Future Equestria (jump in)

[Dark Hooves]

Luna: Thank you,  Zion lets go eat somewhere.

[Dark Hooves]

Luna: That same one Tia went to. I hope the ponies don't freak out seeing you.

[Dark Hooves]

Luna walks to the entrance. "Table for two."

The greeter nods and leads them to the table. She takes a second look at Zion. "You're a lion?!"

[Dark Hooves]

The greeter responds nervously. "No no, its no problem at all. A waiter will be able to help you in a few minutes."

She returns to the entrance waiting for more guests.

[Dark Hooves]

Luna: I'm going to tell you something that must stay between us. When I was banished to the moon and my magic sealed. I was pregnant, my daughter was born on the moon. Nopony else knew of my condition. My daughter didn't stand a chance, before she drew her first breath and became immortal she was losing the fight. I tried to give a breath of air. It wasn't enough, she passed in my hooves and there was nothing I could do.

Tears start filling Luna's eyes.

[Dark Hooves]

Luna buries her face into Zion's shoulder sobbing loudly. "Why, Tia,  why? You didn't even give me a chance to explain and tell you about my condition."
Post Merge

Celestia: Grand Illusion, Princess Celestia here, if you can hear me, please respond.

\\ @Stryder221 are you there?


\\ @Stryder221 we left off here

[Stryder221]

[Had to sleep. Not fully nocturnal on my end, yet. Give me a moment.]

[Dark Hooves]

Luna: I'm sorry about breaking down in front of you. I can't forgive the pony responsible for losing my daughter. What kind of mother would do that? (She sniffles.)

A waiter comes to their table. "What are you having tonight?"

Luna: Chef salad and water.

"And you sir?"
Post Merge
\\i wasn't rushing, just leaving where we left off so you wouldn't have to hunt for it

[Dark Hooves]

"Excellent choice,  it will be a few minutes." He tends to other guests.

Luna:  Zion, I've been dwelling on this for 1050 years. I still can't forgive Tia for this.

[Stryder221]

Once the name of Illusion had been mentioned, the void seemed to Tremble.
Before they knew it, Celestia and her nearby companions seemed to have been taken off to a different part of it, entirely.

A much more furnished part of it. A desk, bookshelf, couch, bed, and multiple scattered notes all over the "floor", written in varying states of apparent sanity.

Some of them appeared to have been torn from their original place. Perhaps these were the missing pages of Illusion's journal?

[Dark Hooves]

Celestia gathers the loose pages and starts reading them with Dark Hooves.

******

Luna: She has apologized for banishing me to the moon, this was when I was freed. She found out about my condition. She apologized but I didn't accept it, I couldn't. Maybe sometime I will but not now.

[Dark Hooves]

Luna: I will do so when I see fit and not any sooner.

Their food and drinks arrive.

Luna tries to enjoy her date and her meal.

[Stryder221]

[Well, that's a lot of backstory right here... Sorry about the wall of text. I might have gone a bit far.  ]

These notes definitely were written by the missing unicorn. The question was: How did they get here?

Another dream... Canterlot was burning, taken over by the combined threat of Changelings and the majority of villains Equestria has faced in these last two decades.
My family... My mother, aunt, and brother, all turned to stone... [glow=red,2,300]By me.[/glow] I woke up not long after, trembling and shaking horribly.

Why is this happening?!

Apparently, the unicorn's strange dreams had continued, only getting worse and worse as time passed.

That strange dream with the rift and the vampony again (Yes, it was Vampony.), only this time, I remembered...
This dream, no, memory... This was an event that happened long ago, before the tribes united.

That rift... It had something to do with space and time, trying to send a group of ponies far into the future. Not including myself.
I don't understand any of this! I know I didn't travel through time, so why am I here?!

Am I losing my mind? Have I finally cracked from the pressure?

However, the journal quickly took a turn for the disturbing on the next page.

[glow=red,2,300]I REMEMBER EVERYTHING[/glow]

Canterlot did burn, and I was a part of Equestria's downfall. The only reason it isn't the case at the time of writing is that it was a different timeline entirely. The exposure to a time rift was a key factor. But when Discord first appeared, I appeared to have caught his attention. I don't remember the specifics, but his influence led to some... big results. Chaos and Timey-Wimey stuff is a dangerous combination, it seems...

Long story short... I can't die. Not permanently. I just wake up back in this odd white dimension if something happens. From here, though... I can see the threads of time... Like a ball of yarn, actually, and all wibbly wobbly to boot. And it's constantly being re-written by forces outside of our dimension.

My life was just one incarnation of myself. Once my part in the timeline ends, I either get shuffled to the next one with no memory, or wake up back here with a little luck.
My brother, family, and various other people, referred to as "OCs", suffer from a similar fate, usually being shuffled through time upon death, though they weren't fortunate enough to ever remember what happens, as far as I remember.

Following a brief bout of emotional turmoil, rage and depression in heavy doses, I took on a new name for myself.

Was tempted to call myself a time lord at first, but I soon discarded the idea.

Discord was known as the king of lies in the old days, wasn't he? Well, at least one timeline, I'm sure.
And it's partly because of him that I still exist, whether he knows it or not.

It's settled. From now on, I'll go by another name. Where Discord was the king of lies, I am the prince. The Prince of Lies.

[Stryder221]

[Nah. Just this one specific one. He's the only one who can actually remember what happens in other threads of time. And that's if he's lucky.]

[Dark Hooves]

With that it dawns on both of them.

Celestia: The prince of lies is Grand Illusion. It all makes sense now.

How do we turn him back?

Celestia: Good question. Maybe our combined love can break him free from the prince of lies grip.

Let's try it. Hey prince of lies, I got something for you.

They touch horns readying to try and restore Grand Illusion.

*"*"*"*"*"*

Luna gives a slight smile trying to enjoy the date.

[Stryder221]

[Pardon? I don't remember anyone in particular I'm copying. Unless you mean Zion. In which case... *Shrug*  I ain't starting an argument over the internet. Nobody really wins those.]

"That's cute, real cute... You think you can just turn me back into what I was before this all started?"
Appearing out of nowhere was Prince, glaring at the two. "You think you can do that, when the elements of harmony couldn't even fully remove Luna's bitterness?"

He moved a hoof up to his hat, removing it and showing his true face. Save for longer mane and tail, perhaps, it didn't seem like the unicorn had aged a day.
"You think I'd want to go back at this point? All It would do is cause heartache for my brother, and he wouldn't even remember it by the time I hit the next thread. Go ahead and try if you want, I guarantee that no matter what, nothing will have changed."

[Dark Hooves]

Celestia: Some of my sister's bitterness remains for the reason that she won't give it up. I'm not telling you about royal family matters.

Illusion, we will set you free.

They hit him with their combined magic, this stabilizes the chaotic mana. Dark Hooves uses his special talent to split the two halves of Illusion's personality. Separating light from dark.

Before I finish, which of you are the real Grand Illusion.

Celestia seals their magic so they can't escape.

******

Luna gives Zion a nuzzle, starting to warm up to him.

[Stryder221]

Illusion's eyes, normally remaining closed or at an extreme squint, finally opened, revealing bright green irises.
"...No sell." Was all he said, his eyes changing in that instant from green to a bright yellow, with blackened Sclera.

"It's not just chaos that drives me. Determination. Pure and simple, sheer determination. And if you wanted to get technical about these things, I already have dozens of little personalities in my head, remnants of my past lives. Try to split them up, they'll just join back together before long, regardless of success. It's... rather depressing, actually."
He then sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't bring you here just for an attempt to be 'reformed'. No, we're here because I want to tear you both from each other. Remember what I said about you being the one writing the story, darky? That's right... I meant every bit of that. "

"You wrote yourself into this timeline, created it for what seems to be the sole purpose of being a god and putting yourself in a relationship with one of Equestria's most influential beings, whether you know it or not. That's why your relationship is doomed to fail. By the next timeline, chances are there will be nothing left of it. If you can't realize how pointless and empty your love so far has been, then you're in for a good deal of heartbreak."

He then shrugged, a little grin on his face. "Or is all that just an excuse for my questionable morality? Heck if I know. All I know is that, for the sake of a decent climax, nopony here is leaving without a fight of some sort."

[Dark Hooves]

You're a fool living in a dream. Time to wake up. He divides each personality sending each to Tartarus as Celestia binds them there sealing their magic.

You won't tear me away from Princess Celestia, we love each other too much. I never used any magic on her, I never used any potions on her. My feelings for her are 100% genuine. Tears of his unwavering love for Celestia stream down his face.

******

Luna: It is really good, thanks for treating me with dinner. (She gives him a kiss on his cheek.)

[Stryder221]

"You keep telling yourself that... Over and over again... But you just don't understand, no matter how hard I try to drill it into your mind. Not potions, and not magic, but rewriting history itself just to make her love you... Why can't I get you to see it...? Why? Why can't you understand that everything you've done is [glow=red,2,300]POINTLESS!?[/glow]"
He clopped his hooves together, and all his power came flooding back to him in an instant. It wasn't going to be that easy to disable him... It was like the act was ignored entirely. "It'll all be gone! Your so-called love will fade just like the rest when all is said and done! If I have to remove you from this timeline to prove my point, then so be it!"

Lowering his head, Illusion's grin began to fade.

"But you think you're too powerful for that to happen, don't you...? But let me just share a little piece of information with you. This is my pocket dimension you're standing in... My world, my rules!"
Another clop of the hooves together, and Celestia glowed with a golden light before she disappeared, thrown out of the pocket dimension entirely and dropped unceremoniously at the entrance to the Everfree.

"And what happens when it turns out I don't play by the same rules as you do...? Let's find out... Fight, you wannabe god! Fight for your illusion of love! "
Standing up on his hind legs, Illusion summoned a staff and tome to his side, waiting for Dark to make the first move.

[glow=red,2,300]"Earn your happy ending if you think you can!"[/glow]