Chapters Where in Equestria are we?
Vinyl Scratch, known far and wide by her alias DJ PON-3, sat on the outside patio of her favorite bar in Canterlot, the popular Drunken Mare. Yeah, it was a strange name for a bar that sat in the center of the capital of Equestria, but neither Princess Celestia nor her younger sister Princess Luna cared. The bar was always closed during the day and so Princess Celestia never got any trouble from it, but sometimes during the night the customers would see Princess Luna join them for an hour or two.
Vinyl smiled and took another sip of her drink, which happened to be cider from the last time Sweet Apple Acres made apple cider. Usually she chugged whatever she was drinking and went back for more, but tonight was different than the previous nights. Tonight would mark the beginning of something extraordinary, but it would be considered normal for Equestria due to all the chaotic creatures that had existed and were sealed away.
Vinyl sighed and downed the last of her cider, silently cursing herself for allowing her mind to wonder yet again. I need to be ready for when the Gateway opens, she told herself mentally, I need to find those blasted keys and lock the Gate before HE finds his way back here.
She looked up at the night sky and pulled her glasses down just a bit, thankful that nopony was around to watch her. Five stars moved next to each other, which stood as a sign from Princess Luna that she had better get going soon. The stars were never near each other during every other night, so if anypony took note of it tonight they would never see it again. Vinyl thanked the fact that most ponies were asleep and would never notice the strange formation the stars took tonight.
Not a couple minutes later the unicorn was trotting down the street in the direction of her apartment, which she shared with her roommate Octavia. While Vinyl partied and played her bass at night Octavia played classical music during the day and had a sour face whenever she heard Vinyl's music. But tonight she was supposed to be in Ponyville, which meant she wouldn't be around when the Gateway opened.
When Vinyl reached her apartment she locked the door and bolted to her room, throwing open the chest she had been keeping locked for the last couple of years. Inside rested a solid golden key, a belt she rarely used, and a bladed weapon that was called a sword. She smiled and pulled the items out of the chest, not bothering to lock it this time. She magically wrapped the belt around her and attached the sword to it before picking up the key.
Vinyl left the apartment and quickly descended back onto the street, where she looked to her right and left before turning towards the castle. The door she needed to pass through had been built into the side of Canterlot Castle, where Princess Luna could keep watch over it and alert Vinyl as to whenever it glowed. Tonight the door was glowing and that meant that the Gateway was open, just waiting for her to use it.
-Trixie's wagon-
Trixie stumbled into her wagon and sighed as she leaned against the wall, looking up at the night sky. She always knew that the stars were beautiful, but tonight they were more so than previous nights. Then she noticed that five stars were huddled together and not where they were supposed to be, which meant that Princess Luna must have been partying that night and screwed up.
But the more Trixie looked at the strange formation the more she felt the desire to succumb to sleep. Her eyelids drooped and her body shook as her legs buckled below her. The last thing she remembered was the stars as her eyes closed and she drifted off into sleep.
-Ponyville-
Lyra was having fun like most nights, watching some scary movie while her roommate Bon Bon slept. Her ears perked as she heard something call her name, but what she didn't know. She carefully got up and followed the sound of the voice until she was in the backyard, staring up at the strangest star formation she had ever seen. She was sure that Twilight Sparkle would be studying the formation and had likely contacted the Princess to inform her about what was in the sky.
Her body shook and she yelped in pain as she hit the ground. Something wasn't right and she knew it, but she could still hear that same voice that had called her out in the first place. Try as she may Lyra eventually succumbed to the embrace of sleep and she remembered nothing more.
-Derpy's House-
Derpy Hooves, the most clumsy of all the ponies living in Ponyville, looked out of her window and stared at the stars. She noticed the strange five stars, but made no effort to take her eyes off them. There was a sense of acceptance that she felt, almost as if her mother was welcoming her with open hooves. Derpy smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek and laid her head on the pillow of her bed before drifting away.
-Canterlot Castle-
Vinyl waited outside the main door of the Castle, which was the Throne Room, and kept looking around for the familiar face of the Lunar Princess. Luna had summoned her to the Castle and now she needed to access the Gateway, but first she had to wait. The strange lunar guards, ponies with bat wings and weird fluffed ears, stood by the door as she waited, watching her every move. That was mostly due to the weapon that Vinyl had carried to the Castle and she couldn't leave it behind, not where she was going.
"Ah, Vinyl Scratch," said a familiar voice as the Lunar Princess finally emerged from the doors, "I am so glad you responded to my summoning as quickly as possible. Guards, you may remain where you are. This mare isn't any threat to myself or Tia."
As the guards stood down Vinyl trotted up to the dark blue alicorn, who had already begun walking along the side of the Castle's exterior.
"Do you have the key to access the Gateway?" Luna inquired, cutting to the chase once they were alone.
"Of course I do," Vinyl proudly said, holding the key up in her magic, "Can't go anywhere without this little beauty. Should I be expecting any help this time or am I on my own?"
"I would think you might be lucky this time," Luna replied, spotting the glowing door around the bend, "and I must be returning to my duties with the stars as soon as the door is closed. Twilight Sparkle immediately noticed the stars and sent a letter to me asking that I repair it before the astronomers noticed it."
The two stopped right in front of the glowing door and Vinyl smiled as she raised the key, prepared to open the Gateway at last. Before she did she looked at the Lunar Princess and asked her, "So, want me to pass on anything to the Gatekeeper or is there nothing to say?"
Luna smiled, it was good to hear that she could pass on something to the Gatekeeper.
"Tell him that I said hello," she said, pulling a book out of the wall by magic, "and tell him that he can keep this for as long as he wishes."
Vinyl took the book, nodded, and forced open the Gateway before jumping into the swirling vortex. When she opened her eyes she found herself in a huge chamber filled with similar doorways to the one she had just used. Sitting in the middle of the room was an alicorn stallion with a bright red coat reading what appeared to be a book. His cutie mark just happened to be a ring of silver keys.
"Hiya Gatekeeper," she called, catching the stallion's attention.
"Oh my, Vinyl?" the surprised alicorn asked, "Do come over and take a seat. I'll whip us up something to drink and we can catch up on old times. And maybe you can tell me what has happened in Equestria for the last thousand years."
Where in Equestria are we?
Trixie groaned and slowly got up, her head swimming as if she had gotten drunk the previous night and passed on while laying on her back on the wooden floor of her wagon. She tried to use her magic, but for some reason her horn refused to listen to her. With another groan she pushed up the tip of her hat with her hoof and looked around at her surroundings after she barely opened her eyes. She was in a chamber with white colored walls, silver doorways scattered around the place, two other mares laying near her, and a stallion reading a book not too far away.
"Ugh, five more minutes," Trixie said, laying back on the ground before quickly getting back up. Five more minutes? Wherever did that idea come from?
"Oh, your awake," the red coated stallion said, causing Trixie to look over at him, "I wasn't expecting you or your friends to awaken for another hour or two. I guess I might as well welcome you to the Terminal and save the formal welcome until your comrades awaken from their slumber."
"Wait...the Terminal?" Trixie asked, her vision clearly as she focused on the strange doorways that littered the room. She wondered what the various doors were supposed to do as she got a better look at who was sitting close to her.
The stallion in question had a red colored coat as she had previously noted, but there were other aspects she had failed to notice while her vision was blurred. The fact that the stallion had both a unicorn's horn and a pair of large pegasi wings was new to Trixie. Even the stallion's cutie mark, a ring of silver keys, was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. Trixie realized that the stallion could only be one thing; an alicorn.
"I thought there were only three alicorns in all of Equestria," Trixie said, causing the stallion to raise an eyebrow, "yet it is clear to Trixie that there is a fourth sitting right before her."
"Ah yes," the stallion chuckled, already amused by the mare's way of speaking, "I'm assuming you are referring to Celestia, Princess of the Sun, Luna, Princess of the Moon, and Cadence, Princess of Love. The three of them are powerful and rule Equestria, but I do not exist within the confines of Equestria. I exist within the Terminal, my domain that connects to all the worlds."
"Ugh, this is going to take forever," Trixie said, shaking her head, "I guess I can wait until my 'friends' awaken so you can tell us everything all at once. What's your name anyway?"
"That is quite simple," the stallion said, "I am known as the Gatekeeper."
Trixie looked over her friends, as the Gatekeeper called them, and was surprised to find that she actually knew the two of them. One of them, a gray coated pegasus with a yellow colored mane, Trixie personally knew because she had crushed her last wagon when he had been visiting Ponyville for the first time. During the accident with the Ursa Minor more than a year ago.
The other pony was an aquamarine coated mare with mint colored hair that had a white streak through it. On closer inspection Trixie discovered that the second mare had a horn like she did, so that meant she wasn't the sole unicorn to have landed in the strange world. Trixie sighed and wondered why she had to be paired up with Depry Hooves, a disaster on wings, and Lyra Heartstrings, a unicorn who knew almost no magic.
For the next hour, or what seemed like an hour, Trixie occupied herself by either getting a better idea of where she was or just reading one of the few books she could find. The books were nothing special in her eyes, just methods on how to create a key from the magical essence of the world and on how to find an already existing key. All the books she could find talked about keys and it was already driving her insane. Once an hour has passed, however, the other two mares finally began to stir as Derpy bonked heads with Lyra.
"Watch it will ya?" Lyra said, opening her eyes and finding that she had bonked right into Derpy, "On second thought, never mind."
"I just don't know what went wrong," Derpy stated, opening her crossed eyes. "Um, where are we?"
"Allow me to answer that question," the Gatekeeper said, causing the two mares to look over at him, "The three of you are in the Terminal, a world filled with gateways to other worlds. I am the sole citizen of the Terminal, the Gatekeeper."
"What are we waiting for then?" Trixie asked, turning her back to the Gatekeeper, "If there is a gate to so many worlds just point out Equestria's gate and we'll be heading home."
"First off, I can't just 'point out' which gateway belongs to your Equestria," the Gatekeeper replied, "mainly because it has already moved to some other section of the Terminal and would need to be summoned back here. Secondly, well you can see this one for yourselves."
Not ten seconds later a silver doorway appeared in front of Trixie, causing her to jump back before she realized it was even there. Unlike all the other doorways that contained a swirling mass of some light blue colored magic this one doorway was boarded up by metal and seven locks floated around it.
"Can any of you tell me why I can't send you back?" the Gatekeeper asked.
"Oh, I know the answer," Derpy shouted, her wings flapping excitedly, "Its because of the seven locks that you can't allow us to travel back to our home. Their combined magic is preventing you from doing anything to the metal until all seven locks are unlocked and removed from the doorway."
Trixie was surprised, how had Derpy known that without reading any of the books scattered throughout the Terminal?
The Gatekeeper laughed. "Correct Miss Hooves," he said, "thanks to the locks I cannot remove the metal frame that is keeping the door's magic trapped. It seems that you have an excellent eye for discovering the magical workings of things you do not fully understand.
Now then, these seven keys that can unlock the doorway to your Equestria are scattered throughout the worlds and they could have landed anywhere. Which seven worlds have the keys landed in I do not know. It could take years to uncover where the keys are located and retrieve them. Luckily you three have an ally who will be searching the worlds at the same time."
'Who is this pony that is helping us?" Lyra asked, now hopeful that they might not have to spend the majority of their lives stuck in the Terminal.
"I believe you know her," the Gatekeeper replied, "Her name is Vinyl Scratch, or the DJ known as PON-3. She'll be searching the worlds for the keys and will be marking off the doorways that she has already searched. I will summon the first doorway for the three of you, but after that you will have to choose one together. I will ask that you keep your identities and where you are from a secret from the denizens of the worlds you visit. Wouldn't want to trouble anyone.
I know you all have more questions that you want me to answer, but I will answer a few of them if and when you return with the first of the seven keys. Until then I wish you the best of luck and safety on your journeys."
Sure enough the locked doorway was soon replaced by another one, this time without the strange metal frame. Trixie sighed and ran through the doorway, leaving the other two mares behind to choose for themselves. Lyra, already jumping around with the idea of meeting new poines, quickly followed Trixie into the unknown. Derpy stared at the doorway for what seemed like a minute before flapping her wings and successfully passing through the magic energy without crashing.
The Gatekeeper sighed and allowed the doorway to return to where it had normally resided until he had called it.
"You can come out now," he called to the pony standing behind him.
Vinyl Scratch, still wearing her trademark sunglasses, stepped out of the shadows and approached the Gatekeeper. This time she was wearing a newer belt to replace the one she had brought with her.
"So my allies are Trixie, Lyra Heartstrings, and Derpy Hooves," she said thoughtfully. "Well, I know that Trixie can stand her ground during a fight and Derpy will destroy anything as long as muffins are either involved or mentioned, but I'm not to sure that Lyra should even be here."
"Give her time Vinyl," the Gatekeeper chuckled, "she reminds me of a younger version of you when you and your friends arrived here a yew years ago. Yet you are energetic as you were the first time I met you and she seems to be just like you."
"Pull up my door already," Vinyl said, "I want to get my search started as soon as possible."
"As you wish Miss Scratch," the Gatekeeper replied, a doorway appearing in front of the unicorn, "Remember the rules and find the key if you can. We don't want HIM to be released."
"I know I know," Vinyl stated, silently walking up to the doorway, "You don't have to remind me. I'll see you when I return."
In seconds Vinyl was gone and the Gatekeeper returned the second doorway to its resting place before he sat down. He pulled over a book that Trixie had been reading through and chuckled when he noticed what the subject was about. Creating Keys from the magical energies of a world. It was going to be quite a ride for the three mares that had winded up in the Terminal. The Gatekeeper knew that much without even waiting for the results of their first adventure.
Author's Note
Who is this HE that Vinyl and the Gatekeeper know about?
Just thoughtful questions to make people think.
Where in Equestria are we?
"Ugh, where are we now?" Lyra said, opening her eyes to find that they had be transported to...Ponyville? "What's going on here? I thought the Gatekeeper said that we couldn't return to Equestria. So what gives?"
"Your slow Lyra," Trixie said, pointing at the blackened sky and the red sun, "This isn't OUR Equestria, this is a different Equestria. This means there are different rules to how magic works and how the world works as a whole. As I see it each world is different and the rules are as well. Make sure you don't draw attention to us and we should be out of here soon enough."
"There's Twilight Sparkle," Derpy said, pointing out the lavender mare that happened to be walking by.
Trixie instantly realized that something was wrong the moment she laid eyes on this worlds version of Twilight. Her eyes were full of evil and hatred, something Trixie hadn't been expecting to see. The Twilight stopped and stared into Trixie's eyes, forcing her to shudder slightly and look away.
"Ah, new recruits," this world's Twilight said, looking over the three mares, "I am familiar with each of you, though I never thought you would come here. He will be pleased to have more warriors in his army so he can conquer the known world."
"Not to sound like an idiot, but who is this HE?" Lyra asked, Twilight staring at her like she was an idiot.
"High Lord Oblivion," Twilight grinned, the three displaying shock on their faces, "I can see you were expecting HIM to be King Sombra. Lord Oblivion will cast the world into darkness and rule everypony. When he came to Equestria he took down the Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence and twisted them into hateful monsters that rule under him. Even Sombra, Discord, and Chrysalis are under his command."
"And the Elements of Harmony?" Derpy innocently asked.
"Harmony ?" Twilight spat the word as if it was venom, "Don't make me laugh. In this world there is no such thing as the Elements of Harmony. No, the Elements of Hate rule this world under the command of the Hateful Six and they, in turn, follow the will of the High Lord. There are rebels who believe that they can band together and destroy us, but our hate will eradicate them all."
"You mentioned new recruits," Trixie said, "So what does the High Lord want his army to do after they destroy the last of the resistance?"
"Something about a key," Twilight said, waving her hoof as if she could dismiss the question, "Something about finding a way to leave this world behind and entering a new world. The Elements of Hate and the Hateful Six are more than willing to over turn the entire world to look for such a key, but he wants us to destroy those that remain."
"Who leads the resistance?" Lyra asked.
"My idiot brother Shining Armor," Twilight said, "with my parents backing him. Oh, and that mare Vinyl Scratch is involved with them as well. When we find them we will erase them, no questions asked. If you can't be turned then you'll be destroyed. Its as simple as that."
Twilight led them further into Ponyville and allowed them to truly see the level of hatred that was pulsing through the world. Every pony that they met looked like they were ready to explode in a fit of anger and take whoever they were fighting down with them. The ringing of hammer on steel quickly came to their ears as they saw somepony push out an order of metal suits. Twilight stopped at the armory and smiled at the pony who was working on another suit of armor.
"Greeting again Rarity," she called over the noise of the furnace, "How's the armor coming along?"
"Oh my dear Twilight, the armor is simply dreadful and downright diabolical," came an answer, "Rainbow will love this when I finally finish it. You find some new recruits or is this a pleasure visit?"
"Three recruits I'd like you to meet," Twilight said, grinning as the smoke began to clear, "Rarity, I hope you remember Trixie, Derpy Hooves, and Lyra Heartstrings."
While the three had been expecting a pony to emerge from the smoke they were surprised by what they actually saw before them. Rarity was now a white scaled dragon-pony combination, meaning she was the shape of a pony with the clawed legs, talons, frills, and scales of a dragon. Her eyes were dragon slits and in her left hand was a hammer that was blazing magical energies. Even her eyes blazed the same hatred that rested within Twilight, but then Trixie noticed she was wearing a black necklace with a purple amethyst gem in the center.
"My dear Twilight, I wasn't expecting them to join us," Rarity commented, placing the hammer on a shelf before turning back towards them, "I guess you'll be taking them to meet with Fluttershy next? Or is it Applejack this time?"
"I was thinking of Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied, "but you're right. I visited those two first the last time I brought new recruits, so I might as well visit Fluttershy this time. Got anything you need delivered to either of them this time?"
"Ah yes, be right back," Rarity said, flying back into the shop for a couple of seconds before emerging with a small bundle, "On the top is a special whip made just for our dear Fluttershy. The bulkier one on the bottom is a special set of armored boots for Applejack. Be sure that they get those Twilight."
"Don't worry too much Rarity," Twilight replied, taking the bundle with her magic, "I'll be sure that they receive your 'gifts' when I meet them."
"Okay then," Rarity said, turning back towards the shop, "Have fun my dears."
She was soon lost in the smoke of the furnace and the ringing of hammer on steel filled the air once more. Only difference between the original hammering and this hammering was the amount of fire erupting from the furnace. Twilight beckoned and soon the four were headed off in the direction of what appeared to be Fluttershy's cottage. Of course the more they walked the more Trixie noticed the weapons scattered across the town, both in the hooves of ponies and mounted on wheels.
"Like what you see?" Twilight asked, barely looking back at the three, "The resistance cannot attack us here without losing some of their members. The last time they attacked they had more than thirty ponies and still could not overtake this town. There is a reason behind the fact that they could not defeat us."
"Is it because the Elements of Hate guard the town?" Derpy asked, "And they, meaning you and your friends, are unwilling to allow your enemies a victory of any kind?"
"No victory for those who believe friendship is the key," Twilight spat, the clouds darkening as she looked up, "Dear Oblivion, she's doing it again. What in the High Lord's name is Rainbow Dash thinking?"
"What's up with the clouds?" Lyra asked.
"Rainbow Dash is producing lightning weapons," Twilight answered, "Crafted from the very lightning that Cloudsdale produces daily. As of right now Cloudsdale hangs above every major city and town throughout Equestria; Ponyville, Canterlot, and even the Crystal Empire. With the lightning from the clouds coursing through the weapons Rarity makes we force our enemies to succumb to their hate. We should be seeing Rainbow Dash soon anyway."
Sure enough the clouds parted, but the creature behind them was not the cyan pegasus they expected to see. Instead there rested a coil of moving flesh and the hammering of lightning into steel. At first Trixie couldn't tell what the creature was, but then she noticed the lightning Cutie Mark and the black necklace with a red ruby lightning bolt. Lightning flashed and a barrel full of weapons appeared in the center of the town, a voice laughing. Standing, or rather floating, behind the barrel was the creature they had seen in the clouds.
"Hey Twilight," the serpent said, "I finished the latest batch. Could you kindly tell Rarity to increase the production of weapons that use lightning? I've got a bunch of reserve lightning and nothing to store them in."
"Recruits, meet Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, "Rainbow Dash, meet the new recruits."
The serpent laughed and the sky flashed in response.
"Good," Rainbow said, coiling around the three, "We should soon find the last camp of the resistance and then we will crush it. It is a shame your brother hasn't seen the error of his ways, we could have used a warrior like him."
"Once we crush his forces he might reconsider," Twilight replied, "I'm on my way to meet Fluttershy and Applejack. I'm sure they're destroying what's left of Bitter Apple Acres while they train for when Shinning Armor returns. And don't worry too much, I'll be sure to tell Rarity that she needs to produce more weapons for you."
"Last I saw of them Fluttershy and Applejack were at the farm," Rainbow commented, "but they saw fit to erect a barrier to prevent me from watching them. You know; two Elements outmatch one Element."
"Yeah yeah, I know all too well the power of the Elements of Hate," Twilight said, "I'll let you get back to crafting your weapons and I'll send a message to Rarity while we head towards the farm."
The serpent raised into the clouds and disappeared from their sights, the lightning returning to the sky forge. Twilight led them further down the road that would drop them off at the farm Applejack worked at. Upon arriving at the gate the three mares were faced with a desolate wasteland that should have been the Sweet Apple Acres. The trees were blackened due to what seemed like the exposure to cannon fire. Or more like the black dark magic that seemed to be at work in this world. But when they arrived at the farmhouse there were three, not two, figures that were standing next to the same weapons mounted on wheels.
"Go on Pinkie," one of them, a butterscotch colored creature, shouted, "Blow the targets to smithereens. Show us you have been putting the fear in our enemies."
The weapons fired at the remains of the farmhouse, demolishing what little remained of the house. The three figures cheered and moved on, obliterating whatever was left of the house and the area around it. As the smoke cleared they could easily tell what the three looked like and Trixie was frightened.
Fluttershy had the body of what appeared to be a scaled monster, almost like a dragon yet at the same time it wasn't. She had an assortment of gruesome claws, spikes, and tail blades attached to her. She floated near the cannons, her eyes gleaming with the same hatred as everypony else. She was brutal and unkind, ready to claw her enemies to shreds. Around her neck rested a black necklace with a pink gem in the center.
The orange drake, who Trixie assumed was Applejack due to the hat she wore, did not shed a single tear when the house fell. Her body was more suited for the earth and was hardened to a point to where her scales looked like they were made of metal. Her claws looked like they could dig the earth up and smash the heads of her enemies. She wore a black necklace with a orange gem around her neck.
The last of the three was what appeared to be a pink scaled creature that resembled Discord, except that all the parts were dragon limbs. While she lacked the claws the other four had she made up for it with her unpredictability and general weapons skills. Her scales might have also been softer, but it almost looked like she could harden them in an instants notice. Like the others she wore a black necklace with an aquamarine center.
"Hey Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie," Twilight called, catching the attention of the three drakes, "I got something from Rarity for the two of you. Sorry Pinkie, but she hasn't perfected your weapon yet."
As it turned out Fluttershy received a whip, which they already knew, but this one coursed with lightning. She swung it and the ground split in half where it passed, giving her a weapon she could use to easily cut through armor. Applejack's gift, the armored boots, were special covers that allowed her to punch the ground and cause it to quake. She could also open sink holes and drop her enemies into pits.
"I can wait till IT is ready," Pinkie said, patting one of the cannons, "until then I have these little toys."
As it turned out that was the perfect time for the supposed barrier protecting the farm to explode in a fury of fire. The sound of cannon fire soon filled the air, the intended target of the attack being Ponyville. The alarm sounded and the three drakes moved quickly, now armed with more deadly weapons than before. And before Trixie and her companions could move they were lifted into the air and dropped on the deck of a flying ship.
Below them they saw what truly fueled the need for the resistance to win the war. Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, was now a black scaled dragon who oozed darkness. The very foulness surrounded her like a shield and protected her as she watched the ship fly away. But Trixie knew why she wasn't following; the High Lord would issue the declaration for war soon enough, and when that happened she could consume those who stood against Hate.
Where in Equestria are we?
III: Warrior's of Harmony
"What was that?" Lyra nervously asked, looking over the edge as Ponyville rapidly vanished behind them.
"That was what used to be my LSBBF," a golden armored white coated stallion said, "Everypony refers to her by her name now, which is Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Dark Magic."
"Shining Armor?" Lyra asked, watching the stallion remove his helmet and stare at them.
"Vice Captain Shining Armor of the Warriors of Harmony," he said, bowing to the three mares, "Ex-husband of Princess Cadence and former Captain of the Solar Guard under Princess Celestia."
"Twilight told us that you were the commander of the resistance," Derpy spoke up, "If you aren't the commander of the resistance then who is?"
"That would be me," came a voice as another white coated pony walked by, except that this one was wearing the same glasses that Vinyl wore, "Vinyl Scratch, Commander of the Warriors of Harmony. Except where I'm working to defeat Oblivion my counterpart is working to locate this world's key."
"Wait a second," Trixie said, "So your telling me that you are the Vinyl Scratch from our Equestria? The one who is supposed to know why we appeared in the Terminal and what we are actually doing?"
"The very same," Vinyl said, the smoke clearing enough to see the rest of the ship, "Allow me to show you the flagship of the Warriors of Harmony, The Leviathan. "
The deck before them was the size of what might have been two centers of Ponyville put together, but the rest of the ship was made of metal. The sides had what seemed to be propellers that allowed the ship to fly through the air. From what Trixie saw it seemed like there were more than a dozen ponies running around the deck, making sure that everything was working as they approached what looked like a snowy area. Then, off in the distance, Trixie saw the structure of the Crystal Empire, which emitted a bunch of black smoke and darkness.
"Wait, your base is near your enemies base?" Lyra asked, stunned by the idea of being so close to some much hate.
"Yes," Vinyl said, the ship passing through a barrier and entering a huge area, "We thought it would be best to hide where our enemies might not be expecting us. As such we travel across what little remains of Equestria and gather those who fight against the hate. We search for the key that resides in this realm, hoping to secure it so we can close the lock on Oblivion's designs."
The ship landed and the first thing Trixie noticed was the fact that the area was inhabited by more than thirty ponies like Twilight had told them. Instead there were at least a hundred ponies, counting those on the ship, in the Warriors of Harmony. And in the back of the base, imbedded in the wall of the mountain, was a gateway with swirling magical energies. It must have been the gateway that Vinyl had taken to get here in the first place.
"Welcome to our base," Vinyl said, jumping off the ship and landing softly, "or our temporary base until we can obtain the key."
"What is so special about this world's key?" Trixie asked, "It seems like everypony is interested in this simple key."
"The Key of Hate isn't a simple key," Vinyl said, turning on Trixie and pinning her against the side of the ship with ease, "If Oblivion were to obtain the Key of Hate and harness the vast power resting inside it he could open a doorway to the Terminal. He could conquer the known worlds and drown everything in hatred until all light in vanquished. Seven keys were constructed to house his powers while his body was imprisoned in a special prison that could only be undone by the seven."
"We have been searching for the key for weeks now," Shining said, releasing Trixie from Vinyl's grasp, "and with very little left to search we already fear that Oblivion has the first of the seven keys. With that belief in mind we are prepared to do the unthinkable and charge his base, maybe weaken his forces. If we get the key we can forestall his advance into the Terminal and halt his gathering of the keys."
"Then lets go get it," Derpy said, bolting off into the distance before anypony could stop her.
"What's she doing?" Shining demanded, "She'll ruin everything we worked to build."
"No," Lyra answered, "She'll destroy the enemies base looking for the key. It will give us enough time to find it before Oblivion even realizes we're there."
Trixie left Lyra at the base and followed her ally through the snow, somehow finding a path that led her all the way to the barrier protecting the Crystal Empire. Behind the barrier was what looked like the remains of a section of a large base. In the sky Trixie could see Derpy doing absolutely nothing and stuff would fall down or crumple as if they were made of paper. She passed through the barrier and looked around, noticing a faint red gleam from the balcony of the Empire's strange palace.
As Trixie explored she noticed six figures standing behind something on the balcony, but she nearly felt her heart stop when she saw who they were. Standing on the balcony were Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, and King Sombra. In front of them stood what appeared to be a unicorn at first, but when she blinked the figure appeared as a pegasus. When she blinked again the figure stood in front of her, allowing her to get a good look at his black coat, red draconic eyes, and silver mane.
Ah, the mare known as Trixie," the pony said, turning his head to the side to reveal a necklace containing a red key attached to it, "You've come for the Key of Hate. No doubt to seal the door and prevent me from leaving my world. Tell me, would you truly like to have this key?"
"Yes I would," Trixie said, already prepared to cast whatever spells needed to take the key by force.
"it is around your neck as we speak," the pony said, the necklace gone and now around her own neck, "The Warriors of Harmony and the Soldiers of Hate will one day go to battle against each other. I will one day regain my lost powers with the help of all Seven keys. Take it and go, but remember that we will see each other again one day soon."
The pony vanished when she blinked her eyes and the key was still around her neck. She quickly called to Derpy and the two made out of there like they were bandits. Trixie was unsettled by the pony's words, but the fact that she had the key was something. When they returned to the base, without any interruptions from the enemy, Vinyl looked at Trixie with wonder.
"I have the key," she said, hoofing the metal object slightly, "so, um, can we please leave?"
"Sure," Vinyl replied, surprising the mare with the fact that the base was quickly packed up until nothing was left, "What? I needed a better place to hide my army and the Terminal is the best location possible."
The army was already walking through the gateway, so it left no other option for the five than to join their comrades on the other side. The airship had somehow made it through the gateway without breaking itself into pieces, so that made Shining happy. As they began to pass through the gate Trixie took one look back at the empty area before turning around and entering the magical portal. And as before she soon lost herself and remembered nothing more.
Where in Equestria are we?
Trixie opened her eyes and found herself back in the Terminal, only this time she and her reluctant allies were surrounded by the Warriors of Harmony. Shining was shouting orders and the ponies were setting up the tents they had only taken down not ten minutes ago. Vinyl watched as she stood by the Gatekeeper, making corrections to the camp whenever she saw there was an error to fix.
"Ugh, I hate coming here," Trixie said, a group of guards passing her, "Can somepony please explain what the deal is with these Seven Keys we have to find? I thought we were supposed to find them so we could go home, not fight in a war we have no part in being included in."
"I can explain," the Gatekeeper answered, beckoning as he moved to a area with cushions, "Sit and I will explain to you what you want to know."
Trixie stared at the stallion, but sighed as her friends took a seat around the Gatekeeper. She took an empty cushion and was surprised that she couldn't hear the soldiers working. The Gatekeeper wanted to make sure their conversation went unheard she realized.
"They all know what we're dealing with," the Gatekeeper explained, taking Trixie by surprise yet again, "We are dealing with a being who calls himself High Lord Oblivion. He isn't a normal pony as he seems to be, but he is a god bound in a mortal form."
Before anypony could ask anything a visual appeared in the center of the group, showing a huge dragon with blood red scales and pitch black eyes, standing in flames that seemed to have no effect on him.
"His real name and titles," the Gatekeeper continued, "is Oblivion, the Black Drake of Hatred, the God of Darkness, and Commander of the Army of Hatred. First I must allow Vinyl to tell her tale before I reveal anything else to the rest of you. I will be changing this image to reflect her story, so keep an eye on it as you listen to her."
The group turned to Vinyl to find that she had removed her glasses and set them on the floor next to her. Her eyes were magenta, which actually settled the debate on whether her eyes were magenta or red colored. She almost looked tired, as if she hadn't slept for days on end.
"Let's see here, where to start," Vinyl said, chuckling to herself before turning towards the group, "I first learned of the Gateway to this world over a thousand years ago during the time when Discord ruled Equestria. Not knowing what to expect I jumped in and found the Terminal, where three alicorns waited patiently. One was a white coated mare with a full pink mane and had a sun Cutie Mark, while the other was a dark blue coated mare with a light blue mane and had a crescent moon Cutie Mark. They were the original Celestia and Luna.
I told the Gatekeeper about the chaos that Discord was causing and he told me that everything would be handled. He had me lead our future leaders back to my world and once we got there they took off. Now I thought that they might have abandoned Equestria to its fate of staying under Discord's rule forever, but boy was I wrong. They found the Elements of Harmony and harnessed their power to turn Discord to solid stone.
The citizens were thrilled and the two decided to stay and watch over my world, but the Gatekeeper summoned me back to the Terminal before I could join the party. He told me about a creature so evil, so hateful, that he had been sealed away with his seven strongest attributes acting as the keys. That was when I learned about Oblivion, his true nature, and the war to claim the Seven Keys.
I decided to help the war effort by finding the keys and the first world I went to nearly got me killed. Try fighting giant when your a huge fraction of their size and staring up at them. Luckily I made it out of that world and crossed it off the list I was given, marking that the world didn't have one of the seven keys. Mind you that I decided to heal myself before I even dared to enter a second world, but I recovered quickly and was ready for more.
That was when I discovered the very world you had visited earlier, the World of Hate. At first I thought it was some strange parallel world where everypony was hateful and wanted the light of friendship snuffed out forever. Using my sword, which I grabbed from the first world, and my magic I confronted the hateful ponies and quickly discovered that one against a thousand plus wasn't going to do anything. So I retreated to the Terminal, where I devised a plan to build an army from the residents of the various worlds so I could combat Oblivion and his hate.
And so for the next thousand years I searched the vast majority of the worlds, gathering whatever allies I could as I fought against Oblivion. When rumors of a special key reached my ears I would journey to where it was rumored to be and searched, but never found anything. Princess Luna would open the Gateway from her side so I could travel back home to relax after visiting a couple of worlds, allowing me to stay until I was called in again. And once or twice I convinced her to join me in my mission to gather the keys and seal Oblivion away forever."
"More than that my dear," the Gatekeeper chuckled, "For the last thousand years she and Luna have been coming and going throughout the Terminal, fighting Oblivion's armies and searching for the keys. To make up for her absence in her Equestria Luna and Celestia decided to spread a rumor of Nightmare Moon, a version of Luna's 'jealously' taken over to spread eternal night across the whole of Equestria. So when the illusion was defeated by the Elements of Harmony a thousand years later Luna returned as a filly, making it seem like she had been freed rather then facing the truth of her deception."
"I forgot it was that long," Vinyl admitted, "I guess I shouldn't have taken her away for so long."
"So," Trixie said, "other than what Vinyl told us what else do we need to know about Oblivion?"
"As we mentioned the Seven Keys are pieces of his spirit," the Gatekeeper started, "and they are spread out throughout the worlds. The seven are as follows; Hate, Deception, Violence, Darkness, Greed, Arrogance, and Wrath. When the keys were created they were scattered across the worlds as we sealed Oblivion in a special prison. He managed to create a mortal form that can die, but we have failed to kill him.
The Key of Hate, which you are wearing, was the first to be created. The other six, scattered as they may be, came after it and are lost. Thanks to Vinyl's efforts we have cracked down the possible locations of the other six to a dozen possible worlds. Soon I will summon the Gateway to a world from the list and you will travel there. You will find the Key, whichever it is, fight Oblivion's forces if they are there, and return here without delay. I will ask that the Key of Hate stay here in case Oblivion were to capture you after you obtained the second key."
Trixie hoofed the necklace and removed the key with her magic, her mind already lost in thought. If she had unlimited access to the Terminal like Vinyl did then she could become immortal. She could learn all the magic there was in the worlds so she could finally best Twilight Sparkle. And maybe she'd take down Oblivion as well.
A gateway opened behind the Gatekeeper, who beckoned to it. Lyra, Derpy, and Trixie headed straight through it, leaving the Gatekeeper alone with Vinyl. The DJ smiled and followed her comrades into the gate, looking back at the Gatekeeper before vanishing into the unknown world.
Where in Equestria are we?
Trixie groaned as the sunlight hit her closed eyes. She didn't want to see whatever the world had to offer. She wanted to ignore the world and go home already.
"Lads, these ladies will bring no bad luck to the Pearl," a voice said, though Trixie detected that the speaker might have been a very quick thinker, "especially Miss Scratch. You can trust her lads."
Wait , Trixie thought, Miss Scratch? Trixie opened her eyes and was surprised by what she laid eyes on.
Humanoid creatures stared down at her with interest, each of them dressed like the pirates that Celestia despised. Above them was a blue sky, empty of clouds for once. Trixie noticed that there were a couple of sails above them, which now made sense with the sea salt she smelled in the air. She turned over and noticed two female humanoids laying next to her, one of them with large grey wings and the other with a horn on her forehead. Both of them were dressed in clothes that fit those of the famous who lived in Canterlot.
Trixie got up and looked at herself, finding that she was also a humanoid creature dressed in a robe that matched the cape she often wore. She felt her forehead and was relieved to find that her horn was still there. Standing by her was a fourth humanoid creature, but unlike the rest she was dressed in a short shirt with shorts and had a pair of large purple glasses covering her eyes. She had to be Vinyl.
"About time you three woke up," Vinyl said, the other two getting up, "I thought I was going to have to soak you all in water before you finally got up. We're lucky that we landed on the ship of my old friend Captain Jack Sparrow, otherwise we would have been in trouble with whoever we could have met."
"Where are we then?" Trixie asked, looking over the side and seeing nothing but the side of the ship and water.
"Lass, you are on the waters of the Caribbean," the captain, Jack Sparrow as Vinyl called him, said, "and we are a few days away from any port you might want to make port at."
"I don't think we'll need to make port Captain Jack," Vinyl said, "We're searching for a mystical key that radiates power."
"Would this happen to be the same key you were searching for the last time we met?" Jack asked, waving one of his fingers a bit while he spoke.
"Aye, it is," Vinyl answered, "I failed to find it the last time I was here and now me and my friends must find it. Last time we weren't racing anyone, but now we are racing the forces of Oblivion. You remember him right?"
"How could I forget with the description you left me?" Jack said, pulling a large silver key out of his pocket while he spoke, "Though I found this lovely key on an island not far from where we are now. Judging from the markings I'd wager it's the very key you set out to find last time you visited me."
"The Key of Deception," Vinyl said, eying the key and the markings, "This is definitely the key that I have been searching for. Now we have to get back to where it was originally hidden and enter the gateway there to go back to the terminal."
"Is that what that swirling vortex was?" Jack asked, putting the key away, "Huh, who would have thought there would be another portal off of this world that led to another one?"
"Us for instance...wait," Vinyl replied, knowing that something didn't feel right anymore, "what do you mean by 'another portal'?"
"Oh, we met some rather strange people earlier," Jack said, "Mister Gibbs, explain to them what happened while I get us underway."
Another pirate, a rather fatish one with a strange look in his eyes, stepped forward and slightly bowed to the four of them, not that Derpy and Lyra bothered to get up off the deck of the ship anyhow.
"Right," the man said, "allow me to explain..."
-Earlier that day-
The Isle of Lies, a hidden island near the Isle de Muerta, was rumored to be the resting place of the most legendary of treasure in all the world; the Golden Treasure of Atlantis. In order to find the island one must first know where to find the Isle de Muerta, which can only be found by those who have already been there. Then you must lose yourself, which we figured it meant we either stop following the compass or close our eyes long enough for something to happen. We opted for the eyes option and soon we were docked at a island we had never set foot on before.
We explored the island, following Captain Jack deeper and deeper into the island until we came to a giant cave full of golden coins and all the gems we could carry. The island was called the Isle of Lies, but the treasure we hauled off was certainly no lie. Captain Jack found that strange key floating in the dead center of the room and when he removed it the vortex he mentioned opened before us. We carted all we could carry towards the ship and we were soon off, reentering the known world by leaving the mist.
Shorty after leaving the island we began to hear the sounds of pounding on the water, which resembled the sound of Davy Jones summoning the dreaded Kraken. To our great delight it wasn't the Kraken or some other creature of the deep coming to swallow us for taking the treasure, but a fellow pirate ship. It was a ship crafted from the strangest red colored wood with tall masts that bared a simple black flag. When we saw the crew we thought something strange was definitely going on.
-Present time-
"The crew, each and every one of them, was dressed in appeared to be black leather armor," Gibbs continued, "and it's captain seemed to be a well mannered gentleman who dressed in a black suit and had short red hair. They boarded us and the man simply asked us if we had recovered a glowing key from an island hidden in the mists. Now, Captain Jack was witty and he lied to them, giving the captain a lookalike that happened to be sitting next to the real key. Next thing we knew the ship was gone, as if it had vanished into thin air."
"And it looks like their back," Captain Jack said, his eyeglass pointed to the west of the Pearl's location, "Our gentleman friend has returned and he seems to have brought with him some unusual company. Care to take a look Miss Scratch?"
"That's why I wear these glasses sometimes," Vinyl answered, looking to the west as her glasses allowed her to zoom in, "Crafted to help me find the keys and any trouble makers from the world I'm visiting. Now, let's see who Oblivion brought with him this time."
On the ship, standing by the main mast, stood a young woman dressed up in the getup of a cowboy, complete with boots and a fully workable gun. Standing not to far away stood an older woman who dressed as a royal lady of the pirate era, though she was barking orders at the crew. Directly next to the young woman stood a man in metal armor that almost looked like it was fused to his body and made it difficult to tell what he looked like. And standing at the front of the ship was a figure that Vinyl never wanted to see again in her entire life.
The single young woman was dressed in a black robe, which easily blew in the wind regardless of what she did. Her hair was shortly spiked and had a shade of blue going through it. She was even carrying a scythe that had the emblem of an hourglass on it. The woman turned to look in their direction and immediately confirmed Vinyl's assumptions. She knew exactly who the woman was.
"No to be the bearer of a terrible question Miss Scratch," Jack said, "but I must ask; is that woman actually you?"
"You are looking at my Hateful side," Vinyl answered, powering down her glasses and turning towards the captain, "She is known as Death Scratch and we really can't be too close to those people right now."
"I see Applejack," Derpy said, though with a little fear in her voice, "Queen Chrysalis, some metal man, and Oblivion standing on that ship with her. As in Applejack, the Element of Deception, and Queen Chrysalis, Mistress of Deception and Plots. Both of them have that strange hateful look in their eyes like we saw when we visited the dark Ponyville."
"Ponyville?" Captain Jack asked, "We don't have time for this nonsense. Unless we want to be gunned down for deceiving Oblivion I'm opting that we make way for the Isle de Muerta. Mister Gibbs."
"Aye Captain," Gibbs answered, shouting commands to the crew not a moment later.
"Now Miss Scratch," Jack said, "I will take you and your friends to the Isle of Lies, but we will not step foot on that island again. Besides what we left there I see no profit in it for myself and my crew."
"Not even an unlimited supply of rum?" Vinyl asked, just as Jack had his back facing her, "The Terminal has a never ending supply of whatever you could want; food and drink of every kind you can think of."
"Rum you say?" Jack said, Trixie could almost see the gears moving in his mind.
"Get us to the Isle of Lies and join the Warriors of Harmony," Vinyl said, leaning against the mast now, "and in return you and your crew can have all the rum you want."
"And you'll call on us when you decide to fight Oblivion for real, I know your ploy," Jack replied, turning to face her, "but the bloody temptation is unbearable."
He took a couple of steps forward and missed being hit in the head by a cannonball, which fell into the water after hitting nothing. Jack looked back at the other ship and noticed that it's guns were out and trained on their location.
"Mister Gibbs," Jack said, the man appearing like magic a second later, "Make way for the Isle of Lies will all the speed was can muster. We've got an enemy to outdistance and some rum to acquire."
"Aye aye Captain," Gibbs replied, once again shouting orders to the crew.
Trixie and her two reluctant allies moved to the wheel of the ship and stared at the ship that they were quickly outdistancing, though if Jack was right then the ship could potentially catch up in seconds. She, Lyra, and Vinyl could possibly add some extra wind with magic to increase their speed, but they could do the same with Derpy's wings. She noticed that the strange metal man, that she could see with the telescope, was staring in their exact direction and he didn't look happy.
"Any idea who our metal friend is yet?" asked a voice behind Trixie, which turned out to be Vinyl.
"No," Trixie replied, "I'm not an expert on the various worlds like you are Vinyl. All I know is what I learned from our world, our Equestria, and not some of these hateful worlds we've been to."
"You have been to one hateful world so you could see what we're up against," Vinyl said, "Oblivion cannot be allowed to retrieve all the keys, otherwise he'll barge his way into our Equestria and drown it in hatred and darkness. That will, in turn, corrupt all the worlds that are identical to ours. That is if some of them haven't been corrupted already."
Trixie watched the enemy ship as she thought about the power she could potentially wield. If she found the location of all the worlds magic she could learn more than Twilight Sparkle ever could. Then she could return to Ponyville and show her that she was the superior mage once and for all.
The metal man spread what looked like large metal wings and took to the sky, but instead of turning towards their ship he just floated in the air. Suddenly a giant swirling gateway opened in the air and a gigantic mass dropped into the sea, which caused no harm to either ship. Captain Jack looked at the mass and his face paled as if he had seen a ghost.
"Miss Scratch," Gibbs said, "as much as we would love to stay and fight Oblivion...we can't. They just summoned the long thought to be dead Kraken."
"Derpy, Trixie, Lyra," Vinyl said, turning to face the three, "Get your flanks into motion and get us away from here. Trixie and Lyra, you two will help me with the wind. Derpy, put those wings of your to use and speed up the sails."
As the three unicorns conjured more wind, along with Derpy's help, the ship began to move at a much quicker speed. Soon they had left behind the enemy ship and the large tentacle creature they had summoned.
-Enemy ship-
"Is it really okay for us to allow the Black Pearl to leave?" Chrysalis asked, watching the ship vanish into the distance.
"Its what Lord Oblivion told us to do," Applejack answered, popping her hat up a bit as she pulled her gun out, "besides, if everything goes as he has planned it we could have the majority of the Seven Keys at some point."
"I don't know why he is so fascinated with her," Chrysalis said, "I can turn into anything at will, yet he seems to care about that mare more."
"I don't think it's like that Chrissy," Applejack replied, sliding the gun back into its holder, "He already has the sixteen of us at his command. I honestly don't think he needs a seventeenth hateful ally."
"Why do I actually believe that," Chrysalis said, " when its coming from the Element of Deception herself?"
"Because the two of you are allies," the hateful Vinyl said, "and allies don't lie to each other when they serve Lord Oblivion. Besides, I have souls to collect before I can depart, so have fun."
As she faded into mist Oblivion tapped his cane on the wood of the ship, making the metal man land near them.
"Open the Gateway back to our world," Oblivion commanded, "We're heading home early today. That Captain may have handed me a fake key, but soon it will truly come into my hands."
"Aye aye captain," the crew shouted, a giant gateway opening before them in an instant and swallowed the ship whole.
-The Black Pearl-
"I'm surprised that none of you three have heard of me," Jack said, talking to Vinyl's friends, "I figured that if you were friends with Miss Scratch then you must have known about me, the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow of the Caribbean. But, seeing how you don't know about me, I will make you understand when we reach this...Terminal as Miss Scratch calls it...Now where did this come from?"
Resting before the Black Pearl was a huge mass of energy, spinning in a constant circle. The Key of Deception glowed and the mass stopped, opening the way for the ship.
"Scratch?" Jack asked, turning towards the woman, "This that portal you told me about?"
"Aye," Vinyl answered, the ship entering the gateway, "Prepare to enter the Terminal."
That was all Trixie heard as the world went blank yet again.
Where in Equestria are we?
VI: Cupcake Factory (Part 1)
Trixie and her group had returned to the Terminal again, mostly so they could hoof over the second key to the Gatekeeper and get on with the mission. They had returned to their natural forms, though their new friends were still in their humanoid forms. It must have been some strange magic of the Terminal that made that happen, Trixie reasoned. She eyed the opened gateway hanging behind the Gatekeeper and wondered where he was planning on sending them this time.
"So this is your natural form Lass," Captain Jack said, looking at the white pony next to him, "I must say, I'm not surprised. If you'll excuse us, we need to patch some things up and make camp."
Shining face-hoofed as the Captain and his crew left to go to some other area of the Terminal, leaving their ship behind in a large pool of water that appeared with it.
"You have retrieved the second key, the Key of Deception," the Gatekeeper said, taking the key with his magic and placing it in a container that rested right behind him, "I will allow you to rest before I send you after the third key, the Key of Violence."
"Why is it that all the keys are already in the hooves of ponies serving Oblivion?" Derpy asked, wishing she had a muffin and eating the one that appeared in front of her.
"I wouldn't count your new allies are servants of the Dark Lord Oblivion," the Gatekeeper replied, which allowed Trixie to notice that the container held two keys and not one, "after all they helped you escape his forces and provided you with the very key he was searching for in the first place. Plus you managed to gain some allies in the process. Looks like a loss for him and a win for us."
"I'd like to stick around and chat," Trixie suddenly said, inching over towards the opened gateway, "but I'd rather find that key and get this bloody nightmare over with. See you losers later."
Before anypony, including the Gatekeeper, could stop her Trixie ran through the gateway and disappeared to the next world by herself. Captain Jack stared at the gateway and frowned at it, his mind lost in thought.
"She'll ruin everything," Shining Armor exclaimed, stomping a hoof on the ground, "Are all ponies from the main world this difficult to deal with Commander?"
"Some aren't too bad," Vinyl sighed, lifting up glasses up so she could pinch the bridge between her eyes, "but 'The Great and Powerful Trixie', as she calls herself sometimes, is one of the worst ponies of all. She doesn't understand the dangers that could be lurking in a world filled with complete violence. Nor can she expect the ruler of that world to be cooperative in the search for the key, unless he or she opposes Oblivion like we do."
"Say Gatekeeper," Lyra said, munching on a cinnamon roll, "Whose supposed to be ruling the world that Trixie went to?"
It was a fair question to ask since the Gatekeeper kept taps on each of the worlds and the people or ponies that inhabited that world. It also made sense that he'd keep taps so they knew who to find when they wanted to fight against Oblivion and his forces.
"That is, unfortunately, all too easy for me," the Gatekeeper replied, setting down what appeared to be a cup of tea, "It is one Pinkamena Diane Pie, one of the most violent and evil ponies that you would have the misfortune to meet on her home world."
"Pinkie Pie? Violent?" Derpy asked, "Sure she's got a split personality that only comes out while she's depressed and even that version of her isn't violent. She's the funniest pony I have ever met. Why would we have the misfortune of meeting her?"
"Because it isn't the Pinkie Pie you know," Vinyl replied, the glasses nearly slipping off of her face, "This Pinkie is the Element of Violence, one of the Elements of Hate that serve Oblivion."
Vinyl turned on the Gatekeeper, staring at the Alicorn stallion who was content to sipping his cup of tea at the moment and not return her stare.
"What the BUCK is wrong with you?" Vinyl asked, nearly shouting her question at the Gatekeeper, "None of them are prepared for the horrors that we'll find and the monsters that we'll have to fight before we return with the key. This isn't a snatch and grab mission, this is a suicide run."
"What are you talking about?" Shining Armor asked, trembling as his commander turned on him before calming down a little bit.
"This Pinkie is a monster of battle," Vinyl answered, "A monster who beats her foes into a bloody mess before even asking if they're willing to give into the hate inside them, though she kills them swiftly if they're still refusing to change. The Gatekeeper isn't sending us into a world filled with criminals or a world filled with freezing mountains, he's sending us into a war zone."
-World of Violence-
Trixie couldn't believe her eyes; resting before her was a gigantic metal building with huge pipes that were blowing smoke into the air. She wasn't seeing smalls amounts like she had on her tour of Manehatten. No, this factory was expelling huge amounts of smoke that twisted into chocolate milk rain clouds. Those types of clouds meant only one thing; Discord was somewhere in this world.
She calmly approached what she assumed was the front door of the factory, her eyes watching for any signs of the notorious prankster. The more distance she covered the more she worried that Discord was lurking behind some bush or tree, just waiting for her to pass him before he made his move. She heard a twig snap and she bolted for the factory door, but stopped when she saw the figure standing in front of it; the Hateful Pinkie Pie.
The evil dragon-pony raised what looked like a warhammer and grinned before she was tackled to the ground by what looked like another Pinkie, except that this one was dressed in silver armor. Next to the silver Pinkie was a pegasus filly dressed up in identical armor, but Trixie immediately recognized the young filly. The filly was none other than Scootaloo, but what she was doing here was a mystery to Trixie.
"I've had it with you coming here you big meanie," the silver armored Pinkie shouted, drawing what looked like a sword, "How many times must I tell you the same thing? Whatever you're searching for isn't in my factory."
"Doesn't matter if the Key of Violence is in the factory or not," the Hateful Pinkie snapped back, "I am to corrupt those who haven't been turned to Oblivion and kill those who side with the Warriors of Harmony. And along the way I am to search for the key. Now, turn to your hatred and let it consume you."
"Never you big bully," Silver Pinkie shouted, running at the hateful her and bashing her weapon into her knee.
The Hateful Pinkie growled and swung her weapon, missing her other by a few inches. She advanced and the two locked weapons, sword meeting warhammer as their wielders fought for dominance. Hateful Pinkie noticed Scootaloo approaching from behind and swung her empty clawed hand at the filly, who ducked and kicked into her side. Hateful Pinkie buckled under the hit and her weapon faltered, which allowed Silver Pinkie to bash the base of her sword's handle into the face of her hateful self.
Hateful Pinkie fell backwards a bit and raised her warhammer in time to block another bash to the face, but not quick enough to notice that Scootaloo was behind her again. Silver Pinkie faked backing and led the hateful her into a trap that resulted in Hateful Pinkie getting kicked in the back of her spine. This time the hateful her was ready for Scootaloo, grabbing her by the leg as she passed, but the distraction caused her to receive a cut directly to her right arm.
Trixie watched the Hateful Pinkie fall to the ground, her warhammer cluttering to the ground not far from where she ended up laying. Silver Pinkie and Scootaloo stood over the defeated dragon mare and breathed deeply, their eyes never leaving the body before them. Hateful Pinkie wasn't dead, that much Trixie could tell, but neither of the mares would have her slain for some reason.
"Hail traveler," Silver Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, which was so much like her own Pinkie Pie, "What brings you all the way out here to the Cupcake Factory?"
Trixie had to be careful with her wording; if this Pinkie thought she was here to cause trouble and search for the same key that the Hateful Pinkie was after she might lump two and two together.
"I'm here on a mission from the Warriors of Harmony," she answered, already cursing her word choice, "I'm here to locate the Key of Violence and return it to the Terminal before Oblivion's forces get a hold of it."
"Aren't you supposed to be part of a team or something?" the Silver Pinkie asked, tilting her head to the side as if she was lost in thought, "And if so then where is the rest of your group?"
"I went ahead of them," Trixie answered, "That was likely the stupidest thing I have ever done considering that the Element of Violence was here waiting for me to show up."
"Well she's on the ground in defeat now," this worlds Pinkie replied, turning towards the factory doors with Scootaloo following close behind her, "Come on slow poke, let us show you around the factory and see if this key everypony is searching for is actually here."
Trixie smiled and trotted after the two mares, excitedly passing them as they opened the doors to the Cupcake Factory, unaware of the danger she was in. Pinkie and Scootaloo smiled as their eyes changed to a deep red color before returning to their natural color as they followed Trixie into the factory.
The Hateful Pinkie stirred for a second before a mist covered her and the small wounds quickly healed. Her body twisted and changed until Discord, the God of Chaos himself, stepped out of the mist and trapped it in a crystal orb. He smiled and began eating some popcorn, everything was going according to their plan to twist Trixie against the rest of her fellow warriors. And the best part was that she didn't even know that she was in danger yet.
Where in Equestria are we?
VII: Cupcake Factory (Part 2)
"So what is so bad about this world anyway?" Derpy asked as she, Lyra, and Vinyl emerged from the gateway, "Its not like we are all going to turn hateful by just being here...are we?"
"You wont turn evil from just visiting a world," Vinyl explained, pulling out her sword after she appeared, "but here the Hateful Pinkie makes what she calls Hatecakes, cupcakes that allow the eater to awaken their inner demons. Eventually if somepony eats enough of them they turn hateful and forget what harmony feels like. Just one of them could turn a pony into an evil creature bent on destroying all that represents harmony."
"And Trixie is here somewhere without this information?" Lyra asked, holding a shaking staff with her magic, "What happens if Hateful Pinkie finds her?"
"The same thing I described earlier," Vinyl answered, swallowing slightly as she noticed the factory, "She will be beaten until she renounces harmony and takes up Oblivion's banner. Or she will die. We want to make sure that none of that happens to her. Lets get going."
The three mares approached the doors of the factory, unaware they were already under watch by some sort of mechanical owl in a nearby tree. The owl chuckled and took flight, heading directly for a window of the factory.
-Inside-
"This place is bigger than I expected," Trixie commented, taking in the sizes of the machinery that lined the middle and the walls of the room, "So what exactly do you do in this factory? You said it was a Cupcake Factory, but there must be more than just cupcakes being made here."
"Nah, we just mass produce cupcakes," Pinkie replied, her armor turning into an apron and the same happening to Scootaloo, "We sell them to everypony in the world, which is why we have stayed safe the entire time. In case you weren't aware of it, but this world is in a state of constant warfare between two factions; the Army of Hate and something called the Collective. Sure we make cupcakes for the enemy, but both sides are in agreement that we are not to be touched and when the winner is decided we'll be safe at last.
Now I know your wondering; why am I still here when I could be in the Crystal Empire, Ponyville, or even Canterlot making these exact cupcakes? Simple, all of the safest locations have already been defeated by Oblivion and this patch of the Everfree Forest belongs to Discord, who was kind enough to lend me a hoof, or claw as it were. He helps out around the factory and keeps us safe, all while making sure the deliveries reach their destination safe and sound.
Speaking of Discord I wonder where he went?"
"Here I am," said a voice as the God of Chaos, wearing an apron and carrying a tray of fresh cupcakes, "Oooh, a lovely visitor in the factory. Care for a cupcake Miss...?"
"Trixie," the showmare replied, surprised that the God of Chaos was so friendly when the world was supposed to be full of violence, "and yes, I would love a cupcake." She figured that the Gatekeeper had gotten the world wrong in the attempt to rile up the new recruits and prepare them for anything.
"Miss Trixie it is then," Discord happily said, placing a dish with a cupcake in front of her, "Don't worry, these cupcakes are simply divine. You'll enjoy it Miss Trixie. I'm going to get back to work, so enjoy your visit to the Cupcake Factory."
"Thanks," Trixie called, piking up the dish and taking a quick bite of the cupcake, "He wasn't kidding. This IS delicious. What do you guys do to make it this way?"
"Oh, you know," Pinkie said, leading Trixie deeper into the factory as she continued to eat the cupcake, "Flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, butter, and assorted pony parts."
"What did you say?" Trixie asked, almost thinking that she misheard Pinkie's list of ingredients.
"Flour," Pinkie repeated, "sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and butter. Same simple recipe that I was taught and it seems to be enjoyed by everypony."
"I see," Trixie said, finishing off the cupcake and placing the dish on a trolley that passed them, "I could have sworn that I heard something disgusting mentioned on the list, but since you repeated what you had said it seems I let my imagination get the better of me."
"That tends to happen when one deals with Oblivion and his forces," Pinkie replied, moving out of a workers way so he didn't drop the trays of cupcakes he was pulling, "They think they saw something, but it tends to be their imagination getting the better of them. We have had some of the workers feel the same thing you have felt, but nothing as strange as imagining an extra ingredient on the recipe."
"Hahaha," came a mechanical voice as a metal owl perched on a window right next to them, "Greetings again Pinkamena Diane Pie."
"Hello Clockwerk," Pinkie replied, not really surprised to see the owl, "See anything...interesting...that I might need to know about?"
"Three more mares are approaching the factory doors," the owl, Clockwerk as Pinkie called him, answered, "I do not know their intentions, but they have weapons drawn. Shall I take action against them or shall I pass this on to Discord?"
"Scare them away," Pinkie answered the owl, "but do tell Discord that we will be needing an increase on the special ingredient soon. We've almost run out."
"Of course," the robot owl replied, "It will be as you will."
"Oblivion is persistent isn't he?" Pinkie asked as the owl left his perch, "First he sends the Element of Violence after us and now he thinks that a stealth team of three can take us by surprise."
"Your owl didn't describe any of the mares that were approaching," Trixie commented, "Why didn't it do that? They could be allies looking to seek shelter."
"Clockwerk will deal with that," Pinkie answered, not even looking back at Trixie this time, "He's always under orders to make sure they are allies before he opens fire on them. Don't worry too much about them; if they are truly allies they will be inside before you know it and if they are enemies they will be erased in no time."
"If you say so," Trixie replied, taking a look back at the front door before continuing after Pinkie.
She was completely unaware that the Pinkie she was following flashed her eyes deep red before they returned to normal. Plus she was wearing an evil smile, but the showmare wouldn't know that unless she was looking at her face.
-Outside-
"Shoot, I KNEW we were under observation," Vinyl said, noticing the mechanical owl perch on a nearby branch, "and I have the feeling that something bad is going to happen."
"HAHAHA, GREETINGS VINYL SCRATCH," the owl said, speaking in its computer tone with what seemed like a sense of superiority, "I MUST SAY, YOU ARE SURPRISINGLY PERSISTENT IN YOUR EFFORTS TO ERADICATE LORD OBLIVION FROM THE WORLDS. YOU REMIND ME OF THE SON OF MY NEMESIS, THE THIEVIUS RACCOON RESPONSIBLE FOR MY DEFEAT SO LONG AGO."
"Clockwerk, we meet again," Vinyl growled, holding the sword at the ready while she faced the small owl, "This time you and I will finish what we started on the world of machines."
"i COULDN'T AGREE MORE VINYL," the owl replied, "ONLY THIS TIME YOU WONT BE WALKING AWAY WITH ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO LORD OBLIVION."
Vinyl blasted the mechanical owl with magic and the entire tree it was perched on exploded into a huge ball of flames, the smoke rising to the sky. Lyra was amazed, she had never seen that level of magic from anypony other then Twilight and the Princesses themselves. But as she watched the smoke she noticed a form appear, though it seemed to be pony sized at first. When the figure emerged from the smoke Lyra realized exactly what had happened and wondered how it was possible.
Clockwerk grew in size, changing from the size of an ordinary owl to the size of a terrible bird of prey that easily towered over all of them. His talons gleamed as he carved the ground and stepped towards them, his mighty wings blowing the smoke away with a single gust. The hate in his eyes was enough to melt metal as Lyra soon found out thanks to her spare sword lighting up before she tossed it at him. Not even her melting sword seemed to slow the robot bird down very much.
"GIVE UP VINYL," the owl pestered, swinging his talons and barely missing Vinyl by an inch, "YOU KNOW THAT HATE WILL WIN IN THE END, SO WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING IT SO MUCH? YOU KNOW THAT OBLIVION WILL EVENTUALLY CONTROL THE TERMINAL AND EVERY WORLD IN ALL OF EXISTENCE. SO WHY FIGHT IT?"
"Because if somepony doesn't stand up for harmony then life wont be worth living," came a voice as a cannon ball hit Clockwerk square in the chest and sent him flying, "and that somepony who stood up the first time was none other than Vinyl Scratch, Captain of the Leviathan Airship and Commander of the Warriors of Harmony."
Flying directly above them was the same ship that had picked them up in the world of Hate, again piloted by the talented Shining Armor. The stallion grinned and turned the guns on the factory, the fuses being lit as he targeted the main structures. One good blast and he would put this evil operation out of business. Permanently.
-Inside-
Pinkie and Scootaloo, who had been walking and talking to Trixie the entire time since Clockwerk had left, now stood perfectly still. The showmare was looking around the factory without them, which was just fine considering that an airship waiting just outside the factory. Sure Pinkie was worried about Trixie finding the location of their secret ingredient, but right now she was more worried about losing the entire factory.
"What are we going to do Pinkie?" Scootaloo asked, her apron slowly being replaced by armor, but it wasn't the same silver armor as before, "Should we warn Discord and get out while we can?"
"The factory will be lost regardless of what we do," the God of Chaos said, appearing from a red mist behind them, "Lord Oblivion wants what we can salvage before this place is destroyed. I have already sent the last available shipment of Hatecakes through the gateway."
"And the ponies chained below the factory?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes turning deep red as her armor darkened to a black color, "What does Lord Oblivion want with them?"
"Leave them behind for the showmare to find." Discord answered, tapping a cane against the wall, "We have a minute before those cannons fire on us and set this place ablaze. All the workers have been evacuated back to our home base, now all that matters is us getting back. And that includes getting Clockwerk back as well. Speaking of which where is that crazy mechanical owl of ours?"
"Stalling our 'friends' outside," Pinkie said, reverting to her dragon form and shredding her apron as her armor materialized, "but considering that the Leviathan is waiting right outside our door I take it as he got surprised and is on his way here to meet up with us."
"Time to leave my friends," the mechanical owl said, smoke emitting from him as if he was preparing something big, "This body is at its limit. Remove the chip and give it to Rarity, she'll know exactly what to do with it."
"Understood," Scootaloo said, waiting for Clockwerk's head to open before removing what he referred to as the Hate Chip, "Now, lets get going before it blows."
The front of the factory exploded as a cannon ball flew through the factory, exploding once it hit the first piece of machinery. The factory itself shook as pieces of machinery randomly exploded and fires began to rage out of control. Trixie stumbled as the floor broke under her, looking back to see the Leviathan floating just outside the destroyed wall. Then she saw Hateful Pinkie standing next to Discord, a hateful Scootaloo, and a robot body whose head was opened.
"Ah, Trixie," Pinkie said, turning on the mare as her warhammer appeared in her hand again, "I can't say it wasn't a pleasure showing you around the Cupcake Factory, but I'm afraid our time together has been cut short. You and I will be seeing more of each other in the days to come Trixie, so don't let the other Elements of Hate kill you before that."
The next thing Trixie knew there was a blood red gateway standing directly behind the assembled hateful ponies, one identical to the ones the Gatekeeper used. Discord and Scootaloo entered the gateway, but Pinkie stopped before the swirling vortex as if she had something else on her mind.
"Here," she said, tossing a ruby red key with a silver chain to Trixie, "The Key of Violence. Proof that I will be seeing you again Trixie."
Before Trixie could respond Pinkie entered the gateway and was gone, which resulted in the vortex closing shut seconds later. Trixie picked up the key just as she noticed the smoke emitting from the suit, the gears turning as she realized exactly what was going to happen. She turned to run and the suit exploded, taking everything in the immediate area with it and tossing Trixie further down the walkway.
"Trixie's still in there Shining Armor," Vinyl shouted, her and her companions boarding the airship as it prepared another cannonball, "and as much as I would like to see this place go up in flames we can't leave her in there."
"You have five minutes before the place is destroyed," Shining warned, "and I will not be responsible for the death of one mare."
"Fine then," Vinyl said, a bridge dropping down and allowing them access to the burning factory, "Lets find Trixie and get out of here."
Trixie groaned and pulled herself up, but she heard the screams of ponies behind a nearby door and forced it open with her magic. She wasn't expecting to find ponies chained to the walls, some of them cut open and bleeding while others weren't moving. At least she found that five of them hadn't been harmed or even touched yet.
"Save us, please," one of them, a pony she recognized as the teacher Cheerliee, pleaded, "We haven't much time before this place collapses."
"Right," Trixie replied, cutting the bonds on the five unharmed ponies and getting them up, "We have an airship outside, so lets get you guys to safety."
The five nodded silently and Trixie led them out of the room, right into the path of Vinyl and her companions. Before either party could rejoice another machine exploded into flames and made them hurry towards the Leviathan. As they crossed the bridge and it raised up more of the factory exploded, flames raging as it ate away at the evil that had resided there.
"Blow it to heck Shining Armor," Vinyl shouted, covering her ears.
"Aye aye Commander," Shining said, turning to the cannons, "FIRE."
The factory erupted into flames as the second round was fired, the remaining machines exploding and the structure falling into ruins. Whatever remained of the evil gateway was long gone and none of the pony remains were around.
"Lets go home then," Vinyl said, the ship entering the gateway, "We've got some things to explain."
Trixie looked back at the burning ruins, unaware of the sudden red flash in her eyes before they returned to their normal color.
Where in Equestria are we?
The Leviathan settled on the ground in what appeared to be a port of some kind, which easily held the airship while the soldiers marched to and from the ship. Shining Armor made sure that their ammunition was restored and prepared in case they needed to take the airship into another world. Vinyl smiled and led her companions, plus those that Trixie had saved, off the ship, trotting until they came to the same area where the Gatekeeper was waiting for them.
"So you have returned," the Gatekeeper said, lifting an eyebrow when he noticed that they had even saved some ponies, "and it seems that you managed to rescue several ponies from the grim fate of being turned into Hatecakes. Allow me to introduce myself; I am the Gatekeeper, Master of the Terminal, the world that you are currently standing in."
"Cheerliee, a school teacher from Ponyville," the mare said, though she was honestly scared out of her mind, "My fellow ex-captives are three members of the Apple Family; Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Applejack."
"Five of you escaped the dreaded Cupcake Factory," the Gatekeeper commented, "yet you only mentioned four of you. Who is this fifth pony that was saved?"
The pony in question had a light grey coat with a dark grey mane and tail. Her eyes, though they resembled Rarity's in shape, were light purple colored. Her cutie mark was a purple treble clef, but when Vinyl looked back at her she realized exactly who she was staring at.
"Tavi?" Vinyl asked softly, using her pet name for the mare she was a roommate with, "Is that really you?"
"How many times have I asked you to call me Octavia?" the mare replied, hanging her head low, "But I am glad to see you again...You are real aren't you?"
"Course I'm real Tavi," Vinyl answered, somewhat confused by the question, "Why wouldn't I be real?"
"Because they chained you up next to me and gutted you like a fish," Octavia cried, tears running down her face as she hugged Vinyl, "I thought you were dead, but then you arrived dressed like the grim reaper. You were wearing a robe as black as night and carried a scythe that gleamed as if some sort of light was bouncing off of it. And your eyes, they glowed with this terrible deep red color that's haunted my nightmares ever since I saw them.
I was scared Vinyl. Every time somepony I knew died you appeared like the reaper, just standing there and watching me as if I was going to do something I would later regret. I've seen ponies whose eyes have changed from their natural colors to the same sickly deep red color as those who worked the factory. Those ponies gave into the darkness I was told and they were released because they forsake harmony and took up the banner of Hatred instead.
They tried for days to turn me Vinyl, feeding me lies of how you abandoned me to my fate and would never come to my rescue. They had that bloody key with them, the one that had been hidden until they had arrived and threw up the factory. They even used that to try and awaken the violence in me so they could turn me into a monster, but despite their persistence they failed."
"Shhh," Vinyl said, her glasses falling to the floor as she comforted her friend, "Its okay Tavi, your safe now. The Terminal is the safest place for anypony to be."
"What haven't you told us about this Death Scratch?" Trixie asked, pounding her hoof on the ground to get Vinyl's attention, "This is the second time we have heard of her presence in the worlds where the keys are located, yet you haven't shared how she came to be. You might as well tell us your dirty little secret Vinyl."
"I can't just tell you about her," Vinyl shouted, a look of shame in her eyes, "it would mean acknowledging the mistakes I made when I first began my search for the Seven Keys over a thousand years ago."
"Right now you have three of the seven," Trixie said, pointing a hoof at the key around her neck, "Now tell us what the buck happened and maybe we can fix this mess."
"You don't understand," Vinyl said, "When I first came out of the Terminal and stepped out into a new world I came right to the World of Hate, Oblivion's base of operations. I met him face to face and if I had known at the time he was the one threatening the harmony of the universe I would have stuck my blade through his heart. Trust me on this, if somepony meets Oblivion they can immediately feel the hate beginning to fill their heart.
It was worse for me since Oblivion tunneled my growing hate into that world's version of me, the innocent DJ becoming a monster of Death. My hateful side is the Horseman of Death, one of the four destined to erase harmony from the universe. I have tried to destroy Death Scratch, but she always evades me. Trust me, if you ever see Death Scratch run in the opposite direction and hope she doesn't capture you. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to make sure Tavi is okay and make sure none of this scars her for life."
Trixie growled and walked away, leaving the two mares alone as Vinyl calmed her friend down. Lyra and Derpy stayed behind, unsure if they should follow the angry mare or stay and help the Commander with Octavia. Eventually Trixie vanished into the distance, which was fine since she barely cared to talk to the rest of them.
"I will allow her early access to the next world," the Gatekeeper said, receiving an angry look from Vinyl, "Rest easy Vinyl, it will be the world of greed where Hateful Rarity rules."
"Great," Vinyl said, "As long as Trixie doesn't...lose...the key...HOLY FAUST SHE'S GOT THE KEY OF VIOLENCE STILL."
Trixie noticed the gateway and stepped on through it, finding herself in another world again. This time she looked like a robed humanoid figure, but this time she was a cross between a humanoid and a horse. She honestly wondered where she ended up this time, but with everything thing that's happened she was beginning not to care anymore. Unbeknownst to Trixie her eyes flashed a deep red for a couple of seconds before reverting to their original color. She stepped forwards and began to trek through the forest on the outskirts of a huge palace.
Where in Equestria are we?
IX: World of Greed (Part 1)
"You mean you let her leave with the third key still around her neck?" the Gatekeeper said, alarmed that they might very well lose one of the keys.
"Yes," Vinyl admitted, hanging her head in shame, "I got caught up in my explanation and making sure Tavi was okay that I completely forgot that we had obtained the key."
"This isn't the time to be throwing blame around," Derpy shouted, gathering the attention of those around them, "We need to enter that world, track down Trixie, get the key, and make sure that we get the Key of Greed while we're at it."
"Your crazy Derpy," Lyra commented, "Trixie has a head start in the world of greed and we have absolutely no idea where she went. As far as we know Hateful Rarity already has her and the key. We would literally need everypony involved in the search so we could actually find her."
"We are not losing that key," Vinyl stated, still surprised that Octavia was hanging around her, "Tavi, we have to go rescue Trixie before she does something incredibly stupid. Do you think you'll be alright here with the Gatekeeper and the rest of the soldiers?"
"You are not leaving me behind Vinyl Scratch," Octavia said, pulling herself off of Vinyl and staring into her eyes, "I lost you once, but I'm not losing you again. Give me a weapon and some armor and I'll join you in your quest."
"Are you sure about this Tavi?" Vinyl asked, "I wouldn't want you to suffer or harm to come to you."
"Be quiet Vinyl," Octavia answered, "I am going along with you and there is nothing that can stop me. Now; give me a weapon and let's go find Trixie."
"I'm not going to be able to persuade you am I?" Vinyl asked, sighing softly.
"No your not," Octavia answered, "Now, my weapon?"
"How does a sword with sound vibrations sound?" Vinyl asked, the Terminal summoning up the exact weapon she had mentioned.
"It will have to do," Octavia said, attaching it to around her body, "Now let's go get that key and save Trixie."
Octavia advanced towards the gateway and left a shocked Lyra, Derpy, and Vinyl behind. The Gatekeeper wasn't so surprised that Octavia wasn't willing to stay behind after that story she had told them all. Plus she had lost her world's version of Vinyl and it had shocked her to her very core. The Gatekeeper was glad that Trixie had saved such a high spirited pony from the evil factory.
-World of Greed-
Trixie wandered through the trees of the forest, wondering where the animals were and what they just happened to be doing at the time. She was honestly surprised that the Gatekeeper didn't take the key from her when it had been right in front of him, yet here she was, still wearing the key. A twig broke and she turned towards the sound, watching the trees in case something emerged from the treeline.
After a few minutes of nothing she moved on and continued down the path she was on, wondering why there was a worn path in the forest. If the Warriors of Harmony had been to the world constantly then she wondered why the Gatekeeper had sent her here in the first place. Or the Army of Hatred was tearing the place apart and this was one of their common roads that they traveled when they came to this world.
Something flew overhead and she ducked behind a tree, making sure her cape didn't reveal her location as she watched the skies. Floating in midair was a huge mechanical owl, which reminded her of the owl she had seen back in the factory, but she knew it couldn't be the same owl. The dang thing had exploded and had nearly taken her life back in the factory that the Hateful Pinkie ran. Yet here Clockwerk was, watching over the skies as if he was searching for something in the forest. Something like her.
"Hehehe, come on out Trixie," the robotic owl screeched, its wings opening to reveal what looked like small cannons, "If you don't then I will hunt you down and and blast you out of you hiding spot, exactly like I did to the troublesome members of the Cooper Clan. Only I killed each of those troublesome raccoons, where you are requested as a guest of the Lady Rarity. Come on out Trixie."
Trixie didn't like the sound of having the robotic owl following her and blowing holes in the forest just so he could flush her out into the open. She didn't like the idea of visiting Hateful Rarity, not after what she had seen in Oblivion's home world and what had happened in both the Caribbean and the Cupcake Factory. She was so busy thinking about her options that she failed to notice the deranged owl loosing something from his wings. A canister dropped out of the air and the next thing she knew a patch of the forest exploded into a fury of flames, with her staring at the owl in terror.
"Do you see now?" the owl loudly asked, though he knew exactly where the poor mage was and was simply terrorizing her, "Do you see the power that I wield? Do you feel the terror seeping into your body and willing you to abandon your pitiful attempt to hide from me? Come on out and I promise that you won't be incinerated by one of my bombs."
Trixie utterly hated the owl, who she seemed to think had a superiority issue or something, and she was beginning to grind her teeth as she thought of a way to get past him. Maybe she should have waited for her companions before she had entered the gateway, but she had been hot with anger pumping through her veins. She was growing tired of these different worlds and the evil hateful ponies that she ended up meeting. She needed a way past the owl before he continued to drop bombs and ended up killing her in the process.
Trixie moved from her hiding spot as another canister landed not far from her location and took the first five trees in each direction with it. She growled and threw a bolt of magic right at the owl, but when it phased into nothingness she was completely surprised. His metal skin, or armor as it seemed to be, appeared to have magic absorbing properties, which made it tougher for her to blast the vile owl.
"You might as well give up," Clockwerk called, keeping his mechanical eyes on the mare, "I will take you before Lady Rarity and you will be her guest."
"Fat chance of that Clockwerk," came a voice as Trixie appeared below him, her staff blazing with energy as she swung it into his chest.
"Hahaha, did you really think that that would work?" Clockwerk asked, his mechanical armor absorbing the magic right before her eyes, "I am the mechanical genius of Lord Oblivion's Army. Do not think that you can simply destroy my armor and tear me to pieces just like that."
"Who said that this is the real me?" Trixie asked as a staff erupted out of Clockwerk's right shoulder, knocking out his bomb droppers and the wing.
"Hahaha, nice try," the robotic owl said, turning his entire body in a one hundred and eighty degree turn and latching onto Trixie, "but after the defeat I suffered at the hands on Sly Cooper I have modified my armor to remain in perfect working order despite the damage. Now you shall meet with Lady Rarity."
Before Trixie could let go of her staff the owl began to fly, perfectly as if his wing hadn't been damaged, towards the palace she had seen earlier. Not that letting go would have mattered since the owl was holding onto her and it didn't look like he was going to let her go anytime soon. The last thing she saw of the gateway before it was swallowed by the trees was her companions, plus Octavia, step into the new world.
-The Gateway-
"Faust almighty," Vinyl whispered, noticing the vile owl flying off with someone in his steel claws, "We're too late. They've already captured Trixie."
Where in Equestria are we?
X: World of Greed (Part 2)
"My dear you look simply divine."
Trixie stood in a beauty room, filled with dozens upon dozens of beautiful robes and gowns, with Rarity, the same dragon-like pony she had met on Oblivion's home world. She had been dressed up in a bright red gown that was fit for any Princess, like Celestia, to wear and not a common pony like herself. Her hair had been done up in a manner that the Crystal Ponies favored, just without the gleaming texture and random accessories.
Her hostess, the Element of Greed herself, was the exact same as Trixie had last seen her, except that she was now wearing a black iron bracelet on her front right hoof. How was she still a pony? Trixie thought to herself, it is likely the powers of Oblivion messing with the natural world. Rarity went off about how gorgeous she looked in the gown and she couldn't help but wonder if that blasted robotic owl was still in the area. He had dropped her off in the beauty room and a second later Rarity was there, like she was actually expecting the owl to drop her off in that exact room.
Trixie was sure that she didn't look divine in a gown that she didn't own, but considering who was near her she didn't say a single word.
"Come now darling," Rarity said, moving towards the door to the room, "Allow me to personally escort you throughout my palace. We have plenty of time before dinner time arrives and our quests make themselves known."
"Guests?" Trixie dared to ask as she followed the Element out of the beauty room.
"Yes darling, we will be having guests at dinner tonight," Rarity replied, exactly like what she would say to Sweetie Belle and her questions, "I know you weren't expecting any of this when you entered that gateway, but try to think positively while you are here. Besides, I'm sure our guests will be simply fabulous when they arrive."
"Hey ya sis," called a voice as Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, appeared out of nowhere, "I've been receiving notices from the various worlds and a couple of death threats."
"Now Sweetie Belle, remember what I taught you?" Rarity kindly asked.
"The notices go to Applejack and the death threats go to Pinkamena," Sweetie Belle recited, almost as if she had said the same thing repeatedly for a long period of time, "I also got a card for you from Discord. Apparently he can't make it on account of the destruction of the Cupcake Factory and he has to build a new one on a different world."
"Of course the Lord of Chaos can't bother to stop by for one dinner," Rarity grumbled, "Is there anything else or was that everything?"
"Got a small package from the King of Darkness," Sweetie replied, pulling out a cardboard box and allowing her sister to take it from her.
"Finally, I was dreading that I had heard the last of King Sombra for quite some time." Rarity tore open the package and pulled out two objects; one being a card and the second being a dark purple crystal.
" 'To the Lady Rarity, I cannot make it to your latest dinner party, as Lord Oblivion has been keeping me quite busy, but I send this crystal in hopes you'll forgive my absence. It is designed to allow me to watch over the dinner while I may not be there, so rest assured I will know all the gossip around when next we meet. And you can even add it to your treasury once the dinner is done.
Sincerely, King Sombra.
P.S. I hear Discord won't be able to attend the dinner as well. I will laugh at his expense throughout the entire night.'
Had I known that my partner was going to be absent I would have sent out fewer invitations, but what's done is done I'm afraid. Sweetie, be a dear and make sure this crystal sits somewhere where Sombra can see and hear everything during dinner. When he returns I plan on testing him to be sure he was listening in on the gossip as he plans on going."
"Okay Rarity," Sweetie said, taking the crystal and vanishing a second later.
"Sorry about that my dear," Rarity commented, continuing down the hallway with Trixie not far behind, "but ever since I started having these parties every now and then I have come across another title that I daresay does not fit me at all. Some ponies tend to call me the Female Gatsby, but I do not know who this 'Gatsby' is. I assumed that he is a wealthy pony who tends to throw the biggest and fanciest parties wherever he lives and welcomes everypony who wanders in. I, on the other hoof, tend to invite those of importance, such as Princess Celestia, and my fellow Elements, who should have been busy over the last few days."
"Such as the destruction of the Cupcake Factory?" Trixie asked, hoping that her question didn't anger the still friendly Element of Greed.
"Right you are my dear," Rarity answered, as if the question meant nothing to her, "but the factory was never meant to be a place of making sugary treats. It was meant to be the home of the infamous torture pony of them all, Fluttershy. Those ponies that she deemed were too soft for her methods or would require too many days of her time were sent to the factory. That was where Pinkamena and Discord were supposed to deal with them until they turned to Oblivion to escape the pain of the torturing.
Say, have you ever tried one of Fluttershy's infamous Empty Soul Cupcakes?"
"I can't say that I have," Trixie replied, unsure of what ingredients would have gone into such a cupcake to earn it such a strange name.
"You must try one of them at dinner darling," Rarity said, turning to face an open room full all sorts of weapons and armor, "This is the armory, where I stash all the weapons and armor from fallen enemies and allies. I also take to storing my extra works in her from use at a later time. If you remember Pinkamena's mace then you would have noticed how bare it was. I have crafted for her a mace of vile energies that could potentially rip the harmony out of a ponies body and destroy it without the slightest bit of effort."
She kept going on and on about the weapons she had developed for each of the Elements of Hate and Trixie just zoned her out, nodding once now and then to keep her host happy. Trixie was not happy with the idea of spending anymore time with the Hateful Pinkie Pie, or Pinkamena as Rarity called her. Not after what had happened on the last world and the tricks she had been forced to deal with.
"I can tell that your not in the mood to listen to me talk darling," Rarity said, snapping Trixie back to their reality, "and honestly I know the feeling since I have to deal with one of the biggest boasters in all of Equestria. Not to mention the most hyperactive pony of them all and a librarian that won't shut up about the newest spells she learned that day. You came to be a guest at my dinner party and that is exactly what you will be."
The area shimmered and suddenly they were standing on a balcony that overlooked the largest dining room Trixie had ever laid eyes on. Elegant marble pillars filled the room with golden laced pots and jars filling empty pedestals, not to mention the marvelous granite statues of legendary ponies. The table itself was one that was designed to sit sixteen ponies according to Trixie's count, but only fourteen should be sitting since Discord and Sombra were busy at the moment.
Currently sitting at the table were four of the Hateful Six, excluding the absence of the Lord of Chaos and the King of Darkness. Chrysalis, Mistress of Deception, was sitting across from Cadence, Maker of False Love, and they seemed to be involved in a poker game. To Chrysalis' left, almost at the end of the table, was Princess Luna, Goddess of the Red Moon, who seemed content to playing some sort of small container. Across from Luna was her sister, Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Black Sun, and she was currently enjoying a piece of cake before dinner.
To Chrysalis' right were the remaining five Elements of Hate; Applejack covering her head with her hat, Rainbow Dash laying her head on the table as if she was asleep, Fluttershy running her fingers down the whip she had been given as if she wanted to torture somepony, and Twilight...she looked angry and was currently reading some sort of spell from the book in her magical grasp. The spot next to Twilight was empty, but at her end sat a dark pink pony wearing black armor.
"Hey Trixie, told you we'd been seeing each other again," the pony called, an evil grin filling her face.
Trixie managed to speak one word through the terror she was feeling.
"Pinkamena."
Where in Equestria are we?
XI: World of Greed (Part 3)
Just as Trixie took a step away from the table Pinkamena suddenly vanished from the area, almost like a mist of a pinkish hue that covered where she had been sitting. She took a step back and felt a solid mass behind her, causing her to turn her head and come face to face with a wall that hadn't been there before. Then something broke through the wall next to her that caused her to turn her head and widen her eyes in absolute terror. Pinkamena was standing over her with a long handle in her hands, which happened to be connected to the mace imbedded in the wall next to her.
"You can't leave now Trixie," the evil pink draconic mare said, tilting her head to the side as she stared into Trixie's eyes, "not after all the effort Rarity went through to organize this little party of hers."
"How many times must I tell you Pinkamena?" Rarity sighed, barely bashing an eyelash as she trotted towards her seat at the table, "I do not enjoy repairing the walls that you destroy on a whim. It makes me...angry when you destroy these walls."
"Does it look like I care what you enjoy and don't enjoy?" Pinkamena replied, appearing in front of Rarity with a blackened blade held up against her neck, "I WILL destroy whatever wall, marble pillar, or valuable you care about. You will hate me more than ever before and I will take great pleasure in draining your hatred."
The area around Rarity darkened as her eyes lowered, completely full of hate for the draconic mare standing in front of her as her horn lit up with a blackish hue.
"Do NOT tempt me Pinkamena," Rarity growled, her claws suddenly sharpening as she locked onto Pinkamena's eyes, "You and I alone will destroy this entire room, which I would love to avoid doing."
"Go ahead Rarity," Pinkamena told the armorer as she drew her sword back, "We both know that of all the Elements I would never personally lose the Key I was chosen to protect with my life. The only reason that two of us have 'lost' our keys is because we were ordered to do so, not because we were weak. I AM the Element of Violence and I would never lose my key unless Lord Oblivion himself ordered me to do so."
Trixie was confused; if the Elements of Hate that had already failed to secure their keys were ordered by their Master, Lord Oblivion, to hand them over then why was he so bent on destroying Harmony? Was he just playing some sick game with the Gatekeeper? Like the game Vinyl had showed her before she had known about the gateways and the Terminal, Risk wasn't it? Were they just playing some sick game with the denizens of the other worlds?
"Did I ever call you weak darling?" Rarity purred, "I know too well the power and prowess of the Element of Violence, including your love for battle. Do you wish to engage me, and your friends mind you, in battle so that we may determine which of all six of us are the strongest? Do you think that Lord Oblivion wants the six of us to 'duke it out', to put it in your simple barbaric terms?"
"Barbaric?" Pinkamena shouted, the angry clearly showing as her weapon changed back into its huge headed form, "I'll show you barbaric 'Lady' Rarity. I don't care if our friends attack me while I fight you, let them do as they wish."
"Bring it on you barbaric brute," Rarity screamed, blasting Pinkamena before the weapon could even be moved.
"Come on over Trixie," Applejack called, waving a hoof towards the empty seat next to Pinkamena's, "Best get out of the way before one of them puts a hole through you."
Trixie didn't need to be told twice, so she trotted or ran right over to the table and took a seat, nearly tripping over the rug the table sat on. The Hateful Four barely took notice of her as she sat down, but the remaining Elements, save for the sleeping Rainbow Dash, piped up as she neared them.
"I'm sure that you have many questions you want to ask us Trixie," Hateful Twilight said, barely looking up from her book, "such as why none of us have attacked you yet. Why have we, your sworn enemy, been at peace with you and even went out of our way to invite you to dinner? Why are we acting like we would when we around around each other and not preparing to beat you into a pile of ash?"
"The thought has crossed my mind." Trixie replied, shifting uneasily as she felt the eyes of somepony land on her.
"Allow me to explain some things to you," Twilight said, snapping the book shut and turning towards Trixie, "The Elements of Hate are known throughout the worlds by a secondary title, one that allows us to be even stronger than the Hateful Six. That name is the Seven Deadly Sins."
"But there is only six of you," Trixie observed.
"Allow me to tell you why that is," Twilight remarked, though Trixie could have sworn she had seen a look of anger on her face, "Each and every one of the Elements represent one of the infamous Seven Sins. Take Rarity for example, she has a natural desire for all things shiny thanks to her cutie mark and she hordes them without end, She is Greed personified.
Rainbow Dash would have been Pride, but she is too arrogant and too lazy to be that way, so she has been changed to Sloth. I am Wrath, as seen when my anger reaches a point that not even I can control and I let it all flow out of me. Applejack, the former bearer of the title Sloth, has proven that her desire for all things that others have is much stronger than her desire to be lazy and that has earned her the title of Envy. Pinkamena is Gluttony, despite the fact she could eat whatever she wants and still gain no weight. The sixth sin is reserved for Fluttershy, whose Lust for power fuels her in every waking decision."
"And Pride?" Trixie dared to ask, causing the evil mare to laugh.
"Lord Oblivion has yet to choose the one who personifies Pride," Twilight answered, leaning back in her chair, "but even above the Sins there is another tier of ponies much stronger than us. They are the Four Horsemen, the ones that are supposed to herald in the time of when Lord Oblivion escapes his prison and drives Harmony from the worlds. I would introduce you to them, but you already know one of them as she is fighting Rarity this very moment."
As Trixie turned in disbelief Twilight continued, "Pinkamena is, and will always be, the Element of Violence, the Sin of Gluttony, and the Rider of War. She is Oblivion's left hand mare, just one seat away from being in command of everypony. And you have already met the Rider of Death for she is none other than Vinyl's hateful side Death Scratch."
"And the other two?" Trixie asked, already terrified beyond her minds end at this point.
"Famine and Pestilence?" Twilight stated, tossing her hair back as if she didn't care about the other two Riders very much, "I have no idea what Pestilence is doing at the moment, but Famine is likely making poor ponies starve while she waits for the other Riders to come."
Trixie shivered as Rainbow turned her head and continued snoring, which must have meant that she was tired from all her work in the forge. As she understood Twilight there were four tiers of ponies who served under Oblivion; The Elements, the Hateful Six, the Seven Sins, and the Four Horsemen. One of the Sins was currently unknown, as was two of the Riders.
The question Trixie wanted answered was this; exactly how much information was Vinyl keeping from her supposed allies?
"Here," Applejack said, passing Trixie a white colored cupcake with a dull grey frosting, "You might as well eat something before Vinyl arrives with her allies to swipe the next key out of our hooves and rescue you all over again."
"Why do you think she will come here?" Trixie asked, picking up the strange cupcake and taking a small bit out of it. Though the taste of the cupcake seemed to be almost tasteless, like something had grown wrong in the process of making them.
"Rarity holds the Key of Greed," Twilight explained, opening a book and taking her eyes off of the mare, "the same key that Vinyl is charged with stealing from us. Plus she would want to save one of her 'allies' from making the 'wrong choice' of joining the very being that she has opposed since the beginning. All it takes to start somepony down the Path of Hatred is one simple Hatecake, one little treat that could spell the end of their very nature."
Trixie silently realized that Twilight was referring to her making the choice to abandon the deceitful Vinyl and her army and join the ponies who have been telling her the truth since the first time they had met.
"The exact same cupcake that Pinkamena and Discord gave you when you entered the Cupcake Factory."
That remark caught Trixie off guard, but as she thought back to the event she quickly realized that she, a master of tricks, had been tricked into eating the evil cupcake.
"You haven't noticed it yet," Twilight remarked, ignoring the mare while she turned the page, "but by now your eyes will have changed to the same red color that ours are. In time you might decide to abandon the ways of Harmony and take up the Banner of Hate, which is exactly what Lord Oblivion predicts you will do."
"I have had enough for today you brute," Rarity exclaimed, returning to her chair as Pinkamena did the same, "This was supposed to be a dinner, but you have ruined my mood."
"Like I care," Pinkamena replied, laying her sword on the table as she faced Rarity, "I crave battle, not sitting at a table talking to the mare that Oblivion wants to turn. You might as well give her the key and be done with it before Vinyl arrives."
"I suppose you're right about that," Rarity said, unclasping the iron bracelet she wore and tightening it around Trixie's front right hoof, "Inside the bracelet is a storage area for the Key of Greed, so it could always be on me whenever I wanted it to be. Now I give it to you and you will, in turn, give it to the Gatekeeper. Or you could keep the fact you hold the key a secret and pretend that you couldn't find it. Ah, I do believe it is time for our other guests to arrive."
The windows shattered and two pillars fell over as a large group of ponies, lead by Vinyl, stored the room. The Elements and the Hateful Six vanished from the table, as if the majority of them had been absent from the place to begin with. As if they had been talking through communicator crystals and were busy elsewhere. Before Trixie could even say a thing she was seized by magic and dragged out of the room, though an earth pony snagged the cupcake from her hooves and carried it herself.
The last thing that Trixie saw in the evening sky was a mechanical owl, not as large as Clockwerk, but the same built as the unpredictable owl. She closed her eyes and cursed the owl to death as they entered the Gateway.
Where in Equestria are we?
"I hate you so much Vinyl Scratch."
The sentence alone hung in the air after Vinyl and her allies had returned to the Terminal; after they had saved Trixie from the clutches of the Elements of Hate and the Hateful Six. Vinyl hadn't expected Trixie to say she was glad to see them all again, but the comment that the showmare had actually made was so shocking that Vinyl's heart nearly skipped a beat. Octavia gasped and Derpy wept some tears as Lyra stood face to face with the mare, determination burning in her eyes.
"How can you stand there and say that to the pony who saved your life countless times?" Lyra asked, no, shouted at the mare that was the cause of so much of their troubles, "Vinyl has been truthful to the three, no, the four of us since this adventure began when we stepped into the Terminal. And yet here you are, saying that you hate her for saving your seemingly worthless flank."
"Easily," Trixie answered the mare, unaware of her eyes changing to a deep red permanently, "It is because she has been lying to us as to how many allies Oblivion already has waiting for us."
"What are you talking about?" Vinyl asked, turning to stare at Trixie, "I have told you all about my blunder and the creation of Death Scratch. Not to mention the fact that the Elements of Hate and the Hateful Six stand in our way of gathering the keys."
"But you haven't told them about the Seven Deadly Sins," Trixie replied, her own anger rising despite the calm composure she held, "or the other Riders of the Four Horsemen."
"Where did you hear about those ponies?" Vinyl asked, fear creeping into her voice as she remembered the dangerous mares with ease, "No pony should know about them anymore."
"The Elements of Hate told me," Trixie answered, not even bothering to hide the fact, "or more like Twilight Sparkle told me about how each of the Elements represent one of the seven sins, leaving the seat of Pride open for the one that Lord Oblivion chooses to claim it. And the fact that Pinkamena is really the Element of Violence, the Sin of Gluttony, and the Rider of War."
"Why did they bother telling you all these things if you were their sworn enemy?" Octavia wondered loudly, making her thoughts clear to both sides of the argument.
"I'm wondering the same thing myself," Vinyl admitted, clearly missing the fact that Trixie had referred to Oblivion as Lord Oblivion, "That still doesn't tell us where the Key of Greed is hidden, which means that we will have to make a secondary trip to the World of Greed to recover it."
"To recover what you were tasked with obtaining a second time," Trixie spat, "Don't be so sure that the key is in the World of Greed, Vinyl. Lady Rarity told me that she kept the key on her at all times, which means that the key will be with her at any given time on any given world. You'll have to search them all to discover her location in order to win back the key."
"What's gotten into you Trixie?" Vinyl asked, confused as to the mares actions as of late, "Since when were you such a quitter and a coward? The Trixie I knew would never say that there was no hope in recovering the keys and defeating the evil Oblivion. Yet here you are, saying that we'll never recover the Key of Greed from Rarity."
"I never said that," Trixie said, teleporting right in front of Vinyl with her staff drawn, "but when the Horsemen come riding you and the rest of your, 'allies', will lose along with the Harmony that you are foolishly trying to protect. Let's face it Vinyl Scratch, you aren't any closer to saving the Universe than you were at the beginning of your adventure over a thousand years ago. Admit defeat gracefully and return the keys to me."
Shining Armor could not believe what he was hearing; the mare known as Trixie was beginning to sound a lot like one of the drones that they had captured a few months ago. She had appeared to have given up the hope that Oblivion could be defeated and seemed to want to have nothing to do with everything. Except for trying to make their commander see things her way and surrender to the darkness.
"You have changed Trixie," Vinyl softly admitted, not allowing herself to be fooled by the mare any longer, "I thought you were just acting so we could get the keys without raising any suspicion, but now I see that that wasn't your intention. You have fallen Trixie, that I can see now. You will be defeated here and now and we will cast you aside in one of the remote worlds to think about your actions. Maybe you will regret choosing to side with Oblivion, but until he is defeated you will feel his presence until the day you die."
"Die you ungrateful maggot," Trixie shouted, unleashing her magic at Vinyl, who managed to teleport over to Shining Armor with ease.
"Everypony stand down," Vinyl shouted, gathering all the attention in the Terminal to them, "I will deal with Trixie by myself."
Trixie smirked and ran forward, allowing the darkness to leap off of her and rush straight for the mare her hate was focused on. Vinyl drew her sword and sliced through the darkness with ease, moving just a bit to Trixie's left to avoid the sudden bolt of magic coming her way. Vinyl jumped into the air and slammed the base of her hilt into Trixie's head, crushing the hat she had always wore with ease and easily gave the showmare a concussion.
Trixie growled and darkness surged around her as her tackled Vinyl into a wall, crushing the area around them as others gathered around them. She raised her staff and channeled her magic through it, sharpening the end to a jagged point so she could pierce Vinyl's shoulder with it. Then a golden chain wrapped around her right front leg, causing her to look back and see Octavia holding the very chain.
"You will not harm my friend you monster," Octavia shouted, her sword at the ready.
"I care not for this anymore," Trixie said, shaking her head as another gateway opened up next to her, "I guess we will see each other in the world under Fluttershy's command soon enough my dear Scratch. Until then I suggest you learn to trust your allies more and actually tell them whats coming their way. Be seeing you."
With that Trixie, having already let go of Vinyl, stepped up to the gateway and smiled, the golden chain fading away completely. With the iron bracelet still secured around her wrist and the key of violence around her neck she stepped into the next realm and bid her former allies good bye.
"Faust almighty," Vinyl muttered, nearly slamming her head into the ground, "She STILL has the bloody Key of Violence with her."
Where in Equestria are we?
Trixie stumbled out of the gateway and nearly collapsed against the ground of whatever world she had found herself in this time. Her staff fell out of her hooves, falling to the ground and shattering as the remains of Vinyl's magic tore it to wooden splinters. As her eyes focused on the ground she heard the noises of soldiers approaching, hearing the boots hit the ground as she was quickly surrounded. She silently cursed herself, if it was Vinyl and the others then she was finished for good, so she closed her eyes and waited for the end.
But the end did not come to the corrupted mare, instead she continued to hear the assembling noise of what appeared to be a large company of warriors. For three minutes she heard the noise of soldiers stopping all around her and she wondered what was happening around the gate. When the noise stopped she opened her eyes and saw what looked like two hundred plus ponies standing around her, all with armor, banners, and weapons equipped. Ponies whose eyes were red like those who served Lord Oblivion and banners that showed a black butterfly emblem, but it was the pony approaching Trixie that commanded her attention.
"Move out of my way worms," Fluttershy shouted, her whip moving about as she looked for a victim that dared to challenge her, "Move before I chain you and force you to work in the pits with the other slaves and those who dared to challenge me."
Ponies who stood in front of her quickly moved, the threat of being pressed into manual labor and possibly whipped scaring them into submission. The pits were the worst place in the entire world, if not the entire universe, where one would be forced to work until they died.
"Ah, so KIND of you to arrive on time Trixie," Fluttershy growled, the whip wrapping around her arm as she helped the mare up, "This is the ONLY time I will ever help you up, so don't assume I'll do something like it ever again. Trust me, if you have a SHRED of intelligence in that brain of yours you will learn that any move towards me will make you end up in my ETERNAL PITS."
Trixie gulped, this dragon mare was crazy with power and she wasn't above tossing whoever opposed her into her slave pits. So she accepted the mare's dragon hand and got up, looking back at the gate and wondering if the others were even coming after her. If the four came out they were going to be captured, likely have their weapons taken away, and be thrown into the slave pits. She could only shudder to think what demons walked the pits and kept the slaves in line enough to sate Fluttershy's anger.
Fluttershy looked back and smiled, unwrapping her whip and wrapping it around the entire gateway forcefully, the blades cutting into the stone structure.
"We of the Elements of Hate had the power to create and open gateways," Fluttershy explained, tightening her grip and shattering the magical gateway with ease, "and we have the power to destroy and close gates. This power allows us to travel between the various worlds and wreck havoc however Lord Oblivion wishes us to do so. I imagine whoever was in that gateway must have felt quite the pinch when the gate slammed shut on them."
~The Terminal~
Vinyl, having sent a squad of three through the gateway a few minutes after Trixie left, felt the vibration as the gate slammed shut, cutting off the connection to the world Trixie had went to. It also trapped the three unlucky soldiers between worlds, sending them to who knew where in the process.
"How did the gateway just close on us?" Octavia asked, though she was still unfamiliar with how the doorways or gateways work, "Isn't the only one who could use the gateways the Gatekeeper?"
"Oblivion's power has grown," came a remark as another alicorn appeared behind the group, this one familiar to everypony, "He has trained his most personal officers in the art of using the gates. He is content to sealing poor Trixie in the world of torment, leaving our enemy with one key that we can't afford to have misplaced."
"Princess Luna, I am surprised to see you again," The Gatekeeper said, "I was sure that the gate was sealed enough to prevent it from being used, but it seems that with as many keys have been recovered and brought here the seals are weakening."
The Lunar Princess turned her head to the red ailcorn stallion, looking him over for a few seconds before deciding on what she wanted to say.
"You've become more noble in the years since I've left you," Luna remarked, selecting a pair of armor from the rack that resembled her Nightmare Moon armor, "and it seems that I will have to take the familiar form of the dreaded Nightmare Moon to install any fear into our enemies troops. This time Oblivion will fall and the worlds will be safe once again."
~World of Torment~
Trixie found herself sitting at what looked like a normal table in a military fortress with several guard towers, a bunker for the guards, and a fully stocked armory. The fortress came equipped with a fully stocked kitchen, a training area the size of Canterlot, and an open pit that smelled of sulfur. All Trixie had to do was look over the edge of where she was sitting and she would be able to see the dreaded pit that everypony on this world, excluding Fluttershy, feared.
So she sat across the table from where the dragon pony sat, unsure of what the vile being was even eating as it looked stringy and blood red. Her own plate had several of the same strange item and she was hesitant to even touch...whatever it was. Trixie picked up a piece with her magic and tore a small piece off, getting a smell for it as she prepared to taste it and placed the piece back on the plate.
"It seems you have not yet developed a taste for meat," Fluttershy said, tearing off a chunk of the cooked item and swallowing it whole, "Don't worry, the taste comes with the darkness that has already seeped into your body and soon you might begin to develop a form like the rest of us. Maybe if I fuel your darker side you will truly begin to see things the way the rest of the Elements see things. Bring me the rebel from the other world."
Two guards brought forth a pony bound and gagged with a hood covering his or her identity. When they showed Trixie the mare's cutie mark she immediately recognized who they had brought before her. The mare they had brought before Trixie was none other than herself, another version of her that was repelling against the Elements of Hate and their master Oblivion.
"Yes," Fluttershy said, tearing into the final piece of meat as the plate was replaced with a fresh one, "We caught her in a different world, freeing slaves and raising an rebellion that could challenge the very fabric of our Master's glorious army against us. A secondary leader to the Warriors of Purity, a warrior who could replace Vinyl Scratch the moment she fell to the darkness again.
Maybe you would like to hit her? Strike her down a bit and fuel the inner beast? Maybe even rip off a limb and toss her into the pit where she belongs? The possibilities are endless. I could even drag all the different Trixie's here and have you torture them all, one by one, until your the last Trixie in all of existence. Go ahead, make your choice."
Trixie was starting to regret her hasty decision to abandon her friends and join the enemy. It wasn't worth it if she had to beat up another version of herself that opposed the vile Oblivion, but what could she really do in this position? Even if she renounced her new master and managed to deliver three of the keys to the Gatekeeper there was one problem. She honestly didn't know how she was going to escape this world when there was no gate and there was a huge army being trained here. Oh, make that two problems then.
Deciding against her better judgement she got up and approached the other world of herself, the guards backing away to let her do her thing, except they removed the bindings to allow the prisoner a glimpse of what was to come. Trixie faltered for a second as she stared into her own eyes, wondering how her enemy could have turned such a fighting spirit into such a scared mare.
"Please, don't do this to me." the other Trixie begged, tears already rolling down her face, "You don't have to do any of this. Oblivion doesn't command you like he does the other ponies who have fallen under his spell."
When did I become such a coward? That was the question that boggled Trixie's mind as she stared down at herself, her nerves itching for her to strike out at her other self. Trixie, deciding to abandon her rational mind, smacked to other her across the face, causing the mare to spit out blood as she faced Trixie.
"Please, I'm begging you," the tortured mare said, "don't do this to yourself. Don't give into the emotions that will turn you into one of them. Please, let me go and save yourself."
"SHUT UP." Trixie shouted, punching herself in the gut, breaking a rib or two in the process, "Such a great warrior of purity, now reduced to a mare begging for her life. You are PATHETIC."
Trixie shattered the chains holding the mare in place as she considered the worst possible punishment for the warrior turned coward. Then she figured out the best place for the mare to go; the slave pit that Fluttershy commanded. She picked up the mare and brought her closer to the edge, allowing her to see her fate laid out and causing her to widen her eyes.
"Not the pit," the other Trixie screeched, trying to escape her approaching fate, "Anything but the dreaded slave pit."
"You deserve the pit," Trixie spat, holding the mare out with her magic, "Never will Trixie be known as the coward that you make her seem like. Begone with you."
Trixie cast her other self into the depths of the pit, hearing the mare hit a bunch of rocks on her way down until there was a dull thud. Trixie thought she might have actually killed the other her self, but she heard a faint crying sound and it confirmed that she was still alive. Sooner or later that mare was going to lose her will to live and she was going to commit suicide, but Trixie doubted she'd get far. The guards were going to keep her alive as long as possible. As Trixie turned around she noticed that her right limb was identical to Fluttershy's own dragon limb, but she really paid it no mind.
She sat down at the table and picked up a piece of meat that had remained untouched from the last time she had touched the plate. She noticed that Fluttershy was grinning, like she enjoyed the act of violence that Trixie had committed against her other self. Trixie paid her new mentor no mind, she shoved the piece into her mouth and barely cared that there was a hint of an animal inn her mouth now.
She had to admit, the taste of meat was extraordinary.
Where in Equestria are we?
The Pit of Torment, the only place in the World of Anger that housed the condemned soldiers, civilians, and even the unlucky warriors that turned on the world's mistress. It appeared to be a gaping hole in the ground, but the truth of the matter was that the outside was just the very beginning of what laid in store for those who angered Fluttershy. Those who stood on the edge could see the first level of the Pits, the largest of the ever growing levels that contained the Pits. The first level was where the majority of the workers spent their time, mining rocks for all sorts of minerals and expensive jewels that were all hauled up to the fortress.
The condemned would hammer and pick their way deeper into the pits, opening holes into the deeper levels and the even greater rewards for those who hauled up the goods. The guards who watched over the Pit were similar in appearance to what the Elements looked like, dragon warriors with weapons and whips to punish the workers if they tried to rebel. Trying to rebel was discouraged and if you were caught it led to whippings, lashings, and generally losing part of yourself in the process.
It was the perfect place to secretly raise an army that could topple those who already ruled the world, provided they didn't get caught in the process.
Fluttershy hadn't been truthful to her new ally, the young and promising Trixie, when she had said there was no other exit that would allow her to leave the world. Fluttershy had, in her possession, a chamber that contained a vast amount of gateways, one to each of the worlds of her fellow Elements and, ultimately, Oblivion's world. In case of emergency, that being the Warriors of Purity taking complete control over one of their worlds, the defeated Element and whatever was left of their personal army would arrive and shut the gateway down before it could be used.
The World of Anger was a secret world that the Warriors of Purity could not be allowed to gain access to, not when the greatest weapon lied undiscovered. Lord Oblivion had ordered them to dig and find whatever it was that he wanted them to find, so not even Fluttershy knew what they were really after. All she knew was that the weapon was supposed to be powerful and was to be handed to the supposed carrier of Pride, the final Sin as Lord Oblivion named her.
Lord Oblivion was obsessed with the mare that seemed to have more pride then any other pony in all of existence, which was a lot of ponies. He had chosen Trixie, the main one from Equestria Prime, to become the Sin of Pride, thus filling the seventh seat and creating a powerful weapon for Lord Oblivion to use. Even now the mare was standing in her own personal study, learning some advanced magic before she traveled to Twilight's world to learn the rest of it.
Fluttershy, who happened to be facing the gateway that would lead her to the central hub of Lord Oblivion's army, heard the sound of a gateway opening behind her. She turned around and faced the gateway, surprised to find that the Element that had emerged was a familiar leviathan shaped creature. Of all the Elements to emerge from the gateways she wasn't expecting Rainbow Dash to emerge, only she was completely alone. Then she noticed that she was carrying what appeared to be the corpse of the mighty Spitfire, tears somehow running down her face.
"Rainbow Dash, I AM surprised to see you," Fluttershy said, greeting her 'friend' as her hand moved towards her whip, "I figured you would have come ALONE, ?"
"That's because they are ALL DEAD!!!" Rainbow shouted, wrapping her body around Fluttershy as she tried to restrict her from using her whip, "Even Spitfire's dead."
"What in Oblivion's name are you talking about?" Fluttershy asked, squirming as she tried to get out of her 'friend's' hold as she noticed a cut on the side of her head, "And why the HELL are you wounded?"
"If you will allow me to explain I will tell you," Rainbow growled, revealing her own anger to Fluttershy to quiet her own before she wounded herself. She even laid the corpse of Spitfire down before attempting to tell her friend what had happened.
~The World of Arrogance, one hour earlier~
"Ah, such a great day to finally relax."
That was what Rainbow had said to herself as she held back a yawn, she had been under so much stress lately it was great to finally have a day off. Lord Oblivion had been generous to give her, his primary lightning crafter, a day off to relax, flex her muscles, and restore her energy. Her army, her grand army of over a thousand soldiers, would be protecting her safe haven in the skies above her race track.
She had taken to corrupting the Wonderbolts, now known as the Hatebolts, and using them as her personal guardians. The four highest leaders were the leaders of her personal army, the defenders of her world and the ones who kicked the asses of her enemies. Rainbow was content to allow her soldiers to do the work for her while she sat on the largest cloud in the entire world, possibly the entire universe.
Spitfire was the one she just loved to watch, flying around and burning the targets that she chose to light on fire just by passing by them. Rainbow was the official leader of the unit, but she loved moving the ponies around like they were pawns in a chess game. Spitfire was her favorite pawn, the one who would lead the Hatebolts once Rainbow grew tired of leading them herself.
"Commander, we have a problem."
It was one of the random pegasi that she had under her command, she just knew it and still opened her eyes to see a pony flying right in front of her.
"Ugh, what's this 'problem'," Rainbow asked, shaking her head as she yawned, "and why is it important enough to wake me from my slumber?"
"Its the Warriors of Purity," the pegasus said, hurrying as if something was already happening, "They've come to our world and their tearing apart the army. Their being lead by Nightmare Mo..."
That was all Rainbow got as something tore through the pegasus' chest and heart in one go, silencing the pony as he fell back down to the ground. Rainbow, now alert to the fact that something was definitely happening, looked over the edge of her cloud and her eyes widened in surprise. Standing in front of the gateway to her world stood an army of what appeared to be three thousand, if not more, soldiers baring the banner of the Warriors of Purity. And standing at the front of the army, her magic dancing about like flames from a fire, was none other than Nightmare Moon, except her color scheme was wrong.
Her forces were outnumbered and outmagiced, they didn't have any mages in her army. Rainbow wasn't a fan of using magic, so her soldiers were mainly pegasi and strong earth ponies, but now she was beginning to regret not including the unicorns. Princess Luna, for that was who the armored figure was, was tearing apart those who came near her while the others fought Rainbow's soldiers. A stray bolt hissed by her head, cutting her right cheek open before she could even move.
"Hatebolts, to me." Rainbow called, taking off from her cloud as she headed south.
As the four leaders and their fellow pegasi joined her Rainbow headed in the opposite direction of the gateway, heading towards the one place that could guarantee their safety. She needed to take her key off the world and retreat to Fluttershy's world, hopefully before something bad happened to the rest of them. That was before something exploded behind her and knocked Fleetfoot out of the air, her screams filling the air before she was quickly silenced.
"We must hurry," Spitfire shouted, kicking a pegasus stallion in the head before rejoining the group, "if this continues there wont be enough of us to ensure the safety of the key."
"RAINBOW DASH." That was the Royal Canterlot Voice of Princess Luna, it meant she was pissed and was chasing her now. "GET BACK HERE AND GIVE ME THAT KEY!!!"
"Fat chance loser," Rainbow called, not even meaning to taunt the alicorn and succeeding in the process.
Rainbow sped up and nearly avoided being shocked as Luna sent more magic after her, knocking some nameless pegasi out of the air and into the waiting maw of the army below. Rainbow had the Warriors of Purity wrong, they were relentless to erase Lord Oblivion's influence from all the worlds in the universe. Under the leadership of Princess Luna that would tear Rainbow apart, that was if she stayed around to fight them all.
"Argh."
Rainbow looked back in time to see two bolts pass by, piercing both Rapidfire and Soarin in the process. Before Rainbow could even turn back to get them they were gone, swallowed by the soldiers waiting below them. She growled and nodded to Spitfire, the two of them and the remaining ten Hatebolts heading for the gateway that would allow them to escape.
"There's more soldiers then I originally thought," Spitfire commented over the wind, "We'll be lucky to escape with our lives and the key."
"I'm surprised they managed to assemble such an army without us knowing," Rainbow replied, lightning raining out of the clouds on top of the Princess, "If we escape we will need to rebuild the Hatebolts and the rest of my personal army. You, Spitfire, will take command and order them as if you were me."
Just as Rainbow looked back to see Spitfire's face a large bolt pierced her chest, surprising both the Captain and Rainbow at the same time. The official red colored suit with black lightning bolts had a gaping hole where Spitfire's heart was supposed to be, allowing Rainbow to see right through her.
"No!!!" Rainbow yelled, wrapping her body around Spitfire as she summoned the biggest storm she could muster, "I hope you all FRY."
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as it began to rain lightning bolts down on the warriors, allowing Rainbow the chance to escape before something else happened. The other Hatebolts, the ones she hadn't bothered learning the names of, called out to her with warnings or tried to snap her out of her sorrow, but they failed. One by one they all fell to the ground, either pierced by Princess Luna's magical bolts or caught by Rainbow's lightning storm. Rainbow didn't care, she wanted to escape with Spitfire and get away.
When she reached the gateway she pulled out special lightning charges, designed by herself to destroy the gateway on her side. Fluttershy would be disappointed to learn that everything was falling apart on her world, but there was nothing she could do without losing the key. Then the back of her tail erupted in pain and she knocked off whoever was hanging onto her tail, turning around to see Vinyl standing there.
"The traitor returns," she remarked, her back facing the gateway as she slowly backed up, "You turned against Lord Oblivion and now you have delivered to us the greatest warrior he could have ever wanted."
"Shut up," Vinyl commanded, holding a ruby key up, "In your haste to rescue the corpse of your friend you failed to realize that you had dropped the Key of Arrogance. Your army is in tatters and you are utterly alone. Go ahead, run back to Oblivion and tell him that we're coming, he's expecting me to return. When we get to his world you will find that we aren't to be messed with."
Rainbow grinned and was about to make a rhetorical remark, but Vinyl's magic ignited and tossed her through the gateway, forcing her to leave her world behind. Even was her vision faded she noticed the hint of a red lightning appear and knew the gateway would close after she emerged in Fluttershy's world.
~The World of Anger, present~
"Let me get THIS straight," Fluttershy said, pinching the bridge between her eyes, "You, the great Rainbow Dash, was caught unaware on your DAY off and you just happened to lose the entire world in less than an hour? You lost the Key of Arrogance and the Captain of the Hatebolts is dead. Lord Oblivion is GOING to have your FLANK."
"I really don't care so much Fluttershy," Rainbow replied, her head hanging over the body of Spitfire, "All I know is that Lord Oblivion is really going to kill me when he finds out that the Rider of Famine is dead. I have to get her to Twilight and have her resurrect Spitfire before I return to report my failure."
"I don't know if Twilight will even do that for you Darling," came a voice as Rarity emerged from another gateway, "She has to replace the heart of dear Lyra so often that I thought she would have run out of hearts for her. Its one thing for the Rider of Pestilence to die so often while searching for the perfect heart, but its another thing for the Rider of Famine to die by a pierced heart."
"We will fix this," Rainbow said, picking up the corpse as she faced the gateway that would lead her to Twilight's world, "The Riders will be whole again and then we will tear the Warriors of Purity to shreds."
Just as Rainbow took a step towards Twilight's gateway an explosion rocked the foundations of the fortress, causing her to misstep and slam her head into the side of the gateway. In seconds she was out cold, both her and the corpse hitting the ground within seconds of each other.
"WHAT THE HELL..?" Fluttershy began as a second explosion rocked the foundation, causing the fortress to rock as the majority of the gateways shut down.
~The Pit of Torment, thirty minutes earlier~
"Is everything ready?"
That was the question that the other Trixie had asked the moment several ponies had taken her into their hidden compartment and had hidden her from the prying eyes of the guards. Trixie smiled, despite being one of the commanders of the honorable Warriors of Purity she still had a talent for tricking her foes with cheap tricks. While her enemies had bound her with chains they had failed to bind her horn with a metal band designed to restrict magic, allowing her to secretly cast enhancements on herself that hid themselves from everypony.
One of the grand things that Trixie prided herself on was tricking the Elements of Hate and there was one trick that she had been working on for the last couple of months. Even now her magic was treating her broken bones as her allies ran back and forth, delivering messages as they informed their friends of what was to come. She hadn't surrendered out of defeat, she had surrendered so she could enter the Pit of Torment to turn things around.
"Grand Commander Trixie," one unicorn said, kneeling before her as she slipped on a familiar set of armor, "We have readied the charges for when everypony is ready to being the operation. The guards believe we are delivering their precious minerals and gems."
"Good, the Grand Trick is just beginning," Trixie commented, holding a sword above her head before returning it to its sheath, "I hope the Elements enjoy witnessing their precious fortress fall before their eyes."
"I come with a report," another unicorn said, following the first's example and kneeling to Trixie, "The remainder of our forces have begun the rebellion and the lower levels are ours. Communications have been cut off and none of the upper levels know what's coming their way."
"Quicker then I expected," Trixie said, facing the opening of the area, "Begin the operation and give those hateful ponies a wake up call."
"Yes Grand Commander Trixie," the soldiers shouted.
The greatest trick that Trixie had up her sleeve was smuggling the Warriors of Purity, their weapons, and several crates of explosives into the Pit of Torment. The basic idea was to play the victim and bide your time before striking out at your enemy from the inside out. Trixie was known for her tricks and this was the one that would cripple Oblivion's forces before the real war began.
So when Trixie and her allies emerged from the area the guards barely had any time to draw their weapons before they were mowed down. Chaos erupted all across the levels of the Pits, dragon guards engaging the Warriors as the first explosive round shook the foundations of the fortress. The explosion shook the fortress and sections began to fall, floors falling as the caverns below exploded. The thing about the Pits was that half of the first level was directly below the fortress, making it easy for anypony with some knowledge to destroy the place with ease.
~The Gateway Chamber~
"Screw this," Fluttershy shouted, grabbing the knocked out Rainbow and tossing her through the gateway, "Come on Rarity, we had better get out before the entire fortress falls on top of our heads."
The dragon smith nodded and leapt through the gateway, leaving Fluttershy alone as she waited for Trixie to arrive so the two of them could leave. Of course that just happened to be when the ceiling fell, leaving Trixie in front of Fluttershy. Neither mare was wounded, so they both left the room as they entered the gateway. It would have been strange to anypony who had seen it, Fluttershy, who had said she wouldn't have been kind to the showmare, had been kind to her anyway.
That was before a third explosion shattered the rest of the foundations and the fortress fell straight into the abyss formally known as the Pit of Torment. The Warriors of Purity were successful in destroying the second facility under Oblivion's hold. All that was left was to destroy his home base and the war would finally be over.
Where in Equestria are we?
"So what was all the digging for?"
The was the single question that Princess Luna had asked when she and her army had returned to the Terminal and then entered the reconstructed gateway to Fluttershy's world. Right now the company of over four thousand warriors was stationed all around the remains of what had been the fortress and the Pit of Torment. It was exactly three hours after they had simultaneously attacked both the World of Arrogance and the Fortress of Anger, effectively destroying both the Hatebolts and the makings on Fluttershy's army.
"We still do not know the answer," Shining Armor answered, pulling out a scroll and unfurling it to reveal a vast underground cavern they knew nothing about, "Our ally, the Grand Commander Trixie, has discovered that Fluttershy has been capturing ponies from across the universe and forces them to dig in the pits. From the amount of rock, ore, and gemstones they removed from the ground it is clear that they might not have found whatever it is. One thing is for certain though, the explosions from Trixie's attack have dislodged the walls and ground at the lowest level of the pits, but we are still trying to figure out how that happened."
Luna sighed; it wasn't easy trying to piece together the mess of the army she had helped build after a couple of years being away from them. Most of her trusted lieutenants had gone and gotten themselves killed, taking a few hundred warriors to their deaths at the hooves of Oblivion's army. Right now they were dealing blow after blow to the seemingly impenetrable network that consisted of Oblivion's assets, namely the Elements of Hatred, the Hateful Six, the Cupcake Factory, the World of Arrogance, and now the Pits of Torment.
Her eyes lingered on Vinyl Scratch, the true leader of the Warriors of Purity and the one who symbolized the Harmony that still existed in the universe. She had allowed her hatred to get the better of her a thousand years ago, resulting in the creation of the Rider of Death, but now she had taken down one of the Riders. Oblivion would be suffering from the setback; losing one of his final four weapons was something that would lower the moral of his troops and, hopefully, cause destruction amongst the remainder of those loyal to him.
"That isn't exactly true, is it Vinyl?"
Vinyl sighed, wondering if what she remembered would even be of any help to discover what Oblivion was searching for and what he was planning. She knew that withholding the information would land her in hot water with Princess Luna, so she decided she would have to reveal what their enemy could be searching for.
"Yeah, it ain't exactly true," she admitted, hanging her head out the window of their room, "When I was in Oblivion's army over a thousand years ago he told me and my fellow soldiers that we would be searching for something he had invented. That something was supposed to be some legendary machine he called The Omega00-5X, or Vegna as he called the mysterious thing. He said that Vegna was supposed to be a set of living, hateful armor that increased the wearer's own natural abilities.
The only problem with that is the suit is supposed to be worn by those blessed by Oblivion, those turned into the dreaded dragon ponies that we have been seeing for the last thousand years of war. I know not the size of the dreaded machine, but Oblivion did say that the creation would be huge and was likely in pieces. I do know that some of the Elements of Hatred have pieces of Vegna, such as Pinkamena wearing the chest section and Twilight wielding the right arm piece."
"Wait, Twily's got a piece of the machine?" Shining asked, using his pet name for his sister on accident.
"Yes, a piece that contains part of the machines magic," Vinyl replied, shaking her head, "What Fluttershy has been searching for is the most vital component of the entire machine, one that Oblivion created and lost before he could use it. A power source of uncontrollable hatred that would power the machine and its wearer, creating an unstoppable monster that none of us could defeat. That's what's waiting for us if we find it in the pits, an evil crystal that needs to be eradicated before Oblivion knows it still exists."
~World of Darkness~
"I cannot believe you did something so stupid Rainbow Dash."
Twilight was annoyed; the cyan dragon seriously thought that she, the mage of darkness, was able to resurrect the dead without so much effort on her part. That part was true, she could easily bring back the Rider of Famine and restore her to perfect health before they were required to meet with Lord Oblivion. Lucky for her that Twilight had a spare heart for every major pony in Oblivion's army, so if one of them died unexpectedly she would be able to bring them back. What actually annoyed her was that she had been wounded, had her entire army slain in battle, had lost her key, and was expecting Twilight to help her.
Rainbow was lucky that Twilight was willing to help her friends still, otherwise the entire situation would have been a bust for the evil dragon. Lord Oblivion had made it so they were still friendly towards each other, but he had also changed them so they wouldn't help each other more than necessary. So Twilight was willing to help the dragon mare out, but only because Lord Oblivion would have their flanks if he discovered that the Rider of Famine was dead and they did nothing to save her.
"Hey, don't blame me Egghead," Rainbow spat, her body curled in front of the bed where Spitfire was resting, "I was caught unaware on my day off. We were outnumbered and underpowered to deal with Princess Luna and her army. Sure, I lost my key, but so has the majority of the Elements lost their keys. All I really care about right now is getting to Lord Oblivion's world before he shuts down all the gateways besides one."
"Oh my, I cannot believe I had forgotten what time it was," Rarity commented, looking at the clock on the wall, "the gateways will be shutting down any minute now."
"It seems that Vegna is about to be awaken from his slumber," Twilight said, just as both the Hateful Lyra and Spitfire joined them, "and now that we are all assembled it is time to be going."
~The Terminal~
"Oblivion is going to shut down all the gateways in the Terminal," Vinyl continued, watching the last bits of her army enter the realm before the gate closed itself, "all except the one that will lead us to his true base. The gates closing means that he has found all the pieces of his legendary machine and has begun to restore it's power, awakening the dreaded hatred deep within it. What he has planned for such a machine is even beyond me."
According to the Commander the gates would be closing any minute, so to make sure they had all their forces she had begun pulling them out of every world. Warriors poured out of each of the working gates in perfect order, marching in line exactly like they had been trained in the past. Soldiers from the various worlds, such as cruelty, greed, and arrogance, gathered from across the universe in the one place that they could feel safe in.
Octavia was amazed; the mare she had spent most of her time with was the commander of hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies from all across the multiple worlds. Ponies wearing all sorts of armor and carrying all sorts of different weapons, they were equipped with the dangerous tools needed to combat the enemy. They were going to need all the tools they could get so they could defeat the levels of evil that Oblivion had constructed to stall them.
"An impressive army you have created," said a voice from behind Vinyl, a voice that turned out to be an armored Celestia, "An army that could turn the tide against our enemy. So commander, how do you feel with four alicorns standing at your call?"
"Fine," Vinyl answered, equipping herself in her finest armor and her best sword, "We should be ready for when the gateways close, for that is when the way to his secret world. Trust me, if the weapon known as Vegna is awakened we will have minutes to defeat Oblivion before the two merge. The union of Oblivion and Vegna will make him untouchable, so if we want to best him we need to destroy his army and crush the machine.
Of course that means if the prison opens then a godly Oblivion and a dangerous Vegna will merge together, making him both untouchable and unkillable. If we want to beat him we need to prevent that from happening at all costs."
And that was when the entire Terminal shut down.
Where in Equestria are we?
XVI: The World of Oblivion
Vinyl had been expecting the entire Terminal to shut down. Hell, she had been told by Oblivion at the beginning that when Vegna was being charged up that this was going to happen sooner or later. The only gateway that was going to be operational was the one that Oblivion was going to open into the heart of the Terminal. He was going to steal the keys and open the way to his own world in one fell swoop, which was going to cause the greatest of chaos ever known.
While she was prepared to deal with the whole invasion of Oblivion's world she knew what else was to come when the gateway opened. Oblivion himself was coming to gather the keys and there was absolutely nothing any of them, not even the Princesses themselves, could do to prevent him from gaining the keys. They were doomed to lose all the keys, but while they lost one opening to defeat Oblivion they had another chance to get him when his gate was open.
Vinyl looked at her allies; the ever destructive Derpy Hooves, the brave Lyra Heartstrings, her ever vigilant partner Octavia, and ... the fez wearing Doctor Hooves? Wait, how had the Doctor gotten into the Terminal and how had he bypassed Vinyl's defenses? At least he wasn't sporting the eyes of Oblivion's allies and was actually standing still by Derpy.
"Doctor, I'm surprised to see you again," Vinyl remarked, looking for the stallion's signature weapon, "Last I heard you were supposed to be dealing with the robotic legions in the World of Machines. How did that go and how the buck did you bypass my defenses?"
"I did quite well," the Doctor replied, pulling out a long covered weapon and placing it before the mare, "I terminated the legions of Clockwerk, which is no small feat I assure you, and found this beauty laying in a pile of scrape metal. Clockwerk was going to have this turned into a weapon to use against us and I decided to bring it to you, the one mare who would appreciate the value of this item."
Vinyl took a look at the package and levitated the cover off, nearly gasping as she recognized what was laying under the cloth. It was a long barreled weapon, made of a fusion of wood and metal, with a single trigger. There were a variety of buttons and nobs around the entire barrel, but the inside of the weapon was what she zeroed in on in an instant. In the direct center rested a crystal, a light blue colored one that was fueled with the power of love, and what appeared to be a dozen connectors that allowed something to gather above the gem.
"This is definitely a beauty," she whispered, nearly lifting her glasses off to get a better look at the weapon, "A cannon containing a powered up shard of a destroyed Crystal Heart, one that had to have been located in the world you found this in. Even the connectors seem to have smaller fragments of the heart embedded in their centers."
"Any idea what this is Vinyl?" Octavia asked, eying the weapon with curiosity.
"I have a perfect idea of what this is," Vinyl replied, running a hoof over the weapon as a wild idea popped into her head, "and I have an even better idea of what to use it for."
~The World of Oblivion~
"Get moving!" Fluttershy yelled, whipping a soldier as the entire line gathered in front of where their enemies would gather, "We have to be ready for when the war begins."
The place where their enemies would gather was across the plateau, a long stretch of land that allowed Lord Oblivion's forces to have a better view point of where the enemy was going to arrive. They had an assortment of weapons aimed at that location, dozens of weapons that would tear Vinyl and her forces to shreds in a matter of seconds. Still, they were prepared to have a defense in case some of the soldiers survived the blasting.
"Give them a break Fluttershy, darling," Rarity said, cleaning her claws, "We don't need broken soldiers to face what could be coming our way."
"Let them come," Rainbow growled, grinding a stone into pure dust, "They must pay for what they did to me, my soldiers, and the Hatebolts."
"Oh Dashie, that was your fault." Pinkamena remarked, her mace hitting the ground and crushing the stone with ease, "Next time you have a day off, if you ever get one again, I suggest you spend the day training your body and mind so the enemy doesn't get the better of you. Of course that also means that the rest of you might as well train yourselves every day to be sure you don't get bested."
"I've been training since day one," Applejack replied, changing her old gun for a cannon sized one, "but I would love to blast them all when they arrive."
"Dear Oblivion they're fighting again." Twilight moaned, the black cloud the surrounded her seemed to lower itself as if they were tied to her emotions, "For once I wish they wouldn't fight over the dumbest of things."
The six were always fighting, it was something that Lord Oblivion never got rid of and so they would fight over everything in every world. That meant everything from whose world it was to which of them would get the most resources for their various home worlds. The one thing that Twilight knew about their enemy was that she didn't trust the wildcard they held, that being their commander Vinyl. That mare was unpredictable at times, so when she appeared from the gate, alone, Twilight wondered what was up this time.
"Yo yo yo, this is DJ PON-3," Vinyl shouted, her voice being carried by her magic as she lifted up the cannon, "and this here is my BASS CANNON."
Before any of Oblivion's soldiers could react Vinyl pressed the trigger and the cannon fired an orb of love energy it had been gathering for the last ten minutes. The pink energy soared past the Elements of Hate and crashed into the evil heart of the fallen Crystal Empire, shattering the large gemstone with ease. The resulting explosive shockwave knocked down all the weapons the enemy had brought to bare and tore a giant hole in the area.
"Where did she get a Crystal Love Cannon?" Twilight shouted, her shield fading as she faced the mare, "None of those are supposed to exist anymore."
"Warriors of Harmony!" Vinyl shouted, a second charge primed and readied as her army appeared behind her, "CHARGE IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD. CHARGE IN THE NAME OF FAUST!"
The second charge tore through the enemy ranks, tearing apart the armor and flesh like it was nothing compared to the power of love. Thanks to the first blast the cannons were disabled and that allowed the army to flood the Crystal Empire, easily colliding with the enemy. Pony clashed with pony as Shining made his way towards the one pony he wanted to see since the beginning of this whole mess; his little sister. Maybe this one time he could finally breach the barrier of hatred and reach his sister, hopefully to make her see the truth of her actions and turn her on Oblivion.
That was his plan until Pinkamena landed right in front of him, crushing the ground as she heaved her huge mace up in front of her.
"Ah, Co-Commander Shining Armor, I have been waiting to fight you since you turned against us," the draconic mare said, smiling to herself as she prepared for battle, "You tore a hole in Cadence's heart the moment you turned on her and the rest of us. Why would you do that to your ex-wife?"
"Because she helped me escape the hate before it could consume me," Shining answered, a marriage ring appearing on his horn, "I have been wearing this since that day, the day I lost the one mare I gave my heart to. I promised her that I would return and rescue her from the depths of hatred that would have taken root in her heart, no matter what the cost."
"No matter the cost eh?" Pinkamena asked, her mace leveled with the stallion's head, "Then I hope you don't mind being killed in battle like every pony that you have lead here."
Shining barely had time to raise his shields, one magical and one metal, to prevent the mace from passing right into his body and crushing his bones. His shields were supposed to repel the strongest of attacks, but considering he was fighting the Rider of War he wasn't surprised when one began to crack. Pinkamena was, to some extent, exactly like Commander Vinyl reported in terms of strength and power.
"Very good," Pinkamena remarked, almost as if she was toying with him, "A Class-A ranked personal shield spell backed by a mithril shield. Strong defenses, but not enough to stop me."
Shining's spell shattered like it was made of paper as the mace continued through and crushed his shield, the pieces falling as his front left leg was crushed. He screamed in pain as he backed up, his leg limping as the demon pony smiled in what appeared to be glee. On second thought he now realized that the report on Pinkamena was accurate and he had paid the price for being sightly arrogant.
He growled and swung his sword at the mare, who lifted her mace up to block the attack as she got blasted in the direct center of her chest. Now that she wasn't wearing the chest piece that belonged to Vegna her scales were vulnerable, which allowed him to damage her. Pinkamena wounded his leg and he blew a hole in her chest, barely missing her heart by a few inches. He could have taken her out in an instant, but she was lucky he had misjudged the width of the attack.
"Damn you Shining Armor," Pinkamena growled, her spare arm holding the hole where her left lung used to be, "Your lucky that I'm not wearing the chest piece of Vegna, otherwise your attack would have had no effect on me. Too bad for you that the power of hatred is much more powerful than you could possibly comprehend."
Just as the hole suddenly began to heal it abruptly stopped as a pink aura surrounded the wound, preventing the power of hate from running its course. That didn't matter to Pinkamena very much, she could survive without one of her lungs for a few hours. It gave her enough time to kill a couple of her enemies and open a gateway to Twilight's world so she could repair herself.
So that's their weakness, Vinyl realized as she hacked an enemy to pieces, I should have known.
Unfortunately for Shining Armor Pinkamena picked up her mace and threw it right at his chest, the head turning into a blade as it pierced his chest. The mace-turned-sword stuck out of Shining's shield, piercing the magical barrier and his heart at the same time.
"Do you feel death closing her hooves on you?" Pinkamena asked, smirking as she approached the dying stallion, "She's been waiting to get her hooves on those who fight against Lord Oblivion, such as you and her counterpart and the rest of your allies."
"Get away from him you monster!"
Pinkamena was thrown to the side by some strong magic, but when she looked to see who had tossed her to the side she was surprised. Cadence, the Princess of Hatred, was kneeling by her fallen husband. Somehow the old Cadence had broken through and was affecting her judgement, making her relapse.
"There's the Cadence... I fell... in love... with..." Shining wheezed, coughing blood as his wife held him close, "The Cadence... that I promised... that I would... save..."
As the life faded from Shining Armor's eyes Cadence gave him one last kiss, the love that they had shared shattering the hold that Oblivion's hatred had on her. She was going to destroy Oblivion, but first she was going to end the hatred that he had brought to everypony from each and every world. And she was going to start with Pinkamena.
Where in Equestria are we?
"How dare you Cadence." Pinkamena growled, heaving herself up as her weapon returned to her side, "How dare you turn your back on Lord Oblivion and the power he gave you."
"The power he gave me?" Cadence spat, turning to face the demonic mare as the hate in her eyes was replaced by the energy of love, "He gave me the power to destroy, the power to erase those that opposed him, and what did I get in return? I got nothing but the empty feeling that everything was wrong with what we were doing for him. I know that you welcomed the violence into your body like it was an old friend, but in the beginning you must have felt that something was wrong with your actions."
"In the beginning I might have felt something, but now I don't care," Pinkamena snapped, holding her weapon up as she spoke, "Now all I care about is tearing down the walls of those who dare proclaim that Harmony is the way to live your life. I kill those who dare to fight for all that shows Honesty, all that is full of Laughter, all that is Generous to others, all that makes them show their Loyalty to their friends, everything that makes them feel Kindness, and every damned thing that shows the Magic in their hearts.
Want to know what I did to those who so much as represented even one fragment of the original Elements? I tore them to pieces and used them to make the evil Hatecakes that I fed to those who needed some corruption in their lives. I created an army of evil ponies who were bent on erasing the original Elements and took up Oblivion's name to do so. We raced across the worlds, erasing those who threatened our mission and corrupting those that needed to be shown the greater part of life."
"Shut the buck up."
Love tore through Pinkamena's body as Cadence fired a beam of magic at her, but the fact was that the scales that would have protected her from any other magical attack tore apart easily. Love washed over Pinkamena, tearing at the hate she had stockpiled in her body and restoring her mind to what it should have been before Oblivion had arrived. The vile energies that once emitted from her body were destroyed and were immediately replaced by the blue energies that represented the Element of Laughter. The magic went as far as to heal the gaping wound in her chest, restoring both the missing lung and the skin that covered it.
When the magic subsided Pinkamena lowered to the ground, her eyes now filled with the same pink energy that flowed out of Cadence's own eyes. Her body was no longer the vile dragon-like form it had been, but instead it had returned to the familiar pink pony most ponies knew her as. Her weapon lost the sinister glow that had been dancing around it and became just a normal weapon, or about as normal as it could get seeing how Pinkie was the one wielding it.
"I told you Pinkie," Cadence smiled, helping the mare up, "back in the beginning, before we were completely overrun by the hate, I told you that one day my husband was going to come and save us from the darkness. I said that he had promised to save me, but I knew that in my heart that once he returned for me it would have set off a chain reaction that would destroy all the hate that Oblivion built."
"I hate to ask this question, but aren't we in the middle of a war?" Pinkie innocently asked, making Cadence look up to remember the fighting around them.
"Oops, my bad," Cadence said, giving the pink mare a crooked smile, "Let's hope that we haven't missed much or cost anypony anything."
All they had missed was ponies dying on both sides as the power of love battled the power of hate, the constant battle that they had waged for countless years. This time Cadence and Pinkie had regained themselves, leaving the enemy without two of their players. Now Vinyl knew the weakness that they could use to completely erase Oblivion's hate and restore balance to the rest of the fallen ponies.
"Hey Gatekeeper," Vinyl called, watching the alicorn stallion bash an enemy in the head with just his hoof, "You got a spare heart on you by chance?"
The Gatekeeper stopped right next to Vinyl and pulled out a Crystal Heart, this one fully powered up by the power of love and had not a single crack on its surface. Vinyl smiled and embraced the heart, eying the empty slot where the hateful heart had once floated before she destroyed it. If she could get the heart to the empty void then she could erase the hate that everypony else had and they could finally deal with Oblivion. The only problem was that she had to go through Death in order to reach the center of the Crystal Empire.
"Hehe, come on Vinyl," Death challenged, her scythe angled so she could rend the life out of the other her, "I know that you have an ace up your sleeve, yet all I see is the fact that Cadence had a moment of weakness and took Pinkamena down with her. So we lost the Rider of War, but what does it matter when three more Rider's await your army before they can reach Lord Oblivion? The three of us are more then enough to deal with an army of your size, but it can never hurt to have more allies running around that can help us.
Come on out, Clockwerk."
The ground shook, which was strange because the last time Vinyl did a reading across the entire ground she found nothing buried under the ground. There should have been nothing that could have caused the ground to violently shake as it did, which was actually worrying her. Then the ground between Death and Vinyl began to open up, revealing that they were standing on two sections of what appeared to be a quickly destabilizing metal plate.
Gears spun and connected to pieces on the other side of the gap, causing a slow rumbling sound to be heard by everypony on the battlefield. To Vinyl's right arose a huge metallic limb, at the end of which was five huge dragon claws made completely out of metal. She looked to her left and saw the same thing erupt out of the ground before the ground quickly ascended towards the sky. She knew exactly what had happening; she and Death were standing on top of a huge metallic dragon that only Clockwerk could have constructed.
"Hehe, all systems online," the dragon's head chuckled, sounding exactly like the metal owl, "Now you see the height of my perfection. Why settle for the body of a small owl when I could command the body of a giant dragon that's fueled by Hatred? Immortality, everlasting smarts, and the power to destroy my enemies all wrapped into one body. You should feel honored, Warriors of Harmony, for you shall be the first to witness the power I have spent months creating."
"Faust almighty," a stallion whispered, his eyes scanning the dragon in dread as a compartment opened in the left arm, "I've got goosebumps for some reas..."
The stallion never got to finish his sentence as a missile hit his location and killed him and the closest ponies in the blast radius in seconds. In one instant Clockwerk had changed the tide of the battle, turning fear and dread upon the faces of the mighty warriors that stood before him. The only ponies who didn't seem scared of the giant clockwork dragon were the Gatekeeper, Celestia, Luna, the transformed Cadence, and Pinkie.
"I assume the dragon has some weakness?" Cadence shouted, blasting an enemy in the back while she kept her eyes on the barely moving creature.
"Everything has a weakness silly," Pinkie replied, her mace crushing a stallion's leg before she moved on to the next pony, "Clockwerk's, however, is something so obvious that I can't believe you are even asking me. His dragon suit is powered by the same energies that all of those who follow Oblivion have coursing through their veins."
"Hatred." Cadence realized, ducking before she got knocked in the head by an enemy, "How could I have missed something like that? Let's get blasting then."
Vinyl swung her sword and her counterpart backed up to avoid the attack, her sword carving a line in the armor plate Clockwerk wore. She was glad that her love powered sword could still do some damage to those who followed Oblivion, but the fact was that not even she could destroy Clockwerk and Death at the same time. Another problem was that the ground was constantly moving since Clockwerk liked to see his enemies before blasting them into pieces. She could always use the overdrive function on the cannon to blast through the dragon, but there was now way to do it while Death literally stalked her.
"Do not think that Love can save you now Vinyl," Death chuckled, kicking the cannon off of Vinyl's back and causing it to drop all the way to the ground, "Your too slow to read my movements, too slow to realize that I'm three, no, four steps ahead of you and still you blindly fight me. You should have given into the hate the moment you felt the power coursing through your veins, but instead you tossed it aside. Your a damned coward, Vinyl Scratch, and you'll never be the warrior you ever wanted to be."
As Death talked she swung her scythe, the vile red energy flowing off of it as it tried to reach Vinyl at all costs, and Vinyl returned the favor. The two clashed, hate attacking love, as their weapons battered at the other in an attempt to do the other pony harm. Neither weapon nor mare could pass the others weapon, making it extremely difficult for either of them to truly gain the upper hoof. All the while their attacks had a lasting effect on their surroundings as the powers of both Hatred and Love washed over the clockwork machine; one healing any wound it was given while the other blew holes everywhere.
"Good," Clockwerk chirped, noticing Octavia with her back turned as his mouth opened to burn the mare alive, "With this power I will eradicate the Cooper family from history, but first I shall eradicate all traces of the rebellion."
Vinyl immediately recognized what her partner was going, so she grinned like a moron and backed up to the edge of the area she and Death were on.
"You know Death," Vinyl said, "We've been fighting for over a thousand years, yet neither of us can win. You know all my tricks, just as I know all of yours. I'm sure you know what's coming next."
Before her counterpart could speak Vinyl leapt backwards and began to fall, allowing the air to pass her as she waited to pass by where Clockwerk's heart should have been. She pulled out a grapple gun and waited, watching Death leap off the edge to run her scythe blade through her body and end her life. Death caught up to her in no time, the scythe blade hitting her sword as she stared into Vinyl's eyes.
"I do hope you weren't planning on running away?" Death asked, a wild and evil grin appearing on her bony face.
"Course not fool," Vinyl said, the grapple hook attaching to the location of the heart as she slipped the gin onto Death's belt, "I'm Vinyl Scratch, Commander of the Warriors of Harmony, and the best DJ in all of Equestria. But more importantly I hope you enjoy getting fried alive...or dead as it were. Now Octavia."
Death got yanked back up to the heart as Octavia turned around, presenting the Love Cannon that was pulsing with an intense amount of love energy. She heaved it up to where the heart was, now displayed thanks to Vinyl attaching a direct target to where it was, and pressed the lever. The energy wave that burst out of the cannon tore through the unfortunate enemies that just happened to be in the way before it passed through both Death and Clockwerk's heart.
It was literally like magic working its hoof as the giant mechanical dragon began to self destruct with all the love energy coursing through its veins. The Love energy not only crippled the dragon, rendering it completely useless, but it also trapped Clockwerk in a labyrinth of his own design. All the layers of plates, gears, wires, and all the other mechanical devices that went into its making now formed a prison he could no longer escape from. And to top it off the dragon crumpled back into the ground from whence it came, filling the gigantic gap it had created and made a bridge into the heart of the Crystal Empire.
Death, on the other hoof, had suffered a direct hit to her core, tearing apart the hatred she had been building for the last thousand years to nothing. Her scythe now laid broken in front of the dragon's grave, her robe laid in tatters as it began to turn to dust, and she herself was beginning to fall to the sands of time. Vinyl could not help but feel sorry for her counterpart, suffering such an attack would have destroyed anypony who was not able to withstand the power. Still, she would not wish the fate of turning to sand on anypony, least of all her other self.
"Tell me Death, where is Oblivion and Vegna?" Vinyl asked, stopping by her counterpart as her army passed them.
"Hehe... You think that since... You beat two of us... You have a chance... at beating HIM?" Death asked, wheezing as her body lost its left hind hoof, "But... If you must know... He's waiting... At the top of... The Crystal Palace... You CANNOT STOP HIM..."
Death turned to sand before she could finish her sentence, leaving Vinyl to look at the sky and try to locate the location of their enemy. Yet directly above the Crystal Palace was a sphere made of darkness, but something told her it was exactly what she was searching for. Oblivion had to be in there, powering up Vegna so he could become unstoppable. This time Vinyl was ready for him and any last minute tricks he might have.
"Vinyl, the cannons primed for the final setting," Octavia said, holding the cannon steady in case they needed to fire it, "but I don't think the power of a shard is going to phase that barrier Oblivion has protecting him."
"Course not," Vinyl replied, taking the cannon as they approached the area where the Crystal Heart once floated, "By using the power of the unbroken Crystal Heart with the full unbound power of the cannon we could literally tear a gaping hole in that barrier. If anything the power might be enough to eat away the power of Vegna and cause a chain reaction that could annihilate the machine and Oblivion in one go."
The cannon spun around as she placed it below where the heart rested, watching it spread apart and build until what looked like a generator remained. That was a generator with seven spikes to gather energy, a holding cell for the Crystal Heart, and someplace for the energy to fire out in the direction they wanted. Vinyl set the cannon to fire when ready and slid the heart into position, watching the love energy gather around the center of her machine.
Course Oblivion's soldiers realized what was happening and tried to intervene, but Vinyl and her armor stood together as they repelled the attackers. The remaining Elements of Hate tried to pass their defenses, but with as much love energy as there was in the air there was no way for them to withstand the pressure. A full ten minutes passed before the entire army laid on the ground, the hate burning out of their bodies and returning their minds to what they had been before. It seemed unfair to take from them the warriors deaths they might have wanted, but saving countless ponies from Oblivion was a much better prize.
The beam that fired out of the cannon tore through the palace, destroying very little before it came into direct contact with Oblivion and Vegna. The invincible machine that Oblivion spent years crafting and searching for cracked before his eyes, the energy tearing holes in the supposed unbreakable metal. Before Oblivion, the master of Hatred, could escape from the orb Vegna exploded in his face, tearing a hole in the sky as the monster and the machine vanished from the universe.
Vinyl looked up and smiled, Oblivion was gone somehow, but they had finally beaten him after one thousand years of intense battling. It could have ended differently, she realized this, but right now she was pleased with the outcome of the fight. All that mattered was that she finally returned to her Equestria and took up a profession that didn't involve her running ponies through with her sword. Besides, there was a celebration party to be had and they weren't even there yet.
Where in Equestria are we?
One week had passed since the defeat of the dreaded Oblivion and the machine Vegna, the lesser of which the Warriors of Harmony were glad they didn't have to fight. The day of Oblivion's defeat was met with happy results as the army broke open their containers of all things related to brew; beer, ale, wine, and all, and drowned themselves in merry making. It was the way things should have been; everypony relaxing and not having to fight a deranged overlord from another time who hated everypony else.
The remaining three Riders; Pinkie, Rider of War, Spitfire, Rider of Famine, and Lyra, the Rider of Pestilence, stood in front of the Gatekeeper soon after their defeat. Pinkie swore that she would atone for her sins as both the Rider of War and the violent beast she had been known as while under the influence of Oblivion. Lyra and Spitfire, both taking their time on the matter, reluctantly agreed with Pinkie that they needed to atone for their crimes. Death Scratch, the fourth Rider, was long gone at that point, reduced to sand that not even Vinyl could reassemble.
The Elements of Hate, now taking on the titles of Harmony again, stood on a hill far from the celebrating army, five of them not feeling the joy in the celebration. Course Pinkie was the one trying to lift their spirits, but there was one thing Twilight had done that had set the record straight between Cadence and Pinkie. She had given Shining a new heart and, with some dark magic involved, she had successfully resurrected her fallen brother.
Vinyl, on the other hoof, stared out at the swirling mass of gateways, trying to pick out a certain door that would help her in her final mission. After the defeat of Hatred she had taken a count of everypony that had been on Oblivion's army, writing names so she knew who was alive and who was dead. There was only one pony who had somehow eluded her search and now was currently missing in action, one pony she was responsible for.
"Hey Vinyl," Octavia said, sitting by her partner as Lyra and Derpy joined them, "What are you searching for?"
"Its Trixie," Vinyl answered, rubbing her eyes after setting her glasses to the side, "She's still out there somewhere, lost among all the worlds in the universe. She could be anywhere, but now I have no idea where to start looking for her. I spent a thousand years searching for the seven keys to Oblivion's prison, but now I might spend another thousand searching for the one mare who hates me with a passion."
"You'll find her Vinyl," Octavia smiled, grabbing the glasses and slid them over Vinyl's muzzle, "If its anything your good at then finding those you care about is like a second cutie mark for you. You found the seven keys and me quite easily, so do what comes naturally to you. Choose a new world and let the adventure begin anew!"
Vinyl looked up at Derpy and Lyra, receiving nods from them. She smiled and let Octavia help her up, her eyes following the door she wanted. She held her hoof out and the gateway to her chosen world opened before the four of them. Octavia was right, she realized, finding Trixie was just another adventure for them to begin anew.
