See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer

Chapter 11:

Marik tossed and turned in his bed as he was having trouble sleeping. It wasn't because of nightmares or anything, but mostly because he couldn't get his new wings to fold down so he could sleep comfortably. He and the others had spent a whole week in Griffinstone after defeating the Changelings; the first five days were spent helping the griffins once again fix their town and the other two were spent having a celebratory party after all the work was done. When Marik came home, he was beyond exhausted and was looking forward to a good night's rest, but his newly sprouted wings refused to let him get comfortable as they had popped outward for the tenth time.

As Marik lay on his stomach, groaning in frustration and exhaustion, he heard his door creak open. "Hey Marik, [yawn] is everything okay? I heard you [yawn] groaning from downstairs", it was a very sleepy Pinkie Pie who opened his bedroom door. After coming home, the always energetic party pony couldn't deny that even she felt more drained than a dead AA battery; having almost zero energy to walk back to her house, Marik insisted that she spent the night at his. Pinkie didn't object because as soon as she fell onto his couch, she was out cold. It was Marik's groaning that had woken her up.

"I'm sorry I woke you, Pinkie. It's just these Ra forsaken wings of mine; I can't get them to tuck in so I can sleep. No matter what position I lay in, they just keep popping up", said Marik as he once again pressed his face into his pillow. As Pinkie Pie climbed onto his bed, she grabbed one of his wings between her hooves and began to massage it gently. "Pinkie, what are you…" Marik started to say but stopped as he realized how good it felt. He sighed contently as Pinkie Pie continued to knead his wing like a ball of cookie dough. She let his left wing go as it flopped limply to his side and folded inwards before she began to give his right wing the same treatment.

Marik let out a small moan of pleasure before he noticed that his eyelids were beginning to droop lower and lower until he finally closed his eyes, and started to snore gently. Pinkie finished massaging his right wing as it too fell limp and folded inward. She had already realized Marik's problem: the muscles in his new wings were severely tensed and they just needed to be relaxed so he could fold them. Smiling at the fact that she once again helped her friend/almost special some-pony, she curled up under his arm and fell back to sleep.

Meanwhile in Canterlot, there was one pony who wasn't having a good night's rest. Princess Celestia tossed and turned in her bed, her face contorted in pure agony. Her royal regalia lay on the floor and her ever flowing mane was a tangled mess because of how much she was sweating. Celestia was currently experiencing a nightmare of the worst kind.

Dream Sequence

Celestia found herself in a dark, empty cavern; there were no stalagmites, just craggy walls on either side of her. Suddenly what looked like mirrors appeared on either side of the cavern walls and in the mirrors, images appeared. The first image was of a younger Princess Luna sitting on the surface of the moon, bawling endlessly. "Why, big sister? Why did you have to banish me to the moon? Wasn't there another way, couldn't you have tried harder to save me? I…I want to go home!" Tears of sadness and guilt sprung to Celestia's eyes as she watched the image disappear.

Then four more images appeared on four other mirrors; one was of Equestria in an endless state of chaos while Discord looks over it all with glee. The second showed ponies imprisoned in slimy cages as Changelings feed upon them and began to reshape Equestria as their own. The third showed ponies clamped in iron chains, toiling out in a wasteland as King Sombra laughed evilly. And the final one showed ponies without cutie marks and without magic either locked in dungeon cells or serving Lord Tirek's every whim.

Celestia looked at each display in horror, but that wasn't the end of it. Each villain of each image showed her the mistakes she made when they were all threating Equestria before: not casting a spell on the Elements of Harmony when Discord returned, not listen to Twilight's warnings about Princess Cadence's strange behavior and being overpowered by Queen Chrysalis, foolishly sending Twilight on a mission to protect the Crystal Empire from King Sombra without any prior knowledge of the empire and knowing fully well that if she failed, Equestria would've been done for, and finally, foolishly sending Discord to go after Tirek, knowing that since he wasn't at his full power, Twilight would've been able to capture him easily.

Bone-chilling fear and heart-aching guilt warped Celestia's entire being as the four villains stepped out of the mirrors and backed her into a corner. They all laughed in her face at her display of fear and the tears spilling down her cheeks.

"So this is the great Princess Celestia, master of the Sun and ruler of the day? It doesn't surprise me to see you sniveling like a depressed foal", mocked Discord.

"Yes, you were so easy to defeat at Princess Cadence's wedding. I can't believe I hadn't tried to take you over sooner", mocked Chrysalis.

"You had put too much faith into that student of yours, knowing full well that Equestria would've fallen beneath my hooves if she failed. And it would've be your entire fault", mocked Sombra.

"And yet she would've easily defeated me, but you went along and sent Discord after me. You knew he was once evil and even after his reformation, you still couldn't trust him", mocked Tirek.

Then they all sneered evilly and looked her dead in the eyes, "You are a terrible ruler! You have let your subjects down time and again, and the worst part is you put all your hopes into a young alicorn who you had barely even prepared for the trouble we all caused. Look at what would've happened had your precious student not prevailed" they all said. They parted to make way for a new figured; Celestia screamed in terror as she saw Twilight in such a horrible state. Her horn had been broken off causing blood to leak down her face, her wings looked like they were put through a shredder, her cutie mark was gone, and her entire body was covered in bloody gashes and bruises. She looked at Celestia with dead, anger filled eyes and said, "You are the worst ruler Equestria has had, you are the worst teacher I have had. And now you must be punished for your ignorance and neglect!" Tirek smirked darkly as he approached Celestia and grabbed her by the throat, slowly strangling her. The last thing she heard before her life was squeezed from her was Twilight's low, hatred filled voice saying "Rise and shine…princess".

End of Dream Sequence

Celestia finally awoke with a blood-curdling scream that could be heard all the way in Crystal Empire. And no, this was not just an exaggeration; Cadence had just laid Flurry Heart down in her crib after rocking her to sleep when Celestia's scream had filtered through the air. Luckily, it didn't wake up the baby alicorn, but it did cause Cadence to look on in concern. Luna had hurriedly rushed to Celestia's room when she heard the scream, "Sister, are you alright?" she asked. What Luna saw broke her heart; her sister slumped over on her bed, crying her eyes out. She approached Celestia slowly and wrapped a comforting hoof around her shoulders, "Sister, what troubles you so?" she asked in a gentle voice. Celestia looked up at Luna with red, puffy eyes; she felt ashamed and undeserving of Luna's gentle, comforting gestures, that nightmare had drummed that thought into her head. "Oh Luna, I had the most terrible dream, but I guess I deserved it", she said.

That comment made Luna look at Celestia with disbelief in her eyes, "Sister, why would you say such a dreadful thing? Nopony deserves to have awful nightmares, no matter who they are", said Luna. Celestia gave her a sad smile and said, "Oh but I do, I do deserve the nightmare I just had. I have done nothing in my life except let my subjects down numerous times. And Twilight, oh how could I have put her through so much heartache and dangerous trials without preparing her for it first? I am a terrible ruler and a terrible teacher, and above all, I am a terrible big sister". That small speech almost caused Luna to cry as well, she had no idea her sister had thought so lowly of herself.

Celestia turned to Luna and said, "Luna I appreciate your concern, but can you please go now? I simply wish to be alone so I can try to fall back asleep". Luna wanted to object, but the despair in Celestia's eyes told her not to. So she got up and left the room; from outside the door, she could hear her sister's pained whimpers as she tried to sleep. "Oh sister, do not fret. I know of a way that I can bring you joy once again", said Luna as she walked away.

The next morning, Marik was standing outside his garage washing his motorcycle. The last time he went driving around on it, he ran right through a huge mud puddle and as a result, he spent an hour and a half washing it off his body as his motorcycle looked like a huge mud ball. Now he was hard at work scrubbing off the dried mud while listening to the radio he had turned on in his garage. It was currently playing smooth jazz as he worked on cleaning his motorcycle. Now Marik could've been spending time with his friends, but they were all busy that day with tasks of their own: Applejack and her family were at a reunion in Appaloosa, Rarity and Pinkie Pie went to Manehatten scouting out a location for her newest boutique (And yes, this chapter does take place during the episode "The Gift of Maud Pie").

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were attending a reunion at their old flight camp and Twilight was once again reorganizing the books in her castle. So essentially, after he was done cleaning his motorcycle, Marik realized he was all alone with nothing to do. He didn't feel upset about it; he was just frustrated by how bored he was. Maybe I should get a pet, he thought. He sighed as he went inside, grabbed a book off the shelf and came back out to his front yard. He sat on his lawn chair and started reading; the book was the second book in the Daring Do series, "Daring Do and the Griffin's Goblet". Marik had finally gotten around to asking Rainbow Dash if he could borrow the second book so he could read it, but she surprised him when she said he could borrow the whole series, as long as he gave them back.

Marik sat there reading his book until an unexpected visitor appeared, "You know, for the only human in Equestria who just so happens to have magic and can fly now, you certainly live a boring life". Marik looked up but wasn't that surprised to see Discord; since he had been in Equestria for what is now two months, he had gotten used to the draconequus' random tendencies. Marik put down the book and looked towards him, "Well actually Discord, I don't know how to fly as of yet. I can flap my wings just like anyone else, but to get more than ten inches off the ground is very difficult", he said. Discord simply smirked, "Well you could always learn how to", he said. Before either of them could continue the conversation, Derpy came crashing to the ground right in front of them. Marik immediately rushed to her side only for her to quickly stand up and give him a letter she was holding in her mouth, "I have a letter for Marik from Princess Luna", she said.

As confused as he was, Marik accepted the letter. "Um…thank you. Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. Derpy simply smiled and said, "Oh yeah, I'm always crashing into things on my mail routes. It's just another thing that happens to me on a typical day", and then she flew off. "And ponies think that I'm random? Anyway, what did dear ol' Lulu send you?" said Discord. Marik giggled at his nickname for Luna before opening the letter, reading through it. "It seems that she needs me in Canterlot for something important. Well, I better go catch the train to…" he was cut off by Discord's laughing. "Oh, who needs a train when you have the Lord of Chaos at your disposal?" Before Marik could respond, Discord grabbed his arm and teleported to Canterlot.

They both appeared in the Royal Gardens where Luna was waiting for them, "Hello there, Lulu. I was just in the neighborhood when Marik here got your letter and I thought I'd accompany him to see you" said Discord. Luna waited for Marik to speak but he didn't; instead he wrenched his arm from Discord's grip, ran to a nearby waste bin and started vomiting. Discord and Luna stood off to the side with concerned looks on their faces before he finally stopped. Taking deep breaths, Marik walked towards Discord and said, "Please warn me next time you plan on doing that". With an apologetic smile, Discord made a bottle of water appear and gave it to him. As annoyed by Discord as he was, Marik gratefully accepted the water; he chugged it down as Luna spoke.

"My sister has been in a dreadful state of unhappiness for quite some time, Marik I called you here because I wanted you to take her out as a way to cheer her up", said Luna. All of a sudden, Marik's cheeks flushed a bright red and he felt his wings tense up. Does…does Luna want me to take her on a date, he thought nervously. As if he read his mind, Discord laughed out loud. "Marik, Lulu wants you to take Tia out for a day of fun and merriment, just like two friends normally do. I know what you were thinking, but luckily I won't tell anyone about your little crush", he said. Marik's cheeks turned even redder as he heard Discord blatantly say he knew about his feelings towards Pinkie Pie. "And I would be happy to tag along, if that's alright with Lulu", Discord said. As unwary of Discord's motives as Luna was, she thought maybe two friends were better than just one, so she agreed. "I told my sister to meet you both at the Canterlot train station this morning, so you should go prepare yourselves", she said.

Marik understood as he saw his clothes were a bit dirty from washing his motorcycle, so he went home to change his clothes while Discord waited outside.

Meanwhile in the Human World, it was nighttime as the moon hung low in the sky. Many of the people of Domino City were still out and about at this late hour while many others were at home asleep in their beds. One such person was Yugi Mouto, who lay curled up under his covers as he slept peacefully. On the desk near his bed sat the Millennium Puzzle; inside the Puzzle, Yami stood in one of the many chambers within his soul room, thinking about what had happened three weeks ago. "Something strange happened a few weeks ago, a rainbow colored aurora borealis appeared in the sky above the city and then a beam of light shot out from the Millennium Items and into the aurora before it disappeared. What could it mean?" he said to himself. Just then, Yami felt some sort of magical presence from within the Puzzle; he exited the chamber he was in and followed the presence until it led him to a door he was not familiar with. The door was grass green and had seven symbols on it: a crystal-like orange apple, red lightning bolt, dark blue diamond, pink butterfly, light blue balloon and magenta six-pointed star; these symbols formed a circle around what look like the same eye symbol on the Millennium Items.

"I've never seen this door before, was it always here and maybe I just missed it?" said Yami. Curious of this new door, he reached for the handle and opened it, stepping through. Yami suddenly found himself in a strange place, everywhere he looked he these strange horse-like creatures either walking or flying around and they appeared to have the ability to talk. Yami also saw that he was standing near a train station. "There's a smoothie shop not too far from here, why don't the three of us go and grab ourselves one?" Yami tensed up as he heard a familiar voice that filled him with dread and anger; he looked towards his left side and saw a large white winged unicorn, a strange dragon-like creature and…Marik! His old enemy was standing talking to the two creatures, an uncertain smile plastered on his face. Yami walked towards him and said, "Marik, what strange world is this? And why are you here and not in the Shadow Realm where you belong?" He noticed that Marik hadn't heard him and when Marik began walking away with the two creatures, he walked right through Yami as if he was made of air.

It was then Yami knew that he was an apparition in this world as much as he was in the Human World; he could see and hear everything around him, but no one could see or hear him. Still weary of Marik, Yami decided to follow him into the smoothie shop; he saw Marik sitting at a table with the two creatures while drinking a strawberry milkshake. The dragon-like creature had a chocolate milkshake but seemed to be drinking the cup and not the drink, and the winged unicorn didn't even touch her milkshake. That's when Marik spoke up, "This day is all about you Celestia, whatever you want to do is totally okay by me", he said. Why does this scenario seems so familiar, Yami thought as he continued to watch. "Please, you must forgive my distant behavior Marik. Lately, I feel like a stranger to myself; I have done things in my past that I am not at all proud of and the memories still haunt me", said Celestia.

Yami realized that this was just like the time he spent a day with Tea, his attention was drawn back when Marik spoke. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm going through the same thing. Though our situations are different, I too am sometimes haunted by the terrible things I've done in the past. Only I do not let those things get in the way of me living my life; I also have many friends around me to help comfort and guide to make the right choices. I sometime question if I'm going about it the right way, so I just listen to what my heart tells me and it says yes I am", he said. "That's nice Marik, I always tell Twilight that she should follow her heart and cherish her friendships", said Celestia with a smile. "I guess what I'm saying is that your past may have been bad, but it's gone now. All that's left is to enjoy the present and wait for the future, don't see it as an uncertain mystery but as an exciting adventure", said Marik.

Yami didn't know how to handle hearing Marik offer genuine words of wisdom and encouragement to this creature called 'Celestia', it went against everything Yami thought Marik was: a power hungry psychopath who'd take what he wants and didn't care who he hurts in the process. Just then, the dragon-like creature started laughing, "Oh wow, you want some extra sugar with your speech? That was so sweet and cheesy at the same time, hahaha! But I will agree with Marik: life is an endless adventure, so let's go see where our hearts will lead us today", he said. The trio left after paying for their drinks with Yami following them, his curiosity had peaked even higher.

They first stopped at a pet shop since Marik had been considering getting a pet for whenever he couldn't hang out with his friends. There were so many different animals to choose from and Marik was drawing a blank until he happened upon the smallest, cutest little bat that he'd ever seen. It was pink in color and had little green stems on its head, Marik asked the pet shop owner what kind of animal it was. "That is a Cherry Fruit Bat, there one of my best sellers and if you're looking to purchase it, then you're in luck because that's my last one", he said. Marik was immediately sold as he purchased the little bat and named her "Ruby".

Then they entered a music shop, many different instruments were displayed on the walls. "Marik, you are and excellent singer, but did you ever consider learning to play an instrument to go with it?" asked Celestia. Marik was already scoping around until his eyes landed on a purple base guitar with a leather strap; he picked it up and strummed a few cords, with some practice he could play like a professional. He bought the guitar just as Discord reentered the shop, "Before you ask me where I went, here Tia this is for you", he said as he slipped a pink scarf around her neck, which was absent of her usual necklace as well as the rest of her regalia. "I thought you'd look cute in it and I was right", said Discord with a light blush. Celestia too blushed as she stroked the scarf with her hoof.

"Hey you too, come on. I found a place where we can get something to eat", Marik called out. His two friends joined him, all the while Yami was watching with intrigue. It seemed as though Marik had changed and became nicer, friendly even, but Yami knew better than to jump to conclusions. He planned to watch his former enemy to see if there'd be any relapse in his behavior. The place Marik had found was a karaoke bar, the trio sat at a booth as the waitress, a blue unicorn with an orange mane and tail came to take their orders.

"I'll have the 'Dandelion and Daffodil Salad with ranch dressing'", said Celestia.

"I shall have your 'Three Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich with a side of fries' if you please", said Discord.

"Oh, I'll have what Discord's having, it sounds delicious", said Marik.

The waitress smiled as she wrote down their orders, "Alright, would any of you be interested in our 'Chocolate Lava Cake' for dessert?" she asked. Marik and Celestia politely declined while Discord ordered up one for himself, making the other two giggle. The waitress looked up from her notepad and said, "There we go, and what would you like to drink?"

"Cherry Soda", said Marik.

"An Iced Tea", said Celestia.

"Oh nothing for me, I brought my own", said Discord as he made a seven ounce cup of chocolate milk appear from nowhere. The waitress was surprised, but smiled nonetheless and said, "Alright then, I'll be back soon with your orders. Oh, and the restaurant is having a Singing Contest tonight if you're interested in signing up. The best performance wins free lunch for you and your friends for an entire week". The trio began to talk as they waited for their meals, "If you too want to sign up, then it's fine by me. I can make food appear from nothing so I don't need free lunch" said Discord. Marik thought about it and then walked over to the DJ, who just so happened to be Vinyl Scratch, and said he wanted to sign up for the contest. She passed him a clipboard where five others had already signed in, what caught his attention was the instructions at the top. It said:

"Enter full name and select 'Solo Act' or 'Duet'".

Marik smiled as he filled out the form, thanked Vinyl and returned to his booth just in time as the food arrived. "Celestia, I hope you don't mind but I signed us up as a Duet. You and I can sing together", he said. She returned his smile as she and the boys began to enjoy their meal. Later on the contest began and ponies were getting up on the stage in the middle of the restaurant to perform. The trios had finished their meals and had paid the bill, and now were waiting for their turn. The owner of the restaurant, a yellow earth pony stallion with a blue mane and tail and a music note cutie mark, stood up on stage. "And now Fillies and Gentlecolts, I give you our final act of the night. Remember, the performance you applaud the most for wins the contest and free lunch here for a week. So without further delay, I give you Marik the Human and our very own Princess Celestia!" he said. Marik grabbed his guitar as he and Celestia took to the stage, both of them holding microphones with their magic as he began to play.

Marik: Power

Was all I desired (I desired, all I desired)

But all that grew inside me

Was the darkness I acquired

Celestia: When you began to fall

And you lost the path ahead

That's when my friendship found you

And it lifted you instead

Marik and Celestia: Like a phoenix burning bright

In the sky

I'll show there's another side to me

You can't deny

I may not know what the future holds

But hear me when I say

That my past does not define me

'Cause my past is not today

Celestia: Protection

Is what I believed

Would be the only way

To set us free

Marik: But when it disappeared

And you found yourself alone

That's when I came and got you

And it felt like you were home

Marik and Celestia: Like a phoenix burning bright

In the sky

I'll show there's another side to me

You can't deny

I may not know what the future holds

But hear me when I say

That my past does not define me

'Cause my past is not today

Marik starts to have a guitar solo as Celestia bops and moves to the music, all the while Discord is looking at her with a loving expression in his eyes. The Duet soon finishes their song.

Marik and Celestia: Like a phoenix burning bright

In the sky

I'll show there's another side to me

You can't deny

I may not know what the future holds

But hear me when I say

That my past does not define me

'Cause my past is not today

[Guitar Rift]

My past does not define me

'Cause my past is not today!

The entire restaurant was overflowing with the massive sound of applause, every pony in the room including Discord cheered for the duet. Even though no one could hear it, Yami also applauded the performance. The restaurant owner came up on stage again, "Well, I guess we all know who the winners are: Marik and Princess Celestia! Congratulations, you two are welcome back here anytime you want", he said. Later that night the trio sat on a grassy hill overlooking Canterlot, it was quiet until Celestia spoke. "Marik, I want to thank you, both of you, for the wonderful day I had. You've shown me that I may have made mistakes in my past, but what's done is done. I cannot undo my mistakes; all I can do is learn from them. And I must learn to enjoy the present and look forward to what the future holds", she said.

"But hear me when I say, that my past does not define me 'cause my past is not today", Discord jokingly sang causing the trio to laugh. "I enjoyed my time today as well. I was wrong earlier Marik; you don't live a boring life. In fact, whenever I want to have fun, I know who to go to. But in case I'm not nearby and you want to hang out, take this". He gave Marik a card, when he opened it; it said 'Dial D for Chaos!' the 'D' was capital, in italics and it was red in color. "It's a magic summoning card I made myself. When you want to hang out or just talk, press the 'D' and I'll appear. Well, it's been fun, but it's getting late and I am bushed. See ya around" said Discord. He pulled both of them into a tight group hug, ruffling Marik's hair and then planting a kiss on Celestia's cheek.

Only five seconds passed before Discord realized what he did and teleported out of there; Marik simply shrugged as he walked Celestia back to the castle before walking back home himself. Yami sensed that the door back to the Puzzle had returned, so he stepped through it; he wondered to himself exactly what he was going to tell Yugi tomorrow morning. Marik placed his guitar off to the side, pulled out a small box and filled it dishcloths. He placed Ruby inside as she snuggled into its warmth, watching her new owner get ready for bed. As Marik lay down, he said, "Today was a good day" and then he fell asleep.

Celestia lay asleep in her bed as she dreamed.

Dream Sequence

Celestia stood in the cavern with the four villains and evil Twilight glaring at her, but this time her face showed confidence and bravery as she filled the very chamber with bright light, causing them all to vanish while screaming in fear and pain. Suddenly the mirrors reappeared, but this time the images were happier. She saw a filly Twilight bouncing around happily saying 'yes' over and over again, this was the day she was taken as Celestia's pupil and got her cutie mark. She saw how much fun she had when the Grand Galloping Gala last year and the year before was turned upside down by the Mane Six's over expectations and by Discord and the Smooze. She saw the day she was reunited with Luna as she lovingly embraced her little sister. And finally, Celestia saw a moment that she will always treasure forever.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Of course I'm ready"

"I could get it started for you…"

"No! You said I could do it by myself!"

"Okay, okay"

"But you can…stand next to me, just in case"

"Just in case"

It was a younger version of her standing near a younger version of Luna. Little Luna slowly rose into the air as her horn glowed, the moon slowly coming up as well. She continued to rise until the moon was in full view before flopping down onto Celestia's back.

"Did it work? Is it there?"

"The moon or your cutie mark?"

"The moon, duh! I don't…have…I did it! I raised the moon and got my cutie mark!"

"Oh did you? I wasn't looking"

"Tia!"

"Just kidding"

Celestia smiled at the memory, then suddenly to figures appeared. It was a younger Luna and Twilight, this time she was in perfect condition. Celestia sat down as they came towards her, sitting beside her with her wings draped over them like blankets. They nuzzled her gently as they looked up to her with adorable smiles, "If it wasn't for you, I'd still be evil. You're the best sister I ever had", said young Luna. "And I wouldn't have the many friends I have now. You're the best teacher I ever had", said Twilight. They closed their eyes and said, "And you are the best ruler Equestria has ever had. We would have all fallen without you, we love you Princess Celestia". Celestia smiled as she nuzzled them.

Back in the Real World

Celestia smiled in her sleep and sighed calmly as she continued to sleep peacefully; Luna, who stood by watching over her sister, smiled and gave Celestia a gentle kiss before she left the room. Her plan had worked.

Author's Note:

That's it for Chapter 11; I hoped you love the mixed variety. I threw in some fanservice, some quirky Discord moments that may lead to something special between him and Celestia, character development for Celestia and Luna and Marik, an extended and remixed version of Sunset Shimmer's song "My Past is not Today" and an outside look at Marik's reformation by one of the Yu-Gi-Oh! characters. See you soon for Chapter 12; until then, this is SuperKirbyLand234 signing out.