Chapters It didn't take long for them to reach the camp. The Gryphons were still trying to regroup, having lost a large number of their ranks to the small onslaught brought on by the pegasus and his troops. Piper stumbled a little as he entered the camp, Celestia glaring at him. He offered only a soft smile to the angered Alicorn, limping toward a nearby tent, his soldiers close behind him.
"Wait." she said softly. Piper stopped and nodded to the others, telling them to continue on without him.
"Why would you put yourself in danger like that?"
The Princess smiled faintly.
"Sadly that is not true. There has always been a sort of...falling out...between the Gryphons and I ever since the death of their first great king."
"It wasn't long after we returned that war was declared by king Monoclos. He claimed we had attacked first and in a way we had. Again it was my fault, my actions toward the king spurred on the war. All of this is my fault..." He held up a hoof to stop Celestia from arguing as he continued.
"WAR?! We can't go to war! not again..." Luna said, hanging her head.
Those would work perfectly here. But he would need time to train the soldiers, time he didn't have. He would have to stall for time.
"How do you plan on doing that?" the manticore asked, the young pegasus from before changing some of his bandages. Piper smiled a little and stood
"We are gonna need more than just the ten of us Princess. We've got two unicorns who are only strong enough to cast a simple barrier, and the rest of us are injured. We can't fight off an entire army and we're gonna need every soldier we can get. But we don't have time to train them. The Gryphons could be on us any minute now and we'd be helpless to stop them."
"Then we'll just move somewhere else, retreat to safety." Luna suggested.
"You're right. But what are we to do?" she asked of him.
Luna chuckled a little.
"My best hope..." she corrected, though the damage had been done.
Piper took to the air, his armor still sitting in Celestia's tent. He wouldn't need it, or at least he hoped he wouldn't. He let himself drift for a moment, smiling at the clouds that passed by him. For a moment all was calm. No fighting, no blood and death. The wind in his mane, flaming arrows zipping toward him.
Piper dived toward them, roaring as he snapped his wings wide, the blades in his feathers spreading out and slicing through the neck of one of the archers. He pulled out of the dive, rolling back in the air, looping over and over again as the arrows whizzed by. He grinned to himself, feeling the pressure build around his body. With one last powerful flap of his wings he burst through the cone around him, mere inches from the ground, sending the Gryphons flying as cascading shades of orange spread out in all directions, the boom reaching his ears moments later as he continued onward, slicing through Gryphons at super sonic speeds
"S...so thats what that was..." Luna said softly.
Piper gritted his teeth against the wind as he rode the sonic-boom, flying circles around the Gryphon army, keeping it effectively distracted. But he would have to pull free of the sonic speeds soon or risk doing some serious damage to himself. The pegasus slowed and landed, skidding across the damp grass and spinning, flaring his wings out as the gryphons surrounded him. He chuckled a little to himself.
At least they were distracted. Hopefully Chrome Mist would have time to train enough Soldiers to hold them back. He had underestimated them though and quickly found more and more piling around him. The sound of chuckling made him turn to see King Monoclos marching towards him slowly, dressed from beak to claw in battle armor.
"Never. You may be a king, but you are not Equestria's King. You don't control the sun and moon, you didn't defend this land from Discord and you won't get me to bow down to you!" he spat, wincing as the spears dug a bit deeper into his skin, droplets of blood making their way down his body to the dirt below.
Piper winced as Strawberry's hoof collided with the back of his head.
"What keeps you going Loyalty, why do you fight for her? Why do you keep my land from me?!"
"Very well Loyalty. If that is what it will take." He hunched his back, his massive wings opening to reveal his impressive wingspan. His muscled body stood tall over Piper. The young pegasus had to stop himself from gulping in regret as he stared at the Gryphon King. He reached for his hoofblade, quickly realizing it was with his armor and cursing under his breath, the wingblades would have to do. He didn't have time to continue his inner argument as Monoclos leapt for him, swiping with his massive claws.
Piper leapt above the Gryphon, throwing his hooves around his throat and slamming his head into his. The king tried his best to throw him off but Piper dug his legs into his side, clinging to him for dear life and smacking his hoof into his head, slipping and jamming his hoof into the kings eye, an ear peircing shriek escaping the injured Gryphon.
"ENOUGH!" he screamed, reaching back with a claw and trying to pry Piper off of his back. Piper shifted to the side, sliding off the kings back and rolling underneath him, his hoof finding a something sharp as he hit the ground. He quickly grabbed it, roaring as he threw his hoof forward to strike Monoclos, the king looking down in time for the jagged stone in Pipers hoof to slam deep into his eye. The king stumbled backwards, clutching his face and trying to pull the rock out of his eye. Piper leapt to his hooves, flaring his wings as the kings guard advanced.
"NO! THIS IS MY FIGHT!" The king roared as he finally pulled the rock out of his eye. He had a demented smile plastered across his blood soaked face.
Piper stopped as Strawberry began to shake, her ears twitching and her tail swishing about quickly, a quick glance over at Pinkie Pie revealed she was doing much the same, both stared into the air with wide eyes.
A massive object of multi-colored blocks sat in front them, having crashed through the cieling of Canterlot Castle and landing just inches away from crushing everypony gathered in Celestia's throne room. Out of the strange thing jumped two ponies, a little filly and colt, both dressed in strangely familiar clothing.
"Sora?" Twilight asked in surprise. The colt looked over at Twilight.
"Well you've got a horn!" the two argued back and forth for a full minute before being pulled away from each other by Pinkie and Strawberry.
"Do you know them Piper?" Twilight asked.
"Wait, you two know who I am?" Piper asked.
A quick call to a guard later and Riku was in the Throne Room. He gasped in surprise as the ponies tackled him to the ground.
"Dear Riku, I know this is a bit un..une.." I know this is a bit unexpected but we're sending the kids to visit. We don't really have time to explain and you'll probably hate us for it, but we'll be there in about a week. Please keep an eye on them. Thank you. Love Kairi. Oh Sora says Hi. " Namine smiled as she lowered the letter, feeling proud of herself. Riku rolled his eyes.
"Sora's dumping his kids on me." he mumbled, taking a seat.
Piper rolled, flicking his wing, the blades bouncing off Monoclos' armor. He struggled to breath as the Gryphons claws closed around his throat.
"Well duh! But you can't fight like this." The unicorn said, quickly ducking into a tent and coming back with his armor and hoofblade.
"Whoa, what kinda story is this?" Roxas asked as he climbed on top of Riku's head and clung to his horn.
"I know what its like and i'm happy here. But this isn't about me right now and Sora picked a hell of a time to drop you two off here. Wait were you piloting that ship yourselves?"
"Yea somethin like that. Mom says im not allowed to say anything about it but thats just boring. Dad got all moody a couple days ago and his key started shining and there was this really cool light show that happened and then he got mad. After that mom set us up on this trip and they went off somewhere else. I think they were gonna go see Granpa Mickey." The room fell silent at the news. Namine blinked and pointed to Piper.
"I think you should finish what you were sayin Piper." Riku said softly.
"Princess Twilight, I can promise you it would be better if Piper revealed it himself." Twilight blinked. It had been ages since Riku had called her Princess. She gave a small sigh and nodded.No...I'm a monster...I don't have a heart...and they know it.
Piper dove into the battle once more, using a few Gryphon skulls as cushions as he skid across the ground, his blade finding the nearest head and removing it from its body in one clean swipe.
"There you are. I feared you had run away."
They leapt away from one another panting with their weapons held ready to block and strike.
NO! I can't... he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. He grabbed his hoofblade in his teeth, blocking Monoclos' claw with his wingblade on his good wing, wincing as he swung the hoofblade at the arrow in his wing. It snapped against the edge of the blade allowing Piper to quickly stumble backwards, blade held tightly in his teeth and desperately blocking the Gryphon Kings unending onslaught of attacks. He gasped as one attack forced the blade to cut into his mouth, the next knocking it out of his mouth and the next knocking him to the ground.
"After all that you're already finished Loyalty. I had heard the Elements were useless without the others to aid them. You are living proof of that. But not for long." The king raised his claw in preparation for the final blow.
"But you couldn't have died there, your right here!" Roxas interupted. Everypony throwing the colt a flat look that said they had all realized that already.
"I'm not scared of you!" Roxas yelled, a keyblade appearing between his teeth. Piper flinched, drawing his hoofblade on instinct.
"He started it!" Roxas argued around the keyblade. Piper tossed aside his hoofblade and stood, facing the young colt.
"You wanna hit me? You wanna kill me? Go ahead kid. Can you do it with that little magic sword of yours? Like you said, I beat the bad guy and lots of other guys and I killed hundreds if not thousands along the way. Maybe i'm the bad guy here, no...I am the bad guy here. So go ahead, do it. But lemme tell you this. The second you swing that blade, the second it hits me and ends whats left of my life...theres no going back. Ever. You'll convince yourself for a while that you can be your old self again, but then you'll remember how it felt and it'll haunt you for the rest of your life." He walked forward, stopping with the keyblade pressed against him.
"Go on, do it." He said, looking into the colts' eyes. Roxas stumbled backwards, his keyblade vanishing. Piper gasped, finding his face against the floor and one angry zebra smacking his head over and over.
"How could you go and scare that poor little colt!?" she yelled at him. Piper had no answer other than to let out another grunt of pain as Strawberry's hooves met his skull.
"Piper, slayer of evil kings and monsters gettin his butt whooped by a lone little zebra. Oh how th' mighty have fallen." Sunburst said with a chuckle. Piper sat up, dusting himself off from the onslaught and blinking in surprise as Strawberry hugged him.
"Ok, this was fun and all but we've got other things to be talking about. Piper, this is taking way too long, can you just skip to the important part." Nova spoke up, getting tired of interruptions and drawn out battles to which they could guess the endings of.
Here he was again, in the white void with Harmony looking down upon him.
"Possibly a few hours. Monoclos is far too large for you to take on your own Piper. He is powerful and has almost no honor in battle."
"Oh...I guess I did..." Harmony brushed her hoof over the tear, Piper watching as it sewed itself shut, his wing as good as new.
"HEAR ME CELESTIA! YOUR MIGHTY LOYALTY HAS FALLEN!" Piper, swung his hind leg, smashing it across Monoclos' head and causing him to drop him, letting him roll onto his side and gasp for air. The kings announcement had reached Celestia's ears and she was now charging toward the king with her best soldiers in tow. Those soldiers being a manticore, two wolves, pegasi, and unicorns, all looking to rescue the wounded pegasus.
After catching his breath he quickly rolled under the dazed king, jamming his hoof blade into the kings rib and quickly pulling away for another jab, leaving two neat holes in the Kings armor. Only when the blood poured from the holes and fell on top of him did he realize he was smiling.
Only then did he realize what he was becoming. Only then did he realize where the curse began. He didn't have time to continue this thought as he was pulled from underneath the stumbling Gryphon by Celestia's magic.
"Loyalty, I did not wish for this war and I do not wish for anyone to die. He is mortally wounded and I doubt he will pose much threat in his condition for some time."
The Filly and the Beast Part 1
The pegasus sat in Celestia's camp, staring at himself, his hooves shaking.
"I noticed...you took an arrow to the wing did you not?" she asked, looking at his wings, seeing a long jagged line of caked blood. Piper flicked his wing, shaking some of it off to reveal his wing was perfectly fine, though a faint scar remained.
I've always been this way...before the Elements came into our lives I was just a bully...this is just going up on the ladder...now I'm a murderer.
"Y...Yea. Thanks Princess..." he stood, bowing his head for a moment. The Lunar Princess rolled her eyes and stood.
Piper had grown accustomed to Strawberry smacking him upside his head, an action that was quickly followed by a hug to etch the message 'I love you but you are an idiot' into his brain.
"NO! I don't care! No matter how many times you say it! No matter what you've done! YOU.ARE.NOT.A.MONSTER!" She yelled at him. He sighed and wrapped his hooves around her.
"Piper, Amethyst, Nova, Sunburst, Emerald, Strawberry Swirl, please wait a moment. You three as well Hayseed, Penny Apple and Honeycrisp." Celestia said. She wanted each of them to hear their names in turn, wanted them to know they were all important to her. The ponies and kirin looked to their parents who gave a nod before leaving. Only they and the Princess' remained, sitting in silence.
"I understand you want them to hear everything Piper, but i think its best if you skip forward just a bit. Beginning with Cherry Blossom."
Piper awoke to the sound of screaming, bolting out of his tent in time for a small pegasus to crash land on top of him.
"You never learned to fly?" he asked. She lowered her head, scuffing a hoof against the ground.
"Flying isn't something you learn, its a part of you. Its something you just do. Come on, I'll show ya." He flared out his wings and sat so she could climb on his back.
"Hang on tight." he smiled and after a running start, took to the air. He didn't go too high, aiming for the cloud he had spotted moments before and landing gently. The filly fearfully slid off his back, closing her eyes as her hooves touched the cloud.
"Cherry Blossom" she said, leaping off the cloud and rapidly flapping her wings, quickly plummeting to the ground. Piper was quick to jump after her, flicking her left wing with his right. She gasped and threw her hooves over her face. She slowly pulled them away as she heard him laughing, finding herself gliding alongside him and feeling the gentle brush of his wing against hers every so often to keep her in the air.
"Thats sweet an all nephew, but whats it got t' do with whats comin'?"
It had been nearly three months since Piper had arrived. Three months of small skirmishes and battles that no one was sure even had a victor. In that time Piper had almost forgotten the monster he had become thanks to a little filly who had taken the majority of his free time learning to fly. Not that he minded. She felt like the little sister he had never had. Someone who looked up to him without expecting him to kill anything, just to be there and smile. It felt nice.
As usual he would go to a hill that had become their meeting place for her lessons. But on this day there was no filly waiting for him. He looked around, expecting her to pounce him or fly overhead trying to do a trick that was too advanced for her. But he could find her nowhere. He slid down the hill and rushed back to camp, quickly finding the manticore who had been Cherry's guardian before he came along.
"A'ios, have you seen Cherry?"
"Hello Loyalty, I hope you are reading this right now and know that it is too late to save your little friend. Oh but did she put up quite the fight. She screamed and cried and even bit me. You should have seen how she called out for her'big brother'. It was almost a shame I had to knock her out. By now the Gryphon King will have her. If you want her all you have to do is go get her and swear yourself to the true Ruler of these lands."
He could only stare at the paper in his hooves, feeling empty and angry at himself all at once. He dropped the note and walked out of the tent, heading for his own and grabbing his armor.
"I'm getting her back." he said simply, sitting down and grabbing hold of his wingblades in his teeth, carefully placing each blade along his feathers.
"A'ios. I'm surprised you aren't suiting up to go after her. You're her guardian! Or is that just some useless term you throw around? Last I checked she was the one caring for you."
"I would never betray her. But I won't leave Cherry to die. I'm going after her and bringing her back. You can come with or you can wait here." he said simply, sheathing his hoofblade and going back to placing the blades in his feathers. He stood and flared out his wings, each blade shifting with a soft SHING.
The Filly and the Beast Part 2
"Oh Piper..." Strawberry said softly, pulling the pegasus close.
"Piper...ya'll did save that lil filly didn't ya?" Sunburst asked softly. Piper looked over at her, his silence answering any questions that might have come from his friends.
"Whats going on? are we under attack?" Celestia asked as she spotted Piper angrily making his way out of camp.
"All thats left is a scar. I nearly tore it in two. A month ago I took a claw to the throat." he lifted his head, showing a scar across his throat.
"Nuts." Amethyst said simply.
"PIPER!" Strawberry screamed, staring at his body in horror and shock. Slowly Pipers eyes opened. His body sat up and the hoofblade fell from his neck. The rip left behind began to close, leaving them sitting there and watching. The only sign left that anything had happened was a new scar and the blood soaking into his coat.
"I'm not immortal, I can't do whatever I want. For the longest time...all I wanted was to die." Amethyst tackled Piper to the ground.
"That you're nuts?! Yea I figured that out already, just look what you did to Berry!" Piper turned his head, looking at the young zebra. Her eyes were locked on the spot Piper had been sitting when he had 'killed' himself. She hadn't moved from the same shocked expression, hooves over her mouth, eyes wide and tears streaming down her cheeks nonstop. Amethyst yanked Piper to his hooves.
"Help her." he demanded, taking the hoofblade away from the pegasus as he pushed him toward Strawberry Swirl.
He had to save her. He should have been watching after her, he should have kept her safe. All these thoughts filled his head as he made his way across old battlefields, still soiled with the stench of war. He barely noticed, having grown use to the scent. It was a frightening thought when he awoke in the morning and found it strange he couldn't smell blood. Each step brought him closer to his goal, closer to the Gryphon camp, Closer to Monoclos. His ears flicked as he heard voices, quickly lowering himself behind the nearest boulder and straining his ears to make out the voices.
"They say its the Element itself come to life and it can't be killed."
"Like I said, lucky. From what I heard he's just a kid parading around wearing some fancy little necklace he got from Celestia."
"HA! When tartarus freezes over! If I saw that freak right now I'd rip his head off!" Piper grinned a little to himself. It was time to send a message. He snuck around the boulder, keeping his body low. He looked around for the Gryphons he had heard, quickly spotting them not too far away.
"Thats how the world is, its Cruel and thats how we survive." Piper had heard enough. He leapt from his place in the shadows, tackling the second Gryphon to the ground, holding his blade at his throat for a moment and looking into his eyes. He wanted the Gryphon to know it was him that ended his life.
The Gryphon reached for its weapon and froze as Pipers blade slipped into his throat and quickly back out again. The Gryphon rolled in place, clutching his throat as Piper stood, walking over to the other Gryphon. He realized the second was much younger than he had thought at first and as he stepped forward the Gryphon began to cry.
"M...My brother...y..you killed my brother!" Piper blinked, looking between the two Gryphons. It made sense now. The older brother trying to toughen up his younger brother to be the perfect Gryphon warrior and Piper had taken that away in one swift strike.
"I'm sorry..." Piper began before shaking his head.
They looked at Strawberry in confusion as the mare smiled.
"Berry..." he sighed. If it meant she was happy then he wasn't going to argue. But she would hear the truth sooner or later.
Piper tugged and pulled, trying his hardest to pull himself free. He sighed and lowered his head, realizing he was good and stuck. The Gryphon King stepped forward, glaring at Piper with his good eye.
"So Loyalty, you've seen fit to return. Good, you are just in time for the show."
"CHERRY!" Piper screamed, he turned his attention back to Monoclos.
"STOP IT!" Piper screamed. The king smiled, lowering himself to the young pegasi's ear.
"No...y..your lying...h..he'll sa..save me..." she sobbed, she glanced over at Piper, begging with her eyes. Pipers eyes met hers and he fought back his tears. Somehow he had to get out of this, somehow he had to save her. He had to keep his promise! He took a slow breath and gritted his teeth, pulling on the ropes that held him. He threw his weight forward, his wings shifting out of place with a loud pop.
He gasped in pain and threw out his wings, snapping the rope and popping them back into place. The King smiled as Piper slipped his hind-hooves free, his fore-hooves still held tightly in the rope. All the while Cherry watched him, a small smile on her face. Piper stopped as a blade rested against his neck. The king slowly walked up next to Cherry, placing a claw against her throat.
"NO!" Piper screamed and threw his head back, smashing it into the Gryphon behind him. He flapped his wings as hard as he could, dragging the pole that held him to the ground with him as he made his way to cherry, but he knew he was too late.
The King tackled him to the ground, hefting him up by his throat and forcing him to watch as Cherry's body thrashed about, blood pouring from her neck onto the table. Piper lowered his head as Cherry finally stopped moving, her eyes on him, asking him why. Why he didn't save her. Piper felt tears sting his eyes, shaking as King Monoclos held him.
"No..." Piper said softly.
The Complete Truth Part 1
"Princess Twilight, I need to talk to you about Piper." Riku said, suddenly breaking the silence of the room. They sat together in Nyx and Riku's room, the couples' twin foals chattering away with Sora's children. Twilight had been watching the group with a smile, Nyx doing the same from beside her.
"He...He isn't a pony anymore."
"Well, it was weird. Everything was all dark and I could hear someone screaming. It...it was horrible. It sounded like he was hurting real bad so I started chasing after him. But all I found was a kid struggling around in the darkness like it was quicksand. It was like he was drowning in it. Then it all just swallowed him up and...spat him out as something else. It was scary..."
Namine looked around as the scream filled her mind. Through the darkness she could barely see her hands in front of her face but somehow she found herself running towards the scream.
"NO! LET ME GO!" Namine felt tears in her eyes. She wanted to reach out, to say something, to do something. But she was frozen. Her body wouldn't move and she couldn't take her eyes of the scene. Then the worst of it happened. The figure broke free, throwing its wings out far and throwing itself high into the air, only to have the claws grab hold of it and drag it deep into the darkness once more, moments before the figure was swallowed, it glanced over at her.
Shining Blue eyes latching onto hers before vanishing into the darkness. For the longest time all that could be heard was muffled screaming and crying, and then just silence. A long horrible silence. Namine began to shake with fear. Would the darkness come for her next? She gasped as the darkness began to move, the figure slowly emerging from its grasp.
The muck dripped from the figure as it turned toward her once more, the blue eyes having been turned to two massive yellow orbs that filled its head, a loud shriek leaving its fanged mouth. Moments later the girl awoke, sitting up and hugging her legs before bursting into tears.
"I don't understand." Twilight said, looking between Namine and Riku.
Author's Note
Short sweet and to the point with this one. HA! Bet you all forgot this was a Kingdom hearts crossover!
The Complete Truth Part 2
The pegasus lay on his side, looking up at the Alicorn goddess.
"You cannot be comfortable like that..." She flinched as he sat up
"No Piper, it isn't true." Harmony leaned forward, kissing the tears away, the heat of her body causing the ice to melt and his wound to close. She pulled him into a gentle hug
"BUT THATS WHAT YOU JUST BUCKING SAID ISN'T IT?!"
"You...you said all those horrible things to Mother?" Celestia asked, her voice shaking.
"Sora. We were not expecting you for a week."
"Amethyst, my sword." the kirin handed Piper the blade. Piper took a slow breath as he placed his hoof in the clasp of the blade.
"That heart of yours is full of Darkness. It won't be a heart for much longer and you'll have to steal another. I won't allow it" Sora said, pointing his keyblade at Piper's chest.
"I...I think this pony is saying that Piper...is one of those monsters our parents fought." Nova explained, hardly believing herself.
"I gave myself up to the darkness that was consuming grandma Dash. And it stole my heart. Harmony dragged me from it at the last second. An hour in her realm and I would have been fine, but you all would have fought Discord by then."
"No. She gave me a choice and I made my decision. If I had stayed a moment longer than she allowed I would have become just another heartless"
"Of course you can." she said, rolling her eyes.
"I never meant to kill him. I was trying to see if he would change. The Darkness can be unpredictable at times. Its fooled me before. I just had to be sure."
An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Piper and Harmony lay there, distanced from one another. It would be a long while before he awoke again. The Spear in his real body would see to that. Until it melted or somepony found him, he was trapped here with the only pony he could say anything to.
And he had chosen to say all the wrong thing. He laid his head over his hooves and shivered. Even though it was gone he could still feel the ice in his physical body as well as the weight of Monoclos' body on his. At this rate his body would be overlooked and he would be stuck here with Harmony forever. He glanced over at the forlorn alicorn and sighed.
"Harmony...I'm sorry." he spoke up. She glanced over at him in surprise.
"Kinda hard to forget it. Its what got me into this mess. I get it, 'this is all my own fault'."
"This is a creature known as a heartless. This is it in its weakest form, simply a shadow. Piper, the darkness that attacked your grandmother, it was this." Piper leapt to his hooves, knocking away Harmony's wing as he flared his own and bared his teeth at the heartless.
"Yes...like Discord...These creatures need hearts, they feed on them and use them to fill that which they lack. Hearts of their own." she waved her hoof, the heartless twitching and becoming transparent, a swirling hole of darkness where its heart should have been.
"Most of them are, it would be impossible to entirely seal away the Heartless. There will always be darkness hidden away within every heart. There are those rare hearts that are pure and full of light. I believe you know one." Harmony waved her hoof, an image of Ditzy appearing in front of them.
"They are called Humans. That one" she pointed to Sora.
Riku put a hoof to his chin, his keyblade appearing beside him and stabbing into the ground.
"While you can't use a magical blade, you can stlil learn to use a hoofblade and whatever is available to you. In any situation almost anything can be a weapon to protect those you care for." Riku pushed the keyblade over to him, the blade shrinking a little as the pegasus grabbed it in his teeth. Riku smiled.
"Now attack me with it." The Piper from the past blinked in surprise, looking up at the Alicorn.
"uh...what?" he jumped backwards as a spike of ice drove up from the ground where he had been standing moments ago.
"I remember that...So thats what that thing was. A keyblade."
"Piper, it is not normal for a pegasus to have so much magic. Perhaps a little but that would only be related to something to do with clouds or lightning, things a pegasus is born to do. Never has a pegasus had the ability to control ice or fire."
"Piper what I am trying to explain to you is that locked away within you is a power greater than the Keyblade itself. You exist within both realms of reality, the light and the dark and still hold your original body. Such a thing has only been accomplished before by Keyblade masters of great power. But even they would not touch the darkness, before you argue, you were forced into the darkness when you gave yourself for Rainbow Dash, do not be angry with yourself. My point Piper is that yes, I used you, because you are the only one who I can use and it sickens me to say so. You are a heartless with a heart in spirit and in time, your Keyblade will come to you. When that time arrives, that is the time I will need you the most Piper. Please understand...I cannot touch your realm of existance without causing it to crumble on itself. I am not even aware how much damage merely retrieving you caused and it is still something that worries me." Piper scooted towards her, rubbing his cheek against hers and surprising the Alicorn.
"I understand. Basically i'm your tool to fix everything thats wrong. I already understood that much, but now I have an idea why. I'm still not happy about it, but I'll do my best. I already said I would and I plan to keep my word. Any way you can wake me up?" he asked.
"Well then I should hurry and wake up then shouldn't I?" he said with a forced grin. Harmony sighed and touched her hoof to his forehead. Piper awoke with a low groan, his entire body felt cold and then out of nowhere the pain kicked in, that and the weight of a dead gryphon king on top of him. He forced himself to focus, the ice turning into water and falling to the ground. He panted heavily as he lay there with a hole where his chest had been, his blood frozen on the outer edges of the wound.
He weakly pushed Monoclos off of him and rolled onto his side. He was in a ditch somewhere, probably not too far away from the Gryphon camp. He sat up, slipping as his hoof bumped against something. He blinked and stared with wide eyes at the corpse of Cherry Blossom.
"P...Pi...per..." He stared as Cherry's mouth moved.
"NO! Cherry don't leave! Cherry..." Piper pulled the filly close, crying into her coat. A warm glow surrounded the young pegasus and then she was gone. Piper stared at his empty hooves, gasping and clutching his chest as the wound closed. He laid on his side, panting heavily when a strange sensation filled him. His hoof against his chest, felt a gentle, albiet weak, thump. THUMP THUMP...THUMP THUMP...
"A power greater than the Keyblade..."
"All of that can wait until later. Sora." Riku turned to his lifelong friend and they both nodded, turning to Piper.
The other side of the coin Part 2
"Whats going on?" Spike asked. Amethyst pointed up. The drake looked up to see two blurry figures in the sky slamming into each other and chasing after one another. As he watched he realized one figure held a keyblade while the other carried a hoofblade, but something was off about it.
Meanwhile in the air, a pegasus with bright yellow eyes roared as he charged the Keyblade master, the darkness within him surrounding his blade and bouncing off the keyblade as it tried to strike at him.
"Thats my point Piper. The darkness is going to completely consume you. You have to let me help you." Sora said softly, trying to convince him before it was too late.
"I just want to make sure the Organization can't use you to get to Kingdom Hearts."
"Xipper." Piper growled, charging towards the pegasus. The Nobody grinned, throwing his hoof forward, shards of ice just barely missing Piper as he roared, slamming his blade forward, only to have it collide with a blade of ice attached to the Nobody's hoof.
"Come on, you gotta do better than that. I know all your moves. After all, we're the same."
"This is what I was afraid of. Piper you've got to run!" Sora said, putting himself between Piper and the Nobody.
"Look, you don't like me and I'm having a hard time liking you, but this is your Nobody, you can't kill it and it can't kill you. You two fighting won't get anyone anywhere. All he is going to do is wear you out so the others can take you."
"Heh, so you aren't a total idiot. It doesn't matter, its not like he's got much energy left. And I doubt you'll risk killing me Keyblade Master. Not while you might accidentally open the door." the figure grinned.
"Sora, he's right. If he really is Piper's Nobody then the two of them are exactly the same." Riku said, appearing out of the shadows behind the Nobody.
"Come on, they both know it, just admit it and quit fighting. Aren't you tired of fighting? We can stop the fighting and just let it all happen." The Nobody held out a hoof toward Piper, though the pegasus refused to accept it, thin bits of darkness drifting around him and slowly forming around him as he growled.
"Well thats interesting, I can't do that yet." the Nobody mumbled, watching as the darkness surrounded Piper, his eyes replaced with two massive yellow orbs, a split formed in the darkness, shaping into a mouth filled with jagged teeth, dripping with dark ooze, smoke drifting from it.
"STOP IT!" Strawberry screamed from the ground below. The darkness shattered around Piper, leaving him staring at the air in shock as the mare's voice echoed in his mind. The Nobody grinned and rushed toward Piper, quickly knocked back by Riku and then by Sora.
"Riku, get him out of here, I'll handle this guy." Sora said, a massive gust of wind surrounding him for a moment. When it vanished, Sora stood there in mid-air in his human form, gripping his keyblade tightly.
In place of his old clothes he now wore a long flowing white trenchcoat, but had chosen to keep his signature gloves, underneath he wore a black tunic with the Kingdom Crown etched into it in shining silver, his shorts matching the outfit, being pitch black with silver lines down the side. His hair had grown out and now stretched down below his neck and shoulders as he shifted his position, keyblade held at the ready.
"Sorry kid" Riku said, catching the pegasus before he could hit the ground.
"Riku, please tell me whats going on. Is Piper going to be ok? what was that..thing that attacked him?" Strawberry asked quietly, her mane flat against her body.
"No not that, that dark stuff."
"That was the Darkness within him trying to take over. He got angry and was about to use that power on His Nobody." Riku explained quietly. He pushed a door open and walked inside, keeping the door open long enough for Strawberry to follow.
"Can those meanies still get in here?" She asked as lights began to slowly flicker into life around them, illuminating the massive domed chamber. Riku gently sat Piper down, stretching out his wings for a moment before turning his attention back to the Zebra.
"Well...as long as it takes. Your friends should be on the way any minute with Nyx." The ground began to shake, Piper's eyes slowly opening. The pegasus weakly pushed to his hooves, his entire body shaking as he stumbled forward, lurching and choking as he vomited on the floor.
"Piper, the last time you fought your Nobody, did he have any of the powers he has now?" Riku asked. Piper blinked and looked at his hoof, a small cut on it from the ice shard that had flown at him.
"Well how the buck am I gonna do that!?" Piper yelled. Riku chuckled, a sound that sent a chill down Pipers battle hardened spine. A massive wind surrounded Riku for a moment, as it vanished he stood in his human form, a long black cloak covering his bulky muscled form, his hair cut short and a pair of ethereal glowing wings on his back, a black dot sitting in the middle of his forehead where his horn had been.
Author's Note
This update was going to be longer but its been held back for too long in my opinion. The next update shouldn't take as long and will give us a bit more info on the appearance of Xipper (Pipers Nobody) and more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Or were those explosions? Nope thats Michael bay, jesus I need to get some sleep...
AUTHORS NOTE - I recommend reading this with the medium dark setting for text. Gives a bit of feeling to it. This chapter is somewhat half-assed as I'm half asleep, HA see..what I..did..there...AHEM. It'll probably be edited and have more added to it as the next update instead of a new chapter so keep an eye out for that. Anywhozits, enjoy the ''chapter''!
"Pinkie Pie, please watch after them." Nyx said, nudging her children towards the mare.
"Awww, but we wanna help too mom!" Roxas whined, Namine nodded and pouted up at her mother.
"Of course we can!" they said together.
A quick nod from Nyx told both of them everypony already knew, both skidding and turning to chase after their friend and mentor.
"Amy...are you ok?" the kirin stopped and spun, rushing into the gardens.friend ? You seemed so eager to do it last time. Do you still hear my screams at night?"
"SHUT UP!" Amethyst threw his fist forward, gasping as a blast of magic sent him flying backwards, ice crawling across his body. The kirin slammed through a wall, skidding across the hallway he had landed in on his back, groaning quietly. Outside, the nobody dusted himself off, turning his attention to the keyblade that now sat against his throat.
"Its like this Keyblade Master. This world is on a list, a very long list of worlds to be swallowed to feed Kingdom Hearts. We need the key first. In about ten years time this world will fall to darkness. Either way the door will come to us, some of us are just in a hurry and want it now. So you can let me go and give it to me now, or wait until they all suffer a fate worse than death for us to take it. Its up to you."
"COME ON!" Riku roared, flinging his keyblade at Piper who deftly rolled around it. He was slowing though, the chamber was sapping away his strength and little by little he could feel himself fading away. He scrambled backwards as the blade was stabbed into the ground in front of him. He couldn't think, couldn't react, his body moved on its on with the need to survive, to avoid the keyblade at all costs.
NO! I have to stop running. I need to fight! the pegasus rolled, throwing out his wings as his hooves met the wall and began to run, tilting his wings and flapping them to keep him against the wall as he slowly began to pick up speed. The keyblade continued to zip past him, nearly clipping his wings with each throw. He needed to go on the offensive, needed to slow Riku down somehow.
The earth pony, he'll protect her, attack her and he'll leave himself open to protect her a voice rang out in his mind. He growled and shook his head.
"A choice is to be made. Do you stand and fight as the pony you were born to be? Do you run away as the coward you once were? Do you accept the darkness? Do you accept the light? Not all is as it seems young pegasus and not all will lead to a happy ending. There cannot be happiness without suffering. Choose wisely." the voice seemed to fade away. It faintly reminded Piper of someone, but his mind refused to put the pieces together no matter how hard he tried.
He walked forward, watching as objects began to manifest themselves upon the pillers. Slowly each one came down to his level, revealing the object it held. On one sat a glowing sphere of light, on another sat an orb of darkness. On the final one sat his hoofblade, but the tip held the shape of a key rather than the deadly edge he had grown accustomed to. He stepped toward the blade and blinked as it shifted for a moment. He wasn't sure what he had seen, it had happened too quickly.
Not all is at it seems the voice rang out again. He took a step back from the blade.
"If not all is as it seems...I should stay away from it...right? I could use the light to bring happiness...but that would be too obvious...my only choice then..." he turned to the Orb of Darkness, walking up to it slowly.
"I can't use any of this. All of it is useless!" he screamed, gasping in surprise as a loud CHINK filled the air. He stared at the ground, or rather, the object on the ground in front of him. There in front of his hooves lay a simple keyblade. He brushed his hoof against it and blinked, finding himself on his back, Riku standing over him with his keyblade at his throat. Piper growled low in his throat and swung his hoof to knock the blade away, surprised when he felt a blade around his hoof knock away the key. Piper rolled, standing on his hind hooves and flaring out his wings. Riku only chuckled, his keyblade vanishing. Slowly he began to clap.
"What? Are you impressed I escaped? I've fought for years Riku, you've spent that time being a pampered Prince while I've been suffering and killing!" He shouted angrily.
Author's Note
If you have all been paying attention, this now marks seven living beings in this world who have keyblades(1) Sweetie Belle(2) ,Scootaloo(3),Applebloom(4)Celestia(5) and Luna(6)And now Piper(7)
And then nothing made sense
There it was. The thing he had sought for so many years. The object that would end it all and change him back to normal. The Keyblade. Harmony had told him when it appeared she would need him. But now that he had it, where was she? Piper shielded his face as a massive gust of wind filled the room, Riku falling to his hooves, an Alicorn once more. He stumbled a bit, Strawberry catching him.
"You now have a keyblade, but that doesn't make you a wielder. You are still a heartless Piper. The keyblade gains its strength from your heart and the bond it holds with the hearts of your friends. Without that its useless. Remember that." Piper looked at the keyblade, letting it vanish. He could still feel its weight around his hoof.
"SORA! NO!" Kairi screamed. She watched in horror as the dark tendril in his back flung him away from the nobody, his body skidding and rolling across the ground. Kairi flared her wings, tears in her eyes as her keyblade appeared. Nyx put a hoof on her shoulder and shook her head.
"Just hold on Sora." she said softly. He gave a weak nod, closing his eyes once more. Blood soaked his shirt and was beginning to soak into the grass below. Kairi placed her hoof on Sora's chest, her eyes glowing bright green as she began to heal him. She gasped as a dark cloaked figure appeared in front of her. He reached forward to grab her, grunting as a purple blur smashed into him. The two figures tumbled across the ground. A loud roar filling the air along with the sound of a crossbow being fired repeatedly.
"Oh..man my head..." Amethyst began to stir slowly, brushing the ice off his body with a claw absentmindedly. He peered through the hole in the wall, hoping Celestia wouldn't be too angry about it. Though as he looked he spotted a figure below reaching for Kairi.
"iejir ner caex!" The Kirin screamed as he sliced through his arm with his thumb, the blood rising in his magic and forming several spear-like weapons around him. His eyes glowed as the Ancient Dark Magic of the dragons of old surged through him. Spear after spear flew forward, blocked by the figure easily, though each block sent droplets of blood splattering around. Each drop that touched the figures coat formed into another spear, stabbing into him.
The first found his knee, dropping him to the ground. The second found his wrist, making him drop his weapon. The third found his chest, pinning him to a wall. By now the dust cloud had vanished, Kairi watching in horror as the Kirin advanced on the Nobody.
"You have to stop!" She yelled. Amethyst never heard her as he took a spear in his claw, the blood forming around his arm, forming a blade. He slashed once and never looked back as the Nobody vanished in a circle of black flames, his head the last thing to go, laying several feet away.
Blade and ice met in the sky, again and again, magic struck magic and slammed into the walls around them, coating Celestia's castle in destruction and ice.
"That doesn't make any sense? Whats the writer thinking?!" Strawberry yelled from below. Nyx shook her head, having no idea what the mare was going on about. It seemed no one did these days. She sighed as she landed, staring at Amethyst with wide eyes as he sat, coated in blood, a large gash in his arm.
"I'm fine." he said coldly, wincing as Emerald hugged him. She mumbled a few words under her breath, the gash closing instantly, steam rising from the scar. Strawberry walked over to Kairi, placing Piper down on the ground beside Sora. Emerald rushed over to help Kairi, Amethyst testing his now healed arm.
Kairi sighed in relief as Sora opened his eyes again, placing a hand on his chest.
"Thank you.." She said softly, turning her attention back to Piper.
"Congrats, your a keyblade wielder." Sora said softly. Piper merely groaned, rolling onto his side. He closed his eyes once more.
Piper threw the doors open to Celestia's throne room, gathering ponies on the way there and sitting in front of Celestia's throne. The massive crowd talked amongst themselves, wondering what they had been called here for.
Author's Note
Pinkie and Strawberry named this chapter, don't blame me
The crowd began to panic, shouting and stomping their hooves. They called him a liar, they believed Canterlot would never fall, not while Celestia protected them. Piper pointed a hoof at the throne
"Those of you who wish to stand and fight, do so. Everyone else, gather what you can, take your families and friends, and take shelter in the Everfree Forest."
"WOULD YOU RATHER BE SLAUGHTERED BY GRYPHONS!?" Piper screamed, silencing the hall once more.
"Celestia believes this can be solved peacefully. She thinks im wrong. She refuses to see reason from me, her perfect little soldier who has fought war after war for her. But that doesn't matter...What matters is as many of you survive as possible. You can heed my words of warning and take shelter, or you can trust your princess who can't even address you on this matter and stay here to die." Piper walked away from the throne, the crowd parting for him as he walked through them.
He stopped as Shining Armor blocked his path, a battalion of guards behind him. While the years had touched the Stallions mane and tail, adding in streaks of lustrous gray and silver, he still seemed to be the young Captain-Commander of the guard everypony knew.
"The Royal Guard will always protect Canterlot against any threat no matter the cost. If there is even a chance what you say is true, we will stand and fight."
"We'll need to find the Princess' first." Piper said softly, Shining Armor nodded, turning to one of the guards. The stallion wore Celestia's Enchanted Armor, his wings spreading wide as his commander eyed him. He, like all the other Stallions who wore the Armor, appeared young and powerful, his coat white, his mane and tail blue and a determined look in his eye. The pony vanished in a bright light, returning only moments later with a hoof against Celesta's side. The Princess glared at the guard who merely gave her a smile, taking his place next to Shining Armor.
"Why did you vanish Tia? They need to know."
"Heh, she could never say no to him." Shining mumbled, pointing a hoof at the Guard who had retrieved her. The pony remained silent, standing at attention.
Shining Armor chose his most trusted soldiers to begin the evacuation, taking all civilian ponies safely through the Everfree forest and to shelter. Meanwhile, the remaining ponies gathered around Piper and their Princess'.
"I'm curious as well, there seems to be much we do not understand about you." Kairi spoke up, Sora resting against her. Though Emeralds magic had pulled him from the edge there still seemed to be something bothering him. Riku remained completely silent, lost in thought with Nyx by his side. Piper looked around at all of his friends and family, his eyes stopping on Melody.
Piper opened his eyes, finding himself in a tent. His body felt cold. He placed a hoof over his chest, feeling another scar and a faint heartbeat.
"All of this strength...this strange power...this 'blessing' and I couldn't even save one little filly." he muttered.
Dinky glared at Piper.
"Shiny, you don't have to be formal with us, you know that." Twilight said with a sigh.
"Wait!" Celestia called after him. He stood upon a hill, looking out into the distance where the Gryphon camp lay.
"And he killed Cherry Blossom." his voice wavered for a moment.
"Everytime I have needed you, you have been there for me Loy...Piper." his ears stood up for a moment as he heard her speak his name. It was comforting. He didn't want to be comforted. He wanted to simply let himself wallow in his sadness. Though the heart that beat in his chest continued to fill him with warmth. Annoying, comforting, tearjerking warmth. Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"I am not sure what is going on to be honest...I am afraid." She admitted to him. Piper closed his eyes and hung his head for a moment. Listening to the heart beat. As long as that heart was beating, Cherry Blossom was alive. As long as he could breath, he would protect it. And right now that meant he had a war to fight. He stood, gently brushing away Celestia's hoof.
"The war continued...a New King arose, more ruthless than the last. Each time I killed one, another took his place. Thirteen. Thirteen horrible rulers. The fourteenth saw reason when I entered his camp. It was then the Treaty between Ponies and Gryphons came to be. If you take a look at it you'll see my name on the bottom corner." He said with a small smile. Twilight, having read the treaty a thousand times over, pulled it out from a nearby shelf and scanned the page, her eyes wide as she spotted it. Right there at the bottom in tiny, messy hoofwriting. Piper the Loyal.
"They will not like this." King Artois muttered.
"Piper." Celestia called to him. He saluted, bringing a smile to her face.
"Monoclos made that same mistake" Piper spoke softly, though his words held the weight of the world to the currenct Gryphon King. Piper walked forward, taking the quill in his hoof and thought for a moment of what he should write. Warmth filled him from the heart that beat in his chest and without thinking he wrote three simple words. Piper the Loyal. He gasped, holding his head in pain and dropped the quill. Celestia moved to help him, but her hoof only touched air, the pegasus having vanished.
"That was a terrifying moment...I didn't know what to think. For awhile I had thought you abandoned me." Celestia confessed. Piper chuckled. The princess looked at him in shock, wondering what was funny
"She's responsible for all of this! For everything!" Piper yelled, stomping his hoof and cracking the tiled floor. A yellow ring slowly took form around the edges of his eyes. He saw their worried faces and took a slow breath, the yellow fading away.
Again he found himself in the empty white nothingness that was Harmony's realm, the Alicorn standing before him with a small smile.
"So...what? Thats it? I can go home now?" he asked with hope in his voice. Harmony shook her head sadly. A brown cloak appeared around Piper, covering his armor and hoofblade. He sighed knowing what was coming next.
"I am afraid not Piper...there is still much to do and not much time." Another hole opened in the air. Piper glared at it and turned to Harmony.
He figured it must be the middle of the night and began walking, listening for anything that might attack and searching for whatever he had been sent here for. His ears flicked as he heard a familiar noise. His mind struggled to remember what it was as he looked around and in the distance he spotted it as its door swung open and a voice filled the air.
The Past, The Present, The Future Part 1
Piper let what he had just told them sink in, Dinky being the first to understand
"Don't you see? When Piper vanished all those years ago and met back up with us, when that strange pony saved us from the Heartless near Discords Chamber, when we saw that pony impaled and then walk it off like it was nothing, THAT WAS PIPER!" She exclaimed, pointing to Piper.
"Wait...so...Piper was protecting us that whole time?" Honeycrisp asked, looking over at him.
He watched as the group walked out of the TARDIS and couldn't help but smile. There he was, before Cherry Blossom was taken from him, before he had become an empty shell that clung to a heart of another. Before he had fought and killed hundreds of Gryphons and thirteen of their kings. Before he had died. All he had to do was somehow find a way to save himself and everything would go back to normal, wouldn't it?
"No...I'd have to stop myself in the future. I'd have to stop Rainbow from saving me. I'll have to find a way back there." he thought aloud, using the shadows to follow after the group. He froze as guards surrounded his friends and his past self. Another smile spread across his face as he watched his past self stand up against the guards.
He had been so naive back then. Such a tactic in a real battle was asking to be killed. Had the guards decided to fight back he might have died right there. But he wasn't alone, he had Emerald who had rendered the guards weapons useless, and then Celestia broke up the argument and the group began the march to the camp.
He sat down, putting a hoof against his chin in thought. If he was already here, why did Harmony send him back here? What did he need to do? Was she giving him a chance to prevent all that had happened? That didn't make any sense.
"Something troubling you?" a voice spoke up. Piper blinked, drawing his hoofblade and spinning in search of the voice. There in front of him, stood himself, wearing the same cloak and holding the same blade. But his clone was different, there was a streak of grey in his mane.
"Well, you could say I'm you." The pony grinned, his eyes fading to a shimmering silver.
"You might be me, but you don't have the experience I do." Piper said, taking a slow breath to help him clear his mind.
"You're weak. You killed a bunch of useless weaklings and look at you now! You couldn't even keep up with my speed. WORTHLESS!" Piper grunted as the pegasus kicked him in the side, sending him into a tree. He wheezed and groaned, blinking as the cloak wrapped around his throat, holding it closed and allowing air to fill his lungs. He stood slowly, his vision blurred and his knees shaking. He backed himself up towards a nearby tree as the pegasus advanced on him.
"My name, is Xipper." the figure vanished again, appearing in front of him, the tip of his blade between Pipers eyes. Piper didn't even have time to blink before the blade was pushed forward, but at the same time a spear of ice shot up, slamming into Xippers' wings.
Piper weakly reached for the blade, pulling it free from between his eyes. The hood of his cloak lifting itself and hiding his face. He could feel magic working its way down the bridge of his nose, knitting the flesh back together and holding it there. Xipper chuckled.
"Well...I wasn't expecting that..." It was Pipers turn to chuckle as he stumbled backwards, leaning against the tree. It wasn't the first time someone had gone for his brain, but each time was more horrible than the last.
"I couldn't keep track of you, but you'd have to attack from the front with the tree in the way...I did see the dust. Unlike me, you're a weak flyer. You've got ground speed." Piper laid his head back, his wheezing slowing as his throat repaired itself. He closed his eyes, focusing on keeping Xipper high in the air on the end of the ice spear.
"I wonder...do you heal like I do?" Piper asked, icicles forming in the air and slamming into Xipper who gasped and coughed, blood dripping down his chin. Despite it all he laughed.
"That bastard came at me out of thin air, told me he had my heart and then ran away. And he's only getting stronger and stronger. Thats why I have to defeat him myself. I have to earn my heart back." Piper said softly. Riku smiled.
"Nyx, its not a matter of if he can beat him. Its a matter of he has to beat him. It was the same when I was being controlled by Ansem. But even then I had Sora's help. I understand you need to beat him Piper, but a helping hoof isn't something to ignore. I won't get in the way, but I won't just stand back either." The two shared a small smile.
The pegasus weakly made his way through the ruined trees, their leaves having died long ago due to the lack of sunlight and rain. It was a sad sight and one he tried to ignore as he searched blindly for Celestia's camp. He paused at the edge of the forest.
"But I did come across that pegasus...after..." He winced, remembering the incident back then that had seperated him from his friends. The cloud clipping his wing and his plummet into the forest. He looked out across the dead fields, that would only be in a few days time from now. He had to be there to save himself. Maybe he could keep it from happening. Maybe...
"No..." he sighed and let his weariness take over, collapsing and falling asleep instantly. He yawned, finding himself in front of Harmony once more.
"The one called Xipper, he is your Nobody. It was because of he that you and your friends had to journey back to help my sisters. But it is you who will stop him from changing the past. It has already happened, you know it to be true. Now you must ensure the timeline is not altered. I am putting a great deal of trust in you Piper." The pegasus said nothing for a moment, merely looking up at the Alicorn as he let his mind push in the final piece of the puzzle.
"You knew this whole time. This entire BUCKING time, you knew. You knew Grandma Dash would die, you knew I would sacrifice myself for her, you knew I would go after Cherry Blossom and YOU KNEW I WOULD FAIL!" He screamed at her.
He forced himself to stay calm.
"No..I refuse to believe my mother is behind all of this suffering. Surely she only meant well." Celestia spoke up. Piper chuckled.
Harmony followed Piper in silence as he marched through the void of white, waiting for his body to recover.
"Tell me." Piper said, holding back his anger.
"I did what had to be done."
"I was born to die." He turned his head, glancing at his Cutie mark.
"She misinterpreted it Piper. Your special talent is not being Loyal. It is true that when it comes down to it you choose what is best for your friends rather than what is best for you, but that is not a talent. Anypony can do such a thing."
"Well why can't 'anypony' be your bucking dog and ran your sun-cursed errands?" he muttered under his breath. Harmony remained silent, as if waiting for something. Piper sighed.
"Sacrifice. When you first earned your Cutie mark, what happened?" She asked him.
"Not now Discord..." Harmony said through gritted teeth.
"Your dear old grandmother threw herself in front of it. Sacrificing herself for a pony she dearly loved and in turn you did the same. And for the oh so simple record, I wasn't quite myself then. Those friends of yours in the cloaks are more powerful than they look." he muttered angrily, crossing his arms.
"Wait...Being controlled? By what?" Piper asked, confused.
"Its now infused with my magic. Should you will it you can tap into this power so long as you wear this cloak, just try not to overdo it."
"So this cloak holds both the powers of Harmony and Discord?" Twilight asked, brushing her hoof against the fabric. She suddenly felt sick, flinching away from the cloak.
He had spent the past few days simply watching and waiting. Always with the cloak hiding him in the shadows. He couldn't help but smile when he saw all of his friends create a massive forest and when Strawberry began dancing about and singing. Then his horrible mistake. The Sonic Boom echoed for miles and would definitely draw Discords attention. Piper stretched as Discords creatures appeared around him, snarling with drool dripping from the malformed mouths. Years ago he was able to ignore what they were and simply use his magic to be rid of them.
But now, as they rushed towards him, he drew his hoofblade and swung once, his eyes shifting to a bright yellow as an arc of dark energy whipped through them, cutting them into ribbons. He let out a slow breath and rushed onto the battlefield, keeping his hood up to hide his face and his wings tucked against his side. This was where he belonged, this was his home now, among the screaming and the killing. It was here that he could let himself go and just be. He panted a little, realizing the creatures were retreating. A glance upwards revealed that his past self was chasing after Discord.
"No...NO NO NO NO NO!" Piper rushed after his past self and Sunburst. He would have to be quick, but a sonic boom would draw too much attention to himself. He used the forest as cover, flying low against the ground and watching the two ponies from below. The instant the cloud clipped Pipers wing he took action, zipping between the trees and catching the wounded pegasus.
He let out a soft sigh of relief, gently setting him down. He could hear Sunburst sobbing above him and had to stop himself from comforting her. He wasn't sure what would happen if anypony discovered he was here, but something in the back of his mind continued to scream at him to stay hidden. He sighed, looking down at himself. Now was his chance to change his fate, to set things right, to save himself. He nudged the pegasus gently
"Come on, get up. You're stronger than this." his ears twitched, the sound of the TARDIS landing not far off. He lifted his head in time to see Dinky stepping out of the TARDIS. He smiled and chuckled to himself. He really did miss her and everyone else. He nodded towards her and she blinked.
Of course she wouldn't recognize him, and if she did she would probably scold him for being here. He flicked his wings open, feeling the power of the cloak flow through him, dust spinning around him and covering him and the sleeping Piper in a cloak of shadow, hiding them from view as the dust settled. He watched as Dinky was pulled back into the TARDIS by Amethyst and they left to go after Sunburst and Discord.
"AHA! I knew I wasn't crazy! I did see you didn't I?" Dinky said with a wide smile. Piper rolled his eyes and nodded.
"I thought it was for the best, Piper. I've seen.."
"'I've seen' Is not an excuse Dinky. The Princess' knew what was coming for us and told us nothing and look where we are now. You had a chance to comfort years of suffering and you tucked it away because you saw something you shouldn't have."
"Piper, you don't understand, I'm not suppose to interfere, I'm not suppose to know which means they aren't suppose to know. I wasn't suppose to see you then." Piper spun and glared at her, finding Amethyst in his path. The kirin's face was blank as he stared down the pegasus.
"She did what she thought was right. I don't have a clue in Tartarus what you two are going on about but I can guess it didn't end well." Emerald sighed, lifting the two of them in her magic and holding them upside down. She turned to Piper first with a small smile.
"Piper, you saved me all those years ago when we were training even though you got hurt. You fought so hard and you were so brave and you've done so much more and given up so much between now and then. You've seen things I can only imagine and i'm sure you learned a lot along the way. I'm sure you of all ponies know that when a pony has something they have to do, they do it, no matter the cost. I have been keeping it to myself, but I have been having Night Terrors and I know what Dinky saw. She kept her mouth shut for a good reason. One word, thats all it would take. One word in the wrong place could bring about more destruction than even you've seen Piper." the pegasus remained silent as he was lectured, the younger kirin turning to face her brother.
"Quit with the guardian act and just ask Dinky on a date already. We're all getting sick of you two avoiding each other." both Kirin and Unicorn blushed, clearing their throats and looking away from one another. Emerald sighed and shook her head, dropping them from her magical hold and sitting down once more.
"Alright, so I get that everything would fall apart if somepony said the wrong thing. But how would saying "Piper is Alive and coming back" bring about destruction?" Piper asked.
"An we're gettin tired o' lyin t' everypony. If Ma an pa found out they'd tan our hides!" Penny yelled, crossing her hooves. Her sister nodding her agreement.
"Let Piper finish first. I think everything will be understood then." Dinky said, taking her seat next to Amethyst. Riku stood and stretched.
"Oh, and maybe get to know your mare a little better." He said, winking at Piper then at Amethyst. Both Kirin and Pegasus trying to argue as the Alicorn chuckled, leaving with his wife and children. Emerald nudged Amethyst toward Dinky with a brush of magic and Strawberry practically pounced on Piper, the room being filled with laughter. Kairi took the chance to walk Sora out of the room, heading to a room that had been given to them.
Author's Note
Side-note: Next chapter will most likely be a filler-happiness chapter of them just relaxing with the peace and quiet they have and maybe some stuff being thrown out in the open and then back to the story in the chapter after that.
The Past, The Present, The Future Part 2
Strawberry sighed softly, watching as Piper slept. When he had first dozed off he had been kicking fitfully and kept apologizing, though he finally calmed down when she laid down beside him.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat with her, watching the pegasus.
"Well...we haven't really had time to talk about it and I didn't wanna just drop it on top of him what with all the fighting and the storytelling and..." she stopped ranting as Scootaloo shoved her hoof into her mouth.
"Sometimes I forget you're Pinkies daughter. Listen Berry, you know he loves you and you love him. Just let him know and I'm sure he'll be happy." The pegasus mare said with a smile. Strawberry looked down at Piper, smiling as he rested his head against her.
She brushed her hoof over one of the scars on his face and sighed.
"Berry, when me an Scoots were your age a lot of ponies didn't believe in our relationship and it was hard. I couldn't stand seeing her get hurt and it was the same for her, it didn't help our situation that we were helping Nyx protect Ponyville. But because we love each other we found a way to make it work and eventually everypony just accepted or ignored us." Sweetie said, giggling as Scootaloo blushed.
"I don't understand." Strawberry spoke up, looking between them. Sweetie Belle sighed and put a hoof on Strawberry's shoulder.
The two sat awkwardly next to one another outside of Canterlot as the snow gently fell. Dinky's breath filled the air with a light fog and she began to shiver as a breeze drifted by. The kirin next to her watched for a moment as the snow clung to her coat, the way her chest slowly heaved with each breath, the way she held herself even against the cold.
His sister was right, he loved this mare and now was his chance to show it. Amethyst wrapped his wing around the unicorn gently and exhaled slowly through his nose, filling the air around them with steam.Dinky smiled and blushed lightly, nudging his wing gently.
"Don't mention it." again the two sat in silence, watching the snow fall in the comfort of one another. Amethyst decided to break the strange silence, turning to face the unicorn.
"Its ok Amethyst. She's your sister, she's bound to say things like that." She said with a laugh, dismissing the thought with a wave of her hoof. She reminded herself that siblings had a way of trying to embarass one another in situations like that and it only made sense Emerald would use such a tactic to calm her brother.
"Thats not what I meant Dinks. I kinda...do like you." he said, turning away. She blinked and turned her attention back to him, struggling to keep her jaw from hitting the ground. She had never seen Amethyst like this. True he always spoken his mind and he had always spoken the truth, but she had never seen him so unsure of himself. He turned back, speaking quickly.
"Dinks I love y.." he stopped, his eyes wide as Dinky's lips met his. The awkward kiss lasted only a moment, but that was enough. Dinky slowly pulled away, her hoof on the Kirin's chin as she looked into his eyes.
"Amethyst Darastrix Shrike, I never thought I'd see the day." she said, shaking her head. The kirin chuckled and grabbed her hoof. Again silence filled the air, but no words were needed between the two as they huddled for warmth in the moonlight. Not too far away, a Princess of the night shared a smile with her wife.
"Whats it like being a pony all the time?" Kairi asked. Riku chuckled.
"I'll admit, it took me a while to figure that out. I kept thinking of them as hooves instead of hands. I had some help though." He said with a wink, Nyx blushing brightly and punching his shoulder.
"Shush." the friends shared a laugh, all but Sora who sat at a nearby window, gazing outside and watching the snow fall. Kairi sighed and nudged Roxas gently. The colt yawned and looked up at his mother.
"Can you go comfort your father? He needs a visit from the tickle monster." she whispered. The colt grinned and nodded, sneaking up on Sora before leaping into the air, pouncing his father and quickly joined by Namine, the two of them bringing him to the ground in a fitful mess of hooves and laughter. Kairi sighed in relief, watching as he played and laughed with their children. It seemed everything was back to normal, for now at least.
Alone in their room lay an Alicorn and a Kirin, held tight in the others embrace upon the bed they shared. They had been through so much together, and now they faced even more challenges.
"And what about the foal? Is it right to bring a child into the world at a time like this?"
"Don't worry, I'll always be here to keep you safe." the two shared a smile.
A soft sigh escaped the mares lips, quickly followed by a giggle and a hoof slapping away another hoof.
"How can ah when ya'll keep makin th' cutest noises?" he breathed against her neck. The pink earth pony felt a pleasurable shudder through her entire body, letting out a low moan before throwing her hooves around his neck, their eyes meeting for a split second. Out of respect for the two the blinds pulled themselves closed, hiding them from the moonlit night.
Fluttershy busied herself with watching the younger foals, holding back her giggles as she watched Melody play with Sunshine. The two seemed inseparable and though Melody seemed to be maturing faster than the young colt the two had found a way to speak without words.
The mare glanced over at the sleeping form of her husband and smiled, it was much the same thing the two of them shared. She silently wondered if the two foals would share her fate. Fluttershy blinked in surprise as Sweetie Belle sat beside her, watching the foals. The younger mare glanced at the pegasus who shared her smile.
"They make a cute couple." the unicorn remarked softly so as not to wake Big Macintosh or Piper who lay not far away with Strawberry. Fluttershy nodded.
"Well said Sweetie Belle." Dinky spoke up, surprising them as she entered the massive room with Amethyst at her side. The purple kirin looked around the room.
"Oh, her an Nova are uh...in their 'Personal chambers'" She said with a small smile, the room filling with a heavy strange silence. The sound of a groaning pegasus finally coming to snapped the awkward silence in half. Piper stretched his wings and yawned. He gave a start as Strawberry nudged one of his wings, pouting slightly.
"I..."he looked back at his wings, realizing he hadn't done anything with them. They had always been taken care of by battle scars healing over old feathers and making his wings like new. He had never had time to think of such things. Before he could answer the Zebra had already begun picking at his wings and prying the loose feathers free with her teeth without any care for the ponies watching, Piper doing his best to hold back his groans. Scootaloo held back a laugh and stood.
"Hey Berry, maybe you should wait before doin that in front of everypony." the pegasus suggested. Strawberry turned to her, a few feathers in her teeth as she looked around the room. Her face changed from pink to red as she realized they were all watching. She gasped, her eyes wide as she realized what everypony must've thought she was doing.He's definitely my kid.
Underneath a tree, just outside Canterlot Castle, sat two mares, watching the snow fall in the beautiful moonlit night. An earth pony sighed softly, relaxing in the warmth of the nearby pegasi's wing.
"That we're gonna lose Canterlot? I dunno AJ. We've never lost before, but things have never been THIS bad. We've never had a war on our hooves. It was always just handlin Discord or Nightmare Moon, or the Chrysalis incident...which to be honest was all Twilight, but still. And on top of that...its not like we're as young as we use to be..." the pegasus said sadly, hanging her head. Applejack rolled her eyes, nuzzling the depressed pegasus.
"Dashie, ya'll listen t' me an ya'll listen good. Ah don't ever wanna hear ya talkin like that again. Ya ain't old, ah ain't old, yer jus' outta practice cause ya been so darned hard-headed an depressed 'bout Piper. But ya can rest easy now Dash, he's back. He's got some scars an he's done been to Tartarus an back, but he's a better stallion cause of it."
"No buts Dashie. Besides, ya'll heard him. Ain't nothin gonna happen fer at least another three years or so." Rainbow Dash sighed, casting her gaze up at the stars above and the thick clouds drifting by.
"Spike, I wish you would stop fussing over me." Rarity said with a sigh as the Dragon helped her into bed.
"Yes, you are darling. Something is on your mind that you aren't telling me." She drove her words home with her hoof against his chest. The dragon winced visibly. Rarity had hit the nail right on the head. She sighed and placed her hoof on his cheek.
"Whats wrong?" she asked, looking into his eyes. He grabbed her hoof in his claw and looked away.
"When the heartless attacked us, I fought with all I had to keep you safe and even then it almost wasn't enough. When Discord trapped us, I barely managed to set you free, only to have you come rushing back like a silly filly, determined to die alongside me. I've come so close to losing you to all of this...and now a war is about to begin. A brutal war with creatures who did horrible things to an innocent filly just to hurt one of their enemies. Rarity, I don't know what I would do if I lost you and I can't stand the thought of the Gryphons getting their claws on you. So please...just promise me..." tears begin to pour down his cheeks.
"Promise me you'll run away this time." he managed to say through the lump in his throat. Rarity wrapped her hooves around him, pulling the drake close to her as he cried his heart out, her hoof idly brushing along his spines.
This was her dragon. Her big powerful Guardian who had done so much for her and had always been so strong and unbreakable. And now here he stood, crying like a newborn foal. It was enough to shatter her heart.
"Spike...I...should a time ever come...that I must leave..." she bit her tongue. She couldn't abandon Spike, she just couldn't. Not after all they had been through. A small smile touched her lips.
"On that day, we both made a promise. That no matter what came our way, we would stay by one another, for as long as we both shall live. No matter what comes our way, I will stay by your side. I do not care what tries to drive us apart. I would not be able to live with myself if I simply abandoned you to fight alone."
"Spike, please hear me out on this. We swore on our lives that day, the day our hearts were tied together for eternity, that we would always stay by each other. We have had our rough patches of course, but that is true for all couples. Should the time ever come that I must run away then you will simply have to come with me." she said, hoping to drive her point home with a passionate kiss.
When she pulled away, she saw a sad smile spread across Spikes face.
Twilight and Luna sat high above Canterlot, watching their friends and loved ones.
Author's Note
This is mostly a filler chapter with hints of upcoming events sprinkled along the edges.
The Past, The Present, The Future Part 3
On a cold winters night, the moon shall cry, a princess shall die, and Harmony shall break upon the dawns edge.
Burdened with a heart pure, A beast foul shall be born and bring with it an army unlike any other. A child lost in the darkness will be tested, A sacrifice to be made A life to save. The girl is the key to end the darkness and bring back the light If she is to fail, all will be lost to the harsh winters night,
The twins smiled, sitting on either side of their father. Applebloom sat alone in a room nearby. Pip took a slow breath.
"Today is an important day for your mother. Every year its the same. She spends the entire day alone and won't let anypony near her. The last time I tried she almost took off my head. But that isn't what has me worried. Each year she gets worse...her smile fades away, she doesn't work with her normal cheerfulness and...the days seem empty until she finally returns to her old self. I need to change this. I need to fix this." He took another slow breath, sitting in front of the door. Today was indeed an important day to the mare. It was the day Granny Smith left her.
"Aj, c'mon. please don't do this" Rainbow said, leaning against the door.
"NO! I'm not leavin! You promised! You said this year would be different, you said that you'd let me comfort you!" Rainbow screamed, pounding on the door. She gasped as it suddenly opened, finding herself in Applejacks hooves.
"Its gonna be alright AJ. I bet ya she's watchin us right now." Rainbow said with a smile, wiping away a tear from the orange workponies face. Applejack chuckled quietly.
Applebloom sat alone in the center of the room, her head down and her hat resting on the bed. This day, it was this day all those years ago that she held Granny Smiths' hoof as she left this world. It was this day that she spent in solitude each year to remember her grandmother and everything she had meant to her. Her ear flicked at the sound of a hoof at the door. She ignored it, keeping her head down. Again the hoof beat at the door, followed by another, and then another. Several hooves beat against the door, voices leaking through.
"Momma, come on out! Yer makin pa sad!" the twins said together. Applebloom blinked, staring at the carpeted floor as the words of her daughters echoed in her mind.
Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks as she made her way to the door. She had to stop living in the past and move on to the present, to the future. Her future and the future of her family. She had learned that lesson long ago, but it had never stuck with her until now. On this day, when her family was waiting for her, the door opened and the mare was joined by her family in the room with smiles and hugs.
Strawberry bit her lip, sitting beside Piper as he gazed at the night sky. His eyes never left the moon. She took a slow, deep breath as she prepared to speak her mind. He deserved to know, she should have told him in the first place. Suddenly the pegasus turned his attention to her and her heart stopped. There were tears in his eyes. Strawberry blinked as a drop of rain landed on her nose. She looked up in surprise, seeing no clouds in the sky. The snow had stopped and had been replaced by rain, but where was it coming from?
"Its the moon..."Piper said softly.
"Its a signal from Luna. Something we promised each other. She's handled her side of the deal. Now its my turn." He stood, moving to the edge of the balcony, spreading his wings wide, a dark aura surrounding him as the rain pelted him, matting his mane and coat to his body.
"Take care of my sister and my family...Please Berry..." he said without turning back to her. The pegasus leapt off the balcony and into the night, leaving the Zebra alone.
It all happened in an instant, Celestia was the first to notice. Luna's presence in her mind simply vanished without a trace, the next to go was Twilight. Celestia had never run so fast in her life, barreling down the halls of her castle and throwing open the doors to her sisters chambers. Sure enough, both mares were gone. Celestia reached out with her mind, finding only a flustered and confused Nyx. Celestia glanced out the window, watching as an orange pegasus soared through the magic induced downpour.
Sora screamed, holding his head in his hooves, Riku the next to collapse as Darkness began to surround both of them, dragging them into itself.
"Run Nyx...RUN!" He pushed her away, his screams muffled by the darkness as it swallowed him. Kairi tried desperately to free Sora, only to find the Darkness was coming from his wound, forming around him until it was all that was left. In moments both of them had vanished entirely.
"I know Sora...he'll find a way back to us, and he'll bring Riku with him. Right now we need to find that pegasus and keep him safe. We can't let the Darkness take him too." Kairi said with more strength than she truly had. She was unsure if Sora would be safe, but she didn't want to scare Nyx, or her children.
"I'll find him, you watch the foals." Nyx said, her mane slowly fading into a pattern of stars and her eyes beginning to glow. The mare vanished in a bright light, leaving Kairi with four frightened foals, all clinging to her as the light of the moon slowly began to fade, filling Equestria with darkness.
Nova stumbled, her eyes wide. She suddenly felt...empty and alone. As if all she had known had suddenly left her. Tears began to form, quickly wiped away by Emerald who pulled the Alicorn onto her back and rushed at a full gallop down the nearest hallway.
"E...Emy..m..my parents...I think something horrible has happened..i..I can't feel them anymore." She squeaked out, clinging to the Kirin. Emerald stayed silent. She had seen the signs, she knew where the two Princess' had gone. It was all like her Night Terrors, they were once again coming true and she could do nothing to stop them.
All she could do now was protect the last Princess before she too was swallowed by the growing Darkness. Emerald panted as she came across Princess Celestia and gasped as the Solar Princess' horn began to glow, sending a burst of magic flying past her head. Behind her a glob of darkness fell to the burst of light and quickly reformed.
"I understand Princess, but what of you? You cannot face them all alone"
The runes continued to spread across the floor and walls as her chant grew louder and louder, echoing throughout the halls of Canterlot Castle. Every last bit of darkness being pulled towards the Kirin as she flung Nova off of her back at the shocked Princess. Time froze for Nova as she sailed through the air to be caught by her aunt. A sad smile touched Emeralds lips as their eyes met.
"I'M SORRY!" She yelled, soon swallowed by Darkness as it was pulled towards her, her body only visible as a light within the darkness.
"She'll die!" Nova screamed at her aunt.
Dinky and Amethyst stood back to back as the darkness marched towards them.Ha...Being honest with myself...if I make it out of this I should write that one down.
"No we won't. There isn't any way out. Just..." she shook her head and spun, grabbing the Kirin and pulling him into a kiss.
"Thats how you'd go out Dinks? with a kiss and a goodbye?" he asked jokingly. She punched his shoulder, using her hat to hide her blush.
"Amethyst...we can't help her. Nothing can survive that darkness." they both watched as the sphere continued to grow with each bit of darkness it pulled into itself, the figure of light within slowly beginning to fade, her chants shifting into screams of agony as the darkness began to crush her.
"S..she's my sister...I can't...I can't just leave her like that..."
Outside they found the previous Element Holders and their loved ones, all except for Twilight and Luna. Pinkie was the first to notice, holding a sobbing Strawberry Swirl close.
"W..Wheres Twilight?" she asked. Dinky shook her head.
"Nyx went after Piper." Kairi said softly, covering four crying foals with her wings. Sweetie Belle blinked.
"Yes, I am." Piper said as he landed in front of them, dressed from hood to hoof in battle armor. he smiled as Melody hugged him, placing his hoof on her head.
"Big brother has to go make another bedtime story."he said softly, kissing her forehead. He glanced over at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, quickly turning his gaze to Strawberry Swirl.
"I apologize my friends, but you cannot interfere in this battle." Luna's voice echoed around them
"So your just gone...just like that mom?" Nyx asked softly as she landed.
"We do not have time for mourning or for things such as this. All will be explained once you are safe, now run!" Luna's voice reached them once more, a barrier forming around them out of nowhere, shadows bouncing against the outside. The friends looked at one another for a moment and nodded. Spike grinned a little and stretched his neck.
"Dad..." Amethyst placed a claw on his shoulder. Spike was surprised to see his son was crying.
"S...She is the Element of Magic, surely she can dispel the darkness and come to us!" She looked to her friends frantically, searching for reassurance. Spike hugged the unicorn.
"This is my job Bloom. I hated seein you work your tail off doing dangerous things with Nyx. But I let you do it because it made you happy and it was what you needed to do. Well this is what I need to do as a member of the Guard. Canterlot is in danger and it is my duty to protect it. Besides, i've got two dragons covering my back, we'll catch up before you know it." Applebloom lowered her head.
"Alright Pip...but ya'll better hurry back!" the earth pony nodded and together with the Kirin and the Dragon, rushed out of the barrier and back into Canterlot Castle. The ponies gathered in the safety of the barrier watched them go before turning and chasing after Twilights guiding light to safety.
Piper landed almost silently atop the highest tower of Canterlot. There waiting for him stood three black cloaked figures. In the center stood the current king of the Gryphons, Niare.
"And you must be Niare, the new lowlife in charge." Piper threw back, his wings spread wide.
"He is right Piper. you can stop the bloodshed and save everyone. All you have to do is accept who you are and join us." Xipper spoke up as he stepped forward. Piper gritted his teeth, ignoring the pegasus. He was important, but he could wait. He kept his attention focused on Niare.
"You know who I am, and you know what I've done and what I will do to protect Equestria. I've killed hundreds of thousands of your kind single-hoofedly and have lived to tell the tale and here you stand with but only four minions to face me. Whats stopping me from killing you right now?" Piper growled, a yellow tinge touching his eyes.
"Because I have something you need, something you want. Something near and dear to your...Heart." Niare grinned. Piper chuckled. This idiot had joined forces with The Nobodies and thought he held all the cards. It was time Piper showed him the truth.
"You leave them out of this Niare, you're making a mistake, the same mistake Monoclos made." Piper growled once more, flaring his wings.
Melody began to pant as she continued to run, clinging to the cloak her brother had given her. The material felt strange and it seemed to fit perfectly on her. She gasped as Scootaloo picked her up, carrying her on her back as they continued chasing after the light.
"Almost where?! All I see is a bunch of trees!" Rainbow argued, skidding to a halt as several holes appeared in the air, Gryphon Warriors stepping out of them. Sweetie Belle stepped forward, her horn glowing as she hummed low and deep, gray musical notes hovering around her. The Gryphons chuckled and threw a golden ring, Sweetie Belle screaming as snapped closed around her horn.
"BELLE!" Scootaloo ran forward, gasping as a hole appeared in front of her. She was moving too fast to stop and tumbled into the darkness with Melody on her back. Another hole appeared underneath Sweetie Belle, pulling her in.
"SWEETIE BELLE!" Rarity tried to run to her sister, gasping as a Gryphon grabbed her. Applejack and Rainbow tackled a pair of Gryphons only to be pinned by another pair. Out of the corner of her eye Applejack could see her brother and the others being pinned against trees and the ground. Big Macintosh continued to struggle, bucking wildly as the Gryphons grabbed hold of Fluttershy and Honeycrisp. It took several Gryphons to restrain Pinkie and Strawberry, finally managing to knock them out cold.
"Yer gonna regret this." Braeburn spat, grunting as the Gryphons knocked him out.
"Well Piper? What do you choose? Will you have the blood of your family on your hooves? Or will you do the right thing and give yourself to save them?" Xipper asked, Melody whimpering as Niare dug his claw into her throat.
"Let go of my daughter!" Sweetie Belle yelled, screaming as one of the figures grabbed her horn and pulled, forming a crack in her horn.
"Just let them go..." he said softly.
"I am losing my patience. Decide" Niare growled, lifting up Melody. The young unicorn gasped as the cloak brushed against her horn, causing it to glow brightly. Niare gasped, dropping her as her eyes turned white. Piper allowed himself a smile, dashing forward and aiming to tackle Niare, Xipper blocking his path. The two pegasi tumbled over the edge of the tower, struggling to open their wings. Meanwhile, atop the tower, a young unicorn turned her attention to the figures who held her parents, a wave of her hoof and the two found themselves flying off the tower.
"M...Melody...whats...hap.." Sweetie Belle tried to ask weakly, laying on her side. She could only watch as her daughter hovered in the air, the power of the cloak flowing through her. It took her only a moment to realize it was controlling her, obeying her will and protecting them. The nobodies rolled in mid-air, launching themselves towards the possessed filly and drawing their weapons.
A smirk touched Melody's face as a hoofblade took shape in her magic, knocking back their weapons. Together the three rolled and flipped, weapons clashing against another. Sweetie Belle struggled to her hooves, gasping as Niare grabbed her horn, dragging her along.
"ENOUGH!" he yelled, holding the unicorn up in the air. Everyone froze as he did the unspeakable, an act of ultimate taboo. The scream that filled the air would forever fill the nightmares of all present, even the Nobodies, as Niare twisted his claw, ripping Sweetie Belles horn clean in two.
Hall after hall, the entire castle was empty save for a dragon, a kirin, and an earth pony who searched its halls for any sign of a lone green Kirin.
"We've got company." he spoke up. Gryphons marched towards them with weapons drawn and heartless at their heels.
"We'll be alright. You made a promise to mom and I've never seen you break a promise." Amethyst said with a grin. Pip chuckled.
"Pip, do you still have the Princess' Enchantment?" Spike asked quickly. The earth pony drew his sword in answer, the air around him growing slightly warmer.
"When I give the word, each of you take a hallway and don't let up. Got it?" they both nodded. Spike took a deep breath and roared.
All three continued, forcing themselves to the edge of their power to hold the enemy back. Finally the flames died away, a few weak bits clinging to the walls and flickering as the three panted heavily. More holes appeared in the air, more soldiers taking the place of those that had fallen. Pip drew himself up, placing his blade between his teeth and drawing two more, his eyes closed.
"You aren't in any condition to win Pip." The Drake spoke up, growling low in his throat.
"You better catch up with us Pip." The kirin growled, charging through the Gryphons and Heartless, followed closely by his father. Pip smiled slightly. He watched them run away, knowing it was the last time he would see them.
"We need to help them!" Twilight yelled. Before her stood a tall Alicorn with a mane of flames.
"There are some things you cannot change and sadly I cannot send you back. What you have done is nothing short of foalish and insane Luna." Harmony flinched as Twilight pushed between them, her eyes glowing brightly and her voice echoing with the wrath of Equestria's most powerful 'unicorn'
"Alright...but plan your movements carefully, the lightest flicker may just save them, but at the same time...each action you take will tear a hole in reality. It is not your place to do these things. I will do my best to repair the damage, but I can make no promises. Are you ready?" she asked.
They nodded as a multitude of windows appeared around them, showing them all of their friends and loved ones. This would be their battlefield. Twilight did her best to guide her friends, Luna keeping control of the Natural Elements. Both mares eyes grew wide upon the sneak attack of the Gryphons.
"I cannot, I would risk hitting the others." Both of them tried to think of someway to save their friends, a solution finding itself as Zecora leapt into the fray, her spears devoted to their mistress and easily finding their mark. Twilight turned her attention to another window and blinked as all of them vanished.
Zecora silently led the ponies to a hidden path in the forest. She had hoped she would never have to use such power in her lifetime, but Equestria was changing. Now was the time for action.
He had heard so many screams in his life, each had a similar ring to it but all had their unique pitch and volume. He could remember every single one of them, every face, every voice, every stab of his blade. But this scream tore into his soul and ripped it to shreds. It was the scream of ultimate agony, the scream of his mother. Piper threw his wings out wide, his hooves thrown around Xipper as he rolled in the air, roaring and slamming the Nobody into one of the many towers of Canterlot before throwing himself high into the air.
Darkness slowly took a hold of his mind and the change took hold once more. His eyes became two massive bulbs of yellow, jagged horns taking shape upon his head and his wings slowly being consumed by the black gunk. In moments the change was complete. A massive black beast snarled as it divebombed toward the Gryphon King. Time came to a standstill as millions of holes opened in the air, Gryphons and Heartless alike pouring from them and charging toward the beast. They all pounced, some being swallowed instantly, others managing a stab or two before being consumed by the darkness.
"STOP!" Scootaloo screamed. The beast glanced downward, seeing tears in the eyes of the mother of the pegasus it currently had its claws in. Its rage began to fade as did the darkness itself. Though it continued on its path, slamming into Niare as the last vestiges of its existance faded away. One seriously pissed off Pegasus slamming his hoof into the throat of the current king. At least his hoof would have if not for the sickle embedded in it. He blinked and grunted as another slammed into his other hoof, more piercing his wings and hind legs, pulling him into the air. His eyes began to turn blue and stopped as a collar slammed around his throat. Niare coughed and stood with a quiet chuckle. Melody hovered over the scene, shaking her head.
"RUN MELODY! RUN!" Piper screamed as another blade stabbed through his back, dripping his blood in front of him. Darkness filled his vision. He could just barely see as a purple blur grabbed hold of his sister and vanished. When Piper opened his eyes, there was nothing. No Harmony, no endless white void. Just Darkness and the knowledge that he had failed.
Amethyst didn't have time to think, he had to act. The figures in black were too powerful for him, especially if they had taken Piper out so easily. A voice screamed in his mind, telling him to save Melody. In his current state his body obeyed instantly, launching toward the filly and pulling her close as he threw out his wings, skyrocketing away from Canterlot. He didn't know where was going, all he knew is that wherever the voice was taking him, he would find safety. Slowly his thoughts returned to him. Without realizing it, he had abandoned not only Piper, but his sister as well. And his father.
Spike smiled as Amethyst escaped.One down, two to go. He froze as his eyes landed on Sweetie Belle, quickly jumping to Scootaloo and then Piper. The dragon growled low in his throat, Niare's grin growing wider with each passing moment. With a snap of his claws, hundreds upon hundreds of heartless pounced the dragon, pinning him to the ground as Niare stepped forward, waving Sweetie Belles horn in his face tauntingly. Spike opened his mouth, hoping to swallow the king in his flames, only to have a ball of black gunk shoved down his throat. The drake struggled to breath, trying to free himself of the heartless and spit out the gunk. His efforts only pushed him further and further along until he finally passed out.
Niare held himself up proudly as Pip was dragged toward him, bound in chains and soaked in the blood of his soldiers.
Pip raised his head slowly and smiled. His face was badly bruised, his left eye shut and a few of his teeth missing. His smile grew as the sun slowly began to rise. Canterlot had fallen, but Celestia was safe. He may have failed in his duty to protect Canterlot, but his Princess lived on, all that was left, was to make his decision. He spoke softly and with pride as the sunlight shone through the lone window in the room and cast itself upon his bruised form. He would do his duty, right to the very end as a proud member of the Guard.
Author's Note
This is the final chapter of Pipers Tale. I'm sure those of you(the three or four who actually read this story) have a lot of questions. Why didn't Piper finish his story? What happened to Emerald? Where are Celestia and Nova? Why am I asking you all these questions?! Well look for the answers in the upcoming sequel, currently named...Nothing, because its still up in the air and I have no idea what to call it, but i'll think of something!
The pegasus gulped as he stared up at the black pillars, the figures merely silhouettes against the vast white void.
"You have given much in your short time amongst the ponies of Equestria. But you have caused much strife as well."
"Though you have been honest with your friends and attempted to right your many wrongs."
"And at the risk of losing everything, even your entire existence itself, you still fought on."
"Though you heart was once black and vile, it now holds light and promise."
"For this, a chance to truly prove yourself shall be given."
"A final test, to prove your Loyalty." each pony spoke in turn. Piper sat up, wincing in pain.
"I'll do what I have to. You probably already know that." he chuckled slightly. A window opened before them, the pillars vanishing.
"I am sorry Piper. But from this point on, you are on your own. I will be here when you sleep, but I cannot join you beyond this point."
"Where am I going?"
"Back to aid my daughters. They still need help. While peace has been restored, there is still much left to be done. Canterlot still needs to be constructed, peace needs to be made with the dragon clans and Gryphon tribes."
"But...i'm just one pony...what am I suppose to do?"
"One pony can make the difference Piper. Besides, who better to help than Loyalty itself?" she asked of him, resting a hoof on the element wrapped around his neck. He smiled a little and nodded.
"Alright, i'll do whatever I can to help." He slid off her back and made his way to the opening.
"One moment Piper, you'll need this." he turned, finding a hoofblade hovering in the air as well as wingblades and armor. As they touched his body they magically bound themselves to him, his Element shining against the armor he wore.
"Be careful my dear pony and take good care of my daughters." He nodded.
"I will." he leapt through the window, which quickly closed behind him.
"Do you think it fair that we have given him this fate?" she asked the air, receiving no answer. She sighed and vanished.
"Wow...Thats...intense." Penny said, her friends nodding. Piper chuckled a little, placing a hoof against the mentioned blade.
"A large part of me wishes she never gave me this stupid thing. But without it i'd be dead and so would Tia..."
"You keep calling her that. Just HOW close are you two?" Strawberry asked, jabbing a hoof into his side.
"We're only friends Berry. She wanted more and...it was hard to tell her no. But I had to." Amethyst snorted.
"How'd you manage that O great and wise Piper?" he asked.
"Easy, I just had to stay loyal to a pony who was waiting for me." he said with a smile, making Strawberry blush as he rested a wing over her shoulder. Sweetie Belle came back into the room with some snacks and drinks, taking a seat and smiling at all of them.
"Please continue Piper." she said as she lifted a drink in her magic, taking a light sip. He nodded after chugging down his own drink. They could tell he wasn't enjoying this.
"Maybe we should call it a night..." Nova suggested.
"Yes...Surely the princess' are wondering why we haven't returned."Emerald said softly. Amethyst put a claw against his stomach and belched, a letter unfurling in front of him.
Dearest Emerald and Nova, we understand you wish to keep your friend company as he has only just returned. Do not worry about the matters you have to tend to in Canterlot. We shall handle them for you while you enjoy your stay in ponyville. - Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle and Luna
PS: Try not to tell too many embarrassing stories about one another, like last week wh...
Amethyst was cut off by Emerald snatching up the paper, her face burning red.
"Um, so lets just forget about that!" she said, crumpling the paper. Amethyst grinned a little though, having already read it.
"So how was the garden?" he asked, still grinning. The green kirin blushed harder, lowering her head.
"um..i..it was great!"
"Maybe we should go back to the story." Nova suggested quickly, bringing a laugh from everypony. Piper leaned back on the couch as he continued.
Piper found himself in an empty field, or what he thought to be empty. A pegasus spotted him and quickly zipped away.
"Oh great..." he sighed and chased after the pegasus, wishing he didn't have armor slowing him down. The pony looked over their shoulder, eyes wide as they spotted him chasing them down. No doubt the pony was a scout. He wasn't sure if he needed to be worried about who the pegasus planned to report to. Though a smile spread across his face as he spotted Celestia's banner flying high above a camp in the distance.
"WAIT! I'm a friend!" he called out to the pegasus.
"Well I know that! I'm just shocked to see you here! The princess' said ya helped them ages ago." the pegasus slowed a little, the two gliding calmly along a few thermals.
"So you're really the famous Loyalty?" the pegasus pony asked.
"Famous? I wouldn't say famous. But yea, I'm that Loyalty. I'm actually here to help again. I heard something is going on with the Gryphons." the pegasus mare nodded.
"They intend to start a war for these lands you snatched from Discord and his minions. They claim they have full rights to it and lost it to him. The Princess' are trying to make peace with them, but they are only giving us an all or nothing deal." Piper flicked his wings, letting the blades shine in the sunlight.
"Maybe you just need a better negotiator."
A group of ponies burst in through the front door. The first of which searched frantically for Piper, latching onto him as her eyes locked onto him. She held him close, still panting heavily from the flight.
"P...Piper...please be real...please...tell me this isn't a dream..." she said as she clung to him.
"mom...I can't...breath..." she chuckled and loosened her grip, though only slightly as she looked into his eyes, brushing a hoof over a scar on his face.
"Oh Piper...my poor little Piper...guess your not so little anymore..."
"What happened to your show?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Post-poned due to the weather." she smiled as she held him. Strawberry cleared her throat, Scootaloo realizing she had pulled the two away from one another.
"Sorry..." she sat down, wiping away a tear. Sweetie Belle smiled as the others made their way in, Pinkie Pie wearing a massive grin, Applejack and Rainbow Dash carrying boxes on their backs. Rarity and Spike came in together as well, though Rarity was dressed from head to hoof in winter attire, with sparkling gems along the hem, while Spike wore only a scarf she had made for him. He smiled as he sat, thanking Sweetie Belle when she offered him a bowl of gemstones. Once everypony had a mug of hot cider the room fell silent.
"We had heard you were back but we weren't quite sure what to think Dear. Its been so long..." Rarity said, holding back a sob in her throat. Spike wrapped an arm around her and nodded.
"Things just haven't been the same without you." He finished for the unicorn.
"Its so good to see you again..." she managed to squeak out, spike wiping away a tear before it could ruin her eye-shadow. Fluttershy nodded as she entered with Big Macintosh. The stallion stepped lightly, a yellow bundle resting on his back. It took Piper a moment to realize the bundle was a sleeping pegasus pony.
"So, who else was born while I was away?" he asked softly, so as not to wake anypony.
Fluttershy gave no answer and nuzzled the sleeping form, the pony yawning as it sat up. Though it was a colt the pony looked every bit like his mother, though he had his fathers eyes and mane. Piper smiled, watching as the pony quickly fell asleep once more.
"The guest room is still made up if you want to put him to bed." Sweetie Belle said softly, Big Macintosh nodded and walked past them to the guest room. Fluttershy took a seat with her friends, yawning a little.
"Fluttershy dear, please tell me you've been getting some rest. You look absolutely exhausted." Rarity said, noticing the bags under her friends eyes.
"Well, I've been sleeping alright I suppose, though he keeps having the strangest nightmares."
"Well you really must get more sleep dear. Perhaps we should schedule a day at the spa?"
"Oh...that would be wonderful" Fluttershy smiled.
"Hey, thats great and all but Piper has a story to finish!" Strawberry fumed, muttering under her breath, making Pinkie Pie giggle.
"She's so cute when she's angry." the party pony snapped a picture of the zebra, Piper's wing still wrapped around her.
"Awww! Just look at them Braesy, before you know it we'll have little grandfoals!" Pinkie clapped her hooves, making the ponies blush. Braeburn chuckled a little, keeping his gaze on Piper.
"Just so ya know. Ah don't care what ya've done, ya'll best take care of my girl." Braeburn said, though his tone was kind, his eyes showed the intention of his words. Piper stared back with a grin.
"I'd give my wings for her." he said simply, making the zebra break out into tears as she hugged him. Braeburn nodded.
"Good, thats what ah like t' hear. Though lets not start givin up anythin. How about ya'll go back t' yer story?" Big Macintosh entered the room, taking a seat near Fluttershy, smiling as she rested her head against him.
"Ya'll get some rest Flutter, we'll take care o' Sunshine." she smiled, closing her eyes and quickly dozing off.
"Now ya'll can git back t' yer story. T' be honest ah don't want Shy t' hear any o' this." Piper nodded in understanding.
"To be honest...I'd rather nopony knew about it at all. But I can't just leave you guys without an explanation." he took a deep breath.
Piper walked into the camp, the Princess smiling as she spotted him.
"You came back!? Are the others with you?" Celestia asked. He shook his head sadly.
"No...I'm the only one. Its a long story..."
"The others...they aren't...d..de..." Luna couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Piper shook his head realizing what they must have thought.
"No, they aren't dead. Thanks to everything that happened we were able to defeat Discord in our time. Though I paid a heavy price..." he lowered his head.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Its complicated to explain. All that I can really say is your mother is involved. All I know is that you need my help. There is a lot to be done, the treaties with the Gryphons and the Dragons. And most importantly, Canterlot."
"Canterlot?" he nodded.
"It is a grand city with a palace standing tall at its center. You two are the ones meant to create it."
"Thats right, you did mention something about that when you first arrived. You called yourselves 'Knights of Canterlot' didn't you?" Luna asked. Piper smiled and gave a small nod.
"Yes, it was your future selves that gave us the title. Well your future selves that I know. According to The Doctor anything could change the path this time will lead to. There are infinite whatevers." this made both alicorns laugh. Though a messenger entering the camp removed the smiles from their faces. The pony carried a letter that held the seal of the Gryphon King Monoclos.
"Princess, the king seeks audience with you." He said, letting her hold up the letter in her magic.
"What do you think of this?" she asked Piper, holding the letter in the air for him.
Dearest Princess, I understand we perhaps got off on the wrong claw, or hoof rather. I hope that you understand that we Gryphons had claims to these lands long before your birth and were forced out by that monster Discord. While we respect you for removing him from our lands these are still our lands and we wish to return to them. We shall discuss this within my camp in two days time, you may bring a small escort if you please, but no more than ten soldiers.
Piper didn't even bother to read the rest. He scoffed and shook his head.
"Its a trap. It has to be. I don't know much about the Gryphons, but this seems too carefully planned out. On top of that he is inviting you to the camp so that you can return the land to them. Most likely they will ambush you and subdue your soldiers then hold you hostage so that Luna will be forced to hoof over the land."
"I was afraid of that. But we cannot refuse this oppurtunity." Celestia sighed. Piper stretched his wings a little.
"He said you could bring ten soldiers. So who are your top nine fighters?" Luna smirked as she caught on to the pegasi's plan.
"Perhaps we can turn the trap back on him!" She exclaimed, quickly running off to fetch who she believed to be their best. Piper walked along the line of ponies, finding not only ponies but wolves and a manticore.
"Hm...Two wolves, one manticore, two pegasi, two unicorns, two earth ponies. Step forward." they did as told, holding their heads up high.
"We've got two days to turn you into soldiers, lets get to work."
"Are you kiddin me? Ya'll were really gonna go into that camp with jus' ten soldiers?" Applejack asked
"We didn't have a choice. If we tried anymore it could've broken into war."
"But...there was a war between the Princess' and the Gryphons." Nova pointed out.
"Yea...but we didn't know about that..." Piper said softly, his head down.
"Oh Piper...I...i'm sorry." Nova apologized.
"No. Its alright." he calmed himself and continued, smiling slightly as Strawberry nuzzled his neck.
"We spent the next two days training as hard as we could. It took a while but I finally broke the manticore down as well as the others. They were ready to quit, but I needed them. I couldn't protect Tia on my own."
Piper panted heavily, watching the Manticore fall to the ground.
"Enough...I can't..." its rough voice shaking as it huffed down gulps of air.
"Come on! Get up! Do you think they will go easy on you?! Do you think they will spare you!?" Piper yelled.
"STOP IT!" A pegasus yelled, rushing to the manticore. Piper took a few calming breathes and nodded.
"Alright then, take a break. But remember what I said. The Gryphons are rutheless. They won't go easy and they won't show mercy. They like to kill their enemies slowly or to do it instantly without warning." As Piper turned his back the Manticore leapt for him. His ear flicked as he heard the creature roar and he spun, ducking under its claw as it swiped at him and drove his practice wing blade into the creatures gut, knocking the wind out of it. The beast collapsed, clutching its side and gasping for air.
"Anypony else want to try something stupid like that?" Piper asked them. They all shook their heads. it was quite a sight, seeing such a small pegasus take down such a large manticore in one fell swoop. The full gravity of the situation now dawned on them.
"We've got less than half a day left and we aren't ready. Maybe Luna was wrong about all of you." He sat down, watching the pegasus attempt to help the Manticore again.
"She wasn't wrong about us." A pegasus stepped forward, gripping a blade in his mouth. He grinned around it and Piper couldn't help but smile. The pony before him was the spitting image of chrome mist, though he was quite younger.
"You must be Chrome mist, or his son."
"I'm both actually."
"This should be interesting then." Piper pulled out his hoofblade, flaring his wings as the pegasus rushed him, their blades bouncing off one another again and again. Piper ducked under a swipe and spun, bucking the pegasus into the air and quickly taking off after him, laughing as the pony spun in the air, throwing out his wings and quickly regaining himself, knocking away Pipers swipe.
"You have his skill, but I take it you can't use a hoofblade yet."
"maybe not, but I don't need one t..." Piper slammed a hoof into the ponies jaw, making him drop his blade. He quickly placed the hoofblade against his throat, making the pegasus gulp.
"Now, without a hoofblade, how would you get out of this?" Piper asked. The pegasus had lost his confidence after the blow and loss of his weapon.
"Think, there is always a way out." Piper said. The pegasus smiled and closed his wings, falling backwards into a dive. As he rolled he quickly opened his wings and pulled himself up, snatching his blade off the ground as he passed by it. Piper smiled and gave a small nod.
"Good, looks like we've got one soldier. Now, lets try to get the other eight." Chrome saluted and together they returned to the others. It would be hard work, but they would be ready.
"Dontcha' think ya might've been a little hard on that poor Manticore?" Honeycrisp asked.
"The Gryphons are cruel Honeycrisp...they took my friend and..." tears welled up in his eyes as a sob unexpectedly split his words. Strawberry pulled him into a hug, everypony in the room sat there heartbroken as they watched the pegasus cry his heart out into the zebra's coat. Eventually his cries broke into quite sobs, dragging on into an uncomfortable silence.
"Perhaps we should call it a night. The storm is suppose to grow quite a bit, if need be I can teleport everyone home."
"No need fer that Emy, ya'll can rest in the barn fer tonight." Applejack said with a smile. The kirin nodded with a smile, only half noticing as Big Macintosh gently shook Fluttershy awake, the two leaving for a moment to fetch their sleeping son.
"Thanks Applejack" she said. Strawberry clung to Piper, pouting a little. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo smiled.
"You two can take Pipers room." Scootaloo said.
"Just try to keep it down in there." Sweetie Belle teased, making them both blush. Before Piper could even act embarrassed he was being dragged by his wing to his room. The others giggling as Emerald teleported them to the barn. Scootaloo smiled a little, wrapping a wing around Sweetie Belle.
"Ya know Belle...we've been through a lot together...I gotta say, I never thought our lives would end up like this."
"Me either." Scootaloo kissed her cheek.
"But i'm glad they did." Sweetie Belle grinned and nuzzled her marefriend.
"How about you get some rest in a real bed tonight. Not those painful cots you keep with you when you travel."
"I wasn't actually thinking about the bed. Not too much anyway." She smirked and nipped at her ear.
Piper gasped as he was flung onto his bed, the zebra leaping into the bed with him, pinning him by his wings and blushing as she stood over him.
"uh...Berry..."
"shhhh, I don't care what your gonna say. I don't care if you are gonna argue. I waited five years for this and i'm not waiting any longer." They lay there in silence for a moment, neither really looking at the other as they blushed.
"Piper...did you...do anything with the Princess?" she asked quietly.
"No." he said without hesitating. She sighed in relief and kissed him, jumping a little in surprise when she felt something against her. She turned her head and blushed, grinning like a foal who just got the biggest present on Hearths Warming Day. She giggled, turning her gaze back to the flustered pegasus beneath her, rubbing a hoof against his chest slowly.
"I love you..." she said softly. He smiled and rolled, easily pinning her to the bed.
"I love you too."
Piper didn't get much sleep that night. He often tried to avoid sleep altogether if he could. Even now as he lay there in the darkness with Strawberry clinging to him in her sleep he could hear it. The sounds of war, of blades cutting into Gryphon flesh, cries of agony and death filled his mind. He could see it all as if it were happening right then. Every single life he had taken, every single life he had failed to save. He closed his eyes for a moment, seeing her face. She was just an innocent pegasus, a kid really. And the Gryphons had taken her from him. He looked down at Strawberry as she nuzzled his chest.
"I can't fail again...I can't..."
As the suns light made its way into his room Piper awoke. Though he had tried to fight it he had still fallen asleep and had to face his nightmares. The pain weighed heavily on his heart, though as he opened his eyes that pain vanished. His eyes met those of the mare of his dreams, a smile on her face as she nuzzled his neck.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, she blushed and gave a cute nod, her mane bobbing up and down a little.
"What about you?" she asked worriedly.
"I slept fine." he lied. She pouted, jabbing his side with her hoof.
"Piper..." she said sternly, to let him know she wasn't playing around. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Letting that face reach him again.
"I failed a friend Berry...in the worst of ways...I promised to protect her...and instead I got her killed...tortured to death by the Gryphons as an example...and I couldn't do a bucking thing to save her..." tears welled up in his eyes, drenching his cheeks and pillow. Strawberry ignored the jealousy welling up inside of her and held him close.
"She must have been really important to you..." Strawberry bit her lip as the words left her mouth. Here she was being jealous when he needed her. He chuckled through his tears.
"It wasn't like that...She was scared Berry...scared of the war. It took everything from her. Her family, her friends, her life. She needed someone, anyone, to watch over her. At the most I was a big brother for her...and I failed her..."
"Piper...I know you. You did everything you could for her." he shook his head. The zebra sighed and sat up in the bed, placing her forehooves underneath him and in one quick movement flipped him out of the bed and onto the floor. The pegasus reacted faster than she thought he would, easily landing on his hooves. She pouted a little, drawing a small grin from him. She sighed and walked up beside him, nudging him out of the room.
"Come on, i'm gonna make you breakfast and you're gonna relax if I have to make you relax." The pegasus had no time to argue as he was pushed into a chair, the mare tossing on an apron and quickly grabbing things to make pancakes. Piper sighed, watching the way she moved. The zebra must have known he was watching her because she began to sway her hips, lifting her tail slightly, a small smile on her face as she continued. Scootaloo cleared her throat, making them both jump in surprise.
"Didn't Belle tell you two to keep it down last night?" She teased. They both tried to argue that they had been as quiet as they could be, the older pegasus laughing a little.
"I'm just teasing you two." she sighed happily.
"Its so good to have you back Piper..." he smiled, his troubled memories fading as he sat there with two of the most important mares of his life. Scootaloo took a seat across the table from him, grinning as she caught him staring at Strawberry.
"Hey squirt, keep those eyes up or she might get mad at ya." the pegasus blushed and chuckled a little, bringing a smile to his mothers face. She had truly missed this, though something in the pit of her stomach continued to tell her it was all too good to be true.
"Piper, i'm sorry but I really have to know...your back for good right? Everything is gonna be ok now?" she asked. He lowered his head.
"I'm back for good...but..."
"But?!" Strawberry and Scootaloo said together. He sighed and looked at them both.
"You guys need to know the truth...of why i'm really here..." He took a deep breath and stopped himself as the yawning form of Melody made its way into the kitchen. She smiled at everypony and took a seat, taking a deep whiff of the air.
"MMMM, Pancakes!" She smiled as Strawberry sat a plate down in front of her, happily munching on a pancake. Piper felt his words freeze in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, not in front of Melody, not while she was so happy. He silently stood, shaking his head as Strawberry offered him a plate.
Just the sight of his happy little sister had taken away any appetite he might have had. Piper took a deep breath and made his way outside. Melody watched in confusion as she swallowed her pancake.
"Is big bwother ok momma?" she asked. Scootaloo bit her lip.
"h...He's fine kiddo, finish up your pancakes k?" She nodded, Scootaloo chasing after her son. Strawberry kept her smile so as not to worry Melody, though on the inside she was a nervous wreck.
Piper sat outside, holding his head in his hooves, shaking with silent sobs. Scootaloo slowly approached him.
"Piper?" she spoke softly. The pegasus jumping slightly, relaxing as he recognized the voice. He had spent too long fighting. The comfort her voice held was dangerous. She placed her hoof against his shoulder gently, wrapping her wing around him.
"Piper...I know it must have been hard for you...but please...I need to know whats going on." He nodded.
"War is coming...thats why they finally let me come back here...so I can fight in the coming war with the Gryphons...they are afraid of me...I was a monster on the battlefield...just seeing me on the front lines...hopefully it will be enough to make them resign the peace treaty with Tia..."
"So...your only here...for the war?" Scootaloo asked. He lowered his head, his muzzle nearly touching the ground.
"I'm so tired...Tired of fighting...tired of killing...tired of lying and telling myself things will be better..." he spoke softly, so softly that it took Scootaloo a moment to realize he was crying, letting out all of his pent up agony as the snow drifted down ontop of them.
"Lets go back inside..." she said softly, curling her wing around him tightly and guiding him back inside. Moments later Emerald and the others appeared, their warm smiles fading as they spotted Piper with his head down.
"We need to talk..." he said quietly.
"I'll take Melody upstairs..." Scootaloo said, kissing his forehead before leaving with the filly.
"Piper...you alright?" Amethyst asked.
"No...listen...the real reason i'm here...why i was able to finally come back...is because a war is coming..." Strawberry gasped, dropping the tray of freshly made cookies she was holding.
"P...Please tell me its not true...please..." she said with tears in her eyes.
"Its the only reason they let me come back to this time. Depending on how things turn out...I might have to leave forever...but its a very slim chance. After all I have done, Harmony has told me she will do whatever it takes to ensure I stay with all of you, especially you Berry." The zebra clung to him, blushing as he placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Piper, I think you should finish your story...so we know what we are dealing with here." The pegasus nodded and continued his tale.
"I trained them as best I could and we set out the next day, dressed from head to hoof in the best armor a princess could afford. Our weapons were of the highest quality, forged from diamonds and steel."
Pipers eyes scanned the ranks of Gryphons as they entered the camp. Celestia surrounded by him and the others as they made their way to the king. He wore a small smile on his face.
"I am glad you decided to come Celestia. I had feared you would refuse."
"I only wish for peace great king Monoclos. There has been enough bloodshed upon these lands."
"Indeed there has. If you wish for peace then kindly hand over the land and remove yourselves from it." He said, Piper noticed the Gryphon ranks had shifted a bit closer to them. He nodded to the others who lowered themselves slightly, ready to protect the princess if need be. Piper spread his wings wide and stood by her side, letting the sunlight reflect off the blades in his wings.
"I cannot merely hoof over the land which we fought so hard for. While this land was once yours, you gave up all claims to it when you abandoned it. While we fought against all odds for the peace we now have. The land is rightfully ours but I am willing to share it. There is no need for either of us to go without." Celestia said, holding her head up high. Again the ranks shifted closer, the sounds of weapons leaving sheathes putting everyone on edge.
"Great King Monoclos, I highly suggest you agree with the princess. We would not want to turn this land into a battlefield." Piper spoke up. The king looked at him for a moment and burst into laughter.
"This matter does not concern you child! You are but a soldier. Hold your tongue." Monoclos growled at Piper. Celestia glared at him, quickly calming herself lest he notice her rage.
"This pegasus is no mere soldier. He is the embodiment of Loyalty and a hero of the war against Discord. He may appear to be a child but he is far from it." The Gryphons eyes were wide as he looked between Piper and Celestia.
"Surely you jest Princess. Unless he is ageless as you are."
"I make no jokes Great king."
"Well, this is interesting. Perhaps your sister will take action now that I have not only you, but Loyalty itself."
"PLAN B!" Piper yelled as the Gryphons leapt for them. The ten soldiers surrounded Celestia, unicorns tossing up barriers around them to hold them back. Piper placed a wingblade against the kings throat.
"STAND DOWN OR I TAKE HIS HEAD!" Piper called out to the Gryphons. The king laughed, grabbing hold of Pipers throat and flinging him away. Piper hit the ground and rolled, gasping for breath as he pushed to his hooves.
"Get the Princess to safety!" Piper yelled to the unicorns, they nodded, teleporting themselves and Celestia away, the barrier falling and leaving the remaining seven to fight their way out of the camp.
"They jus' abandoned you?!" Hayseed screamed in shock. Piper shook his head.
"No, that was Plan B. The Unicorns magic wasn't that strong and Celestia was still figuring out how to properly use the business end of her horn. We couldn't let her be captured. So if things got bad they would combine their magic to teleport the three of them away while the rest of us fought our way to freedom."
"Thats crazy..." Amethyst said. Piper only smiled as he continued the story.
The gryphons stumbled backwards at the roar of the manticore, the equally menacing growls of the wolves making them question their decision to fight. Their hesitation left an opening for the group.
"Go now!" Piper yelled. The wolves leapt at the nearest Gryphons, fangs tearing into throats. All Piper could hear was gurgling as they drowned in their own blood, his wingblades unsheathing as he took to the air, several gryphons chasing after him.
He rolled in the air, slicing through them with the wingblades. He felt a sickening satisfaction as his blades cut into their bodies and sliced clean through their wings, the two creatures plummeting to their deaths. Down below the others cut a path to freedom, Piper keeping the skies clear, Gryphon after Gryphon falling to his hoof and wingblades. It was all too easy for him to end their lives. He was becoming a monster.
"No! You aren't a monster Piper! You aren't a monster..." Strawberry said, holding him tightly. The pegasus gently wrapped a wing around her.
"I am a monster Berry..." he said softly.
"I killed those Gryphons without a second thought or a hint of regret and I killed even more on the battlefield...and if I had the chance i'd kill them all again..." he chuckled and shook his head.
"Kinda funny that i'm getting that chance being here..." Amethyst placed a claw on his shoulder, Piper rising his head in time for Amethysts fist to smash across his face. The pegasus shook himself, having no time to react to the second punch or the third. Though he was ready for the next one, catching it with his hoof. His face was bruised from where his friend had struck him though he ignored it.
"See? Monster. Any normal pony would've crumpled from a punch like that."
"Piper, call yourself a monster again and I'll tear out your wings. Doing what has to be done doesn't make you a monster. I know that! You know I'm telling the truth!" The kirin yelled at him. Piper saw it then, the hurt in his friends eyes. The memory flooded back to him of Amethysts Spell. All he could hear at the time was his own screams, though now as he looked back on it he saw tears. Tears that weren't his. They were Amethysts tears...
"Amethyst..." No...this is who I am. I have to be cold, I have to be this monster to protect everyone. I can't let myself be blinded again
"I'm Sorry. But I am a monster. Its like Chrome Mist Said ' We all have our roles to fulfill.' Well this is my role Amethyst. I'm a Gryphon Killer and a War Hero. Its just who I am and its who we are going to need if we want to survive this war." Sweetie Belle paused as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"w..war? Piper what war?" she asked. He sighed and explained it over again. His real reason for coming back and what was coming. Sweetie Belle turned to Amethyst, the Kirin understanding instantly and sending a letter to the Princess'. The group found themselves inside of the Throne Room, the rest of their friends looking around confused. Though they all realized what had happened when they spotted Celestia, her horn still glowing dimly from summoning them to her.
"Piper...my friend...I believe you have something to tell us all."
The other side of the coin Part 1
Kairi blinked and looked between her friend and husband.
"Not exactly, its a bit complicated." Sora's keyblade appeared, hovering in mid-air.
"Yes, this is Nox and Shadowflare. Nox is named after her mother and Shadow, well." The Alicorn smiled, his coat shifting for a moment, the color pattern having swapped.
"We're getting off topic again. What the buck is this 'Kingdom Hearts'?" Amethyst interrupted, again dragging everyone back on track. Emerald punched his shoulder.
"Maybe you should let me then." Piper said quietly as he sat up and spread his wings out. He seemed to flicker for a moment, his orange coat fading to black and smoke drifting from his nostrils as his eyes lit up bright yellow, a heartless crest twisted in on itself emblazoned across his chest. He put a hoof to his head, shifting back to his original form.
"I don't know much about Kingdom Hearts. I just know what she told me. 'A key will open the door and a choice will be made'" Riku and Sora looked at one another and then back at Piper.
"You need rest. Even an immortal body cannot go on forever without rest." She said. He sighed, gasping in surprise as Strawberry started nudging him out of the room.
"All of this because of that stupid spell. He coulda had a normal life, been a normal pegasus and maybe even married Strawberry by now. I took all that away from him when I killed him."
"No, I don't want to hear it and if I do hear it again then I will use this." she lifted her Sonic Screwdriver into the air, letting it hover in front of his face. He gulped and nodded.
Strawberry stopped pushing Piper as they came across the gardens. She smiled and bounced over to a tree and sat underneath it, smiling over at him, her eyes lidded. The expression itself was enough to snap the pegasi's wings open with a very loud POMF. The zebra giggled and sighed softly as she rolled onto her back, looking up at the tree. Piper calmed himself and cleared his throat as he walked up to her.
"Even if you look like a meanie heartless, you're still my Piper."But its not my heart...its hers. But this pain...its not the same pain...She's crying...happy tears. He smiled, the mare throwing her hooves around him.
"Now ain't that just cute." a voice spoke up. Piper rolled away from Strawberry, growling like a rabid animal as he stared at what seemed to be thin air.
"Fire trumps ice buddy." Piper only grinned and reared back, slamming his hooves down on the ground as he brushed his wings together, a jolt of electricity flowing through him and striking the figure who screamed in surprise and agony, the bolt knocking them out, the flames vanishing without their master commanding them. Piper let out a breath he had been holding as he cautiously walked up to the figure. Something black and sickly clung to his forehead, just under his crazy red spiked hair.
"What...is he?" Strawberry asked, poking the figure.
"No time to explain, move!" he yelled, pushing her into the tree as several holes opened in the air. Piper bent his legs and sprung into the air, spiraling up and away, the black figures chasing after him. Strawberry shook out of her daze, running down the hall and screaming.
"Its one freakin pony, is it really gonna take three of us to catch it?" one cloaked figure asked.
What had shot him? He rolled in the air as more bolts rained down toward him, catching a rapidly vanishing figure out of the corner of his eye. The figure smirked, aiming its crossbow at him and firing quickly. Piper rolled, throwing shards of ice in the way of the bolts, freezing several in mid-air as he dove for the ground, the figure chasing after him as well as the other three. This wasn't his first time in a situation like this and he doubted it would be his last.
They wanted a door, he was gonna give them one. Piper pushed with all of his might, screaming against the wind as a second cone formed around him. The figure with the bolts was smart enough to back away, the other three were not as Piper vanished completely from sight, a hole ripping in the air and sucking them toward it.
"WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Sora yelled over the winds whipping about as everything was sucked into the tear in the air.
Piper panted and grinned, grunting as a bolt slammed into his side, another quickly nailing his hoof to the ground. Piper pulled back, ripping his hoof and leaving the arrow in the ground. He hobbled backwards, fluttering his wings weakly as the figure appeared before him.
"Well well, what a surprise." The figure grinned, sinking into the ground and vanishing. Strawberry Swirl quickly ran over to Piper as he began yanking the bolts out of his body.
"Can't heal with something in the way." he mumbled, ripping out another bolt and resting his now healed hoof down.
"Well none of you were suppose to be over here. And I doubt something like that would bother a Keyblade Master, he's the one I sent Berry to get. He knows these things better than I do." he said, kicking the still knocked out figure.
"Geez Axel, what the heck are you doin here?"
"We'll explain later. Right now we need to move. They know where we are and they know I'm here. I didn't want to do this but.." he turned toward Piper, pointing his keyblade at him. Piper bared his teeth and growled, frost clinging to his coat.
