Chapters Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
When we last saw our heroes, they had just lost Princess Celestia, the throne to Equestria, and the friendship within the country. Before she died, Celestia gave Twilight the Elements of Harmony and urged her to go to the castle and defeat Moondust Bloom. As you'll see in this story, the mission will result in new friends, but end tragically for a few members of Twilight's family.
Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
Twilight Sparkle was determined to get back to the castle in time to save Equestria from the ruins of Moondust Bloom and Scootaloo. She was determined to make Princess Celestia proud, do her legacy good, and claim the rightful place as the Princess of Friendship. The Main Six had saved Equestria many times before. So this was meant to be a breeze, right? Well, not really. You see, to complete a mission successfully, it's smart to do so on a full stomach, which the girls didn't have.
"Come on, Twi! How much longer do we have to walk?!" Rarity whined, looking like a starving puppy. "We've been walking for days!"
"We haven't eaten in days, I must add," Pinkie Pie chimed in, her bounces not as charismatic and flamboyant as they usually were. "We're starving!"
"Guys! Just be patient!" Twilight snapped, with annoyance in her voice. "As soon as we find a place, we'll stop for a quick bit to eat. But you all need to realize we're literally in the middle of the flipping woods!"
"Fair enough," Applejack said, still somehow keeping her strength given the situation. "She's right, girls. We'll find something soon, I'm sure of it."
"Like that giant tavern up ahead?" Pinkie asked, pointing to a building.
The girls stopped and looked ahead. The building was a grayish color with a wooden roof and a standard brown door. To put it more simply, it looked like one of those old taverns that you would see in adventure movies. In fact, the name on the wooden pink sign out front was "The Adventure Tavern". The Six eyed the tavern intentionally, desperate to get a bite to eat.
"Well girls," Rainbow Dash said. "This looks like where we'll be eating."
The girls meandered into the tavern and noticed a tone that was set throughout. It was as if Discord had cast a huge spell in the tavern that caused it to go crazy. Chairs were flying everywhere, patrons were fighting each other, other patrons were simply having an overly competitive game of pool amidst the chaos, and at the bar, there stood a mysterious pony, looking sorry for himself. He had a black mane with gray skin, a purple horn sticking out from his mane, and a cape wrapped around his rear. The cape was black, with shades of red throughout. Pinkie Pie noticed the figure and said, "Oooh! Let's see who that is!"
The mysterious pony was tending to a now-empty pitcher of cider and tapped the pitcher on the bar to get the bartender's attention.
"Another!" The depressed unicorn commanded.
"I told you," the bartender, a green pegasus with emo hair, told the sad excuse of a unicorn. "You're not welcome here! You're not welcome anywhere. Now get the fuck out of my bar!"
"Just get me one more pitcher and then I'll leave," The unicorn commanded.
"That's not how it works," The bartender said, growing impatient.
"It is now," Pinkie said, pulling up a stool next to the sorry sap of a unicorn. "Leave the bottle."
"Do I know you?" The unicorn asked, surprised at the sudden appearance of the pink pony.
"Now you do," Pinkie said. "I'm Pinkie Pie and back there are my friends, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight. What's your name?"
"Don't act like you haven't heard of me," The purple-horned pony said. "I'm The Purple Horn. Or I used to be anyway."
"Oooh, really?!" Pinkie Pie said, still full of her signature energy. "You should totally come with us! We're on a mission to save Equestria from this scary alicorn named Moondust Bloom. You look nice and strong..."
"Look kiddo!" Purple Horn said, interrupting Pinkie. "I'm not interested."
"Purple Horn, are you and your girlfriend here done flirting with each other?! We wanna see some action if you catch my drift!" The bartender yelled, much to the laughter of the rest of the patrons.
"Just ignore them," Pinkie reassured her new friend.
"It's OK," Purple Horn said, in a depressed tone. "I lost pretty much all of Equestria's respect a long time ago. So a lot of this is my karma."
"OK!" Pinkie said, dragging Purple Horn to her friends. "Well, this is your chance to start anew. So upsy Daisy! Here we go!"
Pinkie hauled Purple Horn to the rest of the Main Six, much to his dismay. Twilight looked intently at the new comrade and an idea came to her head. Purple Horn looked like a strong warrior and he was the stuff of legends, served with a heaping helping of foreshadowing. Therefore, he could know the key to defeating Moondust Bloom and saving Equestria. Now all it took was convincing.
"So you're Purple Horn?" Twilight asked.
"Yes ma'am," Purple Horn said. "I heard a lot about you and your group here. You saved Equestria countless times. So I don't get why you would want someone like me to join you."
"Well, Moondust Bloom has caused a civil war throughout Equestria," Twilight stated. "Therefore, we need to head back to the castle to defeat him. I've heard legends about how you saved Equestria, long before we even existed."
"Well, they probably didn't tell you the bad stuff, huh?" Purple Horn said. "That's OK. A lot of towns in this country try to spin the narrative out of pity for me."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"He's right, Twi," Rainbow Dash said. "Cloudsdale's told his story multiple times. Purple Horn let down his entire group of friends. What he did? Well, some things just can't be forgiven."
Twilight was shocked to hear all of this. But she still needed his help. If such a legendary warrior could save Equestria like her, he had to know his way around defeating Moondust. But what she said next was about to dig her into a deep hole that would take a long time to get out of. You see, she was so desperate for his help, that she ended up telling a lie.
"Well, what if we fix whatever it is you did?" Twilight said.
"What?!" Purple Horn said, in shock. "You'd do that for me?!"
"Of course," Twilight said, further digging her hole. "My magic is just as strong as Celestia's was. In fact, I can even revive people from the dead if I want to. So if you come with us, I'll see if I can fix whatever you did."
Purple Horn thought for a moment. He would've given anything to fix the mess he made long ago. But he wasn't sure if he could trust the colorful bunch that were in his presence. After some consideration, he gave a simple nod yes. What he didn't know was that Twilight didn't know if she could fix things with him and was about to dig her hole further.
But what mattered now was that the girls had a new friend to join them on their mission.
Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
The Main Six, now with Purple Horn by their side, were now surely ready to continue their mission to save Equestria. But there were a few new problems that they were facing, even with the new addition. For one thing, Purple Horn was a bit of a recluse and not willing to open up to the Six, especially the ever-so-energetic Pinkie. For another thing, this one being even bigger, Twilight was now deep in thought over what she promised. Why did she lie to Purple Horn? She knew full well that her magic, no matter how many lessons Celestia taught, wasn't strong enough to reverse time or revive the dead. So was she really that desperate to save Equestria that she was willing to put one of the core elements aside to get her way?
Her thought process was interrupted by Pinkie bouncing like crazy and Purple Horn getting annoyed.
"Do you seriously have to bounce?!" Purple Horn snapped.
"I always bounce when I'm in a good mood," Pinkie retorted, continuing her bouncing.
"Do you have to be in a good mood?!" Purple Horn yelled, getting more and more agitated.
"Why wouldn't I?! We're gonna save Equestria from a psychotic psycho pants and essentially prevent a civil war!" Pinkie said her excitement at 100 at this point. "Man! I wonder what the ponies fighting in that war are doing right now."
"Probably being slaughtered like cows in a burger restaurant," Purple Heart stated coldly.
"Dude! Can you please be positive?!" Rainbow Dash said, trying to de-escalate things.
"OK," Purple Heart said with a sarcastic grin. "I'm positive that they're all being slaughtered like cows in a burger restaurant in that war."
"Dude!" Rainbow said, getting annoyed.
"Look, guys," Purple Horn monologued. "I come from a different time, OK? Back in my day, we didn't solve all our problems with cupcakes, diamonds, rainbows, butterflies, apples, and whatever that thing is on Twilight's ass. We solved them with alliances and battles."
"Well, you had to have had a few friends in your corner, right?" Fluttershy asked, just now joining the conversation.
"There was no one to be friends with back then, Fluttershy," Purple Horn stated, getting even more annoyed. "I've seen horrendous things in my time, and I can't wait to see the look on your faces when you all realize that the world isn't all friendship, magic, and musical numbers, because it isn't! Bad things happen in life, and there's nothing you can do to fix them."
Everyone marinated on that idea for a bit. Purple Horn did have a point about how life worked. Of course, they knew all their problems couldn't be solved with friendship. They also knew life wasn't as easy as a song and dance. But Pinkie being Pinkie, she had a rebuttal.
"Look, we know that life isn't all friendship, magic, and musical numbers," Pinkie began, much to Purple Horn's dismay. "But we'd rather go through life thinking that it mostly is than being like you. You don't interact with people, you don't try to form friendships, and you always look like a depressed hippo. I mean, what happened in your life that caused you to..."
"SSSH!"
Pinkie looked around after Purple Horn shushed her. "Is it Scootaloo's army?" Pinkie asked.
"Maybe," Purple Horn whispered, looking around.
Pinkie kept looking to see what the sound was, but then she realized something.
"There is no army, is there?!" Pinkie asked, annoyed. "You just said that so I'd stop talking!"
"Uh..... Maybe," Purple Horn responded, much to Pinkie's dismay.
The seven fillies continued on their quest. Meanwhile, Twilight was trying to comprehend Purple Horn and why he was such a recluse. He was unlike any pony she had seen in Equestria, and that said a lot. She'd been in Equestria for her entire life. But nonetheless, if this pony could help them complete their mission, she was willing to try anything.
They kept walking until they reached the Crystal Empire. The palace was still intact, with the crystals shining as bright as ever. But several guards were surrounding the palace now and they meant business. Twilight expected as much, given the time they were in. She slowly approached the guards, ready to state the business of her and her friends.
"Um, hi," Twilight said. "I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle. I've come to see Shining Armor and Cadence."
"Nice try!" One of the guards said. "But we're under strict orders not to let anyone in the palace now. No family members, no band of misfits, and especially not that purple unicorn there either."
"I got that," Twilight said, getting slightly peeved. "But are you sure you can't make an exception? Times are tough in Equestria right now and we could really use the alliance of the..."
"What part of no don't you get, lady?!" The very combative yelled. "Times have changed, so we can't afford any..."
"Spike! Spike! It's OK! We'll allow it!" Shining Armor said as he approached with Cadence. Their presence filled the room and everyone bowed before the couple.
"Wait, Spike?!" Rarity said, in shock, watching the guard take off his helmet to reveal the lovable dragon that The Six hadn't seen since their time in Ponyville.
"Hi, Rarity," Spike said, dropping his tough-guy demeanor. His crush on Rarity was still as strong as ever, even though he was now a guard.
"Sorry about that, sis," Shining Armor said, bringing his little sister in for a hug. "It's just with the war going on, things have gotten hard and no one trusts anyone anymore."
"That's OK," Twilight said. "As long as you're safe."
"Come on in, and bring your friends!" Cadence said. "We're just about to have dinner!"
"Now she knows how to speak my language," Purple Horn said enthusiastically.
The Main Six, Purple Horn, Shining Armor, and Cadence walked into the palace, with Spike racing after them. It was nice to have the old crew back together again. But the tensions would continue at the dinner table, mostly between Cadence and Shining Armor.
Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
Toughening Shining Up At Dinner
The Main Six, Shining Armor, Purple Horn, and Cadence were all at the dinner table, enjoying their meal. Spike, trying his hardest to impress Rarity, served the meal as quickly as possible, much to everyone's delight. Meanwhile, Twilight had a lot to process on her end. What was Spike doing here? He had wanted to go with his family to the land of the dragons for a while now. What brought him to Shining Armor and Cadence?
"So, Spike," Twilight asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with the other dragons."
"Oh, it was a bit dirty," Spike said. "Also, after Scootaloo's army invaded the dragon land, I was on my own. So I immediately went to Shining Armor and Cadence's place, got myself a job as a guard, and, as they say, the rest is history."
"OOH!" Pinkie chimed in. "I feel you, Spike! There's always a big opportunity that doesn't feel right in life. Then, when something huge happens, you make the final decision."
"Has she been checked for ADHD?" Purple Horn asked, getting more annoyed at Pinkie.
"No, but she has been checked for fleas," Shining Armor said, chuckling.
"Well, that's how it is now, Pinkie," Spike said. "You're either obliterated in the war or you work for Scootaloo."
"Oh, by the way, Cadence," Shining Armor said, getting Cadence's attention. "I've been meaning to talk to you."
"Yeah?" Cadence said.
"So you know how you're always saying you need someone to watch Flurryheart?" Shining Armor said. "But we can't find a babysitter because they all keep getting killed in the war."
"Yeah," Cadence said.
"Well, what if, and hear me out on this," Shining Armor said with pride. "I took Flurry with me on patrol tomorrow."
Everything stood still for a moment. The attention was immediately on Shining Armor and Cadence. The pink alicorn gave Shining Armo a sarcastic and shocked look as if he had just said the stupidest thing in the world.
"So you want to bring our daughter to the frontline?" Cadence asked, everso skeptically.
"Yeah," Shining said with pride.
"When Scootaloo has already bombed towns left and right and took down entire cities with Moondust Bloom, Manehatten included?" Cadence continued.
"Oh yeah," Shining said.
"I swear to God... Stupid people... Who think they're smart... Make me want to eat my own shit!" Cadence said as she left the dining room table in a huff. Everyone looked at the situation in shock, especially at how Shining Armor was unphased by the whole thing.
"Dude! You seriously let her treat you like that?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's not right! She shouldn't be talking to you like that!"
"Oh! I'm unphased! She's just a bitch," Shining Armor said, not affected by anything. "It's probably that time of the month. That's like an overload on magic in an alicorn's horn, right?"
"Look, my guy!" Purple Horn said. "She may have the magic and the wings. But you have power. You are the peak of pony evolution and the head of one of the most powerful armies in Equestria and she's the equivalent of a capybara who rules an ant farm!"
"A capy... What now?" Shining asked, confused.
"It's a giant rodent that lives in the jungle," Fluttershy chimed in, showing off her knowledge of animals.
"Look, my guy," Purple Horn said, ready to help Shining Armor face his problems. "You are better than her. You are tougher than her! Act like it. Also, I do think you should bring Flurryheart with you to work. That's a great idea."
Shining Armor marinated on the group's words long and hard. Ever since Flurryheart was born amid a series of invasions by the Changelings, Cadence had been pushing him around as of late. Sure, she was the ruler of one of the most powerful empires in Equestria. But she didn't rule his life!
"They're right," Shining thought, as he went to talk with Cadence in private. But little did he know, this and a series of other unfortunate events would blow up in his face.
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Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
Two Chats, A Death, And A Kingdom Destruction
"Hey," Shining Armor said, confronting Cadence about what she said at dinner on the balcony of the palace, just outside the dining room. "You can't talk to me like that."
"I didn't say anything," Cadence said, unphased by the sudden confrontation.
"I mean from before," Shining Armor said, pumping his chest ever so naively and sheepishly. "I'm the... The peak of pony evolution and you're... You're a capybarnia!"
Cadence gave him a confused look, not knowing what he meant by that.
"It's a rodent that lives in the jungle," Shining Armor said sheepishly.
"Oh! So you butt kiss animals now?" Cadence said with a sly grin. "Also, it's capybara, you..."
At that point, Shining Armor had enough of Cadence's crap. She used his magic to grab her by the wings and slam her into the nearby wall. Cadence was in shock at the sudden outburst on her husband's end. Shining Armor walked up to her, a look of malice in his eyes. Purple Horn's words echoed through his head as he asserted his dominance over her.
"I! Am The Head! Of The Canterlot Guard!" Shining Armor yelled, with rage in his voice. "You talk to me like that again, and I will have you blasted by my fucking magic you stupid bitch! After I've perfected an attack spell! Is that what you want?"
"No," Cadence said, with fear in her voice.
"SIR!" Shining Armor screamed.
"No sir," Cadence repeated.
"That's right," Shining Armor said, now feeling more confident than ever. His adrenaline pumped tenfold after this encounter.
Meanwhile, Twilight was on a separate balcony of the palace, thinking about her path in the journey thus far. Between the lie and the unnecessary drama, she wasn't sure what to do. Suddenly, Applejack went on the balcony next to Twilight, with a very stern look on her face. Twilight knew exactly what Applejack was going to lecture her about. AJ was the element of Honesty after all.
"Why'd you lie to Purple Horn, Twi?" Applejack asked.
"I..." Twilight hesitated. "I didn't know what else to say. We need all the help we can get to save Equestria and if someone like him can get a chance to redeem himself, why not?"
"But did you have to lie?" Applejack asked. "That's where I'm getting at."
Suddenly, the duo heard the sound of an airship in the distance. The rest of the Mane Six, Purple Horn, Shining Armor, Cadence, and Spike gathered outside to see what was going on. Suddenly, Scootaloo exited the airship, with two buff bison as her bodyguards. Scootaloo had a scar on her left eye, and she was now holding a wand. She looked closely at the group of warriors, who were all in their battle stances.
"Tacky," Scootaloo said, amazed at the group. "What a tacky group of characters."
"What do you want?!" Shining Armor asked a sense of authority in his voice. "You darn well know we disagreed to join your war ages ago! The Crystal Empire doesn't welcome terrorists!"
"We're not here for that," Scootaloo said, turning to Spike. "I'm here to ask your dragon friend here to join our battle. He has had a great track record in Equestria, of course. So it's only fitting for a dragon of his size to be my butler."
"Oh! Spike told us a lot about you, Scoots," Pinkie said, much to everyone's dismay.
"Maybe shut up now," Purple Horn said, nervously.
"Yeah," Spike added. "Maybe don't..."
"We're just talking here," Pinkie said, before continuing. "Yeah, Spike told us that you were a psychotic, carrot-looking, asshole. His words, not mine."
Scootaloo turned to Spike. "You said all that about me?"
"No, NO!" Spike denied, nervously. "I... I didn't say any of that!"
"Sticks and stones, Spike!" Pinkie said. "Don't let her intimidate you. Like you said at dinner, this flightless, orange-frosted, short-winged dime store muffin can kiss your fire-breathing ass and take her war to where the sun doesn't shine."
"OK! I have never said ANY of those words in my entire life!" Spike said, sweat visible on his face.
"Oh, the modesty! People say I have a loud mouth on me, but this guy," Pinkie said, pointing to Spike. "He's got a huge sailor mouth."
"WHAT?!" Spike said, getting even more nervous. "I don't even know what half of that means."
Scootaloo had enough. Using her wand, she blasted Spike into a million pieces. Blood and guts flew everywhere, ending the dragon's journey for good. Everyone gasped in shock at the gore that was present in the moment. Purple Horn, meanwhile, immediately started chewing Pinkie out.
"You stupid piece of shit! You just got him fucking killed!" Purple Horn yelled.
"Hey! We're all grieving!" Pinkie retorted. "PS, do you know what he was doing to the food?!"
"Enough!" Scootaloo yelled, asserting her authority. "I've waited a long time for this moment. The Princess of Friendship, her band of misfits, and even two royals were not on my to-do list to assassinate today. But Moondust Bloom gave me my orders, and I intend on following them to a T. No one, no matter how powerful they are, is going to stop me. No one at all. All I need is Cadence."
"Twilight," Shining Armor said, with a sense of urgency in his voice now. "Run!"
Twilight and her friends didn't hesitate for a second about the matter. They immediately ran to hide from the psychotic orange pegasus, who wielded the wand. Shining Armor and Cadence prepared their horns to give Scootaloo one of the most powerful blasts known to man. But Scootaloo, thinking fast, cut off both of their horns instantly with a knife formed from her wand. The couple gasped at the sight of their horns in Scootaloo's hooves.
"How?!" Cadence asked, in shock.
"Simple," Scootaloo answered. "This wand gives me ten times more power than even an alicorn. Moondust Bloom made sure of it."
"Stand down or else we'll use our magic on you!" Shining Armor yelled weakly.
Scootaloo laughed like a psycho. "Nice try," she said. "But even the great Shining Armor knows that you can't use magic without your horn or a wand. I had to take care of the horns first."
Scootaloo blasted at the duo multiple times with their now severed horns. With each blow, Cadence and Shining Armor became more and more weak.
"Strong enough to have it all," Scotaloo said softly, with each blow, before letting her rage come to a boil. "TOO WEAK TO TAKE IT!"
Meanwhile, Twilight and the rest of her friends were trying to find a place to hide from the psychotic pegasus. Scootaloo was hot on their tail, still boiling with the rage she felt after ripping off Shining Armor and Cadence's horns.
"Your weakness, Twi, is morality! It's choking you!" Scootaloo yelled. "CAN YOU FEEL IT!?"
At that point, Purple Horn had an idea. "Stand back!" He yelled as he began charging up his horn.
"What are you doing?!" Pinkie asked as she stepped back with the rest of her friends, a worried look on her face.
"Getting this motherfucker out of here," Purple Horn responded.
"How so?!" Pinkie asked, continuing her usual antics.
"Geeze! Do you ever shut up!?" Purple Horn yelled, annoyed with Pinkie.
"THERE YOU ARE, YA LITTLE SHITS!" Scootaloo yelled as she charged at the seven ponies with a scream.
But all of a sudden....
BANG!
Scootaloo was sent flying away from a blast of Purple Horn's horn. Watching the palace fall in front of her, she let out an annoyed yell. Then, she flew back to tell Moondust Bloom the news.
Meanwhile, Twilight had just woken up to see the destruction of the Crystal Empire.
Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
Twilight looked around at the destruction of the palace. Walls were caved in on themselves, glass was shattered everywhere, the floor was practically gone, and in the rubble of it all, were the hornless corpses of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Shining Armor was crushed and was missing one of his legs, and his cutie mark was completely scratched up by the rubble. Meanwhile, Cadence had both of her wings torn off and her head was crushed to nothing but blood and gore. Twilight rushed to the rubble and pulled out both of her deceased family members.
She then let out an emotional wail, trying to process what had happened. First Celestia, now her own family? The war had taken too much from her and she didn't know if her heart could take any more losses. Rainbow Dash noticed Twilight mourning and pulled her in for a hug. She could tell that the war was taking a toll on her.
"Twi," Rainbow said, emotionally. "I am so sorry."
Suddenly, Twilight remembered something, or rather, someone, who was just as important as Shining Armor and Cadence were. "Flurryheart!" Twilight yelled, as she frantically started searching for the young alicorn like a mother frantically searching for her children. She searched far and wide to find her niece. But then, she found Flurryheart in her crib, still sleeping like a baby, with a forcefield surrounding her. Flurryheart woke up, looked at Twilight, and let out a soft coo. Twilight sighed in relief, a tear rolling down her eye.
"She's OK," Twilight said, smiling. "She's OK."
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie, Purple Horn, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were in another part of the castle, recovering from the fallen debris. Pinkie was amazed at how much destruction could be caused by one simple, powerful blast. Meanwhile, Purple Horn was still trying to process the damage. Pinkie bounced up to him, much to his annoyance. This was the last thing the disgruntled warrior needed.
"Uh, Purple Horn?" Pinkie asked. "How did you do that?"
"OK! New rule," Purple Horn yelled, completely ignoring Pinkie's question. "I do the talking from here on out."
"That may be hard for me to..." Pinkie began.
"SHUT, THE FUCK, UP!" Purple Horn yelled, silencing the pink mare. "Now, we have to think: The Palace is a few miles from here, right?"
Pinkie was silent for a bit, a scowl on her face for a minute. "Oh, sorry," Pinkie said, in a sarcastic annoyed tone. "Am I allowed to talk? Or...?"
"Just... Nod," Purple Horn said, getting even more impatient than ever before with Pinkie's crap.
Pinkie rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Right," Purple Horn said. "The only problem is that we can't get there on foot. Flight can't even get us there without someone collapsing. So we need to find a place to set up camp for the night first. Then, we need to somehow find a mode of transportation to get us to the palace to defeat this Moondust Bloom character and Scootaloo. Then, Twilight needs to fix my shit like she fucking promised!"
"Where are we gonna find a campsite in this town? We're miles away from society," Rarity chimed in.
"I don't know," Purple Horn said. "But we could maybe, and hear me out on this, try that one place that poor dragon Spike was talking about before Pinkie got him fucking killed!"
"Poor dragon," Pinkie said sarcastically. "He was literally 100."
"We have another issue too," Twilight added, holding her niece. "We need someone to watch Flurryheart."
A few minutes later, the group was at Sugarcube Corner, which had expanded into a chain all across Equestria in recent years. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were happy to see the group.
"Guys! It's awesome to see you," Mrs. Cake said. "How long has it been? Nine years?"
"Try eight," Rainbow Dash said. "Listen: We're trying to defeat Moondust Bloom and we need someone to watch Flurryheart. Can you do that?"
The Cakes thought about the matter for a bit, a hint of hesitation on their face. They loved the Main Six a lot and were more than happy to help them out. But there was one small problem.
"I don't know," Mr. Cake said. "Moondust has been trying to hunt any enemies of his down recently, and harboring the child or niece of one of his enemies is a crime punishable by execution. I don't think we should take that..."
At that moment, Fluttershy gave the bakers her signature stare, a legendary look that could make any animal or pony do what she said.
"Listen: We're trying to save all of Equestria right now and it's the most stressful thing we've ever had to do!" Fluttershy monologues. "So we just want some flipping help with Twilight's niece!"
"Alright, alright!" Mr. Cake said, taking Flurryheart from Twilight and putting the alicorn toddler into the play pen with Pumpkin and Pound Cake. "As long as it gets that son of a bitch Moondust Bloom defeated, we'll help you out."
"Thank you," Fluttershy said, as she exited Sugar Cube Corner with her friends.
Meanwhile, Purple Horn had a look of shock and amazement on his face after watching Fluttershy's stare in action. "How did you..." Purple Horn asked.
"What can I say? When you work with animals all your life, you gotta know how to put your hoove down," Fluttershy said, with confidence in her voice.
"Wow," Purple Horn said to himself. "I'm beginning to like this group."
Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
Scoot's Conflicting Emotions
"And then, that Purple Horn character blasted me into the open with his horn!" Scootaloo explained to Moondust Bloom. She had just gotten back from the attack on the Crystal Empire, and the blast had left her with a huge burn on her face.
"Damn it!" Moondust Bloom yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. "I should've known that Purple Horn would be back in action again. That sad alcoholic sap was one of my worst enemies thousands of years ago! Oh, man. If they come here, my rule is done."
Moondust then started to get even more nervous. "Oh, Celestia! If my kingdom falls, I fall. Dear Celestia, why is this happening to me?! It's not fair! It's not fucking fair!" Moondust screamed, having a full mental breakdown. He then took a deep breath and came up with a proper plan. "OK. I have a plan. Scoot, I want you to find them all and kill them. Don't hold back!"
Scootaloo nodded and went to wash her face. She was willing to do anything for Moondust Bloom. After all, he had saved her from a lifetime of humiliation and bullying. But was it right to keep this whole rebellion up because she was butt-hurt over a cutie mark? What about Rainbow Dash? She was once the greatest thing since zap apple jam to her!
You know what? Scootaloo should try to reconcile with Rainbow. Maybe if she finds the Main Six and Purple Horn, she'll spare Rainbow and they'll be the dynamic duo once again, just like the good old days! But there was a problem: Twilight was such an influence on the Six, there was no way that Rainbow would abandon the group to join her side. At least she got her karma for being a goodie two shoes though. The horns of Shining Armor and Cadence were something of value to the enemies of Equestria for ages, and Moondust finally had them.
She was also able to shut that yapping dragon Spike up too. How dare he insult her when they were once friends?! Oh, and she really can't forget to reconcile with Rainbow Dash. She literally just remembered all the good times that they had together. No, that's probably not possible. Twilight has corrupted her for too long.
"Conflicted?" A voice sounding like Scootaloo asked.
"Who's there?!" Scootaloo asked, before looking at the mirror.
"I'm you," The evil Scootaloo said. "I know what you're thinking. You're conflicted about everything. The war, Moondust, Rainbow..."
"I know I am!" Scootaloo yelled. "I just need to think for a bit."
"But does this really need thinking?!" The reflection asked. "Moondust helped us when we were at our lowest. We were once blank flanks. Now, we're the head of the most powerful army Equestria has had in ages! There's no need for friendship and Twilight's "friendship is magic" garbage! We have everything we could ever want!"
"I know," Scootaloo said.
"So why are you still conflicted about everything?" The reflection asked. "Come on. Tell me the real reason. I want to here you say it."
Scootaloo is silent, her emotions getting the better of her.
"SAY IT!" The reflection yelled.
"I want Rainbow back," Scootaloo said, a single tear rolling down her face.
"BINGO!" The reflection yelled. "You need her. You still need her approval, her love, her friendship, her sisterhood, boo hoo hoo!"
"No," Scootaloo cried. "That's not true."
"Look at me," The reflection said. "We need to get this need for friendship cut from you like the leeches Fluttershy talks to. Then, you can finally be the pony you were meant to be. Tough, barbaric, independent."
"What do I do?!" Scootaloo cried.
"You need to go back to the start," The reflection said, with a sly smile on her face. "You need to go home."
Scootaloo then started to remember her home in Ponyville. Her aunts, her parents, her old school. A smile then grew on her face. She had a perfect plan in store for Ponyville and everyone who ever wronged her there. She was still reeling from the death of Applebloom last year, but that was OK. She was prepared to give Ponyville a nice surprise for her homecoming.
"I need to go home."
Overthrown Book 2: Dulling Armor
Epilogue: Talks By The Campfire
The campsite the Main Six and Purple Horn chose was extremely beautiful at night. The campfire lightened the area as brightly as a sun, committing itself to its eternal dance. Crystals shined brightly on the walls as well. Meanwhile, the ponies were all asleep and resting up, getting ready to continue their quest in the morning. Well, everyone except Purple Horn and Twilight.
Purple Horn was sitting by the fire, looking at a picture that was in his saddlebag. The picture showed a young pink mare, around the age of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She had pink hair, a horn that glowed a bright gold, and wings as colorful as a rainbow. Purple Horn looked at the picture with intention, a tear in his eye as he did so. This moment was interrupted by Twilight, who sat down with Purple Horn, holding two mugs in her hand.
"Hey," Twilight said, breaking Purple Horn out of his gaze. "I thought you could use the company."
"Twi, seriously?! Don't come up at me like that!" Purple Horn said, before looking at the mug presented before him.
"It's tea," Twilight said, taking his confused look as a question. "Can you drink it? It's my friend's recipe."
Purple Horn sighed and put the mug of tea up to his lips, taking a long gulp. The tea was a lemon tea, with a small amount of honey thrown in. "Is there honey in this?" Purple Horn asked, noticing the taste.
"A little," Twilight said, before getting to the main question at hand. "I've noticed you're a bit of a recluse and not open to friendships."
"Yeah? What of it?" Purple Horn asked, getting annoyed about being nagged over the matter.
"Well I just want you to know that I know how you feel," Twilight said. "I was diagnosed as being on the spectrum when I was a filly, and people always thought I was weird because of it. After I came to Ponyville, I learned a lot about friendship from the girls and it opened my mind to why ponies need those interactions."
"Wait," Purple Horn said, his eyes lightening up. "You're autistic too?!"
"Uhhh..." Twilight said, not knowing what to say.
"This is great!" Purple Horn said. "Honestly, people have questioned me my whole life about my capabilities to make friends and I really don't get it!"
"I know, right? What is up with that?" Twilight said. "Those ideologies are honestly super outdated. Ponies on the spectrum don't have the equivalent of a foal who can't take care of themselves!"
"I absolutely fucking agree! I come from a different time when ponies on the spectrum were beheaded for who they were," Purple Horn said, further opening himself up. "The way I see autism is ponies with it are extremely intelligent, but..."
"Socially awkward?" Twilight asked, finishing Purple Horn's sentence.
"Exactly!" Purple Horn said. "One time, my ex-wife had me take the trash to work with me."
"Yeah? What'd you do?" Twilight asked, with anticipation.
"I took the trash all the way to work with me!" Purple Horn said.
The duo broke down laughing together but quickly quieted down so as to not wake up the rest of their sleeping friends. Then, Purple Horn looked Twilight in the eye with something that she hadn't seen in a long time: A smile. "You're really growing on me, Twi. You're the first pony I've met who's like me. It shows that there are still good ponies in the world. Honestly, when this is all over and you fix my town, I'd be more than happy to be your friend."
"Really?" Twilight asked with excitement.
"We'll have to see," Purple Horn said, getting to bed. "For now, get some sleep. It's getting late and Luna's moon is out right now."
"I will," Twilight said.
"Also," Purple Horn quickly added. "For future reference, I don't like honey in my tea. Good night, Twi."
"Goodnight," Twilight said, before looking up at Luna's moon with a regretful expression on her face. "What did I get myself into?"
Twilight knew she lied to get Purple Horn to join them. She knew that the fate of all of Equestria lay on her and her friends. She knew she had to do this for Shining Armor and Cadence. But the next phase of her adventure would result in some drama.
Author's Note
Well, book two is officially done. Thank you all so much for reading this series. Purple Horn is now the first autistic main character in a fan fiction series. So definitely be prepared for more to come. Book Three is coming March 2025!