Pony POV Series
Dark World Part 14
Six Points Of Light *Smile*

Being the only ones close to Spike, he had a smaller congratulations committee for him defying every piece of lore and assumption we had about the Elements of Harmony as an adult dragon awakening as Generosity.

Spike said, "I'm just happy it didn't shrink me back down to pipsqueak size."

"I thought you were rather cute," Rarity said.

Spike's self-stature deflated.

"Not that I don't love the big, strong, handsome, magnificent dragon before me!" Rarity said quickly rubbing against him.

Spike snapped back to sitting up straight.

"And you'll always be my family to me, no matter how big you are," I added, giving him a smile and getting one in return.

"That one went without saying Twilight. Hey, Apple Pie." Spike said, looking at the little pony.

"Yes?"

" ... " This wasn't easy for a dragon to say, "Thank you. If you hadn't laughed, if you hadn't been there. None of this would be happening. Twilight would still be alone in the dark and I'd be squatting in my lair, waiting for Discord to use me as a mount again."

(She makes a wonderful catalyst doesn't she?)

"Ah just did what came naturally, yer welcome, Ah'm happy Half-Light can be happy now.

"And yah know somethin'?" the filly said, looking at the dragon several hundred times her size. "Ah've seen a lot of dragons, includin' mah ma and grandma, but Ah don't think Ah've ever seen a dragon superhero before. Ah've seen a dragon wizard before, but never a dragon superhero. Ah think you're awesome!"

Spike actually blushed a little. "Thanks..."

The six of us were gathered to begin our plans for saving the world in Apple Pie's bedroom.

"So how 'bout we get ta Discord's old homestead and show'em we rock and make'em rock? Ya know, if he doesn't just surrender." Everypony looked at her, "What? Less fightin' means less chance for you all to get hurt."

For now having the tools to save the world, there was a strange calm about us rather than the overwhelming excitement or joy I thought we'd have. Maybe we just knew that it was a little early for a group hug.

With Derpy missing, Discord was bound to know something was up by now or when he called us and we didn't come.

And while I wanted us to charge straight to Discord's castle and finish this, I wasn't about to repeat the hedge maze.

(Very wise of you.)

Yes, I figured out where I went wrong, I'd played by his rules. I don't know where the Elements had really been at the time, but I know they sure as hay weren't in the maze. In fact, they would probably HAVE been in the maze if I had gone somewhere else, or he'd have used exact words and said 'you didn't go in the maze first! So no Elements, sorry ponies!' There was no right answer because I was playing his game.

Apple Pie sat on her bed, while four of us circled on the floor, Derpy's wings folded into a tent around Dinky. Spike had politely slid up the stone slab that made up one of the bedroom walls and gently put it aside and promised to slide it back into place when we were done. This was more polite than poking a hole a through the stone wall with a finger like Spike had wanted to do, "It would give Apple Pie and her sisters a new window."

Applejack managed to conjure yet another illusion on him to hide him from the outside.

What happened in the hedge maze? I had a thousand years to learn, and I had barely even tried. Applejack however, and Rarity, were able to fill in the blanks a little. You think I was shocked? Surprised? Horrified? Ashamed? I had seen Discord as my Master break several hundred thousand ponies' minds turning their own virtues against them. We were nothing special. We were just his first victims.

Derpy frowned at us talking about how Discord broke us in front of Dinky, but Derpy needed to hear this too, and where Derpy was, so was Dinky (if she was aware, who was I kidding, Discord would never give a pony that mercy). Apple Pie didn't so much as flinch, I wonder how many of her family she'd seen driven insane. She shivered mentioning the boulder. Spike gently patted Rarity.

"Apple Pie, Spike, Derpy. I, AJ, Rarity, and our three other friends were heroes, and they were kind, loyal, and happy. But Discord turned our hearts inside out anyway. We were heroes and we fell hard. There is nothing to stop him from doing the exact same thing to you."

Spike lowered his head. Apple Pie, Apple Pie flinched.

"I'm not afraid to make a choice," Derpy whispered.

(Conceited mare.)

"Don't ever assume Discord won't use something against you, or just cheat. I'll bet just because your Elements are a part of us this time doesn't mean you can't lose your connection to it. Three of us already carry the taint of chaos, Discord can't discord what's already discorded. But you Spike, Derpy, and Apple Pie... " I wasn't sure how to say this.

(Will you not tender hoof around it-?!)

... Are you Discord? A suppressed part of him?

(NO!)

"Are you okay darlin'?" Jack asked. How was the room spinning in two directions at once like that?

"Hey I can do that with my eyes too!" Derpy said.

"Really can Ah see?" Apple Pie asked.

"I'm rust kind Crapplewack, just wait a well my brain stops ringing."

"Do you have the same problem as me Twilight? The linguisticians always said when having trouble to 'think, then speak.' " Derpy offered helpfully.

I shook my head. "Apple Pie listen carefully, Discord you know can appear as anything, and is a master manipulator. In a way it's a gift that you're willing to trust in this world, but keep your head. You trust what I'm saying because we're friends. You trust what the others say because I and AJ vouched for them. But you have to be careful. Derpy, Apple Pie, Spike, Discord uses what you love and are proud of the most against you. He'll tell the truth, he'll lie, he'll tell half-truths, anything to make you reject yourself, and your Element with it. I'm sure one or two of you already know this, but it needs to be said."

In a way, I was hoping Derpy may have already been Discorded before, considering how she acted now, because then that meant she had his taint like the three of us. Which was an advantage. And yes, I know how horrible it is when I say THAT is an advantage.

"Don't trust a word he says. I don't mean do the opposite of everything he says, he'll use that too. Even when he isn't lying, it's just so you'll do what he wants. Anything he tells you is only 'PART' of the picture! Discord only speaks to someone if he think it'll entertain him or get him something.

"Go by what you think is right, and if possible, be as spontaneous as you can be, because Discord, despite being the Spirit of Chaos, RELIES on knowing what you're going to do before you do it to manipulate you. So don't play by his rules. We made that mistake and it cost us everything. Even if you turn left where he thinks you're going to, do it in a way that makes him think you were going to turn right, maybe even think you actually DID. And if he tells you to go right, don't go left."

"Go sideways!"

"Exactly! That's right, Derpy."

"Yay! And my flight instructor said that was wrong."

Groans and sighs in total of four sounded.

"And remember this above everything, he'll either tell you what you want to hear," I looked at Rarity, "Or what you're afraid to hear." I look at Applejack. "Either will make you do what he wants. He'll tell you you're the most deserving pony in the world, that you're better than everyone, or that you've already lost, and that there was no way to win from the start. Or flipflop between them. Either of these give him what he wants. He'll make you think what's real is an illusion, or what's an illusion is reality. There's no way to know which. So keep your wits about you, more than anything, don't get caught up in what he says are the rules."

I was surprised not to see frustrated squigglies above Derpy and Apple Pie's head. What was I expecting? They had lived in this world of chaos too.

"Twilight," said Spike, looking knowing. "I know this is going to sound confusing, but I think a rule of thumb, is if Discord tries to tell you something negative about yourself is true, then accept that it's true and use it to make the trait he's trying to turn you against stand out that much more."

I gave a blink. "Explain a little, Spike." I could tell he was onto something.

"Like how I only figured out I was Generosity by seeing how my instincts made that part MORE important, not less. And like you three figured out the good sides of your Elements of Chaos."

"So what yer sayin' is we should twist his words so they work for us instead of against us," Applejack replied, knowing what twisting words could do.

Spike gave a nod.

"That does make sense," I reply, seeing his point. "That will probably make Discord mad, and, while that sounds scary, and is, an angry Discord is also a Discord who isn't thinking clearly, which might give us an advantage."

"There's also an advantage of actin' like yer buyin' his horseapples when yah really aren't," Applejack points out. "If he thinks yer seein' things his way, that gives yah an openin'."

"And, if I may ask, what is the plan?" Rarigreed asked. "We'll need one."

"Well...we've already completed four bullet points; free Spike, make it to Sweet Rock Acres, and assemble the six Elements of Harmony, and have the ability to use Elements together...to be honest, I thought that last one would be ten times harder than it actually was, but I'm not complaining," I replied.

"Bullet points?" asked Rarity, blinking.

"It's not so much a plan but a list of objectives..." I responded, a little nervously. "And not in any specific order or necessary except 'defeat Discord' being on it. I know that sounds crazy, but we're going up the personification of Chaos, who's living in a palace that shifts and changes as you travel through it, assisted by the Valeyard, who is a master planner, and at this point we are the revolution. The only way to win is to have a list of goals and make up the rest as we go along and complete our objectives as we come across them, that way no one can guess what we're going to do. Any well made plan is going to fall apart in seconds, or be figured out by our opponent."

Thankfully, that was logical enough to be accepted by the group. Derpy just politely smiled and nodded. Spike looked surprised, mumbling, "Really are New Twilight," or something under his breath. Apple Pie's head nearly made egg-beater noises. This was more complicated than 'go in there and beat up the bad guys' like on Pony Rangers, though that might be what our palace revolution was going to end up being.

Now came the hard part.

"Derpy... give Dinky to Apple Pie."

"No!"

"Derpy... the Elements aren't going to work unless we're true to them when we call upon them, but also they won't function together as one unless we all have a bond with each other. Unless you're willing to trust Apple Pie with what's most precious to you... Derpy I know you've both just met, I know this is hard, it was hard for me to trust Applejack the same day I met her to fall off a cliff so both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash could focus on catching just me instead of both of us. It was hard to trust them all to have my back in Everfree.

"But Derpy, we have to save the world. There is no back-up chosen ones hidden away somewhere, it's just us. The bond is part of what makes a set of Elements. And losing that trust would destroy us before Discord could."

"It would be like if Pinkie Pie trusted us with looking after a cake made by her family then four of us took a bite when she wasn't looking," Rarity said.

I grimaced at where Rarity had invented such a ghastly and completely absurd scenario. I remembered how fragile Pinkie Pie was underneath all those smiles. Doing something like that to her would have killed her inside even if she wouldn't act the part.

"Derpy, trust Apple Pie with Dinky. I know this is hard, but if you want to defeat Discord and free both your children from his curses, then we'll need to trust each other, and that means you have to have trust in her. She's a true friend. She won't let anything bad happen to her."

"Ah Pinkamenia Promise yah, Miss Derpy," Apple Pie added, her normal smile in its proper place. "Cross mah heart, hope ta fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Derpy's lip quivered, both her eyes focused on me, then Dinky, Pie, then Dinky again.

Derpy slowly, carefully, like Dinky was made of sand, handed the filly shaped muffin to the waiting hooves of Apple Pie.

Apple Pie opened her mouth to grab it like ANY Earth Pony, I magically held Derpy back for a split second as Apple Pie held her, not one tooth mark or drop of salvia got on Dinky. She threw her in the air and caught her on her back. Derpy broke through my hold and struck Apple Pie so hard her mouth bled. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY BABY AGAIN YOU WRETCHED HELLION!" Derpy snarled, her voice full of hate at the sniffing Earth Pony.

Apple Pie gently picked up the cursed filly with her hooves and looked into her eyes, "Howdy Dinky, Ah'm Apple Pie. Nice ta meetcha. So ya've been around for a thousand years like yer ma? What was things like back when? It's okay, ya can tell me when ya can move again. It's gonna be super soon, ya ma, and me, and Half-Light, and all of us are super-heroes. Ya know, like Captain-Equestria or Spider-Stallion? Yer mom's really nice, so Ah bet yer really nice too! But ya get to show fer yerself really soon!" Apple Pie nuzzled her. "Yer cute, really cute, even when you're a pony-muffin. I bet you'll be even cuter when yer a pony-pony. So yer a union-corn like Miss Rarigreed? That's cool."

"... Close your eyes Derpy."

She looked at me.

The look AJ gave me was not friendly. Rarity just lowered her head. I couldn't see what Spike's expression was.

"You're always going to be worried about her. She's your child. Worrying about her is why you're the Element of Loyalty, it shows you care about her. But you need to trust Apple Pie, and us. Nothing bad will happen if we can help it, Cross My heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my, my eye." Not this time, sorry, ha!

Derpy closed her eyes.

Apple Pie proceeded to make a series of funny faces at Dinky, set her down gently, then did a dance that proved that it was not her special talent, nor was singing. I was reminded of Scootaloo's singing when she was a blank-flank, and Apple Bloom's horrid attempts at physical performance. She fell backwards instead of forwards (I was ready to catch her and teleport Dinky out of the way just in case). Landing on her butt, the noise making Derpy cringe but I put a hoof on her shoulder.

"So two fillies cross the road to get to the other side, but they meet in the middle, and they ask where the other one is going. 'They can't be right, that way is the other side,' they say to each other! Eventually they ask their mother on each side which side is the other side, and they say the opposite end of the road is the other side, so eventually they figured out they must BOTH be on the other side already. They couldn't figure out why they hadn't met before if they lived on the same side of the road for so long since both were the other side. Both if both were the other side, why did they have to get to the other side they wondered? They figured therefore they crossing the road must be the long way around to the same place since both were the other side and they walked all the way around the world just to get to each other's houses, so they wondered why the long way was the short way and the short way was the long way. So they asked their mothers again and-"

Dinky couldn't speak back, but Apple Pie wasn't phased. She continued her one pony show for Dinky, the rest of us just looking on. We gasped when Apple Pie tossed her in the air once and caught her. Derpy cringed, but I kept a firm hoof on her to keep her from turning around.

Finally Derpy muscles relaxed, her wings stopped being stiff.

"Alright Apple Pie. That's enough."

"But Ah don't wanna stop. We're havin' fun."

" ... okay then. Derpy, turn around and open your eyes now."

She did. The relief from her heart when she saw her baby was unharmed vibrated off the walls. Even more so when she saw Apple Pie give Dinky a very gentle hug.

"My baby." Derpy smiled.

"Am Ah a good baby sitter Miss Hooves?"

Apple Pie hoofed Dinky back to Derpy with the same care she'd give a baby sister, who returned her to her back. "Yes, west blue car! YES YOU ARE!" Derpy was shaking a little. She had let Dinky out of her sight. And she was alright, she was all right.

Derpy nuzzled Dinky and then Apple Pie. "Thank you."

"Yer welcome."

It melted my heart. Apple Pie could form bonds so easily. It seemed with anypony. Trust came so easily to her... What if Discord had chosen to take her on a protege? Or...his princess? He always said he'd wanted to make Pinkie Pie his queen if she hadn't been Laughter... Minty was right, that was Apple Pie's strength and weakness. But that was why there was more than one Element of Harmony. We covered each other's weaknesses!

Speaking of which, I felt the urge to kick myself for even thinking Apple Pie would treat Dinky as an object instead of a filly. Her grandfather was a living statue for Cadence's sake. How could I think she'd be so dumb as to make that mistake? I felt the urge to have Spike take a letter and save it for Celestia once we set her free...maybe I will.

"Twilight." Derpy looked into my eyes, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Yes?"

"If the Elements really can fix everything, they can really fix everything Discord's broken, then ... they can fix Dinky right? You, we should test them out right? Make sure they work before hoof? Right? We can do that right please? Twilight we can, can't we? For me? For her?" Derpy pleaded, her eyes huge, tears welling up.

AJ looked at me pleadingly too.

"Can ya help her? Right now? Ya can do that fer anypony?" Apple Pie asked. What can of worms were we going to open?

Rarity, Rarigreed looked at me sternly. Mouthing the words 'When you give a parasprite a cookie.'

Spike, I looked to see him sadly looking down, unsure of what to do. Truth be told. I wasn't sure either.

(Welcome to reality, standing on your own four-hooves, sooner or later, it's something you can't hide from forever.)

I"m trying.

(You don't have time to be conflicted. As Socrates said, I am the gadfly to sting you into action when needed. You're the leader, lead.)

Admittedly, seeing if the Elements worked was one of my bullet points, but an optional one, because of all the uncertainty and risks surrounding it.

"...Apple Pie, if we do this, I don't know if we'll have the time to help any of your family too." I said to her.

"It's alright, Grandpa Rocky doesn't mind, part of being a rock Ah think, and ma and grandma Ah think ... wouldn't ... wouldn't want to change back anyway... . She asks if anypony else has been turned into a dragon yet in her letters. Could they, could they bring back Poison Apple? Magica?" I saw temptation flicker in her eyes.

"I honestly don't know. Nopony ever tried to do that before. Or if it would even work right..." I gave a shudder. I knew some reanimating spells, none of them I hoped I'd have to use again.

"Besides, if there in Pony Heaven, you wouldn't want break'em up right?" AJ said putting a hoof on her shoulder.

"Ah gotcha."

Applejack shivered, got up, and began to walk out of the room.

"Applejack?" Rarity asked first.

"If we're gonna use the Elements, now or later, there's a tiny somethin' Ah gotta do first. And, it's something Ah gotta do in private. Ah promise Ah won't be long."

"Applejack we don't have time for secrets," I said.

"Ah'm gonna pray. And it ain't proper to pray 'bout something when it's personal. Or, that's ... Ah'll be just a bit."

We all sighed. "Alright Applejack, alright."

++++

"Thank ya kindly." Ah nodded and left the stone room behind. Ah found a room that was private, it was full of empty beds, everything neat and tidy, everything evenly clean, empty, there was a flower by most of them, the ponies who used this room weren't going to mind.

'How can a pony who killed a newborn foal be worthy of the Element of Kindness?'

Ah heard the voice in Mah head, it was mine. Harsh, angry, but distant. It was me. Which is why this had ta be done.

Ah sure wish Ah did a lot more of this before, might have made things easier to figure what Ah was supposed to do. Ah always just believed in what Ah made with my own four hooves, my own hard work, Ah didn't spend a lot of time prayin' to the Princesses. They raised the sun and the moon, and that was their business.

Now Ah feel kinda ashamed seein' the sun and moon goin' crazy so long no one but us and the mythology books know it different.

Nah, it ain't 'bout the sun or the moon. Celestia, Luna ... Cadence, or however many other of them Princesses or Princes there are! Ah've been alive for a thousand years, and it feel so heavy, bein' immortal isn't what everypony who goes lookin' for it thinks it is, believe me. And Celestia put up with this for twice this long and just kept a smile on her face.

Ah bucked apples. She bucked the sun. Ah've lived a thousand years. She's endured forever. Ah seen mah family die one by one. How many bloodlines and peoples had she seen who she loved turn ta dust? Ah didn't have the right to clean her horseshoes.

Ah lied a bit there. Ah did pray, once upon a time, but it was all routine stuff, thanks for what's on the table before eatin' it, repeatin' yer prayers before goin' to bed as a filly. But, it never was personal.

Ah kindly asked Pa of Alicorns ta let the one the prayer was for hear it and sat cross eagle style and brought mah front hooves together.

"Hey, Tom Bell, Ah just want ya to know, Ah'm sorry... ya were just a colt in the body of a stallion. What happened to ya shouldn't have happened to ya. And Ah'm sorry Ah did what Ah did, if Ah could change things Ah would. Ya were a good colt, who only wanted his ma to be happy. Maybe if Ah had been smarter, more clever, not so silly, maybe Ah would have found a better way.

"Ah'm supposed to be one of the good guys again. But not a day and Ah was killin' a foal who ain't not had time to even see the sky... You, you never saw the sky, or a flower, or tasted anything, or heard music, or ... so much ... it wasn't fair. It was cruel. It was awful. And Ah'm sorry, Ah'm just so so so sorry! Maybe Ah should be apologizin' to Rarity too but, but-" Ah cried. "Ah promise Ah'll make up for it. Ah promise Ah'll pay for what Ah did. Ah should have found a better way, and Ah didn't. You were cheated kiddo. And I'm sorry..."

Ah stood up, turned around and left the room, only to bump right into Rarity, just Rarity, the tiny diamond sparklin' in her neck. "I'm sure he forgives you Applejack."

"Rarity! How-ya promis-"

"Twilight agreed not to intrude, I made no such promise, nor did I imply to. And I did not set hoof in the room while you spoke. You are the one who didn't think to close, or lock, the door."

"Ah said Ah had to do it to be private!" Ah said mah check burnin' red.

"No, you wanted it to be private. But it wasn't. The Element of Honesty knows you Appejack. It and you were one for a year. Twilight said that any garbage we're holding onto has to come out now. You don't want the others to see you pray? Fine. But you're lying when you say that's all there is to it. There's something else you want, something else you want to ask, it's burning a hole in your heart you want to ask so bad but you're scared to. A truth that you're afraid to let out."

"... How did you even follow me without the others guessing what you were doing?"

"I said I needed to use the little fillies room and I did. I never said or implied I wouldn't make detours along the way."

"And they fell for that?"

"I think they choose to. But this isn't about them. It's about you, or you think it is. But who is it really about Applejack? Tell me. Now that you've had a chance to think and feel clearly for the first time since our palace revolution began, what is it you want?"

Ah looked this way and that, no one nearby or hidin'. Ah reached down and pulled out what Ah had been scared to say.

"Rarity, d-do ya forgive me? Ya can lie to me if you want."

"No Applejack, I'm done running from ugly truths. And I honestly have not given it one thought, one way or the other. We had to escape, we had to save Derpy, we had to get your family to accept us, I had to get to know some members of your family, then Spike turned out to be the sixth of us. And Twilight talks about the bonds between us having to be genuine. I haven't had time to think about it since I gave Tom Bell his final farewell."

"And what do ya think of now? It would be more cruel if Ah tortured mahself not knowin', or too cruel to ya if I tried to trap mahself in a lie by pretending Ah knew after we worked so hard to free ya from yours."

"I thought you just said you wanted to hear a pretty lie."

"No friendship outta be built on one."

She kept an even face, "The truth is you were fighting for me and our friends, Tom was fighting for everything he knew. He was a colt, he was born knowing nothing, I gave him everything he had. But he made his own choices, the only ones he could make with what he knew. I could have told him to stop, and he'd still be alive, but I wanted him to be my knight and slay the dragon, that was his role in my fantasy. I desire to blame you and only you Applejack, for his death. To hate you so badly. But the truth is, if I had accepted reality a little bit sooner, he'd be alive, but if I had accepted reality much more quickly, I'd have never had the joy of seeing him alive. A life's fate is the responsibility of the one who brought it into the world, that is truth, it is not one meant to ever be shrugged off or to justify discarding.

"So let them balance each other. I was too scared of the truth to save him, and you were in a fight with a hero who would never surrender, and I'm sorry Applejack, but quick thinking and quick planning simply isn't your strong point. I desire to hate you Applejack, but I desire freedom from Discord more. I desire to never throw away anything that matters to me. And I can see the truth that hating you would gain me absolutely nothing."

"Alright. Ah gotcha." We nuzzled. "Ah can live with that. Friends?"

"Best friends...one more thing...I think we both have another prayer to say."

"Yeah...we do..."

We both sat down again.

"Applebloom...thank yah...Thank yah for never givin' up on mah heart and makin' good on wantin' to fix it. Yah saved meh...Ah don't know much more Ah can say..."

"Sweetie Belle...After I threw you away, you still helped me...you didn't give up on me. You stuck by me until the end...And passed it...For that...I thank you from the bottom of my heart..."

Yeah, we both knew meh meetin' with Applebloom may have just been a hallucination and Sweetie Belle may have just been Rarity's mind makin' a golem of her to help pull her out of the dark, or some kind fail safe the real Sweetie made before she went to Celestia's and Luna's Pa. But Ah decided Ah wanted to believe Applebloom hadn't given up on meh, and Rarity said all three options had support and she chose the one that made the most sense ta her.

We headed back.

Applejack and Rarity were doing their own business. No, I'm not suspicious. That's their own business. We all have our own demons to face...speaking of which.

I pulled Apple Pie aside so we could talk a little more privately. In a room with one other mare and a wall missing with a dragon peaking in. Okay, forget private. "Apple Pie...can I ask you something?"

She gave her normal smile. "Yep! What is it, Half-Light?"

"Pinkamena Promise you'll tell me the absolute truth, okay?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

I sighed, how did I say this? "...Apple Pie...how does it feel when one of your loved ones die?"

Apple Pie's ears drooped slightly. "What?"

"Apple Pie...please...I'm sorry, but you know I wouldn't ask this if there wasn't a good reason..."

I had to be sure. I had to know what her strengths and weaknesses were, so I could protect her. And I had to get any insecurities I had about her out of my head for the Elements to work.

Apple Pie nodded. "Well...it...it feels like someone stabbed me in the heart...it hurts...Ah feel somethin' missin' inside of me...then Ah try ta remember the good times we had, what they meant ta me...how much fun we had...those kind of things. It reminds me that even though they're gone, Ah've still got all their memories with me, and they'll never go away...And Guru Fido says when somepony dies, they go to Pony Heaven, and Applejack says that too...so Ah know they're in a good place now..."

Ah watched her eyes the entire time. There was a sadness in them that couldn't be faked. But also a joy that couldn't be either when she spoke of the good times.

I gave her a hug. "I'm sorry...I..."

"Nah, it's okay...Ah understand."

"Thanks...Can I ask one more question?"

"Sure. Any-"

"Never say anything when someone asks you something Apple Pie, trust me. I've seen that word exploited so many times I'm surprised its still in the language."

Apple Pie blinked, then nodded slowly. "Alright...what do yah want to know?"

"...Why did you forgive us so quickly? Why did you really? We...I killed Magica. I let Poison Apple die...How can you really forgive me so easily?"

Apple Pie simply smiled. "Because, Ah can see yah ain't the same pony yah was that day. She didn't show anything. She didn't feel guilty, she was just dead inside. Even when yah came here as an Earth Pony filly, yah didn't look like her. Yah were already changin'."

"But...how do you know it isn't a trick?"

"Because when ponies shape don't always stay the same, and when dead ponies can come back not bein' the same ponies they used ta be, yah learn ta look for the things that don't change that easy," the little filly rubbed against me. "And yah three...Ah can tell, yah ain't the same ponies yah were back in Ponyville. Ah think mah whole family can see it. Yer all are new ponies... who Ah think deserves a new chance."

I teared up a little and hugged her. "Thanks, Apple Pie...that means a lot..."

Later, there were only a thousand variable, only a thousand things to considered, only a thousand disasters that could happened.

Using the Elements could make Discord aware we had a full team again, that we were cured, and that we were a threat to drop a mountain on top of. There was also the chance that fully awakening the Elements of Harmony could destroy our Elements of Chaos and kill us after one use, leaving Equestria without the one hope it had in so long. Or both Elements together would trigger a thermo-harmony explosion. We considered all these possibilities and more.

We took a vote, each giving a logical argument for why they voted that way and assuring the rest they'd understand if they were voted down -after all, we needed our friendship to use the Elements-. You know which way Derpy voted, and you know Spike voted the way Rarity did. Ultimately it came down to me to either go with it, or have it end in a tie. I could have found some telepathy spell or something to ask Dinky what she wanted, risking to see the truth of her state of mind. But that hadn't been on the list of spells Master had wished me to learn.

I decided that we had to know if our circle was strong enough to activate the Elements, and trust in Spike, Derpy, and Apple Pie to find successors if worse came to worst.

AJ had set up the mother of all illusions to buffer our give away and went as far away from the farm house as we reasonably could so if Discord did notice, he wouldn't know Apple Pie's Clan had anything to do with it -and so we didn't accidentally blow up the house with love and tolerance-.

Derpy put Dinky in the center of our circle of friendship.

"It's okay Dinky, you'll be okay real soon," Derpy whispered, smiling, giving her one last nuzzle.

And this was the moment of truth.

"Formation."

We stood in a circle around Dinky. Rarigreed and Jack were opposite each other on the wheel, and Derpy was opposite Apple Pie, and Spike next to Rarity. Derpy looked to the sky, then to her child.

Like an echo, I focused my magic to activate the Harmony side of my Element of Magic, but this echo came back stronger, and it called out to the others.

++++

Rarity, Rarigreed, Lady Desire, all one and the same, she focused her heart and mind on the honest truth. She was greedy, she had hurt those who loved her. To grasp for everything, was the most likely course to leave her with nothing. She wanted it all, but her freedom and her friends, she wanted more than anything.

Applejack. She had given up truth believing it would prevent a self fulfilling prophecy, and she had actually walked right into it. And she had lied for a thousand years to herself and others. And somewhere along the road, she had begun to say anything as long as it decreased the pain they felt. She took any abuse, said any lie or truth, as long it eased the burden or others, stranger, foe, or friend alike.

Apple Pie. She recognized the contrariness of the world and acknowledged it. The contrariness of herself, of life, of her family and her new friends. And she couldn't help but laugh at it! She didn't once think she was better than anything she laughed at, because she knew she was rather laugh worthy herself. And if the first laugh didn't make others laugh, it had missed the point. And the most important part was a laugh could be the first step towards making a friend. Heh.

Spike. A dragon was born greedy. To amass things, to amass what belonged to them was as natural to them as salmon swimming up stream. Giving was simply something dragons didn't do. And Spike had. The elusive, said to be mythical, joy of giving rather than receiving was his. Spike, his very blood working against him, had chosen he'd rather give all of himself to be with her, to be with his friends, than for the treasures and babbles he could have. He asked himself if in his heart of hearts he was willing to give all of himself to them, he answered yes.

Derpy. She had endured hell for a thousand years for the sake of her child, she'd have endured a thousand years more for another who had judged her. And nothing had forced her to keep going, nothing had stopped her from simply walking away. And she had been willing to make the choice if it ever presented itself. She was ready to walk one path if two forced themselves on her. And she'd live with that choice. And she had never once turned back! And now she wouldn't give up on her friends, no matter what! What more was there to be said-?!

Lines of different colored light connected to each other via six points, the colors began to alternate, going faster and faster until they were a six pointed star traced with white light! Different pieces of a rainbow rose up and connected, and washed down on the muffin composed filly in the center.

+++++

Once upon a time, I was with mama, mommy, my mother. Her name was Derpy Hooves, but, some ponies also called her Ditzy Doo, in particular the rainbow pegasus. I had a big sister, -I have a big sister!- her name is Sparkler, but I only saw her on special days, when the Sister-Something Social was held in at some farm, she was willing to make a special visit just for us, and even move back to, the town we lived in before. She was a really good babysitter. She foalsat... other foals.

My mom delivered the mail, always. Not rain, nor snow, nor parasprites kept her from her appointed rounds! My sister made things shine and sparkle. I think I had friends. No no no I must have had friends. Right? It couldn't be that my mom was so special that no pony wanted to be around me. That doesn't make sense. I wish I could remember what my friends names were.

We were happy. I remember that crystal clear. Sometimes scary things happened, but I can't remember what they were, but together we were happy.

I remember the day everything went wrong. I wasn't part of a special trip to Canterlot Garden even though I wanted to go. The weather went weird. The animals went weird. The town went weird. The trees went weird. The ponies went weird. Sparkler turned into a dancing purple crystal statue, she almost hit me with a crystal hoof as she danced around, like she didn't notice anything else. Did I meet her before or after what happened? I can't remember anymore.

Then I heard somepony snap their fingers, and I felt the weight of my horn go bye-bye, and I felt something on my back. Wings. WINGS?! Wings! I have wings like mommy! I can fly now like mommy!

Mommy came home, she said horrible, horrible things to me, she told me I was adopted (that had to be a lie right?), that she didn't love me, that she never loved me, that she found me in the garbage and wished she had left me there. Those had to be lies, right? Then I suddenly felt barren inside, lifeless, broken.

I stayed like that for a long time. The sun and moon kept going up and down. All I know is that it was a long long time. I was, oh right, hungry but I was too another kind of empty to care. I wished everything but me would vanish so nothing would hurt again.

And the sun and moon kept twisting. Ponies I'm sure I knew being crazy but I didn't care, I wanted them all to vanish. I was dizzy, tired, thirsty, hungry, and dirty, I didn't care. I hoped mom vanished first.

Somepony hugged me, she felt warm, she whispered, "All will be well, just wait, I promise everything will be okay someday, just have faith, I promise. You'll all be together again and you'll be happy. Just have the courage to believe."

I dared open my eyes. I didn't see anypony. I felt whole, I felt alive. My wings were gone, my horn was back where it belonged. I was still dirty and hungry. I had to find mom. I galloped, I found her poking two violet pegasi in cages, they buzzed miserably like bees.

"Ha! Whose wing-power is measured in muffins now? Who belongs in a home now? HUH?! HUH!?" Mom laughed like a wicked-step-mother.

"Mommy!"

"What do you want brat?"

"I LOVE YOU MOMMY! THIS ISN'T YOU! MOMMY WOULDN'T DO THIS! BE YOU AGAIN PLEASE!"

"Let go you brat! I said let go! Grr! There! That wasn't enough? You want to be hit again? Okay! I said let go! Let go!"

I didn't, I hugged, I hugged her neck, she bucked and pitched trying to throw me off. I think I was poking her in the head with my horn a bit. I begged, "Please remember mommy! Remember the real you!"

There was a flash. Images of all the time she had been with me, and been with Sparkler, like the time she had taken her on her rout to teach her how hard mommy's job really was, and the time she took care of me when I was sick, she was always there for me, she didn't care how many ponies called her strange as long as we were with her, and ... and ...

"Muffin? Muffin is cat blue?"

She looked hurt too, but not like I had hurt her. Like something else was.

My eyes watered looking at mom's two-way eyes, she looked at me, she cared.

"YES MOMMY IT'S ME!"

"MARCHING BAND!" Mommy shouted and hugged her, crying as we spun around.

Everypony was crazy, we tried to find the nice Earth Pony who mom is talking to, but he tried to hit us in the head with a scepter. I wish I knew what I did to help mommy. We tried to help Sparkler, but she just ignored us. Finally we tried to go to Canterlot to get help from the Princesses. But a big furry-snake-dragon-thing found us instead.

"Well this is rather surprising ... I LOVE SURPRISES! Keeps things from being boring! Now how did you go and ruin my fun? Oh well doesn't matter, BECAUSE THAT JUST MEANS I GET TO HAVE MORE FUN WITH YOU! Now let's see ... hey! Get back here! I'm not doing talking to you!" It snapped its fingers. Mommy's wings and legs suddenly ... broke. She skidded and got a burn on her face, I fell off and skidded as well.

"Now now! That's not very polite! Running off when someone is talking, what bad manners! Especially when that someone is your esteemed President."

"Mommy!" She was so hurt. I looked at the monster, "You big bully!"

It ignored me.

Mommy looked back at it, recognition in her eyes, "Your face, you, you were the bubbles weren't you?"

It struck a proud pose putting its fingers on its chest, "I've been many things my dear, Derpy? Yes? Or Ditzy? Nice you want to join me in the 'I have many names club' but pick something a bit more classy."

"You leave Mommy alone!" I shouted at the big monster, really scared but angry too.

"Please! Please! Groove rot two kelp bus! Trove bought two see the Astronomy! Everypony, Sparkler, My muffin!"

"You've been out of the loop for a while, how long do you think you spent paying back all those ponies who laughed at you?"

"They didn't laugh! Eye cream, not that many-I'M NOT LISTENING! LA LA!"

"Pst. As if I'd give a repeat performance ... repeat, performance ...always, repeating... " It shook its head, then looked at momma. " What would you do to help your little baby fillies?"

"ANYTHING!"

"No pony ever taught you the dangers of 'anything,' did they?"

It grinned and snapped its fingers.

And ... everything changed but nothing changed again.

I don't, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT! Can't move! Can't breath! Smelling muffins, always muffins! Birds! Pain! Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY!!!

And for a zillion bazillion forevers the birds never stopped coming. Wanting to eat me. Mama. Mommy. Mother.

She never stopped trotting with her wrong-healed legs. She never stopped talking to me. She never forgot I was a pony. I never became a thing. I always stayed her daughter. She always loved me. She always spoke to me. She never stopped telling me about things. She was always there for me. And the birds. Always the birds. But she protected me.

...

Then something finally changed. Spike the dragon (easy to remember him, only dragon in town, but I don't remember him being so big), and ... mares who mother knew. I didn't understand what was happening. She handed me to Spike. But when she came back to get me, the birds went away for good, and more things changed.

I was terrified when I first saw bird pony. I was sure she was going to eat me.

I remember! Orange Top! Ruby Pinch! I was friends with them ... I think?

So many new ponies, and so friendly. It remind me of, of, OF PONYVILLE! That was the name of our home!

They talk about trusting and momma hands me to a filly. The filly talks to me. She's so nice. She's so funny.

The adults, the ponies, talk about helping me. Help with what?

Mother puts me down on the ground, I don't see any birds in the sky. Her eyes never leave me. Then these second-cutie-marks on mommy and the others grow really bright.

Then a rainbow gives me a shower.

So, many, memories, coming back ... allatonce!

I need air. I try and fail to steady myself on my hooves, wait. I'm breathing, I can MOVE! I can feel my heartbeat! I'm alive! I'm free!

Dinky held her perfect at attention pose for a second then sprawled on the ground.

Cringing at the scrap and dust Dinky shut her eyes, not smelling muffins for the first time in forever. The sound of her heart beating was like a roar. Her body gasped for breath, the first breath she'd taken in a thousand years.

She felt a pair of wings fold around her, she opened her eyes, everything was a blur. They slowly focused on a pair of ditzy eyes looking lovingly at her.

"Ma-thor?... Pill-ease don' 'et 'his eee ah drrr-eam." Her mouth spilled out trying to remember how to speak.

Her limbs worked clumsy trying to hug her, Derpy gently guided them around her neck. The two nuzzled and their tears mixed.

"N-no honey, it's not a dream, mommy promises."

There wasn't a dry eye in the circle.

"Ain't, ain't that darlin'?"

"I want a filly too."

Spike wrapped a finger around Rarity for his version of a hug.

"C-C-Congratulations!" Apple Pie said.

Twilight said nothing, could say nothing, the relief that ran through her made her cry harder. They looked so perfect together. For a moment she could see her herself and her mother.

Dinky's colors were like their mother's, not faded. Their gray was somehow seemed more alive than the gray Discord turned ponies. It made them seem rather strange to the pale pastel colors every other pony alive had. But that was all the same for the pair, and they couldn't care less. Her nightmare was over.

"Hey Half-Light, why does the ground look all weird?" Apple Pie asked next to Twilight.

Where the Elements had touched little Dinky was a two meters circle with just dirt and grass. Apple Pie had never seen non-checkerboard ground, it was normal to her. Ponies had been adapting to Discord's twisting world for a thousand years, how much damage would the heroes cause if those changes were all undone? No. The Elements of Harmony weren't like that, they weren't destructive! There's no way they'd leave countless seaponies suddenly without gills and several miles up over the valley of spikes. The, the Elements would never do that. They restored harmony, and what harmony was changed as time went by. And Discord would keep causing misery if we did nothing. The reign of the Draconequus had to end.

"It's nothing Apple Pie, I'm sure it's nothing, don't worry about it." Applejack said before Twilight could speak.

Apple Pie smiled and nodded at once.

"HAPPY REUNION! LOVE! SMILES! HUGS! TEARS! LAUGHS! And all those good things!!" Apple Pie laughed, and Derpy and Dinky laughed through their tears.

"Laughter and tears together! It shouldn't make sense but it does! Ha-ha!" Apple Pie clapped. She danced around, striking every carnival pose she could think of until we laughed too. "Ah'm Apple Pie! Nice to meet, oh yeah we already met! Sorry-sorry!" She hopped backwards away from the scene letting mother and foal continue to hug each other for the first time in a thousand years.

Twilight could almost see the fires of love flicker and burn around the two. AJ hugged Twilight and she hugged her, Apple Pie joined in. "Mine!" Rarity hugged them too with Spike's finger still holding. They let Derpy and Dinky have their moment of sunshine.

"Mom, I'm hungry." "Muf-honey, you need a bath." "So do you." They laughed and hugged tighter! Apple Pie clapped at the contradiction.

Dinky stuffed her face until her belly ached, there wasn't much of that lovely marble cake left (Rarity glared at a meek Twilight for that one). Like her mother, she had to be reminded how to eat, which Derpy did with motherly care. Apple Computer politely hid the rock-berry muffins.

The two splashed and laughed even louder in the bathroom, Derpy having to provide the rainwater since the Apples Pies were used to dry cleaning, but that was just a bump on the road now. The entire room was soaked and covered in bubbles before they were done.

"You two doing okay in there?" Rarity asked, and opened the bathroom door only to flood the hall with suds. Bubbles rose from the surface and floated in the air from where Rarity had been buried.

"I," "hate," "baths," Rarity's words were released as the bubbles popped opened one by one.

"Yippiee!"

"Yahooo!"

"Where are you? Where are you honey?"

"Boo! Right here!"

Derpy laughed and hugged her flapping her wings making more bubbles splatter around the room.

"Mom! This is so much better than when it rained soap and water!"

Derpy suddenly faced her, a slightly disturbed look on her face, "... Honey... what do you remember?"

"Everything. You protecting me. You never stopped speaking to me. I heard ghost stories at Ruby's house where ponies who were made into statues forgot they were ponies because ponies didn't talk to them like they were ponies. I never forgot I was a pony. You saved me mom! Thank you so much." Dinky spoke with a thousand years worth of maturity. "You're my hero mom! I never stopped being a pony in my heart because I never stopped being one in your heart!"

"Thank you dear!" Derpy couldn't remember when she had been so happy, her heart felt like it was going to explode.

"Thank you? THANK YOU MOTHER!"

Spike guarding outside the bathroom window surprised AJ when he didn't give a 'gag me' motion earning himself a kick to the head. 'Guess some things do change,' AJ thought.

The Elements of Chaos (thankfully, the Elements of Harmony being used didn't seem to damage their opposite number) had expected Apple Pie to suggest a party, and were reminded she was not a party pony when she instead just wanted to play with her new friend and pouted when she was told Dinky and her mother had a lot of catching up to do. AJ ran interference and convinced Derpy to let her play pattycake for a bit with the other foal. Banana and Cream also wanted to check out this mythical 'unicorn' filly. Dinky couldn't help but feel like a celebrity.

Twilight took advantage of the play time to talk to Derpy about how Dinky had ended up that way in the first place, now that the horrible ordeal had come to an end. In retrospect it was an insensitive question. She was surprised by what she heard.

"Dinky used a memory spell on you?"

"I...I don't know if that's what it was ...But I remembered how special Dinky was to me...it was like this black fog in my head was gone...she saved me."

What truly amazed Twilight was when she took Dinky aside after Dinky's playtime. To test a theory she chose to teach Dinky the memory spell fully. It should have been impossible to teach the complex spell to a thousand year old filly in a short time. But it was like somepony had already taught her the spell and Twilight was giving her a crash refresher course.

The memory spell was based off of what Twilight had copied from Cadence's own magic. How was this possible? Dinky had barely realized she had cast a spell. 'A mysterious warm hug and kind words' made even less sense. Was it Cadence? She had been on the other side of the world. Had Dinky done on instinct as part of her special talent? Another drop of confusion to the chaotic mix.

"Dinky...remember, this spell is important, it's one of the few that can overcome discording."

Dinky nodded. "I understand...but why teach me?"

"Because you can learn it...and Discord did his best to eradicate this spell from the world. I'm not asking you to gallop around restoring ponies, that'd be reckless and cause you more trouble than good. I'm teaching you so in case something happens, the knowledge is carried on and you might teach others...and perhaps heal some of his victims if you get the opening. Understand?"

Dinky nodded, giving a serious face that looked strange on her young body. "I understand, I'll do my best not to let you down."

Derpy waited for them outside Apple Pie's bedroom looking in. Twilight stayed silent all the way back to the living room where the ponies eagerly accepted the return of the newest guest of honor.

There were times Twilight hated being the leader. She placed a hoof on Derpy's shoulder. "Derpy ... you know she has to stay here where it's safe, please? It's heavy enough bringing Apple Pie. If we bring Dinky too ... she's going to get killed, or worse ... Discord, The Valeyard, Traitor Dash, Fluttercruel, and Angry Pie aren't going to show mercy just because she's a foal. They'll go for her first because they know we'll do anything to protect her. Discord will place her and us in separate dangers to try and break your Element of Loyalty. He's already got Sparkler to use against you, we can't give him more leverage."

" ... I said I'd stay with you until the end. This isn't the end... . And ..." Derpy's lip quivered, "And it would be selfish for me to take her with us." Her wings shook. One eye looked at Twilight, another at her child. "Being loyal to more than one thing really hurts."

Twilight just nodded. AJ hugged and nuzzled Derpy, she didn't resist.

Derpy's felt her insides turn to ice at having to tell her baby this. But knew she had to break it to her sooner than later, she'd known from the moment they'd restored her. What surprised her was as Dinky blinked away tears she stood on her back hooves and crossed her front ones and bowed her head. "I understand mother," She said calmly. "Please be safe. Just come back safe. There are so many things I still want us all to do! Please, please just come back safe, please?"

Derpy looked at her in shock. So were the other Elements.

'Easy to forget it as a thousand years for her too,' Rarity thought.

"Ya can protect her?" Applejack asked Apple Computer.

"They'd have to get through every Apple and Pie alive to so much as touch her. And anyone who tries will walk away on crutches!" Banana Pie said proudly. Cream Pie, Minty, the Jacks, Rocky Jr, all gave their word as well. Cream Pie proudly patted her (unarmed) stockpile of bombs.

Apple Computer said, "Yah don't survive out here without knowin' tricks for stayin' under the radar. We'll keep her safe, don't yah worry one bit."

Applejack gave each of her relatives a hug. Apple Pie did the same. Rarity told Cheery Pie to tell Guru Fido she was honored to speak with him. Twilight hugged Cream Pie and Banana Pie as well. Twilight and Minty hesitated to touch each other again. "Good luck Twilight," She just said instead. Twilight nodded in return. Derpy and Dinky shared the longest hug in history. Spike just waited outside for everypony and Rarity. He waved the foals who had played on him fair-well.

"Have fun defeating the evil overlord!" One of them called.

"Alright girls," Twilight said as boldly as she could, "Let's go save the world."