Sup, colts and fillys? Here's the next tasty installment, hot and fresh. In writer's terms, an installment like this is known as a 'Big Reveal,' where some great and important truth is brought to light, changing the course of the lives of all the characters involved. It took some time to make sure I got this just right, so enjoy!

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Chapter 20

The Ultimatum

In a matter of seconds, the klaxon horn echoed through the palace, sending every Guard on duty scrambling into position. The specially reserved warning was only blown nowadays for practice drills, readying the guards in case the impossible happened; a direct attack on the palace. The routine drills had long since become a bore in the last few centuries of peace, only serving in the minds of some guards as a waste of time. However, this was not the case, today. Today, all their boring, routine, time wasting practicing would be put to the test.

“What’s going on?!”

“Are they SERIOUS?!”

“Where’s my armor?!”

“2nd Squad assemble, NOW!”

“Everypony, to the court yard!”

Everypony knew it. Everypony could feel it. This was no mere training exercise or testing of the alarm system. No, this was something much, much worse; The Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters was under attack.

===

“What the heck is that?” Midnight asked from his huge, plush bed. The headache that still held the faintest hold on him suddenly started getting it’s second wind, ushered back by the strange horn now blaring through the palace. Celestia turned from him towards the door, a cold chill running down her spine, her heart almost freezing in her chest. She knew that sound. She knew it all too well. However many times she heard it before, the sound never seemed to bother her. And if it had happened at any other time, it still wouldn’t bother her. But today, of all days, it chilled her to the bone.

“Midnight...” she said in a shaky voice, reaching her hoof to his in an unconscious motion. “... I’m sorry, but... I think you need to get out of bed and come with me...”

===

“EEP!” the yellow pegasus mare exclaimed, jumping at the sound of the blaring horn. She and the other nurses and doctors in the medical wing of the Guard barracks looked at each other, unsure of what to do. However, the dozens of hurt Guards knew the meaning of the siren, despite the usual mundane manner it was played before today. Instinctively, the Guards began standing up from their beds. All at once, they began to strip away their bandages, trying to ready themselves for whatever emergency required their attention, much to the horror of the medical staff.

“What are you doing?! You can’t just get up and leave! You’re injured!” Dr. Cardio, one of the physicians present yelled, trying to ease a rather large earth-pony stallion back into his bed. Despite the cast on his left foreleg, the pony moved the doctor to the side with ease, sitting him up on the bed.

“No can do, Doc. That’s the emergency call! We might be under attack! We gotta move, NOW!” He slowly limped from his bed, joining the other guards who had already started their trek back to their barracks to retrieve their armor. Fluttershy stammered, trying to muster the courage to deter the headstrong guards from this self-destructive action. Gliding over the row of guards, she landed in front of the exit doors, spreading her wings to block their path.

“W-wait! You can’t head back out in your conditions. Y-you’ll get hurt again, or worse. You need to stay here and heal up. You-” She was silenced by a stern look from the head Guard, his dark green eyes looking down at her as he leaned over her already cringing frame.

“Listen here, little missy; that’s the emergency klaxon. That means, if we don’t answer, ponies could die. So we’re all going, geared up and armed, and no little prissy, pretty-filly pretending she’s a doctor is gonna tell us otherwise. GOT IT?!” The quiet mare shrank back, gulping down hard the fear in her throat. The brutish stallion smiled slightly, knowing his intimidating stature had did the trick, making way for he and his fellow Guards to go and do their duty. Taking a step towards the door, however, he was surprised by a soft hoof, pressing against his chest. Looking down, his eyes met the most surprising sight he had seen in his fifteen years of service to the Crowns; a deathly intimidating stare, burning out of the beautiful blue eyes of the soft yellow pegasus. Standing straight, the mare furrowed her brow, the gaze seeming to pierce his very being.

“Now... you listen here, MISTER!” Fluttershy shouted, poking her hoof into his chest, the stallion stepping back in surprise. “You all might know how to use swords and lances and shields and armor and all be a lot bigger and a whole lot stronger than me, but you do NOT. DISOBEY. DOCTOR’S. ORDERS! You got that?” she said, never taking her eyes from his. The lead stallion nodded silently, eyes fixed on hers as his fellow Guards watch in silence. “You might have all I said, but right now, you’re all injured, and you JUST CAN’T HELP RIGHT NOW! How would you all feel if, because of your injuries, you hurt one of your fellow guards, huh? Or maybe you’d want one of the princesses to come to harm? Would THAT be better?” The assembly of Guards all murmured back ‘No, Miss Fluttershy.’ in response, the lead stallion speaking the words almost inaudibly. Fluttershy just intensified her gaze, turning it to the rest of the troops as she shouted again. “I can’t HEAR you, SOLDIERS!”

“NO, MISS FLUTTERSHY!” they all shouted, some of the guards giving her a proper salute as they sounded off.

“Good.” Sitting in front of the door, her demeanor changed back to her timid, gentle nature. Patting the now shaking lead guard on his shoulder, she spoke to them all in a sweet, almost motherly voice. “I know you’ll all very strong, capable and loyal guards, and everypony in Equestria appreciates your dedication. But you’re all injured right now, and the Princesses need you at your top fighting form for when there’s trouble. So, everypony, back to their beds now, ok?” Slowly, the guards turned, each trudging back to their beds, the lead guard turning and whispering an ‘I’m sorry.’ as he went. Turning and placing her hoof on the handle of the doors, Fluttershy addressed the injured guards one more time before leaving. “Now, Miss Fluttershy is going to go give whatever help she can. So all you big, strong guards are to stay here, and heal up. You all got that?”

“Yes, Miss Fluttershy.” was the unified response from the group, the doctors and nurses already fixing their bandages and slings once more.

“Good.” Fluttershy said with a smile. Pressing down the handle, she walked out of the infirmary and promptly collapsed against the wall opposite the door. “I can’t believe I yelled at Royal Guards! What was I THINKING?!” she said, trembling, her hooves over her mouth to muffle her stunned words. The klaxon rang out again, reminding her of the reason she had to raise her voice in the first place. Quickly gathering herself, the yellow mare galloped down the hall back to the main foyer to find her friends.

===

From the kitchens, to the training yards, to the hallways, to the gardens; every pony with any responsibility to the crowns came running or flying, assembling in the massive courtyard outside the main entry hall of the palace. Squadrons of pegasi hovered in the sky, waiting for any order to attack. Earth-ponies set up a perimeter of a half-circle around the five intruders, keeping a good distance away as lines of unicorn guards behind them prepared shield, lightening and paralysis spells for whatever the situation called for. Behind them, the six Elements of harmony stood on the large main steps of the palace, joined by the assorted heroes of the marketplace battle. Finally, standing in the open doors of the palace, were Celestia, Luna Midnight. In the flickering torches and full moonlight of the early night sky, the five attackers stood together unmoving, wickedly knowing grins on their faces as the guards shouted orders and prepared themselves for anything.

Slowly, Celestia started to descend the stairs of the main entrance, holding her head high as she slowly strolled with a purpose towards those who would harm her ponies. Midnight and Luna moved to follow, but the sun regent stopped them with a slight raise of her wing, the sudden and quick movement a casual reflection of the intense anger she was feeling at this moment. The guards cut a path for her between them, allowing their ruler a clear opening to confront the villains.

“Well... all this for little ol’ us, Celestia? We’re touched, really.” the center pony said, running a forehoof along the rim of his top hat. With a thunderous stomp of her hoof, the Sun Goddess sent a mild shockwave through the courtyard, silencing the cocky stallion before he could mutter another word.

“How dare you...” she hissed through gritted teeth. Slowly, Celestia and Luna started waking down the stairs, flanked on both sides by Twilight and Midnight. “How DARE YOU?!” Celestia’s voice resonated with a roar of flames as she spoke, causing even her little sister to cringe away. “YOU COME INTO MY CITY, ATTACK MY PONIES, AND NOW HAVE THE GALL TO SET HOOF IN MY PALACE?! WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES?!” Her voice echoed with an anger unheard of for thousands of years, shaking the very walls it resonated off. Even the bravest and strongest of the Royal Guards shied away from the princess, her mane and tail billowing in the solar winds as the very air around her grew hotter. Only Luna, Twilight and Midnight stayed close, Twilight quick action with a shield spell sparing them any harm from the wave of heat. This was a princess that even Luna hadn’t seen before. But then again, nopony has ever been foolish enough directly attack the palace before. Ever pony present waited in frightened silence, awaiting whatever came next. The five invaders, however, seemed completely unfazed, Klokwerk yawning as he casually ast on his haunches and eliciting a laugh from his fellow outlaws.

“Ya know, the boss was right; Celestia IS cute when she’s angry.” Klokwerk said, causing the rest of the Killjoys to break into loud, raucous laughter. The sun goddess had enough. Flaring her power around her in a swirling maelstrom, Celestia engulfed the five in a wave of shining, bright power, preparing to toss them with a teleportation spell as hard as she could into the most cramped dungeon she knew of. Shielding their eyes, the other ponies in the massive courtyard could only wait as Celestia’s rage subsided, dying down enough for them to uncover their eyes once again. Surely enough, the flames dissipated, their roar being replaced by the panting of the elder princess.

“Wow...” Midnight muttered, turning to Luna while pulling his wing back from in front of his face. “... remind me never to piss off your sister, Luna.” The night princess gave him a knowing grin that only one that had been on the receiving end of such anger could.

“Yeah, tell me abou....a...w-w... w-what?!” Luna staggered back, her eyes going wide as she stared forward in disbelief. The rise of gasps and stunned exclamations from the guards and Midnight’s friends alike prompted him to turn back to the area where the Killjoys were... still standing? Luna slowly trotted up beside her sister, mouth still agape.

“How... how did that not...?” Luna said, albeit barely. With wicked grins, the five invaders turned their eyes upward into space. A deep, haunting laughter resonated down from the open sky, sending chills down the spines of all those present. Slowly, the laughter died down as the voice slowly began to sing...

o/` Now the dark begins to rise,

Save your breath, it's far from over.

Leave the lost and dead behind,

Now's your chance to run for cover... o/`

A dark shimmering of heat appeared in the sky, slowly taking the shape of a large, serpentine creature. As it approached the ground, the figure began to solidify and form structure, freezing all but the five Killjoys in fear.

o/`I don't wanna change the world,

I just wanna leave it colder.

Light the fuse and burn it up,

Take the path that leads to nowhere.

All is lost again....

But I'm not giving in... o/`

As though descending down a spiral staircase, the creature casually walked in circles down through the open air, heading for the center of the courtyard in front of the Killjoys. Celestia, Luna, Midnight and Twilight began to walk backwards, trying to keep a good distance from the unknown monster that as it took form.

o/` I will not bow,

I will not break.

I will shut the world away...

I will not fall,

I will not fade.

I will take your breath away... o/`

As it reached the last yard or two of it’s invisible stairs, the blurry vision of the beast finally materialized, hopping from it’s place in the air as his mis-matched wings carried him to the ground behind the five. The invaders all bowed slightly, moving aside for their master as he stood in between them and faced the crowd.  The monster stood easily a yard or two taller then Celestia, casting a shadow over his minions in the torchlight of the courtyard. He had two mis-matched horns, one ‘L’ shaped and black, like a bovine. The other horn pointed up, zig-zagging and crooked like a gazelle. His face was long and covered with thin, grey fur, looking like a warped version of a pony’s. His neck was long and covered with grey fur and spots like a hyena, leading down to his huge body. Two muscular arms sprouted where his neck met his body, looking like they were salvaged from a dragon and a minotaur. It walked on four legs, the front looking bird-like, with the hind looking like huge and powerful stallion legs. The four legs held up a barrel-like lion’s body, tan and strong. His massive, alligator-like tail swished behind him, completing the patchwork monster’s horrific visage. Looking over the ponies present with a sly grin, Bedlam took great pleasure in the horrified looks on the faces of those before him, each pony sitting with a hint of fear in their eyes. All, that is, except Midnight.

“... Bedlam? What... what the hell are you doing here?” Midnight asked, stepping forward to take a guarded position beside Celestia. The monster nodded his head slightly, raising his brow to Midnight with a curious look. He turned his head, revealing a pair of thin, white lines leading from his ears to a small square device in his taloned hand.

“Midnight?” the beast chimed happily. Turning off the white iPod he held and tossing it behind him, Bedlam trotted over and, before he could act, scooped the human-pony up and swirled him around like a rag doll. “Oh, Midnight! Long time, no see! How ya been, me’ boy?!” Royal Guards readied their weapons and spells as the large, mis-matched creature tossed about Luna’s champion. After several spins and twirls, Bedlam plopped Midnight on his haunches, right before the princesses, causing several dozen Guards to rush up to him, spears, lances and spells at the ready. Bedlam put his hands up as several relatively close Guards pointed their weapons only inches from his face. “Oh, my goodness, this courtyard is so crowded. Let’s do something about that.” With a snap of his fingers, every Guard present disappeared with a puff of black smoke, leaving only the Princesses, the Elements and the marketplace warriors behind. “There we go! Much better.”

“What?! Who are you?! What did you do to my guards?!” Celestia demanded, bowing her head as she tried to point her glowing horn at him, threateningly. Bedlam only scoffed, turning and walking back to his minions. Spinning on one of his back legs, the centaur-like beast fell backwards, a large throne breaking his fall as it materialized out of another puff of black smoke. Getting comfortable, Bedlam gave the sun regent his best ‘come-hither’ stare, fluttering his eyes with a coy smile.

“Oh, Celestia... you look just as lovely as you did more than a thousand years ago. Oh, that wickedly perfect plot... me gusta.” he said, causing her to step back in shock. “And Luna...” Bedlam let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Lovely, lovely Luna... how you’ve grown. It’s so good to see your powers returning after that humiliating defeat at the hooves of the Elements.” Luna felt like she wanted to step away, to get behind her big sister and allow her to defend her and the city. However, a quick glance over to Midnight, seeing the stern resolve in his eyes, quickly banished those thoughts. Taking a step forward, Luna stood beside her sister and addressed the invaders.

“I believe my sister asked you a question, monster! Who are you, and what have you done with our Guards?” Bedlam sighed and rolled his eyes, waving his paw around on his wrist.

“Oh, fine. Your guards are safe. They were cramping my style, so I teleported them back to their respective barracks. They’ll stay there until we all have ourselves a nice, little sit-down style talk. I think it’s more... personal, that way. And as for ‘who’ I am, why don’t you ask your pet human there, princess? He and I already met.” Slowly, the group turned their eyes toward Midnight, Celestia regarding him with shock and confusion.

“Midnight... do you... know this creature?” Celestia asked. A thousand questions ran through her mind, addressing everything from the identity of the being before them to whether or not she should have ever trusted Midnight in the first place. Slowly, the pegacorn explained.

“Yeah, Princess... I met him the other day, on a cliff overlooking the city... His name is Bedlam, and he’s a... um... drag, um... drago... something?” Midnight stammered, having trouble remembering the name of his species. Clearing his throat, Bedlam interrupted.

“A draconequus, my dear boy. Try to remember that. There’ll be a test later.” Celestia and Luna’s eyes opened wide, their hearts feeling as if they had stopped. Sitting smugly before them, unbound and free to run rampant across their world, sat a draconequus. “Oh, my dear, sweet princesses... The looks on your faces is absolutely PRICELESS!” Bedlam rocked back in his chair, losing his balance and falling backwards, all four legs kicking in the air as his laughing filled the courtyard. In a moment, the monster stood up, wiping a tear away from his eye. He cleared his throat and regained his composure, slowly walking over in front of the princesses and sitting down. “So, ladies... where’s Discord?”

“What? Discord, your little brother? You still didn’t find him yet? Is THAT why you’re here?” Midnight asked, confused. Again, Luna and Celestia’s hearts skipped a beat, the mentioning of that cursed name chilling them to the bones. Luna turned to her champion, speaking to him as slowly and calmly as she could muster.

“Midnight... how exactly do you know this creature, and how do you know of Discord?” she said, never taking her eyes off of his.

“Oh, take it easy, you two! Geeze!” Bedlam finally chimed in, stamping a hindhoof. “I met this fine young stallion the other day, and we had a good, long talk. Of course, he had NO idea who or what I was, but that just made it more fun for me. But yes, it’s all true; I... am Bedlam, Draconequus, spirit of chaos and disharmony and eldest of the Chaos-Lords, at your service. So now, my fine alicorns, the question remains; where’s my little brother, Discord?”

“D-Discord is you... your little brother...?” Luna said, voice trembling, her ears folded down in fear. Celestia swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to speak to the abomination.

“There... there’s more than just the... two of you...?” she asked, already fearing the answer.

“Oh, yes, my dearies. There’s seven of us, all together. I’m the oldest, and Discord is the youngest. There’s also Havoc, Riot, Panic, Anne and May, youngest to oldest. However, curiously enough, Discord seems to always have been the most powerful of us all...” Bedlam said, seeming lost in thought as he mused over his last statement.

“Anne and May? Those are... human names?” Midnight interjected. Bedlam shook his head, as if catching himself.

“Oh, sorry. Those are nick-names. They’re really Anarchy and Mayhem. Those two are SO inseparable.” he said, reminiscing. Celestia and Luna remained frozen, the thought of more draconequus walking around their world horrifying. “Relax, you two. My other brothers and sisters are currently off pillaging and ruining other dimensions and worlds at the moment. Truthfully, we can care less about each other. But being the eldest of the seven, I feel it’s... kinda my job to keep a close eye on my siblings. You can relate to that, can’t you, Celestia?” he said with a grin.

“Enough, monster! What business do you have with these ‘Killjoys,’ as they call themselves? And what need do you have with Discord?” Luna had enough of games and smug posturing from this demon. With horn glowing, she approached, ready to force him to talk and punish him for his disrespect towards her and her sister. Bedlam only reached down and gave her a playful scratch on the head, effectively canceling out the spell she was preparing, leaving her dizzy and off-balance. With a snap of his fingers, a bowl appeared, floating beside him. Reaching in, he pulled out a long, green spiral horn, placing the tip in his mouth. Flicking his thumb in his fist a few times, the claw sparked into a small, orange flame. Holding it to the broken end of the horn, Bedlam puffed a few times, the end igniting as he blew a puff of smoke into the air. Midnight tilted his head, examining the horn Bedlam held from afar until he would dare venture a guess.

“Bedlam...? Is that a...?” he stammered.

“A unicorn horn? Yes, it is, my dear boy. Dug up from one of the oldest graveyards in Equestria. Totally aged to perfection. They calm my nerves. Care to try one?” A collective sound of disgust rose up from the magic using creatures behind him, the draconequus raising an eyebrow, as if surprised. “Oh, fine, ya big babies!” he shouted, snapping his fingers again, making the lit horn and floating bowl disappear. “Anyway, getting back to your question...”

“My dear Luna, the Killjoys work for me. As you might guess, I just can’t waltz right into most towns or cities around the world without drawing a crowd. So, they’re my go-to critters.” From behind him, Klokwerk vanished in a black puff of smoke, reappearing a moment later right beside Bedlam. “Allow me to formally introduce my field commander, Dr. Klokwerk, engineer extraordinaire. But you knew that already, right Midnight?” The pegacorn kept his eyes on the two through the entire exchange, remaining silent. He recognized the black top hat with the red band and metallic horn from their fight earlier, granting him the use of magic and control over his mechanical creatures. His black dress coat had been restored, covering his bronze-colored coat, his silver colored tail hanging out the back.“The poor doctor’s parents wanted him to follow in the family’s hoofsteps and become a clock-maker. Inherit the family business, and all that crap.”

“They weren’t too thrilled when I told them I’d rather be a doctor. So, ...” Klokwerk removed his top hat, exposing a large hole in his head, soft pink flesh in the center of his silver mane as the artificial unicorn horn pulled free from his skull. “... I decided to show them my level of dedication. Naturally, that was my last night home.” Klokwerk disappeared in another puff of smoke, returning to his previous position among his fellow warriors. Two more puffs erupted behind Bedlam , bringing Crash and Burn up on both sides of him. Tossing his arms around the two, he hugged them tightly.

“Crash and Burn here are siblings, of course. Talk about yin and yang, right?” Bedlam laughed. He was right, too; Burn, the petite unicorn mare, had a stunning coat of white with a pure black mane and tail. Her burley pegasus brother Crash, however, was a mirror opposite of her, with a pure black coat and white tail and mane. The two wore evil grins as their master continued. “Burn and her little brother here often had to catch heat one way or another for having parents that were of different tribes. So, naturally, they split home the first chance they got.”

“In these peaceful times, there’s not too much call for a unicorn who’s a pro at destructive magic.” Burn noted.

“Yeah, or for a pegasus who’s a professional fighter.” Crash added. With another puff of black smoke, the two returned behind Bedlam, a large, shaggy wolf with a pitch black coat.

“Grimdark here, I found wondering alone in the northern edge of the Great Western territory, outside the lands of the buffalo tribes. Let’s just say...” Bedlam chimed with a grin. “... his pack tossed him out due to his unusual... appetite.” The canine gave a deep, evil laugh, exposing a mouth full of shining, dagger-sized teeth. Grimdark disappeared back to his place, the draconequus walking backward between his minions, placing his clawed hand on the shoulder of his last follower. “And I believe most of you might already know my last little helper, here?”

“I know Midnight does, master.” the jester said, standing on her hind legs to bow to the pegacorn. The bells on the unicorn mare’s three-pointed hat jingled as she leaned over, her black and red checkered body suit made her difficult to look at, and the half frowning/half smiling white mask she wore made it down-right impossible to with getting a healthy dose of the creeps. Reaching up, she removed the frowning half of the mask, exposing half her face. From what little of her was actually exposed, the group could tell she had a tan coat, with some green bangs hanging down from her mane. Slowly, Midnight remembered meeting the mare the other night.

“...Tumbler...? The other night, in my room... you weren’t practicing some trick or stunt. You were SPYING on me?!” he shouted, angrily. Tumbler giggled, tipping forward and standing on her front hooves.

“Sure was, honey! You, and everypony else in the palace for WEEKS!” she giggled, somersaulting back upright. At the mention of this, Twilight and the rest of the Elements stepped forward.

“You’re the jester we saw in the foyer the other day! I can’t BELIEVE you were spying on us all this time! You little...” Rainbow fumed as she hovered, almost preparing to dive straight at the checkered villainess.

“She’s my most versatile soldiers. Not only can Tumbler imitate anypony’s mannerisms and voice and manifest objects with her magic as solid as the real things, but she’s a classically trained acrobat.” Bedlam bragged, giving the creepy mare a playful noogie.

“I knew I had a bad feeling about her, but I had NO IDEA it was THAT bad! Oh, my GOSH! And she didn’t even set off my ‘Pinkie sense,’ or ANYTHING!” Pinkie Pie said. Tumbler took a few steps away from her master, staring daggers at the party mare.

“You never were the sharpest banana in the six-pack, Pinkamena.” the jester said, immediately making Pinkie’s expression drop.

“H-how...? How did you know that name...?” the party mare asked, shakily. Tumbler laughed, her smiling face already changing back to a look of disdain.

“Pinkamena...? Pinkie Pie, what’s she talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked, placing a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. Tumbler tilted her head to the side, clicking her tongue at the pink pony.

“Aw, Pinkamena... seems you’ve been keeping secrets from your friends. Why don’t you tell them how you used to steal the attention of your instructors at the School of Laughs?” Pinkie’s eyes went wide as she examined the mare’s half exposed face. Suddenly, the realization hit her like a pie to the face.

“...Carousel...? Is that really you...?” she asked, sheepishly. Tumbler stomped a hoof to the ground, cracking the pavement of the yard.

“THAT’S NOT MY NAME, PINKAMENA! NOT ANYMORE!” she fumed, Bedlam holding her in one taloned hand to keep her from charging at Pinkie. “Let me at her, boss! LET ME AT HER!!!” Bedlam laughed, planting the jester in between the rest of Killjoys, all four immediately seizing her to keep her from charging again.

“Feel proud, Pinkie Pie; if not for you, Tumbler may never have joined our happy clan. She actually joined us with the promise that we’d help her exact her revenge on you.” Pinkie’s hair seemed to deflate at the words, falling flat as even the carnation of her coat seemed to fade. Midnight had heard enough. Stepping in front of Celestia and Luna, the pegacorn spread his wings, drawing the attention of the six villains.

“Enough, Bedlam! What the hell do you want here, anyway? What’s your reason for attacking Canterlot?”he shouted at the draconequus. Bedlam raised an eyebrow in surprise before kneeling down to address the stallion.

“Right to the point, Midnight. I like that. I’m actually here for a few reasons. Like I said, I’d like my little brother back, if you please.” Celestia joined Midnight before the beast, keeping a careful eye on him.

“We don’t know where he is, monster. But even if we did, we still wouldn’t tell you!” the sun princess declared. Bedlam shifted his gaze to her, smiling again.

“Alright. No big loss, I suppose. I’ll find him on my own, eventually. Next order of business...” he said, pointing a clawed finger behind Celestia. “... I want sweet, little Luna.” Bedlam’s words dripped with malice, sending another cold chill down the younger sister’s spine.

“W-what?! You want... me?” Luna said with a hint of fear in her voice. Midnight jumped back, standing between his princess and Bedlam, intent on keeping her from his grasp however he had to.

“BACK OFF, BEDLAM! You’re not gonna lay one creepy finger on her! You’ll have to go through ME, first!!!” Midnight yelled, causing the Killjoys to snicker. “What the hell could you possibly want with her, anyway?!”

“Ah. I’m glad you asked, my dear human.” Bedlam snapped his fingers, causing the entire courtyard to go dark. Suddenly, the world around him and all other ponies in the courtyard exploded with a million bright colors. In a matter of moments, the colors gathered and molded together, flashing and sparking as they shrank in on themselves, then exploded all through the black space around them. Bedlam and the Killjoys standing where they were, seemingly unfazed. “In the beginning,” Bedlam started,  “the whole of the universe was crammed into one gigantic, frothing, bubbling ball of pure chaos. Oh, it was beautiful. My siblings and I enjoyed a constant state of random radiation storms, gamma bursts, black and white holes constantly swallowing up and spitting each other out. The horrible destructiveness of it all was nothing short of paradise to all of us.” Slowly, the colors collected again and began to swirl, taking the shapes of hundreds of galaxies, floating all around the open void. “Then, THIS happened; Order. The universe was born, and me and my brothers and sisters were cast out of our delicious chaos, and thrown into this multi-verse of logic and common sense. As you can imagine, we weren’t happy.” With another snap of his fingers, the galaxies and blackness of space disappeared, the heroes and villains returning to the courtyard from where they came.

“Bedlam, how did you...?” Midnight started, only to be shushed by the patchwork creature.

“Don’t interrupt, I’m getting to the good stuff.” he said, clearing his throat. “Believe it or not, causing endless pain and suffering to the little critters of the universe is NOT the life’s mission of us draconequi. The seven of us, to put it quite simply, just want to go home. Unfortunately for you,” he said casting a twisted eye towards Celestia. “... that means the total destruction of your world.” The Elements and heroes gasped, all murmuring to each other at the announcement. Celestia leapt into the air, her horn glowing as she hovered before Bedlam, prepared to defend her world.

“It’ll be a cold day in the Barren Lands before I allow you to hurt ONE HAIR on the head of ANY other creature of this world, MONSTER!” Celestia charged her horn, preparing to blast the invaders back out of the courtyard. Casually, Bedlam reached up and flicked the tip of her horn with his finger, canceling her spell and effectively dropping her to the ground.

“Don’t interrupt, bright-eyes. It’s rude.” Bedlam said, continuing. “To make this as simple as possible, sweet little Luna is the final piece in the puzzle. I need her, and her alone, to activate the energies I need to crush this little pocket dimension back down to something I can manage.” Bedlam sat back down in front of his Killjoys, his forelegs spread out in front of him with his arms crossed across his chest. “So, my good Equestrians... here’s the deal; Give me Luna. I’ll rip her apart, right down to her very essence and thus, destroying her. She’ll be spared watching the world end. Every other creature will be, to. They might wonder why the sun and moon have both gone dark, but that’ll only last till I collapse the planet in on itself. You all die quick and clean deaths, I get to devour the world and everybody’s happy. What do ya say?”

The draconequus smiled at the heroes as though he just offered to paint their houses for free. The ponies present, however, stood in stark silence, mouths hanging open in stunned silence. Celestia’s expression was a mixture of horror and fury, the alicorn seeming unsure if she should bring the very sun itself down on Bedlam’s head or grab her sister and fly away as fast as her immense magic could carry them. Luna, for her part, was trying her best to not visibly tremble, a member of one of the most destructive species she ever knew having just declared that he wants to kill her and use her power to destroy the world. The Elements of Harmony stood behind their princesses, each reacting differently to the horrible news. Fluttershy was shaking terribly, tightly holding onto Applejack, the earth pony doing her best to remain calm and comfort her friend. Rarity was doing all she could to keep from passing out from hyperventilating, with Rainbow Dash fanning her with her wings. Pinkie Pie sat silently, hair still deflated as she stared across the courtyard at Tumbler, staring back with a look of daggers in her eyes. Twilight seemed to be the only mare taking it relatively well, standing beside Midnight as he flanked Luna, opposite side of her big sister. The Marketplace heroes, however, stood ready, nervous but prepared to react if the situation in the courtyard escalated into something that would require their involvement. Timidly, Twilight finally stepped forward, quietly clearing her throat to get Bedlam’s attention.

“Um... Excuse me... did you say... ‘devour’ the world? You... you can’t be serious...” Bedlam chuckled at the unicorn’s confusion, scratching at his chin with a talon.

“I’m dead serious, my little pony. From chaos the universe came, and back to chaos” he patted his belly, licking his lips. “...it shall return.”

“You LIE, monster! Discord ruled over our world for years, and he NEVER made any attempt to destroy it!” Celestia shouted, stamping a hoof on the ground. Bedlam only rolled his eyes.

“Please, Celestia. Discord... is a child.” Bedlam sat down in empty air, floating slightly above the ground. “An armature, at best. In his more than four billion years of life, the silly fool has only destroyed three separate dimensions. I mean...” he said, rubbing his fingers on his temple. “... I walked into one dimension he was working on, and found him making cotton candy clouds that rained chocolate milk! His idea of chaos is turning the dirt roads to soap! And the big one, and I mean his most original idea, was growing fruit about ten sizes too large on the tree and vine. I mean, come on! When I last checked up on him here, he assured me everything was under control. But truthfully, Tia-baby,” Bedlam grinned, giving the sun goddess a wink. “I think he was kinda sweet on you. Never really COULD pull the trigger on this world, not if it meant destroying you.”

“And will YOU be able to pull the trigger, Bedlam?” Luna asked. “You still don’t know where Discord is, and we’re not telling you, no matter what. Destroy the world, and you take him with it.”

“Acceptable loss.” he said coldly. “When I destroy this mud hole planet, he’ll be destroyed, fore sure. But we draconequus are immortal, after all. He’ll just reform in another section of the universe, and after about a decade or so, he’ll be back up to full strength. That’s how it is for all us chaos lords.”

“And what of you quote, unquote ‘Killjoys,’ then? Do THEY share in your mad plan to destroy their world?” Trixie stepped up beside Twilight, trying her best to sound intimidating and hide her fear. Again, Bedlam snickered at the group.

“I’ll be taking the Killjoys with me to the next world I conquer, my little Trixie. Good help is so very hard to find.” he said, matter-of-factly. “Besides that, they could care less about this world. They don’t really... ‘fit in’ here, anyway. Show em’ why, fellas.” Crash, Burn, Klokwerk and Tumbler walked around their master, each pony turning slightly to the side. The heroes, princesses and elements gave a collective gasp as the four pony members of the Killjoys proudly displayed their blank flanks.

“Wha...what...? That’s not possible...” Celestia stammered. But sure as the sun rose in the morning and the moon at night, their stood four full-grown ponies with blank flanks. Klokwerk and Crash hovered in place high enough for all to see, while Tumbler magicked the area of her flank on her body suit transparent. One at a time, the four trotted or landed back behind their leader, the draconequus smiling at the shock they created.

“All of them, outcasts, misfits and freaks. And all EXTREMELY powerful. Just like you... Midnight.” he said, pointing a talon. The pegacorn took a step back as the monster started to approach him, grinning. “I know all about where you’re from, my dear Midnight. That massive, squalid human city, full of crime and hate and pain. I know what you have gone through over the years. I know, because I’ve been there.” Midnight paused, then slowly started approaching the villain again, curiosity drawing him nearer the beast.

“You... been to... to-”

“Yes! Of COURSE I’ve been to human-earth! What, you think you’re the only being that’s ever been able to trans-dimensional travel?! I’m a freakin’ immortal, ethereal cosmic being! ALL cosmic being can do it! Hey, though...” Bedlam’s tone suddenly changed, the beast raising an eyebrow. “Why don’t you ask Celestia how her last visit to human-earth went? I bet it’s a hell of a funny story.” Celestia felt as it all the breath had been knocked out of her body, the secret she had been keeping from Midnight suddenly laid bare. The same secret she had fought for more than ten thousand years to keep, exposed in the blink of an eye.

“Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t see the sign, my good stallion.” Bedlam started again. “What do you think the odds are that, in the entirety of the known, multi-dimensional universe, there would be TWO worlds that are BOTH called earth! Not to mention how both worlds have the same languages, both have the same constellations in the sky, the same plants, animals, same tools and items their inhabitants use!!! TELL ME YOU’VE SEEN IT!!!” the draconequus shouted, his voice finally showing something besides the happy-go-lucky tone as it shook the stone walls of the courtyard. The pegacorn barely heard him, though. Instead, he slowly shifted his gaze between Celestia and Luna, both sisters reacting to the shocking revelation in their way. For her part, Celestia had a look of pure shock, eyes wide and dilated with her mouth hanging open slightly as she watched the secret she held for more than ten thousand years come to light in the blink of an eye. Luna, however, was some what different. The younger alicorn sister seemed to hold a look of stark fear. It was not the same as her sister’s, but rather something much worse. This was the look of fear one held when afraid that they had lost the trust of one they had come to care about. And as the old Equestrian saying stated; losing a friend’s trust is the fastest way to lose a friend.

“Oops. Did I let the cat out of the bag, Celestia? My bad.” Bedlam let out an eerie giggle, snapping his fingers and creating a tall, gold-framed mirror before Midnight. Taking the two top corners of the mirror in his claws, Bedlam stretched the mirror out until it reflected every one of the heroes, elements and princesses before him. However, one reflection was different. Standing in the mirror where Midnight should have been, was a tall, handsome, young male human. HE had dark hair, a silver chain around his neck, a red t-shirt and a pair of blue jean shorts, a wallet chain and belt strap hanging from the left and right. One by one, the heroes murmured as Midnight seemed drawn closer to the mirror’s surface. Reaching out a hoof, he touch the glass, the human reflection doing the same, a look of confusion on his face matching Midnight’s.

“You’re quite the handsome bloke, ain’t cha,’ Midnight?” the beast said, snapping his fingers again. The reflection of the ponies and creatures vanished, being replaced by an image of the human reflection standing in Time Square, surrounded by traffic, pedestrians and numerous other sights and attractions of the Big Apple. Midnight marveled as his reflected human self turned and walked away, opening the door to a large, expensive looking sports car and drove away. “I’ve been to more worlds than you can count, my boy. But for shear fun, debauchery, and madness, Human-Earth sets the standard, and never fails to please. And you’ve been living there, on your own, for the past fifteen years. Well done!” With a flash and shimmer of sparks, the mirror vanished, causing Midnight o jump back, Bedlam already slithering forward and meeting him, face to face. “I could send you back, you know? Right now. Just say the word, and you’re gone. Hell, I’ll even give you access to my penthouse suite! My private bank accounts! Fancy European sports cars!” Bedlam launched into the air above the stallion, spinning as he flourished his arms wide open. “You can have all the electronic games, drugs and bitches you could ever want! All you have to do is...” he said, zooming down to stare in Midnight’s face once again, now barely speaking above a whisper. “give Luna over to me...” Bedlam floated down beside Midnight, wrapping his arm around the pegacorn’s shoulder. He touched a talon to the top of the young stallions head, the sharp digit giving off a slight glow as Midnight tightly closed his eyes.

“Midnight!” Luna shouted, lunging towards her champion, only to be stopped by the combined magical grip of  Twilight and Celestia. Midnight opened his eyes again, magic swirling and flowing in them as he looked over his friends.

“This isn’t your world, Midnight... this isn’t your fight.” Bedlam whispered.

“This... isn’t my world...” Midnight repeated, trance-like. Slowly, a sparkle of magic formed on the tip of his tail. It started moving up towards his body, removing all color as it went.

“You have better things to do back on your own Earth, right?” Bedlam continued.

“Yeah... so much better there...” The wave of magic continued up to his flank, slowly spreading down his hind legs and up to his wings and shoulders.

“You really don’t care about ANY of these ponies, do you?” Bedlam grinned, knowing his spell was all but complete, the other ponies present too terrified to act.

“Yeah...  Don’t care about...” Midnight stopped, his swirling eyes gazing lazily across the ponies... until they beheld Luna. The moon goddess sat between Twilight and Celestia, holding her breath with tears in her eyes, her chosen warrior on the brink of vanishing forever. The greying magic reached Midnight’s neck, slowing almost to a stop.

“...don’t care, but... I... Luna...?” Despite the damage he sustained in the marketplace, Midnight’s horn began to glow, slowly forcing back the grey that had covered his body. Inch by inch, the magic reversed, retreating back down his body and restoring his crimson reds, until it reached the tip of his tail and vanished completely. Rearing up on his hind legs, Midnight threw open his wings, causing Bedlam to pull back to avoid being struck. Instinctively, Midnight whinnied and knickered, bucking and rearing up as he regained control of himself once more. “Enough!!! Bedlam...” he said breathlessly. “I made a decision...”

“Oh, really now?” the chaos lord said, scratching his chin. “What’s that?”

“You said you’ve been to New York before, right? Well then, you should recognize my answer.” Midnight lifted his right forehoof, pointing the tip of it upward in front of him. Bedlam only looked at him, confused.

“And what, prey tell, is that?” he asked.

“This, Bedlam, is me, giving you the finger!” The draconequus recoiled at the remark, now recognizing the gesture. He placed a paw to his chest, scoffing as he quickly grew more and more offended.

“How DARE you reject my offer! DO you have any idea the fury you’ve unleashed on this MISERABLE little world?! You little foal, I’ll-”

“Take your thugs and leave, THAT’S what you’ll do!” Midnight interrupted. “I’ve been thinking, Bedlam. You mentioned Discord was the youngest of the draconequi, but was also the strongest, correct?” Bedlam leaned back slowly, giving him a sideways look. “Well, if you’re all the spirits of pure chaos, I’m willing to bet... that makes you, the oldest, also the weakest, am I right?” As soon as the words left the pony’s mouth, Bedlam’s mane, horns, wings and spines burst into flames, illuminating the courtyard in glowing black fire. He reared up on his back legs, bringing his forelegs down with a thunderous boom on the pavement.

“WEAK!!! YOU DARE CALL THE ELDEST OF THE CHAOS LORD’S ‘WEAK?!?!’” YOU’LL REGRET YOUR WORDS, YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE PONY!!!” Bedlam roared about in his tantrum, breathing fire above the heads of the ponies present and stomping his hooves and heavy paws, making those present duck and back away. After about a minute, the chaos god calmed down, though the fires around his body continued to rage all over him.

“Hey, Bedlam!” A shout came from the far end of the courtyard. During his fit, nopony had noticed that Midnight had slipped out from under the stream of fire, making his way to a collection of barrels. Now, the pegacorn levitated a large barrel above him, barely holding it in his weak magic. “CATCH!” The barrel flew through the air towards the mis-matched monster, who easily caught it in his one minotaur hand, flames still washing over his forearm and body. He brought the barrel close, examining the label very closely to read it through the flames. It wasn’t until he held it mere inches from his face that he recognized the words ‘lamp oil’ painted on the side.

“Oh, you son of a bi-” was all Bedlam could sigh out before the wooden barrel exploded in his hand, bathing the immediate area around the gate of the courtyard in liquid flame. It was all Twilight and Trixie could do to quickly raise a shield spell to protect the crowd of ponies watching. As the five Killjoys scrambled back from their burning master, the draconequus held his hand to his face in frustration, seemingly completely unaffected by the raging inferno currently enveloping his body. Licking his thumb and index finger, he pinched them together on a few strands of mane sticking up from his head, throughly extinguishing his entire body in one move.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Midnight... it seems you still don’t know who you’re dealing with.” Clapping his hands together, extinguishing the flames around his followers. He motioned with his head for them to join him, giving a quick whistle. The five beings gathered around their boss, following as he casually strolled back to the gate.

“I can see you need further proof that your resistance is futile, my little ponies.” Bedlam’s body was still smoking from the burning. Spinning his hand in a circle, Bedlam seemed to scoop the smoke up out of the air like dark snow, molding it into a small, bi-pedal form. The smoke creature hopped up and down in his palm before spinning in place and vanishing. Midnight and the others blinked a few times before Bedlam addressed them again. “A shade. Creatures of my own design. Fascinating, really; they’re made of smoke, dust, shadows, latent magical energies. And they’re completely loyal to me. I just gave that one a very... special order.” he said, starting to chuckle. He pointed out his index claw, sticking it seemingly into empty air, creating a small, glowing crack. Circling his arm around in a clockwise motion, he created a shining, green portal in front of him. One by one, the Killjoys entered, vanishing into the spectral light. Suddenly, the group heard a distant boom of thunder.

“Princesses Celestia and Luna, Elements, Heroes and Midnight; I leave you with this parting gift, to give you all something to think on.” Another rumble of thunder echoed through the towering walls of the palace, this time felt in the ground beneath their hooves.

“Bedlam... what did the hell did you just do?” Midnight said, a sense of impending dread coming over them all. Bedlam stepped half-way into the portal, blowing a kiss and giving a thumbs-to the group as he paused.

“Consider this entire city... condemned. Arrivederci, suckers!!!” Bedlam waved goodbye as he stepped through the portal, the ripple in space blinking out of existence as he did. Another loud boom echoed off the palace walls, this time accompanied by a very distinctive rumble through the ground, causing every being present to reach the same realization at once; THIS, by now, was definitely NOT thunder...

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Oh, snap. You dun bucked up, Midnight! NEVER piss off an ethereal chaos-god! Didn't you ever see 'Ghostbusters?!?' Anyways, Tia got some explaining to do, if Canterlot survives the little surprise Bedlam left for them, that is. What horror will our heroes face just outside their gates? And if they are victorious, what could possibly be so horrible that Celestia would lie to her subjects for centuries? Fine out next time in "Cosmic Secrets and Lies," the next extiting episode of...

STAR CROSSED!!! Next Chapter: Cosmic Secrets and Lies Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 16 Minutes