//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Case of Sugarcoat // Story: A New Era // by Shadowmane PX-41 //------------------------------// Sugarcoat, still sleeping inside of Sunny Flare's spell gently kicked about as she drifted further and further into her dreams. Her eyes refused to move an inch, regardless of how much her nose twitched or her legs stretched. It wasn't about her wanting to wake up and break Sunny's spell, but rather, what she was experiencing in her own little dream world. Sugarcoat walked into Cinch's throne room alone, silently shutting the door behind her as she walked towards the throne. Once her queen revealed herself in the splitting lights emanating from her stained glass window, Sugarcoat bowed before her. "Your majesty. You summoned me?" she said. "Yes." Cinch walked towards Sugarcoat and tapped her shoulders with her elongated horn. "I've called you and only you here for a matter of utmost importance, Sugarcoat." "What is it?" Sugarcoat stood back up once Cinch's horn had tapped her. "Well, ever since your little... experiment, Umbra's been causing chaos all throughout White Wings and the neighbouring lands." Cinch turned and looked towards her glass window. "And, I'm sure that you're aware of the recent rioters that have sprung up because of the tyranny he has wrought upon us all?" "I'm well aware of that, your majesty." Sugarcoat felt the muscles on her forehead begin to flex. "I'm also fully ready to take the punishment for unleashing him, and will try my hardest to make amends to the ponies of White Wings for not only my eagerness to succeed in my research, but also for any further damage that he brings." "That's not exactly why I've called you here, Sugarcoat," said Cinch. "Oh?" Sugarcoat tilted her head. She thought for sure that she would have been lectured on the mistake that she had made. "Then what do you want me for, your highness?" "Listen, Sugarcoat. I know that it's not easy having to live with the burden of your actions. But what you need to know now that this has happened, and White Wings is swamped with a new evil." Cinch turned back towards Sugarcoat. "I'm not asking you for repentance or that I'm exiling you from the kingdom or anything negative like that. Instead, I am giving you this private hearing because there are some things that I want to share with you." "Whatever you're about to say, I'm listening..." Sugarcoat leaned in and squinted her eyes. "Of all of the unicorns that I have seen in the royal division, you are clearly outclassing all of them in every way, shape, and form in the magical arts." Cinch walked up to Sugarcoat and gave her horn a gentle tap with the tip of her hoof. "So much power contained in that one little horn of yours... It's a wonder that you haven't exploded from fatigue or magical overload." She took her hoof off of the horn after a quick rub. "But let's not gush about your magical prowess for too long. This is an important duty that I'm handing down. "You and the other heroes in the five are capable of such wonderful things. Ever since you stood up to the Dragon King, I've had my eyes on you all. Logically, it was only fair that I take you into White Wings and instill you among the elite for your skills in the field." Cinch began to pace back and forth in front of Sugarcoat. "Whether you're able to fly as fast as the speed of light, use your magic to reshape the world to your gains, or even strong enough to rip the ground beneath your feet and utilize it as a weapon against your opponents, I feel that the time has come for there to be a bit of a leadership role among you and the others." "Leadership?" Sugarcoat repeated. "What are you talking about, your majesty? We can do fine on our own. We don't need a leader for our missions." "Sugarcoat. This is a serious matter." Cinch's voice became cold as ice as she looked down on the unicorn. "Without leadership, even the most tightly-knit groups of ponies can fall apart at the seems. Uncoordinated plans usually end in disaster without someone to lead the others through their steps." She stood atop her throne and looked out towards the end of the room. "That is why I'm the queen, is it not? Without someone to guide these ponies in their darkest hours, White Wings would crumble as fast as a cake in a foal's mouth. "Granted, I'm not entirely proud with the title, given that it was forced onto me by my mother and father, but I still have to grin and bear it." Cinch began to massage her forehead, trying to shake off the small migraines that rang inside of it. "In a similar matter, I know that you do not like the idea of having you and your group be made into one that follows a leader, but it's still the most logical choice to ensure that you and your friends continue to fight perfectly; for the freedom, honour, and hope of White Wings." "I understand." Sugarcoat bowed so much that her horn nearly touched the ground. "Very well. So, I take it that I'm going to be leading the others?" "Yes, Sugarcoat. Very fast too." Cinch nodded. "I'll be honest. I thought that for a second, you were going to think about which among you would be leading the group, and that you would grimace if Indigo Zap or Lemon Zest was made the leader." "I don't doubt Indigo and Lemon's strength on the battlefield for one second, Queen Cinch, but I certainly wouldn't trust them with the role of leadership, given how... brash that they can be sometimes." Sugarcoat already began to envision Indigo and Lemon fighting the forces of darkness, often at times thinking about risky situations that the two of them were pitted in. "Sour Sweet isn't perfect, either. Sure, she's strong, but her emotional imbalance might be what completely ruins her chances of leading the group. And then that leaves Sunny Flare..." "A good mediator she is, but you are also very perceptive for thinking about that." Cinch sat down and crossed her hooves, smiling at Sugarcoat. "Yes, I also don't think that Sunny Flare would be a bad fit for the job, but I have to take in how powerful your magic is compared to hers, and you just managed to beat her by the tiniest margin." "I'm thankful for the position, your majesty, but I have a few doubts about this whole thing myself..." Sugarcoat began to rub the ground with her hooves, looking down at her chest all the while. "I created Umbra. I caused chaos. I hurt so many ponies because of one little experiment, and it's because of me that all of this bad stuff happened. Do I really deserve the title of leader after I blindly hurt so many?" "Sugarcoat. Everyone has darkness within their hearts. This is an irrefutable truth." Cinch unfurled her wings. "Even I, for as lustrous, noble, and powerful as I am, have some sense of inner evil within myself. Maybe, in some other world, I let this evil get too deep into my heart, and I let it drive me to do some irresponsible and reckless things that ultimately ended me, but as long as you don't dive over the edge and try to destroy this darkness, then you will be comfortable living with it. "The problem that you have, Sugarcoat, is that you are clinging onto the past too much. You couldn't have known that your science would have gone pear-shaped, or that it would've given rise to this world's greatest evil." Cinch came over to Sugarcoat and patted her silver mane. "If you are going to lead the other heroes of White Wings, then you need to think about the future. If you know that something is going to protect White Wings, then do it. Don't be afraid to voice your opinions on the subject matter." "But the past will always come back to haunt me now that I've let him loose." Sugarcoat looked up at Cinch, wiping away some small tears in her eyes. "Umbra is always going to be a constant reminder that I've messed up. He's going to keep poking at me and say that I've caused reckless harm, and that I don't deserve any friends, redemption, or anything of the sort. How am I supposed to live that down?" "Sugarcoat. Stop crying. A leader doesn't show sorrow." Cinch lit up her horn and caused a number of spellbooks to appear before her. "A leader improves themselves at every turn that they have. They don't let petty emotions get to them when they are trying to wrangle their team to fight for the future. And these books should be just what you need to make yourself stronger." "What are these?" Sugarcoat blew away some of the dust, revealing the titles of each book and the author who wrote them beneath. "I've never seen these spellbooks in the New World armory before..." "Since you are going to be made the leader of your group of ponies, I would advise that you properly improve yourself, so that you will be ready for any one of Umbra's deceptions, or for the rest of the world beyond ours." Cinch levitated the books onto Sugarcoat's back and covered them up with a purple blanket. "You are to take these to your dorm, learn them in private, and do not let any of the others know. Another strong aspect of a leader is that they always have a trick or two up their sleeve." "I won't let you down, your majesty." Sugarcoat bowed once again before she turned away. "I will return to you once I have made progress." "Hold on, Sugarcoat." Cinch held her hoof out, stopping her in her tracks. "There is one more thing that I want to tell you for the future." "What is it?" Sugarcoat turned back and faced Cinch again. "Darkness will never be destroyed. No matter how hard you try, the darkness in your heart will always resurface." Cinch used her horn to light all of the torches in the room, causing shadows to spring up around her, but not Sugarcoat. "While you are without your own darkness because of your spells, that doesn't mean that it will truly go away. Umbra is a part of you, Sugarcoat, so destroying him physically is an impossibility." "So... you're saying that we'll NEVER be able to win against Umbra?!" Sugarcoat's mouth dropped. "B-But, that sounds like you're giving up! You're our queen! You can't just say these kind of things!" "I said that darkness couldn't be destroyed; not that it couldn't be controlled and manipulated." Cinch twisted her wrist, cocking a brow at Sugarcoat as the flames in the candles began to flicker. "Darkness, if left unchecked, can grow stronger and stronger with each passing second." As she spoke, the lights began to dim around them. "And in the end, if you are not careful about it, Umbra will consume you, and devour what remains of your light." She created a small magical shockwave which didn't cause any damage, but one that did put out all of the lights in the room. "What I am saying is that when you battle Umbra, you need to find a way to contain his darkness and put it back in your body. And quickly, as the stronger he becomes, the more difficult your task will be. "You messed up, Sugarcoat. But now, you're going to prove that you can save this world by fixing this." She walked off of the throne towards Sugarcoat and lit up her horn, dressing her up in her New World robes. "Tell no-one of our talk. Do not let the other heroes know that you are working on your new spells, and most of all, stop thinking that this is a hopeless endeavour. You have pulled through much worse than this." "I think... I understand now." Sugarcoat lit up her own horn and brought the books in front of her face. "I've been split in half, and Umbra is the other half of me that ran away because of my spell. You're saying to me that I should go out, defeat him, and then assimilate him back into my body?" "Exactly." Cinch nodded once again. "Consume the darkness. Return it to light, and prove to the ponies of White Wings that situations as dire as this can be fixed if you are strong enough." She fired a magical bolt at the door, forcing it open with a loud creak. "Now leave me. I have important matters to discuss with the other heroes of White Wings, and with the delegates of Maretonia later on." "Yes, your majesty." Sugarcoat performed one last bow before her queen, then turned away and walked out of the door, shutting it behind her with her magic. The loud crash of the shut door echoed throughout the halls as she wandered off towards her study, not uttering a single word to the ponies she passed by on the way. As Sugarcoat's dream came to an end, she woke back up in front of the Main Six and the rest of the White Wings heroes. Groggily, she rubbed her head and slowly got back to her feet, groaning as the last bad thought in her mind dissipated into thin air. "Wakey-wakey, Sugarcoat..." Sunny Flare's voice was as smooth as butter as she awoke her leader. "I hope you don't mind that I shut your brain down and did a bit of cleaning in there?" "Translation: Sunny Flare used some kind of weird sleeping spell on you and got rid of all of the bad stuff in your head. So now, you won't think of these girls from Equestria as trash." Indigo Zap puffed out her chest and raised her hoof. "Is that alright with you?" "You did kinda look like you needed the sleep, to be honest." Lemon Zest watched Sugarcoat wake herself up fully. "I feel... a little better." Sugarcoat sighed and brushed her hair back into shape. She shuffled her body a bit and felt that she was wearing her robe and a saddlebag full of objects. "Look. I'm still not entirely happy on the fact that we're bringing civilians into this war, but now I know that there's gonna be no way in Tartarus that you're gonna back down, are you, Equestria ponies?" "Princess Celestia sent us on a mission, and we're not going home until we complete it." Twilight shook her head. "You might want to bully us, demean us, and make us think like we're weak and useless, but we're still not going to just take a backseat to this battle between you and Umbra." "Yeah! You and Umbra might be big, bad, meanie-pants ponies, but the seven of us are going to stay together and help you all until we save the day once again!" said Pinkie Pie, beaming widely. "Don't knock these girls until you try them, Sugarcoat." Sunny Flare nodded, wrapping her hooves around the other members of the Main Six. "You never know. They might have some hidden magic and secret talents that you're just not seeing in them yet." "That's why we kinda gave them a little training in our ways of magic, strength, and flight while you were sleeping," Sour Sweet added her voice to the conversation. "We would've asked your permission, but then you would've been mean, dismissive, and an outright jerk about the whole thing. Then we'd be up the creek without a paddle, wouldn't we?" She grumbled. "Hmm... I suppose it's better than nothing." Sugarcoat properly adjusted her glasses and robe. "If you're going to take everyone into battle, might as well make sure they don't die too quickly, right?" "You are seriously underestimating us, aren't you?" Starlight Glimmer tilted her head at Sugarcoat, but then shook her head and snapped it back upright. "But I don't wanna start another fight. Let's just be on our way. Where are we heading, exactly?" "Umbra's castle lies beyond the Dragon Kingdom, where the Dragon King reigns supreme." Sugarcoat created a map of White Wings and the regions past it. Tapping her hoof on White Wings, she drew the path that they would be travelling with a red trail. "Dragon Kingdom?" Spike's ears pricked up. "I'm sure that I'll have no trouble with that. I am a dragon, after all." "A baby dragon, Spike." Twilight tapped his scales. "Don't be surprised if the dragons there are all grown up, with a few teenage dragons mixed in there." "Anyway..." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "After we make it past the Dragon Kingdom, we've gotta make it through the Void; a region where the souls of the dead, restless as they are, toy with mortals by sending them through an ever-changing illusory maze. Be prepared for many tricks and traps when we make it there." "So, it's kinda like Discord's Labyrinth?" Rainbow tilted her head. "I don't know who this Discord is, but if he used illusions and tricks to break you down, then yes, it will be similar." Sugarcoat nodded as she continued to draw the path. "Once we make it out of the Void—maybe not with your sanity intact—then we'll arrive at the Splintered Chasm. If you're a pegasus, then you'll be safe here, but if you're a unicorn or earth pony, then you're gonna have to be careful. A fall into the Splintered Chasm could end up turning you into a pile of goopy mush." "The Splintered Chasm is so deep, that nothing can survive a fall into it." Sunny Flare interjected, lifting her hoof to grab the attention of the Main Six. "Even the strongest, most durable, and unbreakable safes have been cracked, damaged, and even outright destroyed by falling into it. So, needless to say, if any of you fall into it, then you'd better say goodbye to your friends, as when you hit the ground, the most likely chance is that you'll have a very early funeral." The Main Six looked at each other, dripping sweat as the thought of falling down a bottomless chasm began to surface in their minds. "You look shocked." Sugarcoat pulled the map down. "Don't worry. It happens to everyone." She ended the path, tapping on a massive castle with large spikes poking out of it. "And here, the Castle of Reckoning, former home of Dark Lord Kha'rel, is where Umbra resides." "Let's just say that he... kinda did some redecorating after Kha'rel was pulled into the Netherworld." Lemon Zest tipped her hoof. "So. You know the plan. So let's be on our way." Sugarcoat rolled the parchment up and slipped it into her saddlebags. "Everyone. Follow me. We're leaving for Umbra's castle now. If any of you need to use the little filly's room, say it now." She looked back at them with one of her eyes. "Seriously, I don't want to make it to one of the three landmarks then hear that one of you has to go." She was met with silence from everyone. "No takers? Good. Then we're off." Sugarcoat galloped towards the castle doors, blasting them open with a single bolt of magic from her horn. The rest of the Main Six and White Wings heroines followed after them, with the doors behind them slamming shut once everyone was outside. They all ran down the streets and past a number of ponies, who were all going about their own business. "I do hope that it's not a long way to this castle..." Rarity was already beginning to get hot under the collar from just running. "I just applied a lengthy amount of eye liner and mascara, and I don't want it to run on the way." "You're seriously worrying about fashion when the fate of White Wings is at stake, Rarity?" Rainbow flapped her wings and flew alongside Indigo. "Forget about it for one day, why don't you? We're gonna save the day again. Plus, we've got the Magic of Friendship behind us. What could go wrong?" "Don't jinx it, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie squealed and plucked her from the air with her hooves. "You don't know how many ponies had their adventures cut short because they said what could go wrong." "Pinkie Pie, that's just a silly little myth." Rainbow slipped out of Pinkie's grip. "And if something does go wrong, we'll totally be able to power through it. We always do, don't we?" "Alright. But don't say that I didn't say that I told you so when the Dragon King, undead ponies, or that super deep cliff mess your day up, Dashie." Pinkie returned her eyes to the path ahead as she and the other ponies made it to the border of the kingdom and darted through the gates, off to their newest adventure.