Long ago, in a magical land, I Discord, lord of chaos, defeated the Elements of Harmony and their bearers. But, a foolish earth pony mare, wielding all six Elements in the form of a magic sword, continued to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time, and flung her into the future, where my chaos is law. Now the fool seeks to return to the past and undo the future that is Discord.

Step

Step

Step

Step

Applejack slowly climbed the steep mountain, putting one hoof in front of the other. She panted from the exertion. It had to be at least a 50 degree slope, if not more. At least it hadn’t been all one mountain. The mountain the Golem had guarded had turned out to be a mountain range.

At the first village she came to, she sent the stone bird off through the dragon message network, though she had made a copy of the runes in the notebook, just incase. Now her quest to find a crystal large enough for the spell continued.

The climb was treacherous enough, but Applejack had been in a cloudbank for over an hour now. She could barely see more than a few feet ahead. Then she came to something that made her stop in her tracks.

It wasn’t a tree, but it was made out of wood. It was a massive pillar of wood, just sticking out of the ground. It didn’t seem to serve a purpose, so Applejack drew closer, trying to get a better look. What she found, only deepened the mystery. Wrapped around the pillar was a gigantic rope. It was bigger than the largest tree on Sweet Apple Acres. In this, or in her time.

She briefly wondered just how many ponies it would take to simply lift the rope. The rope was clearly tied to the wooden pillar, but the other end simply vanished into the cloud. Applejack was curious, but not curious enough to spend all day trying to work out the mystery of the wooden pillar and giant rope, so she took a breather then continued climbing.

As she climbed, she came to another pillar, with another rope. It wasn’t the same one, or she didn’t think it was, they both led off in the same direction. Then she found another, and another. By the time she cleared the cloud cover, she had spotted at least ten of the strange wooden pillars.

Now that Applejack was free of the white mist, she could see where all the ropes were leading to. The mountain ended abruptly before her. It was flat for a very small area, before plunging straight down.

Perched on the edge of this jagged cliff was a massive wooden frame, hundreds of feet tall. From it, dozens of giant ropes came, each sinking into the fog behind her.

Whah does it need all them ropes holdin’ it up? What’s so important about... Oh. Applejack reached the frame and looked through to the other side. It was just as foggy on this side as the path up had been, but what she could see, stretching far into the distance was a very narrow, very old wood and rope bridge.

“Ah gotta go over that?” she moaned. She double checked the chaos clock, even holding it vertical. This was definitely the way. Slowly she stepped forward, delicately putting her weight on the first plank. She had to make sure it would support her weight. She even pushed down to be extra sure.

Then she took another step. Then another. Then she was at the bridges mercy. She looked up, seeing the ropes reaching from the wooden frame to the bridge before her. She couldn’t see the other side, and something told her she wouldn’t be able to even without the fog. She looked back down, and continued on.

Creak

Creak

Groan

Creak

Snap!

Applejack was woken immediately by her bottom half suddenly falling. One of the planks she had been sleeping on had given out. She scrambled wildly, grabbing at the intact planks, trying to hold herself up. She didn’t want to think of just how far off the ground she was. Finally she managed to pull herself back onto the bridge. She checked to make sure nothing had fallen, then continued walking. It was far too dangerous to consider sleeping again.

What’s that noise? Applejack wondered. There was a very strange sound coming through the fog towards her. It sounded almost like the most out of tune collection of horns. She put her hooves to her ears to block the noise, but it didn’t help as it got louder.

Out of the white mist, a black figure came walking towards her. The source of the horrible racket. As it came closer, Applejack could tell what it was. She’d seen pictures of them in books. It was a minotaur.

The beast was much taller than she was, and a dark orange. The creature was utterly naked, except for a cloth skirt with a plaid pattern around its waist, and a leather belt across its chest. Its bull like face was busy blowing into some sort of tube. The tube led to a cloth bag with more pipes sticking out of it. It had to be what was making the noise.

The creature continued walking forward until it was right in front of Applejack, and still it played, despite the pain in her ears. Finally, thankfully, it stopped. The creature looked at her and spoke.

“Ah can tell from your expression that yah like dah pipes,” the Minotaur said. He took a deep breath, but Applejack stopped him.

“Look, Ah’m wonderin’, how far tah the other side?” she asked.

“It be a ways, Lassy. Ah’ve been walkin’ for three days now,” the minotaur said.

“And it’s taken me just over one so far,” Applejack replied. “Least, it got dark once. It’s hard tah tell what is and isn’t a day.”

“Aye.”

“Well, it was nice meetin’ yah, but Ah best be on mah way,” Applejack said.

“Now where do yah think you’re goin’ lassy?” the Minotaur snarled.

“Ah’m going that way,” Applejack said, pointing past him.

“And how are yee going tah do that?” Ah’m in the way.”

“The bridge is wide enough fer us tah pass,” Applejack stated.

“And risk fallin? Not fer a stranger, Ah ain’t,” the minotaur said. He placed his infernal instrument behind himself, then he reached back with one hand and grabbed a sword hilt Applejack hadn’t noticed until now. “Ah say we fight fer it. Loser has tah walk back from where they came.”

“There’s no point. Look, Ah’ll hang off this side and let yah pass. Happy?”

“Ye just want tah peep up me kilt, don’t ye, Lassy?” the Minotaur sneered.

Applejack put a hoof on her sword. “Don’t go there with me.”

“Then we fight,” the Minotaur said. He drew forth his sword. It was larger than even the Golem’s had been, almost as broad as she was.

“If we fight, we might damage the bridge,” Applejack said.

“Then we’ll have tah be mighty careful,” the Minotaur replied.

Applejack shook her head and drew her sword.

“Hah, yee are gonna fight me with a toothpick?” he taunted. He swung at her but she quickly blocked it. He leaned in, trying to force her back, but Applejack stood firm. “So ye got some fight. Good tah see in such a wee lass.”

Applejack didn’t reply. He pushed forward, using his far greater weight to his advantage. His blade got ever closer until it was slicing through her hat. It’ll fix itself.

The Minotaur sneered, but Applejack stayed silent. Instead, she feinted to the side, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward. He didn’t stagger for long, so as she made a stab at his side, he knocked her sword away with his own.

“Ye might as well give up now. I’ve got a price on mah head to make a man set for life,” the Minotaur taunted. He swung again before continuing. “Discord himself has sent a dozen golems tah kill me.”

“So?” Applejack shot back. She jumped over his swing and slashed downward but the Minotaur was able to block it again. “Discord’s so afraid ah me, he won’t even fight me himself. Ah turned a legion ah his war golems tah scrap and took down a hydra shaped golem.”

“Ah likely story,” the Minotaur said, thrusting forward.

Applejack parried it and brought her sword down on his, intent on breaking it. After all, most metals had given way to the Sword of Harmony. Her whole body reverberated as her sword bounced back.

“Nothin’ like runes tah ruin yer day, huh, Lassy,” the Minotaur said, pointing to some shapes carved into the hilt.

Applejack glared and swung at his face. This time, he caught her sword with one of his hands, carefully avoiding the blade. Applejack hung on, stunned, as he picked it up with her still attached.

“Fight’s over, Lassy,” he said. He began shaking the sword, trying to make her let go, but she wasn’t going to let him win. As he pulled her up again, she lashed out with both her hind hooves, bucking him in the side of the head. Dazed, he staggered to the side.

No, no, no! he moved a bit more and began falling. Backwards. Over the side of the bridge, taking Applejack with him. In the split second before they both left the bridge, Applejack had a choice. Let the sword go and maybe she could grab on to the bridge, or hold on and fall. Ah’d have tah be a fool tah let go.

Splash!

Applejack sputtered and rubbed her face, trying to wipe off the swampy water she had landed in. She looked about, but there wasn’t much to see. She was clearly in some sort of swamp, but the fog persisted even down here so she could only see a few large trees looming in the mist. Her hat was hanging from a tree branch nearby, and she retrieved it, happily noting it was in pristine condition once again.

She could tell the Minotaur had landed beside her, but he wasn’t fighting anymore.

“Great goin’,” the Minotaur growled quietly. “It’s all ye fault Ah’m down here, and tah make it worse, Ah lost me bagpipes!”

“Mah fault!” Applejack shouted. “How is this-” The Minotaur grabbed her muzzle and held it shut. She struggled, but couldn’t free herself from his grip.

“Are ye tryin’ tah get us killed?” he hissed into her ear. She glared at him. “Ah’ll yet ye talk, but ye gotta stay quiet, Lass.” Slowly, he opened his hand and drew back.

“What is yer problem?” Applejack said in a normal tone.

“Not so loud!”

“What? Are yah afraid of a swamp? This ain’t Froggy Bottom Bog.”

“Don’t ye know where ye are?” the Minotaur asked. Applejack shook her head. “Then all tell ye. They say, a long time ago, two thousand years, maybe more, a great battle took place in this valley between great armies. Tens of thousands died here, or so they say.”

“Ah can understand respectin’ the dead, but whah is that life ‘er death fer us?”

“Ah don’t respect them, Ah fear them. That much death in one spot did somethin’ to the very earth. They say this place is cursed. Alive. And angry. Ah don’t want to be the one tah wake it up,” the minotaur explained.

“So how do we get out?” Applejack asked.

“Not sure. No one with any sense comes down here.”

“So we’ll head to one side then climb.”

“There should be an easier way. If the two armies did meet here, there must be two ways intah the valley. Ah don’t know how Ah’ll find it in this fog. Reminds me ah home, but that don’t be helpin much.”

Applejack took out the chaos clock. “Well? Yah gonna show the way?” she asked it. It still pointed the way she had been headed. “Great. Looks like we’ll have tah find a way out on our own.”

“What’s this ‘we’ stuff Lass?”

“If this place is as dangerous as you say, we should stick together, at least until we find a way out. Even if it ain’t, we might fall into a somethin’ awful and not be able to get out.”

“Ah don’t need help from a wee pony like you!” the Minotaur said. He grabbed his sword hilt that had been sticking out of the mud. He lifted it free of the water and placed it on his back. “Ah’m gettin’ out ah here. If ye follow, Ah won’t stop ye, but Ah don’t need the help of a wee Lass.” he started walking off in a random direction. Applejack glanced at the chaos clock to note he was heading perpendicular to her original path, then followed behind him anyway.

Slurp

Plop

Slurp

Plop

Slurp

Plop

Applejack’s mood only soured as she and the Minotaur made their way through the swamp. She didn’t mind mud like Rarity.... did.... But it was very ripe. The muck resisted when she pulled a hoof up, and it made an gross squishing sound when she placed her hoof back down. And dangerous. She had found out quickly that the mud, even the parts that looked solid, could act like quicksand.

She’d nearly gone under the first time, foolishly leaping from a rock onto what she thought was another rock, only to find herself sinking into the mire. She tried to pull herself out, but the more she pulled, the more the swamp pulled back. The Minotaur, despite what he had said, had grabbed her by the collar and pulled her free. He didn’t say a word and simply placed her on stable ground.

After that, Applejack walked with her sword out, testing the ground before stepping on it.

She swatted what must have been the millionth fly that hour when she bumped into the Minotaur. He had stopped moving, and didn’t seem to notice she had run into him.

“We’ve made it to the side,” he announced quietly. Applejack looked up, and sure enough, just through the fog she could see a sheer rock face in front of them.

“So what, we climb that?” Applejack cried. Hooves weren’t meant for that sort of thing, and she doubted the Minotaur would be much better off then she.

“Ach, no. But we follow it until we find a way out.”

“Okay, this way,” Applejack said, pointing to the left. That direction would take her closer to her destination.

“Who put you in charge ah me?” the Minotaur growled.

“Yah can go the other way if yah want,” Applejack replied. “Ah just figure if there are ways you like yah say, they’re probably ‘round the middle, someplace. That way leads the way you came, the other way, where Ah came. Since you were walkin’ longer, that way must be closer to the middle.”

“Ah’d hate tah have tah go back from where Ah came, but that does make sense,” he agreed.

“Course, both ways in could be on one side, and that side be the other way.”

“But if that were true, why did they come here just tah fight,” he pointed out.

“So we’re going this way?”

“Ah’m goin’ this way,” the Minotaur said. “If you go that way too, so be it.”

“Fine, whatever,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes. He didn’t notice, and simply marched off.

Another night passed, but the pair didn’t dare sleep. Applejack wasn’t sure if his tale had been true or not, but either way, the swamp was eerie and she wanted to put a considerable distance between it and her before closing her eyes.

This did mean she would be spending a third day with almost no sleep. Her eyelids sagged as she walked, and she found herself nodding off and unable to walk straight at times. So... sleepy....Go away, parasprite! Applejack shooed away the insect only to find her hoof batting at empty air. She shook her head and kept walking.

“Tell me,” the Minotaur said suddenly. “Are me eyes lyin’? Ah’m too tired tah tell fer shure.”

Applejack walked up beside him and looked. The solid cliff seemed to be missing up ahead. Not only that, but the fog seemed thinner here.

“Ah see it too!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Take that, swamp! Ye didn’t best this minotaur today!” the Minotaur shouted. He stood, defiantly raising his sword in triumph.

Applejack half expected something to happen, but nothing did. Not wanting to wait around to see if it was just slow in coming, she quickly made her way towards what she hoped was a way out.

The Minotaur turned to follow. His hoof snagged on a root, and he fell down. The muck cushioned his fall, but his sword flew from his hand. It spun through the air before hitting a rock. The clang rang out through the fog. They could hear birds flying away, but couldn’t see them through the mist.

The Minotaur lay there, dumbstruck. His pupils dilated. He looked about rapidly, expecting something bad to happen. Applejack stood still and watched as he slowly picked himself up. All at once, several things happened.

A couple vines shot out of the mire and wrapped around the Minotaur’s waist. They pulled, forcing him back down. Around him, the swamp began surging upwards, like several things were coming up through the water and soil. Applejack tried to move to assist, but found something was holding her back by the robe. She turned and saw something white and mud covered grabbing the hem. Applejack kicked at it, and it let go. She galloped over, drawing her sword.

She sliced away the vines, and without even a nod, the Minotaur was up and running towards his sword. The things in the water were free, but the mud made them impossible to identify. He simply knocked them out of the way and grabbed his sword. Angrily he swung it, cleaving the muddy creatures in half.

“What are they?” Applejack cried, leaping to his side.

“Ah haven’t a clue, and Ah don’t want tah know. Ah suggest we run.”

“What’s this ‘we’ stuff?” Applejack taunted, but followed his advice.

The two began running for what they hoped was the way out. All around, more figures rose from the swamp, and some emerged from the trees. The Minotaur, being taller and having a greater stride, took point by virtue of being able to move faster. He swung the sword like a horizontal pendulum, slicing through all the mud creatures that got in his way. They didn’t seem to be trying to get in their way at all, they seemed more intent on fighting each other.

They went down easily, but something unnerved Applejack. They were all about her height. Her curiosity ended when she ran smack into one. She didn’t figure out what it was, though she did learn they were fairly solid under their slimy exterior. Rather, she realized she’d veered off course in her sleep deprived haze, and was now surrounded, with the Minotaur charging ahead without her.

Applejack backed away, but the mud creatures pressed in, surrounding her. Something prevented her from striking them. Something in her wouldn’t let her use her sword, like the sword itself refused to harm them. She resorted to bucking them away, but it was hopeless. She was too outnumbered. Their bodies pressed ever inwards, crushing her. They didn’t seem to be attacking her, rather, they were attacking each other, and she was merely caught between them.

Applejack let out a senseless moan. She held her sword so it wouldn’t be pushed into her was well. The muddy things got closer. She couldn’t breathe anymore, and still she held the sword up. Hoping, praying for a miracle. Or at least that the Minotaur would come back.

Suddenly, the crushing stopped. In fact, the creatures seemed to be backing away. Tentatively, Applejack opened her eyes to see what was happening. She looked up and saw the Sword of Harmony was glowing brightly, just like it did when the six of them would use them. The light was forcing the creatures back. She know the Sword couldn’t do what the necklaces could with just her, Granny Smith had made sure they knew that, but something was happening.

A magical wind began to sweep up, buffeting the mud creatures. It grew stronger, pulling the mud away in chunks. The sword game one last flash before sending out a large wave of energy. It was nowhere near as impressive or powerful as the Elements had ever done, but it knocked the creatures back, cleaning the remaining mud off.

Finally Applejack could see what they were, and what they were, she didn’t like.

They were skeletons. Specifically, pony skeletons. She could see unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony skeletons fairly evenly dispersed throughout the crowd. Applejack thought she saw a winged unicorn in there as well. She didn’t count, but guessed there were at least a hundred there already, with more coming through the trees, still covered in mud.

Some had bits of rusty armor hanging from them. Applejack took a second to look at a couple and saw some had a crescent moon, while some others had a sun. She knew who they were now.

“Elements....” some of the skeletons her sword had knocked back groaned.

“Whah?” Applejack cried, backing away.

“Give us the Elements...” they moaned back.

Of course they want them. How ironic.

Several of the skeletons suddenly exploded in a shower of bonemeal. In their place stood the Minotaur, laying his sword on one shoulder.

“Sorry Ah’m late, but yee didn’t even bother tah call me,” he said.

“Ah know who they are!” Applejack shouted. “They want mah sword! It’s what they died fer!”

“So give it to em and let’s go!”

“Ah can’t. It’s too important!”

“Then come on!” the Minotaur said. He waved an arm, but Applejack was already running towards the opening he had made.

Together, they ran, the skeletal ponies right on their heels. They couldn’t move as fast, but they were everywhere now, and intent on catching Applejack. The ones with sun emblems knocked aside those with moon emblems and vice versa. The Minotaur made broad strokes, cutting them apart as they went.

“Feel free tah lend a hand anytime now, Lassy,” he grunted.

“Ah can’t,” Applejack replied.

“Now’s not the time tah feel bad fer yer kind.”

“The sword won’t let me. It’s never done this before. It must not want me tah hurt them.”

They finally broke free of the masses and found they had been right. The break in the cliff led to a narrow pass that hopefully took them out of the valley. Applejack and the Minotaur ran into the pass with the ponies still behind them

“They’re gonna keep followin’ us,” Applejack said.

“Aye, but they can’t keep up,” the Minotaur replied. Applejack skidded to a stop, and he looked at her.

“Ah have tah go back.”

“Ye be crazy, Lassy.”

“Yeah. Ah know.”

Applejack slowly walked back. She reached the front of the mass of skeletons and stood there. They seemed confused, and stopped, though the ones behind knocked them forwards a bit.

“Give us... Elements....” they moaned.

“Ah know whah yah fought,” Applejack said loudly, hoping they all heard her. “Ah’m here tah tell yah that the war is over. It’s been over fer two thousand years.”

“Eternal... Night....!” one skeleton with a moon emblem declared.

“Light.... is.... future....!” another, this one with a sun emblem retorted. The skeletons stopped paying attention to Applejack and started attacking each other.

“That works, now let’s get goin’,” the Minotaur said. Applejack hadn’t heard him follow her back.

“SHUT IT!” Applejack shouted as loudly as she could. The skeletal ponies stopped, mid fight and looked at her. “It don’t matter who won. Celestia and Luna are dead. Both of ‘em. They’ve been dead fer half this time. But if yah really must know, The Solar Empire won this war.”

About half of the skeletons cheered, the other half groaned.

“But listen!” Applejack shouted. “Celestia banished Luna to the moon fer a thousand years, and spent every day regretting it. They needed each other, and so do you! Look at the.... er... pony bahside yah. Yer all ponies. Sure we may fight from time tah time, but we’re all still ponies. If we ferget that, then what’s the point in anything?

“Ah’m sure yah both lost somepony yah cared about in the war. Somepony yah can never get back. Whah keep fightin’ when yah know yer doin’ that tah somepony else? In mah opinion, yah both lost the second yah started fightin’.”

“The Elements....” one groaned.

“Ah’m the last Bearer of Harmony. The rest are gone, but Ah won’t ferget what they meant to me. Friendship ain’t always easy, but it’s worth fightin’ fer. One ah mah friends said that once, and it’s true here, too.

“The War of Night and Day is over. Go and rest. Yah don’t have tah fight no more.”

The skeletons stared ahead. It was hard to tell if they could even understand her words, but they seemed to react when she spoke. She hoped they would turn and go back, or fall apart, or something. Something did happen. They began moving towards her.

“That was a nice speech, but Ah don’t think it worked,” the Minotaur said, backing up.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Applejack agreed. “Can’t say Ah didn’t try.”

The two turned tail and ran back through the pass. The thunderous sound of hundreds of hooves behind them echoed through the narrow rock walls. A few loose pebbles fell against Applejack’s hat, causing her to look up. There she saw the debris from an ancient mountain slide, hanging along the lip of the pass.

“Say, yah ever play baseball?” she asked between breaths.

“Once or twice back home, why do yah ask?”

“Batter up,” Applejack said. She pulled out her lasso and quickly snagged a melon sized rock. She pointed up and the Minotaur followed her hoof. He nodded and smirked when he caught on. He took a stance a few yards from her, holding his sword so the flat part would act as a bat.

Applejack slung the rock around and let it fly. The Minotaur connected and sent the rock flying up the rock walls where it hit the debris. Applejack hung around just long enough to make sure it was working before she ran to catch up. Thousands of pounds of dirt, rocks, and plants, fell into the pass behind them, burying many of the skeletons, and blocking the progress of the others.

After an hour of running, they slowed down and took a break. Applejack’s sides burned like never before. Her canteen was too low to drink from just now. She had to ration what little she had left. She looked at herself. She’d make just about anypony cringe.

Nearly her entire body was covered in mud. Her robes were torn a bit, but they were already mending. Her important belongings were all safe and clean inside her robe. At least it wouldn’t stain, but it was still annoying. She didn’t mind getting dirty while working, but after all that, she had mud in places she didn’t even know she had.

“They’ll never catch us now, even if they get out ah there!” the Minotaur cheered. “Great thinkin’, Lassy,” he said, slapping her on the back. The force knocked her to the ground, but she was too exhausted to care. “Yer alright. Next time we meet, drinks are on me.”

“Yah saved mah hide back there. Drinks are on me.”

“No, on me!”

“Ah insist!”

“No, as a gentlemen, Ah insist.”

“Chivalry is dead. Ah’m buyin’”

“No me!”

“Ah’m buyin’ and that’s final.”

“No, Ah am!”

Quick note for people who don’t read my other story, The Seven Tribes. In my view, winged unicorns, and alicorns are two different, but very similar pony types. The important differences are, alicorns live up to 10,000 years and are more powerful on average than all other tribes in terms of magic and strength. Alicorns are utterly extinct now. Winged unicorns live as long as other ponies and are typically weaker than members of other tribes. They are very, very rare, maybe a dozen are alive at any given time, but still exist. Celestia and Luna are alicorns, Cadence is a winged unicorn. They can be considered lesser alicorns if that makes you happy.

If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:

My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.

The Seven Tribes, a rather long fanfic that, like many stories, tries to explain the past.

Forever a Changeling, my new story starring Rainbow Dash as a changeling.

Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s surprisingly popular. It’s just one chapter long.