Princess Twilight Sparkle paced around Star Swirl’s destroyed prototype mirror, hoping to find answers as to how Sombra would be able to siphon magic from the real portal.
From the looks of it, the mirror had blown apart from an overload of magic. Twilight hazarded a guess that perhaps the portals could absorb magic, but would that mean their magic could also be taken?
“What do you think, Agent Eclair?” she decided to ask the Eclipse guard. “If magic can be absorbed by this portal, would Sombra be able to take it as well?”
“It is a possibility, princess,” Eclair walked up to the mirror and touched it. “But I am no unicorn, so I apologize. I do not know a lot about magic.”
“We should expect the worse,” Cadance floated up into the air and landed behind the ruined mirror. “If Sombra did find a way to steal its magic, we need to know how to stop him.”
Spike raised a hand and pointed the other to the mirror. “If Sombra does manage to take the portal’s magic, won’t that mean we can’t go to the human world?”
“Spike’s right,” Twilight realized, forgetting that point. “If he steals the magic, how can we stop him?”
“Perhaps there is a way to contain the magic from this side,” Cadance suggested. “Maybe we can stop him from taking it with a spell of our own. A barrier spell, maybe.”
“Perhaps you are right, princess…” Eclair studied the destroyed portal, feeling the edges of the bent metal.
Then something astonishing happened. Walking around, Eclair’s greaves kicked into a tiny piece of debris, which bounced over and disappeared within a piece of glass with a flash of light.
“Did-did anypony see that?” Spike looked between the three ponies.
“Oui, dragon,” Eclair bent low and picked up the piece of the mirror. She tried to stick a hoof through it, but it was too small. “The pieces, they still course with magic.”
“But how is that possible?” Cadance looked at the other pieces of glass strewn around the metal remains of the portal. She levitated a small rock over and dropped it, watching as it too, disappeared through the mirror piece. “How does it still work?”
“Today just so happens to be a thirtieth moon, but I don’t see how the portal still functions...” Twilight frowned and trotted to the metal frame, examining it closer. “Maybe Star Swirl cast some sort of lasting magic on this? Something that would keep it activated even if it were to be destroyed?”
“We may find something if we clear the soot and dust off the frame,” Eclair lifted a wing and flapped, blowing what she could off the mirror’s frame.
“Leave it to me.” Twilight cast a spell, her horn lighting up with magic. Soon, a wooden bucket and sponge appeared before her head. “Let’s see what we can do.”
Squeezing the sponge in the bucket of water, Twilight wasted no time in scrubbing the metal, watching as the black soot started to disappear, revealing an old rusted metal frame, similar to the portal she had, but lacked the aesthetic decorations around it.
“What’s all this?” Spike asked as he scratched a claw in a indented shape on the first frame.
On closer examination, there were more markings along each frame, from top to bottom.
“Runes…” It didn’t take being a unicorn for Eclair to know what those markings were.
“Magical imbibers,” Twilight bent closer and looked as Spike wiped away at the remaining dirt. “That’s how this mirror absorbs magic.”
“But can it also be taken, princess?” Eclair asked.
“I’m not sure,” the lavender alicorn shook her head. “Runes are before my time, but by the looks of it, they still work.”
“Perhaps this is how Sombra got to the other world,” Princess Cadance guessed. “After you beat him, he simply wisped away somewhere, likely down here. I’m sure as a body of smoke, he would’ve been able to go through the mirror pieces and we would’ve never found him down here. All he had to do was wait for the portal to open, like today, and he could go through.”
“That makes sense,” Eclair nodded and picked up a piece. “So the dark king was never truly vanquished… And this is how he got away.”
“But what should we do now?” Spike tried to stick a foot in through a piece, but even that was too large. “How can we defend the portal against Sombra?”
“I built a machine that lets us use the portal whenever we want,” Twilight reminded him. “Maybe I can engineer it to create a barrier instead?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Cadance nodded in agreement. “But how long will that last?”
“I don’t know…” Twilight admitted. She’d only heard of the artifacts from Sunset, and she’d never seen one before, so she had no idea how much power one would have. Though, if she had to guess, they couldn’t hold Sombra back forever. “I think it’s time to head back. We’ve gotten all the answers we can from this place.”
“I’ll come with you,” Princess Cadance said.
“As will I,” Eclair placed a hoof to her armor. “I will have to report to Princess Luna about all this.”
The group proceeded out the cavern, heading back up to the old armory. For Twilight, some questions had been answered, like how the Assassins had originated right here in the Crystal Empire, and what Star Swirl had kept away from Equestria for its own good, but now she had more questions.
What would happen if Sombra succeeded in draining the portal of its magic, and did they have enough time to stop him?
Velvet Breeze had dragged herself back to the Manehattan safehouse just as the moon had reached its peak, high in the night sky above.
Snow had started falling again when she had woken up from her spot, and thankfully, she hadn’t frozen over.
Locking the safehouse door behind her, the young Assassin walked over to the coffee table, dropping her bag beside it as she fell to the ground, still trying to accept Dewdrop’s absence. Even if the blue haired Assassin survived, she wouldn’t have long before Mirror Match’s poison did its work.
Dewdrop wasn’t going to be there for her anymore.
“Why, Dewdrop…” Velvet wiped her eyes as she began crying again. “I m-miss you…”
She let herself cry it out once more before retrieving her laptop, opening it up to report back to Frigid.
The screen booted up as the Assassin’s acting Mentor appeared, worry somehow etched across his face.
“Velvet, you’re alright! Thank goodness…”
Then he was pushed out of the way as Keila, Morning Blade and Sunset Shimmer squeezed their faces in, glad to see her as well.
“Velvet, good to see you!” Sunset gave her a warm smile.
“We were so worried, Velvet,” Morning Blade said. “We thought they had gotten you too.”
“What?” Velvet assumed they must've seen something on the news. “Dewdrop sent me down the zipline, b-but… she didn’t follow…”
Suddenly, all their smiles faded, the others all reeling back from the laptop’s camera.
“Velvet, Dewdrop didn’t make it…” Keila was the one to break the silence. “It was on the news.”
“They said she killed Mirror Match...” Frigid sighed. “Is… Is that true?”
Velvet shook her head, tears threatening to fall again. Now for certain she knew Dewdrop didn’t make it. “I did. I was the one… She was going to kill Dewdrop. I had to do something.”
“It’s fine, Velvet. You did the right thing.” It looked like it took all of the acting Mentor’s strength to say that. “I’m sorry. Wolfgang got to her, but apparently she killed herself before he could do her any harm.”
Velvet leaned back and covered her face. Once again, it was that name. Wolfgang. Not only had he taken Satin and High Noon away, but now he had taken Dewdrop away as well.
“I’m sorry, Velvet,” Sunset tried to console her. “I know it must be hard. Dewdrop was a nice person.”
“It’s all my fault…” Velvet whispered. “If I had only used the shard sooner…”
“It was the shard again?” Keila asked. “You used that to kill Mirror Match?”
“Yes,” Velvet sniffed and wiped at her eyes, taking the piece of the Mentor’s sword out of her coat pocket and displaying it on the screen. “I think I know how to use it now.”
Velvet Breeze knew what she had to do. Wolfgang had taken too many of her friends and family away already. She had to do what Dewdrop had been aiming for, she had to kill Wolfgang once and for all.
“Let me find Wolfgang,” Velvet gripped the shard in her hand, tightly. “Let me end him.”
“Velvet, I know he’s a terrible person, but come back,” Sunset pleaded with her. “You shouldn’t have been sent out in the first place. Come back and we’ll work things out.”
“Yes, Velvet,” Frigid Night nodded his head. “I should’ve never sent you. Come back. We’ll talk about what to do next.”
Velvet shook her head. This time, she wasn’t going to listen to herself. She had the power. She wasn’t the same weak girl she was before. Now, she had just what she needed to kill Wolfgang.
“No. I’m doing this. With the shard’s power, I’ll finish what Dewdrop set out to do. I’ll avenge her. I’ll avenge Satin and High Noon as well. Please don’t stop me.”
Then she clicked the disconnect button, closing the video call off. Shutting her laptop, Velvet stood up and pulled her hood up, looking at the shard in her hand.
“Please work with me again,” she said to it. “I have to do this for them all. I won’t let that maniac kill anyone else. I won’t let him kill my friends. Please, help me do this…”
Then Velvet Breeze headed for the door, a faint golden glow in her eyes as the corner of her mouth twisted up into a smirk.
Frigid Night fell to the ground, rubbing at his jaw where he was punched.
“This is all your fault, Frigid!” Keila yelled at him, fists raised. “You just had to go and do that, didn’t you? They would’ve been fine if you called them back, but you sent them after Wolfgang. You’re to blame!”
He pushed himself up and looked at the Saddle Arabian Assassin. “I know, I know… I’m sorry. I was foolish to not trust anyone. I don’t know best. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t going to bring anyone back!” she crouched down and punched him again.
“If punching me will help, then do it,” the grey haired Assassin said, closing his eyes. “I deserve it.”
She was probably going to punch him again, but Morning Blade stepped between them, pushing Keila back.
“Stop it, Keila! Don’t hurt him. It won’t change anything.”
“Yeah? I’m just giving him what he’s done to all of us,” Keila shook a fist at him. “He did all this, Morning. It’s all on him.”
“But we don’t need to fight amongst ourselves,” Morning countered. “Please, let’s not break apart now.”
“It’s too late for that, Morning,” Keila folded her arms. “I made a vow to Mentor Steel Shine that I’d continue to uphold the Creed, but you aren’t Mentor Steel Shine, Frigid Night. I think it’s time I go.”
“What?” Morning was taken aback. “No, Keila, you can’t.”
“He’s thrown all our lives away like pawns on a chessboard! How long before it’s you or me? I’m leaving before that happens.”
“But the Creed, Keila!” Morning Blade yelled back. “You can’t abandon the Brotherhood like that. We should see this through.”
“The Brotherhood is gone! We’re all that’s left. I think the Creed only applies to an actual Brotherhood,” Keila turned around, her coat flapping behind her. “There is nothing left for us here, especially if Frigid Night is still around.”
“Keila, no.” For once, Sunset saw Morning asserting herself. The white haired Assassin swooped around Keila and blocked her path. “You can’t abandon us. You can’t betray us! Not like that traitor did!”
“Things are different now. This man,” Keila pointed a finger at Frigid’s face. “This man is going to lead us all to our deaths. Leave while you can, Morning. Don’t waste your time with him. If he wants to get things done, he should do them himself.”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Sunset tapped Frigid’s arm.
The acting Mentor sighed and got up, pulling his hood down. “Keila’s right. It’s my fault that Velvet’s where she is right now. You don’t need to associate yourselves with me.”
“But Frigid!” Morning Blade couldn’t believe her ears. “No, I can’t allow this. We were taught never to leave our brothers and sisters, especially in times of need. Keila, you can’t leave. I’ll… I’ll fight you if I have to!”
“Leave it, Morning,” Keila whipped out both her daggers in an instant. “You won’t be able to beat me. Stand down.”
“I’m not letting you betray us,” Morning took out her pistol and pointed it at Keila’s chest. “I have a duty to perform, whether I like it or not.”
“Oh, and please explain how shooting me is going to solve anything. Frigid Night has earned neither my respect nor my following, so that’s it. In Saddle Arabia, I’d have ditched you sooner.”
Morning frowned and pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything. The gun in her hands didn’t falter.
“Please, you two,” Sunset decided she had to step in, placing a hand over Morning’s pistol. “Just stop! Shooting or killing each other isn’t going to do anything. We should be figuring out where Velvet is going instead. If you don’t agree with each other, at least agree that we need to save Velvet.”
This seemed to give the Assassins pause.
Keila’s mouth worked furiously, but she sheathed her knives and grunted, “You know something’s wrong when the kid in the room shows more wisdom than the oh-so-mighty acting Mentor.”
Frigid looked away and stalked up to the wall, taking more interest in the worn out paint instead.
“She’s right…” Morning Blade lowered her gun and placed it back in its holster on her right leg. “I hope you understand, Keila. This is more than any of us. It’s about everyone in this world. We have to fight. If not for the Creed, at least for the people.”
Keila glared one last time at Frigid Night. “But you, acting Mentor, you’re the problem. I suggest you do something about it. I really… I can’t stand being around you.”
The Saddle Arabian Assassin pulled her hood down, covering her face as she headed back to her room.
“What’s happened to us…” Morning Blade slumped down on a chair and covered her face. “How did it all come to this?”
Sunset sat down next to her, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, come on, Morning. It’s not all that bad…”
“Isn’t it?” Morning said miserably. “High Noon’s dead, Dewdrop’s dead, Velvet’s missing, and what’s left of the Assassin Brotherhood is tearing itself apart. What are we to do now?”
“It’s not over, Morning,” Frigid Night appeared behind them, placing a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “We still have a part to play. Keila’s right. If I want something done, I should be the one out there.”
“So what’s the plan, sir?”
“The Templar’s auditorium is still in construction,” he pointed to his laptop screen. “I think we should go slow them down a little.”
“What, are you just going to barge in there and wreck the place?” Sunset placed her hands on her hips. “I doubt that’s going to work.”
Frigid breathed heavily and rubbed at his grey hair. “Whatever we’re going to do, let’s just leave it for tomorrow. I think we’ve had enough of today. Get some rest, Morning. You too, Sunset Shimmer.”
“What are you going to do about Keila?” Sunset asked him. “She seems really pissed off. I think you’ll have to do something about it.”
Frigid looked down the hallway, stopping his eyes at Keila’s room. “I’ve got much to think about tonight, but… I’ll try to speak to her in the morning. Alone. If anything happens to me, maybe it’s for the better.”
And the acting Mentor was off, getting up and returning to his room, closing the door behind him.
Morning Blade had asked if they could bounce back up from this. Sunset truly didn’t have an answer for this, but she knew they had to. Their worlds depended on them.