Chapter 7
One More Time
World Destroyed: 6 Times
"You're going to power me up?"
For some reason, Twilight Sparkle wasn't entirely convinced that what the princesses suggested was a good idea. Maybe it had something to do with the glint of mischief she saw in their eyes when they explained their plan, or perhaps it was just the fact that everything they tried ultimately led to her death. Whatever the reason, she wanted as many answers as she could get before she was sent back down to Ponyville for another attempt.
"Yes, Twilight. Now you're beginning to understand." The way Princess Celestia smiled at her reminded Twilight of how a mother might react to a foal who finally stops putting her hoof into a fire because it is, in fact, hot.
"We've granted you the ability to sense the Spell of Destruction," Luna chipped in. "You will be able to hone in on the location of anyone who tries to cast it. We've also boosted your magical abilities so that you can better handle the Dark Lord."
Twilight blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked, frowning. "All I have to do is interrupt the spell, right?"
Princess Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then back at Twilight.
"The Dark Lord is quite powerful," Celestia explained. "We've had a few minutes to study the magical traces he leaves, and we now believe that the very act of casting the Spell of Destruction increases his power to untold levels. You probably wouldn't even have been able to make him blink before now."
"Oh," Twilight said. "So I was basically destined to die all those times anyway." She lowered her eyelids. "Good to know."
Princess Luna caught Twilight's eye. "Your new powers will also help you deal with all of the monsters."
"All the what, now?"
Twilight was certain she had just heard the word 'monsters' mentioned, but that couldn't be right. She certainly hadn't run into any monsters the past few times she'd tried to save the world. What, had the Dark Lord decided that ending the world wasn't enough, and now he had to throw monsters into the mix?
"Oh, how could we forget to mention that?" Princess Celestia mused. Twilight had a feeling that the princesses hadn't forgotten at all, and were somehow enjoying this. "Yes, Twilight, there are monsters now. Quite a few of them." Celestia used a hoof to indicate the world below. "Look closely and you can see some of them now."
Sure enough, there were monsters down there. They were frozen in time, but they also looked as if they would be roaming in areas that would almost certainly be directly in Twilight's path to the Dark Lord. Of course.
Twilight sat down and bit her lip. She then looked up at the princesses, and back down at the world below. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again and seemed content to remain in that position.
"She disapproves of the monsters," Luna quipped, "and yet none of them are capable of destroying the world in thirty seconds." She stared at Twilight. "I should think they would rank fairly low on your list of priorities."
"But why would a Dark Lord who can destroy the world just like that need monsters!?" Twilight shouted, stamping a hoof for emphasis. She grinded her teeth together and glared at the tiny beasts far below.
"Those were actually the pink one's fault," Luna said flatly.
"The pink one?"
Princess Celestia quickly stepped between Luna and Twilight. "It's best if we never mention that again," she soothed. "The fact remains that there are now monsters to deal with, and we've run out of time once more." She looked Twilight in the eye. "Are you ready?"
Twilight frowned. "As ready as I'll ev–"
Twilight appeared in her bedroom once more, but she wasted no thoughts on being cut off in mid-sentence. She had an entire world to save, and a life that she had no intention of losing once again.
"Spike, wake up!" she shouted before teleporting the baby dragon onto her back. Spike only had enough time to reflexively grasp Twilight's mane and keep himself from falling before they were out the door and into the cool night air. Twilight galloped as fast as she could. Occasionally, she'd teleport them both to a spot further ahead in order to save time.
"Uh, Twilight?" Spike asked from his perch upon her back. "What are we doing?"
"Not dying, Spike," she stated firmly. "Not this time!"
Spike didn't respond, which was probably for the best. Not because he had seen her in stressful situations before and was probably remembering them without much fondness, but because there was a giant, pulsating mound of living slime the size of a giant boulder directly ahead of them, and they were heading straight for it.
"Bring it on," Twilight growled, gritting her teeth and charging up the magical energy within her horn. The slime shimmered in response. Spike whimpered in despair.
Before Twilight knew it, they had collided with the creature in a burst of concussive force that sent slime flying in all directions. The battle hadn't slowed her down in the least, and they were quickly closing in on the Dark Lord's location. As they rounded a bend, two more giant slime creatures barred their path, and they, too, were targeted and disintegrated into tiny pools of muck.
"I can do it!" Twilight shouted gleefully before teleporting once again. "I'm going to stop the Dark Lord!"
"The Dark what now?" Spike asked.
A flurry of branches and leaves burst outward as Twilight and Spike broke free from the forest and entered a clearing. There, huddled near a small fire and chanting ancient words of unholy power, dressed in a dark robe that obscured all features, was the stunted form of the Dark Lord.
"Your world-destroying days are over!" Twilight howled.
She charged up an enormous amount of magical energy and unleashed it at the Dark Lord, who looked up just in time to be struck square in his hooded face. The impact flattened every tree in the immediate area, and sent him hurtling through the air high into the sky.
"You'll pay for this!" the Dark Lord shrieked as he soared into the distance, shaking a tiny fist at his vanquisher. He eventually became nothing more than a tiny speck in sky.
Twilight and Spike watched him disappear, then sat in complete silence for a few minutes. It was then that Twilight realized the significance of what she had just done.
"Ha... ha ha!" she cried gleefully. She had a weird, nagging feeling in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. "I did it, Spike! I've gone more than thirty seconds without dying! Ha ha ha, I did it, I did it, I did it!" She pranced around in a circle, oblivious to the deeply concerned look Spike was giving her. She wasn't finished, however. "Did you see how far the Dark Lord flew?" She levitated Spike off of her back and brought her face to within inches of his, her eyes and mane wild. "Just how much power did the princesses grant me, anyway?"
"Um..." Spike began, but in that moment, they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a midnight blue alicorn.
"Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Luna boomed in her authoritative voice. "There's no time to explain! You must travel immediately to Canterlot if you are to save Equestria!"
Twilight's head spun around so fast that she hurt her neck. "What!?" she cried. "Oh no no no, I've just saved Equestria. The whole world, even!"
Luna snorted and kicked at the dirt with a hoof. "Did you not learn anything from all of this?" she asked, her eyes wide. She looked as if she were going to further berate Twilight, but instead she sighed and said, "There is another who is casting the Spell of Destruction. The spellbook must have been blasted from this area only to land back in Canterlot. Now, there is a new Dark Lord and the world is about to end. Again."
Twilight groaned. "Another Dark Lord? How do we even know who's casting it?"
Luna regarded Twilight with an impatient stare. "Anyone who casts a Spell of Destruction is a Dark Lord."
"Time left?" Twilight asked, lying down and patting Spike on the head.
"Three seconds."
A moment later, the world was torn asunder by the thunderous burst of energy from within.