Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End, Part 1
It was a nice summer day as Twilight and Chase ran to Canterlot with Nyx on her mother's back as Spike flew behind them.
"Honey, are you sure you can handle this?" Chase asked with concern.
By now, Twilight was still pregnant, but her stomach hasn't gotten big at the moment as she kept on going.
"Don't worry, Chase. I'm fine. I'm more concerned about getting to Canterlot so we can meet up with the others." Twilight replied back as they kept on running.
Once the four of them were close enough, Twilight and Chase flew quickly toward the city gate.
They saw the rest of the Mane Sixteen standing at the entrance. They rapidly rushed past them with the girls and boys rushing after them.
"Oh good! We're all here," Fluttershy said.
Twilight looked back at the others, noticing they all looked as worried as she and Chase were.
"So everypony got an urgent summons to the castle with no explanation?!" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, it doesn't seem right about this. Is there any reason why Celestia and Luna didn't say anything in their scrolls we got?" Jade said with concern.
"Yup! I just love a good mysterious summons," Pinkie replied, "What's it about? Do you think it's a surprise party? Hey! Why are we running?"
"Because something could be terribly wrong!" Twilight said, "Somepony turned bad?! Another evil creature back for revenge?!"
"I bet it has something to do with the Quinkan!" Chase added with a glare.
"Don't you two think you're bein' a little paranoid?" Applejack replied.
"We don't know for sure what there could be. Besides, the Quinkan are still out there somewhere in the mountains, guys! And we still gotta be prepared for what happens." Sunray said with a firm look.
"Sunray's right. Why else would the Princesses send scrolls in such a hurry?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, it's not like them at all to do that." Trini said in agreement.
"Good point. They know better than to make us worry," Rarity replied.
"They might have good news for us, mom. Maybe they need our help with some big event or something," Nyx said.
"Whatever news they have for us, Nyx, it's urgent," Twilight replied.
"Plus, I like it when you run so fast, the walls get all blurry!" Pinkie said as she turned to look at the zooming walls, then looked back as her eyes were swirling, "Wheeee!"
"Race ya!" Rainbow exclaimed with a smirk.
She flew so fast that Pinkie was sent rolling, but she still managed to keep moving forward.
They all reached the castle quickly, then rushed in and came to a stop, most of them trying to catch their breath. Just then, Pinkie rolled into Spike and almost knocked him over. They quickly noticed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna smiling at them.
"Everypony, thank you so much for coming," Celestia said.
"What's wrong?! What can we do?!" Twilight asked in panicked haste.
They braced themselves for whatever news they might hear, only to see Luna with a big smile on her face.
"That's just it. Nothing's wrong! Everything's perfect!" Luna replied.
They all shared a look at each other in disbelief.
"Did y'all call us down here just to tell us that?" Applejack asked on behalf of herself and the others.
"What?" Chase said in surprise.
"Say what?" Sokka added just as shocked as his friend was.
"With all due respect, majesties, you might want to save your urgent summons for matters that are a bit more...well, urgent!" Rarity said.
"Yeah, what's the big idea of making us worry like that?" Clay asked with confused look.
The royal sisters just giggled at this.
"Well, there is more to it. Equestria is currently enjoying its longest period of harmony in recent years," Luna replied.
"And it's all thanks to you, Twilight and Chase. And your friends and family, of course," Celestia added.
"Who, us?" Spike asked smugly.
"Oh, pshaw." Rarity giggled.
"It's about time you noticed!" Rainbow said, crossing her forehooves.
"Thank you!" Twilight said, with a bow.
"Thanks for the update." Chase said with a small smile.
"Because of all your efforts, there's been less and less for us to do," Luna continued.
"So, after much consideration, my sister and I have decided it is time for us...to retire!" Celestia finished.
Everypony gasped at this, they were stunned silent as a bright light entered the room.
"Breaking news!" Discord exclaimed, wearing a reporter outfit, "The royal princesses retiring! I have so many questions!" He flew over to the two of them, "Who'll take over? Who will run Equestria? Will it be someone tall, dark, and handsome? Or will it be the Lord of Chaos?" Several duplicates of his dragon claw appeared around him, all pointing at him, only for Celestia to smirk at him before pointing at her intended successors, Twilight and Chase, which made them shocked by this. This of course left Discord annoyed. "Oh, fine. Go with the obvious choice."
Twilight made a horrified gasp as Chase was equally shocked by this turn of events.
*Main theme*
"You're retiring?!" Twilight asked in shock and horror.
"All two of you?!" Chase asked in surprise.
"Princesses can retire?" Spike added as Luna chuckled.
"Of course we can. I, for one, am looking forward to a little R&R. Maybe a trip to Silver Shoals," Luna replied.
"And you want me and Chase to take your place?!" Twilight asked as she pointed at herself and her husband.
"Mm-hmm!" Celestia and Luna replied back with a nod.
"With the help of your friends, of course!" Luna added.
"We can't think of anypony more worthy." Celestia continued as she and Luna flew to their level, "Over the years, we've watched you grow. You've faced task after task..."
"...challenge after challenge..." Luna continued, approaching them while Discord floated past them.
"Countless adversities, yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it..." Discord interrupted in annoyance while the others glared at him.
"And you've always prevailed," Celestia finished.
"Thank you," Twilight replied while still looking terrified, "But that doesn't mean that I'm...that we're ready to do what you do!"
"Besides, Kai, Tai Lung, and their Quinkan army are still out there and they could capitalize on your retirement as this could be the perfect opportunity for them to attack." Chase added while remaining calm.
"We're sure you'll figure out some kind of solution to stop him this time," Luna replied.
"I still say that we're not prepared for this." Chase said in disagreement.
"Oh, of course you are." Celestia said, stepping back, "I realize this is a lot to take in, but-"
"Nope! Makes perfect sense. We're awesome!" Rainbow interrupted. The others gathered around as Rainbow suddenly gasped, "Does this mean we get all your powers?! Ooh, ooh! I call dibs on showing up in everypony's dreams!"
Celestia was about to say something, but Twilight grabbed Rainbow and pulled her back.
"You can't be ready to step into their horseshoes just like that!" Twilight stated.
"Besides, I don't think just anypony can be given alicorn powers, Rainbow," Jade added.
"Well, if the princesses think it's time to retire, we're not a bad choice," Applejack shrugged, "We always have Equestria's best interests at heart."
"That's a fair point..." Twilight remarked, taking out a pad and quill, "Which should be taken into consideration when we have a round table discussion-"
"Well, I'm in!" Rarity said, then took out a measuring tape, "Darlings, we'll all need a complete wardrobe update!" She then smiled at the princesses, "And I would love to pick your brain about mane maintenance when you have a moment."
"As long as we all have each other, I'm sure we can do it!" Fluttershy said.
"Yay!" Pinkie cheered before holding out her hoof. "Protectors of Equestria! On three! One... two..."
The others put their hooves in, leaving only Sokka, Clay, Twilight, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, and Nyx out, as the others stared at the nine of them, making them sigh.
"If you're all on board..." Twilight said, trying to be brave. "I guess we are too."
"Let's do this, guys." Sokka said with a smirk.
Chase, Twilight, Sokka, Clay, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, and Nyx placed their hooves with the others.
"PROTECTORS OF EQUESTRIA!" The Mane Sixteen shouted in unison as they threw their hooves into the air.
"It'll be a bit of an adjustment. But I imagine the transfer of power will be a lengthy process, which will-" Twilight was about to finish when Celestia cut her off.
"Actually, we just need a few days to put together a little ceremony," Celestia replied as Discord was behind the royal sisters and replaced his annoyed look with a surprised expression.
Twilight's calmness was gone as she chuckled nervously.
"A few DAYS?!" Twilight asked.
The others, minus Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, and Nyx, moaned as their big speech had seemed completely useless.
"But that's so soon! Shouldn't there be some sort of training program that lasts weeks? No, months, if not YEARS?!" Twilight asked.
The princess sisters chuckled.
"Everything you've gone through over the years has been a training program," Celestia said.
"Wait. Have you been grooming Twilight and I for this since the day you met us?" Chase asked.
"Of course not," Celestia replied, shaking her head, "I had smaller expectations when I first met you both, but you just kept upping the game. When she became a princess, I was hoping she would become somepony capable of taking my place. But I did not expect her to come into that role so quickly."
"Okay, but there's gotta be a guide or a rulebook!" Twilight said.
"Yes, I have it right here." Discord replied as he appeared next to them with a book of some kind, which he started flipping through, "How to Rule Equestria, by Nopony McPretendsmith."
Had Twilight and Chase not been so frazzled by this whole situation, they probably would have realized Discord was joking with them. Before she could read even a sentence, he snapped it shut and teleported it away. Luckily, Luna was there to comfort her.
"The friendship journal you wrote yourselves is a better guide than any we could provide," Luna said as she held up the book, which she gave to Twilight and Chase.
Twilight held it to her chest, then began hyperventilating.
"We have the utmost confidence in you," Celestia added.
"And we hope you have the same in yourselves," Luna finished, with a nod.
Twilight kept panting while using her magic to pull a paper bag out of Pinkie's mane as a means to control her breathing.
"Oh, I'm absolutely certain they do," Discord said as he chuckled.
This time Chase finally had enough.
"Alright, okay, enough!" Chase said sternly.
"Is there something you would like to add, Chase?" Princess Luna asked with a smile.
"Yeah, we're not gonna do it now." Chase said firmly, shocking everypony minus Twilight.
"WHAT?!" The rest of the Mane Sixteen, Celestia, and Luna asked in surprise at the same time.
Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Nyx, Sokka, and Clay were the only ones agreeing with him.
"I mean… don't you think it might be a little too soon to plan something like this?" Chase asked with concern.
"Well, it might be a little too early for the ceremony." Celestia admitted with a chuckle before she regained her composure. "But everypony will accept your new role with Twilight, Chase. And don't worry, they're gonna love you both too."
Chase however was not convinced.
"Yeah, right. Somehow, I don't think I'll be welcoming at the angry mob that will come after you two." Chase retorted sarcastically, making Celestia and Luna annoyed by this.
"Will you stop it? They're not like that." Celestia said sternly, but Chase wouldn't back down.
"Then how do you explain the part you had to convince us to free Discord from his prison and he went on a rampage with Tirek?" Chase remarked angrily, causing Discord to look away with a huff and his arms crossed.
"Oh come now. You could at least give them a chance." Luna said, trying to make Chase change his mind.
"Oh to do what? Sharpen the pitch forks?" Chase asked sarcastically.
"No!" Celestia said before she calmed down. "They just want to give you and Twilight their respect."
"Oh great." Chase said with an annoyed sigh. "Now we need their respect?"
"Well, if you and Twilight want to take our place, yes." Celestia said irritatingly.
"And who says Twilight and I want to take charge of Equestria?" Chase asked with a stern glare.
"Uh, you did when you married her." Luna said with an irritating look.
"Well, there's some fine print for you both!" Chase said angrily as Celestia gasped at that insult.
"S-So that's it? You won't accept the offer?" Celestia asked, knowing where this was going.
"Trust me, it's a bad idea. We are not going to do it now, not in a few days, not in a few months, and that's final!" Chase said firmly as the royal sisters glared at him.
(Scene changes)
In the Castle of Friendship, Twilight was still in a panic attack.
"I am not confident about this at all!" Twilight shouted with worry as she began to trot back and forth.
"Well, that's what I thought," Discord remarked, annoyingly. "I was being sarcastic before." He was using a fork to brush his goatee and sprayed it as the others glared at him, "What? This is all so predictable. Now's the part where you all tell little Sparkle here that everything is going to be fine, but she won't believe you and another one of Chase's lectures. Ugh. I don't need to be here for this."
He then disappeared and everypony focused back on Twilight. Her facial expression said otherwise as Applejack pushed her over to her throne.
"It's just...I know I said yes, but then they said 'in a few days,' and there's still so much to figure out! It's all happening so fast!" Twilight said as she grabbed the paper bag again and kept breathing into it, "I think I need some-" She didn't get to finish as Rarity floated a glass of water in front of her, the alicorn taking it and gulping it down. "Okay! I'll feel much better-"
"Once you make a plan?" Rarity asked with a teasing smirk as Spike flew down, holding a quill and paper.
"Oh, wow. It's like you-" Twilight tried to reply.
"Knew you were going to react this way?" Spike interrupted, "We did."
"Classic Twilight-ing," Pinkie remarked, appearing from behind the throne.
"Twilight-ing?!" The princess yelped in surprise, "You...You made me a verb?!"
Pinkie nodded as Twilight dropped against the table.
"Guys, I really think we should go over this carefully." Sokka said with concern.
"Oh come on, Sokka. There's no need to fret." Rarity said, not seeing the problem.
"I wanted to use 'going Twily-nanas, as Shining Armor would say. But, I was outvoted." Sunray remarked.
The others laughed as Applejack placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"It's not a bad thing. We just know you have a...process," Applejack said as the others nodded in agreement, minus Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Nyx, Sokka, and Clay.
"Stage one. You get big news and you're like Nooooo!," Rainbow said as the others smirked at the horrified face she was making while Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Nyx, Sokka, and Clay looked unamused by this. "But then you pace, and you chart, you worry..."
"It's okay. You go ahead and Twilight, and we'll be here for you." Fluttershy said as she patted Twilight's hoof.
Twilight looked back up and took her hoof away from Fluttershy.
"You've all acting so calm! But this is a big deal! What do we do if something big happens and the princesses aren't there to help?!" Twilight exclaimed as the others shared glances with each other.
"Um, if you think about it, they literally almost never help." Rainbow remarked.
"Huh," Applejack scratched her head.
"Well, the first few big events needed the Elements of Harmony to take down Nightmare Moon, so Celestia couldn't exactly help in any way," Trini added as she put a hoof to her chin, "And by then, Celestia trusted you guys enough to leave the remaining issues to you from the start."
"And we still always win!" Pinkie cheered, "Like when Sombra almost took back the Crystal Empire, or when Chrysalis pretended to be Cadance, or when Tirek came back and absorbed all the magic, or the time Zhao attempted to destroy Equestria every time, or the other time Chrysalis tried to take over, or with Cozy Glow, the Quinkan, and the school!" She took a deep breath, "Am I missing anything?"
"Pony of Shadows," Rarity pointed out.
"Starlight when she was evil," Spike continued.
"Discord when he was evil," Fluttershy added.
"Do Flim and Flam count?" Applejack asked.
"The Storm King?" Jade asked as well.
"What about Wuya?" Antonio asked curiously.
"Kai?" Trini added.
"Tai Lung?" Sunray added as well.
"See? We've almost always done things without the princesses' help! Which makes sense now because it was all just training for you to take over!" Rainbow finished.
"And it worked!" Spike spoke up, "I mean, if you think about it, there hasn't been a single villain that we couldn't defeat."
"Phew!" Twilight sighed in relief.
But Chase still wasn't convinced.
"We're still not doing it, guys. There's no way we're taking their place now." Chase said sternly as the others turned to him.
This time, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie had enough of his attitude.
"Chase, what is your problem anyway? This is your one chance to prove you and Twilight can be the leaders the world deserves." Rainbow said, trying an attempt to make Chase change his mind, but he still won't accept it. "Okay, pop quiz. What are the three most important traits of the ninja?"
Chase knew where this was going.
"Speed. Stealth…" Chase said as Rarity stood in front of him.
"And honor. Where's the honor in accepting your friends offers?" Rarity asked with snooty look.
"I don't know what you guys are talking about." Chase said dismissively.
"So now you're adding lying to the list." Applejack said sternly as Chase just shook his head in annoyance.
"If you guys are still mad at the fact this would happen eventually, it's called compartmentalization of information." Chase replied back firmly as he lits his horn, stood on his hind legs, aura hands replacing his front hooves, and practices a jiu jitsu form.
"If there's even a chance we can make you guys step up to Celestia and Luna's level…" Rainbow tried to make a request.
"We're still not going to do it. Whether you guys like it or not." Chase said firmly while practicing.
"It's not about what we like, Chase. It's about what all the other ponies are willing to accept!" Rainbow said, starting to get annoyed.
"True acceptance only comes from within." Chase remarked, causing Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie to look even more angry.
"Don't give us that fortune cookie muck!" Rainbow said angrily. "You should consult with us before you decide to do something like that back at the castle!"
This time, Chase had enough as he went back on all fours, stopped using his magic, and his aura hands disappeared.
"I consulted with Celestia and Luna. And we decided that we won't accept-" Chase was about to finish when Rainbow cut him off.
"And what about Twilight?! She doesn't get a vote?!" Rainbow said angrily.
At this moment, Chase immediately lost his temper.
"There's only one vote that counts in this group: Mine!" Chase said quite sternly, causing the girls to lean back from his harsh words.
He then walks back to Twilight and escorts his wife out of the throne room before they stopped as Chase turns back to Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy one last time.
"And here's the thing, guys. You're just not responsible enough to take their place." Chase said sternly. "I'm the oldest here. I'm responsible for keeping us safe and making sure we can handle anything that comes our way. Because if I don't, you could all end up dead."
With nothing else to say, Chase and Twilight walked out as the others, minus Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Nyx, Sokka, and Clay, were in deep thought of what Chase said.
(Scene changes)
In a dark forest, Queen Chrysalis was standing in a circle of trees. The trees had slime around them, turning it into a nest comfortable enough for her to live in.
"One day! One day you'll see! I will defeat Twilight Sparkle, Chase Young, and her friends!" Chrysalis said as she cackled, "And they will pay for stealing my kingdom!" She was making this grand declaration to a log which currently had the image of an unreformed changeling carved into it.
She turned to another log and picked it up, using her magic to carve another changeling face into it. But before she could talk to it, a black shadow engulfed her and she disappeared while the logs fell to the ground.
(Scene changes)
Deep in Tartarus, two of its most notorious prisoners, Cozy Glow and Lord Tirek, were still trapped. Inside the bigger cage, Tirek scratched another line into a tally chart, another of hundreds of days that he had been stuck in the accursed prison.
"Psst, Tirek!" Cozy said as Tirek then turned to the filly in the smaller cage.
"It is Lord Tirek," The centaur growled, annoyingly. "And what is it now?"
"I just wanna make sure you can see my best friends rock sculpture from over there!" Cozy Glow said as she smiled.
She pointed to a spot between their cages, where a bunch of rocks were stacked together to show Tirek carrying Cozy on his shoulder.
The centaur stared at it, then at the tallies before letting out a groan of frustration since he knew that Cozy Glow was trying to manipulate him every single time over and over again. If he didn't get out of there soon, he would go even more insane.
As if he wished for a miracle, a puff of black smoke suddenly engulfed him and he disappeared. Cozy's eyes went wide, only for another puff to take her as well, causing the statue to completely fall apart. Cerberus wouldn't notice for hours that its two most notorious prisoners were gone.
(Scene changes)
In another underground area, an unseen figure stared down and placed a familiar broken-off horn on the ground before using a stick to draw a circle, then an M shape through a straight line in the ground. The magic circle glowed blue as runic symbols appeared inside it. In a matter of seconds, the evil unicorn it belonged to appeared as his eyes were glowing a familiar green color with eyebrows burning purple.
(Scene changes)
In an unknown location of a forest right inside a strange fortress, Tirek and Cozy Glow appeared. They were standing on one of the staircases and before either of them could say anything, another wisp of smoke dropped Chrysalis off on top of a ramp. She turned around at this and gasped.
"Lord Tirek!" Chrysalis exclaimed in surprise.
"A changeling?" Tirek asked, raising an eyebrow before turning to Cozy Glow, "See? She gets it."
Cozy rolled her eyes, as Chrysalis marched down the ramp with the other two walking down as well.
"Chrysalis, queen of the changelings! Or at least I will be when I'm restored to my rightful place!" Chrysalis said, jumping off the ramp and landing at the foot of the stairs they were on. She glows her horn while looking at them menacingly. "Why did you summon me? What do you want?!"
This made Cozy Glow yelp and jump behind Tirek.
"Oh, golly! We didn't bring you! I thought you freed us from Tartarus!" Cozy Glow replied as she gave her the cutest look she could as Chrysalis flinched.
"Tartarus? Whoever pulled you from there must have been somepony very powerful indeed," Chrysalis said.
Just then, they heard cackling as King Sombra was teleported into the room.
"King Sombra! You have returned? Why did you bring us here?" Chrysalis asked as Tirek readies to fire when a shadowy figure came in the background behind the three.
"He didn't." A deep voice said, causing the four villains to flinch in surprise before turning around to face the new comer.
The figure walked past Cozy Glow and Tirek as King Sombra joins the three other villains. Then the figure slams his hoof on the table in front of a marbled eye.
"It was I." The figure said as he revealed himself to be a male goat with a cornflower blue fur while his mane, tail and eyebrows are white, dark azure horns and hooves and pale apple green eyes with red pupils.
"You may call me… Grogar." He introduced himself with a sneer as Chrysalis and Tirek gasped in shock.
"The Grogar?" Chrysalis questioned in surprise.
"I thought you were a legend!" Tirek stuttered with a little fear in his voice.
"I've heard of you." Sombra said, joining them.
"Who?" Cozy said as she frowned and hovered before the four went up to Grogar.
"I assure you, I am very real." Grogar said with a stern glare. "And you have all been brought here as part of my plan to rid Equestria of Twilight Sparkle, Chase Young, and their friends once and all."
He then laughed sinisterly while Cozy still looked confused at that.
"I am so sorry, but the name 'Grofar'?" Cozy said as she curiously frowned. "it just doesn't ring any bells."
As if hearing his name was misspelled, Grogar angrily approached her.
"GROGAR!" Grogar shouted angrily, causing Cozy Glow to fall back and he approached her. "I have been away too long if my name no longer strikes fear into the heart of one so tiny." He then went back behind his table. "Perhaps a demonstration of power is in order?"
Suddenly, the bells around his neck ring glowed as Grogar reaches his middle one and brings a yellow orb. He then gently blows it as it nears Tirek, who takes it in his hands, and he consumes it. It was enough for Tirek to increase in size. And he flexes his arms, and kisses one of his biceps proudly.
"Grogar is ancient and extremely powerful." Tirek explained. "The land that will become Equestria was a mere collection of farms and pastures until he declared himself emperor of all he saw. I remember hearing tales of his tyranny when I was young."
"I have also heard of the first Emperor of Equestria." Sombra said hearing stories of him as well. "The "Father of Monsters"."
"I gave life to the foulest of creatures and allowed them to run wild, taking what they wanted and destroying the rest." Grogar said as he shows how Equestria was under his reign. "My reign was a glorious, fear-soaked epoch of darkness in Equestria."
"Ha!" Chrysalis scoffed arrogantly, causing Grogar to look back at her. "Until Gusty the Great rose up and banished you. Not to mention Zhao found the right opening to take your throne and turn Equestria into the next Netherworld dimension."
"That fool Gusty the Great believed taking my bell would defeat me, but she only weakened me temporarily!" Grogar said sternly, causing Chrysalis to flinch back in fear. He then becomes furious. "As for the Quinkan leader, even though he attempted to destroy Equestria, he's no longer around since he was created from my magic from long ago. I don't need him interfering with my plans anymore or his army."
"Um, Tirek is old - no offense, you look great - but if he knew about you when he was young, we have super different ideas about what "temporarily" means." Cozy said, which annoyed Tirek greatly since he was literally standing right behind the filly. "Besides, no one ever talks to my father that way either since he was created by you."
"SILENCE!" Grogar yelled at her as she was flung back onto Tirek's chest and she moves some hair from her face. Grogar continued on as he moves up to a higher spot of his lair. "I've spent millenia gather power, biding my time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to seize control of Equestria! And watching all of you as well as the Quinkan. I've seen each of your humiliating defeats at the hooves of sixteen puny ponies. More specifically by the Elite Ninja. And do you know why they've always bested you?"
"Because they cheat!" Chrysalis spatted out angrily before Sombra said something.
"Because they are annoyingly lucky." Tirek complained, crossing his arms bitterly.
"I'm just a kid, so..." Cozy said with a fake innocent smile.
"It is because they work together with those six girls." Grogar finally said. "Where one is weak, another is strong, and thus unified, they are a formidable force! Chase and his team are especially empowered with the Dragon Mojo. But we shall use their own strategy to defeat them."
"What are you suggesting?" Chrysalis asked as Sombra frowned at Grogar questionably.
"I suggest nothing." Grogar said as he leaps onto the table. "I demand that you join me, and together, Equestria will be ours!"
"I don't do "ours"." Sombra said dismissively. "I only do mine." He then got on the table with his magic. "I will take back the Crystal Empire on my own, and I will destroy any pony who gets in my way!"
"Such confidence." Grogar said as he smirked before he jumped off the table. "Go! Try to take back your kingdom. I shall send you there myself. If you prevail, you may keep it. But when you fail, you will submit to me!"
"And if I refuse this deal?" Sombra questioned arrogantly.
"Then I shall return you to the darkness from which you were summoned." Grogar replied back as he glared.
"Fine!" Sombra said finding it fair before he went on rambling impulsively. "But this is a waste of time, as I will crush those who defy me. I will defeat all who get in my way! I'm-"
It was then Grogar tiredly brought a yellow magically glow towards Sombra and it sends him off.
"I advise the rest of you to prepare to work together!" Grogar advises and walks off.
Tirek and Chrysalis glanced at each other.
"Well, working together sounds an awful lot like making friends, so... you twoare in luck, because I know all about that!" Cozy said as she smiled and sat on Tirek's left shoulder.
But then Tirek flicks her off and she hits the ground. A thought, however, came into Tirek's mind.
"Explain something to me, Cozy." Tirek said as Cozy got back up and hovered in mid air. "You do all of this in the name of Emperor Zhao. He was created by Grogar's magic and attempted to steal his title. How could you have known that and still serve him?"
"Emperor Zhao gave me a life. He was my father." Cozy replied back. "And I vow, in his name, that I would hunt down Chase Young, who destroyed him and make him pay with his life."
(Scene changes)
Back in Ponyville, Starlight was at the door to Twilight and Chase's office in the School of Friendship.
"Twi! Chase! You in here?" Starlight asked as she knocked and opened the door, "With the school closed for the summer, I didn't think anypony would be here-"
She didn't finish as she was suddenly slammed in the face by a scroll. As it fell off her face, she saw Twilight behind her desk surrounded by half-mile long scrolls that her head was moving back and forth from. Chase was with her as he tried so many times to calm his distressed wife down.
"So much to do, not enough time! No! I already did that! Wait, no, I didn't! Uggggh, not enough time!" Twilight exclaimed as Spike flew up to Starlight.
"Help! She's spiraling! We're at the 'my plan needs a plan' stage of a total Twilight meltdown! And Chase is trying to help her calm down." Spike said.
"Which is not helping her one bit!" Chase shouted in reply as Starlight looked back at Twilight.
"Oh...Got it," Starlight said as she confidently walked over to her mentor, "Twilight?"
"Did I write down 'eliminate redundant lists' on my School of Friendship to-do list or my personal to-do list?" Twilight asked.
The pile dwarfed her, making Starlight frown as she rushed around and stomped her hooves on the paper Twilight was reading.
"TWILIGHT!" Starlight shouted as the princess yelped, but then smiled when she saw who it was.
"Starlight!" Twilight said, grabbing her former student by the checks, "Oh good, you're here! I need to talk to you."
"Okay..." Starlight replied as Twilight started rifling through papers again.
"Honey, she was literally standing right next to us the whole time and-" Chase tried to answer, but was cut off.
"Hang on, my sweetie, I had 'talk to Starlight' written down on one of these. Just let me find it so I can cross it off!" Twilight said as she pulled the papers close while Starlight looked speechless as the alicorn was almost covered now.
"Wow, you are Twilight-ing hard," Starlight remarked, causing Twilight to stop as Chase groaned in irritation.
"Oh no." Chase muttered to himself annoyingly as he facehoofed himself in annoyance.
"You say Twilight-ing, too?" Twilight asked, then glared at her former student, "Well excuuuuse me! This is the first time Chase and I have ever been asked to run a whole kingdom!"
"It might be best not to get her mad right now." Chase whispered to Starlight as she nodded nervously.
"Uh, You're right, you're right." Starlight replied, defensively holding her hooves up as she chuckled, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Twilight picked up a relatively small piece of paper.
"Ah, here it is! I wrote it down," Twilight said, then looked at the paper and read it non-stop without even taking a breath, "Starlight, you have blossomed into one of the strongest, smartest, most caring ponies I know, and I can't think of anypony better to leave in charge of our castle and the School of Friendship! So, what do you think?"
Twilight turned to Starlight, giving her a tweaked-out expression while Chase shook his head in irritation as the lilac unicorn looked horrified.
"What?!" Starlight yelped as she began to teeter backwards, "You want me to take care of the castle and run the school?!"
"Yes?" Twilight asked in a plain tone.
"What do you think so far, girl?" Chase asked with a unsure smile.
"Uh...I can't! I'm not ready! Remember what happened the last time you left me in charge?!" Starlight replied, falling to the edge of Twilight's chair and holding it as she kept looking petrified. "And now you want me to do it permanently?! What if I don't do the right things?" She started hyperventilating, "What if-?!"
"Starlight...Get a hold of yourself! You've risen to every challenge you've ever faced. You can do anything you put your mind to." Twilight said, helping Starlight to her hooves and placed a hoof on Starlight's chest, "You've got this."
Starlight stared at Twilight, now seeing the princess's fear on her face gone. Blinking, Starlight's face switched to a smirk.
"Hah! And so do you. See what I did there? You just said everything you need to hear," Starlight remarked.
But that didn't work as Twilight gave Starlight a sarcastic laugh and she returned to her desk.
"Nice try. But running a school and running a country are two very different things. Now, if you don't mind, I have seven thousand, four hundred, and thirty-two things to take care of before Chase and I become the new rulers of Equestria!" Twilight exclaimed as she started hyperventilating again, Spike giving her the paper bag with a frown.
"It was a valiant effort," Spike told Starlight bluntly as she face-hoofed herself.
This time Chase had enough as he took the paper bag from his wife.
"Hey, honey-!" Twilight said when.
SLAP!
Twilight's head spun to the side slightly and rubbed her now sore cheek. She breathed heavily.
"Thanks, sweetie." Twilight said as she turned to Chase with a smile.
"You're welcome." Chase said before he gently placed a hoof to Twilight's cheek. "Honey, listen. We're not doing this now. I know this is a lot for you to take in, but please. Just think about the baby."
Hearing this caused Twilight to sighed a little.
"Chase, honey, I'm fine. Really, the baby isn't gonna be coming out anytime soon, but this is too much for me to handle and I… I can't do this." Twilight said with her voice cracked as she put her hooves to her face with her eyes closed and sobs with tears falling down from her cheeks.
Chase gently pulled Twilight close to him for a hug as his wife buried her head into his chest. Chase tenderly rubs his wife's back soothingly as she continues to cry.
(Scene changes)
In the Crystal Empire, dark clouds appeared in the sky and dark crystals came up from the ground as King Sombra entered the city. The Crystal ponies were fleeing the evil unicorn as he advanced. The evil king appeared out of the smoke in front of a terrified crystal filly as he looked down at her with an evil grin as her parents tried keeping her safe.
Then he placed the crystal pony family under his mind control.
Just then, a spear was thrown at him but missed as four guards rushed at him. Sombra conjured up a crystal pillar which knocked the guards away as he gave them an evil look and conjured up a mind control helmet. He then put the helmet on the guard's head and did the same with multiple other guards and various other crystal ponies as they advanced to the castle. The evil king conjured up some crystal stairs for himself and his newly brainwashed minions to enter.
In the throne room, Shining Armor and two two remaining guards rushed into the throne room as they met up with Cadance.
"The guard says Sombra's breached the castle!" Shining Armor told his wife, who was writing a letter to Twilight and Chase.
"Hurry, Twilight and Chase! We need you!" Cadance said as she sent her letter and joined her husband with great worry, "Do you have Flurry Heart?"
"I thought you had her," Shining Armor replied.
They gasped in fear and then rushed to their daughter's room only to find Flurry in Sombra's clutches.
"Mama!" Flurry cried out, turning to her parents.
Flurry's cry made her mother want to blast him, but Shining put his hoof in front of her.
"You won't get away with this!" Cadance said defiantly.
"Oh, but I already have," Sombra replied.
Flurry made angry noises as she tried to bite Sombra's hoof, but he pulled it away, laughing evilly. It wasn't long before Sombra captured the Crystal Heart, with dark crystal spikes impaling it.
"With the Crystal Heart now in my possession, there is nothing to stop me from ruling the Crystal Empire!" King Sombra said as he sat on the throne.
He looked down at the three royals as the masked guards pulled them toward the throne.
"Kneel before Sombra!" The evil king said.
The family glared at him, but the chains were pulled, and they were forced down to the floor. Seeing this made him sigh as he leaned back.
"Long live the king." Sombra said with a sinister smirk as his eyes glowed green.
(Scene changes)
Back at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight and Chase were pacing in the throne room. Just then, the others, including Starlight and Bagheera entered.
"Twilight! Chase!" Jade said in worry. "We came as soon as we could!"
"Thanks for coming so quickly—" Twilight tried to say before Discord appeared.
"Sure thing. But if you're gonna be the ruler of Equestria, you may want to work on your penmanship. This looks like it says, 'Cadance sent an emergency message. Sombra's back, and he's taking over the Crystal Empire.'" Discord said as he read the letter.
"That's exactly what it says!" Twilight replied, flying up to Discord.
"Wait a minute, how did you get the letter?" Chase said as he took the letter from Discord, who flinched in surprise.
"Thought I might get it before Spike." Discord replied back dismissively.
"But... But how is that possible?! I thought the Crystal Heart had dispelled him into the ether!" Rarity said.
"I have no idea! But he's back, and it's up to us to save the Empire and our family!" Twilight replied.
"Then we don't have another choice! We have to get there before it's too late!" Sokka said firmly.
"He's right. And we've gotta think of a solution and take Sombra off the throne." Jade said in agreement.
"But like what?" Sunray asked his older sister curiously.
"Shouldn't somepony tell Celestia, Luna, and Emerald?" Fluttershy asked.
"Ooh, good point! One of us should probably loop in the real rulers of Equestria," Discord said with a smirk, pulling Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike against him.
"No. If we're going to run Equestria, we'll need to handle things like this on our own," Twilight replied as she flew back to the cutie map as the others were shocked by this.
"Honey?" Chase asked his wife with concern.
"Oh, Twilight! Could this mean that you finally have the confidence to ascend to the throne like the princesses believe you can?" Discord asked, briefly using his magic to light up a projection of Twilight and Chase ascending the throne with evil glares before he stops while smirking.
"Maybe? Unless you'd consider taking care of Sombra for us?" Twilight replied, with a pleading look, causing Discord to look surprised and uneasy by this.
The others gathered around him with the same begging smiles too while Chase glares at him suspiciously.
"Oh, no-no-no-no! You're absolutely right! You need to learn how to handle these things on your own," Discord said, shaking her hoof and conjuring up a grad cap, trophy, and check. "Ta-ta!"
It was then that Discord teleported out of the castle, leaving the Mane Sixteen and Bagheera to themselves.
"Handlin' things on our own is all well and good, but last time we defeated Sombra with the Crystal Heart," Applejack pointed out.
"What if he has it already? How are we gonna stop him?" Spike asked.
Twilight placed her things down and thinks before she glanced at her cutie mark.
"With the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight gasped as she flew back to the floor, joining Chase as her husband turns to her. "With those, we can defeat anypony! Even Sombra!"
"Honey, are you sure you can handle this?" Chase asked with a worried look on his face.
"Ah, no-no-no. You didn't need the Elements the last time you defeated Sombra," Discord said as he reappeared while in the middle of a shower, "And I'm not sure that using them still counts as 'handling things on your own'."
"Our family is in danger. I'm not taking any chances," Twilight said firmly.
"And we don't need you telling us what to do." Chase added sternly while glaring at Discord, who glared back at him.
"Good thinking, Mommy and Daddy," Nyx replied.
"They've got a point," Rainbow added as she flew up to Discord.
"Ugh, fine," Discord grumbled as he disappeared.
"What's his problem?" Pinkie asked with confusion.
"I don't know, but his tone was just sorta off. Don't you guys think?" Chase asked with confusion.
"We can worry about that later." Twilight said as she turned to Starlight. "Starlight, can you stay here and-"
"-take care of the school and watch Nyx? I've got you covered," Starlight replied, cutting Twilight off as the alicorn mare smiled gratefully.
"She won't be alone to do that, guys. I'll stay with Starlight and Nyx to look after the school." Bagheera added as he stood beside Starlight and Nyx, who smiled at him in reply.
(Scene changes)
Later, Twilight and the others teleported to the Tree of Harmony.
Then Twilight used her magic and brought the Elements down to each of them as their necklaces, Chase's morpher, and Twilight's crown appeared.
In about a few seconds, Twilight teleports her and the others away to the Crystal Empire.
(Scene changes)
Back in the Crystal Empire, King Sombra was eating some grapes as he sat on the crystal throne. One crystal pony held up a bowl of fruit while another was fanning him. Flurry Heart tried to blast her way out of their crystal spike cage, but it was futile. She and her parents looked at him with angry faces.
"It's cute that you think that will do anything," King Sombra said mockingly.
"It might not, but they will!" Cadance retorted before pointing to the door.
The evil king turned to see the Mane Sixteen now burst into the room.
"Cavalry's here!" Pinkie cheered and then let a battle cry.
"Let them go, Sombra!" Chase shouted as he and the others charged at Sombra, who just laughed evilly at this.
"How can I be surprised when I'm waiting to show all of you your greatest fear?" he asked.
It was then that Sombra cast his spell, which caused the Mane Sixteen to be lifted up as their eyes were glowing green as they were shown their worst fears. In Twilight's mind, she and Chase saw their friends and family wearing mind control helmets.
"Oh..." Twilight and Chase groaned when two green eyes appeared before them.
"Oh, Twilight and Chase. How disappointing," said an illusion of Princess Celestia.
"Equestria was in your care, and you two let it be destroyed!" the illusion of Princess Luna added.
It was then that they became illusions of Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker.
Back in reality, Twilight and Chase groaned as they shut their eyes and tried to fight their fear.
"You should all surrender! Nothing can defeat your own fears!" King Sombra said.
Just then, the Elements of Harmony activated and the six girls of the Mane Sixteen's eyes glowed white as a magic link was formed. Chase then jumps down with Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio doing the same as they activate their element powers with Chase using the combined power of his element of harmony morpher.
"We didn't need to defeat them. We just needed to face them long enough to distract you!" Twilight replied, pointing a hoof at something.
Sombra then looked to see Spike burning the crystal spikes while Sokka and Clay broke a hole with their respective weapons, allowing Princess Cadance to escape and grab the Crystal Heart.
"Nooooo!" King Sombra yelled.
It was then that Flurry fired a magic blast at him, which he narrowly missed.
"It's cute that you think that'll do anything," Shining mockingly said as Flurry started blasting the mind-controlled ponies, forcing them to jump back.
As this happened, Cadance placed the Crystal Heart back in its rightful place before using her magic to repair the damage done. A few seconds later, it was fixed, the relic now spinning before unleashing a wave of light. That wave filled the entire Crystal Empire and as it flew over them, the ponies under Sombra's control were freed, restoring their vibrant crystalline appearance.
Back in the throne room, the wave washed over the room, causing the dark crystals to vanish. This also freed the crystal ponies in the room from the spell. Twilight and the other girls were floating before turning and glaring at Sombra. Chase and his team glared at him while being on the ground.
"You may have won the battle, but I shall win the war!" Sombra said.
"Not today, Sombra!" Chase shouted as he flew into the air with electricity flowing around him. "It's over!"
With that said, the others' elements glowed brightly. Twilight and Chase's element each unleashed a rainbow blast of light with Chase firing a lightning beam with Jade firing a water beam, Sunray shooting a fire beam, Trini blasting a beam of wind, and Antonio fired a beam of earth, striking Sombra and engulfing him as his body was seemingly annihilated. When the light of the blast faded, Sombra was gone, and all that was left was a smoking bit of burnt ground where he stood.
"Yeah!" Spike cheered, "Whoo-hoo-hoo!"
The others floated down with the Elements no longer glowing.
"We totally just wiped the castle with that guy!" Rainbow gloated.
Flurry flew over to hug her aunt and uncle, Twilight and Chase doing the same as Cadance returned. She looked ready for a fight, but quickly saw King Sombra was seemingly defeated.
Shining smiled at his sister and brother-in-law.
"Thanks, Twily and Chase." Shining Armor said gratefully.
He and Cadance moved over to join in the hug as the others kept celebrating.
"That was fun!" Pinkie said, rearing up and down.
"And easy," Applejack added.
"As magical battles go, that was a cakewalk," Rarity remarked.
"Mmm... Cakewalk..." Pinkie said, getting in between .
She liked the idea of it and pulled two cakes out of nowhere, jumping on them and moonwalking as the others laughed.
"We did handle this pretty well," Twilight continued, "On our own."
Chase turned to her, seeing a look of confidence appear on her lips.
"Does this mean...?" Spike asking next.
Twilight did a small nod.
"I still don't feel like Chase and I are one hundred percent ready, but will we ever?" Twilight softly asked.
"Knowing you? Nope," Applejack replied.
The farm mare stepped up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. They turned to Chase with smiles.
"See, Chase?" Rainbow said with a smirk. "Who would've said that you wouldn't take our responsibility seriously. We're more than ready to take on whatever throws at us."
"So stop worrying so much. We don't want you Twilight-ing too." Pinkie added with a giggle, but Chase felt a little concerned about this.
"Well, alright. But only this once." Chase said firmly. "I don't want you guys to get in way over your heads."
He turns his attention to Twilight.
"Besides, honey. You and I will not alone to do it by ourselves." Chase said to Twilight as he gave her a loving nuzzle, making his wife giggle at that as she returned the favor.
"And with us by your side as well as Chase's, we'll do just fine to protect Equestria." Jade added with a smile she, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio gave the alicorn couple.
"I have you all, and we have the Elements. And together, we've never failed. We'll be okay." Twilight said as the others cheered and gave her a hug.
Chase, however, was still having some doubts about this, but he was still thinking of how Sombra came back.
(Scene changes)
Soon enough, the Mane Sixteen were back at the Tree of Harmony as they returned the elements to the tree.
"Once again, Equestria is safe," Twilight said.
"What should we do to celebrate?" Fluttershy asked as Pinkie bounced up next to her.
"I vote for a cakewalk!" Pinkie cheered.
"I don't know, guys. This was too easy. Something tells me this is not over yet," Chase replied.
"Yeah, something about this doesn't seem right." Sunray added as the rest of his family felt the same way too.
Just then, a dark crystal came out of the roof. From that crystal, a familiar looking cloud of darkness appeared. Chase gasped as the cave began to shake, finally getting the other's attention.
"What's goin' on?" Applejack asked as the roof began to break apart.
"I don't know!" Twilight gasped.
More crystals came out of the ground and ceiling. They were thrusted into the Tree of Harmony, ripping pieces off of it and knocking the Elements loose from where they rested. Before any of the ponies could react, the largest crystal rushed out of the ground and impaled the center of the tree. The Tree of Harmony was destroyed as the Elements were sent flying, all hitting the ground in front of the Mane Sixteen and shattering to pieces.
They gasped in horror and were shocked as the dark cloud swirled down to the ground before taking form. They were all shocked to see King Sombra, standing on the shattered remains of the Elements with an evil cackle.
To be continued…
Author's note: Hey guys,
Here's the first chapter of season 9. I'll be adding some new references to this season with the latest chapter list too.
1. The Beginning of the End, part 1
2. The Beginning of the End, part 2
3. Uprooted
4. Sparkle's Seven
5. The point of No Return
6. Common Ground
7. She's All Yak
8. Frenemies
9. Sweet and Smoky
10. Going to Seed
11. Student Counsel
12. The Last Crusade
13. Between Dark and Dawn
14. The Last Laugh
15. 2, 4, 6, Greaat
16. A Trivial Pursuit
17. The Summer Sun Setback
18. She Talks to Angel
19. Dragon Dropped
20. A Horse Shoe-In
21. Daring Doubt
22. Growing Up is Hard to Do
23. The Big Mac Question
24. Zhao Strikes Back, Part 1
25. Zhao Strikes Back, Part 2
26. Fighting Spirit
27. Time to Rise Again
28. The Ending of The End, Part 1
29. The Ending of The End, Part 2
30. The Ending of The End, Part 3
31. The Ending of The End, Part 4
32. The Last Problem
These will be my chapters for this season and will add new characters with the return of Sunset Shimmer for the battle against the Quinkan as well. Also, the Ending of The End will be different for Zhao Strikes Back will have a big impact for the heroes. I'll be back soon enough to continue the next chapters.
Peace out!