Chapter 14

Outside of the city of Canterlot, in a clearing surrounded by tall trees, the ponies appeared in a flash of light. Unfortunately, they also appeared ten feet in the air. The winged ponies were able to save themselves, but the others all landed with undignified grunts. After picking themselves off of the ground, they looked to each other in confusion, clearly not expecting this to be where Discord would have sent them. The lights of Canterlot Castle could be seen glowing in the distance.

"What happened? How'd we get here?" Applejack asked, looking around the darkened clearing warily.

Twilight looked at the ground. "Discord sent us away before Tyranny could turn to us."

"What do ya think happened in there? To Discord?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked towards Canterlot Castle.

"Tyranny used the same magic he used on Princess Celestia's guards," Twilight said. "Before they turned completely black and shattered like glass."

"The spell sent them to the Realm of Shadow," Princess Celestia finished. "Where Discord is now imprisoned as well."

Fluttershy gasped and lowered her head in quiet sobbing, Rarity and Princess Cadence offering their supporting hooves. The she had seen a lot of cruelty at the hooves of Tyranny, and knowing that her friend was gone now, it was more than she could bear.

"With Discord gone, how are we supposed to beat Tyranny now?" Rainbow Dash asked again, her forelegs folded in front of her.

"Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, keeping a supporting foreleg around Fluttershy.

"Oh… sorry, Fluttershy," Rainbow said apologetically, rubbing at the back of her head. Fluttershy nodded silently, her eyes still rimmed with tears.

Luna looked towards Celestia, who sat staring at their castle. "What should we do now, sister?"

Celestia closed her eyes, and Luna saw the faintest of tears rimming her eyes. "I truly don't know, Luna. With Discord gone and the Elements no longer powerful enough to stop Tyranny, we do not have many options left. He will not fall for the same deception we used before."

"Perhaps we should rouse the ponies against him and remove him by force?" Shining Armor said. "If we can wear him down enough for the Elements to work, that might defeat him."

Celestia shook her head. "It would take time to rally the Equestrian Guard to assault his holdings. He would only solidify his power the longer we wait."

"That would also lead to a massive battle, and many ponies could get hurt," Princess Cadence said, standing next to her husband. "We can't let that happen."

He looked at his wife with regret. "We may not have much choice, Cadence. As we are, we're not enough. We may have to fight if we are going drive him out."

She nodded softly to the point. "But we should still avoid an all-out war if we can."

Queen Chrysalis scoffed and began walking in the direction of Canterlot.

"Where do you think you are going?" Celestia demanded.

Chrysalis glared back at her. "I'm going to do something worthwhile, instead of standing around like a lost herd of sheep."

Luna narrowed her eyes at the changeling, clearly not happy that anypony would speak to her sister so. "You intend to face Tyranny by yourself then?"

Chrysalis snarled hatefully. "If I have to. He is going to pay for what he did to me and my hive."

"By your own words, you faced him before with the support of your hive, and you were defeated. How do you intend for it to be any different this time?" Luna asked curtly.

Chrysalis appeared thoughtful a moment, and gave a sly look to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. "Perhaps if the love birds would let me absorb most of their love. I would have the power to defeat him. The same way I beat you, Celestia."

Shining stepped in front of his wife, glaring firmly at the changeling. "Never again."

Chrysalis scoffed. "How else do you think to get rid of him then? Without endangering your precious pony folk?"

As a heated debate started between the royal couple and the changeling queen, Tourmaline and Tormod stepped towards Princess Celestia—who watched the exchange with a frown of disapproval.

Tourmaline watched the debate for a moment before speaking. "Princess Celestia."

The princess turned to regard them. "Ah, Tourmaline and Tormod. I had not realized you were brought here with us, I am glad. What did you wish to say?"

Tourmaline stood straighter. "Maybe we could try talking to him."

Celestia frowned in confusion. "I do not understand your suggestion, Tourmaline. Talk and negotiation will not work with Tyranny. He will not yield to demands other than his own, and anything he will demand will not benefit any of us."

Tormod gave his sister a disapproving glance. "What my sister meant was that we could try reaching out to Wanderer."

Celestia blinked in surprise.

"I know he is still in there, Princess Celestia," Tourmaline explained. "Wanderer would never give up. Not even someone like Tyranny could keep him down for long. If we could appeal to Wanderer, maybe that could help."

Celestia smiled softly to the pegasus. "You believe in him so firmly?"

"Yes!" she half-shouted. All eyes turned towards her, and she blushed, lowering her head in embarrassment. "I mean, yes I do, Princess," she said a bit softer. Tormod snickered at her, which earned him a jab in the ribs.

Celestia looked at her with a saddened expression. "As noble as that is, Tourmaline, I am afraid Wanderer is truly suppressed within his own mind. Nothing we say can get to him."

Tourmaline stamped her hooves down firmly, the dry grass crunching under her stomp. "I don't believe that!"

Luna stood beside her and laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "Your friend is beyond our reach, brave Tourmaline," Luna said to her firmly but not harshly.

"No!" Tourmaline shouted. She turned and galloped off—too proud to let them see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Tourmaline!" Tormod called after her. "Excuse me, Princess." He quickly ran after his sister.

Applejack watched the two run off towards the edge of the clearing. "Now hold on. We shouldn't be givin' up hope. There's got to be another way."

Rainbow Dash gave her an annoyed look. "Do you have any bright ideas, Applejack?"

"I ain't hearin' anything from you, Rainbow," she said with a glare. "Why don't ya help figure out what we can do instead a complainin'."

Rarity pushed them apart. "Girls, this is no time to be arguing with one another. We need to be putting our heads together to formulate a plan, not butting them together in frustration. All of our friends and family are depending upon us."

Rainbow and Applejack turned to look at her. "Do you have any ideas, Rarity?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, I… no, I don't," the fashionista admitted. She looked towards Twilight. "Twilight? What about you?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, but I'm trying to think." She frowned softly. There was a nagging thought at the back of her mind, but it remained frustratingly out of reach.

"Oh, oh, I got an idea!" Pinkie Pie excitedly waved a hoof around in excitement.

Applejack gave her a flat stare. "Does it involve a party?"

"Or a song?" Rainbow Dash added.

Pinkie's smiled faded a bit, but held her hoof up again.

"Does it involve monkeys too?" Rarity asked.

Pinkie lowered her hoof and sat down, crossing her forelegs in a pout. "It was a good plan too."

As arguments and discussions began all over again, Twilight finally let the nagging thought go. She quietly watched as heated words were exchanged and tempers flared. It pained her to see everypony fighting. Her trusted friends, her mentor, and everyone else was upset over what had happened in Canterlot—she couldn't honestly blame them. Considering everything she went through herself, she couldn't understand how she wasn't also emotional. Perhaps it was because she felt so emotionally drained that she had nothing more to give.

She considered that the arguing and division were also part of Tyranny's plan. He seemed to have every step thoroughly planned out, even contingencies for those plans, and likely contingencies for the contingency plans. How were they going to beat him when he had everything so well planned out? By looking at her feuding friends, the unlikely ally Chrysalis, and the siblings who had known the pony before Tyranny possessed him, she wondered how anything could be done to save Equestria from the domination of Tyranny.

Twilight sighed and looked at Fluttershy, who had been sitting quietly during the whole ordeal. She hid behind her mane, and the one eye that Twilight could see shone with muted sadness.

"It's alright, Fluttershy, we'll find a way to free Discord and everypony else who was captured."

Fluttershy sniffed and pushed her hair back. "It is not that, well, mostly not that."

Twilight looked to her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that…"

"Just?" Twilight prompted, she had a feeling that it was important.

The pegasus looked towards the others. "I just wish that everypony could get along and not fight with each other."

The nagging thought from earlier rushed back to her, dancing on the very tip of her tongue. "What did you say, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy looked at her curiously. "I said I just wish everypony would get along."

Twilight's eyes widened, her smile growing wide. "That's it! Fluttershy, you're a genius," Twilight lifted her friend up in a hug. The others turned to look at the pair oddly.

Fluttershy looked at her in confusion, straining to draw in breath. "Umm… sorry."

Twilight released her from the bone-crushing hug. "Do you remember what Discord said to us? That's the answer!" Twilight was practically ecstatic as a plan began to form in her mind.

Fluttershy looked at her with a confused expression. "About getting along?"

"What do you mean, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked as they gathered around Twilight.

"Do you remember what Discord said? He said that we should get along and work together."

"I don't get it," Rainbow Dash muttered after an uncomfortable pause.

"Don't you see? Discord knew the answer. If we work together, we can defeat Tyranny."

"Can somepony please have her explain what she's sayin'?" Applejack asked in exasperation.

Twilight took in a breath. "We each have tried to defeat him in our own way, and individually, it hasn't worked. But if we were to combine our strength together, not even Tyranny with all of his power could match us. We have to stand together to face a tyrant like him. History has long told of tales of tyrants falling to the combined efforts of those who stood against them, together. It is no different with Tyranny. Together, we can beat him."

After a moment, Rainbow's grin begin to grow. "Yeah, each of us is pretty awesome, but together, we're even awesomer."

"The awesomest!" Pinkie Pie added.

"That too!" Applejack smiled wide.

"When the cloths and materials are put together, that is when a dress comes together perfectly. That is how we shall be, a perfectly designed dress!" Rarity added wrapping an arm around Twilight.

"For all our friends," Fluttershy added.

"Twilight, how do you intend to use our powers together?" Celestia asked, stepping forward eagerly.

Twilight looked at her mentor, and she felt a pang of betrayal for a moment, but it was lost as soon as it came. "If we all gave our power to the Elements of Harmony, all of us together, it would be more than Tyranny could ever hope to match."

Luna rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. "It seems a sound plan, do you think it would work?"

Twilight gave her a nod of determination. "I know it will, Princess Luna. I am sure of it."

"We are with you, Twily," Shining Armor said as he and Princess Cadence joined them.

"For peace and love to return to Equestria, we will do all we can," Cadence added.

All eyes turned to Queen Chrysalis. She stood apart from them, not sharing the enthusiasm the others felt.

"Queen Chrysalis," Twilight said firmly, narrowing her eyes at Chrysalis. "We have never been friends, and likely won't ever be, but even you cannot argue that Tyranny would be no kinder to you or your changelings. Will you help us in ridding Equestria of him?"

The queen scowled and did not answer for a moment. "What's in it for me?"

Celestia spoke before Twilight could. "We will not imprison you or your hive for your past deeds if you aid us. Of this, you have my word."

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at her in suspicion but stepped forward. "This doesn't make us friends. I'm doing this to save my subjects." Twilight nodded.

As they all gathered around, Twilight felt her morale lift at seeing the hopeful expressions. All of her lessons on friendship would once again save Equestria—she was sure of it.

"So how are we going to face Tyranny? Going back to Canterlot would not be wise, so what would we do?" Luna asked.

"I have a plan, Princess." Twilight eagerly began to hammer out the points of her plan. Those around her grew increasingly excited as a flicker of hope sparked where there was nothing but despair before.