Author's notes

Well, this is going to be a short chapter. To be honest, I just cut the last chapter off because of the timing. XD

I really like the opening of Season 4 of MLP. I was worried about Alicorn Twilight interfering with the show, but during the season premier it was barely noticeable at all. She didn't change a bit, other than she has wings… And have more authority. And they finally did a little back story on Celestia and Luna. I almost squealed!

Episode three, not so much.

I don't know what happened, but episode three was a letdown… MLP is terrible when it came to mysteries. If you're IQ were over 70 you could have figured out that it was Pinkie setting off the traps. It did introduce a new out of the blue villain, though. Hopefully it'll be worth watching. And episode four wasn't so bad either.

Shout outs

Again, I would like to congratulate Aim Major for guessing the Bonus Questions right. Did anyone else get it?

Taffy: Awesome! Just don't steal my ideas. Not for my sake but for yours, because a good majority of Sonic/MLP readers are following this. If you use any of my material, they'll know.

Didn't get a lot of comments this round, so I'll go ahead and finish the scene.

---

Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie could only stare at Luna intensely as they began to process her two words.

"…No I'm not." Rainbow said.

Luna shook her head, "You was crushed when you threw yourself in front of him."

"Luna, I apologize for contradicting your statement," Twilight politely asked while trotting beside the pegasus, pointing at her, "She's right here in front of you… Breathing."

"She died, Twilight. I saw the whole thing."

"Then why am I standing right here in front of you?"

Luna continued to smile… Her sister was right, trolling is fun, "I would have thought that you would have known the answer, Rainbow. You are the bearer of your own element."

The other five mares gave each looks for a solid minute until Pinkie gasped, taking slow steps away from the empowered Rainbow.

"… Oh my God… SHE'S A ZOMBIE!"

Before any of them could conjure up any more rational answers, Luna took in a deep breath, "Rainbow Dash… You made the ultimate sacrifice to save someone's life. You were so loyal to your friends that you were willing to give yourself away to save them. Since you are the bearer of Loyalty itself, you activated your element to its full potential. Rebirthing you into what you are now."

The colorful pegasus took it all in, not saying a single word to her or any of her friends as she looked over her own body. Had she really went that far?

"So," Sonic suddenly spoke, "She's not dead, right?"

Twilight cast him a cold look that made him instantly shut his mouth.

"The elements of Harmony holds many mysteries," Luna said while looked at the six, "I and…" She paused. Luna has held her sorrow in since her sister's death, and she's not willing to let her emotions spill out in front of them, "My sister have yet to uncover all of its secrets."

Princess Celestia studied the elements long enough to get a pretty good idea what they could do. When Twilight became her student, they have very specific plans to unleash her element when the time comes.

"So her element brought her back from the dead." Tails commented

"You could say that," Luna answered, giving them a simple answer rather than going into detail.

Twilight's eyes suddenly gleamed.

"Wait… That means that we could use the elements to bring back Celestia!"

Luna cast a disappointed gaze to the ground, "Death isn't easily cheated, dear Twilight. We have already tried to bring certain ponies back to life when we first discovered them; only to fail."

"But we just seen what the elements can do!" Twilight persisted, "They can bring someone back-"

"Twilight," Luna interrupted with a calm and sooth voice, "We tried."

Everyone heard her hopes shatter like glass, bringing a few strain of tears to her eyes.

"They're always the Chaos Emeralds,"

The six mares and the others looked to Shadow as he slowly began to approach them.

"The emeralds?" Rarity asked.

Tails was already making desperate hand jesters to him to drop the conversation immediately, but was completely ignored.

"Didn't Sonic tell you? The seven Chaos Emeralds are fully capable of reviving the dead."

The blue hedgehog cringed as Twilight just blankly stared at his twin with teary eyes. She couldn't believe a word this killer was saying, but brining her beloved sister back? Was that even possible?

She has sensed and seen its power; she couldn't doubt it even if she didn't want to.

"They can!?"

"There's no limit of what Chaos can do," Shadow answered, "If the emeralds are united they are capable of unimaginable power, even defeating death itself."

Rainbow couldn't believe him, her other friends didn't believe him… Even Luna didn't believe him. Twilight's eyes were wide open, just staring at the black hedgehog for a full solid minute before her head could piece the images together.

"… We can bring her back."

Sonic exchanged a glance with Tails for a second. The hedgehog could see that Tails didn't want to break it to her... He may not have a spoke it or may have been willing to if pushed, but to shatter someone's hopes like this was way beyond him, especially with a close bond as they had.

The hedgehog sighed and walked towards her, walking in front of her to catch her attention. It's tough breaking someone's spirit, but better him than Tails.

"That may not even be possible, Twilight."

She shot her head up with wide glistering eyes.

"Why not? The emeralds can bring someone back, can they?"

"They can," Sonic answered, "But in Celestia's case, we're not for sure. Her magic consist of harmony; if we were to try to pump Chaos energy into her body, it could violently react and take out the entire city she's in… Maybe even larger.

"Or it could save her!" Twilight shouted, "My teacher could be brought back to life, Sonic!"

"This whole world will be cuvered in snow anyways," Applejack stated, "Why not take that risk ta save us all instead of killin' everypony slowly with no food?"

"Listen, we have no idea what we're dealing with here." Sonic combated, "We're not talking about a miracle here, were talking about an unstable energy that could react very violently."

Twilight became furious, the rest of her friends became serious, "This is my mentor you're talking about, Sonic! MY mentor! I don't know what's gotten through your head, but if you think that we're going to sit on the side lines and let you decide her fate-"

"You want to take the risk of quickly killing everyone for one life instead of giving everypony a chance to survive!?" Sonic snapped with venom, "Would her sacrifice be for nothing!?"

Everyone's immediate rage froze. Twilight gave a pleading stare towards the only alicorn.

"… Princess Luna?"

Twilight saw her wide but unreadable gaze. The princess gave out a heavy sigh, trotting up towards her until she was over her.

"The Chaos Emeralds are not to be taken lightly, Twilight. If what Sonic says is true, then the risks are too great… As much I wish to have my sister back, it is better to leave things as they are."

Luna's words cut into Twilight's head, burning inside of her skull as the harsh reality began to set in once again. There was no argument to make, no words that can lessen her death or bring hope. She plopped down, covering her face with her hooves and began to sob.

Tails instantly took to her side, kneeling in front of her and letting her head nuzzle on his neck. Slowly, the rest of the ponies began to follow, other than Rainbow. They crowed around her and shared the embrace with their heart stricken friend.

The blue pegasus stayed by Sonic, with her form still white. She would have gave the unicorn her embrace in a heartbeat for something as devastating as this, but she didn't want to take the chance of hurting her. She has tried to take the amulet off, but her form still remained… Is this form going to be permanent?

It's not a bad idea, but not being able to touch anybody was an unpleasant thought.

"… You think we're doing the right thing?"

She turned her head and saw Sonic staring towards the group of mares with a troubled heart.

"It's not like we're a hundred percent sure of what will happen. I would give anything for Celestia's life back; anything, she probably meant more to me than I imagined, and I barely knew her…What if I'm wrong?"

There was no way she could have come up with a definite answer to his question. For some strange reason, she no longer frowned, but instead curled just slightly upward in a ray of hope that suddenly struck her heart.

"Don't think that we'll simply die off without a fight," She answered, "Who said that we can't live without the sun? I know there wasn't always an alicorn who had power to levitate that thing. If they can survive, then why can't we?"

Sonic looked to her.

"Besides, we have the Elements of Harmony and the Chaos Emeralds. I'm sure we'll come up with something."

His long stare became somewhat lighten by her words. As hope struck Rainbow, that same hope struck him. He smiled, just a bit.

"I never knew you to be optimistic."

Rainbow just shrugged her shoulders, "Neither did I until you showed up."

For several minutes, they stood in the same spot; either comforting their friends or grieving themselves. With the seven emeralds still in hand, Shadow went ahead and released them; levitating them right by Sonic as he and Rainbow began to walk towards Twilight for comfort while he stood on the side lines. Power may feel good but there's no point of holding it if there was no immediate purpose.

Suddenly, he heard something raddling in the mist of metal where the mechanical bird was slain.

With his sharp ears picking up the faint sound he instantly shot his head towards it, but seeing absolutely nothing. For a good long minute he stared at the pile, making completely sure that nothing was there. Nothing moved.

Must have been my imagination.

As he turned his head, heard the rustling again; this time louder. Luna, not being far from where he was, turned his head towards the hedgehog as he stared towards the pile of metal with unblinking eyes.

As he stared… He began to feel something, something that felt familiar and yet foreign at once. This sense ringed louder and louder in his body to the point of it becoming his only focus.

Luna felt the sense through her horn, and instantly recognize the signature.

"Shadow!"

Before she could blink, a massive mist of undefinable colors shot from the wreckage. Shadow didn't even have time to blink as the smoke skewered him through his stomach. As the smoke began to rise and spread in the air, the hedgehog's body collapsed to the ground; unmoving.

Sonic and the others spun around and found this smoke beginning to change and manipulate its form, cracking and raddling with power as a face twisted with anger and hate began to manifest from within.

Luna stared at the mass. It was Discord's magic alright, but nothing she has previously felt before. Her horn could not contemplate the unimaginative power radiating from the mist before her.

"What in Celestia's name is that!?" Rarity screamed.

The princess of the night never saw this before, neither did her sister witnessed the energy that was continually to manifest, but she knew exactly what it was… It made too much sense not to.

"Discord's true form." Luna answered.

Suddenly, the world around them began to become dark, time itself slowing down as a gaping hole began to form behind him. The mist began to fall back to it, letting it be sucked in as it began to disappear.

"Go after him, Rainbow!" Luna shouted, "We can't let him escape and repeat this all over again!"

"I'm on it!"

She took off after him as a flash of light shot behind her. Before she could look, she felt a powerful force swish by her. A pure golden sphere managed to strike the mist, and send it screaming into the portal behind it. The sphere uncurled and turned around.

Rainbow instantly recognized the golden figure as Sonic. They had no time to talk, though; for they saw the portal in front of them closing.

"Let's do this together!" Sonic shouted, stretching out his hand, "Common!"

Rainbow instantly grabbed it, and by each other's side, disappeared into the dark portal.

---

Author's notes

I never thought that I could feel so defeated.

I was sitting on a desk with my laptop opened before me with my customized anime Christmas theme showing proudly on my screen. Normally it serves as a source of comfort and encouragement, but not this time.

I had my head down, with hundreds of pounds pushing against my back as I have just closed word for the day. Another chapter down, yet another to write. Each word I was typing became more and more strenuous though the story, and has now come to the point where I couldn't find it in me to write anymore. I've knocked down plenty of walls, but by each wall I knocked down, my will withered, and I knew a bigger wall would await me if I continued.

There's no shame of simply quitting. I've done all I could to please my readers (and by looking at the comments I was doing a dang good job of it), and I know that this weight would simply vanish if I simply put this down. There were other things to work on… A calling to be answered that I keep delaying because of this fanfiction.

Not only am I defeated, but I'm also torn. I have been called to a greater purpose and I'm simply putting it off because of my own ambitions. My talents are not my own, anyways.

With a heavy heart, I closed my laptop, and simply stared at the cold hard ground… My readers would be disappointed, I knew that much.

Suddenly I heard the door open behind me, and I heard of pout.

"You know it makes me sad to see you frown!" Pinkie shouted behind me, with a cheerful but agitated tone, "You always Frown! When you frown it makes me frown!"

"I know," I sighed.

She trotted towards me and sat right by my side, giving me a sincere but stern gaze.

"Tell you're ol' antie Pinkie what's the matter."

"… I'm done."

I simply stood from my chair and began to slowly walk towards the door as the pink pony stared at me with confusion.

"What?"

"I said I'm done." I repeated in a low tone.

She leaped right by me and trotted by my side.

"What do you mean done?"

I stopped to face her, showing her the biggest frown she has ever seen. She just stared at me, processing the words that seeped out of my mouth.

Her eyes shot wide as she gasped.

"You mean… Done, done?"

I just slowly turned away from her and faced the door. She quickly trotted to my side.

"Harry, y-you can't be done!"

"There's only so much I can endure, Pinkie Pie." I said to her, still facing the door.

"But you're almost there!" Pinkie shouted, "You only have the climax and the resolution! You came such a long way!"

I faced her, giving her a long stare, "I feel no point to continue on. There's just so much more to write, so much more to publish and more time to spend on this, so much that I'm beginning to see the pointlessness of it all."

She just stared at me with her giant blue eyes.

"I've been called for a greater purpose than this. I've been wasting my talents onto something so pointless and I know that my writings are needed elsewhere… I know that my fans will be disappointed, but they'll find something else to read, someone else to look up to while I'm gone."

I grabbed the door knob, "I'm sorry, but I'm done."

As I began to open the door and take my first steps out, I was suddenly knocked back by a pink blur that popped in front of me. The door slammed shut, and I saw Pinkie trotting towards me while staring at me dead in the eye with such stern and passion that I have never saw before.

"You can't just quit, Harry! The finish line is dead ahead and you're going to simply forfeit?"

I was caught off guard by her attitude. This was out of character for her, WAY out of character.

"I don't know what has gotten into your brain to throw in the towel, but as you have shared with me, you have NEVER EVER gotten anywhere in life by simply quitting when the road gets tough!"

I shook my head, "But-"

"No buts! No one in history made anything of themselves by quitting! Do you remember your days in school? When you were struggling with your work and your parents and teachers looked to you to succeed?"

I only nodded. I remember sharing a lot of my life with her, including my days in high school.

"They wanted you to graduate with a diploma and you wanted to slide out of there with a GED! You didn't have plans to go to college, but you decided to go for that diploma instead! When you graduated, you may have only signed up to a Vo-tech, thus making your diploma completely pointless, but do you know what else you did?"

I shook my head no.

"You became an inspiration! People looked up to you, Harry; and you didn't fail them! You've shown them what anybody could achieve if they put effort behind their work! You had friends, didn't you? Friends that needed special attention from special teachers! When they saw you getting that diploma, they saw themselves getting that diploma as well! You gave your friends a kind of hope they never had before!"

She inched closer to me, keeping my attention dead on her.

"When you write this fan fiction, people from around the world are reading it, and they see what dedication and work can achieve! They are people reading this with no hope at all; they gave up their ambitions, their hopes, their dreams when they said 'I can no longer do this'!"

I felt a stray tear run down my cheek.

"I know that God has called you for better things, but you are a beacon of hope! Just because you're not doing God's will doesn't mean that he's not using you! Sure, you may not be the best Christian; judging by the stuff you put in here sometimes, but you're giving people hope! When you put a smile on their faces, you're putting a light in their hearts!"

I began to slowly stand up, and I can only stare at her and stutter, "I…"

"Sure, the chapters you're writing on here may not be their best, but people are still enjoying them! That what matters!"

I knelt down and gave her the biggest hug I could muster.

"I don't know if you know anything you're saying right now," I choked, "But… Thank you."

She hugged me right back, and we stayed locked together for a long time. I refused to cry in front of her, simply refused to cry. She pushed me away to face me.

"Now common!" She cheered, "Let me see a smile!"

I did smile, I smiled big, I smiled a smile that I never smiled before. I finally let go of her and stood to my feet, turning around and facing my laptop again.

I began to grin, "And come to think I was going to disappoint my readers."

I powered up my laptop and once again, began typing the next chapter (maybe work on the Equestia Girls Bonus while I'm at it)... I began to think. Did Pinkie Pie just made a reference to God? How would she know who God is if I never told her? She doesn't even exist!

Guess that just comes with having somewhat of a conscience of the world outside of her... But... She's referring to the creator's creator!

"Pinkie," I called to settle a curiosity, "Have you ever heard of a Bible, or heard of Monotheism?"

She spun around and just gave me a big grin that stretched from ear to ear, "Nope! Never heard of it!"

The pony just trotted off without saying another word.