//------------------------------// // Everfree Part III: There Is No Midnight Sparkle // Story: Ashes to Inferno // by Sun Aura //------------------------------// She’d lost him, but she did find the rock quarry. Most importantly, she had Twilight and Spike as backup. But the cave they’d entered was far too interesting. “This place is beautiful,” Twilight said, staring in awe. Crystals covered the walls, glowing brightly. Right at the end was a pedestal of sorts, made of more rocks and crystals. But upon the pedestal seemed to be two different crystals, and empty places where more should be. More importantly, there was an all too familiar tingling in her fingertips. She could feel it reaching out to her, begging to be used. “There’s Equestrian Magic here,” Sunset said. “I can…. I can feel it.” “Wait,” Spike said. “I thought Timber was just faking there was a magical nature creature. Are you saying it’s real?” “Timber?” Twilight wondered, looking between them. “What does he have to do with any of this?” “Nothing.” The trio jumped, turning to the voice that had spoken. Gloriosa was leaning against the cave wall, glaring at them. “It was all me,” Gloriosa said. “But…” Sunset said, thinking things over. “I was sure he was the one trying to make it seem like ‘Gaia Everfree was back. It was you trying to scare everyone away?” “I would never try to scare anyone away from Camp Everfree,” she replied, walking past them. Sunset grabbed her arm, trying to keep her from reaching that pedestal at the center. She knew those crystals were the source of the Magic in the cave, and she didn’t want anyone to touch them without knowing what they were. But as soon as she did, she felt herself slipping into the shifting colors of Memory. She cursed the fact that her power would act up now, but thanked the fact that no time seemed to actually pass when she went in. The first scene she saw was that man from the other day, Filthy Rich, standing in what looked like Gloirosa’s office. He talked of the money the camp wasn’t making, of how it was getting sold anyway, unless they got the money before the end of the month. The next scene had Gloriosa crying. And Sunset could feel every bit of it. Loss. The kind of loss that left you hollow inside, until you weren’t sure you could breathe. It felt like more than just losing the family business, losing the home. There was another loss underneath that, but not one Sunset knew, not one she’d felt before. She watched as Gloriosa found this cave, found the crystals full of Magic. And she felt the spark of Hope light in her chest, but also sorrow. The next scene told her why. Because Gloriosa couldn’t fix their problems with Magic, but she could make the last campers have the best week possible. Sunset felt the desperation within her, as she manipulated vines around to try and help. And she felt how that desperation grew frantic as her attempts backfired. She saw the conversation Gloriosa had with Timber, the full version. Not only loss and desperation, but confusion and abandonment. No, not about the camp, about something else. Because he wouldn’t help her, why didn’t he understand how important this was to her? Did he not care about them? But Sunset wondered who ‘they’ were that he didn’t care about. “Timber wasn’t talking about letting go of the camp,” Sunset said as she came back. “You were-you were using those crystals to do try and make things better, with Magic. And every time you fixed something, you caused other problems. He wanted you to stop. He… he was covering for you!” “How do you know about that?” Gloriosa demanded, snatching her arm back. “How do you know about Magic?” “Did you not notice the talking dog?” Spike muttered. “Because I can see things,” Sunset said. “Feel things. Because I have Magic too. And so do my friends.” “Gloriosa,” Twilight stepped forward, “Timber wasn’t wrong. Maybe you should stop using Magic. Too much of it can be dangerous if you can’t control it.” Sunset turned for just a moment. Because for half a second, she wanted to tell Twilight the full truth. That it wasn’t about control or ‘how much’. But that half second was all Gloriosa needed to step closer to the crystals. “Oh, I got this,” Gloriosa said, reaching for the crystals. “And I’m going to use it to save my camp! I just need more power!” Sunset tried to step forward, but she was stopped by vines around her legs. She couldn’t move, and the vines had pinned her arms to her sides before she thought to use them. All she could do was watch as Gloriosa took the last two crystals, as the Magic began to transform her. Somehow, that felt different. While she felt the desperation, she couldn’t feel any Dark Magic radiating off her. Even so, it changed her. Her skin grayed, a magenta mask-like mark appearing around her eyes. Pink hair turned blue, parts glowing brightly, and even her outfit morphed into a green dress with gloves and boots, all having leaves and vine themes. “Sorry girls,” Gloriosa grinned. “I know what I need to do. But I feel like we’re not on the same page, so…” Before either girl could try to talk some sense into her, Gloriosa floated past them, moving the rocks to keep them in the cave. The hardest part of getting out was keeping Twilight calm. As much as Sunset knew she was scared of Magic, she’d needed help moving the rocks. But it was the dome of vines that nearly stopped them. “Twilight,” Sunset grunted, using her own Magic and hands to try and keep the vines open. “I need some help here!” “I don’t want to use too much,” Twilight said. “Midnight Sparkle could take over.” “Twilight!” she snapped, wanting to scream. “Our friends are in there, and I can’t do this alone if she’s fighting me!” “O-Okay,” she said. With orange and magenta auras pulling at the vines, it didn’t take them long to get in. She could see what damage had been done. Vines were everywhere, trapping students in their grasp. Some had been sliced, now laying on the ground. Despite hope, she found a familiar sword hilt dropped and its owner out of sight. Picking it up and tucking it into her belt, she saw that the girls were the only ones still fully free. Determination rising, she moved forward. As the girls ran over to them, happy that they were okay, Sunset and Twilight stepped up to a trapped Timber, still trying to talk some sense into his sister. “It’s going to be okay!” Sunset assured him, tearing at the vines. Despite her comments, he kept shouting for her, tears dripping as he did. It didn’t take Magical Empathy for Sunset to feel for the guy. And it didn’t help that she had to pull Twilight away as the vines took him. They dodged around the vines growing from the ground, but it seemed everywhere now. It was like they were being herded into a group. Rarity put up a shield, a dome around them, but the vines kept pushing, creating spiderweb cracks in the Magic. “I can’t keep this up forever!” Rarity said. “Twilight,” Sunset said, grabbing her by the shoulders. “It’s up to us. We can tear the brambles apart and get the crystals away from her!” “No!” Twilight protested. “There’s too many of them! It would take too much Magic! I can’t!” “It’s the only way!” she insisted. “I can't do it alone with it fighting me! You have to embrace the Magic inside you!” “What if she takes over?” she cried. “What if instead of saving everyone, I turn into Midnight Sparkle and only make things worse?!” “That won’t happen!”she shouted. “It can’t happen because there is no ‘Midnight Sparkle’!” For a moment, there was silence from everyone. Only the creaking of the vines against the shield punctuated the emptiness. Sunset really wished she’d done this sooner, or that she could do it later, but she hadn’t thought it was that bad, that fear could override love. “What do you mean ‘there’s no Midnight Sparkle’?” Rainbow demanded. “Sunset, we were all at the Games,” Applejack said. “You can’t tell me that was just an illusion or something.” “Yes, it happened,” Sunset said. “But ‘Midnight Sparkle’ isn’t some other person here to take you over through Magic! It was never about how much Magic you had, it was about what you were using and how you were using it!” “She has to be real!” Twilight said. “You saw what she tried to do! I wouldn’t do that! You know I wouldn’t! She was controlling me!” “That’s not how it works!” she said. “It was Dark Magic, not possession! And you’re right, normally you would never do that. But you tried to use the Magic of Friendship, a Magic that takes what you’re feeling and ramps it up to eleven! Friendship is made of five Elements: Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, and Laughter. Not just from within, but from those around you. “What did you feel during the games?” she continued. “Your Principal, someone you should trust, was blackmailing you into competing. The classmates that should have been your team turned on you, saying you would be to blame should they lose. The only reason they even paid attention to you was because you could help them. You were terrified! Stars, you were crying as you walked to us! You were alone! “And that’s what turned it into Dark Magic! It made it worse, it made you feel it all as if it were something that could actually hurt you! And when you’re in a state like that, nothing matters except your goal! You wanted to learn about Magic, and if you were already abandoned by everything in this world, what did it matter if you tore it apart?” “But I couldn’t,” Twilight said. “She’s- I can feel her there! And every time I try and sleep she comes and taunts me! If she weren’t real then how is she doing that?” “Fucking post-traumatic stress disorder!” Sunset said. “Flashbacks and nightmares and panic attacks are standard for when you go through something like that! But if you want more proof? Then you are the one who stopped yourself from destroying everything!” “I didn’t,” she shook her head. “You blasted her.” “Someone possessing you wouldn’t have stopped,” she said. “You were the one who stopped when Spike called out to you. You hesitated, breaking through everything you felt. Do you remember the white void? I offered my hand, I offered to show you a better way. You could have rejected it, and then my Magic would have canceled yours out, but you took it. ‘Midnight Sparkle’ wouldn’t have taken my hand. That was you.” “And that’s worse!” she cried. “Because what’s going to stop me from doing it again?! If I could do that once, why wouldn’t I do it again!” “Because of us!” she said. “You’re no longer alone. You have us, and you care about us just as much as we care about you! The only reason you were like that is because your state of mind turned your Magic into Dark Magic, but as long as you’re with people you love you can’t use it! No matter how angry or scared you get, we’ll be here for you!” “And how do you know?” she said. “What if I use Magic again, and as soon as I feel that powerful I go right back to what I tried to do the first time?” “Because I’ve been there!” she said, grabbing her hands again. “I know exactly what you felt.” “You can’t!” she pulled her hands back. “You can just pop into my memories and feel what I felt, but you can’t just pretend like that’s ‘understanding’.” “I’m not!” she snapped. Forgetting about danger and usual rules, Sunset reached down and pulled off her shirt. The others all made several comments, but she didn’t care. Shutting it all out, she turned her back to Twilight. She heard a gasp from the girl as she saw the marks on her skin. Scars from something that felt like a lifetime ago, even though it had been just months. “I know you have them too,” Sunset said. “Dark Magic leaves scars, both mental and physical. I’m not saying I understand because of a similar situation. I know what you’re going through because I’ve been through the exact same thing. “It wasn’t about ‘learning about Magic’ for you,” she continued, pulling her shirt back on. “It was never about that. You wanted to be happy, and you thought Knowledge was the way to get it and thought that everything was okay since you’d eventually be happy. I thought I needed Power, and it didn’t matter what happened to get it because I’d be happy in the end.” “Sunset…” Twilight whispered. “But that’s why I know you won’t fail,” she said, taking her hands once more. “Because you’re happy now, and you know that ‘becoming Midnight’ won’t make you any happier. Because I was torn apart by Dark Magic, and my Friends helped me find actual happiness. “And I know you won’t, because I’ve been on the other side too,” she continued, smiling softly. “The moment I took in the Magic of Friendship to keep you from tearing this world apart, I was more powerful than I had been when I used Dark Magic. But I didn’t care, because the people I loved meant more to me than some illusion of ‘happiness’. And I know that as scared as you are, we mean more to you than anything you had wanted back then. If we didn’t, you’d have already become what you fear.” “We’re here for you!” Pinkie said, pulling Twilight into a hug. “And we’ll be there for you,” Applejack added, laying her arm over Pinkie’s shoulders. “You’re a light, darling,” Rarity said, taking one of Twilight’s hands so that she could keep the barrier. “A force for good.” “Yeah!” Rainbow grinned, mirroring Applejack by putting her arm around Sunset. “You can kick the Darkness’s ass.” “We believe in you,” Fluttershy added, slipping under arms to pull in a group hug. “You’re you,” Sunset said. “There’s no ‘Midnight’, just ‘Twilight’. Anyone can get to that dark of a place, but with Friendship, you’ll never be there again. I promise that, with everything I have.” Sunset reached for her Magic, the power that could feel others emotions. She could feel all of them through the contact they had. But that wasn’t why she did it. Instead, she pushed it outward. Her emotions, everything she felt for all of them, practically poured out of her. There was a hint of fear as Rarity’s Magic gave out, as the cracks in the shield grew quicker. She didn’t bury it, she let her fear fuel her love, because her love was why she was scared. And in return, she felt their fears calm. They knew they would be okay. Because even Twilight’s fears became little more than a shadow in the Light. “There is no Midnight Sparkle,” Twilight said, her magenta aura bursting forth. “I am Twilight Sparkle. And the Magic I carry inside me is the Magic of Friendship!” The familiar glow of transformation took her not a moment too soon, as the shield shattered around them. Twilight had the ears and a horn just like Sunset and Rarity, but she didn’t have wings. It took her all of a second to figure out why. There was no Ascension, at least not yet. This Twilight was still a Unicorn, not an Alicorn like the Princess. Both took the vines in their magic, magenta and orange melding together as they tore it apart. Sunset cast spell after spell, some far more complicated than just telekinesis, as she dodged around attacks. All of them fought with what they could, trying to keep anything from harming their friends. But the vines fought back just as hard. Almost as if… “That’s it!” Sunset shouted. “What’s it?” Rainbow asked, kicking more vines before zipping out of reach. “We’re not fighting the vines!” she shouted. “We’re fighting Gloriosa who’s controlling them. If we get through to her we can stop this!” “We can’t get through to her!” Applejack said, swinging a bench at more vines. “Her brother already tried,” Pinkie said, chucking sprinkles everywhere, some turning to lightning and fire as she went. “If Timber couldn’t get through to her, we can’t,” Twilight said, tearing away more vines. “You can’t,” Sunset said. “But I can. Emotional Magic, remember? No matter how far gone she is, some part of her doesn’t want this! I just need to reach that, and it should make her hesitate long enough for you to get to her and take the crystals!” “Are you sure this will work?” Rarity asked, doing her best to keep shields up for even seconds. “It will,” she nodded. “Because it has to. Just cover me!” As she cast more spells, she reached out with her Magic again. The girls had been channeling their Magic through those same crystals Gloriosa was using. It was why they hadn’t needed to Pony Up to use Magic. But she could use them too. She poured her Magic into them, and let loose with her Emotions again. Everything she felt was radiating out of her, like a scream. All of her fears, and all she would do to keep that fear from becoming real. And for just a moment, she felt the hesitation she wanted. Twilight broke the vines around the girl, using her own Magic to pull the crystals away. The second the crystals were out of Gloriosa’s grip, they began to glow brighter and brighter. Seven crystals flew to the seven girls, each glowing a familiar color. Each holding a familiar Magic. Sunset felt another transformation as the crystal’s Magic melded with her own. It didn’t change her, just her outfit. Almost like one of those Magical Girl shows Pinkie had shown her. She saw the other girls go through something similar, each getting their own ‘costume’. As soon as all were done, an oh so familiar Rainbow of Magic burst forth, dissolving the vines. Everyone who had been trapped pulled themselves up. Most brushed it off, being far too used to Magical Shenanigans from Canterlot High. But there were two who hadn’t previously had the wonderful experience of being saved by Magic. The seven were quickly applauded. Sunset found it strange exactly how used to all this they were. But she brushed it off as Spike jumped into Twilight’s arms. “You did it!” Spike cheered, before poking at the crystal around her neck. “Whoa. Nice bling.” “What…” Applejack frowned, toying with her own crystal. “What are these?” “I have some ideas,” Sunset smiled. “But clearly we’re connected to them.” “I almost don’t care what they are!” Rarity exclaimed. “They are gorgeous! And will totally go with the other collection I was working on for the camp fashion show! That’s… probably canceled, isn’t it?” “For now,” Principal Celestia said, walking up to the group. “How about we put that Magic of yours to work and clean up the camp?” All seven groaned, but complied. As did the rest of the students. Before Sunset could start, she felt Flash pull her into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Flash said. “Come on, you knew I’d be fine,” Sunset said, messing up his hair. “Yeah yeah,” he rolled his eyes. “This is only the third Magical Disaster you’ve dealt with.” “In this Dimension,” she retorted. “But okay, you’re not quite used to it. Speaking of which, I guess three months of sword practice does little about vines.” “Well, if everyone else had a magic sword…” he began. “Wait,” Rainbow inturupted. “Can we get Magic Swords? Because that’d be cool.” “That seems like a bad idea,” Twilight groaned. “I think you do well enough without the sword,” Sunset said, returning the hilt that somehow hadn’t disappeared in her outfit change. “You still haven’t figured out your lightning powers yet.” “My what now?” Rainbow asked, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Before she could hear any more on that, the group was quickly silenced by the only two people who hadn’t been through a Magic Disaster before. Gloriosa looked tired, leaning on her brother a bit as they walked up. “So…” Timber began, still supporting his sister with one arm. “What’s with the….” Twilight blushed furiously, her hands automatically going up to cover her Pony ears. Snickering and rolling her eyes, Sunset stepped up and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer,” she reintroduced. “I’m actually a Unicorn from another Dimension, and I accidently brought Magic with me. So now my friends get to save the world occasionally. Oh, they’re all normal Humans though. I think. We might’ve switched Pinkie with her Interdimensional Counterpart a few weeks back. But don’t worry about going nuts and nearly destroying everything. I did the same thing a few months ago and they’re all pretty cool with it now.” “That explains why everyone was so calm with all….” Gloriosa said, gesturing to everything. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Other than the fact that I’m realizing I went nuts, yeah,” she sighed. “Tired though.” “Wait, you’re not, uh, hurting anywhere?” Twilight asked. “No?” she tilted her head. “Should I be? I didn’t hurt before.” “Now that’s weird,” Sunset frowned, feeling what Magic was left in Gloriosa. “I thought it didn’t feel like Dark Magic, but the fact that you actually weren’t using Dark Magic…. It feels like regular Magical Exhaustion, though your Magic doesn’t read as anything I know. Huh. I’ll have to ask Twilight-the other Twilight- about that one.” “There’s another Twilight?” Timber asked. “Yep,” Sunset grinned, much to the current Twilight’s annoyance. “She’s an Alicorn Princess from another Dimension! There’s also another one of you, and your sister, and pretty much everyone you’ve ever known!” “Sunset,” Luna interjected. “Perhaps you could save the life-changing revelations about Magic and Alternate Dimensions until after miss Gloriosa has rested a bit?” “Oh, right, sorry!” she said, a bit sheepishly. “I’m the one that’s sorry,” Gloriosa sighed. “I only wanted this to be the best week Camp Everfree has ever had, and instead I’ve made it worse. Maybe it’s for the best that I’m losing the camp to Filthy Rich.” “No, it’s not!” Celestia insisted. “This camp has meant so much to so many people, my sister and me included!” “Why do you think we bring our students here every year?” Luna asked. “We can’t let Filthy Rich take this place away!” Twilight said. “If camp meant so much to you two, maybe it meant as much to the other campers who came here in years past!” “And maybe we can get them to help save it!” Sunset added. “Like a fundraiser?” Applejack suggested. “Or a ball!” Rarity exclaimed. “Our band could play,” Rainbow offered. “I could write a new song for the occasion!” Fluttershy added. “Those are all good ideas,” Gloriosa admitted. “But where would we hold it?” “We could hold it in the crystal cave,” Sunset answered. “A crystal ball!” Rarity gasped, not realizing the pun as others snickered. “I love it!” “Hold it, can I ask a question?” Flash interjected. The group energy came to a halt for a moment. The pause gave them time to notice the other students, ones who had begun to clean up and stopped to eavesdrop, but now pretended they hadn’t. Sunset had a feeling that things could go sideways, and not the Magic kind of sideways. “What question?” Sunset took the lead and asked. “Okay, before I ask, I’m not trying to be a jerk,” Flash warned. “But what good will a fundraiser do?” “Well, save the camp for one?” Rainbow said. “No, he has a point,” Applejack said. “What point?” Flutterhsy wondered. “That a fundraiser won’t do much,” Flash answered. “If you’re not making the money to keep the place going, then a fundraiser will only prolong it. Sure you’d save the camp now, but a few months down the line you’ll be right back here. If you can’t get the business to keep it in the first place, why try and keep it for just a few more months instead of cutting your losses?” Five girls dropped their energy, thinking of that. Twilight, Gloriosa, Celestia and Luna all froze, knowing the reason but afraid to say it. Three because it wasn’t their place, and one because saying it made it all worse again. Sunset could still feel enough to tell what could happen next. Timber was the one who moved, taking a step forward while Flash took a step back. It was easy to see the expression, and the tension that accompanied it. Sunset acted on instinct, grabbing his arm to keep him from starting anything. Her Magic let her feel everything he felt. Rage and loss she didn’t understand hit her like a slap to the face, her legs giving out from the intensity and dragging him down with her. It stopped the fight, but now they were concerned over her. “Calm,” Sunset said, looking directly at Timber as she reversed the Magic and put her own emotion in. “Whatever it is, he doesn’t know. I don’t know, but I can guess. You don’t have to tell us everything, but just enough to get the point.” “Fine,” Timber sighed, before glancing up at Flash. “Sorry for...It’s a lot. I get what you were saying, but it hurts.” “It’s alright,” Flash nodded. “I figured it’d come out bad. But I didn’t think there’d be an answer with that reaction. Obviously I was somehow out of line, even if I don’t know how.” “Do you want me to say it?” Gloriosa asked, putting a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “It might be easier…” “No,” Timber took a shaky breath. “I’m fine. But to answer, the camp makes plenty of money usually. But… things happen. The type of things that leaves a twenty two year old woman in charge of the Family Business, and sucks up any money that you manage to earn because at least one can be fixed.” “I-I’m sorry,” several voices said as they put the pieces together. “That’s why a fundraiser would help,” Gloriosa said, her voice sliding in pitch as she held together. “Because we just need the boost to catch up from… from all of that.” “Makes more sense,” Flash nodded. “Again, sorry about asking.” “You did have a point,” Timber said. “You didn’t know.” “Well,” Pinkie interrupted, somehow more chipper than everyone but not quite her usual chipper. “Best way to feel better is to get the fundraiser up so we can keep this place going!” “Pinkie, not everything needs a party,” Rarity chastised. “Which is why I didn’t say party,” she pouted. “Like, the fundraiser will be a party but it’s totally unrelated because it’s not a ‘everything sucks so let’s forget’ party, it’s a ‘everything sucks but we’re going to fix it’ party! The difference is one includes less guests and a lot more heavy drinking.” “As you said earlier, ‘she has a point’,” Gloriosa almost laughed. “But now that reality has been pointed out, can we even get a fundraiser together? We only have the rest of the week…” “Don’t worry,” Flash spoke up. “If anyone can put a party together in that short a time, it’s these girls. And I don’t mean that metaphorically. Pinkie’s pretty much always ready to set up for a giant party. She has cannons that shoot confetti.” “You didn’t bring those, did you?” Luna sighed. “No……” Pinkie said unconvincingly. “But I totally don’t need them! The Party cannons are for instant parties that are just general parties. A Crystal Ball-ha! Anyway, that’s a big event with a theme and an important cause, so we need a bit more planning.” “I’m going to stop questioning this,” Timber sighed. “Just tell us where to start.” “Okay!” she chirped, before dropping into her Serious Mode. “First, invitations. If you’ve got a printer handy that’d be great, but if not then we’re snagging all of the arts and crafts supplies and a lot of glitter. Dashie can deliver, since she’s super fast now. Next is decorations. Rares, Twi, and Sunny you’re on that, but drag out any decorations the camp usually has. Shy, work on that song you mentioned. Aj, catering.” “On it!” the group nodded. “We’ll round up everyone who isn’t eavesdropping,” Luna said, much to the surprise of their audience. “I’ll leave this in your hands,” Celestia nodded. “Tell us where you need us and we’ll direct them there.” “Think it’ll work out?” Gloriosa asked. “Without a doubt,” she replied with a smile. “These girls are, quite literally, magical.” “What if that Filthy Rich guy shows up?” Sunset asked. “He seemed… really confident that this place would be his.” “To be fair,” Gloriosa sighed. “As much of a jerk as he is, legally…” “Leave him to me,” Applejack said, crossing her arms. “Please don’t punch the business guy into the lake,” Fluttershy whispered. “If you do can I watch!?” Pinkie asked. “What? No,” Applejack rolled her eyes at them. “Listen, Rich ain’t that bad. Trust me, if y’all told him the whole story, he’d be a lot more sympathetic to your cause. I won’t say anything, because it ain’t my story to tell, but I’ll make sure he knows this place isn’t going back up for grabs anytime soon. Just hope he don’t bring his wife because let’s just say I’d rather face the Magic Tree Witch again.” “You know him?” Timber frowned. “Family friend,” she shrugged. “We’ve been doing business for a few generations. So he’ll listen to me when I tell him something. And if he don’t, then I get to send Granny after him.” Ten people shuddered at the idea of an angry Granny Smith.