//------------------------------// // Empress of Friendship // Story: My Little Mages: Academia Ardens // by Foxhelm //------------------------------// Back in Tartarus as everyone was walking past the various creatures, “If all these monsters lost their magic, then getting past Kerby should be easy-peasy!” Pinkie said as she took a moment to pet what she thought was a dog only for it to reveal itself to be part of the large three-headed warden of the prison. Kerberos snarled at first and then spotted Twilight and tackled her like a big happy puppy seeing its master and started to lick her. “Daww. Ain’t he a big softy.” “Down, Kerberos,” Twilight ordered between licks. Kerberos obeyed and stepped to the side. “Good boy. Kerberos.” Twilight praised the colossal three-headed dog. “We need to speak with Tirek.” Twilight informed. Kerberos snarled in the direction of the inmate in question and then started to walk guiding the group past beasts to the sapient inmates, which was shockingly vacant until they came to a stone staircase with a cage on the plateau at the top. It was there that Kerberos stopped as Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie climbed the stairs as Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Spike flew to the top. There in the cage was what looked like the shadow of a man. “Well, if it isn’t the Princess of Friendship.” the man said as he revealed himself to be massively drained Tirek. “Come here for a visit.” He then gave a mock bow. “What have I done to earn the honor of your company?” he chuckled. Twilight scowled at Tirek and pointed at the spellthief, “We want answers, Tirek. Magic is disappearing from Mystican.” Tirek took a step back with a massive grin on his face. “I know.” he almost whispered. “What a waste of such…” he paused as he thought about all that magic being drained and how it could just flow down his throat. “... delicious power.” he finished with a clear grin. “So you are behind this!” Rainbow declared as she was about to draw her bow and shot an arrow at him. Tirek laughed, “Silly girl if I had all that magic, you think I'd still be locked up in here?” he asked pointing out the massive fault in the girl’s logic. “But I might know something about it…” he added as he looked to the ceiling of his cell and smiled to himself. Back in Twilight’s office, on her desk were folders with the faces of Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream, Yona and Ocellus and Neighsay brushed them off of the desk into the trash bin to its side. Cozy scowled at the act as she went to the bin and took the folders out. “What are you doing?!” she asked in wrath, “This are Princess Twilight's student files!” she declared as she went to put them back. However, Neighsay placed his hand on his medallion with the MEA insignia on it and from it send a beam that destroyed the files. “Not anymore.” Neighsay said as he turned the chair and got to his feet, “With Mystica under attack, we Mysticans must stand together.” He walked to be next to the desk, “Princess Twilight has endangered us all by skipping off on friendship trips while these dangerous foreigners run loose.” He said as he stomped on the ashes of the files. “You don't think they're the reason magic is disappearing, do you?” Cozy asked in utter shock that anyone could consider accusing the five foreign exchange students with such a crime. Neighsay turned to look out of the window, “Yes,” he said with a sting of a sorrow as if it pained him to right, “and I came to warn the princess.” He sighed and then turned back to Cozy. “But since she is gone, it falls to me to protect you, children.” He said as he walked to Cozy. He paused as he heard some murmuring. “Did you hear something?” he asked as if he wanted to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. “It sounded like it came from over there!” Cozy said as she pointed to the door. The two started towards the office’s door and it creaked open as Sandbar et al fell to the floor. As they grunted in their attempt to recover, “You again.” Neighsay said as he clenched his fist. “As I suspected,” he said as he loosened his grip, with a shocking degree of sorrow in his voice. He then placed his other hand on his medallion and conjured a set of chains that wrapped around the six. The six screamed as the chains tightened around him. A few minutes later at Gallus’ and Sandbar’s room Neighsay opened it, “From now on, this school is Mystican-only!” he declared as he used his medallion’s magic to levitate the chained six into the room and dropped them with a thud. “Since you refuse to explain your plot against Mystica and return the magic you stole, you will stay here while I summon your guardians to take you back from whence you came.” Neighsay turned to leave. In less than a second, “Wait!” Sandbar said making the chancellor stop. As Neighsay turned to face Sandbar, “You were right about them from the beginning, Chancellor. I see that now.” he said as if he meant it. As the five other gave various what’s and confusions. “I don't want anything to do with anyone that could threaten Mystica!” he said with anger towards his friends in his voice which left the five utterly flabbergasted, tears forming in the corners of Ocellus’ eyes. Neighsay smiled as he walked back to the group, “Wisely put, son.” He said as he took Sandbar’s hand with his right hand and placed his left on his medallion and was able to pull Sandbar through the chains like he was a ghost. As the two walked out of the room. “If you, the most infected by Princess Twilight Sparkle’s well-meaning but misguided attempt, everyone will come to their senses eventually.” The door closed and Neighsay headed off leaving Sandbar in alone in the hall. Around half an hour later in the grounds of Sweet Apple Temples, an apple was thrown at Apple Bloom’s window, followed by five more apples. Apple Bloom woke up and opened the window as she yawned. She then saw a sink come her way which she dodged it. “What in tarnation?!” she exclaimed in utter shock. She then turned down and saw Sandbar with a wide away of items. “Sorry. I ran out of apples,” he said as he rubbed the back of his head and neck. He then lowered his hand and got down to business, “I need the Cutie Mage Crusaders. My friends are in trouble. Chancellor Neighsay locked them up.” he informed the younger mage. Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow in confusion, “Huh?” she asked in confusion. “I thought Cozy Glow was in charge.” she pointed out in what she knew. Sandbar shock and dipped his head, “Not anymore.” he informed Apple Bloom, “But you guys are good buddies,” he informed referencing the bond the CMC have with Cozy. “If you can convince her to distract Neighsay, I can break out my friends.” he pitched his basic plan to Apple Bloom, “Will you help me?” he asked. Apple Bloom smirked as she was about to leave him and get ready, “Do mulberries have seeds?” he asked. There was a moment of silence as Sandbar was trying to answer the question. “That's a yes.” Apple Bloom said as she looked out of her window explaining what she meant. At the same moment back in Tartarus, “Where is Mystica's magic going, Tirek?” Twilight asked getting down to the brass tacks as she pointed at the spell thief. “What's making it disappear?” she compounded as she sought to learn how to reverse the process. Tirek stroke his beard, “You know, being locked away in Tartarus really does a number on the mind. Especially being confined to a limited space.” The spell thief knew better than to ask directly, also he had the six that sent him to his current jail where he wanted them. Rainbow flew to the cage and would have torn him apart if she was not stopped by the bars. “Listen here old fart, how about you tell us what you know or you'll be stuck here forever because we're out of magic keys and nobody can open the door?” she asked as tried to get Tirek to see that there was no way anyone was going to let him out. As Rainbow seemed oblivious to the implications and inferences that could be made, the other six’s eyes shot wide open. “We're just as trapped as Tirek.” Spike declared as the revelation dawned on Rainbow as she stepped from the cage. Tirek turned around and chuckled as he walked around his cage, “What a pity.” he then turned and looked squarely at the seven, “Well, for you.” he mocked. He then clenched his right hand in triumphant, “Sweet revenge for me.” He smiled as if he was in on a joke. “It seems my little protege's plan worked after all,” he said as he patted himself on the back. He watched as the seven gasped and before any could ask, “Oh, we've never met, so you can’t expect me to point my protege out of a line-up.” he informed. Before anyone could ask how he interacted, “We're pen pals. You see severing off mail and visits is considered cruel and unusual punishment by even Tartarus standards.” He then chuckled at the sight of the seven’s bewilderment. “Each letter had so many questions about draining magic.” he finished as he started to laugh. Pinkie then dove at the cage and got into Tirek’s face, “And you answered them?!” she questioned in horror and anger. Tirek just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, “Well, I was bored.” he then started to lean forward forcing Pinkie to lean back, “So I simply pointed my pen pal in the right direction.” he told them. Pinkie let go of the bars and landed on her rear, just as Fluttershy stepped forward and took Pinkie’s hand reassuringly, “Can't you just tell us your pen pal's name?” she asked pleadingly. “I mean since we're stuck here anyway?” she pointed out the fact that all eight were down there and no way out. Tirek couldn’t help but chuckle for a second, “Oh, why not? The irony is too perfect. My pen pal’s and protege’s name is…” he trailed off. At that exact second in Twilight’s School of Friendship, “Cozy Glow!” Sandbar shouted as he and the Cutie Mage Crusaders arrived at the grate in the library which led to the caves and roots of the Tree of Harmony that grew there. “I-I could've sworn I saw her come down this way when she left her office.” He said as he moved the grate and he and trio started down the roots into the cave below. After about half an hour they arrived at The four followed the roots in the caves until they found a ledge where they gasped at the sight. Beyond the ledge was a magic circle with six points with that seems to be six items, one in each point. Above the circle was a massive ball of magic. Inside the ball was both Starlight Glimmer and Flash Sentry, the two looked worn out as if they had been trying to get out of it, Flash was still hacking at the ball with his sword. Upon seeing this Sandbar and the CMC gasped. “Enjoying yourself in there?” asked the voice of Cozy. Sandbar and the CMC ducked to not be seen by Cozy as she walked from the shadows and gave a sorrowful pout. Flash only continued to hack his way out, only for Starlight to roll her eyes at the sentinel's wasted efforts. “I'm sorry I had to push you both in. But what else could I do?” she asked with some guilt as she pouted. That changed into a scowl before she started to walk around the circle “You were going to ruin all my plans.” As she spoke and walk she failed to see Sandbar and the CMC watching her. Cozy stopped and looked at Flash and Starlight. “You might get some company soon if I can't make that annoying Neighsay back off!” as she said ‘back off’ it was clear that she was trying to contain her wrath about Neighsay’s presence. She then inhaled and then exhaled as she tried to calm herself down. “All this magic needs time to drain from Mystica before my vortex sucks it to another realm,” she said almost innocently as if she had no idea what she was doing was wrong. She then giggles as she rubbed the back of her head, “Three days can sure seem like forever, huh?” she asked. She then continued to walk around the circle. “You know, you all got it all wrong,” she said as her pupils constricted. “Friendship isn't magic. Friendship is power!” she smiled with a twisted grin as she clenched her right hand. “With Twilight and her lackeys out of my way, all of Mystica will bow to me!” she then stopped as she looked at her circle. She then looked up to Starlight and Flash as she pulled a tiara with her badge taped to it as the main jewel for the crown. “The future Empress of Friendship!” she said as she crowned herself and started to laugh.