After a long night of drinking non-alcoholic cider, Carl and Twilight returned to Celestia’s castle, to rest up for tomorrow. While the girls all shared their room, Carl was insistent on staying in his own. When asked why he wouldn't join them, his face turned red and he refused to comment any further.
While her friends were sound asleep, Twilight was plagued by thoughts of anxiety and discomfort. Despite declaring to Carl she had the upmost faith in her mentor, the feelings of doubt in her mind were slowly brimming to the surface.
She tossed and turned until she couldn’t take it any more and through off her bed sheets in frustration. She needed a distraction, something to keep her thoughts in check. Something like, a walk through the castle.
Strolling through the empty hallways, she was accompanied only by the echoes of her own hoofsteps and the dreamy scent of lavender.
As Twilight passed by the Princess’ room, she noticed the door was slightly agape, with a stream of flickering light, peering through the crack. Out of curiosity, she took a peek. The light was shining from the fireplace, but the Princess was nowhere to be seen.
Curious still, she let herself in, as she spotted Celestia out on her balcony, staring over her kingdom, deep in thought.
“Well, I’ve come this far, now’s as good a time as any to approach her.” She thought to herself as she headed for the balcony.
“Excuse me, Princess?” She called.
Celestia snapped out of her trance and put on her usual warm smile to greet Twilight. “Oh, Twilight. What are still doing up at this time?”
“I could ask you the same thing, I thought staying up all night was Luna’s job.”
Celestia chuckled. “Indeed. I was just thinking. That’s all.”
“You’re not worried, are you?”
“What would I have to be worried about?”
“Mephisto, obviously. I mean, that’s why I can’t sleep…”
Celestia could see the look of concern in Twilight’s eyes, like a frightened pup. She needed to say something to ease her doubts. “Do not fret, Twilight. Mephisto is my problem, just leave him to me. All you need to worry about is making sure you’re well rested.”
“No!” Twilight refused to accept any more of Celestia’s empty kindness. “Mephisto’s not just your problem. He’s everypony’s. If we fail, then all of Equestria is doomed and I won't let that happen.”
“Twilight?” Celestia turned her head. “Are you… doubting me?”
“No, no, no... Well… maybe… I don’t really know what to think anymore…
I told Carl, I trusted you. That no matter what, you’d find a way to defeat Mephisto, but I can’t deny what he said didn’t hold some truth, too. How can I trust you so blindly? The fate of everypony’s lives rests on our shoulders, but all I’ve done is follow orders. How do I know you've made the right call? That you haven’t made any mistakes?”
“It seems Carl has had more of an influence on you than I anticipated.”
“What? No way. Never.” Twilight dismissed that idea, immediately.
“It’s okay to have doubts, Twilight. It’s only natural, since I’ve been intentionally withholding information from you.”
“What information?”
“I’ve already explained why I can’t share that.”
“Right, Mephisto could be listening.”
“Still, if it will help calm your nerves, I suppose I can share some of my thoughts with you.”
“Really?”
“Listen closely, Twilight.
It is very likely that tomorrow will be the final day. Mephisto will soon put his plan into action, to eliminate his weakness to the Elements of Harmony. Even if we fail, the Magic of Friendship will live on and others will continue the fight, but if he succeeds in eliminating his weakness, nopony will ever be able to stand up to him again.”
“How is he going to pull that off?”
“There is one artefact he can use to achieve this, but if I reveal the details, Mephisto may change his plans in response.”
“So, what’s our plan, then?”
“Tomorrow, I will retrieve the Elements of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony. I am certain, that Mephisto will take advantage of this to attack Canterlot while I am gone. During this time, I need you and your friends to keep him at bay until I return.”
“And when you return, that’s when we’ll defeat him, right?”
“No. You and your friends will return to Ponyville and await further instructions, from me.”
“But, why?”
“Twilight, we must exercise extreme caution when dealing with Mephisto. He is far too impulsive and unpredictable to take lightly. One misstep could mean the end of us. When we confront Mephisto, we must trap him and destroy him, right then and there. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, Princess.”
Celestia got so worked up, she had forgotten Twilight came to ease her concerns, not create more of them.
She let out a deep sigh to relieve her own stress. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m not helping your anxiety at all, am I?”
“I-it’s okay, Princess. At least it’s nice to know you’re taking this seriously. It’s a little hard to tell with you, sometimes.”
Celestia chuckled to herself.
Twilight suddenly broke into a loud yawn. Her worries weren’t completely gone, but her conversation with the Princess did help alleviate some of her concerns. “I think it’s about time I went back to bed. Thanks, Princess.”
As Twilight reached the door, Celestia called out to her, one last time.
“Twilight, wait. I have one more important instruction for you.
There will come a time when Mephisto may try to lure you into the Everfree Forest. Do not, under any circumstances, follow him, unless Carl is by your side. Protect him, Twilight. He’s our final hope.”
“Princess, are you really sure Carl's that important? I mean, I still don’t get what’s so special about him...”
“That will become apparent soon enough”
“But, that’s not soon enough.”
“Good Night, Twilight.”
With that, Twilight returned to her chambers.
The next morning, Carl was sound asleep in his large, soft, royal bed. Compared to Rarity's sofa, the comfort he felt was pure bliss. Wrapped up snugly in a heavenly blanket, safe in the warmth of his own dreams, he was perfectly content.
“Come on, Carl! It’s time to get up!”
His dream bubble burst, as his consciousness awoke and cruel reality crept back in.
“Huwhu…?” Carl eloquently asked in a daze.
“I said ‘Come on’!” Twilight called. “Everypony else already had breakfast, so hurry up, or you’ll go hungry.”
She walked away, hoping her warning would give Carl the motivation he needed to force himself up. She returned a few minutes later, only to find him already passed out, at the bottom of the bed.
“Oh, for Celestia’s sake…” She levitated him with her magic, carried him out of his room and dropped him in the hallway for a rude awakening.
“Whu-? What’s going on? What’s happening?” He asked in a confused scuffle.
“Focus, Carl. You’re in Celestia’s castle, remember?”
Carl merely grumbled in response, as he picked himself up.
“Just follow me to the kitchen, maybe the walk will help wake you up.”
He did as he was instructed, still half-asleep.
“Good morning, Princess Luna.” Twilight greeted as the fatigued monarch drooped past them.
She locked sights with Carl, as the two of them shared a deep kinship over the weight of their exhaustion, emanating from their sulking expressions. They both gave each other a begrudging “Meh.” and carried on their way.
Before she headed into her quarters, Luna felt as if she should give Carl some words of encouragement, as she would be resting during his confrontation with Mephisto.
“Carl!” She sloppily yelled.
“Uhn…?” He replied, tilting his head around.
“Don’t screw up.”
“Uh.” He turned back, raising his hoof in response, forgetting that he didn’t have a hand to give a thumbs up with.
Twilight guided the dreary equine into the kitchen and dropped him in his seat at the table.
“What the fuck… AH!” He suddenly yelled.
“What!? What is it!?”
“What happened to my hands!?”
“You’re in Equestria Carl, remember?”
He took a closer look at his hooves. It took a second, but his mind soon caught up with his memories. “Oh…. Oh, right! The horse thing. Man, I’m never getting used to waking up like this…”
“Nice to see you’re back in the land of the living.”
“Yeah, whatever…” Carl waved off her sarcasm and instead, focused on her strange attire. “What’s with the hat and apron?”
“What? I’m making breakfast.”
“Aren’t you a Princess?” He yawned. “Don’t you have servants to do that?”
“I prefer to make my own breakfast. Heck, even Princess Celestia insists on cooking sometimes.”
“Where is old Celery anyway?”
“She’s headed to the Everfree Forest, so she’ll be gone a couple of hours or so.”
Twilight presented Carl with a plate of fluffy pancakes, covered in whipped cream and strawberries.
“Oh shit, pancakes!?”
“You like them?”
“Hell yeah, I do!”
“Great! Let me just grab you a-”
Before she could finish, Carl had already shoved his face into his plate, taking advantage of his giant horse mouth to devour his breakfast like a starved dog.
“-knife… and… fork….” Twilight was both mesmerised and nauseated by the sight of his gluttony. “You do realise you’re in the presence of royalty, right?”
“What’s that got to do with pancakes?”
“I guess it was a little too much to expect basic table manners from you.”
“Yeah, like I’m going to waste my time learning that shit.”
“Yo, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash announced. “Are you done with- woah!”
Dash was left in awe by Carl's mess.
“What the hell are you staring at?” He berated, his face still covered in cream.
“Dude, what did you do to those pancakes?”
“Rainbow Dash, glad you’re here.” Twilight immediately acted upon this perfect opportunity she was just presented. “Could you do me a favour?”
“Uh… okay?”
“I have to help Unis organise the guards across Canterlot, could you keep an eye on Carl while I’m gone?”
“He can take care of himself, he’s not a kid, Twilight.”
“Could have fooled me.” Twilight hung up her hat and apron and left Rainbow Dash with her task.
Carl laughed to himself. “She's certainly gotten sassier.”
“At least it’s not as bad as it was before. When she first came to Ponyville she thought we were all crazy.”
“Can’t imagine where she got that idea.” Carl mumbled to himself, as he attempted to leave.
“Hey. Where are you going?” Dash asked excitedly.
“I don’t know… I was just going to walk around the castle aimlessly until something interesting happened.”
“Oh, cool. I’ll come too.”
“Why?”
“Well, Twilight did say to keep an eye on you.”
“Don’t expect a conversation.”
“O-oh, yeah, sure.”
Just as he said, Carl wandered through the empty castle halls, going wherever he pleased, but each hallway felt the same as the last, and he was perplexed by the scent of lavender wherever he went.
The whole time, Rainbow Dash awkwardly followed behind him, with a grin on her face, grating on Carl’s nerves.
“What the hell are you so giddy about?”
“Oh, you know… just having a good day.”
“Well, stop it. It’s weirding me out.”
“Oh, right. Guess I gotta be more serious.”
Dash’s smile suddenly changed to a frown. Carl had no idea what she was doing, but didn’t care enough to ask.
Their pointless meandering through the castle was eventually interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who also seemed to be on a mindless stroll.
“Hey, Carl!” She waved. “You bored, too?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, at least you got Rainbow to keep you company.”
“I guess.”
“Hey, Pinks.” Dash asserted. “You’re not gonna start buggin' us are you?”
Pinkie glanced over at Carl, perplexed by Dash’s aggression, but he simply shrugged, completely clueless. With that, Pinkie chose to ignore it.
“How’s the scarf?” She asked.
“Itchy.”
“Yeah.” Dash intervened, again. “Maybe he should get a new one, that’s not so, um…. itchy.”
Pinkie and Carl looked at each other again, still puzzled, but continued their conversation anyway.
“So, how’s your leg?” Pinkie asked, pointing to the cloth still tied around Carl’s leg.
“It’s okay, but I’m afraid if I take the rag off, Fluttershy might start bitching at me, you know?”
“Yeah.” Dash interrupted, once again. “She can be such a pain in the butt, always… uh… butting into other pony’s business.”
“Dash, can you shut the fuck up?” Carl politely requested.
“W-What? Oh… sure.”
“Dashie, are you okay?” Pinkie asked. “You’re acting weird.”
“Me? Of course I’m okay. Nothing wrong with me.”
“Then, why are you being so… mean.”
“What? Oh, just a little grumpy, I guess.”
“You told me you were having a good day.” Carl replied.
“Oh… um. I changed my mind.”
Pinkie was growing suspicious and proposed an idea. “Dash, you’re not possessed by Mephisto, are you?”
“That would explain her strange behaviour.” Carl agreed.
Dash started to sweat, as she slowly backed away. “Wh-what are you talking about? Mephisto can’t just hide himself completely when possessing somepony.”
Pinkie wasn’t satisfied, her claim lacked Dash’s usual conviction. “That sounds like something Mephisto would say, to cover his tracks.”
“Dash, don’t make me beat that demon out of you.” Carl added.
The threats and overall tension forced Rainbow Dash into a corner, as she quickly lost her composure. “Okay! I admit it! I-I was just trying to be cool!”
“What!?” The interrogating pair exclaimed.
“I was just... trying to be cool... like Carl, you know?” She answered, embarrassed and ashamed by her confession.
A nauseating pain slivered it’s way into the pit of Carl’s stomach. “Ew, what are you, a child?” He criticised. “I mean, at least you're not possessed, but don’t copy me like that, it’s fucking annoying.”
Aggravated, Carl walked away, leaving Dash disheartened. Luckily her friend Pinkie was right there, ready to pick her back up, again.
“What are you trying to act cool for? You’re already the coolest pony I know!” She comforted with a big hug.
Rainbow Dash wasn’t entirely convinced by that statement. “Yeah… thanks Pinkie.”
“And besides.” Twilight added, suddenly appearing from behind them. “Mephisto can’t possess us, since we’re protected by the magic of the Elements of Harmony.”
“Twilight!” Dash jumped. “Why are you here!?”
“I was just looking for Carl, but before you ask. Yes, I saw everything.”
“Oh… well, that’s embarrassing.”
“You know, Rainbow. I don’t think Carl’s the kind of pony you should be emulating, if you want to look cool. You should emulate somepony more respectable and responsible, like me.”
Dash burst into laughter. “Nice one, Twilight. You really know how to cheer me up.”
“B-but I… wasn't... joking...”
Their laughter and merriment was cut short by the sound of a distant explosion that shook the entire castle.
A guard, suddenly came rushing down the hallway. “Princess, he’s arrived, just as you predicted!”
Twilight and the others immediately psyched themselves up for the battle ahead.
“Alright.” Twilight declared. “Let’s go.”
She gathered her friends and Carl around the entrance to the castle, as they prepared to head into the city.
“Alright, everypony! Listen up!” Twilight called. “Unis has already rallied the guards, their main priority is protecting the ponies of Canterlot from Mephisto’s assault. Carl and I will go on ahead, to distract Mephisto while the rest of you help with the evacuation.”
“What!?” Dash yelled. “Why are you two going alone!? I thought we were supposed to fight him together!”
“Without the Elements of Harmony, you’ll only risk getting yourselves hurt! We’ve handled Mephisto before and we just need to distract him until the Princess returns.”
“But, I want to help!”
“No, Rainbow Dash! One wrong move and Mephisto will destroy you and if something like that were to happen to you, or any of us, it'd be all over for Equestria!”
“But-”
“Will you shut up and listen!” Carl added. “At least you get to do the easy shit!”
“O-okay…”
Twilight sighed in exasperation. “Alright, is everypony, ready?”
“Ready!” Her friends replied.
“Ready, Carl?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”
“Alright, let’s move out!”
Twilight and her companions rushed down the entrance stairway, towards the city, except for Fluttershy who stopped momentarily.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “Quit stalling, we've got to move.”
“But, Carl hasn’t made it down the stairs, yet.” She pointed to the staircase where Carl was slowly working his way down, step by step.
Twilight had never seen a sight quite like it before. “What the heck is he doing?”
“He has trouble with stairs.”
“There’s no time for this. I’ll just levitate him down.”
“Back off, Twiddles!” Carl objected. “I can do this! I’m almost there!”
Against her better judgement, Twilight allowed Carl to see his ordeal to the bitter end. As he took each step, he grew more confident in his gait and quickly sped up, soon reaching the bottom with few issues.
“Wow, good job, Carl.” Fluttershy congratulated. “You've improved so much.”
“Uh, thanks.”
Losing her patience, Twilight lifted the two of them with her magic. “Yeah, great, awesome... let’s go, already!”
Twilight quickly caught up with the rest of her friends, as the guards escorted crowds of terrified, aristocratic and tourist ponies from the city. The girls split up as they headed deeper, rescuing ponies trapped in buildings, too paralysed by fear to move.
With Twilight and Carl left on their own, they trekked further into the city, with the crowds growing thinner, until they reached a deserted district. Although the area was empty, they could tell Mephisto was close by. The smoking crater where the road used to be was a dead giveaway to his presence.
“Come out, Mephisto! I know you’re here!” Twilight demanded.
As if on command, a bolt of purple lightning struck the ground and from the burst of light, a pony with the same scar across their face appeared before them.
“Princess Twilight.” They addressed. “You referred to me by name. It seems Celestia finally caved in to your whining and trusted you with some information, for once.”
“Are you still possessing that criminal from yesterday?”
“Of course. We have a symbiotic relationship. He provides me with a body and in return, he’s given destructive power beyond his wildest dreams, and all he had to do was sacrifice his consciousness and free will.”
“That doesn’t sound like a very good deal to me.”
“Hey, as long as it works. But, enough about me, what brings the royal sister’s third wheel here?”
“I’m here... to take back the Sacred Shield, that you stole!”
Mephisto’s face contorted as he attempted to hold back his laughter, but nothing was really stopping him from letting loose and so, he indulged himself in some cackling that echoed throughout the empty city.
“You really do amuse me, with your baseless accusations, Princess.” He wiped away his tears and calmed himself down.
“Laugh all you want, but I will stop you.”
Mephisto’s usual gleeful smirk suddenly twisted into a sulk. “Oh, you sad, deluded fool. You actually, truly believe you have even the tiniest chance against me. You’re like a child, desperately trying to impress the older kids by mindlessly waltzing into the forest, completely oblivious to the horrors that await you.”
“Your words won’t sway me from completing my mission.”
Mephisto’s voice dropped lower, almost to a whisper, as if he was addressing a little filly. “Such an eager little princess, aren’t we? But, I guess that’s to be expected, from someone with such a deep seated fear of failure.”
“I-I’m not scared of failure. Everypony fails sometimes, just look at Carl.”
"Hey!"
“Yes, but not everyone has to live up to the expectation of royalty." Mephisto replied. "The anxiety eats away at you, hollows you out, until you're a shell of your former self. That's when the obsession starts. You fill the emptiness with studying in a desperate quest for acceptance and purpose, even at the cost of destroying your social life, which, in turn, leads to loneliness and regret, as you push away the few friends you had left.”
“It was thanks to my studies, I was able to achieve what most ponies could only dream of!”
“Of course, you became a Princess, even ascended to an alicorn, but your never-ending quest for purpose only feeds into your fear. Now, if you fail, all of Equestria will suffer. To think, the fate of millions, resting in the hooves of a mere shell.”
“A shell?”
“Indeed. A lowly shell, a husk, a puppet Celestia parades around as a princess to make them feel special. I guess when you’ve lived for a thousand years, you can’t help but develop a sick sense of humour.”
“That's not true!”
“And don’t get me started on the quesadillas...”
“That’s enough!” Twilight’s magic exploded, forming a massive, chaotic sphere around her and knocking Carl on his rear.
“Jesus, Twilight! What did those quesadillas do to you!?”
“I am not a husk!” Twilight got into position as she readied herself to fire. “I’m here for one reason: To wipe your evil from Equestria, once and for all!”
Mephisto giggled in glee. “I don’t think you realise just how wide the gap between us actually is. But, if the puppet wishes to break free from it’s strings, only to throw it’s life away, then who am I to stop it?”
Twilight’s magic was surging, she hadn’t felt a sensation like this, since the day she received her Cutie Mark. This time, however, she was in control and she was going to hit Mephisto with everything she had, all at once.
She didn’t care about winning, nor did she truly believe she could. All she cared about was dealing as much damage to Mephisto as possible. To wound him, to weaken him, to do anything that could help buy Celestia as much time as she needed to return with the Elements of Harmony.
Upon finishing her power-up, Twilight threw her magic at Mephisto, in one giant blast. The scale of her attack impressed, even Carl. It was at least the size of large building.
It tore through the street, disintegrating any unsuspecting debris in its path and shattering windows with its sheer force, until it collided with Mephisto head on. The blast consumed him, as the ground shook violently and the energy settled in place, preparing to detonate.
But, there was no explosion.
Twilight’s heart sank into her stomach, as she realised something had gone horribly wrong. All of the magic she had amassed was just sitting there, doing nothing. The violent shaking lessened and soon, her attack began to slowly shrink in size.
Mephisto’s purple lighting soon crackled around the blast, dissolving it like salt in the ocean. Soon, her massive magical attack was reduced to the size of a tiny ball in Mephisto’s hoof, as he was left unharmed. Surrounded by his own Negative Magic and with a sick grin on his face, Mephisto had reduced the most powerful attack Twilight could muster into a mere speck and with both hooves, crushed it, along with her hopes.
Twilight was utterly devastated, she knew she wasn’t strong enough to defeat Mephisto on her own, but she never imagined just how futile her efforts truly were.
“What’s wrong, little princess.” Mephisto chided. “Was that all you had? You were a lot stronger when you fought Tirek, but even then, you had to siphon you strength from the other princesses for that one. On your own, you’re just a mere shell.”
She simply stood still. Shaking and staring into space. She didn’t know what to do, she never felt so helpless before. Having been bested so soundly, Twilight couldn’t even gather the energy to defend herself, as Mephisto prepared his counterattack.
It wasn’t much, but with how weakened Twilight was, a simple beam would be enough to finish her, but once Mephisto took aim and fired, at the last second, something ran in front of it.
Once the smoke cleared, the obstacle revealed itself. “Goddammit, what am I doing?”
“Carl!” Mephisto yelled. “Are you seriously getting in my way, again!?”
“Well, I didn't come here to sight see!”
“Idiot!”
“Is that all? After the shit you put Twily through, I was expecting something a little more venomous.”
“And what could I possibly say about you?”
“I don’t know, surprise me. Give me your worst.”
Mephisto smiled at the opportunity to break Celestia’s most prized possession. “Well, Carl. It's no secret that everyone thinks you’re nothing, but a foul-mouthed, blowhard. An overconfident, self-centered charlatan, who feigns intelligence and confidence to fool those around them into believing they’re more intelligent than they really are.
In short, you’re just a loser and being a loser is the only reason Celestia chose you, because no well adjusted person would ever risk their life for such a pointless endeavour, that doesn't even concern them. At least, this way, you get to pretend you're important, even if just for a moment.”
Much like Twilight, Carl was shocked by the response he got, but not for the same reason. “Was that it?”
Mephisto was confused by his dismissive tone. “What?”
“Come on, man. Where’s the hard hitting insults? This is surface level shit.”
“What? I just ripped you apart!”
“Oh, please. Twilight said the same shit, like, ten minutes after I met her. Where’s the juicy, personal stuff? Really dig into my negative emotions. Don’t hold back!”
Mephisto simply glared, he couldn’t do anything, he had nothing and by the smug look on Carl’s face, he knew it.
“What’s wrong, Smokey? Oh, that's right, you don't have any of my memories. Well, ain't that a bitch...”
“Maybe not, but if I can’t break your mind, I’ll just control it!” Mephisto flew out of his host body and into Carl, surrounding him with a purple aura.
“Carl, no!” Twilight yelled.
“Why didn’t I think of this earlier!?” Mephisto laughed. “I’ll just take Celestia’s secret weapon as my own, then I can use it to destroy her! It'll be perfect! You hear that, Celestia!? I win!”
“Will you stop yelling in my ear!?”
“What!? I... I can't move!?”
Despite Mephisto implanting himself into his body, Carl was still very much in control. “You might want to get out of there, before I accidentally trip and hurt myself. In case you couldn't tell, I'm very good at taking physical abuse, not sure about you, though.”
Mephisto immediately retreated back to the criminal’s body. “Why!? Why can’t I possess you!”
“Because, fuck you, that’s why.
You use people’s memories to exploit their fears, to worm your way into their psyche and possess them. Unfortunately, for you, you don’t have any memories of me to exploit and I’d rather die than have some asshole control me.”
Mephisto’s fury was at it's limit, he was sick of dealing with Carl’s bizarre resistance to his powers, but that didn’t deter him. In fact, Mephisto took Carl’s last remark as a challenge. “You’d rather die? That can be arranged.”
“Oh, goddammit, why did I say that?”
The sky grew dark, as black clouds rolled in and lightning crackled in the air “I won’t bother starting with the easy stuff. This time, I’ll slaughter you, right from the start!” The bolts in the air gathered into Mephisto’s horn as he readied his attack. “Now, let’s see how resilient you really are!”
Mephisto fired a destructive, violet beam. Pulsing with electrical bolts and soaring at high speeds, there was no time to dodge. Carl could only hold out his hooves and pray he could hold the energy back.
His back hooves firmly locked in place, Carl caught the beam head on and it burned like hell. “Shit!” Was all he could manage to say in response, as he desperately tried to keep the attack from consuming him.
Little did he know, Mephisto was pumping out more and more magic, causing the blast to grow in size. Soon, a large pool of energy had built up in front of Carl, not that he could see it for the beam in front of him.
Once Mephisto felt he had used enough power, he ceased fire. By this point, the energy that had built up in front of Carl was far too great for him to just throw back. With a simple tap of Mephisto's hoof, the built up energy exploded, consuming Carl and Twilight in the process.
The blast shook the entire city. The once finely crafted streets of Canterlot had been completely ripped to shreds, as Mephisto gloated over his handiwork. “And, with that. Celestia’s hopes are no more.”
But, the battle wasn’t quite over yet. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed Carl, still standing, but just barely.
“What!?” Mephisto cried.
He looked over at Twilight, as the barrier around them faintly shattered. With her last once of strength, Twilight protected them from Mephisto’s attack.
Carl wasn’t feeling too good himself. Twilight’s magic may have absorbed most of the damage, but he was still physically exhausted, ready to keel over at any moment. He could try taunting, but it was obvious Mephisto wasn’t playing games anymore, he was out of options.
“Well, Carl.” Mephisto gloated. “Got any last quips you’d like to share?”
"Go die." He sneered out of spite.
“I thought so.” The sky grew dark, once again, as black clouds swirled around a massive collection of energy. “This next attack will flatten the entire city! After one thousand years of suffering at Celestia's hooves, I'll finally get my revenge!”
There was a sudden crash, as the black clouds dissipated. Carl was speechless, as he witnessed a rainbow streak dart out from an alleyway and ram a blue hoof right into Mephisto’s face, sending him flying from the force of their velocity.
“What the fuck?” Carl stated in bewilderment.
“Yo! Did you see that!? I knocked him right into that building!” The rainbow pony cheered.
“Rainbow Dash!?”
“Carl! Did you see that!? That was so awesome!”
“Get the fuck out of there, you idiot!”
“What!?”
A bolt of lightning struck Rainbow Dash, encasing her in an electrical prison, as another bolt accompanied Mephisto’s return.
“Oh, for god’s sake…”
Mephisto’s magic lifted himself and Dash into the air, away from any potential danger. “I usually prefer to destroy my enemies, outright.” He informed her. “But, I really despise it when someone interferes when I’m in the middle of a grand, finishing move. You can suffer in this cage, slowly, while you watch your friends get obliterated.”
Dash could see the look of disappointment and anger on Carl’s face, even from her distance. “I’m sorry… I just wanted to help!” She called out.
She braced herself for another slew of harsh insults.
Carl calmly addressed her. “It’s alright, Dash… it’s not your fault… this bastard's just too strong, but at least we’ll go out looking cool…”
Dash was humbled by his response.
“Not… yet…” Twilight stood up. “Carl… I’ve got one last idea.”
“Holy shit, how can you still stand after taking all that punishment?”
“What? You think I became a princess just through money, connections and dumb luck?”
“You’ve got some balls to start shit-talking, right when we’re about to die.”
“We might not have to, if my plan works.”
“And what is this brilliant plan of yours?”
“Point your hoof forward.”
“Uh.. okay?”
Carl pointed his hoof, clueless as to what was about to happen.
Mephisto watched the two of them, puzzled, yet intrigued by their antics.
A magical aura surrounded Carl's body, freezing him in place. Twilight swiveled him around and took aim, as if he were a cannon. She generated as much magic as she could and in a burst of energy, Carl’s body rocketed towards Mephisto at incredible speeds.
“WHAT THE FUCK, TWILIGHT!?” Carl screamed.
“What did she-!?” Before Mephisto could finish his sentence, Carl’s hoof punched right into Mephisto’s gut, sending him flying, for a second time and freeing Dash from his prison.
Having lost all his momentum, Carl fell straight back to the ground, but thankfully, Rainbow Dash swooped in to catch him.
“Man, you two really are crazy.” Dash praised, as she helped Carl to the ground.
“You’re one to talk. What the fuck were you thinking, jumping in like that!? You’re lucky you weren’t blown to pieces!” Carl yelled.
“But, I was just doing what you do!”
“Why the hell would you ever want to do what I do!?”
“I just… respect you, that’s all.”
“Respect? What?”
“I don’t know… I just like how you always stick to being yourself, even when everypony else is against you. The way you handled that Lightning Ball, when nopony else would, the way you stand up to Twilight, Unis and Mephisto, ponies that are all way more powerful than you. I've met a lot of cool ponies, but your drive to always challenge those above you... something about that is just... impressive.”
“You’ve got weird tastes, Dash.”
“THIS ISN’T OVER!” Mephisto returned, once again and this time, he was livid and his powers, unstable.
“NO MORE INTERRUPTIONS! NO MORE SURPRISE ATTACKS! I AM WIPING THIS ENTIRE CITY OFF THE MAP, RIGHT NOW!”
“NO, YOU’RE NOT!”
A blinding, golden light burst forth in front of Carl and the others. “Celestia? What the fuck took you so long!?”
“I apologise, the Everfree Forest can be a tricky maze to traverse, but it seems I made it in time.”
Mephisto locked sights onto Celestia and recognised the jewels levitating around her, the Elements of Harmony. The sight of those precious gems all but confirmed his suspicions.
He dropped his temper tantrum immediately. “Alright, Princess. I concede this battle to you. But, when we meet again, you, you’re kingdom and its people, shall all fall.”
With his final message, Mephisto fled.
“Finally... “ Carl sighed. “I can lie down.” He collapsed onto the ground.
“You three did wonderfully.” Celestia praised. “Allow me to tend to your wounds.”
Celestia’s horn emitted a gentle, warm glow as the aches and scrapes of Twilight and Carl’s battle disappeared.
“Was that healing magic?” Carl asked.
“It’s not much, but it should be enough to get you back on your hooves.”
“Well, thanks, I guess…”
Twilight looked over the destruction that laid before her. “Look at all the damage he did to Canterlot…”
“Indeed, I didn’t expect him to be quite this aggressive. Just all the more reason why we must be cautious when we confront him again.”
“Twilight said he stole a shield or something.” Carl questioned. “But, I didn’t see him use any shield during our fight.”
“He’s obviously saving it for something. And I have a hunch on what it might be.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“Return to Ponyville. Now that he’s seen the Elements, I am certain he will put his plan into motion.”
“Fine... but, I've still got one more question, that desperately needs answering.” Carl pressed.
"What?"
Carl turned to Twilight. "What's with the quesadillas?"
"I-I refuse to comment."