Envy and Arrogance

Chapters

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter One
Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

When Pinkie stepped into the hazy image, vibrant colors suddenly blinded her. Various fragrances and pleasant smells wafted around her nose, but at the same time greatly overstimulated her senses, leading her to stumble backwards before gaining her bearings. When Pinkie finally did recover herself, there seemed to a mist hovering over her mind. What’s going on?

When she finally opened her eyes, what she saw shocked her into next week.

It was a party. Ponies of all shapes and sizes were laughing and frolicking throughout what looked to be a grand castle. Streamers and confetti blew through the air as colts and fillies chased each other up and down stairs in a playful game of tag. The ceiling towered above Pinkie and ended in a skylight, but this was just the lobby of what appeared to be an enormous castle.

“It’s a party!” Pinkie laughed. “Hey, girls...!” Pinkie turned around to see that her friends had vanished. “Um... where did everypony go?” They probably just went off to join the party. And I don’t blame them; this looks like a super amount of fun!

Pinkie bounced down the carpeted stairs of the lobby toward the front gate, awed by the great amount of ponies that had attended this grand celebration. In the lobby alone there must have been dozens that were laughing, chatting, and snacking on the sweets that lined numerous tables all around. Pinkie’s mouth watered when she saw one of her favorite treats, a fresh-baked triple-chocolate brownie.

Not hesitating, Pinkie delved into the sweets. Yummy!

“Ugh, that’s so rude, stuffing your face like that,” a voice behind Pinkie said.

The pink earth pony turned around, but nopony looked like they were paying any attention. Huh? Disregarding the insult, Pinkie set the sweets aside and made her way to the dance floor. Everypony there seemed to be enjoying her Quadruple-breakdance-somersault-cartwheel until she heard another voice.

“No talent at all. No form, no nothing,” a voice said from behind Pinkie’s back. “What a waste. You should just go home.”

“Huh?” Pinkie asked. She carried on regardless, but soon became tired and moved on to the snack bar.

Glancing around, Pinkie now noticed various ponies were snickering at her. I just thought they were having a good time, she sighed. They’re laughing at me.

Absently, Pinkie stumbled into a white earth pony mare. “Oh, sorry!” she said.

The mare glared at her with a gaze so cold that the Pinkie stumbled backwards, landing on her rear. Laughter could be heard all around. The mare slowly advanced on Pinkie, her gaze colder than an arctic wind.

Everypony there was laughing at her, at her mistakes, and at her clumsiness. The white mare’s eyes turned to daggerlike slits.

Whispers traveled from around the room to Pinkie’s ears. You are a pathetic waste of space and an idiot. Who invited you to the party? Ugh, what a loser. Did you actually think you deserved to come here without an invitation? Nopony likes you. Nopony even cares for you. It wouldn’t matter to any of us if you dropped dead.

You don’t belong.

Pinkie was on the verge of tears as she stumbled back to her feet. “H-Hey, I know!” she said. “Let’s have a contest to see who can look the scariest! I’ll go first.” Pinkie prepared her best glare and looked at the mare with fiery intensity.

The mare didn’t even blink. She simply glared back at Pinkie.

“Aw, it’s no fun if you don’t play!” Pinkie said. “In fact, how about we all play?” Pinkie felt her mind clear up a tiny bit, the haze starting to evaporate.

Pinkie took turns feigning anger and disgust at each of the members of the party, who gladly participated. Soon the party was in full thrall again. The pink earth pony turned back to the white mare.

“Aren’t you going to play? It’s wouldn’t be as much fun without you!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “Don’t you know how to laugh?”

Pinkie yelped as her mind readjusted suddenly. The hazy image she had walked into returned to being just that: A hazy image with shapes and sounds that sounded only slightly similar to actual ponies.

*******

Pinkie stepped out of the misty figures that danced about her, slowly backpedaling to the shaky path. The solid black space above and below the tiny island returned as her vision and mind cleared completely. The image broke apart bit by bit to form runes that sailed off into the distance. Only a few stayed to form the jagged shape of Verba.

“Yeah, yeah, um, pretty nice job there, Linky,” Verba began, looking at a clipboard that was also made out of multicolored runes. He pushed his glasses--also rune-based--back up on the bridge of what may have been a nose.

“It’s Pinkie Pie!” she corrected, “and don’t you forget it, mister!”

“I’ll be sure not to,” Verba chuckled, tossing the clipboard over his shoulder. It broke off into its base components and sailed off on an invisible wind.

“Where are my friends?” Pinkie asked indignantly, not afraid to show off her meanest look right in Verba’s face.

“Hey, hey, we’re all friends here,” Verba defended, taking a step back. “They’re back at the ruins. And did I mention how well you did, um, what’s your name?”

“Hmph! Thank you very much,” Pinkie said before bounding back off along the path.

“Jeez Louise,” Verba muttered, chuckling as he watched Pinkie hop toward the ruins. “She’s always quite the character. Wish she remembered me,” he mumbled before breaking down into dust.

=====================================================================

Twilight gasped as she awoke, though she quickly regretted it due to her sore throat. After she finished coughing, she examined her surroundings. There was a bowl full of water in the middle of what looked like an ancient library. Bookshelves lined the walls, and two staircases wound their way to the top of a spire above her. There was a golden aura about the area as bright amber light cascaded through the windows into the small room.

Standing up, Twilight looked outside through the windows to see nothing but a barren desert as far as the eye could see.

“Any news?” she heard a voice ask from nearby. She turned to see a dark brown stallion who was conversing with a series of brightly colored lights. They chattered a bit before vanishing.

“You’re awake,” he observed, not turning around to face her.

“Who were you talking to?” Twilight asked. “And where are my friends?”

“That was my helper. He communicates with me on the happening of the realm. As for your other question or questions... we’ll see if I can answer them,” he said, paging through a tome in front of him. He brushed his shiny black mane behind his ear. “However, before I provide any more of my answers, you need to give me some of yours.”

“Why should I? You haven’t given me any reason to trust you,” Twilight said, taking a step back.

“You have every reason to trust me,” the stallion said calmly, turning around and finally meeting Twilight’s gaze. His eyes had no pupils; they were simply white irises. “However, if you do not answer my inquiries, I will not be able to help your friends.”

“J-Just... Just tell me where they are a-and I’ll tell you everything you need to know,” Twilight promised, though she was severely off-put by the stallion’s eyes.

The stallion chuckled. “I was hoping you could tell me.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, confused.

“I have been trying to find you and your friends for quite some time now,” he began. “However, when you descended into my realm, you were the only one I could find. The others were stolen from my view.”

“Why were you trying to find us?” Twilight asked.

“I was trying to find you before your world collapsed. Or, rather, the copy of that world,” he added.

“Huh?” Twilight asked.

“You were in suspended animation. For how long, I’m not certain,” the stallion explained. “Tell me--you are aware that you are the Elements of Harmony, correct? What are they?”

Twilight stared at him warily. “My friend Applejack is Honesty, Pinkie Pie is Laughter-”

“Humor,” the stallion interrupted.

“Huh?” Twilight asked. “No... She’s Laughter. It says so in the Elements of Harmony reference guide.”

He raised an eyebrow, and he rubbed his chin. “There isn’t any reference guide... At least, there isn’t supposed to be a reference guide that I know of... At any rate, the Element of Humor is what you should call it, if you want to be precise.”

“Okay...” Twilight trailed off. Continuing, she said, “Rarity is Generosity, Fluttershy is Kindness, Rainbow Dash is Loyalty, and I represent the element of Friendship, or Magic.”

The stallion nodded. “Right. Do you know anything else about the Elements of Harmony?”

Twilight searched her mind. Hmm... well, we weren’t told much other than that. I don’t remember reading anything...

“Anything at all?” the stallion asked.

Twilight was put on edge by his demeanor. He seems really desperate. “Um, no. Should I?” Twilight asked.

The stallion shook his head and sighed. “Never mind.” He paused. “Are you aware of any other Elements?”

“No,” Twilight said.

The stallion exhaled. “Are you aware of my importance in the Elements of Harmony?”

“No…?” Twilight trailed off.

The stallion seemed agitated as he ran a hoof through his mane. “Do you know the alphabet, basic sentence structure?!”

“What is the point of all these questions? Of course I know the alphabet!” Twilight exclaimed. “If you want me to know, why don’t you just tell me?”

“You should have known all of this already,” the stallion said frustratedly. “What is going on?”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you know?”

The stallion shook his head, his glistening mane falling over his face. “You are already supposed to know all of the things I’m asking you about; telling you about them now would be useless. Celestia should have told you! It’s her responsibility!”

A powerful force washed over Twilight, making her shiver. “...Wh-What’s your name?” she asked hesitantly.

The stallion looked at her. “My name?”

“Please,” Twilight persisted.

“Obsidian,” the stallion said. “It appears times have changed since my last assignment. The Elements must not have been needed for a very long time.”

“No, that’s not true!” Twilight exclaimed. “Just over a year ago, my friends and I had to defeat Nightmare Moon with the Elements!”

Obsidian looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Nightmare Moon?”

“Yes,” Twilight said. “Nightmare Moon possessed Princess Luna one thousand years ago, but she escaped recently and we had to stop her.”

Obsidian’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “What did this… ‘Nightmare Moon’ look like?”

Twilight rubbed her chin, deep in thought. Why is my memory so fuzzy? “She looked a little like Luna. Okay, not really. She had a jet-black pelt and a pale blue mane. She was an alicorn, too. Um… her cutie mark had the same pattern as Luna's, but was green and purple instead of white and black. That’s all I remember.”

Obsidian stared at Twilight. “And where did Nightmare Moon come from, originally?”

Twilight was put off guard by the sense of urgency in the stallion’s tone. “I read in an old book that she was the sum of the bitterness and envy in Luna’s heart. That’s all I know, I swear.”

But Obsidian wasn’t angry. He wasn’t resentful; that certainly wasn’t the expression that was shown in his eyes. He didn’t even look like he needed any more information out of Twilight. What she said had been enough.

Obsidian’s eyes were alight with fear. A fear that was penetrating and real.

=====================================================================

*******

Pinkie bounced into the abandoned throne room to find her friends lying on the ground, unconscious.

“What happened?” she asked aloud, rushing over to Fluttershy. “Say something, Fluttershy!”

The yellow pegasus twitched a bit, her eyes opening slowly. “Wh-Where am I? Pinkie, is that you?”

“I think so,” Pinkie said, taking a glance at her hooves. “Yep, it’s me! Are you okay?”

Dash sat up and rubbed her head. “Ugh, what just happened? All I remember is trying to go into that misty whatever and then waking up here.”

Soon Applejack and Rarity were awake as well. Rarity was trying to get her hair to settle after laying on it for so long. Applejack stretched her stiff limbs while Pinkie told them what had happened.

“So we’re bein’ tested, is that it?” Applejack asked. “An’ we can’t do nothin’ but watch an’ wait while our friends are in danger?”

There was a great flash of light in the middle of the room. Glowing blue text started to appear on the carpet.

Those who triumph over their tests
Have endless positive hopes and dreams.
Ending Guilt is an important skill,
Unless you want to end your team.

“What an uplifting little poem,” Rarity muttered. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“I guess we have to keep on going,” Dash said, stretching out her wings. “Maybe then we’ll get some payback on the jerk that put us in here.”

“So what path are we takin’ next?” Applejack asked. “The orange one?”

“We might as well,” Rarity sighed, trying to fix her mane. It’s going to take forever to get this sand out of my hair. I want to go home right this instant.

“Um, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked. “How h-hard was your test?”

“Easy-peasy, why?” Pinkie chirped.

“Because we’re all going to be tested, right?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“Don’t worry about it!” Pinkie said, giving Fluttershy her biggest, brightest smile. “Let’s go!”

The group started down the empty orange path. When their hooves first touched the unstable, fragile pathway, though, they found that they were in a dank tunnel.

The walls of the small corridor were dark, black, and eerie. Echoes and cool wind blew through the corridor, and the group was put on edge by clinks and shinks that resounded from invisible sources.

Rarity quickly put a hoof over her nose to try and drown out the smell. “Celestia, that’s foul!” she coughed, wrinkling her nose. “Are we in some kind of sewage drain?!”

“Wouldn’t be surprised, from the look a things,” Applejack said.

“If you’ll excuse me, I shall be waiting back in the throne room,” Rarity said before turning around and slamming into the wall of the tunnel.

“Um, I-I don’t think we can go back,” Fluttershy stammered.

“What is this, some kind of cruel joke?!” Rarity whined, clawing at the now-solid wall. “I’m going to smell like dirt by the time I’m out of here!”

Fluttershy tried to wave the smell away from her nose, but it was ever-present in the area. Oh, I hope that isn’t what I think it is, she thought, eyeing the puddles of unknown substances on the ground.

“Well, this ain’t gonna get any better if we just sit here,” Applejack said. “We better git goin’.”

Somewhat reluctantly, or in Rarity’s case extremely reluctantly, the group started to traverse the narrow corridors. Aside from the smell and ambiance of the tunnels, the journey progressed rather smoothly with every squish and squelch of the group’s hooves.

This is NOT how I expected to spend my day, Rarity groaned to herself as she stayed in the shallowest regions of liquid possible. It really couldn’t get any worse.

After a few hours travel, Applejack spotted something in a long and winding tunnel. “Huh?” she asked herself. Is that a mare? Better go check. Picking up speed, she ran after the unknown entity.

Dash yelped as she smacked into an invisible barrier. “What?”

Pinkie pawed at the invisible wall. It moved suddenly, and she was thrown off balance.

“What’s this?” Rarity asked.

“It’s following Applejack!” Dash realized.

“But... What’s Applejack following?” Pinkie asked.

“I dunno,” Dash growled, “but we’d better go find out. C’mon!”

*******

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

*******

“Hey!” Applejack called after the shadowy mare. “Git back here!”

The brown mare continued through the winding sewer maze, artfully avoiding the increasingly frustrated Applejack.

“Are ya scared a me or somethin’?” Applejack asked. Ugh, my mind’s feeling awfully strange for some reason.

“Me? Scared of you?” the mare laughed, her voice bouncing off of the walls of the corridors. Her slitted eyes glowed in the darkness. “Why would I be scared of you? Aren’t you a perfectly nice little farmer mare?”

“Hey!” Applejack yelled as the mare disappeared from view.

“You’re so perfect,” the mare giggled, but with sarcasm dripping off her every word. “You’ll catch me even faster than Rainbow Dash.”

“An’ ya know Ah will! Slow down!” Applejack complained, exasperated. “What’re ya runnin’ from anyways?”

“The most powerful pony in Equestria,” the mare said from behind Applejack. The orange mare whipped around only to see a hazy shadow of the mare she had been chasing.

“Huh? Whaddaya mean?” Applejack asked.

“You aren’t very loved, Applejack,” the mare continued. “Ponies should treat you with more respect, considering all you do for them. You’re the backbone of your group, somepony to lean on. Why shouldn’t you lean on them from time to time?”

“Well... Ah guess,” Applejack admitted, trying to keep track of the misty image floating around her. Unknown to her, darkness was slowly weaving through the air toward her head.

“You have so much wasted potential,” the mare said, her silky voice simultaneously annoying and calming Applejack. “Have you ever tried to do anything you know your friends would reject? Something they would say you couldn’t do?”

“N-Not recently,” Applejack stammered. She shook her head. “Look, Ah just wanna find ‘em and get outta this mess. An’ if you can’t help me do that, then skedaddle.”

Applejack turned to leave, but the mare stopped her. “I know where they are,” she said.

“Huh? Where, then?” Applejack asked. “Did you take ‘em?”

“I can tell you where they are,” the mare began, “but first... I need a favor.”

Applejack thought for a moment. “Name it.”

Applejack’s friends stared in shock and horror at the scene unfolding before them. The sewers slowly faded away to reveal Applejack walking through a hazy illusion, though the unseen barrier remained steadfast no matter how they poked and prodded at it.

The mare led Applejack deeper into the sewers, chatting with her along the way. Applejack’s mind became cloudier as the journey went on. Whatever this mare throws at me, she thought, I’ll smack it back at her so fast she’ll wake up on the other side of Appleloosa.

“I’m in a bit of a predicament,” the mare admitted, pointing toward a large, black void at the edge of the sewer. It was as if the entire world warped out of existence for a few meters, resuming as if the gap wasn’t present. “I need somepony to get across that gap and grab my saddlebags from the other side. Would you be willing to lend me a hoof?”

“Hmm... Ah ain’t sure,” Applejack said, tentatively looking over the edge of the pit.

“You could also prove two things at once,” the mare encouraged. “I’m sure your friends would never allow you to make this jump. They don’t think you could make it half of the way across. But you can show them, Applejack. You can make this jump, and when your friends find you, you will be a hero. To them, and to yourself.”

Applejack recovered her resolve and pawed her hoof on the damp floor. “Ain’t no little crack in Equestria that’ll stand in mah way,” she growled.

“Of course, if you want help, I’d be more than willing,” the mare offered.

Applejack shrugged. “Nah... Ah’ll be fine.”

Rarity watched in shock as Applejack prepared to make the jump. Applejack will have to jump thirty feet or more! Is she insane?!

Applejack gave herself a generous running start of about ten feet before rushing to the edge and taking a leap of faith that ultimately fell short. The orange mare screamed as she fell into the abyss below.

“Toodle-loo,” the mare grinned before vanishing.

A wind started to blow as bits and pieces of the surrounding area were torn off, slowly disappearing into nothingness. Slowly, the sewer revealed itself to be just another island in empty space.

Letters and symbols seeped up from the ground to form the incomplete form of a pony. Verba shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don’t think that’s the way to be the Element of Honesty.”

“Where’d you take Applejack?!” Dash demanded.

Verba turned to face the group. “I didn’t take her anywhere. This Void plays by the Submaster’s rules.”

“Well, who’s that?” Dash growled, trotting up to Verba and staring him directly in the eyes.

“I’d tell you, but I’m not allowed,” Verba shrugged.

Dash grasped Verba by the shoulders and got directly in his face. “I’m giving you five seconds to tell me where Applejack is!”

“I’ll give you that amount of time to find a toothbrush.” Verba broke apart, and, lacking a hoofhold, Dash fell flat on the ground. Verba reconstructed himself a few meters away.

“You’re really asking for it!” Dash seethed.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. AJ’s fine; she just failed her test, so the Submaster has to place her in holding. She’s only in danger if you all fail,” Verba explained dismissively. “Satisfied?”

“Not until I see her for myself!” Dash insisted.

“For Celestia’s sake, Dash, calm down!” Rarity begged. “Verba has already given us much more information than he should have. As long as we know that Applejack’s okay, we should focus on rescuing her!”

“But we don’t know that she’s okay!” Dash protested. She turned back to Verba. “Give us some proof!”

Verba laughed. “Jeez Louise, you’re less trusting than-”

“Verba.”

Dash jumped at the new voice and swung her head to the side; however, she didn’t see a pony. She saw a hazy, black shape with the texture of thick fog. Its eyes, though, were bright beacons of light.

“That’s enough,” it said.

“Who invited you to the party?” Verba asked coldly. His expression was difficult to place; it could either have been anger or fear.

“You’ve said far too much already; it’s my duty to intervene,” the apparition explained sternly. “Return to the Dissonance immediately.”

“Says who?” Verba challenged. “You’re only here because of my-”

“Evanescunt!” it suddenly shouted, thrusting its hazy hoof toward Verba. A powerful blast of humid wind broke Verba into pieces and carried him away.

“I must apologize for my companion,” the apparition said. “He says far too much for his own good.”

“I guess you won’t give us any explanation either, huh?” Dash muttered.

It chuckled. “That would compromise the test.”

Dash slammed her forehooves on the ground. “What test?!”

“If you weren’t informed beforehoof, I can’t really be blamed, can I?” the apparition asked. “I can tell you that your friend is safe, at least for now. Only if two more of you fail will she be banished into oblivion.”

“Right, your whole evil speech thing,” Dash growled. “Save it. You’re going to tell me, one way or another.”

“D-Dash?” Fluttershy stammered. “I... I hate to be a bother, but now might not be the best time...”

“Not now, Fluttershy!” Dash yelled, silencing Fluttershy.

“I must say that I agree with Fluttershy,” Rarity protested, stepping between Dash and the slightly amused apparation. “We are above trying to solve our problems with violence.”

“S’not like they’re giving us much of a choice!” Dash argued, glaring at the figure past Rarity.

“If I may,” it began. “If you truly want to fight me, go on ahead. However, it won’t do you any good. I don’t technically exist at the moment.”

“What does that mean?” Dash asked.

“See for yourself,” it said, offering its hoof.

It’s got to be a trap, Dash thought, eyeing the apparition's outstretched limb. Pinkie, however, didn’t see it that way. Slowly approaching the apparition, she inched forward until her hoof met its. It never actually did, though; Pinkie’s hoof passed through the apparition as if it was made of vapor.

“Neat!” Pinkie giggled, pressing her hoof through the apparition’s head.

“That’s enough,” it said, backing away from Pinkie. When she persisted, it vanished and reappeared behind Fluttershy, sending the poor mare straight up into the sky.

Fluttershy squeaked, hovering several meters above the dirt island. It... It can warp?

“A little high-strung,” the apparition observed. It motioned to its body. “This is only a projection. I shall be meeting you very soon, but until then, I would suggest continuing with your tests.”

He turned to leave, but Rarity asked, “Fine, we will. But in the meantime, will you at least be a gentlecolt and offer us your name? There’s really no reason why you should keep it from us.”

“Yeah, who are you, really?” Dash asked.

It paused. “I am the first and only Element of Honesty.”

He vanished.

"But..." Fluttershy breathed. "That's impossible..."

“Applejack is the Element of Honesty!” Dash exclaimed. “He must have a screw loose or something.”

“It didn’t look like it was lying,” Rarity said, confused. “But…”

“Is there more than one set?” Pinkie asked. “Is it from an alternate dimension?”

Rarity shook her head. “If there were, wouldn’t we know about it?” She paused. “Then again… I think there are quite a few things we don’t know.”

“Like why we’re here,” Fluttershy said. “And if Applejack r-really…”

“No,” Dash said, shaking her head. “I know she’s okay.”

“How do you know?” Rarity asked.

“She can’t be just... gone,” Dash murmured, shaking her head. “We’re all best friends, aren’t we? So that means we’d know if any one of us were hurt! I know that Applejack’s alright, okay? She’s got to be.”

“Y-Yeah,” Fluttershy agreed, wiping her eyes. “So what now?”

“I want to find Verba and that other pony!” Pinkie suggested. “Maybe we can finally find out why we’re here, and how to get out!”

“Maybe next time I can force some answers out of them,” Dash growled, turning toward the main island. “They’re not getting away so easily next time.”

=====================================================================

*******

“Umm…” Twilight began, gazing out of the library’s window into the desert. She had been trapped in one room for hours. Although she didn’t seem to get hungry, thirsty, or the like, it was boring just sitting there, and a little irritating.

A breeze wafted through the air as Obsidian walked into the room. He quietly settled on the couch and gazed at the ceiling, ignoring Twilight.

“Any chance of me getting out of here?” Twilight asked him.

“Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to leave this room,” Obsidian said sadly.

“Obsidian, I’m starting to get a little frustrated,” Twilight said. “You dragged me out of Ponyville to who knows where. This doesn’t look anything like the world I knew, so I want some answers. First of all, where in Equestria am I?”

Obsidian paused, contemplating his answer. “You were not in Ponyville, Twilight. That was an illusionary world conjured by an unknown source.”

“An illusionary world?” Twilight asked, bewildered. “Then…”

“I was trying to free you,” Obsidian began, “and I was successful. I can release you into the real world whenever I please.”

“Then why haven’t you?” Twilight asked. “I could get Celestia or Luna. They’d be able to help find the others!”

“I’m not sure if the real Celestia and Luna even exist. They were supposed to introduce you and your friends to me when you were just fillies. They were supposed to be training you to be an Element of Harmony. You don’t even know the basics and were trapped in a false dimension when I found you. I’m not even quite sure if you’re the real Elements of Harmony, because you aren’t wearing your necklaces,” the stallion explained. “I have no greater ire than taking unnecessary risks. Until I find your friends, you will stay here with me.”

“And just how long will that take?” Twilight asked.

Obsidian chuckled absently. “Anywhere from a couple hours to a century.”

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

*******

The group of four approached the throne room.

“So, that was all just an illusion? You know, the sewers?” Dash asked. “It looked and felt so real.”

Rarity was downcast, but she tried to raise the group’s spirits. “We should hurry and find Applejack. I’m certain she’s alright; after all, who knows if this place is anything like the real Equestria?”

Fluttershy was shaken at the loss of Applejack. She bit back sadness and tried to swallow her fear going forward. We know we can fail now, she thought. We had better be more careful as we move on.

The eerie path floating in empty space slowly broke away as the quartet cantered down the amber path. Well... guess we’re not going back there, Pinkie thought, solemnly glancing back at Applejack’s illusion.

They made their way back to the palace to see another verse written on the floor.

Never give in to your Arrogance
While trying to solve and pass your test.
All those who fall to her whims and desires
Regret the day they said they’re the best.

Dash resisted the urge to spit on the carpet. Applejack isn’t like that at all. I blame Verba’s magic for making her take the jump. Dash ushered the group forward.

There wasn’t much speech as the group made their way across the empty island that surrounded them.

I feel really weird all of a sudden, Dash thought as she absently chose the bright crimson path, which was the closest. There’s a tightness in my chest, but I don’t know why.

Dash was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice her surroundings slowly changing. The black abyss that once forbade her now welcomed her with a soft blue color. The gravelly, rock-hard ground transformed into grass, and the blue sky was swept over with a carpet of stars, all glittering daintily. It was a wide-open plain with calm skies and dotted clouds.

“You’re here.” A voice next to Dash observed.

“Huh?” Dash responded, turning around. She saw a shadowy pony, similar to the one that Applejack had encountered, except that this one’s face was completely barred from view by a black fog that swirled around its head. It had an ominous and uneasy air about it.

“Now, you must decide,” the figure stated.

“Wait, who are you, again?” Dash asked.

“I am the sum of your doubts and fears. I am what you assume to be true, and what you disregard as obviously false,” the pony said. A shimmering white gate opened behind it, and a young filly galloped out. She was a bright orange pegasus with a spiky purple mane, similar to how Dash’s hairstyle. Her eyes lit up when she saw Dash.

“Scootaloo?” Dash asked in shock.

“Dash!” Scootaloo exclaimed, bounding up to her idol. “Where have you been? It’s been, like, two forevers!”

“But I was only gone a couple hours... wasn’t I?” Dash asked.

Scootaloo shook her head. “No, more like a few days. But it’s okay, because I found you, and you can go home now!”

Dash looked at the shadowy visage that stood stalwartly by its gate. “Wait, I can actually leave now? For real?”

The pony stared at her, wisps of smoke travelling from its forehead. “Leave through the gate, and you will find yourself back where you belong. Where that truly is, I cannot say, for I do not know.”

“That’s easy; I belong right back in Ponyville! ...Maybe with a Wonderbolt uniform, but I kind of want to earn it, so you can save that until later,” Dash said, turning around. “Let me just go get my friends and tell them the news. I’ll be back here in ten seconds, tops.”

“What about Applejack, and Twilight?” the figure asked. Its expression was invisible, but Dash thought there was a smug edge to its tone. “Leave now, and they will be trapped forever in the Void.”

Dash stomped her hoof. “Fine, I’ll go save them, then I’ll come back.”

“There is no guarantee that she’ll be saved,” the pony warned. “Why not save what friends you have left when you have the chance?”

“Because I don’t leave anypony behind!” Dash retorted. She glanced at Scootaloo. “You’d better get back home until I finish up here.”

“But I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Scootaloo protested. “What’ll I tell the others? They’ll never believe me if I told them you were staying; some of ‘em already think that you’ve abandoned them, but I’d never give up on finding you!”

Dash gave Scootlaoo a noogie. “You never would. Trust me, Scoot; it won’t take too long to get in and out of here.”

“But if you stay, you could... you could...” Scootaloo wiped her eyes. “I-If you don’t come back, then I’ll go with you!”

Dash looked in her eyes, smiling slightly. “Scootaloo, you need to stay safe with your friends, and I need to protect mine. I’m not going to abandon you or anypony else in Ponyville, but... I can’t abandon Twilight or Applejack, either. I’ll be back before you know it, okay? Trust me.”

Scootaloo nodded shakily. Looking back once more, she stepped through the shimmering white doorway.

“Is this your final decision?” the mysterious gatekeeper asked.

“Yeah, it is. Now where are my friends?” Dash asked.

She felt a sharp pain in her forehead as her mind readjusted to her surroundings. Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! She stumbled backward, but was greeted by her friends.

*******

“Bra-vo, Dashie,” Verba said as he slowly pieced himself together nearby. “That test isn’t too easy nowadays. Maybe you have a chance after all.”

“Glad you think so,” Dash grumbled, rubbing her forehead.

Verba glanced around. “Guess there’s nothing left for me here. Enjoy your tests.”

He turned to leave, but Dash said, “Wait, I want some answers first.”

Verba didn’t bother to face her. “Look, unless you beat me at Friday night’s blackjack, I don’t owe you anything.”

“I’m navigating your Void, I’m beating your tests, and I’m playing your game,” Dash argued. “Just give me a few answers in return! ..Please,” she added. “I need to know.”

“...Hmph,” Verba said, finally turning to face the group. “So you do know your manners. Honestly, it wouldn’t have surprised me if you were raised by Diamond Dogs. Fine, then. One question and one question only.”

Dash bristled at Verba’s remark, but managed to keep her tongue in check. “Where’s Applejack?”

“Um, duh?” Verba scratched his head. “Didn’t I already tell you? She’s being kept at the Submaster’s.”

“Where’s that?” Dash asked.

Verba snorted. “Wait, you actually want to go out there? Your wings would fall off before you even got out of the Void, and the Submaster isn’t even in the regular Equestria.”

“Just tell me!” Dash exclaimed, exasperated.

“It won’t matter too much in the end,” Verba shrugged. “And jeez, Dash, she’s only in temporary custody. Hear that? Temporary. If Fluttershy and Rarity both pass their tests, sure, you’ll have a few red Xs on your report card, but Applejack’ll be delivered to your hooves safe and sound.”

“We have to keep moving forward, Dash!” Pinkie urged, tugging on Dash’s shoulder. “The sooner we teach these big meanies who’s boss, the sooner we can have Applejack and Twilight back!”

“See?” Verba asked. “All’s well that ends well. And, uh, good luck, ‘cause you’ll need it,” he added before breaking down and floating up into the sky.

Dash waited for a few moments before saying, “I guess that’s that.” She sighed, flexing her wings. “You’re right, Pinkie. Applejack really is only a few short tests away.”

“I... I don’t think you’re taking this seriously enough, Dash,” Fluttershy mumbled.

Dash looked back at Fluttershy, not hearing her statement. “What, Fluttershy? I didn’t hear you.”

“How are we supposed to make it out of here? M-My test could be next, and... and I think I might let you down,” she continued, biting her lip.

“Fluttershy, there’s no way you can let us down now!” Dash exclaimed. “Look, just don’t worry about it. Don’t let Verba get to you.”

“Dash is right; don’t overthink this,” Rarity cautioned.

“B-...But how am I supposed t-to pass?” Fluttershy asked, trembling. “How am I going to convince Verba that I’m worthy?”

“Well, if it’s a test of worthiness, you have nothing in all of Equestria to worry about, Fluttershy!” Pinkie encouraged. “All you have to do is be you, and Verba’ll see that you’re the best pony he ever met!”

“...But what if I don’t?” Fluttershy finally asked.

Dash put a hoof on her shoulder. “You will. Trust me. I know a winner when I see one.”

They sat for a moment, trying to collect themselves.

“What now?” Rarity asked. “Are we actually going to play into this lunatic’s hooves?”

“No choice,” Dash sighed. “It’s not like we have any real power in this whole thing.”

“I miss home,” Fluttershy sniffed. “I-It’s been too long.”

“I know,” Dash admitted. “But we don’t have any choice but to keep going.”

=====================================================================

Fluttershy was unhappy. She halfheartedly wove her way back along the empty, crumbling crimson path. Her hooves dragged behind her as if she were trapped in a thick bog of guilt and hidden frustration.

I don’t blame her, Rarity thought. Her outburst earlier must be eating away at her. Not to mention that she may be tested next. I may be tested next as well, for that matter.

I can’t even seem to cheer her up; she’s just not paying attention, Pinkie thought, a tad miffed after Fluttershy shrugged off a hug. She’s been awful cranky lately, too. I wonder if that’s because of Verba.

There was a new verse on the floor.

You’ve finished the trial of Deception;
A harder test does not exist.
Remember the lesson taught to you:
Every doubt, you must resist.

They paused, thinking over their situation and preparing themselves for the next test.

“Girls?” Fluttershy finally asked, staring at the mysterious poem. “What if I’m tested, and I fail? What will happen to me?”

“You’ll do great, Fluttershy,” Dash reassured her. “I’m sure you’ll be in and out in five minutes, tops.”

“There isn’t a single drop of malice in your heart, darling,” Rarity added. “Just relax and prepare yourself. There’s still a chance I’ll be tested first, anyway.”

“You’ll do super, Fluttershy! I’ll bet my tail on it!” Pinkie exclaimed. “When you’re tested, make sure you show that mean ol’ Verba how it’s done!”

I wish I felt better, Fluttershy sighed to herself, but I can’t really help but feel like I just can’t win. But I want some answers, too, so I’ll ace this test! ...At least, well, I’ll try...

*******

The shadowy aura that surrounded the group started to fluctuate suddenly as a harsh tune flowed through the air. Tremors rippled through the ground as cracks appeared in the pathway. Black vapor flowed upward from the cracks and started to form translucent shapes resembling legs and manes.

What...? Dash thought, poking some of the translucent white sludge. It was deathly cold, so cold that Dash’s hoof burned from frostbite. Youch!

The quake increased as the shadowy forms started to take shape. Pinkie stumbled a bit, trying to gain her balance as more and more black vapor started to seep out of the earth.

“Wh-What’s going on now?!” Rarity yelped as pieces of the island started to break away.

Fluttershy reeled back in fright. Shadowy apparitions of ponies had started to form and attack the group, their blank and lifeless eyes full of deathly pain as they slogged along. Pale-skinned and dripping with luminous fluid, they stumbled toward the group.

“Run!” Dash yelled, racing around the ghostly figures to the pink path. Rarity followed, and Pinkie was about to before she saw Fluttershy paralyzed with fright.

Pinkie ran up to Fluttershy and nipped the yellow pegasus sharply on the ear. “C’mon!”

Fluttershy snapped out of her fear and almost tripped before taking off for her life. The zombies were amassing in strength and number as black knights began to take shape from the vapor. The ghostly ponies seemed to be just as fast, if not faster, than the Elements as they quickly made up lost ground. Their bloodshot eyes and starving bodies pounded after the group.

“Of all the things!” Rarity complained as she narrowly dodged a zombie biting at her leg. To buy the white unicorn time, Dash leapt up, did a backflip, and slammed on the aggressor's chest. It dissolved into a pile of white goo. It was so cold, however, that Dash’s limbs stopped functioning for a moment. The blue pegasus stumbled before falling down. “Get out of here!” she screamed.

“No!” Pinkie yelled, slinging the disabled pegasus onto her back before taking off at her fastest possible gallop. They were heading fast down the light pink path that was starting to break away.

The extra weight on Pinkie’s back weighed her down, however, so she quickly fell behind and was absorbed by the approaching mob. Had she had any breath to spare, Rarity would have cried out, NO! Instead, she panted frantically as she tried to escape the mob.

Fluttershy had become airborne and was desperately trying to dodge the dark pegasus knights that were assaulting her. The yellow pegasus looked down for a moment to see Rarity starting to fail, her tireless adversaries gaining quickly.

“Rarity!” Fluttershy called, diving down and swooping upward with the white unicorn. Fluttershy wasn’t strong enough, however, and soon she had to land on the desert at the end of the pink path.

Fluttershy took off running, but Rarity was too worn out. The white unicorn finally met her doom at the hooves of the undead equines.

Suddenly, dark fire swept all of the ghostly apparitions aside. Fluttershy turned around to see a scrawny green unicorn stallion.

*******

The new pony snickered at Fluttershy. Rain started to cascade over a dirty desert road, which was located square in the middle of nowhere. Long-dead cacti withered by the side of the road, and the scorched earth steamed when the rain contacted it.

“You are, by far, the most useless pegasus I’ve ever seen,” the stallion chuckled as thunder boomed in the distance. He shifted some of his shaggy blond mane back behind his ear. “I mean, you completely abandoned your friends right there. It takes some guts to pull a stunt like that.”

“Wh-Who are you?” Fluttershy asked, shrinking away from the pony as lightning flashed in the distance.

“Well, Imma put it straight, Flutters,” the colt laughed. “I’m your only friend.”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly, her mane beginning to become soaked by the icy rain.

“I mean, s’not like any of your friends over there are gonna like you too much after what you just did,” he smirked. “I know I wouldn’t. I’d want you gone.”

“No, my friends aren’t like that,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Well, weak and powerless as you are, I guess they’d be pretty understanding,” the stallion shrugged. “But whatevs. You’re pretty much dead to them now. Makes me wonder what I’d do if I put myself in that bad a situation.”

Fluttershy shivered from the cold of the rain. Strands of her pink mane started to fall over her face and stick to her snout as warm tears rolled down her face.

“I mean, look at you. Here you are, in the freezing rain, not even making an effort to go and find them. Pretty pathetic if you ask me,” he continued, walking over to Fluttershy. “‘Course, your friends weren’t too useful, either.”

Fluttershy looked away. “Say whatever you want. I don’t care about myself anymore.”

“Huh,” he observed. “Takes nerve to say something like that. I should know; I don’t care ‘bout anypony. Anyways, speaking of guts, I got some right here.”

The colt stomped his hoof on the ground twice. An awful ripping sound was heard as space above the road tore in two and flapped about in the wind. A dirty and injured blue pegasus fell out of the resulting gap, too weak to move.

“D-Dash?” Fluttershy asked, racing over to the limp pegasus. The colt swatted Fluttershy aside, and she went rolling across the muddy desert floor.

“Fl-Fluttershy...” Dash breathed, stretching out a hoof to the sopping yellow pegasus, too weak to move. She could barely open her eyes. “Help me...!”

“Let’s see how long you play the pacifist after I snap this little twig here,” the colt grinned, stepping on Dash’s leg. She screamed in pain.

“Don’t hurt her!” Fluttershy cried. “Please, I’ll do anything!”

“Too little, too late, Flutters,” he smirked, stepping on Dash again and earning another scream. “You coulda saved her, y’know. Little Dashie right here’s probably wishing you were a little tougher.”

Dash’s life was vanishing right before Fluttershy’s eyes. Reddish-brown rainwater drizzled down into cracks in the desert dirt. “Fluttershy...” Dash murmured before losing consciousness.

“Please...” Fluttershy sobbed.

“Pathetic,” the stallion growled. “Where’s your fire? Your determination? It’s not even there! Not that your friends are any better. I’d almost say they were even more worthless than you are. But that’s impossible, ‘cause they’re dead.”

Thunder boomed. Flutteshy slowly stood up, her will solidifying. “You had better watch what you say about my friends, mister!”

The colt scoffed. “Oh, so the big, bad Fluttershy is gonna huff and puff my house down? Give me a break! I’ve dealt with jokes like you before; usually, they run home crying to momma. That is, if they even have one by the time I’m done with ‘em.”

“Stop it!” Fluttershy said defensively. I’ve had enough of this! “I j-just... I just wa-want to find my way home!”

“Wait, you have a home?” he asked. “How do you even pay for it? You look pretty un-hireable.”

“Sh-Shut up!” Fluttershy shivered, intensely frustrated with the stallion. The coldness of her frigid bones was matched by the heat of her increasing fury.

Lightning struck just behind the colt, and he yelled as the ground opened up beneath him. He grasped the first hoofhold he saw and desperately tried to save himself from the bottomless pit, clawing his way upward as rain fell down his face.

Fluttershy hurriedly trotted over, seeing that the colt was struggling to pull himself out. “Help,” he begged. “I-I don’t want to die like this!” She was about to help him, but she paused.

If I help him... If I help him, he’ll keep on hurting Dash! He’ll keep on hurting me! She peered over the edge of the gap and stared into the colt’s frightened eyes, wondering what to do. Finally, she slowly turned and walked away. I... I can't help him... I just can't. I can’t risk my friend’s life for somepony else.

The colt screamed as he lost his grip and fell into the infinite abyss.

The ground started to crack and splinter. Fluttershy looked up to see the stars getting bigger. No... they’re not getting bigger; they’re getting closer! She gasped and looked around. Dash was gone, and the pit was widening. She tried to take to the air, but the pounding rain disoriented her and she was forced back onto the ground.

Darkness overtook her.

Verba shook his head. The illusion vanished, and Fluttershy’s remaining friends were released from behind an invisible wall. They had not been restrained; they had full mobility except for the barrier that had separated them from Fluttershy.

Dash had bruises all over her legs from attempting to break through, and one of her wings was bent at an odd angle. She hung her head in unfathomable sorrow and loss.

Rarity was crying; she could not bear to think that another of her friends was gone. There were so few of us already…

Pinkie Pie’s hair had straightened out, instead of being its usually bouncy and bubbly nature. It only did so when she was incredibly sad, and in this case, even more so, for it was a paler pink than usual. All of the happiness had been drained out of her life in an instant.

Verba rolled his eyes. “Jeez Louise, are you mares soft. Kinda sickening, really. How’re you supposed to save millions of lives if you can’t even save your own? If you can’t just have mercy and save one?”

“Sickening?” Dash asked, tears streaking her face. “You know what’s really sickening? The fact that you just killed our best friend!” she yelled.

“Um, reality check,” Verba said. “Temporary confinement. Got it memorized? She’s not dead.”

“Not yet!” Dash yelled. “You’re not going to stop until she is! Until we all are!”

“You fillies are a dime a dozen,” Verba scoffed. “Cut the drama and face facts. You’ve still got a chance with your little fashionista over there. Stop whining and get on with it, will you?”

“You’re a liar!” Dash screamed. Her fury was akin to Fluttershy’s in its magnitude and force.

Verba burst out laughing, and loose runes scattered over the dirt. “Look at you! You’re falling to the exact same fault that your friend just did! C’mon, Dashie, haven’t you learned a thing?”

Pinkie sat down in defeat. “Why, though? Why are you putting us through this?”

“Not my decision. I just carry out the Submaster’s orders. But, y’know, his orders are kinda vague when you get right down to it,” Verba explained, scratching the back of his neck. “He wants to prepare you. There’s a lot more use and abuse waiting for you out in the real Equestria. But if you can’t survive this, then you’re not worth keeping around, get it?”

“You wanna know what I think?” Dash asked, her fury starting to condense and harden. “I think that this is all one big sham to torture us! What did you expect Fluttershy to do, let him go?! She reacted just like anypony else would!”

Verba raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you expect the Element of Kindness to be ‘just like everypony else?’ Get real. She’s above and beyond the scope of an ordinary pony. I mean, if she’s going to survive the dangers out there in the real world, she kind of, um, has to be.”

“Says who?!” Dash screamed. “She watched me die! Kindness or not, she should have torn that pony limb from limb!”

“It’s kind of subjective, yknow?” Verba asked, looking away. “Look, I can’t say I know too much about the Elements of Harmony, but I do know that if the Submaster tells me to test Kindness that way, then I’m going to test her that way. Don’t freak out about it, okay?”

“...Dash?” Pinkie asked feebly. “Don’t do this.”

“And you wanna know what else?!” Dash asked, ignoring Pinkie. Her lower lip trembled with sorrow and rage. “You’re nothing but a murderer and a coward who enjoys killing innocent ponies for kicks!”

Verba looked up sharply. “Okay, that is where I draw the line! You wanna see what I do to ponies for kicks? Well here you-”

“Verba.”

Verba swore, stomping his forehooves on the ground in frustration. “Ugh, not now!” He glared at Dash for a moment, then turned to Rarity. “Better thank your friend over there, ‘cause I’m going to make your test as hard as I possibly can!”

He broke down into fragments of glass, which shattered further into a pile of sand that blew away on the wind.

“You shouldn’t overstep your bounds,” the shadowy pony warned, stepping into view.

“You’re no better than Verba!” Dash seethed. “Get out of my sight, be-because you’re just a messed up lunatic that kills innocent ponies!” She collapsed into sobs, her anger spent.

He looked upon Dash indifferently. “I’ve saved Equestria several times over, whether you believe me or not. My purpose is to separate you from your leaders and make you independent. I will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. I’m not going to keep you on a leash, Rainbow Dash; I need to make sure you can survive without one. There are far greater foes out there than I.”

“Then tell us!” Rarity insisted. “What are we up against? What do we need to know? Celestia’s sake, why are we even here? Why are we going through this?”

“I feel that I must restate the fact that your tests are not complete yet,” the visage said sternly. “The reason your friend failed her test was because she succumbed to her anger and resentment. Pulling a stunt like that in battle is unacceptable and, more often than not, gets an innocent pony killed. My job is to make sure you learn these things now.”

Dash glared at the foggy vision. “What’s your job, really? What do you... you and Verba actually have to do to ponies like us?”

He looked away.

“Answer me!” Dash persisted. “Tell me!”

The figure turned around, his white eyes penetrating through the entire group, which had been whittled down to three. “We have to kill innocent ponies in order to save millions of others.”

“Ha! So I was right!” Dash said.

The illusion seemed to be vibrating with anger, but he somehow managed to keep himself under control. “The lives I sacrifice I do so for the greater good. Understand that. You will have to do it as well before your lives are over, mark my words.”

Dash glared at him. “So what now?”

“Do whatever you wish. There is only one of you left that needs to be tested,” he said, glancing at Rarity. “If she passes, you will all survive. If she fails, you will be forced to rely on my judgment alone. Keep in mind, though—I have control over how hard your tests are.”

“Get out of my sight,” Dash growled.

The figure looked at her scornfully. “I don’t take orders from you. Be aware that these may be the last couple hours of your natural lives. I wouldn’t waste them.” And with that, he vanished.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

*******

Dash sat down on the barren desert floor. The small island was beginning to fade away, but she didn’t notice. I don’t have anything left. I don’t want to keep this up anymore; I just want to die. I should have done more! I could have helped them... I’m a failure. “I can’t believe she’s really gone…” she muttered, her last tear slowly sliding down her neck.

“She’s not gone,” Pinkie murmured.

“How do you know?” Dash asked quietly. “And why should we care? Why bother? Why keep this up?”

“There’s always a reason!” Pinkie exclaimed. “There’s still a chance!”

“I-I’m sorry, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity sniffled. “But I have to agree with Rainbow Dash. Three of our friends might be dead, I…” she shook her head, at a loss for words.

“We have to go on! We have to recover!” Pinkie said. She lowered her voice slightly. “Don’t tell me you’ve given up?”

“I’m afraid so,” Rarity sighed.

“But there’s still hope!” Pinkie urged, desperately trying to lift her friends’ spirits.

“Really?” Dash asked, standing up angrily. “Honestly, Pinkie, do you really think there’s any way out?”

Pinkie looked Dash square in the eye. “Yes,” she said.

Dash looked away; she couldn’t meet Pinkie’s gaze.

“Remember when you thought there was no way you could beat Rarity in the Best Young Flier’s competition?” Pinkie prompted. “What about when nopony could beat that Ursa Minor? What then? Did everypony just suddenly give up?”

Rarity looked at her. “Do you really think any of that compares?! We’re trapped in a nightmare, and three of our friends are either dead or missing. Pinkie, we were living a dream. This… this is what evil truly is.” Rarity looked away, stifling sobs.

“But is that any reason to give up hope?” Pinkie asked. “Ursa Minor or evil stallion, I’m never giving in until I’ve saved what matters!” She turned to Dash. “I’ll go on and face him alone, if you don’t think you’re up to it.”

Dash sat back down in defeat. “Go on ahead.”

Pinkie was shocked. “Dash?!”

“You fight that big bad stallion on your lonesome, Pinkie,” Dash said sarcastically. “I’m done. I’m through!” she yelled, slamming her hooves on the cracked dirt ground in frustration.

“I’ve been through the exact same things as you, and I’m still kicking!” Pinkie yelled. “What are you, a pegasus or a platypus?”

Dash laughed slightly. “What’s that got to do with it?”

Pinkie hmph’ed. “Nothing. It made you laugh, though, didn’t it?”

Dash looked at her. “Well... yeah, a little. So?”

“So, it’s my job to make people laugh. I’m the Element of Laughter,” Pinkie explained. “Are you doing your job, Dash, the Element of Loyalty? The pony who’ll never, ever, ever let her friends down when they need her?”

Dash was hurt, but it was what she needed to hear. “No… I guess not.”

“Then get up!” Pinkie commanded, lifting Dash up onto her feet and backing up.

“Um, Pinkie, what are you doing?” Dash asked as Pinkie carefully positioned herself about ten feet away from the blue pegasus.

“I’ll need a running start!” Pinkie chirped.

Before Dash could properly react, she found herself on the ground in a massive Pinkie-style bear hug.

Dash laughed, for real this time. “Stop it! That tickles!” Pinkie hugged Dash tightly.

Rarity had been watching the entire scene. Pinkie’s hair’s gone back to normal. She’s laughing like nothing’s happened. I wish I shared that attitude.

“No matter what happens,” Pinkie murmured.

Dash paused. “No matter what happens… what?” she asked.

“Nothing, just, y’know, no matter what happens,” Pinkie smiled. She let Dash get back onto her hooves. She looked at Rarity, sizing her up. “I think another hug is in order!”

Rarity welcomed the affection, and the tight sorrow in her chest evaporated. Dash smoothed out her mane and stood up.

“We have to finish this,” Pinkie murmured in Rarity’s ear. “We’re too close to give up now.”

“We were too close to give up from the moment we started,” Dash growled. The silence in the infinite space made it easy to overhear a conversation.

The group of three made it down the thin path just as the island started to break into small pieces, each little chunk of earth slowly floating into the abyss. When they finally made it to the throne room, they saw that one more verse had inscribed itself into the unravelling carpet.

Become enraged and your end is certain;
A loss of sympathy is just the same.
Curb your desire for justification;
Know that you will later feel shame.

=====================================================================

*******

Obsidian stood on a tall tower, overlooking a wasteland. Twilight climbed up next to him. He was lying across a translucent armchair, strumming his mandolin and looking at the scorched earth and barren landscape surrounding him.

“Hmm,” Obsidian muttered. “That’s a little dreary.”

“Where are we?” Twilight asked.

“Huh?” Obsidian asked, startled. “Oh, uh, using magic, I can run simulations of real-life situations. Sometimes, that is.”

“But you’re an earth pony!” Twilight exclaimed. “How are you able to use magic?”

Obsidian chuckled, recovering his composure and turning to Twilight. “I am magic, Twilight. That’s my entire being; a spell put into effect long ago to sustain my soul. I couldn’t use magic at first, but as the boundaries began to degrade... I was able to do more and more that I would never have been able to otherwise. If I keep up magic use as I am currently, however, I might not be able to hold my physical form anymore.”

“Wow,” Twilight said. “That’s... kind of sad. Will you eventually, you know...?”

Obsidian shook his head. “Some form of me will exist for thousands of years to come. Whether that form will be good or evil, helpful or malicious, I cannot say.”

Following an awkward pause, Twilight began to stare at the ruined plain. It was primarily a graveyard full of bleached skeletons and barren desert sands. “How did it end up like this? And why are you even looking at these ‘simulations?’”

Obsidian sighed. “It would take more time that I have to explain it to you. It would be like trying to explain calculus in an hour. As for why, well, I desire knowledge. There’s nothing left in this world for me to attain.”

“Oh, okay. Are there any other possibilities I could see?” Twilight asked.

Obsidian looked over the battlefield. “It is a little bleak here, isn’t it? Well, this certainly isn’t the only possible outcome. Let’s zoom to another one.”

Twilight stumbled backward as Obsidian strummed a few notes on his mandolin, his eyes glowing with power. Lights and sounds zipped by so fast it was disorienting, with colors blending together and horizons becoming perpendicular to the ground.

When Twilight’s eyes finally refocused, she saw that she was standing in a throne room. There was half of Canterlot’s coat of arms on a torn flag. Rusty, worn armor sat beside piles of dust and torn cloth. I remember being here, but it didn’t look anything like it does now, Twilight remarked to herself, examining the dirty red carpet and broken stained glass windows. She turned around and saw a white and red alicorn lying on the ground, but it disappeared promptly.

“Ack, sorry,” Obsidian apologized. “Sometimes these images are a bit graphic.”

“Who was that?” Twilight asked.

Obsidian rubbed his chin. “It looked somewhat like Celestia, but the hair was off. So were the dimensions of the body; Celestia isn’t quite that tall.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter; I’ll look into it later.”

Twilight looked around at the ruined throne room. “Is this Canterlot?”

“In the distant future, yes,” Obsidian explained. “Unfortunately, everything falls into ruin eventually. However, this image is far too near in the future for my tastes.”

“Why are you even looking at this stuff?” Twilight asked. “Seems a bit, you know, depressing.”

“My duty, Twilight, is to be pessimistic,” Obsidian answered. “Whereas the optimist can better handle tragedy, the pessimist can sometimes prevent it entirely.”

“Can you show me Ponyville?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Obsidian said promptly.

“Why not? I’m only curious,” Twilight begged.

“It is for that exact reason that I’m not showing you. You might see something you cannot unsee,” Obsidian explained. He stood abruptly and faced Twilight. “In fact, you shouldn’t even be here. How did you escape from the library?”

“If somepony gets bored enough, trust that they’ll find a way,” Twilight replied resentfully.

Obsidian chuckled. “I suppose I shouldn’t have underestimated the Element of Magic.”

“How are my friends doing, by the way?” Twilight asked.

Obsidian sighed. “I still have yet to locate them. I’m sorry.”

=====================================================================

There was a single path left to take on the deteriorating island. The zombies and dark knights had all vanished, and the shadowy palace seemed all the more ominous as the group steeled themselves and walked down the final path.

There was nothing to say; nothing to do but keep walking aimlessly along a forgotten path, their hooves wearing out and their legs becoming numb from effort.

It’s my turn now, Rarity thought solemly. I don’t know what I’m going to do. Applejack is the strongest pony I know, and Fluttershy doesn’t have any evil in her heart at all. What makes them different from Dash and Pinkie? Why did they fail their tests?

I wonder how I passed my test, Pinkie reflected. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Maybe that’s the point; we have to be consistent or something. This whole thing is crazy.

I’m fed up with this, Dash thought angrily. This is our last stand. I have to end Verba before he ends us.

*******

They arrived at the throne room. Verba materialized next to Rarity, his shape as jagged and sharp as ever. Rarity quietly asked, “Does the test start now?”

“Well, I’ve thought long and hard about it, and... it’s not really necessary, is it?” Verba answered.

Rarity’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

“The Submaster’s decided to let you off the hook, and I’m all for it. Less stuff for me to do, y’know?” Verba explained. He waved his hoof and, in order, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight were dropped out of a hole in space.

“D-Does that mean we can go home?” Rarity asked hopefully. “Surely the testing can’t end now!”

“Meh. Not my problem,” Verba finished, pointing toward the throne room. A glimmering white field appeared where the entrance once was, lighting up the surroundings.

“You can’t be serious,” Rarity scoffed. “Oh, well, at least you saved the best for last. Even if I wasn’t needed, of course. Come now, girls, time is fashion!”

“Um... uh...” Fluttershy stammered, glancing at her hooves. “Y-You tell her.”

“Hmm?” Rarity asked.

“Look, Rarity...” Dash began hesitantly. “You really haven’t proven yourself. Verba, well, he just basically gave you a free pass for now. Just so that we wouldn’t have to stay here.”

Rarity paused for a moment, then rolled her eyes. “Please. Verba, darling, you honestly expect me to fall for such a crude ruse? You even skipped the violet on Dash’s mane.”

All of Rarity’s friends froze, but not out of shock. They appeared to have been mechanically frozen--as if time had simply stopped. They vanished into thin air, and Verba sighed, looking bored. “Great, now I actually have to work to break you. Guess you won’t be as easy as the others. But, then again, these things take time, right?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Hmm...” Verba began. A rolodex of runes appeared out of thin air, and as he flipped through them, Rarity got a peculiar itch on her skull, and it felt as if somepony was tap, tap, tapping her forward. She stumbled a bit before Verba found what he was looking for. “Ahh, here we go. Your childhood.”

Time and space warped Rarity to her school play as she used the gems she had found as a filly to decorate costumes for other students. The outfits were gorgeous, just as Rarity intended, and she had gained her cutie mark in her quest to craft such fabulous clothing.

“Exhibit A: You using priceless geodes to make costumes for your peers,” Verba said, with a hint of amusement as he looked upon the illusion.

“At least I didn’t sell them for my own benefit,” Rarity defended.

“Fair enough. Yet, you still kept them instead of, say, selling them and then giving the money to a charity organization and help save thousands of impoverished ponies. Those gems were worth upturns of five thousand bits. Each,” Verba added.

Rarity bit her lip. “But those gems helped me get my cutie mark; without them, I wouldn’t know who I am today!”

“Yeah, yeah, and I’m not judging you or anything; all I know is that there’s a starving filly out in Salt Lick City, shivering on the street, who could have really used a bit or two before she keeled over. But hey, that’s just me,” Verba said.

“Food banks are set up all over Equestria; Celestia saw to it that there was one in every city on the continent,” Rarity argued.

“And yet, ponies still die,” Verba stated. “It’s not just hunger, too. There’s disease, wild animal attacks, gangs, you name it. Stupidity, too, but there’s no fund for that. Moving on.”

They saw an illusionary version of Rarity arguing, bribing, and pleading with Twilight in various sections of Ponyville. The vision was slightly off, Rarity noticed, and it skipped details, but Verba wasn’t trying to fool her anymore, so it didn’t particularly matter. It was when Rarity had been desperately trying to get her hooves on Twilight’s only spare ticket.

“Okay, here we have you trying to play out your happily-ever-after story by winning your friend’s favor, much to her ire,” Verba said.

“How do you know all of this?” Rarity asked.

Verba flicked his head to the side, and Rarity lurched forward until she was at what appeared to be Verba’s snout. Since she was so close to his runes, she saw that they each had their own aura of energy and were pristine glass at the center, but hazier toward the edges.

“See all this?” Verba asked, gesturing to the surrounding area. “This is all an imperfect world. Where your world is like rock, this one is more like, say, silly putty. You’re kind of a guest, and I can do pretty much whatever I want to you and your memories.”

He flicked his head to the opposite side, and Rarity slid backward, flinching as though she was struck. “That’s no way to treat a lady!” she snapped.

“Jeez Louise, why does Generosity always pick the finicky ones?” Verba muttered under his breath. To Rarity, he said, “The longer you drag this out, the ickier it becomes. I can be real nasty if I want to.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Rarity growled. “What, then? What’s so bad about wanting to get out of Ponyville for a change?”

“The fact you did that for selfish reasons,” Verba explained.

“We were all at fault, then. It wasn’t one of my best moments by any stretch of the imagination, but I have since owned up to that mistake,” Rarity stated.

“If you were all at fault, then what about Applejack?” Verba challenged.

“She wanted to go to the Gala for the money,” Rarity said. “That’s hardly an altruistic goal.”

“Fair enough, but she wished to attend the Gala to afford surgery for her grandmother. You wanted to meet the stallion of your dreams. Tell me, which deed will earn you more merits as a Colt Scout?” Verba asked.

To that, Rarity had no answer. “...Fine. I was selfish and rude to my friend. But I forgave her for it, and we have remained friends!”

The illusion vanished. Verba laughed. “Good friends will let you off the hook for most anything, really. Doesn’t mean I will.”

The area shifted and bent into a new shape. This time, it was high in the sky at Cloudsdale, as Rarity plummeted to the earth after the fake wings Twilight had given her failed. Rarity was almost sick; even now, the terror of the experience jarred her, and seeing it all over again didn’t help. She frequently had nightmares.

Swallowing her bile, she asked, “What is it this time?”

“Airsick?” Verba asked, grinning. “Well, you wouldn’t be if you hadn’t tried to upstage your friend because of your own vanity. Got any defense to that?”

Rarity couldn’t argue with that. It was when Dash was participating in the Best Young Fliers competition. The original intention of the wings were only to allow Rarity to attend the event in the first place--unicorns can’t walk on clouds--but she had instead used them to fuel her own pride. Her own, selfish pride. “What are you trying to prove?” she asked quietly.

“I’m trying to make you understand that you weren’t even fit to be an Element of Harmony, much less an Element of Generosity. You’re selfish by nature, and there’s no fix to that. I had hoped to just fool you instead of crush your spirits--it’s not fun to make you hate yourself--but you made me show you just how awful you can be,” Verba explained.

“So. What do you want me to do?” Rarity asked.

“You have two options: Give up and hope your friends can pull you out of my abyss, or fight me with the power of Harmony that you just don’t have,” Verba stated.

“...And my odds are better if I let my friends come get me?” Rarity guessed.

“Yep,” Verba said. “Anything else you want to let me know?”

“Why should I give you any information when you can simply steal it?” Rarity asked. “I will wait for my friends to come find me so that I can teach you how to act around civilized ponies. Until then, do what you want with me.”

Verba clapped Rarity on the shoulder as he walked by her. “That’s what I like to hear.”

=====================================================================

Pinkie and Dash watched from the sidelines as their illusions crossed the border. Verba was having a long, drawn-out conversation with Rarity, and although they were too far off to hear what was said, they saw that black globs of matter were slowly weaving their way toward her. They stuck to her pelt, slowly creeping up her legs to her midsection as their discussion wore on.

Dash was beyond anxious; she was furious. “I don’t get it! What’s the point of this test?”

“Quiet, Dashie, I’m trying to hear what Rarity’s thinking!” Pinkie Pie hushed, standing precariously on the edge of the tiny dirt island Verba had summoned for them to stand on.

“That’s it, I’m going over there!” Dash yelled, fed up. She took to wing and started to zoom toward Rarity on a rescue mission, but Verba warped in front of her mid-flight.

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold your houseflies,” Verba said, zipping in front of Dash.

“But--But you’re over there!” Dash exclaimed, pointing to the island.

Verba grinned. “What, you don’t think I can duplicate myself? Anyway, where’re you going in such a hurry?”

“To save my friend!” Dash yelled. “You need to get it through your thick head that I actually care about them and I won’t let them die!”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’s a little predictable.” His expression went from lighthearted to threatening. “Sit down. You try and save her, and you’re going to be the one getting sent to the Submaster.”

“Get out of my way!” Dash shouted. She tried to push past Verba or fly around him, but he was as solid as a brick wall and many times faster than she could ever hope to be. Dash’s attempts became more frantic as she realized that the dark globs were about to engulf Rarity.

“You’re not giving me many options besides getting rid of you!” Verba threatened.

“Nngh...” Dash muttered, trying to push past Verba. Hold on, Rarity!

“If that’s how you like it,” Verba finished, vanishing. “You’ll go together.”

Dash was suddenly thrust straight toward Rarity and swallowed by the black globs surrounding her.

Silence. Pinkie stared at the empty space surrounding her island. Verba reappeared next to her.

“It was good that she wanted to help her friend, and all, but not in the middle of a test,” he sighed. “Dash is with Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy now.”

“How was she supposed to pass that test?” Pinkie asked.

“She gave up,” Verba explained. “She allowed me to convince her that she was selfish. When you’re convinced that you’re something, well, that’s what you become. She wouldn’t have stood a chance out in the real world, trust me.”

“So what now?” Pinkie asked, not turning to face Verba.

“Now?” he asked. “Now, you have one last chance.”

Pinkie looked at Verba. “But wasn’t that our last chance?”

He shook his head. “Nah. In the past, there’s always been an Element that shines through the worst possible situations. Go grab your rabbit’s foot and pray that she can pass the hardest test in the Submaster’s repertoire. Your fate rests in Twilight’s hooves now.”

=====================================================================

*******

Twilight was sitting in the library, gazing out the window for what seemed like the millionth hour.

What’s so fascinating about that desert? Twilight asked herself. I feel drawn to it somehow, but why?

Obsidian appeared. “Twilight?”

“Yes, Obsidian?” Twilight asked.

“I have found the pony that’s holding your friends captive,” he began. “If you want to confront him, he is just through this gate.”

A shining white gateway appeared in the middle of the room. The light was so intense that Twilight couldn’t see what lay beyond.

“What do you want me to do?” Twilight asked.

“The choice is yours and yours alone,” Obsidian said. “However, if you do nothing, your friends will remain his captives. There will be nothing I can do to save them.”

Twilight swallowed. “Okay.” Hesitantly, she stepped through the gate.

She stepped onto a sandy island that hung forlornly in the emptiness of space. The air was hot and humid, and even though there was no sun to speak of, the little dirt that was on the island was cracked and dry. A pony completely made out of unknown symbols was lying down on a lawn chair, tanning himself with a folding mirror.

“Well, lookie here,” the pony began, taking off its sunglasses.

“You,” Twilight growled, remembering the pony that had dragged her into Obsidian’s domain. “Where are my friends?”

“Everywhere. Nowhere,” Verba said, putting his sunglasses back on and crossing his back legs. “They’ve been lifted out of existence until you defeat me.”

“Y-You mean, fight you?” Twilight asked, stepping back. She looked back for an escape route, but the glimmering white gate vanished as soon as she set hoof on this island.

Verba shrugged, shifting to make himself more comfortable. “Maybe.”

“Can’t we settle this... reasonably?” Twilight asked, biting her lip. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a real fight before...

Verba shrugged again. “Meh. Maybe.”

“Will you just give me a straight answer for once?” Twilight asked.

Verba shrugged, and his expression may have been a grin. “I dunno. Maybe.”

“Rrgh...” Twilight growled. She pawed her hoof on the ground. “If you don’t give me another way to get back my friends, then I have no choice but to fight for them!”

Verba’s head moved in a circular motion; he was probably attempting to roll the eyes he didn’t have. “Whatever.”

Twilight’s eye twitched in agitation. She ran at Verba horn-first, closing her eyes and bracing herself for impact. Feeling that she made no such impact, she opened her eyes just before she went tumbling off the edge of the island. Verba had vanished.

*******

“You’ll have to do better than that!” Twilight heard Verba say, though his voice came from all directions. Screeching laughter soared through the air as a torrent of runes started to form a cloud on the very edge of Twilight’s vision.

“No...” Twilight trailed off, realizing just how doomed she really was.

“Twilight!” she heard Obsidian call in her mind.

“What do I do?!” Twilight asked, beginning to panic.

“Stay calm! His magic is unstable. Try to disr-”

Twilight yelped and lost concentration as a chain of text tried to cut her in half. It missed, but hit the island instead, removing a good third of the already tiny platform.

“Fun, fun, fun!” Verba chanted. His runes formed multiple spears, and Twilight was frantically trying to dodge their thrusts. She warped out of the way of one just to be nearly cornered by another.

Twilight’s back hoof hit the empty air at the edge of the island and she yelled as she fell, clinging to the edge with her forelegs. Verba’s runes formed a long rope which cut off the portion of the island Twilight was hanging onto like a cut of cheese, and it slowly started to slide into oblivion.

Focus! Twilight screamed at herself, pulling her back hooves onto the crumbling platform and jumping just before it plummeted into the void.

The runes gathered at the center of the platform, forming a drill-like shape. They swirled in absolute harmony and rhythm as the shape became thicker and sharper. Layers of magic complied to form a solid shape, and there was nothing Twilight could do but watch.

Remembering what Obsidian had said, Twilight desperately threw a burst of energy at the drill. The runes were temporarily thrown out of focus, and the shape collapsed.

“Hey!” Verba yelped. “That actually... Oh, are you in for it!”

Twilight tried to dodge the rapid onslaught of daggers that were flung toward her, but there were too many. She grunted in pain as she felt her cheek and thighs cut by the magical knives. With another, though weaker, burst of instinctual energy, Twilight scattered the knives.

Panting, Twilight yelled, “Give up!”

“Oh, I’m not done yet,” Verba said. “Here’s what I call the Opening Line!”

Twilight saw a multitude of runes converge on the horizon, forming a massive wall in only a few seconds. It plowed toward her, leaving mere moments to react.

Twilight summoned her remaining strength, and blew a massive hole in the wall. Her magic electrified the runes, and the howling laughter that had formerly lit up the battlefield was replaced by wails of pain.

Twilight gasped for breath, but saw that Verba was weakened. She ran up, her horn crackling with leftover energy, and dove into the center of the remaining runes. She was thrust to the ground by the resulting explosion, but the giant mass of runes was all but destroyed.

Verba once again assumed his physical form and collapsed at the center of the island.

*******

Twilight took a knee, catching her breath. Leftover adrenaline slowly seeped out of her system, leaving her exhausted. That... That was actually kind of fun, heh.

Regaining her composure, Twilight walked over to the half-conscious Verba.

“Please... no...” he begged. “I don’t want to... N-Not yet.”

“Where are my friends?” Twilight demanded.

“I... I don’t know,” he mumbled.

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” Twilight asked. She turned away, saying quietly, “I don’t want to have to fight you anymore, so just tell me and I’ll go away.”

“Ob-... Obsidian, he has them,” Verba began, though the effort made him grunt in pain. A few runes turned to dust. “He sent you after me because... because he knew you’d take the bait. Now... he can do whatever he wants with them. He... He’s the Submaster.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Twilight asked. “You were just trying to kill me!”

“You struck first,” Verba reminded her quietly. “There’s more than one way to defeat somepony, y’know...”

“And what was I supposed to do then, huh?” Twilight asked.

Verba laughed slightly. “I dunno, aren’t you the clever one?”

Twilight sighed. “So how can I find them?”

Verba raised his hoof feebly, and the shimmering white gateway reopened. “...Through there,” he finally breathed. “But Obsidian... He makes me look like a pushover, so be careful.”

Twilight nodded, taking one last suspicious glance at Verba before departing.

=====================================================================

“Obsidian!” Twilight shouted. She was back in the library, only this time, it was empty.

The wall glowed with a warm light, and words started to write themselves along the wall of the room. It was a poem.

Those who triumph over their tests
Have endless positive hopes and dreams.
Ending Guilt is an important skill,
Unless you want to end your team.

Never give in to your Arrogance
While trying to solve and pass your test.
All those who fall to her whims and desires
Regret the day they said they’re the best.

You’ve finished the trial of Deception;
A harder test does not exist.
Remember the lesson taught to you:
Every doubt, you must resist.

Become enraged and your end is certain;
A loss of sympathy is just the same.
Curb your desire for justification;
Know that you will later feel shame.

Showing off is never acceptable,
Though Envying friends is a different fault.
Although you should never encourage pride,
Beware of your own dragging you to a halt.

Because your friends are all but annihilated,
Everypony now depends on you.
Death is certain.
.
*******

She turned around as cracks began to develop in the library’s floor. The ground shook, and Twilight was almost thrown off her hooves.

“Are you kidding me?!” Twilight yelled as the door flew open behind her. She ran as fast as she could to the outside desert.

The world was breaking apart. Chunks of sand and rock flew every which way as a haphazard and unpredictable wind tossed Twilight’s mane about in all directions. She tried to run, but she didn’t know where she was going. A bright pinprick of light appeared far in the distance. Twilight raced toward it, but the harsh wind impeded her progress.

“Give up!” a voice behind Twilight yelled harshly.

“Useless!” a voice next to Twilight snapped.

No! Twilight yelled to herself, willing herself onward. I have to save my friends! She struggled through the wind and over the unstable ground toward the bright light on the horizon.

“You deserve a break,” a soothing voice beside Twilight said softly. “Take a breather. There’s no rush.”

“Go away!” Twilight yelled, swatting the air beside her with her hoof. She met air, but continued staggering on, her vision blurry from grains of sand flying to and fro.

A violent burst of shadow tore the ground apart behind Twilight, and dark knights and undead wraiths started to rise from the darkness. The pale blue desert sky had turned a demonic red as a storm encompassed it.

“Can you trust yourself?” another voice asked. “Do you know if you will survive? Do you know if you’re making the right decisions?”

“I have to try!” Twilight screamed, relentlessly clawing her way to the pinprick of light on the horizon. A gust of wind knocked her back, but she relentlessly inched her way forward. The dark knights were gaining on Twilight, only a kilometer or two behind her.

Red lightning crackled all around Twilight, turning sand to glass and vibrating the already quaking ground. Chunks of rock started to fly upward, caught in the storm.

“Look at you. You’re not making any progress. You should give up now and save yourself the trouble,” another voice scoffed. “Your friends are dead, Twilight. Maybe if you turn back now, you won’t have to join them in their useless parade.”

“Don’t you dare say that about my friends! They’re not dead!” Twilight yelled before a stray rock smacked her in the face. Twilight heard a loud crack as her snout broke, and she howled in pain.

The ground had finally started to crumble, breaking away to reveal the final path into the light. The sand and dirt had blown away, but the harsh wind rendered Twilight practically immobile. I’m so close, there’s only a few meters left! she thought, desperately crawling forward.

“Applejack could shrug off the pain you’re feeling right now,” an icy voice said. “This wind wouldn’t even faze Rainbow Dash. If they couldn’t succeed, how could you possibly expect to?”

“I’m not going to sit here and do nothing!” Twilight screamed, throwing herself forward as blood streamed down her face. The black knights were almost upon her. A shadowy spear pierced through Twilight’s tail and a few strands of hair were lost as she pulled herself forward.

Twilight finally pulled herself to the light. But it was only that; a glimmer of false hope in the darkness. It didn’t lead anywhere. It didn’t save her friends.

Twilight finally sat down in defeat as the darkness enveloped her in its deathly embrace.

*******

Pinkie hung her head. She had been watching from a distance next to Verba. “So that’s it, huh? Guess this is goodbye.”

“An admirable performance,” a new voice observed.

“Meh... I’ve seen better,” Verba shrugged.

“Yeah...” Pinkie trailed off. Snapping to attention, she glanced behind herself to see the shadowy ‘Element of Honesty’ she had seen earlier. “Y-You!”

The figure’s shadowy form blew away with a single puff of wind. The newly-revealed stallion shook out his glistening black mane as a glowing mandolin levitated to his side. “My true name is Obsidian,” he said.

Pinkie gaped. “You were that shadowy shady dark evil pony that appeared after Verba’s tests!”

Obsidian chuckled. “Verba calls me his Submaster, but I’m not sure if it’s a title I deserve,” he said. “I simply oversee your tests and keep him from telling you too much.”

“Aw, you don’t give yourself enough credit,” Verba said.

“At any rate, Verba and I were working together to test you. Twilight’s test was the final one,” Obsidian explained. “I had kept her safe with me until we were sure she needed to be tested. I have been in the background, though; waiting and watching you. Sometimes, even going as far as to speak with you.”

Pinkie exhaled, the sudden excitement wearing off. “What’s going to happen to me?” she asked sorrowfully.

“Well...” Obsidian began, “technically, I would have to kill you if Twilight didn’t pass her test. However, Twilight’s test wasn’t designed to be passable.”

Pinkie looked up, surprised. “Really?”

Obsidian nodded. “The Element of Magic must never give up until the very, very end. Twilight demonstrated all of the true qualities of Friendship; she forged on through all her pain in an effort to save what she knew was more important than her life. She became something greater, even if it was for only those few moments--she became the pony I know will save Equestria. She passed with flying colors, Pinkie, and I am quite surprised, actually, to hear myself give that kind of praise. Only my brother was able to pass that test, and that was many thousands of years ago.”

“So my friends...?” Pinkie asked hopefully.

Obsidian’s mandolin hovered from his side and began to play a touching melody. A beautiful melody floated through the air while Obsidian’s eyes glowed with a fierce light. One by one, Pinkie’s friends started to return from the darkness.

The first to reappear was Rarity. Her horn glowed with a brilliant light as she was gently lowered to the ground. She was radiant and beautiful, and nopony could best her in that regard. She wore a necklace of a purple diamond-shaped jewel, just like her cutie mark.

Applejack was next. Her form shined with a bright, confident light, the light that a great leader always seems to give off. Her necklace had an orange apple jewel on it, just like her cutie mark.

Next was the ever-loyal Dash, who spread her wings and glided to the ground, completely healed. She gave her life in an attempt to save her friend, and even though it was unsuccessful, she had proven herself even in Obsidian’s regard. Her pendant was a shining ruby lighting bolt.

After Dash was Fluttershy, who appeared out of a soft green light. Fresh smells wafted through the air; it was as if the very essence of nature had woven its way through the surroundings. She had helped her friends through difficult times before, and she would be the last to give up on them. Her necklace had a pink butterfly jewel, ornate and wonderful.

Last was Twilight herself, who appeared in a blinding burst of color that suggested tremendous power and skill. Instead of a necklace, she wore a crown that had an irregular purple six-tined star on the tip. It was so elegant it put mundane jewelry to shame.

Finally, Pinkie felt a presence around her own neck. It tickled a bit, making her laugh. A sapphire balloon appeared on her chest, suspended from a golden chain. I have my own role to play, don’t I? I won’t forget that.

The six friends pulled each other into a warm hug. Despite all that had happened, the magical energy flowing through the air made it impossible to feel anything but warm contentment.

Fluttershy was the one most strongly affected as she tightly clutched Applejack. Ooh, don’t you ever leave me again! I... I thought you were... but you’re not, and that’s all that matters!

Obsidian bowed his head low to the ground in respect for the young warriors as the dust settled. “It is my honor to be your mentor and your guide. I apologize for the horrible trials I have put you through, but I had no other option. I had to prepare you. I beg you to forgive me, my ladies.”

“Heh. Weren’t you all high and mighty a second ago?” Dash asked. “Cut the formality and tell us what we need to know, alright?”

“Yeah, don’t take him too seriously,” Verba said, scratching the back of his neck. “He kinda does this to everypony he tests... He doesn’t get out much.”

Obsidian’s cheeks flushed for a moment and he threw a irritated glance at Verba. To the group, he said, “Yes, I suppose you’re right. This really isn’t the time.”

Twilight stepped forward. “We need an explanation. Now. Starting with why you lied to me and said that you and Verba weren’t working together.”

Obsidian looked away. “I’m afraid that any explanation I would be able to give you is inadequate. I can tell you that you’re here because a Dormientem spell was cast on you. It is a spell that is typically used to contact me, but it was far stronger than usual. Whereas normally an aspiring Element will lose a week or so of their life trying to contact me, it took years for me to get to you.

Fluttershy gulped. “Y-Years?! B-But… what about Ponyville and Equestria? Wh-What happened?”

“There’s no way to know,” Verba explained. “The only way we can see outside our realm is through your necklace... thingies.”

“I did see something long ago, though,” Obsidian said. “It may have been the Nightmare Moon Twilight mentioned. As for lying to you, well, I never said Verba and I weren’t working together, strictly speaking. However, I will admit that I did withhold information, but that was to make sure that if you needed to be tested, it would be in the right environment. You wouldn’t have been able to fight Verba if you knew him beforehoof.”

“That makes sense, but...” Twilight trailed off. “I don’t want to be rude, Obsidian, but you’ve put us through a lot and I want to know why, specifically.”

“Then you must find out yourself. Celestia and Luna should have far more answers than I ever will,” Obsidian stated. “Go outside my realm and I will do my best to guide you, but I believe it’s rather obvious I wish you no ill will. I understand that my explanations are somewhat unclear, but you must expect anything that could possibly come your way. I have some theories of what might have happened, but none are anything more than abstract guesses.”

“Is something wrong with Equestria?” Rarity asked.

“Well, duh,” Verba chuckled. “I mean, you were supposed to come to us as fillies. Not only that, but you should’ve basically had PhDs on the Elements of Harmony, and you come to us not even knowing the basics. There’s got to be something going on, and I don’t think it’s a good thing.”

“Ah guess…” Applejack agreed hesitantly. “So what now?”

“You have but one option,” Obsidian said. “You must go out into the real world and help me figure out what’s going on. The outside may be perfectly fine, but I have a very strong feeling it isn’t, and since I am the part of you that represents intuition, I don’t tend to distrust my instinct.”

They paused.

“We can’t really make sure you’re safe out there, you know. We can barely keep from tearing each other apart as is,” Verba said, nudging Obsidian.

“If something is wrong,” Obsidian began, ignoring Verba, “if something has happened, if order has collapsed, I cannot guarantee that you will be safe. I cannot guarantee anything.”

Absolute silence.

“Well…” Dash began. “I’m not going to sit on my flank and do nothing! If it means protecting Equestria, then what are we waiting for?”

“Yeah!” Applejack agreed. “If Equestria’s in trouble, we’d better git outta here as quick as we can ta help!”

“You’re not leaving without me!” Rarity said.

“Or me,” Fluttershy said. “We need to stick together.”

“We need to protect each other,” Pinkie added.

“If Equestria truly is in danger, then we’ll do our very best to protect it,” Twilight finished. She looked Obsidian in the eye threateningly. “But if you ever hurt my friends again, training or no training, I’ll have you removed from your post. Understand?”

“Well, I did some stuff, too...” Verba trailed off.

Obsidian looked at Twilight. “Pulling rank already, are we?” he laughed. “Well, I’m not too surprised. A crown has quite an effect on a lady.”

Twilight shrugged him off, a bit miffed. “You were the one just bowing to me.” The others laughed a bit.

Obsidian chuckled. “Of course, I was bowing to all of you. Anyway, if you are ever in dire danger, I will try my best to lead you in the right direction.”

A door opened behind him. It glowed with a bright light.

Dash rubbed her eyes and squinted. “What is it with you and bright lights?”

“I’ve always wondered that myself,” Verba said, though since he lacked eyes, he could stare directly through the gateway.

Obsidian smiled. “Light symbolizes truth. If you follow the path of light, you will live a happy and fulfilled life. Follow the path of truth, and you will be able to protect Equestria. I hope that you stay true to your cause and remember what I have taught you.”

I should be suspicious, I guess, Dash thought, but we’re alright, and that’s what counts in the end. I guess we’ll just have to make sure we don’t rely on Obsidian or Verba too much. We need to find out what to do on our own.

Twilight was the only one to look back at the two mentors before going through the door that was supposed to lead to the outside. I can’t help but wonder... how do I know they’re telling the truth?

How can I trust them after what they’ve done?

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

*******

The Elements of Harmony, still wearing their jewelry, woke up in a rather strange predicament.

“Heh,” Dash murmured. “I remember having a dream kinda like this once.”

Twilight tried to move, but leather straps held all four of her limbs in place. Her back was pressed tightly against a padded wooden board. That seemed to be the case for all of the other Elements, as well. Wow, am I stiff, Twilight thought, trying to twitch her limbs a little bit. Slight echoes of pain resounded throughout her body.

It was pitch-black, so instinctively, Twilight summoned her magic and made her horn glow. However, it did more than glow. With the radiance of a small sun, Twilight almost set the room on fire.

“Ahh! Bright!” Applejack yelled. Since she couldn’t bring her hooves to cover her eyes, the orange mare shut them as tight as they could go.

“Sorry!” Twilight said, toning down her magic. I barely have to put any effort into it! Usually it takes me a lot of concentration to do any magic at all.

“Ugh,” Pinkie muttered, her eyes starting to adjust. “Next time, warn us!”

“Sorry,” Twilight apologized. “It’s never been that easy for me to do magic before.”

“You’re crown is glowing too,” Rarity observed. “Maybe it has to do with your wearing it.”

“Speaking a headgear, where’s mah hat?” Applejack asked, looking up at her bare head. She looked at the others. “Ya know what happens when Ah don’t have mah hat.”

Pinkie gasped. “Twilight, we have a situation! Applejack has to get her hat back right away or there’ll be a zombie infestation!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Can we git outta here, Twi? Ah think Ah’m gettin’ a nasty brush-burn.”

Twilight nodded. The surroundings were simple; quite bare-bones, actually. They were in a black room with six of the devices that were used to hold them. There was a hatch in the ceiling with a ladder leading up and through it, supposedly the way out. Using as little magic as she could, Twilight snapped the bonds that had kept them restrained.

Fluttershy rubbed her ankles, which had thick red rings around them where the pelt had worn off. “There are marks,” she observed. “We must have been here for a long time.”

“But I’m not hungry or thirsty,” Pinkie said. “How long could it have been?”

“Obsidian said something about some kind of Dorme-something spell,” Dash said. “Have you heard of anything like that?”

“We can talk ‘bout it later,” Applejack said. “Let’s git outta here. Ah think we’d better find out what’s been goin’ on all this time, ‘cause this don’t look like mah bedroom ta me.”

Pinkie looked up the ladder. “Hey! Let’s go this way; I can see light up ahead,” she said, starting to climb.

“Well, let’s git a move on!” Applejack said. She and Pinkie went up first.

Dash pawed at her necklace. “Do we have to wear these things all the time? I mean, they’re awesome and stuff, but I’m not the biggest fan of, you know…”

“Once this is over, I guess we won’t need them any more,” Twilight shrugged.

“Are you kidding me? I’m keeping mine until the absolute end of time!” Rarity exclaimed, staring at her necklace. “Isn’t it gorgeous? I wonder why I ever let it out of my sight in the first place.”

“Calm down, Rarity,” Twilight said. The purple mare started to make her way up the shaft, followed by Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy.

Pinkie stuck her head out of the bottom of the shaft. Or, at least, that’s what it looked like. “Hee-hee,” Pinkie giggled. “Somepony forgot to flip the gravity switch!” She had poked her head out of the ceiling in Sugarcube Corners.

“Um, girls...” Pinkie began, looking back up (down?) the shaft. “This might be kind of tricky.”

“What’re ya waitin’ fer?” Applejack asked. “Git goin’!”

Pinkie awkwardly squeezed out of the tunnel and landed lightly on her feet. Applejack, not so much.

The orange earth pony rubbed her head. “Why didn’t ya tell me we were gonna drop outta the ceilin’?”

“Because you didn’t ask!” Pinkie said with a cheerful smile.

“Ah’ll remember that fer next time, then,” Applejack grumbled.

“This looks like a Portable Hole,” Twilight said after nimbly landing on the ground. “Only nobles or powerful magicians have them.”

Once the others had made a somewhat soft landing, they examined the situation. Sugarcube Corners was a wreck; the paint was peeling, the tiles were falling off, and there were various smells floating around in the air, most of them unpleasant. The curtains were torn, and most of the windows were cracked or broken.

“Where are Mr. and Mrs. Cake?” Fluttershy asked.

“I dunno,” Pinkie said. “How ‘bout we have a looksie?”

“I’m game,” Dash said, looking out the window. “Seems like Ponyville’s deserted. I wonder why.”

“We’ll find out sooner or later,” Twilight said. Her ear twitched. “I think I hear something outside.”

“Ah’m on it,” Applejack said, going out the front door to check. She glanced back at the rest of the group. “Hey, ya’ll might wanna come lookit this.”

The others headed outside and saw an orange pegasus with a spiky purple mane hopping around on nearby rooftops. Her eyes were tiredly scanning the town, her wings limp at her wide.

“Hey!” Dash yelled.

The pegasus turned and gasped, life suddenly flooding back into her body. “Sweetie Belle!” she yelled to somepony nearby.

“Is that…?” Dash asked, squinting. It doesn’t look like the Scootaloo I know.

The pegasus rushed up to the group, gliding across the ground and then tackling Rainbow Dash. “Dash! Where have you been?!”

“Woah!” Dash laughed as the pegasus hugged her. “Well, you tell me; I just woke up. And who are you, by the way?”

The pegasus looked up, a bit disappointed. “It’s me, Dash. You know, Scootaloo?”

Dash gaped at the new Scootaloo, but she wasn’t the only one shocked by Scootaloo’s change in appearance. The orange pegasus had grown a lot since Dash had last seen her, to be sure, but there were several other factors. Scootaloo looked extremely dirty, as if she hadn’t bathed in months. She was also very thin. But the most defining feature, by far, was a long white mark that travelled from Scootaloo’s left cheek down to her neck.

Scootaloo had never flown before when I knew her. That must have been what really confused me, Dash thought.

“Scootaloo?” Fluttershy asked, bewildered. The yellow mare shook her head in disbelief. “How long have we been gone?”

“What’s going—Rarity!” a white unicorn with a grayish-rose mane yelled in excitement. “We found you!” Rarity’s sister was also a lot thinner, but not quite as dirty as her counterpart. There was a mark on her flank as well; a roll of bandages.

“Sweetie Belle?!” Rarity asked in shock. She ran up to hug her sister, but quickly pulled away due to the condition of Sweetie Belle’s pelt. “Celestia, Sweetie Belle, are you filthy!”

Twilight couldn’t quite comprehend the situation. “Wait, what? Somepony fill me in; I’m lost.”

“Ohmigosh, I have so much to tell all of you!” Scootaloo said. “I mean, we’ve been looking for you for three years!”

“Three years?!” Fluttershy asked in shock.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo chirped, as if she was discussing a major upset in a competition. “And I can fly, and Sweetie got her mark, and there’s the Daymare, and Ponyville is deserted, and we’ve been on our own, and—and…” the orange pegasus trailed off, too many thoughts travelling through her mind for her to say them all.

“You can tell us all about it later,” Fluttershy said, fretting over Scootaloo’s features. She was poking and prodding in various places like an overprotective mother whose child has just come home from a fight. “We need to get you fixed up right away! How long have you been on your own?”

“Three years,” Scootaloo said, as though it was a regular occurrence. “We ran out of food a couple days ago, though. I guess it was lucky we found you.”

“Lucky my flank!” Rarity scolded. “You should never have been out here on your own. Oh, you’re so dirty…” she muttered, shaking her head.

“Sheesh, it’s no big deal,” Scootaloo said nonchalantly, flinching as Fluttershy examined her. “Hey, that tickles!”

“Heh,” Dash murmured, gazing at Scootaloo. I’m trying to remember what’s she was like, but all of my memories are fuzzy for some reason. I have the gist of it, but... But wow. Scoot’s a teenager and I haven’t aged at all.

“So what ya’ll are sayin’ is that we’ve been gone fer three measly years and all this’s happened?” Applejack asked. “Ah’m not buyin’ it. Had ta be more time than jus’ that.”

“You think we’d be lying?” Sweetie Belle asked. “We’ve been looking for you day and night for years. I think we’d know how much time it’s been.”

“Aww, I’m just playin’ with ya sugarcube,” Applejack said, nudging Sweetie Belle. “Ya grew up too darn fast.”

“Where’s Apple Bloom?” Twilight asked.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, their expressions a new shade of worry.

“C’mon, spit it out,” Applejack said, a tad nervous. Did something happen to Apple Bloom?

“She’s really sick,” Sweetie Belle said. “At first we thought it was just a cold, but she hasn’t gotten better, and it’s been a week now.”

Applejack paled slightly. “Ah think ya better show us just how bad she is,” she suggested.

Sweetie Belle nodded, and swallowed. “This way. We’ve been staying at Fluttershy’s.”

Just then, Pinkie felt a sharp sensation in the back of her head as her Pinkie Senses flared. She slowly turned her head to the left. “Girls, we have trouble.”

*******

The group’s heads shot around to the roof of Sugarcube Corners, where a blue earth pony with a blue-green mane was lying down, peeking over the edge of the roof at them. She was about Scootaloo’s age, but much healthier.

“Wah!” she yelled, hastily getting up and running away.

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle asked. “What’s going on?”

“She works for the Daymare!” Scootaloo yelled. “After her!”

Dash took to the air, and Applejack took off on hoof to where the girl had supposedly gone. For being an earth pony, she was surprisingly agile, and Dash had to weave around lamp posts and into alleyways just to keep up with her.

Applejack saw the blue earth pony run into an alleyway. “Ha! Gotcha!” she yelled, swerving inside, just in time to see the pony running off on the top of an adjacent building.

How...? Applejack scratched her head. Not pondering it for long, she took off again.

Dash managed to corner the young earth pony on the roof of a building that was about four stories tall. Scootaloo was fast approaching.

“What’s your name, and who do you work for?” Dash demanded.

The young earth pony was trembling. “S-Saphira,” she stammered. “Get b-back, before I have to hurt you!”

“I don’t want to hurt you, I just want to know what’s going on, and you’re going to tell me!” Dash stated. “Now!”

That was enough. In a flurry of motion that even Scootaloo barely saw, Saphira took down Dash and jumped off the building. Dash was seemingly uninjured, but she was unable to pick herself back up, grunting in frustration as some of her legs refused to move. Saphira somersaulted on the ground and continued running.

Scootaloo landed next to Dash. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Ngh,” Dash mumbled, her mouth pressed up against the roof of the building. “What are you waiting for? Get her!”

Applejack chased the earth pony and managed to corner her again. “Yer not gettin’ away from me!”

Twilight rushed up to see the blue earth pony take down Applejack, but slower this time. Saphira first reared up and hit Applejack in a specific place above the knee, tripped her, and then hit her again above her back knee. Applejack felt two pops before collapsing to the ground.

Saphira ran toward the woods and disappeared within the foliage.

*******

=====================================================================

“Are you both alright?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“Yeah, Ah am,” Applejack said, only two legs functioning. “But mah legs aren’t.”

“I don’t know what happened, it just all stopped working!” Dash complained.

“Sweetie Belle, now’s a good time to use your ability!” Scootaloo said, motioning to the two wounded ponies that had been moved near the town square.

Sweetie Belle looked nervous. “Um, yeah, maybe…”

“You got your cutie mark!” Rarity gasped, looking on the verge of tears for having missed so much of her sister’s life. “And I wasn’t there…”

Twilight nudged Rarity and looked at her. This isn’t the time, Rarity. Rarity sighed, but stopped talking.

“What’s your ability, Sweetie Belle?” Dash asked.

“Wh-when I sing, I heal ponies,” Sweetie Belle said. “But I don’t have much practice.”

“You have all the time in the world to get it right,” Twilight said. “And our friends really need your help. Can you try?”

“Yeah, sure,” Sweetie Belle said. She sat down next to Applejack, who had found a somewhat comfortable position.

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and started to sing.

*******

“Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry, go to sleep my little baby. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses. Dapple and grays, pintos and bays, all the pretty little horses.

“Way down yonder, in the meadow, poor little baby cryin’ mama, birds and the butterflies flutter ‘round his eyes. Poor little baby, cryin’ mama.

“Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry, go to sleep, my little baby. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses. Dapples and grays, pintos and bays, all the pretty little horses.”

Sweetie Belle finished the lullaby with a brief hum, but it already had its effects. Positive energy started to flow throughout Applejack and Dash’s veins, revitalizing them and fixing their dislocated appendages.

*******

However, it did more than that. Fluttershy and Rarity had started to cry because of the song’s beauty, and Twilight, Dash, and Pinkie could do little to hold their emotions back. Once the song was over they quickly recovered, but the calm feeling they had in their hearts would last much longer. Scootaloo hadn’t cried, probably because she had heard the song before, but she was still appreciative of its beauty.

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and smiled weakly at the group. Her eyelids had almost slid over her eyes. “Hehe,” she giggled weakly.

“That was breathtaking, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said, giving her sister a tight squeeze. “How in the world did you find such a glorious ability?”

“I’m sleepy,” Sweetie Belle said, yawning.

“Oh, dear!” Rarity said, suddenly shifting her weight to keep Sweetie Belle standing. She had suddenly gone limp on her feet.

Twilight helped lie Sweetie Belle down. “The magic must have drained her. I’ve never seen anything quite so powerful, even in my own talents,” she admitted.

“I guess it was pretty obvious to everypony that her talent had something to do with singing,” Dash began, “but that just blew me out of the water.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said wistfully. Three years... That’s a lot of time to miss. She turned to Scootaloo. “Where’d you say Apple Bloom was?”

“Oh, over at Fluttershy’s,” Scootaloo said. “I’ll lead the way.”

=====================================================================

Like most houses in Ponyville, Fluttershy’s abode was a mess, but it didn’t help that three teens were staying in it. Fluttershy didn’t mind, of course—you do what you have to do when the situation’s dire. Scootaloo had set most of the animals free, something that upset Fluttershy greatly, but again, you do what you have to do when you know that keeping them tied up won’t do them any good.

Their first priority was Apple Bloom, though.

Scootaloo led them upstairs, where Apple Bloom was staying. “Um, this way, and watch out for that step,” she said, pointing to a cracked board on the stairway.

When they were all on the verge of the room, Scootaloo stopped them. “I… I think that only Applejack and Fluttershy should go in. I don’t think we should stress her out; she’s pretty bad.”

Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Dash, though disappointed, complied and left to clean up the ruins of Fluttershy’s house.

Applejack slowly creaked open the door.

*******

This room was better kept than the rest of the house. There were no dirty dishes or wrappers like in other spots in the house; most of the trash had been evacuated. All in all, it looked fairly normal, except for the shivering mound in the center of a bed.

This mound was an earth pony mare, the same age as Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle. Her coat was a pale olive color, with a rose-red mane, although both looked messy and haphazard. She clutched tightly to a red bow. Applejack slowly approached her.

“A-…Apple Bloom?” she asked.

The mound slowly opened her eyes. “Sis? That you?”

Applejack rushed to her sister’s side and felt her forehead. “She’s burnin’ up,” Applejack told Fluttershy, who was now also now at the teen’s side.

“Did mah friends finally find you?” Apple Bloom asked, her hoarse voice barely above a whisper. She was incredibly thin, even thinner than her counterparts. “Ah knew they would.”

“We’re here now; everything’s going to be alright,” Fluttershy said. The teen’s state was dire; she was plastered with sweat and shivered violently as she tried to turn and face Applejack and Fluttershy. Her breath was shallow.

“Ah’m not goin’ ta let anythin’ happen to ya now,” Applejack said, nuzzling Apple Bloom’s neck.

“Yer finally here,” Apple Bloom murmured. She opened her orange eyes and smiled. For a moment, she looked like she had only just woken up from a nap. Then she closed them again with a grunt of pain.

“How do you feel?” Fluttershy asked.

“Not too good,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah have this nasty headache, ya see…” she looked like she was about to continue, but the effort was too much. She quivered and wrapped herself tighter in her covers.

“Oh, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said, holding the sick mare close. How could this happen? Please don’t die, Apple Bloom.

Fluttershy was already in tears, she could barely examine the pale lump lying in front of her. She had a basic knowledge of diseases from her work with animals. She’s... she’s not looking very well...

“Sis, you still there?” Apple Bloom whispered.

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “And Ah’ll always be here by your side.”

Apple Bloom’s head moved slightly, probably a nod. She was going to speak, but no words came out.

“When did you last eat?” Applejack asked.

“A few days ago, not—not too long,” Apple Bloom said. Another wave of pain washed over her, and she cringed.

A few days, Fluttershy thought sadly.

“Oh,” Apple Bloom said, her eyes lighting up for the briefest of moments as she opened them and turned over, pointing at the nightstand. A light brown Stetson hat was resting there. “Ah found yer hat a couple years ago. Thought Ah’d keep it…” she drifted off. “Ah’d keep it safe.”

Applejack hugged her sister. She was warm to the touch. “Thanks, sis,” she placed her hat back on her head. It was cold, as if it hadn’t been worn in a long time.

“How’s it lookin’, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “She… sh-she’ll be fine.”

“That’s good,” Apple Bloom said. “Sis, you still there?”

“Ah have ta answer that?” Applejack prodded Apple Bloom affectionately.

Apple Bloom smiled. “I’m…” she didn’t finish. Her breathing steadied somewhat, and she fell into slumber.

Fluttershy wiped her eyes and turned away. “I can’t. I-It’s too much.” I’ve never seen anypony this sick before.

Applejack sighed, and looked at her shivering sister. Her heart shattered and fell into pieces in her chest. The orange mare looked at Fluttershy. “Just how ‘fine’ will she be?”

Fluttershy drew in a shaky breath, and exhaled. “I think it’s the flu aggravated into pneumonia by malnutrition. I-I don’t think that sh-she’ll…” Fluttershy couldn’t finish; she was crying too hard.

Applejack gritted her teeth. I want to be angry, but... but at what? I can’t fight an invisible foe. I can’t outsmart disease. “Let’s go tell the others,” Applejack sighed, taking one last glance at her younger sister before leaving the room.

=====================================================================

Applejack and Fluttershy came back downstairs to a slightly cleaner room.

“How is she?” Dash asked, though she didn’t really need to. Their expressions said it all.

Applejack shook her head. “It just ain’t right!” she exclaimed, stomping the floor in frustration. “Ah shoulda been here; Ah coulda helped her!”

“Is she going to… you know?” Scootaloo looked at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy sighed and repeated her diagnosis. “If we had food, I’d really only be worried about her surviving tonight, but unless you found any, we’re…” her bottom lip trembled.

“Food?” Pinkie asked. “Well, I have a secret store.”

“There’s no food left in Ponyville, or we would have found it already,” Sweetie Belle sighed. “We’ve been looking for days.”

“There’s no harm in checking,” Pinkie pointed out. “How about you come with me, Sweetie Belle?”

“That’s a good idea,” Twilight said, adjusting her crown to scratch her forehead. “How about you two, Dash, and Scootaloo go searching for food while Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy stay here to watch Apple Bloom?”

“What about you?” Rarity asked.

“I think I might have a healing spell I could use to help Apple Bloom; I’d just have to get it from my library,” Twilight suggested. “It’s better than nothing.”

Applejack took a deep breath. “What about that Saphira girl? We might git some trouble later on down the road,” she pointed out.

“Our first priority is our friends,” Twilight said sternly. “Apple Bloom is in danger, and we have to do everything we can to save her. Everything else comes second.”

“Right!” Pinkie said determinedly. “We’ll save her, mark my words!”

“Then that’s that,” Twilight finished. “We should get going right away.”

=====================================================================

*******

A blue-green unicorn stallion with a greenish mane was walking outside the ruins of Canterlot. His cutie mark was of a theatrical mask, the kind used to show either comedy or tragedy. If you wanted me to be here at precisely three o’clock, then you better be here at three o’clock as well! The unicorn thought angrily. I have been standing here for a full five minutes!

“Took you long enough,” said a blood-red pegasus mare who stepped out of a shadowy alley nearby. She had a short-cut, dark red mane and sharp metal tips on her hooves. “I’ve been here two minutes and counting.”

“Ha, ha,” scoffed the unicorn, who had a known taste for punctuality. “How’s Saphira?”

“Huh? Oh, a little flustered, but the tyke’s alright,” she shrugged, looking at the unicorn. “Why so concerned about her all of a sudden? I thought you preferred to think she didn’t exist.”

“I prefer to think that she’s of no implication to my life until I’m out of the mess I got myself into. The same goes for you, Lyvia,” the unicorn said coldly.

“Aw, how sweet,” Lyvia laughed, putting a hoof under the unicorn’s chin and fluttering her eyelashes. “You’re a real charmer, Lorey, you know that?”

Using telekinesis, Lorey thrust Lyvia’s hoof to the floor. “My patience is limited.”

“Duh,” Lyvia said, rolling her eyes. Her metal-tipped hooves sparked with electricity, and Lorey clutched his forehead, suddenly in the throngs of a powerful migraine.

“Mine, too,” Lyvia scoffed, resetting her hooves. “What’s with you today, anyway? That time of the month again, or what?”

“I’m not always as peachy-keen as I usually am, Lyvia,” Lorey hissed. “Today, much less so. I fear that she has been seeing me again, with more power than ever.”

“Aw, that hag? Why not just plug your ears?” Lyvia suggested. When she received an irritated glance, she added, “Y’know, figuratively speaking and all.”

“Never mind,” Lorey sighed. “The Daymare sent you, correct?”

“Yeah,” Lyvia nodded. “And she has a job specifically for you, too. It’s your lucky day.”

“Hmph,” Lorey said. “Has Luna finally amassed a force worthy of being recognized by our ruler? Or are you just pulling my leg?”

“Yes, but it’s not like she knows it yet,” Lyvia laughed. “Saphira came back with news that the Elements of Harmony are active for the first time in years. In Ponyville, too.”

Lorey raised his eyebrows. “Oh, did she now? Well, then... What is my mission?”

“Oh, c’mon, take a guess!” Lyvia proposed. When she once again received an irritated look, she said, “You’re so boring.”

“I wasn’t hired to entertain you,” Lorey said.

Lyvia rolled her eyes. “Well, the Daymare has something a little tough in mind for you, actually.”

“And what would that be?” Lorey asked.

“Infiltration,” Lyvia stated. “Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

*******

“Be very still,” Fluttershy said softly as she placed a new rag on Apple Bloom’s head to try and cool her down. Fluttershy had some basic supplies, but no medicine.

“Ain’t a fever supposed to kill the germs?” Applejack asked her. She was brushing Apple Bloom’s hair, which had been strewn out in random directions.

“No, not when it’s this high,” Fluttershy said. “It would only harm her. If we could move her, I would put her in a cool bath, but I’m still not really sure just how sick she is,” she sighed. “We should have been here.”

Applejack put her comb down and looked at the heap in front of her. “Yeah, Ah wish we were. But y’know what, Fluttershy? Focusin’ on the coulda-woulda-shoulda a the situation ain’t gonna git us anywhere. ‘Sides, this’ll all be just another memory once Apple Bloom’s all fixed up.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, you’re right. She’ll be better in no time.”

Rarity was busy washing Apple Bloom’s sheets. Meanwhile, Applejack and Fluttershy had wrapped her in quilts and blankets, something the young mare was very appreciative of. She laid practically motionless in her bed while the two others tended to her.

“Applejack,” Fluttershy began, “do you think I could leave for a minute? I think I might have some herbs that could help Apple Bloom sleep.”

“Sure,” Applejack said.

Fluttershy nodded and left the room. Applejack hummed a tune as she used her tail to brush some of the rubble into a dustpan.

Apple Bloom shifted. “Sis?” she asked.

Applejack barely heard her. “Yes, Apple Bloom?”

“Am I goin’ ta die?” Apple Bloom asked after a while.

Applejack paused, biting her lip. She walked to her sister’s side and nudged her gently. “Ah won’t let it happen, Apple Bloom. Ah swear.”

Apple Bloom dragged the rag, now lukewarm, off her forehead and looked up at her sister with bright eyes, even brighter due to her illness. “If Ah die…”

“Don’t talk like that,” Applejack said, nudging Apple Bloom. “Yer gonna be alright.”

“Listen ta me,” Apple Bloom said weakly. “If Ah die… please, sis, don’t avenge me. Ah came out here ta find you and git revenge on those nasty ponies like the Daymare…” she paused to catch her breath. “But it didn’t do me any good at all. Ah got myself into really dangerous places. Ah’m kinda lucky Ah get to talk to ya now.”

Applejack nodded, a hole starting to form in her heart. Is this the last time I’m going to get to talk to her? She shook her head. No, I’m not going to think like that!

“Jus’ be careful, sis, that’s all Ah ask,” Apple Bloom said. “An’ be careful what’cha wish for, alright?” she asked, smiling a little.

Applejack hugged her sister, disregarding her illness. “Ah will. Forever,” she added.

=====================================================================

*******

Scootaloo and Dash weren’t actually looking for food. They tried, but failed, to stay on task. Scootaloo just had so much to tell Dash about what had happened, and Dash was so ready to hear it that they, for the most part, just walked around and talked.

“So then, I started to follow this Saphira kid, right?” Scootaloo asked as they cantered around a ruined fountain. “But she just climbs up a tree like that! I still don’t know how she did it.”

Dash thought for a moment. “You think tree-climbing’s her ability?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought at first, but the Daymare must have cast a spell on her or something, because trees don’t have anything to do with her cutie mark, you know, the rubber band?” Scootaloo explained. They were nearing the edge of town.

“Hey, you were talking about the Daymare earlier. What exactly is a Daymare?” Dash asked.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “You don’t know? Oh, right, stasis,” she realized, remembering Twilight’s brief explanation of where they were for three years. “Well, the Daymare is basically Princess Celestia.”

“What?” Dash asked, passing by a ruined gate that would have said ‘Welcome to Ponyville...!’ had it not been rusted and crushed.

“I dunno,” Scootaloo admitted, stepping over some rocks on a haphazard trail. “It’s just that the Princess went crazy all of a sudden and started attacking all these different towns. We got away, but we came back after it was over to look for you.”

“Wait, you sure you’re talking about Celestia?” Dash asked. That doesn’t sound anything like the Princess. She’s a really cool, fun ruler. How could she turn into something as bad as what the Daymare’s supposed to be?

“Positive,” Scootaloo said, her hooves meeting the soft ground of a forest. “I saw her myself. The only thing different about her were her eyes; they were dragon-like.”

“What?!” Dash said, stopping and looking at Scootaloo. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, a little startled by Dash’s reaction. “Everything else was the same, I swear.”

Dash paced a minute. “But it wasn’t Nightmare Moon? You’re sure she had dragon eyes, Scoot?”

“I swear,” Scootaloo said, a little frightened now. “You okay?”

But we beat Nightmare Moon! Dash thought. This doesn’t make any sense! Are there more than one? The blue pegasus shook her head. I’ll mention it to Twilight later, I guess. “Never mind.”

“Well, okay. Right, where was I…” Scootaloo paused. “Hey, Dash, I can fly now!”

“Really?” Dash asked. “Show me!”

Scootaloo had to take a running start. She spread her wings, and lifted off the ground with a noticeable amount of effort. Dash followed her high above the canopy of the forest.

Her form’s sloppy, Dash observed, but she’s been practicing. And for not having any help, that’s pretty good. “Nice job, Scootaloo!” Dash said, nudging her friend in mid-air. They landed after about five minutes of playing around in the air.

“I’ve been working hard so I could show you!” Scootaloo said proudly. “How was it?”

Dash looked at the teen pegasus in front of her. Examined her. She came to a conclusion.

“You’re just growing up too fast!” Dash said, pulling her fan into a big hug.

Dash bit back sadness. I’ve always liked her, a little. Like a sister. And now that she’s all grown up... Now I know how Rarity feels. I feel like I’ve missed the greatest years of my entire life. We could have had so much fun together! I’m the only one with any air speed, she could have helped me practice! Ugh... I feel so sad. I missed her first flight!

“Dash, are you okay?” Scootaloo asked, moving in front of her idol.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Dash said. “C’mon, let’s go back. Rarity’s waiting.”

Scootaloo saw past Dash’s ruse. “Dash, what’s wrong? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Dash nodded and swallowed. “I… I just feel that, all these years, I’ve abandoned you. I just wish I could have been here.”

“Aw, Dash, don’t go all Rarity on me,” Scootaloo said playfully. “We all know you’d never live that down.”

Dash nodded, and laughed a bit. I feel really bad for not being here, but I’ll just have to work through it. I guess there are just some things that you take for granted.

“You don’t have to worry about abandoning me,” Scootaloo said. “Because no matter what happens to you, you’ll always be right here,” she continued, putting a hoof to her chest. “And no matter what happens to me, I know I’m safe, because I’ll always be right here,” she said, tapping Dash on the chest.

Dash nodded. “Thanks, Scoot. That’s what I needed to hear. It’s been rough.”

“I know,” Scootaloo said. “There are a lot of ponies that are counting on you, you know. Don’t worry about just me.”

“Where is everypony, anyway?” Dash asked.

Scootaloo sighed. “Everypony in Equestria had to evacuate to Fillydelphia with Luna. That’s the only safe place anywhere in the world right now.”

“What?!” Dash exclaimed. “There’s no way everypony in Equestria would fit into one city!”

Scootaloo looked away. “By the time ponies started to evacuate… there was.”

Dash’s heart felt like a rock in her stomach. All those ponies… how?

“How could anypony do that?” Dash asked. “Not only would somepony have to be pure evil to do anything like that…” she swallowed. “But the Daymare couldn’t be everywhere at once!”

“It wasn’t just her,” Scootaloo said. “She had help, willing help. One of them is a shape-shifter. One is an assassin. Then there’s Saphira, who’s pretty much useless. And then there’s Nightmare Moon. She might have more; those are just the ones Luna told me about.”

“Wait, Nightmare Moon?” Dash’s mind was practically turned upside down. “But… but…!”

Scootaloo nodded. “Well, I’m not really that sure, but I do know that somehow Nightmare Moon isn’t limited to Luna… she’s been possessing other ponies.” She shuddered. “Some of them I knew. She changes them almost monthly. I think at one point she was Twist. Another…” she wiped her eyes, and blinked. “I don’t even want to think about it. So many were taken, Dash, and killed. I’m lucky we all survived.”

Dash was furious. “That isn’t even supposed to be possible!”

“I dunno,” Scootaloo said, wiping her eyes. “It might have just been the shape-shifter. It was scary, Dash. Seeing friends from school having those eyes, that dark body. It’s just so evil. And it’s terrifying, because they… they’re trying to kill us.”

That’s awful! Dash thought. How could anypony do that?!

“We should get back,” Scootaloo said, looking back toward Ponyville.

Dash nodded. How…?

=====================================================================

“It should be around here,” Pinkie said, feeling along a wall in Sugarcube Corners.

“We already checked here a week ago,” Sweetie Belle sighed.

“Cheer up!” Pinkie said, continuing to feel for something Sweetie Belle didn’t think was there. “If we didn’t check, we would never find anything. Now let’s see... Hmm...”

“But what are we even looking for?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“That’s a good question! I’m not really that sure,” Pinkie said, laughing at Sweetie Belle’s expression. “Just kidding! It should be right around here. Just a few more paces Weast.”

“Weast?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“It rhymes with yeast!” Pinkie chirped, opening the bread drawers. They were actually fairly large, and she had to climb into it to fully look around, eventually disappearing inside. Sweetie Belle heard a tapping noise behind her and found Pinkie stuck in a long-broken oven.

After rescuing her, Sweetie asked, “How’d you get in there?”

“Same way I get anywhere! Jumping!” Pinkie explained. She rubbed her chin. “But it wasn’t in there, so it must be...” She crouched low to the ground as if she was sneaking up on prey, then pounced on a completely unprepared cabinet. She pursed her lips, finding nothing inside.

“Told you,” Sweetie sighed.

“Cheer up!” Pinkie said. “If Weast wasn’t for yeast, then Weast must be for... feast!” She exclaimed, pushing a small green sticker on the wall. Her hoof went through the plaster, and she felt around in the resulting hole.

“What are you doing?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Hmm…” Pinkie said, deep in concentration. “Ah! There we go,” she said. There was a clicking sound, and the wall opened up into a freezer.

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle said.

“The previous owners installed this for some crazy reason,” Pinkie shrugged. “I thought it might come in handy eventually.”

“Why’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Pinkie shrugged. “Better safe than sorry!”

The great majority of the supplies in the freezer were canned or preserved, but to Sweetie Belle it was a godsend. Her stomach rumbled audibly at the sight of familiar brands, and she turned a slight shade of red. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

Pinkie nudged her. “There’s nothing wrong with being hungry. What did you think would happen, with you being all adventurey adventurous venture-pants?”

“Can we talk later?” Sweetie Belle begged.

Pinkie laughed. “Okie-dokey, lokie. Help me move this food, okay?”

=====================================================================

Twilight walked inside her house, or rather, what was left of it. Papers were everywhere, books were moldy, spiderwebs were hanging from the ceiling, and the wooden floor creaked when she entered. Just your ordinary, cheesy horror story, Twilight sighed, remembering a few that she had read as a filly.

She made her way across to the bookshelves and started looking through her spellbooks. Most of them were ruined, but she did find one on healing. Looking through it, she quickly saw it was useless; all of the pages had been ripped out long ago. Great, so they ruined my library, Twilight muttered to herself. What’s next?

Twilight noticed a note on a nearby desk with gold embroidery; she had only seen it once before, and that was on the oldest texts Celestia dared to give her. She picked it up using her telekinesis and read it, her eyes steadily widening.

Dear Twilight…

We write this note to thee in desperate times. Our quill is unsteady as We write because Equestria is under attack. The Elements of Discord hath decided to rear their ugly heads for the first time in centuries, and this time it looks like they hath constructed a plan far grander and more detailed than We hath ever known.

Time is short, so although We wouldst give thee a worthy explanation for Our actions, We must cut this message short. We have trapped thou inst thine own mind in order to allow an ancient being to aid thee. If thou readst this, thou hast probably already met him, but please know that he wishes thee the best. As do We.

Please be careful. Thou arest incredibly important to the safety of this world. Discord has decided to strike, and

We have seconds left. Meet Us in Fillydelphia. We can tell thee everything there.

-Princess Lun

It ended there. Twilight gradually deciphered the old language and sat down, pondering the implications.

She didn’t even have the time to write her own name, Twilight thought. Princess Luna… It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.

Twilight put the note on the inside of her crown, along with the best spell she could find to help Apple Bloom. This letter could be really important. I should read it to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and see if they know anything. It’s time I received some answers.

The world is in danger, Twilight shivered. The purple mare imagined just how powerful Discord could possibly be. It’s not the first time we’ve saved it, but… It might be our last.

=====================================================================

*******

A dark turquoise unicorn trotted into a ruined throne room. Her mane was an extremely pale cyan, almost white. It was braided and hung down to her neck. Her eyes were a pale yellow, containing dagger-like slits instead of pupils. Her cutie mark was of a fiendish harp.

She walked up to an important-looking white alicorn that was resting on a wide throne, flipping through a book. She was majestic; her horn and wings several times bigger than an ordinary unicorn or pegasus, and she wore a gold crown on her head. Her cutie mark was of a jewel; an amber sun. Her eyes were blue, dagger-like slits, but one was covered up by her mane, which was flowing with bright green, pink, and blue pastel colors.

“Sister,” the turquoise unicorn said impatiently.

“Yes, Envy?” the alicorn asked.

“Deception wants us to move to the next stage of the plan,” Envy said. Her voice was commanding and strong.

“Oh, already? I thought the Elements would stay in hiding for much longer,” the alicorn said, sighing and flipping through her book impatiently. “It’s about time they reared their ugly heads.”

“Oh, so you heard about that?” Envy laughed. But it wasn’t really a laugh; it was artificial and hollow.

“You expect me to just sit around reading all day?” the alicorn asked, swatting the book aside. “Ugh, books. My time is too important for something so stupid. There’s nothing new anymore.”

“You just can’t read as fast as I can,” Envy said. “If you want something to do, go find a new body. You’ve been hogging that one for the past three years.”

“And there’s a good reason why,” the alicorn said, her dagger eyes darting to her sister’s. “If I let go for a minute, she’s going to attack. She’s waiting for an opportunity, and that’s something I will not give to her willingly. Besides, the body of a goddess is the only thing that I truly deserve.”

“Psh, goddess. Well, if you’re bored, I need help finding a male body. So many females in this world, I do wonder how the population survives,” Envy remarked.

“I thought you preferred the feminine touch, brother,” the alicorn remarked.

“Yes, it is rather… interesting, inhabiting a female form,” Envy said, shifting her weight from one pair of legs to the other in a side-to-side motion. “And it’s also nice having such a wide variety of beautiful bodies. It’s almost as if somepony made entire populations using a template. Anyway, the reason I’m looking for a male body is to advance the plan, and I was hoping you could take a peek inside your Dreamscape or whatever and find me a specimen.”

“So Deception’s target is female again? That’s boring,” the alicorn remarked. “Aren’t there any in storage you could use? Looking through the Dreamscape is a pain and a waste of test subjects. You know how important my project is.”

Envy rolled her eyes. “Arrogance, this is Deception we’re talking about here. I looked in storage, found a perfectly acceptable body, and she turned it away like I pulled it from a dumpster. I wouldn’t be asking you if I didn’t need to; I know how important the Dreamscape is.”

“Fine, then,” the alicorn named Arrogance said. “I will take a look at my extensive reserves. When does Deception need it?”

“ASAP, so you better hop to it,” Envy said. “Meanwhile, I believe that we’re closing in on the Elements. Do you want me to give our troops the go-ahead?”

“Not until you’re there,” Arrogance said sternly. “It may be overkill, but I am not allowing a screw-up.”

Envy shrugged. “It’s not like I have anything better to do, and I’ll enjoy finally looking those brats in the eyes and having them read what Discord really is, written in blood.”

Envy turned to leave, but Arrogance stopped her.

“Don’t go overboard. We need them alive,” Arrogance warned, looking at Envy threateningly.

“Hmph. I was only kidding,” Envy scoffed. But she didn’t look like she was.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

*******

Twilight and her small group of survivors started to help Apple Bloom out of sickness.

We don’t really have a plan at this point, Rarity thought, but we’re not going to just sit here and let her die. I’m not sure if we’re making a mistake or not by doing that, but I could care less. I would never forgive myself if I left her here without giving her the proper care that she justly deserves.

Applejack and Pinkie were stirring soup for their dinner that night. Applejack was gathering wild fruits and vegetables, and Pinkie hummed a tune as she tended to the various instruments around the kitchen. There was a giant pot on the stovetop, with enough soup that the nine ponies present could share.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle were tending to Apple Bloom, reading to her, and telling her stories. “Her life has been hard for the past few years,”Fluttershy had said. “I want to make it better, as much as I possibly can.”

Twilight was rehearsing the spell she had chosen. It’s not a very specific spell, she thought as she muttered magical phrases, but if I pull it off, Apple Bloom should survive. In fact, I guarantee it, with my new talent. Still, it doesn’t hurt to practice.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo didn’t have as central a role, but mainly were just hanging about. This wasn’t to say they were being lazy; it’s just that when you try and have eight ponies all trying to help the same pony at the same time, the results don’t typically involve anything really getting done. So, they ran errands, but for the most part, they were reminiscing and just having fun, like friends should.

Apple Bloom was fast asleep.

“She’s been sleeping for a while now,” Fluttershy remarked. She felt for a pulse on Apple Bloom’s neck. She’s still alive, she sighed to herself, relieved, and she looks like she’s recovering.

“That’s good,” Rarity said. “I’m sure she’ll be better in no time.”

Apple Bloom was wrapped in her blankets. The herbs Fluttershy had given her had knocked her out within minutes, and Fluttershy was fretting about whether she had given her too much, even though the yellow mare had triple-checked to make sure that it was the right measurement.

“If she doesn’t wake up around dinnertime, I have a spell somewhere in my library I can fetch,” Twilight said, briefly interrupting her complicated incantations.

“What are you doing over there, Twilight? I mean, with all the gibberish and stillness?” Rarity asked. “I’m a bit worried.”

Twilight paused. “Um, you mean, incantations?”

“Well, if that’s what you call gibberish, then yes,” Rarity said.

Hmm… Usually my magic has been limited to concentration. Just how long have I been practicing? Have I lost track of time? It’s only been a few minutes, I think, Twilight remarked to herself. “How long have I been sitting here?” Twilight asked. Why am I all stiff? I think I’ve been sitting here a little longer than I thought.

“Well, you’ve been here since Applejack and Pinkie started dinner, and they said that it’s almost done now,” Sweetie Belle said. “Why?”

“Oh, I must have lost track of time,” Twilight said, getting up. Ack, now I’m really stiff. Twilight shook out her limbs. “Ugh,” she said. Incantations are usually reserved for intensive study; just how powerful has my magic become? Twilight shifted the crown on her head. It had a faint glow, but nothing too noticeable unless you were six inches away from it.

“Soup’s on!” Applejack called from downstairs.

“It smells wonderful,” Fluttershy said, wafting the air. She was hungry as well; it had been five or six hours since they first woke up, and it was nearing dusk.

“I’ll take a bowl up for Apple Bloom first,” Rarity said. “Twilight, do you think you could wake her up?”

Twilight looked at Apple Bloom, a peaceful lump lying in a cluster of blankets. She needs her rest, but she hasn’t eaten in days. That’s probably more important. The purple mare got near Apple Bloom. There’s no sense in getting a spell if I only have to, well, ‘knock on the front door,’ I guess.

Twilight shone a somewhat bright light near Apple Bloom’s snout. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

“Ngh... Ah was sleepin’, ya know.” She shifted.

“Food is ready,” Twilight said, putting out her light and nudging the little filly. “Rarity’s going to feed you some. It smells delicious.”

“Can’t she do that while Ah’m asleep?” Apple Bloom mumbled, turning away from Twilight.

Twilight laughed a bit. “Come on, it’s dinner in bed!”

Apple Bloom didn’t respond.

Twilight looked at Rarity. “Once you bring the food up, I’m sure she’ll jump at it.”

Rarity nodded. “She’s a lot better than she sounded earlier. I think she’ll be fine.”

“I hope so,” Twilight said. She went down to have dinner.

=====================================================================

It was safe to say that the Cutie Mark Crusaders, namely Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, ate more in one night than all of the others combined. So much was consumed that it even impressed Applejack, who was used to eating huge portions after a day out in the field.

I guess this is normal for teenagers, Twilight sighed to herself. She wasn’t actually too hungry; a bowl sufficed for her, and two bowls for Applejack and Dash, but Sweetie Belle had three and Scootaloo had four.

“And Ah thought there would be leftovers!” Applejack laughed.

“Nope,” Sweetie Belle mumbled, watching Scootaloo sip her last bowl.

“It was excellent,” Rarity said to Pinkie and Applejack.

“Well, it’s safe to say that Applejack’s the master of huge meals. I was actually going to make this half the size it is now,” Pinkie giggled. “Guess we know how that would’ve ended, huh?”

The others laughed. Scootaloo didn’t, but that was only because she had a bellyache.

Applejack looked at Scootaloo, a bit amused. The orange pegasus had gone to lie down, having eaten too much. Everypony knows not to eat so much at one time. Guess that’s something you have to learn the hard way. But I don’t blame her; two days without food and I’d be stuffing my face, too.

So, in general, it was uneventful. Apple Bloom looked like she was making a steady recovery, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were fed, and everypony was happy.

*******

Then Pinkie suddenly stood up, an unusually serious look on her face. Something’s wrong. Like really, really, super wrong. “Girls, there’s a problem. I can feel it.”

Pinkie felt little needles and pricks all throughout her body, like she was sitting on a cactus. The pain that spread throughout her body was so intense that she began to feel a bit dizzy; her Pinkie Sense was going out of control. This is the most pain that I’ve felt in my life! she thought, twitching a bit and scratching her leg. Applejack and the others looked at her, a bit frightened.

“What’s wrong, Pinkie?” Applejack asked.

Pinkie cringed; the pain was getting stronger. “Ow, ow! I think—We’re in danger, serious danger. Like life-or-death, mega-ultra-daredevil danger. Ouch!” she yelped, beginning to chase her tail around in a circle.

Sweetie Belle was a bit frightened. “What’s going on? I’m scared.”

Twilight stood up. Pinkie’s never been wrong with these things before... If she says we’re in danger, then I’m going to take that seriously. She went upstairs to grab Rarity quickly, but stopped to grab a kitchen knife first, in case she might need it. She tossed the weapon into her saddlebag.

“Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, you stay inside and protect Apple Bloom,” Twilight ordered after coming back downstairs. “Dash, could you check and see if there’s anything outside?”

Dash darted outside, and looked around. She didn’t expect to see the threat so quickly, but that was because she had seen her before.

It was Trixie.

She was a blue unicorn. Her mane and tail were a paler shade of that same color. She wore a purple, star-spangled cape and matching witch’s hat. From what Dash knew of her, she was an arrogant magician that had disappeared into the crowd as soon as her and her friends made her admit that she had been telling lies, and hadn’t been seen since.

However, there were a lot of things that were different about her now. One, she looked paler, and thinner. She had neither the confident aura she usually flaunted about nor the dominating presence that she, as a street performer and powerful magician, possessed twenty-four/seven. But her scariest feature was the shackles that hung from each of her limbs; they were ghostlike chains, each one only had a few links. They hung in midair as if they were underwater.

By the time Dash had taken all of this in, everypony was outside.

“T-Trixie?” Rarity asked. “What in Equestria has happened to you?”

Trixie took a deep breath, then exhaled. “If you want to live,” she began. “Run.”

*******

The group didn’t have to be told twice.

Dash took off across rooftops, along with Fluttershy. The others took off by hoof, Pinkie and Rarity going one direction, with Twilight and Applejack going another.

Trixie bent her head low and murmured, “Sorry, Twilight. I… I wish I had been stronger.” None of them heard this; they were too busy running.

Trixie’s horn began to glow, and the chains around her legs started to vibrate. They extended immeasurable lengths in almost a second, and Applejack soon saw chain links above her head. They plowed toward her, and because Applejack didn’t have a chance to react, she was tangled in the embrace of the chains and dragged backwards.

“Help!” Applejack screamed. Twilight looked back to see her friend being dragged back at almost the same speed she had been running.

Twilight summoned the full force of her magic and tore at the chains. They snapped in two like a rubber band. Trixie yelled in pain, but nopony paid attention.

“Move!” Twilight yelled to the dazed Applejack, who quickly got back on her feet.

Meanwhile, Dash and Fluttershy were trying to escape chains as well. They weren’t nearly as successful, however.

Dash tried to dodge in mid-air, but the chains were quicker. Two of them, working in unison, tangled Dash in an unbreakable grip. Dash screamed as she was slingshotted back toward the ground. Fluttershy broke her fall to some extent, but both pegasi spiraled toward the ground and landed with a dull thud near Trixie.

A chain tripped Pinkie and, while she was in mid-air, twirled around her leg and up her thigh. Pinkie grabbed onto a nearby fencepost, but had to let go; otherwise, the chain would have ripped her in half. She was the next to go down.

Twilight watched in horror as Trixie’s chains slowly engulfed the rest of her friends. It was all the purple mare could do to dodge them herself, batting them away with her telekinesis.

Rarity was next. With three chains on her, she really didn’t have many options. They tangled her up in a mess of wire, practically strangling her, and deposited her next to Pinkie, where she was promptly restrained.

Then Applejack. Twilight was busy with five chains; the sinister metal links seemed to be multiplying. Applejack couldn’t even fend off one. It shot behind her and wrapped itself around her back legs, flipping her over and dragging her away, earning Applejack a nasty brush-burn on her already chafed back.

Last was Twilight. She tried to tangle the chains together, anything that would buy her some time, but she couldn’t. It was too much. She was only one unicorn.

The chains wrapped around her with such efficiency that she was in a metal prison, only the tip of her snout showing. She felt herself flung up into the air, then land with an awful thud next to her friends.

*******

“I thought I said run!” Trixie sighed. She stomped the ground in defeat and yelled in frustration.

The group didn’t respond. Dash knew she at least had a broken leg, Applejack probably had a twisted ankle, and Fluttershy had a broken wing. Twilight would have nasty bruises tomorrow and Rarity felt her belly bleeding where it had been cut. Pinkie seemed to be the only one uninjured. The chains had restrained all of them, hooking them into the ground to the point where they couldn’t even move.

“Why, Trixie?” Twilight asked.

“Why?” Trixie asked. She laughed a bit. “Huh, that’s a good question. Maybe it’s because I was captured and enslaved. Ever think of that?!” she yelled. She bowed her head low in sadness, and a tear slid down her neck and to the ground. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, reduced to fighting against her own allies. And in such a barbaric way…”

“Can’t you… can’t you break free?” Pinkie asked.

“What a stupid question!” Trixie barked. “If I could, I would have already. You know that. You’re smart enough to know that…” Trixie was crying. “Why couldn’t I be stronger? I don’t want to do this, not when you’re so close to winning!”

Rainbow Dash looked up at her captor. She looks like she hates what she’s doing, but then why is she doing it?

“How were you enslaved?” Pinkie asked.

“I was looking for all of you!” Trixie yelled, her emotions taking a rollercoaster from sadness to anger to guilt. “I wanted to find you, so that you could save us. I was sent out by Luna herself. Princess Luna! That would have redeemed me in the eyes of everypony… but that’s not why I volunteered.”

“Then why?” Rarity asked.

“Because I saw a colt murdered, that’s why!” Trixie cried. “Snails was his name. He was one of my fans. He was ripped to pieces by the Daymare! I saw it with my own eyes, so I went looking for you all. You’re the only ones that can fix this. You’re the only ones that can save the world! Now look at you! You’re nothing!” she yelled through her tears. “The Daymare found me first. She cast a spell on me, and now… Now I have as little control over my actions as you do right now. I can’t move on my own; I can’t do anything! I’m pathetic! I’m weak!” she screamed, tears falling down her face.

Trixie was so passionate about this point that even Dash wanted to pity her. She was frustrated to begin with. Now she’s just a wreck.

“I didn’t want to find you,” Trixie continued, “but I did anyways. And now…” she laughed a bit out of sorrow. “Now, you’re all going to die! And it’ll be all my fault. All my fault… The Great and Powerful Trixie ending the world that was supposed to be her oyster from birth.”

I want to say that there’s still a chance that she could break free, Twilight thought, but Trixie knows magic well enough that, if there was a loophole, she would have found one already.

That didn’t stop Applejack from asking, however. “Can’t ya break free? Don’t tell me you’ve given up!”

“You think I haven’t tried?!” Trixie screeched in Applejack’s face. “I’ve spent all my waking hours trying to break free! Now it’s all over, and I couldn’t beat her...” Trixie cried a river, so much that it made the ground beneath her moist. “I couldn’t beat her! I couldn’t!”

“What are you waiting for?” Fluttershy mumbled. “Just kill us now, and g-get it over with.”

“No,” Trixie mumbled. “Envy wants to meet you personally. I can’t kill you. Not yet.”

As if on cue, there was a dark flash of black nearby.

It was a black portal in the ground; a swirling mass of dark energy that made Twilight’s horn buzz. Rarity’s horn was irritating her as well in response to this new magic, making both unicorns’ heads rattle.

A young unicorn stepped out of the ground, as if she had been walking up stairs. She was a dark turquoise unicorn, her mane an extremely pale cyan, almost white. It was braided, hanging about down to her neck. Her cutie mark was of a fiendish-looking harp. Her pale yellow eyes with daggerlike pupils widened upon seeing the Elements of Harmony.

She looked like Lyra.

“L-Lyra?” Pinkie asked.

The unicorn laughed. “You couldn’t be farther from the truth,” she remarked. She glanced at Trixie. “Very nice hoofdiwork. I would have preferred more blood, but since you cut up Generosity, I suppose I can let it slide.”

Trixie only whimpered, hanging her head in an effort not to meet the unicorn’s gaze.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked. “What are you?”

“Who am I?” the unicorn asked. “Well, I suppose you could say I’m Nightmare Moon.”

“You’re kidding,” Dash scoffed. “You don’t look anything like Nightmare Moon.”

“Oh, but it goes much farther than just looks, Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty,” the unicorn explained. “However, if you want to be specific, my name is Envy. The sixth Element of Discord.”

You could almost hear the group’s jaws hitting the floor.

Envy laughed, and motioned to Trixie. “You can let them go, now. They won’t cause any trouble.”

Trixie nodded, and the chains around Twilight and the others receded back into their creator, who stepped behind the group.

“There are Elements of Discord?!” Fluttershy asked. “B-But…”

“Oh, now I’m much scarier, aren’t I?” Envy cackled, circling the group. “Though I can’t say I’m surprised. Nightmare Moon was mostly Luna. I couldn’t control her as properly as I control this body.”

“What have you done with Lyra?” Dash asked menacingly.

“Lyra? Well, let’s see,” Envy said. “She was a very nice young unicorn. Very pretty. She had a nice personality, a best friend, and great support from the rest of the community. She really felt at home in Ponyville, I’m sure. She had everything going for her; an education, a job, and she was probably looking for a lifetime partner. But I don’t envy her. No, not at all.”

“Why not?” Rarity asked.

“Because… she’s dead,” Envy finished, her chilly gaze piercing through the group.

Twilight’s heart turned to stone. The others had similar reactions; even Dash was speechless.

“She was killed to order, actually,” Envy continued, pacing around the stunned group of friends. “I prefer a special quality of body; typically I go male, but I chose female for a change of pace. Lyra fit all of my standards. Once she was dead, I forced my way into the shell that was left behind, and, well, rearranged it.”

“Monster!” Pinkie yelled. “Lyra was our friend!”

“Keyword there, was,” Envy pointed out. “Now she is only a memory. I believe her friend BunBun was quite upset, but I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”

“Her name is Bonbon!” Dash screeched. The blue pegasus flew at Envy, but a force field blocked her path.

“Patience, Loyalty,” Envy said, smirking. “Wait your turn.”

Twilight thought for a moment, examining her options. She didn’t have many. But why is she just talking to us? Why hasn’t she killed us already? Twilight asked herself. Her eyes widened suddenly and then narrowed.

Using telekinesis, Twilight slowly drew the kitchen knife she had picked up earlier and pointed it at Envy.

Envy laughed. “What, you’re sending a kitchen knife after me? How crude,” she remarked.

“I may not be able to hurt you,” Twilight growled, pointing the sharp end of the knife at her chest. “But I can hurt myself.”

“Pardon?” Envy asked.

“Twi, Ah’m not followin’,” Applejack said, a bit worried.

“There’s only two reasons why you would have kept us alive until this point,” Twilight continued slowly, glancing backwards in case Trixie tried anything. “Either us dying would hurt you, or it would mess up your plans. If you don’t leave now, I swear I will plunge this thing six inches into my chest!”

“Twilight!” Fluttershy exclaimed in shock.

“You’re bluffing,” Envy laughed. “You don’t have the guts to pull a stunt like that. Give me some credit.”

Twilight only glared at her. It took a great deal of willpower, but Twilight slowly began to sink the blade into her chest. “Stay back,” she snapped at her friends when they ran up to stop her. This might be our only chance of survival.

Envy paused, and stared at the rapidly increasing blood flow coming from Twilight’s chest. It was agonizing, but Twilight continued while retaining a straight face. Her will to keep her friends alive overpowered her pain, and she could see that it was working. It took all of her concentration to stay conscious, but Envy was looking less sure by the second.

“You can’t be serious…” Envy muttered. She raised her voice a bit. “You know what happens if you die, Twilight.”

Twilight didn’t answer, but continued pushing the blade toward her rapidly beating heart.

Envy scowled. “Trixie, let’s go. They want to take the coward’s way out.”

Trixie looked up in shock, but smiled once she realized that the side of Discord had lost. She nodded.

Envy and Trixie disappeared, as if they were never there.

*******

Twilight gasped and pulled the knife out of her chest. It had penetrated at least two inches, and blood was rushing from the wound. She fell unconscious within seconds.

“Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed, trying to catch the dying mare. The others rushed over, as well.

Fluttershy put pressure on the wound in an effort to seal it, but the injury was too large. “Get Sweetie Belle!” she yelled to Rarity.

“Huh?” Rarity asked. “Why?”

“Her ability!” Fluttershy yelled. We can’t save Twilight without it!

Rarity dashed inside and found Sweetie Belle with Scootaloo in Apple Bloom’s room. “Hurry outside, Sweetie Belle, we need you!”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Just go!” Scootaloo said, realizing the seriousness of the situation and pushing the confused Sweetie Belle off the bed.

Outside, Twilight’s blood had formed a small pool on the ground that was rapidly growing. Sweetie Belle looked at the frantic situation in shock, not sure what to do.

“Please, Sweetie Belle, use your ability!” Fluttershy begged, pushing on the unicorn’s wound. The others had cleared away, and Rarity was trying to seal the wound with her telekinesis, but blood was dripping out of the corners anyway. Twilight had become pale, and her pelt felt cold to the touch.

“Uh…!” Sweetie Belle said. She felt like she was in a nightmare, her heart rate accelerating in response to the panic of the situation. She bent down near Twilight and tried to sing.

“Hush-a-bye, d-don’t you c-c-c…” she stammered. The young mare started to cry. “I can’t; I just can’t! Twilight’s going to die, a-and it’s all my fault…”

Fluttershy was panicking. She only had one thing going through her mind: HELP! She blinked in realization. “Calm down, Sweetie Belle,” she said calmly, but with authority. She rubbed Sweetie Belle’s back in an effort to get her to settle. “The bleeding’s not that bad.”

The young teen opened her eyes and sniffled. The others didn’t dare argue about what Fluttershy was saying, but for a more behind-the-scenes reason.

“You have as much time as you need to sing,” Fluttershy soothed. “Don’t be scared.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, and wiped her eyes. Calming down, she began to sing clearly and with a passionate voice. “Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry…”

As she sang, Twilight’s wound began to seal up. The blood flow vanished, and Twilight’s rapidly beating heart slowed. Twilight’s pelt regained its color and warmth. By the time the song was finished, she was fully recovered and had gently fallen asleep.

Sweetie Belle was shaken, to say the least, but Scootaloo gave her a big hug in order to ease the trauma. “You did great,” she whispered as she led her friend indoors.

Pinkie walked over to Fluttershy once the others had carried Twilight inside. “Where did that come from, Fluttershy?”

“I think… I think that Obsidian and Verba helped me,” Fluttershy confessed. “I would never have been able to do that on my own.”

Pinkie leaned in close and looked at Fluttershy’s chest. “Thanks!” she chirped.

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy said. She blinked. “Um, why did I…?”

Pinkie laughed. “C’mon, Fluttershy. Let’s get some sleep.”

After Sweetie Belle had healed the others as well with a group song, the Elements of Harmony had their first night’s sleep in the real world.

=====================================================================

*******

Twilight gasped, her eyes flying open. She flailed her limbs, finding herself suspended in empty space. However, this space wasn’t black like during Obsidian’s test; it was a soft, gray color with a watery texture. Still, this peaceful atmosphere didn’t make Twilight panic any less as she grasped for a hoofhold.

“Woah, woah! Take it easy,” she heard a voice laugh. “Jeez Louise, are you fidgety! Let’s get this straightened out, huh?”

Gravity kicked in, and Twilight’s hooves abruptly landed on a gray rock face. She shook her head. “Verba?”

“Yessum?” Verba asked, though his form wasn’t clearly visible. It was a myriad of flashing, undefined lights that dotted the space surrounding Twilight.

“Where are you?” Twilight asked, looking around.

“Well, I’m with you in spirit,” Verba began, “but my connection isn’t so good here. Envy’s magic is blocking me a little bit, so I can’t fully form right now.”

“Well, then... Where am I?” she asked. Wisps of white fluff were weaving through the air daintily, and waves of gray light washed over the horizon like the ocean on a breezy day.

“Glad you asked! I kinda dragged your consciousness into your dreams. Since you haven’t dreamt up anything just yet, it’s a little empty,” Verba explained. “It gets kind of boring here when you’re awake, and I wanted company for a little while. That alright?”

“You exist in my dreams?” Twilight asked. It’s so calm here... I should be asking a lot more questions, but none really come to mind.

“Well, sorta,” Verba said. “See, I’m a part of your mind. I try my best to guide you through life, help you make good decisions, pick your first date, the whole deal. I can’t really overrule what you want, but as long as you wear your crown, you’ll find yourselves making better choices, y’know, for the most part. I’m not perfect.”

“Oh, okay,” Twilight said, beginning to drift off.

“Leaving already, huh?” Verba chuckled. “I’m not surprised. Most mortals find it hard to even stay awake a few seconds here. You’ll get better in time, trust me.”

Twilight yawned, nodding. “Hey, Verba?”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Am... Am I dead?” Twilight asked.

She expected laughter from Verba at such a question, but she didn’t even receive a chuckle. After a long pause, Verba said, “You came close, Twilight. You came pretty darn close. Be careful, though, because you won’t get that lucky ever again.”

Twilight didn’t hear the last part. She was fast asleep.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

*******

Sweetie Belle half-stumbled and half-sleepwalked into Fluttershy’s abode. She curled up on an armchair and silently fell asleep.

She’s worked very hard, Rarity remarked, draping a quilt over her lightly snoozing sister. I hope we’ll be able to get back to our normal lives soon.

Dash stretched her wings. “What a day!” she complained.

“You know it!” Pinkie giggled. “You think this’ll become a regular thing?”

“If it does, I’m the one that’s going to play the hero next time,” Dash grumbled, glancing at Twilight. “That was some stunt she pulled.”

“Well, it saved our hides, so Ah’m not complainin’,” Applejack shrugged. “Still, if it weren’t fer Sweetie Belle’s healin’ magic, Twi’d be done in just like the rest a us.”

Fluttershy shivered and glanced at the broken windows dotted around her house. “It’s getting chilly.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle agreed.

Fluttershy looked over at the now-awake teen. “But... weren’t you just asleep a moment ago?”

“It’s kind of strange,” Sweetie Belle admitted, rubbing her eyes. “But I only seem to be out for a few minutes after using my ability. I just can’t use it again for a while.”

“I’m tired,” Scootaloo yawned. “I call the couch.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Rarity scolded. “You are getting a bath right this minute! I have let it slide all throughout the day, but the water is fine and you are getting cleaned up!”

As Rarity chased Scootaloo around the house, Fluttershy remarked at how good the condition of the town was for having been abandoned for three years. It’s almost as if it’s just been dormant.

After subduing an orange pegasus and placing her under the slightly amused Applejack’s care, Rarity removed the half-eaten bowl of soup from Apple Bloom’s room. She should have eaten more… she thought worriedly. The teen was sleeping steadily, but seemed slightly weaker than before. I hope she’ll be alright.

Sweetie Belle had decided to stay in Apple Bloom’s room, to keep an eye on her. She cuddled up in an armchair and rested her head on a pillow.

Hours passed.

Sweetie Belle woke up and blinked drowsily. She thought she heard something.

Stretching and getting up, Sweetie Belle noticed that it was still night. Why did I get up? she asked herself, annoyed. Taking the opportunity, she took a brief look at Apple Bloom.

But something was wrong.

Apple Bloom was a lot paler than the last time Sweetie Belle had seen her. She hurried over and checked her pulse, checked her breathing.

*******

Nothing.

Sweetie Belle exhaled sharply. She needed help. Rushing downstairs, she yelled for it. “Apple Bloom isn’t breathing!”

Applejack was the first awake. She looked like she had never actually been asleep; her face was tight with worry. She barreled past Sweetie Belle with Fluttershy close behind.

But when they arrived, Apple Bloom was fine. Absolutely nothing was wrong with her.

“But…” Sweetie Belle said.

“Don’t ya scare us like that!” Applejack breathed, turning angrily at Sweetie Belle.

“Come now, Applejack; the poor dear’s obviously terrified!” Rarity said.

Sweetie Belle had finally realized she was wrong, and the tension drained out of her like thick syrup. Apple Bloom actually looked better; her breathing had steadied, her color returned. Maybe I was just seeing things.

“Let’s go back to sleep,” Pinkie suggested.

She thought she was right; Sweetie Belle wouldn’t have lied to us like that, Fluttershy thought on her way back to her bed. Maybe she was just too tired to think straight. I know I am.

Thus, with the minor incident of terror over, the group settled back into a good night’s sleep.

=====================================================================

*******

“They did… What?!” Arrogance screeched at Envy.

They were back in the throne room. Trixie was standing next to Envy, but one of them looked slightly more pleased with the course of events than the other.

“Obsidian must have told her,” Envy said, rubbing spittle off her face. “Look, aren’t you the one who said we needed them all alive?”

Arrogance turned away angrily. “Yes, I am! And you failed me!”

“Calm down!” Envy said. “They still don’t know anything about their powers, otherwise they would have tore through me like a hot knife through butter. So what I suggest is send somepony a little stealthier to deal with them. And, more importantly, to disarm them.”

“I believe Lorey is already working on getting himself inside their little group,” Arrogance said with distaste. “Meanwhile, I shall also send Lyvia and Trixie after them.”

“I do not suggest that,” Envy said.

“Why not?” Arrogance asked, annoyed.

“She is still resisting, now more than ever,” Envy said, taking a glance at the unicorn next to her, who had hung her head and refused to lift it. “If you want to play it safe, Lyvia should do fine on her own. And Lorey, needless to say, has not failed us to date. Shattering their spirits shouldn’t be very difficult.”

“Hmph,” Arrogance said. “Once you have captured them, bring them to me personally. I want to make sure that they know where they’re headed.”

“As you wish, sister,” Envy nodded, strands of her braid falling over her face. “I will send them immediately.”

“You better. I’m not allowing for second chances, Envy. We need to redeem ourselves, you especially,” Arrogance finished.

“I… I know,” Envy muttered, teleporting out of the throne room.

Arrogance glared at Trixie. “You have served us well, but you are on thin ice. If you want to retain what little control you have over yourself, you will stop resisting. Otherwise, you will be added to my collection.”

Trixie swallowed. Be added to her collection, she thought nervously. I don’t ever want to know what that feels like. “Yes, my lady.”

Trixie left the room. Arrogance turned and saw another pony with dagger-like eyes appear almost out of thin air. The pony smiled pleasantly at her.

“Deception?” Arrogance asked. “I didn’t expect you. Do you like your new body?”

The strange pony nodded. “Quite, actually. You do have a keen eye for quality, Ivy.”

“Do not call me that. My name is Arrogance,” Arrogance huffed. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“What did you have in mind?” Deception asked.

“Don’t be smart,” Arrogance glowered. “You may be the mastermind, but Vengeance put me in charge.”

“Ah, yes, at the meeting. I keep forgetting,” Deception sighed. “Well, if it’s not too much trouble, I would appreciate you locking up the Elements before you ‘do away with them,’ so to speak. I need to introduce myself, and I would prefer to do so courteously. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”

Arrogance nodded. “I’ll pass that along. Thank you, Deception. You may go.”

=====================================================================

*******

Twilight got up and grunted as a sharp pain flashed through her chest. It’s morning, the purple mare thought as she squinted at the bright sun through cracked and dirtied windows. Ack, cramp! Twilight thought, clutching her stiff foreleg. She examined herself, pawing at her bandages. Her eyes widened. I... I almost died!

“She’s awake!”

Pinkie rushed into the room and gave Twilight a gentle hug. “I was so super-duper worried about you, Twilight!”

Twilight was still drowsy. She sat up and brushed the covers off of her. Cool, brisk morning air wafted onto her pelt, peeling off the layers of stifling heat she had felt under the covers.

“Twi?” Twilight heard Applejack ask. The orange earth pony walked into the room accompanied by Dash, with Fluttershy close behind.

“Ya gave us all quite a scare, there,” Applejack said.

“How did I survive?” Twilight asked. I know I almost died, but how close did I come? Her chest throbbed with a gentle pain, not unbearable but still off-putting.

“Sweetie Belle saved your life, with some help from Obsidian and Verba,” Fluttershy explained. “He told me how to calm Sweetie Belle down so that she could sing. You wouldn’t be here without either of them.”

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Rarity were the next ones in the room.

“Don’t you ever do that again!” Rarity breathed. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Heh... another letter to send to Celestia once this is all over. My friends really do care about me, a lot. But like I didn’t know that already, Twilight chuckled to herself. I would probably be dead long before now without them by my side every step of the way. I really owe this tiny group of ponies a whole lot... and I guess they owe me some, too.

“That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen,” Dash remarked. “I don’t think I could have done it… Well, maybe. But seriously, Twilight, I thought you were a goner. How’d you push through all that pain?”

“That’s a bit of a mystery,” Twilight laughed weakly. “It took a lot of fight, but I pulled through.” She looked at Sweetie Belle. “Thank you. A lot.”

Sweetie Belle blushed. “Fluttershy helped me,” she said.

Twilight hopped out of bed, but needed to be steadied by Applejack and Pinkie Pie.

“I want to see Apple Bloom,” Twilight said.

Applejack nodded. She and Dash helped Twilight into the young girl’s room. Apple Bloom was wide awake, reading a comic book, which she threw aside when she saw Twilight.

“Twi!” she said. She had much recovered, and although she was still obviously sick, it wasn’t life-threatening anymore.

Looks like I don’t need to cast my healing spell anymore, Twilight thought. Which reminds me…

“I have something I need to show all of you. Can you set me down?” Twilight asked. Her two friends gently laid her down on the armchair Sweetie Belle was sleeping in earlier. “Rarity, can you get my saddlebags?”

After Rarity had run her small errand, Twilight used her telekinesis, which was as strong as ever, to open the pack and took out the letter that she had found in her home yesterday, the one hastily written by Luna.

Twilight read the letter and, at the end of it, said, “Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo… we need to know what happened three years ago.”

Sweetie Belle looked nervous. “A-Are you sure?”

Rarity nodded. “It might help us make better decisions moving forward.”

Scootaloo bit her lip. “It’s not something we like to talk about, but alright.”

Sweetie Belle began the story.

=====================================================================

It began three years ago, in Ponyville.

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were all scampering around on the schoolhouse playground. Some other fillies their age were playing as well, and adults trotted through the town, running errands and chatting with friends.

“Looking back, we really had no idea it was coming,” Scootaloo said. “There wasn’t any warning at all. It was just another day.”

Their teacher, Cheerilee, was talking to Trixie, who had stopped by on her travels to say hi.

“Nopony really paid any attention to Trixie because she wasn’t grandstanding. She was just another pony that had stopped by,” Sweetie Belle said. “But she really helped us get away.”

“Why didn’t we know she was there?” Twilight asked.

Scootaloo shrugged. “She probably just came in quietly, like any other traveler.”

Then the attack started.

*******

It started out as a bright flash of light, but soon the entirety of Ponyville was engulfed in a giant fireball. Screams echoed throughout the small town while burning and stunned ponies barreled toward the first location they thought was safe. The sun was engulfed in red light, and it cast a reddish glow over the landscape. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom leapt for cover.

Trixie was the first to leap into action. She looked toward the center of the flames, but stopped in shock, her jaw practically hitting the floor.

It was Celestia.

Nothing was different about her except the fact that her hair covered up one of her eyes, and the only eye that was showing had a daggerlike pupil. She seemed to be the perpetrator of the attack and the only antagonist present.

Trixie snapped out of it and threw a blinding ball of light at Celestia. The white alicorn merely shrugged it off and directed her attention toward Trixie.

“Pest,” Celestia sneered. She grinned fiendishly. “I’ll have fun with you.”

Celestia inhaled and then blew out a fierce gale that knocked Trixie off her hooves and buffeted those who were watching, including Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“Don’t hurt my friends!” Scootaloo yelled, barreling toward Celestia and biting her outstretched wings.

Celestia threw the orange filly into the air and slashed at her when she came down. Scootaloo screamed in pain, but the delay gave Trixie enough time to stab Celestia with her horn and twist. Celestia yelped and retreated, but the immortal ichor in her body sealed up the wound in a few seconds.

Seeing that Celestia was about to attack Trixie, a tall colt named Snails tried to pull off what Scootaloo had done. He didn’t even come close.

Celestia swatted the young colt aside, her horn glowing. Snails felt a flash of heat before disintegrating into ashes. Trixie gaped and decided now would be a good time to retreat.

Grabbing the wounded Scootaloo onto her back, Trixie summoned her strength and ran for her life.

Suddenly, another alicorn arrived. It was Luna. She had a flowing, magical blue mane that glistened with little drops of light and a dark blue pelt. She had a black cutie mark with a white crescent moon and a matching neckerchief and crown.

“Sister, what crimes hath thou committed?” Luna, Celestia’s sister, screeched.

“I’m not your sister,” Celestia giggled fiendishly.

Sweetie Belle hid behind the schoolhouse, watching with wide eyes.

“Then what arest thee?!” Luna screeched angrily.

Celestia’s eyes glowed. Evil energy radiated from her as she inched closer to Luna, a grin plastered on her face. “I am the Daymare.”

Luna gasped. “No… i-it cannot be…”

The Daymare laughed harshly. “You should have expected my return, along with all of Discord! You were fools to ignore it, and to ignore the change that went on in your sister for one thousand years… and now you will perish for that mistake.”

Luna backed up, clearly frightened. “How… no, no, no!” The moon goddess recovered her resolve. “Thou art a fool, Arrogance, to think that We would give in so easily!” She charged at Celestia, dark magic flowing through the blue alicorn as her horn glowed with immense power. “Fie upon thee, villain!”

The Daymare merely giggled. “You think you can best me? You’re so weak, even compared to my brother!” She deflected Luna’s advance and tossed her aside. “Get with the times, Princess!”

The Daymare ran over to the still recovering Luna, reared up, and crushed her chest. Golden blood spit from the moon goddess’s mouth as she gasped in pain.

“And again!” The Daymare laughed maniacally, hurting Luna just as fast as she could heal.

By this time, everypony in Ponyville had run away except for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who both were watching the scene in horror.

Luna yelled and used what little magic she could gather to push the Daymare away. She gasped for a minute as she slowly healed, knitting herself together.

The Daymare simply laughed. “You lose!” she cackled, her horn glowing with a blinding energy.

But she never got to attack.

Luna, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and any surrounding residents vanished.

*******

=====================================================================

They reappeared in Fillydelphia, where the evacuation was commencing.

Luna panted, the event having drained her significantly. She had almost died, despite having been immortal.

“W-Where’s everypony? Where’s Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“We didn’t know then, but Luna is actually pretty good at teleportation. After everything was said and done, she had me in the infirmary and the others had temporary lodging. It makes me kinda wonder how long the Daymare had been rampaging without us in Ponyville noticing,” Scootaloo said.

Later…

Sweetie Belle was in the infirmary, sitting next to Scootaloo. Apple Bloom was with her. The orange pegasus was asleep, and although the bandages had stopped the bleeding, something else must have been wrong because the filly’s condition was dropping fast.

“Doc said that he can’t stop the bleedin’ without some sorta magic,” Apple Bloom sighed. “Ah guess…” her eyes watered.

Sweetie Belle was still in shock; this had all happened in about an hour. “I think… I think I should sing for her.”

“Sure,” Apple Bloom said, not really paying attention. “If it’ll make ya happy.”

“I had meant to sing the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme song,” Sweetie Belle began, “but this came out instead.”

*******

“Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry,” Sweetie Belle began, closing her eyes. “Go to sleep, my little baby. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses. Dapples and grays, pintos and bays, all the pretty little horses.”

Apple Bloom stared at Sweetie Belle, and as the magic started to have its effect, the olive earth pony started to cry.

“Way down yonder, in the meadow, poor little baby cryin’ mama. Birds and the butterflies flutter ‘round his eyes, poor little baby cryin’ mama.”

The others in the infirmary started to take notice. Scootaloo’s condition was improving.

“Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry. Go to sleep, my little baby. When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little horses. Dapples and grays, pintos and bays, all the pretty little horses.”

Sweetie Belle finished, never noticing the fact that she had been singing that song.

The nurse rushed over and checked Scootaloo’s status. Slowly, she removed the bandages.

Scootaloo was completely healed. Only a thin white line remained where the fatal injury once had been.

Sweetie Belle’s flank glowed. A mark appeared on it; a roll of bandages.

=====================================================================

*******

Twilight had unwrapped her bandages. All that was left of her wound was a small, vertical white mark, about an inch long.

“So that’s how it happened,” Sweetie Belle finished. The effort of having to relive such a terrifying event had exhausted her, and she felt tired even though it was only midmorning.

“I don’t understand. How were we not there?” Twilight asked.

“Beats me,” Scootaloo shrugged, similarly tired from narrating the tale. “Maybe it has something to do with that letter. I dunno.”

That would make sense, Rarity thought, rubbing her chin. Luna could have been hiding us when the attack started. It would explain why the letter was so hastily written. But…

“Why don’t we remember any a this?” Applejack asked, taking the words right out of Rarity’s mouth. “Ya think we would have a pretty distinct memory a that kinda thing.”

“Well, if Luna was trying to cast the spell under pressure, it could explain the memory loss and the fact that we were captive for three years,” Twilight explained. “Hasty magic can have any number of side effects. We should be glad we don’t think we’re cheese graters, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Well, what now?” Apple Bloom asked. “Should we try ta get back ta Fillydelphia and find out?”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” Dash said. “It’s better than being sitting ducks for the enemy.”

They all agreed on that point, and started their preparations.

=====================================================================

After a couple of hours, they were ready to set out. There wasn’t much trouble on the horizon, and Apple Bloom recovered fairly quickly as far as the others were concerned. Twilight packed some spells and learned a few more just in case.

They stood at the edge of Ponyville.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, reporting for duty!” Scootaloo chirped, having gained height but little maturity in her time in the ruins of Ponyville. “Scootaloo!”

“Sweetie Belle!” the white unicorn said.

“Apple Bloom!” the olive earth pony said, with equal enthusiasm.

To think that she was on death’s doorstep just a few days ago, Fluttershy remarked. I’m glad we could save her.

Dash laughed. “Great, we have our own special forces!” she said, giving each of them a high hoof.

Twilight was smiling as well, until something occurred to her. “We don’t even have a map; how are we supposed to find our way?”

Applebloom fished around in her bags. “Here ya go, Twilight!” she chirped, offering her a map.

Twilight examined the map. “Perfect. Thank you, Apple Bloom.”

“S’the least Ah could do,” Apple Bloom said humbly.

“Hey, Apple Bloom, where did you get that map?” Scootaloo asked.

“Jus’, uh, well,” Apple Bloom turned slightly red. “Fishin’ ‘round in Twi’s library.”

“I was wondering where this went,” Twilight chuckled.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. I don’t remember her ever pointing out a map before. “When’d you find it?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Not sure. Probably just before Ah got sick.”

“Wish you had told us sooner,” Scootaloo grumbled. We could have used that map to get back to Fillydelphia for food long before we ran out.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack had packed supplies for the trip. There was enough to last them a week or so; more than enough time to reach Fillydelphia if they kept up pace and weren’t wasteful.

“Okay, let’s go!” Pinkie exclaimed, leading the way. They had set off on another great journey, as far as she was concerned. Another adventure!

Applejack was far more practical about the situation, but the feeling of high adventure was contagious. Even Fluttershy was feeling a little courageous.

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were practically walking on air; they had found the Elements of Harmony and were completing the mission entrusted to them by a goddess. What an honor!

Apple Bloom didn’t talk much, however, which was strange because she was usually the main spokespony. However, Scootaloo more than made up for that with her constant banter.

Twilight and Rarity were cautious as always, but they were happy to be out of the ruins of their hometown. We’ll fix it up later, Twilight thought as she followed the others out of the ruins. First we have to fix Equestria.

Soon they were in the Indeciduous Forest. It was a wide expanse of tall oaks and taller evergreens. Fillydelphia was located near the top of Equestria, and that fact was prevalent as the temperature dropped the further they journeyed.

“Hmm...” Twilight mumbled, intently concentrated on her map.

“Ain’t this the right way, Twi?” Applejack asked.

*******

“Well...” Twilight trailed off. “It says that this is the right way, but none of the landmarks are corresponding to the landmarks on the map.”

“It’s the right way,” Apple Bloom said confidently. “Ya’ve never led us astray before, Twi. Ah’m sure this’s the right path.”

“Lost?” a voice asked.

Twilight turned to see a blood-red pegasus mare. She absently adjusted her dark red mane with a metal-tipped hoof, leaning against a nearby tree. Her cutie mark was of a knife so sharp it appeared to gleam as the sun hit it.

“Pardon?” Applejack asked.

“Need directions?” the mare asked, smiling. “Name’s Lyvia.”

Lyvia’s eerie smile put Twilight on edge. She hesitantly asked, “What’s the nearest path to Fillydelphia?”

“That way,” Lyvia said, pointing to the right.

Instinctively, Twilight looked in the direction the mare pointed, and was promptly smacked in the side of the face. She gasped, tumbling onto the ground.

“Wh-What’d you do that for?” Dash asked, fuming.

“Hmph,” Lyvia grinned. “Same reason I’m about to do this.”

Lyvia leapt up into the air. Her hoof only appeared to brush Dash and Applejack’s necks for just a moment, but they both fell unconscious immediately. Without any loss of blood, their now-limp bodies crumpled to the forest floor.

“...Orders,” Lyvia finished.

Fluttershy trembled, backing up behind Pinkie. Scootaloo stepped in front of Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.

“Just tell us what you want!” Scootaloo barked.

“Well, here’s a start. Try and make this fun,” Lyvia grumbled, wiping off her ankle on her chest. “S’not every day I get to assassinate the Elements of Harmony themselves.”

Lyvia felt all her muscles seize up, and she grunted in pain. The others looked in shock at Twilight. Blood dripped slightly from her nostrils. She was still on the ground, her horn glowing, holding out her hoof and channelling her magic into Lyvia’s body.

“N-... Now would be a good time, Lorey,” Lyvia grunted, frustratedly trying to move her limbs.

“You said that you were following orders,” Twilight began. “Who do you work for?”

A great magical burst flew through the forest with so much force it almost set the trees ablaze. Twilight lost control of her magic, and her vision faded to black.

=====================================================================

*******

When Twilight came to, she found her hooves bound together. She was lying on her side, and through her blurry vision she recognized that she was still in the Indeciduous Forest. She craned her neck and saw a blue-green unicorn sitting patiently on a mat, paging through a novel.

He noticed that Twilight was stirring. “The Element of Magic wakes,” he said. “You were quite a dear to me back in Ponyville; it makes me sad that I have to capture you and put you down.”

“You say it... You say it as if I’m an animal,” Twilight growled, disoriented. She rested her head on the ground.

“Well, you’ll have that much sympathy once the Daymare has you, so you might as well get used to being treated like a useless dog,” the stallion said simply.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked. She wearily looked around, trying to count all of her friends, but she couldn’t see all of them. “And where... Where are my friends?”

“My name is Lorey,” the unicorn began. “As for your friends, they are all here, safe and sound. My cohort is sending for Envy, and as soon as she is here, you will be escorted to our base.”

“...Huh...? What?” the hoarse voice of Applejack asked. “Where am Ah?”

“Ask Twilight,” Lorey said. “I dislike repeating myself.”

“Applejack, can you see who all is here?” Twilight asked. Most of the group was similarly tied up; she heard their breathing, but since she was lying on her side at the front of the group, she couldn’t be sure just how many were actually present.

“Ah see... Ah see Rarity, Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Sweetie, Scootaloo...” Applejack paused to take a breath. “But where’s Apple Bloom?”

“You don’t see her?” Twilight asked. Not waiting for an answer, she looked up angrily at Lorey. “You said all my friends were here!”

“I was assuming you aren’t friends with a cadaver,” Lorey said indifferently.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight barked. She coughed, her throat dry.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Lorey warned, though he didn’t particularly seem to care for the group’s well-being. “Apple Bloom is dead.”

“...What?” Applejack asked. “What’d you just say?”

“Apple Bloom perished to late-stage pneumonia, if you want to be precise,” Lorey stated, as if he were discussing the weather. “It’s quite a shame, too; a young life going to waste in such a tortuous way.”

“B-But Apple Bloom recovered!” Twilight exclaimed. “How could she be dead? She was right with us before... before you showed up! Where did you take her?” Twilight struggled against her bonds.

Lorey’s horn glowed, and Twilight yelped as magic surged through her veins and overloaded her system. She once again fell limply onto the dirt.

“Perhaps it’s better to show you,” Lorey said. His form wavered for a second or two, morphing into something else. He shrank significantly, his pelt changing from its typical blue-green to a pale yellow. A new color washed over his mane, turning it rose-colored instead of its former greenish hue. His horn vanished, and his brow and chin crackled as they rounded out, becoming feminine. Layers of youth draped themselves over Lorey as his eyes finally turned a bright amber. To complete the transformation, Lorey pulled a red bow out of some unattended saddlebags and fixed it to his mane.

Lorey was now an exact replica of Apple Bloom.

“That’s not possible...” Twilight breathed, too weak to do anything but stare.

Applejack was horrified. “It can’t be!”

Apple Bloom smiled with some degree of pride as she reverted back to her original form. Her voice was high at first, but gradually returned to a deeper, masculine tone. “Sweetie Belle was correct in stating that Apple Bloom had died after Trixie attacked. Rather impressive for her first examination, if I do say so myself. Her outburst notified me of a possible opening without having to take a life on my own, and I inserted myself into your group without you noticing.”

“It can’t be... Oh, Apple Bloom,” Applejack murmured. Fury quickly overtook her, and she wrestled with her bonds. “Murderer! Ya yella-bellied traitor!”

Lorey raised an eyebrow. “‘Traitor?’ That’s something I haven’t been called in a very long time,” he remarked. He tossed the bow to Applejack. “If it’s any consolation.”

Lorey’s face was expressionless, but to Applejack it might as well have been the smuggest grin he ever could have worn in his life. She threw a fit, but Lorey had restrained her effectively, completely preventing any actions she could have taken.

Twilight would have been in shock, had Lorey’s magic not drained her strength. As it continued to weaken her, she could only think, We were outwitted... I should have seen it coming.

“You’ll pay for this!” Applejack screamed.

Some of the others, startled, began to wake up, as well. Twilight heard the grunts and groans of her drowsy friends, but she couldn’t pay much attention. She was rapidly losing consciousness.

The last thing she heard was Lorey grumbling, “I hope I don’t have to repeat myself.”

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

*******

It was over. The Elements of Harmony had lost.

Each of them was locked in individual cells. The dungeon was moderately clean, nothing too sinister looking, but the real tragedy laid in the Elements’ expressions, along with their counterparts.

Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, had cried herself to sleep long ago. I thought we had saved her. She can’t be dead, not like that, she was so young, she had so much left... she had thought while weeping. She was heartbroken, and her will to fight had vanished with the young girl’s life. Apple Bloom can’t be gone, not like that. A hole formed in her heart so deep that it seemed irreparable.

Rarity, the Element of Generosity, had boiled over at the start, but now she just looked at her prison with the utmost of loathing. Apple Bloom couldn’t just be gone, she said to herself in disbelief. She’s too young to die. She’s... she will be avenged. Having no way to vent her rage, it cooled in her heart and encrusted her soul, and the more she stared at her cell, the more she wanted to tear everypony in Equestria apart.

Dash, the Element of Loyalty, had a similar reaction to Rarity. I can’t believe that a single pony took all of us down so quickly! she thought, staring at the wall in shock and fury. I’m going to make him pay! Dash had bruises up and down her legs from trying to bash the cell in, but her efforts had left little more than a dent.

Applejack, the Element of Honesty, was curled up in a fetal position, lying on her side, sniffling and clutching the bow Apple Bloom had worn ever since she received it. It’s all I have left of my sis; I’m not going to let it go! It’s... It’s a treasured memory. I’ll keep it for the rest of my life. Even wear it, if that’ll make Apple Bloom happy. Wherever she is.

Pinkie Pie, the Element of Humor, was staring blankly at the floor, her pelt a dull shade of pink, her hair straight. I feel... like I’m drifting away. Why, why did she have to go? Why did it have to end up like this? Oh, Apple Bloom, why?! Her sorrow and guilt gnawed at her soul like a teething parasprite. Her necklace had turned from gold to a rusty iron; the blue sapphire balloon in the center having turned to cracked glass.

Twilight Sparkle, the leader, the Element of Magic, was going over the situation again and again in her head, but nothing could possibly explain how they had gotten into this bad a situation. I feel like I’m in a nightmare and I can’t wake up! she screamed at herself, pounding on the floor in frustration. There’s no way out! How are we supposed to save Equestria now?

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared a cell, but Scootaloo was too furious to talk, and Sweetie Belle was in a stunned silence anyway.

It’s just not true, Sweetie Belle thought. It can’t be true. We’re best friends; she can’t just be gone. There has to be some other explanation. She’s just being held captive somewhere else.

Scootaloo, though, was blisteringly angry, even hours later. I am not going to let this slide! Apple Bloom, I’m coming for you! Her heart was of molten magma; she was looking for a target, somepony to vent on.

Just then, another pony was dragged into the prison cell by none other than Envy herself.

“Hey! Quit it!”

Twilight looked up wearily. Envy was using telekinesis to hover a young unicorn stallion into the last cell in the room. He was a light brown color, with his mane a hazy red, like some reddish soil Twilight had once seen in a geography book. He wore goggles on his forehead. His cutie mark was a set of crosshairs. He was struggling for a hoofhold, but since he was in midair, his attempts did him little good.

“You’ve been quite the troublemaker,” Envy sneered, throwing the young stallion into the cell and locking the gate with telekinesis. She spit through the bars. “Rot in jail.”

The stallion banged on the bars, desperately trying to break free. “You’ll be sorry!”

Envy sneered and vanished.

He slumped to the floor. “Great. Just peachy.”

“Who’re you?” Dash asked. Her cell was across from the stallion’s; she could see him more clearly through the bars.

“Me?” The stallion asked. “Well, I’m Oliver Montgomery Fredrick Gregory Ninja. But you can call me Olly, if you like.”

“Seriously?” Dash giggled.

“Well, that’s the name they gave me,” Olly said.

Rainbow Dash smiled a bit at the new captive, slightly amused. What a weird name…

“Where are you from?” Pinkie asked.

Olly sighed. “Well, I’m just your average John Doe from crazytown.”

“Huh?” Rarity asked.

Olly tapped his forehead. “Means I have amnesia, can’t remember much. I was in some weird dream place when I was brought down here for absolutely no reason!” he shouted at the ceiling. “...And, well, here I am.”

“Envy said that you were causing trouble,” Twilight said.

“Well, that sounds like me, from what I know of me, at least,” Olly chuckled. He glanced at their necklaces and his eyes widened. “Wait, are you guys the Elements of Harmony? For real?!”

Dash looked away in shame, as did Twilight.

“What’s wrong, shouldn’t you be out of here?” Olly asked. “Or did you just stay here to rescue lil’ old me?”

“Enough with the charm!” Scootaloo snapped. “We’re here because we failed. End of story.”

Olly laughed. “Oh, so you’re just sitting on your laurels, then? Seems a might boring if you ask me. Though if you brought a crossword or something, then yes, I can understand why you’d want to stay.”

Rarity looked at him. “Olly, we’re as stuck as you are.”

Olly looked around at the broken members of the group and sighed. “What a sorry cast of characters… Come on, cheer up! If I can get out of who knows where, I can surely get you all out, too!”

Olly got a running start, and started kicking at the bars with as much force as he could muster.

“Stop it!” Sweetie Belle scolded. “You’ll only hurt yourself.”

Olly wiped his brow, but kept pounding. “Quiet, this is between me and the iron!”

Dash laughed. Olly glanced at her. “Look, you can still laugh, can’t you? You can’t be in that bad a situation.”

Pinkie looked up. The gold started to return to her necklace. “Th-That’s what I kept telling her. She doesn’t listen to me, though. It takes a stallion,” she smirked, adding emphasis to that last word.

Dash looked at her. “Um, yeah, you just keep telling yourself that.”

Twilight and Rarity looked at the scene unfolding, and couldn’t help but feel a little bit uplifted.

“So, are you going to help me outta here, or what?” Olly asked.

They looked around. There weren’t many options.

“Look, you’re the Elements of Harmony. You’ll find a way out of here, I’m sure,” Olly said confidently.

This pony is too cheerful for this kind of situation, Applejack thought. Seems too good to be true. “Look, Olly, right? We’re stuck. End a story.”

Olly blew the hair out of his eyes, miffed. “Look, if you talk like that, you’re never getting out of here. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, you know. I’m finding a way out of here, with or without you. But if you’d like to lend a hoof, that’d be swell...”

Twilight sighed as Olly once again tried pounding away at the bars. Only hours before, Dash had been doing the same thing. They’re a bit alike, she remarked.

Pinkie stared at the never-ending confidence of the stallion. He kept at it for what seemed like hours, even though it had only been fifteen minutes or so. Dash, however, had given up after five. Pinkie got up, and started pounding at the bars, as well. The blue glow returned to her necklace.

“Pinkie, what are ya doin’?” Applejack asked.

“Well, there’s no point in just sitting here!” Pinkie said in between tries. “We’re breaking out!”

“What’s the point?” Twilight asked. “Where would we go?”

“Don’t be such a pessimist!” Pinkie yelled at Twilight. She continued pounding. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! I’m not giving up until I’ve saved... what matters!” Pinkie finished, earning a bruise to her knee and a lot more spirit with her last attack.

A warm glow was spreading from Pinkie. Fluttershy looked up, as did all of the others, including Olly. Pinkie’s necklace was pulsing with blue energy. At first, it resonated with her gradual bangs on the bars, but it steadily sped up, as did the intensity of her energy.

For the first time in what seemed like ages, Applejack smiled. I can’t just give up... not yet. Apple Bloom, I’m not letting you down!

Dash had once again started to pound on the bars, along with Olly, which created a large amount of ruckus, but both of them were grinning. Pinkie’s energy had spread throughout their bones and created a resolve in them neither had experienced before. I feel great! Dash laughed to herself. Who cares about prison? There’s got to be a way out!

Fluttershy and Rarity got up. My friends still need me, Fluttershy thought. I can’t let them down, and I’m not helping them out by crying. Each and every one of us is needed!

Twilight’s crown and horn glowed as she used her magic to try and bend the bars. Although they were magically sealed, it felt great to finally try and do something after so long being saddened and miserable. I can’t fail my friends; they need me. Equestria needs me; the future needs me! I have to protect what matters, I just have to! Losing isn’t an option anymore!

Pinkie’s pulsating energy sped up until her whole body glowed with a bright light. She stopped pounding, and opened her eyes. The light was almost blinding. Slowly, Pinkie’s hooves lifted about six inches off the ground. Her balloon-shaped Element spread across her chain; turning her entire necklace to a smooth sapphire.

But what was most shocking were her eyes. Her pupils disappeared, leaving only a blue iris behind to fill the gap. Her eyes were now a striking white-rimmed blue.

She had realized her Potential.

With the force of a small explosion, Pinkie’s energy rocketed through the castle and skyrocketed toward the stars. The light could be seen for hundreds of miles. It was beautiful, even from inside their prison.

Pinkie slowly lowered herself to the ground. She closed her eyes, but when she opened them again, the changes remained. She looked toward the awed group with a new outlook.

“Everything matters,” Pinkie said, her voice overlapping with somepony else’s. “I am glad you have all realized this, but you still have so long to go. As long as you have hope, you will be able to protect Equestria.”

The glow faded. Pinkie sighed. “That felt just super.”

“Y-Your eyes,” Fluttershy stammered.

“Hehe,” Pinkie said. “I don’t think they’re going back to normal any time soon.”

*******

Just then, there was a dark flash of magic. But this dark magic was soft; like a lullaby, as opposed to Envy’s, which was sinister. A blue alicorn mare stepped out of the portal.

“P-Princess?!” Olly gasped, utterly dumbfounded. “Well, this has certainly been an eventful day…”

“There’s no time to explain!” Luna yelled, thrusting her head to the side. Her magic threw all of the iron bars to the wall. “We have to move!”

Envy appeared to block the one exit. “You’re not getting away that easily!”

Luna swatted the smaller mare aside and blew past her, with the others not far behind. After a moment or two, Envy was back on their tail.

They emerged into a large, but ruined, courtyard.

It was Canterlot.

Twilight looked in awe at the ruined city. She didn’t have time to sight-see, though, and Dash quickly pulled her aside to follow the group.

Applejack spotted a blood-red figure in the sky, and dove out of the way just before it struck with lightning force. It was a Lyvia, her cutie mark the same, unreassuringly sharp blade.

“‘Bout time something happened around here; I was getting bored!” she laughed as she used the iron spikes on her hooves to cut Applejack’s neck open. Applejack yelled out in pain as blood spurted out of the open wound.

Luna and Twilight used combined telekinesis to try and plow Lyvia into the ground, but she dodged the wave and took another dive.

Dash swerved in midair and batted Lyvia away, then headbutted her in the gut. Blood spit out of her mouth, and she made a hasty retreat.

Luna swung the wounded Applejack onto her back, but it wasn’t long before she was held in a magical stance.

“You dare show your face in the courtyard of our queen?” Lorey said, his horn glowing. “Fool of a ruler.”

Lorey was slowly strangling Luna, preventing air from reaching her lungs. This allowed Envy to catch up and plow into Fluttershy, tossing the gentle mare to the side and breaking a few bones.

Scootaloo sprang into action and dove at Envy, biting at her hind leg and distracting her for a moment. Twilight, on the other hand, used a powerful burst of magic to stun Lorey, and then slashed at him with her horn.

Lorey examined the small, but bleeding, cut on his side. He smirked at Twilight. “You’re such a bookworm; I should have expected you to specialize in paper cuts,” he yelled harshly. He reared up for another attack. “Prepare to die!”

Just then, Saphira bounded in. She took a few swipes at Twilight, going for her legs and neck, but Luna swatted the blue earth pony aside with her wing. “We don’t have time for this! Get Fluttershy and go!”

Rarity and Dash picked up Fluttershy, and continued to move with the rest of the group, but Lorey stopped them. “Are you senile? I’m still here, you know!” he shouted, using powerful dark magic to turn the ground beneath them into a bog. He dodged bolts of magic artfully, but didn’t directly attack.

He’s only stalling for time! Pinkie thought desperately.

With a powerful bolt of starry energy, Luna brought Lorey to his knees. Saphira recovered him and ran away as fast as her legs would carry her.

Envy shook off Scootaloo and kicked her aside. “Pest!” She shouted. She fired a bolt of negative energy at the orange pegasus, but it was redirected into Pinkie’s necklace.

“Not on my watch,” Pinkie grinned mischievously.

For the first time since the chase, Envy truly looked in Pinkie Pie’s eyes. When she saw her blue, yet pupil-less irises, her face contorted into true fear.

But just then, a white alicorn arrived.

Twilight looked up and gasped. “C-Celestia?”

“No!” Luna screamed. “It’s the Daymare!” She fired bolts of electricity into the alicorn’s path, but the villain simply dodged them.

“How dare you?!” the Daymare sneered. “I’m not through with you yet! Do you know who you’re dealing with?”

“An arrogant twit!” Luna shouted, forming a protective barrier around herself and her nearby allies.

The Daymare merely laughed, and slammed into the barrier. Luna cringed, the magic having a heavy toll on her overall health.

Scootaloo got back to her feet, and saw with horror that Luna was losing. She made up her mind. With all her strength, Scootaloo flew up and bit the Daymare on the rim of her wing. The white alicorn howled and shook the teen off.

“Scootaloo?!” Dash yelled.

“Leave without me!” Scootaloo shouted. “Now!”

Luna took this opportunity, despite the others’ protests. While Scootaloo was distracting the enraged Daymare, the blue princess charged up magical energy.

The Daymare plowed Scootaloo into the ground, but the battle was over.

“You lose…” Scootaloo laughed before losing consciousness.

The Daymare turned around and screamed. Luna and the others were gone.

=====================================================================

*******

Luna, the Elements of Harmony, Sweetie Belle, and Olly found themselves in a semicircular chamber. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a teakettle was sitting next to an open flame. Somepony sure left in a hurry, Olly observed. Ornate furniture and velvet rugs, most of them a shade of purple, adorned the room. The edge of the chamber was a giant window that looked out upon the city. The walls bore Luna’s own coat-of-arms.

Rarity looked out the large window and gaped. A large blue field of energy surrounded a city and its farmlands; an enormous one, at that, much larger than Ponyville. We’re in Fillydelphia!

Luna hurriedly got a potion and healed Applejack’s wounds, along with Fluttershy’s.

I’ve had a broken wing now how many times? Two, three? Fluttershy sighed to herself. When am I going to get back home? Back to what I knew before?

“Princess, are you alright?” Twilight asked worriedly. Luna didn’t look very well.

“Y-…Yes, We’re fine, thank you,” Luna panted, wiping the sweat off her brow. Her horn started to glow again, though she didn’t look like she was using magic. “Although you probably owe your lives to Pinkie Pie. Her realization was like a flare gun, and We have been looking for that kind of signal for three years.”

The others looked back at Pinkie Pie, appreciative.

“We?” Applejack asked.

“Sorry, I,” Luna corrected herself. “It’s a royal custom. Language has much changed since I was last present. I still slip up a little bit here and there.”

“That makes sense; you’ve been gone for one thousand years,” Rarity said.

“I still can’t get over those eyes.” Dash shook her head. “Sorry, Pinkie.”

“Oh, I guess it’ll be all right,” Pinkie shrugged, looking in a nearby mirror. “Heh, guess they do look a little funny.”

Luna’s immortality was slowly revitalizing her. “You will all need those types of eyes if you want to defeat Discord.”

“What is Discord, princess? I have so many questions to ask you,” Twilight begged.

“I would love to tell you, Twilight, but there is somepony else who can explain the situation in much greater detail than I,” Luna said. “Come this way, down to the ruins of the Garden.”

Luna led them to a stairwell. As they made their way downward, Luna told them in little detail why events had turned out the way they did.

“We are under a new threat, but it stems from an old foe,” Luna explained. “I hid you from the Daymare so that you could contact Obsidian, an ancient being who could help you realize your Potential and fight against Discord, but it appears that I cast the spell too fast. You appear to have lost a portion of your memory, as well as three years of your waking life.”

Twilight sighed. “That much we know, Princess. We figured that out based on what Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle told us.”

“Where is Scootaloo?” Dash asked worriedly. “Weren’t you able to teleport her, too?”

Luna shook her head sadly. “Not while she was fighting, no. Your friend is at the limited mercy of the Daymare now. I am sorry.”

Dash shook her head. I’m not giving up on Scootaloo yet.

Twilight was literally itching with all the questions she had, but Luna refused to answer any of them, and despite the fact that they had been in a death match only moments before, Luna showed a surprising amount of hustle as they made their way through the tight series of corridors.

They walked downstairs, underground. It was dimly lit, but the two unicorns and the alicorn present made for more than enough lighting. They made their way down a narrow, but ancient corridor.

“Here,” Luna said.

The hallway opened up into a clearing, where four torches burned around a glowing fountain. It was very majestic looking, and grass grew even though it was underground.

“Scary,” Fluttershy shivered.

“All this’s on the underbelly a Fillydelphia?” Applejack asked, shocked.

Luna nodded. “The Gateway is one of the only surviving relics from Ancient Times, back before the Elements of Harmony and Discord were first created. When Elements of Harmony drink from it, they can contact Obsidian and Verba. They should be able to tell you what you need to know.”

“Mind if I take a sip too?” Olly asked.

“It is only for the Elements of Harmony for a reason,” Luna said sternly. “Any normal pony that drinks from its waters will become Corrupted.”

“Corrupted, huh?” Olly said, staring into the waters. “Sounds interesting.”

The Elements of Harmony circled around the elegant-looking fountain. One by one, they started to sip from its waters, starting with Rarity and ending with Twilight.

Closing their eyes, they drifted off into a world unknown.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Olly’s name IS a reference. Can you guess to what?

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

*******

The Elements of Harmony awoke in a windy desert.

Dash rubbed her eyes and shakily stood up, but quickly had to cover her face because sand was blowing everywhere. “Obsidian!” she yelled.

“My apologies,” the brown stallion said from nearby. The storm quieted. “So, you have arrived.”

“Yep,” Pinkie chirped.

Obsidian’s eyes widened, but he soon had a wide smile on his face. “Ah, Pinkie Pie. It is refreshing to see those eyes; I have long awaited the Return of Harmony to these lands.”

“Well, as you’ve probably seen, it’s a bit of a wreck outside,” Twilight sighed.

“I am aware,” Obsidian nodded. “But it is our job to correct that.”

“Where’s Verba?” Applejack asked.

Obsidian motioned to flickers of color drifting on the sandy wind. “The magic here is too powerful for him to form properly. However, he is watching us, make no mistake.” After a brief paused, he charged up, his eyes glowing with a bright light. A powerful gust of wind blew away all of the sand within a circle about fifty meters across, revealing an ancient stone courtyard.

Rarity looked up and gasped. A crisp image of six ponies hovered through a thin glass plane above them. They were looking through a window into the real world.

“That is the Gateway,” Obsidian said. “It is one of the only two places in the world where Harmony meets Discord, and one of the few places I can contact you.”

“And the other?” Fluttershy asked.

“The Lock, deep in the heart of Discord.” Obsidian closed his eyes in thought for a minute, but quickly recovered himself. “However, that is not what I am here to talk to you about.”

Obsidian’s eyes glowed again, and the vision changed. The mirror crumbled for a moment and rearranged itself to be in front of the Elements. Obsidian warped behind them.

Slowly, their reflections changed.

Rarity’s became even more beautiful, if such a thing was possible. Her pelt changed to a light purple color, her body sprouting wings. Her mane was an indigo color. Her blue eyes changed into white discs with purple irises, but no pupils. Her Cutie Mark was a purple gem, like her necklace.

“That is the original Generosity,” Obsidian began. “She didn’t value beauty or skill, only what other ponies could give to each other. However, she possessed many talents and wasn’t afraid to share her knowledge and abilities.”

Applejack’s reflection wavered and then refocused into an orange alicorn stallion with a shiny black mane. His expression was solid and his stance firm. His irises were glowing an amber orange. His cutie mark was an orange gem, similar to Generosity’s.

“This is the original Honesty. He might look like someone you know,” Obsidian chuckled. “He could always tell if somepony were lying and could convince ponies to take risks they never would have otherwise. However, he was endlessly pessimistic and paranoid.”

“What happened to you?” Twilight asked.

“Magic isn’t perfect,” Obsidian sighed. “There are always some discrepancies, my appearance being one.”

Dash’s reflection morphed into a crimson alicorn stallion. His red iris eyes shone with determination and confidence, and his dark purple mane blew in a nonexistent wind. Upon closer inspection, purple flames seemed to be leaping from it, as well. His cutie mark was an almost invisible red gem.

“That is the original Loyalty,” Obsidian said. “He inspired the original revolution against Discord, and led the Elements into battle along with Magic. However, his battle was cut short when Deception, disguised as his lover, backstabbed him.”

“Ouch,” Dash cringed. “Who’s Deception?”

“We’ll get to that,” Obsidian said.

Pinkie’s reflection morphed into a pale blue alicorn mare with a pink mane. Her blue irises were shining and playful, and she had a wide grin on her face. Her cutie mark was a sky-blue gem.

“This was the original Humor,” Obsidian said. “For us, she was a source of comfort in tough times, somepony to lean on. Always the very last to give up, her energy prevailed against impossible odds in the fight against Discord. However, her emotional instability led to her losing control of her ability.”

Fluttershy’s reflection morphed into a pink alicorn mare with a rose-red mane. Her pink irises had a very happy and sympathetic expression that made Fluttershy want to run up and give her a hug.

“That is the original Kindness,” Obsidian explained, “the oldest in our family. She, like Humor, was somepony to go to when sad or unhappy, but she was very weak otherwise. Nopony can or will attack her, however.”

Twilight’s reflection became slightly more holy, the crown on her head glowing brilliantly. Her body turned to a pale white color, like Rarity’s, and her long mane to a brilliant rainbow, like Rainbow Dash’s. As her form became more masculine, her purple eyes became wry and clever, though they retained a powerful aura of friendship and amusement.

“That was the original Magic,” Obsidian said. “He led the Elements of Harmony on their first crusade and ultimately won the war on Discord without Loyalty or Kindness. He has immeasurable strength and is the only pony that can survive without the other Elements. However, he shares all of his counterparts’ flaws, leaving himself exceptionally vulnerable to Vengeance.”

The reflections disappeared.

“Wow…” Rarity breathed. “To think that we share some of that power. It’s amazing!”

Obsidian nodded. “Now that you know your roles, let me show you how the Elements were created. All of them.”

The Elements of Harmony disappeared.

=====================================================================

*******

They reappeared in what looked like a magnificent garden. Butterflies and birds fluttered throughout the sunlit trees by a sidewalk that led through the foliage. The air smelled of lilacs and roses, which wasn’t surprising considering the thick flora surrounding the path. However, despite the royal look of the garden, there were some conventional elements present as well. Sopping wet sidewalk chalk and washed-out pictures dotted the sidewalk, and there was a small playground with a swingset next to the path.

Rarity glanced at her hooves. They were slightly misty and undefined.

“Where are we?” Twilight asked Obsidian.

“This is before the Elements were created, in the family garden,” Obsidian explained, looking upon the place fondly. “It was where we spent the greatest moments of our childhood. We were a family of fourteen, you know.”

“Wow,” Applejack said, raising her eyebrows. “Ah have a big family, but most a it’s extended.”

“Tag, you’re it!” A nearby voice chirped.

A young Honesty chased a young Loyalty through the garden. They couldn’t have been more than school age. They were weaving and stumbling their way through the garden with Loyalty in the lead.

“Slow down!” Honesty complained, pausing to catch his breath.

A filly Kindness also ran up to join the group. “If you want, I’ll be it,” she offered.

“Aw, that’s no fun!” Loyalty said. “You’d never get any of us! You’re just too darn slow, Pearl!”

“That’s not very nice,” Kindness hmph’ed.

“Tag!” Honesty said, quickly swiping his hoof at Loyalty and brushing his thigh.

“Hey, no fair!” Loyalty whined. “It was time-out!”

“But you never said so, so you’re it!” Honesty said, ducking in-between trees as he tried to avoid Loyalty.

“It’s always time-out when we’re talking!” Loyalty complained. “That’s a rule!”

“Nuh-uh, that’s not a rule, you’re lying!” Honesty retorted.

“D’aww…” Pinkie giggled. “They’re so cute!”

“You especially,” Dash said, nudging Obsidian.

Their mentor turned a slight shade of red. “Nopony is spared the innocence of youth, Rainbow Dash, least of all me.”

“What are you doing?” Another filly asked. She was sitting under the shade of a tree. Her pelt was a dark blue, her mane a pale gray.

“Playin’ tag,” Loyalty said. “Wanna join?”

“Ugh, no,” the filly rolled her eyes. “What a waste of time.”

“You’re such a stick in the mud, Ivy,” Honesty rolled his eyes. “Have fun being bored.”

“I will, thank you very much!” Ivy said, going back to her sulking.

“C’mon, let’s go play somewhere else!” Loyalty said. He scampered off, with Honesty and Kindness close behind.

Another filly walked up onto the path. She was bright green, with a yellow-green mane. She was using telekinesis to carry a picture book, but wasn’t looking where she was going, almost tripping over several objects as she was reading. A tall white alicorn carefully guided her along the path to make sure she didn’t stumble into some of the many ponds that were scattered around the garden.

“Bookworm,” Ivy grumbled to herself as the pair walked by.

“I just don’t understand!” the filly said, tossing the book into a nearby pond.

“Elie,” the adult alicorn chided, pulling the sopping wet book out of the water. “That was your favorite book; why did you ruin it?”

“Sorry, mother, but I just can’t understand something. Why are all the villains in the stories so dumb?” Elie asked.

The white alicorn stifled laughter. “Oh, dear. That question.”

“What about that question, mother?” Elie asked. “In every book I’ve ever read, the villains ignore all of these things that are right there in front of them. They never make backup plans, they never double-check; it’s as if they’re trying to lose!”

“The reason the villains are, well, challenged is because they aren’t real,” the alicorn said.

“But it’s rather boring, in my opinion, that heroes never have any challenge. If I ever write a book, I’ll make sure the heroes don’t get away so easily,” Elie said determinedly.

“I’m sure you’ll be a fantastic writer; You’ve always had the knack for storytelling,” the alicorn said, affectionately nudging Elie’s side.

“Mom!” the group heard yet another voice cry.

Two colts, Honesty and an indigo colt with a purple mane, were running toward the scene, with Honesty in the lead.

“Lucifer hit me!” Honesty bawled.

“Did not!” the filly Lucifer shouted.

“Did too!”

“Tattletale!”

“Meanie!”

“Calm down!” the white alicorn mother scolded. “Obsidian, where did he hit you?”

“Nowhere!” Lucifer protested.

“She was asking me!” Honesty sniffed resentfully. He showed his mother a bruised front leg. “Right here.”

“Oh, that’s not good,” the mother said. She looked sternly at Lucifer. “You take a time-out right now!”

Lucifer grumbled as he went to sit on the swingset. “You’re no fun to play with; you always end up crying.”

“That’s because you always cheat!” Honesty retorted.

“Both of you are right,” Elie muttered, but loud enough that everypony present could hear her.

“Obsidian, how about you go and ask Norton when lunch will be ready?” the white alicorn suggested. “Elie, how about you find a chapter book? I’m sure you’ll like those much better.”

“Sure!” Honesty chirped, scampering off to a nearby manor.

“Okay,” Elie shrugged. She walked off as well.

“Jeez,” Dash grumbled. “Twelve kids and two parents? How did they survive?”

“Wealth helped, as well as a noble position,” Obsidian said. “The white alicorn you see before you is Queen Harmony. She was the wife of King Discord. They didn’t rule Equestria, but they helped spread harmony and kept discord in check.”

Another small colt was sneaking up behind Ivy, who was taking a nap. He had a swampy green pelt and a sickly yellow mane. “Boo!” He yelled, snickering as Ivy nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Krysk!” Ivy shouted as she started chasing Krysk around the garden. She wasn’t fast enough, however, and she soon got tired out. “I’ll get you back later!”

A young Humor was bouncing along the path with another alicorn, a grayish filly with a mane that was a slightly darker gray in color.

“...And then, the pink pony popped out of random places saying ‘Forever’ for the rest of her life!” Humor chirped.

“That's a great story!” the grayish filly said. “Can you tell me another?”

“Sure, Alexandra!” Humor grinned. “Just the other day I was talking with Steele…”

“Seems pretty happy,” Twilight observed. “Why are you showing us this?”

“Because there has to be happiness in order for there to be sadness,” Obsidian said ominously.

The group disappeared.

=====================================================================

*******

They reappeared in what looked like a sacred hall, with a glowing fountain in the center. It was an inside courtyard, with grass growing even though the only source of light was the fountain itself.

“This is the Gateway!” Rarity gasped.

Obsidian shook his head. “No, this is the Fountain of Harmony. This is where most of the evils were born. It all started with Deception’s incessant curiousity.”

A young filly walked into the room. It was clearly Elie, but she was older than in the last illusion. She was looking to and fro, as if she thought somepony might be following her, or she was in a place she wasn’t supposed to be.

“Heh,” Elie chuckled. “I’m smarter than they think.”

Elie walked up to the fountain, eyeing her reflection in its waters and grinning mischieviously. “Hello, beautiful truth. How are you on this fine day?” She licked her lips.

“What are you doing here?!” Alexandra hissed.

Elie nearly jumped ten feet up in the air. “S-Sister?! Oh, thank heavens; you scared me half to death!”

“Answer my question,” Alexandra growled. She too was slightly older. A year or two must have passed.

“This fountain has been locked away from us with powerful seals. Don’t you think it might have something special here? Something that mother and father are hiding from us?” Elie inquired. “You know they are.”

“Hiding what?” Alexandra asked, now more interested than angry.

“Hiding the truth,” Elie explained. “So many secrets have been kept from us, sister. Although I do not want to defy mother and father, I am not entirely sure that I trust them. This fountain will be able to tell us everything we need to know, you and I.”

“We should trust our parents,” Alexandra said.

“Perhaps, but what if mother and father are keeping from us something that we have the right to know?” Elie asked. “I trust that you have your curiosities as well. Our parents kept this from us, correct? Can’t you feel how much magic is coming off of this fountain? They might be hiding much more from us, you know. We must find out what.”

“This isn’t a good idea,” Alexandra said, biting her lip in apprehension.

“You mean you have no desire to know why we were kept here all these years?” Elie asked, shocked.

Alexandra shook her head. “No. If the truth is too painful to realize, then I’d rather live a lie, actually.”

Elie paused, looking at Alexandra as if her sister had just turned down a winning lottery ticket. “...I respect that of you, sister, but I cannot bear another minute not knowing the dark truth behind Harmony.” Elie turned back to the fountain. “They say that this fountain reveals the depths of a pony’s heart. It may be worthwhile to take a little sip.”

“Elie,” a voice warned.

This time, Elie really did jump ten feet up in the air.

A jet-black alicorn stepped out from the shadows. He wouldn’t have been noticeable had he not come into the light of the fountain. “You’re supposed to be in bed, darling. What are you doing at the Fountain of Harmony?”

“J-Just sightseeing, Father,” Elie chuckled, gritting her teeth and shaking with fright. “I’ll be on my way, now.”

“You drink from this water, and there will be some dire consequences, ones that I assure you will be unpleasant,” King Discord growled sternly. “Go back to bed right this instant.”

Elie quickly nodded. “Yes, father.” She then ran off as fast as her legs would take her.

“And, Alexandra?” Discord asked, turning to his daughter.

“Yes, father?” Alexandra asked, slightly nervous.

“See to it that she doesn’t come back,” Discord ordered, vanishing.

“I…” Alexandra trailed off. After a brief minute of thought, she made her way back to bed.

Now that everypony had gone, Obsidian warped the group to their next destination.

=====================================================================

They reappeared in the exact same room, but this was much farther in the timeline.

“Why all the warping around?” Dash asked. “Why not just, y’know, tell us what happened?”

“Because,” Obsidian began, “the horror of these events will better resonate in your minds if you actually see them.”

They were at what looked like a ceremony. All of the Elements of Harmony, their siblings, and their parents were at the Fountain of Harmony.

“Today is a fantastic day,” Discord said. “For today, we will add some more great warriors to Equestria.”

One by one, the now mature Elements of Harmony took a small drink from the fountain. First Generosity, then Honesty, then Loyalty, then Humor, then Kindness, and finally Magic. Their eyes glowed for a minute, but then their pupils disappeared. It was calm, almost serene, as the ceremony was completed.

Alexandra stepped up to take a drink as well, but Harmony stopped her.

“Mother?” Alexandra asked.

“I’m sorry, Alexandra, but you aren’t quite ready,” Harmony said sadly. “Maybe in a few years you can join your siblings.”

“B…B-But… B-But I’ve worked just as hard as they have!” Alexandra protested. “That’s not fair!”

“Trust in me, daughter,” Discord said to Alexandra, who was tearing up. “I know you are disappointed, but to allow you to drink the waters of Harmony now would be a mistake.”

Rarity cringed. That was not the right thing to say…

Alexandra nodded, and swallowed her sadness. She went back to sit next to some of her other siblings who hadn’t been allowed to drink either.

“You will depart in the morning,” Discord said to the Elements of Harmony.

The scene changed.

=====================================================================

*******

They were in a large bedroom, supposedly Alexandra’s. The adult was crying her eyes out, dampening her pillows and sheets. It was dusk now, almost night.

Elie walked in the room. “So, you’re going to allow our parents to tell you what to do?”

Alexandra wiped her eyes off on her comforter. “Do I have a choice?”

“But of course,” Elie grinned. “We all have the choice, you know. If you feel that you can handle it, the others and I will be visiting the Fountain shortly, and I would be glad to have you along.”

“But… that’s against the rules,” Alexandra sniffed.

Elie shrugged. “Yes, I suppose, but what are rules in the grand scheme of things? Our siblings’ power already dwarfs our parents’; Who knows what could possibly happen if we, for instance, were to drink the sacred waters?”

Alexandra nodded. “S-Sure, I’ll go. Are you sure that it’s a good idea?”

Elie laughed. “Well, I guess we’ll see, won’t we? Better than sitting on our flanks and twiddling our hooves, now isn’t it?”

“Are the others coming, too?” Alexandra asked.

Elie nodded. “Hurry, while Harmony and Discord are occupied.”

“Oh, yeah, I passed by their room earlier. Do you know what they were doing?” Alexandra asked.

“Revitalizing their youth,” Elie said nonchalantly.

“Come again?” Alexandra asked, confused.

Elie arched an eyebrow. “You know… knocking hooves.”

Alexandra stared at her blankly.

Elie rolled her eyes. “Never mind; we have to hurry or Lucifer will drink the entire Fountain without us.”

The two made their way down to the fountain room, easily bypassing the security magic. They traversed the corridors and found themselves with four other alicorns their age.

“Now it’s a party,” an older Lucifer snickered. “Miss goody-two-shoes got rejected and joins the cool club.”

“I can’t blame her,” Krysk said with a smile, circling around Alexandra. “She must have been jealous.”

“Hey, what’s that one alicorn over there doin’?” Applejack asked, pointing to a brown alicorn with a dark brown mane.

“He is Guilt,” Obsidian explained. “He has a mental defect that prevents him from speaking properly; he was perfectly intelligent but could never form words. Despite being very nice and talented, his disability held him back, which is why he is with the others.”

Alexandra looked warily at her counterparts.

“Alright, since you so generously volunteered to join us in this little banquet, you can taste test,” Ivy said, shoving Alexandra toward the fountain.

“Um… why me?” Alexandra asked, stumbling forward.

“Father said that there would be dire consequences, but we want to know if those are real or just made up,” Elie said, motioning to the fountain in front of her. “Go ahead, have a sip.”

Alexandra stared at her reflection in the fountain for a while, biting her lip and anxiously shifting her weight. Indecision bounced through Alexandra’s mind as she thought long and hard about the life-changing decision in front of her. Eventually, though, she lowered her lips to the water and started to drink.

Alexandra began to change. Her grayish body began to wash over with black, her wings lengthening and becoming black as well. Evil started to spread throughout her body, spreading to the others in the room. All of the others started to shriek as the evil started to enter their souls and change their personas, each and every one of their pelts and manes becoming dark and sinister. Alexandra, however, was the most affected.

But the most staggering change was their eyes. Not able to become fully pure, they became vertical, daggerlike slits.

Alexandra started to laugh, but she wasn’t Alexandra any longer. They had all lost their previous identities to this new and powerful evil; the evil of a corrupted soul.

They had turned into the Elements of Discord: Envy, Arrogance, Deception, Guilt, Hate, and finally Vengeance.

The image vanished.

“No…” Twilight murmured.

“That was how it started,” Obsidian began. “Now, we must-”

Suddenly, the world started to shake. Cracks developed in the desert courtyard as the world became unstable, fuzzy, and undefined. Fluttershy fell over as Obsidian tried desperately to correct the situation.

“The outside is under attack!” Obsidian yelled. “Hurry, you must leave; I can tell you everything else later!”

The Gateway appeared to them once again, and the Elements of Harmony jumped through it.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

*******

Earlier…

The Daymare was sitting on her ornate throne, nursing her second glass of wine. It had been a few hours since Luna and the Elements had escaped, and although her physical injuries had healed, the wounds to her pride had not.

Worst of all, she was forced to rely on Deception’s backup plan. A backup plan! How humiliating, she muttered to herself, taking a sip of fine red wine. These Elements are trickier than I expected. I should probably have a follow-up attack to prevent them from contacting Obsidian a second time.

“Mistress?” Lyvia asked.

“Yes, Lyvia?” the Daymare asked absently, barely noticing Lyvia had entered her chambers.

“You wanted to deal with this little bundle of joy here, ma’am,” Lyvia grunted, thrusting the thoroughly restrained and muzzled Scootaloo to the Daymare’s hooves.

Lyvia doesn’t look very injured despite being mortal, but looks are deceiving, the Daymare thought, rubbing her temples. What is this, a premature hangover? I don’t have time for this! “Place Scootaloo in Saphira’s care and get ready for an attack on Fillydelphia.”

“Pardon?” Lyvia asked. “Are you sure Saphira is the best choice, ma’am?”

The Daymare glared at her. “You dare defy your ruler?” she challenged.

Lyvia bowed. “N-No, ma’am. I will place her in the holding lounge.”

“And send for Envy while you’re at it,” the Daymare added.

Lyvia nodded and left, hauling Scootaloo after her. Envy appeared a few minutes later.

“You called, sister?” she asked.

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” the Daymare stated. “Make sure that the shield around Canterlot is intact. Also, make sure Scootaloo is sent to the specific cage Deception mentioned.”

“Could I have a ‘please?’” Envy asked.

“Please,” the Daymare hissed.

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” Envy sneered, glaring at the Daymare. She vanished.

=====================================================================

Lyvia deposited Scootaloo in her cell, the same one that she had been locked up in earlier, and chained her to the wall before removing her other bonds, though carefully. Scootaloo, who really didn’t have a plan at this point, complied with the rough pegasus.

“You don’t cause anymore trouble, okay?” Lyvia grumbled, though in a slightly caring fashion. “I’ve never seen the Daymare spare anypony who attacked her before, especially after what you did. Either she’s drunk or something’s up. Anyway, have a good time,” Lyvia finished before ducking out of the prison to alert Saphira.

Scootaloo sighed and examined her surroundings. It was the same dull cell she had been stuck in when Lorey captured the entire group. The only difference was that, this time, she was alone.

Well, Scootaloo thought, sighing. Better than I expected.

*******

Saphira came in only moments later. The blue earth pony teen set a book down nearby and began to read, not making eye contact with her charge. Scootaloo watched her for a moment, expecting her to do something, but she was practically motionless. Scootaloo noticed she had a thin, white mark running across her cutie mark, almost cutting it in half.

“What are you gonna do, interrogate me?” Scootaloo asked. “My lips are sealed.”

Saphira said nothing.

“Fine, then, just don’t talk to me,” Scootaloo growled, turning around. “Ignore me. Let me rot.”

Saphira mumbled something, but didn’t look up.

“What was that?” Scootaloo asked.

Saphira didn’t answer.

“You’re just like the rest of them,” Scootaloo growled. “You’re just a wimp and a coward who works for the Daymare!”

Saphira bit her lip and buried her nose in her book. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Scootaloo grunted in frustration and shook the bars of her cell. “Arrgh! Let me out!” She sat down and glowered at Saphira. “You’re just going to let me die here, aren’t you? You’re just as evil as the rest of them!”

“I-I...” Saphira trailed off.

“You can’t even form a stupid sentence!” Scootaloo yelled in frustration. “How’d you even get to work for the Daymare if you can’t even talk?”

“St-Stop it!” Saphira yelled, startling Scootaloo. She shrunk away. “J-Just stop it...”

“Why do you work for the Daymare?” Scootaloo asked, slightly calmer this time.

“I work for the Daymare b-because I have no other choice,” Saphira stammered.

“There’s always a choice!” Scootaloo yelled harshly.

“No,” Saphira murmured sadly. “There really isn’t. It’s either work for her, or get added to her ‘perfect world,’ the Dreamscape. It’s horrifying… i-indescribable,” Saphira shuddered. “You lose your entire mind, your entire soul to the Dreamscape if the Daymare gets a hold on you.”

“So?” You’re letting thousands of ponies die!” Scootaloo argued.

“Shut up!” Saphira yelled. She wiped her eyes. “I can’t go anywhere, I-I can’t do anything, I can’t make any friends. Y-You don’t know wh-what it’s like because you have friends. I d-don’t.”

Scootaloo stared at the earth pony teen. She doesn’t look too evil... Are the others that work for the Daymare like this?

“I’m not even s-supposed to be talking to you,” Saphira whimpered. “Just leave me alone.”

Scootaloo took a glance at her before turning back around in her cell. “Fine.”

=====================================================================

Lyvia returned to her quarters, pondering why the Daymare would have left Scootaloo with Saphira. She was lying on her back on a couch, absentmindedly flipping through a magazine.

Lorey walked in. “Taking your lunch break already, hmm?” he asked. He turned to Lyvia. “What do you make of Scootaloo? That is her name, correct?”

“Kid’s a bit old not to have her cutie mark,” Lyvia shrugged.

Lorey nodded. “Hmm, yes.” He paused. “Lyvia, how did you get your mark? Of the many things I know about you after three years, I’m surprised that’s not one of them.”

“My cutie mark?” Lyvia looked up. “Well, you know Stalliongrad isn’t the best neighborhood in Equestria. For the most part, I had to grow up on the poor side of the equation. But when I was a kid, I was cornered by these thugs, so what did I do? I cut them open,” she shrugged. “No big deal; I hid the bodies. I knew how it worked. Had this mark on my flank ever since.”

“You make it sound simple,” Lorey remarked.

“‘Cause it is,” Lyvia said, turning back to her magazine. “What is there to tell? I ended some lives. I’m only going to end more.”

“Don’t you ever feel any remorse?” Lorey asked. “Anything at all when a pony dies at your hooves? It tears at me every time I do, whether it’s visible or not.”

“Should I?” Lyvia asked resentfully. “I grew up as an ugly angel, just trying to make her way. Now I’m a beautiful demon who’s at the end of others’ paths. I think we both know which way I prefer."

“I would like being on the good side of the equation, if possible,” Lorey admitted.

“Did you know my given name is Sharpie?” Lyvia asked.

“Sharpie?” Lorey asked in shock. “Are you serious?”

“I know!” Lyvia hmph’d. “I changed it as soon as I joined my first gang; it’s been this way ever since. And that’s just one of the reasons I hate my old life so much.”

“I can imagine,” Lorey shook his head.

Lyvia paused. “How’d you get your mark?”

“I grew up in Manehattan,” Lorey began. “Theatre was big at the time, and I was an understudy in a large performance as a young teen. The lead was sick, so I had to take her place.”

“Her?” Lyvia chuckled.

“Yes,” Lorey nodded. “I was forced to play a female role. During the performance, however, I had somehow turned into a perfect replica of her, without having any idea. Quite the embarrassing experience for me, but a memorable performance nonetheless.”

Lyvia burst out laughing. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!”

“I met her afterward, and we fell in love,” Lorey said wistfully. “We moved to Stalliongrad because that’s where her family was and had our first child. And, unfortunately, our last.”

Lyvia calmed down. “It’s a shame, too.”

“It wasn’t as if I had any control. Not back then.” His gaze was distant, but it snapped back into focus. “Lyvia,” Lorey began, “have you ever considered settling down and having a child?”

“Well, yeah, a little,” Lyvia shrugged. “I’ve always wondered what it’s like having one of the little buggers inside of you. Why do you ask?” she said, looking up and grinning at the blue-green unicorn in front of her.

“No particular reason,” Lorey said. “And I’m not thinking what you are. Heavens, no.”

“That’s okay, we all know you really like Envy,” Lyvia smirked.

Lorey groaned. “Lyvia, you have just given me a mental picture I cannot un-see!”

Lyvia smiled and got up. “Then you’d better stick to what you know,” she said, swatting Lorey’s flank with her tail before leaving the room.

Lorey shook his head. “Mares,” he muttered before departing as well.

=====================================================================

*******

The group woke up. Dust was falling from the ceiling; it felt like the entire city was shaking from some unimaginable force.

Luna’s teeth were gritted, her horn glowing with feverish energy. Sweat was rapidly dripping off her forehead.

“Somepony’s having a heck of a party upstairs!” Olly exclaimed, trying to balance himself.

“It’s an attack… by the Daymare!” Luna grunted, yelping in pain as the magic she was trying to maintain started to tear away at her life force. “Hurry, we must go outside!”

Nopony argued. Luna charged up a teleport to the surface of Fillydelphia.

Slightly charred by the shaky teleportation, the Elements, Olly, and Sweetie Belle arrived in the town plaza. Above them was a terrifying sight; the Daymare, in full splendor, was firing lightning bolts at the barrier, each one causing Luna visible pain.

“The barrier is becoming difficult to maintain,” Luna wheezed. “Please, defeat the Daymare!”

“I’ll lend you some energy,” Twilight said. “Rarity, could you help?”

Rarity nodded, and the two unicorns started to allow their magic to drift into the alicorn’s. It helped, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Dash started to fly up, but Applejack grabbed her.

“Let go!” Dash commanded, trying to shake Applejack off.

“You go up there an’ you’ll git yerself killed!” Applejack yelled. “Find another way!”

Dash didn’t want to admit it, but Applejack was right. “Alright, Applejack, you help Pinkie and Fluttershy distract the Daymare and find any of her cronies.”

“An’ you?” Applejack asked.

“It’s Rainboom time,” Dash growled, making her way to the edge of the barrier.

Is she nuts? Applejack asked herself in disbelief. She’s only pulled that thing off twice before in her life! We’ll be goners even before she pulls off those sorts of speeds, and she might not even hit the Daymare head-on!

Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie and dragged her up to the top of a building, and Applejack went along the rim of the barrier to try and root out any accomplices. It was obvious to everypony that the Daymare wouldn’t be stupid enough to try and attack a well-protected city alone.

The Daymare charged up a beam of energy and poured it onto the barrier with all her might. Twilight cringed as some pain overflowed from Luna’s nerves to hers, and Rarity saw some bright blue cracks forming on the blue alicorn’s horn and temples.

The barrier will fall any minute! Twilight gasped as the magic took its toll on her, as well. But I’m pouring in all of my magic; why isn’t it working?!

Pinkie’s blue eyes glowed, and a massive explosion of blue light spread from the tallest building, about a kilometer from the Daymare. However, it wasn’t concentrated enough, doing little more than annoying her.

Dash was now high enough to start building a charge. Taking a deep breath of the chilly, thin air around her, she dove into a free-fall and propelled herself forward as fast as she possibly could.

Applejack spotted a pegasus among the shadows of the trees surrounding Fillydelphia, and recognized her as Lyiva, the same pegasus that engaged Dash back during their escape. She’s that same dumb pegasus that cut me open back in Canterlot! “Payback time!” Applejack grunted, rushing toward the pegasus.

The crimson marauder simply grinned. “Back for more, huh?”

She tried to kick Applejack aside, but Applejack was ready this time. Ducking, Applejack slid across the dirt and bit Lyvia when she tried to slice her open.

The mercenary yelled and kicked, but Applejack’s jaws were stronger. When Lyvia broke free, she was in even more pain than before, and she beat a hasty retreat.

“Scaredy cat!” Applejack yelled.

Lyvia laughed. “You’re not my problem, sweetheart. You don’t have wings.”

Sweetheart, Applejack growled to herself. Oh, when I get my hooves on her…

Applejack raced back into town to warn the others, the barrier recognizing her and allowing her back in.

Pinkie was trying to attack the Daymare with her energy, but it really didn’t do any noticeable damage. Please, Dash, don’t fail us now!

Fluttershy was trying to distract the Daymare, but she couldn’t do so from inside the barrier very well, and going outside it would be suicide.

Dash was picking up insurmountable speed, but it wasn’t quite enough. I need more time! Her lightning-shaped pendant had begun to pulse a bright red.

Meanwhile, the barrier was breaking down. The Daymare, noticing the resistance around her, was pushing the barrier with everything she had, and though Luna almost fell unconscious, the barrier held. Frustrated, the Daymare began charging up her final attack.

It’s all over, Luna thought miserably, taking a knee as black spots invaded her vision. I… I can’t go on…

Twilight poured all of her reserves into Luna, but it did little more than make the moon goddess sweat one droplet less. Rarity was having similar results.

Olly was sitting there, feeling useless, until he noticed something. Lyvia was flying upward at an odd angle, almost vertical. He estimated the path she was taking, and gasped.

She’s on a collision course with Dash!

Hurriedly, Olly looked for a weapon. Any weapon. He grabbed a rusty knife out of the street, and took aim. He accounted for arc, wind speed, the whole deal, as he used telekinesis to charge up a Hail Mary throw. Putting all of his energy in this one toss, he flung the knife skyward.

The knife spun in a circular motion, twirling and twirling away, but it traveled so unimaginably fast that it would have been a blur to anypony close to it. Olly heard a yell and, a little later, a faint thud.

The knife had connected with Lyvia’s wing.

Had Olly been nearby, he also would have heard a number of obscenities, but thankfully he was celebrating his success with a little jump of happiness.

Twilight, who had been watching, was awestruck. How in the world did he make that far a throw?! Rarity was thinking the exact same thing, but Luna was concentrating too intensely to notice.

Tears were streaming from Dash’s face at the speed she was going. She was about to connect. With one final breath, Dash screamed, “DON’T… HURT… MY… FRIENDS!” Her pulsating necklace gleamed with crimson energy.

With the most force any normal pegasus could ever generate, Dash’s speed exploded and she connected with the Daymare in a field of rainbow energy, sending deafening sound throughout all of Fillydelphia.

But it did more than that.

Even though the Daymare had redirected her energy at the last second to a personal shield, Rainbow Dash’s necklace had begun to glow. Her whole body began to glow with a reddish light, and her pupils started to disappear.

*******

The glow spread to Fillydelphia, and, one by one, the ponies who had once looked upon the scene with horror and terror became angry, determined, and strong. Luna’s wavering will solidified, and it was reflected in her barrier, which gleamed with ruby energy.

Pinkie’s eyes were shining as she watched her friend begin her transformation, just as she had. Dash was becoming something greater.

Rainbow-colored flames started to leap from Dash’s mane, but they didn’t seem to hurt her. Her eyes were now a fiery red, her expression pure valor and strength. Her mane was glowing brilliantly, and her wings grew slightly in size, though vastly in strength. The pure inspiration dripping from her body spread throughout Fillydelphia, and the setting sun only added to the magic of the event. She had realized her Potential.

The Daymare looked upon the scene in horror.

“You think you can come into this world and wreak havoc without consequence?!” Dash yelled, her voice being broadcast over the entirety of Fillydelphia. Her voice overlapped with a stallion’s voice, one that was proud and strong. “The citizens of Equestria have had enough of your reign of terror, and are about to show it!”

Rainbow-colored energy began to flow out of the city with its residents’ cheers. Dash glowered upon the Daymare, who was trembling with rage.

“No! That wasn’t supposed to happen!” she yelled in frustration.

“You have decided your own fate,” Dash said calmly, the flames around her mane and wings growing in heat and intensity. “Prepare yourself for the end.”

“Never,” the Daymare growled. She fired her pent-up energy at Dash, but the blue pegasus simply dodged with unimaginable speed, ducked under her opponent, and kicked her in the ribs.

The Daymare’s expression wavered, but she wasn’t through yet. She laughed, relaxing and preparing herself for a serious skirmish. “Finally, a challenge,” she grinned. Her horn glowed and a burst of fire weaved its way around Dash and sliced her in the side.

Dash yelled as blood poured out of the charred wound, but she didn’t feel any pain. She instead looked up at the Daymare with fury. “I’m not done yet.”

“Well, that would be boring! The big, bad Dashie going down with a tap to the noggin,” the Daymare snickered. “You’re going to go through some serious hurt before I’m done with you.”

Dash glowered at her, her ruby red eyes heightening in rage as blood dripped down her leg. “You’re really asking for it.”

“Yep.” The Daymare rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know. I got where I am by pushing buttons.”

Dash ducked under her opponent and threw some punches, but the Daymare was quicker. She slammed into Dash’s side and tossed her up in the air.

No, Dash! Pinkie gasped, horrified that Dash was somehow still losing. We... We have to help her! She fed all of her energy toward the sky.

Dash felt some of her wounds heal. Thanks, Pinkie. She looked up, her wings aching slightly. She dove below the Daymare and swerved behind the white alicorn at the last moment to kick her in the neck. The Daymare flipped in midair but was seemingly uninjured, her immortality healing any temporary wounds.

“Quick, Twilight, everypony!” Luna shouted, her voice booming over the city. “Lend her your strength! The more ponies that support Loyalty, the more damage Dash can inflict!”

Twilight nodded in realization. She sent out a mental beacon to the citizens of Fillydelphia, and they heard the call.

Dash suddenly felt her body flood with a fountain of power. With a magnificent burst of energy, her rainbow-colored flames scorched the Daymare’s neck. It still wasn’t enough, though. The Daymare grabbed Dash, headbutted her, and kicked her in the wing. Dash fell limply onto the surface of the barrier.

“Naptime,” the Daymare said with a smug grin.

“No,” Dash mumbled, her wings repairing themselves. “I... I’m not through yet!”

Pinkie funneled all the energy she could into Dash’s body. Twilight made her beacon stretch to every crevice of Fillydelphia. Lend Loyalty your strength so she can save Equestria! This is a call to arms, ponies; do not let the Daymare rule us anymore! Rainbow colored energy surged from the city like a river and slowly weaved its way to a single destination.

Slowly, Dash became airborne again, steadily rising up off of the barrier. Ruby energy crackled around her as her eyes glowed bright red. Suddenly, she took off at hyperspeed and slammed into the Daymare, who was completely unprepared for the lightning-fast attack.

What?! the Daymare thought as she flew fifty feet to the side, golden ichor spurting from her mouth.

The endless amount of positive energy coming from below gave Dash the strength of an entire army. The strength of valor, the strength of honor, and the strength of Loyalty.

The stunned Daymare was unprepared when Dash delivered another crushing blow to the side of her face, breaking her jaw and her spirit. This is unbelievable! The Daymare thought as she screamed in pain. This can’t be happening!

Dash soared high above the Daymare in about a second or two, and then came back down with the force of an entire planet. The Daymare would have been split in half had she not been immortal, but she still fell limply onto the surface of the barrier.

“You made a mistake coming here,” Dash growled. “Never show your ugly snout in Equestria again.”

The Daymare hissed something and disappeared.

Dash thrust her wings up in victory, and the cheers were almost deafening. Dash had never felt better in her entire life; this was her Element, her entire reason for existing. I have to protect the weak and stay loyal to my country. Nothing else is more important than that!

It was a celebration. Fluttershy helped Pinkie off the roof and joined the party herself. Ponies were laughing in the street, prancing about and commending the brave and loyal Dash, who sailed down, putting out the fire on her wings. Her piercing red eyes, however, would stay that way for the rest of her life.

“The Return of Harmony,” Luna murmured, though nopony heard her. “When all is lost, an Element will always be revealed.”

This is the greatest moment of my entire life! Dash thought as she stared in awe at the crowd that was cheering for her. It can’t get any better than this!

We’ve won the battle, not the war, Twilight admitted to herself as she watched her friend swoop low over the city in triumph. But can’t we celebrate a little? Grinning from ear to ear, she went off to join the party.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Happy chapter is happy!

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

*******

Scootaloo halfheartedly poked at the food she was given. There was nothing wrong with it; there were crisp lettuce leaves, ripe strawberries, and daisy petals to make up the plate of salad with some steaming tomato soup off to the side.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Saphira asked. “You didn’t have food last time I saw you.”

“We found food, thank you very much,” Scootaloo growled.

Saphira looked away. “D-Don’t be mean...”

“Why not?” Scootaloo challenged. “You’ve caged me here and won’t let me out. Why should I care about your feelings?”

Saphira didn’t answer.

Scootaloo nibbled on a lettuce leaf. “That’s what I thought.”

There was a long pause as Saphira paged through her novel. Her lips moved, but they failed to form words until she asked, “Wh-What w-was Ponyville like?”

Scootaloo was unsure whether to answer or not. “...It wasn’t anything special. There was a town hall, a bakery, a library, a school...” she trailed off.

“Y-You must miss it a lot,” Saphira assumed.

Scootaloo nodded suspiciously. “Um, yeah, I guess... What about you? Where do you come from?”

“I’m from St-Stalliongrad, before it was...” Saphira trailed off.

“Before it was what?” Scootaloo asked.

Saphira bit her lip. “It was destroyed, a-all of it. I was lucky to escape with my life.”

“What about your parents?” Scootaloo was immediately sorry for asking that question.

“My mom is dead, and I c-can’t talk to my dad anymore,” Saphira said, wiping her eyes.

Should I feel sorry for her? Scootaloo asked herself. She could end my life like flicking a switch, so why hasn’t she already? It’s not like I’ve been nice to her or anything. She just looks... She looks sad. Like a lot of ponies since three years ago. Fillies that could barely walk were spared by the Daymare simply so that she could see their bodies lying in the street a week or so later and laugh. I’ve heard stories from refugees. It’s just awful.

“You joined the Daymare to save your life,” Scootaloo finally said.

Saphira nodded. “What choice did I have? What ch-choice do I have…?”

Scootaloo didn’t have an answer. She stared into her salad bowl until Saphira asked another question.

“How di-did you get your scar?” she asked.

“Huh?” Scootaloo asked, though she instinctively brought her hoof to the long, thin line running down her cheek and to her shoulder. “I got it when the Daymare attacked Ponyville. I would have died if my friend hadn’t healed me.”

“Oh,” Saphira said.

“How’d you get yours?” Scootaloo asked in return, motioning to the white line that bisected Saphira’s cutie mark.

Saphira bit her lip. “M-... Mm...” she stuttered. “M-My d-...”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Scootaloo said.

“...-ad,” Saphira finished. She buried her head in her hooves.

“...Oh,” Scootaloo said. Here I am, in the midst of the enemy, talking to the enemy, and all I can do is feel sorry for her. Why? Why did Equestria have to become such a terrible place?

=====================================================================

*******

After the celebration cooled down, Luna quickly hurried the group inside a central room in her Fillydelphian headquarters and shut the door tight. There was a giant flat bowl in the center of the circular room, about two meters in diameter.

“What’s the deal? I was having fun,” Dash protested.

“And where are Sweetie Belle and Olly?” Rarity asked.

“I apologize for the interruption, but there are some things I need to tell you posthaste,” Luna breathed. “The first is that we must depart in the morning to attack Canterlot.”

“What?!” Applejack exclaimed. The rest of the group had similar reactions.

“I am aware you’re exhausted, but this is the only advantage I’ve had over Discord in three years and I’m not giving it up! We must strike while they are weakened or let more ponies die,” she stated.

“But Princess, the Daymare is immortal; she would have recovered by now,” Twilight pointed out.

“But her minions haven’t,” Luna argued, “and that’s besides the point; the Daymare intended to strike us with full force, break through our barrier, and then lay waste to the city. Her body may have recovered, but the amount of magic she used will take a couple days to regenerate completely, at the very least.”

“Okay, is that it? Because I kinda liked being the center of attention,” Dash said, motioning toward the door.

“No,” Luna said, her tone grave. “You desire answers, correct? I can give them to you here and now if you just listen.”

“But isn’t that Verba’s job?” Pinkie asked. “And Obsidian’s?”

“It is, but the Gateway also has a one-day cooldown. It isn’t usually a problem, but for all our sakes, I must tell you the things you need to know immediately,” Luna said, with a sense of urgency that even unnerved Applejack. “Please, time is something that we can’t afford to waste at the moment.”

“Okay, Princess,” Twilight said. “What do you need to tell us?”

Luna nodded. “Obsidian and Verba have tested you, correct?”

They nodded.

“Well, those tests weren’t designed to test just your Generosity, or just your Honesty. They were designed to test you against your opposites, as well,” Luna explained. Some of the group opened their mouths to ask questions, but Luna held up her hoof. “Patience. Let me explain. Now, there are mundane opposites, such as greed being the mundane opposite of Generosity, but those traits are of little importance. If you were to be an Element at all, you would never display those qualities. At least, not successfully,” she added, glancing at the slightly sheepish Applejack.

“Although dishonesty is the mundane opposite of Honesty, quite obviously, Arrogance leads you not only to lie to others, but to yourself as well, until you no longer know what the truth really is. Envy leads a soul to not only keep everything to themselves, but also wish they had more, and wish that others had less. These are called polar opposites, and each of you has one,” Luna said. “You will know them when you see them.”

Luna’s horn glowed, and a stream of the purest water started to fall into the bowl in the center of the room.

The water, however, was magical. It twisted and turned to form a pony’s shape, a unicorn mare. Envy.

“Now, I will show you your polar opposites, the Elements of Discord,” Luna stated. “He, you are already familiar with.”

“He?” Fluttershy asked.

Luna nodded. “Envy was originally a colt. He was actually fairly average-looking; in fact, Obsidian might have shown him to you as Krysk, his original form. Envy is a controlling and self-centered pony, and he can switch bodies in mere seconds, where his siblings take an hour or so.”

“Wait, so yer sayin’ this here mare is actually a colt?” Applejack gaped.

Luna smiled a bit. “As were the spirits of Magic, Honesty, and Loyalty.”

Twilight glanced at her chest. “Um… that’s really creepy.”

Luna laughed. “It’s something all Elements of Harmony have to deal with at one point or another. If you think about it, though, the Elements are so old that they’re nearly gender neutral.”

“Just how old are they?” Fluttershy asked.

“Almost back to the beginning of recorded history, many thousands of years ago,” Luna said. “Even older than I. The world has much changed, of course, but the Elements haven’t.”

The water morphed again, this time into a tall alicorn princess otherwise known as the Daymare.

“This is Arrogance mixed with my sister, Celestia,” Luna said. “Arrogance and Envy often work together because their abilities complement each other. Arrogance can overpower almost any soul, given enough time, and dominate their body for centuries. Envy probably weakened my sister before attacking me, allowing Arrogance to invade her soul. However, it took nearly one thousand years for the transformation to complete.”

“Pardon?” Applejack asked.

“The last completely Celestia decision my sister made was probably a month before I became Nightmare Moon. Everything after that had some form of Arrogance influencing it,” Luna explained.

“Even sending you to the moon?” Fluttershy asked.

Luna nodded. “Yes, in fact, Celestia didn’t look anything like she does now. Her mane was originally red, orange, and yellow, and her eyes were amber instead of magenta. Even her pelt has some change; it’s redder than it was before.”

It suddenly dawned on Twilight. “I was apprenticed to Arrogance my entire life!”

Luna nodded sadly. “Yes. The only reason I didn’t notice after breaking out of the moon was because Envy was still grappling with me for control of my heart; by the time I broke free, I barely had time to hide you before the attack began.”

Twilight fell to her knees. “This… This can’t be real!”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Luna began, “but it gets worse. Had Arrogance had her way and was in complete control of my sister, you would have stayed a bookworm all your life. Arrogance realized right away that you were the Element of Magic and cast you aside from society, isolating you as best she could and satisfying your intense need for knowledge with the royal library. Celestia was only able to gain control for one, critical moment--the moment she sent you all to Ponyville, where Arrogance believed the rest of the Elements resided.”

“I always thought that letter didn’t sound quite like the Celestia I knew,” Twilight chuckled weakly, still trying to wrap her head around the situation.

“When I escaped from the moon, Envy was still in control, and he tapped into your Elemental powers in order to confirm whether you were the Elements of Harmony or not. He placed specific tests in your path, and when you found your Elemental necklaces, he attempted to subdue you. It was a dire mistake on his part, though, and Arrogance fiercely reprimanded him for it when you weren’t watching. However, he was still partly in control of my body--that’s why I was shorter that usual, and also why my mane lacked its magical flow.

“Arrogance and her siblings decided that it would best to keep you all in one place until they attacked, so she had you stay in Ponyville for a few months. All the while, she was trying to keep you happy, which, in the end, meant keeping you close friends. She strictly avoided training you in Elemental magics, however, and kept you from ever knowing about Obsidian and Verba. She appeared to you personally sometimes, but that was only to avoid suspicion; it was expected of a Princess to appear before her most treasured subjects at least a few times a year. Just before the attack, I broke free of Envy’s control and rushed in to save you. You know the rest.”

Twilight stared at the floor, her emotions limiting her ability to think as they rampaged through her soul. Eventually, though, she nodded at Luna, signalling her to continue.

Luna waved her hoof, and the water changed again, this time into a white earth pony mare with a silver mane. She looked sad; as if she had just lost a loved one, and it made the others sad, too. However, the most defining feature was her dagger-like eyes.

“This is Guilt’s last known body,” Luna said with a grimace. “He cannot speak, but he doesn’t need to. Negative energy flows from him like a broken dam; it is so strong that he has burst unicorns’ horns and even killed regular earth ponies that can’t handle the energy.”

“What a horrendous ability,” Rarity remarked.

Luna nodded. “But he isn’t very powerful on his own. He works with an entity called Hate.”

The water morphed into a scrawny green unicorn colt with a shaggy blond mane. His eyes darted to and fro, and the grin plastered on his face made Applejack want to spit. His slitted pupils didn’t help.

“This is Hate’s last known body,” Luna said. “It is impossible to attack him while feeling negative emotions; you will only hurt yourself. The only way to defeat him is to make yourself happy in some way, and with Guilt present that is often impossible. They alone can kill inexperienced Elements of Harmony. However, they are not the ones you have to really worry about.”

Fluttershy swallowed. “Wh-Who are the ones that we have to worry about?”

The water changed into a yellow pegasus mare with silver-tipped wings. She looked down upon the group with what looked like pity, and for a moment Pinkie felt really angry, but not at the Elements of Discord, at her friends. It disappeared quickly, though.

“This is Vengeance’s last known form,” Luna explained. “She can tear Elements apart like the press of a button because she possesses all of the other Elements of Discords’ strength. However, she is useless without a body, and she can only inhabit a willing host.”

“What do you mean, ‘willing’?” Twilight asked.

“The host has to want to give his or her body to Vengeance, and has to want revenge on somepony. It’s frightening how often she actually gets a body, but that’s usually because this next one is involved,” Luna said.

The water changed again; this time into a handsome maroon-colored stallion with a crimson mane. He smiled warmly upon the group, but his dagger-like eyes told a different story.

Luna looked upon this one with the utmost of loathing. “This is the Element you have to look out for.”

“Who is he?” Twilight asked.

“She,” Luna corrected. “Her name is Deception, and she has become a growing problem in all of our pursuits. She is incredibly intelligent and can act to such an extent that…” Luna drew a shaky breath. “Her specialty is infiltration and sabotage. Her primary weapon is that she can copy the abilities and personality of whomever she possesses, even if the body is deceased. She is incredibly dangerous.”

“Wait, you mean that these Discord spirits possess ponies that are already dead?” Dash stuck out her tongue. “Gross!”

“It makes the job much easier on their part,” Luna sighed. “The only reason they haven’t killed me or Celestia is because we are immortal. If you see somepony you know possessed by an Element of Discord, you will never see them alive again.”

Lyra, Twilight thought. Oh, poor BonBon. How can we tell her?

“That’s the long and short of it,” Luna finished. “Be extremely careful; Deception is incredibly crafty, and is often the mastermind of Discord’s most successful schemes. All we really can do is hope for the best,” she added unreassuringly.

The Elements of Harmony contemplated that, but before long they hustled to the rooms Luna had given them.

“Wait, don’t we even get to see any of our friends?” Rarity pleaded at the goddess.

“No, you’d stay up all night!” Luna said sternly. “After you beat the Daymare, I couldn’t care less about your social life, but you need to get some rest now because we leave at dawn.”

The entire crew was disappointed, but they accepted it and also accepted a quick supper before settling in for the night. Sweetie Belle and Olly had met up with them at dinner. After the short meal, they soon clambered into their beds and snuffed their candlelight.

Applejack, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Pinkie had all fallen asleep fairly quickly, but there were four ponies that didn’t.

=====================================================================

*******

Fluttershy was tossing and turning in her room. It was a very nice room, with a nice bed, good décor, and a balcony, but something just wasn’t right. She felt it.

Getting up, Fluttershy sighed and leaned against a wall. But then she heard something.

Fluttershy heard somepony crying.

Fluttershy gently pushed open the door of her room and walked outside into the hallway. Looking into the room beside her, she saw that Dash was lying on her bed, sobbing softly, but not so softly that the gentle Fluttershy couldn’t hear her.

“Dash, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.

Dash looked up suddenly, and then buried herself in her blankets. It was clear she didn’t hear Fluttershy approach. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”

“Are you upset about something, Dash?” Fluttershy said, hopping up onto Dash’s bed and sitting down next to her. “What’s wrong?”

Dash turned away from Fluttershy and refused to meet the yellow pegasus’s gaze.

“Dash, please,” Fluttershy asked. “I want to help.”

Dash looked up. “I feel like I’ve failed, alright?”

“Why would you think that? You really saved us out there; we couldn’t have done it without you,” Fluttershy said.

“I don’t feel like I’ve failed you,” Dash said, wiping her eyes and trying not to meet Fluttershy’s gaze. “I feel like I’ve failed Scootaloo.”

“Oh, Dashie…” Fluttershy’s heart cracked. The strong Dash, being reduced to tears from failing to save her friend. “She made her choice, and we still don’t know if she’s dead or not.”

“Yes we do!” Dash insisted. “She never would have been kept alive. The Daymare’s probably killed her already, and I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye!” she sniffled.

“It’s not over yet; don’t give up on her,” Fluttershy persisted.

Dash just threw herself under her covers. “I can’t, I just miss her so much. I’ve already missed three years of her life; how am I supposed to survive missing the rest?”

“You’re strong, Dashie. You can pull through this just like everything else,” Fluttershy said.

“But I can’t, I just-” Dash’s voice cracked. “I should have done something, anything; I was right there! Now she’s gone, and I’ll never see her again!” she yelled a little in frustration.

Fluttershy gently hugged the lump of comforter she assumed was Dash. “Come on, Dash. There’s nopony in the world more loyal than you; if she was dead, you would feel it.”

“But I do,” Dash mumbled through her tears that were beginning to dampen her comforter.

“Then you just want to feel it,” Fluttershy argued. “Please, Dash, I can’t help you if you can’t help yourself. Tell me that Scootaloo isn’t dead. Please.”

Dash tried, but she couldn’t form the words. All she could do was cry for a life lost. I understand, Fluttershy sighed to herself. I felt the same way when Apple Bloom died.

“Please, Dashie,” Fluttershy murmured, hugging Dash close. “I can’t help you if you can’t say it.”

“Sh-She…” Dash began. “She’s not dead.”

“There you go,” Fluttershy encouraged. “Come on, say it again.”

“She’s n-not dead,” Dash repeated, slightly stronger this time.

“What are you going to protect?” Fluttershy asked.

It took Dash a bit to answer. “What matters,” she finally murmured. She pushed her covers off of her. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I-I think I’m okay, now.”

Fluttershy nodded. “It’s okay to cry,” she said. “Everypony does. And it’s good that you got those feelings out, so that you can fight your hardest with all of us tomorrow.”

“But what if she is dead?” Dash asked. “What if they took her body?”

Fluttershy looked sternly at Dash. “Were you lying to me, Dashie?”

Dash smiled a bit. “No, Fluttershy. I… I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

With a last gentle hug, Fluttershy walked out of the room, feeling greatly fulfilled and a bit sleepy. She had emotions she wanted gone, too, and as she tucked herself in, she finally let go of the hole Apple Bloom left in her heart, replacing it with the memory of the young filly who gave her life to try and save Harmony.

I’m sorry, Apple Bloom, Fluttershy thought as her eyelids slid over her eyes, but there was nothing I could do. I’ll always remember you… Always. And that’s a promise.

Fluttershy then slept deeper than she had in three years.

=====================================================================

Twilight had too many questions to sleep; they bubbled up just as fast as she could think about them, and while the explanation Luna gave answered a few of her questions, about a million more came rising to the surface.

Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one tossing and turning. Her ear twitched as she heard a small thump in the room next to her, Olly’s room. Getting up, she went to investigate.

She peeked in the crack to see the light brown stallion wide awake, tossing, turning, and gnawing on his pillow in frustration. Stifling a giggle, she slowly knocked on the door. “Olly?”

“Uh, come in; I’m not doing anything weird,” the red-maned stallion said, tossing his pillow behind his bed. Twilight obliged, and Olly asked, “You awake too, huh?”

“Too many questions,” Twilight sighed. “I didn’t get to tell you earlier, but that was a really impressive stunt you pulled with the rusty knife. I still don’t know how you aimed it.”

“Well, maybe it has something to do with this,” Olly chuckled, motioning to the mark on his flank, a set of crosshairs.

“So why are you awake?” Twilight asked.

“Aagh, my memory!” Olly moaned, rolling over in bed. “The last thing I really remember is getting thrown into that cell, and the rest is all hazy. I’ve been trying to remember all night, but so far I really haven’t made any progress.”

“Well, I can’t say I know what that feels like,” Twilight admitted, “but is there any way I can help?”

“I wish; I’m probably more stumped about it than you are,” Olly grumbled.

Twilight laughed a bit. “Well, we can start with where you’re from. What was it like where you lived?”

“Hmm…” Olly thought for a moment. “I remember rolling green hills with forest all around, like a center of nature… and dusty plains with train tracks and skyscrapers.”

“Olly, those are two completely different places,” Twilight said. “Maybe three!”

“Well, you’re a help!” Olly laughed. “I can’t control what I remember, y’know.”

Twilight sighed; this was going to be harder than she thought. “Okay, family members?”

“A brother. No, a sister,” Olly said. “Wait, or was it both? Or neither? Were my parents divorced…?” He threw his head up in frustration. “I have absolutely no idea.”

“A job?” Twilight suggested.

“Hmm, that’s a tricky one,” Olly said, rubbing his chin, deep in thought. “Either a plumber or an electrician.”

“Well, that’s a start,” Twilight said.

“Or was it a broker?” Olly asked, more to himself than to Twilight.

Twilight laughed. “Okay, not so much. If you have no idea, just tell me, okay?”

Olly sighed. “I’m stumped. Maybe I never had a past at all, like in that one movie I saw put on by illusionists. Ponies were made to order in a factory. It was weird, because they got all these different angles, it was like a 3-D experience…” Olly’s eyes lit up. “Wait, I was a photographer!”

Twilight nodded. “Well, that would make sense, I guess. Your ability would allow you to get the best shots, and very precise ones from far away.”

Olly nodded. “Well, I guess I can settle with that for tonight. Thanks, Twilight; I owe you!”

“Hey, we’re friends, right?” Twilight smiled. “I help you, you help me, and we protect each other. Isn’t that how it goes?”

Olly grinned. “Yep, sounds about right. Well, I’m going to have a snooze. Night, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded and left the room, going back to her own.

It feels nice to help ponies, she remarked before falling asleep. Dear Princess Celestia, what I learned today about friendship is… she sighed sadly.

Oh, Princess… What are you really like?

=====================================================================

*******

Twilight shook herself awake. She was in the same drifting gray space she had been in after she had almost fatally wounded herself. “Verba?”

“Yessum?” Verba asked. Multicolored runes started to piece themselves together, but it took them a minute to fully form Verba’s haphazard shape.

“Where is this, again? My dreams?” Twilight asked.

“Technically, no,” Verba said, just as his body finished forming. “It gets kind of complicated.”

“Tell me,” Twilight said.

Verba scratched the back of his neck. “Um, well, we’re in your subconscious. Y’know, the place in your mind that has dreams?”

“Oh, okay,” Twilight yawned. Sleep pounded at her, but she resisted the urge to lay down and curl into fetal position. “Can I control it?”

“Sure. Give it a shot,” Verba said.

Twilight thought long and hard about where she wanted to be right now. Sleep may have influenced it slightly, but she attained an idea rather quickly. The gray ground below her slowly hardened into wooden planks and logs that bent and curved to form a room. A bed slowly rose out of the floor, and a sun appeared, letting light in through the developing windows. A drawer lined with books sat next to a podium with fresh ink and parchment.

She was in Ponyville, in her bedroom.

“Nice place,” Verba observed, strolling around the cozy loft.

Twilight sighed. “Well... Not anymore.”

Verba put a glittering hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “C’mon, cheer up. You can always rebuild. Restart.”

“But I can’t replace the ponies,” Twilight said, turning away from Verba. “It’ll never be the same, Verba.”

Verba’s nonexistent eyes darkened. “At least you have a home. Closest thing I have is Obsidian, and... Y’know what? Let’s go outside. I don’t really want to talk about this here.”

Twilight nodded, but she stopped when she heard Spike call, “Twilight?”

Before Twilight could open her mouth, she heard another pony answer for her. “I’m heading upstairs, Spike. Make sure the bread doesn’t burn; the flames have to be exactly red-orange! Not red, not orange, red-orange!”

“Oh, who uses a brick oven anyway?” they heard Spike grumble.

Twilight saw a translucent version of herself walk upstairs and scan the room, probably looking for something. After she checked the drawers, she groaned in frustration and headed back downstairs. “If I don’t find The Misadventure of the Marvelous Mare in Manehattan, I don’t know what I’ll do!”

Twilight gaped for a moment. “What...?”

“Well, you are living a memory, right?” Verba grinned. “Which one was this?”

Twilight thought for a moment, then smiled warmly. “This is when I lost my favorite chapter book before Spike and I baked blueberry bread for a party at Pinkie’s. Spike did end up burning it... the flames were too orange. I think I managed to find my book under Spike’s bed later that night. He was probably reading it and didn’t want me to know.” She hung her head. “I miss him so much... I can’t believe Luna didn’t let me visit with him. I wasn’t even allowed to see him.”

“The Princess has a lot on her plate, managing a broken country and all. Once you deal with Arrogance, everything’ll go back to normal,” Verba promised.

“Maybe...” Twilight trailed off. She motioned toward the stairs. “There was something you wanted to tell me, right?”

“We don’t have to walk, y’know. This is your dream, after all,” Verba pointed out.

“Oh! Okay.” Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated on the town square. The ponies, the decorations, the dirt roads, and the shops. When she opened her eyes, she was there.

“I have to say, Ponyville is one of the most idyllic towns I’ve ever seen,” Verba laughed. “Jeez Louise, it’s as if nopony’s ever even heard of a pickpocket before!”

“PIckpocket?” Twilight asked.

“Well, to be fair, not many of them have pockets, either.” Verba shrugged. “Still, it’s weird seeing a town this happy. Most of Equestria isn’t like this.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked.

“Dunno,” Verba admitted. “If Arrogance had control over Celestia, though, it’s probably gotten worse. I’m surprised she let a town like this survive. Like Luna said, it was probably to keep you happy.”

Twilight paused, glancing at the ponies’ translucent bodies. “Why are they all so hazy?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s because they’re projections,” Verba explained. “They’re like a placeholder for your memory instead of just having a blob there. Memory doesn’t usually function on sight, see, it focuses on little details that make up the big picture. Anything you can see through, you don’t really remember, and your subconscious kind of guess-timated it based on your other memories.”

Upon closer inspection, Twilight saw that Verba was correct. Most of the shops, signs, and wagons were translucent as well. Even the dirt road could be seen part of the way through.

“What was it you were going to say earlier?” Twilight finally asked. “About not having a home, or something?”

Verba scratched the back of his neck. “See, Obsidian and I... we aren’t real ponies. As in, we’re not real, real ponies. As in, uh, we only exist inside of you, and... Y’know, I shouldn’t over-complicate things, right? It doesn’t really change who we are, anyway.”

Twilight nodded. “So... What now?”

“Get some rest,” Verba advised. “You’ll need it for tomorrow, trust me.”

=====================================================================

*******

Scootaloo had fallen asleep in her cell, and Saphira was wandering around the ruins when she heard a scream.

“NO!” she heard somepony yell. “I WON’T LISTEN! NEVER!”

She knew who it was. “Lyvia!” she yelled in panic. “It’s happening again!”

“On it,” Lyvia grunted from somewhere nearby. She was rushing through the corridors toward the source of the noise.

It was Lorey.

He was bent over a table, retching and trembling. Vomit was scattered everywhere. His face was contorted in pain, and dark energy swirled around him. His mane, usually well-kept, was tossed in random directions.

“I won’t listen. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” Lorey screamed. His pupils were changing from dagger-like to normal, but it sometimes sped up and slowed down.

“Help me hold him down!” Lyvia yelled to Saphira. She grabbed the shaking and spasming Lorey and held him to the ground. He was trying to shake her off, but his attempts were uncoordinated, as if they were only partly controlled.

“GO AWAY!” Lorey screamed, tears flowing down his face. He was kicking and screaming, clearly having an inner war.

Saphira was crying as well as she tried to hold Lorey’s legs down. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but it’s still just as scary. I think it’s getting worse.

“YOU’LL NEVER BEAT ME!” Lorey screamed. “YOU’LL NEVER WIN! I WON’T LET YOU! NEVER! NEVER!”

Whatever was left in Lorey’s stomach was spewed out to the side of his mouth. The dark energy around him, however, was starting to ebb away. Whichever side Lorey was on, he was winning.

Lyvia was struggling to hold the adult stallion down, but she was tough enough to keep him under control until the episode ended. Lorey’s contortions ceased, his eyes returning to normal. The tear flow stopped, and the dark energy disappeared.

“Never,” he growled, staring at the ceiling. “She will never overpower me.”

“But she came pretty darn close,” Lyvia grumbled, wiping acid off her leg. “What if you have one of your fits while I’m gone? Saphira can’t control you on her own. Not while you’re like that.”

Saphira looked up at Lorey, still crying. “Please, h-how long do you think you can keep this up? You can’t fight her f-forever.”

“I can try,” Lorey snarled, but not at Saphira. He wiped his mouth. “I’ll kill myself before that monster ever gets a hold on me.”

Lyvia sighed. “I’ll pray for you, Lorey, but you better think up a better way to fight her off, otherwise…” She crossed her hoof in front of her neck and made a slicing sound. “Kssh.”

Lorey used magic to clean the area up, even though he was already drained. “My willpower overrides hers. As long as I have something to fight for, I will never give in to her power.”

Lyvia looked fondly at him. “You better keep that promise.”

Saphira wiped her eyes. “Don’t leave us yet, L-Lorey,” she murmured.

Lorey nodded. “This is a war I have to win.” He exited the room.

=====================================================================

Lyvia was wide awake, lying in her queen-sized bed and staring at the ceiling. “It’s happening too often. He’s not telling us everything,” she muttered to herself. “Lorey...” I hate to admit it, but I’d probably be more upset than Saphira if he kicked the bucket. He’s the only one ever to see past... this, she thought, motioning to herself.

She heard a knock on her door. “Who is it?” Lyvia asked.

A blue earth pony slowly creaked the door open. “L-Lyvia?” she asked.

“What is it, kid?” Lyvia asked.

“I-I can’t sleep; I had a nightmare,” Saphira trembled.

Lyvia resisted rolling her eyes. The kid’s never matured, not out here. She’s a filly in a teen’s body. “Get up here,” she said, motioning toward her bed.

Saphira nodded, walked up, and hopped into Lyvia’s bed. She curled up next to the blood-red pegasus and shivered. “Th-Thank you.”

“Why aren’t you with Lorey?” Lyvia asked, stroking the younger pony’s mane.

“B-Because he’s s-still scary,” Saphira stammered, tears filling her eyes. She turned around to face Lyvia. “I-Is he going to lose?”

“If he does, I’m still here,” Lyvia said, holding the young teen close. Saphira had started to cry. “And don’t you forget that, okay?” Lyvia added.

Saphira nodded, and squeezed Lyvia as tight as she was able. Lyvia hugged back, and pulled the covers over both of them.

She’s so scared, Lyvia sighed to herself. It’s a wonder the Daymare allowed her to survive in the first place. As much as I like the kid, she’s not useful like me or Lorey, which means she’s probably going to have some awful fate. Just like the rest of us, I guess.

“Lyvia, w-what am I g-going to do i-if L-L-L...” Saphira stuttered, crying harder into Lyvia’s pelt.

“Don’t you worry about that, okay?” Lyvia soothed, rocking Saphira. What is this, the third time I’ve had to do this? The kid’s shattered so bad it almost makes me want to cry.

“But wh-what will I do, Lyvia?” Saphira whimpered.

“I’ll stick by you every step of the way,” Lyvia stated. “As long as I’m still kicking, nopony’ll be able to lay a hoof on you, you hear me? Nopony,” she added. “‘Cause you and me, we’re sisters now.”

“Sisters?” Saphira mumbled, her eyes closed. “I’d li-like that, Lyvia. Can you k-keep m-me safe?”

“I’ll protect you, Saphira, I promise,” Lyvia murmured in Saphira’s ear. “Whatever it takes.”

Saphira’s breathing steadied, and she slowly fell asleep in Lyvia’s limbs. Lyvia silently kissed the young mare on the forehead. I hope nopony saw that, she muttered to herself.

“I’ll keep you safe. I... I’ll protect you,” Lyvia promised softly. There’s only three of us. We need to keep each other safe, because if we don’t, who will? Not the Daymare. Not the Elements of Harmony. We’re on our own.

Tucking a pillow under Saphira’s head, Lyvia curled up in her comforter and closed her eyes. And that’s just the way I like it, she added before silently falling into slumber.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

It was dawn.

The Elements of Harmony were at the edge of the barrier. The edge of safety; the edge of civilized life. The edge of the place they needed to protect.

We’re going straight into the heart of evil in order to stop it in its tracks, Twilight thought as she looked at her small strike force. You’d think there’d be applause, or ponies begging us to stay. But everypony is asleep. A quiet morning with a quiet departure.

“Are you absolutely sure you want to make this journey?” Rarity asked Sweetie Belle.

“Positive,” Sweetie Belle affirmed. “If you get hurt, who’s going to help you?”

“I just don’t want you to get into trouble; you’re so much safer here. Please, stay in Fillydelphia,” Rarity begged.

“No,” Sweetie Belle said forcefully. “I’m going, and that’s final. Sorry, Rarity, but I want to save Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.”

Rarity sighed and turned away. She still doesn’t believe Apple Bloom is dead. Oh, poor Sweetie Belle.

Pinkie walked over to Olly. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Butterflies?”

“Um, no, more like writhing snakes,” Olly chuckled nervously. “Still, I’m glad to be a help, and besides, Envy still owes me one memory, and I’m determined to collect.”

“I guess we set off now,” Luna said excitedly. She was antsy from anticipation, and it showed in the way she hurriedly rushed from place to place.

“Can’t you just, y’know, teleport us there?” Dash asked.

Luna shook her head. “No. Magical flow can be interrupted, and it doesn’t function very well around evil energy. However, it shouldn’t prove to be a problem because our journey is relatively short.”

Dash nodded, and without fanfare, without celebration, the Elements of Harmony left on their conquest.

=====================================================================

*******

Soon enough, they landed at their first checkpoint, Stalliongrad. However, they spent much more time there than they originally intended for one reason and one reason alone.

Horror.

Stalliongrad was a boneyard. Bleached skeletons, all of them about three years old, littered the streets and pavement of what had been the third-biggest city in Equestria, next to Fillydelphia and Canterlot. But what was most horrifying was their number; they were literally everywhere. They were lying in the streets, sitting on benches, and even strewn among the trees. Thousands of skeletons for thousands of ponies.

Fluttershy stared down at the city, having glided high above the group to look for danger. This is unspeakable, she thought, her jaw slack. Why? Her necklace was a dull shade of copper.

The grounded Elements were in utter shock and dismay at the entire situation.

“All these ponies,” Applejack breathed. “Ah can’t… Ah can’t even understand…”

Twilight stared at one particular skeleton. It was only the front half of a pony, lying right up against a building. She looked up and jumped back in shock. The back half of the pony was at the top of a skyscraper, hanging perilously off the edge. It must have been cut in half!

Pinkie’s energy flared. Should I be angry? Or sad? Eventually she settled, and stared blankly at the carnage, her mind losing all capabilities of thought.

Olly stared at the carnage blankly. “An entire city turned into a graveyard just like that,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. That I remember, at least, but still.”

Luna sat down near the center of the city by a skeleton of a filly, and did something nopony would ever expect her to do. She began to cry.

“This was the first city hit by the Daymare,” she said, tears falling down her face. “Arrogance’s power combined with Celestia’s. The strength of such a villain is unfathomable. Never before has Discord killed so many ponies so quickly.”

Dash’s mane ignited in anger. “That monster,” she growled. “She did this! All of it! When I get my hooves on her I’m going to tear her to shreds!”

“The Rule of Evil,” Twilight murmured, reciting an article of scripture that was particularly memorable to her. “A heart so black crows cannot caw, a soul that disregards the law, a void that swallows all in its maw. A being that has no moral bounds, a demon that makes its dreadful rounds, a spirit that is neither lost nor found.” She shuddered slightly. That poem’s given me nightmares even as an adult.

“A God from whom you can’t forefend, a beast which good can never mend, an essence that begins again,” another voice said.

Twilight and the others whipped around to see Lyvia sitting on top of a two-story building.

“You know your poetry,” the mercenary observed.

“Why have you come here?” Luna asked menacingly.

“I’m here to deliver a message,” Lyvia said. “Not usually my job, but…”

“Say it and leave,” Twilight commanded.

“Okay, miss bossy-hooves,” Lyvia snickered. “Scootaloo is still alive and well. However, if you come to Canterlot and attack…” she shrugged. “That may change for the worse.”

“Coward!” Dash said. “If you want a fight, you’re asking for one.”

“I dare you,” Lyvia laughed.

Happy to oblige, Dash ignited her wings and leapt at her adversary. However, the battle was over so quickly that none of the others had time to help her.

It seemed like it was happening in slow-motion. Lyvia leaped off the rooftop and cut Dash just below the neck, then did a backflip to kick her up into the air. Finally, she flew up and did a frontflip, kicking the dazed Dash down into the pavement.

Laughing while Dash’s friends went over to help her, Lyvia hovered above the group. “Man, I knew you were weak without an entire city backing you, but come on. Toodles, and good luck putting the last nail in your coffins.”

Lyvia flew off.

=====================================================================

*******

Scootaloo examined her cell. It was early morning, and the sun just barely creaked in through the dingy window opposite of Scootaloo. It was nearly pitch-black, but gradually brightening. Scootaloo couldn’t sleep, so she was scanning her cell for signs of weakness. She didn’t expect to find anything, but she didn’t have anything better to do.

Saphira was probably still asleep, so now would be the best time to make an escape. The orange pegasus spotted a rusty hinge on the cage, and she kicked it. To her surprise, it made a dent.

Can I really...? Scootaloo paused. She backed up, took a running start, and slammed on the cage. The front bars snapped off and fell to the floor with a loud clang.

Scootaloo stepped out of her cell. This... This is really lucky. I have to get out of this castle, pronto.

Silently sneaking out of the jail, Scootaloo ducked behind cover every chance she got and looked left and right for signs of danger. The ruins showed obvious signs of dust and age because nopony had walked the corridors for a long while, and the Daymare didn’t care about the cleanliness of any part of the city except for her throne room.

So, as it were, the hedges had either outgrown their surroundings or were strangled by the vines that turned the entire royal garden, and the great majority of the city and castle, into a mesh of organic wiring. Any stone that hadn’t turned to dust and blown away in the wind had to have been magically enhanced, which led to the walls and ceiling of city buildings being perfectly fine, but the stone floors were cracked and fading into dust and dirt. Any artistic integrity the city used to possess was nonexistent now.

Scootaloo quickly made it to the edge of the castle before bumping into Saphira. She stared in fright at her, and the blue earth pony returned the frightened gaze.

“Wh-What are y-you d-doing here?!” Saphira hissed.

“Escaping!” Scootaloo retorted, looking behind herself to make sure nopony was sneaking up on them. Quietly, she said, “Don’t get in my way!”

“If they f-find you, th-th-they’ll....” Saphira stuttered, unable to form the necessary words.

“I don’t care; anywhere’s better than here!” Scootaloo said, taking wing and beginning to fly off.

“Wait!” Saphira yelled.

Scootaloo cringed, but stopped. “Not so loud!”

“Sorry, but if you take to air, th-they’ll find you for sure!” Saphira said. “I kn-know the city; you have to follow me.”

“You honestly expect me to trust you?” Scootaloo scoffed.

“I-If you don’t, y-you’ll be executed, or worse, added to the D-Dreamscape,” Saphira explained urgently, forcing herself to speak. “P-Please, take me with you. If you th-think you can escape, then m-maybe I can, too.”

Scootaloo examined her options. She’s right; I really have no idea what I’m doing or where I’m going, but if I follow her, I’m leaving myself open to any trap they might have planned. “Fine,” she finally decided, “but you follow me.”

“I’m afraid there will not be any following of any sort,” another voice said.

*******

“E-Envy!” Saphira shrieked. “I-I-I-”

“Save it,” Envy sneered, dark energy beginning to swirl around the Daymare’s assistant. “I harbor neither traitors nor fugitives. Prepare to die.”

“C’mon!” Scootaloo yelled, grabbing Saphira and taking off down the street, heading for the edge of the city. Saphira rapidly picked up the pace and they weaved through the ruins on hoof.

“Hmph. Run all you want, it can’t save you from your fate... as much as I hate to admit it,” Envy muttered, summoning Trixie with powerful magic. “They’re spirited young mares, aren’t they, hmm?” She glanced back at the blue unicorn. “Would you kindly put them to sleep for me, Trixie?”

Trixie nodded sadly. Her chains began to vibrate as they extended and sapped her life force. Trixie paled and grunted in pain as the chains began to seek out their targets.

A chain soared over Saphira’s head and she yelped as it almost impaled her. Instead, it sunk itself two meters into the ground.

Scootaloo had to land, otherwise the chains would have tangled her in midair. Panting, she narrowly dodged a few more chains that tried to trip her or turn her and Saphira into a kebab.

“We need to find cover!” Scootaloo yelled.

Saphira nodded. “O-Ov-Over-” she screamed as a chain cut her leg. Scootaloo ducked under another chain and quickly picked up Saphira, though she was significantly weighed down by the smaller earth pony.

“Hmm? They’re working together, are they?” Envy asked, overlooking the scene from a nearby building. She looked at the nearby Trixie, an evil grin plastered onto her face. “Stop this. I’ll take care of it from here.”

Trixie was surprised for a moment, but she nodded gratefully, and the chains gradually receded back into her ankles.

Noticing that the chains were gone, Scootaloo set Saphira down in an alleyway and wiped her brow. “Where’d they go?”

Saphira sniffled and wiped the blood off her leg. “We have to get to the edge of the city. Hurry!”

Envy warped to the exit of the alleyway, blocking their path. “Let’s make this interesting,” she smirked, her horn glowing.

Scootaloo felt the joints where her wings connected to her torso pop. When the orange pegasus tried to take to the air, she found herself grounded, unable to move her wings. She was more clever than Envy gave her credit for, however. Leaping up and grabbing a clothesline, she swung herself over her adversary. Saphira rapidly started to climb the building despite her wound, her joints seemingly nonexistent as she bounded up the sides of the buildings. It looked like she was made of rubber, but she took an ordinary gallop once she was at the top.

Envy laughed, turning to face the fleeing Scootaloo. “You’d better run,” she chuckled.

The edge of Canterlot was now in sight. Scootaloo ran up to the border, but slammed against an invisible wall, as did Saphira.

Scootaloo felt the shimmering barrier. “B-But... No!” she screamed. We were so close!

Envy ambled up behind them. “I suppose it would be a bad cliché to tell you to ‘say your prayers.’”

Scootaloo glanced at the panicking blue teen beside her. No... I’m not going to let another pony down! She grabbed Saphira and took off running.

“Oh, please,” Envy complained, rolling her eyes and stopping Scootaloo and Saphira in their tracks with a line of fire. “Accept your fate.”

“Never!” Scootaloo yelled. She turned around and tried to run the other direction, but with the exact same result.

“You just don’t know when to quit,” Envy laughed. “Please, continue. It’s amusing.”

Something inside Scootaloo burst. She plowed toward Envy and ducked at the last second, propelling herself forward. Envy was surprised, but not because Scootaloo had escaped. It was how Scootaloo escaped.

Scootaloo was skating along the ground as if it were an ice slick, with Saphira following close behind.

Envy raised an eyebrow, making no attempt to pursue them. “...Interesting. She may make a good host after all.”

Scootaloo hurriedly ducked into a building and hid Saphira and herself in a jar of a sticky substance.

*******

A few minutes later, they heard hoofsteps. Scootaloo tried to make herself as small as possible while remaining silent inside her vat, and she had no doubt Saphira was doing the same.

A beam of light made its way onto Scootaloo’s face a few moments later, and her heart nearly stopped.

“And in an herb shop, no less,” the irritated voice of Lorey muttered.

“Lorey?” Saphira asked, tentatively looking up at him. “Wh-What are you d-doing here?”

“You have to hide,” Lorey warned. “The Elements of Harmony are about to storm Canterlot, and I don’t believe they’ll be any more merciful to you than to me. And take Scootaloo with you; if the Daymare can’t find her, she can’t use her as leverage.”

“What do you mean, leverage?” Scootaloo asked. “And why do you care? You should be turning us in.”

“I don’t like wasting lives,” Lorey explained, “and by leverage, I mean that Envy and the Daymare are going to use you against your friends.”

Scootaloo stared. That’s why I’ve been kept alive all this time, and why they didn’t want me to escape!

“However, if you act fast, you can hide and flee when they come,” Lorey said. “You must leave now, however, before the Daymare or Envy finds you, understand?” He looked urgently at them. “Hurry! Go!”

Lorey charged up a teleport and vanished.

Scootaloo went to leave, but Saphira grabbed the orange pegasus’s sticky shoulder.

“What? Didn’t you hear him?” Scootaloo asked. “And why the sudden change of heart? Why are you following me?”

“Scootaloo, I-I think that... I th-think...” she trailed off, having difficulty finding the words. “I want to join your side. I’ve been t-thinking about it, and to be honest,” she swallowed, “death is a better option than a life of murder.”

“...Okay, Saphira,” Scootaloo said hesitantly. “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Saphira exclaimed, pointing to Scootaloo’s flank. “Y-You... You ha-have...”

Scootaloo looked at her flank and paused in shock. A mark had appeared on it; a pair of roller skates.

=====================================================================

*******

The Elements of Harmony arrived at the ruins of Canterlot.

Luna had applied a potion to Dash’s wounds, and the blue warrior had leapt back into action a little later. Lyvia’s going to regret the day she crossed me, she thought angrily as she walked onward.

Everything was crumbling; there was not a single building that was unaffected by three years of wear and tear. As they walked through the ruined city, the Elements could only wonder what awaited them, and what awaited the world.

I just want Sweetie Belle to be safe, Rarity muttered to herself as she glanced worriedly at the young mare beside her. As long as we make it out of this alive, I think I’ll be okay with whatever happens.

That Lyvia mare needs a kick in the hindquarters for calling me ‘sweetheart,’ Applejack muttered to herself, and Lorey’s going to get a good beating for impersonating my sis, too. She shifted her hat to make sure a bright red bow was inside.

Where are you, Scootaloo? Dash looked up toward the ruined castle, pleading for her young companion to be safe. If she’s been hurt, I’ll never forgive myself. Please, Scootaloo, please be alright!

Pinkie glanced at Rainbow Dash, whose wings were ignited in fury and worry. She spread a little of her energy to the pegasus in order to calm her down. Anger isn’t what we need to be feeling right now; we all have to be in tip-top shape for the final battle, she thought. Why do all my friends look like they’re about to do something mean?

Fluttershy stared in awe at the castle, and suddenly felt apprehensive. We’re supposed to go in there and fight the Daymare? I wonder if we’ll ever make it out... No, I won’t think like that! We have to win! And... um... then what?

Twilight wanted to end the conflict. Too long has this gone on without us noticing. We need to put an end to it, once and for all. If that means giving up my life, then I can die without regret, because I know I’ve saved the world. That’s enough for me. But... making it out alive would be nice too, I guess.

I finally get to avenge Equestria and give Envy his just desserts! Luna thought excitedly. I’ve let far too many ponies die. It’s time to finish this. Envy and Arrogance will pay.

I wonder if Scootaloo is okay, Sweetie Belle thought to herself. And Apple Bloom, too. I hope her sickness isn’t bothering her too much. Maybe this can end well after all. Then we can go back to being the Cutie Mark Crusaders again.

This is it, Olly thought. The moment of truth. Either we win, or we don’t. And I, for one, am very excited to see how this all turns out.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

*******

Arrogance, lying casually across her throne, flipped through a small book. She was using telekinesis to levitate a quill and ink in midair beside her. She scribbled something inside the pages. Dear diary...

Envy walked into the throne room. “Sister,” she called.

Arrogance hurriedly tossed the diary to the side. “Y-Yes, Envy?”

“What was that?” Envy asked.

“Um, nothing,” Arrogance said quickly. “Your report?”

“Um...” Envy said warily. “Saphira, Lorey, and Trixie have betrayed us, Lyvia is dead, and the Elements of Harmony are on our doorstep. We finally have worthy opponents, for the first time in centuries. If we follow the plan, we will have set the stage for Deception.”

“Ugh, I hate losing,” Arrogance rubbed her eyes.

“Everything must go according to Deception’s plan, sister. You know that,” Envy said sternly. “I believe I need another body, though, in order to carry out this task.”

“That Trixie girl should do just fine; she never was much of an asset to us anyways,” Arrogance sighed, resting her head on her front legs.

“What’s wrong, sister?” Envy asked.

“Why can’t I be in charge?” Arrogance sighed. “I’m perfectly capable. Justice may have her ideas of a perfect world, but my Dreamscape is an absolute Utopia!”

Envy laughed. “You know the rules! Besides, Deception has never been wrong before. Harmony within Discord, remember? The world is at our mercy as long as we follow her lead.”

“Yes, Envy, but why do we have to give it mercy?” Arrogance complained.

“Because our leader commands us to,” Envy explained. “And besides, you know the golden rule of Discord: We’re always winning if we’re having fun.”

“Bleh, that’s such a lame rule,” Arrogance sneered. “Why couldn’t it be something more dark and sinister?”

“You would have named it the ‘Nightmarish Rule of Consequential Discord—’ yadda, yadda, yadda,” Envy said. “I’m still a bit peeved at you for calling me Nightmare Moon. I know I lost the bet, but sheesh.”

“It’s a perfectly applicable name!” Arrogance defended.

“What is this, a children’s cartoon?” Envy sneered. “You’re more suited to creative writing than to ruling an empire.”

Arrogance hmph’d. “Well, that’s one more thing I have that you don’t.”

“I wouldn’t suppose that includes a brain,” Envy muttered under her breath. “They’ll be here in a few minutes; you might want to prepare yourself.”

“A goddess such as I doesn’t need to prepare herself,” Arrogance said.

Envy glanced at her before leaving the room to prepare. I wish I had your self-confidence... but then again, I don’t.

=====================================================================

*******

The Elements of Harmony and company made their way up to their final destination, but their resolve was shaken. Like most new soldiers that get into their first real battle, they were startled by the conclusion, which is always death.

I knew I would have to end some lives, Dash thought to herself. I didn’t like it, but I knew. But now that I’ve actually helped kill somepony... I feel empty.

There was no friendly banter as they made their way up to the throne room, now only a few minutes walk away.

We should be planning our strategy, Twilight thought absently. We should at least be a little nervous. But why aren’t we? Why do I just feel so guilty? Lyvia deserved to die, didn’t she? She was a heartless monster! So why do I feel so ashamed? Why do I feel like I’m the evil villain? Am I still the hero after what I just helped accomplish?

Twilight looked up to see a blue unicorn clanging toward them with shackles around her legs.

“Trixie!” Twilight yelled, adopting a battle stance. “Stay back!”

“No, Twilight, I’m in control now!” Trixie yelled before they could start attacking her. “Please, there isn’t much time, I need you to break me out of these bonds before they come alive again!”

“Careful, it might be a trick,” Luna warned.

Twilight squinted, her horn glowing with magical energy as she felt out the magic in Trixie’s chains. It was faint, but the malicious magic was still there. It feels like the magic is asleep, somehow, Twilight thought.

“No, this is the real Trixie,” Twilight said. “I can tell because her chains are the same.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Pinkie said. “C’mon, help her out!”

“It’s not that simple,” Luna said. “This is a Lock-and-Key spell; only one pony can get her out, and that’s the one with the key.”

“Well, can’t you pick the lock?” Olly suggested.

Twilight sighed. “It would take time.”

“Time that we do not have to spare!” Luna persisted.

“Luna, Trixie’s chains are probably more dangerous than Lyvia’ll ever be,” Applejack said. “She hogtied all a us and presented us to Envy like pumpkins in front of a judgin’ table.”

“She’d be much more helpful as a friend,” Fluttershy pointed out. “Trixie really wants to help us.”

Trixie nodded vigorously. “You’re the one that sent me, Princess! Please help me out, I’ll do anything!”

Luna sighed. “Twilight, you help me break Trixie out. The rest of you stand back in case she attacks.”

Twilight and Luna gradually began to feel out the magic. They slowly wrapped their minds around the twists and turns of the lock, looking for the keyhole, or the tumblers, or some part of the metaphorical mechanism. After a few minutes of silent concentration, they found what they were looking for.

The shackles clicked open, and fell at Trixie’s hooves. She stepped out of them, and rubbed her bruised legs.

“Th-Thank you,” Trixie said earnestly. “I won’t forget this.”

“You did all you could, but I’m afraid I have to ask you to aid us a little longer,” Luna said.

“Are you kidding?” Trixie laughed. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has been looking for an excuse to beat those senseless barbarians ever since they dared to imprison her!”

Pinkie smiled. “Glad to see you’re excited!”

“Aren’t you?” Trixie looked at Pinkie. “We finally get the opportunity to get back what we’ve lost! Finally, I can feel the magic coursing through my blood again!”

Trixie’s horn lit up, and a bright flash of light escaped from it, brightening the room. A warm glow spread over the Elements.

“Losing isn’t an option,” Trixie snarled. “I’m getting my revenge on that nasty Daymare, and don’t try to stop me!”

I remember why I’m here! Applejack growled to herself. There are ponies that need my help!

“Who will have the honor of helping the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Trixie asked, beginning to lead the way toward the throne room.

Dash’s red eyes lit up with excitement. “Right behind you!” she said.

=====================================================================

*******

They made it to the throne room. This was it. This was the sum of their entire journey, their entire livelihoods. They were confronting the Daymare.

But it didn’t quite go as expected.

The Daymare sat on her throne looking down upon the Elements with Envy by her side, not saying anything for a long while. An chill spread through the group’s spines with the antagonist’s glare, silencing even Trixie and Dash. Then, after five minutes that seemed like five hours, she asked, “Are you proud of yourselves?”

“Huh?” Pinkie asked.

The Daymare stepped down from her throne. “Look, I’m immortal. With or without this pathetic body of your overrated sun goddess. Really, I’m the one you should be bowing down to, because unlike your Celestia here, I’m not only immortal, I’m eternal. Even more than the soil that you use to grow your wheat. There will always be Arrogance. Forever. And ever.

“So why do you even care?” she continued. “Even if you defeat me, I’ll be back in a month, and what’s more, the lives that I take will never come back. Discord will always exist, no matter how much you want to pinch yourselves and wish it was just a nightmare. ‘Cause it is a nightmare, my little Elements of Harmony,” the Daymare sneered, placing extra emphasis on those last words.

“Do you even realize how little you mean to me? You’re merely a speed bump. A crack in a sidewalk. I could wait until you die of old age and then kill every single pony on the planet. But where’s the fun in that? No, I have to make you fear me, just so that I have a tiny little bit more fun than usual,” the Daymare said. “Ask Luna; if it weren’t for Deception, the mastermind, the spy, and our leader, the world would have ended long ago.”

Twilight glanced up at Luna, astounded, but the goddess just hung her head in shame.

The Daymare laughed harshly. “You really have no idea, do you? Jeez, they don’t tell you anything over there, do they? You’ve been watched. Cataloged. Filed. All throughout your lives, no less. You’ve been watched by different sides of the same conflict. Or at least you would have been, if your leaders were competent.”

“Is that true?” Dash asked in shock.

Luna nodded sadly. “The forces of Discord were in complete control of your lives, from beginning to end. But…” She looked up. “Just because you think the Elements of Harmony are useless doesn’t mean that we won’t keep fighting! It is our sole purpose to protect Equestria. Futility is irrelevant; if we don’t fight for those who can’t fight for themselves, who will?”

“You expect us to just sit here and do nothing?!” Trixie asked in indignant shock. “The nerve! After everything you’ve done to me, you think I’ll go down without a struggle? Never!”

Envy looked at her. “I suppose that’s one way to put it, but our real question is, why bother? You’ll only end up dead in the end. Why not just… give up?”

Dash stepped forward, her red eyes ablaze with determination. “I fight for honor. I fight so that I can help those around me, I fight so that can I help my friends through their pains, I win battles that others can’t. I represent the will of a nation, the strength of an army, and the principles that have governed our world since the beginning of time. I am Loyalty, and I will never give up to evil when my country needs me, and it is my duty to dispose of all threats to peace.”

Pinkie nodded and stepped forward, her blue eyes shining with passion. “I fight so that ponies all across the globe can have those little moments… the moments when you can throw back your head and laugh. In a world ruled by Discord, ponies live under constant fear. I fight so that they can enjoy what life they have! Because you only get one, and giving up is a waste of a life! I am Humor, and as long as a pony is still sad or lonely, then my job isn’t completed.”

Rarity stepped forward. “I fight so that ponies learn to forgive and forget. I keep ponies from simply caring about themselves and their own survival; I spread love so that ponies will help the weak and the sick survive. I will never, ever, allow ponies to give up on each other, and I will never, ever give up on my friends. I will give my life to save the world, and as Generosity, I want everypony in Equestria to be able to do that.”

Applejack stepped forward. “Ah fight so that ponies will learn ta be honest, and never ta keep harmful secrets or turn on each other. Ah can’t let ponies live in fear a bein’ lied to or betrayed, and as long as there’re still ponies out there that can’t be perfectly honest with everypony around them, then mah job isn’t done. Not yet. Ah’m Honesty, and ta be perfectly truthful, Ah don’t even know what ‘givin’ up’ means,” she added with a wry smile.

Fluttershy stepped forward. “I, like Dash, fight so that I can protect the weak. But I also protect the innocent; I will never allow a life to be wasted if I have something to say about it. I will never give up on somepony who needs me. At the end of the day, if everypony is kind to each other, then I have fulfilled my duty. If not, as Kindness, I still have a job to do. And like your job, Arrogance, my duty is eternal. I will never allow that task of mine to fall into disrepair.”

Twilight finally stepped forward, ahead of everypony else in the line. “I fight for my friends. As long as that inseparable bond can exist between two ponies, as long as two ponies can become friends, best friends, even lovers, then I will come into battle with the fury of a hurricane to protect the sacred ties that exist between ponies, the bonds that I have to make sure exist between all of us. I am Friendship, and giving up will never be an option for me, never again. I will push forward as long as there is something to fight for, and I will endure the harshest of conditions in order to protect Equestria.”

They did not prepare these speeches, but to those watching, it felt like they had rehearsed them for days on end until it was so heartfelt that it brought tears to some of the others’ eyes.

“I suppose that about sums it up,” the Daymare said, unimpressed. “A very nice little speech you’ve dredged up out of the depths of that junk you call a heart.”

“Sister,” Envy began, “I do believe it’s time to end this little group of pests. But I will need a new body to do so.”

“Medium or well done?” the Daymare grinned evilly.

“Medium well,” Envy said, glaring into the center of the group.

“So be it,” the Daymare said.

The Daymare’s eyes flared with bright energy. There was a flash, a crack of lightning, and a scream. Then silence.

Twilight got up; the force of the blast had knocked her over. But what she saw in the center made her heart turn to stone.

It was Trixie.

The blue mare was lying in the center of the blast; everypony else had been knocked aside. She was limply lying there, like she was only sleeping. Smoke drifted from the corner of her mouth. Trixie was dead, and she didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

“No…” Fluttershy said, tears brimming in her eyes. She looked up at the Daymare, struggling not to cry. “How could you?!”

Envy ignored the weeping pegasus. “I said medium well, not well done!” she snapped at the Daymare.

“It will have to do, brother,” the Daymare said calmly.

Envy mumbled something, but prepared for her transformation. She opened her mouth far wider than it ever should have been able to, and a black mist similar to the pattern on Nightmare Moon’s mane drifted up from her lungs.

It must be her soul... Twilight gaped as Lyra’s body fell to the ground limply. Please, Lyra, please be alive! she hoped, but it was a feeble wish. Lyra was still.

The group watched in horror as the mist quickly inserted itself into Trixie. The Elements of Harmony watched, motionless, powerless to stop Envy from invading the body of their friend that was alive less than a minute before.

The transformation began. Trixie’s pelt turned a dark purple color, almost maroon, her pale blue mane and tail becoming a light purple to complement it. Getting up, she shed her wizard’s hat and cloak. Her cutie mark turned into a fiendish sickle that encased a dark flame. But what completed the transformation were her slitted magenta eyes.

Trixie, or rather Envy, laughed. “What happened to the fire all of you had just a minute ago? Don’t tell me just one lighting bolt took that away from you.”

“It doesn’t really matter in the end,” the Daymare said, watching as the Elements and company prepared for battle. “They die, end of story.”

The battle began.

*******

The Daymare spread her wings and smiled as black energy started to swirl around the throne room. Dark blue lightning struck just outside the chamber as the stained glass windows began to crack and shatter. The Daymare’s slitted eyes glowed with white-hot energy.

Envy stepped back, her eyes wide. “Huh?”

“Are you surprised, brother?” the Daymare smirked, bowing her head low as her shadow started to twist and bend.

“To be honest, yes, quite,” Envy gaped.

Applejack stepped back, unnerved. Envy ain’t lying. Whatever stores of power the Daymare has in her, it’s a lot more than even he reckoned.

The floor of the throne room started to crack and eventually split down the middle, sending the heroes down into a deep darkness. They sunk through a thick, black syrup-like substance before being expunged into the middle of a wasteland. Cracked desert sands surrounded the small island of dirt they stood on. The small world the Daymare had created abruptly ended in an almost smothering darkness. A cloudy fog fell over the chunk of rock, slightly obscuring vision.

A single light shone through the fog, the Daymare’s fiery glow. Nearly silent whispers, deathly howls, and eerie groans echoed throughout the Daymare’s own nil dimension.

Fluttershy whimpered slightly to herself and shrunk back behind Dash. This is the Void...

“I wish you could fathom just how doomed you are,” the Daymare grinned, landing in front of the group. Her darkness slowly enclosed the area, preventing any escape by air.

“Enough,” Luna growled. “Your flashy darkness will do you no good against the powers of Harmony.”

“Well,” the Daymare smiled deviously. “Might as well make absolutely sure, right?”

Envy’s horn glowed as she used her now intense magical powers to spread flames all along the rim of the dirt island, which was only thirty meters in diameter. The heat of the white flames quickly dispersed the fog and the bright light almost blinded the group.

Envy leapt at Applejack, but instead of hitting her, she grabbed the orange mare and forced dark energy into her skull. Applejack limply hit the ground.

“One down, a few more to go,” the Daymare smirked, eyeing the group.

Twilight broke away from her fear and leapt at the Daymare, trying to stab the white alicorn in the neck with her horn. However, she simply tossed the purple mare aside and threw her into Rarity. Swooping overhead and plowing toward the center of the group, the Daymare launched Olly to the side of the arena. He narrowly missed the flames as he tumbled to the dirt. Saphira fared little better when she tried to disable the Daymare. With a swift kick, the Daymare clipped Saphira’s jaw, and she fell to the ground, the taste of blood in her mouth.

The Daymare snickered at their feeble attempts. “Jeez. I hope you’re just warming up, because that’s all I’ve been doing.”

Envy reappeared and took a swipe at Dash. The blue warrior leapt toward Envy and swiped at her with her hoof, but Envy simply kicked Dash in the jaw, flipping the pegasus onto her back before pounding repeatedly on her abdomen. Fluttershy, who was trying to bat off attacks from the Daymare, ran over and tackled Envy, knocking her aside. The Daymare flew over and bit down hard on Fluttershy’s mane and tossed her aside like a rag doll.

Envy was locked in a fierce battle with Rarity. Rarity tried to uppercut Envy with her hoof, but Envy merely stepped to the side, spinning under the blow and using the extra momentum to smack Rarity aside with her hoof. The white unicorn, using the momentum from the blow, rolled to her hooves as quickly as she could, yet despite her swiftest efforts to evade Envy, she was simply slammed into the ground once more.

“You think you’d be a little, I dunno, tougher?” the Daymare scoffed. Pinkie attempted to body-slam the white alicorn, but the Daymare simply swatted her into the dirt. Scootaloo flew above her adversary and landed hard on the Daymare’s snout. Dodging another blow, Scootaloo zipped under the Daymare and kicked her legs out from under her.

“What?” the Daymare yelped, getting up only to have Scootaloo kick her in the back of the head. Utilizing long coils of darkness, she grasped Scootaloo by the neck and strangled her into submission.

She threw Scootaloo aside, wiped blood off her nose, and cracked her neck as she prepared for battle once more. “Guess I stand corrected. Ah, well, can’t always have a perfect run.”

Luna shot a bolt of darkness at the Daymare, which her adversary dodged effortlessly, swooping overhead and preparing to crush the moon goddess. However, Luna managed to teleport above the Daymare. She quickly kicked the Daymare’s neck, and the immortal went flying into the flames.

“Ack!” the Daymare choked, hurriedly putting out her wings. She glared at Luna. “You’ll pay for that one.”

Luna grinned in triumph, but it was short-lived. True to her word, the Daymare manipulated the dark mini-dimension she had created, warping a spear of dark matter toward the moon goddess, who narrowly dodged. Instead, the shaft of the twisted black spear smacked her into the ground. She tried to get back up, but was too disoriented to do so.

The Daymare spit. “Psh. They don’t make goddesses like they used to, huh?”

“I tire of these games, sister,” Envy sighed, eyeing those that were still standing: Pinkie, Fluttershy, Twilight, Saphira, and the cowering Sweetie Belle.

The Daymare nodded, and a tiny bead of light appeared on her horn. “Lets see them dodge this.”

There’s no way we’ll survive another attack! Saphira gaped. Her mind blanked for a moment, but she quickly recovered herself and rushed behind Envy. She hastily kicked precise spots on Envy’s back legs just before being smacked aside by the Daymare. Envy grunted as she suddenly found herself unable to move properly.

“That’s for my dad!” Saphira yelled before being silenced with a blast of negative energy.

Twilight stumbled over to Applejack while the Daymare and Envy were distracted and used warm magic to revive the orange mare. Her eyes opening slowly, Applejack attempted to stagger to her feet, but fell, still too weak to properly fight. Twilight’s crown began to glow as she eyed Envy.

“On the count of three, Applejack,” Twilight muttered to the orange mare.

“Huh?” Applejack asked, slightly dazed. Her necklace began to glow.

“One, two...” Twilight murmured. Pinkie and Fluttershy’s necklaces had started to glow as well. “Three!”

Magical energy quickly flowed from Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy’s necklaces before being directed into Twilight’s crown. Twilight carefully directed the unstable magic toward the collapsed Envy, and it shot toward her with the force of a freight train. The Daymare shrieked as rainbow-colored energy plowed its way into Envy and drove her brother’s soul out of Trixie’s body.

Trixie’s body fell limply to the floor.

The Daymare murderously glared at Twilight and the few that were still standing. “Idiots,” she sneered.

Twilight smiled a bit. We may be in more trouble than we were before, she thought to herself.

The Daymare’s anger made the small area unstable, and bits and pieces of the island started to float about in the air. Pinkie yelped as a sharp rock poked her in the side.

Twilight ducked as the Daymare swiftly swatted where her head would have been. Pinkie leapt up and bit the Daymare’s mane, tugging her backward. Applejack followed up with a kick to the Daymare’s abdomen, but the orange mare was still weakened by her near-suffocation. Twilight instead leapt up and latched onto the Daymare’s muzzle, smothering her.

While the Daymare was distracted with Twilight, Fluttershy briskly tripped the villain while Saphira pounded on the Daymare’s back. She was being attacked from all sides.

Applejack once again leapt up and bucked the Daymare square in the flank. “That’s fer Trixie!” she yelled.

Ugh... the Daymare thought, the pain almost overwhelming her. She summoned all of her willpower and wrapped herself in flames, forcing them all back. “Amateurs!” she screamed. A high-pitched tone was heard as the Daymare’s already unstable energy nearly went out of control. The flames that were still surrounding the arena grew in intensity and brightened to a blinding white, superheating the entire area.

At this rate, we’ll burn to death! Twilight gasped, desperately trying to stay out of the scorching flames. I need to end this!

“I. Have. Had it!” the Daymare screeched, powering up once more and preparing to torch everypony inside the chamber.

Twilight charged up a superpowerful lightning bolt. I can’t miss this one! Purple energy crackled around her horn. When she fired, tendrils of bright magenta electricity shot their way from her horn into and through the Daymare’s chest, exiting the other side. Before they struck the edge of the chamber, however, Twilight turned her head sharply to the side. The lightning bent around and struck the Daymare again in the jaw before dissipating.

Her energy gone, the Daymare spat blood and tried to shake the dizziness out of her head. Time for plan B, she muttered to herself, glancing at her charred pelt and the cauterized hole in her chest. She spread her wings, and a gate opened up behind her, a brilliant golden gate. It silently glimmered in midair and didn’t look completely solid, as if it was unsure whether it was a solid or a liquid. The Daymare spoke a few quick incantations and leapt through.

The dimension collapsed. The darkness surrounding the heroes slowly morphed back into the Canterlot throne room. The golden gate remained.

*******

“What a mangy mutt,” Applejack muttered.

“She’s gone?!” Saphira asked. “But… b-but…”

“I almost had her, if I only had a little more time!” Twilight muttered in frustration.

“I-Is everypony alright?” Sweetie Belle asked. There was nothing left of the throne room except the craggy floor. The walls, windows, and tapestries had been destroyed, and the thrones were all but melted from the intensity of the battle.

Everypony was alive, besides Trixie and Lyra. With Sweetie Belle’s song, they were all healed rather quickly. They stood looking at the two bodies of their friends, standing in front of the open gateway to the Daymare’s stronghold.

“So many lives lost…” Luna muttered. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, not from Discord. Killing without morals, destruction without care, and no true desire to win at all. Deception must have finally lost her mind, and is trying to end the world.”

“Oh, poor Trixie,” Fluttershy cried. “She was just freed only to be killed by the same pony that imprisoned her. What an awful way to go.”

“Is there a good way to go?” Dash sighed. “That goes for Lyra, too. We have no idea how she was possessed, or where she was. And I personally don’t think we should spend the time worrying about it when we still have a job to do. It’ll just make us sad.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, we should leave now, and have their funerals after we’ve won. The Daymare is still just as dangerous as ever.”

They made their way toward the gateway, toward their destiny. Small slivers of golden energy started to warp the room as curtains and stained glass windows started to fall apart like warm caramel. The gateway the Daymare had left behind seemed to lead into a syrupy mess of colors and sound, incomprehensible to anypony on the outside.

We’re going to save Equestria, Dash thought. The Daymare’s going down. One by one, they all hopped through into a world unknown.

Scootaloo nudged Saphira before she went through the portal. “That was some nice battling out there. You’re a real warrior.”

Saphira blushed. “Well, I guess,” she said modestly. “You f-fought really well, too.”

Scootaloo was almost through the gateway when Saphira stopped her.

“Scootaloo?” the blue earth pony asked.

“Yeah, Saphira?” Scootaloo asked.

“C-Can you protect me from her?” Saphira asked. “The Daymare?”

Scootaloo ran up and gave Saphira a big hug, startling the blue earth pony. “I won’t let you get hurt, Saphira. You’re... you’re like a sister.”

Saphira blushed, but she hugged back, her eyes watering. “Thanks, S-Scootaloo. I’ll try my hardest t-to keep you safe, too.”

The sisterly pair walked uncertainly through the portal.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

*******

Saphira slowly walked up to Scootaloo and brushed up against her side. The young earth pony’s eyes were wide. “Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo’s eyes were distant. “Yeah, Saphira?”

“I-I’m scared,” Saphira stammered.

Twilight and the others stood on the top of a large tower, overlooking a large city on yellow clouds. It was beautifully designed, and it even made Rarity gape in awe. The streets were paved with marble, and the buildings were lined with gold and platinum. The streetlamps looked all to be hoof-carved, and the sidewalks were made of soft grass. The entire city was resting on a cloud layer, and above it shone a brilliant yellow sun.

The ponies in this magnificent city of about a million and a half were all looking at one central point in the center of the city. Their expressions were blank, their eyes motionless and unblinking. A huge number of ponies looking toward one alicorn who was shouting commands in an unintelligible tongue, an ancient one.

Twilight looked on in horror. These ponies have been brainwashed! Dragged from their homes by this tyrant! They’ve all lost their sense of direction, their sense of self. Sent to this... this place.

Luna stared. I’ve heard of magic so powerful it can warp space and turn our very consciousness into virtual paste. This must be the most powerful of all of them, the ancient Dreamscape.

“This can’t stand,” Rarity growled. “I won’t let it.”

“Me neither,” Applejack said, gritting her teeth. “We’ve been gone way too long ta allow this ta keep happenin’. We’re goin’ head ta head with the Daymare; who’s with us?”

“You bet I am,” Olly said excitedly. “Let’s go.”

Dash nodded. “We have to protect Equestria, life or death.”

“We have to redeem ourselves,” Saphira said.

“And we have to fight for the good of everypony,” Twilight said.

The group watched as the commands were completed. The final fight had begun. Twilight, the leader, looked up at the Daymare, who was standing on the highest tower. All of the ponies in the city were staring at her and her friends.

“This ends now,” Twilight growled.

Twilight leapt off the building, the low gravity helping slow her descent. Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo took to the air. Applejack skidded down the skyscraper, and Olly bounced between the walls. Saphira grabbed the side of the structure and skidded down while Pinkie and Rarity leapt across the canopy of the city.

“Lend me your strength,” Dash said softly, though it was so quiet in the city that they could hear each other from kilometers away.

The group began to glow with a warm red light, and they drifted into a central circle of consciousness. The key bond that they all shared began to link their minds and souls.

“Lend me your energy,” Pinkie said. The glow around all of them turned from red to purple. They all felt more invigorated than they ever had before in their life. Energy spread through their veins and heightened their senses.

Dash prepared for battle, igniting her wings and mane as her red eyes glowed with fury. Twilight drew upon her new reserves of strength, her horn glowing with power. Pinkie’s blue eyes shone and Luna prepared a magical shield as each of them descended.

However, the expected attack never began. The seemingly mindless ponies stepped aside. They were not armed; they weren’t wearing armor or brandishing weapons. They simply formed an honor guard and allowed the group to traverse the city streets unharmed.

“Twi, Ah’m a lil’ worried,” Applejack said, warily eyeing the ponies on either side of her. They blankly stared back.

“Why are all these ponies so zoned out?” Scootaloo asked.

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted, picking up her already hurried pace to a sprint. The stares sent shivers down her spine. This is surreal.

The group made their way up the spire. It had a spiral staircase that went along the outside. Before long, they were face-to-face with their one adversary, their one nemesis, the single white alicorn that had started this entire catastrophe and killed so many ponies.

The Daymare.

“What have you done to these ponies, Daymare?” Luna asked.

The Daymare shrugged.“Look, I’m not going to waste much time on you. Win or lose, it will all go according to plan. And for the record, I could take you all on by myself.”

“What plan?” Twilight asked.

The Daymare raised a hoof to her lips. “Shh. It’s a secret. But there’s one hint I can give you.”

“What’s that?” Dash asked.

The Daymare smiled. “There’s no way we can lose,” she cackled. “Because I am the best!”

The Daymare began with a large series of blasts that blew some members of their group skyward. Dash recovered, but Olly flew onto the roof of a building and fell unconscious.

Twilight leapt up, charging up her horn, and it collided with the horn of her possessed mentor. They remained in contact, the Daymare crushing Twilight down to the ground while the young mare fought for her life.

Fluttershy tried to knock the Daymare aside, but the Daymare smacked her with such force that it broke the gentle pegasus’s wing.

“I’m not holding back this time!” The Daymare yelled as Fluttershy drifted downward from the spire. The Daymare pulled away from Twilight’s energy before almost overpowering her with a burst of sky-colored magic.

Dash charged up her front hoof, and it glowed with a crackling red energy. “Take this!” she screamed as her hoof collided with the Daymare’s face with enough force to knock down a building.

The Daymare simply shrugged it off. Dash flew back in shock; her hoof had made a visible dent in the Daymare’s face.

“You think you know what pain is,” the Daymare practically whispered. “Go ahead. Kill this body. I’ll thank you for it later!”

Pinkie tried to kick the Daymare’s legs out from under her, but the mighty leader simply reared up and crushed the earth pony’s chest, then kicked her off the side of the glass disc. Scootaloo had to swerve to catch the bleeding earth pony, but Pinkie was too heavy for her to keep aloft for long, and she was forced to deposit her at the base of the spire. Saphira attempted to disable the villain’s legs, but the Daymare simply warped to the other side of the platform.

“This isn’t possible,” Dash breathed. “You’re not supposed to be this strong!” she yelled, attempting to kick the Daymare. A powerful force field blocked her attack, though, and held her in place.

Golden blood flowed from the Daymare’s face. She puckered her lips at Dash, mocking her. “My sweet wittle Wainbow Dash… I was holding back. And I’m still holding back. Look, I’m in the world I created, you think I wouldn’t stack the odds in my favor?”

The Daymare used telekinesis to drag Dash under her, and then crushed the pegasus’s leg with one hoof. Dash screamed in unimaginable pain.

“Don’t hurt her!” Sweetie Belle yelled, running up toward the Daymare.

The Daymare glanced at her, and then kicked her aside. “You think you can tell me what to do? I’m in the body of the most powerful mortal on the planet!”

Luna dragged Dash aside and, in combination with Twilight, launched a beam of magic at the Daymare. It connected, but the Daymare didn’t even flinch.

“That can’t be possible!” Twilight gasped.

“Good, now you know what you’re up against,” the Daymare grinned, slowly approaching the group. Her eyes were murderous. “Let’s have some fun!”

Twilight blinked back tears. I won’t fail! She charged up a beam of friendship, calling on her friends to aid her, but the Elements of Harmony were too weak. When she fired, her eyes didn’t glow, and the Daymare simply dodged.

Luna ran up and tried to attack the adversary, but it wasn’t enough. The Daymare manipulated the blue alicorn’s hooves and pinned her down.

The Daymare smiled sinisterly, her ichor dripping onto Luna’s face and down the moon goddess’s cheek.“Sweet dreams,” the Daymare giggled before snapping Luna’s neck. She collapsed limply to the surface of the blood-stained glass, unconscious but alive.

Applejack tried attacking the Daymare, but her attempts were futile. With a quick swipe and a stab, the Daymare skewered Applejack’s midsection with her horn and tossed her aside.

“Honesty. Completely worthless,” the Daymare said with a sneer while deflecting an attack from Rarity. “Why be honest when you control an empire? You can make those idiots under you believe anything you want!”

Applejack tried to get up, but yelled in pain. Blood was dripping from the corner of her mouth. “It’s over, Twi, Ah… Ah can’t go on.”

Scootaloo tried the same tactic she had used in the previous battle, sliding under the Daymare in an attempt to trip her, but the Daymare wasn’t one to fall for the same trick twice. She blocked Scootaloo’s path with her hoof, and when Scootaloo tried to dodge, she struck her with a blast of air, almost knocking her off the tower.

As she saw her friend blasted up into the air, Sweetie Belle started to sing in desperation, but the Daymare was upon her before she had even finished the first verse.

“You won’t be able to sing without a mouth!” the Daymare yelled as she kicked Sweetie Belle in the jaw. “Demon spawn!”

“No!” Rarity yelled, rage once again overtaking her system. Her necklace pulsed a bit, but it faded quickly. “Monster!”

The Daymare quickly turned around and smacked Rarity into the spire. “What a waste. You might have made a good body for me if Generosity hadn’t gotten to you first. It’s kind of a shame; you’re really beautiful. A body to be envious of, for sure. And certainly one to be proud of,” she licked her lips. “Yes, once I kill you, you’ll make a fine body.”

Rarity blinked back tears. I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle, I couldn’t protect you.

Twilight slowly got up. “Th-This isn’t through!”

The Daymare laughed. “Oh, no it isn’t. There’s actually a real specific way this battle has to end. But you’re not really making it easy for me, now are you?”

“What…?” Twilight breathed. “You’re trying to lose?!”

“W-Why?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, if I win, whoop-de-do, but you’re supposed to be stronger than this,” the Daymare sighed. “Might as well end your lives right now and wait for somepony more fun. Sadly, that’s against the rules.”

Twilight threw a lightning bolt at the leader, who didn’t even try to dodge. Not that she needed to. Scootaloo feebly attacked the Daymare, but the leader simply sidestepped and kicked the orange pegasus aside.

“This can’t be happening!” Twilight screamed.

The Daymare looked at her and smirked. “Isn’t that my line?” She ambled up to Twilight. “Kind of sad, really. I came in here with the expectation of losing, but now it looks like I’m going to have to make you win.”

Twilight glowered up at the ruler. “Who are you working for?” she demanded.

“Discord,” the Daymare said, thrusting her head to the sky and outstretching her wings. The sun’s rays penetrated the misty yellow haven and made the Dreamscape city gleam. “The ultimate power! The end to justify all means! And you, my sweet, are just begging to fulfill our purpose. Unfortunately, that’s against the rules, too.” The Daymare kicked Twilight a few meters ahead of her.

“Your... Your purpose?” Twilight coughed up blood.

“A perfect and stable world, rid of all imperfections,” the Daymare stated. “The Dreamscape was our prototype. Now that we know it works, we can plunge the entire world into absolute perfection.” She grinned, liking the thought. “A world worthy of ruling. And, sorry, but the Elements of Harmony don’t quite fit the bill. You’re going down with all the other pathetic waste your world’s dredged up. Nice knowing you.”

Everypony was down. Twilight had a broken leg and her magic was spent, Rarity was lying limply on the surface of the spire, Applejack was bleeding to death, Dash had a broken wing and a broken snout, Fluttershy was unconscious, and Pinkie had collapsed at the base of the tower. Luna was incapacitated as well as Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Saphira, and Olly.

They had been defeated.

“Sadly, this is where it ends,” the Daymare said. “I wish you had been more fun. It’s hard to find a challenge these days, being as powerful as I am.”

Twilight’s horn glowed as she stood up, her crown pulsing with energy. She tried to avoid putting weight on her broken hind leg. “I’m not done yet.”

“Of course you’re not,” the Daymare sighed, once again pushing Twilight to the ground.

Twilight’s crown glowed with a bright light. Applejack’s chest wound started to seal up, but the Daymare didn’t notice.

Twilight tried to get up again. “I’m not going to let you hurt my friends!” she said determinedly.

“A little late for that,” the Daymare laughed. She put a hoof on Twilight’s head, shoved her to the ground, and started to crush her. Twilight yelled in pain. “You just don’t get it,” the Daymare said. “I’m not even the one you really have to worry about. That’s my brothers and sisters, minus Envy. I even heard Deception is among your ranks now. That’s the very definition of pathetic,” she laughed.

Twilight’s crown started to pulse faster.

“There’s no way out of this,” the Daymare continued. “I told you, I am the best. I managed to destroy every single thing you care about.”

Twilight began to glow with a purple energy. Rarity woke up.

“It began with Stalliongrad, but that was just a test run of this body,” the Daymare said, pushing harder on Twilight’s head. “It’s actually pretty nice. It reminds me of my days as a young adult. Alicorns are pretty rare, you know. And very powerful. Oh, so powerful.”

Dash, who was lying behind the Daymare, felt some of her bones click into place.

“Then Ponyville. I took a lot of ponies, you know, to be used as hosts. Lyra was one my brother particularly liked, so I was happy to oblige. I also took a brawny red stallion and a dumb yellow pegasus. They were the only ones with the nerve to fight back, besides Trixie. The others just ran away or got taken with Luna, but we did get a lot. You would be surprised,” the Daymare continued. “You’ll probably see a couple later. But, y’know, they’ll be dead.”

Applejack blinked her eyes open, but shut them tight. Her wound was healing, but very slowly, and Twilight’s screams weren’t helping. I feel like my skull is about to shatter! she thought through her screams. Make it stop!

“Canterlot was a sitting duck, so I captured it next. Then I went through just about every single city, taking ponies and killing the rest,” the Daymare smiled, putting more weight on Twilight’s cracking frame. “I’ve never been this successful, you know, except in the Dark Times, but back then I had to self-edit so there’d be enough ponies to repopulate. I’m so powerful, though, that sometimes it’s hard to control myself. You know how it is, right?”

Pinkie, who was at the base of the tower, had already started to climb it. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were almost fully recovered.

Twilight’s power built up until it was almost impossible to contain. The pain in her fractured skull vanished as the bone repaired itself, and her crown glowed white-hot as she charged up her energy, opening her eyes. With a powerful burst, she teleported to the center of the battlefield. Her crown was glowing a bright purple, as were her eyes. “I’ve heard enough, Daymare.”

The Daymare stepped back, though her smug smile was ever-present. Twilight started to float off of the ground.

“Aww, already? I had a pretty good rant going there,” the Daymare chuckled. “I guess you’re right, though; this has to end. You’ve already wasted enough of your time on me.”

Twilight’s glow stopped. She fell back on all fours. “What?”

“You heard me,” the Daymare grinned. “Deception has already completed her task by now; in fact she could have completed it four times over. Goodbye, Twilight. We’ll meet again.”

The Daymare turned to leave, but Dash blocked her path. “You’re not getting away that easily!”

The Daymare sighed. “I guess not.” She smacked Dash to the ground, knocking her out with one hit. “You never learn, huh? That’s so like you.”

The Daymare looked back for the last time. Blue smoke was starting to drift up from her mouth. “Heh. Good luck trying to beat the rest of Discord. You gave me a pretty good run, there. I’ll be watching you with great interest. Ta-ta for now.”

Princess Celestia slumped to the ground, Arrogance having departed her body.

********

Then she began to change. Her hair turned from a blue, green, and pink color scheme to fiery and vibrant red, yellow, and orange. Her coat turned an even brighter white than before, and her eyes turned to an amber orange color. She also shrank a bit and was now closer to Luna’s height. She had transformed into the original Celestia.

The captivated ponies began to regain their senses now that Arrogance’s magic had left their minds. They glanced around, slightly dazed.

Celestia stood up. “Finally…”

“C-Celestia?” Twilight asked.

Celestia nodded. “Thanks, Twilight, for freeing me.” Her voice was lighthearted despite the events that had just occurred.

Twilight looked away. “Thank Arrogance. I failed, Princess.”

Celestia walked toward the now reunited group, her formal and dominant aura gone. “No, you didn’t. Not to me. Arrogance left because you were about to realize your Potential. You would’ve been too dangerous if you had.”

Dash’s eyes lit up. “So then... we won?!”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Twilight said. “She didn’t looked defeated at all; she just left! She looked like she had some kind of plan.”

“Like Deception completin’ some sorta task,” Applejack said.

“Meaningless,” Celestia said firmly. “I felt Arrogance’s pain, and she was close to breaking. Whatever task Deception could have done won’t matter once we finally lay Discord to ruin. After all these years, I’m finally free to lead the Elements of Harmony again. I owe you all my lives, and so does the rest of Equestria.”

Rarity nodded. “At least we’re safe.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walked toward the front of the group, dragging Saphira. “We all helped!”

Celestia grinned. “You went out there all on your own, didn’t you? Well, let me tell you now that you were over-qualified for the job,” she said, nudging the blushing Sweetie Belle and the beaming Scootaloo. She adressed Saphira. “Ah, Saphira. I’m sorry for doing all those awful things to you, and hope you can forgive me.”

Saphira was starstuck. “P-P-Princess, I-I… I h-hope you c-can forgive me f-for helping the e-evil s-side,” she managed to stammer.

“A royal pardon!” Celestia laughed, and pulled the young earth pony into a hug. “You did well, and fought like a warrior. Your mother would be proud.”

Saphira turned a bright shade of red. “Th-Thank you.”

Celestia looked at the group, and spread her wings. “You have saved Equestria from the influence of Discord. You all are national heroes. The Return of Harmony will once again save the world, like it has before, and before that. I know that we’ll be able to sort out this mess and finally return Equestria to a state of peace.”

The entire group, minus Olly, who was lost in the crowd, had wide grins across their faces. They were so proud of their actions; nothing could ruin this moment.

The formerly brainwashed ponies had started to gather around the spire, recognizing that the battle was over and that the Elements of Harmony had freed them. They all were cheering; millions of voices. The group relished in the applause.

“Excuse me…” a blue-green unicorn who had walked up the spire began.

Twilight stepped back. “Careful! He’s one of them!”

“I know,” Celestia said. “What do you want, Lorey? Have you been watching this entire time?”

“I have been waiting for the end of the conflict,” Lorey explained. “I know that I have committed immeasurable sins and horrible deeds in the name of Discord,” Lorey started, looking away. “But I am so ashamed. All I can ask of you is to leave me in peace. I will not cause any more trouble. And Saphira, I wish you the best.”

“Granted,” Celestia looked warily at the unicorn. “Get out of my sight.”

*******

Lorey turned to leave, but Applejack felt something burst inside her. She felt a flare of anger more than anything she ever had in her life. They’re... They’re just going to let him get away?

“Thank you kindly,” Lorey said, turning to leave.

“Hold on just a moment,” Applejack said. Lorey stopped and turned around. She turned to her cohorts. “Yer seriously just gonna let him git away?”

“Live and let live, Applejack,” Luna said. “We have more pressing things on our minds.”

Applejack turned and glared at Lorey. Ain’t no way, no how, am I going to let him get away without a good beating. She pawed her front hoof on the ground.

“Applejack?” Twilight asked. “Are you alright?”

He... he killed Apple Bloom! He doesn’t deserve to live! Applejack’s fury flared. Saphira’s eyes widened as Applejack’s rage swelled. Filthy varmint!

“Is something wrong?” Lorey asked.

“Yer gonna pay fer what you’ve done!” Applejack screamed, rushing toward Lorey with murder in her eyes. Saphira gasped and ran toward the skirmish. Lorey closed his eyes and looked away; he knew he deserved this.

There was a leap, a snap, and a dull thump.

Saphira fell to the ground.

Applejack stepped back in shock. She had been aiming for Lorey, but her hooves had connected with Saphira’s neck. The young mare had leapt in front of the attack. Lorey rushed to her side, as did Scootaloo.

Lorey felt for a pulse. “She’s dead,” Lorey finally said. He bent over the body, grief flooding his system.

“No,” Scootaloo breathed. She looked back with unbridled fury at Applejack. “MURDERER!” she screamed with all her might.

A cold wind washed over the entirety of the Dreamscape. Pinkie was almost crippled by the negative energy flowing through the air, but it was only present for a brief moment before dissipating. The massive burst of negative energy from an unknown source even silenced the crowd. Scootaloo was overwhelmed with sorrow and started to sob over the body of her friend.

Saphira was dead, within a second’s time. Even Celestia was in shock at the turn of events, and they were all crying in some form or another.

“Ah… Ah didn’t mean…” Applejack stumbled backward and fell down, in utter disbelief of her action. “No… i-it can’t be…”

“Why?” Fluttershy cried. “Why did she jump in front? Why?” she bawled, tears flowing down her face. “I don’t understand!”

“I knew this would happen,” Lorey murmured, gazing fondly at Saphira. “Your mother and I have never had the best of luck. I should have known we’d pass it on to you.”

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

In the very top of an ancient, airy temple, there was a pedestal. On that pedestal, there was a black gem, a diamond. The chamber was aged and crumbling, the only lighting from luminescent runes that hung all along the walls.

A tremor shook the temple, and the gem glowed a bit before once again becoming inert.

That was the most important event in Equestria since the Dark Times.

=====================================================================

*******

The entire group, the entire Dreamscape, and what seemed like the entire world was stunned into a shocked silence and unbearable grief at the loss of a young life in a senseless action. Saphira was gone.

Lorey was lying near the dead teenager. He brushed her eyes closed. “When Stalliongrad was attacked by the Daymare, we had few options. The Daymare wouldn’t have allowed us both to live because of our family ties, but both of our abilities were useful. I lied and said that I had never seen her before, but to prove it, I had to do something I will never live down… I had to beat her. My… My own daughter, to save her life.” Lorey looked at Saphira wistfully, stroking her mane. “Sh-She’s had the most adorable stammer ever since.”

Celestia had fallen to her knees. “No, not Saphira; she was so close to finally being happy, only to have her life snatched away... Why?” she cried, tears falling down her face.

Fluttershy had fallen to pieces; she wouldn’t stop crying, even if she could. Her emotions were so jagged and harsh that she could no longer stay standing, so she collapsed on the surface of the tower in a fit of anguish.

“She never stopped loving me, though, no matter how cold I was to her,” Lorey continued, staring at his daughter. “She never quite understood why I had to do those things. Why she could never talk to me again. Why she couldn’t leave; why she couldn’t have friends like you, Scootaloo. She was envious of you, I’m sure, but never left because she didn’t want to a-abandon me.” He paused. “Maybe... No, not maybe. If only she had left me behind, this all could have been prevented.”

Scootaloo had fallen limply by the body of her friend. Apple Bloom was hard enough… she cried softly. Not Saphira, too! It’s not true! It’s not!

“I knew that this would happen if she stayed,” Lorey said. “I knew I would be staring at her like this one way or another. But when you came, Scootaloo, I had hope… Oh, I had hope. It was a wonderful feeling, that perhaps she might finally leave; that she might finally go and live the life she always deserved, always will deserve… but it wasn’t to be. It never was to be.” He kissed Saphira’s forehead. “Goodbye, my darling. I will be with you soon.”

His head turned slightly toward the group, but he remained sitting by his daughter. “I know trying to exact my revenge on you would be suicide, but I have no desire for revenge. ...Though I might receive it anyway,” he sighed. “I have been holding back a spirit for five years now, even before the invasion. You have destroyed my only reason to fight her off. So, I apologize, but this would happen whether I would like it to... or not.”

“Who are you fighting-” Fluttershy began, before Luna hurriedly stepped in front of her.

“No, Lorey, please don’t go,” Luna begged. “You cannot let her win!”

“I have one final wish, for all of you,” Lorey began, darkness beginning to swirl around his hooves. “Please, honor her as a warrior. She endured so much in her short life. Keep her memories alive in your hearts. Then, perhaps, I can die without regret.”

Twilight felt like she was going to throw up from misery, but she weakly nodded. “I… I promise.”

Lorey nodded. “Farewell.” he finally said. The darkness entered his body, swirling all around him.

*******

But he wasn’t Lorey anymore.

“Ah, a new body,” not-Lorey said, suddenly standing up. His slitted, swamp-green eyes glanced at each one of the shattered group that stood before him. “Always exciting to get a new one, you know. It’s like a… tingly feeling.”

“Leave, now,” Celestia commanded. Anger flared in her eyes harsher than Twilight had ever seen before.

“Oh, and how are you, Celestia? Haven’t aged a bit since I last saw you; you’re still as cute as a button. Perhaps we can visit the coffee shop on Fourth and catch up? I’m sure you have a lot to tell me since our last encounter,” the stallion said. His tone was as friendly as it was creepy.

Celestia stared furiously at the entity in front of her. “Bite me,” she hissed.

“Oh, how impolite!” the stallion remarked. “A Princess should know better, now shouldn’t she? But considering we’re simply the best of friends... perhaps I can overlook your poor manners.

“Who are you?” Dash asked.

“I’m glad you asked,” the stallion said, slinking toward Dash, who was thoroughly terrified by the new enemy standing in front of her. “You’ve probably already met me, though. You just didn’t know it. I have that effect on ponies, you know. They never remember my face, but they always remember my name.”

Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Wh-What do you mean?”

“Well, that’s my little secret,” the stallion giggled. “It would ruin the fun if I told you. This is all just a game, you realize. Pieces on a chessboard. And I do believe I just took out one of your rooks.”

“Answer my question,” Dash said.

“My name is something to be feared, Rainbow Dash; it must be presented as such,” the stallion said. “Because I will be breaking your heart in a year or two. Maybe less, if I play my cards right.”

What? Breaking my heart? Dash thought, inching away from the stallion.

“My name is something that you have already heard, but something that you will learn to loathe. And although I may not be the most powerful of the Elements of Discord, I am the most dangerous,” the stallion finished. “Care to take a guess?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Deception!”

“Ah, we have a winner!” the stallion exclaimed. “I was wondering when you’d finally catch on. And do you know what else I have to show you?”

She glared at Deception.

“Not the life of the party, are you?” Deception asked, bemused. “Well, I’m not surprised; you do spend a lot of time falling for tricks.” He paused. “You have given me the body that I have been after for five years, but you know that already. Do you know why I have been after this body for such a long time?”

“Why?” Rarity asked.

“Because, I can do this...” Deception said, slowly turning around. But, as he turned around, his body slowly transitioned into being an exact copy of Rarity’s; mimicking her eyes, necklace, and all.

Rarity jumped back in panic. “That’s… that’s impossible!”

The fake Rarity’s blue eyes turned to dagger-like slits, and a dark shadow with red eyes hung over her body; the shadow of the original Deception. She smiled at Rarity, daintily raising her forehoof to her chest. “I am a shape-shifter now. I can look like anypony I want. I owe you a tremendous thanks, by the way, for presenting me with such a useful ability.”

Celestia gritted her teeth. “Go away. There is nothing else you can do here, not on your own.”

Deception’s eyes widened, and she reverted back to Lorey’s form. “Well, I’ve already accomplished my goals. Applejack was surprisingly easy to influence, though I didn’t quite need those results. Saphira should still be alive, if everything had gone according to plan. Elements, I have seen, quite like to interfere with plans.”

Applejack stared at Deception in shock. “That… that was you?! You made me k-kill...”

“Well, to an extent, but if you had any practice as an Element, you would have been able to easily resist my feeble influence. Such a shame; Saphira was a sweet little filly, as well. I’m very sad that you killed her, but I guess that some things just can’t be avoided,” Deception smiled sadly.

“Careful about listening to Deception,” Luna warned. “She is almost always dishonest if she accomplishes her goals.”

“Oh, I suppose,” Deception admitted. “Still… what if I were telling the truth? You would have no way of knowing, now would you?”

Celestia glared at the villain.

“I don’t think there’s anything left for me here,” Deception finished, looking around. “I just want you to know, Celestia, that I have far greater plans for each and every one of you.”

Deception turned to smoke and drifted off.

*******

“It’s over,” Celestia sighed. “We should head back to Fillydelphia.”

“But how can Ah?” Applejack murmured. “Ah… Ah don’t deserve ta live anymore… not after what Ah did.”

“We can worry about it later,” Celestia said. “The wounds of battle hurt more during peace. If we don’t leave now, we might stay here for the rest of our lives. We have to have hope, if nothing else, that things can get better from here. I’m sorry, but we have to go home.”

Scootaloo looked up, her tear-stained face hung low to the ground. “O-Okay…”

Celestia’s horn glowed with a warm magic, as did Saphira’s body. It levitated upward, the young mare being held in a magical embrace. Celestia spoke an ancient incantation. “She will remain young and beautiful forever.”

Luna spread her wings and glowed. Her booming voice addressed the ponies below as a gate opened in the square. “Ponies of Equestria, the battle is over. You may return home.”

There was a moderate amount of cheering from the crowd, but it ceased when they laid eyes on the heroes’ faces.

The battle is over, Twilight thought to herself. But this war, this war that we’ve been fighting for thousands of years, definitely isn’t. Luna hasn’t deliberately lied, but we aren’t safe just yet. But our wounds have to heal, Twilight thought, looking at her battered and broken group as they walked through the gate. We have to rest.

Twilight felt a sharp, stabbing pain in the back of her neck before the world was lost to her.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Sad chapter is sad.

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

*******

“Verba?”

“Yeah-huh?”

Twilight found herself strolling around an illusionary Ponyville. The one she used to know, full of happy ponies. They were free of sadness, depression, guilt, anger, and any other negative emotion. Verba accompanied her, but she found his light-hearted attitude hard to match under the circumstances. Twilight’s memory was foggy; she remembered everything up to the defeat of the Daymare, but not much else.

“Why do you think the Daymare just... left?” she asked. “She said she was buying time for Deception, but to do what?”

“Dunno, don’t care,” Verba laughed. “All I know is that good ol’ ‘Tia’s back in business, and for good this time. Trust me, you’re a lot better off now.”

Twilight didn’t really have a counter-argument. Her instincts told her something was incredibly wrong, but she didn’t know what, and Verba didn’t seem to think it mattered.

“So, what’re you going to do now?” Verba asked.

“Wait for my broken bones to heal,” Twilight muttered, “and hopefully get some answers. Hopefully.”

Verba laughed. “Yeah, well, they don’t come easy. You know that as well as I do. Still, though, you can’t ever stop trying to find the truth. If you do, well, rest in peace, as far as I’m concerned. It’s a lot easier to outsmart somepony than overpower them. Keep that in mind, because, uh... no offense, but you’re not as smart as you think.”

“None taken. I try not to be,” Twilight said. She paused, thinking for a moment. “How’d you get your name?”

“How’d you get yours? My parents-...” Verba cut himself off, turning away.

“What about them?” Twilight asked. “Is something wrong?”

“Look... I’m just a leftover fragment of magic, right? You know that. I don’t really have a mom or dad. Obsidian gave me this name, ‘cause he says that’s the name of my past self. But... I’ll never really be sure. I’m still searching.”

“Well, if you need any help, I’m available from nine until six a.m.” Twilight smiled, putting a hoof on Verba’s shoulder.

He nodded, but didn’t make eye contact. “Glad to hear it.”

Twilight paused. “You called Obsidian your Submaster, right?”

“That’s just a title. He’s more of a brother,” Verba clarified.

“Well, okay, but who’s your Master, then?” Twilight asked.

“...I’m the shadow of my Master. My Master is my past self reborn,” Verba said. He scratched his forehead, and a few runes were broken into pieces. “I think that’s how he told me to say it.”

“I’m... not sure I get it,” Twilight admitted.

“Well, then, maybe it’s better to show you,” Verba said. His form faded to gray, then to black, as he crumpled to the ground. He was a blob of black energy for a moment before he gradually copied Twilight’s shadow, intersecting with it. Her eyes widened.

I am your shadow, Twilight. The shadow of the original Magic.

=====================================================================

*******

“Twi? Twi? Ya’ll better get over here; she’s wakin’ up!”

“Ugh...” Twilight moaned. She tried to sit up, but it felt like somepony was driving a nail into the back of her neck.

“Stay still,” Luna urged. Twilight felt herself being gently lifted into the air via telekinesis. Luna touched her horn to Twilight’s injury, and the pain ebbed slightly. She set Twilight back down in her bed. “Let us know when you’re ready to speak.”

It took Twilight a few moments, but she gradually came to her senses. She was in a white hospital room, resting in a cozy bed. Various magical wires were hooked to her temples and limbs, transferring energy back and forth to make sure she stayed stable. Her friends were gathered around her, anxiously waiting for Luna’s go-ahead.

“Wh-... What?” Twilight began.

Pinkie leapt toward Twilight to hug her, but Luna’s telekinesis kept her in check. She squirmed in midair, blubbering and struggling not to break down. “Oh, Twilight you gave us all the scariest scare in all of scaryville, and not the good kind!”

“What happened...?” Twilight asked, shielding the light from her unadjusted eyes.

“Some idiot plugged this in the back of your neck just as we were about to leave,” Olly explained, levitating a black dart in front of Twilight. It was two inches long and as shiny as polished china, with illegible writing scribbled along the sides. Twilight detected a faint magical aura on it.

“Who?” she asked.

“It has Envy written all over it,” Dash said.

“How do you know?” Twilight asked, becoming more aware by the second.

“No, uh, it actually does,” Dash said, motioning to the tiny script on the darts, ζήλευαν.

“It means ‘Envy’ in the ancient language,” Luna explained. “It was enchanted to go for your vitals, and would have, had it not veered off at the last second. A different enchantment knocked you unconscious instantly, as well. To all of us, it looked as if you’d just fallen over.”

“We were all so worried,” Fluttershy said, tightly gripping part of her mane with one hoof.

Twilight moaned as fresh pain threatened to overload her once again. “How many times am I going to nearly die?!” she complained.

“You’re the most powerful Element of Harmony, and the one that ties all others together,” Luna explained. “Crosshairs were on your forehead from the beginning. I’m amazed Arrogance let you get so close to realizing your potential; it would have been the end of the war if you had.”

“That’s... a good thing, right?” Twilight breathed, shutting her eyes tight. Her breathing accelerated as Luna tried to heal her once again.

“You shouldn’t keep her awake too long, Princess,” Rarity warned, biting her lip. “She needs her rest.”

“No, it’s because I owe something to her,” Luna said, putting the finishing touches on her spell. “They should be arriving soon.” With Luna’s spell in effect, all of Twilight’s pain faded, and she opened her eyes again to see Spike and her parents rushing into the room.

“Twilight!” Spike exclaimed, rushing to her bedside. He had grown a lot in the past three years, and was now almost as tall as Twilight was while standing upright. “Where have you been?”

“Spike...” Twilight trailed off, pulling him close. “Just... Just saving the world a couple times, with the help of my friends.”

“Why couldn’t I come?” he asked, though he didn’t sound angry. “You could have used some help. Friends or not, I’m your friend, too, and I won’t let the Elements of Discord hurt you!”

“You know about that, too, huh?” Twilight asked. I’ll explain it to him later, I guess... She looked up at her parents. “Mom... Dad...!”

Twilight’s mother was nearly in tears, but her father was simply relieved. He went up to Twilight’s bedside, opposite of Spike, and gave her a gentle hug.

“There’s really no way to say how proud of you I am,” he said. “I knew from the moment you started studying magic that you were going to become a superhero. Your mom didn’t believe me, but I said I’d never give up on my little filly,” he added, winking at her.

“I think it was the other way around,” Twilight’s mother said, bemused.

“Shh, she doesn’t know that!” Twilight’s father joked.

Twilight laughed before she abruptly lost consciousness. The back of her neck glowed, as did the iron thorn.

*******

Luna’s eyes widened, and Olly lost his telekinetic grip on the thorn in surprise. It clattered to the floor, where it levitated of its own accord, and started scratching text into the wall at almost blinding speeds.

“What’s happening?” Twilight’s mother asked.

“Twilight? Say something!” Spike pleaded, shaking Twilight.

“It’s in the ancient language...” Luna breathed. She turned to the royal guards that were stationed at the exit of the room. “Take Spike and Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle somewhere safe, and then I want an entire search of the premises for anypony and everypony currently using magic of any kind. Bring anypony suspicious to the hospital immediately and keep them there. Understood?”

The guards nodded, quickly shuffling Spike and the Sparkles to the lobby of the hospital.

“Can ya tell what it says?” Applejack asked.

“I can try. It’s been a while since I’ve read the ancient texts,” Luna admitted, staring intently at the wall, which was now almost covered in ancient scripture. She began to speak, but stopped out of pure shock.

“What’s it say? C’mon, don’t leave us in the dark!” Dash exclaimed.

“It’s... incantations for a spell,” Luna breathed, “and a complex one, at that. I’m not sure if I should attempt it or not, but it appears to be just a simple illusion.”

The thorn clattered to the floor after finishing its writing, but dissolved into dust before anypony could retrieve it.

“What’re you waiting for? Castitcastitcastit!” Pinkie urged.

Luna nodded, and studied the script for a moment before reciting,

"Textus antiquorum ne timeas.
Expecta una visit a me in parum.
Desinet constanti suspicio, licet.
Praesertim vos,
Filia Reginae.
Est talem rem quae overcaution.
Dimittam te paucis verbis tamen.
Supra humerum vestrum, ego apparebit.
Numquam dubitare quod dico.”

“It translates into a wonderful little poem,” a voice behind Luna said.

Icily, she turned and glared at Deception, though he didn’t seem to be fully formed. His visage fizzled and wavered, as if he was made of mist.

“What do you want?” Luna growled.

“Skipping the formalities, are you? Don’t I even receive a ‘how-do-you-do?’” Deception asked. “Very well, then. I’m here to tell you that this war, in fact, isn’t over at all. It begins today, for today is the day when all uncertainties in my plan become naught, and you no longer have any measurable free will. You are all pawns in my magnificent game of chess,” he added with a malicious grin.

“You shut your snout!” Dash snarled, attempting to pounce on Deception. She phased right through him, but she seemed to have expected such a trick, as she landed on all four hooves.

“My apologies. This is a pre-recorded message, Lady Loyalty,” Deception smirked, not turning around to face Dash. “I’m only acting based on previous inferences.” He raised his hoof in a mock attempt to cover his smile. “Though, I suppose there’s really no way you can check. Not that it matters much, in the end.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” Luna said, not seeming to care if Deception was an illusion or not.

“That I haven’t,” Deception began. “However, to me, at least, this war is but a game. Or maybe it isn’t. You’ll become angry if you think I think it is, and angry ponies quickly become frustrated, and frustrated ponies are predictable. Or you could assume I’m lying, but if I lie so often, when am I telling the truth? But what if I say something important, and you pass it off as a fib? You see, war isn’t just a simple game of chess, no... it’s a mind game, Princess. And I’m afraid you’re losing quite badly.”

Luna gritted her teeth. Applejack scratched her head and asked, “Couldja run all that by me again? Ah’m not sure Ah understand.”

Deception snorted, but once again didn’t turn to look at Applejack. “You’re a crude interpretation of the power of Honesty. Maybe that’s why you’re were so easily manipulated, and will be easy to manipulate in the future. I have no respect for you, and therefore I don’t see it fit to answer your questions. Perhaps you should ask your rulers to spell it out for you, but I frankly don’t have the time.”

Applejack bristled, but a warning look from Luna kept her quiet.

“That aside, I will let you know that you will face many a tragedy in your future. You will stare terror in the face. You will take dangerous gambles that, ultimately, do not pay off. The innocent will prove to be your undoing, and the guilty will fight you to your last breath. One of you will simply cease to exist,” Deception forewarned. “I won’t tell you who, though; that makes it all the more suspenseful.”

“Is that all?” Luna asked.

“No. There is a word that is the key to all our suffering, Princess, and it is a word that I have been longing to say ever since the beginning of the Dark Times,” Deception said, his smug grin being replaced by a slightly manic one. “Indicina.”

The spell ended, and Deception disappeared.

Luna’s brow furrowed as she contemplated Deception’s words. Twilight rubbed her eyes and sat up, beleaguered. “Wha...?”

“Princess, what was that about, exactly?” Rarity asked. “‘Indicina?’”

“This is a matter I must discuss with Celestia before I discuss it with you,” Luna stated, her tone deathly serious. “Until then, you may do what you wish. Pinkie, if you wish to do your volunteer work, the train to Manehattan boards in two hours, as does the train back to Ponyville for the rest of you.” With that, she charged up a teleport and warped away.

“What now?” Twilight moaned.

“We’re never really gonna git all the answers, are we?” Applejack asked.

Rarity shook her head. “Probably not. ...I have a sinking feeling about this whole ordeal, to be honest. Deception sounds like far mightier a foe than Envy or Arrogance.”

“And we haven’t even seen the others yet,” Applejack added.

“Are you feeling okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked her.

Twilight nodded. “I feel... fine, actually.” She used telekinesis to removed her bandages while Fluttershy and Pinkie inspected her wound.

Only there was no longer a wound to be inspected. It had vanished without a trace, save the thin black powder that dusted the back of Twilight’s neck.

=====================================================================

*******

Pinkie had ridden to Manehattan and attended a meeting of the Rebuilder’s Guild, a faction dedicated to repairing Equestria. After getting assigned a home, she was cheerily cleaning it out when she spotted a white alicorn outside. Is that the Princess?

Celestia’s horn glowed as she used powerful magic to sweep up rubble in the street and convert it into beautiful flowers. “Phew,” she sighed.

“Hey!” Pinkie shouted from two stories up. “Princess, is that you?”

Celestia looked up and smiled. “Sure is! How are you, Pinkie?”

Pinkie gaped at her ruler. “You’re helping out, too? Shouldn’t you be in Fillydelphia or something?”

Celestia laughed. “No, my sister handles all the bureaucratic nonsense. I prefer on-site work.”

Pinkie excused herself for a moment and went down to help her ruler. Celestia? Doing actual hooves-on work? I must be dreaming!

Celestia set her flower pots down on the side of the walkway, her horn glowing with vibrant energy. Her fiery mane swayed in the wind as she wiped her brow. “Okay, that’s one street down.”

“It’s just super you’re helping us!” Pinkie smiled. “You’ve never done it before. At least, not that I know of. Of course, there was that one time in Winter Wrap-up where Dash crashed into a tree and got covered with snow. There was a pinecone on her snout, and I wasn’t sure if she was an alicorn or a abominable snowpony!”

“That’s great, Pinkie,” Celestia began, not actually paying too much attention, “but I’m just not the leader you knew. Arrogance’s personality is almost opposite to mine, and she was the one heading Equestria for so long. You’ll see a lot more contrast pretty soon, when I officially train you in a week or two.”

“Train us? How?” Pinkie asked.

“I can teach you and Rainbow Dash what it means to be an Element of Harmony,” Celestia said. “I know it’s a little scary once you find out it’s one year’s worth of effort, but it’s a lot of fun, trust me.”

“A year? I’m so excited!” Pinkie yelled. “I’ll rush home and pack my balloons as soon as I’m done helping out! Thanks, Princess. I like the new you!”

Celestia smiled as the young Humor rushed back into her volunteer work. It’s great to be back.

=====================================================================

“Was there any loss of life in the final battle?” a novice reporter asked Luna.

“No,” Luna said. Mentioning Saphira would make the Elements look bad, and not only that, but it’s just upsetting to think about. “The Elements of Harmony and their friends defeated the Daymare. The battle is over.”

“There are several rumors floating around about a pony named ‘Deception.’ Is he or she as dangerous as the rumors claim?” another reporter asked.

“Deception is the craftiest of the Elements of Discord, but she lacks any supernatural strength. Hopefully we will be able to defeat her when the opportunity arises,” Luna said.

“Do you plan to train the Elements of Harmony and help the others reach their Potential?” one reporter asked.

“Unfortunately, that is out of my control. While my sister and I have intimate experience with the Elements of Harmony and can train them well, an Element of Harmony can only realize his or her potential if Harmony itself is at risk, and I want to avoid that if possible,” Luna explained.

“You said an intimate experience,” a female reporter said. “Just how intimate?”

Luna bit her lip. “We have trained several in the past.”

=====================================================================

Applejack rested in the shade of an apple tree out on the fields. Feels real nice to be back out here again, she remarked to herself, watching the rest of her working family. But there’re so few of us now, I don’t know what I’ll do...

“You okay, honey?” Applejack’s grandmother, Granny Smith, asked the orange mare.

“Who, me? Ah’m fine,” Applejack said.

“Ah’m sorry if this comes a bit out a the blue, dear, but Ah think ya should take the rest a the day off,” Granny stated.

“Why, Granny?” Applejack asked. “Don’t we need all the help we can git out here?”

“But ya’ve just fought a huge battle, sugarcube. Ah’ll be darned if ya don’t git those sore bones a yer’s some rest, an’ that’s final,” Granny insisted. “An’ it’s not just yer health. Ah’m also worried that yer burryin’ yer sadness in yer work, an’ while that may be all fine an’ dandy fer you, Ah don’t think it’s right.”

“Granny, Ah’m not hidin’ anythin’,” Applejack persisted, getting up.

“Ya are,” Granny said. “We all know ya feel guilty for some a the mistakes ya’ve made out there. Well, missy, if ya don’t get them out a yer system right now, they’re just gonna come back and haunt ya later. Mark mah words.”

Applejack took a deep breath. “We need ta stick together, the Apple Family,” she finally said. “Like glue, Granny. And Ah’ll be willin’ to have a therapy session with ya, just after Ah’m finished workin’, ya hear me?”

Granny nodded. “You better hold tight ta that promise,” she said before walking off.

“Sure, Granny,” Applejack mumbled, returning to her work. She nibbled on a piece of straw and sighed. “Sure.”

=====================================================================

Scootaloo sat on her cot in Sweetie Belle’s room. It’s nice of Rarity to let me stay, she thought. She laid down and buried her head in her pillow, sorrow overtaking her thoughts. ...I miss Saphira...

Sweetie Belle walked in, dragging Scootaloo’s suitcase. “That’s about it, Scootaloo. Anything else?”

Scootaloo didn’t answer. She didn’t even turn to face Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo and sighed. Not again, she thought. She just won’t let it go. How close could they have possibly become in that amount of time? She laid down next to Scootaloo. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Scootaloo answered.

“Scootaloo...” Sweetie Belle sighed. “It’s about Saphira, isn’t it?”

Scootaloo pressed her head harder into her pillow.

“This isn’t healthy,” Sweetie Belle said. “It’s been almost a week, and you’re still having episodes. It has to stop.”

“No,” Scootaloo said, angrily turning to face Sweetie Belle. She wiped her eyes. “You have no idea how much pain I’m in right now!”

“I do,” Sweetie Belle said. “You were like this after Apple Bloom d-...” she trailed off.

Scootaloo laughed a bit. “See there? You still don’t even believe she’s dead. Well, where’s Apple Bloom now, Sweetie Belle? Where’s Sa-Saphira...?” her voice cracked, and she buried her head in her pillow. “I was supposed to p-protect h-her...” she cried.

Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo a hug. “Scootaloo, there was nothing you could do. Don’t blame yourself.”

“Then who am I supposed to blame? Applejack?” Scootaloo asked resentfully.

“No,” Sweetie Belle said. “Blame Deception and all the awful things she’s done to Equestria. She’s the one that made Applejack do what she did.”

Scootaloo once again buried her head in her pillow. “Go away, Sweetie Belle. Leave me alone.”

“Scootaloo, I want to help you,” Sweetie Belle argued.

“I said leave me alone,” Scootaloo insisted.

Sweetie Belle got up. “...Okay, Scootaloo. If that’s what you want.” She exited the room.

=====================================================================

“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” the crowd cheered as Dash paraded around Fillydelphia.

When they said they were going to throw me a party, I didn’t expect a parade! Dash laughed to herself as a marching band played a song dedicated to her. These ponies are awesome!

After the festivities and some other ceremonies, Dash walked up to the statue built in her name. The inscription read: Rainbow Dash, the Savior of Fillydelphia during the War of Discord.

Dash shook her head. “Jeez, are these ponies... naïve,” she muttered, not loud enough for anypony to hear. “I haven’t saved these ponies. I mean, I will, but I haven’t yet. There’re still things that need to be taken care of. Some loose ends. But,” she said as a filly ran up to her and hugged her leg, “this is the best thank-you ever!”

=====================================================================

Twilight walked into Fluttershy’s home and began helping her clean up the mess. However, just as they were wrapping up, a small white puffball bounded into the room.

“A-Angel?” Fluttershy asked. Angel was her pet bunny, the same one she had been worried about ever since her adventure started. “Oh, I missed you so much!”

Twilight stared in awe at the little companion that was cradled in Fluttershy’s legs. “But that’s not possible...” she said. “There’s no way he could have survived for three years; it goes against all probability!”

Fluttershy softly cried as she hugged the little bunny that she had known for most of her life. “Don’t try to explain it, Twilight,” she said, popping the little bunny onto her head and giggling, joy flooding her system. “Some things are just miracles.”

Twilight was in shock for a moment, but she gradually collected herself and smiled a bit. I guess she’s right.

Spike stepped into the room. “Twilight, you wanted my help?”

“Sure, Spike,” Twilight said with a cheery smile. I raised him from an egg, and he’s almost as tall as I am now... Guess there won’t be any more piggy-back rides. “We’re just cleaning up. Did Luna send you those papers I asked her to?”

“What papers?” Spike asked.

“You’re getting home-schooled, Spike,” Twilight said. “What, you think I’d let you slide by without an education?”

It dawned on Spike. “Um... I’ll look into that,” he said apprehensively. He blinked. “Oh, and Olly asked if he could help run the library.”

“Sure!” Twilight said. “He’ll be a great help, I’m sure.” He’s quite the character, even with his amnesia. Or maybe because of it. Anyway, I’m happy to have him room with us.

Spike suddenly exhaled a burst of green fire. “Hrgh,” he said, rubbing his neck. “That’s the first letter in a while. It’s probably from Luna.”

Twilight read the letter aloud. “The Elements of Harmony and all those that journeyed with them are invited to a celebration on their behalf to commemorate the saving of Equestria. Sounds important, and it begins tomorrow.”

“I’ll start getting ready right away,” Fluttershy said.

=====================================================================

*******

In the now rebuilt throne room, the Elements of Harmony and their friends walked down an honor guard. Hundreds of ponies cheered them on from outside the throne room, and dozens of nobles smiled upon them from inside. Dash was glowing red from all of the energy placed upon her, and she had the widest grin of anypony in the room, her red eyes ablaze with excitement.

“It is here that we honor the Elements of Harmony, their friends, and those past that have helped them,” Luna stated. Her horn glowed.

Four caskets appeared in the center of the room. One had a crescent moon and wand on the top, and was colored blue and purple. One was colored a light blue and had a rubber band on the top. The next was blood-red, and had a sharp blade carved into the top. The last was blue-green, with theatrical masks on the top.

Twilight came up and touched her horn to the first casket, honoring Trixie. “I wish you the best, wherever you are. Without you, we never would have had the courage to stand up to the Daymare. May you rest in peace.”

Scootaloo came up and bowed her head to the deep blue coffin. “You were the closest to a sister I’ll ever get. You helped me through the toughest time in my life, and without you I would probably be dead. I will make sure Deception pays for this. I swear it.”

Dash came up and paid her respects to the red casket. “You fought like a warrior and stayed loyal to your leader. I may not have agreed with you, but you were a real challenge, and although I didn’t know you well, I do know that you battled with pride. Rest in peace, and I hope you’re happy wherever you are.”

Rarity came up to Lorey’s casket. It was empty, but fulfilled a symbolic purpose. “I am sorry for the crimes Discord has committed against you and your daughter. I will not allow your body to be used for selfish means. You fought off Deception for much longer than any of us could have, and I am deeply sorry for your loss.”

Luna stepped forward, using telekinesis to hover a box to Applejack’s hooves. Applejack removed her hat, and took a bright red bow out of it--the same bow she had kept through all of her struggles since its owner had died. Struggling not to cry, Applejack placed the bow in the box, which had the words ‘Apple Bloom’ inscribed in cursive on the top.

“Sorry, sis,” Applejack said quietly to the box. “Ah was too late. But Ah’ll never forget ya. Never, ever.”

Luna nodded. Her horn glowed and the caskets disappeared. “Those who were lost will not be forgotten. The royal mausoleum is open to any of you if you want to pay your respects.”

Celestia motioned for the Elements to line up, with Olly and the two teenagers to the side.

“Here’s my present to you, Rarity,” Celestia said, using telekinesis to open a container filled to the brim with the most expensive and exotic cloth and materials money could buy. “I would have given you a dress, but I think you would prefer making one of your own.”

“Princess,” Rarity gasped, feeling the materials. “Is this... Is this really mine?”

“Of course!” Luna chuckled slightly. “This box contains the finest silk, thread, and adornments. Please, craft a dress for yourself; I would hate for such beautiful materials to go to waste on the highest bidder.”

Rarity took the case and hugged it dearly. Blue with red stripes going down the sides, and a sky-blue scarf... Maybe I need less contrast? No, I can make it work. Hmm, should I use yellow instead of red? Maybe if I...

Luna motioned to Applejack. She levitated a seed packet over to the orange earth pony. “These seeds are magically enhanced; they will grow in a day and deliver twice the amount of apples as a normal tree. The trees grown are only enchanted for about a week, but that should be enough to get your business back on its hooves.”

Applejack nodded and put the seeds in her saddlebags. “Thank ya kindly, Princess.”

Dash’s turn. Celestia turned around and whistled. Five goggled pegasi, each wearing blue jumpsuits with a lighting bolt pattern on them, walked up in front of the group. “Meet your new team.”

Dash was starstruck; it was the Wonderbolts, the group she had been trying to get into for the entirety of her life. “For real?!”

Their apparent leader, Soarin’, a light blue pegasus with a dark blue mane, stepped forward. “Yep. We lost Spitfire in the attacks,” he said sadly, “but we would be more than willing to make you an honorary member.” He tossed Dash a uniform. “We can start whenever you like.”

Dash stared at the uniform at her feet. Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh… She jumped up in the air and did a triple backflip. “Yes! Yes! Do you even have to ask? Yes!” She was walking on air the rest of the day.

It was Pinkie’s turn. Celestia took out a case of potions. “These potions can make any sweet, like chocolate, last forever. If you put one in your mouth after having applied a potion, you can suck on it all you like, and it will never get smaller, ever. Just be careful not to swallow.”

Pinkie took the potion pack and put it in her saddlebags, already daydreaming about the type of sweets she would use the potions on.

Fluttershy’s reward was next. Luna opened up a cage, and out popped a beautiful red, orange, and yellow bird with smooth feathers that resembled flames. It was Celestia’s, or rather Arrogance’s, pet phoenix, Philomena.

“To be honest with you, I have absolutely no idea what I would do with a phoenix,” Celestia chuckled. “Until I figure it out, you can keep her, Fluttershy. A noble pet for a noble mare.”

Philomena swooped over and set herself on Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy giggled and brushed her head up against the bird affectionately. “Thank you, Princess.”

Twilight was the last of the Elements, and was eager to get her reward. Luna stepped forward, levitating a book in front of her. Ancient scripture and dark symbols adorned the tome that was rapidly falling apart.

“The dark art of Necromancy is something we never dare teach our students,” Luna said. “I hope you will learn as much as you can about it, because it is the most effective device at getting rid of Discord’s stolen bodies. Be sure never to attempt a spell before you know you’re prepared. Of all magical arts, Necromancy has the most dangerous and irreversible side effects.”

Twilight took the aged book and stared at it with awe. “Are you sure I’m ready, Princess?”

“You don’t have to answer to us anymore,” Luna said. “You are the Element of Magic, supreme law of the land. Nopony is more capable of handling this magic.”

Twilight nodded and extremely carefully placed the book in her saddlebags, making sure it was secure and would not be damaged by anything else she was carrying.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were next.

“I think you’ve missed quite enough school.” Celestia raised an eyebrow at the sheepish teens. “I will grant you full amnesty for that alone, and give you our most qualified tutor in order to help you catch up. It will be a lot of work, but if you can pull through, you will finish your entire schooling in about... six months or so. Give or take a week.”

Scootaloo was a bit disappointed, but Sweetie Belle simply nodded. “Thank you, Princess.”

“Oh, I’m not done,” Celestia said, levitating a box toward the teens. “Step forward, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Oliver.” She opened the box, and inside were three exquisite medals with Equestria’s coat-of-arms emblazoned on the front. “Each of you receives a Medal of Valor, Equestria’s highest honor, for outstanding courage, bravery, and spirit in desperate times.”

Celestia stuck the medals to each of their chests with a bit of magic, and they stepped back in line, extremely pleased with what they had accomplished.

“You may return home. The celebration is in a few hours; you may want to prepare,” Luna said.

Thoroughly fulfilled, the Elements of Harmony and their cohorts left the room. All of them, that is, except Twilight.

“Twilight…” Celestia began. “There is something that we have to show you.”

=====================================================================

*******

In Fillydelphia, Twilight was led down the same narrow and ancient corridor that she had before, when she had gone to the Gateway. They were clearly headed to that sacred place under Fillydelphia. However, Luna and Celestia’s demeanor suggested that they were not going there to contact Obsidian, and Twilight soon saw why.

The grass around the Gateway had dried up and died; the room was now dark. The sacred water that had once filled the Gateway fountain had disappeared.

“What…?” Twilight asked. “Why is the water gone?”

Luna pointed to the top of the fountain. “Deception has removed the source of the holy waters.”

“The source?” Twilight asked.

“When the Queen of Harmony was killed, she was split into three pieces,” Luna said. “One of them was the good that was in her heart. It powered the Gateway. The other, the evil side of her heart, the side that was corrupted by darkness, however little, is what fuels the Lock. The third part, her will and consciousness, formed a black diamond called the Willpower. We do not know where it is, though, or what it does, exactly.”

“And Deception stole the source?” Twilight tilted her head to one side. “How do you know it was her?”

“She is the only one that would be able to get this close without anypony noticing,” Celestia scowled. “I hate her so much, you don’t even know. She could be any one of us, and we would have no idea. Even worse is the fact that she has kept Obsidian from teaching you how to realize your Potential.”

Twilight bit her lip. This is bad. “Is there any way to root out Deception?”

“No, not without hurting innocent ponies and wasting our time,” Luna sighed. “I have developed a spell that might help; it will alert you when any of your team members die.”

“How would that help?” Twilight asked.

“Deception often uses the cover of sleep to depart her disguised body and sneak into another,” Luna explained. “However, she will not be able to take out any of your group if she can’t kill any of them without us knowing. At the very least, it might catch her off guard. Be on the lookout for her, though; she has outwitted the smartest of foes.”

“Yes,” Celestia added. “The most paranoid ponies can sometimes trust Deception for the briefest moment before she backstabs them. Never let your guard down, for she is not only a game-changer, but a sadist that will stop at nothing to make your lives miserable. Trust me to the letter when I say that Deception is the single most dangerous Element of Discord in Equestria, and I mean no offense when I say this, Twilight, but she is much smarter than you ever will be.”

Twilight took no offense, but what Celestia said made her that much more frightened. “But what can she do, really?” Twilight asked. “You said that she could stab us in the back, but do you mean that literally?”

Luna sighed. “The Elements of Harmony have a very large weakness which Deception was able to exploit in the Dark Times: She can break ponies’ hearts by having her target fall in love with her and then brutally ending the affair. Loyalty is especially vulnerable to this because the way Deception’s mind works is so foreign to him.”

“And what happens if a pony’s heart is broken?” Twilight asked.

“…They die,” Celestia finally said. “Nopony can survive a broken heart, least of all the Elements of Harmony. It is Deception’s final slap in the face to her victims, and she has humiliated the Elements of Harmony several times using this tactic. Too many times,” she gritted her teeth.

“But what’s her plan now? Why not just kill us?” Twilight asked.

“Deception doesn’t want to kill you because then the Elements of Harmony would be reincarnated into new bodies,” Luna said. “We think that Deception wants to permanently disable the Elements of Harmony by some means, but I honestly don’t know if that is possible. But it must be, otherwise Deception never would have let you live this long.”

“So what do we do now? Why are you allowing life to return to normal if everypony is still in danger?” Twilight asked.

“Because a simple barrier won’t hold back the next wave of Discord,” Luna explained, “Guilt and Hate.”

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

*******

The Royal Garden was probably the only part of Canterlot that was spared from the Daymare’s wrath. That was for a very specific reason; a reason that a pony, with a white cloak over her head and a smug grin on her face, was about to illustrate in full splendor.

The pony walked up to a particular statue. It was of a creature that looked as though its body parts had all been taken from various animals and sewn together haphazardly. The creature had a horse-like head with both a deer antler and a goat horn, one fang and a small beard hanging off its chin. His four appendages were an eagle’s talon, a lizard’s leg, a goat’s leg, and a lion’s paw. He had a snake’s tail, a dragon’s wing, and a black pegasus’s wing.

It was a draconequus, and one that was posed very theatrically, as if it were singing an opera solo in front of a grand audience.

The pony walked up and touched the statue’s base. It glowed, and cracks started to appear along the statue, spreading up its chest and to its now glowing eyes. Slowly, as the statue shed what appeared to be only an outer layer of stone, the original being revealed itself from underneath.

The creature stretched and yawned. “Five thousand years…” he said, “will give you such a crick in the neck!” The surrounding space seemed to warp and twist for a moment before returning to its natural state.

The pony smiled. “It’s been a long time, Discord. I trust you are well?”

The draconequus, Discord, scowled. “Yes, because plaster is so wonderful for the skin. You left me here for eons, Mistress, how do you think I feel?”

The pony, Mistress, laughed, though her laugh was sharp and biting. “I think you feel spectacular, what with the calcium carbonate laced into your pelt. Do not take me for a fool, Discord. I know exactly how your nerves are generating emotions at present, and I also know what you’re capable of... provided you do not let those trivial chemicals interfere.”

“You want me to mess around with those Elements again, don’t you? Because I hardly believe you’d release me simply to discuss the weather,” Discord sneered. A plum emerged from of a nearby daisy, and Discord popped it between his jaws. Swallowing, he said, “I know your game, my lady. I have played it myself, and it is not a game I usually win.”

“Well, the odds are quite with me, true,” Mistress admitted, “but my games, you see, are not things that simply end and begin.”

“I am aware,” Discord said. “You shouldn’t take me for a fool, either. What’s your proof that we aren’t destined to lose, however? How do I know that this ‘grander scheme’ is the horse’s bray like you say it is?”

“Because I know exactly how the Elements process data, and I shall use that to my advantage as I take them down one by one,” Mistress smirked.

“Oh, yes, your typical thing, right?” Discord folded his arms. “Give me a break. So you gave the Elements some boo-boos. Big deal! They always come right back and ruin all the fun.”

“But…” Mistress said, “what if they don’t come back...?”

Discord raised an eyebrow. “Alright, fine. How in Equestria do you plan to turn that fantasy into the glorious reality you see in that pretty head of yours?”

“It’s actually quite simple, really,” Mistress grinned.

Continue the adventure:
Guilt and Hate

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Thank you all for reading! Let me know what you think of the story in a comment or a private message. I'll be sure to respond! And above all, have a pleasant day.

Chapter One

[Note:] This story has a background music system intended to enhance the reading experience. The system is completely optional, so if you do not wish to utilize it, please ignore this note and the prompts that accompany it.

In order to use this music system, follow these two simple prompts as they appear throughout the story:
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*******: Stop the music currently playing.

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Chapter One

*******

Picking up a pencil between his teeth, an earth pony penned down the final words of his novel and closed the tome that contained it.

He spit out pencil and sighed. Maybe, in a thousand years or so, I’ll get around to editing it. He stood up and opened his tattered curtains, grunting as pale yellow sunlight glanced over his eyes. Squinting, he carefully estimated the position of the sun. Midcentury already? Hmm...

The stallion glanced at the cracked glass for a moment, then closed the curtains again. He ambled to the stairs and descended, deep in thought. Where could they possibly be? It’s not like them to wait this long to meet me. Not in this time of crisis.

Magical text peeled from the wall. It was brightly colored, and vibrated as the stallion approached. The runes danced about the stallion, but he swatted them aside like flies. They lost their luster and faded into ashes at the stallion’s touch.

Surely the new vessels should be here shortly, the stallion thought as he trotted down the spiral staircase. I wonder if Celestia forgot to introduce them to me? That’s very improbable... but then, where are they?

The stallion paused. He shook his head, disregarding a thought. They are well protected from attack. Besides, I would know if they were in danger. Absentmindedly, he gazed out the window at the towers that lazily twirled higher into the desert sky. Soon, however, he recovered himself and continued briskly on his way.

He occasionally mumbled something to himself. Doubts, worries, fears, and hopes all danced about the stallion’s lips as he continued through the structure. All the while, the runes were watching. They murmured amongst themselves, but didn’t usually bother the stallion.

After he had reached his destination, a large, dark room at the bottom of the complex, the stallion paused for a moment to catch his breath. He approached a large, nearly flat bowl in the center of the room. It was about a meter in diameter, and filled with musty, stagnant water.

“Ostendite mihi Harmonia Elementorum,” the stallion said. He waited for several minutes, anxiously tapping his hoof on the tattered carpeting. Finally losing his patience, he shouted, “I said, Ostendite mihi Harmonia Elementorum!”

A chattering noise could be heard as rainbow-colored runes started to seep from the walls and floor, drifting to the bowl of water in the center of the room. The water glowed brightly for a moment, but gradually began to display an image. Eagerly, the stallion looked upon the water’s reflection. He arched his eyebrows in surprise, though, at the picture he saw.

They’re still in that puny town? he laughed to himself. That’s an odd style of training if I’ve ever seen one. I wonder what Celestia’s thinking, keeping them confined like that? She promised that she’d raise them to fight off the return of my siblings.

After a few moments, the water vibrated. Sparks shot off the surface of the pool, their intensity seeming to increase. The stallion jumped back and yelped as the bowl erupted in flames. The magical designs that had powered the reservoir scattered about the room, some of them dissolving into ashes.

“Huh?” the stallion asked hesitantly. When the flames didn’t dissipate, he yelled, “Redintegro hoc vox iam!”

The flames froze in midair. The runes, in a somewhat orderly fashion, crept back into the reservoir. Within a few moments, the room had been returned to its original state.

I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like that, the stallion thought. He glanced at his scrying glass, but his expression was more curious than frightened. There’s unstable magic in the town. Perhaps I should give it a rest for the time being.

A few hours later, his curiosity eating away at him, the stallion hastily prepared his glass once more. He silently gazed into the waters, his eyes narrowing at what he saw. I was right; the magic is deteriorating, and fast. At this rate...

Some of the runes seeped out of the fountain. Chattering slightly, they swirled around the room. The pony glared at them. “Go if you wish, but that means I’m dealing this Friday.”

The runes abruptly vanished. The mandolin the stallion was carrying slowly lifted off of his back, glowing with magic from an unknown source.

I know I’ll be covering for your foalishness by the day’s end, the stallion thought. The Elements of Harmony don’t take kindly to intrusions.

=====================================================================

*******

Twilight’s eyes creaked open, and she shifted in her soft bed. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes.

“...promised that she’d raise them to fight off the return of my siblings.”

Twilight jumped, turning to face the wall of her bedroom. Nopony was there. That’s... strange, she thought. She slowly stepped out of bed and touched her hooves to the floor of her bedroom. The sun was peeking in through the windows, its rays glancing off of Twilight’s haphazard bed-mane.

Twilight’s horn glowed as she used telekinesis to levitate a brush to her hair, but a spark of magic ignited and exploded in a flash of light. “Ack!” she yelped, bringing a hoof to her forehead and collapsing.

As the pain faded, Twilight lied on the hardwood floor in shock. My... My magic isn’t really that unstable, is it? But what else could it have been? She glanced nervously at her comb, which had clattered to the floor as she lost control of her ability. Maybe I’ll comb it later.

Thoroughly woken up, Twilight walked out of her bedroom and into the center of her home, heading toward the kitchen.

“Twilight? You awake?” Spike called from near the front of the house.

“Yes, I’m just making breakfast,” Twilight called back, her horn glowing slightly as she used telekinesis to crack eggs and pour milk into a mixing bowl. “What do you need?”

“About time,” Spike called, laughing. “Rarity’s here to see you.”

“Give me a minute,” Twilight called back, looking out the window. The sun was about a quarter of the way across the sky. I guess I slept in.

Setting the mixture on the counter to finish later, Twilight cantered to the front door and let Rarity in. “Hi, Rarity. How are you?”

“Goodness, you’re a fright!” the white unicorn exclaimed, glancing at Twilight’s hair. “Did a manticore attack your mane, darling?”

“Oh, I forgot! Sorry about that,” Twilight apologized, hastily attempting to pat down her cowlick with little success. “I just got up.”

“It’s a little late to just be waking up,” Rarity began, “but I suppose I shouldn’t criticize you about that, because I slept in as well. Had Sweetie Belle not been my alarm, I may have slept well into the afternoon.”

“Really?” Twilight asked. “Well, anyway, was there something you needed from me, Rarity?”

“Well, I was in the park looking for inspiration for a dress, you see. Out of absolutely nowhere, Pinkie came barrelling toward me, rambling on about some celebration that she need our help for,” Rarity explained. “She nearly knocked me over.”

“I’ll be over as soon as soon as I have breakfast,” Twilight said, mentally checking if she had anything else planned that day. “Do you know where it is?”

“Over at Fluttershy’s. Don’t be long, darling,” Rarity finished before departing. “And make sure you don’t forget to fix your mane. I won’t have any friend of mine waltzing around Ponyville with such a horrendous hairdo.”

Twilight said goodbye to Rarity and finished making breakfast, putting the leftover batter in the refrigerator. After she adjusted her mane, she grabbed a small pocketbook and quill, recording where she was going in her schedule. She was about to leave, but something occurred to her.

Hmm, Twilight pondered. Maybe I should write down what happened in the morning. It might be worth looking up. She flipped back to the current day in her schedule and found that what she had entered moments before had vanished. Huh? I didn’t use invisible ink, did I? Double-checking that she had written both down, she set the book on the counter and walked outside.

A brisk morning breeze welcomed her, and Twilight inhaled refreshing, cool air as layers of sleep slowly lifted off her pelt. Her ear twitched; Ponyville was unusually quiet. There aren’t any birds singing.

A blue pegasus mare, Rainbow Dash, walked up to Twilight on her way to Fluttershy’s house. “Hey, Twilight. You helping out with the party, too?”

Twilight nodded. “Uh-huh. Hey, Dash, did you notice anything different about Ponyville today?”

*******

Dash didn’t answer. Twilight turned toward her and jumped back in fright. Dash was frozen in place, as if time had suddenly stopped.

Twilight glanced around. Ponyville suddenly felt insufferably hot. She cringed and blinked as sand was thrown into her eyes, carried by the increasing wind that threatened to form into a gale.

Twilight was forced to look at the ground as the sandstorm increased in ferocity. Sand completely blotted out her vision as she felt a gust of wind plow her into the ground. What’s going on?! she yelled to herself, desperately trying to rid herself of the unbearable pain assaulting her from all sides. There was a bright light, then darkness.

=====================================================================

Twilight’s eyes creaked open, and she shifted in her soft bed. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes.

She slowly stepped out of bed, her hooves softly touching the floor of her bedroom. The sun began to poke through an overcast sky to reach Twilight’s bedroom.

A bright flash of light blasted Twilight onto the floor. Yelping, she braced herself as she was tossed to the side. Grunting in pain, she got up and hurriedly looked around. Ugh... I wasn’t even using magic that time.

Wait, Twilight thought. ‘That time?’ I don’t remember anything like this happening before...

Twilight looked suspiciously at her brush. Maybe it had something to do with- She shook her head, interrupting the thought. Why am I scared of an inanimate object?

She scratched her forehead. Memories slowly started to trickle back into her mind, like water in a leaky pipe. That... That was just a nightmare, wasn’t it? She glanced around. Her surroundings suddenly seemed much less homey.

Maybe I’m just feeling a little Déjà vu. That’s it, Twilight thought as she cautiously walked downstairs. For some reason, every board was creaking as if it was about to snap.

“Twilight? You awake?” Spike called from near the front of the home.

“Huh?” Twilight asked. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“Whatdaya mean?” Spike asked.

“I mean, when my magic malfunctioned and I was blown across my bedroom?” Twilight asked. “Didn’t you hear me yell?”

“No...?” Spike trailed off, walking into the kitchen. “Are you sure you’re alright, Twilight?”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Twilight answered. There’s no way he couldn’t have heard that. I shook the entire house.

Spike shifted nervously. “Um, w-well, Rarity’s at the front door, but if you don’t want to see her...”

“No, I’ll see her,” Twilight said, pushing past Spike to the exit. Frowning, she paused, hesitant to open the door. Something here isn’t right; I’m just not sure what. It could just be me. Still, though... maybe I should test it, to see if it really was just a nightmare.

“Hi, Rarity. How are you?” Twilight asked, repeating the exact same thing she had said the day before.

“Goodness, you’re a fright!” the white unicorn exclaimed, glancing at Twilight’s hair. “Did a manticore attack your mane, darling?”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Twilight apologized, though she didn’t pay any heed to her hairdo. This is really, really strange. Why did she repeat it just as I remember? “I just got up.”

“It’s a little late to just be waking up,” Rarity began, “but I suppose I shouldn’t criticize you about that, because I slept in as well. Had Sweetie Belle not been my alarm, she probably would have been late for school.”

Twilight stepped back. “Okay, Rarity. I... I think something’s wrong.” She started pacing around the room, trying to make sense of the situation. “This entire day, from the time I woke up until now… it’s been an exact copy of the nightmare I’ve just had.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Twilight? Are you sure you’re not just feeling some Déjà vu, darling?”

“I can prove it,” Twilight stated. She ran upstairs to get her pocketbook, praying that the entries were there. They were, but now they completely covered the pages of her schedule. Every page now said the exact same thing; even the front and back covers displayed the same text she had written in her nightmare.

“You came to my house to ask me a favor,” Twilight began, levitating the book beside her and rushing down to the front door. “Pinkie Pie is arranging a party over at Fluttershy’s, right?”

Rarity stepped back, her eyes wide. “I was just about to say that exact thing!”

“That’s my point!” Twilight exclaimed, her breathing accelerating. “Rarity, something’s wrong. With this entire place. I…” Twilight’s horn began to glow with nervous energy; her eyes were wide with panic.

“Yes, darling, what is it?” Rarity asked, Twilight’s anxiety starting to rub off.

“Rarity, I don’t think we’re in Ponyville!” Twilight whispered.

Waves of dry heat started to ripple through the house. Particles of sand drifted through the air as windows rattled with the force of the wind. Twilight covered her eyes and yelled as a brilliant burst of light from outside blinded her. No, not again!

The tremors stopped suddenly. Twilight rubbed her eyes; it felt like she had stared directly into the sun. The air feels different, she thought. Thicker...? Twilight shifted, getting up and scanning the room for anything that could have caused such a quake. A thin layer of sand covered the floor.

“This has certainly been an eventful morning,” Rarity muttered, getting up and testing her limbs.

“Spike!” Twilight called, rushing into the other room. “Spike?”

He had vanished. Everything was deathly silent. Twilight frantically searched the library, her panic increasing with every empty, shattered room she found. “Spike’s gone!”

“Goodness!” Rarity exclaimed. “We should find the others. I agree with you, Twilight; something is seriously wrong.”

The two unicorns ran outside and were greeted with silence. It was quieter than a graveyard. The sun beat down on them with an unusual amount of heat. The pair stared at the sand dunes that were dotted around Ponyville, though there wasn’t any form of wind present.

“Everypony in the town has... they’ve just vanished,” Twilight murmured.

“Hey! Anypony there?” a familiar voice called.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, looking skyward. “Down here!”

The blue pegasus swooped down from high above. “Thank Celestia I found you. I was clearing some rain when everypony just vanished in this gigantic flash of light!”

“We saw it, too. Something is definitely wrong with this town,” Rarity said.

“You’re telling me,” Dash grumbled. “It’s like a desert out here. Literally.”

Rarity rubbed her chin, analyzing the situation. Now that I think about it, Ponyville has been strange lately. I don’t remember seeing Scootaloo when I dropped off Sweetie Belle... Come to think of it, the class looked half empty.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, either.” Twilight paused, biting her lip.

“What is it, darling?” Rarity asked.

She shook her head. “Hmm... Well, you’re going to think that I’ve lost my mind, but I don’t think we’re in Ponyville. Since when has sand just appeared out of thin air?”

“Well, yeah, that’s kinda weird,” Dash admitted, “but that doesn’t mean we’re not, um, here. Weirder things have happened, right?”

“Name one,” Twilight challenged.

Dash scratched the back of her neck. “Well, not off the top of my head or anything.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-” Twilight shook her head, trying to formulate her sentence. “From when I woke up until now, everything’s been the same as this dream I just had. I’m not sure that it was just a dream anymore, actually.” She shivered. “Not only that, but everypony besides the three of us has vanished.”

“Make that five!” Pinkie called. The pink earth pony bounded up with Fluttershy behind her. “Does anypony know what’s going on? I was just setting up streamers with Fluttershy when everything went ‘poof!’ There was a big flash of light and a BOOM and then everything went all crazily insanely weird!”

“If we knew, we would tell you,” Twilight sighed.

“There ya are,” a familiar orange earth pony said as she trotted to the group from a nearby street. “Anypony have any idea what the hay’s goin’ on? Half mah crop flat-out disappeared a few moments ago, and what’s left is half buried in sand.”

“Sorry, but I’m stumped,” Twilight admitted. “I woke up about ten minutes ago, just before all this started happening.”

“G-Girls?” Fluttershy stammered, trembling and urgently tapping Pinkie Pie’s shoulder. “We’re n-not alone…”

The group looked in the direction Fluttershy was pointing, but nopony was there.

“Um, Fluttershy?” Dash asked.

“No,” Fluttershy insisted. “Look.”

Text and symbols started to drift from buildings around Ponyville, but none of them even remotely resembled characters in the Equestrian alphabet. They glowed and pulsed with a variety of different colors as they piled along the ground. Bit by bit and piece by piece, they began to form a shape; that of a pony.

“Hello,” the shape began as its face was finally constructed. “I’m glad I could finally meet you. Real ponies are hard to come by where I’m from.”

“Wh-Who are you?” Dash asked. She swallowed her fear and asked more confidently, “And what are you talking about?”

I think I know it, somehow, Twilight thought, squinting through the bright yellow rays of sunlight which seemed to be getting brighter by the second. “Who are you?”

“My name kinda doesn’t exist, because I’m really only the shadow of a pony,” the figure stated. It lifted its leg, and the multicolored runes broke off and flew through the group, causing a variety of emotions as they struck the six friends. Sadness, anger, enthusiasm, determination, acceptance, forgiveness, and laughter all bounded through the group as the runes shot through their souls.

Fluttershy yelped as a rune seemingly ripped through her in a burst of icy cold desire. Pinkie giggled as she felt pride stroke her ego. Applejack glared at the runes irritably as Dash sighed in contentment.

“Just tell us who you are!” Rarity snapped, the runes having an effect on her as well.

It rolled its eyes. “Weren’t you listening? I’m not. If anything, I’m-” the figure cut itself off, as if it had bit its tongue.

“Then why are you here?” Twilight asked, though she could hardly keep a straight face through her grin. The runes must be causing all these annoying emotions!

“The Submaster wants to test you, so I’m here to retrieve you. It’s a little below my paygrade, but it’ll do for now,” the figure said. His supposed face shifted in what may have been a grin, but runes tumbled to the ground as he tried to make the expression.

“And what if we don't wanna be retrieved?” Applejack glared.

The figure shrugged, more runes flying off its shoulders and vanishing. “The world is collapsing. You don’t really have much of an option, do you?”

Twilight glanced around. The ground had started to vibrate, dust and particles starting to float in midair. In the distance, pillars of sand had started to shoot up into the sky, though they were rapidly approaching.

“You are the Elements of Harmony... right?” the figure asked.

“That’s us!” Applejack yelled, stepping forward. “An’ if you mess with me or any a my friends, yer gonna be hogtied so fast ya won’t know what hit ya! Now git us outta this mess!”

The figure shuddered as a sickly laughter weaved its way through the air. “Rather arrogant of you, Applejack. We’ll see about that, huh?”

We don’t have many options, Twilight thought nervously as the quaking ground increased in intensity. Houses in Ponyville had started to crack, splitting apart at the seams.

Fluttershy had her hooves pressed tightly over her eyes. “It’s all just a dream,” she muttered, hyperventilating slightly. “It’s all just a dream and when I wake up I will be in my bed in my house with Angel Bunny and all of my friends and, a-and...”

“Why does your ‘Submaster’ want to test us?” Twilight asked.

Part of the figure’s back broke off, and the characters floated in front of its supposed face. “Hmm... Says here he wants you to, ‘Prove that you can defeat your opposites and brave your weaknesses. Only then will I see if you can best the worst and traverse what hurts.’ Simple enough, when you get right down to it. It really just boils down to escaping the void.”

The sand columns were approaching. Far off in the distance, a great tidal wave of sand was rushing toward the group at blinding speeds. The ground was vibrating so rapidly that it was hard for Twilight to keep her balance.

“It isn’t simple!” Twilight argued. “Why is this happening? Why did I have a nightmare about this? Who are you?!” she exclaimed.

“Look, it’s either survive or not. I’m trying to throw you a bone here,” the figure argued. “Look, as soon as he decides if you’re ready or not, you’ll be put right back home. Promise, okay?”

A gust of fiercely hot wind washed over the group. Twilight flinched as sand flew into her eyes.

“Looks like time’s nearly up,” the figure observed, glancing behind itself. The columns were steadily demolishing what remained of Ponyville. The figure offered its hoof. “Last chance.”

Twilight shook her head in agitation, knowing she was running out of time, and fast. “Can you at least tell us your name?” she pleaded.

The figure thought for a moment. “Hmm... I’d have to think about it. In the meantime...” it trailed off, motioning to its outstretched hoof.

Sighing in exasperation, Twilight took the figure’s hoof. Nothing happened. The tidal wave of sand would be upon them in moments, and the columns of sand were mere meters away.

“What are you waiting for?” Rarity asked. “Do something!”

The figure’s expression was hard to place, but it may have been smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, well... It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

With that, a column of sand sprang up beneath the figure, shattering it and scattering the runes it was composed of. As a rune flew through the retreating Twilight, a burst of fury surged through her.

“That idiot! He just left us here to... to...!” she seethed.

A rune sailed through Dash, who promptly dove under Fluttershy. “Hide me!”

“Ah think ya’ll are overreactin’,” Applejack yawned. Snapping out of the runes’ spell, she asked hurriedly, “Any ideas, Twi?”

Twilight stared at the tidal wave of sand that was about to bury Ponyville. “...Hold our breath.”

As soon as the desert plowed into them, they heard a light tune, that of a string instrument.

Hmm, my name... a voice echoed through the darkness. I guess you could call me Verba.

=====================================================================

*******

Rarity moaned softly as she regained consciousness. She stood up, testing her limbs. Nothing seemed to be broken, but there were various dark indigo marks on her legs.

She halfheartedly glanced at her surroundings, noticing that her friends were gradually recovering their consciousness as well. She was in a grand hall; a single room of what may have been a castle long ago. Golden sunlight shone from outside, casting a dancing reflection on the aged red carpets and ancient gold thrones. The marble floors and columns only added to the atmosphere of what looked to be one of the most extravagant places in Equestria.

It would have been beautiful; however, the cracked marble floor was covered in sand. The tapestries and carpets were falling apart at the seams. Dust and dirt blew in from broken windows. The one room she had landed in was just that; a single chamber surrounded by the desert winds.

Pinkie rubbed her head. “That was some fall we took, huh?”

“No kidding,” Dash muttered, stretching her wings. “What’s that thing’s beef with us, anyways?”

“Hey, wh-where’s Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

The group looked around. Twilight was nowhere to be seen.

“I bet it took her!” Dash growled. “Where are you hiding Twilight?!” she yelled at the ceiling.

“I can wait for her, i-if that’s alright with you,” Fluttershy suggested.

“She’s probably just stuck somewhere else in this place,” Rarity assumed. “Chances are, we’ll run into her later. Um... does anypony know where we are, exactly?”

“Beats the hay outta me,” Applejack grumbled. “This don’t look like Canterlot or any a those big fancy palacey things Ah read ‘bout in storybooks. Come ta think a it, this place don’t look like it’s in the finest a shapes.”

“Well, I can agree with you there,” Rarity nodded. “This place looks like it’s been abandoned for quite a while. It’s a little... out of date,” she continued, glancing at the pictures woven into the carpets and tapestries. They depicted grand battles between mages and knights, kings and princes, and incredibly muscular warriors.

“Why is everything so... floaty?” Pinkie asked, staring at the curtains. They appeared to be hovering a bit in midair, as if a wind was blowing when they somehow froze. When she pawed at them, they fluttered a bit before coming to a rest. She tried to grab them, but they turned to dust in her hooves. She tasted the powder for a moment before coughing it out. “Drat! Everything’s so topsy-turvey in this place, I thought it would’ve been sugar!”

“Anypony remember why we’re here?” Rarity asked.

“We have to be t-tested,” Fluttershy stammered, looking to be on the verge of panic. “What’s going on? Please, won’t somepony tell me?”

“If we knew, sugarcube, we’d tell ya,” Applejack said, stretching her neck from side to side.

“Hmm,” Rarity murmured, taking a look around. The door at the end of the hall was open. “Let’s go this way.”

They followed Rarity outside, stepping carefully over rotten fabric and keeping a sharp eye out for danger. When they looked around outside, they found that they were on an island in space, stranded on a giant desert rock suspended in a black vortex. The sunlight that had previously filled the surroundings abruptly vanished as they walked outside. It was replaced with dim lighting from an unknown source in the darkness. The wind that blew through the chamber they had just departed was all but nonexistent outside of it.

Five spindly stone paths wove their way from the island. One was deep purple, the next bright orange, then bright crimson, then light blue, and finally a light pink. Occasionally, a loose rock would break off of one of the paths and fall endlessly downward. Fluttershy resisted the urge to look over the edge to see how far down the fall was, but, in actuality, there was absolutely nothing to see.

“I must be dreaming,” Rarity moaned, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing an illusion. “Where in Equestria could we possibly be?!”

Dash carefully looked over the edge of the island and saw nothing but a dark abyss. “Well, uh... I dunno.”

“C-Can I just stay in the throne room? Where it’s, um... safe? Safer?” Fluttershy trembled.

“C’mon, Fluttershy! We might find candy! Or treasure, or gems, or even buried treasure candy gems!” Pinkie encouraged. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold hooves now; I’m just getting started!”

Fluttershy paused, looking at her hooves. “Well, um, where are we going first?”

“We don’t have much ta go on,” Applejack shrugged. “Might as well flip a coin.”

“Okay, does anypony have a five-sided coin on them?” Pinkie asked.

“Means it’s yer choice, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“Hmm... eeney, meeny, miney, moe!” Pinkie galloped off on the light blue path. The rest of the group ran after her, though Rarity practically had to drag Fluttershy onto the spindly path.

As the group moved onward, their destination came into clearer view. As the throne room slowly faded into blackness, a new shape could be seen on the horizon. It appeared to be a slightly blurry castle with various shapes dancing about. Hmm, Pinkie thought, pausing for a moment. It looks awfully familiar...

“Hurry up, girls!” Pinkie called as she ran along the bright blue path. It glittered as she approached.

“We almost there?” Applejack asked. “‘Cause Ah really wanna give that creepy pony a piece a mah mind.”

“Totally,” Dash agreed, jogging toward their destination. “He has serious issues, trapping us here.”

“You’ve got to take this more seriously!” Rarity chided. “It must have something to do with us being the Elements of Harmony; he mentioned that before. We should try to find out what!”

They approached the castle. The hazy image was barely recognizable once they were up close. “Whee! Let’s go!” Pinkie chirped excitedly as she ran into the hazy image.

“Um, is this thing solid?” Dash asked, pawing at the illusion. Suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain in her head. Yelling out in pain, the blue pegasus collapsed to the ground.

“You should not have followed her,” a voice whispered in the blue pegasus’s ears. However, this voice sounded nothing like Verba’s.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This story takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Please let me know if a link doesn’t work.

Cover image and illustration by Denial.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

*******

The Elements were wandering through the ruined halls of inner Canterlot until they finally came across the gate to the central portion of the city.

“This is the main castle,” Luna said. “The Daymare is inside.”

Just then, a red pegasus swooped down in front of the entrance.

“Heh, guess this is where it ends,” Lyvia muttered, but it was so quiet in the ruins that everypony heard her. “Either I die, or you die.”

“We don’t want to kill you,” Twilight said. “I’ll grant you full amnesty right now if you step aside and allow us to enter.”

Lyvia chuckled. “That simple, huh? Well, Twilight, right? There’s three reasons I became an assassin. One, I’m good at it. Two I enjoy it. Three, well, I’ve always felt the need to put you stubborn do-gooders to rest. Cheery attitudes just aren’t my thing. You say murder, I say population control, you know the drill. But I guess there are just some times you just have to lay your sword to rest.”

Lyvia plunked herself down square in front of the doorway. Tendrils of energy flew through the air, making the door and Lyvia’s life force one and the same.

Twilight gritted her teeth. This is a rock-and-hard place decision. If we let Lyvia be, we’ll sit here for the rest of our lives. The walls are magically reinforced in case of an attack, we’d never be able to knock them down. But if we try to kill her, we’ll only be proving the entire purpose of Discord. We won’t be any better than they are.

“Step aside,” Luna ordered.

“You and I both know that in order to get through this doorway, you’re going to have a take an innocent life,” Lyvia yawned.

Applejack snorted. “Innocent?”

Lyvia shrugged. “I’m not throwing any punches; you want to kill me, you kill me. And hey, I do deserve it, don’t I?”

Oh, great, Dash grumbled to herself. Loopholes 1-0-1.

“Your choice,” Lyvia said, stretching out on the floor, her belly to the ceiling. “I’m wide-open.”

“Coward,” Dash growled. “Why don’t you just fight us and get it over with?”

Lyvia shrugged. “I’m just not in the mood. There are days for slaughter and days for peace. For me? Well, it depends on how much time I have to buy for the higher-ups,” she smirked.

The group stood there for what seemed like hours before something happened.

“If you won’t throw the first punch, then I will!” the group heard somepony say.

A blue earth pony ran up and pounced on a slightly unprepared Lyvia. She tried her best to disable the mercenary, but Lyvia knew all her tricks, and she tossed her against a wall. “Saphira? What are you doing?!”

“Saphira?!” Rarity asked in shock.

An orange pegasus swooped along the side of a wall and dive-bombed Lyvia, but was still only able to throw a few punches, having lost the element of surprise.

“And Scootaloo!” Dash exclaimed, happiness flooding her system.

“Why, Saphira?” Lyvia asked in shock.

“B-Because I don’t want to kill any more ponies!” Saphira yelled. “I don’t want to have any more ponies d-die at my hooves. Please, Lyvia, you can help us win!”

Lyvia turned away, biting her lip and hiding her face from the group. She didn’t say anything for a few moments, but she didn’t lash out at Saphira in retaliation, either.

Is she... crying? Applejack thought, craning her neck.

“Don’t you understand?” Saphira asked earnestly. “You could have a life again. Like b-before the war.”

Lyvia laughed sadly, wiping her eyes. “Kid, you have no idea what my life was like before the war.” She turned around, slowly advancing on the young earth pony. “It was miserable. It was a waste. Just like yours is now!” she shouted, stomping her hoof on the ground in frustration. “You’re throwing your life away for these... these clowns!”

“They’re not c-clowns, they’re my friends!” Saphira defended.

“We were supposed to be sisters!” Lyvia yelled bitterly, blinking back tears. “Don’t you even care?”

“Lyvia, this isn’t the life I want to lead,” Saphira said. “N-Not anymore.” She walked up to Lyvia and looked up at her. “Please, Lyvia, don’t you understand?”

Lyvia closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she smacked Saphira clear across the room, where she fell to the ground limply.

“Saphira!” Scootaloo yelled to the fallen earth pony. She turned angrily to Lyvia. “She’s your friend! Can’t you see that she’s trying to help you?”

Lyvia stared at them. “I thought that she was different. I thought a lot of ponies were something greater than they actually were. Look where that’s gotten me. But y’know what? I’m done with this,” she said, fury alight in her eyes. “I’m through with every single pony in this miserable country you call Equestria!”

*******

Twilight and the others prepared for battle. This is the moment of truth, Twilight thought.

“I hope you realize that you’re all officially dead,” Lyvia snarled, preparing herself for an attack.

“Bring it on!” Dash yelled, igniting her mane.

Lyvia leapt up to the ceiling and dive-bombed Luna. The alicorn was able to deflect Lyvia with her magic, but this was just what the mercenary had hoped for. She used the extra propulsion to slice Applejack’s chest open, barely missing her neck.

“Man, are you bad at this!” She sneered at the wounded earth pony. “I’m two for two!”

Applejack leapt up at the mercenary, but Lyvia simply dodged and kicked the wounded mare aside. Dash swooped around the red marauder, but Lyvia swiped her metal-tipped hoof at Dash’s neck, earning Lyvia another scream for her collection. Lyvia then twisted Dash’s wing and kicked her to the floor.

Fluttershy caught Dash and set her down gently. The blue warrior’s flames had gone out when she went unconscious. Twilight and Rarity attacked the assassin with their magic, but it wasn’t enough, and Lyvia knocked both of them aside.

“Man, am I on a roll today!” she screeched, following up her attack on Twilight with a headbutt and a few deft swipes to her belly with blood-stained hooves.

“Get away from her!” Rarity screamed, attempting to run Lyvia off of Twilight, but the mercenary simply did a backflip and slammed Rarity into the ground. Lyvia’s heartbroken tears flew all over the room as the marauder continued to fight with all her passion and drive.

How could she be so skilled? Luna gasped as the Elements of Harmony, one by one, started to fall to the lone pegasus. The moon goddess took a brief moment of opportunity and trapped Lyvia in a bubble-shaped forcefield.

Lyvia started to bang on the magic, but Luna held the spell strong. Lyvia opened a compartment in her sharp metal hoof tips, and it sparked with electricity. Luna screamed in pain as the damaging energy shot through her bubble, destroying it and frying her horn.

“You think I hadn’t thought of that?” Lyvia asked, glowering upon the godess. “You pick up a few things working for an omnipotent goddess.”

Applejack, Twilight, Luna, Rarity, and Dash were down. The ones left, namely Olly, Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and Pinkie, did their best to defeat their adversary.

Olly levitated some shards of glass from the floor and tried to shoot them at Lyvia, but he didn’t have enough time to aim, and Lyvia either dodged them or deflected them with her metal-plated hooves. She got in close and smacked him to the side.

Fluttershy tried to get under Lyvia and attack her, but her attempts were feeble. Oldest trick in the book, Lyvia thought as she did a frontflip and slammed Fluttershy to the floor, where her vision blurred and her consciousness threatened to give in to the pain.

Scootaloo tried to dodge attacks by surfing along a wall with her frictionless hooves, but Lyvia quickly caught on and pinned Scootaloo by her wing to the wall, breaking the fragile appendage. Screaming in pain, Scootaloo fell to the floor.

“Sorry, kid,” Lyvia muttered, “but I know my place.”

As Lyvia looked for the others that were still standing, she was wrenched backward. Somepony had grabbed her mane and was holding on tight. Lyvia turned to try and find her aggressor, but she was unsuccessful until she flew into the air. Scootaloo, who had been clinging to her, lost her grip and slid down to Lyvia’s tail.

“Oh, so you wanna play?” Lyvia growled. She flipped, rocketing Scootaloo to the wall. However, Scootaloo was able to make use of the propulsion, slide up the wall, leap, and slam back into Lyvia.

Lyvia flew backward, yelling in pain as Scootaloo headbutted her, but the recoil was too much for a young pegasus to handle. Scootaloo fell to the floor, limp, this time for good. Lyvia wiped blood off the corner of her mouth. “Alright, gloves off!”

Lyvia landed and galloped toward Pinkie, who was completely unprepared for the sudden rush. With a buck to the chest and a hoof in the stomach, she was down, as well.

That left Sweetie Belle.

“You’re the last of ‘em, huh?” Lyvia growled, wiping her eyes. “I hope you know that I’m not going to enjoy killing you. But nopony seems to care ‘bout me, either. I tried to convince them that I wasn’t a monster, but they wouldn’t listen. That’s why I became one.”

Sweetie Belle was backed up to the wall. Rarity looked up to see her sister being slowly approached by the pegasus that obliterated their entire group, and suddenly felt an entire ocean of rage boil inside of her.

No! Not like the others! Not like Apple Bloom! Rarity screamed to herself, willing her body up. I won’t let her die!

“I wish you knew how much pain I felt when my friends first betrayed me three years ago,” Lyvia seethed. “It’s only gotten worse. I’ve been lied to left and right from then ‘til now. I tried giving everypony a second chance, but you give an inch, and they take a mile.”

Rarity silently limped up behind her assailant, and prepared herself.

“I hope you have fun wherever you’re going to end up,” Lyvia hissed, biting back tears. “It’s better than here... trust me.”

Sweetie Belle was pressed up against the wall, pure terror showing in her young eyes as tears fell down her face. No... I... I still have to save Apple Bloom...

“Get away from her!” Rarity screamed. Startled, Lyvia turned around, but that was just the opportunity Rarity was waiting for. She used her horn to slice open Lyvia’s neck.

But she didn’t stop there.

The screaming, enraged Rarity also followed up with a kick, further breaking Lyvia’s nose and sending her sprawling. Before she could recover, Rarity stabbed her horn into the marauder’s chest.

Panting, Rarity removed her blood-soaked horn from Lyvia’s body.

“No…” Lyvia murmured, her life slowly fading away. “Not like this…”

*******

Saphira got up and silently walked over to the bleeding Lyvia. “Lyvia...?” she asked, lying down by the dying pegasus. She took one of Lyvia’s hooves in hers. “Please, say something, Lyvia.”

Lyvia exhaled. “H-Hey, kid.”

“Y-You’re alright,” Saphira smiled, pressing her head against the bleeding pegasus.

“Not... not for long, Saphira,” Lyvia mumbled, her eyes beginning to glaze over.

“No, Lyvia, do-don’t say that!” Saphira said, her eyes watering.

Lyvia lifted one of her hooves up to Saphira’s cheek. “Sorry, Saphira... I can’t protect you anymore. I wish I was a better friend,” she said, before grunting and going limp. Her blood was rapidly forming a small pool.

“No, Lyvia, please stay alive, please!” Saphira begged, sobs shaking her tiny frame. “Lyvia...!”

“Chin up, kid,” Lyvia said weakly, her final tears sliding down her cheek. “We’re sisters, right? I’ll see you... see you again...” Then she was still. The shimmering force that had barred the way slowly evaporated as Lyvia took her last breath.

The battered and bruised party looked up at Rarity, who had finally ended the battle. But she had also ended something else; something she had never wanted to end. She had ended a life.

Am I the murderer now? Rarity thought to herself, staring at the body that laid in front of her. Two wrongs don’t make a right... They never make a right. “I’m so sorry, Saphira.”

“It’s not y-your fault,” Saphira whimpered, tightly hugging Lyvia’s body. “Sh-she tried to kill all of us. I just w-wanted her to b-be alive. I w-wa-wanted...” she trailed off, crying too hard to continue.

Sweetie Belle was still terrified, but was slowly beginning to calm down. The horror of the situation was starting to ebb.

The calm after the battle was unbearable. Everypony was just sitting there, waiting for something to happen. Perhaps Lyvia would just jump up and attack them all again. Perhaps the Daymare would revive her. But nothing did happen, and Lyvia’s bloodied and broken body would lay there, motionless, until somepony else removed it. Lyvia was dead.

Lyvia was dead.

Why...? Why do I feel the need to repeat that, over and over? Twilight thought as she stared at the blood-stained pelt of the fallen warrior. It all happened so quickly.

Are we going to have to do this again? Pinkie thought, looking away from the corpse in the center of the room. I’ve never seen Rarity get so upset.

Luna was the most shocked. The fact that Rarity could have so much rage inside her heart that she lost control of her actions and killed a pony... Taking a life is the most selfish thing anypony could ever do. You only get one.

This could happen to any of us, Dash thought. To kill a pony, whether they deserve it or not, is something we all might have to do. Over and over again. How are we supposed to live with ourselves after this is all over?

Slowly, though, the stunned group pulled itself together. They gathered in a bunch, and Sweetie Belle sang her song to alleviate the injuries the battle had inflicted on the group.

But there was still the question of Saphira.

“Can we trust her, Scootaloo?” Dash asked.

Scootaloo nodded, and showed her cutie mark to the group, her roller skate. “She helped me to get this.”

“You got your cutie mark?!” Dash asked in shock.

“Yep,” Scootaloo said. “Thanks to her,” she added, glancing at the quiet and somber earth pony sitting next to her.

“Well, why do ya want ta join the group?” Applejack asked.

“B…Be-Because you f-fight the good fight,” Saphira stammered. “I d-don’t want to live a li-life where I have t-to hurt ponies. Not like Lyvia...” she trailed off, struggling not to cry.

“Come here,” Fluttershy said, pulling the upset earth pony into a soft hug. “If you fight with us, then everything will be alright. I promise.”

“Th-Thanks,” Saphira murmured, though she didn’t make eye contact.

She’s holding something back, Applejack remarked. I can see it in her eyes. There’s something on their side that’s making her nervous of joining us, and it’s not Lyvia. Either that, or she’s lying, and I don’t think she is.

“Well, a friend a Scootaloo’s is a friend a mine,” Applejack finally said. “If we finish this battle, ya can come home with me until ya get settled.”

Saphira smiled. “Th-Thank you. I’ll fight my hardest, I promise.”

“Well, now that everything’s all hunky-dorey, I believe we have to exterminate Equestria’s biggest cockroach,” Olly said cheerfully.

“What would that make Envy?” Twilight asked.

“Equestria’s second-biggest cockroach,” Olly said.

Rarity nodded. She had wiped the blood off her horn. “Let’s go.”

Far above them, on a balcony, a blue-green unicorn was watching the group with a mix of expressions on his face, but most of them resembling remorse and guilt.

=====================================================================

Trixie stood outside the entrance to the Daymare’s throne room. I’m going to die soon, aren’t I? she silently asked herself. I’m sorry, Equestria, for failing you. I don’t want to fight against you, I don’t! But I can’t do anything else, except hope that I die. Hope that I make it easy for them. The chains around her hooves glowed with nervous energy.

Just then, Lorey jumped down from above. Trixie noticed, but didn’t lift her head up to meet his eyes.

That’s why she was moderately surprised when feeling flooded back into her legs and body.

“Go,” Lorey hissed. “I may not be able to outwit her spell for long, but you should have plenty of time to get to the Elements of Harmony before the spell kicks back in.”

Trixie stared at the now limp, mundane chains that hung at her hooves. They still glowed with a faint magical energy, but they no longer dictated her actions.

“Thank you,” Trixie said earnestly. “I’ll be sure to reward you for-”

“Hurry,” Lorey interrupted, looking at Trixie urgently. He vanished in a burst of magical energy.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This entire storyline takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.