"Nnngh..."
"Oh, hey, you're awake. 'Bout time."
Sunset slowly opened her eyes, her vision still blurry and indistinct. She was immediately greeted by the sight of several different faces looming above and to the side. Most were some degree of worried, but three of them in particular seemed more bored than anything else.
As Sunset sat up, she was briefly but painfully reminded that she was lying on the lower mattress of a bunk bed. Rubbing her forehead, she saw that she'd been brought back to their makeshift base in the Canterlot sewers' maintenance room. Staring at her were all her friends. And the Dazzlings. Sunset wasn't sure if they counted as friends yet.
"Ugh... what happened?"
"You passed out," Adagio replied. "And you blew up the school auditorium, somehow."
Sunset could feel the blood drain from her face. "Oh... Oh geez, no. What about the students? Are they—"
"They're fine," said Adagio. "Still zombified, but fine. We lured them away from the building long before you decided to get all combustion-happy. What I want to know is how you managed to pull of something like that."
Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm... not sure myself, honestly. In hindsight, I was messing around with interplanar space in ways I didn't really understand."
Twilight gave Sunset a sharp glare.
Sunset flinched. "...Right. Anyway. Twilight, how have things been going in the meantime?"
The room went silent. All other eyes turned toward Twilight, who frowned deeply. "It's... not looking too good, honestly. I've been trying to establish contact with the satellite, but signal so far won't reach."
Sunset winced. "That's probably not good. What if we moved the transmitter to the surface, though? Would we get a clearer connection then?"
Twilight shook her head. "I doubt that would work. It's not a matter of how close we are to the surface, we just don't have the energy for a signal that strong. We can't connect to the power grid from here, and we barely have enough magic to power our existing equipment as it is. And since the auditorium blew up, the surface has been crawling with Phyrexians more than ever. Even if we had the power, we wouldn't be able to survive up there long enough to set the equipment up."
"You're lucky we even managed to drag you all the way down here in one piece," Aria remarked.
"Great," said Sunset. "So what exactly are we supposed to do now?"
There was a pause, and all others present exchanged pensive looks.
"Sunset," said Twilight, "I... don't really know how else to say it, but it looks like we'll have to call our original plan off. It's far too risky to try to set up the transmitter. We'd be killed before we could even get halfway there."
"But that doesn't answer my question," said Sunset. "What else are you suggesting that we do now? We can't just stand around here and do nothing."
Another pause, this time longer than before. As Twilight's teeth bit against her bottom lip, Sunset felt a queasy sensation form in the pit of her stomach.
"Sunset, um, we..."
"...We were thinking of having you leave the plane for a while and get help," said Applejack, finishing Twilight's sentence. "Ah'm gonna be frank with you, this whole plan of using the sirens was a long shot from the beginning. The best bet we have now is to hold out and keep surviving."
"Wait what? Now hold on a second!" Sunset threw her hands into the air. "Are you telling me after all we've been through, you're just going to give up?"
"We're not giving up!" Twilight said. "We're just... reevaluating our current priorities. That's all! We'll still make it through this, I know—"
"But you don't know!" Sunset shot back. "I don't know if I'll be able to find anyone in time to help! And I don't even know if they would be able to help! By the time I get back, you could already be..." Sunset swallowed her words. She didn't want to finish that sentence. "...Adagio. Tell me you're not okay with this? After everything we went through to find you?"
"You're also the one who almost starved us to death."
"Eep. Right."
Adagio gave a shrug. "Honestly, I'm not even mad anymore. I figured we were going to die soon anyway. At least now we had a chance to have some fun before we go out."
"What? No! That's not... you can't... Argh!"
Twilight looked Sunset in the, deep concern reflecting in her own. She placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder, slowly letting her own warmth seep in.
"Sunset. It'll be okay, I promise. We'll still be here when you make it back."
"You don't know that," Sunset groaned. Her breathing had already felt steadier, but the anxiety in her chest was no less potent. "I don't want you having to rely on a promise you can't keep."
"But you won't be turning your back on us," Twilight countered. "No matter what it might feel like. It's not your fault what happened. You just have to go out there, and keep looking for a way to fight back. And we'll be doing the same thing while you're away."
"I... I don't know, Twilight. I just don't know," said Sunset. "We bet so much on being able to reach that satellite with the Sirens' magic, and now you're telling me it's not possible? It feels like surrendering."
"Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor, dear," said Rarity. "There's nothing wrong with knowing how to pick your battles sometimes."
"And it's not like we need some satellite to survive," said Applejack. "The way Ah see it, we can hold out plenty without having to mess around in space."
"Trust me, it'll take a lot more than a few Phyrexians to take us down," Rainbow boasted.
"Yeah!" said Pinkie. "Just look at all the awesome stuff we've managed so far!"
"Aww, you guys." Sunset's lips gently curved into a smile, though she made a point to ignore the gagging motion coming from Adagio. Before she could say anything else, however, another thought snagged itself on her mind, a burgeoning idea that grew brighter with every passing second. "Wait. Applejack. Could you repeat what you said earlier?"
"Er... we don't need a satellite?"
"No, no! After that!"
"We can hold out plenty without messing around in space?"
Sunset snapped her fingers in a sweeping gesture of her arm. "That's it! Twilight, can you build me a spacesuit? Something that could theoretically let me survive in a vacuum?"
"Oh, of course. It's hardly as energy-intensive as some of my other machines, so — wait, what?"
"It's not that complicated!" Sunset insisted. "Just take the Dazzling's song and put it in a short-range transmitter, then build me something that will let me survive in space. We'll hold hands and sing Kumbaya, let the power of friendship transform me. Then I'll use my magic to propel myself into space, reach the satellite, and transmit the signal!"
Twilight clenched her jaw, and took in a deep breath through her nostrils. "Alright. Okay. Okay. First of all, are you insane!? And second, that is not how friendship works! You can't just wave your hands and have the 'Power of Friendship' solve everything!"
"Really?" Sonata chimed in. "'Cause it kind of seemed like you did that when you fought us."
"Understatement of the century," Aria added. "You girls pulled off some spectacular deus ex machina bullshit that night. It almost felt like you were cheating."
"I don't know what you're talking about! I wasn't there! You're thinking of the other Twilight!"
Sonata blinked. "Wait, there's two of you?"
"ARGH!"
"Everyone, calm down!" Sunset interjected. "Twilight. Listen to me, okay? Please, just hear me out for one minute, I promise."
Twilight took a deep breath, straightening her skirt as her breathing steadies. "Okay, Sunset. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm just... I don't know what you're planning, but it sounds reckless. It sounds like a way to get yourself killed." She looked Sunset with vast eyes, emotion quivering at their edges. "I already saw you disappear right in front of me. I don't want to have to lose you again."
Sunset bit her lip. "I... I know. But this is the only chance we have to save everyone else that's infected. Even if I went out and found help, I don't know of any other plane in the multiverse with technology as advanced as Anthropia, or anyone who could build a way to disrupt the hive mind. We don't need an army right now. We need a cure."
"But we don't know if this plan of yours will even work," said Twilight. "And this whole thing about going into space, it's just... it's absolutely nuts, Sunset. What am I supposed to think about something like that?"
"Any less nuts than meeting a magical pony princess version of yourself from another dimension?"
"Yes! No! I-I mean, maybe! Look, I'm just really worried about you, okay?"
"I know you are," said Sunset. "And it's only natural that you would be. But I've put my life on the line against all kinds of magical threats for the sake of my friends. And I'd be more than willing to do it again, for your sake."
"You're really not going to be talked out of this, are you?" said Twilight.
"Nope."
Twilight sighed. "I... alright. I'll go ahead and do it. Just promise me you'll come back safe, okay?"
Sunset gave a smile. "Thank you, Twilight. And I will."
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Several hours had passed, or at least as far as Sunset could tell. It had grown difficult to keep track of the time underground, and the restless anxiety pounding within her chest only further distorted her sense of time passing.
But, soon enough, the time to act had come. Following Twilight's footsteps, Sunset and the others were taken to a stretch of underground sewer passage, indistinguishable from the others. The orange suit Twilight built for her fit snugly over her body, to an almost uncomfortable degree. Whatever it was made from, Sunset couldn't tell, other than that Twilight had vocally protested when she referred to it as spandex. Holding the helmet beneath her arm, Sunset gave her friends one goodbye — as well as the Dazzlings, who she didn't trust enough to leave behind in their base.
"Alright," said Twilight, "So I've gone ahead and run all the simulations through the computer, and performed a few tests with the smart fabric, and the suit should work. But that's an entirely different situation from actually doing tests in space. If it ever starts getting hard to breathe, come down immediately. The suit will slow any air leaks, but it can't stop them entirely. According to my calculations, the satellite should be passing by straight above by the time you reach its altitude. Keep heading up and look for the one with the military logo."
"And if I don't find it, come back down, right?"
"Right," said Twilight. "Don't put yourself in any unnecessary risk if it doesn't look like you can find it. I mean it, Sunset, you're the only chance we have of finding help if this plan fails."
"I'd say, 'don't worry,' but knowing you, you probably will anyway," Sunset teased.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Right, just try not to die. You girls ready?"
Twilight was met with a series of affirming nods and 'mm-hmms.' As Twilight stepped forward, each of her other friends joined her in a circle. For a moment, Sonata had also begun to step forward, only to be met with a sharp glare.
"Not you!" Adagio chided.
"Oh. Whoops."
Ignoring her, Sunset slowly placed the helmet onto her head, its dark visor somehow not reducing her vision in the already-dark sewer. It fit remarkably comfortably, almost more like a bike helmet than a space helmet, yet at the same time she could feel the cool purified air enter her lungs, insulated from the stench of the sewer. She held out her arms, and joined hands with her friends standing on each side.
A familiar warmth began to spread through Sunset, powerful, bright, shining with the intensity of the sun itself. It seeped through her body, infusing itself into every crevasse of her soul. Then, in a flash of light, she felt her body transform. On the outside, she appeared little different, but sprouting from her back were two enormous wings made of pure light, with a horn forged from plasma affixed to the forehead of her helmet.
"Is, uh, that going to be a problem for the suit?" said Sunset.
"It shouldn't be. I built the suit's fabric to close around any magical protrusions," said Twilight. She darted around, and glanced at Sunset's back. "Although... it looks like the wings are somehow attached to the suit itself, not your back. Weird."
Sunset shrugged. "I guess this transformation is whatever I need it to be."
Twilight groaned. "Sure, makes as much sense as anything else about this. You have the transmitter?"
Sunset nodded, motioning to her neck. Around it was a circular amulet, similar to the one Twilight had used to track the Dazzlings. "Yup, right here."
"Good. And whatever you do, don't lose it. I couldn't fit it into the suit, so you'll have to hold onto it tightly. And if you don't come back alive, you're in big trouble!"
"I'll try to keep that in mind, thanks."
Giving one last round of goodbyes to her friends, Sunset began her ascent up the ladder, carefully removing the manhole as she climbed out. As she stood on polluted streets of Canterlot City, she gave one last look at the corrupted world.
Taking a deep breath, Sunset stepped forward, and aimed her hands at the ground. A pair of intense plasma jets erupted from the palms of her suit, and she immediately rocketed upwards, piercing through the sky and towards salvation.
————————
Pain. Everything was pain.
The last thing Starlight remembered was an intense, blinding light, followed by a concussive force that sent her flying backward. Then, everything had gone dark.
Oil dripped from her wounds as she stood to her feet, digging through the detritus and rubble that had smothered her body. As she burrowed her way to the surface, her jaw hung open as she saw what had happened. The school auditorium and several of the surrounding hallways had been completely demolished, letting the sickly light from above fall onto the rubble.
But most importantly, there was no sign of Atraxa anywhere. And the portal had completely vanished.
Starlight's body quivered with rage. Her skin began to crawl and convulse, with a wet crackling of bone. Above, she saw a streak of golden orange rising through the sky, its aura unmistakable.
"You..."
A sharp pain erupted from her back. In a burst of fluid, a pair of porcelain wings emerged, its hardened pinions tipped with rusted iron and slicked with oil, jets of fire erupting from four vents on each appendage.
"YOU..."
She spasmed and convulsed, her skin crackling as porcelain jutted out from every joint, crawling across the surface of her skin. Her hands and feet grew outwards, into grotesque claws, and a long prehensile tail burst from her backside. Within several painful moments, her entire body was coated in biomechanical armor, no longer resembling anything human at all.
The vents on her wings erupted with jet fire, and Starlight screamed with rage as she ascended into the heavens.
"I’ll DESTROY YOU!"
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Starlight, Phyrexia’s Wrath 3RBW
Legendary Creature — Demon Horror
Flying; lifelink; infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
When Starlight, Phyrexia's Wrath enters the battlefield, if a source an opponent controlled dealt damage to you since your last turn, it gets +1/+0 and gains haste until end of turn.
“Compleation is too good for vermin like you. I’ll tear you to shreds before I let you take one more step in my world.”
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