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Chapter 6 - Change of Fate

Equestria was held only by the thinnest of threads. Unicorns had been dying out, leaving the task to ferment the land's crops with magic even more draining. Unicorns from all over the nation had suffered from exhaustion, insomnia, and insanity. All ultimately leading up to their death.

Because the task of keeping the crops supported had become so unbearable, many of the fermented soils of equestria had died out. Only a select few crops could be harvested. Ponies around Equestria had been put under law to ration what had been given to them. The poorer areas had little to nothing to live on.

This nation wide concern of hunger had affected the pegasi greatly. Without the energy and nutrients given by the earth ponies' crops, the pegasi had little power to control the smoke covering their land. Some little villages and towns had suffered from suffocation, with the death toll increasing every day.

Things seemed very bleak for Equestria during this time, but there was still hope to save those who where lost. Although these situations seemed cataclysmic, there was still time to change everything back to how it used to be. It was about this time that I was finally visited by a certain pink mare......

The sky was the same way it had been for months. Dark, with suffocating smoke glooming in the air. It was near impossible to keep morality in these dark times. Ponies would do whatever they could to get food. They would take, they would steal, they would kill.

Unicorns would see keeping the land healthy as a burden rather than a solution, so many of them stopped spending their magic. Pegasi saw clearing the clouds as an impossible chore, causing many of them to quit and fly as far away as they could in hopes to find a suitable land. Earth ponies struggled to keep their crops growing, since the abundance of smoke and lack of magic caused most of their plants to die out.

It was dark times in the once great land, affecting even the most kind-hearted of ponies. One such pony being one of the most light-hearted ponies in Equestria. Pinkie Pie was enjoying her time with one of her last friends, Rarity. Unlike the other unicorns who had abandoned the quest of keeping the land healthy, Rarity refused to give away to these selfish thoughts.

She spent every waking moment she could feeding her magic to the earth, giving all she could give. This had left her very weak, causing her to have trouble keeping her eyes open. She fought exhaustion as much as she could. Rarity knew that her time was near. She had been using her magic gathered from her life aura for weeks. She was at her end.

sip< Came from Pinkie, enjoying a freshly brewed cup of tea. She had been spending time talking with Rarity during her final hours. She also knew that her friend was halfway into her grave, and wanted to be with her when she passed. The same recurring sense had been tingling at her the entire time; heartache.

Pinkie set the intricately designed tea cup down. "Spike seems to be doing well." She said sadly. Rarity lifted up her head with intrigue. "He's still depressed about Twilight and Fluttershy, but he doesn't sulk around anymore. I think all the sadness he had just kind of left him. Like he was just too sad to be sad anymore."

Rarity gave a small cough. "You know, dear, Rainbow Dash has been down spirited as well. Although she won't admit it up front, you could tell by her actions." She said as she blearily looked out the smoggy window. "She has spent every minute she has up in that smoke. Some pony who puts that much effort into something is obviously trying to forget."

She placed a hoof on the window pane and gave a heavy hearted sigh. "Those two went to flight camp together when they were young. Fluttershy would be teased for being a frail flyer, and Rainbow Dash would be there to protect her. They were as close as friends could be."

She took a sip of tea as she stared out into the distance. The white mare set the cup of tea down with a horrible cough. "I'm not too sure how long I'll stay awake darling. I know that if I succumb to slumber I won't wake again." Pinkie looked at her friend with detriment.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked. Rarity gave a small chuckle, her gaze not leaving the window.

"There's not much you can do sweetie. My magic has run out; it the end for me I'm afraid." She said cherubically. Her hoof was lying on one of her last designs. "Just, stay for a bit longer is all I'm asking. It shan't be long now." Pinkie gave a slow nod, tears forming in her eyes.

The two friends sat there quietly until Rarity slumped back into her chair. Her eyes slowly closed but her smile did not fade. Pinkie sat in silence, broken only by the tiny drip from her tears falling into her tea. Her heart was reeling in pain. She sat there for a few minutes, staring into her reflection given of by the watery surface.

She slowly stood up. She walked over to her friend and carefully placed the unicorn onto her back. Pinkie brought her to a small red couch. She carefully placed Rarity on it, crossing her hooves over her chest. She gave the white mare a quick hug, whispered "goodbye" into her unhearing ear, then turned to leave.

Pinkie left the Carousel Boutique with a heavy heart. She walked out into the cold, unforgiving night. Her straight hair blowed in the wind. Ever since she witnessed Fluttershy's death in the bog, her hair had refused to curl up back into her usual style.

She walked down the streets of Ponyville. Most of the homes were empty due to the families either moving out, or moving on. Pinkie did not like how bad things had become, but she still felt a shred of hope lie somewhere inside of her. Somewhere, she knew there was something she could do to help. It was about then she saw me.

I was walking down the streets of the village looking for her. I knew that I was banished from the fair town, but I didn't see anypony try to stop me. I expected Pinkie to be scared, since the last time we met really didn't have the effect I wanted. But instead, she walked up to me with a saddened smile on her face.

She gave me a quick nod. I gave her a surprised smile and merely stated, "Follow me."

We were at Zecora's hut in the Everfree forest. It was time to tell Pinkie everything.

"This world you see before you is fabricated. It is a product of a curse that I put on you." I said to her hesitantly. "Only now I see my mistake. My envy of others got the better of me. It is my fault that this land is falling apart."

She stood at the other side of the hut, facing away from me. I could tell she was crying. "I know that you won't forgive me for this, but we can still save everypony. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack......" I paused for a brief moment. "...Twilight."

Pinkie slowly turned her head towards me. She gave me a look of pure animosity. Angry tears flowed from her eyes. "It's all your fault." She growled at me. "Because of you, I've seen my friends die." Her stare could melt the ice of Windigos. I nodded in understanding.

"I know that I put you through all of this. I'm sorry, I truly am." Her stare of hate turned into that of disgust.

"Apologies won't bring back my friends!" She yelled at me. Her disposition had started to annoy me.

"I know that! I know what I've done!" I yelled out at her. "I don't need you to accept my apology! I just need you to listen!" I calmed my voice as she sat down reluctantly. "Almost a year ago, you moved away from your families farm. You had a choice; turn right to Fillydelphia, or turn left to Ponyville."

Pinkie sat there listening intently. "In your true reality, you turned left. You met Twilight and the others. Together, you defeated Nightmare Moon and brought back the day. Together, you confronted the dragon and made him leave. You six were the protectors of Equestria. You went on magnificent adventures and helped save the lives of thousands of ponies."

I gave a tired sigh. "But then you met me. I saw how happy you were. I couldn't stand seeing anypony that joyful. So I cast a curse upon you. I reversed time and forced you to turn right, creating this horrible reality."

I slowly walked towards her. "Yes, I caused you great pain, but now I'm trying to relieve it. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, I'm asking for your help. Only you can bring Equestria back to its former glory." I held out my hoof, waiting for her agreement. "Don't do it for me. Do it for your friends."

She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. She brought her hoof up to mine. She stared into my eyes with a newfound hope. "Tell me what I need to do."

It was a clear night in Canterlot. Having the royal guards clear the smoke seemed effective for this grand city. Guards were stationed all around the palace, making this task much harder. We had to move fast, I doubt the princess of the night would be tolerant to intruders.

"So why are we here in Canterlot?" Pinkie asked me. I have her a quick smile.

"Nightmare Moon wasn't the only being you defeated. There is another who is much stronger. He is currently imprisoned within the Canterlot gardens." I explained to her.

"Like a dungeon in the middle of the garden?" She asked. I gave her a soft laugh.

"Well, more like a stone imprisonment. A spell was cast upon him that turned his very being into stone. He resides in the garden under watch of the princess." We were next to the Royal Sculpture Garden in the middle of Canterlot. As we neared the entrance, I could seem two guards positioned at its entry.

"Damn, these guys are everywhere." I cursed to myself. Knowing that this mission would need acquirements, I supplied myself with a small satchel filled with special herbs and mixes. After a moment of searching, I found a small blue bottle containing a clear mist.

"Hold your breath." I whispered to Pinkie as I threw the bottle at the ground before the guards. The bottle shattered releasing the mist into the air. The guards jumped at the sound and started searching around to find an intruder. As they inhaled the fragrance, their motions became sloppy and their eyes slowly closed. In mere seconds, the elite guards were collapsed on the ground.

"Now's our chance." I stated as we walked past the slumbering guards. As we entered the garden, we were welcomed by many statues lining the walkway. I started my search to find him among these stone fixtures.

"Friendship, victory, nobility..... Ah-hah!" I found myself in front of the misplaced statue. It depicted a being with the head of a stallion, tail of a dragon, wings of a bird and bat, and much other strange appearances. Pinkie looked at the statue with interest.

"Hahahaha, he looks like a pony jigsaw puzzle!" She laughed. In truth, he really did. He looked like a piled on mess with everything but the kitchen sink.

"Well, we made it. I guess the hard part will be waking him up." I said aloud. Pinkie stopped her laughing and turned to me.

"How are we going to do tha-" SLAP! My hoof was brought to her cheek causing her to flinch in pain. "Oww! What was that fo-" SLAP! Another strike had left a red mark on her cheek. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"You're worthless to me! Did you really believe that I'd help you?! If I were your friends, I'd be glad I died! Then I would have to have anything to do with you!" Tears flowed from her eyes. She stood up and glared at me with pure rage.

"You said you would help!" She yelled at me. I gave a mocking laugh.

"I only said I would to raise your hopes, just so I could stomp on it later!" I took a quick glance at the statue. It had begun to shake, giving off a dark aura. Just a bit more. "I'm glad I did this to you! All the better to see you squirm like the ingrate you are!" She continued to glare at me. She closed her eyes and slowly turned around. I guess she didn't want me to see her cry. I may have gone too far. I was about to apologize to her until her hind legs quickly came up from her, bucking me in the chest.

I fell to the ground in pain. I laid in front of the statue and looked up to see it shaking violently. Many cracks ruptured from the stone, each crack giving of massive amounts of dark energy. Piece by piece, the stone shell fell to the ground. Before me was the god of chaos himself, Discord.

"Hey, that's not a nice way to treat your friend..." He said to me in a teasing tone. "Just look how sad you've made her." Pinkie looked up to see Discord hovering above her. He looked up into the dark, smoke covered sky.

"You ponies sit here calling ME a mess. Look at what you've done with this place." I slowly stood up in pain and shook myself off.

"That...that is the reason we freed you for your prison." I said to him. He looked at me with playful interest.

"Oh? And what am I supposed to do about this? Why would I help you?" He asked. I gave him a hard laugh.

"If I remember correctly, you owe me." I told him. He stared at me with confusion.

"Why would I be in dept to a broken zebra? I mean seriously, you can't even rhyme like one." He mocked me. I never really liked this guy.

"First of all, I got sick of the rhyming. I found that if a zebra is unable to rhyme, they go insane. All I had to do was try to rhyme 'orange'. Her mind cracked, but mine was there to take over." Discord stared at me, seeing my mental form possessing the zebra.

"Ah yes, now I can see your astral form. Tell me, for what reason may you have in stealing another's form? Beside having some fun, that is." I gave him a hardened glare.

"That is the second thing. I possessed this body to reverse a certain spell. I think that you of all beings would know it well." His being disappeared, then reappeared next to me. His face was next to mine giving an intimidating glare.

"And, pray tell, what is that spell?" I backed away from his glare and gave my answer.

"Why, the reality spell of course. You know, the one I used on you all those years ago?" He pondered this for a moment, then something snapped in his head.

"YOU!" He lashed out at me. "You miserable waste of air!" He flew to me, bringing my body up off the ground. "Because of you I was trapped in that stone imprisonment for a thousand years!"

"Hey! All I did was give you those powers! It's your fault you decided to abuse them!" He released me and let me fall onto the ground. "I saw your pain. YOU asked ME to change your life. If I knew you would turn into a damn tyrant, I would have never put you under that spell!"

"You are still the reason I have these powers. The reason why I was imprisoned." Discord harshly landed on the ground next to me.

"You hurt other with your powers. I saw what you did to Equestria. I wanted to help you, but you went too far." I stated bluntly.

"The lies you speak are immense! I know very well you couldn't care less about others." He rebuked.

"I do care for others! For the less fortunate, for those in pain and need! That is why I am here! That is why you're free!" I took a moment to regain my breath. "What I have done has killed thousands of innocent ponies. I am trying to fix that. I'm trying to save them. If I wasn't, why would I be here?"

Discord stared coldly into my eyes, and upon seeing the sincerity in them, he calmed down. "So Equestria is dying because of you?" He asked. I gave a sharp nod. He pointed a claw towards Pinkie. "Is she the one under the spell?"

"Yes," I stated. "She is an Element of Harmony. Without her, Equestria slowly became....this." Discord slowly flew to the pink mare.

"What is your name young filly?" He asked her. She looked up at him in eagerness.

"Pinkie." She said slowly. "Pinkie Pie." He gave a soft laugh.

"Well, Pinkie Pie, I am sorry this pony over here has hurt you so much." He said to her. "There is a way we can change what's happened to you." She perked her ears to listen. "I have a strong control over reality. I can shift physical forms and those of arcane forms as well. I can slip through dimensions with ease, making a task such as transversing through time possible." I walked up next to him.

"Discord can bring you to the time that I changed. The time you turned right." I explained. "All you need to do is get your past self to turn left." Discord gave her a strong look of warning.

"It may be a difficult task, as you will not have a physical form. You can only transverse through time as an astral spirit." He told her. "You are unable to communicate with your past self, or any other pony in your memories, but you have some influence over your surroundings. And as this reality is limited to your memories, I can only allow one trip through time. Anymore will create a rift in the spell. The result of that could be apocalyptic."

Pinkie stared up at him with hope. "But if I do it, everything will go back to normal? My friends, they still be alive?" She asked. I regretfully stepped in.

"Yes. In the reality I took you away from, you still had your friends. You were as close as ponies could get." I gave a heavy sigh. "If you succeed, you WILL see them again." She looked at me with determination in her eyes.

"Let do it!" She said enthusiastically. She stood ready to be brought back to her past. Discord rubbed his hands together.

"Okay. All I need you to do is think back to that time. I have not been there, so this must rely solely on you." He explained to her. She closed her eyes and tried her best to focus. After a moment she gave a small nod of accomplishment. Discord placed his claw on her head and closed his eyes, focusing on her past. It was then I heard a booming voice.

"INTRUDERS! HOW DARE YOU RELEASE THE VILE BEAST FROM HIS IMPRISONMENT!" I looked up into the night to see a dark figure flying through the sky. Her armor seemed to reflect the glow of the moon, as her mane seemed to be comprised of the darkness of night itself.

"Times up!" I yelled out. "We have to go now!" Nightmare Moon quickly grew nearer to us. Discord snapped his fingers, and in an instant, everything faded away. It was soon replaced with a blinding light. It took a moment to realized that this light was given off by the sun. We had made it.

I had forgotten how beautiful the sun was during the afternoon. I guess you don't realize how wonderful things are unless you have seen a world without them. I slowly got up and turned to see Pinkie and Discord next to me. We were next to a dirt path. A path which seemed to diverge into two separate roads. One road traveling through a forest towards Ponyville, and the other alongside a cliff side towards Fillydelphia.

"According to my sense of time, we should be five minutes away from when you get here." He said to her. "All you need to do is get yourself to turn left."

Pinkie stared off into the distance. I walked up next to her. "Pinkie," I said. "I really am sorry for what I have done to you. I have had a lot of time here to think about that." She sat unmoving, staring out to the dirt road. "I wasn't thinking straight. I haven't been think straight for a long time. I'm sorry it caused so much pain for me to understand that."

No response. She only stared at the road before us. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness; Celestia knows I don't deserve it. I have done too much wrong in my life for it to ever be fixed. But you....you have something to live for. You have the best friends anypony could ever wish for. Don't let that go. Don't ever let that friendship go."

My gaze was brought to the ground. "Maybe if I were to have someone to care for me, I wouldn't have become this monster." I sat there with my eyes to the ground. I felt her press against me, wrapping her forelegs around me. I turned to see her with tears in her eyes and the warmest smile anypony could give.

"Thank you." She said. I stared at her, shocked.

"Thanks for what?" I asked.

"Thank you for caring." She said. Her embrace grew tighter. Not knowing what to do, I returned her embrace with my own.

"Hey lovebirds! If you haven't forgotten, the fate of Equestria depends on the next two minutes!" We let go of each other and stared out to the road. Out into the distance, there was a lone carriage, holding one of the strangest ponies I would ever know.

"How are you going to do it?" I asked her. "How are you going to change everything?" She gave me a soft laugh.

"Don't worry about it. I know exactly what to do." She walked towards where the two paths met. She turned to her right and stared at the cliff side next to the road. Up near the top was a cracked surface, ready to collapse with enough force. I stared down the road. The carriage was getting nearer.

Pinkie had started her climb to the top of the cliffside. She arrived at the top as the carriage drew closer. I could hear the driver ask Pinkie where to turn. We didn't have much time left. Pinkie was at the top of the rock, trying to dislodge enough stone to collapse the cliffside. She looked down to see the carriage stop in the road for her past self's decision. There wasn't enough time to push the rocks out.

I stared up at her in fear. She wouldn't be able to do it in time. I saw her back away from the rock. I guessed I was wrong. She wouldn't save Equestria. Everypony was doomed. I sighed in defeat, but the. I saw her run back towards the broken rock. She threw her body at the stone, and it gave way with a powerful crack.

"PINKIE!" I yelled out as she came down with the rocks. She was caught in the middle of the avalanche. The huge stones bounced of the side of the cliff, as did Pinkie. Her body landed roughly onto the dirt path, dozens of stones following her.

The carriage pony backed away in surprise. Not being able to see Pinkie's astral form, he quickly turned the other direction and continued down the path. I watched as the dark aura left the carriage as her true reality began to transpire once more. I walked up to see a crimson pool soaking underneath the rocks. I heard a painful moan come from underneath them.

I quickly shifted the stones aside until I could see the tattered form of Pinkie. Blood was pouring from her chest where a heavy stone had crushed her. She looked up to me with that warm smile. "Everything will go back to normal, right?" She painfully asked me.

I gave her a quick nod. "Yes. I promise everything will be better."

"Pinkie Promise?" She asked as she brought her hoof to her eye. I gave a warm laugh.

"Pinkie Promise." I said as I crossed my hoof across my chest, then placing it over my eye. She gave a raspy laugh, then laid her head on the rock. Her breath grew slower as her eyes closed. "See...you...soon." Pinkie said. She took one last breath, then left. The world around me began to fade as the spell failed. I stood with tears in my eyes.

"See you soon."