Decided to try an entire story series with Joy Star, because he may be more tied to TD's enemy than we thought.
Admirer Boy decided to have Joy in first-person for this one. It was an interesting twist on story making. I actually liked it.
Note: This is an AU from TD's original involvement with Joy Star.
Hope you enjoy!
Today was a rather fine day... well almost fine day. As for me, I had so many plans to work on for today. I had to practice my magic skills, as well as going on a field trip with young foals. And after that, I'd have much time to spend with my favorite cousin Cadence. She looked so delightful these days, as she was soon going to be with her knight in shining armor... well... Shining Armor. I was so much happy for her. As for me and my fiancée, we were helping my cousin in preparations for marriage. Bubble was pretty excited herself. Sometime after her... certain situation, she was feeling pretty well. But for some reason, she was still feeling slightly upset when we were coming back to the palace after buying some gifts for my cousin.
"Bubble?" I asked.
"Yes my dear?" She replied.
"Are you feeling... okay?" I asked her.
"Mmmhmm... I'm fine but..."
"What is it?" I insisted "Is it something about your...?"
"No, no..." She giggled "It's not about that. I was just worried that every time when we're so happy, something is bound to go wrong someway."
"Don't worry Bubs. My gut says everything will be fine." I nuzzled her mane. "After all, what can go wrong in simple royal marriage?"
Suddenly, a howl was heard in the distance, one which was vaguely familiar to us both. At the same time, I heard a voice in my head.
"Joy Star..."
Uh oh, I thought. That howling and that voice in my head could be only from one creature: that Windago which I fought a few weeks ago. I replied to the voice.
"Yes! What do you want now?"
"I didn't say anything." Bubble said in surprise "Why you being mad at me?"
"No, not you my sweetheart. I was talking to that voice."
"What voice?" Bubble's eyes widened with worry, "I'm having a really bad feeling about this."
Just then, the Windago I was thinking about dropped down in front of us. How he was here at all was unclear to me, but I also noticed that he wasn't trying to attack us. On the contrary, he was trying to let us know that he wasn't hostile. Bubble instantly got scared at the sight of him and her horn started to glow. I looked towards her and told her, "Don't worry Bubs. He's not here to fight us." It was a little to her relief. I looked towards the ice-spirit.
"Why are you here?" I demanded, "Don't you know you and your friends has caused much trouble?!" I said in a bit of anger, "If my mother found out, she'd vaporize you for sure! So, go now?"
The Windago just shook its head and the voice returned to my head.
"Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't do that without warning you of what's coming."
"Then tell me what it is then," I said while Bubble was still watching the Windago with a suspicious look on her face. The Windago neighed a bit before continuing.
"Your enemy, the one who gave me the helmet... he's coming for you, Joy Star. You and all your friends and family. But he's not alone. He had help from the one who helped Discord deflect your spell."
That's not good. Not good at all. I thought as I realized my gut was wrong after all.
"Thanks for the warning my friend," I was only able to say, "Now go and hide before guards arrive here."
"Too late," the Windago replied. No sooner had he spoken than an entire squad of guards approached us. Forming a quick defensive circle around me and Bubble, they pointed their spears or horns at the Windago.
"Your Highness!" one shouted to me, "Stay back! This thing is dangerous!"
The Windago neighed in protest and was trying to calm the guards down, but it wasn't working. I guess I was the only one who could understand him.
"Guards!" I shouted as a few of them looked towards me, "Trust me, he's not dangerous at all."
They gave me a look of disbelief, so I added, "Otherwise he'd have attacked by now."
"Still we can't take any risks!" A unicorn guard spoke up, "Capture him."
As he said this, the other guards' horns started to glow and they captured the Windago in a forcefield bubble. I was unable to help him now. I'd have to talk with mother and aunt Luna. Something bad was about to happen. I don't know what made me more mad; not being able to help a friendly Windago or the fact that my family and friends were in danger once again. I wished that to never happen. I was feeling really upset and really sad.
Tell me it's not happening on my cousin's marriage. I thought.
"Fine, take him back to palace," Another guard spoke up, "And keep Prince Joy and Lady Bubble in cover."
The Windago suddenly got thoughtful and looked to me.
"TD!" he shouted in my head, "Call him! He can help!"
But he wasn't able to say much else before he was taken away by the guards.
"Yes! Maybe TD can help," I said to myself "Let's go back to palace."
With this, Bubble and I along with the guards headed back towards the palace where I'd left that stone.
I don't like this. I'm feeling bad for Caddie. That's just not fair.
**TD's POV**
TD looked out at the night sky of Equestria as he thought about the most recent happenings in his world. With the recent adoption of Tracker and the upcoming graduation of Chuck's son, Sterling, he almost felt like the world was moving along too fast to register himself. TD sighed, but not unhappily. Life was strange sometimes, but since when did that stop him from doing what he liked best?
Just then, TD heard the sound of hoofsteps behind him and he smiled. Even if he hadn't seen her yet, he knew exactly who it was.
"William?" Twilight asked, a bit of fatigue in her voice, "Is everything alright?"
TD turned around to look at his wife. In the night air, her eyes seemed to sparkle and he could've sworn there were miniature stars in her eyes.
"Everything is fine Twilight," TD said kindly, "Just thinking. Plus, those visions woke me up again."
Twilight nodded and trotted up beside him. Even though she had grown significantly taller over the years, she was still around half her husband's height while on four legs. She smiled up at him and nuzzled against him affectionately. TD smiled and got down on his knees to meet her level, pulling her into a loving embrace.
"I know I've probably said this before," he whispered, "But I'm glad that we're together."
"I am too," she replied. She looked into his eyes, noticing that they had reverted into his draconic eyes, telling her that all three of his personalities were together for this moment. She nuzzled up against him again as one of his hands gently started stroking her mane.
Unfortunately, that's also around the time that the message came. A loud "RING!" was heard and TD pulled away in confusion.
"What's that?" Twilight asked.
"I'm not sure," TD said, pulling a phone out of nowhere. He lifted it to his ear and said, "This is the Terror of Dimensions, but you can call me TD. Who is this? Joy Star?! Needs help? I'll be right there."
TD put away the phone and looked to Twilight.
"I'm not even gonna ask if you want to come with me, because I already know the answer," TD said bluntly with a smile. Twilight simply hung onto him tightly as he concentrated on the jump needed to reach Joy's universe...
**Joy's POV**
I reached to palace and quickly went towards throne room. Mother was really worried about me and she wanted to have a talk.
"My Joy! Are you alright, my dear son?" She hugged me as she said this.
"I'm alright mom," I said as I returned the hug, "I've got to tell you something, but first can I go to my room?"
She was a little surprise at what I said and released me unwillingly.
"Joy, you look upset. What's the matter my dear colt?"
I was really upset by now, but was trying to remain calm. "I'll tell you later mom."
I rushed towards my room, Bubble trotting behind me. She could see that there were tears in my eyes. I went towards my drawer and pulled out that stone.
"TD," I said, "I n... need your help."
Bubble also felt really upset and took a deep sigh. She hugged me and started sobbing as well.
"My sweetie, I never wanted to be proved wrong that badly."
Just then, I heard a loud noise from the throne room and a familiar voice call out.
"I said, 'near her'! Not 'on her'! You okay, Celestia? Sorry about that."
"Next time, I'm doing the teleportation," another voice replied. I recognized that voice. It was Twilight's, but there was something about it that was...different. Which meant that the other one was...
I quickly rushed towards the throne room. And my guess was right: TD and his Twilight had arrived. I saw my mother getting up from the floor rubbing her head.
"I see, so you were inviting your friend to Cadenza's Wedding," Celestia said with a giggle, "But why were you worried so much? I would not have denied it if you'd asked me."
"No, actually mom, it's about something else." I took a deep sigh.
"Yeah, usually when people call me, it means there's trouble. Or they want me to cause trouble. And I seriously doubt it's the last one. So, what's wrong Joy?" the other human asked me. It was still a bit for me to take in that TD was of my own kind, not to mention his unorthodox magic. But he was a good person on the whole, even if he was a bit crazy-
"For the record, Narrator Joy, I'm not crazy," TD said aloud. Celestia gave him a confused look, while Princess Twilight simply rolled her eyes as if this was a daily occurrence.
"Never mind," I said "You remember that Windago with the helmet?" TD nodded as mother gave me a confused look. I took a deep sigh before telling him all about the warning about the arrival of my 'enemy' along with an ally. Mother, and Bubble gasped at this. The smile on mother's face disappeared. I felt so bad for this. I came near to her and just hugged her.
"I'm sorry mom," I said, "It's all because of... me."
She just gave me a look of disbelief with wide open sorrowful eyes.
"It's not your fault my son."
Bubble was also very upset at this. For some reason she was giving TD a look of anger.
"What did I do?" he asked her, "It's not like I plan these things. But if I may ask, where's the Windago now?"
Just then, some guards came into the room with the Windago trapped in its magic prison.
"Guess that answers my question," TD muttered. He then spoke to the guards, but when he did his voice seemed to shake the room like thunder.
"PUT THE WINDAGO DOWN," his voice boomed. The guards did as they were told, though they seemed confused as to why they had compiled. TD then looked to Celestia and shrugged.
"Command spell," he said bluntly, "I should show you sometime."
Bubble huffed and came towards where I was standing with mother. She placed her gentle hoof on my chest and and spoke, "It's not fault at all." Her eyes were wet with tears, "So don't blame yourself for this."
I placed my hand over her hoof and wiped her tears "Don't cry like this my dear Bubble."
I didn't want to see her cry and I swore when me and that said enemy would be face to face, I'd make him cry really, really hard. Meanwhile TD step forward towards the Windago.
"Can you understand me?" TD asked. The Windago nodded its head.
"Can you speak? To others?"
The Windago shook its head. TD sighed, then said, "Well, it's been awhile since I used this spell. Let's see if it works."
TD walked over to the Windago and placed a hand on its head, then said a word I didn't understand. I knew what he had done afterwards when he stepped back and said, "There! That should eliminate the problem."
The Windago's eyes widened in surprise and a voice emitted from its form.
"You can speak my language?" it asked in a voice like the wind. This time, everyone in the room could understand him.
That was an amazing spell. Now others could also talk to him. Mom step towards the Windago and gave him a suspicious yet curious look.
"Tell us, what do you know?" Celestia demanded. The Windago looked to Celestia still a bit confused.
"I don't understand," it said, "How are you speaking my language?"
"They're not," TD explained, "The spell I cast makes it so that you hear them speaking back to you in your own tongue and vise versa. Now, what's the problem?"
Satisfied with TD's explanation, the Windago started.
"The wedding of Princess Cadence will be infiltrated by your enemies. A large attack from the creatures known as Changelings will attack the palace."
"We know this," TD stated, "Or rather, Twi and I know this."
"But it won't be the way you're thinking," the Windago continued, "This time, they will have help. And not even your beloved Princess Celestia can stop them. At least, not alone."
"In that case," TD said, "This IS serious. Forget that I swatted it aside earlier."
That was bad news. I couldn't believe all this. When I woke up today, I was really happy. After all the wedding of my dear sister Cadance was coming near and I just wanted to help her in preparations. All of this, I wasn't just ready for this, at least not for a few days.
"As the co-ruler of Equestria, it's my duty to protect my subjects at any cost," Mother said, "Don't worry my dear colt." She looked towards me, "I'll take care of everything and see nothing goes wrong."
I never doubted her ability, but today I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say something, but remained silent for some reason. Suddenly I heard some sniffles. Bubble was sobbing because she was really upset by where all this was going. TD's Twilight noticed this and walked over to her in an attempt to comfort her. TD sighed sadly and said, "I know that this may be disheartening for us all, and in all honesty I would prefer that this never happened. But I promise you, I will do my utmost best to help you guys out. Nobody ruins the Season Two finale on my watch."
Naturally, this confused me and everyone else, but I wisely decided not to ask for clarification. One issue with TD's magic is that it often made him act very weird, sometimes even worst than Discord had been.
"Well, thanks," I said to TD normally, "So what should we do with Mr. Wind here?"
I looked towards the Windago. TD got a thoughtful expression.
"As much as I hate ice magic for obvious reasons, a Windago would be a valuable asset, or ally even. Especially since he seems to be unique among the others. The fact that he's here at all tells me that he's immune to the effects of Friendship that occurs with most Windagos. While we're on this topic, do you have a name, Windago?"
The Windago shook his head. "We aren't given names."
"Figures," TD muttered.
In the mean time Twilight was trying to comfort Bubble.
"Bubble," Twilight asked, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine Princess Twilight. I'm just not happy with all of this," Bubble said with desperation, "What did my darling Joy did to deserve all this?" She asked, stomping her hoof on the ground.
"Joy did nothing to deserve this," Twilight said, "but it's not whether he deserved it or not that must be asked. The real question is why our enemies have a specific hatred towards him. None who live to see these times want such trouble, but that's not for us to decide. All we can do is decide what we do with the time given us." Twilight then said sheepishly, "TD gave me that one, and even then he got it from someone else."
But I was paying most of my attention towards the Ice spirit in front of me.
"Well, I'm not good with names," I said "But for a creature such as windago; how about Cold Winter?" I suggested. Though I didn't know why.
The Windago gave me a look that seemed to be a smile.
"I like it. Maybe call me Winter for short," the Windago neighed happily. TD smiled.
"Looks like that's officially taken care of," he said, "Now, how far away is the wedding again?"
"It's... it's within a week." I replied "Though official preparations are started."
"Excellent!" TD stated, "Plenty of time to find Chrysalis before she replaces Cadence, if she hasn't already."
"William," Twilight said, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Remember, we aren't allowed to get involved with that unless circumstances require our intervention to fix it."
"Well when you put it like that Twi," TD replied, "it makes me feel like a jerk."
"Wait, wait, wait," Bubble spoke up in surprise, "What did you say? Plenty of time before what?"
Twilight glared at TD, then sighed.
"Might as well tell you the rest now that he's spilled the beans. The wedding will be attacked by a Changeling hive led by an evil queen named Chrysalis. She will disguise herself as Cadence and imprison the real Cadence in a secret location, then have the wedding go as planned while hypnotizing Shining Armor. Then, she plans to reveal herself when it's too late to stop her swarm from attacking."
"And the reason we know this?" TD added, "Let's just say that in our Equestria, this has already happened, so we know exactly what to expect in general."
"So we know what's going to happen now," I said, "Maybe we can find a way to prevent this... somehow."
"Well, that's the thing," TD replied sheepishly, "We aren't supposed to meddle with that affair, as it's usually part of the Equestrian timeline. However, there is one loophole we can exploit. If the Changelings receive help, the event doesn't play out like it should, or if Twi and I are attacked by them, then we can do pretty much whatever we want."
Winter looked thoughtful. "Then, maybe you can interfere. I heard something about the Changelings receiving a much-needed boost to the invasion. Of course, that before I was sent to kill you guys."
I wasn't sure what to feel about this. A part of me was scared, desperate, and really sad. However another part of me was feeling determined to face whatever was about to come and protect my friends, family, and my people at any possible cost.
"So, you have a plan?" I asked.
Chrysalis looked up at the cocooned body of Princess Cadence right in front of her. She had abducted her a few hours ago and was just now making the required finishing touches to make sure that she wouldn't escape.
"Is everything prepared, General?" she asked a nearby warrior in armor. The Changeling nodded with an evil grin.
"Everything is going according to plan, my queen," he replied.
"Excellent!" Chrysalis remarked, "Soon, we shall conquer all of Equestria and feed off the love it provides for generations to come!"
"Aren't you forgetting something, Chrysalis?" a robotic voice suddenly said from behind. Turning around in surprise (and slight fear), Chrysalis noticed a robot in the shape of a human walking towards her. His eyes were a solid green color and they glowed in the low light of the hive. Behind him, still hidden in shadows, was another figure who couldn't be made out yet.
"Ah! Of course!" Chrysalis replied to the robot, "You and your men will be given permission to delve the lands for the resources you need to continue your war."
"Indeed," the robot said without emotion, "But remember our bargain: if you fail to deliver or if you try to cross us, then you and your kind will suffer for your failures."
"I...understand," Chrysalis said, almost in a whimper. Never before had she been afraid of anypony before, and now that she had made the deal with this rusty bucket's master, she felt fear towards them like never before.
While all the changelings were preparing for the battle ahead, one of them looked towards the cocooned Princess and then towards the horizon in the direction of Canterlot. Suddenly another Changeling came behind him and called him.
"Hey Thorax, what's wrong?"
"I don't know Phyranx. What we're doing... it just does not seem right," the Changeling named Thorax replied.
"Grow up Thorax," Phyranx said bluntly, "You'll get into trouble for questioning the ways of our Queen," He warned, looking at him eye to eye. "And I assure you, I will not be there to protect you anymore."
He walked away saying this and Thorax looked towards him in hopelessness. He just didn't want to be a part of that destruction and chaos.
Chrysalis soon came out to the front of the army and barked an order to one of her generals. The general shouted, "Move out!" and all of the Changelings flew off in the direction of Canterlot. However, before she had gone far, Chrysalis heard the robot calling her.
"Chrysalis," he said as she flew down to hear him better, "if you encounter the Prince, bring him to my client. Alive. If he's to get satifaction from his revenge, prefer that it's fresh, if you catch my meaning."
"Yes sir," she said and flew back up to join her Changelings. When she was out of earshot, the robot turned back to the hive's interiors. The figure from before was still standing in the shadows for now.
"Don't worry about the bugs," the robot said reassuringly, "They won't dare betray us, and if they do, they will suffer greatly. For now, they are but an asset, a tool for us to use in our plans. But for now, I must ask you to be patient my friend. My master always pays his debts, and you will get your revenge on the boy."
The figure seemed to smirk wickedly from the shadows.
**Joy's POV**
Only one day was left in the wedding. Twilight- Joy's Twilight- had come to Canterlot along with the Elements. Everything was going pretty smoothly. Cadence seemed even happier today, but she was acting a little... like Blueblood. She was yelling at the maids and the others as well. She even get a little mad at me as well. I never seen her like that, but maybe she was acting like this because she was nervous or she wasn't actually the Cadence I knew. However, there wasn't a clue about her being replaced but I was still a little paranoid. But I was a little satisfied with what TD had planned.
"Plan?" TD said suddenly from behind me. He seemed to be staring at a wall, yet at the same time he wasn't. I didn't really know how to explain it.
"Plan?" he said again, "I don't have a plan. All I have is a ton of magic, the most gorgeous alicorn in existence, and a human who doesn't know anything about his kind. Besides, I'm an American. We don't plan, we do!"
I usually gave him a blank stare after this, but for some reason I was getting used to his unorthodox and unexplainable actions. Though that wasn't the same for Bubble. Every time he did something like this, she became really confused and sometimes angry.
"Joy, your friend really freaks me out," She said bluntly, "Even worse than Pinkie does."
"No I don't," Pinkie suddenly appeared there out of nowhere, surprising everyone there, "Do I?"
Everyone looked at her with surprised expressions. I see what Bubble meant. TD was the fastest to recover from the shock of having Pinkie appear out of nowhere.
"Should've seen that coming," he muttered before turning to me. "Alright Joy, looks like everything is all set. Now there's just one more thing required. I need to speak with Cadence. Have you seen her around? I was hoping to give her an admittedly late present."
"Try the private bedrooms!" a maid shouted from behind a corner, "She seems to spend most of her time in there since the wedding."
"Thanks!" TD called, then looked back to me, "I'm honestly surprised that you've lasted this long with the management here. Sorry, but even in my Equestria, I literally had to explain the concept of hanging up a banner. How do you cope with it?"
"Maybe that's because unlike you, I was raised here, so I see and perceive things the same way as other ponies do," I shrugged, "So I don't see that as a problem."
Bubble nodded as she wanted to reassure what I say, "Beside, I've much to keep me distracted from such small things."
"Point taken," TD shrugged. "Hey, I just realized this. If the events of the wedding are occurring like you guys are doing now, that means Cadence should already be captured. Sorry if that sounds dark, but it'll help us out later on... hopefully."
TD closed his eyes and started chanting in a whisper. I couldn't understand anything that he said, but he was clearly trying to perform some kind of spell. Suddenly, he stopped chanting abruptly and opened his eyes wide with worry.
"Oh no!" he exclaimed, "That's not good!"
"What happened!?" I asked in sudden panic. The others also seemed to be a little panic, other than Pinkie who was just being herself.
"Ummm... let me guess!" She said as she felt a shiver in her body, "Wow... My Pinkie sense says that something's really unexpected is about to happen."
"Okay, I have good news and bad news," TD said, "The good news is that Twilight and I can now intervene with events however we please. However, that's where the bad news comes in. Cadence is not in the prison that she should be in." Ignoring our panicked looks, he continued, "You see, normally Chrysalis should've placed Cadence inside a special prison underneath Canterlot, but that's not the case right now! She's been moved!"
"What do you mean by she's been moved?" I asked him, "Tell me what happened to my sister!?" I was about to whine even though I didn't want to panic.
"Why don't we ask her in person?" TD suggested with a strange glint in his eyes. His tone also seemed a bit... different. Just then, who should appear but the mare in question.
I saw the Cadance was standing there at a little distance. She wasn't looking much different than usual. I went closer to her Pinkie, Bubble, TD and Princess Twilight were watching her every step.
"Caddie!" I called to her. She gave me a really arrogant stare and said, "I told you to call us Princess Mi Amore Cadanza."
"Alright, Princess Mi Amore Cadanza, I wanted to tell you something," I said.
"Spit... I mean, tell me... cousin."
"Now as you're about to start a new era of your life you must be excited." She was getting annoyed at me and that was assurance for what TD had said. "Do you remember how you celebrated my third birthday."
"Get to th... ahm... I mean yeah, that chocolate cake was really... tasty."
"So you do remember," I said and punched her face with all my rage, much to her surprise.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
"No, but you will if you don't tell me where my cousin is!"
"Are you blind?! I AM your cousin-"
"You can drop the charades, Crhysalis, "TD said threateningly, "We know it's you. You're disguise is transparent to me. Plus, you are a terrible actor."
Chrysalis snarled and tried to rush past us, but then she was suddenly lifted into the air by an unseen force, then pinned to the wall nearby. TD snapped his fingers- actually, now that I watched carefully, he only pretended to, yet the sound was still there. The form of my cousin fell away and in her place was a bug-like creature as big as Mother. She hissed and snarled as if trying to escape, but to no avail.
"What's going on?" a voice shouted, and soon Cold Winter and several guards rushed over to us. Chrysalis snarled at Winter.
"YOU!" she shouted, "Traitor!"
I was still so much furious at this. I needed answers from this bug mare. I'd never punch a mare, but she kidnapped my sister so she was more than deserving for this. I punched her once again as she looked towards me eye to eye. I was gritting my teeth in anger at her.
"I asked where's my cousin?" I literally roared at her.
Chrysalis simply laughed in my face.
"You really think that I'd tell you boy! You don't scare me, and soon nothing will prevent your downfall. Your entire family is-"
Suddenly, TD pushed me aside and looked fiercely at the Changeling queen. As soon as Chrysalis looked at him, her expression immediately turned into one of fear.
"Maybe you won't answer to him," TD snarled, "but you WILL answer to me! Where. Is. Cadence?"
Chrysalis didn't answer, so TD muttered, "I don't have time for this." He turned to us for a moment and said, "For those with weak constitutions or an unwillingness to see something brutal, I suggest you look away or leave the room."
I was suddenly scared a little then. I looked towards him and gestured my hand in a 'no'.
"TD, I don't know about your Equestria, but brutality isn't acceptable here." I took a deep sigh. "This would be..." I took another rage filled sigh. "...too much... even for her."
A part of me wanted to kill her on the spot for what she'd done, but that wasn't what Mother taught me.
Bubble looked towards me and gave me a look of disbelief, "Joy... she's taken your cousin. She's taken Cadance and nopony knows where she could be," She looked towards TD and then the bug mare, "She deserves this."
"Who said anything about killing her?" TD asked, "It's not her time yet."
Before I could protest further, a burst of red lightning fired from his fingertips and shocked Chrysalis for a few seconds. The queen howled in pain, twitching occasionally due to the effects of the lightning.
"Where is she?" TD asked. No response came, and Chrysalis earned another shock.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" TD demanded, his voice now amplified several times beyond normal.
"The hive!" Chrysalis finally spat out, "She's... at the hive!"
"Well that wasn't so hard, now was it?" TD asked, his voice going back to normal and his tone full of sarcasm. "Now SLEEP."
The last word he spoke seemed to echo throughout the room, and I almost had a desire to lie down where I was and fall asleep. Thankfully, the spell wasn't directed at me. Chrysalis hissed as she tried to fight it, but eventually her eyes closed and she fell to the floor, no longer pinned to the wall.
"Phew, I'm glad that we know where she is without any life loss." I said.
"You're too kind-hearted," Bubble spoke in a serious tone, "That's not always a good thing."
I just shrugged at this and looked towards TD. "She said that Cadance is at the hive. So where is her hive anyway?"
Suddenly, I heard that something was hitting the forcefield. That was not good at all! I rushed towards the throne room to see mother.
"Prepare yourselves!" TD shouted as he followed me with the others. He turned to one of the guards and shouted, "Lock that bug up! Make sure that she can't escape!"
The guards nodded and pulled Chrysalis away. Princess Twilight came into the room, followed by the rest of the Elements, who had tossed aside their wedding garments. As soon as TD saw Twilight, he suddenly got scared.
"Oh dear! I just remembered!" He looked to me, "Where's Twilight? Your Twilight?"
"Wasn't she with you girls?" I looked towards Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack.
"We haven't seen her around for a while. She was complaining about Princess Cadence being evil and such..." Applejack said, feeling a little guilty for some reason. The others also nodded their heads at this. I looked around and just realized. Mother wasn't on her throne.
"Mom... she's not here!?" I said "She must be here unless...?" A thought suddenly worried me to sweat. TD suddenly got a worried expression.
"Get behind me!" he ordered. Right when he did, a loud explosion destroyed part of the wall and debris landed on a shield TD conjured just in time. The dust cleared, revealing several Changelings looking in on us. But in front of the Changelings was... I almost couldn't believe it. It looked a lot like the one robot that had helped Discord! It pointed it's hand at me and fired a large beam. I was too startled, too surprised to react. Thankfully, I didn't have to. Princess Twilight stepped in the way of the blast and placed up a shield. The beam struck the shield and ricocheted off towards the robot, hitting it square in the face. The robot exploded and the Changelings looked up with surprise. They tried to run, but a blast of lightning from TD stopped them from going anywhere, and they fell to the ground; unconscious or dead, it was hard to tell.
I soon realized I didn't need to think about that right now. My mother was missing along with Twilight. If my guess was right, then Mother was captured when "Cadence" went to have a talk with her about the brides' maids. And Twilight hadn't disappeared long after. So they could be somewhere in the Castle. Suddenly I felt a familiar aura coming from the hall.
"TD, I'm going to find Twilight and mother," I said, "I think I know where they are."
"Be careful!" TD warned, "Cold Winter, go with him! Twilight- sorry, MY Twilight and I need to help in the defense! Watch yourselves! It's a battleground out there!"
With that, TD rushed towards the hole in the wall and out onto the battlefield with Princess Twilight close behind. Winter looked to me when they had left and said, "So...where to?"
To the castle's hall!" I replied him "I think that queen had hidden my mother there," I said, and looked towards the Elements. "You can take care of yourself?"
"Of course we can! Duh!" Rainbow spoke up, "I'll crush them."
"So Bubble..." she didn't have much time to react before I lifted her in my arms once again. "Hold on tight!"
Here I charged my magic into my legs and started running towards the hall. Winter was fast enough to match my speed, but not without leaving an ice trail behind. As I reached the interior of the castle, I saw that there were many guards, servants, and maids lying on the floor unconscious. I put down Bubble and looked towards the unconscious ponies there.
"Oh no, no, no, no!" I said as I went closer to a maid who was slightly awake.
"Prince Joy," She whined, "They were everywhere, they were very strong."
"Don't worry! Those monsters had been taken care of for now. Do you know where the Princess is?"
She pointed towards the roof. As I looked there I saw that mom and Twilight were cocooned and were hanging to the roof with some gooey sticky material.
"Bubble, catch them when they fall!"
She nodded as I used my magic to detach them from the roof. As they were falling, Bubble carefully lowered them with her magic. As they reached the ground, I broke the sheath of the cocoon to free them. They came out unconscious along with some sticky liquid.
"Thank goodness, they're fine," I said, "Mom, Twilight. Wake up."
Winter looked around as I stood over my mother and friend. A Changeling entered the room for a second, but he seemed scared. As if trying to hide. One of the maids screamed and tried to run.
"No, wait!" the Changeling shouted, "Don't run! I'm- I'm not gonna hurt you. I just-"
Winter suddenly zoomed over to the Changeling and stared hard at it, causing him to flinch. He then looked back at me and said, "His eyes reveal no lies. He means us no harm."
I didn't wanna believe my eyes. He really looked scared, but I failed to understand why.
"So you mean no harm?" I asked him with harshness while I was still standing over my unconscious mother and friend, "Then I hope you have a good explanation about what's going on here."
The Changeling mustered up some courage and replied, "I'm... hiding from the fight. I never wanted to harm anypony and take their love. It just doesn't feel right. My hive planned this attack for a long time, but recently our Queen made an alliance with somepony... shady. I don't know who he is, but he gave us some new gear that we used to spring our attack, as you can see. But... that shady figure... I heard him say that he's coming for you, Prince Joy Star."
"Hiding from the fight?" I said, "So you're not like others?" He nodded. "And you said somepony shady is coming for me?"
"Yes..." he replied.
"After seeing what your kind can do... it's really hard to trust you, but..."
"Joy, Twilight and the Princess are coming around!" Bubble exclaimed. Hearing this, the Changeling flew away before I could do something to stop him.
"Joy," I heard Mother muttering my name. I sat closer to her as she opened her eyes. I hugged her with happiness as soon as she did. I heard a grumble from Twilight asl she was coming around too.
"Joy, is that you?"
"Yes, Twilight," I replied.
"What... what happened...? I was just talking with Cadance and then she... she's evil, she was using my brother... my brother... where is Shining Armor?"
"Calm down Twilight," I said to her, "He must be where he was left by that evil changeling queen." I just realized that we hadn't seen Shiny since the encounter with the queen. "The private bedroom."
Suddenly, I heard a loud robotic voice outside call to me. I could hear it even through the walls.
"Joy Star!" the voice shouted, "Come out here now, or your people will continue to suffer! If you do not comply, we will destroy this city and all inside!"
As I heard this I was beyond myself and my anger. I had to shut this tin can up. I had to finish him once and for all. I picked up a sword which was lying near a unicorn guard, got up and looked towards the main door.
"Joy stop!" Bubble said, "You will not go out there!"
I didn't listen and continued to walk towards the door.
"That's a bad idea Joy," Twilight said, "You can't face him alone!"
I just continued on my path without responding. I was close to the door when I felt myself being stopped. My mother was using her magic to stop me.
"Stop right there, Joy Star!"
"Sorry Mother," I said, before breaking out of her grip using my own magic. I never wanted to do this. I looked towards Mother and my dear fiancee. There were huge tears in Mother's eyes and Bubble was weeping as well while hugging her. Twilight gave a look of worry and gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Fine, go and do whatever you want to do!" She sobbed heavily.
I just turned myself around and made a silent sniffle. I didn't enjoy doing this a bit. I opened the door and headed outside the castle. As I came out, I saw that ponies were lying on the ground wounded and crying in pain.
This is my home. These are my people, my friends. And no one hurts my friends or family in front of me.
"Leave them alone!" I yelled, "You want me, I'm here! Come before me if you're not a coward, you piece of scrap metal!"
I held the sword in my hand and charged my magic. Just then, several robots dropped down in front of me, each one looking identical to the one who had helped Discord. One of them had red eyes and seemed to be the leader. He pointed at me and a voice emitted from his form.
"You have hidden away from us for far too long, Joy Star," the tin can said in an emotionless tone, "Our ally has been waiting to exact revenge on you, and the day has come. Surrender now, or your friends get what is coming to them."
As he said that, I saw some more robots dragging the Elements minus Twilight over to me. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were fighting like crazy to escape, Fluttershy was cowering down in a ball, Rarity had fainted, and Pinkie Pie just looked angry. However, when they noticed me, their expressions turned into a pleading glance.
"Don't listen to him!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "We'll be fine!"
"You will not hurt them!" I shouted at that tin can, "Or else..." My hands started to burn with heavy charge of magic.
"Please," the robot replied, as his minions tightened their grip on my friends. A few Changelings had joined him and were surrounding me on all sides. "This isn't your war. Just because you were raised here doesn't mean that this is your world to protect. All we want is your cooperation and your friends will be free."
"No Joy!" Applejack shouted, "Equestria needs ya!"
"Get him while you've got a shot!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"Kick his flank!" Pinkie added.
"What's it gonna be, human?" the robot sneered, "I won't wait forever. And neither will this town."
I gritted my teeth as he said this.
"No you're wrong. Equestria is my home, my world to protect and these ponies are my family. And you'll suffer for hurting them."
I stepped towards him, extending my hand and using my magic to lift him in the air. I looked towards his emotionless eyes.
"Tell them to leave the girls or else I'll crush you apart," I growled at him. The robot simply chuckled, then suddenly a beam fired from his eyes and hit me square in the chest. I groaned as I fell to the ground. I could hear the girls crying out my name, but only barely. The robot laughed, a horrid metallic laugh, and then said, "As I predicted. Too kind-hearted, caring too much for your friends. Our client will be very pleased to have you in his clutches once more, after all these years when you escaped him as a child."
The robot stepped closer, but then suddenly the air felt very chilly, which was odd because it was too early for cold weather. Just then, I realized what it was when a large ice spirit flew up before me with a neigh. Cold Winter stood in between me and the robots, snorting and bellowing in anger. The robot's eyes glowed dangerously while the Changelings backed away in fear of this new opponent.
"Subject 201," the robot ordered, "Stand aside."
"My name is Cold Winter!" the Windago shouted, "And I serve you no longer!"
With an earsplitting neigh, a surge of icy energy erupted from the Windago's body and froze the robots solid. He then gave each a kick and they shattered like glass. The Changelings obviously didn't want the same fate, because they immediately turned and fled. The girls were shocked and surprised at the sight of the Windago, but Winter's attention was focused on me as I regained my senses.
"Are you okay, Prince Joy?" he asked.
"I'm... fine," I told him, "Are the Elements are okay?" I asked as I got up and looked at them. They were alright. "Thank you Winter, for saving them."
Winter nodded, then said, "I've only ever been a terrible pony spirit all my life. Trying to freeze your kind solid, and recently tried to kill you. I figured... it was about time I did something right for once..."
"It feels good. Isn't it?" I told him, "But this isn't finished yet." I remembered that Cadence was still missing. "We still have to find Caddie." I said, as I looked towards the Elements.
"Then you're not gonna like where we're gonna have to go," a voice said from the sky above me. I looked up just in time to see TD float down from the sky with his Twilight flying beside him. They seemed to have just gotten out of a long fight, especially Twilight. TD looked up.
"The hive is located far from here and it carries a weakness that you guys won't be able to get around on your own."
"Joy! He's alright." A well recognized voice came from behind me "He's alright Twilight."
I looked behind me to see that Bubble and Twilight were coming there. Behind them there was mother looking towards me with happiness and anger at the same time. As Twilight came outside she was knocked down by Pinkie in a sun exciting hug. She released her from the hug and said, "Twilight, YOU'RE ALRIGHT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED HERE! A MACHINE WAS TRYING TO..."
Applejack stopped her by jamming a hoof on her mouth.
"Ah think she means to say, we're so glad to see ya safe and sound."
Mother was standing at a little distance from me, giving me a somewhat angry look. Bubble was also standing there, but didn't show any of her usual behavior, i.e. a hug or knocking me down to a kiss. She was really mad at me and I knew that.
"Sorry Bubble." She didn't reply, but just looked at me and shrugged. "I'm really sorry."
"What. Just. Happened here!?" The voice of Shining Armor demanded as he came out of the palace, "Where is Cadence?"
"No time to explain, Shining!" TD stated, "You guys stay here and mop up the mess, so to speak. I'm going to get Cadence for you. Don't try to come with me, because the answer is no! Toodles!"
With that, TD disappeared in a cloud of red smoke, much to Shining's annoyance. It was only then that Rarity bothered to ask, "Why is the Windago here? And how?"
Cold Winter gave her a shrug. "I'm not entirely sure how I'm able to be here, but as to why... well, it WAS to warn you guys, but that soon turned into helping you guys fight off the attackers."
"Mother," I spoke to her again, "I was so worried about my friends, and I just don't wanna hide like a coward. Please forgive me for breaking your grip."
She took a deep sigh before looking towards me.
"Do you realize how dangerous that was?" She asked, "How would I ever forgive myself if something..." her eyes started to shed tears, "...something had happened to you?" She put her hoof on my shoulder. "Look towards her." She pointed towards Bubble who was still wiping her tears. "Do you even realize how much she loves you? What would she do if something happened to you? What would I do?" She put her hoof on her chest. "What would I do without my son?"
I was stunned. "I do realize this mom, Bubble," I replied, "That's why I would never want you to be hurt because of me." I sighed and looked towards Bubble. "All of this trouble is because of me... that would never had happen if I nev-"
I felt a slap across my cheek as I said this. I looked towards Bubble, who had a frustrated expression on her face.
"Stop right here!" She yelled. "Not a word more! You think it's simple as that!?" She sobbed. "I will not ever let you go." She hugged me tightly as she continued. "And don't you ever dare say that again!"
I returned the hug as I tried to comfort her. My actions had hurt her a lot and I was feeling so bad for this. Princess Twilight had been silent whole time, but her expression showed that she knew what the others felt. But before a word could be said, a flash of light erupted near us and TD appeared with Cadence in his arms. How he was able to carry her was unclear to me, considering that she was about his size. Her condition didn't look too well.
"Twilight!" he shouted.
"Yes?" both Twilight's asked.
"No, not you," he said, "The other... you know what? Forget it! Get over here and use some healing spell or something! She's almost gone!"
Both Twilight's rushed over to his side, but as for me and the others, we were shocked and devastated to hear this.
Wha... what?" I was too shocked, "What happened there exactly?"
"The Changelings must've drained a lot of love from her. They clearly didn't want us to find her alive," TD stated. He looked to his Twilight, who immediately started to take charge.
"William, keep her stabilized," she said, "Twilight?"
My Twilight looked up at her alicorn self in question.
"I need your help with this spell. Now, together with me."
The two's horns glowed and touched the top of Cadence's head as TD started chanting in a dark language. Cadence seemed barely conscious, but she managed to open her eyes and look at us questioningly. I came close to her and held her hoof.
"Caddie." She look towards me. "I'm glad you're still... here with us."
Then I looked towards TD. I wanted to thank him so gratefully. Too bad I didn't have the proper words to do so.
"Thank you for saving her," I said. TD gave a small smile as he ended the chant. Both Twilight's stopped their spell and Cadence looked up in confusion.
"Am I still dreaming?" she asked weakly, "Because I'm seeing two Twilights."
The two Twilights looked to each other, then giggled. For a moment, we all seemed to forget about the fight around us... until a Changeling fell from the sky in front of us. He was quickly thrown through the air by a loud "Fus Roh Dah!" from TD, who laughed afterwards.
"I love that Shout," he said to no one in particular.
"No Caddie," I told Cadence, "You're not dreaming at all." To see her alright again... I was about to explode with happiness. "She's Twilight from a cross space-time reality," I said, referring towards TD's Twilight. The Elements minus Twilight gave me wondering stares along with Cadence herself, most probably because of that bookish term I had used.
"What! I read this term in a book once!" Cadence and both Twilights giggled at this.
"Specifically, she's the one that was with me when the Windago attack happened," TD pointed out, "Just in case you needed clarification."
I admitted that it was a much better way to explain her. After all they've met before.
"Yeah, that one."
"Oh, I do remember a little," said Cadence "Nice to see you again, Princess Twilight. It's just Changeling magic, messing with my head." She rubbed her head with her hoof.
"It's alright, Cadence," Princess Twilight replied, "I know all about Changeling magic and what it can do to you."
Cadence nodded, then noticed Cold Winter nearby watching with an interested expression.
"You know," Winter remarked, "I have never felt Friendship before without having it hurt me. Now that it isn't hurting me... it feels amazing! Why haven't I experienced this before?"
"Who cares about past?" I told Winter, "You're what you choose to be now," I brought Bubble closer to my side using my arm. "Right my dear Bubble?"
"Don't flatter too much, okay?" Bubble pouted, "I'm still mad at you!"
"Oh, go easy on the lad," TD stated, "He was doing what he thought was best for you all. But you're right about one thing. That was a stupid thing to do Joy, and rather reckless. You should've at least came up with some plan."
A building nearby suddenly exploded and TD looked up.
"Speaking of plans..."
TD suddenly disappeared in a flash of light as a swarm of Changelings approached us. They snarled with hostility, but then stopped when we all heard a noise in the distance. A shadow appeared on the ground where the Changelings were and I heard a voice shouting, "This is the greatest plaaaaan!" Suddenly, a large machine of some kind (TD later told me that is was called a helicopter) crashed into the ground where the Changelings had been standing and TD climbed out of the driver's seat, laughing all the while.
"Gets them every time!" he laughed. He then looked at some more in the distance who were dumbfounded by what they had seen.
"I can do this all day," TD said, "Got plenty more where that came from!"
Bubble couldn't help but be amazed at this sight. I said again, "I'm sorry. I should've listened."
She was still pouting at me. Luckily, I knew just the trick to lighten her mode. I nuzzled her mane as I knew how much she loved this.
"Please forgive me. I'm really sorry."
She couldn't resist any longer and giggled joyfully.
"Alright, alright!" She said with a chuckle, "I forgive you. In fact, I've never been mad at you for real. I was just worried for you."
The others just chuckled at this beautiful moment.
"Yay!" TD shouted. As he did, a few more Changelings came over, only to run for their lives as TD fired some fireballs at them.
"Back off!" he said to them, "Give them some space!"
Princess Twilight chuckled at this and my Twilight said, "I think I can understand why you chose him. He can be fun to watch."
"He sure is awesome!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
"He's a little scary," Fluttershy squeaked.
"I would say a little reckless," Rarity said, "You see, he's not much different than Discord."
"I think he's just a little wierd," I said, "But not much bad once you get to know him," I shrugged and looked towards Bubble.
"His magic and he himself always freak me out!" Bubble said, "I agree with Rarity."
"Ow! That hurts my feelings!" TD said in mock hurt, "I feel like my heart is going to burst."
Suddenly, we all heard a loud "POP!" from TD's chest and he looked up at us.
"See? Now I have to fix it."
TD pulled a bowl of salsa out of nowhere along with a chip. He dipped the chip in the salsa and ate it. For a second, nothing happened, then he suddenly had steam fire out of his ears and a train whistle was heard.
"Yikes!" TD shouted, "What's in this stuff?"
I realized soon enough that it was another 'harmless' joke of his. I laughed along with others as I saw TD's Twilight just rolling her eyes at this. She usually did so when TD did something rather unexplainable.
"Awesome, scary, reckless, weird. Whatever you call me, I'll take it. Within reason of course," TD stated.
I was glad to think that the attack was over and now maybe we could continue the royal wedding. But something told me that I was too early to celebrate. A lightning bolt struck a little ways from where we were standing. We were all stunned at once when we saw this.
"What... was... that?" I managed to say.
Soon, some kind of purple magical vertex appeared at the place where lightning had hit. It instantly took the shape of something... strange. It was tall and floating in the air. His whole body was covered in dark blue cape and his head was hidden in a hood. The figure stood there for a while, then spoke.
"So you're the lost spawn of the Phoenix mages. Hiding here between these inferior creatures," He said in dark multiple voices, "That tin can and those bugs aren't completely useless at all. I must thank them for helping me to get you out of your cover."
"Who the Tartarus are you and what are you talking about? I have no idea!" I yelled at him, "But you'll suffer if you dare to fight against us. That's my promise!"
"We'll see about that!" The figure replied with a chuckle, "Now, prepare to meet your fate."
TD stepped between me and the figure with a steering glare. Princess Twilight stood beside him.
"There's only two endings to this story buddy," TD said, "The first one has you riding off into the sunset. The second one has me placing you in a coffin in the ground. Take your pick, or I'll choose for you."
"Do you think you can kill me?" That figure said, "If you do, then you're going to be really disappointed." He chuckled and looked towards me "You wanna play hero by helping the boy don't you?" He laughed, "You sure are a fool."
The response was a large red lightning bolt fired from TD's fingers. It struck the figure and he stumbled a bit. If I could've seen his face, I guarantee that he'd be extremely surprised. TD smirked.
"The only fool that I see is the one who dares to challenge me," TD said, purposely speaking in rhymes and using an impression of Zecora's voice.
"Behind us!" Winter shouted. No sooner had he done so than an extremely large Changeling horde dropped down from the sky. In front of them was...
"Oh, come on!" TD screeched in frustration, "I specifically said to make sure Chrysalis couldn't escape! Is it that hard?!"
Chrysalis laughed, "You ponies really need to upgrade your security measures. Getting out of prison was easy. And now, you will suffer the might of the Changelings!"
As if things weren't bad enough, several of the tin cans came beside the dark figure and looked at us threateningly.
"Prince Joy Star of Atlis," one robot with green eyes stated, "You are surrounded. Your situation is hopeless. Surrender now, or the Equestrian residence will be vaporized."
I was really confused now at my situation. Just why did they want to capture me so badly? And what would they do if I did not surrender? I prepared myself for battle once more. Bubble was standing beside me, sticking close to me with her horn glowing with a blinding purple light.
"You step towards my fiancé, and I swear I'll vanish you out of existence!" Bubble shouted in anger, "Just what has he ever done to you?"
The robot's eyes glowed. "It's called 'war,' and 'conquest.' The strong dominate the weak and all who refuse to conform will perish in the fire as a new order rises from the ashes."
"Wow, and I thought you guys were smart," TD scoffed, "You really think that's how it works? We are granted these powers that we possess not to dominate, but to protect. We use our gifts to fend for those who cannot fend for themselves. We are supposed to bring order and peace, not war and destruction. The strong are meant to protect the weak, and neither side can exist without the other."
"Enough talk!" Chrysalis shouted impatiently. She charged up a blast from her horn and aimed it at Mother. I was too slow to react, but thankfully I didn't have to. At the last second, Princess Twilight teleported in front of the blast and countered Chrysalis's spell. An explosion erupted between their blasts and Chrysalis screeched in pain. She then fired another blast at Twilight, who did the same with her own.
"Kill her!" the robot shouted, "Kill her, you bug!"
"I- can't!" Chrysalis said with strain in her voice, "She's too- strong!"
"Unlike you, I don't need to steal power to defeat you," Princess Twilight stated, as her beam connected with Chrysalis's horn and caused the queen to fall backwards a bit.
As soon as I was distracted, one of those robots tried to attack me. But before he could do so, Bubble shot a strong energy beam at him, shattering him into scrap.
"I... said... stay... away... from him!" She said between heavy gasps before giving me a victorious smile. I saw that her cutie mark was glowing.
"Bubble, how did you...?" I was surprised. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Never... felt any better."
"Watch out!" I exclaimed, as I saved her from another attack. Before the robot who shot it could do something, I shoot an aura blast at him, successfully shattering him to pieces. Bubble and I looked towards each other with a smirk on our faces. We both had one crazy idea.
"Be my shield, and I'll be yours," I said and she nodded. And in this fashion, we kept countering their attacks together. By now, all of our enemies had lost their patience.
"Kill them all!" the one robot shouted, "But take the boy alive!"
The army of robots and Changelings surged towards us, intending to end us all for good. However, it was soon apparent that while our enemies had the numbers advantage, they were clearly outmatched in power. Cold Winter kept flying in and out among their ranks, freezing them solid; the Elements were managing to keep the enemy on their toes, especially with Pinkie Pie pulling all kinds of tricks on them mid-combat; Princess Twilight was casting all kinds of spells that either assisted our side or hindered the enemy; and Cadence had recovered enough to stand, and both she and Shining Armor were lending help where they could. But TD was probably the main reason why we managed to hold out. His onslaughts against the enemy never ended, his defenses were impenetrable, and his power was unrivalled. Entire squads would get wiped out by a mere flick of his finger or a blink of his eyes. Needless to say, our enemies were quickly overwhelmed by our stubborn defense. But unfortunately, that was simply a calm before the storm.
At one point, a robot had attempted to take out Bubble while I was busy with another robot. None of us saw what had happened, but apparently when it had shot a blast at Bubble, Princess Twilight had teleported into its path and taken the full blow. We only noticed when we heard TD's voice cry out in three voices at once.
"TWILIGHT!"
"What the..." Bubble was able to say, as she saw Princess Twilight collapsing in front of her.
"Princess Twilight..." She blasted that robot in a blink, then came closer to the unconscious Twilight and stroked her shoulder. "Princess Twilight, are you alright?" There was no response. In a moment, I reached her side too.
"Joy, that thing tried to shoot me and..." Bubble said with a tone of guilt, "I don't know when she came in front of me."
TD rushed over faster than my brain could even register and lifted the alicorn into his arms.
"No..." he said softly, "Nonononono! Stay awake, Twi! Stay awake...please."
His tone was pleading and his eyes were filling with tears.
"Not again. Please, not again!"
TD held her tightly to his form, repeating this over and over again. Eventually, Princess Twilight stirred and TD pulled away just in time to see her eyes flutter open. As soon as he saw this, he brought her back into a crushing hug, burying his face into her mane. Her wings slowly spread out and wrapped around him as well, and they sat there for a few moments not caring about the rest of the fight. Our enemies only laughed scornfully.
"You see?" the green-eyed robot stated, "Emotional attachments like that make you weak. And unfortunately for you, that shall be your demise. Finish them off."
The remaining enemies gathered together for another charge. My heart sank at the sight, for there was still many of them around us. Chrysalis decided to take the initiative, but when she fired a blast at us, the blast suddenly stopped in midair and disintegrated. It was then that I noticed the change in the air. It felt more threatening, more chaotic...
"What now!?" Applejack shouted.
"I think TD is at his rage," I shouted in response, "I've seen this happening before."
"Is that a good thing?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Well, as far as I think, yes and no," I replied.
"Now what the hay does that mean?" Rainbow asked.
TD suddenly stood up and the light around us dimmed, even though it was still in the middle of the day. I then noticed that his eyes had changed. They were draconic in appearance, yellowish-orange in color, and they glowed in the low light. Those same eyes reflected hatred, anger, and in general were very intimidating. TD looked to the robot and the figure beside him, and spoke again, his voice still sounding like three voices at once.
"You hurt my wife," he said, "Big mistake."
TD lifted his hands, and suddenly all chaos was unleashed. Red lightning fell from the sky, striking the enemies at random; pillars of fire grew up from out of the ground and collided with unfortunate foes; cracks opened up in the ground spewing out lava or causing a robot to fall to its demise. Several attempts to harm him were made, but they either deflected off him like they weren't even there or were absorbed into a tornado of power around his body, levitating him off of the ground.
"No!" the green-eyed robot shouted, rushing at TD. The figure looked in my direction and started for me as well, perhaps in desperation to catch me. They never made it. TD "snapped" his fingers, and the tornado erupted into a massive shockwave of energy that expanded outwards from his body, blinding us all. When we could see again, the entire town was repaired as if the fight had never occurred. Also, with the exception of the dark figure and the green-eyed robot, all of our enemies had disappeared as well, and even then the dark figure and the robot seemed injured to some extent. The other robots had all been reduced to scrap, but the Changelings were nowhere to be seen. TD lowered to the ground and his eyes returned to normal. He seemed a bit winded.
"That's what I mean," I said to Rainbow, "Yes, because it's easy for us to win with it. No, because if he lost control, he himself would become the danger. And a worst one at that."
The dark figure looked at TD. He floated back in the air as his body began to glow with dark blue aura.
"I underestimated you," he said, "You're a being of Chaos. Next time I return, I'll make sure to give you the most brutal death ever and make your soul suffer in the depths of the Forbidden realm along with that ignorant fool when I've done with him!" He looked to me when he said that last part. With this, the figure disappeared in a burst of lightening.
"Mark my words!" His voice lingered after he disappeared.
"And now what to do with you?" Pinkie said as she looked towards the green eyed robot.
The robot managed a weak, mechanical laugh. He was lying on the ground and one of his legs was gone.
"You heard the man. This isn't over yet. When he returns, he'll finish you all off. It's only a matter of time before-"
The robot suddenly was interrupted by TD's foot on his chest.
"Then he'll have to get past me first," TD said bluntly, "And to make it officially known who he's messing with, I think it's about time I pulled one of my big cards."
TD's image changed into a form that was made of darkness on one half, and the other half of light. His voice amplified several times beyond normal as he spoke.
"By the power invested in me as a Guardian of Existence, I hereby place this version of Equus and all of it's inhabitants under my protection. To attack this universe as a whole is to attack the Terror of Dimensions. Any and all who oppose this act will suffer the full powers of Chaos!"
Upon finishing, TD stomped his head hard on the robot and it was crushed under his weight like a bug. His image and voice then returned to normal and he looked to us with an apologetic expression.
"I am so sorry you had to see that," TD said gravely. "For now you have seen but a taste of my power and what I am capable of."
All of them were stunned at what they saw. Rarity and Fluttershy covered their eyes with their hooves and were shivering with fear. Bubble was hiding her face against my chest while wrapping her hooves around my chest and clenching her eyes shut.
"That was so scary," She said in an almost traumatized state, "I don't even wanna imagine that."
"It's gone Bubble," I stroked her back lightly, "Now you can open your eyes."
"No, please keep me close!" She whined.
"Alright Bubble!" I replied "Make yourself comfortable."
The others giggled a little at this situation. I blushed deeply once again. TD just laughed.
"So, who's up for the wedding?"
The next day was a day of celebration. We all were very happy, as the royal wedding was finally going on without any trouble at last. Shining was really excited as he stood at the stage. Bubble and I were standing beside Mother. Twilight- my Twilight- was standing beside her BBBFF. At last music was played and the CMC appeared. Behind them, Cadence came walking down the aisle with all her grace. A delightful blush appeared on her face as she stepped onto the stage.
"... and now I pronounce you husband and wife," Mother finally said these words and cheers arose from everywhere around the palace. The newly weds finally kissed each other and then Rainbow Dash was signaled for a Sonic Rainboom. And she did the fastest Sonic Rainboom ever.
"Best. Wedding. Ever!" She exclaimed.
In a while, Aunt Luna came there and asked, "Hi everypony! What did I miss?" She had no idea what she had missed out on while she was in Dragon territory.
Then after a little bit of slow traditional dance, a DJ appeared behind the dubstep and the real music was started. Twilight- I mean my Twilight- took hold of the mic and sang a song:
Love is in bloom
A beautiful bride, a handsome groom
Two hearts becoming one
A bond that cannot be undone because
Love is in bloom
A beautiful bride, a handsome groom
I said love is in bloom
You're starting a life and making room
For us
Your special day
We celebrate now, the pony way
Your friends are all right here
Won't let these moments disappear because
Love is in bloom
A beautiful bride, a handsome groom
I said love is in bloom
You're starting a life and making room
For us
I took many pictures of me with mother, Bubble, and my other friends. It was an amazing wedding.
"This will be the second time that I've heard you sing this song personally during this event," TD said to his Twilight with a smile. "Just as beautiful every time."
"Careful William," Twilight said to him playfully, "I might get jealous."
"And why should you?" TD asked in the same tone, pulling her close to him. "You are the only Twilight that has ever caught my eye, my little North Star. No other Twilight Sparkle can or will replace you."
Twilight blushed and wrapped her hooves around him.
"And no stallion could ever replace my Prince of Chaos, however long I may wait."
TD smiled and gave her a kiss, oblivious to the crowd around them. There was a mixture of aww's and eww's from this action, but neither seemed to care or notice. I only just noticed this before my attention turned to a special carriage that had arrived to take the newlyweds away for their honeymoon.
My Twilight opened the door of the carriage and the happily married couple sat down inside. I was happy for Cadence and Shining Armor. I also couldn't stop some tears from leaving my eyes. Before the chariot started to move, Cadence put her head out of the window and threw the bouquet towards the waiting girls. Rarity forced them aside to get that bouquet for herself.
"Mine!" she shouted. But before she could catch it, Bubble used her magic to catch it first and waved a hoof towards Rarity. She smiled sheepishly at this.
"Nice catch, Bubble!" Princess Twilight shouted.
As I watched, Cold Winter came down beside me in a cheerful mood. Thanks to a quick explanation on TD's part and further reassurance from Mother, he had been permitted to stay. Some ponies were even getting to know him on a friendly level.
"This is the best day of my life," the Windago stated, "and that's saying much, considering what little I could do before today."
Just then, there was a loud crash and TD appeared with several broken chairs and such nearby, much to the amusement of the guests.
"I did not mean to do that!" he said, using his magic to fix everything back together. He then looked to another table where an object stood that I had not seen there before.
"Oh, and we've got the Waa instead of the Wii," TD said with a chuckle.
"Means?" I asked.
"Nevermind," TD said with another chuckle, "You wouldn't understand." He then looked out at the wedding party as it was calming down.
"You know, I have actually been to this event at least twice. Each time, due to a different circumstance. The first time, however, required me to travel back in time, because I had not arrived in Equestria at the time. It also had to do with Twilight. My Twilight, that is."
"That understandable. I would do the same if I had to save my Bubble," I replied as I looked towards her. I then turned back to TD. "If you don't mind, can I check out that object?"
"Be my guest," TD stated.
Along with that object, I also saw two smaller objects which reminded me of something from Equestria, but much smaller. It had two sticks on it and four circular and four square buttons. I held that object in my hand.
"I may be wrong, but it looks like the buttons on arcade gaming stations," I said as I looked towards TD, "Where is its screen?"
"Oh, the screen hasn't arrived yet," TD stated. "Besides, it was supposed to be a joke originally. I mean, I can't just play a game without the screen, now can I?"
Winter laughed at the idea, then looked to Joy.
"I wanted to tell you this sooner, but I guess now will have to do. I enjoyed staying with you guys and experiencing your 'friendship' without the pain that usually came with it. So, I was wondering... do you think that I could stay and learn more about it?"
Elements looked towards each other at this. At last Twilight spoke.
"Yes, you can stay in Ponyville if you... want to," said Twilight.
The other elements nodded at this while Pinkie shouted with happiness. "Then I'll throw a party to welcome you in Ponyville!"
Winter neighed happily. "I would like that very much! Thank you!"
He suddenly pulled me, the Elements, and TD into a big group hug. Surprisingly, he didn't feel as cold and icy as I expected, but almost like an actual pony. TD laughed aloud.
"Looks like you just made a new friend," he remarked, "Congrats!"
"Hmm... now that's something really surprising." I said and then looked towards the horizon.
"What's the matter Joy?" Bubble asked me as she sat beside me,"Something bothering you?"
"It's just I was thinking, what do they want me for? And what's with Atlis that robot was speaking of? Is it connected to me?"
Bubble made a thoughtful expression at this and then she spoke.
"Tell you what?" Bubble said, "I didn't share any kiss with you today. Let me make it this up to you."
"But..."
She silenced me by pulling me in a passionate kiss, nuzzling my neck with her hoof gently. She parted her lips after a minute or two, looking towards me with a blush-filled smile on her face.
"Feeling better?" She asked
I looked towards her stunned for a sec before responding to her question. I pulled her into another kiss and nuzzled her mane the way she likes the most. After parting our lips, we looked towards each other for a moment.
"Does this give answer to your question?" I asked.
"It certainly did," She replied.
TD made a mock expression of disgust and said with obvious playfulness, "I need to wash that image out of my eyes."
His eyes suddenly turned into puppet eyes, which he detached from his face, then he stuck them in his mouth and rolled them around for a bit. After a few seconds, he spat them out and slapped them back on his face. When he pulled his hands away, they had reverted back to his normal eyes.
"Ah! That's much better!" TD exclaimed, still joking around.
Bubble and I chuckled at this. That really was the best wedding ever. Just then, I saw a portal appear nearby and TD's Twilight was standing beside it.
"Guess that's our ride," TD stated. He then turned to me with a friendly smile. "Remember, if you ever need help or if you just want to visit, give me a call. See you later, Prince Joy Star."
I had plenty of unanswered questions to ask, but I instead smiled and shook his hand.
"Goodbye, TD," I said.
TD turned to the portal and stood beside his Twilight. They both gave us all a final wave goodbye, then disappeared into the portal to return to their Equestria.
**end of Joy's pov***
Princess Celestia looked towards her son and his fianceé while she was sitting on a cloud along with Luna. Celestia was happy to see her son safe and sound. But she couldn't ignore the fact that the entities who attacked Equestria was there because of him. She had to think about the protection of her people, but she was also a mother and she really loved her son more than anything.
"Tia," Luna called her out of her head, "They truly look like a beautiful couple."
"Yeah, Lulu. They're a sweet couple. My son and his bubbly filly friend." Celestia awed at this, "I'm just..." she thought for a while then decided to not say what she was going to say. "I'm really happy for them."
"Well, looks like there will be another Royal wedding this year," Luna said.
"I'm certain about that," Celestia replied with a giggle.
Far from Equestria and even Equus, in a dark corner within another realm, a cloaked figure was looking towards a stained glass image.
"If they think they won," It said, "They'll have to think once again!" It looked towards the small mirror in front of him.
"I've found the one who'll bring us to our destiny. My master."
This is probably signaling to the final battle. No wait, it IS signaling to the final battle!
Special thanks to Admirer Boy for collabing with me on this, especially in regards to Joy Star, Bubble, and their friends!
Edit: the song used is actually from the Season 2 finale of MLP FiM, for those that don't know.
Hope y'all enjoyed! Cya next time!
Peace!
