"Bloody frog! If you don't stop right now, I swear I will curse your arse into next week!" England shouted angrily, trying to punch France and pull out his spell book at the same time. It was yet another generic world meeting, with England, France, America, Russia, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, and Prussia present to discuss the world's issues. They tried to solve the problems, but since we all know the countries couldn't get along to save their own lives, the meetings usually ended up like this.

"Onhonhonhon! Good luck trying to curse me with magic that doesn't exist, Angleterre!" France laughed, dodging England's punches. That statement made the already pissed off Brit even angrier, and he flipped open his spell book, chanting in a mystic language that only he could understand.

"Um, England, dude, that's probably not a good idea…" America butted in, stuffing a burger into his mouth as he talked.

"Kolkolkolkol…." Russia chanted, a dark purple aura surrounding him. China dove under the table.

"Aiyah! This can't be good, aru!" He stated to no one in particular. Japan nodded, hearing China yelling. Germany sighed and face-palmed, Italy squeaked in fear and pulled out a white flag, waving it around in the air rapidly. Canada, unnoticed as always in the corner, just hugged his polar bear tighter. Prussia laughed, thinking that the strange glowing lights coming from England's spell book were awesome, though not as awesome as him, of course.

England finished chanting, a bright light flashed around the room, and a soft scream of "MAPLE!" could be heard before the light died down, leaving the conference room completely empty, like no one ever was there in the first place.

Italy woke up feeling grass tickling his face. He groaned and sat up, his head pounding. He rubbed his eyes with his hands – wait, hands? Italy slowly looked down at his hands, seeing white hooves in their place.

"Ah! Germany! Help me! I've been turned into a horse!" Italy cried, standing up shakily. He looked behind him, examining his new chestnut brown body. He noticed a pair of wings growing on his back, just behind his shoulder blades. Spotting a small pond not too far away, he walked over to it, stumbling a bit, not yet used to his four legs. He reached the edge of the pond, and looking into it, saw a brown pony with red, white, and green patterned mane and tail, but his hair curl was still in place, making him feel slightly better.

"Ugh, wha' happened?" A voice said behind him. Italy turned around, his wings fluttering happily in recognition of the voice.

"Ve! Germany, you're awake! And you're a pony, like me!" Italy said happily, trotting over to his friend, who was now a light yellow pony with black, red, and yellow stripes in his mane and short tail which was cut military style, like a war horse. His buff stature remained however. Germany jumped, seeing not Italy, but an oddly colored pegasus coming toward him.

"Who are you?" Germany asked confusedly, still slightly out of it. Italy cocked his head to the side.

"Ve, Germany, its me, Italy!" Italy cried, his wings drooping. Germany caught sight of the characteristic hair curl poking out of the pegasus' hair, and jumped.

"Italy, what the hell happened to you?" Germany asked him. Italy bounced up and down.

"I don't know Germany! The last thing I remember is England doing his spell, and when I woke up, I was a pony!" Italy told his friend, who still hadn't noticed he was a pony as well. "Ve, you're a pony too, Germany! In fact, I think everyone is!" Italy noticed, gesturing with his hoof to the scattered bodies of the rest of the countries.

"What? I'm a pony too?" Germany scoffed disbelievingly. He slowly looked down at his own body, and he screamed bloody murder, stumbling backwards over Japan's unconscious body, who woke up from the impact.

"Oof! Germany-san, what is with the noise?" Japan asked, standing up. Italy looked at his friend, who was a pure white stallion with his mane cut in the same style as his human form. A horn poked out of his forehead, and his mane and tail were pitch black.

"Japan! You're awake!" Italy shouted, galloping over to his friend. Japan blinked at him.

"Italy?" Japan asked. Italy nodded happily. Japan looked around at all the other ponies surrounding him, and walked over to them. Well, he tried to walk, but he tripped over his own hoof and fell on top of America.

"Okay! Who's trying to pull a fast one on the hero?!" America shouted, jumping up, and seeing Japan laying on the ground, Italy bouncing up and down, and Germany still quietly freaking out, screamed. "Ah! Unicorns and Pegasi and Ponies, oh my!" America shouted. He ran over to the pond Italy had seen his reflection in earlier, and caught sight of his own reflection.

"What the hell!" America yelled, seeing not his heroic self, but a sandy colored pegasus with red and white striped mane with his cowlick firmly in place. He looked back at his tail, seeing it was a dark blue with streaks of white in it.

"Awesome! Just like my flag!" He stated proudly, flickering his tail back and forth.

"Oh will you shut it, bloody git!" England shouted from his spot on the ground. America trotted over to him.

"Hey England! Your spell turned us into ponies, jerk!" America shouted at England. England looked up sharply at him, seeing America was indeed, a pegasus.

"Ah!" England shouted, sitting up suddenly. America snickered at his behavior, then went to bother Japan. England looked at his own body, feeling his forehead and feeling a horn like Japan's. England twisted his neck backwards, seeing his body was now dark green like his uniform. His tail was red, white, and blue, and vaguely patterned like the Union Jack. He came to the conclusion that his mane was the same way. He stood up and stumbled over to wear the rest of the countries who were conscious had gathered.

"Onhonhonhon! Even as a pony, I am gorgeous!" England heard behind him. He sighed and gritted his teeth. Don't turn around, England, England thought to himself. France had woken up, and noticed he was a light purple pony with a blonde wavy mane, and had a just as wavy tail with red, white, and blue streaks dyed into it. France jumped on top of England, positively giddy with his new form.

"Angleterre, this is your greatest spell yet!" France told him happily.

"I thought you said magic didn't exist? Now get the bloody hell off me!" England shouted, struggling underneath France's weight. France complied for once, clambering off England and backing straight into someone.

"You are France, da?" The someone said. France froze, slowly turning around. Behind him stood the creepiest pony of all; Russia. His scarf was still in place, but he was rather large for a pony. His coat was light gray, and his tail and mane were blue with the tips colored red and the roots colored white, leaving a blue stripe in between the white and red.

"Aiyah…what happened, aru?" China asked nopony in particular, wobbly standing up. England looked at China. He was a red pony with a black mane and tail. His tail had a band in it, like his human ponytail. Like England and Japan, he was a unicorn. The scar on his back was plainly visible, which made Japan look away guiltily. That left just Prussia and Canada unconscious.

"Dude, who's the un-awesome person who did this to me?" Prussia shouted angrily. Okay, scratch that, just Canada was unconscious. Everyone, whether they wanted to or not, had to stare at the awesomeness that was Prussia. For unlike everyone else who was turned into either a regular old pony, a pegasus, or a unicorn, Prussia had been turned into a griffon.

"What?" Prussia asked them. His lion body was dark blue, the tip of his tail black. His head and eagle body were as snow white as his hair as a human. Catching sight of his reflection in the pond, he laughed out loud.

"I agree with France, England! This is totally awesome!" He shouted, stretching out his wings. America jumped, noticing Canada, who for once, was not transparent.

"Hey Canadia! When did you get here?" America yelled, nudging Canada's body with his hoof. Canada had been turned into a sandy colored pegasus, like America, but his mane and tail were red and white. Canada groaned, blinked, and sat up. England trotted over, seeing a mark on Canada's flank in the shape of a red maple leaf with a set of piano keys wrapping in a circle around it.

"What's that?" England asked, gesturing to Canada's flank.

"Whoa! Bro, you got a tattoo of a leaf on your butt?" America asked, seeing the cutie mark as well. Canada huffed, irritated.

"You have a mark too, America." Canada stated. America immediately turned around, seeing his own mark, which was in the shape of a star with the word 'hero' written in capital letters in it. England looked behind him for his own mark, which was a skull with twin star tipped wands crossed behind it.

"I assume mine is that particular shape because I used to be a pirate." England muttered to himself. Meanwhile, everypony else was checking their own flanks for marks.

Russia's was a yellow sunflower, making him happy. China had a large yellow star, with four smaller stars in a semi-circle around the left side of it, like his flag. Prussia, being a griffon, did not have a cutie mark, making him grumpy. Italy's was a large plate of pasta with a white flag sticking out of the top of it. Behind it was a faint shadow of a key, which he did not bother to explain to the rest of the countries. Japan had a rising sun on his flank.

"It must be because my name means 'Land of the Rising Sun'." Japan said proudly. Germany's was a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, so much like the one he wore around his neck. France had a red rose, like he could possibly have anything else.

"Well, now that we've all calmed down, can we try to find out where we are?" England asked the group. Everypony nodded, staring around at the lush meadow they were in. America raised his hoof in the air and waved it back and forth.

"How about we split up into groups of two and head in different directions? There has to be a town or something around here. We can meet up back here after an hour." Everypony stared at him.

"What?" America asked, confused.

"That has to be the most logical thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth, America." England stated, still in awe. Everypony nodded.

"Alright then! I'll go with Canadia!" America said happily, grabbing said pegasus around the neck.

"I'm Canada." Canada said, irritated. France trotted over to Prussia.

"I'll go with Prussia. He is the only one here who understands my true beauty!" France stated. Prussia sighed, but nodded in agreement. After a few minutes of bickering, the groups ended up like this; America and Canada, France and Prussia, Italy and Germany, England and Japan, and Russia and China. The countries headed off in different directions, to meet up at the pond in an hour, as promised.

America and Canada, after a few tries, got the hang of flying pretty well. America whooped with joy, doing loop-the-hoops and back-flips and other such things, while Canada followed clumsily behind. All of a sudden, a rainbow blur slammed into America, sending both ponies tumbling into the ground. Canada gasped, and flew down to his brother, landing awkwardly.

"Ow! Watch where you're flying, will ya?" The pegasus who crashed into America yelled, untangling herself from America. America scrambled up, getting a good look at her. She was light blue with a rainbow colored mane and tail. The mark on her flank was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of it.

"Oh, so I should watch where I'm flying?! I was just wandering around, minding my own business, and you crash into me!" America yelled right back. The blue pegasus stopped.

"Hey, I haven't seen you before. You new around here?" She asked, her anger disappearing to be replaced with curiousness. America nodded.

"Who's your friend?" She asked, gesturing to Canada, who had trotted up to them.

"This is my brother, Canada!" America said proudly, clapping Canada on the back with a hoof. "And I'm America! I'm the hero!" He stated loudly, standing up tall and puffing out his chest. Canada face-hoofed. (LOL) The pegasus grinned at him.

"I'm Rainbow Dash! The fastest flyer in Equestria!" She laughed, shaking each of their hooves in turn.

"Equestria? Is that where we are?" America asked her confusedly. She blinked at him.

"You don't know where you are? Okay then, you're in Equestria, which is ruled over by Princess Celestia!" Rainbow Dash told them. Canada looked around at the forest they had landed in. After a moment, he spotted a house set in a tree. He tapped Rainbow Dash on the shoulder; she and America were quickly becoming friends.

"Who lives there?" He asked her confusedly. Rainbow Dash followed his gaze.

"Oh, that's Fluttershy's house. I think you'll like her, Canada." Rainbow Dash chuckled, throwing her arm around the smaller pegasus' shoulders. Rainbow Dash led them up the cobblestone path. Reaching the door, she raised a hoof and knocked on it.

"Yo, Fluttershy, you home?" She yelled through the door. The door opened a crack, and the most beautiful pegasus Canada had ever seen peeked her head out. He immediately blushed and looked down at his hooves. She was a light, butter yellow color with a long, soft pink mane and tail. Seeing it was Rainbow Dash, she opened the door a bit wider.

"Oh hello, Rainbow Dash." She said, eyeing America and Canada warily. Rainbow Dash laughed.

"Hey Fluttershy! These are America and Canada. They just arrived here, so I thought I'd introduce you!" She said cheerfully, then she turned to America. "I saw the way you were flying back there; pretty sweet stuff, but I bet you can't beat me." America, being the show off that he was, took up the challenge readily.

"Is that an invitation for a race?" He shouted, getting in her face. She smiled.

"You bet it was. Ready, set….go!" She shouted, and both America and herself shot off in the same direction, leaving Fluttershy and Canada wearing identical 'good grief' faces. Fluttershy turned to Canada.

"If your Cutie Mark is a maple leaf, does that mean you're good at making maple syrup?" She asked, looking at the red maple leaf. Canada twisted around to get a better look at it.

"I guess I am…so these are called Cutie Marks? What do they mean?" He asked her politely.

"Oh! A Cutie Mark tells other ponies what your specialty is! You get it when you realize your place in the world." Fluttershy explained cheerfully, showing hers to Canada. "I got mine when I realized that I had a special connection with animals. You know, if it wasn't for Rainbow Dash, I never would have gotten my Cutie Mark." She told him. Canada smiled a bit.

"Who are you?" A small voice asked, and Canada groaned.

"Don't tell me Kumakichi is here too." He murmured, forgetting his bear's name again. Kumajiro poked his head out the door.

"Is this your pet? He and some other strange animals appeared a few moments ago. I know a lot about animals, but I've never seen this kind before." Fluttershy asked. Canada picked Mr. Kumajiro up with his teeth and placed him on his back.

"He's a polar bear. They're quite common where I come from." He explained.

"So you're not from here? Where are you from?" Fluttershy wondered with wide eyes. Canada mentally smacked himself. How was he supposed to explain that he came from himself?

"It's very far away, and very cold. There are only a few ponies there, but lots of wildlife you can't find many other places in the world." He said tentatively. "It may be out of the way, but it's my home and I like it very much." He said morosely, remembering the moose and beavers, and playing hockey on the ice in the winter. He never really noticed how much he missed his home until now, when there was no way to get back.

"Oh, don't be sad! Ponyville is a good place to be if you're feeling lonely." Fluttershy panicked somewhat. Canada nodded, wiping off his glasses.

"Sorry, you're right Fluttershy. And Fluttershy …" He asked, looking at her and smiling. "You can call me Mathieu if you would like to."

England and Japan walked in silence on a dirt road, their hooves clopping on the ground. They didn't speak; nothing needed to be said. Although his face didn't show it, Japan was pretty ticked off about this whole situation. He had some new games on the way, and he was really looking forward to playing them. England was somewhat embarrassed; this was not the first time one of his spells had gone wrong, but it was the first time he had teleported them to another dimension, as ponies nonetheless.

"England-san. Look at that!" Japan stated, looking up ahead. England looked up as well.

"A town?" England murmured, looking at Ponyville from their place on the hilltop. He looked at Japan, raising an eyebrow. "Well? Should we check it out?" He inquired. Japan nodded, and together they ran down to Ponyville. "What does that sign say?" He asked Japan, squinting up at the sign that read 'welcome to Ponyville!'

"I believe it says, 'welcome to…Ponyville?' That must be what this town is known as." Japan noted. England shrugged, which looked weird with his four legs.

"Well, let's go." He said, walking confidently into Ponyville. After a moment Japan followed him, shaking his head in confusion. It was a weird sight for the two former humans. Ponies walked around, minding their business, shopping, playing, at chatting in the streets. A few ponies glanced at them confusedly, then went back to their tasks.

"They must be looking at us because we are strangers." Japan whispered to England.

"Oh." England muttered. He was so engrossed by the pony town that he didn't see the magenta colored unicorn headed in his direction with her head in a book. "Oof!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir!" Twilight apologized as her books went flying everywhere, accidentally hitting Japan in the head.

"That's quite alright." England said, somewhat flustered but trying to maintain his gentleman role. Twilight looked at him oddly.

"Hey, I've never seen you in Ponyville before. May I know your names?" She asked politely. England nodded, extending his hoof.

"I am Arthur, and this is my friend, Kiku." He said as Twilight shook his hoof. Japan had little stars circling his head and swirly eyes from when Twilight's book had hit him on the head. "Oh Kiku…" England sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm the librarian of Ponyville and Princess Celestia's student." She introduced herself. That caught England's attention.

"Librarian you say? A library could be of some use." He said to her, and she jumped up and down in excitement.

"Good! I can take you there, if you'd like. I was just on my way." She explained happily, and her horn started to glow. The scattered books suddenly glowed the same color, and flew into her saddle bags.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" England wondered, looking at her horn with wide eyes.

"It's magic, silly." Twilight giggled. "All unicorns can do it!" She laughed, pointing at England's horn.

"Hmm…all unicorns you say?" England murmured, screwing up his face in concentration. His horn started to glow green, and they were engulfed in a flash of light, suddenly inside the library. England looked around. "Wow! Magic works in this universe too!" He exclaimed happily.

"This universe? You mean to say you're from another dimension?" Twilight gasped, and Japan smacked England upside the head.

"Baka!" He cursed, and England glared.

"What the heck does that even mean?" He shouted, but Japan huffed and turned away, inspecting the books that lined the many shelves. Twilight noticed England's peculiar Cutie Mark.

"That's a strange Cutie Mark! What does it mean?" She asked him, and England turned around.

"So these things are called Cutie Marks? Well, I'm going to guess that the skull is because I used to be a pirate." He explained. Twilight's eyebrows flew up into her mane.

"Pirate? What's that?" She asked confusedly. England's turn to be confused.

"Er…this is kind of embarrassing, but a pirate is someone who was a criminal against his or her own ruler. Pirates were free, able to do anything they wanted whenever they wanted." He said dreamily, reminiscing.

"Wow…being a pirate must've been fun." Twilight said, and England shook his head.

"It was for a while, but you have to remember, most pirates were criminals, and not very popular. I was the most infamous pirate of them all. Most pirates were after treasure or domination. They would burn down villages and kill innocent people for fun. I'm ashamed to say I was one of them, but one day I realized that this was getting me nowhere. I had treasure, sure, but I had no friends. So I quit being a pirate, but some people are still scared of me because of what I used to be." England murmured, looking at his Cutie Mark sadly.

"Oh, that's too bad." Twilight said tentatively, slightly scared of England too now. Still, he didn't seem like a bad pony now, so she decided to extend the hoof of friendship to him and Kiku. "And what about the wands?" She asked curiously, hastily turning her attention to the other feature of his Cutie Mark.

"Oh, those? Those are there because in my universe, I was a first class wizard!" England explained proudly, leaving out the fact that it was his incompetence with magic that got Kiku and him stuck in this situation. "Magic is very rare back home, but I was the best of all! It's wonderful knowing I can still do my magic here!" He laughed. Twilight smiled and turned to Kiku.

"What about your Cutie Mark? I'm kind of lost as to what special talent a sunrise has." She asked politely. Japan glanced back at his flank.

"In my native language, my name means 'Land of the Rising Sun'. It is nice to meet you, miss Sparkle." Japan said, bowing to her. Twilight looked kind of flustered but pleased at the bow, and England leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"In his country it is normal to greet people by bowing." He explained, and Twilight nodded, understanding. She bowed in return, and a small smile appeared on Japan's face as they stood upright.

"Anyway, you said you two were from another dimension? I would like to know more about it!" Twilight asked the colts, and England and Japan exchanged glances. England shrugged after a moment.

"I don't see why we can't explain. Afterwards, perhaps you could find a spell to help us get back home." England said. Twilight nodded, happy she could help them out.

"Would you like some tea while we talk?" She asked, and both England and Japan nodded, England a bit more enthusiastically. "Spike? Could you make our guests some tea?" Twilight called, and a little purple dragon with green spikes walked downstairs, stretching a bit from his nap. Japan stared while England looked bored; he saw fairies and flying bunnies on a daily basis, dragons really came as no surprise to him.

Spike disappeared into the kitchen after being introduced to Arthur and Kiku and returned a few minutes later with three cups of tea, setting down the tray on the table. The three unicorns began to talk as Spike did his chores, wondering why Kiku kept staring at him like that. It was like he had never seen a dragon before.

"Aiyah…this forest is so creepy, aru…" China whispered, shivering slightly at the combination of the Everfree Forest and Russia's aura. Why did he always get stuck with him? Half the reason China even tolerated him was because they were allies. The other half was because no matter what he did, Russia seemed to find him. If it were up to him, Russia would be booted out of the Allies for good. The pair now stood before a menacing looking forest, twisted branches reaching like fingers toward the sky.

"Should we go in?" Ivan asked cheerfully, completely oblivious to the spookiness of the forest in front of him. "Perhaps we find home of other pony?" He added. China gulped nervously, shaking slightly from fear.

"What pony in their right mind would live here, aru?" He asked incredulously. Russia pulled him closer, despite Yao's struggling.

"Aw, little China is scared, da? No need to fear. Ivan will protect his toy, da?" Ivan laughed. China had enough, and pulled away. He was not going in that forest, and he knew Russia was going to pull him in. There was only one way to stop Russia.

"Ivan, before we go, we need to think, aru. What if we weren't only ones who got sent here aru?" He pointed out, leading Russia closer to the bait. Russia froze, a horrifying idea forming in his brain. "This does look like place Belarus would be, right aru?" China said, glancing towards the forest for effect. Russia whimpered softly in fear. A breeze ruffled the leaves on the trees ominously, and Russia could imagine ice blue eyes watching him from the darkness. Big brother, big brother…the leaves seemed to whisper, trees reaching their branches towards him, pulling him closer to Belarus.

"You make good point. We should NOT go in forest." Russia whimpered and China breathed a small sigh of relief, glad his plan had worked for now. A loud boom thundered, and both Russia and China looked up in panic to see a peculiar sight; a rainbow streaking across the sky and a red white and blue star forming underneath it. A faint cry of "I'm the hero!" could be heard.

"That must have been America, aru." China said, pointing to the star and Russia nodded. "Though I do not know who the other one could have been aru." He sighed. This whole pony universe was getting to him. Suddenly, the bushes lining the forest rustled, and a hoof appeared. Russia, with his head full of thoughts about Belarus, jumped behind China, shaking and crying slightly. China glanced back exasperatedly, then turned toward the newcomer.

Out of the bushes came a zebra, with gold earrings and a necklace to match. Golden bracelets covered her right leg, and she had a saddle bag strapped around her middle. She stopped, seeing China pawing at the ground and snorting and Russia cowering behind him. China stopped pawing, seeing that it wasn't Belarus. What? He was scared of her too! Who wasn't?

"Why, it is odd to find a new pony. I am Zecora, and who are thee?" The zebra, Zecora, asked. China nudged Russia, who was still whimpering.

"I am Wang Yao, and this is Ivan Braginski, aru." He explained politely, and Russia stood up, smiling his signature grin. Zecora and China looked at each other oddly. So she is a girl…China thought. So he is a boy…Zecora thought at exactly the same moment. Both had been confused at the other's gender until they spoke. Finally, Russia broke the awkward silence.

"Perhaps Zecora could become one with Russia?" He asked, and both Zecora and China took a step back. At that moment, China noticed three pairs of curious eyes watching them from the bushes.

"Excuse me Zecora, but who are they aru?" He asked, pointing a hoof at the eyes.

"Forgive me for not introducing them to you! These are my friends, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." Zecora introduced the Cutie Mark Crusaders to the new ponies. Each one emerged from the bush as their name was said. At this point, both China and Zecora were staring at each other again. Why does she always speak in rhymes? China thought. Why does he always say aru? Zecora thought, once again, at exactly the same moment. During the silence, Scootaloo looked up eagerly at the rainbow/star combination.

"Who do you think made that pretty star up there? They'd have to be an amazing flyer to keep up with Rainbow Dash!" She excitedly asked the older ponies. China glanced at the sky again.

"That was probably our friend America, aru." He told her. At this point, he was seriously holding back the urge to squeal "CUTE!" and tackle the little brightly colored fillies. "We're not from around here, aru. Can you tell us where we are?" He asked, shocking Zecora a bit that he didn't say 'aru' at the end of that sentence.

"You're in the kingdom of Equestria, near Ponyville. Would you like to come with us, over that hill?" Zecora asked, recovering quickly. China nodded, and they all stepped on the path leading towards town, the CMC following in single file behind Zecora with China walking happily alongside them and Russia in the back. The CMC were terrified of Russia, but of course they didn't say that, remembering to be polite around strangers.

"How come you three don't have these, aru?" China asked the CMC, pointing backwards at his Cutie Mark. An emo cloud formed over their heads.

"We haven't found our special talents yet." They said simultaneously, heads lowered in shame. Seeing that he hit a sore spot with the three, started chatting excessively about pandas in an attempt to cheer them up. Russia looked back at the sunflower on his flank, a bizarre warmth growing in his chest. These marks represent our special talent in life? He wondered. It should be vodka in that case, he added absentmindedly.

"When we get into town, could you three do me a favor, aru? Keep an eye out for two unicorns, aru. One is green with red white and blue hair, and the other is pure white with a black mane and tail, aru. The green one has a skull with wands behind it for a Cutie Mark, and the white one has a sunrise, aru. They're our friends, and we need to find them, aru." China explained, and the CMC nodded, happy that China trusted them with an important job.

France and Prussia had long since walked into Ponyville, happy with all the attention they were getting. Two steps into the town, they discovered that the vast majority of the population were females. France was winking and smiling at every mare he saw, Prussia doing the same with Gilbird resting happily on his head. Prussia was a bit bummed out because none of the girls were griffons like he was, but it faded over time. Eventually, France leaned over to Prussia.

"We need to find clothing, my friend." He said, looking around. Prussia stared. Since when did FRANCE want to wear clothes? "Clothes would be the perfect way to accent my natural beauty in this place." France finished, and Prussia mentally facepalmed. Of course. France soon spotted a carousel shaped building with the word 'Boutique' scrawled in fancy writing above the door. "Perfect!" France exclaimed, trotting up and knocking. Prussia followed, Gilbird chirping.

"Be right there!" A feminine voice called from with in, and France wiggled his eyebrows and Prussia. The door opened, revealing a snow-white unicorn with a violet, stylishly curled mane that tumbled over the left side of her face. On her flank was a mark of three sparkling diamonds. Her tail was styled in the same way as her mane, held ever so slightly off the ground to keep it from getting dirty. Her sky-blue eyes were accented with makeup and beautiful, long eyelashes. France was speechless from her sheer beauty, and Rarity was staring at him in the same way. Never before had she seen such a handsome colt.

His coat was a gorgeous light blue, hovering in the range between blue and purple. His mane was wavy, and slightly long for a colt and his tail was the same, golden yellow. His hooves were excellently manicured, and blue and red streaked his tail. A small fringe covered his chin, and his eyes were the same blue as hers. He was ruggedly handsome, and he held himself with an air of confidence. His Cutie Mark was a beautiful red rose. Paying little attention to Prussia, she blushed.

"Bonjour mon ami, I apologize for bothering you, but my companion and I am in need of clothes. I'm sure you can help us with our dilemma, non?" France winked at her, laying on the charm. She nodded breathlessly.

"Of course I can. I am the leading authority on fashion in this town, after all. May I ask your names?" Rarity asked the two, standing back and letting them in.

"How very rude of me. I am Francis, and this is my close friend, Gilbert." France introduced the two, kissing Rarity on the back of the hoof. Seeing Prussia's glare, he sighed. "Sorry, the awesome Gilbert."

"I am Rarity, and it is wonderful to meet you both." She said, doing the pony version of a curtsey. "And I would be delighted to give you clothing. I've never had to design for a griffon before." Rarity said excitedly, leading the two to the back of the boutique. "Now, for you, I'm thinking this would suit you perfectly." She said to France, holding up royal blue overcoat with a white ascot and golden lace lining the sleeves and collar. It was not unlike the one he used to wear during the War of Austrian Succession. France beamed at it.

"It is beautiful! But might I suggest adding this as a final touch?" He asked, leading Rarity over to a table, somehow finding and holding a pencil. On a random piece of paper, he drew a quick sketch of the cloak he usually wore as a human. Rarity examined it, then held up the coat to compare.

"I think that would be perfect! Of course, it would need to be darker than the coat for it to work." She agreed, quickly using her magic to cut a few pieces of cloth and assemble the cloak. "I must ask, do you design clothing as a profession, Monsieur France?" She asked him.

"Non, I do not. I am but a simple soldier for my country. And you know French! I think you and I will be good friends in the future, Mademoiselle." He laughed. Rarity blushed and floated the finished article of clothing over to him.

"It is finished. You can go behind that screen to change, and tell me if it fits when you are done." She instructed him. She turned to Prussia. "Now then, I'm afraid I don't have any clothes for you. It's very rare I even see a griffon, much less design clothing for one." She giggled. Prussia grinned and Gilbird cheeped happily.

"Not a problem, ja? I'm sure you can make something to fit my awesomeness." He laughed. Rarity smiled and magicked a tape measure over to Prussia, and it began measuring his height, width, wingspan, you name it as Rarity made a few quick sketches on a notepad. The tape measure dropped as France came out from behind the closet, looking absolutely radiant.

"It is amazing! You truly have a talent, mademoiselle." He exclaimed, trotting around to let Gilbert and Rarity get a look. Prussia nodded.

"Even I gotta admit, you look pretty spiffy in that." Prussia admitted, absentmindedly reaching over and closing Rarity's mouth, which had recently hit the floor. His action seemed to snap her out of it, and she shook her head a bit.

"Um, would you mind standing over their so I can get your friend some clothes?" She asked breathlessly, heart pounding in her chest. France smiled charmingly at her.

"Anything for the lady." He said, prancing over to a corner. Rarity giggled, blushing, and started designing clothing for Prussia. After a few moments, during which Prussia started humming 'Mein Gott' and France killed time by posing in the mirror. Finally, Rarity held up Prussia's clothes.

"Here, these look perfect for you!" She said cheerfully, holding up a black sleeveless tee with holes in it for his wings. On the front of the shirt was a white cross, and it had a white jacket to match with red stripes running down the sleeves.

"This. Is. Amazing." Prussia told her truthfully, taking the clothes in his talons and heading behind the screen to change into his clothes. France cantered forward.

"I must thank you for your generosity, Rarity." He said, bowing slightly. Rarity looked sort of flustered.

"Oh no, you don't have to, monsieur." She protested.

"I insist." France said, leaning in close. "I have never seen a woman as beautiful as you in all my life." He whispered, then pressed his lips against hers. Instead of pulling away like she normally would, Rarity instead leaned into the kiss, happy that he loved her the way she loved him. Prussia poked his head out from behind the screen, already changed. Seeing France and Rarity making out with each other, his jaw hit the floor with a thud.

"This…has got to be a new record." He muttered.

Italy and Germany had entered Ponyville a bit after France and Prussia, Italy bouncing up and down like a certain pink pony. Germany walked behind him, a bit slower. How did this happen? Normally England's magic just screwed up something normal, like their genders or their hair color. Transporting them into a different dimension was something else entirely. Arthur had in fact once told him that his brother Scotland was the only one who had magic on that level. So how did he get them all here? Had Scotland attempted the same spell at the same time? Germany had never met the red-haired Scotsman before, but he knew that he had a reputation for mischief.

"Ve Germany, look at that! Do you think we could have a snack?" Italy asked/begged, breaking Germany from his train of thought. Germany looked up, seeing a building that greatly resembled a gingerbread house at Christmas. A sign hung over its door, proudly declaring the building as 'Sugarcube Corner'. Germany sighed. He wasn't really hungry, but he knew that Italy wouldn't go any farther unless he had a snack.

"Ja, I suppose we can." Germany relented, and Italy cheered, bouncing over to the door and entering. Germany ran to catch up.

"Italy, you should not enter a building unless invited!" He shouted, gaining many stares and odd looks as he thundered into Sugarcube Corner. He stopped running to prevent crashing into the counter. A light blue pony with a swirly pink and white mane and three cupcakes for a Cutie Mark looked at him concernedly.

"It's quite alright, mister. We're quite used to hyper ponies around here." She laughed. As if to prove her point, a vibrant pink pony with a darker pink mane bounded out of the door which Germany assumed to be the kitchen, with a plate of cupcakes balanced perfectly on her head.

"Here's your order, Mrs. Cake!" She said happily, sliding the plate onto the counter. She straightened up, then froze when she saw two NEW ponies. The yellow one had his hoof planted on the smaller chestnut one's head. This, however, only concerned Mrs. Cake. Pinkie Pie suddenly let out a gasp as though she were trying to suck in the entire store, then bolted back into the kitchen so fast a trail of smoke followed her. A new pony walked out, covered in cake batter.

"Sorry 'bout Pinkie Pie, she's always like that." She laughed. Her coat was orange, and she had a few freckles dotting her cheeks. Both her mane and tail were straw yellow, with a band in each like a ponytail. A worn brown cowboy hat sat on top of her head. Her appearance combined with her accent and attitude gave Germany the impression that she would be good friends with America. "Ah'm Applejack, pleased to meet ya." She extended a hoof and Germany shook it, letting up Italy in the process.

"Ve! I'm Ita-oof!" Germany had elbowed him in the chest. "I mean, I'm Feliciano!" Italy quickly covered up his mistake. Despite his personality, Italy wasn't as stupid as people thought. He knew that they shouldn't reveal their real identities yet. Being the Element of Honesty, Applejack had a rather uncanny ability to know when others were lying, but didn't press it.

"And I am Ludwig. We are new to this town, and my friend wanted a snack." He explained, pointing a hoof to Italy. Mrs. Cake disappeared behind the counter, then reappeared holding up two strawberry sundaes.

"Here, you can both have these on the house because you're new here!" She said happily. Italy 've'd excitedly and grabbed his. Germany sighed, but took his politely and led Italy to a booth, where the brown pegasus began to eat hungrily. Applejack slid in next to them.

"Just a little warnin' for ya'll; Pinkie Pie's gonna be throwin' a huge party for ya'll tonight. Its nothing to worry about, she does it for every new pony." She told the two as Ludwig looked up in alarm.

"It is not that. I am merely concerned, that is all." He explained carefully.

"Ve~ Don't worry about him!" Italy said happily to a confused Applejack. "He likes to be all mysterious and grouchy. He doesn't trust new people easily at all!" He finished, turning back to his sundae. Before he could dig in again, Ludwig slammed his head into the table.

"A-Are ya sure ya'll should be hittin' him so much?" Applejack asked, a bit afraid of Ludwig now. Ludwig grunted.

"He will never become strong if he doesn't learn to endure pain." Was his answer for Applejack, nonetheless letting Italy up. Seemingly unhurt, Italy just kept eating. After two bites he stopped, looking up at Germany.

"Ve~ I have gone through pain like you have, Ludwig. Every one of us has." He said quietly, and Germany's gaze softened. Germany sighed.

"I'm sorry Feliciano. I just want you to be able to stand up for yourself without me or Kiku to help you." He apologized, and Italy beamed up at him.

"Someday I will Ludwig. One day, I won't disappoint you when you tell me to do something!" Italy laughed. Germany allowed himself a small smile, nearly giving Applejack a heart attack. Ludwig didn't look like the kind of pony who smiled very often. Even though he was scary and seemed mean, Applejack could tell that he really did care about Feliciano like a little brother. Applejack could relate, having Apple Bloom as her little sister and Big Mac for her older brother. Italy looked up at her.

"Ve~ What were you doing here, Applejack?" He asked innocently.

"Well ya see, my family grows the finest apples in Equestria, and Ah was helpin' Pinkie Pie with a new apple pie recipe." She laughed. Equestria…so that's where we are. Germany stored that new bit of info away for future use.

~Back with Rainbow Dash and America~

"Wait up! I can't fly much faster!" America cried, his wings pumping as fast as they could to keep in pace with Rainbow Dash. She was nothing more than a blur in front of him, and he could feel himself falling behind and losing altitude. Her mocking laugh reached his ears, and he pushed away the pain. He pushed himself to fly faster, no matter how much it hurt. He slowly caught up to her, heartbeat pounding in his ears and vision blurry.

Dang…he's real fast, even by my standards. Better go Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow Dash thought as she saw America pulling up in her peripheral vision. She poured on the speed, and he did as well. With a start, she noticed the same kind of arrow forming around him that signaled when she was going to do a Sonic Rainboom. I'm the only pegasus who can do a Rainboom! I'll show him! She thought viciously, angling down.

"Had enough yet, America?" She teased as the ground grew closer. He laughed, slightly out of breath.

"Are you kidding? This is nothing! After all…" He trailed off. Rainbow Dash let loose the Sonic Rainboom at the same moment America let out all the raw energy pent up inside him. He soared into the sky, a trail of red, white and blue following him. "I'M THE HERO!" He shouted, flying in a star-formation. Rainbow Dash stopped, slack-jawed.

"But…I'm the only one who can do a Sonic Rainboom." She protested. America laughed.

"It's not a Rainboom. It's a Hero Star!" He breathed, then he passed out, plummeting towards the ground. Rainbow gasped, flying downwards to catch him. She managed to wrap her arms around him not ten seconds before they hit the ground. There was no time to stop, and Rainbow Dash thought, Oh look, Zecora, before both her and America slammed into China and Russia. The pile of ponies rolled a couple of feet, kicking up dirt and blades of grass. The four ponies were an indistinguishable pile of tangled limbs and tails. For a moment, there was silence as Zecora and the CMC stood frozen, still in shock. Finally, somepony broke the silence.

"Kolkolkolkol…" Russia chanted, his trademark purple aura surrounding what was visible of him. China leapt out of the pile with a very manly yelp of fear, not wanting to be caught by Russia's chant, but stumbled, his left foreleg bent at an odd angle.

"Ow!" He shouted, falling to the ground on his twisted leg. Rainbow Dash poked her head up, slowly untangling herself and America.

"Flying that fast must have taken a lot out of him." She noted as America stirred, eyelids fluttering open with a groan to see Russia glaring at him. He whimpered slightly, but stood up and brushed himself off.

"Sorry." He muttered, not wanting to be heard apologizing to the 'commie bastard'. China spoke up.

"Don't mind me, it's just a leg, I'll live aru…" He shouted angrily, his leg throbbing. Russia turned his back on America and trotted over to China. He took one look at his leg, and slung China over his back without a word. China squeaked and blushed, struggling slightly.

"Put me down, aru! I'll walk!" He protested.

"You cannot walk on that leg." Russia said simply. China grumbled, but stopped squirming. America laughed.

"You two look so cute together!" He giggled and Rainbow Dash snorted. He soon stopped, seeing China's Death Glare of Doom ™. "Never mind. Who are they?" He asked, pointing a hoof at Zecora and the CMC. Rainbow Dash looked over.

"That's Zecora, my number one fan Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom." She explained. America nodded, extending a hoof to Zecora.

"Sorry if I startled you. I'm America, the hero!" He laughed. After everyone got acquainted with one another, America noticed nearly an hour had passed. The three country/ponies said their goodbyes and headed for the pond, America in front and China resting on Russia's back. The other country/ponies did the same, and now we shall do a fancy Timeskip to the pond :D.

(Warning! This scene contains Hetaoni references!)

"Alright dudes! This place, Equestria or whatever, is totally rockin', yo!" America announced, the ten countries sitting in a circle near the pond with the Mane 6. Japan and Canada were attending to China's leg while America talked. Canada and Fluttershy had arrived early with each nation's respected pets, and China was cuddling with his panda while they worked on his leg.

"I like this place. People actually notice I exist." Canada chimed in. France and Rarity were sitting next to each other, holding hooves and occasionally nuzzling nose while Pierre fluttered around their heads.

"I also like Equestria, for it is where Mademoiselle Rarity is." France said, and Rarity blushed. England rolled his eyes, absentmindedly petting Flying Mint Bunny.

"Ve~ I like it too! The food is perfecto! And there are pretty women everywhere! It's the perfect place for an Italian!" Italy laughed, bouncing up and down with Pinkie Pie.

"Ja, this place is good and all, but we still need to go home. What about our people? Who's taking care of them?" Germany pointed out, not realizing his mistake.

"Your people? Are you kings?" Twilight gasped. During their talk, England and Japan left out the part about them being personifications of countries. Every head swiveled towards Germany, glaring. England sighed.

"In a sense, yes. However, I would like to discuss this with your Princess Celestia. If we are going to be stuck here, I'd rather she knew about us." He explained to Twilight, who turned to Spike.

"Spike, take a letter." She commanded, and Spike pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from nowhere. Twilight cleared her throat. "Dear Princess Celestia, earlier today a group of nine strange ponies and one griffon appeared outside of Ponyville. They claim to be from a different dimension and would like to request an audience with you. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." She finished, and Spike rolled up the parchment and breathed fire on it, sending to Princess Celestia in a wisp of green smoke.

"Now all we have to do is wait until she sends a reply." Applejack said happily. "Anyway, there was a question ah wanted ta ask Italy." Italy stopped his bouncing, and looked over at her. "The key on your Cutie Mark; what does that mean?"

Every country looked at Italy as well. They were curious about that too. Italy hung his head, his little hair curl becoming jagged. He and Japan were the only ones with memories of that awful place. Japan walked over and hugged him awkwardly.

"That is something he does not like to talk about, but perhaps Celestia should be informed, okay Italy?" He asked. Italy sniffled a bit, wiping his eyes, but nodded nonetheless. Spike interrupted the moment by burping up a letter, which Twilight levitated and read out loud.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle, I would be delighted to meet these newcomers. I will be joining you shortly; afterwards, I will take you all to Canterlot Castle while we discuss this mishap. Sincerely, Princess Celestia." She read. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a bright light appeared in the middle of the clearing, dimming to reveal a stunning white alicorn with a pink, blue, and green mane and tail with a sun for a Cutie Mark. The Mane 6, Spike, Japan and England bowed respectively.

"Hello. I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria." She said, smiling warmly at them all. She radiated power like Russia radiates fear, but there was kindness in her eyes. Twilight stepped forward.

"It's good to see you again, Princess. These are the ponies I told you about." She said, waving a hoof at the circle of countries.

"I'm Arthur. Pleasure to meet you." England said, bowing again.

"I'm Alfred! I'm the hero!" America shouted, shaking her hoof.

"Bonjour, I am Francis." France said, shaking her hoof as well.

"Privet, I am Ivan. You will become one, da?" Russia smiled.

"Ni Hao, I am Wang Yao aru." China said, standing up with difficulty.

"Guten Tag Princess. I am Ludwig." Germany introduced himself.

"Ve! I'm Feliciano, Princess!" Italy bounced over to her excitedly.

"Konnichiwa. I am Kiku." Japan said simply, crouched in a bow.

"I am the awesome Gilbert! Nice to meet you!" Prussia laughed.

"And I'm Mathieu. It's a pleasure, eh?" Canada smiled shyly. Celestia smiled at all of them.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you as well. You certainly are a colorful bunch." She laughed. "Anyway, you said that you would like an audience with me? Would you prefer it to be private?" She asked, glancing at the Mane 6.

"No. It would probably be better if they heard the first part, anyway." England sighed. The Mane 6 looked at him, confused. "The part about Italy's Cutie Mark…they may be too young for that." He took a deep breath, ready to explain everything.

"Being the ruler of a nation, I know you understand that war is a terrible thing. However, it is even worse for us, because even though we're not the rulers of our countries, we're the countries themselves. We're literally an entire nation stuffed into a body, which is why our citizens are the most important things to us. If we get hurt, they suffer as much as we do, and without them, we wouldn't exist. We've been alive for many decades, even millennia in some cases, and have gone through the worst things imaginable.

"Alfred and Canada are the youngest ones, being alive only for about 400 years each. Yao is the very oldest out of all the personifications; he's over 4,000 years old." All heads turned to China. "And being nations, we know the worst things people can do. Gilbert; his people were destroyed, completely annihilated, and the ones that weren't became citizens of Ludwig's country. The only possible way we can die is if our citizens are completely wiped out, or if us personifications died, but we're extremely hard to kill.

"War is the worst thing for us. Ivan here has been through so many wars, his mind cracked long ago." Russia just smiled. "Some wars leave deep scars on us personifications. Look at Yao's back." He said, gesturing with a hoof. China turned around to show them properly. "Kiku gave him that when they were fighting a war against each other. These…" He said, sitting up and pointing to the deep scars on his chest, "were given to me by Ludwig. Both Mathieu and Alfred have burns on their hearts from when their capitals were burnt down. Kiku suffers from frequent heart-attacks because his land is an island where earthquakes are quite common. Emil, a friend of ours, has a condition that causes him to cough up ashes because his entire country rests on a giant volcano."

"How horrible." Rarity murmured, tears in her eyes.

"Being a nation is a gruesome, taxing life, but we can't just quit either. Us, and only us, represent our countries. Nopony else can do the job, so we're stuck with it until we die." England trailed off. The Mane 6 were all crying silently, Rarity being held in France's arms. Celestia's eyes were sad but determined. Pinkie Pie's hair was on the verge of deflating, and Applejack had taken off her hat in respect to the nations.

"Being alive for 4,000 years…it must be awful." Twilight whispered, looking at Yao with pity. China smiled sadly.

"There are times when it gets to me just how old I am, but I have Kiku and the other countries to make my life more interesting, aru." He laughed morosely.

"Don't you have families?" Rainbow Dash asked. Russia nodded.

"I have two sisters. Natalya is younger, Katushya is older." He explained. "All our siblings and family members are personifications like us."

"Mathieu and I are twins. Arthur…I guess you can say he and Francis are our older brothers." Alfred said, trying to push away the memories of the Revolutionary War.

"Ve~ I have a twin brother named Lovino and a big brother Antonio. I miss them a lot…" Italy sniffled.

"Gilbert is my older brother." Germany said, pointing to Gilbert.

"Kiku is just one of my younger siblings. Im Yong Soo, Meimei, and Kaoru are others, but I am the oldest, aru." China told them.

"And although we know the worst things people can do, we also know the best." England told them, turning his attention to the good things about his country. "My country produced the most popular music band of all time, The Beatles."

"My country was the first to have somepony walk on the moon!" America stated proudly.

"Mine was the first to send something into space." Russia pointed out.

"My country was the one who invented roller coasters." France said happily. (AN: No really, it's true.)

"Mine is responsible for almost every technological advancement in recent years." Japan told them, wishing for his videogames.

"Mine makes the finest soldiers you'll ever see." Germany said.

"My country has the best food!" Italy bounced.

"Mine has the most wildlife and least amount of crime." Canada said to Fluttershy.

"And my country has the only man-made object you can see from space!" China laughed, and England grew serious.

"Anyway, about Italy's Cutie Mark…" He began, but Celestia held up a hoof to cut him off.

"We can discuss that matter on a later date. I have made up my mind for now. I would like all of you, Twilight and her friends included, to come and stay in the Royal Palace while we figure out a way to get you home. I can see that your tale is true; you have been through much suffering, and you just want what's best for your people. I can relate. Your hearts are pure, and I can see that you mean no ill towards Equestria and its ponies. You are welcome here." She told them with a sincere smile.

"Come to Canterlot, my little ponies. We have work to do!"

AN: Special thanks to ChibChib for being my first reviewer! And yes, the French invented roller coasters . Please review! Your words encourage me to keep typing!

AN: Fifth chapter WOOT! And first song parody, hope its not too disappointing XD Remember to rate and review, and that I don't own Hetalia or MLP FIM or Hetaoni. Yes, a bit more Hetaoni in this one, but not a lot.

Of course, by the time they had all been flown by royal carriage to the palace and were shown their rooms, it was very late indeed. The Mane 6 and Spike had stayed awake just long enough to watch Princess Luna to raise the moon, then they had promptly said goodnight and gone to bed. The moon raising was quite a sight for the countries, however they stayed up a bit later to chat a bit with Princess Luna. Eventually everypony had gone to bed, and there was complete silence in the palace. Everypony was sound asleep, except for one chestnut brown colt.

Italy lay in his bed, wide awake. He was dreading the next day, where he had to discuss that wretched mansion. He couldn't do it! He couldn't! He tossed and turned, but eventually, he decided that taking a walk around the statue garden might help him clear his mind a bit. He silently slid out of bed and trotted over to the window, opening it with barely a sound. As quiet as an owl, he jumped out of the window and flew down to the garden.

Up above on her balcony, Princess Luna was pacing back and forth. She was thinking about those new ponies and how they claimed to be representations of countries. In that case, did Equestria have a personification as well? Surely her sister had the same thoughts. Celestia will know what to do. She was about to turn around and head inside to talk to her sister when she saw a small shape fly into the statue garden. She knew just enough from the size and shape to recognize the pegasus as Italy.

What is he doing up so late? She thought, watching him carefully. She spread her night-blue wings and jumped from the balcony, following Italy like a shadow. Italy landed in the garden amongst all the statues. Luna did the same, hiding behind a giant statue of Starswirl the Bearded. Italy's hooves barely made a sound as he clopped around, looking up at the statues with an air of confidence. This surprised Luna greatly; when they had been introduced to each other, Italy had seemed like a timid but energetic pony who got scared very easily. This Italy didn't seem that way at all; just the opposite in fact.

Italy stopped, looking up at the statue of Discord. After a few moments of just staring, he snorted and walked away, towards another statue. It was as though Italy knew no fear. Italy cantered up to another statue; one of a magnificent alicorn colt with a flowing cape and sword, with golden armor covering his chest. With a jolt, Luna realized that the statue had two hair curls like Italy did. She heard Italy chuckle.

"It seems you were even popular here, grandpa." He said quietly. Luna looked back up at the statue from her hiding place. Romulus was his grandfather? She asked herself in awe. Italy stared up sadly at the statue of his grandpa. He never knew that Rome had traveled here as well, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

"Even here, I live in your shadow. Both Romano and I…doomed to carry out your legacy, grandpa. Everyone expects me to be as great as you, grandpa. I just can't, though. I'm not as bloodthirsty…they laugh at me. The grandson of the mighty Roman Empire…" Italy scoffed. Suddenly, he felt the urge to sing out his troubles. Bursting into song at random was a talent for the Italian.

Grandpa Rome: A parody of Daddy Discord

Key: Italicized text is Feli singing

Underlined is Grandpa Rome singing

Both is both of them singing at once

So there you are grandpa

A statue, oh so cold so dead

You used to rule the world

And then you went and lost your head

Now I must carry on

Conquering for you

'Cause you

Are the Roman Empire

And I

Am a piece of you

I miss you, grandpa

A red light started to shine above where the statue's heart was, and both Italy and Luna knew that Romulus was somehow talking to them through his stone prison.

Please, do not cry my dear

Your grandpa is still very here

And when I awaken

You can cloak the world in fear

Our joy will be their pain

As we conquer the world again

'Cause I

Am the Roman Empire

And you

Are a piece of me.

Remember that one time

I was trapped in that horrid game

In the mansion, I died

And things were never quite the same

That monster grew

And soon I went insane

And you

Are the Roman Empire

And I

Am a piece of you

That's my boy.

Oh grandson of mine

Without you, I would have been lost

You have kept my legacy

No matter what the tragic cost

Your broken twisted thoughts

Have given me a newfound strength

'Cause you

Are my grandson Feli

And I'm

Finally free!

The red, pulsating light dimmed, and Italy's eyes started to glow red. Luna stifled a gasp, and hastily flew away to her balcony. Italy…is he being possessed or something?! I have to tell Tia! These were the only thoughts that Luna had in mind as she thundered through the halls of the royal palace towards her sister's room, accidentally waking up everypony else. She burst through Celestia's bedroom door.

"Tia! It's awful!" Luna shouted, once she had skidded to a stop. Celestia looked up in alarm from the book she was reading on Equestria's history, wondering if it was possible for Equestria to have a personification.

"Calm down Luna. What's happened?" She asked in concern. The other ponies, countries included, had followed Luna inside, also curious about what was the matter.

"Italy…in the statue garden…" Luna breathed, her run catching up to her.

"What about Italy? Has something attacked him?" Celestia asked, eyes flaring. It was her duty to protect all ponies, guests included. Whatever hurt him had better be prepared. Luna shook her head.

"Something's happened to him! His eyes started glowing red and the key on his Cutie Mark got bigger, so now the food is in the background! He didn't even look like Italy anymore!" She cried, and Japan stiffened.

"No…" He whispered, and Celestia turned to him.

"Do you know what might have caused this?" She asked in a commanding tone.

"I have an idea, and we must pray that I am wrong." He said solemnly. "But we must help Italy now. There will be time for explanations later." He pointed out, and Celestia nodded. Celestia's horn started to glow, and in a flash of light, the group teleported into the statue garden.

"Italy!" Germany yelled, and everypony gasped, seeing what Italy had become in the few moments Luna left him alone. The once small pegasus was now the same size as Celestia, his once kind amber eyes now a luminescent, evil crimson color. His coat was a deep dark brown and his mane was black, so his only feature that stood out in the night was his eyes. Orange flames danced around his hooves, and an aura even stronger than Russia's overtook the ponies. When Italy smiled, his sharpened teeth gleamed in the dark.

"Miss me?" He laughed maliciously. Celestia spread her wings intimidatingly, hiding the terrified Mane 6 from view.

"Arthur…what is he?" Twilight asked England in a fearful whisper.

"That's what happens when a country's dark past catches up to them. Every personification has this dark side, or second person. For short, we just call them our 2p selves. 2p Italy must have shown up because the normal Italy was scared." England explained, eyes never leaving Italy.

"Why was he scared?" Twilight whispered back.

"He didn't want to discuss the matter of his Cutie Mark. His determination to repress those memories must have been what caused him to reveal his 2p self. He would rather fight than let us know about it." Japan murmured to her.

"Italy may seem like the weakest one of us, but in fact he is one of the strongest of all." Germany told the Mane 6. "It will be a very close match if he decides to fight your princess."

"Princess Celestia." England said, stepping forward. "We've dealt with him before, we know his weaknesses. I request that you allow us to fight him in your stead. You must protect your ponies, and we must help our friend. This would also be a perfect opportunity for us to demonstrate our skills." He smiled.

"Are you sure?" Celestia asked, concerned for her guests. America trotted up.

"No problem. You can jump in if it looks like we can't take him! The hero will handle him!" America boasted, and Celestia nodded, taking Luna and the Mane 6 over to a safe location to watch.

The ponies stared each other down, sizing the opponent up. Then, as if on unspoken agreement, they charged.

AN: Like a boss. 2p Italy in the house, people! Review and tell me what you liked! And remember, constructive criticism is welcome!

AN: Alrighty, sixth chapter in two days! This is my first ever fight scene, so I apologize if it stinks XD Hopefully near the end of this chapter I can get some new countries in this, because I have got a seriously wicked idea for a Halloween Special :P Anyway, I do not claim ownership of anything used in this fic, and I never will. R&R!

---

Two steps from the starting point, each country summoned their weapons to fight 2p Italy. England's horn began to glow a dangerous, poisonous green, and his eyes turned to balls of green fire. A mystical, arcane circle appeared under his hooves, shining an unearthly white. Using his newfound magical prowess, Japan materialized a katana from the shimmering white energy emanating from his horn.

"Kolkolkolkol…" Russia began to chant. A freezing wind blew through the statue garden, chilling the Mane 6 to the bone. Frost crystals formed in Russia's mane and tail, his hooves turning to solid blocks of ice, freezing the ground underneath him. His purple aura surrounded him, brighter than it usually was. A giant man with sickly blue skin, dark hair, and sunken in eyes appeared behind him and placed his hand on Russia's shoulder. Russia grinned demonically, and although he didn't have magic, a blood-stained lead pipe appeared in his mouth.

China was just behind him, golden flames dancing through his mane and tail. He was moving so fast it appeared he had eight legs. The faint outline of a dragon could be seen around him as his horn started to glow as well. A wok popped out of his horn, and he caught it in his mouth, a ladle following it and landing in his outstretched hoof. Prussia and America took to the skies, black blobs against the night sky. Prussia's form suddenly began to morph and change, turning him into a giant black eagle with yellow streaks in its wings and a golden crown resting on his head. Gilbird himself became the same size, a vicious golden yellow bird of prey, no longer cute and fluffy.

"I call upon thee, hero of Asgard! Mighty Thor, God of Thunder, lend me your power!" America shouted, soaring just above England. Storm clouds free of pegasi control formed above the group, swirling and twisting angrily. A bolt of lightning shot down, striking the sandy-colored pegasus; however, he wasn't fazed. A bold, flowing red cape appeared on his shoulders, and a polished Viking helmet with gleaming white horns materialized on his head. A heavy looking, winged war hammer fell from the storm above, and America caught it. With his touch, it began to spark with electricity.

Just behind America on the ground, Canada rolled his eyes. Like Prussia's, his pegasus body also began to change shape. Within a few seconds, the once timid, soft-spoken little pony was a full-grown, vicious polar bear with a red mark in the shape of a maple leaf on his left eye. Fluttershy gasped; her precious Mathieu could turn into a monster. Like Russia, frost formed wherever he stepped, but there was a difference in the cold. Mathieu was the cold of snow on Christmas, ice over a lake perfect for skating, the cold of family and friendship. Russia was the cold of a freezing, raging blizzard pounding against your windows, the scary side of winter.

France and Germany brought up the rear. France had thrown aside his illustrious coat for the battle, and everypony could now see why. The fur on his forelegs and spine transformed from its beautiful lavender to a deep, forest green. Long, lethal spikes sprouted from his back and legs, slightly serrated like a rose's thorns. Germany's eyes shone a dangerous blue, and the skin on his shoulders tore open, revealing steel, wires, and gears underneath. Unfolding like paper from the holes, two large machine guns rose. A gas mask and oxygen tank appeared on his form as well. Italy laughed.

"Fools. You think you can kill me?" He hissed.

"We can try!" England retaliated, lowering his head as the distance closed. Three feet…two feet…one foot…NOW!

"Serpensortia!" He shouted, and a humongous black snake shot out of his horn with a bang, fangs bared and hissing. It spun around Italy's neck, starting to constrict, but Italy bit down on it, and it dissipated into smoke. While the snake had Italy distracted, America leapt up and brought his hammer down on Italy's head with a mighty roar. A hit that would have killed any normal pony, Italy just stood there and laughed, not a scratch on him. He raised a hoof and shot a blast of black energy out of it, sending America flying backwards, yelping in pain. France's thorns shot up and caught the pegasus.

"Thanks dude!" America yelled, then jumped right back into the battle. With a full-throated roar, Canada brought his paw down on Italy's side, claws extended. Unlike America's attack, it actually hurt him, tearing the skin open. However, it just stitched itself back together while Italy went hoof to hoof combat against Russia and China. Although they had seemed like enemies to the ponies, the two made quite the efficient team, fire and ice fighting together in a deadly dance. They seemed to be doing quite a bit of damage to Italy, Russia slamming his pipe on Italy's hooves and China burning his arms with quick jabs of fire.

Without warning, Prussia and Gilbird entered the fray. Gilbird raked his talons over Italy's eyes, sending scarlet everywhere. While Italy was blinded, Prussia came in from behind (yes, laugh immature readers) and hooked his talons onto Italy's spine. He began to pump his wings furiously, trying to gain enough altitude. Italy's eyes widened, realizing what Prussia was doing. He struggled, sending bursts of dark energy to Prussia's body, but if the bird was in pain he didn't show it. The pair rose, higher, higher into the sky. Finally, the pain became too much for Prussia and he let go of Italy.

"He's all yours guys." Prussia panted before dropping a few feet from pure exhaustion. Before Italy had a chance to unfurl his wings, America lifted Germany off the ground. Germany silently apologized to Italy, took aim, and fired. Bullets riddled the pegasus' body, and he spasmed and jerked with each hit. In a last minute attempt, Italy's whole body exploded, sending rays of black magic everywhere.

"Protego!" England cried, and a bubble appeared around the Mane 6 and Princesses, who remained unharmed from the blast. England himself was not so lucky, and neither were the other nations who didn't have a chance to move out of the way in time. Japan was blown backwards, hair smoking and fur singed. Half of China's mane was burnt off, and the skin on his chest was raw and smoking. Canada got the worst of it, having dove in front of France to protect his papa. The poor nation was slammed backwards into Grandpa Rome's statue, and he slid down to the base, not moving as his form changed back into a pegasus.

"Mathieu!" France yelled, the deadly vines bursting out of his body and wrapping around Italy so tight the pegasus could barely breathe. "How dare you hurt mon fille." France hissed as the vines began to squeeze. "I should send you to the depths of Hell for such a thing." He snarled, and the vines grew spikes on the insides piercing Italy's flesh. Italy whimpered in pain, but there was no mercy in France's eyes. England struggled to his feet.

"We're not trying to kill him, France. Just hold him down." England pointed out as his horn started to glow again. France snorted, but retracted the spikes. Italy squirmed, but that finally blast had sapped all the energy out of him. He couldn't do anything but watch as England lowered his head so his horn touched Italy's forehead.

"Pyurjo." England murmured, and the magic brightened, blinding everypony and engulfing them in white light. When it dimmed, normal Italy was lying where his 2p self had been. England smiled tiredly.

"That spell takes a lot out of me." He muttered, before stumbling. Twilight rushed forward and caught him before he could hit the ground. "Thanks." England mumbled.

"Don't waste your energy on talking. You need to rest now!" Twilight protested. Fluttershy ran over to Canada's side, tears threatening to fall.

"Is…he going to be okay?" She whispered. America trotted over, his hammer, helmet, and cape disappearing. Prussia landed next to Canada, feathers melting away and becoming a griffon once again. Gilbird shrunk as well, landing contentedly on Prussia's head. Prussia gave Canada a quick once over.

"He'll be fine. It takes more than that to kill us." He chuckled. America placed a wing over Fluttershy's shoulders.

"I know he doesn't look very tough, but you gotta remember that he's MY brother. He's going to be okay." He told her reassuringly, readjusting his glasses. Celestia trotted over to the group, levitating Canada with her magic.

"Well, it's been a long night everypony. We shall discuss this most troubling matter in the morning; for now, we all need our rest. And I must say, your fighting prowess is amazing. Perhaps you should consider staying here." She joked, and England snorted.

"Sorry Princess, but our people need us." He told her. She smiled, and everypony was teleported back to their individual rooms, where they promptly went to bed. Most of the nations took her offer as a joke, but Canada lay awake for a long time, mulling the idea over in his head. People actually noticed him here, after all…

~~~Epic Timeskip of Epic Epicness~~~

Some of the countries woke up in time to see Celestia raise the sun, but a select few; America, Canada, Italy, and France; slept in late. After the battle last night, Celestia allowed them to. England was the first down to the dining hall for breakfast – after Twilight, of course.

"Good morning, Princess Celestia, and you too, Miss Sparkle and Princess Luna." He yawned, making an attempt to flatten his eternally messy hair.

"Good morning." They all replied happily, using their magic to levitate various food items across the table and to each other.

"If I may ask, might I be able to take some of your time today, Miss Sparkle? I'd like to compare our research notes and try to develop a spell to get us home." England asked politely after a sip of tea. Twilight blushed, then glanced at Celestia for approval. Celestia pondered it for a moment.

"I don't see why not. In fact, I would like to join you for this." She smiled. England grinned and bowed his head in respect.

"Thank you, Princess. Now that I'm full, I'd better go wake up Alfred. Otherwise he won't get up until noon, the lazy git." He muttered, getting out of his chair and cantering back over to the staircase to Alfred's room. Celestia smiled knowingly at Twilight, who just looked perplexed.

"What is it, Princess? Did I do something wrong?" She panicked. Celestia chuckled.

"Just the opposite, my student." She replied, leaving Twilight more confused. Celestia glanced at Luna, who caught the cue.

"That Arthur is rather charming, don't you agree Twilight?" She teased. Twilight's eyes widened, catching on to what they were implying. She began to panic, waving her arms in the air.

"It's not like that! I couldn't have a very special somepony! I'm too young! We're just friends!" She yelled, her face bright red. Celestia and Luna burst into laughter.

"We were just teasing you, Twilight." Celestia giggled.

"Oh…" Twilight said sheepishly. Celestia turned serious again.

"But I do think you would be a good match for each other. Rarity has already found her special somepony in Francis, I think you and Arthur would complement each other nicely." She teased. Twilight silently fumed and Luna spoke up.

"And have you seen the way Fluttershy and Mathieu look at each other? She refused to leave his room last night until he regained consciousness." She pointed out.

"Oh, they definitely like each other; I can see that. They're just too shy to say anything about it." Twilight laughed.

~~~Another Epic Timeskip of Epic Epicness~~~

Up in his room, Canada slowly opened his eyes to see the sunlight streaming in. He was warm and comfy in his bed; he didn't want to get up. Suddenly, he became aware of another body pressed against his. It wasn't underneath the blankets with him, which helped calm his initial panic attack a bit. He slowly rolled over to see who was in the bed with him. His face turned scarlet when he saw Fluttershy curled up next to him.

"Maple…" He whispered, and Fluttershy's eyelids stirred, signaling her awakening. Canada squeaked. Although he was terribly shy, he was half-French, so he did know how to treat a woman. However, his French skills were not coming to him in this situation, and he just did the first thing that popped into his head. He gently shook her shoulder.

"Mmm…?" She mumbled, an eye fluttering open. Seeing Mathieu hovering over her, she squeaked like Canada did, jumping out of the bed and crashing onto the floor. Canada gasped.

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you like that…" He explained, hopping out of the bed and walking over to her. She cowered, even though he wasn't angry.

"Please don't be angry with me! I just wanted to make sure you were okay, so I stayed here with you…then it got cold during the night, so I thought I could make you warm if I snuggled with you a bit…" She trailed off as Canada put his hoof on her lips to make her stop. He smiled kindly.

"I'm not angry; in fact, I'm very happy that you went to all that trouble just for me. No one's ever done something that nice for me before." He told her truthfully. Her eyes widened.

"Is that true? Nopony ever warmed you up when you were cold?" She asked in awe. Canada nodded, his head lowered in sadness.

"Yeah. I haven't had a birthday party in six years. You see, back home, no one remembers that I exist. Their eyes just slide over me like I'm invisible, and the ones who do see me always mistake me for Al because we're twins. My best friend beat me up the other day because of something Al did." He mumbled. "Gilbert is the only one who recognizes me for me and can see me, but he lives very far away, so we don't get to see each other that often." He felt a tear slide down his face, and suddenly he was wrapped in a warm, yellow hug.

"Oh Mathieu, that sounds horrible. I would never forget you like that." Fluttershy whispered. Canada wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back. Little did they know, a pair of sky-blue, bespectacled eyes was watching this scene through a crack in the doorway. They continued to watch. Soon, Fluttershy let go. Canada coughed.

"Um…Fluttershy…if you wouldn't mind…would you like to go and…get some ice cream with me?" Canada stuttered, blushing furiously. Fluttershy's face turned just as red.

"I…would like that very much." She answered. Canada was so happy, he did what he now looks back on as either the best thing that's ever happened to him or the worst mistake of his life. He kissed her on the lips. The eyes blinked, and widened to the size of dinner plates. The owner ran down the halls as quickly and silently as he could, mentally screaming for England. The two pegasi in the room didn't notice, laying down next to each other contentedly in the warmth of the sun, happy for the other's company. That was all they needed.

---

AN: Yes, I borrowed England's spells from Harry Potter XD Alright, next chapter shall be the one where I include more countries, and it's also a Halloween special for my one reviewer, ChibChib. Review to tell me if the fight scene sucked LOL

AN: Alrighty, time for some new countries and a Halloween special! I apologize for any spelling errors, my cat is sitting on my laptop and I can't see the keys D: I don't have the heart to move her. Thank you so much ChibChib, you really make my day with your reviews! I do not own anything used in this fanfic, and there will be another song parody in this one.

BTW, I apologize this one took so long. I just transferred schools so I've been working on getting to know everyone and I've been working on another story I hope to upload soon. Thanks for your patience, guys!

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America bolted to the Royal Library where England and the other countries were, the memory of what he just witnessed fresh in his mind. He skidded past the giant double doors, smoke beginning to rise from the carpet from the friction. He backtracked a few feet, then burst through the door with a mighty crash. This caused England to jump quite a few feet and drop his tea, which made him extremely pissed. Before he could open his mouth to yell, America cut him off.

"Mattie's got a girlfriend!" He shouted, and everypony looked up in amusement.

"Qu'aves-vous dit?" France asked in wonder.

"American, motherbucker! Do you speak it?" America yelled, jumping on top of France, and the two began wrestling. England sighed, rubbing his temples, and walked over to the two. He grabbed America by Nantucket and France by the mane and bashed their heads together.

"First of all, it's English! Second of all, he said Mathieu's got himself a girlfriend!" He yelled angrily at the two, stars swirling around in their eyes from the impact. France has a very hard head, you know. Prussia ran over and shook America's shoulders.

"Who is she?" He asked eagerly. America shoved Prussia away, then took a moment to remember.

"It's that yellow and pink one with the butterflies on their butt! Flutter…guy, or something?" He thought aloud. Prussia did a Pinkie-sized gasp.

"Birdie's gay?!" He shrieked. A tick mark appeared on China's head.

"Her name is Fluttershy, aru! He said GIRLfriend! I did think those two would be a good match for each other; they are so alike, aru." China smiled and Japan nodded.

"I thought so too. They do have much in common. By the way nii-san…" He shot a smirk at China. "Your mane looks lovely this morning." China glared at him, then huffed and turned away. After being hit with Italy's dark energy attack during the nighttime battle, half of China's mane was burnt off, leaving him with short, normal length hair. France trotted up to America eagerly.

"How did this happen? Tell me!" He asked/begged. America nodded and sat down, pleased to have such an eager audience for his story.

"Well, I was walking down to breakfast, 'cause a hero needs good food, you know? I heard this scream from Mattie's room, so I ran over there to check it out. The door was open a crack, and I looked in and saw Fluttershy and Canada talking. Canada looked like he was crying about something. Anyway, Fluttershy hugged him real romantic like, right? I think Mattie asked her out after that!" He explained and England drew in a breath with a hiss. France burst into manly tears of joy.

"Mon fille is growing up so fast!" He sobbed dramatically. America nodded.

"That's not all! Right after she said yes, he kissed her! On the lips! Or whatever ponies have!" He shouted, waving his arms in the air animatically. Everypony had their own reaction. France started sobbing into England's shoulder, Germany raised an eyebrow, Japan and China smiled knowingly, and of course Russia just kept on smiling like the lovable goofball he is. England shoved France away with a disgusted look.

"I'm really happy for Mathieu, but I'm worried too. He knows we have to leave sooner or later, right? Leaving her, especially when they like each other so much, that could be tough for him." England pointed out. America hung his head.

"I know, but until we find a way to go home, let's just be happy for them, da?" Russia spoke up, making everypony jump. Suddenly, a flash of pink light appeared next to England, and out of the light fell a letter. Using his magic, England unfurled it and read it aloud, his expression turning from confusion to happiness.

"It's from Twilight! She wants to us to meet her out in the courtyard; she says she's figured out a spell to take us home!" He read, and everypony cheered. America turned towards the door.

"I'll go get Mattie!" He announced, but France grabbed his tail and yanked him backwards.

"I think…we should just let him be for now. He deserves some time to spend being happy." He sighed. England nodded.

"For once, I agree with France. They just found happiness; let's leave them alone for a bit. And there's always a chance the spell could backfire. I think we should have two volunteers have the spell be performed on them first. I'll go; that way if it works, I can use my magic to send a letter over here saying that it was successful." He said, and America pouted.

"Aw, Iggy. I'll miss you!" He teased. England snorted and Germany stepped up.

"I should go as well. My people need me now more than ever." He said gruffly.

"Good, but if you go, Italy will want to go with you. Can you go get him?" England asked. Germany sighed then nodded, turning around and walking out of the doors. England screwed up his face in concentration, his horn starting to glow. In a bright flash, the countries were inside the courtyard with the Mane 6 and the two princesses.

"Hello, Miss Sparkle." England greeted them. Celestia and Luna nodded their heads in acknowledgement, then Celestia did a headcount.

"It appears we're missing three countries. And Fluttershy as well. Has anypony seen them?" She asked. England stepped up.

"Ludwig is waking up Feliciano, and Mathieu…" He trailed off. America looked about ready to burst. Celestia looked at him in both concern and amusement.

"Do you have something to say, Alfred?" She asked. England rolled his eyes, facehoofing.

"Mattie asked Fluttershy on a date!" He exploded. The Mane 6 squealed in excitement.

"Yee-hah! That sure is somethin'!" Applejack cheered.

"This calls for a party!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Good for them!" Twilight chimed in.

"That's so cool! Not as cool as me, of course." Rainbow Dash added.

"Bitch stole my line…" Prussia grumbled. Rarity gasped.

"Of all the good things that could happen, this is THE. BEST. POSSIBLE. THING!" Rarity shouted. Everypony just looked at her oddly, then shrugged as Italy and Germany ran into the courtyard.

"Ve~ I suppose I should apologize. I didn't mean to hurt anypony…" Italy murmured, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Celestia nuzzled his neck affectionately.

"It's alright Italy. Nopony was seriously injured, and now you can go home." She said kindly, and Italy brightened up.

"You're right princess!" He said happily. Rainbow Dash flew over to China and whispered in his ear.

"Why does he say 've' all the time and you say 'aru'?" She asked curiously. China glared at her. His verbal tic was a bit of a sensitive spot, but it was just the way he spoke.

"Why does Zecora only speak in rhymes? Why does Sweetie Belle's voice squeak?" He shot back, and Dash nodded thoughtfully.

"Excellent point." She said, flying back over to Celestia's side as England, Germany, and Italy trotted to the center of the courtyard. Twilight concentrated hard, and her horn began to glow. The three ponies in the center were surrounded by a white light and were levitated off the ground. Italy squeaked in fear and clung tightly to Germany, who rolled his eyes. As the magic glowed brighter, England jovially waved goodbye to everypony, and so did Germany. Italy had his eyes clenched shut, but attempted a smile as they all disappeared in a flash. Everypony covered their eyes, and when they opened them, the three were gone. And three new ponies were standing in their place.

The first one was looking around confusedly, a grin still on his face anyway. His mane was short, somewhat curly, and deep brown, as was his tail. His eyes were curious and bright green. His coat was bright red, and his muzzle and legs were a bright, happy yellow. For a Cutie Mark, he had a smiling sun, and he was a normal earth pony.

The second one was also looking around, but he had a scowl on his face and it looked like it had been there a long time. Like Italy, this one also had a hair curl, but it was on the opposite side of his head. His coat was a sandy brown with red-violet legs and muzzle; his eyes were golden, a shade darker than Italy's. His mane was the same color as the first colt, but unlike him, he was a pegasus. His Cutie Mark was a bright red tomato.

The last colt was the oddest looking; his coat was pitch black. His mane and tail were a shaggy, strawberry blonde and slightly long for a colt. He was a unicorn, unlike the other two. On top of his head sat a small, black hat that was slightly askew, with red and yellow ribbons trailing down. Because of the angle it was perched at, it cocked one of his ears slightly to the right. His Cutie Mark was a lone bat flying set against a red full moon. When he grinned, the ponies could see fangs. France, Prussia, and America gasped.

"Spain?!" France yelled.

"Romano?!" Prussia yelled.

"Romania?!" America yelled last. The three new ponies turned to where the sound was coming from, grins spreading across Spain and Romania's faces. Spain was suddenly tackle-hugged by France and Prussia while Romania and America bro-hoofed.

"I love you guys too! But mi amigos, I can't breathe!" Spain laughed, trying to shove the pegasus and griffon off of him. Romano rolled his eyes.

"Not bad." Romania said approvingly, looking over his unicorn body. "However…how the hell did we get here?" He asked, looking around at the other ponies. Spotting the crowns on Celestia's and Luna's heads, he cantered over and bowed.

"Sorry for my language, princesses." He apologized charmingly. "Dimitri Dogaru, at your service." He grinned, showing off his fangs. Spain's head twisted around to see the princesses. He gasped.

"Pony royalty?!" He yelled, running over and bowing. Celestia smiled at him while Luna watched with a confused look.

"I must say, you're handling this situation well." Celestia laughed. Spain straightened up and smiled.

"Might as well enjoy my life while I'm here, si?" He chuckled. Romania bro-hoofed him. Celestia glanced over at Romano, who was looking at the other countries and ponies with a look of absolute disgust and horror etched into his face. Luna leaned over.

"He doesn't seem to be enjoying himself, does he?" She whispered and Celestia stifled a giggle. Pinkie Pie looked about ready to burst from pure excitement and happiness.

"More new ponies! That means we're going to need an extra-extra-extra-EXTRA large party!" She gasped, then zoomed off to the kitchen. Or she tried, but Twilight's magic held her in place.

"Pinkie! We need to think! We tried to send some home but other countries appeared in their place! How did that happen?" Twilight was about to begin a full-scale panic attack that she failed in front of the princess, but Celestia held up a hoof.

"We can discuss that later. You need to head back to Ponyville and get prepared." She told them. "And you did nothing wrong, Twilight. Your spell did work, after all. You sent Arthur, Ludwig, and Feliciano home. You did something great today." She said warmly, and Twilight began to relax a bit. Spike breathed a sigh of relief, having already suffered through one of Twilight's panic attacks.

"Prepare for what, princess?" He asked curiously. Celestia smiled.

"Did you really all forget? It's Nightmare Night!" She laughed. Romania's fang-toothed grin grew wider.

"That sounds like my kind of holiday. Are you going to join in, Lovino?" He asked Romano, who shot him a perfect evil glare.

"How are you handling this so well?! We've been turned into fucking rainbow ponies, you bastards! And all you can do is sit there and smile?!" He screamed, and the Mane 6 gasped at his language. He didn't apologize, however, and just spread his wings and stormed off.

"What does he have against rainbows, huh?" Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"I-Is he always that colorful with his vocabulary?" Rarity asked.

"And is he usually tha' grumpy?" Applejack added. Spain nodded.

"Si, he's always like that. He'll come back when he gets hungry." He said nonchalantly. "That's Feliciano's older twin, Lovino~ I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." He introduced himself. Twilight walked over to Romania.

"You're a unicorn! Does that mean you could do magic too?" She asked curiously, and Romania nodded, grinning.

"By the way, China…" He began, eyes locking onto the country's new short mane. Unlike the others, Romania seemed to have no difficulty in recognizing the other countries when they were in pony form.

"I know, aru!" China snapped. Romania just grinned, and backed off.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie!" He laughed, running over to her. America looked at him.

"Dimitri, how come you already know all the ponies?" He pointed out. Romania rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Al, I invented the Numa Numa song. I KNOW how to party." He sighed. Pinkie jumped up and gasped.

"I remember you now! You were the one who threw that wicked party in the creepy castle!" She remembered, and Romania smiled and nodded. Japan held up a hoof.

"You mean to say you've had interactions with these ponies before? Why didn't you bring this up?" He asked. Romania cocked his head in Japan's direction.

"Would you have believed me? 'Hey guys, I had an awesome party last night with an interdimensional pink pony who likes cupcakes!' That sounds real convincing." He snorted. Japan looked away guiltily. "See? Nopony would've believed me if I said that." He pointed out. America threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Doesn't matter, bro. You already know Pinkie Pie, and these are Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash." Romania waved at each of them in turn. "The two over there are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Romania nodded in their direction.

"Question, where are England, Germany, and Feli?" Spain asked, doing a head count of the countries/ponies. Twilight spoke up.

"I figured out a way to send them home, and you three appeared instead." She explained. "I'm so sorry I got you into this mess." Twilight apologized, hanging her head. Spain smiled kindly at her.

"It's not a problem, chica! I don't mind being a pony at all! I think the only one who really does is Lovi, but he has a problem with pretty much everything." He laughed, bouncing up and down like Pinkie.

"Wha' does your Cutie Mark say?" Applejack asked, pointing at the sun on Spain's flank.

"My country is known for its sunny-ness!" He said happily.

"And he's always smiling like an idiot, aru." China muttered and Rainbow Dash snorted. Applejack turned to Romania.

"Wha' 'bout yours? I ain't never seen a Cutie Mark like tha' before." She asked. Romania frowned at her grammar use.

"My country is the homeland of one of the greatest villains of all time, the terror that haunts dreams. Count Vladimir Dracula, a bloodsucking monster. That's how I got these." He explained, opening his mouth and pointing at his fangs. "Ever since Dracula, my culture is extremely vampire-centric." Everypony took a step back from him and he rolled his eyes. "Calm down. I don't drink blood." He snorted. They cautiously took another step forward.

"What about Lovino's?" Rarity asked.

"His is a tomato because that's his favorite food and culinary staple. People in his country are nuts about tomatoes." Spain told them, remembering the day he discovered tomatoes and brought them back for Lovi. Ah, back when he had power~

"Anyway, someone go find Lovino. Nightmare Night's waiting for me. Scaring is in my genes." Romania grinned, fangs flashing in the sun.

Epic Timeskip of Epic Epicness

(After Fluttershy and Canada's date, Lovino has been found, and now they are in Ponyville)

"Definitely my holiday. Could use some spicing up, though." Romania muttered, looking around with a strange combination of distaste and amusement on his face. Princess Luna had been welcomed, albeit warily, by the citizens. Pip and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were running around and playing the games, laughing and giggling happily. Applejack and Spain were running the Bobbing for Apples game, and Pinkie Pie was in her classic chicken suit, eating any candy she could find.

The full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating it all. Russia had already put a white sheet over himself and had nearly scared the horse manure out of America. Said hero was currently in Sugarcube Corner, hiding for his life in the storage closet. China was handing out candy while Japan watched with the ghost of a smile on his face. Romano, like usual, was being a grump and glaring at everypony who got within eyesight. Romania sighed unhappily, then grinned to himself.

"These ponies don't know fear. I wish I could show them without mentally scarring any of them…but no. They've lived in peace for so long, they probably wouldn't recognize fear if it ran up to them and bit them on the butt." He mumbled. The decorations were really rather cheesy, but they meant well. If this was all it took to scare ponies…Romania thought, watching a paper ghost scare Spain as it swooped by, then they're definitely not ready for fear. Say Belarus comes. Russia's fear would be nothing compared to theirs. They'd all be hiding under their beds like little kids. He thought with amusement. Like what happened to Italy, Romania was suddenly over come with the urge to sing.

"Meh. Go with the flow." He said to himself, watching Fluttershy and Canada holding hooves in the shade of a giant tree.

Nightmare Night: A Parody of This is Halloween

Key: Italicized is Romania singing

Colts and mares of every age

Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see

Our version of Halloween

This is Nightmare Night

This is Nightmare Night

Ponies scream in the dead of night

This is Nightmare Night

This is Nightmare Night

Trick or Treat till Fluttershy dies of fright

It's our town

Everypony scream

In our type of Halloween

I am the one hiding under your bed

Teeth ground sharp and eyes growing red

I am the one hidden down the lane

Hooves like snakes and spiders in my mane

This is Nightmare Night

This is Nightmare Night

Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night

In this town

We call home

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

In this town

Don't we love it now?

Everypony's waiting for the next surprise

Round that corner, colt

Hiding in the lightning bolt

Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll

Scream

This is Nightmare Night

Red and black and greenish white

Aren't you scared?

Well that's just fine

Say it once, say it twice

Take a chance and roll the dice

Fly with the moon in the dead of night

Everypony scream, everypony scream!

This version of Halloween

I am the pony with the torn-away face

Here in a flash and gone without a trace

I am the who when you call 'who's there?'

I am the wind blowing through your hair

I am the shadow on the moon at night

Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

This is Nightmare Night

This is Nightmare Night

Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night

Fun and games everywhere

Life's no fun without a good scare

That's our job

And it's quite a sight

In our day of Nightmare Night

In this town

Don't we love it now?

Everypony's waiting for the next surprise

Dimitri is King of the pumpkin patch

Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now

This is Nightmare Night

This is Nightmare Night

Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night, Nightmare Night

In this town

We call home

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

La la la

La la la

La

La la la

La la la la la la la

Whee!

Romania grinned, satisfied but slightly disturbed. Singing was not a specialty of his, after all. Granted, Numa Numa was an exception. He trotted up to Twilight Sparkle and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I have a question, Miss Sparkle."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"Do all ponies get random urges to sing?"

"..."

---

A/N: Again, I'm sorry this took so long, you guys! I wasn't in the mood to write a love chapter, so if you were looking forward to Canada and Fluttershy's date, I'm sorry! I plan to make it an omake at some point. About my last chapter, America apparently has the ability to become the superhero of his choice XD I couldn't resist. Thanks for reading, and please Review!

A/N: OMG, I'm so sorry you guys! I know I haven't updated this in a while, but a lot of stuff has been happening in my life, and I just couldn't find the creative spark to take this story any farther D: Fortunately, reading all your reviews made me realize how much you all want me to, and I couldn't leave you guys hanging, now could I? That's right, we're back on!

I do not own Hetalia, My Little Pony, or anything else used in this fanfiction, and I never will. *sadface* The only thing I own is my OCs.

As a bonus for being so patient with me, I give you, an extra-long chapter! I just hope it's extra-epic. Now, ENJOY!

---

The little gray filly folded her legs underneath her with a sigh. The journey hadn't been easy; it felt like she had been walking for days, weeks even, without rest, and even if she did have the energy, her wings were still too small for her to fly. She was small too, about as small as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and just like them, she didn't have her Cutie Mark yet. She had woken up long, long ago with nothing more than her horn, her wings, and her name. Compass Rose.

She had no clue as to what her destination was. Right now she was just looking for some friendly ponies that would give her shelter and a home. She curled up sadly, all alone in the small world that she knew. She'd rest here for tonight and continue her journey tomorrow.

After Nightmare Night, things had pretty much returned to normal in Ponyville, or at least as normal as things ever got with Pinkie Pie there. America, once again, had challenged Rainbow Dash to a race, and the two pegasi were currently zooming over Ponyville in yet another attempt to see who was the fastest. As it turns out, the only reason America lost in their first race was because he was still inexperienced. Now that he had gotten the hang of it, he could match the fastest flier in Equestria wingbeat for wingbeat. Poor Scootaloo didn't know whose side she was on.

Canada was in Fluttershy's cottage home, teaching the shy Pegasus how to care for Mr. Kumajiro properly. The two pegasi would blush, look away, and give a small smile whenever they caught each other's eye. The other countries' pets were also present, but since Kumajiro was Canada's, he was the one Fluttershy was the most interested in. As timid and gentle as Mathieu was, Fluttershy couldn't rid her mind's eye of him viciously attacking Nightmare Moon, as a full-grown, roaring, dangerous polar bear. How could her little Mathieu be a monster?

Yao, Ivan, and Zecora had long since disappeared back into the Everfree forest, giving a certain Frenchcolt all sorts of perverted, nosebleed inducing thoughts. And now you have them too. :D Contrary to the mental image now stuck in your brain, Yao and Zecora had gotten over their initial surprise at each other's ways, and were trading and cooking up many different remedies and potions together while Ivan, as always, watched creepily. Zecora and Yao were quite an unbeatable team; there didn't seem to be a disease in the world they couldn't cure that day. Ivan had been told of the way Zecora was treated when she first came to Ponyville, and now, he hoped that the countries could accept him for who he was, just like Zecora.

Francis, of course, was helping Rarity with her fashion designs and orders. While not a fashion expert himself, a fact which Rarity had been extremely disappointed at, he settled for being her model. Rarity had a blush on her face the entire time, which only deepened whenever Francis would wink at her or blow a kiss her direction. Pierre flew in circles overhead, carefully avoiding the gaze of Opalescence. Rarity greatly enjoyed Francis' company, though he could be a bit overbearing and overdramatic. Then again, she couldn't be one to talk. France didn't really care that he was technically a human, and Rarity was a pony. Francis acted normal, but…he had been with plenty of women, but Rarity…was different. Not just because she was a pony. He actually felt like he had to be with her, to protect her, to love her.

Antonio, Applejack soon found out, was a lot stronger than he looked. Of course, he wasn't as strong as Big Mac, nor was he as ridiculously powerful as Alfred. She had taken him to work at Sweet Apple Acres for the day so he could find something to do while he was here. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had taken an immediate liking to the Spaniard, and often pulled him away from Apple-bucking so he could play with them, though Antonio didn't seem to mind. After being questioned about it, he told Applejack that he liked kids, though he had none of his own. Applejack found that strange, seeing as he was cheerful, with a good personality and body…after thinking that, she promptly blushed and shook her head. She was not falling for the sexy earth pony, not falling for him at all.

Kiku was in Twilight Sparkle's library, teaching her about earth's geography in a calm, sensible manner while she feverishly took notes. After he had finished, she promptly filled him in about Equestria's history and lands, in which it was his turn to take notes. They continued on like this for a while. Afterwards, Kiku requested that he wanted to examine Spike. Twilight had stared at him incredulously before he explained that dragons were sacred to his people and he had never seen one before. While he took notes on Spike's words and behavior, Kiku was distracted. Equestria had to have a personification. He was sure of it.

Dimitri, strangely enough, had found another pony friend in Vinyl Scratch. The two of them were sitting in Vinyl Scratch's home, laughing away at the Numa Numa song as Dimitri taught her the finer points of the music. Vinyl's roommate, Octavia, had actually been quite smitten with him, but he had politely turned her down. Truth be told, he actually preferred Princess Luna's company to any other pony's, but she was a princess, and therefore couldn't spend much time with him. He respected that quietly. However, he was bored, and was silently pleading for Belarus to appear just to liven things up a bit.

Lovino had unwillingly been dragged by Pinkie Pie to Sugarcube Corner for part-time work with the Cakes. The grumpy Pegasus, to everyone's surprise, was a fantastic cook. He introduced them all to pasta and pizza, and had grudgingly requested for room to start growing a tomato garden so he could make more sauce. Since earth ponies were generally the ones with connections to the land and great agricultural skills, he had surprised everyone by being a Pegasus. Lovino was not happy. Granted, he usually wasn't happy, but this time it was for a different reason. Even here, people confused him with his brother. Even here, in a place where love was the key to success, his younger brother was more loved than he was.

Prussia, for some bizarro reason, was flying around with Derpy. He had been made fun of for his strange eyes, so he felt sympathy for her and decided to be her awesome friend for the day. To be honest, he was trying to figure out how she managed to fly in a straight line with her eyes like that. Whatever, this world was full of magical crap, so he just assumed it was another special pony thing. Gilbird twittered on his head the entire day, and often flew to Derpy to be pet. She loved the little yellow bird a lot.

That was each PONY'S general day. However, in the Canterlot statue garden, something dark and twisted stirred…

---

"Whoa! You're really good, Dash, especially since you're a chick." America panted, flopping down on a cloud as he called the race to a halt. Rainbow Dash hovered next to him.

"I'm not a chick, I'm a pony you weirdo!" She snickered, sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed breathlessly, adjusting his glasses.

"Nah, where I come from, 'chick' can also mean girl." He explained, panting helplessly as he lied down for a rest. It had come as a huge surprise the first time he did this and he didn't fall straight through. Once he had gotten over his initial shock, he had found the clouds to be exceptionally good beds. They were soft like cotton candy, fluffy and bouncy and sometimes warm from the sun's heat…he yawned, already feeling drowsy. He laid contentedly down for a quick nap.

"AMERICA!" A heavily accented, british voice shouted at him. America's sky blue eyes snapped open; that was Iggy's voice! He whirled around and stood straight up, his head whipping back and forth in an attempt to see the Englishman. How could Arthur be here? He had went home a while ago, so…did that mean he had come back?

"Artie, where are you bro?" America shouted, still looking left and right frantically while Rainbow Dash watched with a bemused expression. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the little, floating ball of light that was hovering right next to America.

"Git! I take the time and trouble to cast an interdimensional spell, only to find you napping on…is that a cloud? How the bloody hell are you not falling through?" Arthur's voice asked in disbelief. His tone was scolding, but America had heard it enough times to know that Arthur was happy to find him.

"It's kinda hard to explain, but pegasi have lighter bone structures, so we can walk around on clouds." Rainbow Dash told him. The ball of light almost seemed to nod.

"Ah, of course. Hello again, Miss Dash. Now, I actually cast this spell for an important reason."

"What is it, Artie? Do you need the hero's help?" America asked excitedly, puffing out his chest importantly and practically bouncing up and down in excitement. Rainbow Dash could almost HEAR the sound of England rolling his eyes.

"Maybe. You see, I managed to get back to our world with Ludwig and Feliciano, however…" The ball of light expanded and became a sort of television screen, revealing Arthur…still a unicorn. America's eyes widened and Rainbow Dash fell over laughing. Rolling around on the floor, roaring with laughter just like Rainbow Dash were four fully grown men, all of them with green eyes and hair ranging from dark red to strawberry blonde.

"Those your brothers, dude?" America asked, smirking. England nodded with a dejected sigh.

"Scotland's the one who's crying, Ireland is the loudest, Northern Ireland is on the floor, and Wales is the one who's gasping for air." He explained, gesturing vaguely with a hoof towards them. His eyes suddenly turned serious. "But you're missing the point here, America!" He tapped a hoof against his skull. "Think for a second. It'll come to you."

America thought for a moment; it looked like it was physically hurting him. England was a unicorn here in this dimension. He went home through some magic spell type thingy. He returned to his original dimension. But he was still a unicorn.

America's eyes widened as it came to him. He jumped up suddenly, wings flared out in anger and panic.

"Even if we go home, we stay ponies?!" He shouted, scaring the still laughing Rainbow Dash into falling off the cloud. She flew back up and glared at him angrily, but he paid her no mind as the horror raced through his brain. "Oh dude, imagine what Cuba and Mex are gonna say! They'll be laughing harder than your brothers, then they'll beat me up! Oh sweet Lady Liberty, the Middle East! They're gonna have a field day!" He panicked. England made several shushing noises.

"That's just it, America. The Middle Eastern countries are going crazy without you there. I've been holding them off as best I can for now, but I can only last so long against powerhouses like them." He turned so that his side was exposed, revealing several fresh scars. "You need to come home, America. Your people are scared, and without you there, there's no one to protect them."

"But even if I do come home, I'll still be a horse! A horse can't fight a war!" America protested. England glared, stamping his hooves angrily.

"Damn you, wanker! A Cutie Mark represents your special talent in life! Are you a hero or aren't you?!" England roared at him. America flinched, shrinking back. Rainbow Dash watched with wide eyes, her anger with America forgotten. Even England's brothers had stopped laughing and were watching the exchange with amusement and anticipation in their eyes. England got mad often, but the force behind his voice was something only America, Canada, France, and his brothers had ever seen. A voice that was powerful, brave, and commanding. After a while, America stood up.

"Thank you, England." He said quietly, dead serious for once in his life. England smiled. He knew America meant what he said. He may be an idiot at times, and other times just plain crazy, but when worst came to worst, America was the greatest person he knew. One of his prime ministers had once said, 'You can always count on Americans to do the right thing; after they've done everything else'. America was just about to fly off, when England stopped him.

"One more thing. When I returned with Germany and Italy, I found that Romania, Spain, and Romano were missing," He began, but America cut him off.

"They're here, dude. Romania's a black unicorn with strawberry blonde mane and tail, Spain is a red and yellow earth pony with a chocolate colored mane and tail, and Romano is a violet and brown Pegasus with a mane and tail the same color as Spain's. Romania's Cutie Mark is a bat flying against a red moon, Romano's is a tomato, and Spain's is a smiley face sun." America explained. England nodded.

"I'll leave you to the rest, then. Goodbye, Alfred; and goodbye to you as well, Miss Dash." England said, then the little TV was gone. America, without hesitation, turned and jumped off the cloud, flying faster than Rainbow Dash had ever seen him go.

"Where are you going?" She yelled at him, catching up quickly. He kept his gaze locked ahead as the two zoomed through the air.

"To Twilight's!" He replied. "A hero doesn't leave his people when they need him!" Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. He must really care about his citizens, for the sandy Pegasus had changed in a way she couldn't explain. He was serious, he was brave, he was determined…just like a hero would be.

---

Meanwhile, on Earth, Scotland teasingly poked his brother's flank and raised an eyebrow.

"Cutie Marks? Really?" He inquired. At that, the UK brothers promptly fell over laughing again, all except for England. He just shook his head in exasperation and trotted into the kitchen, searching around the cabinets for a beer. It was going to be a long day…

---

"You need to send me home!" America shouted, crashing through the library door, scaring poor Spike and Kiku half to death. The impact of his skull on the wooden door didn't seem to faze America at all, and he turned to Twilight.

"America, why do you need to go home in such a rush?" Japan asked confusedly. America turned away from Twilight Sparkle and began pacing irritably around the library.

"Because, England just sent me a spell/telegram message. As it turns out, even if we do go home, we stay ponies." America explained. Kiku sat back on his haunches and kneaded his forehead with his hoof.

"That can't be why you want to go home, though." Twilight pointed out, and America spun around, anger flaring in his eyes like a blue fire.

"Why I want to go home…" He snarled, and Twilight and Spike hurriedly took a step back. "Is because without me there to fight for them, my people are under attack from the Middle Eastern countries. England had been fighting for me, but he's hurt bad, and I can't leave him by himself! When I got here I was in the middle of a war, and now no one is there to command the troops! No one can protect my people! My whole country could fall within the week if I'm not there for them! And then I'd be gone!" He shouted, towering over the poor lilac unicorn.

"America." Kiku said, standing up suddenly. America snapped his head around towards the white unicorn. "You cannot yell at Twilight Sparkle for not understanding. It is not her fault we were sent here in the first place, so do not take your anger out on her. Leave her alone." He commanded. Spike's eyes darted nervously back and forth between the two countries. This was a side of them he had never seen before. America was dead serious and furious, and Japan was glaring right back at him, angry but staying calm.

Finally, America humphed and turned away from them all, facing the wall.

"Just send me home." He muttered. Twilight glanced nervously at Kiku, who sighed and nodded.

"I'll have to gather all the countries here first, just in case anyone else wants to go home." Twilight thought out loud, only for America to whirl back around, growling like an animal.

"That'll take too long! England needs help, now!" He yelled, stomping his hoof into the ground and creating a deep crater with his unnatural strength. He cursed and began to pace again. Kiku shared a worried glance with Twilight this time.

"I'll go get them." A voice said quietly, and Twilight's, Kiku's, and Spike's heads all turned to see Rainbow Dash poking her head nervously in the doorway, her eyes every so often glancing fearfully at America. Twilight nodded silently, and just as silently, Rainbow Dash flew away as fast as she could, away from the new, scary America.

Kiku turned his head back to his friend, his worry increasing with each passing moment. If America didn't control his anger, this entire town could be decimated. Not to mention…it happened to Italy that night in the statue garden, there was no saying it couldn't happen to America here. It probably would too, and if it did…Kiku almost shuddered involuntarily. He didn't know the spell England used to turn Italy back to normal.

Lovino was the first to fly in, as he was the closest to the library. Then Pinkie Pie, Dimitri, Francis, and Rarity soon followed. America was now shivering, his eyes flashing dangerously. Kiku was honestly scared now. 2p America was one of the worst ones of all.

America yelled in frustration when no more ponies appeared after a moment, rearing on his hind legs and slamming his hoof into the wall, making a huge hole. His mane was starting to turn dark brown, and Kiku knew that it was now or never.

"America, please, calm down before you destroy Ponyville." He pleaded, and America didn't seem to hear him, shuddering as he grew in size. His Cutie Mark was morphing, going from a golden star to a bloodied baseball bat, studded with nails. Kiku knew there was no hope now as everypony started backing away in fright. Romania and France started readying themselves for battle, Romania's fangs becoming longer and the France's fur turning dark green once again.

"Twilight! You must send him home now! Before he transforms into his 2p self completely!" He shouted, and Twilight nodded frantically, her horn glowing. The half 2p, half normal America was levitated into the air, twisting and writhing in pain as his whole being tried to fight against itself. With a bright flash of light, he was gone.

"We can only hope he went to the right dimension." Francis murmured as he turned himself back to normal. Dimitri snorted.

"I have faith in Twilight's magical abilities. I'm hoping he went home as normal America." He muttered as his fangs shrunk to regular size. Rarity and Pinkie Pie looked around with stunned eyes at the holes in the wall and floor America had made in his rage. Pinkie Pie's hair nearly deflated.

"I had no idea America was such a meanie pants." She noted. Kiku shook his head.

"He's not mean. He was under a lot of stressHe explained. China, Russia, Spain, Applejack, Prussia, Canada, and Fluttershy walked in slowly, observing the damage.

"What happened here?" Prussia asked in awe. Kiku shook his head, tired of explaining this again.

"America. England sent him a message saying that the Middle East was attacking him viciously, since he was fighting for America's citizens while he was gone. You know how protective America gets of his friends, and in his rage and hurry to go home, he nearly transformed into his 2p self." Rarity gasped and Canada shook his head. "I also have other grim news. If we go home as ponies, we stay ponies." Kiku said darkly, and the country's reactions were varied.

Russia's dark purple aura surrounded him once more as he frowned. China cursed and everypony gasped. Canada sighed and said a quiet 'maple' before hanging his head. Lovino, of course, let loose a string of curses and swears. Spain frowned as well, which somehow looked more terrifying on him than it did on Russia. Dimitri shrunk back, muttering angrily to himself. France just tossed his mane over his shoulder.

"I'm beautiful no matter what I look like, whether I am a pony or not." He said haughtily, cantering to Rarity and sitting down next to her with an air of finality. Prussia nodded, spreading his wings importantly.

"He's got a point. Even if I'm still a griffin, I'd still be just as awesome as always! So what should I care?" He boasted, and China rounded on him, eyes flashing dangerously.

"You may not care, but I do! How the hell do you expect me to- " Spain suddenly cut him off, looking around the room with wide eyes. His head was curiously swiveling back and forth, scanning all corners of the library.

"Amigos, if America went home, who appeared here?" He asked, and everypony was quiet. Russia and Romania were praying for two different things. Romania for Belarus, Russia for anyone other than Belarus. They all waited, trying to hear the telltale cry of confusion and panic they had all given when they had found out they were ponies. It never came. "…Does this mean no one else came here?" Spain finally wondered aloud.

"In any case, do any other countries want to go home while I still have the energy to perform this spell?" Twilight asked, and China stepped up.

"I've had enough, aru. It has been…well, not exactly fun, but I want to go home." He said confidently; his mind was made up. Russia pouted adorably and pulled the smaller unicorn towards him.

"You cannot leave Ivan, da? He still wants to play with you." The gray earth pony chuckled, nearly crushing Yao in his grip. China struggled to get away, but Ivan had an iron grip. He finally shouted out something he would regret. "I'll come back, aru!"

There was silence. Ivan looked down at Yao and gave him a one of a kind Russia grin.

"You'll come back, da? You go home, put things in order, and come back for Ivan. Or…you will become one with Mother Russia the hard way, da?" He laughed evilly, and China finally shoved himself away from Ivan, shaken but not willing to run away. Yao walked over to Twilight, looking out of the corners of his eyes at Ivan. Twilight, admittedly, was scared of Ivan as well, but concentrated hard on Yao, engulfing him in white light just like America had been. Yao gave one last terrified glance at Russia before disappearing in a bright flash.

This time, two new ponies had shown up in Yao's place. One was an earth pony, but it was hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl. Their coat was bubblegum pink, and their mane and tail was blonde. Their eyes were green, and it had an expression on its face that clearly said 'holy ****'. Its Cutie Mark was a phoenix surrounded by a wreath of flowers.

The other was clearly a boy Pegasus, however its wings were clipped, rendering it pitiful sight and an inability to fly. There were also several scars on its back; it looked like it had been beaten quite often. His coat was pale green, and his mane and tail were both brown. He was a bit taller than the other one, and his Cutie Mark was a chess king. Despite having kind green eyes, his expression clearly said 'Oh HELL no.'

"Oh my god, Liet! We're totally, like….ponies!" The first one said, bouncing up and down and practically exploding in excitement. Russia suddenly recognized the two.

"Lithuania! You did come back to me, da?" He said happily, walking over to the boy Pegasus and towering over him. Lithuania shrunk back, trying to hide behind his wings only to fail miserably, as he didn't have any long feathers to hide behind.

"Ponies, Liet! We're ponies!" The pink one shouted, their eyes bulging out of their sockets. Every country knew who this was; only one country would get so excited over being a pony.

"Hey Poland!" Spain greeted cheerfully and Romania lazily waved a hoof. Pinkie Pie bounced over to him.

"Are you a stallion or a mare?" She asked, turning her head to the side confusedly. Applejack face-hoofed; Pinkie Pie never was one for subtlety.

"I'm a stallion!" Poland announced proudly, actually looking in between his legs to make sure of this fact while Russia picked up poor Lithuania and gave him a bear hug.

"It is good to have my favorite toy here to play with." He said, and Lithuania shivered. Romania looked around in disappointment; no Belarus. He sighed, turning away from the new ponies and scuffing a hoof against the floor. He looked up suddenly, noticing something was very off here.

"Guys? Where did Prussia go?"

---

A/N: Mwahahaha, cliff hanger! I, for one, love pony Poland with a passion. It was just meant to be, you know? Can I ask you guys a favor? Tell me who you want to see pony-fied next with a review! Or you know, you can just review to tell me it was nice. Here are your options for the next new countries:

1: Austria and Hungary

2: Switzerland and Liechtenstein

3: Mexico and Scotland

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review and tell me what you thought! I'm so so sorry I haven't updated for a while, so can you guys forgive me? Pretty please? *puppy dog eyes*

Hasta la pasta~!

A/N: Sup, readers? I feel honored you're still reading this, really I do. Finally, some action once again in this chapter. The fun starts here!

For those of you that don't know, Lithuania's human name is Toris and Poland's is Feliks.

WARNING: There will be blood in this one. I dunno if there's enough to really count it as 'gore', but there's enough for some freaky mental images. Just lettin' ya know.

Oh, another thing. At a small request in one of the reviews, there's bits of Spamano friendship fluff towards the end there. Again, if you don't like that, I'm sorry, but I aim to please all my reviewers. :)

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing used in this fanfiction besides my OCs.

Enjoy!

---

The countries and ponies soon dispersed, mostly just to keep an eye on Feliks and to make sure he wouldn't explode from pure happiness. Only Kiku, Dmitri, Toris, and Twilight remained in the Ponyville Library now. The three unicorns were using their magic to repair the damage Alfred had caused, while Toris cleaned the splinters of wood and other small debris. Twilight couldn't stop staring with horror at the scars that crisscrossed Toris' back. The poor olive green Pegasus was trembling almost uncontrollably, and he kept glancing out the windows as though terrified something would suddenly jump up and attack him.

Still, they managed to work together in harmony; Kiku was explaining to Toris about Equestria, and about the way of life for pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies. Dmitri was talking animatedly to Twilight about vampires, and she listened with interest.

"And one time, Alfred walks up to me and asks why I don't sparkle. I'm confused, so I ask him what he's talking about, right? He hands me this repulsive book –which, interestingly enough, was called Twilight- and I read it like the idiot I was. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever had the misfortune to read, a fost o rusine oribil la vampiri! I walked right back to him and kicked Alfred's-" Kiku cut Dmitri off, sensing a Romanian-style rant coming on.

"I think we're done." He interrupted smoothly, and the four ponies stepped back to admire their handiwork, exhausted but happy that the library was sufficiently repaired. Before any of them could say anything else, there was a loud ka-boom! They all hurried to the window and peered out to see a strange cloud of shimmering pink sparkles and they heard loud, Polish exclamations of glee. Toris sighed.

"That was Feliks." He noted, looking at the cloud with a resigned yet amused look, like he was quite used to this but didn't exactly enjoy it happening. "I'll go see if I can calm him down….I-I'm usually the only one who can…" Toris said quietly yet exasperatedly. He stood upright on his back legs and flapped his wings, or what remained of them anyways. He quickly remembered their state and stopped, lowering his head in embarrassment. "Oh…r-right…" He murmured, before walking slowly out the door with his ears drooped in sadness, closing it softly with a small click behind him.

Twilight stared with a mix of pity, wonder, and fear swirling in her eyes. Kiku, reading the atmosphere and sharing her feelings of pity, walked over to her. Dmitri, being surprisingly sensitive and serious, did the same.

"…Ivan." Kiku said finally. Twilight looked up at him; he had said the name with fear and revulsion, as though Ivan was something disgusting he found at the back of his fridge.

"What about Ivan?" Twilight asked as Dmitri scuffed his hoof against the floor again. Kiku's normally calm, brown eyes were burning with dislike, a frightening look for him.

"Ivan did that to Toris. Ivan gave him those scars and if I had to guess, he's also the one who clipped his wings." Kiku explained fiercely, spitting the words out like it pained him to even think of Ivan. Twilight stared at him in horror, then turned her gaze to the door that Toris had left through.

"…B-But why would he do that? Toris seems so gentle…" Twilight stammered, looking back at the two older unicorns for answers. Dmitri chuckled darkly and Kiku looked away.

"Because that's Ivan's idea of fun. You heard him call Toris his toy, didn't you? That's all other people are to him; playthings. It doesn't matter who you are, as long as Ivan sees you as weaker than him, you're his." Dmitri spat, and Twilight gasped. "You also saw the way he clung to Yao. Yao and Toris are his favorites; he stalks Yao all the time, trying to get him to come out and 'play'." Dmitri tried to make air quotes when he said the word 'play', but he had no fingers.

"He's a beast, Twilight. No one likes him, and not even his own sisters can control him. He'll never have friends because of what he did to Toris, and what he's still doing to Yao. You heard Arthur say that Ivan's mind broke a long time ago; I honestly think it never was there." Kiku hissed. Twilight hung her head.

It was true that when she first came to Ponyville, she didn't think friends were all that important. But now she couldn't imagine her life without them; how could Ivan go his entire life without any friends? If Ivan was as horrible and fearsome as they say he was, even she didn't think she'd be able to be around him for too long. Ivan could be a threat to Equestria if what they were saying was true. They had to control him somehow.

"I grew up around monsters, Twilight. And Ivan is one, the only true one I know." Dmitri said, staring into her eyes with fire and hatred in his.

None of them noticed it had started raining. Nor did they notice the open window. Or the two amethyst eyes watching them, filling with tears.

Ivan turned and ran.

---

A beast…never have friends…true monster…no one likes him…These whispers circled around in Ivan's skull, tormenting him as he fled Ponyville. Rain poured from the sky onto him, soaking him to the very bone and helping his tears in obscuring his vision. His scarf flew behind him as he thundered, thundered away from Ponyville, away from the library where he heard that horrible conversation. His heart popped out of him again, and was now sitting outside the library, alone and forgotten in the pouring rain.

Ivan ran; he ran and he ran and he ran, far away and deep into the Everfree Forest, carrying those whispers with him. So filled with hatred, so filled with disgust those whispers were, and they would not let him be no matter how hard or far he ran. He finally stopped in a large clearing full of swaying green grass, and beautiful wild flowers in all colors of the rainbow. But Ivan didn't notice.

The ice that surrounded his heart hardened as Ivan's face slowly morphed into a terrible, sadistic grin. Why would he want to have friends anyways? Friends are for the weak who can't do things by themselves. He didn't need friends. He just needed people to become one with Mother Russia.

He really should go back there and make them become one. His grin grew wider as his old aura surrounded him. His pipe would be stained red today; red with the blood of the ponies who insulted him. And afterwards, some vodka. Beating them all into oblivion, his gray coat and his mane dyed scarlet, the warm salty taste on his tongue, the very thought of it made him shiver in excitement.

That's what he'll do then. He'll wreak carnage across this whole country if he has to. But they will take back what they said. And everyone would be friends, because no one would be able to argue.

The still human part of his heart, the small glowing candle light in the middle of all that ice whispered to him.

But Ivan…don't you want friends who are alive?

Ivan ignored it, that grin never leaving his face as he turned back towards Ponyville, howling wind whipping the ends of his scarf back and forth and lightning illuminating his figure as thunder roared its approval of him. He began walking back to Ponyville, taking his slow, sweet time as he thought about all the fun things he would do to the ponies. He's never had a chance to make a horse become one, but it'll have to do for now.

"You fool." A voice said, and Ivan stopped, his pipe appearing in his mouth as he scoured the surrounding forest for the speaker. A figure appeared in front of him, a tall horse-shaped one, but with the pouring rain and wind blowing his mane in his eyes, Ivan couldn't see anything distinguishable about him.

"Get out of my way." Ivan stated coldly, his purple eyes boring into the pony in front of him. The figure shook his head. "Who are you?" Ivan asked instead after a few moments of staring at this strange new pony who dared to refuse him a request. Somehow, a wide grin could be seen through the wind and rain.

"I'm a friend." Those words nearly made Ivan drop his pipe. He stared at the newcomer again, this time with disbelief. Who would want to be his friend? Ivan smiled; maybe his new friend would want to help him make more friends!

"If you are my friend, you will move out of the way, maybe even help me make more friends." Ivan said with a grin, but the stranger shook his head, making Ivan's smile drop just a bit.

"I can't do that." He replied, planting his hooves firmly into the ground as though to fix himself there. Ivan's smile returned, wider this time. As if standing up straight will make him immovable.

"If you will not move, then you will play with me." Ivan laughed before raising his pipe against the night sky and bringing it down upon the stranger's head. Again and again, Ivan smashed the strange pony into a bloody mess of bone and tissue on the grass, laughing the entire time with glee and madness dancing in his eyes. Finally, after he was splattered in so much blood he couldn't tell his coat's original color, Ivan stopped, panting wildly and giggling insanely. "That was fun, da?"

The entire time, the strange made no move to resist Ivan's beating. He never once fought back. That made it a little less fun for Ivan, but he wasn't really complaining. It's a lot more fun when they scream, isn't it? Ivan snorted and began the trek back to Ponyville, taking care to walk on the splattered mess. His head was cocked to the side in almost cat-like playfulness, but that insane grin never left his face.

"You really are a monster." The corpse spoke to him. Ivan stopped, eyes wide, and slowly turned back to the mess. Streams of scarlet blood were beginning to mix with the mud created by the rain, creating wonderful rivers of color that trailed to and from the body. Bone was exposed in some places, smashed in others, all of it bent at horrible, unimaginable angles. Tissue was torn and ripped, hanging out of the pony's torn open stomach. There was no way they would have survived; yet they were talking to him, still.

"…What?" Ivan swallowed, backing away slowly as terror gripped him.

"A monster. This right here is why you will never have friends, Ivan. As soon as someone says no, you kill them. That's all you know how to do, is kill. What place does a monster have in the world?" There was an ominous silence as Ivan's eyes began to fill with tears again. He looked down at his hooves in misery.

"LOOK AT ME, IVAN BRAGINSKI. DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" The voice suddenly roared, making Ivan jump and cower in fear, staring at the bloody pile of bone and skin. The pile he had created. He was a monster. No normal person could do that. No normal person would enjoy it. Ivan felt sick.

"YOU HAVE MURDERED AN INNOCENT PONY, ONE WHO WANTED TO BE FRIENDS WITH A CREATURE LIKE YOU. YOU ARE A TRUE MONSTER, IVAN." Ivan sobbed, shaking his head furiously.

"No…no I'm not…I didn't mean to…" He cried. He looked at his own hooves with horror, seeing the color of blood staining them. He had done this. He had murdered his new friend. NO! Ivan fell to the ground, sobbing as the wind roared and rain battered him constantly. But the voice wasn't done.

"YES YOU DID. AND YOU WERE GOING TO DO IT TO MORE INNOCENT PONIES, YOU BEAST. YOU HAVE NO PLACE HERE."

You're a monster.

Ivan threw his pipe to the side and ran once more, crying and shaking as he made his way farther into the forest where nopony would find him. Where hopefully, he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again. The trees reached towards him like skeletal, black arms, scratching his coat and tearing great rips in his scarf. Frost formed wherever he stepped, blazing a clear white trail through the forest.

Tears blurred his vision, and more than once, Ivan hit a low-hanging tree branch as he ran. He sobbed, gasping for breath as the monster side of him fought to escape. He shook his head, crying and howling in misery as tears, rain, snow, and blood made a puddle under his hooves. He suddenly tripped over a tree root, but he didn't care as he fell face-first into the forest floor, trembling and horrified of himself.

He covered his face with his hooves, crying as the hole in his chest seemed to pulse angrily, making him yelp in pain in addition to sorrow. He threw his head back and screamed in misery, but his yell was unheard through the howling wind and roaring thunder. He curled up on the floor, all alone and terrified, wishing for someone, anyone, to bring him home and take his pain away.

---

I don't want to be a monster.

But I am.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for existing.

---

Compass Rose watched the whole scene from the shrubbery that lined the edge of the clearing. It was safe from the wind and rain at least, even though it wasn't comfortable. Her lime green eyes watched the big gray pony slaughter the other one, laughing while he did it. She couldn't hear exactly what was going on over the wind and thunder, but the gray one then fell to his knees, his sorrow etched clearly onto his face. He then turned and ran.

Compass Rose watched it all. She said nothing as bone was crushed like crackers, as organs were torn, as blood sprayed from the body like crimson mist. In retrospect, she probably should have done something to help the pony getting killed, but she felt more sympathy for the big gray one with the hole in his chest. He looked so sad once he was done…

---

Pinkie Pie bounced toward the library, an unconscious Feliks slung over her back and Gummy resting on her head. Poor Feliks had fainted from sheer pony overload. Toris walked beside her, head held low as though he was trying not to be seen. Pinkie Pie looked up at the sky and frowned suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the clouds. When she suddenly stopped, Toris almost crashed into her but she didn't move.

"W-What are you looking at, Pinkie…?" Toris asked quietly, looking up at the sky as well. He noticed the teams of pegasi trying to eradicate the gathering storm clouds but having no luck, as their efforts to stop the storm seemed to make it rage even more. Most of the ponies were inside at this point, sheltering themselves from the elements of nature.

"There wasn't any rain on schedule today…" Pinkie answered after a moment or two, her eyes never leaving the sky. "And the pegasi teams are trying to get rid of it…" The Pinkie sense suddenly slammed into her, making her shiver almost as bad as Toris. "Something's wrong."

"Hey, w-wait up!" Toris called weakly, galloping after Pinkie, who took off like a bullet towards the library. He knew most of the other countries were already gathered there, but what could Pinkie be talking about? All he really knew was that the pegasi controlled the weather, and the Everfree Forest is the only place where clouds move on their own. He managed to walk into the library not to long after Pinkie Pie, shaking himself like a dog to get rid of the water.

"W-Where did Pinkie Pie go?" He wondered, not seeing the familiar poof of magenta hair anywhere inside the library. But wait, he could see her moving around outside one of the windows, moving around the bushes like she was looking for something. He cautiously put his hooves on the windowsill and poked his head out. "Pinkie? W-What are you doing?"

"I thought I saw something, so I'm looking for it. It looked shiny and important. Ah! Here it is!" She exclaimed with triumph, turning to him and holding something in her mouth. Toris looked at it and backed away, backed all the way into the wall, yelping in fear. "What?"

Most of the other countries and ponies had noticed Toris' strange behavior and were plodding over to him as Pinkie climbed back in the window and shut it behind her.

"Toris? What's wrong?" Kiku asked concernedly. Toris shakily pointed a hoof at the item in Pinkie Pie's mouth. Everypony's gaze traveled towards it and the countries all gasped/sighed/made an 'ew' face.

"T-That's Ivan's! I-It's his heart!" Toris yelled, obviously terrified of the object.

"His heart?" Twilight asked, levitating a pair of tongs and plucking the object out of Pinkie's mouth. As the ponies looked at it, the Mane Six couldn't help but notice it was so…small. It was a sad little thing.

"It pops out of him sometimes, whenever he's feeling a really strong emotion." Kiku explained.

"But why would it be outside the library? A really strong emotion…" Twilight's eyes widened as she realized what that meant. "Oh no, do you think he heard our conversation?" She covered her mouth with her hoof as she realized how Ivan must have felt. Antonio gently put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and he smiled brightly.

"Don't worry, chica. If he did hear you say bad things about him, you would have been dead right then. But you're alive now, and he's not here, so you don't have to worry, si?" He asked comfortingly.

"He's right, as much as I hate saying that." Lovino grumbled. Pinkie Pie stared at the small heart floating in front of her, lost in thought. How would it feel to have your heart just pop out of your chest? That would be really embarrassing, not to mention kind of weird…Hmm…

"Shouldn't we go and look for Ivan?" She wondered aloud, and everypony quickly shook their heads 'no'. "Well, why not?"

"He's a demon in pony form. I want nothing more to do with him, and if he's decided to run away, it's fine with me because at least he's not here." Kiku snorted, turning away from her. "What's more important is where Gilbert went off to…has anypony seen him at all since Feliks and Toris arrived?" Kiku asked, and again, everypony shook their heads. "Great…"

"Why are you all being so mean?!" Pinkie suddenly shouted, surprising everypony greatly and making them all jump. Pinkie's hair was completely deflated and she was glaring at them, worrying the Mane Six more than it worried the countries. "Poor Ivan is lost all alone out there without friends! How can you just turn your backs on him like that? Aren't you his friends?" She cried.

"…No. We're not his friends. Do you see what happens to his 'friends'?" Kiku asked, pointing a hoof at the still-shaking Toris. "I could really care less about Ivan. Gilbert is the one we're worried about now." He then turned away from her, levitating a piece of parchment and a quill towards him with his magic. "What I'm really worried about is if Germany-san ever finds out we managed to lose his older brother…"

Pinkie Pie looked desperately at her friends for help, but they weren't looking at her, and if they did glance back, it would be with pity. Pinkie sat down heavily on the floor of the library and struggled not to cry.

Pinkie is the only pony who honestly has a 'dark' side, but Pinkamena only appeared whenever she was lonely or angry. She knew what it was like to be judged just by past actions; she was the only one who did. Ivan seemed creepy and big and scary, but she was the only pony who seemed to be able to see past that. How would it feel to have no friends, ever? To have people look at you and flee in terror instead of smiling in welcome?

"I-If you won't go look for him…" Pinkie Pie said slowly, looking up at Ivan's little heart with determination burning in her fierce blue eyes. She suddenly jumped, snatching the heart out of the air and landing with it in her mouth. "…then I will!"

"Pinkie, you can't! Not in this weather, at least." Twilight tried to reason with her friend, but it was no use. Once Pinkie has her mind made up, it's incredibly difficult to stop her.

"Ivan's out there and he's fine." Pinkie pointed out coldly, glaring once more at Twilight.

"Ivan's a lot stronger than you, Pinkie dear. And besides, do you not see what happened to poor Toris? We just don't want that to happen to you." Rarity spoke up, Francis standing calmly by her side. "Francis dear, what do you think?"

"…I think…Ivan is definitely a monster, but if Pinkie Pie wants to give it a shot, she can." He said after a few moments, making Rarity stutter in protest. Francis ignored her for once, staring curiously at Pinkie Pie.

"She could be killed! Francis, what are you thinking?" Rarity asked, horrified that her special somepony would willingly let her friend chase after Ivan in a terrible storm. Francis sighed and took her face in his hooves, gazing fondly into her ice-blue eyes.

"Mademoiselle, I understand your concern for Pinkie. But I'm letting her go because I am a country; I know that sometimes, miracles do happen. Remind me sometime to tell you the story of Beauty and the Beast." He said calmly. "And I think out of all of us, Pinkie has the best chance of surviving."

"I…" Rarity swallowed, looking back into his eyes before taking a few deep breaths and calming down. She turned back to Pinkie Pie. "Oh fine, if you want to get all dirty and get your mane mussed up, you go ahead. But if you do get in trouble, you come straight back here, okay?"

"That's right. Even though we don't agree with you, we're still your friends. We'll be in here if you need us." Fluttershy added softly, and Mathieu smiled at her, nuzzling his nose against hers affectionately. Fluttershy blushed and rested her head on his neck in return. Of course, Francis had to ruin the moment.

"You've grown up so fast, Mathieu!" He sobbed, tackle-hugging the poor Pegasus to the floor. Mathieu squeaked and gave a small 'maple' before pushing the older pony off of him.

Pinkie Pie looked around in awe at her friends, who one by one, smiled at her and hugged her. Her mane popped back to normal as she glowed with happiness, knowing that she still had her friends on her side, even if they weren't right next to her.

A bright light filled the room suddenly, and everypony bowed, knowing what it meant. The towering form of Princess Celestia appeared as it dimmed, and everypony stood up straight as the Princess spread her wings importantly.

"Ponies, I have grave news." She began grimly, and each pony gave an internal groan. With Gilbert missing, Ivan on the loose and angry, and no way to get home, they didn't really think they could take any more bad news.

"Discord's statue has disappeared." The princess finished, making the Mane Six gasp in fear.

"B- But how is that possible? We sealed him in stone!" Twilight panicked, starting to pace around the library. Kiku and Dmitri, being the only ones who knew of Discord and his legacy, groaned and either face-hoofed or turned and smacked their head into the wall repeatedly.

"Asta e doar ceea ce am nevoie…" Dmitri muttered, removing his head from the wall. The princess raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and he took the cue to elaborate further on his statement. "Gilbert's gone missing as well. Not to mention the Ivan problem…"

"Ivan? What about him?" The princess asked and Kiku dropped an ear in embarrassment.

"Well, Ivan is one of the strongest countries of all, and earlier today…we may have made him angry. Ivan is a monster, angry or not, and now we can't find him either…I think it's safe to say we're afraid for our lives, princess."

"Ivan's the one who gave Toris his scars, Princess. I don't think he's a pony we want to mess with." Twilight explained timidly, gesturing towards Toris, who blushed in embarrassment and tried to hide behind Antonio. Celestia's eyes widened when she realized what that meant, but shook her head.

"Discord escaping is our biggest problem at the moment. Luna and I have been doing some history research, and we are ninety percent sure Equestria has a personification as well. Your top priority at this point is to find them and bring them to Canterlot for protection." Celestia ordered, her horn glowing as she summoned the Elements of Harmony and placed them on the Mane Six. "I want you to have these on you at all times, just in case. I've cast a protective spell on them, so Discord can no longer take them using his powers."

"Thank you, princess." Twilight said, bowing low in return. The other Mane Six and the countries bowed as well.

"You must find Equestria, girls. Once she is brought to Canterlot safely, Discord must be stopped once again. Go now, and know that the fate of Equestria rests on the outcome of this mission." Princess Celestia commanded.

"So, you know, no pressure." Dmitri chuckled, and Twilight shot him a scandalizing look, but the Princess smiled. Still, Twilight turned back to the princess and saluted, as did the countries, including Dmitri. Then they all turned and left, running out of the Ponyville Library into the rain.

As they left, Princess Celestia couldn't help but notice that Kiku and Francis had something strange about them. The ability to see another pony's aura was a natural ability for princesses and other royalty, and is what gave her the insight that Twilight could have been an Element of Harmony even before Nightmare Moon's return. That was one of the reasons she took on Twilight Sparkle as her personal student, and why she knew that Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were the ones Twilight needed to befriend.

The auras of the countries were very similar to the Elements of Harmony's. Could they be…new Elements?

---

After mindless hours of searching, in which the weather finally, finally turned from stormy to patchy skies, they had found nothing. The sun weakly peered out from behind gray clouds, but it was enough for them. Feliks had awoken soon after they had started their search, and now he flopped down on the ground in exhaustion.

"Like, we've been searching for like, hours. I'm totally tired." He sighed, propping himself up on his elbows as he flipped his mane over his shoulder. Toris sat down beside him, with the rest of the countries doing the same. They were at Fluttershy's cottage, having searched the entirety of Ponyville and Cloudsdale and finding nothing.

"We can't give up already. Equestria is huge; the only known borders we have are with Gargora and the Dragon Territories." Twilight explained. "Plus the ocean to the north and the island chains on shore." Using her magic, she summoned a map of Equestria for the countries that were paying attention to look at.

"This is Equestria here." She pointed at a large, sun-shaped mass about the size of Mexico on the map. "Over here…" She added, moving her hoof to the east over to another country. "…is Gargora, the Griffon country. And to the southeast is a large cluster of several independent dragon states." She finished, pointing to the country which was about the size of Russia.

"And to the north of Equestria is an ocean with several chains of islands. And beyond that, we don't know. Equestria could be anywhere." She finished, drooping her head in tiredness, but almost immediately she shook it off and stood up straight. There was no way she could give up now, not when she just started! The princess was counting on her!

"I like, know that this is important and all, but can't we like, totally take a nap first?" Feliks whined. Toris shook his head with that same small, resigned smile he always seemed to have whenever Feliks said something. Because the scars on his back still caused him pain when he walked, Toris often had to take small breaks when they were searching.

"Fine, I guess we can take a small break." Twilight finally relented, using her magic to make the map disappear with a small 'poof'.

"Finally!" Lovino huffed, flopping down on the ground. Everypony knew he wasn't really tired, he just wanted attention. Still, Antonio smiled and lied down next to him, cuddling close and making Lovino turn red in the face and jump up. "Bastard, what the f*** are you doing?!"

"Oh come on, Lovi~ Don't you want to cuddle with the boss like you did when you were little?" Antonio teased/pleaded. Lovino stuttered angrily, blushing hard.

"I never-! You know that's a lie, bastard!" Lovino yelled, fluttering his wings in agitation.

"I think you're the liar here, Lovi!" Antonio giggled, and everypony but Lovino giggled too. Lovino sighed, rubbing his temples with his hooves. He could only handle so much fluffiness before he snapped; he was close to edge enough as it was. He just decided, that for once in his life, he would just do what Antonio said. He lied down on the dirt road by Antonio, who immediately snuggled closer. Lovino rolled his eyes, but said nothing, making Antonio glance at him worriedly.

"Lovino…" Antonio started, deciding to talk to Lovino. Something had been eating at his little tomate recently; something was bugging him. "…you know, you can always talk to me about anything, right?" Lovino sighed, making sure that nopony was paying attention to the two anymore. Once satisfied that no one was looking at them or overhearing, he put his head in between his hooves and looked up at the red colt before him with sad, amber eyes.

"It's just that…well, everyone here always talks about love and tolerance. Yet even in this place, Feli gets more attention than me. I'm just sick of always being second place. Even at World Meetings, he's Italy and I'm just Romano. I'm Italy too….I just wish others would see that…" He whispered, hastily wiping away a few tears before Antonio or anypony else could notice. Antonio listened intently; it wasn't often Lovino dropped the mask of aggression and curses and showed his real self; the self that just wanted to be loved, the self that was always pushed to the side.

Antonio wrapped the smaller Pegasus in a gentle hug, which Lovino hesitantly returned.

"You just remember this; I've always liked you more than I've liked Feli, Lovino. So if you ever need something, I'm here, okay?" Antonio murmured quietly into Lovino's ear. Lovino almost started crying again. At least Spain loved him for who he was. Even if it wasn't perfect, it was a start. Lovino settled for a tighter hug and a muttered "…bastard…" Antonio pulled away and chuckled.

"Lovi~ Your face is all red! You look like a little tomato!" He laughed, poking Lovino's cheek just like he used to when Lovi was still little. Lovino pushed his hoof away, but he was smiling. Antonio smiled too. Lovino's was a small smile; but it was enough.

"Guys, we should at least check the Everfree Forest before we officially close down." Dmitri pointed out, prodding Feliks –who was falling asleep- with a hoof. Feliks opened his eyes and glared, but Dmitri brushed it off. Everypony got to their hooves, turning towards the dark forest. Ivan still hadn't appeared, and that's where everypony assumed he would be, so they weren't really looking forward to this. Pinkie Pie was still clutching his heart in her hooves.

"He's right. We can stop at Zecora's and ask to spend the night with her if we don't find anything. But remember ponies, once we step into that forest, we can't turn back. There'll be no backing out from this point on. So if any countries want to go home, now's your chance." Twilight said, moving to the front of the group and lighting up her horn in preparation for the spell. Kiku stepped forward.

"As much as it pains me to leave Equestria now in its hour of need, I must return home and make sure my country can survive without me. I will return as soon as possible." He stated calmly, and Lovino slowly crept forward.

"I…" He swallowed nervously. "I need to go home and…apologize to Feli. I haven't been the best brother to him and that's my fault alone…I need to make things right with him. And…" It looked like this part was physically paining him to say. "I g-guess I'll apologize to the potato bastard too…"

Twilight nodded, understanding both the countries' needs and began to cast the spell, enveloping both ponies in white light. Dmitri watched with an amused grin; he knew that everypony else was wondering who was going to appear. His money was still on Belarus; they'd be able to find Ivan within an hour. When the light died down, Twilight wiped the sweat off her forehead and checked out the two newcomers.

One was a slightly small Earth pony with a dark green coat and a blonde, shaggy mane and tail. There was a white hat on his head, silver dog tags around his neck, and his Cutie Mark was a white plus sign. His face very, very clearly said 'W.T.F.'

The unicorn next to him was about Sweetie Belle's size and was as old as she was too, with a lavender coat and her mane cut in the same way as the older pony next to her, but she had a purple ribbon tied in her mane. Her Cutie Mark was a bouquet of flowers, tied with the same purple ribbon. Her expression was one of polite confusion.

Dmitri, seeing that it was not Belarus, dramatically fell to his knees, raising his arms in the air and shaking his fists at the sky.

"NOOO!" He wailed, and everypony rolled their eyes, with Applejack kicking him roughly. The green pony snarled, pawing at the ground and gently pushing the lavender unicorn filly behind him protectively.

"Who are you?" He growled, and Spain cantered over jovially, completely forgetting what this pony's temperament was.

"Hola, Vash~ And hola to you too, Lili-" Before he could say another word, he found the barrel of a gun shoved in his face. Spain chuckled nervously, going cross-eyed to keep the gun in sight. "Um…lo siento?" Vash, as he was called, was standing on his hind legs and holding the large gun in his forelegs, somehow managing to curl his hoof around the trigger.

"You're not a unicorn! How did you make that appear?" Twilight gasped, almost running over before she remembered the situation Antonio was in. Vash turned his head to glare at her and the little unicorn, Lili, peeked nervously at Twilight.

"Big brother…? I don't think they're going to hurt us…" She said timidly, and Vash sighed, clicking his gun and somehow making it disappear. Twilight and Rarity were very confused; how could an Earth pony do that? Still, Vash quickly looked over Antonio with suspicion before realizing exactly who he was.

"Spain? Is that you?" He finally asked and Spain smiled widely.

"Vash! You're the last person I'd expect to see here." He laughed, making Vash glare at him.

"Don't make me pull out the gun again." He threatened. Twilight and the other Mane Six inched closer to him. Lili seemed friendly enough, but looked to be too shy to approach on her own. Vash was scary, no doubt about it, but not Ivan-scary, just grumpy-scary. Dmitri had gotten back on his hooves.

"I never thought I'd say this, but damn, you look adorable as a pony, Vash." He commented lightly, only to find another gun in his face. "Honestly, is the gun the answer to everything?" He muttered, keeping a wary eye on it. Vash would threaten, but he wouldn't shoot unless he really had to. Vash was the best shot out of all the countries, and most of the time when he did shoot, it missed on purpose. He was the country of neutrality; he wouldn't directly attack another nation.

"He's right, big brother…you are kind of cute…" Lili giggled, and Vash blushed a bit, but he put away the gun. Exactly where he put it, we'll never know, though Twilight is determined to find out.

"Hello there, my name is Fluttershy…" Fluttershy said timidly, standing close to Mathieu who kept a close eye on both her and Vash, making sure he didn't pull out the gun on her. The Mane Six all introduced themselves and stared expectantly at Vash, waiting for him to do the same. He sighed.

"Alright, fine. My name is Vash Zwingli, personification of Switzerland. This is my little sister, Lili Zwingli." He huffed, gently nudging her forward with his nose. She smiled and waved politely. Pinkie Pie gasped, remembering Lovino mentioning Vash once while he was baking in Sugarcube Corner.

"Switzerland? That means you're the country with lots of chocolate!" She squealed, pointing an excited hoof at him and then bouncing in circles excitedly. Ivan's heart was stored safely in her mane for now. Vash sighed and face-hoofed.

"Everyone automatically assumes that one, don't they? Actually, while my chocolate is good, Belgium's is better." He pointed out. That didn't stop Pinkie Pie from bouncing all over the place and giving him a headache. Everypony quickly gave Vash and Lili a brief overview of what was happening so far, and seeing as how they really had nowhere else to go, they had to follow them on their journey.

What the ponies didn't know was that Ivan was closer than they thought.

---

After the weather had let up and he had stopped crying, Ivan began to dream. He dreamt of sunshine and a lovely field of sunflowers, all of them in full bloom and their faces turned towards the sun. He dreamt of his sisters, how much he missed them, even Belarus. He dreamt of Yao. Though that was probably a hallucination. Because there was no was Yao could be walking toward him right now. Yao went home, didn't he?

Ivan sat up, shaking the grass and dirt from the forest floor out of his coat as Yao kept walking, a bouquet of sunflowers in his mouth. Ivan was so confused right now, but he was welcoming. He wanted to go home and say he was sorry to Yao, but he couldn't. It was a hallucination, an illusion. The illusion stopped in front of Ivan, cocking its head to the side.

"Why were you crying?" It asked. Ivan sniffled a bit, remembering exactly what he had done in vivid detail. Dried blood still matted down patches of his fur and his scarf.

"Because I am a horrible person. I killed somepony…" He replied. Yao blinked.

"You are not a bad person, Ivan. You just never knew how to make real friends. Besides…" Yao handed him the sunflowers, smiling widely at him. "…you may not have friends now, but it's never too late to try, right? You still have your family. You just need to learn how to make friends, aru." And with that, the hallucination hugged Ivan and disappeared, leaving Ivan with a warm feeling inside. Some of the ice around his heart was melting, he could feel it as the little candlelight grew bigger, warming him comfortingly.

Ivan stood up, turning around with a determined look in his eyes. He squared his shoulders and began to walk back towards Ponyville. He had probably been hallucinating from the lack of food and the coldness of the freezing rain, but it had a point.

It was never too late to try.

---

The group of ponies entered the Everfree forest, Fluttershy and Rarity sticking close to their special someponies and Lili was holding onto Vash's tail with her mouth, following him obediently. Dmitri was explaining something about Dracula to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who had taken an interest in the mythical being.

"It's a great book, really, it's just that America and his stupid TWILIGHT had to ruin the reputation for vampires everywhere! Don't ever, ever read that book, you'll lose brain cells just by reading the first page." He snorted, and Rainbow Dash laughed. "I'll find you a copy sometime of the original Dracula, you can borrow it if you want to." While most of the ponies were focused on the mission princess Celestia gave them, Pinkie Pie was still concerned with the fate of Ivan.

She had taken his heart out of her mane and was holding it in her mouth again, her head swiveling back and forth, looking intently for its owner. With every step the group took, it seemed to get a little bigger and a little brighter in color. It was odd. Suddenly, the group broke through the line of trees into a beautiful field of swaying, green grass and wildflowers in every color of the rainbow. Lili gasped excitedly, her little eyes growing wide.

"It's beautiful…" She said, gazing out longingly. Toris stumbled over to Twilight, barely managing to keep on his feet.

"C-Can we take another break? I'm sorry…b-but my back is really hurting…" He stammered, flapping his little stubby wings half-heartedly. Twilight nodded, smiling kindly at him and sitting down in the grass.

"Guys? We've got trouble…" Rainbow Dash warned, pointing at something on the other end of the field. Something large and gray.

Ivan was heading towards them.

---

A/N: Da da dun! So yeah, you like? :3 Switzerland and Liechtenstein won the poll, so here they are!

Oh, what Dmitri says is Romanian for 'a horrible disgrace to all vampires!' and 'that's just what we need…' I'm sorry if the translation is off, I had to use Google to translate.

For those of you who voted for Mexico, Scotland, Austria, or Hungary, I'm preparing a little surprise for you all in the next chapter or two, so be on the look out!

Please review and tell me what you thought! Remember, constructive criticism is always welcome for my stories.

Thank you!

A/N: Hello, Internet! I haven't seen you in forever! I apologize for the late update, I just got into Doctor Who so I've been watching that instead of updating this like I should. I'm sorry! :(

Note: This chapter has some language, torture, and blood in it. And references. Dear lord, the references! The fourth wall hates me for this one.

Enjoy, you guys!

---

Many miles away, in an ice cold castle, long forgotten and abandoned, Gilbert was starving and imprisoned, his talons chained to the brick wall. His body was thin, and several fresh scars and wounds decorated him in macabre fashion. Gilbird was caged and tweeting angrily, repeatedly bashing the bars of his cage with his little head. This succeeded in nothing but brain damage and a possible concussion.

A door opened with a loud bang, illuminating the dark cell. Gilbert stirred feebly, his red eyes fluttering open. A figure walked in, its posture giving off an air of dread. Just looking at him made Gilbert shudder in fear. For those with a keen eye, they would recognize this mysterious and frightening pony as the one Ivan had killed. But now, he was whole and alive, perfectly healthy. Lowering his hood, his face became visible and Gilbert turned away, terrified of this figure.

They were bone white with skeletal, dragon-like wings and a long, jagged horn. They had no mane, but their tail was black and wiry. Their face was the worst. Where eyes should have been, there were only empty sockets. The darkness inside them seemed to swirl in a hypnotic pattern, drawing you in and repulsing you all at once. Blood dripped out of them still, staining the fur underneath them scarlet. His muzzle was permanently morphed into a Cheshire cat grin, showing off huge fangs. Everything about him screamed 'holy crap run away now'.

He huffed and began to pace angrily around the cell, obviously deep in thought. Gilbert was too terrified to make a move, and even Gilbird was silenced by this pony's very presence. He continued to pace, the only sound being the thud of his hooves on the floor and Gilbert's shuddering breath. After a few moments, the pony stopped. His grin seemed to become wider as he looked at Gilbert with his unseeing eyes. Gilbert yelped and cowered under his gaze, all the while scolding himself.

He was the awesome Prussia, dammit! He survived how many wars, conquered nations, and by all rights shouldn't be alive. But he was. He was a fighter. It took a lot to scare him now; so why did this pony terrify him so much?

The pony came closer, taking his time and savoring the expression of absolute horror on Gilbert's face. Finally, he kneeled down and looked Gilbert in the eye, so close that his breath fell on Gilbert's beak and made him gag.

"It's time to put the plan into action, my dear griffon. Your little brother shall enjoy the show we will perform." He said in a soothing manner, but Gilbert was anything but comforted. Now there was anger mixed in with his fear; this monster was going to hurt Ludwig. And Gil was not going to let that happen, not as long as he was alive.

The pony stood up and the tip of his horn began to glow. There was a flash of light, and griffon, bird, and pony disappeared from the castle. Still, there was something remaining; a few white, bloodstained feathers and a lingering scream of pain.

---

Vash wasted no time and immediately pulled out the gun (again, from where?) and took steady aim. If he had to go to war with any country, it would not be Ivan, but at the same time, he would not let Lili get hurt. He could really care less about the other ponies and countries, but Lili mattered more to him than anything. Even his cash. (Now that is saying something).

"You take one more step and I'll fire." Vash warned once Ivan was within speaking distance, but not close enough to physically reach them. He was about six feet away and Vash kept his gun steady. Surprisingly, Ivan stopped. Something was strange in his eyes; something sad.

"I just want to talk." Ivan stated firmly, looking not at Vash or the gun, but at Twilight Sparkle. She snorted and lowered her head, her horn glowing dangerously.

"What about?" She growled, and Ivan shrunk back a little, as though he was scared of her. But that was impossible; Ivan's not scared of anything. Right?

"Well…I heard what you said about me. And…" Ivan swallowed and glanced at Toris before looking Twilight in the eyes. He hung his head. "…I'm sorry." Everypony stopped breathing for a few seconds as they processed that statement. The only expression on their faces was confusion and for some, horror. Finally, Rainbow Dash said what was on everypony's mind.

"…WHAT?!" She yelled, and that seemed to snap everypony out of it. Dmitri reared on his hind legs, kicking and pawing at the air.

"Come on! I was expecting a fight! What kind of mushy crap was that?!" He shouted, and everypony but Ivan glared at him. He looked at them incredulously. "What? I'm bored, okay? We need more action in this place!" He whined, and Twilight rolled her eyes as she turned back to Ivan. He was hanging his head, but his eyes watched her sadly. He looked absolutely miserable…

Twilight walked over to him, eyes narrowed and horn alight. The closer she got, the more scared and sad he looked, and the more he lowered his head. His muzzle was practically touching the grass by the time she was standing right in front of him, and he looked up at her with huge, amethyst eyes. He looked terrified of her, but at the same time, he looked so sad, like he would accept any punishment she gave him.

Everypony watched with bated breath, watching to see what would happen. Would Ivan snap and attack Twilight? Or would he just sit there? Vash, Dmitri, Francis, Mathieu, and Antonio were all readying themselves for battle, just in case. It was an odd sight, seeing someone so strong and intimidating as Ivan look so helpless.

Twilight lowered her head so she could look him in the eyes, glaring the whole time.

"You're not going to hurt us? You mean what you say?" She asked quietly, and he laughed grimly.

"Hurting you would only prove the point that I'm a monster. And of course I mean it. What I was doing was getting me nowhere. I honestly thought what I had counted as 'friendship'. I was wrong…" He spoke clearly, loud enough for everypony to hear. "I grew up very different. My only friend growing up was a yak, and my sisters were too busy with their own problems to teach me important things. I just never learned how to be a good friend." He stood up straight, looking down at Twilight. Twilight swallowed nervously, but stood her ground.

"Would you…teach me?" He asked nervously, and Twilight stopped all thought. The only thing on her mind was 'WHAT.' That was the only thing on everypony's mind. After about a minute of just staring at Ivan, who was starting to get really nervous, Spain broke the silence.

"Of course we will!" He yelled happily, glomping Ivan and grinning like an idiot. Everypony gasped, expecting Ivan to beat the Spaniard to a pulp. But Ivan just blinked and gave a tentative smile.

"R-Really?" He asked, and Spain nodded and so did Pinkie, hopping over and hugging Ivan too. Antonio and Pinkie had huge smiles on their faces, and Twilight was staring with her jaw resting on the floor. She glanced back at the others to see their reactions.

Dmitri was staring at the three, his eyes darting back and forth between each pony's faces. Rainbow Dash was hovering in midair, looking nonchalant, but her eyes were screaming confusion. Applejack was smiling nervously, and Rarity was watching them all with a tiny smile. Vash was slowly, very slowly lowering the gun. Lili was smiling widely and warmly at Ivan. Fluttershy was rubbing her hoof against her leg anxiously, and Mathieu was standing protectively in front of her.

Toris was hiding behind Vash, peeking out shyly at Ivan. Feliks was bouncing in a Pinkie Pie-esque fashion, his expression a mix of happy and terrified.

Out of all of them, Francis had the best reaction. He was grinning smugly, his blue eyes sparkling with something similar to nostalgia. Rarity noticed, and she looked up at him with confusion.

"Francis? What are you smiling about?" She asked, and he looked down at her, smiling.

"I was correct, non? The beast has been turned into a prince, mademoiselle. Miracles can happen, you see?" He explained, pointing a hoof at Ivan, who smiled shyly in response. Twilight glanced back at Ivan.

"B-But what about Toris? What about his scars?" She stammered, and Spain glared at her.

"What about them? That was in the past, si? Scars like those can heal! We need to focus on this Ivan, not the old one!" He yelled, and Ivan gently untangled himself from the pile-hug as Pinkie Pie let go of him, reaching a hoof into her mane.

"This is yours, right?" She asked, handing him his heart. Seeing it, Ivan seemed to glow from the inside. The hole in his chest seemed to pulse, yearning for its owner. Ivan took it and placed it back in its rightful spot, and the glow around him intensified. The candle light in his soul was growing bigger and brighter, the ice around it reduced to a thin sheet. Ivan walked over to Toris, who shrunk back with a yelp.

Lowering his head once more, Ivan closed his eyes and Toris was enveloped in a soft, blue light. Everypony darted forward, yelling in surprise or anger, thinking Ivan was hurting the smaller Pegasus. Pinkie Pie jumped in front of the crowd, holding out a hoof to stop them.

"Pinkie, get out of the way! He's hurting Toris!" Twilight yelled, but Pinkie shook her head.

"No he's not! Look!" She replied, pointing at the ball of light that was Toris. It began to drift back to the ground, and the light dimmed to reveal Toris, completely unharmed but extremely confused. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but Rainbow Dash gasped and pointed a hoof at Toris.

"Look!" She yelled, pointing to Toris' torso. Everypony looked, and Feliks jumped in the air, glomping Toris and beaming with joy.

"Liet! You like, totally have wings!" He yelled, and Ivan smiled tiredly, shrinking into the background as everypony rushed forward, Twilight in the lead. Toris hesitantly unfurled his wings, somehow healed and functioning perfectly. Twilight and Rarity were so confused they could barely speak. Ivan was an earth pony, how could he do that?! Healing magic was elementary for unicorns Ivan's age, but to heal an entire limb…how?

"I-Ivan…?" Toris asked, looking at Ivan with huge eyes. Ivan flinched, like he expected somepony to hit him. When nopony did, he stepped forward hesitantly. "W-Why would you…"

"Well…I guess it's because you deserve them. What you didn't deserve was the way I treated you all these years, but I can't fix that. This is the least I can do." Ivan explained softly, scuffing his hoof against the ground. Dmitri rolled his eyes in the background, already sick and tired of this mushy gushy crap. Sure, Ivan being reformed was great and all, but seriously, this was killing him. Toris gave Ivan a very tentative smile, holding out his hoof for Ivan to shake.

"W-Well…once you learn about friendship…I'll be your friend, okay…?" Toris stammered, and Ivan beamed, a real smile. Suddenly, he started to glow with a bright light, a warm breeze blowing through the meadow and blowing the ends of his scarf to and fro. Ivan started to float in the air, and he squirmed in confusion as everypony stared. Now what was going on?

When the light around him began to fade, his Cutie Mark morphed and changed. A stitched-together heart appeared in the center of the sunflower, and a brighter, ice blue light formed on his head as he was slowly lowered back down to the ground. Everypony, especially Twilight, was holding back the urge to run forward and swarm him to find out what that light meant.

The ice blue light finally died, to reveal a golden crown on Ivan's head, with a purple sunflower-shaped gem in the center. The Mane Six all gasped and six jaws hit the floor at once; they recognized the feeling the golden metal gave off; it was an Element of Harmony. But there were only supposed to be six…so why did Ivan have one?!

"Ah, I thought so." A voice said casually as Twilight stepped towards Ivan. She froze in her tracks; that voice didn't belong to any of them, so who was it? And why did they sound so…sinister? Ivan froze as well and his violet eyes widened.

"You!" He yelled, and the other ponies turned around to find a tall pony wearing a hooded cloak, his face hidden from view. Only Ivan would recognize him; this was the one he killed. Everypony's brain was racing, trying to find answers. Who was the pony? Why was he hiding his appearance? Why was Ivan staring at him in terror? And most of all…why was he giving off an aura ten times as powerful as Ivan's, making everypony want to run in terror and cry for their lives?

"Yes, me. I'm surprised you managed to pull yourself out of the whole you dug yourself into, but I guess that's what you humans do. You screw up majorly, the whole world falls into crisis, and then you get right back up and move on. I love your resilience, I really do. That's probably why they chose you." The pony said, and Ivan raised an eyebrow.

"Who chose me?" He asked, and the pony laughed.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about. Your mother and father. The most powerful things on your planet."

Ivan roared suddenly, and the other countries did the same, giving yells of anger and defiance, stomping their hooves into the ground and snorting dangerously. The pony seemed to smile in satisfaction as it turned away. Twilight's brain started going into hyperdrive. During her talk with Arthur and Kiku about each other's world, they had never said anything about their parents, yet the countries here now seemed to be really defensive of them. What was happening?

"But they're not important right now. What does matter is that your little universe will end. Your little world will fall. Oh, by the way…" The pony lowered his hood, turned, and gave them a sinister grin. "My name is Xear. Remember that when you die."

Ivan started to run forward, but Xear's horn began to glow and a beam of dark lightning shot out of it, hitting Ivan squarely in the chest and holding him in place as he writhed yelled and writhed in pain. Two other bolts of the lightning branched off from the first one, grabbing and torturing Francis and Mathieu before they had a chance to process what was happening. Fluttershy yelled for her love, her turquoise eyes wide in terror. Vash grabbed the gun and began to fire, but his bullets had no effect.

"Let them go!" Rainbow Dash yelled, flying straight at Xear in an aerial attack. Twilight yelled to her, "Rainbow Dash, no-!" Before she could slow down, Rainbow Dash slammed into an electric force field, electrocuting her and making her yell in pain as well. Twilight could feel her anger rising inside like a snake, and her horn reacted violently, blasting a shot of fire at Xear. It dissolved a few feet away, fizzling out when it reached his force field. He let Rainbow Dash go, and she flew backwards, unconscious.

"Keep your eyes on the skies, ladies and losers!" Xear shouted excitedly, like he was the ringmaster of his own little circus. His horn began to glow brighter, swirling with dark red energy as it lifted Ivan, Francis, and Mathieu higher and higher into the sky, above the treetops. The remaining ponies looked up in terror, finding dark purple clouds starting to swirl dangerously far above them. Looking at those clouds, Dmitri got a very, very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Those same clouds appeared near his home when he first met Pinkie Pie. Deciding to find an explanation after the party, he had turned to the most powerful wizard he knew; Arthur's older brother Allistor, also known as Scotland. It turns out that Allistor was trying out an inter-dimensional spell and was rather excited about his success. Of course, he had been put off when he found out that the dimension he found led to a world inhabited by colorful talking horses.

Deciding the dimension was too girly for him, he'd erased his memories of Dmitri's explanation, so he'd completely forgotten about Equestria. Henceforth, Scotland wouldn't be able to find the dimension again. So…that meant that this Xear, whoever he was, was just as powerful and well-versed in magic as Scotland was, and Scotland had practically invented the magic they use today. This was not good; this was bad, very very bad.

"What's he doing?!" Twilight yelled as a ferocious wind started in the clearing and the clouds swirled faster and faster, tearing her voice away. Dmitri was too stunned to answer. With a flash and a yell, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna appeared behind the horrified group of ponies.

"Behind me!" Celestia yelled, and they all scurried behind the much bigger alicorn for protection, struggling against the harsh wind. Once everypony was behind her, Celestia spread her wings and turned sideways, protecting them. The stronger stallions were holding tightly to the lighter and more fragile Mane Six, forming a barrier with their bodies.

"Sister, my magic cannot stop him!" Luna yelled, trying in vain to harm Xear without bringing hurt to Francis, Mathieu, or Ivan. Her magic, as powerful as she was, could not get anywhere near her target without hitting his force field and dying out.

"Fluttershy!" Mathieu shouted, screaming in pain as the lightning burned through his body. Fluttershy watched with horror as her special somepony was violently tortured. She hated this. He was so sweet and kind, what had he done to deserve this?! The worst part was being powerless to help him. She was sick of being powerless. She could feel her anger rising as she dwelled on the thought. Nopony hurt her friends and got away with it.

She was about to burst out of Antonio's firm hold and give him a piece of her mind, but then Celestia's horn lit up and her eyes began to burn with purple fire. A ball of electric blue energy formed on the tip of her horn, growing bigger and brighter than anything the Mane Six had seen. The very air seemed to be vibrating from her anger, but before she could fire, the light grew glittery fairy wings and flew away. Time seemed to stop as everypony processed what just happened.

"Oh dear lord, it looks like Navi!" An eerily familiar voice said in horror, and everypony turned to see Discord standing there, staring at his creation. He was wearing a ridiculous green night-cap and tunic to match. He raised a random sword and began to swing at the blue ball as it flew in circles around him, chanting "HEY! LOOK! LISTEN!"

"Discord, how many times have I told you not to create annoying fairies? It really messes up my concentration." Xear said nonchalantly, standing casually in a tornado of lightning and wind as his spell grew stronger with every second. Discord's outfit disappeared and so did the fairy as he pouted angrily.

"Yes your majesty. Carry on with your master plan, don't mind me." He said sarcastically.

"Discord!" Celestia shouted, struggling to hold her position as the wind picked up even more speed. Discord jumped at the sound of his name, and turned to Celestia as a green top hat appeared on his head and a red beard sprouted from his chin.

"Why Celestia, top o' the mornin' to ya!" He replied happily in a thick Irish accent, shrinking down to about two feet. Dmitri could practically hear Ireland shouting in rage. "And to princess Looney too." He laughed, making his eyes derp out as he nibbled on an orange carrot. "Whasup, doc?"

"What are you doing here?" Celestia asked sternly, and he threw away the carrot and put on a serious face.

"I'm just watching the…"His head popped off his neck as his body began to fold itself into an origami butterfly. "…chaos unfold." He finished as his body snapped back into its normal form. He put on a pair of black sunglasses as an explosion happened in the background, followed by a loud shout of "YYYYEEEEAAAHHHH!"

"That seems familiar…" Antonio muttered. Dmitri's red eyes widened as he realized what Discord was doing.

"Princesses! Try to stop him! HE'S BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL!" He screamed. Discord grabbed his side and gasped in pain, a cowboy hat appearing on his head.

"Ya got me, pardner!" He sobbed in a southern accent, jerkily walking towards them and then overdramatically falling into Celestia's arms. He grabbed her mane and pulled her head closer to his face. "Hold me closer Ed…i-it's gettin' dark…" He whispered, and Luna and Xear both face-hoofed in exasperation. Discord coughed violently, turning his face away from Celestia's and then turning back.

"Tell Auntie Em to let Old Yeller out…" He pleaded, coughing once more. "Tell Tiny Tim I won't be coming home this Christmas…." He sobbed in a British accent, then he made a final request. "And…tell Scarlett I do give a damn!" He yelled, and turned his head away again, but then he turned back and coughed right in her face, passing gas while he did it. "Oh! Pardon me." And with that, he died in her arms.

---

(Just messin' with ya.)

---

"Discord, get a hold of yourself." Xear commanded, rolling his eyes as Discord's arms popped off and grabbed his torso. Discord laughed and teleported out of Celestia's arms. Luna turned to Dmitri, who was watching all this with an expression of absolute horror.

"What is this fourth wall? And why is it such a big deal?" She asked him, and he seemed to snap out of it.

"The fourth wall is what separates dimensions! The more he breaks it, the easier it becomes for civilization as we know it to crumble and die!" Dmitri panicked.

"And that's bad, right?" Luna asked, and he nodded fervently.

"HELLO?! We're being tortured up here, in case you forgot!" Francis shouted angrily. Xear jumped and turned back to his spell, which had lost power somewhat during Discord's appearance.

"Oh right, sorry about that." Xear apologized, his horn lighting up once more as the sky was completely covered in those ominous purple clouds, which began to form a funnel, swirling at alarming speeds toward the ground.

"Tornado!" Luna yelled, and Celestia put up a force field of her own, so they would not be sucked inside the storm by the wind or harmed by Discord's powers. The beams of lightning sprouting out of Xear's horn multiplied, reaching inside the large tornado, dragging six familiar ponies out of the storm, electrifying and hurting them too.

"That's…" Antonio squinted upwards toward the six new forms. "That's America, England, China, Japan, Russia, Germany, and Feli!" He yelled, recognizing who they were.

"Oh no, he's bringing the most powerful countries here! And if he managed to get all of them at once, that means they were at a World Meeting, which means…" Lili trailed off, and Discord spoke up.

"Speaking of which, my ride is here." He noted, looking a watch that just appeared on his wrist. He blew a red whistle and the Magic School Bus appeared out of nowhere. Discord's mane turned into a mess of curly red hair and he was suddenly wearing a bright purple dress with a pattern of stars and planets on it and a green, lost-looking lizard appeared on his shoulder.

"I'm going on a field trip!" He announced happily in a high pitched feminine voice, running inside the bus, honking the horn. He poked his head out the window and gave them a piece of advice. "Remember class: Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy!" He shouted in that same voice, buckling himself in. "Come on bus, do your stuff!" And with that, the big yellow school bus transformed into a jet plane, blasting off and flying straight into the heart of the tornado.

"Almost there…" Xear muttered, sweat appearing on his forehead with the effort of keeping a spell going for so long. The lightning holding the countries intensified in brightness, swirling around them and enclosing them in a ball of electricity, blocking them from view. Though, their screams of pain could be heard quite well. Rarity and Fluttershy were both in tears, shouting for their lovers. Antonio had the task of holding them both back, something that truly broke his heart to do. He was the country of passion, he knew love as well as Francis did, so separating true love hurt him more than anything. Still, even if he let them go, there was nothing they could do to stop Xear.

The nine balls of light that were Xear's victims did something strange; they began to split in two. Whatever was in the new lights, the Mane six didn't want to know. Nothing good could possibly come out of Xear's magic. The lights died out suddenly, and the countries fell quickly towards the ground. Celestia and Luna both used their magic to grab the falling and still-shouting countries (though Ivan was shouting "VVVVOOOODDDDKKKKAAAA!" rather happily instead of screaming in terror). Gently, the princesses lowered them to the ground inside Celestia's force field, setting them down on the grass.

"Arthur!" Twilight yelled, running forward and tightly wrapping her arms around the dark green stallion, who was still struggling to find balance. Arthur stumbled back a little from the force of her hug, but stopped when he heard her sob in relief. "I'm so glad you're okay…" Twilight sniffed, wiping away her tears before anypony could see them. Arthur blushed heavily and awkwardly patted her on the back, sitting down on the grass.

"Stiff upper lip, Twilight. I'm okay, stop worrying!" He scolded her. As soon as his hooves touched the ground, America flew right back up and flying-tackle-hugged Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy and Rarity charged forward, as did Mathieu and Francis. They collided into each other and rolled a few feet, reunited at last. Germany, Japan, and China kinda stood there awkwardly as Italy and Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly in circles around each other.

"Vash!?" Germany shouted, recognizing the green pony holding a gun. Vash sighed angrily, Lili peeking out from behind him.

"If you say I'm cute I'll shoot you." Vash warned. The corners of Germany's mouth twitched upwards.

"Don't forget about me!" Xear yelled, and everypony turned their attention towards him. "I hate to break up such a touching reunion, but did you forget about this?" Xear growled, pointing a hoof at the still roaring and swirling tornado. "In case you were wondering, I was using this thing for power." Xear said, somehow bringing the unconscious form of Gilbert out of nowhere. Germany's eyes widened then narrowed suddenly as he roared in anger.

"Down boy." Xear said, as though he were talking to a dog. "Now, go fetch!" He yelled suddenly, tossing Gilbert towards a tree with a jerk of his head. Celestia managed to grab the griffon with her magic before Gilbert could make impact. "Now, I'm going to need these." Xear said to himself, and the remaining nine balls of light disappeared.

"Ta ta!" Xear laughed, disappearing as well. The ponies and princesses watched with wide eyes as the tornado slowly, painfully slowly, began to dissipate. Unfortunately, it left things behind. Many, many ponies, which were all laying on the ground in dazed confusion. Only one had managed to land on his feet; a stunning cerulean blue alicorn stallion. England cursed loudly, staring around at all the ponies.

"Bloody hell. I thought so." He muttered, stomping his hoof into the ground in irritation. America flew up next to him, curious as to what had England so pissed off.

"What's up, Iggy?" He asked, and England glared up at him angrily.

"Not only did that pony bring us here, he brought the world. Look around, America. Those ponies are countries." England snapped. America gasped, his head darting back and forth to see everypony.

"Sweet Lady Liberty, did he bring everybody?!"

"That's what it looks like."

---

A/N: Done! Happy? I had so much fun writing this one, especially the scene with Discord and the Magic School Bus. If you can name every reference Discord made, you win a cookie Or a shout-out in the next chapter's opening author's note, whichever you prefer. You guys are awesome for sticking by this story!

Have a guess at who the blue alicorn is! I bet you already know; you're smart people.

I named Xear that name, because I wanted his name to have some sort of reference to terror or fear. The letter 'X' is evil too, along with Vs and Zs; just look at Organization XIII. It's pronounced 'sheer', like sheer terror. Get it?

Review please, and the next chapter should be up soon! Again, I'm sorry for the late updates.

Thanks~!

A/N: Hellooooo, Internet! That's right, I'm still alive baby! :D

I'm really sorry this took so freaking long, but it's mostly exposition, you know, just introducing the countries and all that.

WARNING: Romano angst, adorable Latvia pony, and a special plot-twist at the end…*evil grin*

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You got that? NOTHING USED IN THIS FANFIC IS MINE.

Celestia lowered her force field, as there was no danger nearby; that they knew of. The alicorn that had stayed on his legs was looking around curiously, though he did have that oh-crap look on his face that was normal for the countries to have when they first come to Equestria. She walked towards him, inspecting his appearance.

As mentioned before, he was cerulean in color, which contrasted pleasingly with his mane and tail, which were bright scarlet. He had thick eyebrows and piercing, bright green eyes that told you he was not one to be tested. His Cutie Mark was peculiar; a white ball of light, surrounded by seven smaller balls, one in each color of the rainbow. He was wearing two white bands of fabric around his chest in an 'X' shape. He turned his head toward her, narrowing his eyes and grinning savagely.

"Awrite thaur. Aam nae in a guid muid the-day, sae dornt test me." He growled. Celestia blinked in surprise; his accent was difficult to understand, but she got it after a second of thought. At the sound of this alicorn's voice, Arthur whimpered in fear.

"Oh no. Oh NO!" He whispered, diving behind Twilight, who raised an eyebrow curiously. He glanced up at her and made a shushing noise. "Just pretend I'm not here!" He whispered desperately. Luna giggled quietly; Arthur always seemed to calm and collected, it was funny seeing him cower behind Twilight like a little foal.

"I can see that you are powerful enough to take the form of an alicorn. I won't challenge you sir, as long as you tell me your name." Celestia said calmly. The stallion sighed.

"Mah name's Allistor Kirkland, thoct most ken me as Scotland. Now, who th' heel ur ye an' wa ur ye a talkin' cuddie?" He asked sharply, and she chose to ignore his cursing.

"I am Princess Celestia, one of the two rulers of this kingdom, known to all as Equestria. The smaller alicorn behind me is Princess Luna, my sister and the princess of the night." Celestia said, introducing both herself and her sister. Luna nodded politely at him and he smirked, winking at her.

"If ye dorn min' princess, woods ye teel me exactly whaur my hen brither Arthur is? Ah need tae hae a wee th' crack wi' heem." Allistor asked sweetly, a little too sweetly. Rainbow Dash flew up, seriously confused.

"Excuse me but…what the buck are you saying?!" She yelled, and he gave her a glare so powerful she yelped and flew back to the ground, hiding behind her wings. America flew to her side.

"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash. Uncle Allistor's just cranky because his dashing good looks have gone." America laughed, and Allistor's cold eyes seemed to soften.

"Alfred? Is 'at ye?" He asked, and America puffed out his chest, happy that his uncle had recognized him so quickly.

"The one and only!" America replied happily, and Scotland laughed.

"E'en if ah aam a cuddie, Ah reckon aam still better lookin' than ye." Allistor smirked, twisting his neck around to get a better view of his new body. He'd been around longer than most countries, he'd seen some pretty strange stuff, but this was a whole new level of weird. This was worse than the time England had accidentally transformed them all into women. The cramps…! He could still feel them! After that incident, Scotland silently swore to never underestimate a woman again.

"Still, we have bigger issues than who looks the best." Canada quietly noted, still trying to get on his feet. Fluttershy stood protectively next to him, as though daring anypony to come near the two of them. It was obvious the pain from Xear's sinister magic was hurting Mathieu more than the other countries; the poor Pegasus was shaking horribly, shifting closer and closer to Fluttershy in a search for her warmth and comforting voice.

A short distance away, two more ponies had managed to stand properly. Or rather, they were viciously attacking each other while another pony watched from the ground with an expression of exasperation as he struggled to get up. America flew over, leading the Mane Six and other countries towards them. England was still hiding behind Twilight, walking with his head low in the hope that Scotland wouldn't see him.

America squinted, trying to identify the two brawling ponies. They were fighting rather ferociously, biting kicking and head-butting, so it was difficult to tell which pony ended where. Finally, America just groaned and nodded to Rainbow Dash, and on cue they both tackled one of the two other ponies, pinning them to the ground underneath their hooves.

The one America had attacked was dark olive green in color, and was a tall, strong Earth pony. His mane was short and dark brown, and his tail was the same color but was longer with a silk-like feel to it. He was wearing a tan scarf around his neck and had a sword at his waist, but there was one major thing that told America immediately who it was; a white mask on his face, blocking his eyes from view. America yelped and scrambled off the pony, who stood up with ease and shook himself like a dog to get the dirt off his coat.

"Turkey! I'm sorry man! Please don't kill me with your bad coffee!" America wailed, falling to the ground and earning himself a lot of strange looks. Turkey growled and was about to kick America square in the face, but Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"Um…who's this one? He fell asleep…" She asked, peering with curiosity at the light brown Pegasus that was pinned under her hooves. His mane and tail were both longer than the norm for colts, and were curly and dark brown. He had peculiar light blue and white stripes leading up his forelegs, and his Cutie Mark was a light pink paw pad.

"That's Greece." France said, glancing with worry at Mathieu, who was still on the ground and was beginning to shiver violently, eyes clenched shut. "He also goes by the name Heracles…mon fille?" France asked Canada, kneeling down in front of his younger sibling. Canada's eyes fluttered open, staring dazedly at Francis. Canada's trembling had gotten worse; he was shaking so bad he could barely raise his head to look at his older brother.

"Papa…" Mathieu groaned, and France quickly shushed him, running a hoof comfortingly through Mathieu's mane.

"Go to sleep, mon fille. We're safe here…I promise. Its okay, you can rest now." France whispered, knowing what to do. Mathieu sometimes had panic attacks, especially if something horrible happened to him or someone he loved. Poor Mathieu; he must be suffering so much. What did Xear do to him anyways?

Francis could feel something rising inside his chest, something he hadn't felt for a long, long time; raw anger. He wanted to smash Xear into tiny, miniscule pieces for hurting his family like this. For hurting Mathieu; poor, kind Mathieu, who just wanted a simple day with his Fluttershy! And what did Arthur and Alfred do?!

But the worst, the absolute WORST, of what Xear did was terrify Rarity to the extent of tears. Nobody hurts Francis' friends in any way. Nobody. And nobody, nobody, messes with his family. Xear was going to die. Xear had to pay.

France could feel the hatred burning in his heart like a fire, a burning, searing fire. He reveled in it, knowing that someday soon, Xear would feel his wrath. No. No! Calm down. Focus on Mathieu. You cannot reveal your 2p self in front of these ladies, who have already been terrified out of their wits. Focus on helping Mathieu…

"Dear? Are you alright?" Rarity asked in concern, making her way over to him and placing her hoof on his shoulder. He didn't even notice that he had started trembling, nor that steam had begun to slowly rise in wavy tendrils from his skin. Francis took a couple deep breaths to try and quell the flames, and glanced back at Rarity.

Her diamond blue eyes looked at him in worry, and Francis lost himself in them for a moment. They were so beautiful. Everything about her radiated elegance. He hesitantly looked away, to see Arthur and Ludwig staring at him as well. Arthur had his large eyebrows crumpled in worry, and Germany was glaring at him challengingly, as if to say 'Don't you dare go crazy on us now.'

"Oui. I'm alright." Francis answered quietly, looking back at Rarity. Rarity hesitantly removed her hoof from his shoulder, choosing instead to nuzzle his neck. He chuckled softly and nuzzled her back. "I'm just worried about Mathieu, is all." Rarity nodded.

"Understandable, of course. That looked awful." She whispered as Mathieu laid his head back down on the grass and closed his eyes. He was still shaking, but at least his breathing was becoming slower and more even. Francis ran his hoof through Mathieu's mane once more, before turning to Fluttershy, who looked on the verge of tears.

"Fluttershy, take care of him. Make sure that he knows he has you. Mathieu needs kindness in his life more than any other thing. Please, help him through this." Francis said, and Fluttershy nodded without hesitation, wiping away her tears before they could fall. She laid next to Mathieu and wrapped her arm around him, cuddling his head into the crook of her shoulder and resting her cheek on his forehead. Nopony disturbed them, for which Fluttershy was thankful. If anypony interrupted the peace she had gained with Mathieu, she'd snap.

Rainbow Dash, after a nod from America, got off of the sleeping Greek pony, who merely rolled over onto his stomach and slept harder in response. Kiku walked forward and extended a helping hoof to the third pony who had been watching the fight between Greece and Turkey.

This was a dusty brown earth pony, who was easily identified. He was wearing a white keffiyeh, which made his mane hidden from view. His muzzle and legs darkened to black at the ends, and there were some golden bands wrapped around his black, silky tail like Zecora's. A horn, longer than England's, poked out of his forehead and his eyes were dull, golden green. His Cutie Mark was a black dog and a golden ankh.

"Kon'nichiwa, Egypt. I expect you're confused." Kiku greeted, and Egypt rolled his eyes as if to say, 'Uh, DUH.' "We shall explain once we have situated everybody else." Kiku finished, and Egypt nodded, sitting down next to Turkey, who was standing by the still-sleeping Greece.

"Uh…Norge? You got an explanation for this…?" A familiar voice asked, and Arthur and Dmitri's heads swiveled to see the pony-fied Denmark just barely get to his feet.

Denmark was a black Pegasus with a bright red underbelly. His hair was its usual spikey mess, but with streaks of red and white in it. His tail was the same way; short and spikey. He was about the same size as Big Mac, but didn't seem to notice. His Cutie Mark was a steel battle axe with a crown around its handle.

Norway was still on the ground, struggling to stand so he could properly maim Denmark. Norway, or Lukas to his friends, was a rather handsome navy blue unicorn with a slim, somewhat feminine figure. His mane was pale blonde with its usual cross-shaped hairclip, and his tail was the same but with streaks of red, white, and blue mixed into it. Like Egypt and Turkey, his tail was as long as a girl's was. His Cutie Mark was a light green, Navi-style fairy.

Iceland lay farther away, a rusty brown earth pony with his familiar white ribbon tie around his neck. He was noticeably smaller than the rest of the ponies surrounding him; though he wasn't as small as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Whether we chalk this up to him being short or just him being young is your choice. His mane and tail were the same silvery-gray, but his mane had small streaks of blue. His tail had red and white streaks in it, and his Cutie Mark was a snow covered, smoking volcano.

Iceland somehow managed to get to his feet before his older brother did. This caused Denmark to burst into peals of laughter, which only enraged Norway further. In a burst of rage, Norway threw himself at Denmark and latch on to the older pony's tail, yanking on it hard with his teeth. This was a substitute since Norway couldn't strange Denmark anymore, seeing as how Denmark was no longer wearing a tie.

"Yah!" Denmark yelped, jumping at least three feet in the air in surprise and pain. Geez, that hurt! Was this how it felt having your hair pulled? He wouldn't know; his hair had always been too spikey, and he wouldn't let people touch it for fear of them messing it up. Norway growled and glared at him, and Denmark (Mathias) whimpered like a hurt puppy, giving Lukas the eyes.

"Don't. You. Dare." Lukas snarled, his teeth still clenched around Mathias' tail. Lukas knew that Mathias, MATHIAS, of all people, could give him puppy dog eyes that would make the toughest man alive cave in. It just wasn't fair! Lukas slowly, reluctantly let go of Mathias' tail and stumbled over to Iceland, not sparing Mathias a backwards glance.

Allistor yawned pointedly and flapped his new wings, taking to the air with little effort and no former experience. America stared, jaw against the ground.

"H-How did you-" He began, but Allistor cut him off before he could finish.

"Serioosly Alfred. Use th' brain Ah ken yoo've got in thaur. Aam th' best wizard we've got in th' warld. I've hud wings afair. Mony, mony times in fact." Allistor smirked, and Alfred muttered something indiscernible under his breath, shrinking back into the crowd with his wings held low.

"Princesses, Ah hink it's time we introduce th' warld. In th' most orderly we can manage tha' is." He added sarcastically, and Luna stifled a giggle. Allistor's horn lit up, and several balls of light flew all over the clearing, stopping and hovering in certain spots. "Alrecht! Fin' yer region an' line up! An' try nae tae kill each other…"

The countries each moved to their individual spots, marked by the hovering balls of light that spelled out the names of each certain region.

Scandinavia

Germanics

Baltics

Mediterraneans

Balkans

East Asia

North America

Central Europe

Eastern Europe

Oceania

UK

Once everypony was situated, Allistor floated back to the ground and cleared his throat, standing up straight.

"Alrecht. We'll gang by region. Oceania, Ah want ye tae start. Say yer country nam, human nam, an' explain yer Cutie Mark. That's th' tattoo oan yer behinds. Gie tae it!" He yelled, and the first pony stepped forward.

He was a tall, strong chestnut earth pony with a russet brown mane and tail, and his mane had a double ahoge that made him pretty recognizable. He had a band-aid over his muzzle, and he had dark, forest green eyes that shone with the same emerald fire that the Mane 6 were learning was a trait of members of the Kirkland family. There was a tan-colored sun hat tied around his neck and his Cutie Mark was a stingray jumping out of a cerulean blue ocean wave.

"G'day! I'm Australia, but my real name's Kyle Kirkland. It's great to meet ya!" He shouted happily, running forward and shaking Princess Celestia's hoof in an Applejack-like fashion. His grin was huge, and his eyes sparkled happily, making him almost immediately liked by the Mane 6 and princesses. "I wish it wasn't a stingray, but I guess it's because some of the most dangerous animals in the world live in my country, and I'm great at water sports, like swimming and surfing."

The next pony stepped up, a small crimson unicorn with a light brown, almost dirty yellow mane in a peculiar style; it curled around into two short curly bobs, one on each of their head. Their gender was very vague, but it was certain he was a Kirkland by the way his emerald eyes shone. There was a golden sash over one of his shoulders and his Cutie Mark was a fluffy white sheep.

"I'm James! I'm the second youngest Kirkland, and I'm the country of New Zealand. It is a pleasure to meet you." He said politely, bowing to all the ponies gathered in front of him. (A/N: New Zealand's gender is officially unconfirmed as of this point, so I shall assume by my own opinion, that James is a boy.) "I can't believe these things are called Cutie Marks, but my country has more sheep than any other. I love sheep!"

The cluster of ponies to New Zealand's right was Scandinavia, and Denmark took his turn.

"Hej prinsesser! I'm Denmark, king of Scandinavia!" He shouted happily, pointing at himself with a hoof and Lukas snorted. "The self-proclaimed king…" Lukas muttered, and Denmark chose to ignore him. "My human name is Mathias Kohler, and are these things seriously called Cutie Marks?" He asked, twisting his neck around to see his own. After the rest of the ponies nodded exasperatedly, he continued. "I guess the crown is because I'm a freaking king, and the axe is typically my weapon of choice." Lukas took his turn next.

"God kveld, prinsesser. I'm the Kingdom of Norway, known as Lukas Bondevik. The fairy is because typically, while England sees unicorns and fairies, I see fairies and trolls/ogres. All the members of the Magic Club can see mythical creatures." He explained, seeing the questioning looks on the Mane Six's faces.

"In that case, what does Dmitri see?" Twilight asked, still trying to come to terms with the fact that the creatures that resided in Equestria didn't exist in the country's dimension. Dmitri grinned happily, showing off his fangs.

"Monsters." He answered simply, and Ivan flinched a bit. They all moved on to the next country, who happened to be Iceland.

"Island her." He said lazily, waving his hoof in the vague direction of the princesses. "I'm Iceland, known to my friends as Emil Steilsson. The volcano on my butt here…" He said sarcastically, turning to the side so that his audience could see it better. "My country rests on a huge volcano, so we've got a lot of hotsprings and such where I'm from."

Twilight edged closer to Arthur, looking up at him with curious eyes.

"Is he the one you were talking about? The one who coughs up ash because of the volcanoes?" She asked quietly, and Arthur nodded solemnly. She winced in response; no matter how you looked at it, it did NOT sound pleasant.

The next Scandinavian, a white unicorn with sparkling, gentle lavender eyes stepped forward. He had a light blue spot on his forehead, and he was about the same size as Iceland. Like Lukas, he had a slight, feminine figure, and he was rather adorable. His mane and tail were both soft yellow in color, and his Cutie Mark was a red Santa hat.

"Hei, olen Suomessa! That's Finland, who is me!" Just by hearing him talk, the Mane Six knew that he was very sweet and happy. "My human name is Tino Vainamoinen. It's okay if you can't pronounce it! Most people can't, so don't worry! The 'Cutie Mark' is because I act the part of Santa Clause during the Christmas season!" He cheered, and Pinkie Pie gasped.

"I told you he was real!" She squealed, pointing at Tino and glaring accusingly at Twilight, who just sighed. The next pony, a very intimidating navy blue Pegasus, took his turn. He was very tall and well-built, similar to Big Mac in size and stature. Despite how creepy he looked, there was something in his ice blue eyes that told you he was just a big teddy bear. He wore glasses, and like Finland, there was a spot on his forehead, only his was lavender. His Cutie Mark was a Viking Helmet.

"Olen Ruotsi. My real name is Berwald Oxenstierna, and my country name is Sweden. The Viking helmet is because most people associate Vikings with my country." He said, though his voice came out more as a low mutter. Lukas rolled his eyes.

"Mine too." He argued, and Berwald nodded apologetically. Suddenly, a new pony popped up, a young sandy-brown pegasus about the same size as Scootaloo. He had patches of red, white, and black on his shoulders, ears, and chest, and he had the same Kirkland eyes and eyebrows. Upon seeing him, England growled angrily.

"Who is that?" Twilight asked, and the small Pegasus answered for Arthur.

"I'm Sealand! Known to all as Peter Kirkland!" He shouted excitedly, and Arthur stepped in front of him, hiding Sealand from view.

"He's not actually a real country." Arthur said bluntly, and Sealand whined.

"I am too!" He protested, and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"The day you become an actual country is the day Austria throws away his piano." Arthur snarled, and Sealand shrunk back, muttering curses to himself. He didn't have a Cutie Mark at all. The next region of countries decided to go, trying to take some of the attention away from the humiliated Sealand.

"Ni hao. You already know me, but I'll say it again. I'm Yao Wang, but I'm better known as China!" Yao announced happily, surprisingly chipper. He wouldn't tell anyone, but the reason he was ecstatic was because he was surrounded by his family once again, which was a complete relief. Last time he was here was decently fun and interesting, but it would have been even more special if his family was here with him. Everything was better when there was good company to share it with.

"Hello Yao!" The Mane Six replied happily, smiles on their faces. A white blur suddenly shot out of nowhere, landing on Yao and knocking him to the ground. The blur was actually another pony, one that was laughing quite loudly and excitedly.

"Aniki~! You're popular! But your breasts still belong to me, da ze~" He laughed, and America whooped with joy, running over and hi-hoofing the pony, who was still lying on a very pissed off Yao.

"GET OFF ME, ARU!" Yao yelled, and the pony pouted but nonetheless got off of the red unicorn. Twilight gave Arthur a confused look, and he shrugged.

"Yo Korea! SUP BRO?!" America yelled, grinning like an idiot. The same expression was on the other pony's face, only his grin was wider.

"Alfred! Hey!" Korea shouted back, embracing America in a hug. The two of them knocked their heads against each other's and then let go of each other, both of them a little cross-eyed from the impact. Korea shook his head then looked at the Mane 6, his grin never disappearing. "Neomusugnyeo ege insa~!" He added, winking charmingly at them. Francis glared at him, but he was smiling.

"Back off, coureur de jupons. This one is mine!" He scolded, throwing his arm around Rarity's neck. Rarity blushed and smiled at him, looking up at him adoringly. Dmitri rolled his eyes in the background.

"As you already heard, I'm the country known as South Korea! My real name is Im Yong Soo!" Korea introduced himself, bouncing up and down in excitedly, barely containing his hyper. He was a rather cute white Pegasus, with a dark blue chest and underbelly. His mane was a rich, dark chocolate brown, and like Italy, he had that weird side curl. Only his had a face. Strange. Yong Soo's tail was short but spunky, and his Cutie Mark was rather weird. It was the same orange, blue, and black crest that was on his flag, but the circle in the middle was wearing rather cool sunglasses.

"Hello, and what does your Cutie Mark represent?" Twilight asked, and Yong Soo turned his head to the side confusedly. His eyes widened when he realized exactly what Twilight was referring to. He twisted his neck around and stared at it for a moment.

"Oh! My Cutie Mark represents balance and harmony between things, and the sunglasses are just because I got swag. Swag was invented in Korea, da ze!" He laughed, and America scoffed.

"Yeah, whatever!" He teased, sticking his tongue out at his buddy. Korea stuck his tongue right back out at America, but he was smiling. Both Arthur and Yao chose that moment to facehoof exasperatedly.

"Little brothers…" They both muttered, but even they had a small smile on their faces. Yao nudged the next pony, who had been staring around with a very bored expression on his face, which was a little strange considering that every other nation-turned-pony had been panicking when they first got here.

He was a dark red unicorn, and his coat was a shade darker than Yao's. His mane was near black in color and was styled rather handsomely. This, unfortunately, made him and Yao look extremely similar, seeing as how Yao's hair was, unfortunately, still short. The main difference was the ponytail in Yao's tail, since this pony's was short. Another difference was their Cutie Marks; this pony's was a collection of bright fireworks.

"Hey. I'm Kaoru Li Xiang." Seeing Arthur, he huffed indignantly. "To some though, my name is Leon Kirkland. Please, though, call me Kaoru." He muttered, and Arthur smiled sheepishly at all the strange looks that were sent his way at Kaoru's words. "Cutie Mark? I guess because my country, Hong Kong, is famous for pyrotechnics and festivals. We get a lot of tourists, so we have to keep them entertained. Since most of the tourists are American, we entertain them with explosions." Kaoru deadpanned. His expression didn't change at all during his introduction, and he spoke in monotone.

Twilight couldn't help but notice that Yao was standing rather close to Kaoru, like he was protecting him from something. It was hard to tell since his face never changed, but Kaoru seemed to be grateful that Yao was so close and yet annoyed by him at the same time. Yao was also shooting small glares towards Arthur, who was glaring right back. Twilight's gaze traveled between the two. Had something happened with them, involving Kaoru? She'd have to ask Arthur later.

"Hi! My name is Mei Wan, and I'm the country known as Taiwan." The first girl country said cheerfully. Taiwan was an extremely adorable light pink pony with a black, silky mane and tail. Her mane had a wild curly strand sticking out, and there were flowers tangled in her mane by her ears. She had a white, sun shaped mark on her forehead and her Cutie Mark was a white fan with several flowers surrounding it. "My Cutie Mark is because as you can see, I like flowers~" She flipped her mane for emphasis.

Over with Mathieu, Fluttershy smiled timidly. Although her special talent was working with animals, she did like to grow flowers as well. She looked down at Mathieu, who had finally calmed down, and was asleep, breathing deeply and steadily. This reminded her of when Mathieu had told her how nobody remembered him. They had cuddled together, just like this, warm and together. In the sun.

"Konnichiwa. You know me as well. I'm Kiku Honda, Japan." Japan said, bowing to both princesses once more. The only difference from the first time the ponies had met him was that now, a steel katana hung at his waist. They also knew him better now. Knew his rage, and his kindness. "As you also already know, my name, Japan, means 'Land of the Rising Sun'." He finished, and that concluded Asia.

The next pony, a rather stunning royal blue unicorn began the next region of countries. He had a white jabot around his neck, and he wore glasses like America. He had a small mole on the left side of his muzzle, near his mouth. His eyes were a bright, deep violet. His mane was a strange mauve brown, with a curl like Italy's, though his came from the top of his head. His Cutie Mark was a treble clef molded into a dollar sign while still identifiable as a treble clef. (A/N: Insert sheepish shrug and grin here ^.^')

"I am Austria, but my human name is Roderich Edelstein." He said haughtily, and the mane six couldn't help but notice that he had a very thick accent, more than the other countries. "My Cutie Mark is because I play the musical instruments the best out of all the countries."

"…A-And because…he's a tight-fisted penny pincher…" Prussia groaned, just beginning to wake up. Ludwig let out a huge sigh of relief. He had been diligently sitting by his brother's side for this entire time, trying to wake Gilbert up and worrying like a mother hen over her chicks.

Anypony could see. Gilbert looked awful. He was so skinny, just a pile of skin, fur, and feathers. There were large scars all over his body, matting down his feathers with dried blood. His ribs were clearly showing and his wings had several feathers missing. He looked so desolate, like he was on the verge of death. He was getting several pitying looks from every nation and pony present, though Germany seemed to be the only one showing any real concern for him.

At Gilbert's words, Austria sputtered and tossed his mane, cantering to the other end of the line that held the Germanic nations. He sat next to another girl pony (one that you guys have been begging for =.=).

This particular pony, a light, mint green Pegasus, had been practically fawning over Italy this entire time. She was very pretty, with a long, light brown mane. Her tail was the same color, but it was cut more like a stallion's, short. Like Mei, she had pink flowers braided into her hair, and her Cutie Mark was a black frying pan. After a nudge from Austria, she stopped focusing on Italy, and instead turned to the princesses.

"Oh, sorry! I was focusing on little Veneciano here! He's just so cute~!" She squealed, squishing Feli in the biggest hug he'd ever gotten. Italy yelped in pain, and the girl turned her head around and looked at the princesses, smiling widely. "I'm Elizaveta, by the way! Elizaveta Hedervary, mainly Hungary! And my special talent is cooking, cleaning, various housework things! I'm very efficient in using the frying pan as a weapon too!" She said, and Applejack laughed. She'd had to use a frying pan as a weapon before. It was some creepy older pony hanging around Applebloom all the time, so Applejack took frying pan in hand, and hit him hard. He hasn't bothered her sister since.

"She also has frying pan because she is a total baby and is only fit for kitchen work." Dmitri scoffed, sending Hungary flying at him in anger.

"You stupid, annoying vampire!" She yelled, trying her best to hit him with her frying pan, which, like Vash's gun, had just appeared out of nowhere. Dmitri grinned savagely at her, dodging with ease as his fangs grew in size. Princess Celestia moved to separate the two, but Allistor stopped her by placing a hand on her hoof.

"Dornt fash yerse abit it, princess. They've bin at each other's throats ever since they mit each other." He said simply. She nodded, though she did spare the two a backwards glance. Vash and Lili both introduced themselves once more, this time though explaining their Cutie Marks.

"The white cross is the same as the one on my flag. It stands for refuge/healing, since many people flee to my country during times of war." Vash said, still standing close to Lili. Lili smiled; she had taken refuge with him too, healing from her horrible economy. She knew first hand Vash's healing powers; he was really nice and caring when he wasn't grumpy.

"My Cutie Mark is because my home is very quaint and pretty…though most of the Germanic countries are known for that…" She added quietly. Vash scoffed and nudged her pointedly.

"Don't be ridiculous. Your country is famous for pretty things." He said, affectionately patting her on the back. Elizaveta stopped in her attack against Dmitri and nodded.

"Of course!" She said, and Lili blushed and smiled, rubbing her foreleg shyly. Twilight watched the exchange and smiled. It was obvious that Lili was the baby of the family, and was looked after by everyone. And Italy had explained to her at one point that Elizaveta had cared for him when he was younger; him and another boy. Another boy who broke Italy's heart.

So, in the Germanic family, Austria was the aristocratic dad figure who didn't have time for his kids. Elizaveta was the wife, who loved everybody. Vash was the unwilling older brother who really did care deep down, and Lili was the little sister who wanted to be like her brother.

"Guten Tag, though you know me as well. I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt, also Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Germany, to those who are confused." He said, standing up tall and proud. "This…" He began, pointing with a hoof at his Cutie Mark, "Is a medal we award great military leaders in my country." He explained, and Gilbert whined, trying as well to stand. However, he immediately fell back down, landing with a whumf on the grass. He sighed, huffing through his beak as he saw everypony shoot him a pitying look.

"Ze awesome Prussia is fine! I've been zhrough worse." He said, trying to get to his feet again, and once again failing. Ludwig crumpled his eyebrows in worry; his older brother shouldn't be acting like this. What he said was true. He had been through worse, much, much worse, so he should be back on his feet by now. So why was this affecting him so bad? Xear said he had used Gilbert's life force for energy, so perhaps he had drained him more than they had thought.

Ludwig knelt down and helped his older brother to his feet, using his head to nudge him upwards. As Gilbert leaned on his shoulder, Ludwig almost gasped. His brother, even though he was now half his normal size and was half bird, should not be this light. He barely weighed anything at all, he was just skin and feathers! Gilbert quietly whimpered in pain, but opened his eyes and leaned his head into the crook of Ludwig's neck.

"Danke, bruder…" Gilbert whispered, not letting anyone else hear. Ludwig was even more shocked. His brother's voice was so weak. The amount of effort he was using just to speak normally and put on a smile…Gilbert was shaking heavily, and his breathing was coming out in short gasps. He looked like he was going to pass out again at any second. That, and how much gratitude was in his brother's voice…Ludwig hadn't heard that tone since he'd made Prussia into a micro-nation, and gave his brother another chance to exist. His older brother had been crying tears of joy; though, of course, he wouldn't let anyone see.

"I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt…zhe…awesome Prussia…" Gilbert's voice faded as he closed his eyes and he whimpered again. Ludwig didn't waste a chance.

"Francis!" He yelled, and the Frenchman jumped. Ludwig jerked his head towards his brother, who hadn't moved at all. Gilbert's breathing had become fleeting, and he was leaning very heavily on Ludwig. Francis cantered over, worry shining in his eyes. Twilight nudged Arthur as she watched Francis tend to Gilbert.

"Why did he call Francis over?" She asked, raising an eye questioningly. "I mean, I don't want to sound mean, but Francis seems kinda…useless." She finished, rubbing her hooves together anxiously. Arthur snorted.

"Ha! Francis is useless, especially on the battlefield. But there is one quality that redeems him."

"And what's that?" Twilight asked curiously.

"He's the best doctor we have. And don't tell him I admitted that." Arthur added under his breath and Twilight laughed. Arthur and Francis had a very odd relationship. Ludwig and Francis began the care of Gilbert, who was weakly protesting and struggling.

"I'm fine! I don't need a doctor!" He said, but his eyelids were fluttering and he was lying down. Francis sighed.

"Camarade, yes you do. Now shut up and take a nap." Francis commanded, but he was smiling. Gilbert groaned, but nonetheless closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep as Ludwig breathed a sigh of relief. The next country decided to go next, to take the attention off Gilbert.

"You know me too! I'm Alfred F. Jones!" He yelled. Forget his wings, he looked like he was flying all by himself by sheer excitement. He was bouncing up and down, his hooves barely touching the ground as he fell back down. "I'm the HERO!" He yelled, grinning like an absolute idiot. "And I'm the country of America!"

"No, you're not." Another voice said, and a stucco yellow Pegasus roughly shoved America out of the way. This new Pegasus had shaggy midnight sky black hair, and a red kerchief around his neck. He had charming, coffee brown eyes and his Cutie Mark was a green gecko-type lizard thing. America bounced right back up, glaring at this Pegasus.

"Come on, Mex! Yes I am! I'm America and you know it!" He yelled, and Mex, as he was called growled.

"No, you're not! You're the United STATES of America! Not America, you idiota! America's the name of the continent, estupido idiota!" Mex yelled, and the two of them slammed their foreheads together, glaring into each other's eyes.

"Oh, I'm Mexico, by the way. Alejandro Carlos Fernandez Carriedo, to everyone else. Encantado de conocerte!" He said politely, glancing back to the princesses. Arthur sighed.

"He's got a point Alfred. America is the name of the continents." He said, and Alfred growled.

"This isn't your business, Arthur." He said harshly, and Arthur muttered something under his breath. Something along the lines of 'idiotic little brothers'? Twilight looked up at him curiously.

"Is Alejandro your brother too?" She asked. Jeez, he had a lot of siblings. And not just younger ones, judging by the amount of ponies clustered nearby under the sign that said 'United Kingdom'. They all had the Kirkland eyes.

"The lizard is because everyone thinks my entire country is a huge desert, but it's really not. We have a lot of iguanas though, so that may be it too." Mexico explained. Alfred rolled his eyes.

"And his name's not Me-hi-co. Call him Me-xi-co, it's the right way to say it." He growled. Mexico snarled.

"At least I know how to say my name properly, unlike you." He shot back, and the two roared angrily at each other, starting to brawl on the grass. Another earth pony looked ready to jump in, but Antonio held him back.

"Carlos, don't. Let them brawl it out, si?" Antonio warned, and the other pony sighed and grumbled angrily in Spanish. This pony was a rather large olive green earth pony, the same color as Turkey, weirdly enough. However, his mane and tail were a lighter shade of brown and were in dreadlocks. He was wearing a red and yellow Hawaiian shirt, and he had a bit of stubble on his chin like France does. His Cutie Mark was an ice cream cone. The pony sighed and turned to the princesses and Mane Six, who were looking at him expectedly.

"Hola! My name is Carlos, Carlos Hernandez." He said, smiling cheerfully. "I'm the country known as Cuba. And not only do I make ice cream, I love to eat it!" He finished, glancing backwards at his Cutie Mark. Thus concluded North America, as Canada was still unconscious.

"I guess we're our own category, huh sis?" A tan, sandy brown earth pony mused to a yellow Pegasus, who nodded in confusion. The earth pony stepped forward despite his dilemma, and began. "My name's Lars Van Houten. The Netherlands/Holland, respectively." He said, standing up straighter. His mane was dusty brown and spiked up much like Denmark's, and he had a small scar on his forehead. He had a blue and white striped scarf around his neck, and his Cutie Mark was a handful of dollar bills. "I'm known for being frugal." He explained with a shrug.

"I'm Bella! Bella Van Houten, Lars' little sister! My country is the Kingdom of Belgium!" She laughed, bouncing forward. She was a nice looking, pale yellow unicorn with a shaggy blonde mane and tail, and her mane had green ribbons tied on either side of it, stretching across to make a sort of headband. Her tail was tied near the end by a red ribbon, and her Cutie Mark was a rather delicious looking waffle. Seeing her, Spain immediately smiled and hugged her, nuzzling her face affectionately. Lars growled.

The Baltics started next, with Toris gently pushing an absolutely adorable Scootaloo-sized earth pony forward. He was a red-violet foal, who was shaking and looking around nervously, especially at Ivan. He had a caramel colored mane and tail, both of which were pleasantly curly. His eyes were big, and shone with unshed tears. Dear Lord, he was ADORABLE. Like Sealand, he didn't have a Cutie Mark.

"I-I'm Raivis." He stammered, flinching when he said his name, like he expected to be hurt. "R-Raivis G-Galante…" He finished, stammering out his words like he was in a great hurry. Anypony could plainly see by looking in his violet eyes that he was terrified of something. We just need to figure out what. "And…my country is Latvia…"

The next pony patted him on the back reassuringly, a good-natured looking dark blue unicorn with a blond mane and tail. His mane had white stripes in it, and his tail had black stripes. He was wearing glasses like Alfred, and his eyes almost seemed to sparkle in the light. His Cutie Mark was the Macintosh logo, you know, the Apple?

"My name's Eduard Von Bock, and I'm called Estonia. I'm known as being a technological expert, so I'm usually the authority on technical matters." He explained, in an accent that made Rainbow Dash want to snort. Toris stepped up next.

"You already know me too. I'm Toris Laurinaitis, and I'm also Lithuania." He said shyly, even though they did indeed already know him. "And…I enjoy strategy games like chess, so I guess that's why…" He trailed off, glancing back at his Cutie Mark.

Jumping out of nowhere just like Pinkie, Feliks appeared in a cloud of shimmering pink sparkles with a huge grin on his face, startling everypony.

"You know me too! I'm like, totally Feliks Lukasiewicz!" He shouted happily, making Toris wince at the loud noise. "And I'm totally Poland, OMG!" He added. "Plus, my like totally fabulous Cutie Mark is a phoenix. Because like, phoenixes are reborn in fire. And…" He suddenly adopted a rather dark look, stopping in his antics. "My country is famous for being a target, yet we still get back up and keep fighting."

Everypony gave him a slightly pitying look, but nonetheless started to move on. Or at least they tried to, when Ivan gave an alarmed cry of fright and tried his best to run for the hills. Dmitri grinned widely and laughed aloud; there was only one woman who could make Ivan scream in fear like that.

She was a baby blue Pegasus, with a dusty white mane and tail that could only be compared to spiderwebs. She had a dark blue bow in her hair, and glaring, intense eyes that were like chips of ice. Her Cutie Mark was a Black Widow spider, sitting in its web.

The thing that made everypony back up in fear was the anklets around her hind legs. The black, leather anklets that sheathed at least ten knives each. She was slowly creeping towards Ivan, her gaze petrifying him to the spot.

"Big brother…this is where you've been all this time…?" Belarus hissed, moving closer with every word. Ivan whimpered in fright, and Twilight nudged Arthur again; she felt like she was asking him a lot of questions today. She didn't want to be imposing, but she didn't really know much about the countries when she thought about it, and Arthur did seem to be the one she was closest to.

"Who is she?" Twilight asked, and Dmitri answered before Arthur could.

"She's Natalya Arlovskaya –Belarus- and she's Ivan's little sister! Oh my-! YES!" He shouted, and everypony stared. No one had ever, ever been so happy to see Belarus before. Their surprise deepened further. Their jaws hit the ground. Dmitri did something really odd.

He had practically glomped Belarus. BELA FREAKING RUS. Did he have a death wish?! Everypony stared, slack jawed, buggy-eyed, at the scene. Dmitri tightly hugging Belarus. Wow.

"You've got no idea just how glad I am to see you!" He yelled, smiling like the lovable idiot he is. Belarus had frozen, all muscles tense, just staring at him along with everypony else. Ivan swallowed nervously. This was just plain scary. Eventually, Dmitri let go of Natalya and cantered off, trotting happily over into the forest where he disappeared from sight.

Alfred was the first to break out of his stupor. He shut his mouth, blinked, and shook his head in disbelief.

"No way that just happened." He said in awe. Mexico stared at the spot Dmitri had disappeared.

"He's dead." Mexico said faintly. Everypony nodded in agreement.

Belarus did nothing in response. Her entire brain had just shut down. She hadn't been hugged by anyone in a long, long time, so her initial response was that he was attacking her. Dmitri had actually been happy to see her. Nobody had said that in a long time either. The only other person who told her that was-

"Ivan! I was so worried about you!" A worried cry yelled, and a dusty white and navy blue cow-patterned earth pony smothered Ivan in a hug. For a mare, she was as large as Big Macintosh, which was somewhat intimidating. However, something about her told you she was a bit of a crybaby. Her Cutie Mark was a pitchfork and a basket of bread loaves.

"Yekaterina, I can't breathe!" Ivan protested, trying to pull himself out of the hug, though he was smiling a bit. It was another one of those rare smiles they saw from Ivan lately; a real one. They were seeing more and more of those since he'd been reformed. She got off of him, wiping away tears.

"I'm sorry, little brother! I just…I was worried and I didn't know where you'd been and…" She sobbed, and Ivan smiled exasperatedly, wiping away her tears with the end of his scarf.

"Why don't you introduce yourself, da?" He asked kindly, and she sniffled and nodded.

"I'm sorry…I'm Yekaterina Braginskaya, Ukraine. My special talent is because most of my country is farmland, and we grow grains most of all." She explained, wiping away her tears again. Twilight and the other Mane Six were still trying to wrap their heads around the idea of Ivan being the 'little' brother; he was just too big and strong to be considered the younger sibling. Natalya was watching this with narrowed eyes, skulking somewhere behind Ivan.

That left one more region of countries. Let's start with the ones we already know, hm?

"Hola~! I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo!" He smiled, standing next to Belgium instead of with his region. "Also, I'm Espana! That means Spain! You also know that my country is known for being sunny and happy!" He said. Over in the Mediterranean region, Lovino rolled his eyes.

"You kno-" Lovino began, but Feliciano cut him off. The combined stress of the day and over all social interaction made Lovino want to cry. Why did his brother have to get all the attention?! It wasn't fair!

Lovino felt tears welling up in his eyes as Feliciano explained himself to the rest of the countries. Why, dammit?! It's not fair! He sobbed in his mind. Why does Feli have to be more lovable than me?! Once, just once in my life, I want people to call me Italy. I don't want to be Romano anymore. I…I don't want to be me. I DON'T WANT TO BE MYSELF! I don't want to look at myself anymore…I'm no one. I don't even get attention from my own twin brother…!

Lovino grit his teeth as he heard the Mane Six greet Italy with enthusiasm that made his heart twist painfully in his chest. There was a hard lump in his throat and he couldn't breathe anymore. He cautiously looked up and glanced around. Just as he thought. Nopony was paying attention to him. No one was even so much as bothering to ask if he was okay, even though he was clearly hurting.

Shakily, Lovino got to his feet, and walked away from the circle of countries. He kept his head low, hoping against hope that someone would notice him and yell and ask where he was going. But no one did.

Once he was past the tree line, he ran. He ran and he ran and he ran. Finally, he came to a stop underneath the largest oak tree he'd ever seen. But he didn't notice. He just flopped to the ground and cried, hooves over his eyes.

Back in the circle, Feliciano had just wrapped up. The next country went next.

"Hey. You all heard America; my name's Sadik Adnan, and I'm Turkey, the former Ottoman Empire." He said, and Pinkie opened her mouth to say something. He quickly glared angrily at her. "If I hear one joke about my country's name, I swear I will kill you where you stand." He snarled, and she shrunk back. "The crescent and star are symbols of good luck in my religion/culture." He explained, with his voice a mite softer.

"*yawn*…My name's Heracles Karpusi…Greece…to others…." Heracles said sleepily, still curled up in the grass. "I love cats…" He muttered, before promptly falling asleep again.

"I'm Egypt." Egypt said stoically, though he did attempt a small yet polite smile. "My human name is Muhammad Gupta Hassan. It's fine if you want to call me something else that's shorter, though nothing too ridiculous, please." He said when he noticed that the Mane Six had trouble comprehending his longer name. "The ankh represents rebirth in my culture, plus the jackal is a symbol of power and magic."

"Could you do magic too?" Twilight asked, and he nodded.

"Yes, but I preferred not to use it unless it's for ceremonial reasons." He explained, and Scotland stood up.

"Well, I guess that just leaves the UK. I'm Alistair Kirkland, Scotland respectfully. I'm the most powerful magic user we have, so I guess that explains the circles on my ass." He noted bitterly. He was about to say something else, but suddenly, Spain gasped.

"Amigos! Where did Lovi go?" He yelled in worry, his neck swiveling back and forth as he looked for his little tomate. Belgium gasped as well.

"That's right! We completely forgot him! Where'd he go?!" She yelled, and everypony scanned the area for Lovino.

"Ve! He was there when I started introducing myself…" Italy though aloud, then his eyes widened. "But he wasn't there afterwards!"

"And last time a country went missing, well…" Ludwig began, gesturing with a hoof towards his older brother. "…We know what happened there." Antonio stood up, shaking the dirt and bits of grass off his coat.

"I'll go look for him. He's probably just gotten upset and stormed off again." He said soothingly, trying to sound reassuring even though his eyes danced with worry. Antonio disappeared into the forest as well, calling out for Lovino.

"Anyways…" A tall, bright green unicorn began. He was about as tall as Princess Luna, and he had a light orange mane and tail, and nice clover-green eyes. He had freckles like Applejack as well, and his Cutie Mark was a pot of gold with a rainbow diving into it. "I'm Ireland, Patrick Kirkland to the ladies." He winked, shaking hooves with the princesses. "And my country is pretty well known for being lucky." He said, craning his neck backwards to see his Cutie Mark better.

The next pony stood up, a pure white unicorn stallion like Japan. Only this one had the Kirkland eyebrows, lime green eyes, and strawberry blonde hair. His Cutie Mark, very strangely, was a red dragon.

"I'm Wales, also known as Dylan Kirkland. This dragon is just like the one on my flag, and I'm not necessarily good at spells and stuff, but I prefer to deal more with mythical creatures than actual magic." He explained. Twilight's lips twitched up; he'd love to meet Spike, then. The very last pony began.

"I'm Charlie Kirkland, Northern Ireland!" He announced proudly. He was a nice mint green colored unicorn, with teal eyes. His mane and tail were both dark red, and his Cutie Mark was a keg of beer. "People often assume that citizens of my country are violent drunks, but that's not true." He said, with a sort of apologetic tone.

England stretched.

"Alright, you guys know me as well, but I'll say it again. I'm Arthur Kirkland, England and the UK together, and I used to be a pirate and I am currently a wizard." He explained, then he stood up from his stretching and smiled.

"That's everypony! I thought that'd take forever…." He noticed something rather frightening. America was standing shock still, his sky blue eyes clenched shut and his teeth grit against a violent scream. "Alfred?" Arthur asked, inching closer in concern. "Alfred, are you alright?"

Alfred cracked an eye open, and Arthur noticed the problem.

The entire right half of Alfred's ribcage and his right forearm had turned into fine, gray ash, slowly blowing away in the wind.

"Alfred! Alfred, what's wrong?!" Arthur shouted, running over to him and nearly tripping over himself in a desperate attempt to figure out what was happening. Alfred opened his other eye, opened his mouth, and in a hoarse whisper, said one word.

"Yellowstone."

He screamed in pain as his very soul was set on fire.

…

A/N: Second chapter, suckahs! I am on a ROLL! Yeah, I know this one's a little short, but I was in a bit of a dark spot and just needed to let my inner sadist run free. Another song in this one, along with a bit of USUK fluff and UKxScotland fluff as well. Not yaoi! Didn't you read the summary?!

WARNING! PLEASE READ!

The following chapter contains language, gore (I guess?), angst, character death, mentions of rape, and…*shudders*

CUPCAKES. RAINBOW FACTORIES. GENEROUS PLANS. RESEARCH. SWEET APPLE MASSACRES. SHEDS.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. READ AT OWN RISK.

Disclaimer: I own nothing used in this fanfiction. Absolutely nothing, you got it? NOTHING.

---

Pain. That's all there was anymore. Burning, searing hot flames. They were in his heart, in his lungs, in his throat, even inside his head. They were everywhere, scorching everything they touched and turning it all to ash.

There had been no warning. It just suddenly happened, but he always knew it would. He just never would be ready for it. He'd seen how bad some of Emil's volcanoes could get, saw Emil scream and writhe in pain as his throat became clogged with lava. He just never thought it would happen this soon.

He could hardly think straight. He could barely see. His nostrils were inhaling more and more ash with every breath, choking him even more. His very bones were melting. His soul was dying. His brain had long since sputtered out of control.

But none of this hurt him compared to the pain in his heart. He could hear it in his ears. He could hear all of his citizens scream in terror as they were buried in hot, molten ash, killing them in seconds. Hardly enough time to even register what had happened. He could hear children sobbing for their parents, crying as they helplessly searched for a mother and father that would never come home. People everywhere were screaming and sobbing and dying, and he could hear it all. Sixty million voices, all at once, ringing in his ears.

What made it worse was that he knew every one of those voices. There were fifty that stood out in particular. His states. His wonderful, precious states, howling and yelling and running around looking for him, a hero who couldn't even save his own family.

Wyoming was certainly dead. He could feel it, a hollow emptiness where Wyoming should be. Colorado went next, then Montana. Then Idaho. One by one, his Midwest states disappeared, like candles being blown out by an angry god. And it was killing him too.

He was crying. He could feel tears running down his face. Tears of magma. He wanted those voices to stop. He knew that even if he was home, he couldn't do anything to save any of them. Some hero he was…

He knew that Arthur was running around, trying his best to help him. He could sense rather than see Arthur's tear-streaked face. Arthur was crying. Arthur was crying because of him. But what could he do? His soul itself was burning. He couldn't even save himself.

He wanted the voices to stop. He wanted this pain to end. Wanted their pain to end. Even if they all died, he just wanted them to stop hurting.

Why? Why did it have to erupt now?

Had he done something wrong?

His states…his family…hell, his children even…and all of his citizens…they were all dying. And he was dying with them.

There was no hope for him now.

He was dying.

But that was okay.

Because he was spending his last few moments with his friends and his family.

And that's all he asked for.

---

"ALFRED!" Arthur screamed, running forward and wrapping his arms around his younger brother. His poor, helpless little brother. Almost as soon as he hugged Alfred –who was shaking and screaming uncontrollably- he howled in pain and let go. Alfred's skin was burning hot to the touch.

The Mane Six and the princesses ran over as well, shouting in concern and horror and confusion. Rainbow Dash's voice was the loudest out of all of theirs; she cared for him like she cared for the other Mane Six, and she was going to stop his pain, no matter what it takes.

"What's wrong with him, Arthur?! What's happening to him?!" Twilight shouted at the green unicorn, who was watching Alfred with a desperate look on his face. Arthur slowly turned to look at her, his emerald eyes empty and full of pain.

"Alfred has a massive supervolcano resting underneath his country. It just erupted." Arthur's voice was hollow, desolate.

"Ain't there somethin' we can do?" Applejack cried desperately, tears threatening to fall. They'd known Alfred for what felt like their whole lives, and seeing him hurting like this was worse than anything they'd ever faced before. Alistair walked over, a very grim look on his face.

"Not much. This is something we can't control. This is our mother." He murmured, watching Alfred with eyes that were no longer sparkling. Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow, her lips forming a thin, tight line. Their mother?

At Alistair's words, every country looked up and whispered something inaudible over Alfred's stomach-twisting screams of pain. The once brave, hyper, and loud Pegasus was lying on the ground, spasming and twitching. His right arm was almost completely gone, blown away in the wind. As they watched, more and more of his torso was turned to black, scorched skin. Then to flaming red embers. Then, to ash. And then to nothing.

Lava was leaking out of his eyes, smoke rising from their sockets with a horrible bubbling and hissing sound as his sky-blue eyes were boiled away. His body was convulsing, more and more molten rock coming out of his mouth with each breath. Through the magma and screams, somehow, somehow words could be heard.

"AIYANA! AIYANA! HELP ME! THEY'RE DYING!" Alfred screamed, sobbing. "PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKE IT STOP!"

Twilight walked over to Arthur, sitting down next to him and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. Alistair, being subdued and quiet, sat on the other side of Arthur.

"Is Aiyana your mother?" She whispered, and Arthur didn't answer. Alistair did for him, his voice very soft and gentle.

"No. Aiyana is Alfred's 'mother'. She raised him." He explained quietly, and Arthur shakily drew in a breath.

"She raised him…and I murdered her…" He whispered, before bursting into tears. Alistair sighed, but nonetheless pulled his younger brother closer, draping a wing around him and burying him in a blanket of cerulean feathers. Twilight watched with wide, terrified eyes. Arthur…had murdered her?!

"Please! Please, somebody! Help them!" Alfred sobbed, rolling over onto his back so they could see everything happening. Arthur howled in misery, burying his face in Alistair's shoulder. He didn't want to look anymore. Everypony was watching what was happening with bleak, dark faces. They couldn't help Alfred, and they knew that.

"P-Please…! Everyone…everyone's dying!" Alfred howled, and a single, glistening tear fell down Alistair's face. He growled and wiped it away. Rainbow Dash was sitting next to Twilight, crying just like Twilight was. Just like the rest of the Mane Six.

"Are you sure there is nothing we can do to help him?" Celestia asked, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. Alistair shook his head.

"No. We've tried our best to help Emil with his volcanoes, but there's nothing we can do. This is beyond our power." He said hollowly, watching Alfred twitch and convulse violently. Emil nodded, across the field in the arms of his older brother. He'd been plagued by volcanoes since he was born, and he knew how bad they could be. But this was a whole new, terrifying level, even for him.

"Then the only thing we can do is wait." Luna whispered, and Alistair nodded.

"I'm sorry Alfred, but this is all we can do." He muttered, running a gentle hoof through Arthur's mane. He let go of Arthur, and nudged him forward. "Go on. Try singing to him, that song that always makes him calm down when he has a nightmare." He encouraged, and Arthur weakly shook his head, barely able to stand on his own.

"No…how can I sing when…" He whispered, trailing off as he gestured to Alfred, who was now screaming and sobbing in Latin. Alfred was crying, sobbing for Arthur and Aiyana. Alistair growled again.

"Just try, Arthur. He needs you." He said, and Arthur glanced back at Alfred, tears falling fast and hard. He inhaled, gathered his courage, and stumbled over to Alfred's slowly disintegrating form. He kneeled down and shakily picked up Alfred's head, wincing at the hot temperature. He placed Alfred's head in his lap, and brushed Alfred's mane.

"I can't save them…but I can save you…" He whispered. Inhaling once more, he began.

Lullaby for a Hero

Fate has been cruel and order unkind

How could I have drove you away?

The blame was my own, the punishment, yours

The harmony's silent today

But into the stillness I'll bring you a song

And I will your company keep

Till your tired eyes and my lullabies

Have carried you softly to sleep

Once did a small prince that shone like the sun

Look out on his kingdom and sigh

He smiled and said, 'Surely there is nobody as lovely

And so well beloved as I!'

So great was his reign and so brilliant his glory

That long was the shadow he cast

Which fell dark upon the young brother he loved

And grew only darker as days and nights passed

Brave little hero, goodnight brother mine

And rest now in moonlight's embrace

Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth

Through cloud and through sky and through space

Carry the peace and the coolness of night

And carry my sorrow in kind

Alfred, you're loved so much more than you know

Forgive me for being so blind

Soon did the prince take notice that others

Did not give his brother his due

And neither had he loved him as he deserved

He watched as his brother's unhappiness grew

But such is the way of the limelight, it sweetly

Takes hold of the mind of its host

And that deluded prince did nothing to stop

The destruction of the one who needed him most

Brave little hero, goodnight brother mine

And rest now in moonlight's embrace

Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth

Through cloud and through sky and through space

Carry the peace and the coolness of night

And carry my sorrow in kind

Alfred, you're loved so much more than you know

May troubles be far from your mind

And forgive me for being so blind

The years here before us

Fearful and unknown

I never imagined

I'd face them on my own

May the ashen winters

Swiftly pass, I pray

I love you; I miss you

All these miles away

May all your dreams be sweet tonight

Safe upon your bed of starlight

And know not of sadness, pain or care

And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there

Sleep…

Alfred's screams and howls turned to whimpers and moans of pain. Arthur's song went a long way toward calming him down. He wasn't thrashing about anymore; instead, he was weakly twitching and struggling, but even those efforts were fading as he fell into unconsciousness.

Everypony had cried at least once during Arthur's lullaby. Whether it was a single tear or loud sobs, everypony had. As he finally fell unconscious, Alistair got to his feet and levitated Alfred's body.

"Princesses…" He said solemnly, his voice strangely hollow and echoing in the clearing. "Discord is loose in our dimension. He is probably the cause of this tragedy. Millions of people in Alfred's home have been murdered. I'm asking on their behalf, that you allow us to build a castle here, where we can recuperate. I have no doubt that your castle in Canterlot would be sufficient, but I don't believe it can stand up to the chaos this lot can create." He asked, jerking his head over his shoulder at the circle of countries.

Princess Celestia had only one answer. How could she deny them? They had been through so much pain in this past hour.

"You may. I have no issue, though ponies will notice this and question it. You will have to introduce yourselves to the public eventually, but I will hold them off until Alfred is fully recovered. You have my blessing as well." She replied, bowing low to Alistair, who bowed back.

"Thank you." He said, and he nodded to Norway. Norway nodded back, his horn lighting up with dark blue energy as he conjured a cot for Alfred to rest on. Alistair carefully laid his nephew on the cot, using his magic to remove Alfred's glasses and to cover his body with a sheet.

"Yao. Do your thing." He said after a few moments of staring at Alfred's body. Yao nodded and jumped right into action, somehow building a large and rather impressive castle in no less than ten minutes. Applejack, the first of the Mane Six to wipe away her tears and stand, took the liberty of asking.

"How did he do that?" She asked, her voice a bit hoarse from all the crying. Yao shrugged; even he was a bit glassy-eyed from the tears.

"It's a special talent of mine, I guess. I can build a small town in five seconds, but a castle large enough to fit all the countries' needs and tastes would naturally take longer." He replied. One by one, the countries walked inside their castle, with Alistair levitating Alfred once more and with Arthur slung over his back. Francis helped Fluttershy to carry Mathieu inside, and Ludwig and Hungary both carried Gilbert between them.

The Mane Six had to admit; the castle was incredible, absolutely breath-taking. It was white and gold marble, with several windows made of stained glass, in jumbled patterns that made no sense and yet were perfect shapes in the same way. Each country's individual flag hung like a banner from the ceiling, and in the center of the entrance hall, was the main beauty.

A giant, revolving model of the Earth, made of stained glass, standing on a gold and silver pedestal.

Twilight gasped, her eyes widening . She felt so small in this room…

"It's beautiful…" Rarity said in awe, staring at the Earth, which slowly turned on its axis. Interrupting, Alistair placed his hoof on Twilight's shoulders, pulling her out of her rampant thoughts.

"Twilight Sparkle, was it? Can you do me a favor? Take Arthur to his room; it has his flag painted on its door. Take him there, and make sure he gets some rest. I'll be taking Alfred to the infirmary. Tell Arthur that when he wakes up, okay?" Alistair asked quietly, taking the still awake Arthur off his back and placing him on the marble floor, where he swayed drunkenly.

"I will, but where will we sleep?" Twilight asked, gesturing at Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Alistair made a gesture that clearly said, 'come here'. So she did, and Alistair lowered his head so that he could whisper in her ear.

"Arthur's probably gonna ask you to cuddle with him for comfort; don't worry, he's too depressed after what happened to do anything romantic." Alistair whispered. Twilight nodded, blushing slightly. Before she could ask where her friends would sleep, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"I'm not sleeping anywhere other than the infirmary. I need to make sure Alfred will be okay." She said firmly, flying over to where Alfred's cot lay and planting her feet into the ground right next to him. She looked around, as though she was worried someone would stop her or protest to her staying with him. When no one did, she breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"I'm sleeping in Francis' room tonight, dears." Rarity said, and Francis smiled. He's not going to do anything other than cuddle with her, you perverts! . The two of them bid the ponies remaining in the room goodnight as Celestia's sun touched the horizon, just beginning to set. They said goodnight, and trotted off to Francis' room.

"I'd like it if Pinkie Pie slept in my room with me…" Ivan said, and Pinkie bounced over to him, landing on his back. She twirled her arm around and pointed down the hallway, shouting "CHARGE!" Ivan chuckled a bit, but nonetheless reared up on his hind legs and thundered off down the hallway. Alistair watched them go with raised eyebrows.

"And that just happened…" He muttered, shaking his head. Even though he was older than other countries, love was still the only thing he would never figure out. Applejack and Fluttershy were the only ones left now, and it was really no question where Fluttershy would be sleeping. She turned her eyes towards the still unconscious Mathieu, and then returned her gaze to Alistair, opening her mouth to say something.

"Ah, go on." He yawned, waving his hoof nonchalantly before she could even say anything. She meekly nodded her thanks, and Alistair teleported them to Mathieu's room. He knew that Fluttershy was too weak to carry Mathieu all by herself. That left just Applejack. Since there weren't really any of the countries that she was close to, she was a bit lost.

"Um, I guess I'll go see in anypony'll let me borrow their room…." She said awkwardly, shuffling her hooves on the marble. Alistair gave her a smile.

"You know what? Go sleep in Patrick's room with him. He'll be more than happy to have you." He said, and Applejack nodded a bit shyly, but cantered off down the hallway. Alistair, alone with the two princesses, turned to them as Antonio, Lovino, and Dmitri walked in.

"Hello!" Dmitri yelled, grinning just like he'd been when they'd last seen him. Alistair glared.

"Where the hell have you been?" He snarled, and Dmitri shrugged, not really scared by Alistair's anger.

"Meh. On a walk, running around, burning off energy." Dmitri replied casually, and Alistair raised an eyebrow. Of course he was lying, but he wasn't gonna press it. He was a bit too tired for that. He just waved Dmitri on, and the black unicorn trotted to his room, smiling.

"Don't ask him anything. He's been very upset." Antonio whispered, pulling Lovino closer to him as they walked down the hall without saying hello to the princesses. Lovino was still sniffling, refusing to look at anything but his hooves. Alistair just nodded as the two disappeared around the corner. He turned back to the princesses.

"Alright. I realize that somepony is gonna notice us, and I've decided that since I'm the alicorn and alicorns are the rulers here, we can just say I'm a prince from a previously uncharted piece of land." He said, with some of his old fire in his eyes. Princess Celestia nodded.

"That sounds alright to me. Luna?" She asked, turning to her sister for her opinion. Luna nodded her consent as well, and the princesses bade them goodnight, and returned to Canterlot Castle in a flash of light. Alistair sighed, picked up Alfred again, and began to walk off towards the infirmary, Rainbow Dash flying low by his side.

The two of them walked in silence for a long time, with Rainbow Dash staring around in dazed wonder at the castle's interior. Alistair was thinking hard, and he eventually spoke.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Alistair finally asked, and Rainbow Dash jumped about five feet in the air. She had been so busy staring around at the décor she had nearly forgotten Alistair was there. Calming down, she answered, a bit quietly.

"I'm the Element of Loyalty. It's what I do." She replied, looking fondly down at Alfred. Alistair chuckled.

"It's what we all do, kiddo. We take care of our own."

---

'Ello, poppet!

Wha-? Who's there? Is this a surprise party of some kind?! I love parties! Are there balloons? How many ponies are here?! *gasp* Is there a cake?! Oh man, there better be a cake! You can't have a party without balloons and cake! And confetti too, I guess, but all the same-

You talk a lot, poppet~! No, I'm sorry love, but there isn't any cake. We do have cupcakes though!

Ooh! I love cupcakes! Cupcakes are almost better than cake, because you can take them anywhere! You can't fit a cake in your saddlebag, you'd get frosting everywhere! What flavor are they? Can I have one?

Of course you can, poppet! I love it when people eat my cupcakes!

This is delicious! What flavor is this?! I've never had it before! What's your secret, hmm? Come on, spill it!

Why, it's Rainbow Dash!

What? Is Rainbow Dash here too? Did she help you plan the party?

Ha! No, silly. You asked me what flavor the cupcake was! It's Rainbow Dash!

I-It's Rainbow Dash? The cupcake is…made of Rainbow Dash?!

Yup! She was a lovely main course, and I decided to take the leftovers and make her into a cupcake! I haven't tried a Rainbow Dash one yet; I've been too busy finishing off the Applejack ones!

YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS AND BAKED THEM?!

Of course~! What else was I supposed to do with them?

I…I just ate…I just ate Rainbow Dash…!

Well, not all of her. That's just her gristle, dearie. Her muscle was the best part!

I'm…I'm gonna be sick…!

Oh now, don't do that. I need you, Pinkie dear.

Need me…? For what?

---

Two hypnotic, pink and blue swirling eyes appeared in the dark. A large, insane grin followed, illuminating the dark and the meat cleaver held in blood-stained fingers.

---

Why, because you look delicious, poppet! I wonder what flavor you'll be!

---

Hey! Wake up, Rainbow Crash!

Wha…where am I?

In a factory in Cloudsdale. How'd you get here?

I dunno! One second I'm asleep in the infirmary, next I'm here! Where is here? And why is it so dark? And who are you?

Jeez, calm down. I told you, you're in Cloudsdale. It's dark because the lights aren't on. And you know me.

No I don't! Who are you?!

Hey, chill bitch. And hold still while I flick on the lights.

What? Wait...is that….Twilight?!

It used to be, yeah.

She's dead! What'd you do to her, you monster?!

Oh sure. Blame me for everything. And she didn't die in vain at least.

What happened?! What'd you do?! And why is she all…gray…?

Bitch, calm down. She made a lovely shade of magenta that really complemented our rainbow.

What?!

Tell me, Rainbow Dash. Do you know what Rainbows are made of?

N…No…

Well I do. Here in the factory, we take useless ponies, drain them of their life and pigment, and turn them into color, smearing them across the sky for all to enjoy.

That's sick! How could you do this?!

It's easy really thanks to our machines.

---

A black pair of sunglasses gleamed in the dark, along with a grin and a blood-stained baseball bat, studded with nails. It was raised and ready to strike.

---

My little Dashie, welcome to the Rainbow Factory. What are your true colors?

---

H-Hello…? Is anypony there…?

Hey. Good morning, Fluttershy.

M-Mathieu? Is that you…?

No. I'm not that wuss. You hungry?

Y-Yeah…where am I…?

You're safe at home, Fluttershy. You're actually in your backyard, in your gardening shed. Here, eat this. You'll need it.

Oh….thank you…is it dangerous to eat? It feels a bit…s-slimy…

Nah. Just eat it.

Um…it tastes…funny…

Alright, I lied. That was meat. I don't think it tastes funny at all. In fact, I'd say it has a rather…ANGELic taste…! Ha!

That…! I just ate my Angel bunny?! I…I'm gonna…!

Aw, now you've gone and made a mess of yourself. Don't fret, I could've fed you your pathetic special somepony, Mathieu.

You…!

Come on. He's a polar bear, a vicious, man eating polar bear, isn't he?

Well…he can be, I guess but-

He's an animal. Animals are meant to be eaten! Why else would they be here?

You're terrible! Who are you?! What do you want with me?!

I'm just here to show you the truth, Fluttershy. Animals eat other animals, and we're animals too. So why don't we eat meat?

It…It's just not right! It's disgusting!

Bitch…

---

A single spotlight illuminated a pair of black glasses, a small grin, and a gleaming, steel hockey stick, splattered with dried blood.

---

Come on, Fluttershy. It's instinct.

---

Hello? Is anypony there? I'm afraid it's terribly dark in here and I can't see…would somepony please come and help me?

Stupid bitch. Can't do anything by yourself, can you?

How dare you! I am a first-class pony, thank you very much!

Yeah…in your head. Come on Rarity, get over yourself. You're not that great.

I am too! And you'd best get it through your head, mister!

You're not. You know you're not, and that's why you try so hard to present yourself like you are. Am I right?

….

The Element of Generosity. It's not your fault, Rarity. Your existence is to make others happy and sacrifice things to obtain your goal. You sacrificed so much here. Your friends even.

What? Where am I? And I would never!

Oh, but you did. You sacrificed them, your career, your life, your sister, even your own body.

What…? Explain yourself! You have a French accent! Francis, this isn't funny!

Francis?! Ew, that's disgusting. Who would fall for that manwhore? Someone with pretty low standards, I think.

That's a lie! Francis is the highest caliber of pony there is!

Ha. In looks alone, my Rarity. He's a slut! Get over him!

I'm done listening to you! If you have nothing nice to say to me, I suggest you leave!

I wish I could. I'm stuck here until I'm done with you.

Done with me? What are you saying? Hey, WAIT! GET AWAY FROM THERE! YOU SICK PERVERT!

Hey, I'm not any happier with this than you are. I HATE touching people…

W-Who are you…? And what are you doing to do to me?

---

The small, orange glow of a cigarette shed light onto a pair of bloody fists, one of which was holding a dagger, its edges clotted to dullness with blood. A grim, reluctant smile appeared behind the cigarette.

---

It really is a generous plan, Rarity. Let me offer you its rewards.

---

Well hello, Twilight. I would be surprised to find you here, but under the circumstances…

Wha? Who are you? And where is 'here'?

Oh, nowhere special really. We're in the Everfree forest, deeper than most ponies would dare to go. That sounds just like me, 'boldly going where no one's gone before', I think he said.

What? You're not making any sense…

Oh, where's the fun in making sense?

What? Are you…DISCORD?!

Nah. Just a fellow chaos lover. Come on, do I sound like Discord?

Well…no…

Just because I quote somebody doesn't mean I am them, Twilight. I thought you were the logical one.

I am!

So your friends are idiots?

What?! I never said that!

No, I did. What good are other people if they can't even make logical statements?

What…?! You're the one who's not making logical statements!

I know. So what good am I?

I don't know you. Why are you asking me?

Oh, you know me. You just won't recognize me at all. You won't recognize any of us.

Wha-! That's…! What happened to them?! What did you do to my friends?!

Nothing, Twilight. You did this to them. Without you, they never would have become Elements of Harmony. They wouldn't have ended up like this.

T-They're dead…!

Your fault, Twilight.

NO! I never did anything to cause this!

Neither did I, Twilight. Neither did I…

---

A click and the sound of tinkling metal echoed in the dark as a lighter flickered into life. It revealed a bloody longsword and amber, flaming eyes. There was a grim smile underneath them.

---

There is a difference between knowing all and accepting all. Allow me to enlighten you.

---

Vell. Never thought I'd find you here, Applejack.

What the hay?! Who are ya?!

Oh, I'm nobody important really…I don't necessarily like to call zhe shots, so I'll let you figure zhis out…

Figure what out? Where I am? I smell apples…am I at home?

Ja. You're in the barn, actually. In zhe cellar.

What else…oh lord, what's that smell?! Is that…blood?!

I zhink you know zhe answer to zhat question.

What happened?

Oh…you really don't want to know that.

Yes, Yes Ah do! Tell me!

You're lying, Applejack.

….

You're the Element of Honesty. You can't lie without making that face.

How do ya even know wha' face Ah'm makin'?! It's ta dark in here!

Zhe lights, right. Let me get zhat.

Oh…oh G-God…what's…what's happened to them?! APPLEBLOOM! SWEETIE BELLE! SCOOTALOO!

They're dead, Applejack. You can't change that.

Yes I can!

Lying again, Applejack.

I-I…I wanna go home…

---

A single lightbulb illuminated a pair of pistols, shining in the dark. Also visible, chilling her very core, was a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Germany had one of those. The speaker had a German accent. No…!

---

I zhought I told you, Applejack. You are home.

---

All of the Mane Six woke up screaming, absolutely terrified and sobbing.

---

A/N: Aaandd….that's a wrap! Here ya go! Second chapter in one day! BOOYAH!

I know, I know. Also, a small note: A lot of you have been telling me that France should actually be calling Canada 'mon fils' instead of 'mon fille'. I really appreciate it, guys! Thanks for telling me! It's a little late to go back and fix everything now, though, but at least I know for future fics! I just saw a France cosplayer call a Canada cosplayer 'mon fille' once and thought it was correct. ._.

Please, if you are wondering what any of that last stuff in italics was about, make sure to PM about it instead of Googling it. Please. It will spare you several months of therapy.

I actually had to read all of these freaking stories just so I could get the details right. YOU'RE WELCOME.

I would be updating sooner, but I, unfortunately, have summer school. I don't have bad grades, it's just a matter of insurance for September.

Review plz! Hasta la pasta~

I'm alive~

Miss me? I'm glad someone does...I frickin' hate my life sometimes. Depression sucks. I f****** up my entire week on Monday alone. Screw it. Screw everything.

Personal rant over.

Seriously, you guys are just too awesome. Reading your reviews is what cheers me up when I'm like this, and that's when I realized something. I'm good at making others happy. So here you go!

WARNING: This chapter contains suicide (but he'll come back later, don't worry!), language, angst, and lots of blood towards the end.

Also, lots of France angst. I never realized how much I fangirl over France until I wrote this, and now I realize I love him to death. Even if he is gropey and perverted.

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing used here. Nothing. Got it. Good.

---

Ivan was startled awake by the sound of Pinkie sobbing and screaming all at once. Any trace of sleepiness was immediately blown out of his mind as he realized just what that meant. If Pinkie Pie so much as frowned, you knew that something bad had happened to her. Hearing her scream and cry was scary.

"Pinkie! What is the matter?" Ivan asked, carefully making his way over to her. He remembered to make a conscious statement asking this question. Normally, he wouldn't have cared. In fact, he would have enjoyed it. But he had to be a good friend now. No more ignoring people he cared about.

However, Ivan was not prepared for Pinkie to suddenly wrap her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder and soaking it with tears. Ivan froze as Pinkie continued to wail into his coat. He was…being hugged? He'd never gotten a hug…from someone who wasn't Ukraine or his queen…it felt…nice? He didn't really know.

"Oh Ivan! It was awful!" Pinkie bawled, her pink body shivering uncontrollably in fear. Ivan knew it wasn't really sadness; being a murderer sort of gave you the ability to sense fear…he awkwardly patted her on the back. If you couldn't already tell, emotions weren't exactly his strong suit.

"What happened?" Ivan asked again, still sort of freaking out inside. Sure, his older sister cried a lot, but she didn't hug him that much, and he'd never seen anyone other than her cry so openly. What was he supposed to do here?! Pinkie sobbed, tightening her grip on him and making it a mite harder to breathe.

"Oh…it was terrible! T-There was this man….an-and he t-tried to kill me…and…and…he killed Rainbow Dash and Applejack…and t-then and then…I-oh Ivan, I…I ate them!" She howled, and Ivan flinched. That didn't even sound pleasant…wait.

"Pinkie, I know you do not want to think about this, but did you say there was a man?" He asked, his eyes widening. Man? That word didn't exist here. Chto za chert?

Pinkie nodded, her face still hidden in his shoulder. She sniffled a bit, then she too realized exactly what she said.

"Ivan…what's a 'man'?" She asked quietly, and he didn't answer her, his mind thinking hard.

"Pinkie, what did he look like?" Ivan asked again. If it was a nightmare and she was seeing actual humans, it was probably someone he knew. Someone he really didn't want to hear about.

"I-I don't want to think about it…" Pinkie whispered, and he sighed.

"I know you do not, but this is important, da?" He said, rubbing her back soothingly. She sniffled once more.

"Um…it was really dark…b-but his eyes…they were pink and blue and swirly all at once…an-and he was wearing…he was wearing a blue bowtie…and he smiled a lot…" Pinkie whispered very quietly, no doubt trying to think about it and yet not to think about it at the same time. Have you ever done this?! Headaches for weeks, bros.

Ivan's brain ground to a grinding, screeching halt. He knew that man. Every country did. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it would make sense he would appear to Pinkie Pie out of all the Elements of Harmony. And Pinkie said that she ate Rainbow Dash. This was very, very bad.

"Pinkie, I realize this is bad for you to think about, but I need to know. Did he give you cupcakes?" Ivan asked, dread filling his heart as Pinkie slowly nodded, still shaking and crying. It felt like an ice cold hand had grabbed his heart and was slowly pulling it down towards his stomach.

Pinkie wiped her eyes, still really curious as to what Ivan was so worried about. She glanced up at him through blurred vision, and before she could even process the look on his face, he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, swung her onto his back, and thundered out of his bedroom faster than anyone had seen him go. It was all Pinkie could do just to hold on.

---

"Good morning Lovi~" Antonio yawned, waking up and seeing that for once, Lovino was awake and out of bed before Antonio was. This was a very rare occasion, so Antonio was in a good mood within no time, happy that he actually got to see this with his own eyes. Lovino was sitting on the floor, staring out the window forlornly. He must have been crying again, for his eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

Just the thought of Lovino crying made Antonio extremely worried. Lovino only cried if he was really, really upset. This was bad. Lovino had stayed the night in Antonio's room, snuggling close to the stronger earth pony, quietly sobbing and whimpering all night until he finally fell into a fitful, uneasy sleep.

When Antonio greeted him, Lovino mumbled something, turning his gaze away from the window and staring straight at the wall so that Antonio couldn't see the fresh wave of tears coming. Antonio hopped out of bed, stretching and yawning happily.

"What'd you say, Lovi? I couldn't hear you!" Antonio asked, and Lovino growled angrily.

"Don't. Call. Me. That." He snarled, snapping his head around and glaring at the Spaniard, who froze on the spot. "I-I don't want to be Lovi any more…or Lovino…or even Romano…I don't…" Lovino whispered, breaking down into fresh tears and sobs of misery. Absolute misery. It made Antonio's heart ache to hear his little tomate making those cries. He was too young for that. Far too young.

Antonio moved forward, hugging Lovino tightly as Lovino screamed and howled in sorrow. The smile that was normally on Antonio's face was gone, to be replaced with a small, confused frown.

"I don't…Antonio, I don't want to exist anymore…!" Lovino sobbed, and Antonio pulled back, frowning and glaring at Lovino.

"No, Romano. You are not going to die, you got that?! I won't let you!" Antonio shouted, but Lovino just sniffed and gave him a watery smile.

"Too late…" He whispered, and Antonio's eyes widened as he finally took in Lovino's full appearance. He'd been so focused on Lovino's desolate, lost eyes that he hadn't noticed the giant ice pick sticking out of Lovino's chest. A barbaric mafia trick…

"Lovi!" Antonio screamed, watching as Lovino peacefully turned to dust in his arms. Tears fell down from both pony's eyes, but Antonio's were of terror and anger, not of sadness like Lovino's. Eventually, all that remained of Lovino was a small, white red and green glowing ball of light that hovered in Antonio's hooves. The whole process couldn't have taken more than two minutes.

"LOVINO!" Antonio howled, sobbing and crying in horror. His little brother. His favorite little brother was gone. He'd been reduced to his simplest form. He couldn't hear Antonio now. He couldn't see him, or feel him, or even know he was there. Lovino was gone. Southern Italy remained. On that day, Lovino Vargas ceased to exist. He was dead. Gone.

He'd never see another sunset. He wouldn't be able to eat a tomato ever again. Not unless he chose to come back. That was very unlikely, at least not for another hundred years, just to rub it in. Why didn't Antonio see just how upset Lovino was? He could've stopped him. He could've saved him! But he didn't. He couldn't now. It was too late.

And that hurt Antonio more than anything he'd ever felt before.

---

This just seemed like a morning of hurt. Fluttershy's screams and cries of fear jolted Mathieu out of his sleep, and that brought a whole new world of hurt for him. Alfred's volcano didn't just affect Alfred. As soon as he awoke, his entire body was racked with a vicious cough, filling the air in front of him with fine white ash. This only made Fluttershy panic even more in concern for him, so his morning consisted of calming her down and insisting that he was fine when he clearly wasn't. Even Mexico looked a bit pale and was coughing every now and then from the ashflow.

Francis was holding on tightly to Rarity, eyes wide and confused. They were still in Francis' lavishly large bed, hugging each other underneath the silk blankets. Francis was absolutely stunned for more than one reason; one, Rarity was so openly suffering. Two…this was the first time in over a century that he woke up next to a girl without making love to her the night before. The only other time this happened was with…no. He wasn't going to bring her up now.

Applejack trotted through the halls, head held low and her hat pulled over her eyes, glancing around fearfully in terror for fear of Germany. Understandably, her nightmare would make her scared of anyone wearing a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Patrick, Ireland, walked next to her, he too lost in thought and glancing about warily. Though she didn't know him very well at all, Applejack was glad for Patrick's company.

Later in the morning, when everypony had straggled into the kitchen and successfully ate, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both arrived with Princess Cadence, cheering Twilight up immensely. Alistair gathered up the World 8, save for Alfred, and brought them to the main conference room, where all of the mane six and the princesses would have any and all questions answered.

They all had some trouble dragging Rainbow Dash away from America's bedside, but she came after a bit of persuading. She was now sitting to the right of Applejack, her arms crossed and brow furrowed as she stared in the general direction of the infirmary, wishing that she had x-ray vision.

"Alright, now we can get started." Arthur said in relief, doing another headcount and seeing that everyone was accounted for. Except Alfred, of course. Alistair cleared his throat importantly and stood up, placing his hooves on the table.

"Right. This is solely an informational meeting, so the rather attractive princesses get to ask questions about us and the situation we currently find ourselves in. And to the best of our ability, we will answer the ladies. Got it?" He announced, raising an eyebrow at the audience. At his words, all three princesses had shocked yet pleased looks on their faces. Cadence decided that there would be another time to tell him that she was married. Being the head princess, Celestia asked her question first as Alistair sat back down.

"My first question should be an obvious one. What exactly are your 2p selves? And how much of a threat are they to Equestria?" Celestia asked, her voice echoing for a moment in the large room. Arthur sighed and stood up, figuring he was the one most qualified to answer, seeing how his 2p self caused more trouble than the rest of them combined.

"Our 2p selves are a result of too much trauma or shock. Every nation has a 2p, since they are the countries themselves, only much darker. They are equal to us in power, and you saw that night in the statue garden exactly how powerful we are, and that wasn't even at full strength. I guess you could call them the end result of a serious split-personality disorder." He explained, trying to figure out how to word this without making the princesses even more confused.

"All the 2p selves were created the day we were. They've always been around, and there's no stopping them for good. Except for one case; 2p France." He continued, and all eyes in the room turned to France, who surprisingly, glared back at them angrily. Arthur looked a bit sheepish as he explained this part.

"Francis, for sure, had his dark side, but he never had a fully-fledged 2p self until a certain day. May 30, 1431." Arthur said, his eyes becoming downcast and somber. Francis abruptly stood and pushed his chair away from the table, a very uncharacteristic scowl on his face. Rarity looked up at him with wide, somewhat frightened eyes. Before another word could be said, Francis turned and walked stiffly over to the window, sitting down before it and staring pointedly outside, ignoring everypony else.

"What happened?" Rarity asked worriedly yet quietly, staring at her love longingly. Arthur sighed, lowering his voice as well.

"That was the day he lost Joan of Arc." He explained, a spike of pain flashing through is eyes before disappearing just as quickly. "She was the only woman Francis ever really loved. Even I've never seen a love like that. They had been made for each other, no one else. You could see it in their eyes when she was alive; he would rather suffer in Hell with her than be in Heaven by himself."

"Wow…" Twilight breathed, her eyes swirling in wonder as she imagined a love like that. Cadence nodded knowingly, a faint smile on her face. She knew the feeling well. Rarity turned to Arthur, her eyes becoming sadder and sadder by the moment.

"What happened to her?" She asked, and Arthur sighed. Before he could say one word, Francis suddenly snarled, whipping back around and glaring dangerously at Arthur, his eyes shining unearthly blue. All the mane six scooted back from him in fright, but Arthur stood his ground despite the murderous aura radiating off of Francis.

"Him. He happened to her." Francis growled, advancing slowly like a predator upon his prey. "He burned her alive at the stake, laughing at her pain and misery, smiling as she was devoured by the flames. Then he scattered her ashes into the river, not even leaving me with a body to mourn. You seem to have a knack for viciously slaughtering innocent women, don't you Arthur?"

All the mane six gasped in horror, turning their gaze back to Arthur in shock. Even the princesses were looking at him with surprise and revulsion. Arthur, however, stayed calm, even though his eyes were burning with quiet rage.

"You are no better than I am, Francis. If I recall, you've murdered my queen several times." Arthur shot back, and Francis smirked.

"So I guess we're even then?" He growled. "No! Losing a mother is not the same as losing part of your soul." He snarled, and Alistair stood up, slamming his hooves on the table to get their attention, glaring at both of them.

"We are not here to discuss problems long past. You two can have a go at each other all you want later, but now we need to move on." He growled. Every normal pony in the room's eyes were flicking back and forth between Francis and Arthur like they were watching a tennis match. After a very tense and drawn out moment, Francis sat down next to Rarity, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close, sighing and burying his face in her mane.

Alistair smiled, seeing that Arthur too had calmed down enough to continue. With Princess Celestia's question answered, he nodded to Luna to begin.

"Alright. I have more than one question, so to begin, would you say that your 2p selves are similar to Nightmare Moon and I?" She asked, and nobody had to ask for elaboration. They'd all heard the tale on Nightmare Night from Luna, Twilight, and Zecora each. Arthur nodded, happy that she'd found something relatable for the explanation. "Also, I would like to discuss the matter of Ivan's crown."

All head's swiveled towards Ivan, who blinked in confusion. His eyes widened as he realized what they meant, and he placed it on the table for everyone to see. He'd remembered to grab it before the meeting, since he was curious about it too.

"Last night, I was able to do some research in the oldest archives of our library in Canterlot. As we know, there are six Elements of Harmony. Loyalty," Rainbow Dash waved lazily. "Honesty," Applejack tipped her hat to everypony. "Kindness…" Fluttershy hid behind her mane, blushing slightly. "Laughter," Pinkie did a quick song and dance to match, waving and smiling energetically at everypony. "Generosity…" Rarity flipped her mane, and Francis kissed her cheek. "And Magic." Twilight bowed.

"However, I found something…odd. A long forgotten scroll, so old it even slipped Celestia's memory. It said that there was a seventh Element." Everypony gasped/raised an eyebrow. Ivan, however, frowned.

"How am I Element of Harmony? I am not…nice person…" He said slowly, absolutely befuddled*.

"That's what is wrong, Ivan." Luna said, and he internally breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't think his mind could handle being an Element of Harmony. Luna's gaze slid from him down to his crown, staring at it intensely. "This is not the seventh Element of Harmony. That honor, I believe…" Her gaze then turned to a certain Pegasus stallion. "…goes to Mathieu."

Reactions were varied. Everything from 'WHAT?!' to 'Well, then' was said, and poor little Mathieu squeaked at the sudden amount of noise, wishing that he was invisible once more. Alistair and Celestia both held up a hoof for silence, making all the commotion to quiet into confused mutters.

"Mathieu, I believe, is the lost Element. The Element of Humility." Luna said, and everypony shut up as they processed that statement.

"That…makes sense, I guess. But why does Ivan have the crown if Mathieu is the Element, aru?" Yao asked, still staring at Mathieu. Luna gave a small smile, ready to drop a bomb here.

"Well, that's because I found another scroll. One so old, it was written in Draconequian. Discord's specific handwriting, to be exact. This means that it was written in the time that Discord ruled Equestria in a state of eternal chaos, many thousands of years ago. It showed me something strange; the Elements of Being. In that scroll was a sketch of Ivan's crown." Luna finished, gesturing with a hoof at it. Alistair raised his hoof like he was in school.

"I'm gonna guess that like the Elements of Harmony keep harmony, the Elements of Being are what make a pony a pony?" He asked, and Luna nodded. "Alright, so which one is Ivan?" Luna used her magic to levitate Ivan's crown, holding it up so that it was visible from anywhere in the room.

"This is the Element of Hope."

….

….

"Okay, that makes a lot more sense than it should." Arthur muttered, rubbing his temples with his hooves. This was a lot of new information to take in all at once. Mathieu looked like he was on the verge of passing out again, and Fluttershy was sitting closer to him than normal, so that their shoulders were touching. Alistair sighed, turning to Princess Cadence.

"Alright. Do you have any questions for us, miss?" He asked, and she nodded.

"You already answered most of them for me, but I still have one. Are there any countries left in your world? Or did all of you come here?" She asked curiously, and Arthur smirked.

"You have no idea. South America in its entirety is still there, along with pretty much all of Africa and Asia. It's just the farthest east Asian countries here, plus Russia." He said, and Ivan shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "Most of Europe is here too, except for a few countries near Turkey and Greece, like Dmitri's little sisters, Moldova and Macedonia." He added, rethinking his statement. "Also, for some weird reason, Portugal is still there."

Alistair snorted, standing up from the table.

"That should be all. I'm going to go spar, anyone wanna come with me?" He yawned, stretching his wings. Twilight raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Spar?" She asked, unfamiliar with the word. Cadence took the honor of explaining, since her husband was captain of the guard, after all.

"It means practice fighting, Twilight; just in case they're attacked by Xear again." She laughed as Twilight blinked.

Together, everypony got up and exited the main meeting room, letting the doors fall shut behind them with a bang that echoed eerily throughout the now empty room. Or, not as empty as they'd hoped.

A specific pink unicorn grinned from his place under the table, adjusting his light blue bowtie with a flourish.

---

So….thirsty…

Thirsty…

Throat feels like it's on fire…

Thirsty…

Help me…

It hurts…it hurts so much…

Anything…anything to quench the thirst…

Anything…

Please…help….I'm so thirsty…

Anything…

---

Nopony was around to notice, but a certain country groaned, shakily propping himself up on his elbows. He blinked rapidly, desperately trying to get his vision into focus. Everything he saw was blurred, fuzzy around the edges, and he frowned. Were his glasses on?

He waved a hoof in front of his face, at least making sure that he could track things with his eyes. He frowned again, waving his hoof once more. He stopped. He stared. He stared some more.

"Holy Rushmore…" He breathed, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. He stared down at his hoof, wishing that it was still a hoof. But it wasn't. It was a hand.

A human hand.

Alfred flexed all five fingers, still staring and not daring to breathe or blink, in case this was just a trick his mind was playing on him. He shakily raised his other hand, inhaling sharply as he saw that it was the same. A regular old human hand. He slapped his hands onto his face, feeling around numbly, checking his head as well. His nose was normal sized. His teeth and mouth were human too. Ears, hair, and eyes were all completely normal.

His hands travelled down his neck, brushing over everything and relishing in the feel of his own human skin. He suddenly grinned, reaching a hand underneath the thin white sheet that was covering his body. He nearly jumped for joy. Florida was okay too!

Alfred grinned, so damn happy that he was back to normal. Then he frowned again, realizing that he wouldn't be able to fly anymore if he wasn't a Pegasus. Maybe he could get Alistair or Arthur to use their magic and give him wings, though! His grin returned and he moved to get out of the bed he was in –which was completely unfamiliar, though he didn't notice.

However, as soon as he moved, his entire body flared with intense, searing hot pain. He gasped and clamped his hand over his mouth, muffling his scream into pitiful groans. Alfred clenched his eyes shut, trying to force his way through it. Yesterday –was it yesterday? It seemed like it had been days- the pain had been much worse.

The pain.

Alfred froze, ignoring the giant fire inside his chest. He mentally ran another check on himself, this time looking for something inside rather than any pain. After a few moments, he growled and slammed his fists into his thighs, feeling tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

He choked out a sob, once again ignoring the sudden flare of pain. Wyoming was dead. So were Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado. Dead. Gone. There was a terrible, empty spot in his heart and in his soul. A spot they should have been in. All the rest of his Midwest and West coast states were sick. Terribly sick. But he refused to believe that they were dying too. He would not allow any more deaths.

The worst part was that all of the other forty six states were screaming at him. Crying for him. Hating him. Because he wasn't there for them. He couldn't save anyone. If he was home, he might have been able to do something. But he couldn't now. And his own children hated him, with all their hearts for it.

Where the hell were you?!

How could you leave us alone like this?!
I hate you!

Dad, are you mad at us…?

…Why?

We ain't never done anythin' ta you!

IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!

Alfred sobbed again, clamping his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the blitzkrieg of voices screaming inside his head. But there was no way to block out a sound from your heart. He put his head between his knees, trying his best not to break down completely. He had to find a way to make this right with them. It wasn't his fault at all.

"No…y-you don't understand…! I never did anything! O-Of course I care about you! Okay, I wasn't there. I could've helped. I could've been there for you. But none of this was my fault. It…It was Discord. He's messing with…with mom! No, not Aiyana. Our other mom. New York, please listen, I never wanted this…h-hey! Stop fighting! Ow! Dammit, that hurts!" He shouted, snapping his eyes open and glaring at his chest.

"Listen to me, all of you. Shut up. Just shut up, okay?" He whispered, clenching his fists even tighter, so that his nails dug little crimson crescent marks into his skin. "None of us wanted them dead. But none of us could have stopped it. Not even me. Not even frickin' ALISTAIR could do anything about it. You think I don't care about them? Then why are we all in so much pain?!"

"…Just as you affect me, I affect you. My pain is yours, and yours is mine. That damn explosion hurt me, hurting all of you too. All of you, not just…Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. We're all in the same damn situation. So…just stop. Please…" He whispered, his tears finally starting to fall. "We're going to bury them with dignity. We're going to respect them, and honor their last wishes. Not fight over whose fault it was, because if it's mine, it's yours too."

"So…So please, n-no more fighting…I-I can't take any more violence…if we don't fight together, all of us will die. Please…j-just…just be quiet." He cried, still looking at his hands. For once, and Alfred counted and blessed every star on his flag for this, everyone shut up. Even Jersey and York did. Maybe they could see just how much they'd hurt him. Or maybe they realized what he'd said was true. And maybe they were all just being sensitive and actually decided to leave him alone. Whichever way, Alfred was grateful. He just wanted to go and build a respectable grave for his…f-for his dead children.

And maybe, in a few decades or maybe even a century, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska could be rebuilt. There'd be new personifications. New life. But the children he knew were dead. Not coming back.

He shuddered in a breath, wiping away his tears shakily with his now human hand. He could deal with the rest of his kids later, but now it was time to respect the dead. He had to get outside. He needed to find a shovel, and get outside.

He swung his legs off the bed once more, standing up as best he could. He growled sharply and pressed his hand against his chest, once again slamming his fist into something, this time being the bedside cabinet. This pain was nothing! He could handle something as trivial as an aftershock. It would just be pointless and stupid to complain about this.

He began to slowly walk towards the door, blatantly oblivious to the fact that he was still naked. Meanwhile, his mind was whirling with questions. Was he the only one back to normal? Where the hell was everyone? What was this place? And more importantly, which way is out?

He was going to shout these frustrations to the ceiling, like he always did, but a sudden loud squeak made him stop and glance around in curiosity. That sounded vaguely familiar….but who…?

His eyes suddenly locked on to a very small, dark red earth pony with a curly caramel brown mane and tail. It was hard to tell, but it almost seemed to be blushing horribly, and it was covering its eyes with its hooves.

"Hey, who are you?" Alfred asked, racking his brain to try and remember this pony's name. He knew he'd seen him yesterday, but he couldn't remember his name!

"M-Mister America…y-you're naked!" The little pony yelped, and Alfred glanced down at Florida, before returning his gaze to the little pony.

"So are you, dude. Now, who are you again?"

"I-I'm Raivis, sir! L-Latvia, to be exact…" Raivis mumbled, still not looking at Alfred. Alfred grinned suddenly and smacked his forehead in realization, earning an angry shout from New York which was ignored.

"Right, Latvia! Where's everypony else?" He asked, and Latvia squeaked again.

"T-They're down in the sparring hall…"

"Right! Thanks dude!" Alfred chirped, giving Latvia a thumbs up before trying to push past him and out the door. However, he must have been much weaker than he initially thought, because he stumbled and couldn't get past Latvia, who was less than a third his size.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! I-I can't let you go! Y-You're not healthy yet!" Latvia stammered, trying to hold up Alfred while not touching…anything. He wasn't doing that. No way. Alfred opened his mouth to protest, but a little chuckle startled them both.

Both of them looked up to see Romania standing there, leaning against the doorway and twirling his little hat in his hands.

And just like Alfred, Dmitri was human too. Thankfully he'd managed to find or create a pair of brown drawstring pants. Alfred grinned, happy to see his friend after all that pain.

"Dmitri! Whasup?!" He shouted, his signature doofy grin on his face. Latvia, however, yelped and cowered back, quickly backing away. His fear seemed to make Dmitri grin maliciously. Couldn't Alfred see? See the way Dmitri's eyes glinted and glowed evilly? Latvia wasn't really good at reading emotion, but he could still recognize the look in Dmitri's eyes.

Hunger.

Dmitri chuckled again at Alfred's question, turning his gaze to the ceiling.

"What's up…?" He repeated softly, still twirling his hat thoughtfully. If only Alfred and Raivis could see the raging storm inside Dmitri right now…Alfred was about to move forward, to give Dmitri a hug. He still had his smile on his face, not even noticing Dmitri's eyes, which were glowing vicious, demonic red. Suddenly though, Alfred tripped and cut his hand on one of the sharp edges of the bedside cabinets.

"Shit!" Alfred hissed, staring at the little cut on his hand. It couldn't have been more than an inch across, and only a hair's width thick. A catscratch, almost.

Alfred, still inspecting his cut, didn't notice Dmitri gasp and shudder. He didn't see Dmitri begin to stalk towards him, his feet not making a sound. He didn't see Dmitri's fangs grow. And he didn't see Dmitri lick his lips hungrily. Alfred saw nothing, too focused on his bleeding hand. But Latvia saw everything.

"America!" Latvia shouted, just as Dmitri began to pounce.

Alfred looked up just in time to see Latvia headbutt Dmitri out of the way, Dmitri's fingers only centimeters from Alfred's skin. Latvia's headbutt was so powerful, it sent Dmitri flying into the wall with a huge crash, making a large crater and destroying one of the infirmary beds. Latvia stood in front of Alfred, panting and glaring.

"…Dude?" Alfred asked after a moment, and Latvia flinched, like he expected to be punished for hurting Alfred's friend. He slowly turned back to Alfred, his ears, tail, and head low in submission.

"Yessir?" He asked quietly, trembling because he expected to be hit. He actually saw Alfred raise a hand before he closed his eyes and braced himself.

Instead, he felt Alfred's warm, human hand ruffle his mane. He looked up in surprise, seeing a large smile on Alfred's face. "Mister America?"

"You got your Cutie Mark, little dude. Good job." Alfred said simply, and Latvia's eyes widened. He turned his head back to see Alfred was right. His Cutie Mark was a shining sword, pointing down. He smiled, his heart swelling as he looked at it. He was always told he was brave, but he'd never believed it. But he was! He'd just stood up to Dmitri, and he helped save Alfred!

"You son of a bitch…" They heard a snarl, and before they could blink, Dmitri had Latvia pinned against the wall, holding him up by his throat. Latvia struggled and gasped for air, choking in Dmitri's grip.

"Dmitri! You…hell, let him go!" Alfred shouted, running forward and tugging on Dmitri, but not even Alfred, with all his strength, could move Dmitri. "What the hell?! Dmitri, stop!" He yelled, but then he froze in horror. He watched as Dmitri's fangs grew and grew, pushing past his bottom lip and past his chin even, making him look like a sabertooth tiger. Dmitri's eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth.

"Dmitri, STOP!" Alfred roared, hitting Dmitri straight in the head with all his might. But he wasn't fast enough. Nowhere near fast enough. He punched thin air, his shot overshooting and making him fall to the floor.

Latvia screamed as Dmitri sunk his fangs into his neck, deeper and deeper, ripping open veins and actually scraping against bone. Blood began to flow, and Dmitri downed it like it was water from the Fountain of Youth, not even pausing for breath as he swallowed it in mouthfuls.

Right before he passed out from shock, Latvia saw a single tear fall from Dmitri's eye. And behind the hunger in his scarlet eyes, was pain. Deep, horrible pain and sadness.

"I'm sorry, Latvia…I'm so sorry…" Dmitri whispered, his voice muffled by the blood in his mouth and Latvia's shoulder.

Alfred shot straight to his feet, not even noticing the pain in his chest over his own anger. His eyes even seemed to be burning intensely, glaring powerfully at Dmitri, who hadn't even moved.

"Dmitri. Let. Him. Go." Alfred growled, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Dmitri's middle, yanking him off of Latvia with a huge burst of strength. Dmitri actually shut his mouth in surprise and didn't even struggle as he was removed from his meal. In fact, he grinned. He'd be getting a much better quality meal soon.

"What the hell, Dmitri? What the actual hell?" Alfred shouted, setting Dmitri down so that Alfred was between him and Latvia, who slumped to the floor, still unconscious. Dmitri groaned, deciding he may as well have fun with this.

"I-It's amazing, Al…you don't understand! It's just….so delicious, and I'm…so thirsty…It hurts, Alfred!" He cried, his fingers scrabbling at his throat. "I'm so damn thirsty! I-It's liquid euphoria! I've never experienced something that wonderful…everything I've ever loved, rolled into red silk….and all I have to do…is take it." He muttered, staring at Latvia and watching the blood flow out of his neck. "H-How am I supposed to resist?!" He whispered, looking up at Alfred.

Then he grinned insanely, tipping his head to the side and wiping away the trails of Latvia's blood that were running down his chin and fangs. He brushed them away with his hands, then licked the blood off his fingers thoughtfully, staring up curiously at the still glaring and murderous Alfred.

"Ah well. I wonder what freedom tastes like."

And with that, too fast for human eyes, Dmitri was behind Alfred, chomping down right onto Alfred's windpipe. Alfred screamed in pain and anger, reaching backwards and yanking at Dmitri's hair in an attempt to get him off. When that didn't work, Alfred arched his spine, twisting around violently, trying to shake him off.

"Dmitri! Get off me!" Alfred roared, jamming his elbow back into Dmitri's ribs with a blow that could shatter bones. But Dmitri didn't seem to be hurt at all by it.

Suddenly, reality and exactly WHAT he was doing slammed back into Dmitri full force, and he gasped in horror and tore away from Alfred, covering his mouth in shame. Alfred gasped for air, willing his regenerative powers as a country to heal his neck. He stared and stared at Dmitri as his windpipe returned to normal, his skin stitching itself back together with a mind of its own.

"A-Alfred…?" Dmitri whispered, staring at America with wide, disbelieving eyes. Alfred wanted to strangle the Romanian for what just happened, but the look in Dmitri's eyes made him stop. Dmitri was terrified. Absolutely frightened out of his wits. He was so damn scared, Alfred actually took pity on him.

"Come on, Dmitri. You need help. Let's go find Arthur, he'll know what to do." Alfred said quietly, holding out his hand for Dmitri to take. Dmitri stared at it, his eyes becoming increasingly wide as he processed everything he'd just done.

"I-I…I just…I just drank blood…! Y-Your blood…a-and Raivis'…." He whispered, and he suddenly twitched. "A-Alfred, I couldn't….I couldn't control myself…" He sobbed, wrapping his arms around himself. Alfred felt his heart hurting at he looked at his friend. He stepped closer, trying to bring the Romanian into a hug once more.

"Hey, it's okay…we need to find Arthur, and then we can-"

"Don't touch me!" Dmitri screamed, cutting Alfred off. He turned on his heel and ran over into the furthest and darkest corner of the infirmary, curling into a ball with his head between his knees and his arms over his head. He started to shake.

Dmitri could feel the urge rising once more. The urge to drink. His throat seared with heat, the flames getting more intense with every heartbeat. He could smell it. He could smell the blood. It was so close…! Dmitri clenched his eyes shut, biting down hard on his own arm. It wasn't enough. His own blood was nowhere near enough to quench his thirst.

Alfred stared, then took a confident step forward. Dmitri wasn't as strong as Alfred or Russia, and Alfred was confident he could take Dmitri down if he needed to. His heart twisted painfully when he saw Dmitri's tears fall to the ground, soon joined by blood from Dmitri's wrist. His supervolcano seemed like nothing compared to what Dmitri must be suffering through right now.

"Dmitri, come on. We need to get Arthur." He said loudly, making sure that Dmitri could hear him. Dmitri shuddered violently, shaking his head weakly.

"N-No…you don't understand…I want it….I need it…" Dmitri pleaded. "Alfred, if you bring someone here…I-I don't think I could control myself….I-I'm a beast….just leave me alone…!" He cried pitifully, and then he sobbed as his nose picked up the smell of Alfred's still-bleeding cut from earlier. He smelled delicious. He tasted fantastic. Latvia was the same.

Dmitri moaned and buried his nose into his arm, hoping that the smell of his own blood would be enough to stop the burning urge to kill. Nowhere near enough. He suddenly screamed in agony, slamming his head into the floor. His throat. It hurt. It hurt so damn bad!

The worst part was that he knew what he had to do in order to make the pain stop. He knew what could make it go away. But it meant becoming a monster. It meant hurting his friends, innocent people who would only want to help. He couldn't do it. He just had to struggle through it. Alfred surely had it worse than him; he was just being stupid!

Yesterday, when he'd cantered off into the woods, it was because his throat had been burning. He'd been looking for a stream or something to drink. He could've magicked himself some water, but his gut told him not to. Instead, he'd found a rabbit. He found a rabbit, and killed it. Sucked it dry.

At the time, it seemed like the most obvious thing to do. It seemed so natural. Like he was made to do it. But once the rabbit was beyond dead, once his throat had cooled, reality sunk in. He'd just murdered an innocent animal.

He wanted to believe it was just a moment of weakness, that it would never happen again. Hell, he'd even walked right back to the castle and pretended that nothing had happened! But it did. And now it happened again. To his friends. Right.

His friends were just rabbits, that's all. He needed to trick himself into this. They were just rabbits. Mere animals that can easily be replaced. The pain wasn't his throat, or his insatiable lust. It was himself, holding himself back just because he was morally above this. Screw it. He wasn't going to hurt anymore just because he was nice. If this was what being nice got him, then screw Alfred and the rest of them. He would gladly become a monster if it meant getting just one more drop of blood. He could smell it. He could see it.

He wanted it. He needed it.

And he would do whatever it takes to obtain it.

The ends justify the means.

Dmitri licked his lips and grinned as his last shred of sanity flew straight out the window.

---

Done! Not ten seconds before curfew! Wish me luck guys!

Review please, and as always...

Hasta la pasta~!

A/N: Woot! A not so agony chapter! Gets kinda sad but fluffy towards the end, plus a lot of Germany...crack. There's really no other word for it.

Oh, and I just now realized; even though the summary says that Fluttershy and Canada are the two main ones, its really about everyone. So...I should fix that at some point. Yawn...

Some more references here. A lot, actually. Like I said earlier, if you can name every reference Germany makes, you get a shout out! :D

Oh, and while I'm at it...I posted some art of the Allies as ponies on my Deviantart account, PandaInABowTie. Go find them XD and tell me if you want more pictures of pony-fied nations, plz!

Okay, enough talking from me. Here you go.

Disclaimer: Derp derp, I own nothing used in this fanfic, herpy derp.

---

Alfred growled under his breath, actually pinpointing the split-second when Dmitri's eyes lit up with bloodlust. The thing hurting him now wasn't that he'd have to knock out one of his best friends; it was that Dmitri gave up fighting so easily. He was so willing to let the monster take over. Was he in that much pain, that he knew there was no way for him to win against it? Or was he just that heartless, and didn't care about hurting his friends?

Either way, Alfred, still butt-naked, took on a defensive stance, training his gaze on Dmitri and focusing on nothing else. He hated fighting without his glasses on; he couldn't see anything. Dmitri slowly uncurled himself, raising himself into a standing position, the mad grin still on his face. Alfred thought that Dmitri would wait for his 'meal' to come to him; that Alfred would have to make the first move. No such luck on his part.

Without warning, Dmitri was centimeters away, his fingernails grown into razor sharp claws and his mouth wide open, ready for the bite. Alfred barely had enough time to dodge. As it was, Dmitri's claws caught Alfred's shoulder, spilling more red and spurring Dmitri on even more. That's when Alfred realized something.

Dmitri was going to suck him dry if he lost, without remorse. Sure, they were friends the day before, but all that remained now was the beast. If Alfred kept bleeding, Dmitri was only going to get faster and more dangerous.

Alfred grit his teeth, rolling to the side to dodge once more. He was going to have to be completely long range in this fight. Getting close to Dmitri was a death wish. His eyes lit up as he figured out the weapon to use.

His favorite shield appeared over his right arm; his iconic red, white, and blue shield that one of his favorite superheroes uses. He wouldn't need any of Captain America's other powers, since he was strong enough with the power of his own burning rage. The shield, though, was necessary.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blur, and raised his shield just in time. Dmitri slammed into it, not expecting the giant disc of metal. Alfred smirked and thrust the shield back, hitting Dmitri in the head and sending him flying. They continued this pattern for a while, with Alfred blocking and tossing Dmitri back, and Dmitri flying straight back, even madder than before.

Alfred once again barely blocked an oncoming rush from Dmitri, clenching his teeth and digging his heels into the ground. Dmitri's glowing, crimson eyes glared at him from over the top of the shield, and Alfred glared right back, red vs blue. Dmitri saw Alfred's glare, coupled with his confident smirk, and snapped. Well…even more.

He was sick of this damn shield. It was so annoying! He just wanted his food, dammit! He roared like an animal, opening his mouth and clamping his fangs….down on the shield.

Alfred gasped in shock and actually took a step back. His eyes were locked on Dmitri, and the only sound he could hear was his own ragged breathing, his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and the terrible sound of screeching metal. Dmitri…bit his shield! Alfred's heart dropped down into his stomach, and he began to stammer.

"D-D-Dmitri! You…" He couldn't finish, because Dmitri bit down harder, and began to shake his head back and forth like a dog. Alfred's heart ached as he heard the metal twist and bend, screaming in his ears.

Then Alfred's eyes began to glow neon blue, his rage burning more intensely than ever before. Nobody effs with his Captain America shield. And how the hell did Dmitri bite so easily through solid steel? Were his fangs made of diamond, or something?!

Alfred made yet another split-second decision. If Dmitri could crush steel in his jaws, then there was no way for Alfred to win alone. He was gonna need help.

His body lit up bright blue with energy, and he channeled it upwards, building it up and building it until he couldn't hold it anymore. When he felt like he was going to explode from the sheer, pure energy pent up inside him, he slowly raised his hand, and pointed upwards.

The energy shot straight out of him, and straight through the ceiling with the loudest BANG, blowing a hole clear through, and covering Alfred and Dmitri in dust/debris. The ball of energy exploded in the air, whistling and screeching like fireworks. Alfred smirked, knowing that he'd get help very soon.

---

"What was that?" Twilight asked as a huge explosion rocked the entire castle. The ponies who had been at the earlier conference, including the princesses, had been down in the sparring hall, watching Alistair and Arthur have a very impressive magic duel. Their magical prowess was outstanding, even by Celestia's standards. But then the explosion came, and both Alistair's and Arthur spells at the time shot off randomly, hitting poor bystanding countries.

"The hell, you guys?!" Mathias (Denmark) screamed, looking down at his new body. Arthur grinned sheepishly. His spell had been the one to hit Mathias, even though it was aimed for Alistair. So now, Mathias had been unwillingly turned into a duck.

Alistair's spell, however, hit Sadiq (Turkey) square in the head. This particular spell was the same one Arthur had accidentally used while drunk once; the one that turned them all into girls. And needless to say, Sadiq was not amused.

"I am going to kill you all." She snarled, hearing Heracles' snickering. Mathias, however, didn't really seem to mind being a duck, even though Lukas and Emil were dying of laughter nearby.

"Sorry guys," Alistair said casually, not even glancing back at the two victimized ponies behind him. "But Twilight has a very good point. The hell was that?" He asked, his gaze travelling upwards to stare at the ceiling.

"I bet it was Poland freaking out again…" Ludwig sighed, and then Arthur shook his head.

"No, it sounded more like fireworks. We should head outside and check it out." He noted, his horn lighting up as he prepared to teleport them all outside.

Once outside, everypony's head looked upwards, staring at the bright blue ball of energy that was hovering above the castle. It was so huge, it made the very air outside vibrate and hum from its sheer power.

"What is that?" Applejack asked, pointing a curious hoof at it. But her answer was a very shocked gasp from Arthur. She turned her head back around to stare at him instead, seeing him stare at the blue ball with eyes as wide as dinner plates and his jaw on the floor.

"T-That's what we call a 'flare'. It's a technique us countries can use as a cry for help, like in battle. Each country has a specific color…and that's Alfred's!" Arthur shouted, the biggest smile anypony had ever seen bursting onto his face. "That means he's awake! He's alive! Bloody hell, he's alive!" He yelled, jumping into the air in pure joy.

"Yes, that's great and all, but he might not be if we don't get there soon." Kiku said solemnly. Arthur deflated a little, but kept his smile.

"Then we should hurry." Francis said, and Arthur nodded, ready to teleport them all again. He knew that even if he was awake, Alfred wouldn't be able to get very far with his injuries, so he was most likely still in the infirmary. So that's where they were headed.

---

The sight that met their eyes when they arrived in the infirmary was just about the weirdest thing anypony had ever seen.

A bizarre, pink/fleshy-toned creature was holding a large shield, fending off another weird animal like it. Only, one of them was wearing pants. And the other was not. The attacking animal had bitten off a hunk of metal from the shield with its huge fangs, its red eyes glowing menacingly.

The ponies all took a few steps back, trying to blatantly ignore the nakedness of the one creature, and yet trying not to look at the evil one. The countries, however, knew these two well and didn't freak out quite so much. But they still panicked.

"ALFRED WHAT THE BLOODY HELL PUT ON SOME PANTS YOU WANKER!" Arthur screamed, his face bright red as he stared at Alfred. Alfred looked back at him, grinning widely.

"Hey Artie! Could use a little help!" He yelled right back, slamming his shield into Dmitri and sending him flying back into the wall once more.

"That's Alfred? That creature?" Princess Cadence asked in realization, and Yao nodded.

"Yes, aru. That's what we usually look like, although we normally wear clothes. Alfred –and if I'm right, Dmitri- have somehow turned back into humans, aru." He explained, then his eyes narrowed. "But, those two are friends, right Opium? So why are they fighting, aru?" He asked suspiciously, and Alfred took the liberty of answering for him.

"Dude, Dmitri's gone totally insane! He frickin' tried to eat me and drank Latvia's blood!" Alfred shouted, trying to block Dmitri once more. Everypony gasped, and that's when Mathieu spotted Raivis' unconscious body, which was still slowly dripping blood.

"There!" He pointed, and Francis immediately moved into action, taking all of his vital signs and making sure the magenta pony was not injured too badly.

"He's still alive." He announced, and everypony sighed in temporary relief. Rarity also knew what she had to do, and set herself the task of using her magic to make bandages out of the destroyed infirmary beds. Though of course, she was a fashion designer, she did have some experience working in the medical field, seeing as how needles can be a hazard to the careless seamstress.

"Here you go dear." She said happily, levitating the strips of cloth over to Francis, who smiled kindly at her. He began to quickly wrap Raivis' neck, and Rarity swooned behind him. He was just so focused on his work, it was so admirable! The way he cared for others….his hooves were so gentle. Rarity smiled to herself, feeling triumphant. There was no way her dearest Francis was the one who was in her nightmare. He was far too gentle and kind than that brute.

"Yeah, he's alive! Congratulations! Need help!" Alfred shouted, interrupting their moment. Arthur jumped right into the fight, a determined glare on his face. He just got his little brother back. He was not going to lose him again!

"Stupefy!" He yelled, a blast of red light shooting out of his horn and straight into Dmitri. Dead on center, the spell still had no effect. If anything, it seemed to make Dmitri even more pissed. "What's wrong with him, Alfred?! Did he say anything to you?!" Arthur shouted as he dodged out of the way of Dmitri, who had charged him.

"Nuh-uh!" Alfred said back, throwing his shield like a frisbee in an attempt to hit Dmitri. Though it hit him right on the back of the head with a painful thunk, Dmitri didn't fall unconscious like he'd hoped. He seemed completely impervious to their attacks. "He just said that his throat was burning and that he was really, really thirsty! Then he went ballistic!"

"You said that he was thirsty, and he drank blood?" Arthur asked, once again hitting Dmitri with a Stupefy. Alfred nodded frantically, still freaking out at the memory as he and Arthur continued to hit Dmitri, who still wasn't reacting to any attack.

"Yeah! He bit himself too, and it looked like it distracted him for a while, but then he lost it again!" He replied, and Arthur frowned. True, everyone assumed that Dmitri was a vampire because of the way he looked, but they had all soon learned that he wasn't. Arthur had even gone to the trouble of casting a couple spells to see if Dmitri wasn't hiding his true nature with a spell, but no. Dmitri was a normal person, at least by country standards.

So…that meant that he was being controlled somehow, or manipulated into this way of thinking. Because sure, Dmitri's primary way of attacking was his fangs, but yet he'd never just hurt someone like this. Besides, there was even more evidence that this was unprovoked, seeing as how Raivis would never hurt anyone, especially not someone as scary-looking as Dmitri.

Alfred said that blood was what he was after. So they'd just have to show him blood. But not theirs. So how…?

Arthur's eyes lit up excitedly when he thought about the spell he'd need to use. Then, they dimmed right back down again. It was true, he hated using this particular spell, but Dmitri was going to hurt everypony if he kept this up. And since Stunning spells weren't even affecting Dmitri, there was no other option, really.

"Stand back!" Arthur shouted, and Alfred nodded without question, returning his shield back onto his arm and jumping away from the fight. Dmitri stopped too, and glared fiercely at Arthur. Arthur stared back coolly, mentally apologizing for what he was about to do. "Dmitri, I don't know if you can understand me right now, but I'm sorry."

As the two stared each other down, Arthur noticed Dmitri trembling hard, but staring intently at him, as though trying to will him into something. Arthur looked into Dmitri's eyes, and he nearly stopped his spell.

Behind the hunger, and the rage, was something he never expected to see in a monster's eyes.

Understanding.

Dmitri was holding himself back right now so that Arthur could hit him.

Arthur blinked in surprise, his face morphing into an expression of respect and awe. Dmitri, right now, was the most amazing person in the world. He was actually making himself into a target, not even trying to fight back, because he knew that he had to be stopped!

Arthur took aim, his spell ready. Before he cast, he lowered his head in respect, bowing slightly. As his spell shot into the air, a shot of dark blue energy zoomed past his shoulder, aiming straight for Dmitri as well. His eyes widened. A second spell? Who cast it? What would it do when combined with his?!

Too late. Arthur's spell took effect first.

Sectumsempra hit dead on, and Dmitri screamed in pain, falling over and scrabbling frantically at his chest as several slashes, as though from an invisible sword, appeared all over his body. He fell to his knees, blood splashing everywhere as he continued to shriek and howl. Then, the other spell began to take effect.

Dmitri's body began to morph and shift. Skin split, and bones grew with the most grotesque sight. Several of the Mane Six turned away and closed their eyes, and Mathieu and Francis were covering Fluttershy and Rarity's eyes so that they could be spared the memory. Either way, the sound alone was terrible. Screaming and begging and cracking and splashing.

Finally, it stopped. Twilight cautiously looked at Dmitri, her eyes wide with terror.

He had been transformed, somehow, into a huge, bat-like creature. His wings had to be at least sixteen feet across from tip to tip, and his talons and fangs looked razor sharp. He was lying spread-eagled on the ground, whimpering in pain with his eyes shut tight.

His eyelids weakly fluttered open after a few moments of tense silence, and he struggled to sit upright. It was too much for him, and he fell to the floor once more. He howled in frustration and rolled onto his stomach, pushing himself up with his arms.

Then, with everypony watching, he began to lap up his own blood like a dog. Arthur sighed and shook his head, seeing one of his good friends reduced to nothing more than an animal.

"That's just pitiful, Dmitri. What have they done to you?" He murmured, and Dmitri's new, large and triangular ears perked up, and his head followed to look Arthur square in the eye. Arthur was once again shocked.

This time, Dmitri's glowing red eyes were filled with shame. He was confused. Frustrated. Scared. And humiliated. But all those emotions were only there for a second, before they were suddenly replaced by a steely glare. Dmitri stood, spreading his wings powerfully and roaring his emotions out at them. Almost everypony backed away in fright, but Arthur stayed calm, staring coolly back at Dmitri.

Dmitri suddenly turned and sprinted straight out the infirmary window, shattering glass and sending shards flying everywhere. Arthur walked over and looked, seeing Dmitri's silhouette shrink away into the sky, leaving nothing more than a lingering howl of shame behind.

Nopony said anything. I don't think anypony even breathed for a good five minutes after that. Then, Alfred stumbled and fell to his knees, coughing violently.

"Alfred!" Arthur shouted, running back over to him and not even caring about the glass shards pricking his hooves. Alfred grinned weakly back up at him, ignoring the couple of embers that fell out of his mouth as he coughed. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I'm…fine." Alfred said hoarsely, waving Arthur off. "Just shouldn't have fought so hard right after…" He didn't need to finish, coughing into his hand. Arthur visibly melted in relief, then his eyes hardened to the point of steel.

Then, he slapped Alfred across the cheek. Hard.

"Ow!" Alfred shouted, holding the cheek that Arthur had hit, and staring up at him, confused. "What the hell was that for?!" He yelled, and Arthur glared.

"You wanker! I thought you were going to die!" He shouted, and Alfred was horrified to see tears falling from Arthur's eyes, which were slowly softening.

"M-Me? Die? Nah, man. Heroes never die, right?" Alfred joked, trying to lighten the mood, and Arthur chuckled a bit.

"I'd hug you if you were dressed…" He said, and Alfred suddenly yelped, blushing violently. He tried his best to cover himself up with his hands, then just decided to place his shield in front of himself. Once he was sure that nopony could see anything, he turned back to Arthur.

"Okay, I need clothes, and a shovel." He said, a bit somberly, and Arthur saw his sky-blue eyes darken with sadness. As such, he softened his voice.

"What do you need a shovel for?" He asked quietly, and Alfred's determined eyes stared back at him.

"Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas are dead, Arthur." He said, clenching his fists. Arthur nodded and used his magic to levitate a sheet from one of the destroyed beds, wrapping it around Alfred's shoulders. He should have known that some states wouldn't survive Yellowstone. Four, though? He never knew Alfred's states that well, but he still loved them like family. They were like his grandkids, almost.

"Who are they?" Princess Celestia asked. "Other countries?"

Alfred snorted, standing up and tying the sheet around his waist like it was a towel. He turned back to her, his face grim.

"No. They were my kids." He said shortly, before walking out swiftly and leaving them all in the infirmary. There was another silence, then Rainbow Dash broke it.

"He has kids?!" She yelled, jumping into the air in shock. Arthur nodded a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes, he does. Everyone's always surprised, but I guess that's justified. He doesn't seem like the fatherly type." He grinned, and everypony nodded, still a bit surprised.

"What about Dmitri? Will he be alright?" Fluttershy asked quietly, and Princess Luna nodded solemnly, turning her gaze towards the shattered window Dmitri had flown out of.

"He shall be fine. We only used a spell that would show what was in his heart." She said stoically. Celestia nodded, and Alistair spoke up.

"We should probably leave Alfred alone for now. He needs some time to himself." He said, and Arthur nodded in agreement. Celestia took her turn to speak.

"We should introduce you all to the citizens of Equestria soon. Tomorrow, if possible. My knowledge and instinct is telling me that the one known as Xear was the one who caused Dmitri's strange behavior. We should act as soon as possible." She said, and Alistair agreed wholeheartedly.

"I can cast a spell that makes those who don't know what we are see Alfred as a normal Pegasus, as an illusion. We need to set up a system of government, though." He thought aloud, thinking over this hard.

"How about…since Alistair is the 'prince', the World 8 –plus Mathieu, Gilbert, and Lovino- act as lords? Like a group of lesser nobility." Arthur suggested, but right at that moment, Antonio walked in, wiping his eyes with a hoof, his eyes glaring at everypony and everything. He was holding something in his tail, but they couldn't see what it was.

"Lovino's dead." He growled, staring at his hooves. "Suicide." He finished shortly, and Feliciano's eyes shot open wide in horror.

"L-Lovi?! Dead? Dici sul serio?!" He yelled, and Antonio nodded, bringing the object in his tail forward, and showing what it was. A little white, red, and green ball of light, no bigger than a baseball. Feliciano's eyes widened even more, then slowly began to fill with tears. "F-Fratello…!" He sobbed, and Antonio wrapped his hoof around Italy's shoulders, he too crying.

"W-Why would he do that?" Francis asked, horrified. Antonio snorted in response.

"Because we ignored him. We were all too stupid to see how much we hurt him, how much he wanted to be loved. He didn't even want to be Lovino anymore. He just up and…" Antonio trailed off. Mathieu lowered his gaze a bit in shame. He'd done it too, though he always came back soon. The worst part was, even though he had killed himself, no one even noticed that he was missing.

"But…you guys are countries, right? How do you kill a nation?" Twilight, terrified and confused at the same time. Arthur sighed once more, ready to explain.

"Well, we're not entirely nation. We are more or less human, but with our countries bound to our souls. That's why we have our human names and country names. If we're attacking each other, like in war, we have to aim our attacks toward the country side of our enemies. Attacking the human side hurts our nation, but we recover very quickly. Understand?" He finished, and everypony shook their head no.

"In other words, you have to mean it. Earlier, Dmitri was attacking Alfred, the human, because he only meant to harm Alfred. If he wanted to hurt 'America', he could have, but he went for 'Alfred' because he wanted blood." Alistair explained shortly. Twilight frowned. That kinda sorta made sense…

"We need a party." Pinkie Pie suddenly said out of the blue, and everypony stared at her like she was crazy.

"What for?! Five people are dead." Ludwig asked incredulously. She nodded frantically, throwing her arms in the air.

"Exactly! We need to cheer up and focus on happier things!" She exclaimed, and Francis smiled tiredly, nodding in agreement.

"She is right. Focusing on the bad things will only bring more bad things." He said sagely, and everypony let his words seep in, realizing how true they were. Finally, Alistair, being the one in charge and seeing that everypony was looking at him expectantly, caved.

"Fine! But this better be a good party!" He growled, flicking his tail irritably. Everypony cheered, and Pinkie hopped to her feet.

"Give me until tonight! It'll be my biggest party ever!" She squealed, then zoomed away faster than anypony had seen her go.

"Right…I'm going to go and bubbles." Ludwig said, making everypony snort in surprise and look at him questioningly. He just said what? He must have realized what he said too, because he suddenly stopped and covered his mouth with his hoof, blushing slightly. "Sorry…I don't know what I just turtled."

"What?" Rainbow Dash snickered, and he glared at her.

"This isn't YOLO! I can't control my pickled sea shrimps!" He said, and Rainbow Dash fell out of the air, she was laughing so hard. Even the upset Feliciano was giggling a bit. Ludwig stomped his hoof in frustration, still blushing. Alistair smirked.

"Looks like you've got a tornado, Ludwig. Might as well get it over with." He laughed, clapping Ludwig on the shoulder.

"A tornado? What does that do to countries?" Celestia asked, trying not to laugh for image's sake, though she was still smiling a bit. Arthur laughed.

"It's like a tornado of the mind for us. Thoughts go flying right out the window, and we can't control what we say or do. It lasts for only a half-hour, normally. Alfred usually has the most tornadoes out of us, so it doesn't really make a difference when it happens to him." He sniggered, and Ludwig's eyes spiraled out of control in response.

"Help! I can't internet!" He shouted, and then he began to chase his own tail, around and around in circles uncontrollably. Everypony but the princesses started to laugh, and Alistair recovered first.

"Sorry, Ludwig. You know we can't really help that. It's better to just let it all out, you know." He teased. Ludwig sighed, his eyes widening in shock.

"Ah! KIRA!" He screamed, running out of the room as fast as he could go. "Don't let him give me sunburn!"

"Just like you couldn't help Alfred with his volcano, you cannot help Ludwig with a tornado?" Celestia asked, and Alistair shook his head, still grinning.

"Nah. That's beyond our control; mum takes care of that." He explained, and Celestia raised her eyebrows. Their mother and father…that was the one thing she forgot to ask about during their conference. Who exactly were they?

"Who are your mother and father, exactly?" She asked curiously, and Alistair laughed.

"It should be obvious really. Mother Nature, and Father Time."

---

"Looks like they're plannin' a party." A voice, one with a New York accent laughed, leaning over the pool. Reflected on the water's surface was the scene before us, with everypony laughing at Ludwig's plight. The Pegasus that was watching it was a rather odd one.

He was dark red in color, with a dark brown mane and tail. He wore dark sunglasses, plus dogtags. This was 2p America. He was laying casually on a ledge that jutted out from the cliff face, looking down into the water below him.

"What does it matter, Allen?" Another Pegasus asked. This one was 2p Canada. He too wore sunglasses, but had his mane longer than normal Canada's, and it was tied back in a short ponytail. 2p America looked up at the mention of his name, and he shrugged.

"I dunno, James. It just feels like we should bust in and crash it!" He said loudly, standing up and swinging his nail-studded baseball bat around wildly, making sound effects as he imagined bashing in everypony's heads. James -2p Canada- snorted, but chose not to comment on his brother's idiocy.

"Both of you be quiet. You don't want to wake your mother." 2p Francis glared, his cigarette illuminating the damp cave around him. Allen immediately shut up and laid back down, not daring to wake up 2p England. That was a death wish in itself. 2p China rolled his eyes, not even bothering to look up from polishing his sword. 2p Russia watched it all with a deadly glint to his eyes, looming over everypony.

Near the back of the cave, Xear sat on his throne, thinking. They had mentioned their mother and father. If he could somehow bring their power under his control…

His face split into a wide grin as he relished the thought. He would be unstoppable with that kind of power.

"Ponies?" He called, and everypony stopped what they were doing and looked up at him. "Who exactly are your parents? And how do you control them?" He asked, and 2p Italy scoffed.

"Didn't you hear Alistair? Mother is Nature, and Father is Time. You really can't control them." He said simply, turning back to picking at his hooves with his knives. Xear frowned; that wasn't a good answer, and Italy knew it. Ah well.

"I'll just have to find a way, then." He decided, and Allen looked up.

"Yo man, dat's not a good idea. You don't mess with ma and pops; it's just not right." He protested, shifting uncomfortably under Xear's blind gaze. Xear's grin seemed to grow even wider, his soulless, black eyes beginning to leak blood from atop his throne.

"And what part, dare I ask, about this whole thing is right?" He asked, and Allen shrunk back a bit. He wasn't brave, like his counterpart. Xear spread his dragon wings and flew down as silently as a shadow, landing in front of Allen, who cowered back a bit but tried to stand his ground.

"Not to worry~ If I can't have your parent's power, I still have you!" He said cheerfully, taking Allen's face in his hooves and gazing at him fondly. Allen shivered unconsciously, trying to look Xear in the eye. He could see all the other 2ps smirking at his cowardice, and he tried to prove he could do this. He hardened his gaze and glared angrily at Xear, trying to hide how much he was trembling.

"Yes, I still have you, my little Elements of Being…" He smirked, his dead eyes full of lust and want, making the Pegasus swallow a gag. He let go of Allen abruptly, who stumbled away, his legs feeling like jelly to him from sheer relief. Xear turned his head a bit, to 2p Russia. "Despair, go crush Hope. Be ready to go tomorrow." He commanded, and 2p Russia nodded silently, hefting his pipe over his shoulder.

---

"Bruder~! You. Me. Dance off!"

"Ludwig. Stop."

"Nein, bruder! In order to save the Digital World from the Fire Nation, we must become Soul Reapers, wielding the power of Death Notes, which have been passed down the Beilschmidt line for GENERATIONS!" *sparkle sparkle*

"…What?!"

Everypony was on the floor, laughing uncontrollably as they watched the tornado-fied Ludwig run around in circles, running into walls repeatedly. The tornado was at the peak of it's power, and Ludwig was suffering for it. It was awesome and kinda sad at the same time. One person, and one pony didn't see this.

Alfred was outside, sitting cross-legged in front of the grave he built, his head bowed and eyes closed peacefully. He had chosen somewhere quiet and open for their grave, with the best view he could find of the field they were in. They'd always loved wide, open fields, stretching as far as they could see. Blue and gold.

He smiled a bit, remembering them. As he did, he twirled a flower around in his hands, one of the best ones he could find in this field. A shimmering white color, it danced happily in the wind and in his hands, its beauty immeasurable.

Rainbow Dash was sitting just as peacefully on the castle roof, staring down at him. She wanted to go down and comfort him, but she didn't really know how. How was she supposed to comfort a father whose children had been murdered?

It was still really hard to imagine Alfred as a dad. He didn't look like he could handle an adult, much less a baby. But then, he did manage an entire country. Maybe it was possible. But who was the mom? Everypony else was inside, watching Ludwig struggle to deal with his tornado. Nopony was out here trying to comfort him! Didn't they know how much he has to be hurting right now?

Or maybe, Alfred did need sometime alone, like they said. She knew that ponies all handle things differently than others, so maybe Alfred just wanted to mourn in silence? Either way, Rainbow Dash wasn't going to leave him all by himself out here, especially since Xear could attack whenever he wanted! Somepony had to watch over him.

As she watched him, he softly placed the flower he had on the flat stone he had engraved his children's name into. Then, as he retracted his hand, an item materialized out of the air. Rainbow Dash jumped to her feet; it could be a weapon! She had to protect him!

But Alfred was taking it into his hands, and then Rainbow Dash saw that it was a book. Though the cover and binding looked fairly new, the pages were worn and yellow. She continued to watch carefully, seeing him open it up to the very last page, and begin to write in it with a pen that had also materialized from nowhere.

He wrote slowly, taking his time. Rainbow Dash had to admit her curiosity was peaked; where did he get that book from? What was it, anyways? She spread her wings and flew down, landing quietly behind him.

"Hey, what's that?" She asked, being blunt and straight to the point. Alfred looked up at her, and she pointed with a hoof at the book in his hands.

"This? This is a book us countries keep. We take turns writing down important events in history. Wanna read it?" He asked, his voice quiet. Dash nodded, looking at it carefully. Alfred set it down on the grass in front of him, then he closed his eyes and bowed his head again, leaving the two in silence. As we all know Rainbow Dash doesn't really do well with silence. She shuffled around awkwardly behind him, scuffing at the grass idly while he sat there.

"So…" She began, trying to start a conversation. "You said they were your kids? Who's their mom?" She asked, and he looked up, a smile tugging at his lips.

"They're not really my children, per say. They're more like half-siblings, but they all call me dad. Us countries don't actually have parents. We're born when our nation is, so we're kinda…thought children." He explained, and she blinked at him, confused. He smiled a bit, then picked another flower randomly, holding it up close to his face.

"Dashie, did you know that back home, people called me America the Beautiful?" He asked suddenly, and she jumped a bit, startled by the sudden change in topic.

"No…I didn't." She said truthfully, eyeing him in a new light. She'd never seen a human before, and he was silly-looking, actually. Humans are really weird looking, now that she thought about it. He didn't really look beautiful to her. But maybe…just maybe…if you squinted a bit...he could be beautiful. He was still only wearing the sheet, after all.

Without warning, Alfred covered his face with his hands, his shoulders beginning to tremble. The flower floated gently to the ground and lay there, forgotten, as Alfred began to cry. Dash's eyes widened. The heck was she supposed to do here? Crying was totally not cool!

"Hey man, don't cry. Heroes don't cry, right?" She asked, trying to sound cool about the whole situation. She walked over and placed her hoof on his shoulder, trying to be comforting. At her words, Alfred sniffed and laughed bitterly.

"No…Heroes always cry. They cry for the people they couldn't save." He said, gripping at his hair with his hands, head bowed. Rainbow Dash thought this over for a while, then decided on the best course of action. She slowly clambered into his lap, only now noticing how very big humans were. And Alfred noticed how small ponies were.

She awkwardly wrapped her arms around him, trying to convince herself that it was totally cool to help friends when they're feeling down. Even if hugging was lame. Alfred shakily hugged her back, laughing breathlessly.

"Dash…thanks." He said quietly, smiling a bit into her shoulder. She was only about the size of a dog compared to him, but she was warm and comforting. And the one of the best damn friends he had. Rainbow Dash nodded, blushing a bit and looking at anything but him as he began to openly sob into her shoulder.

"Y-Yeah. Whatever…"

---

A/N: Done~

If you wouldn't mind reviewing, my dear readers? Please? I dunno if this is just me being petty, but I'm always disappointed when I go to my Gmail and see that there's no new reviews...so please? I love you all!

Don't worry though. Lovino will be coming back, and stuff will happen. Yeah...I'm tired and need to go to bed. BTW, next chapter will be a song-fic again, with a maybe fight scene?

Hasta la Pasta~!

A/N: Ha! Boom baby! This is a special chapter that came to me during the middle of the night. Like all my good ideas do. Anyway, here's a special shout out to betsybugaboo!

*throws confetti*

She managed to name every reference in the last chapter! Plus, just as a favor to her, I put in some of the things she requested. Or he. I'm not sure, now that I think about it. But anyway, this is for you, if you're reading!

There's a lot more references in this one, but there's no challenge this time. Just enjoy this, plus...a special plot twist at the end...*evil cackle*

Oh, and all you people, ROMANO'S BACK! And a special appearance from the country's mother, who was mentioned last chapter. Oh, and some Arthur/Twilight Sparkle fluffiness this time, since they haven't really done anything as of yet. I really gotta find somepony for Applejack...she's kind of alone here. Now I feel bad.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing here.

---

A lone Pegasus walked, the only speck of color in the endless expanse of white he was stuck in. His hooves clopped on the floor uneasily, and his amber/gold eyes were staring down intently at the floor and path in front of him. Now, the problem was he wasn't sure where the floor was. There was nothing but the color white, everywhere. Like the time when those damn Pictonians came.

But, with no answers, no idea what's going on, and nothing better to do, Lovino walked aimlessly, tiring as he walked on. He had been walking for hours, days maybe. This place didn't have any time to it. But he was too tired and confused.

This wasn't what normally happened to him when he died. Granted, he could never remember what does happen, but it wasn't this. All this white was unnerving him. But he was getting so tired, and didn't have any energy left for…anything. It wasn't long before his legs began to burn and feel like rubber, but he determinedly pushed forwards. He had to figure out what was going on.

But he had no luck. Though he tried with all his power to continue, he couldn't move anymore. He was standing shakily, all four of his legs trembling violently. He was panting with the effort of just standing up, even his wings shaking. He shook his head weakly, needing to move forward. He didn't know why, but he had to keep walking.

He groaned in pain as he lifted a hoof, gingerly placing it on the 'ground' in front of him. But his ankle suddenly wobbled violently, and he tipped to the side, falling. He groaned in frustration, feeling like crying again. Why couldn't he walk? He had only been here five minutes…right? No, was it longer? Damn, now even his brain was fizzing out.

Even though there was nothing but white here, he could have sworn he saw a figure walking towards him. But his eyelids wouldn't stay open, and he tried, he really did, to keep them open. Soon, the sound of gentle hooves clopping towards him reached his ears, and he struggled to lift his head up and see what was happening.

He could barely get his head a centimeter off the ground before he fell again, moaning in despair. He closed his eyes and curled up, still shaking, and not wanting anyone to see him in such a weak and pathetic state. Those hoofsteps got closer and closer, and they eventually stopped right next to his head.

"You must get up, my son…your time has not yet come." A warm, motherly voice said to him, and Lovino twitched. That voice…he loved that voice. It sounded like the rustle of dead leaves, the whistling of grass, rain, the crunch of ice and snow, the howls of wind and the crackling of fire.

"M…Mamma…?" He asked hoarsely, not opening his eyes. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, much less his mother. He felt his lip begin to tremble, but he bit it harshly. No crying. A warmth nuzzled his neck, rolling him onto his stomach. Then, the warmth curled up next to him, draping an arm and a wing around his body, warming him to the core. For the first time, he felt…safe. But that only made him want to cry more.

"My son…you cannot die now." She said, her voice echoing. He turned his head and buried it in her chest, feeling the first couple tears leak out of his eyes.

"W-Why not…? There's nothing for me….back there. I'm not wanted. I'm not useful." He whispered, his voice breaking on the last word. He heard his mother sigh, and then she ran a hoof through his mane, carefully avoiding his curl.

"You are wrong, my child. Your destiny is the greatest one of all." She told him, hearing him sob and curl into her body, so little and weak next to her.

"B-But if its…if it's my destiny, it's Feli's too. I-I don't want to be part of this if he's there…" He muttered, clenching his eyes shut tight. If Feli was there, he wouldn't have a destiny. Feli would. He didn't exist, as far as people were concerned, when Feli was around. His mamma sighed once more, smiling into his mane.

"No, my Lovino. You have the greatest destiny. You, and only you. Feliciano will have a big role to play as well, but you, my son, will be the one to stand above them all." She said sagely, and Lovino sniffled, looking up at her with huge, tearful eyes.

"R-Really?" He whispered, and she nodded, smiling faintly.

"Yes. I do not lie. You will save them. Now, you must go. There is a party tonight, and I do not think you will want to miss this." She said wisely, and Lovino buried his face in her fur once more, tightening his grip around her middle.

"I don't want to go back, mamma…They'll only make fun of me for being weak and stupid…." He moaned, and she laughed, startling him.

"Once they realize who you are, Lovino, they will banish all of those thoughts from their minds." She told him, and suddenly, she was gone. Lovino's eyes snapped open, his arms clutching at empty air. Then, without warning and not exactly sure how without a floor to begin with, he fell.

---

"China! China China China China!" Ludwig pleaded, hanging onto to the older unicorn's leg, and giving Yao just about the weirdest set of puppy eyes he'd ever seen. Thank goodness he was red, otherwise it'd be pretty damn hard to hide the blush that covered Yao's cheeks. It had been at least two hours now, and Ludwig's tornado wasn't going anywhere. If anything, it seemed to have gotten worse.

"What, aru?!" Yao finally snapped, seeing that he wasn't going to shake Ludwig off.

"Can I please have some of your Hello Kitty cookies? Pretty please!" Ludwig begged, and Yao stammered in confusion.

"H-How did you…?! Never mind. Here, now go away." He grumbled, using his magic to materialize the cookies from nowhere and tossing them unceremoniously at Ludwig, who caught them all expertly. Then he began to throw them at Kyle (Australia), shouting "Catch them in your pouch, Kangaroo Man!"

"Surprisingly, this isn't getting old." Alistair smirked, watching Kyle slam his hoof into Ludwig's face. Soon, flying koala bears and cookies filled the air, causing everypony to duck and dive for cover. Yao carefully picked his way through the mess, flopping on the ground tiredly next to Alistair.

"He's going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow, though." He commented, trying to catch his breath. Being the babysitter of the nations, he had somehow been tasked with the chore of keeping an eye on Ludwig. It was very, very tiring. And Yao was old. This didn't mix well.

"Yao! I captured a witch! Can I burn it?!" Ludwig shouted from the other side of the room, and Yao looked over to see Ludwig proudly sitting on top of Kyle, who was cursing in every language he knew. James (New Zealand) took the honor of answering.

"He's not a witch…" He sighed, trying to hide his smile. This was hilarious. Even if his big brother was getting hurt.

"Wait, what, he's not?! He must be a witch! He turned me into a newt!" Ludwig shouted, making everypony stare at him in awe and disbelief. In the case of the English colonies, they fell over, roaring with laughter; even Alistair was pounding the ground with his hooves. Seeing Yao's skeptical and worried look, Ludwig sat up straighter, shrugging.

"I got better…!" He muttered, getting off of Kyle, who stood up and walked away like nothing happened, grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly, Ludwig's eyes widened, and he started shouting.

"KIKU! OMG, Kiku! I've got it!" He screamed, grabbing the white unicorn roughly and shaking him by the shoulders. Kiku, not used to physical contact or hyperactivity, looked desperately at Yao for help, mouthing 'Help me!' Yao grinned viciously, shaking his head and mouthing back 'Play along!'

"You…You got what, Ludwig?" Kiku asked, trying to not run away at his friend's scary new behavior.

"Ludwig? I'm not Ludwig! I'm Thor! But back to the point…" He lowered his head, ignoring the Nordic's laughter. He looked Kiku in the eyes very seriously. "I've figured out how we're going to beat the Allies!" He announced proudly in a hushed whisper, but everypony heard him clearly.

"How?" Kiku asked, sounding incredibly tired and bored.

"We're going to steal the source of their power and then we're going to use it against them!" He shouted, and Kiku winced from the noise. "Their power comes from…their leather shoes!" He announced, and Kiku face-hoofed.

"No, it does not." He tried to reason, but Ludwig pointed a hoof in his direction, glaring at him powerfully.

"OBJECTION!" He shouted, and Yao decided he had enough. He groaned and used his magic, making Ludwig levitate in the air. Ludwig saw this and started to scream about witches and scales and ducks. Yao just sighed and teleported Ludwig to a locked, quiet room without a window, where he could burn this off.

"Aw, there went my entertainment." Kyle groaned sarcastically, shaking his head in mock mourning. Alistair hung his head as well.

"He shall be missed." He sighed, and Francis walked in, Rarity right at his side like usual. She was levitating a folded up stack of clothes with her magic.

"Arthur!" Francis called, and the green unicorn looked up in surprise. He had been watching Ludwig with everypony, but he sort of zoned out to the chaos at the end. He had been too occupied worrying about Dmitri. Would he stay away from them? Would he come back? Would they suddenly get news reports of ponies found dead, all the blood drained out of them and two holes in their necks?

"Yes, Francis?" He asked, standing up and shaking away those thoughts. Rarity levitated the clothes over to Arthur, who took them with his magic.

"Mademoiselle Rarity designed these for Alfred. I made sure they weren't too flamboyant; he needs something familiar right now." Francis explained, and Arthur wasn't too sure whether or not to take that last part as an insult. But, not wanting to get into a fight, he said nothing but walked out of the castle.

---

It didn't take him long to find Alfred. He was lying down on his side in front of a large stone, which had his children's names carved into it. What surprised Arthur was that Alfred had his arms around Rainbow Dash, who was lying next to him, blushing furiously.

"Hey, you two." Arthur teased, sneaking up behind them. Rainbow Dash screamed and jumped five feet into the air, and Alfred jumped to his feet, shouting about the Dust Bowl. Unfortunately, the sudden movement made the sheet fall to the ground, forgotten. Arthur stood triumphant, a smirk on his face.

"Don't you do that again!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily, holding a hoof to the side of her face so that she wouldn't see Alfred, who didn't even notice that his makeshift-skirt was gone and continued to scream and karate chop the air. Arthur's smirk just grew, and he used his magic to toss the pile of clothes at Alfred's face.

"Dude! I know that smell…" Alfred stopped, sniffing around fervently. Then his eyes widened and he burst into a wide smile. "That's the smell of my bomber jacket, isn't it?!" He shouted, grinning as he picked out his jacket from the pile. "Thanks, Artie!" He shouted, sliding it on and wrapping himself up in the leather and fur.

"Just shut up and get dressed." Arthur commanded, and Alfred rolled his eyes, but nonetheless did as told. Rainbow Dash turned around with Arthur so that they wouldn't see anything, and Dash leaned over to Arthur, whispering to him.

"I never realized how many scars he's got…" She whispered, and Arthur nodded, glancing back at Alfred. Indeed, the teenager's body was covered in burns, scars, and what looked suspiciously like bullet holes. "I-I saw his hand. He had something carved in it. It said 'Never forget'. What does that mean?" She whispered, and Arthur's eyes widened.

"Read the book." He sighed, pushing the Book forward with a hoof. Rainbow Dash picked it up with her mouth, her eyes wide with curiosity. Exactly what was in this book? She needed to know, and soon. The suspense was killing her.

"Alright! Let's go!" Alfred shouted, turning back around, fully dressed.

"Great! Dinner's ready!" Pinkie Pie shouted happily, bouncing out of nowhere, making Alfred scream like a little girl. In another flash, Pinkie disappeared, leaving two somewhat startled ponies and a very, very terrified Alfred. Arthur then frowned, realizing what Pinkie said.

"Dinner? I wonder who cooked it?" He asked thoughtfully, and Alfred chuckled.

"I'm just glad it wasn't you…" He muttered, and Rainbow Dash snorted with laughter. Arthur glared at Alfred, his ears slowly lowering to lay back against his head.

"What was that?! My cooking is wonderful!" Arthur snarled, and Alfred raised his hands in surrender, his lips curling up in a smile.

"If you say so dude!" He laughed, sticking his hands in the pockets of his bomber jacket as he began to walk towards the castle. However, he was walking in the wrong direction, and then slammed face-first into a tree. Arthur's eyes widened, his horn lighting up.

"Oh, yes. You'll probably want these." He said, producing Alfred's glasses from nowhere. He levitated them over to Alfred's face, but Alfred was too excited about getting his glasses back. He leaned forward, and his glasses poked him in the eye.

"Ow! Damn it Arthur, you hurt Minnesota!" Alfred shouted, holding his left eye as it started to water and sting painfully. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Idiot…just sit still!" Arthur scolded, and Alfred stuck out his bottom lip in a mock pout. Arthur placed the glasses back in position on Alfred's face, yanking them back every time Alfred twitched. "There." He sighed as Alfred adjusted his glasses, beaming. "Was it really so hard to sit still?"

"Yes!" Alfred shouted, waving his arms in the air. Arthur rolled his eyes again but led the walk back to the castle. Rainbow Dash and Alfred followed him, bickering the entire time about who was faster now that they were different species.

Walking inside, they joined the small wave of countries that were headed off to the dining room, which was big enough to house all the countries that were in this castle, plus a lot more. The entire population of Ponyville could easily fit inside. Needless to say, the Mane Six (besides Pinkie) were a little intimidated by this. The princesses were accustomed to this, and said nothing.

Alistair had a chair at the end of the table, plus Celestia to his right and Luna to his left. Arthur and Twilight had seats next to each other; Twilight was trying her absolute best not to blush, but Arthur wasn't noticing, to her immense relief. Mathieu and Fluttershy were also next to each other, and they extended a wing to each other, blushing heavily at all the wolf-whistles and winks they were getting. For once, Mathieu wished he was invisible again.

Francis and Rarity were also seated next to each other. They had scooted their chairs closer together, so that they could hold hooves. It wasn't uncommon to see Francis with a lady, and it was equally common to see Rarity with a stallion at her side as well. Nobody teased them, since it was pretty normal.

Ivan and Pinkie were also sitting by each other…which led to a lot of stares. Ivan? In love? It just wasn't a comprehensible thought. Many of them were concerned for Pinkie's well-being, so they kept a watchful eye on Ivan. And the more they stared, the more uncomfortable Ivan felt. W-Was he doing something wrong? They were all looking at him like he was going to stab somepony…he'd have to ask Twilight at some point. Did friends sit next to each other like this?

Al and Rainbow Dash also sat side by side, but there was a slight problem. Since Alfred was too big to fit in his chair now, he opted instead to sit on the floor so that he wouldn't be so tall. The whole time he kept asking himself, was this what it was like to be Ivan?

Applejack was seated by the Kirkland's, next to Patrick once more. She was grateful for him comforting her after her nightmare, and felt like hanging out with him some more. He seemed like a pretty cool guy, even if he was a bit blunt, but at least he was honest.

Twilight glanced around the table, smiling at how happy everypony seemed to be, sitting here together like this. The table was shaped like a giant U, with Alistair right in the middle where the two curves began. Looking closely, she spotted something odd about the table. Near the outside edge, there was a ditch filled with sawdust, running the entire length of the table.

"Arthur, what's this?" She asked curiously, sticking a hoof in it and sweeping it side to side, spilling sawdust onto the table. Arthur looked at it, and smiled brightly.

"I don't know how Miss Pinkie managed it, but she's set up a Treasure Hunt Table. (A/N: I dunno what these were actually called, so roll with it) Alfred had a bunch of these parties when he was a young teenager! Basically, it's a five course meal, and in between courses, the waiters would come in and place treasures in the sand. You have one minute to dig through and find as much treasure as possible!" He laughed. "Oh, Alistair and I would have the biggest fights over who found what first. It was tragic."

"What kind of treasures?" Spike asked warily, in his seat next to Twilight. He knew what happened last time he got too greedy, and had no wish to repeat the experience. Especially not here, with so many ponies who didn't know about that. That would be really awkward to explain.

"Oh, gemstones, jewelry, gold, cash, anything that could be considered 'treasure' in the monetary sense. One woman found a necklace, made from diamonds and gold. It was worth at least three million dollars." Arthur replied, grinning at the sawdust in front of him.

Down at the other end of the table, Alfred was beginning to question something. How the heck was he going to get hamburgers now?! Nopony in Equestria ate meat! And Fluttershy would have a heart-attack if he ate a burger in front of her. His brain came to one conclusion. As long as he was here, he couldn't eat any. Damn.

The meal began quickly, with Pinkie Pie running out of her seat with a giant grin plastered across her face. Everypony stopped talking to see where she went, and she soon returned, with a large platter balanced perfectly on her head. In her mouth, she was holding several strings, which were in turn tied to several carts. The carts were groaning and creaking under the sheer weight of all the food they carried.

"Eat up, everypony!" She shouted, and Mathias grinned, getting out of his chair and heading over to the carts. He too, somehow, had his plate balanced on his head.

"P-Pinkie! Did you cook all this?" Ivan asked her, startled at the amount of food before him. She shook her head, her mane flying everywhere.

"Nope! Yao, Francis and Sadiq helped me~!" She giggled, and Ivan frowned.

"But they were all watching Ludwig, were they not?" He asked confusedly, and she rolled her eyes.

"I took them to the mirror pool! And with his magic, Yao sent the copies back!" She smiled, picking up Ivan's plate and placing it on his head. "Now come on! The food will all be gone by the time we get there!"

Alfred sat on the floor, criss-cross like Aiyana taught him. Strangely enough, he found a plate full of hamburgers on one of the carts.

"Pinkie, where'd you get the meat from?" He asked, and all the Mane Six gasped and looked at her. Fluttershy began to shake uncontrollably in terror. Pinkie Pie raised her eyebrows at him.

"Those aren't meatburgers, silly!" She scolded.

"Then what is it?" Alfred frowned, poking at the hamburger on his plate.

"Its something Yao showed me! Tofu, he said." Pinkie explained, and Alfred yelped, backing away from the innocent looking hamburgers on his plate.

"Ew! Tofu is so gross!" He whined, and Arthur reached over to smack him upside the head. The unicorns were using their magic to levitate their food, and the Pegasi were holding it with their hooves, hovering their way to the carts.

"Just try it, wanker. Remember that time I had to force feed you into eating haggis?" Arthur said, and Alfred frowned.

"But I still didn't like it…" He protested.

"Just eat it! Pinkie went to all this trouble to make you a burger, so eat it!"

Alfred humphed and crossed his arms, engaging himself in a fierce showdown with his hamburger. Pinkie Pie did work hard to make this for him…but it just wasn't the same. Should he be nice or save his stomach…? Ah well…at least it wouldn't be as bad as Arthur's scones…

Tentatively, he picked it up and took a bite, chewing it slowly. Then his face lit up like a TV screen, and he devoured it within the next two seconds. He then went to get some more, taking all of them off the cart at once.

Twilight, feeling thirsty, took her cup and went to go get a beverage from the cart that was stocked full of pitchers. Some of them she recognized, and others she did not. What she could see was coffee, water, apple juice and orange juice, fruit punch, and tea. However, there were a couple more, but they were all weird colors.

"What's this?" She asked Mathieu, who had joined her at the beverage cart. She prodded a pitcher full of a greenish-yellow liquid, one that was bubbling strangely. Mathieu looked at it for a second, then his eyes widened.

"That's Mountain Dew. Do not, under any circumstances, let Pinkie have a taste of that." He warned her quietly, taking some for himself. Twilight frowned.

"Mountain Dew? Dew is condensed water from cold night air. It doesn't look like water…" She noted, watching Mathieu take a drink of the substance. He smiled at her knowingly, and his eyes seemed to sparkle.

"It's just what it's called; its not actually dew. If it was, it probably wouldn't be as delicious. It's actually a brand of soda pop." He explained, and then he sighed seeing her confused look. "It's basically carbonated water, with different flavors and colors mixed into it. Add a bit of caffeine, and it's a perfect start to a day." He said, taking another sip of his.

"What about this one?" She asked, pointing to a pitcher of some electric blue substance.

"That's Gatorade. A popular energy drink with plenty of electrolytes; its something you drink for a temporary boost of energy." He told her, and she nodded. Carefully, she took her cup and filled it with Mountain Dew, curious as to what this tasted like. Seeing her actions, Mathieu felt compelled to warn her.

"Careful, Twilight. Don't drink too much or you'll start getting really hyper. Two cups full should be fine." He warned, walking back to Fluttershy. Twilight watched him go, then turned back to her Mountain Dew with a suspicious look in her eyes. She then headed back to her seat, careful not to spill any.

She sat down, staring at her cup intensely. What would this taste like? She always loved to try new things, and foods were on that list. And if Mathieu said it was good, she had to believe him. Very cautiously, she rose the cup to her mouth and took a small sip.

She froze, her eyes beginning to water despite the smile creeping onto her face. Whoa! It was like lightning in her mouth! So sour, but so good! She hastily drank more, licking her lips in satisfaction once she had drunk enough. Mathieu saw her and raised his cup over to her in a silent toast, and she did the same, smiling happily. These people sure had some odd foods.

Dinner went by smoothly, until Pinkie blew a whistle. Everypony winced and covered their ears, glaring at her.

"You have three minutes!" She shouted, and Alfred immediately dove over the table, his hands scrambling around in the sawdust and throwing it everywhere. Seeing what he was doing, Rainbow Dash did the same, skittering around frantically. Then Arthur got into it, and soon, everypony was bent over the table, cursing and shouting at one another. Cadence and Luna had even joined in. Celestia sat in her throne calmly, sipping her tea and watching this all with a raised eyebrow and smirk on her face.

"Got one!" S. Korea screamed, flying high above everypony else and waving around a stunning, fist-sized clump of sapphire. Well, then everything went to heck. Countries started fighting each other over who found what; the smarter ones kept their victories to themselves to avoid the brawling. Alfred, being stronger, bigger, and with the distinct advantage of fingers, found his emerald almost immediately after S. Korea found his gem.

Arthur, seriously confused as to how it got there, found the Koh-I-Noor. How the heck did this get here?! Francis found an amethyst the size of a computer mouse, and gave it to Rarity, who swooned. Mathieu quietly gave Fluttershy his rose quartz, and she handed him her Lapiz Lazuli, both of them blushing furiously.

Celestia decided that now was the time to make her move. She grinned, her horn lighting up as she magically searched for the largest gemstone. Smiling triumphantly, she levitated it to herself, and several ponies glared at her for it.

"Troll-estia strikes again…!" Feliks muttered, his voice muffled by the gold necklace he had in his mouth.

By the time all of this was done, everypony was smiling and absolutely covered in sawdust. Mathias strode forward, grinning from ear to ear.

"That was awesome! We never get to do stuff like this!" He shouted, shaking Pinkie's hoof furiously and positively beaming at her.

"Everypony, to the sparring hall! I've set up a surprise!" Pinkie commanded, winking at everypony. There was suddenly a mad rush out the door; anything Pinkie set up had to be good. All but two ponies stayed behind. Celestia felt that she should as well, but knew that the situation would be handled.

Arthur was the last one out the door. He was about to shut it, when he heard a quiet sniffle from the table he left. Turning his head curiously, he saw a small, violet figure wiping her eyes. Worry immediately blossomed in his chest.

"Miss Twilight? Are you alright?" He asked, turning back around and walking towards her, his hooves echoing in the now-empty room. Twilight shakily nodded, stifling a cry.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." She lied, her voice thick. Arthur frowned, his large eyebrows crumpled in worry.

"No, you are not. What's the matter?" He asked, sitting next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her a bit closer. Twilight hiccupped, wiping her eyes again.

"I-It's stupid really…I just feel bad because I didn't find anything…" She whispered, looking down at her hooves. Arthur felt like face-hoofing. That's what had her upset? But he quickly recovered, seeing that this was important to her.

"It's alright, Twilight. Sometimes, even though we do work hard, we don't always get the things we worked for." He said gently, levitating a napkin over to her and wiping her eyes himself. "And sometimes we do. But getting all upset over it won't do any good, now will it?" Twilight shook her head, hanging it miserably.

Arthur bit his lip, his face heating up just a bit. Oh, if Francis ever found out that Arthur was alone with Twilight, he would never hear the end of it. Nevertheless, Arthur sighed but levitated his diamond to her.

"Here. You can have mine, Twilight." He said quietly, drawing a little circle into the ground with his hoof. Twilight's head shot back up almost immediately, her eyes widening as she saw his diamond.

"No, I couldn't possibly! It's yours, you found it first! I couldn't take that from you!" She protested, and Arthur smiled a bit at her.

"It's alright. I want you to have it." He told her, levitating it closer. Twilight slowly looked at it, her eyes widening.

"R-Really…?" She asked, taking it with her hooves tentatively. Arthur nodded, smiling as he rolled his eyes.

"Of course! I have no need for jewels or money. I've got all the riches in the world…right here." He said quietly, poking her on the muzzle. Twilight blushed furiously, levitating the diamond to her side.

"O…Okay." She whispered, trying to hide her face. Arthur grinned, walking away as he pecked her on the cheek. Without another word, he left her alone in the dining hall, face red and thoughts running rampant. D-Did he just…? No, she must have been imagining things.

"Ahh!" She heard him shout from just outside the doors. She teleported the diamond to her room at the Ponyville Library, and ran out to find him. It didn't take very long.

He was just outside the doors, slowly being lifted into the air as he was enveloped in a golden/green light. Twilight's eyes widened in shock. This was just like what happened to Ivan when he found the Element of Hope! Was Arthur a new Element too?!

When the light died down and Arthur was back on the floor, his Cutie Mark had changed. Instead of the skull and crossbones with the twin wands, there was a roaring lion's head. And like Ivan, Arthur now had a crown, with an emerald in the center in the shape of a ring. Twilight hesitantly walked forward, watching as Arthur checked himself out.

"A-Arthur…you're…" She stammered, and he looked up at her slowly, his emerald eyes almost glowing.

"The Element of Determination."

---

"Oh…my…God…" Alfred swallowed, staring around in pure awe at Pinkie's surprise. Everypony's expressions matched his; slack jawed, buggy eyed.

Nopony knew how, but Pinkie had somehow transformed the entire sparring hall into a giant dance floor. Neon lights were strung from the ceiling, and several platforms hung from it as well; the Pegasi had their own dance floors, high above everypony else. Speakers were set up all over the walls, and the floor was glowing and pulsing with light.

DJ-PON-3 was at the end of the hall, her full rig set up. She was waving enthusiastically at everypony, a sly grin on her face. Along the opposite side from her rig were a number of small, circular tables, filled with snack foods, and the distinct smell of alcohol.

"Do you like it?" Pinkie asked, hopping over excitedly. It took a few moments, but eventually everypony nodded slowly, slow grins spreading across their faces. Of course, there were the few wallflowers in the crowd, but they still couldn't help but smile.

What Mathias said was true. Since they were nations, they didn't get to do stuff like this very often. They didn't get to go out and dance and party. This was a much needed break.

"Right! Then let's go!" Alfred cheered, giving the thumbs up to the DJ, who waved at him and set up the track. He led the charge onto the dance floor as familiar music began to blast from the speakers, the bass shaking their very bones to the core. The Mane Six loved it. It was bizarre, but incredible.

Alfred hummed along as the few first beats began to play, and the countries who knew this song grinned. This was gonna be awesome.

---

PONY ROCK ANTHEM

---

A parody of a parody. Normal is Alfred singing, Italicized is Vinyl singing, bold is Pinkie singing, and underlined is everyone. The original is by Shadyvox on YT.

---

Pony Rock! Yea! WHOO! Let's go!

Scratch and Alfred's in the club tonight!

Oh yeah, we're gonna have a good time!

So grab somepony, don't be shy!

It's our job to make you feel alright!

Let's raise the roof, tonight's the night!

We're gonna party till the morning light!

The house is hot, the beat is tight!

We just wanna see ya….

SHAKE IT!

The name's Alfred Jones and I wanna see you shake it

I'm the host of this party and I'm glad you could make it

I've got the music that booms, show me what you got

Now do your thing girls and flaunt that plot!

On the dance floor is where we're living

You keep moving to the beat and the beat I'll keep delivering

Now that's a promise, we're gonna commit

Hey Vinyl Scratch, spin that shit!

---

Then, to everypony's surprise, even Vinyl began to sing. Jamming out over in her booth, she started hoof-pumping, lifting up her glasses with the biggest smile on her face. She didn't know these ponies, but Pinkie Pie said they were cool. Plus, there was that weird pink monkey thing, but it could sing and boy, could it dance!

---

Ayo, what's up? I'm the other half-half of this duo

Got my bass cannon set to max-max-max, its gonna blow!

It's pony rock! (Pony rock!) Yeah, so get them tails'a bouncing and

Get them hooves up in the air cause we are announcing, it is!

Scratch and Alfred's in the club tonight!

Oh yeah, we're gonna have a good time!

So grab somepony, don't be shy!

It's our job to make you feel alright!

Let's raise the roof, tonight's the night!

We're gonna party till the morning light!

The house is hot, the beat is tight!

We just wanna see ya….

SHAKE IT!

….

Everyday I'm partying!

---

"Hey Pinkie, no fair, this was my song!" Alfred whined, not stopping his dance. Pinkie jumped into the air in an explosion of confetti and sheer craziness, joining in on the song.

---

Pu-Pu-Put the lights on me, it's time for the only true party pony

It's Pinkie Pie here, and I know you all missed me

But hey wait! There's room for three~!

Let's grab some balloons! (The pretty ones!)

Let's turn up the bass! (It's getting louder now!)

Gummy's here with me! (He's rocking out!)

Now it's a party!

Get up, get down, put your hooves up to the sound!

Jump up, stomp down, everypony hit the ground!

Get up, get down, put your hooves up to the ground!

Jump up, stomp down, everypony hit the ground!

Everypony hit the ground

Everypony hit the ground

Get up, get down

Get up, get down

Put your hooves up to the sound!

Put your hooves up to the sound!

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Everypony's in the club tonight!

We're gonna keep on having a good time!

We got some help from Pinkie Pie with Vinyl Scratch and Alfred-fred-fred Jones!

Whoa~!

Whoa~!

Whoa~!

Whoa~!

Everyday we're partying!

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up

Put your hooves up!

---

"Awesome!" Alfred snickered, finishing the song with an explosion of fireworks that shook the whole castle. At some point, a big blue box appeared in the dance floor, and a familiar background pony poked his head out.

"Oh! Sorry, let me move my box! You'll need the space! I only came for the dancing." He grinned, then the box disappeared and reappeared in the corner. Arthur, already drunk as hell, was soon engaged in deep conversation with him about evil counterparts.

"Mine's absolutely bonkers! Tap tap tap tap. Tap tap tap tap! All day long! Tha's all 'e does, all day long…! Plus, why aren' there any banannnaass a' this partay? You shoul' always bring a banana to a party…! *sob* I miss Rose…" The background pony slurred, soon drunk as well. Arthur snorted.

"Ha! Mine w-wears a bowtie…and he…he makes cupcakes! Cupcakes…outta people! God, I don't know wha' to do with him!" He sobbed, hanging off the other pony and swinging the bottle around wildly. The background pony looked mildly offended.

"Hey man…bowties are cool…! *hic*" He argued, then he frowned. "Why did I say that while I'm still in my tenth regeneration and therefore don't wear a bowtie yet? And how did I know that? And why do I feel like I said that merely so that the authoress could have the satisfaction of putting that in her story?"

Before he could continue, he was promptly smothered by a pillow, courtesy of a somewhat-drunk Wales.

"Don't mess with the fourth wall! It's been abused enough in this story!" He scolded.

"But you just did it!" Arthur protested, and another pillow was shoved in his face.

"What zhe hell iz wrong with jou people?!" Gilbert shouted, throwing the double doors open. "How could you have a party without me?!" Without warning, he was suddenly flying tackle hugged by several Aryan nations, including Hungary, Switzerland, and very VERY drunk Austria. Now that Prussia arrived, the sheer level of awesomeness at this party went off the charts, and the fourth wall lay in shambles due to the explosion. Soon, the party was swarmed by ponies that came from different dimensions. Here's a short list.

Zuko, a pony that looked suspiciously like Spongebob, Eric Cartman, a flying green-haired fairy with serious ADD, Calvin, Hobbes, two or three smurfs, a singing chipmunk, Bugs Bunny, Harry Potter, James Bond, Iron Man, Naruto, a couple Espada, a brown-haired stallion that was laughing manically while clutching a black notebook, and a Pikachu.

Yeah, and to add even more randomness, the authoress showed up. Along with Pewdiepie, Cry, Phyllis, Mothman, all eleven Doctors, four Adipose, Dobby (When Arthur saw him, he burst into tears), Jeff the Killer, Barack Obama, Greg Heffley, Percy, all of the Beatles, a mute in a ridiculous green outfit that was having a heated argument with another stallion who had a giant key in his mouth, Envy, a stallion wearing a suit of armor, Edward Elric, Roy, and Slenderman.

And Simba.

At another point, Ludwig walked in, completely normal. Though he still did have the occasional… 'Disco Pogo' moment, shall we call them. These involved doing keg stands, randomly dancing, and chasing 'the witch' around in circles.

To almost everypony's surprise…Ivan was a good dancer. Very, very weird.

The party lasted all into the night, with Luna even providing a star-show for the history text books. Those ponies who had no idea about the party spoke of the bizarre sounds that almost sounded like music coming from the Everfree Forest, and the way the stars and moon danced.

The Mane Six enjoyed every moment of it. It was the best party Pinkie Pie could have ever, ever thrown, a perfect blend of Earth and pony. Eventually, towards the end, some of the younger nations were sent to bed *cough Sealand cough*

And the older ones spent more time sitting at the tables and chatting instead of dancing. And the ones who did dance requested slower, more easy-paced songs, slow dancing with loved ones. Except for S. Korea. He somehow got everypony to do Gangnam Style.

However, he was now slouched over the table, sobbing his eyes out and clutching a bottle of alcohol in his hooves.

"Why is my Cutie Mark about balance?! I'm not even the full country! I want North! I want us to kiss and make up and then we could all be a family again even though it'd kinda be awkward with him there but we'd all eventually get over it so then we could dance together and dancing originated in Korea but it was actually North not me and I'm a liar…!" He sobbed, hanging on tightly to a completely sober Hong Kong, who just grimaced and dealt with it.

Over at another table, Gilbert and Ludwig were talking, chatting idly. Gilbert was trying to convince Ludwig to request the song 'German Sparkle Party', but Ludwig wasn't having any of it. Feliciano was sitting next to him, his head in his forelegs on the table.

"Come on West! It'd be awesome!" Gilbert complained, and Ludwig stiffly shook his head.

"Nein. Austria is drunk enough; we do not need to make him sing." He said gruffly, gesturing a hoof towards the pianist, who was passed out on one of the tables. A still-conscious but drunk Switzerland was snickering as he drew a mustache and other such things on Roderich's face while he slept.

"Ve…Germany, I don't feel very good…" Feliciano whimpered, curling his forelegs around his stomach. Ludwig shot him an irritated glace, clapping a hoof on Feliciano's shoulder.

"You just had too much to drink, Italy. It'll pass." Ludwig told him, trying to sound comforting. It didn't work too well. Feliciano mumbled something, and Ludwig took it as an 'okay'. Before long, he went back to arguing with his brother over the German Sparkle Party song.

"Seriously West?! I even brought my party pants!" Gilbert shouted angrily, pulling the sparkly, tight, black pants from nowhere and shaking them in Ludwig's face. Ludwig sighed, taking a long swig from his mug of beer.

"Gilbert, you are a griffon. You don't wear pants." He explained.

"What about my rubber boots?"

"Nein! You don't wear-!" Ludwig was interrupted by a weak hoof tugging on his foreleg. He sighed, shrugging it off stiffly. "Italy, you'll be fine. You just need to-"

"Ludwig."

Germany nearly dropped his mug in surprise. Italy almost never called him by his human name…he only did that during war. Ludwig was always 'Germany' or 'big scary potato man' or 'Doitsu'. The German hesitantly turned to look at Feli, a worried frown on his face.

As soon as he locked eyes with Feliciano, he knew something was wrong. Feliciano's eyes were welling up with tears; a frightening fact by itself, seeing as how his eyes were OPEN. His bottom lip was quivering badly, despite Feli biting it desperately. He was curled in on himself, and he was shaking very, very badly, as though he was scared.

"Ludwig, I mean it. I really, really don't feel good…" Feli moaned, curling himself up into an even tighter ball. Ludwig frowned again, ignoring his brother's whining.

"Does your stomach hurt? Or do you think something is wrong with your country?" He asked, uncurling Italy to have a better look at his stomach, which was what seemed to be hurting him the most. It looked fine, at least. There was no bruising, swelling, or rash, as far as he could see.

"I-It feels more like…like I'm being squished…" Feli cried softly, a tear falling down his cheek. "I-It hurts really bad...!" Suddenly, his amber gold eyes turned to a blazing violet.

"Ego Solaris Imperium."

Italy said, his voice deep and echoing and not at all like him.

"I-Italy?" Ludwig asked, a bit frightened of this. Feliciano moaned in pain as his eyes turned back to their normal color. He slid out of his chair, holding his stomach tightly with one of his forelegs.

"I-I'm going….I'm going back to my…to my room…" Feliciano said softly. He then began to walk towards the door, which was on the other side of the crowd of dancing and drunken ponies. (The Mane Six were wise, and only drank water or Mountain Dew. They heard of the things alcohol could do to a pony. Rarity had a small glassful, but she was the oldest.) Ludwig watched Italy go for a few moments, then hopped out of his own seat to follow him.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD RIDE ANGEL BUNNY TO MIDGET SCHOOL?!" Edward screamed, throwing himself at Roy Mustang the unicorn. Roy snapped at him frantically, but to his dismay remembered he had no fingers. Instead his horn reacted violently, blowing a hole in the roof the size of the Magic School Bus.

Feliciano could barely walk his way through this mess. Granted, a handful of countries in the room couldn't walk very well either – blame the alcohol. Feli bumped into a large handful of ponies on his way out, and some of them looked like they were going to fight him for it. Ludwig, however, distracted them in time.

"Hey, watch out sir!" A chocolate brown stallion whined at Italy, rubbing his shoulder. His smooth, husky voice made him instantly recognizable; as did the blank, white mask on his face. Ludwig didn't have to grab this one's attention. A scruffy, dirty blonde unicorn stallion dragged the other stallion away.

"Don't worry about it, Cry!"

"Felix Kjellberg!" Sweden suddenly roared, thundering through the crowd at the blonde stallion, who grinned and laughed sheepishly. His horn lit up, and a portal appeared in the air in front of him.

"Cry! We got to go!" He commanded, and the brown one nodded, jumping in first.

"For the new world!" He shouted as he fell, and the blonde one went next.

"I love you, Cry~!"

Feliciano watched them go, and shook his head as though to clear it. He was starting to sway back and forth where he stood, his ears flickering in every direction from the blasting music. Ludwig watched Italy continue his trek, with his head and wings held low. The longest feathers of Feli's wings were brushing against the floor as he walked.

Finally, Feliciano made it past the doors, though he did have to deny a Jellybaby a couple times. He tried to continue on, with Ludwig silently watching behind him, worry dancing in his eyes. Then, suddenly, Feliciano collapsed.

Ego in vento et igni

Tempastate et flamma

Erimus resurget ex favilla

Nos autem regni tuorum concident

Feliciano chanted, his eyes that same chilling violet color. The sheer intensity of the color was enough to rival Ivan's, and it was terrifying. Ludwig went forward, sticking his head underneath Italy's stomach and hoisting the Pegasus onto his back.

"I'm going to take you to the infirmary. Feliciano, do you understand what I'm saying?" Ludwig asked clearly and slowly. Feliciano's head twitched in what might have been a shake of the head.

"N-No….en…entrance…hall…." He whispered, shivering violently as Ludwig turned his head back to look at him.

"Why would you need to go there?" Ludwig asked incredulously. Feliciano's head snapped up, his eyes purple once more.

"You will obey me, pitiful human." He snarled, then his eyes faded back to amber as he slumped over once more. Ludwig stood there, petrified for a moment, then he began to walk. Okay, entrance hall it was then. The entire walk back, the music from the dance pounding through the castle walls, Feli kept mumbling things in Latin.

Quod in caelo clamatis

Gehennam alto

Ludwig remained silent, listening to this with keen ears. He knew a bit of Latin, and he was confused by what Italy was saying. Something about…hellfire and the sky? He'd heard of soothsayers before, but he'd never believed them. Was Feliciano prophesizing their future or something?

Once they reached the hall, with the flags and beautiful glass stained windows, Feliciano weakly clambered off of Ludwig's back. With great difficulty, he walked towards the globe in the center, his eyes burning.

Cum Caelestibus, salutari nostro

Pro nobis dissident semper

Then he began to speak in English.

I am the wind and the fire

The storm and the blaze

We shall rise from the ashes

Of the kingdom we raise

We shall scream down from the sky

Hellfire on high

With Celestia, our savior

The odds are ever in our favor

Our nightmares will become our fuel

Our judgment swift and punishment cruel

The children shall scream under our steel

The terror and pain they shall feel

We'll wipe them out, every last one

And our enemies will know the might of the sun.

Feliciano's body began to morph and change, glowing with unearthly, amethyst light. Ludwig took a couple of steps backwards in fear. Was Italy turning into his 2p self? Whatever this was, it could not be good for anypony. Then, another light appeared in the room; this one a gentle, golden light. Another voice began to speak.

I am the water and the light

The stars and the flight

The shadows and the dark shall rule all

The kingdom of the sun shall fall

We hide in the dark, our mother's gift

The soft light of her spirit's swift

Reveal the truth and make it real

The treasures of Olympus ours to steal

We are the children of the night

And you will join us in the one, true light

The golden light floated down to the floor, dimming to reveal something truly strange. A black alicorn stallion, soft blue flames sprouting from the back of his hooves. The feathers on his wings began at black, then faded to blue, and then to white, blurring and waving like smoke. His mane and tail were blue, with streaks of navy blue and powder blue at the tips. His eyes were a stunning, piercing gold, and his Cutie Mark was a white crescent moon on its side, with wings sprouting from the sides of the moon and a star-tipped wand sprouting from the middle, in the center of the two curves.

Then the violet light became another alicorn stallion, this one a stunning white that almost glowed in the darkness. His eyes were that same violet fire, and his wings turned from white, to orange, and then to black, smoking just like the other alicorn's. Orange flames came from the back of his legs. His mane and tail were orange, with the tips a mixture of red and yellow, like fire. His Cutie Mark was another bizarre emblem, which involved a sun, folded wings, and a black tower.

But the one thing that made these two utterly terrifying was the two curls sticking out from their heads. The white one had his on the left side of his head, and the other had it from the right. Like Romano.

"Mein Gott…who are you?!" Ludwig shouted, glaring angrily at the two. Their gaze both locked onto him, and he froze in absolute terror. The power radiating off of these two…was just overwhelming. Ludwig could barely move; the air itself seemed to be crushing him and rumbling like thunder.

"I am the Solar Empire." The one that used to be Feliciano said.

"I am the New Lunar Republic." Said the one who used to be Romano.

"You will obey."

---

A/N: Mwahahahahahaha! Plot twist~! I'll be posting some more stuff to my Deviantart soon of more Countries/Ponies, so head on over there if you want a look. Or not. It's up to you, really.

Anyways...Yeah. A lot of random cameos. Even by me. *heh*

Review please, and as always...

Hasta la pasta~!

A/N: *peeks out from behind tactical fort made of pizza boxes* D-Did I make it? *checks pulse* OMG, I'M ALIVE!

*ahem* Well, yes, here is an update. I must say though, this story got dark pretty fast. Ah well. I can't stop my muse, because he will run me over with a triceratops if I try. Trust me, its happened.

Now then, I feel compelled to say, this is some freaky shit right here. For this is the beginning of the RAINBOW FACTORY. Part I to be exact.

Let me just put it this way. These ponies are all totally f****d.

OH! STRONG LANGUAGE AND BLOOD WARNING HERE! (strong blood...?)

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing besides my OCs. Nothin.

---

It is not what we know that scares us, but what we do not.

-A.G. Phillips

---

Ludwig quickly took a few shaky steps backwards, his eyes wide with fear as the two alicorns began to slowly walk forward. Their gazes were pinpointed solely on him, unblinking and extremely unnerving. The sheer power alone radiating off of them was enough of a sign for Ludwig; there was no way in HELL he was going to be able to fight against them and win. He really didn't think he would even be able to summon his weapons…he was too terrified to do anything other than back up.

Ludwig really didn't like this. He hadn't felt this scared in a long, long time and it was slightly humiliating. He hadn't even felt like this at the end of WWII, for Pete's sake! He was scared of defeat and the thought of being separated from his brother, but he was never scared for his life back then. To be honest, he hadn't been this scared since Gilbert was defeated, no longer a country. He thought Gilbert would die and leave him all alone. He had been so small back then…

But now, he was the one who would die. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind; these two were going to kill him if he fought. But he had to fight! He would not just keel over and let them take control! But…there was just no way…!

Fight and die, or live in slavery?

The indecision alone was enough to make Ludwig feel like a little baby inside. Like when he was very little and was alone in his dark bedroom, with the storm raging just outside his window. There was a tree outside his window, and he was so scared that it was going to be blown over by the wind and fall over and crush him and Gilbert, or it would start on fire because of the lightning and burn him alive, too fast for him to even scream.

He was so, so terrified that he was going to die. The thunder was the sound of a monster's roar as it came in for the kill. The lightning was its teeth, razor sharp and glowing in the dark. The rain was its spit, dribbling down through the clouds as the monster salivated at the idea of little boys for dinner. And that tree was its arms. Black, spider-like arms and fingers that tapped and screeched against his window, dancing and waving in mad glee. Ludwig could remember it all; how the fear had him pinned against his bed and wouldn't let him move, how he was screaming and crying for mercy, and how he thought the monsters outside in the storm had already killed Gilbert and were coming for him now. This was just like back then.

Only this time, Gilbert wouldn't run in and hold him tightly, comforting him. Gilbert wouldn't come to save him now. No one would. He was completely alone now.

Ludwig gasped as he felt a cold stone pillar dig into his spine, and he shrunk back into it as far as he could. They were so close to him now. Only ten feet away, and they were getting closer. Ludwig felt like crying. He was going to die. But he couldn't die now. He still had so much he wanted to do; to see; to feel.

"P-Please…don't…!" He sobbed, feeling hot tears prick at the corners of his eyes. If anything, his terror seemed to make them grin in sadistic pleasure. "F-Feliciano…! It's me! Germany! Y-You wouldn't…!" He cried, turning his head desperately to the alicorn who used to be Feliciano, trying with all his might to will Feliciano back to normal. But no such luck.

They were so close to him now…! Ludwig turned his head away, pleading and sobbing desperately for somepony, anypony, to save him. They continued to creep closer, their eyes wide and unblinking. They were so close he could feel their breath on his muzzle; Ludwig clenched his eyes shut and screamed in the vain hope that somepony would hear. But the party was still going. There was no way anypony could be able to hear him over the pounding music.

"F-Feliciano! HOR AUF! LASS MICH IN RUHE! GEH WEG! VATER! VATER!" Ludwig screamed, curling himself into the tightest ball he could, clamping his hooves over his eyes and shaking badly. He waited in paralyzing, gripping terror for them to come in for the kill, for a terrible, splitting pain that could only come from Felicano's sword or Romano's bullets.

It never came.

Ludwig cautiously peeked from behind his hooves, his stomach curling into a painful knot at the thought of those faces staring at him for a moment longer. But the second he opened his eyes, they were assaulted by a blinding, brutal light.

Which seemed to be coming from right above his head. He slowly lowered his hooves, noticing that even Romano and Italy were staring at it in awe and…terror?

"N-No…" Romano whispered, backing up a bit.

"It can't be…!" Italy added, matching his brother hoofbeat for hoofbeat in backing away. Ludwig's eyes widened. What could make ponies as utterly terrifying as these two scared like this? Ludwig slowly raised his head skyward, looking up at the source of the light. Engraved into the pillar behind him and glowing vibrantly was a clock face, and the longer Ludwig stared at it in shock, the brighter it seemed to get.

And with the light came a noise.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

It got louder and louder and louder, pounding in their ears and soon their heartbeats matched its steady, rhythmic pattern. While the sound soon had Romano and Feliciano cowering behind their wings in fear, it did the opposite for Ludwig. It filled his heart with hope, making it swell inside his chest bigger and bigger.

He knew this sound. And the light. And the feeling it gave off.

It was so familiar. So warm. So protective and safe.

It was Father.

"Vater…" Ludwig whispered, reaching his hoof towards the light, which was now too bright to look at directly anymore. Vater was coming to save him! The light pulsed with each tick and tock, and soon, it filled the entire room. Ludwig covered his eyes once more to protect them, but he couldn't help but smile as the warm feeling became more and more intense.

He heard four hooves drop onto the floor in front of him, and heard the telltale snort of anger horses did. Wait, hooves? Well…it made sense that his father would be turned into a pony as well…Ludwig had great trouble thinking of his dad as a pony. He was so strong and powerful; thinking of him as something so cute and girly was just plain odd. He could see his father as a horse, but never a pony.

And he was right.

Vater was huge; much taller than Celestia. He was tossing his head and pounding his hooves angrily, snorting with fury at the two alicorns below him. His eyes were pure white; no pupils, no iris', just white. But instead of being creepy, it made Ludwig feel safer than he ever had before. Looking into those eyes, Ludwig could see everything. The turn of the earth, the orbit of the planets around the sun, the moon circling the earth, the cycles of night and day, the four seasons shifting and fading, everything. Empires raised and fell. People were born and died. Glaciers moved forward then shrunk back. Dinosaurs roamed free. The first humans, pounding rocks into tools. All of it, all in those eyes.

Time was white in color, with his mane and tail a bronze gold color, blowing in a nonexistent breeze. His mane was standard length for a normal horse, but his tail was a good fifteen feet long, sweeping back and forth slowly across the floor. He had two proud, noble horns sticking out of his forehead like antlers, branching out and deadly sharp. He even had a Cutie Mark; a glowing black clock's face, with the hands even ticking in sync to each other as they moved. He almost seemed to glow with otherworldly light in the dark entrance hall, and Romano and Feliciano were cowering in fear before him.

My sons, the time has not yet come for your destinies. You must wait until you are ready to wield such awesome powers. Time's voice echoed in their heads, without even opening his mouth. Can you not feel it? Because the time has not yet come for this, your minds are slowly being overpowered and snapping under the weight of your powers. You'll soon go mad.

"B-But…mamma! She said I could!" Lovino stammered, shrinking closer and closer to the floor.

And you will. You forget who I am, Lovino. I am Time. I see all that is to come, all that has been, and all that might be. You will be able to become who you are destined to be. But you must wait. In your haste to prove yourself, you have hurt Feliciano, and if you continue this, you will no doubt hurt everybody else as well.

Time said powerfully, and his two antlers began to glow, glaring at the two alicorns in front of him. Ludwig cautiously backed up a bit as well. Time was angry now. His tail was moving faster and faster as it swept back and forth with the sound of gears turning becoming louder and louder. Lovino and Feliciano were suddenly levitated into the air, begging and pleading for him to stop. But Time didn't. The two of them were soon enveloped into a bright light, and they began to shrink and morph, their horns disappearing.

Soon, they were the size of normal Pegasi once more, and Time lowered his head, letting them fall gently onto the floor. Ludwig peeked around Time, seeing that the two of them were back to normal, but their Cutie Marks were gone. They were unconscious, curled up next to each other with Feliciano's head resting on Lovino's neck. The two of them were quietly whimpering as tears rolled down their faces, and Time sighed.

Ludwig. Go to them and warn the others. Tragedy is approaching, and dawn grows ever near. And this is a warning for all of my children; remember what you are. Time warned Ludwig, before disappearing with the sound of a church bell ringing once. Ludwig just stood there, befuddled. What did that mean? Normally it's who you are, not what you are…But Time was never wrong, so he'd better remember this…

As Ludwig hoisted Feliciano onto his back once more, he didn't spot a dark figure hiding in the corner, with two malicious amethyst eyes watching curiously.

2p Ivan grinned and snuck into the shadows.

---

Evil is nothing more than that which was once divine falling into shit.

-Donald Allen Kirch

---

"I have news." Viktor announced, walking confidently back into the cave Xear had picked as his lair. Xear, up in his throne, raised an eyebrow as the dark grey stallion stopped and grinned mischievously at him.

"I hope it has something to do with the fact that you haven't beat up Ivan like I told you to." He sighed, and Viktor nodded, the memory of what he just saw fresh in his mind.

"Well go on~" Oliver giggled, waving his hoof nonchalantly at Viktor, who smiled at him.

"Father was here." Viktor said bluntly, and 2p China actually did a spit-take with his tea. Xear's grin just grew wider, and he stepped out of his throne, walking confidently up to Viktor and circling him slowly, staring at him with his unseeing eyes.

"Go on…" Xear hissed, after Viktor remained silent for a few moments.

"He was at their castle, stopping two alicorns from harming Ludwig." Viktor spat, and 2p Germany cowered a bit at the mention of his other's name. Everypony turned their heads towards him and began throwing taunts and jeers at him, because they knew that Ludwig was so much better than he was. 2p Germany tried his best to just ignore it, but the teasing still hurt nonetheless.

"Continue, Despair." Xear finally said, raising a hoof for silence to stop the hoots and laughter.

"The two alicorns turned out to be Feliciano and Lovino; somehow they had been given powers the likes of which I'd never seen." Viktor smirked, seeing Leonardo raise an eyebrow over in his corner. "So…why hasn't he been given the same?" He suddenly asked, pointing an accusing hoof at 2p Italy, who shot to his hooves in indignation.

"Because I am not that spineless wreck! I am so much more!" He shouted, and 2p Russia smirked at him, tossing his head and turning away casually.

"Father doesn't think so~" He teased, and Leonardo was so close to pouncing on him right then and there, but Xear got in the way.

"Yes…why aren't you the same? Different personalities, maybe, and now different bodies. But your powers and abilities are always at the same level. That, I cannot change." He mused, walking right up to Leonardo and touching his forehead to the chocolate brown Pegasus', staring right into his eyes, evil radiating off of him. "You're not hiding anything, are you~?" He asked, and Leonardo scoffed.

"If they turned into alicorns because of their newfound powers, it would only make sense that I do the same. I'm still me." He snarled back, and Xear's laughter echoed throughout the cave.

"But you just said you're so much more, didn't you? You're hiding something from us." He growled, slamming Leonardo against the cold, stone wall of the cave. Everypony watched with sadistic glee as the blood from Xear's eyes dripped onto Leonardo's face. Leonardo began promptly cursing and shouting in Italian at Xear, trying weakly to push him off but with no luck.

"Oh Louis?" Xear asked with feigned innocence, looking up at 2p France, who had spent this entire time just staring at the wall, trying to sleep.

"What…?" He now snarled, grinding his cigarette into the ground.

"You're going to torture him until he shows us these 'powers', mmkay~?" Xear giggled, slamming his hoof into Leonardo's face gleefully. Leonardo cursed and spat out a glob of blood and spit, with maybe a tooth as well. Louis sighed, getting up from the rock he had laid on and stretching as he did so.

"Fine." He said simply, walking over to the two of them and picking up Leonardo with his vines. Leonardo screamed and cursed and spat at him in every language he knew, thrashing around uncontrollably and attempting to tear the vines holding him in two. Louis just sighed, but slammed Leonardo into a stalactite as hard as he could, effectively knocking him out. "Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs…?" Louis groaned, walking into a different section of the cave…which Xear called the 'Torture Chamber'. A fitting name, to say the least.

"Well…at least this'll give me something to do, oui?" Louis sighed, allowing himself a bitter smirk as he fastened Leonardo in place on a cold, metal table.

---

Fuck that. Fuck that like the fucking Captain of the Thai Fuck Team fucking at the Tour de Fuck.

-David Wong

---

Back at the mouth of the cave, Xear casually wiped his hooves of Leonardo's blood on 2p America's long wing feathers, much to the horror of the Pegasus. But Allen was too terrified to do anything other than simply stand there and hope he would go away. Everypony was staring at him, making little to no effort to hide their sadistic grins at his discomfort.

"Allen?" Xear mused, brushing his hooves through Allen's mane as he did so, getting blood all over that too. Allen barely mustered up enough courage to give a short "Yes?" in response, inwardly cursing his cowardice. His voice had audibly cracked on that one syllable, and James and Oliver both laughed at him for it. Xear hummed, grabbing ahold of Allen's left wing roughly and lighting up his horn with magic. Carefully, almost lovingly, Xear plucked a blood-soaked feather from Allen's wing, then tossed it to the side, only to pick another one and do the same.

"I've got a job for you." Xear announced, grinning as he heard Allen whimper in pain. Silence then filled the cave, save for Allen's occasional hisses of pain and Oliver and James' teasing snickers. "I want you to begin work on the plan we discussed. I want it completed within the next fortnight, okay?" Xear asked quietly, picking yet another red feather and adding it to the evergrowing pile.

"…Okay…" Allen whispered in response, wincing as his gaze travelled to the pile of bloody feathers. His feathers. He saw James smirk at him from the other side of the cave, and his confidence rose a bit, then crumbled almost as quickly when Xear drew his gaze back to him.

"You're going to Cloudsdale; Fai will help you. For once, his little skill will come in handy." Xear muttered, and Kaoru (2p Japan) snickered. Fai (2p China, respectively) just grunted in response, laying spread-eagled on his back in a ridiculous position, staring up at the cave ceiling with hazy eyes. The smell of opium hung around him like a malevolent cloud, which was why he was laying in his own corner away from everypony else.

"I can taste the rainbow…and it tastes good…" He muttered, and Kaoru rolled his eyes. Idiot. Then Fai groaned a bit, its tone telling everypony that it was a groan of pain. Though, admittedly, no one cared.

"Hey…" Xear grinned, turning towards Fai and dragging Allen along with him by his now bleeding wing, eliciting a strangled scream from the crimson brown Pegasus. "Was that hurt I heard…?" Xear asked slowly, pinpointing his gaze onto Fai.

"Urgh…" Fai groaned, bringing his hooves up to his forehead and his horn. "It hurts like hell…" He muttered, the fog clearing out of his eyes as he narrowed them angrily. Xear just grinned wider, picking one more feather from Allen's wings and tossing it carelessly onto the now sickeningly large pile of feathers. Then, he dragged Allen in front of him, sitting him down so that his back was to Xear. Allen shivered at the touch, but kept his head held low. It was a desperate attempt to hide the tears of pain forming in his eyes.

"What is happening to your horn?" Oliver gasped, bounding over excitedly as Fai's horn began to glow and stretch. Fai offered no clear answer, only a groan of pain and a muttered curse word as he curled up on his side. Oliver raised his gaze for only a second, but then noticed the same thing happening to Kaoru's horn. "OMG, you too?! Why don't I get to have my horn mutilated?" Oliver whined, pouting at his own forehead.

Xear watched with curiosity, placing his hoof on the base of Allen's bloody, unrecognizable wing. Slowly, he began to twist it, smiling widely as Allen started to writhe in agony, doing his absolute hardest to stifle his screams before they began. Fai and Kaoru both curled up into the fetal position, their whole bodies starting to glow white.

"WHO'S THAT POKEMON?!" Oliver screamed, watching the two with mad glee. James snorted at the reference, expertly hiding his pity for his brother. Allen really hadn't done anything to deserve the torture Xear was giving him…James grimaced inside, nauseated by his own feelings. Pity was not something he felt. Pity was for the weak. So why did he feel so strongly about it…? He and Allen had never been as close as their 1ps, nowhere near. The most they ever did together was go out to eat and watch a movie. He should not be feeling sorry for him.

Allen shoved his hoof into his mouth to quiet his scream of pain, clenching his eyes shut as the bone connecting his wing to his spine snapped. Xear smiled down at him, 'shhhing' almost gently, whispering fake words of comfort. Allen felt Xear's hooves leave him through the haze of pain, and desperately tried to jump away from his tormentor.

"Ah ah ah…." Xear scolded, grabbing him with his blood-red magic. "You can't leave me yet." He warned, grabbing his shoulders roughly once more and taking hold of his broken wing. Allen whimpered and sobbed, begging to be let go. Nopony paid him any attention, save for James. And even then, he was pretending not to care. Everypony –which was just Xear, Oliver, Wilhelm, and Viktor now- was still fascinated by the glowing forms of Fai and Kaoru.

"This'll be interesting. You remember the plan, right Injustice?" Xear asked, and Allen vigorously nodded as Xear started to tug on his broken wing, sending flares of intense, searing hot lightning through his back and shoulders. "You'll set up base in the Everfree forest, using that zebra friend of theirs as your first experiment. When other ponies start to notice you, you'll advertise open jobs and tours of the factory. Take half of them and turn them to our side. Use the others as fuel. Fai will be the brains behind it; finance, building, management, and you'll be the face of the company. Got it?" Xear finished.

"Y-YES! God, I've got it! Just stop! PLEASE! JUST STOP!" Allen screamed, thrashing uncontrollably in pain as he felt his wing begin to be torn free of its socket. All of his muscles and nerves were screaming in protest, but a little skin was torn away despite this. Blood began to flow down his back, staining his tail, mixing the navy blue with scarlet.

"Oh? Do you want me to stop?" Xear asked, feigning innocence. Allen sobbed, nodding desperately. Xear's grin grew to impossible proportions, stretching almost all the way around his head. He lifted his head up, looking to the scattered 2ps in the alcoves above him. "Should I?" He asked, tugging gently on the wing for emphasis.

"N-No…p-please…don't!" Allen sobbed, but Oliver grinned at him, his horn lighting up and forming a giant hand. Which then formed into a thumbs-up pose. Which slowly turned upside down. Wilhelm shook his head, trying not to turn away despite the sickness he felt at all the blood. Viktor just flicked his tail, slowly doing his trademark insane grin. Which left it up to James. Uneasily, he glanced around, seeing all of their expectant faces and mad grins. He quickly made a decision, apologizing to Allen as he did so. He shook his head no.

"Don't stop." He muttered, and Xear laughed. He then swiftly grabbed the base of Allen's wing once more, ripping it free of its socket with a squeal of sadistic glee, which was drowned out by Allen's blood-curdling scream of pain. James swallowed, wrenching his eyes away as Allen slowly dragged himself away from Xear, tears pouring down his cheeks as he crawled forward on his forelegs, his back legs shaking too much to even hold his weight. Allen curled up in the farthest away corner of the cave he could get to, sobbing and wailing in agony and humiliation.

His back and Cutie Mark were completely soaked red, the 'HERO' on the star completely masked by blood. James glanced around the cave, making absolute sure that nopony was watching Allen anymore. When he was certain no one was looking, he took off his red jacket and folded it up hastily, pushing it over to the shivering form of Allen. Allen didn't acknowledge him, but took the makeshift pillow with a cry of misery, wrapping his hooves around it and burying his face in the coat, ignoring the fact that blood was getting all over it.

Xear smiled to himself, holding up the twisted, broken wing as a trophy. Then, he used his magic to fuse it onto his throne, displaying his power in a horrible, macabre fashion. Wilhelm finally turned away, and Viktor yawned, getting ready for a nap. Oliver pushed around a couple of stones with his magic, occasionally flicking them at Allen and Wilhelm. Once, a particularly large and pointy stone was sent right into the ragged hole where Allen's wing used to be, but Oliver gave no apology to him. Allen howled in pain, slowly dragging his torso around so that his injury was away from Oliver. He sobbed as Oliver used his magic to try and dig the stone out, though he just ended up driving it in further.

James contemplated going over there and comforting him under the guise of taunting Allen more, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. He had a reputation to uphold; he was a cold, emotionless murderer. He didn't care for those weaker than him, least of all his worthless brother.

So why did he feel so awful about leaving him there alone?

---

Horror was rooted in sympathy...in understanding what it would be like to suffer the worst.

-Joe Hill

---

"Aw, come on Zecora!" Scootaloo whined, crossing her forelegs over her chest with a huff. She had been here nearly all morning, but Zecora wouldn't help her! The zebra in question just shook her head, shuffling through her collection of herbs on one of her many shelves. Scootaloo had shown up at the crack of dawn begging for help with something, and Zecora was not a happy zebra in the morning.

"If you were meant to fly, then harder you will try. My potions cannot do what you ask, for it is your special task." She said simply. Yes, Scootaloo was here looking for something to help her learn to fly.

"But every other Pegasus at school can fly! How come I can't?" She grumbled, scuffing the floor with her hoof. Zecora sighed, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. After that weird night with the loud sounds coming from deeper within the forest, Zecora had gotten little to no sleep at all. She was too tired for this.

"Your skills might not be about to crash, perhaps you can be taught by Rainbow Dash?" She said, and Scootaloo lit up like the Fourth of July.

"Of course!" She squealed, jumping to her hooves. Zecora winced at the loud noise; it wasn't helping her headache at all. Before she knew it, Scootaloo was already out the door. "Why didn't I think of that?! Rainbow Dash would be the coolest teacher ever! Well…maybe her and America would teach me! That'd be so-" Her rambling was suddenly cut off.

Zecora's senses immediately went on high alert. It had gotten way too quiet. Not even the birds outside were chirping. Something was very, very wrong.

She cautiously looked out her still-open door, seeing a strange form pull something away. It was vaguely pony shaped, in the fact that it had four hooves. But it almost looked like it had scales; she'd say it was a unicorn, but its horn was odd. Instead of the normal, pointy horn, it had what looked like one deer antler sticking out of its forehead. It's tail looked more like a lion's than a pony's.

But that wasn't what set her off.

The thing it was dragging away was the unconscious form of Scootaloo.

"Unhand the foal, strange beast! She is not for you to feast!" Zecora shouted, grabbing a large staff from beside her door. Not the best weapon, but a good one. But when she came back outside, it was gone. In its place was…somepony who looked remarkably like America, but not. His coat was a dark red, and his mane and tail were both rusty brown instead of red, white, and blue. His Cutie Mark was the same though. Odd. One wing was bandaged to his side, as though it was hurt, but she wasn't concerned about that.

Two ponies having the same Cutie Mark? That was just unheard of. Strange…very strange.

"Oh hey, Zecora right?" The strange stallion asked, a smile gracing his lips. Zecora remained silent, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was the last pony to judge by looks, but something was just…not right about him. His accent was unnerving…from Manehatten, maybe? Even his eyes were the same shade of sparkling blue that America had, but his were just not right. Something was very off about him. She didn't know what it was, but she was going to find out.

"Not nice to ignore me…" He muttered, his smile dropping. "Just answer my question. You're Zecora, right?" He tried again, but she remained silent. "Oh come on." He groaned, brushing his mane out of his eyes, and Zecora noticed he had the same cowlick as Alfred too. He was practically a carbon copy of the golden Pegasus, but he was just…wrong. Unnatural. Abnormal.

Dangerous.

Zecora shivered as the thought swirled in her head. But he hadn't done anything to hurt her so far.

"What am I gonna do to ya? I got one wing outta commission!" He sighed, turning slightly so that she could see the bloodied bandages. She narrowed her eyes again.

"…Yes. I am Zecora, the zebress." She said simply, not taking her eyes off of him. He sighed, smiling once more, but it was more like a smirk upon closer inspection.

"Now, was that so hard?" He grinned, and Zecora suddenly found herself unable to move. Her legs wouldn't respond. Move, she willed herself to no avail, have to get away! She didn't know why, but she needed to get out of there, now! Her eyes flickered uneasily to the sides, but nopony was around to help her.

That was her mistake.

She heard the unnatural stallion scoff, and she turned her head back towards him.

Just in time to see a nail-studded baseball bat, splattered in blood, swing at her head. There was a sickening crack that echoed through the forest, and Zecora's world went dark.

---

Horror stories shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion.

-Clive Barker

---

Rainbow Dash grinned, enjoying the way the wind blew her mane and tail around playfully, like it was happy to see her. And she had to admit, she was glad to be back in the air as well. It had been a couple of days since the party that had rocked her world, and she was finally, FINALLY flying again. All the work introducing her friends to the countries had really worn her out, especially since everypony was too hyper for their own good.

She smiled, sitting down on a large patch of cloud for a short break. The weather was perfect, thanks in part to her work. The sun was warm, and the cool breeze evened it out perfectly. She sat there in the sky, and thought about what had happened since the party.

Well, they'd woken up the morning after to find that, for some odd reason, lots of countries had changed. Not into humans, but into different types of ponies. For example, Yao, Kiku, and the rest of the Eastern Asian countries had become kirin. Those were like hybrids of dragons, unicorns, deer, and lions. They were scaly now, but they still had manes, not to mention a lion's tail. They had all four hooves still intact, and they had a deer's antler sticking out of their head. It was weird.

Ivan and all five Nordics had woken up to find that they had incredibly thick fur, which Mathias explained was probably because they came from much colder climates than the rest of the world.

Also, bizarrely, Alfred had turned back into a Pegasus. After he and Twilight had stopped freaking out, Alistair calmly explained that it was because humans didn't belong in Equestria. (Nopony had noticed, but Ludwig had flinched nervously at that statement)

Dash grinned, closing her eyes peacefully. Life was good.

---

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the evilest motherfucker in the valley.

-Alex Garland

---

"Derpy, are you sure about this?" Cloud Kicker asked nervously, looking with apprehension at the large building in front of her. A small crowd of Pegasi had gathered outside the main gates of the building every day since it had appeared, milling around curiously until they became bored of the place and left. Being Pegasi, they could have just flown over the large gates, but they were too polite to do so without having been invited.

This building had appeared on the outskirts of Cloudsdale with no warning. No construction, no new ponies, nothing. It had simply materialized into existence, as though it had always been there, and they were just now noticing it.

It was a rather impressive building, to be sure. It was made of shiny, polished stones that reflected the white clouds around them, giving it a glowing-silver hue. Seven large smokestacks, like that of a train, stuck out from the roof, along with several smaller ones, too many to count. An extensive fence, made of no metal the Pegasi had ever seen before, surrounded the complex in a hexagonal shape, with three main entrances. One was labelled (Supplies Entry), the other (Disposal), and the main one, the gate right in front of the building where the Pegasi gathered, wasn't labelled.

The two handles of the gate's doors were uniquely designed, so that when the doors were closed, like now, they formed a symbol. Three pillars rising from a winged cloud, which was shooting lightning. It was slightly inspiring, yet oddly comforting.

Three days after the factory had appeared (which was today), flyers had been posted all over Cloudsdale, announcing proudly:

ON JANUARY 10th

PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR A WINTER MIRACLE!

THE RAINBOW FACTORY

Open to the public!

Come one, come everypony!

ARE YOU SICK OF THE DREARY, BORING, EVERYDAY WEATHER?!

ARE YOU TIRED OF WAITING FOR THE RAINBOW AT THE END OF THE STORM?!

COME AND SEE THE MAGIC OF THE NEW PEGASUS DEVICE!

RAINBOWS OF EVERY COLOR IMAGINABLE!

Request a color for only 20 bits!

JOBS OPEN!

IF YOU COME ON JANUARY 10th AND SIGN UP FOR A JOB, YOU GET TO DESIGN YOUR OWN RAINBOW!

(Free muffins for anypony who shows up with a silly hat!)

"Of course it is! They have free muffins, after all!" Derpy scolded Cloud Kicker, adjusting her sombrero happily. She wasn't the only Pegasus in the crowd with a ridiculous hat upon their head. Doctor Whooves grinned next to Derpy, his fez a splotch of bright red against the blue sky. Though not a Pegasus, ponies had long since given up trying to figure out why Doctor Whooves showed up where he did, or for that matter, what he was doing there.

"I know, muffins are great and all, but…" Cloud Kicker trailed off, looking at the impressive building in front of her. "I just have a bad feeling about this place. I mean, it just appeared overnight. No magic can assemble an entire factory that fast!" She worried, and the Doctor laughed.

"Cloud Kicker, you live in a world inhabited by talking, colorful horses, the princesses of this world are powerful enough to move the sun and moon, and you're walking on a cloud." He pointed out. "Trust me, there are far stranger things than buildings just appearing. Believe me, I'm one of them! Like, there was this one time where I was with Queen Victoria I, in England –or well, Trottingham to you- and the year was 1562. Can you believe I didn't even wear a fez back then? Oooh, getting off track. So, then my little machine that goes ding when there's stuff went ding, and I thought that the Queen was actually a Zygon (big red rubbery thing covered in suckers…surprisingly good kisser, might I add), so I proposed to her to try and trick her, but it wasn't her, it was my horse, Arthur, who I found in pre-revolutionary France, but it wasn't France, and he followed me onto a spaceship. So yeah, my horse was a Zygon, and I wound up king of England."

He finally finished, grinning happily at them. Cloud Kicker's mouth must've dropped open at some point during that ramble, because Thunderlane reached over to her and shut it politely.

"And if that wasn't weird enough, myself from the future and myself from the past were at my wedding! Can you imagine, three Doctors in one place? It was sad, seeing me from the future, because he had this humongous chin and kept making fun of my –well, his- sandshoes. But he did introduce me to fezzes, so I guess I'm okay, but all the same-"

Cloud Kicker had to shove her hoof in his mouth to get him to stop rambling, for a loud sound had gone off from inside the factory. It sounded like music, but it was no instrument anypony had ever heard before. It made the hearts inside the Pegasi's chests pound in excitement, it was so loud and so…energetic. (A/N: I like to think of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns'n'Roses for this scene, personally) It effectively got everypony's attention, and their heads all looked up to see the Wonderbolts scream by overhead, thunderclouds trailing behind them and crackling with electricity. Almost everypony in the crowd cheered; the Wonderbolts were awesome, no matter what way you looked at it.

Spitfire led her team through the sky, performing tricks that the Pegasi had never seen before, moving perfectly in time to the music. As they did so, the smaller smokestacks began to pump something into the air; a gas that Spitfire flew straight through, morphing it expertly into shapes and formations. Cheers and stomping hooves shook the whole cloud, ponies were jumping up and down in excitement, their faces beaming.

Spitfire began a small, tight circle in the sky, taking her higher and higher. Soarin and the other Wonderbolts trailed after her, occasionally breaking off from formation to grab hoofulls of the colorful gas and drag it with them, so before long, a rainbow tornado was tearing through the sky above the factory, roaring like a jet engine.

"What in Gallifrey's holy name is that stuff?!" The Doctor shouted over the screaming crowd, pulling out his sonic screwdriver from underneath his fez.

"I don't know but it's amazing! Do you see that?! It's like a cloud, but liquid-y!" Derpy squealed happily. The music built up, getting more and more fast paced and loud as the twister grew bigger and bigger. Suddenly, the tornado exploded outward with a large 'boom!'

Rainbow streaks shot across the sky in every direction, and as Spitfire lowered herself slowly to the cloud, a Pegasus appeared that nopony had ever seen before, silhouetted against the bright rainbow sky.

"How was that for an opening ceremony?!" He shouted challengingly, and everypony cheered wildly, screaming and shouting for more. "You want more, huh?!" He yelled, putting his hooves on his flanks in a scolding pose. "You're asking, what could possibly top that?! What is that stuff?! How can I get some?!" He screamed, and the crowd cheered along with him…Snowflake's voice being the loudest.

"Then come on in!" He cheered, landing heavily on the cloud below and opening the gates with a flourish. Before she could figure out how such a normal looking Pegasus could open a gate as heavy as this one with no effort at all, Cloud Kicker was swept up in the stampede of excited ponies and dragged inside.

As she made an effort not to get trampled or separated from her friends, Cloud Kicker's eyes suddenly met those of the stallion who had opened the gates, and she froze. His eyes…

"You okay?" He asked, a thick Manehatten accent adorning his voice. He peered at her over a pair of black sunglasses that were perched carelessly on his muzzle, but Cloud Kicker hadn't noticed. She was too busy staring at his eyes. They were just…off. Not like Derpy's off, but more…wild. Like he could easily snap at any moment and kill you, and probably laugh while doing it.

She wanted to go home. Right that instant. This whole thing was just…wrong.

Dangerous.

But before she even had time to unfurl her wings and fly away, she was swept off her hooves and carried inside, unable to break off from the cascade of Pegasi.

The crowd of Pegasi soon filled up the entire lobby, where their constant murmuring and chatting was nearly drowned out by a loud pounding noise coming from somewhere deep within the factory. Slow and steady, it shook the whole building like a heartbeat. Cloud Kicker was trembling as she assessed these thoughts. If that sound was the heartbeat, then all the doors she could see right now were arteries and veins, the smokestacks on top of the building were its nose, pumping out smoke. And right now, she was standing right in the middle of its mouth.

Please, Celestia please, let it not be too late to turn back…! Cloud Kicker thought desperately, pushing a few ponies out of the way so that she could turn around and head back out. However, as soon as she turned around, she saw that rusty-red pony with sunglasses closing the doors, shutting them all in. He turned his head slightly, so Cloud Kicker just saw one mad, smiling blue eye looking right at her.

Paralyzed in fear, Cloud Kicker had no choice but to follow her friends into the heart of the factory.

"Over here is our Employee Lounge, which also doubles as a kitchen whenever they get hungry." Allen said, moving to the front of the herd and pointing to an open door to the crowd's left. They peered in to see a handful of Pegasi laying around on chairs and the floor, laughing with each other and eating a cake. Once they noticed they were being stared at, they turned towards the door and waved, smiling happily. Was it just Cloud Kicker's imagination, or did they look…unhinged?

Allen moved on and the Pegasi followed loyally, like dogs nipping at their master's heels. Cloud Kicker was spared enough time to glance back into the lounge, and when she did, she could've sworn she saw the employee's skin fall off to reveal wires and gears underneath. But she couldn't say anything, and she quickly followed her friends before she got left behind in this place.

"That's my office, and that's Fai's." Allen said simply, gesturing to two more open doors right in front of the crowd. Allen's office was messy, unkempt, like any teenage stallion's room. A guitar sat in the corner, gleaming in the light from the windows. Several posters of bands that the Pegasi had never heard of adorned the walls, and instead of a swiveling chair, he had a couch.

Fai's office (whoever that was), was just the opposite. Neat and orderly, stacks of papers sat tidily on the floor, surrounding a mat made of fronds. The room was dark and illuminated by several orange hanging lamps and a hoof-full of candles. The entire back wall was a painting of a line of mountains, with a red dragon curling through the clouds. Several Pegasi 'oooh-ed' and 'aahhh-ed' at the magnificent artwork, and Allen got them moving again soon enough.

As they walked deeper and deeper into the factory, the pounding noise only grew louder and louder. Soon, the crowd was right in front of two doors which had 'MAX SECURITY' written on them in red paint. Scribbled in the corner was a little smiley face along with some strange circular symbols underneath. Whatever they were, they suddenly put Doctor Whooves on edge.

"T-That's…n-not possible." He whispered to himself, his eyes widening in fear as he stared at the circles. Cloud Kicker was about to ask what her friend was so worried about, but Allen cleared his throat, standing in front of the doors.

"Now, normally, as you can see, we keep this part of the factory under lock and key, but since this is your first ever look at the factory, I'll make an exception." He grinned, winking at them from behind his sunglasses. "Don't tell Fai." He whispered, and several Pegasi laughed. Cloud Kicker's discomfort was becoming so strong she felt nauseous. Was that her heart pounding in her head or was that the factory?!

Allen opened the doors, and stood back, letting the overly excited ponies run headfirst into their own demise. He would be laughing right now, it was just too easy! Instead, he waited until the very last Pegasi had entered, and began to chant out a rhythm as he entered as well, locking the door behind him.

Now, a rainbow's tale isn't quite as nice

As the story you knew of sugar and spice

He turned to face the crowd, whose faces were frozen into a mask of pure terror. He smiled at the expressions on their faces, and turned to the Cys, nodding slowly. The white, blood-splattered robots marched into action, grabbing Pegasi and holding them in place. Allen's smile only grew as they screamed and fought, writhing in pain and fear.

But! A rainbow's easy once you get to know it!

He opened a hatch on the wall, revealing a glowing red button. The only source of light in the room, other than the glowing rainbow wires on the ceiling that held up the dismembered bodies of ponies. He smoothly dropped his Pegasus disguise, becoming human in the dark.

With the help of the magic of the Pegasus Device!

Grinning madly, his eyes and smile shining in the dark, he pressed the button. Immediately, the whole room was lit up with an eerie, yellow light.

Cloud Kicker gasped in horror, her eyes welling up with tears. The smell of blood, rust, and something slimy she couldn't quite place made her gag, and she wanted to turn away from the sight in front of her, but her eyes were stuck there. A cage sprung up around the Pegasi, making them all scream in terror, scrambling around in panic, their eyes rolling in their heads like mad horses. A pile of corpses several feet high was right next to them, and several of those white metal ponies were chucking the bodies carelessly onto a conveyor belt, which led towards a small pit…and a giant block of metal pounded into that pit every few seconds, crushing the cadavers with a sickening crunch.

Several steel tables were set around the floor, where some Pegasi in lab coats stood, void of expression. Cloud Kicker finally wrenched her eyes away from the pile of bodies –some of them were twitching still! They were tossing live ponies into that hole!- and looked away. Straight into the eyes of Allen.

Let's delve deeper into rainbow philosophy

Far beyond that of Cloudsdale's mythology

It's easy to misjudge that floating city

With its luring décor, and social psychology

But!

With all great things comes a great responsibility

That of Cloudsdale's being weather stability

How, you ask, are they up to the task?

He smiled at her, but there was no warmth in that smile. He reached up a hand and tapped a button on the side of his sunglasses.

To which, the answer is in a simple facility.

A huge claw exploded from the ceiling, tearing the wires and making the rainbow fluid and body parts rain from the ceiling. The claw punched through the top of the cage, grabbing a poor Pegasus and moving away, dropping him on one of the metal tables too fast for them to see. Thick straps burst from the table, holding him down before he had a chance to move. Allen turned away from Cloud Kicker, taking off his sunglasses and trading them for a pair of goggles. He slipped on a lab coat, chuckling madly.

In the Rainbow Factory

Where your fears and horrors come true

Allen sang happily, one of the Cys wheeling a cart full of gleaming weapons over to him. Humming the tune to his insanity to himself, he spent some time contemplating what to use, ignoring everypony's screaming and sobbing in protest. Bribes to be let go were shouted, some were begging, some were threatening, and some said nothing, and he ignored it all. He picked a wicked looking knife from the cart and slowly advanced towards the table, picking up his song.

In the Rainbow Factory

Where not a single soul gets through

He stood above the struggling Pegasus on the table, his smile stretching his face to unnatural proportions. Allen then slowly raised the knife, reveling in the expression of pure panic in the Pegasus' eyes.

In the Rainbow Factory

Where your fears and horrors come true

He brought the knife down with a hysterical cackle, blood splattering all over his lab coat. The scarlet color stood out abnormally bright in the dim light. Cloud Kicker heard several Pegasi behind her in the cage scream, but she was paralyzed, absolutely frozen in fear.

A machine was wheeled over to Allen while the other Pegasi in lab coats scribbled down something furiously in their notebooks. Cloud Kicker's scream was finally dislodged from her throat when she saw who was pushing the cart.

Scootaloo happily pushed the cart over to Allen, her orange coat and feathers splattered in blood and other rainbow splatters. Her mane was messed up, and her eyes were glazed, unfocused. She had a content smile on her face as Allen ruffled her mane happily and picked her up, spinning her around like they were family. He held her in one arm as he pulled a tube with a sharp end out of the machine, sticking it into the still pouring wound on the Pegasus.

Immediately, a golden yellow liquid flowed through the tube from the body, and Scootaloo laughed, playing with Allen's hair.

"He's a goldie!" She giggled, and Allen smiled as well, bouncing her up and down happily.

"Eeyup." He said slowly and deeply, making Scootaloo smile. "Oh! Before I forget, save the one with the hourglass on his ass. I have a feeling Oliver will want to keep him." Allen suddenly remembered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Doctor Whooves, and two winged Cys jumped into the cage, picking him up and bringing him through a door set high in the wall.

In the Rainbow Factory

Where your fears and horrors come true

Allen and Scootaloo sang together, climbing up a set of stairs to a balcony, where they sat down and watched the Cys unhook the unconscious Pegasus, dumping him onto the pile of bodies. The claw came through the ceiling again, snatching up another screaming Pegasus and dumping them on the table.

In the Rainbow Factory

Where not a single soul gets through

Allen strummed an invisible guitar, Scootaloo dancing happily to the beat. Cloud Kicker couldn't hear anything other than screaming and that huge rock hitting the floor. One more time, she locked eyes with Allen, who just gave her a little wave. She tried to figure out why, until she felt the cold, metal claw latch around her stomach and her hooves left the ground. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But she couldn't do anything except stare at Allen and Scootaloo, hoping that there was some semblance of kindness left in them, and that they'd let her go home so she could hug her sister and sleep.

But no such luck. Cloud Kicker closed her eyes and swallowed as the claw let her go and she slammed into the table.

In the Rainbow Factory

Where your fears and horrors come true…

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A/N: Like I said, this is part one, so don't panic. Also, nopony actually died. I'll make up some weird magical excuse as to why we'll be seeing Derpy and Thunderlane and the rest of them again.

Plus! Someone reviewed that I should tell you guys when I'll update next, but the truth is, I only write when my muse strikes, which is why it sometimes takes me so long to update this story.

Also, if anyone is confused as to which 2p is which, just PM or review and I'll give you the list of names. Keep in mind, they're not official names, so this is my view on them.

HASTA LA PASTA! *rides velociraptor off into the sunset*

(Also, do you guys have any idea how hard it is to type while your cat sits on your chest and nibbles your ear?!)