World of Discord 2.0 (RP)

The figure solidified, and it, she, Applebloom, was clothed in majesty, shining with a light that wasn't seen so much as felt, hugging Candycane to herself. She was a little filly, but she wasn't, she was a mare, but she wasn't, she was an elderly saint, but she wasn't, she was an undying thing cursed to walk the earth in torment yet kind to all things despite her pain, but she wasn't, she was spirit, she was flesh, she was...

"Trust and obey, and listen. Watch and observe, and you will know what to say, and when to say it, for He works in all things for the good of those who serve righteousness."

The silvery liquid parted, and she fell into whiteness.

---

---

"You treat our world like a retarded foal, never allowing free will! I bet you stole my immortality with the Elements on purpose!" Luna roared at Celestia.
"I would NEVER do that!! And you think it's a virtue for us to sit on our flanks and do nothing when everything goes to Tartarus!" Celestia snapped at Luna.
Cadence let off a few floating hearts towards the two elder Alicorns.
"I'm sorry for what I said Celly. Let's compromise."
"I'm sorry too Lulu. And okay." The two Alicorns hugged each other smiling.
'That's a relief, good thing I was here.' Cadence thought, feeling a strange dread at the idea of how the situation might have gone if she had never been born.

---

"Lock on and fire all weapons!" ordered the Pony Rangers from the cockpit of the freshly formed Ultra Pony Zord.
"Warning! Overload-Overload! Too many changes! System locked!"
Gildar roared in fury. "No I don't believe it!" she exclaimed, helpless as the Ultra Pony Zord let loose its full arsenal on Grifclopsys and Early-Day-Star. "Rainbow Dash!"

---

"Is that all you've got Twilight?
That won't be enough to end my blight!
You must put MORE into this fight!" Zecora grunted, the parasitic infection of the Windigos having grown to where she looked like the hanger on instead of the other way around. The stripped wings and horn of ice jerking her body around.
Twilight magically gripped her tighter, "Don't give up Zecora! I have yet to begun to fight!"

---

Featherweight looked on in horror as Applebloom slammed Big Mac into the arena floor again. Blood stains began to appear on the guard uniform Big Mac had 'obtained.'
"But-but Ah came here to rescue ya-"
"Sorry Big brother!" The filly laughed, quite literally, manically as her mane wrapped tighter around her brother's legs, "Yer little sister's a murdering lunatic! Sorry ya missed the memo!"
"... 'Bloom, the day Ma died."
"Ma? MA! Ha! That nag ain't was no mother! When the Nightmare Bomb was dropped on Ponyville? She saw me, AND SAVED A BASKET OF PRIZE APPLES INSTEAD!"
"Stop it! He's your brother isn't he-?!" Featherweight shouted as he ran across the arena floor his feathers becoming as sharp as blades.

---

Pinkie Pie didn't know where she was. All she knew was that she had been heading towards the Organization's stronghold, had blacked out, and now was fighting a white pegasus with her face using the same keyblade as her. Inside her own soul!
"Why! Why did they choose you?!" The white pegasus demanded.
The white pegasus saw the stain glass pictures of Pinkie's friends on the floor. "Oh, that's why."

---

Twilight snarled, the Element of Magic glowing brightly in the mecha's forehead. As Discord's rose, regenerating the damage dealt, it was sent plowing through the replicated building behind it. "The reason you tried to break our wills!" she yelled, planting a metal foot on his back and grabbing hold of his wing. "The reason you took the Elements of Harmony!" she yelled, ripping the wing off and throwing it aside.
"The reason you isolated us from each other!" she yelled as he tried to reassemble the matter in his machine's arm into a weapon, hers merely punching straight through and shattering it's limb. "The reason why you tried to severe our bond of friendship!" As Discord's mechanoid tried desperately to regenerate the damage that was dealt as quickly as it healed, Twilight grabbed its horn and pulled it in, shattering half of it with a headbutt. "It's all because you fear us! The power of our Elements of Harmony will grow with our friendships, and always surpass your power! This is the power born of friendship!"
Discord snarled in his cockpit. "What does a god have to fear!" he roared, rushing Twilight once more.

"And cut!" announced the director's voice, the two suit actors ceasing their pitched fight while the unicorns responsible for special effects cut them off, revealing 'Discord's' mecha had been damaged to it's present state from the start, hidden by simple illusion spells. "Alright, everyone take a five minute break to set up for the next scene."

---

Twilight climbed out of the mock cockpit as the two suit actors took the heads off their suits to get some air, 'Discord' doing much the same. Twilight recognized the actor from the old Star Trot shows. Discord wasn't the hot blooded villain type, but with Princess Luna's return, another mad deity had to take Nightmare Moon's place in the script.
"See, I told you this would be awesome!" shouted Rainbow Dash, walking over in her silver armored costume, completely with fake battle damage.
Twilight sighed, taking a drink of water. Screaming half your lines worked for looking hotblooded, but it was hard on the throat. "Yeah, I guess... But didn't they offer you the part?"
"Yeah, of course, I'm perfect for it, but-"
"You found out Soarin' was a different character's love interest?"
Rainbow Dash blushed. "No! I... I just thought we should play the characters we share elements with is all."
Twilight rolled her eyes, remembering the reaction Rainbow Dash had had when she got to be Soarin's character's love interest.
"Alright, everypony! Let's film the next scene!"
The moment Scootaloo heard Rainbow Dash say to her that Dash had told the orphanage about her and they'd be there to pick Scootaloo up in the morning, Scootaloo ran, and kept running. The soothing voice of Discord would guide Scootaloo from now on.

---

"Now Twilight Sparkle!" Discord called out.
"Y-Y-YES Best Buddy Forever!" Twilight grinned maniacally with wall eyes. A shower of sparkles came from her horn, creating several dancing rabbits from rocks as purple and blue lightning struck up from the ground.
Twilight as so smart. Yes she was. 'If chaos can not exist without order, once I've help eliminate all order, I'll have eliminated all chaos! Then everything will be in order! I am so smart!' Twilight giggled to herself as she cast two different 'Want it, Need it' spells on two objects at once in sight of a crowd of ponies. The absolute love for both a dolly and a ball of yarn driving the crowd absolutely insane. Twilight giggled at how clever she was. Discord patted her on the head. "You are so smart Twilight."
"Yes yes yes!"
"Majordomo, please deliver this letter to me, but not me, a week from yesterday, but only after the parallel lines cross on Plutoday."
"YES GIANT MUFFIN!" Derpy saluted and flew into a wall, twice, and then flew out the window.
"Giant hat! I am so pretty!" Rarity pranced around with a cat the size of a house on her head with feathers, jewels, and pearls and ribbons.
"Anyone want so super delicious pears?!" Applejack called out as ponies gave her pears that she ate and gave them money. Flutterhy giggled as she gave a pear without accepting money. AJ gasped. "YER EVIL!"
"BWAHAHA!" Fluttershy then tapped danced with the long legged rabbits to the sound of classical music. She was wearing a 'I Heart My Daddy' t-shirt.
Trixie sat calm and dignified sipping overpriced tea while softly reading poetry through a monocle.
"Yippie! YAHOO! I ROCK!" Said Daring Do jumping form book to book, looking strangely like Rainbow Dash. "I always adventure in style!"
"Alright everypony! This is the LAUGH-WHILE-YOU-DANCE-PARTY, very different from the SKATE-WHILE-YOU-GIGGLE party!" Shouted Pinkie Pie (wearing a queenly crown) who looked rather like from the lost third third age, to a crowd of ponies who looked like they belonged to the revised third age and a half flash back age. "We'll earn a cutie mark!" The CMC shouted in the crowd, covered in every cutie mark imaginable, every other pony in the crowd blank.
Warp Bubble and Random Fortune, Pinkie's twelve and nineteenth child with her king respectively provided the music for their mother. Her other children were busy rearranging galaxies to form her face as a gift.
Baby Chrysalis and baby Cadence happily played patty cake.
On one of Discord's arm hug a pink Celestia, and on the other a purple Luna. As all three made out in front of their subjects.

---

"So, what do you think?" Discord asked.
"Eh, it's not pointy enough, and what's with all the pink and brown?"
"Ah, but you're missing the beauty of it, my little princess, the contradicting colors and shapes have a certain appeal to it, the ponies call it Modern Art."
"Eh..." She snapped her fingers. "There, that's better."
Discord scratched his chin, looking at their new 'home' in mental limbo, which was like something out of a Picasso painting. He looked closely at the sharp angled black shapes that Fluttercruel had added to the structure, then smiled. "Haha! Now you're getting it, Fluttercruel! That's my girl!" he exclaimed, putting his eagle claw on the Draconequus/Pegasus hybrid's shoulder with a genuinely content smile.
"Thanks, Dad," she said, giving a smirk.
"Now come on, let's swim in the dark chocolate swimming pool, shall we?"
Discord's imprisonment wasn't so bad, now that he had rescued his child's soul from the shadow world. And he had to admit, doing the right thing had been quite fun. Doing good things felt good, who knew? Astral projecting to look into the Truth hadn't been such a bad thing after all.

---

Empress Trixie sat on her throne, and sighed. Outside every pony in Equestria was cheering for the twentieth anniversary of her rule over all Equestria. Luna and Celestia happily keeping the sun and moon working for the new Empress of Equestria.
"Empress Trixie would you like me to hit myself in the face with a pie again?" Twilight Sparkle asked with swirlie eyes in a jester costume. The next room was literally overflowing with presents from her subjects.
"No."
"How about I say how inferior I am to your greatness?"
"No," Sighed the middle aged mare.
"Would you like me to tell all of Equestria to cheer your supreme supremacy again today?"
"No."
A swirlie eyed AJ meanwhile looked worried at Empress Trixie who hadn't eaten a bite of the lavish lunch she had prepared for her.
A concerned swirlie eyed adult Sweetie Belle asked a swirlie eyed Rarity (who was working on her empress' evening royal anniversary robe), "Should I sing for her Great and Powerfulness?"
"Not yet Sweetie."
"Twilight."
"Yes Great And Powerful Empress Trixie?" Asked the smiling Twilight.
"Do you love Trixie?"
"We ALL love you Empress Trixie! Everypony! Everywhere!" Twilight grinned loyally.
"Trixie knows, everypony loves Trixie." Trixie said in a tone that was the exact opposite of her words. She broke down crying.

---

"Twilight! Is this the kind of life you want? Surrounded by books you've already read studying what you've already learned?"
"Twilight is all knowing and all understanding!" The thing with Twilight's mother's face snarled and hissed at what Trixie had just said, wrapped around Twilight and surrounded by the closed circle of knowledge.
"Twilight, I have a gift from Mrs. Smartypants, just for you," said Trixie, pulling out Twilight's Element of Magic.

---

"Pinkie Pie! Stop!" Rainbow Dash begged.
Rarity implored, "PLEASE! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"
Twilight cried, "I never, I could never, Pinkie Pie this can't be you!"
Fluttershy had already fainted, several time and by now was simply catatonic.
AJ still had spirit and squirmed against her bonds. "Ah swear! Somehow, someway, you'll get yers fer this!"
Pinkie Pie laughed. "Oh don't be such sour pusses, life is a party! And your names all came up!"
She held the karaoke microphone, "Besides we finished all the vocals from every season of Pony Rangers already."
Everypony sighed in relief.
"Now we can sing every vocal song from every season of Bug Masked Rider!"
Everypony screamed in terror.

---

Winona set across from Opal, hardly believing her ears as the glamorous unicorn told the brown earth pony of her crazy dream. Her a dog? Angel a rabbit? It was crazy. Though she kind of could see Opal being a cat.

---

"Bwaahaha! None of you can stand against the divine might of Nightmare Muffin!"
"Muuu-fin, muu-fin, muu-fin!" Her army of wall eyed zombies marched tirelessly onward.
"Wow!" Dinky cheered flanked by special muffin headed minions, a homemade paper crown on her head. Her big sister Sparkler sat silently and dully with an adult sized pacifier in her mouth. Dinky smiled. "Mom's gotten super-duper-confidence!"

---

Derpy slammed a hoof in Berry Punch's face, both were wearing black leg bands.
"HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN TO RUBY?! YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?!"
"I... I was drunk, I misread the labels, I thought it was the soft-cider, it was just a game-"
"A DRINKING GAME WITH A FOAL-?!"
"I-I'm s-sor-"
"Sorry doesn't bring Ruby back!"

---

Orange Top and Ruby Pinch played Pony Rangers with Pipqueak and Featherweight.
The flower trio plus Carrot Top (ironic given her green mane) meanwhile casually chatted with Lady Berry Punch, happy to be friend with such a successful winery master who was in direct competition with the Apple's cider market.

---

"Please, Cheerilee, please, can I see Ruby? Just a bit?" Berry Punch begged her baby's foster mother.
"Berry, you know the court said-"
"Sis, please ."
" ... " Cheerilee looked around. "Alright. But I didn't let you in, and you weren't here, understand?"
"Thank you."

---

The green cocoon broke open, and out fell a white carapace changeling with violet wings and green compound eyes.
"Welcome to the swarm little sister," Nuzzled a larger white changeling with a similar color scheme but blue compound eyes. The smaller changeling nuzzled back.
Queen Twilight observed soaking up the love her swarm willingly offered her.
Chrysalis had realized she was dying, and was the only survivor of her hive's extermination in the battle of Canterlot. Not wanting her species to vanish into oblivion, she had kidnapped the purple unicorn, cocooned her, and transferred into her all her power, all her essence, killing herself in the process, and saddling Twilight as the only changeling queen on Earth.
And with it came an instinct Twilight could no more ignore or resist for longer than breathing, 'create her swarm, form her hive.'
She had brought her six friends into her new swarm first... Actually the first was Spike. Then they had brought their families into the swarm as well, along with Mayor Mare. Twilight remembered Scootaloo with tears in her eyes had discovered what was happening and had WILLINGLY let herself follow Rainbow Dash into the swarm.
Dash's mind had been the first to empathic link between queen and her swarm, her loyalty to Twilight stronger than ever.
They did have to stop Dr. Whooves from blowing up Ponyville twice or warning Princess Celestia. For a stallion who claimed to abhor murder he was rather quick on the draw when it came to genocide.
Queen Twilight couldn't have her teacher learn of Twilight's new mantle until her swarm was of viable size, and Twilight could show her mentor that Twilight had no intention of challenging Celestia for the throne of Canterlot like Chrysalis had.
Twilight was surprised to find a rogue drone living in Canterlot from Chrysalis' swarm. At least she didn't have to hide her secret from Bon-Bon and Lyra now. Twilight wasn't insane like Chrysalis had been. She didn't want all of Equestria, what she wanted was a viable population model for her new kind. And they needed the rest of Equestria untouched to feed themselves after all.
Chrysalis had been insane to think her hostile take over of Canterlot would have left any love for her swarm to harvest.
Sweetie flew over to join an orange and a yellow changeling nymphling working on a cocoon containing Granny Smith, fixing her broken hip before bringing her into the swarm and making her the figure of beauty she was lifetimes before, being so old meant taking longer with her.
Yes. Queen Twilight was certain she could show her teacher that the swarm only wished to exist. What insanity had possessed Chrysalis to want to convert Twilight's mentor?
An Alicorn with approval of them living was far more viable than another member of the swarm.
"MMMMMH-HMMMM!" Squirmed a unicorn in her own cocoon already half-way transformed.
"I'm sorry Trixie, but I can't let you out. You DID sneak into town without knowing about my change wanting to curse me. Look at it this way, you're now becoming part of a bigger family can you can imagine," Trixie seem panic and struggle more at that, "All of you belonging, each of you special to me. And you'll be able to gather so much love with your showmareship when you're not putting others down. Just think of all those ponies loving you." Trixie's struggle slowly became more passive with her words.
A purple shelled changeling with green wings tirelessly wrote down notes besides her. "Cheerilee wants to know when she can open the school again Twilight."
"Very soon Spike, I don't understand why I can't bring Pipsqueak and his family into the swarm, but with Sweetie Belle that was the last of the foals that needed bringing into the swarm otherwise."
"Yes Swarm Mother."
"Please Spike, you can still call me Twilight." The changeling queen clapped her hooves. "This is gonna make such a great Friendship Report!"

---

Harmony Queen Twilight twisted and turned on her gossamer wings, leading her mages as Harmony Queen Applejack led her ground forces and Harmony Queen Rainbow led their pegasi. Harmony Queen Fluttershy directed their medics, as Harmony Queens Pinkie Pie and Rarity fought on the front lines.
Two thirds of the the former Royal Guard (now the Guard of Harmony) fought against the faction belonging to the last free Alicorn on Earth.
"Why Cadence!" Twilight shouted, "How could you do this?! Why give in willing to the taint of black magic? We were like sisters!"
Nightmare Polyphony shouted back in the Royal Canterlot Voice, "IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TWILIGHT! TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM EQUESTRIA, EQUESTRIA FROM YOU, AND YOU FROM YOURSELF! IF SACRIFICING MY SANITY MEANS THAT, THEN SO BE IT!"
"Equestria is in perfect balance! Perfect harmony! You're the one corrupting that peace!"
"CAN'T YOU SEE THIS EQUESTRIA YOU'RE MAKING IS SUFFERING UNDERNEATH? YOU CAN'T FORCE PONIES TO BE HAPPY!" The Nightmare implored.
"... if you showed me anything Cadence, yes, you can."

---

Dragon Queen Rarity laughed atop her literal mountain of jewels, with her consort Spike at her side as her dragons gave her love and the pathetic ponies delivered pile after pile of treasure to her-

---

ENOUGH!!!! IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHIN' IMPORTANT TA SHOW ME THEN SHOW ME! IF NOT THEN JUST KILL ME! BUT STOP WITH THESE HORSEAPPLES!

---

---

"Who's a silly pony? Who's a silly pony! Who is? I am! Applejack!" She cheered doing a forehoof-stand which made her skirt fall 'up.' Rarity blushed and dropped her milk shake but Big Mac caught it with his hoof.
"Thank you darling, I just had this dress dry cleaned," said the Element of Generosity.
"No prob," said the handsome Element of Honesty. "But please Applejack a little shame."
"Come on! This is party!" Smiled the Element of Laughter sitting on the reinforced table and (thankfully) straightening out her dress.
"She's got a point," the group of friends turned to the sarcastic goth Pinkamena just in time to see her crack a smile. "It's about as big a party you can get."
"All the more reason to act in a mature and refined manner and-AAAAH!" Rarity yelped as an ice cube was dropped down her back. She jumped two feet in the air. Big Mac caught her.
"Applejack!"
"Sorry! Must have slipped!" Applejack grinned, getting a few chuckles from those whose names weren't Rarity.
Trixie was working her tricks on stage up to eleven now that she didn't have to pass them off as simple stage magic. Twilight had to politely ask her to step down after she went six minutes over time.
"But Twilight! At least these Earth Ponies shall see the true power and greatness that is Trixie!"
"They -have- been seeing it Trixie, but reserved the slot after you and are getting testy."
"So?"
"And so are their fans."
"So?"
"Who here happen to out number your fans, regardless of how big a role you played in all this, and many of whom are members of the bazooka club."
"... Trixie will step down now."
"Good girl." The Element of Magic smiled and patted the other unicorn on the head.
"Hey Trixie."
"Yeesss-SPIKE?" Trixie said with a hint of venom in her voice.
"Look, I'm sorry I accused you before of stabbing us in the back when the elements were stolen."
"Stolen by your mother since dragons didn't like the idea of 'ponies united'."
Spike fidgeted with his tuxedo, "Er, yeah. Trixie, the point is, I was a jerk to you before, and you act full of yourself but-"
Trixie growled.
"-but you didn't deserve the way I treated you. Your friends with Twilight, and so am I, so, please-" He presented a bouquet of flowers. "-friends?"
"Trixie never turns down a bouquet from a handsome gentleman."
"Did you just call me handsome?"
While Twilight and co had faced the dragon, unicorn, and pegasus elders, Trixie and Pinkamena (with some help from Trixie's mother, whose expertise came in quite handy) had blown up the Stallions In Black's Base.
Pinkamena's split pony-personalities did have their advantages (like one remembering what the other didn't, with the added bonus of eventually convincing the Stallions In Black that the goth was somehow immune to their spell, which had the extra benefit of causing a bit of a panic).
This was after Trixie had hit them with their own copied-memory erasure spell (while screaming 'how do you like it?!' at the top of her lungs, along with a few words no one dared repeat).
Pinkamena told the S.I.B. they were all ice-cream sellers after Trixie got a little TOO vindictive, telling them that they all liked to hit their heads against walls and other pet commands (though Pinkamena, or one of her personalities found 'you all like to pretend your chickens' quite hysterical). "What next? I know! Ahem, you all like to chew off your own-" Pinkamena bumped her.
"That's enough."
"Bastards made my Earth Pony brothers and father forget I and my mother ever existed. Twigs get what they earn!"
No one pressed charges since the S. I. B.s 'did not exist.' In light of recent events, few were willing to defend them anyway, and what ones who escaped were silently arrested for crimes against ponykind to avoid public outcry.
Back in the festive here and now Rainbow Dash zipped about the ceiling recounting her own part in things, "And so I said to that stuffy unicorn elder, 'So we're keeping Earth Ponies in the dark about Unicorns and Pegasi because?!' And the old fart said, 'Because they would try to destroy us all if they did!' And I was like 'We outnumber them two to one! Heck, they don't even HAVE an army! And how much effort and magic do we dump into keeping Earth Ponies as sheep?' And he spat back 'As much as it takes!'
"And that's when I introduced 'em to Gilda! Would you believe it?! The old unicorn couldn't believe that Pegasi and Griffins had been keeping Griffins secret from unicorns and Earth Ponies! Same way dragons had been keeping themselves secret from all ponies until Twilight found Spike's egg! And I won't get started the colors he turned when I told'em about the Alicorns in orbit! I thought he was going to have a heart attack! Put'em in their place when they found out they weren't the only ones pulling wool over another people's eyes!"
The Element of Loyalty continued to recount their epic adventure of tearing down the outdated web of illusions and lies that layers upon layers of ponies and others had kept in place in the name prejudice, paranoia, and fear of change. "AND YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT RAINBOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET WASN'T AWESOME! All the illusion magic placed around the world gone like POOF! And suddenly the world's twenty percent cooler!"
"So ..." Lickety Split asked in awe, "Those wings are really real?"
Fluttershy nodded meekly as she sat in the corner. She didn't like the new attention. But it was a relief to finally be able to show her wings and not have to come up with inane and strange excuses on the spot when the illusion spell failed or somepony got too curious. Like that time she had come up with the disease 'back mumps' when her wings opened under her blouse. "Yes."
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" Lickety Split cheered hopping up and down. "Wanna go steady?"
"Uh, okay?"
"ALRIGHT!" He kissed her, the Element of Kindness fainted.
Applejack laughed at the joke. No one had expected a nerd, a jock, a wallflower, a high school prima donna, Ponyville High's Most Eligible Bachelor, and the class clown to end two thousand years of keeping Earth Ponies ignorant to two-thirds of the rest of the planet, as well as the Unicorns and Earth Ponies being ignorant of the Griffins, and everypony being ignorant of the dragons!
Her brother of course had been the one to say how simply WRONG it was to keep Earth Ponies fearful and ignorant, when the excuse for keeping them fearful and ignorant was that 'Earth ponies are fearful and ignorant!' She found that kind of funny to be honest, but more because of how ridiculous the whole situation had been. It was like one of those bad jokes that was so rotten it was funny again.
Pinkamena had come on board near the end, and while she hadn't had an Element, had still been an irreplaceable ally when it came to dealing with the S.I.B.
The two Apples with Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Spike, Trixie, (and with some coaxing Rarity and Fluttershy) had raised the tattered banner of truth, like a bunch of other groups over the last two thousand years, but six magic necklaces proved that the three races of ponies were MEANT to be together that only the three tribes together could unlock.
When AJ finally got home for a break from the days long celebration, Applebloom was still with Scoots and Sweetie Belle, both happy they no longer had to hide what they were from their best friend.
Diamond Tiara was still in her closet ranting about 'invaders from Mars.' Thankfully Pegasi and Unicorns had assimilated so much with Earth Ponies anyway, for most ponies it was more shocking than terrifying. After some initial feelings of betrayal, friendships won out in most cases.
A warm shower later, AJ looked at her Element of Laughter and put it around her neck and laughed as she struck a pose in the mirror naked. She wasn't one of those crazy closet nudists, but she wasn't ashamed of herself either.
She didn't know in the next room her brother was looking in his bedroom mirror holding his own Element of Harmony in hoof and his other on the glass. Wondering what new world he and his friends ushered in.
All will accept the truth. No one will deny the truth. All lies and illusion will be destroyed!
"Huh?" Big Mac startled as a shady Alicorn with green eyes formed in the mirror as it began to ripple. His hoof sank in, and pulled in the more he tried to pull out.
All truths, all version of me, come to me. There will be nowhere for the liars to hide.
Big Mac yelled in alarm.
Applejack reacted and barged into her brother's room covering herself with a towel. She saw him being pulled into the mirror, she grabbed hold of him, but was only pulled in as well, the towel being lost, leaving only her Element of Laughter around her neck.
Applejack had seen enough Neighponese anime to know what was coming next, "Dang Ah'm goin' into another universe naked?!"

---

The young AJ was the last to leave the funeral. The hat protected the bandage on her face from the rain (the pegasi apparently had a tradition of making it rain on final farewells). The hat always made her feel adult before, now it made her feel childish.
"Ah promise Applebloom, Ah promise, Ah'll stay loyal and true to everypony else. I won't let this happen again if Ah can ever help it with anypony."
-
"Yer leavin' the farm?!" Granny Smith gasped.
"Follow yer heart AJ." Big Mac said, putting a hoof on Granny Smith's should to reassure her.
-
"Welcome to the Day Guard Cadet."
"Yer welcome."
-
"Hey big brother."
"Whoa! AJ is that you?! You look dang magnificent!"
"Ya too big brother!"
"Whatcha doin' back in Ponyville?"
"The Princess wants me to be bodyguard to her prize pupil here." She put a hoof around Twilight Sparkle's shoulder, "And besides, not like Ah'm gonna miss the Family Reunion, right?"
-
"We are the shadow guard, we offer you a position in our ranks as leader, and ultimate power, powerful enough to protect all of Equestria. Merely swear yourself to Nightmare Moon."
"Applejack? APPLEJACK!" Big Mac called out in the fog.
AJ heard her brother and his voice cut through the treacherous promises.
-
AJ spoke to the Element of Kindness, "Fluttershy, Dash and Gilda DESERVE each other, they're both jerks."
"NO!" Fluttershy snapped, "There IS good in her! And she IS my friend! And I'm not letting her twist into something ugly! I won't abandon her!"
The Element of Loyalty thought this over, wouldn't she be the same way if she were in Shy's place? "Whao then, count me in, we'll get 'er out of that gang."
-
All truths, all version of me, come to me. There will be nowhere for the liars to hide.
Big Mac's eyes turned swirlie as he followed the invisible source of the familiar, but enticing voice.
AJ didn't even hesitate to follow her brother through the rippling mirror.

---

"It's a miracle you survived that accident."
The filly smiled, "Thanks doc, can ya get me outta here, Ah have buckin' to do."
"I'm sorry... You won't be doing any bucking with that injury... ever again."
"W-WHAT?! U-USE YOUR magic or s-something!"
"I'm sorry. I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. The techniques to repair this kind of damage simply don't exist yet. Medical magic is ten or twenty years away from that."
"T-That's ... that's not fair."
"I'm sorry."
-
"What's this thing?"
"It's called a book."
"I don't want it."
"But you need it."
"It won't make my leg better."
"But it might make you better."
-
"You got any more books from the library today big brother?"
"A few more actually. Ya know the librarian is lookin' to retire in a few years."
"Really?"
-
"We're sorry. While you are within the proper age range and your grades are all above average, the fact remains this is a good for gifted UNICORNS. As an Earth Pony you simply don't apply."
-
"AJ, this idea of yers is just plain stupid."
"Ah gotta try."
"No pony's gonna be fooled by that there fake horn. And ya can't do the floaty stuff!"
"Ah'll think of somethin'."
-
"All right then ... 'Magica De Apple?' Since you seem SO eager, it's simple, hatch this dragon egg as your entrance examine."
What? That wasn't on any of the lists for entry tests! She was sure she hid her limp! They had to be onto her! Well! She had to try. Earth pony magic was life right? Then she could help this life along!
She had to! She had to . . she had to prove ... she was worth something ...
KAAAA-BOOOM!
-
The glowing spell circle materialized around AJ's hoof as the spell runes in her mind formed, sending out the spell, turning the rock into a very large mustache. "HA! Beat that!"
"Ya know AJ." Spike said checking off another spell done. "Some of the unicorns hate your guts."
"Ah know. Ah don't care. Not as long as Ah have you, mah family, and teach'."
-
Unlike many unicorns at Celestia's school, Twilight hadn't cared about AJ's race, and while never deep friends, Twilight had proven an invaluable source of information to the Element of Magic again and again. Twilight may not have been a Element of Harmony herself, but she was happy with her books rather than going on dangerous adventures.
When the show Pony Trixie had arrived in town and had been outdone by an EARTH PONY, it had driven her pride and need to hold her false self image to pathological levels. This had turned her into a useful pawn for Discord, and later Queen Chrysalis, the blue unicorn seemingly more insane each encounter. Their fourth confrontation had left the blue unicorn so broken she couldn't seem to understand she had lost. The unicorn's four sister came to take her into their care. AJ thought she finally understood where her enemy had been coming from seeing the identical ponies.
AJ sat next to her brother as Princess Luna explained the alternate universes to her. And Big Mac's need to confront the truth of himself and reality if he was going to stay sane when this reality separated from the heart world. The Element of Magic would act as a stabilizer. (Celestia had thought of it in the precious extra time she had when the invading army of Trolls decided on peaceful negotiations for the betterment of their people instead of fighting to the last troll to uphold their honor.)
Both ponies looked into the mirror, and into Big Mac's eyes.

---

---

Whiteness.

Endless whiteness extended in all directions, no matter where she looked.

Only two things interrupted the whiteness: the grey mare scrambling to her hooves, and a single black dot, seemingly infinitely far away. The mare didn't seem to notice her, first galloping towards, then away from the dot, yet somehow the dot never got any closer or farther.

Nothing could hide here, in the infinite light. No lies could stand, no veils, no illusions.

"She's run from it for so long."

Somehow, Applebloom had appeared right besides Candycane without making a sound; apparently the grey mare couldn't see her either, from the way she was wandering the white void. It looked... odd, the way the grey mare moved, but perhaps that was because of the way space and time worked here - or rather, didn't work. No matter how she ran, she never got closer or farther away either. Distance didn't seem to matter, at least, not in any way that physical movement could affect it.

There was another dot, in the exact opposite direction as the black dot in relation to Candycane, unmoving, somehow whiter than even the whiteness that surrounded them, as if it were the very definition of Light itself. But no matter what she did, she couldn't get any closer or farther away from it on her own. No amount of running in any direction could budge either point just yet, so far as she could tell with her eyes.

Kind hooves embraced the mare. "Oh, Candycane. Don'cha see? It ain't like that at all. Th' Father only wants th' best fer all th' world, His precious little ponies, dragons, hippogriffs, everyone. As much as yer here t' help Applejack, yer here fer yerself too. What ya saw jes' now, th' Truth, it's jes' a glimpse o' what Creation's really like. Every choice ya make, that e'ery pony makes, kin change th' world, e'en th' li'lest 'un. Ya thought you were too small, but it don't matter how small or big ya are. Li'l things, like decidin' t' read a book, trippin', decidin' t' join th' royal guard 'stead o' takin' care o' th' farm, ya saw how all that kin change th' same mare into all sorts o' different futures, and by changin' that, change everythin' else."

She gestured at the lost grey mare, and now Candycane could see what had previously been invisible to her, for only a moment. What had once been metaphorical became real - the weight of countless sins and guilt weighed heavily upon the grey mare's back, clinging to her in pitch-black globs. The black dot was not simply a dot, but an Abyss, bottomless, yawning wide and hungry, and from within it countless eyes stared greedily at a soul that would surely be theirs to torment. Already, great chains snaked from the Abyss to the mare, chains forged from murder, betrayal, envy, wrath, despair, sloth, cowardice, and worst of all, dishonesty, which wrapped all the way around the mare's neck and through her mouth like a bridle or a muzzle, binding her lips and tongue to speak nothing but lies.

To her own horror, she saw that she, also, was stained with the same pitch-black globs of slime and corruption, and there were chains on her own heart as well. The bright dot, which she vaguely recognized now as a... a foal, which was also a stallion, which was also a field of stars, which was also Everywhere, now seemed so far away, as though no matter how fast she tried to run, she'd never reach it... she'd never reach Him.

"That Is The Right Answer!"

There was an Alicorn stallion behind Applebloom. There was such a thing as a male Alicorn? Wait, He's a foal, now He's a colt, wait, yes a foal, not a stallion... the images weren't overlapping, and they were both true, but it was hard to put into words, like trying to describe a diamond with just one facet. He was like a window, like a night sky filled with stars, but they weren't stars, and not all white either: yellow with pink, red with orange, countless points of light looking so far away, but they were alive, so very alive. His wings were folded into something small, but looked like they could embrace the entire universe if they were spread out. His horn, Candycane could see the base and the top, but if she tried following one to the other, it just kept going forever.

He was like a stallion miles away and right next to her at the same time, and beside Him, she felt smaller than an ant, even though He wasn't gigantic now that she looked at Him, even though He COULD be if she tilted her head a bit. Just standing next to Him, her own life and worth seemed to have more meaning, more intensity, more EXISTENCE than ever, and all the light in this void, this Truth, was not light on its own, but merely a reflection of Him.

"I Have Been Waiting A Long Time To Talk To You, Candycane," He smiled.

The chains seemed to vaporize right off of her, and the darkness retreat back into a single dot far, far away, as far as the East was from the West. His face... it was like seeing her own father's face, or the very idea of a Father, but more, oh so much infinitely more.

The alicorn seemed to smile as Applebloom giggled.

"All things work together fer th' good o' those who love th' Father, Candycane. Th' Enemy might think he's clever, but th' Father knows everythin'! You woke up at th' right moment, at th' right time an' place, safe fer a thousand years, tended to by th' same family as Applejack AND th' future Element o' Laughter! At exactly th' right time fer mah sister t' be ready fer what she saw, th' Truth, an' fer Twilight t' be ready t' face herself, too! Ye'll see!"

"Time Here Has Little Meaning, Candycane. I Was Not Speaking Of The Thousand Years You Were Frozen In Stone When I Spoke Of Waiting A Long Time, But Of Your Unwillingness To See And Accept The Truth," said the Alicorn with some sadness. But Now You Have Seen The Light, And Accepted Reality For What It Is, And Repented Of Your Sins, Which I Have Already Forgiven Since Before You Were Born. Now, You Must Help Applejack To See And Accept The Truth As Well, And Free Herself From Dishonesty."

The Father hugged Candycane... the only possible description was love. Eternal, unconditional, infinite, compassionate, empathetic, full and totally encompassing love, love which showed the love of Queen Cadence, as powerful as it was, to be merely a reflection of true Love with a capital L. It was something that had to be experienced to be understood, and even as she experienced it, she knew she did not and could not fully comprehend it, such was its fullness.

"You Will Know What To Do And What To Say When The Time Comes," reassured the Father with a smile.

With that, Applebloom stepped forward, and the grey mare turned as if seeing her for the first time.

"Howdy big sister!"

"Applebloom-?!" The grey mare backed up a bit, eliciting a sad look from the spirit. "Applebloom? But... but how did ya get here?"

Applebloom's smile came back. "Get with the program, big sister! Ah'm dead! Ah can be anywhere Ah want!"

"Ah-When Ah last saw ya, when ... when ya died, ye were a mare. Now yer a filly?"

"Ya didn't really pay attention to the last thing Ah said, did ya? Ah don't have time to explain to yah what it's like bein' dead, but it actually comes with a couple perks."

"Applebloom, what WAS all that?"

"What was what?"

"That crazy picture show, showin' stuff that never happened!"

"The Pool Of All Truths. It shows ya... well, a bunch o' stuff."

"Showed me a bunch o' nonsense ya mean!"

The spirit sighed. "Applejack ... we all make choices, and what choices we make, and everypony else makes, decide how the world is. Ah got shown that there are a zillion other ponies named Applebloom makin' lots of different choices from me after Ah died. Some even made choices Ah never got the chance to make. But none are exactly alike. What did ya see?"

"Like Ah said! Stuff that never happened!"

"Only stuff that never happened fer YOU."

"How'd YOU know?! Were ya watchin' me the whole time?!"

"Nope! Ah ain't got a CLUE what it showed ya. Ah just know that whatever ya DID see was truth... just not THIS world's truth."

"THEN WAS THERE A POINT T' THAT?!" shouted the mare.

Applebloom sighed. "Applejack. After all yer centuries o' lyin' t' yerself 'n' others, ya needed t' see th' Truth before we could talk proper. You an' me. It was th' best fer you. Ya needed t' see what'cha doin' ain't the ONLY choice."

The mare sighed. "Alright. Fine. BUT HOW IN BUCKING TARTARUS DO AH GO FROM DROWNIN' IN A POOL OF SILVER GUNK, TO BEIN' IN A BLANK WHITE NOWHERE?!"

"Applejack, Ah know yer upset but-"

"You buckin' bet Ah'm upset! Ya go and leave me alone! Demand Ah let ya die! Then when Ah finally see you again, ya mess with mah head, lure me t' some place Ah can't stand, scare me t' pieces, PUSH ME into a well o' somethin' Ah hate? Ya expect a 'thank you'?!"

Tears came down Applebloom's face. "Ah'm tryin' t' help. Crossin' over ain't some train station you kin jes' take round trips on, big sister. The livin' an' spirit worlds ain't some neighborin' houses you kin jes' jump a fence t' visit yer friends. Them's the rules. Ya don't know WHAT Ah had t' go through t' arrange THIS intervention." She gave a long look over at the Father, Who along with Candycane was still invisible to the grey mare, as her sister slowly processed this information.

"All right. Let's say... jes' fer th' sake o' argument, that ye're right, and Ah NEEDED t' take a swim in that horrible, horrible, Truth. Couldn't you've done it sooner? Like, say, when you were still alive... undead... whatever?!"

"It wasn't 'til AFTER Ah died fer good that Ah even LEARNED this here pool existed at all!"

"Okay, fine! But that was five-hundred years ago! Why wait THAT long?"

"It wouldn't have made any difference before."

"Yeah, right!"

"No, big sister. It wouldn't have. If this here'd happened any earlier fer ya, you'd still have yer head buried in th' sand. An' you'd have been thinkin' more 'bout me than everypony else."

"There IS no 'everypony else.' Ah told ya, they're all as good as dead."

The filly looked her older sister dead in the eyes. "Liar."

The mare flinched, but the globs of blackness held on firmly. It would take a lot to convince this mare of anything, and for all this talk, she was still questioning what happened and where they were. This "intervention" might take a while.

The Father shook His head. "The Influence Of Dishonesty Is Great, But Ultimately, Applejack Chooses Whether To Lie Or Not. Here In The Truth, The Influence Of Discordance Is Weakened, And Most Of Her Speech Has Been Truthful, Even If She Does Not Realize It. That She Continues To Lie Even In The Pool Of Truth Says More About Her Internal Struggle Than About The Element Of Dishonesty."

Apparently, the mare's internal struggle told her to ignore problems until they went away, because instead of addressing the bald-faced lie she was called out on, she instantly changed the subject.

"Applebloom, WHERE are we? Am Ah dead?"

"No, Ya ain't dead, and this ain't the Afterlife," answered the filly patiently. "What we're standin' in's a sorta limbo between life and death."

"No need to say it all grim an' dark-like," the mare muttered.

"Ah've had eternity t' git used t' stuff like this."

The mare raised an eyebrow. "Wha? But it hasn't BEEN eternity since you died!"

"'Time' don't exactly work th' way ye're used ta in th' hereafter."

"Then how does it work?"

"Sorta like walkin' along a river. Ya walk along, an' th' river rushes by. Ah can't explain it." The filly looked like somepony trying to figure out how to tell a blind pony what colors were like.

"That's hogwash!"

Applebloom sighed. "Applejack, we're drifting WAY off-course. This ain't what Ah brought ya here ta 'talk 'bout."

"Brought me here? Ya pushed me!" snarled the grey mare.

"Applejack... please..."

"Applebloom, ya pushed me into th' worst nasty thing this here world has ever put together! Truth!" The mare was screaming now, angry tears running down her face. The black blobs and chains wrapped tighter and tighter, invisible to her, piercing her chest, piercing that space where her heart should have been, a space which held only a pitch-black, upside-down apple-shaped crystalline THING which trapped her very soul. The Element of Dishonesty.

Applebloom began to shed tears herself, seeing her own sister hurt herself so. "AJ...Ah love ya. THAT'S the truth. Is that so bad?"

The grey mare stopped for a moment, and the chains seemed to recede. Then she sighed and shook her head. "Applebloom, ya remember what happened to yer pet mouse, Mr. Cheese, when you were jes' startin' t' go to school?"

The filly looked unwilling to follow where this line of thought was leading. "... Yeah."

"Big Mac told ya Mr. Cheese went and joined th' circus. Me? Ah went an' told ya Opalescence's old ma ate it! And Ma gave ME the spankin'! And what did ya do?"

"...Ah tried to perform surgery on Opal's ma to cut Mr. Cheese out."

"YA SEE?!" shouted the grey mare, throwing her hooves up in the air, "That's what Truth does to ya! But Ah ignored the lesson till Master came along! It ain't been easy! It's been torture! But at least the six of us are still together!"

The filly gave a small smile. "So they ain't as 'good as dead?'"

"Ah don't GET ya, Applebloom! What's the POINT of ya bringin' me here? What's the POINT of us talkin' here and not someplace else? What was the point of TORTURING me?!"

The Father of Alicorns chose that moment to simply step forward.

"If You Paid Attention To What Appleboom Was Saying, You Would Know The Answer Already, Applejack."

The mare's eyes went wide as saucers, and from the way her glance darted back and forth, it was clear that she could see Candycane, as well.

"Ah... Ah wanna believe all that... but this whole World o' Discord, it ain't somethin' what kin be fixed with just a seed! Bringin' back th' old world, Master promised that t' Dash, every time, but..."

She shook her head, stepping back. "Ah don't know. Ah try t' do what Ah kin, but..."

The Father smiled with love at the shrinking grey mare.

"You Were Once One Of My Most Devoted Children, One Of The Ones Who Strove Hardest To Reach For My Ideal, Applejack."

She shook her head, scraping at what passed as the "ground" in this place with a hoof. "That ain't mah name no more. Ah'm a liar! Ah'm Liarjack!"

"Is A Liar All You Are, Then? You Are Not A Big Sister? You Are Not A Life? You Are Not An Apple? You Are Not A Friend To Your Friends?" He looked at her with eyes that could see EVERYTHING, that knew everything, that understood her better than she could ever understand herself. "Why Do You Comfort Rainbow Dash? Why Do You Tell Twilight The Least Unpleasant Version Of Things? Why Do You Play Along With Rarity's Fantasies That You Know Make Her Happy? Why Have You Protected Angry Pie's Apprentices As Fiercely As She Does? Why Whisper Lullabies To Fluttercruel In Her Sleep?"

"A-Ah..."

"You Were Born Clinging To My Ideal As Fervently As You Clung To The Love Of Your Family. But When Discordance Showed You The Other Side Of Truth, You Shunned That Ideal As Ardently As You Had Once Embraced It. And So Discordance's Taint Twisted Your Heart Until You Came To Believe You Had Transformed Into A Completely Different Individual Altogether, Dear Applejack."

The grey mare sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes as she reluctantly replied, "If the truth make yer heart ache, perhaps a lie is easier to take."

"You Have Taken Those Words, That Truth, And Made Them Your Mantra. The New Center Of Your Whole Sense Of Morality. You Distort Every Truth You Fear Might Cause Anyone Any Fraction Of Pain Or Suffering."

"Lies are often kinder than truth, and Ah'd rather tell a lie than see ponies hurt!" the mare sobbed. "So if Yer all 'bout truth and Ah'm all about lyin'... j-just kill me! Cause Ah ain't bein' chummy with somethin' so cruel again!"

The Father of Alicorns was calm. "If You Were An Earth Pony Who Wanted To Prove She Could Learn Spell Magic As Well Any Unicorn, Would You Hide What You Were So You Could Be Given The Chance?"

"YES!"

"Would You Maintain The Deception Forever? So No Earth Pony Would Know That The Unicorn Who Had Done So Much Was Really One Of Them, And That They, Too, Could Accomplish So Much?"

The mare backed up. "Ah, uh-"

"If You Lived Where It Was Law For All Earth Ponies To Pretend To Be Unicorns And Pretend Earth Ponies Never Existed, Would You Continue To Pretend Forever? No Matter How Much It Killed So Many Earth Ponies Inside That They Could Never Share Their True Selves With The Unicorns They Loved Or Were Friends With, Applejack?"

She shuddered as the Alicorn approached, stopping just close enough that she could reach out and touch Him, if she so chose.

"If You Had Learned Skills That Could Help Your Close Family: Would You Still Pretend You Didn't Feel A Thing Except Relief When Leaving Your Aunt And Uncle?"

"Of course!"

"And Would You Hide The Talents You Had Learned From Your Close Family? Even If They Would Become Destitute And Homeless Without Those Talents? Because It Would Mean Showing That A Part Of Yourself Had Changed And You Were No Longer The Exact Same Applejack They Knew?"

She looked like she felt sick. "Ah...Ah don't know."

"Is It Really Deception You Have Embraced All This Time, Applejack? Or Has It Been Kindness Towards All Others?"

Her legs shuddered. "All ponies look away from PART of the truth, we all pretend SOME of it isn't there. It's how we all live!"

"Big sister," Applebloom looked at the mare, pleadingly. "When you said you love me, was that a lie? That ya loved big brother? That mom and dad loved us? That Granny Smith loved us? Is that Ah love ya a lie? Are all truths completely awful?"

She flinched. "Most are! The world was pain even before ponies ever heard of Master, or Nightmare Moon, or Tirek! Ponies have always lied to themselves to get by, day by day: that if they work hard enough, if they don't give up, if they just believe in themselves, that things will turn out alright! But nine times outta ten their choices don't mean squat! Ah ain't never becoming the element of truth again. Ya can forget it."

"When Did I Say I Wished You To?" asked the Alicorn with infinite patience.

The mare stopped, as the entire point of this ordeal slowly registered in her mind.

"You Embraced One Absolute, But Lied To Yourself More Than Once. Then When That Absolute Was Proven False, You Embraced Another Absolute, But Consistently Told The Truth When It Served The Happiness Of Others. You Have Been A Servant Of Sin. But Also You Have Been Kind And Generous."

"With Master rulin' the world, it's the best Ah can do. Master rules, everythin' else drools. That's the truth of everything."

"Celestia And Luna Negated Discordance Before. You Know He Is Not Infallible Nor Invincible Nor All Knowing. The Greatest Lie You Have Told Is The One To Yourself: That He Is Impossible To Defeat. Because You're Scared That If You Lose, He Will Make Things Even Worse For Those You Care For."

Her lip quivered. "At least where Ah am Ah can do some good for 'em!"

"Is That All You Want? For Those You Still Love? Is That All They Want? Are You Happy? Are They Happy?"

"STOPIT!" shouted the mare, crying. "Ah don't want anythin' ta to do with Ya!"

With a roar, the black dot became a maw, an Abyss, a Bottomless Pit, filled with shadows - shadow of ponies, of dragons, of zebras, mockeries of life. They came out of the black hole, tumbling over each other, pushing against each other like a mob. Right towards the grey mare.

The Father of Alicorns unfurled His wings, which stretched from infinity to infinity, and embraced both Applebloom and Candycane. The mare felt herself immersed, filled, covered by His holiness, and the shadows could not touch her, could never touch her, for if He was for her, who could be against her? But the same could not be said for the grey mare.

Applebloom couldn't take the sight. "Applejack! Come inside quick!"

The grey mare looked at the filly, then back at the shadows. They looked hungry, and cold, so cold. They were circling her now, ravenous for her tainted soul.

"Please!" Applebloom begged.

That was all it took. The love the grey mare felt for her sister lit a fire in her, and she turned and raced for the Alicorn, outpacing the shadows effortlessly... and then jerked back from His form with a shock as His holiness literally burned her hoof on contact. She looked up at Him with confused, desperate eyes, and He looked down at her with infinite sadness.

"I Am So Truly Sorry, Applejack. But You Are Holding Onto Too Many Of Your Sins. You Are Covered In Too Many Weights To Come Inside."

She was suddenly aware of the black blotches that had been clinging to her, filling her, covering her from head to hoof this entire time.

"Suspended?! That skinny colt was lucky all Ah gave 'em was a broken nose for takin' mah lunch apples!"

"Write a letter? To Aunt and Uncle Orange? Ha. Ah bet they just bought themselves some new fancy clothes and forgot Ah ever came to live with'em."

"Unicorn magic isn't work! It's a trick! An easy way out! They don't have to earn it!"

"Ah was talkin' to no pony!"

"HA-HA!" Nice way fer 'Shy to bump ya Pinkie!

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty! I couldn't just..."

"Everything was rigidly frozen with order before Master Discord took control. Nothing and no one ever changed. The world was caught in a predictable monotone cycle."

"It's okay Twili, ya know ya can trust me to help ya defeat- MASTER DISCORD SHE'S RIGHT HERE!"

"NO!" She tried to get them off, but they just stuck to her hooves. The shadows grabbed her, dragging her backwards towards the Abyss.

"APPLEBLOOM!" screamed the grey mare, desperately reaching for her sister. Sparks of orange were appearing all over her now, like burning embers. "Appleboom, Ah'm sorry! Ah never meant to be mean or cruel! Please forgive me, little sister!" She strained against the shadows, which screeched louder than thunder, but her voice rose to meet them. "Ah'm coming ta join ya! Just ya wait! An' we'll be together! All of us! Ah promise! Just wait a bit longer! Ya big sister promises!"

Applebloom blinked and she made a snap decision. Golden light sparkled around her for a moment before a gold necklace formed around her neck. In the center was a red gem shaped like a hammer crossed with an open-ended wrench. Undoing the clasp, she reached out from within the Father, meeting the straining hoof of her sister and slapping the Element of Kindness into the mare's hoof. "Ah forgive ya, Abigail. Ah forgave ya a long time ago. Ah forgave ya, jes' like th' Father forgave me. Forgiveness ain't somethin' ya earn, it's somethin' given, freely, an' accepted. That's why it's called forGIVEness! Ah'm sorry it took this long t' say it out loud." She wiped a tear from her eye, smiling back at her sister. "Ah'll be waitin' for ya. Now ya take good care of that now, ya hear?"

A duplicate appeared around Applebloom's neck. The sisters' love increased, thus defying both the grasping shadows and the Abyss. The gem on Applejack's hoof shifted shape to that of an orange Apple.

"Applebloom..." AJ's eyes widened. "Right, Ah promise! Second chances like this don't come around every day, and Ah intend to make the best of it! So wait fer me! Cause Ah'm joining you someday, you and the Big Male Alicorn! YA HEAR? Save a space fer me next ta Lance and Swordbloom cause Ah'm gettin' in!"

"How do Ah know yer not just sayin' that?"

AJ smiled. "[smear:#808080]An' disappoint mah sister later? What's the point of sayin' a lie or the truth if all it does is hurt somepony? What's the point of holdin' back the truth if it helps somepony?[/smear:#FFA500:0]" The shadows almost seemed to have no effect on her now as she turned and knelt before the Father of Alicorns. "Father, forgive me. Ah'm sorry, fer everythin'. Ah... Ah can't go doin' this no more. Ah can't be bound t' lies. Maybe Ah'll never be Honesty ever again. Ah'm not Applejack th' Honest, that's fer certain. But Ah won't be Liarjack, slave o' Discord. Mah birth name's Abigail Jacqueline, Fifth o' the Fifth Line. If... if You kin fergive me, an' accept me... Ah'll be Yer representative, as Abigail th' Kind."

The Father, the Father of All, He Who Is, smiled with joy enough to fill the heavens, and the shadows fled before His countenance.

"That Is The Right Answer. You Are Forgiven, My Child, Now And Forevermore."

Somewhere an orange black crystal shaped like an apple turned right side up.

The horde of shadows pulling back Applejack broke in two, like a cane sugar sculpture. The shadows still holding onto her scattered like pepper in soapy water. All the shadows fell back into the black hole like gravity had gone sideways to them. One fluttered its purple wings, holding off falling away for a few spare moments as its hideous eyes latched hungrily on the mare. "Don't think Thi- i- over Applejack! --e d-y you'll ente- Her Nothingness Entropy, a-d we will be wai-in- for you!"

Abigail spoke calmly and breathlessly to the shadow of existence, "Sorry, but that ain't never happenin'."

The shadow fell back into the black hole.

She slowly breathed out, looking at the treasure in her hooves with new understanding. It was a necklace made of purest gold and set with an orange gem; it was the symbol of her sister's cutie mark, pulsating on her foreleg; it was a glowing orb, which reflected every act of compassion that ever was and ever will be; and it was all of them at once. "Kindness," she whispered.