It was a beautiful summer day in the Crystal Empire and life was busy as ever. Spike was grinning ear to ear as he remembers what he did the last time he was here. You see, he had been crowned "Spike the Brave and Glorious" for the Equestria Games just a few weeks back because he saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra when he returned almost two years ago. Since he was recognized for that, they decided to let him light the torch for the opening ceremony in the games. To say the least, it did not go well. Twilight had to light it for him and when Spike eventually heard about it, he was crushed.

He tried to redeem himself later by singing the anthem, but that was an embarrassment as well. How it works was you sung the anthem of the winner and since the winner was Cloudsdale, that was the song that needed to be played. But Spike only knew the one from Ponyville and they finished second, so he couldn't do that. Long story short, he had to wing it and after it was over, it was dead silence. After that, he refused to show his face for the rest of the games until Twilight forced him to come back out. As he was walking away, one of the clouds got hit with an ice arrow and started descending down towards the crowds because of the amount of weight it was carrying.

Spike knew he had to help and jumped up into the sky to blow fire onto the frozen cloud, which in hindsight, caused it to melt and made some rain fall from it. After that, the crowds cheered and Spike had saved the Empire again. Of course, he didn't feel it was that big of a deal, but Twilight told him that he felt that way because he was disappointed in himself and the only way he could change that was through himself and no one else. Cadence then told him that you can't turn back time, but you can move forward with the future and she suggested for him to light the fireworks for the closing ceremony.

Spike was hesitant at first, but after Twilight told him that he just saved the Empire, he agreed to it. Since then, Spike's confidence level has increased as time went on and returning here a few short weeks later brought all of that back to him. He was here with the Mane Six and he said to them "Seems like only yesterday I was saving this place from being totally destroyed. Hey, you guys remember that?" As he said that, he stood next to the giant statue that was sitting there in the middle of the city which really rubbed it in.

Rainbow was having none of it and said "You only mentioned it only 15 times on the train here." By this point, she had gotten really annoyed by Spike saying it so much. But what was funny about it is that's exactly how Rainbow does things as well often, so she was essentially getting a taste of her own medicine, which was pretty hilarious.

Rarity pointed this out and said "Yes, and we never hear a peep out of you about your exploits." Rainbow realized that Rarity was in fact correct and she was essentially get treated the same way everyone else does when she brags about random stuff to them.

She chuckled nervously and said "Point taken."

Twilight looked at them and said "I'm glad that you all wanted to come, but I don't think it's going to be that exciting. I pretty much just have to smile and wave as the dignitary ponies arrive." To her, it was nothing more as a simple business trip where she did one small thing and then go home. There wasn't really anything exciting about it nor was it considered fun. But she did appreciate her friends coming despite this essentially boring and useless task she had to do.

Rarity looked at her with glee and said "Yes, but you get to smile and wave like a princess."

All of them were confused by that statement and Applejack asked "How exactly is that different than smilin' and wavin' like not a princess?" Rarity tried to think of an answer, but she really couldn't come with one. It was essentially the same thing, but the only difference was who was doing it. That was it. Other than that, there was no difference at all.

That only reaffirmed Twilight's doubts and she said "It isn't." Her friends noticed her sudden change of mood and looked at her with concern.

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow and she shrugged. She turned back around and asked "What's wrong, Twilight?"

Pinkie came up and asked "Why the longgggg face?" As she was saying that, she literally stretched out Twilight's face until she couldn't anymore and hurt really bad.

Twilight scratched her chin and said "I've just been feeling a little unsure about things lately. It doesn't seem my new role in Equestria seems to equate to all that much."

Applejack thought that was a boatload of crap and said "That's just silly. Yahve got a real important role here in Equestria."

Fluttershy added "Princess Celestia wouldn't have asked you to come today if she didn't think so."

Twilight smiled a bit and said "I guess you're right, but that isn't the only thing that's on my mind at the moment."

Rarity asked "What else could it be, darling?"

Twilight sighed and said "I've been thinking a lot about Knuckles lately. I know I shouldn't be, but I do worry for him. I haven't seen him in quite some time and it leaves me unhappy to see him that unhappy."

Rainbow said "Twi, it's been six months since you last talked to the dude. He's probably already forgotten you and moved on in life. You should probably do the same. He is a very complicated individual and it's just not worth spending time with someone who couldn't even guarantee that he would stay in contact."

Twilight said "I see what you mean, Rainbow, but I can't really do that to him. I know the rest of you might not favor Knuckles that much after what has happened over the last eight months, and I don't blame you, but I've never seen so much misery and pain from a creature in my life. I'm probably the only sort of "friend" he's had since his girlfriend died over five years ago. It could have been his fiancee if it were any later, but he never got the chance to do so. I don't like that he's suffering like this, but it's been so long that I'm not even sure what to say about it."

Applejack said "Honestly Twi, there's not much ya can do with him. Ah feel bad for the fella, but he's even more complicated than Big Mac when he doesn't speak full sentences most of the time. The best thing for ya to do right now is wait for him to come around and then try to talk to him. He'll feel comfortable to talk when he's ready."

Rarity added "Applejack's right. While that ruffian definitely has a lot of baggage with him, he needs time to think about what he wants to do going forward. It might have been six months already, but those things can take years sometimes, so there's no need to fret, darling."

Twilight smiled a bit once more and said "Thanks you guys. I know he wasn't the best individual and had some serious issues, but at the end of the day, he's just like the rest of us as well. He just needs to be shown that when he decides to show himself again."

Rarity said "Alright, enough about that chatter. You don't want to risk having that important role diminished because you were tardy for your royal meet and greet." They headed into the castle and went up to the balcony.

A little later, the trumpets sounded off and Flash announced their arrival to the crowds standing outside. The Princesses of Equestria went out to meet them and Twilight unfurled the banner which was shown over the castle. The dignitary ponies exchanged bows with the princesses and they walked towards the castle. Twilight simply waved and after a few seconds, Spike said "That was it?! Princess Celestia made you come all the way to the Crystal Empire just to do that?!"

Twilight only bent her head down because she knew it was true and she didn't know what to do about it. Spike chuckled nervously and said "I mean, woah! Really regal and important." Eventually, Applejack hit him in the back of the head and he turned around to be met with glares from his friends because they were not happy he discouraged Twilight like that.

A while later, Twilight was pacing back and forth in one of the castle hallways and the doors suddenly burst open. She exchanged bows with the dignitary ponies and one of them said "Your highness, thank you for understanding our desire to keep the number of those privy to these confidential discussions to a minimum."

Twilight said "Of course." and the ponies walked away. She waved to them as they headed into their place of residence during their time here and she frowned after the doors closed. She heard the princesses come in and she asked "Is there anything else I can do to assist with their visit?"

Cadence looked at her and said "I'm sorry Twilight, but their visit is already over."

Twilight was disheartened by that and Luna asked "Something wrong?"

Twilight said "I guess I don't really understand why I'm here. Couldn't one of the royal guard unfurled the banner?"

Celestia said "Having all four of us in the Empire to greet them lets the dignitary ponies know that their visit is considered an important one."

Cadence added "Plus, it gives me an opportunity to see my favorite sister-in-law."

Twilight said "And I'm happy to see you. All of you." However, she still had that sad look on her face and the rest of them knew that something was up. She explained by saying "But I... Well, it's just that Princess Luna raises the Moon, Princess Celestia raises the Sun, you protect the Crystal Empire, and all I seem to do is smile and wave. It makes me almost feel like what Knuckles is feeling right now."

Cadence was confused by that and asked "Knuckles? Who's Knuckles?"

Twilight sighed and said "It's complicated, but he is essentially a supernatural human being currently living in Baltimare at the moment on an island that's next to Hayseed Swamp. I haven't talked to him in six months and there were things about him that I found out that he didn't want me to know. But, we both have now suffered terrible hardship. It just makes me sad. He feels useless and so do I." She turned around and walked away to come out onto the balcony.

As she stared out into the night sky, she really wished she could talk to Knuckles about this, but she hasn't seen him in so long. Maybe Rainbow was right. Maybe he had moved on and forgot about her because she was no longer considered significant to him. Little did she know that Knuckles was secretly watching from the top of the castle and as he heard her singing, he could empathize with her. Ever since he lost Maddi, he had no direction in life and he had no idea where to go. He was really amazed by Twilight's singing voice and it made him think of Maddi. He hadn't heard a such beautiful singing voice since her death five years ago.

When the princesses were flying in the sky, he ducked so that they couldn't see him standing on the very top of the castle eavesdropping on the interaction. Once they got back to the ground, he stared at the Northern Lights and it left him in awe. He always wanted to see the Northern Lights, but he lived too far away to see them. Plus, he was way too busy with his job to try to venture up to Alaska to see them. However, it looked like the ones here in Equestria were just as beautiful as the ones back in the United States up in Alaska. He was hiding in the shadows, but he definitely could see everything going on. He seemed amazed that these princesses who seem to neglect the violent crime in Baltimare was encouraging Twilight.

He wished he had that in his life, but there was nothing he could do about it now. After the song ended, Twilight stared up into the sky at the Northern Lights and hoped that Knuckles hadn't forgotten about her despite being six months since they last spoke to each other.

Elsewhere in Equestria, a pony was walking through the area, carrying a bucket of oranges, and looking around very nervously as it was night time and this place wasn't exactly the safest to be in during that time period. The pony heard a noise and looked around to see what it was. When he saw it was just a can, he sighed and went to continue walking. But before he could do so, he stopped to see a cloaked figure standing in front of him.

The pony apologized for running into him, but the cloaked figure threw a riddle at him, which confused the pony quite a bit. The cloaked figure told him that he was no friend and he was in fact Lord Tirek. He started draining the pony's magic and became stronger as a result. The pony dropped the bucket and looked up nervously. Tirek increased in size and laughed evilly.

Celestia suddenly awoke and was screaming in horror while at it. Luna burst open the doors and asked "Sister, are you alright?!"

Celestia said "I've had the most terrible dream."

Luna stepped forward and said "Why do you think I am here? You know as well as I that this was not a dream, but a vision."

Celestia got out of the bed and said "Then we haven't have much time. The stronger he becomes, the more we are all in danger." They both stared out the window and they knew they had to do something quickly before it was too late.

The next morning, the four princesses gathered in one of the rooms in the castle and Celestia opened the book on the history of Tirek. She said "Tirek and his brother Scropan came here from a distant land, intent on stealing Equestrian magic. But Scorpan soon came to appreciate the ways of Equestria, even befriending a young Unicorn wizard."

Luna added "Scorpan urged his brother to abandon their plans. When Tirek refused, Scorpan alerted us to Tirek's intentions."

Celestia said "Scropan returned to his own land and Tirek was sent to Tartarus for his crimes. But it appears he has found a way to escape."

Luna said "We believe it happened when Cerberus left his post at the gates." That confused Twilight since that was well over two years ago and she accepted the fact that nothing bad was going to happen. Well now, it turns out that when Cerberus was in Ponyville, Tirek saw that as an opportunity to escape and left before Cerberus returned to his post. In conclusion, Twilight was indeed correct about a disaster happening, but it came way later than she expected it to do so.

She said "But that was a long time ago. Why is he now just starting to steal magic?"

Celestia said "His time in Tartarus left him very weak. He has now gained enough strength to use his dark powers."

Luna added "But with each passing moment, he grows stronger still."

Cadence said "And I know just the princess who can stop him."

Twilight thought Cadence was talking about her, but before she could finish her sentence, Celestia interrupted and said "No Twilight. I'm afraid I must call in another to stop Tirek. Discord." All of them seemed shocked by that and were left speechless.

When Twilight returned to Ponyville, she told her friends the entire story and they were stunned as well. Applejack asked "As in Discord Discord?"

Twilight said that was the case and Fluttershy said "I don't think it's that big of a surprise. He can be very helpful." The rest of them were giving deadpan stares at her for simply being ignorant about Discord's nature and giving the Draconequus the benefit of the doubt.

Twilight said "He can sense when there's a magical imbalance. The next time Tirek steals magic, Discord will be able to track him down."

Rainbow asked Twilight "So what are you supposed to do in the meantime?"

Twilight sighed and said "Nothing. Unless of course one of you needs me to smile and wave." She turned around and started to walk away.

Spike seemed concerned and asked "Where are you going?"

Twilight turned around and said "To the Castle of the Two Sisters. I'm not really needed anywhere else. Might as well catch up on some of my reading." She continued walking away and the rest of them had to do something.

Rainbow flew up and asked "Do you want some company?"

Twilight didn't respond, so Applejack said "It has been awhile since we visited the castle. Might be fun."

Twilight smiled a bit and said "Maybe I could use a little company right now."

They all walked through the forest and they made it to the other side where the Tree of Harmony resides in the cave beneath the castle.

Rainbow sighed and said "I still can't believe we had to give up the Elements."

Rarity said "It had to be done or the Tree of Harmony wouldn't have survived."

Fluttershy added "But Twilight was right. Even without the Elements, our friendship is as strong as ever."

Applejack said "I just hope that another "friend" of ours makes us sorry that we had to give them up.

Suddenly, Discord came floating down and said "You're talking about me, I presume." He was in the Mary Poppins outfit and landed on the ground successfully.

Applejack raised a brow at him and asked "How'd ya guess?"

Discord said "My ears were burning." His ears were literally in flames and he splashed some water on himself to get rid of it. He then just smiled at them gleefully.

Rainbow asked with annoyance "What are you even doing here Discord?!"

Discord pulled out his reading glasses and said "Oh, just a bit of light reading before heading off on my extremely important mission. I'm sure you all know that I've been tasked to capture a certain escapee." As he was saying that, he shifted into the military outfit as if he were a five star general in the U.S. Army and pulled down the Equestrian flag to show what he is protecting against the enemy. He had his corn cob pipe in his hand and started blowing bubbles out of it.

Spike was not amused and said "Big deal!"

Discord looked at him and said "You're right, Spike. It is a big deal." Spike got compressed into the bubble and then eventually started falling before Rainbow caught him and put him back on the ground. He removed the outfit and said "Seems like I possess a magic that gives me quite an important role in Equestria. Maybe they should make me an alicorn princess." He changed into a royal outfit and started doing the self praise which Twilight did not appreciate whatsoever.

Rainbow wasn't having it either and said "In your dreams!" She knocked off the crown and Discord stopped what he was doing.

He said "Oh. I never dream of such things. Ask Princess Luna."

Applejack wasn't taking the antics and asked "Don't ya have a creepy, magic-stealin' villain to track down?!"

Discord didn't care in the slightest and said "Yes yes, of course." He brought them all together and teleported them inside the cave. He said "It's just that I couldn't help but notice that Twilight hasn't yet opened this little chest of hers." The group looked at Twilight and none of them had a clue what he was going on about. He continued and said "It got me thinking: what if what's locked inside is something that could help her with her royal worth? I only bring it up because she said she's been feeling her role as a princess doesn't equate to much."

Pinkie got suspicious at that and asked "Wait a minute, how do you know how she feeling?!"

Discord pretended to be the victim and said "Oh my. Is eavesdropping not the way you're supposed to find out what your best pals are up to? Woe is me! Will I ever learn the intricate nuances of being a good friend?" He looked up at them with a smirk on his face and he was only met with glares in return. It became awkward for him and cleared his throat nervously. He said "Well, in any case, I suppose now is a good time as any to make my exit." He hopped on the moped and disappeared.

Applejack was glad to see him gone and said "And good riddance!"

Just as she said that, Discord popped back in and looked at her from upside down. He said "Oopsy Doopsy. I almost left with the little journal you've all been keeping. What a fascinating read. Haven't you girls learned so much? I bookmarked a few with more interesting passages you really should take a look. We're still on for tea later, aren't we Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy smiled at that and said "I wouldn't miss it."

Discord smiled with glee and said "I'll bring the cucumber sandwiches." He opened a random door and then closed it on his way out.

Applejack said with annoyance "Sometimes, Ah think that the reformed Discord is more obnoxious than the before-he-reformed Discord."

Rarity agreed, but Fluttershy said "But he could be right, couldn't he? What if there is something important in that chest?"

Twilight thought about it for a second and then realized Fluttershy could be correct. She said "There's only one way to find out."

All of them went up to the castle above them and looked through the books in the library. Twilight picked one out and asked the group "Anything?" All of them said no and Twilight was left stuck on this one. She said "There must be something in this library that can help me figure out how to open it. The answer is in one of these books. I just know it." She looked around at the pile of books on the floor and eventually saw the journal sitting there. Twilight rolled her eyes and began reading.

Meanwhile, Tirek continued to drain magic and he got stronger as time went on. He saw another pony down the alley and walked towards him. But the second he reached the pony, Discord had revealed himself to Tirek. Tirek seemed shocked to see the Draconequus out here in the middle of nowhere and he stared at Discord for a second to make sure he was seeing things right. He said "Discord? You're free?"

Discord changed into a bird and said "As a bird."

Tirek bowed a bit and said "I commend you on your escape."

Discord changed back into his normal self and said "I'm afraid the feeling isn't mutual." He snapped his talons and Tirek saw he now had chains on his wrists to prevent him from leaving again. It was almost as if he was getting arrested by the Feds. Tirek shot a beam at Discord in anger, but Discord split his head in two in order to avoid the attack.

Tirek grumbled with anger and said "Oh, I should have known you would have wanted Equestria all to yourself."

Discord was wearing the police outfit and said "Oh, I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it for my friends. Just between the two of us, it's mostly for Fluttershy."

Tirek seemed confused by that and said "Fluttershy? You're not saying that you're friends with ponies."

Discord jumped out of the cake that randomly appeared and said "Surprise!"

Tirek looked at him with honesty and said "I am surprised that someone of your intellect has not seen this "friendship" as another form of imprisonment. Clearly, you've had to abandon your true nature to stay in their good graces."

Discord was playing the harp with a halo over his head and then stopped what he was doing when he realized he was doing it. He said "I have done nothing of the sort." He tossed the harp away and shooed the halo away as well.

Tirek wasn't buying that and said "Oh please. I've seen this before, but he was always weak-minded. You are Discord. You are legend. You cannot fall into the same trap that claimed my brother. Help me to grow strong and be rewarded with something far greater than friendship: freedom!"

That threw Discord off a bit and his eyes widened in concern. Tirek continued and said "Once I've stripped these ponies of their magic, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see their world turned upside down. Who better to do so than the master of chaos himself? Join me, Discord and reclaim your greatness. Unless of course, pony errand boy is the role you've always wanted to play in this world." Discord stared at his things and began to think about it.

Back in the castle, Twilight was reading through the journal and she smiled when she found something. She said "I think I found something. I've been reading our journal and there's something interesting about the sections that Discord bookmarked. Applejack, do you remember when you had to tell everypony that the tonic Granny brought from the Flim Flam brothers didn't really work?"

Applejack said "How could Ah forget? It was one of the hardest things Ah ever had to do." In the flashback, Applejack saw the light and knew what she had to do. So she went up to the crowd and announced to them that this tonic was a fake. Back in the present, Applejack said "But in that moment, Ah knew Ah had to be honest. Ah just knew it. But what does that's gonna do with openin' the chest?"

Twilight said "I've found that each of you has had to face a situation, where living up to the Element of Harmony you represent wasn't easy. Fluttershy, it was when you realized that the way to show kindness to the Breezies was by forcing them to leave your home."

Fluttershy remembered the painful memory and said "Oh, the looks on their poor little faces. But I knew as difficult as it was, it was the kindest thing I could do."

Twilight flipped to the next page and said "Rarity, even after Suri took advantage of your generosity at Fashion Week in Manehattan, you didn't let it cause you to abandon your generous spirit."

Rarity said "I simply couldn't have lived with myself if I didn't do something special for the friends who have always been so generous to me."

The group smiled and Twilight said "Rainbow Dash, you had the chance to fly with the Wonderbolts at the Equestria Games, but instead, you chose to compete with your friends."

Rainbow was about to say something, but before she could finish her sentence, Pinkie interrupted and said "Ooh, my turn! My turn!"

Twilight flipped the page again and said "Pinkie Pie, you realized that seeing your friend laugh was more important than proving you were a better party pony than Cheese Sandwich."

Rainbow came over with a smile and said "Best party I've ever had."

Rarity said "It's clear we've all had our moments to shine Twilight, but I'm with Applejack. What does any of this have to do with the opening of the chest?"

Twilight said "All of you had tough choices to make, but when you make the right one and embraced your Element, it helped somepony else make the right choice too. Each of you received something from the pony whose life you helped change. I know it sounds crazy, but maybe there's something special about those objects that could lead us to the location of the keys. The chest is connected to the Tree of Harmony, the Tree is connected to the Elements, and the Elements are connected to all of us. There must be a connection! I'd hate to admit it, but maybe Discord was trying to be a good friend after all."

They all returned to the Tree with the objects on the floor and Twilight said "I don't see anything on them that could give us a clue as to where the keys might be. They're just ordinary, everyday objects."

Pinkie picked up Boneless and said "Come on Boneless! Give us that key!"

Twilight seemed doubtful that would do anything and said "I don't think that's going to work." She went into high alert mode and ducked her head so she wouldn't get hit by the rubber chicken.

As soon as it touched the chest, it started to glow and be changed into a key which fit into one of the holes. All of them gasped in shock and now knew what the way was. The group put the other objects on top of the chest and they did the same things. Change into keys and fit into the other holes. That only left one remaining: Twilight's. She said "There's still one key missing. The key that represents the Element of Magic. My Element."

Fluttershy said "Oh, but I'm sure if we've gotten our keys, you have too, Twilight."

Rarity came over and said "Think, Twilight. When have you had to complete a difficult magical task and in doing so, encouraged another pony to do the same?"

Twilight said "I haven't. If I did, I would have written about it in the journal."

Spike said with encouragement "Don't worry, Twilight. I'm sure you'll get your key eventually." Suddenly, he felt something come up his throat and he had to burp it out. It was in fact a letter that was probably addressed to Twilight. The alicorn picked up the letter and Spike asked "What's it say?"

Twilight looked up and said "That I'm needed in Canterlot at once." Twilight flew as fast as she could to Canterlot and burst open the throne room doors. She said "I came as quickly as I could. Is something wrong? Is it Tirek?"

Celestia looked at her with a heavy heart and said "It appears I have put too much trust in Discord and the effect friendship would have upon him."

Luna said "Discord has betrayed the ponies of Equestria and joined forces with Tirek."

Twilight was horrified at hearing this news and she said with confusion "How could he do this?! I thought our friendship meant something to him. I thought he had changed!"

Celestia went on and said "Tirek has stolen enough magic that he now has the strength to steal flight as well. Without Pegasi to control the weather, there will be no rain in Equestria. There has been word that he has gone after Earth Ponies as well. Without their strength, they will not be able to tend the land."

Luna said "Ponies will no longer be in control of their world. That power will belong solely to Tirek."

Celestia said "There is no doubt that Tirek is after alicorn magic. With Discord by his side, we will not be able to stop him from taking it."

Luna added "Once it's in his possession, his powers will know no bounds and all hope will be lost. And with major cities like Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Baltimare getting ransacked by his invasion, that will only make things worse for us all."

Twilight heard the city Baltimare ring through her head and then she remembered that Knuckles still lives out there. She gasped with horror and said "Knuckles! He still lives out there in Baltimare! If Tirek finds out about his supernatural abilities, he'll try to take that as well! He needs help!"

Celestia said "We did think of trying to bring him in to stop Tirek after Discord failed to do so, but with how flawed that creature was, it wasn't worth the risk, which is why we went with one other solution. It is only with this sacrifice that Equestria and the lands beyond it might be saved: We must rid ourselves of our magic before Tirek has the chance to steal it from us!" Twilight gasped with horror and stood there in shock.

Out in Baltimare, Knuckles was just chilling in his house reading a book when he suddenly heard loud footsteps. He felt the Earth shake and went to look out one of his windows. There he saw Tirek ransacking the city stealing magic as if it were food. He hid behind the wall and gasped heavily. He said to himself "Lord Tirek! That's the Centaur that has the ability to steal magic and grow in size as a result. He can't take my powers because I'm not of this world, but if he finds out about the Master Diamond, we are all doomed! I have got to find a way to stop him some way. But how? *gasps* That's it! I need to find that Master Diamond more than ever! That is the only thing that can stop him! Once it hits him, he's toast. But I gotta find it first." He looked around and ran up the stairs to try and find any clues for the Master Diamond.

Back in Canterlot, Luna said "Tirek is set on possessing Alicorn magic. When he comes for us, we cannot have what he is looking for."

Twilight sighed inwardly and said "I'm more than willing to do my part and give up my magic."

Luna said "You misunderstand. Our magic cannot just disappear into thin air. Somepony must keep it safe."

Cadence walked over and said "That somepony is you, Twilight."

Twilight seemed confused by that and asked "Why me?"

Celestia explained by saying "We do not believe that Tirek is aware that a fourth alicorn princess exists in Equestria. If we transfer our magic to you, Tirek will not know where it is gone."

Cadence asked Twilight "Do you understand what we're asking of you?"

Twilight said "Yes... It's just I'm only now learning how to control my own Alicorn magic. To take on even more..."

Cadence interjected and said "Twilight. You represent the Element of Magic. If there's anypony who can do this, it's you."

Both Celestia and Luna nodded in agreement and that gave Twilight a boost of confidence. She said "Taking on this task will be one of the most difficult things I will ever do. But with the help of my friends..."

Celestia cut in and said "I'm sorry, Princess Twilight, but you must keep your new abilities a secret. I fear that your friends being aware of your new power could put them at great risk. Do you still think you can take on this responsibility?"

Twilight didn't exactly like the idea, but this was what needed to be done in order to protect Equestria from further harm. She said "This is the role I'm meant to play as a princess of Equestria. I will not fail to do my duty!"

Celestia then declared "Then we must begin at once!" All of them circled around Twilight and lit up their horns to begin the spell. After a few seconds, their eyes turned white and magic blasted up into the air. It became a large sphere and circulated a little bit. Twilight felt nervous and then a few seconds later, the magic shot down as fast as a lightning bolt and she braced for impact.

Outside, Tirek had gained some more magic, but Discord got a tingly feeling as he felt the transfer of power dramatically shift in a small amount of time. He said "That can't be right."

Tirek got concerned about this new development and asked "What can't be right?"

Discord wanted to dodge the question and said "Nothing! Carry on." Tirek accepted that answer and walked away with menace on his face. Back inside, Twilight had electricity circulate through her as the magic transferred to her and it calmed down a few seconds later. She ran to Celestia and noticed that their cutie marks were gone.

Celestia sighed and said "It is done."

Later that night, Twilight was busy pacing back and forth in her bedroom and she was worried as heck. Spike woke up and said "You weren't gone very long. Does that mean everything's okay?"

Twilight started to get worried because she wasn't supposed to say anything about this, so she said "Yep. Everything's fine." She threw around two books with that crazy magic of hers and chuckled nervously.

Spike accepted that answer and said "In that case, I'm going back to bed. Sun's not up, then neither am I."

Twilight found it strange that the Sun hadn't come out yet and said to herself "That's strange. The Sun should be up by now. *gasps* The Sun should be up by now!" Her magic got a little crazy at her slight panic attack and she rushed up to the window that was sitting on her bed. She sighed and said to herself "You can do this." She lit up her horn and the Moon began to move. Electricity was flowing through her body and she was levitating in the air while at it. However, she struggled a little bit. The Sun and the Moon kept moving around in very weird positions and it eventually stopped.

Shining Armor and two of the guards were walking on the bridge when they saw that happening and they thought that was really weird. The two guards suddenly started floating in the air and Shining's helmet randomly disappeared. Discord showed up and said "Shining Armor, why whatever are you doing here?"

Shining was angry at him for being a traitor to Equestria and said with anger "Back off traitor."

Tirek suddenly showed up and said "The only one Discord betrayed was himself. Abandoning his true nature to make friends with weak-minded equines who offer him nothing."

Shining was furious at him for saying that and blasted a beam of magic at him. However, Tirek blocked the attack and it turned into a small orb. He ate it like a piece of food and held Shining's mouth closed so he could drain his magic.

Shining's legs buckled and he eventually fell to the floor, which caught Discord off guard. Shining looked at him weakly and said "How could you do this?" He hit his head on the ground and laid there.

Discord started to have serious doubts about doing this, bue before he could say anything, Tirek came over and said "Why don't you go and have a little fun? I won't stand in your way!" Tirek walked away and Discord laughed evilly as he thought about it.

In the throne room, the princesses were sitting down when they suddenly heard loud footsteps. They knew Tirek had arrived and Celestia put on a defensive look when the enemy would come. Tirek destroyed the doors and walked over to the princesses. He picked up Celestia to drain her magic, but when he did so, nothing came out. He was shocked at this and yelled "What have you done?!"

Celestia just smiled at him and he tried Luna and Cadence to see if anything came out, which nothing did. Tirek was furious at this point and yelled "WHERE IS YOUR MAGIC?!"

Back in Ponyville, Twilight tried to open her door, but she blew up the door instead because of the overpowered magic that she currently has. She noticed that and said "I have to gain better control. I sure can't practice here." Twilight ran out the door and Spike noticed her leaving, so he followed after her.

He said "Uhh, Twilight, where we are going?"

Twilight noticed him right there and said "Oh, uh, hi Spike, uh gotta go somewhere else." She went up to fly away, but she created a sonic boom instead which left a crater instead and propelled her very high into the sky. She did the full 360 degree loop and flew very fast.

Rainbow was busy looking for any signs of trouble on a cloud when Twilight came flying by and the sonic wave left behind caused Rainbow to spin out a little bit. She saw Twilight's trail and was very confused. She was basically traveling Mach 1 speeds which was typically something only Rainbow could achieve, but Twilight was able to do so today. The rest of the group also knew something was up, so they decided to follow her.

Eventually, Twilight crashed back down on the ground and didn't really know what to say. Her friends showed up and Fluttershy asked "Oh my goodness, are you alright?"

Applejack asked "Jumpin' June bugs Twilight. When did ya learn to fly that fast?"

Twilight couldn't say anything on why that was the case, so she said "I must have caught a particularly strong breeze or something." She teleported to the other side and they were caught off guard by that.

Rainbow seemed doubtful about that and said "Must have been or something because there wasn't any breeze up there."

Twilight didn't have time to talk about this and said "I don't know what happened, but I really don't have time to figure it out right now."

She started to walk away, but Rarity said "Another visit to the Castle of the Two Sisters, I presume? We would be more than happy to accompany you!"

Twilight wasn't doing that and said "Not today. Tirek may still be a threat. I need you all to stay here and encourage everypony to stay inside." She was about to fly off again, but after remembering what happened just a few moments ago, she decided against it. So, she just started walking and her friends watched her leave.

Back inside the castle in Canterlot, Tirek was busy sitting on the throne and he had heard the princesses' entire plan which he thought was amusing because of how stupid it sounded to him. He said "Getting rid of your magic so that I cannot take it from you? That was your plan?!" The three princesses said nothing, so Tirek took that as a sign to continue. He said "How does it feel? Knowing that soon every Pegasus, Unicorn, and Earth Pony will bow to my will and that there is NOTHING you can do to stop it!"

Celestia hardened her glare at Tirek and said "You will not prevail, Tirek."

Tirek was unfazed by that insult and said "Give my regards to Cerberus." He opened a portal to Tartarus and sent them all in there before he closed the portal.

Discord overheard the conversation and asked "You meant our will, didn't you?"

Tirek got slightly nervous and said "Of course. Here, I want you to have something. This was given to me by someone very close to me. I give it to you as a sign of my gratitude and loyalty."

Discord was fascinated by the medallion wrapped around his neck and said "Oh my, I do love a good accessory. I suppose that's Rarity's influence."

Tirek laughed at the stained glass window of the two of them and said "Amusing. But we have no time for such things. With the princesses out of the way, we can now-" He stopped what he was saying and saw the stained glass window of Twilight, which confused him. He did not find this very amusing and said "Is this meant to be HUMOROUS?!"

Discord laughed it off and said "Oh no, I haven't touched that one yet."

Tirek wanted an explanation and said "There's a fourth and you did not tell me this?!"

Discord said calmly "I just needed some assurance that you truly considered this a team effort and now I have it."

Tirek didn't care and said "Then where can we find this "fourth" princess? Where is her castle?!" He grabbed Discord by the throat and glared at him for an answer.

Discord laughed at the question and said "Castle? Oh no, Princess Twilight lives above a library in Ponyville. Castle. Hahaha."

Tirek dropped Discord to the ground and growled with anger. He turned away and said "Not for much longer." He activated his magic and dragged down on the window of Twilight to show his hatred for the alicorn.

Back in Ponyville, everyone was locked inside and most of the Mane Six were still outside to make sure there was no one else still lingering out here in the open. Applejack said "Alright, y'all. Ah think we've warned everypony to stay inside."

Fluttershy said "I'm sure Discord will catch Tirek and this will all be over soon."

Rainbow wasn't buying that and said "I'm sure he's taking his sweet time."

Discord showed up and said "Or perhaps these things just take time." Fluttershy was so happy to see him again and went over to hug him.

She said "You're back! Did you bring the cucumber sandwiches?"

Discord made them appear and said "I did. I imagine this will your last decent meal for quite some time." He dropped the platter on the floor and summoned a cage over the group.

They were all confused and started shouting at him asking him what he was doing and what was going on, but Discord didn't care. He presented it as a magic trick and Tirek asked him "Did you gather up all of them?!"

Discord bent down and said "And her little dragon too." Spike tried to bite him in anger, but Discord pull his paw away so he couldn't sustain that.

Fluttershy was deeply hurt by this and said "Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends!"

Discord said calmly "Oh we were, but Tirek offered me so much more than just tea parties. Surely, you saw this coming?"

Fluttershy disagreed and said "I didn't. I really didn't."

Tirek had enough with the foolishness and lifted up the cage which caused the group to panic a bit. Tirek opened his mouth and drained all of their magic while Discord looked away with sadness. The cage dropped to the ground and Tirek got even bigger. He said "You really think she'd do anything for them?!"

Discord did the bow and said "If Twilight has magic to give, it will be yours. Soon, there won't be a Pegasus, Unicorn, or Earth Pony who will be able to stand up against us."

Tirek thought that was nuts and said "Us?! Who said anything about us?!"

Discord was confused by that and said quietly "You did." Tirek picked him up with his magic and dragged him over.

He said "You helped me grow strong, you provided the means by which I can obtain Princess Twilight's magic, and now you are no longer of any use to me." Tirek forcefully opened Discord's mouth with his magic and Discord's chaos magic disappeared from him in an instant. He dropped to the ground and Tirek started walking away.

Discord was incredibly confused by this betrayal and said "But... you said that this was a sign of your gratitude and loyalty. A gift from someone close to you."

Tirek did not care and said "My brother who betrayed me. It is as worthless as he is." He paid him no more attention and walked away to find Twilight.

The group saw what happened and Applejack said "Surely ya saw this coming."

For Discord, he really didn't. He thought Tirek was being genuine after he challenged the foundation of Discord's friendship with the Mane Six, but it turns out Tirek was just using him in order to reclaim the throne here in Equestria. Discord said "I didn't. I truly didn't."

At the Castle of the Two Sisters, Twilight was sitting on the ledge trying to think about how to best control her magic, but she wasn't sure she would be able to do something as basic as teleportation. She said to herself "I can do this." She lit up her horn and teleported. When she found out that she teleported a few feet, that encouraged her a bit and she smiled as a result. She said "See? Perfectly controlled teleportation."

She did it again, but this time, she appeared in random places. From Canterlot, to Neigharga Falls, to the Buffalo stampede in Appleloosa, right down to stuck in between a rock. She growled in frustration to herself, but when she heard Tirek call out her name, she started to panic.

Tirek was standing at the edge of the forest and said "You have something that belongs to me!" Twilight burst out of the rock and flew right past Tirek. The Centaur was incredibly confused by that and had a shocked look on his face. Twilight tried to stop, but she hit Tirek's leg as a stopping block. She saw his massive size and backed up a bit. Tirek glared at her and said "You're going to give me what I want." He attempted to steal the magic, but Twilight teleported away just in time.

Tirek was confused on where she went and Twilight looked through her telescope of the balcony of her library to see where he was at. He saw her looking through the telescope and blasted a large beam of magic towards her. She knew what that meant and teleported away just in time. The building exploded and Twilight crashed landed to the ground. She saw her library blown up and her pet Owl flew away.

Twilight was furious at this point and she gave Tirek a very angry glare. She spread out her wings and teleported over to meet him once more. She made it up in the sky and blasted a very large beam at Tirek to which he blocked the attack himself with a shield granted from everypony else's magic in Equestria. Eventually, the magic exploded a bit and Tirek glared at Twilight. Twilight landed on the ground and gave one right back at him.

Tirek simply smiled and said "Now I understand what you're fellow princesses have done." Twilight lit up her magic again and took off to the skies. The two traded blow for blow for a few minutes and the battle eventually ended with two blasts of magic colliding with each other Dragonball Z style. Tirek got out of the rubble and Twilight glared at him. He said "It appears that we are at an impasse. How about a trade, Princess Twilight?" He snapped his fingers and soon, all of Twilight's friends, Spike and Discord showed up in bubbles behind him.

Tirek went on and said "Their release for all the Alicorn magic in Equestria." Twilight gasped with horror at that proposal and all of them began to protest for Twilight not to do it. Tirek smiled and said "What's it going to be Princess?"

Twilight just stood in shock and had no idea what to do. After a few seconds, Rainbow yelled out "Don't do it, Twilight!"

Fluttershy added "We're not worth it."

Discord said "But you are Fluttershy. You're the pony who taught me the magic of friendship. I had magic and friendship and now, I don't have either."

Tirek was having none of it and said "ENOUGH! I want an answer and I want it NOW!" Twilight looked at all of her friends and saw the rainbow glow inside her eyes. She then realized what she needed to do and gave a firm glare at Tirek.

She said "I will give you my magic in exchange for my friends." All of them gasped in horror and Tirek smiled in glee.

He said "As you wish." He snapped his fingers and almost all of the bubbles came down and Twilight's friends were free. Discord was the only one left that was still in the air.

Twilight didn't like that and said "All of my friends."

Tirek was confused about that and said "After the way he has betrayed you, you still call him a friend?!" Discord looked with shame because he knew Tirek was right. He had betrayed them all and even though he was not the bad guy in the end, he did cause Tirek to be this way. So, his friends have every right to be mad at him for it.

However, Twilight wasn't going to hear that from Tirek and said in a demanding voice "Release him!"

Tirek relented and said "If that's what you want." He snapped his fingers and Discord landed on the ground as well.

He looked at Twilight and said "Thank you Twilight. I'm sorry."

Fluttershy had tears in her eyes and she said "I know."

Tirek turned around and said to Twilight "Your turn." Just as he opened his mouth, all of them heard very loud jet noises coming from the distance and then a bunch of small bullets hit Tirek. They turned to see who would do that and they found Knuckles sitting in his Blackbird firing away at Tirek with the turrets. The Mane Six were shocked to see him here and Tirek was confused on who the heck this was.

Knuckles growled with anger at Tirek and said "You think I would be gone just like that, you ugly Centaur?! THINK AGAIN!" He told the computer to put his vehicle into autopilot and the computer did so. Knuckles hopped out of his seat and jumped off the wing as a launchpad. He reared his fist and gave Tirek a hard punch to the face. Knuckles landed on the ground with his fist touching it and he stood up properly. He slammed his fists together and red lightning came out of it.

The group asked him why he was here, but before he could give them an answer, Tirek regained focus and laughed at the human who seemed so tiny compared to him. He said "Who the heck are you little weakling supposed to be?! Do you seriously believe that you could honestly beat someone who is 200 times your size?! I could crush you with my pinkie finger if I wanted to."

Knuckles was not amused and said "You mock me with your weak jokes, yet you know nothing about me, Centaur. Size is not a factor to me. I have been trained to fight threats much bigger than you and you are nothing more to me than some pest that needs to be dealt with."

Tirek laughed even harder and said "Well then, if you think you can defeat me, then BRING IT ON!" Tirek lit up his magic and was ready to blast him to pieces.

Knuckles took that as a challenge and charged up his red lightning as well. Tirek tried to drain Knuckles' power, but nothing happened, which left Tirek very confused. He yelled "WHAT KIND OF HERESY IS THIS?!"

Knuckles just grinned and said "Do you seriously believe that you could drain my power just like that as if it were a food source?! I am not of this world nor do I carry "magic" in the same way ponies do. I inherited these powers by birth and they could never be taken away from me, even from magic stealing morons like you!"

Tirek did not like the insult and yelled "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!" He blasted a beam at Knuckles, but Knuckles dodged it very easily and began to give punches all over Tirek's body and other forms of martial arts techniques. It might not have done that much, but it did irritate Tirek a lot. He said "You know, you could just use that power on other enemies. We could be so much more powerful if you'd just join me."

Knuckles glared at him and said "I'm not Discord, you f[BLEEP]ing moron! That might have worked on him, but it won't work on me! I might be angry and hostile all the time, but I ALWAYS value loyalty! And a white trash piece of s[BLEEP] like you will never give that out to others!" He saw that Tirek was getting mad, so he decided to press some more buttons. He said "Oh, what's wrong, did your little feelings get hurt?! Is the truth too much for you to handle? Do you need to go cry to your mommy and tell her how much of a piece of s[BLEEP] you are? Oh wait. You don't have one anymore. All that's left is your brother and father. One actually has morals while the other is incredibly disappointed in you. It's no wonder your father thought you were a mistake. Such a shame."

Tirek was beyond furious at this point and yelled "ENOUGH! HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME LIKE THAT! YOU HAVE NOTHING WHILE I WILL BE THE GREATEST OVERLORD OVER ALL OF EQUESTRIA! YOU WILL REGRET DISRESPECTING ME LIKE THAT!"

Knuckles scoffed at that and said "Sure, keep telling yourself that, you stupid moron. How about you go f[BLEEP] yourself while you're at it as well? That might make you less of a motherf[BLEEP]ing b[BLEEP] who sucks his daddy's d[BLEEP] under the table in the throne room."

Tirek had enough and yelled really loudly. He tried to fight Knuckles, but Knuckles was a lot smarter than Tirek. He allowed Tirek to fight as hard as he could until he wore himself out and couldn't fight anymore. That proved to be effective and Knuckles said in a taunting voice "Are you done yet? You got all of your anger out? I expected you to behave better, but it's clear that you got some serious anger issues. Has anyone told you that? I doubt that they did because you were such an "angel" of a child and never did anything wrong. You want to talk about me being angry, you should see yourself. It's disgusting. Go clean yourself up and don't leave the pile of s[BLEEP] on the floor. I just got that cleaned yesterday for f[BLEEP] sake."

Tirek growled with anger and said "You're nothing but disloyal!"

Knuckles gave him a glare and said "Dis is how I roll!" He cracked his knuckles a bit and yelled out his battle cry. He charged up his red lightning and jumped up into the air. He punched Tirek in the stomach and flew up into the air, which caused the Centaur to land on his side because of how powerful the attack was. The group down below was shocked to see this happen and stared in silence. Knuckles landed back on the ground and saw Tirek that way. He simply huffed in anger and started to walk away.

However, Tirek eventually got up and was about ready to blast Knuckles to pieces. Knuckles heard some noises and turned around to see Tirek firing his beam right at him. Knuckles' eyes widened and he did a barrel roll right over to the ravine and fell down right in front of the cave that housed the Tree of Harmony. Knuckles groaned a bit in pain and went to get up so he could see where he was at. Soon enough, he saw the Tree in the cave and then something else: The Master Diamond. It was here the entire time.

It was right in front of the Tree of Harmony. He quickly got up and said "The Master Diamond. I found it! I've been searching for this for my entire life and it's in my possession once again. Now, I can restore my family legacy and be the protector of the Master Diamond." He felt so glad to finally hold it in his hands and it looked just as beautiful as ever like it never aged at all.

He was about to infuse it into his body, but then he heard loud stomping outside. He took a peek and saw that Tirek was winning the current fight and was about to crush Twilight with his giant foot. Knuckles looked between her and the Master Diamond and tried to make a decision. Does he help her out or return the Master Diamond back to its rightful place? Eventually, Knuckles made a decision and went to enact it. He quickly hid the Diamond somewhere where no one could find it and he rushed up the ravine as fast as he could.

Just as Tirek was about crush Twilight, Knuckles pushed her out of the way and got crushed instead. Twilight shouted in horror along with the rest of the group and Tirek just laughed evilly. He said "What a perfect ending to the stupid ape interfering with my plans!" He stepped away and the group saw Knuckles lying there on the ground. Twilight was the first one to rush over to him and she had tears in her eyes.

The group soon followed behind her and they saw the extent of his "injuries." Knuckles chuckled a bit and said "There is no need to weep over me. My life meant nothing anyways and I was always despised by others. I was nothing but a wretch anyway, so this is the ending I deserve. Death has been knocking on the doorstep for quite some time now and it looks like my time has come."

All of them protested that he couldn't leave them and die this way and Knuckles said "It was meant to be this way from the start of my miserable life. At least I can be reunited with Maddi. It was nice knowing you all for the short time we saw each other and Rainbow? I apologize for trying to kill you. It was wrong and I should have known better than to do that. Now you just need to forgive yourself. It might not change anything, but at least I can say that before I die. No one cared about my life then and no one has definitely done so now. Don't grieve over my death and don't tear apart your friendship because of it. It's very valuable to Equestria and you don't need me destroying that. I don't want that. Farewell, friends."

Tirek took that as a time to laugh and blasted right at Knuckles. After a few seconds, all that was left there was a skeleton which left everyone in horror. Their eyes shrunk down to pinpricks and Tirek laughed even more. "That pathetic little creature is gone! Now, I shall be the GREATEST OVERLORD IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA AND DESTROY ANYONE WHO GETS IN MY WAY!" He started to destroy trees with his magic and seemed to be enjoying it.

The group was left speechless and had no idea what to say. Discord broke the silence and said "Tirek tricked me into believing that I could get something more valuable than friendship, but there is nothing worth more. I see that now. He lied when he said that this medallion was given as a sign of gratitude and loyalty, but when I say that it is a sign of our true friendship, I am telling the truth."

Discord gave the medallion to Twilight and that's when she realized this could have been the last key needed in order to open the chest.

Applejack asked "Ya think that might be the last one we need?"

Twilight stared at it and said "There's only one way to find out." All of them rushed down to the Tree to see if it did anything, and lo and behold, it did the exact same thing as with the other keys. Twilight smiled a bit, but then heard the loud stomping outside. She saw Tirek destroying the forest, so she told them that they had to do this together. They all turned the keys and the chest began to glow. It connected with the Tree and turned them all into super forms.

Tirek saw this and tried to drain that magic, but nothing happened, which left him incredibly shocked. He said in anger "How is this possible?! You have no magic! I even destroyed that weird ape looking creature!"

Twilight was not fazed by that and said "You're wrong, Tirek! You may have taken my friends' magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!" The beam suddenly hit on Tirek and shrunk down his size back to his weakest form. He returned to Tartarus and the magic was returned all across Equestria. The princesses were also set free and they left to head back home. The Tree returned them to its original location and the chest closed. Suddenly, there was an Earthquake and a magic beam shot out into the sky.

The chest went inside it and was dragged all the way to Ponyville. It went into the ground and something started to come out of it. After a few seconds, it formed into a giant structure. The Tree took them to it and all of them were surprised to see a full fledged castle standing right in front of them.

Rarity said "Sweet Celestia! Are you all seeing what I'm seeing?"

Twilight was incredibly confused and asked "But whose it is?"

She heard Celestia say "I believe it is yours, Princess Twilight." She turned around and saw the princesses, Spike, and Discord standing right there. They all went into the castle and Celestia said "You've been wondering what you were meant to do as a princess. Do you know now?"

Twilight said "As Princess, I believe I have the power to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria. That's the role I'm meant to have in our world. The role I choose to have. But I didn't defeat Tirek on my own. It took all of us to unlock the chest."

Celestia smiled and said "Then it is unlikely that you are meant to take on this task alone." All of them gasped at the room they saw in front of them and were amazed. Celestia said "You are now Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship." They went to sit on the new chairs and were loving it. Celestia said "But what is the Princess of Friendship without her friends?" They came together and Twilight saw Discord hiding in the corner. Twilight smiled and brought him over to them. He gave them a hug and then realized something.

He said "Wait a minute. Where's my throne?"

Fluttershy flew up and said "I don't think you're quite there yet."

Discord chuckled a bit nervously and said "I suppose not."

After some celebration, Twilight looked out at her new balcony, staring at the night sky and sighing. While all of this was nice, it tore her apart that this had to come at the price of Knuckles dying at the hands of Tirek. They may have defeated him, but they couldn't stop him from killing Knuckles. She really wished that Knuckles was here to see all of this and be part of it. He might not have known him for that long, but she grew close with him. To see him leave her like that broke her heart.

She was eternally grateful for the sacrifice he made in order to keep her alive, but it had to come at the price of his death. She let the tears flow down her face and said quietly "I'm sorry Caleb. I wish I was a better friend to you, but I got all of this nice stuff while you got nothing for doing something heroic like that. You didn't have to go like that. You could have stayed here. I hope you are happy wherever you may be with your girlfriend Maddi." Eventually, she returned to her room and she hopped on the bed. She went into full breakdown mode and started to cry herself to sleep. Equestria may be safe once again, but she lost someone close in the process.

Author's Note

AN: I apologize for this chapter coming out so late, but I have been busy over the weekend with college work, hanging out with the boys, going to church, and doing fellowship with my pastor's family. Anyway, I bet you didn't really see this coming, but it's been in the works for a while. He might not be truly dead. We'll have to see. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Next Chapter: Fighting amongst friends! After the death of Knuckles, the Mane Six is completely torn apart about this and have no idea where to go from here. It's left them all really tense with each other and will eventually boil over. They start to blame each other and divide themselves even further. Will they be able to move past this and mend their friendship, or will his death impact them so greatly that their friendship be permanently damaged?

Until then, my fellow readers