Chapter 6: The Years That Stood Still Part 3
Black Mirror
Chapter 6: The Years That Stood Still Part 3
1 month 3 days after Goldenmare's Victory
Twilight Sparkle and her friends part from Rainbow Dash and Electuroo stood before the cutie mark vault once more. Starlight Glimmer holding the wooden staff with her magic preparing to use it on them, a few ponies watched as she attempted it again.
“Why doesn't it work!?” Starlight failed to remove their cutie marks with this attempt she put more magic into it but it ended the same. “We will have to try again, tomorrow.” Starlight Glimmer put the staff down walking up to the five ponies.
Rarity just causally shook her head. “Darling we been coming up here for three days. Don't you think it would of worked the first time?”
“I do think so too... Can we just go home with our friends please?” Fluttershy begged her to let them go.
Starlight Glimmer walking around them. “No, I will discover a way to use the 'sameness' on you five and when I do we be able to do with any pony with this lack of magic you speak of.” Starlight turn directly to Twilight Sparkle. “You haven't spoken at all miss ex-alicorn. Why so silent?”
Twilight eyes wasn't on her but on the staff she been doing some real deep thinking and putting the pieces together day by day. “You said there was nine artefacts right?”
“Ah you finally speak and yes. Now take them back to Double Dimoand's house, we going to try and bring our new friends into our bound of friendship once more.” The two stallion pegasus ponies nod, they walk with the five mares back to town.
Starlight Glimmer took a look at the staff with a frown upon her face. “She knows it isn't magical... But then why Party Favor, Sugar Belle and Night Glider have refused to rejoin the community?” Starlight Glimmer was split on what to do, in just three days everything that been worked for was now falling apart.
She left the vault cave heading back to the village to see if any of the ponies were to join them this time around, for extra caution Starlight had stored away all recent visitors cutie marks in jars at her own house until she was very sure they had joined the community.
Inside the house that was holding Rainbow Dash and the others that had their cutie marks removed, she was attending to Electuroo who most of the time lay on the bed in pain for the most part. “His not looking so hot.” Night Glider whispered to her friends watching as Rainbow Dash put another damp cloth on Electuroo's forehead tending to his needs.
Sugar Belle noticed under the sheets just catching her eyes on the equal cutie mark. “It something to do with the cutie mark.”
“Are you saying that the equalization cutie mark is having an negative effect on him? But why only him and not us?” Party Favor whispered.
“I don't know, we had it for quite some time and we perfectly fine to the point we neither worse or better then each other. But when he screamed out when the cutie mark was removed it was the first time we seen any pony react so badly to the equalization effect.” Sugar Belle getting her voice low so only Night Glider and Party Favor heard, the other ponies was busy talking about a way to get their cutie marks still.
Night Glider glance out the window seeing the group of ponies returning to Double Diamond's home. “Talking about Equalization, look.” They looked through the window seeing Twilight and the others entering, just before the door closed Double Diamond looked right at them without the smile and shook his head before shutting the door completely.
Gold Wing sitting against the wall with his forelegs over his head glance over to them. “The spell needs the cutie mark to have magical energy to remove it and replace it with the equal cutie mark like ours, but without that magic the cutie mark only a mark on either side the flank.”
“You know she not stop till she find a way to remove them and replace with the same marks we have.” Night Glider replied. “We thought that being equal was the right thing but now I am not even sure.”
Sugar Belle sighed. “I miss making cooks treats... Those muffins we all make are just horrible...”
Gold Wing notice movement outside the window. “Well be ready to put on your true face because here she comes again.”
Party Favor groans. “I just want everypony to be happy! Why can't Starlight see that having our cutie marks back won't make a differences to how we feel about each other as friends!”
Gold Wing chuckled. “A pony that determined to make this town equal and nothing more.”
Flim and Flam spoke up. “Well we don't want our cutie marks back!” Flim started
“Indeed brother of mine, if we get them back we return to being one of those corrupted ponies!” Flam finished.
“Are you sure of that?” One of Gold Wing's team spoke up. “What if it gone and your...”
Flam shook his head. “I can feel it inside me, this equal cutie mark keeping it at bay.”
Rainbow Dash glared at them. “And what of Electuroo huh? Look at him!”
They all looked at the stallion in bed in pain. “Well it not our fault he not a complete pony like us.”
“Indeed br...” Both stallions got a double whammy hit from Rainbow Dash with a twisting right hind leg twist knocking them into each other and against a wall with a thud.
“How dare you speak like that when even without the corrupted cutie marks you still as selfish and two faced as always! You two never learn!” Rainbow Dash shouted at them picking up a plate to throw it at them but Gold Wing took her foreleg with his hoof.
“Rainbow Dash... Don't do anything stupid, they not worth the energy. Focus on Electuroo, he needs you more then ever.”
“Gah!” She let goes and go back to Electuroo's side. “El-Electuroo come on bud you can pull through this...” She whispered to him with tears flowing freely down her face onto his face.
Electuroo eyes slowly open he looking up at her. “R-Rain-Rainbow...”
“I'm here you idiot. How are you feeling?”
“S-So tired... Pain...”
“It ok I'm here.” She put her hoof on his looking into his big brown eyes with her own moderate cerise eyes. “I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you. I promise!”
“Don't make a promise if you can't keep it...” Electuroo muttered with a soft painful chuckle and close his eyes again.
Rainbow Dash moved her hoof to the side of his snout. “I plan to make this promise come true. I won't let you down Sparks.” She closed her eyes letting a deep sigh.
When Rainbow Dash opened them she found herself sitting at a wooden table with hot cup of tea before her. Looking around quickly she came face to face with the elderly wizard Merlin sitting on the otherside of the table on a cloud drifting among the stars and planets.
“Sugar?” Merlin spoke with a hand out with a bowl of sugar before her in a magical field.
Rainbow Dash blinked trying to process what was going on. “Erm... Sure two...”
Merlin put two spoon full in and stir the tea. “Your trying to figure this place out aren't you?” He calmly spoke as he picked up his tea taking a sip out of it.
“Yeah kinda...” Rainbow Dash took her tea and drunk some of it. “So where the hay are we? The Dream Realm?”
“Indeed it took a good deal of focus and magic to just get you to sit at this table with me to enjoy this tea.” Merlin answered. “It was quite difficult with this mark on you.” He waved his hand showing a black equal sign between them.
Rainbow Dash stared at the symbol. “Then how the hay did you get in contact with me in this place then?”
Merlin made the symbol disappear with an wave of the hand. “I had to use equal force to apply this contact, but why I am contacting you now after what happened with Goldenmare is to do with one simple life form. Something that you must resolve soon.” Merlin pulled out a apple from one of his sleeves placing it before Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash took it with her two front hooves and taking a bite out of it she gasped, spitting it out and throwing the apple on the table. “What the heck are you trying to pull!” She saw that it was a orange inside the skin of the apple.
Merlin took the bitten apple with his right hand and rose it up to place his other hand over it making it whole again. “What do you think Electuroo is?”
“A pegasus duh!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
“On the outside yes, but what of him in the inside?”
Rainbow Dash watch him cut the apple with a knife and show the inners of it. “Human, why are you asking me what I already know.”
“Because it over looked.” Merlin shows the core being partly apple on the outside and inside orange. “Think of this core as his cutie mark, a balance between human and pony.”
“Okay...”
Merlin zaps it and the core is replaced by a pure apple core. “Now what do you see.”
“His cutie mark been changed and the orange...” Rainbow Dash watch it become rotten and turn to dust and blows away. “Merlin what the hay up with the fruit, it becoming hollow.”
Merlin place it down before her. “Exactly and what would happen to the fruit if it becomes hollow?”
“It be a apple that emp-” Rainbow Dash swallowed hard. She couldn't speak what was witnessed was happening to Electuroo. She didn't see it at all but now it was clear as day and this been going on for three days. “Electuroo! I got to get his cutie mark back at once!”
Merlin smiled warmly. “There you go Rainbow Dash, this chat been brief but at least you see it clearly now.” He tap her on the snout with his finger. “But if the worst comes to happen there is one more way to save him.”
“And that is?”
“You already have that answer Rainbow Dash, it been right in front of you all this time.” Merlin got up opening a bag he pulled out of now where and tap the table, in a flash it shrunk and entered his bag, closing it up Merlin turn and leaves.
Rainbow Dash chases after him. “Come back here Merlin you need to give me a straight answer!”
Merlin took one last look at her. “The straight answer you seek is plain and simple, I can not solve everything for you. Farewell for now my young friend and good luck.” Rainbow Dash saw a barrier appear between her and him as it turn solid and she hardly could see him through it. “The magic to get in contact with you is fading, I am sorry but from this part onwards your on your own, I be unable to talk to you ever again unless you able to break free from the time spell Nilrem created... Good luck...”
Everything fades instantly from that point forward Rainbow Dash trying to break through the barrier.
“MERLIN!”
“Rainbow?” She quickly saw that her hoof was on Electuroo side of the snout and looked at Gold Wing staring at her as well all the ponies around stopping their conversation half way through. “Why are you calling out a dead wizards name from 6000 years ago?”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Not so much, he speaks within the dream realm. And just did to me with his magic.”
“How? You just finished speaking to Electuroo before he blacked out again and then you cried out that name.” Night Glider responded with an confused expression on her face showed on all around.
“How the hay am I suppose to know! All I know is that because Electuroo isn't truly a pony on the inside that stupid cutie mark is destroying him!” Rainbow Dash Snapped at Night Glider wings flared open. “I don't even care about getting mine back! About how awesome I should be or even if I can fly fast again! I only care now to save his life!”
“We all equal nothing less nothing more.” Party Favor raise his two front hooves up in equal height. “That what it does. How can it be different for him?” He points the hoof at Electuroo.
Rainbow Dash growled under her breath and decided to let them in on it. “Because he not a pony! He was turned into one when arriving in our world! He a human and the reason he been ok is because of his cutie mark! Merlin showed me that without it the magic of that stupid mark we have on us is trying to balance something that it can't balance!”
Gold Wing's eyes lit up getting off the wall by the window he quickly trotted over to her. “Of course! The magic is trying to balance magic! The ponies without their magic can still live because they are not human but because his human still in there and humans have basically no magical energy within them, the spell Merlin placed on our world is still in effect too! The magic of this cutie mark can't equalize something that not of our world so it takes the next best thing...”
“And that is?” Sugar Belle gulped upon hearing this.
“Destroy the human energy... Basically his soul...” Gold Wing felt his throat tighten and a sickening feeling well deep within his gut.
Rainbow Dash notice the dead silence in the room with all looking away knowing that now Electuroo was dying from within, not physically, not mentally or internally but the very thing that those would call a soul, the human was being ripped apart and she knew the answer was.
Action was needed! “He needs that cutie mark back before it too late!”
Party Favor turn to his friends. “If it means him getting better I agree.”
“I do too but how?” Sugar Belle asked.
“Maybe one of us could say we very sorry and would never do it again. Maybe...” Night Glider looked over to Party Favor with a smirk. “I know the perfect pony to act.”
Sugar Belle also smiled. “What do you say Party Favor?”
He nods. “Alright I'll do it! Saving his life is what is mostly important right now!”
Rainbow Dash blinked a few times. “Wow you really will do that?”
“If it means saving Electuroo's life. Then yes.” Party Favor answered.
Rainbow Dash hugged him. “Thank you. Your awesome in my books Party Favor.”
He return the hug and let go. “Alright! Here is what we going to do!” He wave all the ponies to gather and he start whispering to each of them.
An short time later Starlight Glimmer had gathered most of the ponies part from Double Diamond who watched from his home's window alongside the five ponies that couldn't have their cutie marks removed from her magic.
Rarity sighed. “Here we go again...”
Double Diamond sitting by the table decided to get up and trot over to the window. “I did notice the yellow one looked weaker when walking out yesterday, is he ok?”
Twilight shook her head. “Not at the least, I been thinking about the effect of the equalization having on him and it isn't good. Last night I woke up with a horrible thought and it been keeping me awake since.” Twilight went to the other window looking out of it. “Knowing Rainbow Dash she most likely just figured that out herself and now really scared for his life...”
“Wait what!?” Double Diamond gasped. “Why would it be harming him!?”
“Because he was human! Duh!” Pinkie Pie answered. “Here look.” She showed him a pair of photos. “That one on the left is him human and that the one you know Electuroo as.”
Fluttershy stared at the photos too. “Where did you get them Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie Pie pulled out the album from her mane. “In here of course! I might not have my pony magic but I still got my Pinkie Sense and such! No magic in there! Just me!” She giggled and looked at... “Yeah no crazy almost stand still magic getting that!” She hissed.
“It took me three weeks to just get cooking cup cakes again and working at half or three quarters or well maybe more or not of the magic in me! I can't even eat a lot of my sugary treats too! It been a nightmare of a month so far and I have to go with that for how long!? Tell me! You...”
Pinkie Pie still ranting and raving had everypony in the room stare at her, thankfully Double Diamond draw the attention away. “Is she talking a wall?” Double Diamond asked with confusion at what he was seeing.
Twilight sighed. “Guess somethings Goldenmare's magical spell didn't take away or somehow Pinkie Pie managed to get back. This is what we call normal for Pinkie Pie Double Diamond.” Twilight glance back at Pinkie Pie. “How exactly did?”
“Not telling!” Pinkie Pie bounce back to Twilight's side and looked out the window. “Oh why don't Double Diamond sneak out while Starlight got everypony distracted and get his cutie mark back?”
They looked really surprised. “That is a really good idea Pinkie Pie.” Rarity put her hoof on the underside of the snout tapping a few times.
Double Diamond grinned. “I'll do it! Not just for him but for all the ponies here in town! I got to know each and one of you and now know that Starlight Glimmer going all about this wrong and I want to set it right.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly hugging him. “Thank you Double Diamond! Your a really good friend.”
“That I am” He answered. “But Twilight after you got back this morning you look really bothered by something, what is it?”
Twilight shrugs. “I can't really say for sure but I am certain that staff she uses isn't what it seem to be. Unless I get a really good look at it I can't give a real answer.” Twilight explained to him. “But we wait till after Electuroo be restored ok?”
“Ok.” They watched for the perfect timing as the ponies gathered and Starlight Glimmer stood before it to ask once more who be joining them in the town.
“Look they coming out but I don't see Electuroo anywhere. Do you?” Fluttershy was very concern.
“Indeed darling...”
Outside the long row of ponies formed, their colour drained and all had the expressions of the unhappiest of faces could see. Rainbow Dash eyes half open glaring at Starlight Glimmer as she approached each of them walking from the left to the right as she spoke to them all.
“I trust you had a pleasant night? We've come to ask if any of you are ready to join us! There are so many friends to be made once you realize you don't need your cutie marks or the talents that come with them. And for those to realise that they are fine as they are now.” Starlight Glimmer stops looking carefully at each of the three ponies that decided to part from the town.
Rainbow Dash snorted catching her attention away from the three ponies. “As if we had a pleasant night! Haven't you noticed there one pony less in this line up or your just ignoring the fact Electuroo is getting worse since you slap that stupid mark on him!” Rainbow Dash raising her voice at every hoof fall Starlight Glimmer made coming up to the rainbow mane pony.
“Why exactly is he important about all this? I noticed that no pony ever asked for their marks yet they all want him to have his back.” Starlight now seen the eyes shift a little. “Explain to me why?”
Rainbow Dash just answered with one word. “Human.”
“Human? What exact is 'human?”
“That what Electuroo was before ending up here in our world! His cutie mark is unlike anything! If he doesn't get it back he'd die!” Rainbow Dash told her straight in the face and got mutters of agreement from most of the ponies in line and others all questioning this. “I don't give a damn about mine at the moment, all I care about is getting his back right now to just save his life! The equalization process you speak of is killing him!”
Starlight just waved it off with a hoof. “Pfff! Please you really think I believe that rubbish. It starts off with one cutie mark then two and soon every pony will say they falling sick and want it back! You really think that would work?” She glares at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves sitting on her rump. “Fine! Don't believe me! Live in your stupid little perfect world and watch it shatter because you wouldn't do the right thing and save Electuroo from dying!”
Starlight shook her head with a heavy sigh. “I am sorry every pony it seem they don't want to join to-”
“Please don't send me back in there! I don't want to even look at my cutie mark again! I just want to be with my friends again!” Party Favor broke the lines and rushed out to her and put his front hooves around her front hooves with begging eyes.
“It good that somepony is seeing sense, very well Party Favor wel-”
Starlight Glimmer was interrupted again and at the same time Double Diamond had open his door to sneak out. But he froze in mid step as he saw Electuroo with a hoof to the door frame for support stand there breathing heavily after he spoken a word. “Sunburst...”
Party Favor quickly turn and gasped seeing Electuroo limping with each of his four hooves landing with a lot of effort made to stand before Starlight Glimmer who was now giving him a very dark hard look at the stallion. “Where did you hear that name!?”
Rainbow Dash raced to his side as fast she could get her body to move but he raised the left foreleg shaking his head. “No Rainbow... No Time...”
“B-but...”
“Pl... Please...” Rainbow Dash stood back and let Electuroo speak. “A friend... Saw...” Electuroo had trouble getting his words out and he breathed heavily. “Everything that... happened to...” He whizzed making Rainbow Dash even more edgy and other ponies as well, even Twilight and the others gathered among the other ponies. “You back then shouldn't effect... what happens... now...”
Starlight Glimmer anger was building by the second and she grabbed him by her magic pulling the weaken stallion right close to her. “Your friend had no right to spy on my life!”
“Unless it was Merlin” Twilight speaks up and they all turn to her. “He is trapped in a layer between reality and dreams, all he can do is watch everything that happens.”
“Merlin showed me... Everything... I saw it... Forcing this... isn't right...”
“You don't know anything part from what you saw! I had nothing after that! I didn't even make another friend because of the cutie mark pulled our friendship apart! It was because of that cutie mark! That why I did this! Because what could happen to others like it happened to me! We equal and that makes us no different to each other!” Starlight Glimmer spoke out in rage at Electuroo dropping him on the ground. “You are no different! You only want it back to-”
Electuroo groan as Rainbow Dash aids him to get on his hooves but barely able to. “Too late...”
“What?”
“When you... you... Removed my cutie...” He took a sharp breath and spoke a little bit more. “Mark it... Sealed my fate...” He whispered whizzing and falls on his foreleg knees breathing getting more harder by the second now. “It not a... Normal mark... It protected me... Where I from... No cutie mark... everyone different... no magic...”
Rainbow Dash helped him onto his side. “What does he mean by no marks and no magic? Explain!” Starlight Glimmer demanded answers.
Rainbow Dash was in tears with Electuroo head resting against her stomach as she rubbed her right front hoof on the side of his snout. “Please say it not true Electuroo! Please say we can just put it back on you and you'd be better!”
“No better... It unstable... Putting it back would only... end the same...”
“No it can't be like that! It just can't!”
“Somepony better answer me now!” Starlight Glimmer raised her voice.
Rainbow Dash snouted. “I don't give a buck about answering you! He going to die and it all your fault!”
“How removing his cutie mark is killing him!? It impossible!” Starlight snapped.
Twilight steps up with her friends. “Because he not of our world, Merlin long ago before any of us even could remember placed a spell on our world stopping humans from stepping hoof on our lands again. Only way the mirror that brought him here could make sure that didn't happen was make him a pony like us and give him something that would match Electuroo, I don't completely understand it but Wind Note and him created their characters out of drawings and writing that some how was read by the mirror through their thoughts yet that another theory that I can't...” Twilight stops seeing them all staring in silence.
“Hehe opps...”
“Highly unlikely!” Starlight grumbled. “That far to crazy to believe and I won't have it. All of you back in the house and we-” A glow caught her corner of the eye. “Now what!?” She turns and the eyes widen to the sight of her house, the electrical energy bouncing around the house.
“Rainbow.... Sorry... And Starlight... I forgive...” Starlight stares at him in a instant seeing the eyes look right back at her, she had tears start to form seeing that stare, he wasn't making it up, she had destroyed his life and this was it.
“What...” She whispered
“Nothing to be sorry about Sparks. I love you for who you are. So please stay with me! For that at least!”
Electuroo blink with tears rolling down his snout. “Love you... Skittles.” He whispered closing his eyes and letting out one final breath of air.
“Electuroo... Electuroo! ELECTUROO!!!!!!” Rainbow Dash tears fell as she burst out crying holding the limp body as a huge explosion of lightning rip into the sky destroying the house, a blast wave of sound rip through blowing out all the windows around.
That wasn't the only thing the cutie marks from within the house was freed and returning to their true owners, the thunderous boom reached the caves and within the sound shattered the vault causing all marks to come flying out and return to the ponies once belonged too. Starlight Glimmer was knocked over as many was and she landed in a puddle of water rolling to a stop.
She watched the cutie marks restored to every one of the ponies and took one look at her flank the paint that hid her cutie mark was gone. Starlight Glimmer slowly got up to have a hoof out to her, taking it she stood back up to come eye to eye with a elderly brown unicorn with a white mane, bread covering most of the snout and hanging down it too, wearing a purple cloak.
His calm old brown eyes looked into her own with a gentle smile he whispers into her ear and with a few blinks of surprise from what she heard she found herself standing alone staring at what was left of the home she had and the damage to the town, not only that the still form that laid before with Rainbow Dash holding him with tears still falling, she had her mark back but his was...
Nothing... She saw no mark at all. The ponies, his friends had all gathered with sadness in their eyes with tears falling as Electuroo now laid there dead. The words from the stallion echoed in her mind and with each step to them Starlight Glimmer had to make right her wrongs.
And the chances of that was... 50/50
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Wow, this was a sad chapter. Is he going to be ok?
HEY IF YOU WOULD ANSWER ME I WOULD VOLUNTEER!!!