"Oh don't mind me. Please, I'm just enjoying the show. I didn't mean to interrupt, but the grief and sadness was just so... so... intoxicating I just had to drop in." Picking up a glass of chocolate milk, he drank the container before tossing the chocolate milk behind him. "Celly! Lulu! How long has it been? I've missed you. Come, give your old friend a hug will you?"

"Discord." Stretching herself to her full height, Celestia regarded the draconequus with a very flat look. "I am not surprised."

"Really?" Appearing beside the white alicorn, he leaned against her casually. "Because I could have sworn there was an itsy-bitsy tiny bit of surprise there."

Vanishing in a puff of smoke, he reappeared lounging in midair above Luna's head. "And Lulu, not even a hello? At least Celly was polite in acknowledging me."

A dark purple bolt slammed into the wall behind where Discord once stood.

"I shall rend you limb from limb," growled the dark alicorn as she struggled onto her hooves.

Clutching his stomach, he began laughing as though he had just been told the funniest joke in existence. Wiping a tear from his eye, it hit the ground and it ate straight through the rock.

"You two? Stop me? Please. You're weaker than a kitten right now. Why don't you just save me some trouble and turn yourselves to stone or something?"

"We think not." Stepping forward, I felt Gaia’s consciousness next to mine, giving me power and giving me strength. When we spoke it was not with the voice of one being, but two. Though we were apart in distance and ideals, in this matter we acted as one. Discord must be stopped.

Was this what it felt like to be a god? Even with just a third of Gaia's power linked to mine, it was like holding the sun in my hooves. All this power and energy – thoughts of magical advancements danced before my eyes.

"Hello Discord, long time no see.” Just the mere act of her speaking through me send shivers down my spine.

"Gaia." Stranding straight, his fingers opened and closed, magic sparking in his palms. "And here I thought you were dead."

"Let's just say it's amazing what can be done when the limitations of a body aren't involved,” I replied with a smirk.

"Girls, we'll hold Discord off, you need to hit her with the full powers of the Elements," said Celestia as her horn began glowing. "Lulu, do yo-"

"Don't worry about me, I have more than enough magic at my disposal. And it's good to see you again Gaia."

"Likewise," replied Gaia.

A huge yawn shattered the touching moment and there lounged Discord on a sun bed, sunglasses on his head and a magazine in his lap. "Please, no need to be so dramatic. I've been meaning to get a tan anyways, you have no idea what being petrified does to your skin do you? Horrible I say, completely and utterly ghastly. In fact, some may say it's the worst. Possible. Thing... Ever."

The three of us exchanged a nervous look, but nodded.

With Celestia at the front, we stood just behind her to form a triangle – an equilateral triangle. Behind us, the Bearers of Harmony rose off the ground, the waves of power being outputted shaking the entire castle to its core. Reaching deep into the earth, Gaia called the metal ores in the ground together while I melted it down to form support structures – it was so simple, so effortless, as though it was a basic telekinesis spell. Even then, the right side slipped dangerously down by an inch or three and the entire right wall slipped off the edge of the cliff. Glass shattered and the vibrations set my teeth on edge while the pain flaring along my back. It bought back memories of being tortured by Nightmare Moon and I just knew that if I closed my eyes, I’d see my hoof dangling by a single thread of muscle.

And still the intensity increased. The hum pressed down on me, as though gravity had been dialed up to eleven, forcing me to draw on Gaia's support to stand up right. Beneath their hovering forms, the ground cracked, forming a crater and the roof above their heads was disintegrated by the raw display of power. Before us, the sunglasses fell off his face and he stared at the Element's in wide-eyed shock.

Gaia and I couldn’t help, but smirk at him. Overconfidence is the bane of any creature; a lesson I learned the hard way.

The rainbow slammed into him and the sheer amount of magic used in the spell caused my entire body to flicker uncontrollably and waver as it threatened to break apart. I could feel every particle screaming at me to let them go, to let them drift apart into nothing, but I simply bent my will against it. But there was also a pressure against my body. As though some pony was wrapping me up and holding me together against my will. Was it Gaia? It was hard to feel her through the haze of raw magic, but she was still there. Somewhere.

Dropping onto one knee, a pained grunt escaped as a particularly strong wave caused my body to separate into fine particles. No! Not yet. I need to stay together, stay alive for a while longer. Gaia’s plan… our plan depended on it. Drawing every last shred of willpower I had, I reached out and forced my body back together again, but it wasn’t enough. And that’s when I felt it. A gentle wing that wrapped around my torso, holding my close against Princess Celestia. Taking a deep breath, power flooded through me once more and my body snapped back into shape.

"Sister... are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Luna's voice trembled as she spoke.

Eyes snapping across, my jaw soon hit the ground. The rainbow around Discord was slowly turning grey. It was like a parasite, slowly corrupting the harmony as it crept along. That’s… that’s impossible. Right? Gaia?

"That's... that's impossible," echoed Celestia with wide eyes.

"No time to deal with possible or not, we have to stop him!" Turning around, I tried to move towards my friends to warn them, but with each step I took, a wave of nausea and pain buffeted me. After a meager three steps, I was on the ground. Pain flared along every inch of my body, burning my soul to its very core. Dimly I was aware of a yell and then the pain was gone, leaving behind a memory. Another nightmare for my sleep it seems. Good thing I'll never sleep again then.

“-othing we can do. We can't risk destabilizing the Rainbow.” Though her words were hard to make out, I could just make out what Celestia was saying

"We have to try!" screamed Luna. "If that reaches the Elements, there's no telling what will happen."

"A disruption could wipe Equestria off the map!" replied Celestia.

"Looks like we'll find out either way," we commented as one.

The rate of desaturation increased exponentially and soon it was descending towards the group of ponies. Closing my eyes, I tapped Gaia's magic source and pushed her magic into the ground to hold it together. Around me, I could feel Celestia and Luna weaving together a safety net coupled with protective spells to keep the potential fallout contained. Reaching the base, a brilliant flash of light blinded them all, followed by an impossibly massive explosion. The only thing that stopped them from being tossed about was Luna's tether.

With a gentle breeze, the dust was blown away revealing a changed landscape. It was as though the top of the mountain had been cut off and ground to dust, leaving nothing behind, except the faint memory of a castle.

"Well now, I must admit your parlor tricks are amusing, but you're simply out of date." With a snap of his fingers, grape soda began raining down from the sky. “It’s time to give you a true show.”

“Ha!” Swaying on her feet, Trixie gave Discord an amused grin. “Trixie knows a thing or two about shows and she can tell you right now that you will fail miserably. You lack the spark.”

“It’s like flying,” smirked Dash as she stood proudly in the light breeze. “It doesn’t matter how many times you crash, what matters is getting onto your hooves and trying again. We won’t stop till you’re down because the entirety of Equestria is counting on us.”

“And ya all say Ah’m the stubborn one,” chuckled AJ while putting on her stetson. “Ya wanna know the honest truth Discord? The good mares always win.”

“As long as we’ve got hope, nothing can stop us.” A flick of her wrists, and Pinkamina’s blades appeared.

“I’m sorry Mister Discord, but-“

A sudden explosion shook the plateau, sending everypony except me onto their rumps. On all sides, purple and white flames illuminated the sky as random exploding items rained down on them from above. And there I was, standing tall and proud with the support of Gaia, eyes glowing white and flaming sword drawn. The rule in all good novels was that the villain waits for the heroes to finish their speech. But this was Discord and this was not a novel. The only thing that saved them from certain destruction was Gaia’s quick reaction. Opposite was Discord with a very surprised look on his face – a look that was mirrored by the two alicorns.

“The fires of friendship?” whispered Luna.

“Impossible, the last time that was cast was by Clover the Clever when she banished the Windego’s. There’s no possible way…” replied Celestia in an equally awed voice.

“Please, I’m not that clever or powerful.” I gave a bitter laugh. “These… these are the flames of a martyr. Goodbye girls, try not to get yourselves killed and don’t worry, Gaia and I have a plan.”

“What are y-“

Celestia was suddenly cut off as I teleported them as far away as I could safely manage. Then tilting my head ever so slightly to the right, an explosive can of soda brushed past, decimating the only wall still standing. Part of me was annoyed that Gaia stopped me from teleporting out of harms way, but I had to admit, it was cool. Without even looking behind me, I conjured a blade and sliced the tub of ice cream in half before stepping once to the right just before the kitchen sink would have hit.

It was efficient and effective. Well beyond what I could have done on my own, but I wasn’t alone was I? I had Gaia with me, guiding my every action and whispering words of wisdom in my ears.

“Gaia?”

“I am here.”

“Then let’s do this.”

Eyes glowing white, Gaia cast a spell through me, causing a brilliant golden dome comprised of foreign symbols encased the battlefield. With Gaia by my side, I could have closed my eyes and still danced around Discord’s bombardment of random exploding objects. With each second that passed, the explosions became more and more violent and we allowed ourselves a small smirk of satisfaction. Leaping into the air, I suddenly vanished only to appear beside him. With two quick slashes, I was gone once more.

Picking up his severed arm, Discord screwed it back into place.

“You like games, right?” asked I as welounged on a throne made from stone. “Because I’ve got a fun game for us. You try to get out while I stop you and if it takes longer than five minutes, I win.”

The stone chair shattered, but I stayed where I was, floating in midair.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Temper, temper.” Cancelling the spell, I landed gently on the ground. “And here I thought you were meant to be a fun loving Spirit.”

“Where are they,” growled Discord. “Where did you hide them!?”

Grinning like a maniac, I conjured two flaming swords.

“Make me.”

There was a pause before the draconaquues burst out laughing.

“Do you truly think I’m so stupid?” Wiping a tear from his eye, he suddenly appeared beside me, easily throwing me across the stage. “I know what your plan is and it won’t work. So why don’t you just tell me the answer and I can torture you later.”

The pony on the ground disintegrated and I allowed my invisibility spell to drop. Standing with my back to the Spirit, I chuckled softly. I didn’t need to win, all I needed to do was buy them time.

“You can’t win, Discord. Not with Gaia helping me.”

Turning around at the same time, a celestial sword clashed with a swordfish. Ducking low, I countered with a quick slice before skipping to the side. Shuffling in, I gave a series of rapid cuts and thrusts. Each blow was parried, each thrust was blocked. The ground beneath our feet splintered as we traded blows, but neither could gain the upper hoof. If it weren’t for Gaia’s memories, I had no doubts I’d have been killed ten times over. It took our combined minds to keep up with him and counter his chaotic fighting style.

Teleporting back out of reach, I regarded him silently.

Putting the swordfish into his non-existent pocket, he flexed his claws and an orb of flaming something appeared in one hand while a baseball bat appeared in the other. Tossing the ball into the air, he hit it with such force it broke the sound barrier. Dodging to the right out of pure instinct the ball blasted past.

”Twilight! Watch out!”

Eyes wiping to the side, my eyes widened as the spell made a perfect ninety degree turn to slam into me. Exploding into a sticky chocolate flavored gel, it stuck to everything it touched before slowly dissolving it. Stones, plants, dirt – it didn’t matter. If it was touched, it was slowly being reduced down to its base components.

I could feel it eating through my soul, slowly devouring it and siphoning the power off to Discord. Screams were torn from my throat and then… nothing. Numbness. Silence.Stillness. I had gone into shock or was this Gaia? Was this what Applejack felt when I toyed with her soul?

“Let me help.”

Handing over control, I felt my body break up, slowly dissolving into particles. For a brief moment panic overran my senses, then I remembered that we had a common goal and me dying would be contrary to that. So, I stayed back, watching as my body broke up before my eyes. Then, before my very eyes, the purple goop flowed past my almost non-existent body and a second later, I snapped back into shape.

Off in the distance, I could see Discord drinking something as he made his way towards the golden dome. Standing up slowly, I felt the aura around me strengthen as Gaia pumped more of her magic into me.

“And where do you think you’re going?” we said as one.

Turning around slowly, his eyes widened and a huge smirk danced on my lips. With a shake ofmy mane, the glow around me intensified even further and my eyes turned white. A beam of white light exploded out of her horn only to be deflected by a trash can lid. Turning in midair, the same beam suddenly slammed down into Discord from above, leaving a neat hole and a pile of ash on the floor.

Panting heavily, I watched as a dustpan materialized out of thin air, collected all the ash and then reformed itself into Discord.

“Ouch. That hurt,” he deadpanned as he cracked his joints one after another in quick succession to make a musical tune. “You know, I was saving these spells for those two annoying brats, but it seems like you really want to die don’t you?”

Snapping his fingers, a bowl of ice cream appeared before me.

“A complementary last meal before I rend you limb from limb, and don’t worry I’ll be getting that ice cream back soon enough.”

“Don’t mind if we do then.” Sitting down, I began eating and to our eternal amusement, Discord’s eye actually twitched. Taking a deep bite, I blinked in surprise. It actually tasted good. Very good in fact.

“Oh dear, I don’t think Discord wasn’t expecting that. As far as I know, no pony has ever taken him up on that offer.”

“We haven’t broken him have we?”

“I wish we had.”

“Enough!” The ice cream exploded, coating me in a sugary layer of deliciousness. “I am going to enjoy killing you.”

“Technically I’m already dead, but you’re welcome to try.”

Seven pulsating black orbs came to life around me, each one radiating enough magic to send me to the ground in pain. Tendrils of energy linked them together, forming a dome and beneath my feet, corrupt symbols appeared. This was not going to end well. Without a second thought, I cut all ties to my pain receptors and waited for the inevitable. The wonders of not having a body.

Slowly, the entire spell began collapsing in on itself even as bolt after bolt of energy was launched inwards until it was no larger than a pinprick. It was uncomfortable and it smelt disgusting, but at least there was no pain. Looking out through the spell, I watched as Discord picked up the small black ball and smirked. Without a second thought, he crushed it in the palm of his hand.

The resulting explosion turned the world completely black. Then, as light slowly returned, the world remained a dull monochrome as color slowly filtered back in.

Even with my nerves cut, it somehow managed to hurt. Everything hurt. Every single last part of my body felt as though it was on fire, as though I was being burnt alive while Nightmare Moon pumped me full of healing magic. I could feel the wind flowing through me, between each and every particle that constituted my soul. Agonizingly slowly, as though trudging through neck high mud, I managed to grasp the bits and pieces of her soul and dragged them together. Even with Gaia urging me on, so much had already been lost.

Too much.

Barely visible, my entire body faded into and out of existence with each breath I took. Twenty seconds – that's how long I had left before my soul completely fell apart. Maybe less, maybe more. And there above me stood Discord with a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he fanned himself.

"Really Gaia, did you think you could win against me? Pathetic."

Laughing, I grinned up at him as though it was some massive joke.

"You don't get it do you?" we asked as one. "Your power comes from disharmony. In fact, you soak it up like a sponge only to use it every time you cast a spell, you use slightly more up. Tell me, Discord, how much did you waste on stopping the Elements of Harmony in an attempt to break them? How much have you wasted fighting me? How much more do you have left?"

"Gaia?"

"I'm here for you, Twilight.

"It's time to end this. I need as much magic as you can spare."

"It's been a pleasure knowing you."

"Wish I could say the same."

"And perhaps more importantly," continued I without missing a beat, "how much will you waste recovering from this."

My soul. My magic. Gaia's magic. All three came together in a storm of infinite possibilities. Raising the sun was a slow discharge over time, this was a violent explosion within a split second. It was not flashy, it was not grand. There was no blast of light that illuminated sky or a loud explosion that could be heard on the other side of the world. For such things to happen, it would have inefficient – all that energy lost.

There were two things I did not do – tardy and inefficient.

It was small andcontained, no sound and no light. In fact, there almost seemed to be a vacuum that muted all that, almost as though it was taking energy from the outside world. It was a small magenta orb, no larger than a standard living room, which burnt for a mere split second before collapsing in under its own magical weight. A blink later, the air and light and color rushed in to fill the empty space creating a boom that echoed through Equestria.

Though only part of the land was touched, it shattered under the weight of the spell. And as surely as E = mc^2, the amount of energy in that spell generated an immense amount of mass and that meant gravitational pull. A pull so strong the ripped the mountain in half, and shredded the ground to floating platforms no larger than a dining room table.A gravitational pull so strong, that even after the spell faded out of existence, the slabs of earth stayed floating in the air, rotating around the spot where Twilight's spell once was.

As I lay there, specks of magenta breaking off like tears in the wind, I could feel the warmth slowly draining away.

"Don't leave me... please... Gaia... Don't.... don't leave me..." Tears stained my words.

"I won't. I'm here for you, Twilight." A soft sigh escaped as I felt the alicorn's gentle warmth next to me. "I'll stay with you till the end."

"Thank you..."

There was a pause as the duo waited for the inevitable.

"Will it... will it hurt? My soul breaking apart I mean." Breathing out, I watched as my hoof disintegrated.

"Of course not. It will be like drifting off to sleep. An endless sleep."

"That sounds lovely... There won't be... There won't be any nightmares will there?" I asked, in the same manner a filly might ask if there were any monsters under their bed.

"Only the sweetest of dreams."

Chuckling softly, a sudden cough caused the rest of my body to collapse.

"You're a terrible liar," whispered the wind.

"Damn it!" The entire tree toppled over from Dash's buck. "That stupid egghead! When I get my hooves one her, I'm going to... Going to... Argh! I'm going back for her."

"Not by ya'self ya isn't." Standing up, AJ dusted herself off. "Ah'm going with ya."

"I'm coming along too." Fluttershy looked down and pawed at the ground. "If that's alright with you..."

"I commend you all for rushing to her aid, but I am afraid I cannot allow that to happen," said Celestia, trying her hardest to keep the tears out of her voice. "You all need to rest up befo-"

"Buck you!" screamed Dash, wings trembling in fury. "Twilight died rescuing you and you let her name get dragged through the mud. And now! Now you're just going to sit here and do nothing while she's out there fighting for us! I used to look up to you, but you're just a coward!"

Eyes wide, the alicorn took half a step back. What else was she to do though? Equestria needed her, needed them to survive and fight another day. To go in now was suicide. They needed to retreat and regroup and take Discord on once they were at full strength. She was so useless, so powerless. She was meant to be a physical goddess and yet here she was, running away while her most faithful took Discord on by herself.

She needed... she needed more power. Closing her eyes, she reached out, searching for something, anything that’d give them an edge. But there was nothing except fear and disharmony. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash’s words came back to haunt her and in her mind’s eye, she could see Twilight doing all the vile things she had. Maybe if Celestia had been stronger, none of that would have happened.

Reaching out with a trembling hoof, she felt the disharmony, the anger, and pain in the world and it echoed with her own emotions. And somewhere, just on the periphery of her vision, she could feel the Nightmare watching silently, no doubt wondering if the alicorn was weak enough to be over. A cruel smile tugged on Celestia’s lips and before it knew what hit it, the Nightmare was ensnared within her magical trap. Drawing the creature slowly into herself, the white alicorn bound it with layer upon layer of runes. It struggled, it struggled so very hard, but it was weak from its recent defeat. It was like stealing from an old cripple.

Power. Yes, she needed power. The weak were trampled and killed. Only the strong survive. Only those with strength could protect their loved ones. If she had to drown in the vilest of sins, Celestia would gladly do so if it meant saving all those around her. Let her bear the burden of saving Equestria, just as her student had done so before her.

"C... Celly, you have to calm down. Please. Don't let your emo-"

"Silence!"Everything within a mile radius was flattened. At its epicenter was Princess Celestia, tears leaking down her cheek and body shaking from self-loathing. All the while, wisps of black smoke rolled out as she turned her draconic eyes on Rainbow Dash. "You know nothing. You are nothing."

"Sister, you have to fight it!"

"No." A darkness crawled over Celestia's fur, twisting itself and solidifying into a set of black armor modeled after briars. At the center of the chest piece was Twilight's memory crystal, pulsating with light. "We are not powerful enough to defeat him. We need more power. Tell me, dear sister, do you believe he can stand up to me when I've got the backing of the Nightmare?"

Wings flaring out, her feathers turned from white to a fiery yellow. Her mane was no longer the kiss of dawn, but rather the muted flames of dusk and her fur took on a darker tinge. The mare that stood before them was not the same Nightmare that Luna faced mere minutes before. This was something different, something strange, something that should not have happened and yet was.

She could feel it though. The power. The absolute, unadulterated power that coursed through her veins. Though the edges of her vision were cloudy and the tightness in her chest seemed to increase, she had power. Power to protect Equestria. Power to save Twilight. Sure, the Nightmare was weak and the link was barely there, but it was enough. All she needed was a bit of complex spell weaving to bind the Nightmare to her fully and then all that power would be at her beck and call. Throwing her head bad, a laugh escaped as she let her magic dance along her wing tips.

She was strong! No longer the weak trembling thing that she had been. She had power. Power to save them all.

Before the transformation could finish though, a bolt of rainbow slammed into Celestia, tossing her aside. No! She lunged after the Nightmare, after the threads that had once bound it, but it was too late. That one single hit shattered her tenuous hold on the Nightmare and it had immediately fled. It wanted to use a pony, not be used.

"Trixie does not care if you are the princess, but do that again and Trixie shall personally slap some sense into you."

All of the power, all of that magic – lost. Tears threatened to spill over the corner of her eyes as Celestia stared at the showmare in shock. Did she even realize what she had done? What she had condemned Equestria to?

Tears leaked down her cheek. What was the point of it anymore?

A light wing wrapped around Celestia's torso and looking up, she stared into Luna's concerned eyes. Opening her mouth to say something, her words suddenly died in her throat as she felt a second pair of wings around her and a second body pressed against her side. Turning her head ever so slightly to the right, she gazed into the kind eyes of Fluttershy who tenderly nuzzled her.

"I'm sorry Princess," whispered the shy pegasus, "but we can't just leave Twilight there. We did that when this entire mess started and look at where that got us. We have to go back for her."

"No," said Celestia as she stood up. "You six will get to Luna to safety and rest up. I'll get Twilight."

"No!" Coughing politely at the very unlady like explosion, Rarity looked at Celestia sadly. "I'm sorry Princess, it's just that we cannot sit idly by while our... friend... is in danger. Furthermore, you are not in a condition to be fighting at all. I must strongly protest your current course of action."

"We don't have time for this," growled Dash. "I'm leaving. I don't care who follows, but every second we waste is another second Twilight's alone with-"

The color vanished from the world. It was like a wave that rolled over the landscape, draining all the happiness and joy with it.

"Okay, definitely not waiting. We're leaving. NOW!" ordered Dash.

"But-"

"Sister, wait." Looking down at Luna, Celestia waited for the younger sibling to explain herself. "Look at their manes. They're moving against the breeze."

Moving against the breeze? That means...

"Maybe we do have a chance after all," whispered Celestia.

Rushing over, the two sisters joined the other ponies next to Rainbow. A single prismatic bolt of lightning hit the group, and when the light faded enough for Celestia to be able to see properly, they found themselves staring at a translucent golden dome.

"Twilight!" Pressing herself flush against the barrier, Celestia could make out a murky purple splotch on the ground. "Let us in! We can help."

“Shhhhhh...” All eyes turned to Pinks, who had her ear pressed against the dome. “I think I can hear them speaking.”

Following suit, Celestia pressed her ear against the spell.

“-think you could win against me? Pathetic," smirked Discord

"You don't get it do you?" they replied as one. "Your power comes from disharmony. In fact, you soak it up like a sponge only to and every time you cast a spell, you use slightly more up. Tell me, Discord, how much did you waste on stopping the Elements of Harmony in an attempt to break them? How much have you wasted fighting me? How much more do you have left? And perhaps more importantly, how much will you waste recovering from this."

“Get back!” Throwing out her magic, Celestia felt Luna’s power intermingle with hers, forming a completely opaque barrier around them.

One second there was an immense force threatening to rip the shield in half and the next, nothing. Cautiously dropping the shield, Celestia’s jaw hit the ground. Over half the mountain was gone, all that remained were floating remnants, slowly circling around where Twilight had been. Magic sparked between the empty air and if she squinted while looking at the sky, she could see the spirit realm just beyond her grasp.

She knew her most faithful was powerful, but this… Even with Gaia providing power it was awe inspiring. At max power, Celestia would have been hard pressed to do something on that scale.

“Your student is certainly… impressive…” remarked Luna in an awed voice. “I have not seen power on that level in a long time.”

“She was helped by a pony named Gaia though,” remarked the showmare. “Trixie has no doubt she could accomplish the same with help.”

“Keep telling ya'self that sugarcube.” Eyeing the platform to the right, the farmpony leapt across over the open space. “Ah take it we all heard what Twilight said?”

“Most certainly.Seems like we need to smack him around for a bit before using the Elements on him.” Following AJ’s lead, Rarity landed next to her. “Now to find that ruffian and end this once and for all.”

“Was that my cue?” Head snapping to the right, Celestia let out a beam of yellow, narrowly missing Discord’s head. “I shall take that as a yes.”

Snapping his fingers, a microphone appeared in his claw and the sky rippled like a pond. Instead of clouds or the sun or the moon, it showed a bird’s eye view Discord and them facing each other. Or rather, it showed them as well as second mosaic Discord.

“Ladies and gentlecolts! It is my pleasure to bring you this one time, exclusive show that has never and will never be seen again. I am your host for this evening, Discord! Don’t worry if you don’t know who I am, for your precious Princess Celestia has been a very naughty girl.” Above her head, a mosaic white alicorn appeared which was bent over mosaic Discord’s knee and promptly spanked.

Growling in annoyance, Celestia began weaving a spell. Let him laugh, soon he’ll be nothing more than a memory, then let’s see who was still laughing.

“Beside her, we have her estranged sister, Princess Luna!” Doubling over, laughter rolled out of Discord. “If only you could see your faces right now. Hehehehe… Anyways, we’ve The Elements of Harmony right here too. Say hello to the entire world!”

“Discord! Enough of this foolishness!” yelled Celestia.

“Oh Celly, always such a killjoy. Just look at this land. So ordered and bland. Just looking at it makes me sick.” With a snap of his fingers, the ground became checkered, trees floated upside down and cherries began falling upwards. “Much better! Isn’t this just so much more fun? And for all you watchers at home, don’t worry there’s much more fun where this came from! Today’s a special episode though and do you know what’s so special about it? Why, it’s the fight for Equestria and the rest of the world of course! After all, you all want me to be your ruler right?”

His voice suddenly took on a menacing tone. “Right?”

“Not right!” An arrow blasted through the draconaquues, leaving a neat round hole where his heart should have been. “A ruler requires generosity and you have none.”

“Yeah!” A bolt of lightning turned an arm to ash. “A ruler is loyal to their subjects and does stuff for them. What have you done? You’ve modeled the world after your own twisted fantasy.”

“This is not kindness.” Vines wrapped around his legs, trapping him in place. “Rulers have to be kind and all you’ve done is caused misery.”

“Ah can see right through you, Discord.” Multiple earthen spikes embedded themselves in his torso. “There ain’t a shred of decency or honesty within ya. Ya’re in this for ya'self.”

“Does Trixie have to say some inane thing or can we just get on with it?”

“Trixie! How could you? This is a pivotal moment in Equestria history and the entire world is seeing us. Surely a showmare like yourself knows the importance of… well… putting on a show,” complained Rarity.

“Well why don’t you tell that to the pink one.” As Trixie said this, Pinkie Pie went shooting past while squealing in delight.

A low chuckle cut off whatever Rarity was about to say.

“Look at your saviors! Gaze upon them and bask in all their glory.” Grabbing a spike, he pushed himself off it. “Attacking a defenseless draconaquus such as I without provocation or warning. And what’s this? Eight against one? What ever happened to fair play? One-on-one? Mano-a-mano? No? Where’s the justice in the world!?”

His head was suddenly blown off and he proceeded to wander around aimlessly, arms flailing and patting the location where his head used to be. After a couple of seconds, he reached into his shoulders and pulled out a new one.

“And that! That’s really annoying. You’re meant to wait until I’m-“ A blue orb blasted his head yet again. “Oh that is it! You want a fight? You’ve got one!”

The ground beneath their feet shattered.

Throwing open her wings, Celestia quickly wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy. Beside her, Luna and Rainbow Dash caught Pinkamina and Trixie respectively. On the far side, AJ threw out a lasso and roped herself and Rarity onto a nearby platform. As soon as their hooves touched the ground, it turned to cotton candy, trapping the two.

“Hello friends.” Appearing beside the two, Discord pressed blasted them off the cliff. The only thing that saved their lives was the dark blue shield surrounding them.

Luna could help catchthem, or Rainbow Dash for that matter. There were far more important things Celestia needed to take care of. Like killing Discord.Releasing the spell she prepared earlier, she began swooping around him, leaving a trail of yellow orbs in her wake. They hovered there for a moment before flying in. Pulling out a baseball bat, Discord returned the orbs to Celestia and she was forced to weave through the sky. Spinning to the side, she felt the her fur char as one orb passed particularly close. At the same time, a rainbow blur blasted past, slamming into Discord and discharging enough electricity to make Celestia's mane stand on end. Disengaging, multiple projectiles slammed into him from three different directions as Luna, Rarity and Trixie bombarded him.

Pulling electricity from the sky, the white alicorn mixed it with her magic.

Rope swinging out, AJ snared Discord's leg and a vine appeared from the right thanks to Fluttershy. Two more appeared from the unicorn duo, effectively trapping him. With a smirk, a beam of swirling electricity and magic slammed into Discord and Luna followed it up with a fireball from above so large, it would have made a dragon jealous. The two spells clashed together, exploding with enough force to toss all those flying back.

"You know? That almost kinda hurt." Grabbing his restraints, Discord melted them into goop. "My turn."

Balls of fizzing grape juice shot out from his palms. Tucking and dropping, Celestia dropped out of the path of the attack only for three orbs to peel off and chase after her. Moving under a floating island, she darted under Trixie as the showmare leapt to a new island. Flipping onto her back, Celestia fired off a single bolt of magic and one of the orbs exploded.

"Look out!"

Glancing up, Celestia's eyes widened as Rainbow Dash shot towards her, two orbs on her tail that were quickly gaining. With a maniac grin, the alicorn zoomed upwards, aiming directly at the pegasus. Soon a similar smirk was plastered all over Dash's face as she realized the plan. Closer and closer the two got, Celestia's heart hammering in her chest as she felt a thrill from ages past. Working from muscle memory, she suddenly twisted to the side and belly brushing belly, the two sped past each other. Putting on extra speed, the alicorn tuckered her wings and just managed to fit between the two dark orbs.

Three seconds later, an explosion threw her to the side.

Twisting and turning, it took a while, but in the end she righted herself. Glancing up at the sky, she watched as Luna phased through an island, the purple goop dissolving it into nothing. Off on the other side of the field was Trixie and Rarity, busy shooting the projectiles out of the sky. Below them was Fluttershy who destroyed the spell with a single glare. Though Applejack couldn’t be seen, the explosion told Celestia that the farmpony was doing fine on her own.

Lastly was Pinkamina, mouth wide open, she ate all three balls of grape juice and dropped on the central platform. Darting in, her blades blurred in a frenzy of slashes and trusts. With swordfish in hand, Discord easily parried every blow. Though she was fast, Discord was much faster. Two fighters twisting reality at a whim as they dueled each other. But Discord had much more practice.

Pinkamina was losing.

Celestia would not let this happen. She could not let this happen. She was expendable, but the Bearers most certainly was not. But Celestia was tired, so very tired. Her wings were leaden and her magic was a mere puddle rather than the ocean of power. The fight with the Nightmare had taken too much out of her and now she was powerless.

Useless.

No. She remembered Twilight’s memories – everything she had sacrificed to get them all to this point and everything she had done to save Equestria. If Celestia did anything less than that then it’d mar her memory of Twilight. Anything less than what her most faithful had done would have been unsatisfactory.

From somewhere deep inside her, power welled up, filling her very being. Tucking her wings, Celestia dropped straight down. With each inch that passed, she drew more and more of the electricity around her then amplified it with her magic. Reaching out to the sun, she wreathed her body in a solar light before slamming into a barrier Discord conjured. Everything around it cracked and splintered, but not the shield. Taking back into the air, Luna was immediately by her side.

“Perhaps if we worked together?” asked Luna.

Nodding, Celestia threw her wings open and drew the solar energy into her body. Beside her, Luna began glowing a faint white as she did the same with her moon. Channeling it into her body, a warmth spread through the white alicorn, banishing all weariness and dark thoughts she might have had.

“Ready Lulu?”

“Always.”

Twin beams of white and yellow wove together into a single blast. Hitting the shield, it buckled and warped under the pressure. Then, like rubber, it snapped back into shape, flinging the spell straight back the sisters. Eyes wide, the two dived to opposite sides. Feathers singed and trembling from the near hit, Celestia’s eyes narrowed.

She would not be useless. She would not sit around and do nothing. Pinkamina was covered in cuts and bleeding profusely, barely able to stay on her hooves and Princess Celestia was not going to fail her subjects.

“Pinkie!”

Looking down at Dash’s yell, she could only watch helplessly as Discord wrapped a claw around the pink mare’s face. Though a blade was buried in his shoulder, he just looked on in amusement while lifting her high into the air.

“Did you really think you could win? It’s been fun, but sadly it’s gotten boring.” A pink bolt exploded out from the back of Pinkie’s head and with a simple toss, her body fell off the edge of the cliff. “You’ve been a good toy, but sadly all toys are eventually thrown away.”

“You… you monster!” With tears streaming down her face, Rainbow Dash took off. She left behind trail of concentric circles and blast of wind so strong, islands were pushed back and all those in the air were forced to land.

“No!” Luna raced after her with Celestia close behind, but with the speed Dash was moving at, it was a futile gesture.

Slamming into the platform the draconaquus stood on, a sonic rainboom exploded outwards. A blink later, Dash came in from the left and a second rainboom filled the air again. And then another. And another. And another. Over a dozen times she hit Discord, leaving all those watching stunned at the speeds she was moving at. Slamming into him one last time, a plume of rainbow smoke clouded everything.

Eyes wide, Celestia kicked off and channeled every single last drop of magic she had into making herself go faster. But even then it was too slow. Before she had managed to close half the distance between them, a sharp crack echoed through the air as he effortlessly snapped Dash’s neck. Summoning both Pinkie’s and Dash’s necklace, he held it high into the air. A second later the gems turned grey then black and the entire Element turned to ash.

“No…” Though Fluttershy spoke in a whisper, it carried over the silent sky. “No… You- You… You bastard!”

“Me?” Discord appeared beside the pegasus, swordfish stabbed through her throat. “I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Luna! Get them out of here. I’ll hold him off for as long as possible.” Aiming a teleport at Discord, Celestia suddenly found herself on a random island on the other side of the battlefield. Blinking, she tried again with the exact same results.

A massive explosion illuminated the sky and looking up at the sky, she watched helplessly as the four remaining Element Bearers fought Discord while Luna was locked out. Swearing under her breath, Celestia kicked off and raced towards them as fast as her wings could carry her. All the while she kept an eye on the sky and prayed the three of them together would stay alive long enough.

It was short lived.

Within seconds, three dead ponies laid at his feet. Trixie had been burned alive and Applejack was missing her head. As for Rarity... well... Celestia didn't want to think about that one. Just like before, the Elements circled around his head and just like before, they turned to dust. All except the Element of Magic. Instead, it ended up on his head while he posed for the entire world to see.

"Do you think this makes me look fat?"

"Discord!"

Howling in rage, Celestia wreathed herself in flames and tackled the monster to the ground. Instead, she hit a chocolate replica that stuck her feathers together and glued her to the ground. With a bit more magic, her flames soared to new heights, evaporating the brown liquid. Climbing back onto her hooves, she was suddenly thrown to the side as Luna slammed into her. Suddenly, Discord was there, hoot against their throats as he slowly choked the life out of them.

"Gaze upon your princesses now Equestria! Gaze upon the pitiful excuse for a goddess!" Grinning sadistically, he pressed a finger against Luna's forehead. And from the epicenter, a wave grey slowly rolled out. "Let's see how you enjoy getting turned to stone."

"No! Luna!" Grabbing every single last shred of magic she had, Celestia flung it at Discord. Golden light exploded in all directions and when it faded, he stood there with sunglasses over his eyes.

"So weak and useless aren't you?" chuckled Discord. "But don't worry, Equestria won't have such a useless pony in charge of the sun anymore." With a snap of fingers, it was suddenly night. "They'll have me – the fun loving Spirit."

Leaning casually against her petrified sister, Discord fanned himself casually. "So, any last words? That's how things work right?"

"Final words?" A plan began forming in her mind. "Why not? Might as well go out with a bang right? Something witty or amusing or historically important, am I right? Well then how about this then."

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the sky with a serene look on her face. "Dear Equestria, this is your Princess Celestia speaking. I... I have not been the best leader nor the most truthful. However, I have been honest with you – not once have I worn a mask to deceive you. I have been generous with my time and gave my wisdom to all who sought it and kindness motivated my every action. Every law I made was with the idea of promoting laughter in the world and I was as loyal to you as you were to me. And through all that, I made Equestria a magical place to live.

"Now... Now it's your turn to return the favor. Look to your friends, your family, your lovers. Look to them and find honesty, generosity, laughter, kindness, loyalty and magic. And with all that power in your hooves, find harmony. We can win. We will win. We will prevails just as we prevailed in the past. This is our darkest day, but the stronger the darkness, the stronger the light. That light is our spirit. Never give up hope."

"Oh gag me." Discord mimed throwing up. "I give you a chance to say something funny and go out with a bang! What do you do instead? Some harmony garbage."

Pressing a finger against her forehead, Celestia felt a numbness spreading over her body.

Her very last thought – the same thought that'd echo in her mind for all eternity – was how she had failed everypony. How she failed Equestria. How she failed her sisters. How she failed the Element Bearers. How she failed Twilight. The world was doomed and it was all her fault.

If only she was stronger. If only she had convinced them to hide and rest up rather than go back for Twilight.

If only...

Cadence and Shining stared up at the sky in shock. Huddled together, with her wing wrapped around her fiancé, the two turned and faced each other. With a tender nuzzle, they snuggled closer together and let out a trembling sigh. They would give their life up for Equestria. They would take up the fight and never give up.

Two lovers beneath the night sky made a final promise to never leave Equestria hanging.

Clad in his uniform, Soarin stood above the bed of an injured Spitfire. Cuts, bite marks and broken bones littered her body. If he didn’t know better, he’d assumed she’d been thrown in a hurricane set to high power. Tears leaking down his cheek, he nuzzled his longtime friend, but got no response. Not even a bit of stirring. Not that he expected it, after all, she was in a coma, but still… A part of him… a small part still had hopes.

In the dark room, deep in the heart of the mountain, the Wonderbolt vowed to do give everything he had to help Equestria just like she had, even if that meant giving up his life.

Alone in the dark, Gilda stood above the Silvia’s grave. Killed in a senseless war that had nothing to do with them for ponies she didn’t even know. A senseless death in every sense of the gryphon word, but… Some part of her was proud of her sarcastic friend. Probably a result of spending too much time with ponies, but perhaps they were onto something. From everything she had been told though, it was an epic way to go out and they were already telling stories about Silvia. Bowing her head, Gilda remembered her friend’s kind nature that was hidden behind that bristly exterior.

Maybe one day the gryphoness could live up to her friend’s example.

A wall eyed Pegasus limped through the sea of ponies, looking for her lost daughter. Just the thought of her precious muffin being all alone and afraid sent her heart to her throat. Nudging ponies out of the way, she screamed her daughter’s name at the top of her lungs. And there, just off to the left, she heard a familiar voice. Barging her way between two ponies, a small grey and yellow unicorn leapt into Ditzy’s hooves. Heart a flutter and a grin on her face, the mother held her precious daughter close. Just seeing the smile on Dinky’s face made all the trials worth it.

As long as she lived, she would not let a single frown touch the brow of any pony.

Four mares sat together, huddled together in an attempt to ease their fears. Two pairs of lovers, drawing strength from each other – the best of friends and yet greatest of rivals. A DJ, a cello player, a lyrist and a candy maker, praying for the nightmare to end. In each other’s arms, it felt as though they could take on anything and always win.

As long as they were alive, they’d remember their friendship and the trials they overcame together.

All over Equestria the story was the same. Ponies stared up at the projection on the sky, praying it was a lie, but knowing it was not. They loved her warmth and tenderness and wisdom and everything about her. So they did as she bid. They remembered and dreamed and hoped and wished and prayed. Days of kindness and nights of honesty, when friends were loyal and strangers generous, where every pony laughed, while magic filled every aspect of their lives. Everypony in Equestria looked to the sky and did the same thing. All those dreams and hopes came together, calling out to the Spirits in anguish.

And somewhere in the Spirit Realm, atop some structure, stood a Spirit. It was not a pony, nor was it a creature that anyone had ever seen before. In fact, it had no body, nor a fixed shape for that was the realm of bodies and physical substances. Why limit oneself to a form needlessly?

But that was neither here nor there and so the Spirit sat, watching as the sky and earth and sea shifted before its eyes. Truly, the dreams and hopes of sentient species was a wonderful thing. To think, the will of such fragile things could have such effects. Off in the distance, it could see six beams of light reaching to the sky. Where it touched, the sky rippled and shifted, twisting on itself as it answered the collective cry of Equestria.

Oh yes, sentient creatures really were interesting things.

A smile tugging on its lips, it turned away from the scene before it. At first, it thought interfering would be a bad idea and it spent days? Months? Years? Time was meaningless here. But yes, it spent a long time contemplating whether or not it should interfere and the best way of doing so. In the end, it had decided to help and there was nothing quite like watching a plan come together. Was interfering a good thing? Maybe. As long as Discord didn't find out, it would be worth it.

Whistling a merry tune, it sprouted a pair of leathery wings and took to the sky.

Now it was time to watch the grand finale.

Discord hummed a merry tune as he sat on his chocolate throne. There was no need to hurry, no need to rush along and go out there, right this moment to crush any insignificant resistance that may be brewing. After all, he had defeated the Elements of Harmony and there was nothing in the world stronger than that. With a happy sigh, he picked up his soda from Celestia's head and took a small sip.

It was good to be a god.

And then, that's when he felt it. A tremble that reverberated through the entire world. It was an echo of a long forgotten nightmare and Discord did not like it at all. It felt... nice. Cute even. In fact, he'd go as far as to say it was adorable. Just the mere thought of the word sent a shudder of disgust through his body.

Snapping his fingers, a pair of inverted binoculars appeared in his paws. Bringing them to his eyes, he began scanning the sky for the source of the disturbance only to find-

Wait. There it was. A pillar of pink and- Wait, was that a blue pillar? And a red one and a yellow one and a rainbow one and light blue one. Well now, that was curious... Then again, this was chaos! What was the fun in making sense anyways? None, that's how much.

Still... it was a curious sight and yet something about it seemed off. What was the color of their cutie marks again? Such silly things with such nausea inducing names – cutie marks. Really? That was something he needed to do, go back in time and kill the stupid pony who came up with that name.

As much as he wanted to wallow in his victory, he knew better than to not investigate. After all, he lost last time due to overconfidence and considering the amount of magic radiating out from those beams of light, it was something big. And something...

He tapped his chin as a parachute erupted him his back, letting him effortlessly drop down onto the ledge below.

Eyes widening in shock, he teleported over to the pillar of light and sure enough, it encased the body of one those Element Bearers. With a feral snarl, he threw an exploding sink at it only for it to have no effect. Frowning, he pressed his palm against it only for pain to sudden explode through his entire body. Howling, he stumbled back. With his eyes closed, he drew every single last shred of disharmony in the world into his body and though it hurt to contain all that raw emotion, he held it like a pro. Just before he released it though, the pillar of light exploded outwards, sending him tumbling off the island.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” Discord’s eyes snapped to the sky and watched as a cartoon version of an alicorn pink mare bounced onto screen. “It is our pleasure to return to you once more with this once in a life time show! We are Pinkamina Diane Pie, the Spirit of Laughter, and it is our great pleasure to be your announcers for tonight.”

Reaching out with his magic, he tried to change the channel, but it was no use. Somehow, she had managed to lock him out. Instead, he could only watch helplessly as his dumbfounded expression was cast all over the world.

How though? How were they alive? How had they come back? Just… just how? He could break reality; he could snap it in two, make four balls out of it, and then juggle it while singing the opening theme song backwards. But bringing dead ponies back to life as alicorns? That was just absurd. And yet there they were. Six alicorns standing across from him on a slightly higher island.

“In the red corner, we have our heroes who were brought back by your collective will, the Spirits of Harmony! In the blue corner, defending champion and the biggest meanie-mac-meanie pants, Discord! It’s winner takes all!” cried Pinkie as fireworks exploded in the background. “Ready? Fight!”

There was a pause.

The pink mare suddenly leaned close to the screen and whispered in an exaggerated manner, “Psssst, that’s your cue Discord.”

Ha! As if. Conjuring a throne, he sat down casually and put his sunglasses back on.

“Must we do this again? Last time was no fun so why should I bother?” The throne he sat on suddenly melted into nothing, but he stayed in midair, filling away at a chipped nail. “You know, that’s really rude right?”

Snapping his fingers, he appeared beside the ground and released a wave of orange juice. It was immediately devoured by the pink one and before Discord react to the fact that a pony just ate acid, Dash and AJ were in his face. Stetson on her head, she was like a brick wall, taking blows that most ponies would not survive. All the while, Dash was a chromatic blur, snapping out from behind her friend to land a series of quick blows before vanishing once more.

Deftly avoiding and blocking each blow, Discord took the time to cover his yawn with a paw before spinning to the side. The bolt of blue energy flew harmless past. Stepping in, he grabbed AJ’s overextended hoof and casually threw her over his shoulder. Turning on the blue one, his swordfish was suddenly within her guard and aimed directly for her throat. A single arrow suddenly hit his weapon, pushing it just far enough off course to miss. In that split second, Dash zipped in and bucked him straight in the chest.

Flying back, he slammed into an island and immediately contorted his body into a pretzel shape. Each and every single last arrow missed, though a few did graze his fur. Then summoning a baseball glove, he caught the ball of energy Trixie cast and immediately pitched it back. Standing sideways on the side of the island, he twisted to the right and caught two pink crystalline blades on his swordfish. Creating a second one, he immediately attacked Pinkamina with a series of rapid thrusts and slices, all the while keeping her between him and the others.

Skipping back, he ducked down low just as a bolt of lightning went past. Instead of hitting him though, Pinkamina caught it with her blades and bought them down. Sparks danced in the night sky as their weapons clashed against each other. Each and every single time he went in for a counter attack, an arrow or spell would slam into his weapon.

With a frustrated snarl, a cane appeared in his off hand and he lunged in. Throwing up a shield as he did so, he went in for the kill. Weapons blurring, his attacks battered against Pinkamina’s defense, easily snaking through. A knick here, a cut here – just like before, he was slowly winning.

And then his shield shattered like a glass panel.

Skipping back, the pink alicorn released a blinding flash of light.Crying out in pain; he snapped his fingers and reappeared on a distant island. Looking up at the sky, his eyes widened as he watched Fluttershy raise off the ground, the stone statues of Celestia and Luna slowly cracking as his spell was undone.

Teleporting over, he suddenly felt himself slam into an invisible wall. Peeling himself off, he began raining exploding grape soda from the sky while throwing out black blades. Everything it touched corroded and turned to dust. But still the two former unicorns danced through his attack while launching their own. Projectile hit projectile, showering the battlefield with clouds of random colors. All the while, Pinkamaina and Dash expertly wove between the attacks and were rapidly closing the gap. And to top it off, he was forced to constantly move as Applejack turned the very earth on him.

Drawing both cane and swordfish up, he took the brunt of Pinkamina's attack on one while spinning to the side and blocking Dash's electrically charged hits. It travelled along the metal cane and diving under a wide slice, he came up behind Pinkamina. Though the cane missed, it released the stored lightning in an arc that tore the ground. Cutting it in half, the pink mare was suddenly back in his face. Leaning back ever so slightly, the attack should have missed entirely, but instead a shallow cut ran along his chest.

How had tha- Of course. Now he could see it. An inch just past her blade, there was a shimmer as though the very fabric of reality was being cut along the edge of the weapon.

All of a sudden, the two alicorn's leapt backwards and he immediately teleported away. The island he was standing on was completely flattened by a glowing red paw belonging to a dragon. A dragon made entirely out of magma. On its head, no larger than its eye, stood Applejack, eyes glowing brightly.

What. The.

There was insanity and chaos and then there was this. And by this, he means something so ridiculously over the top it wasn't even funny. At all. And he knew funny.

Behind them stood Fluttershy as she tried to free the Princesses from his spell and beside her stood Rarity and Trixie with their horns ready. There was no way she could break the enchantments, they were stronger than what the Elements of Harmony put on him. But he did not get so far by being careless. Six alicorn's weren't an issue, but eight of them would make things a bit hairy.

A roar drew his attention back to the dragon just in time to avoid a jet of flames. Effortlessly slicing through it, he burst through in a shower of flames and fury only for reality to be torn asunder before him. Skidding to a stop, he leaned back just as Pinkamina's crystalline blade popped through. As suddenly as it appeared, it vanished again.

A dozen such rips suddenly appeared around him and before he knew what was happening, a pink blur shot out of one. Before he could counter, she vanished into another portal only to pop out of yet another one. Again and again she dashed past, each time leaving a shallow cut on his body. Each time she got faster. Each time she got closer to landing a severe hit.

And then nothing. All the portals were simply gone.

Hovering in midair, his eyes darted about,looking for the next attack, but none came. There was Pinkamina standing beside AJ. Those three were still beside Celestia and Luna and Rainbow Dash was...

Wait, where was Rainbow Dash?

The sky was suddenly filled with storm clouds. Cyclone after cyclone descended from the sky, buffeting them around and tossing the islands about as though they were toys. That's when the lightning started – if it could be called that at all. It was closer to beams of pure electricity. Each one was the width of a living room and the air around them was ionized and distorted beyond recognition. That wasn't even mentioning the razor sharp shards of ice that were flung everywhere.

There was overkill and then there was this.

Forced to throw up a shield, he layered it with chocolates and bubblegum and all things nice. Thrown around like pinball, he bounced from island to island, and swirled around tornados, picking up speed the entire time. Then he aimed for the molten dragon that was shielding the alicorns. Slamming into it from the right, he tore through its neck before hitting a tornado and getting flung back around. Though it had reformed slightly, it wasn’t enough and the next blow severed the head entirely. Swing around again, he pierced through the torso and once he was at the center of it all, he exploded his shield outwards, tearing the entire thing to shreds.

But where were the damn alicorns?

He felt it before he saw it. A magical pressure wave that threw him back and then, the storm was gone. Looking up, he watched as a hole grew in the storm clouds and at the centre was a single arrow, leaving behind a trail so bright it might as well be a miniature sun. Reaching its apex, it began descending. Three runes faded into existence and striking the first one, the single arrow was multiplied a hundredfold. Striking the second rune, each arrow multiplied by another hundred. Then hitting the final rune, the number increased yet again.

If it wasn't for the fact that each arrow pulsed with its own intense glow, all the light would have been blotted out the rain of arrows. The rain of a million arrows. Surely that was overcompensating for something. Rubbing his temples, Discord pulled out his trash can lid and readied a spell. Holding out the palm of his hand, a grey tornado came out. Instead of sucking all the arrows in though, the majority of them simply cut through as though it was nothing. With a frown, he snapped his fingers and twisted reality. Distances changed, locations altered, and an entire city block floated in mid air above him.

Sure, the first building was cut through without an issue as was the second and third, but hey. There were lots of buildings and Discord could summon them all day. After the fifth or sixth city block (he got bored and lost count at three), all the arrows were finally stopped.

The fact that they then exploded took him completely by surprise. Dust and rubble rained down in all directions only to be swept up in a tornado that completely surrounded him. And somewhere in that mess was a pink mare wielding two very sharp blades. She bounced around from platform to platform, doing impossible stunts as she went in to attack Discord. Worst of all, in the centre of it all was a giant stone dragon. Slow moving, but a single hit could kill an ursa major.

At the centre of it all a very pissed of Spirit trying to stay alive.

With a scream of primal fury, a grey explosion expanded out in all directions, consuming everything in its path. Panting heavily, Discord stood alone on his little island while the alicorns huddled together under a protective barrier. With a sadistic grin, he wrapped them up in a ball of darkness and began compressing. Fitting really, the same spell that killed their friend would now kill them.

Except there was something wrong. There was a something pushing back against the collapsing walls, forcing him to pump more magic than necessary into the spell. A crack suddenly appeared. And then another and another. Fractures lined the black sphere and he felt something akin to surprise. He spent years creating and perfecting that spell. It was his ultimate spell, the spell that could had the potential to destroy anything and yet, here it was, getting undone before his eyes.

Twin bolts of moonlight and sunlight hit the dark sphere, shattering it in a single hit. Eyes darting up, Discord watched the remnants of his petrification spell was shaken off. That was impossible! Impossible! He was the God of Chaos, he knew the laws of universe and he broke them left, right and centre. He knew that the petrification spell was impossible to break. Not even the Elements should have been able to break it and yet that alicorn! That puny, shy, disgustingly adorable alicorn had broke it.

Those insects! Those sniveling, worthless insects! They were going to pay. Oh, he was going to make them pay. Paws glowing with unearthly light, the color was drained from the entire world. The wind picked up and a chill permeated the very fabric of reality as he bent it to his will.

He was a god. The God. All shall bow before him.

Spells and arrows rained down on his location, but they all turned to ash mid flight. Winds whipped up, a cyclone of pure disharmony forming around him. Rising off the ground, he pulled all the disharmony he had and focused it into a single point. Off in the distance, he was dimly aware of the alicorns charging up their Elements, but it was a futile gesture. He had power. So much power. So much disharmony. Eight Spirits? Ha! The mere thought of being taken down by eight of them was absurdity in itself. Bring on a hundred and he'd still win.

Focusing all that disharmony into a single spell, a complex rune appeared before him. The ground he stood on cracked and splintered, but he didn't care. They were ants. Ants! Bah. Just look at them with their special spell. Sure, it was only six complex runes layered on top of each other and sure, Luna and Celestia were augmenting it, but come on! They couldn't defeat a God.

"Hey, Discord!" yelled the Dash. "Taste the rainbow!"

A prismatic beam shot out, distorting the very fabric of reality around it as it broke the laws of physics. Meeting it half way was a beam that drained the light out of the very world. The two clashed together, pushing and straining against each other in a contest of dominance. Then, ever so slowly, the rainbow crept forward.

Eyes wide, Discord dug his feet in and with everything he had. But still he made no progress. With every second that passed, it inched closer, slowly beating him back. For the first time in his life, Discord felt a fear so primal, he wanted to run and hide. And then, the beam was on him. It shred him apart like a rabid beast, tearing into the very fabric of his being and flooding with enough positive emotions to kill a litter of kittens.

"So... is that it?" asked Rarity calmly.

"Is that it!?" Dash was fluttering around uncontrollably. "We just kicked major flank! Did you see that beam? Totally awesome."

"Yes, it is indeed over." Celestia was sprawled on the ground next to Luna. "Much was lost and much was sacrificed, but at the end of the day, we won."

"Much was gained also," replied Luna with an equally tired nuzzle to her sister.

"Yes... yes it was." Looking up at the six alicorn's before her, a smile graced Celestia's lips. "Six new alicorns." A chuckle escaped. "Maybe I can finally take a vacation after a thousand years."

"Oh..." Fluttershy's eyes grew wide. "Oh dear. We're Princesses now aren't we?"

"I know!" squealed Rarity. "Isn't it absolutely the most fabulous thing you've ever heard?"

The only reply she got was the yellow alicorn dropping over in a dead faint.

"Oh dear. Fluttershy? Darling?"

"Ah think ya scared her sugarcube." Chuckling, the former farmpony slung a forehoof around Pinkamina's shoulders. "Ah think this calls for a celebration. Don't ya?"

"Yeppers peppers! The biggest, awesomest, superest, craziest, funnest party you've ever seen!" Turning to look straight at the sky that was still projecting everything, Pinkamina Diane Pie put on the biggest grin any pony had ever seen. "And you're all invited!"

"So what next Princess?" asked Dash. "What do we do now?"

The two original alicorn's exchanged a look before Luna replied, "We rebuild. A stronger, better, more harmonious Equestria."

Nodding, Celestia gazed across the land. "And I happen to know of a certain castle in the Everfree Forest that we can use. Once we clean it up of course."

"We'll need food. Winter's coming and with the war..." Applejack gazed off into the distance. "We'll also need to hold a mass funeral service. So many died..."

"Yeah..." Dash's shoulders slumped. "I wonder if they'll forgive me... Forgive us..."

Silence.

"But Equestria survived right? That means we can rebuild it. Right?" Dash almost sounded desparate.

"If we have enough money" sighed Celestia. “Last I checked we didn’t have enough for the amount of extensive rebuilding we’re needing to do and considering the gryphon’s helped, they’ll no doubt demand something out of it. Probably territory knowing them.”

“But...” Dash looked torn. “Surely they wouldn’t? I mean, Nightmare Moon and Discord would have-”

“Ha!” A bitter laugh left Celestia’s mouth. “I forgot you haven’t been in politics as long as I have. Trust me, everything has a price. Isn’t that right, Luna. Luna?”

"Will I..." Luna looked off the side. "Will I be accepted? After everything I've done?"

"That wasn't you though," snapped Pinks. "You were being all mind controlled and stuff. Right?"

"But-"

"No buts." Celestia wrapped a possessive wing around her sister's shoulder. "Plus, they saw you fighting for Equestria. And..." Tears pricked the edges of her eyes. "And Twilight planned for it. The story Equestria will be told is that she summoned the Nightmare from Tartarus and... and..."

"Oh." Dash's eyes were wide as she stared at the Princess. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

Shaking her head, Celestia gave Dash a small smile. "No. It's fine. You are Loyalty so your reaction was not a surprise to me."

"You mean Twilight...? But... but why?" Tears rolled freely down Luna's cheek. "My friend. My only friend. My first friend."

"Princess." A Trixie placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "If you wish, Trixie is more than willing to be your friend."

Jaws hit the ground at that pronouncement.

"What?" snapped the showmare. "Is Trixie making friends an impossibility or something!?"

"No! Not at all darling, it's just... well-"

Applejack shoved her hoof into Rarity's mouth. "It's just you've come a long way from where you once was. That's all."

"We all have," replied Dash with a smile.

"Yep!" Pinkie Pie suddenly bought them all together into a group hug before Trixie could say anything. "Tonight is a night of celebration and new beginnings. And that means... PARTY! The day is young, the night is long and together we can do anything! Come on, Equestria is waiting for us."

Jumping off the island, she somehow managed to bounce and glide at the same time.

"But some things will never change," chuckled AJ as she opened her wings. "And Princess Celestia? We're here for you. We all are."

“This is not the time for a party,” muttered Trixie under her breath. “Can’t they see how much needs to be done?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” sighed Rarity as she trotted past with Fluttershy on her back. “We need a party. We’ve been under a dark cloud for so long that ponies have forgotten how to smile and laugh and enjoy the simpler things in life. We need a break. We need time to relax, to sit back and just... remember and have fun. If not now, then when? Like you said, we’ve still got a lot to do.”

“Yeah Trix, we-”

“Don’t call Trixie that.”

Dash continued as though nothing had happened. “-need a break. We just won the war. The war. Tell me, when was the last time you just relaxed? Plus, do you think we could stop them from partying? Do you really believe they’re not breaking out the food and stories and songs right this instant? And sometimes, a little joy and happiness doesn’t hurt you know.”

Though doubt still lingered, the showmare nodded slowly. “Trixie supposes...”

“That’s the spirit!” Slapping her on the back, Dash took into the sky. “Come on, we’re being left behind!”

With a sigh, Trixie leapt into the air after her friend and a second later, Luna followed.

Sighing, the white alicorn climbed onto her weary legs and strolled over to the edge of the island. Closing her eyes, she raised her sun to where Twilight had managed it before basking in its warmth.

"Are you proud, my most faithful? We did it. We saved the world. I am sorry you are not here to see it yourself, nor will you ever be, but... I hope it was worth it. I hope you're proud of me."

"Come on Celly! I haven't partied in a thousand years and I do not wish for you to miss out," yelled Luna.

Chuckling softly, Celestia lazily took off and followed the rest of the alicorns into the sun.

Her sun.

No... not her sun. It was more than that.

Twilight's sun?

She paused and looked out across the devastated Equestrian landscape.

Their sun.

Twilight’s and Celestia’s sun.