Multiversal Voyage

Universe 99999

Princess Celestia grunted in pain, her legs wobbling as she tried to stand, only to collapse against the bubble trapping her. The alicorn was breathless, clinging to life through sheer willpower. She knew the machine wasn't designed to kill her; however, each use inflicted a level of physical suffering she had never experienced before.

She had tried countless times to escape, but every blast of magic she conjured dissipated before achieving anything. When she attempted to teleport, she was shocked to the bone until the mere thought of escape was driven from her mind. After so long... even if those countermeasures were deactivated, the tall mare doubted she had enough power left to break free. She was… nothing more than a living battery.

The machine suddenly activated, its internal cogs turning loudly enough for Celestia to hear. Had an hour passed already? The alicorn braced herself as the bubble lit up. She screamed in sync with the crackling electricity surrounding her, her cries almost as loud as thunder, while her magic was forcibly expelled from her body. The sun... moved. Only then was Celestia able to breathe again. The cogs stopped, and the electricity faded, leaving the poor mare lying down miserably.

How many times had she endured this? Was there any end in sight? Would someone save her? Could anyone stop the council? Was it even possible? Celestia whimpered, scratching the bubble's surface with one of her hooves. Luna... If only Luna were here. She longed for her sister's return. But it was too late. Luna had been gone for over a thousand years, and any hope of bringing her back vanished when the council killed Nightmare Moon.

She had despised Twilight ever since the day of her imprisonment. However, over time, she began to question her own role in these events. Twilight had claimed it was because she manipulated her. Celestia started to accept that perhaps she did. Maybe she had used her. Nevertheless, it was all for the greater good! Luna would have been freed, and eventually, Twilight would have become an alicorn! Why couldn’t she see that? If everything had gone according to plan, Equestria would have been ideal by now! Everyone would have achieved their dreams!

Twilight certainly wouldn’t have needed a coup to obtain the throne! Simply thinking of the unicorn and how much she had trained her made Celestia’s anger bubble back to the surface. Oh, if she could strangle that filly, she would. Who could have even imagined she would become such a monster?!

Nonetheless, no matter how grand her hate was, Celestia lost. That was an undeniable truth. Her will to fight was already gone in the blink of an eye. Her hope was already lost, too. She… even started considering swearing fealty to the council, promising that she would raise the sun and moon willingly if they let her out of this machine. Unfortunately, she doubted they would accept.

“How are you this fine day, Celestia?” Twilight’s mocking voice suddenly cut off the alicorn’s train of thought. The lavender mare closed the door behind her, slowly marching into the room.

“Twilight,” Celestia hissed, rising to her feet to stand as proud as she could. However, nothing she could do would hide her weakness. Her legs were barely holding her up, and Twilight saw that as clear as day. However, the alicorn did notice something about her former student. The unicorn’s man was disheveled and her eyes carried large bags. “You look tired,” The alicorn remarked in a flat tone.

“Do you know what happened, Celestia?” Twilight promptly ignored her remark. “No, of course, you don’t. Since you’re trapped in here, you have no way of knowing what goes on in the world… unless I tell you. Simply put, I’ve been the only face you’ve seen these past few years, haven’t I?” She chuckled, shaking her head.

“What is it?” Celestia clenched her teeth, her patience running teeth. The moment Twilght’s gaze met hers, though, the alicorn instinctively jerked her head back. Her former student’s eyes were full of hate.

“The rebels destroyed a whole factory. They killed hundreds,” The lavender mare revealed, making the princess gasp in disbelief. “All because they’re dissatisfied with us, and with our way of ruling. Aren’t they selfish, Princess?” She spat out the last word.

“This… I don’t know what to say…” Princess Celestia whispered. Of course, she took everything Twilight said with a grain of salt since it wasn’t the first time the unicorn spoke about the rebellion, and the alicorn slightly doubted that they would begin bombing innocents.

“But this wasn’t even the worst of their crime. They… They hurt one of my friends,” Twilight choked out, trying to hold back her tears. “They tore down her statue and made her… do things she regrets,”

“Her what?” Celestia blinked, flabbergasted by the other mare’s words.

“She feels like she disappointed me. Can you imagine that?” The younger mare rubbed her eyes. “I could never. You know I could never… but these dirty and despicable scumbags actually made one of my friends feel like I would be disappointed in them!” She screamed in fury, her teeth clenched. The little tears she had in the corner of her eyes went up in smoke nearly instantly. “How outrageous! This is unacceptable! That I would feel any form of resentment, disappointment or even any negativity at all toward them is unthinkable!”

“Friendship doesn’t mean loving unconditionally… It doesn’t mean you have to forgive anything they do,” Celestia said, panting. She had already figured that Twilight’s friend wasn’t blameless in this affair.

“I don’t expect you to know anything about love, Celestia. Especially after the way you banished your sister,” Twilight snorted in contempt. The alicorn suddenly slammed her horn against the bubble, as if trying to impale the unicorn from where she stood. “Violence doesn’t suit you,” She spoke fearlessly.

“Don’t you dare speak about her!” Celestia ordered, baring her teeth.

“If you had truly loved her, then you would have let Nightmare Moon do as she wished! This is why my friends and I have such a strong bond. It’s because we fully support each other no matter what we do,” Twilight shook her head in dismissal before walking around, tinkering with the machine. It looked like she was slowly activating another mechanism. However, Celestia was far too busy processing her former student’s words to worry about that.

“This is not love, Twilight,” The alicorn firmly spoke.

“Enough!” Twilight suddenly snapped. “I am not here to talk philosophy with you! In fact, I doubt we will talk ever again after this,” She declared as she lit her horn, summoning the pendant she had shown Celestia before. The alicorn widened her eyes, realizing what that meant. “I have been working day and night these past three days because of those rebels. Finally, it is ready to store your magic. Soon, you will have no power at all,”

“Twilight. Please. You do not know what you are doing,” Celestia begged, her anger now subsiding instantly.

“Oh, but I do,” The unicorn quickened the pace, pulling a few levers and turning on the machine before walking up to a control panel and clicking several buttons. “The council made this kingdom greater than it has even been! We saved it countless times! And this is how they thank us?!” Twilight spat out, her fury was as palpable as ever. “They even make us lose face in front of the other kingdoms! How could I expect them to pledge their nations to us in this situation?! It would be foolish on my part, wouldn’t it?!” Twilight questioned out loud. Still, Celestia doubted any kingdom would have let themselves be invaded by Equestria even before the rebels’ actions. She had more than a thousand years of political experience while Twilight barely had any. The alicorn simply understood how the world worked better, and she was aware that no leader would give their nation simply to avoid a war. “We gave them security and peace! More freedom than they could ever hope for! Most of all, they are happy! And they repay us with nothing but malice!”

“Twilight… Whatever you are about to do… Don’t. I beg you,” Celestia tried to appeal to the unicorn’s equinity again.

“My friends had been too kind. Equestria took advantage of that kindness. They took advantage of mine,” The lavender mare clenched her teeth. “Simply put, we need harsher measures. I’m done being kind. The changelings weren’t enough. Those bugs were supposed to serve as an example, but it seems the world needs another one to understand,”

“No… We can still fix this,” Celestia stated as a small pillar with a glass container suddenly rose from the ground.

“Oh, I agree. There is an easy fix for this,” Twilight carefully walked up to the glass container. “Once I extract your magic, the pendant will allow me to control the sun and the moon. We will not need you anymore,” She beamed before putting the pendant inside the container. “Once I find a way to transfer that magic to me and the girls, we will become alicorns. We will be the only ones with the power to move the sun and moon. The whole world will need us, but they’re arrogant,” She whispered with contempt. “They will fight back because they simply cannot see the big picture. The first ones to make that mistake will experience what the changelings did, then perhaps they will understand the power of harmony,” She went back to the control panel after closing the glass sphere. “But since they’re fools, they won’t, so we’ll have to do it again until they do!”

“They will only grow to hate you! Do you truly believe this will accomplish anything? It will be a bloodbath!” Celestia tried to argue. Even if she couldn’t save her life or her magic, she was hoping she could at least talk some sense into the unicorn.

“I have already told you. I am not here to talk philosophy with you,” Twilight shook her head. “I am wondering, though. What should I do with you once I extract your magic? Do I kill you? It would make me happy, certainly,” She mused. “But that happiness is ephemeral, and your misery will end there. On the other hoof, I could keep you as a servant. A magicless jester, perhaps? Or a maid? With your own eyes, you will see the perfect world my friends and I will build. Unfortunately, with no immortality, you will not experience much of it,” She hummed, nodding her head at her own indecisiveness. “I could brainwash you. Wouldn’t it be ironic if I turned you into our most loyal adoring follower?” She chuckled in amusement, however, before Celestia could get a word out, the unicorn finally activated the machine. “We shall decide after the extraction,”

Celestia screamed in agony as thunder roared around her, clasping her entire body. She wasn’t sure if it was only mental, but she was certain whatever it was doing to her was tearing her apart!

“D-Don’t!” The alicorn cried, which fell on deaf ears. Shortly after, the older mare’s screams ceased, and the machine’s lights slowly went off.

Twilight stood there and watched as her former mentor collapsed, unmoving. The unicorn walked up to the amulet and inspected it. It was different from before, that much she could tell. It radiated power. When she placed it around her neck, she could finally conclude that it was a success! Her relentless efforts hadn’t been for nothing! She was one step closer to ridding herself and her friends of their mortalities. Soon, they would be assured to reign over Equestria for all eternity, and make it a kingdom grander than anything Celestia could have possibly accomplished!

Speaking of the alicorn, perhaps it was time to finally release this glorified rat. Twilight lit her horn, and the bubble opened a second later, letting the alicorn drop to the floor with a loud thud.

“Your torment is over, Celestia. You should be happy, you know. Simply put, you aren’t our battery anymore,” She stepped up to the fallen mare; however, her jeers were only met with silence. The lavender unicorn quirked an eyebrow. Did the extraction affect her more than Twilight thought? Celestia’s cutie mark was gone, which wasn’t a surprise. This was a possible side effect of losing your magic. The unicorn looked over her former mentor’s body, using her magic to turn it over and even lift her eyelids to inspect her eyes. How… troublesome. “It seems you’ve been more weakened than I thought. You didn’t survive the extraction. This is regrettable,” She coldly spoke, seemingly caring little about the alicorn’s demise. “It seems fate has decided for me, in the end. Goodbye, Princess,” Twilight breathed in disappointment, then turned around.

As the unicorn walked away, she lit her horn and manifested red flames over the princess, letting them consume her body.

“I had thought that I would at least shed a tear. This… is disappointing,” The unicorn whispered to herself before exiting the room and closing the door behind her, sealing it so no one would ever come in again.

The council of Harmony was seated at the round table, all discussing with one another. No guard stood in their room, and most seemed quite laid–back. You wouldn’t guess they were dealing with a growing rebellion in their own kingdom if you were to watch them now; however, they were certainly not in the same state of mind. While Minister Pinkie Pie smiled as wide as ever, laughing out loud while talking to Minister Fluttershy, Minister Rainbow Dash sat with her forelegs crossed, and unwilling to converse. If her frown was any indication, it was likely that she didn’t even want to attend this meeting at all.

“Still mad about what happened in Rainbow City?” Applejack inquired, cutting off the cyan pegasus’ brooding.

“Of course, I am!” Rainbow Dash threw her hooves in the air as if it was obvious. “They broke my statue! And my record! We had a 0% crime rate, Applejack! If only these nerds were better at their job!” She gritted her teeth, almost growling at the reminder.

“Can ya blame them? They thought one of us was visitin’,” Applejack argued for them, which merely made her friend scoff.

“That’s not an excuse! If these idiots can’t even recognize their rulers, that’s on them!”

“Well, they sure won’t be makin’ the same mistake again since they’re all dead!” The earth pony rolled her eyes.

“Pfft, so what? Twilight said I made the right call, anyway,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, unbothered.

“She says that about every stupid thing ya do,” Applejack deadpanned. What she was mostly concerned about wasn’t the lives lost, but the knowledge. The farm pony didn’t know any of these ponies, so she cared little about their well-being, but they were their main source of scientific knowledge! They were the ones to advance Equestria’s technology and place it above the rest of the world! They would have had a great advantage! All of those were things Twilight said, of course. Unfortunately, one of Twilight’s flaws was that she forgave everything when it came to her friends.

It wasn’t a problem for Applejack and most of the others since she rarely made mistakes, especially stupid ones at that. However, Rainbow was another matter entirely. That mare had no reservations and did as she wished. The farm pony simply wanted her to have better control of her emotions. However, someone walked inside the room before she could explain that to the pegasus.

“Twilight!” Pinkie happily greeted their friend, jumping on her chair. The other mare simply giggled as she stopped in front of the table to give everyone a good view of what was around her neck.

“That’s…” Minister Fluttershy pointed at the pendant.

“The thingy! Magic-stealing thingy!” Rainbow Dash added, instantly letting go of her earlier anger.

“Indeed, it is,” Twilight confirmed.

“Then that means… We’ll be alicorns, soon?” Applejack questioned apprehensively. After all, she never imagined that she, of all ponies, would ever become an alicorn. She didn’t even know if it was possible.

“It is the next step. All I need is to learn how to proceed with it,” The lavender unicorn cheerfully replied.

“YAHOO!” Rarity suddenly jumped on the table, much to everyone’s shock. Not only did she display unladylike behavior by jumping on here, but she even began a celebration dance! While most of her friends laughed, Fluttershy only smiled, and Twilight giggled. “Goodbye, wrinkles, and welcome, eternal youth!” She shouted. “Oh, to think my beauty will remain forever,” The white unicorn whispered dreamily.

“Actually, as an alicorn, you will likely be even more beautiful than you currently are. Even if to me, you are already perfect,” Twilight interjected coupled with a wide smile.

“Oh, Twilight, you know how to flatter a lady,” Rarity chuckled, waving her hoof in amusement. “I still think the alicorn look will be a nice bonus, though,”

“Pfft, everypony knows I’m the favorite,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, Applejack, who was right beside her, rolled her eyes but didn’t comment.

“Now, on to more urgent matters,” Twilight suddenly gained a serious look. That alone was enough to get everyone on the same page, calming them down. For Rainbow, it even made her forget her earlier troubles. “Has Shining Armor said anything these past days?” She questioned Applejack, who shook her head as a negative.

“All he and the other Flutters talked about are mundane things,” The farm pony hissed in annoyance.

“It was to be expected,” Twilight clicked her tongue. “Shining Armor knows their cells are being watched even where there are no guards around. He won’t tell us anything about their plans. All we know is their target was the Thunder Factory,”

Rainbow Dash grunted at the reminder, which didn’t go unnoticed by the lavender unicorn.

“I’m not mad at you, Rainbow. I know it wasn’t your fault,” Twilight assured her before turning her attention back to Applejack. “Did the other Fluttershy say anything? Is she willing to work with us?”

“Nope. Ah tried tellin’ her everythin’ you told me, but she wasn’t havin’ it,” The earth pony shook her head.

“This is disappointing,” Twilight clicked her tongue.

“I say it’s her loss, Twilight,” Minister Fluttershy interjected with a small smile. “If she can’t see all the good you did –we did- then she’s the only one to blame. Maybe her friends from her world will understand,” She reasoned hopefully.

“Perhaps, but we can’t exactly contact them for now. All we can do is fight back the rebellion,” The lavender mare paced in thought. “Since their target was the factory, then that must mean there is a potential army looking to invade Equestria,” She concluded.

“But what kingdom would be willing to work with them?” Rarity questioned in confusion.

“None. Except… The Crystal Empire,” Twilight replied bitterly. “I don’t want to imagine Cadance betraying us, but it is quite likely considering Shining Armor’s actions. However, I already posted several units of soldiers on the border. If an army comes from the empire, we will know. We are already spread thin as it is because of order 21, but it would take days for an army to reach Canterlot from the border, plenty of time for the guards to regroup,”

“What if the rebels attack us themselves, then? They probably have a bunch of ponies in their team,” Rainbow Dash argued.

“That is why I executed order 21 in the first place. No matter where it happens, they won’t be able to regroup without a guard spotting them, and they won’t reach Canterlot without being spotted either,” Their leader explained.

“Still… I have a bad feeling about this,” Fluttershy muttered nervously, eliciting curious looks from the others, encouraging her to go on. “It seems strange that there hasn’t been any attempted rescues yet. The rebels have always been so careful that we’ve never captured a single one of them before. Would they really let Shining and the other me in the dungeons for so long?” She questioned before noticing they were all staring at her. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” She apologized.

“It’s alright, dear. Your remark is most welcome,” Rarity reassured the yellow pegasus. On the other hand, Twilight tapped her chin, pondering Fluttershy’s reasoning. Suddenly, the lavender unicorn frowned.

“They’re preparing something big,” She muttered in realization. “We must move Shining Armor and the other somewhere else!” She shouted. Unfortunately, before anyone could execute that order, the castle suddenly shook, as if hit by an earthquake.

“What the-” Pinkie exclaimed as she slipped off her chair and fell to the floor face–first. Nevertheless, she retained her smile.

“Don’t tell me…” Rainbow Dash whispered, almost afraid to finish her sentence. Another quake shook the castle, confirming her fears.

“My ladies!” A guard suddenly burst into the room, slamming the doors open. In any other circumstances, such actions would have been drastically punished; however, every single member of the council guessed what was likely happening. Thus, they couldn’t waste time on such trivialties. “We’re under attack! A whole army of crystal ponies is invading Canterlot!” He revealed.

“What?! That’s impossible!” Twilight screamed in shock and disbelief.

“No guard would miss a whole army! They couldn’t have come here without us knowing!” Rarity exclaimed, as incredulous as the others. The lavender unicorn ran to the large windows and pressed her face against the glass, widening her eyes at the sight before her.

Crystal ponies, their usual shiny and gradient glow missing, marched toward Canterlot, visible even from the castle’s windows. Above them, pegasi flew in unison, heading in the same direction. It would take only a few minutes for the entire group to pass through Canterlot’s grand doors, gaining easy access to the city due to the sparse number of soldiers posted nearby. However, what shocked Twilight the most was the sight of what followed that army.

“No… This is absurd. Cadance has never been such adept at magic! She couldn’t have possibly created a spell so intricate!” She stomped the floor, her anger slowly replacing her disbelief.

The rest of her friends simply watched ahead, amazed that even Twilight was left dumbfounded by another pony’s magic, something they had rarely seen until now.

A few minutes earlier, in the dungeons…

Fluttershy sighed, licking her lips.

“You alright, Fluttershy?” Shining asked next to her. They were both still shackled to the wall. Ever since that torture Fluttershy witnessed, Prime Minister Twilight hadn’t come back once. The guards also only interacted with them when they were to give them food and water. Naturally, they couldn’t help but stare at Fluttershy for a few seconds every time, which wasn’t surprising since she was a perfect copy of one of their rulers.

“A bit thirsty, but overall fine,” The pegasus answered. Her throat was a little dry, but it was nothing she couldn’t manage. She was more worried about the outside world, and her friends. She had been imprisoned here for days! Maybe her friends already found their respective stones and only awaited Fluttershy, who wasn’t even close to getting out of there!

“I’m glad to hear it,” Shining smiled despite it all. How could she forget the stallion’s tears after he revealed what they had done to the changelings? She didn’t wish to imagine going through such pain. Nonetheless, he continued to act strong to avoid worrying her even more. Of course, Fluttershy could tell. He wasn’t the first she had seen do that. However, what he said next truly surprised her. “Thankfully, it will be over soon. You know how Spitfire said Trixie and I were essential for this? All we need is Trixie here, and my sister’s reign will end,”

“Wait, is it alright for you to tell me that? Won’t they be listening?” Fluttershy inquired in panic. One of the first things Shining told her once they were left alone was that they couldn’t talk about any of their plans since Twilight would undoubtedly eavesdrop on them.

“They won’t have time to listen to us. Not now,” Shining shook his head, smiling confidently. “The cavalry is here,” He declared just as the ceiling suddenly shook.

“W-What is happening?!” Fluttershy shouted worriedly as prison guards began filling the hall, all running upstairs.

“3 days. 3 days is what it takes for Derpy to reach the Crystal Empire. It was a good thing that we were the ones captured… because of that, Derpy was able to fly all the way to the empire and tell Cadance that Canterlot had no more defenses!” The unicorn proudly revealed, beaming at the sight of all the running guards. “The Crystal Empire’s army should be right on Canterlot’s doorstep!”

“But… how? I don’t know much about war, but shouldn’t it take them days to get here?” Fluttershy questioned, only for Shining to simply turn to her and smirk.

“My sister has read about nearly every spell there is. Nothing would surprise her… except a spell that didn’t exist until a couple of years ago,” He said before looking up. “Cadance has been training, too. Don’t underestimate my wife,” The stallion proudly declared.

A spell that had been in the making for years, ever since Cadance knew the council would have to be stopped someday. Beyond Equestria’s borders, and right on the edge of the Crystal Empire’s main city, Princess Cadance stood tall, her horn shining bright. Several unicorns were lined up behind her, holding a similar pose and with magic surrounding their horns as they focused all their energy on maintaining the spell.

Their army advanced into a purple-swirling vortex, which only seemed to lead to complete darkness. This was one of the Crystal Empire’s greatest achievements: a portal. A spell capable of transporting an entire army all across a kingdom, and it only needed a few handfuls of unicorns.

“Can you hold the portal on your own?” Cadance asked the unicorn closest to her, to which they nodded confidently. “Good, then I have to leave. I have a husband to save,” The alicorn announced, turning off the light around her horn and taking off toward the portal at full speed.

Whether she would come back to her kingdom alive or not… was another matter. Nonetheless, she would make sure the council pays for everything they did.

“No, no, no!” Twilight hollered, nearly about to tear her mane out. This couldn’t be happening! They… They were… “We’ve been outplayed?! This is nonsense! I refuse to let them ruin everything when we’re so close to perfection!” So close… Oh, so close to finally making a move to heal the whole world and not just Equestria. The lavender unicorn turned to look at her friends. “Applejack, take the east route. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, take the west one. All three of you go and check on the dungeons and make sure they’re in the cell,” In case they were already freed in some way, it was better for her friends to split up and make sure Shining Armor and the other Fluttershy wouldn’t be able to reach the throne room by blocking all their paths available. She had no doubt that her brother would attempt to take her out.

“What do we do if we find ‘em?” Applejack questioned while the other two ministers, who were already about to bolt out, waited carefully for Twilight’s answer.

“They had their chance,” The unicorn answered, which was enough for them to understand her orders. Her friends only nodded in response before running out. “Rainbow Dash,” Twilight turned her attention to the cyan pegasus… just to see that she wasn’t there anymore.

“She left as soon as they came out of the portal, darling,” Rarity calmly explained.

“Good,” Twilight nodded. She already knew the outside battle was in good hooves. Applejack would have been a good bonus, but she couldn’t leave Shining Armor any chance of escape. “You stay here, Rarity. I may need you,”

“Of course,” Rarity smiled. Unfortunately, her expression swiftly turned grim once her leader suddenly gained a stern look.

“Stand back,” The lavender unicorn ordered, which the other mare executed immediately. Twilight backed away, too, as if sensing oncoming danger.

She was proven right only a second later when Princess Cadance herself suddenly teleported inside the throne room, aiming her horn at Twilight’s chest. However, the unicorn reacted in the blink of an eye and blocked it with her own horn, keeping her former foalsitter to a standstill.

Both gritted their teeth while pushing against one another, each trying to gain the upper hand over the other, only to be separated by a blast of magic they conjured up at the same time. Cadance landed only a few steps away while Twilight remained in place, watching the alicorn scornfully.

The princess of love looked more like a warrior than a lover with the way she wore that steel armor; the official royal armor from the Crystal Empire. Twilight would have almost felt honored to be taken so seriously if it weren’t for such a betrayal.

“Cadance,” Twilight coldly greeted the alicorn while Minister Rarity stood nearby, her horn at the ready to help her leader in case she needed it.

“I suppose talking you into giving up the throne is useless, isn’t it?” Cadance glared. However, before the unicorn could even answer, the Crystal Empire’s ruler’s eyes settled on the pendant she was wearing. A single glance was enough to sense the magic it emitted. “How did you… What did you do? You said Celesita died fighting Nightmare Moon, so what-”

“This may be a stupid question… but what did you come here to do?” Twilight cut off the princess’ bothersome interrogation. Perhaps in the past, her younger self would have been worried when meeting Cadance’s hateful gaze; however, even with all the fury in the world held into the alicorn’s eyes, Twilight didn’t move an inch.

“To put an end to this!” The alicorn responded and launched herself forward.

Twilight surrounded herself with a magical barrier, expecting another horn attack, only for Cadance to light it instead and encompass them both into a swirling vortex. The unicorn blinked in confusion, spinning her head around, only to see that no matter where she looked, there was only darkness.

“What is this?!” She demanded an answer from Cadance, who stood only a couple of feet away.

“A portal with no destination. As long as I keep it up, you’re trapped here. There’s no one to intervene in our fight,” The alicorn explained. Twilight merely scoffed. Cadance had never been a fighter! She wasn’t scaring anyone. Nevertheless, something else made the unicorn’s blood boil. “Where is Shining Armor? Did you hurt him?” She interrogated impatiently.

“You…” Twilight whispered with rage. “I offered you the Crystal Empire. I let you keep your title. I let you befriend my friends… All because I trusted you… And you betrayed me… or perhaps you never were on my side in the first place? You used me. Just like Princess Celestia… You used me,” Her lips quivered as she talked, barely holding herself in check as small arcs of lightning cackled around her horn. “You hurt me,” She choked back.

Cadance’s composure nearly faltered as images of Twilight as a filly flashed back into her mind, reminding her of the innocent pony she once was. The alicorn would have felt bad for her if it were in other circumstances, but… the innocent filly was gone, and the adult mare had hurt countless innocent creatures already.

“What did you do to Princess Celestia? What did you do to Shining?” Cadance asked again, only to step back in shock as purple flames suddenly burst out of the corners of Twilight’s mouth. Flowing and burning light emanated from around her horn as those same flames erupted out of various spots on her body.

“Does it matter?!” Twilight raged with never-seen-before wrath. Her voice roared like thunder, capable of even splitting the sky. or at least, that was how Cadance perceived it as the other mare glared at her, her eyes shining with a blinding white light. “I’ll send you all the same hell!”

Cadance steeled herself with resolve, standing her ground. Whatever happened next… it would decide the fate of the world.

On the outside of the portal, Rarity tilted her head, unsure of how to act. Twilight told her to stay back, but that was before getting trapped inside that strange spell. And if she needed help, then it was perhaps better for Rarity to help her from outside instead to avoid getting trapped, too.

“YAAAAAH!” A feminine scream suddenly pulled Rarity out of her thoughts. It even seemed to be getting louder!

“What is it, now?” The fashionista inquired before taking her eyes off the portal and gazing at the window… just in time to see it shatter to pieces as a grey pegasus burst through it. Rarity raised her horn to cast a barrier but was far too slow to react.

Derpy slammed her head against Rarity’s, making them barrel away from the portal, both grunting in pain. Yet, even after being so disoriented, the mail pony managed to see well enough to confirm her target. Without hesitation, she tried to pull the necklace holding the element of generosity off the white unicorn’s neck.

“Don’t touch that!” Rarity screamed, suddenly regaining her senses. Her horn blared to life before blasting the pegasus away and sending her flying through one of their thrones.

“Ow!” Derpy cried, hitting the wall and falling to the floor with pieces of the throne all around her. “My back…” She moaned while rubbing her back. “I thought that stupidly charging head first would work,” The mail pony grunted while standing up.

“You… You’ll pay for this,” Rarity gritted her teeth. “You just messed up my mane!” She shouted before conjuring another beam of magic around her horn.

“Uh oh,” Derpy muttered fearfully, slowly backing away. Well, she could only hope the others were faring better than her, at least.

“What do we do?” Fluttershy asked the stallion, who seemed to be waiting for something. A few minutes had passed since Shning told her of what was happening, and all she heard were several explosions from time to time, but nothing else.

“Considering all the shaking there’s been, I’m willing to bet unicorns and pegasi have been hitting the castle. It’s only a matter of time before someone comes to rescue us. Right now, the defenses are down, and I doubt my sister is in any position to put them up, which means there’s no active teleportation preventions,” Shining Armor explained. If everything went well, then Trixie should be here soon.

The stallion was proven right only a couple of seconds later when two guards flew down the hall and crashed in front of their cell.

“Right on cue,” Shining grinned.

“Think I heard Shining in here!” A stallion cheerfully exclaimed as multiple footsteps quickly approached the cell they were in. Once the other ponies showed their faces, Fluttershy couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

“Braeburn! Cheese Sandwich!” The pegasus shouted.

“We’re here to get ya out,” Braeburn answered before pulling his forehoof back and punching the cell door open as if it was made of cardboard. He swiftly did the same to their shackles, then pulled the ring off Shining Armor’s horn, finally allowing him to use magic.

“Is Trixie with you?” Fluttershy inquired while the white unicorn rubbed his hooves, which undoubtedly felt sore after being in shackles for so long. From what the pegasus saw, she didn’t seem as tightly bound as she was, likely because she was a counterpart to their friend.

“She teleported us here, but she’s still outside. She needs to make sure there won’t be any barrier spell put in place until most of the army gets into the city. She’ll join us as soon as she’s done with that,” Cheese explained, to which Shining nodded in understanding. It was to be expected, and it was one of the things they planned for when strategizing about this invasion.

“That’ll give us some time to get to my sister, then. She should be in the throne room,” Shining explained; however, his expression quickly turned into one of concern. “Problem is there are 2 main paths to it. She could try to trap us in a pincer attack if one or more of the ministers come from behind,” He voiced his worries, only for Braeburn to put a reassuring hoof on his shoulder.

“Then ya three will take one route, and Ah’ll pick the other. Unless Ah confront Minister Rarity, then brute force should be enough,” The farm pony affirmed.

“Alright. I’m counting on you,” Shining Armor declared without hesitation before turning to Fluttershy and Cheese Sandwich. “We should hurry. This way,” He gestured to the other side.

“Be careful, Braeburn,” Fluttershy gave him a quick hug, which was also a way to thank him for the rescue before running after the white unicorn, followed by Cheese Sandwich.

“As soon as we’re done with this, we’re having the biggest party to date, buddy!” The party pony shouted, looking back at the other earth pony while he ran after the others.

Braeburn shook his head in amusement, adjusted his cowboy hat, and then ran to the opposite side. He ignored the prisoners in the cell and climbed up the stairs. Even if the imprisoned ponies could have been useful, he couldn’t afford to waste time by freeing them. Moreover, he doubted they would be much help considering they already had an army. At least, they’d be free by the end of this whole ordeal.

“Stop this instant!” A guard suddenly ordered, standing at the top of the staircase with two other soldiers.

“No thanks,” Braeburn retorted punching the first guard in the snout and knocking him unconscious instantly. The second attempted to bash the farm pony’s head with a shield, only for him to kick it into pieces.

The third guard, a unicorn, lit his horn. However, before he could grab Braeburn with his magic, the second guard was thrown against him, sending them both barreling down the stairs.

Braeburn ignored the numerous pained yelps and ran swiftly ahead. If he followed this path, he would quickly reach the throne room. With any luck, these three guards were the only obstacles on that route; however, that would mean Shining Armor and the others would have the most trouble. Should he turn back and follow them? He also couldn’t afford to arrive in the throne room first. He took pride in his strength; he was an earth pony and a farmer, after all. However, he knew he stood no chance against Prime Minister Twilight.

The others, he could see himself getting a victory through perseverance and luck, but against her? No way. Fortunately, he didn’t need to mull over it for long. Bad news, however: he had a bigger fish to fry than mere guards.

“Ya dirty sewer rat!” Minister Applejack yelled from the other end of the hallway, quickening the pace toward her cousin.

“Just ma luck,” Braeburn muttered, charging ahead without stopping. Fighting a relative wasn’t something he wanted, either. However, no pain he could feel now would be on par with what Shining went through all this time while betraying his sister. The farm pony didn’t get to complain!

“Hiya!” Applejack brought her foreleg down, intending to break Braeburn’s skull in a single hit. The stallion jerked his head back just in time as his cousin’s hoof missed him by an inch and hit the floor instead, creating a large fissure across the hall. Applejack clicked her tongue. if she hadn’t held back before punching the floor, then she might have made them both fall underground. “Ya wanna explain yerself before Ah bash yer head in?” She hissed while her cousin backed away.

“If Ah do, will ya surrender and give up your reign over Equestria?” Braeburn snickered, already knowing the answer.

“Stop joking around! Why in tarnation are ya with the rebels?!” Applejack questioned angrily.

“Because it’s the right thing to do. Please, Applejack, Ah’m sure you’ve seen how many ponies you and your friends harmed. Ya can’t tell me ya actually believe in throwin’ ponies into prison ‘cause they disagree with ya!” Braeburn attempted to reason with her.

Applejack looked down, seemingly in thought, then raised her head with no self-doubt visible in her eyes.

“Maybe Ah didn’t in the past. But that has changed,” She declared. “If we don’t keep everypony in check, then you get ponies like Starlight! Or worse, villains like Tirek, or Discord!” Applejack hissed, recalling her encounters with them.

“That doesn’t explain any of yer absurd laws! How many of our own lost their farms?!” Braeburn yelled back, stomping the already cracked floor. “Ah may not know a lot about economy or-or politics, so maybe this is better overall for Equestria somehow, but Ah care about all the Apples who lost their homes because of it! Don’t ya care about yer family?” Braeburn questioned, hoping to get through to the mare.

Applejack stared at him pensively, her anger slightly subsiding. However, only a few seconds later, it returned with full force.

“Twilight once told me the world needed order. Ah choose to believe in her,” She declared confidently. “Not just her, but all my friends,”

“What? B-But why?!” Braeburn interrogated incredulously, unable to comprehend how she could have possibly grown to trust them so much. To the point of choosing them over her own family. “Why do ya believe in them that much?! What do ya see that Ah don’t?!”

“Yer really startin’ to bother me, here,” Applejack sighed, growing annoyed with all the questioning. “Ah don’t deal in mushy feelings like Twilight and Fluttershy do, but if ya were to ask them, they’ll probably tell you it’s because of… Love. There’s no deeper reason than that,” The mare revealed, much to Braeburn’s confusion.

“Wait… Which-” He was suddenly cut off by a kick to the face, making him stumble back before being knocked back by a punch, throwing him back hard enough to make him bounce on the floor until he landed on his stomach.

“Enough talkin’!” Applejack snorted, her patience gone. “Ah’ll bring ya to Twilight, now. She’ll need a pony to make an example of,” She sneered.

“Ok… That’s going to be harder than Ah thought,” Braeburn whispered before wiping blood off his snout. “Ready when you… OW!” He was interrupted mid-sentence again when his cousin delivered a kick in his stomach and launched him against the ceiling.

The stallion fell to the floor again, and just as he tried to stand up, pieces of rubble collapsed over him, eliciting multiple grunts of pain. Maybe she had a point… Less talking, and more focusing on the fight.

Fluttershy, Shining, and Cheese Sandwich hurried toward the throne room, ignoring the various magical blasts and pegasi flying on the other side of the window showing Canterlot. The yellow pegasus’ heart squeezed on itself as she imagined how scared the citizens must be; however, she was aware this was the inevitability of this war. It didn’t make her feel any better, however.

Luckily, there were no guards on their path yet. She supposed they were occupied with the sudden invasion, which would have made it easy for them to reach the throne room. It was only natural that something wouldn’t go right.

“Uh oh! We’ve got some company!” Cheese Sandwich pointed ahead. Sure enough, two ponies stood in their way. None other than Minister Fluttershy and Minister Pinkie Pie. While the former looked furious, the latter had a wide smile drawn over her face as if the attack on the capital didn’t bother her at all.

“It’s three versus two. We can take them,” Shining Armor assured confidently, taking a combative stance.

“I don’t like fighting, but I’ll do my best,” Fluttershy whispered, trying to imitate the stance Rainbow Dash had taught her. Meanwhile, Cheese simply stood straight, observing the other two ponies.

“You’re the imposter, aren’t you?” Minister Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. “Twilight told me you’re among the ones who hurt Rainbow,” She stated bitterly, making the other pegasus’ expression waver.

“It wasn’t my intention… I just want to help, maybe if we…” Fluttershy spoke, only for her counterpart to slam her forelegs on her throat and throw her out of the castle through the window, shattering the glass in the process.

“Fluttershy!” Shining screamed worriedly as he spun his head in their direction; however, they had already gone too far for his magic to reach them. He was sure only Minister Rainbow Dash had any kind of notable speed! And because he underestimated the other pegasus on the council, he let his guard down! This was a rookie mistake he should have never made!

“Shining. Calm down,” Cheese’s calm voice cut off the torrent of thoughts swarming his mind. The white unicorn glanced his way. “Fluttershy will be fine, believe me. You need to get to Prime Minister Twilight, so go. I’ll hold this one back here,” He gestured to the pink mare.

“Are you sure?” The other stallion inquired.

“Yes, I am, now go!” Cheese affirmed encouragingly. Shining nodded before running ahead, intending to pass by Pinkie Pie.

“Now wait a second! I’m not letting you go that easy!” Pinkie laughed, ready to grab Shining Armor and stop him, only for a pie to fly into her face, throwing her back and letting the white stallion pass. The party pony quickly regained her senses and licked off all the pie on her face with a comically large tongue. “Apple pie! I like chocolate better, though,” She giggled. However, Cheese left her no rest and immediately threw multiple other pies, all of which landed on the pink mare. She took them all head-on, then suddenly shifted focus into running toward her opponent, opening her mouth wide and swallowing the pies instead. “ Now that’s better!” She exclaimed, the taste of chocolate running down her throat.

Cheese Sandwich breathed out nervously. He had never been a fighter, but ever since he joined the resistance, he trained himself to become stronger. He was also aware that he would have to fight Minister Pinkie Pie, one day. Not only because they possessed similar abilities, but also because he had his own bone to pick with her.

She was an affront to everything he believed in. While her parties and celebrations were great, the happiness that came from them was… false. It was forced. The simple fact that she forced ponies to smile was horrendous! You couldn’t force happiness! It needed to come from the soul. To be genuine. Of course, their rule was horrible overall, but anything that concerned Joy made him especially upset. He could not fall back, now!

The stallion gritted his teeth, then dashed in the pink mare’s way. Minister Pinkie Pie’s smile remained, unbothered by his sudden charge. Instead, of readying herself to fight back, she stopped in her tracks and stood straight.

Cheese pulled his hoof back, and punched her in the face with all his might. The mare’s head was thrown back, but her body stayed in place. Less than a second later, Pinkie moved her head where it was, still grinning wide, only for Cheese to punch her again. She repeated the process several times as if she was completely unfazed by the numerous hits the stallion dealt to her. And it seemed it was getting to him.

“Stop. Smiling. Already!” He accentuated each word with a punch, suddenly reminded of the many foals he talked to after his shows. “Do you know how many foals lost their parents because of you? You don’t get to smile as if you didn’t care!” He shouted, delivering yet another punch, mustering as much strength as he could. Unfortunately, the other party pony brought her head back again.

Her face was bloody, and he could swear she had even lost a tooth. However, the reason he could even make the second observation was the wide, toothy grin she had on her face. She didn’t care at all for the red liquid running down her nose or the little scraps spread across her visage. Cheese paused, breathing heavily.

“Are you done? Are you satisfied?” Pinkie inquired in a sweet tone. “Are you happy, now?” She asked. However, Cheese barely managed to open his mouth before the party mare backhanded him into the wall on their right, throwing him through it.

Cheese Sandwich yelped in pain before his body was slammed against another wall, then slowly slid down until he fell to the floor on his butt. He held his head, making sure she didn’t split his skull with that punch while he looked around. The wall he went through had a big hole now, with small pieces of rubble falling from the top and a dust cloud hiding the hall he was in a second ago.

There was a table in the middle of the room, and various other pieces of furniture that would fit in a kitchen… Wait… he was in the kitchen! There were two furnaces nearby, as well as a dishwasher and two fridges. It was quite spacious, which meant he’d at least have some room to move in here.

“You okay in there?!” Pinkie called out from the dust cloud. “I’ve got a duper surprise for you~!” She said in a sing-song voice.

Cheese Sandwich widened his eyes as the pink mare pushed a party canon out of the dust cloud, and he had a feeling it wasn’t loaded with confetti. Minister Pinkie laughed before pulling on the cord and firing the canon. Much to Cheese’s dismay, he was right! What came out of it were knives and forks, all flying at high speed toward him! The stallion jumped to his hooves before expertly dodging each utensil, with surprisingly good agility, and contorting in unbelievable angles. One knife cut a few strands of his mane, but ultimately, they were all embedded in the wall behind him.

Pinkie didn’t let her failure deter her and bounced on her tail in the stallion’s direction, spinning one of her forelegs to maximize the power of her next punch. Once Cheese’s survival instincts flared up, everything that happened next seemed like a blur. He dodged every punch and kick like a single hit could cost him his life, and considering the amount of damage Pinkie dealt to the furniture, he didn’t doubt that gut feeling.

He tried his best to unpredictably, even using balloons as a weapon, either by shaping them into sticks as hard as wood, or even by tying up the mare’s limbs. Every exchange of blows sent an object flying in the air, powdered sugar, flour, or even milk. You would have thought it turned into a food war with everything they were throwing. Miraculously, Cheese was doing better than at the start since he still hadn’t lost any teeth yet.

Cheese lodged a hindleg into Pinkie’s gut, throwing her on top of an oven. The mare giggled, uncaring of her own injuries, and opened the oven door. To the stallion’s shock, it spewed out a torrent of flames, which he was able to redirect to the ceiling with a large silver tray.

“Is that an oven or a flamethrower?!” Cheese cried out in shock, the tray heating up so much it began burning his fur. Thankfully, the fire quickly ceased, much to his relief. He dropped the tray, just as all the ingredients that had been thrown in the air earlier landed back on the floor… as a cake with icing and a cherry on top! “Huh?”

Pinkie calmly jumped off the oven and trotted over the cake. She acted like she wasn’t even in a battle?! So carefree that she didn’t spare a glance Cheese Sandwich’s way. The mare slipped a hoof inside the cake, taking a small piece of it before tasting it.

“Uhm… Needs more sugar,” She noted carefreely.

“Wait… All this time, you were making a cake?” Cheese questioned in confusion.

“Yup,” Pinkie Pie nodded.

“But… Weren’t we fighting?”

“Nope! Just wanted to make a cake,” Pinkie shrugged.

“Oh,” Cheese muttered. “Oof,” He gasped as the mare suddenly launched herself forward and headbutted him in the stomach, throwing him through another wall. Thankfully, the stallion didn’t land against another wall this time, or on the floor, but on a soft and comfy bed instead. The room he was in was filled with balloons of various types as well as sweets. “Your room is beside the kitchen?” He asked, his head still spinning from the impact.

“Yup!” Pinkie nodded happily, entering through the hole she made by bouncing on her tail.

“That’s… cool, actually,” Cheese sincerely remarked, only for Pinkie Pie to rush at him, jumping high in the air and with her forelegs raised above her head. “Wait, wait!” The stallion panicked in vain.

CRASH

Help

Fluttershy was punched in the face again, bursting blood out of her snout as she managed to catch herself in the air by flapping her wings. Her counterpart looked furious! And Fluttershy didn’t doubt she was considering how hard she hit her! She didn’t even have time to get a word in before the other pegasus pummelled her.

“Please! Can’t we talk this out?!” Fluttershy tried to plead with her other self.

Unfortunately, she was out of her element, here. Because of all the intense yelling and battle sounds from the war going around her -ponies fighting to the death, pegasi falling from the sky, unicorns blasting magic, and earth ponies shaking the ground- she was forced to scream for her counterpart to hear her. Moreover, she had to fight, too! She knew some techniques, sure, but she wasn’t Rainbow Dash. Of all her friends, she was the one with the least experience, even less than Pinkie Pie, strangely enough considering you’d have a hard time imagining that mare fighting anyone as she would rather make them her friends.

“No,” Minister Fluttershy sternly replied before flying straight at her enemy.

“Ah!” Fluttershy yelped as she moved aside with quick flaps from her wings, only for her counterpart to spin around and slap her with her tail. The original Fluttershy recoiled from the hit, her cheek burning with pain. Unfortunately, her counterpart did not stop there and delivered a roundhouse kick on her other cheek. That… would leave a bruise. “I’m sure we can talk this out,” She rubbed her hurt cheeks.

Help

“You’re stubborn, aren’t you?” Minister Fluttershy scoffed. “Once somepony hurts my friends, I don’t forgive them. Never. There’s nothing to talk about! I’ll kick your butt, then I’ll bring you to the others, so they can decide your fate,” She glared at the other pegasus.

“Is this how you see it?” Fluttershy questioned, dumbfounded. “My goal wasn’t to hurt anyone; I’m just trying to help innocent ponies. Shining told me that… you killed many changelings, even children. Do you think that was right?” She inquired. Her counterpart merely continued to glare, unresponsive. “Do you believe this is kindness?”

“My kindness only extends to my friends and innocent animals,” Minister Fluttershy retorted. “Kindness doesn’t mean you let everypony walk over you. The changelings were guilty,”

Fluttershy was left speechless. There was no point in arguing with her if she truly believed that, and from the look in her eyes… she did. Her counterpart as well as her friends’ counterparts were too far gone. Nevertheless… There was still something strange she couldn’t put her finger on.

“Then…” Fluttershy spoke in a resolute tone. “I will stop you,” She declared and flapped her wings as hard she could, rushing at her counterpart. Minister Fluttershy didn’t move from her spot while the original delivered a punch in her cheek with all her weight behind it! Yes, this was THE moment she couldn’t afford to be soft, so there was no holding back permitted! Not only to help the friends she made in this world but also to help the friends trapped in other universes! This was a grand moment… only her counterpart didn’t move an inch.

“Please,” Minister Fluttershy scoffed mocking. She front-flipped in the air and slammed her heels on the back of the other pegasus’ head, sending her down.

Help

Fluttershy grunted, but couldn’t catch herself in time. She fell through a roof and landed on a wooden table, breaking in half in front of what seemed to be a terrified family from the sound of their cries. If she had looked on her right, she would have seen it was two fillies, and their mother; however, she couldn’t afford to do that. Her other self was diving in her direction, and she wasn’t fat enough to do anything to stop her.

Minister Fluttershy landed on top of the second animal lover and began pummelling her mercilessly. Each punch was dealt with all her weight behind it, helped by the fact that she was on top of her. The other-worlder was unable to do anything apart from trying to desperately scratch her counterpart’s face, which only resulted in an even harsher assault.

Once the blood stains were visible on the more aggressive Fluttershy, the minister grabbed her counterpart by the throat and threw her out the window. The pegasus’ body rolled over the floor before coming to a stop a few feet away, glass shards embedded on various parts of her body.

The bearer of the element of kindness coughed in pain. Fluttershy tried to push herself up and stand again, but the damage she suffered was worse than she thought. That version of her had no pity. Every hit felt like it was aimed to kill. Admittedly, she had never been in such a fight before to know what it would feel like, but the force behind them as well as the look in Minister Fluttershy’s eyes was enough to tell her everything she needed to know. However, more than being physically hurt, she was saddened by it. Why? Why were they like this? She couldn’t get it. How could she and her friends ever become like this?!

Why did she have the feeling that someone needed help every time she looked at them? The pegasus finally stood on her hooves, shaking like a leaf because of the earlier assault while she watched her counterpart flying out of the house she had been thrown in earlier.

Help

Again, a small and faint whisper, that should have been drowned in the sea of the battle around, miraculously reached her. Her eyes settled on her double. She couldn’t help but recall the lessons she had learned with her friends and everything they had been through together since they began bearing these elements. They were the things they thought connected, and held them together… until they also learned that they didn’t need those objects to remain friends. On the other hand, their versions here only held contempt for everything and everyone but each other. Even if they still somehow represented their elements, they used them out of anger, and to hurt. She even doubted they would even believe their friendship would be safe if they got rid of them considering how much they had abused their power and their friendship.

Then, she finally realized. Fluttershy widened her eyes. Perhaps all she needed from the start was to confront them. She gritted her teeth, waiting for her counterpart’s next assault. Maybe she couldn’t win this battle. No, she wouldn’t win, but she didn’t need to. At that moment, she was certain that no matter what would happen, the council wouldn’t come out on top! With even greater resolve, she ultimately charged forward, willing to fight the other pegasus head-on.

A few minutes after the invasion started…

Minister Rainbow Dash slammed both her forelegs into an invader’s head, making them plummet to the floor and crash with a loud thud. Considering the bleeding from their head, Rainbow doubted they survived. She didn’t waste any more time on him. Instead, she flew away, leaving a rainbow trail behind, and went from invader to invader, punching and kicking every enemy pegasus out of the sky.

Not only was she battle-hardened, but her speed was such that all they could see was a blur before being knocked out or outright killed. While her kicks weren’t as powerful as Applejack’s, they were still strong enough to shatter bones and she put all her speed behind it.

“You, scum!” Rainbow Dash flew to a nearby pegasus and grabbed him by the collar. The poor fellow widened his eyes in fear as she punched his spear out of his grasp. She pulled his face close to her and sneered. “Coming in OUR city?! Attacking US?! Are you that stupid?!” She shouted in his face but didn’t let him answer before diving toward the ground with him still in her grasp.

“Let me go!” The pegasus cried as he punched her in the face, but much to his terror, the mare didn’t even flinch.

“The nerve of you all!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she slammed the pegasus on the ground, likely shattering his spine. The soldier gasped for breath, only for the minister of Defense to fly while still holding him to the ground. He screamed in agony while the cyan pegasus flew faster and faster, skinning his back against the stone under him and leaving a trail of blood. She did this for several dozen meters before flying up again. The soldier’s cries had stopped, and with his bones visible, she doubted he was still alive. “That’s why you don’t go against us. Eh, I’m the best,” She smirked, dropping the corpse. She didn’t care where it landed as long as it was close to the enemy soldiers. They needed to know the consequences of fighting the council, after all.

“Minister Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire suddenly flew up to her and saluted. “What are your orders, my Lady?” The wonderbolt leader inquired, still holding her salute.

“Isn’t it obvious? Fight the enemy!” Rainbow Dash growled in annoyance. Was she the only one here who knew what she was doing? Really, they were lucky to have her.

“Fight the enemy, huh?” Spitfire repeated with a smirk. “Alright!” She shouted before suddenly latching onto the cyan pegasus.

“What the-” Rainbow gasped as another pair of legs grabbed her in a chokehold, and then another pony threw themselves at her, restraining her like the others. The pegasus swiftly recognized them. “Soarin? Fleetfoot? What the fuck are you doing, you losers?!”

“What does it look like? Stopping you!” Soarin replied, tightening his grip on the mare’s throat. Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as hard as she could, trying to shake them off while Fleetfoot grabbed her necklace and attempted to pull it off her neck.

“Quick! Get it off!” Spitfire ordered as another member of the wonderbolts grabbed Rainbow Dash by the hind legs.

“You…” Rainbow choked, fury burning in her eyes. “Filthy traitors everywhere,” She snarled before successfully spinning upside down. She dove toward the ground, the fastest she could while the wonderbolts still held onto her.

“Hurry up!” Spitfire cried with panic as they approached the ground dangerously quickly.

“I’m trying!” Fleetfoot retorted, worry evident in her tone.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Rainbow Dash slammed herself and everyone grabbing onto her to the ground, creating an explosion that left a rainbow-colored mushroom cloud behind, and even shook the houses around it, nearly making them collapse on one another. This attracted the attention of most of the ponies currently fighting, wondering if there even was anyone left alive. After a few seconds, a red trail burst out of the dust, bringing several ponies to cheer as they seemingly recognized Spitfire’s color.

However, the figure suddenly spun around, throwing all the blood off its body and revealing Rainbow Dash underneath, as clean as she was before being attacked. She looked pissed. The cyan pegasus twirled to a nearby Canterlot guard, a pegasus, and addressed him.

“New orders! Kill every last wonderbolt!” Rainbow Dash barked in rage. “Those dirty traitors don’t deserve to live!”

“W-What? But what if some of them are still loyal?” The guard argued but was quickly shut down by a single glare.

“There aren’t! Unless… you’re a traitor, too? You want to protect them?” The cyan pegasus sneered.

“No… no! Of course not, my Lady?! I wouldn’t dare!” The guard quickly denied her accusation, whether it was because of his loyalty or because he feared for his life, he fearfully puffed up his chest and saluted. “I will transmit your orders to the others immediately!”

“Good,” Rainbow nodded before letting her gaze wander around. Because their forces were spread thin across all of Equestria, they were greatly outnumbered by the Crystal Empire’s army. More and more of their soldiers fell to the attacks of their enemies. The unicorns on both sides tried to deal the least collateral damage they could, but a few houses caught on fire nonetheless. If this went on, their army would lose… She needed to regroup with the others! If they entered the battle, then they would put an end to it as quickly as it began! However, before she could even fly to the throne room, her eyes spotted a certain someone running in the hallway, which she recognized instantly. Shining Armor. “That traitor isn’t dead yet?!” She clenched her teeth, then dashed toward him.

Unfortunately for her, he seemed to sense her coming. The moment she broke through the window, he turned to her and conjured up a magical barrier she crashed into. Nevertheless, the strength she mustered still managed to break Shining Armor’s magic shield and throw him against the wall. The cyan pegasus rubbed her head in pain, hissing in the process while the unicorn grunted.

“You’re not… supposed to be here,” Shining groaned, standing up with his head in one of his hooves. “What happened to Spitfire and the others?” He asked. If Rainbow Dash was here, then she must have discovered Spitfire betrayed her. What he feared, though, was the pegasus’ fate.

“What do you think? I executed them, of course!” Minister Rainbow Dash declared smugly. “And you’re next!” She announced.

“You… YOU, MONSTER!” Shining Armor screamed, lighting his horn with a burning blue light. He raised it in an instant, creating a magical slash with that move. However, it didn’t travel fast enough to hit the target of his ire.

Rainbow Dash flapped her left wing and stepped away from the flying blade before kicking the air and propelling herself toward the white stallion. He couldn’t put up a barrier in time and was punched in the chest, and thrown back as the pegasus continued her assault by kicking over the head. Rainbow lifted him up, then threw another punch, and another. He understood right there and then that she wasn’t even planning to take him to Twilight. She was going to kill him, here! Her punches and kicks would have already shattered his bones if he was any other stallion.

The look in her eyes was telling. They held no sympathy. They weren’t devoid of emotion either… No, the pegasus was enjoying it. She loved every second of it. She reveled in the suffering of others, and the more blood she spilled, the happier she was. And… He sent Spitfire and her team against that monster. He was indirectly responsible for their deaths. Just like many others, they amounted to another sin that would follow him all his life. Nevertheless, the hate he had toward himself was easily overshadowed by the one toward Rainbow Dash. How many had perished by her hooves?

The pegasus raised her hoof again, ready to strike him; the moment he saw that opening, Shining clenched his teeth and summoned his willpower back into his horn before firing a powerful blast of magic, blowing Rainbow Dash off him. The mare rolled on the floor, discord marks over her chest, only for the unicorn to fire another, weaker beam, which successfully struck and electrocuted her.

“YAAH!” Rainbow yelped in pain before collapsing on her stomach, yet her forelegs still held her up, keeping her from collapsing completely.

“What did they do to deserve this?! Huh?! Why couldn’t you just knock them out?!” Shining hollered with rage, spewing blood out of his mouth in the process. “Are lives that inconsequential to you?!”

“They broke the law. They deserve death. All criminals do,” Rainbow clenched her teeth, slowly standing back up.

“Law this, law that… As if you gave a shit about that! None of you respect your own laws!” Shining Armor retorted. Rainbow Dash paused, and for a moment, he believed he had somehow talked a tiny bit of sense into her. However, instead of replying… She laughed out loud.

“You, moron! WE are the Law!” The pegasus suddenly flew to him with a burst of speed. The stallion fired another blast, which was dodged by an impressive air maneuver. Rainbow kicked him in the temple, but not hard enough to bring him down as he used that opportunity to strike her again.

One kick to her stomach, then a magical beam aimed at the chest. Unfortunately, it hit her element, which protected her from a direct hit. He clicked his tongue. This wasn’t good… He needed to save his energy. This was why he avoided teleportation in the first place! He needed to be ready to confront Twilight! Even if he beat Rainbow Dash, he wouldn’t be strong enough for the next part of the plan!

His thoughts were suddenly cut off when Rainbow kicked him in the neck and then punched him in the throat. Her assault was unable to go on longer once Shining created another barrier around himself.

“Get out of here, coward!” Rainbow Dash ordered as she began pummelling the barrier. Shining gasped for breath, barely holding it up.

“As you wish…” He muttered tiredly. With a sudden battle cry, the barrier shifted until it turned into a ball of magic and slammed into Rainbow, shocking her with electricity again. “GRAAAH!” He shouted as a blue hue surrounded the wall and the ceiling. He brought his horn down, tearing them off the castle with one clear intent in mind: to kill that pegasus.

Just as Rainbow Dash tried to get back on her hooves, she raised her head to see the debris falling toward her. Not just the wall, and ceiling, but the floor began crumbling under her hooves, too!

“S-Shit!” She put her forelegs in front of her, desperately attempting to protect herself, only for the rocks to slam into her from every side.

Shining stood back while the bearer of the element of loyalty was quickly buried under the rubble of the castle. Not only by the pieces he tore off himself but also by one of the towers, which had no more support and collapsed on itself, and the pile of debris he already made.

The stallion panted, watching as everything stopped moving, the rockslide finally over. There were no signs of life as far as he could tell, so he allowed himself to relax.

“Well… That’s one sin that won’t keep me up at night,” He whispered to himself. Shining shook his head. He couldn’t waste any more time. The unicorn turned around and then ran to the throne room. Whatever would happen next… It would be the end of it.

The white stallion reached the doors several seconds later. He released one last heavy breath, then blasted them open.

“TWILIGHT!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, willing to end it all here.

However, all he could do was widen his eyes in horror. Derpy lay against the wall on his left, holding her side in pain and gasping for breath. Blood was running down her chin and her chest, but she was alive and conscious. Not too far from her was Cheese Sandwich, lying on his back and facing a hole in the wall near Derpy’s body as if he had been thrown through it. He was bloody, but still breathing. He looked in a better shape than the grey pegasus since what seemed to be holding him down was his mental state rather than his physical one.

Braeburn was on his knees, spitting out a broken tooth while his cousin stood only a few feet away from him. Applejack seemed rather fine if only a little bruised. Pinkie’s face was bloody, and Rarity didn’t have a scratch on her. Fluttershy was covered in bruises and scratches. Even her wings seemed to be broken! She wasn’t too far from Derpy either. Her counterpart, Minister Fluttershy didn’t seem to have suffered any damage.

Finally, in the middle of them was Twilight, the light of her horn dying down. In front of her was Cadance, whose legs were shaking, and it was no wonder. She was covered in scorch marks!

“I’m… sorry… But, she’s… too strong,” The alicorn whispered to her husband before collapsing on her side. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she fought, her battle left no mark on her enemy.

“You disappoint me, Cadance. You knew you weren’t a fighter, so why even attempt it?” Twilight scoffed before finally noticing her brother. “There you are, Shining Armor. We were just about to execute your friends,”

“I…” Shining was speechless. No. They couldn’t lose, could they? Not like this! It couldn’t happen like this! He was sure his friends could have won, but… they didn’t? He made another poor decision, didn’t he? And it would cost them their lives. Tears would have rolled down his cheeks if it weren’t for the sudden blue flash of light.

“Not if Trixie has anything to say about it!” The blue unicorn had teleported inside the room, blasting a beam of magic in Twilight’s direction, who quickly raised a shield and protected herself. “Nicely done!” The blue unicorn complimented her as she landed on her hooves.

“Foal’s play,” Twilight simply answered dismissively. Another flash blinded the corner of the unicorn’s eyes; however, this wasn’t an attack. Instead, Trixie teleported Cadance to Shining, prompting the stallion to catch her in his hooves.

“Cadance!” The white unicorn exclaimed while holding her body. “Are you alright? Please, say something!”

“Honey…” Cadance gave him a crooked and pained smile. “I couldn’t do anything to her. I had one job, and I failed. Miserably,” She laughed at herself.

“No, no! You did the best you could! And that’s enough for me! Please, don’t blame yourself. We… all failed,” He bit his lower lip in defeat. A feeling of warmth caressed his cheek and filled his heart.

“Not yet. We haven’t failed yet,” She caressed his cheek. “My husband isn’t the kind who gives up so easily, so don’t underestimate him,” The alicorn of love smiled.

“Cadance…” Shining sniffled.

“How heartwarming,” Twilight sarcastically said. “Be reassured. You will be all together,”

“Now hold on! I’m your opponent!” Trixie proudly declared, only for Twilight to raise an incredulous eyebrow.

“You? The fake magician? We fought before, didn’t we? In that magic duel… Quite a pathetic display if I say so myself. You have no talent or worth, so don’t even try anything stupid. Simply put, you are outmatched,” Twilight scoffed. However, the blue unicorn’s confidence remained. “If you surrender now, I may let you live and make you our jester,” She suggested mockingly, which did get a laugh out of Pinkie Pie and Applejack.

“No, thank you,” Trixie replied.

The blue unicorn teleported again, making Twilight’s eyes narrow as she immediately began scanning the room. The moment Trixie appeared, she fired a spell, which the prime minister countered with one of her own. Both collided in the middle, creating a small explosion. Trixie landed on her hooves and sprinted forward, dodging a purple beam that had been shot out of the lavender unicorn’s horn just after the explosion. They exchanged various spells in such a way.

Trixie dodged either by running, jumping, or even teleporting. Then, she would cast a spell. It would either be purely offensive or weaken the other unicorn. She tried freezing her, burning her, and Twilight always responded in kind. The difference was that Twilight didn’t even move from where she stood ever since this duel started. She would only move her head and cast whatever spell she needed, which was quite volatile as she would cast lightning once, then fire shackles another time. Shining Armor’s jaw dropped, he had never seen Trixie move like that before!

Sure, he was aware she had been training, but she made so much progress that even he wasn’t sure he could take her! She didn’t let a single movement go to waste, and even if her opponent was barely trying, every one of her spells was carefully cast for maximum optimization. Twilight couldn’t afford to let a single one of them hit her!

When had the blue unicorn improved so much?

Twilight clicked her tongue with growing annoyance. This was going on for too long! Just then, Trixie teleported in the air and fired another blast in the lavender unicorn’s direction. The Prime Minister lit her horn and created an ethereal rope, binding it around Trixie’s waist and slamming her into the floor so hard it cracked.

“There,” Twilight exhaled.

Trixie spat out drops of blood, groaning in pain. Sharp rocks were lodged into her back, so she doubted she could use the same agility as earlier. If this fight continued… it would only end in a loss.

“Looks like I’m out, too,” Trixie muttered as Shining gently set Cadance down and ran up to the blue unicorn to check on her.

“Now, where is Rainbow Dash?” Twilight questioned frustratingly. “So we can get this over with,”

“Nah, we don’t need the elements for these guys, Sugarcube,” Applejack spoke out arrogantly while Pinkie Pie punched her hooves. “Rainbow’s must be wasting time doing something stupid, again,” She rolled her eyes, whispering the second sentence.

“Yup! They aren’t really tough! More like squishy plushies, you would kick around for fun,” The pink mare snickered in amusement.

“You’re right,” Twilight nodded before raising her horn, ready to blast them all to smithereens… which she would have done if only it weren’t for Trixie’s sudden and obnoxious laugh. “What is it, now?” The lavender unicorn asked, annoyed with the disturbance. “Are you having a psychotic break after realizing your own mortality?”

“You called Trixie a failure, don’t you remember?” Trixie laughed, getting back to her hooves. Her smile was strained because of the pain, yet she looked happier than ever. “You said I wouldn’t accomplish anything. Ever. As you beat me into the ground that time. I couldn’t even do a teleportation spell! But look at me, now…” She chuckled, then gestured at the lavender mare’s face. “Trixie made you bleed!”

Twilight widened her eyes, just as her friends gasped. Something warm flowed down her right cheek. No… She didn’t. Yet, there it was. Drops of blood ran down the unicorn’s cheek. She… had actually been hurt by that failure of a unicorn?

“Twilight!” Rarity gasped, in shock.

“No. This couldn’t have happened. Even Cadance couldn’t hurt me, so how could you possibly… A fluke,” Twilight shook her head. “A fluke! A fluke! A fluke! It must have been a fluke! A lucky shot!” She repeated in disbelief.

Seeing as they were too absorbed by Twilight’s sudden injury, Trixie grinned in victory and raised her head.

“Shining, now!” She shouted.

The stallion immediately lit his horn. The council couldn’t even react as blue bindings suddenly shot out of the floor and wrapped around their limbs and necks. Arcs of lightning pulsated around their bodies, squeezing cries of pain out of them. Twilight attempted to cast a spell or even teleport, only for the binding to pull her head back and shock her even harder. It was as if all her nerves were being burned! This was pure agony!

“What… is this?!” The unicorn screamed.

“My new… spell,” Shining gasped, his horn shining brighter than ever. His friends joined him, limping to his and Trixie’s side while the latter raised her horn, seemingly charging up a spell.

“Even Ah can’t break through it!” Applejack yelled, unable to move either even with her strength.

“So, this was your plan,” Fluttershy noted as she watched Shining Armor and Trixie’s team effort.

“They’re going to end this,” Braeburn nodded in confirmation.

Shining had been attempting to create such a spell for months, one that would freeze them in place and make them unable to use their magic. Unfortunately, it required a great deal of strength and focus on his part. The more they struggled, the harder he needed to keep the spell up. That was why they needed to do this quickly. What Trixie had been charging until now wasn’t a huge blast. No, it was slightly more complicated.

She wasn’t powerful enough to go completely through Twilight’s protections, even with her magic suppressed. However, if she could concentrate all of her magic and power into a small, needle-sized beam, then it would slice through anything. The blue unicorn had been specifically learning anatomy for that purpose. Her target was the heart. Once it was punctured, nothing would save Twilight, and the council would lose their leader. They would be unable to use the elements. But for that, she needed to be accurate with her aim.

“No…” Twilight seemingly realized what was happening. The unicorn widened her eyes with… fear. Indeed, Shining could see it, even through the strain he was under to maintain the spell. He had already seen this look before, but not in his sister. It had been in every criminal’s eyes the council had ever judged. All the fear Twilight inflicted upon them was now reflected in her own eyes. For the first time since she met her friends, she was truly faced with Death… and she was afraid. “They’re going to kill me, Shiny! Stop them! Please!” She begged her brother in a broken voice. “Don’t let them kill me! Shiny, I’m your little sister! D-Don’t let your sister die, please! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!” She tried to break her bindings again, only to be shocked again. “W-What would Mom and Dad say?! Shiny! I’m scared, big brother!”

However, Shining averted his eyes, unwilling to meet his sister’s look. Fluttershy watched her friend’s counterpart plead for her life but didn’t move from her spot. As much as she wanted to find a peaceful solution, there wasn’t any. Instead, she sniffed back her tears and closed her eyes.

“Don’t you dare cast that spell!” Minister Fluttershy screamed at the blue unicorn, who… just smiled.

Trixie exhaled, preparing herself to end this once and for all… then shot.