Twilight.EXE: Spirits of Tartarus

Chapters

Prologue
Hide and Seek
Can't Run
It's Just An Illusion
Cozy's Backstory
The Everfree Cave
Crystal Sanctuary Battle
Best Ending
Spike & Rainbow Dash Duo Survival
Spike & Cozy Glow Duo Survival
Rainbow Dash and Cozy Glow Duo Survival
Meadow
Depths of Tartarus

Prologue

It was a lovely day in Ponyville, Twilight and Spike were visiting from Canterlot. It has been a year since the final battle with the Legion of Doom. The guards convinced Twilight to send Cozy Glow back to Tartarus 2 months ago. Equestria was enjoying some great peace, that is until later that afternoon. Twilight was walking through the meadow right outside of Ponyville. There were lots of animals and it was pretty quiet. Twilight took a comforting deep breath. Suddenly, the watch on her right foreleg beeped. Twilight answered it to hear her adoptive little brother; Spike the Dragon.

“Hey Twilight, are you there?” He asked.

“Yeah. It uh… seems empty...”

“Empty? This is just gettin odd. According to the notes you made, there should be-”

“Wait a second!” Twilight interrupted “I see something.”

“Be careful Twilight. It could be-”

“Don’t worry Spike. I’m sure it’s just-” Suddenly, Twilight stopped and it was dead silent. Back at the Castle of Friendship, Spike was getting worried.

“Hello? Twilight? Are you there?” No response. “I have to make sure Twilight is okay.” Spike said as he went to Twilight’s helicopter to find her. Back at the Meadow, Twilight was looking at the sky.

“This will have to do for now. But it won’t take long before I can use this body's full potential.” Twilight said. “I just need more souls… much more… And I know just who to start with...” After she said that, a bird flew close to Twilight. She looked at the bird, then she lit her horn. The bird suddenly ripped apart. Guts everywhere. Twilight began to cackle.

Hide and Seek

Spike began to wake up. When he did, he looked around and realized he was in the middle of the Everfree Forest! What was worst was that it was on fire.

“The Everfree Forest is on fire! What the heck happened here!?” Spike asked terrified. He didn’t know how he ended up there, but he did know he had to get out of there. Spike began flying through the flaming forest. He was able to go through some of the flames because his body was fireproof. After two full minutes of navigating through the forest, he heard a dark, terrifying cackle. He had to hide fast! He found a bush and dove inside. Spike stood absolutely still in the bush until he heard hoovesteps. He decided to take a small peak and what he saw chilled him to the bone. It was Twilight, but something was different; her mane and coat were a darker color, there was blood on her legs and chest, and her eyes? Oh her eyes were the worst. Her eyes were pitch black with red dots as pupils. Twilight looked around and growled angrily.

“Dammit! How could I have let him get away so easily? He has to be around here somewhere...” Twilight began to cackle before fading away. When she was gone, Spike felt the ground disappear beneath him and he fell.

Spike fell for 15 seconds before he landed on solid rock. When he got up he noticed he was deep underground. He knew he had to keep moving, so he did. He walked for a full minute and went behind a boulder. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

“Come on out Spike. Don’t make me come find you...” Spike stayed hidden. “So you wanna play hide and seek then, do you? This will be fun.” Twilight walked away. Spike continued to make his way through the underground maze. He saw Twilight searching for him every minute or so, and almost got caught multiple times. Finally, Spike found a path and somehow knew it was the way back. He started flying down the path, but after a few seconds he heard a cackle. While he kept flying forward he looked behind him to see Twilight chasing him. Spike began to panic and fly faster. He flew for 30 seconds before looking back again and this time Twilight was only a few feet away. Twilight was about to deliver the killing blow, Spike flew into a portal that disappeared before she could follow him.

“Hmm. He survived… for now. I could play with him a little longer, but I have plans.” Twilight cackled before fading away.

Author's Note

Spike survived, but now Twilight is going for her next target: Rainbow Dash.

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Can't Run

Rainbow Dash was flying in the sky above Galloping Gorge. She recently received a message from Spike and she decided to investigate in the Gorge. “Hmm, Spike sent me a message about Twilight. I hope they’re okay. Maybe I should have a look around.” Rainbow Dash landed and began to trot forward. She was sure she’d find something out here, but the problem was that ponies don’t visit the gorge very often. At first everything seemed normal; there wasn’t really any sign of trouble in the area. Rainbow noticed how quiet it was. Perhaps a little too quiet. She trotted for 20 seconds before she started hearing deep noises. She looked around and found nothing. Then Rainbow blinked and the moment she opened her eyes, she stopped and looked all over the place. Blood was splattered everywhere. Rainbow was starting to get a little nervous. It was then that she heard breathing behind her, so she turned but saw nothing. Rainbow was confused. She knew she heard something, so where was it coming from? Rainbow heard the breathing again and turned to see nothing once more. She was starting to get rather peeved! “Show yourself you son of a bitch!” Rainbow shouted. It was at that moment that Twilight appeared right in front of her. Rainbow suddenly began to black out.

“FOUND YOU!”

Rainbow began to wake up. She looked around and noticed that the sky turned red like blood. “That… This blood… what caused this?” Rainbow remembered what she saw before blacking out. “There’s some kind of monster here who took Twilight’s shape! If this is really all that creatures work, I better find Spike.” Rainbow got up and started running in a different direction, not knowing that the ‘creature’ was nearby.

Author's Note

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It's Just An Illusion

Rainbow Dash continued down the path. She saw that there was blood everywhere. ‘This is awful. Maybe I should just find that creature and kill it now!’ Rainbow thought. Suddenly, the sky around her started flashing. Rainbow turned to see Twilight flying towards her and quickly took off. She went down a path leading to the end of the gorge and saw a bunch of demons up ahead. Rainbow started to sweat in fear, but she turned to see Twilight with her horn lit. It was at this moment that Rainbow realized the demons were fake!

She flew right through them and found a strange building. Rainbow went inside and found two poles. Each had a button. One was Red, one was Green.

“Two switches. Which one should I press?” Rainbow thought for a moment, but because of her rush to get out as soon as possible she quickly hit the Red button. Suddenly, a hatch opened and Rainbow crawled in. At the end of the tunnel, Rainbow saw a portal to the Treehouse of Harmony. “A portal! It’ll teleport me to the Treehouse of Harmony. With the help of the tree’s spirit, I can find out what happened here.” With that, She jumped in. Twilight was getting pretty furious. She then decided to leave and go to her next victim.

Author's Note

Now Rainbow survived, but Twilight is about to haunt her third victim: Cozy Glow.
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Cozy's Backstory

Deep in the depths of Tartarus, Cozy Glow was sitting with a cockatrice, discussing an escape attempt.

“Twilight was a fool to let me be turned into stone! And even more of a fool to put me back in this dump!” Cozy shouted. “I swear! When I get out of here I’ll make her and her friends suffer a miserable fate when they die over and over and over.”

“I understand that you hate them for imprisoning you, I do too. But why did you try to take over Equestria in the first place?” The Cockatrice asked.

“You really want to know?” Cozy asked. The Cockatrice nodded. “Celestia killed my parents!”

“NO!”

“Yes!” Cozy confirmed. “I was four when it happened. Me and my family were visiting Canterlot, and we were staying in a four star hotel. And by golly, it was a great place. My parents and I had tons of fun, we ate at fancy restaurants, played Buckball, and we even met a magic student. I think her name was ‘Moon Dancer’ or something like that. It was the vacation of a lifetime, that is until our 5th night in Canterlot.”

“What happened?” The Cockatrice asked. Cozy sighed.

“I was in bed, and it was about 10 PM. I started hearing screams of pain, so I got out of bed and headed toward the living room. I was shocked at what I saw: my mommy was lying on the ground covered in blood and tears.”

(Flashback)

“Mommy!” Cozy screamed before running to her mother. She tried to get her to wake up but Cozy’s mom wouldn’t move. She put her hoof on her mother’s chest. No heartbeat. She was dead. Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering was heard in the kitchen. Cozy rushed in to see Celestia with her father.

“Sir Theodore, you stand accused of theft, false advertising and threatening a colts life! How do you plead?” Celestia asked.

“Y-You don’t understand! I had no choice! I was doing it to help my family.”

“You were actually going to kill that colt weren’t you!?” Celestia demanded.

“That little shit caused my daughter to get lost in the woods and almost starved!” Celestia responded to this by punching Theodore in the face.

“SILENCE!!!” She said in her Royal Canterlot voice. “I now place my judgement upon thee!” Celestia pulled out a pocket knife with her magic.

“YOU BITCH!!!” Theodore yelled. “If you were a good leader like your mother Lau- AAAHHHHH!!!!!” He began but was interrupted when Celestia stabbed him in the chin. Theodore fell forward.

“I’M TWICE THE LEADER MY MOTHER EVER WAS!!!!!” Celestia shouted, pulling out an axe.

“DADDY!” Theodore turned his head to see his daughter and reached out for her.

“C-Cozy… run!” Celestia swung the axe down cutting Theodore at the back of the throat and lifted the axe. “S-SAVE YOURSELF!!!” Celestia swung the axe down one more time decapitating the stallion. Cozy shrieked in shock and fear and looked at Celestia.

“No...” Cozy cried.

“Sorry little one. It had to be done.” Cozy opened her eyes at this and looked at Celestia. Something inside her snapped. Cozy screamed and flew at Celestia, attempting to choke her. Celestia grabbed Cozy and threw her towards a wall. “You miss them that much already? Don’t worry then. You’ll see them again soon.”

(Tartarus)

“After that I ran away. I was lucky to get out of there, but not before getting zapped by a guard.” Cozy lowered her left ear to reveal a small scar. The Cockatrice was shocked to say the least.

“No wonder you tried to gain power. You wanted Celestia gone for taking your family away.”

“Yes. And my chance finally came when I became penpals with Tirek. But you and I both know how that ended.” Cozy said.

“I’m very sorry Cozy.” The Cockatrice said. “Maybe you can just tell Princess Twilight what happened?”

“Are you insane!? Twilight would never believe that.” She was about to diss the idea further but the other creatures started mumbling. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Twilight Sparkle!” A Bug Bear said. “She’s in Tartarus and is heading this way! She already killed Cerberus!”

“What!?” Cozy said. “All of you go and stop her.” Most of the monsters ran off and Cozy turned to the Cockatrice and Chimera. “You guys follow me!” Cozy and the two monsters took off.

Author's Note

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The Everfree Cave

Spike had just arrived from the portal safely. He looked around and noticed where he was. “The Everfree Cave? Rainbow Dash should be here. I hope she saw my message...” Spike ran out of the cave to find the Treehouse of Harmony. He quickly ran inside. “Okay, the Treehouse of Harmony is here, but where’s Rainbow?” Spike started to worry. “I hope Rainbow is okay, but I have a feeling Twilight hunted her as well...”

Rainbow Dash just arrived. “I need to get to the Treehouse of Harmony.” She got out of the cave and spotted the treehouse. She quickly flew in. Spike was glad to see her.

“Rainbow! You’re alive!” Spike said with relief. “How long were you here?”

“I saw your message Spike. What the Hell happened to Twilight?”

“It’s a long story, but I’ll tell you.” Spike began to explain what he knew.

“What is it Spike?” Rainbow asked. Spike responded by pointing. Rainbow Dash turned and when she saw Cozy, her face instantly turned pissed. “Cozy Glow!? What are you doing here?” A thought then appeared in Rainbow’s head. “Did you turn Twilight into that creature!?”

“What? Do you have pebbles for brains!?” Cozy replied angrily. “Your dumb friend tried to kill me. I barely escaped Tartarus!”

“No, Cozy couldn’t have done it.” Spike said. “I saw her through the security cameras on my phone.”

“There are cameras in Tartarus?” Cozy asked then shook her head. “Nevermind, this is not the time to be thinking about this. We need to think about what to do next.”

“When I was near her, I felt like I was going crazy!” Spike explained. “It felt like there were illusions or something.”

“Illusions? I remember that. They gave me a massive headache!” Rainbow said.

“So this creature can create illusions?” Cozy asked. “Now that I think about it, what exactly is this place?”

“You’re in me.” Spike, Rainbow and Cozy turned to see a glowing version of Twilight Sparkle.

“TWILIGHT!?” Rainbow shouted, getting in a defensive stance.

‘Wait! She’s different.’ Spike said as he took a close look at the figure. “You’re not Twilight are you?” The figure shook her head. Spike thought for a moment. “Wait! Smolder told me about you! You’re the spirit of the Tree of Harmony!” The figure nodded.

“What!? I thought the Tree was destroyed by Sombra!” Cozy said.

“As long as friendship exists, I exist.” The Tree’s Spirit said.

“So, can we just call you ‘Harmony’?” Rainbow asked. The Spirit nodded. “Great! But can you help us?”

“Of course. I did save you with those portals.”

“That was you?” Cozy asked. “You even saved me? After everything I did?”

“It wouldn't be right to just let you die.” Harmony answered. “Besides, even you deserve a second chance.”

“Do you know what happened to Twilight?” Spike asked.

“Yes, take a look.” Harmony glew and the three survivors saw the meadow. Twilight was looking at her watch then looked up. Suddenly, a black gas flew into Twilight’s mouth. Twilight closed her eyes, shook her head and opened them back up to reveal black eyes with red dots. The vision ended.

“So… a demon captured Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m afraid so.” Harmony responded.

“I knew something was wrong! We need to get to the Castle of Friendship immediately!” Cozy said.

“I’m afraid you won’t be safe there.” Harmony objected.

“Harmony’s right!” Spike said. “There is, however, a place known as ‘Crystal Sanctuary.’ It’s a sacred place in the sky that Twilight can’t enter.”

“Spike, I think it’s-”

“That’s a great idea!” Cozy interrupted Rainbow.

“So, we’ll be going to Crystal Sanctuary?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes!” Spike and Cozy both answered.

“Very well.” Harmony said. “But one more thing.” Harmony turned to Cozy Glow. “Cozy, you’re going to need a little boost just in case.” Harmony aimed her horn at Cozy and fired a beam. After the smoke cleared, Cozy came out revealing bigger wings and a horn.

“I-I’m an alicorn again!?” Cozy said with shock. “W-Why!? Last time I nearly-”

“Trust me, you’ll need it Cozy.” Harmony stepped between the survivors. “Okay! I’m now sending you to Crystal Sanctuary. Good luck!” Harmony glew and in a flash; Spike, Rainbow Dash and Cozy Glow were gone.

Author's Note

What happens next? Stay tuned.
Please comment.

Crystal Sanctuary Battle

Spike, Rainbow Dash and Cozy Glow appeared in the Crystal Sanctuary. Cozy took a look around. She really admired the scenery.

“This is the place, Spike?” Cozy asked. “It’s so beautiful! Except for the sky.” The sky was black with dark grey clouds. “So, now what?”

“The Sanctuary is stormy right now.” Spike responded. He thought for a few seconds. “Maybe we can, I don’t know, relax for a while?”

“Relax? No-no-no… I will call the Wonderbolts to this place!” Rainbow claimed.

“No way!” Spike protested. “That psycho will feel them. She can feel everything somehow...”

“Well aren’t you a smart one, Spike?” The 3 looked up and were surprised to see Twilight standing on a floating platform.

“What the!? How did you-”

“Like Spike said, I can feel everything in Equestria. And the Crystal Sanctuary is part of it as well.” Twilight said.

“I knew it!” Cozy shouted. “But I also know there’s one territory you can’t feel!”

“True. But if I kill one of you, the region will increase. And that’s exactly what i’m going to do!” The area glew as Spike and the others were separated. Cozy found herself floating in the air, facing Twilight who had blood dripping from the eyes. The demon opened its mouth revealing rows of sharp yellow teeth, and tentacles were sprouting for her back.

Cozy Glow vs. Twilight

Cozy felt fear, loads of it. But she knew that if she wanted to survive she had to fight! The Demon stretched it’s tentacles toward Cozy who quickly dodged them. Cozy began flying to the creature, dodging everything that came her way. She then ignited her horn and fired a beam of energy at the demon who flinched upon impact. The demon wrapped one its tentacles around Cozy and began choking her.

“Hehehe. This isn’t very nice and cozy is it?” The demon raised her right hoof to strike. Cozy just grinned. Her horn lit up and she was gone. “What? Where is she?”

“Right behind you.” Cozy zapped the demon, wounding it. The creature began firing lasers at the filly who kept teleporting to avoid them. “I. Hate. Your-” Cozy disappeared again and the demon looked around. “-dumb face!” Cozy shouted appearing behind the Demon. The creature quickly punched Cozy in the gut and was about to deliver the killing blow but Cozy impaled the creature in the head with her horn and fired!

The demon started falling toward a platform roaring. After it landed it grew legs like a spider and turned its head to see Rainbow Dash glaring at her.

Rainbow Dash vs. Twilight

The demon grinned and started shooting lasers from its horn. Rainbow was able to dodge easily thanks to her speed. Rainbow began punching and kicking the creature but then got her wing impaled by one of the spider legs. Rainbow screamed as the creature grabbed hold of her.

Spike vs. Twilight

Spike was on the edge of the platform. He was worried when he saw the demon grab Rainbow. Cozy Glow flew next to Spike and landed.

“Rainbow is in danger. What’re we gonna do?” Cozy asked.

“I’ll fly over there and save her!” Spike answered. “Wish me luck!” He took off toward the demon. “Let her go right now!!!” Spike yelled before breathing fire at the beast. The Twilight demon dropped Rainbow Dash who glided to safety.

The demon began to swipe at the baby dragon. Spike dodged and started flying around the creature at supersonic speeds. The demon just thrusted its hoof forward punching Spike, it opened its mouth and ate the dragon.

“Hmmm, dragon meat. Hahahaha- what the?” The demon began to say but started to feel warm. After 5 seconds, the demon caught fire, weakening it. It was at that moment that Spike burst out of its chest, shaking the blood and guts off. The creature fell in flames as Spike flew down to the platform. Rainbow and Cozy quickly ran to him.

“Spike, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Rainbow said.

“If only you saw me; I was pretty cool!” Spike replied.

“Yeah, but it isn’t safe here anymore.” Cozy Glow pointed out. “We need to get out of here!” Suddenly, a portal appeared. Rainbow and Cozy trotted toward it.

“NOOOOOO!!!” The 3 turned to see Twilight flying toward them, but when she was 6 feet away from Spike she face planted on the ground. After 2 seconds, Twilight raised her head, and her eyes were normal. “S-Spike, run!” Twilight shouted. Spike felt terrible seeing Twilight this way. A part of him wanted to help her, another said to do what she said. Spike thought for 2 seconds and made his decision.

“I’m sorry Twilight.” Spike said sadly before going in the portal. Rainbow and Cozy followed before it closed.

Best Ending

(Outside of Equestria)

Spike, Rainbow and Cozy were now in a location none of them had ever been to before. They turned toward the sunset.

“We did it… all three of us.” Spike said

“That was… the strangest, darkest adventure I’ve ever been part of.” Cozy commented. Rainbow sat on her haunches.

“So many deaths because of that creature.” Rainbow said. “I don’t know what to do now.”

“Don’t give up!” Spike told them. “We know… this is a hidden spot. We’ll just work together. We’ll save Twilight eventually.” Rainbow and Cozy nodded as the 3 of them viewed the scenery.

Author's Note

Stay tuned for alternate endings

Spike & Rainbow Dash Duo Survival

Rainbow Dash just arrived. “I need to get to the Treehouse of Harmony.” She got out of the cave and spotted the treehouse. She quickly flew in. Spike was glad to see her.
“Rainbow! You’re alive!” Spike said with relief. “How long were you here?”

“I saw your message Spike. What the Hell happened to Twilight?”

“It’s a long story, but I’ll tell you.” Spike began to explain what he knew.

“So Rainbow, what’ll we do?” Spike asked. “Since we escaped, should we call the others for help?”

“I think we should protect Treehouse of Harmony, well maybe not.” Rainbow said. “We should be safe here.”

“Indeed you are.” Spike and Rainbow turned to see a glowing version of Twilight Sparkle.

“TWILIGHT!?” Rainbow shouted, getting in a defensive stance.

“So, can we just call you ‘Harmony’?” Rainbow asked. The Spirit nodded. “Great! But can you help us?”

“Of course. I did save you with those portals. But I’m afraid Cozy Glow was haunted too and suffered a terrible fate.”

“Poor Cozy. She was bad, but she was just a filly.” Spike said. “Do you know what happened to Twilight?”

“Yes, take a look.” Harmony glew and the two survivors saw the meadow. Twilight was looking at her watch then looked up. Suddenly, a black gas flew into Twilight’s mouth. Twilight closed her eyes, shook her head and opened them back up to reveal black eyes with red dots. The vision ended.

“Wait, are you saying that some demon fused with Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m afraid so.” Harmony answered.

“We must save her! But, can it be done?” Spike asked.

“I know about some strange stone that can destroy evil spirits, but Twilight would have to hold still.” Rainbow pointed out. “For once, I’m actually glad I went to one of her boring lessons.”

“So we need traps to stop her...” Spike started. “How about teleporting to Klugetown? That place has lots of distractions!”

“It’s risky, but it might work.”

“But who’ll distract her?” Rainbow asked.

“I could do it!” Spike said. “Don’t worry, I already had an experience with this Twilight, unfortunately.”

“Okay.” Harmony said. “I’m sending you there now. Good luck!” Harmony glew and in a flash; Spike and Rainbow Dash were gone.

Spike and Rainbow Dash appeared in Klugetown.

“Okay, she’ll be here any minute! What do you have, Rainbow?” Spike asked.

“I have a Harmony Crystal. With it, this demon will be obliterated!”

“Alright, the Harmony Crystal will hide you from Twilight. Now, let’s find a better hiding place.” Spike and Rainbow started down the road. As they walked through Klugetown, they noticed that windows and doors were locked. “You think they’re hiding from Twilight?”

“If they are, then Twilight’s already been here.” Suddenly a flash of light appeared and Twilight was standing a few feet away from the two heroes.

“Ha, you think you can trap me?” Twilight asked. “Hahaha! I’d like to show you something...” Twilight pulled out a strange glowing red crystal.

“A red crystal?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, but this one is perfect. I don’t know how you survived the illusions, but this time… your death is certain.” Twilight threw the crystal at Rainbow who ducked. The crystal ended up in Spike. The dragons pupils shrank. “I don’t need Spike, but I’ll still take him. Twilight teleported away.

“Oh no.” Rainbow said as she looked at Spike who was under an illusion. Rainbow ended up having to carry Spike the whole way until they got to the edge of town. “Spike, please, snap out of it!” Spike finally opened his eyes.

“Wow, that was something.” He said. “Was I asleep?”

“Yeah… now come on! Get up!” Suddenly, a portal appeared. Rainbow trotted toward it.

“NOOOOOO!!!” The 2 turned to see Twilight flying toward them, but when she was 6 feet away from Spike she face planted on the ground. After 2 seconds, Twilight raised her head, and her eyes were normal. “S-Spike, run!” Twilight shouted. Spike felt terrible seeing Twilight this way. A part of him wanted to help her, another said to do what she said. Spike thought for 2 seconds and made his decision. “I’m sorry Twilight.” Spike said sadly before going in the portal. Rainbow followed before it closed.

(Outside of Equestria)

Spike, and Rainbow were now in a location none of them had ever been to before. They turned toward the sunset.

"Is this over yet?" Spike asked.

"So many deaths... and for what!?" Rainbow said with anger.

"We can stop that demon, right Rainbow?"

"I hope so, but for now... prepare for the worst." Spike nodded as the 2 of them viewed the scenery.

Spike & Cozy Glow Duo Survival

“What are you doing here Cozy?” Spike asked.

“Same as you, I suppose...”

“Twilight tried to kill you too, right?” Cozy nodded. “I hope Rainbow Dash is okay too...”

“Rainbow?” Cozy asked. “Do you think she’s in danger?”

“Yeah, but I think she’ll be okay.” Spike said. “She is a tough pony after all.”

“I’m afraid that’s not the case..” Spike and Cozy turned to see a glowing version of Twilight Sparkle.

Spike took a close look at the figure. “You’re not Twilight are you?” The figure shook her head. Spike thought for a moment. “Wait! Smolder told me about you! You’re the spirit of the Tree of Harmony!” The figure nodded.

“What!? I thought the Tree was destroyed by Sombra!” Cozy said.

“As long as friendship exists, I exist.” The Tree’s Spirit said. “I’m also the one who brought you two here.”

“That was you?” Cozy asked. “You even saved me? After everything I did?”

“It wouldn't be right to just let you die.” Harmony answered. “Besides, even you deserve a second chance. But I’m afraid your friend; Rainbow Dash is dead.”

“No.” Spike simply said. “How could this happen? Do you know what caused all this?”

“That explains it!” Spike exclaimed. “Twilight would never try to kill anyone!” Cozy turned to the spirit.

“Are you saying that Twilight’s been possessed?” The spirit nodded.

“Well, what do we do next?” Spike asked. “We have to get her back to normal somehow!”

“I remember AppleBloom telling me about a secret base in Vanhoover which is heavily fortified.” Cozy said.

“Then it’s settled.” Spike said. “We’re going to Vanhoover!”

“Very well.” The Spirit said. “But one more thing.” The Spirit turned to Cozy Glow. “Cozy, you’re going to need a little boost just in case.” The Spirit aimed her horn at Cozy and fired a beam. After the smoke cleared, Cozy came out revealing bigger wings and a horn.

“I-I’m an alicorn again!?” Cozy said with shock. “W-Why!? Last time I nearly-”

“Trust me, you’ll need it Cozy.” The Spirit stepped between the survivors. “Okay! I’m now sending you to Vanhoover. Good luck!” The Spirit glew and in a flash; Spike and Cozy Glow were gone.

Spike and Cozy Glow appeared in Vanhoover.

“Okay Cozy, what now?” Spike asked.

“There should be a device hidden in the laboratory.” Cozy answered. “It can help Twilight.”

“How do I get there? Do you have a map or something similar?”

“I’ll ignite a blue light bulb for you.” Cozy said. “That’s a door.”

“Okay, see you there!” Spike said before flying off.

Spike was walking down a hallway of the secret base and stopped when he heard Cozy’s voice.

“Spike, where are you?”

“I’m in the White Hall. Like you said, through the door with a blue light.” Spike answered.

“I said through the door with a yellow light, not blue!”

“No, I recall you saying the door with a blue light.” Spike countered. The lights suddenly turned off. “C-Cozy? What’s wrong with the lights?” Cozy coughed in response.

“I’m having a few problems… I’ll call you later.” In the lab, Cozy was watching the monitor and trying to avoid the terrible smell. “Okay, I’ll press the button to open the ventilation shaft.” Cozy reached for the button, but paused and thought for a second. “On second thought, I won’t.” Cozy began to look at Spike on the monitor. “Spike, we have a problem. Twilight is here… I see her through the cameras.”

“This is bad!” Spike said. “Wait, she’s in Vanhoover right? Nowhere near this hidden lab?”

“No, she’s near you. That’s a big problem.” Cozy answered. “Don’t worry though. I can see everything from here; both you and Twilight. Go forward.” Spike began to move. He walked for 7 seconds. “Stop.” Spike stopped for 4 seconds. “Go forward and left.” Spike continued his way down the hall for a good 14 seconds. “Stop.” Spike paused again. After 10 seconds, Cozy spoke again. “Go forward, you’re almost here.” Spike continued walking down the hall. “Stop. She is right in front of you. Don’t. Move.” Spike nervously stayed put. “Go forward, she is behind you now.” Cozy said after 15 seconds. Finally, Spike found the lab entrance.

“You’re alive! Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine now.” Cozy reassured Spike.

“Thanks, but what do you have now?” Cozy lowered her head in response.

“I-I’m sorry Spike. I don’t have a device that can help Twilight, for now. I found a teleporter.” Spike stared at Cozy with betrayal.

“Y-You lied to me!” Spike said. “How could I trust you? You want Twilight’s death!”

“Come on. This is no time for that.” Cozy said as she pressed a button and she and Spike teleported away.

(Outside of Equestria)

Spike and Cozy Glow were now in a location none of them had ever been to before. They turned toward the sunset.

"If you want my help… promise me that we’ll save Twilight." Spike said.

“If we don’t die... I promise. When this is over, could you give me a chance to make up for all I’ve done?”

"Sure." Spike said as the 2 of them viewed the scenery.

Rainbow Dash and Cozy Glow Duo Survival

Rainbow Dash just arrived. “I need to get to the Treehouse of Harmony.” She got out of the cave and spotted the treehouse. She quickly flew in.

“Okay, I’m here.” Rainbow said. “Now I need to find out what happened with Twilight.”

Cozy Glow appeared in the cave tired. She looked around in confusion. “W-What is this place?” Cozy didn’t recognise this cave, but up ahead she saw some strange crystal-like treehouse. “Maybe I’ll be safe in there.” Cozy flew to the Treehouse of Harmony and entered. The moment she did, Cozy found one of her worst enemies. Rainbow Dash turned and when she saw Cozy, her face instantly turned pissed. “Cozy Glow!? What are you doing here?” A thought then appeared in Rainbow’s head. “Did you turn Twilight into that creature!?”

“What? Do you have pebbles for brains!?” Cozy replied angrily. “Your dumb friend tried to kill me. I barely escaped Tartarus!”

“Don’t even try to get closer, kid. I don’t trust you.”

“I’m not dumb enough to come back here if I did that to Twilight!” Cozy said. “A portal saved me.”

“Portal? Yeah… Okay… Stay close to me and don’t do anything stupid.” Rainbow said. “You’re still my enemy, I remember last time I trusted you.”

“Funny hearing this from you.” Cozy said flying up to Rainbow.

“I’m glad you two are here.” Rainbow and Cozy turned to see a glowing version of Twilight Sparkle.

“TWILIGHT!?” Rainbow shouted, getting in a defensive stance. The figure shook her head.

“I am the Tree of Harmony!” The spirit said.

“What!? I thought the Tree was destroyed by Sombra!” Cozy said.

“As long as friendship exists, I exist.” The Tree’s Spirit said.

“So, can we just call you ‘Harmony’?” Rainbow asked. The Spirit nodded. “Great! But can you help us?”

“Of course. I did save you with those portals.”

“That was you?” Cozy asked. “You even saved me? After everything I did?”

“It wouldn't be right to just let you die.” Harmony answered. “Besides, even you deserve a second chance. I’m sorry to tell you, but I’m afraid your friend; Spike is dead.”

“What!? NO!!!” Rainbow yelled slamming her hooves on the ground. “How could this happen?”

“I’ll show you.” Harmony glew and the two survivors saw the meadow. Twilight was looking at her watch then looked up. Suddenly, a black gas flew into Twilight’s mouth. Twilight closed her eyes, shook her head and opened them back up to reveal black eyes with red dots. The vision ended.

“Wait, so something is in control of Twilight?” Rainbow asked. The spirits nodded in reply and Rainbow turned to Cozy Glow. “If we work together, kid, you’d better keep it level, or else...”

“Or else what, ‘Dashie’?” Cozy asked. “You couldn’t possibly survive without me, and… wait, I have an idea! Manehattan! With our abilities combined, we can get a Harmony Crystal!”

“What’re you up to, Cozy?” Rainbow asked with suspicion

“Rainbow, you dunce, I want to get Twilight back to normal!” Cozy snapped. “We have to hurry!”

“I-I’m an alicorn again!?” Cozy said with shock. “W-Why!? Last time I nearly-”

“Trust me, you’ll need it Cozy.” The Spirit stepped between the survivors. “Okay! I’m now sending you to Manehattan. Good luck!” The Spirit glew and in a flash; Rainbow and Cozy Glow were gone.

Rainbow and Cozy Glow appeared in Manehattan.

“Listen, Twilight could be here, so we’d better stick together, alright?”

“Ha Ha, fool!” Cozy laughed. “I’m going to collect the Harmony Crystal! Bye-bye, Rainbow Crash!” Cozy took off.

“Cozy! I’ll get you!” Rainbow shouted. Cozy continued flying away and landed when she approached a wall.

“Well, well… What do we have here?” Cozy turned to see Twilight.

“Oh no, not you again!”

“Speaking of which, you were dense trying to collect that Harmony Crystal alone.” Twilight said. “Now, let me do this quickly.” Before Twilight could attack, Rainbow Dash flew in and knocked her back.

“Rainbow! Thank goodness you’re here!” Cozy said with relief.

“After I finish off this demon, I will defeat you Cozy!” Rainbow charged at Twilight, but before she could land a punch, something knocked her back next to Cozy. When Rainbow recovered she saw what hit her; a familiar looking baby dragon with black scales and eyes with blood dripping from them.

“Spike?” Cozy said with shock. “Wait, that isn’t Spike. What have you done to him!?”

“It doesn’t matter, he just lost my game.” Twilight responded. “So let’s play another: Rainbow vs. Me, and Spike vs. Cozy.”

(Cozy Glow vs. Spike)

Cozy dodged Spikes flames and shot a beam at him. The two flew all over delivering lots of punches. Spike began to swipe at Cozy and managed to scratch her on the cheek. Cozy had had enough, she ignited her horn and trapped Spike in a force field.

“Phew… that was hard. Sorry Spike, but I need to find Rainbow.” Cozy took off. Meanwhile, Rainbow had beaten Twilight.

“I’ll come for you, Rainbow!” Twilight said. “You only killed my copy. You haven’t beaten me yet!” After Twilight disappeared, Rainbow left to find Cozy Glow. After flying for 2 minutes, Rainbow found Cozy and followed her through a portal.

(Outside of Equestria)

Rainbow and Cozy Glow were now in a location none of them had ever been to before. They turned toward the sunset.

"How is Spike?" Rainbow asked.
“Does that really matter now? The situation is looking grim, but by golly, we can control it.”

“Remember when I said I’d defeat you?” Rainbow asked. “Well… forget about it.”

"You’re surprisingly nice when you’re not angry." Cozy said as the 2 of them viewed the scenery.

Meadow

Spike flew above Ponyville in Twilight’s helicopter. (Even though he had wings) When he arrived at the meadow he was admiring the view. “Wow, this looks beautiful… no wonder Twilight likes this place.” Spike shook his head. “Stay focused, Spike. She’s gotta be around here somewhere...” Spike landed the helicopter and stepped out. He looked around and chose a path. He walked for a full minute, but then he saw something up ahead. Multiple somethings actually. He decided to get closer. When he saw what it was he began to feel sick. A few small animals were lying dead on the ground bleeding.

“D-Dead animals!? Wh-What the heck happened here!? I need to find Twilight as soon as possible!” Spike continued down the road. He grew more worried when he saw even more dead animals. He was shocked to see how they all died, they looked like someone killed them in rather gruesome ways; a squirrel was hung on a tree with with what seemed to be its intestines, a rabbit had all of its limbs ripped off, a chicken had his eyes gouged out and his throat slit, and a pig had its head impaled. More animal corpses appeared. Some in piles. “It’s only getting worse and worse! What if I’m next!? Maybe I should go back and tell the others?” Spike shook his head. “No Spike, you have to be brave. I think I see someone in the distance.” Spike continued walking down the road and the trail of dead animals ended. He got closer to the figure and saw it was Twilight with her back turned. “Twilight! Thank Faust I found you!” Twilight didn’t respond, as if she was completely unaware of Spike’s presence. “T-Twilight?” No response. Spike began to slowly walk towards Twilight. When he got to her, Spike reached out and put a claw on Twilight’s flank. Twilight opened her eyes and turned to Spike.

“Spike? What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you I’d be back soon?” Twilight asked

“Sorry Twilight, I just thought you needed help.”

“Is the helicopter here? Come on, we have work to do.” Twilight started walking in the direction Spike came. Spike was about to follow but he noticed some strange red liquid on Twilight’s fore hooves.

“T-Twilight, w-what’s with your h-hooves?” Spike asked nervously.

“It’s nothing, okay?” Twilight said. “We need to get a move on.” Spike thought for a few seconds. He then put the pieces together: the dead animals, the blood on Twilight’s hooves. Spike knew what he had to do: RUN! “Okay Twilight, let’s go.” Twilight began walking in the other direction. Spike quickly turned around and started to fly away. He flew for about a minute, because he didn’t notice Twilight flying behind him. The moment Twilight got to Spike, she teleported both of them to another location.

Depths of Tartarus

Cozy Got separated from her monster friends, but continued down the trail. She was certain to get out. Cozy heard chuckling behind her, so she turned around to see Twilight 10 feet away from her.

“T-Twilight!” Cozy panicked and flew away. She had to cut a few corners to get farther away. Finally she found the Cockatrice and Chimera.

“What happened?” The goat head of the Chimera asked.

“Twilight got here somehow… What are you waiting for? Go! NOW!” Cozy suddenly realized something. “No, I can’t risk being alone if she destroys you all...” Cozy thought for a moment and made a decision. “Cockatrice, destroy Twilight!” The Cockatrice nodded and flew off. “Chimera, follow me!” Later, Cozy found an underground elevator and was about to get in, but suddenly, there was a loud bang.

“What!?” exclaimed Cozy as she and the Chimera turned towards the sound. After five seconds, they saw it; Twilight walked in and stopped 20 feet away. Twilight held up her right forehoof to reveal the head of the Cockatrice. Cozy gasped.

“Ah. You trying to play with me, Cozy?” Twilight asked. “I’ll rip your beating heart out of your lifeless body.”

“T-Twilight?” Cozy stammered. “C-Chimera, ATTACK!!!” As Twilight fought the Chimera, Cozy went in the elevator and started going down. She felt safe for about 16 seconds, but the elevator stopped. Suddenly it began to fall as Cozy screamed. The elevator crashed and luckily Cozy survived without a scratch. When Cozy recovered she looked around and saw she was in some dark cave. “Golly, where am I? I need to find a way out of this cave.” Gozy left the destruction, she ended up having to avoid several toxic fumes and spikes. After avoiding them for 3 minutes she heard a familiar voice.

“You’re not dead? ...If you want something done right, you do it yourself, I suppose.” Cozy turned to see Twilight chasing her. She sped up. Twilight almost caught her, but there was a small gap in the wall Twilight couldn’t fit through. Cozy dove into the gap just in time. Eventually Cozy found a portal at the edge of the cave.

“A-A portal!? I have no choice, this is the only way out.” She jumped in.

Author's Note

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