while I am unconscious… Also do not tell her I said that…” Logic finally swayed from side to side and fell over down the stairs to the bottom floor, leaving behind speckles of blood with each hit on the staircase.

Spike gasped and ran over to his friend, frantically shaking her trying to awaken the defeated fragment. “Logic! Logic wake up! LOGIC!!”

The Pieces Move Into Place

Logic grunted; walking was hard. Though to be fair, it was her fault for leaving the hospital early. Despite the considerable resistance from the hospital staff as well as some well thought out arguments, the intelligence fragment was done with that sterile hell.

They didn’t understand, they couldn’t. Creativity wasn’t going just sit down on her bum and wait for her enemy to recover to full health… well, she might, but it was because she had a diabolical plan set in motion. She wasn’t going to stop, not until…

A terrible pain shot through Logic as she walked, zigzagging about her body and causing her to collapse. “Blast it… Stupid, organic legs. Work! If I had the technology I would replace these intolerable appendages with real limbs, something that did not fail me after a single battle! I should just… aaah!” The fragment grabbed at her chest and heaved heavily, the bodily strain excessive.

“Logic! Logic, are you ok?!” Rarity ran up from behind, having followed her fellow unicorn all the way from the hospital, just as the doctors instructed.

“Yes I am… aah, blast it all.” The fragment cringed from pain, unable to stand.

Rarity sighed. “Come on, let me help you up.” The unicorn went to pick up her friend.

“Your help is unneeded.” Logic stated, charging magic through her body to heal it. “I am fine, let us return to the library.” The fragment got up and brushed herself off.

“I wish you would stay in the hospital Logic. You’re not fully healed!” Rarity pouted at the fragment, worried for her.

“I cannot stop, not until all the fragments are captured.” Logic turned down the path once more. Rarity rolled her eyes and followed suit. Logic sniffed. “Who knows what evil they are getting up to.”

~~~~

“Bye guys and gals, I’ll be back tomorrow!” Lust said in a singsong kind of way.

The sexual fragment stepped out of the Tail-Lifter, the number one whorehouses in Canterlot (well, it was the only one). Lust took a good look at the building and smiled to herself, there was nowhere better than a whorehouse! Good food, friendly faces, and most importantly: a pony could meet others of similar interests, interests from both sides of the bedroom door.

Lust sighed, thinking about her current life. “Hmm… some might think that having sex for money and then using that money to go to a whorehouse would be a vicious cycle of foolishness. I, however, do not think so. It is a great time, gives me lots of ‘exercise’, and the food there isn’t half bad. In truth, who wouldn’t want my life?!” The fragment laughed, full in her commitment to her style of living. Lust’s laughing died down to a sort of low sigh however. “Still, the fire is certainly dying… I mean it’s just not there anymore. What am I doing wrong?! Why isn’t sex doing it for me?!” The fragment roared out in annoyance.

Walking some ways from her whorehouse, Lust found herself in an in-city park, one of many. Sitting on a bench the fragment did some sightseeing. Ponies of all kinds were going about their business; it was cute to watch. Lust’s eyes drifted upward towards the sky overlooking Canterlot. The white, fluffy clouds looked amazing. I wonder how amazing the sex would be on a cloud? Lust chuckled to herself at that thought. The fragments eyes wandered further until they rested on Canterlot palace. Lust’s eyes widened.

“That’s it!” The fragment shouted as she leapt off her sitting spot. “Familiarity breeds contempt! I need new caverns to explore, new mountains to traverse! Sex with all these common ponies had made sex with them a bore! The only thing I can do know is do it with different beings!” The fragment smiled deviously. “And what better way to start than with a god?”

~~~~

Celestia smiled at her sister; content they had this time to converse before Luna left for her diplomacy mission. “Well Luna I must admit; that’s a pretty odd story.”

The darker Alicorn laughed. “Yes it was, but luckily Fading and I were able to contain it. Maker only knows what would happened otherwise, eh Fading?” The Night Princess turned her head and rested her gaze on her Guard Captain.

Captain Fading Moonlight nodded, his ash grey fur and uncommon feathered Lunar wings ruffling a bit. “Indeed M’lady.”

Luna frowned. “You’ll have to forgive him sister, he’s a stick in the mud… hasn’t even taken me anywhere nice.” The Alicorn pouted a little, her Captain grunted ambiguously.

Celestia laughed. “Oh I see… You and your Captain Luna? Oh I don’t know… think of the scandal dear sister!” Luna shot her sister a playful look, disproving Celestia’s assumption. Celestia shook her head. “I was only kidding Luna. But in all due seriousness, are you really thinking of getting into a relationship?”

Luna looked at the table somberly. “I know not sister. With Cadence’s marriage only months ago I feel as if… well I just think I would like somepony to cuddle up with in bed. You know what I’m talking about, a big, strong stallion… or maybe a kind, soft mare. Oh I can never decide; both sexes are equally appealing to me!”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “I am quite aware, sister, of your… preferences. Creation be thanked I own find one sex attractive. Though, history has seen how that turned out…”

A small bell rang through the air. “Your tea is done your majesties!” Dusty Broom stated with pride.

The maid at the door stepped aside to reveal a small cart with an assortment of teas and goodies. The maid mare at the back of the cart nodded, pushing the mobile holding tray to the side of the Princess’s table.

“Excellent! Refreshments at last!” Luna smiled as she took up a cup with magic and prepared to serve herself to lovely tea. Suddenly a yellow magical aura overtook Luna’s dark one and the teacup was being pulled away from Luna. “What is the meaning of this?!” Luna stated angrily.

The maid backed away a little in fear. “I umm… I’m sorry your ladyship, but this tea is for Princess Celestia. It has some special ingredients that she ordered from far away and…”

“Oh yes that’s right!” Princess Celestia was almost jumping up and down like a foal. “These must be the imported herbs I ordered from Antiva! She is quite right sister, that cup is mine.” The Solar Princess snatched up the cup with her magic and took a big sip.

“Umm… if there is nothing else your Majesties, I will take my leave.” The maid said weakly as she made sure Celestia drink most of her tea, the poor thing was little distraught from her magical incident with Luna.

“Oh, oh of course!” Celestia said, setting her cup down. “Thank you, my little pony.” The maid nodded and smiled to her Princesses and headed out the door, giving a seductive nod to Dusty Broom before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Out in the hallway, the royal guard Steadfast leaned up against a pillar awaiting the return of a certain maid. The maid that had just left her Princesses turned to corner and walked past him, the stallion followed her.

“So please explain how serving the Princess that overpowered tranquilizing agent helps you again.” Steadfast asked in a dull manner.

“All in good time Steadfast.” Creativity responded. “For now I have to set up, things might move quicker than I’d like so I’ll have to be prepared.” The two arrived at a four-way intersection. Creativity turned to her partner in crime. “Just keep doing what you’re doing and everything will go accordingly.”

Steadfast nodded and turned down his respective hallway. The stallion had no clue what his master was planning but he knew one thing:

Things were about to get hectic.

~~~~

The library door swung open to reveal Logic and Rarity. The two unicorns walked inside and looked around, everything was surprisingly clean. The two heard the patter of footsteps from upstairs and soon the draconic form of Spike appeared at the stairs.

“Logic? Rarity? You’re back already? I thought Logic was supposed to be in the hospital for another week.” The dragon was happy for the return of his friend but couldn’t keep back his confusion.

“She’s…” Rarity started.

“It is…” Logic corrected her.

“Oh shut up Logic, that’s becoming annoying.” Rarity huffed a bit at Logic’s increasing feelings that the fragment in question was merely a thing. “What I was going to say is Logic’s being stubborn and left the hospital early. She’s being quite adamant that finding the fragments is more important than her wellbeing.”

“Because it is.” Logic interjected. “We must find them so we can rebuild Twilight Sparkle and end this madness! There is only so much I can do before the rest of Twilight’s life begins to become intertwined with this insanity.” Logic inhaled deeply. “I will not wait for her family, Spike notwithstanding, to be involved.”

“Would that be so bad?” Spike asked. “I mean with Shining Armor’s guards we’d be able to hunt down all the fragments like that!”

“No!” Logic yelled. “We do not need them. I can fix this, I know I can!” Logic huffed a little as her mother’s personality bled through her own. “Not only that but I fear doing so would only push Creativity to more dramatic measures to ensure victory.” Logic was relieved when the other two present took her last point with consideration; that was good because she’d need more than Twilight’s pride to convince them to steer clear of Twilight’s family.

Instantly, Logic changed the subject... sort of. “Actually, speaking of Twilight’s family. Spike! What are you doing here?! You should have stayed at one of Twilight’s friend’s homes, not reside here alone! What if something happened? What if Lust, Anger, or some other nasty thing attacked you?! Spike, I am disappointed.” The fragment gave the dragon a good staring, enough to make Fluttershy jealous.

Spike laughed as he scratched the back of his neck. “Oh come on Logic, I can take care of myself! I’m a dragon! I’m brave, fearless, unshaking in the face of all dangers…!”

A lime green flashed illuminated the room, causing Spike to jump and run to Logic and hide behind her front legs. “Truly your bravery is what legends are made of…” Mocked Logic.

The flash dissipated to show Curiosity, this time wearing… well… it’s not as bad as last time. “Logic!” The fragment yelled. “I have important news, I think we can end this soon!” Curiosity smiled at her (older? It’s hard to tell) sister.

Logic stared at her sister with a cocked eyebrow, unsure what to say. “First things first Curiosity.” Logic said neutrally. “Why are you wearing a promiscuous guard armor for stallions, as well as a… well nevermind the last part.” Logic’s eyes shifted away from Curiosity’s undercarriage and it’s new fake addition.

“What? Oh!” Curiosity blushed a bit, she had hoped she’d be done with all this by the time she saw Logic again. “Well you see sister, I’m on Lesbian Mare Fetishes Volume Four: Roleplaying!”

Logic cocked her eyebrow even further. “I know not what that is and I would very much like to keep it that way. What news do you have Curiosity?”

“Oh, right! Come here!” Curiosity gestured with a hoof and Logic followed, getting up close to her sister. The two whispered to each other so as not to allow Spike or Rarity to hear, for whatever reason.

Logic listened intently to her sister’s report. “So what is it? … Creativity’s done what?! … That may cause some complications… What else? … Are you certain? … Lust is little more than a nuisance… That is true… Have you found Anger? … Unfortunate… No, no, it is all right… Yes, we will leave right away.” Logic turned to the other unicorn and the dragon next to her. “We are leaving soon. Rarity, find Pinkamena and Fluttershy, we will need them available as soon as possible.”

Rarity blinked at Logic. “Wait, why? Logic, what’s going on?”

“Curiosity has found Lust, she is in Canterlot. Her foolery has caused her to seek her insatiable need for sexual thrills with the Princess… We will stop her before that happens.”

At the very mention of danger to her Princess, Rarity gave a little salute and rushed out of the door to find their friends, stopping for a second to look back at Logic.

Spike watched the unicorn leave and turned to Logic. “So, you two have a falling out?”

“What are you saying Spike?” Logic asked, clearly more than just a little annoyed.

“You and her seemed a little… on edge with each other, like you had a fight earlier.” Spike cocked an eyebrow at his fragment friend, seemingly worried.

“Why do you care?” Logic said, becoming defensive. “In fact, should you not be jumping for joy? If she is no longer infatuated with me she will be open to your own advances.”

“Yeah but… I think I'd rather she be happy.” Spike looked to the floor. Logic cocked an eyebrow, unsure of what the dragon meant. “I mean that… I’d rather she be happy with someone else than unhappy with me…It’s one of the reasons I’ve been quiet for as long as I have.”

Logic’s eyes widened. “That is… that is a very mature attitude to hold Spike.” Logic nodded to the dragon, impressed. “I am glad you have been as adult as you have these past few months.”

Spike smiled. “Well, I had a great role model.”

Logic nodded, her way of smiling. Looking towards the door, Logic took in a deep breath and exhaled. “So, shall we find the others and take yet another step closer to this mishap’s conclusion?”

Spike’s smile became a confident smirk. “Yeah, let’s go! We’ll put it right! I bet we’re all ready for this to end.”

The two exited the library to look for the others and get to Canterlot quicker. Logic began to close the door but stopped and looked at the library interior, a somber expression on her face. “Yes, this will all end, soon enough.” With that Logic shut the door and trotted after Spike.

~~~~

Lust walked daintily through the Canterlot gardens. Unlike her sister Creativity months ago, Lust was not as reserved of being found out. If one of the Princesses found her it’d be less work for her and if Shining Armor found, well… She longed to see her brother/uncle so very much.

“I should ask him how he and Cadence get in the mood! Ooo, I bet it’s really kinky too!” The fragment grinned widely, wanting ever so much to have a nice chat with Shining (it was one of the only nonsexual things she thought about).

Turning a corner, Lust looked up at the Grand Hall of the palace. “So that’s where Celestia is, if that guard was to be believed. I can’t wait to see her!” Skipping merrily, Lust made her way to her next conquest.

~~~~

The castle gates finally saw the arrival of Logic, Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie (advanced magical transportation is so useful). Running up to the main guard post, a mare in the normal golden Solar Guard Armor looked at the approaching mares, and dragon, with some confusion. She saluted despite it. “Hello M’lady Sparkle, when did you leave the castle?”

Logic stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the guard. “When did I leave? Wait, have I already been through here before?!”

The guard nodded, still saluting. “Yes M’lady. Although you had hot pink eyes the last time I saw you… are you trying new colored contacts? I mean I remember seeing you with glasses one time so I…”

“Umm… Yes!” Logic interjected. “I have grown tired of the use of glasses and am trying out contacts. I like my eyes but seeing the same thing in the mirror over and over again is boring so I am trying different colors.” Logic tried to smile, but Logic being Logic, she failed miserably at it.

“I see; that makes sense.” The guard dropped her salute. “Well, Princess Celestia is in the Grand Hall and your brother is around somewhere. I suppose you’ll want to go and meet up with them.” The mare made the appropriate gestures to signal the locations of the mentioned ponies.

“Yes, yes that is exactly what I shall do. Thank for your assistance.” Logic nodded to the guard and she and the others took off into the castle.

“Oh, ok M’lady. Have a nice stay at… and she’s gone. Hmm… maybe I should get some of those contacts…” The guard pondered changing her eye color.

~~~~

Inside the castle, Lust made her way through the halls and found herself at the door to the grand throne room. Smiling to herself, Lust charged her magic and flung the door open. Stepping inside she instantly spied Celestia at her throne, unguarded. Lust couldn’t believe her luck, alone with the Princess! This was going to be great. Celestia didn’t notice the mare until she was only a few meters away.

“Oh, Twilight, hello my faithful student.” Celestia took her eyes off her paperwork and smiled at her apprentice. “What brings you here? I did not call for you and you didn't send me any forewarning.”

Lust bowed respectively. “Hello Princess, it’s great to see you! As for why I’m here? Well, let’s just say that I want you and I to do some extra studies!” There was more than just a little sexual undertone in Lust's voice.

The seductive tone of Twilight’s voice did not escape the Princess. “I see, well Twilight as it just so happens I don’t swing that way. Besides, even I did, I would not do it with my most faithful student… not now anyway. You see, sex loses its shine after several centuries. As such, I take a couple century long sexual hiatuses every now and again. So, though I am flattered Twilight, I must politely decline your offer.” The Princesses voice was its usual pedagogical, monotone self and Celestia didn’t even show any change in emotion.

“What?! Sex, lose its shine?! Impossible!” Lust shook her head. “You just haven’t met that pony that ignites your fire, something I plan to remedy.” Lust teleported in a flash of pink and right into Celestia’s lap. Before the regal mare could object, Lust kissed her full on the mouth. Celestia’s eyes widened at the passionate kiss and her student’s unusual straightforwardness. Pure shock was the only reason the kiss lasted for a full minute before Celestia broke free of the trance and teleported herself, reappearing in the middle of the hall.

“Twilight! What is wrong with you?! I have no problems with what sexual path you take, as long as it's legal, but I already said I was not interested!” Celestia’s voice had a bit of concern, but mostly shock, in it.

Lust chuckled. “I know your just playing hard to get, I mean honestly. Sex, lose its luster? Never! I just have to help you reawaken those desires.” Lust teleported a few feet in front of Celestia and started making advances towards her teacher.

“Now Twilight, listen carefully… I…I…” Celestia heart began to beat faster; she was frightened. Well, not frightened for herself, but for Twilight. Something had to be wrong for her to act like this and the Princess was scared at what could cause an upstanding, prudent mare like Twilight to become like this. Lust made more steps towards Celestia. Celestia took a step back, I have to restrain her, before she tries any… before… she… what the?! Celestia tried to take another step backwards, but couldn’t. In fact, she found that her entire body was becoming numb and failing her. “What’s happening?!” The Alicorn gasped as her legs failed her and she slumped to the ground.

Lust laughed. “I would say it’s the power of love intertwining us together, but I know better.” Lust was now standing over Celestia, a seductive smirk on her face. “In fact I honestly don’t know why you’ve suddenly become limp, but I’m certainly going to make the best of it.” Lust moved her face close to Celestia’s and gave another massive kiss, slipping into her mouth to give her seductive tongue.

High in the rafters of the throne room Creativity lay lazily like one of your French girls. The fragment looked at the scene below with some mild amusement and disgust. “Huh, that wasn’t suppose to happen… I thought Anger would be the one to bust through that door. Oh well, I guess this works just the same and I can definitely continue with it. To be creative one must adapt just as much as plan.” Creativity turned her head to the stallion next to her, rolling her eyes at the sight. “For the love of… Steadfast, could you at least try to act like a stallion? I’m embarrassed to be seen with you.”

Steadfast was shaking fiercely, all four of his leg clinging to his rafter. The stallion’s widened eyes viewed the ground with an intense fear. “Oh shut it Creativity.” The stallion looked down on the scene before him, his interest dampening his fear for a moment. “So, a tranquilizing poison that stays dormant in the blood stream until the victim’s heart rate jumps dramatically… I’ve never heard of a poison like that.”

“And you won’t.” Creativity stated proudly. “It is a concoction of my own design, just for this occasion. After all Steadfast, I’m called Creativity for a reason.” The fragment chuckled to herself, but soon came disappointed. “Speaking of names, how about you live up to yours and be steadfast in the face of heights!”

“Oh it’s easy for you to say!” Steadfast barked out. “If you fall you can teleport yourself to safety! I get to go ker-splat on the ground!”

Creativity’s eyes rolled. “Steadfast, please. You’re my greatest companion. I’d catch you with my magic before you fell. You needn’t worry Steadfast, as long as I’m here you’ll not come to harm.” The fragment smiled warmly at the guard, greatly reassuring him. “Alright then, if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go make some popcorn so I’ll have something to chew on during this fiasco! Be back in a jiffy!” Creativity disappeared in a flash of yellow, leaving Steadfast with the widest eyes and mouth that were physically possible for any pony to have.

Down below, Lust had broken off her kiss with Celestia and had begun with enticing foreplay. The mare licked about Celestia’s neck and placed light kisses in random spots on her. Celestia moaned in defiance at this unwanted encounter. Lust stopped her playing and brought her head up.

“What’s wrong Celestia? Why aren’t you having as good a time as I am?” Lust’s voice was oddly full of sincerity; her eyes had lost their hot pink hue and now were a colder pink.

“I…I do not want this! Stop this Twilight, NOW!” Celestia panted heavily and her voice was strained, the poison had reached her larynx and was making speech difficult.

“You don’t want this? What do you mean by…Oh of course!” Lust’s face lit up with realization. “I mean it’s so obvious now! You’re a god! You’ve lived for centuries and had sex with who knows how many ponies. Simple foreplay isn’t gonna cut it! Right, let’s skip to the main event!” With that Lust made her way downward.

~~~~

Half way across the castle Logic and the others were running as fast as their legs could carry them. Turning a corner, they made their way to the throne room where they knew Lust was having her way with the Princess.

Fluttershy looked towards Logic. “Umm… Logic, what are we going to do once we reach Princess Celestia and Lust?” Fluttershy had sped up in order to be close enough to hear Logic’s response.

“I am unsure. Most likely we will have to fight her, she is nothing if not persistent.” Logic was already calculating her plans for dealing with Lust.

“F-F-Fight her?!” Fluttershy cowered away towards the pack of the pack.

Logic looked back and sighed. This whole ordeal had been a trial for Fluttershy. The timid pony whose only problem was social awkwardness had been twisted into having a full out fear of other sentient beings. The cracks had formed during the changeling invasion and the realization that any pony could be an evil, love-sucking bug in disguise. Twilight’s fragmentation into not one but several hostile entities had shattered the shield and left the Fluttershy fearful of anything that wasn’t an animal. Turning back to the task had hand, Logic’s eyes widened as she skidded to a stop, the others slamming into her.

“Oww! Hey Lodge, what was that for?!” Pinkie Pie shook some minor daze out and looked at the fragment.

“W-We must find another way.” The fragment responded.

Rarity walked up to Logic. “Well why darling?” She inquired. Logic’s stare had them all cocking their heads to look down the hall. Not to their surprise, in a three-way intersection, stood two armored up stallions.

“So… do you consider it a demotion?” Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow, his purple helmet in his hoof.

“In title at least.” Responded Duncan. “Going from General to Guard Commander just sounds like I’m being put down.”

Shining shrugged. “I don’t think so. I mean it’s General of the Eastern Border to Guard Commander of all Equestria… it sounds a bit more impressive when you say the whole thing.”

“Perhaps… They could have called the title Guard General, but Celestia has always given her things weird names.” Duncan scoffed. “I just wish the Princess would let me fix up all the East Region before giving me the promotion, our defenses there are still crap since the Changeling invasion. But it is what it is.”

Logic stared at Shining Armor and Duncan, their conversation just understandable from the other's current position. “We have got to go around, they cannot spot us!”

Rarity shook her head. “We can’t go around Logic, we won’t make it time if we do. We’ll just have to get past Shining Armor and… umm, well that other stallion. Who is he anyway?”

Fluttershy suddenly jumped to attention. “What?! Rarity, how can you not know him?! He’s General Quickstep, Hero of the battle of Eastern Stable! He held off a raiding Griffon mercenary band all by himself until reinforcements arrived! He’s got tons of medals and accommodations! He’s the youngest pony to ever be promoted to the rank of General and his favorite color is red and…!” The usually shy and timid pegasus, now currently shoving her face into Rarity’s with a fangirl like fervor, caught herself when she saw the looks given to her. She took some steps back and looked at the ground. “I-I mean… that’s what I’ve heard… from some young colts one day… yeah…”

Logic shook the confusion from her head. “Right, moving on.” Logic looked around and tried to think of something to do. Suddenly her eyes met a nearby window. “That is it!” The fragment dashed to the window, opened it, and charged her horn while scanning about with her eyes.

“What’s it Lodge?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head in a confused manner. “What are you planning to do…”

An explosion and a green flash ripped through the air as Logic unleashed a magic bolt unto the royal gardens. The blast shook the entire structure and ponies ten leagues away could feel it. Shining and Duncan looked at each other and, military instincts taking hold, rushed towards the blast zone. Logic cringed a bit, she had to divert magic from her painkiller spells in order to cast that blast and the extreme pain she felt returned. Breathing deeply and reactivating the spells, Logic closed the window and waked up to the others, their faces showing a loss for words.

Rarity gulped down the lump in her throat. “Logic, did you just blow up the Canterlot Gardens in order for us to continue on?”

Logic’s eyes rolled. “I made sure no ponies…” Fluttershy squeaked a bit. “Or animals were in the vicinity. Besides, it worked and, let us face it, that area of the gardens needed work anyhow. Come on! We need to stop Lust! Who knows how far she has gone.”

The others, though still a little dazed at Logic’s denotation of the royal gardens, nodded and joined Logic in running down the hall to the throne room.

~~~~

Curiosity was lying on her butt, propped up by a Canterlot building's side. The fragment’s eyes shift about the book she read, eagerly taking in the information it provided. Finally, her eyes rolled over the last few words and her brain processed it posthaste. Shutting the book with a slight smack, Curiosity sighed in relief.

“Finally! I’m done! With that I have completed all the stuff that was related with lust and love.” The fragment smiled to herself. “Now that that’s done, I can go on to stuff that won’t make Logic be angry at me. Ooo I wonder what I should study next!” Curiosity couldn’t contain her excitement at starting a new subject and she clapped her hooves in glee.

Her enjoyment was cut short, however, as a faint sound echoed out. The fragment’s ears perked and moved in an adorable way as she listened to what she made out to be magical blasts.

Curiosity getting the best of the fragment, as if it could ever lose, the mare decided to climb up higher to get a better look. Looking around, Curiosity spotted a flag post and proceeded to infuse her hooves with magic. When she was ready, Curiosity grasped the flagpole and climbed up. Reaching the top in less than ten seconds, the mare hopped onto a little ball on the top and hung on with magic. Looking out over the expanse of Canterlot, Curiosity could see the origins of the sounds clear as day.

“Hmmm… Magical blasts coming from the castle, what’s that about?” Curiosity easily saw the pattern of blasts: first, dozens of tiny blasts would rip through the air towards one direction and explode. Then, one giant red blast would go off. The number of tinier blasts decreased each time a red blast ripped through the air.

Curiosity became worried about this. “Better tell Logic about this, she’ll want to know.” Curiosity’s horn flared and she teleported to the nearest building, then the next, and the next.

The fragment prayed she would reach her sister in time to deliver her news.

~~~~

Celestia tried to move, she really did. But despite all her effort, the poison running its course through her veins would not give her an inch. The Goddess of the Sun could feel each time her faithful student kissed or licked the Alicorn’s body as she made her way down to Celestia’s nether region. Lust made her way to her target and smiled as she pulled Celestia’s limp legs apart to reveal the Princess’s sex.

“Well, you’re already wet Princess. Good, it’ll make my job all the more easier. This is goanna be fun, I just know it!” Lust smiled widely as she bent down into Celestia’s nether. The sexual fragment inhaled the musky smell of the mare sex juices dripping out of her Princess’s flower. “Well Princess, I'm ready to give you the time of your life!” Lust opened her mouth wide and stuck her tongue. The fragment could barely hold in her excited as her tongue prepared to drag itself across its target. Lust wasn’t even an inch from tasting her Goddess. I love you so much Celestia… The fragment thought for a moment.

The throne room door burst open and Logic came rushing in, horn flaring with magic. Without even really aiming, Logic fired at Lust. The fragment of intercourse didn’t even have time to understand what was going on as the green blast blew her away and across the room. Lust landed with a hearty thud.

“Oh come on, REALLY?! I was just getting to the best part!” Lust shouted as she picked herself up.

“I care not.” Logic said dully. “I will not allow you to deflowe- umm… I will not let have intercourse with Princess Celestia!” Logic flared her horn in a threatening manner.

Up in the rafters, Creativity reappeared in a flash of yellow, holding a bag of popcorn. “So, what I miss?” She asked Steadfast as she peered down into the standoff. “Whoa… This was unexpected.”

“Come on Logic! Let me have her! She needs me!” Lust pleaded vainly with her sister.

“No. I will end your evil here and now! Prepare to be captured Lust!” Logic charged up her horn and readied to hit Lust with a blast so powerful she’d not wake up for awhile. As you’ve come to expect, dear reader, her plans did not go as smoothly as they had been envisioned.

A window suddenly exploded into a flash of red, sending a shockwave that knocked all those present in the room down to the floor (Creativity and Steadfast had to hold on for dear life). Stepping in from the shattered window was the fragment Anger, a real sight for sore eyes. She was thin and bony from a lack of nutrition trying to find her way back to Canterlot. Her body was beaten and bruised from having to traverse the dangerous mountain passes and then having an all out battle royal with the Castle Guards in order to get to the throne room. The fragment’s blood red eyes were almost completely frenzied. Left out in the wilderness with nothing to calm her or keep in civility, Anger had returned to being mostly a base fragment with only her original emotion to guide her. That emotion gave her issue with Celestia, and her maddened nature believed only violence would scratch that itch.

Logic got up onto her hooves at the sight of her sister. “A-Anger?! What has happened to you?! What are you…” A red aura wrapped around Logic’s neck as she was thrown into one of the throne room’s pillars.

Anger glared over to Celestia and teleported to her. Unlike most unicorn teleportations, which were elegant and masterful, Anger’s was brutish and disorganized, her transportation aura sparking about crazily. Reappearing next to Celestia, the mare looked like she was about to kill her right there. “I’m going to kill you! Right here in your own palace bitch! Unfortunately this place is too crowded for me to make you suffer every last second of your life. How about we step outside?!” Anger grabbed onto Celestia and teleported out of the throne room.

“CELESTIA!” Lust was screaming at the top of her lungs as she watched her Princess be taken away.

“Enough Lust, calm yourself.” Logic limped over to her sister, clearly hurt.

“Calm myself? CALM MYSELF!?” Lust was about to hit Logic straight in the face. “HOW CAN I CALM MYSELF WHEN THAT CRAZY BITCH STOLE CELESTIA?! WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!” Lust’s eyes had faded to a colder shade of pink as she yelled.

Logic grunted. “So, there is love in there and not just blind sex.” Logic met Lust’s eyes with her own in an unheeding glare. Lust took a step back from it. “In that case, let us test it out.” Logic’s face was in a calmed frenzy. Behind the darker neutral face of the fragment one could tell, a madness had taken place for the sole purpose of protecting its mother’s world. “So... truce? Shall we stop slapping each other so we can smash our foes’ head in? What do you say Lust, or Love, or who ever the hell has control right now. Shall we march off and rip through Anger’s hatred to find our prize at the end? I am certainly ready to end this, and I am sure you are too, yes Creativity?”

Everyone but Logic looked up and gasped to see Creativity lazing about on her rafter; Steadfast had been teleported away moments before. Creativity smiled. “I don’t know, s’not really my style. What do I get out of it?”

“A step closer to your insanity.” Logic replied.

“Well I certainly do enjoy my stuff…” Creativity smiled widely. “Why not?” Creativity hopped up and looked to her temporary allies. “See you outside girls… and Spike.” The fragment teleported away in a yellow flash.

Logic turned to Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike. “You four go and find Shining Armor, fill him in on what has happened then come find us.”

Spike shook his head. “But I thought you wanted to keep Twilight’s family out of this.”

Logic snorted. “That… is not longer an option. Anger has Celestia and will certainly try and kill her. Is it possible? Do not know, but we certainly will not let her try. I no longer care about secrecy; it will be useless if Celestia is killed. Now, GO!”

The five jumped a bit at Logic’s command and rushed out of the room, shouting frantically for Shining Armor. Logic turned to Lust, who had closed the length between her sister and herself. “So Lust, what do you say? Will you help?”

Lust looked to the floor, contemplating. “I don’t…”

“Come on Lust, you have to help.” Logic placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “Think of Celestia, of our mother. Let me ask you, are you simply lust, who has its way with others and leaves without a second thought, or is the fragment of love somewhere in there? I would like to think so.”

“You think you know me Logic?” Lust asked.

“I know that love and lust are two sides of the same coin and that, while intercourse is all well and good, a true love is worth a thousand bed partners.” Logic looked at her sister with her usual somber expression.

Lust looked away. “God I hate you… always making sense. Where are they?”

“The gardens.” Logic stated plainly. “Let us go.”

“This all seems to be happening so fast... seems like yesterday we born into this world with only our base feelings to guide us... now there are all sorts of things directing us and we we do things we'd have never done at the beginning.” Lust admitted.

“As is the way of change.” Logic stated as she turned around and looked at the throne room. “It can come softly as a whisper and seed its way into one’s mind. Or it can ravage like a wildfire, and in doing so, can consume those it was meant for or be a grand salvation.”

“So, who is this change for and what will happen?” Lust asked.

Logic looked to the window Anger had burst through. “Let us hope it for us, and that we can contain the fire that comes.” Logic looked to her sister and the two nodded to each other.

Magic flared in their horns and the throne room erupted into a flash of pink and green flashes. When the light died down, the two identical mares were gone.

One Villain For Another

Celestia was on drugs. Well, that’s what she thought. It was true that the tranquilizing poison from Creativity had completely hampered any chance of her trying to move. Of course Celestia had no clue about that, no, she thought she had taken something because she could swear that Twilight Sparkle, her studious faithful student, had barged into the throne room and tried to rape her. If that wasn’t enough, the Princess could have sworn that another Twilight had rode in and attacked the first one. Celestia moaned from a headache. To complete the craziness, yet another Twilight barged in from the window and had taken her hostage and planned to kill her. Celestia had never been an equine akin to doing drugs, but she must have done something to make her see triples. Her mind tried its best to comprehend what was happening while outside her body took multiple physical pains.

“The fuck did Lust do to you?” Anger looked at the limp body of Celestia, bruised in several places due to Anger’s rough handling. The fragment shrugged. “Like a give a shit, it’ll make you that much easier to kill.” Anger brought her hoof down and slammed into Celestia’s face, leaving a brilliant mark.

Celestia could only moan pathetically, the poison stopping any attempts at, well, anything. The Solar Goddess didn’t even know what was going on anymore. Unfortunately for Celestia, Anger took her inability to do anything as an insult to her. “Bitch, I’ll make you pay for ever thinking of using me!!!”

Anger gagged as dozens of strands paper-thin wire wrapped around her neck and pulled her back and away from Celestia. Skidding about the ground and coming to a stop, Anger turned her head to see what had taken her away from her prize. The wire led to a bench and upon that bench sat Creativity, in the traditional Lyra style as it was called. “Hello Anger, how have you been? Done anything interesting lately, you know, other than going completely bat-shit crazy and trying to kill everybody. Love the mane by the way, very Rainbow Dash.” Creativity smirked confidently.

Anger used her magic to undo the wire from her neck. “Creativity! You traitorous bitch! You think you can judge me?! Like Celestia did?! You’re no better than me!” The fragment cut up the wire and stood up to face Creativity.

Creativity laughed. “Hahaha! Me? No better than you? Bitch please, I am a more than some crazed maniac whose only goal in life is to hurt any who wrong her and even fails at that. By the way, how’s Mute doing? Oh wait, that’s right, she’s dead!” Creativity jumped off the bench before it was obliterated by a magic blast from Anger.

“I’LL KLL YOU, DO YOU HEAR ME?!” Anger’s horn flared red and she had the darkest of scowls on her face. “I. WILL. KILL. YOU! YOU HEAR ME?!”

“Yes I can hear you, you needn’t shout. God, do you think I’m deaf?” Creativity dodged yet another blast sent forth from Anger, this one hit a nearby fountain and reduced it to rocky slag. “And like that you’ve ruined this gardens atmosphere.” Creativity sighed. “Now I’ll never be able to enjoy myself whilst I prance around gaily in this garden.”

“Who the fuck said you were ever going to survive this bitch?!” Anger cursed out.

Creativity burst out laughing. “What?! You think you’re going to kill me Anger? Please, use some sense.” The fragment stopped laughing and gave Anger a sadistic grin of confidence. “Besides, by the end of today I’ll be stronger than you can even hope to comprehend.”

Creativity suddenly gagged as red magic curled around her neck and choked her. Anger planned to strangle the life out of Creativity, but the latter was not about to let that happen. “Let’s see if I’m a good chef.” Creativity stated through the choking. Anger felt something on her leg. Creativity grinned. “Tonight’s specialty: MINCE MEAT!” Creativity’s magic wires tightened around Anger’s leg and began their own chokehold. It took less than a second for the metal strands to slice through Anger’s leg, sending blood and gore outwards in a geyser of red.

“AAHH FUCK!” Anger yelled, releasing Creativity. The yellow-eyed fragment jumped back to ensure Anger didn’t to strangle her again.

“Hmmm… That seemed to work, and I love the way it was prepared. Personally I prefer salad…” Creativity laughed.

Anger fell to the ground, off balanced by the loss of her leg. “Dammit, fuck, fuck!” She glared at Creativity, darkness in her eyes. “You fucking bitch!”

Creativity’s laughed died down to a chuckle. “Really? That’s it? You need to work on your insults sis; it’s embarrassing. Still… not like I care. Without an adequate amount of legs you’ll be quite easy to deal with. Now, let’s…” Creativity’s eyed widened.

Red magic poured out of Anger’s severed leg wound, spiraling about around her body. The fragment’s body was lifted into the air by her magic and was held in place as the magic fastened around her leg and hardened enough to form a new leg of pure magic. Creativity took on a shocked look of utter surprise, a new look for the fragment. Anger looked at her new magic leg, excess red magic flowing out of it like smoke. The fragment of hatred looked at Creativity with a dark grin. “You were saying sister?”

Creativity took a step back. “That’s bloody cheating…” The fragment said. “Pun intended.” She added, remarking the obscene amount of blood scattered around Anger.

“Sorry,” Anger stated confidently. “I don’t give a fuck.”

“Who really gives fucks nowadays anyway?” Creativity remarked, trying to stay calm. “Well, I mean except hipsters… seeing how that it’s not that main stre…” Creativity couldn’t finish her sentence as Anger’s magic aura leg morphed into a claw and grabbed Creativity, choking her again. “You’ve a choking fetish don’t you?!” Creativity said.

“You could say that.” Anger replied.

“Kinky.” The choking mare replied back.

Anger tightened her grip around Creativity, tossing Creativity above her head and several feet away. Creativity landed with a thud and skidded a foot or two before stopping. The fragment moaned. “Right, what have we learned today Creativity? That’s right! We learned that pissing off a crazy, homicidal mare with a magical aura leg is not the best of ideas. Tomorrow will learn just why friendship is magic…” Creativity made a disgusting puking sound as Anger landed on her with her aura claw. Once again, you guessed it, choking Creativity, Anger pressed down hard on her sister’s neck.

“I’m going to snap your neck like a twig.” The fragment promised to make truth her threat as she was only a few more pounds of pressure from ending Creativity’s life.

“I do not think so Anger!” Logic charged her horn and sent sparks of green electricity zigzagging at Anger, hitting the fragment dead center in the chest and sending her flying.

Creativity gagged and coughed as air reentered her systems. Sitting up and turning, she saw Logic and Lust coming from a door leading to the castle. “The hell were you two the last one thousand one hundred and twenty-eight words?!”

Logic gave Creativity a nasty glare. “Sorry, it seems that the castle’s magical defenses are going haywire, every time we teleported a far distance we ended up in the latrines.”

Creativity chuckled. “Really? That’s hilarious. Hope you didn’t catch anybody relieving themselves.”

“Nope, we didn’t.” Lust replied.

“Yes, we are so lucky. Now that that is settled, let us stand against Anger!” Logic declared as she helped Creativity up.

Creativity brushed the dirt off herself. “Right, let’s end this bitch.”

“WAS I MENTIONED?!”

The fragments turned to see Anger flying at them, magical claw ready to strike. All three instinctively dodged by jumping in different directions as Anger’s attack landed on the ground, sending rock, gravel, and dust flying upward. Not to be one to miss, Anger’s horn flared and a fiery red magical aura erupted from it and colliding with the escaping mares. The three cried out as the magic burned them and sent them flying. The three landed with loud thuds. Anger turned to Creativity’s direction and charged at the mare.

The position of Creativity’s head allowed her to see Anger coming. “Oh come on! What do you have against me?!”

“Other than the fact you are a most unpleasant creature?” Logic mocked as she picked herself up.

“Shut up sis, you’re not helping.” Creativity’s horn flared as magic exploded out of it and created a shield. Anger’s claw rammed against Creativity’s shield, causing a red and yellow flaring effect.

Logic gasped. “Creativity! …You know how to shield, I am impressed.”

“Yes well, I like to read sometimes and you’d be surprised what you can find in books.” Creativity said as she felt herself skidded slowly backwards from Anger’s power.

“It seems our mother has certainly rubbed off on you more than most.” Logic cooed neutrally.

Creativity laughed at her sister’s joking. “So it would seem… funny thing isn’t it?”

“Are you two honestly making small talk?!” Lust interjected.

“Shut up Lust.” Creativity yelled. “The big sisters are talking.”

“Shut up?! Anger’s gonna kill us and you two are joking?! The fuck’s with that?!” Lust couldn’t believe it. The first thing was that Creativity and Logic had actually formed an alliance, temporary though it may be. The more concerning thing to Lust was that Logic was making jokes, which was some scary shit right there.

Creativity laughed, despite a new level of pain arising from holding her shield. “HAHAHA! You still don’t get it do you Lust? This, all of this! This is a fight! A fight to the death no less! A fight… this is one time when creativity and logic…”

Anger’s eyes widened as a green aura enveloped her and tossed her away from Creativity. Logic appeared diagonal from Creativity in a flash of green. “Walk hoof in hoof. A common enemy makes friends of many.” The logical fragment stated; a confident, yet neutral, expression plastered on her face.

Creativity lifted her shield and smiled at Logic. “Awww… Logic, you actually do care. It’s enough to bring me to tears.”

Logic chuckled. “I suppose I do care about you, dear sister. I only wish that you could say the same.” The two burst out laughing.

Lust was at a loss, the hell was happening? Logic and Creativity hated each other, right? Why did they all of a sudden become buddy-buddy? It made no sense to the sexual fragment. It’s like they completely forgot the hell they’ve put each other through, like it’s just swept under the bridge. The hell was this? The fragment thought about it. Maybe, maybe because the two of them are both fragments of Twilight Sparkle? They’re family, maybe that’s all the reason they need to put down their differences and work together. Lust smiled a little bit, they really had come far, even her.

“Shall we finish this my sisters?” Logic asked confidently. “I think it is about time Anger is taken down.” The other two nodded at their sister and stood to challenge Anger.

The mare in question was recomposing herself. Finally succeeding, Anger looked to her sisters. Not wasting a moment, the mare charged them with the intent to kill. The three other fragments charged their horns and blasted magic at Anger. Anger skidded to a stop and heaved up her leg to block the attacks. When the Logic, Creativity, and Lust stopped firing (aware that they were getting nowhere) it left them open to Anger firing her own magic attack. Red, fire-like magic branched out to the mares, torching everything in its way. Logic stepped forth and formed a shield in front of her and the others. The red and green magics collided and fizzed about, trying to desperately counteract the other.

“Creativity, Lust, now!” Logic yelled.

The mentioned mares jumped out from behind the shield away from Anger’s magic, charging headfirst towards their enemy. Creativity’s magical enhanced wire flew about and once wrapped around Anger’s physical body and limbs. Lust’s horn ignited with magic as her power wrapped itself around Anger’s aura leg and held it in place. The two had the mare completely incapacitated. Anger cut off her spell in order to trash about and try to escape her entanglement.

“You’re not getting away my angry sister!” Creativity shouted.

“Is that a fact?!!” Anger replied, pulsating magic around her and making it very difficult for the other mares to hold her.

“Hold her for a few more seconds!” Logic yelled; her horn engulfed in a magical blast that would stop Anger for good.

“You’ll not hold me you stupid bitches!!” Anger’s eyes faded to complete red as uncontrolled magic sparked out and obliterated Creativity’s wire and dispelled Lust’s magical hold. Turning to Creativity, who she believed the greatest betrayer, Anger teleported in front of her sister and ready an attack. “DIE CREATIVITY!!”

Creativity’s horn flashed and a green flask appeared in a flash in her hoof. “Not today you crazy, psychotic bitch!” Creativity broke the flask on Anger’s face, some sick looking, mucus-like liquid cascaded out of it and onto Anger. The fragment screamed out in pain and fell back, her face sizzling as the liquid melted away flesh and bone. Creativity plopped her butt onto the ground and let out a huge sigh.

Logic and Lust ran up to Creativity. “What in the world was that?!” Logic questioned.

“Yeah, and where can I get some?”

Creativity and Logic’s heads made sharp turns as they looked at Lust with cocked eyebrows and expressions of disgust and confusion. Lust took a step back, becoming nervous and shifting her eyes back and forth. “W-What? I know a mare with an extreme pain fetish, she’d love that stuff.”

Creativity sniffed. “Right, moving on from that sickening mental image… that mucus stuff was Changeling venom, I got it when I was aboard after my little tango with Logic and the Elements.” Creativity’s eyes shifted downward. “You’ve no idea what I’ve had to do to get that stuff… let’s just say after much, much, much, much hindsight, I can say I may regret it.”

“Wow,” Logic stated mockingly. “There is something you actually regret?”

Creativity looked up. “Yeah, I know, it surprises me too! It’s crazy and…” A green shield wrapped around the mares and red collided with it and sparked about. Creativity stood up. “Really?! I just threw acid in her face! What does it take to stop this maniac!?”

Anger was standing a few meters away; her sporadic magic was sparking in every direction. Red magic was leaking from her magical aura leg onto her face, repairing the damage done by Creativity’s acid. Muscles, arteries, veins, skin, and the like were all forming and realigning to her face. The magic did its job and repaired her face more or less; there were still several bleeding scars left on her face that the magic simply could not, or would not, repair.

Creativity gagged. “Oh wow that’s sick…” Lust made a move to open her mouth but found it shut by Creativity’s magic. “Oh no,” The fragment growled. “If you even think of calling that sexy I will beat you senseless.” Lust whimpered and gave her sister puppy eyes. Confident she wouldn’t say another word; Creativity released her sister from her magical hold.

“So Logic, any ideas on how to stop Anger?” Lust asked; exercising her mouth to make sure Creativity had done no damage. “Nothing’s working. No matter what we do she keeps coming…” Lust chuckled at the word. “At us. Geez, it’s like trying to stop a wildfire, but worse because we aren’t all hot and sweaty and wearing tight firefighter clothes that suggestively open at just the right places to show our…” Yellow magic once again wrapped around Lust’s muzzle and Creativity shot her a look.

Logic paid no heed to them, she was having a revelation you see. “Like trying to put out a wildfire? A wildfire… That is it!” The mare almost jumped at the realization. Logic turned to the other two. “She is exactly like a fire, and like a fire the best way to stop her is by cutting off her fuel source.”

Lust hopped up and down. “Of course! So how do we cut off her fuel source? It’s not like she needs trees to keep going.”

Logic nodded. “True, she doesn’t need trees. But like all fires she needs oxygen.” Logic took several steps towards Anger, who had finally reoriented herself. The fragment saw Logic’s advance and wasted no time, charging at Logic with the intent of murdering her. Logic scoffed. “A fool, that is all you have ever been.” Logic charged her horn.

Anger yelled at the top of her lungs and lowered her head to impale Logic with her horn. Logic’s horn flared and she shot magic at Anger. The fragment could even react before she was encased in a green bubble shield. Anger’s eyes shifted around, looking at her new prison. “What?! The fuck is this?!”

“The final solution to our anger management problem dear sister.” Logic cringed suddenly, her unhealed wounds starting to take effect. “It is simple: we can not beat you in open combat. We will lose, no matter how hard we try. So, to counteract the unfortunate outcome of you killing one of us I have decided to simply suffocate you into unconsciousness. Once that is done I can easily capture you and end this madness. You are beaten Anger.”

Anger’s faced contorted into one of pure hatred towards her sister. “I don’t think so you stupid fucking bitch!” Anger’s eyes faded into pure red and the fragment’s horn flared with red electricity. Screaming painfully, Anger threw all her magic against Logic’s airtight shield. Logic flinched, the force of Anger’s power and her own injuries causing extreme pressure build up on her body.

Yellow magic suddenly joined Logic’s green, reinforcing the shield a great deal. Logic looked to her right; spotting Creativity next to her, horn flaring. Creativity laughed at Logic’s blank stare. “What?” She asked. “You think I’m gonna let you choke her yourself? Everybody knows you don’t have the nads to do it, so I’m here to provide support.”

“Did I hear something about nads?”

Logic turned to see Lust giving her own hot pink magic to the shield. The sex fragment smiled at her sister. “If there’s any kind of genitalia involved I want to be a part of this!”

“Ew…” Creativity countered.

“Thank you, both of you.” Logic said in a heartfelt manner.

“What else is family for other than helping to suffocate a crazed psychopath?” Lust asked.

“Not much…” Creativity replied.

Logic sighed. “Both of you are fools and I…”

The mares stepped back in pain as Anger continued to test the limits of her prison. The fragment was sending wave after wave of red energy outward in an attempt to break free. While this was helping her suffocation along, it was very hard for Logic (wounded as she was), Creativity, and Lust to hold her. The shield fizzed and pulsated, an indication that it was not far from falling.

“Damn, she doesn’t want to give up!” Lust cried out as she tried to hold her concentration.

“Just shut up and hold on!” Creativity lashed out.

Inside the shield Anger was breathing heavily, a loss of consciousness close at hand. Charging up a final, all-powerful blast, Anger planned to blow this shield out of existence. “It’s over!” The angry fragment cried out as she was seconds from releasing her magic.

“Quite right you are sister, you numb-nut cunt!”

Anger, Logic, Creativity, and Lust looked up to see a black and white magic mix with the shield just as Anger released her charged blast. The extra magic all but neutralized the waves power, protecting the shield from collapsing. With her oxygen gone, Anger wavered in the shield, her eyes trying to stay open. The world became fuzzy as her body used up the last bits of oxygen and could no longer sustain itself. “M-Morality…” Was the last thing Anger could get out before she fell on her side, unconscious.

Logic, Creativity, and Lust let out sighs of relief as they lifted their magic and dissipated the shield. Logic looked at the form of Anger, her chest moving up and down slightly as her body finally got the oxygen it desired. Confirming Anger out cold, Logic turned her attention to their savoir. The white and black-eyed fragment Morality was standing next to Celestia, her magic dying down. Once Logic nodded to Morality, the mare left Celestia’s side and walked to Logic.

“Hey Logic, long time no see.” She said casually. “How you doing you cum-sucking fucktard?”

Logic coughed. “I have been better. I thank you for your timely arrival. I thought you would stay out of the fight.”

Morality chuckled. “What? How could you think that Logic? I could not, in good conscience, let you face Anger alone. Yeah it was fun choking that bitch, just glad we parted ways before she became even more fucked up.”

Logic nodded. “Indeed, I thank you for saving Trixie. Still, we should not wait to capture Anger. I do not trust her to be knock out for long.” The two mares nodded at this and turned their attention to Anger.

Creativity was standing over Anger’s still form, scanning her. “Well, looks like your out for the count. Sorry sis, you became more of a liability than an asset, and I can’t have that. Now…” Creativity grabbed Anger’s non-severed leg and put a hoof on it, preparing to apply pressure. “Just in case you plan on waking up.” Creativity went up and smacked her hoof down on Anger’s leg, snapping more than one bone. Anger twitched.

Morality and Logic saw this and instantly ran up to Creativity. Logic flew her hoof to Creativity’s face and knocked her down. “What in the world are you doing?!”

Creativity spit out a little blood and looked at Logic. “Breaking her legs, what does it look like?!” Creativity got up off the ground and eyed Logic. “I’m doing the logical thing and making sure she can’t resist if she gets back up!” The two did not see Anger stir as they argued.

“ARE YOU MAD?!” Logic yelled. “That is an unnecessary act, she is defeated. Besides, breaking her legs will most likely wake her…”

Creativity was grabbed with red magic and flung towards Celestia. Logic turned to see Anger getting up, hellfire in her eyes. Logic took a step back. “Anger… please, wait!” Logic felt magic around her neck as Anger took hold of her and raised her into the air, lifting her at least seven feet high before slamming her back into the ground. Logic grunted as she hit the ground. The intelligence fragment’s pain didn’t stop there; Anger used her magic to jump high into the air and land right on Logic’s stomach, the mare spat out a fountain of blood. Anger took her real hoof and slammed it into Logic’s neck, raising her magical aura one up for a finishing blow. Morality and Lust ran to Logic’s assistance but Anger sent a wave of energy spiraling at them, knocking them back. Anger glared at Logic.

“Ready to die?” Anger asked. Logic couldn’t respond, a hoof shoved against her larynx.

“Logic!”

Anger and Logic turned their attention to the castle, where Spike, the Elements, Shining Armor, Duncan, and more than a few guards bolted out. All of the new arrivals stared in horror at the scene in front of them: Celestia knocked out, the other fragments knocked aside, and Anger about to murder Logic. Before the Elements could do anything, the guards took up defensive positions around the civilians, ready to combat this threat. One pegasus mare guard was frozen however, unable to believe what she was seeing. Steadfast bolted out from the castle and ran to Creativity, helping her up.

“You okay?” Steadfast asked his master.

“I’m fine.” Creativity growled. The creative fragment looked at the scene before her, then down to Celestia. The mare grinned evilly. “Come on Steadfast, it’s time for all the pieces to fall into place.”

Over yonder where said action was taking place; Shining Armor stepped forth from the defensive guard position. “Stand down Anger, I know all about what’s been going on with you and the fragments! Surrender, and submit yourself to the guard!”

“In your fucking dreams asshole!” Anger yelled. “I’m going to kill Logic, then move on to all of you! Enjoy watching this bitch have her throat ripped out!” Anger looked to Logic and lifted her aura claw for the attack. “DIE LOGIC!” Anger’s claw made its descent.

“ANGER NO!!!”

Anger’s claw stopped millimeters from Logic’s throat. Logic thought that had she drank any liquids beforehand she’d probably had pissed them all out. Logic’s eyes shifted from Anger’s leg to the fragment’s face. Anger’s face was one of complete surprise. The fragment didn’t know the voice that had just called out; she had no clue. So why had she just stopped? Anger’s head twisted towards the source of the voice. Her eyes fell upon the pegasus mare guard who had been frozen with bewilderment seconds ago. Anger was dumbfounded looking at the form before her clad in armor. It looked as if Anger was going to cry, looking at the mare’s dazzling white coat, her amazing blue mane and her hazel eyes. The scar up her chest, hidden slightly by her armor, was of great interest.

Anger hopped off of Logic and began taking baby steps towards the mare. “M-Mute?”

The mare smiled. “Yeah, hey Anger.” Anger and Mute were inches away from each other. Anger trembled as she looked at her lover, unsure of what to say. Mute smiled. “What? No hug for your marefriend?” Mute sort of regretted those words as Anger embraced her, a strong hug that almost choked the poor thing.

Anger didn’t even notice the tears in her eyes. “I-I, I love you… so much.”

Mute hugged Anger back affectionately. “I know, me too.”

Shining Armor took a few steps towards the hugging mares. “Private Indigo Breeze, what’s going on?”

Mute broke off her hug and looked at Mute. “Indigo Breeze? That’s your name?”

Indigo nodded. “Yeah, that’s my name… I, I don’t even know why I decided against telling it to you in some way. I guess, I guess I wanted to be whatever you wanted to me to be.”

Mute smiled at her marefriend. “Shit, Mute, I don’t give a fuck. I love you no matter what your name is.” The two embraced again.

Lust sniffed. “That’s so beautiful…” The mare looked down and covered her eyes with her leg to hide her tears. “So fucking beautiful!”

Morality looked at her sister with a cocked eyebrow. “Since when do you care about true love?”

Lust tried to hit Morality, but it didn’t work. “Shut the fuck up! I might be a pony who likes to fuck anything that breathes, but even I know true love is something to be cherished… NO MATTER WHAT!!!”

Morality sniffed, holding back a tear. “Wow Lust, I, I… that’s really unexpected of you. Yeah… Dafuq’s our favorite cock riding, pussy scissoring mare we love so much?” Morality coughed. “Well, love might be a strong word…”

Captain Armor and his guards stood dumbfounded at this particular turn of events, which easily allowed the Elements and Spike to sneak past them and get to Logic. “Are you ok?” Fluttershy asked as she knelt down to examine Logic, her kind nature taking over instinctively.

“Yes, I am fine.” Logic replied. “A little bruised and battered but, all in all, I am not dead so it is a good day.”

“Good, we couldn’t bear to lose you Logic.” Rarity smiled.

“Geez, look at this place!” Spike commented, looking around in the destroyed garden. “The fight you girls had must have been insane!”

“Meh, I’ve seen crazier.” Pinkie Pie admitted.

“Need some help, you bitch.”

The four ponies, and one dragon, looked to Morality and Lust extending their hooves out to assist their fallen comrade. Logic nodded and grasped on to Morality’s hoof, she had no idea where Lust’s had been so she decided against touching it. Finally getting on her hooves, Logic turned to Shining Armor and his guards. Logic walked up to them; well it was more of a limp. Shining turned when he saw the fragment approaching. “Captain Armor, I am Logic, though I believe you already know that.” Shining Armor nodded at the fragment’s assumption. “Good, I am glad the others were able to explain our situation so well. I would hate for there to be anymore misinterpretations.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Yes well I was a little skeptical when my sister’s friends came up to me and told me my sister had been fractured into thirty-five different fragments and one was trying to kill the Princess. That’s probably why we were a little late.”

“It matters not, we are victorious.” Logic stated. “I will capture Anger and Creativity and we will be one step closer to ending this madness.”

Spike looked around, noting the present fragments. “Hey, where is Creativity?”

Logic’s eyes widened as she realized she had lost track of Creativity. Swinging her whole body around, the mare tried to locate her sister. Logic became frightful as her eyes found Creativity, over by Celestia. “Creativity! What are you doing?!”

Creativity’s head cocked up and she turned to look at Logic. “Simple Logic, getting what I want.” The fragment grinned evilly.

Logic cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean, “What you want”? You and I want the same thing, to rebuild Twilight.”

Creativity laughed. “You’re right, I did want that, once. In fact, I wanted it so much, I pulled so many strings to see it happen!” Logic and the others didn’t understand what she meant. Creativity rolled her eyes, getting up and walking behind Celestia’s fallen form. “You don’t get, do you?! Of course you don’t, that’s the way I wanted it! Honestly Logic, did you think everything that’s happened has been chance, that it’s all just happened this way?!” The Elements and guards stared blankly in confusion, but Logic’s eyes widened. “That’s right, you’re getting it! Did you honestly think Anger, frenzied as she was, could find the library so quickly when we were first born? Did you think Deceit just came up with the plan to trick the Cutie Mark Crusaders into the Everfree forest? A plan, I’ll add, that led you to yet more fragments?! Did you think I didn’t kill Applejack for the reason of just because I couldn’t?! Logic, I could have easily sent something to do it for me.”

Logic hung her head, teeth clenched and trembling in frustration. “Dammit…” She uttered.

Creativity laughed. “You’ve got it, I am impressed Logic. Yes, it was me! I’m the catalyst to all of what’s happened! I guided Anger, first to you then to Trixie. I gave Deceit her plan and I purposely left Applejack alone, after all, a broken spirit is much worse than a broken body. I’m the one who faked all those attacks in Manehatten so you would find Lust there. Slowly and steadily, I’ve been pushing the fragments to you Logic, one by one, so that you could catch them. At first, it was to rebuild Twilight quicker, so I could take control of her. But as time went on, I discovered something of great interest, thanks to Steadfast here.” Creativity motioned to the stallion. Over on Logic’s side, Shining Armor clenched his teeth, knowing all to well that the guard had been betrayed. Creativity decided to continue. “Yes, I realized something: I have limitations. No matter how hard I try I’ll have limitations, and that pisses me off Logic, it really does. But then I figured it out. You see Logic, who doesn’t have limitations: Gods.”

Logic took a step forward. “Creativity, no! Even you could not be so mad as to even think…”

“HA! Have you been paying attention Logic? Honestly, it’s like you don’t even know your own sister.” Creativity shook her head. “Well, how ‘bout we get this party started?!” Creativity pulled out a knife with her magic, levitating it to her leg. Slicing up a good cut, blood dripped from Creativity onto Celestia. Creativity turned the blade on Celestia and plunged it into Celestia’s flank, right in the middle of her solar cutie mark. Ripping the blade out Creativity grasped the red weapon in her mouth.

Shining Armor shook off his shock and turned to his guards. “Soldiers, stop her! NOW!” All of the guards rushed forth and attacked Creativity. The mare simply smiled as she uttered something under her breath and a circle with dozens of runic patterns formed under her, causing a shockwave that pushed back all the guards in a yellow light. The light expanded and completely shrouded Creativity from view in a column of pure yellow light.

“Looks like a huge yellow dick…” Lust observed.

“Really?” Morality asked, her face contorted into disappointment.

“What? It was just an observation… a very sexy one… I wonder in I could fit something that big in my…” Morality bitch-slapped Lust with her magic.

Rarity ran up to Logic’s side, the other Elements followed. “What do we do Logic?!”

Logic stared blankly at the tower of light. “I-I wish I knew…”

Inside the tower Creativity felt all the magic transferring in to her body. The all-powerful Alicorn magic shifted Creativity’s shape and formed emotions that were not there before. Once the transfer was complete the tower began to dissipate, magic disintegrating into the air. After only a few seconds, the tower was gone, and Creativity was much more different. Just as tall as Celestia, Creativity had reached Alicorn status. Her new wings stretched themselves as the newly christened god got used to her new body. The only thing that wasn’t Alicorn about Creativity’s new body was that her mane and tail were not waving with invisible winds of energy, they were still in Twilight’s style but whether this was the fragment’s doing or not was up for debate.

Creativity cracked her neck. “Aaaah… Now this is great! This is power! I can feel it! I am free! I don’t need the fragments! I don’t need Twilight!” Creativity’s eyes widened in realization. “I don’t need you, LOGIC!” Creativity’s Alicorn powered magic erupted from her horn towards Logic. No one else had any time to react as the magic hurled itself at Logic, looking for the killing blow. Red fire met yellow light as a fury of red magic hit Creativity’s magic and canceled it out. “The hell?!” Creativity yelled, annoyed.

Logic looked to her left as Anger stepped next to her, the anger fragment’s aura leg spiraling all about. “Anger… you, you saved me.”

Anger’s eyes shrunk into a glare. “Shut up. I’m here to protect Mute, err… Indigo Breeze. I’m well aware that Creativity’s got no ideas to let any of us live, so I’ll stand will you, if it means I can protect her.”

Creativity burst out into laughter at what she saw. “Well, isn’t this Deja fucking Vu! I help you against Anger and now Anger’s going to help you against me! Hilarious!” Creativity hung her head in a charging position and took on a dark smile. “The results, however, will be quite different.”

Logic got into a defensive stance. “We shall see, sister. We shall see.”

Golden Hearts Are a Yellow Hue

The lines were drawn. On one side stood Logic, her fragment sisters, the Elements, Spike, and the Royal Guards. On the other was the newly christened Alicorn Creativity and her subordinate, the ex-guard rookie Steadfast. Celestia was out cold next to Creativity. The Solar Princess still held the body of an Alicorn, but her magic was all gone, her body had greyed greatly, her mane no longer flowed on its own and had been reduced to a singular light pink color, and if she tried to fly it would end with a faceplant. Creativity’s face was enlightened with a confident smirk and furrowed eyebrows, it was clear she believed her victory was assured. Logic was beaten, bleeding, and bandaged, from her first and second fight with Anger. The fragment was huffing heavily as her stamina found itself strained with constant battle. Next to Logic stood Anger, the mare that had been her greatest present-day threat for much of her life. Anger’s left leg had been completely severed by Creativity but was now compensated with a magical aura appendage that acted has her main form of attack. The other fragments, the Elements and Spike, and the Royal Guard stood in defensive postures, waiting for something to happen.

Anger’s face scrunched up into a scowl. “Why the hell are we just standing here?! Let’s destroy her already!”

Logic snorted. “Please, at least try to think with your head just once Anger. Creativity has become an Alicorn, her strength, speed, and magic are heightened exponentially. Compared to her… we are flies.”

“Quite right you are Logic.”

Logic and Anger went wide-eyed as they turned to face each other. Instead of seeing the fragment they were standing next to they saw Creativity leaning in between them. Anger gapped. “How the fuck did she…?”

Creativity shook her head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk Anger. Don’t you know an Alicorn never reveals her tricks?”

Logic shook with anger. “We cannot hold a candle to her. She is simply too powerful.”

Creativity chuckled. “Thank you Logic, you certainly know how to make a mare blush.”

“FUCK YOU!” Anger shouted.

Creativity gave Anger a disappointed look. “Not even in your dreams dear sister.” Creativity smiled satanically and flared her horn. Logic and Anger didn’t have time to react before the magical blast erupted from the Alicorn and sent them flying. The fragments landed in opposite directions with a thud. Creativity laughed. “HAHAHA! This is too easy! God, I’ve never felt this kind of ecstasy! To think, Celestia and Luna live with all this power and they do nothing with it but sit on their fat rumps giving simple orders and half-assed cryptic sayings. What fools…”

Creativity slammed into the ground in a cloud of dust. Her body was contorted upward and her head and neck broken downward as the slender stallion crushed it with his mere weight, not actually putting anything behind it. Duncan looked down on the grounded Alicorn with a look of mild disgust. “Only a fool would think what you think. It’s having power but being reluctant to use it that makes a real leader.” Creativity began to shift and a glow appeared under the stallion. Duncan cocked an eyebrow. “Well shit… I hate fighting Alicorns.” The Guard Commander jumped off the mare just in time to miss being roasted by a magical beam. Creativity got up; her head covered in dirt and her mane a mess. She huffed heavily and opened in her mouth to speak… WHAM!! Duncan took his left hind leg and slammed it into Creativity’s face in a ninety-degree spin.

Creativity wasn’t even fazed. The mare looked at the hoof in her face then down to its owner. Creativity smiled evilly. “Really? Is that the best you’ve got?”

Duncan chuckled. “No, not really. Just making sure you’re properly distracted.” Creativity cocked an eyebrow at this statement. Duncan jumped out of the way just as a magical blast rammed Creativity square in the chest, sending the Alicorn back a few feet.

“AAAH! Dammit!” Creativity looked down at her now steaming chest, the purple fur charred black. The Alicorn turned her scornful gaze to the origin of the attack. Shining Armor stood valiantly next to his guards, his horn giving off magic smoke.

The Guard Captain took a step forward. “I will not let you threaten Equestria with your madness. The Equestrian Royal Guard of her Solar Majesty Princess Celestia will end your schemes before they even start!”

Creativity let out a dark laugh. “HAHAHA! If your attempts are to stop my schemes, you’re quite late. I have what I want, killing you fools is just an enjoyable consequence.”

Shining and his guards took up their positions to fight this threat. Duncan walked next to Shining Armor and readied himself. “Alright, let’s kick some crazy flank!”

Shining looked at Duncan. “Guard Commander Quickstep, protect the civilians.”

Duncan gave Shining a surprised look, but nodded in submission. The stallion chuckled. “Oh very well… you’re just like Celli, not ever letting me have any fun. Do try not to die, I’d hate to see Cadence go through that.” Shining Armor looked at Duncan and smiled, nodding confidently. Duncan nodded once more and back stepped until he was standing next to the Elements. The Guard Commander looked at each and nodded respectfully, Fluttershy felt like she was going to faint when he nodded to her.

Spike walked up to the stallion. “So, umm, you think they’ll win?”

Duncan smiled. “I’m not sure, so it’ll be fun to find out won’t it?” That answer didn’t seem to calm Spike at all.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “So just out of curiosity, why are you called Duncan, it’s not a very pony name.”

Duncan shrugged. “What can I say? Griffons have weird nicknames.” The Elements gave him a strange look.

Shining and his Guards had taken up a semi-circle formation around Creativity. Normally, the nine on one fight would scare the latter party, but not when they had Alicorn energy flowing in their veins. Looking at each guard, Creativity chuckled. “Wow, what a pathetic bunch of foes. It almost seems unfair. Here’s an idea! I’ll use no offensive magic, how’s that sound?”

Shining laughed. “Do whatever you will, it only makes our jobs easier.” Shining took on a confident smirk and posture, showing no fear. But that was only the surface mask the stallion put on. Inside, Shining Armor was frightened like a little kitten. Shining remembered when he was a recruit and Celestia had come to the barracks for some fighting practice (she liked to keep her skills sharp). It was a massacre, the eons old Alicorn had ripped through the guards that stood against her. It had been a thirty on one training match! Celestia had made the same promise not to use offensive magic that time too. We have to end this quickly or she’ll tear through us… At least she doesn’t have the age or experience of Celestia.

Creativity smirked. “Very well, come at me guard dog.”

Shining looked at his guards. “Pegasos habeat! Natam oppugnemus latera! Unicórnium oppugnare in primam aciem secum magicae artis Telluribus invadere latere!” The captain shouted in the dead dialect the Solar Guard used to hide their strategies from particularly strong hostile forces. It apparently worked, as Creativity blinked in confusion at Shining’s orders. The guards got it, however, and jumped into action. The two unicorns fired magical blasts at Creativity. A simple defensive spell stopped the magic cold, Creativity yawned to express her boredom. The four pegasi attacked from behind, Creativity spotted them and extended her shield over her body. The pegasi hit the shield but, undaunted, kept pushing hard against their enemies’ defense. Creativity twitched a bit at the annoyance this little skeptical caused. Creativity pumped out more magic as two Earth ponies rammed at her sides with spears.

Creativity’s eyes shifted about, she was completely surrounded. Despite this, the Alicorn laughed. “Is this it?! Honestly Shining Armor, I expected better. Distraction techniques like this are commonplace. Can’t you think of anything better…” Shining Armor teleported right under Creativity, horn flaring brightly. Creativity looked down at the stallion. “I’ll admit, very clever.” The fragment stated, smirking a bit. Shining released his built up magical energy smack-dab into Creativity’s throat. The Alicorn exploded upward, spinning rapidly through the air. Gravity eventually decided to do its job and pulled Creativity down until she slammed into the ground, sending up dust and gravel.

“Press the attack!” Shining shouted out and charged; his guards following close behind.

Creativity coughed bitterly as she stood up from her crater in the ground. The Alicorn spit up some blood. “Ow, that almost sort of hurt.” Creativity eye shifted to the charging guards. “Almost.” She cackled. Magic burst from Creativity’s horn in dozens of whip-like tendrils. The magic seemed to be on heat seeking as each instantly went at certain guards with disturbing precision, causing a geyser of red. The pegasi found their wings severed by the magic, the unicorns’ eyes were pieced out, and the Earth ponies’ legs were cut up to the point of almost being severed. Only Shining Armor had seen the attack coming and protected himself accordingly. The guard captain found himself cursing under his breath for not throwing up a barrier big enough to protect all of his guards, he had not expected the tendrils to auto-lock like they did.

Shining Armor clenched his teeth. “Dammit… she just became an Alicorn but she’s ripping us apart like butter.” The captain planned his next course of attack, keeping up his shield just in case Creativity tried anything.

The mentioned Alicorn took a step forward. “What’s wrong Shining? Afraid I’m… I’m…” Creativity cringed up a bit, biting her lower lip. “The… the hell?” Yellow magical electricity sparked around the mare’s body. After another moment of sparking, the energy died down. “The hell was that? Bah, it must be from overexertion. My body’s not used to the Alicorn power just yet, that should die down soon enough.” Creativity refocused her attention. “Where were we? Oh right! Scared Shining?”

“Only fools are never afraid.” Shining retorted. “True bravery is moving past the fear.”

Creativity snorted. “God, this whole country is a broken record. When I defeat all of you maybe I’ll become the next Queen of Equestria and change that trend, that be nice.” Creativity took a moment to daydream about that glorious future, where she would make her own name.

Indigo Breeze, who had stayed back from the guard’s attack on Creativity, noticed this break in the Alicorn’s concentration. Thinking this her only chance, the pegasus took off and charged at Creativity with a guard spear. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done monster!”

“INDIGO!” Anger yelled out, fearful for her love.

Sparks flew as metal met metal. Indigo’s eyes widened as she looked at the spear rammed against her own, halting her advance. Steadfast met the pegasus’ eyes. “If you think you’re getting an inch near Creativity you’re sadly mistaken.” The two ponies jumped back, spears in hoof.

“Steadfast!” Indigo yelled. “What are you doing?! Why are with this psychopath?!”

Steadfast gave Indigo a dark glare. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Indigo readied herself, guard training taking hold of her senses. “I can see that talking to you is unproductive… so let’s skip the pleasantries.” Indigo charged Steadfast with her spear going for a soft spot in the guard armor. Steadfast picked up on the mare’s plan and dodged her oncoming charge, driving his own spear towards as he did. Indigo couldn’t help being stabbed behind the back of her front right leg. The yelped with pain and took off with into the air as soon as the pain started. The mare had the advantage in the air and looked down on her opponent, planning her next move.

“How about you stop playing chicken and come down here and fight?!” Steadfast yelled to her, annoyed.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Indigo countered, moving her spear into a throwing position. Using all her physical might, Indigo tossed her spear right at Steadfast. The stallion easily dodged it. Steadfast was about to gloat over the mare’s bad aim, but as he raised his head all he saw was Indigo charging right out him. Steadfast didn’t have any time to dodge or defend himself before the mare slammed full brunt into the stallion, pushing back a foot and a half. Not dropping her momentum, Indigo flapped her wings, falling back, then charging at Steadfast, repeating this again and again. Steadfast clung to his guard training as he blocked each attack as best as possible, earning a few bruises regardless. Indigo finally rammed the stallion hard enough to topple him over. Steadfast fell with a thud onto his back. Before he could get up Indigo landed on him.

“You’ve disgraced the whole guard, you’ve betrayed your Princess, your friends, all of Equestria! Why Steadfast?! WHY?!” Indigo looked at the stallion under her, tears forming as she lost her discipline.

Steadfast sniffed. “I don’t know Indie, why did you fall in love with a crazy bitch? Why didn’t you send a letter or something to let me know you were alive?! Why are you trying to kill me, your best friend in the guard, hell in Equestria?”

Indigo shook her head; sending tears everywhere. “Country before self, you know that Steadfast. I can’t let you endanger Equestria. I won’t…GAH!” Indigo’s eyes widened as pain ripped through her body. Looking down, the mare saw that Steadfast had grabbed a sharp piece of debris and shoved into Indigo, not a killing blow but enough to stop her. Indigo felt herself lax and falter, allowing Steadfast to push her off.

Steadfast got up and looked down at the mare. “Now stay down and don’t get in my way. I don’t want to hurt you Indigo…” Steadfast went flying into a nearby statue, causing it to explode into a cloud of dust. The stallion slumped to the ground, out cold from the sheer power of the strike. Indigo gapped at Steadfast but turned to see her savior. Anger was standing over her, the fragment’s ethereal leg spiraling about.

“Indigo are you ok?!” Anger asked with a concerned tone.

“Yes I… I’m fine, thank you Anger.” Indigo smiled at the fragment.

Anger smiled back. “I’d do anything for you.”

“Oh how fucking precious. I might cry.”

Anger and Indigo turned to see Creativity feigning sympathy. The Alicorn gave them a look of indifference. This right out pissed Anger off. “Go fuck yourself! You wouldn’t know anything about love!”

Creativity laughed. “You’re right, I wouldn’t, thank God. Love is a foolish emotion; it makes us do stupid things. Here, a prime example.” Creativity’s horn lit up and the Alicorn shot an overpowered magical blast… straight at Indigo Breeze! Anger knew the blast was way to big to dodge. Anger didn’t have the power to block it… but she did have the power to… Without thinking, Anger grabbed Indigo with her ethereal claw and tossed her aside, out of the blast radius. Anger exploded into yellow flash and a deafening scream ripped through the air. The flash dissipated showing Anger following to the ground, enormous gaps in her back and her chest.

“ANGER!!!” Indigo screamed as she was flung away from the blast.

“Sister!” Logic yelled out.

Indigo landed with a thud but instantly found herself jumping up and gliding to Anger, the pegasus completely ignored the searing pain coming from her undercarriage. “Anger, ANGER! Speak to me! Anger!” The mare dropped next to Anger and cradled the dying fragment in her fore legs. Blood flowed like a river out of the gap in Anger’s back and chest. Indigo’s eyes overflowed with tears. “No… NO! You can’t die! Please Anger, please! It can’t end like this! We finally found each other again! ANGER!” Logic found the strength to limp over to the pair. The fragment looked down on the two with sad eyes. Indigo turned when she saw Logic, her eyes overflowing. “L-Logic… Please, help her! Do something!”

Logic knelt down next to Indigo and put a hoof on her shoulder. Indigo saw Logic grab something tucked in one of the fragment’s leg bandages. It was a capture device. “Indigo…” The fragment uttered mournfully.

Indigo shook her head. “No… No you can’t… you…” The pegasus clung to Anger tighter.

“She will not last, no matter what we do. This is the only way.” Logic took hold of Indigo’s hoof and placed the capture device in it. “I can think of no one better.”

Indigo looked at the little device in horror. The pegasus looked between her dying lover and the device in her hoof. Finally Indigo let out a tear and clicked on the device. The triangular rune-filled object sparked white and awaited use. Indigo slowly pressed the device against Anger. “I…I love you.” She uttered.

Anger smiled. “I love you too.” The fragment turned to Logic. “Sister.”

Logic leaned in close. “Yes Anger.”

Anger looked at Creativity then back to Logic. “Kick her ass.” The white light engulfed Anger and sucked the fragment into the device. The triangular prison now glowed red, to indicate it was now occupied.

Logic placed her hoof on Indigo’s shoulder again. “I am sorry, I would have prevented this, if possible.”

Indigo sniffed, her eyes red and puffy from tears. “It’s alright. It’s not your fault, it’s…” She turned to Creativity. “Hers.”

Creativity let out a howling laughter. “HAHAHA! See?! What did I tell you? Love equals stupidity. If Anger had been smart, she’d be standing here right now. What just happened is a prime example of what love and friendship will get you: a bolt of magic thrown at you and piercing into the back and out the chest from your recently Alicorn ascended sister. Well… it wouldn’t be that exact scenario every time, only most of the time... and less Alicorn related.”

Logic stood up from next to Indigo and faced Creativity. The fragment looked to the sky, as if awaiting something. When Logic confirmed her search she looked over to Duncan and the Elements. The Guard Commander caught her eye and he did the same. Logic nodded to him and the stallion nodded back. Lifting his hoof to his mouth, the Commander let out a sharp whistle.

The doors leading to the Castle burst open to reveal Duncan’s personal bodyguards, the beige earth pony Pen Stroke and brown pegasus Tesuu, carrying a giant cannon! The two soldiers planted the cannon into the ground and aimed at a dumbstruck Creativity. “FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!” Yelled Pen Stroke as his partner lit the cannon and a loud, flashing blast erupted from the metal tube and went straight for Creativity.

The Alicorn laughed. “HA! You think that stupid little cannon can hurt me?!” The Alicorn threw up a magical barrier. “It won’t even be able to…” Creativity watched, dazed, as the cannon fire ruptured through her shield and hit her smack-dab in the chest. The mare spit out blood and saliva as the force sent her flying backward.

“Yes we got her!” Pen Stroke cheered. Creativity stirred and started to get up. The hairs on the back of Pen Stroke’s neck shot up. “No we didn’t, no we didn’t! Reload! Reload!” Pen Stroke ordered. Tesuu nodded and produced another ball of metal, unremarkable except for the magical runes etched into it. The stallion opened up the back and stuck the ball in, closing and locking the hatch.

Creativity recomposed herself. “OH NO YOU DON’T!!” The Alicorn fired hundreds, if not thousands, of magical bolts at the stallions. The soldiers winced at the oncoming attack but were relieved to see Captain Armor jump in front of them and cast a magical barrier over them.

Shining Armor winced from the physical exertion of holding the shield from so many attacks striking and fizzling against his shield. “WELL?! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! SHOOT HER!” He yelled back.

Pen Stroke saluted. “Right! Fire in the hole!” Tesuu hit the button at the base of the cannon that activated the magics that fired the cannon. Instantly another deafening flash erupted from the tube and flung its load at Creativity.

“Fool me once!” Creativity shouted as a barrier set in to protect her. The barrier was solid magic and one couldn’t even see Creativity on the other side. The cannon fire rammed against the shield and did no damage. Creativity lifted the shield. “HA! Thought you could…” The next shot was inches away from Creativity’s face. The Alicorn poured all her magic, a little too much, into erecting a shield in the last millisecond to protect herself from the blast.

Pen Stroke gapped in fear. “Oh no! That was our last one!”

Shining turned to the soldier. “You only brought three shots?!”

“They were heavy!” Pen Stroke countered.

Creativity lifted her shield; the Alicorn was in bad shape. Other than being a dirty, cut upped mess, yellow electricity sparked about her and singed her fur. While many would see this an obvious danger, Creativity ignored it; it was nothing right? “Looks like you’re up shit creek without a paddle. Too bad for you.”

“I could say the same for you Creativity.”

Creativity turned to see Logic standing defiant, bending a little to take pressure off a bad leg. This scene only made Creativity chuckle. “Really Logic? Really? You still think you can win? HOW?! Please enlighten me!”

Logic chuckled, looking towards the sky over Ponyville. “Simple sister. Though it maybe Sunday, I have a good feeling the mail will arrive any second.”

Creativity’s ears perked as she heard something. Wings. Wings flapping. Creativity turned and saw a silhouette in the distance closing fast. Creativity growled. “Think a mailmare will save you?! Think again!” Creativity charged up her horn. BAM!!! A shot from the soldier’s cannon collided and sent Creativity flying.

Shining gave a blank stare then turned to the two soldiers. Pen Stroke shrugged. “Huh, whataya know, we did have one more shot left.”

With Creativity downed, the mailmare Derpy Hooves flew uninterrupted to Logic. Seeing her recipient down below, the mare smiled and waved. “Hey Miss Logic! I got a package for you!” With that Derpy took off the saddlebag she had been given by that Zebra and tossed it at Logic, who caught it with magic. Derpy saluted to the fragment. “Thank you for choosing Ponyville Express! Have a nice day!” With that Derpy took off.

“Thank you very much Derpy!” Logic called to the mare. The fragment then rummaged through her new pack, eager to get at the contents. Finally finding what she wanted, Logic pulled out a flask filled with a red, orange, yellow liquid inside.

Creativity huffed as she picked herself up. “That’s it?! That’s your trump card?! A potion?!” Creativity tried to laugh but it hurt too much to do so.

“What? You do not know what this potion is sister?” Logic stated coyly. “I would think that a creature of your intelligence would know about the Phoenix’s Second Wind potion. It is quite famous after all.”

Creativity’s eyes widened. “Phoenix’s Second Wind?! No, no, no, no!”

“Oh yes, yes, yes, yes sister. The Phoenix's Second Wind Potion, able to cure all aliments, regrow limbs, and restore one's stamina and mana past full! I hear it can even bring back the departed but that has yet to be proven.” Logic popped the top of the flask and inhaled the liquid in one gulp. Red and orange magic cascaded around Logic in a rhythmic flow. Logic’s bandages fell off to reveal her injuries completely healed. Cuts and bruises shrunk and vanished. Logic’s coat and mane shined like new as the potion healed her wounds and replenished her magic. With a spark of her horn Logic dispersed the aura, as fresh and new as the day she came into the world.

“Aaaah, much better.” Logic let out a sigh of relief. “So Creativity, do you still believe you can win?”

Creativity was still silent, processing what had happened. Finally, her thoughts came to words. “H-How?! How were you able to brew that potion?! The only beings that know that recipe are…”

“Zebra Potion Masters, yes.” Logic said, slightly amused by her sister’s disbelieve. “So lucky we are, that Ponyville has Zecora no? I must remember to repay her for this nice gift.” Logic turned to Indigo and handed her the bag Derpy delivered. Indigo felt some weight to it and looked inside to see several test tube flasks filled with more Phoenix’s Second Wind. “Indigo, please administer those to any who need aid.” Indigo nodded and took off to join the Elements. Logic turned to the guards that had been taken out by Creativity. With a flick of her eyelash the guards disappeared in a flash and returned next to the Elements, ready to be helped by Indigo. Logic’s horn sparked again and she teleported herself in front of the others, shielding them from Creativity’s malice. “So sister, give up?”

“NEVER! I WILL NEVER GIVE IN TO YOUR CRAZY SUICIDE RUN LOGIC!” Creativity roared. “NO MATTER WHAT, I AM STILL A GOD!!” Creativity took in all her magic and sent an all-out death wave spiraling outward. The ground disintegrated at the very presence of the magic and Creativity sent it outward towards Logic and the others. Logic’s horn sparked and green barrier bubbles formed around all the ponies in the area, Steadfast included. The magical wave decimated the garden and even went on to obliterate a chunk of the castle, leaving a sizable gap in the beautiful structure. Logic and the others, however, were unharmed.

Logic snorted, upkeeping the barriers not even making her break a sweat. “No Creativity, you are a foal in a tantrum.” Logic’s pupils were swallowed by green as her eyes glowed a singular color. The shields Logic had created left their protected pony and clumped up in a ball of spinning magic atop Logic’s horn. Adding more magic, Logic now had her own super powerful attack. Cocking her head back, Logic quickly flicked her neck forward and sent the magic rolling in the airs towards Creativity. The Alicorn erected an all-powerful barrier to protect herself once more. The shield didn’t last a second, breaking apart just from the close proximity of Logic’s attack. The magic hit Creativity and sent her up backpedaling on her hind legs. Logic didn’t give her a moments rest as she flung more and more magical attacks at her sister. Creativity’s body contorted and warped with consideration to where she was getting beaten. After almost a solid minute of pounding Creativity with her revamped magic, Logic halted her assault. Creativity was still standing, a burnt, smoking form that was still engulfed in yellow electricity. The Alicorn finally fell to the ground.

Creativity moaned. “H-H-How? … How can this be happening? I… I had it all planned out…”

“You are right sister, you did. Unfortunately for you, I planned ahead better.” Logic was standing over her defeated sister, thinking of some way to separate Creativity from the Alicorn magic before… well, Logic knew that the electricity coming off Creativity wasn’t a good thing.

The downed Alicorn looked at Logic. “What do you mean?”

Logic sniffed. “Curiosity is slyer then you think sister. She discovered your plan to plan around my plan of rebuilding Twilight by becoming an Alicorn, thus skipping the need to gather the fragments. As such I decided to plan around the plan you were planning to plan around my plan.” Creativity’s left eye twitched a bit, amusing Logic. “I informed Commander Quickstep of your true nature some time ago. Since then he has been silently getting everything we needed to defeat you: from Anti-Alicorn weaponry to the ingredients for the Phoenix’s Second Wind. I asked Zecora to brew the potion before we left Ponyville for Canterlot, knowing most likely you would try and make your move here. I then made sure Derpy delivered it; I did not trust the ever-changing situation with the security of the potion. I am also the one who allowed Private Indigo Breeze special healing treatments at the Canterlot hospital as well as an early dismissal. I knew she would be helpful in stopping Anger in one way or another. All these things I did to ensure you would not succeed in your madness.”

Creativity used all her physical might to stand, but in the end all she could do was hunch a bit. The Alicorn grunted. “Very creative sister, but a little risky wouldn’t you agree Logic?”

Logic looked at Creativity with her usual unmoved face. “Well you know what they say Creativity: to be creative, you sometimes have to take risks.”

Creativity looked at Logic as though she just stuck a knife through her. Creativity couldn’t believe it: she’d lost! Any attempts at magic resulted in a fizzle at her horn and her body was collapsing on her. It was over; even she could see that. “Alright Logic… I guess you…. GAAAAHHHH!!!”

Logic took a few steps back. Creativity had exploded into a magical lightning storm! Creativity thrashed her head about as unbelievable pain racked her body and spirit. The other ponies gasped when they saw a piece of Creativity’s face crack off like pieces of a broken window. Underneath the Alicorn’s skin was a blinding white glow. Creativity panicked as more and more pieces fell off of her from various parts of her body. “L-Logic… What’s happening to me?!” The mare could not hide the fear from her voice, not like she wanted to.

Logic bit her lower lip. “Dammit! Creativity you fool! You took in Alicorn magic, a magic that cannot be controlled by mortal beings! And now thanks to your excessive overuse of it, your magic is overloading! Your body and soul cannot take the power! Your own failure to know your limits has doomed you!”

Shining Armor stepped forward. “Logic, what’s going to happen?!”

“Put bluntly, her magic is going to outburst itself.” Logic stated. “In an explosion.”

Duncan stepped up next to Shining. “How big of an explosion are we talking about?”

Logic sniffed, her allergies were acting up. “Not that big, but it will be backed with the power of an exploding star… so I estimate there will be no Canterlot after this.”

Creativity’s eyes widened when she heard this. “No…” She cried. “No, I didn’t want this… I only… I only…” The Alicorn looked towards Logic. “Logic.” The mentioned fragment turned to her sister. Creativity’s horn sparked and a capture device appeared next to the Alicorn. Her horn glowed harder and a tendril of magic fizzed out of it and impaled itself into Creativity’s chest. The Alicorn cringed and clenched her teeth from the pain her action was causing, but eventually she was able to rip out a ball of glowing yellow energy. The Alicorn placed the ball into the capture device and soon the triangular tool glowed yellow. Creativity tossed the device to her sister, landing it in front of her.

Logic looked to the device, then her sister. “Creativity.”

Creativity frowned. “Logic, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Logic became frightened. “Creativity NO! We can find another way! I know we can!”

Creativity chuckled somberly. “Yeah, that’s something mother would say… I however, am much more practical.”

“Creativity no!” Logic started to bolt to Creativity but Duncan grabbed her before she could. Logic fought with all her might to free herself.

“Bye.” Creativity said, opening her new wings and taking off into the air.

“CREATIVITY!!!”

Creativity was rocketing upward, trying to get as much distance between herself and Canterlot. Tears streaming down her face from her eyes, mostly from the intense speeds she was currently flying at. To think it ends like this… The Alicorn thought. I almost won, stupid Alicorn magic, backfiring on me… Creativity let out an inwardly sigh. As she headed upwards however, a thought came to mind. It was about what she had told Logic about finding another way: that’s something mother would say… Yeah, that was something Twilight would say. But Creativity had gone against that, she had done something Twilight wouldn’t… and that was… a good feeling. Creativity realized something: that she had made her own choice. It had been hers and hers alone. The fragment had felt life, if only for a few hours. She breathed through her own lungs and saw through her own eyes. And most importantly, she had made her own choice. To make this sacrifice was her own choice and no one else’s. And despite death approaching quickly, Creativity couldn’t help but smile. She kept that smile, even at the end.

The world shook as the force of an exploding star erupted overtop of it. A brilliant light show dazzled creatures of many shapes and sizes for hundreds of miles from Equestria.

Creativity’s final act as a pony of Equestria.

~~~~

Ponyville Library, several hours later

Spike walked down the steps somberly, spotting the distraught fragment watching the fire crackle and shift. The dragon didn’t really know what to say. He had thought about when they returned from Canterlot but… nothing seemed right. Finally Spike drew up the courage to walked up and sit next to his friend on the couch overlooking the fire pit. Spike glanced at the many books Logic had gathered. They were all about erasing a pony’s memory. There were several on mass memory wiping and all sorts of techniques to ensure permanent memory loss. Usually, the dragon would ask about this odd selection, but today he wanted to simply comfort a friend.

“Logic?” He asked.

“I failed her Spike.” Logic said somberly.

Spike hopped up almost instantly. “Failed her? Failed her?! Logic, she was an evil monster who wanted to kill us and took Princess Celestia’s power to do it! How can you think that you failed her?!”

“She was still my sister Spike.” That shut the dragon up right fast. “Out of all my siblings, she and I were the most connected, like twins almost. It is odd I know but still…” Logic buried her face in a blanket. “Her death was painful and long instead of peaceful and pain-free!”

This talk of death brought up something in the dragon, something he heard Creativity say. “Umm… Logic… What did Creativity mean when she said you were on a suicide run?”

Logic exhaled, knowing this talk would have come about eventually. “Spike, do you know why we collect the fragments?”

Spike cocked an eyebrow. “To rebuild Twilight, why?”

Logic looked at the dragon. “And what do you think happens to the fragments once we rebuild Twilight? Their souls are built off of parts of her psyche Spike. What do you think will happen once that’s taken away?”

Spike’s eyes widened shock at the ugly realization. “You-You mean…”

“For Twilight to be whole once more, thirty-five ponies must die. Once our souls are separated our bodies melt away in the capture devices. That is the ultimate fate of the fragments Spike, as well as a good reason for them to run.” Logic turned back to the fire. Spike opened his mouth to speak but Logic cut him off. “So why do I go forth with rebuilding Twilight? Who knows? Maybe I am insane; maybe I just do not care. It is an odd thing: being alive. You are the climax of millions of years of evolution and progress and yet… you have no clue why you exist or why you do what you do. Maybe our actions do not need explanation. They just are.”

Spike looked to his feet. “Logic I… I’m sorry.”

“Do not be.” Logic replied. “It is what it is. I only hope my sisters are using the extra time I gave them wisely. At least they are accepting of their fate. They are stronger than many.”

Spike sat back down on the couch and looked at the fire. “It’s been a long day.”

Logic chuckled. “That it has… I suppose it is time to…”

A loud knock came from the door. Spike turned to wooden barrier. “I wonder who that could be.”

Logic got up. “As do I.” The fragment walked to the door and unlocked it with her magic.

Logic froze a bit, unable to process things for a moment. Instead she just stood there and gawked a little at the pony standing in her doorway, looking back at her.

Dashing Deceit

Red spat out of the orange pony in a geyser of gore. The other ponies in the semi-circle turned with horrified expressions as the orange pony was pushed upward by the force, backpedaled, and landed on her back, a pool of blood quickly forming under her. The cyan pony cried out the orange one’s name and ran for her friend. The pink, yellow, and white ponies also ran for their fallen companion. As she shall the life drain from her friend’s emerald green eyes, the cyan pony could hear the laughter, and the smugness, and the uncaring of the yellow eyed lavender pony from some way over. But it didn’t matter to her, that monster’s confidence. All she cared for was her friend, calling her name despite the dying ears losing their capabilities long before. The same name, over and over again.

“Applejack… Applejack… Applejack… Applejack… Apple… AAHH!”

Rainbow Dash shot up from her bed, the sheets flying up from the dreaming mare’s sudden movement. Well, dreaming was a strong word; it was more like a nightmare, one that had replayed itself many times before. Rainbow Dash looked around, confirming she was indeed in her house and not on that plain, watching her friend die. The speedster wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead and brows. Looking out the window, Dash could tell it was some time near ten o’clock. Sleeping in was an activity Dash took as a second job, and she loved that job very much. Lately, however, sleep had not been so kind to the mare. Once, Rainbow Dash would have went back to sleep. Now she got up, unwilling to face the chance to get pulled into the dream again. The mare went to readied herself for the day

~~~~

“So the boss has given me your work schedule for this week, it’s a pain in my flank but there’s not much that can be done right?” The pale Persian blue mare smiled at Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, I guess.” Rainbow replied dully, taking her cereal bowl in both hooves and slurping down the remaining milk. Dash finished and sighed, placing the bowl back on the table. “I’m really sorry Cloud Kicker, being disabled like this wasn’t really my choice.”

Cloud Kicker motioned a hoof at Rainbow. “It’s nothing Dash, though I’ll admit, I’m surprised this isn’t a scheme of yours. Losing your wings is a popular way to get off work.” The mare laughed at her own joke.

“Yeah, I suppose so…” Dash replied, smiling at the mare. Cloud Kicker had started visiting Dash ever since her wings had been taken by Logic. She had become a good friend and had helped ferry information from Dash’s work to her home. Without wings, Dash couldn’t work, and she had to take a leave of absence. Officially, Rainbow Dash had lost her wings due to a unicorn safety team that had visited the weather factory. One of the workers had been sick and sneezed unstable magic into the machines and created a cloud that shocked Rainbow Dash and dissipated her wings. Until a specific tonic could be ordered from Canterlot, Dash was grounded.

“So Dash, what are you going to do with your new found freedom?” Cloud Kicker waited for a response, but none came. The mare looked deep in thought and seemingly ignored Cloud. The mare gave a look of concern. “Dash? Dash. Dash!”

Rainbow snapped out of her daze. “Wha?! What’s… Is something wrong?”

“You look distracted.” Cloud Kicker explained. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Dash replied. In truth, the mare was thinking of her accident. Logic was damn good at what she did, better than Twilight even. Twilight would have moral concerns about falsifying accident reports and creating an unstable magical cloud to act as proof. Logic had no moral boundaries in that regard and had easily made the necessary arrangements to have Rainbow Dash get off from work with pay for the past month, something about an Element of Harmony deserving back pay for her past services.

“Well, you look like you have a lot on your mind, like you have some grudge you’re holding onto.” Cloud Kicker got up and smiled at Dash. “Trust me when I say that hanging on to hate isn’t worth it.”

“You know that from personal experience?”

Cloud Kicker chuckled. “Let’s just say my brother and I grew up with a lot more than one incident against each other.” Cloud looked at the position of the Sun and sighed a little. “Well, I’m afraid my visit has to end if I’m to get to work on time. Don’t want the boss getting angry at me.”

Rainbow smirked. “Yeah, getting chewed out by Wind Storm isn’t the most fun thing in the world. Get outta here before you give him reason to get angry.”

“Yeah. See ya Dash!” Cloud kicker waved to Dash and rushed out the door to Cloudsdale.

Dash watched the mare leave, then let out a heavy sigh. “Let go of my grudge? How can I when it’s a friend who got hurt the most?”

~~~~

Rainbow looked down on the pleasant town of Ponyville from within her hot air balloon basket. Logic, much to Dash’s spite, had thought of everything and provided the mare with all the things she could need to keep her life as normal as possible.

Rainbow grouched; she wouldn’t need to have to be catered to if Logic hadn’t severed her wings with magic. She wouldn’t need this balloon if Logic had let her face Creativity and end her for all she did. Creativity, that name stung the tongue just from the thought. To think, that monstrous mare was still out there, unpunished for her crimes against so many ponies.

Rainbow Dash shook her head, not wanting to think about that insane fragment. Leaving her troubled thoughts, the mare finally realized where she was: the sky above the Ponyville library. Rainbow Dash peered over the side to see a familiar mare and dragon exiting the library. The two were conversing, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“So Lust and Creativity are in Canterlot? That’s really bad news.” Spike the dragon felt his legs shake as he remembered his encounter with Lust.

“Indeed it is Spike.” Logic replied. “But I am confident we can defeat them. After all, Lust is no true enemy, she simply wishes to find something to place between her legs and begin thrusting. Creativity is another matter… she will certainly be trouble. Still, if all goes according to plan then by the end of today the only fragments that will remain loose will be Anger, Morality, and Deceit.”

“Do you really think Creativity will try to steal Princess Celestia’s magic and become an Alicorn?”

Logic looked at Spike and nodded. “Yes, it is most definitely her plan of action. It is the only way she can remove herself from the need of acquiring the other fragments.”

“But we’ll stop her before she succeeds right?” Spike asked, obviously nervous of facing a hostile Alicorn fragment.

Logic patted Spike on the head. “We will do our best Spike. If we are unable to prevent Creativity’s thieving attempt we can at least stop her afterwards. Luckily, if Creativity does succeed, we need not worry about returning Celestia’s magic. Alicorn magic is much more personal than regular magic. If taken away from its owner, Alicorn magic will eventually overload the thief and backfire on them, returning to the original owner after the thief’s termination.”

Spike gulped at the last word, but he shook it off. If Creativity died, it was her own fault. “Right… well, I’m ready and I promise I won’t talk about this to the others.”

Logic nodded, turning to her saddlebags and pulling out a letter with her magic. “Very well. Now, if you’d be so kind as to deliver this letter to the Doct-… I mean, Time Turner, he will be able to get this to Ditzy Doo. We will need her before the day is out.” Logic handed the letter to Spike. “I believe he is at his shop currently, fixing clocks as he so often does… hmm… poor him, this must be such a step down from saving the…” Logic caught herself instantly. “I mean… nevermind, go along Spike.”

Spike cocked an eyebrow, more confused than curious. Shrugging, the baby dragon ran as fast he could to Time Turner’s Clock Shop.

Logic watched him leave, and then turned her attention to the Everfree forest. “Right, time to go see Zecora. Without that Phoenix’s Second Wind potion we will not be able to survive long enough to stop Creativity if she does become an Alicorn.” With that, the fragment began her trip to the Everfree Forest, intent on retrieving the potion she needed.

Rainbow Dash looked at the scene below her with mild disgust. She didn’t get it; it didn’t make sense. How could Spike and all her remaining friends still trust Logic? It was her fault Applejack was the way she was. Twilight would have protected Applejack; she would have protected all her friends. But Logic, Logic didn’t care. All that mattered to her was completing her mission. She didn’t care who fell as long as she gathered up the fragments and rebuilt Twilight.

And that was another thing, how do they know Logic’s being honest? What if Logic wants the same thing Creativity does. What if she wants to take control of Twilight, but has kept it quiet so the other Elements wouldn’t move against her? How do they really know Logic is on the up and up? It is thoughts like this that pushed Rainbow away from her friends and Logic.

But it’s wrong; you have to stick by your friends, no matter what. And then came that thought, the thought of guilt Rainbow had felt for so long since she had betrayed her friends. No, no… she hadn’t betrayed them… but she did abandon them, like with Discord. She was being just as self-centered, as arrogant, and uncaring as when Discord had affected her.

“No, no, NO!” Dash yelled out, falling backward into the balloon basket. The ex-speedster’s hooves were on her head like she had a migraine. Rainbow Dash moaned loudly. “I need a drink…”

~~~~

Dash took an adamant sip from her coffee mug. Exhaling happily, she looked around at the outdoor section of Bon-Bon’s Sweet Shop. It was a nice place to relax and catch one’s breath, though she’d never let Pinkie Pie know she came here.

Rainbow Dash had finally calmed down from her little episode she had in the hot air balloon, but thoughts still lingered. Maybe she had been too rough on Logic. Seriously, even she knew there are some things magic can’t do. Dash gripped her cup tighter, unsure sure what to do. Stubborn as she was, it had been Rainbow’s pride more than anything else that had stopped her from returning to Logic and begging for forgiveness. Rainbow Dash sighed; she didn’t know what to do. There was so much going on because of those fragments. There were so many angles, so many plans and schemes and ideas. Rainbow didn’t know what was truth and what was…

“Hello Rainbow Dash, nice day today isn’t it? I love the Sun…”

Rainbow Dash froze at the familiar voice, its words ringing in her ears. The Wonderbolt hopeful mare visibly shook as she brought her head up to face the mare in the eyes, those eyes. Those eyes were familiar and different. Her smile was so much the same, but twisted and perverted. Her name was different and yet the same too, if that made any sense. Still, Dash knew her well, she was…

“Hey Twilight, how are you?” Bon-Bon appeared out of nowhere, wearing a pink apron and balancing a serving tray on her back.

Twilight looked to Bon-Bon and smiled. “I’m doing great Bon-Bon, just catching up with my good friend Dashie here, right Rainbow?” The rainbow-mane mare was currently speechless at the moment however.

Bon-Bon didn’t notice Rainbow’s state and continued to talk. “Well that’s good, ponies have been saying you’ve been acting odd lately, glad to see they’re wrong. Well, back to business, Dash, that coffee will cost you…”

Twilight lifted up a hoof. “Allow me.” With that, she pulled out the required number of bits and handed them to Bon-Bon. “This should cover it.”

Bon-Bon smiled. “Yeah, it should, thanks. Geez, paying for Rainbow, you’re such a good friend Twilight.”

Twilight shrugged. “Being a good friend is what I do.” Bon-Bon smiled in agreement and left the two to converse further.

When Bon-Bon finally left Rainbow Dash returned to her senses. “Deceit.” She mumbled angrily.

“In the flesh.” The fragment replied coyly.

“What do you want?”

“Interested in some Wonderbolt tickets?”

“Shove em’ up your flank.”

“That’s not very nice Dashie.”

“Sorry, I don’t really care.”

“Like you really don’t care about Applejack?”

CRASH!! THUD!!

All the ponies in the Sweet Shop turned to see a table turned over and Rainbow on top of Twilight, the speedster’s face was red with anger. “Don’t you ever say that again! Applejack is one of my best friends!”

Deceit coughed from the ground impact. “And yet you allowed her to be hurt and didn’t even go after her attacker when it was all said and done. Doesn’t much sound like a friend to me…”

Deceit took the punch Rainbow Dash threw at her with a little laugh, either the strike hadn’t hurt or Deceit was stubborn. “SHUT UP!” Dash yelled. “Logic took my wings! I couldn’t go after her! It wasn't my fault, it was Logic’s!”

Deceit chuckled. “So quick to blame others Dashie, yet not once do you look at the mirror and think yourself at fault. Heh, what a foal.”

Dash’s teeth clenched. “Foal?! FOAL?! I’ll show just how hard this foal can hit!” Dash brought her hoof down upon Deceit, but all it hit was dirt.

Deceit reappeared on a small banister that outlined the outside café. Hanging on it Lyra-style, the fragment chuckled. “Wow, that really hurt. My insides are just in a wreck from your strength Dashie.”

Rainbow Dash jumped after the fragment, who once again disappeared into an orange flash. Dash fell over the banister and hit the hard ground. Getting up instantly, the mad mare looked desperately for the fragment.

“I’m certainly not over here!”

Dash looked to her right to see Deceit standing in an alleyway, a smirk on her face. Without thinking, Dash raced down the street after the fragment. Deceit ran into the alleyway, humming to herself as she did and igniting her horn. Dash didn’t notice and continued to the chase the fragment her hatred was currently focused on. Rainbow saw the fragment turn a corner. Skidding to a quick stop then bolting forward, Rainbow could see Deceit at the end of the alley, right near the other entrance. Deceit made no moves to escape and just smiled as Dash made to ram her.

THUNK!!

Rainbow Dash hit something, felt like a wall. The mare fell backward onto her backside. Shaking her head to rid herself of the stars, Rainbow looked up at the alleyway, confused.

Deceit’s laughter filled the air. “Ha-ha… wow, I can’t believe you fell for that! I mean, I did a great job and all but still… wow.”

Dash looked up and saw the fragment resting on a rooftop, one of her legs swaying back and forth over the edge. Dash looked back at the alleyway and saw Deceit smiling at her. “What the? How are you?” Before Dash could finish, Deceit’s horn flashed. The open alleyway became distorted and wavy until it shifted back into its original solid wall look.

“I’m Deceit Dashie, does this surprise you?”

“WHY?!”

Deceit’s face took on some surprise. “What?”

Dash looked close to tears, but not there of course (she still had a reputation to uphold). “Why me?! Why are you messing with me? Why not Logic?! All I want to do is forget about you stupid fragments! So why do you keep pestering me?!”

Deceit laughed. “Because I like you Rainbow Dash, why else? If you want some other reason… well Rainbow, I love deceit, the action and such. And so I’m attracted to you, no homo, because there’s nothing better than a mare that’s deceiving herself.”

“Deceiving myself?! I’m not deceiving myself!”

Deceit laughed. “Yeah, keep thinking that Dashie, I’m sure that eventually it’ll… whoa!” Deceit dodged a rock that Dash had tossed at the fragment. Catching herself from falling off, Deceit realigned herself on the roof. “Rude Dashie, very rude.” Deceit picked herself up and began trotting away. “I see you don’t want to talk. Fine, I’ll just take my information elsewhere.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Information?! What information?!”

“Sorry Dashie, not in the mood anymore… see ya!” With that, Deceit disappeared on the other side of the wall.

“Deceit! DECEIT~!” Rainbow Dash yelled after the fragment. Realizing that she wasn’t coming back, Dash bolted from the alleyway and tried to get onto the other side of the buildings.

On Deceit’s side, the fragment laughed audibly as she pranced about. “Poor Dashie, never gonna know what I know! Still, I like it that way!” The fragment laughed to herself, content in her cruel mental treatment of Rainbow Dash. “Alright, enough laughing, better hightail it outta here before she gets across.” Deceit bolted away, running as fast as she could. She had gotten about ten meters before an outstretched hoof stopped her.

“Oops… did I do that?” The hoof’s owner stated rather coyly.

Deceit tumbled forward and hit a streetlight. Shaking her head and looking up, the fragment tried to spot the one who had tripped her. She caught a lime green flash just as a teleportation spell was used. Other than that, the street was empty. “What the? Who was that?!” Deceit looked around for another second before her situation came back to her. “Crap! I gotta get outta here before Rainbow Dash…”

“Gets you?!”

Deceit turned to see the cyan mare ram into her. The two tumbled to the ground, punching and clawing at each other. Deceit’s horn flared as she used a blast to throw Dash off of her. Rainbow landed with a loud thud and a grunt.

Deceit righted herself as she stood up. “Ow, crap that hurt!” The fragment huffed as she looked over to Rainbow Dash, the speedster only just getting up. Deceit smirked. “Sorry Dashie, almost, but still no dice.” The fragment’s horn lit up as she prepared a teleportation spell.

Rainbow huffed heavily as she got up. “Not… not this time!” The Wonderbolt-hopeful mare ran with all her might at Deceit. Just as Deceit cast her spell Dash grabbed her. Rainbow felt magic wash over her and before she knew it she was pulled into a vortex of magic.

~~~~

A familiar clearing deep in the Everfree forest was silent and peaceful. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening in this clearing. A single spark interrupted the clearing's tranquility. That single spark became another, and another and soon a bright flash of orange filled the clearing. Two mares were flung out of the flash and hit the ground hard.

Deceit quickly pushed Dash off with her magic and fell back. Dash skidded on the ground but quickly stopped herself and hopped up. Truthfully, Rainbow’s vision was swimming rapidly thanks to the magical flash, but she tried to right it.

Deceit huffed angrily at Dash. “Damn it Dashie, don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt a teleportation spell like that?!”

Rainbow Dash wobbled as righted her head to the source of Deceit’s voice. “Sorry, I don’t really care! You’re gonna tell me what you know!”

“Fat chance.” Deceit yelled, her horn igniting.

Before Dash could react, Deceit teleported next to her and punched Dash in her sides. “Stupid mare! All you are is a traitor!” Deceit teleported again to Dash’s other side and slammed her hoof into the mare. “To Applejack!” Another teleportation and Dash felt Deceit’s hoof slamming into the side of her face. “To the rest of your friends!” Another teleportation and Deceit was facing Rainbow Dash. “And mostly yourself!” Deceit brought her hoof into the underside of Rainbow Dash’s chin and sent her flying. The mare landed with a thud a foot away. Deceit smirked, flexing her hoof. “Ow, that sort of hurt.”

Rainbow Dash could feel blood dripping from her mouth and nose, but still she got up and faced Deceit. “You… you think you can spit out lies and make me feel terrible? Like I’m the one at fault for what happened to Applejack?!”

Deceit burst out in laughter. “Oh Rainbow Dash…” Deceit’s horn flared and a magical aura completely enveloped her. The swirling vortex of magic moved towards Dash and once it was close to the mare it dissipated, revealing a bloodied Applejack. Rainbow Dash stepped back in horror. Deceit-jack smiled deviously. “You want to know the information I have? Well, here it is: I don’t need to lie to make you feel guilty Dashie.”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, no, no! It’s not… It’s not…” Rainbow stopped mid sentence as a realization hit. Deceit said she didn’t need to lie to make Dash feel guilty. Despite it being said by a fragment of lies and deception, Rainbow could tell this sentence was truthful. Deceit hadn’t been lying about Rainbow Dash being a traitor. If a fragment of lies spoke this as truth then… then maybe… Rainbow had been in the wrong. Rainbow admitted it to herself… she had been wrong, about everything. It wasn’t Logic’s fault and all Rainbow was doing was being a fool. Well... no more!!

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and looked at the Applejack looking Deceit. “You’re right.”

“What?” Deceit asked, confused.

“I betrayed my friends… I betrayed Logic… I certainly haven’t been living up to my Element… but…” A determined fire sparked in Dash’s eyes. “It’s never too late to start again! And I can’t think of a better way to start than stopping you Deceit!”

Deceit took a step back nervously, dropping her illusion. “Well… it seems my mental breakdown has backfired on me… how unfortunate…” The fragment suddenly stood firm again. “Doesn’t matter. You can’t capture me! After all, we’re deep in the Everfree, how do you plan to get me to Logic?” Deceit let out an evil laugh. “You seem unable to go about your plans. Heh, well, let’s make sure you never can!” Deceit charged her magic and chucked it at Rainbow Dash.

The mare dodged the blast but got caught in the shockwave. Rainbow went flying and fell into a clump of vines and bushes. Luckily, it was a soft landing, but that hardly pleased Rainbow Dash. Deceit was right; she had no way to get the fragment back to Logic, Rainbow Dash started to get up from her landing zone. The mare had no capture devices and therefore no clear, secure way to get Deceit back. How could she possibly… huh? Rainbow looked down as she felt something softer than the vines and leaves under her hoof. It was cotton, and once Dash brushed away some vegetation she saw herself looking one of Logic’s capture device bags. It was the same bag that had been torn off the fragment by the hydra when they had come in to the Everfree to save the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Dash flipped open the degraded bag and, much to her delight, inside were a bunch of capture devices, still in working condition! Dash smirked as a plan sparked in her mind. The rainbow-mane mare stood up and turned to face Deceit, hiding the bag from sight. “Really Deceit? I’m disappointed.”

Deceit cocked an eyebrow. “What? What are you talking about?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “It’s nothing, it’s just… what’s with all the ranged attacks? Only weaklings and scaredy cats use those. I thought you were better.” Rainbow Dash stood confident, hoping Deceit would forget the close-range beating she just gave Dash and would take the bait.

Deceit acknowledged the past but still took the bait like a cat to a laser pointer. “Weakling?! Scaredy cat?! Well, ignoring that I just beat you up four minutes ago, I’ll humor you and take you out with a magically charged hoof.” Deceit’s horn lit up and her left hoof started glowing with an orange aura. The mare charged. “IF THAT’S THE WAY YOU WANT IT!!!”

Dash smirked. “Yeah, that’s exactly how I want it.” Rainbow pulled out a capture device as Deceit got close and slammed it on the fragment’s chest. The device lit up and began sucking Deceit in.

The fragment looked down at her disappearing form and then shifted her gaze to Rainbow Dash. “Clever mare…” The fragment yelled as the device finally sucked the rest of her in. When the last of Deceit was in, the device took on an orange glow.

Rainbow Dash smirked triumphantly. “And ponies say I’m stupid and headstrong.”

~~~~

Night had fallen over Ponyville. Rainbow Dash trotted through the dark streets. It had taken her all day to get back to Ponyville from her location in the Everfree forest. She had actually hidden when a loud explosion and bright flash had erupted in the sky, fearing it was the end of the world or something.

Still, now that Rainbow Dash was back in Ponyville, she was unsure of what she was doing. Really though, what was she going to do? What was she going to say? How could she repair such damage? How could she think that her destination could ever forgive her for her arrogance? How could she… Rainbow had arrived. The mare looked at the dark silhouette of the Ponyville library, illuminated by a dim light inside.

Dash looked at the door for a few minutes, wondering if she should just put the device on the step and run. Logic had no right to forgive Dash for her childishness, or so Dash thought. Finally, Rainbow Dash decided to just leave the capture device and bolt. The mare placed the orange glowing device down and began trotting off; Logic would find it in the morning. When Rainbow Dash was a foot or so away she heard knocking. The mare turned and saw a rock hitting the library door for the second time. The rock was enveloped in a lime green magical aura and after its second knock; it simply fell. Dash looked at the rock for a few seconds before realizing the door was opening.

~~~~

Inside the library, Logic and Spike found themselves sitting on the couch by the fire. Logic had just told Spike the truth that the fragments would be killed repairing Twilight. Spike looked down at the floor for a minute or so.

Finally, Spike looked to his feet. “Logic I… I’m sorry.”

“Do not be.” Logic replied. “It is what it is. I only hope my sisters are using the extra time I gave them wisely. At least they are accepting of their fate. They are stronger than many.”

Spike sat back down on the couch and looked at the fire. “It’s been a long day.”

Logic chuckled. “That it has… I suppose it is time to…”

A loud knock came from the door. Spike turned to wooden barrier. “I wonder who that could be.”

Logic got up. “As do I.” The fragment walked to the door and unlocked it with her magic.

Logic froze a bit, unable to process things for a moment. Instead she just stood there and gawked a little at the pony standing in her doorway, looking back at her.

“Rainbow Dash…” Logic finally found herself saying.

“H-Hey Lodge…” Rainbow replied. Gathering her courage, Rainbow Dash turned and stepped up to Logic. “Look Lodge I… I know I don’t deserve forgiveness for how I acted and… and I don’t expect any but I finally caught Deceit and…” Rainbow’s eyes widened as she felt the warmth of embrace.

The two mares just stood there, Logic hugging Rainbow Dash. The fragment’s face was its usual neutral mixed with what looked like guilt. “I have… I have been researching pony interaction self-help manuals about ways to apologize. This is the correct response, right?”

Rainbow held back tears. The mare did nothing but returned Logic’s embrace. “Yeah, yeah this is ok Lodge… thank you… so much for forgiving me.”

Logic grunted. “I cannot hold a grudge Rainbow, no real emotions remember? Other than that… I would be a terrible friend if I did not forgive you and I… I do not wish to a terrible friend… I wish to be like my mother.”

Rainbow smiled. “Well, other than having extreme OCD, I think it’s safe to say you made it there Lodge.”

The two stood there, bathed in feelings of being reconciled by the opposite party. Spike watched from the couch, smiling softly. A lime green flash popped up next to the dragon and Curiosity appeared at the dragon’s side. Spike looked at the fragment, who winked at him and smiled. Spike got the gesture and kept on smiling.

Despite all the happy feelings, Spike couldn’t but shift his eyes to Logic’s reading material once more. It was true; Logic had a big pile of pony interaction manuals. Those however, were read days ago and thrown to the side. What worried Spike was Logic’s current reading habits, the ones she refused to speak about no matter how much he asked. It was all about brainwashing and mind erasing spells.

Why would Logic want to learn mind erasing?

Resolutions and Reconstruction

The guards strode along the darkened castle hallway with a darker than usual feel about them. Still, it wasn't very hard to guess why their moods were fouler than normal; they were escorting a traitor. Private Steadfast of the Equestrian Royal Guard had betrayed Crown and Country for the fragment Creativity, and this offense would not stand. The recruit walked with his head slumped, a look of everlasting sadness and regret on his face. Everything had fallen apart for him. His normal life as a Canterlot Royal Guard was at an end, and if the cards weren’t in his favor, his life in general might see its deletion. Few things in Equestria were seen more horrible than treason.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the trio came up to black double doors, each one protected by another guard. The two door-stallions looked at the escorting guards, nodded once their inspections were complete, and went for the doors. The doors creaked as they opened, and a bright light shone into the dark hallway. Steadfast had to cover his eyes to escape being blinded.

The two stallions on either side of Steadfast gave him no time and rudely pushed the stallion forward, motioning him to proceed inward. Steadfast complied respectfully, as if he had a choice, and walked into the room. It was round in structure, with a high ceiling and flat, empty floor. Steadfast could see that there was a second floor up high, a magically enhanced railing provided protection from ponies climbing over it. Try thinking of a coliseum or roman gladiatorial arena, the only difference was that this space was for court proceedings, not bloody deathmatches. Everything about this setup told Steadfast that this room was designed to make you feel worthless and small. It was a dark contrast to most of the light-hearted land of Equestria. Steadfast was more or less pushed to the center and told to stay put (as if he was going somewhere).

Steadfast looked up to see the three ponies looking down on him. Despite the stallion’s initial thoughts, only one of the three pairs of eyes staring him down were angry, one was creepily neutral and the other just seemed sad it had come to this.

“Private Steadfast Bulwark of the Equestrian Royal Guard of her Highness Princess Celestia.” Princess Luna began. “You are hereby charged with treason against your Princess and country. I, Princess Luna, your Guard Captain Sir Shining Armor, and Guard Commander of Equestria Sir Quickstep are to be your judges. So Private how do you plead to the charges?”

“Why are we asking that? We know he is a traitor!” Shining Armor blurted out. “He attacked his fellow guard and assisted the fragment Creativity with her schemes to injure the Princess! Why is any of this necessary?! Just convict him already!”

“Shining!” Quickstep yelled, turning to the stallion. “Calm yourself! We shall not degrade ourselves to animals! All are innocent until proven guilty. While it is true that there is no doubt to Private Steadfast’s guilt, we must still have a trial, it is the civil thing to do.” The Guard Commander shifted the red lollipop in his mouth to the other side.

“WHAT?!” Shining retorted. “How can you defend him?! You and Princess Celestia are personal friends! How can you calmly standby when it was her that is hurt?!”

“Because.” Quickstep replied, annoyed at the Guard Captain. “I believe in justice, not savage slaughter of those that cannot fight back.”

Steadfast looked at the arguing stallions. The three judges were aligned, from left to right, as Luna, Shining Armor, and then Quickstep. He felt guilt at this impasse, believing his foolishness to have caused so much pain. As such, the stallion stepped forward. “Guilty.”

“Say again Private.” Luna asked, trying to calm the other judges down.

Steadfast choked on his own spit and coughed. “Guilty. I’m guilty of any charges you put on the table. I kept Creativity’s existence a secret, I helped her with her own ends, and I attacked fellow guards… I… I’m a traitor to Crown and Country Princess Luna and I… I am sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t heal our Princess’s wounds.”

“Shut it Shining.” Quickstep snorted.

Luna sighed. “Very well… now that there is no doubt to your crimes, we must confer a punishment. Suggestions?”

“Death.” Shining quickly stated. “As much as it pains me to say it, we cannot allow such treasonous acts to go on without severe punishment.”

“Are you mad?!” Quickstep replied, getting up from his seat. “He is held captive by an insane mare on the threat of death and you wish to have the same thing cast upon him?!”

“His actions eventually became willing.” Shining retorted.

“Your actions whilst under the control of the Changeling Queen were, for the most part, willing.”

“How dare you refer to that!” Shining stood now, looking as if he might hit the Guard Commander.

“Come at me! I’ll defend this stallion’s right to life with my own, every creature alive deserves that dignity.” The Commander's lollipop almost fell out of his mouth from all the yelling.

“ENOUGH!!” Luna shouted, a bit of the Royal Canterlot Voice slipping through to her tone. “I’ll not have fighting!” Luna waited for both stallions to sit back down. “Now, both of you make excellent points. Shining, the Private did commit terrible crimes and should be punished accordingly. But the Guard Commander makes a good point: Steadfast first began these crimes under threat of death. Many break from this type of persuasion. The punishment must be harsh enough to make up for Steadfast’s actions but must also take into account his position. So please, settle down and think of reasonable retribution.”

“Banishment.” Quickstep answered.

“That’s it?”

Quickstep rolled his eyes at Shining. “With death upon defiance against said banishment.”

Shining Armor grunted. “That… yeah, I’ll accept that.”

Luna blinked. “Really?”

Shining sighed. “Yeah, I don’t really want the blood of one of my guards on my hooves and… this is a good punishment.”

“Huh, very well.” Luna replied, a little taken aback that the two stallions had so quickly come up with a solution for both of them. Luna herself didn’t care what they did, she had just returned from her diplomatic mission and the last thing she wanted was to be holding a court right now.

Princess Luna turned to Steadfast. “Private Steadfast, you are hereby stripped of Equestrian citizenship and your guard ranking. You are to leave Equestria and never return, on pain of death, to these lands unless my sister or I give you a specific pardon stating otherwise. Do you understand?”

Steadfast nodded. “Yes M’lady, I understand. But… could I ask a question?” Luna didn’t flinch at the request; she simply nodded. “What will become of Private Indigo Breeze? She was also working with a fragment.”

“I can answer that.” Quickstep said. “Private Breeze is being treated for minor injuries sustained during Anger’s raid on the Castle. While Indigo did assist a fragment, she technically was not with Anger during the fragment’s attack and was truthful about her actions. She also assisted in the defense of Canterlot Castle and even stopped Anger’s rampage. As such, she’s being pardoned and returning to active duty. Does that information suffice?”

Steadfast nodded. “Thank you.” Steadfast was glad Indigo wasn’t going to be punished for all this madness. He knew he deserved it, but she didn’t. Steadfast couldn’t help but smile a little at the information he had just obtained.

Luna ignored the smile and motioned to the guards. “Take him away, lead him to the border, and release him there. Do not leave until he is well out of sight.”

The two guards nodded and stepped next to Steadfast. The ex-guard offered no resistance and followed the guards to his fate.

~~~~

Higher in the Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia lay asleep in her bed. The Alicorn’s mane had already begun to flow magically again and her natural colors had returned, providing the evidence that her Alicorn magic had become hers once more. A beam of sunlight hit the mare’s face and the unwanted light caused her to stir. Finally, she couldn’t take it and sleep left her. The princess rose from her sleep and looked around. She was in her room, naturally, and everything seemed in place. The only thing that was off was the mare resting in a troubled manner on the floor a few meters away from the bed. It took Celestia a moment for her eyes to focus but eventually she could see who it was.

“Twilight?”

The mare shifted, obviously hearing the princess. The purple form moved and stretched. A yawn escaped from her mouth and the mare got up. This is when Celestia noticed her supposed student’s light pink eyes and cutie mark. “Lust.” Celestia corrected.

The fragment’s ears turned down in embarrassment. “Yes Princess, it’s me.” Lust took a few more steps towards the bed until she was at the foot; her expression was still one of guilt. “How are you?”

“I feel better than ever to tell you the truth.” Celestia admitted; she hadn’t gotten a sleep like that in awhile. “But that is beside the point… why are you here? Do you want to try and molest me yet again?” The Princess had an unnaturally neutral glare that radiated disappointment.

“N-No!” Lust responded fearfully. “I want… I want to apologize… for what I did.”

Celestia blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

Lust scratched the back of her neck. “I’m sorry for, you know, trying to have nonconsensual intercourse with you…” Celestia gaped a little, unsure what to say. Lust used this to continue. “It was wrong to take advantage of you and I promise I’ll never do it again… mainly cause I’m gonna die soon…”

“Trying to clear your conscience then?” Celestia inquired.

“No.” Lust responded. “It doesn’t matter if you accept my apology or not, though I don’t think you will. I just wanted to say it… and please, don’t hold my foolishness against Twilight. It’s me that’s the sex driven monster…” Lust put her gaze to the floor.

Lust’s eyes widened when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. The fragment looked up to see Celestia’s hoof on her shoulder, and the Sun Goddess smiling at her. “Lust, the mere fact that you are here, apologizing and feeling sorry for your actions, proves you are no monster. A monster doesn’t care about the pain their actions cause. You are better than any monster I’ve met. As for Twilight, I could never hate her.”

Lust cocked her head. “What about that one time she stole your special cloud cake from the kitchen and you said that…”

Celestia reached her hoof to Lust’s back and patted hard, stopping the fragment’s speech. The Princess laughed. “Ahahaha! We don’t talk about that Lust… never again.”

Lust coughed. “Right, right… well, I’m glad that I was able to apologize. I have to return to Logic now so we can rebuild Twilight.” Lust’s eyes suddenly turned hot pink. “So… seeing as I’m dying, how about some sympathy sex?”

“No.” Celestia responded coldly. “Good try though.”

Lust’s eyes returned to light pink. “Heh, sorry, had to try. Well… thanks again Princess, for letting me apologize. It’s time to go.” Lust took several steps back, away from Celestia.

“Goodbye Lust.” Celestia smiled, blowing a kiss in the fragment’s direction.

Lust smiled a wide grin and charged her horn, teleporting away.

~~~~

Outside of Canterlot’s newest charity organization building, a pink flash suddenly appeared and from it a purple mare. The charity had quite the building for being new, but circumstances were on the organizations side. The building was going to be demolished to make new for something else but the charity had bought it first. Many wondered how such an unknown organization had gotten so much money for such a feat, but most just reasoned the charity had a well-off patron. The charity was of little concern to the mare however.

Lust looked around for her sister, but couldn’t see her. Coming to the conclusion she was inside, Lust went to the building’s doors and pushed them open. “Morality?” The sex fragment called.

“Yes, I’ll be out in a minute.” Morality yelled from the front desk. The mare turned to the two stallions she had been previously talking to. “Well my friends, it is time for me to be off.”

“What?!” The stallion behind the desk cried. “But Miss Morality! We need you here at the charity! We can’t do it on our own!”

“Hey, Hat Trick, stop bugging her.” The grey stallion Pickpocket came back from the backroom. “She told us the day we started this place she’d have to leave one day eventually.” Pickpocket turned to Morality. “Today’s the day then?”

Morality nodded. “Indeed. I must go and rejoin my sisters to rebuild Twilight Sparkle. I wish I could stay but, I have a duty and…” Morality’s explanation was cut short by Pickpocket’s hoof covering her mouth.

“Hey Morry, we get it. Do what you gotta do right? Just know that Hat Trick and me really appreciate what you’ve done for us and we’ll keep the charity running to its fullest. We… hell, you’re the big sis neither of us had, but sorely needed. No hard feelings.” The stallion hugged Morality, Hat Trick almost jumped over the desk to join in. Releasing the fragment, Pickpocket held back a tear. “Thanks for everything Morality. And just know, that you always have a home here as well as friends. The same applies to Twilight Sparkle too.”

Morality looked at the two former slavers with a smile. They had been her project, her life’s work. Other fragments did nothing for this world, had no lasting impressions on it. Morality was glad she could turn two lives around and create an organization that would help and improve other lives. To Morality, that was the point of life: to make something that outlasts it.

Morality sucked in some air and a tear and smiled at her two friends. “Goodbye you two. And just remember: if you two go off the straight and narrow, I’ll come back and kick the shit outta both of ya!”

The trio laughed. Pickpocket and Hat Trick waved as they watched Morality walk up to her sister Lust, charge her horn, and then disappear in a flash of magic.

~~~~

“Well? Was it a success?”

“Yeah Logic, I got all the beacons up and running! When the spell is sent out, it’ll hit them and they’ll do their job… then explode harmlessly! Like they were never even there.”

Logic looked at her sister Curiosity and nodded. “Good. The beacons are the important part, without them, this whole plan falls to pieces.” Logic turned to a book levitating in midair, reading its contents carefully to ensure she got nothing wrong.

“So… is everything all ready?” Curiosity asked.

Logic turned back to her sister and nodded. “Yes, I believe so. Finally, this mess has a conclusion. It is a relieving feeling; Spike has been rather persistent with questions lately… I doubt I could keep the truth from him for much longer and I doubt he will be in support of my plans.”

Curiosity looked around. “Where is Spike anyway?”

“I sent him to get the others.” Logic replied, turning her gaze to the capture devices on the table. Two more had been added to the pile, one had a pink glow and the other glowed black and white. “I did not want him interfering with anything, he would most certainly get wise to what I am doing if he were around.”

“Oh.” Curiosity stated. “Well, should I get in a capture device?”

“No.” Logic said turning to the other fragment. “I want you to use your magic to scrub this.” Logic lifted Creativity’s capture device over to Curiosity. “Creativity might have died in a heroic fashion but I do not put it past her to create a backup copy before-hoof of herself to use later. I do not wish to take chances.”

Curiosity took the yellow glowing device in her magic. “Right Logic, I’ll get on it lickety-split!”

“Good.” Logic replied simply. “I will be down in the main room preparing the reconstruction spell.” Logic nodded once and left through the stairs leading to the library’s main floor.

Curiosity watched her leave then focused on her own work. Igniting her magic, Curiosity readied herself to scan the device and ensure nothing was left of Creativity that could cause complications during the reconstruction spell. Her magic washed over the triangular object and readied to be used. One more second and any hostile magic would be removed…

“CURIOSITY, MAKE SURE YOU RETURN THE THINGS YOU BORROWED FROM OTHERS IN PONYVILLE!”

Curiosity jumped when she heard Logic’s shout. The mare’s magic unfocused and fell back from the capture device. The fragment had a look of fear on her face. “Oh no! I completely forgot to return the things I burrowed! Oh no, no, no, no!” Curiosity threw Creativity’s capture device, not completely scrubbed, onto the table with the others and raced to her room in the basement to gather the objects she needed to return to their rightful owners.

Creativity’s capture device remained unchanged from the whole ordeal, still emitting its faint yellow glow as it settled on top on the pile of triangular objects.

~~~~

“And I was so worried when you got shot and it was really scary and crazy but I knew we had to stay strong for you and so we kept going and we got all the fragments and we finally have everything we need to rebuild Twilight and everything and I’m so happy I could just explode! Well, I mean, I wouldn't really explode, it’s just an expression that means I’m really happy and that my happiness could explode out and everything and…”

“Alright, alright Sugercube, Ah get it.” The still heavily bandaged Applejack chuckled as she shook her head at the ever-energetic Pinkie Pie.

“Oh.” Pinkie Pie said, ceasing her excessive bouncing. “Well, that’s good.”

The other mares surrounding Applejack laughed, happy to see their friend had finally recovered, mostly. What’s more, Spike had come to each of them and relayed Logic’s message that it was finally time to rebuild Twilight. This was happy news to all, who were glad that this madness was finally ending. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, her wings now restored by Logic, hovered above the others and watched the laughter, joining in themselves.

“Well, I’m so~o glad you’re finally out of that hospital Applejack.” Rarity replied with her normal fancy decorum. “I mean, have you taken a good look at those hospital cloaks? Blah! Terrible coloring and so very tacky. I’m glad you no longer need to suffer their fashion crimes.”

Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, Rarity, Ah’m so glad.” Rarity sensed Applejack’s sarcasm and pouted, prompting more laughter from the group.

“Hey, we’re finally here.” Fluttershy said in her normal soft voice.

“So Spike,” Rainbow Dash said as she landed. “How exactly does this spell Logic’s working up work?”

“Not really sure.” Spike admitted, shrugging. “All I know is that Logic says it’ll reconnect the fragments to Twilight and repair her.”

Rainbow Dash gave her award-winning smile of confidence. “Well, that’s good enough for me! I’m done doubting Logic.”

“ ’Bout gosh darn time!” Applejack interjected with a scowl. “Ah still can’t believe you went all hissy fit on everypony like that Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash wilted a little. “Yeah, I was really being a fool… but that’s over now, and I promise I’ll make up to Logic once this is all over!”

Spike bit his lower lip at that statement. The others were still in the dark about the fragments dying upon Twilight’s reconstruction, even Logic. Spike wanted to tell the other Elements, but Logic had forbid it. They would panic if they discovered they had assisted in the killing of over three-dozen ponies, Logic had told the dragon. Spike was inclined to believe the fragment. As foolishly obvious as it sounded, there was logic behind the fragment’s words. So Spike had shut his dragon mouth.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Rarity asked. “Let’s get in there and greet Twilight as she returns.”

The others nodded adamantly and went for the door. Spike, like a true gentle-dragon, opened the door and held it open for the five ponies. Inside the library, all the furniture had been removed. The books had been taken off the shelves and anything that could break had been hidden away. Twilight’s frozen stone self had been placed in the center of the room and had had an intricate, circular, magical glyph drawn around her. Logic stood near the upper left of the circle, making the last few preparations.

“Hey Lodgey!” Pinkie Pie yelled happily, rushing over to the fragment and hugging her tightly.

Logic grunted, deprived of oxygen from the mare’s grip. “ACK!! H-Hello, Pinkamena… would you please… stop!”

“Okie-Dokie-Lokie!” Pinkie Pie released Logic and stepped back to give the fragment room.

Logic coughed as she recomposed herself. “Ugh, what was that death grip for Pinkamena?”

Pinkie Pie looked at Logic and laughed. “What? Death grip? Silly willy, that was a big super Pinkie Pie hug! After all you deserve it!”

“Why? What have I done to merit such… affection?”

Pinkie Pie calmed down and looked at Logic with respect and contained happiness. “Because, you were there for Twilight. While all the other fragments fled or tried to cause harm, you stood strong and fought to bring her back. You were the bright light in the dark. You were the giggle that sent the ghosties away. So, I just wanted to say: thank you.”

Logic looked at Pinkie Pie with much more respect then she ever had. Finally, Logic nodded. “Thank you… Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie smiled wide and trotted back to join the others. Logic was not far behind and strode up to the other Elements, her face alight with admiration. “I must thank all of you, for being so patient and staying with me and putting up with me as long as you have. It has been a long road. Gladly, it is coming to an end.”

Applejack smiled. “Aw, shucks Logic, being there is what friends are for!”

Rarity nodded. “Oh of course! And I can speak for everypony when I say we all consider you a true friend Logic.”

“Most definitely.” Fluttershy added.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Really Lodge, putting up with you? I should be the one thanking you in that regard.”

“Hehe, yeah!” Pinkie Pie giggled. Rainbow Dash shot a look at the party mare.

Logic inhaled and breathed out heavily, her face one of joy and guilt. “Thank you all, for everything. Now... goodbye my friends.” Logic’s horn lit up and bright magic burst out, covering the whole inside of the library. The Elements and Spike covered their faces to protect their eyes from the light.

~~~~

Spike removed his claws from his face and looked around. Logic was still standing where she had been moments ago and so were the Element Bearers. The only thing different was that the Elements were frozen solid in place, stuck in their blinded positions. Spike was confused. “What? Logic, what’s happening?!”

“My endgame of course.” Logic stated coldly.

Spike was even more confused. “What do you mean endgame?”

Logic sighed. “Spike, the fragments have caused… so much damage and pain. Despite my wishes, I cannot undo those things. I can, however, erase them from memory.”

Cogs in Spike’s mind clicked loudly. “The memory spells you were researching… they were for Equestria weren't they?”

Logic nodded. “Yes. I had Curiosity place magical beacons all over Equestria. When my spell is activated, the activation code being the spell that will rebuild Twilight, it’ll spread over Ponyville, erasing and then replacing all memories of the fragments. The spell will then hit the beacons and concentrate inside them, building power. Those beacons will then release their spells and wipe all memories of the fragments. By this time tomorrow, the fragments will not even be a thing of the memorable past.”

“B-But why!?” Spike asked. “Why do you want to erase you and your siblings from memory?!”

Logic kneeled and looked Spike in the face, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Because Spike, we are not a memory that should be recalled. That is the simple fact. It also releases those with emotional attachments to any fragments from the sorrow of losing their friend or beloved. It frees those who have been traumatized by the fragments from their pain. It is… the best solution.”

Spike would not give up. “But… you’d be erasing almost four months of memory! What is everypony going to think about that?!”

“The spell only affects memories relating to the fragments. For most, their encounters will have seemed like a bad dream. For those that I could not do that for, I have changed specific parts of their memories to alter them accordingly. That actually brings me to my next piece of business.”

Logic got up and walked up to her work desk. After rummaging around for a minute or two, Logic found what she wanted and brought it over. “Hold out your claws Spike.” The dragon complied. Logic used her magic to lower something into the dragon’s grasp. Spike looked down to his claws, his eyes widening when they lay upon Logic’s notebook, as well as a single, seemingly empty capture device.

“What… why are you giving me this?” He asked.

“Simple.” Logic replied. “My fool proof plan of never dying. After all, do we ever truly die as long as there is one single soul left to remember us?” Spike looked up at Logic, eyes widening more with realization. “Yes Spike, the spell will not affect you. You will be the sole creature to remember these events, well… the sole creature in this universe anyway.”

Spike didn’t respond; his eyes were stuck on the book. Fragmented, By Spike the Dragon read the newly embroidered title. “Logic.” He started.

“Spike?”

Logic let out an ‘oomph’ as Spike rammed the fragment and began hugging her adamantly. Light tears streamed down the dragon’s face. “I’ll miss you.”

Logic chuckled and tilted the dragon’s face up to stare at her own. Logic was smiling. “I know Spike, I shall miss you as well. But you must stop crying. You must be strong. After all, Rarity still has some affection for me, and she’ll certainly cry about it later. I believe it best that you are there, to be her shoulder to cry on.” Spike smiled as Logic gave him a playful wink. “And who knows, we may just meet again.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Spike replied.

Logic laughed. “Or maybe I am so good I am making you think I am terrible.”

Logic and Spike released each other and Spike watched Logic go to the glyph on the floor. A bag of occupied capture devices lay on the floor near an intricate marking. Logic pulled out a lime green glowing device from her mane and placed it in the bag, then she lit her horn.

Logic turned to Spike as the room filled with magic. “Just for future reference, for the past four months you, Twilight, and the others have been running around Ponyville trying to find the pages of your book after a wind took them away. It is the best substitute I could find for chasing fragments.”

Spike nodded. “Alright, gotcha… bye Logic.”

Logic’s smile widened. “The same to you Spike, farewell.”

With that, Logic’s horn became a geyser of magic as she focused all she had to her spells. It only took a few seconds, but the spells were finally ready and prepared to activate. Logic chuckled and smiled, looking at the swirling balls of magic coming from her form. “So, this must be what Creativity felt. It is… a good feeling.”

Spike covered his eyes as bright green magic filled the room.

~~~~

One day later

“Spike! … SPIKE!!”

The little dragon named Spike raced down the staircase leading to the second floor of the Ponyville library, his necklace with a strange looking triangular object attached to it bobbing a little. It was mere seconds before the dragon was on the main floor.

“Yeah Twilight? Is something wrong?” He asked.

Twilight Sparkle smiled at the little dragon. “Nope, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking we should go out and celebrate.”

“Why?” The dragon asked, stepping closer to Twilight.

Twilight laughed confidently. “Because silly, after four months we finally got all the pages to your book back! I know how much it meant to you and how disappointed you were when the pages were lost. Now that we’ve found them all, we should get something to celebrate! We can even invite the girls, you know, treat them out for helping us! Hmmm… I wonder if Applejack is up for going out since her farming accident? Still can’t believe a plow did all that.” Twilight pondered a little bit.

“It was a big plow.” Spike interjected mockingly, knowing full well what really happened.

“Oh you silly dragon, don’t make jokes like that.” Twilight gave the dragon a playful little nudge. “Come on, let’s go.”

Spike laughed. “Fine, I guess it is a special occasion.” The dragon started to walk to the door, only to be stopped by Twilight.

“Ah Ah, necklace. I don’t want you ruining it.”

Spike looked at Twilight. The dragon knew Twilight was right, but that still didn’t help him when he swore he saw a yellow highlight in Twilight's eyes. In fact, Spike was positive that it was always there now, ever since yesterday. Spike, however, ignored it as post reconstruction side effects. The dragon laughed. “Ok, ok. I won’t bring it.”

Spike went to Logic… err, Twilight’s work desk and placed the decoration down. The little dragon then raced over to Twilight. “Ok, I’m ready.”

Twilight smiled. “Right behind you. We have to hurry though… I kind of told all the girls to come already.” Spike looked at Twilight with a cocked eyebrow. Twilight smiled nervously. “Hehe… silly me?”

Spike simply laughed and hurried out the door. “Race ya!” He shouted back as he took off suddenly.

“Hey!” Twilight shouted. “No fair!” The purple unicorn ran after the dragon, laughing. Twilight’s magic possessed the door and closed it.The two had run out so quickly.

So quickly in fact, they didn't even notice the capture device, as it faintly flashed green.

~~END~~

The Fragmentation

The sun shined brightly over the country of Equestria. Its denizens had already begun their daily routines and where moving through the day like clockwork. In the town of Ponyville however, in a large tree hollowed out to serve as the town’s library, one lavender unicorn had strayed from her usual routine of tending to the library and instead began preparing supplies.

Twilight Sparkle looked over her alchemic concoction as it began to bubble and boil. Her goal was straightforward and simple: create a magical potion that could duplicate an entire harvest, whatever it might be. Ponies had, long ago, created a potion just like it but with less than satisfied results: the food harvested tasted terrible and the materials made from plants like cotton fell apart quickly. As such, these potions were only used during times of famine and when quantity outmatched quality. Twilight added the last of the ‘safe ingredients’, the ones that would cause any harm should they be left unattended. She placed the most important ingredient Catalyst, as the substance was universally called, inside a beaker and place away from the potion near the edge of the table. Twilight thought about what a discovery this potion would be for Equestria and how it could benefit so many ponies.

“Applejack will be especially amazed by it.” She cooed to herself. But as Twilight thought more about it, the more distraught she became. “But wait… if I give this to Applejack and nopony else than that would be wrong. But if I hand it out to every farmer in Ponyville that would be helping Applejack’s competition.” Twilight gasped in surprise. “And what if Applejack sees that as a betrayal?! What if she hates me for helping out her competitors? But I can’t give the potion to just Applejack, which could be even worse… I could loose all the friends I’ve made amongst the farmers here in Ponyville… and I could loose potential friends in the farms elsewhere! But Applejack may…”

Twilight was now pacing furiously about; unaware of how close she was getting to the edge of the table. As Twilight pondered this friendship conundrum her rump hit the edge of the table, too encased in thought to notice, and knocked over the Catalyst beaker. Normally, the substance would have simply lain on the table spilled, but thanks to a Pinkie Pie related incident the table was broken and had a slight tilt to the left, not enough to be noticed but enough to have the Catalyst flow slowly down towards the potion. Eventually the first drop of Catalyst hit the potion, causing it to change color, and then a second drop fell in, then a third, fourth, fifth, and so on. Finally the thirteenth drop fell in.

~~~~

An orange pony with Stetson hat and blonde mane strolled through Ponyville, a pink one with poofy pink hair hopped along side her. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were on their way to see Twilight, well Applejack was… Pinkie had inexplicitly tagged along. They were still about four minutes out from the library when Pinkie looked to Applejack.

“So why are we going to Twilight’s again?” She questioned, a big smile across her face.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah am going t’ see some new concoction she’s gone an’ whipped up. She told me it was quite th’ doosey.” A disturbed feeling crept into her heart as Pinkie’s smile widened.

“Ooooooo! I love dooseys! I wonder what it is? Maybe it’s a potion that makes anything taste like candy or… or a potion that can give a pony the stamina to party all day long or…” Pinkie was never able to finish her fantasizing as the sound of a huge explosion ripped through the air, making almost every other pony cling to the ground in fear. Applejack, however, was quick to realize that the smoke now building up in the short distance was the exact location of the library. She looked over to see Pinkie Pie standing with her mouth agape.

“C’mon Pinkie! That blast came from Twi’s library! We have t’ see if she’s hurt!” Applejack grabbed Pinkie’s mane and snapped her out of her trance. The two then darted towards the library, arriving to see it engulfed in smoke, but they could not see any visible fire. Without saying another word the pair quickly charged into the library, Applejack kicked down the front door only to have smoke billow out from it. Coughing heavily, Applejack and Pinkie Pie rushed in.

“Twi? Twilight! Where are ya?!” Applejack screamed at the top of her lungs, but no response came. She was worried about her friend and frightened to think what might have happened.

The smoke soon cleared in the room and as the two could finally see they let out terrified gasps. Near the back of the room stood Twilight: completely turned to stone. Her face was frozen into one of terror, shock, and pain.

Pinkie Pie raced over to the frozen mare. “No!! Twilight speak to me! Say something sciencey! Talk about friendship! Do something!!!” Pinkie’s dramatic cries were interrupted by a familiar but monotone voice from upstairs.

“I am afraid that such actions will not cure Twilight of her current ailment.” The voice said. Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked up to see another Twilight step down from the staircase. However they both noticed the differences between this one and regular Twilight. She looked exactly like Twilight expect this one’s eyes were a deep green as was her cutie mark, instead of their usual colorings.

Before anyone could blink Pinkie got into a defensive stance and barred her teeth. She glared angrily at the Twilight on the stairs until finally she yelled out. “Changeling! What did you do to Twilight?! I’m not letting you get the jump on us again!” With that, she pulled a pink cannon on wheels out of her mane and aimed it at the green-eyed Twilight.

The green-eyed Twilight looked at Pinkie with a look of pure befuddlement. “How did you pull that out of your mane? That is a logical impossibil-…” She never finished her sentence as an assortment of party supplies hit her dead on. One might think that balloons, streamers, confetti, and all kinds of party supplies wouldn’t hurt upon impact and simply bounce off of one’s body. Unfortunately for the other Twilight, they do when fired from an overpowered cannon. Before the supposed imposter realized it, she hit the back wall, fell down, almost got back up, and then was on the ground with Pinkie pinning her down glaring daggers into her face.

“Ack! Pinkamena, cease your hostilities! The odds of me being a changeling are seven million eight hundred thousand and thirty-three to one!” The pinned Twilight tried to reason but it was of no avail.

“Ha! A likely story! That’s exactly what I’d expect a changeling to say! I can’t even count that high up!” Pinkie’s expression softened. “Oooooo! I should try that one-day! Just a whole day of counting to see how far I get! Hehe it be fun!” She continued to laugh.

The pinned Twilight rolled her eyes. “Not only that but a changelings’ impersonation of another creature is completely flawless except for in social behavior, I would not have green eyes nor a green talent indicator.”

Applejack soon saw the sense in what this Twilight was saying. She walked over to Pinkie and placed a hoof on her shoulder, motioning her to stand down. Pinkie obliged, reluctantly, and stepped back a bit to allow the pinned unicorn to stand.

“So what in th’ hay are ya then? Where’d ya come from an’ what happened t’ Twi?” Applejack glared intently at the unicorn, ready for anything. The look alike was not phased and stayed calm, brushing herself off before continuing.

“The explanations to your inquiries are quite simple. Twilight Sparkle was in the process of creating a potion to double harvests. She then became distracted and knocked an important chemical. However several more drops of the Catalyst were added to the mixture resulting in an explosive blast that shall we say… fractured Twilight. Its effects on a magical creature such as a unicorn seemed to be different than just knocking her back. Instead, the blast did not harm her but it did fragment her into several pieces based off of a specific emotion or other part of her psyche. The blast then sent these pieces flying towards random, unknown locations.” The fragment finished. Applejack and Pinkie’s mouths were left hanging at this thorough explanation. Before Applejack could speak she was cut off. “As for Twilight’s current condition? To have one’s mind fragmented in such a way would have caused the affected individual’s mind collapse, causing many unfortunate side effects, insanity being the least of them. As such I proceeded to freeze her in stone in order to stop all thought processes and prevent a collapse from occurring. I then put out the fires.”

Applejack shook her head. This was all happening so quickly, she wasn’t sure it was real. Before she could speak she was cut off again, this time by Pinkie Pie.

“If your story’s true than what part of Twilight are you and why didn’t you get blown away, huh?!” Her gaze was adamant with determination. The look alike stared indifferently.

“I am Twilight Sparkle’s logic, intelligence, and common sense through experience. If you are to call be anything at all let it be just that: Logic. As for why I am still here? I am no foolish fragment that gives into its base emotion, I know full well that we need to rejoin back into the full Twilight Sparkle, we are nothing more than scattered parts of a whole that must be recreated. Also, I WAS blown away by the blast but quickly regained my composure and teleported back to this library. As stated previously, I then put out the fires.” The indifferent glare continued even as Logic spoke.

Applejack finally came out of her daze. “So you want t’ bring th’ real Twilight back?” Logic nodded.

“Yes, it may take some time and research, but I will be able to create capture devices to use on the other fragments and in time bring back Twilight Sparkle. The process will be…” She was cut off.

“Why are you eyes and cutie mark green?” Pinkie questioned, as she appeared behind Logic, who’s face turned to one of confused horror.

“How…how did you? That is an impossibility, you were… I… well…” Logic shook off her confusion. “Anyway, to answer your question each fragment’s eyes and talent indicator are colored to make their specific area of psyche. I am green because the human who typed this is using a past experience in which logical thinking was represented by green. As such he now associates a sentient being’s logic with green.” Logic looked at the two mares in front of her: they were completely lost, unable to piece together this new knowledge, especially the last part. “Erm… nevermind.” Logic said at last.

The nearby clock, which was miraculously still working despite the explosion, began to bellow out its loud rings as the clock struck two o’clock.

Logic turned to look at it. “It is time for you two to go so I can get to work on creating capturing devices for the other fragments. I suggest coming back tomorrow, preferably with several others to help us track the other fragments.” Logic stated turning towards the stairs. Instantly, however, she became blocked by Applejack.

“Ya really think that we’re just gonna up and let you do as you darn well please? Ah still don’t trust ya an’ leaving ya here with all of Twi’s magical do-hickeys don’t seem too smart.” Applejack protested.

Logic, being who she was and using memories from Twilight Sparkle, instantly knew how to counteract this protest: by using Applejack’s own protective nature against her. “Applejack, I do not see the wisdom in staying here and watching me. After all, there are on-the-loose fragments that are unpredictable. Just think of what they could do if they stumbled upon your family’s farm. What if they attacked Applebloom? Or Granny Smith? And how long could Big Macintosh hold out I wonder?” Applejack gasped at Logic’s claims, Logic in turn remained seemingly indifferent. “What would you rather do? Stay here and watch an isolated fragment, who has already agreed to help you, and gain nothing, or go home protect your family from unknown dangers? As I said I have no idea what psyche the other fragments follow, wouldn’t it be tragic if Twilight’s evil side landed next to your farm, or something of the like?” Logic had hit her mark. Applejack just stood in place for a minute, mouth slightly agape, until she finally receded and went towards the door without a word, anger and worry fighting for control of her facial expression.

Out of nowhere Pinkie Pie rammed her face into Logic’s. “Don’t try anything that might be bad for Twilight or anypony else! I’ve got my eyes on you!” She stated and then proceeded to stretch her eyeballs out of their sockets, glaring at Logic’s now confused face.

As Pinkie went to follow Applejack out Logic turned her head to Pinkie. “How did you do that?! It is not possible for one’s eyes to stretch out like that!” But Pinkie was already gone. Logic sighed, shivered, and began up the stairs, there is a lot to do and such things, she thought, shivering again at Pinkie’s defiance of reality, cannot distract me. She hurried up the stairs to Twilight’s personal library inside of her room. It took her only seconds to find the right book and with her magic, which had a colored green aura, she pulled it out, shifted to the necessary page, studied it, and soon got to work.

~~~~

The sun finally peeked over the horizon as a new day began in Equestria. For most it was a pleasant sight and they basked in the warmth of their gracious princess’s sunrise. For one unicorn, however, the sun brought no comfort. The previous day’s afternoon and night had been a time of… self-discovery for the fragment called Logic. She had never before been self-aware nor had the needs of living creatures and this presented new mysteries to solve. Her first discovery was that she now needed to eat and drink to survive. She was glad that no other creature was around to watch her stumble about trying to comprehend this organic need. When she did discover the proper ways to ingest food and drink pride had swelled up inside her, until a few hours later when it was time for her dinner to leave her body. Her cheeks had flushed a bright red as she looked at the bathroom and planned her next move, much like a small foal does when they are being potty trained.

Logic knew what to do, she had Twilight’s memories as well as intelligence, but actually completing the basic organic needs was much different from simply knowing what to do. She had to process the artificial memories that belonged to someone else, no easy task for a newborn creature.

Despite these challenges she eventually got the swing of things and after finally completing her bathroom duties, much to her relief, she exhaustedly headed back to Twilight’s room. She opened a window to get some fresh air in her musky workplace and went to finish up some final touches on her capture devices, despite the exhaustion she felt from an all night work fest.

Suddenly she looked up from her work and her eyebrows furrowed downward and what could be considered a slight frown, maybe, appeared on her lips.

“I actually did ponder how long it would take your stupidity to send you here should it turn out you too escaped… no point in drawing this out then huh?” Logic sighed and her horn lit up with dark green aura.

~~~~

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Spike walked through Ponyville’s lightly populated streets. The others had been listening intently to Applejack’s story, while trying to phase out Pinkie’s interruptions about her side of the story. Spike was the most distressed.

“Darn it! I knew I should have gone home the night before instead of staying with Rarity. Poor Twilight.” His face was plastered with guilt.

Rarity interjected on his behave. “Spike darling it’s ok.” She smiled warmly at the little dragon. “You were completely exhausted from helping me work all day and I simply could not, in good conscience, let you take the walk back. Even you had returned that night there would have been nothing you could do.”

“Yeah…maybe” The little dragon remarked gloomily.

Rarity turned to Applejack. “So this Logic will have what we need to help Twilight, yes?” Applejack nodded, she wasn’t much for talking since Logic’s threatening remarks regarding her family. “Excellent!” Rarity smiled. “After Pinkie Pie told me what happened I’ve been worried sick! To think there are multiple Twilights running around and that some of them might be less than hospitable. It was almost more than I could take.” The fashionista stopped and put a hoof up to her head to strike a dramatic pose. When she realized she was being left behind she quickly ran to catch up.

Rainbow Dash, who had grown tired of walking and started to fly above the group, laughed. “Ha! If any of those fragment things give us trouble I’ll just give ‘em the once over!” She lifted her body onto her hind leg and made punching motions with her fore hooves.

Fluttershy, currently situated in the back of the group, let out a small squeal and shook slightly. “You…you don’t think we’ll h-have to fight anypony right?” Fear was evident in her eyes. Before anyone could answer her an explosion ripped through the air, clearly it had come from Twilight’s library, again.

This event caused Applejack to regain her voice. “Ugh, what in tarnation is with these fragments an’ explosions? C’mon!” She bolted off towards the library and the others soon followed, all expect Fluttershy who had darted for the ground and was trying to slink off in the other direction. She was promptly picked up by Pinkie Pie and carried off in the correct direction.

The girls, and Spike, soon arrived in the small clearing that held the library and discovered it in ruins. A giant hole could be seen in the tree’s upper half and the clearing itself was torn apart with holes, debris, and some library rubble.
Soon another large blast ripped through the air causing the girls to focus on two unicorns fighting. On one side, closer to the library, stood Logic, her mane was messed up and one could see blood ooze from many cuts on her body, her horn glowed a dark green and her facial expression was one of anger. Alternatively, standing a good 14 meters away was a unicorn who looked exactly like Logic; save for the fact her eyes and cutie mark were red. She had a sadistic grin on her face and she gleamed with confidence.

Applejack was the first to respond. “Logic! Are ya alright?! What’s goin’ on?” Logic, breathing heavily, turned to her.

“It appears we have our first fragment: Anger. I do not suggest open confrontation! She is strong. Her magic is focused on raw power and nothing more. Allow me to handle this.” Logic’s claims were proven as Anger’s magical blast, colored a bright red, hit Logic and sent her flying into the library wall. She slid down and fell to her hind knees, spitting out quite a bit of blood while trying to catch her bearings.

Applejack couldn’t stand to see Twilight hurt, even if it wasn’t really her. She turned to the other and shouted. “C’mon! We gotta help!” With that they all took off, charging at Anger, who noticed this quickly and simply grinned.

Rainbow Dash was the fastest and charged in, only to have Anger use a magical blast to send herself flying up above Dash. Rainbow Dash looked up just in time for gravity to take hold and Anger landed on Dash. The weight brought her to the ground, Anger made sure to listen to the loud crunch of Dash’s wing bones as she cracked them, prompting a painful cry from the poor mare. Anger jumped off Rainbow Dash and charged at Applejack, who planned to meet her head on knowing that the unicorn couldn’t take a hit like that. Before they collided Anger created a magical red barrier that Applejack ran into. Anger than proceeded to created a rope of magic around Applejack’s neck and sent her flying into the air with a jerk of her head. Another jerk later and Applejack slammed into the ground. Anger ran past her and soon faced Pinkie Pie. Memories from Twilight Sparkle flooded her mind and she knew this pony’s odd, unexplainable powers were not to be messed with, she quickly blasted Pinkie with magic and sent her flying into a nearby tree. Rarity had planned to use a restrain spell on Anger much like she did with custom-fit customers who would not hold still, but Anger used her magic first to pull the back of Rarity’s mane over her eyes and send her into the ground. Fluttershy stood between Anger and Logic, who was still a good eight meters away. Anger ran up to her and lifted both fore hooves ready to strike. Fluttershy cowered before Anger as the fragment leaned its head in. When it was only inches away it uttered “Boo” in a very evil sounding voice, causing Fluttershy to faint instantly.

Anger looked down at Fluttershy then back up into Logic’s direction. Spike had run over to Logic and tried to help her up. When Logic realized Anger was about to attack she looked over to Spike and pushed him away and began running at Anger in order to keep the baby dragon away form conflict. Anger interpreted this as a challenge and graciously accepted it as she bolted towards Logic. Logic charged magic in her horn as did Anger. Right before the collided, however, Logic’s magic blasted forward and hitting Anger square in the chest. Green magic burst everywhere into a blinding light and when it finally settled Anger was nowhere to be seen.

Logic recomposed herself and began to wobble over to the others when Spike ran up next to her “W-what happened? What did you do? Where’d the angry Twilight go?” The small dragon inquired. Logic said nothing and instead awoke Fluttershy, who got up with a scream but quickly calmed down. Logic proceeded to go to the others, tapping each of them with her horn and enveloping them in a green aura, which seemed to heal all of their injuries. Fluttershy got Pinkie out of the tree but she was miraculously unhurt. Once each one had been healed they all asked the same question: what just happened?

“We could not beat Anger, that is for certain. Instead I used an advanced teleportation spell on her, as well as a memory eraser spell to ensure she can not find us again, at least using Twilight’s memories.” Logic explained to the others. “We will have to be better prepared during our next encounter.” All of the other mares nodded whole-heartedly, they would not want a repeat of this encounter’s painful lesson. “Also, Rainbow Dash I suggest staying on the ground for some time. The spell I used completely fixed your wing but it is still fragile. Stay with one of the others for a few days and it should be fine.” Rainbow Dash nodded at Logic and turned to look at Fluttershy, who knew what she wanted without using words and so nodded also.

“Well now what happens Logic?” Spike looked concerned. The recent fight had not given him encouragement that his friend and caretaker would be revived anytime soon.

“Considering the damage and exhaustion done to us by Anger I suggest we wait till tomorrow to begin looking for the rest of the fragments… agreed? “ Logic looked at the others as they all nodded understandingly. “Good. So if there is nothing else…” Logic instantly toppled over on her side. The others present gasped and ran to her, only to discover that Logic had fallen into a blissful sleep.

Seven More Down, Seven to Go

Princess Celestia’s sun shone brightly over the denizens of Canterlot, warming the day to just the right temperature to be enjoyable without all the nasty sweat. Canterlot Palace, the ever magnificent, shone brighter than any other part of the Equestrian capitol. Some would misplace this glimmer as let down, the great princesses of Equestria showing just how pathetic the rest of them are when compared to the glory of the country’s rulers and their power. Of course obviously that was never the intent of the design and all but a select few ne’er-do-wells looked at the castle as the brilliant government building of their harmonic utopia.

Inside the personal quarters of miss Ebony Spring Steadfast found himself dumbfounded. He tried to process the information but alas, he was just stumped. Creativity stood there, clad in her plain blue dress with the yellow frills, smiling a little smirk for no real reason. Finally, Steadfast conjured some rational thought.

“Ok.” He started. “So let me get this straight… You attacked the farm and tore it to pieces. Then you struck down the Element of Honesty but Logic blasted you and severely injured you.”

“Yup.” Creativity replied smirking.

“Alright. You then escaped and crawled around for awhile until you were discovered by Diamond Dogs, who took you with them and helped you recover so you could find gems for them?” Steadfast waited for confirmation.

“Quite right.” Creativity stated. “I believe they took me back to their home country... or one of them anyway. I think there's an eastern kingdom and a western kingdom. I was in the eastern one. It’s really a miracle: that those mutts could have any kind of government. Still, they patched me up so I can’t really complain.” Creativity shrugged at bit.

“Uh-huh. Ok, so after playing along for a day you made your move and assassinated the Diamond Dog King by…” Steadfast shivered and shook his head in disgust. “By throwing concentrated Changeling hormones on him and laughing hysterically as he was raped to death… by Changelings.”

“You know I actually regret doing now that I have new context.” Creativity remarked. “There’s nothing quite as disturbing as watching a canine get raped repeatedly by bugs… That image will haunt me for the rest of my life.” In case you’re wondering: the image did haunt Creativity for the rest of her life.

Steadfast cocked an eyebrow. “Right. Well after that you convinced the Diamond Dogs that the rape was an act of total war and that the only the way they could win is if they united under your banner?”

“That one shouldn’t be a surprise… they’re not the smartest in this biodiversity cesspool we call Earth.” Creativity chuckled.

“Point taken. Well after that you engaged in a war with the Changelings and using cutthroat tactics you defeated them. After that you…” Steadfast gagged. “Ugh… After that you raped the Changeling Queen twelve…”

“Thirteen.” Creativity interjected.

Steadfast tilted his head back in disgust “Right, thirteen times in order to assert your dominance after she refused to give up despite the fact you used a number of techniques to demoralize her.”

“Yes well, what were my options Steadfast?” Creativity asked, annoyed. “The Eastern Diamond Dog Kingdom is run by barbaric mutts who value strength and dominance over everything else. In order to not appear weak I had to take special precautions in order to maintain my leadership of the Diamond Dogs, and apparently sexual dominance over another was a good show of power...” Creativity grunted at the look Steadfast gave her. “Oh don’t give me that, it’s her fault for not surrendering outright. Besides after the sixth go around I’m pretty sure she was ok with it.”

Steadfast shook his head, giving up. “After that you left, giving the Diamond Dogs a final order to rape the remaining Changelings for another whole month, again, so you didn't appear weak, thereby creating an everlasting hatred between the two species." Creativity nodded to that statement. "Alright, and finally after traveling for a day you found a Griffin, beat him up, made him fly you all the way to Canterlot, and then finally killed him and stuffed his body in the trash.”

Creativity’s eyes rolled. “Yes, god… It’s like I did not just get finished telling you all this.”

Steadfast brought both hooves to his mouth in a contemplating fashion, closed his eyes, sighed, and then looked at Creativity. “Alright… Can I be totally honest with you?”

“Of course Steadfast, I expect you to speak your mind. What else are friends for?” Creativity gave Steadfast a quick smirk.

“Right.” Steadfast replied. The stallion took a deep breath. “That’s fucked up, you’re fucked up.” Steadfast let out a great exhale after finishing.

Creativity laughed. “To you maybe! To me they are simply means to an end. You need to lighten up Steadfast! No one ever progress far while mired in tradition.” Creativity shook her head, her laugh dying down to a chuckle.

As if on cue the door of Creativity’s room shot open, revealing Dusty Broom the maid. Upon seeing Creativity the servant’s face lit up with jubilation. “Oh Ebony! You’re finally back! I was starting to get worried.” The maid ran up to the fragment and went in for a passionate kiss. Steadfast made a sound of disgust when he saw tongue.

Breaking the embrace, Creativity smiled at Dusty. “Heh heh, sorry love. It took me a bit longer to fix my family issues than I thought it would. I’m so sorry for worrying you, I’ll never do it again.” Creativity ended with another wet kiss, Steadfast replied with the same level of disgust as the first time.

Dusty smiled after breaking. “Oh it’s alright love. Family’s important, I would never think of keeping you from helping out your loved ones. I’m just glad you’re back.” Creativity nodded at her statement and nuzzled her passionately.

Steadfast snorted. Why was this maid still around? All of Creativity’s other flights of fancy had been shoved off, used until no longer effective. Why did this Dusty Broom catch Creativity’s fancy when Steadfast, her loyal and stalwart ally, was within arm’s reach? Steadfast knew who Creativity really was. He had been with her since the beginning of her plans. Why did this lesbian bitch get her love when Steadfast was willing and ready to die for her?! Steadfast cursed silently to himself. He didn’t know who to hate, Creativity for not considering him, Dusty Broom for stealing Creativity, or Steadfast’s own damn hormones, the reason he had become taken with Creativity in the first place. Whatever it was, Steadfast knew for certain that he had a crush on Creativity that had over time wormed its way into his mind and had now had taken root. Steadfast now really hated the natural mating hormones found in all stallions, without them he’d still be the scared soldier helping a psycho out of fear, not love. Steadfast bit his lower lip in annoyance over all this thinking…

“Steadfast? Steadfast!!”

The stallion’s head shot up from its down position. Looking to Creativity, Steadfast saw the fragment and Dusty Broom staring at him. “What? Huh? Is something wrong ma’am?” He tried to act as formal as possible in front of Dusty.

“I said I was going to go to the market to get some things. I’d like you to accompany me.” The fragment annoyingly relayed her request again.

“Oh… right! Lead the way ma’am!” Steadfast stood straight and saluted. Creativity nodded and magically grabbed her bags from the nearby vanity. Turning, she began to walk out. Steadfast followed diligently.

“Keep her safe Steadfast, she’s the world to me.” Dusty Broom replied as Steadfast passed her.

Oh I’ll protect her with my life; you I’d like to see eaten by Changelings… Steadfast shook the uncharacteristically cruel thought from his mind. He smiled and nodded at Dusty Broom, then walked out after his master.

~~~~

Blurry darkness. Wait… can darkness be blurry? I mean, its just darkness you know, a completely black tint. Well whatever, the blurry darkness began to recede as Logic’s eyes fluttered open. Still half closed, Logic’s pupil’s scanned the room she lay in. It was a hospital room and judging by the feel of the surface under her the fragment was in a hospital bed. Logic tried to lift her body up, only to be met with a searing pain blasting through her body. She fell back onto her bed’s pillow. Understanding movement was not an option, Logic looked around some more. She was heavily bandaged up, she couldn’t tell if she was hurt or she had her new Nightmare Night costume. Finally, her eyes shifted to the white unicorn head with a purple mane resting peacefully on her lap.

Logic’s eyes rolled. I told them not to leave me alone with her and what do they do? The exact opposite… Typical. Logic charged her horn and shot magic through her body, numbing pain and beginning her own healing process. Rarity stirred as she heard the crackle from Logic’s horn emitting magic.

“L-Logic?” She said sleepily.

Finally, Logic could hold herself up. “Yes, I am awake. Ugh, where am I? The hospital?”

“Yeah, Spike came for us when you teleported back. We brought you here and they did all they could to save you.” Rarity began to sob. “T-They said you had a one in a hundred chance of living through this… thank Celestia you proved them wrong!” Rarity lightly hugged the fragment, well aware of the soreness she probably felt. Logic returned the hug out of pure sympathy.

“I see. Well, at least I am alive. Where are the others? We must continue to search for the fragments…” Logic tried to get out of bed; it was an extremely painful attempt.

Rarity gasped and lightly pushed Logic back into bed. “What? No! You need your rest! You can’t leave this spot until you are fully healed!” The white unicorn held Logic down with both her hooves on the fragment’s shoulders.

Logic grunted. “No! I must help! They need me to capture the others I…” A hoof came across Logic’s face and left a red mark. The fragment turned to a crying Rarity.

“N-No…” Rarity spoke between sobs. “Y-You almost died. I-I won’t let you leave until you’re better! We won’t lose you! I won’t lose you!” She looked at the fragment with an adamant stare.

Logic took on a saddened expression. “Rarity…”

“Don’t Rarity me Logic! I can’t stand by and let a friend kill herself! What were you thinking taking on Anger alone?! We could have helped! Twilight’s our friend! We have just as much a right as you to help her!” Rarity breathed a bit heavily from the yelling.

Logic looked away from the unicorn. “I… I have to be the one that stops them. They are my siblings, my family. They are dangerous and I cannot bear the thought of Twilight reawaking to a world where she does not have her friends. This is MY mistake to fix! It is all my fault, I should be the one to fix it!” Logic gritted her teeth, she had been in charge during the experiment. Twilight was using her logic to make the potion; she was using her knowledge to gather her ingredients. And it was Twilight’s logic’s lack of planning and precaution that caused Twilight to use an unsafe workspace. She may not have been sentient at the time, but Logic still believed the accident was her fault.

“Oh Logic stop it, everything’s ok. It’s not your fault.” Rarity tried her best to comfort the fragment. “Everypony makes mistakes. It’s when we move past those mistakes and push forward that matters.” Rarity thought this was as good a time as ever and went in for a light peck. It was the wrong move.

Logic lashed out at Rarity, her anger at herself being replaced by new rage. Rarity moved back in fear. “Enough of that! I do not love you! I do not have the capacity for such things! Not only that but frankly, your inconsideration is beginning to annoy me!” The fragment gave Rarity a dark scowl.

Rarity was more than confused. “In-Inconsideration? What are you talking about? I-I thought that maybe…” The fashionista didn’t know how to continue.

“You try so hard to move towards a fruitless courtship without considering those that already care for you! You cannot have the gall to tell me you do not know of Spike’s infatuation with you!” Logic had had enough. A near-death fright can do that to a person… or pony in this case. Logic didn’t have friends, no true capacity for such things. Regardless, Spike had been an admirable companion, and now Logic knew it was high time to defend him. “He is smitten with you and you do not even have the decency to at least tell him how you feel! Instead you tramp around with another, like some sort of whore!” Logic had snapped; Rarity stood mouth agape. “He has loved you for creation knows how long and you ignore him! You should learn to silence the past before heading into the future!” Logic's expression softened when she saw the consequence of her outburst.

Rarity’s eyes fell down to the floor, her eyes wet. “I-I’ve always known about his little crush but… but you have to understand! He’s so young! I always thought it was simply a schoolyard flight of fancy. I thought that as he got older he’d forget it and find his true love. I never took it seriously. I…” The unicorn stopped, at a loss of words.

Logic sighed, her anger spent. “Rarity, I apologize. I should not be so rude. It seems Anger has brushed of unto me.” Logic took a deep inhale. Exhaling out her nose, the fragment looked at Rarity. “Let me say calmly. I cannot be sorry enough Rarity but I can simply not feel the emotion of love. You are a wonder creature and I hope that you find the lover you are looking for. It simply is not me.”

“It’s alright Logic.” Rarity replied somberly. “I should have paid more attention to you. I foolishly translated all your kindness and attention to me as something more than just watchful friendship, I’m sorry.” She put a hoof on Logic’s shoulder. Reluctantly, she finally decided to end this. “Friends?” Rarity’s eyes widened and she chuckled. “Sorry… comrades in arms?”

Logic chuckled her usual smile-less chuckle. “Till the end of our days.” She put her own hoof on Rarity’s shoulder, she knew it would be some time before Rarity truly got over her feelings but this was a start.

Rarity smiled widely. “Good.” The two removed their hooves from their respective shoulders; Rarity took a step back from Logic’s bed.

Logic gave the other unicorn a look. “So… what about Spike?” She asked neutrally.

Rarity pondered the question. “Oh I don’t know. I suppose I’ll have to say something to him at the very least, I’d be a terrible friend otherwise.” The Element of Generosity sighed. “Still, how does one go about talking about something like that?”

“With resolution, confidence, and a whole lot of logic.” The fragment winked at Rarity after using her own name in her explanation, Rarity chuckled and nodded. “Speaking of Spike…” Logic continued. “Where is he? I would expect him and the other Elements to be here, purely out of instinct.”

“Well…” Rarity tried to phrase it right. “Before you were done surgery to fix up your wounds Spike had a little idea. He couldn’t take the idea of you begin injured and all the fragments still running around so… He, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie have been looking for them.”

Logic shook her head; she winced a little from pain. “Oh no… I just hope they can handle anything the fragments throw at them.”

~~~~

The capture device flew through the air, activated and glowing white. A cyan eyed Twilight Sparkle yelped and tried to run, only to fall flat on her face. Paranoia looked back just in time to see the capture device as it hit her dead center on the head. A white glow enveloped Paranoia and before one knew it, the fragment was sucked into the tiny device.

Spike walked up to the now cyan glowing device and picked it up. Smiling, he placed it in the bag that swung at his side. The device clanged against another in the bag, this one had a purple glow to it. Spike buttoned up the bag and gave it a pat. The dragon’s ears perked a bit when he turned the clopping of hooves approaching him.

“Ooo ooo! Spike! Spike! Did you get her? Did you, did you, did you?!” Pinkie Pie’s high octave voice rang out through the street. Pinkie and Fluttershy quickly reached Spike’s position, Pinkie bouncing in place once she arrived.

“Yeah I got her. That makes two more down! Let’s see…” Spike pulled out Logic’s notebook. The book had been filled with tons of information since the last time Spike had seen it, he hadn’t even read a fourth of it. Flipping through the pages, Spike finally landed on the page that held the names of the numerous fragments. Spike skimmed the page and found the two names he was looking for. The dragon put a check next to Paranoia and Hope’s names. With them gone, that left Respect, Excitement, Outgoingness, Determination, and Betrayal. Spike wasn’t even considering going after Creativity, Anger, Lust or Deceit, they’d certainly need Logic for those encounters. Logic had told Spike, before her fight with Anger, not to worry about Morality. Last was Curiosity, but she was in the library’s basement right now so that was accounted for. Spike shut the book and stored it away until further use.

“So now what Spike?” Fluttershy asked timidly, she was frightened by the blitzkrieg Spike had declared on the remaining fragments.

Spike sighed. “I’m not sure… We need to find more fragments but we have no clue where they are. Even finding these two was a challenge. Maybe we should split…”

Spike and Fluttershy, Pinkie stood their chuckling, jumped back in surprise as a lime green flash burst out of nowhere. The brightness faded to reveal the fragment Curiosity, who was wearing… oh, oh my… umm, wow… Just, just wow… Spike took a step back and shook his head in disbelief.

“Umm… Curiosity…” Spike began. “Why are you wearing umm… Well, why are wearing… uh…” The dragon didn’t know how to phrase it.

“Stripper’s clothes?” But sure enough the smiling Pinkie Pie did.

“Yeah… that.” Spike finished, more than just a little embarrassed.

The fragment looked at the ground. “Well you see, Logic was really angry at me for what I did with Lust, but I can’t stop thinking about it!” Spike and Fluttershy both gave grimaces of disgust; Pinkie nodded knowledgably. “I don’t want Logic to be mad at me, but I’m so curious about the stuff Lust talked about. So I decided to get it all out of the way so I can do other stuff that won’t anger Logic. Right now I’m on ‘gen-tle-colt e-stab-lish-ments’.” Curiosity spoke as if she was a little filly reading a long word from a book.

Spike couldn’t count the amount of things that were wrong with seeing Curiosity, who if you remember looks identical to Twilight, in stripper clothes and talking about sexual things. The dragon shook his head. “Ok. Is there a reason you’re here Curiosity?” The corner of Spike’s eye could see the odd looks Curiosity was getting from passersby.

The fragment nodded happily. “Yup! I just wanted to tell you that I’ve found three more fragments in Ponyville, more or less. Respect, Outgoingness, and Excitement are all in the Ponyville area.” Taking out three maps, Curiosity handed them to the mares and dragon. “They’re in three completely different places though. You’ll have to split up and get them. Luckily, they aren’t hostile. They shouldn’t attack on sight, though I don’t suggest provoking them.”

Spike smiled as he unraveled the map and looked at the location marked: Ponyville Park. Pinkie and Fluttershy did the same with their own maps. Spike smiled widely and looked up from his map. “Thanks Curiosity! This’ll help a lot. We’ll go right now.” Curiosity bowed respectively, the same way Logic always did. The fragment took a few steps back and teleported in a flash of lime green, eager to get back to her own research.

Turning to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, Spike placed the map in his pack. “You girls have your capture devices?” The mares nodded. “Alright. Lets get ‘em!” The three separated and ran off to their respective fragments.

~~~~

Sweet Apple Acres buzzed with activity. Big Macintosh stood on a hill looking over the reconstruction of the family barn house, decimated by Creativity some weeks ago. Big Mac crunched on the straw in his mouth at the thought of that damn fragment: almost killing Applebloom, wounding Applejack and himself, and finally burning the house down. Still, Creativity wasn’t all that bad, Big Mac knew that much just by her pattern of behavior. Applejack’s wound, seeing it after surgery, was never fatal and had Logic not helped the farm pony the most that would have happened was she’d be unconscious even longer than she was going to be. Then there was the farm’s rebuilding. A large sack filled with enough bits to cover the farm’s reconstruction and renovation, as well as Applejack’s medical expenses, was sitting on their porch a day or so after the attack. It had a letter attached:

To the Apple family:

Real sorry about the whole burning down your house thing, it was strictly business you understand. I hope Applejack is recovering well and that little Applebloom is feeling fine after the fire ‘incident’. To show my sorrow and hope for forgiveness I offer this large sack of bits in order for you to rebuild your house and pay for Applejack’s expenses. I only hope we can move past this rocky corner of the road and continue with our lives.

Stay creative,

Twilight Sparkle’s Creativity

Big Mac chuckled, shaking his head. He got it, he really did. He understood all to well Creativity’s behavior, as well as Logic’s. Rainbow Dash… what an idiot. Big Mac wasn’t the shiniest apple in the bunch but what he lacked in smarts he made up for in more wisdom than the rest of the Apple family combined. He understood that Creativity wanted more from life, to be free of her mother. She was a shadow, a mere copy of Twilight. Despite technically being a different mare, she still couldn’t escape Twilight’s mannerisms. She didn’t dare kill Applejack and she’s done everything in her power to set things right with a wronged friend. The fragment was suffering from not being her own pony, much like a celebrity’s foal was always known as such and such’s child unless they did something truly amazing. Unless she became Twilight, that sick mare would always be Twilight Sparkle’s creativity. Was it really wrong for a living creature to have the desire to be its own master and control its own path?

Big Mac looked down at the construction site. Lots of large stallions, and a few mares, were hard at work rebuilding the crispy farm. Big Mac scoffed, it was odd not seeing Logic down there helping with repairs. Ever since the money had been provided for, Logic had done her fair share of heavy lifting. The labor stallions and mares’ jaws dropped as Logic had effortlessly moved large pieces of woodwork and support structure with magic. The mare had come to the farm every day for two hours at the least, helping with lifting or barking orders and analyzing blueprints. The slender, weak-looking pony had easily gained the respect of the working teams and they were more than happy to call her a friend. Her injures gained from the night before kept her bed ridden and unable to help with anything, just like Applejack. The workers had already begun plans to send the mare get-well gifts.

Big Mac sighed, thinking of Logic again. Well, more specifically: Rainbow Dash’s treatment of the fragment. Rarity had told the stallion what had transpired between them, and how Rainbow Dash’s feelings had gotten the best of her and caused her to abandon her friends. Logic had said it was because of torn loyalties, Big Mac thought she was being a stubborn foal who got angry cause not every other pony thought the same as her. After having just one talk with Logic Big Mac knew instantly: that mare wasn’t all there. All it took was slight prods with the right questions to see how someone’s mind worked. After asking the right questions, the farmer stallion knew that Logic was as emotionless as a broom. Sure she could get frustrated, but beyond that there was not much else. She was like a piece of an apple that had been part sliced off. The slice had the skin of an apple, the insides of an apple, and one could consider it an apple, but in reality it would forever be just a piece of an apple, never a full apple. It was the same with Logic and the other fragments: they’d never be full ponies, only a part of the whole they’d once been. Heck, none of the fragments even considered themselves an actual pony or living being. Big Mac sighed at the thought, it was sad when one gave it consideration.

“What the hay?” One of the labor mares blurted out rather loudly.

Big Mac and the rest of the workers turned and gawked at the flashes going off in the distance, near the Apple’s south orchards. The flashes had a grey color to them and it was clear they were magical in nature. Big Mac looked down to the surprised ponies.

“Get back to work all, it ain’t nothin’. I’ll go and check it out.” The stallion’s deep, baritone voice echoed throughout the worksite and all the receiving ponies quickly shifted back to their particular tasks.

Walking for a good five minutes, Big Mac finally came upon the source of the flashes: a unicorn mare. Big Mac’s eyes widened as he finally got a good look at her: Twilight Sparkle. Her dark grey eyes complimented her equally grey cutie mark. She was… bucking apples? It took her a few kicks, but she finally unloaded the apples into the buckets at the base of the tree. She smiled and magically wiped some sweat from her forehead with the same magic flash that had spooked the workers. Gathering up the baskets into a little bunch, she continued to the next tree and started bucking. Sensing no danger, Big Mac walked up to the mare.

“Hey there.” The red stallion stated blandly. The mare bucked a few times before turning to him.

“Wha? Oh, hello Big Macintosh.” She bucked more and watched the apples fall from the tree. Seeing the job complete, she focused on the stallion. “How are you? I heard Creativity gave you a nasty bite in the leg.” The fragment smiled at the farmer.

Big Mac found himself legitimately surprised by the pony’s kindness. He shook it off, knowing full well that not all the fragments wanted to kill everypony they saw. Big Mac looked at all the bucked trees. Considering how long it took her to buck one tree, she must have been here for a while. “So…” The farmer pony began. “Which fragment are you?”

“I’m Determination, at your service!” The fragment was very peppy, guess it made sense considering.

“What’re you doin’ out here? Besides buckin’ apples I mean.” Big Mac knew there was no point beating around the bush.

Determination pondered for a bit. “Umm… Nothing, just bucking apples. I saw they weren’t done and I thought that you guys had given up for some reason. It’s a sin to give up! As such I decided to get it done for you! It’s taken longer than expected.” The fragment blushed in embarrassment.

Big Mac looked around in confusion. “What are ya physically buckin’ ‘em? Can’t you use your unicorn magic to do it ten times faster?”

Determination pouted. “No! You and Applejack have done it the same way all your lives! If you can do it like that than so can I!”

Big Mac couldn’t argue with her, he knew that. She was determination after all; she wouldn’t budge in an argument. Instead Big Mac decided to see if what her stance on repairing Twilight was. “Why haven’t you met with Logic yet?” The farmer questioned.

“Well… cause I need to buck all these apples!” The fragment smiled. “Before that I sorted the Ponyville mail, helped Golden Harvest plant her crop, cut fire wood for Pip’s family, went through the water temple, twice…” Determination babbled on.

Big Mac was shocked; this fragment had done a lot. No wonder Logic and the others never met her; she’d been doing odd jobs all over Ponyville! Big Mac coughed and made his move. “Don’t cha think it’s a good idea to go and let Logic use ya to rebuild Twilight?”

“Oh yeah sure I’ll do that… later. Right now I gotta get all this work done!” Determination went to the nearest tree and began bucking again.

Big Mac walked over to the bucking mare and punched the tree with his left fore hoof. All the apples fell down at once and landed in the baskets. Determination stared in awe of Big Mac. The red stallion smiled. “How bout I help ya get all these apples bucked and brought to the farm. Then you let Logic capture you ok?”

Determination stared at Big Mac for a few seconds, still awestruck. Finally the mare nodded happily and began to pull the baskets to the growing bunch near the center of the orchard. Big Mac smiled warmly. The fragments were like foals, impressionable and ecstatic. Some wanted to cause pain, other didn’t. Some wanted to help, others wanted to impede. And others just took things step by step. The stallion chuckled.

They were more pony than even they realized.

~~~~

The Ponyville Market buzzed with activity, frightening the shy yellow pegasus to no end. Fluttershy moved timidly across the open plaza that made up Ponyville’s economic center. Following the map Curiosity had given her; Fluttershy had made her way to the last place the fragment had been seen. Spotting a large gathering of ponies centered around something, Fluttershy gulped as she summoned as much strength as she could to approach the crowd. Crawling about, Fluttershy reached the center of the group of ponies to find Twilight Sparkle doing… magic tricks? Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow but sure enough she saw the spitting image of her unicorn friend preforming all sorts of magic tricks, to the great delight of the crowd.

“So, can I have a unicorn volunteer to show me their own bit of magical stuff?” The fragment announced, her bright periwinkle eyes almost glowing. Sure enough a young unicorn foal approached the clearing in the center of the group. Twilight looked down on the filly with an award-winning smile. “Well hello! And who might you be?”

The pale purple foal quivered a bit and spoke shakily. “I-I’m Dinky Doo.” The foal’s yellow eyes were wide with stage fright.

Ah yes, Derpy’s sister… or wait was she her daughter? The fragment pondered this for a minute; the original Twilight had no clue about the relation between the two of them. The fragment dispelled the thought. “Alright Dinky, show the crowd what you’ve got! Don’t be shy now, be as outgoing as you can!”

The foal nodded and closing her eyes she began to charge up magic in her horn. Small sparks flew from it, creating an adorable sparkler effect. The crowd chuckled; knowing full well this was probably the full extent of the filly’s magic but still enjoying witnessing the filly try her best nonetheless. The foal on the other hand took their chuckles the wrong way, thinking they were laughing at her. The sparks fizzed down as her confidence plummeted. Twilight noticed this and lit up her horn. The filly was shocked to hear excited chatter. Opening her own eyes, the filly gasped as she saw an amazing light show dance across the open air. Rainbows and colorful images danced about, amazing the onlookers. The filly’s surprise made her lose all concentration and the lightshow died out.

“Bravo! Bravo!” Twilight’s voice rang out. “That was amazing! I dare say it may match my own magic! Give her a full round of cheers ponies, come on!” The crowd clapped their hooves together for the young unicorn. The foal bowed a couple of times, with Twilight’s prompting, and finally left the clearing to enjoy the rest of day.

While watching the filly leave, Twilight eye came upon Fluttershy huddled up to the ground. Smiling, Twilight’s horn lit up and pulled the pegasus towards her, the mare yelped at the tug. “Fluttershy! How are you? What are you doing here?” The fragment smiled at the pegasus, who in return was more confused than anything. Before doing anything else, Twilight turned to the crowd. “Alright all, that’s enough for today! I’m taking some personal time with one of my best friends!” A soft sigh came from the crowd, but the gathered ponies dispersed nonetheless. Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “Come on Flutters, let’s have lunch! Don’t worry, I’m buying!” With that the fragment ran off, carrying Fluttershy with her magic.

Before Fluttershy knew it they were at an open café enjoying sandwiches together. The pegasus was frightened; after all she was at a café. Ponies were at cafes, and if ponies were at cafes that meant she might be stuck in a large crowd. The shy creature’s heart couldn’t take it.

“Flutters, you ok?” The fragment cocked her head to the left a little.

Fluttershy shook a bit. “I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I…” The poor thing was in shock. It took one of her hind-hooves stepping on the other to snap her out of it. “I-I-I came her to capture you! We need to help Twilight and the only way is to get all the fragments! So, so let me capture you… you… umm… what’s your name? I mean I’m sorry I don’t know it’s just that I…” The fragment put a hoof up to stop Fluttershy’s ramblings.

“Outgoing, the name’s Outgoing.” The fragment smiled. “As for letting you capture me? Okay.”

“Now I know you don’t want to go but… wait what?” Fluttershy tilted her head back in confusion. “You… You’d let me capture you?”

The fragment nodded. “Oh of course! You seem nice enough, why not? Really, haven’t you guys ever asked nicely? You’d be surprised how far you can go with saying please.” Outgoing chuckled. “There is one thing however, a condition if you will.” Fluttershy tilted her head, not clear on what Outgoing meant. The fragment chuckled. “Before I let you capture me you have to do something first.” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. “Got it? Ok. Here’s what I want you to do. Before you can capture me you must ask someone out on a date Fluttershy!” The fragment smiled encouragingly.

Fluttershy on the other hand had just had a stroke; her mouth was agape in a comical fashion. Did this fragment really expect her, the most timid pony in history, to ask someone out on a date?! Far, far away Princess Celestia’s left ear twitched up and down continuously twelve times, that only happened when history had been made.

“That’s right Flutters! I want you to be more sociable!” The fragment closed her eyes and nodded her head knowingly. “You need more friends to laugh with and a special someone to snuggle up to at night. So there, that’s my condition. I have to witness you ask someone out on a date. So Flutters how about i… uh, Fluttershy? Fluttershy?” Outgoing looked all around but could see the pegasus anywhere.

When did she run off? Thought Outgoing. The pieces clicked into place. “Of course! She’s going to get ready! She’ll want to look her best when she asks. Well, good on her!” With that Outgoing went back to eating, totally unaware she had Fluttershy’s intentions all wrong, well maybe she was a little right.

~~~~

Spike’s eye twitched as the capture device bounced off the protective shield. It was quite clear any fragments that didn’t want to be captured had the necessary means to ensure they didn’t. Spike glared at the device for a moment, then back up to the fragment in question, her pudding yellow eyes radiating annoyance.

“Really Spike?” She bellowed. “Do you have to be so violent?”

“If it means getting Twilight back I’d raze a whole house!” The dragon shook from anger at his capture attempt failing. Respect was a formidable enemy to say the least.

“Though I respect both your motives and determination I simply cannot be captured. I respect my existence far too much to throw it away.” Respect charged up a concussive blast.

Uh oh, Spike thought. He had certainly dropped the ball on this one. Despite Curiosity telling him not to provoke the fragments the dragon was impatient. He thought a sneak attack would solve all this in one fell swoop. Clearly he was wrong. The dragon yelped in pain as the blast hit off to his side and debris flew everywhere, some pieces sliced through his scales and caused minor bleeding.

Respect’s eyes widened. “Spike! Blast, I did not want this and I certainly do not wish to fight you!” Respect charged up her horn in preparation to teleport. “Adieu Spike, hopefully we will not meet again and we can both live out our lives peaceful…” Respect’s concentration was broken as something slammed into her. The fragment tumbled to the ground, a heavy weight on top of her. “What in the…?”

“Oh Twilight there you are!” The wall-eyed pegasus known as Derpy Hooves said as she got off the fragment. “I’ve looking everywhere for you!” The grey mare dug into her side satchel and pulled out a letter. “You’ve got mail! It’s from… your parents!” One had to admire the mare’s ability to speak clearly despite there being mail in her mouth. Derpy presented the letter to the fragment.

Respect got up and looked at the mailmare. “Umm… thanks Derpy, I really appreciate you coming to find me and give me my aaaaah!” White electricity flashed about as Respect turned to see Spike jamming a capture device to her skin. Before you could blink, Respect was sucked into the device, leaving only Derpy and Spike in the park.

Derpy stared at Spike wide-eyed. The dragon looked frenzied, he had a fang-filled grin and his eyes were wide and greedy looking. “Gotcha! Ha, how do ya like that fragment?! Now who’s victorious?!” The dragon chuckled manically, until he realized Derpy was still in the vicinity. The dragon peered up to her and in a comical wide-eyed fashion. “Uh… Twilight and I are… umm… playing an advanced game of magic… tag.” It was the best the dragon could come up with on sort notice.

Derpy laughed. “Oh come on Spike, that’s not true! It’s so obvious that an unexpected magical accident caused Twilight to fracture into many copies of herself that are reflections of different parts of psyche and now you, the other Elements, and Twilight’s intelligence have teamed up to capture all the missing pieces so you can rebuild Twilight. Geez Spike I’m clumsy, not retarded.”

Spike stood their mouth comically agape. He wasn’t sure if he should be amazed or completely flabbergasted. He of course knew that Derpy was no moron (if fact she scored the highest grade on the Cloudsdale flight school written test). Still, that didn’t mean he was prepared to hear her to accurately explain what had been going on for the past month or so. The dragon had simply no words right now.

Derpy smiled at the dragon. “Well I gotta go! So much mail to deliver, so little time. See ya Spike, hope you little mission works out! I’d hate for that nasty Creativity to become the new Twilight!” With that the mailmare took off flying away, leaving a very confused Spike to ponder if Derpy was some how omnipotent.

~~~~

The Canterlot Market place, well the one in the northeast of the city, was a bustle with ponies doing their own things. Creativity and Steadfast moved with precision and propose amongst the crowd, knowing exactly what they wanted. Creativity’s favorite plain bright blue with yellow frills waved in the slight breeze. Steadfast’s armored plate did not have the same effect.

“Thank you very much. Come again.” The merchant behind a herb stall smiled as she gave Creativity her change.

“Thank you I will.” Creativity smiled back to the pony and returned to the main street, Steadfast quickly returned to her side.

“So what exactly are we getting all these ingredients for?” The royal guard asked, looking at the assortment of herbs, chemicals and the like.

“Ah, ah, ah Steadfast, that would be telling. Besides, you never know who’s listening in! We wouldn’t want another run in with General Quickstep now would we?” The fragment chuckled. Steadfast didn’t find her humor in good taste; the General was probably their biggest threat in Canterlot right now. He was close to putting the pieces together and Steadfast had doubts he would stay quite when he put two and two together.

“Right, sorry Ebony. I was just curious and… OW!” Steadfast flinched as Creativity lightly slapped him with magic on the top of his head.

“Ugh, stop being sorry.” Creativity gave the guard an annoyed look. “Ponies are naturally curious, don’t apologize for being yourself. There’s nothing worse then hating yourself, it prevents you from living your life happily.” Creativity looked up to the sky, her look somber. “Yeah, in the end all that matters is at the end of the day the pony you’re looking at in the mirror is the pony you want to be.” She looked at Steadfast. “And if anybody tells you otherwise tell them to go fuck themselves. Never let anybody tell you how to live or that your life is the wrong way.”

Steadfast looked at his master, a new amount of respect forming. She really was wise when necessary. She never judged anyone either, but then again how could she? She was a personification of creativity and creativity took many forms, styles of living being one of them.

The pair approached a large two-parted plaza with a ground level and a large balcony restaurant connected by two sets of large stairs. A square, shallow wading pool with lay in the middle, fed by a waterfall settled underneath the restaurant balcony. A great variety of shops littered the sides. Steadfast spied the restaurant with the balcony and an idea snapped into mind. Turning to Creativity he smiled. “How about lunch Ebony? I’ll treat.” The fragment looked at him in an adorably confused way, but eventually smiled and nodded happily.

After receiving their food and chowing down on their respective lunches the two simply sat at their table, looking at the fountain in the middle of the pool. Creativity decided to break the silence. “So you got the book I asked for yes?” She smiled at her guard.

“Yeah, of course I did Ebony, it wasn’t easy though. You know how secure the Princesses’ personal libraries are?” Steadfast pouted a little over the time and effort he had to give to get Creativity her books.

“Yes I know, regardless I’m glad you were able to get it done while I was away. I’m proud of you Steadfast.” Creativity smiled warmly.

Steadfast blushed a little. “So Ebony, what exactly are you making? Come on, please tell me.” Steadfast looked at the bags of ingredients and used his knowledge of poisons to think of something. “It looks like a numbing agent, a strong one too. That could stop any pony cold, hell even an Alicorn.”

Creativity laughed. “Well done Steadfast! Yes, it’s a numbing agent. I still won’t tell you what’s it’s for but that’s not important. How did you know what it was?” Creativity rested her chin on her hooves and placed them on the table.

“Oh, well all guards are taught basic ways to recognize stuff like that for, you know, the Princesses.” The guard rubbed the back of his neck a little, chuckling.

Creativity chuckled as well. “Is that so? Fascinating. I…” Creativity’s eyes suddenly widened and she teleported behind Steadfast and erected a shield just in time to stop a magical blast from ripping through him.

Steadfast turned his head. “What the hay?!”

Suddenly another blast came from down below and Creativity moved to counter it. Steadfast looked down in the direction of the blast and his own eyes widened. Down near the middle of the wading pool’s edge stood an exact identical mare to Creativity, her rust colored eyes halved by her eyebrows in anger and her mouth curled in a confident smirk.

“Betrayal, what are you doing here? I thought I left you in that ditch.” Creativity sounded cold, but with good reason. She didn’t like that Betrayal had come back to bite her in the butt.

“I escaped obviously! And now I’m gonna take you down sister for, you know, leaving me in a ditch full of cockatrices!” The rust eyed fragment shot a blast at her sister.

Creativity rolled her eyes. “It was nothing personal sister it’s just that… well I’m not going to trust someone named Betrayal now am I? That’s just stupid. Like, Stupidity stupid.”

Betrayal growled. “It’s doesn’t matter! I will I’m not just gonna take your betrayal lightly! I’ll defeat you here for your actions! And even you run I will hunt to the ends of the earth until I am able to exact my very complex and unforgiving revenge! I will end you and your…”

Creativity's face was neutral. “You know, screw it. Knife.”

“Knife? What do you…”

Betrayal screamed out in pain as a butcher’s knife collided with her chest and dug in deep. Looked at the intruding object with horror. It wasn’t the knife, however, that got her attention the most. It was the glimmering line that was attached to it. Following the glimmering line up she saw it attached to Creativity’s hoof. Creativity smirked and, after applying the correct safety spells, sent electricity down her body, into the thin copper wire, traveling down the very long path the wire created, and finally into Betrayal. The fragment yelled out in pain as she felt the lightning singe her insides. Betrayal collapsed from her extended shock therapy. Creativity grunted in indifference.

Steadfast looked at his master wide-eyed. “Why did you have a butcher’s knife and copper wire with you?”

Creativity smiled. “I always come prepared Steadfast, no matter what.”

Steadfast was still confused. “Yeah but it just seems like those were really random things to…”

“ALWAYS PREPARED!” Creativity yelled at the top of her lungs. Calming herself, Creativity smirked. “Now come on, let’s clean up that garbage down there before it starts to…” Rust colored magical tendrils wrapped around Creativity and pulled her downward. Steadfast tried to save his master but the magic was too quick for him.

Pulled into the wading pool, Creativity was slammed hard into the ground, splashing water all about. Lifting herself up and looking forward Creativity spied Betrayal standing with a big grin on her face, the knife removed and broken. “Ha! Did you really think that would work?! Fool!” Betrayal laughed.

“I don’t need to take this, and I hate getting wet. If you’ll excuse me.” Creativity teleported out of the pool… or that was what was supposed to happen. Instead the fragment materialized at the inside of the pool’s edge, a rust-colored barrier shocking her. Falling back into the pool, Creativity looked up in shock. “A one way shield?! Crap, I can’t get out!”

“AHAHA! That’s right Creativity; you’re not the only creative one in the family. There’s no running for you! Now…” Betrayal’s horn lit up and a spear materialized next to her. “Let’s end this!”

Creativity got up and teleported to face her sister. “Very well, if that’s how this must end! En garde!” With that Creativity pulled out her weapon from her dress and pointed it towards Betrayal.

Steadfast looked at his master, dumbstruck. “What. In. The world?”

Betrayal took a step back, confused. “Umm… wha-? I, I’m confused. I mean… seriously?”

“Oh what, you scared?” Creativity goaded.

Betrayal pondered slightly. “No, no I mean… It’s just… well it’s a chicken…”

Creativity’s eyes shifted to the rubber chicken she was currently holding with magic. She smirked. “I always come prepared… always.”

Betrayal squinted at her sister. “How in the hell does that count as being…”

“ALWAYS PREPARED!” Creativity yelled as she teleported next to her sister and swung with her chicken.

Betrayal widened her eyes in shock and dodged the rubber toy’s attacks. Jumping out of the way and regaining her composure, Betrayal charged her sister with her spear. Creativity’s horn lit up and she sent forth a bright flash of light, blinding Betrayal. The charging fragment missed her sister completely and instead drove the spear into the ground. Shaking her head to regain her sight, Betrayal spotted her sister in front of her, a smile on her face. Betrayal’s gasped as she saw her sister’s leg glimmer; Creativity still had the copper wire! Jumping forward, Creativity used her magic to dislodge the wire from her leg and directed it to curl around Betrayal and her metal spear, tying the two together. Throwing the rubber chicken into the water, Creativity landed on the fake bird directly on her hind legs.

“Did you know that rubber doesn’t conduct electricity… unlike copper?” Creativity smirked, there was enough of the rubber chicken above the water for her to stand on her hind legs and not get wet. Creativity charged up her horn, her smirk widening. Betrayal tried to desperately get herself free of her bindings, to no avail. Finally done charging up her magic, Creativity sent an electrical pulse flowing through the water, connecting with the copper connected to Betrayal and shocking the poor mare senseless. After a good three minutes of shock therapy Betrayal collapsed, her one-way shield dissipated.

Creativity smirked. “Hmph. You always were a two bit fragment not worth any true attention Betrayal.” Creativity turned to the still dumbstruck Steadfast. “Hey, you mind coming down here and helping me clean up the city refuse, it’s starting to stink. Also: leave a good tip, that waitress of ours was simply amazing.”

Steadfast nodded and left a sizable tip on the table. Running down to his master, the guard pony could think of only one thing to ask. “Ebony, why do you have a…”

“Cause I’m always prepared Steadfast, always.” Creativity gave her guard an adorable smile and wink, sticking her tongue out a little bit.

~~~~

Rarity walked out of the bathroom with a sigh of relief. Logic had warned her not to have the hospital’s special Wednesday drink but she wouldn’t listen. Brushing herself off with her hooves, the fashionista made the trip back to Logic’s room. She was almost there, she just had to turn down this hall and…

“Rainbow Dash?” The fashion pony was both confused and hopeful to she her friend in the hospital, Rarity cringed at the stubs that had once been Rainbow Dash’s wings. She dispelled the image of watching Logic cut them off.

“Rarity.” The rainbow-maned pegasus replied coldly. “Here for Logic?”

“Yes, I am. Here for Applejack?” Rarity returned Rainbow’s cold expression.

“Yeah, unlike the rest of you.” Rainbow’s cold tone turned to anger.

Rarity took a step back in shock. “How dare you! All of us, Logic included, have visited Applejack often!”

“Trying to make up for standing with that uncaring bitch instead of your friend are you?” Rainbow Dash was beginning to pluck Rarity’s nerves, however being a lady Rarity would not take such bait.

“Logic is as much of a friend as Applejack is. In fact Logic saved Applejack’s life, if you’d like to recall darling.” Rarity wouldn’t get angry, but she’d certainly give Rainbow a bit of her mind.

“Only because she knew that if she didn’t we wouldn’t follow her like puppets! She’s playing all of you! The moment it’s between a fragment and you guys with no other way out she’ll betray you! It’s just how she is.”

Rarity began to walk down the hall. “You’re wrong and blind Rainbow Dash. Logic can’t feel the emotions you want her to. She’s not even a real pony and like a bully you’re picking on her for it. You’re no better than the bullies who used to pick on you and Fluttershy.” This comment shocked Rainbow Dash and she stepped forward angrily, ready to hit Rarity if she kept going. “Friendship’s a funny thing Rainbow Dash, you never know how it’ll show itself. How about you calm down and take a step back and look at the scene in front of you.” With that Rarity left, leaving Rainbow Dash even angrier than when she had first made conversation with her.

Down the hall Logic was sipping orange juice from a little carton she had been given by one of the nurses. Finishing the last of the liquid, she placed the box on the table next to her bed. Logic cringed from the pain of movement, but not that much. Her magic had been hard at work repairing her body since she had awakened. She just knew she’d be able to leave the hospital soon enough. The fragment’s ears perked as she heard the doorknob turn.

“Logic, Logic, Logic!” Fluttershy burst into the room and glided onto Logic’s bed, standing on the bed to stare the fragment right in the eye.

“Ack! Fluttershy, what are you doing?!” The fragment at a loss about Fluttershy’s unusual outburst, this was not her normal behavior.

“I need you to discord me!” The yellow pegasus replied.

“Discord you? What in the world does that mean?” Now Logic was starting to think Fluttershy had gone crazy.

“You remember Discord right? How he made us act all wrong?” Logic nodded sickly; cringing at the illogical world that madman had tried to create. “Well I need you to do that to me! Only I don’t make me mean, I want to be really outgoing so I can ask somepony out on a date and get Outgoing to let me capture her so we can rebuild Twilight and end this craziness!” Fluttershy huffed slightly from all the talking.

Logic looked apprehensive. “I do not know… it is dangerous to alter a pony’s personality and I am not sure if…” Fluttershy gave Logic the most adorable whimpering puppy eyes a living creature possibly could. Logic truly thought her heart melted from the cuteness. The fragment sighed. “Very well. Hold still.” Logic charged up her magic and tapped Fluttershy’s head with her horn. The pegasus’s eyes became hypnotized and her colors greyed. “Well? How do you feel?” Logic asked as Fluttershy came out of her daze.

“I-I don’t know. I don’t feel very different.” Fluttershy feared it hadn’t worked.

“Hmm… Try this.” Logic whispered something in Fluttershy’s ear. The mare nodded and walked outside into the hallway. A minute later she returned. “How many?” Logic questioned.

“Thirty-seven.” Fluttershy said, truly shocked.

Logic nodded. “Very good. Now go and capture Outgoing and come right back! I do not want you like that for a long time.”

Fluttershy nodded, running out the door and back to the Ponyville market. She made sure to say hi to Rarity as she past her in the hall.

~~~~

Pinkie wanted to cry. She wasn’t going to, she was Pinkie Pie for Pete’s sake. Still, watching her new friend Excitement get sucked into a capture device made her so sad. Finally getting the fragment all the way in, Spike sighed in relief. Placing the device in his satchel he looked at Pinkie.

“Pinkie, why didn’t you capture her when you had the chance? I mean really you were right there!” The dragon could not hold the annoyance out of his voice.

“But she was so awesome! She smiled at everything and was super duper happy! She was like a twin sister, one that looked nothing like me…” Pinkie reminisced about her late fragment friend that she had known for all of ten minutes.

Spike shook his head. “Ok, whatever. Do you know where Fluttershy is? She’ll probably need help with her fragment too.”

“She’s right there, and she seems pretty capable!” Pinkie pointed to the left and sure enough a dull-colored Fluttershy was near her fragment.

“Ok Flutters, let me see what you got!” Outgoing was ready to see her friend take a social leap.

“So… I can ask out anypony I want?” Fluttershy asked coyly.

Outgoing nodded “Yup! Mare or stallion, I don’t care. Just… whoa!” Outgoing found herself pushed lightly against a wall with Fluttershy smiling sexily at her.

“So then, how about it Outgoing? You, me, Ponyville Park? A nice little picnic under a tree? We could get some tasty pastries from Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy gave Outgoing a coy smirk and seductive eyes, trying to be as romantic as possible. “So what’ll it be cutie? You and me?”

“I-I-I-I… good job Flutters, you a… you passed… sort of.” Outgoing had crossed her hind legs and she blushed tremendously.

“Good to hear.” Fluttershy dropped her seductive act and gave Outgoing a warm smile.

“Hey Fluttershy! Hey!” Spike and Pinkie ran up to the two. “Fluttershy, is everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything’s good. Spike, can I have a capture device?” Fluttershy smiled widely.

“A… Yeah, sure…” The dragon handed the device over, finding it impossible to even think of rejecting Fluttershy’s request.

Clicking the device, Fluttershy placed it against Outgoing’s chest. The fragment chuckled. “Well, looks like this is it. It’s been a good run and hay, that’s all that really matters right? Doesn’t matter how long you’re here, just matters that you live it to the best with the time you have! Well, bye all!” The fragment looked at Fluttershy dead in the face. “And hey, promise me you’ll make sure Twilight’s more outgoing when you repair her ok?”

“Yeah, I give her the stare till she does.” Fluttershy chuckled. Outgoing joined in until she was finally sucked in to the device.

~~~~

Several hours later

The Ponyville Library was a bright spot in the darkening scene as day gave way to night. Inside Spike placed the last of the occupied capture devices in the chest with the others. Closing and locking the container, the dragon turned to the others present. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy (no longer dull-colored), and Big Mac looked at the dragon as he walked up to the center table and sat on a chair. Looking up, the dragon had a wide smile on his face.

“This is great you guys! We caught a lot of fragments today.” Spike turned to Big Mac. “Thanks a lot Big Mac for getting Determination for us.”

“Eeyup.” Replied the red stallion, a piece of straw in his smiling mouth.

Spike smiled back. “Ok! We’re so close to rebuilding Twilight! With the six fragments we caught that means there’s only eight fragments left!”

“Make that seven.”

Spike and the others turned to the door and gasped in shock. Creativity’s yellow eyes seemed to glow in the black background. Her smirk unnerved all of them. Spike shook off his shock. “What do you mean seven?” The dragon tried to act tough but in reality his legs were shaking in extreme fear.

Creativity chuckled. “What I mean is I have a present for you!” Her horn lit up and she pulled Betrayal into the room, dropping her with a loud thump to the ground. “Here you go, one two-bit worthless sack of meat to be used as you see fit! Just don’t let her out of her restraints, she backstab you in a heartbeat.” Creativity bowed respectively and made to leave.

“Wait!” Spike called to the fragment. “Why are you helping us? Aren't we your enemies?”

Creativity laughed. “Oh Spike! You and the others aren’t my enemies, only Logic is. We’re all running to the same goal, the only difference is what happens at the finish line...”

Suddenly Fluttershy jumped forth. “Why are you doing this!? Why don’t you want Twilight back? What’s the point of all this?!” The pegasus looked close to tears, saddened that she had to fight against a pony that looked identical to one of her best friends.

Creativity became somber. “Why am I doing this? I don’t know Fluttershy, why did you stay down here in Ponyville when you fell down from Cloudsdale all those years ago? You’re a pegasus; the sky is your home. Why do you prefer the ground?” The fragment looked at the pegasus, no malice, no cockiness, she just stared at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy took a step back. “I… well I, I wasn’t good at flying like all my parents and the other pegasi were. When I fell to the ground and found all the animals I thought that well… maybe, I could find my own path in life.”

Creativity smiled. “Yeah, finding your own path, to be your own pony. Thanks Fluttershy. Now if you’ll excuse me I have one more stop to make before returning home. Tatty-bye!” With that, Creativity left the tree house, leaving its occupants dumfounded.

~~~~

Applejack slept quietly, her chest moving up and down slowly under her blanket with each breathe. Still in a painfully induced healing coma, the farmer had no clue she had a visitor present, or that they were standing right beside her. Creativity looked at the mostly unmoving form of the mare with interest. She was healing up pretty well and this was an interesting thing for Creativity to see. The fragment had not clue why she enjoyed it, maybe it was seeing life continue to survive despite all odds. Whatever, Creativity had made her peace with the mare, unbeknownst to Applejack herself, and now was the time to go. Turning to leave, the fragment was just in time to see the door open.

“YOU!” Rainbow Dash cried out as she saw the fragment. Galloping forward with all her might, Rainbow was easily pushed aside by Creativity’s magic. Hitting the wall hard, the mare seemingly past out.

“Please Rainbow Dash, I’m not in the mood to kick your backside all the way to the moon and back.” Creativity gave the mare a cold glare as she walked past her. Creativity gasped slightly as she felt Rainbow grabbed ahold of her back leg.

“I, I won’t let you get away with this!” Dash was trying hard to hold on to consciousness. “You’ll pay for what you did!”

“Please, you can’t even stop me now, and I plan to get even stronger.” Creativity rolled her eyes and kicked Rainbow Dash in the face, finally freeing the mare of consciousness. Walking out of the room and quietly shutting the door, Creativity pulled out a very old looking brown book. On the cover, emblazoned in stunning silver that had not dulled with age, was etched a unicorn’s head with wings extending outward right at the bottom of the back of the neck. Creativity flipped open the book. “Oh yes, so much more powerful…” The fragment smirked evilly.