//------------------------------// // Entry 41: The Calm Before The Storm // Story: MLDC: Firestorm Crisis // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Aria Blaze awoke with a start, shooting up to a seated position, but immediately regretted such action when a sharp pain erupted from her abdomen. “Hey take it easy, you’re wound just closed an hour ago.” Aria recognized that voice, she looked towards her right and saw Sunset Shimmer, sitting on a chair and watching her. Anger boiled in her heart, remembering their defeat by her and the teeny bopper girl rock band wannabes. “It’s your fault! If it wasn’t for you we –!” “Shh,” said Sunset as she brought her finger to her lips. “Did you just shush me? Seriously?! I’ll –!” “SHH!” Sunset gave a serious look and then used the same finger to point to something on the other side of Aria. The perturbed Siren glanced in that direction, and saw that Adagio and Sonata were lying next to her, both sleeping. Aria’s eyes widened, she carefully reached out to them but stayed her hand. “How…How are they?” Aria asked. Sunset rose from her seat and stood at Aria’s bedside. “They’re alive, exhausted and beaten, but they’ll live. We were more worried about you though, since you were stabbed in the gut before being forced to change back. Thankfully, whatever magic you still have was working to heal you, and it worked faster with all three of you in the same room, so we shacked you guys up in here.” Aria took a moment to look around, it was a spacious room now that she took the time to take in her surroundings, and the bed was quite large, enough to accommodate all three of them. Space wasn’t that much of an issue for them, they liked being close to each other. “Where are we?” Aria asked, her eyes never leaving her lovers. “We’re in Twilight’s house, in the spare bedroom. We kind of had to transmute the bed so that it could hold all three of you,” said Sunset. “What, you want me to thank you or something?” “No, really wasn’t expecting one.” Aria scoffed, her gaze now redirected at Sunset, narrowed in anger. “Yeah, and you never will! You took our powers away! You could’ve been one of us! Adagio would’ve treated you and that nerd right! But instead you did all that to us, and because of it, Dusk Shine took our gemstones! The one thing that made us who we are, the only reminder of what we once were, are now gone and crushed! They’re a part of that darkness he created! Part of us is part of that darkness now, thanks to you all!” The purple Siren rose up from her seated position and grabbed Sunset by the collar bringing their faces close together as she glared at her. “Why did you even save us?! We might as well be dead now! Without our gems, we’re no different than these humans! Our voices, our singing, is gone forever, and now we’ll die without them!” Sunset wanted to push Aria away, but it wasn’t just anger in her eyes. Her fists were trembling, and she was crying, Sunset recognized this despair. In a shocking move, Sunset brought the Siren close to her, hugging her. Aria’s breath hitched, not knowing what to do or how to react to this. “I know what you’re going through, believe me, I know. When I came here, I lost everything that made me who I am. I lost my pride as a unicorn, my horn and magic, and even worse than that, I lost my cutie mark,” said Sunset. Aria sniffed. “Big deal, you lost your butt tattoo…” “It’s more than that, it’s a symbol of our destiny, what and who we are, it defines us, and what we did to realize our purpose in this life! Losing that…losing that is like having your soul ripped out, be at least thankful that you kept something as precious as that for centuries,” said Sunset. “Says the girl who got her magic back…” Sunset rolled her eyes, she figured there was no winning with Aria, but despite this, the purple Siren never pushed her away. After a minute longer, Aria pulled away, gently, and stared ahead for a moment. “So, why did you save us? We were willing to kill everyone in the city, and even do some…things with you and the nerd for going against us so…why?!” The former unicorn rubbed the back of her head as she thought on the answer. “Honestly, it’s what Adagio said to me. How I’m like her, and the rest of you. So if that’s true, then there’s hope for you guys, you all have and love each other, I saw that love when I was having breakfast with you guys.” Aria managed to crack a smile. “Dagi always said that eating at the table was something that she missed back in the 1940s, she said that society pretty much plummeted after that, so she kept it with us. Same thing about the no fighting during meals, especially when Sonata goes through the trouble of making it.” Sunset nodded to that, the quirky blue Siren was a great chef. “I can’t really see taking us in went over well with your girlfriend and your crew, surprised they didn’t shackle us to the bed,” said Aria. Sunset crossed her arms in front of her chest and smirked. “Why, you have some kinky fantasy you were hoping to fulfill? ‘Cause that can be arranged.” Aria suddenly hugged her body and glared at Sunset. “I swear if you guys even think about trying anything with them or me – powers or no – I will rip you apart!” Sunset chuckled and put up her hand in a stopping motion. “Chill, Aria, no one here is going to hurt you, not after what you guys just endured from Dusk Shine.” Aria gritted her teeth at the mention of his name. “So, what’s he doing now? Do you guys have a plan?” “Right now we’re all just taking some time to recover, we still don’t know his endgame yet, but we’ll see. Get some rest, I’ll see if I can get something for you to eat.” Aria laid back down, but refused to close her eyes. “I’m going to watch them, so you don’t have to sit there in the corner like a creeper.” Sunset rolled her eyes again, but smiled and nodded before getting up and exiting the room. When she closed the door, Sunset saw that Twilight was in full Firestorm form, apparently ready to jump in and defend Sunset at a moment’s notice. “You can power down, Sparky, they’re still too weak to do anything right now,” said Sunset. Twilight nodded and returned to her normal form. “Sorry…I just…I came close to losing you yesterday, I don’t want to take any chances, with them at least.” Sunset reached out and brought Twilight into a hug, nuzzling the purple girl’s left cheek with her right. “Trust me, Twilight, I’ll never leave you like that. As long as we fight together, we can win.” Twilight blushed from the contact, still finding this nuzzling business a little awkward, but something she could grow to enjoy, she couldn’t deny Sunset something that reminded her of her pony side, and truth be told Twilight liked how soft Sunset’s skin was. Sunset pulled away and sighed. “So, can we look forward to another intense interrogation from your parents?” Twilight face palmed. “Yes…although, you may not like who else will be joining in on that.” The fiery haired girl gulped. “Celestia…?” Twilight nodded. “Oh ponyfeathers…” Dusk Shine sat on the porch of a quaint farmhouse, it was two story, with a veranda, and kept up quite nicely. Sitting across the table from Dusk was an older woman, her hands were quite shaky. Her long red hair was undone from its normal style, she was also adorned in her bath robe, and some silk pajama pants. “You have a very lovely orchard, Ms. Jubilee,” said Dusk Shine. “W-Why thank you kindly, Dusk,” replied Cherry Jubilee. “Oh come now, what happened to ‘Dusky’? I had grown rather fond of it.” Dusk took a drink of the cherry juice he had been offered by his gracious host, savoring it as he sighed in content. “My, that is tasty. But honestly, though, who would’ve thought that Cherry Jubilee, the very woman whose name is associated with companies the world ‘round, is synonymous with human trafficking and weapons smuggling.” Jubilee took a sip of her own drink, her hands still shaky even as she brought the cup to her lips. “W-Well Ah wouldn’t say I’m that big a deal…Dusky.” Dusk Shine wagged his finger before the scarlet haired woman. “Oh no my dear, how else would the Organization have had enough test subjects, and besides who would ever think a humble cherry farming corporation could ever be behind such heinous crimes?! It’s pure genius I must say! Although, when you grow up in as abusive a home as you did, you have to be, don’t you?” Cherry Jubilee’s hands stopped shaking, and now she set her narrowed gaze on former Science Director. “Oh Dusky, whatever could you mean?” Dusk Shine lifted an eyebrow, noticing the reaction he had gotten from Cherry Jubilee. “Oh just that there were some notable police reports about a young girl from a respected farming family, who incurred some physical abuse from her father, and two older brothers. A little sister who was practically the - pardon the expression - apple of her parent’s eyes, and a mother who had no qualms with emotional abuse.” There was a distinct sound of glass threatening to break. “Now, now, not every family is perfect, but I loved my kin.” “Oh yes, no doubt, I’m sure your dear papa and brothers showed you that love for quite some time did they not?” Dusk remarked. “Then again, we won’t know since they all died. A fire, all on this very land that you built your new house on.” Jubilee stood straight up, slamming her hands on the table. “What are you accusin’ me of?! Ah would never do such a thing!” “Oh no, you did something far worse. As I learned, you systematically killed each of your family members. I believe you strangled your little sister, and watched as the life drained from her and as she begged for mercy.” A black flame flickered on Dusk’s finger tip, creating a silhouette of a young girl. “Then there was your brothers, luring one to away and practically castrating him. But then you came and slashed the last one’s throat before he even knew what happened.” Dusk raised two more fingers, both showing the silhouettes of two young men. “And just for kicks, you took your father’s shotgun and pointed it at his head. Luckily for you that your parents were in the same bed, because with one perfect shot, you killed them both. But you were a crafty little thing weren’t you, knowing that they’d find you as the main suspect. So what do you do? You burn the entire thing down. In this remote area, at the time, it took hours for the firemen and police to get here, and by that time, any evidence to the contrary was gone. Bodies too badly burned to determine any other cause of death.” At this, Dusk Shine raised his last two fingers, showing an older man and woman. Cherry Jubilee became enraged, but had perfected the art of keeping a stoic expression through it all. “So, are ya here to bribe me or somethin’ Dusky? ‘Cause you know how deep the influence of the Organization goes, right?” Jubilee then got in close. “So now tell me, exactly who told ya?” Dusk Shine snuffed out the flames on his fingers and took another sip of his drink. “I can’t reveal my sources yet.” “Pitty, Dusky, Ah was plannin’ on buryin’ ya with some company.” Suddenly, a gunshot went off in the distance and before Dusk Shine knew it he was thrown back by the sheer power and force of the impact as the bullet found its home right in his heart. The body flew off the chair and impacted against the wall, with crimson blood painting the otherwise eggshell white wall. Cherry Jubilee touched the earring on her left lobe and began speaking, “Good work there boys, cuttin’ it a little close but otherwise nice shootin’. Ah need to have a little chat with -” “Well that was otherwise unpleasant.” Jubilee turned to where Dusk Shine’s body had slumped, but realized quickly that he was standing as blue and black atomic rings oscillated around his body. “Is this really how you treat your guests, Ms. Jubilee? What about southern hospitality? Or is shooting someone with a sniper rifle a part of it?” Dusk Shine strode to the edge of the porch and began sensing malice and killing intent coming towards them. “FIRESTORM.” In a flash of black and blue flames, Dusk Shine transformed into Deathstorm, now more clearly able to see the life signs of the bodyguards for Cherry Jubilee. The Embodiment of Death glanced to Jubilee, who was now on the floor, cowering at the sight of Deathstorm. Dusk gave a toothy, sinister smile as he looked out towards the cherry trees and the men and women with guns hiding behind them. Deathstorm stepped off the porch and knelt to the ground. He then placed his right hand to the dirt and immediately a wave of darkness pulsed through the earth. The trees around area began an accelerated rate of decay, to the point that they turned black, festering and bubbling until…A scream could be heard as a loud pop sound went off, the bodyguards watched as one of the trees popped like a bubble and released an inky, black sludge that coated a nearby man. The sludge hissed at his skin, eating away at his flesh and bone, but worse than this, the sludge actually began to creep up its victim’s body, searching for any orifice, any opening to get inside and continue its decaying of the healthy subject. Several more pops went off and more screaming sounded, Deathstorm could sense the sniper further away from his decay bombs, so he had something special for him. Deathstorm raised his hand, atomic rings formed as matter was pulled before him, transmuted into a black metal sniper bullet. Deathstorm then made a gesture as if his hand was a gun. He then pointed it at the bullet and spoke one word, “Bang.” The bullet fired off, sailing through the air as it eventually found its mark, passing through the sniper scope and exploding, engulfing the area in pitch black flames. Deathstorm turned to Jubilee, who now stared at him in fear at the sight of what he had become, and even more so power he now wielded. “Amazing, isn’t it? The power of death unleashed, it’s allowed me to do a lot of things. For instance, allowing the dead to speak to me. They whispered in my ear, Jubilee, and they told me all the naughty things you did, and what they did to you.” Jubilee’s eyes went wider with horror as she watched Deathstorm approach her. “D-Dusky, please, Ah’m sorry Ah had them do that! You were scarin’ the dickens out of me and then you…if you’re lookin’ to take control of the Organization then I’ll back ya, one-hundred percent!” Deathstorm wagged his finger in disappointment. “No, I have gotten all I needed from the Organization. I just thought I’d get some things done on my wishlist before the main finale. For instance, getting rid of you - Charity - ironic name. And The Mastermind, as he so likes to call himself, will be next. But as you said, I won’t let you die without some company.” Five columns of black flames appeared before Cherry Jubilee, and in a matter of seconds, those black flames became construct recreations of her dead family. Their eyes were burning white, with some of the details of their forms outlined in gray. Cherry Jubilee shook her head as she looked upon each of her long since dead family members. The two brother constructs rushed to her grabbing Jubilee by the arms and forcing her to the ground, their grip burned at her flesh, making her scream in pain. The mother and father constructs held down her legs, effectively pinning her to the floor. Jubilee’s breath hitched as she saw the little sister construct crawl towards her, and sit on her stomach. The burning pain came back again, but was replaced with something else once the construct reached out and grabbed Jubilee by the throat and began squeezing. It was tight, enough to cause a great amount of pain but not enough to kill. Deathstorm walked over and squatted down to look Jubilee in the eye. “Oh don’t look at me like that, you should be happy, I’m reuniting you with your family. Get used to this Ms. Jubilee, I imagine my flames will be a cool winter breeze compared to where you’re going, and I’m sure your real family won’t be as kind when they see you.” Deathstorm rose from his squat and began walking off the porch, as he did, the black flame constructs exploded, setting the entire area ablaze in black flames, the rot and decay continued to spread out until it encompassed all of the estate and farmland, the black flames then washed over it all after, making the land barren, infertile, practically unsuitable for anything to live in or on the ground. Deathstorm watched all this from his perch in the sky, already planning his move to kill The Mastermind. CANTERLOT CITY… While Twilight was getting her own third degree from her parents, however, Sunset was getting it from Celestia, but she wasn’t alone. Oh no, both Celestia and Luna were there, so the scolding was doubled. At the end of the whole explanation, both sisters were massaging their temples as they tried to process all this info she had laid out to them. Being a secret superhero, magic, life or death battles to protect people, and if that wasn’t enough, since she was already six feet under, Sunset went ahead and explained that she was in fact not a human, but a unicorn from another world who ran away from her original home world. “Okay…Okay, so, this explains a few things. Why there aren’t any records of you in any archive in the city. Why you looked like you were so lost when it came to normal everyday stuff, especially with having to use the bathroom!” Celestia stated. Sunset blushed, remembering the mishaps she had had while trying to figure out how relieve herself in her new body. Luna then hummed as she thought about it more. “That also explains why you seemed so fascinated with your breasts, you would continuously stare at them, as well as Tia’s and my own. I personally thought you were some kind of deviant, but I guess breasts would be strange for a pony.” Sunset’s face was even more crimson than earlier. “I-I-It’s not that we don’t have them! It’s just that they aren’t normally as big as…well…these, and they weren’t exactly on my chest.” Luna quirked an eyebrow at that. “Then where would they normally be?” “Google it, that’s as far as I’m discussing this,” said Sunset. “So…Um…Sunset, I have to be honest, the pony thing, I can somehow grasp my head around. But to know that you’ve been fighting those horrible people, against this ‘Organization’! You could’ve been killed and neither of us would have ever known about it! Do have any idea how I worry about you, Sunset?!” Celestia exclaimed as she stood to her full, intimidating, height. Celestia began pacing back and forth, Sunset knew this would happen if - and that’s a big IF - she ever told this Celestia about her true origins, but she never counted on adding in the whole Firestorm thing into the mix, which more or less made this all the harder to tell. “Well…now I understand why you were always defensive and abrasive with me. This other me, you hated her,” said Celestia. Sunset stood up and shook her head. “NO! I mean…it’s complicated…I knew you weren’t the same, but you do have some similarities that made it hard for me to keep the two separated in my head…which is why I was mostly acting like a bitch towards you.” Luna rose up from the couch and walked to Sunset Shimmer, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry Sunset, my sister often used to vex me to the point of bitchiness, still does actually. So it seems that’s a trait that crosses dimensions, that’s quite sad, Tia.” At this, the older woman blushed and then furrowed her brow. “Thank you for your support, Luna.” “I do what I can.” Sunset looked to the younger sister and said, “You seem to be taking this probably too well, Vice Prin –” “Just Luna, Sunset, it’ll get be a mouthful if that’s our normal greeting every time,” interrupted Luna. “Oh, sorry, um, Luna. You seem to be taking this – like I said – a little too well.” Luna shrugged. “I realized long ago that there are just some things about this world that will always baffle us, some are confusing, wondrous, and sometimes frightening. Forces that try to destroy the world and others that try to protect it, either way, it is foolhardy to think that everything has a rational explanation, because if you’re not flexible in accepting something completely out there, then you can accept what’s to come from it.” Luna looked back at Sunset. “When Tia first told me she was going to be guardian to you, a girl who appeared out of nowhere and had no information in any records in the city or otherwise, I was completely against it. What would happen to us? What would people say about taking care of some girl who practically didn’t exist. And then there was all the trouble you caused at school.” Sunset winced at that, but stood firm nonetheless, it was always going to stick with her, her past, her misdeeds, and of course it would sting every time someone brought it up. However, she had moved past it, she was a better person now. Sunset just had to keep reminding herself of that. “However, I am not blind. I have seen a difference in you, although part of me didn’t want to believe it seeing as how much trouble you caused, but now……” Luna sighed and swiftly brought Sunset into a hug, surprising the former unicorn. “I must apologize to you, you have done so much to protect everyone, lost in a world that is not your own. I can only imagine how hard it was for you.” Sunset didn’t know what to say, but honestly she had no words, she hugged Luna back, finding comfort in her arms. It wasn’t long before Celestia joined in on the hug. It was definitely strange, Sunset didn’t know if her mother and father were still alive on the other side of the portal, heck, for all she knew they got a divorce or had another foal. But, right now, that same love they had for her, she felt it from these two women, one whom she already saw as a mother figure, and another whom – and would deny if asked – she respected. “So…does this mean you two are, like, my moms now?” Sunset asked with a smirk. Both women blushed at being called “mom”, especially since it also implicated their own…less than normal romantic relationship. “Well if that’s how it is, you definitely get that sass and smart-alecky attitude from her,” said Celestia. Luna shook her head. “Oh please, Tia, you were just as much a wild child as I was growing up!” “Oh boy. Do you two need the room? I can step out for a minute?” Sunset suggested with a wiggle of her brow. Luna blushed. “Oh no, now I know she’s mostly yours! That deviant, predatory look in her eyes says it all.” A moment passed in silence as Celestia seemed to contemplate that accusation. “Hmm, eh, guilty as charged there.” Luna rolled her eyes and Sunset chuckled. “Think you mind having a pervert for a mother, Sunset?” “I am not a –!” “Hey, I’m not judging, you don’t even want to know the stuff Sparky I got into after the Spring Fling.” If for nothing else, Sunset had found a weird family on this side of the portal, and it was one that she would not trade for anything. [Twilight, the veterinarian said that Spike will be okay! Like I thought, it was just some bruised ribs, but for now they’re keeping him here for observation overnight.] “Thank you, Fluttershy, I really wish I could’ve gone with you,” said Twilight in disappointment. [Don’t worry, Spike understands, and so do I. Besides, it’s probably better that both of you are there since the Sirens are too. I’ll see you later Twilight.] “Alright, and again, thank you Fluttershy.” With that Twilight ended the call, sighing in relief that Spike was going to be okay. After some of the craziness died down, Twilight and Sunset explained the course of events that took place the day before yesterday and all day yesterday. Velvet had tears in her eyes when she learned what she almost did to Twilight, and had done to Spike. Despite the fact that she was mind controlled, it didn’t make the fact that she did do that any less bad. The same held true for Night Light, after hearing that he nearly assaulted Sunset Shimmer in their home. After much counseling and explanation by both girls, and the rest of the group, Velvet and Night Light were able to get a better grasp of the situation, of course that led into another interrogation in regards to, well, everything. Twilight knew she’d eventually have to tell them about her true origins. Shining Armor had told them that she was rescued while one of his missions, which wasn’t a total lie, and thanks to Shining Armor’s job as a special ops agent, he was sworn to secrecy, national security and all that. However, after all this, it was time to know. So, she told them everything, what she was made to do, what Shining Armor did to liberate her, the man who was her first father, the reason why she was as smart as she was. Not to mention the Firestorm business and the Organization influence in the world. All this was told while Nu stood in the back, arms crossed as she watched all this unfold. After an hour and a half of explaining it all, Velvet and Night Light slumped on the couch looking a bit bewildered. After a minute passed they glanced towards Nu. “So…Shining Armor is you, but you’re not him, you’re yourself?” Night Light asked. “Yep, I’m my own being, he’s inside me, and so is the Professor, but they’re alright,” said Nu. “I…I understand what Twilight’s told us about you, and what you are. But…please…can you let us see our son for a little bit?” Velvet asked as tears welled up in her eyes. Nu smiled and then sighed. “Can’t say no to a pretty lady, but only for a bit.” Nu’s body erupted into blue and red flames, the flames then separated becoming two entities, the first was Professor Bill Neigh, who adjusted his glasses and gave a slight bow to both parents. The other flame at last revealed Shining Armor, still clad in his combat gear. Velvet and Night Light’s eyes were crying tears of joy as they sprang from their seats and rushed towards their son. Both mother and father held onto Shining Armor, hugging him fiercely as they cried, happy to see their son back. Twilight stood up and walked to Professor Neigh. The old man smiled and ruffled his former ward’s hair. It was then that Twilight noticed that both Velvet and Night Light were motioning for her to join them. Twilight looked to the Professor, who then stated, “Go, join your family my little one.” The genius girl smiled and hugged her mentor and father figure. She then went over to her other father, mother, and big brother, joining in on the family hug. Tears were shed, but tears of joy, for the family had been reunited once again. MEANWHILE… Several explosions went off as wave upon wave of soldiers fired their weapons at Deathstorm, all of which harmlessly exploded around him, having formed a barrier of dense gravitons. The Embodiment of Death fired off black fire atomic beams that devastated the area, turning even the ashes into nothingness. Dusk Shine had gone on a worldwide rampage against the Organization, taking out repressed rage and anger over how he was made out on every single person he came across. Every scientist, every soldier, maintenance worker, no one was spared his wrath. He was also searching for The Mastermind, the last of the Big Three who ruled and controlled the Organization. He was eventually able to find The Mastermind’s little hideaway in the Himalayan mountains. So Dusk Shine decided to attack the proverbial anthill. As expected, his entrance was met with resistance, but it was fun watching them attack in futility, believing that they could possibly even hurt him. How funny. Deathstorm raised his right hand, pointed it at the many soldiers and vehicles that were littered before him. With a snap of his fingers, several orbs of black fire appeared in front of each of them and in that same moment exploded. A cacophony of explosions rang out through the mountain, shaking it violently to the point that one thought it would fall apart. But that was of little concern to him. The Embodiment of Death appeared before a couple of large metal doors. They were reinforced titanium, ten feet thick, and laced with a defensive barrier, all and all it was meant to keep anything and everyone out, and the person inside absolutely safe. Deathstorm shrugged and placed his hands on the door. Atomic rings formed and immediately the door began to groan and moan, within seconds the bright silvery color of the metal door began to turn orange and brown. Deathstorm had begun the process of rusting, a process which would take many years for this kind of metal, now taking place in a matter of nanoseconds. The door began to wither away, becoming dust particles as every bit of it rusted into nothing. The barrier wall was after that, but again, nothing he couldn’t handle. Dusk Shine transmuted a black fire plasma sword, charging the particles of energy with the opposite charge of the barrier. With a swift slash, the wall of energy parted the contrasting energies eventually made the entire wall disperse, allowing Dusk Shine to waltz right into the, rather large and spacious room. There wasn’t much light inside, save for the light he generated. A large machine was built at the other end of the wall. It looked as if it were a giant ring, suddenly, the ring activated, lights flickered on around it, illuminating what appeared to be runic markings on it. The center of the ring exploded out, releasing distorted graviton and light particles that resembled water. However, after a moment the explosion became an implosion as the distorted space was sucked back, and at the center, now was a tunnel. “Not possible…that’s –!” “A dimensional gateway.” Dusk Shine turned his head towards the new feminine voice. A red flame could be seen walking from behind the gateway, eyes burning red as the figure stepped into the light of the tunnel. Dusk Shine had to squint his eyes to even see who it was, but there was no doubt it was a Firestorm, and definitely a female if the hourglass silhouette was any indication. “So, has The Mastermind fled, and has he left you to try and stop me?” Dusk Shine asked. The red Firestorm released a hearty, if somewhat maniacal, laugh at the suggestion. “Oh Dusk Shine, you’re looking at her. I am ‘The Mastermind’ behind the Organization, it was a little thing, but it appears it’s run its course. I’ve gotten all I need from the advancement of the Firestorm Protocols in this world.” Dusk Shine raised his brow at those words. “What do you ‘this world’? Who are you?!” The red flames of the Firestorm burned brighter, illuminating her features a bit more. Dusk’s eyes grew wider as he saw that the female Firestorm had a skull face the same as his, but her outfit was black and red, however, the symbol on her chest was notoriously kept hidden by scarlet red flames. “Dusk Shine, you naughty boy, staring at a woman’s chest is considered quite rude, you know,” said the red Firestorm. “Who…what are you?! Why do look similar to me?!” Dusk Shine demanded. “Isn’t obvious, Deathstorm. I’m Deathstorm!” Dusk Shine growled, he then pointed his right hand at the imposter and fired a beam of black and blue atomic flames at her. At the same time, the doppelganger pointed her right hand towards Dusk Shine, unleashing a torrent of black and scarlet flames at his beam. The two beams clashed at the center of the room, causing a shockwave to erupt in all directions, shaking the very mountain. Dusk Shine poured more of his power into the attack, making the beam grow in size, however, the other Deathstorm smirked and in less than a second, the beam quadrupled in size, washing over Dusk Shine’s flames like they were nothing. An explosion erupted from the center, throwing Dusk Shine some feet out of the room, but a quick burst of gravity energy allowed him to slow his flight and allowed him to correct himself in midair. Dusk Shine flew through the smoke that was kicked up and found that the other Deathstorm was shaking her head. “You do have potential, but you’re still lacking in some areas. But then again you just got your powers, so I can’t really blame you for not having accessed everything.” “You’re obviously skilled, but how is it possible that you are like me?” Dusk Shine asked, deciding to interrogate rather than fight. “Dusk Shine, there are other worlds out there, ones that diverge and split into different scenarios, some were good triumphs, and some were evil just reigns supreme. However, good always seems to want to win over everything, so annoying.” Suddenly, a rumble came from the other end of the tunnel of light, making the other Deathstorm glance in its direction. “Guess I’ve worn out my welcome. Good luck Dusk Shine, I kinda hope you survive, would be nice to have another Deathstorm in the crew, especially an adorkable one like you.” With that said, the other Deathstorm walked through the tunnel of light, closing behind her and then finally collapsing. Dusk Shine walked up to the machine, it was definitely unique, its properties a mixture of science and magic. A million questions ran through Dusk Shine’s head, another Deathstorm, a female, who was the head of the entire Organization, the main one of the Big Three. “Other worlds…?” Deathstorm looked over the contraption, a thought popping into his head. The darkness within him stirred, speaking to him, telling him how to make his idea reality. “Yes…there are other worlds aren’t there? It’s time to see them, all of them!” ELSEWHERE… Twilight and Sunset were laying sprawled out on Twilight’s bed, exhausted from the entire day and yesterday. After all the explanations, and emotional rollercoasters, it was all out there in the open. Their parents and proverbial guardians knew about their secret superhero double life, and the magic, and the fact that Sunset was from another world filled with sapient ponies. “We live a weird life, huh Sparky?” Sunset asked. “Definitely…” Twilight glanced to her girlfriend. “Would you change anything?” Sunset chuckled. “As weird as it sounds, no. I guess…I guess we needed this to happen, it’s allowed us to see the real us, in each other. I don’t ever want to become the kind of evil the Organization, or Dusk Shine are. And, without it, I wouldn’t have realized how much I…how much I love you.” Twilight smiled and gently took Sunset’s hand into her own. “Weird comes with the territory, it’s the same for me. I don’t think I would’ve explored this part of myself, of my emotions, without you and all this craziness.” Both girls scooted a little closer together, with Twilight resting her head on Sunset’s shoulder, and Sunset wrapping an arm around her lover. They closed their eyes for a moment, enjoying the peace of the moment, and the others presence. “Sunset?” “Hmm?” “I…I may be getting ahead of myself…maybe too far ahead…but, do you…would you ever consider…in the future, being with me?” Twilight asked. Sunset chuckled. “Sparky, if you’re asking me to marry you, then just say it you dork.” Twilight’s face became crimson red as she buried her face in Sunset’s shoulder. “I-I-It’s not…I mean…I know that’s a lot to ask, but maybe we can try cohabitation? Living together in the same place…?” The former unicorn hummed as she thought that over. “So, you want to shack up with me? You do realize that I’m a directionless, undocumented extraterrestrial pony girl from another world. No records exist of me, and I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life.” As she said this, Twilight could feel Sunset’s grip tighten on her shoulder. “Sunset…?” The former bad girl sighed. “I never…I never had any kind of contingency plan if my original plan failed, I was so dead set on going to Equestria, grabbing the crown, and forming my army. In fact, the only other fallback plan for me was to just go back to Equestria and either live my life as a drifter or plead for forgiveness from Princess Celestia when the portal opened again. Now I want to stay here, with you, and I have no idea what I can do for you…I’d just be a waste of space.” Twilight’s brow furrowed as she brought a hand to Sunset’s face, making her turn to face the purple girl. “Listen to me, you’re practically as smart as I am, you’re tough, and you’re a hero. I don’t need you to be something big and important, I fell in love with Sunset Shimmer, all of you. Not just your brains, brawn, or that annoying perverted side of you.” “Awww, I thought you liked my pervy side?” Sunset asked. “Not when it comes out at inappropriate times!” Twilight argued, recounting in her mind the number of times it had. “The point is…we’ll find something, heck, you can even be my partner in all my future science endeavors!” “I don’t know Sparky, you have a real shot at Ivy League stuff, my grades are good but not good enough to get me there,” said Sunset. “Don’t sell yourself short, you’ve just been lazy about it, you can match mine if you actually tried, unless of course you don’t think you can match wits with me?” Twilight asked in a smart-alecky tone. Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously trying to say that I can’t be beat you academically?” Twilight shrugged. “Oh that’s it!” Sunset rolled onto Twilight, causing the genius girl to yelp in surprise as Sunset mounted her, staring at her with sultry, narrowed eyes. “I’m going to make you take that back.” Twilight gulped, knowing that she just issued a challenge that she wasn’t prepared to back up at that moment. Sunset reached down and began to pull at the hem of Twilight’s blouse, going all the way up until she exposed – “SUNSET, TWILIGHT YOU NEED TO COME THERE’S – Oh…” Both girls turned their heads and saw Shining Armor in the doorway, Sunset and Twilight blinked, and Shining Armor blinked twice. Their brains were working to process the information before anyone spoke. “Um…Uh…I…you two are…um…okay…s-should I come back later…or…?” Twilight’s face was blazing red as she yelled at the top of her lungs. “SHINING FRANCIS ARMOR, GET OUT OF MY ROOM NOW!!!” Shining quickly retreated out of the room, saying “sorry” repeatedly as he did so. Sunset looked down to Twilight who was embarrassed as all hell. She then smirked. “You know, I don’t mind your brother watching.” “See, that right there, that’s exactly what I was talking about!” After that initial embarrassment, Sunset and Twilight managed to get downstairs to see what was so urgent. Celestia, Luna, Velvet, Night Light, Professor Neigh, and Shining Armor had gathered in the living room, eyes glued to the screen as they watched something intently. Both girls got around the adults and watched as the TV displayed their enemy. [Hello, citizens of the world. I am Deathstorm, the harbinger of the end of times. I was a being that was created to be used for nefarious purposes, and to which I have done many a terrible deed across this world. But even then, I was cursed with limited time, and now I have curbed fate and embraced the power that is Death itself!] The camera panned out further and further away, and once it was far enough, everyone in the room gasped. It was a giant ring, etched with runic markings and floating high in the sky, each rune was glowing as it drew in energy from some unknown source, groaning as each individual piece moved into its designated position. [Witness the instrument of your destruction, and my salvation. In twenty-four hours, this ring will be fully aligned, and once it is, it will start an energy vacuum that will drain all energy sources from the face of the Earth, even life itself.] “He…He can’t do that, right, he seriously can’t do something like that, right?!” Luna asked. “Unfortunately, with the power he has, he can,” said Sunset with dread. [However, in that twenty-four time span, I invite those individuals with the power to try and stop me. I would use this time to go out and do all the things you could never do, or say your last goodbyes, come noon tomorrow, the world ends. See you soon.] With that, the signal cut out and what was left the original news station, which was already scrambling to make sense of what they had just heard. Sunset and Twilight sat down on the couch, taking in this information and coming to a unified conclusion. “We’re ending this,” said Sunset. “At dawn, we’ll head out,” added Twilight. The respective parents and guardians of the girls stared at them in disbelief. “Twilight Sparkle, you are not seriously considering going to fight that…that…monster?!” Night Light asked. “I am,” said Twilight. “Sunset…that thing, you both said you couldn’t beat him!” Celestia added. “We used up a lot of our magic and power when we fought those girls upstairs, so we were pretty drained by the time he showed up. If we rest a little more we should be able to beat him,” said Sunset. “No you cannot,” said Professor Neigh, causing the others to look at him in shock. “Not without some backup. If there’s even a chance to beat Deathstorm, it’ll be with the four of us working together,” said Shining Armor. Velvet was pacing the room, along with Night Light. The fact that they had just gotten their whole family back, and now their daughter and son were going to head out to do battle with some Skeletor wannabe? “Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet, I understand your hesitance in condoning this, speaking as someone who helped raised Twilight, I understand the feelings of a parent well. However, we cannot let those fears outweigh the facts, and the facts are thus. Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and Nu are probably the only beings on this planet who even stand a chance of defeating Dusk Shine. Military forces will try and fight him, but it will be an exercise in futility. Lives will be lost unless we act. That goes also for you as well, Ms. Celestia and Ms. Luna.” The adults looked to the two girls, they had already tuned them out and were intently watching the news as the world nations were already declaring this and that, planning armed responses to Deathstorm’s threat. As much as they did not want to admit it, the Professor was right, the only ones with the power to stop Deathstorm the four people assembled in room. HOURS LATER Sunset made a trip up to the Sirens’ room, she knocked gently at the door, waiting for Aria to usher her in. However, the voice that called out was not Aria’s, but someone else. “Come in.” Sunset opened the door and saw as Adagio Dazzle sat up in the bed, the TV in their room was on mute as she watched the former unicorn walk in, closing the door behind her. Sonata and Aria were curled up next to Adagio, sleeping peacefully and with happy grins on their faces. Sunset had carried with her a tray of food that Mrs. Velvet had made, setting it on the chair as she got closer to the bed. “Aria told me what you two discussed, and I see that Dusk Shine is wasting little time in using that newfound power of his,” said Adagio. “I assume you’re both going to fight him.” Sunset nodded. “Hmm…” Sunset sat on the edge of the bed looking at Adagio, there was a lackluster tone in her voice, she sounded depressed, and hurt. “Adagio…I’m sorry for what he did to you and the girls, you didn’t deserve that.” Adagio chuckled a little. “You were going to remove the Protocols from our bodies, I don’t see why you would’ve allowed us to keep our gems considering what we could do with them without Firestorm powers.” Sunset clenched some of the covers in her hands, Adagio had a point, considering how dangerous they were with just the gemstones, there was no way they could allow them to keep them. They’d either have to shatter them or lock them away so the Sirens would never be able to use them. “Don’t overthink it Sunny, one way or the other, our gems would’ve been taken away from us. This was the end result one way or the other,” said Adagio forlornly. “So that’s it? You’re giving up?” Sunset asked. “What else is there? We’re just as mortal as you are now. Our voices are gone…I…I can’t even sing to them…I would often sing to Aria and Sonata as they slept…and now I can’t even do that…all I can do is be here.” Sunset couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart, even though they were evil, they were still in love with each other, and cared about the other. At the end of the day, Adagio was still looking out for her lovers, and now, for the first time in their immortal lives, she felt powerless. “You don’t get to be like that, Dazzle. Those two will need you more than ever now!” Sunset shot back. Adagio chuckled at that. “Shimmer, I don’t need advice from a brat like you. I’ve been alive far longer than you, and have done things with these two that you and that little nerd can only dream of.” Sunset turned to fully face Adagio. “First: call her a ‘nerd’ again and I’ll slap you, second: you’re still alive, you can still live a life together!” “You know, it probably wouldn’t be so bad if we could still sing, Sunny, but we can’t! If nothing else, other than our gemstones, a Siren’s pride is her voice! Now…we’ve lost that.” Sunset growled as she stood up. “Ugh, if you weren’t in that bed I’d shake you! You’re giving up before you’ve even tried! Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that you’re lives are over?! You owe it to them, and yourself, to make this life you have now meaningful!” Adagio smiled a little as she watched Sunset fume over her. “You really care about us, don’t you? After everything we did?” Sunset stopped her pacing and took a calming breath. “Maybe it’s because we’re both from Equestria and I’m trying to help my fellow Equestrian, maybe it’s because I think what you three have – despite that evil streak – is beautiful, or maybe it’s because I’ve just gone crazy! Point is, I won’t see you three just crawl off somewhere and die. That’s not me, and, maybe, I might know about someone who could help you.” Adagio’s brow raised at that. “Who?” “The same person who helped Sparky and me figure out what was wrong with us, and got our magic to be more focused. Maybe she can show you a different way?” Sunset asked. Adagio looked hesitant at that. “If it means getting your singing voices back, don’t you think it’s worth a shot?” The alpha Siren looked to her sleeping lovers, and as much as she hated to admit it, Sunset was right. She did owe it to Aria and Sonata to try and at least get something of their former lives back. “You do realize that all this will be a moot point if the world ends tomorrow, right?” Adagio asked. Sunset chuckled. “I don’t plan on dying tomorrow, or the world for that matter. I just got a hot, adorkable girlfriend, my magic, and pair of great guardians, and some actual friends. Not something I’m willing to see go without a fight.” Sunset grabbed a glass of water from the tray and brought it to Adagio. “I know we’re not really friends now, but…?” Adagio took the glass of water and swished it around. “Friends would be a stretch, but we’ll see how your friend works out with our voices. For now, close acquaintances would be fitting.” “It’s a start. I’ll go and get some more, make sure they’re up so I can spread out the meal.” As Sunset walked off, Adagio quickly spoke, “Sunset Shimmer!” The fiery haired girl turned around to glance at Adagio. “You beat us, and that is no small feat. So you had better not lose to that man tomorrow and disgrace us both, understood?!” Adagio remarked. Sunset firmly nodded, there was no they would lose. No way.