The Ending of the End - 4 Parter

by RandomPen

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Grogar, Starlight Glimmer, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Main 6, The Pillars
Length: 11295

Twilight Sparkle faces her ultimate test when the ancient villain Grogar unleashes a devastating scheme to conquer Equestria.

On the precipice of Twilight Sparkle's coronation, Equestria anticipates an era of friendship and harmony. But under the surface, tensions boil. A growing rift between the royal sisters, Twilight's niggling self-doubt, and fracturing unity throughout the land threaten to upend the balance of Equestria. Worse, a dastardly alliance plots ultimate revenge against the Mane 6.

This four part adventure culminates the events of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season 9.

Episode Loglines:

The Ending of the End Part 1:
A rift between Celestia and Luna places Twilight's destiny in doubt; Grogar's villainous alliance begins their attack on Equestria.

The Ending of the End Part 2:
As villains lay siege to Equestria, Twilight teams up with old allies to rescue her friends from evil forces.

The Ending of the End Part 3:
At Equestria's darkest hour, the remaining heroes face vengeful foes and confront choices that push them to their limits.

The Ending of the End Part 4:
Twilight's friends gain unexpected allies as they attempt to save her and Equestria from a dark fate.

Author's Note:

This story strictly follows canon and is meant to replace Season 9 Episodes 24-26. As such, all attempts are made to avoid OOC behavior and other elements not seen in the show such as shipping, excessive violence, use of prohibited language and allusions to fan-made content. Consistency is maintained with the dialogue present in the finale trailer. The overall goal in writing this is to address the numerous issues that I, along with many others, had with the last three episodes of the show and to give the series a proper conclusion by building on the plot threads set up throughout Season 9.

To best follow the format of the show, the POV or internal thoughts of characters is not depicted beyond what would be seen in an episode. Only visual descriptions and dialogue are used to convey the plot.

Special thanks to my pre-readers: JudasofBelial, and Starswirl the Beardless

Published 2025-01-28 15:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2025-02-14 03:14:27 UTC

The Ending of the End Part 1 (Chapter 1)

In the cavernous abode of Grogar, the Father of Monsters, Lord Tirek and Cozy Glow read over an ancient grimoire splayed on the giant stone table in front of them. Grogar’s scrying orb lay dormant beside it, putting off a shadowy aura. The sorcerer himself was supposedly far away, retrieving a powerful artifact that he would use to end Twilight Sparkle’s reign before it began.

Tirek saw a green flash in the corner of his eye and turned. “Ah, Chrysalis! Another successful field trip, I presume?”

“Spreading distrust among these ponies is almost too easy!” Chrysalis gloated. Her sickly green telekinesis lifted a purple journal with a large star on the front. “So generous of Twilight Sparkle to write down all those friendship problems she helped solve.”

“That we helped un-solve!” Cozy Glow made a slashing motion with her hoof on the last word and smiled deviously.

Chrysalis tossed the journal away and planted her front hooves on the table, baring her fangs. “Without the ‘magic of friendship’ behind them, Twilight and her friends will be powerless before us!”

“And everypony is still blissfully unaware of our plan,” Tirek purred. “Grogar’s Bell!” He hoisted the indestructible bell onto the table, where it landed with a resounding thud. Cozy rubbed her hooves together, and Chrysalis salivated as she eyed the bell. Tirek flipped a few pages ahead in the grimoire. “This artifact is known by many names: the Talisman of Terror, the Firmament of Fear, the—”

“Uh, we get it! Grogar could be back any minute!” Cozy Glow interrupted, pouting. “Can you skip to the good part?”

Tirek rolled his eyes. “Grogar’s magic was once empowered by all the fear in Equestria.”

“And the bell is gonna let us do that too?” Cozy asked excitedly. “So, since we got everypony turning on each other…”

Tirek grinned and pointed at the book, which depicted an image of Grogar using his bell to absorb a yellowish stream of power from a group of cowering unicorns. “All we have to do is activate it with this spell, and our powers will be multiplied a hundredfold!”

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Chrysalis surged forward and grabbed the bell. “I’m sick of wasting time on that old goat’s master plan!”

“Very well.” Tirek adopted a look of concentration, and his horns started to glow. “As agreed, we all work together to defeat the protectors of Equestria.”

Chrysalis and Cozy both nodded once.

Grogar’s Bell rose in the air, enveloped by Tirek’s magic, and started to glow white.

Zap!

A blast of yellow magic shot between Tirek’s horns and silenced the centaur’s spell in an instant. Yellow-black telekinesis suffused the Bell and whisked it away from the three conspirators towards a shadowy figure in the cave’s entryway. Intense yellow eyes with red irises and dark pupils glared out at the trio. The only other visible features were two immense, curved horns.

“Is this a bad time?” the figure growled.

“G-Grogar!” Cozy stammered, looking at her colleagues and then Grogar himself with wide eyes.

Grogar stepped into the light, howling with wicked laughter. The telltale yellowish-black glow of his magic charged around his horns.

My Little Pony
My Little Pony
Ah, ah, ah, ah...
My Little Pony...
I used to wonder what friendship could be
My Little Pony...
Until you all shared its magic with me
Big adventure, tons of fun!
A beautiful heart, faithful and strong!
Sharing kindness - it's an easy feat!
And magic makes it all complete!
You have My Little Ponies...
Do you know you're all my very best friends?

Grogar attached the bell to his collar with a loud clink, laughing maniacally. Instantly, a dark light pulsed through his body. The bell sent waves of yellow-black energy rippling out, filling the chamber with suffocating power. A blinding halo of arcane light surrounded Grogar, forcing the other villains to cover their eyes.

After a tense moment, the display subsided, and Grogar looked at the trio with detached amusement.

“P-Please, be merciful, oh mighty Grogar!” Cozy Glow whimpered, dropping from the air to curl into a semi-fetal position on the table. Chrysalis snarled, and Tirek took an instinctive step back, eyes wide.

“Fools! It was obvious that you would try to take Equestria for yourselves,” Grogar thundered, jumping down to join the trio at the scrying table. “And need I remind you of your pathetic track records?”

He motioned at his scrying orb in the center of the stone table. It showed past visions of Tirek getting reduced to a weakling by rainbow magic, Chrysalis fleeing from her hive in disgrace, and Cozy Glow ranting after her plans ended in disaster. The three villains’ eyes widened in shock as they witnessed their previous defeats. Then the orb shifted, showing the three villains at Mount Everhoof as they plotted together after retrieving Grogar’s Bell.

“‘Let Grogar think we're his loyal servants. In the meantime, we'll hatch our own plan,’” Chrysalis’ voice echoed from the orb. The device darkened, leaving the stunned villains in silence.

“Wait… you knew all along?!” present Chrysalis growled in frustration.

Grogar grinned slyly. “I wanted to see if the three of you could truly work together. And look—you finally did.” The bell on his collar gave an ethereal clang, and tendrils of magic shot out, wrapping around the trio. Eldritch energy coiled around their bodies like living chains, yanking them into the air. The three villains struggled fruitlessly as the tendrils tightened. Grogar snarled and stomped his hoof, cracking the ground beneath him. “Now… you will aid me in my conquest of Equestria, and together we will destroy our enemies once and for all!”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed, and she crossed her hooves defiantly. “And if we don’t?”

The tendrils glowed, and dark magic slowly started eclipsing the trio’s bodies.

“None of you were able to defeat Twilight and her friends! What hope do you have… against me?” Grogar said in a chilling tone. Cozy Glow yelped and hid her head in her hooves. The Father of Monsters fixed his glowing eyes upon the trio. “The fate of Equestria will be decided this day. You may play a part in it… or be removed from it.”

There was a moment of silence as the three greatest enemies of Equestria considered Grogar’s proposal.

“I’m in!” squeaked Cozy Glow. “Totally in!”

“Works for me!” Tirek said nervously, staring at the black mass overwhelming him.

Chrysalis’ green telekinesis flickered as she struggled to push Grogar’s powerful magic off her.

“Fine!” she relented.

The magical bonds dissipated, dropping the trio onto the floor.

Grogar climbed atop the stone table, looking down at the other three contemptuously. “The moment has come to make our move. For too long, those pitiful ponies have had ‘friendship’ to empower them against us. But this time, it will be their undoing!”

Deep in the outcast swamps of Equestria, Grogar’s terrible laughter echoed.

The Ending of the End Part 1 (Chapter 2)

Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath and stepped forth onto the royal balcony of Canterlot Castle. Her coronation gown flowed behind her, themed in blue and white hues.

The air was still and silent. Composing herself, Twilight cleared her throat.

“My fellow ponies, friends… creatures of Equestria and beyond, this coronation is a day I never imagined. Standing here, I can’t help but reflect on how much has changed since the day I first moved to Ponyville. Back then, I thought that magic was the greatest power there is. But I was wrong. The greatest magic of all… is friendship.”

She smiled warmly.

“Friendship isn’t just a bond between individuals. It’s the foundation of Equestria itself. It’s what brought us all together, what gave us the strength to stand against countless adversities, and what continues to unite us, even as things change.”

Twilight looked toward the horizon.

“Equestria has faced many trials, and no doubt there will be more ahead as we work to spread friendship and harmony. But I stand here today, not just as your princess, but as a part of something greater. Together, I believe that we’re stronger than any challenge.”

She stood on her hind legs and rested both hooves on the balcony railing to give herself more height.

“With hope in our hearts and the magic of friendship as our guide, there's nothing we can’t achieve!”

Twilight paused, and a single set of applause rang out behind her. She looked down at the dozens of empty chairs on the lawn below her before turning away to face Spike.

“What’d you think? Did I overdo it? I totally overdid it!” Twilight fretted, pacing around nervously.

Spike smiled. “It was perfect. You’re gonna do great at the coronation tomorrow!”

“Maybe we should do another practice run, just to be safe…” Twilight suggested.

Spike flew over to Twilight and sighed. “Aw, come on, Twilight! You’re not still freakin’ out about the princesses retiring and passing on all their responsibilities to you and your friends, are you?”

Twilight stopped pacing and looked at Spike uneasily. “No… yes? I don’t know. It’s just such a big change, bigger than anything I’ve done before… but we’ve all faced so much and come out okay.” She smiled reflectively. “I think that as long as we’re together, we’ll be up to the challenge of keeping Equestria safe and happy. Which reminds me…”

Twilight presented Spike a golden medallion with a star carved into it.

“Royal advisor?” Spike asked, reading the medal's inscription. “Who’re you gonna pick?”

Twilight chuckled, forgetting her nerves. “You, silly! You've been at my side for every step of this journey. Knowing I had you to count on gave me the strength I needed to grow and succeed. I wouldn't be here without you.”

“Thanks, Twilight. You know I'll always be your right-hoof dragon. Besides, who else is gonna watch you practice your speech nine times?” Spike ribbed.

Twilight rolled her eyes and tilted her head thoughtfully. “Maybe we could use a little break.”

The throne room of Canterlot Castle had undergone extensive remodeling. Where imagery of the sun and moon had once dominated everything, now purple stars themed the room. Banners and tapestries had changed to reflect the incoming new ruler of Equestria. Most of the old stained glass windows remained, as they were harder to replace, apart from the two circular ones behind the central dais that had depicted the sun and the moon. One now shone with the crystalline image of the Tree of Harmony and its Elements. The other had the six Element-bearers with Twilight in the center, each pony surrounded by the symbols of their Elements.

As Twilight (sans her gown) and Spike entered the chamber, an earth pony and unicorn with orange vests grunted as they struggled to haul in Twilight’s new throne. Celestia and Luna’s thrones sat to the side, already moved from their place.

“Can’t you lift it with magic?” the earth pony grumbled. “Lazy unicorns.”

“Magic doesn’t mean you can’t help,” the unicorn retorted. “Or are you better at moving dirt, earth pony?”

The two set down the throne and glared at each other, not seeming to notice Twilight and Spike approach.

“Is everything okay?” Twilight asked, looking between them.

The stallions glanced at her in shock before dropping into bows.

“Very sorry, princess. We’ll be on our way,” the unicorn muttered.

The two movers quickly placed Twilight’s throne in the center of the dais and pushed Celestia and Luna’s thrones out of a side door, closing it behind them.

“That was weird,” Twilight noted.

Spike shrugged. “Pre-coronation nerves?”

“They’re not the only ones,” Twilight said. “I still can’t really believe it myself. It feels like just yesterday I was in Ponyville writing letters to Princess Celestia about friendship.”

Spike looked up at the throne thoughtfully. “Who would’ve guessed all those moons ago you’d be sitting up there someday?”

Twilight chuckled. “If somepony had told me back then that we’d save Equestria a dozen times with our friends, I’d have said they were nuts!”

“And remember what you said when you got sent to Ponyville in the first place?” Spike joked. He imitated Twilight’s serious voice, “‘The fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends.’”

Twilight and Spike both shared a laugh.

“Fortunately, that wasn’t so, and you learned the true magic of friendship, Twilight.” Princess Celestia strode into the throne room and walked up to them.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed joyfully, eager to see her mentor.

Celestia smiled and fondly placed a hoof on Twilight’s chin. The elder princess sang softly:

“You’ve come so far… since those lonely days.”

Twilight took a few steps and turned to face the throne.

“This change is overwhelming in so many ways…”

Celestia walked over and stood beside her.

“Yet every test, every challenge has made you wiser. With friendship as your guide…”

“We’ve done so much, but am I ready? I can’t decide…”

“On your journey, you’ve always kept your faith. With your friends you’ll prevail-“

“But what if I falter, or fail?” Twilight interrupted, looking downcast. Celestia continued softly:

“When you were young and friendship new, I was uncertain, but then you rose and gained your purpose, and I knew…”

“What did you know?”

“I knew the time was coming. Think back to all you’ve learned, the wings you’ve earned…”

“The friendships we’ve spread…”

“The school you led!” Spike chimed in.

“Each step you took along this path that brought you here, and now the time draws near…”

“No more fear…”

“To see what’s clear…”

Celestia hugged Twilight affectionately. “When I sent you to Ponyville, I had high hopes. And when you became Princess of Friendship, I knew that one day, Equestria would be in your hooves. This was always your destiny, Twilight.”

Twilight hugged her back and smiled.

“And there is nopony more capable and worthy to take our place,” Princess Luna added, entering the room and standing opposite Twilight. She paused for a moment and asked, “But is that what you want, Twilight?”

Twilight stepped back, caught off guard, and repeated unsurely, “What I want?”

She glanced at Celestia, who had an unreadable expression as she waited for Twilight’s answer. Twilight breathed out and looked at Luna with determination. “Of course. It’s what I’ve been studying and preparing for my whole life. Like you both said, everything my friends and I have faced was training for this.”

Luna shifted uncomfortably. “Yes… we did say that.”

“Sister, there are still many preparations to attend to for the coronation,” Celestia said. “Perhaps we should let Twilight get settled in the royal suite?”

“The royal suite! Oh boy, I’ve always wanted to see what the high life is like!” Spike exclaimed enthusiastically.

Luna looked at Twilight and raised her hoof to say something, but Celestia cut her off with a glance.

“Of course,” Luna muttered.

The two sisters walked away, leaving Twilight and Spike alone again.

“You think the royal suite has a hot tub?” Spike wondered. “I’d totally dig a hot tub.”

Twilight smiled indulgently. “Let’s find out, Spike.”

The Ending of the End Part 1 (Chapter 3)

Headmare Starlight Glimmer paced around her office in the School of Friendship, levitating a long scroll and a quill. “Interview the new teachers, check. Organize everypony’s lesson plans, check. Make sure nothing goes wrong on Twilight’s friends’ last day… gotta wait a few more hours to check that one off…”

A knock at the door made Starlight jump. She quickly composed herself and used her telekinesis to open the doors for the incoming visitor.

“Hi, Starlight! You wanted to see me?” Sunburst walked inside the office, glancing for a few seconds at the large potted plant on Starlight’s desk. A placard attached to the pot read: ‘Phyllis 2.0’.

Starlight smiled at him. “Yes! Is everything set up in the teacher’s lounge, Sunburst?”

“Oh yes, it’s quite the going-away party,” Sunburst promised. He paused and continued, “I’m honored that you wanted me to be your second here at the school and all, but it’s going to be a big transition not having Twilight’s friends here… I just hope that we’re up to it.”

Starlight gave Phyllis 2.0 a quick pat before catching herself. She blushed and moved the plant away. “I know it’s going to be hard to adjust, but Twilight’s already in Canterlot prepping for her coronation tomorrow.” She gestured to a picture on her desk of Twilight and her friends, taken the day the school was founded. “As a new ruler, she’s going to need all the help she can get… and Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy are the best ponies she can call on. With all their other duties, they just won’t have time to teach at the school anymore.”

Sunburst still looked uneasy.

Starlight placed a reassuring hoof on Sunburst’s withers. “Don’t worry! Between you, me, and Trixie, we can handle this. The school’s already survived Discord, Cozy Glow, and King Sombra. What else could happen?”

Sunburst smiled, and some of the tension abated. Suddenly, the ponies heard a loud crash from somewhere outside. They looked at each other, and Starlight silently cursed herself for tempting fate.

“I’d better go check on that,” Sunburst said, his nervous look returning. He bolted out of the office.

Starlight sighed, rolling up her scroll as she prepared to follow him.

Behind her, Phyllis 2.0 crackled with sickly green energy, its familiar form twisting and warping. In a moment, the plant was gone, replaced by Chrysalis, former queen of the changelings, hovering above the desk with a sinister grin.

“Surprise, Starlight Glimmer!” The changeling let loose a torrent of laughter and advanced on the unicorn, swiftly blocking the doors and locking the windows with her magic. Starlight suddenly heard screams and yells coming from outside the office.

She reflexively backed up and lit her horn… only to find the light faded away instantly.

“Ah ah ah, no spells!” Chrysalis mockingly chided. She levitated a shard of rock up for Starlight to see. “When I paid a visit to your little celebration in Canterlot, I brought home a souvenir. Using pieces of my throne to protect yourselves from magic? How trite!”

“The Summer Sun Celebration… you’re the one who messed everything up!” Starlight realized with a gasp.

Chrysalis chuckled. “Oh, I had help! Lord Tirek and Cozy Glow are taking care of your friends outside as we speak. But don’t worry, you won’t miss out on the FUN!”

Chrysalis lunged. Starlight dove out of the way, and Chrysalis crashed into the wall. The changeling hissed in frustration and fired a blast of green magic that narrowly missed Starlight, scorching the wall behind her.

Starlight grabbed the intercom on her desk and pressed the button. “Everycreature, this is not a drill! Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are attacking the school! Get to safe—”

Chrysalis seized Starlight with her magic and threw her across the room. “Enough games!”

“Unf!” Starlight felt the breath knocked out of her when she landed. Green ooze slid out of Chrysalis’ mouth and covered Starlight from top to bottom in a wet cocoon.

Giving the cocoon a smug pat, Chrysalis left the shard on Starlight’s desk and turned to exit the office. “Now, be a good little pony and stay there. I’ll be back for you soon, Starlight!”

Cozy Glow entered the deserted library of the School of Friendship, hovering just above the floor. She peeked around bookcases and inside shelves and drawers. In no time at all, she found what she was looking for: a large trunk with the school’s six magical artifacts sitting open on a back table, with notes and papers strewn around it.

“Jackpot!” Cozy beamed, reaching for the chest.

“Give it up, Cozy Glow!” The library doors swung open, and six students ran or flew into the room. Gallus, Yona, Smolder, Ocellus, Silverstream, and the one who spoke, Sandbar, stared daggers at Cozy. Sandbar pointed at the pegasus accusingly. “Those artifacts don’t belong to you!”

Cozy Glow perked up and flashed an innocent smile. She placed her hooves on her cheeks and giggled. “Oh golly, all my old pals! Gee, isn’t it just awful that you’re TOO LATE!”

She grabbed several of the artifacts and flew into the air. A blinding flash knocked the students back, and suddenly there were dozens of Cozy Glows all over the library, smiling and waving at them. A couple of them were making cutesy faces or rude signs.

“Maybe following her was a bad idea?” Silverstream said, looking around worriedly.

Yona turned to Sandbar. “We try pony way, now try yak way!” She charged at the nearest Cozy Glow and attempted to tackle her, only for the pegasus to disappear. A snarling bugbear appeared in her place and roared at Yona. The yak cried out and started running.

“It’s just an illusion, Yona!” Ocellus called out. “She’s using the Talisman of Mirage!”

“So how do we find the real one?!” Smolder stewed. She breathed fire at the bugbear, causing it to vanish. Just as quickly as they appeared, the illusions faded away, and there was no sign of Cozy. A low rumbling shook the library.

Silverstream put a talon to her ear. “Uh, guys, is it just me, or is the plumbing getting louder?”

Gallus rolled his eyes. “You really need to stop obsessing over that plumbing book.”

“I hear something too!” Sandbar affirmed.

There was a gurgling sound, followed by a loud WOOSH as gallons of water burst out of the plumbing in the walls and through the window from the lake outside. Furniture toppled over, and books were thrown about in the torrential flood.

“Gaah! Yaks not like water!” Yona cried. She started to flail around helplessly as the deluge threatened to pull her under.

Silverstream quickly changed into a seapony and helped keep her friend afloat.

“The Amulet of Aurora! She used it to flood the library!” Ocellus said, taking on seapony form as well to aid Silverstream. Water started rushing in from all directions.

“Thanks for the commentary, Ocellus!” Gallus yelled as he took to the air, dodging a falling bookcase. Behind him, Sandbar managed to grab onto some floating debris.

“Cozy Glow!” Sandbar pointed at the doors to the library, which quickly opened and shut. “It’s up to the professors to stop her now!”

Lord Tirek cackled as he grabbed a quivering group of trapped Friendship School students. After he absorbed the life force of the last unicorn, he used the pony to wipe his mouth and tossed him aside.

“Ahh, who knew the magic of friendship would taste so good!” the centaur chuckled. His eyes scanned the drained ponies littering the hallways of the school, each weakly kicking or struggling to move. Nearly three times the size he’d obtained in Grogar’s lair, Tirek leisurely made his way to the school courtyard, blasting any doors or walls in his way. Ponies continued to flee and panic at his approach, but he let them be, waiting for his true quarry to show up.

Rainbow Dash swooped down from a nearby window in a blur and hovered at Tirek’s eye level. “You get one chance, Tirek! Give that magic back or else!”

“Oh, poor little ponies,” Tirek said, his voice dripping with false sympathy. “This is a battle you’ve already lost!”

“We’ll just see about that!” Applejack called, running into the courtyard with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy by her side.

Tirek cracked his knuckles and mustered a ball of orange magic.

Rainbow Dash whizzed around Tirek’s head, spinning him in circles. The dizzy centaur batted the pegasus away with his hands. He gave chase, but his legs were quickly caught up in Applejack’s lasso.

“Come on, everypony, this way!” Fluttershy called. She ushered the remaining students away from the battle, denying Tirek further energy to absorb.

“GRAAAAHH!” Tirek bellowed, his frustration reaching a boiling point. He slammed his hands into the ground and created rocky spires that ripped through the earth.

Pinkie Pie gracefully bounced between them. “Whee! This is just like hopscotch!” She nodded at Rarity, who floated her up to Tirek’s face. “Surprise attack!”

Tirek whirled around to get a face full of party cannon. He stumbled around, trying to clear his eyes and blindly shooting magic. A flock of birds pecked at his hands. Blue beams of magic stung his horns as they tried to charge up. Rainbow blurs threw off his aim.

The five friends worked in total harmony, each compensating the weaknesses of the others with their own strengths.

Tirek slowly backed into a corner, blinded and disoriented.

“Look!” Rainbow Dash pointed at the sky.

The ponies cheered as they saw Twilight, Celestia, and Luna flying down to join them, horns at the ready.

“Oh, you don’t know how happy we are to see you all!” Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight approached her friend, smiling. A green flash erupted from the alicorn, revealing her true form.

“Chrysalis?!” Rarity backed away in horror. Chrysalis grinned and fired a beam of magic at her. Rarity managed to deflect the blast with a small shield spell and turned to run. Before she could get far, however, Chrysalis seized her with telekinesis.

The illusions of Celestia and Luna waved as they faded away. A blast of greyish magic knocked Applejack and Pinkie Pie away from Tirek and suspended them in large bubbles. Cozy Glow appeared, hovering over them, surrounded by a grey magical aura emanating from Clover the Clever’s Cloak. The tiny pegasus mock-saluted her two captives.

His legs freed, Tirek stood up and grabbed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy with his magic. The villains tossed the five ponies into a pile between them.

Chrysalis leered at her enemies. “Ha! Did you foals really think you could stop us?”

Rainbow Dash got in Chrysalis’ face defiantly. “When Twilight gets here, you’re all gonna be sorry!”

“Oh, golly, you’re right! Too bad we aren’t waiting around to find out,” Cozy jeered.

Rainbow Dash dissolved into black smoke and vanished. Her friends gasped and quickly disappeared in the same manner.

The three villains shared grins before evaporating as well.

Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Spike appeared in a loud burst of purple magic.

With an expression of dread, Twilight looked around at the destroyed school. Rubble was strewn about the courtyard from damaged buildings and classrooms. Water poured out of the library window, dumping out ruined books and furniture. Drained ponies groaned as they tried to get up.

“No…” Twilight whispered hoarsely. She looked back at her companions with tears brimming in her eyes. “We’re too late.”

The Ending of the End Part 1 (Chapter 4)

Crack!

The cocoon around Starlight Glimmer broke apart, spilling green goo onto the floor of the Headmare’s office. Twilight Sparkle reached down to pull her friend up.

“Thanks,” Starlight said, trying to clean off the sticky changeling fluid with her hooves. She grumbled to herself, “I’m gonna need the longest shower in Equestria to get this off.”

“Shower-s,” Spike muttered, recalling his own experience after being trapped in the changeling hive. He hovered next to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who looked on in concern. Around them, the office showed signs of the recent attack: scorch marks on the wall, broken furniture, and shattered, ineffectual pieces of black anti-magic stone.

The doors of the office swung open, and a pegasus stallion of the royal guard strode in, accompanied by Trixie and Sunburst. The guard saluted the three princesses and addressed Celestia, “Princess, all the students have been accounted for, but the teachers are nowhere to be found in the school.”

“Thank you, corporal. See to it that the students receive the care they need,” Celestia said. The stallion saluted the princess again and flew out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

Twilight hovered back and forth, holding her head between her hooves. “How could this happen?!! Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow have my friends! How did they escape Tartarus?! Where did they go?! Why are they working together?! How are we going to fix the school?!” She flew higher and higher with each question, starting to hyperventilate.

“Technically, Chrysalis wasn’t in Tartarus…” Spike pointed out.

Starlight shot him a look that said ‘not the point!’ and grabbed Twilight with her magic, setting her down in the middle of the group. “Twilight, we will find our friends.”

Twilight stood up and put a hoof to her chest in a calming gesture. She breathed out slowly and looked at her former student with a mix of gratitude and worry.

“And how are we supposed to do that?!” Trixie burst out incredulously. “We don’t even know how they disappeared! I know all about disappearing, and even I can’t explain it!”

“I’ve never heard of any magic like it before,” Sunburst said, tapping his chin. He pulled out a sketch of the villains dissolving into black smoke. “And I don’t think Tirek, Chrysalis, or Cozy could cast a spell like that without help.”

Luna stepped forth, her expression grave. “Indeed. It appears that some other powerful force is at work here. If Twilight Sparkle’s friends and these three villains were transported somewhere, it is imperative that we find them quickly.”

“We need to organize a search,” Twilight decided. “If there’s anypony who knows about this strange magic, it’s Starswirl. Spike and I will gather the Pillars and start looking.”

Spike raised a claw. “What about the school? Half the students got drained by Tirek, and the other half don’t have any teachers.”

“I’ll stay here,” Starlight offered. “I might have a way to restore magic to the students Tirek drained.”

“And The Great and Powerful Counselor Trixie will help!” Trixie declared, standing up dramatically with her hooves in the air.

“What about me?” Sunburst asked.

Twilight thought for a moment. “Sunburst, can you get word about my friends to Princess Cadence and my brother in the Crystal Empire? They can search the Frozen North.”

Sunburst nodded.

“We need to send messages to the other kingdoms as well: changelings, griffins, dragons,” Twilight counted them off on her wing feathers. “Everycreature. They’ll help us look too.”

“Leave that to us!” said a voice that Twilight recognized as Scootaloo’s.

Yona, Sandbar, Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder, and Ocellus entered the office alongside the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Yaks help search. Yaks best at searching!” Yona declared.

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders are ready for duty!” the CMC cheered.

Twilight smiled and made an affirming gesture to the students and crusaders. She flew up and addressed the room, “Thank you, all of you. I know that together, we can stop Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy and save our friends!”

“That’s the Twilight I know,” Celestia said warmly, placing a wing around her former student.

She started to say more, but the appearance of a fiery blue portal cut her off. An officious white unicorn stepped out of it, wearing a gold medallion that emanated magical orange energy.

Twilight’s smile became just a little uneasy. “Chancellor Neighsay?”

“Are you here because of the attack on the school?” Spike asked.

Neighsay looked around the destroyed office, taking in the cracked changeling pod, scorches, and overall disarray of the room. “No, though you have my deepest sympathies, Princess Twilight. I commend your students for once again acting in defense of this school.” He indicated the six non-pony students, who accepted the praise with gratitude. Neighsay continued, “I bring urgent news from Canterlot for the princesses.”

“Let’s give them the room,” Starlight said. She ushered the others out of the office and closed the door behind her. Only Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and Neighsay remained.

“What news?” Twilight asked.

The chancellor looked grim. “Perhaps it’s best you see for yourself.”

He tapped his medallion, and it projected an image of the throne room of Canterlot Castle. Dozens of diplomats crowded inside, arguing intensely.

“Canterlot was built by unicorns and belongs to unicorns!”

“Earth ponies hoard all the food!”

“Pegasi are airheads!”

“I’m never talking to her again!”

“With friends like you, who needs enemies?!”

Twilight gasped, and Celestia put a hoof to her mouth in shock. Even the normally stoic Luna looked troubled.

Neighsay touched the medallion again, and the portal faded. “Across our land, there are reports of pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies fighting amongst each other, as they once did thousands of moons ago. Friendships ended, alliances crumbling, and old feuds restarting. My own duties as overseer of the Equestrian Education Association have become far more difficult as ponykind ceases to cooperate with each other. As you can see, things have reached a boiling point.”

“But I don’t understand!” Twilight exclaimed. “We were just in Canterlot! When did everypony start fighting?!”

“This transfer of power has kept us so occupied that we have neglected our royal duties! Now Equestria is under siege!” Luna said, scowling at her sister. “I told you this retirement was premature!”

“Premature?” Twilight repeated in shock.

Celestia glowered. “Now is not the time for this, Luna.”

“Oh, you’re right, I suppose there’s never a good time for you to listen to me,” Luna grumbled.

Celestia ignored the quip and turned to Neighsay. “My sister and I will return to Canterlot to deal with this crisis.”

“Ah,” Neighsay said hesitantly, “we had all hoped Princess Twilight would come, seeing as she is about to take the throne. Ponies asked for the Princess of Friendship specifically. But I suppose she has one of her friendship trips to attend to?”

Twilight threw a hoof out. “Wait! Maybe I can—”

Celestia locked eyes with Twilight. “There is no doubt that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are somehow responsible for this disharmony in Equestria. Twilight, you must find your friends and stop this scheme at its source.”

She teleported, taking Neighsay along with her. Luna’s horn charged up to teleport as well.

Twilight called out, “Luna, wait!”

The spell dissipated on Luna’s horn. She sighed and spoke softly, “Twilight, I apologize if my disagreement with Celestia gave the wrong impression. I stand by what I told you before. You and your friends have faced innumerable trials and have grown into true leaders. I would not be here if it were not for you…”

Twilight hesitated. “But you sounded upset about retiring. Are you and Celestia arguing about something?”

Luna paused, looking away as she considered how to explain herself. “You know that my sister has ruled Equestria for a thousand years in my absence. Celestia has been eager to retire for a long time, and for a while, I got swept up in the idea as well. But I always believed that we placed this burden on you too hastily, without considering the consequences.”

“Consequences? What do you mean?” Twilight pressed.

“At every turn, you’ve proven yourself strongest when amongst your friends, not apart from them.” Luna said. “But being a ruler is different from heroism, Twilight Sparkle. There are difficult choices… like choosing between saving ponies you care about and the needs of your subjects.”

“You’re saying that I should go with you instead of saving my friends?” Twilight asked in shock.

The older princess shook her head. “Today, Celestia and I shall hold Equestria together. But when that responsibility falls to you, will you be ready?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Twilight admitted.

Luna nodded, lighting her horn. “Fear not, Twilight. Your heart has always been true. When the time comes, you will know where your duty lies.”

The princess of the night vanished in a burst of dark blue magic.

Twilight was left alone with her thoughts. She levitated the picture on Starlight’s desk of her and her friends in front of the school, studying it sadly before setting it down.

“I can’t let my friends down,” she resolved. “Equestria just has to wait.”

Across Equestria, ponies bickered and fought as wanted posters of the three returned villains went up in all the major cities. Ponies fortified their houses with boards over windows and doors. Pegasi migrated in large groups towards Cloudsdale. Unicorns cast shields around their schools and libraries, sheltering inside. Earth ponies built barricades around Appleoosa, preparing for an attack.

Far from civilization, in the freezing wastes of the north, a raging blizzard roared across the landscape. Amongst the wind, the faintest ethereal whinnies and howls rang out.

Author's Note

And that's a wrap on The Ending of the End Part 1! After each episode I plan to add some of my favorite ending credits music from the show.

The other three episodes are fully written and one chapter will be published weekly.

The Ending of the End Part 2 (Chapter 5)

[Previously on My Little Pony]

Grogar: “...together we will destroy our enemies!”

The terrible Grogar commands his legion of doom to finally make their move on Equestria.

Spike: “You’re not still freakin’ out about the princesses retiring and passing on all their responsibilities to you and your friends, are you?”

Meanwhile in Canterlot, Equestria prepares for Twilight’s coronation and the passing of the torch.

Celestia: “This was always your destiny, Twilight.”

Luna: “But is that what you want?”

Yet all is not well. A rift grows between the royal sisters as Celestia pushes Twilight closer to her destiny of ruling Equestria while Luna questions if ruling Equestria is what Twilight truly wants.

Starlight: “Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are attacking the school!”

The villainous trio launch a daring raid on the School of Friendship and kidnap Twilight’s friends, sending her into a spiral of self doubt!

Twilight: “They have my friends! … We need to organize a search.”

The remaining heroes rally together to search all of Equestria for the villains and Twilight’s missing friends.

Neighsay: “Across our land... pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies fight amongst each other.”

But another problem presents itself: friendship fracturing throughout Equestria thanks to the villains’ machinations.

Luna: “Being a ruler is choosing between saving ponies you care about and the needs of your subjects.”

Twilight confronts the realities of looking after an entire kingdom, forced to choose between her duty to Equestria or to her friends. Her choice is clear.

Twilight: “I can’t let my friends down.”

As a divided Equestria holds its breath for the final battle against evil, far in the north another enemy rises from the icy winds.

My Little Pony
My Little Pony
Ah, ah, ah, ah...
My Little Pony...
I used to wonder what friendship could be
My Little Pony...
Until you all shared its magic with me
Big adventure, tons of fun!
A beautiful heart, faithful and strong!
Sharing kindness - it's an easy feat!
And magic makes it all complete!
You have My Little Ponies...
Do you know you're all my very best friends?

The inner sanctum of Grogar’s cave echoed with intermingling shouts of indignation.

“Unhoof me you ruffian!” Rarity growled, squirming in the grip of Chrysalis’ telekinesis. The changeling merely grinned, shoving her captive into a large metal cage with the other ponies.

Tirek slammed the cage door shut and leaned down to look at Pinkie Pie at eye level, the party pony glaring back at him. “Oh, how the tables have turned! No stupid jokes? No annoying songs to sing?”

“Everypony loves my not-your-birthday song!” Pinkie protested. “But I can sing you something else. Ooh, how about this one! Let the rainbowwww remind you – ”

Chrysalis held Pinkie’s mouth shut with her magic. “At last! The pitiful heroes of Equestria imprisoned before us. Oh, how I’ve dreamt of this moment!”

“Well keep dreamin’!” Applejack retorted. “Truth is, I’d be quakin’ in my boots if I were y’all. Every last one of our friends is probably out there lookin’ for us.”

“Yeah! The princesses are totally gonna kick your flanks!” Rainbow Dash yelled, simulating a roundhouse kick in the cage.

Cozy Glow flitted beside Rainbow, feigning a panicked expression. “Oh golly, you’re right professor Dash!” She looked at Chrysalis with phony dismay. “We never thought of that!”

“This place is hidden by powerful magic. And besides, your friends might not be for much longer…” Chrysalis taunted, a sinister smile creeping over her face.

“While you were teaching friendship at school, we’ve been using those lessons to tear it apart!” Cozy said gleefully.

She tossed the Journal of Friendship into the cage and the ponies looked at it in disbelief.

“A whisper here, a rumor there…” Chrysalis mocked.

Tirek grinned. “Destroy some crops, cause some damage.”

“Turn pony against pony,” Cozy sang, circling the cage.

“Until only fear remains!” Chrysalis snarled. “Fear that will ensure our rule over all of Equestria for generations!”

The three villains laughed in unison.

“You see, you ponies aren’t the only ones who can gain new allies,” Tirek said smugly, gesturing to his colleagues. “We decided to take down your pathetic kingdom together.”

“And share the spoils!” Chrysalis added greedily.

“We found a better way to be bad!” Cozy summarized.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Ugh, please.”

“So y’all are friends now or somethin’?” Applejack asked sarcastically.

The villains looked at her incredulously, then at each other.

“Absolutely not!” “No way!” “Uh uh!” Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy fired back at the same time.

An awkward moment of silence passed.

“Leave them,” Tirek growled, looking at his comrades. “We have plans to make.”

The three villains left the ponies behind and walked into the cave’s antechamber. In the next room, they could see their fearsome leader, Grogar, looking deeply into his scrying orb. Fortunately, the orb didn’t show the trio and instead envisioned a black, nebulous shape.

“It’s safe; he isn’t watching us,” Cozy whispered.

“For now,” Chrysalis seethed. “That treacherous goat was manipulating us from the start!”

Tirek raised an eyebrow, “You were the one who wanted to betray him.”

“And he did promise to let us rule…” Cozy Glow added, placing a hoof on her chin. She glanced over to the side of the room where the three powerful artifacts she stole lay dormant.

“I am a queen! I don’t need permission to rule my kingdom!” Chrysalis barked, only just managing to keep her voice low. “Once I deal with Twilight Sparkle and Grogar, all of Equestria will fall before me!”

“You mean US!” Tirek corrected, scowling in the changeling’s face. “If you want to follow King Sombra to the darkness, be my guest.”

Cozy got between the two and put her hooves out. “Look, I don’t trust Grogar either… but he has the Bell.”

“Perhaps. But he needs us, for now,” Tirek reasoned.

“And once the ponies of Equestria are under our hooves, it’s only a matter of time till Grogar gets what’s coming to him!” Chrysalis conspired.

The three villains shared a nasty laugh.

In the halls of Canterlot Castle, Celestia and Luna found themselves surrounded by nearly a dozen ponies each, yelling out at them and each other.

“The fair citizens of Cloudsdale will not stand for your frivolous accusations!”

“Oh, please! You’re telling me those storm clouds just happened to ruin our crops?!”

“The McColts destroyed our fountain!”

“No, them Hooffields did it!”

“We unicorns can do more with our magic than move furniture!”

Celestia took to the air, raising her hooves in a calming gesture. “Everypony, please! Let’s settle down and work through these concerns together. Blaming one another only divides us and makes Equestria more vulnerable!”

“Equestria’s already in danger! Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow could attack again any day! Appleoosa will not be unprepared…” an earth pony delegate said.

“Pfft, you think a couple barricades are gonna stop them?!” a unicorn jeered. “Our shields are – ”

“CITIZENS, HEAR ME!” Luna’s royal Canterlot voice shook the room. “CEASE YOUR BICKERING AND UNITE!”

The stunned crowd looked at Luna and for a moment all was quiet. Then the arguing started again in full force, mixing into an unintelligible mishmash of angry voices.

“Luna!” Celestia scolded. “This is hardly the time for the royal Canterlot voice!”

“At least that way somepony will actually listen to me instead of brushing me off!” Luna countered.

“I DO listen!” Celestia insisted, stomping her hoof. “I’ve listened and listened and listened all day for a thousand years and I can’t get a break!”

“Maybe if you – ”

A blinding white flash interrupted Luna. Discord floated above everypony, munching a large bag of popcorn. The snack showered on top of the rather annoyed dignitaries, some of whom stopped arguing and looked up at him.

“Oh my! I haven’t seen this much chaos in eons!” Discord said cheerfully. He snapped his talons, and the popcorn disappeared. “I can’t believe nopony thought to invite me!”

“Discord!” Celestia said, making her annoyance plain. “This isn’t the best time.”

Discord looked down, seeming to only just become aware of all the other ponies in the room.

“Oh, of course, my mistake, my mistake,” Discord chuckled. He leaned down to the assembled petitioners, eyes glowing dangerously. “SCRAM!”

The shocked dignitaries turned and bolted out of the throne room without looking back.

“Discord!” Luna yelled angrily.

“Relax! I’m doing you a favor, honestly!” Discord said, lazily floating through the air. “Don’t you know by now that Twilight and her friends always handle this sort of thing?” He snapped his claws and the stained-glass window of the Elements of Harmony defeating Discord changed to Twilight and her friends in a group hug with the draconequus. He looked around, seemingly confused. “Where is our ruler-to-be anyway?”

Celestia breathed out, regaining her composure. “Twilight’s friends have been taken captive by Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow. She is leading the search for them.”

In an instant, Discord lost his relaxed demeanor. He zipped out of the air and landed in front of the two alicorns with a worried look. “Taken? Taken where?! Oh dear, that wasn’t supposed to…” Discord trailed off, biting his talons nervously.

“We don’t know where. Perhaps you could find Twilight and… wait, what do you mean ‘supposed to’?” Luna asked, looking at Discord with suspicion.

Instead of answering, Discord snapped his talons and vanished.

The Ending of the End Part 2 (Chapter 6)

Grogar surveyed the assembled group of villains opposite himself at the scrying table with a shrewd, calculating look.

“Our efforts have succeeded,” Grogar declared. “Equestria’s forces are spread thin across the land, foolishly attempting to seek us out.”

The scrying orb showed various groups: the royal guard, changelings, griffons, yaks, dragons and other creatures searching across Equestria. Shining Armor and Sunburst led a patrol of guards across the snowy plains of the north. Finally, the orb settled on Twilight Sparkle and Spike speaking with Flash Magnus, Stygian and Mistmane.

Then, with a wave of Grogar’s hoof, the orb grew dark again. “They will find nothing. Their fear betrays them.”

The ancient, cracked bell on his collar shone with lurid yellow light. As it brightened, so did the carved symbols on the studs of his collar.

“Our efforts?!” Chrysalis huffed irately. “We’ve been doing all the work while you… ”

The changeling cut herself off as Grogar, looking unperturbed, casually lit his horns. “You were saying?”

Beads of sweat ran down Chrysalis’ forehead as she continued in a more deferential tone. “I… I only mean that we might be more successful if you help us.” She spat the word ‘help’ like the foulest curse imaginable. “Starlight Glimmer was at my mercy! I could have destroyed her right there!”

“And why did we not trap Twilight Sparkle as well?” Tirek added. “As long as she’s out there, she’s dangerous!”

Grogar chuckled malevolently. “Patience. Soon, you’ll have the chance to break your enemies. And those ponies will suffer.”

“Um, Grogar?” Cozy Glow interjected, causing everyone to look at her. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re all super thrilled about crushing our enemies, but uh… what about you? It kinda sounds like you’ve got a grudge too.”

Grogar frowned and glared at the filly. His bell clanged and streams of magic rose out of the studs of his collar, coalescing into a vision.

“Eons ago, in the darkest era of Equestria, I reigned over this land with an army of unspeakable creatures, created from the shadows that ponies came to fear.”

Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy saw dark, shadowy figures shrieking and howling as enormous footsteps shook the land beneath them. A few in the background had vaguely recognizable features. One had several heads darting out of a giant reptilian body. Three fish-pony hybrids sang hypnotically as they flew overhead. A titanic bear lumbered past a few broken huts. Others in the foreground were completely alien. A winged creature with jagged teeth swooped over fleeing pegasi. A horned, tentacled being grabbed a unicorn. Earth ponies struggled to outrun a giant wolf-like creature.

“My powers drained the very will of my enemies!”

The vision shifted to show a towering, dark city, radiating waves of magic as ponies cowered or bent their heads in surrender. Screams were audible in the background.

“Those who resisted control chose rebellion… but they could not defeat me.”

The image shifted to show a large group of armored unicorns assembled on a hill, with the Father of Monsters hovering above them. A pillar of light shone down from the sky, trapping Grogar. The sorcerer unleashed a burst of magic, breaking his bonds and knocking back the army of ponies.

“Until the cowardly Gusty the Great cast a powerful spell, banishing my stronghold and its minions to another realm - locked by a powerful magic seal that I cannot break!”

Gusty fed her power into a glowing white crystal, which shot a blast of magic into the sky. The trio gasped as the dark citadel and most of the shadow creatures were sucked into a swirling black portal, though a few ran away and faded into the obscure edges. Now freed from the city’s malevolent control, pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies converged on Grogar from all directions. The last thing the vision showed as it faded was Gusty making off with Grogar’s Bell as he wailed in outrage.

Chrysalis grunted smugly. “I told you those ponies cheat.”

Tirek rolled his eyes and Cozy Glow stifled a laugh.

“Silence!” Grogar snarled, making the others flinch. “My designs have only just begun. I will destroy that accursed unicorn’s legacy, and together we will make Equestria tremble once again!”

In the throne room of Twilight’s castle, the Pillars of Equestria, Twilight, and Spike gathered around a series of scrolls held in Stygian’s levitation. The room seemed bare without the holographic glow of the cutie map.

“From Sunburst’s notes, it appears that Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow escaped with a powerful spell. One that is indeed not their own,” Stygian explained.

“And once we find this… league of villainy,” Flash Magnus continued. “We will surely rescue Twilight’s friends as well!”

“And return hope to our fractured land,” Somnambula said, hovering above the group.

“I made a list of places we can check,” Twilight said, looking to Starswirl. “But I was hoping you’d know something about the magic they used.”

The wizard stroked his beard. “Hmm, since our struggle against the tyrant King Sombra, I have felt the return of ancient, dark magic to Equestria, power older even than I. The residual aura Sunburst describes is the same. It is as though this power has directed our enemies against us…”

“So, you’re saying there’s something worse than our worst villains out there?” Spike asked nervously.

“And somethin’ hiding them too,” Mage Meadowbrook added. “Since Princess Twilight wrote to us, Mistmane and I have been trying every location and scrying spell we can think of, but nothing’s worked!”

“Fear not, friends!” Rockhoof said, thumping a hoof down that shook the entire ruin. “We shall search the old-fashioned way.”

Stygian levitated Twilight’s list in front of him. “The Hollow Shades is a good place to start. It has many connections to ancient evils of the past. The Pony of Shadows drew power there centuries ago.”

“Then let us make our preparations and be off! We have not a moment to lose!” Starswirl declared.

The Pillars walked off to ready themselves for the journey ahead. Rockhoof began sharpening his shovel, while Flash Magnus and Somnambula ran some sort of defensive drill as they dodged and weaved in the clouds. Mistmane sipped a potion that Mage Meadowbrook gave her, strengthening her magic. Starswirl and Stygian stood off to the side, taking additional notes on Sunburst’s scrolls.

Twilight sat down on one of the rocks dejectedly, placing her head in her hooves.

“It’ll be okay Twilight…” Spike assured, flying over to her. “Stuff like this has happened before and we always pull through.”

“That’s just it, Spike, whenever we’ve had to face some massive crisis, I’ve always done it with my friends,” Twilight replied. “And when they needed me most, I wasn’t there for them because I’m supposed to take over for Celestia and Luna.”

“But you’re doing everything you can to find them! That’s what a good friend would do,” Spike countered.

“And while I’m here, Equestria is falling apart! Everypony is so blinded by fear they can’t remember what friendship is. If I’m abandoning them now, what kind of princess does that make me?” Twilight exhaled sorrowfully. “Everything was going so well! We defeated Sombra, I finally learned to stop panicking and now this happens!”

Spike placed a claw on Twilight’s shoulder. “I know things look bad, but after we find our friends we–”

“Look around, Spike,” Twilight asserted, standing up off the rock. “Even if they were here, it’s like nothing we do matters! Our worst villains are back, more powerful than ever. The School of Friendship isn’t safe. The Elements are gone. We tried to spread friendship, just for everypony to forget about it when things are at their worst!” Twilight looked away sadly. “None of our efforts made any difference…”

Flash!

A burst of white magic spat Discord out, making Twilight and Spike jump back.

Discord appeared frantic, sweating literal buckets onto the stone beneath him. “PLEASE tell me you found Fluttershy!”

“Discord?” Twilight asked hoarsely, regaining her bearings. “No, we – ”

“Oh, of course you didn’t! Look at this!” Discord snapped his talons. Nothing happened. He snapped a second time. Again, nothing.

“Look at what?” Spike asked.

“This spell should take all of us right to Fluttershy! Or bring her here… or tell me where she is…” He kept snapping over and over to no effect before slumping over in defeat.

The Pillars noticed Discord and walked over, all of them but Starswirl reacting with surprise to the draconequus.

“But you’ll help us now? No fake outs?” Twilight asked hopefully, regaining some optimism. “That’s great!”

Discord laughed nervously. “Yup. That’s me! Always ready to help!”

Spike raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a deadpan expression. “Yeah… not buying it.”

Discord sighed. “Alright, fine. I have a confession to make. Now, don’t get upset, everypony… but I might’ve, with the noblest and most honorable of intentions, accidentally let all this happen.”

Spike gawked. “You mean you knew Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy were going to attack the school and kidnap our friends? And you didn’t tell anypony?!”

“Not exactly!” Discord said, raising his arms defensively. “I knew those three were on the loose and planning somethingbig. All the mayhem at the Summer Sun Celebration a few weeks ago? That may have been Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow trying to steal an ancient spell book…”

“Ah! So you merely allowed sworn enemies of Equestria to steal a tome of powerful magic!” Starswirl growled, glaring at Discord.

The draconequus looked at Twilight pleadingly.

“I didn’t want to interfere! Look what a great job you did defeating Sombra!” Discord snapped his fingers, materializing six crude representations of Twilight and her friends made from different colored rocks and a large black pebble with a frowny face on it for Sombra.

“Friendship is magic!” the six stone figures cried out in squeaky voices. A miniature beam of rainbow light shot out from between them.

“NOOOO!” pebble-Sombra screamed, crumbling into dust as the light hit it.

“Remember all the confidence you gained?” Discord offered, gesturing to the stone six whooping and hoofbumping in triumph before crumbling away. “I thought that once Twilight beat three baddies, she would have to believe that she’s ready to lead Equestria!”

“That was your plan?!” Somnambula demanded, pointing at the smoking remains of pebble-Sombra. “To place your own friends in danger?”

“I was hoping for a big climactic showdown! Winner take all! Except, of course, you’d have an extremely good-looking safety net…” Discord motioned to himself. He looked around desperately. “How was I supposed to know the villains wouldn’t play fair?”

The Pillars looked at each other with disbelief.

Spike flew up to Discord’s face, burning with anger. “Our lives aren’t just some big game you can mess around with Discord!”

“Now the entire realm is threatened due to your folly!” Starswirl shouted, pointing at the chaos spirit accusingly.

Discord cringed back and his smile wavered. “But lucky for us, I’m here now! I can help you fix everything!” Magic zipped and crackled around Discord’s paw as he put it in snapping position.

Twilight stared at Discord with a distant expression. “You've been setting up challenges for us the whole time, haven't you? None of our successes were actually real.”

“Of course they were!” Discord reassured. “You did everything on your own, I just helped you along a little.”

“Discord…” Twilight said, looking up at him, “go home.”

“W- What?” Discord murmured hoarsely, the magic fading from his paw. He looked at Twilight in shock.

“Go. Home.” Twilight repeated, her tone cold. “I don’t want your help. Not anymore.”

While the other pillars looked on with concern, Spike and Starswirl fixed their gaze on Discord.

“Like you said, we’ll handle this on our own,” Spike said, not meeting Discord’s eyes.

“Oh… okay,” Discord croaked, looking away in shame. “I… I’ll just go then.”

Discord hung his head and poked the air with his talon. The empty space tore apart and a yawning dimensional portal opened to chaos. Discord slid inside without a word and the void closed itself, leaving the ponies and dragon in silence.

“A wise decision, Twilight,” Starswirl huffed crossly. “He was a liability.”

“Did we do the right thing?” Spike asked, turning to Twilight. “I mean, he is our friend…”

“We cannot compromise the realm’s safety because of one so-called friend!” Starswirl asserted, joining the other Pillars as they went off to continue their preparations.

“I hope you’re right, Starswirl,” Twilight said, her expression conflicted. “Because I might’ve just lost one more friend today.”

The Ending of the End Part 2 (Chapter 7)

The Crystal Empire was in complete disarray. Crystal ponies shouted and threw things at each other. Carts were overturned and crystalline structures lay shattered. Heavy snow poured down as ice crept over the ground. The Crystal Heart seemed to flash, its light flickering as it spun slower and slower.

Sunburst galloped into the throne room of the Crystal Castle. Flurry Heart floated near the entrance, playing with some toys. Cadence leaned on the throne, straining to keep her horn alight as it dimmed and brightened.

“Princess, what’s going on?! It’s total chaos out there!” Sunburst exclaimed.

“D-Did you find Twilight’s friends?” Cadence asked, still concentrating on her magic.

Sunburst sighed. “No. The weather turned before we could go too far. But it’s lucky we came back! Shining Armor and the guards are getting overwhelmed. Why is everypony arguing and panicking?”

“I don’t know,” Cadence said tiredly. “My subjects… they’re all turning on each other.” Her breaths grew more labored. “I’m trying to keep the Crystal Heart from giving out, but without light and love it’s going to stop working.”

Sunburst started pacing. “Twilight said things were bad in Equestria, but there’s no way the Crystal Empire would be affected so quickly! Somepony has to be causing this!”

Below the castle, two ponies screamed and bolted away as a visage of King Sombra loomed over them. The moment they were gone, Sombra faded away and a tiny, grinning pegasus appeared in his place. Cozy Glow pushed back the hood of Clover the Clever’s cloak, gripping the Talisman of Mirage in her left hoof.

“Golly, I’ve always wanted to visit the Crystal Empire!” Cozy Glow said brightly. Her smile sank into an evil smirk. “Too bad it’s not going to last very long.”

She flew over to the darkening Crystal Heart with a wicked gleam in her eye. Around her neck, the Amulet of Aurora started to glow and a web of cracks spread over the Heart. With a crash, the relic shattered into thousands of pieces.

Cozy Glow shrugged and dusted off her hooves nonchalantly, flying away.

Echoing ethereal howls rejoiced in the sky. The clouds parted and transparent equine creatures with eerie glowing eyes circled overhead.

Night had set in over Canterlot. Standing atop the royal balcony, Luna watched the last few lights go out in the city as she raised the moon overhead.

“It seems so peaceful when everypony is asleep,” Luna murmured. “Perhaps in the dream world I will have better luck soothing their fears.”

She started the spell to slip into the world of dreams, when out of the corner of her eye she noticed a pony’s shadow in the doorway behind her. Luna turned, but saw nothing. Furrowing her brow, she opened the door back into the hallway and looked around. Behind her, just out of sight, was a distinct shadow on the wall with two large horns and slitted eyes. It existed for just a moment before disappearing.

At the far end of the hall, a door creaked.

Luna opened the door with her telekinesis. “Who’s there?”

The dim candlelight lining the hall revealed Celestia standing with her back to Luna, looking out a window at the city below.

“Sister?” Luna asked, puzzled. “I thought you would be asleep by now.”

Celestia turned to face Luna, a cold expression on her face. “Sleep? It’s rather hard to sleep after that fiasco today.”

“We will make everypony see reason,” Luna assured. “We would have today if Discord – ”

“Discord?” Celestia whirled around to face Luna. “I was talking about you.”

Luna recoiled. “Me?!”

“Don’t you think I know what I’m doing? You always speak up when you shouldn’t. You always get in the way!” Celestia barked, a sudden anger striking her tone. “Twilight is my student, not yours!”

“Oh, is that how you feel? I thought you wanted my advice!” Luna shouted, stomping her hoof. “Twilight is her own pony. You dumped Equestria onto her without thinking about the consequences! Look where that has led us!”

“So, this is all my fault?!” Celestia growled.

“No. I am to blame as well,” Luna replied evenly. “I wanted to support your decision. I was eager to spend time with you, to live life instead of dreaming about it. But that’s no excuse. We separated Twilight from her friends when they are strongest together. Our enemies have used that against us!”

“Oh, you don’t need to lie, Luna,” Celestia said venomously, pacing around Luna like a predator. “You resent that your rule was cut short! Or maybe, you just wanted to rule Equestria by yourself after I was gone?”

“That’s not true!” Luna yelled, backing away.

Celestia’s face twisted itself into an icy smile. "So insecure… you always have been! ‘Nopony listens to me!’ ‘Celestia doesn’t take me seriously!’ It’s pathetic!”

Luna flared her wings, her features painted over with hurt and anger. “Mock me at your peril. Do not forget that the night is my domain.”

“Oh, I haven’t.” Celestia’s eyes took on a sinister gleam and the shadows shifted around the room. “The darkness has always been within you, princess. You only needed a tiny push to embrace it!”

The horned shadow grew behind Luna, looming over her.

In the darkness, Luna screamed.

“Princess Celestia? Princess Celestia, wake up!”

Celestia’s eyes shot open, and she saw Starlight Glimmer shaking her vigorously.

“Starlight Glimmer?” Celestia asked, rubbing her eyes as she rose from her bed. “I thought you were in Ponyville – ”

“There’s no time!” Starlight urged. “I think something’s wrong with Princess Luna!”

Celestia was instantly awake. She looked at Starlight in concern. “Wrong? What do you mean?”

Starlight pointed at the window. Celestia got up and looked outside to see a blood-red moon, gleaming at twice its normal size.

“Come on!” Celestia raced out the door with Starlight following closely behind.

Upon reaching the throne room, Celestia froze. She heard a familiar cold laugh reverberate around the hall. Nightmare Moon stared back at her with contempt, her slit-like pupils shrinking.

“I HAVE RETURNED!”

Celestia stepped back, her face lacking comprehension. “This can’t be! This… this is a trick! An illusion!”

Starlight glanced up at Celestia worriedly.

“Fool! You have underestimated me for the last time!” Nightmare Moon bellowed. The dark alicorn unleashed an enormous ray of dark blue energy.

Instinctively, Celestia raised a shield and deflected the attack upward. The beam decimated the ceiling, sending rubble raining down on her and Starlight. With the open sky above them, the moon was as immense as ever, like a great red eye watching the battle.

Celestia managed to envelope Starlight in her shield, and the debris bounced off it harmlessly. Nightmare Moon seemed completely unaffected, already preparing another attack. The next beam was a sustained blast, colliding against Celestia’s shield with cataclysmic force.

“Luna! I do not understand!” Celestia pleaded desperately, trying to push back the dark magic as it grinded against her barrier. “Why are you doing this?!”

Nightmare Moon cackled. “Your weakness has doomed you and Equestria! Now the Night shall last… FOREVER!” The corrupted princess started walking toward Celestia, focusing more energy into her attack.

Celestia turned to Starlight. “She’s right… without the Elements of Harmony, I’m not strong enough to stop her!”

Starlight thought for a moment, then seemed to have an idea. “Yes, you are! You’re just as strong as Nightmare Moon. Stronger actually…”

“But the Nightmare Moon I faced in your dreams was just a figment of your imagination! Unless you’re saying… no… I’ll never become her!” Celestia groaned, exerting herself to hold back Nightmare Moon’s blast.

“Why not?” Starlight said lightly, her voice taking a strange tone. “Aren’t you tired of always pleasing everypony else? Endless listening, patience and understanding? You’ve been doing it for a thousand years and Luna doesn’t care.”

Starlight pointed at Nightmare Moon, who was steadily advancing toward them with hatred in her eyes.

“I… I will not change who I am,” Celestia said, beads of sweat pouring down her face. Nightmare Moon was just a few steps away. Outside the shield, dark blue magic roared.

“Oh, you don’t have to!” Starlight smiled, showing sharp fangs.

Starlight swished her horn, breaking Celestia’s shield with a slice of sickly green power.

Nightmare Moon’s dark magic washed over Celestia. For a moment, it seemed like she would be destroyed on the spot. Then, bright orange flames leapt out of the maelstrom and an inferno pushed it back.

“Finally, FREE!”

Daybreaker cackled maniacally, sporting orange armor and surveying the ruined castle with molten eyes. Nightmare Moon dodged the fiery blast and flew at her corrupted sister, ramming her into the air. The two tyrants began a fearsome duel, and an enlarged, cruel sun joined the moon above them.

Starlight Glimmer’s form flickered, and green magic flashed over it. Chrysalis watched the two alicorns fight, chuckling in amusement. Behind her, a dark, two-horned shadow narrowed its eyes and vanished.

“All according to plan…” Chrysalis mused, laughing deviously.