FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

-UNDOCUMENTED-

I remember closing my eyes, feeling myself becoming more relaxed. But almost as quickly as it had begun, it faded away. I open my eyes and... Here again? Why am I back in Fluttershy's cottage?

I still feel very weak when I make myself climb out of bed. But...something is weird. I do not hear a single thing. I usually hear the sound of songbirds whenever I awaken in the morning. But...the area is eerily silent. With the memories and the pain having subsided, I feel a little better than I was before Nightmare Moon cast her spell on me. But now I feel...incredibly uneasy. And just...so painfully empty.

I feel tempted to just lie here on the bed. I feel no drive to do anything anymore. And yet... I feel compelled to move. Like there is something I need to find. Well, I might as well get dressed before I do anything. Wait... Why will the drawers not open? No matter how much I tug on the handles, I cannot get them to budge. In fact... I cannot move anything that is around me. The little knickknacks on the shelves, the furniture itself... Anything that does not seem to be attached to a hinge will not move at all. Even the sheets I was lying on are unnaturally stiff. As if everything in the house is...frozen.

I feel so alone... I had better go outside. Something does not feel right. There is no one here. I do not see or hear Scootaloo in her room. The room where Gladesong always slept is gone... At least the front door can be opened. Strange... Everything looks all right. Plenty of greenery. The sun is shining. It actually looks like a nice day.

At least... That is how it looks. But... Something is missing... I hear nothing. I do not hear...or even feel the wind. The tree leaves are not rustling in the breeze. I see and hear no little animals scurrying about. Even the sound of the brook that flows in front of Fluttershy's house is not making a sound... And I see why. It is entirely dried up. There is no water to be seen. And the sky... It feels eerily still. I do not feel the rays of the sun on me even though the sun is high above. The clouds do not move. Almost as if what I am seeing is a still backdrop against the horizon...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1VHQFfPmTw

The world feels...dead. Stopped in time. And... My god, I feel afraid. I want to see someone. To find someone. I feel panic beginning to set in. But... Wait, who was that? Someone walking down the path in front of the house towards Ponyville?

There it is again... Was that Fluttershy? She just...faded into view without becoming entirely opaque before fading away again. Was it a message? Should I go in the direction she was going? Will she lead me to...the curse?

That's right... Am I really in my own subconscious now? Is this really what it feels like? It is...frightening. So empty... Well... I have nowhere else to go and nothing else to do... I may as well see where this path takes me.

I feel so awkward walking around in just my shorts. The earth beneath my feet feels warm, the rays of the sun having done a good job of making it feel comfortable for me. But still... Even as I walk, I feel no wind against me. As if there is no air at all... How am I able to breath? I can still inhale, so there is clearly air around me, but... This world just makes no sense.

There is Ponyville. Still just as empty and lifeless as the area around Fluttershy's cottage. I see and hear no activity around me. There is no one to see. No one to hear. The place has become a ghost town.

This sense of apprehension... It only grows stronger with every passing minute. Never have I been more desperate to feel someone's company. But whenever I stop, I get another visual cue to lead me along. That was...Applejack I just saw. She faded away while leading me east. But when I began to follow, I stopped. After hearing nothing but sound that came from me, a new sound reached my ears and even startled me somewhat.

"Turn back."

The voice was raspy and quiet. And it seemed to come from everywhere. Was it the curse? If it was, I have to make sure I do not listen to it. Besides, there is nothing back there that I want anything to do with. I need to keep moving on.

There was Rainbow Dash... Leading me towards the town square. I better follow. Such a wide open space and not a soul in it. But... Coming out of the spa... Of course. Rarity. She looks like she is heading north and... She just faded away. Might as well see where going that way takes me.

There is the library. I could probably go inside, but I feel no reason to. And...there is Twilight Sparkle. Heading northwest before she can fade. I feel like I am merely being led around by the nose by this point, but I have no idea where to search. For all I know, these illusions are the work of the curse itself.

And finally, there is Pinkie Pie. But...did she just go down that well? Maybe I should take a closer look. I have seen this well numerous times before. Only... Are those steps leading down into it?

It looks like a spiral stairwell inside it. Creepy... I am not sure I should follow her. Could be a... Wait... That rumbling sound. Where is it coming from? That mountain?

I can still see Canterlot up there in the distance. Everything seems fine right now... Wait... It... It's falling off the side of the mountain?! Just... I cannot believe what I am seeing... The entire city, crashing down the side of the mountain like a broken play set... Just... Thank god there was no one there. But now... The mountain too? It is...crumbling...

The ground... Constantly shaking. My god, the houses around me... The ground is splitting open! Great chasms are opening in the earth and falling out of sight with everything on them! Ponyville is just falling down into the depths! And the sky... Cracking... The blue is falling away to reveal a...swirling gray mass just looming in its place.

I cannot say a thing. The sight is just so haunting. The horizon is falling away to reveal the gray miasma... The ground, the houses, the trees... All falling out of sight... The air is quiet once more. And... All that remains is the well beside me and the ground that is immediately around it. Just a tiny foothold in a vast endless gray void. Ponyville... No... Equestria itself is...gone.

The sense of horror I am feeling... I am amazed I can still feel anything at all. But now... The only place left to go is down. The stairwell seems safe enough. Just a spiral going down. And where was that shade of Pinkie Pie leading me? I may as well investigate. If nothing else, this whole setup has piqued my curiosity.

There is almost no light sources down here, but I can still see the steps and the walls. I have no awareness of time anymore, so I cannot even say how long I have been descending. But now... Did the steps become straight? I think it broke out of the spiral design. Still nowhere else to go but down.

There seems to be an opening up ahead. Almost like the end of a tunnel. But I do not see the end of the stairwell. May as well just keep following it. There is another tunnel ahead. And then that one ends only to be followed by another... Wait... What exactly is around...

What in the world am I seeing? Gray stone stairwells all around me building into some towering mass of steps? Up, down, sideways, upside-down... It... Who made this? Am I standing upside-down now? Which way is up? Which way is down? Wait... I see her again. Rarity walking upside-down into a gap in the ceiling before fading just as she is about to enter it. Or was it a gap in the floor?

I feel so disoriented... I have to focus only on the path before me to not feel queasy. Only look at the steps... The endless steps...

Finally... I think I can see the bottom. It seems to lead down into some water. But... Everywhere I look from the archway. It is...nothing but a vast expanse of endless ocean. The sky... Still a swirling veil of grays that extends to the horizon. Here and there, rocky crags stick up through the water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y-xkkiHuOU

I feel unsure about this. Maybe if I... Hm? This water... It is only a couple of inches deep. Not an ocean, but a shallow pool. I am not going back up that nightmare of a stairwell again, so may as well step forward. The water feels pleasantly cool, but not too cold. But...where do I go from here?

What is that noise? More rumbling... Wait... That tower of stairs? It looks like it is quivering... And now it is sinking. Down into the depths. Sinking...and now it is gone. Swallowed by the waves. I dread to imagine how deep that sinkhole is... Or is it... Strange... The hole that swallowed it is gone. Nothing but solid ground just under the surface. Where did it go?

The air is still hauntingly silent... The only sound that breaks the silence is the splashes made by my feet while I shamble around while...searching. What am I even doing? What am I looking for? I am not searching. I am not even exploring. I am merely wandering wherever my feet take me before this all finally ends...

I am hearing something else now. Tiny splashes. And I feel something too. I am being pelted with tiny drops of liquid. Rain. The gray sky is pouring rain. I cannot even see a source of light anywhere, yet the world around me is relatively well lit. I do not mind the rain though... It suits this hollow emptiness in my heart. Not too cold either...

Nothing but water and crags as far as the eye can see. And not a sound but the rain and my own feet splashing about. Lightning flashes through the sky every once in a great while, the sound of thunder rumbling in my ears with each bolt. Maybe I will be stuck here forever... No one is here with me... They are gone... That life is gone... I have nothing to go back to... Nothing I want to go back to...

Wait... A voice among the rain and splashes... From behind me? "You shouldn't have come here, you know..."

I turn and... Rising out of the water from nowhere... Twilight Sparkle? But... Her coat and mane... They appear to be...grayish. Just like...them. Her eyes look so tired. Empty. "I hope you didn't come here looking for friends... No friendship lasts forever. Better to just forget about it."

Another voice from behind me... I turn and... Her... Applejack is rising out of the water. But...her hat falls off and sinks out of sight. Her colorations... Just as gray as I remember. "Friends ain't worth dirt, ya know. Just imagine the stuff they say behind yer back. And ya came all this way ta find 'em? Y'all weren't very smart ta start with, come ta think of it."

And now...rising out of the water beside her... Rainbow Dash... I cannot believe even she has become like them, her colors being so dull. "Lemme guess. You were hoping to find us? Well, keep walking, big guy. We never needed you."

Behind me... The sound of water among the rain... It is... Rarity... "You cannot compare to the riches of the world, James. How could we choose someone with so little value over such grandeur?"

Their words... They were supposed to hurt, but... I feel almost nothing. And there... It is Pinkie Pie. Still so dull and angry. "We never liked you! You and your gentle caring and soft heart! We hate you!"

And lastly... The sound of someone rising from the water behind me... The one I dreaded seeing most. Fluttershy. That cruel grin... "You've always been so weak. A real man knows how to take pain, but you? Pathetic."

I am not sure what to feel... They are circling me... Gazes of hollowness, disdain, smug arrogance, wrath, greed, and malice. But the only one who is still speaking is Fluttershy. "You couldn't just take a hint, could you? You couldn't just lay down and die, huh? Are you really so weak that you can't stand being without us?"

Perhaps I am weak... But if being with them made me weak, I would rather be weak and happy than strong and miserable. Only now I feel next to nothing while seeing these six miserable mares walking around me in a circle. And Fluttershy is still the only one who speaks. As if she is leading them in some way... "We never wanted someone as weak and pitiful as you. Some man. Well..."

Something is wrong. They are coming to a stop right in front of me. Standing lined up in a row while facing me. Closing their eyes... "If you really want to be with us in your final minutes..."

They... They are all grinning... Wide toothy grins... And...they just opened their eyes and... "We might as well give you the chance to go out with a bang!"

Those faces... The exact same expressions. And... The eyes... They all have...the same...eyes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BR-wDKgv74

They are starting to laugh and giggle... And their bodies... Merging? My god... Twilight Sparkle just leaned into Fluttershy and... How can I even describe this feeling of horror? The six are becoming one...

Growing in size... Fluttershy's head is almost as big as I am... The body structure... It almost looks familiar. Long body with large wings, the right arm being like that of a lion's, but with Twilight's dull purple, and the left being more reptilian but with that dull gray of Rarity's... Just...what are they?! Twilight and Rarity's heads fused into the shoulders, Applejack and Rainbow Dash's head merged with the knees, and Pinkie Pie's head on the tip of its long slender tail. Those shared grins... And the eyes... Those unholy yellow and red eyes...

I cannot speak... Just...what have they become? Is this the face of the curse? This freakish chimera of my lost friends? The tip of the tail is looking at me... "What's wrong, James?! Don't recognize your friends?!"

Fluttershy's head... Rotating until it is upside-down... But there is something else in those eyes... Some form of malice and dominance. Even with that grin matching the others. "You wanted to see your friends again, right? Well, what do you think? Still the same friends you remember, sweetheart?"

https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/content?page=862450

"Girls, I reckon our ol' pardner is a lil' lost right now. Whatcha say we show 'im the way out?" Applejack's head just said while still showing that unsettling grin like the other faces...

"Good idea." Fluttershy just said before spreading her wings and flapping them to propel them backwards possibly a hundred feet. I... I still cannot bring myself to move. Just the shock and the despair all rolled together...

They are standing upright now and... I know I have seen that body structure somewhere before, even if not on something that big. Even from this distance, I can still hear Fluttershy clearly. "I'll admit it. It was a fun ride, James. But right now..."

She is holding up her left hand... That bright yellow glow...and now sparking as some crackling orb is formed in her palm. That maniacal look in those eyes... "Looks like it's game over for you after all!"

Game over... That orb is rocketing towards me. Will it end me? End this nightmare? I...feel fear...but also peace... What should I do?

---

The moment James ceased responding to any stimuli was the moment I knew he was somewhere we could not reach him. This curse that has taken hold of him... Thank goodness Nightmare Moon found out what it was before it was too late. I truly do fear that today would have been his last day with us if she had not discovered it...

There was nothing we could really do while waiting for James to awaken, but we were not really in the mood for conversation either. Rainbow Dash was restlessly pacing back and forth across the room. But Nightmare Moon... She never left James' side. Never looked away from him. As for me... Well, I am writing this journal. Or rather, adding bits and pieces to it when I feel the urge to. I have to do something to pass the time.

James is still wearing the Elements of Harmony on different parts on his body. And I do not know why, but... The Element of Generosity really seems to suit him somehow. Was that why Nightmare Moon placed it on his neck? My thoughts kept going out to the rest of my friends in the cafeteria. I wish they could be with us, even if doing so would be placing James at risk...

After roughly half an hour, the nearly complete silence was broken by the frustrated groan of Rainbow Dash. "Uuuggghhh!!! Is there anything else we can do to help him?! I'd rather be doing something than just standing here doing nothing! Come on!"

"I wish that were the case, Rainbow Dash. But as I explained, the curse lies in a place we cannot hope to reach. It is entirely up to him now. All you can do is have faith." Nightmare Moon replied while never once looking away from James. Such dedication and focus... I know she and James have always been close, but... I am simply amazed by how dearly she cares for him. She would probably go to the ends of the world for him.

"Yeah, I know... It's just that... Huh?" Rainbow Dash began to speak before it seemed that something distracted her. "Hey, uh... Are the Elements supposed to glow like that when they're not being used?"

I looked up from the paper I was writing in. She was right. The six gemstones that make up the Elements of Harmony were beginning to shine. It did not seem they were actually being used though. It merely seemed like they were...resonating in response to something.

"Most peculiar... I wonder what's going on in there." Nightmare Moon muttered quietly. However, she then gasped as a white light began to glow from the Element of Humanity as well. "His Element too?"

I could feel something... Something...inside me almost. "Rainbow... I feel something... Do you feel it too?"

That look she was giving me showed the answer I was hoping for. "Yeah... I feel it too... I can almost...feel the other girls. What do you think it means?"

I tried closing my eyes. Maybe trying to listen to my heart. But when I did... "Oh my god... Rainbow, are you seeing this?!"

I heard her reply soon afterward. "Ye... Yeah! I can see you! And the other girls and... What is THAT?! And is that James?!"

---

What is this presence I feel? Familiar... Warm... What are those six lights spiraling around me on the surface of the water? Red, pink, purple, light blue, orange, and... I feel like I know them...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCDDNKRd9Ow

Wait... Shining brighter... And... A rainbow?! A spiraling cylindrical wall of the colors of the rainbow?! This is... I know I was forced to wear the Elements of Harmony before Nightmare Moon cast that spell on me, but... There is no way I can be doing this! I can't be using the Elements of Harmony!

"What the... NO WAY!!!" That freak of nature just yelled from somewhere on the other side. And now... That crackling ball of lethal magic has slammed into the side of the spiraling rainbow wall. Trying to force its way through, but the wall is holding. I have nowhere to run from inside it... Is it going to explode?

It did... A burst of noise reaching my ears joining the swirling noise of the rainbow barrier. And the shockwave... I feel myself being launched backwards, eyes squinted shut...but... I do not feel myself hitting the ground. Just...floating on my back as if drifting upon a pool of water.

All I hear now is the swirling of the Element's energies around me. I open my eyes... I am indeed floating on nothing. The spiraling cylinder still surrounds me, reaching high above. But instead of seeing the shifting gray sky, I see...a bright light, as if gazing into the heavenly sun.

What is this warmth? And...is the light descending? I cannot look away. But instead of feeling frightened, I feel...at peace. Why... Why do I want to cry? Do I know this presence? I see...six forms in the light. And reaching down to me... Six hooves? One that is orange, another pink, one light purple, another light blue, one purest white, and another a pale gold...

I... Oh my god, I see them... My vision... Becoming so blurred... The tears just will not stop flowing... I have to reach out to them, trying to touch them... "You... You were...with me all along...?"

As soon as my hand comes within reach... They take hold. I feel them... I thought they were gone forever, but... The Elements of Harmony... I can see their shining colors even in the light that conceals their bodies. The Elements would never allow themselves to be used by anyone other than their assigned bearers. I know it is them... And... This white light that seems to be emanating from my forehead... The Element of Humanity? Did it...guide them to me?

The light engulfs my vision. I... I feel them all around me. Holding me... Cradling me... And my arms... I hold them as well. I can still feel the tears... I cannot make them stop... Just... Is this the joy I had all but forgotten? The joy that they bring me?

The light is fading. I feel myself standing. And...they are all around me. Holding me. Eyes closed, tears flowing down their cheeks, colorations still vibrant and...so beautiful... But...what is this shell I feel between us? Hard...metallic. My armor? Even so... I can still feel their warmth... The rain has ceased falling... Just... There are no words. I cannot say anything... And neither can they. It is just such solemn silence...

"No... No, not now! Not now!" That thing is shrieking at us in such frustration. Or rather, Twilight's head on its right shoulder is shrieking. And now... Another orb of cracking yellow energy? Only bigger than the last? Even through my tears, I can see it. "I'm too close to lose now!"

That orb is rocketing towards us again, but... I do not feel scared. Not in the slightest. But should we move to avoid it? Wait... What is Rarity doing? She just let go of me and is standing between us and that spell.

She is not saying a word while she channels her magic... Is something coming up out of the water? It is...a craggy pillar of blue diamond? Fitting, somehow... And... With one mighty swing of that shimmering blue rock, she just sent that orb hurtling over the horizon and...wow. That was quite a burst of energy.

The pillar of uncut diamond just fell back into the water and sunk out of sight. And...now I hear her voice. "Not on your life, you abomination."

One by one, they are opening their eyes. But their is no sorrow or relief. I see only fierce determination. Fluttershy just hovered forward and is standing beside Rarity. "Stay away from him you...you big...dumb...idiot!"

Now Rainbow Dash has flapped forward and is hovering between me and that...thing with her arms crossed. "You want him?! You're gonna have to get by us first!"

I feel my sorrow and euphoria leaving me. I feel so...complete with them by my side. Like a missing part of me has returned. As the tears begin to cease flowing, I feel more...confident. Like I should not fear this bizarre beast that stands before us.

Now Twilight releases me from her grasp and steps forward. "I don't know what you are. I don't know where you came from. And I don't know what you want from him. But it's time for you to leave! You've done enough harm!"

That look of frustration in that thing's twelve unnatural eyes... It is becoming demented joy once more. Fluttershy's face seems to be the one doing the talking now while it...rotates vertically. "But what if we don't want to leave?"

Now it is Rarity's head talking. "We've become quite fond of this humble little abode. Why don't YOU leave instead, James?"

Leave? How could I leave? I am inside...well...my own mind as of this moment. But it looks like Applejack has something to say now while she steps away from me and seems to be flexing her wrists. "He ain't leavin' and there ain't nothin' y'all can do ta make 'im leave! And yer not gettin' him while we're here. Ya got that?!"

Pinkie Pie just patted me on the helmet. It looks like she has found the drive to show me that wonderful smile I have not seen in... It feels like it has been too long. "You just leave this big meanie pants to us. Sit back and enjoy the show, James!"

"Wait... You mean..." I finally bring myself to speak. It felt as if I could not speak until that moment. As if I just could not bring myself to interrupt the sounds of those wonderful voices I thought I would never hear again.

Rainbow Dash is looking back at me with that confident smile I had almost forgotten about. "You've already been through enough of this thing's junk, big guy. We've got this one. All right?"

"Hang on... You don't mean you're gonna fight that thing, are you?" I say in return. I just cannot imagine all of my friends actually attacking that thing, even on my behalf. Well... Maybe Rainbow Dash and Applejack know a thing or two about brawling, but the rest? Certainly not... Or do they?

Looks like Fluttershy is not entirely in favor of that idea either. "Um... Actually, why don't we just use the Elements of Harmony to get rid of it? That's the curse, right?"

Applejack is taking a good look at that...thing that is still just looking at us with that... How do I even describe the way those faces are looking at us? "Yeah, I reckon it is... I mean... That thing's made up of us when we were..."

"I know... They are the ones who harmed him... Not us." Rarity mutters from next to me before turning to us. "I say we use the Elements as well. This wretched nightmare has gone on long enough. And we don't want to draw this out any longer than it's already lasted, do we?"

How long ago did this all start anyway? Two weeks at the very least, I am sure. And they already have the Elements out on their necks and Twilight's head... I had all but not noticed them in the glow when they first appeared above me. Twilight seems to be smiling at the idea. "Good idea. Let's just get this over with right now."

They are closing their eyes. The Elements of Harmony are beginning to shine. And... "BOOM, HEADSHOT!!!"

What the hell?! Twilight just got sprayed in the head with a torrent of brown... Wait... That sweet scent... Rainbow Dash just turned to look at her. Seems it hit her with such force that it sent Twilight sprawling behind me a good distance. "What the...?! Was that chocolate milk?!"

It came from that thing! It's down on all fours and... Pinkie Pie's head is firing bursts of chocolate milk from her mouth?! And it sounds like Rainbow Dash's head is providing the commentary. "Headshot! Double kill! Triple kill! MONSTER KILL!!!"

As obnoxious as that freak is being, it is actually kind of funny. And it was right. It...they...she... Whatever, that thing just scored perfect headshots on each of my friends and sent them all flying past me. It looks like it did no real harm though. All it did was disrupt them from using the Elements, it would seem. Still, I might as well say something. "Hey, not cool! That wasn't your turn!"

Well, they seem drenched in the stuff now. And Rarity seems especially disgusted with it soaking her mane. "Ewwww! Chocolate milk?! This simply will not do!"

Now she is using the levitation spell to lift up a block of water and just now dropped it on herself. A few good shakes of her body and head and she is back to that gorgeous form of hers. "Ah, much better... Hm? Darling, behind you!"

Behind me?! I hear it, now that I think about it. A heavy tread splashing through the water and... That thing is sprinting right at me like some feral beast?! It just leapt at me with its right hand raised... Are those claws on the tips?! And where's my shield?! "Lights out, baby!"

"Oh, NO YOU DON'T!!!" Rainbow Dash?! She just zoomed in out of nowhere and rammed that thing right in the gut! Off they went as she carried it through the air, swooping in the air for just a couple of seconds in the distance at... Man, that is fast. Almost a blur. Was she ever that fast without performing a sonic rainboom? After just a few seconds, she just slammed that thing right into the ground with a crash! And here she comes again. "Woo! I don't think my cruising speed's ever been that fast before! Almost thought I was gonna get motion sickness!"

"Who knows how thing's work in someone's subconscious? For all we know, this could work similarly to a dream. And... Pinkie Pie, what're you doing?" Twilight just said while she and the other girls are coming back over to me. It seemed that Pinkie Pie's tongue had extended to great lengths to allow herself to lick the... Oh no...

"I'm just licking off all this free chocolate that thing gave me! Yummy!" Pinkie Pie is just licking herself clean. Maybe I would be bothered by her stretchy tongue if I had not seen it happen before.

It looks like Fluttershy is finding the sight a little unsettling, although apparently not because of the tongue. "Pinkie... Um... You know that came from inside that thing over there... Right?"

"Uh huh! Why? What's wrong?" Pinkie really does not seem to get it...

Ugh, might as well say it myself. "She's saying that it's vomit! And you're eating it!"

"Tastes pretty good to me!" Good god, Pinkie... Yeah, you girls got it right. Go ahead and groan...

"Hey! We've got speed limits here!" Where did that come from? Below? Whoa, that thing just burst out of the water behind us!

Looks like Applejack wants a piece of them now though. "Oh, I'm gonna lay you out! C'mere!"

She just rushed towards that thing after pulling the brim of her hat down. Looks like that thing does not seem too worried though. And that fake Applejack on its left knee seems to agree. "Whatcha gonna do, pardner? Last I checked, y'all got the flimsiest legs in all of..."

That shut them up. Applejack just turned around to come to a sliding stop on the water before kicking that creature squarely in the belly with both hind legs. Even so... I know Applejack has always been strong, but not THIS strong! That thing is hurtling over the horizon! Even Applejack seems shocked. "Woo, nelly! When'd I ever get his pumped up?! Must've been the fritters from last night..."

"Ooh! I know what to add!" And now... Pinkie Pie's arms are rapidly stretching to catch up to the... What am I even supposed to call that thing? Fine, I guess if I am going to call it anything, I will call it the curse. That is what it is, right? Anyway, looks like her arms caught up to the curse, grabbed it, and then flung it back towards us. There is nothing I can really say to all of this. I am just enjoying the show!

"I got it!" And off goes Rainbow Dash. Ramming right into the dazed curse and... Where the hell did that explosion of lightning come from?!

"Oh, spectacular! What in the world did you do?!" Rarity just asked while Rainbow Dash is heading back over to us while the curse just falls limply. Judging by that look on her face, even she is shocked by what happened. As for the curse... I think that one left it a bit stunned. It's just floating around in the water over there.

"Yeah, Rainbow. What exactly did you do out there?" Twilight seems especially curious about the whole thing too. Was it some new trick she had been working on?

"I can't believe I did that..." Rainbow seems...awestruck with herself, which is really something when considering her ego. "That was the Buccaneer Blaze! I can't believe I just pulled off the Buccaneer Blaze! I thought it was something I could only do in my dreams!"

"That was the Buccaneer Blaze? Wow...uh... It was really flashy... I guess this really must be some sort of dream fight." Dream fight, huh? I suppose Fluttershy has a point.

"Yeah! I mean my body's all stretchy, Rarity can conjure up stuff made of diamonds, Applejack's gone all super strong, Rainbow Dash is even faster than ever and can do...that, and... Actually, what can you do, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie has a point... They seem able to do things that they could not before.

"Me? Well... Um... Wait... Is someone down there?" Fluttershy seems to be detecting something just under the surface of the water. Walking along while eyeing the water... Seems like she just glanced over at the curse just floating around out there and... Well, that is a rather sly smirk on her lips. She must be eager for some payback. Now she is just looking down at the water again. "Excuse me. We could really use some help in getting rid of this curse. Would you please help us?"

That noise... Some sort of gurgling whale-like moan? It certainly got me feeling creeped out. "Hey... Uh... Fluttershy? What are you calling up?"

"Uh... He says you should all probably get back before he comes up. Could you all please step away? Especially before that thing over there starts to know what's going on?" Fluttershy seems pretty sure of herself on this matter. Might as well give her a chance to test this.

I think a hundred paces is far enough. With how softly Fluttershy tends to talk, she is definitely out of earshot. And now that water is rippling under her and... What the hell is that?! It just burst out of the water and is carrying her into the sky!

"Whoa, what the hay did you call up this time?! What the heck is that?!" Rainbow Dash seems just as freaked out as the rest of us. But what is it? Almost humanoid body, greenish flesh, wings, some draconian features, a head that looks like an octopus...

Oh, you cannot be serious. Should I feel scared or just blown away? "What the... Cthulhu?!"

"Koo thoo what now?" Yeah, I am not surprised that even Twilight has never heard of that thing. I did not know it even exists! Or does it?

Might as well warn them. "Don't ask, OK? The less you think about this thing, the better... Hey, Fluttershy! Why'd you call this thing here anyway?!"

Here she comes. Man, that is a long way down. Is that creature really supposed to be this massive? And... Oh wow, now she is cuddling with its leg. "I couldn't help it. He's just so big and squishy! He's really big, but such a sweetheart when you get to know him. Aren't you?"

That sound it is making... Some sort of calm moan like that of a whale. Applejack just took off her hat to rub her head. "Sheesh, Fluttershy... Ain't there a single critter that don't like you?"

"Hey, what's that thing doing here?!" Sounds like the curse is back on its feet. And it is Rainbow Dash's head doing the talking this time. It is just pointing up at big bad Cthulhu. "You know this story isn't a crossover! Take a hike, you big... ACK!!!"

OK, now that was funny! That giant sucker just put its hand down on the freak! And now we are all laughing... Man, when did this go from being a surreal struggle to survive into nothing but a laughing fest with my friends? I do not even feel the least bit intimidated by the curse now. Or is it just not taking us seriously yet?

Now that thing is making itself stand up while looking like a flat poster. Now it is blowing into its thumb and... OK, what is this? Some silly cartoon? It just reinflated back to normal. Now it is Twilight's face that is yelling. "Knock it off! You're not allowed here, you freak! Get outta here!"

"Hey, Fluttershy can call whoever she wants! Even if her friend was by Mr. Lovecraft!" Pinkie Pie just repl... Wait, how does she know that name?

Wait... What did the curse just say? "Do you see the 'crossover' tag under this story anywhere? Do you?"

Crossover? Tag? Story? What is she even talking about? No one else seems to get it either. Wait, it looks like Pinkie Pie has an idea. "Uh... I'll go check! Be right back!" Wait, where did she go?

https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/content?page=850705

Oh, there she just. Just disappeared under the water somehow. "Sorry, everypony. They're right. I only checked it just now and all I saw were tags for romance, tragedy, dark, comedy, slide of life, and human, but no tag for 'crossover'." And now she is looking at Rainbow Dash. "By the way, what were you doing there, Rainbow Dash? And why were you so tiny and made of pixels?! And who were you talking to whose name you couldn't say? Unless there's somepony you know named Censored?"

That look Rainbow Dash is giving her... I wish I could describe it. Only now she is looking at me. "James... This is all going on in your head. What's she talking about?!"

"Hey, don't look at me!" What more could I say? How was I supposed to know what Pinkie Pie saw?

Either way, Fluttershy looked back up at her towering new friend and waved goodbye. "I'm sorry... It looks like you can't be here... Maybe we can have tea some other time?" Well, the big guy actually sounds disappointed. He is waving his massive fingers at her in a forlorn manner before sinking out of sight. Looks like he is gone now... I am not sure if that whole thing was creepy or cute.

Huh? What is Pinkie Pie so excited about? "Wait! What about..."

"No! You can't bring anyone from Marvel either!" The curse just yelled back with Fluttershy's head.

Now Pinkie Pie is just staring. And... Heh. Every time she raises her hoof to speak, the curse intercepts her. "Or from Capcom! Or from Valve! Or from SEGA!"

"Aww... Well, just let me let someone know, OK?" And now... She just opened up a hole in the floor? "Hey, Deadpool? Sorry, but this isn't a crossover story, so you can't join the fun!"

She is talking to who?! And that voice that is echoing out of the hole... "Oh, come on! I just finished baking the chimichangas! You sure I can't come over?!"

"Sorry, no... Besides, Marvel might not be happy with you showing up without Hasbro having the rights. You know how it is." Do I even want to know? Do the rest of us even want to know?

"Ah, fine... Well, I'll throw in some churros next time too! Oh, and... Hey, Pinkie! Don't close it yet! Hey! You! J Man!"

"You talking to me?!" Seriously?! He knows me?!

"Yeah, I'm talking to you! Awesome impersonation you did! THAT'S for not tasting like chicken? THAT'S for turning the corn into popcorn? WITHOUT THE BUTTER?! Dude, you rock! I was laughing my socks off! Well, I at least would if I was wearing any socks."

Oh god, now they are all starting to laugh... Was that thing I did really that funny? "Girls, stop laughing! This is embarrassing!"

"No, it's hilarious! I'll admit, as scary as the rest of what happened was, I was howling when you were slapping Discord silly like that!" Ugh, Rainbow Dash...

"Just shut the hole, Pinkie! We've got work to do!" Oh man, this is just too surreal for me...

"OK! Anyway, we've got something big to take care of. See ya, Deadpool!" Finally, the hole is closed... How does Pinkie Pie even do that? I thought the guy was entirely fictional!

"Knock knock! Forgetting something, darlings?!" Oops... Almost forgot about that thing. I think the curse is starting to get annoyed. And it seems to be brewing up another spell in its hand.

Looks like Twilight is not about to have any of that though. "Forget it!" That flash of light... She just teleported closer to it and... Man, what was that?! It looked like she cast a spell, but there was a huge flash of purple light instead of just a beam. Like an explosion of magical force! It certainly hit its target hard. The curse was sent sprawling backwards and even let out a shout of six voices.

"Whoa nelly, Twi! Since when could yer magic do that?!" We rushed over to her with Applejack leading the charge. Even Twilight seems shocked.

"When? Uh... Never! My magic's always been pretty strong, but nowhere near that caliber! What's happening to us?!" She has a point... They are able to do things now that they never could in the real world...

Well, it looks like Rainbow Dash is not terribly bothered by it. "Hey, who cares?! As long as it helps us get the job done, I say we just roll with it! We've still gotta get rid of that thing, right?"

The curse is struggling to climb to its feet. It must have not been taking us very seriously at all if my friends were smacking it around this easily so far. No... There is no way it can be this weak... And Twilight knows it. "Yeah... We might have an advantage now, but... Just look at those eyes... They have Discord written all over them. What should we do?"

"You heard Nightmare Moon say what must be done, Twilight." Rarity said while conjuring up a diamond spear consisting of a beautiful light shade of blue. That focus in her eyes... She is ready for a confrontation. "This curse must be slain if we are to ever have peace of mind again."

They are all looking at each other. That look of unease. Fluttershy is sighing deeply. "I guess we have to... It's done nothing but bring us so much pain... I just want things to go back to how they used to be..."

Applejack seems to be flexing and cracking her neck. "We all do, Fluttershy. Just remember. It's either James or that freak. And I know who I don't wanna lose."

"Girls..." I am unsure of what to say. Just... They have come so far for me... What would I do without them?

Pinkie Pie... That forlorn look in her eyes... Now she is hugging me tightly. "James... You go ahead and sit this one out. We'll take it from here."

"You're serious?" I still cannot fathom any of them knowing much about fighting, even if they seem to have learned a few new tricks. Rainbow Dash has always been a black belt in karate for as long as I have known her, but the others...

Twilight actually seems pretty confident though. "We'll be fine, James. The Elements of Harmony have brought us here, so I'm not going anywhere yet." But now she is looking at the curse over yonder with a rather irritated glare. "But I don't think that thing is going to let us use the Elements easily. Guess we'll just have to take it down the hard way."

"Fine by me. Let's rumble!" Rainbow Dash has led the charge and the rest of my friends follow along as the race across the water. "You're not getting him, you freak! Now you've gotta tangle with us!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr6xkAofxSc

"Well then... En garde! Do try to make this interesting for us, darlings!" Rarity's head on the curse's left shoulder just replied. They all seem rather excited, judging by those...unsettling stares and broad grins.

Rainbow Dash went first. She suddenly accelerated to the point of being a blur. Looks like the curse caught on just in time since it looks like Rainbow only landed a glancing blow. But now Applejack is coming in swinging. Seems like the curse is quite aware of just how strong she is since they seem to be hopping and weaving to make sure she never lands a blow. "Come on, twelve eyes! Stand still for a sec!"

"Nah!" Was that Applejack's head that just talked and... Ow. Looks like Applejack did not see that one coming. It scored a kick right to the center of her abdomen. Sent her pretty far too.

Applejack just came to a stop after skidding across the water. Knocked her hat off too. And she looks pretty irritated that she more or less got kicked by her own doppelganger. "Hey! Nopony kicks me with Bucky McGillicuddy!" Wait... Did she seriously name her own legs?

"My turn!" And here comes Pinkie Pie. She is just throwing punch after stretchy punch with those stretchy arms of hers. And now she is going into a spin with her arms swinging in great circles as if she is trying to slap that thing across the face.

As big as that thing is, the curse looks like it is having no problem evading that aimless barrage of spinning slaps by just lying down. I swear that thing is actually having fun with this whole thing. And Twilight's head seems to be taking a particular interest in her. "Dizzy yet, Pinkie?"

"Uuhhh... Yep!" And now she comes to a stop with those arms looking all twisted like a vacuum cleaner's power cord having been left tangled for too long. Wait... What is she up to? "Oh, wait! I have an idea!"

"What're you... HEY!!!" I think I just heard Rainbow Dash's voice yell out and... Good god, that was creepy. Pinkie Pie's mouth just opened to impossible proportions and swallowed that thing in one gulp! I know I have seen her mouth open way too far than it should be able to when gulping down entire cakes, but that was just too much!

"Goodness, Pinkie! You...ATE it?!" Rarity certainly seems disgusted now that she is drawing close. And I certainly am weirded out myself.

Well, if anything, that curse was not particularly appetizing. "Bleh... I was hoping it would taste better than that! But at least the curse is gon... Whoa! What's that?!"

What the hell?! Her ear is opening wide and... Oh good grief, that is freaky! The curse is desperately trying to climb out of the ear! "Lemme out! Gotta get outta there!" Wow, never thought I would hear Fluttershy sounding that desperate.

Applejack seems to be drawing a bit closer now. "What's yer problem?! It ain't that scary in there, is it?!"

There, now the whole thing is out with all six heads showing varying levels of unease or irritation. Rainbow Dash's head seems like the one that is talking now. "You have no idea! Especially that little yellow butterfly pony! Always calling out for a Tra La La this and a Tiddlywink that!"

"Eek! Forget you ever saw that!" Sheesh, Pinkie Pie looks exceptionally bothered by that claim... A pony inside her head? I know there is a lot about Pinkie Pie that makes no sense, but that? Do I even want to know?

"No matter. Now you're mind, you abomination!" And here comes Rarity with that diamond spear! Looks like the curse is not exactly willing to take a hit and just keeps weaving and flexing its body to evade those powerful thrusts and swings. But wait... Another spear?

With every five seconds or so, Rarity conjures up another spear of light blue diamond from the water depths! And with each new weapon, her attack pattern seems to change. Two spears, one thrusting while the other twirls and smacks around with its shaft. And now a third, each spear moving in unison for some sort of three pronged attack. And... Oh, that got it! One spear rammed right through the center while the curse weaved to evade the other two!

"Yee haw! Nice one, Rarity!" Applejack sure seems pleased while she tosses her hat in the air.

Wait... That thing has just been impaled through the middle of its torso, but... Where is the blood? And why does it not seem to be in pain? And... Oh great, now the Rarity head is speaking up while the body is feigning agony in an almost Shakespearean manner. "Oh, woe is me! I have been wounded! Maimed in lethal combat! Whatever shall we do?!"

"How about this?!" The Fluttershy head seems to be grinning while the right arm reaches behind it and... Of course. It just grabbed the front of the spear and pulled the entire shaft through its body and out the other side. And... Oh man, is Rarity in trouble?! "You dropped this!"

It just hurled the spear right at her, but... Phew. That was some good aim from Twilight. Shot the thing down right out of the air. But... What is that look Rarity is giving the other two spears? Just gazing at them with a hoof to her chin. "Hmmm... Too primitive!"

She just let go of them by ceasing using the levitation spell. And down they go into the watery depths from whence they came. Hang on... What is with that sly smirk she is giving the curse? And... Whoa, now she has conjured up sabers with diamond blades?! "I always did prefer blades, after all!"

That look the curse is giving her... Either it is feigning fear, or it really is flabbergasted by just how confident and deadly Rarity seems. There are... My god. Eight blades at one time! Four floating to her left and the other four on her right. The way they are mirroring each other as they sway in the air while Rarity seems almost ready to charge... It almost brings to mind a type of fan dance.

"Oh my... Rarity, I didn't know you knew anything about swordsmanship!" Fluttershy seems especially surprised, despite knowing Rarity as well as I think she does. Even I would have never guessed she knows how to fight. But considering she is the kind of woman who hates to get her hooves dirty, I can see why she would rather strike with a blade instead of her hooves.

"Well, a lady must know how to defend herself. And for a unicorn, it certainly helps if she has mastery over manipulating her surroundings! Now... En garde, you fiend!" Man, she is good... Rarity has that thing flapping its wings to propel itself away from her! The eight swords that are floating through the air cleave through the air almost as if some puppeteer is guiding them along. They are moving seamlessly from one attack to the other, four slashing through the air, then the other four, then one set join at the hilts and spin at the curse like a wheel of blades, and then they whirl above it before diving at curse one after the other from different angles. And Rarity... I think she may be getting a little too into this as she seems to be practically dancing as she manipulates her weapons, twirling herself and charging forward depending on what the eight swords do. Just wow... How can someone be so beautiful, so elegant, so deadly, and...dare I say...so sexy all the while?

"Let me try, Rarity!" Fluttershy? Her? Fight? All eyes are on her now. Rarity and the curse just stopped their scuffle right away. Seems like Fluttershy is just looking at the water she is standing on now and...talking to it? "Um... Excuse me. We really need some help in making this big meanie go away..."

"Just remember! No crossovers!" Twilight's head just said while Fluttershy's face... I mean the face of Fluttershy on the curse had a really smug smirk spread across her lips while crossing her arms. That thing really does not seem too concerned at all with my friends, even though they have all managed to hold their own against it. But what is Fluttershy about to bring to the table?

Wait... What was that grumbling noise? And it came from below the surface of the water... A whale? No, too deep... But there is my answer? It just exploded from the water with massive pale tentacles trying to snatch up the curse! But wait... Is it a giant squid? No way, that thing is way too big to be one. "Whoa ho ho, Fluttershy! Unleash the kraken!"

That curse sure did not see that thing coming. It seems to be trying to fly away from the thing, but those jumbo tentacles are like flexible prison bars. Doing all they can to keep it from getting away. Looks like Twilight is especially curious as to why Fluttershy called up such a beast. "Fluttershy, where did you get the idea to call such a sea monster here?!"

"Because they're so soft and squishy when you cuddle with them." Oh, Fluttershy... That is so cute, yet so funny. And...uh oh. Did I just see a spark of yellow magical force come from the curse's hand?

Ouch... That looked like it hurt. A giant...anvil just seemed to fall out of the sky and just fell onto the kraken's squishy head before pushing it back below the surface. I have a hunch it will be just fine, but still... That was a cheap trick. And how did the curse do that?! And I thought Pinkie Pie was spontaneous and made no sense...

"All right, I'm bringin' that sucker back down! C'mere!" Applejack just reached under her hat and seems to have taken her favorite lasso into her teeth. She always was good at getting that rope going using just her... Hey, since when could it extend that far?! Looks like the curse is playing hard to get and just took a dive back to the ground.

Man, just seeing the girls going at it like this... Rainbow Dash bolting past that thing while using her newfound speed to disorient the curse, Twilight taking shots at it with souped up magic power, Pinkie Pie using her stretchy arms to try to hit that thing from long range while her friends keep it preoccupied with them up close, Rarity just dancing with those diamond swords whirling about, Applejack constantly trying to capture the curse in her lasso, and Fluttershy... Well, I am hardly surprised that she is not actually trying to attack it directly. Although it looks like anything she calls from the depths answers her call right away. I have already seen a shark or two burst from the water to take a bite out of the curse. But even so...

What am I doing here? I am the one the curse wants dead. And even though watching this unfold before me is quite entertaining, I should not let my friends fight this battle for me. And I have to say... I feel so much more confident now that they are here. I have my armor, and I have my helmet, but... Where are my weapons? Wait... This is MY subconscious. This is MY world. Perhaps... Maybe if I will it...

I open my hand... Come on... I need a sword... No, I need the Celestial Sword. Come on... That pillar of bright white sunlight that is forming in my grasp. I can feel something there! The light fades and... There it is. The Celestial Sword is back in my grasp. That pure white blade is giving off just a slight glow. Now then, I cannot go into a fight without the shield. Brace my left arm... I need the Lunar Shield. I can see it... Sparkling blue moonlight. And from that light... There we go. That grand shield affixed to my arm. Now I am ready. And it looks no one has noticed me. Excellent.

Maybe I can end this with just one stroke of my sword. Better get ready. I have lifted my sword to near my left shoulder, ready to swing to my right. How do I use the teleport spell again? Right... Distance, mass, and line of sight. I want to get right behind that thing. I am focusing my magic in my left hand... Ready to cast the spell... The curse has just smacked Rainbow Dash away from itself by using its wing... Now!

A flash of light and I am right behind the thing. Now! "Gotcha!"

One swing of my sword and... Whoa... The thing did not even know what hit it. The Celestial Sword cut through it like paper! And... It fell. The two halves of its body are just lying in the water. The faces... Eyes wide open... Lifeless. Strangest thing about it though... There is no blood. Even so... It is clearly dead. I got it...

"Whoa! Dang, what happened?! Where'd you come from?!" I definitely surprised Rainbow Dash. In fact, all six of them are just looking at me in shock.

"You... Is it really dead then?" Twilight does not seem too certain about it. Even I have my doubts. I dropped that thing with a single stroke of my sword... It was almost too easy.

"I'll check!" Seems Pinkie Pie is not above performing an autopsy... Oh, come on, Pinkie. Poking the eyes? That is how you think it is done? "Yep! They're down for the count, all right!"

"Phew! Glad it's over... I was gettin' real sick of them eyes lookin' at me like that... Ugh... And I thought they looked creepy on Discord..." Applejack is tucking her rope back under her hat. And she seems rather exhausted too. And she is right. Those eyes... They just look so...unnatural on the faces of my friends...

The atmosphere has calmed down greatly. Just... The relief of knowing that it is finally over. After all that happened... Rarity is coming forward. "Found your sword and shield after all? It's so good to see you as our knight in shining armor again, darling."

"Thanks..." I just feel...so tired now. After all the excitement, all the angst and pain... It just feels so good to know that it is finally over. And that things can finally...finally go back to how they used to be.

Fluttershy... She is looking right at me. That look of absolute relief in her eyes. I have placed the Celestial Sword back in its scabbard on the back of the Lunar Shield and I am holding my arm out to her. "Hey... I missed you, honey."

Those tears and that smile... She just leapt into my arm. Holding her to my chest while I drop to one knee. "It's really... It's finally over... Everything's going to be OK now... I just... I missed you..."

"Missed you too, baby..." I just cannot believe that things are finally as they should have been. And... One by one, I feel them joining in. I am being held in a tender shell of arms. Everyone is here... Just as it should be. Wait...

Who just said that? That was Applejack's voice, but... "Aw, shucks. Looks like he got us, girls."

"No way..." Rainbow Dash just jumped away from me. They all did. The curse... Still where it fell, but... The faces... They are all showing signs of life! "No! No, no, no, no, no, no! There's no way! He got you good!"

"Yup! He sure did!" The false Applejack face just said while looking surprisingly unfazed by the fact that I had bisected its body at the waist.

Hang on... The torso's two ends just stretched and reconnected at the sections where they had been severed. And now that false Rainbow Dash head on the right knee is just laughing. "Not! Haha!"

"Oh, come on! Why can't you just stay down?! Leave us alone!" Twilight Sparkle seems to be getting rather frustrated with this thing, as am I. It was kind of fun at first, but now this curse is starting to get irritating.

"Leave? You want us to leave?" Now what is the curse doing? Standing up, bending itself over backwards until Fluttershy's head sticks between its legs and then grabbing its jaws to turn the head to crack the neck...only to turn it until it makes a complete rotation without the neck actually snapping. "Nah. We like it here. Why don't you leave instead, James? Don't you just want to fall asleep and never wake up?"

"You wanna know what I really want by now?" This thing... At first, it really disturbed me. But now it's just getting under my skin. I am pointing my sword's glowing blade at it now. And I am feeling somewhat pumped. "I want you outta my head!"

This thing is mine! I charge at that freak and start swinging. What is this thing even made of?! The body keeps stretching and weaving like taffy to avoid my sword! Even a leaping spinning whirl doesn't reach it! Well... Perhaps if I... Of course!

Focus... Flames. I need fire. There we go! Flames coating the blade of my sword! What was that? Was that Applejack? "Woo, that's what we're talkin' about! Fry that sucker!"

"You got it! Now, get over here, freak show!" With every swing, a lick of flame reaches even further. I think I see the fake Fluttershy's coat starting to look a little singed now. But maybe... Oh, this will be awesome. It thinks it can stay out of melee range. But just focus the magic a bit more and... There!

One swing of my sword and a crescent wave of fire is launched from it! Oh, that feels good. It slammed right into the body and... Wow. Completely ignited. Oh, please. Even now, that stupid Applejack head just has to tell a blatant lie. "Whoa! Who called winter in early?"

Looks like even the rest of the heads aren't very happy with her. Especially Twilight. "What're you talking about?! This is hot! Too hot!"

Now the girls are just laughing while that thing rolls around in the water to get the flames out. Seems even Twilight can't help getting a wisecrack out. "Looks like James is just a bit too hot to handle!"

"Oh, come on, Twilight! How about a joke that's less obvious?" Pinkie Pie just said, even though she's still laughing. To her credit, I don't think Twilight could've come up with a better joke at the time.

OK, now the flames are out. And that thing looks...surprisingly unscathed. But it is starting to look a bit annoyed with us. Or is it looking at...them? And I really don't care for that malicious grin Fluttershy's face is giving me. "Nice move, hot stuff. Now it's our turn!"

That thing just grouped down onto all fours and is charging right at me like a wild beast! It's pretty big... Bigger than me. Well, if I can just skewer the head... Wait a second! It jumped over me?! And... OK, that is freaky. Its body just came apart and separated into...all six of them?!

"Oh, my stars! Divide and conquer, is it?!" Rarity seems just as surprised as the rest of us. They are still bigger than normal ponies and their eyes are still those of Discord. What're they going to do?!

It seems that each of these faded clones of my friends are drawn to their counterparts. And it looks like that might've been a bad idea. The Applejack doppelganger is charging Applejack now. "Let's rumble, shrimpy!"

Weird... Applejack doesn't seem too intimidated at all. She just tilted the brim of her hat down with that smug smirk I've come to know her for spread across her face. "Yer move, varmint."

Whoa... Just... That had to hurt. The copy of Applejack tried to take a swing at her, but Applejack ducked it and slammed her right hind hoof into that thing's torso so hard that it... Wow, I'm amazed her flesh held enough to make it so that Applejack's leg did not punch a hole through it! "That's Kicks McGee sayin' howdy!"

Sheesh, that really left her clone reeling. And... Well, looks like Applejack isn't done yet! She just smashed her elbow into that thing's back so hard that it ended up getting its face slammed into the water! And now... Man, that thing just doesn't have the muscle to break free. Applejack has it pinned under her with its arm grasped in her own arms like some sort of wrestling move. "What's the matter, Tiny? I'd thought a big girl like you could've muscled yer way outta somethin' like this!"

OK, this is getting to be too funny. The false Applejack, in spite of her size, is just stuck under Applejack's superior strength and is pounding the water with her free arm in very clear extreme discomfort. "Agh! Uncle! Uncle!"

But what about the other girls? Oh, wow. Rainbow Dash is just dominating her copy. I guess size means nothing when it comes to speed and skill. Lots of jabs and even roundhouse kicks to the face! Never a good idea to take on someone who knows martial arts, I guess. "Where's YOUR black belt, huh?!"

Oh, that was a really bad idea taking on Rarity when she had all those swords ready. Her clone is trying to fight back with crude makeshift spears made of rock it's conjuring up from the depths, but Rarity's diamond blades are dicing them up with no problem. Leave it to Rarity's discerning eye to find high-quality materials. "Darling, you know I never purchase budget materials for my work! And that's all you are! A mere cheap imitation of the glorious original!"

Well said, Rarity. Now then... Uh... What is going on between the Pinkie Pies? Well, the grayish one is towering over her like some sort of bully, although Pinkie Pie doesn't seem all that intimidated by her. "You gonna just laugh at me the same way you giggle at the ghosties?"

Huh? Now Pinkie Pie seems really excited! "Ooh, you know that song?! Well, of course you do! I mean you're me!"

"What is she doing...?" I just can't figure out how Pinkie Pie's mind works. But it looks like things are about to get really funny.

Pinkie Pie just stretched her arm around the shoulders of the other her and is holding her in a pretty chummy half hug. Kind of like how she did when I showed up at my welcoming party last year. And that grayish Pinkie Pie seems a bit uneasy about this show of unwarranted friendliness. What is she doing? Trying to talk the thing into submission? "So, what's you're favorite song?! Is it Hop, Skip, and a Jump? Or maybe even You Gotta Share, You Gotta Care? Oh, wait! I bet it's Smile, Smile, Smile! James loves that one!"

Yeah, no denying that. Where most of those silly songs Pinkie Pie has come up with over time are either hit or miss, I have to say Smile, Smile, Smile is the only one that doesn't sound like an obnoxious joy trip. Catchy too! Wait... Why is she opening another hole in the floor? "Hang on! If you're Pinkie Pie too, then I've got a friend you're just gonna love!"

"Uh... Hold on a minute! This isn't a crossover story!" Again with that thing? What do they even mean by that?!

Looks like Pinkie Pie isn't terribly bothered by that. And I am starting to think this whole show of friendliness is a sham. "I know! But that doesn't mean you and I can't crossover off screen! Just as long as the person who's writing the whole thing doesn't see it, it doesn't count! And besides, I do it all the time when nopony's looking! It'll be fine!"

You know what? I am not even going to wonder about what she is going on about for the rest of this mess. Anyway, it looks like Imposter Pie is trying to make a run for it, but... OK, this is getting hilarious. I can't help but laugh! Pinkie Pie just reached out and grabbed the thing in her stretchy arm and is dragging her down into the hole! "No! I don't wanna go! Noooo!"

And there she goes. Hole's still open though and... That voice again. "Hey, Pinkie! You made it! What hot sauce you want with your chimichangas? Hot or volcanic?"

"Forget that, DP! I've got a new friend for you to meet! Say hi!" That tone of voice... It's a bit too mischievous to be as innocent as Pinkie Pie normally is. And I am just getting way too giddy listening to them.

"Ooohoohoo, that friend, huh?! I've got a couple of little friends right here who'd just love to get to know you all up close and personal like." Wait... Was that the sound of swords being drawn? Or was that the sound of a pair of pistols being cocked? "Say hello to Butter and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!"

Just... What? Why can't I stop laughing? I hear one Pinkie Pie laughing while the other is just yelling in terror or something. Anyway, what's going on with... Oh, this doesn't look good. That false Fluttershy has the real Fluttershy pinned on her back while towering over her. And yet... I feel compelled to just watch. It feels like Fluttershy may have some tricks up her sleeve, especially if she could call up a kraken.

"You always were just a wimp! Just like him!" Looks like the imposter is just gloating for the moment. And... Huh. Fluttershy doesn't seem too intimidated.

"Um... Would you mind getting off me? Even though you probably deserve a beating right now, I... Um... I still don't want to hurt you..." Oh, Fluttershy... Such a sweetheart, even when staring down the enemy.

Well, her imposter doesn't seem bothered. "You? Hurt me?! You and what army?!"

She just had to say that... Looks like something just burst out of the water behind her while letting out an ursine roar. "If you really wanna know... That one."

A towering bear not unlike one I have seen around Fluttershy's place from time to time is just standing before the imposter now that she's facing it. And he looks mad. But she doesn't seem to be all that worried about it. "What? Just one bear?"

"Uh... You said what army, and here they are." Wait... Two more bears...now three...now four... Man, they just keep coming! It's an army of bears!

That look of bewilderment and terror with such an exaggerated frown on her face... Looks like that imposter knows she's in over her head. And there she goes, shrieking her head off while the bears are in hot pursuit! But how did she end up floating in the air for a second while her hind legs seem to spin like a wheel? I can't stop laughing! "Oh my god, Fluttershy! That was mean!"

She's giggling too while I take her hoof and help her up after placing the Celestial Sword back in its scabbard. "Well, she deserved a little meanness for once, right? Especially after all she did to you..."

That sweet little kiss on the lips... I had forgotten how tender her kisses are. "Thanks, honey... I really missed you... Wait, what's going on with Twilight?"

"Uh... It looks like she's not doing too bad..." Seems like Twilight is stuck in some sort of magic duel with her counterpart. They are just trading shots with pink magic beams shooting back and forth while they stay on the move to avoid getting hit.

Oh boy... Now it looks like their magic beams just crossed and they're stuck in some sort of power struggle to push the other down. Neither side is relenting in their magic use and that Twilight imposter seems pretty sure of itself and it seems its magic is pushing Twilight's back. "Looks like Celestia chose wrong! A unicorn is still just a unicorn!"

Twilight though... She doesn't seem troubled at all. "Maybe... But I'm a unicorn in the mind of a friend who wants to see us succeed!" And at those words... Man, how did her magic get that strong?! That little pink beam just turned into a massive wave of pink magical force that could probably engulf my entire body! And it definitely wasn't what that fake was expecting! It just engulfed her and sent the sucker flying a good distance away!

"Wow... Amazing, Twilight!" Fluttershy seems just as shocked as I am. And... Oh, that looks dangerous.

"Hey, Twi? Uh..." I'm pointing at my forehead, hoping she'll know what I mean. Her horn actually seems like it may have...well...overheated. I swear there is some smoke or steam coming from it and it seems to have a bit of a reddish glow to it.

"Huh...? Oh!" A quick blow from her mouth cooled it down just enough to stop glowing hotly. "Thanks for pointing that hot. And... Wow, I can't believe how well we're doing! I guess those cheap copies just can't amount to the genuine articles!"

"Well... I don't think we've ever failed when working together." Fluttershy seems pretty confident of things now. She's even smiling

That fake Fluttershy is still being chased around by that army of bears, Twilight's doppelganger looks like she's down for the count, I just saw Pinkie Pie's clone try to claw her way out of that hole before getting dragged back down again, Applejack still has her imposter pinned under her with an arm restrained, Rainbow Dash just seemed to floor her opponent with a blow to the face, and Rarity seems to be trying to skewer that greedy mirage of herself with that flurry of diamond swords while it looks like she has already sliced off most of the tail now.

"Forget this! Bad idea! Regroup! Regroup!" What was Fluttershy's copy going on about? Huh? Looks like all six of them are trying to converge on one spot. Even the fake Pinkie Pie managed to crawl out of the hole, even though...it seemed that bits and pieces of her body and limbs were missing without blood oozing from her body. They all just jumped at each other and... All right, that is kind of creepy. Just became a molten pulsing blob of multicolored putty before returned to the form of that towering freakish abomination that it was before. "Much better!"

OK, here comes Pinkie Pie out of that hole. And she's looking back into it? "Sorry I have to leave so soon! This thing's a toughie!"

"No problem, Pinkie! And tell that thing to never come back! Tastes like sour bubble gum!" Wait... Did that guy seriously cut pieces out of that imposter just to taste her?! Best not think about it.

Now she closed the hole and is hurrying all over to us. "Hey, girls! You having fun too?"

"Now that the gang's all here?! You bet I am!" Rainbow Dash is certainly pumped. And I can't blame her. This is actually turning out to be a fun experience with my friends!

"Well, we shouldn't let ourselves get carried away. Just remember we're here for a reason. We need to get rid of that curse!" Leave it to Twilight to remind us of the task at hand. Even with the source of all our problems for the last two weeks or so right in front of us, I can't believe how much fun I've been having since my friends showed up.

Rainbow Dash seems pumped, flexing her neck and appearing to be doing some warm-up stretches. "Yeah, we haven't forgotten, Twilight. Besides, this whole Ultimate Game thing's finally gone into sudden death. Can't lose now!"

Seriously? They remember that? I thought I made that whole thing up! Well regardless, that thing ahead of us still has all six of its heads looking at us with those really unnatural grins again. Quite a smug character, that curse. At least Fluttershy's head seems to have a more domineering look in its eyes than the rest of them. And now Rarity is slowly twirling her eight blades through the air with such finesse. "Well then, now that your efforts to conquer us separately have failed, what is your next approach?"

Wait... Are those bears still coming? And now it doesn't look worried at all. "First, I think bear season is over." And with a snap of its fingers...they just sink like stones into the water and out of sight.

"Oh no! I hope they can swim..." Poor Fluttershy... Always thinking for the animals.

Applejack seems to understand the reality of the situation though. "It's all right, Fluttershy. They probably ain't real anyway. Pretty much the only folks real here are us and that!"

"Wanna know what else is real?" The curse just said before it snapped its fingers again. And... Was that thunder?

"Ooh, look at that! We're finally getting more chocolate rain!" What's Pinkie Pie so excited about? And... Wait. Cotton candy clouds forming in the sky?

"Oh, big whoop! Like that's gonna do anything!" Rainbow Dash certainly doesn't seemed concerned with it. Neither am I. It's just chocolate milk.

"Y'all sure 'bout that?" The false Applejack head just said while the curse seems to have conjured up a glass of chocolate milk with a snap of its fingers. Wait a minute... Instead of drinking the milk... Is the glass made of water?

Weird... It just drank the glass while leaving the chocolate milk intact as if it's a solid object. And it just chucked it over its shoulder and... It...exploded.

Explosive chocolate milk. I... I just have no words. None of us have anything to say to that. Except maybe for Fluttershy. "Pinkie...? How did that song about chocolate rain go again?"

"Uh... Some stay dry while others feel the pain..." Even Pinkie Pie seems to be catching on to what that little demonstration meant for us. Which mean that the chocolate milk that is about to be falling from those clouds will...

"Oh, no no no no no no no!!!" I'm not sticking around for this! Better run! We're all running! The rain is starting to fall behind us and.... Yep! It's a blanket of tiny explosions popping up everywhere! Probably would not do that much harm with a single drop, but a constant bombardment will probably tear us apart! How long do me have before the clouds catch up?

"When did this thing suddenly get this cruel?! Rainbow, do you think you can fly up there and get rid of them?" Certainly not a bad idea from Twilight.

Looks like Rainbow Dash isn't too keen of it though. "Are you kidding me?! I'm not touching those things if they're just gonna blow up in my face!"

"Ooh, I got it! Just leave this one to me!" Wait... Pinkie Pie? What is that goofball going to do to stop this shower of napalm?! Well, whatever it is she's doing, she just stopped in her tracks and got left behind.

"Pinkie Pie, don't stop now! Hurry!" I don't think Rarity's words are... Whoa... Just how wide is Pinkie Pie opening her mouth?! It's already covering us like part of an umbrella!

"Girls? Y'all don't think Pinkie's really gonna eat that stuff, do ya?!" Applejack certainly has a point, although I am more curious of what Pinkie Pie is going to do than worried for her safety. I suspect she knows what she's doing.

Now it sounds like the clouds are right overhead, but I don't hear any explosions yet. Wait... Is Pinkie Pie's neck extending? It... It is! Her head is rising into the sky and... You have got to be kidding me. She reached all the way up and devoured the clouds!

Twilight just looks downright disturbed. Not that I blame her. "That was the most ridiculous snack I've ever seen you consume, Pinkie... Hang on! Did you really just swallow cotton candy clouds filled with explosive milk?!"

"Yep! And it was delicious!" She's still chewing that stuff... And... Oh man, I can't be the only one here getting the feeling that I should be running for the hills. Yeah, I better start running. I mean the rest of my friends are! "Wait! Where are you go... Uh oh..."

There it was. A muffled boom. And when I turn around... OK, now that is hilarious. That stuff may have exploded inside her, but her stretchy body held! Now she's just a big pink pancake with a head! "Woo! A bit hot, but delicious!"

Looks like only Rainbow Dash can reach her now with stepping on her. "Whoa... You OK, Pinkie? You look more like a Pinkie Pancake now than a Pinkie Pie!"

"No biggie! I can fix this! Just a second!" Now what is she doing? Trying to lift her hoof, but her flattened body won't let her get it to her face. "Uh... Hey, Rainbow Dash! Could I borrow your hoof for a second?"

"Uh... Sure, I guess... Hey! What're you doing?!" Wow, she walked right into that. The instant her hoof was within reach, Pinkie reached out and closed her mouth over it. And now she's...blowing on it?

Well, that didn't take long. Just a couple of seconds later, her flattened body suddenly retracted back to its original shape. "Phew! Thanks for the hoof!" Now she's looking at the curse over yonder and prancing back and forth. "That was yummy! Gimme more! Gimme more!"

Did that thing just facepalm?! What is it about seeing the bad guys getting annoyed with Pinkie Pie that makes it so funny? Wait... Now it's that smug smirk again. "So... You want more?"

Now it's getting down on all fours while lifting its tail like that of a scorpion. And Pinkie Pie's head is the stinger. "I'll give you more!"

Whoa! Just spraying chocolate at us from her mouth?! This doesn't look good. "Whoa nelly! Everypony scatter!"

I better use my wings to get some extra speed. Should make me harder to hit in the air too. Man, I forgot how good it feels to fly. The rest of my friends are just running and flying every which way. I still can't imagine how dangerous a chocolate cannon is... Wait, if it's coming from its mouth... Does that mean it's vomit? Ick...

Hang on... Looks like it's trying to chase down Rainbow Dash while she's flying low. And... Dang... The beam of chocolate just passed one of those rocky crags that dot the ocean and sliced right through it like a hydro cutter! Now I know we can't let ourselves get sprayed...

Huh? Applejack seems to have taken an interest in the fallen crag. Looks like it's not sinking either. Is she trying to call me down? Better teleport just to be safe.

OK, I'm back on the ground now. And the bulk of the fallen crag is providing us with cover. "What's up, AJ?"

"All right, I just got an idea. I'm gonna hurl this baby at that...thing out there. When I do, you do somethin' about the head that's tryin' ta spray us. Sound about right?" Right, I almost forgot just how much stronger than usual Applejack is here than in the real world. Maybe it would work.

"Well, if you think it'll help, I say go for it." Now I better get back up in the air. Just need to not get too worked up. I can already feel the tension rising in me. If I screw up... No, just do what you need to. First, a diversion. Then strike.

OK, I just teleported back above the curse and am just hovering. And... Whoa, there it goes! Applejack just sent that boulder flying at the curse with nothing but her hind legs! Seems the curse doesn't want to take that blow and just jumped to the side while ceasing its chocolaty discharge. Now it's my turn!

Down I go and... Got it! Just cleaved my sword at the point where the head attaches to the tail... Wait, what did she say? "Rubber chicken!"

Huh?! The head just...took off like a balloon someone blew up only to let it fly! Sounds like one too. And...it just...popped? No, seriously. The head just burst like a balloon and...released a flurry of confetti and three smaller balloons that are just drifting away. One yellow and the other two blue. And it looks like the curse has no idea what hit it. Well, it sounds like Rainbow Dash's head noticed. "Mare down! Mare down!"

Fluttershy's head looks utterly shocked that I managed to actually lop off one of the heads. Better back away from it, but... Man, it feels good knowing that we just made some progress... And here comes Rainbow Dash. "Aw yeah! Nice one, James! Now we've just gotta... Hang on a minute! I know that tail!"

Tail? What about the... Wait... The tail changed?! It was covered in nothing but a smooth dull pink coat a minute ago. But with Pinkie Pie's head gone... It... I recognize it too. The coloration is still grayish, but... It's more...red now and covered in scales with a large tuft of pale fur at the tip.

Here come the rest of the girls. And it seems Fluttershy is noticing it too. "That's... That's Discord's tail!"

Why though? What are the rest of the heads hiding? Discord is dead! I saw him die myself! What is this creature?! Rarity even has her swords pointed at this thing while growling, "Answer us, you abomination! What are you?!"

The look in those eyes... I don't see any of that unsettling glee or those exaggerated smiles. All I see are frustrated scowls. The curse just turned to face us. And it is definitely not please. "We're done playing."

That tone of voice... Sounds like this thing has finally gotten serious. It just spread its great yellow wings. Its hands seem to be coated by an erratic yellow aura. I can hear the sound of Applejack's voice coming from it as it hovers a good distance above us. "Y'all wanna go out fightin'?! Then let's rumble!"

The ground... The water is rippling. This doesn't feel good. Fluttershy is practically holding onto me in fright. "Wait... What's happening now?!"

Whoa... The water around of us is just bursting as...huge pillars or strips of land rise and twist into the sky... Some parts of it of it still look like stone and strips of grass, but much of it is mostly black and white checkerboard patterns. And if not that color, they're either two shades of blue or purple. It looks like there are even just chunks of earth floating in the air with trees or craggy rocks sticking out of them with some even being upside-down. Just a web of... Definitely feels like Discord's style...

"By this point, I wouldn't be surprised if that...that...mockery of us even thinks it's Discord! This battleground looks just as surreal as the last! Maybe even more!" Rarity certainly has a point. The floating chunks of land definitely reminds me of our last encounter. Just without the nightmarish deterioration of the environment.

Rainbow Dash doesn't seem all that worried though. "Who cares?! At least now we know what to aim for!"

"Yep. Go for headshots." Strange... Even with this freak starting to flaunt more of its power, I don't feel intimidated at all. With my friends with me... It feels like we can overcome whatever that thing throws at us.

Twilight seems to have the same idea. "Well, at least now we know that victory is possible. Let's just hold off on using the Elements of Harmony for now. I don't think it'll let us get a shot in with them anyway after the last time."

Fluttershy is hovering up beside me and is resting her hoof on my pauldron. "We'll get through this together. Right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, honey. You girls ready?" They all seem ready. None look like they are ready to run away or even seem afraid at all.

Rarity seems to have brandished her blades again almost like spread wings at her sides. "Absolutely, darling. Lead on!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGq22VwVrbc

All right... Time to get rid of that curse. And I feel more confident than usual. I spread my wings and rush forward with one great flap. I had forgotten the sense of freedom and control that comes with flight as I'm streaking just over the surface of the water. Just feels so good!

I'm starting my ascent, weaving around these massive obstructions while the curse just hovers there looking smug. Still, at least it lost its chocolate cannon. Maybe I should start with a long distance assault.

"Here you go!" Let's see... Maybe ice. I just stuck out my hand and... How do I do this again? Focus... There, that icy mist around my left hand. Good thing the Lunar Shield doesn't get in the way. And there! A flurry of ice spikes!

"Not bad! But..." OK, that can't be fair. The thing's body is just stretching and weaving like a rope of taffy while just letting my ice shots fly past it. And Rainbow Dash's voice is sounding pretty cocky right now. "You're gonna have to be a better quick shot than that!"

"Fine!" Now for some lightning! That one actually hit and it sure sent them reeling a good distance.

"Bravo, Sir James! You deserve a round of applause!" That was definitely Rarity's voice coming from the curse... Wait... Is that really the sound of applause from behind me?

OK, this is...surreal. A pair of huge arms have extended from two of the checkerboard squares on one of these thick rectangular pillars. And the hands on them are clapping. Weird, yet charming... Ow! They just boxed me! My armor still held, but that kind of hurt! All right, now that one didn't feel good. The black right arm just uppercutted me into the air. And then the white one stretched out and spiked me out of the air towards one of those floating chunks of earth!

Need to slow down... Come on, need to levitate myself... There we go. Slowed my fall just in time. And that thing is just laughing at me. At least Rarity's head is actually saying something. "So sorry, darling. But you'll have to do better than that if you want to give us the cold shoulder!"

Huh? Was that Applejack? "Well, how 'bout a busted shoulder instead?!"

Wait... There she is! Looks like Rainbow Dash flew by overhead while carrying Applejack and letting her go! She's diving towards the curse with a hind leg outstretched. Will it connect?

Ouch... The curse didn't react in time. Applejack connected a direct dive kick right into Rarity's face. And... It shattered?! It was as if a large gemstone had just been blown apart! It's right arm seems to be losing its white coloration and... Yeah, that is definitely a griffon's arm. Only the yellow scaled flesh is noticeably faded. Wait... Why is Applejack's head on the body laughing? "Heheh, she always was 'bout as flimsy as a rotten apple."

Still, that was an impressive move Applejack pulled off. She just managed to land successfully not too far from me. "Whoa, nice one, AJ!"

She seems especially satisfied with the results herself. "Thanks! Woo nelly, I've been wantin' ta do that for way too long!"

Uh... Wait... For that long? And it seems Rarity just somehow made it up here with a little help from Fluttershy. "Do that for... I beg your pardon?! Are you implying that you wanted to smash my face in all this time?!"

"Huh?! Oh... Uh... I didn't mean it like that!" Looks like Applejack is getting rather nervous with Rarity drawing closer with her swords raised.

Applejack can't even provide a real response to that. And with that look Rarity is giving her... "You girls didn't always get along, did you?"

Huh? Now Twilight just teleported up next to us. "You have no idea, James. You should've seen them when we had our first slumber party! They just wouldn't stop bickering!"

"Well, she started it." Rarity just muttered while turning her head away.

And it looks like Applejack isn't too happy with that claim. "Me?! Yer the one who always needed ta have every lil' thing yer way! You started it!"

"Did not!" Oh boy, here they go. Just bickering back and forth like little kids. Kind of funny, to be honest.

"Hey, don't get started on that now! We've got bigger problems!" Thank goodness Rainbow Dash just came back. The curse seems especially annoyed too from the loss of another head.

"Hey, that was our prettiest head! Now you're in for it!" Looks like Twilight's head seems rather annoyed and... Oh, now it just hurled another orb of crackling yellow energy at us. Will it blow the entire floating island apart?

"Uh... I think I can do something!" Fluttershy just went over to the tree and tapped on it. "Excuse me. Could all of you please help us stop that big mean jerk up there?"

OK, how did she know they were there?! As soon as she asked, a swarm of twittering birds burst from the tree and swooped towards the curse! Looked like kingfishers... But they couldn't stop the blast of magic.

"No good! Time ta bail!" Looks like Applejack has the right idea. She and Rarity just jumped with Fluttershy trying to hold onto them to lower them to safety. I didn't have time to do much, so I took flight and used the gravity change spell to allow me to stand on the side of one of those checkerboard pattern winding pillars and made a run for it. When that orb of magic hit, the floating chunk of land was indeed blown apart. Strangely enough, they are just floating out there now like bits of debris.

Still can't believe how fast my legs carry me along when I'm in armor... Looks like Rainbow Dash is trying to disorient the curse while occasionally making passing light blows on it while even appearing like she's coated in lightning. That swarm of birds that Fluttershy called up also seem to be doing a good job of frustrating the curse whenever they engulf it. Although I have to say... It doesn't seem to be doing that good of a job fighting back. It's clearly powerful, seeing as how it can alter itself and the world around us, but in actual combat... Is it just not the fighting type? Or are we working just so well together that it's having a hard time fending off such a varied attack force?

Huh? What was that flash next to me... Oh, it's Twilight! Running up the pillar with me! "Wow, you can use the gravity change spell? You've gotten good at this, James! I'd say you're probably almost as good as I am at magic right now!"

"Well, I've been learning from the best! And you're magic's gotten pretty souped up too!" This pillar is just winding through the air while our orientation is constantly changing. It just feels so fun to rush along this thing at such speed while watching such a surreal struggle going on below.

Huh? What's Twilight looking at now? "Hmm... Hey, James? Would it be all right if I borrowed your shield for a little while? I just had an idea and it looks big enough for the job."

"Huh? The Lunar Shield? OK, let me get it off." Not sure what she has in mind, but Twilight is clever. Whatever it is, it's probably good. Just use the levitation spell to undo the clasps... "OK, grab it!"

Now Twilight's pink magic aura is coating the shield while it moves ahead of us while... Wait... The way it's so close to the ground with its backside facing up... "OK, here I go!"

Twilight just hopped forward onto it and... There she goes! She just took off while riding the Lunar Shield like some sort of hoverboard! And it's leaving a really cool pink magic vapor trail behind it while it flies. "Woooohoo! You've gotta try this sometime, James!"

"Using the Lunar Shield to fly without my wings... Why haven't I thought of that yet?!" Only question now is what is Twilight going to do now that she can fly freely with it? Whatever she has in mind, she's moving back towards the curse.

Man, the curse is really starting to look quite annoyed while Rainbow Dash keeps disorienting the curse with those quick darting swoops. And why does it keep snapping its fingers? "Oh, come on! Why won't your wings disappear?!" Maybe the Elements of Harmony are protecting them from the bizarre magic that thing uses?

Well, I can't let them have all the fun. Time to get back in there! I just spread my wings and dispelled the gravity change spell to let me fly properly while I swoop back towards that thing. I don't need my shield if my armor will hold up just fine anyway.

"Hey, Rainbow! My turn!" OK, she just backed off. But just how do I perform aerial swordplay? Maybe using my wings to advance and weave around the thing? Regardless, it looks like I've got the curse's attention. Hang on... Why is the shoulder with Twilight's head on it turning my way?

"Eat this!" Whoa! A beam of yellow magical energy launched from the horn?! Managed to dodge that one... But here come some more!

OK, I can counter this. Fight magic with magic. My left hand is free, so maybe... Yeah, there we go! Lightning! Just thrust out my left hand and let it fly! Man, I forgot how amazing it feels to just let loose with this kind of power. Only now... It looks like Twilight's head is trying to hold back that arcing torrent of electrical magic with her own magic. And... It's so strong! Is it seriously pushing mine back?!

"Looks like I've... Hey! Buzz off!" Oops! Looks like Fluttershy's swarm of feathered friends just blindsided the curse and are just engulfing it while they fly by. I just hope they have the sense to scatter before the lightning hits.

Well, that was close. They got out of there just before the magic lightning bolt could strike. And it looks like it hit hard! But while it's falling back towards the ground... Oh, here comes Rainbow Dash again swooping down and then right up into it! And boom, another Buccaneer Blaze! Man, that move almost looks broken.

Now the thing is just falling out of the air while giving off quite a bit of smoke fro its singed coat. Did we get it? Um... Nope! It just blasted Rainbow Dash with a bolt of its yellow sparking magic. I'd be more worried if I didn't know just how hardy Rainbow Dash is. But... Wait. What's that shadow looming over me?

Ow! That one actually hurt! A giant fist just emerged from one of those checkerboard squares on those twisting pillars and slugged me! Why is it always the environment that gets me?!

Huh? That was close. My descent towards the water came to a sudden stop. This blue magic aura around me... Rarity? "Close call, darling! It certainly wasn't fair to hit you from behind like that!"

"Well, this thing isn't exactly playing fair." Ugh... I'm amazed my armor doesn't have a dent in it from that blow. "Just let me get my bearings and I'll get back in the game."

"Wait a moment... Where's your shield?" Well, I guess she did miss the moment where I let Twilight take it.

I better just point her out. "Oh, I let Twilight borrow it. She's up there, right?" I can still see her soaring along with her magic aura leaving that trail behind it. While Rainbow Dash is keeping that thing busy, it looks like Twilight just fired off a few orbs of pink magic energy... Wow. That's impressive. They all exploded near the curse in massive pink bursts of sparkling pink flashes!

"She's flying while using that thing?! Why didn't I think of that?!" Wait... She just conjured up a mostly flat slab of diamond from the water now? "Well, I can't let her have all the fun!"

"Hey, keep that up and you'll make Applejack and Pinkie Pie feel jealous!" Now she's just standing on the floating slab of diamond while her swords are staying close by. That look she's giving me... "Hmmm... You seem to have a spare hand now... Why don't you take this along?"

What's this she just lifted from the water? A straight sword made of diamond? The size seems identical to the Celestial Sword... Wait a second... Dual-wielding? OK, now that is too cool. It would be a bad idea to try that against a warrior who knows what he's doing, but against something without armor or weapons? "Oh, thank you, m'lady!"

"Hang on, you two!" Here comes Applejack. "Ya can come up with different weapons, huh? How about whippin' me up an axe?"

"An axe?! Whatever for, Applejack?! You've never taken a weapon into a fight before, have you?" Rarity has a point, seeing as how I've never seen her use anything besides her hooves.

Applejack seems pretty sure of herself though. "Sure! I've gotten a pretty mean swing while choppin' firewood. I know how ta swing that baby like a pro."

"Well, if you insist. Now we just need to find way to bring that abomination back down so you can actually reach it." Ah, there it is. And... Well, that's quite an axe. All light blue diamond and with an axe head that's almost the size of Applejack's own head.

"Woo, now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Looks like she has no trouble holding that thing with her mouth. She must have a really strong neck and jaw. "All right. If y'all can get that varmint back down 'ere, I'll get choppin'!"

"I think Twilight might be about to oblige us." Twilight seems to be keeping her distance while staying on the move. That thing just cannot seem to deal with Rainbow's speed, even though it seems to have somehow expanded to try to grab her. A hand that size could probably snatch up a train car.

Oh, there she goes! She just launched several pulsing orbs of magical energy right at the curse from behind! Looks like Rainbow Dash just got out of there and all of Fluttershy's little bird friends just scattered. Hang on, what did Rainbow Dash just say? "Hey, ugly! I hope you've got eyes in the back of your head!"

Oh, come on! Don't give away the incoming attack! Oh, wait... Never mind. Looks like it turned its head around just in time for those orbs to explode all around it in a flurry of magical blasts. The last one just sent the curse hurtling into the ground. Must've dazed it too since it didn't do anything to break its fall. Now it's just staggering to its feet while holding its head. Well... The main head, at least. Fluttershy's head.

"My turn." Time to see if this extra sword helps. I'm just sprinting right towards the curse across the water with both swords out to my sides for balance. Looks like it sees me coming. It just turned its right shoulder to me to show Twilight's head. And here come the magic beams. With her head being so big, those magic shots are pretty big too. Thank goodness my wings are so responsive! I'm just weaving around the shots without slowing down at all!

"You're mine!" Now's the time! A little self levitation and I'm whirling at the thing in a somersault slash with both blades! I think that one actually hit. I felt some resistance. Now to see what happened... Yep! I'm right behind the curse and there's one big vertical gap down its slender torso! Still no blood though. Just what is it?

"Whoa nelly! Thanks for remindin' us that we gotta eat! Ain't got nothin' in us right now!" Really? The Applejack head sees a gaping gash in its body's torso and it thinks of food. Well, it just 'zipped' itself back up somehow. And here comes the real Applejack with that axe in her teeth.

"Y'all wanna bite?! Well, eat this!" Good grief, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that swing. I'm afraid to get in there either. That axe would probably even inflict damage on my armor.

Even with Applejack being as strong as she is, her swings are still slower than mine with such a bulky weapon. And she keeps swinging it from the very tip. Massive power in each swing, but less control and speed. And it looks like that curse isn't even trying to fight back. It's just stretching and weaving around her heavy swings without looking even the least bit worried. Looks like even Applejack is starting to get fed up with this botched approach.

"Dagnabbit! Forget this!" Hey, that was close! She just hurled that thing at the curse like a tomahawk! Looks like even the curse didn't see that one coming. It cleaved its arm off while whirling through the air. And... Wow. The axe head smashed into one of those rocky crags that dot the water and split it in two!

"Fantastic effort, Applejack! But now it's my turn!" And here comes the sword maiden herself! Sabers whirling and slashing... It's just poetry in motion. The way Rarity manipulates the blades' movements is almost as if she's orchestrating a puppet show. They whirl like a buzz saw, take alternating swings like the claws of a beast, whirl over the curse before each one alternates in diving at its target, and so on. When one approach fails, they just flow into the next without rest. I never would've guessed Rarity could be this deadly! Truly a rose with hidden thorns. And she must be deadly if that thing has to be resorting to projecting magic barriers to hold off her blades... Wait a second. Didn't she have eight swords a while ago? Why am I only counting seven?

Oh ho, there it is! Just popped up out of the water just behind its left leg! And... Well, that was spiteful. She just slashed Applejack's head on the left knee in such a way that the blade cut through the eyes. And... What the?! Did that thing just burst like an apple?! That white fruit... And the curse surely didn't see that coming! Even just dropped to one side as if its knee just went out. "Huh?! Hey! No fair! Only I can play dirty!"

"Well... That was more satisfying than I expected!" Rarity certainly looks smug with those eight swords spread out behind her like the tail feathers of a peacock.

Uh oh... I think Applejack might be taking that a bit personally. "Hey, Rarity! Y'all got a bone ta pick with me or somethin'?" Oh man, that glare... I can't help but laugh! But what about these apple bits floating in the water?

"Uh... No, of course not, Applejack! Well... Not anymore, at least... Wait... James, what are you doing with those things?" Wow, Rarity certainly looked nervous there. Not that I blame her. If Applejack got in a good shot it'd probably take days to dig her face back out.

"Huh? This stuff? Well, I'm curious of what kinda apple that thing was made of." Now to try a bite... Uh... Ugh! Whoa, that's awful! Had to spit it out. "Oh man...! Sour apples! And... Hello, what's that?"

Seems with the destruction of another head, more of the curse's underlying form has been revealed. It's still a hoofed leg, but... It doesn't seem equine at all. For whatever reason, it brings to mind a goat. And while it seems brown with the exposed hoof being an even darker brown, it's all still a bit grayish like the rest of it.

"Ooh! It's looking even more like Discord now!" Where'd she come from?! Pinkie Pie just stuck her head out of the water... What had she even been up to lately after that floating island got blown apart?

Here comes Rainbow Dash and Twilight again. And Twilight's still riding around on the Lunar Shield... That just looks like so much fun. "Huh?! Pinkie, what were you doing down there?!"

"I was trying to see if I could convince Cthulhu to help out again! But he says he can't help out because the author insisted on this not being a crossover story... Oh, and Fluttershy found a manticore to help out." Wait... Manticore? Then where was...

There she is! So that's a manticore? Never saw one in person until now. And it totally caught the curse by surprise! It just turned around as the thing stands tall and roars... Wow. All three of the remaining heads just shrieked like little girls. And it looks like Fluttershy is riding on its back.

Sheesh, Fluttershy sure got the curse good this time. The manticore just pounced on it and started tearing and slashing at the curse with its huge paws. Not as big as the curse though... Probably only as tall as me, actually. But it's still got the curse pinned under it. Although it looks like Fluttershy is trying to not watch...

"Whoa... Fluttershy sure knows how to pick her buddies." Rainbow Dash seems pretty hesitant to get anywhere near the curse while Fluttershy's new friend is just tearing into it. The curse is just too panicked to even try to fight back and is just trying to crawl away. And... Oh, that had to hurt! The manticore's stinger just stabbed the Rainbow Dash head in the eye!

Uh... OK, that was sudden. Upon being stabbed, the Manticore and Fluttershy got hurled off by the head exploding in a burst of rainbow-colored lightning! And there's the leg! It's... Well, it's still a dull color, but is clearly a reptilian leg covered in green scales. Fluttershy seems especially surprised that her efforts have removed yet another part of the curse's disguise. "Did we... We did! Another head's gone! We..."

Huh? Now's she's freaking out a bit and is flying right over to Rainbow Dash. "That was your head, wasn't it?! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for him to stab you there!"

"Hey, hey, it's OK! Just because that face looked like mine doesn't mean I felt it. Besides, my face is much cooler anyway!" Rainbow Dash seems to be taking it all in stride while patting Fluttershy on the head.

That manticore looks like it's about to pounce... Oh, wait. The curse snapped its fingers again. And the manticore just sank like a rock. Too bad it can't get rid of us that easily. Heh... Its entire front side is covered in deep tears and scratches. Still no blood though, oddly enough. And it seems with just a snap of its fingers, the injuries are gone. And now it's actually starting to look a bit annoyed. "You just always need to have the last laugh, don't you?"

Applejack is adjusting the angle of her hat again while looking like she's about ready to charge it. "Hey, we told ya. We ain't leavin' til yer gone. James is comin' home and we ain't gonna let you stop us."

I can't help but smirk at the curse. "What she said. Although I have to be honest, I would be feeling more hostile towards you if I wasn't having so much fun."

Huh? Now the Twilight head is smirking at us. "Well, I guess that means the fun stops here!"

Huh? Wait a second... Those massive checkerboard patterned pillars are starting to sway and bend as if the tops are... Uh oh. I... Uh... "I think we better start running."

"Hang on. Are those things about to... Whoa! OK, so they ARE trying to squish us!" Looks like Rainbow Dash narrowly managed to avoid getting flattened by the flat tops of one of those pillars. And the rest are still coming!

I'm not entirely sure how effective blasting those things with magic would be and I'm worried that it may trigger a chain reaction where they all fall on us. Better just scatter! There must be at least a dozen of those pillars trying to squash us! Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and myself aren't having much trouble staying away from them since we can fly, but it looks like Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie aren't so lucky. At least they're staying on the move.

Huh? What did Fluttershy shout out? Wait... Oh no... "Pinkie Pie!!!"

It got her! No... I know this is all in my head, but... They can't actually die here, can they? Wait... What the hell? It just lifted off of her again and... What am I even looking at?!

"Wooo, this is weird! I could really use some sandwiches!" It...flattened her. Her entire body is now paper thin! And her legs seemed to have stretched out too... She must be standing at least twenty feet tall now. She's a kite attached to four stretchy legs!

OK, need to get my head in the game. Pinkie Pie might be all but immune to harm, but that doesn't mean the rest of my friends are. That curse, while outnumbered, is still clearly dangerous. Better put it down before things can get much more out of hand. I just spread my wings and swooped towards it with both swords in hand. "OK, let's rumble!"

Looks like it sees me coming now that the pillars are beginning to stop moving. "You'll have to catch me first!" And off it goes on those huge wings. Pretty fast flier too. I'm just weaving and swooping around the pillars and bits of floating debris and... Huh? When did that get there?

Did the curse summon a house from Ponyville? It's just standing there on one of those floating chunks of earth. Although it looks a little large for one. Probably just to accommodate the curse's large size.

I just set down on the far end of the island and it seems harmless enough. No traps or anything. Huh? Now the curse just stuck its Fluttershy head out of the second story window. "What's wrong?! Come and get me!"

Heh... Why not? The enclosed space would leave it with nowhere to run. Might as well just barge in. I'm running right towards the door. Pulled it open and charge inside and... Wha... What the hell?! "What the...?! Shoot! Help! AAAAGH!!!"

Where'd the floor go?! I'm falling?! And I'm still outside the house?! Huh? Phew, Fluttershy caught me with a swarm of butterflies. "Are you OK?!"

Well, this is cute. Being carried along by a swarm of butterflies. "Yeah, I'm good. Just... How did I run through from one side of the house to the other in a second?"

"Um... Maybe that explains it?" It looks like we're flying by the side of the house. But... Where is it? It was there a second ago... Wait, there it is. And it's completely two-dimensional!

"How am I supposed to get in there?!" I've got to say that curse is starting to get on my nerves now. If nothing else, it's hard to bring down. Looks like the rest of our friends are starting to show up. And... Man, Pinkie just looks hilariously freaky like that.

"Uh... Maybe my depth perception is a bit off, but am I the only one seein' that house bein' as thin as an apple skin?" Applejack looks just about as weirded out as the rest of us.

"I think that's exactly what it is..." Fluttershy just walked up to it and tried to push it over. "But it's really solid for something so thin! It won't budge!"

"Let me try." Twilight just fired a beam of magic from her horn, and... Nothing. The house didn't even wobble. "Rats... I was so sure that with my magic having been powered up that it would've at least done something to it."

"Well, surely there must be something to flush it out. We can't just quit now!" Rarity has a point. Since this curse doesn't seem to be much of a fighter, it seems to be relying on trickery to force us to give up.

Huh? What's with that smirk on Applejack's face? "Hey, Rainbow. Remember when ya helped me demolish that ol' shed a couple years back?"

And now Rainbow Dash is giving us such a smirk too. "Oooooh, that one! Yeeeeah, I can totally pull that off. Take cover! It's gonna be a big one!" And off she goes, soaring high above us.

"Uh... Did something happen before I first came to Equestria that I should be aware of?" I'm totally in the dark about this trick we're about to see. What did Rainbow Dash use to demolish a shed? Dynamite?

"Let's just say I better put up a barrier." And that is exactly what Twilight is doing. She's got a spherical magic barrier set up all around us.

And here comes Rainbow Dash. She's diving right towards the curse's hideout. "Hey, ugly! SPECIAL DELIVERRRRYYYYYYYYY OWWW!!!"

What the... Oh god, I can't help laughing! We're all laughing! Rainbow Dash completely missed the house and buried her head in the dirt right in front of it! That had to hurt, but it's so random and unexpected that I can't help but laugh! "What the?! Bwahahaha!!! What the hell was that, Rainbow?!"

Give her a second... She's pulling and...there she is. And wow, that is the deepest blush I've ever seen on her face. "Stop laughing, guys! That was awful!"

"Can't help it, Rainbow! But what were y'all thinkin' when ya decided you'd rather eat dirt than blow that thing apart?!" Applejack sure can't stop snickering, although she has a point. Why DID Rainbow miss it?

Now Rainbow just looks annoyed. "Hey, that thing's as thin as a parasprite's wing! I couldn't slam into it because I couldn't even see it from above!"

"Hmmm... Point taken. Guess we'll just have to knock it down from here then... What's that thing even doing in there anyway?!" It looks like they've all stopped laughing by now while Twilight made that observation. And now Rainbow Dash is knocking dirt out of her ears.

"I got it." I may as well check it out. I just flew up to the second story window and... Huh. Kind of cozy in there. The curse is lounging around on a large sofa while feeding popcorn to both of its heads. And it's watching television? Judging by what I'm seeing, it seems to show a mariachi band performing in the middle of a... Seriously?

Well, I've seen enough. Might as well head back over. Rarity looks like she's stepping forward. "Well? What did you see, darling?"

I can't help but hold up my hands with my swords still in my grasp while I shrug my shoulders. "It's just watching Star Trek reruns."

Yeah, they understood that about as well as I expected them to. But now lanky flat Pinkie Pie is hopping in place while wobbling so... Jeez, she's just so awkward to look at right now. "Oh well! Now we know we just need knock that thing down with some heavy-duty firepower! Anypony got some?"

Huh? Looks like Rainbow just had an idea. "Wait a second! James, you can do it! You've got the strongest magic outta all of us! Use it!"

Right... I've been so focused on the use of swordplay that I've barely even used any magic at all so far. And the strongest magic I've got is... "Wait... You don't think I should use plasma magic for this, do you?"

"Well... It's the strongest you've got. But after last time..." Twilight's looking at my right arm. She's right... The last time I attempted to use it, I scorched my arm to the point where I even melted my gauntlet to a certain degree.

Still... Maybe if I just generate a small amount. I just stabbed the Celestial Sword into the ground to free up my right hand. "I'll be careful. We probably don't even need much."

OK, just need to focus... The golden yellow aura is coating my gauntlet. And... No, not fire. Those are flames. Almost... There... It's hard to maintain, but... I see it. Pulsing bright yellow energy. It keeps fading every couple of seconds, but... Just a little more... There. It's not fading away. Just the size of a bit, but I have a hunch that might be all we need.

"Oh my... So that's plasma magic up close." Fluttershy's looking closely while gathered around. They all are.

"OK... Twi, you be sure to put up a barrier as soon as I launch it." Time to see if that is a house or a bomb shelter.

"Got it. Let them have it!" And there it goes. Extend my arm and send it flying. As soon as that tiny glowing orb of fiery energy was a good distance away, Twilight projected a magic barrier around all of us. And then... Dang, that was big! That little thing exploded in a fiery bright explosion of raw energy and was big enough to engulf the entire house!

"Dang! Is that really something Princess Celestia can do?! I'm amazed she doesn't use that kinda magic more often!" You and me both, Rainbow. And... Ha! The curse is just lying there on a charred sofa like it has no idea what just hit it. Looks a bit singed itself.

Well, this just turned into an awkward moment of silence. OK, now the Twilight head talks. "You guys are terrible, you know that? I just finished paying the down payment on this place!"

"Sorry to hear that. Too bad I've decided to evict you!" OK, no more playing around. I just snatched up the Celestial Sword in my right hand and have charged the curse with both swords at my side. Only that's not enough. Come on, need to focus evenly on both magic and weapons...

That should do it! Engulfing the blade of my sword in the left hand with lightning and the one in my right with fire! And the curse definitely didn't see that coming. She... It... He... I don't know what to call this thing anymore. Fine, until I get the gender of this thing figured out, I'm calling that thing an 'it'.

Take a swing with the Celestial Sword... And I hit the shell of carbon residue left behind like a temporary duplicate before it could fall to the charred remains of the house. And it's trying to keep its distance from me. Well, if that's how it wants to do it... I'll just have to close the gap!

"Here you go!" I just hurled the two swords at the curse like projectiles with the use of levitation, but are keeping them connected to my hands with 'ropes' of magic. Sweeping and stabbing through the air... I'm surprised by how responsive they are! I'm barely even swinging my hands to manipulate them! And... Oops, there goes the Twilight head's horn! Doesn't look like it was enough to take it out though. I probably need to score a direct hit instead. At least that cut down the curse's firepower.

Huh? Wait a second, where did it go? Teleported? Huh? What's this shadow over me? Up there? Holding a giant golf club... Oh this is going to hurt... "FOOOORRREEE!!!"

Ow! Just... Dang! Good thing my armor held up! I lost my grip on my swords and... I can barely move with how fast I'm hurtling through the air! Need to get my bearings before I crash into something... Huh? What just went rushing by me? Was that... Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy carrying Pinkie Pie?

Wait... What just caught me? Did I just land in a net? And it's still giving under me... "Close call! Don't worry, James. I've got you!"

Wait a second... Pinkie Pie?! Her body was used like a trampoline to catch me... And Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and holding onto her arms to allow her to stretch. Man, she's still moving back... "Hey! You want me to launch you at that thing?! Maybe you could get in an easy hit!"

Brilliant! And this is going to be a fast launch judging from how far her legs are stretching in front of us. Maybe I can even give the curse a little parting gift. "Sounds good, Pinkie! Just give me a minute..."

Need to work fast... Focus... Need plasma again. And I need it a bit bigger. There we go... Let it grow... All right, that's big enough. The size of my fist should be fine. And now I feel us starting to stop moving. "OK, Pinkie! Lemme at it!"

"Oki doki loki! And away you go!" Oh god, the g-force under me when she catapulted me forward! I can't remember the last time I moved this fast! I think I can see the curse up ahead. It looks like it's in a shooting match with Twilight while she zips around on the Lunar Shield as she takes potshots at it. Looks like Pinkie did a good job of lining me up with the curse. Just need to turn myself a bit now so my feet go first.

Thank goodness I have these wings. Turn a bit more... There we go! Now to give this sucker the mother of all dropkicks. Oh, too late! Sees me coming but not enough time to dodge!

Man, that almost hurt! The force of the impact when my armored feet slammed into the curse's middle even radiated throughout my legs! And now we're both soaring through the air with this thing unable to react. And I've still got my little explosive present ready for it. "Thanks for being such a whooping big target, buddy!"

I propel myself off of the curse while also throwing the plasma orb into it. Down it goes into the horizon and... Dang... That was big. A little plasma sure goes a long way. Need to remember that so I don't blow myself up in the future.

Better regroup with my friends. There's the girls, but there's no sign of Twilight. Is she minding her distance just in case the curse isn't down for the count yet? Still, better not let myself get too relaxed just yet. "Man, that awesome! Thanks for the catch back there."

"No problem, big guy! I'd just like to see that thing walk that one off... Hey, Pinkie? You don't have to stay all flat like that, you know." Heh, that look Rainbow Dash is giving Pinkie Pie. She certainly is awkward to look at while a deflated balloon with legs.

"Oh, all right! Just a second!" She's blowing into her hoof and... Well, at least she's back to normal now. "There we go!"

"It's a good thing you didn't try to inflate yourself by gorging yourself on cake instead." Fluttershy just said with a giggle. "At least... Uh oh... Is it still there?"

Yeah, there it is. The curse is emerging from the water in front of us. And it looks really sore after getting caught in that blast. But... All right, I know we're stuck in my subconscious right now, but how do you survive a solar flare?! I'm surprised it didn't at least get rid of one of the curse's heads!

"Phew... You're hot stuff, you know that?" Fluttershy's head just said while ringing out her mane. Doesn't look as singed as I expected it to be either.

Applejack seems to be flexing her neck. "Yeah, well... We can keep this up all night if we have ta. What's yer next move, varmint?"

"Wait a second..." Now it's the Twilight head talking. Seems to be looking us over... "Where's the other me?"

Huh? That bright flash just ten feet to the curse's right... Twilight floating on the back of the Lunar Shield? "Right here!"

Oh, that was a cheap shot! She just blast the curse in the shoulder with a beam of magic! And... Whoa! The Twilight head just burst in a flash of magical sparks! What's with these heads taking on the properties of my respective friends' cutie marks when they get destroyed?! Only now... The right arm. It's not changing form, but the color of its fur has become a pale tan. All that's left is Fluttershy's head. Ad she looks pretty ticked off stomping and flailing in frustration. "No... No no no no no! I'm not gonna lose now! Not after all precautions I took!"

Now it sounds like Rainbow Dash is talking smack to that thing. "Yeah?! Well, you're not exactly putting up the best fight anyway!"

Something about those words seems to have struck a nerve in the curse. It's just standing there hunched over while looking right at us. "I beg your pardon...?"

Man, Rainbow's laying it down thick. But considering she's a black belt in karate, it would make sense that she knows quite a bit about fighting. "I've been watching! You've barely even taken a swing at us! All you've been doing is using tricks and traps to mess around with us, but almost never taking a direct approach! Just face it! You're all about messing with our heads. You're just not the fighting type!"

She really does have a good point. As powerful as the curse seems to be and how hardy it has proven itself to be, it...just doesn't seem like something that really knows how to actually handle itself in a combat situation. As if once its veil of trickery and mind games fail, it has very little to fall back on. And that curse seems pretty stunned by those words. Just gazing at us with its mouth hanging open.

"Not...the fighting type?" It just muttered. Its head is hanging low...but I don't think it's given up.

I don't like this... "Hey, Twi? I think I'm gonna need my shield back."

"Huh? Oh, sure. Here you go." She just hopped off and let my own levitation spell grab it before closing the clasps back over my arm. And now the Celestial Sword is back in my hand. It's really handy that I can just summon it back to me. No idea what happened to that sword made of diamond though.

The curse seems to be twitching in frustration now... "Not the...fighting type, huh?" And now... OK, that's unsettling. It just lifted its head and is now looking right at me with that same maniacal grin it was showing me not that long ago. "I guess I'll just have to step up my game!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p8dc9BVtXk

What the... Ow! Its right arm just extended and punched me right in the face! Now I feel myself flying backwards from the sheer force of it. I'm amazed it didn't take my head off! And... How far did that blow send me flying? Wait... Something grabbed my leg?! "You want a fight? You got it!"

That stretchy arm is swinging me through the air like a flail! Ow! It just smashed me into one of those towering pillars back first! And now... Jeez! Right into the floor! I have it a bit easier when it slams me into something front side first since I can bring up my shield to protect my front from a direct impact, but... I just can't focus long enough to get a shot in! Getting swung around like this and being slammed into then environment is just too disorienting! Thank goodness my armor is holding up. But for how much longer?

"Hey! Fight fair!" Huh? Was that Rainbow Dash? Something's got me under my arms... It's her! She's trying to pull me up and away from the curse while that stretchy arm just won't let go!

"Back off, featherbrain! This is just between me and him!" The curse is trying to pull me back down, but Rainbow is flapping her wings too hard and fast to give in. It's turned into a game of tug-of-war between the two of them.

Ergh, I feel like my leg is going to pop out of its socket... Or maybe my greave is about to get torn right off me. I don't feel the back and forth pulling anymore. It seems to be an even amount of pulling on both sides. Wait... What did Rainbow Dash just whisper to me? "OK, James. Get ready!"

"Huh? Get ready for what?" What's she up to? Now she just looks like she's still struggling to pull me away.

Huh? Now that look of frustration just turned into a sly grin. "OK, you win!"

What the...?! She just let me go! Hang on... Oh, now I get it! "Incoming!"

And...pow! Dang that had to hurt! Just rocketed feet first into the curse's face and just had that thing skidding along the ground for a moment. Phew... I was expecting to get hurt during that, but the curse's body helped break my fall. "I guess that's all then... Huh? Wait a minute..."

What is wrong here? The other five heads on its body were destroyed by a single blow. And the Rarity head even got obliterated by a kick from Applejack. But this final head just won't break! I wouldn't be surprised if that kick hit hard enough to snap a tree in half. "Still in one piece?!"

Huh? Crap! It's got me by the ankles! "Yep! But you won't be for long!"

Ow... It just slammed me face first into the water...and... No! It dragged me under!

This is terrifying... The water is dark... I can't even see the bottom... Panic is setting in and this thing won't let go! Can't focus to use magic... Someone, help!

Huh? What's that... Is that Fluttershy running overhead? And... These huge tentacles... Her giant squid friend? Thank you, Fluttershy! Those huge tentacles just grabbed the curse and pulled it away from me while also pulling its arms free. Now, need to get to the surface... Maybe these wings can propel me along.

Yeah, that's the trick. These wings function like huge paddles under the water! A bit more and...yes! I just burst out of the water and back on solid ground just under the surface. That was close... Good thing the wings on my armor are entirely metal so as to not get weighed down by the moisture. But was the kraken able to finish off the curse down there?

There's Fluttershy... I could use a moment to catch my breath after that. "James! Are you OK?! I can't believe it tried to drown you..."

Feels good to be back in her arms. Even if just for a moment. "Yeah... I think that thing is finally getting frustrated. It's a cornered beast now."

"At least we've almost... Eek! There it is!" It... Fluttershy! It just yanked her away from me! And... Oof, I felt that one. Just slammed its fist into me for an uppercut and launching me skyward.

Need to get control over myself... Turn over... There. Now I'm soaring along on my wings. But where is the curse? It couldn't have caught up with me by now, could it?

Hang on... That creaking crackling sound... These giant bending checkerboard pillars... They're all starting to lean in my direction? They're way to easy to weave around. Wait... They're colliding and breaking apart?!

Drat, I got clipped by one! Need to land! There... I managed to land on one of the falling chunks of stone. But... There are so many around me, some actually rotating in the air. How high up am I anyway? How much longer until we hit the ground?

There... Here comes the curse! That beast is perched upon another block of rock and it looks ticked off. It's stretching arm... It just grabbed another huge falling chunk of rock and... Need to move!

Man, it just hurled that hunk of pillar right at where I was last standing! They were both pulverized! Well, now it's my turn while I come in for a landing on another one. Focus the magic through the Celestial Sword like a conduit and project it from the blade... No fire or plasma. Just raw magical might. There! Crap, the curse jumped to another falling chunk of rock. But dang... That blast of golden yellow magical energy just blew that rock apart!

"Whoa! Hey!" Sheesh, the rock I'm on just started to rotate a bit! Am I facing up now? Need to use the gravity spell to make sure I don't fall off... Oh, I see it now. The curse it crawling over the far edge and is now prowling down the side on all fours like the beast it is. And that look of raw dominance in its eyes... I bet it still thinks I'm the prey.

OK... It's pretty big, but it doesn't have a whole lot going for it aside from desperation. I can handle this thing! I'm charging it now with sword raised. "You're mine!"

I leap and swing down with the sword... What the... The head split in two before I could strike! And now the head's two halves just came back together and... It's got me in its huge hands! And my sword arm is being pinned to my side! I can't get loose! Girls, where are you?! "Now you're mine!"

It's trying to crush me in its grasp, but my armor's holding for the moment. Need to get free... My left hand is still free, even with the Lunar Shield on my left arm. Maybe... Just need to bring my hand to its arm... Now... Lightning magic... Let's see how you like this!

Oh yeah, that's hitting home! Just sending that raw magical electrical current right into its body! It's trying to hold on, but... Yeah, that had to hurt. It just yelped and let go of me while staggering back. OK, think fast. That thing's a big target. Maybe... Yeah!

Change polarity in the left hand. Not lightning... Ice! And here you go! One extra long ice spike right through the torso! Whoa... That actually worked pretty well. That spike of magic ice has to be around twenty feet long and it's stuck right through the curse's body. "Ooh, gotcha good that time!"

Huh? Why is it smirking at me? "Or did you?" Its right arm is stretching again and...reaching behind it? It's pulling the icicle all the way through to the other side of its body? Uh oh...

Almost got me! I threw up my shield just in time before it smashed the icicle into me. The whole thing shattered, but it almost knocked me right off of my foothold. My turn! Rush forward and a quick kick to the belly! I must've kicked that thing harder than I thought since the recoil even cause that thing's eyes to pop out and roll past my feet while the body fell out of sight.

Hang on... That makes no sense. And where did the eyes... What the hell?! The curse just popped out of the floor under me?! "Keeping moving!"

It just grabbed and hurled me into another chunk of falling stone pillar... And here comes another! I keep jumping from one floating piece of debris to another while trying to descend as fast as possible, staying ahead of the rocks that are trying to run right into me. OK, I think they stopped for now... Wait, where's the curse?

Right out of the corner of my eye and... That hurt. It just swung a particularly large chunk of those fallen pillars right into me. Falling... No, need to focus! Catch myself! There... I'm slowing my fall with self-levitation. Phew, close one. But I'm actually feeling sore from that blow. I only barely managed to get my shield up in time. Now that I'm back on solid ground, where's the... What's going on with the floating debris? Smashing together to form one big object?

"Hey, James! You like mashy spike plates, right?!" Mashy... Oh no... It's just a massive rock panel with the underside lined with craggy uneven stone spikes! Can I even avoid it! And it's falling right towards me!

My armor won't save me from this... Huh? Who just whistled? Hey, there's Pinkie Pie! And...are the girls jumping into a hole in the floor? "James! Hurry!"

Can I make it in time if I run? I know I'm much faster on the ground than normal while in armor... Come on... That thing's coming down fast! Need to keep my wings folded. Almost... One little hop and...down I go! And Pinkie Pie just jumped in after me! And a few seconds later... That was close. I just head the crash. But what am I going down?! Some sort of slide?!

All these twists and turns! And Pinkie Pie sounds like she's having a blast behind me. Oh, there's the exit! Woo! Huh? Oh, there's the rest of the girls. Right on a pile of pillows at the bottom. And... It's pretty quiet here. Where are we?

"Weeee! I wish we could go again!" Pfft, get off me, Pinkie. My armor probably doesn't make for the softest cushioning anyway.

"Well, that was certainly a harrowing escape. But...where exactly are we? It's...quite cozy here!" Rarity seems to have misplaced her swords while she climbs out of the pillow pit. And... Yeah, cozy is what I would say too. It seems we're in some sort of subterranean dwelling carved right out of the earth itself. The ceiling is low, but is just high enough so as to not bump my head on it while standing straight up. I see a few soft sofas and a simple wooden table surrounded by stools. There even seem to be a couple of end tables near the sofas that are holding some brass lamps that are modestly lighting up the area. There even seems to be a miniature refrigerator in the corner with a few rugs spread around the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwrFvw9aH34

Fluttershy is the next to climb out of the pillows. "Come to think of it... What is this place, Pinkie?"

"Oh, it's just a little hideaway I cooked up for us to lay low for a bit to take a breather. And don't worry, that big meanie has no idea where it is! I don't think it could even see around that giant rock anyway. Anyway, make yourselves at home!" Heh, leave it to Pinkie Pie to get us out of a jam in such a surreal situation like that.

"Well, we're much obliged, Pinkie. And I could use a cold drink right 'bout now." Applejack just made her way right over to the mini fridge and is rooting around in it. "Hey, Rainbow! Y'all want a cider?"

"Ooh, you bet!" And now Rainbow's hurrying over there to grab a drink too.

Twilight's finally making her way out of the pillow pit now. "I'd like some lemonade if there is any."

The tension in the air is all but gone now. And I don't want to leave the pile of pillows yet. Still... This place doesn't look like what I would expect from Pinkie Pie. "Nice place you got here, Pinkie... Although I have to say this makes me think of a rabbit's burrow more than anything else."

What's she's giggling about now? "Funny you say that! One of my old high school friends helped me dig this place out! Those guys from Acme were the zaniest bunch of kids I've ever known."

Acme... Wait. That sounds familiar... "Hang on... Acme Loo?! That...explains quite a bit about you."

"You know about it?! Awesome! Yeah, a lot of the students were frequently on camera, but I always had to stay off screen, so I never showed up in any of the episodes. They kept telling me I was 'way ahead of my time' and that the audience of the 90s just wasn't ready for me." She sure looks happy recalling those days. I'm getting quite a nostalgia rush myself since I know what she's talking about. "I wonder what happened to everyone... All of the teachers and professors went on with their careers, but I never saw my classmates again in anything after graduation... Makes me feel kind of sad..."

That is rather worrying... "Well, were there any bad signs of something to come?"

Pinkie Pie's rubbing her chin now while she seems to be trying to think. "Huh... Well, I heard some rumors of budget cuts after two of my classmates got back from a place called Two Tone Town... And then that rival show showed up. I mean, sure. There was a lot of new stuff, but some of it was hit or miss to me. One of the mini series in it was about a teenage girl with some serious hormone problems who was just more annoying than anything and it never felt good to see that poor dog getting punished for trying to keep his masters' kid safe whenever she kept wandering off. Worst parents ever! At least the stuff my classmates were involved with were almost always consistent with their quality!"

"I think I know what you're talking about, and yeah. It is pretty sad. I miss those days too." Well, at least I know how and why Pinkie Pie is such a zany girl now and then. Even if it makes absolutely no sense at all. But if there's one thing I know by now, I should never question the hows and whys of how she does what she does.

"Yeah... Well, no point in crying over it now! You just relax for a while." She perked up in an instant and just went trotting over to the table to engage in conversation with Rarity.

Man, it feels good to just relax for a minute. I left the Celestial Sword in its scabbard with the Lunar Shield propped up against the wall. Feels good to just get my helmet off and lounge on the sofa. And my friends... They're all here. Enjoying a cold beverage. Talking amongst themselves... Just like old times.

Hm? I look away for just a minute and Fluttershy is practically on top of me. I can't help but sigh and smile. "Hey, honey..."

She's holding me in her arms... "I was afraid we'd never have a moment of peace like this again..."

God, I missed her... I missed them. And they're all gathering around me. "Girls?"

They're all showing the same expression. Mournful smiles. Applejack just spoke. "Sorry, pardner... It's just... It felt like we were never gonna get the real you back."

"Applejack, we haven't won yet. This little rest spot is nice and all, but... That curse is still out there. Things will never go back to normal until it's gone for good..." Twilight has a point. The curse may have no idea where we are, but we're still stuck in the pits of my subconscious. Until the curse is taken care of... We can never leave. Or at least I can never leave.

"Hey, that reminds me!" Huh? Now it's Rainbow Dash speaking up. "Did you see those heads?! All it took was one good hit to take them out, but I've already landed several good blows on the main head. And it's still there! You think the curse will be down for the count if we can get rid of that one?"

The main head... The one that looks and sounds like Fluttershy. But with the other five gone, the body save for the wings and torso bear the faded colors and appearance of Discord's body. "It doesn't explain why that thing is looking more and more like Discord with every head that's destroyed. They all have his eyes too..."

"But...why our faces? Why did it choose to look like us?" Fluttershy does look rather uneasy. It must have not been easy to see such a twisted replica of her own face looking back at her.

"Because we are what is most precious to him, darling... Wouldn't it be just as traumatizing to you if someone with our faces committed acts of cruelty against you?" Rarity has a point... It's all likely an act of psychological warfare.

What's Pinkie Pie smiling at now? "Well, it's probably not doing a very good job of it if the real deals are there with it!"

"Either way, that thing is proving tricky to take down. And I think you were right, Rainbow. That thing clearly isn't used to actually fighting back. It really is just like Discord... Playing mind games and trying to place its enemies into situations they can't win." Now Twilight is starting to smirk a little. "Which explains why we're doing so well taking it on as a team."

Now Applejack is seated at the table nearby and is tapping it with her hoof. "Well, I reckon we should figure out how ta bring that varmint down for good while we have a minute. Whaddya say?"

Well, now we're all gathered around the table while sipping from bottles of cider. As usual, it's Twilight who seems to be heading the meeting. "All right... So, from what we found out, that curse definitely knows what the Elements of Harmony are."

All of them are looking at the Elements that are still around their necks while Twilight is nudging the Element of Magic on her head with her hoof. "That's why it stopped us from using them at the start. But the six heads on its body seem to be weak points. Every time they were directly struck, they disappeared and the part of the body they were attached to changed in form to resemble Discord's body... Yes, Pinkie?"

Pinkie Pie must have a question to ask since she has her hoof raised. "Could you pass me another bottle of cider?"

Why was I tempted to laugh at that? Twilight's just rolling her eyes while using the levitation spell to pop open the fridge and bring another bottle over to our goofy friend. "Thanks! But anyway... Do you think Discord might be the curse?"

That's certainly a good theory, but I just don't see how it's possible myself. And besides... Twilight's looking at me out of the corner of her eye while...looking rather melancholy. I feel a twinge of guilt in my heart... "I strongly doubt it, Pinkie... Discord's dead. We all know that."

"But the way that thing keeps making the world shift and change... It's a lot like how Discord kept warping reality when he first got loose. Maybe the curse is a tiny part of him?" Hmm... That does sound plausible. And Fluttershy does seem to remember clearly what she saw.

"A part of him...?" That seems to have gotten Twilight thinking. "It may just be a manifestation of spite from Discord... Whatever it is, it wants James dead... And we can't let that happen."

"Well then... What's the plan?" Rainbow Dash is sounding pretty impatient now while she's tapping her hooves together.

Twilight doesn't seem to be uncertain of what to say at all. "There's only one thing we can do now. Take out that final head and reveal the curse's true form. Maybe then it'll be vulnerable to being destroyed. Or maybe even weakened enough to not stop us from using the Elements of Harmony."

"Yeah, but I don't think that thing's gonna let us get in a good shot easily. I already took a swing at its face with my sword, but it just split its head in two down the middle to avoid it." That was such a freaky move too... I had no idea what I was seeing at first, now that I think about it.

"So, it can roll with the punches, but can't stand being stabbed? I'd say this sounds like a job for you, Fluttershy, and I, darling." Heh, Rarity looks pretty confident now. I have the Celestial Sword, she can conjure up blades made of diamonds, and Fluttershy seems like she can call on any number of beasts with claws.

As much as Fluttershy clearly does not care for violence, she's nodding in agreement. "I'll do what I can... There must be someone I can ask for help who's right for the job."

All I can do is nod in silence. After all that chaos, I am in no hurry to leave this safe haven. But I understand that we must if we're to finally have things go back to normal. Twilight's looking back and forth at us. "Well... I think that's all I can think of. Anypony else have any suggestions?"

No one is saying anything. In fact, they all look uneasy. They don't want to go back out there. And neither do I. What if something goes wrong? We've been doing great so far in keeping the curse on its toes by working as a team, but it's been getting desperate. I almost couldn't hold it off with how unpredictable it had become.

"Girls..." All eyes are on me. I think I better sit down. It feels awkward standing over them at such a low table like this. Now... While I'm seated on the sofa... "I just... I can't thank you enough for always being there for me... I don't know where'd I be if you hadn't been there at that last second..."

What else can I say? And... They're all around me now. Rarity... "Say no more, darling."

One by one, they're holding me in a group hug. Applejack... "You'd have done the same if one of us ended up in yer place."

"We can't let you go now... Not after everything that's happened..." Fluttershy... No, I don't want to cry... No tears...

Rainbow Dash... There are tears rolling down her cheeks. "We're not gonna let that thing take you away... Not now. Not ever..."

Pinkie Pie... She's struggling to hold in the tears. I can hear it in her voice. "You're one of the best friend's we've ever had... I don't want that to end...

Twilight... She's...smiling while her eyes are moistening. "You've become a part of the puzzle, James... Like it or not, our circle of friends would be incomplete without you now."

I wish I could get my arms around all of them. Just having them all here like this... Darn it... I can't keep the tears in. There are no more words. At least not for a moment. It's Rainbow Dash who broke the silence. "OK, girls... You all ready to wrap this up?"

All eyes are on me. And there's only one thing I can say. "Yeah. Let's roll."

"That's what I wanna hear. But...uh...how're we gonna get outta here? Y'all don't reckon we gotta go back up the way we came, do ya?" Um... Applejack has a good point. I really hope we don't have to crawl all the way up that tube slide.

"Oh, that's easy! Right over here!" Pinkie Pie's walking to the far earthen wall and... Seriously? She tugged on the bottom and it just shot up like a curtain to reveal...an elevator? "All aboard!"

"That's convenient... How'd you even install that anyway?" Fluttershy certainly is sounding baffled. Not that any of us can really understand how Pinkie Pie does a lot of things.

"Hey, I'm not complaining! Let's just get in there and get back in the game!" Well said, Rainbow. I better fetch my sword, shield, and helmet before we head out.

There we go. All suited up. And... Well, this lift sure is packed. And it's surprisingly nice in this elevator too with a brass button frame and plush carpeting. Although there are only three buttons on the frame to choose from. And it looks like Pinkie is minding the buttons. "That's everypony? OK, up we go!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxIFOoEBn0

The doors just closed with the ring of a bell and... There's that feeling of intensified gravity. We're definitely going up now. And I'm at the back of the lift.

Man, it's cramped in here. And it's quiet too. No one is even saying a word. And I don't blame them. There is a bit of...tension in the air. Once we reach the top, we'll be back out on the battlefield with that curse hounding us. It's almost go time.

It's probably been two minutes since the thing started moving and we're still not at the top yet. Just how far underground were we? And... Is that Pinkie Pie singing under her breath? "This is your singing telegram, I hope it finds you well..."

I think Rainbow Dash is taking issue with Pinkie Pie trying to relieve the tension. "Hey, you wanna break the tension? I've got a better idea. Rarity, pull my hoof."

Oh, you can't be serious. Although Rarity doesn't seem to understand why. "Pull your hoof? Whatever for?"

"No! Not in a packed lift, Rainbow!" OK, that got a laugh out of us. Good thing Twilight knew where that was going.

Now that tension is setting in again while Pinkie Pie is just singing quietly. Or maybe the ride is just relaxing everypony so well? Now Fluttershy is breaking the silence. Good thing too. This elevator ride is so relaxing, I could probably lean against the corner and take a nap. "So... Are we going to see the curse as soon as we step out of here? I don't think we should reveal ourselves right away..."

"Yeeeaaah... I'll bet that thing probably has no idea where we are. Might be a good time to get in the first shot." Good thinking, Rainbow. That thing is probably not entirely certain if it's won or not by now.

"Hmm... Yeah, I don't wanna charge right inta another scuffle with that thing after it went nuts last time. We better take it all real careful like." Well... Considering that thing threw a massive chunk of tarmac right at me, I would also say that it's become more dangerous than it was at the start.

Three minute... Now four... Now five... There it is. I feel the elevator coming to a stop. But the door's aren't opening yet. Pinkie Pie's looking over her shoulder at me now and is... What is she pointing at. "OK. James? Could you take a peek out of that little peephole in the wall and tell me if the curse is there?"

"Huh? There's a hole?" Oh, I see. There's a little square mirror covering a small round hole in the wall. Just need to push it aside. "Yeah... I can see it. The curse is just looking around out there."

That thing is just stomping around looking mildly annoyed. It probably knows that I'm still fine since nothing has changed. "So, what now?"

Pinkie Pie just pushed a button to cause the doors to open in front of her. Thankfully, it's in the opposite direction the curse is in. "Well, we better get outta here! But let's be quiet for now."

We're all shuffling out of the elevator now. It looks like it was built into the foundation of one of those towering pillars lined with checkerboard patterns. Good thing the pillar is wider than the elevator itself. And now that the doors are closed, we can't even tell it was ever there.

"All right! So, what's our next move?" Rainbow Dash looks pumped, but she's also keeping her voice down. It would be foolish to just have us all charge it or to give away our positions before we are ready.

"Hmm..." Twilight seems to be backing away from the pillar so as to see around it while keeping it between her and the curse. "It looks like there are still lots of those rocks around and some of the broken pillars still have their foundations intact. How about we all take turns popping out from behind them to get in a shot at the thing while making sure we hit it from behind?"

"Well, it's not exactly sportsmanlike to hit our foe from its blind spot, but it would certainly be poetic justice after the turmoil it's forced us through. I say we give this abomination our worst." I too am not feeling much sympathy for the creature by this point. It's either it or us. And the hell it put me through lately makes me more than just a little willing to take that thing down by any means necessary. And with my friends by my side, I feel more confident in taking it on now than ever before.

Twilight seems rather excited as she comes back over to us. "Great. James, you should stay here. I'll use the teleportation spell to drop you all off at different hiding spots. Rainbow. Since you're the fastest out of all of us, you'll attack first. Make sure you have that thing facing the spot where you came out of hiding after you land a blow. After that, I'll blast it with magic to get it to turn to me. We'll keep drawing its attention away from each other so that each of us gets in one shot from behind. In order, it'll be Rainbow Dash, me, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and finally James."

"I'm last? OK. I'll try to hit it with the strongest magic I've got." I think I better keep my sword sheathed. Even though this place is fairly lit in spite of there being no visible light sources, I don't want to run the risk of having the Celestial Sword's glowing blade give my position away.

"All right then... Just remember, we're all in this together. Let's take that thing down and go home." Twilight's sticking her hoof out and all of my friends are bringing their hooves forward to touch hers in a circle. They're all looking at me now and I cannot help smiling. I placed my right hand upon their hooves. I know I can't lose as long as I've got them.

"OK, let's get in positions. Get ready, James. As soon as that thing turns its back to you after Rarity takes a swing, you give it all you've got." Twilight is smiling confidently at me while her horn is coated with her pink magic aura. And then, in a flash, they are gone. Now I just need to wait for them to make their moves.

I better peek around the corner the best I can without giving my position away. The curse looks like it's just fuming with frustration. "I know you're still out there! Show yourself! We're not done yet!"

Man, it's really unsettling hearing Fluttershy's voice sounding like this... I'd hate to see my girlfriend that ticked off. Well, it's not looking my way yet. Better get some magic ready. I just set the Lunar Shield against the pillar beside me. I want to make sure I have both arms ready for this.

Maybe if I can get two spells ready at once... Lightning in the left and plasma in the... Wait. I can't use plasma. What if one of them gets caught in the blast radius? I just can't risk that... Fire it is. Focus... There. A crackling orb of magic lightning in my left hand and a flicking orb of fire in my right. I should probably make them bigger, but I better wait right until I launch them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlCDgTvs0k

It's been almost two minutes now... Where are they? I see several spots where they could be hiding... There we go! That blur that just came out from behind that rocky crag! Oh, that's her! There's Rainbow Dash! She just rushed past that thing while kicking it in the back of the head before streaking right past the curse again and landing a lightning-charged punch to the face! "Hey, ugly! Am I too fast for you or what?!"

Oh, that ticked the curse off. But just as it turns to face her... Nice one, Twilight! A beam of pink magical energy just slammed into its back and burst into a flurry of sparks! And there she is peeking out from behind one of those broken pillars to my left.

Next is... Who was it again? Oh, a shark! Yep, that's Fluttershy. And man, that curse just screamed like a little girl when that thing took a bite out of its torso before disappearing beneath the waves again. Tch, a snap of its fingers fixed that, but now it's looking really irritated. Every hit it takes just makes it madder and madder. And there's Fluttershy peeking out from behind another pillar somewhere over to my right in the distance. Hopefully she isn't feeling too sorry for the curse.

I think Pinkie Pie was next... Whoa, that was mean! Her stretchy arm just burst out of the water under the curse and slammed into its chin with such speed that the curse was launched right into the air! And... Oh, here it comes! Her other arm is coming down from above and... Dang, it just spiked the curse's face right back into the floor! There she is now, hopping around like a little kid in a candy shop. "Woohoo! Score one for Pinkie!"

And right when the curse starts to turn around while struggling to stand... Here comes Applejack! And... Ouch. The curse must have heard her coming and turned just in time for that powerhouse of a mare to deliver a leaping roundhouse kick to its gut. Sent it sprawling across the water pretty far too before she retreated. I doubt even my armor could endure a blow from her with that strength...

All right, here comes Rarity from the still standing pillar that is directly across from my hiding spot. And she's got all eight of those swords ready! The curse is starting to turn her way and... Wow. All eight of those swords were swung at exactly the same time from the same direction and cleaved through that sucker like butter. And... OK, that is hilarious! Its torso fell apart in several featureless slabs! Now the sections below the waist and above the chest are just... It's too silly to describe. "Oh dear! Don't fall to pieces on us just yet!"

"You think this can stop me?! You're just a bunch of pesky little flies fresh out of a garbage dump!" OK, it's taking some time to piece itself back together. Now's my chance! I just jumped out from behind my hiding spot. Now...focus... Bigger... More... All right, these two orbs of lightning and fire are feeling pretty packed with power now! I need to figure out how to charge them up faster sometime. Now to let them fly! "Gotcha now!"

And there they go! Man, those things must be the size of my whole body! Oh, now the curse is starting to turn around. But it's too late! Whoa, the two of those things just exploded in a massive pillar of flames and arcing bolts of magical electricity! "Dang! That got it for sure!"

The flames and sparks are dying down now... Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Still standing?! "Oh, come on! Enough already!"

The curse is still standing there with steam rising from the water around it. A lot of its pale coat and mane looks singed and that look it's giving me is just seething with frustration. Even its breathing sounds angry. "So, you'd rather die hard..."

...Screw this. I see how it is now. I'm out of patience and I can tell my friends are too. They're completely coming out of hiding and are starting to surround it. This is where the gloves come off. I just summoned the Lunar Shield to my left arm and drew the Celestial Sword from its scabbard. I'm pointing my sword's glowing blade right at the curse. "No more. I want you gone. You better be done packing."

With a flap of my wings, I swoop right at the curse with sword at my side. And that thing just hurled one of those sparking orbs of yellow magic energy right at me. Tch, I got this. Just need to focus some plasma magic right into the Celestial Sword's blade... There we go! The blade is coated in flickering white fiery energy! And with a swing of my sword, that magic orb was just obliterated. No time to celebrate though. Time to take this thing apart!

A direct assault probably won't work against such a hulking brute though. How about this then? Just as I'm getting close, I used levitation to hurl the Lunar Shield right at its face! Dang it, the curse managed to smack it away in spite of the shield's size. Still enough time for me to close the gap with both hands grasping my sword's hilt though! Ascend a bit and come down for a leaping chop! "You're mine!"

One swing and... I missed the head. But I got its arm! The griffon arm just fell off and was engulfed in white flames before sinking below the waves... Of course. A new one just sprouted from the curse's shoulder. What's it made of anyway? I know Nightmare Moon said this thing needs to be slain, but how can we do that if it just recovers from its injuries as quickly as I can rend them?!

"Too bad, hot stuff... Hey!" Whoa, that thing was about to take a swing at me, but Twilight just shot it in the side of the head with her magic. Almost knocked it right off its feet too. Now I've got it! Focus more magic into the sword... Whoa! The magic plasma aura surrounding the blade just doubled in length! This is gonna be good.

Gotcha! Right through the torso! I just impaled that sucker on the... Yikes. The whole curse just burst into bright white flames! Plasma magic is hot stuff, it seems... Huh? Why is it reaching for its head like... Oh, seriously? Pulling a zipper down and discarding its burning flesh? And now that smug smirk... "You not gonna win this one... Ow!"

And there's Applejack! She used her lasso to snatch up a loose crag from over yonder and smashed it right into the curse from behind! And now... Whoa, Pinkie Pie pumped up the size of her hooves and just smashed the curse between them! Heh, the thing looks like a paper cutout now. But it can still inflate itself just like Pinkie Pie by blowing into its thumb... Oh, and now it's Rarity again! Those swords just joined at the hilts and are whirling like a wheel of blades around the curse. It ducks, it jumps, and weaves, but that look of panic in its eyes... It's doing all it can do to make certain the blades don't reach its head. Even getting sliced through its body seems to be a necessary sacrifice to stay in the game.

OK, the curse just flapped its wings to propel itself backwards to escape the blades. But why isn't Rarity chasing it down? And where is Fluttershy? Huh? Oh man, she just burst out of the water on the back of a manticore! It almost pounced upon the curse, but it backed away...and right into the clutches of another manticore bursting from the water! And another...and another... Sheesh, she's got an entire pride on her side! They've got the curse pinned and are just mauling it!

Well, that didn't last long. The curse just sent them all flying back with some sort of spherical magic shockwave. And it's looking pretty ragged now. But... There's Rainbow Dash again! She just came out of nowhere and rammed the curse. She's carrying fast into the sky and... What did she call that move again? The Buccaneer Blaze? Well, now they just look like an orb of lightning just streaking across the sky! What a way to steal the show.

Huh? Now Twilight is launching a volley of magic orbs into the sky towards the area that Rainbow Dash and the curse are heading. Now the lightning seems to have vanished while Rainbow is just letting her opponent fall right towards the orbs... Oh, man! They all just exploded around the thing like a massive chain reaction!

Now that it's fallen to the ground again, it looks like its my turn. Need to close in before it can get its bearings! Summon the shield to my arm and swoop right at it with sword ready. It's staggering to its feet now. Can't get a clear shot at the head, so I just swooped past and took its leg off to mess with its sense of balance. Now to bank to the left and head on back.

Huh? It's not even bothering trying to stand now. It just spread its wings and took off while staying low to the ground. I'm catching up on its right. All right, now the thing is turning sideways and its got both arms outreached with orbs of its crackling magical energy in its clutches. And that look of maniacal joy in its eyes... Good thing my shield's on the side that's facing it.

It just launched those orbs at me and keeps conjuring more of them with each throw. And I'm returning fire with blast of magic, fire and plasma launched from the tip of my sword. Some are just projectiles while others are crescent waves created by performing swings of my sword. It's just so exhilarating, just swooping along over the waves while exchanging blasts of magic! None of its spells are hitting me thanks to the Lunar Shield and the responsiveness of my wings, but that thing's proving to be hard to hit despite being such a big target! Well, some of my attacks do strike and cleave through the body, but it just shrugs them off without trouble. It just won't drop!

Whoa! Its got both hands together to start conjuring up an extra large orb of that magic! I'm trying to stop it, but striking the body isn't doing any good! And the orb is being held in front of the head, so my magic shots can't get to it... Hey! What's got me?! I'm just rocketing so much faster now! "Whoa!!! Too fast! Too fast!"

"Easy there, James! Just leave the flying to me!" That's... Rainbow Dash?! She's holding me from the back of my cuirass! No wonder we're going so fast... "Keep your wings folded! I'll handle it from here! You just get your magic ready!"

"There's nopony I'd rather have backing me up than you, Rainbow! Love ya, girl!" OK, I've got my wings folded. Just need to have faith in this master of flight. We're curving around now and are starting to head back towards the curse while it seems Twilight's drawing its attention away with some cover fire.

"Love you too, big guy! Now, let that freak have it!" All right, just need to pull off a strafing run... I've got my sword pointing down and... Wait, maybe... Rather than condensed orbs of it... A constant stream?

Maybe if I try launching a stream of plasma magic in the same way I would unleash a torrent of fire... Whoa, it worked! A focused beam of white-hot plasma is being shot from my sword! It's just being dragged across the ground and is cutting through anything it touches! And there! Just sliced through the curse with it while it burst into flames! Rainbow Dash sure sounds impressed. "Whoaho! Since when could you shoot lasers?!"

"Well, seeing as how lasers are from 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation', it's no wonder that plasma is basically supercharged sunlight!" Well, the curse just dove under the water to put out the flames...and now it just jumped out of the water and took off running with a shriek while...Fluttershy chases after it with a school of sharks! And is it yelling 'Not the face!' down there? And when did it grow its leg back?

"Hey, we only need one Twilight Sparkle around here! No more egghead talk, all right?!" Peh, Rainbow... Why can't I help laughing at those words? Oh, now the sharks suddenly dropped down out of sight while Fluttershy is just running away. Did the curse make them lose their buoyancy somehow?

Hang on! Where'd Pinkie Pie come from she just burst out of the water with... Is that her party cannon?! Dang... In stead of confetti and streamers, its blaring out a wave of pink energy and... Is that music I hear?! "Come on, everypony! Smile, smile, smile!"

Why am I laughing at that?! And Rainbow's laughing too! "Wow, it's a sound blaster! Nice one, Pinkie! OK, James. I'm gonna dive and let you go. Make sure you give that thing one heck of a dropkick!"

"You got it, Rainbow!" Now we've gone into a speedy dive. Pinkie just turned off the cannon and that curse is just lying flat on its back quite a distance from her. I bet its ears are ringing. And here I go! Rainbow just let go of me and I'm heading right for it. Looks like the curse is smacking the side of its head to clear out its ears or something.

"Incomiiiiing!" Just need to turn myself over and... Got it! Slammed into it at high speed on an angle and now the thing is skidding across the water. "Man, you're way too big to be an effective surfboard!" Such a shame it came to a stop so soon. And you'd think it would've been more stunned by such an impact. I just hopped off and sliced off its left leg for good measure. Would've taken off its right too if its tail didn't smack me away while it started climbing to its feet.

Looks like that curse is getting really mad now. I mean it has to be if it's barely even saying anything anymore! It's taking swings at me with its big clawed hands while trying to keeps its balance. I guess it's having a hard time mentally multitasking to regenerate its leg. Man, even though my shield is holding up fine, each of those swings hits hard! And it keeps leaning away from me whenever I take a swing at it. Just a back and forth swinging of blows.

Wait a minute... Whoa! Twilight's unloading on it again with more magic bombs! Better flap backwards to get away! And... Hey, are those diamond spears whirling about in the sky? Some sort of joint attack by the unicorn mares? Well, the curse seems to be trying to shoot down the incoming pink magic orbs before they can detonate. "I'm getting so sick of your tag teaming!"

It managed to shoot down some, but most of them still got through. Funnily enough, they were almost out of range. The curse was still standing once all those blasts came and went... Oh, here they come! All of those spears are coming down one after the other in rapid succession!

The curse just let out a help as... Dang... One after the other from numerous angles. There must be dozens of them! Nice one, Rarity! That hulking brute has every last one of those spears impaled through its body! "Whoa... Doesn't that hurt?!"

Something's wrong here... The curse is smirking at me while its missing leg just sprouted from the stump. The spears... Are they being absorbed into the body? "Not as much as this will."

It just thrust its abdomen at me and... Oh, this is bad! Every last one of those spears flying right at me n a tightly packed cluster! Will my armor hold up?! Gotta get behind my shield... Man, that was close! I just barely managed to get my entire body behind it. But it still hit me hard enough to knock me off my feet!

"Oh, screw this!" I'm not getting anywhere being kept away like this. One little teleport spell and I'm right under it. And then... That got it! Just unleashed a torrent of fire from the tip of my sword right into it! That sent it sprawling quite a distance, but... Whoa! What's going on?! Why do I feel like I'm on a slope!

The girls are hurrying back over to me. Applejack almost lost her hat while trying to keep her footing. "Whoa! What's goin' on?! What's that varmint up to now?!"

"The whole world is turning on its side!" Hey, Twilight! Don't take my shield unless you ask first! But... Dang it! The floor just became a wall and we're falling! But the world's still not done turning! Now the watery floor has become the ceiling and we're just plummeting skyward!

"Wooooooohoo! I love it when things get topsy-turvy!" Sheesh, Pinkie Pie is having a blast... And there's the curse down below while just flapping in place! Now it's just sending a flurry of magic orbs and debris at us.

"Hey! Look alive, everypony! That thing's trying to pelt us with junk!" Rainbow Dash is having no trouble banking around the stuff that's flying at us. Fluttershy and I are having no problem either. Applejack and Pinkie Pie are getting creative with their aerial movements. Pinkie Pie is using her stretchy arms to swing on the passing debris to change location while Applejack is doing the same with her lasso. Rarity has gotten quite creative and has brought her eight diamond swords to her sides with them appearing to be taking the general form of wings to glide around on...somehow. And Twilight is just using the Lunar Shield like a hoverboard again. This is hardly intimidating anymore. It's actually gotten to be pretty fun!

"Why is this getting so fun?!" Took the words out of my mouth, Fluttershy. I can't help but laugh while gliding around the curse's attacks!

"No idea, but we've still gotta take that thing down!" Now that I've got a clean shot, I'm unleashing a barrage of ice spikes from my left hand and firing volleys of fireballs from the tip of the Celestial Sword. They keep intercepting the curse's own magic orbs and keep blowing away bits of debris. Rarity's swords have no problem cleaving through whatever comes her way and Twilight is also trying to shoot it down with her own magic. Rarity even seems to be conjuring diamond daggers from the water and is sending them flying at the curse whenever she gets a break from deflecting debris. And... What is the deal with the gravity of this place?! First it looks like we're falling towards the sky, and then we seem to be falling back towards the ground and then back to the sky and even just sideways. At least the curse is constantly staying ahead of us.

Every moment or so, some of our spells manage to hit that thing. It's all become a game of hit and run. Score as many hits as we can while making sure we weave around the incoming attacks. Wait a minute... Now we're just falling towards the ground and... Hey! Where'd the curse go?!

"Oh dear... Are we falling to our deaths?!" Looks like Rarity's starting to panic.

"I got it!" Huh? Oh, good thinking, Twilight! She just surrounded us all in a pink magic barrier and... Huh. We're just floating inside it and we just hit the ground like a bubble. Now the barrier's gone and we're back on solid ground. "That was close. But where's... Hey!"

Twilight just turned herself sideways to make sure the shield she's standing on was facing the direction an orb of yellow magic came flying in from. It exploded hard into it, sending the two of them flying. And there's the curse over there... "Looking for someone?!"

"Oh, that's it!" This thing is really starting to get under my skin! I just took the Celestial Sword and swapped it to a reverse grip while channeling plasma magic into the blade. And with an upward swing, the tip grazed the ground and... Yeah, that's what I was going for! A vertical wave of lethal plasma magic surging towards the curse!

Huh?! OK, that was wishful thinking. Why should I have expected that thing to not dodge it? The curse just weaved around it, allowing the wave to cut through its body while it blasted me squarely in the chest with a beam of its own magic energy. My armor held up, but it still sent me flying a good ways back!

"You OK, James?!" Twilight came rushing to my side. Looks like I fell near where she landed.

"Yeah, I'm good. But... What's it gonna take?! We keep pounding it, slashing it, scorching it, but it still feels like we're not getting anywhere!" Even now our five other friends are surrounding the curse and are simultaneously ganging up on it while it seems to be struggling to deal with them. Anyone it blows away just keep coming back for more. But we just aren't making any progress!

Twilight isn't saying anything right now... It's just so frustrating. How are we supposed to take that thing down? Now she's looking at me with a frown. "James... I think it's time we use the Elements of Harmony. If brute force won't work, we'll just have to place our faith in them!"

Even though the curse intercepted their use before, I can't think of a better way myself. "Well, you're the brains of the gang, Twi. What's the plan?"

"Well... The Elements do take a moment to get in sync with each other... If we can find a way to incapacitate the curse for a moment... Wait! James, do you think that ice magic of yours can freeze the curse in place for a minute?" My ice magic? All I've been doing is.. Oh, wait! Yeah, Luna demonstrated how she used that magic to kick up a howling blizzard that froze the ground before her! I can do that!

"Sure, I can probably do that. But... Won't the curse just use its magic to get free?" If that thing can just unzip its whole skin to escape when on fire, then it could probably break out of an icy shell just as easily.

"Hmm... Good point. Well..." Come on, Twilight. I know you can think of something. "Hmm... How about this? I'll teleport in there and blast it away with my magic. After that, I'll get the girls to use the Elements of Harmony with me. When that thing tries to stop us, you teleport in front of it and freeze it."

Sounds solid, if the only the curse could not break free in an instant. "I don't see how that'll hold it for long, Twi..."

Now she's actually smiling a bit. "Yes, if it uses its magic. But when it finds itself suddenly frozen and immobile, it might temporarily forget about using its magic as it becomes frustrated from being restrained. It especially won't see it coming since you haven't tried it yet! It probably won't be much, but it just might buy us enough time to get the Elements to work!"

Crafty... Very crafty. "OK, go for it. I'll jump in as soon as I can."

"Great... Let's put this thing to bed and go home!" Now to focus... Need to prepare that artic wind... I can see the frost and icy mist whirling around my left hand. And there goes Twilight. She just vanished and appeared between her friends and the curse.

Well, that must've hurt. That huge wave of pink magical energy just sent the thing flying! They're all gathering closer to each other... I can see them. The six gemstones are all glowing.

The curse... Oh man, here it comes. It's swooping right back towards them. Now it's my turn! Teleport...and now it's coming to a screeching halt in front of me. "What the...?!"

"Chill out!" I just thrust my left hand forward and... Man, that's cold! A swirling cyclone of frigid mist and ice is just howling as it engulfs that freak! OK, I think ten seconds is long enough... Oh, wow! That thing is almost completely frozen over in a crag of ice! And that look it's giving me through the ice... "Whoahoho! That got you good!"

"James! C'mon, pardner!" Huh? Applejack? They're... They're all rising into the air. They're calling me? Of course... The Element of Humanity. It's right here on my helmet. Better to be safe than sorry I suppose.

With a flap of my armor's wings, I ascend after them. They're around me now. Our Elements... They're all glowing. Time to wrap this up!

"No... No! Not now!" The curse just got its head free, but it's still struggling to break free from the ice. It really has been distracted from using its magic! Now's our chance.

I feel compelled to point my sword towards it... As if guiding the Elements. With my sword pointing at the curse, the Elements... Glowing wisps of light matching the shapes and colors of the seven Elements just emerged from them and are beginning to swirl around the base of the Celestial Sword one after the other. Honesty. Laughter. Generosity. Magic. Loyalty. Kindness. Humanity. They are all here.

The whirling colors... Speeding up until they are a blur. The sword's blade has become engulfed in a rainbow of sparking energy! They... Their hooves are resting on my hand. Three on one side of me and three on the other. I remember this feeling... I had almost forgotten... Girls... You're all here.

There are no words. And now, the curse finally shatters its icy shell. It just launched a shockingly large orb of magic right at us. But I'm not afraid. I know we can't lose now. It's time to end this madness. "It's time for you to go!"

And... Wow. I felt the recoil! The energies of the Elements of Humanity were fired as a spiraling beam of rainbow colors! It just cut right through the curse's magic projectile and obliterated it! It's not even trying to dodge. Almost as if too stunned or afraid to move. And now... OK, that was awkward. That blast of harmonic energy just went right down its throat!

"Whoa! Taste the rainbow!" OK, why did I laugh at that quip? Well, at least Rainbow Dash found a way to break the tension. And the curse is just holding its huge hands over its mouth while looking rather freaked out.

"Blech! Tastes like...harmony!" Does harmony even have a flavor? And why is it not... Oh man... That was startling. A beam of sparkling yellow light just burst from its side! And now one of red. And blue. And green. And... More and more just keep rupturing out of its body! And finally... A beam of white bursting right out of the center of its chest.

"I think we got it..." Fluttershy's right. That thing... It's done for. It's staggering back and forth as the energies within it continue to burst out of its body. Finally... With a scream, it turned its head to the sky just as its form was engulfed by a swirling pillar of the harmonic energies within as they finally consumed it. It brightens and...

I couldn't see for a moment. But the place is now quiet. We're still floating high above the ground and... The curse. It's still just standing there with its arms outstretched to the sides and still frozen in the same pose it was in just before the Elements of Harmony overcame it. Steam of seven colors seems to be rising from it in several spots. Although it is...noticeably smaller than before. Such a gut wrenching silence. Is it done? Did we triumph?

There is movement. It just dropped to its knees and...fell forward and flat upon its face. We are descending now. Landing lightly upon the ground. For a moment, there are no words. But I feel such sweet relief washing over me. It is finally over. The curse has fallen. And Applejack put it best. "We got 'im."

The area has fallen so silent... Well, minus the sound of weakly rippling water around us. But something is wrong... "Then...how do I wake up?"

"Hmm... You'd expect for this place to vanish after the curse's demise, wouldn't you?" Rarity has a point. Nightmare Moon said that the only way to get rid of the curse is to destroy it where it was hiding. And now it is lying dead before us. Or is it?

"Unless..." That look of surprise in Fluttershy's eyes while she looks away only to look back ahead at the fallen curse. "It's...not dead yet?"

Rainbow Dash does not seem so sure. "What're you talking about?! We just nailed that thing with the Elements of Harmony! What could survive that?!"

"Well... Nightmare Moon survived it. And...well, I can't imagine the Elements of Harmony actually destroying anyone." Twilight... Yeah... She did survive it. And they never killed Discord either, from what I know.

"Yeah, I can't imagine the Elements of Harmony being a force of destruction." Even so... The curse is still there. Fallen, shrunken, motionless...but still whole. "You think it's just been weakened to the point where it can't fight back?"

Applejack just nudged me forward. "If that thing's still alive and kickin'...then all that's left is ta put it outta its misery. Go on, pardner. Yer the one it wanted anyway."

Pinkie Pie just handed the Lunar Shield back to me. "We'll be right here. But be careful! It probably still has a few really mean tricks up its sleeve!"

Sword in hand and shield on my arm. All my friends are looking at me. I guess it is time to put an end to this nightmare. The curse is not even trying to move from where it has fallen. And...it really does look no larger than Discord now. Still, I cannot lower my guard until I finally awaken from this. With shield constantly held out between the two of us, I slowly draw near.

I am keeping my approach slow and cautious. My shield is constantly being held out in front of me with the Celestial Sword held back and prepared to make a quick stab the instant I move the Lunar Shield aside. All I hear in this watery wasteland is the sound of my own armored feet splashing through shallow waves that lap below my ankles. I feel much calmer now, but this thing... What else could it still have ready to unleash on me?

I have come to a stop. It must be no fewer then twenty paces from me now. But I am still not lowering my shield yet. Maybe I can walk right up to it, wait a moment for any movement, and then lash out and stab it through the head. Huh? Hang on... What is that sound? Is someone...crying?

The curse... It is starting to stir a bit. Lightly clawing at the ground as if struggling to stand. It is starting to lift its head now. It is looking at me, but... The eyes... Is that...Fluttershy?

Those tears rolling down her face... And those deep cyan eyes... What happened to the curse? Is this just a fragment of Fluttershy's will? Did the Elements of Harmony purify her in some way? She is reaching out to me with her left arm. "I'm... I'm sorry..."

She can barely speak. Nothing but quiet sobbing as she lowers her head again. She seems so weak... So helpless. I sense no hostility in her. It must be safe now.

I have lowered my shield and sword. I feel... I am not sure what I feel right now. Just...so relieved. It is only my girlfriend... Maybe if we touch, this will finally end. I am reaching out to her... Wait... That grin...and...those eyes!

"Gotcha!" It has me! The curse grabbed me by the throat! Need to... Why... I feel...weak... Body is going numb...

"That's it. Just let go. It'll all be over soon..." Can't move... Can't even hold my sword... It just fell fro my grasp. Everything is...going dark... Am I...dying? Girls... Where are you...?

---

I was snapped back to what was happening in the hospital room when a loud droning din reached my ears. James' heart monitor. Rainbow Dash had her eyes open too. But Nightmare Moon... She was looking at the monitor. The line was...flat.

"No..." I heard her mutter before she suddenly approached him. "NO!!! What's happening to him?!"

Rainbow Dash then turned to the heart monitor too as a look of panic filled her eyes. "Oh man... He's flatlined! The curse is killing him!"

No... We used the Elements of Harmony! The curse shouldn't be a threat after that! Why was this happening?! Was there something I could do? I closed my eyes, trying to see what was happening again. "The curse is holding him by the throat! We... Wait, what is Applejack doing?!"

---

I... I cannot feel a thing anymore... Vision almost gone... Wait... What is that circular thing coming down?

That voice... I just heard the curse yelp...and then squeal as it suddenly let go of me. My vision and all the strength in my body is suddenly coming back! I almost fell down when I staggered back from loss of balance. The... Whoa, nice one, Applejack! The curse is grabbing at its throat while Applejack has her lasso strangling it from around the neck!

"The tough part is always gettin' the varmints ta stay down!" Now she just threw her head back and...ouch. The curse was slammed right back down into the ground. And here comes Rainbow Dash. Coming right down into the thing's back with a diving kick!

Now here comes Fluttershy. And... What was that shriek?! She just stomped on the back of the curse's neck and looks like she is trying to snap the thing by twisting its head. Only it does not seem to want to stop twisting... She just looked like she figured that out and let it go, sending the head spinning back to normal before elbow dropping its face back into the water. I never knew she could be so scary...

The curse looks like it is trying to claw its way out from under them... Good god! A diamond spear just impaled itself through the curse's arm while Rarity stomps on it! And now the other arm and the legs, pinning it to the floor! "You...will...harm...nopony ever again! It's time for the coup de grace!"

"No more dirty tricks, meanie!" Whoa... Now Pinkie Pie just dropped onto it and is stretching her arms around its limbs to add additional restraint while Twilight seems to be shooting its wrist and ankles with her magic that seems to be creating solid pink loops that appear to be shackling the curse to the floor!

With the exception of Applejack, all of my friends are pilled onto the curse in one way or another in some attempt to pin it to the floor. Applejack is still standing a short distance behind them while keeping her rope taut, forcing the curse to keep its chin off the water to avoid being strangled to death. And it is looking right ahead at me. My god... They saved me. Now Twilight is calling out to me. "We've got this thing, James! Take it out and let's go home!"

I am feeling better now... Definitely back to normal. I just used the levitation spell to bring the Celestial Sword back to my hand. "Thanks, girls..."

---

I heard that beeping again. When I opened my eyes, I saw and heard the heart monitor functioning properly. Thank goodness...

Nightmare Moon turned to me, looking noticeably relieved, yet also baffled. "What...happened in there?"

"I guess the curse was killing him when it was touching him... Don't worry, we've got the thing completely restrained now." I said while also feeling the tension dropping. Finally, it was almost over.

"Hey, Twilight! Stop looking around out there and focus on the prize! James is coming!" Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke up while keeping her eyes squinted shut. And she was right. When I closed my eyes, I saw James starting to head towards us.

---

Now then... I know I have nothing to fear with that thing being so thoroughly restrained. It is glaring at me with those unnatural red and yellow eyes as I approach. I have no idea what the Elements of Harmony did to it, but it seems incapable of escaping from my friends' clutches. More than likely, all of its supernatural abilities were locked away or even removed. That look it is giving me. So defiant and frustrated, but also somewhat fearful. It knows it is caught.

Finally... I am standing before the curse. I suppose I could use this opportunity to deal the final blow and I am indeed in a hurry to get this whole mess over with, but... That facade it wears of Fluttershy's face... What is under it?

I have brought the tip of my sword to its face, the tip only lightly pressing against its coat right between the eyes. "First thing's first though."

The curse just silently looked inward, directing its gaze towards its nose before looking back at me. Physical blows failed to inflict any real harm, but I am certain the touch of a sharp blade would. "Time to see who's behind the mask."

With a light upward flick of my wrist, I scrape the tip of the Celestial Sword across the curse's face. A tiny scratch can be seen there while my friends watch in silent tension. Nothing is happening... Wait. Right between the eyes... A butterfly bearing the colors of the curse's faded golden yellow suddenly spread its wings as if it rose from the face body itself. And...I see another more vibrant color just under it.

Wow... More and more butterflies are rising from the curse's body and are taking flight in a flurry of flapping butterfly wings. The colors are faded, but it is still such a mesmerizing sight. The butterflies are even rising from the rest of the body and not from just the parts that bear Fluttershy's corrupted colors. My friends do not seem to be hindering the butterflies at all and are looking on in wonder as the swarm of harmless charming insects rise into the air. Fluttershy sounds especially pleased. "Wow... Who would've thought the last one would've been so wonderful to watch?"

"Yeah, it was. Anyway, that's the last one! So, who's behind the..." Rainbow Dash just looked back down at the curse's head. And...that look of utter shock that is filling her face... "No... There's no way..."

One by one, that look of utter disbelief is filling their eyes. And I can see why. The curse is looking right at me, its disguise having been completely removed. And even though I probably should be feeling just as shocked... Some part of me in the back of my mind feels as if it knew the answer all along. I have seen that face before.

I am merely gazing down at the face of the curse while he gazes back up at me, still powerless and captured. There is only one thing I can say to this revelation. "Why am I not surprised?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2spjqRmQGRA

The creature gazing at me... He is casting a small somewhat humbled smile at me. That sly draconequus. "Well... I suppose there's no point in putting on another pretty face again. Read any interesting cards lately? Or seen some fancy vases?"

"Discord... You... You're dead! We heard you die! You..." Twilight looks and sound as if she is in shock. And I cannot fault her for it. Discord, the very demented freak show I killed with my own two hands, is staring right up at me alive and well.

Strange... He does not seem all too bothered by the fact that he is being restrained and has been left utterly powerless with his limbs having been impaled on spears. Still no signs of blood though. If he was able to escape from my friends, he likely would have done so by now. He is speaking to my friends now, even though he clearly cannot turn to look at them with that noose around his neck so tightly bound. "That I did, Twilight Sparkle. My body is dead and gone. But as you can most clearly see, I am still here."

With my friends having returned to me as the wonderful mares I remember them as, I am not feeling quite as angry and bitter towards this creature as I probably would be feeling earlier. But still... He is still here. The curse was hardly a curse at all. It had been Discord lurking in my mind all along. "Why... What were you doing in my head?"

"What? You'd expect me to just let myself lose in something called the Ultimate Game? I have never lost a game of any sort before and I wasn't going to start then. And besides, you think I would go into a game I've never played without an ace up my sleeve?" That smirk on his face. Even when restrained and powerless, Discord still maintains that air of smug aloofness. "Though to be fair, I see that you had an ace up your sleeve as well and that you played it first. And what an ace it was."

I am saying nothing. I would rather let him explain himself than speak right now. "I'll admit, it was very tempting when you made that offer you did. Having been around as long as I have, I've done just about everything I can imagine, so the opportunity for some new fun was a welcome change of pace. It was very cunning of you to tempt me with a game I had never had the pleasure in partaking in before. Kudos."

He is just gazing up at me now, almost as if waiting for me to say something. The girls are not saying a thing either. They probably want answers too. Although there is really nothing I want to say just yet. "Hm? What's wrong? Nothing? Got nothing to say? Did one of those manticores get your tongue?"

Guess I may as well say something to get him to keep going. "Go on..."

"Ooooh, I get it now. You want answers. Yes, that's what everypony wants, isn't it? Well, seeing as how I now lie defeated and helpless before you, I suppose I at least owe you that much." Still being a bit of a goofball with his choice of words, yet also being quite accommodating. Is he just worn out from the whole ordeal?

The girls seem rather wary of him and they are all looking rather irritated. Yet not one of them dares interrupt him. "Now then, where was I... Oh, yes! I still have to give you a round of applause by suckering me in the way you did, 'Sir' James. Taking advantage of my penchant for fun and games? Well played. Of course, it still wasn't exactly wise to try to outfox the lord of chaos itself. Although if you sending me packing with that low blow to the undercarriage, if you know what I mean, was a means to get me to back off long enough for you to formulate a strategy, then that was exceptionally clever. Immortal or not, a blow to that area still stings."

I almost laughed at that reminder. I still remember that girlish shriek he let out a moment after I walked away after that low kick. The girls seem to be puzzled though. I guess Twilight must have forgotten since even she does not seem to know what he meant. Even so, he is still continuing to speak. "Like I said... Thinking you could outfox me in game I've never played? Tch tch tch, not wise, boy. You may have had an ace up your sleeve, but so did I. Although I certainly wasn't expecting the sheer madness that you had in store for me! That was a type of chaos I cannot recall the last time I ever witnessed!"

"But you're dead now! It doesn't matter what that ace you had was now! You're dead! There's nothing you can do to win! It's over!" Rainbow Dash has a point. Even if his soul somehow weaved its way into my mind, it really does not matter what Discord does at this point. He is barely more than a ghost.

"If you'll let me finish..." Now Discord sounds mildly irritated. That shut Rainbow Dash up. Now he is just clearing his throat. "Well, as I said, I had an ace in the hole. But only for the most extreme situations. And wouldn't you know it, that ace came in handy! And let me guess. You all thought this was the work of a curse? Well... Yes and no. I suppose you could call this a curse in some way, although I'm sure whatever curse Nightmare Moon told you about is really just a lost art. I have no use for something so devilish. There's no fun in utter suffering."

"Then... Why?! You put him in agony so many times! Just seeing me was enough to almost kill him! And you did that all even though it wasn't fun?!" Fluttershy looks and sounds like she is on the verge of tears. They all look absolutely wrathful. And I still remember that pain... Time after time. My dwindling hope...

Discord seems to be trying to tilt his head back as far as he can to try to see them on his back. "Of course there was no fun in that. It may have been necessary for me to come out on top, but I took no pleasure in inducing that type of agony. It was all a means to an end, my dears. But I suppose you would like to know exactly what's been going on all this time, wouldn't you?"

I am feeling so curious to hear exactly what in the world had been happening inside my head the last couple of weeks. "I did as the rules you said demanded, Sir James. I locked away every spell you claimed to have not yet mastered at the time. Including my immortality. Or rather, all but one. A little failsafe just in case. And you surprised me that day. I took you as a loveable oaf who couldn't harm a fly. But to show that level of wrath fused with homicidal madness? And the way you got dirty by using magic you had not yet mastered. That was very mean of you. But what was up with all of those random quips you were constantly spouting?! I would've been laughing my eyes out if I wasn't so absolutely terrified for my life!"

That was a dark moment... I was doing all I could to drown the despair in my heart to keep myself focused on bringing down the one who had taken away the people I held most dear to my heart. It was all nothing more than a facade. "Well, regardless of how and why you did all that... I was being quite serious when I offered you a draw, seeing as how the rules you set demanded that one of us live or die. But when it became quite clear at the end that you would not relent, I decided that I would not either. In the final seconds before you could end me, I cast that final spell. Transferring my very soul into your subconscious while leaving my body behind to its fate. But at the same time, I knew that tear in your side would ultimately prove fatal if something was not done."

"What do you mean? What about that wound you gave me?" I still remember that moment... The instant his claw ripped through the soft underarmor between the plates and my underlying flesh with it. I remember going cold, bleeding to death. But...I also remember that oh so sweet dream that spanned several days immediately afterwards. Surely that was not his...

That smirk he is giving me... Almost as if he is recalling a master stroke of genius he enacted. "It's simple, my good man. For me to win this Ultimate Game... I needed you to live."

That look of shock in their eyes... And this chill in my spine. This just got a bit creepy. "You were at death's door. And I needed you to stay alive for the time being. For if you died, my soul would be set free and I would join you in the afterlife. Essentially, your death would've doomed us both. So the instant you faded from consciousness, I put together a dream taken from your most precious memories. An ideal life that you would be at peace with while keeping your will to live strong. And I kept this dream of yours going until I was absolutely certain that you were past the danger zone. Although I did have to take measures to keep out anypony who may...inform you that such a perfect world was not what it seemed. Not that you would've believed them. And then... Well, I'm sure you remember how you woke up. That was where Round 2 began."

I can feel goose bumps starting to line my flesh. He was there all along? Every surge of pain. Every wretched memory constantly flooding my mind. Every haunting hallucination. He was behind it all?! "Just a quick reminder. Inflicting sheer agony on others has never been my style, but it had to be done. Ever since the moment you struck me down, I've been here weaving the next stage of this little game you trapped us in. Weakening your will to live so that in the end you would just give up. Of course, I still needed to give you moments of respite from the torment to let you rest before thrusting you back into it to break your will even more."

"You wretched... How dare you?! How can you be saying all of this with such a straight face?! You're evil! Evil!" Rarity is utterly shrieking at him while conjuring up another one of those diamond swords, threatening to stab him through the head herself. Even I have to admit that hearing him say this is...chilling.

"Must I remind you that I was trapped in a game your friend here coerced me into?!" He seems rather annoyed with my friend's outburst while trying to look back at her. And... I have to look away. I do not want to be reminded of what I did...

"It doesn't matter anyway! You're dead now! You can't win if you're not alive anymore!" I was not expecting Pinkie Pie to speak up. Even she is starting to look rather angry too.

"Well, dead in the sense that my body is no longer alive. And besides, I had no desire for this game to end in a draw. I was in it to win it by that point. I mean I could've just tormented him with such painful visions until his heart stopped. But I couldn't have that now, could I? My goal was to break his will until he finally could not go on, leaving him at the precipice between life and death. His soul moving on while leaving his body a barely alive husk."

"And...then what?" Twilight seems afraid. And I have to say I kind of am too. This almost feels like we are being told some sort of horror story.

Discord is bringing the fingers on his left hand together. "I believe it would be best to show you."

He just snapped his fingers. And...nothing happened. Now he is starting to snap them over and over while looking rather annoyed. "Oh, come on! At least grant me this!"

He looks like he is struggling to lay an egg or something by how scrunched up his face is getting. Grunting and growling as if trying to force a spell out. But that surely is not possible now, right? Huh? Now there was a flash of yellow sparks from his hand. "Eureka! Enjoy the show, ladies!"

Hmm... There seems to be an almost circular screen of sorts appearing in the air to my left. Nothing but static right now, but Discord is pointing at it with his fingers on the right hand now. "Ugh, junky reception. James, would you mind giving that a smack?"

"Uh... Sure?" I just smacked the thing with my shield. It wobbled in the air despite seeming mostly temporal and even spectral, but the static is starting to clear up... Wait... Is that me lying on the same hospital bed as before? The Elements of Harmony are still set upon me with my helmet still resting on my torso. And is that Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Nightmare Moon?

That long droning noise... The heart monitor has flatlined. And the three of them seem to almost be in a panic. Twilight is rushing up and down the length of my bed while glancing around and at the heart monitor. "No... No no no no no... What do we do?!"

Wait... The heart monitor just started beeping normally again. Rainbow Dash just wiped her brow. "Phew... False alarm, girls... Huh? Hey, is he moving?!"

Am I waking up? The perspective of the video feed seems to keep changing as if we are watching a professionally filmed movie. I seem to be stirring in bed before slowly starting to rise to a sitting position. Nightmare Moon seems to be smiling broadly. "He lives! Thank the stars..."

"Let me get those off you, James." Twilight seems to be using her magic to remove the Elements of Harmony from my body. Now I seem to be silently sitting up in bed while hunched forward.

Seems like everything is fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Now Rainbow Dash just took a step forward. "So... How're you feeling, big guy? You feeling all right?"

Now I seem to be reaching out with my arms for a big stretch. And once that is over, I suddenly hunch forward with a grunt. But... That grunt did not sound like... "Oh, I'm feeling just grand, Rainbow Dash. Never better, to be honest."

The chill that just spread in the air. Discord is just smirking as if anticipating a really fun part that is coming up, but my friends... That look of horror in their eyes. It is Fluttershy that just stated the obvious. "That isn't James' voice..."

My three friends standing at the bedside. They just jumped back in shock, although Nightmare Moon is standing her ground. "What the... I know that voice... Who is that?! Who are you?!"

This just went straight up psychological thriller. The tension is thick as the camera seems to move behind the three mares while focusing on me. There is barely any movement. And now... The camera just rapidly zoomed in on my head as I turn and...open my eyes while flashing a smirk. The eyes... "Who do you think?"

"What the hell...?!" That actually spooked me! My eyes are...red irises and yellow sclera. Discord's eyes? No way... And I am speaking with his voice?

"What the... That's Discord's voice! James, what's gotten into you?!" Rainbow Dash is yelling in the screen, clearly not entirely sure what to make of the person before her. Although it is becoming painfully obvious as to who is really speaking.

"James?" It seems I am feeling my hands all over my face. "Oh, right. I suppose this body could use a bit of a makeover first. Just a moment." And with a snap of my fingers... This... This is just too wrong. I was engulfed in a flash of gray light. And in my place... Discord himself as he flexes and literally bends over backwards. "Ooooh, yes! Feels so good to be back in the flesh!"

All three of them are just staring in shock, clearly unable to comprehend what they are seeing. It is Nightmare Moon who speaks first. "No... How do you still live?! I saw your corpse! You perished at his hands! Where is he, cretin?! What have you done with him?!"

"Temper, temper. Must you be so loud?" Now Discord is just lounging around on the bed while propping his head up on one hand. Such conflicted gazes in the eyes of Twilight and Rainbow... Not sure if they are confused, panicked, or enraged. "As for where he is... Well, I won't beat around the bush this time. He just couldn't take the pain and madness anymore and...just let go. Now I'm in charge of this rather cozy vessel, although I still prefer something more familiar. Can't exactly interact with the physical plane without a physical presence, right?"

Tears are beginning to stream down Twilight face as she seems ready to fire a spell at him. "No... Bring him back! I don't care where he is! Just bring him back to us!"

Now Discord is giving them a rather irritated glare. "You ask the impossible, Twilight Sparkle. Now, I may be able to do just about anything I want, but reviving the dead is still beyond my power."

Rainbow Dash... She is screaming at him now while also sobbing heavily. "He's not dead! But you are! So get outta his body and bring him back or I'll rip your head off!"

"And like I said, even I can't bring back the souls of the dearly departed. He made a gamble with the master of all chaos and paid the price for it. He may have won the battle, but he lost the war." And now... Such a cruel smirk. "And besides... Was I the one who really orchestrated his demise?"

Those looks of horror in their eyes. Nightmare Moon seems ready to blast his face off with a crackling lightning spell as arcs of magical electricity surges around her horn. "What are you implying, you abomination?!"

Discord is just lazily stretching while he sits up in bed. "If memory serves, the keys to my defeat were the Elements of Harmony. And yet, an outside factor was introduced. Someone who had no bearing on the situation and had no place there. And yet, somepony seemed to have brought him along anyway. And who was that?"

"No..." Twilight's stance seems to have become unsteady and the magic aura around her horn is beginning to flick as if she is beginning to lose focus. "We didn't... You're the one who... This was all your fault...! We just wanted..."

Now Discord is merely crossing his arms while smirking in clear triumph. "You wanted him to be with you as you dealt with something only you could fix. And as a result, he fell victim to a situation that he had no business getting involved in. I did not destroy your friend." He is now holding out his hands to Rainbow Dash and Twilight. "You did, my little ponies. You led him right to the grave."

Those words were the final nail in the coffin. Twilight and Rainbow Dash's face just dissolved into gazes of horror and utter anguish as the tears just burst forth. They could barely even make a sound. Twilight's magic aura vanished entirely from her horn as she dropped to her knees.

Discord just clapped his hands as he hopped to his feet. "Well, I'm afraid I have no time to stick around here. I've got plenty of chaos to see to! I have to say this was quite a hectic time for all of us, but you can't win them all, can you? And now I'm off! And be sure to tune into the weather channel because there is a hearty storm of fresh chaos with a side of mayhem blowing in pretty soon. Arrivederci!"

"NO!" Nightmare Moon just shouted before unleashing a massive blast of magic lightning right at him with eyes aglow in wrath. A bright flash and loud crash was heard before the light faded to reveal the bed and hospital wall beyond it absolutely blown apart and crumbling to reveal the area outside just behind the hospital. But there was no sign of Discord. He is gone. This clearly is not enough to deter Nightmare Moon's rage as she spreads her wings and flies out through the gaping hole in the wall in hot pursuit of the draconequus as his triumphant laughter seems to echo from everywhere. "I WILL FIND YOU, MONSTER!!!"

I was expecting the video to end there, but it is still going. It is panning down to Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow is not saying a word and just buried her face in her hooves. Twilight... She is muttering quietly repeatedly, "No... We didn't... We didn't..." She just collapsed to the floor, sobbing as they both lie there. Broken and consumed with absolute despair. Discord had truly won.

The screen seems to be filling with static now. And now it is just fading away. I... I do not even know what to say to what I just saw. It was so chilling... Completely fictional, but still... That could have happened? My friends are no better off. Fluttershy is even shedding tears as all six look on with faces frozen in horror.

"Well, that was more or less what would've happened." Discord just said calmly. Wait... Why did he suddenly yelp? The rope around his neck... Why is Applejack pulling on it so hard? I look around them and... She is! She really is pulling on that rope hard! "I've had enough! I'm gonna strangle that varmint!"

"Not if I get him first!" Rainbow Dash is trying to tear his wing off... They are all going crazy with rage! Fluttershy seems like she is trying to snap his neck while Applejack is attempting to strangle him, Rarity is repeatedly stabbing his body with her sword, Pinkie Pie seems like she is trying to constrict him with her stretchy arms and legs, and Twilight has her horn directed right down at his head while a surging pink aura surrounds her horn as if she is about to blow his head off. My god, they're really going to kill him!

He is helpless... But... What do I do? He probably deserves it, but... I am not convinced he is done talking yet. "Girls... GIRLS!!!"

They stopped but those faces... They are utterly furious, but they are at least not trying to hurt him for the moment. I hope they listen... "Please, let him finish."

Thank goodness they listened. They really do not want to relent, but they are starting to just let go off him while staying on his back while making sure he is staying restrained. Applejack just gave her rope some slack to not put so much strain on his throat while he gasps and coughs. Twilight just lowered her lips to his ear and just spoke in such a menacing tone, "If this were any other time, I would've blown your face off. You have no idea how lucky you are."

Strangely, Discord does not seem too intimidated by her words despite being completely helpless and even almost completely powerless. And now he is looking back up at me. "Well, regardless of what might have happened, it clearly isn't the case anymore. You challenged me to the Ultimate Game and won, Sir James. Now I lie humbled and defeated before you. Congrats."

What is wrong with him? He is not scowling. He does not sound bitter or resentful. And he does not seem afraid. "I'm...surprised you're not more upset about this."

Wait... He is laughing?! "Me? Upset?! Hahahaha!!! What in the world do I have to be miffed about?!"

All of my friends look just as baffled as I do. He is probably about to die and he is laughing at it?! He is even smiling! "Why should I be upset at all?! That was the single most exhilarating experience I have been through in eons! When you said the Ultimate Game is the single most satisfying competition I could ever partake in, you weren't joking at all!"

"I still don't follow..." What in the world is he getting at? This whole ordeal was miserable! What fun could be had in it?!

Well, seems like he is about to explain himself. "I wouldn't expect a mere mortal like you to understand it. When you backed me into the corner you did at the start, I felt things I didn't even know I could feel. I felt terror, desperation, vulnerable, so many new emotions I still cannot describe! It was the ultimate role reversal! Granted, I wouldn't want to go through it again, but it was the experience of a lifetime! It was...utter mortal chaos!"

He...actually got some sort of kick out of the thrill of being hunted down in hindsight? "Oh, but then things went from high octane madness to careful strategic planning. For roughly two weeks, I whittled at your defenses, chipping away at your integrity to insure that I would be the last one standing and be able to stay in the world of the living. Of course, to be fair, I did drop a few breadcrumbs here and there to see if anypony would catch on to what was happening. I even decided to pay a few visits to your dreams while wearing some familiar pretty faces. With mixed results, if memory serves. And then... Just when you were finally hours away from kicking the bucket, you came right to me to finish you off."

The horror I felt when I saw the six false forms merging together into a hulking frightful amalgam of them with Discord's eyes is still fresh in my memory. And I was defenseless at the time. "I had you right where I needed you to decisively end our little game right there. But just when I thought I had this game in the bag, the Elements of Harmony kicked in and things got crazy! Going up against all seven of you while each of you had your own unique tricks to throw my way made it just...so delightfully chaotic! By the way, Rainbow Dash? You're quite right. I've never been that much of a fighter. Chaos isn't something that's supposed to be focused like a warrior's will."

Man, I was having fun at that time too. And he was too? Huh... Well, he is still not done talking. "Oh yes... Fun times. I haven't had that much fun in far too long. It all came right down to the wire! And in the end...I lost. But what a loss it was! I had so much fun that I simply don't care! Even in defeat, that Ultimate Game certainly lived up to its name! Sooo satisfying! I may have lost, but it was a loss for the history books. I couldn't ask for a more spectacular way to end it all. I will remember this spectacular swan song for eons to come. It was a pleasure. Well, at least at the end, that is."

He is lowering his head and closing his eyes with such a serene smile across his lips. As if just resigning himself to his fate. My friends keep glancing at each other as if they are trying to find something to say. It is Fluttershy who breaks the silence. "Are you... Is this really all right with you?"

Discord still does not raise his head to look at me while he speaks. "I have no regrets. I have experienced the greatest fun I have ever had and that is a good enough high note for me to end on. Go ahead, Sir James. Claim the victory you earned."

It is strange... Even after all the crap he put us through, all of the pain... Some part of me does not want to see him die. He is helpless. He is not even showing fear. He has accepted his fate without a fight. Why? Does he actually want to die? "I'll be honest... I kind of don't want to..."

"Well, if you want to get out of here, you need to. I don't exactly have a body to go back to anyway. So I don't see what's stopping you." Discord is still keeping his head bowed. He is just waiting for me to deliver the deathblow.

This still does not feel right. I still feel compelled to talk him out of it. "Are you sure this is what you want? Aren't there any friends you want to see again?"

"......Friends?" That was different... His tone of voice almost sounds angry. And...he seems like he is starting to stir. "Don't you DARE preach to me about that garbage..."

Something is wrong here. His tone has changed entirely. His eyes have opened and...he is just glaring at me while he seems to be starting to struggle. My friends are trying to keep him down, but... "Friends aren't worth dirt. They'll never even be there forever. Nothing is more pointless than what you speak of!"

His shackles binding his limbs to the floor... Are they starting to crack? The ones binding his wrists to the ground just broke and he is beginning to rise, struggling to hurl my friends from his body! "Only chaos is absolute is this world! Everything, from friendship to love to happiness, will all be for naught in the face of chaos!"

This is bad... He seems like he is beginning to go mad. One by one, he is hurling my friends from his body. He even just snapped Applejack's rope from his neck and even pulled the diamond spears from his limbs. Free at last, he has lifted his head high. I need to strike now before he gets in another shot! We only barely managed to take him down once already! "Chaos is what makes life worth living! Let it consume you! Embrace it, for it is the absolute truth! I will..."

I... I got him... Just as he brought his head back down towards me, I thrust the Celestial Sword forward and... I got him. Right between the eyes.

The air has become utterly silent. I can hear nothing around me. I am gazing right at Discord as he gazes back at me with a look of total shock in his eyes. My friends are nearby, I know that much. But I cannot look away. I just dealt the final blow to Discord. He is frozen in place, mouth hanging open as I hear faint utterings from his twitching throat.

Why... I feel no satisfaction over this. No sense of accomplishment. No sense of triumph. I only feel...pity. I feel I should say something to him before this world fades. "That's enough, Discord... It's time to let go..."

He is... He is muttering something quietly, but... I can clearly hear him. "I...can...die...?"

Why would he ask that... And...why am I crying? Why are these tears flowing down my cheeks? There is nothing I can say to that. All I can do is nod in silence. That expression... His eyes. His mouth. It is beginning to show...utter tearful joy as tears begin to flow from his eyes as well. The world around us is beginning to brighten as the environment fades into the void. And I hear his final words. "Thank you..."

His hand... It is slowly and rigidly reaching for me... For my face. But...I sense no hostility in him. What is he doing? I feel no urge to move away.

His hand is upon my face. And... The white is rapidly fading into darkness. Why? What is Discord... Wait... Is that his name? Then who was just with... Why... Why can I not remember them? What am I doing here? I do not feel weak or cold, but... I... Why are my memories... Who even am I?

---

I saw it. James stabbed Discord right between the eyes. The world around us began to brighten and... I saw Discord starting to reach out to him. That was when my vision faded and I could see nothing else. I opened my eyes, finding Nightmare Moon looking at Rainbow Dash and I. "Well? What has transpired?"

"I... I think it's over... The curse was Discord himself and... James just plunged his sword right between the eyes. And then... Everything went blank." I still cannot believe it was Discord all along. And what would have happened if he succeeded... I can still feel my skin crawl just thinking about that vision he showed us.

"Discord himself?! I should have expected no less..." Nightmare Moon said in mild surprise while also showing a look of disgust.

Rainbow Dash started to walk over to James' bedside. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it either... I think he said he possessed him or something just before James killed him. Some kinda soul transfer spell he kept up his sleeve?" She then reached out and placed her hoof on James' hand while looking at him. "But... If Discord's gone now...why hasn't he woken up yet?"

It was then that I heard a knock at the door. Seeing that the curse that had been cast upon James was finally lifted, I felt it was safe to allow whoever was knocking into the room. But instead of finding one of the hospital's staff on the other side, I saw them instead. "Huh? Oh, girls! What's wrong?"

All four of my other closest friends had gathered on the other side. Fluttershy was at the front of the group and asked, "Is it safe now? Can we come in? Is he...all right?"

I could not help but smile. We did not have to worry about keeping them away from James now. "Sure... The coast is clear."

They came in right away, although I could tell they were still uneasy about something. Rainbow Dash turned to them and asked, "Hey, girls... Did everything go black for you too?"

"Uh huh. Everything just faded to white and... Why isn't he awake yet? Do you think Discord got to him at that last second?!" Pinkie Pie seems especially worried. And I remember it too. The way Discord was reaching for James' face right before I could not see anything anymore. He almost killed James when he grabbed him by the throat so...

Rarity seemed to be thinking of the exact same thing I was. "I don't think so, Pinkie... If he did... Don't you suppose he would have already awaken in James' body?"

She was right. Unlike in the vision Discord showed us, James remained asleep on the bed. "Good point... Wait! If he's asleep... Nightmare Moon, could you visit him in his dream?"

"I most certainly can. Let me check first." Our Princess of Dreams then closed her eyes as her horn was coated by her dark blue magic aura. However, a moment later, she opened her eyes while showing a worrisome frown. "I... I cannot reach him. He is not dreaming at all..."

"Then...where do y'all think he is?" Applejack asked before trotting over to James and nudging his face. "Hey... Come on, pardner. No point in sleepin' in anymore. Ya took that varmint down, so... Wake up already!"

I could not understand. Discord was finally gone. The curse was lifted. So...why would James not wake up? What did Discord do to him at the last second? This is getting...scary. Please, no more! I cannot handle anymore of this madness! It is over! The crisis is over! Just let us all go back to our lives!

All we can do now is wait. I am just writing this down to help pass the time... Fluttershy is standing by James' side. Placing her hoof on his hand. Oh, Fluttershy... I know she has had it worse than any of us... "Please... Come back to us... I can't take anymore of this... Please come back to me..."

I know you love him, Fluttershy... I do too. I miss him. The real him. My gaze fell upon the Elements of Harmony. The six gemstones embedded in them are still faintly glowing. I strongly doubt we should remove them yet. Maybe they are still guiding him. Leading him back to those who miss him...

---

-DOCUMENTATION BEGINS-

I have no way of knowing how or where I ended up where I was. I remember nothing from before where my memory begins. All I remember is tat I found myself standing in an empty black void. I was wearing almost nothing. Nothing but a pair of shorts covered me. I could feel solid ground beneath my bare feet, but could see nothing. Despite the inky blackness all around me, I could clearly see myself despite the lack of any light. But I did not know where I was. I did not know what I was doing. I could even barely remember my own name. Everything was just blank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c46cbx-tRA

There was nowhere for me to go. No one to turn to. I did not even know what to feel. Should I have felt afraid? Angry? Sorrowful? Happy? All I could do was just walk along. I felt so empty... Yet I was not left wanting. I did not know what I wanted or what I should have loathed. Why could I not remember a single thing?

The only thing that reached my ears were my own shambling light footsteps. However, after... Actually, I cannot even remember how much time passed. I had no way of knowing how many seconds or minutes ticked by before I found something in the inky blackness that was not me.

Out of the darkness, I saw something rolling into view. It was mostly round and rolled smoothly along the flat ground. It also seemed to be giving off a faint glow. I stopped and watched it roll, strangely mesmerized by the sight as it was the only sign of movement all around me. Eventually, it came to a stop in my path.

I felt compelled to approach it and pick it up. And when I did, I found that the object seemed to be a round fruit with a thin rind and a tough pulp just underneath. One word came to my mind. Apple. It was a red apple that constantly gave off a faint red glow. A single green leaf was still attached to the stem.

"Whatcha got there, pardner? A lead weight?"

Those words carrying a thick southern accent seemed to come from everywhere. Or did it come from within my mind? I promptly replied quietly, "No... It's just an apple."

It was then that I realized someone had just spoken to me. I turned and began to scan my surroundings. But no one was there. And the voice did not come again. And yet... I swear I had heard those words before. From the same voice. They felt sacred... As if the time they were spoken to me held great importance in my heart. But no memories came to me. I had no way of knowing when or where I had heard those words before. Or from whom.

I turned my gaze back down to the bright red rind of the apple in my hand. Almost instinctively brought it to my mouth. However, I quickly stopped and lowered it. It was all I had at that moment. And I felt...a strange connection to the simple fruit. I could not bring myself to tarnish it. I was not even certain if I was hungry. Feeling compelled to preserve the fruit, I continued to clutch it in my hand while I continued on with no destination in mind.

Before long, my eyes caught a peculiar sight in the darkness ahead. A single light blue balloon seemed to be slowly drifting through the air while not very high off the ground. It too was giving off a faint glow from the bright rubber that made up its body. Much like with the apple in my hand, I felt compelled to approach it. I hastened my pace until I was standing before it.

The balloon lazily drifted back and forth before me, yet it never floated away. A thing string of thread hung from the bottom, tied securely around the balloon's opening to keep the helium inside. The way it simply stayed there without drifting away... I almost felt as if it was calling me. And so I reached out and grasped the thread with my right hand.

"James, you silly! This is YOUR party!"

Another voice. And this one was filled with peppy cheerfulness. And those words... Once again, I felt a powerful sense of longing upon feeling that I had heard them before. But from whom? There was still no one around me to be seen.

I gazed up at the balloon, wondering if was who had spoken to me. I tapped it with the apple in my right hand to see if it would respond in some way, but the only response it gave me was simply being pushed through the air before floating straight back up again above my hand where I held its thread. And that name it spoke... James. Was that my name? Or was it someone else?

Feeling another strange attachment to this random object floating in the black void, I continued to grasp it in my left hand. I then placed the apple in my left arm while keeping it close to my body so I at least had one hand free. I began to walk again in the silence of the darkness, my two passengers casting their faint glow onto me like portable nightlights. Despite them being inanimate objects, I felt slightly less alone with them in my grasp.

In time, I saw something new in the darkness. It seemed to be a beautiful azure glow coming from a tiny point in the ground up ahead. With the balloon and apple in my arm, I actually ran towards it as an alien sense of excitement filled me. The object was small. A bit smaller than the apple. It seemed to be an azure diamond. Not very narrow, it was almost as wide as it was tall, but not quite. I took it in hand, admiring its simple cut and polished form.

"Red and green go so well together, do they not?"

That voice that came from nowhere... It was oozing with elegant grace and sophistication. And like the previous two, it belonged to a woman. I instinctively looked down, eyeing the red color of the apple and the green glow coming from its equally green leaf. "They really do..."

There was no sign of anyone around me. Where were these voices coming from? And why were they talking to me? And why was I feeling so attached to these random items I was finding? Regardless, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no memories to call upon for guidance, I placed the beautiful glowing diamond beside the apple in my arm's grasp and began to continue on. I was curious as to what else I would find.

It took almost no time at all to see something new out in the inky darkness. A tiny light on the horizon piercing the black veil in front of me. Thinking it was a beacon I should not ignore, I began to approach it. However, I soon found it was nowhere near me. It truly was on the horizon. After trekking for what felt like somewhere close to a full mile, I finally found it floating in the air before me. A star with six points and a pinkish hue was floating almost above the height of my head. The glow from it was bright, yet not so bright that I had to look away.

It was almost ethereal in composition. I stared at it, wondering if I could hold it in my hand. A part of me was wary, somehow knowing that stars are unbearably hot and touching it might destroy my hand. But I felt no heat from this source of light. Actually, it was not giving off much more light than the three objects I was carrying. With some hesitation, I reached out to it with my unoccupied hand.

I could not touch it. My fingers merely passed through it. However, it did respond. Once my hand had been lowered, the star drifted towards me until it was floating just above my right shoulder. And it stayed there no matter which way I turned.

"Excuse me, but you're a human, aren't you?"

This voice was different from the previous three. Where the previous three voices that came to me sounded charmingly rustic, the other was loud and cheerful, ad the third was beautiful and enticing. This voice sounded more...normal. Down to earth and calm. And I felt a strange kinship with the voice. And it... Unlike the others, those words seemed to fill my heart with a powerful sense of nostalgia. Where had I heard that line before? And who said it to me? And why comment about me being human? Were these voices...not from people who are human?

Seeing that the star stayed right above my shoulder, I made no attempt to move it to my left arm. I then began to walk along again, still having no idea of where I was and with no new clues as to why I was there and who I am. After what felt like far too long without any signs of activity, I heard something come from above. A faint rumble.

A thunderclap. But there was no rain. And I could see no clouds. I came to a stop. I instinctively scanned the black sky above me. And then, I saw and heard it. A loud rumble that came from nowhere as a bright light of numerous colors rushed towards me.

Startled, I threw up my right hand and closed my eyes while gritting my teeth. I felt...something strike my hand. Almost like I had felt the air ripple into it. When I felt the danger had passed, I looked down at my hand. And I was left stunned by what I was seeing. In my palm rested arcing and crackling currents of raw lightning. They never touched me, but they never faded either. And the colors... Red, yellow, and blue. And the general shape they took on resembled that of a lightning bolt.

"Uh, James? I think you better let this one go."

I did as the voice told me and turned my hand sideways to drop the lightning bolt. However, it stayed where it was, never once leaving the space above my palm. It was then that I realized that holding the lightning of three colors in my hand had, like the previous four items I had found, triggered a new voice to speak up from seemingly nowhere. This voice belonged to a woman as well. It was bold and oozed confidence.

Gazing down at the lightning in my hand, I felt a sense of safety As if I could count on it to protect me. It felt so familiar, but I could not put my finger on it. Even so, with no way to actually remove it from its location, I began to walk along with my five passengers. What would I find next?

Minutes passed and I saw movement up ahead. Something was moving around in the air up ahead in a seemingly aimless pattern. Once I drew closer, I could clearly make out the form of a butterfly fluttering about. It too was giving off a soft glow, allowing me to see it easily.

I felt charmed while watching the humble insect flapping through the air. But with both hand in use, I was unsure how to reach out to it. Fortunately, I did not need to. It seemed to respond to my presence when I drew near since it began to adjust its flying to drift towards me. It eventually circled me and lightly landed upon my left shoulder while its wings lazily rose and fell. The butterfly itself was largely featureless, having no visible eyes, abdomen, or legs. The wings were a light pink while the body and antennae were more teal in color.

"Um... Excuse me, but are you OK?"

Another voice... Once again, it clearly belonged to a woman. However, this voice was quiet and demure. And where had I heard it before? I felt myself calm down upon hearing it. Who was speaking to me? What were these six apparitions I kept finding in the empty darkness before me?

I was unsure of where to go from that point. The presence the six items in my possession felt so warm and familiar... As if I was among people I care about. But I could not remember a single name or face. Why could I not remember a single thing?

Something caught my eye. I gazed up to see two shapes flying overhead. They seemed identical to each other, being completely featureless while giving off a white glow. They soon swooped low, allowing me to see them. Bird. Or at least the shape of birds. I felt a strong compulsion to reach them. As if I needed them. However, to my disappointment, they flew on ahead and out of sight. Even their glow could not be seen from so far ahead.

Feeling a twinge of sadness in my heart, I began to walk along again. However, as I did, I noticed an odd sight. The glows of the six objects around began to brighten. They even began to float away from me, the lightning bolt, apple, and star on my right while the butterfly, diamond, and balloon floated to my left. They kept up with my pace as I walked, but a new glowing mass began to surround them. What were they doing?

Some of the six items were shrinking. Some were even dividing. The star and the lightning were even becoming solid. But they all seemed to be in the process of becoming flat. And the glowing mass of light that seemed to be expanding from them... What were these forms? The more mass they gained, the more...equine they became.

Finally, the growth seemed to stop. And for the most part, the forms that had emerged from the six items I had acquired looked roughly the same. Although... The color of the glow that covered each of them were different. Completely featureless, but with a definitive shape. Quadruped equines, though much smaller than me. The one that emerged from the apple was a shade of orange, the one that had been produced from the balloon was a vibrant pink, the form that came from the diamond was purest white, the one that arose from the star was a light purple, the one that came from the lightning was a light blue, and the one that bloomed from the butterfly was a light golden yellow. They were all too small to be horses... Ponies, perhaps?

They all stood in a row alongside me, three on one side with three on the other while facing the direction I had been walking. Even though I could see no discernible features upon them, I could see that their tails and manes were all styled differently. The purple one's mane seemed to have been combed straight, yellow one's mane and tail were very long and curled at the tips, the orange one's tail and mane were both tied at the end to form a literal ponytail while the shape of the head's top seemed to suggest the presence of a hat with a wide brim, the pink one's mane and tail both seemed to be rather...poofy and frizzy, the blue one's mane and tail appeared to be rather wild and frayed at the tips, and the white one's mane and tail were noticeably curled in just one impressive spiral for each. And even though I had no memory of them, they all looked...familiar somehow. And for each of them, the items that they had emerged from seemed to have emblazoned themselves upon the sides of their hips as completely flat images. The balloon had gained two extra balloons with one being the same color with the other being a light yellow, the diamond, apple, and butterfly had tripled in number, and the lightning bolt had become a lightning bolt shape with the three colors I mentioned before while appearing to be coming down from a white cloud. The star symbol seemed largely unchanged.

"Who...are you?" I asked quietly, wondering if these glowing apparitions were alive in some way. They did not respond to my words and remained silent. But when I began to continue on, they walked in sync with me. Where I went, they followed. And I felt relieved knowing that they would stay with me. Being in their presence comforted me for some reason I could not fathom at the time.

I was unsure of what to make of these things as they followed me wherever I went. But in time, I saw them once more on the horizon. A white glow. And when it came into view, the six equine forms beside me hastened their pace into a quick trot. Where were they going?

Not wanting to lose sight of them, I hastened my pace into a jog. But they stayed ahead of me regardless. With those six colors guiding me, I saw what the white light was coming from. The two birds I had seen pass overhead were floating in the air, wings spread wide with heads touching while bowed as their tail feathers were curled with talons clasped. The form brought to mind a heart. And there was even a perfect heart shape between them. A form that felt so familiar to me.

The six glowing equine forms stayed in a row as they trotted along. When they were about to pass the floating merged glowing birds, I came to a stop. All I could do was watch. Just when they were about to pass it, they came to a stop. Seven glowing forms lined up in a row with nothing but blackness around them, each a different color. They seemed to turn around to face me. For a moment, I merely stood there while looking on while they looked back. At least I assumed they could see me. And then, I heard the voice that spoke to me just after I tried to touch the star when I found it.

"Come back to us, James."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxA0XjvHLi0

They were speaking to me. One by one, I heard a voice come from them while sounding as if it came from everywhere. The voice that came with the apple spoke next.

"Time ta wake up, pardner."

Then the voice of the diamond.

"Please, leave this nightmare behind you and return to us."

Then the voice of the balloon.

"No more sad times... Let's get back to the happy times."

Then the voice of the lightning bolt.

"Come on, big guy... We're not saying goodbye today."

And finally, the voice of the butterfly.

"Please... Don't go..."

It was then that I felt my eyes beginning to water. Tears. Somehow, those words triggered a stirring in me I could never hope to describe. These were voices I had heard somewhere before. I wanted to be with whoever they belonged to. I longed to return to whatever I had forgotten. As if compelled to do so, I walked forward. As I did, I could see that the six pony forms were turning their heads to watch me. I soon stood before the two glowing bird shape that floated between them. But when I reached for it, I noticed another glowing white form. Right upon my upper arm.

I had not seen it before. It matched the shape before me perfectly while giving off a soft glow. There was one on my other arm as well. The same kind of marking as those on the six ponies near me? I thought nothing of it and reached out and attempted to touch the glowing shape before me.

The moment the two of us made contact, angelic white exploded from the twin avian forms and began to engulf my vision and the black void around me. Everything began to fade away in the white veil. And as it did, I was hit with a deluge of mental information. Years upon years of memories were returning to me. I remembered my name. I remembered where I came from. I remembered...too much to list in one go. But most importantly, I remembered them. Those six wonderful mares. And everyone else I met afterwards. And then...my vision began to return as I opened my eyes.

I could hear a high pitched beeping sound. The kind you hear from a heart monitor. And...was there something on my head? And on my torso? And around my neck? I tilted my head down and saw none other than my helmet with the Element of Humanity facing me. But what was on my head? When I reached up and took it in hand, I found it to be none other than the Element of Magic. And I was further surprised to find the Elements of Kindness and Loyalty to be loosely worn around my wrists. I immediately snickered at the thought of wearing such an extravagant tiara and such oversized bracelets. "OK, who was playing dress-up with me while I was asleep?"

There was barely a sound. When I turned my head to look to my left, I saw them. All six of my dearest friends. And among them stood Nightmare Moon herself. Why had they all gathered? And...what was with those gazes of... I do not even know what those faces were conveying. Shock? The silence in the room, unless you take into account the heart monitor, was getting rather unsettling. "Uh... Girls?"

Something felt wrong. Every last one of them looked as if them were on the verge of bursting into tears. Nightmare Moon seemed to be keeping her composure, though She seemed to quiver and sniffle every now and then. Finally, Fluttershy came forward. "James...? Are you... Do you remember us? Do you feel all right?"

I took a look at my surroundings. I was definitely somewhere in Ponyville Hospital. And when I looked down at myself, I saw that a bandage was wrapped around my middle. Just what happened to me? I placed my hand on it, but felt no pain. If I had been hurt, I clearly was healing nicely. "Did...something happen?"

Pinkie Pie then stepped forward. "What do you mean? You were there. You saw Discord...right?"

"Discord? Who's... Oh, that guy! Yeah, he was pretty wacky. Where is he? Did we get... Oh, well I guess we must've gotten the Elements of Harmony back if I'm wearing them. Obvious answer is obvious." I could not help laughing a bit at such an obvious observation. But for whatever reason, my friends were not laughing at all. They were merely looking at each other in silent confusion.

"Pardner... What's the last thing you remember?" Applejack looks quite worried. Why? I felt fine, if not a bit tired.

"Um... Well, the last time I saw Discord was right when we were about to head into that giant hedge maze. Walls of leaves popped up around us, I left a journal entry at the spot where I started, I began to walk down the path in front of me and... That's the last thing I remember." I have to wonder what happened after that part. Everything else is a blank. Did I pass out?

"Truly, darling? You... You remember nothing of what happened after that?" Rarity looked rather shocked and even rather uneasy as she said that. What was troubling her so much?

I looked around the room while trying to understand what had all my friends so troubled. I saw a wooden stool I had seen frequently in Applejack's house. I saw a ceiling fan made of clouds spinning above us. I saw a potted flowering plant just to the right of my bed that I had always seen on the second floor of Twilight's home. I saw a birdhouse hanging from the room's ceiling lamp. I saw Pinkie Pie's phonograph in the corner of the room. And I saw an elegant porcelain lamp that surely must have come from Rarity's house. Why were there so many little decorations around my room? "How long was I out...? Did something happen to me?"

"James... You were..." Twilight began to speak, but soon paused. A brief moment later, she showed a somber smile. "You... You just collapsed in the labyrinth right after we started. We managed to find the Elements of Harmony and defeated him again, but... We found you collapsed right by the entrance. You fell into a coma... We weren't even sure if you were going to wake up. It's been at least three weeks... Right, girls?"

A coma... Wow... I had no idea what to say to that. But they all began to solemnly nod in unison. Rainbow Dash then halfheartedly grinned and said, "Ye... Yeah... That's what happened. Don't worry though... Discord's gone. He won't be bothering Equestria ever again..."

They still all looked very uneasy and even stressed. "Girls... Is something wrong?"

"No... Nothing's wrong..." Fluttershy said quietly as tears began to flow down her cheeks. She smiled quietly, but soon sobbed before leaping right into my arms and burying her face against my chest. "Everything's all right... Everything's going to be all right...! You're going to be just fine..."

"Please... Make room, Fluttershy." I heard Rarity say between wracked sobs. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, all six of my friends had climbed onto the bed and were holding me in a powerful group hug. There was not a dry eye amongst them. But...I did not let go. I did not reject them. I allowed them to cry all they needed to. However, I then turned my gaze towards Nightmare Moon.

She seemed to quietly smile at me, but did not move from her spot. It was not until my friends finally climbed down from the bed that she stepped forward. "It does my heart good to see you well, my friend..."

"It's good to see you here too..." I said in return, all too happy to see my precious royal friend before me. She seemed to be holding back tears as well, so I reached out with an arm to invite her into an embrace. An offer she all too readily accepted.

Nightmare Moon spread her wings and wrapped them around my body while I did the same with my arms. She sobbed quietly with her head resting upon my shoulder. It was difficult for me to not become overwhelmed with emotions myself. "Thank the stars you are well once more... I feared we would lose you, my friend..."

"It's OK, Nightmare Moon... I'm not going anywhere." I whispered to her while tenderly stroking my hand down the back of her neck and through her glorious mane. However, mere moments later, there was a knock at the door.

"I got it." Rainbow Dash said while she trotted over to it. She opened it just a crack before speaking up. "Oh, hey! What's up, squirt?"

Squirt? There is only one person I know who Rainbow Dash consistently calls that term. Among a few other pet names as well. And I heard a familiar girl's voice speak up from just behind it. "Hi, Rainbow Dash... Cheerilee let me have the afternoon off so I could stay with him until he..."

"Hey... Hey, no crying." Rainbow spoke sympathetically while reaching out behind the door as if to lift someone's chin. "You don't have to worry about him kicking the bucket now. He's gonna be fine." She then suddenly opened the door wide, allowing me to see a familiar pegasus filly standing in the doorway. "See for yourself!"

I felt myself instantly smile, recognizing the little filly as my adopted sister. I waved at her and said, "Hey there, Scoot."

At first, she had no response. She seemed to stutter and stammer for a moment while watching me sit up in bed. But she did eventually charge right into the room with an excited smile while calling out the one word I was not expecting to hear. "Dad!"

Everyone's response to that was pretty much the same, as was mine. I could hardly believe what I had just been called. Applejack put it best. "Whoa, am I missin' somethin' here? Since when was James yer pa?!"

Just before Scootaloo could reach my bed, she stopped cold in her tracks while a deep red blush began to spread across her face. She then covered her face with her hooves and groaned in embarrassment. "Oh man, did I really just say that?! Sorry!"

We were all laughing by that point. Even so, I still reached over the side of my bed and lifted my little sister to my side. "It's cool, sis. But what's up? Why'd you call me that? I thought I was your big brother."

"Uh... Yeah... About that... Huh?" Scootaloo started to speak, but Rainbow Dash had hurried over to her side and began to whisper something into her ear. It was too quiet for me to hear and she had her hoof up to block my view of her mouth. Scootaloo merely nodded while looking surprised. "Really? Whoa... OK."

Once Rainbow Dash backed away, Scootaloo turned her attention towards me once more. She looked remarkably somber while struggling to maintain eye contact. "It's just... While you were in a coma... I was doing a lot of thinking... You've always been there for me and... I guess..."

I waited patiently while allowing Scootaloo to speak. However, it seemed that she ultimately could not find the right words and let out a long sigh. "I guess... What I'm trying to say is..." She then looked at me in the eyes while tears seemed ready to burst forth at any second. "Can I... Can I call you Dad?"

I heard an audible gasp from some of my friends. They were all looking on in shocked silence. Rarity and Fluttershy even had a hoof raised over there mouths. I was unsure of how to process Scootaloo's request. Was she being serious? Am I truly more of a father than a brother in her eyes? She almost looked terrified, as if she feared an angry response. But... I felt no anger towards her. I was not even entirely certain of what to feel. I felt...flattered. Touched, even. Was I ready to be a father? If this child wanted me to be her father, and had known me long enough to see such qualities in me...

My hand tenderly stroked her wild purple mane while I felt myself smile warmly. She looked right at me as I spoke my response. "You can call me whatever you want, sweetheart."

Very slowly, her eyes began to moisten further. She lifted her little hooves to her mouth as the tears began to utterly cascade down her face. Finally, completely in tears, she jumped at me and buried her face in my chest as a word escaped her lips that instantly brought tears to my eyes. "Daddy..."

I tenderly placed my hand on the back of Scootaloo's head. All of my friends were applauding heartily while some were even crying. I was especially shocked to see Rainbow Dash burst into tears. I did not mind though. I had no idea if I was truly ready for fatherhood, but I was willing to try for the one little girl who wanted me to be hers. My hand tenderly stroked the back of my daughter's head while I felt her tears flow down my bare chest.

Moments later, Fluttershy came to my bedside with fresh tears having matted her cheeks. She reached out and tenderly got Scootaloo's attention by patting her back. "Scootaloo...?"

"Hm...?" She muttered while trying to dry her tears. I too was curious of what she was going to say, although I had a hunch of what was coming.

After taking a deep breath, Fluttershy spoke in her soft quiet voice while showing a calm smile. "If you want... You can call me Mom too."

That prompted a second deluge of tears from the young filly, but she still managed to speak clearly. "OK...Mom." Once more, there was a burst of applause while Fluttershy tenderly nuzzled our little friend's face... No... Not our friend. Our daughter.

Minutes later, once she had finally stopped crying, Scootaloo took a moment to seemingly eye the Elements of Harmony that were still on my body. She then smirked and pointed at the Element of Generosity that was around my neck. "Hey, Dad? Why're you wearing jewelry for girls?"

I think I may have blushed a bit at that observation. I still was unsure of who put them on me to begin with. With a roll of my eyes, I looked at my friends. "Good question. Which one of you girls thought it was a funny idea to dress me up like a chick?" The only response I got was laughter from everyone in the room.

I am unsure of how to describe the rest of the day. It was just so...nice. Although I was bored with the fact that I was not able to leave the room at all. It only made me all the more glad that I have not been hospitalized more often. It is boring here! Thank god my friends stayed with me throughout the day. And for whatever reason, I was famished. I felt I had not eaten in days. Although considering I had been in a coma for more than half a month, that should not have surprised me. Pinkie Pie was more than willing to bring me some goodies from Sugarcube Corner, bless her heart.

I was glad to find out from the doctors that I seem to be healing up rather quickly. It seems I will be getting out of here in no more than a week, although I hope it will not take quite that long. Strangely, Rainbow Dash kept bugging Fluttershy to tell me something today. And each time, Fluttershy insisted on waiting until I got home. I wonder what she has in store for me...

Night got boring very fast. All of my friends had to leave at 8 pm, so I was left with nothing to do but write this journal. Thank goodness Twilight brought me some extra paper and ink to do it with.

While I was taking a break from writing though, I got bored and began to peek into the drawers of the nightstand to my left after flipping on the lamp Rarity had left there. At least I am sure it was her lamp. I really liked that vase filled with flowers. I think they were azaleas while the vase seems to be a greenish or even seafoam color. It looked like the Cutie Mark Crusaders dropped it off at some point while I was incapacitated. While feeling around, I felt something flat inside. A piece of paper?

When I lifted my hand out, I found none other than some sort of 'get well' card. Knowing I had not read it before, I flipped it open and began to read it. "Dear James... I am so sorry about what happened... I wish I could've been there for you. To have stopped this from happening. I... I feel like the worst girlfriend in the world... Can you ever forgive me for what I did? If anything ever happens to you, I will never be able to forgive myself... I just want things to go back to the way they used to be. I love you... Please pull through. I can't bear to lose you now... Please... Please don't leave us now. Forever your mare, Fluttershy."

I felt so bad, yet so touched when I read that card. I tenderly held it to my chest, thinking back to that beautiful tender mare I had fallen in love with. Whatever it was that landed me in a coma, it seemed that Fluttershy had taken it pretty hard. At least now things seem to be just fine. I cannot wait to go home. I looked down at the card one more time and sighed with a smile. "Thanks, honey..."

I think that is all I want to write tonight. I still feel rather tired from being stuck like this for so long. Being bedridden for this long really leaves you feeling weak. At least that trouble with Discord was handled in the end. Although I still cannot help wondering what happened back there while I was unconscious. Is Discord stuck back in stone somewhere in Canterlot? I will inquire about that some other time. Right now, I just want to sleep.