//------------------------------// // Wherein A Score is Settled // Story: Filly Fantasy VI - The Return of Magic // by The Wyld Stallynz //------------------------------// The gentle hum of the airship was soothing to Shining Armor. He lay on a soft bed in a private room, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, keeping close watch over Spotter sleeping beside him. Zecora and Stardust’s efforts to heal the colt paid off and was now enjoying a much-needed rest. His wound on his back was freshly bandaged, but it was likely to leave a scar once it fully mended. Shining sighed and ran a hoof through Spotter’s mane. “It should be me that gets hurt, not you. I’m a knight of Domare; it’s my job to take the hits so that others won’t.” He laid back, staring up at the wall. “Even with all these magic powers, I keep failing you.” A small mumble from Spotter drew his attention. He tilted his head and lay still, listening. Spotter stirred and mumbled again, this time louder. Shining reached over and carefully stroked his son’s back, “Shhh... It’s okay now. Go back to sleep.” “Stop saying that.” Brows knit in confusion, Shining tilted his head. “Huh? Stop saying what?” Spotter shifted, turning his head until he could face his father. “Stop saying you fail.” Shining averted his eyes with a frown. “Spotter, this isn’t the first time I’ve lost track of you. And each time I’m terrified that I’m not going to find you again.” He swallowed as he fought back tears. “Your mom would be really mad at me if I let anything bad happen to you. Like now.” “I’m okay,” Spotter insisted, even as he struggled to get into a comfortable position. “I lived all by myself in the Veldt. Well, Autumn and Opal helped, but she’s just a cat. But you taught me all the things I needed. I’m all grown up now, see?” Despite himself, Shining smiled. He gently ruffled Spotter’s head. “Yeah, that is pretty impressive. I’m sure you had all sorts of adventures, didn’t you?” Spotter lifted his head up and grinned. “I sure did… OW!” Spotter settled back down into the bed, wincing as his back painfully reminded him of his injury. Shining sat up and gave Spotter a stern look. “I don’t want you moving too much, you hear? Even knights have to rest so that they can get back into the fight.” “Okay, okay,” Spotter muttered into his pillow. “But you have to stop calling yourself a failure. Deal?” Smirking, Shining reached a hoof down and booped Spotter on the nose. “Deal.” He laid back down. “So, wanna tell me about all of your adventures?” Spotter let out a big yawn. “Sure….” “You can tell me later if you’re tired.” “... Yeah, I kinda am. I’ll let Autumn tell you. She’s good at talking.” Shining blinked. “Autumn?” A light at Spotter’s flank caught his eyes. The eye and magnifying glass that was Spotter’s cutie mark grew brighter and brighter until Shining was forced to look away. The light finally receded and the stallion was able to peer back. Spotter looked the same as he did, but his honed senses picked up the presence of someone else in the room. Quickly sitting up, he locked gazes with a creature he had never seen before. It had the shape of a pony, but a wild and curly brown mane, a scaled green snout, and a dark brown horn shaped like a tuning fork dispelled any notion that it was part of his race. The creature lifted a beige leg, tipped with a green cloven hoof, and waved. “Hello! I’m Autumn Blaze, and Spotter’s told me so much about you! So let me tell you all that we’ve been through while you were gone! Please don’t mind if I insert comedic tangents and non-sequitur musings, but it’s been so long since I met somepony other than Spotter!” .o.O.o. “How are our supplies holding up?” Stardust looked up from his work with Zecora, the two huddled over a bubbling black pot set on a stove. Trixie stood before him in her white cloak, looking as dignified as the general she once was. “Well, even with all the weapons, furniture, and appliances we bought at South Fillygaro, I still had enough to get us plenty of food and medicine. Those ponies were pretty generous so all our pantries are pretty full. I’ve even got ingredients to make more x-potions and ethers, too.” Trixie nodded. “Good. We’re probably going to be needing them.” She tilted her head at the pot. “How’s that coming along? Is it some kind of soft?” Zecora nodded. “A normal soft may not be enough to force Discord’s magic back. That is why we are developing a supersoft so that my people don’t crack.” “Wonderful. Sounds boring, but wonderful. Continue on. Trixie needs to check up on the others.” With a sharp turn, Trixie left the two alchemists and headed for the deck. Up top, she found Derpy and Applejack near the stern, fiddling with what looked like boots. Trotting closer, she saw that Applejack was trying and failing to put them on with Derpy’s help. “No, Derpy, hold it steady. More to your left—No, your other left. Sugar, now you’re pointing it down—Careful! You almost poked your eye!” Trixie couldn’t hold back a smirk. “Trouble with your, how do you country folks say it, duds?” “Not now, Trixie,” Applejack shot back as she took the greave Derpy was holding and tried to slip it on with her free hoof. The sharp fangs sticking out from the bottom made it difficult to hold without poking herself and laying it down on the deck proved cumbersome due to the same fangs keeping the greaves from being level. “Dagnabbit!” She picked it up and made ready to chuck it over the side. A pink puff of magic stayed her hoof. “Here, allow Trixie.” Before Applejack could protest, Trixie yanked the greave out of her hold, lined it up with Applejack’s leg, and smoothly slipped it on. “There. Feel free to lavish Trixie with your praise at any time.” Applejack gave Trixie a sour look, but mumbled out, “Thanks. I guess.” Without prompting, Trixie tightened the straps, locking the greave in place. After giving another half-hearted thanks, Applejack stepped down on the greave and nearly toppled over. “Ah, shucks, these stupid fangs make it impossible to stand right. No way am I going to be able to fight like—” A soft click within the greave was heard and the fangs retracted into a hidden compartment. Applejack once again nearly lost her footing at the sudden shift but righted herself before she fell over. “What in tarnation?” She sat down and lifted her leg, inspecting the greave with a suspicious eye. She tensed a leg muscle and the fangs shot back out, startling her. “Well, would you look at that. Nifty!” Another muscle tense sent the fangs back in, allowing Applejack to test her balance again. “Now that’s more like it. Help me get the other one on.” Soon, with Trixie’s help, Applejack stood on two armored greaves, her Genji armor hanging over them slightly. With a grin, she jumped into the air, flipping into a somersault. The fangs snapped out, forming a deadly buzzsaw for anypony foolish enough to get close. Applejack clicked the fangs back in a second before she touched down, her posture solid. “Whoohie, that was fun! Didn’t think they were going to work for a second there, but with a little practice I should get the hang of ‘em. Thanks, Derpy!” Derpy clapped her hooves, her smile wide. “You’re welcome!” Even Trixie looked impressed. “Let’s hope those things last. Trixie doubt’s you’ll be lucky enough to find a second set.” Satisfied that things were in order here, she trotted off towards Pinkie Pie. On the way she passed by the other Pie sisters, each on lookout and next to a cannon. The presence of the extra firepower was reassuring, even if Trixie doubted they’d be of much use against Discord or Nightmare Moon. At the very least it was better to have it and not use it, rather than not have it and need it. Reaching Pinkie, she gave the airship captain a nod and said, “We almost there?” “Yep!” Pinkie Pie replied. “A few more minutes. Though I’m not seeing too many good places to land. We may need to travel a bit.” “That might actually be a good thing. The zebra children are all there and the last thing Trixie needs is for them to be all wound up because this thing flew over the town.” As Trixie waited for Pinkie to start her landing procedure, she caught Shining Armor coming up to them, Spotter riding on his back. She turned their way and cocked her head as another creature trotted next to them, a wide smile on its face. Just as Trixie made to ask who this was, the new creature beat her to it. “Hi! Sorry for springing this on you at such short notice, but I’m Autumn Blaze and I’m Spotter’s esper. Are you the scary mare?” Trixie blinked. Twice. “What?” She looked to Shining but the stallion just shrugged. Turning back to Autumn, she said, “Explain.” “Gladly!” Autumn Blaze cleared her throat, took a deep breath, twirled, and began to sing. ~This here is a tail of how a kirin became a crony Not to a zebra or griffon, but to a young pony!~ Without warning, Autumn grabbed hold of Trixie, who squawked in surprise, and whirled her into a pirouette, all while keeping her song going. ~I became magicite like my kin and thought this was the end But then I found a worthy soul that I wanted to befriend. In a flash I was his and his mark was set A nifty magnifying glass tattooed on his ass And I gave him magic sight that could protect him from any threat.~ Autumn dipped Trixie over, the unicorn unable to break whatever spell the esper cast to get away. “And boy, has this kid been through a lot. I mean, crazy doctors, monsters, the end of the world, and he’s only, like, twelve. Oh! Speaking of which...” ~We fell from the sky on that dark day, the plains stretched far and wide But this was no time to jump and play, we needed to hide Fearsome monsters roamed the world, spreading death and fear We were alone and scared, with nopony else here I made the choice to rise up and help out my friend I appeared in his dreams and taught him how his plight could end!~ Autumn spun Trixie away, put a hoof around Spotter, and pulled him close. “Long story short I taught him how to summon me, because ya know I’m a super-cool esper and all, monsters aren’t gonna mess with me. Plus I’m a magicite now so it’s not like they could hurt me.” She opened her mouth to begin singing again, paused and blinked, and then closed her mouth. “Huh, ya know, that’s actually all there is to tell. Not a very good segue out of the song. I guess I’m out of practice with that.” She grinned and bowed. “Thank you! Thank you, all! You have no idea how long I’ve been holding that in!” As the ponies applauded, Trixie marched up to the still bowing esper and thrust her nose into Autumn’s snout, staring her straight in the eyes. “Congrats on the musical. Trixie’s sure it’ll be a hit at parties.” “Especially mine!” Pinkie Pie piped in. “But what Trixie caught in all of that is that we can somehow summon the espers that bonded with us. Derpy has managed it but not the rest of us.” She pressed harder into Autumn, her eyebrows furrowing. “Do tell.” “Oh, that,” Autumn said, pushing Trixie back and grinning. “Sure, that’s easy. With enough magic you can summon the spirit of your esper for a brief time and they’ll do their thing. The more effort you put into it the stronger they’ll be or the longer they’ll stay. Spot’s been doing it all year just so that he’s got somepony to talk to.” Motes of magical white energy began to disperse away from Autumn, her form quickly becoming transparent. “Whoops! Looks like my time is almost up, for now.” She waved towards Spotter, giving a happy smile. “Get well and I’ll see you soon, Spot!” Her voice faded away as the last of Spotter’s magic gave out. With Autumn Blaze gone, the only sounds were the shuffling of hooves and the rush of the wind. Atop Shining Armor’s back, Spotter sighed. “It sucks when she has to go. It takes me a while to recharge so I can get her back.” Shining Armor gave his son a hard look. “No more magic until you’re healed. Me and Autumn won’t like it if you force it.” “Yeah, yeah…” “Anyway, we’ll shelve that for later,” Trixie said. “Captain Pie, we landing or what?” Pinkie Pie gave a small pout. “You could just call me Pinkie, you know.” Sighing and letting the matter drop for now, she continued, “Yep, got a good spot picked out. Prepare for landing!” .o.O.o. The distance to the zebra village wasn’t as bad as Pinkie feared it would be. A solid hour trot brought them into the village proper. The small hamlet didn’t appear to have changed, dilapidated houses and stone zebra and all. Zecora herself walked purposely to the center, her heavy gaze taking it all in. “I return home for the first time in years and all I have to show for it are fresh tears. Stardust, we must fix this at all cost or else our legacy will forever be lost.” Said chocobo came up to the zebra, his wings twitching in anticipation. “Do we have to dump the supersoft on them one at a time? Do we even have enough?” Zecora made to reply but a pair of figures approaching them stopped her short. Two ponies, one a unicorn and one an earth pony staggered forward, their coats and manes matted with dirt and grime. Getting closer, the unicorn must have gotten a good look because her face lit up into a beatific smile and she rushed forward, hopping in place once she reached them. “Oh, thank the stars, the heavens, the earth, and everything in between! You’re back!” Trixie and Sunset Shimmer stepped forward, each wearing concerned looks. “What happened to you two?” Sunset asked. “Tirek,” Bon Bon said as she trudged up to them. Her mallet lay over her back, dented in many places. “He’s here?!” Lyra shook her head. “Not at the moment, but he’s been hitting us pretty hard, lately. He’s gotten bigger and really, really wants Twilight. We’ve had to move her and the zebra children all over the place to confuse him, but I don’t think it’ll work much longer.” “But with you guys here, maybe we can stop him once and for all,” Bon Bon finished. Trixie shook her head and sighed. She turned to the others, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Derpy, and said, “Hope you all got plenty of rest because we’re at it again. Since Shining Armor stayed behind to look after his twerp, we’re down one magic user.” “No worries!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “I’ve been itchin’ and scratchin’ to bust out my own magic for a while.” Ignoring them, Sunset addressed Lyra and Bon Bon. “Where is Twilight now?” “Follow us,” Bon Bon said and headed towards the back of the village. She walked up to a nondescript boulder three times her size and pushed, grunting and straining to move it. Big Macintosh and Applejack came up and helped and between the three of them, moved the rock to reveal a dark hole big enough for a pony to hop in. Once each pony leapt in, they found themselves in a recently dug out tunnel. Bon Bon took the lead again, heading downwards until she reached a fork in the cave. “We made some dead ends in case he ever gets down here, but we didn’t have the time to make it really confusing. This way.” She turned left, going a short distance before coming up against a wooden door. A quick triple hoof rap against it later and it opened, revealing a zebra colt. Upon seeing Bon Bon, he moved back and allowed her and the others to enter. The room beyond was nothing more than a dirty hole, barely enough space for them let alone all the ponies trying to pile in. The zebra kids all huddled around a figure in the center, who looked up and gave a tired smile. “Welcome back,” Twilight Sparkle said to them. “Twilight!” Sunset burst through, nudging aside the zebras so that she could gather up Twilight in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe! I was so worried!” Twilight returned the hug, sighing into Sunset’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay, too.” She looked up, smiling at the rest. “Have you guys had any success?” “We sure have!” Pinkie Pie bounded into the room, handing out little cupcakes to the zebras. “Long time no see, Twilight. Hey, that’s a funny hat you have on.” Subconsciously, Twilight reached up and adjusted her red cap. “Yeah, it’s a long story.” Zecora came in next and suddenly the room was full of excited chattering as the zebra kids ran up to her and all danced around. Zecora smiled and spoke back in Zebracain, nodding to each in turn. It took a while, but eventually the mares and colts settled down but they couldn’t hide their immense glee. Turning to Twilight with a smile, Zecora said, “It was worth it to come here just for this. Never before have I felt such bliss.” Untangling herself from Sunset, Twilight patted the unicorn’s shoulder and bowed to the zebra. “I’m so glad you got to see your home again.” “Yes, it is a blessing, but I fear there are things more pressing.” Without warning, Zecora snapped out a hoof and knocked away Twilight’s cap, revealing her spotted and floppy horn. Twilight gasped and yanked her hat back on but it was too late. “It is as I suspected; your horn is broke. You are afflicted with poison joke.” A collective blink from the room followed. Zecora spoke before questions could be asked. “It is a plant that causes misfortune in ironic ways. For you it appears to seal away your magic, always.” Sunset found her voice first. “But you know what it is. You can cure it right?” Zecora nodded. “Yes, but it will take time to brew. I will need to start right away so that it will be of use to you.” From somewhere above, a loud explosion could be heard, followed by severe tremors that rained loose dirt upon them. Out in the tunnel, Trixie angrily stomped the ground. “I knew it! I just knew this would happen!” She rounded on the gathered ponies and zebras. “Alright, Zecora and Stardust will get to work getting that cure for Twilight. The two with the hammer and harp will stay to watch over the kids. The rest of us will need to deal with whatever that was. C’mon!” Not waiting for a response, Trixie ran off towards the exit. “You heard her!” Applejack said, racing after the retreating mare. The others piled out of the room, leaving only Zecora and Sunset behind with Twilight, Lyra, Bon Bon, and the zebra children. “It’s a lyre, not a harp…” Lyra groused. Sunset turned to Twilight and Zecora, swallowing. “Please, tell me what I can do to help get that cure ready.” Giving a smile that reached her eyes, Twilight said, “Sunset, I know it’s only been a few minutes but I can already tell you’ve gotten stronger.” She inclined her head towards the door. “Go, they need you more than I do.” “But what if they fail?! Somepony needs to stay behind and protect you.” Zecora let out a snort. “Sunset Shimmer, a mare of the mystical arts I may seem, but I have plenty of ways to make enemies scream.” She nudged her sword, letting a crooked grin split her muzzle. Sunset ignored her. “But—” “Sunset!” Twilight lost her smile, leveling a glare at her. “I’ll be fine! Help your new friends and if Zecora can get me cured, I’ll join you. I promise!” A tense moment of silence followed, broken by a rumble from above that shook the room. Snarling, Sunset jabbed a hoof at Twilight. “I’m holding you to that promise.” Without a look back, Sunset ran out of the room. Zecora didn’t waste any time. “Come, we must find a place we can brew. It may take some time to mix up the cure for you.” With Sunset gone, Twilight’s demeanor dropped, her ears pinned behind her head. “Okay. But, even if my magic’s restored, I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.” Zecora cocked her head and motioned for her to continue. “It’s been a year, Zecora. I haven’t had to fight in all that time. What if… what if I’m just a burden, now?” “You will face that when the time arrives,” Zecora said, urging Twilight out the exit. “When you do, it may make the difference in all of our lives.” Twilight sighed, gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile to the zebra kids, and headed out the room with Zecora. Behind them, Lyra and Bon Bon closed up the entrance and prepared for the worst. .o.O.o. On the surface, a red and black centaur hurled magic with reckless abandon, destroying anything unlucky enough to be in his path. Tirek made no attempt at subtlety, blasting red beams at the ground and digging up large swaths of dirt and rock. “Twilight Sparkle! I’m here to take what is mine!” He took aim at a pair of zebra statues near a ruined shack. “I’ve been patient with you long enough! Face me and give me your magic, or this village will pay the price for your cowardice!” He let loose his magic, obliterating the statues to dust. He turned to spot a group of ponies heading his way. Two he recognized immediately. Not wasting words, he gathered his magic between his long black horns and shot at the Returners. They scattered, swarming around him with weapons and magic at the ready. Tirek looked among them and growled. “Where is Twilight Sparkle? Is she afraid to face me?” “She doesn’t need to; we’re plenty enough to take you out!” Trixie called out, Save the Queen already raised towards the sky. “Ah, you think to reuse the same tactics from our last encounter,” Tirek said. He reared up with a sneer. “How foolish do you think I am?!” He stomped the ground with his forelegs, causing a tremor to spread out from him. Trixie and Big Macintosh stumbled and fell over, but Applejack and Pinkie Pie nimbly kept their balance, while Derpy took to the air. Applejack leapt forward, her tiger fangs extended, catching Tirek off guard. He swiped his arm to swat her away but a quick hold and twist on that arm propelled Applejack’s hind legs into his abdomen, pushing him back. She dropped down and quickly reared up, slashing away with her gauntlets. Angry red cuts appeared against Tirek’s dark coat, earning a roar from the centaur. She pressed her attack but a telekinetic grip stopped her cold and flung her into a nearby hut, flattening it. Tirek wasn’t given a chance to recover as Derpy swooped in, lightning lancing out from her wings. A bolt struck his horns and disrupted his magic, but that didn’t stop him from reaching out and grabbing her leg as she tried to fly past. “I think it’s time I thin your numbers.” Tirek pulled her in close and backhanded her hard in the head. Completely dazed, Derpy was helpless as Tirek lifted her to his mouth and breathed in deeply. Wisps of yellow energy escaped from Derpy’s body and down his throat. Her coat turned a dull beige while Tirek’s body shuddered and grew. In seconds it was over and Tirek tossed Derpy’s drained and limp form away. Crackles of energy shot over Tirek’s body, his wounds closing. Looking down at the horrified remaining ponies, he said, “Your magic pales against the powers I have absorbed; it only serves to make me stronger.” He beckoned them with a hand. “Come. Throw yourselves at me again. I’ll need your power if Discord should ever challenge me.” The home Applejack crashed into burst apart in a shower of wood splinters, the earth pony jumping out of the ruins. She squared herself and snarled, pawing the ground with a hoof. She faced Tirek’s back while Trixie, Big Macintosh, and Pinkie Pie warily circled around him. Pinkie moved first, reaching into her captain’s jacket and throwing out a trio of darts. Tirek didn’t bother dodging, allowing them to bounce off his hide without leaving a scratch. He turned away from her, dismissing her as a threat, and focusing his attention on Trixie. He snarled and charged forward, bearing down on the unicorn with surprising speed. Rather than back off, Trixie lunged forward, surprising Tirek enough to duck under his reach and stab upwards at his undercarriage. Tirek side hopped away but not quickly enough as Trixie’s sword left a bloody gash against his lower rib cage. Keeping the pressure up, Trixie swung again but Tirek lashed out with a hoof, deflecting the attack. The other ponies did not stay idle, rushing in and attacking. Soon, Tirek found himself barraged on all sides, unable to pin down an opponent long enough to retaliate while being hit from every angle. Pinkie Pie hopped up onto his back and hacked away with steel cards, adding more damage and distractions. “Enough!” With a blast of power, Tirek blew the ponies away from him. He stood there, lightly panting, blood dripping from his wounds, teeth clenched as he watched the ponies get back up and ready themselves for the next round. “I will not be stopped by the likes of you.” Magic gathered between his horns, the shine growing brighter with each second. “How about the likes of me?!” Tirek looked up in time to see the silhouette of a pony against the sun bear down on him, a glowing blue sword descending for his head. He reached up and caught the blade in his large meaty hand, inches from his skull. His hand, enveloped in magic, held the Ultima Weapon in place. Seeing Sunset Shimmer’s shocked face, he chuckled. “You again. Will you try your fire against me, next? Please do, it has a unique flavor.” Hearing hoofbeats from behind, he lifted Sunset in his telekinetic grasp and flung her at the approaching ponies. Applejack jumped and caught her, setting her back to the ground, then resuming her charge with the others. They didn’t get far as Tirek released his gathered power, shooting a beam just before them and gouging the earth. Trixie readied her sword to absorb it but Tirek directed the beam underneath them, raising the ground and flinging the Returners in all directions. Before any could recover, Tirek reached for the nearest pony, Big Macintosh, and levitated him up to his mouth. Just as with Derpy before, the stallion’s magic was drained out of him, his eyes glazing over. Tossing Big Macintosh aside, Tirek stood even taller and stronger than before. “As amusing as this all is, I’m starting to get bored,” he said. “Bring me Twilight Sparkle and the rest of you can keep your magic.” The four remaining ponies responded by raising their weapons. Tirek snorted, twin puffs of steam coming from his nostrils. “So be it.” Magic condensed in his horns, more powerful than ever, and fired. A bright object soared over their heads, impacted the beam, splitting it in innumerable directions, and continued on to slam into Tirek’s face. The centaur roared and fell back, collapsing onto the ground with an earth shaking crash. The glowing being shot up into the air then descended, impacting Tirek and causing a large explosion of released energy. Reeling from the dust and debris kicked up from the savage attack, the Returners could only stare at the scene before them. A gust of wind brushed past the area, pushing away the gathered dust. Standing next to a deep crater, her body wreathed in flames, stood Twilight. Her esper wings blazed out from her back as she stared down at the singed monster at the bottom of the crater. She spoke, her voice hard and cold. “Leave.” A tense minute passed, the only sound the crackle of Twilight’s esper fire. Then, from the crater, a soft sound could just be heard. The sound grew and grew, the ponies’ ears able to identify it as laughter. The laughter became louder, crescendoing into all out manic guffaws as Tirek rose from the carnage and beamed up at Twilight. “Everything I’ve heard about you is true. Your magic will be all I need.” “Leave!” Twilight screamed, punctuating her command with gouts of fire that lashed out at Tirek. He raised his arms, taking the brunt of the heat with his biceps, the shear force pushing him back. His arms fanned out, dispersing the flames and revealing an eager grin. “Leave? But you haven’t given me what I want yet.” Twilight snarled and raised up into the sky, her form glowing brighter. “LEAVE!” Streams of magical fire, larger than Twilight herself, flew from her body and rained down on Tirek. He shot back with his own magic but the sheer magnitude overwhelmed him, the area he stood in becoming an inferno. Tirek came charging out of the firestorm, his body covered in burns but not enough to knock the fight out of him. More magic formed between his horns, ready to shoot off his own attack, but a pair of ice and fire blasts impacted his unprotected side, staggering him. He turned to see the ponies he hadn’t drained yet charging at him. Snarling, Tirek re-aimed his beam, only to receive a diving buck to the face from Twilight. More attacks came from every direction as the Returners spread out around him. Letting out a furious bellow, Tirek lashed out, firing beams in all directions. His assault didn’t last as his magic began to pull away from him and towards a single source, Trixie. Before he could cut off his rampage, magic encased his body in a vice grip. The next thing he knew, he was flung at an alarming rate, passing well beyond the village boundary to crash into a grove of dead trees. Tirek groaned, several moments passing as he laid in a bed of splintered wood. Adrenaline seeped out of him and the extent of his accumulated injuries couldn't be ignored any longer. With laborious movements, he picked himself up and stumbled his way out of the trees. He looked towards the village but there didn’t appear to be any sign of pursuit. Taking the opportunity to recover, he galloped off towards the north, vowing that next time would be the end. .o.O.o. The Returners took stock of the zebra village. The battle with Tirek had leveled entire swaths of houses and untold amounts of zebra statue pieces were scattered within the wreckage. Miraculously, Derpy and Big Macintosh were found to be okay physically, if not magically. The most worrying discovery being that their cutie marks were now missing. The two were now recovering on a blanket, Stardust and Zecora checking them over. “Do you think Tirek stole them when he sucked their magic out?” Pinkie Pie asked as she watched from a distance. “Dunno,” Applejack muttered, sifting through a pile of broken boards and gently nudging out a stone leg. “Trying not to think about much of anything right now.” “Yeah…” Pinkie grew silent as she joined Applejack on her grim task. Nearby, Twilight Sparkle let out a shuddering sigh and released her hold on her esper form. Her flames dissipated, revealing a unicorn with a restored horn. She looked around at the devastation, her eyes brimming with tears. “Why?” Sunset Shimmer walked up to her, her features morphing between relief and sadness. “Twilight, you can’t blame yourself. I hate to say it but I don’t think there was anything we could have done to stop this. Heck, it wasn’t until you arrived that we got the upper hand. Tirek won’t stop until he’s drained you.” “Which is why we need to finish him off now while he’s still weakened,” Trixie said, walking up to the pair. She gave Twilight a shrewd look. “So Trixie takes it you’re cured?” Twilight’s ears drooped, giving a nod. “Yes. Zecora and I got lucky. She found a stash of potions buried on the other end of the village. She said that there’s usually an emergency stock so we checked that first. One of the things we found was the cure to the poison joke.” Twilight looked towards the zebra, trying and failing to hold her tears back. Giving a nod, Trixie said, “Then we can’t wait. Sunset is right, Tirek will be back and even more damage will be done. If you want to avoid that then come with Trixie.” Twilight reached up with a leg and wiped at her eyes. She took a long, shuddering breath. “Okay.” She turned to Sunset with a sad smile. “I can’t be sitting on the sidelines anymore. Not while things like Tirek and Discord are loose. I thought if I didn’t fight then things would sort themselves out, but that doesn’t look like that’s going to work. So, I’m going to fight until they are gone. Will you help me?” Sunset nodded rapidly. “Of course!” “We’ll watch out for both of us, until the end. Deal?” Twilight held out a hoof. Grinning, Sunset clopped her hoof against Twilight’s. “Deal!” “Good, glad that’s all sorted out,” Trixie said, leaving the duo and headed towards Stardust and Zecora. Their patients were now standing, but Derpy and Big Macintosh had cloudy eyes, as though they had developed cataracts. However, as she got close, both turned to her, Derpy even smiling and waving. “How are you two feeling?” “Like crap,” Derpy said, her good cheer evaporating. She spread out a wing and grimaced, but no electricity came forth. “None of my magic is working.” “Ditto,” Big Macintosh responded. “Well, then you’re not going to like what I have to say next. We’re going after Tirek before he comes back. If you’re feeling up to it, you can come, but you’ll probably just get in the way.” “Probably,” Derpy sighed out. “I feel so tired I’m not sure if I can even fly.” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh confirmed. “Had to take off my utility belt just to stand.” “Then it’s best you stay here so that you can rest. Perhaps when we beat Tirek, your magic will come back.” With those two dealt with, Trixie turned to Stardust and Zecora, the chocobo looking away and scratching the ground while Zecora… well, Trixie wasn’t sure how to interpret Zecora’s stoic demeanor, so she tested the waters. “Wanna get some revenge?” Stardust started. “Nope! Nuh-uh!” “Wasn’t talking to you.” Keeping her focus on Zecora, Trixie asked again, “Well, what’s it going to be? Going to let him get away with what he’s done here or stick your sword through his guts?” Zecora’s schooled features slipped, her eyes burning as she took in her old home and the broken pieces of her people littering it. “So overjoyed was I to be returning and now all I see is my village burning. Curse Tirek and all his filth. I swear not to rest until his blood has been spilth!” Swallowing, Trixie took a step back to allow Zecora her space. “Okay. Trixie can count on you coming, then.” Twilight and Sunset cautiously approached, Twilight saying, “I’m so sorry, Zecora. I… I’m to blame for this. If I hadn’t hidden here, Tirek never would have done this.” Zecora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “No, there is no blame. Anywhere you chose, the outcome would have been the same. I should have been here but I was not, all caught up with the Empire’s plot. We do what Trixie said and finish Tirek forever so that a tragedy such as this does not happen again, ever.” Nodding sadly, Twilight said, “I don’t think Tirek got them all. You can still save some of them.” Before anypony could continue, multiple hoofsteps perked their ears. Twisting her head, Trixie’s eyebrows raised to see Lyra, Bon Bon, and the zebra children approaching. Many of the children were openly crying, no doubt due to seeing the state of their village. Trixie turned to face the two older ponies. “Why did you bring them up here? It’s still not safe.” “Yeah, well, they were insistent that they check that everypony was okay,” Bon Bon said. Trixie huffed and shook her head. She turned and trotted off, passing by Twilight and saying, “You deal with them. Trixie’s going to get ready.” Biting her lower lip, Twilight stepped forward. The zebra crowded around her, each with a hopeful look. Twilight sat down, giving a smile that didn’t quite reach her ears. “I have to go for a little while. We drove off the scary monster but it’ll come back if we don’t do something about it. My friends and I are going to make sure he can’t do any more bad stuff.” One of the zebra reached up and poked her horn. It remained rigid, no longer the spotty and floppy appendage it was before. All of them took notice, their voices growing curious. “That’s right. Momma has her magic back.” Her smile widened as a thought occurred to her. “Would you like to see what Momma looks like when she goes to fight the monster?” A round of nods immediately followed. “Okay. Now, don’t be scared. I’m still Momma even if I look different.” Twilight closed her eyes, allowing the power that dwelled within her to well up. Slowly, Twilight’s skin began to lighten, her mane and tail flowed with gentle fire, and when she opened her eyes, her irises were now bright red. The children backed away a bit as a pair of wings made of liquid flame sprouted from her back. Twilight stood and looked down at them, her transformation complete. The zebra children looked upon her with wide eyes and open mouths. Hesitantly, one reached forward and touched Twilight’s coat, marveling at how fire could feel so pleasant. That opened the floodgates and all the colts and fillies pressed themselves against her, Twilight’s warmth seeping into them. Smiling, and with tears that did not evaporate as they fell against her cheeks, Twilight reached down and pulled the zebras close to her. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back,” she said, her voice unchanged. “Take care of each other. I need to go make the world safe for you.” Reluctantly, Twilight untangled herself from the zebra and let her esper form fade away. She patted each on the head, giving words of encouragement. She looked up at Lyra and Bon Bon who were just as awestruck as the zebra were. “Can I ask you to watch over them a little while longer?” Slowly, Lyra blinked away the image of the fire pony that was once again little old Twilight. “S-sure, no problem!” She nudged a still catatonic Bon Bon. “Right?” Startled, Bon Bon blurted out, “Y-yes, of course!” Twilight smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I don’t know how long it will be, but if I have the power to make a difference, it’s time I put it to use.” Stepping away from the zebra, she gave them one last reassuring smile, then turned to her companions. “Let’s go.” .o.O.o. A short time later, the Returners rode out of the zebra village, following Tirek’s trail. The centaur wasn’t making any effort to hide his tracks as they headed further north towards the cape. Along with them came Stardust, albeit reluctantly, as his magic and potions were too valuable to leave behind. Only a half hour of galloping later, the landmass began to shrink down with the sea surrounding them on three sides. A line of comatose buffalax and a few chocobos greeted them, drained of their energy. The Returners kept going, their need to stop Tirek growing with each body passed. A few minutes later, they reached the cape and with it their target. Tirek saw them coming and quickly sucked down a struggling chocobo’s energy before tossing it aside without a second thought. “I was hoping to get a few more meals in before you arrived, but I still have plenty to deal with you.” With no hesitation, he shot a blast of magic their way. “Remember the plan!” Trixie yelled out as she runiced Tirek’s magic through her sword. The extra magic collected in her horn and she shot off an icicle. Tirek contemptuously swatted it away and charged at them. Stardust quickly got to work casting haste over Applejack and Pinkie Pie. The two earth ponies shot forwards, encircling Tirek and lashing out in a dizzying array of blurry bucks and slashes. Tirek roared and stomped the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth. However, Applejack and Pinkie Pie had already bounded away, avoiding the miniature earthquake, leaving Tirek in the center of a cracked wasteland. “Chance!” Trixie said. On cue, she used the last of her magical boost and telekinetically grabbed hold of Zecora and flung her high into the air above Tirek. The zebra unleashed her crystal sword, twirling it in a complex series of motions. The air surrounding her ignited, a shock of crackling red energy blasting down on Tirek. Zecora landed with grace behind the centaur, poised to strike again. Tirek howled as his senses were assaulted by blinding light and a deafening ring. He willed himself to press on, forcing magic through his body to clear himself of the distractions. “A worthless effort. You are only making me mad!” “If you’re mad, then we’re livid,” a voice below him said. Tirek looked down, spotting Sunset and his prize, Twilight, standing only a few hooves in front of him. Both of their horns glowed, their magic pooling together. Not taking chances, Tirek shot a beam point blank at the pair, hoping to take out Sunset before whatever magic they were casting was finished. He was a hair too late. “Flare!” the mares cried out, unleashing their pent-up magic. Super condensed and hot motes of energy flew out of their horns, tearing apart Tirek’s beam. The magical spheres continued on, dozens impacting against Tirek’s hide, burying themselves deep. The centaur had only a second of excruciating pain before the second explosion welling within his body detonated. The resulting shockwave blew his form apart down to the cellular level. .o.O.o. Twilight shielded her eyes as magic came pouring out of the space Tirek once occupied. Strands of multicolored energy flew towards all the monsters and chocobos nearby while others shot off into the sky, arcing in different directions. Within seconds, the once unresponsive chocobos and buffalax began to stir and move. Stardust wasted no time checking on the chocobos while Applejack and Pinkie Pie herded the buffalax away. Ignoring all of that, Twilight stared at the spot Tirek used to be, now nothing more than a blackened hole in the ground. She blinked a few times, but no tears fell. Either her ducts were dried out due to the immense heat from the attack or she had no more to shed. One or the other, Twilight did not take her sight off of the darkened earth. “Twilight?” Sunset’s hoof settled on her back. “He’s gone. We did it.” “I know,” Twilight softly replied. She opened her mouth to speak further but no words would come. Sunset stayed by her side, her hoof staying in contact. After a time, Zecora came up to Twilight’s unoccupied side, also taking in the sight of Tirek’s last stand. “He is gone and yet our pain still clings. The hurt is like a thousand tiny bee stings. I hope with time it will all wash away and we can better appreciate our victory this day.” “I hope so, too.” Twilight closed her eyes, finally breaking contact with the black spot. She sniffed, her body shuddering as her ducts began to open and the tears spilled down. Sunset and Zecora remained by her side, their own eyes welling up. Trotting by, Trixie gave a wide berth to the three, heading towards Stardust. He was busy fussing over the dazed and confused chocobos, giving them a round of potions. Trixie sped the process up with a healing spell, the soothing magic getting the last of the chocobos on their talons. One black chocobo came up to her and offered a talon to shake. “Thanks for the help. I have no idea what that was all about but I’m glad you guys were around to take care of it.” Trixie shook the offered talon with a neutral expression. “We had some scores to settle with him, that’s all.” “Pretty gutsy of you. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve traveled all over the world.” He bowed, fluffing up his feathers. “The name’s Moonlight, by the way, head of the Silverlight Clan.” “Charmed.” Her work complete, she turned and collided with a ramrod Stardust. “Watch it!” The chocobo didn’t even register the impact or Trixie’s indignant cry, his gaze fixed on the black chocobo. “Moonlight?” Stardust didn’t blink, as though doing so would make the chocobo before him disappear. Moonlight gave an affirmative nod. “That’s me.” Stardust worked his beak, words spilling out of them without him even realizing it. “It’s me, Stardust.” Chuckling, Moonlight smiled as much as he could. “So it is. How long has it been?” “Since the Empire took us in Albuck nearly two years ago.” Moonlight let out a high kweh. “Has it been that long? My, how you’ve—” He let out a whoosh of air as Stardust lunged forward and wrapped his wings around the startled chocobo. “—grown…” “I’ve finally found you!” Stardust babbled on, his beak working for him. “I searched everywhere! I thought you were dead! Where’ve you been?! I’m so haaaaapyyyyyyy!” Speech failing him, Stardust settled for sobbing uncontrollably into Moonlight’s neck. Moonlight blinked, his wings hesitantly coming over the hysterical chocobo clinging to him. “There, there, now. I’m all right. See? Not a feather out of place.” Stardust only cried and clung harder. “Okay, now you’re making a scene.” Moonlight waved awkwardly at all the eyes now staring at the pair. “Sorry, he gets a little emotional.” He looked to Trixie who only shrugged. “Don’t look at me, Trixie has no idea what’s wrong with him.” Her mouth formed a crooked smile. “But she’ll definitely remember this and never let him live it down.” Seeing how he wasn’t going to get any help from her, Moonlight wiggled his wings under Stardust’s and pried the clingy chocobo off of him. He shook Stardust a little, making eye contact. “Listen, this is all very touching but you’re making a scene. Pull yourself together!” Stardust sniffed and wiped at his damp eyes. “Sorry… it’s just… I can’t…” “Hey pard, mind introducin’ us?” Applejack said, diverting Stardust’s attention much to Moonlight’s relief. “Oh, sure, right.” Gulping down an oncoming hiccup, Stardust held out a wing. “This is Moonlight, the head of my flock. I think I remember telling you about him at some point.” “Ah, shucks, you probably did, but a lot’s happened and I plum forgot.” Applejack held up a hoof, which Moonlight took in a talon and shook. “I’m Applejack.” “A pleasure.” Applejack turned and pointed out the rest of the Returners. “You already met Trixie, but over there’s Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, and Zecora. There’s more of us back at the village—” “The village!” Twilight exclaimed, suddenly trotting in place. “We should head back there and see if everypony’s okay!” Zecora nodded. “I too would like to head back and see what can be done to clean up the attack.” “Well, looks like introductions will have to wait,” Applejack said. She turned to the rest of the chocobos. “How about the rest of y’all? Comin’ with us?” None of them voiced a disagreement. With that, ponies, chocobos, and one zebra headed back south. The run did nothing to stop Stardust from asking question after question at Moonlight, who persistently told Stardust to wait until they were back in civilization. Once the group rode into the village, they were quickly set upon by Derpy and Big Macintosh, whose coats looked much brighter than when they left. “My magic’s back!” Derpy cried out, her wings buzzing with pent up static. “Eeyup.” Big Macintosh pointed at his rump where his cutie mark was now plain to see. “Musta busted up Tirek, right?” Applejack tapped him good naturedly on the shoulder. “Eeyup! Took him out like a dead tree. Met some new friends, too!” Before introductions could be started, Zecora broke away, pulling Stardust with her. “Alas, we must be quick. The supersoft we made should do the trick.” “Moonlight, you gotta check this out!” Stardust called back even as Zecora insistently dragged him away. Moonlight waved after him. “Be right there!” Lower, he said to the gathered crowd, “Persistent, isn’t he?” This earned him a few chuckles. The others hurried to catch up, meeting Lyra, Bon Bon, and the zebra children on the way. Ponies and chocobos alike then began the task of finding as many intact zebra statues as they could and gathered them next to the cauldron Zecora and Stardust brewed. The fillies and colts bounced and chatted with abandon, giving Twilight and Sunset the full time job of keeping them from interfering. An hour later, Zecora declared the potion complete and administered the first dose. The moment the supersoft touched the statue, the liquid vaporized into the air. The statue remained unchanged. Zecora and Stardust looked to each other, then back to the cauldron. Before their widening eyes, the supersoft potion began to violently bubble and churn, spilling over the side. The Returners began backing away moments before a form burst out of the cauldron, spraying supersoft all over them. “Ah, that was a refreshing dip!” Planting his hands on either side of the cauldron, Discord heaved himself out and hopped onto the ground. With a casual kick of his goat hoof, he knocked the cauldron over, spilling the rest of its contents onto the earth. He summoned a grungy brown towel and began drying himself off. “Definitely worth the wait. Nine out of ten stars.” The crowd of creatures could only stare at the spot the supersoft had dissolved into the ground. Discord finished his drying and tossed away his towel. “There, now that bath time’s over, who’s ready for a game of buckball?” “How…?” Twilight Sparkle tore her gaze away from the ground and up at Discord. “How could you?” “Oh, Twilight, glad to see you’re back up and running! The horn’s looking particularly pointy.” He reached behind him and pulled out a wide wooden basket. “That means you get to play as goalkeeper.” Twilight screamed and burst into flames, transforming into her esper form and blasting Discord with the hottest fire she could summon. The power of her magic completely obscured his body. Twilight didn’t let up her attack until every drop of her power was consumed. Steam rising and her body heaving, Twilight reverted back, her horn red hot. Discord remained standing where he was, his upper body blackened and scorched, the basket he once held in his hands completely disintegrated. He puckered his mouth and let out a puff of smoke. “Well, if you’re going to be a bad sport about it then I don’t want you on my team.” “How could you?!” she cried, her tears evaporating before they could fall. “You… you…” Ignoring her and patting himself down until all the soot was gone from his coat, Discord gave a toothy grin. “Now, now, I put a lot of work into my statue garden. I can’t be having you ruin that now, can I? In fact…” Cracking his fingers together to limber them up, Discord rose into the sky and spread his arms wide. All around them, the Returners saw each and every broken piece of all the zebra statues destroyed during Tirek’s rampage lifting from the wreckage and reforming into solid constructs. Next, the broken huts and deep gouges were restored and filled in. The sparse greenery dotting the village spread to form vibrant fields of thick grass and colorful flowers. Finally, Discord levitated the zebra statues back into their original positions, completing the pristine picture. “There, all better now. Be sure to tour around, you might see a few familiar faces! So long!” With a flash and a parting laugh, he was gone. No words passed between the collection of creatures now standing in a beautiful settlement and its inanimate citizens. The minutes stretched on with no one willing to break the silence. A few birds flew overhead, their cheerful tweeting in sharp contrast to the quiet pall. “Well,” Trixie said, startling those next to her. “Trixie is heading back to the airship. Anypony that wants to come, be there before we take off tomorrow morning.” With that, she turned and began trotting away, the soft grass making a soothing patter with each step. The group fidgeted where they stood, shifting their gaze between Trixie’s retreating form and each other. A low growl began to build somewhere within their midsts, growing in intensity. Ponies and chocobos backed away once they realized it was coming from Twilight, who gritted her teeth so hard some feared she’d shatter them. With a roar and a burst of speed, Twilight raced after Trixie, quickly catching up with her and matching her trot. “I’m done being my little nice pony. I’m going to kill him if it’s the last thing I do.” Trixie gave Twilight a sidelong look, her lips quirking into a smirk. “My, Trixie hasn’t seen you like this since you roasted all those soldiers.” “Shut up, Trixie.” A dark laugh escaped from Trixie’s mouth as she witnessed the literal fire within Twilight’s pupil flicker.