Cutie Mark Crusaders' Journal of the unexplained 8

MtangaLion (with edits)

Apple Bloom was the first one to get it... the familiar names... Star Hopper's strange features. "Yer... you're from Paradise Estate!?" A second shock hit the filly. "We found *another* pony from the past? Miss Twilight's gonna flip!"

Scootaloo gasped. "You can't go scooting around in that thing! Fate really, really doesn't like time machines."

"WHAT time machine? Those are mostly illegal," said Star Hopper, "It's for SPACE travel. And WHAT is Paradise Estate? Never heard of it, I'm from Dream Castle, where did you think I was from, EdhelDôr?"

"What?" Apple Bloom blinked.

Star Hopper blinked back. "Ya know, 'Elf-Land', geeze, study your geography girls!"

While those two argued with Star Hopper, Sweetie Belle smiled and fluffed Blanky's headfur. "There's no doubt about it... those two definitely work better separately. Not like... us..."

The unicorn filly's eyes grew wide. Fuzzy memories were finally coming into focus... the last time she'd joined with Blanky to become Wolf Song, something had been missing. A *big* something. "Blanky," she found herself saying, "could you show me your pony form, please?"

Blanky froze and took a step back, whimpering softly.

Sweetie nuzzled him. "Shhh, shhh, it's okay! I'm not going to get mad or tell you to go away. I just need to know."

Blanky blinked up at her, golden eyes gleaming, then nodded once. Between one blink and the next, the wolf pup vanished, replaced by a colt no bigger than Pipsqueak. He had a stark white coat with a cute jet black mohawk, and his cutie mark was a runed wheel with five slashes.

Sweetie nosed the skittish colt, trying to keep him from bolting. "I thought so. Oh, Blanky, what happened? Where's the rest of you?"

"That would be me," said a deep, rough voice. Sweetie gasped and spun around to find a grown stallion standing behind her. Same colors, same cutie mark... only his mark had four slashes instead of five, and his mane was stirring lightly in a breeze that wasn't there.

"Big brother!" cried Blanky, springing right over and nuzzling against the stallion's foreleg.

"Big brother?" asked the stallion, puzzled, then grinning. Sweetie got a brief glimpse of fangs that didn't belong in a pony's mouth. "That sounds right. Very well, you shall be little brother."

"Yeah!" Blanky reared up happily, waving his forehooves in the air.

Sweetie stared. "You're the big wolf that talked to us that one time, and called himself Snow Bound."

The stallion nodded. "Yes."

"We saw you in the future, too!"

Snow Bound chuckled. "Which future?"

Sweetie Belle didn't find that especially funny, though. "But how? Why? What's going on?"

Snow Bound nudged his muzzle with a hoof, pondering. "I did say that the truth was complicated, did I not? I can't stay here long, but suffice it to say that two Blank Wolves were born in two different ways to replace my predecessor, and Mother Fate had only made plans for one. The world merged us together and tried to smooth the differences over, but it didn't take... and here we are." He leaned, peering past Sweetie. "Shouldn't you stop your friends before they accidentally tumble into that hyper-ship and wind up in the Alicorn future... again?"

"I don't get WHY you're calling it a time machine," Star Hopper said to the yellow and orange fillies." It just goes at light speed. The only way I've ever traveled through time is forward like the rest of you. Look girls, I think we better make tracks, it might be nice to visit Dream Castle again, but I can just imagine Galaxy and the others being so mad at me for just leaving, and telling how I should stay, I can imagine one of Wind Whistler's lectures right now. Just give Queen Majesty my best."

MtangaLion


"Yer not listening," Apple Bloom insisted.  "Ah'm really sorry, but all of those ponies and places are long gone."

Scootaloo nodded emphatically.  "I've never even heard of a Dream Castle.  That must have been a zillion years ago.  Maybe even hundreds!"

"Thousands," said Sweetie Belle, feeling bad for Star Hopper.

Nova was shaking her head too.  "You weren't paying close attention when they explained how the hyper drive works, were you?"

Out of the blue, sparkling puffy pink clouds poofed into existence, forming into an archway.  Star Hopper's face lit up.  "I don't know why you ponies were trying to scare me like that.  There's Queen Majesty right there!"

A beautiful snow white unicorn with a blue and white mane, a golden tiara, and a cutie mark of five blue flowers smiled.  "There you are!  Nopony could find you anywhere... I had to make a wish to see you again!"

A pudgy purple dragon like the Spike they'd met on their time-traveling adventure stood by her side.  "Are you ready to come home now?"

Scootaloo nudged Apple Bloom.  "I kinda want to go exploring in *there*!"

Apple Bloom coughed.  "Uh... time travel messes up our looping day, remember?"

Alex Warlorn

Imp responded by turning into an exact replica of the pudgy Spike.

Blanky responded by fainting.

Kendell2


As the group watched the discussion that none of them really had much of an idea what it meant except time travel and physics were a factor, Sweetie blinked...and found herself somewhere else.

She was currently in a white void. That was about it, a white void. "Hello?"

"Howdy, Sweetie."

Sweetie jumped, turning to see a certain orange Alicorn with a cowboy hat still on her head. "Applejack!" She then gasped and bowed. "I mean PRINCESS Applejack!"

Applejack smirked and ruffled the filly's mane. "Just Applejack will do. Yer a friend."

Sweetie chuckled and nodded. "Okay! So what are we doing here?"

"Part of mah new job," the Alicorn explained. Her horn glowed red and a big mirror emerged from the floor beside them. "Yah see, Ah kinda have this job where if a big change is comin' down the pipes, Ah let ponies get a peak and see if they accept it as THEIR truth. And well, Ah got one for yah."

The little unicorn blinked in confusion. "My truth?"

Applejack nodded. "Yeah, yah see the way our world is right now? It's still tryin' tah fully figure out what the final version is. Which is why Pinkie was able tah get some millage outta it tah make a big change that means yah three don't have tah worry about somethin' nasty happenin'...but another change came from the world ours split off from Ah think yah should take a look at and decide if YOU want it tah true in our world if that makes a lick of sense, okay?"

Sweetie Belle merely cocked her head in confusion.

"...Ah'm gonna show yah somethin' that COULD be, and Ah need yah tah decide if it WILL be, okay? Well, would have been. Darn it, Ah'm still gettin' used tah this time mumbo jumbo, even not that Ah'm an Alicorn and can comprehend it!"

"Okay...so if I choose to make what you show me real, then it becomes real?" Sweetie asked, trying to wrap her mind around things most mortals normally didn't HAVE to think about.

"Long and short of it. Yah game?"

Sweetie thought for a moment, then nodded. "Not as weird as half the stuff I've seen tonight."

Applejack gave a smirk. "That's the spirit, now watch closely."

Sweetie turned to the mirror and looked at what she saw...

---

"I don't get why more foals don't want to join our secret society," Scootaloo said. “We looked over the schoolyard. And those foals that did, their parents said we could be friends, but couldn't go on 'crusades'.”

"I think they might have heard about the fire-elemental," Sweetie Belle offered meekly.

"One time!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. She didn't have hear earring. "It's not like we blew up a mountain or somethin'!"

"Hey, what about him?" Apple Bloom pointed right at Button Mash whose consciousness was absent from his body and completely inside his game. "He's new to Ponyville, his mom won't know anythin' bad bout us. And he's got no cutie mark."

"I dunno, he's kinda weird, and how is his beanie spinning like that?" Scootaloo pointed too.

"I don't think it's so bad," Sweetie said, even though big sister saw it and said it was 'outdated.'

---

"Wait! This is when we tried to get Button to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Sweetie exclaimed.

"Yep. But watch close, Sweetie, cause it might not go the way you think it will," Applejack warned.

Sweetie Belle cocked her head, but kept watching.

---

"Then he should fit right in, you weirdoes," Diamond Tiara said trotting by with a laugh.

A minute and a vote later the trio trotted over to Button Mash, Sweetie thought he only noticed them because they casted a shadow over his little game.

"Hi! We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Apple Bloom introduced.

"We're on a quest to find out who we really are! I'm Scootaloo!"

"I'm Sweetie Belle!"

"And Ah'm Apple Bloom. Wanna join?"

"Well, of course you do!” said Scootaloo, before he had a proper chance to answer. “You don't have a cutie mark, we don't, we can help each other find our special talents!"

Button Mash barely glanced up at us. "I...don't really care about that sort of thing."

"Care about what?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Getting my cutie mark," he mumbled.

"WHAT?!" We shouted together.

"What's more important than getting yer cutie mark?!"

"Girls I...I feel faint...ow! How come that works when big sister does it?" Sweetie Belle groaned as she sat up rubbing her head.

"NO! NOOOOOOOOO!! My last life!!!" Button suddenly wailed in agony.

The colt started crying out of nowhere, little rivers spouting from his eyes.

---

Sweetie blinked in confusion. "That didn't happen!"

"Yah mean it coulda happened," Applejack replied. "Remember, Sweetie, this is somethin' YOU get tah decide if it happens or not."

--

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other quickly, and took a trot back, and pushed me forward. "Hey!"

"You're the tender one!" Apple Bloom grinned.

"And he was your idea!" Scootaloo grinned too.

"He was Apple Bloom's idea!" Sweetie said before her friends retreated back several trots. Cheerilee was coming and she didn't look happy.

Sweetie trotted over to Button.

---

"Wait, I don't get to decide what I did?!" Sweetie asked.

"That's PAST Sweetie Belle," Applejack explained. "It'd be cheatin' if Future Sweetie Belle got tah choose knowin' how it went the first time round, don't it?"

The little unicorn blinked. "That's...true..."

"Now keep watchin'!"

---

"What's wrong?" Sweetie asked.

He sniffled. "I...I tried really hard to beat this game...and...and then my hoof slipped and I lost my last life...and the game doesn't have continues!"

Sweetie thought that sounded kind of dumb at first...then she noticed the 'you survived' time on his game. "...You've been playing that for 24 hours?"

"Uh huh...I...I don't like to give up on a game..." he sniffled.

"Why?"

"Because I wanna see how the game ends..." he sniffled, tears still in his eyes. "What's the point in stopping an adventure half way?"

Sweetie blinked, looking at him. "Wow...you sound like me and my friends about getting our Cutie Marks."

He looked up. "...I do?"

"Yeah...we try and try to. No matter how many times we fail, we just keep trying! We want to find our Cutie Marks...even if it takes a really, really, really long time."

"...Huh...sound about right...do you like video games?"

"I've got a couple games I like, but I don't have a lot of them."

"My dad's a game developer, so I kinda get a lot of them..."

Sweetie cocked her head. "That...actually sounds kinda cool."

"Thanks! He works in Canterlot most of the time, though. I don't see him a lot."

The unicorn froze for a moment.

"Uh, is something wrong?"

"Oh! No....so, what's this game about?"

He waved his forelegs dramatically. "You travel ALL the way across the galaxy, starting out in the most dingy spaceship there is, with the enemy fleet right behind you! Getting crew and stuff for your ship along the way until you can save the universe!"

"So it's all about going from nothing to something really big?" Sweetie asked, looking at it.

"Uh huh. It takes a long time to get anywhere and there's no continues, so you have to play smart."

"Reminds me of my sister. She said that's how the fashion world is."

"Can’t say I’m really that into clothes, but I really like it when you can customize your character! Does that count?"

"I don't know, maybe? At any rate, It's really fun to try and get an outfit that works."

"I know! I wish more games were like that...Oh! Sorry! My name's Button Mash!"

Sweetie smiled. "Glad to meet you, I'm Sweetie Belle."

"My little ponies, is everything okay?" Miss Cheerilee asked, frowning.

"Yeah, I just got upset," Button said. "But Sweetie Belle cheered me up!"

Cheerilee smiled. "Oh, she did? Good for you, Sweetie Belle."

"Thank you." the unicorn filly smiled. Now that the danger had past, her two best friends came back. I know they'd have come forward if I'd gotten in REAL trouble... that's what friends do.

"So...I guess you don't instantly want to be a Crusader then?" she asked.

"...Can I still play video games?"

"Sure! We do all kinda stuff! And when we're just brainstorming or not doing anything, we play and just hang out at our clubhouse."

"...I do have a lot of games with co-op modes I never get to play..."

"I wouldn't mind."

"Neither would I," Scootaloo nodded.

"Same here," Applebloom replied.

---

"Wait wait wait!" Sweetie exclaimed, rubbing her head. "So...if Button had lost his last life in that game, then we'd have become his FRIEND?!"

Applejack shook her head. "Nah, yah'd have gotten tah CHOOSE tah become his friend...Ah ain't the meh that taught it tah her, but there's a certain Spirit of Luck who need tah learn something: choices and luck don't contradict each other. A lotta the time luck presents an OPPORTUNITY tah choose."

Sweetie took it in, then nodded slowly. "So because he lost his last life in that game, I had would've had the choice of maybe becoming his friend?"

Applejack nodded. "That's the idea...now first question, is anythin' Past!Sweetie did there somethin' yah CAN'T imagine yerself doin'?"

The young unicorn stopped and pondered it. "...No...I WANTED to do that when I saw him crying, so past me must have to...or could've...ow..."

"Trust meh, this time stuff gets confusin' when yah know what it really IS about," Applejack explained. "Now, here's the big thing," she explained. "If yah decide this is somethin' yah want tah be true, and accept it, it WILL be true. Meanin' everythin' from that moment tah now will get an 'update' and yah'd have ALWAYS befriended Button. Ah can promise yah this: yah ain't losin' Silver and Spike cause of this, it ain't THAT huge of a chance tah throw everythin' out of wack, but things WILL change...and its up to you if you WANT 'em to."

Sweetie Belle looked back to the mirror. She thought about it...the others had always wanted more members, so that was good...but what about Button?

She remembered earlier in the night how Other!Sweetie and Other!Button had gotten along...they were friends...They weren't her...but that button did seem really happy...

She thought about what she knew about Button Mash...how he just set in the back of the classroom playing his games, not really having any friends...As Past Sweetie had told Past Button, he'd still get to play them...just with others...with friends....friends...

"...Since when does a pony pass up a chance to make a new friend?" Sweetie finally asked, giving a smile. "A new friend...for me, for Scootaloo, for Applebloom, for Silver, for Spike...and all of us for Button too...I think...I want that to be true!"

Applejack smirked and gave a small smile. "That's a smart way tah think about it, Sweetie...alright, since its your truth...its the world's truth..."

The mirror image shattered into bits and flew into Sweetie. New memories filled her mind. Being Button's friend. Crusading with him. That time he made a bunch of monsters nearly kill each other on accident playing his gamecolt. She remembered hearing how he got his hat.

It wasn't like the memories were being FORCED into her head...it was like she was making months of choices but not a minute had passed. She wisely decided not to wonder how that could happen.

"Enjoy your new truth, Sweetie. Ah've got more work tah do now..."


----

Sweetie blinked, back in reality and shaking her head. "Ugh...that was weird..."

"So do you have any video games back on your home planet?"

"Yeah, but they involve lots of holograms and hard light," Blue Dwarf explained, her friends dealing with their new guests from the past.

"Cool!"

Sweetie blinked, finding Button now with them...or had he ALWAYS been there? Yeah, he had, she remembered how much he'd fancolted seeing a superpowered version of himself from another dimension.

She looked at the letter they'd got at the start of the night and found Button's name had been 'added' and he was under the same protection as the rest of them. She remembered his mother had been a bit apprehensive about a sleep over, but knew Button would've just played his games alone half the night if he hadn't gone, so let him come along.

"...Welcome to the Crusaders..." she said under her breath and giving a smile.

MtangaLion


For a moment, Princess Veritas lingered, sensing other eyes watching... some from outside the world entirely.

Somewhere, an Alicorn that could have been AJ's twin sister reared up, bursting with joy!  She wore a sparkling white gown, and had feelers and translucent wings like a flutterpony.  "This is a Moment!" said Princess Epiphany.  "A moment when everything changes."

"A moment when a heart's secret wishes come true!" agreed Razzaroo, a shining star on her flank.  "Yes yes yes!"

Veritas chuckled.  "Not all truths are pretty ones, ta be sure, but Ah guess we all do go hoof in hoof sometimes."



Something else suddenly seemed odd in Sweetie Belle's jumble of new and old memories.  "Your hat!" she blurted out.

Button Mash glanced at her.  "What about it?"

Looking into Button's eyes made Sweetie feel warm, blushing a little...  But she clearly remembered Blexel's sword stroke missing Button's head by inches... and slicing his beloved propeller beanie in two.  So why was the hat on Button's head now, and why was it blue... with eyes...  oh!

Sweetie grinned.  "I was thinking... maybe my sister could make you a new hat, so Imp doesn't have to sit on your head forever."

Kendell2

Sweetie nodded. "You did say how important it was to you, and I know it won't replace the one you lost, but it seemed like a good idea..."

Button Mash blinked, then smiled. "That would be nice. Thanks Sweetie Belle..."

Sweetie nodded, giving him a hug. "You're welcome, just seemed like the nice thing to do."

The little unicorn remembered how, when she and Scootaloo had fused, they'd carried Button on their back while carrying Applebloom in their telekinesis. And how Button had reacted to them getting 'extra lives and continues' and his reaction to finding their bags kept things they'd acquired from previous trips being 'Cool! Keep inventory is on!'

Though she was surprised he didn't treat this as much like a game as that implied, but then again from what she knew of Button, he normally treated GAMES with pony morality, so there'd not have been much of a difference anyway.

She also remembered him taking the sea pony form simply because she had. Did that mean a sea pony Button Mash was still back there.

Blue Dwarf blinked, but seemed to think they were cute with the hug.

The duo turned back to the situation with the others

"Oh, so my ship is outdated?" Star Hopper asked.

Nebula nodded. "Correct, we haven't used it in a very long time, and it's probably why you're not able to keep up."

Majesty nodded. "That would explain much...So, my little pony, you wish to continue traveling with these ponies of another world?"

Star Hopper nodded. "Yes, you're majesty. It's where I want to stay and what I feel I'm SUPPOSED to do."

Sweetie noticed Majesty seemed to have the feel of a very stern, but loving mother. She mainly knew that due to new memories of Button's mother, her own not being very stern.

"...Alright, Star Hopper, if it is where you genuinely feel you belong," the Queen said, giving the pony a nuzzle.

"She reminds me a bit of my mom," Button said.

"Hey, that's just what I was thinking!" Sweetie Belle replied, the two giving a chuckle.

Queen Majesty then looked to Applebloom. "...You remind me of a pony I know named Applejack...are you related to her?"

"Yah know mah big sister?" Applebloom questioned.

"...I may know a relative of yours..." Majesty replied, seeming to know more about the situation than Star Hopper. "Does your sister overeat on apples?"

"Nah, she farms 'em. She sometimes overWORKS herself though," Applebloom admitted.

Alex Warlorn

"I don't understand!" Pinkie Pie said, freaking out, which was... well, not unnatural for her, but what she was freaking out ABOUT. "I closed down the studio! Why is the Character Overload Pressure Gauge going into the red?! I brought it with me just as a memento! But now it's saying we're well into the red zone! The entire universe could freeze solid! ... Huh, and what's this note it spat out?  . . .Since when does it spit out notes? That's really rude.

'The appeal of the Crossed-Out-Files, and Gravity Drops, was the investigation team was relatively small, creating the proper sense of vulnerability and discovery... An adventure party of a half dozen does not constitute small in these circumstances.' Alright, Pinkie Sense... don't fail me now... LEAD ME TO THE SOURCE OF THIS CHARACTER OVERLOAD!" Pinkie Pie zoomed out of the night of her secret lair underneath Sugarcube Corner.

Apple Bloom's camera, shook and gave snow as the grainy image shook and moved about wildly as off camera came the shouting, "TOO MANY CHARACTERS! MUST! CUT DOWN! UNIVERSE IMPLODE!"

"Surprise?" Majesty blinked.

MtangaLion

Pinkie Pie hopped right out of nowhere and bounced straight over to Majesty, glomping and nuzzling her.  "Omigosh, omigosh!  It's been like, forever!"

"Extraordinary!" cried Majesty, delighted.  "When did you come to this faraway land, and how did you change your looks?  Is this a new game?"

The Crusaders went into a quick huddle.  "Um, why is Pinkie Pie... you know, Pinkie Pie?" asked Scootaloo.  "Isn't she Princess Thalia now?"

Button Mash pushed his way into the group.  "Girls, don't huddle without me!"

Sweetie Belle nosed him.  "Sorry about that, Button.  Maybe she's Thalia in disguise."

Apple Bloom frowned.  "Or maybe she did some kinda crazy Pinkie Pie thing and got here *before* she became Thalia!  We can't tell her that she's gonna be an Alicorn."

"I'm going to be whaaaat?!" gasped Pinkie Pie, in the huddle with them.

"This is fun!" said Majesty, also in the huddle with them.  "Surprise always had the best games!"

Nova's reality distortion meter started beeping like a fire alarm, its needle jammed all the way to the right.  Snow Bound and Blanky, wolves once more, sat up straight with their ears pricked up.

"Oh dear..."  Nova started glancing around frantically.  "Well, it's been *really* nice meeting you all..."

"But we have to go," said Blue Dwarf.  "Now."  The star ponies practically stampeded back into their flying saucer.

"Wait!" cried Star Hopper.  "Take me with you!"  Star magic lifted her and pulled her towards the hatchway.  "Thanks!  Bye, Majesty!  Tell everypony I'm okay!"  She disappeared inside.

Unexpectedly, Imp chimed musically and hopped off Button Mash's head, transforming into a blue rubber ball that bounced up the spaceship's landing ramp, just before the hatch closed.  The larger spaceship lifted off smoothly, picked up the small, older saucer with a tractor beam, and zoomed into the heavens.

"So, these Alicorns," Majesty was saying to Pinkie Pie.  "They're even more powerful than unicorns?"

"Yepper-rooni!" said Pinkie Pie, bouncing in place.  "Gosh, imagine how much better you could have protected Ponyland if *you'd* been an Alicorn."

The ground started shaking, and bits of the sky seemed to be flaking loose.  "Oh, great," Scootaloo grumbled.  "We broke the universe again."

Sweetie gulped.  "It's okay.  We'll just reset.  Everything's going to be fine."

"I hope all reality doesn't wind up covered in tree sap like that other time," said Apple Bloom.

"I still want to know how that happened," said Button Mash.

Kendell2 (with one addition by me)

The group found themselves back at the farm, sitting at the What If Machine.

On the screen was a picture of an Alicorn version of Queen Majesty still ruling Equestria... Equestria's enemies and threats being turned into bubbles and popped or turned into pictures and painted over rather than sealed or banished and most of the world's leaders terrified of crossing her. And Griffins were still mindless animals and elves still lived on Equus.

"Welcome back, young foals," said the What If Machine. "Universe damage seems stabilized."

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Good, how are you?"

"This unit has learned how to access the internet of a neighboring universe," the machine replied. "I have hacked an online service known as 'iTunes' and am currently binge watching a series that recently concluded, it is very interesting...Also, if at any point you run into living wax statues trying to kill you, this unit recommends fire or other hot implement."

"Right..." said Applebloom. "Hope yah enjoy it. Come on girls, and colt, let's go!"

"Also, tying forks to the ends of your finger tips is a good idea if you are consuming popcorn."

Sweetie blinked. "What are fingers?"

---

The group continued to walk through the woods, when they saw a bush rustle. The four ponies prepared for whatever it was...only for a group of little blue ponies with white beards and pointy red caps to pop out of it.

"Um...hello..." Sweetie Belle said slowly.

"Hello," said one, who seemed to look the smartest. He jumped down and the others followed them. "Um...we're gnomes."

"Okay...what are gnomes?" Applebloom asked, looking confused.

"I think in dad's O&O games say they're little ponies who are really mischievous," Button remarked. "Oh! And in World of Ponycraft says they're really good with technology!"

The gnomes, however, seemed more interested in Sweetie Belle. "Huddle!" said the lead gnome, the gnomes doing so.

"...Is this what it feels like when we do that?" Scootaloo asked.

The gnomes finally turned around and looked to Sweetie. "Alright, this is going to sound awkward...but we'd like you to be our queen."

Sweetie blinked. "Uh...what?"

"What?!" asked everypony else.

"Yes, long story short, we need a queen, it's kind of just how gnomes work. We just need you to come and live with us in the forest forever," replied the lead gnome. "I know that's asking a lot, but it'll be really great, I swear."

The little unicorn naturally looked very disturbed by this. She looked to Button who looked upset too.

"So what d'ya say? Will you join us in holy matri-gnomey? Matri—matrimony! Blah! I can't talk today," the main gnome asked, giving a friendly smile.

"Uh...no thanks...I'm not ready for...that..." 'Plus if Rarity won't let me be a changeling she won't let me be a gnome queen!' "We could be friends though!"

"We understand..." said the chief gnome, looking sad. "We'll never forget you..."

Sweetie gave a small smile. 'That's good...'

"Because we're going to fillynap you..."

Sweetie blinked, then looked startled. "Wait what?!"

The gnomes suddenly grabbed Sweetie Belle and ran into the forest without warning.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" yelled Button, galloping after, Scootaloo and Applebloom following suit.

"What the heck are a buncha gnome things doing in the forest anyway?!" Scootaloo asked.

The camera suddenly went staticy.

---

Filthy Rich blinked, looking out at his now empty lawn. "Princess, have you seen our lawn gnomes?"

"No dear...who would steal lawn gnomes?" Golden asked, looking out.

Diamond got a suspicious look. 'Uncle...'

'Okay, I may have accidentally split a bottle of 'instant life' juice I got from my cousin Shub before she was banished from this corner of the multiverse for 8 billion years due to events in neighboring reality...and lost track of a case of lawn gnomes I put in your shed for no apparent reason...'

'UNCLE!'

'Relax, princess! The only way they won't be innocent newborns is if somepony in the surrounding area has the mental image of gnomes being evil, oh like say what they're like in my now deceased triangle shaped cousin's favorite universe, but that'd require somepony to be thinking of evil gnomes at the time they came to life, and for them to know about my cousin's universe they'd either need a Fate.net or hack our neighboring human universe's itunes. And you'd need to be either a deity or a sapient machine with interdimensional viewing capabilities for that. What are the odds of ALL that happening? It'd be a perfect storm of coincidences!'

'...Should we do something?'

'Eh, they're GNOMES! How dangerous can they be?'

---
The camera came back into focus in the forest.

"Let me go! I don't want to be queen of the Gnomes!" Sweetie yelled as the chase continued.

MtangaLion

"This is getting ridiculous," grumbled Sweetie Belle.  Somehow, the gnomes who kept her in a tight grip were balancing on the backs of the other gnomes, who had all four hooves free to gallop pell-mell through the woods.   She squirmed and bucked one of gnomes loose, but another quickly took his place.

"Seriously, just put me down and go home.  If I can't escape, then my friends will save me, and if they can't do it, then my sister will come here and whine until you beg for mercy."  The gnomes kept right on running.  "I know black magic and a whole lot of princesses!"

The chief gnome patted her on the head.  "The more you struggle, the more awkward this is gonna be for everypony."

"Fine!"  Sweetie Belle's horn started to glow an eerie green.  "Winds, bear me skyward!  Ray Wi..."  But a gnome swiftly jammed a delicious chocolate truffle into her mouth, preventing her from finishing the incantation.    



Button Mash panted, falling behind as they chased after the gnomes.  "Funny... I thought for sure it was going to be zombies."

Apple Bloom shuddered.  "Ah glad it wasn't!  Twice was two times too many!"

Ardashir

"HMMPH!" Sweetie yelled through her gag, or tried to. She tapped out against one of the gnomes' backs in Horse Code with her hooves. 'You better let me go! Or as soon as I get free I'll summon a Cave Troll and have him eat you guys! Trolls are the natural enemies of gnomes!'

"Hah!" The gnomes laughed at her as they kept running. "As if! These days the Trolls spend all their time on the Ponynet insulting complete strangers; they're having too much fun to bother with us."

And many miles away in Canterlot, a Prussian-blue alicorn snorted in rage as she read her screen.

'GIVE IT UP LUNA-L0SER NIGHTMARE M00N PWNS U TOTALLY!'

"Sister! Once again I request, neigh, DEMAND that thou bringest back public horsewhipping for these knaves!"

Back in the Everfree, Sweetie rolled her eyes in disgust as she kept trying to escape, and her friends galloped to the rescue behind her.

zaku789

"Will you stop looking at me like that," Discord said. Diamond just continued to glare.

"Alright fine, but I'm only going to do it my way," Discord said annoyed as he snapped his fingers.

Miles away, all the gnomes poofed out of existence. Making all the gnomes disappear.

"What the-?" Sweetie belle said before falling to the ground.

"So where are the gnomes?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Shouldn't they be here and return to normal?"

"Oh no, I'm not reverting them back to normal, I've seen all that whiny backlash with the mirror pool business, instead I sent them to somewhere were weirdness can be appreciated," Discord said.

(In a different world)

"Hey.... what happen to our queen?" A pony gnome asked.

"How should I know? And quite frankly I want to know where we are."

"Hey lets ask that oddly handsome creature over there. Hey buddy do you know where we are?"

"Shmebulock," the human gnome said.

MtangaLion

The image blurred and turned to static again, then cleared to show a fish-eye view of Discord peering into a camera lens.  He blew on the lens, fogging it, then wiped it clean and gave it a claws up.  A giant mouse cursor moved in from the side of the frame and started touching up the details of his wings, but he shooed it away.

Discord backed away from the camera and struck a pose.  "My, my.  It seems that I've confused those adorable Cutie Mark Crusaders and their valiant Plus One something fierce.  Ooh, I should go and introduce the new me!"

The front door of the Rich estate swung open, and Princess Thalia strolled across the lawn, elegant and serene.  She gave them all a warm smile.  "Now, Discord, I still haven't finished their party invitations."  Four sparkling tickets floated over in her magic, each decorated with her trademark balloons and cheerful script.  "I'm going to have to finesse this... you did do some pretty mean things to them and their families back then, and that whole thing with Diamond and Sweetie?  Just a wee little tiny bit awkward!  You're just going to hold your horses a little longer."

Discord stroked his beard, then smirked and held up a plastic toy model of Twilight Sparkle in his claw, and a Dream Castle playset complete with Majesty and Spike figurines with his lion paw.

Thalia giggled, shaking her head.  "Guess I trotted right into that one.  Eh?"  She looked down and found that Mr. Filthy Rich was hugging her.

Mr. Rich coughed and backed away, brushing a tear from one eye.  "Sorry about that, Princess Thalia.  I just wanted to thank you again.... I can't thank you enough, really."

Golden Tiara rolled her eyes, then smiled and leaned against her husband, nuzzling.

"Dad, you're getting all mushy again," complained Diamond Tiara, but she leaned against her father too, not minding at all when his hoof mussed her hair.

"I had lost everything that truly mattered," said Mr. Rich, "and all the bits in the world couldn't fix it, but then Golden came home, and you brought our little Diamond back to us, even saved her soul from what I'm told.  As far as I'm concerned... Celestia and Luna will just have to stand in line, because you're the real royalty around here, Miss Thalia!"

Discord pulled several feet of tied-together handkerchiefs out of his nose, then blew his nose on them, honking loudly.  "Truly inspiring!"

Mr. Rich furrowed his brow at Discord.  "Don't push it, you.  This forgive and forget thing is still a work in progress."

"Now, now," said Thalia soothingly.  "Hmmm?"  She trotted over, peered right into the spare camera, and gave it a huge grin.  "Dissy, you little stinker!"

Kendell2

Back with the Crusaders, the other three finally caught up with Sweetie and Button hugged her.

"You're okay!" Button called.

Sweetie hugged him back...then the two blinked, then separated with a blush. "Uh...glad you're okay..." Button said.

"Thanks..."

"Where did those gnome things get to?" Scootaloo asked.

"I don't know, they just kinda went poof!" Sweetie exclaimed.

"Least they're gone..." Applebloom noted. The group took a sigh of relief...then blinked, seeing a nearby light.

The group trotted over to find what looked like portal. Not quite a crack like the others. more like a natural point were domains crossed. Similar to the other natural ways that they'd seen into other worlds so far.

The group gasped in shock at the sight.

Chrysalis and Cadence fighting in Canterlot Castle.

"Wait, that happened before!" Scootaloo pointed out.

Sweetie Belle, however, gasped at something. "Look! Chryssy's neck!"

The group gasped, noticing a pink heart shaped pendant on Chrysalis' neck.

"That's the thing the good Chrysalis wears, ain't it?" Applebloom asked.

"Good Chrysalis?" Button Mash asked, cocking his head.

"Back when Pinkie did that the show, we kept meeting this nice Chrysalis from a mirror universe," Scootaloo explained. "But she didn't look anything like that..."

Looking closer, a kingly unicorn they didn't recognize was currently trapped in a crystal.

"Should we watch?" Applebloom asked.

Chrysalis tried to shield herself from another beam but was sent flying back and slamming against the wall.

"HAHAHA!" Cadenza cackled, landing next to a browbeaten, timid and broken looking Shining Armor. "Thank you, sweetie," she said. Sweetie Belle recognized from Chrysalis' lessens what it was: the voice one used when they wanted to convince somepony they really cared about them. "Your love for me has made me so strong."

Shining Armor gave a broken, but horrifying loving smile. "You're welcome...dear."

"Now I can do what my aunt never could," Cadenza mocked, charging up her beam and blasting Chrysalis, her shield shattering and knocking her back. "Once you're dead, my 'sister', you know what will happen?"

Chrysalis fired a beam, but to her (and the watching Crusader's shock) Shining Armor blocked it. Chrysalis panted, falling to her knees. Her body...began to crack.

"I'll absorb what's left, finally becoming truly complete! Then I will rid this world of emotion, for without emotion, that vile thing called magic will be reduced to it's most basic form!" Cadenza mocked, picking Chrysalis up by the neck with her telekinesis and flinging the battered Duchess of Equestria across the room. "Then I can snuff it out, as we should have at the dawn of time!"

"If...if you do that...my Changelings..." Chrysalis muttered, trying to stand. "They'll die..."

"Yes, they will. But they're a flawed species anyway," Cadenza said, with apathy that made the Crusaders feel sick to their stomachs. Sweetie Belle shuddered, realizing it was little different than their Chrysalis' sociopathic like of empathy. "They rely on something as worthless as magic to LIVE."

Chrysalis struggled to stand up, but her leg began CRUMBLING, the queen falling to her knees. "...You...you're incomplete...because you don't have a heart!"

Cadenza snarled. "I don't NEED one. True Harmony can't rely on something as flawed and irrational as a heart!"

"I don't know...what happened..." Chrysalis said, forcing her three good legs to stand. "Why you call me sister...why you hate magic so much...a part of me...a part of me makes me think even YOU have forgotten why you hate it so much...But I do know...I can't let somepony as heartless harm my subjects!"

"And how is that going to happen?" Cadenza questioned. "You're dying."

Chrysalis looked downtrodden, looking over her cracking form. The Crusaders could see the Changelings just outside a giant barrier Shining Armor was keeping up, trying desperately to get inside.

Sweetie and the others wondered if it was their PLACE to interfere.

"Chryssy!" yelled a little filly, identical to Sweetie Belle, looking on as a very confused mare that looked like Rarity held her back.

Chrysalis' eyes shot open. "No...I won't die like this!"

[=Undertale - Battle Against A True Hero=]

"My body..it's falling apart...but..." Chrysalis snarled. "I feel it! I feel ALL of them! My subjects! Equestria's people! Maua! I feel it!...I feel THEM!"

Cadenza suddenly gasped as Chrysalis began to glow pink.

"And that feeling won't let me die! This isn't about my Changelings, you'll destroy EVERYONE to get what you want, Cadenza!" Chrysalis yelled, her form PULLING ITSELF TOGETHER. "Changelings, ponies, zebras everyone! Their bonds, their love, their friendships, vanquished in an instant! That's what you want! Without bonds, everything dies! But I won't let you do that!"

"What do you know about bonds?!" Cadenza screamed, charging up her magic...then gasping as pain ripped through her chest.

"Apparently more than you! Empress of Broken Hearts!"

Cadenza screamed in agony, grasping her chest and falling to the ground, Shining Armor RAN to her side.

"Right now, everypony here...everypony in Equestria! Everypony in the world! I can feel their hearts beat as one!...You've FORGOTTEN what that's like Cadenza, haven't you?" Chrysalis yelled, the pink energy forming seeming to now be coming from BETWEEN her armor plates. "You've ABANDONED that!"

Cadenza SCREAMED as a spear of rainbow colored energy BURST from her chest. The Crusaders didn't know what that meant, but they could TELL...Cadenza suddenly became LESS than she was. The magic she'd gained from Shining Armor just seemed to CUT OFF.

The sphere flew out and into Chrysalis' chest.

Rainbow colored energy began surging from EVERYPONY around...even from the Crusaders watching.

"Cadenza...no...Concept of Broken Bonds...I will save them all!" Chrysalis screamed, her monstrous exoskeleton seeming to become little more than a cocoon...a cocoon which EXPLODED off her to reveal the complete, beautiful Chrysalis the Crusaders recognized, butterfly-like wings spread out.

Cadenza's face contorted in rage beyond measure and she THREW Shining Armor away. "NO! GIVE THAT BACK! IT'S MINE!"

Chrysalis' eyes opened, no longer the draconic ones she'd had before but more pony-like. "You just don't get it, do you? I didn't steal this. YOU THREW IT AWAY!"

The two charged up their horns and fired two beams of energy, the two slamming into one another with equal force.

"How can this be happening?!" Cadenza asked. "It's not fair! I wasn't supposed to become whole! Not you!"

"Take it from experience, Cadenza," Chrysalis replied. "If you don't let anypony in, then you'll never be whole!"

Chrysalis' beam suddenly tore through Cadenza's, like her power had drained. She screamed as Chrysalis' attack slammed into her her with tremendous force.

The Empress of Broken Hearts crashed to the ground, unconscious.

Shining ran over and shook her, trying to wake her...then teleported them both away.

The Crusaders watched wide mouthed.

Sweetie prepared to rush in and say something, but the others held her back.

"Sweetie! She hasn't bet us yet, remember?" Applebloom asked.

"...Oh...right..."

As if answering that reply, the portal suddenly jumped forwards to present day, Chrysalis currently talking to her subjects, including the wacky but kind Mirror Kabuto.

"Oh...."

MtangaLion

In the other world, Doctor Kabuto approached Love Queen Chrysalis and bowed low.  "It's confirmed, your Majesty.  The Crawling Chaos has left our world, suddenly and completely.  We can find no trace of him."

Chrysalis tilted her head, and set down the glass of nectar she'd been sipping from.  "You don't seem pleased, good doctor.  Surely, that's cause for celebration."

Kabuto nodded, clicking his forehooves together.  "I've also learned that he was conspiring with that notorious band of delinquents, popularly known as the Mean Six!  Two of them have now risen as beings of great power.  Nightmares, at the very least.  The readings and eyewitness accounts are inconclusive... they may still be 'finding themselves,' as it were."

Chrysalis sighed, shaking her head.  "As if Cadenza wasn't enough trouble.  We shall act swiftly and help this new pair, before they become our enemies."

"If we can."  Kabuto held out a crystal gadget and nudged the gem on top.  "This is Pinkie Pie.  She's calling herself Lady Tristitia now."

Kabuto's device projected a hologram of a mare with a grimy pink coat, wearing a black leather vest.  She had wings, a horn, long black hair that hung completely straight, and a cutie mark of a knife popping a balloon.  "Happy times never last," she was saying, while ponies in the village around her held each other, weeping, and changelings fell out of the sky and lay still.  "They go away, and then there's just the sad left.  You'll lose everything that ever made you smile, and what then?"

Kabuto tapped the device again, and another image appeared.  "The second one was Applejack.  We don't have a new name yet, so we're calling her Paranoia."

The second image showed an orange-coated mare, also with wings and a horn, wearing tarnished bronze barding.  Her cutie mark was an apple with a worm in it.  "Who can ya trust?" she muttered, glancing around all shifty-eyed as she trotted through a town in chaos, people shouting, ponies fighting in the streets, buildings on fire...  "Nopony, that's who.  Everything ya know could be a lie, and how would ya know?  What have ya seen with your own two eyes... and can ya even trust those when there's magic illusions and mind control mojo around?"

Queen Chrysalis considered this, then rose from her throne dramatically, lifting her gaze as if looking to a camera on a crane.  "Who can save us now?"

The sound of a fingersnap filled the throne room with a puffy cloud of smoke, which blew away to reveal Discord in a silly outfit with a little domino mask, as if that could somehow conceal his identity.  "Who indeed... but Captain Goodguy!"

Chrysalis smirked.  "You're getting predictable, 'old chum.'"

"Oh, really?"  Captain Goodguy snapped his fingers again, and four more poofs of smoke appeared.

Button Mash jumped out of one, also wearing colorful tights and a little mask.  "Captain Goodguy Jr. is here!"

Three notorious fillies jumped out of the others.  "Captain Goodgal Crusader Squad!  YAY!!!"

Queen Chrysalis spilled her nectar glass. "Sweetie Belle!  What did I say?"



Button, Sweetie, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo stared through the portal at their counterparts, speechless.

Alex Warlorn

Apple Bloom shivered.

"Apple Bloom, what's wrong?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"If that there's a world where stuff gets upside down... then how come we're GOOD GUYS in that world? And Button Mash! What... what does that say about us? We're still going on... let's be honest, 'crazy' adventure... the only REAL difference is that they're doin' it as sidekicks! And that's really more of a change than who we are ben' turned upside down! That Applejack becomin' a Nightmare instead of a Princess? I get that part... it's awful but at least I understand it's in the RULES of that place... but... how are we still the GOOD GUYS in that world, when we're the good guys here? If... if they tried to get their cutie marks doin' bad stuff and it turned out good... Ah could ... Ah could, maybe sorta kinda get... but... it feels like somethin' was tryin' to have its apple pie and eat it too."

"You mean cake." Sweetie Belle said.

"No, apple pie, that's what my family always says."

"Of course." Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"The point is! With all the good we've done... and yeah, I'll admit we dang goofed a lot too... but ... if they're helpin' ponies in that world too... shouldn't that disrupt ying and yang or somethin'?!"

Scootaloo shuddered, "That reminds me of that Mare-Vel storyline Focal-Point where a buncha good guys and bad guys became bad and good instead ... "

Alex Warlorn

The shadows of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, grew and grew behind them. As the cutie mark crusaders on the other side of the mirror continued their heroic. None noticing they were so focused on the vision beyond until... the shadows engulfed the three as one.

Button Mash was knocked on his rump as his three friends exploded, revealing little girls now empowered with the might of the darkness.

In place of the Cutie Mark Crusaders was three Nightfillies. Their eyes were draconic, their coats now darker shades than what they'd been, and all had wings and horns. Apple Bloom still didn't have her cutie mark. Their mane remained mostly the same except now being more intense colors.  

“Nightmare Cantata, Fairest of Songs!”

“Nightmare Instrumentum, Creator of All Items!"

“Nightmare Velocitas, Rainbow Dash Fan Number One!”

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Nightmare Gallery Alliance! Yay!" They cheered an high hooved each other.

"Except... we seem to be one short." Nightmare Cantata smiled, which was at the same time adorable yet disturbing.

The three Night Fillies then turned as one towards Button Mash, grinning. Button Mash then did the single most intelligent thing he could with his friends engulfed by darkness, and ran for it.

Nightmare Instrumentum on the spot conjured raw material and constructed a ray gun on the spot before Button Mash had gotten far. The three Nightfillies channeled their magic into it, blowing up the machine, but still firing the result magic straight at Button Mash...

Button Mash was overwhelmed with the pain of having to grow up, do adult things, of video games becoming work rather than play even if he took a job with them, and the mundane boring world of adults he was doomed to enter.

Then the seven nice foals in morning garb offered to play with him forever. Button Mash was covered in long black hands, that then exploded outwards.

His coat was now dark shinny bronze, his mane now moved like wavering pixel art. His eyes were now draconic. He also now sported wings and a horn. Like Apple Bloom, he remained a blank flank.

He turned back to his friends grinning, who grinned back.

"Hi! I'm Nightmare Pixel! Game Master of Neverland!"

"Nice to meet you!" Nightmare Cantata giggled and they nuzzled.

"Aren't Nightmare supposed to brutality fight among themselves?" Nightmare Velocitas asked.

"Maybe cause we all changed at the same time, and changed Button Mash together?" Nightmare Instrumentum suggested.

"... That works."

+++

'Diamond Tiara dear, wake up.' Discord voice rang through the rich filly's head.

"Dis-Discord? It's the middle of the night." Diamond Tiara said, in her pretty little night gown from Canterlot.

'I just had this rather odd sensation that you and I are going to have to save the world.'

"Can't Twilight Sparkle and her friends do it?"

'I dunno! It was just a feeling!'

"You woke me up for a feeling? We can save the world tomorrow morning." Diamond Tiara rolled back into bed.

++++


"Hello dears! My name is Ispita, but I'm better known as Temptation The Draconequus! You four look like you're in need of someequus who can show you the ropes!"

"What do we need ya for?" Nightmare Instrumentum asked.

"Logistics. And I'm willing to lend you, as a gift, a temporal stabilization enchantment."

"Sounds good to me!" Said Nightcolt Pixel as the sun rose.

++

The next morning... Diamond Tiara found the world didn't look so bad... if there were some strange things going on. As a class project, Diamond Tiara was to do a video journal (don't ask what that even was, Pinkie Pie had provided her one) of a day in her life, and today was as good a day as any.


School was a half day that day, but sadly for Diamond Tiara, she got stuck going with her father on some early business meets in town so she could continue to learn to someday inherent her father's empire (least all their employees suddenly find themselves without a job and bits to feed their families).

At Sweet Apple Acres... Appljack was grinning like a fool. And overnight, Sweet Apple Acres now had a small army of mechanical devices that had modernized the farm overnight. The various gizmos looked like they'd have made Flim and Flam wet themselves with envy. A machine for fertilizing, another for watering, another for feeding the live stock (and providing light-conversation if so desired), a machine for APPLEBUCKING... And a machine for helping Granny Smith move about... by transferring her consciousness into a new young body that showed the stunning beauty she was when she'd made the deal with Diamond's great-grandfather.

The farm was practically running itself, all the Apples needed to do was rack in the profits.

Meanwhile, every pegasus in town was talking in 'kewl dude' language, and doing everything as fast and furious as possible, everything was a competition to win, everything was 'leet' and everything was awesome. (As accordance with the song they were all singing.).

"Everything is awesome! Everything's cool when you're part of a team! Everything is awesome! When you're living the dream!" Fluttershy sang with Rainbow Dash, buddy buddy and both grinning.

As for a business meet with Rarity to see if she has any dresses she'd been willing to sell to Barnyard Bargains as retail... she kept humming to herself whenever she wasn't speaking. And her every motion and actions seemed to follow a melody, like she was in a perpetual heart song. There weren't as many unicorns in Ponyville as Earth Ponies or pegasi, but the effect was obvious. Like Applejack, she had a grin perpetually on her face. But she insisted everything was fine, and everything was as it should be.

She spotted Spike sitting outside playing a video game as mechanical ponies did all the work he normally did for the library. Twilight Sparkle grinned as a little holo machines endlessly provided her text to read, singing to herself in a heart song without end.

Pinkie Pie was running through the street and shouted, "Playtime forever! Yippie! Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!"

Diamond Tiara still wasn't sure what was going on... but when class for the day finally started... she found everypony in class playing video games built right into their desks! She turned to speak to Miss Cheerilee about what was going on... to find Miss Cheerilee a foal herself, playing a game console built right into her desk! "Yippie! New high score!" The former adult looked right at Diamond Tiara with that grin. "Hiii Diamond Tiara! Wanna play Defenders Of the League of Ancient Heroic Legends Two The Smiting Blizzard?"

Silver Spoon, playing the video game as well, turned to her friend and waved her. "Hey Diamond! This is super-leet awesome! I've been saving a spot on our hero squad for you! You can be Truly The Cultured!"

Alula and Tootsie sat next to Silver Spoon and waved at Diamond Tiara also encouraging her into join in.

Kendell2


"Uh...one second..." Diamond Tiara said, heading outside. Cheerilee and no one seemed to stop her. "Uncle..."

Discord suddenly popped out of her mane. "Well I WARNED you, didn't I?"

"Point taken, but why didn't you do anything?!" Diamond asked.

"Because no pony except you trusts me!...And you didn't even trust me at first!"

"...Good point."

"Now, as for what's happening...We're in the 'stage one' of a benign Nightmare attack."

"There's STAGES?!"

"I'm not sure, it sounded cool. But regardless, this is the part where things look nice and cozy before everything falls apart. Though it also seems like two of the Nightmares AREN'T benign while two are. So that's FOUR Nightmares that for some reason AREN'T fighting one another to the death. Knowing how this goes, it's likely Celestia and Luna are conveniently not here at the moment."

Discord pulled out a PDA and looked through it. "Ah, yes, they're presently on the planet of glowing stardust ponies at a diplomatic meeting...Figures..."

"Can't you just snap your fingers and fix this!"

"Oh, right..."

Discord snapped his fingers...and nothing happened. "Uh oh..."

"Uh oh? What do you mean uh oh?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Well...it appears they've got help, because my powers aren't working," Discord said, then pouted like a child.

"Why do your powers only work when you're evil or helping me with my home work?!"

"Probably to prevent things from being boring...But that does mean somepony who knows me well enough to count my powers has to know me..."

---

"Thanks for these cool pendants, Miss Ispita," said Nightmare Cantata, looking at a pendant all four Nightmares wore. The symbol the alchemist's symbol for Order engraved on it.

"Oh darlings, it's nothing really, I'm just trying to be a good friend," the Anthropomorphic Personification of Temptation asked. "They'll keep any big bullies from ruining your fun. I have one too, for special occasions."

---

"On the bright side, this isn't nearly as bad as my original evil plot I had planned before I turned good," Discord remarked.

"What?!"

"...You knew I had one, Diamond. I was pretty bucking evil."

"...True...thanks for giving that up..."

"You're welcome," said Discord. "But now we need to figure out a solution to this...probably going to need to snap the Bearers out of it, but knowing the forces of evil, they won't be making that easy for us. Goodness knows I didn't plan to!"

MtangaLion

Diamond Tiara kept walking, feeling the oddest headache coming on.  "What about those new Alicorns?"

Discord shook the PDA, then thumped it, to no avail.  "Sealed inside 'Applejack' and 'Pinkie Pie,' most likely.  No easy escape that way either."

Diamond sighed.  "I guess I can't be too hard on you, Uncle.  Part me still wants to totally rub this in everypony's faces after I save them.  You know, not Twilight or the Elements or the Crusaders... *me*."

"Oh, I know all about being of two minds," said Discord, briefly poofing into a smaller, cuter version of himself.  "What does the other part of you want, pray tell?"

They came around a corner and saw something that made Diamond stop to gawk.  "Something like... that!"

The Carousel Boutique had changed remarkably since she saw it last, only hours ago.  There were *two* of the round carousel buildings now, the familiar pink and blue one, and a matching red and white shop, with a large and expensive-looking townhouse between them and an enormous swimming pool out front.  Sweetie Belle and her sister Rarity were standing by the pool.  Diamond still felt a twinge of guilt about the scissors incident, looking at Rarity.  She didn't recognize the two older unicorns with them, though, nor the stunning white unicorn with the cherry red mane, dressed in an overcoat and levitating several travel bags.

They all rushed to embrace one another as Diamond watched, softly humming that strange song in perfect five-part harmony... that was what had made her a little jealous.  Then Sweetie noticed her and waved a hoof energetically.  "Hey, Diamond!  Come and meet my family!"

Diamond's brain froze.  Sweetie Belle... Sweetie Belle was.... !?

"Don't say it!" hissed Discord, hiding in Diamond's hair again before he could be spotted.  "Don't draw attention!"

Sweetie Belle was an Alicorn.

Sweetie Belle was an *Alicorn*, and she was hugging Diamond Tiara like an old friend, and the queasy buzzing headache was absolutely killing Diamond for those few moments, until they separated.  "This is my mom and my dad," said Sweetie excitedly.  And this is my bigger big sister, Red Gala Belle!

"Charmed!" said Red Gala elegantly.  "My, my, that tiara is looking a little worse for wear.  Perhaps I could replace the gems for you, or recommend a new one!  Ah, sorry... that's my line of work, you see."

Sweetie continued, "Red Gala's been living in Canterlot, and our parents used to travel all over the place, but now we're all going to live right here in Ponyville!  Isn't that great?"

"That's... swell."  Diamond felt some of her old attitude and insecurity trying to get the better of her.  Sweetie was an Alicorn?  How?!  How dare she be an Alicorn?!  Diamond should be a princess if anypony was... she was mother and daddy's little princess, not..."

Then Diamond felt her inner chaos seethe and tingle within her.  She gulped and calmed down in a hurry.  This definitely wasn't the time and place to bring out Uncle's gift!

"Well, who's up for a swim?" said Sweetie.

"I'll get the floats," said the white stallion with the tacky mustache.

"Oh, you don't need those any more, remember dear?" said the pink unicorn.  She flipped right into the pool, and a *seapony* surfaced.

Diamond Tiara fainted.

She would have fallen over, too, but Discord managed barely enough magic to puppet her body, making her wave politely and trot clumsily on down the street.  "Bye bye!" called Discord, pitching his voice high.  "We must do this again sometime, ta ta!"