My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Pony POV Series
Dark World Part 32 "That Which Pierces All"
By Alex Warlorn
Edited By Kendell2 and Louis

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Twilight breathed. With shaking legs she looked at the Nightmare who simply looked back at her with perfect calm.

"What's the matter myself? Scared? No confidence in being in the right?" The Nightmare asked coldly. "How dare Twilight Sparkle not be confident in herself."

"Uh, Half-Light," Apple Pie asked, "Why'd ya stop?"

"Let's get this show on the road darling!" Rarity said.

"Twilight what are you waiting for! Let's blast this beotch! She's got nothin'!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"We're ready to be defeated now ladies! Fire when ready!" Nightmare Granfalloon quickly popped out to put a big target on Nightmare Eclipse's chest.

"They're asking for it," Spike said flaming coming form his nostrils.

"Twilight! Is bad-Alicorn-you inside your head again?!" Minty asked fearfully.

Twilight's emotionless voice reminded them of Tragedy's. "...They have their Elements of Harmony. If we try to use ours, they'll cut their losses and destroy everything."

"WHAT?! That's impossible!" Rainbow Dash couldn't believe it.

"No," Derpy whispered horrified.

"Now you've gone and spoiled the surprise! Bad pony!" Granfalloon laughed.

"Elements?" Celly wondered.

"We'll explain later sister!" Princess Luna said, her eyes not able to take her eyes off the gallery of Nightmares. 'All my sins, all my failures, being repeated by others . . . and I can't stop it!'

"If we can use the Elements of Chaos for good..." Twilight's almost frozen voice said, "Then what's to keep them from using the Element of Harmony for evil?"

"We-We're not evil!" Nightmare Whisper partially emerged, and wept a few tears, Granfalloon hugged her.

"It's okay, Auntie Pinkie Pie is here," The Laugher Nightmare whispered. She was at least 999 years older than Whisper. Nightmare Manacle followed suit.

"It'll be on your heads if it comes to that Twilight! You're the one refusing to grow up!" Nightmare Banneret's shade rose above Nightmare Eclipse.

"Then...then we're really." Applejack paled. "Then how..."

Nightmare Mirror formed and spoke, "You're bucked."

Twilight had no counter-argument. 'If we can't use the Elements, then...then what? I could use the memory spell...like I did with the Valeyard. She saw that entire fight. If she's me, then she wouldn't have just used that to figure out the Doctor's weaknesses but use his strengths too.

'Minty, we're the same pony, her, Paradox, me, but... if Minty touches her, they'll both cease to exist. Minty Pie could maybe hold on for just a few seconds to distract her but...if Minty Pie gained things from us touching... what'll touching a Nightmare do to her? No! I won't sacrifice her to save the world if I don't have to. But do I? If I throw away the world just not to let go of Minty Pie... I'll just lose everyone anyway. THINK you stupid brainiac!'

*Remember Twilight, each of us is real. Not just the ponies you know. Every pony who has felt with their heart. No matter the time or world. Each of us has our right to exist. Each of us has a light that shines as bright as any other. Those lights never truly go out. Harmony doesn't come in just one combination.*

'That's . . . that it...I finally understand... I've got it! And I think you do too...can you get the others to understand what I need them to do?'

*If they'll listen.*

'Do it, I trust them.'

Twilight shook off the vision of death and the fear of sacrificing her friend. "My name isn't Twilight Sparkle, it's Twilight The Unicorn."

Paradox snarled in righteous indignation. "Our parents gave us the name 'Sparkle!' How can you just throw it away? How can you be so bucking selfish?!"

"At least I kept half of it, Nightmare Eclipse," Twilight looked up at the Nightmare...and it hit her. "The Most Vengeful Friend? Nice moniker but let me ask you one question; how many times have you erased them? Or let them die just to get what YOU wanted? If you're me, I know somewhere inside you there's a part that can't live with that, just like a part of Nightmare Moon WANTED to be beaten and return to where she belonged. Maybe it's what little bit of a heart you have left."

The Nightmare rolled her eyes, "We've been over this idiot. You think because something LOOKS and SOUNDS alive, it has to be alive. There is no pony being erased, just props being reset."

"That's where THEY come in, isn't it? Those five. They're how you live with yourself, your own little circle of friends you can designate as real so you can say the others are just copies you can kill without a second thought. You've erased them all so many times...but for one of them, on a random cycle, you pick one to bring into your herd. Because if you didn't, there's no way you could live with yourself. I know I couldn't. And I am you."

"So? What does that matter?!" asked the shade of Nightmare Granfalloon, manifesting unbidden giving a giggle.

"We ain't 'those five!' The TRUTH is we're still her friends!" Nightmare Mirror to the right of Granfalloon continued.

"I'll NEVER betray her! No matter what she does!" Nightmare Manacle followed with intensity, on the left side of the Nightmare.

"The world will be a better place when she's finished," pleaded Nightmare Whisper, moving next to Manacle. "I believe in her."

"I've given myself to her! All of myself! It doesn't matter how I joined her!" Nightmare Banneret finished, dead center of the five.

"She's our friend!" they all defend.

Paradox wore an expression identical to the one Twilight had in front of Nightmare Moon when explaining her friends being the Elements. "See? My real friends are right here! Not those dolls you keep clutching to like a spoiled brat!" The Nightmares all nuzzled Nightmare Eclipse. "And together we're stronger than any of you could hope to ever be!"

"I didn't think that would convince you, but it did a marvelous job of distracting you," Twilight stated, before she kicked her soap box square into Nightmare Paradox's face.

"BLAGH!"

Celly laughed and clapped her hooves.

"NOW!" Called Twilight.

Ender Dash and a fully healed Derpy dove in, slamming into Nightmare Manacle and taking her high into the air. The two flew in separate directions, dodging lightning before linking hooves and diving straight down at the Nightmare, Elements glowing as bright as the sun. "Sonic Endboom!" they called, an electrified rainbow with stripes of yellow and gray trailing them as they slammed straight through Manacle, electrocuting her with enough lightning to overload a city and sending her slamming to the ground below with a thud. Rainbow and Derpy both landed, panting heavily and barely able to stand.

Paradox screamed as the same injuries were dealt to her.

Applejack jumped out of an invisibility illusion and bucked Whisper in the jaw, driving her back. Upon landing, AJ slammed her hooves down, commanding several pillars of rock to erupt up, straight through the Nightmare's body. She ordered them to shatter, sending shrapnel ripping through the innards of the Nightmare. As both Nightmares screamed in agony, AJ put her hoof over her heart, panting heavily from the effort of the assault. "Ah'm sorry, Fluttershy..."

"I forgive you."

Nightmare Mirror prepared to attack, but found herself faced by Apple Pie. "Auntie, if yer supposed ta be Truth, then why are yah helpin' somepony lie ta themselves? A lot of someponies, really."

Nightmare Mirror put a hoof to her head. "Ah don't help!" the Nightmare bellowed. "Yah ain't gonna beat me with them tricks!"

"Actually, Ah'm a distraction."

"Ah, geeze!"

Celly and Luna had flown up and Mirror found herself blasted from one side and the other with wide beams of solar and lunar energy, straining from the amount of power they were putting into the attack. Mirror screamed in agony as the beams kept feeding into her as she attempted to reflect them, tearing out of her body in various places trying to escape. Apple Pie covered her eyes, unable to watch an incarnation of her Aunt suffer. "Ah'm sorry auntie..."

Banneret snarled, preparing a gout of flames, only for Spike to spit a stream of highly flammable ink into his mouth, igniting it in his throat and lighting his head and throat flame.

Spike winced, seeing a version of himself suffering so. He charged and drove his claw through the Nightmare's throat with every ounce of power he had, impaling Banneret's body on his claw. He let Banneret fall to the ground in agony, falling to his knees, from fatigue.

Granfalloon tried blasting Rarity with party cannons, but saw too late it was an illusion. Her tail twitched as the REAL Rarity rained crystal weapons down from above, turning Granfalloon into a pony pincushion. Rarity staggered as she landed, having used so much blood at once she was barely conscious as closed her eyes and used a sonic spell to shatter the crystal weapons. Rarity winced as the Nightmare roared in agony as the shards cut through and embedded themselves in her body. "...I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie..."

"OW! It's-OW-all in good-fun-OW!-fun-fun!"

Paradox fell to her knees in agony, every wound inflicted on her Gallery of Nightmares happening to her.

Minty threw the Sword of the Seasons, Twilight accelerating it with telekinesis driving it deep into one of the existing wounds in the Nightmare's chest. Twilight then jumped forwards, using a gravity spell to slam down on the hilt, slicing Paradox's chest open.

"Game over," Twilight said as the Destruction Spell charged, seeing the huge familiar-shaped black crystal situated inside the Nightmare's chest. She let loose the spell, the explosion blowing a hole straight through the Nightmare, obliterating the corrupted Element of Magic, her heart, her seat of consciousness, in the process.

Twilight took a few weary steps back, watching very closely as the Nightmare's dead body fell on its side, all other the Nightmares beginning to flicker, their anchor to this world gone. Nightmare Paradox's corpse simply bled.

The image of Paradox's eye blinked into existence in front of Twilight, clock hands spinning backwards in it.

(Time stop. Time reversal. You will wander forever.)

All their efforts were neatly undone, like a film played in reverse. The heroes found themselves standing like awkward actors.

"We all let your barrage hit us!" The Number One Assistant Nightmare roared.

"I could've dodged!" Granfalloon chimed in happily.

"They're actually being honest," said Applejack's Nightmare, wounds reversing with the flow of time.

"Did that feel good unfinished me? Make you feel big? Make you feel all tough and badflank right? Impossible to lose right?" Nightmare Manacle asked.

"Now do you understand you're just giving yourselves pain for no reason?" Nightmare Whisper pleaded with the heroes. "Please stop fighting us!!"

"Do we get 'impossible for us to lose' yet dear?" The very much alive Nightmare Eclipse dodged the soap box, and sent a destructive beam up, torching Derpy's wing and blasting her out of the air before her and Rainbow Dash could strike. "Alright my friends: punishment punishment."

Nightmare Bannaret breathed green flames over Rarity, causing a tent to materialize that fell over her.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Nightmare Granfalloon laughed at them, a light bulb came on inside the tent as Rarity found herself surrounded by a sphere of party canons just before they went off.

Nightmare Manacle rammed into RD before she could blink, the pegasus sailed inside one of the waiting Nightmare Mirror's reflective wings and out the other one meeting with Manacle's waiting front hooves, shattering her spine and crushing her organs.

Nightmare Whisper, made Luna and Celly drowsy as a mist rose up from the floor keeping them away from the fighting.

Spike and Nightmare Banneret's teleportation breaths met. Spike summoned more blinding ink and junk from his hoard. Nightmare Banneret's own green flames summoned a dragon-sized boulder that Spike felt break ribs as it landed on the hero.

Minty Pie's sword was caught in Eclipse's telekensis and perfectly reversed course, overwhelming Twilight's telekensis. The pommel hit Minty Pie hard and cracking her hip, making Minty cry out.

Paradox looked aside and shot a torrent of flames, burning an invisible Applejack almost to her skeleton, right where AJ had attacked Whisper before the time reverse. She followed up with a curved pressure wave, blasting the battered heroes to the ground around Twilight.

"Do you get it yet? I've HELD BACK this long because I was hoping I could reason with myself. I could've reversed your moves at ANY moment, but I'm growing tired of your massive ego, idiocy, thickheaded selfishness and asininity and so are my friends, and you HURTING MY FRIENDS! And if you're hoping I'm going to run out of mana if you make me reverse time enough: I'm not Cruelty, I don't have that problem. I believe it's time for you to realize you've lost like an adult."

Twilight caught Minty with her telekinesis and gently set her next to her applying magical first aid. Twilight quivered as the failure of her friends played in her head over and over. A pair of clock hands flickered in one eye.

Rarity got back to her hooves forcing her battered body to look up at Paradox, spitting out a tooth and some blood. "If we surrender, we die anyway, I don't see why we shouldn't inconvenience you until the end."

Nightmare Paradox groaned and facehoofed, "You're not alive. You girls really are hopeless."

Rainbow said. "No old Twilight, we're bucking full of hope."

"Ya know darlin', the Roamares thought of hope as somethin' evil that brought sufferin'," Nightmare Mirror said factually.

"I'm sorry! I promise I'll make it not hurt!" Nightmare Whisper begged the ponies and dragon. "And when the new you is made, they'll be just like you, same heart and thoughts, but without a thousand years of nothing but pain! I'm fighting for you."

"And seriously, you guys are just being sore losers right now, stop being so selfish," Nightmare Banneret scolded them. "If you all really cared about Twilight you'd be helping her go Nightmare right now!"

"Spike that was unkind, they just can't know any better," Nightmare Whisper said.

"Sorry," The dragon nightmare bowed his head.

"Guys," Spike spoke to the Nightmares, "This can't be what you all want."

"It doesn't matter what I want!" Manacle/Banneret said at the same time and looked at each other and blushed.

Apple Pie looked at Mirror. "Is it Auntie? Do yah really want tah kill meh? And the rest of the family."

Mirror looked the filly, her niece, square in the eyes, "Ah told ya before. It ain't what Ah want. Ah know Ah'm a killer! This is the price where a you and everypony else'll be happy except me! And stop callin' meh Auntie! Yer Auntie is over yonder! Ah ain't got no right to be called that!"

"I don't want this, I want what comes after," Nightmare Whisper confessed. Then sighed warmly. "Then Fluttercruel can grow up right in a world where this was all just a horrible dream."

Spike looked his dark reflection in the eyes. "How can you say you love Rarity, when you're willing to ... to... to murder her?"

"It's not murder! She'll just wake up with no memory of any of this. And because the golden world will be the most wonderful gift I could ever give her and everyone else Rarity'll wake up to, if I have to give up my everything for that then so be it, and I'll give that and more if my friends ask me to."

Nightmare Manacle looked at Mirror, "Don't you have anything to say to yourself?"

"She ain't gonna abandon her friends, and Ah ain't gonna abandon mine, what else is there ta say?"

Derpy stood up through the pain, and spread her wings to fight again, only to see the useless scorched feathers. "Dinky," She said.

"Don't worry friends, this'll all be just a bad bad bad dream you'll all wake up from when the Golden Golden Golden Ending happens," Nightmare Granfalloon cheered.

"Can you at least tell me how you became this way Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash asked the Nightmare of her best friend.

"Oh! Sure! That's easy easy easy! You see, it started out when I was still meanie meanie meanie Angry Pie."

"Minty Pie," Twilight The Unicorn whispered as her other friends spoke to the Nightmares, "Get ready to touch-"

"Bad Alicorn You? She sure looked scared when we almost did."

"No, touch me, you were right, it is what's supposed to happen. Please, for just a little while, only a bit, that's all I need. All we need. Please."

Minty Pie hesitated for just moment even if it she talked about it before. Then she remembered. Her family. All her family. Still alive and who had passed on. "I'm scared to pieces, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!"

They touched. They remembered. They knew. Then something came between them!

"HEY! APPLE PIE!" Minty Pie shouted as her little cousin hugged her.

"Sorry, just happy to see ya. What Half-Light said really got mah heart pumpin'."

"It's alright, Apple Pie, can ya give me a hug too?"

"Sure Half-Light!"

The ponies hugged. Twilight's magical aura flared, to the point of making the wind howl. "Thanks, after all this fighting, shouting and arguing, I needed a quick reminder of what the OTHER half of Magic is, thank you Apple Pie."

"Yer welcome!"

"Please little filly! Get away from the fighting!" Nightmare Whisper called.

Derpy tried a ground attack but was casually held back by the Laughter Nightmare like Derpy was a foal.

Twilight had absolutely no idea if this was going to work. But she had all the seeds for the spell she needed: another look at Nightmare Paradox's time magic, and a reminder of the spiritual link with Minty Pie, and the magic of friendship from Apple Pie. And of course, all of her friends.

"And I said 'Oatmeal? That makes perfect sense!' And that's when I became the new new new and improved me!" Finish Nightmare Granfalloon.

"Say goodnight," Nightmare Paradox said in Twilight's 'I'm surrounded by idiots' tone, red energy crackling around her horn as she charged the Destruction Spell aimed at the heroes...then she heard a microphone tapping.

#Testing, test, is this thing on?#

(What?!)

#You know, it's kind of fun being the disembodied voice for once.#

(Pst. You're dead, Discord.)

#Details, details. I had something to say, Anarchy lent me his cell phone. You know, he hates you for oppressing ponies in the worst way possible.#

(That's stupid. You're stupid. They're not ponies, they're cheap quantum copy chronic clones. Counterfeits! And my world free of fate is right up his alley!)

#Strife hates seeing you nullifying the accomplishments Life, itself, earned. It scraped and clawed to the top to earn.#

(Horseapples AGAIN. I evolve further and further with each iteration. If others lose while I win, that's natural selection. She and Destruction wiped out the dinosaurs. So don't tell me she cares about the many.)

#Pandora hates you for turning so many happy endings into downer endings and shoot-the-shaggy-diamond-dog stories.#

(Now that one actually sounds in character. Fantasy never was rational. She should stick to inspiring remakes of Daring Do.)

# Rancor, now that she actually knows you-OW!!!!! ...Okay. She says she thinks you're totally hot and wish the two of you had a chance to go out spear fishing together. But orders from Dad override what she wants.#

(Web of lies catching up with you?)

#I never said I was lying about anything. Father finds your endless repetitive cycle of the same fears boring, and Mother may be...slightly less apathetic towards you for never allowing the universe to reach its conclusion?#

(Oh. Wow. The two entities that have caused the most misery on Ponykind next to you and Rota Fortuna don't like me. For a second I was worried. They DO say the best way to judge a pony is by their enemies, not their friends. And if I have them for enemies, I really am a saint. Not that I ever doubted, of course.)

#I never said how She was less apathetic, maybe She likes you having made it all pointless and meaningless, 'As Reality truly is?' As she might say? And I don't think I need to explain why I hate you.#

(Of course not. The feeling's very mutual.)

#I just wanted to tell you, Cruelty's doing well, with Fluttershy...and my Father loved her by the way.#

(So?)

#Let's see, one of the four beings in the universe STRONGER than you likes my daughter and has her with us in the spirit world. And He doesn't want to lose another Draconequus after finally filling the void left by Destruction and D____. What do you think?#

(...Wait!...You can't mean...!)

#I got a loop where I FINALLY saved Fluttercruel! And YOU won't be getting her back!#

(Asininity! I overwrote Trixie's Alicornification: I can overwrite Fluttercruel's Draconequusification.)

#Are you so sure you did? Hehe.#

(Trixie's death over and over in every loop since then says so. Moron.)

#Well, I guess there's one more thing to say...#

(If it'll make you go away faster.)

#I. Win!#

(Care to know what your 'prize' is? Thank you, Discord. For inspiring me to crush that fat little ego of yours into dust, then atoms, then electrons, and the electrons into nothing. You thought what I did to Fluttercruel was bad? Heh. Just wait till you see what I do to Screwball and Mad Tiara!!!!)

#Sorry. But that's never going to happen. Well, I would love to keep haunting you, but I've gotta go be boiled alive. Arrevederchi!CLICK!#

(He actually said 'click?')

*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! We're sorry, the number you have reached has been a distraction.*

(What?...) She was having 'The Hydra wasn't the doozy' flashbacks. Paradox's eyes went wide as she looked down at the massive light emanating from the group as Twilight's invented on the spot spell finished charging.

= Reach For The Star Orchestra - Sonic Colors =

Applejack just smiled. All she had endured for a thousand years hadn't been a waste. She had lessened the burden of those weighted down. She had given peace to those who suffered. She had told the truth and lied, saved lives and ended suffering. Kindness was her guide. She regretted only that she had taken the easy way out in the hedge maze. But that was in the past. She honestly felt cheated that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had gone on ahead, to the Heaven where Applebloom awaited her. But her task wasn't done. She still had family to look after here, among the living.

Rarity was amazed. So many, there were so many, she thought the number of ponies within herself had been great. It was. But this, she felt humbled. Within herself she felt six lights plus her own. The six Elements of Chaos quivered from excitement, from Synergy. When she had been Generosity, she had been just like Spike. In spite of her avarice, she had given to the needy without expecting any personal gain. And that made her light shine brighter. Now it was time for bigger truths. What more was there to say? Sweetie Belle.

Derpy knew it would have been easy to fall to despair. Lie to herself that she had nothing left to live for. She'd failed to save Sparkler, and thus failed her promise to Dinky. She hadn't even completed her laps around the castle: she had been saved FROM them. This dark part of herself insisted that Dinky would be better off being raised by the Apples and Pies. But she could never be that selfish. Dinky would want her mother back. Derpy wouldn't disappoint her. And for all the countless mothers who had already lost hope, in themselves, in the future, Derpy aimed to serve as an example of somepony different. Of somepony who loved her foals flying alongside her instead, who knew what love was, and could give and accept love in turn. Like a mother should.

A part of Minty Pie felt like a third wheel, almost. Apple Pie was her cousin and half of the reason she had started this quest to begin with, and Twilight was the only other one here she had had a chance to bond with on a personal level. She knew the previous Minty had been friends with Rainbow Dash, but not this Rainbow Dash. And that Minty had known a PRINCESS Rarity, there had been an Applejack in that Minty's Ponyville, and a Spike. But they weren't those that Minty had known. And that was okay. She had saved Twilight, and made sure Apple Pie was okay, that was what was important. Minty Pie was not Minty, and she didn't have to be. "Rainbow Dash, everypony, I'll become your friend again for the first time. I know we'll have plenty of time to become good friends after this!"

Celly wish she understood more of what was going on. Everything was so confusing! But at least her sister was still with her. She hoped she'd get to see Dissy soon. When she first met 'em, he was so lonely, she'd been so happy that she'd turn that frown upside down. She really hoped she could get him to make more friends. The more the merrier. Hehheheh! But these lights. They felt so familiar. In fact. They made her want to laugh inside, spread kindness to those around her, they made the magic within her she liked to give others sparkle. And when she looked at the sun, it didn't hurt her eyes, she felt like... like it was a part of her, as much as her wings and hooves, a limb she could, she could move.

Princess Luna was beyond amazed. This was incredible! Amazing! Unbelievable! She searched her memories for anything that occurred like this before across time and space! This magic, the bond between ponies! She knew it for what it was, but stilll, how could the magic of friendship be this powerful? Maybe being a filly was fitting for her after all, she still had much to learn.

Rainbow Dash wished she had a camera, or some sunglasses. She really didn't think she'd get a chance to see something like this again and wanted it recorded for when the 'How We Saved The World' Museum opened its doors. She regretted Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and yeah, Gilda not being there to see it. Rainbow Dash would just to have party that much harder for them. 'Your choice' Discord said in the hedge maze, alright then. Then she chose to be here for them. After a thousand years she was free. She was a hero again. The one and only Rainbow Dash. Okay, one tiny difference: she now understood that Loyalty and Free Will weren't opposing forces, they were friends who trotted along side each other. She would embody that truth and be totally cool, radical and awesome about it!

Apple Pie found it funny. There was no contradiction or chaos here. There should have been, but she couldn't find any. Maybe there was no need to point out the contradictions every time, oh it was fun no denying that, it was a riot! But maybe, just maybe, it wasn't worth trying to be smart and clever, and instead let the moment speak for itself. To enjoy something for what it was. Never had she imagined she'd change the world for the better (at least twice!). Let alone get a whole bunch of new friends. She couldn't ask for more. She wondered if Half-Light and Minty Pie would both like marble cake once they were done here.

Spike felt pride. Pure and simple. But not for himself: for Twilight. His Twilight. Twilight The Unicorn. Twilight Sparkle. The filly who Celestia had act as his care taker with the 'trivial' things that came with raising a baby dragon that Princesses didn't exactly have time for. But Celestia was always there, seeing that Twilight learn her lesson of what it meant to care for somedragon, and the joy of seeing another grow. And Spike was going to share back that love with both her and Rarity. Not out of obligation, but because he wanted to share with them all the wonderful feelings they had given him. Once upon a time he had a dream once, where he was still a baby dragon, and greed growth turned him into a feral mad-dragon, but Rarity and his love for Rarity saved him from himself. They had saved Rarity Belle from herself. Now they were going to save Twilight Sparkle from herself too.

Twilight looked up into the eyes of her Nightmare, clock hands moving forwards in her own. "Time march forward. Bonds reach across all. We'll wander no longer!" The last part was echoed by Minty.

=Ever Ever After from Enchanted=

Rainbow Dash bore witness as the Elements shone, their lights connecting to each other, their hearts touching, becoming something greater than the sum of their parts.

Then the light spread out, two lines extended from Twilight and her circle of friends, stopping, splitting apart, curving to create new circles, tugging at the distortion surrounding Nightmare Paradox and turning it into something new.

New friends appeared.

First, a pale pink unicorn mare, a purple streak in her white mane. She bore a cutie mark of a mess of purple stars. She looked with sky blue eyes filled with wonder. All of the six new ponies had bows on the base of their tails. "I wish, I wish!"

Next to the wishful pony was a smiling, hatless brown-eyed Applejack whose cutie mark was several smaller apple. "Who's a silly pony?"

Third was another unicorn mare, this one white with a purple mane with blue streaks and bright blue eyes, her cutie mark was a comet. She was wearing roller skates. "It's glorious."

Fourth was an Earth pony who bore a VERY strong resemblance to Fluttershy except her cutie mark was a collection of pink flowers. "Please let Equestria bloom again."

Fifth was a white pegasus who seemed oddly familiar, "Surprise!"

Sixth and last was a pink pegasus mare with a blue mane and a blue double lightning bolt cutie mark, whose wild heart was obvious even at a distance. "Danger is our life, right, Rainbow Dash?"

The opposite line split and curved, creating another circle. Instead of six ponies, seven emerged, all Earth Ponies teenagers.

First was a pink mare with blue eyes and a yellow mare, her cutie mark was one large yellow star a few smaller blue eyes. "Even if we drift apart as adults, we'll still be friends right?"

Second was an inquisitive-looking mare with green coat, brown eyes and reddish brown mare. Her cutie mark was a pink notebook and pen. "I'll give everything to help animals in need and protect our environment we ponies love."

Third was a vaguely familiar looking yellow mare with a mess purple mane who was well rounded. Her cutie mark was a wrapped-up piece of candy. Under one hoof, she had a journal. "I'll put my trust in each of you and the future."

Fourth was a very familiar looking white filly with a pink mane and a large heart and a couple smaller ones as her cutie mark. "If a new world is to come, I hope it's a kinder one. If we can make a wish, then nobody suffer needlessly....We've come full circle haven't we? Applejack?" She was speaking to the former Liarjack.

The fifth teenager had a dark pink mare, with a blue mane; her cutie mark was a microphone. She moved with the grace of an entertainer. "Like, what's my line again? Oh right! Heh. Even if my music doesn't make history, it'll make the gods themselves turn their heads! Right Rarity?"

Sixth was an athletic beige pony with a borderline magenta mane and yellow eyes. Her cutie mark was a patch of cloth. "No matter what adventures are waiting for me, they won't mean half as much unless you're there to share them!"

The last one was a faded purple pony with light lavender mane; her cutie mark was a four-leaf clover. "When we're touching these pieces of the Rainbow of Light, I feel like we really are a part of something bigger. I hope I never lose my bond with any of you. You understand that too, Minty? Twilight?"

But the magic was not yet done. The two new circles spawned another line each, that stretched out, split, and created a new circle. Six more ponies appeared, plus a dragon.

First was what had to be the most beautiful pegasus the world had ever seen, her coat was white, her mane was strips of blues, whites, and pinks. Her wings were larger than normal, but not absurdly so, like some fashion models had. Beautiful cursive markings were on her legs, sides and forehead. A pegasus who is willing to let go of everything she was if it means protecting her friends. Her cutie mark was a pink heart framed by blue sparkles. "Seems there are some fates we can't escape, eh, Celly?"

Second was a far plainer-looking blue pegasus with green eyes, and a pink tail, her mane was a split between yellow and pink. Her cutie mark was a bee flying over an elaborate set of pink flowers. A cowardly pegasus who faced her worst fear rather than abandon a friend. "We're not so different after all, are we, Derpy Hooves?"

Third was a mature purple earth pony with a pink tail. Her mane was stripped white, pink and a darker purple. Her cutie mark was a bundle of wild flowers. One earth pony whose gentleness never wavered even when given power and rejected power for the sake of all those she loved. "Maybe I can save you after all Rarity! Maybe I wasn't such a bad choice for Princess after all either."

Fourth was a pink little unicorn filly with eyes that sparkled like Rarity's. Her tail was blue, green and purple, while her mane was yellow, orange, and magenta! Her cutie mark was similarly over the top, a pink center with a dark pink outline, with three small diamond shapes around it and a rainbow swoosh curled around the picture. A little unicorn princess to whom life was a game and whose laughter was infectious to all she met. "I'm happy of where I came from," she looked at teenager with the microphone cutie mark, then she looked to Rarity. "And who I grew up to be."

Fifth was another purple Earth pony, her mane and tail were purple with pink streak and large green eyes. Her cutie mark was a butterfly and a kite. An Earth Pony who wished to reveal the truth of pegasus to her fellow Earth Ponies even if it disrupted the status quo. "...Patch," she said looked at the teenager with the, well, patch cutie mark. "Thank you for giving me my heart to want to improve and grow, I discovered so much, thanks to you. And Twinkle Twirl, Buddy will be with us forever."

"I know," Patch responded.

Then there was the little blue dragon. He seemed ages more mature than Spike had been at that size. Could he be a naturally small dragon? A purple crest crowned his head and contrasted nicely with his orange belly and ear fins. A dragon who'd give all his life in service of another in spite of the typical dragon ego. The dragon made a small cough and spoke with an adult cultured voice, "Ahem. Dear, erm, 'Spike. It's nice to know I'm a lady's dragon and a scholar, no matter the reality."

The last one, was a green mare with a pink mane, and three peppermint candies as her cutie mark. "I've learned to trust my friends. And Pinkie Pie! No matter what you'll always be my best friend! Right Twilight? Minty Pie? Clover?"

"Minty," Nightmare Granfalloon whispered, her smile becoming the smallest it could possibly be without turning into a frown. Her wings folded against her slide hard. "Why?"

"I'm sorry Pinkie Pie," The new arrival Minty said to her.

Yet another new circle formed, this one around the two Alicorn fillies. "Wow! Cool!" Celly declared looking around! "Hey, Lulu, isn't this fun?!"

"...yes, yes it is. Honest with myself and my family, give my gift of magic to my ponies, loyal to those who put their trust in me, I'LL NEVER THROW AWAY THOSE PARTS OF ME AGAIN!"

"Lulu, are you okay?"

"Yes..."Lulu blinked tears of joy, "Yes I am! I'm wonderful!" She put a hoof to her chest as three lights glowed around her, and three other lights did Celly. "They've forgiven me. I'm free."

A new line each extended from the two new circles, that then split apart and curved, AND MET! Forming one last circle.

Six more ponies appeared:
A purple unicorn with a purple and white star cutie mark.
An orange earth pony with a yellow mane and freckles wearing a cowpony hat.
A cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and a rainbow lightning cutie mark.
A white unicorn with a curled purple mane who radiated sophistication.
A yellow pegasus with a long flowing pink mane, and a butterfly cutie mark.
A pink earth pony with a pink fuzzy with a balloon cutie mark who couldn't seem to sit still.

All wore necklaces except for the purple unicorn who wore a crown. They only smiled silently to the former members of the Chaos Six, and their other fellow bearers.

Twenty-six magically-summoned newcomers.

Adding Nightmare Paradox and her five cohorts, plus Apple Pie, Minty Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Derpy Hooves, and Twilight...
...A grand total of forty individuals stood upon this battlefield.
Six sets of Elements versus six Nightmares.

The lines had connected, what had been a set of smaller circles had now become one great circle of friends. And only Rainbow Dash and Minty were there to appreciate its splendor.

"You have power over time? The magic between friends transcends time, space, reality, death, beyond all barriers! Friendship doesn't just pierce the barrier between life and death, but all barriers, everywhere! This is a friendship that pierces the walls between worlds! We've been made, unmade, and remade, but the links we've forged between our souls are all still here! You have six Elements of Harmony that are absolute? We have six sets of hearts beating together in harmony! You have a gallery of Nightmares? We have a herd of FRIENDS!"

Twilight looked around at her friends, all of them. "I'm not scared. Not with all of you by my side." She gave her friends a confident smile, washing away any lingering doubts. She turned her attention back to the Nightmares, locking her eyes on her own. "And neither are they scared by my side!"

Nightmare Paradox shook her mane wildly at the army of heroes. "You think me a stupid filly?! That we'll just stand here and do nothing?!"

The Twilight of this world, Minty, and the first Twilight, and Clover all gasped out in pain, but the circled remained unbroken. They all felt their sides as though they'd been glazed by a knife. But their friends were there to support them.

Nightmare Paradox shouted in pain at the same time as the others. Her side hurt like it had been sliced opened then stuffed with dry-ice and hydrogen peroxide. Her stomach for one moment hit the ground. "You're an idiot Rancor, you think one phantom pain is enough to keep us from simply fighting back? I've won this fight a million times, I am the patron concept of the endless loop! You actually though this would change anything? LOOPERS DON'T LOSE!!! I've made many looping-"

Plants slipped through the mortar lines of the castle stones. Cactus branches and houseplant leaves wrapped themselves around the Nightmare, pinning her in place. They were unaffected by her flaming mane.

The fight has never lasted this long before.

The Nightmare stopped paying attention to the six connected circles of light. She stopped paying attention to most everything, even her friends and fellow Nightmares. "Mom? Dad? You...?" The rapidly growing plants bound her tighter. "But...but why...aren't you...don't you-"

"How could you do this to me! You're different from the Old Lady! How dare you do this! You can't do this! How can you-?!" Discord howled in rage. "MOTHER!!!"
"Mother...why?" Cruelty whimpered like a small child, "Why...why do you hate me? I...I tried so hard to let you know I loved you."

Nightmare Paradox fell to her knees, her wings went limp, her flames died down to almost nothing. Her champron and mask fell from her with a clatter.

"You can't stop heroes!" Nightmare Manacle snarled.

"We don't lose!" Nightmare Banneret hissed.

"This is for your own good Minty. So just smile-" "-lay down-" "-and go away!" Nightmare Granfalloon, Whisper, and Mirror all declared, the monstrous sized Element jewels appearing, except one.

"Twilight? Twilight! Move! Wake up!" Nightmare Manacle yelled.

"If you need strength takes ours!" Nightmare Banneret cried.

"This isn't isn't isn't funny!"

"Twilight we need you!" Nightmare Whisper declared.

But the Nightmare of Magic didn't respond.

"... So that's how it is, Twiligh'," Nightmare Mirror whispered, as her all seeing eyes fell on the vines and branches and the Nightmare she held, and blinked away tears, her voice cracked. "Ah well."

Six hearts, connected to six sets of hearts, six circles, forged into one great circle, fueled by friends from six different worlds, and the Rainbow of Light in a way never seen before, erupted from the six sets of joined hearts. Joined together, a bright light shining together as one, and crashed down on the bound Nightmare.

+++

The Rainbow continued across time and space, flowing across the mangled timeline and all its branches...and it began to move forwards once again. No longer a loop of unending misery, but a tree finally aloud to grow.

And all existence glorified in newborn freedom.

++++

=The Awakening Full Meal Alchemist Brotherhood=

(No...no logical, not logical, please, illogical...)

(Was this what Nightmare Moon felt? That night so many eternities ago, as I with my five best friends, had awakened to our Elements before her eyes, not believing, confused and dismayed? As control of her fate was torn away from her with just a few brave words and the inner conviction of a truth inside six little ponies?)

"There is no such thing as immunity from me. The wheel of fate acts the opposite of how mortals think," (said the Alicorn suddenly in front of me. One of her wings was a bronze and copper clockwork. Didn't anypony else see her?

She manifests a deck of cards with an Alicorn design on the back and puts two cards floating in front of me face down.)

"Those who 'resist' the wheel, try to defy or subdue fate, are only entangled in its spokes," (she flips the cards. The first is blank, featureless Alicorn in a reverse position, a mobius loop above its head and labeled 'The Magician. The other is a beautiful Alicorn Stallion with devil wings with two ponies chained to his throne labeled ''The Devil'. Huh? Why does she look...sad when she sees that card?)

"Those who embrace fate are the ones who can recognize it and grasp the reigns to steer the wheel in a new direction."

(The Magician suddenly reverses to its proper direction and the Devil changes. It's now a black Alicorn Stallion with skeletal wings labeled 'Death'. She puts them back in the deck and draws two more. She flips one. The Devil again.)

"Those obsessed with controlling fate, shackle themselves to the wheel.

(Except that wheel diverges, right? One of my other selves will destroy you some day, it's law of averages.)

"Normally you would be correct, but you are the genesis for every one of your alternate selves, there is not a Nightmare Eclipse that does not owe her existence to you. You are, for all intents and purposes, the Heart World Nightmare Eclipse. Normally the fate of the Heart World version does not effect all her alternate selves, it merely breaks some of their bonds with her, but you have been fusing with every Nightmare Purgatory to come into being from the very first iteration without one exception, making a bond that CAN'T be broken. Their Fate/Myself cannot separate itself/Myself from your own because in essence, you have made them a part of you. You have shackled them all to the same wheel as yourself, and when that wheel turns, they can only follow."

(I felt my blood run cold...I could feel them...all of them...all the past versions of myself I'd combined with...She was right...)

"You never outgrew your mortal mindset or your mortal desires."

(What's wrong with that?! Knowledge, perfection, justice, what's wrong with seeking these things? Why should I have to give up who and what I am?)

"You didn't give that up, you threw it away. You clung to mortal grudges, while rejecting the enlightenment of an Alicorn. Discarded every lesson Celestia taught you, then placed yourself above her throne. You denounced Morning Star and Discord, and embraced their methods. You sought a perfect world, while orchestrating a living Tartarus."

(What should that matter? Discord's earned eternal punishment. Why should he get special compensation? A cozy gray where only ponies who punish evil are scorned and monsters are treated like victims? Thinking every murderer and rapist is just 'hurt and misunderstood?!' THAT is evil!)

"You condemn Discord for the murder and sin he's done onto others, yet you use those same ponies to die and suffer for your satisfaction. He only continued to make the ponies suffer because you allowed and then forced him to do so. The very sins you claim to punish him for are now your own. You embarrass yourself!!"

(They're just lifeless, brainless, heartless, imitations! Like blobs of clay given pony shapes or MACHINES! They're less than shadows! Like toys! How can you sanely punish me for that?!)

"It's just a game...they're only toys...little pieces on the board...Smarty Pants is just a toy... I'm not evil if I take her insides out...so I'm not evil for taking other toys' insides out...they're just toys..."

(My entire body breaks out into a cold sweat. She flips the last card. It's an Alicorn Mare armed with a spear in golden armor with a scale in hoof. 'Justice'. The card seems to alternate between correct and reversed.)

"...You are right. Crimes are crimes, and we should never turn a blind eye to them. You who have judged others, you too shall be judged."

(The lights of six Bearers, times seven ponies, times seven Bearers, time two Alicorns, times six ponies, time six ponies came down upon me. My five friends rise up within and meet it head on, my heart twists in too many directions to give them unity, they give their all, but they're simply overwhelmed, and washed away in the river of rainbow light. I reach for my friends. But I can't reach them. I can't touch them. They're out of my reach. They're just swept away from me, crying my name. Applejack. Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Spike. I failed you. )

Inside a sphere of magic, Twilight Sparkle, colder than cold, shivered as she turned her head her body floating helpless. She saw the outlines of her friends. She dared to hope, but then the outlines feel apart, the perfectly shaped ashes breaking apart like sand castle, not even bones remained, just ashes.

"Nothing left." Said Nightmare Eclipse in spite of there no atmosphere around her.

"N-N-N-NOOOOOO!" Twilight Sparkle cried and sobbed hysterically! "An illusion! A trick! Something! ANYTHING! CELESTIA!"

(...I drown as I hear her.)

"And by your own justice I bid you goodnight, Nightmare Eclipse...Paradox."

++++

=Face Myself Piano version Persona 4=

A normal sized gray Twilight Sparkle with pegasus wings and a unicorn horn found herself in a small dome of rainbow light. On her face was a wand shaped burn.

From four compass points, four ponies entered through the wall of light.

Minty. Clover. Twilight The First. And Twilight Sparkle. They slowly trotted closer to her.

"We've twisted time so badly," Twilight the First said, "that all of our soul must go together. As so many Nightmare Purgatories have joined you, all the Nightmare Eclipses of this dark world in all its timeline will now be with us."

"Please, Twilight! Please! Forget about Discord! We can turn the world back the way it's supposed to be!" The gray pony begged. "Ponyville, friendship reports, our friends!"

Twilight Sparkle sadly shook her head, "No, for the sake of the ponies that are here: hippogriff, virgacorns, Seaponies, changelings and all, we're going to march forward. The rest of us have accepted this world. Warts and all. We've gone through several thousand years of resets. It's time to wake up from the Nightmare and grow up."

"Twilight Sparkle, it's time," said Minty rubbing her front hooves together gingerly.

The gray pony shrunk in terror, "No... oh no...please no, I don't, please, I don't want to vanish! I don't want to die!"

"Twilight Sparkle it's okay. You're not going to to vanish. The Rainbow of Light won't hurt you," said Twilight the First.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, I'm scared too," said Clover, "We're going to be whole."

The Alicorn Twilight Tragedy shed tears, her ears wilting, "But--but--... I just wanted to do good."

"And we will, we'll all be there together."

The four ponies hugged the gray mare in the center.

+++

The light from the Elements faded, the other bearers of the Elements were gone, except for those who had been with them before.

Nightmare Paradox was gone.

Spike and Rarity embraced passionately.
AJ openly made prays of thanks to the Alicorns.
Minty Pie and Apple Pie hugged.
Celly led Luna in a small victory dance that mostly involved kicking their legs left and right. And singing a victory song that was mostly happy shouts and "La-de-lade-ladea-doe!"
Rainbow Dash did loops de-loops, then returned to the ruined roof, laying flat on her back, and burst out laughing at the sky.
Derpy laid down on her belly for a long nap. She could finally take a real rest, and truly let her guard down.

From the tip of her tail to the end of her muzzle, Twilight Sparkle stood cocooned in warm glowing threads of white magic.

The ponies and dragon stopped what they were doing and gathered around their friend in concern. What was this? What went wrong? Couldn't she and all of them just rest yet?

"Hey look, Lulu! We're gonna have a baby sister soon!"

"Yes, Celly...I can see."

"Baby sister?" Spike asked.

"Sure! Her body's sealed up nice and tight for her soul's Alicornification! But...shouldn't that have happened to that Nightmare instead of her? Where did she go?"

Minty Pie thought, 'Just like the pool showed me.'

"Nightmare Paradox would have gone back to being Twilight once the Elements purified her," Rarity whispered, "But I'd guess reality doesn't appreciate the same thing being in two places at once. And since the Harmony Elements won't kill..."

"Um...I saw Twilight's memories, that witch...SHE caused a lot of ponies to die with the Elements."

"The Elements call upon our Mother's power and combines it with the Rainbow of Light," Luna explained. "She is Empathy, The Life GIVER. But likewise, she would not allow her power to be summoned for an evil end, the Nightmares merely supercharged the Rainbow of Light with their own extremism, letting it loose without our Mother's will. I imagine Paradox influenced the other cycles to make it appear the Elements had killed, simply to complete her own goal. When my sister and I used the Elements to...dethrone a tyrant."

Celly blinked in confusion. "We did?"

"Yes, I'll tell you later, sister. They did not cause mass death and destruction, despite having also been another thousand year reign of evil."

Apple Pie knocked on the white covering, it made a pleasant humming sound, "So...Half-Light is okay?"

Princess Luna said, "That'll depend totally on her. All the power Nightmare Paradox had couldn't simply vanish. Who and what she becomes next...I'd say it's up to fate, but she's never been a pony to tip her hoof. Her Nightmare... No pony has existed at the same time as their own Nightmare."

"Well Ah kinda-"

"Nightmare Mirror was your alternate self," Luna said, having seen it during her sealing as she'd watched over them. "You are different leaves on the same tree, no pony has existed at the same time as their own Nightmare from the same timeline, let alone an Alicorn created from a pony or when that Nightmare was purified. So she's flying blind."

Spike asked, "Can we stop it?"

Luna shook her head, "You can't stop growing up."

Celly pouted, "Which really sucks!"

"It's not so bad," Derpy said feeling lost at what was told. Twilight was going to become an Alicorn?

Rarity said, "Heh, nothing is ever neat and simple is it?"

"Anything we can do?" Rainbow Dash asked as she touched Twilight only to get it slapped away by Luna.

"Ah can think of one thing at least," AJ sat down. "We pray."

Author's Notes:

Image by Kendell2. http://www.deviantart.com/art/Dark-World-Banner-Divergence-386844202