Despite All Odds

The alabaster unicorn walked in and Fluttershy was immediately at her side, ready to catch the weary pony should she fall.

"Thank you..." While Rarity was catching her breath, Fluttershy took this time to examine the other pony who had arrived.

It was a light grey stallion (which Fluttershy almost mistook for a mare). His mane was long and mostly straight until it reached his neck, where it started to curl and was a few shades darker than his coat with streaks of blue hiding within.

He wore glasses with a black frame, as well as two crimson bangles around his left forehoof. She glanced up and saw his horn poking out from under his hair, then looked down into his eyes. They were a softer shade of purple than Twilight's and seemed to have an almost hypnotic power to them.

"Umm, I beg your pardon Miss Rarity, but I brought you here because you had something to say?" He said with a quiet voice that seemed almost perfect for him.

"Oh, right." Rarity stood on her own and said, "First of all, I want to apologize to you all. Especially you Fluttershy...you're my best friend and I let my upbringings stand in the way of that. I hope that you can forgive me after all this is over, but if you can't...I understand."

"What do you mean?" The yellow pegasus asked.

"Well...I am, no, WAS a part of that awful group who's been going around and-" Rarity's sentence was cut short as she was tackled to the ground by an angry Spitfire.

"Where's my Applejack? And I swear, if you're lying I'll-"

"Calm yourself. Shouting will get us nowhere," The stallion said, enveloping Spitfire within a lavender aura. The pegasus struggled for a moment before calming down. She was set back down on the couch before the aura disappeared.

"Thank you." The grey unicorn simply nodded and waited for Rarity to continue. "That's why I'm here. I felt simply terrible about what I did, so I was going to head to the hideout to see if I could convince the leader to let your lovers go. However, I was turned away before I could enter the building. So as I wandered, trying to figure out what to do, he shows up and explains that he knows what's going on and what I should do."

Rarity flicked her head back to the unicorn by the door, who looked uncomfortable with all the eyes in the room suddenly on him. "Who are you by the way? I don't think I've ever seen you in town before..." Rarity asked, looking him over. Before he could answer, the white pony cried out, "You have no cutie mark!"

Fluttershy's eyes moved from his eyes to his flank and saw that it was indeed bare.

"My name isn't important, and I'm very well aware of my lack of a cutie mark. Back to the subject at hand, I told Rarity that she should come and find you, whose lovers have been taken, and go rescue them."

"Thank you, but how are we going to get in if Rarity can't get inside herself?" Fluttershy asked.

"Leave that to me. I wish you all luck." With a dull flash of light, the stallion disappeared.

"Well...you heard him! Let's get going!" Spitfire said, leaping off the couch and taking to the air, flying around for a moment before diving out the door. Rarity nodded and took off back towards Ponyville with four ponies following her.

'I hope they're all okay...' Fluttershy thought as she flew above the others beside Spitfire. As the group drew closer to town, they saw a flash of light over by City Hall.

"That must've been that stallion!" Lyra exclaimed as the light died down.

"Then we better hurry!" The DJ shouted. When they had arrived, they saw a good number of ponies asleep on the ground around the cellar entrance.

"Don't worry about these ponies. They'll wake up with a slight headache, but nothing major." The ponies turned to see the stallion walking towards them.

"You did all this? But there must be at least thirty or more ponies here!" Rarity asked, her mouth hanging agape.

"Now's really not the time for twenty questions. You five go on ahead. I'll be back as soon as I can be." With another flash, he was gone.

"We really must get his name when he comes back," Rarity said with a light smile.

"C'mon!" Spitfire groaned before dive-bombing the cellar doors and breaking them off their hinges. The other ponies lost no time following the burning flier. When they had all delved into the darkness, the door magically rebuilt itself and shut them all in, trapping them within the blackness.

"Hold on," Lyra said. A few seconds later, a bright light illuminated the room as a small orb of light left Lyra's horn.

"Neat trick." Vinyl said, already thinking of ways to manipulate the orb of light for her personal use. Rarity looked around for a moment, then lead the pair down a passageway.

"I didn't know the cellar was this...big." Fluttershy mumbled.

"It wasn't. We, I mean, they expanded it at some point to make room for their operations,” Rarity explained as she looked in the various rooms that they passed.

Finally, Rarity gasped and dashed into a room, and was quickly followed by the others. Inside the room, on the far side of the room was the kidnapped ponies hanging on the wall by shackles with strange wires attached at various parts of the bindings.

Each pony shouted their lovers names as they rushed forward. However, Rarity saw a flash of magic and quickly grabbed the others as cages came from nowhere and dropped where the group had once been.

"I heard you were no longer helping, but I didn't think it was true. Guess you just couldn't handle the reality that is shown to you."

"If these ponies really love each other, they should be able to live in peace, just like a normal couple," the fashion designer replied, glaring at the stallion that walked into the light.

"Ugh, please. Two mares just CAN'T love each other. It isn't natural and you know it!" Star Bright's horn light up again and before Rarity could react, everypony but Fluttershy was held in place by magic pressure.

The stallion slowly walked up to Fluttershy and grinned a twisted smile and Fluttershy couldn't help but cringe away. "You are the little filly who is infatuated with Twilight, correct?"

"N-no. I'm the one in love with her." The yellow pegasus said, gathering her courage and standing up, facing him eye to eye.

He chuckled and said, "Right. Now listen, I'm going to give you a choice. You can either renounce your love with Twilight and save her from pain, or I can shock her and give you...well, let's call it an...enlightening surprise."

As if to prove his point, a small remote came floating out of nowhere and hovered near him. He pressed a button and the ponies saw the shackles restricting Twilight spark before hearing her groan in pain. Fluttershy gasped, but stood firm.

"Don't you dare hurt her! The answer is no!" Star Bright frowned for a moment, then smiled.

He turned to the darkness and said, "Go ahead and allow it." A flash illuminated a pony for a split second before they disappeared. "Congratulations Fluttershy! You are now homeless!" The yellow pony's eyes widened in surprise.

"W-what?"

"That's right! Your enlightening surprise is the burning down of your little cottage!"

"No!" Fluttershy could feel tears welling in her eyes as she imagined her home burning to the ground as Star Bright just cackled in her ears.

"Oh, and let's not forget..." He pressed another button and Twilight shouted in pain as electric fire ran through her.

"Stop hurting her!"

"Then give her up! Do you really think that you're the one who can make her happy? That you're the one who can fill her needs and grant her desires? NO! Because you're just some insignificant pegasus who doesn't know what's best for her!" He lifted a hoof and forcefully shoved Fluttershy, making her fall to the ground.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight and Octavia cried out in concern for the fallen pegasus. It was this cry that woke Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Bon Bon.

They all took in the scene in front of her and Rainbow shouted, "Don't let him push you around like this Flutters! He's just a coward!"

"Quiet!" The click of a button was heard and Rainbow stifled the screams that welled in her throat.

"Don't you hurt my Dashie!" Vinyl screamed, trying to force herself up off the ground.

"Don't make me laugh." Star Bright said as he strengthened the pressure on Vinyl.

"Don't let him beat you Fluttershy!" Bon Bon said before she too started to get shocked.

"Stand up for yourself, and your lover." The grey musician said before taking a dose of electricity.

Finally, Twilight said, "I love you!" Star Bright turned and narrowed his eyes at the lavender pony.

"You'll regret saying that to anypony but me!" He jammed his hoof down on the button and Fluttershy saw the pain that Twilight was enduring.

'He's hurting my friends...and my lover...he want me to just give up and let her go...' Something inside Fluttershy began to flare up and without warning, just exploded. Her wings shot out and with a wrathful cry, tackled Star Bright and knocking the remote away, putting an end to the shocking, as well as the pressure holding down the rescuers.

They all wanted to move to help their lovers, but the pure rage they felt from Fluttershy kept them in place. She was screaming and lashing out at the stallion, breaking anything she could hit. Normally he would've just thrown her off with magic, but each hit that connected interrupted his focus and made the spell fizzle out.

Finally, he created a pulse that sent her flying into a large stack of crates. The wooden boxes broke and crashed down upon the yellow pegasus and Twilight just watched in horror as they all fell down.

"Fluttershy?" She whispered. As if to answer, the boxes exploded and Fluttershy began her attack anew. Star Bright frowned and grabbed whatever he could reach with his magic and began to throw them with all his might at her. A few hit her, but ultimately did not deter her and she crashed into him. She brought her hooves down a few times before lifting him up and ramming him into a wall.

"What is wrong with you?!" She said before pounding him with her one free hoof. Eventually, she tossed him down, and before he hit the floor, she flew down and pressed her hooves into his chest and the resounding crack of his ribs made everypony wince as red hot pain spread through his body and out his mouth in the form of an agonizing scream.

When he finished screaming, Fluttershy just stood over him, panting heavily as blood flowed freely from her wounds.

She never took her glare away from his eyes and he coughed up some blood before he managed to say, "M-mercy..." Her eyes widened in fury.

"Mercy....MERCY?! I'll show you mercy!" She howled. She rose up onto her back hooves and in that instant, everypony would remember this moment as if time had frozen her as an image. Tears streaming from her cyan crystal eyes that were puffy and purple, bruises on her neck, fore-hooves and side with blood streaming from them, her face reared in a snarl, wings flared and hair knotted.

Her left fore-hoof weeping more blood as her scar had torn itself open and dripped onto Star Bright's head. Just as she was about to bring them down, a pair of hooves shot forth from the darkness and connected with her head, sending the pegasus tumbling to the dirt and unconscious. "Idiot. He should've known never to rile up a mare such as her." The pony who had kicked Fluttershy away said.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight screamed. With a determined nod to herself, Twilight closed her eyes and allowed the magic to flow through her body as she began to pull the electricity into her body like a living conduit.

"Twilight, stop! If you're doing what I think you're doing, you'll kill yourself!" Octavia shouted.

"I don't care! I have to help Fluttershy!" Twilight could feel her body becoming numb alarmingly fast, but she knew she'd need a sufficient charge for what she was going to do. Finally, as her neck started to numb, she released the charge and sent it back through the wires, shocking each shackle until it broke. One by one, each pony fell to the ground and Twilight herself hit the ground running.

She nearly tripped over herself as she made a mad dash for her unmoving lover.

'Please be okay!' She shouted in her mind. When Twilight made it, she couldn't help the tears that overflowed her eyes as she looked down at Fluttershy's body. Blood was quickly pooling around the damaged pegasus and Twilight felt panic override her body as she was frozen in place. 'What do I do...What do I do?!'

She glanced up at the other ponies and screamed, "STOP STANDING THERE AND GET A DOCTOR!" Octavia nodded, but nearly collapsed as she headed for the door due to her injuries.

"Hold on!" Dash said as she flew for the door.

"Stop right there." A ball of darkness tackled Rainbow Dash to the ground and quickly jumped away from her, taking a place in front of the door. "Nopony is going anywhere." The pony said in a calm, cool voice.

"Can't you see that she might die?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the cloaked pony, but got no response other than, "I'm aware of that and she will get medical attention...after you renounce your love for her."

"Never!"

"Then I guess she'll just die here and you'll spend the rest of your life with the regret that your selfishness allowed her to die."

"Why are you doing this?" Twilight asked, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Go." Twilight looked to her right and saw Octavia there, ready to take her place.

"Thank you." Twilight moved and Octavia placed Fluttershy's head on her lap while Twilight confronted the pony.

"Why? I'll tell you why. Because it isn't natural for two mares to be together. Haven't you noticed that most of Ponyville is comprised of mares? If this keeps up, Ponyville as a town will cease to exist just because we'll have no stallions to continue to make children and Ponyville will die. That's why I'm doing this; not just because I want to break up your petty romance, but to keep Ponyville alive!"

"That's ridiculous! Ponies are always moving to Ponyville."

"Just as many move away! We have to keep things balanced." Twilight frowned as she took in the knowledge.

'While he...or she does have a point, I highly doubt Ponyville will wither and die like that. It's impossible for any place, big or small, to die out from a lack of males.' Twilight thought. She then said, "You know, it's impossible for Ponyville to die out, even if it was populated by all females. You see, there's an ancient magic ritual that-"

"NO! Ponyville is a place for EARTH PONIES not UNICORNS! We don't NEED magic to sustain our way of life." Twilight shook her head and leapt at the cloaked pony.

"You're being illogical!" She shouted.

"And you're being ignorant!" The pony replied. Twilight began to reach out with her magic, but the pony moved around far too much for her to get a clear shot.

'She must be a unicorn since she knows that magic needs a clear shot to be performed correctly and accurately.' Twilight thought with mild irritation. So, the lavender unicorn began to slowly inch her way towards the pony as they continued the back and forth dance they performed and finally, Twilight dove at the pony, tackling them to the ground. "Got'cha!"

"Not quite." Twilight felt pain explode beneath her as she was bucked off the pony. She landed a few feet away with a pained thud.

"Oh..." The unicorn moaned as she got back onto her hooves.

"Perhaps I can persuade you like this." The pony grasped the hood of the cloak and in one swift move, ripped it off and revealed themselves to the group of ponies that opposed them.

"I...I can't believe it." Twilight said. The other gasped as they looked the pony over. There, standing before Twilight with a frown on her face and steel in her eyes, was Pinkie Pie. The party pony shook her head, her cotton candy mane wiggling as she did so.

"Twilight, listen. You have to understand. I've been in Ponyville for far longer than you have. I've seen this happening ever since I got here as a filly. More and more ponies are moving away simply because they can't take living here."

"Well maybe if the townsfolk would quit HARASSING THEM!"

"Ponyville was brought up on the standards that only a mare and a stallion can be together. That's how I was brought up, it's how we were ALL brought up!" Pinkie said, stomping her hoof onto the ground. Twilight then stomped her hoof on the ground and retaliated.

"That may be true, but we're all free to choose what we do later in life. Some of us may stick with those upbringings, but as we live our lives and go through experiences, those upbringings may change. Have you never had another pony love you Pinkie?" The pink pony was about to speak up, but quickly shut her mouth.

"That's none of your concern!" Pinkie cried out before tackling Twilight to the ground and hitting the unicorn. After a few hits, Pinkie stopped and looked down at Twilight.

"Pinkie..." The pony in question simply looked down and shadows masked her face.

"I was young...a filly from the neighboring rock farm used to come over and play with me and my sisters...but after awhile, she asked me to be her marefriend...I accepted. We kept it secret of course, but one day...my father walked in on us kissing.

After that, I never saw her again and I was beat every day based on the number of days I was with her...so I endured that pain for 2 years...until I realized that two mares CAN'T be together...Don't you see?" Twilight saw faint tears well up in Pinkie's eyes as she finished her story.

"I'm so sorry Pinkie..." Pinkie turned her gaze up so that shadows no longer covered her face and Twilight winced at the angry glare that was directed at her.

"I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY!" She began to attack Twilight for a short burst again before stopping to catch her breath. "Now...renounce your love, or else your life will just be unhappy..." Rainbow Dash tensed every time that Pinkie hit Twilight and wanted to just tackle the party pony, but she was held back by Applejack.

"Hold on sugarcube...Twi's got this."

"She's getting creamed! We have to help her!" Applejack just looked at Rainbow and shook her head. Something in Applejack's eyes made Dash just nod and watch.

"Well?" Pinkie asked Twilight. The unicorn opened her eyes and opened her mouth and began to sing.

"It's true, some days are dark and lonely
And maybe you feel sad..."

"No..."

"But Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn't that bad
There's one thing that makes me happy,
And makes my whole life worthwhile
And that's when I talk to my friends and get them to smile."

As Twilight sang, Pinkie rose her hooves as if to hit her, but lowered them at the last moment. She repeated the process at least 3 times before she actually hit Twilight. “Stop singing!” However, the unicorn just continued to smile and sing.

"I really am so happy
Your smile fills me with glee
I give a smile, I get a smile
And that's so special to me"

By now, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Lyra, and Bon Bon all began to sing along with the familiar song.

"Come on everypony smile, smile, smile
Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine
All I really need's a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine"

As they all sang Pinkie's song, the party pony felt more and more tears pour from her eyes until she finally let go and just began to bawl loudly, throwing herself off of Twilight and onto the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Pinkie cried over and over as she cradled herself. She felt a tap on her shoulder and saw Twilight there, her arms open. Pinkie sniffled and after a moment, threw herself at Twilight and cried into the lavender coat of her friend.

Rainbow Dash took this opportunity to head for the door to leave the room, but was stopped by Luna and a few of her royal guards as well as some medics. The medics ran into the room and quickly picked up Fluttershy and began their diagnostic of her wounds.

Luna ran over and took Octavia into her hooves and cried against the musician's coat while Octavia simply stroked Luna's spectral mane over and over as she calmed the Princess of the Night. Twilight looked at all the ponies in the room, seeing their relieved faces at seeing their loved ones unharmed and happy. However, she saw one pony near the door, just barely out of the shadows of the hall.

A grey stallion looked into the room and she could've swore she saw a look of happiness with sorrow buried under it within his eyes before he turned and left.

'Who...'

Twilight looked down at the pony who was buried against her side and said, "Pinkie, can I get up please."

"Oh, sorry." The pink pony got up and helped Twilight up, then said, "I'm really sorry about all that I've put you girls through...It wasn't right of me to force my beliefs on you like that..."

"It's alright Pinkie. We all have done something we regret."

Pinkie chuckled and said, "Yea...I should probably go apologize to the others huh..."

Twilight nodded and said, "Don't worry. As your friend, I'll stand by you no matter what. Besides, they're your friends too and I'm sure they'll forgive you."

"Thanks Twilight." So one by one, Pinkie began the process of apologizing to everypony in the room that she had hurt (and vowed to help all the other couples get back together one way or another) and was met with mixed results.

"You expect me to forgive you after you took my Octavia away from me and hurt her?" Luna asked, glaring venomous daggers at the earth pony.

"No...but I'd feel a lot worse about it if I didn't at least try to apologize."

"I should-" Luna was interrupted by a soft hoof on her leg.

"Dear, calm down. She was...confused by her morals. She thought she was doing what was right, albeit in the wrong way. She seems genuinely sorry for what she has done, don't you?"

"No doubt about it! If I could take it all back, I would in a heartbeat! It wasn't right of me to do what I did, but I will take responsibility for it all."

Luna looked down at the young mare and for a few minutes, Pinkie thought the Princess of the Moon would banish her, but instead, with a sigh, Luna said, "Very well. If my lover can forgive, then so can I. But know that I shall be keeping an eye on you for some time to come." Pinkie let out a large sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she had drawn.

"Sounds fair to me!" As the ponies all talked and awaited Fluttershy's awakening, Twilight couldn't help but feel something strange picking at the back of her head.

"What's wrong Twi?" The orange farm pony asked, casting a concerned look to the lavender unicorn.

"I don't know...I just feel as if something bad is about to happen..." Then, as if from nowhere, the broken and battered form of Star Bright staggered out of the shadows, a knife in his magical grasp.

"NOPONY DOES THIS TO STAR BRIGHT AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" He ran forward as fast as he could, straight for the bandaged form of Fluttershy. However, before he could get anywhere close, a dark blue aura enveloped him and within a few seconds, he was out like a light.

"I take it he is this...Star Bright, I've heard about?" Luna asked, bringing the unconscious stallion before her with her magic.

"Yes your majesty."

"Hmm...If I remember right, his family has been suspected of many things over the years. This provides us with an ample opportunity."

The stallion disappeared in a dark flash of blue and Twilight couldn't help but ask, "What're you going to do with him?"

"Do not worry yourself about it Twilight Sparkle. Let's just say he will get what he's got coming to him." The ponies all laughed and continued to wait instead of all leaving the lavender pony alone with the medics and an unconscious lover.

However, a few minutes passed and Twilight felt an inexplicable pull somewhere within the labyrinth of City Hall's cellar. She got up and without a word, left the room to find what it was that was attracting her attention.

Fluttershy felt her body being slightly constricted and it made her body flare up in pain. However, it wasn't 2 seconds later that a soothing feeling surrounded her body and comforted her back into the dark abyss that was unconsciousness. Now she could feel the pain, but it was dull and numbed to a point where it was easily ignorable.

She slowly opened her eyes and scanned all the ponies in the room besides herself. However, she slowly felt panic rise when she couldn't find Twilight. "Where's Twilight..." She muttered as she picked herself up off the ground.

"Darling, take it easy." Rarity said, quickly by her side.

"Where is Twilight?" Fluttershy asked again.

"Hmm....Ah don't rightly know sugarcube. Maybe she stepped out for a breath of fresh air?" Applejack suggested. Fluttershy moved towards the door, despite the protest of everypony in the room. She wandered the halls that lead back up to the entrance of the cellar. However, as she walked by a hallway, she saw a faint light in the otherwise pitch blackness.

So, she turned and headed for the light and as she drew closer, she could hear voices.

"...do you mean, become like you?" This voice she recognized as her lover's. Though, the next voice shocked her.

"I mean, you can become an alicorn, like Luna and myself." Fluttershy held the gasp that threatened to give herself away, but Twilight gasped loudly enough for them both.

"That's...possible? I always speculated that alicorns were born under special circumstances."

"You are both right and wrong. You see, myself and my sister were the only alicorns ever born. Every other alicorn that has been in existence has been created through a special ritual we designed. Though, we can only perform the spell if the unicorn in question is especially gifted in magic."

"Like me..."

"Correct." Celestia confirmed.

"So then...that means Cadence-"

"Yes. At one point, she too was but a unicorn."

Twilight looked down at the ground and said, "So then...she'll outlive Shining Armour..."

Celestia sighed and said, "No. And if she does it won't be for much longer after he passes on. Long ago, Cadence was presented to us as an exceptional student. However, she had an illness that was slowly destroying her body. This illness is still with her today and because of it, she will die. You, however, will not. You will live forever with myself and Luna."

Fluttershy heard only silence and it made her begin to imagine all the worst possible outcomes.

"But...why me?" Twilight finally said.

"Because...I love you Twilight Sparkle." Fluttershy was shocked into silence.

'So that's why she always seemed so...hostile towards me!' She thought.

"You...l-love me?"

"Yes. Never in my life have I met a unicorn such as yourself and...I wanted to spend eternity with you." Fluttershy could feel tears on her eyes.

'There's no way she'll pass up a chance like that, I mean, this is a once in a lifetime chance and-' Fluttershy's thoughts were cut off when she heard Twilight again.

"Thank you...but I'm afraid I must decline."

"Huh? W-why?"

"Well...I'm already in love with somepony Princess. And though I love you too, it's more of a child's love towards a mother. I am truly thankful for this wondrous opportunity, but I'm afraid I can't just leave Fluttershy like that."

"So then...you really do love her..."

"Mhmm. I'm sorry Princess."

Fluttershy heard a deep sigh, then Celestia said, "It's quite alright. I should've known when I first saw you together that I stood no chance." Celestia chuckled softly and said, "Can you forgive me for my earlier transgression against your love?"

"Of course I can Princess." Fluttershy peaked in and saw the two hugging warmly, as well as a single tear escape Celestia's eyes.

"You'll make a good wife for her Twilight. One day..." With one last sigh, the Princess bid her student good-bye and disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. It was then that Fluttershy decided to walk in.

"Hey."

Twilight turned and smiled warmly. "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Better now that I'm with you." They both took a deep breath of relief and looked out the lone window as moonlight poured in.

"Despite all odds...we made it through together. I love you Twilight Sparkle."

"And I love you too Fluttershy." The two turned to each other and shared a tender kiss that neither would ever forget.

"C'mon. I'm sure the others are waiting." Fluttershy nodded and after intertwining their tails, the pair walked back to the room where everypony had been waiting for them.

(Author's Note: Ahh! Last chapter guys and gals! Well...except the epilogue, but you know what I mean. So...short author's note because I figure you'll all comment on the epilogue anyways so...yea X3
Also, I was gonna have a picture in here, but I can't get on deviantart to ask if I can use said picture so...give it time.)