Previously:
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>The sight makes you want to vomit. You fly away as her piercing laughter rings in your ears, joined by a chorus of chanting, chittering changelings that take up chase of you.
>Sweetie Belle is crying into your side as the sounds of the winged monstrocities grows louder as they grow nearer.
>Focusing every last bit of your will into speed, you blast forth, trailing a purple cone of light behind you as you leave them all behind, heading towards the darker half of the sky.
>Your mind races almost as fast as your body. How could Chrysalis survive such a thing? How can you beat something like that?
>Spike might know. Or Anon. You need your friends. You need to regroup and come up with a plan. Your only hope is to travel to Canterlot. You remember that Twilight, Trixie and the Wonderbolts are travelling there, as are Spike and Shining Armor.
>A thought occurs to you. What if the guards accompanying Spike and Shining Armor were changelings themselves?
>Shining Armor had to have been with the fake Cadance for some time... What if he was replaced? What if the Shining Armor with Spike wasn't actually him at all?
>What if Spike...
>You close your eyes and keep going forward, holding tightly onto your sister.
>You hope nothing bad has happened to him...
 
 
>ANOTHER CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY...
 
>You are Ironos Greyhorn, of Clan Greyhorn. But most know you as the Iron Will, an unbreakable bastion of strength, resolve and determination.
>And you are broken. Your battle brothers scattered and dead. Your blood brother, a betrayer.
>You strain as you try to recall what happened.
>A terrible darkness swept over the land. You were sent out to explore the surrounding regions to see if you could find out why.
>Your party was ambushed by demons. Foul creatures from the Abyss itself, summoned to the mortal plane, bloodthirsty and ready for battle.
>As they cut you and your warriors down, they chanted a name...
>Baphomet. The Horned King, Ruler of the Endless Maze, the Trampler, the Prince of Beasts, and the title you loathe the most, the Minotaur Lord.
>For centuries, your kind has battled against itself, waging a war between primal and civil nature. The howling blades, leaders of the Temple of Ire, hold true to the more ancient ways of minotaur culture; raiding, pillaging and raping.
>They revel in blood, carnage and life's simplest pleasures.
>Yet, this has made very few friends for the minotaur people. The other half believes in moving beyond the barbaric lifestyle of old, citing the successes of the civilizations of other races as evidence that there are better ways of thinking.
>This caused a split, dividing many of the minotaur clans into one of the two groups. You thought yours was on the side of civility, until today...
>Your brother. Sutrusk. He has sold himself to the Horned King, and revealed your party's position. Demons swarmed over you, killing your battle brothers, among them some of your closest friends.
>You grit your teeth as you try to rise from whatever bed you are in. You try to think about how you got here. You slaughtered the demons, and then there was another...
 
>A strange form, feminine, with devilish hooves, wings and a tail. Her skin as red as blood, and eyes as black as the Abyss, burning with green fire.
>Her power was great, far greater than your own. She blasted you with waves of hellfire, forcing you to flee, to leave the bodies of your brothers behind.
>You ran through the forest, broke through a clearing, and then---
>"Don't get up," you hear a soothing voice tell you. You feel a soft, small hand upon your chest, urging you to lie down.
>You want to defy her, but something about her voice tells you that she can be trusted.
>You manage to open an eye to behold your savior.
>A human? She wears a soft, spring-yellow dress covered in small vines and flowers. Her hair, a flowing light pink, hides half of a pretty face. Caring blue eyes and a smile decorate her face.
>She looks like a druid. An earthen staff of wood and plant lies next to her.
>"Can you speak?" she asks in a soft tone.
"Yes," you whisper, barely able to choke out a response.
>She nods. "Good. My name is Fluttershy, and I am not going to harm you. I want to help you. You are hurt. May I help you?"
>Odd. Surely she must know the reputation of your kind? Is she not afraid? Your instinct tells you not to trust her. This may be a trap. Historically, humans and minotaurs are not friends, so why would this one help?
>Yet, there's something odd about her that puts you at ease. Against your better judgment, you nod, giving her your consent. You're not in much of a state to do much else, with your wounds and burns.
>With a smile, she takes hold of the staff and begins working her druidic magic, casting soothing spells of healing and warmth.
>You close your eyes, allowing the healing magic to cleanse your muscles of their soreness and your burns of their sting.
 
>You groan in pain as some of your deeper wounds seal up. Then, you hear a sound, low and melodic, which grows in pitch.
>Is she... singing?
>"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head, hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed..."
>Is that a lullaby? You haven't been sung to like this since you were but a babe, resting in your mother's arms.
>Part of you should find this insulting. A warrior, proud and strong, being tended to and sung to like a child.
>But again, there's a strange part of you that welcomes it. It feels comforting, and in a dire time like this, you could use comfort.
>Then, an instrument begins playing subdued notes to go along with her lullaby. Opening your other eye, you look over to see another human. This one is dressed like a bard, with an instrument to match. Her fluffy, erratic hot pink hair sticks out in almost every direction and she wears a happy, carefree grin on her face.
>Bardic and druidic magic works together to heal you as you feel your strength returning. Your blood is pumping through your veins. You clench your hands and unclench them.
>Together, these two humans have saved you, healing your wounds to the point where no evidence of them ever having been there remains.
>You open your eyes and sit up. The druid stops singing and the bard stops playing.
>Fluttershy scoots close to you. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much," you reply, and then you regard her with some scrutiny. You roll your tongue around in your mouth---you haven't had to speak human dialect in a long time. "But why help me?"
>"Why would I not?" she asks, and not a single hint of sarcasm do you detect in her voice.
"What if I had been a howling blade?"
>"I'm afraid I don't know what that is," she says.
>"Is that like a singing and dancing sword?" the other asks.
 
>You cock a brow upwards at her odd comment.
"Surely you know of the barbarism that minotaurs are capable of."
>"Well, no, not really," Fluttershy shakes her head. "I just saw someone who was hurt and needed help."
>Now this is truly surprising. They know nothing of your kind, but are willing to help what must look, to them, like a monster?
"What a strange thing to find in the forest: a being guided by kindness..."
>She smiles. "Everything deserves a little kindness, don't you think?"
"I don't always have the luxury of affording kindness," you reply, moving to stand on your hooved feet.
>"How'd you get so mangled?" the other, more pink one asks.
"My friends, my fellow warriors, slaughtered by demons that were brought upon us by brotherly betrayal."
>Fluttershy stands and puts a hand to her mouth. "That's horrible! Are you alright? I mean, your spirit must be so terribly wounded by a loss such as this!"
Your close your eyes. "I will grieve when the battle is done and justice is dealt. There was another among them that burned me, but my brother's treachery stings the most. I must return to my home and save my clan. I must warn my father."
>The pink one bounces next to you. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go kick some minotaur butt!"
>You look down at her with a fiery glare, causing her to back away. "Well... present company excluded, naturally!"
"I am in debt to you both. But you cannot come with me. I won't allow it."
>Fluttershy daringly takes hold of your large hand. "But, why? Surely you don't intend to return alone!"
"This is an internal matter. One of honor. My brother's hands are stained with the blood of many of my clan's finest warriors and I must make him pay."
>You sigh and close your eyes.
"Though it pains me for we share blood, I must slay him. There is no other way for him to atone, for he is now in the Horned King's fold."
 
>You kneel and take your greataxe from the ground, hoisting it over one shoulder. You turn back to look at your two allies.
>The young druid's eyes are full of concern. "But, we can help you. We've both magic, and we're apart of this now as well."
"No, you aren't," you tell her. "You've healed me and given me the chance to make what is wrong, right. For that I am grateful, but I cannot repay my debt until I have done what I must do. Please. Every second I waste is a second lost."
>Your firm stance causes her to let go and nod. "Alright," she says, saddened. "But I never got your name."
"I am Ironos, the Iron Will. Thank you Fluttershy and... Pink Bard."
>"Pinkie Pie!" she proudly introduces herself.
You nod. "Very well. Once more I thank you for your help, and I will find you when I have finished my task."
>You leave the two of them behind, venturing out into the dark forest. You know these lands like the back of your hand. You'll make it home in no time.
>Your brother waits there.
>An hour into your journey, you are halted. As you step out into a large field, several pillars of fire emerge from the ground.
>Shadows form within them, humanoid and canine forms. When the spiraling flames disperse, the moonlight shines down upon your foes: a pack of demons. Evistros, canoloths and, to your dismay, a bloodseep demon.
 
>The evistro. The carnage demon. In many ways, one of the simplest of creatures that the Abyss can birth. It resembles an orc with no skin, only red tissue and veins atop powerful muscles. Its arms and feet end in claws. They howl and prepare for battle, the only reason for their existence.
>The canoloth. Hunting hounds of the Abyss. These fleshy, hairless dogs have plate armor stamped into their flesh. Their heads have no eyes, no nose and no ears; only a large, circular tooth-filled maw from which emerges a long, dripping, spiked tongue. Like evistros, they hunger for flesh and attack in groups.
>But their leader, the bloodseep demon, is the one you know you must be truly wary of. It stands tall as a man, hunched over and its back covered in boney spikes. Its poisonous weeps and spurts from its white, cracking body. Four arms, each ending in claws, drip with the same poison. Its large mouth twists into an odd parody of a smile as it commands its demonic brethren to charge at you, then it teleports away within a wisp of white smoke.
>The first carnage demon to reach you howls as it splays out its claws, bringing them from up high.
>With your greataxe in both hands, you charge forward and duck your head down low, impaling him upon your horns. You knock two more aside as you clear their group.
>The demon on your head makes some kind of guttural cry of pain as you stop and use your axe to push him off of your horns. Demon blood runs down into your hair as you lift your axe up high and sever his head from his body.
>You turn just in time to knock aside one of the hounds. The canoloth leaps into the air. You bring your axe up and use it like a shield, diverting it and knocking it into the earth.
>Hefting your axe up, you prepare to swing it down when you feel the lash of one of the hound's tongues upon your back, drawing blood. It howls to the others, who get excited that first mortal blood has been drawn.
 
>Focusing, you bring the axe down and cleave the dog in half. Spinning around, you use your hoof to knock the other aside, its round body rolling away.
>Looking up, you see two carnage demons coming close, with their bloodseap leader behind them.
>With a low swing, you chop off one of their legs, but the other escapes without a wound, nicking you on the arm with its claws.
>Another canoloth strikes your thigh with its barbed tongue, forcing you onto a knee. Then, a third shoots its long tongue out and wraps it around one of your arms, holding you in place.
>Roaring with fury, you stand and pull against the hound, grabbing hold of its tongue and hoisting it upwards.
>Like a flail, you swing it around in a wide arc, knocking it against its demonic allies. The barbs on the tongue dig into your hand but you care not.
>Once the demons are all knocked aside, you bring the hound up high and slam him into the ground. You do this three more times; splattering the demon until only a fleshy pulp of armor, organs and bone remains. You cast it aside.
>The bloodseep demon teleports behind you, digging its poisonous claws into your back before you can react. You grunt in pain as the poison enters your body. You try to shake him off, but again he vanishes, allowing the four claw wounds on your back to spill fresh blood.
>Three of the evistros surround you now. You feel the poison burning in your veins, and your vision is swimming.
>One of the canoloths howls, and the unearthly howl rings in your soul, rattling your brain.
>But you are the Iron Will, and you will not fall prey to such a howl. With rage building in your body, you stand and spiral, holding your axe out.
>The three carnage demons have hardly any time to react as your whirlwind attack hacks them down, lopping off limbs and heads and cutting torsos in half.
 
>As you slow, a canoloth hound leaps up and wraps its tongue around your leg, cutting into it and dragging it towards its maw of teeth.
>Another carnage demon manages to hack at your stomach, drawing more blood.
>In the outer ring, you see the bloodseep leader, using his blood to heal the wounds on his allies. Upon you, it is poison. Upon them, it is a healing paste, sealing wounds and reattaching limbs.
>Another canoloth strikes out, its tongue wrapping around the handle of your greataxe. It is trying to wrestle it from your grasp.
>You grunt and pull back, unable to stop from shouting in pain as another carnage demon leaves a large, terrible gash along your shoulder.
>When last you fought a pack like this, you had friends with you. They died to demon claws and teeth. You swore to them that you would avenge them.
>It seems that it may not come to pass.
>You always knew you would die in battle.
>You see the bloodseep demon approaching, its claws ready to pump you full of another dose of its poison.
>Closing your eyes, you prepare for what is to come.
>A roar, one vastly different from the demons, emerges from the forest. The trees and plants part as a monster charges through. A winged lion with a spiked tail---a manticore!
>And upon its back ride the druid who saved your life, Fluttershy!
>The manticore roars as it leaps into the air, its impressive wingspan allowing it to glide across the field, right onto a carnage demon.
>The demon squeals as the manticore opens its jaws and crushes its skull between them.
>Then, its spikes tail swings to the side, lobbing three spikes into one of the canoloths, sticking it like a pig.
 
>The bard, Pinkie Pie, bursts through the forest behind them, playing some kind of guitar. She throws her head back and shouts, "HERE WE ARE! Born to be kings, we're the princes of the universe!" She slams her fingers down on the strings, blasting the demons with lyrical energy. "HERE WE BELONG! Fighting to survive in a world with the darkest powers!"
>She continues to play and sing, sapping the demons of their resolve.
>Fluttershy leaps from the manticore's back, holding her staff. She commands vines to emerge from the ground, pulling against the two hounds that are latched onto you.
>The one on your axe lets go, allowing you to turn and hack the tongue holding onto your leg clean off.
>The now-tongueless hound rolls back, blood pouring from its maw. You bring up a hoof and slam it down onto its side, crushing it.
>Now, you turn and look at the bloodseep demon. You point your greataxe at him and roar a challenge.
>Holding its four arms out, it roars its acceptance and you both charge each other.
>Fluttershy commands a rock buried in the earth to break the surface, tripping the demon.
>You smile as you bring your axe up and use all of its weight and your muscles to bring it down upon his head, splitting it in two.
>Pinkie Pie and the manticore settle the rest as Fluttershy walks up to you. You sit, catching your breath as you feel the poison burn within you.
>"I'm going to heal you," she says, readying her spells.
"I did not tell you to follow me," you say slightly grudgingly.
>She gets a determined look on her face. "Now listen here. We helped you once, and we're not going to take 'no' for an answer again. This darkness is making things too dangerous for any of us to go alone. You should know this."
 
>You look into her eyes, seeing her fierce determination. It reminds you of your own strong will, in a way.
You chuckle a bit. "Alright, human. We'll play this your way. But when it comes time to face my brother, I will face him alone."
>"I understand," she replies, beginning to cast her healing magic. "But we'll still be behind you when it happens, ready to intervene."
"I'll not come to rely on you," you swear.
>"I always rely on my friends. Because I know that they're relying on me. I know how to end all of this darkness, Ironos. I'd like your help. If I help you solve your problem, will you join us and stop Nightmare Moon?"
"Who is Nightmare Moon?"
>"The one who brought this darkness that has unbalanced nature. Animals, trees and spirits are in disarray from the change. We must stop her."
>It sounds even more severe than you thought. And now, you can return to your home and tell them of why the darkness has come.
"I will help you," you tell her as you feel the magic dispel the poison from your body and seal your wounds. "And... Thank you, Fluttershy."
>She smiles warmly. A friendly smile. "You're welcome."
 
>You are Fluttershy, and recently, you came to possess the power of nature through an enchanted earthen staff. This was after you and your closest friends were hurled into a fantasy world created by some strange god of chaos from the imagination of your friend Anon.
>With it, you have powers and abilities unlike that which you have ever dreamed. The trees speak to you, as do the animals. You feel the pulse of the world and are one with it.
>And right now, the world suffers. A terrible blight has been brought upon it, an unnatural darkness cast by Nightmare Moon, formerly Princess Luna, driven mad by jealousy and rage at her sister Celestia's news of her bearing Anon's child.
>While that itself deserves quite a bit of investigation, you're currently far from Canterlot, deep in the woods.
>You've met a minotaur, a proud warrior named Ironos, the Iron Will. You saved him from death---twice, actually. The first time, he was near death. The second time, he was attacked by a pack of demons.
>You rode in on your new friend, Mr. Whiskers, along with the bardic Pinkie Pie and helped him slay all of the demons.
>Mr. Whiskers, of course, being a ferocious-looking manticore, a winged lion with a barbed tail. But he's really nice, once you got to know him.
>You ride upon him still, alongside Ironos and Pinkie, as the minotaur leads you towards his home. He has sworn to help your cause and stop Nightmare Moon, but he must first save his people and his family from the treachery of his brother, Sutrusk.
>He has remained mostly silent. Pinkie Pie, however, has not.
>"So, are all minotaurs as big as you? 'Cause you're really, really tall! I bet all minotaur doors must be super-duper big to fit everyone through them!"
>"Some are," he answered rather bluntly.
"How do you know where we're going?" you ask him. "You seem so certain of your path."
>He looked up into the night sky. "The stars are guiding me. We're not far from my home."
 
>Pinkie smiles. "I wish I could read the stars. I picked out a star once and it was my favoritest star in the whole wide universe, but then I forgot where it was, so I just pretend to find it again and again each night! It's a lot of fun trying to find it, though!"
>Ironos leans over to you. "Must she prattle on unceasingly like this?"
You giggle softly. "It's just her way."
>Just as Pinkie is about to say something else, Ironos stops you both and holds up his hand. "Shhhh," he says, kneeling low. His bovine eyes peer through the dark woods.
>You squint in the same direction. You begin to see a fire, and as you listen more intently, you hear the soft beating of drums. Mr. Whiskers growls faintly beneath you.
>"That is my village. I must go to them. But... I fear something is wrong. I wish for you to remain at the ready, should something go wrong."
>"Maybe you should give us a signal!" Pinkie whispered almost loudly enough for it to be considered normal conversation.
>Ironos nods. "Very well. I shall simply shout, 'Now!' if I need your help."
>Pinkie seems sad. "Awwww. Can't it be something cool? Like, 'Caw-caaaawwww' or a loud, sharp whistle or something?"
>Ironos blinks a few times as he stares blankly at her. She gives a bashful smile and shies away.
>He turns back to you. "Be prepared."
>You nod and hold aloft your druidic staff, preparing a spell. You cast a fog over yourself, Pinkie and your manticore friend, to obscure any outside vision. It's a magical mask that makes you three appear as little more than dense foliage, perfectly blending in with the surrounding.
>The minotaur moves up, breaking through the clearing. Many of his kind note his approach and grow silent as he strides through the camp.
>You make your way around the side, sticking to the forest but keeping him in sight. His tribal home is a collection of many tents and huts, with large fires and many minotaurs. They're a very simple folk, but strong and hardy-looking.
 
>Ironos makes his way to the largest of the tents, where a large, old grey minotaur sits, with pale eyes and a thick robe. He resembles a chieftain or shaman of some kind.
>He says something in his native tongue that gets the old cow's attention. You realize that you've no idea what he is saying. Pinkie Pie nudges you and asks if you know what he said.
>Holding your staff and careful as to not attract any attention, you cast upon yourselves a spell of linguistic comprehension. As you do so, Ironos' words slowly change midsentence into a form you can recognize.
>"Futor, gu-unt tarro shey va'ha, toor guoah shutori na brother has done something horrible. He has betrayed me and my battle brothers to demons. I watched him consulting with a devilish whore who granted him the power to summon these creatures."
>The old figure, presumably his father, looks up at him with discerning eyes. "These are extremely bold claims. You believe him to have forsaken everything he holds dear, including his own family?"
>"I have seen it!" Ironos shouts. "My flesh has tasted the claws and teeth of demons he himself summoned! I demand he show himself. I demand the right of kanly. Bring him forth to meet my challenge, that I may avenge my battle brothers!"
>"Your right is denied," a voice calls out. Many of the minotaurs assembled, including Ironos, turn to view its source. A minotaur with dark grey hair, darker than Ironos', with his chest and mouth painted with blood emerges from the shadows and looks at his brother with hateful eyes.
>"You are no longer recognized as a member of the Greyhorn clan. You do not have the right to declare kanly." Sutrusk folds his arms across his chest and stares Ironos down.
>Ironos points at his murderous traitor of a brother. "You lack any such authority to back up such a damnable claim! You are not the warchief!"
>"It is true, he is not," their father says, standing as he does so. "But I am. And I am the one who made the decision."
 
>Ironos' eyes widen. "Father! You cannot tell me you share in the madness that has taken over my brother's soul! Whatever lies he has told you, they are false!"
>"He hasn't shown me lies. He has shown me truth. The griffons were planning an invasion of our lands. We have been given a chance to finally wipe out this menace once and for all and conquer the territory they took from us so long ago."
>Ironos stomps his hoof into the earth. "This isn't our way! We swore that we would seek out a route of peace, to prosper! That we would break free from the endless cycle of violence that has kept our species in the darkness of barbarism for so long!"
>Sutrusk laughs. "Did you really think that such a path could be found, brother? With the haughty griffons making an alliance with the humans and the dragons? They meant to wipe us out, you pathetic fool. Finally, we have a chance to not only destroy their kind, but offer the greatest sacrifice to Baphomet in generations: that of a thousand griffons."
>Ironos' eye burn with a fury greater than any you have ever seen. "Do not speak that name here! We do not pay tribute to that false king, that mad demon lord! We are not the howling blades! We do not stand with him!"
>"Wrong," his father cuts him off. "You do not. You and the warriors we killed. You are all that remains, now."
>Ironos looks around, seeking help from his people. He finds only cold stares, unsympathetic and cruel. You see the despair and desperation creeping into his visage when he realizes he is alone.
>Sutrusk laughs once more. "You are the last of a dying breed, Ironos. The great misguided idealists will all be purged from our grand minotaur kingdom, drowned in a river of their own blood, burned in the fires of a hundred villages and their screams will be blocked out by the beating of the drums of war!"
 
>Ironos hefts his greataxe into his hands and roars in defiance, charging towards his brother. You're about to jump in to help him when he is suddenly blasted by a gout of green flame emerging from the ground.
>The fires knock him backwards, flat onto the ground. He shakes his head and tries to get back up, but suddenly a whip cracks and wraps around his neck, pulling tightly.
>You gasp as the night sky lights up with a sudden burst of green fire as an all-too familiar figure appears, flapping her red, devilish wings.
>Sunset Shimmer holds onto the other end of the whip, strangling him. Her face is twisted into a malevolent smile, enjoying the pain she is giving the creature.
>"We need to help him!" Pinkie says, but you hold her back. You're desperately seeking an opening of some kind.
>Her grip tightens as she cackles and speaks in her otherworldly voice, "And here I thought I had killed you the first time with my hellfire. Seems that if you want something burnt to death, you had better remain to ensure that it stays burnt."
>Ironos tries choking something out, but cannot say it.
>Sunset's smile grows as she floats down to the ground, planting her cloven hooves into the dirt. The minotaurs around her fall to their knees and kneel before her fiendish glory. She revels in the attention for a moment before turning back to the rebellious warrior.
>"You stupid, weak cow," she mocks him. "Did you really think you could come here on your own and stop what I have set in motion?"
>Behind her, two massive pillars of fire rise, illuminating the entire region. Dark shapes begin to take form in them, and when the spiraling cyclones of flame disperse, two gigantic demons remain---goristro demons. They resemble minotaurs, only far more savage looking, with terrible horns and claws. Their hooves could easily crush and stomp you.
 
>One of them holds a cage. A bird cage, to be specific. You gasp once more as you realize that it contains the griffon you saw in Canterlot, the emissary from the Griffon Kingdoms---Gilda!
>She screeches and squawks to be released, but her cries are ignored.
>"Behold our key to victory, brother!" Sutrusk says. "With the griffon emissary as our prisoner, we will lure the leaders of their kingdoms out to a trap and slaughter them all!"
>Sunset looks down upon Ironos and loosens the whip around his neck. "Any final words?" she says with a sickeningly sweet voice.
>He takes a few deep breaths before he rears his head back and shouts, "Run!"
>You had expected him to give you the signal. Instead, he's telling you to run.
>No! You won't let him die!
>You command Mr. Whiskers to leap forward and you crash through the forest, dispelling your camouflage as he pounces upon a group of minotaurs, knocking them aside. He kicks his hind legs up, launching you from his back.
>With a shout, you command the earth to quake and shatter beneath you. The surprised minotaurs, Sunset and goristro demons fall back as the ground shakes and splits open.
>Behind you, Pinkie Pie charges out of the forest with a tambourine in hand, shaking it and shooting lightning bolts from it. You don't pause to question the strange powers her instrument allows her to wield.
>Landing next to Ironos, you summon a small rock from the ground, shape it to a keen, sharp point and use it to sever the whip around his neck.
>Unaffected by the quake thanks to your power, he reaches for his greataxe and picks it up. In a flash, he is ready to fight. You stand by his side, along with Mr. Whiskers and Pinkie Pie as the quake stops.
>Sunset Shimmer flies upwards, escaping the violent shaking. She looks down upon you with fury initially, but then it fades into a pleased expression.
 
>"Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie! How utterly delightful. You get to be the guests of honor at our feast tonight! Originally, I was only going to have minotaur steak... but human flesh tastes just as nice."
>You stand up to the girl who was once your high school bully, now a terrible demoness with command over a legion of bloodthirsty monsters.
"Give up now or die," you threaten her with words that are rather bold coming from your mouth.
>Finding the notion ridiculous, she slaps her knees as she laughs at you. "You’re surrounded, nature girl. Not even your new powers can save you now."
>All around you, the minotaurs ready themselves, equipping arms and armor. The goristros stand, growling menacingly, setting their red eyes upon you.
>Ironos looks down at you. "I told you to run."
You look up at him and reply, "I never leave my friends behind."
>Sunset laughs. "Oh yes, your friends. And what have they done for you? Here you are, about to die, and the only thing your friendship with them ever brought is your own destruction! But enough of this. Now, you---"
>"GOTCHA!"
>Rainbow Dash descends from the clouds above, wielding not only her magical sword but a second one as well. Her wings glow with a bright blue energy that trails behind her as she soars down and slices cleanly through both of Sunset Shimmer's wings with both swords.
>Sunset screams in agony as she falls to the ground, the stumps where her wings once were burning with a bright, nearly white fire.
>"Rainbow Dash!" you and Pinkie both shout in relief.
>"YEEEEEEEHAAAAWWWW!" a familiar cowgirl voice rings out. A golden lasso wraps around the horns of one of the goristro demons as Applejack appears atop its head, with a sword that matches the second one Rainbow wields in one hand and the end of her lasso in the other.
 
>The goristro violently shakes its head, but cannot rid itself of the super-powered cowgirl. "Woah there big fella! Ya ain't gonna get rid a'me that easily!" She yanks back on its horns, causing it to rear its head upwards. She leaps forward and embeds the sword right into the center of its skull, piecing its brain. Its minotaur-like eyes and mouth burn with a white fire as it dies, dropping the cage with Gilda in it.
>Thinking quickly, you command a nearby tree to shift its branches and softly catch the cage.
>Ironos roars and the battle properly begins. He wades into the throng of minotaurs who were once his kinsmen, hacking away at them. Pinkie Pie's tambourine transforms into a drum, and every time she beats upon it, it creates a resounding thunderous clap that knocks her enemies down.
>Rainbow Dash doubles back and flies low at the other goristro, slicing at its heel. This forces it down onto one knee. Mr. Whiskers leaps onto its face, clawing and tearing at it, lobbing spikes from his barbed tail into its flesh.
>Applejack leaps from the top of the falling demon that she felled, rolling as she hit the ground. The demon crashes into the earth behind her, crushing a few tents beneath its massive, hairy frame, along with Ironos' father. She's in the battle instantly, kicking aside a minotaur much larger than herself with her super strength, causing it to fly back and knock into three others.
>Another tries to bring an axe down upon her, but she instead catches the head of it in her hand, smiles at the dopey expression on the cow-man's face and breaks the metal in her fingertips before delivering an uppercut to his chin so hard that he flies ten feet into the air.
>All around you, the battle rages. You thrust your staff into the air, calling upon nature to come to your aid. The stars and the moon vanish as you form clouds overhead, and from them thunder rumbles.
 
>You point your staff at a minotaur and command lightning to strike it, which it does. The warrior falls over, charred and dead. You hate to be doing this, but they chose their path and you've chosen yours.
>Each bolt of lightning you bring down upon the minotaurs saps their morale. Soon, many of them are fleeing into the woods rather than face you and your friends.
>The still-living goristro tears Mr. Whiskers off of his face and flings him aside. He tries to stand, but Rainbow Dash is there in an instant, hacking away at his legs. Each slice from her new sword leaves burning white fire upon the demon's flesh, wracking it with pain and suffering. It falls onto its side.
>Applejack leaps atop its head, mentally commanding her lasso to wrap around the demon's neck. She pulls it tight, strangling it, before plunging her sword into the beast's neck. White fire pours out of the demon's mouth as its insides are ignited by the magic of the sword, and soon it too is dead, burned from within.
>Ironos hacks, hews and crashes his way through the fleeing minotaurs, seeking only one other person: his brother.
>But Sutrusk finds him first. The traitorous minotaur charges into his brother, knocking Ironos off of his feet.
>Sutrusk holds up a crystalline dagger, poised at his brother's heart. Ironos reaches up and blocks as the blade is thrust downwards, halting it just above his chest.
>The brothers grunt and growl as their stare into each other's eyes, their strength matched as they push against each other. You run to the top of the nearby hill to observe them. You very much want to help him, but you remember your promise to him: he would handle Sutrusk alone.
>Ironos gets a hoof on the ground and uses it to push upwards, unbalancing his brother. Now he is the one on top, and quickly stomps on Sutrusk's arm to get him to release the knife.
 
>Sutrusk brings up a fist and slams it into Ironos' face, but now the Iron Will has the knife. He stomps on his brother's chest, his hoof leaving an imprint upon it and knocking the wind from his lungs.
>He poises the knife and thrusts downwards at his opening, straight into Sutrusk's neck. It goes upwards, into his skull. Ironos holds it there until his brother stops moving.
>He stands up, panting heavily, covering in sweat and the blood of his family.
>"Kanly is done," he mutters. "May your soul forever burn in the hell you chose to go to, brother." He spits upon his corpse, leaving him with his blade implanted in his neck.
>Picking up his axe, he strides back into the ruined camp, finding you there waiting for him.
>"It's done, then?" he asks.
"You tell me," you reply.
>He looks around. "I was born here. It wounds me greatly to see my people reduced to this."
"But you're still alive," you tell him. "And you can return to this place and start something new when we are done. I can even help you... if you'd like."
>He looks at you with a curious expression. "A very strange, but... interesting proposition," he says, stroking his chin. "I still owe you my life. My axe is with your cause."
You wave your hand. "Don't think that you're in my debt, please. You're my friend." You reach out and take hold of his large, surprisingly soft hand. "We're in this together now."
>He smiles warmly.
 
>"Hey!" Your moment is interrupted by a rather shrill, annoyed voice. "Will one of you fools get me out of this cage already?!"
>Gilda is struggling to escape. Rainbow Dash flies up and slices the lock with her sword, freeing the griffon. The catlike avian creature climbs out and looks at her.
>Rainbow stares rather awkwardly at her old friend, wondering if the creature before her remembers her at all. "Hey... Gilda. Sup?"
>"Don't think this changes anything between us, Dash," Gilda says, referring to some event that Rainbow clearly had no recollection of. "I don't owe you anything."
>"Um, sure?" Rainbow says uncertainly. Below them, Applejack is busy tying up Sunset Shimmer with her golden lasso.
>"Kill her!" Gilda shouts, landing next to the cowgirl. "She deserves nothing less for locking me up!"
>"Quiet, you," AJ replies, holding up her lasso. She takes the tiara off of Sunset's head, causing her to revert to human form. AJ places the tiara upon her belt.
>She looks up at you all with teary eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."
>Rainbow shakes her head. "Oh yeah? How do we know you're telling the truth, huh?"
>AJ shoots a skeptical look at Dash. "Uh, Dash? Lasso of Honesty, remember?"
>"Oh... yeah..." Rainbow says with a blush, remembering well its effects.
You approach and kneel in front of Sunset, getting on eye-level with her. "Tell us what you know."
>"Discord. He's got something planned. I don't know what it is... he just set me and the other five loose and told us to wreak havoc. He pointed me in this direction... guided me to take over the minotaurs and demons... I had no choice! And all that time in the darkness of Luna's prison... Please, please don't send me back there! I beg you!"
>Applejack holds up the lasso. "Where's Nightmare Moon?"
 
>"She's on the moon. I... I don't know how to get there. But I know she has Celestia there, and that some kind of trap has been laid in Canterlot. Your friends... Anon, Rarity, Twilight and Trixie... they're all on their way there now."
>Dash's eyes light up. "We need to get there and stop them from falling into it!"
You ask, "But how? We don't have any way to get there fast enough!"
>Applejack smiles. "Oh, don't worry, we have a favor to call in from a... 'friend,' let's just say." She looks at Dash and nods.
>They both hold up their silver blades and cross them, fusing their energy together and creating some kind of bright portal.
>Sunset looks up. "But... but what about me?"
>AJ looks down on her with a sorrowful face. "Sorry, honey. But our success depends on handin' you over to the folks you made angry."
>Sunset's eyes open wide. "No! Not the archdevils! You can't do that to me!"
>Rainbow shrugs. "We already made the deal. How do you think we got these cool swords?"
>You almost have to look away as Sunset's tears flow even more freely. "Please! I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault!"
>AJ sighs. "We'll come back and get you when we're done. But you threw us into hell and made some powerful enemies, and I don't mean just us. You got some overdue punishment, and it's out of our hands." Lifting the girl up, she takes her to the portal and throws her in.
>Then, both she and Dash hold their swords up and toss them into the portal, which then closes.
>Pinkie scratches the back of her head. "Okay, is anyone else just as lost as I am here? What in the hay just happened, exactly? Not that I'm disappointed to see you both---Side note: YAY! I'm so glad you're alive!---but seriously, what's going on?"
>Applejack places her hands on her hips and explains, "Sunset threw me an' Dash into hell."
You bring your hand up to your mouth. "Hell? Oh, my..."
 
"Literally sent us to hell. We fought our way through three damn layers of that place before we were invited into the head honcho's house."
>Pinkie's face drains of color. "You mean... Satan?"
>"Well... He didn't call himself Satan. His name is Asmodeus. He gave us those demon-slaying weapons and explained to us that Sunset Shimmer was using demons, the thing that devils hate more than anything, to spread chaos. And who knew, devils hate chaos and like law, so they're on our side against Discord. Since Sunset herself was a devil, this subjected her to some kind of ancient set of rules they have in hell... She's going to be punished for breaking them."
>"Fitting," Ironos said.
>Rainbow excitedly added, "But now we can call in Asmo-whatever-his-name-is for a favor! Let's get to Canterlot immediately and save our friends!"
>As if on cue, a flaming hellgate emerged, startling all of you. It resembled a wide door, and beyond its fiery ring was Canterlot!
>"Let's go!" AJ says, running towards it.
>Dash, Gilda and Pinkie run up to it. You turn back and look at Mr. Whiskers.
"You stay here, Mr. Whiskers. Go on; go be with your family. Thank you so much for your help!" you say, rubbing his head. He purrs and licks your hand before turning and taking off into the night sky.
>Ironos looks down at you and smiles. "Shall we go save the world?"
With a determined look in your eyes, you smile and reply, "Absolutely!"
>With him and the rest of your friends at your side, you enter the hellgate and step onto the cold, dark streets of Canterlot.
>The next stage begins now.
 
>ONE FINAL CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE...
 
>You are Anonymous, and you are exhausted.
>Flying through what seemed like the entirety of the Underdark as a shapeless stream of fire was taxing.
>You found your exit, however, and now you lie upon the side of a volcano, panting as you look up into the night sky.
>The night sky... Luna. Nightmare Moon. Celestia. It all comes back to you in an instant.
>The events that led up to all of this... this madness.
>And Discord. Madness seems to be his game.
>The moment he crosses your mind, you think you see something in the night sky.
>A red light... like a star, growing. It's very distinct against the clear, cloudless sky.
>It's him.
>Whatever he is, whatever he's coming in, that's him. Somehow, on some primal level, you simply know that it's him and he's getting closer.
>You struggle and groan as you try to sit up. You hold out your hand, summoning the die.
>You don't roll it. For a moment, you simply observe it.
>Everything that has happened to you lately, both good and bad, is because of this.
>This strange, alien artifact. Born from the sacrifice of an alien you never met, forged from his soul and sent across the galaxy along with countless others.
>You've tried so hard to use it to be a force for good, after you got your childish kicks out of it.
>If what Celestia claimed was true, about her being pregnant, you're still paying for those "kicks."
>Despite your best efforts, it's brought more problems than solutions into your life.
>You almost wish you could chuck it away and be done with it... but it would just return to your hand when you willed it.
>And then there were Discord's words about it being a tool of chaos.
>It's what led him to you. You're the one who created the world you now find yourself trapped in.
>Has it done more good or bad? Do you control its influence on your life or does it control your influence on it?
 
>You sigh.
>Questions like this aren't going to accomplish anything beyond wasting time.
>Discord is on his way and you need to believe that you can stop him. Just need to stick to the plan.
>Which was...
"Canterlot!" you say aloud.
>That's the last place everyone was at. Logically, everyone would try to go back to it.
>And even if they don't, it's the best place to start.
>You look around, searching for a good place to roll the die on. A rock, jutting out from the side of the mountain, seems flat enough.
>Crawling towards it, you catch your breath one last time and roll the die upon its surface.
 
>The die rolls rather unevenly, but comes to a stop.
>37.
>Your old friend, technopathy. One of the first powers you ever received.
>But what could you possibly use it on that would be of any use to you in a world of fantasy and magic?
>You are about to roll again when you feel it. Your wrist console, the device you created the last time you had technopathy, suddenly activates.
>It's using your returned power as a way to boost its own functionality. Or are you doing this subconsciously?
>It lights up with a new signal. You look at the GPS screen, seeing that something is approaching your position.
>You look up into the night sky and squint, focusing on a bright light that grows larger. You hear the sound of turbines pierce through the quiet and reach your ears.
>No... It can't be... can it?
>Your eyes shoot open as Robbie soars down, his wheels converted into hover modules as his body turns to "park" in the air right next to you.
>His silver coat and black windshield shine in the moonlight.
"Robbie!" you joyfully exclaim as you leap up to your feet and place your hands on the hood. "I don't believe it!"
>"I am here, Anon," Robbie replies in his calm voice. "I have been searching for you. Your homing beacon suddenly reactivated and I honed in on your position. I believe something wrong may have happened to the world."
"Understatement of the century," you reply, climbing into the driver's seat.
>Your technopathy allows you to link with Robbie's mind, in effect merging your organic brain with his AI by matching the frequency of his electromagnetic fields to synchronize with your neurological impulses.
 
>Doing this allows you to "become" Robbie in a way---accessing all of his impressive databanks, sensory information, scans of the world.
>You gain glimpses of portions of the real world, the one you came from, still remaining with this one, spliced together. Chaos resulted from this, as the wildly different inhabitants of the two worlds were forced to meet each other.
>But, more importantly, you also learn the location of Canterlot from studying his maps. Leaning back in the chair and buckling yourself in with your mind, you command Robbie to fly towards the city.
>The vehicle rears back and turns away from the mountainside, taking off in the direction you desire.
>Robbie accelerates to top speed, sensing your urgency. Like a silver streak of light, he races across the night sky.
>In the distance, Canterlot and the mountain upon which it sits looms.
>Robbie's sensors pick something up. A strange energy signature that has been previously encountered by the machine. The frequency matches the one put out by Flash Sentry's tech-armor.
'Spike?' you think to yourself.
>You turn to intercept it, as it is near Canterlot. Robbie's windshield interior changes to a heads-up display and zooms in.
>Several airships were there, lit up with battle. Flashes of green and purple, with dark creatures you don't recognize buzzing about the ships.
>Robbie focuses on the source of the signal and you see Spike, his new armor activated, locked in battle against... Shining Armor? Twilight's brother?
>Something is very wrong.
>You bring Robbie close and activate his battle mode, enhancing the transformation process with your technopathy.
 
>As the vehicle flies over the deck, it changes from its sleek body into a suit of powered armor, with plates shifting and disconnecting as the new form emerges. You are at its heart and the armor forms around you, creating first a mesh of interfacing material, then a subarmor before solid plates of a titanium alloy lock in.
>You are the suit now. It is as though a second skin, allowing you a mobility, strength and arsenal unmatched by any human.
>You land upon the deck, your robotic feet digging into the wood and metal. Spike and Shining Armor break from their combat as they behold your mechsuit.
>The chest of the armor parts, exposing yourself to them.
"What's going on?" you demand to know. Behind them, a purple paladin is attacked by two of the black humanoid insects and dragged over the edge.
>Spike is the first to speak. "Treachery! These changelings have taken Shining's mind and replaced half of his men!"
>"'Tis a lie!" Shining insists. "This dragonborn traitor has led the changelings right into the heart of the Crystal Empire and Canterlot in a scheme to gain power for the Draconic Dominion!"
"Oh come on, guys," you reply. "Don't play this game."
>Robbie's HUD lights up over the two of them and scans them. As Shining is human, it is able to compare him against normal human anatomical information.
>Robbie detects an extreme abnormality with the pattern his brainwaves. You close the hatch and raise your arm towards him, transforming the fist into a plasmic cannon.
"Come quietly or there will be... trouble."
>Shining's brow furrows as a look of uncontrollable rage paints his face. He roars and charges forward with his sword.
 
>You sidestep his swipe, punching out with your other hand. You don't nearly use full power, as you want to avoid damaging the brother of the woman you love.
>He blocks it with his shield, trying for a low stab. You step out of his reach again.
>This time, Spike belches forth a green fireball that he is forced to deflect with his shield. This gives you an opening to reach down and pick him up by the leg.
>He shouts for assistance and suddenly you are swarmed by five of the changelings, their black forms crawling all over your armor, biting and clawing at it, trying to find an opening.
>You drop Shining and turn your arm's cannon into a flamethrower, angling it to fire upon yourself.
>Trusting in a fire-resistance of the metal, you burn the changelings on your surface. They screech and cry out in pain as they fall off onto the deck, shifting into various forms as the flames cause their carapaces to crack; exposing the tender green flesh beneath that quickly shrivels up from the heat, leaving only hollow, smoking husks behind.
>Shining is back up on his feet and tries to stab at you from behind but is stopped by the head of Spike's spear.
>He spins around and tries hacking at the dragon's golden armor, but finds himself unable to cut it.
>You turn and curl your mech's free hand into a fist and conk him on the head, rendering him unconscious.
"Hope that works," you say to Spike as you turn, activating your jetboot thrusters and reigniting the flamethrower.
>You soar around the deck, burning the changelings out. Robbie has finished scanning them and can detect them even while disguised, allowing you to pick out who is truly who.
>Behind you, Spike engages the changelings on his own, stabbing them with his spear, burning them with his fiery breath or shooting them with his armor's own plasma cannon.
 
>Around all seven ships you fly, seeking them out. After the twelfth of them killed, they seem to get the idea and hastily form an organized retreat back towards Canterlot.
>You land upon the deck alongside Spike.
"Mind explaining what's going on?" you ask the dragonborn.
>"Rarity and I found ourselves lost in the frozen wastes of the north. We found refuge in a cave, then the Crystal Empire. I joined Shining Armor in what I believed was a strike force to retake Canterlot... but was merely a trap for these changelings."
"You think more of them are back at the Empire? And what about Rarity?"
>"She stayed behind. Her sister is there with her. The remaining Crystal Empire soldiers on these ships aren't as many as I had hoped. But with you here, I think we can still take back the city. We are closer to it than we are to the Crystal Empire."
"Alright. I've scanned the crew and no shapeshifters or changelings or whatever remain. Lead them to Canterlot and meet me there."
>"You mean to scout ahead?" Spike asks. You nod. "I should come with you."
"Lead these men and meet me there," you insist. "I have a feeling that we'll need their help and we can't have any of the ships turning back now. They've lost a lot of men from this trap. Inspire them and remind them what they're fighting for. Oh... and tie him up, in case knocking him out didn't work," you point at Shining Armor.
>Spike listens closely to your words and nods. "We will be there within the hour."
>You acknowledge him and take off from the deck, flying towards Canterlot. The darkness of night is thick around the city and the full moon shines overhead.
>The city is still impressive to behold, but now it is a shadow of its former self. Cracked wall, broken windows, fog in the streets. An evil has infested this city.
 
>You land in the center of one of its cobblestone streets, scanning the area for any signs of life.
>Nothing. Only shadows that treacherously move in the corner of your eye and fog.
>Walking down the street, you reach a large town square with an elaborate fountain in the center built around a statue depicting Celestia. You look up upon it, knowing that she is still captured, waiting for you to rescue her.
>Robbie's sensors detect some kind of noise. You turn, turning the suit's lights on, but find only thick fog.
>Your eyes narrow. Something in the fog is taking shape. It is tall, thin and gangly, with arms as long as its wispy body.
>Two white, soulless eyes materialize within the shadow-creature's head, staring at you. This is no ordinary creature of darkness.
>It raises its arms, each of its fingers long and boney. Robbie's sensors suddenly detect physical movement from behind it.
>Shambling, skulking forms emerge from behind the nightwalker. Pale, naked, with flesh resembling drained clay. Their heads were human in shape once, but were now stretched and narrow, with a mouth that hung perpetually open and deeply set, sunken black eyes and no nose to speak of, only thin slits of nostrils.
>These undead you know well from your old manuals of monsters. Bodaks, formed from the kills of nightwalkers like the shade that loomed over them.
>Some of them carried weapons. One of them, a child, carried a teddy bear in one hand.
>These people were dead. They had no hope for any peace beyond a merciful death. You raise your arm and turn it into the cannon, readying yourself for battle.
 
>Then, they are gone. They blink away into nothingness and you stand there, confused and on edge.
>They reappear all around you very suddenly, using their fists and weaponry to slam into your armor. You back up, trying to shake them off as the bodaks swarm over you.
>Your shoulder opens and a weapon emerges; a rotating minigun. It spins around, locking onto their forms before spiraling into its active state and unleashing a concentrated hailstorm of bullets into their necrotized flesh.
>They tear away as your weapon sprays into them. You lift up your left arm and shake two of them off as you stomp onto another one, splitting it in half with your foot.
>Whipping around suddenly, you activate your kinetic rocket fist and punching through three of them. Your arm cannon is free and you blast five more as they crawl away from you.
>You reach up and take hold of one on your back and hold it out in front of you. You throw it at two more of them and then lob a grenade from your back-mounted mortar cannon, blasting all three of them into oblivion.
>The nightwalker appears before you, rising from the shadows of the cracks in the pavement. It sticks its long fingers into the spaces between your armored plating, desperately seeking your flesh.
>You know how to beat it. You turn on Robbie's headlights and pump them up to full power, blasting the shade with light. It howls a high-pitched cry as it falls back, trying to scale its way up the wall.
>You lift your arm up and turn the plasma cannon to maximum power and unleash a pure beam of blue light, burning into the monster's back. It dies almost instantly, dissolving into a fine, black mist.
>You step back to admire your handiwork before turning your attention to the city once more.
>Still no sign of any survivors. You worry that creatures like the nightwalker you just dispatched have taken all of the people in the city away.
 
>It is a despairing thought. But before you can linger upon it any more, Robbie's sensors begin to pick something up.
>"Anon. There is a vehicle approaching Canterlot. It is broadcasting on a military radio frequency."
"Patch into it," you reply, before remembering that you can mentally command him to do so with your technopathy.
>Tuning to the frequency, you begin to hear a faint voice, female, speaking. "This is Sky Wonder Whiskey-Sierra-Two-Two-Seven-Niner. We are on approach to target city Canterlot at heading one-three-four November echo. Requesting friendly contact, over."
>You recognize it. Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts!
Immediately, you speak. "Captain Spitfire, this is Anonymous! I'm in the city!"
>There is silence before the most wonderfully excited voice sings out over the radio. "Anon!? Is it you?"
It's Twilight. Your heart nearly jumps as you reply, "It's me, Twilight. I'm in the town square."
>"We'll come in for a landing," Spitfire says. "Clear the area of any civvies or hostiles, because we're touching down on your location."
"It's clear," you reply. A moment later, you see a jet of some kind streak across the sky and double back, slowing down as the turbines under its wings turn to control its descent.
>You open your armor and step out into the brisk night air as the jet touches down. A moment later, the back hatch opens and Twilight comes running out, leaping into your open arms.
>She throws her arms around your neck and holds on tight as you embrace her.
>Pulling back, she plants her lips on yours in a passionate, needy kiss that you eagerly return. Clearly, she's missed you as sorely as you've missed her.
>You stare into her purple eyes and see how she's nearly tearing over at the sight of you.
 
"Are you alright?" you ask. She nods. "Where did you get sent? Last I remember Trixie---"
>"Speak of the devil and she shall appear!" Trixie says with a flourish, appearing next to you. You almost get ready to defend yourself before Twilight holds you back.
>"It's alright, Anon," she assures you, "I freed her from Discord. She's with us."
"Oh... thank god," you reply, wiping the sweat from your brow. "For a minute there, I was worried I would have to fight her again."
>"Not anymore..." Trixie says with a seductive grin, wrapping her arms around your neck to join Twilight's. You look at her with a surprised, confused face before Twilight whispers into your ear.
>"Shhhh... It's alright, Anon. She's with US."
>Before you can reply, Trixie pulls you down into a kiss, pouring every last bit of her heart and soul into it.
>She breaks it off roughly, licking her lips. "What'd you think, stud?"
"I'm very confused..." you reply, looking to Twilight for some kind of reaction.
>She seems completely cool with it, making you wonder what the hell happened between these two.
>"Pardon me," you hear a voice call out. You look up to see Captain Spitfire and Lieutenant Soarin, both wearing their Wonderbolts uniforms, step off the jet and each sporting a pair of angelic wings behind their backs.
>And behind them was Daring Do! You haven't seen her since you defeated Ahuizotl in South America! What the hell is she doing here?
>"I can see you're confused," Twilight notes. "Perfectly understandable. There's a lot to explain."
>A blast of fire to the side makes everyone react as if a new enemy materialized. You watch as a fiery doorway opens through which streams light.
>Expecting a demon to walk through, you instead are surprised to see Applejack emerge!
>And following her are Rainbow Dash, Gilda the griffon, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and... a minotaur?
 
>The hellmouth closes behind them. "Twilight!" the four friends shout, running up to the two of you. Gilda and the minotaur hang back.
"Is that a minotaur?" you ask.
>"He's my friend," Fluttershy explains. "It's kind of a long story."
"Those are starting to stack up around here..." you deadpan. “Now all we're missing is---"
>Pinkie Pie bounces up. "Hey everybody, look! It's a bird! No, wait, it's a plane! No, wait, never mind. It's Rarity!" she shouts, pointing up into the sky.
>Turning, you see a beacon of purple light flying towards Canterlot. Thinking quickly, you disentangle yourself from the embrace of Twilight and Trixie and climb into your armor.
>After it closes back around you, you aim the plasma cannon up into the air and fire three times, the bright blue blasts acting like a flare gun.
>She sees them and turns towards the town square, nearly crashing into the group. She slows down just as she nears them, looking like a near wreck.
>Her clothing is slightly torn and she looks tired. When her feet touch the ground she falls to her knees, holding her sister Sweetie Belle in her arms.
>The girls quickly surround her, supporting her. Twilight takes Sweetie and holds her closely. Fluttershy immediately begins trying to restore some of Rarity's lost vitality.
>"It looks like she's been flying for at least a day," Rainbow says, touching Rarity's forehead. "She's a mess."
>Trixie kneels down and tries to help. Applejack nearly stops her but is held back by Twilight, who assures her that Trixie is back to normal.
>In your armor, you nearly let out a laugh. The irony of calling anything that's happening here "normal" is not lost on you.
>Your HUD blinks with another approaching signal. You turn to see Spike and several of the Crystal Empire guards approaching, alongside Shining Armor.
 
>You quickly scan Twilight's brother, just to be safe. The abnormalities present in his brainwaves that you detected earlier are gone.
>Feeling safe once more, you disengage the armor and step out of it. The entourage approaches and Spike immediately goes to Rarity when he sees that she is injured. Odd, you think.
>Twilight turns to see Shining Armor and runs up to him, careful to not disturb the sleeping Sweetie in her arms.
>"Shining! What are you doing here?" she asks.
>"I... I wish I knew, Twily," he replies.
"Sorry for the knock on the head," you tell him. "You weren't exactly yourself."
>"Anon?" Twilight says with a raised brow. "Care to explain?"
"I think he was under some kind of mind control."
>"Yes!" the suddenly-awake Rarity says. Spike helps her up to her feet and supports her along with Fluttershy and Trixie. "I came here as soon as I was attacked."
>"Who attacked you?" Spike growled.
>"The Crystal Empire has been taken over. Cadance isn't who we thought she was. She's some kind of dark shapeshifting queen..."
>"Chrysalis," Shining Armor nearly spits. "I should've known. This isn't the first time she's tried to take power through treachery."
>"The Changeling Queen," Spike mutters. "I've read about her."
"One of the elements of disharmony, I'd wager," you say.
>"Speakin' of which," Applejack says, holding up a golden, emerald-studded tiara, "Sunset Shimmer isn't a problem anymore."
"Sunset Shimmer. Flash Sentry. Trixie," you say as you look to her. She looks at Twilight, who produces the amulet that held her under mind control.
>"So that's three down, right?" Pinkie asks. "This meanie-queeny must be the next one!"
>"She wasn't alone," Rarity adds, finally catching her breath. "She was with a man. Some kind of dark, evil man with power over shadow and crystal."
>"Sombra!" Shining Armor shouts.
 
>Rarity nods. "That's the one!"
>Shining clenches his fist and grits his teeth. "This is horrible. If they've joined forces and taken the Crystal Empire... the damage they could do is catastrophic."
"How?" you ask. "If they're both elements of disharmony, what would their plan be to spread chaos?"
>"The Crystal Heart," Rarity tells you. "They've taken it, but I know not what it does."
>"I do," Shining says grimly. "The Crystal Heart is an ancient artifact of great power, said to unlock the path into the hearts of all mankind. As a tool for good, it can be used to spread love, peace and joy. But in their hands... despair, ruin and pain. What's more, if they can perform a ritual dark and terrible enough to forever taint the relic, it will forever stain the souls of all men and woman in darkness."
>Everyone is silent for a moment. Rainbow gulps. "Well, shit."
>The minotaur stomps his hoof. "Then our course is clear and we haven't time to lose! We must make haste to the Crystal Empire at once to stop them!"
"Wait," you call out, causing everyone to halt and look at you. "There's something I have to say, and I have to say it now before it's too late."
>Using your technopathy, you command Robbie to hold out his palm for you to step upon. He lifts you up in front of everyone so you can look them all in the eyes, each of them showing you something different. In some of them is strength and others have fear, uncertainty and hope. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, preparing yourself.
"Everyone... I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I'm the one who let Discord make things the way they are now. I'm the one who was weak and let his words poison my mind. Because of it, the entire world is in danger. I don't... I don't even know if the elements of disharmony exist. I don't know if we can stop Discord."
>They are all silent as they exchange nervous, uncertain glances.
 
But there is one thing I know for certain, and that is that I am alive. I look at all of you, and I see that even though you've been through hell---"
>"Literally!" Applejack interrupts you.
"---Even though you've been through hell, you haven't stopped fighting. Discord tried to separate us once, and we came together. All of us are here now and all of us are ready to fight. I might not know what comes next. We're facing a force that is fueled by chaos and is almost unpredictable.
"But if you'll stand by me and fight, never giving up hope that we'll win, never giving up on yourself or each other, then I promise you that I won't either. I'll stand by each and every one of you to the very end, whatever it may be. I'm sorry that I failed you, but we've been given more than a chance to atone for our mistakes. We've been given a chance to save our worlds and bring harmony back.
"And even if it's all a lie, even if we're barreling forwards towards an inevitable end, I'm not going to give up hope that it's possible we can beat him. Seeing you all here has given me more hope than before. We're going to shake the pillars of the earths, plant our feet in the ground and dare chaos to make us move. We'll stand against the tide and show him that we're not going to give up without one hell of a fight.
"Now... I'm sure I've wasted enough time. But I wanted you all to know how I felt. I hope you can forgive me and stand by my side against him."
>"Anon," Twilight calls up to you. "It was never a question. I was always going to stand by your side. All of us were."
>Everyone nods and Fluttershy adds, "It doesn't matter what mistakes you or anyone else has made, Anon. All that matters now is that we fight to get a chance to fix them."
>Rainbow Dash's face lights up with a cocky grin. "Yeah! And with a super-team like this, not even a god of chaos can stand in our way!"
 
"Then you all understand," you say with a smile. "No matter what happens... I'll be glad to have fought alongside you all. Even you, Gilda."
>The griffon puffs up. "Humph. As if I even had a choice in the matter..."
>You hop off Robbie's hand and look at them all.
"We've still several ships that can carry us all to the Crystal Empire. We'll need to get there as fast as possible to stop whatever they have planned with the Crystal Heart. Shining Armor, your men will fly those ships. Take them to top speed, no matter the cost."
>Shining nods and his men follow his lead.
You look at the female leader of the Wonderbolts. "Captain Spitfire, we'll need your jet to accompany us."
>"Consider it done," she says.
"We'll need everyone rested up and ready for what's ahead. Prepare yourselves on the ride over."
>"So what are we waiting for?" Rainbow says, flying upwards. "Let's go!"
>Your party all turns to head towards the skydocks the airships have been moored in. As you walk, Twilight paces herself alongside you and takes hold of your hand. "Are you really not certain that this will all work?" she asks in a hushed voice.
>You look into her violet eyes, seeing the worry within them.
"No. It will. It has to," you say with a smile.
>She gives you a warm smile and a hug.
>It's good to give her hope, to help her believe.
>Even if you don't fully believe it yourself.
 
>Your considerable party proceeds towards the airships. Overhead, the turbines of the VTOL flown by Captain Spitfire can be heard.
>You board one of the ships. With you is Trixie, Twilight and Shining Armor, who steps up behind the wheel. Robbie waits until the four of you are on board before boarding.
>Signaling to his men on the other ships, he pulls a lever and the ship begins pulling away from the Canterlot dock, drifting off into the open sky.
>He turns the wheel, pointing the ship northwards, and pushes the lever into a forward position.
>The other ships follow his actions, eventually forming a wedge pattern behind him, not unlike a flight of birds.
>You approach him.
"How does this thing fly?" you ask, rather curious about the mechanics of the magical ship.
>"A bound elemental," he replies. "Great wizard-engineers devised that fire is power, and a fire elemental is a source of fire that needs no fuel. They created a ritual to bind him into the engines of this ship, continually supplying it the power it needs to move and stay aloft."
"Neat," you comment.
>You aren't too surprised---after all, this is an element straight out of one of your D&D settings.
>Still, to actually be witnessing it in motion, to actually be seeing the magic functioning, it still staggers your mind.
>Shaking your head a bit, you look back at Twilight and Trixie, who stand next to each other at the railing, staring out at the dark landscape below.
>Trixie's kiss mere moments earlier, and Twilight's receptive, almost eager reaction to it has confused you, to say the least.
>After all, you believed that you and Twilight had a bit of an understanding. Clearly, she's made some amendments to that understanding.
>You need to get to the bottom of this.
>Approaching them, Twilight turns to greet you with
 
>Twilight wastes no time in closing the distance between her and yourself and wrapping her arms around your torso. She plants a very sweet kiss on your cheek.
>Trixie, apparently not to be outdone, takes your head in her hands and turns it to allow her to kiss you. Her skin flushes red and she inhales sharply as she does so, closing her eyes and even moaning a little.
>She breaks away and her eyes flutter open as she sets a half-lidded gaze upon you. Twilight, meanwhile, is still hugging you and hardly reacts to Trixie's action with anything more than a slight giggle.
You try to focus. "Girls, I think I deserve an explanation about... you know..."
>Twilight looks up. "Well, it's a bit of a story," she begins. "Trixie and I fought in a desert on the other side of the world."
>"A duel, magic against magic!" Trixie says rather dramatically, her old stage personality showing a bit.
>"And I was able to stop her and remove the amulet that Discord was using to control her."
>Trixie leans in close to your ear. "And then, we travelled, searching for you. We bonded over our mutual affection for you... and each other."
"Wait, what?"
>Trixie leans back and cocks an eyebrow. "Oh, yes. We got to know each other in many intimate ways."
>Twilight blushes and playfully pushes Trixie's shoulder. "No need to go into detail about it, I mean..."
>Trixie looks into your eyes. "Unless Anon wants to hear it, of course..."
>You blink a few times. Is this really happening? Is this going where you think it's going?
>"So, we decided that we would, um," Twilight twirls a piece of hair between her fingers, "share you."
>It hits you like a ton of bricks. You look between the two girls, waiting for one of them to break character and reveal the joke, but there is no joke to be revealed.
>They're serious.
>It's happening.
>Twilight gets closer. "Hey, Anon... is there somewhere on this ship more private where we can talk about this?"
>Trixie's eyes light up with a mischievous glint.
 
>You awaken a little groggily, but utterly relaxed. You feel a pair of arms draped around you... no, wait, two of them.
>Looking down on your left, you see Twilight, her purple hair splayed out in a chaotic fashion and a content smile on her face.
>To your right is Trixie, her pixie-blue hair similarly disheveled, with an even more confident and cocky grin on her face.
>And you're sandwiched between them, and all three of your clothes are laid out on the floor at the foot of the bed.
>Visions of last night come flooding back into your head. Hands groping, searching and finding, feeling, tongues dancing, bodies writhing against each other, moans and gasps of pleasure...
>You put your hand up to your head. Why can you only recall it in visions? It should be much more vivid than this...
>Twilight and Trixie, the two girls who had competed for your affections, taken to bed at the same time...
>So why can't you remember it clearly? You certainly want to. God DAMN do you want to.
>You sit still for a moment and try to listen to the room around you.
>Wait...
>Something is wrong.
>The air simply feels... wrong. You aren't sure how to describe it but the entire room feels much too still, far too quiet.
>The girls aren't breathing. Your eyes widen as you realize this.
>You try to shake them, but find them limp. Warm, alive, but limp and unresponsive.
>There's a sudden knock at the door. Whipping your head to look, you rise from the bed slowly and approach it.
>You open it ever-so-slightly to look outside, finding nobody there. The hallway seems dim.
>You look back at the girls before exiting the room. You move down the hallway towards the stairs that lead up to the airship's deck.
 
>The hallway elongates before you, stretching impossibly until the stairs are very, very far away. You take off sprinting down the hall, trying to catch up to the stairs.
>After minutes of not reaching them, the stairs always seeming to stay one step ahead of you, you pause to catch your breath.
>You turn, finding the staircase right behind you. Turning again puts you in front of the room where the two girls lay very still.
>Your mind reels from trying to comprehend it. You brush it aside and move up the stairs, finding them taller and longer than you remember.
>Up ahead, the dim blue of morning turns to a red, bathing the stairwell in crimson light.
>Finally, you step upon the deck, looking up into the hellish red sky with unblinking eyes.
>The clouds twist and form unnatural, unearthen shapes. Lightning strikes in the distance, lingering and coiling like a snake before vanishing.
>Waves of strange cosmic rays emanate from a central point, washing over the sky and the earth with unknowable colors barely visible to the human eye. Within them swim alien horrors the likes of which you cannot fathom, whose appearance scratch at your sanity and understanding of how life is supposed to be.
>Looking away, you see that the airship is sailing on a river, but the river is floating in the air. It branches off and connects with other floating rivers, forming a web that rises and falls with a pattern only discernable by the insane.
>Physics have lost their meaning as chunks of earth and primordial stew soar around you, colliding and combining into new, strange shapes and forms of life, if it can be so called. If it is life, it is not as you know it.
>The point of light shines like a star amidst a sea of blood from which every eldritch horror originates.
>"Beautiful, isn't it?" comes a chilling, familiar voice.
 
>You turn to face Discord, still in his human guise, but now his features have grown more inhuman and narrow. His eyes are of different colors now and his overall posture is slimmer and more hunched over.
>"I thought I would drop by to see how you're doing, and let you know that I'm almost here. Your time is very short, I'm afraid," he says with a sneer.
"Yours is shorter," you reply. "After we gather the Elements, we'll---"
>"Oh, come now Anonymous!" he interrupts you with a cackle. "You don't remember that I told you they're not real? I made them up for the game we're playing."
"I don't believe a word you say."
>"Then what if I said they are real, and they can kill me?" His grin is impossibly wide.
>You are silent.
>"But even if you get them, Anon, and even if they are real, they won't work. Do you know why? Because you doubt. Do you remember when I told you the secret of reality? That it is fueled by belief? You don't honestly believe that they'll work. You tell me that you do, but I can see into your soul, Anon. I know the seeds of doubt have taken root. But I only helped water them---they've always been there.
>“Your entire life, you've been uncertain of what you truly want. Your species meanders and wastes its time on pointless distractions and meaningless endeavors, only occasionally producing a work of quality by accident, but all of you doubt. All of you can't even be certain of what you truly believe in.
 
>“And so you live your ant-like lives, droning out your words and going about your routines, waiting for change and lacking the drive to make it yourself, until you die. And when you do, it is in fear, loneliness and ultimately uncertainty because even up until your final moments, you doubt. And that, Anon, is why you will fail."
>You listen to his venomous words, feeling their sting as you try to stand tall and firm before him. You open your mouth, trying to be defiant, but can't find the words.
>He knows it and he smiles, amused by your attempt to resist.
>"You stand before a god, Anon. You are but a pawn in my game, a centerpiece but a pawn none the less. Your defiance is adorable, it truly is. I made you relent, once. I look forward to seeing when you break again."
>And with that, he is gone, along with the hellish warp that was enveloping the planet. You look up into the peaceful night sky and see the star that is Discord's approach, burning brighter than ever before.
>Shining Armor and Robbie walk up to you.
>"Anon?" Shining gets your attention. "Are... Are you alright? You know you're naked, right?"
>You become aware of the draft. You modestly turn aside as you look at him.
"We need to hurry. I don't know how much longer we'll have."
>"We're an hour out of the Crystal Empire," he reports.
"How can you tell?"
>He points north and you look at what he is indicating.
>There, amidst the frozen landscapes of the north, a grand city sits atop a hill. Behind it, however, is a citadel that positively dwarfs the city.
>Imposing, tall enough to piece the clouds and wide enough around to encompass three Crystal Empires, the obsidian spire seemed to suck the light out of everything around it, rendering the skies and clouds bleak, lifeless and grey.
"That's... One hell of a tower, alright," you gulp.
 
>"We'll need one hell of a plan to get in that thing," Shining said, looking back to you. "Let's start with armor."
>You immediately turn and run back downstairs, finding a slowly awakening Twilight and Trixie.
>They look up at you with confused eyes. "Anon?" Trixie asks, pulling the blankets up around her chest, "What is it?"
"We should probably get dressed."
>Not long later, you stand on the deck of the airship in your robes, holding the die.
>Behind you, Twilight, Trixie, Shining Armor and Robbie stand, awaiting your orders.
>You turn to them. You look at the blue and purple mages and ask, "Do either of you possess a scrying spell that will allow us to see what's going on down there?"
>Twilight stepped forward, summoning her spellbook. Flipping through its pages, she pauses on a particular entry before clearing her throat and preparing to cast it.
>With a few words that you didn't understand, your eyes are suddenly ripped from their sockets, but not truly, as you are now possessed of astral sight.
>Space has little meaning to you in this form, and you find yourself instantly moving towards the city and the dark tower that looms over it.
>The streets are lined with changelings in their true form, creatures of shadow and darkness, and golems made from crystals. The changelings are gathered in large circular groups, each centered around a large purple crystal with the souls of the trapped victims within.
>The changelings are chanting, waving their arms and muttering blasphemous arcane words of power.
>You know a sacrificial ritual when you see one. You remember Shining Armor's words about the performance of a ritual so dark as to forever taint the Crystal Heart... the sacrifice of thousands of souls at once seems to fit the bill.
>The obsidian citadel has a large door in front of it. You'll need to find a way to open it. In this form, you can move through the walls, and upon doing so you find yourself in a throne room large enough to encompass a dragon.
 
>And that's exactly what it does. Curled about the black crystal throne at its master's feet is a dragon larger than any you've ever imagined---it must be of ancient age to have reached such a size.
>It's red scales are broken up by jagged, black crystals. It appears to be resting.
>And upon the throne sits Sombra, and within his hands floats the Crystal Heart.
>And with that, you're back in your body, blinking back to reality.
>"What did you see, Anon?" Trixie asks.
"Some pretty bad shit," you admit. "But... I think I have a plan. Can either of you cast a spell that will amplify my voice to reach the other ships?"
>Trixie nods. Summoning her blue wand, she gives it a flick and a series of blue sparkles shoot from its tip, encircling your throat.
>You clear your throat and speak.
"Alright, everyone. We're about to hit the city limits. It's got changelings, shadow demons, crystal monsters and more. The changelings are gathered in groups surrounding large death shards containing souls they intend to sacrifice. At all costs, we need to disrupt the ritual they're trying to perform.
"I don't know how many groups there are, and I don't know how much time we have, so it's important that we move fast. We're going to split into three teams. The first team is going to perform disrupting hit-and-run strikes on as many groups as possible, so it needs to be made up of the fastest people.
"Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Spitfire, Rarity and Gilda will make up this team. The next team will mop up after the strike team hits a ritual circle and finish off the rest, so it needs to be made up of the strongest in our ranks. Applejack, Spike, Iron Will will be this team, and take Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie with you to try to and reverse any of the dark magic in those rituals.
 
"Twilight, Trixie, Shining Armor, Daring Do and Robbie are with me. We're going to get into that tower and get the Crystal Heart away from Sombra. I won't lie, things look tough. Stay together, watch each other's backs, and don't let them group up on you. Good luck, everyone."
>You finish speaking and Trixie dispels the voice amplification enchantment. You look back at them.
"Stay close to me," you tell the two girls. You look up at Robbie. "Robbie, go get Daring Do from the other ship and bring her here."
>He nods his robotic head and goes to retrieve her. Twilight looks at you quizically. "Why is she on our team?"
"Something tells me we'll need to be clever to get that heart. She's pretty damn clever."
>"Anon. They've seen us," Shining warns you, pulling out his sword. You turn around and see a horde of changelings rising from the Crystal Empire, their wings beating like locusts in the wind. They form a black fog that advances towards your ships.
>You look down at the die, gripping it tightly.
"Roll well," you whisper, before dropping it onto the deck.
 
>46, Fire Mimicry.
>You let out a single small chuckle. Well, you've gotten good at this one, at least.
>You look at the oncoming horde of changelings before turning back to see your three allies, along with Robbie leaping back onto the deck with Daring Do.
"Anybody up for roast insect?" you ask, transforming your body into living flames. "Stay close to me. We're going to cut through their ranks and make a path for the remaining airships!"
>"Allow me," Shining says, pulling out his sword. With his loudest command voice, he shouts to all of the ships, "MEN! FIRE WHEN READY!"
>The front of every ship opens, and from them emerge arcane lightning rods, crackling with magical electricity. They charge up before blasting bolts into the oncoming horde with tremendous claps of thunder, frying a multitude of the insect-like humanoids.
>Their charred corpses, twitching and screaming, fall from the skies with melting wings, but the horde is still coming.
"Let's go!" you shout, leaping off the deck and taking flight in a phoenix-like form. Behind you, Twilight and Trixie engage spells of flight.
>Robbie transforms into his car form, opening the doors for Daring and Shining, who climb in. The machine levitates off the deck before joining you in formation.
>Nearby, the VTOL piloted by Spitfire and Soarin opens up with heavy machine gun fire, pelting the changelings and tearing through their black carapaces. Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Gilda take off the deck of their ship, flying towards the horde.
>When you meet the horde, you meet them with fire. Their claws coming at you are turned to ash as you cook them alive, blazing a hole through their ranks for the others to follow.
>Outstretching your arms, you unleash two torrents of flame on either side of yourself and begin to rotate as you fly forward, creating a spiral corridor of fire.
 
>Behind you, Twilight creates a shield of magical force, preventing any changeling from getting close to her. Protected within her glowing purple bubble, she casts spell after spell of fire, lightning, ice and acid, blasting changelings left and right.
>Trixie, with her wand at the ready, thrusts it forward and launches a series of fireworks that, upon exploding, create a series of smaller projectiles that also explode, lighting up the sky in a display that is at the same time both pretty to look at and deadly.
>Robbie's headlights transform into arrays that begin launching plasma. The transforming mecha uses advanced targeting software to blast the changelings, reducing each one hit into a falling, rapidly-melting pile of goo.
>A changeling lands on the hood and starts clawing at the windshield. Shining Armor opens the door and hangs out while he stabs the creature with his free hand.
>Another changeling flies up behind him and pulls him out of the vehicle. As he falls, he grits his teeth and hacks at the changelings, slicing each one that attempts to get near him into pieces.
>Looking back, you see Robbie quickly dive downwards, turning as he soars underneath the falling paladin, catching him on the hood of the car.
>You soar downwards and fry several more changelings in your path as you catch up to Robbie, with your two mages following close behind you.
>Shining stands atop Robbie as the car picks up speed. He holds his shield out in front of him and roars with a knight's fury as changelings smash against it at eighty miles an hour, utterly liquefying on impact and showering his purple armor with bits of green flesh and black shell.
>Nearby, Rainbow Dash's team is cutting a swathe through the changeling ranks at top speed.
>Dash holds aloft her magic sword and moves as swiftly as lightning, hacking and dicing the changelings apart, leaving only a rainbow-colored streak behind as she cuts through them like a hot knife through butter.
 
>Behind her, Gilda fends them off with her claws, keeping them away from Rarity, who is using her power to weave a large, purple net that catches a large amount of the insectoids.
>Once within, she ties the net off and begins constricting it, slowly crushing and killing every single thing within until the net contains material a tenth of its original size, compacted into a ball dripping with green blood.
>A little unnerving, but you don't have time to feel sorry for them, not while you're burning them alive.
>The changelings reach the airships and engage the ground forces on their decks. The remaining guard of the Crystal Empire fights against them alongside Applejack, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Iron Will and Fluttershy.
>And all the while, the ships continue to discharge their lightning rods into the black cloud, killing more and more by the second.
>The advance horde isn't halting the progress of your ships. You're making good time towards the city, but you decide your team is going to make the final push into the city limits.
"Follow me!" you shout back, your voice taking on a fiery tone in this form.
>You dive downwards, melting through a veritable wall of the insects, heading down into the city proper. Behind you, Twilight, Trixie and Robbie (with Shining Armor and Daring Do) follow closely behind, taking advantage of the chaos and confusion your fire powers sow amongst them.
>Behind the city walls lies Sombra's grand tower, and within it, the Crystal Heart. Now, you need only to find a way within.
>You land in the town square, finding a ritual circle surrounding one of the fountains there and a death shard floating above. You fly in a circular pattern around the chanting changelings, lighting them on fire.
>As they burn to death, the shard loses some of its luster, eventually dulling to only a dim glow.
>Trixie, Twilight and Robbie land behind you, with Shining Armor and Daring Do climbing out of the vehicle.
 
>You look up at the large, foreboding tower.
>Twilight looks at you. "Any idea on how we're going to get in?"
You hold up a hand and summon up some more flames. "Let's see how well it burns."
>Flying up to the tower's side, you throw both of your arms out in front of you and create a concentrated beam of heat.
>You hold it there for about twenty seconds, but nothing seems to happen. Not a single scorch mark remains on the black stone, nor did it show any signs of melting.
"Well... that's unfortunate."
>Below, Twilight and Trixie try combining their magic power into a single blast and hurl it at the front gate. The blue and purple orb explodes in a great combustion of arcane energy, but when the smoke clears, no damage could be seen.
>Shining runs up to the wall and attacks it with his sword, but that doesn't work either. Robbie tries firing his weapons at it, but receives similar results.
>Twilight and Trixie then try using telekinesis on the large doorway. One door glows blue and the other purple as they try to pull it open with their magic.
>It doesn't budge an inch.
>Landing between them, you hear an explosion to the east. You look, seeing the Wonderbolt VTOL firing missiles into a ritual group to kill all of the changelings. The VTOL and the rest of the ambush team move on.
>The ship containing the warrior team lands and they move in to finish off any survivors.
>Daring Do looks around. "There's got to be a way inside. Perhaps underground?"
>"There is no underground," Shining Armor tells her. "This is meant to be a flying city. The sewer system would be self-contained; it wouldn't connect to his fortress."
>Just as you are about to summon the die for a different power, the town square is filled with the sounds of rock hitting against rock.
>Around every corner walks a crystal golem, accompanied by smaller creatures of similar structure.
 
>You try to shoot your fire at one, finding that it possesses the same tolerance to heat as the tower.
"We're going to need a new strategy..." you say, dropping the die.
 
 
>48. Wall Crawling.
>Shit.
>The nearest Golem raises its hand and fires a spike in your direction. Before you can be turned into an Anon-kebab, Twilight leaps in front of you with her hands held out, conjuring an arcane wall of force that the spike shatters against.
>Shining Armor charges at the golem and tries to hack its arm off, finding his sword cannot cut through the enchanted rock.
>Its arm becomes like a mace and it swings it at him, but he deflects it with his shield and rolls aside.
>Trixie brandishes her wand and makes the ground beneath three of the creatures like quicksand, forcing them to sink up to their shoulders in the concrete. "Anon! Use your powers to finish them off!"
"If only you knew what I knew!" you shout as you duck under a spike launched from behind you.
>Twilight turns and sees the golem and lifts it up with a telekinesis spell, flinging it into a nearby building.
>Robbie fires a few lobs of plasma at one of the golems, putting it down. Another one charges at him, tackling the robot down onto the ground.
>It pummels into him with its crystal fists, denting the metal. Robbie boots up his rocket punch and launches his fist into the golem's face, knocking it clean off.
>Suddenly, from above, you all hear a high-pitched shriek. You look up and see the VTOL being swarmed with changelings, being sucked into its turbines and clogging it with corpses.
>The VTOL barrels out of control and crashes into the side of the obsidian tower, but not before Spitfire and Soarin leap out of the back, taking to the winds with their wings, rifles in hand.
>Shining Armor raises his arms and creates a bubble shield around all of you with a special magic of his own, protecting from the falling debris of the VTOL.
>Around it, the golems gather and bang on its sides. Cracks start to appear and it looks like Shining Armor is struggling. He won't last long.
>You summon the die and hope for something more useful in this situation and roll it.
 
 
>13. Matter Consumption. The power to eat anything.
>Well, lots of practical combat application here, alright.
>The golems continue to pound away at the bubble shield while the battle rages outside.
>Daring Do gulps. "Remind me again why I'm part of the vanguard here?"
"Just give me some more time!" you reply. You look at Robbie. "Daring! Climb into Robbie and use him as a suit!"
>Twilight and Trixie lend Shining Armor their magic to keep him going strong while Robbie's chest opens up, allowing Daring Do to climb inside. Once in, she powers it up and prepares to fight.
>You summon the die and think.
>Maybe you could eat your way into the tower? But who knows how thick the walls are and how much time that would take. No, there needs to be something, ANYTHING in this die that can help you.
>You roll it again.
 
SO FUCKING CLOSE TO REALITY ALTERATION
 
>97, Enhanced Vision.
"Well whupdy-fucking-doo," you mutter as you look around.
>Though, that's only your initial opinion, for now you can see almost anything. You look up at the tower, and see the way in. A single balcony has opened doors that will allow you to enter the tower!
>Guess wall-crawling might not have been so bad.
>Huh, seems like your hindsight is enhanced too.
>You roll the die again, hoping that this time, it has some actual combat application.
 
>96. Copycat powers.
>Before you quickly pass judgment, you remember who you are near.
>Looking around you, you see three people with powers standing right next to you.
>You smile and stand, possessing all the powers of Twilight, Trixie and Shining Armor. You feel your body positively shaking with the the arcane power of your mage lovers and the divine power of a master paladin.
>You have become Anon, Mystic Theurge.
>Reaching out, you channel your power into the shield, strengthening it by doubling its power. But by funneling your arcane magic into it, you can also make it very deadly.
>Shining Armor and the girls look on as you take control of the shield, expanding it, pushing back the golems.
>The creatures have great elemental resistance, so you need to get more clever. You funnel a spell of disintegration into the shield, causing all who touch it to start withering away. The golems begin turning to dust as they attack the shield.
>And in just a moment, they are gone, destroyed by your magic. You dispell the shield and look at the doors.
>You try the same spell of disintegration on the doors, but it does not work. With your expanded powers, you detect that not only is the fortress wrought of strong material, it nullifies all magic thrown against it and within it.
>Except dark magic, which Sombra must use exclusively, but is not within the realm of any of your combined abilities.
You look at the girls and Shining Armor. "I didn't see this coming. Your magic isn't going to work inside that tower. I was able to scry inside of it earlier, but the spell was cast outside---anything cast inside isn't going to work."
>Twilight looks grim. "Just you, then?"
"I've seen the way inside. Me, Robbie and Daring Do will go in and get the Crystal Heart."
>"We're not just going to let you go in there alone, Anon!" Trixie asserts herself.
 
"And I'm not going to let you go in defenseless," you counter. "Stay out here and help the other teams. See if you can save the souls in those death shards from further harm."
>Shining picks himself up and looks up to the sky, seeing his men and airships battling against the changeling horde. "I'll return to leading my men. Good luck, Anonymous."
>You shake his hand before looking at Daring wearing the mechsuit.
"Follow me."
>You fly upwards with her following until you reach the balcony. Both of you touch down on it.
>Upon entering the room, you feel the magic drain away from you, both from distance to your three allies and the antimagic field.
>The room is bleak, with crystal furniture and obsidian walls. There is no beauty here, only form of function, with uninspired chairs and beds.
>This seems to be Sombra's bedroom, high up in the tower. You'll need to find the way down.
>You summon your die and roll it on the ground.
 
>66. Heatvision and phasing.
>Could've used this a few minutes ago, that's for sure, but the die rolls as the die rolls.
>You look back at Daring Do in the mechsuit, who eyes you quizically.
"I just got our ticket downstairs. I'm going to hold onto the suit, and you just get ready to hit the throne room."
>"Wait," she stops you. "What's the plan, exactly? I'm sorry but I really like to go into things with a definite plan."
>You stop and think for a moment. "Well, I don't know how strong Sombra is, but I'm willing to bet that he can't have eyes on both of us at once. I'll distract him with my powers; I have a knack for that. You get behind him and see if you can get your hands on that Crystal Heart."
>"Well... I've gone through with worse plans, I suppose," she admits. "Ready when you are. Are you going to blast through the floors or---WOAH!"
>She wasn't expecting you to take hold of the mech's arm and phase you both through the building's many floors. You pass an eatery, a dark museum of terrible relics, a room of statues formed in Sombra's likeness, a large bathhouse, about three hallways and a library before ending up in the throne room.
>Robbie's jets kick in and you both slowly descend to the ground.
>There, upon his throne, Sombra's eyes open and his lips curl into a smile.
>Behind him, his crystal dragon rears up and roars, which shakes both of you to your core.
>"You didn't mention there was a damn dragon!"
"Oh yeah... there's a dragon. Don't worry, I got him."
>Sombra rises from his throne, holding up a hand to still the beast. His eyes narrow and his smile widens as he holds out his hand, displaying the Crystal Heart as if to gloat.
"Hand it over and you won't get hurt," you lie.
>He chuckles. "I'm not the one who should be worried about injury," he says. "You attack my kingdom, you storm my castle, you dare approach my throne... You shall be put to death for your crimes."
 
"That's ironic, considering you're the one committing genocide outside these very walls. Also, are you seriously sticking your dick in a queen bug, dude? That's fucked up."
>He slowly walks down the crystal stairs before his throne. "Our marriage is one of convenience, of shared power. Neither of us care for desires of mortal flesh... well, I don't. I hear she eats her mates when she is done with them."
"So you're gay, then? Should've known with your fancy hair and all."
>"Your insults are as effective as eggs thrown against a wall."
"Yeah, but have you ever had your house egged and the paint ruined? That shit's annoying."
>Daring looks at you. "When does our plan come into effect, exactly?"
>Sombra lowers his hand. "Perhaps my pet can teach you some manners!"
>The dragon raises a grat clawed hand swings it in front of him, launching a volley of spiked shards at you both.
>Your eyes flare a bright red as you melt every single shard with but a gaze. They fall to the floor as puddles of rapidly-cooling obsidian goo.
"That all you got?"
>The dragon roars again and rushes forward, moving surprisingly quickly for a beast of its size. Daring Do activates the mech's jumpboots and rockets upwards while you sink into the floor.
>When the mighty beast leaps over the place you were just standing, you reach out and take hold of it, phasing it.
>Its natural weight sinks it down and once it is more than halfway buried in the floor, you cause it to stay there, trapped.
>You move up through it, leaping onto its back. The head and neck, still above the ground, are thrashing and roaring violently.
 
"Too easy, Sombra! Got anything else?"
>The floor begins to crack and you feel a powerful shake from underneath you.
>You are knocked off the dragon's back as one of its wings and arms blasts out of the floor, sending chunks of crystal everywhere. Another arm follows as the mighty beast frees itself from the floor prison.
"Well, shit."
>You see the mech land behind Sombra. It reaches out for the Crystal Heart, but Sombra turns around, pulling a greatsword from his side. A single chop severs the mech's arm, and another cuts it cleanly in half.
"NO!"
>The suit falls back, opening up, revealing that it is empty. But then where is Daring Do?
>You don't have time to look before the dragon is attacking you again. It swings its tail at you and you phase through it, causing it the slam into the wall. You hear a short gasp and shout and look up, seeing Daring Do handing from a chandelier by her whip. The chandelier shakes from the dragon's attack.
>Before you can shout to her, the dragon clamps its mouth down around you, eating a portion of the floor under where you were standing.
>It pulls its head back, and you're still just standing there, having phased through its bite.
"Hey dragon," you shout.
>It looks down on you and gives you a look as if to say, "What?"
"Fuck you."
>You blast the shit out of it with your heatvision. It roars in pain and falls back.
 
>Next, you turn your vision on Sombra. He is protected by some kind of dark shield that forms around him in response to your attack.
>Raising his sword hand, he points it at you. The ground around you burns with a black fire, trapping you.
>Or it would, if you couldn't just swim underneath it with your phasing powers.
>Sombra chuckles as you surface and the dragon gets back up. "My dragon is clearly no match for you. Your friends, however... I wonder how lucky they will be against it."
>He waves his sword, opening the front gate of the tower. The dragon immediately takes off in flight towards it.
>As you are about to blast it with another wave of heatvision, Sombra leaps from where he was standing and brings his sword down upon you.
>You find that even though you were in phasemode, the dark magic of the sword still affects you!
>You fall back, not bleeding or burnt, but feeling the pain of both from the sting of the evil arcane energy. You look up at him, wild-eyed, as he smiles down at your surprise.
>"My dark magic knows no equal..." he threatens. "And neither do I!"
"Yeah? Well, you killed my robot... I don't like that kind of thing."
>You summon the die and roll it again.
 
>23. Illusions.
>Immediately you roll away and conjure up hundreds of copies of yourself that start moving around, masking your own movement.
>Sombra looks around, smiling in amusement at the display.
>You start sneaking closer, trying to get to that Crystal Heart in his grasp...
>He reverses the sword in his grasp and stabs it into the ground. Waves of black and green fire emerge from the ground, destroying every single illusion and sending you flying back against the wall.
>You feel like you just got hit by a train on fire. The wind is knocked from your lungs.
>Sombra sees you and advances quickly. He raises up his sword.
>You summon the die and hold it up like a shield. He stabs down into it.
>The resulting explosion of light sends the man hurling backwards twenty yards, landing at the foot of his throne.
>You open your eyes and look at the die, seeing that it is unharmed.
>You might not be able to use it as a weapon, but as a shield, it works rather nicely as it turns out.
>You stand and stare him down as he picks himself up, grunting a little. That light seems to have weakened him. But you can't finish him off with illusions.
>You roll it again.
 
>91. Paralyzing Touch.
>Hah. Now you just need to get close enough to use it.
>And given how pissed off he is, that seems difficult.
>Suddenly, you see Daring Do, having managed to climb down! She's sneaking up behind him!
"Wait! I surrender!" you get down on your knees and kneel before him.
>He seems surprised.
"Oh great and mighty Sombra, I realize now that your dark power is far too much! I beg of you, kind and mighty king, spare my life and the lives of my friends, and we will vex you no longer!"
>Your appeal to his pride and vanity seems to be working. He smiles and approaches you, holding the sword up to your neck.
>"You are very foolish to think that I would let you live. But perhaps only I will take your life... your friends may find use in my wife's hives below this castle. So long, Anonymous..."
>As he raises his sword, Daring Do snaps her whip out and wraps it around the Crystal Heart, pulling it from his grasp!
>"WHAT?" he shouts, whipping around.
"Gotcha."
>You stand and put a hand on his neck, freezing him to the spot. He is completely paralyzed with a look of pure anger, shock and desperation on his face.
>You walk around and smile.
"See? The plan worked."
>"But... your mech..."
>You look over at Robbie's remains. You approach it and kneel next to it.
"He was the very first thing I ever used my powers to create... I'm sorry it had to end this way. But when this is over, I'll find a way to bring him back. I promise, Robbie."
>Daring Do taps your shoulder. "Um, Anon?"
>You turn, seeing black smoke start to bleed off of Sombra's skin.
>Slowly, his mortal form disintegrates and his true form is revealed, that of a massive, black shadow monster.
>The rolling black cloud rises up far overhead, baring a large pair of fangs. It growls and roars before diving down towards you.
"Well, shit."
>You drop the die.
 
>35. Sedation.
>You hold up your hand and sedate the SHIT out of that cloud.
>It loses its luster, growing thinner and thinner, before dispersing.
>Sombra falls to the ground, weakened, fatigued and numb.
>His sword lies nearby.
"Can't believe that worked..." you mutter, walking up to it. You grunt as you try to lift it. It's damn heavy.
>He rolls over and looks up at you with angered eyes.
"Well, it's been nice knowing you Sombra, you put up a pretty good fight, but as far as villains go," you say as you heft the sword up and position it to bring it down on his neck, "you just don't make the cut."
>CHOP!
 
>You are Spike, and you are tearing a crystal golem in half with your bare hands.
>You throw the two halves of the golem aside and they shatter on the ground.
>Three more advance onwards when you hear the front gate of Sombra's tower opening.
>Nearby, Iron Will and Applejack stop and look along with you.
>From that black citadel emerges a terrifying creature, a crystal dragon, a thing you have only read about in the forbidden books of the Draconic Dominion's ancient libraries.
>It roars, shaking the stones of the earth for a mile around, before taking to the skies.
>It attacks one of the airships from below, tearing it to pieces, sending wood and stone and corpses flying everywhere.
>It then turns its sight on another ship, one that lingered out of battle, for it had a few guards on it... and Rarity's sister, Sweetie Belle.
>The dragon flies towards it.
"NO!" you shout, activating your armor's flight mode and taking off, leaving your team behind.
>You cut through the skies towards the great dragon, catching up to it.
>You stab into its back with your spear, digging into the rocky, solid flesh.
>It roars as your spear reaches its spine. You twist it, causing it to veer off-course.
>The dragon twists, violently, but this only serves to further its own injury. You stay your hand, burying the spear further into its back, severing the spinal column.
 
>The dragon turns, falling towards the ground, with you underneath it.
>You struggle to free your spear as you realize that you're not going to escape the weight of the dragon before you make contact with the city below.
>You see a glint of purple light nearby. Looking over, you see Rarity racing towards you, trying desperately to reach you before it's too late.
>You smile. You hope she knows that this was for her and her sister.
>Her happiness is all that matters to you now.
>You close your eyes as you reach the ground.
 
>You are Anon, and outside you hear a thunderous sound and the earth shakes a bit below your feet.
>"What was that?" Daring asks, still holding the Crystal Heart.
"I don't know. But we're down four Elements of Disharmony... and only two remain. We need to find that bug hive and put an end to the queen."
>With the doors open, Twilight, Shining Armor and Trixie finally run inside. They see you two there with the Crystal Heart, and Sombra's decapitated corpse.
>"It's done, then," Shining says, putting away his sword.
"Not yet. Sombra said there are hives beneath this city where the queen lives. Your wife is probably down there."
>He nods. "I was fooled by her once. If I go, I might fall for it again. I will stay back and lead the battle up here. You go below and please, save my wife. Save my kingdom."
"We will."
>You look at your two mage lovers and nod. Then, you look to Daring Do. She hands the Crystal Heart back to Shining Armor then looks back at you. "Alright. Let's go kill a giant bug."
 
>You are Soarin, and you have no idea where you are.
>When the VTOL's engines were clogged by changeling corpses, you and Captain Spitfire bailed out and fought them in the air.
>You both followed a group of them to a large cavemouth. But now you don't think you were chasing them---they were leading you there.
>Once inside, you got seperated in the darkness and attacked by the black insect-things. You fought them off, shooting them to death, before you realized you were lost.
>The cavern walls were black, but occasional bright green globules you couldn't recognize glowed and lit up the area.
>Looking inside one, you thought you saw something shift, but a noise from behind startled you into keeping your guard up.
>This whole place is moist, dripping and eerie. You want out.
>Just as you're about to spread your wings and search for the exit, or at least the captain, she rounds the corner and sees you.
>"Soarin!" she says, running up to your and wrapping your arms around your neck. You smile and hug your friend back.
"Are you alright?" you ask.
>"I'm fine. We need to get out of here, though. I thought... I thought you'd be dead and that I'd lost you."
You flash her a smile. "No need to be worried. Come on, let's---"
>She takes hold of your arm and forces you to face her before planting a kiss on your lips.
You pull back, surprised. "C-Captain?"
>"Shh," she says, pulling you in for another kiss. "Just let me. I might not get another chance." Her eyes are pleading. "Please."
 
>You're letting her kiss you, just like a part of you had always wanted. You know you should leave, but she's right. You might not get another chance.
>You give into the kiss, opening your mouth and letting her tongue slide in.
>She's always been an object of your affections, though you never risked ruining your professional relationship and friendship. But now...
>Now... something is wrong...
>Her tongue is sliding into your mouth, reaching farther back than it should be able to.
>Your eyes go wide as she pushes you back against the wall with strength you cannot believe as whatever she is shoving down your throat grows wider.
>You choke and panic as you try to fight her off, but she's pinning your arms and legs to the wall. Her magnificent orange wings turn into a pair of insect-like wings and her eyes glow a bright green.
>Her hands are secreting some kind of resin. She's cocooning you to the wall.
>And all the while, she keeps eye contact with you while the fleshy tube pumps something directly into your stomach.
>You scream, cry and push back to no avail as you start to lose consciousness. You hardly have time to think as you panic.
>Any second now, the real Spitfire will walk around the corner and shoot this monster and free you.
>But she doesn't.
>Your eyes roll upwards and all thought flees from you.
>Soon, you're just another glowing egg on the wall, your body turned to food for the young in your stomach.
 
>You are Anon, about to descend into the hive.
>You look back at Shining Armor, who holds the Crystal Heart. He turns to see a small group enter the black tower.
>Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and a distraught Rarity.
>"How goes the fighting?" Shining asks them.
>Applejack replies, "Gilda and Ironos are helping mop up the remaining nasties with your soldiers. We've broken up all the ritual circles, but not without loss. Spike has..."
>Rarity's loud sudden sniffle at the mention of his name, along with her visual reaction, tells you more than you need to know.
>Hard to believe she liked him, but then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
>Shit, you hope you don't have to fight a Beholder because of the irony of that last thought.
"We're about to go into the hive to fight the queen and put an end to this invasion," you tell them.
>"Let me come along!" Rarity insists through the tears. "I've more than a few words to say to her!"
"Very well. Let's all head into the hive and finish this once and for all."
>Behind the crystal throne lies a staircase. The black crystal eventually gives way to earthen, unworked stone, which eventually becomes a strange black resin-like substance coating the walls in alien patterns.
>Twilight and Trixie both hold up their hands, casting spells of light, illuminating the hive.
"Guess the antimagic field doesn't extend to the hive," you say. "Lucky us."
>"The queen probably has magic of her own," Trixie comments. "We'd best keep on our toes."
>Green bubbles that glow with an eerie light with strange shifting shapes within line the walls, some larger than others.
>"What are those?" Fluttershy nervously asks, looking at one. She jumps back when she sees a strange series of insects move within it.
"Eggs, I'd wager," you say. "Don't step on any of them."
 
>Just as you say that, you hear a loud squishing noise. You all look back at Pinkie, who had experimentally picked one up and dropped it due to it being slimy.
>It plops against the ground, breaking open. A little changeling baby, no larger than a soccerball, opens its mouth and cries a shrill, terrible cry.
>All of the eggs around you start to vibrate.
>"Uh oh," Pinkie gulps.
>They explode from within, showering the area with green liquid as hundreds or thousands of tiny insects swarm out. You all huddle together and Rarity quickly creates a shield around you. They swarm over it entirely, not allowing you to see a single thing outside their mass.
>"Horrid things!" Rarity shouts above their clicking and screaming.
>You hold your hands out, readying your power of sedation. Gritting your teeth, you focus your power outwards in all directions, affecting every single insect.
>Every power of yours, no matter which one, can rest your limits if pushed too far. Trying to sedate every single creature nearly completely exhausts you and puts you down onto your knees, with Twilight and Trixie holding onto your shoulders.
>But you succeed, and every single one is put to a deep, sedated sleep.
>Rarity shakes them off her shield and dispells it.
>You catch your breath. Summoning the die, you roll it to rid yourself of the power and rejuvinate yourself slightly.
 
>62. Reactive Evolution and Adaptation.
>Neato.
>Looking around in the dark, your vision starts to become clear as your eyes instantly develop nightvision.
>"What did you roll, Anon?" Twilight asks.
>You look down at one of the changeling babies, still in its larval form. You pick it up and it twitches slightly in its sedated state.
>You put it up to your mouth and bite into it, finding yourself initially unable to, but then you evolve a stronger jaw and sharper teeth designed specifically for tearing into changeling flesh.
>The girls see this and almost want to vomit.
"It's alright," you tell them. "I've adapted to where this is actually delicious. It's adaptive evolution---my body changes in response to external stimuli."
>You think for a moment, and then look at all of them.
"I've got it. Throw everything you've got at me."
>They look at each other.
"It's alright, go ahead. Try and kill me."
>Rainbow Dash, being the boldest, walks up and tries to hit you in the neck with her sword.
>She cannot, however, because your skin is now made out of unbreakable metal.
>Next, Twilight launches a lightning spell at you. The metal is now non-conductive.
>"Ah've got this," AJ says, throwing her lasso around you. "What's your name?"
"Mannering J. Abernathy," you reply, now immune to all charm-based mind alteration.
>Trixie cracks her knuckles. "Stand back and watch the Great and Powerful Trixie find a way around this power!"
 
>She casts a spell upon you, creating magical chains that bind you to the ground. You remember this spell from when she used it before.
>But now your body is made out of liquid metal, and the chains slip away.
>Twilight is astounded. "Amazing. You're unstoppable in this form, Anon!"
>Just as you are about to reply, your body begins morphing back to normal. In less than a minute, you're simply you again, with all the normal you parts.
>"What happened?" Pinkie asks. "How come you stopped going all Terminator 2?"
"The reactive evolution must not last very long," you say, a little let down that it isn't more permanent. "My body needs to be in constant danger in order to continually adapt."
>"So... when we find the queen, we should all just attack you and then you take her out?" Rainbow Dash suggests.
"If I fight her, my body will only adapt to her attacks. Any adaptations I get from you might not last during the battle. I guess we'll just have to see when we get to the heart of the hive."
>Daring Do looks around. "And where is that, exactly?"
>Fluttershy speaks up, "I don't have any animal friends here to scout out the tunnels... Anybody else have any ideas?"
>Rainbow nods. "I say we split---"
"No," you shoot her down. "No splitting up. These are changelings, remember? The group you run into might not be the group you parted from."
>"...Oh, right."
"We're going to proceed together."
>And so you do. Your party continues through the hive, encountering no changelings, only further dark tunnels and eggs.
>All of you are constantly on alert for any sign of activity, but unnervingly, nothing happens.
>There's very little conversation, and every noise has you jumping. Are they waiting somewhere? Surely a hive should have some kind of warrior or worker caste protecting it?
>But nothing. Only more twists, turns and eggs.
 
>Until you reach the central chamber, and you know it is exactly that, for it can be nothing else.
>The room is massive and hollowed out, with a roof high enough to fit what seems like a skyscraper inside.
>At the center, there is a large elevated platform, with a staircase leading from where you are standing to its edge. >On either side of the platform is a large mound of stone, cocooned against which are Princess Cadance and Captain Spitfire.
>And at the opposite end, upon a black chitin throne, sits a beautiful woman, strikingly alluring, scantily clad with a black dress, cut to show off her generous cleavage and supple thighs. Atop her head of lustrous green hair sits a black crown, lined with sparkling green gemstones.
>"I'm guessin' that's the queen," AJ whispers.
"I don't doubt it a bit." You look back at them. "We need a plan."
>"Let's go in and kick her ass," Rainbow says.
"...Alright, that's on the table. Anyone else?"
>Daring Do nods. "Same plan as before, Anon?"
"Sounds good to me."
>"What plan?" Twilight asks.
"Just trust us," you reply with a wink.
>At first she doesn't understand, but then she nods and gives you a look of confidence.
>You begin to descend the stairs, which cross a fairly deep chasm, the bottom of which is lined with spikes. Actual goddamned spikes, damn.
>You look across the platform at the queen sitting on her throne, who smiles at you.
>"Please, do come in, we've been expecting you..." she says with a sultry tone, licking her lips.
"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to release your prisoners and surrender, and maybe we'll let you live."
>She laughs, genuinely amused at your words. "So bold! I assume you think you have the advantage of numbers, perhaps?"
 
"Seems that way. I guess you have some kind of ace up your sleeve though, right? You seem like the clever type."
>"Two, actually. To my left is Princess Cadance, whose love I have positively gorged myself on. To the right is Captain Spitfire, whose young male friend I'm afraid is no longer with us. I saw to that personally."
>Your eyes narrow.
>"You're going to choose which of them I kill."
"And why would I do that?"
>"Because if you don't choose, I kill both of them."
"How do I know you'll keep your word?"
>"Let's put my lasso on 'er!" AJ shouts.
>"Come one step closer and they both die. I assure you, they're fully within my power. You will choose which one of them live and which one of them dies."
>"Anon, you can't," Twilight urges you. "Don't play her game!"
>"No assistance from the peanut gallery!" Chrysalis commands.
>"Anonymous..." you hear a gurgling moan from the left. You look over at Spitfire. "Save her... I'm not afraid to die in the line of duty..."
"No." You look at the queen. "I'm not going to pick one. You could just as easily kill both of them, or kill the one I didn't pick, because your wording is that I will choose the one who will die, so you could simply say that you had planned to kill the opposite of my choice from the beginning. Instead, I offer you a counter-proposal."
>"And what is that, exactly?" she says, intrigued by your words.
"Me. I'll give you myself willingly if you let them, and my friends, go back to the surface."
>"Anon!" Twilight says. "That's just ridiculous. Let's think of a different plan to---"
>"I accept!" she says. "Come forward, Anon..."
>Slowly, you walk forward, shrugging off Twilight's hand on your shoulder.
>You look back at her and wink.
 
>Approaching the throne, you get down on your knees.
>She stands and walks down to you, kneeling to be on your level. She places a cold hand on your cheek.
>"My dear Anon... Anon, you hero... you brave, stupid, stupid hero..."
>With a wave of her hand, the walls of the room seemingly come to life with thousands of changelings. The walls move and shift as the horde awakens, their clicking and buzzing reaching your ears like a swarm of locusts.
>Their screams all rise in a terrifying, bone chilling cacophony as they descend upon your team. Every single party member is overtaken in seconds, despite their powers. They are simply completely overwhelmed and taken to the walls where they are quickly cocooned, their weapons torn from their grasps.
"You're a cheater," you say to her.
>"I'm a winner. You don't get points for being nice."
"We'll see."
>"You've already lost. And now, Anon..." she says, laughing as her children take away your friends, "Now, your love is mine."
>She plants her lips upon yours, kissing you tenderly. You feel a withering inside, drawing at your heart's strings.
>Gotcha, bitch.
>To counter her draining of love, you simply rid yourself of it, rendering your heart devoid of any care for Twilight, Trixie, Celestia or any other.
>And what's more, you evolve a counter-measure that quickly turns you into her ultimate natural predator.
>She feeds on love, and you have evolved to feed on emptiness. And her soul is very empty indeed.
>Her green eyes shoot open and stare into yours as she tries to pull away. You evolve a set of mandibles around your mouth that lock onto her skull. Her hands become black and insect-like, with sharpened claws that she attempts to stab into your stomach. Your skin hardens into black armor.
>Wings, like magnificent dragonfly wings, sprout from her back and she takes off, trying to escape. Your back does the same and you fly with her through the air.
 
>The two of you spin in the air in a deadly dance of terrifying evolution.
>Within her throat lies a probe that she uses to lay eggs. She tries shoving it into your mouth. Unfortunately for her, she finds that you now have a second mouth within your throat that denies it entry.
>As you rapidly evolve into a changeling king to counter her every threat, she starts to wither in front of your eyes.
>Her skin turns from a healthy shade of tan to a sickly grey, before turning black and rotting, revealing her true form. Her carapace shines in the light of her hive, but even that starts to fade as you pump her full of negative energy.
>Her own magic from the horn atop her head is countered by the one you grow. In her attempts to escape and flail wildly about, you grow another pair of arms, and then a pair of spinnerets. You use both of your new limbs to start encasing her in webbing.
>The queen's eyes are full of panic and fear.
>You wonder how she must feel being the prey and not the predator.
>Daring Do makes her play. Having hung back when the rest of you moved forward, she downs the potion she received from Zecora, giving her superhuman agility.
>Darting out from her hiding place, she pulls out her whip and a knife from her boot. Leaping off the edge of the staircase, she lands on a changeling and kicks off, using her whip to swing from another flying in the air.
>That changeling carries her right to Twilight. Loosening the whip, she lands on the wall and stabs the changeling cocooning her in the neck, causing it to fall to the spikes below. She then cuts Twilight free, who uses her now freed hand to summon her book.
>A simple spell of teleportation brings them both away, and soon enough, Twilight is launching fireballs into the horde while Daring works on freeing the rest of your friends.
 
>Their minds link with yours, and you order them to bring your friends to you. You then immediately order them to destroy the hive, smash every egg and kill every single infantile changeling.
>After that is done, you order them to turn on each other. The hive becomes a battleground with changeling against changeling and for minutes, the sounds of their brutal, merciless war overwhelming.
>But then, all was silent. The girls looked at you in your new form, terrified.
>As the last of the changelings die, your form begins to revert. Human emotions flow back into you as you are once more Anon, the normal human with an extraordinary die.
>You take a deep breath and let out a long, well-deserved sigh.
"I really don't want to do that again."
>You run up to Twilight and Trixie and embrace them both. Applejack goes to Spitfire and starts pulling her out of her cocoon while Rainbow Dash does the same.
>Both of them are far too weak to walk on their own, so they are carried.
>And with them, you all proceed out of the hive, leaving nothing but empty husks of the dead changelings behind.
>Outside of Sombra's tower, you meet Shining Armor, who stands with twenty surviving paladins of the Crystal Empire.
>They run to help you, with Shining personally helping Cadance. Theirs is a loving reunion, but bittersweet.
>All around you, the Crystal Empire lies in ruin.
"Can there be anything done?" you ask.
>"There can," Shining says. "End what you began, and stop Discord once and for all. Then, perhaps, all of this will be changed. And if not, it can be rebuilt."
>"What about the souls in the death shards?" Trixie asks.
>Shining shakes his head. "We don't know how to free them and restore their mortal forms. Yet. But we'll find a way, and the people of the Crystal Empire will survive."
 
>"So much death..." Rarity says softly as she looks around. "So much loss..."
>"But not all of it," comes a rough, wounded voice. Everyone turns to see Spike, limping towards the group with bloody scales.
>"SPIKE!" Rarity nearly screams with joy, running to him. She stops when she notices his right arm has been severed, with only his advanced armor's life support having saved his life. "Oh, no, Spike! This is horrible!"
>"But worth it," he says, for behind him is Sweetie Belle, who leaps into her sister's arms. "The dragon was going for her ship. If I hadn't stopped it..."
>Rarity hugs him and he wraps his one arm around them both.
>You look from the warm sight to see Ironos, the minotaur, being tended by Fluttershy. Much like Spike, he too sustained loss---a changeling claw caught in his left eye tore it out.
>On a nearby perch sits Gilda, a little wounded, but not as much as they.
>"We've won the battle," Rainbow says.
"But not the war." You look up into the dark sky, seeing the moon. "That's where the end lies."
>Everyone follows your gaze. The moon glows in the night sky, and beyond it, the red star of Discord burns brighter with each second.
>"I can get us there," Twilight says. "A mass teleportation spell that will take us to the moon."
>"All of us?" Daring Do asks. "Because I kind of used up my one trump card down there in the hive."
"No, not all of us. Just eight of us."
>Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Trixie look at you.
"We're going to the moon, we're going to storm Nightmare Moon's fortress, we're going to free Celestia and break the eternal darkness, and then we're going to stop Discord's plans once and for all."
>Spike stands up. "Then, I think you'll need this more than I." He takes the golden necklace off and hands it to you. His golden armor vanishes with it, letting you see the stump left behind by the suit's life support, sealed completely to avoid further bleeding.
 
>You approach him and take hold of it, thanking him as you do.
Looking back at Twilight, you ask, "Do you still have that amulet that controlled Trixie?"
>Rummaging through her bag, she pulls out the black artifact.
"And Applejack---that tiara that Sunset wore?"
>She nods and produces it.
You look at Shining Armor. "And what of the Crystal Heart?"
>"It's yours," he says, holding it out. "Its power will help to protect all of you."
>"Shouldn't you keep it here?" Twilight asks.
>He shakes his head. "If you're to be our last line of defense, you must take it with you. You need every possible ounce of help you can get."
>You hold up the crown of Chrysalis.
"Five artifacts. Five elements. We need only one more."
>"There's no point in delaying, then," Twilight says firmly. "I'm ready to cast the spell when you are."
>You nod.
"Say your good-byes. You might not get to say them otherwise. Once we're on the moon, there's no telling if we're going back."
 
>Twilight goes to hug her brother, and his bride to be. Rarity parts with Spike, leaving Sweetie Belle in his care. Fluttershy says farewell to Ironos, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack share a loving hug.
>Daring Do walks up and hugs you.
>”Thanks for your help,” she says.
“Thanks for yours.”
>She lets go and backs up. Your allies destined for the moon gather around you.
>"Here we go." Twilight pulls out her book. You are all surrounded by a glowing orb of purple light and the wind picks up around you.
>You feel Trixie's hand grip yours tightly. You take hold of Twilight's.
>You close your eyes as the spell reaches its end, breaking you all down into a beam of light.
>In seconds, you are standing on a cold, rocky surface. There is no wind and no warmth to be found.
>All of you turn to face the only source of light for miles around, and then you see it.
>Nightmare Moon's fortress. Your final destination.
>It's all come to this.
 
>The sight is, at the same time, both beautiful and frightening to behold.
>Like a star shaped from glowing stone, the fortress rises from the moon and extends outwards with massive spires in a strange geometric pattern that only the mind of a mad architect could conceive of. Smaller pieces stick out from its many sides, each more angular and narrow, all coming to a sharp point.
>The surface itself is riddled with a strange luminosity that seems to change colors before your eyes, flowing and shifting in odd waves that give it a fluid look, as though the fortress itself is alive.
>A series of lights, no larger than small butterflies, orbit the structure in a random fashion, always in a line. They duck and weave through the many large towers, circling it and dancing along their path.
>The fact that it looks so alien and foreign to you only heightens your sense of dread in approaching it.
>Neither you nor your companions can say much as you draw near to its base. As she is often the first to do, Pinkie Pie breaks the silence.
>"So... how do we get in?" she asks.
>Looking up, you don't see any opening on the colossal structure. You look back down to the glowing stone in front of you.
>Now that you are close to it, you see that it has a subtle mirror effect. You are all reflected in the shimmering pool, and your eyes are drawn to the rippling, shifting surface that seems solid and flat, but looks as thin as water.
>You place your palm upon it, finding it to be hard as stone and very, very cold to the touch. But just as you are about to withdraw it, the surface gives way to light, and you find yourself able to push inwards.
>You walk into the fortress with one hand leading the way. With half of your body swallowed, you look back at Twilight and hold out your free hand, which she takes. They all hold hands to ensure that nobody is lost and you enter the strange void that lies beyond.
 
>Time and space seem to have no meaning here as you are surrounded by light. Sounds, both distant and near, echo off of wisps of memory and reality.
>You feel like you are falling through an ocean, dragged by a current of light.
>Twilight's grip on your hand tightens, and you look back to ensure they are all still with you.
>The shore is in sight. It forms at the edge of your vision and grows thicker and more distinct through the fog until you are standing upon its sandy surface.
>Though it's not really sand---it's just fragments of solid matter that have collected here, held together by some force of will.
>The shore connects to a vast, barren wasteland of blasted rock. No sign of life can be found here, much like the moon the strange structure resides on. The desert that stretches out before you has great canyons of impossible shape and size, along with grand mesas and twisting, curving spires of stone.
>And in the distance, you see what can only be her fortress, a bit more contemporary and easy to understand, but none the less intimidating.
>The grand castle's appearance is grandly gothic in style, but taken to an extreme unlike anything you've ever imagined.
>It rises through the canyons and rocks to dominate the skyline, wrought of dark grey stone and lined with light cast upon its surface by grand beacons of crystal that heighten the malevolence its design evokes.
>This is the palace of a dark ruler, grand and terrifying, a place of dusk and despair, forged by great power and with sinister purpose.
>You have no choice but to proceed.
 
>The sphinx is unamused. You look at her and hope she isn't going in over her head.
>The first riddle.
>"At night I am fetched by none and asked by none to appear, and at day I am banished without being told to leave. What am I?"
>She scoffs at the riddle. "Stars! Surely you must have something stronger, sphinx?"
>"You are correct."
>The first gate opens. Now, the second riddle.
>"I am the part of the bird that is not in the sky,
>who can drown in the ocean and yet remain dry.
>A last vestige of man that refuses to die.
>In mourning I am tossed at your feet to lie;
>I begin my job early, devouring your ankles and thighs.
>I work my way up, eating your legs to your waist.
>And though around midday away I am chased,
>I return quickly to savor the arm of my taste.
>As evening falls I enter your lungs,
>spiraling down past your mouth and your tongue.
>I feast on your body, your soul, and your mind,
>but as darkness falls you shall find
>that away I will go, a relief for some;
>At least until tomorrow morning comes.
>What am I?"
 
>Trixie stalls, seemingly stumped for a moment. She looks down in thought before it comes to her.
>"Your words give away the answer! It is my shadow!"
>The second gate opens, leaving only the third gate behind.
>And the third riddle.
>"I hunt for you at your weakest, when you think you are free.
>I am the most horrible thing you can know and nothing you can see.
>You are my puppet, my plaything and toy, your helplessness is my key.
>I know everything you fear and despise, and everything you ever failed to be.
>You can run, you can jump, you can hide and cry, but nothing will ever get rid of me.
>You can never stop me from coming for you and I will ignore your every plea.
>And when I am done with you, I leave only the shadow of a memory.
>The only thing that stops me is death.
>What am I?"
>You look from the sphinx to Trixie, and for a long while, there is only silence.
>The seconds drag on, and you begin to worry that she doesn’t know the answer.
>Until finally, she meets the gaze of the sphinx and delivers her answer.
>"You are my nightmares."
 
>The sphinx sits very still, its emotionless face impossible to read.
>The third gate opens. Trixie jumps up and smiles, running back to you and throwing you into a hug. "I did it! I did it!"
"You did great," you tell her. The rest of the girls pat her on the shoulder and congratulate her before you all turn back to the sphinx.
>"You may now enter. I do not envy the fate that lies in wait for you within. But I wish you good luck."
>You pass under the three grand archways beneath the watchful gaze of the sphinx. After passing through the third, you find yourself in an entrance hall grander and larger than any you've ever seen before.
>The interior of the palace is dim and gloomy, with braziers of blue and green fire lining the many stairways, great columns and halls.
>It is as though an entire city could fit within this place.
>Before you is a staircase that leads to what you can only guess is the throne. But you don't have to walk up the stairs to see the master of this place, for she stands at the head of the stairs, looking down upon you.
>Nightmare Moon is as you remember her, a shadow of Luna's regal splendor. Her armor shines in the gloom of her fortress, and her hair is long, flowing and has the same cosmic, starry look as before. A pair of large raven wings outstretch from behind her.
>In her hands she holds a silver lance, its head shaped like a crescent moon.
>Her voice, loud and powerful, echoes throughout the halls as she speaks.
>"And so at last, you have come to me, after facing every trial and foe, overcoming each adversity along your path. Now, I am all that remains."
 
"It doesn't have to end in violence, Luna," you call out to her. "Just release Celestia. End what you've done! Don't be a pawn in the game Discord is playing with us all!"
>"It's too late for that! You've come too far for anything less than a fight," she spits out. "You betrayed my trust, you all did! You toyed with my emotions, and I’ll not have anyone do that any longer! Especially my sister! Always pushed aside, always second-best, always last in line! No more! I swore that the night would last forever, and that's how it will be! An eternal shroud upon the land, in which my shadows can thrive!"
>She holds up her staff and calls forth the shadows beneath her command.
>"Shadow is stronger than light! It exists without it, and will be all that is left when every light is snuffed out! Behold the power of your shadows!"
>She holds out her staff which glows with a white light before slamming it down onto the ground.
>From the darkness in different parts of the room, dark, necrotic energy swirls and gives shape out of shapeless mass at each of your feet, pooling in your shadows.
>From these collections emerge... Twilight, Trixie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
>And you.
>Your eyes widen as you take in your shadow self. It raises its hand, and from a black mass emerges... a die.
>It rolls the die and it lands on 62---Reactive
 
>Around you, battle erupts. Shadow Dash attacks her physical self with her own dark blade, while Shadowjack tackles Applejack to the ground.
>Flutterdark uses the power of a druid corrupted, flinging magic of decay, rot and polluting sludge at her kind other half. Shadow Pie and Pinkie quickly get thrown into a duel of instruments, with Pinkie's upbeat tunes countered by erratic, thrashing noise, like nails on a chalkboard.
>Twilight squares away with the necromancer Dusk, while Trixie finds herself face-to-face with the Awesome and Terrible Pixie, and Rarity's constructs are countered by Nightmarity's own constructs wrought of dark energy.
>Shadow Anon charges at you. You try countering his attack, only for him to mirror yourself and punch your fist.
>Both of your fists harden into a hard shell to reactively evolve to counter each other.
>Damn! A perfect mirror!
>When you attempt to kick his side, that hardens as well.
>He leaps behind you and grabs you from behind. In response, your back evolves a series of spikes.
>As they stab into him, he evolves into a more fluid form and bleeds away from you.
>A battle between two reactive evolutionary foes simply won't go anywhere.
>You need to roll; it's your only chance!
>Summoning the die, you quickly drop it to the ground after giving it a good shake.
 
>76---Temporal Revision, up to the moment of rolling the power.
>But how to use it?
>Your shadow charges at you, leaping into the air and trying to kick you. Sidestepping it, you find that he quickly reacts by sweeping your leg out from underneath you.
>Until you rewind, that is, and step over his attempted trip.
>He rolls to the side and gets up, throwing at punch at you. You duck and find that it was merely a distraction for his other fist, which flies upwards and hits your jaw.
>Until you rewind, that is, and dodge it.
>And so you continue this pattern, exhausting your shadow self to the point of frustration, until it summons its own die and rolls it again, ending up on temporal revision.
>At least, it would, until you rewind it and grab his hand while he's holding the die.
>You wrestle it out of his control, and now you're the one who's rolling it.
>You throw the die aside and tackle him to the ground before he can recover enough to summon it back.
 
>His die lands on 16---Dehydration.
>Well shit. You didn't want something he could use to just immediately kill you.
>But when he gets the power, he starts sucking all of the water out of your body.
>You manage to react quickly enough to stop it by rewinding.
>And rerolling.
>As you throw the die a second time, you start trying to put together in your head how you're going to finish your shadow off... you just need the right combination at the right time.
>A plan starts to form in your head.
 
>You roll his die and it lands on 34---Puppet Master.
>You aren't sure how to feel about this, but when he assumes direct control over all of the other shadow clones and directs them all at you, you realize that this isn't a very good outcome either.
>Curse this die for being so useful when you're the one who is benefiting from it!
>You suddenly sympathize with some of the villains you've put down.
>Rewind and reroll! Damnit, you'll get this right this time, you know it!
 
>97---Enhanced Vision.
>HAH!
>You roll your die---this is your chance to catch him vulnerable!
 
>36---Probability Manipulation, the ability to alter the likelihood of something happening.
>One of your stranger powers, but you know just how to use it.
>For example, making it extremely likely that a stray spell from Twilight's battle with her shadow self hits your shadow.
>He is blasted by a bolt of lightning.
>Or that Rainbow Dash notices an opening and attacks him!
>Rainbow kicks Shadow Dash in the face and sees Shadow Anon vulnerable. She flies down and slices his arm clean off!
>Or that your shadow is yours and yours alone, and is incapable of resisting your will!
>You hold your hand out and Shadow Anon looks up at you in shock.
"Get inside me, bitch."
>He screams as he bleeds onto the ground, becoming a shapeless mass of black that reconnects to your form, becoming your shadow once more.
>As you stand there feeling victorious, you hear a piercing sound, like metal stabbing into stone, accompanied by a wet gushing noise and the sound of desperate, dying gasps.
>You turn and see Nightmare Moon, having flown down the stairs as quick as a shadow, standing over the impaled body of Trixie.
>Your eyes widen in horror as you take in the sight. Nightmare Moon places a boot on the blue-haired girl's chest and pulls the spearheaded end of her polearm out.
>She spreads her wings and flaps them a few times, hovering in the air as you run up to her.
>All around you, your friends are still fighting their clones, kept at bay by them.
"Trixie, Trixie no!" you shout, taking hold of her hand. You alter the probability of her dying. She'll live, you know she will!
>"A-Anon... I-I..."
"I'm sorry, Trixie, I'm so sorry for everything. I never meant for any of this to happen. To you, to Twilight, to Celestia---any of it!"
>"I know, Anon..." she chokes up some blood. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I wasn't good enough."
"No! Don't say that! It was her, and her alone!"
>"No... not that... For your love, Anon. I wasn't... I wasn't good enough..."
 
"...Trixie, no, please, don't do this to yourself! You were fine, more than fine! It was me! I couldn't decide on one thing or another and all it brought was problems! And even when I tried, even when I chose Twilight over you, it brought more pain for everyone."
>"Don't... I forgive you, Anon. I thought... I thought we could patch it up---have it be you, me and Twilight... the best of all worlds, right? It... it just wasn't going to work, Anon... I had doubts... sex is one thing, Anon, but love? You... you love her, I know you do. I accept it now. I'm just glad that... for once... I got to have... you..."
"Don't say that! I can alter probability---I just rolled it, you'll live! Stay with me!"
>She reaches up and weakly takes hold of your hand. "I know you're trying... It's probablity, Anon... but not certainty."
>You've used your power to keep her alive up to this moment, staving off the inevitable pull of the reaper for just a little longer, but to your absolute horror, you realize she is right.
>You can't change something that is unstoppable once it's already happened.
>You watch as she holds up her hand and hands it to you.
>"Take it... Finish it, Anon... and then... be happy, for me. Please."
>You watch her smile her last smile, and her eyes close.
>You can hardly breathe. Her death hits you like a ton of bricks, but you don't move.
>You just keep staring at her peaceful, serene, bloody face in disbelief.
>Her grip loosens and her hand falls from yours, landing next to her body in near slow motion.
>You start to shake and shut your eyes as tears form in their corners.
>It wasn't supposed to be like this. She never deserved any of this---any of it.
 
>Visions of her, memories, fly through your mind. Her laugh, her smile, her wonderful stage personality and all the time you spent with her as your sidekick, travelling the world and righting wrongs, her tears and pain at your rejection, the hatred that Discord exploited, the night you spent with her and Twilight...
>You throw your head back and let out a pained cry, shouting at Nightmare Moon.
>The dark queen isn't smiling. She looks down at you, knowing that this was because you are her enemy. She took no pleasure in this kill.
>You stand, gripping Trixie's wand tightly in your left hand.
>You remember the warning, that using two artifacts at once could have severe consequences.
>You stare her down as you summon your die.
>You cast it aside, rolling it.
>But this isn't a random number. Your probability manipulation sees to that.
>It lands on 100.
>It's time to end this.
 
>Radiation Emission. Seismic Burst. Earthquake Generation. Energy Vampirism. Bullet Time.
>It's fucking on.
>You raise your foot and slam it down onto the ground, creating a shockwave that knocks everyone back, pushing your friends out of the danger zone.
>Nightmare Moon is pushed back, but throws her arms out and holds her position against your energy.
>She points her staff at you and from it emerges a wave of shadowbolts, homing in on your position.
>You slow time down to the point where they are nothing more than slow-moving blobs and easily sidestep them.
>You hold up Trixie's wand, conjuring forth flames that you enhance with radioactive energy. The blue atomic fire surges towards her.
>Surprised, she reacts quickly enough to encase herself in a shield of shadow. Your atomic fire burns around it and you do not relent.
>You look back at Twilight, picking herself up from when your seismic burst pushed her back. Nightmare Moon's concentration has faded, and their shadows have returned to normal.
>"Anon!" she shouts.
"Get Trixie's body out of here!" you tell her. When she stalls, you shout, "NOW!"
>With the power of her book, she pulls Trixie's body to her with a spell. Everyone looks on as Nightmare Moon breaks free from your attack, creating a wave of shadow that knocks you down.
>"This is my castle!" she shouts at you in her booming voice. "This is my home! And YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME HERE!"
>She hoists up her staff and dives downwards at you, intending to impale you much like she did Trixie.
>Mere fractions of a second before she would hit her mark, you slow down the passage of time and roll to the left.
 
>She stabs into the ground right next to your head. You reach up and take hold of the spear and immediately begin draining its energy, absorbing part of her shadow power.
>She shouts in anger and leaps up, taking her spear with her.
You stand and look at your friends. "Find Princess Celestia! Go! I'll hold her off."
>Your friends take your advice and spread out, searching for Celestia.
>"They'll never find her! She is trapped in my realm of shadows, never to be seen again!"
"Well in that case, this castle means nothing to me."
>The ground begins rumbling. Small pebbles on the floor start to bounce. In the distance, the sound of cracking rock and stone can be heard.
>Nightmare Moon's eyes widen as she realizes what you are doing.
>"STOP!" she commands you, her voice almost banshee-like. She summons a prison of shadows around you, which you counter with shadows of your own with the power you stole from her staff.
>With a wave of Trixie's wand, you are flying. You get on her level and look her in the eye.
"It's not going to stop until one of us dies."
>"Then let's finish it!"
>She flies at you with her moon halberd leading the way.
>With a wave, Trixie's wand becomes a sword and you knock it aside, turning in the air to kick her in the face, delivering the force of a seismic burst with your foot.
>It very nearly knocked her helmet, the source of her shadow power, clean off. Flying back and recovering, she roars in fury and launches another volley of shadowbolts which, thanks to your bullet time and some fancy flying, you dodge.
 
>She raises her staff and summons three shadow demons. The dark, winged creatures lurch towards you and howl with unearthly voices, but a simple spell from Trixie's wand has them in chains and locked up tight in cages. They are dispelled, as are your trappings for them.
>Again she charges, only this time you charge back, meeting her in the center of the room and delivering another seismic burst. The energy released causes stone to crumble and both of you are knocked backwards from each other.
>You get your wits back and shake your head, trying to find her.
>Then you see her. She dives off to the side, circling you as her silver staff charges with shadow energy.
>Unleashing it all in a black and purple blast, you point your sword at it and let loose with more atomic fire. The two beams meet halfway, pushing against each other in a struggle for dominance.
>Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you. You look back and see all six of your friends, levitated by Twilight's magic, ready to help you.
>All of them place their hands upon you, allowing you to use your energy vampirism to feed your power. You take from them only enough to start pushing back against Nightmare Moon's power.
>Your beam begins to change with their added influence. All of their magic, combined with yours and Trixie's, has turned your energy into a bright white light, with six colors circling it, each one representing the magic of your friends.
>Your side is gaining strength and pushing back against Nightmare Moon's magic!
>All around you, the earthquake you are generating is causing the floor to shift and break, columns to fall and the ceiling to crack, with chunks of rock falling and smashing against the ground.
>"NO!" Nightmare Moon declares. "I shall not fall! I am darkness! I am the night! I am the eternal damnation that awaits all in their sleep and master of the shadows! I AM NIGHTMARE MOON, AND YOU SHALL ALL KNEEL BEFORE ME WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU!"
 
>Her power increases in intensity as her shadow pushes back against your combined attack. All of you see it coming and begin focusing harder and harder.
>You feel the skin around your hands start to tear and pain shoots through you. You cry out as your body feels as though the energy flowing through it.
>"Anon!" you hear Twilight shouting. "Take more! TAKE IT ALL! DON'T GIVE UP!"
>You feel something, then. Something distinct amongst everything else; warmth coming from... your pocket?
>You reach into it, and pull forth the Crystal Heart!
>It is glowing with an incredible power! As you look within its surface, you see reflected not you, nor your friends... but Trixie!
>You know what you need to do.
>You thrust the heart forward, placing it next to Trixie's wand, and start syphoning its power and adding it to your beam.
>From the source of love, joy and happiness, you wield a power greater than any shadow of despair, fear and pain could ever hope to achieve!
>Its power adds to that of yours and your friends, strengthening you all in your bond of friendship and love!
>And with it, you push Nightmare Moon back!
>She is forced down onto the floor, her grip tightening on her weapon as she struggles to keep up her end of the fight, supplying constant dark energy to her beam, but she begins to see the futility of it all.
>The power of every artifact that fell on earth, no matter how strong, has its limits.
>And under the combined force of you and your friends, her limits are met. Her energy is overtaken by yours in a flash of light which illuminates the entire room.
>A deafening noise is released as the castle erupts from within, burst by the unleashing of so much raw power.
 
 
>You feel yourselves being lowered to the ground, and you fall to your knees.
>The white light fades after a moment, turning into a thick white fog.
>"Is it over?" Fluttershy asks.
>"I don't know... I can't see anything," Rainbow replies.
>As Twilight kneels next to you, Applejack shouts, "Look!"
>The fog clears and there stands Nightmare Moon, her wings burnt, her armor blasts and her skin cut and bleeding.
>Her eyes are blinded from the light and show no color.
>She holds up her staff, seemingly ready to fight some more, before falling forwards, her helmet rolling off her head and coming to a stop just a few feet from you.
>For a moment, all is still. Then, you and your friends all feel a warming radiance, and before your eyes materializes Princess Celestia!
>Her voice is like music to your ears after questing for so long to save her and her visage is like that of an angel's. "You've done it!" she says as she looks upon you, breathing a sigh of relief stronger than any that has ever been breathed before. "I was so worried that she would succeed!"
"Celestia..." you say weakly, getting up on one foot. ”It's done, then? Her control over you is broken?"
>"Her imprisonment, yes. But I fear that something far worse is about to find us."
>She looks up with a worried face, up out of the massive hole that was blasted into the castle from your final attack.
>Above the castle is the dark void of space, and at its center is a terrible red miasma of rolling, eldritch warp.
>Discord.
 
>"He is nearly here! Anon, we haven't much time! Before his influence grows too strong, you must arrange the elements of disharmony so I can perform the ritual to reverse their power!"
>You take out the Crystal Heart, Flash's necklace and the crown Chrysalis wore. Applejack takes out Sunset's tiara and Twilight the amulet that controlled Trixie.
>You place all five on the ground around Luna's helmet and step back.
>All of you watch as Celestia raises her hands, chanting an ancient hymn of some power which causes her body to start glowing as the sun. You squint as she grows brighter and her voice louder.
>When the spell reaches its strongest, she points her palms at the artifacts, blasting them with purifying, radiant magic.
>As quickly as it began, it is over.
>You open your eyes and look at the elements.
>And find that nothing has changed.
"Is... Is that it?" you ask.
>Celestia shakes her head. "I do not understand. The ritual was supposed to cleanse the items of impurity and transform them into the Elements of Harmony!"
>A stray wind comes then, and blows the crown, the amulet and the crystal heart into dust, leaving only the tiara, necklace and helmet.
>Celestia's eyes grow wide with fear. "W-What?! This... This isn't right! Something is wrong! Something is horribly---"
>She is cut off as a gaping maw of the warp opens behind her and pulls her inside with a tentacle, sealing before any of you can react.
"NO!"
>Then, another opens behind Rainbow Dash and a hundred hands reach out and grab her. Applejack dives to try and save her but the ground opens up beneath her, sucking her into the unknown and closing behind her.
 
>Pinkie and Fluttershy both hold onto each other as another hole in reality opens up above them from which emerges an indescribable horror that wraps them up in a limb that has both eyes and mouths, forcing them through the hole, kicking and screaming as it seals.
>In horror, you turn to Twilight, who runs towards you. You see a portal opening up behind her.
>You shout and run to her, but you are too late. From within that horrible dimension emerges a being of slime and filth, a blob that shoots a tendril of itself that encases Twilight like an amoeba, pulling her into the hole.
>The last thing you see of her is her face, pleading and scared.
"YOU BASTARD!" you shout, pounding the ground and creating a seismic bust so powerful that it shakes the remaining pillars of the castle and causes them to crumble.
"SHOW YOURSELF! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, WATCHING! SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I'LL TEAR YOUR HEAD OFF!"
>"Oh, that would be so easy, wouldn't it?" you hear his voice echoing around you. "It would be so simple if I were just another brute you could punch or kick. That would make it easier for you, wouldn't it?"
"Stop playing games! I beat your elements of disharmony; I STOPPED THEM!"
>"Well, to be fair, you stopped FOUR of them. Twilight defeated Trixie and it took two more of your friends and the damned devil to stop Sunset Shimmer. You really shouldn't take credit for other people's hard work."
>Now he appears before you, in a form unlike any you've ever seen. His body is long and misshapen, like a warped dragon's. His head is goat like, with two horns of different shape and style. Every limb ends in a different animal appendage, and even the rings on his back are unique; one reptilian and one avian.
>He... It... stands tall as it looks down upon you, smiling a wicked smile with one large, abnormally large tusk jutting out from his upper jaw.
>"Hello, Anon. Are you ready for the end of our story?"
 
>And so here you are, staring down chaos incarnate, the being responsible for all your trouble.
>He stands there, tall and inhuman with his strange chimera-like form, an amalgamation of various animal parts with a physiology that science would deem impossible.
>Around you, the world tears away into nothingness, spiraling upwards towards the focal point of Discord's nebula.
>Only you and he remain on the platform left behind, along with the artifacts that weren't reduced to dust.
>Discord smiles and looks down upon you. You'd call the expression smug, or pleased, if you could read the features on his face.
>"It's been such fun, hasn't it Anon? What a ride it's been! There were ups, downs, twists and turns; there was drama, action, adventure and romance! And such bittersweet moments, like your parting with your dear Trixie..."
"Don't you dare fucking say her name," you spit. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done!"
>You charge at him, readying your strongest seismic burst. You slam your first into his chest and unleash everything, creating a shockwave that would shred a normal man to pieces.
>Discord falls back, holding his stomach where you punched him. "Oh, oh dear! Oh no, I never thought you'd punch me THAT hard! Oh me, oh my, what a world! The things I've done! Such horrible, horrible things I never atoned for! Anon, come close, I must confess my sins before passing!" He writhes on the ground in an imitation of pain.
>Infuriated by his mocking, you focus all of your energy into emitting radiation into his body.
>"Oh no, now I have cancer! Whatever will I do? The doctor says that chemotherapy might be all that is left!" Before your eyes, the hair falls from his head. "But the side effects!"
"ENOUGH!" you shout at him, summoning your die.
>He laughs a deep, hearty, bellowing laugh, holding his sides as he spins along the ground before rearing upwards like a snake. "Oh, Anon, enough! Give up; it's over! The game has ended and the story is nearly over!"
 
"It's not over! We gathered the elements---they were here! We beat you!"
>Discord wipes a tear from his eye. "Oh, Anon... I told you already. I made that all up. Elements of Disharmony? Six great villains for you to defeat that would lead up to beating me?"
>You stare into his alien eyes, trying to stand your ground.
>"It was me, Anon. It was me all along. I was the one who gave your friends powers. I was the one who made the fantastic locations from your imagination a reality and plucked the characters from your head. I set the stage; I created the villains, and oh, what a glorious show it was! I was everywhere and nowhere at once, watching and being entertained. You really don't know how wonderful it's been to watch."
"You're lying."
>"Oh, but I'm not! I gave your friends their powers; I allowed them to retain their memories when the worlds collided! Because it made for a better story! The hero conquering all, fighting monsters and his own desires along the way, learning the true meaning of friendship and love---what a tale it was."
"You wouldn't! You wouldn't go through all the trouble of setting everything up so elaborately---only to wipe the slate clean when you're done!"
>"But why wouldn't I? You humans do it all the time, though with much lesser, more ignorant forms of media and entertainment. You consume everything there is and then move on. You do it with your television shows, your books; why, even your land and resources. Why would I be any different in motive? The key difference between your kind and me is that reality itself is my media. What's that your people say? 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players'?"
You shake your head. "There's more to it than that! There must be some reason---Why me? Why my friends? Why ANY OF IT?"
 
>Discord laughs, as though he is the only one truly in on the joke.
>"This is your failure in reasoning, Anon. You are looking for reason in chaos. You will never find it. I've had my fun, and I merely wanted to personally thank you for all you did to make everything possible. You never failed to entertain me. You played your part so wonderfully well, that I knew you deserved a proper sendoff. So to that end, I'm going to let you watch your world being destroyed. I'm going to take it and pull it apart, twist every soul and living creature until nothing remains. Nothing except you, Anon. And then, when you have finally accepted the inevitability of chaos, you will die."
>You look into his eyes, and you want to believe he isn't lying.
>But something about his words strikes you as odd.
"Why don't you just kill me now? Why not simply end it?"
>"Because there is no fun in that!" Discord laughs.
"You keep saying that," you continue, "you keep going on and on about how much fun it is. I don't think you can---no, I don't BELIEVE you can."
>Discord stops laughing and looks you in the eye.
"I don't think you can truly do as you say, otherwise you'd have done it already."
>"Anon, even now you doubt my power? You are as an ant to me. I've always pulled the strings, and you, like everyone else in the story, were but my puppets. Still don't believe that I have power over you? I can change your reality as easily as I can break it!"
 
"And I already told you: I don't believe you," Anon said, but then faltered. Something had changed---something was very, very wrong all of a sudden. He looked at his hands, holding Trixie's wand and his die, both still intact---but the world was wrong.
 
That's when Anon realized he wasn't in his body any longer. He was somewhere else, outside of it, looking outwards at himself. He was no longer in the moment, rather, he was behind the moment, observing everything from a disconnected point of view.
 
Discord laughed as he flew up, coiling around Anon. "Do you like what I've done? I've changed your perspective! Just one of the many tricks I've learned over the years. A rather fun one, too!"
 
"You... You..." Anon couldn't find the words. Everything came to him as though it had already happened; the story set in stone, the events unfolding unchangeable and impossible to interact with. "Change it back!"
 
"It's all gone and done with, Anon," Discord mocked him. "What good would that do? The story is almost at an end; the game is concluded."
 
Anon's hands flew up to the sides of his head and he held it tightly, as though he were plagued by some terrible headache. "Stop saying that!" he shouted. "Why do you keep referring to everything as a story and a game?"
 
"Because that's what this has all been from the beginning, Anon," Discord said, floating downwards to stare into Anon's eyes. "A story game, with events both pre-ordained and random. My coming was pre-ordained, but your involvement in the story? Your role to play? All of that hinged on the random roll of the die you hold. Ever since you got it, your life has been nothing more than a game, a story to be read and enjoyed by those with the power to read it."
 
Under the weight and sinister influence of his words, and still lost and fumbling from the shift in perspective, Anon began to buckle and fell to his knees, dropping Trixie's wand near the other relics, but still holding the die.
 
"You're beginning to understand, aren't you Anon? Stories have a beginning and an end. Yours began with finding the die, and now I'm here to end it."
 
THE END
Super Anonymous 2: Two Worlds
By Corporal Nonymous !mbxOTDZLKI
 
"There, see?"
 
Anon's eyes shut. "No... It's not true... None of it is true, I know it!"
 
 don't understand. NonE of it is making any sense. Like eVerything is wrong... ThEre was supposed to be something moRe to it; the elements, theY... I... Wait, what? No. It can'T be. I'm back in my own body, but How? SomethIng is different... Discord is still there, stariNg at me with that damn smile on his twisted, ugly face. He's done somethinG again!
 
"Do you like It more thiS way? I've given you back control. You're baCk in the moment, Anon, but it's a little bit different tHan before. You notice the chAnge, yes?"
 
He's right. SOmething is still very, very wrong with everything, but not in the same way that it was momentS ago. He's toying with me, and now he's laughing that damn laugh of his he watches me try to figure it out. "Is this your grand plan, then? To just fuck with my brain and how I see things? Is that it?"
 
"There's so much more that I can do, Anon. And I'm not done yet---this is fun!"
 
>"If all you've got are these cheap tricks, you're a lot more pathetic than I took you for," he says.
"But Anon, don't you see? It's not a cheap trick. I've simply stolen the story from you, because it's not about you any longer."
>He looks confused. He clearly just realized that you changed it on him again.
>"What... What have you... I don't..."
>Seeing him try to piece things together is priceless. He's like a child, fumbling in the darkness, ignorant and unaware of what's truly happening.
"How you see and feel reality now is according to me, Anon," you explain. "As we speak, your world is being torn apart and your reality is being torn asunder. You're experiencing only a small fraction of what is happening to the rest of your world."
>"I can still stop you," he says, much to your continued amusement.
 
Do you really think you even remotely stand a chance? "Discord said, coiling around Anon and whispering into his ears as he stared at ground, helpless before this new change in reality." Nothing you do will matter now, Anon. Nothing you have ever done truly mattered.
 
"Anon's eyes closed once more, and his breathing was erratic and filled with short inhalations." You're wrong. Everything has mattered.
 
That's the great lie you tell yourselves, "Discord said with a smile," but the truth of the matter is that the universe never cared about you, your struggles, your life or even the lives of every single human being. Do you know how insignificant you are on the cosmic scale? Only insects and lesser animals are lower than you, and even then not by much, relatively speaking. "Discord coiled away, turning in the air to face Anon." Just accept it. You've lost, and chaos has some to finish your world off. Just quit. It's over. Just... give up.
 
"And then, Anon stopped shaking, his eyes shooting wide open. And within them was a spark."
 
You're wrong... "Anon said, barely above a whisper." You've been wrong from the start.
 
Have I now? About what? You're clearly clinging onto one, small, tiny hope. I want to know what it is. Will you tell me? "Discord asked, amused."
 
He focused on the one thing that he loved more than anything in the world. He thought about her and didn’t stop, finding strength in thoughts of her. Her eyes, her skin, her lips, her voice, her laugh… Everything he loved about her gave him the resolve to hold on, to never stop, to do everything in his power to see her again.”
 
"Anon looked up into the eyes of the chaos god and held up the die." About this. When we spoke, so long ago, you told me that it was a tool of chaos. Because it's random. Because I have no control over it. You told me that I became a vessel for chaos, but that's not the truth, is it!"
 
Discord blinked. "Wait, the perspective, how did you---"
 
"I see it now, Discord!" Anon declared, standing up. He held out the die, which began to glow with a strange light. "I see through the lies you've been telling me! I know why you can't actually touch me---why you can't finish the job! Why you needed me to let you in! You say that it's all been a game, but that's not true! It's been you trying to break me down and get me to quit!" Anon strides forward, amidst the other four relics sent to his race. "You weren't able to influence me because I was the only one who couldn't be broken into! You broke into Trixie's mind, taking advantage of her mixed emotions over me!"
 
"You said there is no method to your madness---you're wrong. Your greatest flaw, Discord, is that you think you're much smarter than you truly are. The simple fact is you're just insane. You're an insane fool who stole godlike power, but you're not a god. You've been imposing your will on reality for so long that you began to fall into a pattern of predictable behavior, just like every living creature. You made a mistake in trying to play your game with me---eventually; you're going to run into someone who can play it better than you. You're not chaos incarnate---your soul is just as mortal as mine!"
>His jaw widens as his form grows in size and shape, twisting and distorting before your eyes. "You insolent speck! You are nothing to me! You are a mote of dust in the cosmic wind---I AM THE SEA IN WHICH YOU FLOAT!"
"Then prove it and destroy me! You've brought me here, closer to the heart of your storm than any living creature has ever come, where you are at once the most powerful and the most vulnerable! Prove your greatness, o mighty god! Show this 'insignificant speck' how much of a lord of chaos you truly are! FINISH THE STORY YOU SET OUT TO END!"
 
>Discord grows, changing and transforming, becoming one with the warp of his creation. His form becomes incomprehensible both in scale and human understanding, with rolling tentacles, eyes that form mouths and flesh that shifts and merges into shapes of life forms from countless worlds consumed in the past. His warp self is the product of haunted dreams of alien beings from worlds far beyond your imagining, and you know that even though there is a mind controlling it, to look upon it will bring only the ruination of insanity.
>You close your eyes and hold the die in front of your like a shield as you feel Discord washing over you in waves, unleashing his full power upon you.
>The artifacts protect you, fending off the influence of madness and chaos. As you hold the die before you, you shout out to him, knowing that he is listening with a thousand ears.
"You tried to convince me that this die---that all of these artifacts---are tools of chaos, of destruction and mayhem. But I see the truth now, Discord! I know it as clear as day! The fact is that these artifacts are NOT tools of chaos, but tools of order that can be used to build pillars of peace! They are weapons against the tide of chaos! This die is a thing of justice---IT IS AN ELEMENT OF HARMONY! And in my hands, it will do just that: bring harmony to chaos!"
 
>You hear a noise around you, the screams of countless mouths in defiance and rage. But they cannot touch you.
>Five elements were sent to your world. It was up to your people to find the sixth within them to unite all of the elements as one single weapon to be used against chaos, to restore balance and order to the galaxy.
>You've found it. It wasn't within yourself, but within all of the others you have known who have helped you and guided you along the way, from your weakest moments to your strongest. From the simplest things to the grandest, it all becomes apparent to you in a moment of absolute clarity.
>They may have taken individual forms based on their user, but the elements were always destined to be used to fulfil their original purpose. Each had a different form, but together, their purpose was clear.
>They were meant to be used for good, no matter the cost. They were meant to establish order and peace and banish chaos in all of its forms.
>Discord is just one of those forms, and now that you have realized the full potential of the Elements of Harmony, you do just that.
>From you expands a cleansing light, obliterating every bit of Discord's warp that it touches. You hear screams as though from far away echoing through the void that reach your ears.
>The light grows, encompassing the entirety of Discord's nebula, absorbing it and collapsing it. As it finishes taking over every bit of Discord's essence, the light rushes back to a central point: you.
>Then, all is still and quiet.
 
>’Is it over?’ you find yourself thinking. ‘Is it finally, finally over?’
>You open your eyes and find yourself in some kind of negative space, a place outside time itself. You look down, and realize that your die is gone, and upon attempting to summon it, you find that you cannot.
>This place... somehow feels familiar. It's similar to when you and the girls spoke with that alien entity Discord claimed to be.
>There are shapes in the distance. Murky forms that slowly begin to form around you, though each and every single one is different.
>An orb of light with a shimmering surface floats down to you. You try to make sense of its form, but all you can think of when you look at it is a disco ball.
>Alongside it is a being of rolling energy that is beautiful to behold as it dances and changes, seeming to be made of both liquid and plasma at the same time.
>There's also a pink horse, with a poofy pink mane and tail.
>"Do not be alarmed," the disco ball says. "Though our appearance must surely frighten and confuse you."
"...A little bit, yeah, sure."
>"We each are different in nature, bound by a common purpose. We have transcended beyond the mortal plane, and so our appearance in the eyes of every mortal is different, based on their mind's attempt to conceive of us."
>Every entity here has a different form, and there are many of them. You can see a king with a distinctly Caribbean appearance, a crippled cow on crutches, a gamer, a new blood, a beam of light you could describe as holy-looking and a figure or shape made entirely out of a green text.
>There's also a soldier.
 
"I'm sorry, but... what's going on, exactly?"
>The liquid plasma speaks to you. "We are what Discord was, before he betrayed us and used our power against us. In using the Elements of Harmony against him, you erased everything he ever accomplished in his form, including stopping us from ascending to a higher form of existence."
"And how do I know I'm not just dead or crazy? Or both?" you ask, looking at the pink horse and the cow on crutches.
>Now, the soldier steps forward and speaks. "That is for you to decide, for we intend on returning you to your world. But though we have ascended, we are not beyond gratitude, for only in your defeat of Discord was this made possible."
"Um... you're welcome?"
>The figures all turn and you follow their gaze. Before you, formed from the negative space, is the image of two worlds.
>"One is your world. The other is the world created from your mind. With the chaos that bound them together ended, they are once more isolated from each other and at peace, though both just as real."
"And... what, exactly? You want me to choose which one I go back to?"
>"No, not entirely. We want to know what you desire to have happen with them, and with you."
"In what way?"
>"We can make anything you desire about your worlds a reality," the soldier explains to you. "That is our gift to you."
>You look back at the image of the two worlds, and a million ideas flood into your head.
"I think I know."
 
>You are Twilight Sparkle, and you feel a nice, cool breeze against your skin.
>Your eyes slowly open, and you see the sky above you, nice and blue with some clouds.
>Looking over, you see your friends. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Trixie. Trixie!
>You rush over to her and wake her.
"Trixie! Trixie, are you alright?"
>Her eyes shoot open in surprise. "Tw-Twilight?! What---What's going on?"
"I wish I knew," you say to her. The others start stirring. Pinkie Pie yawns and stretches before opening her eyes and looking around.
>"What's happened?" Rainbow Dash asks. "And where are my wings?!"
You suddenly realize you don't feel the presence of your book any more. It's gone!
>"And my bracelets!" Rarity says.
>"And my lasso!" Applejack exclaims.
>"And how am I not dead?" Trixie asks. "I mean, I felt pretty dead. Did you guys see me die?"
>You all nod your head.
"You died after giving your wand to---"
>You both simultaneously exclaim, "Anon!"
>The seven of you get up, running around and searching for him. The field you are in is grassy and has many flowers, but no sign of Anon anywhere.
>"Girls! Girls! Girls!" Pinkie shouts, getting everyone's attention. You run to where she is atop a nearby hill.
>Once atop it, you look where she is pointing.
>It's home. YOUR home. Where you went to high school and lived nearly all your lives.
 
>"Hey... I know where we are!" Applejack says, looking around. "I know this field! It's just north of Sweet Apple Acres!"
>Could it really be?
>Could you be home?
"Wait," you stop them from getting too excited. "Last time I checked, we were getting sucked into hell through portals on the moon in Nightmare Moon's castle."
>"And I was dead! Don't forget that part!" Trixie points out.
>"So then, did Anon win?" Fluttershy asks. "Are we home because he fixed everything?"
"Or is this all just an illusion?" you ponder aloud. "Meant to trick us?"
>"It isn't," a familiar voice calls out. You all turn to the direction it came from.
>And there he stands with a smile on his face and a chest under his arm.
>You can't help but have tears form in your eyes as you all run to him. You hug him longer and harder than you've ever hugged him before.
>The girls are asking him a millions questions a minute, trying to make sense out of everything that is happening. All you care about is that he's alive and safe.
>You pull back.
"This is real, isn't it?"
>He nods. "It is. Every bit of it. And even if all see or seem is but a dream within a dream, it's what we've got."
>"But how?" Applejack asks. "How did it come back to normal? What about Discord?"
>"And I don't mean to harp on about it, but I'm not dead and I was stabbed pretty damn good," Trixie reminds everyone.
 
>"We won," he says. "The Elements of Harmony weren't quite what we thought they were, but in the end, they were brought together because we worked to bring them together. It was all of us who beat Discord, not just one of us. If it had been me alone, I would have failed. All of you, your influence on me, changed the person I am into one who could wield the elements against him."
"So he's gone? How is everything fixed?"
>He chuckles. "It's... it's a bit of a story. Let's just say that beating him made me some friends who were able to clean up his mess and right a few wrongs. Speaking of which," he says, pulling out the chest and opening it. "I believe these all belong to you."
>Inside the chest are seven orbs, each one resembling the ones that crashed to Earth and became the artifacts.
>Tentatively, you all reach inside and take one. Each changes to fit the user. Rainbow Dash once more has her sword and Rarity her bracelets. Fluttershy has her staff, Pinkie her magical instrument, Applejack her lasso and you have your book, still pulsing with arcane magic.
>The only one to not take one of the orbs is Trixie. "I... I don't know if I should," she says. "Last time I did, it didn't end up so well."
>Anon reaches up and takes hold of her hand.
>"It's alright, Trixie. He's gone."
>With a shared look and his assurance, she takes hold of the orb, which transforms into her familiar wand.
>"What now?" Rarity asks. "Where do we go from here?"
 
>"Wherever we want. We're the only ones who remember what really happened. Everyone---Celestia, Luna, Flash, Sunset; even Sweetie Belle and the rest of our loved ones are all back to normal, living their lives as though the artifacts and Discord had never interfered with them."
>Rarity looks away, back at her home town, then back to Anon and asks with a hint of sadness in her voice, "And what about Spi---I mean, the other world?"
>Anon smiles, knowing what she meant. "I'm glad you asked. There's something else," he says, taking a stone out from his pocket.
"What is that?" you ask.
>"A gift from our friends above." He turns and throws the stone a few yards away, and where it lands, a structure blinks into existence.
>A shimmering blue portal.
>You all watch as something begins to emerge from it, taking the shape of a large humanoid. The portal pulls away from his surface, revealing---
>"SPIKE!" Rarity shouts upon seeing the dragonborn. He smiles as she runs up to him and picks her up in a great hug.
>He holds up his new arm for all to see, forged entirely from bright purple organic crystal. "A gift from the Crystal Empire, in gratitude for my defense of their kingdom in a time of need."
>Anon approaches the portal. "We can use this to travel freely to and from the second world."
 
You approach him. "These beings... they sound amazing. I mean, to have done all of this! Made it all possible! Can we meet them? I have so many questions I want to ask them!”
>"I did to. I had a lot of questions for them, about life, the universe and everything that came to my head, but they weren't too keen on answering them. But they were grateful for being rid of Discord, and let me decide on how things should be patched up. I felt that this was the best way to do things. Then, they left me here."
"So we can't see them at all? Not even a little bit?"
>As he is about to speak, a light streaks across the sky that catches his attention. Everyone looks up and sees it.
>It's not quite like a comet, and not quite like a rainbow. In a way, everyone there sees it differently.
>"That's them," he whispers. "Leaving to wherever they go to now that they don't need mortal bodies. There work here is done."
>Spike clasps Anon on the shoulder with his hand that isn't made out of crystal. "There's a grand feast in Canterlot awaiting us! The Crystal Empire, Draconic Dominion, Griffin Kingdoms and the surviving minotaur tribes not influenced by demonkind are there! Shall we?"
>"We shall," Anon says with a smile. Spike carries a giggling Rarity into the portal, followed by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy bounce along behind them.
>Trixie lingers behind. "I'm not so sure I should go," she says.
>"It would feel like less of a party without the Great and Powerful Trixie there to entertain," Anon says with a wink.
>"I know, I know, but..." She looks at you. "I shouldn't pry any more than I need to."
"But Trixie, you wouldn't be---"
>"It's alright, Twilight, I've made up my mind. I shouldn't stand between you two. I realized it when I was on the brink of death, but I need to get in touch with myself before I can try connecting to others again."
 
>"Are you sure?" Anon asks.
>"I am. Thank you, both of you, for your love and understanding. I'll never forget the things you both did for me. You saved me, from myself and even from death."
"What will you do now?"
>She shrugs. "Who knows? Maybe go to Vegas and start a show. After all, with this wand, who could top my performances?" she says with determination.
"Good luck, Trixie," you say to her. "But this isn't goodbye."
>"Nonsense. The Great and Powerful Trixie expects to see you at her show, opening night! I'll send tickets."
>With a wave of her wand, she is gone.
>Now, it's only you and him.
>You turn to look into his eyes.
"Anon, I... I still have so many questions."
>"Answers will come in time. For now, let's just enjoy being alive. What do you say?"
>Your actions speak louder than words. Your kiss is long, tender and loving, pouring every ounce of your heart and soul into it.
>When you part, you take hold of his hand, and turn to face the portal.
>The two of you step through it together, and into the rest of your lives.
 
THE END (For real this time)
Super Anonymous and Super Anonymous 2: Two Worlds
By Soldier/Corporal/Sergeant Nonymous !mbxOTDZLKI