[AiE] Disharmony - Part 9

>"What do we do now, Twilight?"
"I have no idea... We were brought here to use the Elements, and that clearly didn't work."
>"But, umm... maybe they just need to be used again? W-we could catch him off-guard... or weaken him somehow?"
>The fact that Anonymous has managed to negate the effects of the Elements worries you with the thought that there might not be anything that can weaken him.
>The travel back to the cave in the Everfree was silent.
>Nop0ny knew what do to or what to say.
>Fluttershy, ironically, has been the only one to speak so far, and then only silently with you.
>Alter-Twilight has just been staring off into space during the walk.
>For her in particular, this has to be hard.
>The last possible solution for restoring her world that involved recruiting ponies from another dimension...
>And it still wasn't enough.
"I honestly don't know, Fluttershy. This is nothing even close to what I've seen before. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd still have doubts that he was the one that turned Princess Celestia and Luna to stone."
>You've been sitting in the cave with Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie, telling yourselves you were getting something to eat, but none of you feel like eating.
>Applejack has gone with her duplicate to see her family and Rainbow Dash has gone for a quick flight to clear her head.
>Alter-Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow and Cadance are in the back of the cave talking amongst themselves.
>Probably planning on what's next.
>Rarity attempts to keep the conversation going.
>"Perhaps they're thinking about him the wrong way. Of the attempts made against him so far, what is something they haven't quite tried yet?"
"Uhh... sending a dragon after him?"
>Fluttershy shudders at the thought.
"Though, I doubt even something like that would stop him."
>Pinkie, while remaining calm, jumps in.
>"Maybe I should team up with Pinkie #2 and throw the biggest, most fun party ever so he forgives us for everything."
"Forgive us for what? Technically he’s the one who created these problems for them in the first place. We were just brought here out of desperation."
>"Well, I'M out of ideas, then."
>Rarity rubs her chin in thought.
>"Perhaps there is actually some form of magical weakness to exploit that they haven't thought of yet..."
"Like what? He seems pretty resistant to all of it, regardless of who it's from."
>"*ahem*"
>You all turn to see the blue unicorn with an ego.
>"Trixie was listening to your conversation and would like to weigh in."
>You look to each other and shrug.
"By all means."
>She sits beside Fluttershy and shares her thoughts.
>"Perhaps it is not so much a factor of ‘who’ the magic comes from. What if it's a case of 'how much'?"
"What do you mean?"
>"I know you're an Alicorn now, Sparkle, but I'm sure you have the same weakness as a regular Unicorn. You can't keep your magic flowing at a continuous rate. All of us, including Trixie, need to take a break and recharge."
>That's true.
>A Unicorn’s magic almost feels like a life force.
>Use too much of it and you'll feel absolutely drained.
>Rarity chimes in.
>"Isn't that what your Twilight is currently going through? She's so exhausted that she feels like she only has enough magic left to send us home?"
>"Exactly. Even if Trixie were to use the Alicorn Amulet again, she'd still be feeling the effects of fatigue, however amplified her magic would be."
"Okay, so what's your point?"
>"Trixie's point is that perhaps that ape-thing is running the same way. Far more so than any Unicorn, or Alicorn, but still... perhaps the crystal he's using needs to recharge, or he needs to rest after its use."
>That... IS an interesting thought.
"How would we prove something like that, though? He just withstood the Elements of Harmony and remains as threatening as before. I highly doubt he used a small amount of magic to protect himself from that kind of power."
>Trixie stares at you blankly for a moment.
>"Oh... do the Elements not have infinite power that you can use for as long as needed?"
>Rarity looks confused by that statement.
>"Umm... no, they come from our very essence. Twilight's Element is the one controlling it, but it's the magic within us that is used to power them."
>"Ah. Trixie's mistake. Trixie merely thought that if you were to perhaps use them at a continuous rate, there wouldn't be much risk of yourselves being drained."
"Well, you’re not completely mistaken... Perhaps if we could set up some form of grouped attack..."
>They all turn to you.
>"What do you mean, darling?"
"I mean, if we had a large number of Unicorns, as well as Cadance and myself, the Alicorn Amulet and any other magic-enhancing items, perhaps continuous attacks against Anonymous would eventually drain the crystal to the point of uselessness."
>Everyp0ny had begun considering your thought before a certain familiar voice is heard behind you.
>"Sorry; even if we could get enough Unicorns for that, I don't think I'd let you coordinate that many innocent ponies."
>You all turn to see a familiar white stallion with a blue mane.
>"Or at least... not until it's our absolute last resort, anyway."
"SHINING!"
>You leap up to prepare to hug him, but you stop yourself.
"...Oh, right."
>He raises his eyebrows at your sudden halt.
>"What, you actually consider being from a different dimension a boundary? Gimme a hug, Twily!"
>Well, he's right.
>He's still technically your brother.
>And you could really use a hug right now.
>You wrap your arms around your alternate brother, and he returns it.
>Breaking it a few seconds later, you look behind him to see Waratah, out of disguise.
"How are you feeling?"
>"I've been better. I may need to have my head checked."
>The crack on her carapace is still quite noticeable.
>Trixie moves over to her.
>"Come on then, we'll get Nurse Redheart to look at it."
>Shining Armour turns back to your group.
>"As much as I enjoyed that hug, Twily, I need to see my Twilight. Cadance as well; I want to make sure she's okay."
"She's fine, Shining. They're all at the far end of the cave."
>"Alright, then. Maybe you should gather your friends because you'll all want to hear the news."
>The tone of his voice doesn't sound too reassuring.
>You'd better find Rainbow Dash and Applejack quickly.


>"Unfortunately, that last attack has completely unhinged him. He's talking about sending the guards out, searching everywhere, thoroughly, by any and all means necessary."
>The 13 of you, including Shining Armour and Waratah, have gathered back at the far end of the cave, Cadance lying on the ground near the wall.
>Shining Armour is going over what Anonymous plans to do.
>"And when he says 'any and all', that means the guards are instructed to start burning and demolishing until they find you. He wants to draw you out, Twily. He knows you can't let that happen to any innocents, and he's going to start with Ponyville."
>Alter-Twilight is just staring blankly at the table in front of her.
>Alter-Rarity shakes her head.
>"That ruffian. I can't believe he'd do it. Destroying a town just so he can find Twilight..."
>Your Rainbow Dash looks to Shining Armour.
>"Aren't the guards under YOUR orders? Won't they listen to you if you tell them not to even consider that?"
>"Unfortunately, I'm now considered a traitor like Twilight. With Cadance safe, I had no reason to stay there. I want to get the Princesses back just as much as anyp0ny else, but following HIM is not going to make that happen."
>Alter-Applejack weighs in.
>"That's insane, though! Why are them guards followin' him, anyway? What're the Princesses gonna' think of them if they went an' helped with the ruin of Equestria?!"
>Shining Armour shakes his head and starts moving towards Cadance.
>"That's just it. They're afraid of him. We're all powerless against him, and he's the only one that has the power to release them, but he says he won't do that until he can be sent back to his world."
>Alter-Pinkie butts in.
>"He won't do that! If somep0ny finds a way home for him, he'll take it without releasing the Princesses!"
>"I know. That's what I've been telling the guards the whole time. He won’t release them if he can get home, and even if he did, we won't send him back without making him pay for what he's done. We were at a constant stand-still, which is why I made as little effort as I could to find you all."
>He sighs and looks regretfully at Cadance.
>"Unfortunately, most of the guards cling to the fact that he's the only hope of the Princesses being restored, so they do as he says out of desperation and fear."
>There is no situation here that can be solved peacefully.
>The ponies want justice, but he holds all the power.
>The only pony capable of giving him what he wants is hiding, and he's willing to destroy everything that gets in his way in order to find her...
>Alter-Rainbow slams her hooves on the table.
>"Then the only solution we have left is to fight!"
>Everyp0ny looks to her.
>"Nop0ny will let him get away with what he's done, and he's not going to release the Princesses! He's making his move now, so we need to retaliate! All of us, anyp0ny and everyp0ny, has to fight! Everything we have left is on the line, and I'm not sitting down to wait for it!"
>At that moment, you'd swear you heard a vaguely familiar 'YEEEAAAH!' coming from the opposite end of the cave.
>She makes a good point though.
>Unfortunately, there seems to be no other choice.
>Alter-Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity all hesitantly agree.
>Your Applejack moves to her side and puts a hoof over her.
>"Y’all can count us in, too!"
>Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity look at her, surprised.
>"Y’all need all tha' help you can get, and we're here to do what we can!"
>The rest of your friends share a glance before nodding.
>"No."
>Alter-Twilight finally looks up and towards your friends.
>"I brought you here to use the Elements of Harmony, and that plan failed... You're going home."
>The expressions of all of your friends turn to shock and confusion.
>Rainbow Dash speaks up.
>"Why? You can't do this on your own!"
>"The task I asked you to perform has been done. It was a matter of grave importance that didn't concern you, but you chose to help anyway and for that, we thank you. Now you need to go before the situation worsens, and any of you get hurt."
>She's still set on that.
>Her logic is understandable; you'd certainly feel terrible if any harm came to them were your positions reversed.
>Rarity smirks at her.
>"No offense, Twilight, but I think this matter has evolved to a point where it concerns us greatly. You're not getting rid of us so easily."
>Shining Armour moves back to the table.
>"That's not the point, Rarity. You shouldn't have been brought here to begin with. I'm not blaming Twilight for doing what she thought could help, but she's right. This is our problem. If anything were to happen to any of you, it's on her, and she wouldn't be able to cope with that."
>This whole back and forth on your position here is difficult to weigh in on.
>You back away from the table and start moving around the cave to let your mind wander.
>Rainbow Dash retaliates.
>"And how do you think we'd feel being sent home at a time like this without making an effort?!"
>Technically you have made an effort.
>An effort that, unbelievably, had no effect.
>The Elements of Harmony... the most powerful magical artifacts in the history of Equestria…
>And they did absolutely nothing.
>How are you supposed to counter Anonymous’s crystal knowing that?
>Pinkie starts yelling.
>"Rainbow Dash is right! If we went home knowing that your world was left like this, we’d find our way back!"
>The crystal is nothing like you'd ever seen...
>Alter-Twilight said that when she first saw it, she barely felt any magic through it at all.
>In fact, she said it wasn't much more than what you felt in that little fragment...
>...
>The fragment...
>Alter-Rainbow starts yelling back.
>"You still have your Celestia and Luna! They wouldn't allow you to work on magic like that, anyway!"
>You move over to the pedestal in the corner.
>There it is, just sitting there.
>This fragment is the only thing you have.
>If what she said was true, then theoretically this little piece of crystal could potentially hold the same power as Anon's.
>Shining Armour starts to sound aggressive.
>"You probably wouldn't feel nearly as bad as we would if you got hurt! It's not up for debate - you're going home, and that's final!"
>The large group of ponies around the table starts to argue louder over what the plan is.
>You look back to see Alter-Twilight holding her head in her hooves and Cadance looking at the argument with concern.
>Seeing them like this hurts.
>You feel the same way as your group in wanting to stay and help, but it seems like a futile effort.
>If you had some proper time to actually study this fragment, maybe you could come up with a solution.
>Maybe you could even use it against Anon...
>But then again, she said that before the incident, she helped him learn how to use it.
>She never managed to use it herself, so she showed him how to use it instead.
>She would most certainly have had plenty of time to figure out how to tap into its magic if she were able to.
>But that's what the weird thing is.
>Anonymous seems to be the only one capable of using it...
>...
>...Anonymous...
>...the only one able to use it...
>That's it!


"We have an alternative."
>Instantly the arguing stops; all eyes are now on you.
>Moving back to the table, even Alter-Twilight lifts her head to look up at you.
"We'll bring over OUR Anonymous. Finish this fight with him."
>Everyp0ny looks to each other, unsure of what you've said.
>Alter-Applejack is the first to respond.
>"And... how does that help us, exactly?"
>Alter-Rarity joins her.
>"Yes, I think ours is past the point of talking, Twilight."
"I'm not talking about our Anonymous talking yours down. I'm talking about using that magic against him."
>Rainbow Dash indulges your idea.
>"It's a nice thought, Twilight, but Anon doesn't even know how to use magic. How do you expect him to go up against their Anon without it?"
>You smile as your horn lights.
>The case containing the crystal floats over to the table with your magic and you set it down in front of you.
"With this."
>They all look at the fragment inside.
>The ponies of this world all start to get the idea, while your group looks confused.
"This fragment is from the crystal Anon is using. Twilight #2 said that it broke when Fluttershy knocked it out of his hand and he only recovered the bigger piece. I had a chance to examine it myself, and there IS magic within it. I can't tell how much because none of us are able to use it."
>Your group starts to nod, remembering what Alter-Twilight had told them about it.
"If I'm right, we can bring our Anonymous here and he can use this fragment against their Anonymous. We don't know how powerful it is, but the only choice we have is to fight it with itself. Anonymous is the only one that can do that."
>Alter-Twilight doesn't even hesitate to stand and confront you.
>"One Anonymous in this world is bad enough. I'm not using what little magic I have left to bring another here just to give him the exact same power that ours has!"
"But it's to save your world!"
>"You don't know that! He could just as easily turn on you as ours did!"
>Fluttershy finally speaks up.
>"He's not like that! If we explain the situation, he'll help us!"
>Rarity agrees with her.
>"Yes, Twilight, he wouldn't even consider it. Don't let fear cloud your judgement."
>Alter-Twilight starts to respond before Rainbow Dash cuts her off.
>"Your Anonymous was a grouch and he turned bad after what he did to your Fluttershy! Ours is still here and they're great friends!"
>Applejack chimes in.
>"Yeah, that's a pretty safe bet that he's nothin' like yours, sugarcube. Y’all have nothin' ta' worry about."
>Lastly, Pinkie steps in to support the idea.
>"Aaaaaaaand he Pinkie Promised that he owed me a favour for anything I need! I can cash it in for everyp0ny now, because you DO NOT go back on a Pinkie Promise!"
>Alter-Twilight looks around your group, silenced.
>She's still showing concerns on her face.
>"Twilight..."
>Alter-Pinkie speaks up and she turns to her.
>"... I'm worried, too. But what other choice do we have?"
>The ponies surrounding her hesitantly agree.
>"The way they keep talking about him... they're determined to make us understand. I don't want another Anon here any more than you do, but maybe we should trust them on this..."
>Alter-Twilight looks back to your group.
>All of you nod confidently to reassure her.
>She takes a deep breath as she's about to make her decision.
>Before she can, you feel a sudden uneasiness about the room.
>A rumbling sound is heard and a bit of rock falls from the top of the cave, landing on the table.
>Before you can question it, you hear little footsteps incoming.
>Alter-Spike comes rushing into the room.
>"TWILIGHT! WE HAVE A BIG PROBLEM!"
>Everyp0ny snaps to attention, Alter-Twilight rushing over to him.
>"What is it?!"
>"The Royal Guards! They found us! A whole squadron of them are attacking!"
>"WHAT?!"
>Oh, darn it!
>Alter-Rainbow moves towards them.
>"How did they find us?!"
>Shining Armour steps towards them.
>"They must've followed me and Waratah back here!"
>Great!
>How are you supposed to bring Anon here now?!
>Alter-Twilight starts yelling orders.
>"Alright, don't just stand around; we need to go help everyp0ny evacuate!"
>Wasting no time, the majority of you head out.
>Shining Armour asks Fluttershy and Spike to stay behind with Cadance.
>This is the worst possible timing.
>You finally find a way to help the world, and it's all suddenly crashing down.
>You need to help repel this attack.
>Even if it's only for a little while.
>Anonymous... YOUR Anonymous… suddenly became your new last hope.