//------------------------------// // Carry Through The Winds // Story: Our Voices Carry Through The Hills // by Surry //------------------------------// Carry Through The Winds THUMP! THUMP! Twilight felt it immediately in her chest. The ground shook with such force, it pushed her over onto her side. Her cheek came into contact with the rocky surface; it was unbearably hot now. Her eyes shot open just in time to see a massive stone unhinge from the wall and begin to tilt toward the center of the room. The full interior of the immense cavern had grown terribly hot as well, and she briefly noticed the sweat running down her face. The situation was getting worse every second. "Twilight!! Get up now!!" She recognized that frantic voice as Lady's and swiftly turned her head. The burns on the frightened mare's face caught her attention first, but she soon remembered that she no longer had to be afraid of her. Lady quickly came to her side and tried to help her up. The world around them was simply falling apart. Although, this time... it was real. "You have to take Rainbow Dash and get out of here, Twilight!" she yelled over the destruction taking place, "We've run out of time!" Twilight peered over and saw Rainbow just a few feet away, gradually waking up on her own. Her injuries no longer seemed to affect her; something for which Twilight was grateful, but it still looked as though she was having some trouble getting up. She suddenly heard the colossal stone from earlier collide with the earth somewhere behind her. THUMP! Lady ignored the destruction and finally helped the unicorn up, assisting her in hobbling over the small distance to Rainbow. It was in that split second that Twilight saw, out of the corner of her eye, her four clones gathered around the developing pit of fire at the center of the room, working frantically to contain the developing firestorm. The immensity of her pillar of energy slowly expanded and began to engulf the floor itself. Stone, hot air, and the lava itself from deep beneath them was being swallowed up by the spell, slowly being absorbed and disintegrated into its bright luminescence. The wider it expanded, the greater the temperature rose, and in turn, the more every pony began to sweat. The great atrium was slowly turning into a veritable hell, and the sense of urgency finally surged through both Twilight and Rainbow. "What's going on?!" Rainbow yelled; the sounds around her were becoming nearly deafening. "The spell is destabilizing!!" Lady cried, "You two must leave! NOW!!" "Why is it falling apart?!" Twilight shouted. Lady allowed the unicorn to take her place by Rainbow, and turned once again back to her fellow sisters. The three of them who still resembled Twilight's appearance were having their outer shells rapidly disintegrate into tiny shards. Their illusory spells had been completely used up and were now starting to fall away under their extreme stress. "The spell is an extension of my soul!" she yelled in reply, "And now that it's falling apart, only I can stop it, Twilight!" Stalactites high above began to loosen, lumber, and break away with every great heave of the mountainside. Columns of stone, hundreds of tons in sheer weight, fell and collided with the floor, coinciding each time with a slow roll of thunder and power. The heat continued to intensify and loosen yet more of the now tumultuous earth. Death was eminent if they stayed much longer. Lady bolted over to her clones, whom remained petrified in their intense focus, and screamed as loudly as she could. "GET TWILIGHT AND RAINBOW DASH OUT OF THIS PLACE!! PLEASE!! I'LL HANDLE THIS!!" One of her clones pulled away her attention at her cry, as did another right after her, but they still maintained a firm, magical hold upon the chaotically growing spell that threatened to destroy all of them. "What are you saying, leader?!" cried one clone, "We have to keep it open or else we'll all die!!!" "She's right!!" said another, "If we pull away now, there will be no stopping it!!! "Don't you see?!!" Lady retorted, "If you stay here... you'll die ANYWAY!!!" A moment was spent between the clones pondering the validity of her words, but they were first and foremost given life in order to assist her... and that was what they sincerely planned on doing. "PLEASE!!" she yelled again, "JUST GET TWILIGHT AND RAINBOW DASH AWAYYY!! I'LL HANDLE THIS!!!" As she continued to plea, the earth beneath their hooves began to split into long, deep scars of fire and flowing, molten rock. The immense slabs on which they stood cracked away from the center of the vast room, causing their trembling legs to struggle just to maintain their balance. Pits of lava now riddled the earth in every direction they looked, and the air kept growing hotter. Her horn flared to life, fueled by her insatiable anger, and she suddenly shot forth a blast of red fire which struck the column of light with blinding speed. Her clones screamed in pain as the overload of excess power surged back through her spell and into all of their collective horns. They were genuinely not expecting the harsh assault, and they were all flung backward, sailing through the air, and each of them barely missed falling into the expanding pits of flame. Lady knew they were in no danger, however; her calculations were completely flawless, and this was the only way to ensure they would not have to suffer any further. Rainbow and Twilight simply gawked at her sudden display of aggression and proceeded to back away. Her clones weakly and slowly came back to their hooves, though they did not look aggravated in the least with their leader. Instead, each of them seemed to be genuinely concerned for her well being. They began to back away from Lady and tried yet again to stop her; however, she would not have any of their convincing. With the mountain collapsing further and further every second, she knew they had to leave that instant. "DON'T QUESTION ME!!!!" she screamed over the falling of the heavy stones. THUMP!! Another stone weighing several hundred tons impacted a short ways from all of them, promptly startling them. With beads of sweat running down her head, the magic in her horn began to envelop the rest of her body as well. Her fire started at her neck this time, raising up her mane in some invisible breeze, and then it proceeded down past her shoulders and torso. As her magic reached the tips of her hooves, the ground beneath her started to melt away yet again. She was preparing to unleash something devastating. Twilight and Rainbow, still weak from before, had to assist each other just to stand at this point. With the stone islands all around them being suddenly set adrift over hot pits of lava, panic was beginning to set in over both of them, and they instinctively pressed themselves closer together. At the sound of another stone slab breaking away from the wall, the two ponies turned, and were shocked to see a small mountain lumbering toward them. They were only seconds away from being crushed, and Twilight quickly tried her magic, but for unknown reasons, she still could not conjure the magic for a spell. Rainbow knew her wings would not immediately work either, and she began to cry. With death falling over them, engulfing them in its approaching shadow, the two mares began to say silent prayers to each other in their heads as they waited for the inevitable. "I-I... love you, Twilight," Rainbow said into her ear. "I love you too... Rainbow," the unicorn nervously replied. THOOOM! In that brief instant before death, four collective red beams of magic lunged outward, high above them, and impacted forcefully into the side of the immense stone slab. Its weight was sent off balance, making it sway and falter backwards towards the wall from which it unhinged. The combined weight and heat of their blasts of magic was more than enough to push it back against the wall with a monstrous thud and then shaking of the earth. Lady's clones bore a hole clean through the slab and smelted its rocky innards with the wall once more, leaving it once again motionless and harmless to any of them. The display of godlike might left both of the mares speechless, unable to even comprehend that they were, in fact, still alive. It was only at the sound of a crackling teleportation spell that they snapped out of their daze. Two of Lady's clones now stood by them at the ready, sweat trailing down their foreheads as a sign of their obvious overexertion. "Miss Sparkle!!" cried a clone at Twilight's side. "Miss Dash!!" yelled another opposite to her. They swiftly came to the mares' sides and saw the obvious distress in their features. The other two clones were promptly gathered close by, waiting at the ready. "We're leaving now!!" shouted one again, "This is our only chance to get you two out of here!! Our leader will handle the spell's dismantling personally!!" "WAIT!!" Twilight cried; she quickly spun to find Lady staring back at her. Her body glowed red with excess power as she began to reach her critical mass. Hot magic seeped out of her eyes like teardrops and out of her mouth almost like drool. She held a firm magical grasp upon the spell as it continued to expand, engulf, and destroy the landscape around them. She seemed to be crying actual tears, as well. "LADYYY!!!" Twilight reached out a desperate hoof for her former teacher, "LADY!!! Please tell me you're getting out of here!!!" The mare engulfed in flames locked eyes fiercely with her, taking only a few steps away from the raging inferno of her spell-gone-awry. She was suffering in the highest order, nearly on the brink of collapsing, herself. Her face remained stained with blood, though it was slowly being boiled away by her growing fire. "I'm sorry, Twilight!!" she yelled, "I can't go with you!! I must stay!!" "NOOOO!!" the unicorn screamed helplessly in reply, "YOU CAN'T STAYYY!!!" While the world crumbled around them, bit by bit, colossal stones continued to seize from the walls and ceiling, the heat continued to rise, the pits of lava swarming at their feet formed into small lakes, and everything was turning to sheer hellfire. Lady was scared, herself, though she hid under a false guise of confidence. Engulfed in her own red, raging aura, she attempted to break away from the inferno and approach Twilight. It seemed as though her spell was sucking her in, tugging at her back legs. A trail of magic latched her firmly to the expanding pillar of light and fire, and like the heavy chains of a prison cell, she fought against them. She was fighting the increasing gravity of her own magical power... and she was losing. A singular pit of lava separated her from the rest of the group, and she called out to the distressed unicorn being held back by her clones. "I MUST STAY, TWILIGHT!! IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME!!!" she shouted. "NOOO!!!" Twilight screamed once again, struggling to be heard over the calamity around them, "I CAN HELP YOU!!!" The mare stood across from her with a steely gaze; she never flinched for a second. The skin and fur around her hooves began to atomize and burn away, yet this didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. She knew she was going to die. "I'm sorry, Twilight," her voice toned down, just low enough for the unicorn to hear, "But... ... I must pay for the immense weight of my sins..." It took both of her clones to restrain Twilight, for she fought valiantly. Although, it was fruitless. "NO!! PLEASE!!" she yelled as loudly her tired lungs could manage. "Do us all proud, unicorn!" Lady shouted in reply, "As much as I was jealous of you, Twilight... you were always one of my favorites! Now... BEGONE WITH YOU!!!" The mare swiftly turned away from her former student and enemy and gazed with fierce intent upon the vortex of hot energy that was slowly pulling her in. She planted her hooves firmly upon the melted stone and began to silently cry to herself. The pain was unbearable, as no pony's body was ever meant to be subjugated to this much torture. Twilight reached once again over the pit of fire, but was stopped suddenly by a familiar, blue foreleg wrapped around her shoulder. She abruptly turned to see Rainbow's magenta irises staring fearfully back into her own. "I'm sorry, Twilight," said the pegasus, "But she's right! We need to leave right now, or else her sacrifice will be for nothing!!" "But I can't... just--!" "You can! And you will!!" her mare interrupted, "She's trying to right her wrongs for you! This is her apology, and we should accept it, on HER behalf!!" Twilight swallowed a guilty lump in her throat, but she knew Rainbow was right. This was their only chance to leave this veritable hell alive, and she had to listen to her better half. The pegasus had not seen the pain that Twilight saw Lady suffer, but perhaps that was why she could still think so clearly. Sadly accepting defeat, Twilight complied with her mare. "Alright, let's go," she reluctantly agreed. THOOOOOM! The pair instinctively clutched onto each other to maintain their balance, but this tremor was particularly heavy. Twilight could hear Lady scream something behind her, yet Rainbow kept her focused and pulled her up fully to her feet. The quartet of Lady's clones had lost nearly all of their outer layer of purple fur leftover from their illusions, and they appeared to be showing signs of weakening. They gathered around Twilight and Rainbow, standing at the ready. One of them approached, whom Twilight faintly recognized as the clone who had given her voice back to her, though it was difficult to tell them apart. She was struggling to stand, but her legs remained firm; their connection to their leader was obvious. Her alert, scarlet eyes belied her heavy fear, and her sisters could feel it too. They would not have much time to help them either. "We have to go back the way we entered!" she finally announced. "Then let's go, already!!" Rainbow shouted in reply. Everything began to happen rather quickly after that, as the lead clone and another took their places beside Twilight and Rainbow, respectively. The clones placed a steady hoof on each of their shoulders, while the other two stood ready to clear a path. "Can you use your wings?" asked the clone beside Rainbow. The pegasus tried to budge them, but they would not give. "They're thrashed!" she yelled frantically. "No matter!" replied the clone, "We can teleport you out of this room, at least, just not in one jump! Our power is nearly used up, so we'll have to make our way out of here one step at a time!" she turned to her sister clone, "Are you ready?!" "I think we're as ready as we'll ever be!!" her copy quickly responded. Twilight felt the familiar heat of Lady's magic coursing through her body, and on through Rainbow's, as the two clones pointed their horns for a moving platform of stone not too far away. They would have to be fast, and their aim could not falter. With a swift surge of their remaining magical might, they blasted forth through the air, taking the pegasus and unicorn with them. In a split second, they covered only about one third of the distance to the stairwell, a pathetically small distance compared to what they could normally achieve. When their hooves plopped down on the next unstable slab, it became clear they would have to act faster. Their energy was depleting faster than before. "AGAIN!!" shouted the lead clone. By another loud crackling of electricity, they stormed off quickly toward the next platform and their hooves struck the ground more forcefully this time, causing the rapidly melting earth below to rupture under the excess weight. The look of utter shock shared between the four told of their immense peril. They had only another fraction of a second to escape. "IT'S NOT GONNA' HOLD!!!" Twilight shouted. FLASH!! They tore off for a final time just as the stone collapsed from underneath them, nearly crashing head-first into the atrium's immense stone wall. The quartet had reached the bottom of the staircase, one of the few areas that had not been engulfed by lava or fire, and the clones appeared to be physically spent. Rainbow and Twilight became aware of the slight smell of burning skin and suddenly realized it was coming from the clones as they released their weakened hold on them. "Are you guys alright?!" Rainbow blurted; she exchanged a worried glance with Twilight. They were clearly suffering, yet they remained determined to press further on. The two clones who had taken another path around the inferno suddenly teleported to their side with another great flash, though they were exhausted all the same. Twilight looked frantically between the lot of them, desperately hoping that they could recover, but it seemed as though they were all defeated. "C'mon, you guys can make it!" Twilight pleaded, "I know all of you can!!" Behind each clone trailed a long wisp of water vapor, following their every movement as it radiated from their bodies. It took Rainbow and Twilight only a moment to guess that the steam emanating from them was actually their own boiling sweat, and their frames were quickly thinning with each passing second. "We... don't have much time, Twilight," said the lead clone. "Don't talk like that!!" the unicorn retorted, "You can do this!!" She had no intention of leaving without them, much to their chagrin. However, this was nowhere near a decent place to argue, so they bit their lips in anguish and continued up the staircase with her and the pegasus close by their sides. Rainbow Dash had never seen Twilight so determined or afraid for somepony that she was willing to go this far. She no longer held any regard for her own safety, even though she knew this struggle would prove fruitless, but perhaps that was just something else Rainbow admired about her. It reminded Rainbow so much of herself, and she knew that this truly was a pony she would follow to the ends of Equestria... and beyond. They all huddled close together on the staircase, taking each step slowly, one at a time. They had not the courage, nor the willpower, to hurry up the long obstacle, for it surely could have given out at any moment from the heat alone. The stone was unstable, yet cool on its upper surfaces, possibly because of the greater elevation from the floor, itself. Yet, the further they rose, the more Twilight could see Lady struggling to fight back the surging pillar of hellishly bright light. She was surrounded on all sides by the boiling, melted rock and still encased within her own growing, magical fire. From this distance, Twilight could not hear her cries of pain, as the collapsing mountain drowned out any such noise before it reached her. Though, she could very well imagine it. "C'mon! Stay focused, Twilight!!" yelled Rainbow as she reached her hoof back to the distracted unicorn. Twilight turned away from the melting landscape crumbling before her and gratefully accepted her mare's help. "I'm sorry, let's keep going!" the unicorn responded. "Grrrrrahh-- DAMN IT!" Lady cried to herself, "Why must everything be so damn difficult?!" Her hooves continued to slide, she grit her teeth in anger, and her scarlet mane obscured her vision as it was pulled over her eyes. She could feel her grip on the floor slipping, but no amount of magic could save her at this point. The intense heat continued to singe her fur and the skin around her face, though she was able to chance a quick, fleeting glance at the ceiling, getting only a small glimpse of the blood-red moon she had created. "How could I have been so foolish?!!" she hissed, "I accomplished nothing!! I never accomplished anything with my life-- NOTHING at all!!" Her hoof suddenly slipped, and she only caught herself by the slimmest of chances. She panicked and frantically shot another fiery hoof into the stone beneath. While failure was something she was accustomed to, giving up was certainly not. She had to make her final stand and hold out for as long as possible. "THEY MUST HURRY!!" she screamed. The pain of having her flesh melt away was insufferable, but she simply accepted it as divine payment for her crimes. Her power had been steadily advancing and growing over the entire course of her life, and now it had all led to this. She knew in the back of her mind that neither Celestia nor Luna could have handled this spell on their lonesome, but then again, she had defeated them easily enough. She wanted to tell Celestia she was sorry, and perhaps the princess would've forgiven her, though with her death fast approaching, she feared she might never know. "I'm... sorry, Celestia," her tears were pulled from her face into the vacuum as well, "I'm sorry for being a failure. I'm sorry for never living up to anypony's expectations. I'm sorry that I only cared about my own gains and not those of others. I'm sorry I've hurt Twilight Sparkle. I'm sorry I've destroyed homes, businesses, and livelihoods, and I'm sorry most of all... ... for Lily. She must hate me more than anypony else for what I've done. I can't make ANYONE happy!!! WHY IS IT ALWAYS SO HARD?!!!" THOOOOM!! The pillar surged violently once again, exploding skyward by her ungodly influx of power. Her anger and sorrow continued to swell in her heart, her rage compiled and stacked, and her voice kept rising. Her hooves began to falter as well. "WHYYYY?!!!" she screamed again, "Why did I have to be so blind?!! Why was I cursed with this awesome power-- that it could only be used for destruction?!!" Her back hooves slipped again, but she remained adamant. The fires of her unruly spell licked her cheeks, singeing her flesh even further. "IT'S NOT FAIR, LILYYY!!!" She slid toward the vacuum a few more feet and caught herself; her scarlet mane whipped around violently, as did her tail. The rushing wind sounded and felt like a passing freight train, mere inches from her face. It was all so loud and deafening. "WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST RESPECT MEEE?!!! I WORKED SO HARD!! FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE!! JUST TO IMPRESS THEM!!!" The column of blinding light began to suck in entire stone slabs, excess lava, stalactites, her magic, and tons upon tons of earth. It was all swallowed and shot upward at blazing speeds toward the moon, where everything was promptly disintegrated upon impact. It was just as she had feared. It was eating up the mountain around them, no longer sustainable by her magic alone. Like an outward manifestation of her soul, everything was ripping apart, and she would have to force it all back down the only way she knew how. With sheer might. "I WON'T BE DEFEATED SO EASILY!!!" she roared into the inferno. Manehattan's streets grew silent as the spell upon its citizens began to weaken. "W-what's happening to us?!!" cried a clone of Twilight Sparkle; she was in obvious, terrible pain. She desperately glanced around at her sisters for assistance, but it was clear they were all forced to endure the same torture she was going through. The deep, red glow of the moon still hung over them, blanketing everything as far as the eye could see. Their small group was surrounded by a multitude of ponies who called this city home, but they were only just coming to from their horrifying ordeal as Lady's spell finally released its hold. Their skin and fur was beginning to fall away, breaking off into the slight breeze winding through the city's streets. They all knew in that moment that their leader was in great peril, fighting for her very life, and they had only a few seconds before they were likely attacked by the slowly reviving citizens, though there was little they could do. They clustered together at an intersection, watching their own hooves gradually decay right before their eyes. The top layer of their bodies that had shielded them under the guise of Twilight was cracking away before anything else, and panic was beginning to overtake them. Their voices began to change as well. "WHAT'S HAPPENING?!!" one of them screamed even louder. Her shout suddenly snapped a few nearby ponies completely out of their trances. A few of the stallions and mares around them began to rub their eyes, then in turn shake their heads. They were obviously emotionally shaken from their ordeal, yet their resolves remained unbroken enough to where they could stand without assistance. The citizens were awaking to new screams now. "She must be dying!" one clone yelped. "BUT HOW?!! cried another. It wasn't long before the group of five had a small crowd gathering to witness their destruction. The lavender coats they once donned had been completely seared off, leaving only their leader's natural cream coloring and straight, scarlet mane. They were completely disheveled in appearance, though they were more concerned with fighting off the pain than how they presented themselves. The clones had fallen into a life-and-death struggle, as if they were choking on the air itself. "BACK AWAY FROM US!!!" one screamed at the gathering crowd, hoping to scare them away, "BACK AWAYYYY!!!" It was of no use. The ponies collecting around them held mixed emotions of terrible fear and piqued curiosity; there would be no dispelling their interest. A few of them would occasionally glance at the red moon, only to see if the beam of light reaching up for it was the culprit, though it was hard to tell. From miles and miles away, Canterlot's mountain appeared to be erupting as a full-on volcano, something that no pony had ever before seen in recorded history. Thick, rolling clouds hung in the distance, being created by the blown debris from the mountain's peak. A torrential clap of thunder coincided with every bright, lustrous surge of magic. With the eyes of every pony fixating upon them, their looks of fear turned into that of concern. Starting at their hooves, their bodies themselves began to dissipate into nothingness, fading into smoke and shadow... and all they could do was shriek. "No... no... NO... NOOO!!!! NOOOOOO!!!! HELP USSSS!!!!!!!! PLEASEEEE!!!!" Manehattan's citizens did little of anything in response. A part of them wanted to help, yet, another apart clawed at their minds and told them that they deserved it, leaving them emotionally conflicted. They were utterly confused and lost by the whole situation unfolding in front of them. They couldn't tell if the pain these ponies were experiencing was real or not, but even if they did know, they knew not how to help them. So, the sisters closed in on each other, horribly afraid of their eminent death. With their time running out, they attempted to hug each other in light embrace, for it was something that none of them had ever experienced in their short lives. However, they continued to waste away. "C'mon!!" yelled Rainbow, reaching a hoof out to a struggling clone, "Let's go! Go! GO!!" Twilight was only a few steps ahead, waiting at the exit to be delivered from this hell they faced. The atrium was melting away; its floor lied completely drenched under molten rock now. It had seeped up through the pits and cracks, threatening to consume everything. The heat was making it hard to breathe, even now for Rainbow. It hadn't bothered her as much before, but with each passing second she could feel herself choking on her own spit. Twilight allowed the other weak clones to pass her up, barely making it out of the turbulent environment. She managed to get a slight grip on Rainbow's free hoof within her own, when the pegasus suddenly took hold of the clone's hoof as well. With their combined strength, they heaved her up the last few steps and out of the blazing inferno, just short of her drawing her last breath. Rainbow nearly fell into Twilight, panting heavily and using her as light support. The fire was still nipping at their backs, however, and they all continued to trudge on. A majority of them were limping, slowly and unsteadily, and the mares who now clung to each other brought up the rear, continuously imploring them to go on. Although, no matter how much they were encouraged, they simply could not find the strength. They were defeated, and they felt it was time Twilight knew the full truth. They all went on for only about a minute more until they suddenly stopped in front of the unicorn and the pegasus she held close. Their leader was dying, and she had entrusted them with one final duty before she gave her life, though it went unspoken between them. From this deep in the cave, this would be their last chance to save them. Twilight and Rainbow came to a rest, watching them with concern as they turned around to face them head on. Their familiar red eyes of their leader looked tired and worn. They were surely close to death as well. "W-what's wrong?" Twilight asked, "Why are we stopping?" The rumbling from deep within the mountain barely affected them from this distance. "Twilight," whispered the lead clone; she sounded breathless, "We are but creatures of the Mirror Pond, given life only for the sole purpose of serving our leader. She endowed us with her memories, the ones filled with joy and the ones filled with sorrow as well. Along with this curse, we were given her extensive knowledge of magic, and we felt compelled to obey her at every turn because of it. However, what she has given us has come at a terrible price, Twilight. For you see... ... ... we are about to die." Rainbow didn't know these faces as well as Twilight, but she offered her as much moral support as she could. Just having the pegasus by her side made this news a little easier to accept. "Die?" she asked hesitantly, "But... won't you just go back to the Mirror Pond?" The clone's sweat trickled down her forehead as she spoke. "We may or may not, for the spell she has cast on us has made us different from typical clones. We think for ourselves and can act independently, so there is no telling what will happen when we pass on, but our connection with our leader is undoubtedly strong." Twilight looked off to the side in disappointment and Rainbow lightly nudged her. "I see... I'm sorry," she said. "Don't be," Lady's clone began to tear up, "We've done terrible things, Twilight Sparkle. The others like us... they were sent to every populated area around Equestria and told to lay waste to whatever we found. We personally brought down Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and Canterlot as a whole. But, it was of our own choosing. We had a choice in the matter, and we chose the poorer. Our sins are no lesser than our leader's. Our actions were not purer, nor wiser. Believe me when I say that... we have much to pay for." She glanced away from Twilight down to her hooves and slowly brought up one and held it in front of her. Rainbow Dash winced at the sight of its decaying, unable to imagine the pain they were experiencing. Atom by atom, their bodies were breaking away into the hot air. "We don't have much time, as you can see," she said calmly, "Our leader's last request was to ask you... if you could please tell everypony what you've witnessed here today, Twilight." "What she's witnessed?" Rainbow asked. "I will," Twilight quickly responded, "I'll tell them what I've seen." "Excellent," the leader brought her decaying hoof to the ground, "And please tell Celestia we are sorry for what we've done, and for what our leader has done as well. She is a troubled spirit. She has faced much torment and adversity throughout her life, but I know that doesn't warrant immediate forgiveness. Many things we have done are unforgivable." "But," Twilight awkwardly paused, "I... already forgave her." THUMP!!! The clones stood silently for a few, long seconds, watching their legs continuing to fall away into wisps of thin air. They had reached the end of their journey. "Then I suppose..." the lead clone added, "... there's only thing left for us to do." "HNNG--GRAHH!!!" Lady screamed; her back hoof had been grazed by the encroaching flow of lava. Her body acted reflexively on its own, and the fire wrapping around her back began to push the heat of the molten rock backward. Her fire, now completely engulfing the entire length of her frame, was the only thing preventing her from being consumed. It shielded her from the pain, but her focus was starting to waver even more than before, letting the atmosphere slowly bypass her defenses. She had waited long enough. "THIS IS IT!!!" she barked at the looming tower, "THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS!!!" She felt her hooves skidding along the floor and let her power reach its maximum. Her teeth were fully grit, her mane had burnt away to a much shorter length, the burns on her face had traveled down to her neck area, and she had encased herself in her own sphere of power. She stomped forward, cracking the earth beneath her with a heavy quake. Her hooves felt as though they weighed tons upon tons and the only way she could keep it up was by consuming more of her reservoir of magical energy. She had to stay her feet somehow against the torrential onslaught of the vacuum, but she had spent. When the lava threatened to at last consume her, she finally let go of the earth and quickly plunged into the whiteness of the beam. "AHHHHHHHH!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs; the heat exploded in her face. She could only compare it to walking on the surface of the sun itself, for her body went numb instantly. She immediately fell into a spread-eagle formation, letting all of her frame extend outward. Being completely suspended in the inferno, she fought against the forces of gravity trying to rip her apart. The blazing heat licked her face up and down, taking with it bits and pieces of her burnt skin. She could feel her back legs slowly vaporizing, which were admittedly the parts of her body least protected by her shield of red flame. "LIIIIIILLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY!!!! HELLLLLLP MEEEEEEE!!!!" Her screams were drowned out by the sound of the godlike surging, trying its best to incinerate all of her. No pony could hear her cries, at least none that were still living. Everything pulled her skyward towards the moon, roasting her alive, but she continued with all of her might to dive. She whimpered and moaned to herself; the pain had to get out someway, anyway she could manage. Her flesh kept searing and falling away. Her shield couldn't hold for much longer. She lurched her head forward, peering down blindly through the lava beneath her. Her target had to be down there, and she prayed she could find the strength to see where she was going, just as Lily had. Her wife, so brave and defiant of the odds, could've found her way so easily. She wished she was here, helping her... but this was her own trial. This was a trial by the greatest of hell fires and it threatened to consume her at every instant, yet she plunged down further. Her shield faltered, her eyes remained firmly shut, letting out loose spurts of her excess, godlike power, and her body kept dissolving away into obliteration. The storm had taken her by full force, unrelenting and unstoppable, but she had never encountered an obstacle she could not defeat with raw power. She dove down into oblivion, passing through liquid rock, threatening to crush her under the immense pressure. Like a quaking heart, the mountain beat against her; her target was fighting until its dying breath. "NOTHING CAN STOP ME!!! FOR IT WAS I-- I WHO HAD THE POWER OF A GODDESS!! I'VE BROUGHT EQUESTRIA TO ITS KNEES!!! MY BODY MAY FADE INTO OBLIVION BUT-- I WILL NEVER FAILLL!!!!!" The light penetrated her eyelids; it was a dull blue in a sea of yellows and reds. Though hot as the sun, her target's flame would prove no match for her might. The same power she had used to defeat Celestia was now being used to save the princess' country and Twilight Sparkle, most of all. Her tears barely reached her cheeks before they were steamed away. She reached a hoof out in front of her, flailing it downward, several stories below the surface of the bubbling cauldron and twisting vortex. The constant sucking force at her backside kept pulling her upward, but it was met with fierce, godlike resistance. The light became a bright azure, and she finally touched it. It seared her flesh instantly, yet she pulled on it regardless. Fusing with the source was the only was to assure its destruction. The stone with which she had once combined her powers was now collapsing under the weight of her heart's stress. She cradled it within her burning hooves which were fast melting away. Her pulsing, red fire was dimming, rapidly being swallowed up by the tons and tons of lava bearing down upon her. "I AM ALL-POWERFUL!!! I WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!!! I WALK ON A PLANE ABOVE ALL-- AWAY FROM THE SHACKLES THAT BIND THESE PONIES TO THIS REALM!!! AND NOW-- I WILL DIE FOR ALL OF THEM!!!" She took the stone, still boiling away at her skin, and pressed it into her chest. Her coat burned away instantly, and it pushed yet deeper. Through her own willpower, she continued to drive it into her heart. She was experiencing unrelenting torture of the highest magnitude. No pony had ever suffered like this before. "GET INSIIIIIIIIDDDEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" She pulled the white-hot stone away and plunged it into her chest again. "JUST GET INSIDE ME!!!!!! DAMN IT!!!!!!!! GET INSIIIIIIIIDDDEEEE!!!!!!!" She pulled the stone away once more and felt the emptiness of the hole it had bore into her. Her lungs were giving out... ... and she felt her heart giving out as well. Finally, she took what was sure to be her last breath, and her red flame remained, surrounding her in its protection. She took the stone up and weakly pulled it back into the burning hole in her chest. Her eyes were becoming faint and watery. Her fire had been burning for a reason greater than just acting as a shield. It had been meant to contain the blast as well... for it would be thunderous. She whispered so softly, not even she could hear. "I... ... am defeated... ... ... ... Lily... ... " The stone had finally been pressed against her heart, silently melding with the last part of her soul... ... and she died... ... instantly and blissfully. Her tears stopped too, save for one. One, single tear trailed down her cheek and curtailed at the tip of her chin before it slowly evaporated into what remained of her protective fire. After only another second, a great, blinding flash occurred... and her body was instantly incinerated. "KAHH!" the lead clone had to turn her head and violently coughed up blood upon the cave floor; she and her sisters had but a few seconds. "Twilight!!-- She's almost finished!!!" Twilight instinctively tugged on Rainbow and approached the dying mares. "What do you mean?!" the unicorn blurted, "What is she doing?!" The clone looked down at her leg again; it had almost completely dissolved away. With the last bit of her waning strength, she and her sisters tried reaching out to them. When Twilight and Rainbow finally came up to them, their faces were beginning to dissolve into nothing as well. THUMP! A heavy rumble broke under their feet, but it meant something different to the clones than it did for Twilight or Rainbow. "That's it, Twilight," she said calmly; her eyes locked smoothly with hers. "Our leader is dead now... and we must follow; we have no choice. Your magic will return to you soon, and we pray you will use it better than we have." Rainbow could feel Twilight's legs getting weaker, forcing her to give slightly more support. "Wait-- you can't!!" the unicorn whimpered. Their bodies, ever so slowly, became translucent and ghostly. Atom by atom, starting with their lovely, scarlet manes and traveling down through their necks and shoulders, they broke off into a small, warm breeze passing by. The red eyes which Twilight had been focused upon wholly disappeared as she was conversing with them. Only the clone's mouth remained of her face, but it was fast dissolving as well. "Tell them... ... ... we're sorry, Twilight." The unicorn frantically reached out to touch her face just as she spoke the last words, but her hoof only fell through wisps of smoke and dust. "No!" Twilight yelped helplessly, "No, come back-- please!" Only emptiness and echoes remained, save for one, insignificantly tiny spec of purple magic. It appeared much like a star would in the night sky, lightly twinkling in their eyes as the last of the clones' spectral bodies floated off into the soft air. With their passing now complete, they had offered Twilight all they could muster from what remained of their own magic, and it gently floated over to her and Rainbow. THUMP!! This tremor was much more violent than the last, and it continued for much longer than all the others. It grew into a steady earthquake, tumultuous and dangerous, causing loose stone in the cave's walls to haphazardly break away and fall to the floor. The star of magic eased its way closer and closer to Twilight's horn, and the shaking continued to build. Pure terror and dread gripped them tight, and would not let go. A sound was approaching from behind, and like the stampeding wind of an imposing hurricane, it was closing in, second by second. The speck of magic finally touched Twilight's horn with a bright flash and crackle of electricity, and for one, fleeting second she felt the familiar warmth of it all come crashing into her like abrupt, heavy waves. Oblivion was near; she could feel that much, and there would not be much time to dwell upon it. It grew out of her control, and she was terribly lost. Lady's clones had done something to her magic. It began to act on its own, against her will. Her eyes flared with her own power once more, frightening Rainbow whom was still clinging to her. "TWILIGHT!!" the pegasus quickly pointed behind both of them to the incoming sound, "IT'S COMING RIGHT AT US!!!" "HNNNGG--!!" Twilight winced in pain, giving Rainbow only a glimpse of the building power within her eyes, "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MEEEE?!!" Spike quickly fell to his knees. His heart had been filled with such pain, he could not bear to stand up anymore. He had not even remembered why he came out of the library in the first place, but it was clear by the red glow upon everything around him that something was not as it should be. Clutching his clawed hand over his heart, he quickly turned to see the wastes of Ponyville once again. It irritated him, not knowing at all what was going on. "W-what just hap--!!" THHHOOOOMMM!!! He felt it in his chest first, as if a huge boulder had slammed into his chest. It sent him reeling onto his back. The explosion was dense, powerful, and extremely loud. He saw a blinding light far off in the distance, shooting upwards toward the sky and moon. A red column of flame, nearly matching the mountain itself in size, was lifted to the heavens by some godlike force. The plume of smoke and ash reached only so high before being dispersed by the upper atmosphere, but the light kept accelerating. Far below the display of true power that was unfolding, the mountain which held Canterlot looked as though it was being pried into two, disorderly halves by the sheer force of the detonation. Scarlet flames leaked out from every opening at its top and sides, and just when Spike was certain it was about to give under the immense pressure, the last bit of energy escaped from its tallest peak and followed like a comet's tail, forever skyward. "NOOO!!" he cried out; all at once he remembered that was the direction Twilight was headed. If she was anywhere close to that blast, then she could have very well been dead. He was sure of that much. The unicorn quickly turned to face the incoming onslaught and suddenly saw what was causing the calamity. It was huge, charging right at them, prepared to consume them in only a fraction of a second. A wall of flame, colored the deepest and boldest of reds, sped toward them at breakneck velocity. There would be no escaping, no matter how fast they could run or teleport away. Death was eminent, and Rainbow was sure of it. She began to cry and instinctively pulled herself closer to Twilight, shutting her eyes and patiently waiting for the inevitable. The sound was utterly deafening. Twilight could no longer see, as her vision had been effectively consumed by her magic's light, for the warmth kept flowing through her body. It radiated into Rainbow's side as their hips touched, and in that instant she felt it as well. Like sinking into a warm bath of water, the pegasus let her body go numb and gratefully let the magic course through her tired body. The feeling of tension faded, her eyes fluttered while still watching the flames approach, and she gave into Twilight's encroaching presence. FFFFOOOOOMMM!! The hellfire engulfed them instantly, swallowing them whole. However, Rainbow didn't feel the heat. She didn't hear any sound either. It was almost as if she had fallen asleep. It was quiet. Then, she heard Twilight's breathing; it was short, rapid, and faint. When the pegasus finally opened her eyes, she was instantly shocked by what she saw. There was still the fire, and it had not been vanquished like she had first thought. It was all around them, encasing them in nigh blinding light, surging onward as if the two ponies weren't even present. She turned to Twilight yet again and noticed that she was fiercely locked in a mental struggle of some kind. Her face openly displayed her sheer concentration as she grit her teeth. The entire length of her frame had been wrapped in a purplish-magenta aura, acting as a sort of shield. Rainbow briefly glanced down at her own hoof held close to her mare, and noticed it was wrapped in a similar covering. Twilight was single-handedly preventing them from being destroyed by the inferno, and Rainbow was simply speechless because of it all. They were protected in their own small, magical shroud, isolated from all the destruction and chaos going on around them... but Twilight's anguish was disturbing her. "Hey," the pegasus whispered to her, "Twilight, are you alright?" The unicorn winced at her name, as if remembering something she had long forgotten. Still locked in concentration, she steadily turned toward her mare, and her eyes were still alight with the blinding glow of her magic. She continued to inhale in sharp, shallow breaths. "It's... my magic, Rainbow," she weakly replied, "They gave it back to me." The fire kept twisting and undulating around them, trying fruitlessly to penetrate her shield, yet nothing ever got through. It took several long seconds, but the whiteness that had clouded Twilight's eyes began to dissipate and revealed her familiar, violet irises to Rainbow once more. The relief she felt when she gazed into her mare's eyes was immediate as they both calmly sat down together on their hocks. It was clear that Twilight was still struggling to maintain her spell of protection, and all Rainbow wanted was for her mare to relax. Without wasting another second, the pegasus gently leaned into her while closing her eyes, and planted a soft kiss upon her lips. Twilight blushed at the sudden gesture, but gradually relented to her advances and relaxed as Rainbow so desired. Her magical barrier surged outward and suddenly doubled in intensity, nearly pushing back against the raging wall of fire with equal ferocity. They both tried to smile with their lips connected, but settled instead on another passionate kiss. Neither of them could believe just how quiet it was. There was nearly total silence now that Twilight's breathing had slowed. Rainbow took this opportunity to press her lips even deeper, only lightly pushing forward with the tip of her tongue. The barrier exploded forth once again by Twilight's subconscious release of energy, a direct result of her rising emotions. The pegasus wasn't even sure if this was a decent place or time for this sort of thing, yet her plan seemed to be working. The connection appeared to be working wonders on her own body as well, as she felt a hint of strength returning to the wings at her back. They pulled each other into a smooth embrace, blissfully ignoring the utter carnage taking place around them. At last, their tongues finally met halfway between their lip-lock, lightly grazing across one another. Twilight silently teased her, as if taunting the pegasus to make another move. Rainbow, never wanting to back away from a challenge, complied with her request and penetrated her mouth assertively. The unicorn willingly allowed her entrance, letting her freely taste the inside lining of her cheeks. Rainbow courteously allowed her the same freedoms, and they both spent a good time exploring the insides of each other's muzzles. It was only when a particularly heavy burst of flame impacted into Twilight's side that she finally released her lips' hold. She had thought that she could continue to hold the spell until the flames passed, but they only intensified with each passing second. Rainbow nervously watched the shield as it began to falter, wavering under the pressure of every wave of fierce heat. "W-what's going on?" she asked Twilight hesitantly. "I don't know how much longer... I can hold it," the unicorn whispered. "You mean it's too much?" "I don't want to admit it... but yeah. The magic they gave me is being used up too quickly," she winced in pain once again, "We don't have much time, Rainbow." The pegasus quickly looked to the floor and noticed that most of Twilight's magic was concentrated around their hooves, acting as a sort of anchor that tied them to the ground. This one, simple modification was possibly the only thing keeping them from being blown away, and Rainbow was certain of it. "Twilight?" she asked coolly. "Yes, Rainbow?" Twilight answered through clenched eyes. "I-I... need you to let go." Her mare's eyes suddenly shot open, flabbergasted at what she had just requested of her. "WHAT?! Are you crazy?!!" she blurted. Rainbow shook her head confidently, though she still maintained fierce eye-contact. "No, not at all. This will work, I promise. You just have to trust me, Twilight." THUMP!! Another heavy wall of flame hit her side, and the shield again wavered in response. It was obvious that she could not hold this out forever. She looked to her mare for comfort, and Rainbow was adamant in showing her support. A bead of sweat found its way down Twilight's forehead, and she finally realized she had no choice. When the flames had finally reached their peak strength, Rainbow planted one last kiss on the unicorn's lips and swiftly pulled away. "Well, Twilight," she paused, waiting for her mare to take one last, deep breath, "Do you trust me?" The unicorn took one final glance at the erupting flames, weighing her options, for it wasn't only her life on the line. Should she fail, this would be the end for both of them... but she had taken enough time. She gave Rainbow one last, warm smile, clinging onto these precious few seconds for as long as she could. "I have no reason to ever doubt you, Rainbow," she happily admitted, "I trust you with all of my heart." Rainbow was wholly satisfied with that response, and suavely helped her up from the floor. They had only a few seconds before another blast came and would threaten to destroy them. Twilight gave the pegasus a quick peck on the cheek and turned away from the wall of flame, as Rainbow reached over her shoulder and pulled her in close, preparing for something extreme. "Alright, Twilight... On the count of three, I need you to release us and focus all of your magic on saving our flanks. I'll handle the rest." They could hear the faint sound of another surge approaching from deep within the cave; this was their only shot. Twilight hesitantly nodded in response. "Okay!-- ONE!!" Rainbow yelled confidently. They spread their legs apart, getting a better grip with their hooves. "TWO!!!" Rainbow nudged Twilight's side to move her into a better position, and swiftly gave her a quick peck on the cheek for good luck. She extended her wings outward in one fell swoop. She would never let Twilight know how terrified she actually was. The flames were coming faster than before. "THREEEEEE!!!" she screamed. It all happened in an instant. They jumped forward, and Rainbow gave the most forceful flap of her wings of her entire life. Twilight did as she commanded and let go of the earth. They felt the extreme heat hit their backs almost immediately, and they were promptly swallowed up by the red fire. Everything else after that passed by in one, chaotic blur. They were suddenly lost in the hellfire, holding onto each other for dear life, and they each blacked out of consciousness.