Twilight held up her checklist. “Base.”
Rainbow looked up from where she and Fluttershy were piecing together the wooden boards and gave the construct a solid knock. “Check.” The thing resembled a sloppy sort of fusion of an upside-down table and a rocking chair with wheels. Somehow, it worked.
“Good. Applejack, Pinkie. How’s the catapult?”
“Right on track, Twi.” As if to emphasize Applejack’s point, Pinkie pushed down on one end and watched the bungee cords snap it back into place, giggling as she did. “Just followed everything as close to the diagram you ‘n Sunset made.”
“Hm.” Twilight made some notes on her paper, looked carefully at the structure, and said, “You might want to adjust the fulcrum. It’s a little too close to the launchpad.”
“Right. On it.”
As the two got back to work, she stepped around the planks on the floor to one of the art counters, where Sunset and Rarity were piecing together a spherical shell. Sunset’s expression was delighted, while Rarity’s seemed to scream that she’d rather not be there at all.
“How’s the bomb coming?” Twilight asked, nearly causing Rarity to fall right out of her chair.
“Don’t startle me, Twilight!” she whined. “I’m already around this- this explosive; I don’t need the element of surprise as well!”
Frowning, Twilight shrugged. It wasn’t her fault she was unintentionally sneaky. “Sorry.”
Sunset perked up at the sight of Twilight and wiped her hands on her pants. “Okay, so take a look at this: it acts like a water balloon, but can hold the nitroglycerin in a suspended container so we don't blow up immediately.”
“We hope,” Rarity cut in. She made a face and said, “I, for one, certainly do not wish to be die in the middle of constructing it.”
“Oh, relax. We haven’t even made the stuff yet.”
Twilight gave the sphere a poke with her pencil and raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. You took our original idea of a balloon and made it out of wood-”
“-with a layer of plastic to stop it from soaking through, of course-”
“-and will suspend the bomb in the centre container? So that during launch the contents explode instead of while we work with it?”
Sunset grinned. “Yup.” She shook the bottle of glycerin and waggled her eyebrows. “This bad boy is gonna blow the front of the school sky high.”
Rarity winced. “Er, yes. Though, do remember that any damages we make might be held against us in the aftermath, yes? Perhaps a smaller hole-”
Twilight shook her head. “We’ve got one shot at this. If we split the amount we have in half and it’s not strong enough, then what?”
“...Hm. That is a problem, I suppose.”
After checking off a few more things, Twilight clapped her hands together and said, “Okay. As soon as you’re done try and help the others. I’m going to go back to the lab and start on the bomb, or see if there's anything else we might need.”
Sunset frowned, but nodded reluctantly. “Okay. But be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt out there or anything. I mean, not that you would throw yourself into danger or anything! I just- don’t die, okay?” She winced at the word vomit that she’d produced and shrugged sheepishly. “That’d really suck.”
Rarity glanced between the two for a second before an almost-visible light bulb went off over her head, a mischievous grin spreading across her features. Oh, she mouthed at Twilight, raising her eyebrows.
Twilight fought back her blush quickly averted her eyes. “Y-yeah. Of course. I’ll be fine.” She spun on her heel to make her way to the door and nearly ran into a counter. After readjusting she glanced back over her shoulder and added, “Bye, Sunset.” She paused. “A-and you too, Rarity. Ha ha.”
You’re so smooth, Sparkle. Not.
When the door to the art room closed behind her Twilight was once again reminded of how eerily silent the school was. Fear began to build in her chest again, but she shoved it back down. Not now. First we get out, then I panic. Not the other way around. Steeling herself, she straightened her shoulders and set off in a brisk march down the hall.
As she got closer to the lab, however, something in her pants pocket started to get uncomfortably warm. When it reached a burning temperature, she hissed and pulled the baggie out, muttering, “What the heck?”
The purple stone was glowing.
Twilight blinked. Once, twice. Then, the stone melted clean through the bag and clattered to the floor.
The sound seemed so loud against the silence. Then, there was a thud from a few rooms away, and the clatter of footsteps.
“Shoot!” In her panic, Twilight scooped the stone up and made a mad dash into the closest room. Not a second too soon, for just as she pressed the door closed a shadow passed over the doorframe, followed by all the lights in the hall simultaneously going out.
“She’s not here,” a voice said. “You probably imagined it.” Celeste, Twilight thought, trying to still her heartbeat. Then the shadow thing must be-
“Hmph.” The second voice was lower, more sharp, yet it was also… familiar? “Keep moving, then. We’re going to destroy your precious star before she learns the truth.”
There was the sound of footsteps fading back the way they appeared. After a second, the lights went back on. leaving Twilight pressed against the door by herself.
“Holy crap,” she whispered. Mentally she thanked whatever gods were out there that the room she was in was unlocked, before glaring at the purple stone clenched in her fist. “You almost got me killed!”
The stone continued to glow, but its heat diminished slightly. Twilight rolled her eyes and moved to open the door, but paused.
There, on one of the desks, was a pink rock pulsing in time with the one in her hand. Of course, she thought to herself. More ‘magical’ things is just what I need. Nevertheless she snatched it up, deciding to give it to Pinkie or something. She’d probably get a kick out of a shiny glowing rock.
The two stones blinked at her, then went still and cold. Twilight frowned, and shook them. “Excuse me.” Nothing happened.
Feeling a bit silly for talking to a bunch of rocks, Twilight rolled her eyes and decided that someone must have been fooling around with fluorescent paint. That was that.
After all, magic wasn’t real. Right?
---
Twilight made it back to the art room nearly half an hour later, sweaty and out of breath, and holding a container of frozen nitroglycerin as carefully as she possibly could. When she threw open the door and stomped inside the other girls froze in their conversation. Something was up.
“This,” Twilight hissed, chucking a handful of rocks down onto the nearest counter, “is ridiculous.”
“No they aren’t, silly,” Pinkie said. “Those are rocks!”
“Rocks that dragged me around the school and nearly got me killed about three times!” At the girls’ expressions morphed into shock she continued, “First they nearly got me found by Celeste, then they wouldn’t stop burning me unless I went in the right direction and picked up even more. What gives?! I barely had enough time to nitrate the glycerin and freeze it before I got third degree burns.”
Sunset coughed into her hand and muttered, “Magic.”
“Anything but that, please.” Scowling, Twilight eyed the rocks and grumbled, “Just get them away from me.”
Rainbow finally got over her shock and stared at the table with the stones. Suddenly, she leaped out of her seat and smacked on fist against her palm. “No way! These are the things cousin Daring was looking for - the six gemstones of divinity!”
A pause. Pinkie tilted her head to the side. “Those are rocks,” she repeated, but with less enthusiasm than before.
“No duh. They haven’t been activated!” She picked up the orange one and shook it in the air for a second. “Daring told me that if you find the right people at the right time they become a totally awesome weapon.” Rainbow dropped the rock back on the table before spinning back to the others and shouting, “We can use these to beat Celeste!”
Twilight narrowed her eyes and pushed her glasses up with one hand. “Okay, let me clear some things up.” She placed the container she was holding down gently on the counter and crossed her arms. “First, magic isn’t real.”
“But-”
“And if, and only if, it was, what would some ancient artifacts from the desert be doing here?”
Rainbow wilted, and sank back down onto her stool. “...You don’t gotta ruin it for me, y’know.”
“Not to mention the fact that they ‘activate around the right people’. If we were able to use this fictional weapon, wouldn’t it already have formed?”
“Augh, okay! I get it.” Pouting, Rainbow kicked her feet up on the counter with a huff. “But then what the hell are these things?”
“Um…” Fluttershy raised her hand hesitantly. “Where did you find these, again?”
Twilight blinked. “Huh? Um, the lab, a classroom, the kitchen, the shop, the gym, and the last one was in one of the art projects hanging outside.” She paused. “I think I just ruined some poor kid’s sculpture, now that I think about it.”
Rarity buried her head in her hands and muttered something about a travesty against artwork.
“Then… not that I know for sure, but I think those are part of the decorations the student council members were setting up.” Fluttershy shrank down further in her seat as she continued, “My brother, um, was complaining about having to decorate all over the school with a bunch of rocks. They were supposed to light up, so that might explain the warmth...”
“Oh.” Suddenly, Twilight felt a little foolish. “They were in kind of odd places for decorations, though.”
“Zephyr was probably trying to get the job done as fast as possible. Like, um, usual.”
Applejack nodded and stretched as she got to her feet. “Well that’s that, then. Do what ya want with the rocks; ah say it’s high time we busted outa here.”
“Gently, Applejack, please! Like I said earlier, the school could always press us for damages-”
“Relax, Rares. I’m sure they’ll make an exception for a life-threatenin’ situation.”
With some legwork and a lot of organization from Twilight, the girls managed to fit all three pieces of the catapult out the art room doors - though Rarity insisted that Twilight carry the nitroglycerin as far away as possible from her. Rainbow and Applejack hauled the bungee cord monstrosity between them, while Pinkie was pushing the base along the floor as fast as she possibly could.
That left Sunset and Fluttershy bringing up the rear as lookouts. At least, one of them was looking out. Sunset was busy playing with the decorative rocks.
“If we get out of this, I’m totally gonna get these made into like, a necklace or something. They’re so solid for just decorations.” She held one up and squinted into it with a frown. “I can’t see any circuitry, though. Think Twi imagined them lighting up?”
Fluttershy nodded nervously, her eyes darting around in every direction. If she was comparable to anything as they made their way to the front, it would have been a frightened rabbit ready to bolt at any second. “U-uh huh.”
“...You really need to get a security blanket, or something.”
Fortunately there was no sign of Celeste on their way. When they made it to the foyer Twilight jiggled the handles of the main doors just to make sure they were still stuck. They were.
“Then that’s that,” she said with the confidence of someone about to make a very terrible decision. “Let’s set it up.”
The mess of bungee cords was fitted on top of the base and locked into place. Sunset then opened up the inner section of the shell and placed it into the arm of the catapult.
All seven of them took a step back to survey their horrible creation.
“Well,” Applejack said after a few seconds, “For just under an hour this is pretty good.”
“But otherwise it kinda sucks,” Pinkie added.
Twilight rolled her eyes and held out the rapidly-melting nitroglycerin. “I’ll do the honours. AJ, Rainbow, Sunset. Can you aim it just above the doorframe?” She turned to the other three girls and forced a sheepish grin. “You guys might want to stand back.”
Rarity paled and took a good three steps back, dragging Fluttershy with her.
“No, no. I mean, back. Like, over there-back.” She pointed to one of the hallways opposite from the door and continued, “Preferably behind a locker or something. And a wall. I don’t know how much shrapnel there will be but-”
“You don’t have to tell a lady twice! Come on, girls.” Rarity grabbed the hands of the other two and started marching away as fast as possible in her heels.
Pinkie shrugged and let herself be pulled away, but managed to wave a cheery, “Good luck!” back over her shoulder.
Twilight steeled herself, and then turned back to the girls holding the catapult in place. “As soon as we let go we run. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow flexed one arm and pressed the lever down even farther. “Let’s do this!”
As Twilight undid the lid and prepared to pour it in, Sunset grabbed her free hand and looked her dead in the eyes.
“You got this, Twi,” she said.
Nodding, Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat and tilted all of the liquid into the capsule, then closed the lid. “I know.”
And then they let go of the bomb, and ran.
---
“Well,” Rarity coughed, waving her hand to clear the smoke. “I can’t say I’m particularly fond of what the dust did to my clothes, but good heavens! Please use your brilliant mind only for the forces of good, Twilight. Alright?”
Face down on the floor with her arms protectively over her head, Twilight slowly uncurled from her ball. “...I’ll take that as a compliment.”
As soon as the bomb had made contact with the wall it had exploded in a wash of smoke and sound bigger and louder than even Sunset had anticipated. Rainbow and Applejack were strong enough runners that they were too far for the shockwave to take effect, but Twilight had found herself knocked to the ground just as the first of the rubble started raining down.
Thankfully, it seemed to be over. Wincing in pain, she propped herself up on her elbows and turned to face the front of the school.
The front doors were blown right off their hinges. Above them, the circular window was just a few shards glass that managed to hold on to the damaged frame. Brick and insulation was scattered all over the ground in massive chunks that gradually decreased in size the farther away they were from the door.
“Well,” Twilight said, and wiped the dust off the lenses of her glasses. “I’d say that worked better than expected.”
“Aw, yeah!” Rainbow did a dance on the spot - some sort of embarrassing mixture of headbanging and stomping - and pumped her fist into the air. “We’re free! Let’s get the hell outa here and-” she trailed off, gaze fixed on the outside. “Uh. AJ?”
“Yeah?”
“How long have we been in here?”
Applejack glanced at her wristwatch and frowned. “Not much more than an hour - one an’ a half tops. Why?”
Slowly, all the girls looked to where Rainbow pointed, out over the front lawn of the school and into the pitch black night
Something was very, very wrong.
“That’s not possible,” Twilight whispered. “What happened to the sun?” She took a step forwards, then another, until she was practically sprinting out into the fresh air. It was cool against her skin and heavy with the scent of nighttime - but the stars and moon were gone.
“Twilight!” Sunset and the others ran up behind her, their faces similar expressions of disbelief.
“Oh goodness,” Fluttershy whispered. She grabbed ahold of Rainbow’s hand and ducked behind the smaller girl as well as she possibly could. “This… This is not good.”
A low, dark chuckle sounded behind them. Twilight spun on her heel, panicked, and came face to face with the disembodied shadow.
“Hello, dear star.”
Twilight froze, and in that instant Celeste yanked on the rope-like substance between the two with her gauntlet and dragged the shadow away from the girls. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem to care.
“Twilight-” Celeste tried, struggling to hold on to the shadow. “I-”
“What… what the hell is going on?!” Sunset stepped in front of Twilight protectively and held out her arms. When Celeste didn’t answer she continued, “I’m serious! Twilight and the rest of us deserve more of an explanation than a lousy ‘I’m sorry’. What, are you doing some illegal shit or something?”
“This is not the place for that,” Celeste snapped. “We will tell her when we are ready.”
“‘We’? So is this demon a thing a part of you? And what the hell was the sacrifice I heard you talking about, because I don’t think-”
“Oooh, she knows, sister,” the shadow purred.
“Be quiet, Nightmare.”
Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Nightmare, huh? Fine; I’ll just ask it myself.” She took a step towards it and balled her hands into fists at her sides. “Explain yourself.”
Honestly, the sight of Sunset being so badass would have been thrilling to no end for Twilight if not for the single word that the shadow had let slip out of its whirling, grinning maw.
“...Sister?”
Everyone froze. Twilight heard Rarity stifle a cry of shock, while Pinkie gasped louder than should have been possible. In front of the group Sunset turned her head, distracted, and said, “Wait, you mean that thing is-”
“Oh for crying out loud. If you won’t get her, then I’ll just do it myself!”
Twilight had no time to react as Nightmare tore out of Celeste’s grip and shot towards her. Luckily Rainbow and Applejack were faster, managing to leap in front of Twilight with their fists raised-
-only to watch as it veered off course and slammed into Sunset instead.
Rainbow blinked in confusion. “Uh.”
“No!” Twilight threw her hand out in an attempt to grab Sunset, but Celeste dragged the two back towards herself, far from the girls.
“Lemme go!” Sunset yelled, struggling against the darkness wrapped around her torso. She twisted her head as far around as possible and cried, “Twilight, help!”
“Ah, shut up.” Nightmare shifted its hold to cover Sunset’s face for a second, and she went limp in its grip. “You’re just an impudent extra. Lucky that the star cares for you so much, hm?” The shadow around her face peeled away and shifted into a hand to cup her cheek almost tenderly. “You’re the perfect sacrifice.”
Sunset, unconscious, did not answer.
“You bastard!” Rainbow broke into a run at the shadow, Applejack and Pinkie hot on her heels. “We won’t let you take her!”
Celeste intercepted the three before they reached Sunset and swiped her gauntlet across the air in front of them. A second later they were all blown backwards by a shockwave of heat and flame, slamming into the ground at Twilight’s feet with a crash.
“Shit!” Rainbow scrambled back to her feet just in time to get hit with another blast. “Agh!”
Applejack snatched her hat back up and pressed it down against her hair. “What the hell?”
“She’s totally got some sort of magic!” Pinkie whimpered into the dirt. Then she shot a glance at Twilight and corrected, “Or, uh, something sciency really similar to it, right?”
Twilight didn’t answer. Instead, she locked her gaze with Celeste and barred her teeth. “Let her go. Now. It’s me Nightmare wants, so give us back Sunset!”
Eyes distant, Celeste raised her ungloved hand and said softly, “I can’t do that.” A golden flame materialized over her hand as she continued, “Come, Twilight. Come and set my sister free.”
“I won’t help you. Never!”
Celeste sighed and narrowed her eyes. “How I wish you had that choice.”
The white dots that were Nightmare’s eyes burned bright, and the air around the school began to shimmer. Twilight could only watch in horror as the entire building started to shift and transform into something entirely different.
The wrought iron gates became pitch black and twice as high, as the entrance repaired itself and morphed into towering double doors. The red brick turned midnight blue and every horseshoe insignia visible morphed into a crescent moon. Suddenly, it was as if the width and height of the school reversed, for instead of a sprawling high school across the lawn there was…
“A castle,” Twilight breathed. “No way.”
And it was. Tall, elegant, and distinctly dark was the only way to describe it. In the centre was the tallest tower, attempting to reach as far as it could into the starless night.
“See you at the top, star,” Nightmare chuckled. “If you want to stop the sacrifice, that is.”
The last Twilight saw of Sunset before she, Celeste, and Nightmare vanished into thin air was her eyes.
They were closed as tightly as they could be, tears caught in her lashes, as if she was unconsciously suffering from some sort of awful, terrible dream.