//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Flipping Your Fins (Part 4) // Story: The Fairy Tale Fiasco // by LaWombat //------------------------------// Twilight didn't remember falling asleep, so when her eyelids fluttered open after stirring from a fading dream, she was confused by the warmth of blankets tucked around her. She jolted up, and the sheets slid down her back while her gaze whipped around. Though the place was dim, she quickly recognized the elegant guest bedroom of the seaside castle. Her sluggish mind took a moment to process how she had returned, slowly recalling her time spent with Sombra the previous night. He hadn’t said anything else after sharing his past, and in the quiet darkness, she must have nodded off. Twilight felt her face grow warm at the idea that he might have been the one to carry her back without waking her. As her ears lowered, she nearly jumped out of the bed when something shifted in her mane and tumbled over her nose. She followed the bright object with her eyes, watching while the lily that Sombra had given her floated gently to the comforter. With a quick sigh and a soundless chuckle, Twilight reached out and carefully picked up the flower, rotating it delicately between her hooves. The petals had wilted slightly, but it still held a strong floral scent when she sniffed at it, and the vibrant orange appeared to glow in the soft light from the shaded curtains. She hadn’t really seen it in the darkness of the night, but the color perfectly contrasted against her fur, while the small blue ribbon even matched the dress she had been wearing. She tried not to read too much into it, but the careful attention to such details couldn’t have been a coincidence. And her thoughts couldn’t help but wander over the possible meaning behind the flower. Some lilies represented friendship or sympathy; while in older times they symbolized humility and devotion... even love. Twilight’s heart began to beat in a nervous rhythm, and she gasped in surprise, dropping the flower and pulling the blanket over her nose to stare wide-eyed at the wall. She was definitely reading too much into it. She couldn’t deny that Sombra was intelligent and well educated. He could be aware of the implications... but that didn’t make it a certainty, because it… it wasn’t as if… they were actually falling in love…? Twilight found it difficult to wrap her head around the possibility. He was King Sombra! A past transgressor against the Crystal Empire! But… also a lost prince? The crystal ponies didn’t appear to remember or recognize who he was, but if they knew... She buried her face in the blankets with a silent groan. Why did it have to be so complicated? It wasn't as if they had never reformed an enemy before, and Sombra had already shown how much he could change—or at least put aside their differences to work towards a common goal... but falling in love was a bit of a leap. Her friends might be sympathetic after some serious convincing, but what would her brother and Cadence think? If Shining ever found out, he would probably try to throw Sombra in a frozen crevice for another thousand years! But—everything was fine—because she wasn’t in love with him. She was just nervous about kissing a stallion that she hardly knew… that was all. Lost in her concerns, Twilight fidgeted with the sheets and didn’t hear the clamor of noise in the hallway until a resounding crash echoed behind the closed door. She jumped to her hooves and looked at it with a frown before lowering herself to the floor and approaching cautiously. She turned the doorknob as quietly as possible and opened it a crack, only enough for her to discreetly peek through. A crystal pony was crouched against the tiles, frantically scooping up the shards of a broken tea set and dumping it all onto his tray. His tail swept out beside him, trying to sop up a puddle of liquid that had spilled across the marble. “What a mess!” A pegasus stepped up and lifted the dripping tray. “No, no! I’ll clean this up. You go prepare more tea!” he barked impatiently at the pony on the floor. “Her visit may have been unexpected, but the princess should have been served this much sooner!” “Yes, sir!” The pony straightened up before dashing back down the hall. Twilight tugged the door open with a look of shock. It wasn’t as if she had forgotten about Rarity, but the knowledge had simply slipped her mind. With her thoughts completely distracted by other matters the previous day, she’d quietly hoped that Rarity’s brief introduction as a princess had been a one-time appearance. Quickly galloping past the servant trying to mop up the spilled tea with his neckerchief, Twilight spotted another pair of ponies carrying elegant-looking sandwich trays and followed after them through the castle. They led her out to a path that curved around the courtyard, continuing on into tall hedges and white stone walls that towered over her. Twilight didn’t have time to stop and admire the architecture; she simply ran beneath the arched gateway. She was immediately surrounded by decorative fences covered by exotic plants and flowers. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the soft murmur of voices and hesitantly moved forward to follow a stone walkway. The path wound past trickling fountains and enclosures filled with elegant statues, so it took her some time before she finally descended a set of stairs and Rarity’s voice clearly reached her ears. Pausing with her hoof in the air, Twilight shifted to the railing and peered over, gazing into the shaded garden spread out before her. Rarity sat at a stone table across from Sombra while the pair of servants laid the sandwich trays before them. Only a few steps away, a group of extravagantly polished guards stood at attention. “Oh, I know it's terribly impractical,” Rarity said with an apologetic smile, continuing a conversation that Twilight had missed. “But I wasn't too certain of it myself. After all, we're practically strangers.” Sombra’s expression was one of disgust, and he wrinkled his nose at the sandwiches as if they had a foul smell. “It’s been far too long since the initial proposal… correct?” He turned to the old servant standing next to him with a peculiar look. The diligent pony gave an affirmative nod. “Four months, Sire.” “It was an awfully long time,” Rarity agreed, lifting one of the sandwiches in her magic to take a polite nibble. “But you see, when I had finally worked up the courage to meet with you to consider official arrangements, well… what happened to your parents was a tragedy…” At the mention of parents, Sombra appeared to stiffen, but he didn’t say anything to stop her, so Rarity continued on. “And I very well couldn’t have considered visiting with such intentions after everything you had been through. That was… until I rescued you on the beach.” Her expression took on a dreamy look. “I just felt something that… connected us! It was like… like love at first sight! As if fate had brought us together at last.” Rarity sighed, folding her hooves beneath her chin and fluttering her long eyelashes. “So I arrived as quickly as I could to accept our parent’s marriage proposal.” Twilight’s jaw dropped open as she shot up against the railing, shifting so far forward that she felt her hoof slip. She flared her wings to catch herself, but her own panicked motion sent her tumbling down the stairs instead. Every head in the garden turned her way when she hit the bottom of the steps in a crumpled mess. “Miss Twilight!?” The old servant’s surprised voice cried out, and she heard the heavy thud of hooves approach as the world spun around her in a patchwork of blotted light. A shadow fell over her, and she winced when Sombra’s dark hoof reached out to help her stand. “Goodness! Are you alright?” Rarity trotted up beside Sombra, looking at Twilight with a mixture of concern… and apprehension? As Twilight leaned gratefully against Sombra while rubbing at a hardening lump on the back of her head, Rarity’s eyes flicked between the two of them, and Twilight saw her mouth form into a thin frown. “And, ah, who is this curious creature?” Rarity asked in an oddly strained tone. “A friend,” Sombra gruffly stated. “And I need to have a word with her.” He then pulled Twilight toward the bushes, parting them with his magic to step into the shade of the leaves. When the branches snapped shut and they were hidden from the others’ view, Twilight immediately started shaking her head before he could say anything. “I’m guessing that means I shouldn't marry her?” Sombra asked in a low voice while smiling at her with amusement. Twilight closed her eyes and nodded, letting out a soft breath in relief. As long as Sombra knew what to do, the story couldn’t progress any closer to her doom... right? “So, do we get married instead?” Sombra moved his hoof between the two of them, a sly grin slowly curling along his face. Twilight’s heart jumped, and she shook her head while waving her legs frantically. “Alright, you don’t have to look so serious about it,” Sombra grumbled as his grin faded. “Though I suppose it would be—” “My prince!” Rarity’s voice called out to them while the bushes rustled, and suddenly her head popped through the foliage as she sputtered and spit out a leaf. “Not to be intrusive, but what are you whispering about with this young mare before our wedding? Hmm?” “That is none of your—” Sombra started, before blinking in confusion. “Did you say ‘our wedding?” “Of course!” Rarity chirped happily and disappeared from the leaves while her magical aura surrounded Sombra and wrenched him from the bushes. With a start, Twilight burst through after him. “You were the ones to send the initial proposal, so once I told my own parents that I had decided to accept, they were so excited that they sailed here in our fabulous ship all set up for the ceremony! Granted, we have invitations to send and dresses to prepare, but sometime soon is completely possible. It’s such a grand ship! We use it to host celebrations and galas all the time, so it’s already fully stocked to serve a multitude of guests at a moment’s notice!” “There won’t be any wedding,” Sombra said with a growl, but Rarity was too lost in her own plans and clapped her front hooves together. “Well, not without the proper attire!” Three unicorns dressed in fabulously tailored clothes zipped up next to her while she waved her hoof at Sombra. “Please take him to be fitted for a suit!” Sombra bared his teeth with a curl of his lip, but his expression shifted to one of surprise when the combination of three magical auras suddenly surrounded his body. Maybe he could have easily resisted the magic of an entire army at one point, but with the storybook spell limiting his own, it only left him powerless against the three unicorns. His horn sparked and darkened in an attempt to throw them off, but they effortlessly dragged him over the grass toward the castle despite all his stomping and roaring. Twilight jumped up to follow, but skidded to a halt when she heard Spike shout for her from nearby. She glanced back at Rarity and her guards. While the stallions continued to stand at rigid attention with their gazes forward, Rarity was looking around as if searching for something. “Was that a dolphin? Oh, this garden has so many surprises! To think that they keep such adorable creatures!” Twilight heard Spike call out again and set off through the garden at a gallop. She followed his voice deeper through the covered pathways and into an open area with a decorated gazebo. A large lake that ended in a waterfall continued on through until it met with a river beyond a stone grate. The waterway must have connected to the ocean, because floating in the lake, waiting for her, was Spike. “Twilight!” Spike leapt into the air and spun in a quick flip before splashing down and swimming over to her as she stepped into the deeper water. “I’ve been looking for you all morning! The ponies I tried talking to just keep giving me fish!” “That is because land dwellers cannot understand creatures of the sea as we do.” Luna’s voice bubbled up from the center of the lake before she splashed elegantly to the surface, drifting over and lifting herself onto shore with one of her legs wrapped around a long, glimmering object. “It does not appear that your situation bodes well, dear sister,” Luna said with a grim tone. “We saw the wedding vessel as it arrived with the dawn, so there is not much time to act.” Twilight shook her head, trying to reassure Luna that the situation wasn’t like that. Even if the characters were following a script, she was certain that Sombra wouldn’t allow them to do as they wished, so long as Rarity gave him a moment to explain himself. Luna lifted the object that she held: a plain scabbard soaked with seawater that housed a polished handle of pearlescent material. “Rumors are spreading that the prince intends to marry this new princess.” “Wait!? Sombra’s marrying Rarity!?” Spike yelped, looking back at Twilight. She gave a firm shake of her head, but Luna only pursed her lips and appeared unconvinced. At that moment, the lake bubbled close by, right before Cadence practically flew from the surface, startling Twilight and Spike. “Luna!” she hissed fearfully. “We shouldn't have come without Father! If the surface dwellers catch us, they’ll cut us up and use our scales for their potions! Or worse!” Her eyes then flicked to Twilight, and her fear shifted to concern. Diving up to the shore, she grabbed Twilight’s hoof in her own. “Twilight! You have to stop the wedding!” “That is why the sirens gave us this dagger!” Luna said sternly, frowning at Cadence while lifting up the weapon. “B-but…” Cadence balked at the wicked knife in Luna’s hooves, even though it was still in its sheath. “We can’t ask Twilight to… to…” Her expression fell as she whispered, “Luna... she loves him.” “And he obviously does not love her back!” Luna snapped, pushing Cadence aside and laying the weapon on the ground in front of Twilight. “The dagger is the only way!” “Father and Celestia are with the sea witch now,” Cadence tried again. “They can find another way to save you, Twilight—” “But they won’t make it in time!” Luna hissed before turning to Twilight with a harsh glare. Twilight gulped as she looked down at the dagger before her. “The sea witch was able to summon the sirens again, and they offered us this dagger as the only solution.” She took hold of Twilight’s hoof and laid it over the sheath. “If the prince does not love you, you must take his magic by force. Use the dagger... and thrust it into his heart.” Twilight looked down at the knife in horror and took a step back, but Luna grabbed her leg and pulled her forward. “You must do this, Twilight!” Luna’s eyes suddenly pooled with tears. Her voice broke when she tugged on Twilight’s leg again, but with less force as before. “Don’t you want to return home?” Her ears lowered as Twilight’s gaze shifted to the dagger, then back up to Luna’s intense expression. With a soft inhale of breath, Twilight nodded, and Luna sighed, releasing her hoof. “Then the prince must die.” Cadence gasped softly beneath her hooves as the weight of silence pressed over them. When Twilight didn’t make a move to lift the dagger, Luna’s magic encased it in a dark blue glow as she levitated it up for her instead. “Please, Twilight. Can you do this? Can you kill the prince?” Twilight glanced at her 'sisters' with wide eyes, and they watched her quietly, appearing to be waiting for her decision—not that she had much of a choice. She picked up the knife in her magic and gave Luna a small nod, but only because she knew the outcome to this scenario. Sombra wasn’t in any danger; the little mermare couldn’t kill the prince. And neither could she. Luna’s look softened with relief, and she reached her hoof up to press against Twilight’s cheek. “Return home safely, sister. In time, you will forget your heartache.” And with that, she slipped beneath the water, with Cadence hesitating before following after her. Twilight watched as their shapes moved down the river and back toward the ocean. “Twilight…” Spike’s soft voice spoke up, and she realized that he hadn’t left with them. “A-are you really… to Sombra?” His expression was contorted into something of discomfort. “I know he’s done some bad things but… but… killing him?” Twilight hugged the dagger against her chest and shook her head, and Spike settled down in the water with a relieved sigh that bubbled from his jaw. She didn’t have any plans to go through with it. Sombra would be safe. And she could be too. She just had to get back and kiss him so they could end this horrifying fairy tale. If it even works, Twilight thought grimly. If Sombra was supposed to marry Rarity, and if the kiss didn’t work, then stopping the wedding could theoretically prevent the story from ending. It meant that she wouldn’t turn into seafoam… but it could potentially trap them in an eternal fairy tale. Whatever the outcome, time was running out. She needed to find Sombra. Nodding a quick goodbye to Spike, she hid the dagger beneath her wing and started back along the stone path, but quickly slowed to a stop at a rustling of leaves ahead of her. When Twilight perked her ears to listen, she heard a hushed voice urgently whispering, “Come on—! These dreadful branches!” Twilight stepped around the bushes to find Rarity yanking at her dress, trying to untangle it from a bramble. When her gaze lifted, she jumped up with a strangled cry, her eyes going wide while she shuffled a few steps backward. “Aaah… Oh, goodness! Ah… f-forgive me, darling, I was just…” Her eyes shifted around before landing on the flower bush, picking up a patch of buds so roughly that some of them scattered over the ground. “Picking flowers! Yes! I didn’t hear anything out of the… ordinary...” Rarity laughed nervously while keeping her eyes on Twilight. Twilight’s feathers ruffled as they both stood as still as statues, awkwardly staring at one another. She wasn’t certain how much Rarity had overheard, but it was clear from her fearful expression that she didn’t see Twilight as a friend. Their eyes remained locked until Twilight shifted her hoof only slightly. Rarity jumped back with a gasp before letting loose a high-pitched shriek. “GUARDS!” Rarity spun around and shot off through the garden, ripping her dress away from the bushes. “Guards! She’s attempting to kill the prince!” Twilight started after Rarity, shaking her head in fear, but there was no way she could defuse the situation quickly enough without a voice to explain the misunderstanding. Rarity had obviously heard Luna's plan to have her kill Sombra... but without the magic of a mermare, she couldn't understand Spike's question and how Twilight had refused to go through with it. No wonder she was jumping to conclusions! Before she could get much farther, Rarity’s armored soldiers dashed into her path, and Twilight skidded to a stop, jarring the dagger and causing the blade to slip from its sheath. The weapon fell to the ground with all the guards watching as it clattered against the stones. They reacted immediately, seizing Twilight in a grip of magic and picking her up off the ground as her legs and wings flailed in a panic. The three unicorns worked efficiently as a team, because Twilight quickly found her horn blocked when one of their auras wrapped around it with a suppression spell. “Goodness! Why does this have to happen today!?” Rarity stomped her hoof with a whine from where she stood at a safe distance. “Take her where she can’t harm anypony!” “I don’t care if it’s ‘fashionable,'” Sombra’s voice suddenly raged as he emerged along the path ahead. “I am not wearing that frilly robe!” He tromped toward them, snorting with a furious expression, but when he spotted Twilight hovering in the air, he froze with a look of surprise before his face twisted with a snarl. “WHAT are you doing!?!” “My Somby-womby!” Rarity called out while dashing over to him. Sombra stiffened when she wrapped her legs around his neck, trying to pull him away. “You shouldn’t get closer! She’s planning a coup to assassinate you!” Sombra’s expression faltered, and he wrinkled his snout as he looked up at Twilight. For a brief second, her breath caught in her throat, uncertain of what he would think until he spoke. “She is not capable of that,” Sombra said, shifting to take a step forward—but another guard marched up and barred his way. “I witnessed her conspiring with some… creatures! I couldn’t see them clearly, but I know what I heard!” Rarity tugged at his neck to pull him back. “Please, come away! I don’t want you hurt when I’ve barely gotten to know you!” “A misunderstanding,” Sombra simply said, shoving past the guard as Rarity stumbled back when she lost her grip. Another servant moved in to block his way, and Sombra was soon trying to push through four stallions to get to Twilight. “You worthless piles of filth! Remove yourselves! NOW!!!” “Nonsense! It’s too dangerous to involve yourself!” Rarity waved her hoof, and the same unicorn servants from before appeared and lifted Sombra while he growled with rage. “Take him to the ship! We don’t know if there are any more of them, but it will be safest there.” Rarity then swung her hoof to point at Twilight. “And take her to a holding cell! She won’t be laying a hoof on him!” Twilight tried to struggle out of their magical grasp, watching with horror as Sombra failed to escape his own bind despite thrashing about in a rage. “RELEASE ME, YOU WORMS!!!” Sombra roared, but the servants ignored his demands and hustled as quickly as they could out of the gardens, while Twilight’s own escorts started toward the castle. Twilight had nearly worn a groove into the floor from all of her pacing. Though her magic was limited, the guards had been careful to lock an inhibitor over her horn, making it impossible for her to try any spells to escape. That didn’t mean she hadn’t tried. Her cell had only the barred door and a single small window at the back near the ceiling. It gave her a limited view of the sun hanging low in the sky, well past its zenith. Her time was running out, but she had already examined the room from top to bottom, testing every stone and iron bar for weak points or makeshift weapons. With a frustrated huff, she stepped to the door one more time and lifted her hoof to bang against the bars. “Hey!” one of the guards sitting at attention nearby yelled at her. “Quit that racket!” Twilight angrily jerked her hoof toward her mouth and glared at the soldier, hoping he would understand her meaning. “Just be patient and we’ll give you a chance to explain yourself with a fair trial.” He had either understood her well enough or was simply trying to get her to quiet down. “But that’ll have to wait until it is deemed safe enough for the prince to return.” Twilight shook her head with a growl, stomping back over to the bench and flopping onto the hard surface with a huff. She would be seafoam by then! Pressing her hooves against her forehead, Twilight tried to come up with a solution. She just needed to distract the guards and steal their key. Lost in the turmoil of her sketchy escape plan, she only lifted her head when a friendly, high-pitched voice interrupted her thoughts. “Hey, guys! Are you gonna stay down here all day?” “Pinkie, don't come down here smelling like that,” one of the guards complained. “You know we're stuck guarding the prisoner.” “Yeah,” the second one piped up. “The captain promised to bring us some leftover cake, but there likely won't be any. Since they’re going through with the wedding today, Princess Rarity invited the whole castle staff to the ceremony so they could have enough guests for the celebration.” “Well, that's why I smell like frosting!” Pinkie giggled. “I made the cake for the reception.” She then leaned closer and lifted her hoof, as if she were divulging a secret. “And I made a few test cakes that are still in the kitchen!” The two guards exchanged a surprised look before one glanced back at Twilight with a frown. “You know we can't leave the prisoner.” “You just can't leave her unattended.” Pinkie smiled. “Why don’t you two grab some cake while I stand watch?” “Well…” the other guard started hesitantly. “We’re not supposed to abandon our posts.” “You’re not abandoning them!” Pinkie grinned. “You’re taking a cake break! Duh! That’s like, a standard for any job! Plus, I’m here! So it’s not abandoned, is it?” They apparently didn't need much more convincing than that. The two guards jumped up with happy whinnies and bolted down the hall, shouting over their shoulders, “Well be back in fifteen minutes!” “Take your time!” Pinkie called after them before turning to grin at Twilight through the bars. With a quick dance on her hooves, Pinkie whipped her head around and fit the tip of her mane into the keyhole, bouncing on her hoof tips with her tongue sticking out. Twilight hopped down from the bench after the lock let out a loud click and Pinkie exclaimed, “Piece of cake!” When the cell door opened, Twilight jumped up and hugged her friend tightly before leaning back and giving her a questioning look. “Oh, I knew you couldn’t do any of that assassin stuff!” Pinkie gave a quick snort as she fluffed up her mane again and stuck it into the lock around Twilight’s horn. “It’s like everypony forgot that you could barely walk when you got here!” When the magic dampener snapped and fell to the floor with a clank, Pinkie stepped back and bounced down the hallway, beckoning to Twilight urgently. “I didn’t believe that you could hurt the prince, but that’s not important now! We’ve got a boat to catch!” Twilight nodded, setting her expression to a determined frown as she followed Pinkie through the castle. The empty hallways echoed with the sounds of their hooves, and no pony intervened to stop them as they made their way out to the courtyard. All of the staff were gone, already aboard the ship to attend the impromptu wedding. The castle docks were located down the seaside cliffs, where a winding path of stairs led to a stone walkway with a wooden harbor built into the cove for the ships to stay. Twilight galloped behind Pinkie to one of the piers, and only slowed down to watch in horror while the vessel they sought sailed away as a dark shape on the horizon. “Shoot! We’re too late!” Pinkie pulled a spyglass from her mane and zoomed in on the boat. “Hey, wait! The ceremony hasn’t started yet! Nopony’s even up on the deck...” Twilight let her head hang low, but not in defeat. She took a quick moment to catch her breath before backing up along the pier and fluttering her wings. After a brief crouch, she took off with a running leap and soared away from the dock. Her body seemed to float before it became apparent that the wind wasn’t catching beneath her feathers properly. Twilight flailed her legs and pumped her wings, but she simply plummeted out of the air, dropping into the water below with a large splash. Pinkie blinked at her through the spyglass when she surfaced and spit out a stream of saltwater. “Gee! It’s almost like you’ve never flown before!” Twilight paddled in the water and stared up at Pinkie with a grimace, kicking her hooves and splashing furiously at the waves. “Twilight!” She heard Spike’s voice a split second before his head rose up beneath her hooves, and Twilight found herself draped across his back. Before she could slip into the water, she wrapped her legs around his dorsal fin and hugged him tightly. “What happened? Where’s Sombra!?” Spike asked frantically, but Twilight shook her head and pointed urgently at the ship in the distance. Without any further questions, Spike set his mouth in a thin line, ducked his head beneath the waves and kicked off toward the ship. “Wowie!” Pinkie gasped as she bounced along the pier, following them until she reached the end and waved excitedly. “No wonder nopony can hear you! You only speak dolphin!” As Pinkie and the docks shrank into the distance, it took Spike little time to catch up with the ship. The large vessel soon loomed above them, and Spike slowed his speed to carefully survey the outside. “Can you get up there, Twilight?” Spike asked, just as she spotted a rope hanging down from one of the levels above. She pointed him in that direction and grabbed it when she was close enough. Twilight managed to pull herself onto a tiny ledge, inching her hooves carefully over to rungs built into the side of the ship. “Be careful,” Spike pleaded, watching her as she climbed up the ladder to the top deck. When she finally made it to a point where she could peek over the railing, she was surprised by the lack of any pony on board and not a single guard. The ship hadn’t even been decorated for any kind of celebration, let alone a wedding. Apart from a lonely table and some crates in a corner, the empty deck stretched before her in silence. Despite the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach, Twilight pulled herself up and hunched low, trying to sneak her way over to a stack of barrels. “Aha!” Twilight spun around at the triumphant shout, lifting her gaze to see Rarity leaning over the railing from the bow. “There were more assassins! I knew spreading that news about the ceremony taking place today would be the perfect lure—” Rarity stopped, and her eyes narrowed as she leaned further over the railing. “You again? How did you escape?” Her gaze swept across the deck. “And why aren’t there more of you?” While Rarity’s eyes searched the boat, a pair of guards marched through one of the doorways below her with their horns glowing brightly. Their auras surrounded Twilight and held her in place, but before they could restrain her horn, Twilight fired off her own spell, lifting herself and disrupting their magic like a popping bubble. Even as they tried to catch her again, Twilight kept herself covered, levitating her own body through the air and using her wings to steer. It took some strain off of her limited magic reserve, but even so, Twilight’s brow quickly beaded with sweat from the effort. She managed to land herself across the deck, dropping down near the ship’s wheel. “Guards! Arrest her!” Rarity shouted, and doors from the cabins below banged open as more soldiers poured out onto the deck. A line of them stomped up the stairs and another group stood by the mast, surrounding Twilight on all sides while she backed herself up onto the railing. There was a high-pitched squeal from below, and Twilight heard a splash of water, followed by a shadow that quickly loomed over several of the guards. Before they could even look up, Spike’s body slammed down, knocking them across the deck and breaking through their barricade. “Hah! I wasn’t going to just leave you this time!” Spike cried triumphantly as the guards beneath him groaned. While Twilight grinned at his arrival, the line of soldiers quickly re-formed and began marching closer with their weapons drawn. Spike slammed his tail into one of the advancing stallions, but he couldn’t do more against the others that simply jumped out of his reach, and he flopped awkwardly against the deck. “You know, maybe I didn't think this through enough.” The ship suddenly rumbled deeply, and with a groan of planks and wood, a blast of shadowy magic exploded through the deck. Some of the guards scattered to escape the flying debris, while others stood their ground and held steady against the new threat. As rubble rained across the boat, all eyes turned to the large hole that Sombra had made from one of the lower decks. He climbed his way up through the mess, his expression furious as he growled at the nearby guards. “If any of you come near me, I will sink. This. Ship!” Sombra threatened, even though his horn weakly sputtered with the evidence that he didn’t have enough magic to back up that claim. Regardless, the guards took a step back with uncertainty in their eyes, exchanging glances among themselves while a few turned to Rarity with questioning looks. “Prince Sombra!” Rarity cried out as she galloped down the stairs toward him. “Why are you up here? You should be below where it’s safe!” She tried to shove him back toward the cabins, though her efforts barely budged him as he glared over the deck crossly. “There could be more assassins after your life!” “There are NO assassins!” Sombra shouted, spinning around to bare his teeth at her. “Twilight doesn’t have the spine to eradicate her enemies!” Twilight looked down at him with an unamused frown. While he wasn’t wrong, the way he had chosen to word his reasoning caused her feathers to ruffle. “How do you know?” Rarity wailed dramatically. “I saw her and her cohorts! I overheard their plans!” She grabbed his leg and tried to drag him away again, grunting with the effort and giving up when she only succeeded in disheveling his fur. The guards looked as if they wanted to assist, but Sombra’s threat held them in place. “I only wanted to ensure your safety before we are wed!” Sombra stiffened with a glare and leaned over her with an enraged scowl. “We. Are not. Getting married!!!” “What—b-but…” Rarity babbled in stunned confusion, flattening her ears as she stepped back. “But… but why!?” “Simple!” Sombra snapped, stomping closer to sneer in her face. “I despise you!” Rarity immediately fell back to her haunches, looking aghast as large tears welled in her eyes. She only got out a choked sob before throwing her head back and letting out a terrible wail, her tears splashing to the deck like a pair of fountains. Twilight glared at Sombra, and the guards didn’t stop her when she spread her wings and managed not to crash beside him. He turned to her with an annoyed look, only to frown deeper when he noticed her expression. “What? They are nothing but illusions,” Sombra said. “I only spoke the truth.” Twilight’s stern look intensified. Giving a low growl, Sombra turned to Rarity with an awkward clearing of his throat, and her tears stemmed briefly as her sobbing quieted to listen. “I... appreciate your concern,” Sombra grumbled while he wrinkled his nose. “But what I mean... is that I must rescind the proposal for our marriage.” Sombra stepped beside Twilight and linked his front leg around hers, and Twilight stiffened as she felt the attentive gazes of the soldiers focus completely on them. “In the time since, I have fallen in love with this one here. It would not be fair to ask you and I to wed, since my heart would not be in it.” His gaze then flicked to Twilight and he whispered between his grit teeth, “Happy?” Twilight could only respond with a stiff nod of her head. Maybe he had simply said it on a whim to appease her, but at his words, her heart felt like it had jumped into her throat. Rarity’s eyes were already red and puffy, and she sniffled lightly as she dried them with a delicate cloth. “Oh… I’m so—! I-I didn’t realize…” Rarity bowed her head. “I suppose I was so blinded by my own fantasies that I didn’t stop to think of anypony but myself. I sincerely apologize... and hope you’ll forgive my rash behavior. I was just… so happy… when I thought I had found my prince. I was also so worried for your safety when I thought your life was in danger.” Sombra only grunted in answer before tilting his head to Twilight and muttering, “I knew you were no assassin.” He then smiled as he stepped around to face her, and Twilight froze up when he lowered his head. “You can hardly bring yourself to harm these illusions.” She glanced briefly at their gaping audience, and Sombra’s eyes flicked to the side to follow her gaze. Without warning, his hoof slid beneath Twilight’s feathers, and her entire body trembled from the thrum of her pulse. As if he had hit a switch, her wings sprang open in surprise. He nudged them forward, and she numbly followed his direction, lifting them up to conceal their faces. “Now,” he rumbled softly, touching their horns together. “Isn’t this the part where we kiss?” With a deep blush illuminating her cheeks in the fiery glow of the sunset, Twilight nodded stiffly, her heart thundering in her chest as Sombra gently prodded her chin. He lifted her gaze to meet his own, and he may have said something when his mouth moved, but Twilight couldn’t hear anything past her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Sombra leaned in, and a shiver ran through her as his lips finally pressed against hers. Twilight’s nostrils flared as she took in a quick breath through her nose, her heart drumming all through her body while a feeling of electricity raced along her spine. She was only slightly aware of Sombra pressing closer, meshing their fur together as he sighed deeply into her mouth. She was no longer concerned with the guards or Rarity, who may have been hiding her own blush beneath her hooves while she pretended not to watch. The sensation that engulfed Twilight was enough to distract her from the embarrassment. She only knew this moment, his touch, and the surge of new, confusing emotions coursing through her. Time became irrelevant, and she wasn’t certain how much had passed before he slowly pulled away. Sombra wore a knowing smirk while her mouth opened uselessly. Even if the kiss had returned her voice, all that came out was an airy squeak. As the world around her came back into focus, she felt a burning heat rise along her face and ears. The last fairy tale’s unexpected kiss couldn’t even compare. Sombra’s embrace had been just like the descriptions she’d read about in romance novels. Her fur felt jittery, and her lips tingled from the fresh memory of contact, but as the exhilaration faded, it was quickly replaced by an odd discomfort that she hadn’t expected. Twilight lifted a hoof to press against her chest while she shifted her wings. She didn’t feel any physical pain, but the ache began to grow within her... as if a spell was winding its way through the core of her magic. Sombra let out a satisfied-sounding sigh. “Didn’t I say it would be—” He went quiet, possibly noticing her frantic look while she stared at the deck. “Twilight?” His voice sounded strange, and she realized it was her own senses that were off when he called to her again, sounding miles away even though he was standing right next to her. A sharp jolt of pain raced through her, and Twilight suddenly collapsed. Jumbled voices trying to reach her melded together in a thunder of noise that she couldn’t make out. She was too lost in the sudden convulsions that wracked her body. Bright streaks shot through her vision, and tears sprang to her eyes as she realized what was happening. She was turning into seafoam. The tears flowed over her cheeks. She had come so far, only to fail. The kiss had failed. All of her efforts—failed. All because she couldn’t work up the nerve to kiss him sooner… Twilight curled up into a pathetic ball, only slightly feeling the distant touch of somepony—possibly Sombra—trying to lift her; but she couldn’t move, and only hugged herself tighter in her despair. But the story wouldn’t allow her any peace. The pain kept on, growing stronger. She writhed in agony, with images flashing through her mind, calling up memories of her friends and family… how she longed to see them once again. She also remembered Spike, so close by, yet unable to help her. Twilight’s chest heaved for air as her breath grew short, as if a weight had settled itself over her body. Shapes and forms swam around her in a vortex of encroaching darkness. As she gasped, terrified by what was to come, a feeling of warmth reached out through the shadows. The darkness receded, all except for the shadowy figure of Sombra hovering over her. He had laid himself next to her on the deck, their lips once again connected. There was a look of unease on his face as he furrowed his brow. A bolt of pain stabbed through her again, but this time, it felt weakened, and was quickly soothed by a trickle of numbing relief. Twilight could hardly straighten out her thoughts, caught between a limbo of magic that worked to heal her, while another simultaneously fought to tear her apart. The kiss... was working? But the magic behind it simply didn’t appear strong enough. In a brief moment when the pain receded, she had a clear thought—a revelation. She couldn’t have warned him when she didn’t even know for herself how the story worked. The mermare would only live if the prince shared his magic with her in the form of his love… But Sombra didn’t have enough magic. He had used it up in an excessive burst to escape from the decks below. Even if the kiss was working, thanks to its own restrictions it had placed upon them, the storybook was going to have its proper ending. The spark that Twilight felt had simply been Sombra’s magic flowing into her, giving her the essence she needed to live. Despite his efforts, the darkness relentlessly circled her, threatening to swallow her up. She wasn’t certain if the story was coming to a close, or if it was her own mind drifting into oblivion... Pain flared through her again, and the shadows ensnared her. Everything suddenly went dark. The warmth of Sombra’s breath disappeared, and the agony wracking her body also ceased. She only felt exhaustion, and finally let go… settling down as if falling into an endless dream.