//------------------------------// // Magic VS Magic // Story: Equestria Girls: Love Is Magic // by onekface //------------------------------// Chapter 36: Magic VS Magic Twilight wasn’t really sure how anger worked. In fact, she can’t really remember the last time she was ever angry. But the burning rage coming from the pit of her stomach was probably the closest thing she can imagine. Her nostrils flared and her breathing became sharp and huffy. Her muscles tensed up, itching to throw a haymaker. Every fiber of her body wanted to burst out and throw the heaviest thing she could get her magic hands on. “Give my friend back, right now!” She ponied up, her fingers glowing with magic threatening to lash out the moment he made one wrong move. “Now now, my dear. Let’s not resolve this with violence. We are far better than that. Surely someone of your pedigree can afford to be civil.” Oh I’ll show you civil. “I’m not saying another word to you until you return Flash to me!” “Please Ms. Sparkle. Calm down. I assure you, that boy is safe where he is. Far safer than here.” He raised his hand up dangling his bracelet. “But that might change if you continue with your aggression.” That threat was enough to curb her anger, or at least lowered it to manageable levels. “Very good…” He smiled. “I take it that I need no introductions?” Her teeth seethed. “What do you want from me? And… how do you know my name?” “I know all of your associates, Ms. Sparkle. You and your friends and your plans to ambush me in this castle. I’ve known all of your movements since my pageant show the other night. But I did not know of this place until you uncovered it for me.” There was a hint of admiration hidden in his voice. Almost like he was congratulating her. “Marvelous, isn’t it? An ancient Yaztec portal, hidden under our very noses. It took us almost 2 years to find one and figure out its mechanism. Yet here you are, doing all that in the span of 2 minutes. That has to be a record. How did you do it?” “What makes you think I’d tell you?” She seethed venomously. “Come now. As a fellow enthusiast of all things occult, surely you can understand my curiosity. Besides, I detest violence.” “Not exactly convincing.” “I do engage in such things unless it’s absolutely necessary. If I did, I wouldn’t have appeared before you now.” “Try telling that to Sunset.” He opened his mouth to counter but found himself cornered in that argument. “Hmm… yes. I must admit that things did get a bit… out of hand in that skirmish.” “You burned down her apartment!” “I offer no excuses for that. We were not there to harm her. We were only interested in the Travel Stone she possessed.” Travel Stone? Was that what they call the Portal Stone? “Please extend my apologies to your friend. And let her know that I am willing to pay for all the damages done by my… accomplices.” His eyes cast upon his minion who shuddered back, eyes drooping downward. “It’s hard to find good help these days.” “So you really are after the stone. Why?” His brow cocked upward. “Why… to study it of course. Just like you, I assume. It takes a great amount of magical energy to power these things. Creating a ripple through time and space can be quite demanding.” It does? Strange. She hardly needed any effort to activate them. “Wait. If you already have one of these, then why do you need another one? Can’t you just study yours?” A chuckle escaped him. “If only it were that easy, my dear Twilight. These relics are not only powerful but they’re also containers for a great amount of magic. And seeing this one activate a portal, means it possess large quantities of raw energy. And we need a lot of them.” “To use the Chalice of Wishes.” She deduced, which sparked a reaction from him. “You know about the Chalice as well?” “I know that you’re organization are hoarding a lot of magical artifacts and built that extra wing in the Museum of Natural History. Something to do with the Winter Solstice.” For a brief moment his mask dropped, or more literally his shades. They tilted down revealing a corner of his strangely swirling pupils as if caught unaware. “That is… surprisingly accurate. I’m starting to see how you were able to defeat Cinch. Clearly she underestimated you.” “What are your plans? Who are you? What’s your organization up to? What do you need the Chalice for?” Hoity quickly raised one hand to stop her. “Too many questions, and I am not in liberty to speak of any of them. My Master would be furious with my loose lips.” He then casually looked over his watch nodding. “Such a shame we have little time. I wanted to spend these hours trapping you and your friends here but with this new discovery, my schedule has changed drastically. I’ll just be taking this thing and be on my merry wa-” He reached for the portal stone, only to have it suddenly ripped from its pedestal and pulled away towards Twilight. The portal that it held open soon closed not long after leaving only a few torches to light the area. “Not happening.” His eyes sharpened like daggers. Hoity didn’t like being played the fool. “I will have that stone, if you please.” The nerd gal tucked the object into her satchel and readied herself for battle. “You want it? Come and take it.” The fashion star laughed at her attempt of bravery. “You obviously have no clue what position you are in, girl. You know my strength and the strength of my minions.” Two lamias rose to his side, their claws extended. “What happened to not liking violence?” “Oh I detest it. But I will still use it to get what I want. Especially from children who don’t know better.” “Then it looks like you’re gonna have to try.” “Your friends cannot reach you here. You’re outgunned and outnumbered.” “I don’t think so.” With one swift motion she reached back into her satchel producing a thin crown before placing it on her head. Putting her magic into the object, the jewel on the accessory shined and out came four replicas of her, standing in formation. To say the least, Hoity was definitely surprised. His foot unconsciously made him step back, out of fear. “How in the…?” “Now. I’m gonna ask you one last time.” She and her copies stepped forward, hands brimming with power. “Give Flash back!” xxxxxxxxxx Well… this was something you don’t experience every day. Flash certainly thought so. First you discover a long lost pirate ship hidden inside a cave, find out that said pirate might be a wizard from the colonial days, get teleported to a room, somehow activated said portal and then get smothered by a shadow monster which then teleported him to another room entirely. Despite its setbacks, this day was going surprisingly well. The shadow creature dropped him over to what looked like a store room like a sack of meat tossing him aside before vanishing back into the darkness. It was a strange sensation to move like that. Like his body was being ripped and assembled all at once. Totally different from the first time but the result was the same. His stomach churned and his head felt wobbly. Was this the same as being air-sick? Either way, it was official. Teleporting sucked. Brushing away his sickness and swallowing his vomit, the boy got up trying to make sense of his surroundings. Wherever that creature dropped him, it was certainly in another place under the castle. A closet maybe. The walls were close enough that he could reach one side from the other. There was door too but it was heavy and wouldn’t budge an inch. “Hey!” He banged it a few times shouting. “Anybody out there!?” The silence was all that answered back. That and maybe a few insects that lingered in the area. The shadow monster that brought him here didn’t seem to be around either. Ok Flash. Stay calm. You’ve been in tough situations before. If you can survive a sinking cruise ship, you can get out of a small cabinet. No need to panic. Panic saves no one. You need to think hard and fast. Twilight is facing that man and his minions alone so she’s counting on you. What do we have to work with? A cell phone with 76% battery, his wallet with some loose change and driving license, his jacket, shoes? Great! Maybe he can play a game of Cake Crush while waiting for help. Dang it! How was he supposed to help out if he’s trapped in this closet? Its times like these he wished he had magic or some kind of power that could blast his way through this obstacle. He was supposed to be a support, not a burden. And right now he refused to be some kind of hostage for Hoity to use against his friends. So like many others, he decided to go with his gut and brute force his way out. Bracing himself on the wall he lifted his feet and let out a mighty kick. The impact had a positive effect as he heard some of the pieces come loose. He mustered his strength again and struck ignoring the pain emanating from his hand. Three more times followed and it repeated over and over, until finally the door hinges gave in. He dropped on the ground with a heavy thud. “If you wanna put Flash Sentry inside a box. You’d better make sure he doesn’t come back out!” He shouted strongly at the closet, trying to act like one of those heroes on the big screen. “Now… where do I go from here?” “HELP!!!” He got his answer in the form of a cry for help coming from the corridor. The voice sounded familiar. “Help~~~~!” He quietly took a peek and saw three figures running for their dear lives from a pack of snakes that were hot on their trail. xxxxxxxxxx Hoity grunted loudly when he felt a rock brush against his beautiful one-of-a-kind designer T-shirt. The sharp edges grazed him but it was enough to tear through his precious fabric ruining his perfect image. He wasn’t expecting this kind of resistance from this girl. From what he gathered, she looked more like a sheltered nerd than a magician. But he was soon proven wrong when she began to dish out magic like she had plenty to spare. Her copies ran amok, going on all sides confusing him while dishing out the same power she did. They used some form of telekinesis to throw objects at him, and a few basic light spells that kept his minions at bay. It was enough to turn this supposed one-sided-slaughter into an all-out magical brawl. Perhaps he judge them wrong. He thought that Sunset was the most powerful out of all of them but he was certainly dead wrong about that. Her powers combined with the rage she was feeling inside numbed her pain and fueled her energy three-folds. If his lamias weren’t so translucent, they probably would’ve been flattened by her powers long ago. Each time her copies gets shredded, ripped or torn apart she would simply summon another one from that crown and replenish her numbers back to full strength. And here he thought he had the advantage in numbers. And the fact that she was able to land even a grazing hit on him was an achievement on its own. Still… the matter was clear. She had the Travel Stone. And he was getting it. One way or another. “Kaaz! Enough playing around! Be done with her already!” His lamias obeyed and quickly began wiping another two of Twilight’s copies, closing in on the original. But the girl blasted them back with another light spell along with the two other copies which sent them reeling back. Normally such a flimsy attack wouldn’t even make his monster flinch but this girl… She was powerful. Far more powerful than Sunset could ever be. It was like she had a pool of unlimited magic hidden inside of her. And she had little to no disregard on how to use it. “Give my friend back!” She dislodged a marble stone from the wall and threw it at him, which missed, crashing the ground by a few feet. That girl might be powerful but she had little control over her powers. And that… seemed to make her even more dangerous. Perhaps he shouldn’t have taken her boyfriend from right under her nose. “RAHH!” His minion lunged forward with her claws swiping another clone to dust. But that proved futile as another replaced her almost immediately and blasted her with a beam of light. Its skin boiled and bubbled forcing it to retreat. That same scenario repeated itself in different order again and again. It was like having déjà vu put on repeat but worse. It was enough to drive a man mad. “If you want something done…” He groaned before finally joining the fight. With a swift motion he raised his hand up dangling the black gem and called for unnatural powers to his aid. A beam of energy blasted from his hand blowing a segment of the room to pieces taking down Twilight’s clones in an instant. “I will have that stone!” “You want it?” She taunted. “Come and get it.” He answered that challenge. xxxxxxxxxx Sunset panted heavily as she tried to catch her breath in the corridor. She wasn’t sure how much more they could take. This place was supposed to be clear of traps a long time ago but it seems like whoever made that statement must’ve missed a few of them. First it was that giant rolling boulder of death, which Pinkie triggered because of another of her shenanigans. Then they stepped on a raised plate which activated a bunch of dart blowers on the wall. Luckily whatever toxin was in them had already expired. Otherwise they’d be seeing spots. The next trap they sprung was the water pit which dropped them in a pit of… well… water. There was probably supposed to be a secondary function to that trap but it must’ve been busted. But the worst of them all was definitely the locked room with the walls closing in on them. It was scary enough to see those on the big screen, they didn’t need to experience it in real life. Thankfully Pinkie had a few explosive pastries hidden in her hair which they used to blast themselves out of there. Now they were here, out of breath and having absolutely no idea where they were. She didn’t like saying that Rainbow Dash had a point with her movies, but whoever designed this castle certainly took a page out of her adventure books. The only thing missing now was a shark pit. “Ok… let’s set some… new ground rules. Ow.” She said through pants of breath while removing some darts from her arm, the needles felt like wasp stings but less dangerous. “No more running ahead, no more pressing random buttons, no more hopping for fun, no more ‘Oooh what does this button do?’ gimmick, and certainly no more random guessing which way to go next. We are doing this properly and carefully. Got it?” “Wooyay~~~” Pinkie agreed – or at least she think she agrees. It was hard to tell. The poor girl had arrows sticking out of her puffy hair which were thankfully blunted by the pastries she had hidden inside. “Got it…” Fluttershy said weakly. The girl must’ve been pretty tuckered out from all that running… and screaming… and shouting. But mostly the screaming bit. She had a few burnt marks on the edges of her clothes, which would undoubtedly bring Rarity to tears. “Right.” Wiping the sweat off her brow, Sunset decided to move first. “Let’s take this step by step. I’ll go first. Follow exactly where I walk. The last thing we need is stepping on another…” Her hand pressed against the wall tile which slipped in sounding an audible click. “… trap.” A shutter opened right above her dumping a bucket load of sludge on her. She cringed heavily, noting the strange particular smell. “Please. Please tell me this is just mud.” Pinkie took a quick whiff and immediately backed away from her, pinching her nose and resisting the urge to hurl. “Ewww… gross.” Even Fluttershy agreed, backing away from the strong odor. “Arghhh! Whyyyyyyy!? Of all the traps, it had to be a stink trap! I’ll take a shark tank or a hundred other traps than this!” Wish it and you shall receive it. As her tantrum unavoidably sprung another raised tile activating another shutter door blowing even more darts at them. “I WASN’T SERIOUS!” “Run!” And run they did, dodging another array of anti-intruder defenses. “When we get out of this, I am never gonna make fun of Rainbow Dash’s movies ever again!” “Me too!” Fluttershy agreed only to pause when she noted her friend falling behind. “Sunset! Hurry!” “I’m trying! But this sludge is sticky and… ugh… smelly too.” The girl struggled with her steps trying to pull her leg out of the slimy thing. “Help! Ow!” A dart struck her back. “Oh come on! I just removed those!” A few dozen more flung her way. “Oh this is gonna hurt.” She quickly shielded herself expecting to be stung repeatedly. But oddly enough it never came. Sunset took a slow peek wondering if she was dead only to find a familiar diamond barrier shielding her from harm. “Sorry for being tardy. But you know how I love being fashionably late.” “Rarity!” Sunset has never been so glad to see her. But before she could grab her in a full blown hug, the fashionista blocked her with another shield. “Ow…” “Oh no no. No touching! These clothes are vintage darling. A stain on this would be an epic disaster.” Strangely enough Sunset understood that and accepted it. “Good thing we came along when we did.” Applejack appeared behind her grabbing the muddy girl and pulling her off the sludge. “You guys look like you were running to all sorts of trouble.” “You don’t know the half of it!” Pinkie whined from behind the rubble. “We went through all sorts of traps. Arrow traps, pit fall traps, sludge traps, boulder traps, and walls crushing you trap!” Rainbow Dash gawked. “You went through all that!? Aw… no fair! The only trap we sprung was a snake nest.” She folded her arms together grumbling. “Some folks have all the fun.” Sunset groaned into her hand urking away when she remembered the smell. “I wouldn’t call what we experienced to be ‘fun’. This place has more traps than your average dungeon. Maybe splitting up wasn’t a good idea after all. “Oh now you admit it.” “How’d you find us anyway?” “Hard not to with all that screaming.” The cowgirl chuckled, thumbing Fluttershy. “I don’t suppose you found Twilight.” “Nope. But someone else found us instead.” She pointed to the back of the group where a blue haired boy appeared waving awkwardly like a kid who was caught in a restricted zone. “Flash!? Wh… what are you… how did you…?” Her brain sizzled. He was the last person she wanted to see here. “How are you here?” “Long story. I’ll tell you later.” He brushed passed her list of questions. “Right now you need to know that Twilight is in trouble. She’s facing Hoity Toity alone with his shadow monsters.” Alarm bells rang over her head. “Twilight and Hoity!? Where!?” “That’s… kind of the problem. It’s kinda complicated.” “Then simplify it!” “Well to be honest I have absolutely no idea. Apparently the room she was in can only be accessed with magic of some kind with the black gemstone. It was supposed to be the key or something. She was pretty technical about the whole process. And honestly I didn’t exactly understand half of what she was saying.” Sunset remembered Twilight saying something about that. Ever since she was teleported to that portal room in the Everfree caves, she had been pulling out hypotheses and theories out of her head like crazy. Though of course there was no way to prove any of them without testing it. However it wasn’t a tried and tested method. Even in Equestria, there have been ways for powerful unicorns and magical creatures to hide something away by tossing it into a place only they can access. Kind of like having a pocket dimension in your… pocket or a private storage that follows you around wherever you go. Pretty handy. “So how are we going to find her?” Fluttershy questioned which prompted everyone to turn their resident magic expert. Sunset groaned. It was hard being one of two magic pros around here. “Alright alright. Give me a second.” She stated loudly going into deep thought but not before pointing a finger at her ex. “I’m still angry at you for being here. And we are going to talk about this later. But first…” She didn’t want to say it but it was the truth. If Twilight was trapped in a separate area that can only be accessed with the black gem and the only one they had was with the girl in question. She can also imagine that Hoity has one with him too. “But that place has to be somewhere around here, right?” Applejack gave a good point. It was a room with a powerful portal. You can’t just store something like that in your pocket dimension. It had to be somewhere physically here. “Why don’t we just pound the area until we find her?” “Because that kind of damage will bring this whole place down.” “What about our geode?” Pinkie threw her two bits in. “Twilight says that all our geodes are connected and all. So maybe we can look for her that way?” Plausible but studying these geodes have been hitting them with questions than answers. There was no time to research. “Well whatever we’re gonna do, we have to do it fast. Twilight isn’t gonna last long against without us.” Flash spoke, urging them to come up with a solution. But there was none. Without a proper key, entering a room in another area would require a tremendous amount of magic. And luckily for her, she had just the thing to give her that edge. “I got an idea.” Sunset said finally earning the gang’s attention as she pulled out that strange black and red amulet from her pocket. “It’s a bit of a long shot but it might just work.” xxxxxxxxxx “You know you can’t keep this up forever.” Hoity spoke as he advanced slowly, blasting another of Twilight’s clones to smithereens. “The five of you could barely face Cinch in an open battle. You alone against me is a death sentence. Make it easy on yourself and give me the stone.” Oh she wasn’t fighting him. As a matter of fact she stopped fighting him for about ten minutes now and allowed her clones to handle all the dirty work. Twilight had been hiding in a pile of rubble conserving her energy. However, she could feel her magic slipping from her fingers. This man was clearly nothing like Cinch and she thought of her to be a powerful magician. He on the other hand was on a whole new level and she wasn’t just talking about his shadow monsters either. Even with the power of the Crown of the Four Fools and her geode, the fashionista/mage seemed to be adept in a multitude of spells and sorcery. He can cast shields stronger than Rarity, teleport from one place to another with his shadows and blast one of her copies with a single shot. Who knows what else this creep was capable of? The only reason why she was able to last this long was because he couldn’t tell which of them was the real one. For a moment there she actually thought she could match him. Heck at one point she even thought she could win. But he adrenaline from earlier combined with her sudden anger were beginning to wane. Her movements were becoming sloppy and her spells didn’t show that much radiance. Now she could barely maintain her own copies. So it was only a matter of time before he finds her. If she had the option right now she’d probably bolt out of there. But sadly the black gem bracelet wasn’t exactly being helpful. The darn thing looked like it had a mind of its own and often teased her back and forth between working and not working. “That’s quite a lovely toy you have there too.” He continued his gloating while his minions fought. “A crown that makes copies of yourself. How did you come across such a thing? Do you have some secret store where you can buy these trinkets at a discount price?” Her clones braced themselves, throwing a murderous intent to throw him off. “No matter. I’ll take it off you just as I’ll take the Travel Stone.” No. She can’t run. If she ran now, something bad could happen to Flash. And she wasn’t leaving without him. Sending her plan to her clones they nodded at one another and immediately began their preparations. “Hey Hoity!” She shouted at him nabbing his attention for a few seconds. “You want the stone? Well here it is.” The original Twilight charged head in pulling out sections of the walls and throwing them at him. It would’ve been an impressive feat if he didn’t blast it away so easily with his laser magic. They traded blows against one another wrecking the whole room and destroying dozens of priceless historical artifacts. Normally Twilight would be appalled for such unwanted destruction but considering her opponent she was sure archeologists everywhere would forgive her. “You are trying my patience, little girl.” “Sounds more like you don’t have what it takes to win, old timer.” Did she say that right? Twilight wasn’t sure. She had been taking smack-talk lessons from Rainbow Dash and she says that talking trash to your enemies was a good way to annoy them, make them sloppy. “What’s the matter? Losing your touch?” “Grrrr!” He shot her a laser blast which she dodged. “Ha! That the best you got? My mom’s a better shot than you!” Ouch. Even Twilight could feel the sting on that. “Maybe you should lose the shades! Who wears shades indoors anyway?” “It is a fashion choice!” “More like a fashion disaster!” She countered. “Oh and by the way. I think I find Fancy Pant’s design to be way better than yours!” Hoity’s shades cracked under the sheer pressure of his anger. That was the last straw. “ENOUGH!” Uh oh… maybe that last one was bit too much. Hoity extended his shadow and used it like a whip cleaning the room of her clones before wrapping it around his prey. It then slithered around her back grabbing the stone from her bag. “Hey! Let me go!” He dragged her closer, snarling devilishly at her face restraining himself from ending her entirely. “Do not test me further, girl. Struggling will only make it tighter.” He pried his attention to the stone for a moment tracing his fingers on the surface. A smile crossed his face afterward when he found it to be undamaged. “This little trinket makes the whole ordeal quite worthwhile.” “Geh!” Twilight wiggled but found the shadow tentacle to be quite tight. “Alright. You have the stone. Now give me Flash back.” “Not until I know where you get your relics.” He demanded, gesturing to her geode. “How did you come into possession of these things so quickly when it takes us ages to find just one!? Where do these items come from? These geodes of yours, the Memory Stone we assembled, and that crown! How did you come to find so many artifacts that possess such powerful magic?” “I bought them off the internet. Arghh!” She bit her lip as the shadow wrapped itself tighter nearly squeezing her bones. “Do you not understand the situation you’re in!? How are you still so stubborn?” “Because I don’t sell out my friends.” His patience has run its course. “Then perhaps their painful screams will change your mind.” But just as he was about to summon his minions to do his bidding a strange ominous red light began glowing at his side. Curiously he stared at it thinking that it was some kind of magical reaction. “What in the…?” He reached out to it only to suffer a massive blowback that sent him crashing towards one of the pillars breaking it in pieces. His shadow vanished as well dropping Twilight to the floor. “Ow…” “Did it work?” She heard a voice clearly belonging to Pinkie Pie. “Oh… my stomach.” Another accented one came along. “First being seasick wasn’t enough. Now I’m teleport sick too? Hurgggll!” “Guys?” “Twilight!” She barely made a whimper when two strong arms wrapped themselves around her. “You’re alright!” “F… Flash?” She stammered, feeling her cheeks suddenly heat up. “H… how did you…? I thought you were taken by…” “It’s gonna take a lot more than a shadow monster to keep me away. And I found your friends along the way.” He gestured to the gang who all huddled around the nerd, some tapping some relief to see her unharmed… in a way. “What did I tell ya?” Rainbow Dash gloated. “Maybe the next time we go on another adventure, you’ll look to me for advice?” Twilight shook her head though she couldn’t really deny it. “Maybe there is something to your movies after all.” “GRAAAAHHHH!!!!” But their happy reunion was cut short when Hoity Toity burst out of the rubble looking even more ticked off than usual. His suit was ruined, his shoes was shriveled and his hair were just all over the place. “How can a bunch of teenagers be so annoying?!” Twilight stepped forward. “Everyone be careful. He’s way tougher than Cinch.” “Then it’s a good thing we’re here.” Sunset added as she and the rest of the gang ponied up, striking a heroic pose. Flash instantly regretted not taking a picture. He would’ve saved it as his wallpaper. “Give it up Hoity. We got your number. We know your plans and it’s over.” “We do?” Pinkie whispered back though no one really bothered to answer her. “Oh you think you’ve seen all that I can do?” He giggled maniacally, brushing his hand through his hair. “I assure you, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Black ink coiled around his body as his shadows swallowed him whole, cocooning him in a giant black blob. Their shape slowly began to change and expand into a large round mammal body towering them three times over. It paused for just a moment looking like an egg that wanted to hatch. And sadly… it did. One long head protruded from the body snaking upward, flashing its bright yellow eyes and sharpened fangs. Then another head popped. Then a third… then a fourth and finally… a fifth. “Oh please.” Pinkie chastised the man. “Turning yourself into a five-headed monster? That’s the best you’ve got? We’ve fought off a literal spawn of Mother Nature herself and she was way scarier than you.” “GRAHHHH!!!!” “Everyone scatter!” They did so just in time before one of the hydra’s jaw snapped at them crushing the ground like cardboard. “That is one angry looking monster.” Applejack snorted. “What’s the plan here Sunset?” “He might be stronger than Cinch but I’m willing to bet he has the same weaknesses as her. He can’t keep this fight forever. It’s a battle of attrition. We tire him out and make sure he can’t escape. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rairity you three are on diversion duties.” “Yes! Finally!” The sports gal pumped her fist into the air. “A proper challenge! This is what I’ve been waiting for!” “Applejack, you’re our heavy hitter. I want you to go down and dirty and hit that thing where it hurts.” The cowgirl tipped her hat in response. “I’m always into getting down and dirty. Leave it to me.” “Everyone else will cover her. Got it?” “Got it!” “And Flash.” “I know I know. I’m staying out of this fight.” He raised his hand up, not even protesting at this point. “You girls go kick his butt.” “That’s the plan.” And with that last farewell, the girls charged in with all their magic. The fight was on. (Celestia/Luna’s Apartment) Celestia strolled out of her room humming a tune dressed in her usual working attire. Normally she’d be sitting on the couch enjoying a warm cup of tea. But alas the life of a Principal was never simple. “Hello sister.” “Gah!” Celestia shot back startled. “Luna? What are you doing sleeping on the couch at this time?” “Taking my afternoon nap.” She explained. Though her weary eyes, messy hair and the huge haul she had with her said otherwise. A rough guess would say she had a hard time getting her ill-gotten loot back home. “Where are you going so late? Another date with Sombra?” There was a hint of bile in her tone when mentioning that name. “No. Not today at least. I’m meeting with the Board of Education.” Her little sister shot up from her lying position. “Are we in trouble?” “Surprisingly no. Neighsay gave a glowing review to the council regarding our school. Despite our… initial problems I might be able to persuade them to increase our budget and improve some of our more outdated facilities.” “I still think he’s a vampire in disguise.” “Luna!” Celestia snipped at her. “Don’t be ridiculous.” “Come on. With that look and that cape? He’ll suck out your blood the moment you drop your guard. If this world has wolf monsters terrorizing the locals, and evil magic running rampant, why can’t we have vampires as well?” “I’ve known Neighsay since Hooverton. He might dress in red and black but other than that, he’s an ordinary person. Honestly, your experience with these magical events has warped your senses.” “Say what you want. But the moment he raises his undead army to conquer the world and bring about eternal darkness, I’m blaming you.” “I’ll be sure to take note.” Celestia’s eyes rolled to her purse. “Speaking of which, you mind checking in on Sunset and her friends? I haven’t heard from them these last few days – and word is they’ve gotten themselves into even bigger trouble.” Considering their track record? That wouldn’t be far from the point. “Have you told them that they’ll also be babysitting three of our most problematic students?” She sighed. “No. I was hoping to spare them that trouble until the new semester. Just keep tabs on them for me.” “Fine.” Luna waved it off reaching into her loot bag to grab a bottle of cider. “I’ll check in on them. It’s not like those girls are in some death-defying battle.” (Castle Hoofbeard) (Portal Room) “Take this! And that! And this! And that with a hint of this!” Pinkie barked as she pulled one cupcake after another from her hair tossing it over to the Hydra-Hoity. The explosive confection exploding into puffs of powders blocking his vision while the stickier ones latched onto his body making it difficult to move around. “That’s right you five-headed plagiarizer! You get a muffin! You get a muffin! And you get a muffin! You all get muffins!” “Grahh! You insolent welp!” “Not so tough without your shadows to back you up, ain’t ya?” Rainbow Dash taunted putting on the magical Windigos’ Hooflet. “Alright. Let’s see what these bad boys can do. Rarity, mind giving me a lift?” The fashionista gladly complied giving her a platform to stand on. And with a raise of her hand she unleashed a gust of wind which sent the large creature reeling back. “A little gale won’t stop me, little girl!” “I thought not. But what about a cupcake launcher? Hit it Pinkie!” Hoity raised a brow confused until Pinkie joined her side tossing her confection into the torrent which launched against him in a mini-tornado like a cannon. Hoity retaliated sending another of its head against them but was blocked by another diamond shield. “Not so fast!” Rarity declared. “You won’t be getting to my friends so easily.” The hydra roared out angrily as it shoved its faces over and over trying to ram through her shielding while constantly being peppered by Rainbow Dash’s wind barrage. But just as it shattered through, Rarity pulled up her cloak and vanished into thin air. “Another one!?” Hoity gasped, confused. “Just how many relics do you children hav-gahh!” He reeled back when he felt someone punch him right in the gut. “WHAT!? “Guess you don’t have that soft underbelly, eh?” The cowgirl winked throwing another jab hoping to get a lucky strike. But all it did was made the giant hydra flinch. xxxxxxxxxx Flash had seen a lot of things before in his life. He had seen magic run rampant, a cruise ship sink to the bottom of the ocean, Sirens mind-controlling all of his friends to fight one another, a giant shadow wolf that chased him down the street, two power-hungry she demons hell bent of world domination. Heck he even saw a genuine pirate ship. But this? This takes the cake! Seeing the girls in action once more against a giant multi-headed hydra was just too cool to describe. No amount of stunts or computer editing in movies could ever compare to this. He felt like he was witnessing history in the making. A battle of legends where mighty warriors from the world battle against evil tyrants. This was the kind of fight where folktales are made from. He only wished he could cheer them harder from his hiding spot. Those girls were really just out of this world. Twilight had somehow split herself into five separate copies attacking Hoity by his back. Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were flying around launching volleys of explosive cakes, Applejack and Fluttershy were taking turns attacking and defending. And Sunset was at the center of the fight bringing down righteous fury upon the monster. And was it just me or did she seem a lot more powerful than before? She was definitely sporting a dark and sinister red glow. With their teamwork, coordination and a whole lot of timing, they were able to beat that fashion-disaster back without taking a hit. He was sure that they’d win. Hoity on the other hand seemed to have made a miscalculation on his part. By growing in size, the man had restricted himself greatly in this room. His heads couldn’t extend far without hitting the ceiling, and his massive body was too cumbersome for the enclosed space. He wouldn’t be able to fully utilize his abilities here. This fight was pretty much in the bag. And if anyone asks, he’d say that it was totally worth risking his life for. Heck, if he had a blow horn, pompoms and a boombox, he’d be whistling, waving his arms around and shouting rhymes like a cheerleader. Wham! Pow! Kapow! Right in the kisser. Sunset was really giving it to the guy and Applejack was going to town on his stomach. With her brute strength she could’ve dented a whole truck engine with a single blow. Sadly Hoity’s hydra form was made of sterner stuff. Still… their attacks were having some effect. Every now and then he could see Hoity’s human form poke out of the sludge. His face practically fuming smoke through his ears at this point. It wouldn’t be long now before he gives up the ghost. This fight was easy. Perhaps almost too easy. But just as Flash flipped on the recorder on his phone, he noticed something amiss. The whole room itself seemed to be trembling. Pieces of the ceiling dropped on the floor, some chunks larger than most. The architect of this place certainly didn’t put into account of a major fight between two magical forces and now the whole room seemed to be breaking at the seams. One of the many pillars which held the ceiling up cracked under the pressure and fell to the ground shattering into a billion pieces. His dad would’ve been livid if he saw such a prized historical piece destroyed. But worse still was that the fact that the support system for the ceiling had become weaker. “That’s… not good.” Larger pieces of the roof slowly began to fall, burying a section of the place under a ton of sand and earth. With all the bricks Twilight was pulling out from the wall, Applejack’s haymakers, Pinkie’s explosive pastries, and Sunset’s magical barrage, it was no wonder that this place was tearing itself. If this continued, the whole castle above will come down on top of them. … Oh snap! That was it! That must be Hoity’s plan. The whole reason why he came here in the first place. Why he decided to bring out the big guns when a creature that size would be useless in such an enclosed space. He was gonna bury them in these ruins while he slithers away. “Sunset!” He shouted across the room trying to get his ex’s attention. “You have to stop! This whole place is coming down!” But the gang was too into the fight to hear him. In fact, seeing Hoity slowly retreat made the girls a little overconfident. They began throwing more reckless maneuvers, thinking that they had the upper hand. Another pillar crumbled to dust, and with it the structural integrity of the room began to wane even more. None of them could see that they were about to be buried under a literal mountain. “Guys!” He tried to call out again but sadly his voice could hardly reach them. “Oh I am so gonna regret this.” Against all his instincts, against all desire to live, the boy bolted off hoping to warn the girls in time. xxxxxxxxxx Sunset never felt so much power before. She can practically feel the magic coursing through her veins. The Alicorn Amulet truly did exactly what it intended. It gave the wearer to powers equal or greater power of that of a true Alicorn. Her old spells, which she could never use as a human, suddenly became easy to cast with a flick of a finger. Was this how Twilight felt when she earned her wings? It’s awesome! She may be even more powerful than her alter-ego, Daydream. Though the warning of corruption might be a little bit deterring. Thankfully she thought of a counter for such influence. Surging the magic through her hands, Sunset blasted a powerful beam at Hoity melting one of his many heads into a bubbly paste. Sadly he simply sprung another one just like Twilight’s copies. One of those heads decided to wrap itself around her but she burned through it letting out an array of energy. “You are indeed powerful.” The hydra spoke in a raspy voice. “I’m beginning to understand how Cinch was defeated by you children.” “Oh you ain’t seen nothing yet.” She grinned menacingly before she clasped her hands together pulling out flames from thin air. Stunned, the girl launched her attack thrusting her fiery fists through its thick hide melting the shadow away like pudding. “Give it up Hoity. Just surrender now and we can all just talk things over.” “A little premature to be gloating your victory, little girl. I have not been bested in magic before and I don’t intend to be defeated now.” Several tendrils shot up from his body but again they simply melted away from the sheer heat of her hands. “Cinch might’ve had the upper hand with us before. But we’ve learned a few things after fighting her. And unlike her, you don’t have a plan. And believe me: Brute strength isn’t gonna win this fight either.” “Oh on the contrary.” His five heads grinned prompting the gang to jerk back. “You fell for my ruse the moment you set foot in this castle. I was only hoping to trap you here for a while. The Master didn’t see fit to harm you. But seeing how powerful and dangerous you all are… I’ve decided to change things.” “Sunset!” The girl looked back noting Flash calling out to her. “Flash? What are you doing? I told you to stay away!” “It’s a trap! He’s stalling you down here! He wants you to think you’re winning!” A trap? “This whole room is a death trap!” And right when he finished, Hoity let out a villainous laugh before extending his heads in different directions, each of them wrapping around the last remaining pillars that held the place together. With a little squeeze they all crumbled to dust and fell upon the ground in pieces. A loud and ominous tremor could be felt afterward. Uh oh… That didn’t sound good. The battle went completely silent when the rumbling echoed from all around them. It was as if the very mountain itself was groaning in pain, no longer able to take the pressure. The gang looked around and Hoity stepped back, smiling what was coming. As they waited in silence, the rumbling grew louder and more obvious, followed by a quake that shook them down to their feet. It was Sunset who broke the silence. “This place is coming down!” And on her word, the ceiling began to fall on them as the very castle began to collapse inward. “This place will be your tomb!” He let out one last howl before reverting back into his human form. “Goodbye ladies.” His shadow wrapped around him once again, slithering him back into the darkness. But before he vanished completely, Twilight saw used a little bit of a sleight of her magic to whisk the relic from his grasp. “What? No! The st-” His laugh died out later. With nothing left to hold the roof together, it all began to fall entombing the place in a ton of rubble. “Look out!” Flash cried out when he saw the ceiling above Twilight crumble. He dove in head first tackling the girl away as the rubble separated them from the others. Sunset cried out as she saw her two companions buried by the mountain. “Flash! Twilight! Can you hear me?” “We’re ok!” She heard her friend shout back. “My powers’ holding the roof. But I don’t think I can last much longer!” “Don’t worry. We’ll get you out of there.” “No! There’s no time. The whole castle will be coming down any second now and I can’t hold the ceiling forever. You need to get out of here, now.” “Don’t be ridiculous Sugar Cube. Just hold your bacon and we’ll be there in a jiffy.” “That’s right!” Rainbow Dash agreed already digging her hand through the rubble. “No one gets left behind. “I don’t think that’s an option…!” Her weary words were magnified by the sound of the ceiling slowly falling down on them. “It’s getting heavier to hold this… together.” “Sunset, go.” Flash added. “Don’t worry about me and Twilight. I have a plan to get us both out of here.” “But how?” “It’ll take too long for me to explain. Just trust me. I got this.” But she didn’t want to. There was no way she was just gonna leave her friends here. “Uh. Sunset.” Pinkie whimpered pointing at the roof that was just about to touch their heads. “I think this is the part where we make like a tree and zap out of here.” With a sigh, she reached for her amulet, gathering her friends around her. But not before parting one last glance at the boy on the other side. “You promise you’ll come back safe?” He winked. “Pinkie promise.” And no one breaks a Pinkie Promise. “Now go!” With a breath of air and a little magic, they were gone. Twilight allowed that section of the room to fall leaving them alone in the small area. “Please tell me you actually have a plan to get us out of here.” “It’s a bit of a long shot but…” He gestured to the Portal Stone and pointed at the gateway awkwardly. “The portal!?” Twilight choked. “Are you insane!? We’ve barely understood the scope of this thing. If we go through there, who knows where we might end up?” “I’m willing to bet that anywhere is better than here right now.” That was the statement of the day. And sadly Twilight agreed on that spectacular reasoning. He quickly placed it over the podium. And like earlier, it activated, tearing another rift through time and space. The portal looked safe to cross but at the same time they had no idea where it was heading. For all they know they might end up at the bottom of the sea or a place filled with carnivorous monsters, or maybe even the moon. But regardless of her worries, absolutely anything was better than being crushed by tons of rocks. “This is a bad idea.” She muttered to herself, second guessing her decision. But Flash grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. No panic showing on his face. “Do you trust me?” Did she really have a choice? Frightfully she nodded back, swallowing her fears. “Promise you won’t let go?” The boy let out a smile and tightened his grip on her hand. “Promise.” And with that last gulp of air they leaped in, right before the whole place came down. To say the least, the sensation of going through that portal was out of this world. Flash felt his body twist and turn in ways he didn’t even thought possible. If he had to describe it, he would say that it felt like he was being flushed down the toilet… quite literally. His whole body swirled around while the magic drained them through the wormhole heading off to god knows where. The feeling lasted for about a minute before it finally decided to spat them out. … The first thing they felt was the sand brushing crudely against their skin and then the floor – or to be more precise: The lack of it. They expected to hit some solid ground but instead they fell upon another cliff, their limbs catching nothing but air. Their bodies slam against the wall of the cliff creating a natural yet deadly slide. With no control or steering, their bodies struck against bumps and boulders standing in their way. By the time they stopped, the three teens were battered and beaten. Dizziness and exhaustion took over as they laid there, grunting in pain. Their whole bodies ached from head to toe as their visions began to blur. Flash tried to stay awake but was failing badly. Pain crunched his head. But from the corner of his eye, a strange figure poked its head out, two big round eyes looking at him with wondrous curiosity. “Oh~~~ wow. Ouch. That looked like it hurt. Need some help?” His conscious faded after.