World of Discord 2.0 (RP)

The Father smiled. "All Shall See Me When Their Time Comes."

"Honestly, Ah have a feelin' th' next Bearer will come t' you!" grinned Applebloom. "Ya might see somethin' real interestin' t'night, or maybe ye'll see it firsthoof! An' after that, there's all SORTS o' ways you could go! But y'know, Ah reckon' gettin' Spike an' Rarity's first priority, 'cause then y'all kin help save Derpy, an' then ye'll have a full set t' git Ditzy free! It's gonna be hard, 'specially with th' rest, but Ah believes in ya!"

The Father smiled lovingly, understandingly, and nodded.

"Of Course, Candycane."

Everything seemed to be fading now, and the Father's face was no longer so crisp and clear as it was moments ago, but almost like a dream or a memory, like something seen through a glass, darkly, not face to face. But was it the Truth that was fading into dreaminess, or she who was falling back asleep after having woken up? Even so, she could still feel that warmth, that intense purity and love the Father gave to her, FOR her, deep within her heart, like a promise that He would never leave her, nor forsake her.

"Bye, Candycane! Keep an eye on mah sis, 'kay? An' keep an eye on Apple Pie an' th' rest too! Ah believes in ya!"

It was already fading away, or maybe she was the one that was fading, back into the dreamworld of "reality" after having experienced Truth...
...
..
.

And she was back in the Gardens of Avalon, standing besides a now orange-colored mare gazing forlornly into a pool of shimmering silver, clutching her hoof to herself like it held something precious. Where it met her chest, there were the gentle glows of an orange apple on her chest and a red hammer-and-wrench on her hoof.

The mare pulled her eyes away from the silver liquid, blinking back some tears, and smiled happily at her new friend.

"Ready as Ah'll ever be. Thanks, Candycane. Fer everythin'. You were right. Maybe everythin' can't go back t' the way things were, but change's gotta start somewhere. Ah jes' hope mah change o' heart ain't too late t' make a difference." She looked down at the Element of Kindness glowing gently on her hoof, then at her chest. "Ah've heard 'em callin' me a Saint 'round these parts, even if Ah ain't never felt like one. Ah don't know if Ah kin ever be what they think Ah am, really, but Ah'm guessin' there's a reason th' Father let me keep th' Element o' Chaos. Maybe there's two sides t' every coin. Ah ain't gonna be Liarjack no more, an' as far as Ah'm concerned, Dishonesty an' Deceit ain't gonna win nothin'. But maybe... Ah guess maybe Ah kin calls it Deception. Th' old me from a thousand years ago might'a frowned at usin' illusions an' cloaks an' such, but th' Father made Changelings, right? Changelings, squids, them leaf-insect things."

She closed her eyes, then opened them, glancing at Candycane. What were once pupils and green irises were now silver mirrors, and for a moment Abigail appeared to vanish, reappear, change into various appearances. She was a simple Stetson-wearing farmpony that looked vaguely familiar; she was a beautiful fashionista ready to attend a gala; she was a grey mare covered in a thousand years' worth of shame and despair; and then she was Abigail again. With a blink, her eyes returned to normal.

"Whaddya think, Candycane? Might help, might not."

The mare chuckled. "Thanks, Candycane. Helps t' hear it from a friend." She looked around, then back at the castle they had been in... was it really just earlier today? What time was it, anyhow? The fog had vanished, but the way the gardens were set up didn't exactly help with timekeeping, and they couldn't see Queen Cadence's artificial "sun" somewhere up in the sky to tell whether it was still morning or into the afternoon. The stars were still glittering inside the pools, so it wasn't night just yet, at any rate.

"Ah reckon Ah owes an apology t' Queen Cadence an' th' rest fer rejectin' their hospitality earlier," sighed the orange mare. "Ah wanted t' help, but... Ah jes... Ah jes' didn't think Ah deserved t' be anywhere near their place or anythin'." She looked back at the silvery pool. "Now Ah knows, it ain't 'bout what Ah 'deserve' at all. Ain't nopony deserve nothin', when it all comes down t' it. Shore, Mas- er, Discord shore as sugar SEEMS more evil than anypony in th' world, but in front o' th' Father? He an' Ah got th' same chance o' gettin' in - none at all. It ain't 'bout deservin' nothin', it's 'bout Kindness, compassion, forgiveness, somethin' ya give t' others 'cause ya WANTS ta, not 'cause they deserve it."

The mare smiled, hugging back and nodding. "Ah thinks it'd go 'gainst mah decision t' go right on back t' lyin' an' hidin' like that. Thanks, Candycane."

She took a step forward, then paused. "Although... how would they know Ah ain't jes' lyin' t' them 'bout everythin' that happened? Ah mean, jes' 'bout all o' them, 'sides Queen Cadence an' Guru Fido, o' course, ain't never seen THIS me. Ya think Ah kin jes'... walk in an' start talkin' truth?"

She sighed, looking at the Element of Deception. "Ah suppose Ah could... y'know, ease it in or somethin'... or maybe you could say somethin' first fer me?"

Abigail gulped, then sighed. "Ye're right. 'Sides, Queen Cadence'll know, an' Guru Fido no doubt, an with 'em an' you, Ah guess th' rest o' Avalon an' th' Diamond Kingdom'll come 'round." Then she grew serious. "But th' more ponies know, th' more likely Discord'll hear 'bout it, or th' other Six. Ah ain't ready t' face 'em all jes' yet. Last night, Ah talked t' Twilight, she sounded ready t' change sides, but Dash an' Pinkie, them's Traitor Dash an' Angry Pie, an' o' course Fluttercruel, ain't changin' anytime soon. Rarity, well, folks know her as Greedity, Ah thinks we kin' get t' her with effort, but it'd be dangerous an' take a while. Ah don't know if you an' Sandstone'd handle it... Ah mean, not in a bad way, but y'all ain't exactly on Rarity's level, even when she's all blind an' deluded like she is."

She looked at the horizon in the direction of the Chaos Castle. "Still, Ah think we'll still need you there, somehow. Ah don't know why, but somehow, Ah git th' feelin' th' Father meant fer you t' be at each o' our redemptions, an' Sandstone too. Ah can't make heads or tails o' any o' this, but Ah've kinda learned not t' question things like that," she blushed, remembering how she'd actually had a full-blown ARGUMENT with the Father Himself not too long ago, and lost soundly, not that she wasn't glad to have "lost" to regain more than she'd ever imagined.