Far from the growing carnage in the Changeling Hive, and the mounting tensions in Ponyville, a certain pink party pony who's feeling a lot less cheerful than normal was making haste towards a certain castle.

I don't know why I only just thought of it, but there's no way the Dark Eldar can counter the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie Pie thought to herself as she entered the castle of the two sisters and galloped through it's abandoned halls to the Tree of Harmony.

At last, she came to her destination. The Tree unleashed the Elements...those it still had.

"WHAT!? Wuh-where's Kindness and Laughter!?" The perplexed pony asked no one in particular.

"Kindness will be found when it is needed. Laughter...will return to you when this is over." No one in particular answered.

Pinkie shook off her surprise and pulled an Ork Snazzgun out of her mane as she turned to the voice of Tallik. DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!DAKKA!!!

The Solitare flipped over the onslaught of various projectiles, including a kitchen sink, and struck the Snazzgun with his Harlequin's Kiss. The wrist-mounted weapon shooting a long monofilament razor wire made of alien material that sprang out, sliced the Ork weapon into a billion pieces, and then retracted in an instant.

"Now now, none of that. You know that this is necessary." Tallik chided the Earth Pony.

"Necessary!? NECESSARY!!? HOW IS FORCING US TO FIGHT DARK ELDAR WITHOUT THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY OR MORE THAN ONE GUN NECESSARY!!!??" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Because it will harden you to the cruel realities of the wider galaxy and make you ready to save us." Tallik explained.

"Yeah yeah, I already read your stupid prophecy." Pinkie retorted, pulling her Black Library card out of her mane as proof of her claim. "What I mean is why don't you just train us yourselves? Or at least use something that'll just kill ponies instead of...that."

"Because this is the way it must be. The strife your people suffer this day will forge heroes capable of reshaping the galaxy." Tallik replied.

Pinkie didn't argue further. She just lowered her head. "So before we get to spread our happiness to the stars, we have to suffer its greatest hardships."

"The galaxy tells the cruelest jokes." The Solitaire said in genuine sympathy.

"I hate dark humor." Was Pinkie's last words on the matter before she returned to Ponyville.

Author's Note

So, some backstory on this. I have mentally mapped out how I want this volume to go, and I forgot to include the Elements of Harmony, but I'm too in love with my current idea, as it allows Equestria to grow into what it needs to be for the following story arcs. (Arc 1 is going to be volumes 1-4 and end with Equestria going to space. Arc 2 is going to have a yet unknown amount of Volumes and end with the Elements of Harmony being plugged into the Golden Throne to revive the Emperor. And Arc 3 is going to be the big finale and end with a Rainbow Laser turning the Warp back into the Well of Souls)

So yeah, sorry not sorry but this doesn't end nearly as quickly or cleanly as Volume 1 and I probably won't even mention the Elements again until Kindness shows up in the epilogue.(guess who gets it)

Next chapter comes when it comes and I'll see you all there.