Discordant Melody

Chapters

Reunion
Darkness Rises
The Calm Before the Storm
Darkness Falls
Rise of Harmony
Nightmare's End
Nature is Chaos
Life is a Miracle
Epilogue: End of Pain

Reunion

Reunion

15 years later...

Applejack sat happily in the train to Canterlot, smiling at her family. "It's quite an honor to be summoned to the palace, you know," she said happily. "I wonder what it's about, though."

Fang shook his head, still unused to a pony body after all this time. Although the same dark purple he always had been with a white mane and tail, he never felt fully comfortable with this form. He missed having hands to hold tools and weapons with. "Who knows? You never can tell what royalty are up to. ...Snap! What do you think you're doing?"

Their son Snaplock stepped down from the bench he'd been standing on, shaking out his white mane. His pale purple coat shone with health, although the roughness of his facial features often caused ponies to think he was older than he was, at only 14. "Just checking to see if there were any dangers on the train car. The summons wasn't exactly standard, with no signature. Wanted to make sure it wasn't a trap." He took the mercenary skills he'd learned from his father seriously, as they were bound up in the talent his cutie mark - a sniper scope crosshairs - symbolized.

Applejack laughed. "Oh, Snap, relax, will you? Nothing's gonna hurt us in Equestria. Sides..." Applejack glanced down at herself. "You really think I'd risk your little sister if I thought there was any danger?"

Snap nodded. "You're right Mom. Sorry, I'm just a little edgy. I've never seen a dragon upclose before, though."

Applejack blinked at him. "And where you seen one now?"

Snap pointed out the window. "Out there. He's flying alongside the train. There's a white unicorn on the roof yelling at him."

"Eh?" Applejack glanced out the window. A purple dragon - young, more of a drakeling - with green spike's all along his back and tail flew alongside the train. She lowered the window. "Spike?" she called out, surprised.

"Applejack?" a voice from above the train asked.

She looked up and saw two familiar figures on top of the train, although it had been a long time since she'd seen them. "Spike! Rarity! Come in, why don'tcha!" Then she glanced at the dragon. "Who's that?"

Rarity smiled at AJ, then glared at the flying dragon. "Jemediah! You get back on this train right this instant! Or...no sapphires for dessert when we get to Canterlot!"

"Aww, Mom!" the dragon whined. "Just five more minutes?"

"Gem," Spike said, "if your mom says right now, it's right now! Don't make me bring you back on board by force!"

"Alright," Gem said with a sigh. Gaining a bit of altitude, he folded his wings and dove in through the open window, changing into a unicorn with similar coloring as he landed. A dragon was emblazoned on his flank. He shook himself off. "By Celestia, I love flying." He blinked at the car occupants. "Who are all of you?"

As Rarity and Spike entered the car, introductions were made all around. Aj and Rarity were glad to see each other after so long, as the only contact they'd had since everypony went their seperate ways had been the occasional letter. They began to chat about their lives and everything that had happened to them - with apologies both ways about missing the weddings and other big events - while Snap and Gen sized each other up...until Gem leapt on Snap in a tackle, leading to a rather fierce mock tussle as they played. Fang and Spike laughed as they watched.

After a time, they arrived at Canterlot and disembarked. Before they could approach the castle, however, a strange portal appeared in the air, and more ponies stepped out who were strangely familiar.

Fluttershy had changed overtime. Becoming the Preistqueen of all Mobius had given her newfound confidence in herself. While still somewhat shy amongst strangers, she now carried herself with an air of confidence, knowing herself for who she was. She was garbed in a flowing white robe which seemed to add an air of power to her walk. Stepping out behind her - though not too far - was a young filly who was obviously her daughter, as she looked just like Fluttershy did in her younger days.

With them was Pinkie Pie, who - other than seeming a bit tired - hadn't changed a bit. With her was a strange brown pony with white mane...and two tails. He, too, looked somewhat harried. The reason for this became plain as a much smaller pony - at most 2 years old - shot out of the portal wearing a jetpack and squealing happily.

"Terramina Cosmo Prower!" the brown pony with Pinkie Pie shouted. "Get down here right this instant and give me that jetpack!"

The filly landed and handed over the jetpack. Not moving, one could see she was a bright pink all over, with two tails. Her cutie mark was not easily recognizable to most Equestria ponies, being a circuit board. She handed the jetpack over.

The bronw pony - Tails in an Equestrian form - took it. "Twisty," he said calmly, "you can't go flying around like crazy. What if you hit somepony?"

"Lol!" the filly replied. She skipped around her parents happily.

As greetings and stories were exchanged happily by the old friends, the various children eyed each other. "So who are you two?" Snap asked.

"I'm Twisty!" the pink filly replied. Suddenly, her nose twitched, and she started chasing her tail. Then she chased the other one. Then she paused and glanced up at Gem. "Hey, Gem, what was I doing?"

Gem blinked. "How'd you know my name?"

Twisty giggled. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be Twisty!" She began spinning around, laughing and making funny noises.

The yellow filly coughed quietly. "I...I'm Chery Blossom..." she said quietly.

Snap nodded. "Looks like our folks are all friends."

"That mean we're gonna be hanging out a lot together?" Twisty asked. "Oh, Snap!"

Snap lock seemed to appear behind her. "Did you want something?" he said in her ear.

Twisty leaped into the air with a shriek. Then she laughed as she hung in the air while her tails spun. "AGAIN!"

"Ahem," a young voice said from the castle entrance as they approached. They all turned to look. A black unicorn colt Cherry Blossom's age with a purple mane and a cutie mark of a shield with a wand on it watched them with red eyes. He wore a uniform of palace service. "Her Highness waits for all of you in the Throne Room. If you'll follow me, please?" He turned to lead them in.

Everyone followed. Applejack was the first to address the colt. "So what's your name, little fella?"

"My name is Stardust Mail," he said seriously. "Her Highness has made all of you known to me."

Rarity blinked. "Somehow, that seems rather unnerving, the way you say it."

"No need for such concern," he replied. "Her Highness speaks highly of you." At that moment, he paused, seeing another pony down the hall. "Maria?" he asked kindly.

A filly the exact same size as Stardust stood there, her violet eyes wide. She had a purple coat with a black and red striped mane and tail. Suddenly, she turned and ran into the palace, screaming, "MAMA! MAMA! Visitors!"

Stardust sighed. "Forigve my sister's rudeness. She is unused to strangers."

Fluttershy nodded. "Nothing to worry about, Your Highness," she said, having put together the clues. "I hope your mother won't mind."

Stardust smiled. "Mother said you were the timid one, not the clever one." He led them into the throne room.

Out a window they could see the sun was just setting, and the stars were coming out. A purple alicorn stood there, garbed in royal regalia, her back to them as she watched the stars come out.

Suddenly, from behind the group, a familiar voice shouted, "Aurora! Watch out!"

A rainbow colored blur flashed over their heads, slamming into the alicorn from behind and knocking her head over hooves. As she came to a halt, she glanced down at the dark blue filly with rainbow mane and tail that had slammed into her. As the filly shyed back a bit, she saw her cutie mark, a rainbow colored wind. The princess smiled. "Well doesn't this bring deja vu," she said, her voice quite familiar. "Your mother first greeted me the same way."

As Rainbow Dash and Sonic had caught up with everyone as this statement was made, it was five voices that shouted in shock, "TWILIGHT?"

Twilight Sparkle - Princess Twilight Sparkle - stood, folding her wings against her flanks. "It's good to see all of you again after so long," she said, smiling. "And to finally meet your children."

As everyone ran forward happily, rejoicing in the reunion of old friends, the seven foals glanced towards each other. As introductions had been made, they were lacking something to say to start a conversation, and felt somewhat awkward.

Twisty broke the silence by addressing Aurora. "Bet I can beat you to the top of those stairs!" she said with a grin.

"You're on!" Aurora shouted, taking off quite fast. Twisty pulled out a strange device and pointed it at the top of the stairs. In a flash of light she was there. "No fair!" Aurora shouted as she arrived just behind.

"Stfu, n00b!" Twisty said with a laugh.

"Why I oughta-" Aurora lunged for Twisty, but she danced out of the way. The ice broken, the young ones ran off to play and explore.

Back with the grownups, stories of everything that had happened to them were exchanged as they talked, although much of the marvel was for Twilight's new wings, as she hadn't written any of them about that.

"Say, Rainbow Dash," Twilight asked suddenly, trying to change the subject, "how come I ahven't heard from you for nearly ten years? Weren't you going to start your family here?"

RD glared at Sonic. "Blame him. He's the one who dropped us in a world out of range of the chaos emeralds before we could even schedule the wedding!"

Sonic winced. "I said I was sorry..."

"I know, I know...I just can't believe you all wound up missing my wedding. Or that I missed all of yours." There was a long, uncomfortable silence. She looked at her friends. "I did miss the weddings, right?"

Applejack shifted on her hooves. "Well, ah..."

Fang spoke up. "It was a quiet affair, since Snap Lock was already on the way."

As Applejack hung her head, she was surprised as Rarity spoke up. "You too, huh?"

Pinkie Pie shook her head. "We always meant to get married...things just kept coming up, and it kept getting delayed...and then we forgot we hadn't." She blushed. "And Mobius has this thing called a 'common law marraige'..." Tails wouldn't meet Sonic's eyes.

Fluttershy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm...kind of a holy figure on Mobius," she said, blushing. "It's kind of hard to find someone to perform a wedding for you when you're seen as holy. And I could never find time to come back to Equestria for the wedding..."

Twilight nodded sadly. "While Shadow is officially my consort, I didn't want to have the wedding if all my friends weren't there, and..." She blushed. "I forgot to refresh the charm..."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Wow," she said at last. "So I'm the only one of us who was a virgin bride. That's...disturbing." She blinked for a bit. "Wait a minute! We were talking about your wings, Twilight! Why would you keep that secret from everyone? Just how long ahve you had them?"

She sighed. "Fifteen years..."

Rarity blinked. "You know, Twilight, now that I look closer at you, I must say, you don't look a day older than you did when I last saw you. What's your secret?"

Twilight looked up at them all sadly. "As an alicorn...I'm now immortal."

Fluttershy smiled. "That's wonderful...isn't it?"

Twilight shook her head. "It means, what with my new duties helping to mantain the realm of Equestria...I'm going to outlive all of you by centuries!" Tears fell freely from her eyes. "And maybe my children, too..."

As shock settled over the six friends, they drew close to Twilight, comforting her as she wept into their embrace.

Darkness Rises

Darkness Rises

Mobius, In the fifth year of the Reign of Empress Fluttershy...

Workers toiled as they gathered the discarded metal components from the surface of Angel Island. There was a lot to gather, but they worked hard. Their orders were to make sure that not even a single piece was left behind. As they worked, one of them turned to his companion. "Say...any idea why Her Holiness wants these components gathered?"

His companion shrugged. "Something about them being pieces of a monster. Doesn't want to risk it coming back or something. I don't ask questions, I just do what I'm told."

The first worker nodded. "I getcha. We've got most of what we were told to find." He looked down the checklist, then at the pieces they'd gathered so far. "Say...looks like a creature in pieces alright...but where's the head?"

"We were told we might not find the head...apparently, something hatched out of it or something."

"Don't we need to find it?"

"Nah...it's taken care of."

"Alright, that's everything." The one with the list dusted his hands. "Pretty advanced tech, that's for sure."

"Not our problem. Let's just get it all out of here before the Guardian or his wife start harping on us."

They airlifted the tech components out. Hidden within bushes nearby, red eyes watched them as metal teeth formed a grin. It was so easy...obviously, Eggman didn't want him coming back. He should have thought of it years ago.

Discord thought Metal Sonic had been fully suppressed. He was mistaken. Metal Sonic had LET him take control of his body and watched how he did things. He knew all his plans had come to naught, and he sensed how advanced Discord's mind was in terms of treachery. He decided to learn from a master...and feed off him in the process. He'd gathered a good store of chaos energy...and as soon as the heroes had left the area, he'd reformed his body and hid. He'd already gathered the chaos emeralds and equipped them to his body...though he didn't access them just yet. He'd learned a few new skill sets from Discord's work...and he wanted to make use of what he'd learned. While Discord had great power...his ambition was rather paltry. Make his new body and sow chaos? Pathetic. Metal Sonic HAD learned his lesson regarding his obsession with Sonic, though. He had a new goal...he would conquer not just Mobius or Equestria...but ALL worlds! And, thanks to Discord's workings, he knew where to find powerful allies who - with the right motivation - would be eager to help.

"Chaos...control," Metal Sonic's voice whispered, and he vanished. He reappered in Eggman's former fortress, shaking his head. "You abandoned this place, Ivo? Foolish. So you have the world...you shouldn't leave such wonderful toys unguarded." He made his way to the world gate Ivo had used to kidnap Rainbow Dash. "And Discord...for such wonderful imagination, using the net to give you power, and learning how new worlds were born from it...you never once considered the feedback effect? That a strong enough mind could use such a place to craft a world all on its own? Or how devastating to a psyche it can be...when nightmares are real..." Placing his hands on the device, he assimilated the tech into his own systems. He glanced at himself in a mirror - barely intact - and sneered. His form shifted.

The spikes on his head became longer and sharper. His body shape lengthened. His claws took a more streamlined shape. A black cape billowed from his back. His core became streamlined, and the blue of his chasis darkened. He grinned, watching as his face became metal flesh, his eyes burning like fire. "Now...this is a face to bring awe to allies...and fear to enemies." His mind scanned through the multiverse open to him with the gate technology. "And I know how to find good allies. ...I'll start with the weaker one, though. The big one will be more impressed by show, after all. Chaos...control."

Metal Sonic vanished from the lab.

00000000000000

Dragon's cavern, date unknown...

The white dragon gloated over her hoard, smiling at the immense pile of precious gems she watched over. Still the ponies toiled, seeking more gems for her, though they hadn't found more in a long time. Perhaps it was time for her to eat another one of them, to push them further in there efforts.

"A most impressive hoard," a voice said nearby, and she spun to face the source.

A metal hedgehog stood there, a black cape billowing from his shoulders. It was he who had spoken. "A most impressive hoard," he said again, "...for one with such limited scope."

"Limited!" she roared. "How dare you speak so to Rarigan, Queen of Dragons! I should roast you where you stand!"

"Why?" the creature asked her. "I speak only truth. And I bring this." He opened a bag he held at his side...and gems spilled forth, gems she had never seen before.

She yearned for the gems, eager to examine them, polish them...horde them. "What do you want?" she asked, looking down upon the small creature.

"This paltry offering is but a sample of the gem wealth I can make available to you...if you agree to my terms."

She glowered. "What terms are those?"

He smiled at her. "This world you have power in...it is but one of many. I seek to conquer all. I could easily lay waste to this world and destroy you...but it will be easier to work with you, since we are of like mind. Serve me, aid me in conquering all worlds...and all jewels of all worlds are yours. I will even provide you with more efficient servants to retrieve them for you." He waved a hand, and an image of gemstone wealth beyond what she could imagine appeared before her eyes. "All this and more...all yours, in exchange for your service."

Rarigan salivated at the sight of all those gemstones. Suddenly, a voice spoke up.

"Don't do it, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle stood there, calling up to the dragon that had once been her sister. "He's evil! He'll just use you and cast you aside! I know there's still good in you!"

As Rarigan snarled her irritation, Metal Sonic spoke up. "Perhaps this will sweeten the deal." He leveled his hand at Sweetie Belle. "Gemma carcere!"

A bolt of lightning leapt from his hand and wrapped around Sweetie Belle. She screamed...and when the scream faded, a white and pink gemstone the size of the unicorn floated in the air.

Rarigan drooled over the gem. "Can...all ponies be changed thus?"

Metal Sonic grinned. "All that LIVES can be changed thus...and their souls remain in the gems eternally, adding to their luster." He stroked a claw across the gem. It hummed with the sound of Sweetie Belle's scream. "And their voices add music to its sound. Serve me...and I shall also teach you this spell."

Rarigan's greed consumed her. "Done!"

Metal Sonic leapt to her back. "Then let's fly." He waved his hand, and metal constructs arose from the ground and took up guard positions. "My troops will guard your hoard, that none but you may touch it."

Rarigan took flight, following Metal Sonic's directives to the portal that opened in the sky.

00000000000

Nightmare Castle, 8th year of the reign of the Eclipse...

The dark queen gazed out at the world of her creation. The world was shrouded in the eternal darkness of the eclipse. All plant life - save lichen, moss, and mushrooms, things that thrived in the darkness - had died, feeding her death magic. All with magic who had resisted her had fed her power, and those without struggled feebly just to survive, feeding on what plants grew in darkness. What few growths that were palatable were reserved solely for her consumption, as all life served her alone.

One of her mystic constructs, a servant creature, formed out of the shadows of the throne room. "Mistress," it said, its voice a sibilant whisper, "someone comes."

"Oh?" she asked, her bat wings spreading and folding to her back. "Who?"

"A white dragon, bearing a metal man. The Enforcer demanded his purpose, and he said he came to discuss a proposition with you."

"A proposition?" The dark queen stretched out on her throne of bones. "A metal MAN you say?" She thought for a time. "What is his power?"

"His power is...over 9000..."

"Really? How intruiging..." The dark queen's eyes glowed a brighter red. She arranged herself on the throne to accentuate what she felt were her best features. "Grant him leave to land...and show him in."

Metal Sonic entered the throne room and gazed on the one he'd come to speak with. Her purple coat was streaked with red from where old blood had been. Her mane and tail had been colored almost black, and her spiral horn now had visible blood channels. Black bat wings folded against her sides, and the stars on her flanks were blood red. "Greetings, your Majesty," he said, bowing to her.

She smiled flirtatiously at him. "Greetings stranger. What brings one as powerful as you to my castle in the dead of eternal night?"

Metal Sonic smiled. "Your majesty, I have heard many wonderous things about you...and I wondered if I might interest you in an alliance."

"Really?" The queen was pleased. "To what purpose?"

"The conquest of all worlds."

The queen frowned. "Explain yourself," she said, her voice no longer pleasent.

"This world over which you reign is but one of many. I came from another world, and the dragon who carried me here comes from yet a third. I seek your alliance to conquer all worlds. I have great power of my own...but it is technological, and drawn from chaos. If you would lend me the aid of your magic...we would be unstoppable."

"Really?" She seemed intruiged. "And why should I trust you?" Before he could respond, she held up a hoof. "A moment," she said, smiling. "Entertainment approaches." She languished on her throne.

A moment later, the doors burst off their hinges. "YOU!" Discord cried as he charged in, gathering a sphere of chaotic energy. "You will pay for what you've done, b****!" He hurled the sphere of energy.

Smiling, the queen batted the sphere aside. "This is the 13th time you've come against me, Discord. And each time has proven more fruitless than the last." She vanished, reappearing several times in various places around the throne room. "You'd think you would practice more before challenging me again..." She suddenly appeared before him. "Or at least heal this." She jammed her horn into a hole above his heart the exact shape for her horn to enter.

Discord screamed in pain as - like a dozen times before - his blood on her horn drained his chaos magic into her. "You won't get away with this..." he whispered as his magic drained, and his body turned to stone.

The dark queen laughed. "You would think you would find a better quip to throw at me as well. BLIND!" The last was a summons.

An earth pony filly - nearly a mare - walked in. Her coat was yellow, and her mane and tail red. There was no cutie mark on her flank...and her eyes had been cruelly gouged out. "Y-yes mistress?" she said, slowly wheeling in a cart that was hitched to her.

The dark queen levitated the statue into the cart. "Take that out to the garden with the other statues. See if you can't make it look better this time, though."

"Y-yes mistress." The pony pulled the statue behind her, manuevering through obstacles through long practice and memorization.

Metal Sonic remained silent as he watched the dark queen pace. Suddenly she called out, "ENFORCER!"

The pegasus who had acosted Metal Sonic on his way in flew into the throne room. She was a cyan pegasus with a mane and tail that had once shone with the colors of the rainbow. Now, however, both mane and tail had been darkened by streaks of blood. Dark magic bound her, sealing her will. She bowed to the queen. "Yes, mistress?"

"You are supposed to make sure no threat enters the throne room...but Discord got in. Where were you?"

"I was watching the dragon, to ensure its behavior."

"That was the wrong action. You have failed me." She stared at the pegasus for a time. "You are no longer of use to me," she said coldly.

Suddenly, the harness that was the focus of the dark magic came to life, binding tightly across the pegasus' throat, wings, and limbs. Her eyes widened as the magic released her will. She struggled against the magic that was killing her...and the memories of the killing she had done. "T...Twilight..." she gasped out barely, reaching for the queen.

"Twilight no longer exists, fool. When you get to hell-" She kicked with her hind legs, slamming the pegasus against the wall, her skull striking with a sickening crack. "-tell them Nightmare Sparkle sent you!" She smiled as she watched the bodies last death throes fall still. "GIMP!"

An orange pegasus filly - the same age as the one called Blind - came at this summons. She had a purple mane and tail...and one of her wings had been cruelly torn from her body some time ago. "Y-yes mistress..." Her eyes fell on the broken body against the wall and her voice failed her.

"Take this trash from my sight...and toss it in the dark pyre with the rest of the bodies!"

The pegasus nodded, tears falling from her eyes, as she struggled to drag the body out of the throne room.

Nightmare Sparkle turned to Metal Sonic. "Now...about your proposal..."

"Not so fast!" A pony garbed in a purple and black costume and carrying a staff leaped into the room. "Your reign of terror ends here, Nightmare Sparkle!"

Nightmare Sparkle laughed at the appearance of this interloper. "Pinkie Pie...I never expected you to be the one to ressurect Mare Do Well. What makes you think you stand a chance against me?"

"I know your power, Twilight!" Pinkie cried, slamming the staff against the ground. The top opened, revealing a strange, glowing crystal. "And I know, so long as this crystal glows, your magic is beyond your reach!" As Nightmare Sparkle hissed in pain, flinching back from the crystal's light, Pinkie Pie lunged. "For Equestria...fall!" She aimed the staff right at Nightmare Sparkle's heart.

Metal Sonic seized the staff. "Excuse me," he said, easily yanking the staff from her hooves, "but you are interrupting negotiations." He slammed the crystal against the floor, shattering it and extinguishing its light, before swinging the staff into Pinkie Pie's gut.

Pinkie Pie flew backward. "No...that's not possible...nothing magic can function in the crystal's light..."

"Bad luck for you: I don't run on magic." Metal Sonic's words were the last ones Pinkie Pie heard as a blast of magic erupted from Nightmare Sparkle, incinerating her. Nightmare Sparkle then turned to Metal Sonic.

"It seems this alliance will prove beneficial...in many ways," she said, her voice like velvet. "Weapons geared to one of us won't work on the other. Between the two of us...we'll be invincible."

"Yes..." Metal Sonic said, his voice low and seductive. "So...do my terms satisfy you?"

She grinned. "That depends...will you?" She lay down on her throne. "Come to me...tell me your name, and show me your power."

"I am Metal Sonic, my queen," he said, approaching the throne. "And I have power to spare."

"If you live up to expectations...then we shall rule side by side for eternity."

The Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before the Storm

There was a flash of light near the edge of Ponyville, and seven young ponies appeared. Snap shook his head with a smile. "Nice use of Chaos Control, Stardust."

Stardust Mail flushed. "I'm not as good at it as Dad is, I'll admit...I was aiming for Sugarcube Corner..."

Maria nuzzled her brother. "You're getting better, brother. Last time we tried to warp to Sugarcube Corner, we wound up in Zecora's cottage."

Cherry blanched. "We might have wound up in...the E-everfree Forest?"

Aurora snorted gently. "That might have been fun."

Gem shook himself off as he climbed out of the river. "I think I'd have preferred to fly, rather than land in water."

Twistie giggled at Gem. "3p1c f4ll, n00b! Trololol!"

Stardust chuckled nervously. "Come on, let's head into town, huh? We can show the new ponies around."

The group made their way into Ponyville. Although several of the ponies obviously recognized Stardust Mail and Maria as royalty, none bowed or even addressed them as anything but their names. "They aren't very demonstrative..." Cherry mentioned in confusion.

Stardust Mail shuddered. "Don't make a fuss. It took YEARS to break the locals of the habit of treating every royal visit as a national event, when we came here when we wanted to be normal."

"The extended family prolly helped with that, kid!" a voice called from above.

A young Earth Pony mare was standing on a nearby roof, grinning at the group of youngsters. She had a yellow coat, red mane and tail, and dark brown eyes. She was dressed in worker overalls and hard hat, and had a construction tool belt wrapped around her neck. "Ey, Snap!" she called out. "New friends?" She hopped easily down to the ground.

Snap Lock smiled. "Hey, Aunt Bloom. I guess you could say they're new friends."

"That's good!" Apple Bloom said happily. "You need to make good friends. Ah been worried about your lonerness."

Cherry Blossom glanced up at her. "You're one of the Apple family? Shouldn't you be at Sweet Aple Acres, then? Doesn't the whole family work the family business?"

Apple Bloom chuckled. "My talent took me elsewhere," she said, pulling her overalls aside to show her Cutie Mark: a crossed hammer and saw over a red cross. "Mah talent is carpentry. Anything to do with worked wood, ah'm good at...especially in an emergency. Prolly shoulda seen it back at the clubhouse, but it took that freak storm ten years back for me to see it. You remember that storm, right Snap?"

Snap nodded. "An ocean storm somehow found its way inland. Nearly demolished the county."

Maria nodded. "Uncle Shining had to shield Canterlot to keep everyone safe. Ocean weather's dangerous."

Apple Bloom smiled. "Well, I was out here with mah sis and Snap here, sellin some apples. When the storm hit all of a sudden, everyone ran for shelter. Ah could see there was a lot of damage, but it seemed all right...until a bolt o' lightning struck the hospital. The rain extinguished the fire purty quick, but it still left a gaping hole in the roof." She chuckled. "I still don't know what came over me then, but I grabbed a nearby hammer, nails, and some wood and ran up to the roof to repair the hole...right in the middle of the storm!"

Snap chuckled as they walked along with Apple Bloom. "Mom nearly had a heart attack when you left the shelter."

Apple Bloom nodded. "The other emergency workers were trying to get everypony to safety, but the storm was too dangerous. I worked fast, fixin up every buildin that took damage. Eventually, Sugarcube Corner was the only buildin still safe for ponies, and everyone got evacuated there, though I kept working on fixin everythin I could. When the storm ended, I collapsed in exhaustion, but all the rescue workers were cheerin me...and it felt real good. That's when mah Cutie Mark appeared." She smiled happily. "Life's never been the same since. Ya know, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo got their Cutie Marks the same day...and they're supposed to be in town today!" She started to run off, with the young group chasing after her.

They eventually reached a new structure in town, a karaoke club. Since Equestria had begun interdimensional commerce - contact with Mobius was just the beginning - various new businesses had sprung up in Ponyville as new ideas were imported. Karaoke was one of the more popular ones, as well as songs from other worlds. A sign was outside the club. "Performing today: The Majestic Bella Sucra, taking requests! Later, the Cutie Mark Crusaders Reunion Performance...and we'll get it right this time!"

Apple Bloom couldn't help but chuckle at the second one. "When the three of us first tried to perform, we were doin the wrong roles. Scootaloo was singing, Ah was doin coreagraphy, and Sweetie Belle did the stage and costumes." She shuddered. "It didn't work well. Huh, looks like 'Bella Sucra' is performing right now. How about we take a look?"

As they filed in, they noticed that nearly the entire audience was stallions of various ages. On the stage was a white unicorn with a pink and purple mane and green eyes, wearing a fancy black dress. She had on light make up, and her Cutie Mark was just visible under the end of the dress: a pink heart with a purple music note. She had her eyes closed as she stood next to the mic, swaying as she sang her heart out. The group had come in mid song.

"People think it's intimidating
When a girl is cool with her sexuality
I'm a 180 to the stereotype
Girls like staying home and being innocent.
I pick all my skirts to be a little too sexy..."

The group waited for the song to end - although Maria, Cherry, Twistie, and Aurora were very confused by the lyrics, Stardust was embarrassed, and Snap and Gem were amused. As the Prima Donna left the stage at the end of her song - amidst loud cheering - Gem called out to her, "Mom would have apoplexy if she'd heard you singing that, Aunt Sweetie!"

Sweetie Belle grinned as she ran up to them. "Then it's a good thing my sister isn't here, isn't it?" She got Gem in a headlock and noogied him as they laughed together. Glancing at the group, she grinned at Apple Bloom. "Look Apple Bloom! It's our sisters and their friends in miniature!" As Apple Bloom laughed, Sweetie turned back. "Let me just get changed and I'll be right with you." She headed to her dressing room.

When she came out to join them from the back, she had left any special outfits behind, just walking in her natural beauty. "That feels better. The gowns look nice, but they just aren't all that comfy. Course, Rarity didn't make them, so that's to be expected."

As the others laughed, Cherry looked up at Sweetie Belle. "So how'd you get your Cutie Mark?" she asked, wilting when Gem and Snap gave her an exasperated look.

"Now don't be mean, boys," Sweetie Belle said affectionately. "Did you hear Apple Bloom's story?" Cherry, Aurora, and Twistie nodded. "Well, I got my Cutie Mark in the same storm. I was at Sugarcube corner when it started, foalsitting for the Cakes. Pound and Pumpkin got really scared when the storm hit, so I calmed them down by singing to them. They calmed a little bit, but then they started demanding 'Pinkie songs'." Sweetie smiled at Twistie. "The twins really liked it when your Mom sat them. Anyway, the only songs I knew of Pinkie Pie's repetoire were 'Smile' and 'Giggle at the Ghosties'. Since they were scared of the storm, I sang 'Giggle at the Ghosties' first." Sweetie shook her head. "After a couple songs, more ponies had been evacuated into Sugarcube Corner, and Mrs. Cake said I should keep singing, since it was keeping everyone calm. So I just kept singing." Sweetie shook her head. "At first I was embarrased, since I'd never liked singing in front of crowds, but when I saw panic starting, I broke into song without thinking. After each song, people were calmer, happier, and someone would ask if I knew another song." Sweetie smiled broadly. "By the time the storm was over, I had my Cutie Mark. Although I always wondered what caused the storm."

"Yeah," Aurora wondered. "Aren't Pegasi supposed to control the weather? How'd an ocean storm get as far as Ponyville? What gave it that much power?"

There were shrugs all around, as none of them knew enough about weather systems to explain it. They continued to walk along for a while, chattering aimlessly, when a blue, yellow, and purple blur streaked overhead before resolving into a purple maned Wonderbolt. The Wonderbolt landed easily, pulling her hood back to reveal an orange coat and purple eyes. "Hey guys!" she said happily, tackling Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Scootaloo!" the two cried out together, tussling happily with her for a time.

As they settled down, laughing, Aurora suddenly asked, "So how'd you get your Cutie Mark?" When everyone glanced at her, she said, "What? I wanted to get the question in before Cherry did. Sides, I want to know what it has to do with her being a Wonderbolt!"

Scootaloo took a closer look at Aurora. "What's with the mini Rainbow Dash?"

Aurora's eyes widened. "You know my Mom?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah. She's been my idol and role model since I was as small as you."

Aurora smiled happily, blushing at the compliment to her mother. "So are you gonna answer my question?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Alright. It was actually the same day as Sweetie and AB here."

"Did you get it from the storm?" Cherry asked excitedly.

"Not exactly. See, it happened like this..."

Flashback...

Scootaloo walked along the oceanside cliff, gazing out at the waters. They seemed tranquil, as she did, but she knew that, like her own heart, there was turbulance just beneath the surface. Since Rainbow Dash had vanished with Sonic some five years back, Scootaloo had found herself without direction in life. Sure, she still wanted to find her Cutie Mark and figure out who she was...but she felt she no longer had anyone to look up too. The sound of a mother and son disturbed her musings.

"Pip, don't get so close to the edge! It doesn't look stable!"

"No worries, Mum. It's quite jolly over here!"

Looking up, Scootaloo saw Pip - the young colt she'd first met on Nightmare Night several years back - playing near the edge of the cliff. At first she smiled, but then she frowned. Pip's mother was right. The cliff edge was starting to give way. She began to run forward. "Pip! Watch out!"

As Pip turned towards her, the cliff gave way beneath him and he fell over backwards. "WAAAAAHHH!!!" he screamed as he fell.

Scootaloo knew his mother was screaming as well, but she didn't stop to think about that. Only one thought seared her mind. *What would Rainbow Dash do?* Knowing the answer, she raced to the cliff edge and leapt off, diving after Pip.

She'd seen Rainbow Dash pull maneuvers like this dozens of times. She remembered exactly how she positioned her body to catch up to someone falling ahead of her. Matching her body to that, she caught up to Pip and grabbed him by the scruff in her teeth. "I've got you!" she told him.

"But who's got you?" Pip called out in fear.

Scootaloo realized then what she'd just done. She had dove off a cliff towards the ocean below after a falling colt...when she had never flown more than a couple feet off any flat surface - ground or clouds - and she didn't know how to swim.

*What a time for first flight,* she thought to herself, prepping her wings. At the last possible moment, she snapped her wings open, turning her downward momentum into forward momentum, speeding across the surface of the water, the tips of her wings nearly touching the wave crests to either side of her. She knew she was in trouble now. If she tried to turn or flap her wings to gain altitude, her feathers would dip beneath the water, and she'd fall. As if that weren't bad enough, she was getting further from shore, and her speed wouldn't last forever. Eventually, she'd crash into the waves, and they both would drown. Then she saw hope.

Some distance in front of her, a large ocean storm had formed. Pegasi didn't bother trying to control ocean weather: by the time it got close enough to land to reach, it had built up too much momentum. What caught her eye here, though, was that the storm included a massive waterspout. Remembering her physics lessons, she aimed for the waterspout, coming in with the angle of the winds.

As the winds caught her, she angled herself to fly up with the air currents, letting them add to her speed. Her plan was to get enough speed and altitude to break free near the top while aiming towards shore. Unfortunately, her plan worked to well, as before she was half way up, she saw the mach cone forming in front of her.

One time Tails had visited Equestria, he had explained how a Sonic Rainboom worked, and Celestia had confirmed his explanation. All ponies had latent magic, and a pegasus focused his or hers into flight, both for speed and to manipulate weather. When a pegasus breached the sound barrier, however, their magic started to gather to form a protective shell around them, reducing air resistance so they could survive at the higher speeds. Once the pegasus breached mach 5, the spell became fully formed, and reduced air friction to zero, allowing the pegasus' speed to instantly double. The completion of the spell was what created the rainbow colored shockwave, which was as much magic as sound or light. However, if a Pegasus began the spell and was unable to break Mach 5 - either through insufficient strength or magic - the spell rebounded on the pegasus, causing a total reversal of acceleration. This is what caused the visible mach cone to seem to become a wall that launched a pegasus backwards across the sky.

This was the trap Scootaloo was in now. Either she would fail to create a Sonic Rainboom, and be rebounded into the waterspout where both she and Pip would be torn apart...or she would succeed, and be trying to escape a magically distorted ocean storm at greater than Mach 10, when miniature waterspouts were already forming around her and lightning flashed at least once every ten seconds.

*Do or die,* Scootaloo thought to herself as she put all her strength into her flight, angling closer to the waterspout for greater acceleration. *Very do or die.* She saw the mach cone narrowing as sparks formed on its edge...and then came the boom.

The rainboom sliced through the storm as Scootaloo rocketed towards shore. The entire storm shuddered and roiled as lightning now flashed nearly three times a second and more waterspouts sprang up all around her. She had to keep half her attention on maintaning the rainboom and the other half on holding onto Pip. THis left her dodging lightning and waterspouts by instinct alone.

Later, she would not remember how she managed to make it out of the storm. However, she came upon the shore some distance ahead of the storm, which was riding her wake towards land. She knew she had to land soon. She suddenly saw lights shoot up from a cove at the water's edge. She recognized the signal: a Wonderbolt Rescue Operations signal which meant "Safe Landing."

Diving for the cove, she saw Spitfire - in uniform - guiding her in. Unfortunately, Scootaloo's wings were so waterlogged by now that she knew the moment she tried to backwing she'd crash. So she did the only thing she could. The instant she flared her wings, she dropped Pip.

Spitfire reacted quickly, flying up to catch Pip and guide him into safe landing. Scootaloo went spinning, managed to catch a tree branch in her teeth, spin around it a few times before it snapped off, kick off the cliff face, and land safely on all fours. Spitfire then guided all three of them into a sheltered area of the cove, where the main part of the cliff would blunt the storm's fury, since ages of weather weakening spells were laid into the structure of the cliff itself.

Once they stopped moving, Pip looked up, breathless. "That was jolly! Can we go again?"

Scootaloo ran for some nearby bushes. After a few moments, she mumbled, "Aw man. I liked lunch..."

Spitfire came up to her side. "Don't be too hard on yourself, kid. I saw the whole thing, and I nearly lost my lunch seeing the stunts you were pulling to get out of that storm. I've never seen someone dodge lightning that close...especially not at those speeds. You must have practiced for years to have enough confidence to attempt that rescue, or even half those stunts. First storm flight?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "First flight."

Spitfire stared at her, her eyes wide. "F-first...flight?"

Scootaloo nodded.

Spitfire fainted.

End of Flashback...

Scootaloo smiled down at the young ponies as she pulled aside part of her Wonderbolt outfit to reveal her Cutie Mark. "My Cutie Mark had appeared during the flight while I dodged lightning and waterspouts. Not sure what it is, but my talent is apparently stunts, midair or otherwise. With that kind of talent, it wasn't long before I got recruited by the Wonderbolts." Her Cutie Mark was a ramp, colored red and orange.

Aurora gasped. "That's a stunt ramp! I've seen a lot of those back home. Mom and Dad used them to do mid air tricks to build up energy for their boost technique!"

Scootaloo laughed. "Well, that fits!"

Sweetie Belle grabbed Scootaloo. "Come on! We've got a reunion concert to do, and we need to practice!"

As Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom dragged her off, laughing, Scootaloo spoke up, "You two know I'm still tone deaf, right?"

As the young ponies reached Sugar Cube Corner, Cherry was walking backwards as she spoke excitedly. "Weren't those stories wonderful? I haven't gotten my Cutie Mark yet, so I found it all really fascinating-" The door to Sugar Cube Corner opened, and she bumped into the one exiting, a large, angry looking griffin. "Oh, exc-"

"Hey!" the griffin shouted. "I'm walking here!"

Cherry Blossom wilted. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the griffin mocked. "Why don't you just watch where you're going doofus?"

Cherry Blossom was whimpering, while the others started to bristle. "B-b-b-but I-"

The griffin roared in Cherry Blossom's face. Cherry Blossom's eyes went wide, and she fell on her butt and began to cry. The others started to get really angry...then saw something behind the griffin that made them become scared.

"Hah!" the griffin laughed. "What a bunch of cry babies! Whatcha gonna do, go crying to Mommy?"

"How dare you!" said an angry voice from behind the griffin. Standing there was Fluttershy...but not the Fluttershy Ponyville remembered. Garbed in her ceremonial white robe and a circlet of laurel leaves, her wings spread and mantled, she formed a surprisingly fearsome appearance. "HOW DARE YOU!" she demanded again. "Just because you're bigger, doesn't mean you get to be a bully!" She stalked forward, making the griffin back up. This wasn't Fluttershy having one of her flashes of assertiveness. She wore a mantle of power by right. She stood there as the queen of her world, and ponies all around felt her aura of authority and instinctively bowed. "You may have sharp claws and a loud voice...you may think you're tough...but no one, I mean NO ONE makes my daughter cry!" Her eyes were hard as diamonds, staring into the griffins eyes. "You got that?"

The griffin visibly gulped.

Cherry Blossom smiled and pointed at Fluttershy. "That's my mamma!" she said happily.

Another nearby voice spoke up. "I see you haven't changed, Gilda."

The griffin - Gilda - flinched back. "Uh, hey Dash. It's been a while, and-"

"What are you doing back here? I thought Ponyville was 'too lame' for you?" Rainbow Dash did not look at all welcoming.

"Yeah, about that...see, I think maybe we ended things badly, and I thought maybe we could patch things up-"

"Well, you sure did a bang up job of that by ROARING AT MY DAUGHTER!"

Gilda glanced over at Aurora, then to Rainbow Dash, then to Cherry Blossom, then to Fluttershy. "Uh..." She spread her wings, ready to take off.

Fluttershy's wings shot up, blocking Gilda's escape. "I didn't hear an apology," she said quietly.

Gilda gulped, and turned towards the young ponies. "Sorry," she mumbled, before racing off and taking wing.

As Gilda left the area, Rainbow Dash grinned. "Wow, Fluttershy. Never knew you had that in you!"

FLuttershy's eyes widened, and she slumped to the ground, wings over her face. "I can't believe I just did that!" she whimpered, her voice little more than a squeek.

Cherry Blossom sighed. "That's my mamma," she said with resignation.

Dash laughed. "Come on in you all. Twilight's got some time off, so we're throwing a reunion party! The others will be here soon!" They all followed Rainbow Dash into Sugar Cube Corner.

Darkness Falls

Darkness Falls

Celestia looked up as the doors to the throne room opened. "Twilight Sparkle!" she called happily, stepping off the dais to greet her favorite student. "I know you are dedicated to your duties, but you should be spending the day with your friends and family. What brings you back here?"

Twilight looked up at Celestia with a smile, swayed a bit, and coughed, her throat sounding scratchy and dry. Celestia came forward. "Oh, did you come down with a cold? Let me take care of that. I know you still haven't mastered healing yourself with magic, and your new alicorn physiology takes some getting used to." She leaned in, her horn glowing.

Twilight glanced around, a question in her eyes. Celestia smiled. "Luna is still abed today. It is the winter solstice, after all, and she needs to rest for the coming night." As Celestia touched her horn to Twilight's throat, she frowned. "Twilight, something feels off in your magic. What's wrong?"

Twilight smiled, showing her teeth. "Too easy," she whispered, her voice a seductive hiss. She struck her hoof against the ground, sending black cracks running towards Celestia.

As Celestia backed away from the cracks, green fire shot up all around her, surrounding her. Green tendrils shot out of the fire, seizing Celestia's legs, wings, head, and horn. Celestia could feel the tendrils draining her as they pulled her against a wall, pinning her there. "Chrysallis!" she shouted. "What do you do here?"

The one before Celestia laughed. "Chrysallis? Really, Celestia, you lack imagination." A wave of green energy passed over her body, revealing black bat wings, blood red streaks, and glowing red eyes. "I expected more from my former teacher!" Rearing back, Nightmare Sparkle struck her hooves against the ground, sending cracks out through all of Canterlot.

In her room, Luna was rudely awakened as tendrils reached out to seize her. She tried to evade, but there were too many. The Royal Guard and Mignight Guard were also seized, bound to walls, their energy slowly being drained.

Celestia stared at Nightmare Sparkle in horror. "Who or what are you?" she asked in shock and fear.

Nightmare Sparkle grinned. "My name is Nightmare Sparkle. ...welcome to hell." She raised her horn. Gold and blue light flashed from it.

Celestia gasped as a shadow passed across the sun.

0000000000

Twilight looked up at the sky out the library window. "That's odd...there isn't supposed to be a solar eclipse today..."

Shadow's head came up, staring at the sky. Seeing something other than the eclipse, he reacted. "Chaos Control!"

In a flash of light, the group was warped out of the library...just as a dragon crushed it beneath her.

Rarigan gazed out at Ponyville as many ponies ran in fear. She snorted her irritation. This would be too easy. Glancing down, she saw the ones she was supposed to be targetting had escaped. Snarling, she lunged.

Twilight and the others tried to scatter. They were powerful as a group, to be sure...but they didn't have the elements of harmony with them, and they were facing a full grown dragon. Rarity was the first to slow though, as she stared at the dragon. "No..." she whispered, fear in her voice. "It can't be...it's not real..." Snarling, Rarigan lunged for Rarity.

"NOOO!!!" Spike called, running forward. Inside him, something clicked together. This dragon sought to take his treasure. His wife, his son, his friends, his home...these were his treasures, his hoard, and this dragon was stealing them. With a roar, Spike seemed to shrug his form away as he shot up from the ground, becoming full grown, his spiked head slamming Rarigan's chin full force.

The two dragons faced off, snarling at each other, as Twilight teleported Rarity to a safe distance. Rarigan opened her mouth and breathed forth a blast of white fire. Spike countered with his green fire, then swiped with his claws. Rarigan leapt back, and they battled through the town for a time. Strange flashes of light appeared over any pony about to be caught in the fight, making them vanish. After a time, Rarigan spread her wings and took to the sky.

Spike snarled up at her, his shoulders surging. His growth this time had been triggered not by greed, but by need. Huge wings tore free from his body, and he leapt into the air after the white interloper.

0000000000000

Twilight and the others ran or flew, depending on their abilities. Gem had shifted himself bigger to carry his Mom and fly. Twistie flew alongside her parents. Twilight turned. "Sonic, Rainbow! We need to get a warning about this to Princess Celestia, quickly!"

"On it!" they both said, taking off at high speed...only to slam full tilt into a metal arm that caught them both in the throat, knocking them back.

Metal Sonic dropped his cloaking field the rest of the way. "Not this time, Sonic. Besides...there's no one there left to warn."

"Metal Sonic!" Sonic snarled, as the others flinched back, remembering how dangerous this foe could be.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Not gonna stop me!" She took off for Canterlot.

Metal Sonic leveled one arm at her, and a black lightning bolt shot her from the sky.

"DASH!" Sonic called out to her, racing to catch her...only to be caught at the throat by Metal Sonic and slammed into the ground.

The others charged in to fight, but it quickly became clear they were seriously outmatched. Metal Sonic had seperated them, weakened them, and he knew all their strategies...and he had more skills then they knew how to handle. Sometimes he used speed, sometimes magic, sometimes technology, sometimes brute physical force, but he was clearly winning. The kids stayed back, plainly afraid.

As they all began to fall, Fang turned to Snap. "Son, I have a job for you. Your friends...protect them, and stay safe."

Snap nodded. "I get you, Dad."

Shadow, from his place on his side on the ground, aimed his horn. "Chaos...Control!" A beam of energy shot forward to envelop the children. Before the warp was complete, however, Metal Sonic blasted Shadow with chaotic energy, and he screamed in pain. The children vanished.

"It seems the kids got away...no matter. It was you lot I was after anyway." Metal Sonic grinned. "And it looks like I got exactly what I wanted." Nearby, Rarigan slammed Spike bodily into the ground. Spike groaned, reverting to his smaller size. Sending out metal tendrils, Metal Sonic gathered them all up and began to carry them away.

"Spike!" Twilight called out to him.

Spike stirred. "Rarity..." he whispered, struggling to stay concious. "The dragon...it was you...somehow..."

Rarity nodded. "I know Spike, I know."

Pinkie looked confused. "How could Rarity be a dragon? That's like when Dashie said Fluttershy was a tree!" That got a few chuckles.

Rarity shook her head. "In the Nightmare..." Everypony shuddered at this. They knew what was meant. "I was that dragon. How can it be real?"

"Many worlds theory," Tails said. "From what you've all described about the Nightmares, they were possible paths you might have taken, but wouldn't. This dragon version of you must be from a world that took that path. Metal Sonic must have used the device Eggman used to kidnap Dash way back when to find her."

Twilight suddenly shivered. "Oh no...please, any gods, no..."

At Canterlot Castle, Metal Sonic gave an elegant bow. "I will leave them to you, my Queen, while I locate the Elements."

Nightmare Sparkle smiled. "Thank you, Metal Sonic." As Metal Sonic left, tendrils seized the heroes. "Well well well...we meet at last."

Twilight shook. "No...I wouldn't become you...I wouldn't!"

Nightmare shrugged. "True...you wouldn't! You're too weak. Not that it matters." The tendrils pulled them all up till they hung from the ceiling in a cricle, above a runic circle on the ground, alongside Celestia and Luna, who seemed limp. Each pony was hung opposite from the one they cared for the most, and alternately with someone from the opposite world. "After all...before long, everything you all are - including Harmony - will be a part of me." The tendrils pricked all those hanging, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the circle, which glowed, causing them all great pain. Standing in the center of the circle, Nightmare Sparkle let out an ecstatic moan. "Discord taught Metal Sonic...that even Harmony can be corrupted and controlled. In my own world, I was too impatient, drained everyone too quickly, never realized the magic in those I overlooked. ...not so this time. I will drain you all slowly, letting your magic and life continually feed into mine...but I'll keep you alive, with the drain just equal to your recovery rate. You all will feed me for a very long time." She laughed mirthlessly as the others screamed.

Outisde the palace, few remained to fight. The city of Canterlot was in ruins, abandoned. The Eclipse spread its shadow over Equestria.

Rise of Harmony

Rise of Harmony

Outside a large city, a bright white light appeared in the air over the ground. Seven figures dropped out of the light as it faded, landing on the ground with varying degrees of grace. Cherry Blossom, Aurora, and Gem all spread their wings and floated gracefully to the ground, landing lightly on their hooves. Maria managed to levitate herself and Stardust to the ground for a soft landing, although they landed on their butts. Twisty landed on her back and bounced around happily, not seeming to notice.

Snap Lock fell out of the light and instinctively flipped to his feet, landing on two hooves and one wolf paw. He blinked for a bit, noticing he was the only one who had been converted to an anthro state. While curious, he disregarded the mystery rather rapidly. He had a mission. He was to protect the others, as his father had ordered him. Reaching into a bag on his back, he pulled out the weapon he'd found most versatile: a modified pump action shotgun, with a customized plasma bayonette that popped out of the slide when twisted. He primed it, ready to fire on anything hostile that got too close.

Stardust was the first to speak. "Where are we?"

"It's not Equestria," Snap said firmly. "Otherwise I'd be a pony."

"And it's not Mobius or any world connected to it," Aurora spoke up. "If it were, I wouldn't be."

"That still doesn't tell us much," Gem said quietly, shifting himself until he was enough dragon that he could breathe fire, but still mostly unicorn. He felt strong magic would be the best approach here, but a good fast ranged attack seemed a good idea as well.

"The sign says Racoon City!" Twisty said happily. "Does that mean we get to see a lot of Tanuki?" She bounced around happily.

"Raccoon City?" Cherry asked, surprised. "That sounds familiar..."

"Well, we know we're in another world," Maria said quietly. "And not one we're familiar with. Stardust, Dad sent us here with Chaos Control. Can you use it to get us back?"

Stardust shook his head. "I can use the basic Chaos spells...but I can't generate enough magic yet to pierce worlds. I'd need a large source of energy to power it...and I don't know how to aim between worlds. Missing home when travelling between worlds might have worse consequences than landing in the river instead of on the bridge."

Snap nodded, watching the surroundings carefully. "Alright. Priority one then is survival. We should also keep our eyes out for anyone or anything that might help us get back home. Failing that, we should find something Stardust can use as a power source to get us hopping to another world where those things might be more readily available. Let's stick together everyone. We've no idea what might happen." Everyone nodded. "Alright, for lack of a better place to go, let's check the city."

They made their way into the city. It wasn't long before they began to notice figures shambling about, moaning. "Wonder what that's all about?" Aurora asked quietly.

"I think they're funny!" Twisty said happily, bouncing forward. She proceeded to giggle at one of the shambling figures...which turned at the sound and began to charge towards her. It was now plainly visible as a roughly humanoid figure, little more than a walking corpse. It gaped it's jaw, revealing sparse, sharp teeth.

"Twisty, get down!" Snap shouted, levelling his shotgun.

Twisty giggled a bit longer, then stopped. Her jetpack popped out, and a missle of some sort sprang from the back and launched, causing the creature to explode, scattering bits everywhere. Twisty sat, blinking, tears in her eyes.

Stardust came up to her. "Are...are you okay?"

"Mom was wrong..." Twisty seemed on the verge of tears. "Her song...she said laughing made all the fears go away...giggle at the ghostly..." She began to sniffle.

"Did the song mention laughing at zombies?" Maria asked, gingerly poking a bit of the goop left over from the exploded creature. "Cause that's what that was."

Twisty blinked a bit. "No, she didn't." She gasped happily. "She wasn't wrong after all!" Squealing happily, she lunged ahead and began prancing around, spinning and flipping as her jetpack started firing off all sorts of weaponry, levelling a good portion of the city block.

Snap grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, lifting her up. "Are you crazy? What do you think you're doing?"

Twisty tilted her head at him. "Break dancing. Duh."

Everyone groaned...although Stardust couldn't shake the feeling that something momentous had just happened.

Their relative good cheer was, unfortunately, short lived. Twisty's display had drawn a lot of attention, and zombies were converging on their position in hordes. "Evac to the south!" Snap shouted, guiding them along a path that didn't have too many zombies.

They ran for it as hard as they could...but Maria stumbled and was shortly surrounded. "STARDUST!" she called in fear.

"Maria!" Stardust started to run back for her, as did Snap...but someone else was faster.

Aurora shot forward, stradling Maria as she lay on the ground. She winced in pain as several of the zombies managed to claw her flesh or bite her, but she focused, gathering her energy. Bending down, she grabbed Maria gently by her scruff in her teeth...and shot forward in a Sonic Rainboom, her wake tearing several zombies to bits. The others rushed to catch up to her.

When they reached a relatively safe place, Twisty came forward to try and see to Aurora's wounds. "This is bad.." she said, a scouter-like device popping out of the jetpack and scanning the injuries. "These zombies seem to be crafted by some sort of virus...and their bites have left you infected, Aurora."

Maria whimpered down in her throat. "Is there a treatment for her?"

Twisty shook her head. "I've never seen anything like this virus. It would take weeks to fully identify it, and months to formulate a cure, even with magic...but at the current rate of progress, she'll be dead before the day is out."

Maria cried softly. "You..." she looked at Aurora. "You saved me...but you..."

Aurora shook her head. "Can you guys watch the perimeter for a few minutes?" she asked. The others were confused, but Snap nodded. He took up a guard post as Aurora took a deep breath through the pain. Closing her eyes, she focused her energy again.

Rainbow colored light shone from each of her wounds and from under her eyelids. The light flared brightly, reaching a pure white, and then slowly faded. The whole process took three minutes, and at the end of that time, every wound on Aurora's body was fully healed. She looked tired, but free of pain.

Stardust gasped. "That...that was the Chaos Heal!" he said, shocked to his core. "That's really advanced Chaos magic! I don't know how to do that yet. Where'd you learn?"

Aurora shrugged, catching her breath. "I've always been able to do it, ever since I got my cutie mark. Running around like that, I got my share of scuffs, scrapes, and skinned knees...but if I focus, that light shines in the wound and my eyes, and I'm healed within minutes. I don't like doing it more than neccessarry, though, since it always causes a strange pain in my head." Raising a hoof, she rubbed a spot in the exact center of her brow. "While Mom, Dad, and I were hopping worlds unintentionaly, they took me to a scientist to figure it out, a linx named Nicole. She said not only did it heal any wounds, but it also purged my body of any foreign parasites or infections...though it doesn't work on magic." She looked at Twisty. "Did it work on this infection?"

Twisty stared at her readings, then nodded vigorously. "Total viral pwnage, Aurora! Did you know you'd survive when you did it?"

Aurora shook her head. "I thought the zombies were magic." Dead silence greeted this statement. Having caught her breath, she got to her hooves. "Come on! We can't waste time here. We need to find a way home before we run out of lucky breaks."

Everyone nodded. As they left, Stardust felt another strange surge deep inside, like something had clicked into place.

As they headed towards the center of the city, they heard someone moaning. "Someone's alive!" Cherry said excitedly, running towards the sound. The others came with...but they all froze when she did. The survivor...wouldn't be one for long.

A young human boy - not much older than most of the ponies - lay on the ground, groaning, obviously in pain. There was a rather obvious bite mark on his leg, and the flesh around it was already starting to putrify. It didn't take Twisty's scouter to know he was infected. Snap readied his shotgun. They knew they had no cure for this virus in medicine, and no one who's magic could cure it. Before he could fire, though, Cherry held up a hoof. Confused, Snap watched as Cherry approached the boy.

"Hello," she said quietly. "What's your name?"

The young boy looked up at her. "Kenny," he replied quietly, struggling through the pain. He blinked. "Am I hallucinating?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I really am a talking pony."

"Oh." Kenny blinked for a bit. "Are you magic?"

"Yes. I'm magic."

"Can you fix me? I...I don't want to be a zombie."

Cherry smiled, walking up to him. She shifted to behind him, shifting him up to lean against her front. "Don't worry. Just lean back and relax. I can fix this, but it will be painful, so I need you to sleep first."

"I...I don't think I can..."

"Don't worry," Cherry whispered. "Leave that to me." She softly enfolded him in an embrace. Then she began to sing.

"Hush now, Quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, Quiet now
It's time to go to bed."

Kenny's eyes were slowly closing as his body relaxed. Tears were falling from Cherry's eyes, but they didn't touch her voice, which was still full of motherly comfort.

"Drifting off to sleep
Leave exciting day behind you
Drifting off to sleep
Let the joy of Dreamland find you"

Cherry moved her embrace up, till one hoof rested gripping Kenny's shoulder, while the other caressed his chin.

"Hush now, Quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head"

Kenny was plainly asleep, a contented smile on his face.

"Hush now, Quiet now
It's time to-"

With a sudden snap, Cherry jerked her hooves, cleanly snapping Kenny's neck.

"-go to bed."

Standing up, she took Snap's shotgun.

"Drifting off to sleep
Leave exciting day behind you."

She aimed the shotgun at Kenny's head. Snap nodded, knowing that only destroying the brain would prevent him raising as a zombie.

"Drifting off to sleep
Let the joy of dreamland find you."

She pulled the trigger. She stood there for a time as everyone stared, gazing at the mess of the poor boy she had given a painless, clean death to. Then she seemed to wilt into herself. After a moment, she stood back up, but her eyes were hard, and her face was twisted into a sneer.

"You didn't have to do that, sis," she said, her voice much harsher. "I could have done it just as easily." After a beat, she suddenly shouted, "What do you mean, my singing voice sucks?"

Snap laughed softly. "I wondered when you'd come out, Lotus."

She shook her head. "I should have come out much sooner. Cherry didn't need to see all this." Seeing everyone staring at her, she shrugged. "Introductions, huh? I'm Lotus Blossom. Cherry and I are like twins, but we share a body. It's diagnosed as split personality...but it's more accurate to say I'm her mordant half, if you know what that means." At a few nods or shrugs, she hefted the gun. "Well, at any rate, let's go. Metal Sonic and his ilk made my sister cry." She pumped the slide. "So I'm going to make them bleed!"

As everyone moved onward towards the center of the city, Stardust felt another surge as something inside him clicked into place. Inside, the thought 'four down' echoed, though he didn't know what it meant.

A loud whistling filled the air, and everyone looked up. It didn't take long to identify the source. "Those are Nuclear missles!" Snap gasped. He pulled everyone close. "Stardust, I hope you can put up a strong enough defense."

Stardust focused his magic. "The best defense..."

"Is a good offense, but you can't do-"

"No. The best defense...is to not be there." His magic surrounded all of them. "CHAOS CONTROL!"

White light surrounded them all as the missles impacted. The nuclear shockwave impacted the spell weave, and surged into it, and they all vanished as the city was wiped off the map.

00000000000

Somewhere, they fell out of the light, landing heavily on hard ground. They looked around, and were rather surprised at how familiar the surroundings looked.

"This is Everfree Forest!" Maria said happily. "You did it, Stardust! We're home!" She hugged her brother happily and raced out towards Ponyville.

The others raced after her, but Stardust couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding. "I'm not so sure..." They all skidded to a halt at the edge of the forest.

Ponyville was in sight...and in ruins. There wasn't much left standing, and what few buildings still stood showed signs of scorching. It looked like something had torn through the town in a rampage...repeatedly.

"What happened?" Aurora asked, shocked.

Maria managed to shake herself off. "Let's find out." She focused, and her horn glowed. Images flashed across her eyes, and she spoke of what she saw. "This isn't our home universe. It's another world that's somewhat similar. Shortly after Queen Chrysalis was banished from the lands of Equestria, Discord rose again...but he didn't go after Mom and her friends. He went after those they knew, breaking them much as he had the Harmony bearers. His greatest success came when he went after Spike. Using his mind games, he convinced Spike of the futility of his feelings for Rarity, how she could never return his feelings in kind, and even if she could, nothing could ever come of a romance between a dragon and a pony. Convinced his heart was doomed, Spike became discorded...and grew into a behemoth of greed and grief. Discord thought it was a great thing...except the first thing Spike destroyed in his rampage was Discord. With Discord destroyed, no one was left who had enough power to stop Spike in his rampage...and he lay waste to Equestria. Mortality rates are still relatively low, even after a month...but Rarity is still in intensive care."

Gem stared at her, shocked. Reaching into his saddlebags, he pulled something out to glance at. It was a hand crafted gold pendant, with a heart shaped fire ruby at the front. Sticking it back in, he ran forward into the rubble as a roar was heard. The others chased after him.

In the center of Ponyville, a grey dragon roared and rampaged, slamming his claws repeatedly against a purple barrier surrounding the hospital. Roaring in frenzy, he slammed his claws against the barrier again, making it flicker. Gem flew straight up in front of the dragon's face, shifting to his halfway point. "FATHER!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

The dragon paused, staring at him. "I have no son," he whispered, though his voice was still plainly audible. "Who are you to call me father?"

"I am from another world," Gem said, "a world where you did have a child. Me."

Spike stared at Gem for a moment. "Who was your mother?"

"The unicorn you loved...Rarity."

"You lie!" Spike shouted, swinging at Gem, who narrowly dodged. "My love for her is doomed!"

"No, it is not!" Gem shouted. As another swipe came for him, he tossed the fire-ruby necklace into the claw. "And this is the proof! You gave this to her, to show her how much she meant to you...on your birthday! She knew the proof that was of your love, and it was only a few years later that she returned your feelings fully. When I was born, you both gifted it to me, to show how I had become your true treasure! Look and remember your heart!"

Spike stared at the fire ruby, his eyes wide. Memories filled his eyes and mind, and his body shrank as color returned to him. When he returned to the size of a pony, low slung on all fours, his color was that of his old self. As his eyes filled with tears, he turned towards the hospital and raced in, the barrier fading. Gem and the others went to the window to watch.

Inside the visible room, Twilight and the others were gathered around the bed where Rarity lay. As Spike entered the room, those standing flinched, starting to get into protective postions.

"Rarity?" Spike said, his voice quiet.

"Spike?" the voice came from the bed. Rarity struggled to sit up. "You're back..." She reached her hooves out to him.

Racing forward, Spike took her hooves in his claws. "Rarity, I'm so sorry. I never meant-"

Spike was silenced as Rarity pulled him close, planting a kiss on his lips. "I'd thought I lost you," she whispered.

Stepping back, Gem wiped his eyes. "Let's go," he said quietly. "We need to find our way home."

"But your necklace..." Maria began.

"He needed it more than I do," Gem said with finality. "He needed to remember his love for her. I'll be back with my real parents soon enough."

Inside Stardust, something clicked, and a pulse of magic filled him. He staggered as realization of what he'd been feeling filled his mind.

As everyone turned to go, a voice called, "Wait!"

Spike raced up to Gem. "Thank you," he whispered, placing the necklace back in Gem's claws. "You gave me hope when I needed it most. Let me return the favor. I know your parents long for your return. You will be with them again soon. Never doubt their love." He closed Gem's claw over the necklace. "I made that mistake. You never should."

Nodding, Gem slipped the necklace back into his saddlebag, giving Spike a quick hug. The group turned to leave.

Snap spoke up as they approached the bridge. "So...any idea how we'll get to the next world? What source of power we'll use for the spell?"

"We can go now," Stardust said with a smile. He turned. They were in a circle with Stardust and Maria in the center. "As for the power..." He faced Snap. "Honesty, from sticking to your duty, laid on you by your father." He turned to Twisty. "Laughter, for bringing joyous light even to the darkest times." He turned to Aurora. "Loyalty, willing to sacrifice anything, even your own life, to save your friends." He turned to Cherry. "Kindness, for bringing peace and hope to one who had none." He turned at last to Gem. "And Generousity, for giving freely of your own heart to save the hearts of others." Light flared from the five named. "And Magic, binding us together. The power of Harmony will bring us home. Chaos Control."

There was a blinding flare of light,and the group vanished.

Nightmare's End

Nightmare's End

A flash of white light appeared in a black wasteland. As the light faded, seven figures stared around at their surroundings, confused. Lotus Blossom was the first to speak. "This doesn't look like our home," she said, glaring about angrily.

Gem took a closer look at the nearby structure...then blanched. "I think it is, actually..." He backed up slowly.

Looking up, Stardust blanched. "That's...that's Canterlot Castle. But...but how?"

It was Canterlot Castle...or had been at one time. The once pure white marble towers had been replaced by black crystal spires, the windows filled with pulsating red crystals, as though crimson eyes watched their every action. Canterlot Castle had once looked like a winged guardian, watching over the land protectivly like a guardian angel. Now it more closely resembled a bird of prey, mantled over the corpse of its kill. The land around was black with death, and Canterlot town was in ruins, the whole city surrounded by a wide black crevice, crossed by black rope bridges. The sky was shrouded in shadows, the only thing visible was the sun, in an eternal solar eclipse.

Twistie shivered. "This place feels...dead. It's dead and dying..."

Aurora hunched in on herself, her wings mantling. "I feel sick..." she muttered under her breath.

Snap looked out at the desicated world calmly, staying strong for the others. "Maria, I hesitate to ask this of you, but...can you cast that scrying spell again to figure out what happened?"

Maria shuddered, nodding. "I'm trying...but there isn't that much magic here to work with. ...got it." Her horn glowed, and a white mist appeared before her eyes as images scrolled across her irises. Within moments, she began to turn green. "Sweet merciful makers," she whispered in horror. "Grant me eyes that can unsee..."

"Sis?" Stardust asked in concern.

"This was once Equestria as it was known from our history, the stories our parents told us. Things diverted shortly after the wedding of Princess Cadence to Uncle Shining." Maria gulped, wetting her throat before continuing. "Twilight Sparkle became concerned about the matter of Chrysalis, as she had nearly conquered Equestria, but had only been banished, not imprisoned or destroyed. A constant worry nagged at her thoughts that she might return one day, and they had no true defense. After the defeat of King Sombre at the Crystal Kingdom, Twilight became aware of the darker magics, and investigated the records of such in the Canterlot and Crystal Kingdom archives. She...she found what she was looking for, and prepared."

Silence passed as Maria cleared her throat of gorge. Snap offered her a canteen of water. She put the first few mouthfuls to clearing her mouth and throat, then drank some down. She continued.

"Eventually, her suspicions were proven true. Chrysalis attacked Ponyville with an army of changelings at her back. There was no way to get news to Canterlot or retrieve the Elements in time, so Twilight used the spell she had prepared. ...driving her horn into Chrysalis' heart, she absorbed her magic and life force, destroying her utterly."

The others gasped at this, but Maria continued.

"Twilight wasn't prepared for what happened from this. First, destroying Chrysalis caused the entire Changeling race to vanish, as though they had never been. Second...draining the magic into her own had caused an unexpected reaction within her. ...it had felt really, really good. Absorbing the magic of another had been a pleasurable sensation unlike anything she had ever known. Afterwards, the realization of what had happened to the Changelings weighed on her...but she moved past it, although for some weeks her friends were nervous around her.

"Then Discord returned. He was determined to play a new game with everyone, with different rules. Once again, there seemed no time to retrieve the elements. Steeling herself, Twilight did the only thing she could think of when Discord sought to cause harm to two infants under Pinkie Pie's care. She used the same spell she used on Chrysalis on Discord." Maria shuddered. "Discord did not die, but the drain of his magic caused him to be returned to stone for a time...and the second absorption of magic felt even better to Twilight then the first. Celestia confirmed that Discord still lived, but had been imprisoned the same way he had when bound by the Elements. She cautioned Twilight about the danger of using dark magics, and it seemed Twilight listened...except Sombre took that moment to attack Canterlot castle at sunset, when Celestia and Luna's powers were at their weakest.

"Twilight was the only one there, as she had been summoned to discuss her magic situation with Celestia in private. Celestia attempted to fight Sombre, but he had changed. The Crystal Heart's light had bound him to a physical body, but his shadow powers were still intact. While the fight was going on, Twilight summoned her friends, but when it looked as though Sombre would strike Celestia down...she drained him as well.

"The flood of dark magic she absorbed only amplified the dark pleasure the spell gave her, and the result was almost overpowering for her...and then the corruptive influence of the dark spells and the mix of chaos and harmony energies within her filled her with an unholy hunger. The pleasure of draining another of their magic and life...she wanted more. So when the others arrived to find out what was going on...she plunged her horn into Rarity's chest and drained her."

A ripple of shock and fear spread through the listeners as Maria continued her tale. "The others were shocked that she would do this, but Celestia knew what had happened. Twilight had lost herself to the dark magics, and her favorite student was no more. This was the start of the rise of Nightmare Sparkle.

"Celestia immediately attempted to engage Twilight in battle, but it was already night, and her powers were weak. Despite all her efforts, Celestia had also miscalculated. When Rarity had been slain by one of her own friends - another Harmony bearer - the power of Harmony had been broken. Even as Luna rushed into the throne room as everyone else fled, Nightmare Sparkle plunged her horn into Celestia's chest...and the sun princess was no more.

"In her rage, pain, and sorrow, Luna gave herself to the darkness inside her...and Nightmare Moon waged war against Nightmare Sparkle. As the two Nightmares become flesh did battle in the skies over Equestria - Moon on her own wings of night, Sparkle on a cloud of magic - it seemed that the full power of night made Moon too strong...but then Sparkle tapped the power she had absorbed from Discord, and turned Night into Day. As Nightmare Moon reeled in shock...the sky opened up and a brand of sunfire struck her down."

Twistie shuddered. "Nightmare Sparkle must have opened a hole in the ozone layer, and Nightmare Moon was cooked by the solar radiation."

Maria nodded, then continued. "She stopped before Nightmare Moon was dead...so that she could, all unhindered, absorb the magic - light and dark - of the fallen Moon Princess. In that moment, black bat wings spread from her back, and the ascension of the dark queen was complete. Tapping the powers of sun and moon, she locked all of Equestria in an eternal eclipse, and almost all plant and animal life slowly began to die.

"The ponies of Equestria - Earth, pegasi, and unicorn - of course staged a revolt, spearheaded by Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had gone after Nightmare Sparkle herself before the eclipse was even in place...but none had seen her since. It was assumed she had been slain...but the truth was far worse. When the Wonderbolts attempted to assault the altered Cnaterlot Castle...the Enforcer was turned loose on them.

"Nightmare Sparkle had bound Rainbow Dash in a dark magic harness which suppressed her will and amplified her physical abilities, turning her into a merciless, tireless killing machine. She tore the Wonderbolts apart. The Enforcer was then sent to where the pegasi were massing...and she slaughtered many, going so far as to target Scootaloo - who tried to reason with her, without success. When Scootaloo would not fight back...on Nightmare Sparkle's orders, one of her wings was torn from her body, and the wound cursed so it would never heal. She was then taken back to serve at Nightmare Castle. This broke the spirit of the pegasi, and most withdrew from the rebellion.

"Nightmare Sparkle dealt with the Earth Ponies herself. After slaughtering several of them, she came across their leaders, the Apple family. She dealt with them quite directly. She beheaded Applejack in battle...and then gouged out Apple Bloom's eyes, before taking her back to Nightmare Castle to serve like Scootaloo. When Big Mac went mad from grief and charged her...she set a fire in his chest cavity that consumed him utterly. The Apple Family's spirit was broken, and with it most of the Earth Ponies capitualted in fear.

"The unicorns were all that was left...and Nightmare Sparkle unleashed her horrors on them. She had taken the magic of the Changeling race and recreated it to serve her. They went out with orders to capture every unicorn in Equestria - colt and filly, stallion and mare, from newborn to aged - and bring them to Nightmare Castle...where Nightmare Sparkle consumed them to feed her hunger for magic.

"At long last, only two of the original Harmony bearers remained, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. As Pinkie Pie sought an answer in old legends, Fluttershy raised one last rebellion by uniting the dragons, the griffons, the manticores, the chimeras, the cockatrices, and all the animal life that remained for one last battle for their land. ...they never stood a chance, as Nightmare Sparkle had become nearly all powerful, and tore their vanguard apart before doing the same to Fluttershy." Maria shuddered, shaking as she tried not to vomit. The others were all shaken violently at the horrid fate described for their mothers in this world...and the world itself.

At last, Twistie asked, "What about Pinkie Pie? What...what did Mom do?"

Maria swallowed hard and managed to continue. "Pinkie Pie had allied herself with Discord, who had rebelled several times against Nightmare Sparkle, but had been drained each time. Discord told Pinkie Pie of one old legend that was true fact, something he feared the use of, but was the only answer. A weapon of unimaginable power, which had the potential to unmake the very world. It was called...Faust's Tear.

"The legend went that, in the days of creation, the Prime Maker discovered something in the fabric of existence that filled her with dread and sorrow, and for a moment caused her to regret her creation, regret making this world of magic. No one knows what it was, but it was only for a moment. However, in that moment, she shed a single tear. Legend claims that all her feelings of regret and despair were infused into the tear, and it crystalized, becoming the gemstone known as Faust's tear.

"Dischord didn't know how much of the legend was true, but he knew Faust's tear existed. It was a stone of anti-magic, that gave off a light that caused magic to fail in its surroundings. If its light shone unchecked for too long, all magic in its vicinity would fail. So he sealed it in a staff, with a shroud made of metal he dubbed discordium, unbreakable so long as chaos and discord existed anywhere in existance. He enchanted the staff so that the crystal could only be unsealed if the one using it betrayed everything they stood for in the act of using it. He felt this meant that it could never be used this way...but Pinkie Pie found it. She would make use of it...to take the life of one of her best friends.

"Discord made one last attempt to attack Nightmare Sparkle, as a distraction. He knew it was the end of his magic, and he would be unable to raise himself again...but it was the only chance to get Pinkie into Nightmare Castle undetected. At first, it seemed as though the plan would work, and Pinkie would use Faust's Tear to break Nightmare Sparkle's power and take her life...but she wasn't alone in the throne room.

"Metal Sonic was there." As everyone gasped in shock, Maria continued. "He sought alliance with Nightmare Sparkle, and was mid negotiations. As he did not run on magic, Faust's Tear did not effect him. Seizing the staff from Pinkie, he knocked her aside...and shattered the crystal. Nightmare Sparkle then obliterated her, and solidified her alliance with Metal Sonic. Early last week, they made their move against our home dimension, seeking to destroy Metal Sonic's enemies...our parents."

As everyone stared in shock, frozen in fear and despair, Snap gained control of himself. "Stardust, get us out of here. We have to get home before Nightmare Sparkle eats our folks!"

Stardust focused his magic...and opened his eyes in shock. "I...I can't. There's only death magic in this world, and I can't use it. And...Harmony doesn't work here."

They all stared at each other...then Snap saw someone who could help. He knew her scnet well. Running forward, he called out to her. "Apple Bloom! Hey, Apple Bloom!"

The mare flinched at the name and turned towards them. Snap and the others flinched at the gaping wounds of her eyes. "Don't use that name!" she said insistently. "If the Dark Queen heard you, she'd kill you, and I'd be whipped. Please, call me Blind, for both our sakes."

Snap shuddered. "Okay...Blind." He nearly chocked on the moniker. "We need help. We need to find magic to get us home. Do you know anything we can use?"

Blind nodded sadly. "Follow me." She led them into Nightmare Castle and down towards the Basement level. Within, what they saw made Cherry Blossom feint and Lotus nearly vomit...and the others weren't much better.

Inside large green pods not unlike what Chrysalis had bound Celestia in during her attempted takeover of Canterlot, unicorns of various ages floated, suspended in clear fluid. "Are...are these the unicorns captured from Equestria that Nightmare Sparkle fed on?"

"No," a broken voice said from within the chamber. A familiar face revealed herself, tear wracked and broken voiced. "With all the Unicorns gone...Nightmare Sparkle used her magic to grow new ones. They're trapped in a magic that suspends their minds in a virtual realm while their bodies grow. This way, their magic grows along with their bodies. When they reach the peak of their magic - or if any show signs of breaking free - they are dumped from the pods. While they're still struggling to use bodies atrophied from non-use...the Dark Queen consumes their magic and life."

"Scoo..." Aurora began, then stopped. "I suppose there's a moniker we're supposed to call you?"

She nodded. "I'm Gimp. But..." Her eyes widened. "Rainbow Dash? But...but you're dead. I saw your broken body. I dragged it to the death fire. How are you..." She staggered forward, disbelieving.

Aurora ran forward to support her. "Easy. I'm not Rainbow Dash. ...I'm her daugher, sort of. We're all from another dimension, and we're trying to get home. ...we know Discord can't reanimate himself, but can you take us to him? Maybe we can draw power from him to get home."

Gimp nodded immediately. "If I can help you get home, I'll do whatever I can. It'll be worth whatever the dark queen would do to me to punish me, knowing I helped Rainbow Dash somehow." Seeming to draw strength from Aurora's presence, Gimp moved towards the gardens. "Come on, Blind." Her voice was stronger as well. ...she had rediscovered hope.

As they followed the two out to the gardens, they saw all that was left was some statuary. The centerpiece was Discord's stone prison...but even from here Stardust could tell there would be no power drawn from him. His magic was all but gone, not even enough to power a Chaos Control to the entrance of the castle, let alone across worlds. A hole in his chest remained from where he had been repeatedly drained of his chaos powers.

Sitting in front of the statue was an Earth Pony with a pink coat and strangely tinted purple and white mane, and wearing a yellow and white propeller beanie. Her head was down, and she was obviously crying. Gimp approached her. "Screwball..." she whispered. Suddenly, the pony began to sing.

"So there you are my Dad, a statue oh so cold so dead
You tore their world apart, and ev'rypony lost their head
Now I must carry on making Choas for you instead
'Cause you are my Daddy Discord and I am a piece of you."

As her voice fell, she whispered, "I miss you daddy..."

Suddenly, Maria was seized by an overpowering compulsion. Her seperation from her parents for so long weighed on her heart and - being a Daddy's Little Girl herself - she felt she had to do something to ease Screwball's pain. Charging forward, ignoring the shocked calls of her brother and the others, she leapt and plunged her horn into the hole in Discord's chest. Magic surged out of her, sending her staggering. Light shone from the hole...and all unnoticed, from her flank.

Discord's chest sealed itself up, and a laugh filled the air as a sense of power focused on the clearing. The laugh caused Screwball to perk up, as a pink light pulsed in Discord's chest, and his voice sang out.

"Please do not cry my dear your daddy is still very here
And when I do bust out we can respread the random fear
Our joy will be their pain as their world drowns in chocolate rain
'Cause I am your Daddy Dischord and you are a piece of me!"

Screwball seemed joyful, but also a bit disbelieving. She began to sing again.

"Remember that one time you took me to that baseball game?
I got my Cutie Mark..."

As she showed the mark on her flank - a screw with a baseball - Discord's voice responded.

"...and things were never quite the same."

They sang together.

"My wild pitches flew driving the ponies all insane
'Cause you are my Daddy Dischord, and I am a piece of you!"

Voices sang out from the statues surrounding them.

"Take me out to your mind game!
If Chaos loses it's a real shame!
SCREWBALL!"

Screwball giggled maniacally, and Discord began to sing again.

"Oh simple spawn of mine without you I would be so lost
You have stuck by my side..."

Screwball gestured sadly to what was left of Equestria as she sang.

"...no matter what the tragic cost."

Discord and his daughter sang together.

"Your crazed imagined thoughts have given me a newfound strength
'Cause you are my Daughter Screwball and I am breaking out of here!"

As this last line was sung, cracks spread over the statue, covering Discord's entire body. Finally, the stone shattered explosively as Discord broke free with a loud roar.

"It's alive! ALIVE!"

Stardust and the others gave Twistie a look.

Twistie smiled sheepishly. "I always wanted to say that."

Not having noticed the exchange, Discord scooped up his daughter.

"I'm free, free once again! May Equestria return to its natural chaotic state! Come my little abomination, we have work to do!"

As he held Screwball close, she sighed happily. "I missed you, Daddy."

After a time, Discord turned to the world. "I...I don't understand. Chaos should have taken hold. Why didn't it? ...why is Nightmare's death spells still in effect?"

Stardust stepped forward. "Metal Sonic did not run on magic. Before Pinkie could slay Nightmare Sparkle, he shattered Faust's Tear."

Discord went as pale as if he were stone again. Pulling out strange instruments, he began rapid calculations and observations.

Meanwhile, Maria turned towards Gimp and Blind. The compulsion that had driven her to heal Discord was still with her, and the power that had flooded out of her filled her. Staring, she focused on that feeling. Her horn glowed...and three beams of pure white light lanced forth, one to Gimp's wing wound, and one into each of Blind's eyes.

As the light faded, Apple Bloom blinked at Scootaloo. "Scoot..." she whispered. "Your wing's back."

Scootaloo flapped her regrown wing experimentally, then stared at Apple Bloom. "AB! Your eyes!"

After a time of shock, they began to frolic together in joy...but an absence in their dance soon weighed them down. The missing pieces of their bodies had been restored...but nothing could restore the missing pieces of their hearts from those they'd lost...like Sweetie Belle, who Nightmare Sparkle had consumed.

Discord had turned to stare in shock. "That...that shouldn't be possible. Healing magic can't overcome the death magic that was in the wounds..." He paused as the light faded from Maria's flank. Her cutie mark was visible, a caduceus balancing a set of scales, with a feather on one side and a skull on the other. "The scales of life," Discord whispered in shock. "A talent for life and death magic in balance...in a unicorn?" He stared at the group. "Who ARE you ponies?"

Gem had learned how to cast the scrying spell, so he reversed it to give Discord the answers he wanted. When his eyes cleared, he shook his head. "I can't begin to imagine the significance of all this just now...but you are right. Getting to your world must be our first priority...for all of us. This world will not survive much longer. Nearly all the Keythreads have been cut."

"Keythreads?" Stardust asked in confusion.

"Individuals that anchor a unique world, allowing it to exist independent of others. If all Keythreads are cut, the world ceases to exist." He shook his head and gathered his power. "Come, Stardust Mail. Cast your spell and power it! I shall guide you home!"

Stardust Mail nodded. "Chaos...CONTROL!"

White light flared around them all, and they vanished.

Nightmare Sparkle lounged on Celestia's throne, the magic of her prisoners slowly draining into her. She smiled as she rode the waves of pleasure. The only thing that would make this more perfect is if Metal Sonic were there as well...but he felt he had to squash any attempts at rebellion through the countryside, and there was the promise to Rarigan about gems. She wasn't sure which pleasure she enjoyed more, draining the life of another...or uniting with Metal. She wondered how it would feel to do both at once.

A white flare appeared in the throne room at the center of the magic circle, shattering it. Nightmare Sparkle shot to her feet in a rage. "WHO DARES!?" she demanded. When the light faded, she was shocked to see her two servants from Nightmare Castle there...free of the death magic she had cursed them with. Eight children accompanied them. She smirked. "So...fallen heroes and children face me? How quaint. What makes you think you stand a chance, when Discord couldn't even defeat me?"

Smirking, Snap pumped his shotgun. "His mistake was to fight you alone. We won't make that mistake."

Twistie giggled. "Ready to fall, Night-Walker Mare Spackle?"

In a rage at the insult, Nightmare Sparkle lunged, and battle was joined.

Although Nightmare Sparkle had a major power advantage, the seven friends had learned how to fight together while they'd passed through Raccoon City, and they surrounded her quickly. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom made use of what they had regained, Scootaloo guarding the air with Gem and Lotus. Aurora did quick hit and run attacks, while Twistie, Snap, and Apple Bloom lay down covering fire. Stardust protected everyone from attack with his sheilds, and Maria used her magic to keep everyone energized. Screwball was nowhere in sight.

Nightmare Sparkle reared in fury, neighing loudly. "This is not the end!" She called forth her hordes. The Changelings were no longer at all endearing in appearance. The holes in their limbs had vanished, and they now resembled a cross between a pony and a komodo dragon, complete with venomous bite. They rose out of the shadows at the call of their queen. "KILL!" she commanded, and they lunged to obey.

Suddenly, Screwball popped up out of nowhere, throwing something to six of the seven children, creating a surge of chaos that left the Shadewings cut off from their queen, lost and disoriented. As Nightmare Sparkle shouted orders at them, a rainbow colored light pulsed, and she turned in shock.

Screwball had retrieved the Elements of Harmony, and the six jeweled artifacts were now worn by their new bearers, the gems changing in some cases to reflect their new bearers. In Gem's case, it took on the form of a heart, as red as a fire ruby. In each of the others, it reflected their cutie marks if they had them, or their mother's if they did not. The rainbow light was the power of Harmony unleashed. It slammed into Nightmare Sparkle after tearing through the Shadewings, destroying them. Nightmare Sparkle screamed in pain as the rainbow light tore through her.

When the light faded and the children slumped to their knees, Maria approached Nightmare Sparkle's body, checking to see what had happened.

"Please..." Nightmare Sparkle gasped out. "Mercy..."

Maria's heart was filled with pain and compassion as she stared at Nightmare Sparkle. Despite everything, all she saw was the bruised, broken, bleeding body of her mother. Her horn glowed softly, and Nightmare Sparkle's body repaired itself somewhat to the point she could move.

Nightmare Sparkle stared up at Maria in shock. "You...healed me. You sweet, compassionate, adorable..." Her eyes flashed red. "...little FOAL!" She lunged, her horn aimed right for Maria's heart.

As Twilight Sparkle, Stardust Mail, and Shadow screamed in fear, a gunshot rang out, and Nightmare Sparkle flew across the room, a massive, bleeding hole in her side, one wing torn completely off. To the side, as the trapped adults were freed, Snap pumped his shotgun once more. "Never show mercy to an enemy, Maria," he whispered. "It'll get you killed."

As parents hugged their children and stared in shock at the newcomers, Nightmare Sparkle groaned on the ground and everyone took defensive positions.

"This...this is not the end." Nightmare Sparkle stared at them all. "My magic remains strong. Harmony tore my body apart...but it could not harm my magic!"

"Quite right," a metallic voice said as Metal Sonic appeared behind her.

She looked up at him, smiling. "Metal Sonic! Help me destroy your enemies!"

Metal Sonic stared at her for a time. ...then a horn shaped spike extended from his wrist and he plunged it into her heart.

As everyone gasped in shock, Nightmare Sparkle stared at Metal Sonic. "But...why? I thought we were allies?"

Metal Sonic smirked cruelly. "I needed your magic, Nightmare Sparkle. At first, that meant I needed you, too...but you made the mistake of letting me analyze your most important spell. Now, while I still need your magic...I don't need you anymore. Goodbye, Nightmare Sparkle." As he drained her magic and life force, he smirked. "You were fun while you lasted."

Nightmare Sparkle stared at him in shock as first her wings vanished from her body, then the red coloration from her mane, coat, and cutie mark. When the red faded from her eyes, she whimpered. "My friends," she whispered, her voice once more that of her old self. "What have I done? I'm so sorry..." The light left her eyes, and her body dissolved into dust.

As Metal Sonic retracted the spike, he turned to the others, grinning as the magic flowed through his body and his foes flinched away from him. Finally, all his plans were coming to fruition, and this time...nothing would stop him.

Nature is Chaos

Nature is Chaos

Everyone backed up slowly as Metal Sonic grinned at them, an aura of mystic energy slowly surrounding him. Sonic was the first to step forward, placing himself between Metal and the others, bracing his hooves firmly. "Well, Metal," he said quietly, "is it down to just you and me now? Or are you going to hide behind more pawns?"

Metal chuckled, a sheer, metallic sound. "How amusing. You think this is still about you and me? Pathetic. I've moved beyond that. Discord showed me the error of my ways, focusing all my efforts on defeating you. You couldn't pose a threat to me now if you tried."

Sonic glowered...then blurred forward, his coat turning golden as his cutie mark glittered and wings sprouted from his back. It seemed he had an advantage...but Metal Sonic caught him by his head and wings.

"Interesting," he whispered, holding Sonic casually in his hands. "It seems you've found a way to enter your Super form without the Chaos Emeralds. Impressive...or it would be, if it mattered." Metal squeezed the hand clutching Sonic's head, and the crack of bone could be heard. Before anyone could react, Metal ripped Sonic's wings from his body and tossed him aside, Sonic's coat returning to blue as the wounds dissapeared.

"SONIC!" Rainbow Dash called in fear, running to his side.

"DAD!" Aurora followed her mother, taking a defensive stance, glaring at Metal.

"You see, Sonic..." Metal seemed to flex his body, and a golden light emmited from him briefly. "The real Chaos Emeralds have been installed in my body for the past ten years. Have you any idea the kind of power that has given me? Can you even conceive of how strong it has made me...how pathetic you are now in comparison? Once you were my rival, your destruction my purpose. Now you are but an insect, to be brushed aside like all others!"

"I THINK NOT!" an enraged voice shouted, and the top of the throne room tore away and was tossed aside. Rarigan stared down at Metal. "You see, we had a deal. All gems of the worlds we conquered to belong to me...remember?"

Metal glowered up at Rarigan. "The Chaos Emeralds are not a part of that arrangement."

Rarigan snorted. "Did you take me for a greed blinded fool? Did you really think I ever trusted you...when I knew you hid gems from me from the first day? You betrayed Nightmare Sparkle. I have no intention of waiting for you to betray me!"

"Now see here-" Metal began, but Rarigan lunged forward, snatching him up in her jaws. Before he could respond, she swallowed him. The lump of his body traveled down her long neck and into her stomach.

"That takes care of you quite nicely," Rarigan said happily. "Before too long, those Chaos Emeralds will be properly digested, a part of my body forever. In the meantime, though, I think it best I begin MY empire." Grinning, she turned towards the cowering ponies, advancing slowly. She paused however, staring at Gem, who had shifted to his halfway state for battle. "Who..." She pulled back momentarily, seeming stunned, and a pink and white gemstone fell from her grasp.

Suddenly, a blue and gray spike erupted from her chest, causing her to shriek in pain. "You know, I think you're right," Metal Sonic's voice said coldly. "The Chaos Emeralds work MUCH better in your body. Your draconic ability to absorb them completely - combined with your natural talent of Gem Affinity - will allow for continuous, maximum usage of the Emeralds power...so I think I'll take your body for my own, if you please. ...or even if you don't!"

More spikes erupted from her body, and metal spread across her, consuming her flesh as she shrieked in anguish. As everyone flinched backwards, the crystal she had dropped shimmered...and shattered. A white unicorn with pink and purple mane lay on the ground, breathing heavily, her eyes shut tight.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" Applebloom and Scootaloo dropped their weapons and rushed forward, pulling one they'd thought lost back out of the way of danger.

Sweetie Belle looked up at them. "A...Applebloom? Scootaloo? But...but Rarity ate you. I...I saw..." She turned back and gasped in shock. "RARITY!" She tried to struggle towards Rarigan as she thrashed, but Applebloom and Scootaloo held her back.

Stardust approached Sweetie Belle. "I take it you are from the dimension Rarigan called home? ...I hesitate to ask, but...can you tell us how this came to pass?"

Sweetie Belle cried as she watched her older sister thrash in agony. "It...it was for Spike. Rarity was in love with him, and they were wed, but...they weren't able to have any children. It was determined that...ponies and dragons weren't cross compatible. But Rarity was determined that she and Spike have a child together, because Spike would outlive her by centuries. She wanted a bloodline descended from the two of them, so that...whenever Spike woke from one of his century long naps, there would be living proof that their love had been real, that it wasn't just something he dreamed. But...magic couldn't turn a dragon into a pony, not even for a short while." Her tears flowed more freely. "Then Discord approached her. He offered an alternative...to turn her into a dragon. Then, not only could they have children, but they could be together forever. She accepted, and it seemed to work flawlessly...until she got back to her boutique, and someone tried to commision a jewel studded dress." She shuddered. "She went out to gather the gems...and started to grow, and hoard. She gathered all the gems she could find, be they dug up or stolen. Spike tried to reason with her, get her to stop...and she lashed out at him, consumed by her dragon greed. He...the blow from her claws took him across his throat, and he died in her arms, her horn no longer having the power to heal." She hid her eyes in her hooves. "She wailed her grief for weeks...and when it finally stopped, all that was left was her greed."

As the story had been told, the metal had continued to consume Rarigan's flesh. Only her head remained her own. Her eyes took on a strange softness as tears fell. "Spike..." she whispered, her voice filled with love and pain. "I'm so sorry..." She closed her eyes as metal consumed her face. Eight blood red eyes opened in their place, as Metal Dragon spread his wings and roared in triumph, taking wing into the air.

"Do you see what you are dealing with now, pathetic fools?" Metal Dragon demanded, rising into the sky as he reached inside, tapping into the power of the chaos emeralds.

"I believe that's my que," Discord spoke as he appeared in the air before him. "I'll take this dance."

Metal Dragon laughed, and when he responded, his voice was singsong.

"I must admit,
Your parlor tricks are amusing"

He easily danced around Discord's attempts to strike him down. A top hat appeared on Discord's head.

"I bet you've got a bunny
under your hat!"

When Discord pulled the hat off, Angel Bunny fell out of it, looking shocked to be back in Equestria.

"Now here's your chance
to get the best of me,
Hope your hand is hot!"

He formed a bullseye on his chest, laughing at Dischord.

"Come on clown,
Let's see what you've got!"

Discord blasted him with raw power, but it didn't even reach him as the Chaos Emeralds energized, pushing the power back.

"You try to slam
With your hardest stuff
But your double whammy
Isn't up to snuff"

Metal backhanded Discord, sending him flying, as Screwball called out to her Daddy in fear.

"I'll set the record straight
You're simply out of date
You're only second rate!"

Discord attempted to attack with his lion's paw, striking physically, but Metal easily deflected it.

"You think your cat's a meanie,
But your tiger's tame
You've got a lot to learn
about the chaos game!"

Metal blasted him backwards with a blast of power that covered Discord with singing flowers.

"So for your information
I'll reiterate
You're only second rate!"

Metal swung towards Discord, using one finger to first flatten him, and then another to flick him away.

"Men cower at the power
In my pinky
My thumb is number one
On every list!
But if you're not convinced
that I'm invincible,
put me to the test!"

Discord shook himself off and changed his shape, appearing as a giant Sonic the Hedgehog to attack Metal.

"I'd love to lay this rivalry to rest!"

He easily forced Discord back into his own form.

"Go ahead and zap me
With the big surprise
Snap me in a trap,
Cut me down to size"

Metal danced around Discord, happily making a fool of him.

"I'll make a big escape
It's just a piece of cake
You're only second rate!"

Discord was plainly struggling, as the chaos fields he drew power from - those of Nightmare Sparkle's world - were too far away to give him strength.

"You know, your hocus-pocus
Isn't tough enough
And your mumbo-jumbo
Doesn't measure up"

Metal laughed at Discord's struggles, treating him like a pest.

"Let me pontificate
Upon your sorry state
You're only second rate!"

Metal began waving his arms, conjuring chaos in various forms to further humiliate Discord.

"Zaba-caba-dabra!"

Granny Smith suddenly appeared, tickling Discord.

"Granny's gonna grab ya!
Alakazam-da-mus"

Metal seemed to swell into immensity.

"And this thing's bigger than the both of us!
So spare me your tremendous scare!
You look horrendous in your underwear!
And I can hardly wait
To discombobulate"

Discord fell back from another blast, seeming to fall to pieces.

"I'll send ya back and packing
In a shipping crate
You'll make a better living
With a spinning plate
You're only second rate!"

Metal laughed insanely as Discord fell back, barely pulling himself together. It looked like the end...but then Discord seemed to fluctuate, as after images surrounded him.

"What?" Metal Dragon demanded, raising a hand to strike.

Discord suddenly surged into the air, expanding into immensity.

"Don't you disrespect ME, little man!"

The power was different, much stronger now, and Discord looked ready to kill.

"Don't you derogate or deride!"

Discord snapped out his hands, and the very fabric of the world flinched at the sheer force of chaos he unleashed.

"You're in my world now,
not your world"

Holes tore in the air around Metal, revealing howling vortices, and streaks of varicolored light began to flow out to surround Metal.

"And I've got Friends on the Other Side!"

Familiar voices echoed from the lights.

"He's got friends on the other side."

Discord smirked at Metal. "Sound familiar, do they? I'd bet. Their blood's on your claws, after all."

Discord floated idly backward, gathering power to himself.

"We've reached the end of your fable,
I am the God you must appease!
But with all your deeds you've enabled me to do anything I please."

Discord popped one eye out, holding it like a crystal ball.

"I have seen your future,
And I'll change it round some, true.
I'll look deep into your heart and soul..."

Discord paused, glancing at Metal Dragon. "Well, soul anyway..."

"Turn even your dreams against you."

Discord reached out, seeming to gather power as he sang.

"I've got Chaos
I've got Harmony
I've got things I ain't even tried!"

He conjured a chair from mid air and sat, smirking as Metal struggled impotently against the lights.

"And I've got friends on the other side!"

The colored lights flared more brightly as they sang.

"He's got friends on the other side!"

Discord pulled out a deck of strange Tarot cards.

"The cards, the cards, the cards will tell,
Your past, your present, and your future as well.
But even without the cards, you see
that your future ended when you tangled with me."

Drawing forth the cards, he revealed one that had an image of Metal Sonic when he was first built.

"Now you young man, were built for power and greed!
You come from an assembly line of imperial creed!"

A card showing Metal's first attempts at world conquest.

"Your ambition was high..."

Big Macintosh sitting on a fallen Metal Sonic.

"But the Fates said 'Nope!'"

Another card, showing Nightmare Sparkle.

"So you looked up a honey
whose magic was dope!"

Discord smirked. "You know, she could have been more than just a tool or pawn, if you'd let her."

Metal Dragon sneered his contempt. Discord shrugged, and continued his song, showing cards of Metal's interactions with Nightmare Sparkle.

"If you hadn't betrayed her,
You might have still had time.
She'd have been loyal all her life."

Discord paused, then shrugged his shoulders, holding up cards of Eggman and Sonic..

"But you betrayed your father,
and were made to kill your brother."

He rolled his eyes.

"Who am I kidding,
you had no heart for a wife.
And now your future, what's left don't you see,
Is short, depressing, lonesome and bleak."

Discord floated over as the lights seemed to shift away from Metal's hands.

"Now I've done deeds, too
So shake my hands."

He extended both hands.

"Won't you shake a fellow sinner's hands?"

Metal's hands shot out, trying to seize Discord, but Discord caught them pulling something out of Metal Dragon and casting his spell in its place.

"Yes!"

The light's swirled, taking on the faces of Nightmare Sparkle, Rarigan, and the fallen of their two worlds, destroyed to feed Metal Dragon's appetite for power.

"Are you ready?"

"Transformation central!"

The lights began to pull Metal Dragon towards the vortex. "Transformation central!"

"Damnation central!" Discord declared, as his skeleton leapt out of his body, leaving only his eyes in the skull.

"Damnation central!"

"Straight to Tartarus central!"

The spirits began to pull Metal Dragon apart as he was dragged through the vortex.

"Can you feel it?
You're changing, you're changing, you're changing all right!
I hope you're satisfied.
But if you ain't, don't blame me."

Discord's eyes flared in fury. "It's you who put my friends on the other side!"

Rarigan's voice called out to Metal. "You got what you wanted!"

Nightmare Sparkle's shade dragged him through. "But you lost what you had!"

The vortecis slammed shut on Metal's howl of impotent rage, leaving behind a deadly hush.

Discord floated down to the ground, the afterimage appearing around him again before seeming to fade away. He stared at the location of the vortex Metal had vanished through. Celestia approached him, still weak. "You...you sent him to Tartarus?"

Discord nodded. "He is in the land of the dead now. And good riddance to that monster."

Celestia nodded. "What an evil machine..."

Discord flinched. "...I've blundered. I've blundered badly."

"What do you mean?"

"Metal Sonic was designed to take any power he encountered that didn't destroy him and make use of it. You know how powerful the world of the dead is!"

"But..."

"And machine's are NON-LIVING things."

"Sweet mother..." Celestia stared at him. "What can we do?"

Discord shook his head. "The only thing we can do. What we've been leading up to here whether we knew it or not. It's time...time to wake the seventh Element."

Life is a Miracle

Life is a Miracle

"Discord, are you INSANE!" Celestia was pale, sweating, and looked like she was about to faint. "Wait...you aren't my Discord. How do you even KNOW about that? You're the Discord that came here with Screwball from Nightmare Sparkle's world."

"Not quite correct, my dear," Discord said, his voice as calm and collected as ever. "With the death of Nightmare Sparkle, the last of her worlds Keythreads was severed. Her world was slowly collapsing in on itself. The Discord from that world thought to burn his life force for the strength to defeat Metal Sonic...but realized he was the only thing allowing the other elements brought from his world - such as his daughter - to continue to exist. His strength had been mostly expended bringing the children home. So he struck a deal with me." Discord smiled as he seemed totally relaxed as always. "He took that which made him distinct and seperate from me, and made it a part of me, feeding his power and essence into me as well. I'm both him and me now. I'd be referring to myself as we, but that's Luna's schtick."

"We are unamaused," Luna said from the side, standing up as she finished healing Sonic.

Celestia shook her head. "That explains why you were able to overpower him so easily, and how you know about the seventh element...but you also know why it's crazy to even consider it!"

Twilight stared in shock. She'd never seen Celestia look like this. In fact, the last time she'd seen any pony in such a state...it was her own reflection, the day she feared being late in sending her mentor a friendship report. "Celestia, what's wrong? What is the sev-"

"Not now, Twilight!" Celestia snapped, her eyes not leaving Discord. Everyone stared in shock as Twilight staggered backward. Celestia didn't seem to notice. "Discord, you know why we can't use it! You know how dangerous it is! Why would you even think we could dare-"

"Before you go any further," Discord interrupted, "I suggest you take a close look at Maria's flank. It has some new decoration."

Twilight turned, excited. "Oh, Maria! You got your Cutie Mark? Let me see." As Maria turned to show off her Cutie Mark, Twilight gasped. "What an interesting design! I've never seen a Cutie Mark like that before. I wonder what it represents." She turned. "Celestia, any ideas?"

Celestia was staring at Maria's Cutie Mark like she'd seen a ghost...or the enactment of a doomsday prophecy. "Mother's Mercy, protect us," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"As you can see," Discord said smoothly, "the Fates are on our side in this."

Celestia rounded on him, shaking in fear. "But still, Discord! You know how dangerous this could be! If the power goes awry, it could strip the living energy from the entire world!"

"And if we don't use it, Metal Sonic WILL break free from Tartarus and do exactly the same thing with the power of Death...and he won't stop with our world." Discord looked strangely...focused. "It's your choice, Celestia. You're the only one who can retrieve it from its resting place. The makers made sure of that. If we do this, the worst outcome ends with the destruction of our world...and only our world, as he will be trapped in a circle of unlife, unable to escape. If we do nothing, we face the destruction of ALL worlds. If this works, he's destroyed and everything's hunky dory. Well?"

Celestia shuddered. "I don't like this..." Celestia turned her eyes to the sun as the moon moved aside, letting the light shine.

"Don't worry, Celestia," Discord said with a smile. "I have a plan."

Celestia looked at him sidelong. "THAT'S what worries me," she said flatly, and her horn began to glow. A bright light shot from the sun to the ground. Sitting on the ground was a shimmering gold chest, not unlike the one that held the six Elements of Harmony normally.

Discord walked forward. "Gather round, kiddies, it's story time." He stood before the chest. "In the beginning of days, the Great Makers created Equestria using the Seven Elements of Harmony. The first Element brought life to the entire world. The second - magic - gave certain forms of life the ability to understand their world and manipulate it to a certain degree. The remaining five gave them a physical and moral awareness, making those entities the driving force that moved the world forward, allowing it to grow. The five plus Magic have been used by you ponies for any number of threats to the world." He stared down at the golden chest. "While the Makers knew this was right and proper for Harmony to be used as such, they knew that the Seventh Element - the First Element - was too dangerous to be trusted to mortals. It had given life to the world...and as such, could easily be used to strip that life away. So they sealed it in a special chest and placed it in the center of the sun. Only a pony who could manipulate the sun in its entirety - and knew of the chest - could retrieve it...and it was made so that only the essence of chaos could open it." Reaching forward, he touched the chest, and it slowly creaked open. "Mares and Gentlecolts...I give you the Element of Life."

Everyone stared in awe at what lay within the chest. While the other elements were necklaces or a crown, this element was a full saddle, clearly meant to be worn across the entire body. The back of the saddle - lying across a pony's spine - was a caduceus. At the shoulders, a scale bar swung outward. On chains to the right hung a feather; to the left hung a skull. The entire thing glowed, as it was made of pure gold and star touched crystal.

Maria was the first to speak. "It's...it's my Cutie Mark..."

Discord nodded. "That's right, Maria. Your special talent...is the magic of Life and Death. You were able to use your magic to bring Screwball's father back to life, when without your aid he would have been trapped eternally in his stone prison, powerless. And then, you purged the death magic in the wounds of two others, restoring both eyes and limbs. That is rare and powerful magic. That it should be your Cutie Mark...proves that it is your birthright to wield this Element." He waited for a time, then looked sharply at her. "Take it, Maria. No one else dares touch it."

Nodding, Maria walked forward. Her horn glowed, and the Element levitated out of the chest and placed itself around her small frame, shifting to fit her snugly. She shivered. "It feels...cold and warm at the same time."

Discord nodded. "Life...and Death."

Celestia turned to Discord. "The Element of Life is tied to both Harmony AND Chaos Discord. If she wields it in conjunction with the other Elements, the power will be out of balance!"

Discord smirked. "Then it's a good thing I swiped these back from Metal, isn't it?" Seven glowing, familiar gemstones floated out from his body to orbit him like a halo.

"The Chaos Emeralds!" Sonic, Shadow, Tails, and Rainbow Dash shouted together.

"Of course, the sheer power of Life is more then mere Chaos could balance," Discord continued. "So they'll need a bit of a boost." He glanced up at the air, where a ripple ahd appeared. "Right on schedule, Doctor."

A massive sphere of white light expanded. When it vanished, 36 Egg Carriers appeared, towing Angel Island in the center of them, now floating in the skies above Canterlot. A small craft floated down from the front Carrier - which was clearly the flagship - and landed gently in front of them. On board were several dozen fierce looking robots that made E-123 Omega's arsenal look like an Egg Pawn. In front of all of them stood a dark brown pony with no mane and a bushy mustache wearing a long, flowing red overcoat.

"Fluttershy? Cherry?" The voice coming from the pony was unmistakable. "Are you alright?"

"We're just fine for now, Ivo," Fluttershy responded. "But are you sure you brought enough troops?" She glanced up at the Carriers. "I would have thought you'd bring the whole fleet."

"This is a rescue mission, not an invasion," he replied calmly as everyone boarded the craft. "Besides, that would leave Mobius defensless should we fail here. Besides, I think over 3,000 Egg Angels is more than enough."

"Egg Angels?" Sonic said, obviously holding in laughter. "Isn't that a little off for your usual naming, Eggman?"

Fluttershy smiled. "He based their design off my very own Angel Bunny in his Mobian form. Wasn't that sweet of him?"

As Sonic fell silent, Lotus Blossom chuckled. "Wow Dad," she said to Ivo, "and here I thought it was only YOU Mom had whipped."

That started a laugh out of everyone, leading Twistie to playfully punch Lotus Blossom. "Hey! Laughter's my schtick, noob!" More laughter.

They flew in through the caverns of Angel Island, coming to rest in a chamber filled with crystals. A large crystal pedastel held the Master Emerald, surrounded by seven large dips, looking to be able to hold gems of the same size. Flying forward, Discord placed a Chaos Emerald in each Cavity, then waited.

There was a bright flare of multicolored light...and the Super Emeralds glowed brightly. Suddenly, the entire world began to shudder.

"He's breaking through," Discord whispered.

In the distance, a hollow, echoing voice called out, "Are you ready?"

"We're not ready!" Discord snapped. He cursed under his breath. "I'll hold him in Tartarus as long as I can. Kids, each of you get on top of one of the Super Emeralds. Once everything's in position, call on the power of the Emeralds and the Elements...simultaneously!" He flew outward.

The youngsters ran forward to get into position, their parents calling out last words of encouragement.

"Time to finish the job, son!" Fang called out. "Make him eat lead!"

"Now make sure you come back in one piece!" Applejack called. "It's Apple Buckin season next week, and I won't hear of you ditchin!"

"Go get him Twisty!" Tails called.

"Make him die laughing!" Pinkie shouted, doing a back flip.

"Be careful Gem!" Rarity called.

"Show him he crossed the wrong dragon, son!" Spike's voice was filled with a fierce pride.

"Cherry, Lotus...go punish that bad boy," Fluttershy told her child calmly.

"Show him he'll never beat the Robotniks!" Ivo called.

"Aurora! Fly fast, fly hard...fly free!" Rainbow Dash had tears in her eyes as she watched her daughter take her place on the emerald.

"Show that faker who's the real hedgehog! ...pony...hedgepony ...dragon...you know what I mean!" Sonic cursed himself silently for fumbling his words, but grinned when his daughter laughed.

"Stardust, Maria...you are the children of Ultimate Life!" Shadow told them fiercely. "Show that machine what that really means!"

"I'm so proud of you both," Twilight said quietly. "I know you'll save us all. I believe in you!"

As the children smiled at their parents, they closed their eyes and called on the power. They floated upward as the Super Emeralds began to spin around the Master Emerald, becoming a circle of rainbow Light beneath them. Then, without warning...the Super Emeralds shattered! As everyone gasped in shock...the emerald fragments gathered, coalescing around the Elements of Harmony.

Around the Element of Honesty, the emerald fragments expanded into a full suit of futuristic body armor. Weaponry of all sorts was built in, as Snap tested each as it appeared. The power of Chaos and Harmony had turned him...into Dead Lock.

Around the Element of Laughter, the fragments became a corona of light, generating limitless power that took shape randomly as guided by Twistie's thoughts. Twistie had become...Chaos Star.

Around the Element of Generosity, the fragments fused into the body of the bearer. A full fledged dragicorn erupted outward, fueled by the full strength of Magic and Might. A monster forged to save the world...Gem had become Grendel.

Around the Element of Kindness, the fragments became a flowing white robe that cascaded around Cherry's body and altered her form. As she faced forward, she had an angelic beauty as the power of chaos glowed from within her. But when she turned around, Lotus Blossom's face showed from the back of her head, grinning with cruelty. Cherry and Lotus Blossom had become...Yanus.

Around the Element of Loyalty, the fragments became a part of Aurora's living flesh, amplifying her speed and power. Slowly, a spiral horn extended from her forehead, casting a silver sheen over her body. A chill wind wrapped around her body, the rainbows of her mane becoming cold as ice. Aurora had become...Boreas.

Around the Element of Magic, the emerald fragments became a suit of paladin armor, amplifying the magic of the bearer. Projectors on each hoof amplified his shield spells to be projected to anyone he could sense at full strength. Stardust Mail had become...Galaxy Knight.

Around the Element of Life, the fragments became only an aura of power, amplifying the magic contained within. Maria's form did not change, only grew in power until she knew she could accomplish her goals. Nothing would stop her now.

As the transformation completed, the world shuddered, and Ivo pressed some buttons on a control mechanism. "I've detailed equal squadrons to follow each of you. This fight will be the toughest yet...tougher than any your parents faced. But I know you can do it."

The children nodded to their parents. Galaxy Knight lifted his head. "Chaos Control." The children warped from the caverns to the outside.

The sky was torn open, and a howling void screamed from beyond, hungering for the world of life. Extending from it was a metal monstrosity the likes of which they had never seen. Eight arms extended from within the void, each weilding a cruel scythe in the hand. No legs were visible, and the arms were unattatched to the extended torso. The head was strangely extended, looking not unlike that of a xenomorph. Upon the face were no less than thirteen mouths, each with an eye inside.

A voice echoed from the creature, but not from any of its many mouths. "You have changed. So have I. I will not fall so easy this time. I am Metal Reaper. Your souls are mine." With an unearthly roar, it lunged, swinging its scythes.

The children scattered. *We need a plan of attack!* Galaxy Knight thought to the others.

*Command the troops!* Yanus spoke in Cherry's voice. *I'm going to get some more help. This isn't just our battle!* She vanished in light as she went in search of further aid.

The battle engaged in earnest. Each of the six remaining children commanded hundreds of the Egg Angels, which - while they were unable to do much damage to the Metal Reaper - were able to prevent it from emerging any further into Equestria or doing damage to the world as a whole.

Dead Lock pounded with every weapon at his disposal. "We aren't doing any damage!" he snarled into his com link.

"Keep it up!" Chaos Star cried, laughing, as she bombarded Metal Reaper with everything she could imagine...including an entire kitchenette. "We'll figure something out eventually!"

"I'm not able to do enough damage!" Gem cried in frustration. His breath attacks didn't even faze the monstrosity.

"My shields won't hold forever!" Galaxy Knight admitted. "If we don't get a plan soon, this is a losing battle."

"Don't give up hope!" Maria cried. "This body is just a shell. The only thing we can really damage is Metal Sonic, the true self inside this thing. If I can get inside..."

Aurora shot upward into the air. "I think I can help you there. Just hold him still!"

"We don't have enough power for that!" Dead Lock cried in frustration.

"I'm givin it all she's got, Captain!" Chaos Star replied.

A sudden hush fell, and they turned. Amassed on the frontier...was a massive force of Ponies, Griffins, Wolves, Dragons...and no less than 12 Ursa Majors. Floating before them, Yanus faced her kind face towards Metal Reaper, but it was Lotus' voice that spoke.

"Alright, you animals! The death of the world is at hand! If this battle fails, we are all dead! Know that we are dead from this moment, and only victory will bring us back to life! For your friends, for your kingdoms, for your children, to victory!"

"YEAH!" a white Pegasus with a heavily muscled body and tiny wings with a dumbbell cutie mark cried, pumping his hooves.

"It's make your Mama's proud time!" Yanus shouted agin.

A familiar red and gold dragon cried in a deep voice, "I love my Mama!"

"They say it is madness to battle death!" Yanus called out. "I say...THIS...IS...EQUESTRIA!"

As the amassed force charged forward to assault the Metal Reaper, Chaos Star called out to Yanus over comlink, "*giggle* Otaku!"

The amassed army didn't try to do damage. They simply lunged forward, latching onto any mobile piece of the Metal Reaper, holding what they could grab in place through sheer force of determination, numbers, and magic. Seeing that it was working, Galaxy Knight commanded all Egg Angels to do likewise. With this much force holding him back, Metal Reaper was stalled...but he was still struggling. "Now, Boreas!" he called.

*Maria,* Boreas thought in her mind, *I'm gonna give you your opening.* A hollow screaming could be heard from the sky, and everyone looked up.

A streak of Rainbow Light descended from the sky, glowing brighter and brighter. Already beyond a Sonic Rainboom, Boreas sought the next threshhold of speed that the magic of Harmony and Chaos could grant her. Already, she saw everything ahead of her slipping into shades of red, as all that fell behind her stretched into shades of blue. Gathering all her energy for a single moment, just before she impacted the Metal Reaper's back...she boosted.

There was a resounding crack as Boreas leapt into light speed, punching through Metal Reaper leaving a massive hole...and then making a full 180 degree turn just before hitting the groun without losing an ounce of speed, catching the monstrosity on the chin, sending it rocking backward. "NOW MARIA!" Boreas called out.

Maria needed no second urging. She dove, streaking into the hole just as it closed up. Within the beast, she powered through, following her senses until she came to the heart of the beast...inside the skull.

The inside of the skull was arranged like a cross between the bridge of a starship and a throne room. Cables crisscrossed the floor, writhing as power and information flooded through them. In the center of the room floated an apparition that looked like Metal Sonic's original construction configuration...but had no substance. His eyes opened.

"So," he said calmly. "It seems you have found me. Now what?"

Maria floated forward. "Now we end this."

He grinned at her. "I don't know if you've heard...but I'm a non-living soul. You have no power over me."

"Not exactly, Metal Sonic." Maria gestured to her Cutie Mark and the Element of Life. "I know my myths, and not just those of Equestria. In Egyptian mythos, before you can enter the afterlife, your heart - your soul - is weighed against the Feather of Truth. When I saw my Mark and the Element of Life were Identical, I was reminded of the myth. It's time for your soul to be weighed, Metal Sonic." The feather glowed, and Maria's horn glowed with pure white light. A beam lanced forward and struck Metal Sonic's soul.

He staggered back, clutching his chest in pain. "What...what did you do to me?"

Maria smiled sadly. "I gave you life. Now I give you warning. End this. Sever your ties to the power of the underworld. You can still be saved."

Metal Sonic snarled. "Why would I want to be saved...when I'm winning? Already your forces tire holding me at bay. Soon I will overwhelm them completely!"

Maria sighed. "Did you know that, before the invasion, Nightmare Sparkle had worked great magics that WEREN'T tied to death, but to life?"

Metal Sonic's eyes narrowed. "What has that to do with me?"

Maria glared at him, her eyes hard. Deep inside, he shuddered at the intensity of that gaze. "Everything, Metal Sonic...because when you drained her of her life and magic...more than one soul was destroyed, more than one life snuffed out!"

Metal Sonic flinched back. "YOU LIE!"

"Never, Metal Sonic. It was why I healed her...and why I must now do this." Her horn glowed again...but this time, it was a black and purple miasma, with a red glow filling her eyes and the skull glowing. "For your unborn!" A beam of black light shot forth, impacting Metal Sonic's soul.

He screamed in agony as the life he had just gained was ripped from him. Following the trail of death, the souls of all he had slain and caused to be slain seized him, dragging him by his very soul through the gates of Tartarus, and his vaunted body began to fall to pieces as he was dragged to his fate, with no way to escape this time.

From outside, everyone was shocked at the soul shattering scream ripped through the air. The Metal Reaper began to fall apart, the pieces dissolving into the ether and sucked back into the Underworld. The scream and the overwhelming force of power went on and on...and then, in a blazing flash of light, the portal closed, and the world returned to normal.

As everyone cheered, the young heroes settled to the ground. The Chaos Emeralds seperated from them, their power expended for the moment, and they staggered as they felt their power deplete and they returned to their normal forms. Gratefully, they fell into their parents welcoming embrace as the cheers went on and on.

As Twilight embraced her son, however, she glanced around. "Where's Maria?" she asked, afraid. "Where is she?"

Stardust's eyes went wide in fear. "She...she was inside it..."

"Fear not, Twilight Sparkle," Luna's voice spoke from the air. "Your daughter has come to no harm. She is still among the living.

Luna glided down to the ground gently, Maria curled up on her back in a restless doze. Luna's horn glowed as magic spread from her to Maria, sparing her sleep from troubling dreams of what she had done.

Epilogue: End of Pain

It took quite a bit of time to clean up the mess left behind by the battle with Metal Reaper. The count of the dead was staggering, and just finding and treating the living was a greater burden then anyone could believe. Eventually, however, Equestria once more slowly approached something resembling normalcy.

The other races gathered for the final battle by Cherry and Lotus Blossom returned to their home lands. The ponies struggled to rebuild, but it was a hard time, and the absences of the dead were keenly felt. However, they managed to overcome with the help of their princesses, and aid came from the Crystal Empire to strengthen and rebuild, as none of Metal Sonic's forms had been able to penetrate the joined magics of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, as empowered by the Crystal Heart.

In addition to ponies who had been lost, homes needed to be found for those whose homes had been destroyed, and those who had come from worlds that existed no longer...and those ponies had to deal with what they had lost.

Three ponies from other worlds had joined with each other in their shared pain to heal each others wounds, although they no longer felt able to take up the names they had been born under, and had taken new ones, with new looks. Apple Wilt had bleached her red mane and tail white. Moonwing had dyed her mane a deep cyan, in memory of her fallen hero from her own world. Belle Noir had dyed her pink and purple mane black. The three of them had taken to living together in the old Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, and earned their keep helping out on the farm at Sweet Apple Acres.

Screwball had taken the change from her own world quite well. Her bond of chaos to her Daddy still beat strong within her, and she thus knew him as her Daddy. Discord took care of her, keeping his promise to his other self. Celestia also lent a hoof, and it wasn't long before Screwball was calling her, "Mommy."

Most of the former bearers of the Elements didn't live in Ponyville anymore. Only Applejack still lived at and ran Sweet Apple Acres, and Rarity had yet to reopen her boutique. As such, all six families were staying in Canterlot palace, staying close to each other and slowly healing the wounds the nightmare had inflicted.

The new Harmony Bearers dealt with the responsibility - and battle aftermath - in a variety of ways. Snap Lock had accepted that the mission was over, and carefully placed the Element of Honesty back in its case. Cherry Blossom would have returned the Element of Kindness as easily...but its power was so strong in her that she felt it always, and managed to misplace the necklace. Gem returned the Element of Generousity, placing it back in the case with reverance. Twistie had to be badgered into giving the Element of Laughter back...and to stop pulling it out of wherever she kept pulling her jetpack.

Tails actually then ran a genetic comparison to see if, somehow, the blend of Earth pony and two tailed fox had made Twistie somehow related to Discord. The result was inconclusive.

Stardust Mail gladly gave up the Element of Magic, feeling he was too young for the responsibility. Maria could not shed the Element of Life fast enough, and begged Celestia to keep it as far away from her as possible.

While Stardust could feel some of the pain his twin was going through because of their close ties, he couldn't begin to understand it. Although Maria wouldn't talk to anyone about it, when she wasn't found in the company of friends or family, she was invariably with Princess Luna.

After nearly six months of sadness slowly healing, Pinkie Pie and Tails were discussing the situation while Twistie slept.

"This has hit us all so hard," Pinkie said quietly. "I mean, we won, but at what cost? I don't see how we can ever get past this."

Tails nodded, but he smiled at their sleeping daughter. "Twistie's been a big help there. I don't know how she keeps getting a hold of the Element of Laughter. Even Discord tried preventing her, and she wound up pulling HIM out of her mane, too." Tails chuckled as he remembered this. "I haven't heard everyone laugh that hard in years."

"Well, she IS the Element of Laughter," Pinkie said, rolling her eyes as she looked down on her daughter with pride.

"Just like her mother," Tails said, nuzzling Pinkie's neck.

Pinkie leaned into the caress...then shot straight up. "That's it! Tails, you're a genius!" With a fierce hug, Pinkie dashed off.

Tails blinked. "I knew that," he said, somewhat perplexed, but happy.

The next day, a huge arguement could be heard between Pinkie and Twilight.

"Pinkie, I don't see what the point is of making a fool of myself in front of everyone!"

"But Twilight, it's for the party to make everyone smile and laugh again! Don't you want to see that?"

"Of course I do! But...really, an eyepatch and fake teeth? How is that supposed to work?"

"Just trust me, okay Twilight?"

"...*sigh* alright...I just wish this plan of yours made sense."

"...Twilight, it's me. Since when have I made sense?"

"...are you sure you aren't related to Discord?"

"...you know, now that I think about it, I'm not sure. I mean, I could be, we are a lot alike after all, and he IS immortal, so he might be somewhere in my family tree, I'll have to look that up-"

"...Sorry I asked..."

That afternoon, Pinkie gathered everyone in the throne room. "Okay, everypony!" she shouted. "It's time to turn those frowns upside down! It's time for a PARTY!" She pointed at the music ponies she'd gathered. "Hit it!"

They began to play as Twilight came out...wearing an eyepatch and costume monster teeth. As the music began, Pinkie Pie started singing.

"Well I saw the thing coming out of the sky"

She danced over, gesturing to Twilight's features.

"It had one long horn and one big eye"

"Finkie," Twilight complained through the fake teeth.

"I commenced to shakin' and I said oo-wee
It looks like a purple pony eater to me!"

"Finkie!" Twilight tried to shout, but everyone was laughing too loud as Pinkie began her crazy dance steps.

"It was a one eyed one horned flying purple pony eater"

The gathered ponies sang along.

"One eyed one horned flying purple pony eater"

Pinkie started a moonwalk strut.

"One eyed one horned flying purple pony eater!
Sure looks good to me!"

Twilight rolled her eyes, fighting a grin, as Pinkie went into the next verse.

"Well she came to my town and she lived in a tree
I said Miss Purple pony eater don't eat me"

Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were laughing well at this point, and their joy was growing infectious.

"I heard her say in a voice so gruff"

Pinkie held a cue card in front of Twilight, and she struggled to read it aloud through the fake teeth. "I wouldn't eat you cauf you fo tough."

Pinkie started dancing on her fore hooves...on the celieng.

"She was a one eyed one horned flying purple pony eater"

The others tried to sing along through their laughter.

"One eyed one horned flying purple pony eater"

Pinkie started doing the macarena.

"One eyed one horned flying purple pony eater"

She struck a pose, pointing at Twilight.

"She sure looks strange to me"

"Finkie!"

Undetered, Pinkie continued to sing.

"I said Miss Purple pony eater what's your line
She said eating purple ponies-"

Glaring, Twilight playfully zapped Pinkie Pie, turning her purple.

"-and it sure is fine
But that's not the reason I came to land"

Twilight bumped Pinkie aside, grabbing the mike.

"I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band!"

Grabbing a guitar, she started strumming it. Pinkie started singing again.

"Well bless my soul rock and roll flying purple pony eater
Pigeon toed under-growed flying purple pony eater"

"Finkie!"

"One eyed one horned she was a purple pony eater!"

Jumping up, Pinkie shed the purple color in a spinning flip.

"What a sight to see!"

Pinkie jumped on stage with her other friends as they all started grabbing instruments.

"Well she jumped out of the tree and she lit on the ground
She started to rock really rockin around
It was a crazy ditty with a swinging tune"

Twilight sang out loud, finally used to the fake teeth.

"Wop bop a lula wop bam boom!"

Pinkie continue to sing.

"One eyed one horned flying purple pony eater"

Rainbow Dash sang out.

"One eyed one horned flying purple pony eater."

Applejack sang next.

"One eyed one horned flying purple pony eater."

Rarity rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Ooh, she sure looks strange to me."

As everyone laughed, Twistie flew into a flurry of action. She constructed a large box resembling a TV in front of Twilight and the others, and they could be seen through it. She then grabbed the mike and started singing.

"Well she went on her way and then what do you know"

She pushed a button on the set, turning the "TV" to "On".

"I saw her last night on a TV show
She was blowin it out and really knockin em dead
Playing rock and roll music through the horn on her head!"

Taking the cue, Twilight set a record on her horn and spun it, causing music to fill the air magically, setting another frenzy of laughter going. Everybody started whooping it up and having a good time, the last traces of sorrow slowly washed away by laughter.

There was only one face not fully lifted by the party, as Twilight noticed someone missing. "Have you seen Maria?" she asked Princess Luna.

Luna nodded. "We saw her heading for the stairs, towards the observation deck. We shall check on her." Luna then proceeded after Maria. She found her laying on the deck, staring at the stars.

Maria turned. "Hello, Princess Luna."

Luna nodded. "Maria, your mother is worried about you."

Maria lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry her. I just..." She shook herself a bit. "The party was a bit loud for me, so I came up here to watch the stars."

Nearby, a snort of laughter drew their attention. "You're a lot like your mother, then." Spike landed carefully on the deck, folding his wings. "When we first came to Ponyville, Pinkie threw a huge party to welcome us...and she barely stayed for any of it!" He chuckled. "You have no idea how hard it was to get her to start opening up to ponies."

Maria smiled. "It's not that, Spike. I just...needed some fresh air. I felt...enclosed in there."

Spike nodded. "Well, if you want anything from the party - food, drink, your folks - I'll send em up. I'd better get down there before Gem sets something on fire." He raced down the stairs.

Luna sat down next to Maria. "What you were forced to do to Metal Sonic...it still bothers you, doesn't it?" As Maria's head shot up in shock, Luna shook her head. "No, we do not read minds. We read faces. We have had the same look on our own face when we contemplate our sins as Nightmare Moon, and seen it on our sister's face when she thinks of the moment of our banishment."

Maria nodded. "The others don't really understand. I had...other options there. I could have given Metal Sonic a flesh and blood body and only banished the monstrosity that was Metal Reaper back to Tartarus. But...I'd seen in his soul that he had no guilt for his actions, no remorse. What...what I told him might have changed him, given time...but it was too big a risk, since his flesh and blood body would have been able to tap his old powers eventually." Maria shuddered. "I did what had to be done...but I still wonder: was there another way?"

Luna nuzzled Maria. "This burden of guilt...I know it weighs heavy upon you. No words can take that away or ease it...but know that you will not have to bear it forever. All pain eventually fades...given enough time." Luna got back to her hooves. "Come, we should get back inside."

Maria looked up at the princess of the night. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to stay out here a while longer. You and Mom did such a beautiful job with the moon and stars...I'd like to admire it for a little longer."

Luna smiled. "Very well. We will tell your mother where you are." With that, Luna returned downstairs.

Maria sighed as she watched the moon make its way across the night sky. "All pain fades in time...huh?" Glancing down at her side, her horn glowed. The illusion she'd placed on her body faded briefly, and tightly folded wings became visible. They had been there since she had wielded the Element of Life's full power. She would talk to her Mom and Dad - and brother - about that...eventually. But she would choose her time. "I guess," she said to herself as she restored the illusion, "I have nothing but time."