//------------------------------//
// The Battle Within  
// Story: The Little Pony Legend: Legend of Everfree 
// by MaggiesHeartLove 
//------------------------------//


*(~)*
Deuteronomy 4:12~
"Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form--only a voice.
*(~)*

The Battle Within


Back at camp, the other Rainboom gathered together at the newly constructed dock, Starlight was practically panting. "Okay, I couldn't find Sunset, but now Twilight, Flash, Spike and Kuvira are missing too!"
"You don't think Gaea Everfree took them, do you?" Fluttershy asked with worry.
Applejack blinked upon noticing something strange happening to the ground beneath them. "Uh, guys?" pointing her finger downwards, the others gasped and jumped back as brambles began to grow and sprout all across the campsite. The campers screamed in terror and ran as quickly as they could away from the vines, which apparently had taken on a life of their own.
Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rallied together, with Apple Bloom shielding her two friends from the brambles, "What's going on?!" asked the young redhead.
Rarity gasped, her eyes the size of dinner plates as she clenched her heart, which felt it was on fire at the sight before her. She never thought she'd see another one of these creatures again.
"Oh, my goodness!"
Rising from out of the forest was none other than Gloriosa, alongside her trusted Timber werewolf, snarling and growling at anyone who dared come near his "sister". Gloriosa looked just as beautifully terrifying as Midnight Sparkle or the sirens, but if there was anything these students knew from the Canterlot alumni, it was that when something is gorgeous but has an obviously sinister vibe, you better stay away.
"Attention, campers!" Gloriosa spoke, her voice sounding louder, more powerful and, even insane. 
The campers screamed, "It's Gaea Everfree!"
"She's real!"
"Aah! We're doomed!"
While the Rainbooms were still astounded to see another magical evil creature again after so long, Starlight Glimmer stepped forward, ready to fight. "What do you want, Gaea? Where are our friends?"
"What's the matter? Don't you girls recognize me?"
Applejack squinted her eyes, taking notice of the familiar freckles, face shape, and even the voice as well as the skin tone and hair. Despite it being in a new color, her bang remained vaguely similar, but well enough for them to recognize it. As well as the geodes that adorned her neck, emitting a green ray of lightning every two minutes.
"Gloriosa?! Is that you?!" Applejack exclaimed, too shocked to realize that the sweet, kind-hearted Gloriosa Daisy has turned into such a sight. Then again, a similar event happened to their humble friend Twilight Sparkle.
"Wait, so you're Gaea Everfree?" Rainbow said in horrified shock, "You're the one who stole our magic?"
"I didn't steal anything, and Gaea Everfee was just a camp fire story." she said, her body emitting a sickly green light and streams of lightning across her arms, head, hair and legs. "The magic that surrounds this is going to save my camp! Isn't that right, Timber?"
The Timber Werewolf howled in agreement, a sickly haunting howl that sent shivers down the spine and ones knees buckle in fear. 
"That's Timber?!" Starlight said in exclamation, "Am I going crazy, or does he suddenly look like a giant wooden dog?"
"Freaky-deaky!" Pinkie Pie said, poking out from the right side of the screen.
Timber growled at the campers, "Listen well, all of you! My sister has an announcement to make!"
Gloriosa smiled wickedly, baring her white teeth, and her left slightly twitching. "Gladmane wants this to be the last session of Camp Everfree. But don't worry, I got this!"
The geodes around her neck glowed brighter in correspond to her mood. She punctured her nails into the ground and, on her demented command, the ground trembled just as it did before, green streams of light spread all around, freighting the campers and principals. The trees of the forest moved, several even fell as long, sickly brown colored brambles rose up from the ground, still causing the camp to shake. The campers tried fleeing for their lives, but were soon incarcerated within cages of green and brown. A wall formed around the campsite, completely blocking it from the rest of the forest, even the lake was no longer see for the brambles hid its beauty away from view.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo tried rushing for their sisters, but didn't even get the chance to call out their names once the brambles hid them away. The girls screamed desperately for help as Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Rash rushed to try and forcibly yank the brambles apart.
"Apple Bloom!"
"Sweetie Belle!"
"Scootaloo!"
Starlight saw the brambles reaching towards them and, thinking fast, pulled Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy out of the way before they got crushed. The vines destroyed the new dock instead. Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped.
"What?! Oh, come on! We literally just finished building that!!" the pink girl exclaimed, waving her arms and fists in a frenzy of rage.
But while the campers were horrified by what was happening, Gloriosa simply smiled, joyfully watching the plants growing at her command. 

I have waited for the day
To send this greedy wolf away
Now the magic is my salvation
Gather close in my protection
We... will... stand for Everfree!

More brambles grew, further blocking the natural beauty of the woods with each breath Gloriosa took. When a few campers tried to run away, they were blocked by the Timber Werewolf, who growled, commanding them to return back.
Gloriosa marveled at her artistry as brambles grew around the totem pole, one of the camp gifts, to the point where if it were any tighter the gift itself would be crushed. But, due to the blindness of being in possession of such intoxicating magic, Gloriosa couldn't see this reality.

Behold the beauty of nature in all its glory
No need to fear the vultures at the door

Students fled to the cabins, where Celestia stood at the entrance, shielding both her sister and the campers, only to be trapped inside by more brambles.

Right here you have me to protect you
Within these walls of thorns
Forever free, forevermore!

From within their prison, Apple Bloom spotted an axe and quickly began chopping down the brambles. Only for the Timber Werewolf to suddenly manifest in front of her, in the form of brambles which grew from the ground to form his body. He growled and took the axe in his mouth before turning back into brambles and was sucked back into the ground, reappearing once again beside his sister, who trapped the axe in unbreakable vines.

They have come into our domain
Here to seal our camp in chains
But we have held it for generations
This is just a complication
We... will... stand for Everfree!

Gloriosa saw how scared the campers were, but she was currently lacking in any true legitimate logic and reasoning to fully comprehend the destruction she was causing. With these brambles Gladmane will never take her camp away, she and the campers will be happy here. Here in her paradise. They can be her new family, her with Timber, the Camp, the forest and magic all together….forever.

Trust in me, this is for your own good
Don't be afraid, nature is our friend

She smiled sweetly as she made slim vines wrap around the gazebo, though beautiful with its radiant green sparkles, it was still terrifying for the campers underneath it, who had no say in the matter. Gloriosa made a beautiful flower grow from the ground, but unlike the one Kuvira made to give to Fluttershy, it had sinister colors of red, the color of blood and anger, while Kuvira's was bright with yellows and soft pinks hues, this one had dark purple petals and hues, as dark as Midnight Sparkle's old dress.

All of this beauty that surrounds us
Every lovely bloom designed to defend

The brambles moved at Gloriosa's command, trapping the frightened campers within the Gazebo, just as they thought, they wouldn't have any say if they could leave or not. Brambles even trapped the camp gifts, treasures that once held meaning were now just as much prisoners as anyone else here. Gloriosa was in command now, there was no use denying it.

Let them come, just let them try!
I'm not about to say goodbye!
This camp will be here throughout the ages
Written into the history pages

We... will... stand for Everfree!

Starlight and the others hid behind the boat, watching as Gloriosa sunk deeper and deeper into insanity. "Poor Gloriosa." Fluttershy said, feeling sympathy for their old friend, "If only we had known, we could have helped her."
"It's not like she would have wanted it to begin with." Applejack said, hugging her legs in despair. "You heard her, "I've got this!", and she kept the whole thing a secret from us to begin with. Clearly, she didn't want out help." Applejack said, mimicking Gloriosa's high pitched happy voice.
"That doesn't mean we couldn't have tried! We were so focused on solving this mystery, we didn't stop to think about how Gloriosa could have been feeling about the Camp closing down. It's no wonder she turned to magic to solve her problems." the pink haired girl looked down in regret. "Some friends we are."
"What are we going to do?" Rarity asked.
Determination flashed in Starlight's eyes as she stood up, facing everyone. "What Fluttershy said we should have done. We help her."
"How? This isn't the first time we've dealt with a power hungry innocent, darling. She won't listen to reason so long as she has that magic."
"The magic comes from her geodes, if we take them off maybe she'll snap out of it. We have to try, if we don't we'll lose her, and the camp and everyone in it!"
"Starlight's, right!" Rainbow Dash stood up, pounding her fists together in fierce determination, "We're the only ones with magic too, it's up to us now. What do you say, guys? Ready to save the day again?"
Placing her hand forward, Rainbow waited for the others do place theirs in as well. One by one, they did just that. It was just like old times, coming together to fight the forces of evil.
Pinkie Pie jumped for joy, hugging Rainbow Dash so tightly she could hardly breath, "Alright! The Rainbooms are back in business! This is gonna be so much fun! I only wish we had time to make superhero capes!"
"Oh, me, too!" Rarity said. 
Rainbow only sighed, "Enough about our wardrobe! We've got friends to save!"


(~)


Students ran for their lives as more brambles trapped them inside. They couldn't even see the sky without either laying on their backs or moving their heads so hight up they could get a neck cramp. Timber blocked any camper to even tried to escape. He growled at a pair of female students, who hugged one another, screaming in terror.
Rarity came in between the monster and the students, raising her hands forward at Timber, creating a gigantic shield of multiple diamonds to protect them from the monster, who threatened to hurt them with his sharp wooden claws. A pair of pony ears grew from Rarity's head and her hair grew longer to resemble a tail. She pushed the diamond shield forward, entrapping the Timber Werewolf in a shimmering diamond prison.
"Down boy! Sit!" Rarity shouted, only to be caught off guard by the gasps of awes she received from the two students. It was that point where Rarity took full notice of her pony up. She nearly weeped tears of joy as she petted her soft pony ears. 
"It's so good to have you back old friends."
Timber growled in his attempts to break free of the prison, only for Rainbow Dash to rush in and take the two campers to safety, with Fluttershy and Starlight behind a bush. Rainbow felt a surge of familiar energy and her old wings, ears and ponytail sprouted out once more.
"Alright!" she cheered, happy to feel twenty percent more awesome again.
As she rushed to save more campers, Fluttershy spotted a hole nearby where several gophers popped out. Fluttershy kindly asked for their assistance. "Um, hi. Do you think you can give us a hand— um, er, paw? We could really use a way out." The gophers were more than happy to comply, while Flutterhsy's old ears, wings and ponytail also sprouted out. 
Using her supper strength, Applejack lifted up a gigantic boulder and hurled it towards the bramble prison where her sister was trapped inside. "Apple Bloom, stand back!" she called out. She tossed the boulder upwards and punched it forward with her fist. Her pony ears returning and hair growing longer. The three teenagers did as Applejack said and stepped aside, allowing for the boulder to crush the vines, creating and opening. The tree quickly rushed outside and Applejack welcomed her sister with open arms.
Rarity created more diamonds to keep Timber at bay and rushed to protect more campers, while also reuniting with her younger sister. The gophers managed to successfully create a tunnel for everyone to escape through, but was quickly blocked away by more brambles. There was no way Gloriosa would allow them to get away.
She let out an angry cry when something pink suddenly exploded at her face. She spitted out the sugary substance only to see it was Pinkie Pie, hurling exploding sprinkles at the floating plant humanoid. Pinkie sprouted her ears and tail once more, happy as could be. She hurled more explosive sprinkles at the bramble wall, creating several openings for them to escape from. Applejack tried keeping one opening steady with one of the tables, but the brambles only grew around it, crushing the thing.
More brambles grew, incarcerating more of the campers, even Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo again, much to their sister's horror and anger. Timber managed to break free of his diamond prison, sinking his claws into the ground, creating more brambles like his sister.
Starlight Glimmer felt the wind spiraling around her, her hair flapping against it as she rose upwards in a tornado. Gloriosa's hair bellowed and she shielded herself from the powerful force. Starlight used her airbending to send streams of wind blasts directly at Gloriosa, who was knocked down to the ground by her power.
Then, to Starlight's amazement, her pony ears, tail (not just a long hair extension), and even her unicorn horn reappeared. She couldn't believe it, she had her Equestrian magic back. Timber quickly assisted Gloriosa, who snarled in anger. She commanded one gigantic hand-like bramble to grow from the ground so fast Starlight reacted far too late and was trapped within it. She created a tornado of wind around her, breaking the plant apart and landed onto the ground, rolling over and stopping in a fighting stance. More brambles grew around her, only for Rarity to hurry to her side and protect her with her shield magic. 
Rainbow Dash hurried as fast as she could to get to the campers, but even her speed was no match for the vines. One managed to make her trip and lose her balance, and become trapped within the vines. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie hurled explosive sprinkles at them, which caused the to break and free her friend.
Before Pinkie Pie could celebrate, the can from which the sprinkles were in started to glow a bright pink, and feel a few times hotter than before. Pinkie quickly hurled the sprinkles at the bramble wall, creating a great big hole, which was immediately sealed up.
"This isn't working! Her magic is too strong!" Applejack said as they witness more of the brambles grow at such fast pace, they were beginning to lose hope if they would ever be able to stop her.
Starlight tried once again, to airbender at Gloriosa, but the woman blasted green rays at her, which knocked Starlight down. Not even her airbending could stop her. It was like she was learning how to counter everything the girls did.
Of all the times for Team Avatar not to be present. 


(~) 


Kuvira, Twilight, Flash, Sunset and Spike struggled to break free of their plant imprisonment, but no matter how hard they tried the vines seemed to grow tighter and tighter, to the point in which it was becoming difficult to even breath.
The group panted, sweat dripping down from there foreheads to their necks and down their backs, arms and legs. Their visions became hazy, they didn't know if they would make it out of there.
"Getting…harder…to breath…" Sunset said in between gasps. "Kuvira…you need…to use your magic…"
Kuvira's face was paler than usual, her breathing slowing down, "I…can't…concentrate…"
Suddenly, a ray of sunshine illuminated the cave. Flash thought this would be their final moments, only to see the outline of a wolf on top of the gigantic boulder. The creature rushed down and approached the humans, carrying something in his mouth. Flash knew he recognized it.
"My…my guitar?"
"Take it." Spike said, nearly out of breath, "He…wants you to take it. You can..trust him."
Knowing they had nothing left to lose, Flash used the last bit of his strength to reach out and take the handle of the guitar. A wave of energy suddenly took hold and Flash could feel his lungs regain air. The vines were burned and crushed, falling into pieces which fell to the ground. His body emitted a bright yellow glow, and his guitar took on a different shape than before. A handle of gold encrusted with blue stones and a sharp silvery blade extended from it. A pair of wings grew from Flash's back as well as a pair of matching pony ears on his head. 
He inhaled deeply, his vision returning to normal. His first instinct was to use his new weapon to free his friends. Everyone of them inhaled deeply, taking a few moments to let the oxygen sync in again. Twilight quickly wrapped her arms around Flash, not only for the sake of knowing he was still there, but also so she could stabilize herself, her legs having gone numb throughout the whole thing.
Once they came back to their senses, they took full notice of Flash's new accessory. "Where did that sword come from?" Twilight asked.
Flash blinked as he gazed at his reflection on the blade, and his new pony features. "From the same place where I got these wings and ears, I guess?"
Sunset chuckled proudly, "Looks like we've got out first Boy Pony Up."
Flash smiled, he couldn't believe it. He had magic now, just like his friends. His attention turned back to the one who had given him his guitar, which turned into the sword in the first place, but he was nowhere in sight.
"Hey, where did that wolf go?"
"Maybe we should ask latter." Kuvira said, "We have to stop Gloriosa!"
The others nodded in agreement and Kuvira used her earthbending to move the boulders out of the way, freeing them from the cave and rushed as fast as they could back to camp, following the gigantic wall of vines in their way.


(~)


Gloriosa landed onto the vine encased sundial, shaking her head while clenching her hair into her fists. "Why are you fighting me?! I'm doing this to save our camp! I'm doing this for you!" 
Rarity tried to genuinely reason with her, "Gloriosa, darling, we're sorry about the camp, and we're sorry we didn't do enough to help. But we're here now, we want to help you."
"You don't have to." Gloriosa said, smiling insanely, "I've got this!"
"No, you don't!" Rainbow Dash stated, "Don't you see what you're doing? You're destroying the very thing you love! The camp gifts are being crushed by brambles, the camp is breaking apart, you're keeping innocent people locked away!"
"You're not thinking straight!" Applejack said. "If you don't stop you'll hurt everyone, including yourself! You have to let it go!" 
Gloriosa's eye twitched and her head tilted to the side, her body stiff and still. "Let it go?" she said in a high pitched falsetto. Green lightning coursed through her body and her smile morphed into an teeth clenching snarl, her voice louder than ever, her rage flaring.
"I'll never let it go!!"
The ground shook once more and more brambles grew around Gloriosa, wrapping around her wist and her legs, creating a intertwining tree root from the ground up. Timber growled so strongly it made nearly everyone's ears bleed. With a swipe of his mighty wooden arm, he hurtled the girls away all at once, each colliding with the wall. 
"You don't get any say in the matter!" Timber growled, :My sister knows exactly what she's doing! She knows what is best for this camp, not a bunch of has-been pop singers!"
"Gloriosa, this isn't the way!" Starlight called out.
"I appreciate your concern, Starlight, but I got this!"
The brambles grew, rising Gloriosa higher and higher into the sky, the roots taking home in the ground as Starlight shielded her friends from the plants, looking up sadly at Gloriosa, her eyes now glowing a sickly green, any small trace of humanity was slipping away faster than she could blink.
"No….you really don't." Starlight shook her head.


(~)


The rest of the group finally reached the vine tangled wall. Sunset's fists burned a bright red and sent blasts of burning fire at the plants, which caused some minor burns. Flash sliced the brambles with his sword while Twilight used her levitation magic to pull them apart, allowing them to enter. As Sunset used her firebending, her ears, horn and tail grew back, much to her surprise. With her horn glowing, she gave her fire blast a magical boost, allowing for them to make the entrance bigger.


(~)


The brambles were so large at this point that they were blocking out the sky, slowly trapping the camp in a blanket of darkness.
Starlight tried to reason with the wooden made werewolf. "Please, Timber! If you really care about your sister, you'll help us stop her!" but all she got in response was an angry roar which made their girl's hair flap in the wind.
"I don't understand!" Fluttershy said, "Why are you letting your sister do this?!"
"Because that isn't Timber Spruce!" Flash said once he and the others finally made it inside the prison. Kuvira held Spike in her arms while Sunset and Twilight stood fiercely beside Flash, Sunset sporting her new updated anthro form.
"Guys! You're okay!" Rainbow Dash said in joyful relief.
They gasped in horror at the sight of Gloriosa's vines growing more and more, entrapping in her in what would appear to be some kind of tree. It was as if her powers were gaining a mind of their own, slowly turning her into a permeant tree where she would forever watch over the camp as its permanent guardian and protector. Nothing could make her happier.
Flash, using his new wings, flew upwards to try and reason with her. "Gloriosa, you have to listen to me! I'm sorry about what happened to Timber. I know it hurts, but you can't keep denying the truth." he shouted, hearing the crackling sound of vines wrapping around Gloriosa, entrapping her in her own desires, creating a wooden cocoon for her to sleep in eternal bliss knowing her camp will forever remain. 
But Flash could see through this, he could see this was going to kill her. He swooped down and began cutting the roots in a desperate attempt to save his best friend's sister, only for the brambles to grab his sword and trap him in her grasp.
"This isn't what Timber would want!"
"You're wrong." Gloriosa said, speaking at the same time the Timber Were wolf spoke, almost as if they were sharing the same mind. "This is exactly what we want."
Flash struggled to break free, and Twilight tried to rush over to help him, but was blocked away by the growing brambles, while Kuvira and Sunset kept her away from the things, preventing her from getting trapped as well. Sunset tried shooting fire blasts at the vines to free her friend, but Timber only pushed her aside.
Flash struggled to break free, speaking down to the werewolf. "Whatever you are, you have to let Gloriosa go!" he begged, "Please, don't do this to her!"
But the monster only smiled wickedly and let out a bloodcurdling howl as the last of the brambles entrapped Gloriosa within her own magic, and even Flash was wrapped inside a plant cocoon, simply to teach him a lesson. He reached out his hand towards towards Twilight.
"Flash! No!" Twilight watched helplessly as her boyfriend's hand was locked inside. Her vision became blurry and tears shed. Her heart felt as if a knife had pierced it. Her fists clenched and her body emitted a bright magenta glow.
"That's it." she hissed, her pony ears, wings and hair extension manifesting. "No more miss nice Sparkle!"
In righteous furry, Twilight used her magic to pull the brambles apart, revealing Gloriosa herself. She looked at the angry half pony human in both shock and horror. Her eyes looked as if she was ready to face the deadliest storm without hesitation. 
Twilight flew forward, giving Gloriosa a firm punch in the face, causing her to fall down from her growing tree root, and fell to the ground. She snarled as she floated back up.
"You little brat!" she spatted, "You ruined everything!" with a wave of her hands, Gloriosa commanded the plants to trap Twilight, but she flew upwards, avoiding them. She swooped down and grabbed Flash's sword, slicing and dicing the plants, which emitted bright golden sparkles once they were cut, dying instantly. 
Gloriosa felt her stomach jab in pain at the sensation of her beloved plants being destroyed. Twilight also broke apart Flash's cocoon prison, freeing him. But, before the two could have a happy reunion, Twilight suddenly gasped. Her wings slowly stopped flapping and she lost her will to fly. Her eyes were wide in horror and she gripped something on the side of her ribcage. Pulling it out, she saw it was what appeared to be a large thorn, which had pierced her side. Red liquid dripped from its tip as well as on her side. 
The Timber werewolf had send a thorn hurling at Twilight, as revenge for hurting his sister. Blinded in her rage, Gloriosa could not see the error of her choice. Flash quickly carried Twilight back down to the others as Gloriosa returned to her roots.
"Now, where was I?" she said with a wicked laugh before being once again incarcerated into the vines, finally closing up the bramble wall, the sky had completely disappeared, and the new Gloriosa Tree held it up in place. 
As if matters couldn't get any worse, green lightning struck the ground and more brambles sprouted, preventing the others from even so much as taking two steps forward. The others rallied around the injured Twilight Sparkle.
"Rarity!" Applejack called out, and her friend acted fast in creating a diamond shield to keep them safe from the brambles, which kept on growing without end. 
Rarity grunted as she strained to keep the shield up. "I can't keep this up forever!"
Flash held Twilight close. She was still conscious, but her injury prevented her from being able to use magic. She tried, her hand glowing magenta, only for it to dimly fade away. Fluttershy tore up a piece of her skirt to wrap around her friend's injury. She would no doubt need medical care, and now it was more crucial than ever they escaped, for if not, not only would they all eventually perish like the others almost did in the caves, but Twilight would surely bleed to death before then.
"Our magic isn't enough!" Starlight said, breathing heavily due to her anxiety. "No matter what we do she'll find a way to counter any attack we throw at her!"
Sunset pondered for a moment, only to quickly realize there was one person who had yet to use their magic to fight Gloriosa.
"It's up to you, Kuvira." said the firebending anthro pony human. 
"Me? What can I do? I can't earthbend in here, and there's no metal for me to use!"
"Your magic is similar to Gloriosa's, you can counter her attacks to pull the brambles apart!"
"What?" Kuvira felt as if her body would break at how much she was trembling in fear. She hugged herself, her knees buckling. "But, I don't even know how to control it or how it works!"
"It's the only way!" Starlight said, "You have to embrace the magic inside you!"
"But what if it's too much? What if my darkness takes over and instead of saving everyone, I turn into a monster again? I can't risk hurting any of you!"
"That won't happen!" Sunset said, taking both of Kuvira's hands as she, and the rest of them, smiled in reassurance. "We won't let it."
The sound of the shield crackling, along with everyone's encouragement was enough to convince Kuvira. Wiping away her tears, she closed her eyes, her hands growing a bright yellow green, as did the rest of her body. She tried to focus, but her fear was clouding her concentration.
The shield cracked loudly and Rarity was pushed back, only for Applejack to quickly catch her. The poor girl was breathing heavily, growing more and more exhausted. 
Twilight groaned and reached out her hand to the earthbender, "Kuvira…you have to be stronger than she is." she said, using the little strength she had left to encourage the uncertain woman. She took hold of Kuvira's trembling hand and her eyes began to glow a bright green.


(~)


From inside her mind, Kuvira floated in a place that resembled the spirit world, the very place from where she and Korra ended up in after the third spirit portal was created. Her body no longer looked flat or two dimensional, but back to how she originally looked back in her own world.
She heard the sound of a familiar cackle, and from behind she saw a large manifestation of her former siren form, towering over her like a building. "You will never control me! I will always be a part of you!"
The siren merged into a burst of energy, which surrounded Kuvira. She screamed as the familiar webbed wings sprouted from her back, her nails grew longer, and scales and fins began to sprout from her skin. She could hear the haunting melody of the sirens ringing in her ears, and the temptation of singing along. It was happening all over again. She tried to fight it, but her transformation was nearly complete.
"No! Noooo!"
"Kuvira, listen to me!" a familiar voice got Kuvira's attention, distracting her from the singing. A radiant, sparkling premonition of Sunset Shimmer floated in front of her. She no longer appeared as she did in the mirror world, but back home in Republic City. Her body was glowing a radiant red.
"You are in charge!" she said, her voice echoing so loudly it canceled out the siren's song.
A second ray of light appeared, light purple, and there appeared Starlight Glimmer, also as she normally appears back home. "You don't need to stay in the past!" she said.
Another light, this one a bright blue/purple, and Rarity appeared. Unlike the waterbending unicorn she met back home, this was the Mirror World's Rarity, looking exactly as she always did, which was in complete contrast to how Sunset and Starlight looked.
The fashionista smiled kindly and warmly at Kuvira. "You are a light, darling! A force for good!"
A blue light appeared, revealing Rainbow Dash, looking as confident as always. "Yeah! You can kick the darkness's butt!"
Pinkie Pie appeared, in a radiant pink aura, "We're here for you, Vira!"
"And we'll be here, no matter what!" said Applejack, appearing in a bright orange light.
Fluttershy appeared, glowing a radiant yellow, "We believe in you!"
"You've got this, girl!" Flash appeared as well, shouting the same words of encouragement.
Kuvira could feel something burn inside of her. It wasn't the typical painful burn, but it was a warmth. A warmth she had long turned away from, and now was being offered to her once again. She had been too scared to believe she was worthy of it, but these people, these…these friends were willing to stand by her side, even after all she had done in the past.
"Kuvira!" Twilight's voice called out, speaking with such strength it felt as if her very words were a sword cutting away all of the brambles around Kuvira's heart.
"You… are not... a monster!"
Kuvira closed her eyes shut, letting the words sink in. Once she opened them, any chain that she still dragged along with her had been broken. Every bar on her cage had crumbled into dust. 
"No! I'm… Not!" she exclaimed with such courage her scales and fins disappeared and the wings on her back started to crumble. "I have nothing to be afraid of, because the magic I carry inside me is... the Magic of Friendship!"


(~)


With renewed strength and purpose, Kuvira's body released a powerful, shimmering green glow, which unlike Gloriosa's which was harsh and frightening, was warm and welcoming. Kuvira's wardrobe changed, becoming a florin green dress that reached her knees, her hair was loose, decorated with a variety of flowers, and elegant vine accessories adorned her arms, along with symbols of butterflies and floral patterns and stripy sandals on her feet. On her head sprouted a pair of pony ears, her hair grew to resemble a pony's tail.
The brambles around the prison began to change color, turning a bright spring green, with pink/yellow flowers growing all around. At her command, they dispersed, freeing everyone inside the diamond shield. Rarity could finally rest.
Timber gasped at the sight. "What? What you doing?!"
Kuvira commanded the plants to wrap around Timber's arms and legs, keeping him at bay, this time, he wouldn't be breaking out. Kuvira floated towards him, poking his forehead.
"Sit." she commanded in a fierce tone, which pierce the creature right through him. He hesitantly obeyed and sat down, whimpering like a frightened puppy.
Kuvira smiled in satisfaction. "Good boy." she reached up to where Gloriosa was entrapped in, and commanded the newly bright colored brambles to move out of the way, revealing Gloriosa. Her geodes emitting dangerously unstable beams of magic.
"No! Stop!"
Using her earthbending, Kuvira removed the geode stones from around Gloriosa's neck, gripping them into her fist. The magic of the stones suddenly reacted to Kuvira's power, completely engulfing the two in a blinding light.
The entire prison seemed to have frozen in time. Plants stopped growing, everyone was completely still, leaving only Kuvira and Gloriosa the only ones who could still move, think and speak.
Gloriosa's eyes reverted back to normal, green and human-like once again, but her body was still distorted and frightening.
"Wha…what happened?" she asked, having full memory of the situation, but confused as to why everything was frozen in time. She tried to get up, but quickly fell to her knees, unable to properly walk as she looked up at Kuvira, still holding the geodes in her hand.
"What did you do?! Give them back!"
"No. You stole these from the cave and used their power to harm innocent people."
"You don't understand! This is the only way to save my camp! My family's legacy! Everything I've ever known is about to be taken away! How can I just sick back and let that happen?!"
Kuvira's stern gaze morphed into a look of pure sadness and sympathy. Looking at this woman, beaten, depressed and desperate on the ground…it reminded her so much of herself. Now she understood how painful it was for Korra to see her like this. For the first time, she understood the Princess Avatar's heart better than she ever had.
"I think I understand." she said.
"Oh, shut up!" Gloriosa spatted, "You don't know anything about me!"
"Actually, I do. More than you know." Kuvira said, speaking with such a compassionate voice she wasn't even sure it was her own anymore. 
"How can you?"
"I know what it's like to feel vulnerable and sacred, and to want everything to go your way. To do anything to make sure you get what you want. Wanting to protect your family's camp is an honorable desire, but you've also used it as a way to fill up the emptiness you feel inside. To hide the guilt you've felt because of your brother's death. You couldn't control your father's death, but you felt you could have prevented Timber's."
Gloriosa hugged herself as she shed tears, "My brother was an idiot! He left this place to go and study at some fancy european school, while I was left alone to run this place!"
"Why didn't you seek help from anyone else? I'm sure your friends would have been more than happy to help you."
"Oh, please" Gloriosa rolled her eyes, "They all have their perfect lives, with their fancy schools and careers and boyfriends, they wouldn't want to waste their time at some old camp! Timber didn't, so why should I expect any different from the people who planted those ideas into his head?! So they'll leave me just like he did?! So that he can get into a cab just to come and see me, only to wind up dead on the side of a road?!" 
More tears spilled from her eyes, so much so it appeared as if she were shedding waterfalls. "I didn't want to accept it. I didn't want to believe he was dead. I didn't want to feel responsible for it, even though I know that I am! That's why I didn't want anyone else to know about it, and why I put on a happy face all the time and why I pushed everyone away! I didn't want anyone to know the truth! I just wanted my perfect camp and happy campers just like always! I wanted to never be hurt again! Is that too much to ask?!"
Kuvira got down on her knees, facing Gloriosa on the same level, wiping away her tears. "I know how unbearable that guilt it. To feel responsible for someone else's death. We're more alike than you think, Gloriosa."
For the first time, rather than stubbornly refuse, Gloriosa listened to what Kuvira had to say.
"Unlike you, I accepted my mistake. I accepted what I did without any denial. But, just like you, I stayed in the past. I closed myself up so much that when others reached out to help me, I was blinded by my our guilt. I was afraid of starting over. Just as you were afraid of admitting what happened because you didn't want to feel alone anymore. You closed up your heart with fear, anger and pride. You sought comfort in something that, while it gave you what you wanted, it came at a cost. A wise friend once told me; We are all free to choose, but every choice has a consequence. Not every path will lead to good fortune, no matter how attractive it might be."
Gloriosa lowered her head in shame. "It doesn't matter. I can't bring Timber back. I'll never be able to say I'm sorry. To tell him…how much I loved him. I still do." she weeped, only to have Kuvira welcome her in a warm embrace. 
The earthbender shed tears of her own as she hugged the heartbroken woman. "What are you doing?"
"I'm comforting you."
"Why?"
"Because that's what friends do."
Gloriosa blinked in confusion. "Friends?"
"Yes. My friends helped untangle the brambles in my heart. The question is…" she looked at Gloriosa straight in the eyes, wiping away more of her tears, "Will you let us help you untangle the ones in yours? I can guarantee, it'll be a lot better than staying inside a sickly tree all your life."
Gloriosa looked at Kuvira, then at the geodes in her hand. She realized, finally confessing the truth, was such a relief she felt as if she didn't have to carry something so heavy on her back anymore. She gave a small smile and nodded her head.
However, not everyone was happy about this choice.
Timber's eyes glowed yellow, breaking free of the magic of the geodes, and breaking free from his prison. He let out an angry roar and charged directly at Kuvira knocking her away from Gloriosa. Kuvira tumbled and rolled onto the ground, rubbing her head from the impact. The geodes fell from her hand and Timber quickly grabbed them.
"These geodes belong to me!" he said, speaking both with his own voice and once that sounders just like Gloriosa, even though she wasn't speaking at all. She watched in horror as the creature towered over Kuvira, ready to crush her.
"This is my camp! My home! And it shall remain, for all time! If anyone stands in my way, I will end your--AH!" the Timber werewolf cried out, followed by the sound of a puppy whimpering.
He looked down at his chest, to see the end of a sword piercing right thought him. Kuvira saw it was Gloriosa, who had picked up Flash's sword and impaled the Timber copy.
The creature looked back at his "sister", his ears lowered in sadness, pleading to her in whimpers. Gloriosa felt as if a sword had pierced her own heart as well, but she now understood exactly what this creature really was. It was never just a copy of her brother to keep her company, it was a manifestation of her darkest desires, twisted and distorted into something that wanted to destroy to get what it wanted. 
That was a part Gloriosa had held onto, nourished and it grew into this. Now, the only way to be rid of it…was to kill it. Thus, killing a part of herself. A part of herself that needed to die if she were to ever be free of her brambles.
She didn't even remove the sword as the remains of the Timber werewolf crumbled and fell to the ground, vaporizing into aside and rising up into the air, never to be seen again. The geodes fell to the ground and everyone became unfrozen.
Gloriosa's body shifted and changed, her hair became red again, her clothes back to normal as well as her skin. Gaea Everfee was gone…and so was the Timber werewolf. There was only Gloriosa Daisy.
"Twilight!" Flash's horrified cries caught both their attention. Twilight's wound had gotten worse.
"We have to get out of here!" Said Applejack, "We need to get her to the infirmary!"
"There won't be much time." Gloriosa said, horrified to see what she had done. "Our medical supplies aren't enough to fix this…I'm sorry."
Twilight groaned, her eyes closed shut, hissing from the pain. Flash held her close, trying his best to keep her with them. "Twilight, stay with us. Can you hear me?"
Twilight shockingly rose her week hand to cup her boyfriend's face. "Flash…I…" she couldn't even mouth the words she wanted to say. Her hand dropped, while she was still breathing, it was dangerously slow. Spike whimpered as he licked her face. Still no reaction.
Tear spilled from Flash's eyes, desperately calling out to her. "Twilight, no! Twilight, please, don't go. Don't leave me." when he didn't get a respond or even a reaction, he held her face close to his. "I love you."
The Raimbooms, Sunset and Starlight all huddled together, knowing that Twilight was not going to last long. It was then Kuvira noticed something about the geodes glowing on the ground. Earthbending them towards her, she could tell they had the power to react to one's true heart's desire. This was their key to saving their friend.
"Everyone, take a geode." she said, placing one into each of their hands, even Gloriosa's. 
"How are these going to help?" Rarity asked.
"Just think about Twilight." Kuvira instructed, "Think about how much she means to all of you. Trust me."
And they dis trust her. With each geode in hand, they allowed their minds to think only of the wonderful memories they had of their friend. Even their tears fell upon the stones, causing them to glow brighter.
Then, suddenly, the stones took on a life of their own, floating out of their hands and spiraling around Twilight's limp body, lifting her up into the air, healing her wound. Her body radiated in a dazzling light and a ring of magic spread out, the geodes each locating around the Rainbooms, Sunset's, Starlight's, Gloriosa's even Flash's and one on Spike's collar, glowed brightly, showering them on a rainbow light.
Each of the Raimbooms gained a brightly colored crystal-themed outfit, even Flash gained a prince-styled costume, and Gloriosa was given a much humbler version of her previously evil outfit, her hair up in a bun with curly strands on both sides of her face. Even Spike got a cool dragon-like suit of armor on him. Flash, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Twilight's wings became more crystal like in appearance, and the newly healed Twilight Sparkle smiled as they all gathered together, creating a dazzling rainbow beam that completely destroyed all of the brambles, freeing the campers, principals and the entire camp as a result. Despite the destruction, everyone was alive and well.
Holding hands, everyone lowered down, smiling victoriously at yet another successful mission. Flash scooped up Twilight into his arms, spiraling around on their axis, their new crystal wings allowing them to float a few feet above the ground.
Twilight wiped away Flash's happy tears, "I love you, too." she said, right before they shared a loving kiss.
Kuvira was greeted with a hug from both Sunset and Starlight. "Great job, Kuvira! You finally embraced the magic!" said Starlight.
Kuvira hugged them back in gratitude for all they had done for her. And as she watched both Twilight and Flash happily reunited, she realized something that truly astounded her.
She came to this world, carrying the guilt of having taken away someone's life. Only to give someone back theirs.


*(~)*
Deuteronomy 4:12~
"Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form--only a voice.
*(~)*